Mariners Moose Tracks, 11/3/24: Gerrit Cole, Ha-Seong Kim, and Sean Manaea

It’s Sunday, and if it’s Sunday, it’s Meet the Links.

The agents, they’re free.

In Mariners news...

• The people at Umpire Auditor put together a great compilation of Cal Raleigh stealing strikeouts this season.

Around the league...

• Jorge Castillo and Alden Gonzalez wrote about a teenage prospect that was on track to sign with the Padres has been lying about their age. Falsified documents provided to the Padres indicated the player would currently be 14, when they are actually 19, and played for the Dominican U-12 Baseball World Cup team in 2022 at the age of 17. The Padres have withdrawn from the verbal agreement after the results of MLB’s investigation were brought to them.
• The Braves are back breaking their own news again, this time signing Aaron Bummer to a back-loaded two-year, $13 million deal, and Reynaldo López to a revised three-year deal.

• The many loud, and largely wrong opinions of Christopher Russo will not be on High Heat anymore, as the show ended its eleven season run yesterday.

Free agency...

• The big fish in the pitching market has landed, as perennial ace Gerrit Cole has opted out of his contract with the Yankees and will enter free agency.

• Sean Manaea is joining Gerrit Cole on the market.

• If my experience in Road to the Show this year is anything to go off of, Kim is going to get signed by Detroit and become an 8 WAR player but lose the MVP to a rookie on the Red Sox who hits 86 homeruns. So keep an eye out for that, I guess.

• Cody Bellinger did the thing I wish I could do, and hit the button that pays out $27.5 million.

• World Series participant Anthony Rizzo is joining the free agent market.

• Robbie Ray elected not to opt-out of his contract and will not enter free agency.

• The Brewers exercised their team option and picked up Freddy Peralta’s $8 million option.

• The Diamondbacks exercised their team option and picked up Merrill Kelly’s $7 million option.

• Former dugout funeral recipient Eloy Jimenez is joining the free agent market.

• Joc Pederson opted against the mutual option on his contract and will enter free agency.

• Emilio Pagan exercised his $8 million option, sticking with the Reds for 2025.

• David Robertson elected free agency.