THE BIGGEST DRIP
The Mets have postponed Opening Day 2 to Friday because of the forecast of rain.
The Phillies-Braves game tomorrow is postponed, too.
Some folks play Riders on the Storm when it’s raining, but I like this one:
MOVING DAY
Final cuts come tomorrow, but the drip, drip, drip of roster-defining transactions is speeding up.
Those who drafted already may have hoped Matt McLain would avoid shoulder surgery and be back by midseason. I’m sure McLain hoped so too, but his second opinion on Monday led to Tuesday surgery, which will keep him out longer. The Reds say he might be back by year’s end.
It looks like Vaughn Grissom should be ready for extended spring training game action around April 10. The Red Sox hope he’ll be ready for major league action by the end of April.
Kevin Gausman will pitch for the Blue Jays on Sunday or Monday, manager John Schneider said. I wouldn’t expect him to go five innings.
Given the crowded Rays offense, it is surprising that Austin Shenton has made the OD roster. He plays corner infield, so it seems the team really doesn’t want Junior Caminero to start the year in the majors. Shenton showed some power in the minors last year but didn’t impress in camp this spring.
Given the Rays offense, it is surprising that they traded for Niko Goodrum and signed him to a major league deal. He does have options, though he left the Twins because he didn’t want to be sent down. He split his time last year between Korea and Triple-A for the Red Sox, where he was solid with the same modest power-speed combo as usual.
Rule 5 pick Nasim Nunez stole 52 bases last year in Double-A and now breaks camp with the Nationals. He’s a patient hitter with fantastic speed and defensive skills, which could add up to a Jon Berti-type profile if he gets enough at-bats. Sleeper alert!
As for Jon Berti, he finds himself today a member of the Yankees. That could work in his favor early in the season, with DJ LeMahieu and Oswald Peraza out, but it might be a problem later. He is very flexible defensively.
The Yankees sent Ben Rortvedt to the Rays, as their backup catcher. Rortvedt hasn’t hit much in the majors in limited action, but has had some success in Triple-A.
The Angels have replaced Shohei Ohtani as their DH with Miguel Sano, who last played in the majors in 2021. Sano hit a homer every 15 plate appearances this spring, but struck out 32 percent of the time. That’s Sano! He is reportedly in the best shape of his life after losing close to 60 pounds. He’s always hit the ball hard, when he’s hit it.
Oh, and for those following along at home, Jordan Montgomery signed with the Diamondbacks yesterday. In Tout Wars I bought free agents Blake Snell and Montgomery for $5 each, though I would lose either of them if they signed with and AL team. They did not. Jackpot! Very lucky. But neither of them is game-ready, so it will be a couple or three weeks before they join the active Rotoman squad.
CORRECTION
Don Drooker sells vintage baseball cards on Ebay in the rotisserieduck store. I forgot the Ebay part yesterday.
ROTOMAN’S FANTASY GUIDE 2024 UPDATE
Here’s a special sheet for folks who bought Rotoman’s Fantasy Guide 2024 softcover/PDF/Kindle. It is a Dropbox Excel download updated through March 21. There will be an update tomorrow.
It’s password-protected. The password is the last word in the Ronald Acuña Jr. profile in The Guide. Lower case.
If you want to make edits save it with a different name.
The Editor’s Letter and Why We Did Pages for Rotoman’s Guide, which are missing in the printed Guide, are here.
Members here at the Substack have an updated spreadsheet linked to after the paywall below (after Rotoman’s big signature). Paid subscribers, even for one month, get access to that one. It is updated each Thursday.
FOR SALE
Rotoman’s Fantasy Baseball Guide 2024, softcover, $20, Kindle, $10.
Rotoman’s Fantasy Baseball Guide 2024, PDF, $12.
Ron Shandler’s Fantasy Expert, hardcover, $25, Kindle, $12. I wrote the foreword.
Les Leopold’s Wall Street’s War on Workers, hardcover, $25, Kindle, $23. I did a lot of the data work and some editing.
HOUSEKEEPING
Monthly subscribers should turn off auto-pay now, so you don’t get billed for April. If you ask me I can do it for you, though there should be a control in the settings, too. If you sign up for monthly today I will turn off your autopay before the next renewal. Thank you for your support!
When Will I See You Again Dept.: Tomorrow is opening day, unless it’s raining. Questions and suggestions are appreciated.
I’ve posted the Historical Top Players by Position for 2021-2023 charts, after the Paywall.
Thanks for your comments, questions, arguments, and news.
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