The sun is shining, the flowers are blooming and teams have made their way to Florida and Arizona for MLB spring training. After a busy offseason full of scandals and unexpected trades, here are six storylines to watch in the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues.
Reactions to Astros, Red Sox scandals
The Astros cheated. People were fired. New people were hired to replace them. Only a few members of their 2017 championship team have apologized publicly, and the organization bungled the apology completely. A complete organizational shakeup is difficult for any team, and spring training will be a good venue to determine how this team will perform while the scandal is still fresh in the minds of other teams and fans of the sport.
The Red Sox sign-stealing investigation is still ongoing, but the hiring of new manager Ron Roenicke and the trade of star player Mookie Betts are other reasons to keep an eye on this team as it adjusts during the spring. Commissioner Rob Manfred had said he was hopeful of wrapping up his investigation before spring training started, but there has been no public timetable for a decision or possible punishments.
Player retaliation
A lot of players have come forward with quotes that suggest they would, if given the opportunity, throw at Astros hitters or start a brawl. Braves outfielder Nick Markakis said, "I feel like every single guy over there needs a beating." Dodgers pitcher Ross Stripling said that, if given the opportunity, he would throw at a Houston player.
Considering the level of vitriol toward the Astros after MLB declined to punish players for the sign-stealing scandal, it's probably only a matter of time before something happens. The question is whether this type of behavior starts in spring training, where stats don't matter, or whether teams wait for the start of the season to make their point.
FAGAN: MLB players must speak loudly and publicly to stop cheating in real time
Gerrit Cole
Cole is coming off a dominant 2019 season, when he finished second in American League Cy Young voting to former Astros teammate Justin Verlander. His numbers were more than impressive: a 20-5 record, an AL-leading 2.50 ERA and an MLB-leading 326 strikeouts. The Yankees signed him to a nine-year, $324 million contract, the largest ever for a pitcher, in the offseason.
Though MLB officially cleared the Astros of cheating during the 2019 season, players on other teams have said the sign-stealing never stopped. It will be interesting to see if Cole can avoid backlash as he tries to get acclimated to his new team.
The Mets
The Mets never fail to add drama. They were indirectly caught up in the Astros scandal during the offseason when they hired alleged sign-stealing ringleader Carlos Beltran as their new manager, then had to fire him once backlash from the investigation started rolling in.
Earlier this month, reports came out about the Mets' new spring training clubhouse, where minor leaguers are banned from entering "to remind them of the status they're working to earn." Oh, and one player has already suffered a broken a toe while in his hotel room. Only the Mets.
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The Nationals
The 2019 World Series champions have moved on from players who were keys to their success, including third baseman Anthony Rendon and fan favorite Gerardo Parra, who galvanized the team with his "Baby Shark" walkup song. Like many teams, they've been touched by the Astros scandal. Former Red Sox manager Alex Cora reportedly warned the Nationals about the Astros stealing signs during last year's Series. General manager Mike Rizzo added fuel to the fire when he denounced the Astros' apology for the scandal.
"Somebody’s got to say the words over there, 'cheated,'" Rizzo said. "That’s important to me. We keep skirting around the word and they cheated. They were found guilty of it and I haven’t heard it yet."
Because the Nationals won the World Series, people will be looking to them for answers on how they beat Houston on the road amid more suspected cheating. With so many questions and distractions, spring training will a good time for the team to regroup, and perhaps get the credit they deserve for taking down the Astros on an allegedly uneven playing field.
The AL Central
The division has long been made up of mostly mediocre teams and one great team. That could change this year. The White Sox made a series of win-now moves: adding Yasmani Grandal, Edwin Encarnacion, Nomar Mazara, Dallas Keuchel and Gio Gonzalez and re-signing Jose Abreu. They also signed young outfielder Luis Robert to a long-term deal to pair with Eloy Jimenez.
With the Twins now the perennial contender instead of the Indians, it will be interesting to watch two teams fighting for the Central title instead of one. Chicago and Minnesota won't meet until April 10, so the Sox will have plenty of time to gel before that series. Although you can't always trust what you see in spring training, it could offer a nice preview of just how dominant these new White Sox could be.