Good Morning San Diego: Do the Los Angeles Dodgers have secret advantage?; Randy Jones celebration of life to be held today

Sportswriter Joon Lee recently posted a video to YouTube where he tries to shed light on why the Los Angeles Dodgers seem to have an endless stream of money with which to pay the top players in the game. The back-to-back World Series Champions made waves in MLB with the signing of free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker to a four-year, $240 million contract. Chari Bell of Gaslamp Ball documents what Lee says is a major disparity in favor of the Dodgers that is not available to the 29 other MLB teams.

Padres News:

• Randy Jones was a legendary pitcher for the Padres, but he may be most remembered for being an ambassador for San Diego. He could often be found around Petco Park meeting fans and promoting the Padres and the game of baseball. Jones died this offseason and the Padres will hold a celebration of life for him at Petco Park today for fans to pay their respects.
• Padres fans watched the season come to an end for one of the dominant relievers in the San Diego bullpen when Jason Adam ruptured his quadriceps and feel on the front of the mound. Adam’s recovery and rehabilitation by all accounts have been going well and his return in 2026 will be much anticipated.
• AJ Cassavell of Padres.com looks at the Padres’ history of having dominant closers, adding three are Hall of Famers, one won a Cy Young Award, and many were All-Stars.
• Dennis Lin of The Athletic breaks down the numbers and makes a case for Manny Machado becoming a Hall of Famer by the time his career comes to an end. Lin notes Machado is owed $301 million over the next eight seasons, so the end is not near, which means Machado has plenty of time to continue to add to his resume.

Baseball News:

• Free agent pitcher Max Scherzer says he is not going to rush his decision on where he will sign. It was also noted that Scherzer may wait until after Opening Day to choose his team.
• The top two remaining free agent hitters according to MLB.com are Eugenio Suarez and Luis Arraez and they have completely different approaches at the plate.
• The New York Yankees finally agreed to a new contract with Cody Bellinger, but that may not be the last free agent deal they make this offseason. The also Yankees claimed outfielder Michael Siani off waivers from the Dodgers.
• Seranthony Dominguez and the Chicago White Sox agreed to a two-year, $20 million deal.
• The Seattle Mariners acquired right-handed pitcher Cooper Criswell from the New York Mets for cash considerations.
• The San Francisco Giants made a push to land C.J. Abrams from the Washington Nationals, but the teams were unable to reach an agreement for the talented shortstop.