[koz-man]

Ichiro Suzuki starts likely his last spring opener with a hit for Mariners

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Ichiro Suzuki still felt the nerves of competition at age 45.


Suzuki started what may be his final spring training with a two-run, two-out single in the third inning Friday of the Seattle Mariners' opening 8-1 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Batting seventh and playing left field, Suzuki fouled out in the second inning against Liam Hendriks and singled in the third off left-hander Ryan Buchter. Suzuki then was replaced by a pinch runner. He did not have any chances in the field.

"Of course you have nerves, but this was one I hadn't experienced before, the nerves that I had today," Suzuki said through an interpreter. "I'm just glad the first day's out of the way."
The Cactus League opener, delayed a day by Thursday's rainout, was between the teams that meet in the season's opening series on March 20-21 in Tokyo.


A 10-time All-Star who won the American League Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in 2001, Suzuki spent his first 12 major league seasons in Seattle, went on to play for the New York Yankees and Miami, then returned to the Mariners last season. He hit .205 in 44 at-bats before moving to a front-office role in early May.

It long appeared Suzuki's goal was to play in the opening series in Japan, where he won seven Pacific League batting titles with Orix. He had a .311 career average in the North American major leagues with 3,089 hits in 18 seasons.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

very happy to hear that Machado will be playing 3rd base...he is much better defensively there and Tatis will be the SS once he is called up.

[El Nino]

Can't believe Ichiro is still playing.

[JMobile]

Padres lineup?

1- 2B Ian Kinsler
2-1B Eric Hosmer
3- 3B Manny Machado
4-RF Wil Myers
5-LF Hunter Renfroe
6-CF Manuel Margot
7-C Austin Hedges
8-SS Luis Arias
9-Pitcher’s Spot

[batt33]

The Dodgers have shut down star hurler Clayton Kershaw indefinitely, manager Dave Roberts tells Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times. The venerable southpaw is dealing with an unspecified health issue that Roberts would describe only as an “arm kind of thing.”
Initial signals from the organization are that there’s nothing to worry about at this point. Kershaw says he’s “just going to take a few days right now” and adds that he expects to resume throwing in short order, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County-Register tweets.
In Roberts’s view, too, this is just an early pause “to just kind of step away, give him a couple days.” That said, he acknowledged that he “can’t say right now” just when Kershaw will be ready to ramp back up.
Clearly, there’s no reason to rush to judgment about what might be going on here. Given Kershaw’s recent health history, there’s also some reason for added concern. Both men were rather circumspect about the underlying issue, declining to clarify whether Kershaw’s prior back and shoulder problems were involved. For the time being, then, we’ll just have to wait to see how things progress and await further word.

Not the way you want your 31 million dollar pitcher to start out spring training

[Cross]

Ouch, Dodgers. Not good news.

[jrgum3]

Padres lineup?

1- 2B Ian Kinsler
2-1B Eric Hosmer
3- 3B Manny Machado
4-RF Wil Myers
5-LF Hunter Renfroe
6-CF Manuel Margot
7-C Austin Hedges
8-SS Luis Arias
9-Pitcher’s Spot

Like I said that lineup looks decent on paper if Hosmer can return to his Kansas City form and Machado does what he's paid to do. Almost forgot they have Ian Kinsler too so I think the top half of that lineup will be tough.

[EmpireMaker]

