As the first regular season games of the year rapidly approach, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world headed into the weekend:
1. Tokyo Series exhibitions:
The Cubs and Dodgers are already in Japan for the Tokyo Series, where they’ll face off for a two-game set next week. While that’s still several days away, there’s still baseball to be played in the meantime. At 10pm CT tonight, the Cubs will play an exhibition game against Nippon Professional Baseball’s Hanshin Tigers. The Tigers have not yet announced who they’ll send to the mound, but the Cubs have announced that veteran reliever Julian Merryweather will kick things off for them.
The Dodgers will get in on the action tomorrow, facing the Yomiuri Giants in an overnight game that begins at 3am PT tomorrow morning. No starter has been announced for that game, though manager Dave Roberts indicated that the club plans for it to be a bullpen game. Seventeen hours later, the Dodgers will take the field again against Hanshin with Blake Snell set to start an 8pm PT game tomorrow evening. After that, it’s Chicago’s turn for an early-morning game as they’ll face Yomiuri at 5am CT Sunday morning with right-hander Jameson Taillon on the mound.
2. Spring Breakout continues:
After yesterday’s game where the Red Sox made headlines when their top three prospects (Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, and Marcelo Mayer) all slugged homers off of Rays pitchers, MLB’s Spring Breakout prospect showcase is set to continue. Six games are scheduled to take place today, with another four tomorrow and three more on Sunday. Top 100 prospects Nick Kurtz, Leo De Vries, Ethan Salas, Colt Emerson, Travis Bazzana, Jac Caglianone, JJ Wetherholt, Thomas White, Bubba Chandler, Aidan Miller, Jarlin Susana, and Cam Smith are among the many young, up-and-coming talents set to be part of today’s slate of games. You can find broadcast details and full rosters for all of this weekend’s showcases here, courtesy of MLB.com.
3. Cubs on the prowl for rotation depth?
Earlier this week, the Cubs were reportedly exploring the possibility of adding to their rotation. That news came as somewhat of a surprise given that Chicago has four healthy starters locked into its rotation mix and a bevy of possible fifth starter options including Colin Rea, Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, and the currently injured Javier Assad. Despite that depth, they’ve reportedly been discussing a big league deal with veteran right-hander Lance Lynn, who may be a particularly interesting fit for the club given that he’s drawn some interest as a reliever and expressed a willingness to pitch out of the bullpen this season as well.
The Cubs were once again connected to right-hander Dylan Cease this week, although the Padres righty seems very unlikely to move before Opening Day at this point. Will the Cubs add another name to their depth chart before their stateside opener against the Diamondbacks later this month?
This assumes that the Cubs do, indeed, have four healthy starting pitchers, outside of Rea, Brown and Wicks. Don’t assume.
I think that’s why they’re looking for depth pieces. I wish Hoyer would’ve meaningfully gone for Cease. He’d make their top 3 much more formidable in between Steele and Imanaga. Lynn is a bandaid.
I’m with you on that Rondon—not necessarily Cease, but I only had two things on my wishlist this offseason…1, Get an impact bat (check) and 2. Get someone that makes Taillon the #4 starter (not checked).
I didn’t know this, but the Lynn (and Gibson) stuff was reported on a podcast over a week ago, so this is not new information to many other than me yesterday.
Even if the talks lead to something imminent, there probably needs to be a four week ramp up or something so if someone else is added we are probably looking late April to get to the roster anyways.
Also with you Matthew—-only the Cubs know about the health and longer range availability of their roster right now.
Cease would be a rental, like Tucker. No thanks.
Hey, rental or not, it would show they really are all in this season. Hoyer’s tentative moves haven’t paid off in the past and only lead to .500 ball. For Pete’s sake, double down on the Tucker trade!
Run like the Marlins of old. Good times.
Despite the fact that Dylan Cease is now a Boras client and Kyle Tucker is not, I still maintain that the former would be a better extension candidate, even for stingy Tom.
Trading for Cease now rather than waiting until the summer trade deadline would also allow the Cubs to tag him with a QO and thereby gain some 2026 Draft capital (like Tucker) in the event he does become a free agent and signs elsewhere.
