To celebrate the end of the Super Bowl and the unofficial beginning of the baseball season, FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi lists ten key story lines from the upcoming MLB season. At the top is whether the Cubs can ride a 97-win 2015 campaign and a string of high-profile free agent signings (Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist, John Lackey) to their first World Series win since 1908. Elsewhere, Morosi quickly reviews the offseasons of the Dodgers, Red Sox, Yankees, Nationals, Royals and Diamondbacks, assessing their chances of winning in 2016. Here’s more from around the game.
- Cardinals pitcher Mitch Harris took a highly unusual path to the big leagues — he was drafted in 2008 but spent years away from the game serving in the Navy before making his minor-league debut in 2013 as a 27-year-old and quickly making his way to the Majors. One of the challenges he faced while serving was keeping up with what big-league hitters were up to, FanGraphs’ David Laurila writes. Harris says, though, that in some ways, his ignorance of his opponents could be a strength. “When I came back, I didn’t always have an idea of who I was facing,” he says. “There was no… I don’t like to use the word fear, so I guess you could say I wasn’t nervous to face anybody.” Harris had a relatively successful rookie season in 2015, posting a 3.67 ERA (albeit with 4.3 BB/9 and a modest 5.0 K/9) in his first 27 innings in the bigs.
- Longtime Royals and Mets minor-league utilityman Anthony Seratelli is retiring, Laurila notes. In retirement, Seratelli plans on building his audio and video production company. The 32-year-old played at the Triple-A level in 2012-2014 and played with the Seibu Lions in Japan last season, but never reached the Majors. He exits with a .371 career minor-league OBP in parts of eight seasons.
- Dexter Fowler tops the list of remaining free agents who are worth signing, ESPN’s David Schoenfield writes. Schoenfield notes that Fowler would be a good add for the White Sox, who have a need in the outfield and a protected first-round pick. Of course, White Sox GM Rick Hahn has previously expressed reluctance to part with the Sox’ next pick, at No. 28 overall, although the team recently has been connected to Fowler anyway.
The Broncos won
Zzzzzz…
Completely unrelated, what are the chances of Timmy being resigned as a Giant on a 1-year make good bullpen deal?
I wouldn’t think too high, unless no one else picks him up and he goes for a real incentive Laden deal. I would imagine that everyone would love to see him in the clubhouse but be doesn’t really have a spot in the bullpen ( if he was a lefty it could be different) likely until next year when there is turnover
Not happening. Giants are looking to win now, and he’s a reclamation project at this point. They can’t have question marks like him on the squad, Cain is already one too many.
Utmost respect for young Harris and serving his country before returning to the game. Same with JT Watkins for the Sox, whom they drafted several years ago out of Army and served his tour of duty and returned to the game this past season.
This isn’t ‘Nam, or the mid 60’s where players had to fear the draft and at least half would enlist in the reserves, spend 2-3 months in boot camp and return to their normal lives with no fear of ever being called to go over seas.. Even in their reserve unit was sent… This is young men doing the right thing for what they believe and this country needs more young men like them.
No they don’t, leave your personal politics out of this and talk baseball.
He wasn’t being political, simply expressing appreciation for Harris and others who’ve served. You are the only one on this thread bringing personal political ideology into the conversation.
Please bring back SOME level of moderation MLBTR!
Hear, hear! Guy below us is telling us that America needs more soldiers, when we already spend trillions on our military, which is far, far too much but also: who cares about this? I thought posters here were not allowed to talk politics?
Moderators please change this current flawed system and go back to the more easily-moderated version!
Aren’t you the one that just said “leave your personal politics out of this and talk baseball”? Ironic. No one was making a political statement until you just did. Maybe you should take your own advice.
LOL! Troll much? All you have are logic fallacies and reading comprehension problems, not to mention outright lies, to push your narrative.
I never once said anything about Puig for example.
I think that if the Sox give up that comp pick then they kept Samardjiza for nothing then.
Nothing? It would come down to Dexter Fowler’s worth to the White Sox versus the value of the #28 compensatory draft pick. Of course, nobody will ever know the true comparison in hindsight since they can only do one or the other. (lol)
The only value we know currently is that Jeff Samardzija wasn’t nearly as good as what the White Sox expected in 2015 and what they gave up for him in the trade with Oakland last off-season. We don’t even know what they might have received for him had he been dealt by last summer’s trade deadline(s) since it never happened.
28th pick for fowler would be a mistake. Keep all picks and get younger through the draft. Sox are in trouble
Im saying in the context of Fowler. I could even see giving up the pick for a guy like Upton who would likely be a guy around for a while and worth it.. However, giving up a draft pick for a one year rental would make no sense and I would not want to see Fowler around for longer than that.
I wonder who heads up the list of remaining free agents who are NOT worth signing. I’ll volunteer Joe Nathan; too old, too risky, has lost his location (walks were up) and a good chunk of his fastball. Plus he hung a young teammate out to dry in the media for making an error. Not what you want from a veteran presence.