Phoenix— In this lightning version of the preseason, there are only two weeks left before April 7, the opening day of the MLB regular season.
That’s not a long time to get pitchers and hitters ready for a 162-game season per team, especially considering exhibition games started just a week ago.
Many players have had only their first at-bats or have thrown very little off the mound. The bosses’ strike of 99 days, from December to mid-March, forced to tighten the agenda.
Clubs are also looking to fill payroll gaps through free agents and trades, processes that were frozen during the lockout.
Among today’s trades, Thursday, the Toronto Blue Jays sent outfielder Randal Grichuk and $9.7 million to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Dominican Raimel Tapia and Venezuelan minor leaguer Adrian Pinto.
Grichuk, 29, hit .241 with 22 home runs and 81 RBIs in 149 games last season.
Romo signs with the Mariners
Seattle upgraded its bullpen by signing veteran Mexican reliever sergio romo for one year and two million dollars.
Adding another right-hander to the bullpen was a priority for the Mariners after losing Casey Sadler all season to shoulder surgery.
Romo, 39, spent last season with Oakland, the sixth team in his career. The “Lock” he had his greatest success during his nine seasons with San Francisco.
Arozarena and Álvarez renew
Two Cubans once named Rookie of the Year, Randy Arozarena and Yordan Alvarezwere among the 16 players who re-signed, along with All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette.
Arozarena will receive a $716,000 salary from the Rays in 2022, according to contract information obtained by The Associated Press. He had a .274 batting average, with 20 home runs, 69 RBIs and an .815 OPS.
Álvarez, the Astros designated hitter and outfielder who was named the 2019 American League award winner, will have a salary of $764,000. He hit .277 last year, with 33 homers, 104 RBIs and an .828 OPS.
Bichette will have a salary of $723,550. He averaged .298, with 28 home runs, 102 RBIs and 191 hits to lead the AL.
Atlanta right-hander Ian Anderson re-signed for $710,000 after pitching five hitless innings in Game 3 of the World Series against Houston.
Davis to the Diamondbacks
The right pitcher Zach Davis agreed to a one-year deal with Arizona and a mutual option for the 2023 season.
The Diamondbacks hope Davies bounces back from a rocky 2021 campaign when he went 6-12 with a 5.78 ERA with the chicago cubs and led the National League with 75 walks.
Ichiro to the mound
Ichirou Suzuki he will throw out the protocol first pitch in the Seattle Mariners’ home game against the Houston Astros on April 15. Suzuki — who played 19 seasons with the Mariners and had 3,089 hits — will be inducted into the Seattle Hall of Fame in August.
We would like to say thanks to the author of this post for this remarkable content
MLB teams prepare at full steam for the start of the season