by Ronald Agers | Apr 22, 2023 | THE LEAD OFF
Right now, Yankees outfielder Aaron Hicks is hitting .125 in 24 at-bats and a single RBI and falling deeper down the Yankees’ outfield depth chart. If the Arizona Diamondbacks can throw $34 million in the street to get rid of Madison Bumgarner, then the deep-pocketed Yankees can certainly afford to dismiss Hicks and eat the cash.
If that happens and Hicks gets released, the obvious question is…where can he go?
1. Arizona Diamondbacks:
(Checking notes) Arizona does have a roster spot and if the Yankees waive Hicks outright, it would be a cheap opportunity to rehab Aaron Hicks’ career. He has ties to the area and at this point, would welcome a chance there. For the Diamondbacks, they could market a potential star coming home to play in front of his fans to fill some seats. With expectations that don’t include “World Series or bust,” Hicks can relax and get back to the star that shined in 2017-19.
2. Cincinnati Reds:
Sure, this would be a long elevator ride down from the penthouse in New York, but Hicks needs these things desperately…
● A defined role where he can mentally prepare and be motivated every day.
● A chance to play every day to get a rhythm to show that he still has something left.
● Most importantly, this is a barometer to expel the narrative that he has lost his passion to be a great baseball player. If his talent doesn’t run circles around the Reds’ list of outfielders for a starting job, then he will be a spot player for the rest of his career.
● With the Reds’ tight budget, they would provide the perfect scenario for Hicks to play a year and enjoy his re-birth while they pay a fraction of the price.
Playing in Cincinnati is not about winning baseball games, it’s a chance for the MLBbro to play every day and showcase his talent for all of the MLB teams not named the New York Yankees.
3. San Francisco Giants:
After spending six months in an all-out chase to get Aaron Judge out of the Yankees pinstripes, why not get a New York player that is named…ahem…Aaron? The Giants’ business plan centers around aggressive moves, taking chances when available and moving on opportunities with reclamation projects.
San Francisco Giants, please allow MLBbro.com to introduce Aaron Hicks if he is waived. Hicks is the best big name on the “Balling on a budget” list that San Francisco can get, especially with free-spending divisional rivals, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres willing to splurge top dollar to improve their squads. With injury questions to the Giants outfield over the last couple of seasons, Hicks gets a chance in the rotation as a fourth outfielder.
4. Miami Marlins:
This scenario definitely reminds fans of that scene in the movie Bull Durham when the Durham Bulls manager told Crash Davis, “This is a chance for you to play baseball every day…and get paid to do it!”.
If Hicks goes to South Beach, he’d better have that mindset. Remember Derek Jeter had enough last season and left the franchise for philosophical reasons. The Marlins will gladly bring in a minimum wage player to finish out the season for marketing reasons.
In return, Hicks gets a chance to play every day and get much needed reps in the outfield. Of course, until Aaron Hicks is designated for assignment these teams might be watching. But with the market for our MLBBro so dry at this point, with Madison Bumgarner being dismissed with a huge contract, the time might be ticking for Aaron Hicks.
by Malik Wright | Apr 7, 2021 | 5TH SLOT
The game is changing right in front of our eyes, and the New MLB City Connects are going to be a huge part of it.
Two years ago a billion-dollar deal brought two of America’s most synonymous brands together; Major League Baseball and NIKE.
This new age era of baseball acknowledges showmanship and flair in the game as an important part of MLB’s future. Bat flips, dugout celebrations, and even pitchers breaking out their best dance moves after strikeouts on a nightly basis have been fun to watch.
On the other side, we have seen NIKE becoming the official uniform brand of both the NBA and NFL recently.
In January of 2019, NIKE announced a billion-dollar deal that included $3 million in the pockets of each team, bringing the swoosh to all baseball jerseys in 2020.
This morning, baseball unveiled one of 7 teams that City Connects collections will be fitting this year.
In a statement, NIKE announced these jerseys would honor each team’s city, history, fans and culture. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs and White Sox, LA Dodgers, Florida Marlins and Giants will be releasing their looks at a later date.
One of the most iconic franchises, Boston Red Sox were up first, and in my eyes, hit a home run with their Boston Marathon-themed fashion choice.
Via fastcompany.com:
The idea behind City Connect is that the jerseys explore, not just a team’s historic look, but something significant about that team’s broader hometown and culture. For the Miami Heat, Nike created a blue and pink, 1980s neon throwback for the team that screamed Don Johnson, bucking tradition for the otherwise red, black, and yellow franchise. The strategy has worked well. Nike’s Miami Heat jersey became the best selling jersey in the NBA in several seasons, according to Nike.
These jerseys stray away from the normal Red Sox white and blue, choosing to go with blue yellow jerseys in honor of the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
The yellow is complemented with the word “Boston” across the chest in blue. The city area code 617 is on the sleeve.
The new looks are going to take some getting used to. Baseball’s color schemes continue to evolve out of the traditional looks, but we have seen these types of designs recently with the NBA City collection jerseys in recent years.
“Nike is uniquely suited for our relationship with the MLB because we like pushing the edges of creativity across the board, but it’s always done out of a place of supporting the players and advancing the sport,” said Nike Vice President of North America League partnerships Sonja Henning.
Although we are not sure when the next team’s jerseys will be released, we do know the dates that they will debut on the field.
The Red Sox will be worn April 17th, Florida Marlins May 21st, Chicago Cubs June 12th, Arizona D-Backs June 18th and San Francisco Giants on July 9th.
The White Sox and MLB Bro Tim Anderson will be wearing their new drip on June 5th in a Saturday night matchup against the hottest young talent in baseball, Akil Baddoo, and the Detroit Tigers.
2018 MVP and multiple World Series champion Mookie Betts and the Los Angeles Dodgers will rock theirs in late August.
I’m ready to see these jerseys on the field. Like it or not a cultural change is coming to MLB and these classic jerseys will be a major part of the process.
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