With two regular season games now in the books, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:
1. Tokyo Series wraps up:
The Dodgers topped the Cubs in Game 2 of the Tokyo Series by a score of 6-3. It was an eventful game, as rookie Roki Sasaki pitched effectively with just one earned run in three innings of work, despite a bout of wildness that saw him walk five against three strikeouts. Aside from Sasaki’s debut, fellow rookie Matt Shaw recorded his first MLB hit, and fans in Japan got to enjoy a homer from Shohei Ohtani. With the Tokyo Series now in the books, the Cubs and Dodgers will return to Arizona to continue spring training as they wait with MLB’s 28 other clubs to continue the regular season next week. The Cubs are scheduled to face the Padres on Friday in their first game back, while the Dodgers will wait until Sunday to resume play against the Angels.
2. Yankees facing more rotation questions:
It’s been a difficult spring for the Yankees’ pitching staff. Reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil is set to miss the early months of the 2025 season due to a lat strain, while veteran ace Gerrit Cole won’t pitch at all this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Things may be getting even more dire in the Bronx now, as right-hander Clarke Schmidt was scratched from his start earlier this week due to shoulder soreness.
While Schmidt has not been ruled out for the Opening Day roster to this point, Greg Joyce of the New York Post noted last night that the Yankees have yet to decide whether the right-hander should join the rotation to begin the season; he’s not fully built up and could open the year on the injured list so that he can continue to finish that process in extended spring training. Will Warren and Carlos Carrasco are presently locked in a competition for the fifth starter job in New York, but an IL stint for Schmidt would open a job for both hurlers for at least the season’s first couple of weeks.
3. Free agents lingering on the market:
With stateside Opening Day just over a week away, some notable veterans who have languished on the market are beginning to find deals. Veteran closer Craig Kimbrel returned to his roots with Atlanta on a minor league pact yesterday, while lefty Patrick Corbin signed a big league contract to join a beleaguered Rangers rotation that recently lost Jon Gray to the injured list. Catcher James McCann also signed on with the Braves on a minor league pact. A few free agents of note still linger on the market, including Alex Verdugo, who reportedly has not received a major league offer this winter. David Peralta, Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn and David Robertson are among the other names still available to sign.
Wonder if Verdugo has received minor league offers.
My man apparently rubs people the wrong way. I think you need post bigger numbers of you’re going to carry yourself the way he does.
There is a lot of talent out there so an employer doesn’t have to put up with someone they feel rubs people the wrong way.
Works that way in other industries too.
Reds – Yeah Dugie is basically Puck from the Real World, not the type of personality that is embraced in a relatively conservative sport like baseball.
As a basketball player he’d fit right in though.
A+ on the Puck reference. Dude was a tool but carried the show. Verdugo, not so much.
No doubt he has, but the narrative is, “I haven’t received any contracts worthy of me.” If he admitted to receiving MILB offers, then he would admitting that the league only values him as a AAA depth player. He’s in denial.
North – I’m guessing his agent is a factor in Dugie’s decisionmaking.
Is it that the rubs people the wrong way or just that he set his sights a bit too high? I can envision conversations with multiple teams going along these lines this winter:
Prospective team GM: we think Alex might be a good fit for what we’re building here. What are the general terms he’d consider to sign for?
Verdugo’s agent: He’s looking for similar to the contract Andrew Benintendi signed with the White Sox, 5 years/$75M.
Prospective team GM:
That’s more than we think he’s currently worth. We’ll continue to look elsewhere.
King, I think that has been the case with a lot of guys who haven’t faced the reality of the RSN fiasco world MLB is in right now.
@KingKen
I think there’s very chance Verdugo wanted for a multi-year deal. His best ask would’ve been a Profar deal and that would’ve been ridiculous. After his abysmal last season, I’m inclined to believe that he’s looking to rebuild value at last year’s $8.7M salary.
Ken – This is just another negative byproduct of analytics.
When 10D was a free agent he was coming off successive 2.9 WAR seasons which according to the analytics community would value him at $23.2M annually. So the ChiSox thought they were getting a bargain at $15M annually.
Dugie has been a 1.8 WAR player on average over the past two seasons which according to the analytics community would value him at $14.4M annually. That’s why he didn’t jump at the $8M that Pittsburgh floated.
FPG,
Teams don’t adhere rigidly to $/WAR. They apparently view Verdugo as replaceable or close to it by other players making significantly less than he has been looking for and/or with fewer personality concerns.
Long flight from Japan, maybe the Cubs should stay in AZ a few months, sit this season out. They didn’t even pay their HOF radio guy to go, he had to do it from the booth at Wrigley at 3 am. What a terrible organization.
Holy cow!
Sorry, couldn’t resist. Weird they had the guy call the game from Wrigley. Sounds like the old days where they recreated the crack of the bat and crowd noise when the team was on the road.
Reds – In 2020 many announcers called road games from their home park, because of Covid.
It did not go well.
jhanley: 5 am, but that’s just nitpicking. The cubs are opening the season in Arizona so it’s worked out pretty good for them in that respect.
avenger – Any idea why Armstrong had his hands covered during intros this morning? Is he simply a germaphobe, or is there something else to it?
The Yankees decided to pick up Grisham for 5M. I wonder if Verdugo would have signed for the same amount instead. Verdugo potentially has more upside
That was then but AV cannot play center outside of an emergency.
dewey- yes your 100% correct and keep in mind he’s allergic to centerfield ,and his batting gloves also. Not that would affect his defense in center or anything.
HOF radio broadcaster, Pat Hughes has health issues that prevented him from making the long trip, but he still wanted to be part of it. The organization gives him a lot of flexibility in his work commitments; it’s why he always takes the 5th inning off to rest. That’s not a sign of being a “terrible” organization, in my opinion.
