Happy Holidays From The ATNB Staff

Each MLB team has an offseason wishlist of players they wish to acquire, and this offseason is no different. Superstars SS Francisco Lindor and 3B Nolan Arenado are reportedly being shopped, while free agents such as SP Trevor Bauer, OF George Springer, C J.T. Realmuto and RHP Liam Hendriks can improve any roster they join. While the general managers piece together their teams, the All Talk, No Balk! staff compiled wishlists of our own, asking Santa to deliver some very important players to our respective organizations. Here are some of our biggest Christmas wishes this holiday season:

Senior Manager Heather Barette

As the one-and-only Dodger Girl, I want Santa to leave me my very own World Series ring under the Christmas tree. Sure, I didn’t play, I didn’t coach, I didn’t manage and I technically had no direct impact on the Los Angeles Dodgers’ success. But, karmically, I had everything to do with their championship run. I’ve been with them every step of the way for many, many years. I know a lot of fans will say that, but the Dodgers truly make up at least 95% of my daily brainpower and I never wavered in my love for them — OK, so I lost the tiniest bit of faith after they got knocked out in the first round by the Washington Nationals, and I let my angst get the best of me a couple of other times…nobody’s perfect. Plus, blue and diamond would look really nice with my eyes. So, Santa, get busy! Ya girl Heath deserves the rock!

Editor-in-Chief Sebastian Moore

While there have been several accomplishments in New York over the past decade, the one failure the Yankees and its fan base have yet to overcome is winning the World Series for the 28th time. Now, as a Yankees fan, I have several hypothetical and even unrealistic desires that I want the Yankees to pull off this offseason. After much consideration and debate, I am unsure if re-signing 2B DJ LeMahieu is the best move. The Yankees already have a second baseman in SS Gleyber Torres, who has proven to be a better defender and hitter when he plays second base instead of shortstop. Not to mention, Torres is still under team control through the 2024 season and for a much lower annual salary. Even with SP Gerrit Cole headlining the rotation, the more pressing needs for improvement lie with the pitching staff, as questions surrounding the bullpen linger and SP Masahiro Tanaka and SP James Paxton are free agents. If I were anything like Mr. Potter from “It’s A Wonderful Life,” I would ask for SS Franciso Lindor, SP Trevor Bauer, C J.T. Realmuto, RHP Liam Hendriks, 3B Nolan Arenado and LHP Brad Hand. But I am nothing like Mr. Potter and this is reality, not a fictional movie. I think the Yankees can be smart and pass on acquiring a superstar shortstop this offseason when the 2021 free agent class will be loaded with Lindor, SS Corey Seager, SS Trevor Story and SS Javier Báez. As tough as it is, my Christmas wish is for the Yankees to pass on LeMahieu and instead target Bauer, Hendriks and/or Hand to bolster an already-depleted pitching staff.

Social Media Coordinator Andrew Luna

Santa came early this year for Dodgers fans like myself. It’s hard to ask for much more when we’ve already been given a World Series championship. If I had to ask Santa for anything during the offseason, I’d ask for a couple of our fan-favorite players to be re-signed to the team. Players such as UTIL Kiké Hernandez, 3B Justin Turner and OF Joc Pederson have proven their worth time and time again, and it’d be hard to let them go. I’d like to keep as much of our team together as possible in order to defend their title.

Contributor Josh Lederman

As a Chicago White Sox fan, I hope that Santa brings a retractable roof to Guaranteed Rate Field. The early months of baseball in Chicago can be absolutely brutal with temperatures dropping to the 40s. Just a few months later, the temperatures rise into the high 80s or even the low 90s, plus the humidity can be quite high. A retractable roof can provide a more enjoyable atmosphere for White Sox fans during the spring and summer seasons. If the temperature is in the 70s to low 80s, Chi Sox fans would be able to enjoy outdoor baseball. In addition, rainouts would be eliminated, so White Sox fans can expect all 81 home games to be played as scheduled. In 2019, the White Sox ranked 24th in average attendance. While baseball fans remain uncertain about when their favorite team will begin to allow people to attend games, White Sox fans can watch one of MLB’s top up-and-coming teams in a more cozy environment with the addition of a retractable roof from Santa.

Contributor Max Perez

As a 23-year-old man, believing in Santa Claus is a choice I have actively made, and I’m sticking with it. With this belief I don’t have to work for the gifts, and I don’t have to think about where they’re coming from; the presents are just there, provided to me for not being a schmuck. Part of not being a schmuck is not being greedy, so I’ll give Santa some options. Since my club is fresh off a World Series championship, all I want under the tree this Christmas is a solution at third base. Whether that means keeping 3B Justin Turner, trading for 3B Nolan Arenado or even moving SS Corey Seager over a few feet, I just want an answer so I can rest easy.

Photo courtesy of Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox