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AL Health Notes: Rosenthal, Mariners, Long, Greiner

By Anthony Franco | March 8, 2021 at 6:23pm CDT

Athletics reliever Trevor Rosenthal is dealing with a slight groin strain, manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including Martín Gallegos of MLB.com and Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle). The team believes it’s a minor issue, Melvin says, but there’s no current timetable for when Rosenthal will resume throwing. It isn’t clear if Rosenthal will have to start the season on the injured list but that would seem to be a possibility with Opening Day just over three weeks away. The 30-year-old was the A’s top free agent acquisition after rebounding with a 1.90 ERA/2.31 SIERA over 23.2 innings with the Royals and Padres in 2020.

Other health notes from the American League:

Mariners second baseman Shed Long Jr. has inflammation in his right shin, reports Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). Long underwent tibia surgery last September but the area continues to cause him problems. At the moment, it seems the organization is hopeful that a bit of rest can improve the situation. The upcoming season looks to be a critical one for Long, who failed to cement himself as Seattle’s second baseman of the future during a disappointing 2020.
Catcher Grayson Greiner suffered a broken nose in yesterday’s Spring Training game and will miss a week of action, the Tigers announced. The news comes as a bit of a relief, as Greiner went down after being struck in the face by a 94 MPH fastball in a scary incident. Assuming his recovery goes as expected, it seems the 28-year-old should be ready for Opening Day. Greiner’s in competition with Jake Rogers and non-roster invitees Eric Haase and Dustin Garneau for the backup job behind Wilson Ramos.

Latest On Mets, Maikel Franco

By Mark Polishuk | March 8, 2021 at 4:49pm CDT

4:49 pm: While the Mets have checked in on Franco, a deal is “unlikely to come together at the moment,” reports Tim Britton of the Athletic (via Twitter).

2:35 pm: Franco is expected to pick his next team within the next couple of days, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link).

2:19 pm: The Mets are one of the teams “in the Maikel Franco derby,” MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets. Heyman reported earlier this week that interest in Franco was starting to pick up, and the Orioles were another team known to have some interest in the third baseman’s services.

Franco would be an interesting yet also somewhat odd fit on a Mets team that may already have a surplus for position players. J.D. Davis is the incumbent third baseman, and while New York reportedly looked into adding such stars as Nolan Arenado and Kris Bryant this winter, Franco doesn’t represent a clear offensive or defensive upgrade over Davis at the hot corner. The Mets also have Jonathan Villar and Luis Guillorme on hand as more traditional utility infielders, whereas Franco has played only third base and a handful of games at first base over his MLB career.

On the flip side, the Mets may simply want as much depth and talent on hand as possible. The Mets saw plenty of Franco during his days as a once-heralded prospect with the Phillies, though he never fully realized that potential and Philadelphia non-tendered him following the 2019 season. Franco caught on with the Royals and performed well, hitting .278/.321/.457 (106 wRC+, 109 OPS+) over 243 plate appearances in 2020, but Kansas City non-tendered him again rather than pay a projected arbitration salary in the $4.5MM-$8MM range.

At this point in the offseason, Franco’s price tag is significantly lower, so the Mets, Orioles, and other third base-needy teams would surely have interest in the 28-year-old as a potential value signing. A team like Baltimore would be able to offer Franco more in the way of playing time, though Franco could also prefer playing for a projected contender like the Mets, plus New York offers a bit more stability considering that the rebuilding O’s would surely float Franco as a trade chip at the deadline.

NL Notes: Jeffress, Nationals, Varsho, Howard

By Mark Polishuk | March 8, 2021 at 2:55pm CDT

The Nationals’ release of Jeremy Jeffress yesterday carried some mystery, both because it came so early in Spring Training (and within three weeks of Jeffress signing with the Nats) and because GM Mike Rizzo used the odd phrasing of describing the release as due to “personnel reasons.” Rizzo didn’t provide much further clarification in speaking with Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com and other reporters today, apart from saying that Jeffress’ release was “an employment issue” and not related to on-field performance.