9:55pm: Harper’s camp actually negotiated with two teams in Las Vegas on Saturday, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. It’s not clear who was vying against the Phillies, though, nor is it known whether the other club made any progress in talks.
9:41pm: Middleton is still in Vegas, and there’s “optimism” the Phillies and Harper will finalize a 10-year deal by Monday afternoon, Nightengale reports.
9:19pm: Middleton’s plane is returning to the East Coast, but the two sides had a “busy day of meetings” and talks will continue, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philly tweets.
8:39pm: The Phillies are engaged in “deep and serious negotiations” with free-agent outfielder Bryce Harper, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports. Team owner John Middleton, who’s meeting with Harper’s camp in Las Vegas, doesn’t want to leave without a deal in place, according to Nightengale.
The Vegas-based meeting between the Phillies and Team Harper, which also includes agent Scott Boras, is their second summit since Jan. 10. After the sides’ initial sitdown, Nightengale named Philadelphia as the favorite to sign Harper, which has remained the case in the ensuing weeks. Now, with the season fast approaching and the current class’ other elite free agent, Manny Machado, having come off the board this week, a resolution for Harper may finally be on the way.
Machado’s months-long stay on the open market came to an end when he accepted the Padres’ 10-year, $300MM offer. The Phillies also had interest in Machado, but they weren’t willing to approach the Padres’ proposal, leaving Harper as the clear-cut best free agent available. Having watched Machado come off the board, the Phillies “will be much more reluctant to walk away” from Harper, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer relayed this week.
Whether with the Phillies or another team, Harper seemingly has a good chance to exceed Machado’s guarantee – the largest ever given to a free agent. However, the 26-year-old Harper’s market hasn’t quite come together as expected this offseason, evidenced in part by his unemployed status as March nears. Aside from the Phillies, who entered the offseason promising to spend (which they’ve done, albeit nowhere close to “stupid” amounts), the Nationals, White Sox, Padres and Giants have shown varying levels of interest in Harper. Among that group, Philly easily looks like the most aggressive team in the race. Although Harper has spent his entire career in Washington, where he has starred, team owner Mark Lerner painted a bleak picture Friday when asked if the Nationals would re-sign him. Meanwhile, the White Sox may not even bid on Harper, the Padres don’t appear to be serious suitors, and the Giants are shying away from a long-term commitment.
All things considered, it seems the stars are aligning for the Phillies to land their coveted target after months of chasing him. While the Phillies haven’t finished above .500 in a season since 2011 and are mired in a seven-year playoff drought, they’re making a strong push to contend in 2019. Regardless of what happens with Harper, Philadelphia has already made major improvements this offseason by acquiring catcher J.T. Realmuto, shortstop Jean Segura, outfielder Andrew McCutchen and reliever David Robertson. But there’s still plenty of room for Harper, a Hall of Fame-level talent who could help propel the franchise back to relevance.

[BigSpoon]

very happy to hear that Machado will be playing 3rd base...he is much better defensively there and Tatis will be the SS once he is called up.

Shame we have to wait a couple weeks into the season to see Tatis Jr. and Vlad Jr. in the bigs.

[ApricotSinner32]

Good luck today gentlemen i'll be heading to bed shortly.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Shame we have to wait a couple weeks into the season to see Tatis Jr. and Vlad Jr. in the bigs.

yep but I'd rather wait a few weeks and have control for another season.

Machado should take a lot of pressure off of Tatis as well as help him learn the ropes.

[Otters27]

Watched Red Sox vs Yankees yesterday. I live how Red Sox spring training emmulates Fenway

[dudekid]

Where do you guys think Vlad Jr will go in drafts? He could be a force this season. I read he is working with Kendrys Morales as a mentor, who is a good hitter in his own right

[Cross]

So you guys think Philly has Harper wrapped up?

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Padres lineup?

1- 2B Ian Kinsler
2-1B Eric Hosmer
3- 3B Manny Machado
4-RF Wil Myers
5-LF Hunter Renfroe
6-CF Manuel Margot
7-C Austin Hedges
8-SS Luis Arias
9-Pitcher’s Spot

very right handed heavy...not bad up and down though but I'd love to get another lefty in there...I'd love to dump Myers and Margot in trades. Margot would be much easier to trade and still has value, I've personally never been that impressed with any part of his game(including defense which is supposed to be one of his strengths). Also for a fast guy, he is a shitty at stealing bases and I question his overall baseball IQ...I'd much rather go with Franchy Cordero and I do think he might win the job. I like his upside and skill set better than margot.

