I still can’t get over the fact that Spring Training is already here.
I know the Cubs games in November actually did make the offseason shorter in length, but damn, did it really fly by.
Throw in the fact that it’s supposed to be 60 degrees and sunny throughout the weekend here in Chicago, and it really does feel like summer and baseball time.
Now that the Cubs have won the World Series, are you feeling any latent emptiness? In other words, has the lack of a century-long streak heading into next season changed your fandom at all? If so, I’ll remind you that the Cubs still have another one to break. This summer, they’ll attempt to win back-to-back World Series for the first time in 109 years! (Previously 1907-1908.) So there you go! The quest continues.
[adinserter block=”1″]
And if they win this year, they’ll be trying to reach three-straight World Series for the first time in 110 years! So you see, there’s always something!
Among the teams standing in the way of the Cubs is the St. Louis Cardinals (typical). Of course, if you’ve been following along, you’ll know that the Cardinals just sustained an enormous blow to their 2017 chances, when it was revealed that young pitcher Alex Reyes requires Tommy John surgery and will miss all of 2017. Aside from the obvious net team loss, ESPN Chicago’s Buster Olney writes about the six folks who’ll be most impacted by Reyes’ injury: 1) Michael Wacha, 2) GM John Mozeliak, 3) the bullpen, 4) Lance Lynn, 5) the offense, and 6) Adam Wainwright.
Olney also writes that, had this injury revelation come a few weeks sooner, the Cardinals may have pursued Jason Hammel or Travis Wood, to plug up some of the innings that’ll be needed over next season, but now things are different. Via MLBTradeRumors, each of Ken Rosenthal and Jennifer Langosch are reporting that the Cardinals are likely to stand pat before the season starts, and use Spring Training to evaluate arms like Michael Wacha, Luke Weaver, and even former closer Trevor Rosenthal (who was at one time a future starter) for the back of the rotation. For more on each of those options, check out Steve Adams work at MLBTradeRumors – those three are not perfect, but they do have youth and some legitimate upside in their favor.
[adinserter block=”2″]
Spring Training tends to be the time of year when contract extensions are most frequently discussed – like the Cubs with Jake Arrieta – but the New York Mets may be sitting on the sideline, at least with their starting pitchers. Indeed, in a report at Newsday, Marc Carig suggests that the Mets are not planning to engage any of their young starting pitchers about potential extensions during camp, and the players are similarly unmotivated to get the ball rolling. “Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz would be the most logical candidates for extensions,” Carig writes. “But all except for Syndergaard are coming off surgery. And all aside from Harvey are under team control for at least three more seasons.”
To be sure, it’s not as though contract extensions must be discussed every single Spring, and there are clearly some reasons why both sides could be uninterested, but it’s still a fairly interesting story. And at the same time, Neil Walker remains a candidate for extension, if the Mets are able to find some room in the payroll (which is already projected to be north of $150 million in 2017). Walker, 31, is set to be a free agent at the end of the season. More on the Mets and potential extensions at Newsday.
Similarly, in Texas, fans are excited about the Rangers’ dynamic one-two punch of Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish … but might only get to see it on the field for one more season. After making $11 million in 2017, Darvish will become a free agent next winter, where he’ll likely be heavily courted by a great many teams. And although the Rangers would love to keep him in Texas, there haven’t been any conversations so far. At Sports Day, Evan Grant writes that while a contract in the $150 million neighborhood might be required to lock down Darvish, money may not be the only reason the Rangers don’t resign him.
I understand very much that a GM doesn’t act alone, and the operations structure in his time there was confusing (I’m still not quite sure if he was running things, if Tony La Russa was running things, or if someone else was), but there’s certainly accountability there. I couldn’t ever imagine, for example, Jed Hoyer saying something like, “Well the trade didn’t go in our favor, but Theo Epstein and Jason McLeod were part of the reason we went for it, too.” Owning a big seat comes with a lot of scrutiny and a lot of responsibility. Stewart took much of the blame, because he would have gotten much of the credit if things went differently.
As we expected:
#Braves announce Sean Rodriguez underwent surgery yesterday to repair left rotator cuff. Likely out for the season, according to sources.
As they often do, a wonderful story has developed out of a tragic event. As you undoubtedly know by now, Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura passed away after a car accident recently. And in an attempt to begin consoling Ventura’s mother, his teammate, Danny Duffy, bid $100 on a Ventura bobblehead to give to his mother and had it shipped to the address 1 Royals Way. Here’s what happened next:
“The seller noticed [the address], someone tweeted about it and the kind gesture found an unexpected audience. At first, Duffy chafed at the publicity, but then something wonderful started to happen. Someone sent him a limited-edition baseball card of Ventura, 1 of 1. And another person sent a different Ventura bobblehead. And a different person sent Ventura’s Lego likeness. And others sent handwritten notes. And the mail just kept coming, volumes of it, enough that Duffy’s locker at Kauffman Stadium turned into a makeshift memorial to his teammate, his friend.”
As was recently rumored, the Tampa Bay Rays have made an offer to free agent catcher Matt Wieters. However, according to Marc Topkin, the offer is likely for one year and a lot less than Wieters (and agent Scott Boras) were hoping to get. The Rays, you’ll recall, also have Wilson Ramos in the fold after signing him to a two-year, $12.5 million deal earlier this offseason, but he’ll start the inning on the disabled list and might then see some time split between catcher and DH.
