AMERICAN
Aaron Judge stayed in the dugout at Petco Park last October and watched. The Rays mobbed each other on the field, edging past the Yankees in the American League Division Series. Another postseason and for Judge, another empty feeling watching the other guys celebrate.
“Every year I put my heart and soul into this game, into my teammates, into the city into this organization. So that’s why every year it hurts when we lose. I feel like I let the city down, I feel like I let my teammates down. Those cuts are deep,” the Yankees slugger said after a few months of letting the sting heal. “But those are just scars, and I got scars all over me of past losses and past experience, but all it’s doing is making us stronger.”
It’s been 12 years since the Bombers won a World Series, or even appeared in the Fall Classic. With the window closing on this group of “Baby Bombers’” team control and with ace Gerrit Cole in the prime of his career, Judge and the Yankees have to hope those scars have made them tough enough to break that slump.
For a team with 27 World Series titles and an alumni list that looks like a mini Cooperstown, Judge knows that there is no pride in a playoff appearance. He’s had four years of disappointment to prove that. The preseason favorites in the American League, Judge uses the sting of Octobers past to fuel him now.
“I just try to build off those experiences, what worked, what didn’t work, and it’s all gonna make it sweeter in the end,” Judge said. “And that’s what’s gonna make the ultimate prize, bringing a championship back so much, so much sweeter.”
What has not happened for the Yankees in the last few years is keeping their stars like Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Luis Severino healthy and on the field. Their lack of pitching depth also bit them against the more flexible and adaptable Rays last season. Heading into baseball’s second season under the coronavirus pandemic, the Yankees believe they have invested enough — while still working within tight financial constraints — in those areas to break through. .
“Talk is always cheap, obviously at this point, but I really liked the winter that we’ve had with some of the additions we’ve made. I think (they) are going to be impactful and to go along with already the makeup of this team that is of championship caliber,” said Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who is in his fourth season and final year of his contract. “Now we get to come together as a team and start trying to lay what we hope is that championship foundation and, you know, hopefully this is the year we get to the top of that mountain we certainly feel like we have a club that’s in that mix to survive.”
The Yankees re-signed LeMahieu, their MVP the last two years. After losing Masahiro Tanaka, James Paxton and J.A. Happ to free agency, they brought in Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon, two veterans who come with impressive resumes, but also have a history of injuries which made them available at the Yankees’ price.
Kluber has pitched one inning since 2019 because of a broken arm and then a shoulder injury
DJ in 2020. Taillon, whose list of career injuries includes testicular cancer, is coming back from his second Tommy John surgery.
The key to Taillon and Kluber contributing this season or for Judge and Stanton, for that matter, is staying healthy. After 2019 when the Yankees had an MLB-record 30 players on the injured list, they revamped their health, training and medical department. They hired trainer Eric Creesey to head the sports performance department. It didn’t really help in 2020, with both Stanton and Judge missing more than half the season with injuries. Both Stanton and Judge revamped their offseason workouts with Creesey and came into spring training healthy. The Yankees expect to see a difference this year, and that could be all the difference they need.
“When we made the move to Eric Cressey, it was something that was going to really pay dividends for us over time,” Boone said. “We’ve had 12, or 14 months together now, albeit also in a pandemic so it’s been a little more of a challenge, but we feel like we’re gonna start to see some of the fruits of that over the next year or two.”
Already loaded with young talent, the Toronto Blue Jays spent big this winter to add outfielder George Springer and infielder Marcus Semien, a pair of playoff-tested veterans with MVP credentials.
Inspired by those two signings, brash Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette is talking title.
“If we go home without a trophy, that’ll be disappointing,” Bichette said.
A World Series winner with Houston in 2017, Springer admired Toronto’s young core from afar while with the Astros, taking note of youthful sluggers Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Cavan Biggio.
Now that Springer has seen the Blue Jays youngsters up close, he’s even more impressed.
“They’re very advanced,” Springer said. “They’re advanced in their preparation, advanced in how they work, understanding what they need to do. I know it’s early but I’m very excited.”
The Blue Jays were among the busiest teams on the free-agent market. Besides signing Springer to a team-record $150 million, six-year contract and Semien to an $18 million, one-year deal, Toronto also gave contracts to a trio of righthander relievers; a $5.5 million, one-year deal with likely closer Kirby Yates; a $3 million, one-year contract with Tyler Chatwood, and a $1.75 million, one-year contract with David Phelps.
Toronto also acquired left-hander Steven Matz in a trade with the New York Mets.
“It’s an exciting time to have the Blue Jays adding pieces,” Semien said. “With this young group and the new pieces we have, we’re just going to have to learn how to play together and it’ll be a beautiful thing.”
