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The Opener: Spring Training, Wong, Marlins

By Nick Deeds | February 23, 2024 at 8:06am CDT

With regular season baseball less than a month away, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world over the weekend:

1. Spring Training games begin for 28 clubs:

While the Dodgers and Padres opened Cactus League play against each other yesterday, the league’s other 28 teams will all have their own first games of the season this weekend. Today, the Cubs will take on the White Sox, the Rangers will face the Royals, and the Diamondbacks will square off against the Rockies in addition to a second game between San Diego and L.A. Meanwhile, the Red Sox and Twins will kick off spring play in Florida with exhibition games against the Division I Northeastern Huskies and Minnesota Gophers, respectively.

Grapefruit League play won’t begin in earnest until tomorrow, which features a slate of games highlighted by newly-minted Orioles ace Corbin Burnes kicking off the club’s spring with a start opposite Boston’s Garrett Whitlock. Elsewhere in the AL East, right-handers Marcus Stroman of the Yankees and Lucas Giolito of the Red Sox figure to make their spring debuts for their new clubs on Sunday.

2. Wong signing on the horizon?

According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, second baseman Kolten Wong has seen his market “begin to pick up” following a number of infield signings around the league over the past week. From 2017 to 2022, Wong was an above-average regular at the keystone with quality defense and a .269/.349/.414 slash line during that time. The 2023 season was difficult for the 32-year-old, however, as he hit a paltry .165/.241/.227 in 216 trips to the plate with the Mariners before being released and catching on with the Dodgers. He much better upon arriving in Los Angeles, where he was used largely as a pinch hitter but slashed a respectable .300/.353/.500 in 34 trips to the plate during the season’s final month.

Solid as that brief stint with L.A. was, few clear landing spots for a pure second baseman such as Wong remain around the league. The Pirates were previously rumored to be considering a reunion with fellow lefty-swinging second baseman Adam Frazier before he signed with the Royals, however, and it’s certainly possible to imagine Wong fitting in as a left-handed bench bat on a club such as the Angels, Yankees, or Brewers.

3. What’s next for the Marlins?

The Marlins filled their most obvious hole on the roster yesterday by agreeing to a one-year deal with shortstop Tim Anderson, who figures to take over as the regular at the position, pushing Jon Berti into a utility role. While Anderson struggled badly in his final season with the White Sox last year, the two-time All Star was among the better regulars at the position from 2019 to 2022, when he slashed a collective .318/.347/.474 in 318 games. With the club’s vacancy at shortstop filled, what’s next in Miami? The club has largely stood pat this winter after winning 84 games last year en route to a surprising playoff appearance, though they did lose Jorge Soler to the Giants in free agency.

There’s been buzz throughout the winter that the Marlins could look to deal a controllable arm such as Jesus Luzardo, Braxton Garrett, or Edward Cabrera from their rotation mix, though it’s unclear how likely such a deal is and Garrett’s recent bout of shoulder soreness could complicate that decision further for the club. If Miami were to decide to consider further augmenting the roster after adding Anderson, a bat to add to an outfield/DH mix that currently features Avisail Garcia, Jesus Sanchez, and Bryan De La Cruz alongside center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. could make some sense. The likes of Eddie Rosario, Adam Duvall, and Tommy Pham are all still available in free agency and could be sensible, fairly low-cost additions for the Marlins to make.

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Which Of The Boras Four Will Be The First To Sign?
View Comments (37)
Post a Comment

37 Comments

  1. This one belongs to the Reds

    1 year ago

    I guess there are clubs willing to go the Wong way at this late stage.

    7
    Reply
    • acoss13

      1 year ago

      You can’t go Wong with signing Kolten as a depth piece.

      1
      Reply
      • Canuckleball

        1 year ago

        I say Boston should sign him so he can pair up with Connor…

        Two Wongs make a right?

        5
        Reply
        • I.M. Insane

          1 year ago

          Bring back Steven Wright. They advertise the club’s road trips as “Two Wongs and a Wright”.

          5
          Reply
  2. Old York

    1 year ago

    Musgrove looked bad yesterday. Currently, an ERA of INF. LOL!

    Reply
    • arty! Believes Jevon Belcher Quit on the Chiefs

      1 year ago

      Tends to happen when you don’t actually pitch for 7 months. Missed August and September last year plus the off season.

      Cause you know ST is when pitchers give 110% and burn out their arms before the season begins.

      4
      Reply
      • Old York

        1 year ago

        @Don’t be a sore Le-ou-za-her

        Pitchers throw 110% in the season and still give up 4+ ERAs. League ERA is 4.33 in 2023. They pitched on average about 5.1 innings per start and had 35% Quality Starts. So, even during the season, they’re not really doing well.

        Reply
        • Habitual Truth Teller

          1 year ago

          Weird facts that completely miss the point that pitchers arent going to go full speed during spring training. Games are meant to get players conditioned and ready for the grind of a 162 game season. Stretched out. Get their bodies ready to handle a full season. Not so much go out there and win a spring training game.

