Technically, the 2025 season has begun, with the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers kicking things off in the Tokyo Series.
The Dodgers won the first game, with Game 2 being played later today. Afterwards, though, we'll return to one final week of exhibition baseball before things really get going on March 27, which will serve as Opening Day for the rest of the league.
In advance of that date, let's review a few more droplets of news and rumors making their rounds across the league.
Alex Verdugo has no major league offers after 2024 Yankees performance
It's a bit odd that the 28-year-old left fielder from the reigning American League pennant winners is still unemployed a week prior to "actual" Opening Day, but that's the situation Alex Verdugo finds himself in.
Apparently, according to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic, Verdugo hasn't received a single major league offer in free agency. Coming off a season in which he posted just a .647 OPS and earned a scant 0.8 Wins Above Replacement, it's not like he was due for a massive raise over the $8.7 million he made in 2024.
Still, he's a big league player, through and through. Between 2020-23 with the Boston Red Sox, Verdugo accrued 8.1 WAR and a .761 OPS in 493 games. He was the starting left fielder on the 2021 team that made the ALCS, slashing .310/.383/.452 in those playoffs.
It's possible teams have been wary of Verdugo's asking price coming off a down season. Maybe the outfielder is asking for a multi-year deal with an AAV in excess of $10 million, which is a little steep for the contributions he provides.
But surely some team is going to realize that a guy with big league bonafides is just waiting around for an opportunity in 2025. With so many injuries already ravaging the league, don't expect Verdugo to be out of work for too much longer.
Nationals send Rule 5 pick Evan Reifert back to Tampa Bay Rays
It isn't the most publicized roster rule, but a caveat to being a Rule 5 Draft selection is that the acquiring team needs to keep the player on their major league 26-man roster all season (barring injury). If not, they have to offer to return the player to their former organization.
Such is the case with Evan Reifert, whom the Nationals selected with the fifth pick in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft at the Winter Meetings. The 25-year-old pitcher is being sent back to the Tampa Bay Rays after spending spring training with the Nationals.
Reifert pairs a high-octane fastball with a devastating slider, having struck out over 40% (!) of the batters he faced in 2024. However, he's never pitched above Double-A, and the jump to the majors appeared too precarious for a guy with serious control issues.
If the Rays are able to work their pitching voodoo magic with Reifert, the Nationals could come to seriously regret giving up on the young arm before even giving him a chance.