The Opener

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!

As the calendar flips to March, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. What will the Dodgers do without Lux?

In letting shortstop Trea Turner depart for Philadelphia this offseason, the Dodgers expressed confidence that former top prospect Gavin Lux would be able to flourish in an everyday shortstop role if given the opportunity for the first time in his career. Unfortunately, that opportunity was snatched from him yesterday, at least for the time being, as Lux is set to miss the entire 2023 with a torn ACL. That moves glove-first shortstop Miguel Rojas, who was initially planned to act as a utility infielder, into a starting role.

While Rojas is a serviceable regular, Chris Taylor is the only other shortstop-capable player on the projected roster. Yonny Hernandez and Bryson Brigman are both depth options, but it would make plenty of sense if the Dodgers looked for external help in replacing Lux. Unfortunately, the market is rather thin at this point, with Jose Iglesias standing as perhaps the best option remaining. Behind Iglesias, there’s a handful of shortstop-capable rebound candidates the club could take a minor league flier on, including Didi Gregorius and Andrelton Simmons.

2. More info on Rodgers injury expected today:

When Rockies second baseman Brendan Rodgers dislocated his shoulder yesterday, manager Bud Black indicated that there would be more information on the timetable for his return “in the coming day.” Black’s comments indicate that Opening Day may be in question for Rodgers, who would be good to go in “a few weeks” if all goes well. Rodgers, who won a Gold Glove at second base and posted a strong 4.3 bWAR in 2022, figures to be a key cog in the Rockies lineup this season, so any missed time is a blow to Colorado’s already slim chance at competitiveness.

Should Rodgers miss time to open the season, the Rockies are left with primarily utility options able to cover second base, such as Alan Trejo and Harold Castro. One alternative could be shifting third baseman Ryan McMahon to second base, thus allowing another player with experience at third but not second, such as Kris Bryant, Nolan Jones or Elehuris Montero, to take over at the hot corner.

3. MLBTR Chats Today

MLBTR is excited to continue our series of live chats with players and other people from around the game as today we welcome right-hander Josh Lindblom. Lindblom pitched in the big leagues for parts of seven seasons between 2011 and 2021, while also spending parts of five seasons overseas in the Korea Baseball Organization. Lindblom’s best years in the majors came as a member of the Dodgers, for whom he pitched to a 2.91 ERA (130 ERA+) with a 4.02 FIP in 77 1/3 innings of work. During his 2018-19 with the Doosan Bears, he was the best pitcher in the KBO, tossing 363 1/3 innings of 2.68 ERA ball with a 23.8% strikeout rate and a 4.6% walk rate. He won the Choi Dong-won Award in both 2018-19 — the KBO equivalent of MLB’s Cy Young Award — leading the Bears to a Korean Series championship in the second of those two seasons. Lindblom also pitched for the Phillies, Rangers, Athletics, and Pirates before finishing his career as a member of the Brewers. After announcing his retirement back in January, he joined the Brewers as a special assistant in their player development department. Lindblom be answering questions from MLBTR readers in a live chat scheduled from 11:30am CT today, so be sure to stop in if you have a question to ask!

Later today, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco will be holding a live chat of his own, fielding questions from readers as Spring Training continues. If you have questions about where your team stands as clubs gear up for the regular season, or about the baseball world at large, you can follow this link to submit a question in advance. That same link will take you to the chat if you would like to participate live, or allow you to read the transcript after the chat has ended.

As Spring Training games continue and the World Baseball Classic looms in the distance, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Big day for the Padres

Today marks a handful of noteworthy events for the Padres. Per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. is expected to make his spring debut today as a DH. It will be Tatis’s first official game action since October 2021 after he missed the entire 2022 season with injuries and a PED suspension. That suspension will keep him out of San Diego’s lineup for the first twenty games of the regular season, though as demonstrated today, Tatis is allowed to participate in Spring Training games as he prepares to make his return. Tatis is expected to play regularly in the outfield for the Padres in 2023.

In addition to Tatis’s spring debut, The Athletic’s Dennis Lin notes that the Padres could officially announce star third baseman Manny Machado’s extension with the club as soon as today. Cassavell also notes that yesterday’s game was the last one infielder Ha-Seong Kim will participate in with the Padres this spring until after the WBC concludes, as Kim is set to join Team Korea later today after catching a flight to South Korea last night.

2. MRIs around baseball

Clubs and fans all across baseball are anxiously awaiting the results of multiple MRIs. As mentioned in yesterday’s Opener, Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki underwent an MRI to investigate an oblique injury on Sunday, but full details were not released yesterday as initially expected. As The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney notes, Suzuki has withdrawn from the WBC, where he was previously going to represent Team Japan, and the team is expected to reveal details of the MRI and Suzuki’s path going forward at some point today.

Meanwhile, Rays ace Tyler Glasnow is set to undergo an MRI to investigate an oblique injury of his own, with Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times noting that Glasnow seems likely to miss time. Glasnow missed almost all of the 2022 season (in addition to the second half of the 2021 season) while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Also set to undergo an MRI is Dodgers infielder Gavin Lux, who had to be carted off the field yesterday with a knee injury. If Lux misses significant time, LA’s infield depth will be tested. Trade acquisition Miguel Rojas would presumably shift from a utility role to become the everyday shortstop.