That makes sense.. if they’re still in it.
The Padres do not need to trade Cease so they should justifiably set a high asking price.
The Cubs should be inquiring on Alcantara, the price is higher but two years of control plus a higher upside.
The Cubs do match up well with the Padres, Cubs can offer Caissie or Alcantara, plus Wicks or Assad and a reliever like Thompson who is out of options.
This would also, from the Cubs perspective, kill two birds, they address their need for a front end starter and they open up two spots on the 40 man, one for Shaw and one for Keller.
I don’t think that’s nearly enough for Cease.
@pt57 Everyone’s a rental.
So to speak.
It would be great if Tucker has a very successful season and is resigned. But until something very dramatic happens with ownership, Mr. Ricketts has 360 million reasons not to resign Tucker.
Lance Lynn can pitch a ton of sliders with the best of them – at White Castle.
Too bad the Dodgers can’t play SoftBank Hawks. They’re like the Dodgers of Japan.
Old York,
You have the Yomiuri Giants as your profile picture, I’m guessing you’re excited to see the exhibition games between them and the Cubs and Dodgers.
Whereas it’s been a year and a day since Brad Miller was released by the Padres, and he hasn’t signed with any other team, and whereas he may never get a retirement post on MLBTR, consider this the official Brad Miller career appreciation spot. Feel free to share all memories below.
Campbell’s HR sounded like a gunshot. I hope he’s starting to get his feet under him.
Im not sure Anthony’s has landed yet.
Will there be any significant season ending injuries during the Tokyo Extravaganza?
Xyz players pull hamstring or broken arm hbp
Hmmm. Looking for another FA starter and Cease comes up again. Maybe a deal in the works? Young arms for Cease?
They’ll (SD) probably want a young ML ready pitcher and bat. At least that’s what they’ve been demanding and now that ownership let em spend a little to fill their holes with Pivetta, Heyward and Joe, I doubt they’ll come down in their demands.
Best thing from Japan was Suzuki taking batting practice with a samurai sword and cutting baseballs in half or at least odd shapes
Gotta love baseball. Beat L.A. Buckle up Cubs nation gonna be a fun summer and October.
One can find a Dylan Cease trade rumor here and there and everywhere. Each and every mlbtr article, grocery store check out line, DMV drivers training tests, airport flight schedule monitors, Betty Crocker cookbooks, VW repair manuals, latest bird flu updates, national park trailhead kiosks. Pervasive.
Need a Michael King trade rumor, he’s due for one by now.
Went to the bare bosom bar last night and one of the dancers had a Cease rumor tattooed on her inner thigh.
That wasn’t a her
Tyler Anderson will be available in a couple of months, Cubs fans.
So will Scherzer.
Funny in a sad sort of way, but the Dodgers website features the article “Everything you need to know about the Tokyo series.” But it seems everything we need to know doesn’t include the times when the games will be rebroadcast. If you work the graveyard shift you’re in luck I guess. Otherwise, fergedaboudit.
and since we’re speaking in German, Das ist Schwachsinn!
Whatsamadder you, I was speaking North Jersey.
So almost none of the prospect games can be watched?
I get kind of depressed when I read about the Cubs’ supposed starting pitching depth. Yes, they have quantity–but most of those guys will never be very good. By all means, add some proven major-ieague starters.
I love how Hoyer all winter to get a front line starter and then all the sudden as the end of spring training approaches he’s worried about depth. Flaherty is the steal of the offseason, Jordan Montgomery could have be had for nothing prospect wise, Buehler was available on a one year deal, the White Sox return for Crochett wasn’t anything special but here we are, talking about Lance Lynn and inquiring about a pitcher who the Padres have absolutely no need to trade.
Montgomery is not having a good spring, flaherty is too inconsistent. Best to go with a top aaa pitcher.
If there’s a 10pm/8pm us time translate to a 12pm Japanese time, why don’t the exhibition games against the dodgers start at that time instead of 5am?