The Weekly Rundown: 2/19/23 - 2/25/23
Tough luck for Lance McCullers, pitch clock causes chaos, and more.
Good morning!
Baseball is officially back in our lives until November. Spring training games started on Friday, the World Baseball Classic begins on March 8, and Opening Day is set for March 30.
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Now grab your coffee and let’s jump into this week’s rundown…
Elvis Returns
The Chicago White Sox are bringing back Elvis Andrus for another season. They signed the veteran infielder to a one-year, $3 million deal last Sunday.
Andrus, 34, originally joined the White Sox in August after being released by the Oakland Athletics. He served as a replacement for All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson, who missed the remainder of the 2022 season with a torn hand ligament.
That signing paid dividends for Chicago as Andrus experienced a resurgence at the plate. He slashed .271/.309/.464 over 191 plate appearances with the White Sox and homered nine times in 43 games.
This time around, however, Andrus will have a different role. With Anderson healthy, Andrus will be the White Sox’ full-time second baseman. It’ll mark the first time in his 14-year MLB career that he has played a position other than shortstop or DH.
Now that Andrus is off the market, Jose Iglesias is the top free-agent middle infielder available.
Manager of the Year
No MLB manager will make a more important move than the one Toronto Blue Jays skipper John Schneider made early in the week.
Schneider took action when a woman in her 50s was choking at a restaurant in Dunedin, Fla. As detailed by Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic, Schneider calmly approached the woman and performed the Heimlich maneuver. After about two thrusts, a piece of shrimp came out of the woman’s mouth, clearing her airway.
“Right place, right time,” Schneider said, per The Athletic. “Either you help or you don’t, and I decided to go over and see if I could help.”
We’ve all wondered what we would do if we were placed in that type of situation. I’d like to think I’d spring into action and help, but thinking and doing are two very different things. I learned the Heimlich maneuver in college eight years ago but do I even remember how to do it properly? I guess it doesn’t matter when it’s life or death, you just do it because there’s no better alternative. Props to Schneider for acting first and thinking later.
Schneider became the Blue Jays’ interim manager following the firing of Charlie Montoyo in July. At the end of the season, the Blue Jays hired Schneider as their full-time manager and signed him to a three-year contract with a fourth-year option.
Twins Snag Solano
The Minnesota Twins signed infielder Donovan Solano on Tuesday to a one-year deal worth $2 million.
Solano, 35, offers versatility as he has experience at every infield position. He spent last year with the Cincinnati Reds and slashed .284/.339/.385 in 304 plate appearances (80 games). With the San Francisco Giants from 2019 to 2021, he hit .308/.354/.435.
Minnesota’s infield mix now consists of Solano, Jose Miranda at third, Carlos Correa at shortstop, Jorge Polanco at second, and Alex Kiriloff at first. Kiriloff and Solano could form a solid platoon given Solano’s ability to hit left-handers.
Tough Luck Lance
In last week’s rundown, I mentioned Houston Astros righty Lance McCullers Jr. being shut down after experiencing soreness in his throwing arm. Since then, he underwent an MRI and received some less-than-ideal news.
McCullers will not be ready for Opening Day to a strained muscle in his pitching arm. The good news is the MRI showed no structural damage to his elbow, but this is another frustrating setback for a guy who was establishing himself as one of the game’s best before missing the first few months of last season with a right flexor pronator strain.
"It will set me back a little bit, but it shouldn't be anything like last year,'' McCullers said, per ESPN. "It should be something where hopefully I'm playing catch in a couple weeks.''
With McCullers out, the Astros likely will look to rookie Hunter Brown to take his spot in the rotation. Brown already has been considered a Rookie of the Year favorite, but this injury will give the 24-year-old an even bigger opportunity to show why he continues to draw comparisons to ex-Astros ace Justin Verlander. No pressure, kid.
The Pitch Clock Is Here
Love it or hate it, MLB’s new rules have arrived and they’re likely here to stay. The most jarring change over the first couple days of spring training was the pitch timer, which caused absolute chaos.
I’ll admit it: even as a fan of the pitch clock, I felt anxious watching that clip. I don’t know if it was the giant pitch clock on the left side of the screen that made me feel that way, or Padres pitcher Nick Martinez only using like five of his allotted 15 seconds, but it seemed a bit too quick. And you know what? I’d still rather that than 30-35 seconds between pitches.
