Player’s Closet Project: A New Era Of Authentic Athlete Memorabilia For Fans (Sponsored)
This is a sponsored post from Legends Memorabilia.
In a groundbreaking new initiative aimed at connecting fans directly with their favorite athletes, Legends Memorabilia Collection has launched the Player’s Closet Project. This innovative project brings fans exclusive, personally owned and autographed items from the personal collections of some of the biggest stars in sports. Legends Memorabilia Collection (LMC) is a wholly owned for-profit subsidiary of the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA). With access to thousands of former big- league players, LMC offers an unparalleled experience in Major League Baseball memorabilia.
The Player’s Closet Project stands out from traditional memorabilia offerings by delivering items that have been a part of an athlete’s personal journey. They are tied to meaningful moments in an athlete’s career—whether it’s a pair of sneakers worn during a training session, an autographed locker room sign, a jacket worn during the season, or an autograph exchanged with a fellow player after the game. Each item comes with a certificate of authenticity, ensuring the piece’s source and its significance to the athlete’s personal history.
The Player’s Closet Project already has a growing roster of athletes across different eras of baseball who are participating in the initiative. Each athlete has carefully selected items from their personal closets and will make them available in limited quantities.
Some of the high-profile names involved in the project include exclusive Legends Memorabilia Collection athlete and baseball superstar Mike Trout, 2006 MVP Ryan Howard and two-time World Series champion Johnny Damon. From Trout’s batting gloves to Howard’s game-day cleats, fans can expect unique, one-of-a-kind items to hit the site regularly. Damon has even contributed a pair of autographed seats from Old Yankee Stadium! With more athletes being announced routinely, fans can look forward to a constantly evolving collection of unique items.
Whether you’re a seasoned memorabilia collector or a lifelong sports fan looking for that perfect piece, the Player’s Closet Project offers something for everyone. With exclusive, personally owned items coming directly from the athletes themselves, this project is set to redefine how fans engage with the memorabilia market.
From iconic game-day gear to behind-the-scenes keepsakes, the Player’s Closet Project is a fan’s dream come true—bringing the game, and the players, closer than ever before.
For more information on the Player’s Closet Project and to see the latest drops, visit https://shoplegends.com/pages/players-closet-project.
Offseason Outlook Articles Now Part Of Trade Rumors Front Office
Many of you have noticed that our long-running Offseason Outlook series is now a part of our paid Trade Rumors Front Office service.
I understand this change has been jarring for some, and I apologize for not providing a heads up. It is a permanent change, and next spring’s Offseason in Review series will be exclusive to Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers as well.
Our traffic declined in 2023 for the first time in MLBTR’s history, and ad rates have been falling for roughly seven years. I decided to create Trade Rumors Front Office in 2020 to close the gap on ad revenue that is no longer there.
Requiring a subscription to read the Offseason Outlook series was not a decision I made lightly. These posts take roughly three hours each to write, and the majority of them receive modest traffic. The ad revenue on the series was not close to covering the time required to produce it. I take great pride in our work on the Offseason Outlook series, and I think it’s worth paying for.
We have a couple of other time-consuming major original offseason features that also don’t pay for themselves, in our arbitration projections and our Top 50 Free Agents list. I have no current plans to put those behind the paywall.
I think we add a lot of value to news posts as well, particularly on write-ups of major signings and trades. News posts, which make up the vast majority of MLBTR, remain free. A portion of our more time-consuming opinion-based analysis has been exclusive to subscribers for over four years now. Other original work, such as our recent free agent preview by position, remains free to all.
It can be difficult to find a balance and make the math work. If you’re here strictly for the news, that’s still free. If you find value in our analysis and tools and have the means, then I hope you’ll consider a Trade Rumors Front Office subscription.
I have not raised the price on Trade Rumors Front Office in four-plus years, even as we’ve continually added benefits. It remains $29.89 per year. Benefits include:
- Ad-free browsing experience
- Exclusive weekly articles from Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco
- Offseason Outlook and Offseason in Review series covering all 30 teams
- Exclusive weekly live chat with Anthony
- GM-caliber tools such as our MLB Contract Tracker and Agency Database
- 100% money-back guarantee
MLBTR is approaching its 19th anniversary in November. It’s a privilege to do this for a living, and we value everyone who chooses to visit the site. I intend to continue running MLBTR as an independent small business for as long as possible. Enjoy the playoffs; we’re hard at work preparing for another exciting offseason!
MLB Mailbag: Dodgers, Cardinals, Yankees
This week's mailbag delves into the Dodgers' rotation for 2025, the likelihood of Cody Bellinger opting out, the Cardinals' reset, the Yankees' infield, and much more.
Ben asks:
I'm curious as to how you expect the Dodgers to address their rotation this offseason. The team is laden with talented starters, yet the number of injuries is astounding. Do you expect the team to continue adopting a high-risk, high-reward approach? Will we see them sign a low upside inning-eater or two as insurance? How likely is a reunion with Buehler, and what might the season-opening rotation look like?
