Here are some almost headlines.
The Twins begin their spring schedule TODAY with a Saturday afternoon matchup against the Atlanta Braves, marking an incredible turn of the calendar when googling “twins today” to remind myself of the start time actually yields results. (A quick F6 -> “twins today” -> Alt + Enter; Ctrl + W usually proves quicker than grabbing my phone to open the MLB app, and takes me back to simpler days when you’d click on a thread like “What are some of the most underrated keyboard shortcuts?” on /r/AskReddit made you feel like a real power user.)
With the full call to arms across the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues comes a bevy of back-to-school headlines, at this stage full of more whimsy than meaty information. But you love whimsy, don’t you, ya freak?
- Old friend Kenta Maeda is still kicking in what will be his age-37 season and ninth in the MLB. Whether there’s anything left after a -1.7 bWAR 2024 season (112.1 innings and a 6.09 ERA) remains to be seen. For now, he’s being given the opportunity to find a pitch high enough to go out on.
Kenta Maeda will start the Grapefruit League opener for the #Tigers on Saturday against the Phillies. He threw 92 mph in Tuesday’s live batting practice session, significantly higher than last spring. Detroit wants to get as many looks as possible before deciding Maeda’s role.
— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) February 19, 2025
- With the new life of spring comes the inevitable moving on from the past — this year, the Tigers have said goodbye to retiring clubhouse manager Jim Schmakel after a six-decade tenure with the org.
- Having ultimately fallen short in the Alex Bregman sweepstakes, the Tigers may yet explore a trade for some offense before Opening Day, but general manager Scott Harris has indicated the roster is more or less set.
Do the Tigers still want to add a RH bat?
Scott Harris: “I don’t think there’s going to be one coming through free agency. We’re going to explore trade opportunities, but we feel really good about the group we have & we think it’s a group that’s going to continue to get better.”
— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) February 14, 2025
- The Royals are welcoming back Ned Yost to the organization this year. Yost represents one of baseball’s great hilarities; amidst the combined sabermetric boom and social media boom of the 2010s, from the carnage of the shift and the pivot to TTO, from the maelstrom of online discussion about how baseball has been wrong the whole time, comes this certified M.F. who stole 29 bases in a Wild Card Game and bunted the Kansas City Royals to back-to-back pennants and a World Series championship. Lol, even.
We are excited to announce that World Champion and Royals Hall of Famer Ned Yost is returning to the Kansas City Royals to serve as a Senior Advisor to the General Manager!
- Perhaps more importantly, Cole Ragans signed an extension for three years and $13.25MM in commitment, buying out two seasons of arbitration after this year.
- In less exciting news, the ever-popular White Sox are bringing back one of baseball’s true Good Guys. Nice work, Chicago, nothing wrong with this at all! And, honestly, if you’re going to take a flyer on a random minor-league deal, why not somebody with the character of this guy.
Free-agent pitcher Mike Clevinger and the Chicago White Sox are in agreement on a minor-league contract, sources say. The deal includes an invite to spring training.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) February 21, 2025
- In more exciting White Sox news (see how that pendulum keeps swinging?) the team is bringing in a small army of Former Twins to round out spring camp. The list includes Michael A. Taylor and Joey Gallo.
- Chicago’s ask for center fielder Luis Robert Jr. has also clarified recently, although the clarification is more in the genre of “he ain’t going anywhere.”
- Former Chicago closer Bobby Jenks is unfortunately battling stomach cancer, as per a Scott Merkin article from last week. The piece dives in to what has been a brutal few months for Jenks, who also lost his home in the Palisades fire.
- Curious about the direction of the franchise? Me too. So is Fangraphs – here’s an interview with Chicago’s director of player development.
- John Means is going to the Cleveland Guardians. He joins Shane Bieber in rehab; the former may be available for action again in August, with Bieber slated to return closer to midseason.
But what are you still doing here? The Twins are playing today — maybe even right now! We’ll keep the rivals rounded up on your behalf. For now, get out there and watch some baseballs fly!