3 MLB teams already facing spring training PR nightmares
It may be very early in spring training, but there are already three MLB teams that are putting out fires in their spring training camps because of injuries or contract uncertainties.
MLB injury news: New York Yankees pitcher Frankie Montas
It didn’t take long in the course of spring training for New York’s trade with the Oakland A’s for Montas to go from not so great to really, really bad.
This gut punch for New York’s rotation comes after Montas made just eight post-trade deadline starts for the Yankees last season after shoulder issues began to flare up.
There was already talk that Montas might miss some time at the start of the season with his shoulder, but the possibility of missing the entire season with the 29-year-old right-hander scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the campaign could very well make the time Montas spends in the Bronx very brief … and expensive for the Yankees, who sent four prospects to Oakland for Montas and reliever Lou Trivino.
MLB injury news: Texas Rangers pitcher Jacob deGrom
While we don’t yet know the extend of deGrom’s injury (or even if there is one), news coming out of the Rangers camp on Wednesday morning certainly wasn’t anything that Texas fans wanted to hear after deGrom was inked to a five-year, $185 million deal this offseason.
As our own Seth Carlson pointed out earlier today, even the slightest thought of an injury popping up for deGrom is enough to cause concern. Based on his previous injury history where small concerns turned into big problems, the Rangers have every right to hold deGrom back a little bit this early in spring training.
The fact that deGrom could have pitched through it, however, is a good sign for the Rangers, and the next day or two will be telling in terms of if this hiccup is merely that or the start of more issues. However, deGrom’s health is certainly always a story to keep an eye on, whether it’s spring training or the regular season.
MLB rumors: Bryan Reynolds “locked in” with Pittsburgh Pirates … for now
When the shocking news dropped during MLB winter meetings that Reynolds had not only requested a trade, but made that request public, there were plenty of questions about just how long the 28-year-old All-Star outfielder would be a part of the team. On Wednesday, he showed up at Pittsburgh’s spring training site ready to get to work, but also with plenty of clouds hanging over his future in the Steel City.
Reynolds made it clear on the first day of camp that he wants to sign an extension that is fair to both him and the Pirates and remain in Pittsburgh. He also expressed his emotions about not having a deal done yet and his name being a part of trade rumors for months on end.
It’s likely that those rumors will continue until the Pirates make clear what direction they are heading. If it’s with Reynolds, there has to be a sizable contract extension in the future. If it isn’t, the Pirates will likely get a sizable return back for his services. However, in the past, any talk of a Reynolds trade has had a price tag that discourages other teams from continuing the conversation.
Simply put, Pittsburgh either needs to raise the salary for Reynolds with an extension or lower the demands from other teams. Right now, in the middle of those two paths, one of the faces of the Pirates franchise is obviously not pleased very early in camp.