Jeffress himself has weighed in, texting Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post to say that the Nationals’ given reason for releasing him was “not true,” without specifying what the club said. The veteran reliever also wrote a pair of tweets yesterday, one stating “I’m not what they say I am, I’m what God says! I don’t deserve this false negativity!” and another since-deleted tweet saying that his former agent “jus ruined my life.” It remains to be seen if the reason behind Jeffress’ release will ever fully come to light, but if nothing else, this uncertain situation would seem to hamper Jeffress’ chances of catching on with another team.

MLB To Adopt Modified, Loan-Based Revenue Sharing Plan For 2021 Season

By Mark Polishuk | March 8, 2021 at 12:22pm CDT

After being halted in 2020 due to the pandemic, Major League Baseball’s revenue-sharing system between bigger-market and smaller-market teams will return in an altered form in 2021, The Athletic’s Evan Drellich reports (subscription required). Smaller-market clubs will only receive half of the normal amount of funds this year, with the other half coming in 2022. The league itself will be covering the 2021 payments in a loan deal, with the larger-market teams expected to eventually pay MLB back.

“Expected” may be a loaded term, however, as Drellich notes that there are still several details about this plan that are unclear, or are open to interpretation based on comments from executives from different teams. One exec from a large-market team believes MLB’s loan is just for the sake of optics (“They can say whatever they want for politics, the understanding is it’ll never be paid back“), while a league source insists otherwise.

There also isn’t much clarity on when exactly big-market teams will have to pay back the league, or the other 50 percent of the 2021 payments directly to the smaller-market clubs, as commissioner Rob Manfred purposely “retained the ability to change payment schedules and the amounts paid based on economic conditions.” It is also possible that the next Collective Bargaining Agreement could change the revenue-sharing system significantly, so the loan repayment plan could be adjusted after the current CBA expires in December.

Revenue-sharing is often a combative issue even in the best of times, and in the words of one executive, there was “a big fight” amongst owners over how (or even if) the system should be restarted in 2021 and beyond. While an increasing number of markets are expecting to have some fans in the stands on Opening Day, the continued uncertainty about the state of the coronavirus pandemic has naturally left all teams wary about how much revenue they can expect to generate this season.

We already saw how the loss of revenues impacted several teams in all market sizes this offseason, as various clubs looked to limit or cut payroll expenditures. Smaller-market teams had less money on hand due to the lack of extra revenue-sharing dollars, while larger-market teams might have saved on those sharing payments but lost more in terms of pure dollars overall.

Exact numbers involved in revenue-sharing aren’t made public, and the total teams pay or receive can differ significantly from year to year. But for 2019, Drellich reports that the Dodgers (roughly $90MM), Red Sox (slightly less than Los Angeles), Cubs (roughly $70MM) and Yankees (over $60MM) were the teams who had the highest revenue-sharing bills. On the other end, the Marlins received around $70MM in 2019, and the Rays received somewhere in the $50MM-$60MM range each year from 2017-19. How small-market teams use those funds is another point of contention, as both the MLBPA and even some larger-market owners take a dim view of small-market teams who don’t reinvest the money into improving the on-field product.

Brewers Sign Jackie Bradley Jr.

By Steve Adams | March 8, 2021 at 11:31am CDT

TODAY: The Brewers officially announced Bradley’s deal. To create roster space, utilityman Tim Lopes (oblique) has been moved to the 60-day injured list.

MARCH 4, 1:05pm: Bradley’s 2021 salary is $13MM, tweets Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. He’ll earn $11MM in 2022 if he declines to opt out.

10:45am: Some of Bradley’s salary is deferred, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

As to the defensive alignment with Bradley in the fold, Brewers manager Craig Counsell spoke to reporters today and firmly indicated that Cain is the team’s center fielder (Twitter links via Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). Counsell wouldn’t mention Bradley directly, as his deal has yet to be formally announced, but he said his club doesn’t “…have any fourth outfielders. We have a lot of starting outfielders and we have to figure out how that works. But there’s playing time, absolutely.”

7:08am: The Brewers and center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. are in agreement on a two-year, $24MM contract, reports Julian McWilliams of the Boston Globe. The second year on that deal is a player option, so Bradley will have the opportunity to return to the open market next winter if he performs well during his first season in Milwaukee. Bradley is represented by the Boras Corporation.

It’s the second major free-agent signing for the Brewers this winter and the second that provides the team with a huge defensive upgrade. Milwaukee also inked former division rival Kolten Wong, arguably the game’s premier defender at second base, on a two-year deal that guarantees him $18MM.

