The Opener

As the return of baseball games rapidly approaches, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. All players to have reported to camp:

The last 12 clubs have set their official report date for position players today. While the vast majority of players have already had their official report dates, and many players whose official report date was today reported early, today marks the day that every player invited to major league Spring Training for in present in camp. As always on official report dates, there’s a chance previously unknown injuries are revealed regarding players reporting for the first time today. Yankees lefty Nestor Cortes, Brewers lefty Aaron Ashby, and Mariners outfielder Taylor Trammell are among the players who were revealed to be injured upon arriving in camp this spring. Spring Training games are set to begin at the end of the week.

2. Infield Market Update

So far this week, shortstop Elvis Andrus, third baseman Edwin Rios and (just this morning) first baseman Luke Voit have all signed — Andrus with the White Sox, Rios with the Cubs, and Voit with the Brewers. Though the free agent market has largely thinned out to this point, there are still a handful of interesting players available who can contribute at the big league level.

Donovan Solano has experience at both second and third base and, though he is coming off a down season, was roughly league average with the bat in 2022 (98 wRC+). Jose Iglesias has largely been just below league average with the bat for his career outside of a outlier 2020 season with the Orioles where he posted a whopping 160 wRC+ (thanks, in large part, to a .407 BABIP that far outstrips his career .307 mark), but he has long been a reliable defender up the middle and could help an infield-needy club. Moving to first base, Yuli Gurriel and Miguel Sano remain on the market. Gurriel won a batting title in 2021 but saw his production crater in 2022, his age-38 season. Sano has been wildly inconsistent in his career and spent most of ’22 on the injured list but has as much raw power as nearly anyone in baseball.

3. MLBTR Live Chats Today

Yesterday, MLBTR had the pleasure of hosting a live chat with former MLB scout Tim Kissner for readers, the transcript of which you can read here. Today, our series of live chats with people from around the game continues as we’re excited to host Rick Eckstein, a former MLB hitting coach. Eckstein was the hitting coach for the Nationals from 2009-2013, and served as the Pirates’ hitting coach for three seasons, 2019-2021. Between those stints as a hitting coach, Eckstein also spent time as a member of the Angels and Twins organizations. In addition to his time as a major league coach, Eckstein also served as an assistant coach for the University of Kentucky. Keep an eye out for Eckstein’s chat at 3:30pm central time today.

Also today, at 11am CT, MLBTR’s Steve Adams will be hosting a live chat where he will field questions from readers. Be sure to stop by and ask any questions you might have about your favorite team or the larger baseball world as Spring Training gets underway and the offseason comes to a close. You can submit a question in advance, and use the same link to access the chat once it begins.

With just a few short days until Spring Training games begin, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Official report date for position players:

Today marks the official position player report date for 18 clubs. Many of those organizations will be having their first full team workouts of the spring today, and as was the case on official report dates for pitchers, there’s a chance that as players continue reporting to camp, as of yet unknown injuries reveal themselves. Of course, many players report to camp early, so several position players have been in camp for days or even weeks ahead of the official report date. The twelve clubs that don’t have their official report date for position players today have them tomorrow. Spring Training games begin later this week.

2. Cohen Press Conference

Per Tim Healey of Newsday Sports, Mets owner Steve Cohen will be holding a press conference this morning. Cohen made waves throughout the baseball world this winter as he was seemingly unbothered by the so-called “Cohen Tax” threshold of the luxury tax, blowing past the $293MM threshold in building a 2023 club with a payroll of nearly $374MM for luxury tax purposes, per RosterResource. Cohen’s willingness to spend far beyond what other owners have been willing to spend in the past appears to have been a factor in the creation of the league’s new “economic reform committee”, which has the stated goal of looking at ways to reduce revenue disparity between clubs, but could be a precursor to owners making an effort to institute a salary cap in the future.

3. MLBTR Chat with former scout Tim Kissner:

MLBTR occasionally hosts live chats where former players and other people from around the game of baseball take questions from readers. Today, we’re excited to be hosting Tim Kissner, a former scout with over two decades of experience in MLB. Kissner has been a member of the Guardians, Phillies, Cubs, and Mariners organizations during his career, and signed current big leaguers Travis d’Arnaud and perhaps most notably, Julio Rodriguez, during his time in the game. Be sure to tune in to the live chat at 10am CT to ask any questions you might have for Kissner and his wealth of experience.