Quo, much appreciated as many who are not Cubs’ fans likely weren’t aware.
@dewey Same reason John Sterling retired after decades of doing Yankees radio. He didn’t want to be on the road anymore. Then again, he’s 85. Severe jetlag over 12+ hours flights are very really esp. when being older.
Would be the same with anyone who’s 70-80, heck Ueck was 90 doing game’s. I’d rather have him watching a screen in Milwaukee and adding his humor and stuff vs. flying out two bland guys who are young and can fly.
So the supporting of the convicted felon in the White House is ok though right?
And now you double-down and bring politics, jhanley108. Right on.
If an owner is supporting a felon that’s destroying the country with the help of his rich friends- that’s not politics. It’s terrorism.
I’ll double down every damn day.
I believe Rick Moday said the Dodger announcers on radio were not there, either.
They called the game from an office in El Segundo, a town near LAX.
El Segundo is literally right next to LAX….
Even more refreshing to know that the Cubs are bouncing around so intently in Mr Hanley’s brain that they have him awake at 3 am.
Up at 6-saw the loss and had a wonderful morning.
Didnt realize that – whyd the dude bother even going to Wrigley, maybe hes so daft he thought it was a home game. Haha any drunk person could have called it from their bathtub that’s how cheep the ricketts are. That’s a huge embarrassment, the global impact is sorta the whole point: why invent the Cubs in the future if they’re not even bother making the effort with their staff. Another sign of the ramshackle Marquee network
How bout them White Sox
Theo: You can be reasonably certain that anyone capable of doing play-by-play work is not stupid.
Then again the Illinois stormtroopers fell for the Jake and Elwood Wrigley field prank so can’t blame the broadcast too much
Does anyone know the answer to this: With so many identical, low level players, who will be starting for the White Sox?
1B Vaughn
2B ?
SS ?
3B Vargas (God help us)
LF Benintendi
CF Robert
RF ?
C ?
DH Does it matter?
A March Madness pool, but we all predict who the White Sox Starters listed on this website will be at the end of the season
Troy: I think I’d have better luck with basketball.
I pick Mount St Mary’s at short, which also sounds like a bawdy Catholic school prank
Now that school name is tainted in my mind forever, thanks.
Sorry!
Pretty risky to begin the season with that rotation. Remaining FA SPs are trash and they don’t have a good farm, so they can’t trade for someone like Sandy or Cease. That’s the result of having one of the worst farms in Baseball. Who’s to blame for this whole situation?
Cease isn’t going anywhere now that Darvish may be sidelined.
Traditionally the big city teams on the coasts have seemed to get a little bit of a boost in regards to their farm systems for some reason, which is a bit strange considering where they are typically drafting from on draft day. The Dodgers clearly are the exception here. They have not only the funds to bring in FA, but have plenty to spare to snag diamonds in the rough on draft day.
@snake: The Dodgers having a huge balance sheet doesn’t increase the size of their draft pool or ifa money.
Verdugo is a victim of his own false bravado. He was over-valued because he was traded as part of a (botched) package for a future Hall of Famer. Now, his value has corrected itself. It would be unusual if Verdugo did not receive any minor league contract offers, where he would be able to prove himself as something other than mediocre, because mediocre is inexpensive in the MLB. He should play for MLB minimum, if it will get him the 3+ years to become pension vested — But then there’s the circus of his mouth, his chains, his antics. He is perceived as persona non-grata. Ring, ring…Japan calling!.
It was not a botched return. The main return to the Red Sox in the Mookie Betts trade was $48M which was half of David Price’s remaining contract. When you take on that much money, the player return you send back is less. The Red Sox succeeded in their goal to dump salary and get below the luxury tax threshold.
North – Dugie’s career OPSwB is much better than his career OPSwCS so odds are in favor of him performing better if he gets another MLB chance.
I hate to say this but I’ll be shocked if Clarke Schmidt doesn’t start the year on the IL. Can’t risk rushing him early in the season just because you’re down 2 starting pitchers. They have options and tbh Stroman not being traded was a blessing in disguise.
#ILClarkeSchmidt
I have Schmidt on two fantasy teams drafted a week a part and both times he had fallen, this weekend’s severely, but I want to start on the IL to get healthy. I think he’s only a week behind tbh. He needs to get right and give the Yankees his best, and of course make my value picks of him extremely fruitful.;)
My homie Salzilla,
Trust the process. Give him rest and hope for the best
Salzilla – Correction: You HOPE he’s only a week behind so you don’t feel foolish for drafting him, but you actually don’t know.
Oh I don’t feel foolish at all, he dropped so far down he’s all value unless he doesn’t play at all.
Shaky start for roki
3 ip, 5 bb, only 25 of 56 pitches were strikes
Even the greatest journey starts with a single step
this wasnt a step
this was a trip and fall
but yes its only his debut, wish him luck even tho i hate the dodgers. i do like to see new stars emerge
Hardly. Didn’t have his best stuff in his MLB debut pitching in a featured spot in front of his home country. Pitched himself into trouble and then made big pitches when he needed to to pitch back out of it.
Showed a lot of mettle when he needed it. The stuff isn’t in question.
I guess Spencer Turnbull isnt getting anything other than minor league offers either
Jed, start packing your bags starting with business trip by dodgers and tourism for your cubs! What a wasted trip and where will it end for you?
correction: The Dodgers are not headed back to play in Arizona. They’ll play the Angels this weekend in Anaheim and El Lay.
Now we wait a week for the real baseball season to start.
Another Robby the robot fiasco in the rear view for another year.
You should be glad those 2 Cub losses are real….
@This one belongs to the Reds, I’m sorry they played in Japan. It must’ve been tough for you.
The Cubs not only lost, they looked it. So maybe more good news.