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Associated Press
07-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Mariners' George Kirby likely to open season on IL due to inflammation in throwing shoulder
PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby has inflammation on his throwing shoulder and likely will open the season on the injured list. 'I would not anticipate that he's ready for the first 10 days, two weeks of the season,' Mariners general manager Justin Hollander said Friday. Hollander emphasized that an MRI revealed no structural damage to the shoulder. Although Hollander said Kirby has been throwing the ball well with a velocity that met expectations, the right-hander hadn't felt he was bouncing back from each outing particularly well. That led to the MRI. Hollander said the Mariners plan to shut Kirby down to get the inflammation out. He will be reassessed in a week. 'We want to make sure we're doing the right thing for the big picture of the whole season as opposed to worrying about Opening Day,' Hollander said. Kirby, 27, started 33 games last season to tie for the major league lead. He went 14-11 with a 3.53 ERA with 179 strikeouts and 23 walks in 181 innings. He made the AL All-Star team in 2023, when he made 31 starts and went 13-10 with a 3.35 ERA.
NBC Sports
25-02-2025
- Business
- NBC Sports
5 former players are running baseball operations in the majors. More could be on the way
PEORIA, Ariz. — Shortly after his playing career ended, Jerry Dipoto took in a game at Wrigley Field with former big league manager Jim Fregosi. After a particularly nasty strikeout by Eric Gagne, Dipoto laughed. Fregosi promptly slapped Dipoto on the back of his head. 'He said, 'I'm just going to remind you today. ... Don't ever forget how hard that it is to play,'' Dipoto recalled. 'And that's what I think is the thing I remember most, and I think the benefit of the guys who have gone through it, is that they recognize that it is a really hard game.' That lesson stayed with Dipoto as he made his way to his current job with the Seattle Mariners — and membership in an exclusive club. Dipoto is one of five former major leaguers serving as the top baseball executive for a big league franchise at the moment. Dipoto, 56, has been the president of baseball operations for Seattle since Sept. 1, 2021. Like Dipoto, Chris Young, 45, was promoted from general manager to president of baseball operations for the Texas Rangers on Sept. 13. Craig Breslow was hired as the chief baseball officer for the Boston Red Sox on Oct. 25, 2023, and Chris Getz was promoted to GM of the Chicago White Sox on Aug. 31, 2023. Buster Posey, 37, joined the list when the former All-Star catcher was hired as president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants in September. 'There are a ton of incredibly successful executives who didn't play baseball,' said Breslow, 44. 'I don't think it's a prerequisite, but I do think it provides a level of credibility and empathy given I've kind of been on every side of a transaction, or every side of a conversation I've had to have with a player or coach. And credibility in terms of really being able to understand what players are thinking about, what they're going through.' Under Breslow's leadership, Boston used a complicated contract structure to add Alex Bregman in free agency. Bregman also was being pursued by the Cubs and Tigers before he agreed to a three-year, $120 million deal with the Red Sox. San Francisco had been struggling to land a major free agent before shortstop Willy Adames agreed to a seven-year, $182 million contract with the Giants in December. Adames said Posey played a major role in his decision. 'My meeting with the team, it was me and him, basically. No agent. Nobody,' Adames said. 'So we had a really, really good conversation, and I bought into his plan for this organization, for what he wants to build here in the near future.' Breslow has a degree from Yale and Young graduated from Princeton, so the five players in charge of major league teams doesn't exactly represent some sort of counterrevolution when it comes to Ivy League grads in baseball. But today's major leaguers are increasingly savvy when it comes to the business side of the game, and they have firsthand experience with the data used by front offices as part of their decision-making process. 'Where we were a decade ago to where we are now, there's just so much opportunity to make better decisions nowadays based on the information that we have,' said Getz, 41. 'But being well-versed in it now, you know having a former playing background is only going to position you, your résumé is just stronger.' While that big league career is an asset in a variety of ways, it also creates a unique set of blind spots. Building out a front office that complements one another is key, Dipoto said. 'I learned to adapt along the way to things I didn't know and to trust people who are smarter than I am to fill in those gaps,' he said, 'and to recognize when I'm allowing my want to be a good teammate and my want to love the good teammate, sometimes, you have be able to discern when that doesn't equal best player fit for this situation.' There are several more people in position to join the club one day. Brandon Gomes helped the Los Angeles Dodgers win the World Series last year, serving as the team's GM under Andrew Friedman. Ryan Garko was promoted to assistant GM with the Detroit Tigers in May. Cole Figueroa is an assistant GM for the Rangers. Kevin Reese and Tim Naehring work for longtime New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, and Josh Barfield is part of Getz's front office with the White Sox. When it comes to his discussions with players interested in working in baseball operations, Breslow said the conversations provide an indication of the potential for success. 'It becomes pretty clear, generally who has the curiosity, who asks a lot of questions,' he said. 'Who wants to learn why we make decisions not just what decisions are being made. Those are the people (that could make the transition).'
