A Big Game Tonight, What Braves Move Says About Swanson (If Anything), and Other Cubs Bullets

Mar 21, 2023

The kids are home for Spring Break this week, and we’re not doing any traveling. So they’re just … around. God bless ’em and God bless The Wife for all that she’ll do this week. I just might wear my headphones out …

The Japan-USA finale of the World Baseball Classic might be the rare situation where the actual two best teams meet in the championship of a baseball tournament. The inherent flukiness of baseball means that, once you get to the single-elimination part of a tournament, you’re definitely going to have some upsets. Heck, we see it in basketball this month plenty. So it’s pretty cool that these are the two teams that made it, with all due apology to Team Dominican Republic, who otherwise probably would’ve had a claim to being one of the best two teams in the WBC.

The game is tonight at 6pm CT, and the only real stinger is that the game will be on Fox Sports 1 in the United States, a channel that many baseball fans can’t access. I understand why the game isn’t on network broadcast, but it’s a shame that it isn’t. In Japan, this game is going to be seen by literally more than 60% of the households in the country. It’s going to eclipse the household viewership rate of the Super Bowl here in the States. It’ll also be heavily viewed all over the baseball-watching world. In the US, though, the game will be seen by, what, a couple million people total? Here’s hoping there is at least a legal streaming option made available. And maybe I’m underestimating the numbers. I just think it’s going to be so exciting.

(Bummer that there are no Cubs players involved on either side tonight. Seiya Suzuki’s jersey will be in the Team Japan dugout somewhere, though.)

It has absolutely felt like an inflection point to me, but I can’t tell if that’s just because I’ve been so into it, or if it’s because it really is capturing more of the international consciousness than ever before:

One Spanish journalist covering the @WBCBaseball told me, "Esto es como el Mundial."

"This is like the World Cup."

In Spain, this is not casual praise.

The 2023 WBC is an inflection point for the tournament — and sport of baseball. @MLBNetwork @MLB— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) March 21, 2023

The Atlanta Braves made only a half-hearted attempt to retain shortstop Dansby Swanson in free agency this offseason, at least according to reports. The thinking there was that, in addition to long-term budgeting considerations after everyone else on the roster got extended, the Braves had young infielders like Vaughn Grissom and Braden Shewmake available to slide into a starting role. It was a little weird – Grissom has barely played above High-A and had small sample success at second in the big leagues last year (many though without the glove to handle shortstop), and Shewmake might play average defense at shortstop, but the bat hasn’t been above average anywhere in the upper minors. But it sure seemed like that was the route the Braves were going.

Instead:

#Braves didn't want to lose any depth, which they would have if they had kept Arcia as utility — would've lost Adrianza. Considering how many they needed to get through season at 2B in '22, they wanted to keep Adrianza (has no options) and let kids get more time at Triple A— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) March 20, 2023

Arcia, who is still only 28, is passable at shortstop and was a slightly above-average hitter last year in a very small sample for the Braves. His career before that, though, was of a guy 30% worse than league average at the plate. Adrianza, 33, is similarly ineffectual at the plate in his career, but can play capable defense all over. I get wanting to keep him on your roster. I don’t entirely get, however, planning your shortstop offseason around Arcia being legit.

So I will ask the obvious follow-up question: if the Braves weren’t really letting Swanson go because they thought they had his heir apparent in Grissom, does that mean they are really down on his future? After all, the Braves should know Swanson as well as any team, and they weren’t willing to come close to the seven-year, $177 million deal he got from the Cubs. My response is, yeah, the Cubs likely had to beat the rest of the market by quite a bit to land Swanson – we know that’s how it tends to work – and it’s not that the Braves didn’t want to keep Swanson AT ALL. It’s just that they didn’t want to go to the level the Cubs did. So it could very well be that they were just hoping Swanson would eventually take a hometown discount, and they would be happy to have him for the next, say, five years. I’m not sure how 1-to-1 related these things are.

