MLB spring training is officially underway. It's a time of celebration in the baseball world. It's a clean slate. There's a renewed sense of optimism for even the weariest of fanbases.
It is also a time for drama. Contract extensions are being signed (or not signed). Trade rumors are flaring up with free agency in the rearview mirror. Most teams prefer to have their rosters relatively set at this point, but there's always time for a last-second Hail Mary from a desperate front office.
This is also the first opportunity since the 2024 season ended for stars to look directly at the camera and give their two cents to local reporters. The quotes this time of year are always juicy. There are positional battles abound, rotation spots to be won or lost. Most MLB players operate with a certain self-confidence. Especially the very best of 'em. Those who feel slighted will act out accordingly.
We have no shortage of popcorn-worthy emotional spectacle to dive into with March on the horizon. Here are six MLB stars embroiled in controversy this spring — and how they might be able to escape it.
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6. Marcus Stroman, New York Yankees
Ask Marcus Stroman, and he's a lock for one of the New York Yankees' five rotation spots.
"Competing? I don’t think I’m competing … at all. No."
Reader: he is, in fact, competing. And reader, Stroman is very plainly losing.
New York made a major rotation upgrade this winter, signing Max Fried to a $218 million contract. That pushes Stroman to No. 6 in the pecking order after a disastrous 2024 campaign, in which he posted a 4.31 ERA across 30 appearances (29 starts). Once the playoffs rolled around, Stroman was borderline unplayable. He was left out of the postseason rotation accordingly.
Stroman was an All-Star with the Cubs in 2023, so he's certainly capable of better efforts. That said, the inconsistency over the years has made it difficult to trust the diminutive righty. You won't find a man more confident in his abilities, but if Stroman isn't willing to embrace a bullpen role, there will be some friction. The Yankees would love to trade him, but the market is dormant.
We will continue to see Stroman's ego bump up uncomfortably against reality in the weeks to come. Unless New York can find a team willing to swallow that $18 million contract, the only way out is forward — with Stroman unhappily demoted and the Yankees stuck with an albatross contract on their books.
5. Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres
Dylan Cease has been the subject of trade rumors all offseason. It's clear the San Diego Padres either can't or won't pay him amid an ongoing ownership dispute. After a dominant 2024 campaign, which saw Cease finish fourth in NL Cy Young voting, he's on track for a titanic payday next winter. It's only a matter of time until Cease is pitching in a bigger market.
That is going to hang over the Padres all season until A.J. Preller does something about it. The Padres appear momentarily committed to keeping Cease after their Roki Sasaki whiff, but this feels untenable. He's too valuable to let walk for nothing in a year. With virtually zero indication that San Diego is interested in an extension, this is going to come to a head before the trade deadline. Preller is putting off the inevitable.
San Diego is stuck in an awkward position — clearly capable of contending, but faced with a mandate to trim the cap sheet. No team came closer to dethroning the Dodgers in October. When this offense is rolling, the Padres are tough to beat. Cease is integral to whatever playoff dreams San Diego still has, but if it's going to end with another early exit and an offseason departure, they might as well get ahead of things. Cease can return a nice collection of assets via trade.
4. Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals
Nolan Arenado gave John Mozeliak a list of five teams he'd accept a trade to at the beginning of the offseason. The St. Louis Cardinals' talented third baseman has eight All-Stars and 10 Gold Gloves under his belt and he deserves a chance to compete. His contract is a bit cumbersome — $52 million over the next three years — but with the Cards effectively rebuilding, it seems a natural time to sever ties. Even if the Cards are forced to absorb some of Arenado's salary on his way ou the door.
The Houston Astros were on that initial list of five, and Houston made a strong push for Arenado after Alex Bregman rejected their early free agency advancements. With a deal on the one-yard line, however, Arenado balked. Then the Astros swung a deal for Isaac Paredes, and the rest is history. Houston just does not sound all that interested in Arenado now.
