AL Notes: Astros, Rizzo, Turner
Astros right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. began playing catch yesterday, and threw 30 times per reporters including the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome. In addition, Rome also notes that slugger Yordan Alvarez hit soft toss today as he builds toward game action after being delayed this spring by hand soreness.
These positive health updates are excellent news for the Astros. Alvarez is among the very best hitters in all of baseball, and any time missed by the slugger would surely be a massive blow to the Astros offense as they attempt to win a second straight World Series following their 2022 championship run. McCullers, meanwhile, is expected to begin the season on the injured list, but a swift return to action would be a major boon for Houston, which lacks much starting depth beyond unproven prospects and Brandon Bielak, who is currently slated for a long relief role in the big league bullpen.
More from around the American League…
- Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters, including MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, that first baseman Anthony Rizzo is dealing with a “cranky” back, though Rizzo is expected to return to game action Tuesday. Rizzo, who will play this season at age 33, has battled back injuries throughout his career and has had to sit more frequently in recent years to manage the ailment. He underwent an epidural last September due to the lingering issue, though it appears that procedure has not completely solved his struggles. Despite his occasional injury woes, Rizzo has been among the most consistent bats in the league for over a decade now, posting above average marks by measure of wRC+ in eleven straight seasons while playing at least 80% of his club’s games since the beginning of the 2013 season.
- Justin Turner was among the bigger acquisitions for the Red Sox this offseason, and the veteran seems to be progressing well after getting hit in the face with a pitch last week. Turner told reporters, including MLB.com’s Ian Browne, that he had his stitches removed today and is set to return to baseball activities ahead of the schedule provided by manager Alex Cora this past Wednesday. Turner, 38, is expected to primarily play DH for the Red Sox when he returns to action, which Turner expects to be as soon as Opening Day. The longtime Dodgers was a late bloomer, having his breakout season at age 29 in Los Angeles, but since then has been a stable bat with a well above average OPS of .866 in 1,075 games since the start of the 2014 season.
Luis Andres Ortiz Soriano Passes Away
The Orioles made a statement this morning announcing the passing of minor league pitcher Luis Andres Ortiz Soriano following a battle with cancer. Ortiz, just 20 years old, signed with the Orioles as an international free agent as part of the 2019 signing class. A left-handed pitcher, Ortiz made his professional debut in the Florida Complex League in 2021, where he appeared in seven games. He did not pitch during the 2022 season.
“Luis was an inspiration to all who knew him, especially as he courageously battled cancer.” the Orioles’s statement reads, “We hope that the cherished and treasured memories of Luis will be a comfort for his family and friends during this devastating time.”
Those of us here at MLB Trade Rumors extend our condolences to Ortiz’s family, friends, and loved ones.
The Opener: WBC, FA Bats, MLBTR Chat
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.
Carlos Rodon, Tommy Kahnle, Lou Trivino To Begin Season On IL
Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters this morning, including ESPN’s Marly Rivera, that pitchers Carlos Rodon, Tommy Kahnle, and Lou Trivino will all begin the season on the injured list. Rodon is suffering from a mild forearm strain and will be shut down for 7 to 10 days, though Cashman notes that Rodon has already undergone an MRI and has no UCL damage. Kahnle was previously reported to be suffering from biceps tendinitis, while Trivino is suffering from a mild elbow sprain and will be out until May. This news is a significant blow to the Yankees pitching staff, which has already lost right-hander Frankie Montas to shoulder surgery.
Rodon figured to pitch at the top of the Yankees rotation alongside Gerrit Cole after signing a six-year, $162MM contract with the club this offseason. That contract stood as a clear gamble on Rodon staying healthy going forward, given his lengthy injury history. 2022 was just the second year of Rodon’s career where he had managed to pitch more than 140 innings, and it was the first such season since 2016. While Rodon’s newest injury (which Cashman describes as “not serious”) is currently only expected to force him to sit down for a week or so, it certainly brings to mind his career-long injury struggles. That said, Rodon has been among the best starters in baseball when healthy, as shown by his sterling 2.67 ERA (157 ERA+), 2.42 FIP, 33.9% strikeout rate, and 0.998 WHIP over the past two seasons.
