Mariners Moose Tracks, 11/29/23: Ty France, Bo Bichette, and the Oakland Ballers

Baseball is sticking around in Oakland after all...sorta.

Good morning everyone! The offseason continues to stall as we await the major decisions from Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but let’s get you caught up on the latest news, rumors, and analysis.

In Mariners news...

• In case you didn’t already know...well, now we have a verified national reporter on the topic.

• We’ve got proof of Ty France at Driveline!

Around the league...

• Liam Hendriks and Cody Bellinger were named the 2023 Comeback Players of the Year.
• The KBO’s LG Twins have agreed to post right-handed reliever Woo-suk Go, the brother-in-law to center fielder Jung-hoo Lee.
• With the Oakland A’s now officially leaving town, an independent ball club is rising in its place.

• The Milwaukee Brewers are deep in discussions with top prospect Jackson Chourio on a contract of unprecedented length and overall value for a player who hasn’t made his MLB debut yet, per Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic. ($)
• Desperate for star power, the Giants are prioritizing Ohtani and Yamamoto this winter above all others. Though they might be keeping things closer to the vest than San Francisco, I have a feeling the Mariners are operating the same way.

• Jake Mintz at FOX Sports looks back at Ohtani’s first recruitment sweepstakes to gain a better understanding of how this year’s process may go.
• Despite ongoing rumors that the Blue Jays are in trade talks regarding Bo Bichette and Vlad Guerrero, Jr., GM Ross Atkins insists that the club plans to keep both young stars.
• The Mariners first-year area scout responsible for scouting Tai Peete has moved on to another organization. Best of luck, Terry!

• In former Mariners news, right-handed starter Easton McGee has agreed to a minor league deal with the Brewers.

Anders’ picks...

• In major non-baseball sports news, celebrity owner Mark Cuban has decided to sell his majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks.