The biggest news from Major League Baseball on Monday is a media story as MLB Network has parted ways with longtime reporter Ken Rosenthal. The New York Post’s Andrew Marchand reports that Rosenthal’s ouster is due to his criticisms of commissioner Rob Manfred in 2020 for his handling of the COVID-19 situation. Rosenthal confirmed the split via his Twitter account Monday evening saying that the network made the decision to not bring him back.
Can confirm MLB Network has decided not to bring me back. I’m grateful for the more than 12 years I spent there, and my enduring friendships with on-air personalities, producers and staff. I always strove to maintain my journalistic integrity, and my work reflects that. 1/2
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 4, 2022
Marchand reported that Rosenthal’s contract expired at the end of 2021 and MLB Network declined to negotiate a new deal. Rosenthal is still part of The Athletic and Fox Sports.
Braves News
FanGraphs’ Justin Choi took a closer look at Ian Anderson’s changeup and why it might be undervalued by metrics like Stuff+
With the calendar having flipped to 2022, I took a player-by-player look at the Braves 40-man roster as it currently stands. Atlanta currently has 38 players on the 40-man including 23 pitchers and 15 position players.
Braves Podcasts
Cory McCartney and Grant McAuley examine Austin Riley’s breakout 2021 and what we can expect from him in 2022 in the latest episode of Battery Power.
MLB News
Major League Baseball and the Players Association are expected to resume negotiations at some point in January but USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that no talks have been scheduled yet. Both sides have met twice since the start of the lockout but only discussed issues that were unrelated to the core economics that are at the heart of the negotiations.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers put together a guide of where things currently stand between the owners and the players with the answers to plenty of frequently asked questions.
Once the lockout is over, there is going to be a mad scramble of transactions as teams fill out their rosters. MLB Trade Rumors put together a list of the best remaining available free agents headlined by Carlos Correa and Freddie Freeman.
Veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin announced his retirement via his Twitter account Monday. Maybin made his major league debut with the Tigers in 2007 and played for 10 different teams, including the Braves in 2015, over his 15-year career. The Braves dealt him that November back to the Tigers for pitchers Ian Krol and Gabe Speier.