Kahnle, who returned to the club this offseason on a two-year, $11.5MM contract, has managed just 13 2/3 innings since the end of the 2019 season, battling injuries ever since. That said, he has stood among the better relievers in the game when healthy, sporting a 3.44 ERA (127 ERA+) and 3.16 FIP in 188 1/3 innings of work since the beginning of the 2016 season. Kahnle’s absence seems likely to be a shorter one than that of Trivino, who the Yankees acquired at the trade deadline last year from the A’s alongside Montas. Trivino pitched exceptionally down the stretch following his trade to the Bronx, sporting a 1.66 ERA (238 ERA+) and 3.34 FIP over the course of his 21 2/3 innings of work in New York. Both Trivino and Kahnle figured to feature prominently in the back of the Yankees bullpen this season, particularly as sidearming reliever Scott Effross is set to miss the 2023 season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
Though this trio of injuries certainly weakens the pitching depth available to the Yankees as they open the year, they still have competent options capable of stepping up and filling for the injured hurlers while they are on the shelf. Domingo German and Clarke Schmidt were already figuring to battle for the fifth starter spot following Montas’s injury, and Rodon’s injury leaves the door open for both players to make the Opening Day rotation. That being said, the Yankees have little in the way of starting depth remaining should the rotation sustain another injury. Cashman mentions Deivi Garcia as one potential option, as noted by Erik Boland of Newsday Sports, but it would certainly make sense for the club to consider bringing in an external depth option such as Dylan Bundy or Chris Archer on a minor league deal, as well.
The bullpen picture is significantly rosier, however, as the Yankees still can rely on the likes of Clay Holmes, Michael King, and Wandy Peralta in the late innings of games. These injuries could also provide right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga an opportunity to work his way back into the late-inning mix for the Yankees after a difficult 2022 season where he posted a 4.15 ERA (95 ERA+) in 48 innings while sporting a reduced strikeout rate of just 18.2% and an inflated walk rate of 9.4%. Should the Yankees wish to acquire additional bullpen depth, there’s a few options still available on the free agent market, including right-hander Corey Knebel and former Yankee Zack Britton.
That being said, any external additions would likely require a change of heart regarding the upper limit of the club’s payroll or a trade to create payroll space. The Yankees have, to this point, seemed unwilling to surpass the fourth tier of the luxury tax, which stands at $293MM. That’s a line the club is pressed right up against, with RosterResource estimating their current 2023 payroll at roughly $292.5MM for luxury tax purposes. While third baseman Josh Donaldson and outfielder Aaron Hicks were seen as the most likely candidates for a salary-clearing trade this offseason, most clubs would likely balk at adding such significant salary to the books just three weeks before Opening Day, making someone like Isiah Kiner-Falefa a more likely option for the Yankees to deal should they try and swing a salary-clearing trade.
Injury Notes: Montas, Musgrove, Hentges, Lux
Yankees right-hander Frankie Montas told reporters yesterday that he expects to pitch in the majors at some point this season, and could begin throwing in about two months (link via MLB.com). Montas, who underwent shoulder surgery two weeks ago, noted that he “wasn’t fully 100%” when the Yankees acquired him from Oakland at the trade deadline last year, though he tried to pitch through the issue. The results of that attempt were rather discouraging, however, as Montas sported a 6.35 ERA, 38% worse than league average by ERA+, with a 4.93 FIP in 39 2/3 innings with the Yankees following the trade, which sent Montas and Lou Trivino to the Bronx in exchange for a four prospect package headlined by left-hander Ken Waldichuk.
The Yankees seem comfortable filling the hole in the rotation left by Montas internally with one of Domingo German or Clarke Schmidt. This hardly comes as a surprise, given the strength of New York’s rotation. During the offseason, the club added ace Carlos Rodon to a rotation that already included Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes, and Luis Severino. Still, it’s certainly good news for the club that Montas expects to return at some point in the second half, as he could give the club a boost down the stretch if able to return to his old form. The right-hander posted a 3.51 ERA (119 ERA+) with a 3.49 FIP in 336 innings of work from 2019 to 2021, and had been pitching well in Oakland last year prior to the trade, sporting a 3.18 ERA (118 ERA+) with a 3.35 FIP through his 104 2/3 innings as a member of the A’s last year.
More injury updates from around the game:
- Padres righty Joe Musgrove began throwing off flat ground yesterday, as noted by MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell. Musgrove has been held back with a fractured big toe on his left foot this spring, and has yet to land on his left foot while throwing, instead keeping both feet rooted to the ground. The Padres, who were planning to go with a six-man rotation to open the season prior to Musgrove’s injury, are surely hoping for his quick return to action, as the right-hander figured to be a key cog at the top of San Diego’s rotation this year alongside Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and recently signed Michael Wacha. Musgrove posted a 2.93 ERA (127 ERA+) with a 3.59 FIP in 181 innings of work last season, earning his first All-Star bid in the process. He’s entering the first season of a five-year, $100MM contract extension he signed last summer.