Candy! Among the Deals of the Day at Amazon today is a whole buncha Easter candy. Stock up for your kids or for yourself (let’s be honest). #ad

You should not be able to hit a ball there:

This is ridiculous pic.twitter.com/Ho8jeaeMKE
— Shawn Spradling (@Shawn_Spradling) March 20, 2023

written by

Brett Taylor

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

more cubs news

Chicago Bears

What Happened to Bears’ Arlington Move? Watch Out For Cards, New and Texans Unis, and Other Bears Bullets

This afternoon's forecast in Chicago calls for afternoon rainstorms, which means I need to tweak my schedule to get my regularly scheduled walk in without getting soaked. Wish me luck! The Chicago Bears are reportedly set to announce lakefront stadium...

Luis C. Medina

Apr 23, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Get ‘Em While They’re Down: Cubs vs Astros – Series Preview

Cubs vs Astros — Splitting a four-gamer against the current, badly-struggling Miami Marlins is unquestionably a bad outcome, especially when one of those two losses was a win-in-hand that slipped away into the seats. But the typical, and maddeningly correct,...

Brett Taylor

Apr 23, 2024

Chicago Cubs

REPORT: Cubs Are Calling Up Matt Mervis and Hayden Wesneski

I was literally in the middle of an article asking "What Are the Cubs Going to Do with Matt Mervis," when this news came across the wire. The Cubs first base picture is fully settled with the left-handed Michael Busch...

Michael Cerami

Apr 23, 2024

Chicago Cubs

South Side Horror Show (and Campfire Milkshakes), Alzolay and Evolving Relief Roles, and Other Cubs Bullets

It's going to be a really good year for Horror movies. Late Night with the Devil was good (just saw it the other night). And I've got my eyes on Long Legs, Cuckoo, The First Omen, Immaculate, MaXXXine, In a...

Michael Cerami

Apr 23, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Two NL Central Pitchers Down: Miley and Montas

A couple injuries to note among other NL Central contenders, as each of the Brewers and Reds have taken a hit to their rotation. The presumption for now is short-term on each, but I suppose we'll see. First, you have...

Brett Taylor

Apr 23, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Brewers Pitcher Jakob Junis Taken Off Field in an Ambulance After Being Struck by BP Ball

A very scary scene in Pittsburgh, where Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jakob Junis, currently on the IL with a shoulder impingement, took a batting practice ball off the neck and went down. Junis was apparently on the ground for a long...

Brett Taylor

Apr 22, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Nico Hoerner is Back to Being Nico Hoerner

On April 9, I took an early look at Nico Hoerner's apparently evolving approach at the plate, which featured a lot more patience and a lot more big hacks. Effectively, it seemed like he was trying for a little more...

Michael Cerami

Apr 22, 2024

Chicago Cubs

MLBits: Spencer Strider Speaks (His and Other Pitcher Arm Injuries), Shohei Ohtani’s Latest Milestone, More

There's been much debate about pitcher arm injuries lately, much of it sparked by Spencer Strider's season-ending Tommy John surgery, and Strider spoke to the media for the first time since the injury on Friday. Spencer Strider on pitcher arm...

Patrick K. Flowers

Apr 22, 2024

Chicago Cubs

Chicago Cubs Sign Lefty Pitching Prospect Mitchell Tyranski

A new signing popped up on the Chicago Cubs' transaction log: lefty Mitchell Tyranski. Tyranski, 26, put up a 3.83 ERA over 42.1 innings at High-A last year in the Dodgers organization, striking out 47 and walking 21. Were you...

Brett Taylor

Apr 22, 2024

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs Have TWO of the Early Front-Runners for NL Rookie of the Year

We already dove deep into Shota Imanaga's latest impressive start against the Marlins yesterday. And there's been no shortage of love for Michael Busch this season either. But I do want to take this time to illustrate just how good...

