Good morning. We had real live baseball yesterday, and even though the results were not of major consequence, it was still glorious.
It’s March 1st, 2021 and here’s everything that happened in the world of baseball from 5:00 PM EST Friday to 9:00 AM EST today.
The Most Important Thing
LET’S PLAY BALL!
Everything Else
Game Recaps
Transactions
3B Hunter Dozier will sign a four year contract extension with the Royals, per Robert Murray. Jon Heyman adds that the deal is for $25 million with a club option for $10 million for a fifth year.
The Red Sox acquired RHP Zach Bryant from the Cubs, reports Jeff Passan. This completes the trade for Josh Osich, in which Boston received a PTBNL.
INF Robel Garcia has been claimed off waivers by the Astros. To make room for Garcia, RHP Justin Veralander was placed on the 60-day IL as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
The Diamondbacks traded LHP Travis Bergen to the Blue Jays for cash considerations. Bergen had been waived by Arizona on Friday. To make room for Bergen, the Blue Jays placed RHP Patrick Murphy on the 60-day IL. He is dealing with a sprained right A/C joint.
The Nationals signed RHP Justin Miller to a minor league deal.
RHP Paul Blackburn cleared waivers and is back at A’s camp as a non-roster invitee. Blackburn was designated for assignment by Oakland after the Mitch Moreland signing became official.
RHP Drew Hutchinson has signed a minor league deal with the Tigers. It does not include an invite to spring training. Hutchinson has a 5.10 ERA over 460.1 major league innings pitched. He has not appeared in the big leagues since 2018.
OF Patrick Kivlehan signed a minor league deal with the Padres with a spring training invite.
Cubs LHP Kyle Ryan was activated from the COVID IL. To make room for Ryan, RHP Robert Stock was designated for assignment.
Injuries/Chatter
Notes from Ken Rosenthal’s latest column: RHP Jack Odorizzi “would have signed with a team by now if he had received an offer to his liking.” The demand for Odorizzi might increase throughout the spring as needs arise; The Padres and Brewers have discussed a Josh Hader trade intermittently over the past few years, but the two sides do not currently line up for a trade; a Yankee trade of OF Mike Tauchman is possible- to a lesser team that could give him more playing time.
Astros LHP Lance McCullers, Jr says he wants to stay in Houston, but questions if the team wants him to be a part of their future, relays Brian McTaggert.
Reds RHP Brandon Bailey underwent his second Tommy John surgery on Friday.
Nationals RHP Max Scherzer’s ankle has responded well to a couple bullpen sessions off the mound, Dave Martinez told reporters.
2B Starlin Castro told reporters he’s “back to normal” and his wrist is 100%. He underwent season-ending surgery last August to repair the broken right wrist.
Indians LHP Anthony Gose was in a car wreck on Friday in Arizona, Tom Withers reports. From Withers: “He checked out ok, but the team will back him up a few days to make sure he’s fine.”
Dodgers RHP Trevor Bauer will make his Cactus League debut today, Dave Roberts told reporters.
Angels RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani was hitting 100 MPH on Saturday, Fabian Ardaya relays.
LHP Scott Kazmir will be evaluated as a starter, Giants manager Gabe Kapler said.
White Sox C Yasmani Grandal “ramped up” his his hitting and throwing and is expected back soon. He’s dealing with an knee injury suffered during spring training drills.
Giants OF Austin Slater left yesterday’s game against the Angels with a tight hamstring, manager Gabe Kapler told reporters.
Angels RHP Gerardo Reyes left yesterday’s game with right elbow discomfort. Reyes gave up 2 hits and 2 ER in 0.1 IP.
Cardinals RHP Miles Mikolas will be pushed back a little bit in an effort to be cautious, manager Mike Shildt told reporters.
Dodgers RHP Joe Kelly has resumed his throwing program, relays Bill Plunkett. He had been delayed due to soreness.
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters he’s not sure when SS Andrelton Simmons will arrive to camp. From Baldelli: “The last I heard, he was waiting for his appointment to be set in Curacao to get his paperwork taken care of."
RHP Noah Syndergaard began throwing sliders on Saturday, manager Luis Rojas told reporters.
Posts With Your Toast
Joel Sherman with thoughts on service time manipulation and ways to perhaps solve it.
Ben Verlander with 10 storylines to watch as spring training begins.
Cubs SS Javy Baez and OF Joc Pederson both have something to proves, writes Jesse Rogers.
Steve Cohen’s presence at Mets’ camp is energizing the team, writes Anthony DiComo.
Bobby Nightengale looks at 3 positional battles to watch in Reds’ spring training.
Jay Jaffe on what to make of Carlos Correa.
David Lennon says Pete Alonso is hungry to show he learned from his 2020 struggles.
Todd Zolecki writes Brandon Kintzler is one motivated, seasoned reliever.
Chelsea Janes examines what a restructured minor league system could mean for teams lost in the shuffle.
Noah Syndergaard takes a significant step in his Tommy John rehab, writes Greg Joyce.
Mauricio Dubon’s first look at SS for the Giants wasn’t his best, says Mark W. Sanchez.
Jose Abreu’s return to spring training camp energizes the White Sox, says Chuck Garfien.
Mark Canha “wasn’t crazy” about being mic’d up in an A’s playoff game, writes Jessica Kleinschmidt.
Random Baseball Rewind
Foul Tips
Martin Rogers with a fascinating look into the booming sports card market.
God bless and good day!
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