- Guardians manager Terry Francona said yesterday that the progress of lefty reliever Sam Hentges, who has been slowed this spring by shoulder inflammation, was “really, really encouraging” (link via MLB.com). Francona notes that Hentges is set to begin doing dry work shortly and that it wouldn’t “be a surprise if he comes [back] quick,” though there’s been no specifics updates to his timetable for return. Hentges was among the best southpaw relievers in the sport last year, with a 29.4% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate backing up his sterling 2.32 ERA that clocked in 65% above league average by ERA+. The Guardians shut Hentges down from throwing back on March 1 and said he’d be evaluated on a week-to-week basis.
- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted to reporters, including Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, that shortstop Gavin Lux‘s surgery went well. Lux suffered a torn ACL and damage to his LCL while running the bases during an early spring training game, and Roberts indicated that surgery revealed “more than a sprain” in Lux’s LCL — indicating significant damage to two of the 25-year-old’s cruciate ligaments. Lux is expected to miss the entire 2023 season as he rehabs from the surgery, with the Dodgers slated to rely on trade acquisition Miguel Rojas as their primary shortstop. Utilityman Chris Taylor is expected to see occasional time at the position as well.
The Opener: WBC, Astros, MLBTR Chats
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!
The Opener: WBC, deGrom, MLBTR 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.
Astros Facing Gaps In Extension Talks With Kyle Tucker, Framber Valdez
The Astros have spent the past few weeks attempting to work out extensions with a number of key players. Outfielder Kyle Tucker and starting pitcher Framber Valdez are among those with whom the club has been in contact, though the New York Post’s Jon Heyman now casts some doubt on the chances of either player signing this spring.
Astros GM Dana Brown tells Heyman the club expects to know whether anything will transpire within the next 48 hours. Brown frankly tells Heyman the team is “further away (in negotiations) with Tucker” than Valdez but didn’t handicap the odds of getting a deal done with either player.
Teammate Yordan Alvarez represents one potential comparison point in discussions with Tucker, who has between three and four years of service time. The slugger signed a six-year, $115MM deal just last June, agreeing to a fairly rare midseason extension of significance. Alvarez technically was just shy of three years of service at the time of signing but inked a deal that didn’t go into effect until this year. For all intents and purposes, he was essentially in the same service bucket as Tucker now finds himself.
Alvarez is a better hitter than Tucker and one of the best offensive players in baseball. His career wRC+ of 164 trails only Mike Trout among active players with at least 1500 plate appearances. However, he’s also had some knee issues and been mostly limited to designated hitter, with only part-time work in left field. Tucker, by contrast, is an excellent defensive right fielder.
Alvarez’s deal was the second-largest for a player in the 3-4 year service window. The record still belongs to Freddie Freeman, who signed an eight-year, $135MM deal with the Braves ahead of the 2014 season. Freeman was a year younger than Tucker is now and coming off a stronger platform season. However, that deal is a decade old at this point and Tucker’s camp could look to beat that pact. However, such a deal would be the longest deal in Astros history and the second richest, with only Jose Altuve‘s $151MM guarantee surpassing it.
Brown indicated that Tucker is seeking out a longer-term deal than the Astros have historically given out. For his part, the GM seems to have little interest in breaking that organizational tradition, telling Heyman, “I understand that [avoidance of long-term deals], and I respect that. A lot of those long-term deals, they don’t end well.”
Given this, it’s no surprise that Astros brass seems to feel better about their odds of extending Valdez. The southpaw can also look to a teammate as a direct extension comp. In his case, it’s righty Cristian Javier, who signed a five-year, $64MM pact last month. That represented the largest guarantee for a starting pitcher with between three and four years of service time.
It’s fair to expect Valdez’s camp would want to top that mark. Javier’s track record pales in comparison to that of Valdez; while both pitchers sport a 3.05 ERA since the start of the 2020 season, Valdez’s 3.34 FIP outshines Javier’s figure of 3.90 while the lefty also has volume on his side. Valdez has thrown 406 2/3 innings since the start of the 2020 campaign, more than a hundred ahead of Javier, and his career best 201 1/3 innings in 2022 have the look of a modern-day workhorse. Javier, by contrast, recorded a seventh inning out just twice during the 2022 season.
That’s partially reflected in Valdez’s better earning power in arbitration. He’s set to make $6.8MM for the upcoming season, whereas Javier was headed for a first-year arbitration salary around $3MM. Valdez, as a Super Two qualifier over the 2021-22 offseason, also had an extra season of arbitration eligibility to build that stronger platform salary. That gap would’ve compounded on an annual basis considering arbitration salaries are based in part on a player’s previous-year salary.