Infielder Joe Panik was with the Blue Jays in 2020, when they finished 32-28 and qualified for the expanded postseason. Panik, who won the World Series with San Francisco in 2014, said he’s enjoyed watching the Jays develop from youthful upstarts into pennant contenders.
“Our time to win is now,” Panik said. “We know we have the talent, we have the experience. Now’s the time, our window of opportunity is open.”
PITCHING QUESTIONS
While the offense looks stacked, the Blue Jays don’t have a dominant pitching staff to match. Left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu is the dependable ace, but there are questions about what Toronto will get from Matz, left-hander Robbie Ray, and righthander Tanner Roark.
An NL All-Star in 2017, Ray posted an ugly 6.62 ERA with Arizona and Toronto last season. Ray re-signed early in the offseason and has worked with Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker. So far, the results are encouraging: Ray had a 2.18 ERA through three spring starts.
NEW LOOK
Springer will likely make most of his starts in center field, while Semien is moving from shortstop to second base to accommodate Bichette. Guerrero moved from third base to first base in 2020 and will play mostly first this season, with Cavan Biggio moving from second to third. Yates replaces Ken Giles as closer, with newcomers Chatwood and Phelps joining holdovers Rafael Dolis and Jordan Romano in set-up roles.
ROOKIES TO WATCH
Catcher Alejandro Kirk, 22, hadn’t played above Class-A before last season but excelled at the alternate training site and reached the majors in September, even making a postseason start at DH. Kirk continued to impress this spring, starting 5-for-10 with four RBIs in six games. Barring injury, or the Blue Jays carrying three catchers, keeping Kirk could mean losing three-year veteran Reese McGuire, who is out of options.
1 MORE WITH MONTOYO
The Blue Jays picked up the 2022 option on manager Charlie Montoyo’s contract midway through camp. Montoyo replaced John Gibbons after the 2018 season and is 99-123 as Toronto’s manager.
“He’s very steady in-game,” general manager Ross Atkins said. “His instincts are incredible. I couldn’t be happier working alongside him.”
LOST IN MIGRATION
Still unable to play in Canada because of COVID-19, the Blue Jays will begin the season at their spring training facility in Dunedin, Florida. If Toronto still isn’t an option once the heat and thunderstorms of summer arrive, one alternative could be a return to Buffalo, New York, their “home” in 2020. The hope is that mass vaccinations on both sides of the closed U.S.-Canada border will allow the Blue Jays to go back to Toronto before season’s end.
There’s unfinished business on the minds of the Tampa Bay Rays. The defending AL champions flirted with winning the World Series during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and are motivated not only to get back to baseball’s biggest stage but win it all after losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games.
“We’re not disappointed at all with the way last season ended. Obviously, we didn’t want to come up short, but we accomplished way too much to be disappointed about anything,” defensive whiz Kevin Kiermaier said. “To be one of the last two teams standing is something to be proud of.”
The Rays are coming off back-toback playoff appearances, their first AL East title in a decade and posting the best record in the league during a season shortened to 60 games and played while adjusting to strict protocols instated due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Kiermaier said reaching the World Series and losing whet the team’s appetite for more success.
Manager Kevin Cash will navigate the way with a revamped pitching rotation led by opening day starter Tyler Glasnow after the Rays declined a $15 million option on righthander Charlie Morton and traded 2018 AL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell to the San Diego Padres in cost-conscious moves.
Pitchers Michael Wacha, Chris Archer, Rich Hill and Collin McHugh were the team’s most notable offseason additions. Rookie Randy Arozarena will get an opportunity to play every day after a record-setting postseason that heightened expectations for the 26-year-old outfielder.
“It looks like it’s going to be a great year, with tons of talent in this clubhouse once again,” Kiermaier said. “It’s up to us to go out there and perform the way we’re capable.”
NEW LOOK
A versatile lineup will be largely the same, with Arozarena getting more playing time after a breakout postseason that saw him hit .377 with 10 home runs and 14 RBIs in 20 games. The Rays didn’t add much offensively, focusing instead of bolstering the pitching staff this winter. But Cash is confident they’ll score more runs if Austin Meadows, Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Diaz and Yoshi Tsutsugo rebound from subpar years at the plate. Wacha, Archer and Hill will fill openings in a revamped rotation, and McHugh adds depth to an already deep bullpen.
