The Opener: Yamamoto Debut, Free Agents, Giants

As MLB Spring Training continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Yamamoto to make stateside debut:

For the second day in a row, a newly-signed Dodgers superstar will make his first in-game appearance for the club this spring. Yesterday, Shohei Ohtani stepped up to the plate for the first time in a Dodgers uniform and crushed a home run later on in the game. Today, L.A. fans will hope to be similarly dazzled by right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who signed the largest free agent contract in MLB history for a pitcher back in December despite not having pitched in the majors previously. The 25-year-old pitched to a sterling 1.24 ERA in 23 starts for NPB’s Orix Buffaloes last season, his fourth season in the last five years where he posted a sub-2.00 ERA. In his first stateside matchup, Yamamoto will take on left-hander Cody Bradford and the reigning World Series champion Rangers at 2:05pm CT.

2. Could Snell or Chapman be the next marquee free agent to sign?

The quartet of top free agents attempting to wait out the market for a better contract shrunk to three over the weekend when Cody Bellinger and the Cubs reunited on an opt-out laden three-year deal. Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, and Matt Chapman all continue to linger in free agency with March just around the corner.

Snell has been most frequently connected to the Yankees throughout the winter, and reporting yesterday indicated that the sides have continued to discuss scenarios this week, even as a deal remains an extreme long shot. As of last night, the Giants are reportedly still in the mix for both Snell and Chapman, with Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle citing one source in saying there’s about a 50% chance the team lands one of the two. With spring training in full swing and Opening Day just one month away, the waiting game could finally draw to a close sooner than later.

3. Are the Giants down a starter?

One factor that might be impacting the Giants’ pursuit of Snell is the health of right-hander Tristan Beck, who left camp yesterday to undergo testing on his right-hand back in San Francisco. Beck, 27, pitched to a solid 3.92 ERA and 4.00 FIP with the club last year, though only three of his 33 appearances in the big leagues came as a starter. Despite that limited starting experience, Beck appeared slated to enter his sophomore season as the club’s fifth starter behind Logan Webb, Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, and Keaton Winn.

With Sean Hjelle and Ethan Small among the next best options for the rotation should Beck miss time, an injury of any note could push San Francisco to attempt to add a starter before Opening Day. While there’s an obvious potential connection between Beck’s health and the Giants’ reported interest in Snell, the club wouldn’t necessarily have to turn to the top of the free agent market to replace or even improve upon Beck’s expected production. After all, other quality arms remain available on the open market such as right-handers Mike Clevinger and Michael Lorenzen, the latter of whom MLBTR’s Steve Adams explored plausible fits for just yesterday.