Thor’sLinks: 5 Shopping Days ‘til Christmas!

We are coming up on DIY Links, as family is coming to town and I am moving into full Christmas Mode. We shouldn’t miss much, as the entire country is still trying to recover from the Matt Harvey signing and hasn’t the energy for a next major event.

Do yourself a favor and warm yourself over these Last-Minute-HaloLinks:

A Little Bit Of Angels News

Let FanGraphs dive deep into what Matt Harvey used to be, and what he is..........

There was a day when Matt Harvey was supposed to be one of the anchors in the megatron 2018-2019 Free Agent class. But, baseball happens............

Beware Rhys Hopkins..........

Everywhere In Baseball

It turns out that the story from yesterday about the Marlins ex-president mocking the taxpayers of Miami as being losers was merely a birthday skit. I am certain that makes the taxpayers feel a LOT better, being the butt of a joke about their being victimized, instead of just being the the victim............

The Addison Russell details are disturbing. Not the best look for the Cubs.........

The modern gambit of The Opener might end up having a real impact on player compensation. Something for the MLBPA to think about..........

Uh, hang on a second. You mean to tell me that money is going to be moving from one party, to another party? Yes, please, Uncle Sam will be a part of that..........Meanwhile, sports media is jumping into sports betting with both feet, a torso, and half an arm. (meaning, they will keep just enough above water so that they can shame you for your evil gambling habits.).........

I’ll follow up on my snark from yesterday. The Cubs made a nice upgrade for themselves. For a couple million more, they upgraded their utility position from Tommy LaStella to Daniel Descalso AND snagged LHP prospect Conor Lillis-White...........

If you are gonna suck, you might as well try to be fun to watch. This appears to be the Kansas City Royals approach..........

MLB is opening up a direct pipeline into Cuba. It requires government approval, which is a main reason why this was not possible a decade or two ago, when it was really needed.

TheRinger agrees with me. Ignoring CTE, Kyler Murray is probably better off financially jumping into the NFL. With his luck, he will get drafted by the Raiders.........

The Cubs are making strides in their effort to launch their own RSN. This is getting confusing, and I don’t even live in Chicago.............

Hot Stove

Troy Tulowitzki did his thing in Long Beach and 11 teams showed up to watch. The Giants led all with the largest contingent, but Billy Eppler was there with his clan...........

The good news: we have yet to trade away any prospect of cosmic significance..........

The Duffle Bag

Tony Gwynn stat, and how the game has changed. For the worst, I regret............We got our wish. The Mariners will be playing in a (T) Mobile Park...........Job postings: software dev in the Giants’ analytics department, and an R&D slot with Driveline, which has the best applicant profile I ever read: “...the best candidates to come through...have a varied and colorful history with a portfolio of failed, half-completed, and blocked sports projects of all types. Self-starters, initiative-takers, and those with a healthy skepticism of authority...”..........Beast Mode advocating for a new stadium in Oakland..........Holiday Cheer..........