Outside the Confines: Getting ready for the season

If Mr. Met can wear a mask, you can wear a mask.

• Spring Training is almost here! Tim Kurkjian explains how Spring Training is going to be different this year and he also shares a whole ton of stories from Spring Training of years gone past.
• Gabe Lacques four Spring Training storylines to watch out for this year.
• Anthony Castrovince has eight storylines for Spring Training.
• David Schoenfield has one thing to watch on each of the 30 MLB teams in Spring Training. (ESPN+ sub. req.)
• Winners and losers of the offseason.
• Fangraphs issued their starting postseason odds for this year and the Orioles already have a 0.0% chance of making the playoffs. There were some humorous reactions.
• The Mets have given a non-roster invitation to a 33-year-old outfielder who hit .163/.240/.255 in Triple-A in 2019. I forgot that when I had this job the first time, there was a self-imposed, unannounced ban on Tim Tebow stories. So this might be the last time you see a Tebow story from me.
• The Phillies gave a NRI to outfielder Odubel Herrera. Herrera missed all of 2020 with a suspension under MLB’s domestic violence policy.
• The Angels have named Matt Wise “interim” pitching coach while they investigate suspended pitching coach Mickey Callaway. (Callaway isn’t coming back, in case you were wondering.) Both Wise and Callaway pitched for the Angels 2002 World Series Championship team.
• Former SportsNet LA broadcaster Alanna Rizzo has opened up about the unwanted advances and overall sexist behavior she had to endure while working in sports. Rizzo does make clear that she has no problems with the Dodgers organization itself and that she quit to live with her family in Massachusetts.
• Angels manager Joe Maddon said that he expects that Shohei Ohtani will be at 100% in 2021 and will both pitch and hit.
• The Mets are the most bet-upon team to win the World Series in 2021. Never change, Mets fans.
• After a short 2020 season, Andy McCullough reports that teams are concerned about the inevitable increase in innings this season for their pitching staff. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• With this offseason almost over, RJ Anderson looks ahead to the top ten free agents after the 2021 season.
• Matt Synder believes next offseason will be much more active as many more teams look ready to spend next year.
• If you’re confused on which minor league teams are playing where, which minor league teams are no longer in affiliated ball, which minor league teams aren’t playing at all and which ones don’t know yet what they’re doing, here’s a graphic presentation that should answer all your questions.
• Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders criticized MLB for cutting 40 minor league teams, including the Vermont Lake Monsters. He says he’ll fight the changes, although I think he’s a little late at this point.
• Here is a list of the longest continuous affiliations of minor league teams with their MLB parent club. That’s the Iowa Cubs at number four.
• If you think the changes to minor league baseball is confusing, Eric Longenhagen explains how changes to the rules about the signing of international amateur players has thrown the entire international player market into chaos.
• Dodgers pitcher Tony Gonsolin tells Bill Shaikin about his work with a group that tries to help underpaid minor league ballplayers, something he knows about from first-hand experience. He also talks about his love of cats. In fact, he loves cats so much that he doesn’t have one himself because he knows his baseball life does not allow him to take proper care of one.
• There was a minor trade as the Rangers acquired pitcher Josh Sborz from the Dodgers in exchange for minor league pitcher Jhan Zambrano. I report on this story only because it is so hard to spell the names of the players involved. I mean, who can spell “Josh” correctly? Not me.
• The Brewers have signed a new broadcasting deal with Fox Sports Wisconsin. That leaves the Marlins as the only team currently without a local TV deal for 2021.
• Neil Paine nominates the recently-retired Dustin Pedroia to his Hall of Pretty Damn Good Players.
• Inspired by the story about Giants player Drew Robinson, RJ McDaniel writes about the stigma still attached to mental illness in baseball and elsewhere, and their own suicide attempt.
• And finally, some good news. “Big Sexy” pitcher Bartolo Colon has signed to pitch in the Mexican Baseball League at age 47. I’m going to count Colon as a four-decade player, even if the Mexican league doesn’t actually count towards that.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.