When I consider Yoshinobu Yamamoto, I wouldn't say he had a higher injury risk than any other top starter the Dodgers could've gotten. Nor was Trevor Bauer high-risk, healthwise. Brandon McCarthy, Scott Kazmir, and Rich Hill were high injury risk three or four-year deals, but those were eight to ten years ago.
Otherwise, Andrew Friedman has generally gone for one-year starting pitcher deals in free agency: James Paxton, Noah Syndergaard, Tyler Anderson, and Andrew Heaney in recent years. Trade pickups have included Alex Wood, Max Scherzer, and Tyler Glasnow.
I don't know that I see a pattern there, other than eschewing long-term free agent deals for less youthful pitchers. For example, if Max Fried is going to sign for five or six years, I don't expect the Dodgers to do that. Innings eaters have not really been Friedman's thing, with the possible exception of Tyler Anderson coming off a 167-inning campaign.
You could argue that Buehler would be Friedman's type if he was coming from another team. But the Dodgers had all year to try to get him on track this year and failed to do so, so my guess is that they will not re-sign him.
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MLB Mailbag: Red Sox, Cubs, Adames, Adell
Today's mailbag gets into offseason needs for the Red Sox, how the Cubs might fit Matt Shaw in, possible suitors for Willy Adames, whether Jo Adell has turned a corner, and much more.
Dave asks:
As a disgruntled Red Sox fan (mostly due to John Henry pulling in the purse strings), what are the Red Sox's biggest needs going into next season? I think as always the need for another innings eater in the rotation. Also curious as to if Duran was offered as trade, what type of starting pitching would he command? As for free agents - I don't think the Sox will bring back any of them. Although for the right price maybe Pivetta.
Here's how the team sets up right now:
- C - Connor Wong (R)
- 1B - Triston Casas (L)
- 2B - Vaughn Grissom (R)
- SS - Trevor Story (R)
- 3B - Rafael Devers (L)
- LF - Jarren Duran (L)
- CF - Ceddanne Rafaela (R)
- RF - Wilyer Abreu (L)
- DH - Masataka Yoshida (L)
That doesn't include a quartet of highly-regarded position player prospects: outfielder Roman Anthony, shortstop Marcelo Mayer, infielder/center fielder Kristian Campbell, and catcher Kyle Teel. And of course, Rafaela can play center as well as the middle infield.
The Red Sox will need someone to split time at catcher with Wong until Teel is ready, whether it's Danny Jansen or another veteran. Second base has been an issue, with Grissom, Enmanuel Valdez, and David Hamilton getting the bulk of the playing time there. With Mayer, Campbell, and Rafaela all options there, I don't see much room for a veteran.
The outfield pieces can move around as well. Wilyer Abreu has had an excellent rookie season, though he has not shown the ability to hit left-handed pitching. That problem extended even to Devers and Duran this year. Of the prospects I mentioned, only Campbell bats right-handed. Baseball America touched on this issue recently.
Devers had a strong year, while Story's contract demands a starting job. Yoshida, also well-paid, might not have that luxury. The Red Sox signed Rafaela to a $50MM contract in April, but he really hasn't hit outside of July and is on track for a 1-WAR season. I'm not sure where he fits.
At 4.71 runs scored per game, this has been a good offense. That's despite giving regular playing time to Rafaela. It also includes big contributions from Tyler O'Neill, who seems likely to leave as a free agent, and Rob Refsnyder, who's unlikely to repeat.
Given the versatility and uncertainty around several of these players, there are a lot of ways next year's lineup can shake out. I've seen the idea of trading Duran mentioned here and there. Duran, 28, will be arbitration eligible for the first of four times in 2025 and is under control through 2028. He's split his time between center and left field in his breakout season, and played both positions capably. He's one of baseball's fastest players, his arm is strong, and his Statcast hitting metrics are solidly red.
Duran is on track for a 7-WAR season that in many years would make him an MVP frontrunner. He provided the bulk of his offensive value from June through August, during which he had a 168 wRC+. Duran has an 87 wRC+ against lefties this year, though he did hit southpaws well in June and July.
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Live Chat With Fantasy Baseball Expert Nicklaus Gaut
Fantasy baseball expert Nicklaus Gaut will be holding a live chat today at 11am central time, exclusively with Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. This will be Nicklaus' last chat of the year! Use the link below to ask a question in advance, participate in the live event, and read the transcript afterward.
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MLB Mailbag: Cardinals, Yankees, Mariners, Dodgers
In today's mailbag, we get into a potential offseason plan for the Cardinals, the impact of managers, third base in Seattle, whether the Yankees should sign Juan Soto, NL playoff rotations, and much more.