New York Times
25-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Cubs' Ben Brown, healthy and throwing, is looking to build off his impressive 2024
PEORIA, Ariz. — When Ben Brown first headed to the injured list with a neck strain last June, the assumption was it wouldn't be a long stint. By July, what was going on with Brown and his neck was a bit of a mystery. Later that same month, he was finally diagnosed with an osteoma, a new piece of bone growing as a benign tumor on another piece of bone. Advertisement Whenever he'd try to get on the mound, the issue would flare up, and as Brown put it, his neck would 'lock up.' The Cubs decided to shut him down and Brown was told by his doctor that osteomas have a burnout process of two or three months and it would just go away. 'So it was just a waiting game,' Brown said. 'Eventually, I just woke up one morning, took a shower and it was just night and day.' That came in early October. By November, Brown was throwing again, a little later than normal, but he essentially had what he described as a standard offseason. Now, thankful that the pain is behind him and that there were never any arm issues to speak of, he can try to build off his impressive introduction to the big leagues. 'Ben's hit the ground running,' manager Craig Counsell said. 'It's been great. Very pleased with how Ben looks and feels. No restrictions. Go after it and see where we're at.' Brown was called up early in the season last year after Justin Steele went down trying to field a grounder on Opening Day. He gave up six runs in 1 2/3 innings in his debut, but from there he looked like he belonged. Over his final 53 2/3 innings, Brown posted a 2.68 ERA with a 30 percent strikeout rate and 8.1 percent walk rate. Of his 15 appearances, eight were starts, including a dominant seven-inning, no-hit performance against the Milwaukee Brewers in late May. 'The league was impressed by his stuff,' Counsell said. 'His strike-throwing ability, his ability to (get) swing-and-miss, the versatility in the role that he was able to do, and recovery from it. Those were all good things.' Chicago's starting rotation had a 21.1 percent strikeout rate last season, 25th in baseball. Its average fastball velocity was 92.1 mph, 29th in the game. Brown averaged 96.4 on his heater and would immediately be the best swing-and-miss arm on the staff. 'I think everyone can bring something unique to the rotation,' Brown said. 'For me, it might be a little bit more two-pitch, different octane stuff. Everyone has their thing. I do think I bring something a little bit different.' Advertisement For now, starting the season in the rotation, or even with the big-league club, may not be in the cards for Brown. Javier Assad, the presumed fifth starter for much of the winter, has been out with a left oblique strain. The expectation is that he could start throwing off the mound this week, but there may be no reason to push him to make the Opening Day roster. If Assad does start the season on the injured list, Brown will likely be in a battle with Colin Rea and Jordan Wicks for that fifth spot in the rotation. There is an outside shot he could end up in the bullpen to start the season, but utilizing his option and keeping him stretched out at Triple A would be important. 'Ultimately, you're trying to develop starters,' Counsell said. 'That's really valuable. The elite back-end guy, they're super-valuable, too. It's knowing that we got a good pitcher there and figuring out what to do. That's what we'll have to, at some point, make decisions on. But right now, it's a starter for Ben.' Brown says he's up for whatever role presents itself and hopes he's around all season long. While his velocity would be an outlier for this team's rotation, it's Brown's slider — he calls it a curveball, but others call it a 'death ball' or a gyro slider — that is the true standout pitch. According to Statcast, of pitchers who threw at least 300 curveballs, Brown's had the highest whiff rate (51 percent) and put-away rate (34.1 percent). Of all pitches, his breaking ball was 14th in whiff rate and eighth in put-away rate. Ben Brown, who was primarily a two pitch guy in 2024, flashed four different pitches in his 2025 spring debut. 