Bradley, 31 in April, figures to slide into the outfield alongside Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich. His acquisition could push Avisail Garcia, who struggled in 2020 during the first season of a two-year contract of his own, into a lesser role. It appears quite unlikely that there’ll be a universal designated hitter in 2021 at this point, but Garcia could still work as a DH during interleague games at American League parks. He could also slot into the mix against tough lefties and spell any of the other three on a given day.

Cain, meanwhile, carries a sterling defensive reputation much like Bradley, but he’ll turn 35 the same week Bradley turns 31. The Brewers could turn center field over to the younger of the two and slide Cain, who opted out of the 2020 season after just five games last year, into a less demanding corner outfield spot.

Prior to their deal with Bradley, the Brewers didn’t have much in the way of proven outfield depth in the event that a starting outfielder went down with an injury. The only other outfielders on the 40-man roster were Tyrone Taylor, Corey Ray and a trio of offseason DFA pickups: Billy McKinney, Derek Fisher and Tim Lopes. Bringing Bradley into the mix now gives them cover for a potential injury and allows them to rest Cain (returning at 35 after opting out of 2020) and Yelich (major knee injury at the end of 2019) with more regularity. More broadly speaking, the signing also simply improves both the defense and the lineup.

Detractors may brush aside the notion that Bradley can help to improve Milwaukee’s offense, but over the past six seasons he’s batted .247/.331/.438 — good for a slightly above-average 102 wRC+ and 101 OPS+. That line includes a .283/.364/.450 showing through 217 plate appearances last year. Bradley struggled in 2019 as his strikeout rate spiked to an unpalatable 27.3 percent, but he cut that mark by more than five percent last season in a rebound effort during the shortened campaign.

Bradley shouldn’t be problematic from a payroll standpoint, as the Brewers had been set for a decrease from their 2019-20 spending levels prior to the deal. The new agreement will take them to $105MM if the contract is evenly distributed and a bit more if the deal is front-loaded (which, speculatively speaking, seems likely). Either way, they’ll still be well shy of 2019’s franchise-record $122.5MM Opening Day mark.

The Bradley deal, in many regards, is reminiscent of Milwaukee’s surprise agreement with catcher Yasmani Grandal in the 2018-19 offseason. Grandal, like Bradley, was an elite defender at a premium position who didn’t find long-term offers to his liking and instead bet on himself by signing a one-year deal at a higher annual rate with the Brewers. Bradley’s deal doesn’t match Grandal’s $18.25MM guarantee (although it could afford him more than $12MM depending on the structure), but it gives him a nice safety net with the player option in the event that he struggles in 2021 or deals with a notable injury.

Aside from the Cardinals’ blockbuster acquisition of Nolan Arenado, it’s been a rather quiet offseason in the NL Central. The Cubs have made a handful of small-scale, one-year additions — but only after trading away Yu Darvish — while the Reds and Pirates have been mostly idle. Late agreements with Bradley, Wong and lefty Brett Anderson don’t make the Brewers a clear favorite even in a potentially lackluster division, but they certainly improve what looks to be a competitive club. And given the current payroll level and this front office regime’s penchant for late-offseason value plays, it’d be unwise to completely rule out any further additions.

Central Notes: Cubs, White Sox, Brewers, Pirates

By TC Zencka | March 8, 2021 at 10:50am CDT

The Cubs will welcome fans back to Wrigley Field in 2021, the team announced today. They have been approved by the city to fill the stadium to 20 percent capacity, beginning on opening day. “In coordination with MLB, top health experts and local officials, we developed a comprehensive plan that prioritizes the health and safety of our players, staff and fans,” said Cubs President of Business Operations Crane Kenney. “Our goal is to create a safe, clean and friendly environment for everyone to enjoy Cubs baseball beginning Opening Day.” The Cubs will require masks for patrons two-years-old and above while hosting pod-style seating and practicing social distancing.

