The Weekly Rundown: 3/17/24 - 3/23/24
Blake Snell finally signs, the Shohtai Ohtani scandal, and more.
Good morning and happy Sunday!
Regular-season baseball is BACK, though there’s a good chance you were completely unaware of the first two games between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. For whatever reason, MLB thought starting its regular season in South Korea with games at 6 a.m. ET. was a smart idea. What a great way to promote Shohei Ohtani’s Dodgers debut!
Anyway, we’ll get to the Seoul Series below, but before we jump into the rundown, subscribe below to get these weekly rundowns delivered to your e-mail inbox every Sunday throughout the MLB season. Next week will mark the first official rundown of the season with Opening Day on Thursday.
We’ve got plenty of news and updates to cover before we celebrate the start of the 2024 campaign. So without further ado, here’s the final rundown of the offseason…
Shohei Scandal
The No. 1 sports story of the week involved Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani and his long-time friend/interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. The Dodgers fired Mizuhara upon learning of at least $4.5 million in wire transfers sent from Ohtani’s bank account to an illegal bookmaker under federal investigation.
A spokesman for Ohtani initially told ESPN that Ohtani transferred the money to help cover Mizuhara’s gambling debt. Mizuhara shared his side of the story in a 90-minute interview with ESPN on Tuesday, but Ohtani’s spokesman quickly disavowed Mizuhara’s account of events and issued the following statement.
"In the course of responding to recent media inquiries, we discovered that Shohei has been the victim of a massive theft, and we are turning the matter over to the authorities."
Ohtani’s side changing the story has prompted suspicions that he was the one gambling and Mizuhara essentially was his “fall guy.” During Mizuhara’s ESPN interview, he did his best to clear Ohtani’s name.
"Obviously, he [Ohtani] wasn't happy about it and said he would help me out to make sure I never do this again," Mizuhara said. "He decided to pay it off for me.
"I want everyone to know Shohei had zero involvement in betting. I want people to know I did not know this was illegal. I learned my lesson the hard way. I will never do sports betting ever again."
If you’re confused, ESPN’s Jeff Passan perfectly explained the situation during his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. You can watch the clip below.
MLB announced on Friday that it has opened a formal investigation into the matter. The league is expected to request interviews with all parties, per ESPN.
The obvious question is if the investigation begins to uncover details that make Ohtani look bad, how much digging is MLB willing to do on the face of the sport? This will be a fascinating story to follow over the next few weeks. Stay tuned.
Snell to San Francisco
Better late than never! Reigning National League Cy Young award winner Blake Snell finally has a home for 2024, and he won’t have to move far.
Snell signed a two-year, $62 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. The deal includes a player option after the 2024 season.
Snell joins a Giants rotation that — when healthy — will include Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Kyle Harrison, Alex Cobb, and Jordan Hicks. Ray continues to recover from Tommy John surgery and Hicks will convert to a starter after spending the first five years of his career as a reliever.
A two-time Cy Young award winner, Snell posted a league-best 2.25 ERA in 32 starts last season with the Padres. The 31-year-old was dominant, though his command is an area that needs improvement in the Bay. He had the most walks (99) in MLB last year.
Even so, it’s wild that it took this long for the reigning NL Cy Young to find a team. He’ll give the Giants a massive boost as they look to separate themselves in the competitive NL West.
Seoul Series
The 2024 MLB season quietly began this past week with a two-game Dodgers-Padres series in Seoul, South Korea.
The first game was played on Wednesday with Tyler Glasnow making his Dodgers debut against Padres ace Yu Darvish. Glasnow gave the Dodgers a solid five-inning appearance with two earned runs. Darvish didn’t allow an earned run, but he struggled with his command as he tossed 72 pitches through just 3.2 innings of work.
L.A. took Game 1 with a final score of 5-2. Mookie Betts (2-4, RBI, BB), Shohei Ohtani (2-5, RBI), and the bullpen were standout performers in the Dodgers’ win. Xander Bogaerts (2-4, RBI) did his part at the plate in San Diego’s defeat.
Highlights for Game 1 below:
Game 2 of the Seoul Series was all offense.
Dodgers prized offseason addition Yoshinobu Yamamoto made his debut and it was a “welcome to MLB” moment for the Japanese star. He was removed after allowing five runs on four hits and a walk in just one inning.
Padres starter Joe Musgrove didn’t fare any better. He lasted only 2.2 innings after allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks.
Despite Musgrove’s rocky start, the Padres evened the series with a 15-12 win. There were several stars for San Diego including Manny Machado (1-4, HR, 3 RBI), Xander Bogaerts (2-5, 2 RBI, BB), Luis Campusano (3-6, 2 2B, 2 RBI), and Jake Cronenworth (4-4, 3B, 4 RBI).
The Dodgers got contributions from Mookie Betts (4-5, 2B, HR, 6 RBI, BB) and Will Smith (4-6, 2B, 2 RBI).
Highlights for Game 2 below:
Notable Injuries
The Arizona Diamondbacks shut down left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez with a lat strain. He will begin the season on the injured list with no clear timetable for his return to the mound.
Miami Marlins right-hander Eury Perez will start the season on the IL due to inflammation in his right elbow. The 20-year-old is expected to miss several weeks.
Oakland A’s reliever Trevor Gott will miss the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
The A’s will also be without third baseman/outfielder Miguel Andujar and pitcher Sean Newcomb to start the year. Andujar will undergo surgery to repair a torn right meniscus and Newcomb will miss time due to irritation in his surgically-repaired left knee.
The Dodgers placed pitchers Walker Buehler, Emmet Sheehan, Brusdar Graterol, and Blake Treinen on the IL to begin their season.
Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Murphy has a “high-grade tear” in his UCL and is expected to undergo season-ending surgery.
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Josh Lowe will open the season on the IL with an oblique injury.
Houston Astros righty Jose Urquidy will begin the year on the IL with a forearm strain.
The Minnesota Twins will place closer Jhoan Duran (oblique), reliever Caleb Thielbar (hamstring), and Anthony DeScalfani (forearm) on the IL to start the season.
Rapid Fire
The New York Mets signed veteran DH J.D. Martinez to a one-year, $12 million contract.
The Cleveland Guardians placed outfielder Myles Straw on waivers.
The Cincinnati Reds released second baseman Tony Kemp.
The Texas Rangers signed right-hander Michael Lorenzen to a one-year, $4.5 million contract.
The A’s signed third baseman J.D. Davis to a one-year, $2.5 million deal.
The Red Sox signed right-hander Chase Anderson to a big-league contract on Sunday. Anderson was released by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.
The Rumor Mill
Free-agent left-hander Jordan Montgomery and the Yankees have “reopened discussions,” according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Outfielder Tommy Pham and the Padres are discussing a one-year deal, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today
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