I used to like Myers but after watching him for awhile, his mental game is terrible. Far too often his head is up his ass and makes mental errors. He has a ton of talent but i doubt he will ever reach it because of that. That said, if he can stay healthy he will put up 30 homers and 20 steals. To trade him and his salary we would have to package some desirable young talent.

I'm certain Hosmer will have a bounce back year, he was pretty bad last year.

Renfroe really started to put things together in the second half last year at the plate, now he needs to improve his defense in the outfield.

The catching situation should be interesting with Hedges and Mejia.

I believe Arias is going to be really good. His offensive numbers in the minors were very impressive. High on base % and more walks than strikeouts most seasons, he is very advanced for his age in his approach.
I think we will be around .500 this year but it will be cool to see who wins jobs in the of, catcher and starting staff... there's a lot of talent but not much experience battling out for 3 starting slots on the staff.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

So you guys think Philly has Harper wrapped up?

it does not seem like anyone else will give him what he wants in amount and length of contract...sf wants a short term deal and not sure anyone else wants to pay over 300 million over 10+ years.

[JMobile]

Jake, Padres looking to get Keuchel. I hope they do, they don't have pitching.

[Chi_archie]

Jake, Padres looking to get Keuchel. I hope they do, they don't have pitching.

I think he'd do well there

[batt33]

it does not seem like anyone else will give him what he wants in amount and length of contract...sf wants a short term deal and not sure anyone else wants to pay over 300 million over 10+ years.

The Giants made a run on Harper but Don't want to give in to that kind of deal....so Phillies look like the lock

[Cross]

Three more weeks til I’m in Zona for some spring training, can’t wait!

[jrgum3]

Yeah I think Harper was having second thoughts on playing in Philadelphia early on but they're the only ones willing to give him what he wants so I expect him to sign with them any day now.

[BigSpoon]

So you guys think Philly has Harper wrapped up?

Yeah, they the only ones that will give him $300M plus.

[Chi_archie]

Ichiro Suzuki starts likely his last spring opener with a hit for Mariners

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Ichiro Suzuki still felt the nerves of competition at age 45.


Suzuki started what may be his final spring training with a two-run, two-out single in the third inning Friday of the Seattle Mariners' opening 8-1 win over the Oakland Athletics.

Batting seventh and playing left field, Suzuki fouled out in the second inning against Liam Hendriks and singled in the third off left-hander Ryan Buchter. Suzuki then was replaced by a pinch runner. He did not have any chances in the field.

"Of course you have nerves, but this was one I hadn't experienced before, the nerves that I had today," Suzuki said through an interpreter. "I'm just glad the first day's out of the way."
The Cactus League opener, delayed a day by Thursday's rainout, was between the teams that meet in the season's opening series on March 20-21 in Tokyo.


A 10-time All-Star who won the American League Rookie of the Year and MVP awards in 2001, Suzuki spent his first 12 major league seasons in Seattle, went on to play for the New York Yankees and Miami, then returned to the Mariners last season. He hit .205 in 44 at-bats before moving to a front-office role in early May.

It long appeared Suzuki's goal was to play in the opening series in Japan, where he won seven Pacific League batting titles with Orix. He had a .311 career average in the North American major leagues with 3,089 hits in 18 seasons.

rooting for him

[ApricotSinner32]

Good morning prickballs...................

[ApricotSinner32]

Man I couldn't get the extra point for that message? Fack

[El Nino]

Three more weeks til I’m in Zona for some spring training, can’t wait!

Sloan Park is nice

[Otters27]

Went to Zona once to watch Griffy Jr. In spring training game. He didn't play

[koz-man]

Danny Farquhar will be pitching a sim game in a few moments at Steinbrenner Field. Another big step as his recovery from the ruptured aneurysm he experienced last year continues.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Jake, Padres looking to get Keuchel. I hope they do, they don't have pitching.

