Verlander throws 1st bullpen
There were some familiar faces in new places on Tuesday as teams picked up the pace on the second day of spring training.
Justin Verlander threw his first bullpen session for the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie, Fla., six days before he turns 40. Verlander helped Houston win the World Series for the second time in six seasons and won his third AL Cy Young Award before signing an $86.7 million, two-year contract with the free-spending Mets.
In Peoria, Ariz., suspended San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. went through outfield drills alongside Juan Soto. Manager Bob Melvin said Soto will move from right field to left field, where he started his career with Washington in 2018. That presumably means Tatis, an All-star at shortstop in 2021, will play right field when his 80-game drug suspension ends April 20, although the Padres haven’t committed to that.
Verlander agreed to a free agent deal with the Mets in December, replacing Jacob degrom and reuniting with his former Detroit teammate and fellow three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer.
Scherzer or Verlander figure to start the March 30 opener at Miami, when baseball gets its first official look at the team that has baseball buzzing after owner Steve Cohen’s record spending spree. Verlander and Scherzer were teammates with Detroit from 2010-14, when they each won one Cy Young Award. Scherzer won two NL Cy Youngs with Washington while Verlander went on to win two AL Cy Youngs with Houston.
“Just like all pitchers, regardless of their background and their success, you’re trying to serve their needs and create an atmosphere that they can be as good as they can be,” manager Buck Showalter said a day ahead of the team’s reporting date.
Verlander was 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA and 185 strikeouts in 2022 and helped the Astros beat Philadelphia in the World Series.
The Mets are hoping for a deeper run than last year when, after winning 101 games and finishing behind Atlanta in the NL East, they were eliminated by San Diego in a three-game Wild Card Series.
Now they’ll carry the expectations that come with a record payroll projected at $370 million.
“Is our season a failure if we win 90 — whatever number you want to come up with?” Showalter said. “It’s about the endgame.”
Showalter doesn’t need to remind his team about last year’s disappointment.
“You don’t talk about it,” he said. “It’s kind of those looks, without saying anything. They know, believe me. Like, who in here likes talking about unpleasant times?”
Zero is in New York
New York Yankees right-hander Domingo Germán is on track to become the third player in team history to wear No. 0.
The team released its spring training roster on Tuesday and Germán is listed as 0 after wearing No. 55 from 2019 through last year. Adam Ottavino and Jordy Mercer are the only two Yankees to use the number in a regular season game.
Ottavino is wearing No. 0 this year for the crosstown Mets.
Judge changes glove
Could Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge provide first base depth behind starter Anthony Rizzo?
Judge worked out at the position Tuesday during a pre-spring training workout at the Yankees minor league complex in Tampa, Fla.
Notes: Spring training games might be a little ugly this year, particularly during the first few weeks. For Major League Baseball, that’s a feature, not a bug. The Grapefruit and Cactus League games in Florida and Arizona over the next month will be used as a petri dish for the sport’s rule changes, including a pitch clock, bigger bases and limits to infield shifts. The idea is that the worst kinks will be worked out before opening day on March 30 . ... John Mozeliak’s contract as the St. Louis Cardinals’ president of baseball operations was extended through the 2025 season, the team announced Tuesday . ... Right-hander Michael Wacha has agreed in principle to a contract with the San Diego Padres, according to two people with knowledge of the deal.