Ex-O’s lefty has big shot with Brewers
get him more back to where he was, and it’s kind of that All-Star form.”
Milwaukee: For the first time as a major leaguer, DL Hall appears to be a shooin to win a spot in a starting rotation. The 25-year-old is in prime position for a breakout season for a Brewers team that sent ace Corbin Burnes to the Orioles with the belief that Hall can, in time, become his replacement. “To get the opportunity to just have a chance at breaking into the rotation, that’s super exciting for me,” Hall said. “My first spring training competing for a spot in the starting rotation. It’s all super fun and exciting, and I’m ready to go.” Hall, drafted 21st overall by Baltimore in 2017, was a starter in the minors and became a force to be reckoned with on an Orioles team that won the American League East crown. He finished 3-0 with an ERA of 3.26, a WHIP of 1.19 and 23 strikeouts in 191⁄3 innings over 18 appearances. The 6-foot-2, 203-pounder throws a four-seam fastball from a three-quarters slot that averaged 95.6 mph last season along with a slider, change-up and an occasional curveball that actually was his best pitch coming out of high school and one that he hopes to use more frequently. “The term that I think describes him best is electric,” pitching coach Chris Hook said.
New York: For the third straight season, the Mets will be without their top starting pitcher on opening day, and Tylor Megill could be the prime beneficiary. Kodai Senga was shut down from throwing before even making his spring debut after he was diagnosed with a moderate strain of the posterior capsule in his right shoulder. After receiving a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection on Feb. 23, Senga could be on the shelf for at least three weeks. His absence opened up a competition for the final spot in the rotation, and Megill, who has started each of the last two opening days following injuries to Jacob deGrom and Justin Verlander, has made a quick strong impression. Through five innings, Megill had allowed one earned run and struck out seven while giving up four hits and issuing no walks at press time.
Philadelphia: The Phillies signed ace Zack Wheeler to a three-year, $126 million contract extension. The deal is the highest annual average salary in a contract extension in baseball history. The Phillies and Wheeler compromised on the deal, with Wheeler accepting a shorter-term contract than he wanted, but in return received the fourth-highest annual salary by any player. The only players who earn more are Shohei Ohtani ($70 million), Max Scherzer ($43.3 million) and Justin Verlander ($43.3 million). The deal does not contain any optouts, while Wheeler will have no-trade rights after the season since he will have 10-and-5 rights being with the organization five years with 10 years of major league service . ... After a run of 27 years, the Phillies are discontinuing their popular Dollar Dog Night promotion, the team said last week in a release, in part over unruly fan behavior, and replacing it with a buy-one-get-one-free deal. This move comes after an April 2023 game against the Miami Marlins when several fans flung the franks in a food fight that resulted in multiple ejections, per The Philadelphia Inquirer. There was another Dollar Dog Night game at Citizens Bank Park last April, against the Mariners, that resulted in a brief delay when fans tossed the hot dogs onto the field.
Pittsburgh: Ed Ott, a former catcher and coach who helped the Pirates win the 1979 World Series, died March 3. He was 72. Ott died in the central Pennsylvania town of Danville, according to the Pirates. “We are saddened by the loss of such a beloved member of the Pirates family,” Pirates President Travis Williams said in a statement. “Ed spent seven of his eight years in the major leagues with the Pirates and was a valued member of our World Series championship team in 1979.” The Muncy, Pennsylvania, native was selected by Pittsburgh in the 23rd round of the 1970 amateur draft out of high school. He batted .259 with 33 homers and 195 RBI in 567 major league games. Ott and Steve Nicosia were the main catchers when the Pirates won it all in 1979. Ott hit .273 with seven homers and a career-best 51 RBI in 117 regularseason games that year. He played in three World Series games against Baltimore, going 4-for-12 and driving in three runs. Ott appeared in his last major league game with the Angels in 1981. After his playing career was over, he was a minor league coach with the Angels, Pirates and Reds before working on bigleague staffs with the Astros and Tigers.
St. Louis: Cy Young runner-up Sonny Gray left his spring training start for the Cardinals against the Nationals with tightness in his right hamstring March 4 after getting two outs in the second inning. The three-time All-Star was cruising
at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches before his hamstring tightened up. Gray allowed one hit and struck out one while throwing 20 pitches. Gray, a 34-year-old right-hander, signed a $75 million, threeyear contract with St. Louis to anchor an overhauled rotation.
San Diego: Blake Snell, who won the NL Cy Young Award for the Padres last season, wanted a lucrative long-term deals when free agency began this offseason. Now, agent Scott Boras is informing teams that he is amenable to short-term contracts with opt-outs like Matt Chapman’s with the Giants. Snell, 28, appears to be more open to a shortterm deal and hitting the marketplace again. Yet, the Yankees are the only team that has confirmed they made an offer to Snell, and that was for $150 million over five years a month ago, which no longer is on the table. The Yankees say they’re not interested in signing Snell to a shortterm deal, considering the luxury tax implications and loss of a draft pick. Snell would prefer to pitch on the West Coast.
San Francisco: Manager Bob Melvin, who has been lobbying for the front office to sign Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman all winter, finally got his man last week. Chapman expected to sign much earlier than the first week of March, and for a lot more than the threeyear, $54 million contract he received. You don’t turn down $120 million from
the Toronto Blue Jays before hitting free agency and expect to receive just onethird of the total guarantee. Chapman and agent Scott Boras made sure the contract includes an opt-out after each of the first two seasons. It’s also why the Giants officially announced the contract as a one-year, $20 million deal, paying him $16 million in salary, a $2 million signing bonus and a $2 million buyout if he opts out. Chapman wants to prove that he’s worth much, much more on next year’s open market. “Definitely a strange market this year,” Chapman said, “and the free agent market was a little abnormal . ... If I was going to do something long term, I was going to get the value I’m worth.”
Washington: Hidden among all the other big names who have changed teams this offseason, two-time All-Star and Gold Glover Joey Gallo finds himself a member of the Nationals. Gallo had just one hit in seven at-bats this spring, striking out three times. In all fairness, Gallo is known for being a streaky player. That said, the last time he hit under .200 in the spring was 2020, and he went on to slash .181/.301/.378 with an 87 OPS+ during the COVID-shortened season.