Javier, who celebrates his 26th birthday later this month, had youth on his side in signing that extension compared to Valdez. The southpaw is already 29. That perhaps makes Javier a cleaner long-term bet from the team’s perspective, though it also puts more of a premium for Valdez on securing a lofty guarantee if he’s to sign an extension. While Javier will still get to free agency shortly before turning 31, Valdez would be signing away at least his age-32 season (and perhaps beyond) in any deal that buys out free agent seasons.
Both Valdez and Tucker are controllable through the end of the 2025 season, given the club ample time to revisit contract talks in the future, even if no extensions get done in Brown’s proposed 48-hour window. With that being said, Brown could certainly continue attempting to extend the stay of either Alex Bregman or Altuve in Houston once negotiations with Tucker and Valdez have been tabled. Both veterans are set to become free agents following the 2024 season, meaning there will be far more urgency in locking up that pair of players going forward, particularly once the 2023 season has drawn to a close. The GM has already expressed a desire to retain both players, saying he’d like to keep both in Houston for the entirety of their careers.
Jake Odorizzi’s Readiness For Opening Day In Question
In conversation with reporters, including Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News, Rangers GM Chris Young provided an update on right-hander Jake Odorizzi, who has spent the beginning of the spring battling arm fatigue. Odorizzi has been throwing bullpen sessions, but has yet to face live hitters, which, Young notes puts his readiness of Opening Day into question.
Odorizzi, who is entering his age-33 season, was an All Star in 2019 as a member of the Twins, posting a 3.51 ERA (129 ERA+) and 3.36 FIP in 159 innings of work that season. Since then, however, the righty has struggled to reach those heights: a 4.45 ERA (93 ERA+) and 4.48 FIP in 224 2/3 innings split between the Twins, Astros, and Braves indicate Odorizzi could be more of a back-end option than the mid-rotation arm he appeared to be in 2019.
Odorizzi’s slow ramp up isn’t too significant of a concern for a Texas organization that managed to build up exceptional pitching depth this offseason. In addition to acquiring Odorizzi from the Braves, the Rangers signed Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, and Andrew Heaney while 2022 standout Martin Perez accepted a qualifying offer to stay in Texas for the 2023 season. Those signings, combined with the steady presence of Jon Gray in the Rangers rotation, had seemingly pushed Odorizzi out of the starting rotation headed into camp. Grant indeed notes the club was planning on using the right-hander as a long reliever entering the season.
With Odorizzi seeming likely to miss time, the Rangers are likely to turn their attention to the youngsters who’ve been pushed into depth roles by this offseason’s acquisitions. Each of Dane Dunning, Glenn Otto, Cole Ragans, and Spencer Howard made at least eight starts for the Rangers in 2022, with Dunning and Otto each taking on essentially a full season’s workload in the rotation. Each of those four hurlers, while pushed down the depth chart significantly this offseason, could make sense to replace Odorizzi as the long man in the club’s Opening Day bullpen, and that same group is surely where the next man up will come from should any member of the high-risk, high-upside big league rotation hit the injured list early in the year. Howard, it’s worth noting, is dealing with some arm fatigue of his own, but the club does not consider his situation to be a significant concern, per Grant.
Dunning appears to be the best of the bunch, even in spite of the weak 4.46 ERA (88 ERA+) he posted in 2022 across 153 1/3 innings of work. That’s because despite those mediocre numbers, Dunning actually led the quartet in ERA, FIP, and strikeout rate last year, and his overall career line is one of a roughly league average starter in the big leagues: the 28 year old sports a 4.43 ERA (94 ERA+), a 4.20 FIP and a 21.6% strikeout rate against an 8.9% walk rate in 305 career innings in he majors. With that being said, Dunning is held back from being a quality big league rotation option by a penchant for allowing too much high-quality contact. The right-hander was in the bottom 22% of qualified big leaguers at preventing barrels last year and sports a worrisome HardHit% of 39.6% for his career, numbers that help explain why 14.6% of his flyballs have left the yard for his career.
If Dunning’s contact quality issues concern the Rangers, they could turn to one of the other three options, though Otto ranked among the league’s worst in virtually every Statcast category last season and Howard has struggled to an ERA over 7.00 for the first 111 2/3 innings of his big league career, leaving Ragans as perhaps the best alternative. Though Ragans struggled in his first taste of big league action in 2022, with a 4.95 ERA (80 ERA+) in 40 innings, he pitched effectively in the minors last year, posting a 3.04 ERA in 94 2/3 innings of work split between Double-A and Triple-A.
The Opener: WBC, Mets, MLBTR Chats
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.