As we count down to the moment when the World Baseball Classic rosters are announced (Thursday at 6 p.m. Eastern time on MLB Network), let’s take a look at some of the latest MLB news, including a trade involving the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals as well as the latest rumor buzz surrounding Shohei Ohtani.
MLB news: St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals make a trade
St. Louis added to its bullpen depth by making a deal with the cross-state rival Royals, trading for Anthony Misiewicz less than a week after Kansas City designated him for assignment.
It’s the second trade for the 28-year-old southpaw in the past seven months as he was dealt from the Seattle Mariners to Kansas City just before last year’s MLB trade deadline. He pitched in 13.2 innings over 17 games in Seattle, and 15.1 innings in 15 games with the Royals. In all of those outings, he combined for a 4.34 ERA/4.08 FIP/1.276 WHIP as opponents hit .248 against him.
Misiewicz will compete for a spot in the St. Louis bullpen this spring.
Shohei Ohtani rumors: Angels hope to keep him, but see competitors lining up
In an interview with Jon Heyman of The New York Post, Angels owner Arte Moreno expresses his hope about keeping Ohtani after his contract expires at the end of this season. However, he also talks reality in the article, saying there are plenty of teams (including the Mets, Dodgers and Padres) who could well have the resources to sign the superstar to what could be a history-making contract.
Moreno, who did an about-face this winter on his plans to find new ownership for the Angels, admits to Heyman that Ohtani wants to be a winner, so Moreno knows putting together a team that can compete for the postseason this year is critical. The Angels have been busy this offseason, adding Tyler Anderson and Carlos Estevez to boost the pitching corps and Brandon Drury, Hunter Renfroe, and Gio Urshela to add some additional weapons to the lineup along with Ohtani and perennial MVP candidate Mike Trout.