Wieters is coming off his fourth All-Star season, in which he hit 17 home runs. That he hasn’t found a home yet then, is surprising (especially because he isn’t attached to draft pick compensation). However, early in the year, reports suggested that he was looking for a lengthy four-year deal, so maybe the market just never developed. He’ll eventually settle for something, but I still bet he gets more than one-year guaranteed.
Michael Cerami began covering the Chicago Cubs for Bleacher Nation as a part-time contributor in 2015. One year later, he joined Bleacher Nation full-time, covering the Chicago Cubs and Major League Baseball. Today, Michael runs Bleacher Nation, contributing as a writer (Cubs, MLB) and an editor for all sections of the site, including the Chicago Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks, as well as MLB, NBA, NHL, and NFL.
In 2019, Michael was the co-host of NBC Sports Chicago's Cubs Post-Game Show Outside the Ivy.
You can find him on Twitter/X @Michael_Cerami
Whew. That game was kinda dumb, but I tell you, the ending sure was fun. And also weird! So, to set the stage, the Pirates and Cubs' offenses could do nothing all day long. The game was still 0-0 in...
This guy. What do I even say? I was already kinda buzzy when Brennen Davis homered again - a grand slam - for the fifth time in six games, and sixth time in eight games. THAT IS RIDICULOUS. https://twitter.com/IowaCubs/status/1791967453888598441 Truly...
What matters most is that the Cubs won the game. And it was a fun ending, too. So I'm happy. But I also do feel a little frustrated - or concerned might be the better word - as I'm sure...
CUBS LINEUP — Losing to the Braves (and then Jared Jones and Paul Skenes), when you have 10 people on the IL, including your entire middle infield, is not really that concerning to me. It sucks and banking losses is...
When the Chicago Cubs traded Jake Slaughter to the Seattle Mariners for reliever Tyson Miller, they needed to open a spot on both the active roster and the 40-man roster. They did that in one move by designating reliever Richard...
First, a quick update I kept out of the headline: Nico Hoerner is not in the Cubs lineup today, as he continues to deal with left hamstring tightness. The Cubs have now blown past the maximum IL backdate optimization, which...
Sports Saturday around the Taylor household, so it's time to run all over to soccer fields and baseball fields and dance centers. First, Cubs Bullets ... Kyle Hendricks may not have made a load of terrible pitches in yesterday's game...
For six hitless, profoundly dominant innings, Paul Skenes today looked like the best pitching prospect I've seen since maybe Stephen Strasburg. The other two who came to mind as I watched were Matt Harvey and Jose Fernandez. Those three, when...
Elly De La Cruz continues to dazzle and the Yankees want Juan Soto in New York for the rest of his career. That and more in today's MLB Notes! Elly De La Cruz's Four Steal Night Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly...
The Iowa Cubs mashed four home runs and scored 10 runs, as Cade Horton made his best start at Triple-A on Thursday. That and more in today's Cubs Farm Report. Cubs Farm Report | May 17, 2024 Triple-A Iowa Cubs...
Nick Pivetta takes the mound for the Boston Red Sox (22-23) when they visit starter Matthew Liberatore and the St. Louis Cardinals (19-25) at 1:05 PM ET on Sunday.The article below will provide you with everything you need to know...
On Sunday, aiming to finish off a series sweep, Brady Singer takes the mound for the Kansas City Royals (27-19) against JP Sears and the Oakland Athletics (19-28), with first pitch scheduled for 2:10 PM ET.The article below will give...
On Sunday, aiming for a series sweep, Kyle Tucker and the Houston Astros (20-25) play William Contreras and the Milwaukee Brewers (26-18), with first pitch scheduled for 2:10 PM ET at Minute Maid Park.The article below will give you everything...
The Los Angeles Angels (17-28), led by Taylor Ward and looking for a series sweep, visit Marcus Semien and the Texas Rangers (23-23) at 2:35 PM ET on Sunday.The article below will give you everything you need to watch Texas...
Aaron Nola will take the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies (32-14) when they host starter Trevor Williams and the Washington Nationals (20-23) on Sunday, with first pitch at 1:35 PM ET and the Phillies aiming for a series sweep.The article...
Gunnar Henderson and the Baltimore Orioles (28-14) host Caleb Raleigh and the Seattle Mariners (24-21) on Sunday, with first pitch at 1:35 PM ET, and the Orioles aiming for a series sweep.The article below will give you everything you need...
On Sunday, going for a series sweep, Jose Ramirez and the Cleveland Guardians (28-17) play Ryan Jeffers and the Minnesota Twins (24-20), with first pitch scheduled for 1:40 PM ET at Progressive Field.Keep scrolling to find out all the details...
The Chicago Cubs (26-21), with Jameson Taillon on the mound, host the Pittsburgh Pirates (21-26) who will counter with Mitch Keller, at 2:20 PM ET on Sunday.Keep scrolling to find out all the details on how to watch Chicago play...
The New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers take the court in a decisive Game 7 of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. The Knicks are favored by 2.5 points in the contest, which will be broadcast on ABC...
This guy. What do I even say? I was already kinda buzzy when Brennen Davis homered again - a grand slam - for the fifth time in six games, and sixth time in eight games. THAT IS RIDICULOUS. https://twitter.com/IowaCubs/status/1791967453888598441 Truly...
NEWSLETTER
