As Spring Training continues, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Nationals 40-man move incoming:
The Nationals reportedly agreed to a new deal with right-hander Kyle Finnegan yesterday after non-tendering him back in November. However, the one-year, $6MM pact is not yet official. In order for the deal to become official, the Nationals will have to create a space on their 40-man roster for Finnegan. The Nats have already put both Josiah Gray and Mason Thompson on the 60-day injured list this spring, and have no other obvious candidates to miss the first two months of the season. Given that, they’ll likely need to designate a player for assignment or work out some sort of minor trade in order to clear a roster spot for Finnegan. That transaction is likely to come in the near future, as the club will surely want to get Finnegan into camp as soon as possible.
2. Blanco undergoes MRI:
Royals outfielder Dairon Blanco was scratched from the club’s spring lineup earlier this week due to soreness in his right Achilles tendon. According to MLB.com’s Anne Rogers, initial x-rays came back showing nothing of particular concern, but Kansas City still sent Blanco for an MRI exam yesterday. Those results figure to be available as soon as today, at which point a timeline for Blanco’s return to baseball activities can be established. The soon to be 32-year-old slashed .258/.308/.392 in 88 games for the Royals last year and currently appears likely to serve as Kyle Isbel’s platoon partner in center field for Kansas City this season. Should Blanco miss significant time, Joey Wiemer or Drew Waters could be tapped to step into that role instead.
3. Effross to undergo testing:
Yankees right-hander Scott Effross has struggled to stay on the field since being acquired from the Cubs at the 2022 trade deadline for righty Hayden Wesneski (who later went on to be part of the Kyle Tucker trade this offseason). Effross, 31, has appeared in just 16 games since first donning a Yankees uniform. Tommy John surgery shut him down in 2022, and back surgery kept him out for the majority of the 2024 campaign. The righty has managed just 74 2/3 innings of work in the majors but has been excellent when healthy, with a 2.89 ERA and 2.86 FIP for his career.
A healthy Effross would be a key part of New York’s bullpen, but unfortunately the injury bug appears to have bitten him again. According to Greg Joyce of the New York Post, Effross left his most recent spring appearance after throwing just one pitch yesterday due to what Aaron Boone described to reporters (including Joyce) as a hamstring issue. Effross is set to undergo testing to determine the severity of the problem, but anything more than a mild strain could rule the righty out for Opening Day.
I think Cashman has a gift for acquiring players who either are already or just about to get injured. Too bad about Effross.–he he has some talent. Hopefully this will be minor.
Efross is just one of those guys you can’t count on to be healthy. A lot like Johnny Lasagna.
One of my favorites is a blast from the past, do you remember when he signed Pedro Feliciano for like 3 years after the Mets ran him out for 80 games a year for 3 or 4 years before that? It’s a miracle he’s arm hadn’t fell off by then. If you want to go big ticket then you can go Pavano, Elsbury, or Stanton. Lots of misses,but lots of hits as well.
Big money teams tend to take more risks because they typically can afford to.
He does love the over 30 crowd.
Waiting on mlbnyyfan (sp) to mention Houdini in 3…2…1…
Signing Robertson would certainly bolster what is a really good bullpen, into an even better one. The dude can still twirl it so he’s worth the money.
It’s strange after last year that he is still available. Robertson must have his eye on a specific situation that he’s waiting on or has a price point that has not been met. Priorities change as you get older. It could even be a combination of both but if I’m the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Mets or another club that can add payroll so late in February, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
Dewey,
Good point. He might not want to play for just any team at this point of his career. He might be looking to sign on with either of the New York teams only. Would love to have him on the Cubs, he’s a very effective reliever even at his age.
He’s waiting for that call from the White Sox or the Rockies!
He wants 10M.
Efross is one great part time host of The Compound! May he get healthy soon so the Yanks can see him pitch.
I really didn’t like when the Cubs traded Effross as I thought he was going to be a solid bullpen piece. Then he had the TJ surgery and I was like that’s a shame but he’ll be fine. I still believe that he will eventually. Might be a case of him trying to do too much to impress a new team but I still think he’s capable of being a solid BP piece. Just needs a little patience.
Ya I’d dump Effross the guy can’t stay healthy
The Effross, Montas, and Gallo trades have been a few of the worst in the Cashman ERA.