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Our weekly look at some of the best and most interesting things I've seen over the last 7 days

THE ONLY CONSTANT IS CHANGE

Graphic courtesy of MLB.com.

Major League Baseball Thursday announced some rule changes for the 2024 season: A shorter pitch clock with runners on base, a wider lane for runners between home plate and first base and a reduction in mound visits. MLB.com takes a look at the changes.

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THE NEXT BIG THING

Yoshinobu Yamamoto will join Shohei Ohtani with the Dodgers. (Photo courtesy of Getty Images.)

Now that 25-year-old Japanese righthander Yoshinobu Yamamoto has agreed to a 12-year, $325 million deal with the Dodgers, MLB.com turns to Statcast to examine how his stuff may play in the major leagues.

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CHOPPING IT UP

Baseball’s best team in the 2023 regular season, the Braves fell flat in October. Here’s a candid conversation with Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos.

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THE TAX MAN COMETH

A record 8 teams will pay a record $209.8 million in luxury tax in 2023. Leading the way, the New York Mets, who won only 75 games despite a tax payroll of $374.7 million that resulted in them owing just under $101 million in luxury tax. They’ll pay more in tax alone this year than 8 teams spent on their entire payroll.

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MAKING THEIR BEST PITCH

Milwaukee’s Devin Williams again befuddled hitters with his Airbender change-up in 2023.

Who had Baseball’s 3rd-best slider? Eno Sarris of The Athletic breaks down the best pitches of the 2023 season.

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A HAIRY SITUATION

In moving from the Red Sox (left) to the Yankees (right), it was hair today and gone tomorrow for Johnny Damon.

Scott Miller wrote a fun piece for the New York Times about the Yankees’ long-standing policy against beards and long hair. Could it be costing them players in 2024?

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ICYMI

This week in VFTB:

• Looking to make a move in the standings, several 2023 also-rans across MLB are spending aggressively this offseason.

Don't look back

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