You know what time it is.
Spring has settled in, and things are fairly quiet around the sun-soaked complexes. We’re past the point of excitement for the novelty of MLB app notifications, but we’re not quite through to all the cuts and roundings-out of the 26-man rosters.
Nevertheless, real-life in-game action is less than three weeks away, which means each roundup — however sparse — is full of building anticipation. Baseball is almost here! Here’s some headlines to tide you over.
- About a week and a half ago, the Cleveland Guardians shared the news of owner Larry Dolan’s passing. Dolan, 94 at the time of his death, had owned the Guardians since 2000.
- The Guardians have also joined the Twins in gaining a new MLB.com beat writer; they introduced Tim Stebbins earlier this week. Stebbins switches over to Guardians coverage after five years in the Chicago market.
- Justin Ishbia’s Chicago saga continues; he’s significantly increased his stake as of the end of February, which is bringing the future of the franchise into clearer focus as 89-year-old owner Jerry Reinsdorf seems to be setting Ishbia up for both success and succession.
- It’s that time of year when the food monstrosities start to reveal themselves. Here’s what the Royals will be cooking up at the K in 2025:
The Z-Man meets The K.
Coming this season, Joe’s KC BBQ at Kauffman Stadium.
- A little old friend update regarding Kenta Maeda’s work toward a bounce-back 2025:
Kenta Maeda has racked up 14 strikeouts over 8.2 innings in three games during spring training, throwing 30 pitches in Game 1, 50 pitches in Game 2 and 55 pitches in Game 3. #Tigers https://t.co/hC5sZqbsmZ
— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) March 4, 2025
- Speaking of the Tigers, the injury bug is creeping its way around their camp.
Matt Vierling: “Emotionally shocked. … It could’ve been way worse. I’m feeling grateful that it’s not torn, and I’m feeling grateful that it’s March 1. … I’ve never really been hurt in my career to this extent, so I’m trying to figure out how this works. We’ll be OK.” #Tigers https://t.co/JY8bq8SDMX
— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) March 1, 2025
Parker Meadows has a right upper arm nerve issue. He isn’t doing baseball activities. “We got to get that nerve firing again for him to resume baseball activities,” A.J. Hinch said.
Meadows hasn’t been ruled out for Opening Day, but there isn’t a timeline for his return. #Tigers
— Evan Petzold (@EvanPetzold) March 1, 2025
- But what the Tigers may be losing on the field, they’re making up for in the booth. It’s Andy Dirks time, baby.
Look forward to having a blast in the booth this year! ⚾️ Thanks to the best baseball fans in the world , @tigers @ColangeloTigers @bfidelman and @FanDuelSN_DET @jbyle for giving me the opportunity and trusting me with a ️… also my amazing partners/mentors Dan Dickerson,… pic.twitter.com/oIti9PIQm1
— Andy Dirks (@AndyDirks12) February 28, 2025
Only two more roundups to go, and then this thing really kicks into gear. Thanks again for reading throughout the winter, and enjoy the incredible local weather as we gently work our way into Spring, For Real This Time. Happy weekend!