10 riveting spring stories to watch
— -- All right! It's that time again. Finally.
Time to pretend you haven't shoveled 78 inches of snow in the past week. Time to remember there really will come a day, not so far down the road, where you can actually trade in your ski masks and parkas for shorts, T-shirts and seventh-inning sing-alongs.
Time to stop worrying about where Phil Coke is going to sign and start worrying about when Hanley Ramirez is going to suspect the Green Monster is trying to kill him.
And time, especially, to swing open those gates of Joker Marchant Stadium, Camelback Ranch and historic McKechnie Field, so we all can utter the three greatest words in the history of February: "Pitchers and catchers."
Yessir, spring training is here, ladies and gentlemen. 'Bout time. So let's take a look at the riveting storylines you'll need to pay close attention to over the next month and a half. You'd better take notes. There's going to be a quiz.
Let's start with the 10 most intriguing stories of spring training.
1. He's back!
Hey, not sure if anyone has mentioned this in the past 30 seconds, but did you hear that Alex Rodriguez is back? Imagine that. Back from exile. Back from his year off, ensconced in a litigation-free cone of silence. Back in Yankees camp, where there might be a camera crew or two (or 90) following his every joyful move. So what's the biggest question that surrounds this man this spring? Whether he can still play, after participating in just 44 big league games in the past 27 months? Or whether the Yankees can properly celebrate their sheer delight over having him back for this ebullient spring Apology Tour? Either way, be sure to tune in to the next "SportsCenter." This might come up.
2. Picking up the pace
Rob Manfred has been hanging out in the commissioner's office for only a little more than three weeks now. And we've already learned that he's open to changing just about everything, from the strike zone to the drapes in his office, if it will make the sport more interesting and entertaining. But first up on his to-do list is enacting a few new wrinkles to add some much-needed zip to baseball's bogged-down pace of play. MLB was hoping to get those wrinkles all negotiated and announced by the first day of spring training. We're now hearing it might not happen quite that soon. But at some point, hitters everywhere are going to learn they will no longer be allowed to leave the batter's box without a note from their moms (or something like that). And spring training will be the first chance we'll all get to see whether guys such as David Ortiz can handle that without needing in-dugout psychological assistance.
3. The Year of the Cubbies
As you film buffs are no doubt well aware, Marty McFly was the first to learn, during his time travels in "Back to the Future Part II" that the Cubs had just won the World Series -- in 2015. Well, here we are 26 years after the movie's release. And Marty, have you met Joe Maddon? We're guessing that time travel is one of the few things the new manager in Wrigleyville doesn't have planned for the 2015 Cubs. But with or without their new team DeLorean, there is going to be major buzz around the Cubs this spring. They've lost more games over the past five seasons than any team in the National League (and 105 more than the Cardinals). But plug in Jon Lester, Jason Hammel, Miguel Montero, Dexter Fowler and David Ross -- and everything feels different. Unless you thought that movie was some sort of documentary, at least.
4. Mr. Scherzer goes to Washington
In our poll of 35 executives across baseball last week, we learned exclusively that they're not big fans of $210 million contracts that keep paying $15 million Powerball jackpots until the year 2028. But this spring won't be about the dollar signs, deferrals or dubious structure of Max Scherzer's new deal with the Nationals. It'll be about one of the great starting rotations of modern times, getting ready to do some nasty dominating. Think about this: Tanner Roark held opposing hitters to the fifth-lowest OPS in the entire NL last season (behind only Clayton Kershaw, Johnny Cueto, Adam Wainwright and Jordan Zimmermann) -- and he's about to get bounced out of this rotation. Scary.