On the other side of town, the White Sox will be allowed up to 8,122 patrons per game while practicing social distancing, per Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times (via Twitter). The Southsiders home opener will be on April 8th. That means every team except for the Blue Jays will have at least a limited number of fans in the seats this season, notes Bob Nightengale of USA Today. Now, the latest in roster news from the Central…

The Brewers are facing a roster crunch at the end of the bench. It’s a side effect of the Jackie Bradley Jr. signing, writes MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy. Pablo Reyes and Derek Fisher have impressed manager Craig Counsell so far, notes McCalvy. Manny Pina and Avisail Garcia are locks to be a member of the bench, which probably only leaves two spots. Assuming Travis Shaw makes the roster, that puts one of Shaw, Orlando Arcia, and Luis Urias on the bench as well. Daniel Robertson has been viewed as a favorite to win that final bench spot, in part because the infielder is out of options. Daniel Vogelbach is also out of options and on the 40-man roster. The big first baseman brings a limited, though valuable skill-set as a power bat off the bench. Of those players on the 40-man roster, Fisher, Jace Pederson, and Billy McKinney are also out of options, giving the Brewers much to think about as we inch closer to April 1.
Milwaukee may have a little bit of extra time to decide on that final roster spot, however. Lorenzo Cain hasn’t played in a week because of a quad issue, and there’s a chance he won’t be ready in time for opening day, per McCalvy (via Twitter). There’s still hope that he’ll be ready from the jump, but if not, the Brewers could roll with Bradley Jr. in center and Garcia in right, while taking the extra time to evaluate someone from their out-of-options pool.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton won’t spend much time thinking about who might claim the closer role until the last few days of camp, per the Athletic’s Rob Biertempfel. Said Shelton, “We have a guy who we know can go to the back end and do it in Richie (Rodríguez), who did it last year, so I’m really not thinking about it.” That certainly sounds like Richard Rodriguez has the inside track on the job. There will certainly be enough bodies to choose from, as the Pirates plan to break camp with eight or nine relievers, notes Biertempfel. That said, there aren’t a lot of proven late-inning options to immediately wrench the role from Rodríguez. Kyle Crick is the most obvious challenger, with Chris Stratton perhaps snagging an opportunity or two after striking out close to 30 percent of hitters last season.

Nationals Will Make Extension Offers To Juan Soto, Trea Turner In Near Future

By TC Zencka | March 8, 2021 at 9:58am CDT

The Washington Nationals have famously fielded top-heavy rosters typically built around a core of strong starting pitching. Since Washington’s first playoff appearance in 2012, they’ve advanced to postseason play five times in nine years, always on the backs of their starting pitching. The starting pitching units on their playoff teams (2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019) ranked 1st, 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 3rd in the Majors by FIP and 5th, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, and 1st by fWAR. Gio Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann, Tanner Roark, Max Scherzer, and Stephen Strasburg each posted multiple 3.0+ fWAR seasons for Nats’ playoff teams, and Patrick Corbin is halfway there after a 4.7 fWAR season in 2019.

On the position player side, a core of Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth Ryan Zimmerman, and Ian Desmond added Anthony Rendon in 2014. They morphed by swapping Daniel Murphy and Trea Turner into the core group for Desmond and Werth by 2016. Before 2019, this unit faced their most monumental change yet, letting Harper leave for Philly as Juan Soto developed in his place. Rendon left after the title team in 2019, and it’s now been three years since Zimmerman aka “Mr. National” played a central role in the offense.

Present day, the Nats’ offensive core is a smaller unit than it’s been in year’s past, but it might be the strongest foundation of a Nationals team to date. Soto is one of the best offensive players in the game, compared today to Ted Williams by the Athletic’s Jayson Stark. Turner is one of the game’s most dynamic and underrated superstars.

Victor Robles certainly seemed like a key member of this core unit in 2019, and they hoped Carter Kieboom might step into Rendon’s place at the hot corner, but neither cemented their place in the inner circle during a rough 2020 season. The slow ascent of Kieboom and Robles has made Soto and Turner all the more important to the Nats’ future. Beyond their obvious talents, at 22 and 27 years old, they’re the youngest ties to the 2019 title team.

Starting pitching has been this team’s past, but Scherzer is 36, Strasburg is 32 and twice lost seasons to injury, and Corbin is 31. Their top prospects are a couple of power arms in Jackson Rutledge and Cade Cavalli, and Cole Henry, Andry Lara, Jeremy De La Rosa, and Tim Cate provide some backing in that regard, but there’s much uncertainty in projecting arms. The Nationals future seems to lie in the hands of Soto, Turner, and to a lesser extent, Robles and Kieboom.

