With one main piece of reports already breaking this morning, listed here are three different issues for MLBTR readers to control across the baseball world right this moment:
1. Are the Giants completed?
The Giants made a splash on the free agent market this weekend by signing third baseman Matt Chapman on a three-year deal with opt-outs after the 2024 and ’25 seasons. The deal considerably improves the membership’s protection at third base whereas including a high-upside bat to the lineup, and checks a field that was near the top of the membership’s offseason buying checklist. Now that Chapman’s in tow, nevertheless, is there extra in retailer for San Francisco earlier than Opening Day? Reporting has indicated that the membership remains interested in prime free agent hurler Blake Snell, whereas incumbent third baseman J.D. Davis seems to be with no spot within the lineup after the Chapman signing and could be a trade candidate within the coming weeks. However, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi seemingly downplayed the probability of main additions after bringing Chapman into the fold yesterday.
2. The place will Martinez land?
With Chapman and Cody Bellinger having lately come off the board, veteran slugger J.D. Martinez now stands atop the pile of remaining free agent hitters after crushing 33 homers in 113 video games final season. The marketplace for the 36-year-old’s companies has been pretty quietly of late, with essentially the most vital growth in current weeks being stories of ultimately fruitless negotiations between Martinez and the Giants which got here to an in depth when San Francisco signed Jorge Soler. As a participant roughly restricted to the DH spot within the lineup, Martinez’s market is a little more restricted than most, although MLBTR’s Anthony Franco recently discussed doable suitors for his companies. With Opening Day simply weeks away and the winter’s different prime bats having signed, might a deal be on the horizon?
3. Acuna assembly with physician:
Reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. was scratched from the Braves’ spring lineup over the weekend as he offers with irritation in his right meniscus. Whereas Atlanta has expressed confidence that Acuna might be prepared for Opening Day, the membership is remaining cautious with its celebrity thanks partly to the truth that he’s simply two seasons faraway from a torn proper ACL that value him the second half of the 2021 marketing campaign and delayed the beginning of his 2022 season. At this time, Acuna is anticipated to fulfill with Dr. Neal ElAttrache for additional examination of the difficulty, which might present extra readability on the slugger’s standing. Ought to Acuna require a stint on the shelf, the Braves might flip to Forrest Wall, J.P. Martinez, or non-roster invitee Jordan Luplow to deal with proper area alongside Michael Harris II in middle and Jarred Kelenic in left.
