Sandy Alcantara Among Eight Former Cy Young Award Winners Set to Start on MLB Opening Day

Posted on March 25, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Sandy Alcantara is preparing for Major League Baseball’s Opening Day…

The 27-year-old Dominican professional baseball pitcher, who plays for the Miami Marlins, is among eight former Cy Young Award winners scheduled to start Opening Day next Thursday.

Alcantara, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner is pitted against three-time CYA honoree Max Scherzer, whose New York Mets travel to face the Marlins.

MLB teams announced their Opening Day starters on Friday as part of an effort by the league to gin up interest in the first game of a transformative season in which the game will include a pitch clock.

The MLB Opening Day slate features several first-class duels — and will include two-time winner Jacob deGrom, whose debut with the Texas Rangers was in doubt after tightness in his left side delayed his first spring training start. Philadelphia Phillies ace Aaron Nola, fresh off a World Series appearance, will get his sixth consecutive Opening Day start — the longest current active streak — and oppose the two-time Cy Young winner in a pairing of longtime NL East foes.

Nine teams had announced their starters before Friday. That list includes the Los Angeles Angels, with Shohei Ohtani coming off his World Baseball Classic MVP award, as well as the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants, who will pit Gerrit Cole against Logan Webb.

Some of the other best matchups include:

Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez spearheading the Astros’ title defense at home against Chicago White Sox right-hander Dylan Cease;

Cleveland‘s Shane Bieber, the 2020 American League Cy Young winner, traveling to Seattle to face Luis Castillo;

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias getting his first Opening Day start against Arizona right-hander Zac Gallen in a battle of the third- and fifth-place finishers, respectively, in last year’s NL Cy Young voting.

Among the other Cy Young winners who will kick off their team’s season:

Milwaukee‘s Corbin Burnes, an MLB All-Star each of the past two seasons and the 2021 NL Cy Young winner, will go against the Chicago Cubs’ Marcus Stroman, who previously started Opening Day twice;

Blake Snell, the 2018 AL honoree, gets the start for San Diego at a packed Petco Park against Colorado’s German Marquez, who will get the ball for the third time on Opening Day;

Two-time winner Corey Kluber, whose Boston Red Sox will host Baltimore‘s Kyle Gibson;

Zack Greinke, who will make his third Opening Day start for Kansas City and fifth overall, will oppose Minnesota Twins right-hander Pablo Lopez, taking the mound for the first time to start a season.

Atlanta‘s Max Fried and Washington‘s Patrick Corbin both will start for the third time on Opening Day as the Nationals host the Braves.

The rest of the matchups feature at least one pitcher commencing the season for the first time:

Detroit‘s Eduardo Rodriguez debuting vs. the Rays’ Shane McClanahan, who got the call for the second straight season;

Toronto‘s Alek Manoah, coming off a third-place AL Cy Young finish, going against St. Louis’ Miles Mikolas, who inherited Opening Day duties for a second time after six-time Opening Day starter Adam Wainwright landed on the injured list Thursday with a groin strain;

Pittsburgh‘s Mitch Keller heading to Cincinnati to face Hunter Greene in the one of three matchups of pitchers who have not previously thrown Opening Day, with the others Urías vs. Gallen and Valdez vs. Cease;

Ohtani against Oakland’s Kyle Muller, the least-tenured of the 30 pitchers with just 11 major league starts and 49 big league innings under his belt. He will go for the Athletics after presumptive Opening Day starter Paul Blackburn suffered a torn nail on his right middle finger.

Sergio Romo to Retire as Member of San Francisco Giants Organization

Posted on March 17, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Sergio Romo will end his career in Giant(s) fashion…

The San Francisco Giants have signed the 40-year-old Mexican American professional baseball pitcher, a longtime reliever, who will retire as a member of the team at the end of spring training.

Romo signed a minor league contract with an invite to major league spring training. He’ll retire March 27 during the Giants’ final spring training game against the Oakland Athletics.

“The relationship that Giants fans have with their players is unique — few exemplify that bond more than Sergio,” Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said in a statement Saturday. “After all that he accomplished as a Giant from 2008 to 2016, including his huge contributions to the championship teams, it’s a thrill to have him back in a San Francisco uniform.”

Romo won three World Series titles with San Francisco while spending the first nine years of his major league career with the team. He earned his only MLB All-Star appearance in 2013, when he set a career high with 38 saves.

He holds the Giants’ franchise record for postseason appearances by a pitcher with 27. His 515 games pitched with the team rank fifth all-time, while his 84 saves rank seventh.