ROOKIES TO WATCH
Arozarena was called up from the Rays alternate training site in late August, appearing in 23 games and hitting .281 with seven homers and 11 RBI’s in 23 games during the pandemic-shortened season. He built on that with a record-breaking postseason that included AL Championship Series MVP honors. Left-handed pitcher Shane McClanahan is a newcomer who could have an impact, too, after making his major league debut during the postseason.
Wander Franco, a 20-year-old shortstop generally regarded as the best prospect in baseball, will begin the season in the minors.
DEEP BENCH
In addition to accumulating lots of candidates to help a pitching rotation depleted by decisions to part with Morton and Snell, the Rays have a formidable bullpen and versatile bench to give Cash plenty of flexibility filling out the lineup and making ingame moves.
Tsutsugo, Mike Brosseau, Joey Wendle and Brett Phillips aren’t household names, however Cash is excited to have them at his disposal.
Francisco Mejia, acquired in the trade that sent Snell to San Diego, is a once highly-regarded prospect who will share the catching job with Mike Zunino.
“We have talent and we have depth,” general manager Erik Neander said. “That’s what you need to win a lot of games.”
MORE COMFORTABLE
Cash expects Tstutsugo, who signed with the Rays as a free agent last winter after playing 10 seasons in Japan, to be more productive this year after struggling to get his bearings in the majors while playing through the pandemic in 2020.
The 28-year-old, who could get playing time as an outfielder and designated hitter, as well as at first and third base, batted .197 with eight homers and 24 RBIs as a rookie.
Cash said the pandemic posed challenges for all players, let alone one making the transition to the majors from another country.
I think he’s going to be a lot more comfortable,” Cash said. “Coming over from Japan ... there was just so much on his plate. We’re all very confident he can impact us with the bat, and his versatility (in the field) is going to help
There’s no team in baseball more eager to forget the 2020 season than the Boston Red Sox. With manager Alex Cora exiled for his role in the Houston Astros sign-stealing scheme and Mookie Betts sent West in a luxury tax reset, the Red Sox limped to a last-place finish in the pandemic-shortened season.
Ace Chris Sale (Tommy John surgery) and No. 2 pitcher Eduardo Rodríguez (COVID-19 damage to his heart muscles) never got on a mound. Slugger J.D. Martinez, an MVP candidate the previous two years, slumped his way to a .213 average, and third baseman Rafael Devers (14 errors in 57 games) fumbled the ball all year.
“As a team, obviously, we know what happened last year,” Cora said from the Red Sox spring training complex in Fort Myers, Florida, as he tried to get the team ready for the season.
“There’s a lot of people here that weren’t here,” he said. “I have to turn the page too, right? I’ve got to keep moving forward. If it’s hard for them to turn the page from last year ... Hey, look at me and the way I’m going about my business. If they (want to) forget about that, they can look at me and do the same.”
The Red Sox have won it all twice in the past eight seasons, but they’ve also finished last four times in a decade of see-saw results while churning through five managers. Cora, who led the 2018 team to a franchise-record 108 regular-season wins and a World Series title, was ousted after an MLB investigation identified him as the ringleader in Houston’s cheating scandal.
Bench coach Ron Roenicke took his place in 2020, but never really had a chance after Betts and David Price were traded to the Dodgers in a spring training salary dump. The Red Sox finished 24-36; Roenicke was out, and Cora was back.
This year’s team still has Xander Bogaerts at shortstop, Martinez and Devers trying to bounce back from off years, and the hope that Sale will return by midseason to lead a rotation that looks a lot better if he and Rodríguez are starting every fifth day.
Cora thinks it might be enough to make people forget about 2020.
“We finished last in the division; we know that,” Cora said. “But we have a good team.”
IN THE ROTATION
Sale and Rodríguez were the likely top two starters before missing the entire season. They will go to the head of a rotation that also includes Martín Pérez, Nathan Eovaldi and newcomer Garrett Richards. Until Sale returns, Nick Pivetta, who pitched well after coming over to the AL midseason, will have a spot as well.
NEW LOOK
The outfield of Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Andrew Benintendi that led Boston to the 2018 World Series title is no more. In their place, could be Hunter Renfroe, Alex Verdugo and Marwin González -- at least until Franchy Cordero is cleared to play after starting spring training late because of COVID protocols.
Enrique Hernández slides into second base after years of stopgaps since Dustin Pedroia was first injured in 2017.
CLOSING IT OUT
Matt Barnes, who earned nine saves last season as the de facto closer, will vie with ex-Yankee Adam Ottavino for the closer’s job. Hirokazu Sawamura and left-hander Darwinzon
Hernández will also fill key bullpen roles and could wind up finishing games if the others falter.