4-Seam Fastball, 95.4 MPH AVGChangeup, 92.2 MPH AVGKnuckle Curve, 85.6 MPH AVGSlider, 85.3 MPH AVG Good to see Brown working on expanding his arsenal. — The Wrigley Wire (@TheWrigleyWire) February 24, 2025 'It means throw it,' Brown said when asked what those numbers tell him. 'Throw it and it'll work out. You have the stuff to be in the big leagues and the stuff to get punchies.' By last spring, Brown had decided to dump the sweeper he'd been working on and just focus on being a two-pitch pitcher. It worked well for him. But Brown also knows that by not constantly trying to grow, especially at such an early point in his career, he'll impede his ability to find his best self. Advertisement 'A baseball career is a long arc if you do it the right way,' Brown said. 'So I think developing different routines, different pitches is crucial to being a long-timer. That's something I'm very interested in.' But by the end of his healthy stint in the big leagues, Brown started incorporating a changeup. With the help of his coaches, he's continuing to fine-tune the pitch with a new grip this spring. 'I feel like if I don't have my changeup that day I can get through a lineup with two pitches,' Brown said. 'But I want to get to the point where if I don't have my curveball one day I can get through it with my fastball and changeup, then eventually add even more pitches. But I feel like having the conviction behind what you have is really important.' It's always the heater that gets people to pay attention. And it's his breaking ball that got Brown to the big leagues. He hopes that the addition of a changeup is what will keep him there and thriving. But for now, he probably doesn't need to overthink things. Throwing the breaker with his upper-90s heat may just be enough to succeed. There's no doubt that if healthy, Brown will be impacting a team that is hell-bent on returning to the postseason for the first time in five years. But for a group with high expectations, Brown may have a battle on his hands to make it to Japan and be with the group to start the season. 'There's a reason why it's hard to make the Opening Day roster,' Brown said. 'It's a really good team.' To get to another level, finding the best version of Brown could be key.
New York Times
24-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Takeaways from Padres camp: Dylan Cease's new pitches, position battles and more
PEORIA, Ariz. — A long winter is in the rearview, the San Diego Padres have begun Cactus League play and Dylan Cease's beard just keeps growing. One month from Opening Day, here are four takeaways on the state of the team. 1. Cease's long-facial-hair-don't-care approach seems to be working. If the right-hander is perturbed by the trade rumors that have trailed him since early in the offseason, he's doing an excellent job of hiding it. Advertisement In January, he attended teammate Joe Musgrove's Camp 44 in San Diego. He then stayed in town for FanFest at Petco Park, even though he was under no obligation to do so. (So did fellow trade candidate Michael King, though all indications are that a trade involving King is unlikely.) A trade of Cease before March 27 still appears to be a long shot. The Padres' asking price, for some teams, is prohibitive, and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller is not the type to budge. In the meantime, the Padres aren't going to stop listening to incoming offers for the pending free agent. And Cease — who Musgrove once described as possessing a 'very good mix of, like, order and chaos' — continues to look unperturbed. This video is for Dylan Cease and Dylan Cease only. If you're not Dylan Cease, keep scrolling. — San Diego Padres (@Padres) February 19, 2025 'I'm just more focused on getting ready (for the regular season),' Cease said. 'It's kind of out of my control, whatever happens. So if I just focus on getting ready, that's the most I can do, really.' Cease, long reliant on a blazing four-seamer and one of the sport's best sliders, is experimenting with two potential additions to his arsenal: an 'arm-speed changeup' and a two-seam fastball. According to Statcast, Cease hasn't thrown a changeup faster than 78 mph since 2023. He's never thrown a pitch classified as a two-seamer. 