Michael Cerami

Apr 22, 2024

Picks

Nuggets vs. Lakers Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets for NBA Playoffs Game 3 – Thursday, April 25, 2024

The Los Angeles Lakers are slight 1-point underdogs in Game 3 of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs against the Denver Nuggets at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday, tipping off at 10:00 PM ET on TNT. The Nuggets are ahead...

Data Skrive

Apr 23, 2024

Picks

Cardinals vs. Diamondbacks Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Tuesday, April 23, 2024

The St. Louis Cardinals (10-13) are set to take on the Arizona Diamondbacks (11-13) Tuesday at 7:45 PM ET, airing on ARID. The Cardinals are listed as -133 favorites by sportsbooks, while the underdog Diamondbacks have +112 odds for the...

Data Skrive

Apr 23, 2024

Picks

Mariners vs. Rangers Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Tuesday, April 23, 2024

The Texas Rangers (12-11) enter Tuesday's matchup with the Seattle Mariners (11-11) following their 1-2 series defeat to the Braves. The Mariners, coming off of a series win against the Rockies, are listed as -112 favorites for Game 1. The...

Data Skrive

Apr 23, 2024

Picks

Blue Jays vs. Royals Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Tuesday, April 23, 2024

The Toronto Blue Jays (13-10) visit the Kansas City Royals (13-10) at 7:40 PM ET Tuesday for a sluggers' duel between two of the best power hitters in MLB. For the favored Blue Jays (-123), Daulton Varsho has racked up...

Data Skrive

Apr 23, 2024

Picks

Twins vs. White Sox Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Tuesday, April 23, 2024

The Chicago White Sox (3-19) hope to avoid their fifth straight defeat when they visit the Minnesota Twins (8-13) Tuesday at 7:40 PM ET on NBCS-CHI. The Twins are listed as -276 favorites, while the White Sox are +220 underdogs...

Data Skrive

Apr 23, 2024

Picks

Astros vs. Cubs Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Tuesday, April 23, 2024

The Houston Astros (7-16) are favorites (-114) on the moneyline when they take on the Chicago Cubs (13-9) Tuesday at 7:40 PM ET, live on MARQ.J.P. France will get the ball for Houston while Chicago will counter with Jordan Wicks.Astros...

Data Skrive

Apr 23, 2024

Picks

Anthony Edwards Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Suns – NBA Playoffs Game 2, Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Anthony Edwards' Minnesota Timberwolves meet the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday at 7:30 PM ET in Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and to beat his 3-point over/under, he must make three from downtown.Anthony Edwards' Three-Pointer Prop...

Data Skrive

Apr 23, 2024

Picks

Devin Booker Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Timberwolves – NBA Playoffs Game 2, Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Devin Booker's Phoenix Suns meet the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday at 7:30 PM ET in Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and to beat his 3-point over/under, he needs to make three from downtown.Devin Booker's Three-Pointer...

Data Skrive

Apr 23, 2024

Picks

Karl-Anthony Towns Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Suns – NBA Playoffs Game 2, Tuesday, April 23, 2024

On Tuesday at 7:30 PM ET, the Minnesota Timberwolves play the Phoenix Suns in Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs, and Karl-Anthony Towns' 3-pointer prop for this clash requires two trifectas.Karl-Anthony Towns' Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs....

Data Skrive

Apr 23, 2024

Picks

Kevin Durant Player Props: Three-Pointer Props and Odds vs. the Timberwolves – NBA Playoffs Game 2, Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Kevin Durant must make three 3-pointers to beat his prop when the Phoenix Suns play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday at 7:30 PM ET, in Game 2 of the opening round of the NBA playoffs.Kevin Durant's Three-Pointer Prop Odds vs....

Data Skrive

Apr 23, 2024

A Big Game Tonight, What Braves Move Says About Swanson (If Anything), and Other Cubs Bullets

Read More

more cubs news

Latest News

more cubs news

Most Popular

Most Popular

Latest News

Most Popular

Most Popular