With all pitchers and catchers for all 30 clubs set to report for Spring Training by the end of today, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day:

1. Arbitration Hearings End Today

Arbitration hearings are set to come to a close today. Yesterday, Ji-Man Choi went to a hearing against the Pirates, according to the Associated Press. Choi’s hearing comes on the heels of decisions in favor of Luis Rengifo and Harold Ramirez, but against Ryan Helsley and Josh Rojas. Choi filed for a salary in 2023 of $5.4MM while Pittsburgh countered with $4.65MM. Choi is a free agent after the 2023 season, so the coming decision won’t have much impact on his future earnings beyond 2023. Choi joins four other players in waiting for a decision on their 2023 salary, while two final hearings are set to take place today for Cardinals lefty Genesis Cabrera and Mariners outfield Teoscar Hernandez.

2. What’s next for the lefty relief market?

Yesterday Matt Moore landed with the Angels on a one-year deal, just a few days after Andrew Chafin signed with the Diamondbacks. Even with the top two lefty relief free agents now off the board, though, there’s plenty of interesting options remaining for clubs seeking lefty relief help. Both Will Smith and Brad Hand have faced some struggles in recent years, though each still touts years of late-inning experience and encouraging recent performance. Hand enjoyed a bounce-back season with the Phillies last year following a difficult 2021 season, while Smith improved considerably down the stretch in 2022 following a trade to the Astros.

Zack Britton is another name of particular interest, given his legacy as one of the longest-standing best relievers in baseball, but injuries have held him back in recent years. Since Opening Day 2021, Britton has thrown just 19 innings with an ERA of 6.16 (72 ERA+). Britton held a January showcase for interested teams and then worked out for six specific clubs earlier this week. The teams in attendance were the Angels, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Mets, and Rangers, though with the Angels landing Moore, it’s possible their interest has waned.

3. Rays FanFest Tomorrow

The Rays are hosting Rays FanFest at Tropicana Field tomorrow. The free fan event is set to run from 11am to 3pm local time, with Rays players in attendance, games, and a stage show. The FanFest comes at the end of what was a somewhat quiet offseason for the Rays, with Zach Eflin standing as their lone major addition. Meanwhile, longtime center fielder Kevin Kiermaier departed for the division rival Blue Jays, Choi was traded to the Pirates, and Ryan Yarbrough was non-tendered. Despite minimal roster turnover, the Rays did add a bright spot to their offseason in recent weeks by agreeing to extensions with Yandy Diaz, Jeffrey Springs, and Pete Fairbanks.

After a very busy morning on the second day of Spring Training, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Arbitration Hearings Continue

Yesterday saw both Brewers ace Corbin Burnes and Royals right-hander Brady Singer lose to their clubs in arbitration hearings, giving clubs five wins over the players against three losses. Meanwhile, Angels infielder Gio Urshela, Diamondbacks infielder Josh Rojas, and Cardinals reliever Ryan Helsley all had hearings yesterday, according to the Associated Press. That group joins a group of seven players waiting for a decision following their hearings, with four others still potentially waiting for a hearing ahead of tomorrow’s deadline for arbitration hearings.

Urshela filed at $10MM in his final trip through arbitration, while the Angels countered with $8.6MM. Helsley and Rojas, on the other hand, are both arbitration-eligible for the first time in 2023, meaning that despite facing smaller gaps with their respective teams, the outcome of their hearings will have a more significant impact on the duo’s future earnings than Urshela’s hearing will have on his future earnings. Helsely filed at $3MM to the Cardinals’ $2.15MM figure, while Rojas filed at $2.9MM against the D-backs’ $2.575MM.

2. Pitchers And Catchers Continue Reporting

Yesterday saw a little over half the league’s official reporting date for pitchers and catchers arrive, and after today, Spring Training will have begun for 29 of the 30 big league clubs. Guardians pitchers and catchers do not have their official reporting date until tomorrow. As players continue to filter into camp this spring, previously-unknown injury news, such as that of Frankie Montas and Taylor Trammell yesterday, is brought to light. Additionally, transfers to the 60-day injured list can begin, allowing clubs to temporarily free up space on their 40-man rosters, as the Red Sox did just this morning.

3. MLBTR Player Chat Today

Earlier this week, MLBTR hosted former Yankees pitcher Humberto Sanchez for a live chat with readers, the transcript of which you can find here. Today, MLBTR is excited to welcome former big league right-hander Deck McGuire, who will be hosting a live chat of his own with MLBTR readers later today. McGuire, the 11th overall pick in the 2011 draft, pitched for the Reds, Blue Jays, and Angels during his major league career, racking up 51 2/3 innings over the course of the 2017 and 2018 seasons with an ERA of 5.23. Since then, McGuire pitched in Asia from 2019-2021 before returning stateside for the 2022 season, during which he pitched in the minor leagues as well as the independent Atlantic League. Be sure to tune in at 10am CT today for McGuire’s chat!

