Inside baseball: The Tipline for 25 April 2023

The art of persuasion often requires tailoring an argument to your audience. At the start of its trial against Assa Abloy/Spectrum Brands on Monday, the Department of Justice teed up a baseball metaphor for Judge Ana Reyes. The Antitrust Division told the Boston Red Sox fan that the merging parties’ proposed divestiture was destined to fail in the same way as trading away seven-time All-Star Chris Sale if the acquiring team lacked the right assets. Judge Reyes chuckled but suggested using a different pitcher in light of Sale’s recent performance.