Spring training was, as always, fun for a while, but boring down the stretch. It's fun to have baseball back, but at a certain point, MLB games that don't matter get boring to watch. With spring training now over for most teams, attention can fully be shifted toward Opening Day. All that has to happen now is for teams to announce their Opening Day rosters.
While most of the focus is now on Opening Day, there are some MLB rumors worth discussing ahead of the start of the regular season.
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MLB Rumors: Padres will regret including Yuli Gurriel on their Opening Day roster
The San Diego Padres announced that three veteran non-roster invitees - Jose Iglesias, Martin Maldonado, and Yuli Gurriel - have made their Opening Day roster. Iglesias making the team was hardly a surprise after the year he just had with the New York Mets, and the same can be said about Maldonado, considering San Diego's lack of depth at the catcher position, but Gurriel's insertion was certainly eye-opening for a couple of reasons.
First, Gurriel's history with Padres pitcher Yu Darvish is worth discussing. When he homered off of Darvish in the 2017 World Series, Gurriel made an inappropriate gesture towards the pitcher in celebration. He was later suspended for five games for making that gesture. The two veterans did clear the air in spring training, and the Padres did check in with Darvish before signing him. Gurriel even said he's "happy to be in the same clubhouse as him now," but it wouldn't be shocking to find out that Darvish isn't thrilled about this situation.
Second, it's a hard sell to suggest Gurriel's production is worthy of carrying him on their 26-man roster. Gurriel was the AL batting champion in 2021, but has slashed .243/.297/.356 with 12 home runs and 86 RBI in his last 272 MLB games spanning over three seasons. He spent more of last season in Triple-A than in the major leagues.
He had a solid spring training, but nothing about how Gurriel has performed for several years now suggests he'll provide much value to the team. Factoring in his relationship with Darvish, the Padres might have made a decision they'll come to regret in short order.
MLB Rumors: Twins being sold sounds unlikely with latest update
Minnesota Twins fans are on the verge of having their biggest wish come true. The team has been incredibly cheap for several years now under the Pohlad family, so the fact that they're seriously entertaining potential buyers is a great thing.
The problem, though, is that their asking price seems a bit outlandish, according to Dan Hayes, Ken Rosenthal, and Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic ($).
"The Pohlad family is believed to be seeking at least $1.7 billion to sell the Minnesota Twins, though it’s unclear whether they can get that amount, and if not, whether they will ultimately keep the team."
Part of what makes that price tag a very high one is that the Twins currently have $425 million in debt, which is one of the highest marks in the sport. Mostly every team operates with some debt, but nearly half a billion in debt is a ton. Another factor is that Twins executive chair, Joe Pohlad, wants to remain in control.
To sum up, the Twins, an organization that doesn't have realistic World Series aspirations right now with an enormous amount of debt, are searching for at least $1.7 billion in a potential sale when Forbes pegs them as a franchise worth only $1.46 billion. The buyer also would not be in control. Well, I wonder why they're not receiving a ton of interest!
All it takes is one desperate buyer to get a deal done, but it sounds like as long as the Twins aren't going to get each of their lofty demands met, they're fine dragging this out.
MLB Rumors: Luisangel Acuña realization is concerning for the Mets
The 2024 season was a strange one for Luisangel Acuña, to say the least. He had an uninspiring .654 OPS in 131 Triple-A games before turning into a completely different player when the New York Mets called him up for a brief period down the stretch. Acuña had a .966 OPS in the 14 games he appeared in for the Mets.
Acuña's strong finish to the 2024 campaign opened the door to him potentially making the team's Opening Day roster. Jeff McNeil's injury opened the door for Acuña to be the team's Opening Day second baseman. Unfortunately, despite receiving the third-most at-bats on the team, Acuña had a subpar .573 OPS in spring training while the player he was directly in competition with for the second base job, Brett Baty, was one of the best hitters in the Grapefruit League. Acuña could still make the Opening Day roster, but he will likely be a platoon bat alongside Baty at best due to his lackluster spring training.
When asked why Acuña seems to have only performed well over the last calendar year at the MLB level, Francisco Lindor's response was jarring.
"I think he plays bored in Spring Training,” Lindor said. “If the lights come on, then he’s good. [Last year in the Minors], he was bored, probably. He doesn’t get amped up for it."
This might make sense for established MLB players, but what exactly has Acuña done to warrant "playing bored?" His brother might be a superstar, but he is far from it. He wouldn't have even gotten a chance in the majors last season if Lindor hadn't gotten injured or if the Mets had strong infield depth in the upper minors. He had a chance to make the team with a strong spring training, but instead is not playing with any sort of urgency?
If Acuña performs at the major league level, Mets fans won't really have a reason to care about how he performs in spring training or in the minor leagues. However, if he continues to "play bored," who knows if he'll even get another big league shot?