The Opener

As Opening Day approaches, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. WBC Update

The first round of the World Baseball Classic ends today, with a trio of key games that will decide who advances: At 2pm CT, Mexico will face Canada on FS2, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals. Notably, Canada will likely be without star first baseman Freddie Freeman for today’s game after Freeman was removed from yesterday’s game with “slight” hamstring tightness, though the issue seems unlikely to cause Freeman to miss time with the Dodgers. Meanwhile, on FS1, a 6pm CT game between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic will also send its winner to the quarterfinals, sending the other team home.

Later on FS1, Team USA will take on Team Colombia at 9pm CT. The U.S. will advance to the quarterfinals with a win, while a loss will result in each of the U.S., Colombia, and the loser of Mexico vs. Canada having a 2-2 record, with a tiebreaker deciding which of the three will join the Mexico vs. Canada winner in the quarterfinals. Finally, the second quarterfinal match takes place tomorrow morning at 5am CT, where Italy will take on Japan on FS2.

2. Will Kelley finally get his roster spot?

Right-hander Trevor Kelley, who joined the Rays on a minor league deal this offseason, was selected to Tampa Bay’s 40-man roster last month near the start of Spring Training. However, MLB voided that selection, as minor league contracts cannot formally be selected to the 40-man until March 15. Now that the date has finally arrived, it seems reasonable to expect the 30-year old hurler to be added to the 40-man roster in the near future, especially considering he’s tossed 5 1/3 shutout innings with three hits, two walks and six strikeouts so far in Grapefruit League action. The Rays could place either Andrew Kittredge or Shane Baz on the 60-day injured list as the corresponding move. Both players are recovering from 2022 Tommy John surgery.

3. MLBTR Chats Today

We continue our series of live chats with people from around the game of baseball today as Jim Duquette will be joining us for a live chat with readers at 3pm CT this afternoon. Duquette spent 17 years working in MLB front offices with his most notable roles being GM of the Mets from 2003 to 2004 and vice president of baseball operations for the Orioles from 2006 to 2007. You can also hear Duquette on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, where he hosts the Power Alley alongside Mike Ferrin. Be sure to join the chat this afternoon as Duquette fields questions from MLBTR readers!

In addition, we have a Mets Offseason in Review chat with MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald scheduled for today, while MLBTR’s Anthony Franco will be hosting a his weekly chat this evening at 5pm CT. Both of those links will allow you to submit a question in advance and join the chats to participate live once they’re up and running.

As we arrive on the cusp of the World Baseball Classic’s quarterfinal round, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. WBC Update

Following a day that saw Puerto Rico throw eight combined perfect innings in their defeat of Israel, there are four matches on the docket for today: Venezuela (2-0) will face Nicaragua (0-3) at 11am CST on FS2, though the latter team has been eliminated from quarterfinals contention at this point. Also on FS2, Canada (1-1) will face Colombia (1-1) at 2pm CST. This evening, Israel (1-1) will try to right the ship after yesterday’s shutout loss to Puerto Rico against the Dominican Republic (1-1) at 6pm CST on FS1. Also on FS1 will be Mexico (1-1) vs. Great Britain (1-2) at 9pm EST. The first quarterfinal match, featuring Australia against Cuba, will take place at 5am CST tomorrow morning on FS2.

2. How long will Quintana be out?

Yesterday, a report emerged that Mets lefty Jose Quintana would be shut down for three months due to the stress fracture in one of his ribs, though GM Billy Eppler later pushed back against it, noting that the club is still talking to doctors about potential next steps. Losing Quintana for a significant amount of time would be a major blow to a Mets rotation that is set to heavily rely on aging pitchers who have struggled to remain healthy in recent years: Justin Verlander, 40, pitched just six innings 2020-2021 before his dominant return from Tommy John surgery last season. Max Scherzer, 38, is coming off his lowest full season innings count of his career (145 1/3) in 2022, while Carlos Carrasco, 36, eclipsed 100 innings for the first time since 2018 last year with his 152 innings of work.

The Mets have a strong contingent of depth, headlined by lefty David Peterson, righty Tylor Megill and left-hander Joey Lucchesi (whose workload will be monitored in his first season post-Tommy John surgery). Presumably, the Mets will make a more formal announcement Quintana’s recovery timetable once they’ve finished gathering opinions, but for now all eyes are on their depth options to see who claims the final rotation spot to begin the season. Peterson and Megill are the favorites, and both have pitched well so far in camp.

3. MLBTR Chat Today

Do you have any questions regarding your favorite team or the larger baseball world as the 30 clubs gear up for Spring Training and make their last minute offseason moves? MLBTR’s Steve Adams will be fielding questions from readers today during a live chat at noon CT. If you would like to ask questions in advance, you can do so here. That same link will also take you to the chat when it begins if you would like to participate live.

As the return of regular season baseball draws ever closer, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. WBC Update

The World Baseball Classic continues today. Over the weekend, Australia (3-1) and Japan (4-0) both punched their tickets to the quarterfinals in Pool B. Pool A, meanwhile, saw a wild finish where all five teams finished with a 2-2 record. Cuba and Italy ultimately moved onto the quarterfinals after tiebreakers were exercised. Pools C and D are still ongoing, with the Dominican Republic (0-1) facing Nicaragua (0-2) at 11am CT today and Colombia (1-0) facing Great Britain (0-2) at 2pm CT today. Both games will air on FS2. Meanwhile, FS1 will air Israel (1-0) vs. Puerto Rico (1-1) at 6pm CT in addition to Canada (1-0) vs. the United States (1-1) at 9pm CT.

2. Eovaldi, deGrom to pitch today:

Today is a big day for the Rangers’ rotation, as Jacob deGrom will pitch in a game as a member of the organization for the first time today. deGrom, to this point, has been handled very carefully by the Rangers in order to preserve his health into the regular season. In addition, Nathan Eovaldi will be returning to the mound after being shut down with side tightness. Both righties are slated to pitch in minor league games. As two of Texas’s top three starters, their health will be crucial to the success of a team hoping to return to contention after a second straight offseason spending spree.

3. Could more extensions be on the way?

As the start of the regular season quickly approaches, so too does the time of year where contract extension talks typically wind down between clubs and players. Two major extensions occurred over the weekend, as Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz and Diamondbacks center fielder Corbin Carroll both signed eight-year extensions. Other extension talks around baseball seem to be proceeding with mixed results: the Padres seem intent on extension talks with both closer Josh Hader and star slugger Juan Soto, while the Astros seem pessimistic about their odds of getting a deal done with either Kyle Tucker or Framber Valdez this spring. Aaron Nola of the Phillies and Nico Hoerner of the Cubs are among other players who have been rumored to have extension talks with their clubs this spring.

As spring baseball continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today.

1. WBC Update

The World Baseball Classic continues today, and really kicks into gear throughout the weekend. Pools C and D will begin play tomorrow, highlighted by Julio Urias starting for Mexico against Colombia at 1:30pm CT, Sandy Alcantara taking the mound for Dominican Republic against Venezuela at 6pm CT, and the vaunted Team USA lineup making its debut against Great Britain at 8pm CT. In addition, Pools A and B will have their first round complete over the weekend, deciding which two teams from each pool will advance to the quarterfinals. The final game of Pool A, the Netherlands vs. Italy, will happen at 6am CT Sunday morning, while the final game of Pool B, China vs. Korea, will occur at 5am CT Monday morning.

2. Could recent deals spur more FA movement?

Yesterday, the Marlins agreed to minor league deals with two of the better remaining free agent position players: first baseman Yuli Gurriel and middle infielder Jose Iglesias. With the free agent market growing ever thinner, it’s reasonable to wonder when the rest of the remaining players will sign with a club. Left fielder Jurickson Profar remains the top player still available on the market, with catcher Gary Sanchez, first baseman Miguel Sano, middle infielders Jonathan Villar and Andrelton Simmons, and outfielder Albert Almora Jr. among the notable position players who’ve yet to sign a contract this offseason.

3. Brewers Chat Today

As we continue our Offseason In Review series, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will be hosting a Brewers-centric live chat with readers at 10am CT. You can click here to leave a question in advance, and that same link will take you to the live chat when it begins or allow you to read the transcript after the chat is completed. If you missed yesterday’s Brewers Offseason In Review, you can find it here.

With Opening Day now just three weeks away, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. WBC Update

The World Baseball Classic continues today, with the Czech Republic taking on China this evening at 9pm CT and Cuba taking on Panama at 10:30pm CT. Early tomorrow morning, Korea will face Japan at 4am CT while Italy will take on Chinese Taipei at 5am CT. Cuba vs Panama and Korea vs Japan will both air on FS1, while the Czech Republic vs China and Italy vs Chinese Taipei can be live-streamed on Tubi. Japan has a 1-0 record so far in the WBC, while Panama currently sports a 1-1 record and each of China, Korea, Cuba (pending their ongoing game with Italy), and Chinese Taipei have 0-1 records. The Czech Republic team has yet to participate in a WBC game.

2. Astros extension saga to reach a conclusion

Astros GM Dana Brown has been unusually candid about his efforts to extend both outfielder Kyle Tucker and starting pitcher Framber Valdez this spring, and those negotiations appear set to come to a head later today. Shortly after a report emerged that the club was facing difficulties in extension talks with both players, Brown himself spoke with the media discussing the negotiations. Brown noted that he expects to hear from both agents this afternoon, though he wasn’t willing to describe today as any sort of “deadline” for negotiations, instead simply noting, “It’s just that, for right now, we may decide to wait a little bit.” Both Tucker and Valdez are controlled through the end of the 2025 season, lessening the urgency to complete a deal this spring, though the price on both players only figures to increase the closer they get to free agency.

3. MLBTR Chats Today

A trio of live chats with readers are planned for today, headlined by our chat with former All Star second baseman Jason Kipnis, which is set to begin at 11:30am CT this morning. Kipnis spent almost all of his decade-long major league career in Cleveland, only departing during the shortened 2020 season, the final season of his big league career, to join his hometown Cubs. Kipnis’s best season took place in 2013 with Cleveland, where he .284/.366/.452, good for an wRC+ of 127. That performance earned him his first All-Star appearance and some down-ballot MVP votes. Click here to join the chat with Kipnis.

In addition to Kipnis’s chat, a pair of Offseason in Review chats are set to happen today. MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald will be hosting a Rays-centric chat here at 9:30am CT, while MLBTR’s Anthony Franco will be hosting an Astros-centric chat here in the late afternoon. Keep an eye out throughout the day today for those chats!

As we inch closer and closer to Opening Day, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. World Baseball Classic update

Another handful of games are on the docket for the World Baseball Classic today: Team Australia takes on Team Korea at 9pm CST, while Team Panama faces off against Team Netherlands at 10pm CST. Team Italy will face Team Cuba at 5am CST as well, but surely the game that will grab the most attention occurs at 4am CST, when Team Japan, with two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani on the mound, will face Team China. Australia vs. Korea and China vs. Japan will both be aired on FS1, while Panama vs. Netherlands will air on FS2 and Italy vs. Cuba can be live-streamed on Tubi.

2. deGrom to face hitters today:

Rangers GM Chris Young told reporters, including Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, that ace Jacob deGrom is set to throw live batting practice today for the first time this spring, as he’s been slowed by tightness in his side since the beginning of camp. Should today go well, Grant notes the likely next step would be for deGrom to begin pitching in spring games. Young has said the Rangers expect their newly signed ace to be ready for Opening Day, but Rangers fans will surely be keeping a close eye on how today’s session goes.

3. MLBTR chats today

MLBTR is excited to continue its live player chat series by welcoming three-time All Star Dan Haren for a live chat with readers at 6:30pm CT. Haren, who played for the Cardinals, A’s, Diamondbacks, Angels, Nationals, Dodgers, Marlins, and Cubs during his 13-year MLB career, posted a 3.75 ERA (109 ERA+) with a 3.78 FIP while racking up 2,013 strikeouts over his 2,419 2/3 career innings of work. The best stretch of his career came from 2007-2009, when Haren made three consecutive trips to the All Star game, posting a 3.21 ERA (139 ERA+) and 3.31 FIP in 668 innings of work that culminated in a fifth place finish in Cy Young award voting in 2009. Haren is currently working for the Diamondbacks, where he holds the title of “pitching strategist” in their baseball operations department.

At 5pm CT, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco will be hosting his weekly Wednesday chat, where you can ask any pressing questions you may have regarding your favorite team or the larger baseball world. Click this link to ask a question in advance or participate live.

With just over three weeks until Opening Day, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. World Baseball Classic Begins

The first game of the WBC is scheduled for tonight at 10pm CST, where Team Netherlands will face off against Team Cuba. Per the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s World Rankings, the Netherlands is the 7th ranked country in the world for their baseball program, whereas Cuba is the 8th ranked country. In 2017’s Classic, Cuba was eliminated in the second round while the Netherlands made it to the semifinals before falling to Puerto Rico in a 4-3, 11 inning loss. This year, Team Netherlands is highlighted by Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts, while White Sox center fielder Luis Robert highlights Team Cuba. Tonight’s game will be aired on FS1.

2. Mets’ fifth starter up in the air:

Given the news that Mets lefty Jose Quintana suffered a stress fracture in his fifth rib on his left side, it seems likely that the Mets will need to begin exploring alternatives for the fifth slot in their rotation behind Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Kodai Senga, and Carlos Carrasco. The top option for that role appears to be left-hander David Peterson, who posted a 3.83 ERA (101 ERA+) in 105 2/3 innings last year. Other options include right-hander Tylor Megill and fellow southpaw Joey Lucchesi. Megill excelled early last season with a 1.93 ERA in his first five starts of the season but began to battle injuries as the calendar flipped to May, spending most of the rest of the season on the injured list an struggling badly when he was able to take the mound. Lucchesi, meanwhile, missed almost the entire 2022 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.

3. MLBTR Chats Today

Following yesterday’s chat with former Cubs GM and major-league pitcher Ed Lynch, the transcript of which you can read here, MLBTR is excited to welcome former major-league catcher Gary Bennett for a chat with readers. The journeyman catcher suited up for the Phillies, Mets, Rockies, Padres, Brewers, Nationals, Cardinals, and Dodgers during his 13-year career, which included a World Series championship with the Cardinals in 2006. Bennett appeared in 587 games at the big league level and slashed .241/.302/.328 (64 OPS+) over the course of his career. Be sure to tune in later this morning at 10am CST for Bennett’s live chat!

Other live chats today include Steve Adams’ weekly Tuesday chat — open for advance questions right now and kicking off at noon CT — as well as Darragh McDonald’s Orioles-focused chat, which is being held in conjunction with the Orioles offseason review he published yesterday. You can ask a question in advance for that chat as well.

As players all around baseball get ready for the World Baseball Classic to begin, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Injury Updates Expected

Multiple injury updates are expected today, with Phillies manager Rob Thomson telling reporters (including Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer) that the club hopes to have an update on top prospect Andrew Painter’s status today regarding the results of the testing the young right-hander underwent on his elbow over the weekend. As not only one of the top prospects in the entire game, but also one of the frontrunners to capture the fifth starter spot in Philadelphia, Painter’s health status is one of the most pressing questions of the day.

Moving to the other side of Pennsylvania, MLB.com’s Justice delos Santos notes that health updates are expected today both for Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen and lefty reliever Jarlin Garcia. McCutchen was struck in the hand by a fouled off pitch yesterday, while Garcia is suffering from left arm tightness. Given McCutchen’s status as not only the starting right fielder but also a Pirates legend making his return to the organization, and Garcia’s status as one of Pittsburgh’s best setup options ahead of David Bednar, losing either player for a significant period would surely be a blow to the club as they prepare for Opening Day at the end of the month.

2. Pools C and D report for WBC

Teams in Pools C and D for the WBC are reporting today, after Pools A and B reported on Friday. Pool C consists of the USA, Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, and Colombia, while Pool D consists of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Israel, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. The teams in Pools C and D are even more star-studded than those in Pools A and B, which we covered in Friday’s Opener. 19 former All-Stars are on the Team USA roster alone, while the Dominican Republic’s roster sports 13 former All-Stars of its own.

Ronald Acuna Jr. (Venezuela), Jose Altuve (Venezuela), Luis Arraez (Venezuela), Javier Baez (Puerto Rico), Miguel Cabrera (Venezuela), Edwin Diaz (Puerto Rico), Eduardo Escobar (Venezuela), Freddie Freeman (Canada), Andres Gimenez (Venezuela), Francisco Lindor (Puerto Rico), Omar Narvaez (Venezuela), Joc Pederson (Israel), Salvador Perez (Venezuela), Marcus Stroman (Puerto Rico), Eugenio Suarez (Venezuela), Julio Teheran (Colombia), Gleyber Torres (Venezuela), and Taijuan Walker (Mexico) represent the other All Stars in Pools C and D. You can find full rosters for each WBC team here.

3. MLBTR Live Chat

MLBTR is excited to continue its live chat series with people from around the game of baseball today, as we welcome Ed Lynch. Lynch was a right-handed pitcher whose career spanned eight seasons with the Mets and Cubs from 1980 to 1987. Lynch had a 4.00 ERA and 3.90 FIP in 940 1/3 innings before retiring at the age of 31 and transitioning to front office work that eventually led him to become the Cubs’ general manager from 1994-2000. Given his wealth of experience both as a front office executive and as a major league player, we’re excited for Lynch to share his insight with MLBTR readers during today’s live chat, which you can join right now!

Today is the trade deadline in the NHL! If you’re a hockey fan who enjoys MLBTR’s content, be sure to check out the folks on our sister site, Pro Hockey Rumors, as well as their Twitter account to get up-to-the-minute coverage of today’s deadline deals. While a flurry of moves is surely happening in the NHL, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Are the Cubs on the verge of acquiring a reliever?

In yesterday’s Opener, we discussed how the left-handed relief market had seemingly gone dormant following the signings of Andrew Chafin and Matt Moore in the run-up to Spring Training. It’s possible that state of affairs is about to change, however, as president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer acknowledged yesterday that the Cubs could add a lefty to pair with Brandon Hughes in their bullpen. The top three relief options on the market at this point are Zack Britton, Brad Hand, and Will Smith, though the Cubs also appear to have some interest in lefty Mike Minor, who’s worked as a starter for the past several seasons.

2. WBC teams begin reporting and working out:

Teams in Pool A and Pool B for the upcoming World Baseball Classic are set to report and begin team workouts over the weekend. The teams in Pool A are Chinese Taipei, Cuba, Panama, Italy, and the Netherlands while the teams in Pool B are China, Korea, Australia, Japan, and the Czech Republic. Kenley Jansen (Netherlands), Xander Bogaerts (Netherlands), Luis Robert (Cuba), Yoan Moncada (Cuba), Vinnie Pasquantino (Italy), Shohei Ohtani (Japan), Yu Darvish (Japan), Lars Nootbaar (Japan), Tommy Edman (Korea), Ha-Seong Kim (Korea) and free agents Jurickson Profar, Andrelton Simmons and Didi Gregorius (all Netherlands) are among the many notable big leaguers who will be participating for the aforementioned clubs. You can check out full rosters at the WBC’s web site.

3. Offseason in Review series continues:

MLBTR’s “Offseason In Review” series is set to continue today as Steve Adams takes a look back at how the offseason went for the Texas Rangers. That entry will run this morning, and Steve will be hosting a Rangers-focused live chat with readers this at 11am CT. You can submit a question in advance if you’re so inclined, and that same link will take you to the chat to participate live or read the transcript after it ends. Our OiR series has already covered the Pirates, Athletics, Tigers, Diamondbacks, and Angels this spring.

With Opening Day just four weeks away, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Rodriguez to make spring debut for the Orioles:

Top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez will be making his spring debut for the Orioles today, the team as announced. Rodriguez has long been considered one of the very top prospects in the game, and is now fully healthy after missing three months with a lat strain in 2022. Orioles GM Mike Elias has made clear that Rodriguez will have every opportunity to make the Opening Day rotation in 2023, leaving this outing as the beginning of Rodriguez’s quest to both rise to that challenge and stay healthy in doing so. Rodriguez’s start, which will be caught by fellow star youngster Adley Rutschman, will come at 12:05pm CT this afternoon.

2. Lefty Relief Market Update

The market for left-handed relievers seemed to be kicking into gear at the start of Spring Training, when Andrew Chafin and Matt Moore landed in Arizona and Anaheim, respectively. That never fully came to fruition, though, as Zack Britton, Will Smith, and Brad Hand all continue to linger on the market. Each lefty has a long track record of success and plenty of late inning experience, but struggled to some extent in 2022: Britton with injury, Smith prior to his trade to the Astros, and Hand down the stretch.

Britton held a workout for six teams last month, potentially revealing some insight into his market. It’s been quieter on Smith and Hand, though speculatively speaking, the Guardians could show some increased interest in any of the remaining southpaws after reliever Sam Hentges was shut down due to a shoulder issue. Hentges, who had a breakout showing in 2022, was the only lefty locked into a spot in manager Terry Francona’s bullpen.

3. Offseason In Review Series

As MLBTR’s Offseason In Review series continues, a pair of team-specific chats are set to be held today: one regarding Anthony Franco’s review of Arizona’s offseason, and one regarding Darragh McDonald’s review of the Angels offseason, which will be posted later today. Anthony’s Diamondbacks chat will take place at 5pm CT, while Darragh’s Angels chat will be at noon CT. Those links will allow you to submit a question in advance, take you to the live chats when they begin, and allow you to read the transcripts once they have been completed. Be sure to keep an eye out for both chats this afternoon!