ROOKIES TO WATCH
Sawamura is a 32-year-old rookie who pitched 10 years in Japan’s top league before signing as a free agent this offseason. Bobby Dalbec, who hit eight homers in 80 at-bats last year, will get a chance to win the first base job.
The Baltimore Orioles have more interesting and more talented players entering the 2021 season than they’ve had in the last two years. They just don’t have enough of them. General manager Mike Elias has remade the roster, selling off veterans and building up the farm system, but he knows in the third year of a rebuild that the team isn’t ready to compete in the rugged American League East.
“The competition that we need is here in order to staff this roster in order to put an interesting group out that will have an opportunity to carry forward our goals and have a competitive team and a team that will continue to develop us into the playoff team that we’re ultimately building towards,” Elias said.
The Orioles’ most accomplished player is first baseman Trey
Mancini, who underwent colon cancer surgery a year ago and missed the entire season..
Mancini has made it through spring training healthy, but Elias could deal him and Anthony Santander, a rising young right fielder, for more prospects as the July trading deadline nears.
There are projections that give the Orioles no chance, 0.0%, of making the playoffs.
“It’s the least of my concerns,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “I’m not worried about an article. I’m worried about he guys in our room. I’m worried about getting better on a daily basis, and we’re controlling what we can control.”
Hyde’s likely Opening Day starter, left-hander John Means, who was the team’s lone All-Star in 2019, agrees with Hyde.
“I think the last two years, we’ve been projected to finish last, and I don’t think we’ve done it yet,” Means said. “I think we’ve outplayed projections every year that I’ve been up here, and the play here is to outplay the projections again.”
NEW LOOK
The Orioles have many new faces, but most of them had their best seasons back when their new team was a consistent winner. Two projected starters, right-handers Felix Hernandez and Matt Harvey were dominant pitchers in the middle of the last decade. Hernandez left Tuesday’s game with right elbow discomfort.
Baltimore’s new double play combination, second baseman Yolmer Sanchez and shortstop Freddy Galvis, could be an improvement. Sanchez won the Gold Glove for the Chicago White Sox and Galvis is coming off his worst season with Cincinnati last year. On Tuesday, Baltimore signed free agent Maikel Franco to play third base.
ROOKIES TO WATCH
Ryan Mountcastle, new to the outfield last year, could split time between left field and designated hitter. Mountcastle made a smooth transition to the outfield and hit .333 in 35 games. He’s technically still a rookie because he fell four at-bats short of losing that status.
The Orioles could have three rookies in the starting rotation, righthander Dean Kremer, and left-handers Keegan Akin and Bruce Zimmermann. The trio is woefully short on experience, a combined 11
They’ll need lots of help.
Baltimore’s brightest hope, catcher Adley Rutschman, the overall No. 1 draft choice in 2019, has played just 37 professional games, and sorely missed the canceled minor league season in 2020. He may not see the majors until 2022.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO CHRIS DAVIS?
starts.
In 2013 and 2015, Davis led the major leagues in home runs, and then signed a seven-year, $161 million contract.
Since then, things have gotten worse for the slugger, who turned 35 on Wednesday. After playing in just 16 games and hitting .115 in 2020, Davis has batted only twice this spring, and is likely to begin the 2021 season on the injured list with a back injury.
MANCINI’S COMEBACK
While his teammates were playing last season, Mancini was undergoing chemotherapy and watching each game on television.
In 2019, Mancini was voted the team’s most valuable player when he hit 35 home runs, drove in 97 runs and hit .291.
So far, his spring has gone seamlessly. By design, Mancini has played every other day.
“I felt better at the plate than I expected,” Mancini said after his first game on Feb. 28. “I felt like I had a good mindset up there, picked up where I left off.”
The Minnesota Twins have returned largely the same team that won the last two AL Central titles and added some accomplished newcomers to help fill a few holes. For all the familiar spring optimism, the franchise’s historic fall failures loom large. Even Rocco Baldelli, as easygoing a manager as there is in the major leagues, won’t pretend to ignore that alltime-record 18game postseason losing streak.
“We have to play better. We’re going to stand up raise our hands and say that, but I also know that looking in that clubhouse that those are the right guys to do the job. Those are the guys who are going to go out there and win our next playoff game,” said Baldelli, who’s entering his third year with the Twins and has overseen five of the losses.
Hitting was the biggest problem last season. The Twins scored the second-most runs in baseball in 2019 but ranked just 18th last year. In their two-game sweep by Houston in the opening round of the postseason, they totaled two runs on seven hits.