I don't want him, have never really been impressed. Not sure what type of dollars he is looking for, but I would not pay him more than 10 mil/year.

[dudekid]

I don't want him, have never really been impressed. Not sure what type of dollars he is looking for, but I would not pay him more than 10 mil/year.

Agree here. Keuchel is severely overrated imo. Made a name off one great season, but his K/9 is garbage, BB have been increasing, and for a control/groundball type pitcher, when he is off, he gets hammered. THAT SAID, Petco would probably be the best landing spot for him, pitcher friendly park facing NL lineups

[EmpireMaker]

10:00am: The Dodgers’ interest in Harper is still on a shorter-term pact, tweets Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Harper and agent Scott Boras are still eyeing a long-term deal. Mark Feisand of MLB.com tweets that the Phillies are the only team currently negotiating a “true” long-term deal with Harper and agent Boras. The Giants, like the Dodgers, are still only interested at shorter terms than the 10-year offer Philadelphia is reportedly willing to put on the table.
7:38am: The Dodgers have jumped back into the Bryce Harper bidding and held a meeting with him as recently as last night, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports (via Twitter). Dodgers officials, including manager Dave Roberts, were seen in Las Vegas to meet with Harper. Per Jeff Passan and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN (Twitter links), the Dodgers re-engaged with Harper’s camp two weeks ago, although at the time, they were still hoping to secure Harper on a shorter-term pact. Harper, however, has been seeking at least a 10-year deal and has not budged from that thinking, Passan notes.
While there has not been any firm indication that the Dodgers are now willing to put forth a decade-long offer (or longer), the meeting is nonetheless quite notable at this juncture in Harper’s free-agent saga. Over the weekend, Phillies owner John Middleton also visited Harper in his home city, and reports at the time indicated that there was optimism surrounding the possibility of finalizing a 10-year deal with Harper as soon as tonight. That could still prove to true, but the question for many onlookers had been whether the Phillies were bidding against themselves. That no longer appears to be the case, as the Vegas meeting between the Dodgers and Harper suggests a rather sincere level of interest on their end.
Los Angeles has already added one big-ticket outfield item this winter, signing A.J. Pollock to a four-year deal worth $55MM, and bringing Harper aboard would give them a new right fielder to go along with their new-look center fielder. It’d also muddy the outfield mix a bit, leaving only one spot with Joc Pederson and Cody Bellinger in need of at-bats there. Bellinger could also see time at first base, of course, although that would come at the cost of playing time for 2018 breakout slugger Max Muncy.
That said, the Dodgers are never ones to shy away from cultivating extreme levels of depth, and bringing Harper into the fold would create an extraordinarily deep mix of offensive options for Roberts. Of course, the Dodgers have also reportedly explored deals involving Pederson this winter as well, and signing Harper could also prove to be a harbinger for the trade of another outfielder.
The Dodgers already traded away Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and Alex Wood in what looked at the time to be a trade that opened both roster space and luxury tax breathing room for a possible Harper addition, but the only notable signing they’ve made since that swap was Pollock’s four-year pact. Adding Harper would definitively skyrocket the Dodgers into luxury tax territory, as they’re already only about $4MM shy of that threshold, per Jason Martinez of Roster Resource.

[JMobile]

Harper better pick a team already.

[batt33]

Harper better pick a team already.

rumor by the end of the week......

[Cross]

Seriously, what is the Harper holdup going on??

[jrgum3]

Agree here. Keuchel is severely overrated imo. Made a name off one great season, but his K/9 is garbage, BB have been increasing, and for a control/groundball type pitcher, when he is off, he gets hammered. THAT SAID, Petco would probably be the best landing spot for him, pitcher friendly park facing NL lineups

Agree with Petco helping any pitcher even Keuchel. I think some of the offenses in the NL West will probably make him look like a world beater as well.