Sam asks:
Hi Tim, imagine your phone rings and it's Bill DeWitt Jr. he says, "Tim, I've always liked your work at MLBTR and I've decided that I want to focus all my attention on acquiring as many Arby's as possible. 63 just isn't enough. So I've decided to gift you the St. Louis Cardinals and enough money to maintain the team's current ranking in payroll among the other 29 teams for the next 3 years, effective immediately." How do *you* Tim Dierkes go about fixing the Cardinals?
I generally support efforts to put more Arby's into the world.
The Cardinals' current competitive balance tax payroll is about $216MM, so I'll just stick with that. That gives me about $92MM to work with. Key arbitration eligibles include Ryan Helsley, JoJo Romero, Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, and Andre Pallante. I'm pretty sure those guys will cost less than $20MM, so if I tender them contracts I'll have about $75MM with which to work.
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Live Chat With Fantasy Baseball Expert Nicklaus Gaut
Fantasy baseball expert Nicklaus Gaut will be holding a live chat today at 11am central time, exclusively with Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers. Use the link below to ask a question in advance, participate in the live event, and read the transcript afterward.
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MLB Mailbag: Trout, Elly De La Cruz, Cubs, Baty
This week's mailbag addresses a potential Mike Trout trade, valuing Luis Arraez, how the White Sox and Cubs move forward, what an Elly De La Cruz extension might look like, Brett Baty's future, MLB's popularity, and much more.
Fred asks:
With the ever increasing annual salaries MLB stars are receiving, $36M just isn't what it used to be. Assuming he is amenable to a trade, is this the offseason someone (here's looking at you, Dave Dombrowski) takes a chance on Mike Trout's still tremendous upside? His salary could be offset with a bad contract or two (hello Taijuan Walker). He is far less expensive than Juan Soto will be.
$36MM is still a very large salary in MLB, currently tied for seventh all-time. The actual CBT hit for a new team on Trout's remaining six years and $212.7MM would be similar at $35.45MM.
As an aside, four players signed contracts with $35-36MM AAVs in 2019: Trout, Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, and Anthony Rendon. Five years later, only five players have managed to push into the $40MM realm, moving the needle modestly in this regard.
Trout said before the season that asking for a trade would be the "easy way out," but he also didn't rule out a future change of heart. The Angels are on pace to lose about 95 games this year, they haven't been to the postseason since 2014, and there's little reason to expect the team to be good next year. Despite his longstanding loyalty, it's plausible Trout could change his mind at some point.
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Live Chat With Fantasy Baseball Expert Nicklaus Gaut
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Tim Dierkes’ MLB Mailbag: Rangers, Bichette, White Sox, Jordan Walker
Today's mailbag gets into possible offensive additions for the Rangers, Bo Bichette trade scenarios, the White Sox and the record books, requiring starters to go six innings, Jordan Walker's future, and much more.
Kevin asks:
Do you see the Rangers getting a DH/ outfielder that hits for power?
Evan Carter was the Rangers' starting left fielder entering the season, but he struggled to hit and his season ended in May with a back injury. Carter is only 22 years old and went into this season as one of the game's best prospects. He'll have to re-establish himself a bit but I assume the Rangers will generally keep a spot open for him.
Carter could play center field, which was manned by Leody Taveras this year. Taveras fits better in a fourth outfielder role. But making Carter your starting center fielder coming off a serious back injury and without having proven himself as a big league hitter would be a risky plan.
Carter is something of a question mark, but then there's Adolis Garcia. Garcia, 32 in March, is under contract for $9.25MM in 2025 and then potentially under control for 2026 as an arbitration-eligible player. Garcia was an All-Star from 2021-23 before a lost '24. Garcia's 2024 season has gone like this: insane in April, basically unplayable from May through July, and then about league average since August. Do you trade him at a low point? The bounceback potential is lower for a guy who will be turning 32.
Much-hyped rookie Wyatt Langford has logged 25 games at DH plus 729 innings in the outfield (mostly left). 23 in November, Langford has held his own with a league average bat, flashing star potential in June as well as over the last 10 days or so. His likely home is left field.
The '23 Rangers saw big power from Carter (briefly), Corey Seager, Garcia, Mitch Garver, Marcus Semien, and Josh Jung. Seager and Jung have continued to show pretty good power, and Langford certainly could next year. Carter and Garcia are unknowns, with Semien joining them and not necessarily expected to bounce back at age 34. The Rangers also don't get much pop at first base in Nathaniel Lowe.
A center fielder who can hit would fit better than a corner guy, but good luck finding one. Luis Robert should be available, but he's coming off a Garcia-like season himself. Cody Bellinger could fit on the Rangers position-wise, but he's posted a 105 wRC+ this season. Bellinger's contract makes him hard to trade, as he'll make $27.5MM in '25 with a $25MM player option and $5MM buyout for '26 (assuming he doesn't opt out this winter).
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