Giants have a top target in free agency

The San Francisco Giants are coming at the 2023 offseason with aggression. After appearing close to hiring Bob Melvin away from the in-state San Diego Padres to replace fired manager Gabe Kepler, the Giants top free agent target has been revealed.

While some might assume the Giants will play with the Dodgers to chase Shohei Ohtani, San Francisco is instead setting its sights on Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. While that may not mean the Giants are out on other players, Nightengale describes this as a "full-court press," for Yamamoto.

In 2022, the Giants appeared close to signing star slugger outfielder Aaron Judge away from the New York Yankees. There was optimisim since he grew up in Northern California. Further, a report indicated the Giants had signed him, but wound up being misguided. Back to New York Judge went.

Then, the Giants looked to sign Carlos Correa after his deal with the New York Mets fell through due to a failed physical. After failing a physical with the Giants as well, that, too, fell through.

By then, the top free agents were off the board and the Giants had little left to make action on. It set up a rather disappointing season for the team who played well in spurts but wound up missing the postseason.

Now, with a new manager and perhaps an early run at one of the top international free agents in recent memory, fortunes could change.

Melvin is also expected to bring third-base coach Matt Williams along with him to San Francisco, according to Susan Slusser.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto has clear desires for where he wants to play

Much has been made about Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani's preference to play in smaller markets and preferably on the West Coast (though that preference for the Pacific seems to be changing). For international players still adjusting to America, location often means plenty more than to American or Atlantic-raised players, who are closer to family and heritage.

While Ohtani generally is modest and prefers a more mild, small-market vibe, Yamamoto is quite the opposite: He wants the bright lights and prefers to play in a big market, according to Will Sammon (subscription required). That could lead to him prioritizing teams like the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Angels, either Chicago team, or the Phillies.

The Rangers, who have prioritized pitching the last several seasons, are an interesting one to consider as well. While Dallas/Fort-Worth doesn't always come to mind as one of America's largest cities since it is much more sprawled and less dense than others (Chicago is 12,000 people per square mile, Dallas is 3,400, for scale) it is a massive market worth keeping an eye on.

Of course, this doesn't mean small markets are necessarily out of the running, and it's not yet clear if he has a preference for the West Coast to be closer in proximity and time zone to his home country. There is still much to figure out in regards to his free agency.

Astros playing the blame game with MLB for Game 7

Fans of 29 MLB teams are going to love this one... Astros players are furious with MLB because they feel the league made a misguided decision with Bryan Abreu's suspension that has, in some ways, forced a Game 7 between the Astros and Rangers in the ALCS.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required) described an "undercurrent" of anger from some in the Astros clubhouse toward the league office in regards to the situation.

Abreu hit Aroldis Garcia in Game 5 of the ALCS with a pitch that he took as "payback" for his overt celebration to a home run earlier in the game. Abreu was thrown out after benches cleared, and Astros manager Dusty Baker was also tossed after he yelled at officials, pleading his case that there was no upside to the Astros intentionally putting a batter on the bases while down and vulnerable. Houston would come back to win Game 5.

Rosenthal reports that not only are players upset over the suspension in general, but they're also frustrated Garcia was not suspended for acting, as they put it through Rosenthal, as the "aggressor." They have also accused the league of favoritism since the Rangers' general manager Chris Young worked for the league previously.

Abreu has an appeal hearing Monday and his suspension will be struck down or upheld by first pitch. If upheld, Abreu will be suspended for two games, which means he will miss Game 1 of the World Series if Houston advances.