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

1. Pitchers and catchers report:

Today marks the official beginning of spring training, with over half the league’s pitchers and catchers due to report today. Today is the official report date for each of the D-backs, Cubs, White Sox, Reds, Rockies, Royals, Angels, A’s, Rangers, Red Sox, Tigers, Mets, Pirates, Cardinals, Rays and Nationals. Every team’s pitchers and catchers will need to report by the end of the week, while the reporting date for position players is early next week, though many arrive early.

2. Burnes, Singer arbitration announcements

Brewers ace Corbin Burnes went to an arbitration hearing against his club yesterday, per the AP. Burnes filed at a salary of $10.75MM while the club countered with $10.01MM. Royals right-hander Brady Singer also went to arbitration with his club, filing at $3.325MM against the team’s $2.95MM. Decisions on both cases are expected to be handed down today, with arbitration hearings and decisions set to continue all throughout the week. Both players will go through arbitration in the future, meaning this decision will have an impact on their earnings beyond the 2023 season. Singer, in particular, is set to make three more trips through arbitration as a Super Two player in his first year of eligibility. Burnes will have one more trip through arbitration next winter before reaching free agency following the 2024 campaign.

3. MLBTR Chat

Yesterday, MLBTR’s Steve Adams fielded questions during a live chat (transcript here). If you still have unanswered questions about the direction of your favorite team as Spring Training begins, you’re in luck, as MLBTR’s Anthony Franco will be hosting another chat today at 5pm CT. You can submit a question in advance here, and you can use the same link to check back in this evening and participate live once the chat begins.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all of those who are celebrating! With pitchers and catchers reporting for most of the baseball world tomorrow, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Profar stands alone.

With Michael Wacha agreeing to terms in San Diego this morning, Jurickson Profar is the last man standing from MLBTR’s Top 50 free agent list back in November. With pitchers and catchers formally reporting this week — and many others already down in their teams’ spring camps — there figures to be some increased urgency for the remaining names to find landing spots (hence recent deals for Wacha, Andrew Chafin, Michael Fulmer).

Of course, the opening of camps could create some new opportunities for the remaining free agents; it’s likely that teams will run into some unexpected health issues in the coming days and weeks. On the pitching side of things, we’ve already seen the Yankees’ rotation impacted by Nestor Cortes Jr.’s grade 2 hamstring strain and by Frankie Montas’ shoulder injury. The Brewers announced last week that Aaron Ashby is dealing with shoulder fatigue and might not be ready for the start of the regular season. Reds reliever Tejay Antone is out for an extended period to begin the season after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection to address a flexor strain.

None of those pitching injuries will directly impact Profar’s market, but as position players begin to report to camp, go through intake physicals and begin ramping up for the season, new opportunities could come to light. Any corner outfield injuries that pop up in the weeks to come will be worth keeping a close eye on with regard to Profar.

2. Arbitration season continues:

The Angels went to arbitration against infielder Luis Rengifo yesterday, according to the AP. In his first trip through arbitration, Rengifo’s camp filed at $2.3MM while the Angels countered at $2MM. Due to Rengifo’s status as a first time arb-eligible player, this hearing is particularly crucial for his future earnings as arbitration salaries tend to use previous salaries as a baseline. Rengifo joins fellow Angel Hunter Renfroe and a trio of Rays (Colin Poche, Harold Ramirez, and Ryan Thompson) among players waiting on an announcement of the decision after their arbitration hearing earlier in the month. Per the AP, nine more players remain scheduled for hearings throughout the week.

3. MLBTR Chat Today

Do you have any questions regarding your favorite team or the larger baseball world as the 30 clubs gear up for Spring Training and make their last minute offseason moves? MLBTR’s Steve Adams will be fielding questions from readers today during a live chat at 11am CT. If you would like to ask questions in advance, you can do so here. That same link will also take you to the chat when it begins if you would like to participate live.

With football season now in the rear-view mirror, it’s finally time for baseball season! Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Signings to be made official:

A flurry of signings were reported over the weekend that have yet to be made official: Michael Fulmer signed with the Cubs, David Peralta and Alex Reyes both landed with the Dodgers, while Andrew Chafin returned to the Diamondbacks. As with any not-yet official signings, a 40-man roster move will be necessary to accommodate each of these players. The Cubs and Dodgers both have a handful of players who could move to the 60-day IL once Spring Training gets underway this week, thus clearing 40-man spots for Fulmer, Peralta, and Reyes, but the Diamondbacks lack a clear candidate for such a roster move, meaning they’ll like need to clear roster space some other way.