5. The Toronto New Jays
Before Russell Martin arrived in Pittsburgh, the Pirates hadn't played a postseason game since Andrew McCutchen was an adorable little kindergarten tyke in Fort Meade, Florida. Well, in a related development, that would no longer be true (the postseason part, not the adorable part). And now it's time for the greatest Canadian-born catcher in modern history to take his act to Toronto, where he'll attempt to work his magic on a pitching staff that just has to do its part to end the longest current postseason-free streak in baseball (21 years). But it's not just him. Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos had another one of those industrious winters he's so famous for. And six trades, eight waiver claims and one blockbuster signing of a fabled Canada native in shin guards later, the Blue Jays will have Martin, Josh Donaldson and a fascinating cast of characters on hand this spring. If all goes according to plan, it wouldn't be surprising to see them head north as the favorites in the AL East.
6. Cruz-in' to Seattle
Only four players in the big leagues were the fearsome recipient of at least 20 intentional walks last season. One of them was Robinson Cano, a fellow who was surrounded by a lineup that finished last in the American League in on-base percentage and OPS, and slugged .366 if you subtracted well-paid ex-Yankees. But now that the Mariners have promised to deposit $57 million into Nelson Cruz's money-market account over the next four years, they're thinking that Cano will either get pitched around a lot less or Cruz will make walking him seem like a really bad idea. We'll see how that works out. But the net result is, the team with the second-longest postseason-free streak in baseball (13 years) suddenly looks ready to rewrite its history, too. I actually had an AL exec tell me this month that if he had to pick one AL team right now to make it to the World Series, it would be the Mariners. Yeah, really.
7. Down San Diego way
OK, I'll say it. I can't wait to see the Padres translate their hyperactive winter in the transactions column into playing actual baseball this spring. Other than the right side of their infield, where Yonder Alonso and Jedd Gyorko somehow survived new GM A.J. Preller's fondness for feeding his whole roster into his Cuisinart, this team has turned over its entire Opening Day lineup from April 2014. And added James Shields, Brandon Morrow and Brandon Maurer to its intriguing pitching options. And transformed itself from possibly the least interesting team in baseball to maybe the most interesting. But now we get to see where all that leads, how all these talented pieces fit, whether Wil Myers can play center, whether there's a leadoff hitter on the premises and whether Preller can find a way to make six more trades before Opening Day. Can't wait.
8. Stanton room only
When last we saw Giancarlo Stanton, he was crumpled in the dirt in Milwaukee in September, writhing in pain, blood streaming from his face, after a pitch that could have ended his career. Five months later, Stanton is ready to burst into spring training as the owner of the largest contract in the history of professional sports (13 years, $325 million) -- and as the centerpiece of a Marlins team that has taken giant strides toward contention. With all due respect to Dee Gordon, Martin Prado, Mat Latos, Dan Haren and Ichiro Suzuki, whose acquisitions already have reshaped the perceptions of this team, everything this franchise hopes to accomplish now revolves around Stanton. And because it does, it will be hard to take our eyes off him this spring. The Marlins have said repeatedly they have zero concerns about Stanton's recovery from that beaning. But "what if the guy does have a fear of the ball?" wondered one AL executive. "Now you're in for 13 years. And there's no turning back."
9. Once upon a classic
The magical Octobers of the two World Series teams, the Giants and Royals, feel like a long time ago now. A lot longer than three and a half months anyway. The Giants have waved farewell to Pablo Sandoval and Michael Morse. The Royals have parted ways with James Shields, Billy Butler and Norichika Aoki. It's hard to look at either team and say they're better now than they were on the night of Game 7. Do Casey McGehee and Aoki fill the void Sandoval and Morse left in San Francisco? Can Edinson Volquez and Kendrys Morales possibly represent, to the Royals, what Shields and Butler once did? One NL exec described the Giants' offseason with the word "baffling," and the Royals' winter with the word "strange." And many agree. But you never know what Madison Bumgarner, Brandon Belt, Eric Hosmer or Lorenzo Cain might do for an encore after living the life-changing October dream. And the rest of their lives begins, well, right now.