The Twins will be banking on bounce-back years by catcher Mitch Garver, right fielder Max Kepler and first baseman Miguel Sano, and healthier seasons for third baseman Josh Donaldson and center fielder Byron Buxton. The arrival of four-time Gold Glove award-winning shortstop Andrelton Simmons has allowed the offense-oriented Jorge Polanco to move to second base and put .331 career hitter Luis Arraez in the super-sub, multi-positional role. The only regular who departed was left fielder Eddie Rosario.
“We have a really good offensive group,” Baldelli said. “We have a lineup that is capable literally of anything on any given day. I enjoy writing out our lineup, believe me. I wish I could say we went out there in the playoffs and did what we expected to do. We didn’t, but I think it’s certainly not farfetched that in our next playoff game — whenever that may be — that we will be there and be ready to score a bunch of runs.”
NEW LOOK
The biggest boost to the pitching staff this year might actually be Simmons, who has been hampered by ankle injuries in each of the last three seasons but can field this vital position as well as anyone in the game.
J.A. Happ and Matt Shoemaker, with a combined 22 years in the majors, were added on low-risk contracts to fill out the rotation. Likely closer Alex Colome was plucked from the bullpen of the Chicago White Sox, who’ll almost certainly be the primary competitor in the division. Hansel Robles, who had a rough 2020 with the Los Angeles Angels, was another addition with ninth-inning experience who’ll be asked to handle late-game outs along with Taylor Rogers and Tyler Duffey.
ROOKIES TO WATCH
Alex Kirilloff played so well in the intrasquad games at the team’s alternate training site during the pandemic-altered season that he became the rare player to make his major league debut in the playoffs. The 2016 firstround draft pick is on track to take over for Rosario in left field, but if the team decides to start him in Triple-A then another top-grade prospect, Brent Rooker, could get the bulk of the early playing time. Behind them is 2018 first-rounder Trevor Larnach, giving the Twins a wealth of young outfield talent to tap for years to come.
BULKED-UP BUXTON
Buxton’s tantalizing skill set has been frequently off limits to the Twins due to a litany of injuries over his career, largely due to bad luck or his aggressive style. The 27-year-old center fielder, who hit 13 homers in 130 at-bats last season, added 10 or 15 pounds of muscle during winter training.
FROM THE TOP
Kenta Maeda, who finished second in the AL Cy Young Award voting in his first season with the Twins, will start the opener on April 1 at Milwaukee. Jose Berrios will follow him in the rotation.
“I’m so happy that I may be floating a little bit,” Maeda said through his interpreter after being told by Baldelli of the assignment. “When I first came over to MLB, being an opening day starter was something that I never dreamed of.”
BEEN A LONG TIME
The Twins last won a postseason game in 2004 and haven’t advanced to the next round since 2002. The only team that has been waiting longer is the Seattle Mariners, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2001. The Cincinnati Reds have not advanced in the postseason since 1995, but they did experience a win in the playoffs as recently as 2012.
The 10,000 fans with tickets to the first home game on April 8 against the Mariners won’t be worrying about that postseason skid, only giddy to be back at Target Field again after COVID-19 kept the gates closed in 2020. The ballpark for now will be open to 25% capacity.
“As much as I loved watching our team play, I found the environment to be soulless,” team president Dave St. Peter said, “and I never really want to experience it again.”
Expectations are soaring on the South Side. The Chicago White Sox come in with their sights set on a World Series championship perhaps as soon as this year following a breakthrough season.
They vaulted into the playoffs for the first time since 2008, then added to an already deep roster. After tying for second in the AL Central at 35-25 and ending a string of seven losing seasons, the White Sox see no reason why they can’t contend for a title.
“We want to win a ring,” ace Lucas Giolito said. “We want to win a World Series.”
The White Sox haven’t won it all since 2005. But they haven’t been in a position like this since then, either.
The White Sox hired Tony La Russa for a second stint 3 ½ decades after firing the Hall of Fame manager. And they added some big pieces to their roster.
The most notable was the $54 million deal for closer Liam Hendriks, who happened to be on the mound for the final out when Oakland eliminated Chicago in Game 3 of their wild card series last year. Chicago also boosted the rotation by acquiring Lance Lynn from Texas.
The White Sox boast a powerful lineup led by AL MVP Jose Abreu and 2019 major league batting champion Tim Anderson. The rotation, led by Giolito, and bullpen are deep, too. But it’s not just the talent that impresses La Russa.
“Our guys upstairs have really fortified depth with the talent in every part of the team,” he said. “I’ve seen talent half-step it, as far as they think that’s all they need. You really need to practice right. ... The workload this club is willing to take on is impressive.”
All that has the White Sox thinking big, with the opener at the Los Angeles
Angels on April 1.