2. FA market heating back up:

The free agent market had entered a bit of a lull in recent weeks, with signings becoming increasingly sparing despite several strong players left on the market clearly deserving of big league deals. That dam seems to have finally broken over the weekend with the signings of Fulmer, Peralta, Reyes, and Chafin. Could more deals be on the way, with Spring Training just around the corner? There’s a variety of quality free agents still available who could impact a club: Jurickson Profar and Michael Wacha, the last remaining of free agents from MLBTR’s Top 50 earlier this offseason, highlight the group, but others such as Luke Voit, Gary Sanchez, Elvis Andrus, and Matt Moore are all interesting players who should be able to find a big league job somewhere before Opening Day as well.

3. Will the Astros keep going with Javier extended?

Over the weekend, the Astros managed to extend starting pitcher and 2022 World Series hero Cristian Javier on a five-year deal that covered three arbitration years and bought out a pair of free agent years. This came as no surprise, seeing as newly-installed GM Dana Brown stated publicly that he was focused on extending members of the core that just brought last year’s World Series trophy to Houston. In addition to Javier, Brown name-dropped Kyle Tucker, Jose Altuve, and Alex Bregman as players he’s hoping to have extension conversations with. Recently, Tucker lost his arbitration case against the Astros for his 2023 salary, leaving him with a lower platform salary than he was hoping for as he proceeds through the rest of his arbitration years. An extension, of course, could change that situation entirely, and it’s possible the baseline for Tucker’s arb years being set could make extension talks go a little easier. Altuve and Bregman are both under team control through 2024, but Brown and agent Scott Boras have reportedly been in contact about extensions nonetheless.

With Spring Training now a matter of days away, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Are more extensions on the way?

The Padres once again surprised the baseball world yesterday, this time by extending Yu Darvish on a deal that guarantees the right-hander $90MM in new money over five additional years. There’s plenty of reason to believe more extensions could be on the way, both around baseball and, perhaps, even in San Diego. Two weeks after becoming GM of the Astros, Dana Brown told reporters that he has interest in extending a variety of players from Houston’s 2022 World Series core; not just Kyle Tucker, as previously reported, but also Cristian Javier, Alex Bregman, and Jose Altuve. Broadly speaking, Brown made clear he hopes to follow a similar trajectory to his now-former Braves club, aggressively pursuing long-term deals with key young players. As for the Padres, they might not be done after extending Darvish, with the club expected to pursue an extension with superstar third baseman Manny Machado ahead of Opening Day. Machado has an opt-out clause in his contract following the 2023 season. Spring Training — and the days leading up to it — has long been a time where clubs talk about extensions with their players, so expect plenty of chatter about teams looking to hammer out some long-term contracts.

2. Padres, Blue Jays set to hold press conferences today

A pair of press conferences are expected to take place today, with Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins set to speak to the media at noon CT regarding the clubs three-year deal with star shortstop Bo Bichette to buy out the 24-year-old’s remaining arbitration years. Elsewhere in baseball, Padres president of baseball operations AJ Preller will also be speaking to the media today, in his case regarding yesterday’s extension with Darvish. With Spring Training just around the corner, both top decision-makers are likely to get into a variety of other topics regarding the futures of their respective clubs, as well.

3. Marlins FanFest this weekend

This offseason has been one with a considerable amount of change for the Miami Marlins, as the club has swapped out long-time players like Pablo Lopez, Miguel Rojas, and Brian Anderson while picking up new faces such as Luis Arraez, Johnny Cueto, and Jean Segura. This new-look Marlins team is set to welcome fans back to the ballpark tomorrow for Marlins FanFest, a free event that will run from 1pm to 6pm local time. A variety of Marlins players are expected to be in attendance, with player interviews highlighting the festivities.

With the return of baseball just around the corner, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the sports world throughout the day today:

1. WBC Rosters Announcement

The World Baseball Classic is set to return for its fifth installment next month, and tonight, WBC rosters will be announced. Coverage of the announcement will begin at 5pm CT on MLB Network. As per usual, the WBC is expected to feature star-studded rosters; for example, both Mike Trout and Mookie Betts are already confirmed for the Team USA roster, while the Dominican Republic is expected to include stars like Rafael Devers, Juan Soto and Julio Rodriguez. Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani will headline Japan’s roster. With the tournament running from March 8-21, players who participate in the WBC will be away from their team’s Spring Training camp to participate. As such, tonight’s roster reveal could have implications not just for the WBC itself but throughout all of MLB, as the absence of those stars will create some additional playing time for others during Cactus League and Grapefruit League play this spring.