10. Human trade rumors
We've just finished an offseason that featured about 1,000 trades. So why would this spring be any different? We haven't seen many spring training blockbusters in this millennium. But this could be the year. We're already hearing Preller's peers whispering: "A.J. isn't done." And if everyone is healthy, the Padres clearly will have excess starting pitching ( Ian Kennedy anyone?) to trade. The Red Sox have a veritable outfielder buffet line ( Allen Craig, Shane Victorino, Jackie Bradley Jr., Daniel Nava) for your shopping pleasure. The Mets continue to dangle Dillon Gee. The Cubs could move last year's starting catcher, Welington Castillo. The Nationals have told teams they'd still listen if somebody wants to step up and make a monster offer for Ian Desmond. And then there are the Phillies, who are poised to be the Sotheby's of spring training. Cole Hamels? More likely to move in July, but nothing is out of the question. Jonathan Papelbon? Still eminently available. Ryan Howard and Cliff Lee? The Phillies are praying they even remotely resemble their old, healthier selves this spring so they can move on up the road. "Wow," said one of the execs quoted earlier. "That camp is going to be crazy. It's a whole team of Human Trade Rumors."
In other news ...
And still more stuff you should look for this spring:
The five most important position switches
1. Can Hanley Ramirez play left field for the Red Sox?
2. Can Ryan Zimmerman handle first base for the Nationals?
3. Can Pedro Alvarez do his Wilver Stargell impression at first for the Pirates?
4. Can Wil Myers remind anyone of Steve Finley as the Padres' center fielder?
5. Can Yasmany Tomas hold down third base for the Diamondbacks?
One thing to ponder about all of these adventures in position-switching: Other than Tomas, don't all of these other moves have to work? There's no DH fallback for Zimmerman or Alvarez. Somebody is going to have to run down those fly balls that Justin Upton and Matt Kemp don't catch in Petco. And then there's Hanley. Let's just say that outside of Boston, there is serious skepticism that he and the Green Monster are about to become buddies for life. And if he wakes up one morning and decides left field isn't for him, uhhh, then what? There's no vacancy at short. Or third. Or DH. So as we were saying, this has to work.
The five most important injury comebacks
1. Matt Harvey, Mets
2. Masahiro Tanaka and CC Sabathia, Yankees
3. Prince Fielder and a cast of dozens, Rangers
4. Manny Machado and Matt Wieters, Orioles
5. Victor Martinez and Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
You have no idea how tough it was to limit this list to five! In my survey of major league executives last week, they nominated 35 injury comebacks that could change the fate of nearly every team, from Joey Votto to Jose Fernandez, from Matt Cain to Garrett Richards, from Troy Tulowitzki to Carlos Gonzalez. "All these guys could totally impact their club," one NL exec said. "I don't think I've ever seen this many significant injuries."
The five most important rookies to watch
1. Joc Pederson, Dodgers
2. Kris Bryant, Cubs
3. Rusney Castillo, Red Sox
4. Jung Ho Kang, Pirates
5. Yasmany Tomas, Diamondbacks
You may have heard the rumor that youth movements are trending. If not, well, consider this: In my survey last week, 41 players got a vote as being a "rookie to watch." Technically, not all of them still qualify as official rookies. (Sorry about that, Mookie Betts, Aaron Sanchez and Gregory Polanco.) But the point is, there may never have been a season in modern history where this many first- and second-year players could change the face of their teams' seasons.
The five most unlikely spring training invitees
1. Dontrelle Willis, Brewers
2. Bryan LaHair, Red Sox
3. Joe Blanton, Royals
4. Barry Zito, A's
5. Russell Wilson, Rangers
OK, that vote for Russell Wilson was just for laughs. But then again, he got as many hits, thumped as many homers and won as many major league games last year as the other four names on this list did. But he still might not be as unlikely a spring guest as Willis, whose last big league pitch was thrown four years ago, whose last major league season with an ERA under 5.00 was nine years ago and whose last season with a winning record occurred a full decade ago. Bet you didn't know that since the last time Dontrelle won a game in the big leagues, 734 pitchers have won one -- including Chris Davis and John Baker, who don't even pitch for a living.
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