          Reply
        • Old York

          1 year ago

          @Habitual Truth Teller

          Then my point remains, he looked terrible. LOL!

          Reply
    • Smelly_Cobb

      1 year ago

      LOL, if the Dads lose again today, their season is toast.

      Reply
    • I.M. Insane

      1 year ago

      Still did better than Lugo.

      Reply
  3. Very Barry

    1 year ago

    Former White Sox players are in demand all over the league.

    Talent was not the problem.

    Reply
    • gbs42

      1 year ago

      TA sucked last year. Talent was the problem.

      Reply
  4. junkmale

    1 year ago

    Miami should check in on Austin Meadows’ mental health and see if he’s ready to return to baseball.

    1
    Reply
    • D-Nice

      1 year ago

      If he was, Detroit probably wouldn’t have nontendered him. I can’t believe Tampa got the better of that trade, and by far too. Meadows was hitting 300 with 25 and 100. Paredes was struggling to adjust. Then, Paredes hits 30+ while Meadows barely plays the last few years. Unbelievable.

      4
      Reply
      • JoeBrady

        1 year ago

        I remember there was a Tiger fan in here besdie himself in glee. Paredes was always a good prospect. If you have someone in AAA with a 56/47 K/W and 11 HRs in 253 ABs, at age 22, he almost has to be a real player.

        Reply
  5. vaderzim

    1 year ago

    I want to stay positive, but I am terrified at how many injuries there will be this Spring.

    2
    Reply
  6. User 2161944466

    1 year ago

    Last year, the Angels won the Cactus and the Cardinals won the Grapefruit so clearly Spring Training games matter.

    7
    Reply
    • Very Barry

      1 year ago

      They were both well-oiled machines last Spring, and I think they both have a shot at repeating this year. Crazy how good they are in the Spring.

      2
      Reply
    • acoss13

      1 year ago

      Pujols used to get asked by the media how he was feeling when he was hitting 400 in Spring Training, and he’d always brush it off as not meaning anything.

      1
      Reply
    • gbs42

      1 year ago

      If anybody thinks spring training results mean anything at all, they need to adjust their thinking.

      2
      Reply
  7. Baseball’s Topics on Baseball Today

    1 year ago

    Who else is pumped for Jesse Chavez’ White Sox debut today?

    2
    Reply
    • Very Barry

      1 year ago

      I am looking forward to it. Can’t wait to get the season started. White Sox are gonna win the AL Central. I am planning on cashing in on their success this year! White Sox are +4000 to win the AL Central. I am gonna drop $100 on it. Pretty nice $400k payout.

      Jerry Reinsdorf should drop $25k on White Sox to win Central at +4000. He should then proceed to spend money on his team. If he wins the central, the $1 billion payout will pay for his stadium free and clear.

      3
      Reply
      • Bucket Number Six

        1 year ago

        I’m not a bettor, but I thought +4000 means you bet $100 to win $4,000.

        Also, I don’t think Reinsdorf should be betting on his own team even if they were heavily favored to win.

        2
        Reply
        • JoeBrady

          1 year ago

          Yup, pretty sure it is 40/1.

          1
          Reply
        • Jack Dawkins

          1 year ago

          I know that players and coaches are forbidden to gamble on baseball but does the same rule apply to owners too? Whatever the case, it sounds like a bad idea in light of the 1919 historical precedent.

          2
          Reply
        • MacGromit

          1 year ago

          have we not learned any lessons from the movie Major League?

          Reply
      • gbs42

        1 year ago

        Good way to waste $100, Barry.

        1
        Reply
  8. Old York

    1 year ago

    MLB players add see-through pants to concerns with new uniforms

    espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/39577625/mlb-players-add-s…

    1
    Reply
  9. mlb1225

    1 year ago

    Is MLB gonna do something about the pants? I really am tired of seeing players’ underwear.

    2
    Reply
    • acoss13

      1 year ago

      Obviously it’s meant to be a fashion statement, clearly we’re not getting the message. /sarcasm

      1
      Reply
  10. Rsox

    1 year ago

    Wong will be the Reds next minor league signing

    1
    Reply
  11. HEHEHATE

    1 year ago

    Jesus Sanchez agent has to be furious about the arb and service time manipulating his clients gone through. Let him mash and give you 30+ dingers in the middle of your line up or for the love of god or get this man out of the state of Florida period.

    Reply
    • Big Smoke

      1 year ago

      HA I wish Sanchez was consistently good enough to be able to hit 30 homers.

      1
      Reply
      • HEHEHATE

        1 year ago

        When you have to sit behind a Garcia you deserve a full look but hell never get it in Miami

        Reply
  12. MLBTR needs to hire editors

    1 year ago

    “Solid as that brief stint with L.A. was” is NOT PROPER ENGLISH. You can’t just leave “as” out at the beginning of the sentence and ignore basic grammar because you feel like it. Can someone get this Deeds kid into remedial English? Mr. Deeds indeed.

    Reply

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