TBNL: Rickey Henderson, Phillies add an arm, Nats a bat

Baseball lost a legend on Saturday. Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson passed away just days before his 66th birthday.

Born on Christmas Eve 1958, Henderson was drafted by his hometown Oakland A’s just weeks after graduating from high school. Three years later, at the age of 20, he would make his debut in the major leagues.

Henderson spent 25 years in the majors with nine teams, 14 of them coming with the A’s, slashing a combined .279/.401/.419 across more than 13,000 plate appearances. Henderson collected 3,055 hits, 510 doubles, and hit 297 homers. He walked 2,190 times (2,129 of them were unintentional, an MLB record; Barry Bonds walked 2,558 times but that includes 688 intentional walks).

In the postseason, he was just as effective — hitting .284/.389/.441 in 262 PA with another 33 steals, including a then-record 11 in the 1989 playoffs (Kenny Lofton broke that mark, as well as the career playoff steals mark). Henderson was a part of two World Series-winning teams (the 1989 A’s and 1993 Blue Jays).

His 2,295 runs scored, 1,406 stolen bases, 335 times caught stealing, and 81 leadoff home runs are all MLB records.

Henderson was a 10-time All-Star, won three Silver Slugger Awards, a Gold Glove, and was the AL MVP in 1990. He was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2009, appearing on 94.8% of ballots in his first year of eligibility.

The A’s retired Henderson’s No. 24 that year. They also renamed the playing surface at the Oakland Coliseum to “Rickey Henderson Field” in 2017. He was and is one of the greatest and most-loved players in the franchise’s storied history.

While Henderson will be remembered for plenty, the stolen base total is among the most notable. His 1,406 stolen bases are 467 more than the next-highest total in league history, Lou Brock’s 938.

MLB’s active career leader is Starling Marte, who has stolen 354 over his 13-year career. He’s not even a quarter of the way to Henderson’s total. Only one other active player is above 300 (Jose Altuve, 315).

22-year-old Elly De La Cruz led the majors with 67 steals last year, after swiping 35 his rookie year. He would need to average 65 steals a year for another 20 years just to tie Henderson.

In other words, it’s a mark that won’t be broken for quite some time.

Only two players in pro baseball have ever stolen more than 1,000 bases: Henderson and Yutaka Fukumoto. Fukumoto spent 20 years in the NPB from 1969-1988, with the Hankyu Braves, and swiped 1,065 bases (the next highest total is Yoshinori Hirose with 596).

Henderson loved the game of baseball — he played three more seasons in independent leagues after retiring from MLB — and it loved him back. The Athletic’s Tyler Kepner penned an outstanding tribute and the outpouring of statements across the game from former teammates, coaches, and opponents has been substantial.

For me, Henderson was easy to root for as a kid discovering baseball in the 1980s. He was electric on the field and possibly one of the fastest humans I’d ever seen (or so I thought).

Once I reached the point in Little League where stealing bases became allowed, I’d mimic Rickey when taking my lead off first base — hands dangling in front of me, staring daggers through the pitcher.

I couldn’t match Henderson’s speed, of course, but still admired him. He was even the subject of my senior quote in high school: “It’s not how fast you are, it’s how you use your speed.”

Phillies bolster already strong rotation

Philadelphia’s starting rotation already appeared to be a strength with Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, and Ranger Suarez locked into the front four spots. Taijuan Walker was likely the favorite for the first spot until the club feels Andrew Painter is ready.

Now they will add Jesús Luzardo to the mix, acquiring the left-hander (along with minor league catcher Paul McIntosh) from the Miami Marlins for a pair of prospects, shortstop Starlyn Caba and outfielder Emaarion Boyd.

Injuries have been a concern throughout Luzardo’s six-year career and 2024 was no different. Elbow and back strains limited him to just 12 starts and 66.2 IP on the year, with a 5.00 ERA and a big drop in his strikeout rate. Luzardo’s upside is still there though and that’s what the Phillies are banking on.

A popular name in trade rumors dating back to last summer, it’s hardly a surprise to see Miami moving Luzardo (even if he’s a Miami native). The cost-conscious Marlins make most of their roster more available in trade once they start to cost more. Luzardo is projected to earn just over $6M in 2025 and will have another year of arbitration eligibility in 2026 (which could prove helpful with Suarez facing free agency after the coming season).

While prospect evaluators are high on Caba — ranked #54 on Baseball America’s Top 100 list and #81 on MLB Pipeline’s; some called him one of the best defenders at shortstop in the minors but there are questions about whether he’ll ever develop much power — it would seem like Miami might have been able to get more MLB-ready talent elsewhere considering how many teams are seeking controllable starting pitching.

Nationals finally address need at 1B

The 2024 Nationals hit the fewest home runs in the NL and their .375 slugging percentage ranked second-to-last in the league. The club needed to add offense this offseason and first base was identified early as a likely place to do so. Washington used five different players at first last season with subpar results.

There’s been a ton of activity in the first base market over the last week.

Houston signed Christian Walker to a three-year deal. New York added Paul Goldschmidt. Arizona traded for Josh Naylor. Cleveland brought back Carlos Santana. That’s a lot of moving parts in a short period, all with Pete Alonso still sitting on the free agent market (a return to the Mets is looking more likely).

Washington addressed their need on Sunday, trading left-handed reliever Robert Garcia to Texas for Nathaniel Lowe.

Lowe, 29, hit .265/.361/.401 with 16 homers in 565 PA for the Rangers last season. He’s a .272/.356/.433 hitter over his six-year career, who won a Silver Slugger in 2022 and a Gold Glove in 2023. He’s projected to earn just over $10.5M in 2025 and the Nationals can retain him for 2026 through arbitration.

He seemingly became expendable when the Rangers acquired Jake Burger earlier this offseason.

Washington’s bullpen need only worsened with the move even if adding Lowe helps the lineup. Garcia, 28, was one of the more experienced relievers left on the club’s roster (he was fourth on the team with 59.2 IP last season; only 34-year-old Derek Law remains on the roster). His numbers weren’t great on paper, but most pundits seem to think favorably about Texas’ return in the deal (citing Garcia’s groundball tendencies).