The clock is ticking, however, and the cost is rising. Turner will make $13MM this season with one more year of arbitration before free agency after 2022. Soto became arbitration eligible for this first time this winter as a Super Two player. He’ll make $8.5MM in 2021 with three more turns through arbitration before free agency after 2024. He’ll be just 26 years old.

The conversation inevitably turns to potential extensions, and there have been internal discussions about what it might cost to lock their two superstars into long-term deals. In fact, there will be long-term contract offers on the table in the near future, per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post (via Twitter).

They’ve made offers in the past, however. Per MLB.com’s Jessica Camerato (via Twitter), GM Mike Rizzo said earlier today, “We’ve discussed internally with ownership about it. We’re in the midst of making decisions on what a timeframe would look like … We certainly have made & will make a long-term extension offer to both players sometime in the near future.”

Since the Braves extended Ronald Acuña Jr. to a well-below-market eight-year, $100MM extension, and the Padres extended Fernando Tatis to a 14-year $340MM extension, Soto might be the best young player without a long-term deal in place. Acuña signed his deal after winning Rookie of the Year with a 4.3 bWAR season in 111 games. Tatis signed after two years of service time and 7.0 bWAR through 143 total games. Soto has just 0.143 more service time than Tatis, but he’s begun the arbitration process, played in 313 games, won a World Series, and accrued 9.7 bWAR. How much will it cost to extend the next Ted Williams? That’s a difficult question, especially when he’s represented by Scott Boras.

If there’s any organization comfortable dealing with mega-agent Boras, it’s the Nationals, who have dealt with him over the years both to sign long-term deals in the case of Strasburg and Scherzer and to not sign those deals with Harper and Rendon. The Nats should have a pretty clear idea about what it would take to sign Soto – or if it’s even possible.

As for Turner, the CAA client might want to wait and see how next winter’s free agent market shakes out. One way or another, a market price will be set for star shortstops as Francisco Lindor, Javier Baez, Carlos Correa, Marcus Semien, Trevor Story, and Corey Seager all sign new contracts. If he does wait, 2021 could be a make-or-break season for Turner. While he’s flashed tremendous potential, he’s also dealt with injuries that have cut short some of his most productive seasons. He finished 7th in MVP voting during the shortened 2020 season.

Xander Bogaerts signed a six-year, $120MM extension in April 2019 with the Red Sox, which could be used as a comparison point. You can check MLBTR’s Extension Tracker to find your own comps. Bogaerts – a Boras client – signed after 5.046 days of service time at 26 years old with 759 games and 15.6 bWAR under his belt. Turner is at 4.135 days of service time right now. He’ll be in the territory of Bogaerts’ 5.046 service time days by the time he turns 28-years-old in June. At present, Turner has notched 541 games and 16.6 bWAR.

One thing we know about Washington and long-term deals is that money will have to be deferred. That said, they’ve shown willing to spend high-end money for the right players. Even though they’ll pay Strasburgh $35MM a season through 2026, and Corbin escalating salaries of $23.4MM, $24.4MM and $35.4MM through 2024, the Nats have some long-term payroll flexibility. Schezer’s $42MM deal comes off the books after this season, as does deals for Brad Hand, Starlin Castro, Daniel Hudson, Yan Gomes, Jon Lester, Alex Avila, Josh Harrison, and Zimmerman. They can also takes a $3MM buyout for Kyle Schwarber over an $11MM option. That’s a total of $73.6MM that could come off the books following 2021. Of course, in that circumstance, Rizzo would also have to back-fill nine roster spots.

Quick Hits: Mets, Lindor, Red Sox, Cordero, González

By TC Zencka | March 8, 2021 at 8:37am CDT

The Mets and Francisco Lindor will explore extension talks “in earnest” this week, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). Lindor has set opening day as the deadline for an extension, but the Mets have not appeared overly concerned by the limited timetable thus far. They are presumably confident in their ability to work something out in a short amount of time, or less concerned with the prospect of Lindor hitting free agency. If there were a year to allow a star like Lindor to test the market, after all, next winter is the time as there are plenty of potential options in the much-vaunted 2022 free agent class. While we continue to wait for progress on this front, let’s check in on some roster news from the Red Sox…

