Team news
[Dbacks.com] Ross, Loáisiga make club as D-backs announce 3 more cuts – Left-hander Philip Abner was optioned to Triple-A Reno while catcher Aramis Garcia and infielder Jacob Amaya were reassigned to Minor League camp. In addition, the Diamondbacks have informed right-handed relievers Joe Ross and Jonathan Loáisiga that they have made the team and will have their contracts purchased. That seemingly sets the 13-man position-player roster with Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas, Jordan Lawlar, Nolan Arenado, Geraldo Perdomo, Ketel Marte, Carlos Santana, Pavin Smith, Gabriel Moreno, James McCann, Ildamaro Vargas, Jorge Barrosa and Tim Tawa.
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[Yahoo] Two veteran relievers clinch jobs on Diamondbacks’ Opening Day roster – Loaisiga’s inclusion was long anticipated. Signed to a minor-league deal in January, he showcased impressive stuff, including a fastball in the upper-90s, and posted solid results during spring training, logging a 3.86 ERA in seven appearances. “I thought he had some of the better stuff in our pen,” Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said. “We’re trying to improve the aggregate stuff that we have going out there, from a (swing and) miss standpoint, and he looked good. He had a good spring.” Ross had been trending toward making the club in recent weeks as it became apparent that his ability to go multiple innings in relief appealed to the Diamondbacks.
[Arizona Sports] Abner optioned to Triple-A, Diamondbacks down to 1 lefty reliever – Philip Abner has been optioned to the Triple-A Reno Aces, leaving Brandyn Garcia as the lone lefty arm in bullpen barring a late addition. There was recent precedent for the club adding a lefty to its bullpen room so close to Opening Day, Arizona signing Jalen Beeks one day before the first game of the 2025 season. The Diamondbacks also reassigned catcher Aramis Garcia and infielder Jacob Amaya to minor league camp, which brought its camp to 33 players. Each MLB team has until Opening Day to trim its roster down to 26.
[SI] Gabriel Moreno Silences Injury Concerns in Unbelievable 2-Homer Game – [Moreno] played his first game behind home plate since he was forced to shut down throwing due to right forearm tightness. With no structural damage revealed, the hope was always that Moreno would be healthy for opening day. The first of Moreno’s homers traveled 445 feet, coming off the bat at 108 MPH. That, apparently, was not enough, as he followed that blast with a 110 MPH, 459-foot homer just one inning later. The second home run fell just shy of his 460-footer from earlier this spring. That is still the longest ball Moreno has hit.
And, elsewhere…
[Chicago Tribune] ‘Just feels like you’re on fire’: How Cubs and White Sox players adjust to record-breaking heat in Arizona – Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas kept it all in perspective. “We need to enjoy these couple of weeks when we’re here in the heat because it’s going to be cold (in Chicago),” Vargas told the Tribune last week. Vargas is feeling at home with the conditions. “I’m from Cuba, it’s hot out there every time,” he said. “Hydration” was the key word for [manager Will] Venable.“We have all of our trainers and strength coaches with all the resources they need to support these guys with hydration,” Venable said last week. “In between every half inning, you hear five different people yelling, ‘Hydrate.’
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[ESPN] Phillies ace Cristopher Sanchez agrees to new 6-year contract – The team announced Sunday that the deal will start in 2027 and includes a team option for 2033. Financial terms were not disclosed, but sources told ESPN that the deal is worth approximately $103 million in new money. Sanchez will make $3.5 million in salary for 2026 before the new deal starts next year. The contract supersedes the deal Sanchez signed before the beginning of last year — one that paid him $47 million over four years, including two team option years. Sanchez went 13-5 with a 2.50 ERA in 32 starts last season and struck out a career-high 212 batters. He’s 30-21 over his five-year career.
[MLB] Experts predict all of this season’s stats leaders – With Spring Training winding down and Opening Day just days away, intriguing questions abound, from which teams will bounce back after subpar seasons last year to whether anyone will be able to dethrone the reigning MVP and Cy Young Award winners. One of the big ones to consider at the dawn of a new regular season is: Which players will lead their league in each major statistical category? We asked 57 MLB.com staff members to weigh in, and here are the results [Jim: No D-backs are mentioned. #SavedYouAClick]
Finally, here’s one from yesterday’s This Day in Baseball which I feel deserves more explicit coverage. It is still March 22 when I’m writing this so it is technically still This Day in Baseball. 🙂
