The Rundown: It’s (Sort of) Opening Day, Various Cubs Season Previews, Trout Signs Record Extension, Brewers Have Approached Kimbrel
Spring arrives today and meaningful Cubs baseball is just eight days away. Meanwhile, baseball is showcasing a soft opening of sorts with a two-game series in Japan that got underway this morning.
Yu Darvish has a blister and nobody is calling him soft, and it seems like Kris Bryant gets asked about a contract extension every time a player finds an extra finski or $430 million in his paycheck. Can you tell we are desperate for baseball? MLB journalism has reached that point of the offseason where it seeks sensationalism in every nook and cranny of every spring training complex in Arizona and Florida.
What’s next? MLB March Madness brackets?
Clubhouse prop bets to pass time as spring training winds down?
They don’t call these the dog days of March for nothing. Even the actual baseball games have become boring as teams are fielding lineups of mostly minor league and fringe players. Yawn.
I suppose it’s better than those first days of camp where managers set the ground rules for the coming season and we sift through endless video highlights of players doing calisthenics. And after a tumultuous offseason, news surrounding our Wrigleyville ballclub has been of the mild variety for the most part. Addison Russell has managed to keep himself and his issues out of the spotlight and Joe Maddon has avoided tripping over his own tongue by avoiding the topic entirely.
So, are you ready for some baseball?
There's beauty in The Breakdown.https://t.co/OGAzdYfnV4 pic.twitter.com/BPP4YhL1A2
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 15, 2019
The Cubs’ feel-good moment of the month has got to be the organization’s repurposed YouTube channel, one that features some truly great content while giving its fans a bird’s-eye view of key baseball moments as well as the personal sides of players’ lives. It’s a nice diversion from some of the more troubling issues facing the team.
I’m ready for training camps to break. Spring training has lost the boot camp mentality of ages long gone by and now seems more like a nicely packaged forward to the more compelling chapters of baseball that lie ahead. I’m anxious for the season to start and looking forward to every ooh and aah the Cubs will provide from now until the end of October.
Baseball season, nothing could make me happier.
Cubs News & Notes
- Mike Trout signed the most lucrative contract extension in the history of sports and naturally everybody wants to know if and when Bryant will get his wheelbarrow full of cash from the Cubs, too.
- To put that contract in perspective, Trout will earn about half of what the Ricketts family paid to buy the Cubs 10 years ago. My point is not to make some ridiculous comparison of the all-star outfielder’s newfound wealth, but to demonstrate just how quickly the values of baseball franchises increase. If you have the means, I recommend buying a team. Could be a nice investment for you.
- I don’t necessarily agree with this take, but if the Cubs had visions of getting Bryant or Javier Báez to sign an extension on a discount, Trout’s contract is further proof that any such scenario may be a pipe dream.
- Bryant would “absolutely” love to finish his career with the Cubs and believes any other player would want the same.
- For now, the Cubs’ third baseman and voice of the team just wants to play some baseball.
- Darvish pitched well in his penultimate start of the spring, but left a few pitches early due to a raging blister that popped up on his throwing hand. The right-hander struck out six Mariners over 5 2/3 innings with the aid of a 96 mph fastball but lamented the lack of command with his slider. Blisters will do that.
- Darvish is not keen on the Moises Alou remedy for curing blisters.
- Maddon is scheduled to hold his annual preseason meeting with players Wednesday to assess the spring and his express his expectations and goals for the 2019 season.
- Kyle Hendricks believes you can teach an old veteran new tricks.
- The Cubs got some good news regarding injured relievers Brandon Morrow and Pedro Strop yesterday.
- CBS Sports offers its 2019 team preview for your perusal. Eight Cubs players are looking for rebound years.
- Beyond the Box Score published its point-counterpoint take on the 2019 Cubs season as well.
- The season preview from USA Today is a little more bland, but the generic preview is worth a look-see.
Spring Training Notes
Uh-oh. According to a tweet from MLB insider Ken Rosenthal, the Milwaukee Brewers are thinking of making a big addition to their already dangerous bullpen in the form of Craig Kimbrel.
Mr. Trout got paid a whole lot of money yesterday.
The Angels outfielder could actually be a $430 million bargain.
Trout’s record-breaking extension might be the predictable result of baseball’s current free agency climate.
The reaction by Phillies fans to the Trout news is priceless.
Speaking of Philadelphia, Bryce Harper is an epic failure as a recruiter.
Harper climbed out on another limb yesterday, predicting he will help deliver a World Series trophy to Philadelphia. The right fielder is obviously full of confidence despite being snubbed by his buddy.
USA Today offers a season preview for all 30 teams using just one sentence for each. It’s a quick read.
Ichiro Suzuki is still beloved by Japanese baseball fans.
Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler threw 46 pitches in his spring debut.
Interested in a ranking of the 10 craziest food items at baseball stadiums?
On Deck
Baseball is here! It’s opening day for U.S. Major League Baseball…in Japan? Yes: The Mariners and Athletics squared off this morning in Tokyo for the first regular-season game of the MLB season. The game began at 5:35am ET.
Despite what George Carlin says, I’ll take baseball over football 365 days a year.
Extra Innings
Oh dear God, no…
The drama of Kris Bryant via his Instagram story trying to dunk in Phoenix before his meeting with Zach LaVine At Bulls-Suns Monday. pic.twitter.com/vvxokCZELb
— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) March 19, 2019
Wednesday Walk Up Song
Beautiful Day by U2. Welcome back, baseball.