It is now almost December, and baseball’s hot stove remains distinctly not hot. A bunch of guys are in the kitchen talking about lighting the stove and filling out questionnaires for the chance to set everything on fire, but the stove itself? Not hot. (The main stove, that is. The little campfire stove that Mariners GM and compulsive deal-maker Jerry Dipoto has in his office is just as warm as always.)
Today, though, we got a little flicker of heat. Check out these moves:
Braves trade RHP Jim Johnson and international pool money to Angels in exchange for minor-league LHP Justin Kelly: Did you know that this Jim Johnson is the first Jim Johnson in MLB history to appear in four games or more? (The other Jim Johnson gave up six runs across six innings of relief in three games in 1970 and then never pitched again.) There was another guy named James Johnson who played in the 1890s, but he mostly went by his nickname of Spud. Now you know!
Diamondbacks acquire RHP Brad Boxberger from Rays in exchange for minor-league RHP Curtis Taylor: On May 8, 2014, Boxberger struck out three straight batters on nine pitches with the bases loaded, becoming the first pitcher to accomplish such a feat at least since MLB began recording pitch-count data in 1988 and possibly the first ever. Lately, he’s been hurt a lot.
Mariners claim LHP Sam Moll off waivers from the Pirates: The Associated Press, which photographs basically every single baseball game for every team, took just one picture of Moll last season. It shows him looking off in the distance after giving up a home run. It can be seen above.
Stay warm out there, everyone.