Major League Baseball’s regular season is just about a month away, meaning teams have precious little time remaining this spring to upgrade their rosters ahead of Opening Day. As such, it’s probably fair to expect some last-minute activity to happen sooner rather than later. Below, CBS Sports has compiled all of Thursday’s most notable news, rumors, and moves in one handy spot.
Arenado didn’t view Yankees game as ‘showcase’
The Yankees have been connected in trade rumors to Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado throughout the offseason, but the veteran third baseman told reporters on Wednesday that he didn’t view his spring training game against New York was a “showcase” of any sort.
“I didn’t come here for that,” Arenado said, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “Day 3 of spring training. That wouldn’t be a good day to showcase myself. I’m not ready for that.”
Arenado went 0 for 3 with two strikeouts on the afternoon.
Arenado is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career. He remains under contract for the next three years at $74 million total, but the Cardinals have long been expected to eat part of that sum to facilitate a trade. Arenado, it ought to be noted, has the right to void any trade.
Mets add Ureña
The Mets, down a number of starting pitchers already, have signed veteran right-hander José Ureña to a minor-league deal to pad their depth, according to Newsday’s Tim Healey. Ureña, 33, is a veteran of 10 big-league seasons who has tallied career marks that include a 4.76 ERA (86 ERA+) and a 1.79 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Last year, he appeared in 33 games with the Rangers and compiled a 104 ERA+ while splitting the season between the rotation and the bullpen.
The Mets are likely to be without right-hander Frankie Montas (lat strain) for at least the first month or two of the season. Lefty Sean Manaea, meanwhile, is dealing with an oblique injury that could delay his own start to the year.
If the Mets can get through the rest of the spring unscathed, their Opening Day rotation would likely feature Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Clay Holmes, Paul Blackburn, and Griffin Canning in some order.
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