NEW LOOK
The White Sox went all in while other teams were cutting back.
The bullpen, anchored by Hendriks, could dominate. The trade for Lynn gave them a workhorse starter to go with Giolito and Dallas Keuchel. But the most eye-opening move? Hiring La Russa to replace Rick Renteria.
The White Sox stuck with him when news of a drunken-driving arrest broke shortly after his hiring. LaRussa hasn’t filled out a lineup card since the Cardinals won the World Series in 2011, and at 76, he is the oldest manager in the majors.
ROOKIES TO WATCH
Though the White Sox feature a loaded lineup, they are handing the designated hitter spot to a 22-yearold with no experience above Class A. Then again, they have big hopes for Andrew Vaughn.
The No. 3 pick in the 2019 amateur draft, he was viewed as one of the most polished hitters coming out of college. He combined to hit .278 with six homers and 36 RBIs that year in the Arizona Rookie League and at Class A Kannapolis and Winston-Salem. With no minor league season in 2020, the only action he saw was at spring training and summer camp.
BOUNCE BACK
Yoan Moncada eyes a return to his 2019 form after being slowed by COVID-19 last year. Moncada went from hitting .315 in 2019 to .225. He finished the pandemic-shortened season with six homers and 24 RBIs in 52 games, down from 25 and 79 over 132 games.
ROBERT’S ROLLERCOASTER
The White Sox are counting on Luis Robert to take his game to another level following a tantalizing rookie season.
The speedy center fielder won a Gold Glove as a rookie after signing a $50 million, six-year contract last winter. He got off to a great start at the plate, struggled in September and finished with a .233 average to go with 11 homers and 31 RBIs.
FOR STARTERS
The White Sox have a strong onetwo-three punch at the top of the rotation with Giolito, Keuchel and Lynn. As for the other two spots?
Dylan Cease has the potential to dominate if he can harness his command after issuing 34 walks in 58 ⅓ innings last year. Carlos Rodon and Reynaldo Lopez are also vying for a place in the rotation.
Michael Kopech could be a big part of it at some point, though he’s in the bullpen for now as he pitches for the first time since 2018. He missed the 2019 season recovering from Tommy John surgery and opted out last year.
Since their odd 2020 season ended with a quick playoff exit, the Indians traded the face of their franchise and a popular pitcher and announced they’re changing their name, those decisions further enraging an already angry fan base.
Other than that, it was a quiet winter. Cleveland’s eventful offseason wasn’t entirely surprising. It was only a matter of time before the Indians would have to part with shortstop Francisco Lindor, who had moved way out of their range. So they swallowed hard and dealt him to the New York Mets with starter Carlos Carrasco in January.
The Indians had a marvelous six-year run with Lindor, winning three straight AL Central titles and getting to Game 7 of the World Series in 2016 with the four-time All-Star, Gold Glove winner.
Continuing to win won’t be easy without him.
“Frankie is one of the top players in the game of baseball,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “And that’s hard to replace. Sometimes you don’t just replace that with one bat, and we know that. And the next guy, whoever our shortstop is this year, he doesn’t have to be Francisco Lindor.
“That’s not fair.”
But it’s reality, and the truth is that Lindor’s loss is a substantial blow to a team that hasn’t raised a World Series title flag since 1948 — the majors’ longest current drought — and may have fallen behind two other teams in its division.
The Indians finished 35-25 last season, tied with Chicago for second behind Minnesota, before they were swept 2-0 by the New York Yankees in the wildcard round. The COVID-19 pandemic provided its own myriad obstacles in 2020, and the club spent most of the season without Francona because of his ongoing health issues.
And while the season didn’t end the way the Indians hoped, Shane Bieber’s emergence as the staff’s ace helped soothe some of the pain.
The 25-year-old led the majors in wins, ERA and strikeouts, a rare pitching Triple Crown that earned the right-hander a Cy Young Award and stamped him as one of baseball’s top pitchers. He’ll anchor a strong but inexperienced starting staff that will be counted on by Francona to pitch deep into games.
Bieber knows the outside perception is the Indians are trending the wrong way, but he’s assured they remain contenders, and with MVP candidate Jose Ramirez they have a player capable of carrying their offense.
“Very confident,” he said. “We had a young team last year, and we’ve got a young team this year again. We were kind of learning on the fly last year.
That’s the beauty of baseball, Major League Baseball specifically, turning over rosters year after year.
“You gotta learn each other and learn on the fly, but I guess if anything, it’s fortunate we’ve got quite a bit longer season this year, a little bit more time to work towards our ultimate goal.”