That leaves the Cards and Arenado in an uncomfortable limbo. The market has dried up. The Yankees, Red Sox, and Astros all made alternative upgrades to the infield. Hopes of a west coast vacation are out the window; neither L.A. team has a modicum of interest in taking on Arenado.
St. Louis is trying to reset and stockpile future assets, but Arenado is stuck there for now, working in direct opposition to those goals. The 33-year-old is taking reps away from top prospects and giving Mozeliak a constant reminder of his worst missteps. It's not great.
The only way out? A trade... if a team gets desperate enough at third base this season.
3. Bo Bichette, Toronto Blue Jays
Bo Bichette and the Toronto Blue Jays were unable to hammer out an extension this winter. Media attention was understandably focused on a certain teammate at first base, but Bichette's murky future leaves Toronto in quite a bind. He's integral to their competitive aspirations and still smack in the middle of his prime, but his trade value is muted after an fluky 2024 campaign.
The two-time All-Star finished last season with a .598 OPS as he battled through various ailments, never quite finding his swing. Bichette led the American League in hits in back-to-back seasons at 23 and 24 years old. We know what he's capable of, but last season left a bad taste in everyone's mouth.
It that sense, the Blue Jays' unwillingness to drop a bag is understandable. You don't want to bid against yourself on a depreciating asset. That said, it doesn't take much foresight to know Bichette is due for a bounce back. With that, his contract demands will skyrocket. The early spring training returns are extremely positive, and Bichette is walking around the clubhouse with a newfound swagger.
Bichette told reporters he is "back to being who [he] is." After missing out on Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto in consecutive offseasons, the Blue Jays are at the point where trading their young stars to recoup value might be the only path forward.
2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. engaged in intense contract negotiations leading up to spring training, which the All-Star first basemen set as a hard deadline. Those talks ultimately fell through, to the surprise of nobody. Guerrero was never going to settle for a "reasonable" number after Juan Soto's historic payday. He's going to test free agency and drum up a bidding war.
Odds are, Toronto won't win that bidding war. The Blue Jays and Guerrero clearly hold deep mutual respect, but baseball is a business at the end of the day. Guerrero gave reporters a simple requirement for where he wants to sign next offseason: "a winning team."
Now, as Guerrero helpfully pointed out, Toronto has to beat 29 other teams in a free market. It doesn't look great for Ross Atkins and the Blue Jays' front office, to say the least. Guerrero has made it clear he's willing to talk to any team that comes with a serious offer. The Yankees and Red Sox loom as logical landing spots in Toronto's own division — both storied franchises with much deeper pockets.
This could end with a trade before the deadline, but more likely than not, Toronto will keep Guerrero with the intention of pursuing him next winter, only to watch him sign with a better team at a higher number.
1. Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox
Days before the commencement of spring training, the Boston Red Sox landed Alex Bregman on a three-year, $120 million contract. It was the crowning achievement of Craig Breslow's short tenure as GM. Breslow navigated a competitive market and landed the dependable right-handed power bat this Red Sox lineup so desperately lacked.
More good news, Bregman is a tremendous defender at third base. The common thinking has been that he'd move to second in Boston to accommodate Rafael Devers, but there was also talk of moving Devers to DH in order to maximize the lineup's defensive acuity. Well, when Bregman took reps at third in his first practice with the Red Sox, a maelstrom of you-know-what hit the fan.
Devers was asked about a potential move to DH. His response was blunt: "no."
The three-time All-Star went on to elucidate the promises made by Chaim Bloom when Devers signed his $313 million contract. He re-upped his deal in Boston with an understanding that he was the permanent third baseman.
Cooler heads have since prevailed. Bregman, a paragon of maturity and leadership, has said all the right things to the media. Even Devers, just days removed from a thinly-veiled trade threat, has tried to walk back his initial comments.
This was easily the most dramatic development of spring training to date, though. If Devers' position continues to be a point of conflict this season, it could lead to trade conversations — either with him or with Bregman.