MLB: EXPECT ON-TIME SPRING TRAINING
Big-league managers say Major League Baseball instructed them to prepare for spring training to start on time in mid-February despite uncertainty around the coronavirus.
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash said Wednesday that officials from the commissioner’s office had a meeting with managers Tuesday and expressed optimism about opening spring camps as scheduled.
“That message has been fairly consistent,” Cash said. “We’ll continue to plan and prepare until we are told otherwise.”
Managers have said this week during digital Winter Meetings press availabilities that they expect health protocols to remain in place to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks. Teams instituted a number of policies during a pandemicshortened 60-game regular season in 2020 that produced better results as the year went on, largely keeping players and staff safe even as teams traveled around the country.
“I think Major League Baseball was somewhat the petri dish,” Cash said. “We were the first real big sport to really get going outside of a
bubble. Obviously if you look at last year’s situation, Major League Baseball, everybody adjusted on the f ly. Now there’s more sports that have done things, accomplished things.”
There’s concern that if opening day is delayed, pitchers in particular could risk overextending themselves by ramping up too soon.
“At the end of the day, we have to do the right thing, and it’s always been about the health and safety, well-being of players and fans and everybody included here as we deal with the issues surrounding
the pandemic,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “So right now we’re going as scheduled, with planning on playing a 162-game season, but you have to be adaptable. That’s one thing I’ve learned about 2020 and we know it’s going to play into 2021 a little bit as well.”
A vaccine for the novel coronavirus is likely to be made available to teams some time during the 2021 season, and while managers say they plan to be inoculated, no manager or team has said it will mandate vaccines for players. Most said they were eager to provide information to players, but not to issue directions.
Notable
Left-hander Alex Claudio agreed to a one-year, $1.125 million contract with the Angels, adding the sidearm reliever to their bullpen makeover.
Claudio, who is 15-8 with 13 saves and a 3.44 ERA in his major league career, has appeared in 239 games over the past four seasons with Texas and Milwaukee, third most by a pitcher in the majors during that stretch. He led the sport in 2019 with 83 appearances for the Brewers, tying their franchise record.
The Rays signed free agent catcher Mike Zunino, who hit .147 with four homers and 10 RBIs in 2020 with Tampa bay, to a $2 million, one-year contract that includes a club option for 2022.
The Mariners continued their bullpen overhaul by signing right-handed reliever Keynan Middleton, who was 0-1 with a 5.25 ERA in 13 games with the Angels last season.
Right-hander Anthony DeSclafani signed a $6 million, one-year contract with the Giants after going 1-2 with a 7.22 ERA over nine games — seven starts — with the Reds last season.