2. NBA Trade Deadline

Typically, The Opener (and MLBTR in general) focuses purely on baseball. Today, however, we’re making a rare pivot to the larger sports world, as the NBA has its trade deadline this afternoon, at 2pm CT. Our sister site, Hoops Rumors, is set to provide the same type of coverage we at MLBTR provide during baseball’s own trade deadline. Just yesterday, a three-team deal sent Russell Westbrook to the Jazz and D’Angelo Russell to the Lakers, while superstar Kevin Durant was dealt to the Suns in a separate blockbuster late last night. With more sure to come in advance of this afternoon’s deadline, basketball fans who enjoy MLBTR’s content should check in at Hoops Rumors for up-to-the-minute coverage and analysis of the trade deadline throughout the day.

3. MLBTR Player Chat

Yesterday, MLBTR had the opportunity to host a live chat with former MLB starting pitcher Brandon Beachy, the transcript of which you can find here. Today, we’re excited to welcome current A’s outfielder Brent Rooker, who’ll host a live chat with our readers at noon CT. Rooker, the No. 35 overall pick in 2017, has consistently raked in the minor leagues, though since his MLB debut with the Twins in 2020, he’s struggled to make the jump to the big leagues. In 2022, Rooker changed uniforms three times: he started the year as a Twin before being sent to the Padres just before the start of the season in the Taylor Rogers trade, then was traded from San Diego to Kansas City in early August in exchange for catcher Cam Gallagher. Finally, a November waiver claim sent him from the Royals to the A’s, where he remains on the 40-man roster and will compete for an Opening Day spot during Spring Training. Brent’s chat will kick off at today at noon CT, so check back then to participate live!

With Opening Day just 50 days away, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Giles to hold workout for interested teams:

Right-hander Ken Giles is set to hold a showcase for interested teams this morning. If the workout goes well, Giles could join the likes of Michael Fulmer and Corey Knebel at the top of the pile of right-handed relief options remaining on the free agent market. Giles has pitched just eight innings since the start of the 2020 season thanks to Tommy John surgery and a tendon injury in his finger, but prior to those woes he was one of the best late-inning options in the game; in 2019, he posted a sterling 1.87 ERA, good for a 244 ERA+ and backed by a FIP of 2.27.

2. Arbitration Update

Arbitration hearings continue rolling in, with the Associated Press reporting that Rays reliever Colin Poche had his hearing yesterday. As is the case with Angels outfielder Hunter Renfroe, the result of that case is being held rather than immediately announced so as not to serve as a data point in pending cases for comparable players in the same service bracket. The AP notes that hearings are scheduled out through Feb. 17, with 17 cases yet unresolved. Some of those will likely result in multi-year deals — the Astros have had discussions with Kyle Tucker, new GM Dana Brown said this week — but many will go to trial. Among the most notable remaining names are Corbin Burnes, Teoscar Hernandez and Gio Urshela. A full list of the 33 players who exchanged figures with teams can be seen here.

3. Player Chat and MLBTR Chat today

MLBTR’s Player Chat series is set to continue today. Earlier this week, we hosted a chat with former MLB pitcher and longtime scout Tim Fortugno, the transcript of which you can read here. Today, we’re excited to welcome former starting pitcher Brandon Beachy. Beachy pitched for the Braves and Dodgers in his MLB career, which spanned from the 2010 season until the 2015 season. The best seasons of Beachy’s career were 2011-2012. Across those two seasons, he made 38 starts and threw 222 2/3 innings to solid results, posting a 3.07 ERA (127 ERA+) and 3.30 FIP. Beachy’s 2012 season in particular was highlighted by a May 17th complete game shutout against a Marlins lineup that featured Giancarlo Stanton and Hanley Ramirez. Overall for his career, Beachy posted a 3.36 ERA (116 ERA+) with a 3.41 FIP across 48 starts and 275 2/3 innings. Be sure to tune in today 10am CST for Beachy’s live chat!

Meanwhile, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco will be hosting his weekly chat today at 5pm CT. You can submit a question in advance here, and you can use the same link to check back in this evening and participate live once the chat begins. Readers who missed yesterday’s chat with Steve Adams can also check out that transcript here in the meantime.