This change is great for the game. Anyone who has watched or attended a minor league game recently can tell you that. It’s going to have a real effect on the pace of play.
Of course, it’ll take some getting used to for both the fans and the players. Padres star Manny Machado was the pitch clock’s first victim when he took too long to get into the batter’s box. Hitters must have both feet in the box and be ready for the pitch before the clock gets down to eight seconds.
Then the big one came during Saturday’s Red Sox-Braves matchup. In the bottom of the ninth with a full count, two outs, the bases loaded, and the game tied at six, Braves hitter Cal Conley didn't get set in the batter's box in time. The result was an inning-ending strikeout that, since it was spring training, also ended the game.
Hilarious, but that kind of stuff can’t happen throughout the regular season or worse, the postseason.
While some tweaks to the rules might be necessary going forward, I’m a big fan of the general concept. There’s no denying the game needed to move a bit faster and this was a no-brainer of a solution. Let’s just clean it up.
Contreras Shades Cubs
Willson Contreras helped bring a World Series to the Chicago Cubs as a rookie. He was a three-time All-Star and a fan favorite during his seven years with the club.
You wouldn’t know that by some of his recent remarks.
Contreras isn’t just donning the uniform of the Cubs’ archrival, he’s rubbing it in his former team’s face. He ripped the Cubs while praising the Cardinals in an interview with Bally Sports Midwest.
"For me, I like this better. It's a better organization. It's the old-school way, which I love," Contreras said. “Ever since I got here it's been everything just one way. The Cardinal way."
Say it ain’t so, Willson!
Maybe I missed something, but I don’t remember Contreras previously having any issues with the Cubs organization. Perhaps he grew frustrated with being the subject of trade rumors the last couple of seasons, or maybe he’s simply trying too hard to earn brownie points from his new fanbase. Either way, his first game back at Wrigley Field this year should interesting.
Rapid Fire
Veteran outfielder Kole Calhoun signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners that includes an invite to spring training. Calhoun, 35, slashed .196/.257/.330 with 12 home runs last season with the Texas Rangers. He probably won’t see much playing time barring injuries, but he’s a decent depth piece.
The Milwaukee Brewers signed veteran slugger Luke Voit to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. As the Yankees’ first baseman/DH in 2020, Voit led MLB with 22 homers in 56 games. He’s been unable to replicate that success the last two seasons with the Yankees, Padres, and Nationals, partly due to injuries.
The Rumor Mill
Tim Anderson has made it known he hopes to sign a long-term extension with the White Sox. It’s unclear whether any discussions have taken place, but Anderson voiced his desire in an interview with MLB.com. Anderson, a two-time All-Star and former batting champ, currently has a $14 million club option for 2024. Assuming that is picked up, he’ll be a free agent after the 2024 season.
The Diamondbacks are attempting to take the Braves approach with one of their brightest young stars. According to the Arizona Republic, they’re already trying to lock up outfielder Corbin Carroll, their former top prospect, on a long-term extension. It’s a smart approach as Carroll has superstar potential written all over him. A favorite for 2023 NL Rookie of the Year, the 22-year-old slashed .260/.330/.500 with four homers through his first 115 big-league plate appearances. Before that, he hit a ridiculous .307/.425/.611 in the minors. It’d be wise to sign him now before his value explodes when he takes the field this year.
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds requested a trade in December, but he remains on the roster with one month until Opening Day. According to The New York Post’s Jon Heyman, the Pirates offered Reynolds a six-year, $80 million extension in November that would have made him the highest-paid player in team history. Reynolds countered with an eight-year, $134 million request, according to The Athletic's Rob Biertempfel, and his trade request came after the Pirates didn’t budge off their original offer. As of Sunday, Reynolds hasn’t rescinded his trade request but Pittsbugh’s asking price remains steep.
Manny Machado and the Padres are still discussing a long-term extension, according to Dennis Lin of The Athletic. Since Machado had set an arbitrary cutoff date of Feb. 16 for the discussions, it’s possible the two sides are making progress. Machado has already stated his plan to opt out at the end of the year if no agreement is reached.
That’ll do it for this week’s rundown. Thanks for reading and subscribing!