After leaving the Giants as a free agent, Romo also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2017), Tampa Bay Rays (2017-18), Miami Marlins (2019), Minnesota Twins (2019-20), Oakland Athletics (2021), Seattle Mariners (2022) and Toronto Blue Jays (2022).

Romo has 137 career saves in 15 major league seasons, going 42-36 with a 3.21 ERA in 821 relief appearances and five starts.

Yuli Gurriel Agrees to Minor League Contract with Miami Marlins Organization

Posted on March 10, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Yuli Gurriel has a new deal…

The 38-year-old Cuban professional baseball first baseman, nicknamed “La Piña,” and José Iglesias have agreed to minor league contracts with the Miami Marlins organization.

Gurriel won the World Series with the Houston Astros last year after hitting .242 with 40 doubles, eight home runs and 53 RBIs. In the postseason, he had 17 hits with a pair of home runs to help the Astros win their second title in six seasons.

Gurriel adds infield depth, and the Marlins could look for him to provide offense for a team that ranked in the bottom three in runs and slugging in 2022.

Born in Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, Gurriel has a career .284 batting average.

It’s unclear where the Marlins could use Gurriel. Miami acquired 2022 American League batting champion Luis Arraez from the Minnesota Twins to play second base and moved Jazz Chisholm Jr. from second to center field.

Iglesias, 33, batted .292 last season with the Colorado Rockies and had a .981 fielding percentage as he made 116 starts at shortstop. Iglesias, who was born in La Habana, Cuba, has a .279 batting average. and .982 fielding percentage over 11 major league seasons with six teams.

Both players were to join the Marlins on Friday at their spring training facility. Miami opens the season March 30 at home against the New York Mets.

Brian Flores Hired as New Defensive Coordinator for Minnesota Vikings

Posted on February 7, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Brian Flores is headed to the Midwest.

The 41-year-old Honduran American football coach has been hired as the new defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, ending a monthlong search to replace the fired Ed Donatell.

Flores spent last season as the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach after being fired as head coach by the Miami Dolphins following the 2021 season.

He’ll take over a defense that finished No. 31 in the NFL in yards allowed and is on the cusp of a significant personnel overhaul. He has a yearslong relationship with Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, who was drafted by the New England Patriots as a quarterback in 2008 when Flores was a special teams assistant there.

After firing Donatell on January 19, the Vikings quickly interviewed four candidates for the job: Ryan Nielsen, Sean Desai, Mike Pettine and Flores. Nielsen took the Atlanta Falcons‘ defensive coordinator job and Desai removed his name from consideration, but sources told ESPN all along that then-Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero was their top candidate.

Evero and O’Connell spent two years on the Los Angeles Rams‘ coaching staff in 2020 and 2021, and O’Connell hoped to reunite in 2023. But Sunday, one day after the Broncos released Evero from his contract, he agreed to terms with the Carolina Panthers to be their defensive coordinator without taking an interview with the Vikings.

On Monday, the Vikings moved on to Flores, who also was a finalist for the Arizona Cardinals‘ open head-coaching job.

Flores joins the Vikings one year after suing the NFL and three teams — the Dolphins, Denver Broncos and New York Giants — alleging discrimination regarding his interview processes with Denver and New York and his firing by Miami.

Longtime NFL assistants Steve Wilks and Ray Horton later joined the suit, which the NFL is attempting to move to arbitration. Flores also alleged the Dolphins tried to incentivize him to lose games and participate in illegal tampering; the league disciplined the Dolphins last summer for tampering violations of “unprecedented scope and severity,” according to commissioner Roger Goodell.

It was not immediately clear how Flores’ arrival would affect the scheme that O’Connell originally hired Donatell to install. Flores’ defense in Miami was known for heavy blitzing — it had the NFL’s fourth-highest blitz rate from 2019 to 2021 — and man-to-man coverage in the secondary, two characteristics the Vikings largely stayed away from under Donatell.

Miguel Rojas Agrees to One-Year, $6 Million Deal with Los Angeles Dodgers

Posted on February 5, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Miguel Rojas is the six million dollar man…

The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to terms with the 33-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball infielder on a $6 million, one-year deal that takes him through the 2024 season.

The contract announced Saturday includes a salary of $5 million in 2024 and a club option salary of $5 million in 2025 with a $1 million buyout and charitable contributions.

Rojas was acquired last month from the Miami Marlins for minor league infielder Jacob Amaya.

He returns to the Dodgers for the second time, having made 85 appearances with the club in 2014 as a rookie.

Rojas hit .236 with six home runs and 36 RBIs in 140 games last season. He has been in the majors for parts of nine seasons while playing five different defensive positions.

