With the return of baseball just around the corner, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the sports world throughout the day today:
1. WBC Rosters Announcement
The World Baseball Classic is set to return for its fifth installment next month, and tonight, WBC rosters will be announced. Coverage of the announcement will begin at 5pm CT on MLB Network. As per usual, the WBC is expected to feature star-studded rosters; for example, both Mike Trout and Mookie Betts are already confirmed for the Team USA roster, while the Dominican Republic is expected to include stars like Rafael Devers, Juan Soto and Julio Rodriguez. Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani will headline Japan’s roster. With the tournament running from March 8-21, players who participate in the WBC will be away from their team’s Spring Training camp to participate. As such, tonight’s roster reveal could have implications not just for the WBC itself but throughout all of MLB, as the absence of those stars will create some additional playing time for others during Cactus League and Grapefruit League play this spring.
2. NBA Trade Deadline
Typically, The Opener (and MLBTR in general) focuses purely on baseball. Today, however, we’re making a rare pivot to the larger sports world, as the NBA has its trade deadline this afternoon, at 2pm CT. Our sister site, Hoops Rumors, is set to provide the same type of coverage we at MLBTR provide during baseball’s own trade deadline. Just yesterday, a three-team deal sent Russell Westbrook to the Jazz and D’Angelo Russell to the Lakers, while superstar Kevin Durant was dealt to the Suns in a separate blockbuster late last night. With more sure to come in advance of this afternoon’s deadline, basketball fans who enjoy MLBTR’s content should check in at Hoops Rumors for up-to-the-minute coverage and analysis of the trade deadline throughout the day.
3. MLBTR Player Chat
Yesterday, MLBTR had the opportunity to host a live chat with former MLB starting pitcher Brandon Beachy, the transcript of which you can find here. Today, we’re excited to welcome current A’s outfielder Brent Rooker, who’ll host a live chat with our readers at noon CT. Rooker, the No. 35 overall pick in 2017, has consistently raked in the minor leagues, though since his MLB debut with the Twins in 2020, he’s struggled to make the jump to the big leagues. In 2022, Rooker changed uniforms three times: he started the year as a Twin before being sent to the Padres just before the start of the season in the Taylor Rogers trade, then was traded from San Diego to Kansas City in early August in exchange for catcher Cam Gallagher. Finally, a November waiver claim sent him from the Royals to the A’s, where he remains on the 40-man roster and will compete for an Opening Day spot during Spring Training. Brent’s chat will kick off at today at noon CT, so check back then to participate live!
The NBA sucks because there’s no loyalty. Teams trade players and/or players want to leave too often. Probably due to all the diva players.
Part of the problem is the salary cap too. In both football and basketball you can see the consequences.
I will never understand the “loyalty” issue with the NBA. In MLB players change teams all the time and while fans will be disappointed a favorite player left their favorite team there is no complaining about loyalty. Players are loyal to the dollar and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Agreed. The NBA is no different than baseball. For every team change story you have a Giannis story. It’s called free agency and has been around for a fair bit.
It’s a soap opera for men where, every couple days, you get to watch them go to “work,” which just happens to be pro basketball.
Too many players in the NBA try to dictate how the team is run; who’s on the roster, who the Head Coach is, who the GM is. Often times that backfires spectacularly. Look at the Brooklyn Nets; Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving both sign mega deals 3+ years ago, both decide they don’t like Steve Nash and demand trades and threaten to sit out if Nash isn’t fired (the team caved and fired Nash), and then Irving demands to be traded again (which he finally was, Durant was also just traded). In no other sport do the players believe they have the right to dictate how organizations are run and then directly complain about the very people paying them $10’s of millions of dollars
The NBA is way more likely to have a star stay with one team for their career then mlb is. Really don’t understand where that comment is coming from.
The NBA’s CBA allows for a team to offer a “Superax contract” which is 35% of the signing team’s payroll while also allowing a “rookie scale extension” which allows teams to sign players to extensions adding 5 years to their rookie deals at 30% of the teams salary cap. Keeping a star player is simply leveraging the fact that under these rules the player can get the most money staying with their original team then out in free agency where a “Max contract” can only be 25% of a teams payroll
Is Rooker the first current player to host a chat? Yesterday’s with Beachy was really good!
Nick Ahmed chatted last week!
mlbtraderumors.com/2023/01/join-our-live-chat-with…
I think everyone knows about your other rumor sites. No need to advertise it. NBA is a joke anyway.
Excellent.
Can you elaborate on the NBA being a joke?
Actually, a good number of MLBTR readers do not know about our other sites.
Thanks for trade deadline reminder. I don’t follow the NBA as much as baseball but I enjoy checking out your hoops rumors site occasionally.
I applaud Cashman for making the decision to deny Sevrino the opportunity to pitch in the WBC. He’s been injured every year and missed substantial time. He’s also a key member of the rotation and it’s his contract year. I fee for Sevy not getting to pitch for his home country, but it’s way too risky and helps secure Sevy’s financial future too.
At the risk of sounding like a bad parent, watching my 3 groms skateboard without pads is less concerning than watching our dogs in the WBC fight. Just hope EVERYBODY stays healthy!!
I want to know what TrumboJumbo has to say on the Angels and Arte Moreno. How come he doesn’t comment anymore? Did he change his name or did the trolls get to him? We need a search party to make sure TrumboJumbo is alive and well.
Yeah, he was on here a lot and then stopped posting around Christmas. Not sure why. Hope he’s okay.
Anything having to do with the NBA is a hard and fast NO!
What’s wrong with the NBA?
Can anyone cite an example of a player getting hurt in the WBC and not being able to play for the team that pays him?
Pretty sure that happens to Drew Smyly right after Seattle traded for him
In the 2017 WBC Miguel Cabrera injured his back causing him to miss two weeks at the end of April for the Tigers
Didi Gregorius strained is shoulder and missed most of the first month of the season
Martin Prado injured a hamstring and missed the first two weeks of the season
Drew Smyly suffered a flexor strain to his pitching elbow and missed the entire 2017 season
Seth Lugo suffered a partially torn UCL and missed the first 2+ months of the season
The risk is real as all of these happened in the last WBC and the Yankees and every other team out there have every right to deny a player (especially one that already has a significant history of injuries) from participating
But playing for your country means so much more…
In that case sign a salary waiver that if said player gets injured during the WBC they don’t get paid until returning to the field
The US is lucky it’s not in Pool D. Three of the five in D are capable of winning the whole thing.
Can’t wait for the Wbc, spring training games get boring after about 2 weeks
I know this is going to sound trivial but I love the WBC. It means more to me to play for your country.