3. MLBTR Chats today

MLBTR’s Steve Adams will be hosting a live chat with readers today at 1pm CT. You can submit a question in advance, and that same link will take you to the chat once it begins, or allow you to read the transcript once it’s completed. In addition to Steve’s usual live chat with readers, MLBTR’s Darragh McDonald will be hosting a Tigers-centric chat at 10am CT, to go along with yesterday’s Tigers Offseason Review. You can follow this link to submit a question ahead of time, and that same link will take you to the chat once it’s live and allow you to read the transcript after it wraps up.

With spring baseball now in full swing, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Suzuki injury update today

Following multiple reports (including from MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian) that Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki underwent an MRI yesterday to examine an oblique issue that has kept him out of the lineup in Cactus League play so far this spring, more details on the injury and Suzuki’s situation going forward are expected sometime today. Aside from being the everyday right fielder and one of the most important bats on the north side of Chicago, Suzuki is also currently slated to partake in the World Baseball Classic, suiting up for Japan. Any injury of significance the MRI reveals would likely endanger Suzuki’s participation in the WBC, even if he could still ultimately be expected to be ready for Opening Day. Should Suzuki miss time in the regular season, Trey Mancini and Christopher Morel seem likely to see time in the outfield, or perhaps Nelson Velazquez could get an extended run in the outfield after debuting in 2022.

2. What’s going on with Yordan?

Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez is still not swinging a bat, manager Dusty Baker told reporters Sunday (including Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle). This comes nearly a week after it was reported that Alvarez was suffering from soreness in his left hand, and on the heels of a 2022 season where the slugger dealt with soreness in both hands multiple times throughout the year. Initial reports suggested that Alvarez would begin swinging the bat in the following days, but clearly that did not come to fruition.

Little information has been provided about the situation, with both Baker and Alvarez himself downplaying the issue but also repeatedly declining to get into specifics. Given the Astros have not provided a timeline for Alvarez’s return to action, it’s hard to say to what level this issue will impact the slugger’s ramp up for Opening Day. Still just 25 years old, Alvarez was among the best hitters in baseball last season. He slashed .306/.406/.613 in 2022, good for a 185 wRC+ that was second only to Aaron Judge among qualified MLB players.

3. Jazz’s debut in center

Marlins star Jazz Chisholm Jr. made his debut in center field yesterday against the Cardinals. Chisholm had spent the entirety of his career to this point as a middle infielder, but following offseason deals to bring former Twins hitter Luis Arraez and free agent infielder Jean Segura to Miami, the Marlins decided to try Chisholm in center. While unorthodox, the move is not unprecedented, as Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. is expected to move from his native shortstop to the outfield this season in deference to newly acquired Xander Bogaerts. The Mariners tried a similar switch with Dee Strange-Gordon back in 2018, which didn’t pan out well.

Chisholm will be learning to play center field on the fly throughout the spring. Should the experiment work, it’d give the Marlins a multi-year option in center — Chisholm is controllable through 2026 — after spending years trying to piece things together at the position. In 2022, they cobbled together production from Jesus Sanchez, JJ Bleday, and Bryan De La Cruz, each of whom is better suited for an outfield corner. Bleday has since been traded to the A’s.

As we celebrate the return of baseball, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on today:

1. Baseball is back!

Finally, baseball games are set to return to our TV screens and radios. Just two games are on the docket today: the Rangers against the Royals at 2:05pm CT, and the Mariners against the Padres at 2:10pm CT. Left-hander Daniel Lynch is known to be starting the spring opener for the Royals, while lefty Robbie Ray takes the mound for Seattle against right-hander Nick Martinez of the Padres. Of course, given these are the first games of the spring and players are still getting stretched out, it’s likely said starts will only last an inning or two. The rest of the league will begin playing spring games over the weekend, with full slates of games on both Saturday and Sunday.

2. Are spring extensions on the way?

As is often the case during spring training, rumors regarding potential extension discussions have bubbled up across baseball in recent weeks. Most recently, rumors have indicated the Pirates and Bryan Reynolds may soon resume talks while Tim Anderson hopes to get something done to stay on the south side of Chicago. Those aren’t the only extension-related rumors percolating, however, as the Phillies have reportedly exchanged offers with the camp of ace Aaron Nola, new Astros GM Dana Brown hopes to extend more players even after signing Cristian Javier, and Brewers shortstop Willy Adames recently discussed his hopes to stay in Milwaukee long term.

3. Offseason in Review series continues

MLBTR’s annual Offseason in Review series will continue later today, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams recaps the Athletics’ winter and hosts an A’s-centric chat at 2pm CT. If you’re unable to make the chat, you can submit a question in advance. This comes on the heels of Darragh McDonald kicking off this year’s OiR series with a look back at the Pirates’ offseason yesterday. You can check out the transcript from Darragh’s Pirates chat if you missed it, and be sure to check back this afternoon for the A’s installments.