Luis Arraez Beats Miami Marlins in Salary Arbitration

Posted on February 2, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Luis Arraez is officially getting a raise…

The 25-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman, the 2022 American League batting champion, won his salary arbitration case on Thursday and will get a $6.1 million salary from the Miami Marlins, who acquired the infielder from the Minnesota Twins last month.

Miami argued for a $5 million salary during a hearing Wednesday before John Stout, Mark Burstein and Scott Buchheit. Arraez received a raise from $2.2 million.

Arraez hit .316 with eight homers, 49 RBIs and a .795 OPS last year for Minnesota, starting 61 games at first base, 34 at designated hitter and 31 at second.

He was traded by Minnesota on Jan. 20 for starting pitcher Pablo Lopez and a pair of prosects: infielder Jose Salas and outfielder Byron Chourio.

Arraez is eligible for free agency after the 2026 season.

Seattle defeated Diego Castillo in the first salary arbitration decision this year on Wednesday, and the relief pitcher will get a raise to $2.95 million rather than his request of $3,225,000.

A decision is being held for Los Angeles Angels outfielder Hunter Renfroe, whose case was argued Monday.

Jesus Aguilar Agrees to One-Year, $3 Million Contract with Oakland Athletics

Posted on January 24, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Jesus Aguilar is headed to Oakland…

The 32-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball first baseman has agreed to a one-year, $3 million contract with the Oakland Athletics, according to ESPN.

The deal is pending a physical.

Aguilar will join his sixth Major League Baseball team if the deal is finalized. The one-time MLB All-Star spent most of last season with the Miami Marlins.

The Marlins designated Aguilar for assignment in late August while he was leading the team in hits, home runs and RBIs. Miami general manager Kim Ng said the club wanted to allow him the opportunity to catch on with a playoff contender while it gave younger players more at-bats.

Aguilar signed with the Baltimore Orioles and played in 16 games for them down the stretch, but Baltimore narrowly missed the playoffs.

In 129 games between Miami and Baltimore last season, Aguilar batted .235 with 16 homers, 19 doubles and 51 RBIs. His best season came with the Milwaukee Brewers during his All-Star year in 2018, when he received National League MVP votes after hitting 35 homers with 25 doubles and 108 RBIs — all of which remain career highs.

In 759 career games for Cleveland (2014-16), Milwaukee (2017-19), Tampa Bay (2019), Miami (2020-22) and Baltimore, Aguilar is a career .254 batter with 109 homers, 105 doubles and 393 RBIs.

He’s made most of his appearances at first base or as a designated hitter, along with 16 games at third base.

Minnesota Twins Trade Luis Arraez to Miami Marlins

Posted on January 20, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Luis Arraez is heading south for the winter…

The 25-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman, the American League batting champion, is heading to the Miami Marlins for right-hander Pablo Lopez and a pair of prospects headed to the Minnesota Twins.

The deal, variations of which the teams have discussed for months, brings a much needed bat to the Marlins, adding to their winter signing of Jean Segura, who’s expected to play third base.

The cost was significant, though. In addition to Lopez, a talented starter who slots in toward the top of Minnesota’s rotation, the Marlins will send shortstop Jose Salas and outfielder Byron Chourio, two well-regarded teenagers, to the Twins.

“We’ve talked about it quite often, wanting to add offense this offseason,” Marlins general manager Kim Ng said. “We’re willing to trade some of our pitching to do it. What we get in Luis Arraez is a left-handed, very good hitter.”

Arraez is a career .314 hitter with unparalleled bat-to-ball skills in the modern game. Last season, he made the MLB All-Star team and finished 13th in AL MVP balloting after hitting .316/.375/.420, scoring 88 runs and registering more walks (50) than strikeouts (43). He is not a free agent until after the 2025 season.

According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Arraez is the first player to win a batting championship and then be traded in the offseason since Rod Carew won the AL batting title in 1978 with the Twins and then was traded to the Los Angeles Angels ahead of the 1979 season.

“Anytime you have a player that’s well liked in the environment, who you know is going to go work and do it every day, which we got to see with Luis, it makes it harder,” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. “We’d love to have Luis and Pablo on our team, but to get something as impactful as what Pablo brings to our team, you have to give something impactful.”

Arraez joins a Marlins team with a strong rotation headlined by National League Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara. Miami’s lineup, however, struggled mightily last year, with injuries sidelining second baseman Jazz Chisholm while free agent signees Avisail Garcia and Jorge Soler disappointed.

Ng said Chisholm, who has played middle infield exclusively during his big league career, will move to center field to make room for Arraez as the full-time second baseman.