Newly-acquired Franchy Cordero may not be ready for opening day, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Cordero has yet to clear COVID-19 protocols. It would be understandable to be judicious with someone in Cordero’s position – a not-yet established big-league regular joining a new franchise. Especially considering Cordero’s spotty injury history, the Red Sox may want to prioritize getting Cordero’s year started with a head full of steam. The Red Sox are planning to start the season with a short bench, but Cordero’s delay could mean an early roster spot for Michael Chavis or Marcus Wilson. By adding Marwin González and Kiké Hernandez this winter, the Red Sox have afforded themselves plenty of roster flexibility.
González figures to find himself playing left field against lefties even when Cordero returns, writes the Athletic’s Chad Jennings. But he won’t be much help in center, whereas Cordero could see some time in the middle. While they wait for Cordero – assuming Jarren Duran doesn’t make the roster – Boston is without a clear every down option in center. Alex Verdugo and Kiké are the two players on the roster most clearly prepped for the spot, but Boston does seem to favor Duran joining the team at some point during the 2021 season. Not only has the youngster received favorable comparisons to Grady Sizemore this winter, but he’s gone 5-for-11 with a .500 OBP through their first six spring games. Though that means very little in terms of statistical significance, first impressions at this level can certainly impact an organization’s viewpoint on a player.

Nationals Release Jeremy Jeffress

By Mark Polishuk | March 7, 2021 at 11:00pm CDT

The Nationals have released right-hander Jeremy Jeffress, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reports. The move was made due to “personnel reasons,” GM Mike Rizzo said in a statement.

Jeffress only signed his minor league contract with the Nats back on February 22, and would have earned at least $1.25MM in guaranteed salary had he made Washington’s MLB roster. While the timing of the release is somewhat unusual, it could be that the Nationals made a quick decision on Jeffress and simply chose to cut him now rather than prolonging his stay in camp. Jeffress may also now get something of an early jump on catching on with another team, though several other veteran relief pitchers are still available.

Looking to pitch in his 12th Major League season, Jeffress posted a 1.54 ERA over 23 1/3 innings with the Cubs last season, though numerous advanced metrics (ranging from a 4.96 SIERA to a .161 BABIP) indicated that a lot of good fortune went into Jeffress’ sterling ERA. It was something of a reversal of his 2019 season, as the secondary statistics indicated that Jeffress pitched better than his 5.02 ERA over 52 innings with the Brewers.

Jeffress has a career 3.08 ERA and 56.6% grounder rate over 424 1/3 career frames with five different clubs, with the majority (304 2/3 IP) of that work over parts of seven seasons with Milwaukee. Reports back in January indicated that multiple clubs were considering Jeffress, so one of those teams could again come calling with a minor league deal now that the 33-year-old is back on the market.

AL Notes: White Sox, Angels, Ward, Tigers, Greiner

By Anthony Franco | March 7, 2021 at 9:51pm CDT

The White Sox probably won’t make any more additions before Opening Day, general manager Rick Hahn told Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times. While Hahn cautioned the front office would never foreclose the possibility of another pickup, it seems they’re content with the group of players already in the organization. “We still have conversations outside to see if there’s a move that makes sense, but the far more likely result is the 26 we break with are from the group that’s in camp,” Hahn said.

Some more from the American League:

Taylor Ward started at catcher in the Angels’ spring training contest this afternoon, notes Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. A catcher at Fresno State, Ward moved to third base after the 2017 minor league season. He has also gotten time at the three other corner positions but hadn’t worked behind the plate since initially moving off catcher. It doesn’t seem Ward will get much playing time there in the regular season, Bollinger writes, but simply having the ability to pick up a few innings in emergency situations could help his case to win a utility role out of camp. Max Stassi, Kurt Suzuki and Anthony Bemboom are the current backstops on the Angels’ 40-man roster.
Tigers catcher Grayson Greiner was hit in the face by a pitch in this afternoon’s spring training contest, Jason Beck of MLB.com was among those to relay. There is no current diagnosis on his status, but Greiner was able to walk off the field under his own power, as Keegan Matheson of MLB.com noted. Greiner is in competition with Jake Rogers and non-roster invitees Eric Haase and Dustin Garneau for the backup job behind Wilson Ramos.

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