Well, we believe in exit velocity, bat flips, launch angles, stealing home, the hanging curveball, Big League Chew, sausage races, and that unwritten rules of any kind are self-indulgent, overrated crap. We believe Greg Maddux was an actual wizard. We believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment protecting minor league baseball and that pitch framing is both an art and a science. We believe in the sweet spot, making WARP not war, letting your closer chase a two-inning save, and we believe love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too.
The Red Sox want Rafael Devers to DH. It’s safe to say Devers is not down. In what (rational or irrational) way would you solve this beef?
Eric Cole: I’m a traditionalist with these things. Sure, cooler heads will probably prevail, but I’m too impatient for that and prefer a practical approach. Before the start of the first spring training game, Devers needs to walk out to third base. On that day only, each person that wants to move him off of third can engage with him in hand-to-hand combat one person at a time. If he loses, he moves to the position of choice. If not, he stays and we all move on with our lives.
Chris Landers: Hear me out: We form a panel of four Red Sox legends – David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Pedro Martinez and Nomar Garciaparra – and then have them sit behind home plate, The Voice-style, and watch Devers and Bregman field ground balls until one by one they hit the button and turn around for their candidate of choice. Winner gets the third-base job. Loser is doomed to hang out with Adam Levine.
Zachary Rotman: Let’s just flip a coin. We can do best of three, five, seven, whatever Devers deems is appropriate. If the results end up in his favor, perhaps it was meant to be. If not, the spot is Bregman’s, and he’s going to have to find a way to deal with it.
Adam Weinrib: Devers only has to DH during road games so he doesn’t have to be embarrassed in front of his home friends (Ben Affleck, That Guy Who Looks Like Robert Redford Behind Home Plate, Sydney Sweeney When She Threw Out the First Pitch That One Time). Also, Alex Bregman is traded.
Robert Murray: Time will heal this wound. It’s just unfortunate this happened on the first day of spring training and right in the aftermath of Bregman signing. This should be a time of celebration for the Red Sox, not drama. But they have a manager in Alex Cora who will help the franchise navigate and overcome the early turbulence.
Please translate the following statement from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. PR speak to reality after he failed to reach an agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays prior to spring training:
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s statement: "Listen, I want to be here. I want to be a Blue Jay for the rest of my career. But it's free agency. It's business. So I'm going to have to listen to 29 more teams and they're going to have to compete for that."
Eric Cole: “I like the city of Toronto, but the Blue Jays are being cheap with me and I am betting I can find a sucker in the other 29 teams to pay me over $500 million.”
Chris Landers: “I was born in Canada and would love to finish my career here. However, I’m also not an idiot, and there’s not enough poutine in the world to convince me to take less money to play for an organization that hasn’t been able to put a competitive roster around me in six years and shows no sign of changing that any time soon.”
Zachary Rotman: “I love the Blue Jays organization, but they had their chance to sign me. Now, they’re going to have to outbid 29 other teams to keep me around when they could’ve had me for what will likely end up being a lesser number.”
Adam Weinrib: “I would technically accept being a Blue Jay for the duration of my career, if they are the highest bidders by year’s end and work with me on a plan to compete. At the very least, I am contractually obligated to project joy about being a Blue Jay for the remainder of the 2025 season. At the conclusion of that season, I would like money in large amounts (eg, gobs), and would accept it from any number of teams including the Blue Jays (but it won’t be them). I would like to save face until officially announcing that it is not them.”
Robert Murray: “I like being with the Toronto Blue Jays, but baseball is a business and I want to maximize my worth in free agency. May the highest bidder win.”
Every MLB player shows up to spring training in the best shape of their lives. Which player do you actually believe and why?
Eric Cole: I’ll say Bobby Witt Jr. because the guy oozes athleticism and there is no way he doesn’t do some sort of exercise twice a day, every day.
Chris Landers: Have you seen Tyler O’Neill with his shirt off? That is a man who has never, ever skipped leg day, and who views hitting the gym as just as if not more important than getting swings in the cage over the winter. Plus, the Orioles moving the left-field wall at Camden Yards back in should have him extra motivated to pack on the muscle.
Zachary Rotman: Jackson Holliday’s rookie season did not go as planned, and it’s safe to say he took that personally. The results show just that. He might still have a baby face, but he looks different, as he looks to live up to the superstar potential he entered the league with. Based on how his father, Matt, looked in his playing days, Jackson is only going to continue getting stronger and better.
Adam Weinrib: Someone with a low bar to clear/someone for whom “a very normal human body” qualifies as the best shape that they, personally, have ever been in. Jake Burger?
Robert Murray: I’m following Chris Landers’ lead and going with Tyler O’Neill. The player I don’t believe, however, is Sal Frelick. 25 pounds of muscle? In one offseason? No shot. That’s not possible.
What oft-injured players are you most excited to watch this season, and what measures would you take to keep them healthy?
Eric Cole: Just give me a full season of Ronald Acuña Jr. without some sort of catastrophic injury please. Two major knee surgeries are more than enough at this point. When he is right, he is the most exciting player in baseball. I don’t care if the Braves have to wrap him up in bubble wrap in-between games to make this happen.
Chris Landers: Mike Trout is tempting here – we’re raising a whole new generation of baseball fans who never got to experience what he was like at the peak of his powers – but my answer here will be what my answer has been for nearly a decade now: Please, baseball gods, give us one full season of a healthy Byron Buxton. It’s hard to remember now, but he was a once-in-a-generation prospect once upon a time, and he’s actually flashed that sort of Hall of Fame-upside when he can actually stay on the field. Even now, at age 31 and after a litany of injuries, he still ranks among the very fastest players in baseball, and he can still hit the ball a mile. Twins fans could really use a win right now, is all I’m saying.
Zachary Rotman: As a New York Mets fan, I kind of have to say Jacob deGrom. He might not be in New York anymore, but since he’s playing in Texas, he’s still extremely easy to root for. At the peak of his powers, he was the greatest pitcher I have ever seen. I might be biased, and I might be fairly young, but I don’t think I’m off with that sentiment. I have no idea how he’s going to look now at 36 years old and not having 100 innings in a single season since 2019, but there’s no doubt in my mind that if he can simply find a way to stay on the mound, he’ll be one of the best pitchers in the American League. Hopefully the Rangers can find a way to keep him on the field, whether that’s by using a six-man rotation or simply getting deGrom an extra day of rest here and there. I don’t care how it gets done, just find a way to give me 25-ish starts at least.
Adam Weinrib: Right Field Mike Trout! And, in order to ensure a full 160-ish-game season, I would be generous enough to sacrifice my right toe to just a touch of gout. Watching the entire pitching class of the 2010s - Cliff Lee, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum, even King Felix - succumb before posting Hall of Fame numbers has already soaked the life out of me. I need three or four more healthy-adjacent years from Trout to feel satisfied, as well as a playoff appearance. If I can guarantee four years, I would accept 15% more gout.
Robert Murray: Christian Yelich. I saw Yelich in his prime when I covered the Brewers and there was not a better player in the National League. He’s a different player than he was then, but when healthy, he’s still electrifying. He’s coming off a back injury, which is always tricky. But I’ll always bet on Yelich.
Robert Murray notebook: Angels and Reds are active in spring training
- The Angels were in conversations with free agents to improve the bullpen, but those conversations fizzled and a deal is now considered unlikely.
- The Reds continue to seek another pitcher, though most believe it will ultimately come on a non-roster invite.