Arraez also has experience at first base — where he played more than any position last year — or a corner-outfield slot.

Arraez said he was taking a nap after a workout when the trade occurred.

“I was surprised, but this is baseball,” Arraez said. “This is a business. I’m ready to go now. I’m a Marlin and I’m excited to be here.”

Minnesota, meanwhile, can slot young slugger Jose Miranda at first base or play him at third and use Alex Kirilloff at first. Lopez joins a rotation with Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan and a grab bag of other possibilities, from Chris Paddack — who just signed a three-year extension — to Tyler Mahle, Bailey Ober, Josh Winder, Kenta Maeda and Randy Dobnak.

Falvey told reporters that the Twins have discussed a six-man rotation but weren’t “ready to stamp that yet.”

“I’m really excited about coming to this team, the leaders they have in the clubhouse and the players they have to support each other,” Lopez said on a video interview with reporters. “It’s a mentality that really motivates me too. I ask and expect more of myself when it comes to my performance and the ways I can help out the team.”

Lopez threw a career-high 180 innings last season over 32 starts and registered a 3.75 ERA. He has long been a favorite of statistically inclined teams such as Minnesota for his ability to strike out batters (9.2 per nine innings over the past three seasons), limit walks (2.6 per nine over the same period) and keep the ball in the park.

“When you trade anyone it’s always difficult, particularly when you’re talking about someone like Pablo,” Ng said. “Just a first-class guy, tremendous human being. He’s done a lot for the Marlins organization.”

Salas, 19, is a borderline top-100 prospect, signed out of Venezuela for $2.8 million in 2019 after growing up in the Orlando area. He finished last season in High-A and is likely to start there again this year.

Chourio, 17, is a center fielder who hit .344/.429/.410 for the Marlins’ Dominican Summer League team last season.

Miami Marlins Trade Miguel Rojas to Los Angeles Dodgers

Posted on January 12, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Miguel Rojas is headed west…

The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired the 33-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball infielder from the Miami Marlins, adding some depth to a segment of their roster that experienced the loss of Trea Turner and Justin Turner to free agency this offseason.

Rojas, scheduled to make $5 million in his final year under contract, was acquired in exchange for minor league infielder Jacob Amaya, a 24-year-old who batted .261/.369/.427 in Double-A and Triple-A in 2022.

Rojas debuted with the Dodgers in 2014 and was sent to the Marlins as part of a seven-player trade that ultimately brought Enrique Hernandez and, in a subsequent deal, Howie Kendrick to L.A.

Rojas spent the next eight years with the Marlins and grew into a leader in their clubhouse, batting .265/.318/.366 from 2015 to 2022.

Rojas has posted an adjusted OPS of only 83 over the last two years — 17 percentage points below league average — but was a Gold Glove finalist at shortstop this past season.

With the Dodgers, however, Rojas is expected to take on a utility role, filling in at second base, third base and shortstop. Miguel Vargas, Max Muncy and Gavin Lux are expected to see most of the time at those three positions this season, with Lux slated to be the everyday shortstop.

Rojas’ acquisition puts the Dodgers dangerously close to exceeding the luxury-tax threshold of $233 million for 2023, but teams can make moves throughout the year to dip back under.

Marlins Ace Sandy Alcantara Receives Key to the City of Miami

Posted on January 10, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Sandy Alcantara is sportin’a new key…

The 27-year-old Dominican professional baseball player and Miami Marlins ace, the 2022 National League Cy Young winner, was awarded a key to the city of Miami from Mayor Francis Suarez on Tuesday.

“His dedication has influenced hundreds, if not thousands of people in our community,” said Suarez, with Alcantara standing to his right and Marlins general manager Kim Ng next to them. “and he’s established himself as a positive leader and a role model.”

Suarez also declared January 10 “Sandy Alcantara Day” in Miami.

Alcantara made history as the first Marlins pitcher to win the Cy Young award. It was a unanimous vote after he pitched a league-high six complete games in 228 2/3 innings, also a league-best, this past season. He was the 15th unanimous NL Cy Young winner and said he hopes to win more.

“It’s such a great day,” Alcantara said. “I will never forget this day. That key is going to mean a lot for me in my life.”

With about a month before the Marlins begin spring training, Alcantara said that as long as he’s healthy for the upcoming season, he’s confident in his ability to follow a 2022 campaign where he had a 2.28 ERA with another successful outing.

His six complete games were the most in the majors since Chris Sale had six in 2016, and his innings pitched and wins (14) were both career highs.

“I’ve been ready since about two weeks after the season last year,” Alcantara said. “I’ve been ready. I got to keep being ready because you never know what can happen.”

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