TITO’S HEALTH
This is Francona’s ninth season with Cleveland, if you count last year. He might not.
“Awful,” said Francona, who managed just 14 games before a gastrointestinal issue developed into several hospital stays.
Francona had another medical setback before training camp — a staph infection in his foot. But the 61-year-old feels recharged and is excited about his young team.
SHORT STORY
The Indians made sure they had a succession plan in place for Lindor when they acquired Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario from the Mets.
Gimenez has had an impressive camp and appears to have locked up the starting shortstop’s job. The club is giving Rosario outfield work and may keep him as a utility player.
“Part of the reason we felt comfortable enough to move Amed is because of what we see in Gimenez,” Francona said of the 22-year-old, who played in 49 games for the Mets in 2020. “This kid has really been bright spot for us.”
YOUNG GUNS
Cleveland has become a pitching factory.
No organization has done a better job of developing young pitchers in recent years than the Indians, who can take credit for molding Bieber and turning Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber into Cy Young winners before trading them.
They’ll need to work some of their magic with right-handers Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale and Triston McKenzie, who will have larger roles and throw more innings than ever in ‘21.
REBUILT ‘PEN
Brad Hand’s departure means James Karinchak (53 strikeouts in 27 innings last season) will most likely be Francona’s primary closer, with Emmanuel Clase, who missed last season due to a PED suspension, a nice backup plan.
Like many teams, Cleveland’s bullpen has several pitchers capable of throwing 100 mph.
“Last year I don’t know where we ranked as far as velocity goes. I bet it was toward the bottom,” Francona said. “I also thought we had a pretty good bullpen. So, ultimately what I care about is getting them out. But I admit it’s kind of exciting when you see some of the arms.”
NAME THAT TEAM
This will be likely be the Indians’ final season with a name they’ve had since 1915. The move will follow Cleveland’s earlier decision to remove the Chief Wahoo logo from its game jerseys and caps.
The buzz was evident from the moment that Whit Merrifield walked into the Royals clubhouse at spring training. He hadn’t felt it for a while. After four consecutive losing seasons, including back-to-back 100-loss campaigns, the Royals made the kind of moves this offseason that served notice that they were done with rebuilding. The signing of veteran first baseman Carlos Santana coupled with the trade for Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi filled their two biggest offensive holes, giving Merrifield and the rest of the Royals the confidence that they can compete for a division title again.
“We feel like we’ve signed some really good players, guys that are really going to help our team,” Merrifield said. “We feel like some of these young guys are at the point where they’re ready to help us, and we’re ready to see what they got.”
Oh yes, the young guys. That would be the pitching staff, which welcomed first-round picks Brady Singer and Kris Bubic last season and could see another wave of elite prospects take the mound at some point this season.
They’ll be hoping for more production from a new-look lineup that includes Santana, who regularly challenges for the league lead in walks; Benintendi, who is looking forward to roaming the spacious Kauffman Stadium outfield; Merrifield, the twotime league hits leader; catcher Salvador Perez, who is coming off another Silver Slugger season; outfielder and designated hitter Jorge Soler, a former league home run leader; and Hunter Dozier, back at his natural third base position.
Veteran lineup full of players with playoff experience.
Young and hungry pitching staff ready to take center stage.
No wonder there was a different feel this spring in Surprise, Arizona.
“We’re not walking out there expecting to lose,” said manager Mike Matheny, who led the club to a 26-34 record during his pandemic-shortened debut season in charge. “Our record wasn’t near where we wanted it to be but our caliber of play was getting close to winning-style baseball.”
WAITING FOR WITT
Bobby Witt Jr. is universally recognized as the top prospect in the Royals system, and he did nothing to dispute that during a torrid spring training. But the Royals like the defense Gold Glove finalist Nicky Lopez brings to second base, and they will likely give him the opportunity to start the season while giving Witt more experience in the minors.
If the 20-year-old infielder doesn’t make the opening day roster, though, there’s a good chance he’ll be in Kansas City soon.
“This kid, man,” Merrifield tweeted about him recently. To which Dozier replied, “He’s a freak!”
BAND IS BACK TOGETHER
The Royals brought back erstwhile closer Greg Holland last season, and he responded by going 3-0 with a 1.91 ERA in 28 appearances. Now, they’ve brought back Wade Davis, his stablemate from the 2015 championship team, giving some experience to a Kansas City bullpen that was borderline awful last season.
PITCHER PICTURE
So which other young arms could be taking the field at Kauffman Stadium? Start with left-hander Asa Lacey, the Royals’ first-round pick last summer who earned an invitation to big league camp.
