MLB Rumors: A favorite to land Shohei Ohtani?
When Shohei Ohtani reaches free agency — should he not be traded by the Los Angeles Angels first, which seems very unlikely at the moment — he'll receive a contract north of $500 million, in all likelihood. Ohtani has earned that deal considering he's a two-way talent, and a former MVP. Ohtani is essentially two players in one, and even if he has a down year in one department, can still hit like a home run king, or pitch like a Cy Young winner on any given night.
If the Angels let Ohtani get away, they don't have to look far for a potential frontrunner. While the New York Mets, San Francisco Giants and others are expected to make plays for him, the Dodgers are considered favorites to land Ohtani in free agency.
"It makes too much sense for them," one executive said. "It's a market that responds to stars, and he's the biggest star in the game."
The Dodgers cut about 15 percent of its payroll, according to Buster Olney, in preparation for the Ohtani sweepstakes. Keep in mind, this is not an organization struggling for money — this is one preparing for an influx of cash. Ohtani will cost quite a bit and be a taxing hit for the organization, but he will also bring in new fans from across the west coast and international waters. The jersey sales and exclusive TV rights deals along will be worth the half-billion it costs to acquire Ohtani.
LA's offseason puzzled many around baseball: What did they know? A team typically known for being in the mix among the top free agents willingly let Trea Turner walk, and replaced many of their top talents in house.
Ohtani may stay out west after all, wearing Dodger Blue.
MLB Rumors: Cardinals top prospect should return soon
St. Louis Cardinals top prospect Jordan Walker has his swagger back, which means a return to the major leagues isn't far behind. Walker debuted to start the season, recording a hit in 12 straight games. Yet, despite a .274 batting average in his first stint, he struggled towards the end of it, and the Cards sent him down to work on some things.
But were those things? For one, Walker had a 60 percent ground ball rate, so the Cards hoped he would increase his barrel rate and perhaps hit the ball in the air more in a stint down in Memphis. So far, that has worked to perfection.
"You put a lot of pressure on yourself when you get to the big leagues, and you want to stay there, and not only stay there, but you want to help the team win ballgames, contribute," Memphis manager Ben Johnson said, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "That can be a lot of pressure for a young player, especially someone who's written about in the same likes of Ted Williams. It's tough for a young kid to come to terms with and to learn how to handle, but that's part of the process. And he's such a smart young man, he's going to be really, really good at these types of things going forward."
Walker has slashed .295/.403/.475 so far with the Redbirds Triple-A affiliate, and has two home runs and all RBIs in limited playing time. Assuming he keeps playing like this, a call-up could be looming. The Cards are rolling and could use some hot-hitting reinforcements.
MLB Rumors: Will Braves give Michael Soroka another shot?
The Atlanta Braves lost to the Oakland Athletics on Monday, but the long-awaited debut of Michael Soroka marked a greater personal moment for the 25-year-old.
"Today was a big one," he said, "a day like today and the people that believed in me. I always said I was going to be back here for the people that believed in me, not the ones that said I couldn't."
Soroka was the Braves 2020 Opening Day starter, but a series of lower-leg injuries cost him the better part of two seasons. After a successful stint in Gwinnett to start the year — and some very impressive spring training appearances — Soroka could be here to stay if Atlanta lets him.
"When I think about how long ago it really was, to be honest with you, we can even go back to 2019 because there was nobody in the stands in 2020 so it didn't really feel like big league baseball that year," Soroka said.
It had been 1,030 days between outings for Soroka, a time that felt like an eternity for the pitcher. A loss to the 10-win A's will sting, but he should receive more opportunities given the status of the Braves rotation. Max Fried and Kyle Wright are out long-term. Charlie Morton, Bryce Elder and Spencer Strider have held up well in their absence, but could use some reinforcements. If Soroka pitches well, there's little reason to send him back to Gwinnett for the time being.
"There's been some people in my corner for a long, long time that have stuck by me," Soroka said. "It's a day for them, too. Those were the people that kept me going."
Hopefully, one day will turn into an opportunity.
