1. Arbitration hearings will continue:
The biggest news in baseball yesterday was left-handed Pull Skubal‘s record-breaking win over the Tigers in his arbitration hearing, where a panel of judges awarded him $32 million instead of the $19 million amount Detroit submitted. It is the third victory in a row (joining Kyle Bradish And Yainer Diaz) for the players in arbitration hearings this year, while teams have yet to win a single case. Tampa Bay right-handed Edwin Uceta and Atlanta left-handed Dylan Lee have both already attended hearings against their clubs, although decisions on these matters are not expected until next week. (Results on matters that could be directly related to other arb hearings in the same year are often withheld until those other hearings have taken place.) Reid Detmers, Graham Ashcraft, Tyler StephensonAnd Kris Bubic are among the players who have exchanged figures with their teams but have yet to go to a hearing. Will these players be able to continue the win streak?
2. Suter nears deal with Anaheim:
Reporting yesterday indicated that left-handed Brent Suter and the Angels were nearing an agreement on a major league deal. All final details and a physical examination can be completed this weekend. Anaheim has already made several veteran additions to the bullpen this winter, as Suter will join Drew Pomeranz, Jordan RomanoAnd Kirby Yates as a possible installation option for Robert Stephenson in rookie manager Kurt Suzuki‘s bullpen. The Halos’ 40-man roster is full, so they’ll need a corresponding move to formally add Suter unless they wait to announce the deal until camp opens and then they can move a player (Anthony Rendon or Ben Joyce) to the 60-day IL.
3. Do the Twins have a notable move up their sleeve?
While the Twins have had a quiet offseason in terms of player transactions, things have been anything but quiet off the field. They added three new minority owners, Tom Pohlad took over as the team’s new controller, and those changes appeared to have led to president of baseball and operations Derek Falvey shockingly leaving the club late last month. Amid these ownership and front office shuffles, the Twins have made some surprising gestures toward upgrading the roster. Minnesota was involved in the market for Freddy Peralta before being traded to the Mets and reportedly jumping into the mix Framber Valdez before signing with division rival Tigers. There aren’t many impact players left on the market, but right Zac Gallen still unsigned and there are several trade options the club could pursue. Bullpen help is the Twins’ most glaring need, but even cursory interest in Peralta and Valdez signals a willingness to add to the rotation as well.
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