Fellow left-hander Daniel Lynch has yet to pitch above Class A but also got a long look this spring. Right-handers Jackson Kowar and Jonathan Bowlan have futures in the rotation or bullpen, and the ridiculous velocity Carlos Hernandez has shown could make him a late-inning stalwart.
BACKUP BOYS
There were precious few jobs up for grabs this spring, even as backups. Cam Gallagher will return behind Perez at catcher, Ryan O’Hearn will likely handle first base duties when Santana gets a day off, and the Royals brought back another member of the 2015 team when it signed veteran speedster Jarrod Dyson as the fourth outfielder.
The one spot in the lineup that could be up for grabs is the utility role. The Royals signed Hanser Alberto to a minor league contract and he’s played well enough — with enough versatility — to force his way on the team.
HEAD GAMES
Matheny acknowledged he may have thrown his team for a loop last year when he sent them some required offseason reading — a book called “Legacy” about the New Zealand rugby team that breaks down its winning culture. So, Matheny let them enjoy this offseason without any homework and they wound up arriving to camp with confidence to spare.
“When you feel like all pieces are all in the same mindset,” Matheny said, “that we’ve got a chance to do something really special here and we just keep making that investment from the top level, it’s just so encouraging. It’s hard for us not to be excited. We’re being realistic here. It’s not just dreaming.”
It’s easy to look a few years ahead and imagine Casey Mize, Tarik Skubal and Matt Manning on the mound for the Detroit Tigers, with Spencer Torkelson at one of the corner infield spots and Riley Greene in the outfield.
That’s the blueprint for this franchise’s return to prominence. Getting from here to there is the challenge.
The Tigers have been one of baseball’s worst teams for the past four seasons, but now they’ve finally reached the point where they can boast a few highly ranked prospects. Not all of them have reached the major leagues yet, but this 2021 campaign could be significant in their development.
Detroit has been cautious over the past few offseasons, avoiding major long-term deals. The Tigers did bring in some veterans for this year like Robbie Grossman and Wilson Ramos, and general manager Al Avila said he wants his young players to have to earn their opportunities in the big leagues.
“Our goal is to get more young players established at the major league level and surround them with guys that we feel will take us over the top and help us win more games,” Avila said. “Next year, you’re talking about the offseason, the winter of ‘21, going into ‘22, yeah, I think at that point, we can add more to the organization.”
By the end of this season, the Tigers could have a much better sense of their timeline for returning to contention. Detroit has five of the game’s top 25 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. That includes Mize and Skubal, who both pitched in the majors last year with mixed results.
Torkelson was the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft, and Greene and Manning were first-round selections in 2016 and 2019.
This next stage of Detroit’s rebuild begins with AJ Hinch managing after Ron Gardenhire retired late last season. Hinch took over after losing his job as Houston’s manager and being suspended last season in the aftermath of the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.
NEW LOOK
The Tigers added Ramos to help shore up their catching situation, and the switch-hitting Grossman could help the outfield. Detroit also acquired outfielder Nomar Mazara and infielder Renato Nunez. plus pitchers Jose Urena, Julio Teheran, Derek Holland and Wily Peralta.
ROOKIES TO WATCH
Aside from those five top-25 prospects, Detroit has some other young players with a lot to prove this year. Outfielder Daz Cameron is someone to keep an eye on. The Tigers acquired him in the 2017 trade that sent Justin Verlander to Houston. Detroit hasn’t gotten much return on that deal so far, but Cameron made his big league debut last year and played in 17 games.
MILESTONES
Miguel Cabrera turns 38 in April, and his production has fallen off in recent years, but he does have a chance to reach a couple major milestones this season. Cabrera needs 13 home runs to reach 500 and 134 hits to reach 3,000.
Cabrera’s accomplishments can certainly provide some valuable lessons to Detroit’s younger players.
“It takes a long time to get to those numbers,” Hinch said. “As far as how consistent Miguel has had to be ... the routines that he’s developed, the posting and putting up monster numbers. To do that for close to two decades is probably motivation enough, and more than anything that I can say or illustrate to a young team.”
ROTATION QUESTIONS
The Tigers may use a six-man rotation this year, and Hinch has plenty of potential starters to choose from. While the progress of Mize, Skubal and Manning will be a big story this season, 2021 is also important for left-hander Matthew Boyd. He was Detroit’s opening day starter last season, but he did not pitch like an ace, going 3-7 with a 6.71 ERA.
“You go forward, and every single minute, every single opportunity that you have to pick up a baseball, it’s a moment to grow,” the 30-yearold Boyd said. “I had a lot of things that I could get better from last year. There were a lot of things that were also very good.”