'Until you see how the batters react to them, it's kind of hard to tell, but I've liked them so far,' Cease said. And it's hard to definitively say that Cease is staying put. The Padres would much prefer to keep him — if they feel they have to move a pitcher, closer Robert Suarez seems a likelier candidate — but Cease and King are poised to land nine-figure free-agent contracts next offseason. Trading either starter after Opening Day would preclude an acquiring team from being able to extend a qualifying offer (and recouping a draft pick). Advertisement Sure, the Padres could snag a pair of draft picks for themselves if they hang on to both starters through the end of the season, but it makes sense to continue listening on the off chance that someone meets Preller's asking price. 2. Health always is a key determinant of any team's success, but it should be especially important for the Padres. Third baseman Manny Machado, 16 months removed from elbow surgery, is '100 percent' for the first time in a couple of years. Right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. has declared himself back at full strength after he starred in the 2024 postseason while playing with a less-than-fully-healed stress reaction in his right leg. Xander Bogaerts is back at shortstop and, after an alarming 2024, eager to prove he still can produce like a star. It all sounds good right now, but the bottom line is this: The Padres can't afford many more significant injuries to a trio that, combined with Tommy John rehabber Musgrove, accounts for about 40 percent of the projected 2025 payroll. In 2026, these four players will occupy more than $90 million in payroll. As far as players looking for a healthy 2025 season, the Padres might be most optimistic about Luis Arraez. The infielder won a third consecutive batting title last year despite a torn ligament in his left thumb. In October, he underwent surgery. Now, Arraez said, 'I think it's a lot of problems (for) the pitchers this year. … I feel like I got a new thumb.' Padres officials believe a pain-free (and contract-year) Arraez can re-approach his production in 2023, when he hit .354 with 10 home runs for the Miami Marlins. 3. The lack of upper-level depth in the Padres' farm system should place additional significance on their various position battles. The team's key rookies and young big leaguers in 2024 included phenom Jackson Merrill and pitchers Jeremiah Estrada, Matt Waldron, Randy Vásquez and Stephen Kolek, a quartet that combined for more than 350 innings. In 2025, the Padres have fewer upper-level pitchers who are obviously ready to contribute. They certainly don't have another Merrill in the system, as teenage prospects Ethan Salas and Leodalis De Vries remain at least a year away from making meaningful contributions. Advertisement At the moment, there are legitimate competitions for the fifth-starter job, one or two bullpen spots, catcher, left field and the bench. What are the Padres looking for in Cactus League games? 'For me, it's not as much about performance as the intent,' manager Mike Shildt said. 'I want to see if they've got some intuition to play the game, and then whether they're just in a place (with) good timing, putting good swings on balls. As far as getting results, I'm not overly concerned about that. I want to see the processes in place that lead to results.' 4. It wasn't quite Shohei Ohtani proposing to defer 97 percent of his money, but King's agent, Bobby Barad of Excel Sports Management, played a notable role in what might have been an unprecedented deal for an arbitration-eligible player. In January, King and the Padres appeared headed for an arbitration hearing after the deadline to exchange proposed salary figures came and went. (King filed at $8.8 million, the Padres at $7.325 million.) A few weeks later, the two sides avoided that hearing by agreeing to a one-year, $7.75 million guarantee that includes a $3 million signing bonus, a $1 million salary and a $3.75 million buyout on a $15 million mutual option for 2026 that almost certainly will be declined. Had the Padres committed to pay King the full $7.75 million this season, FanGraphs would have estimated their payroll at $211 million instead of the current $207 million projection. Team officials have indicated that the Opening Day target is somewhere between $200 million and $210 million. '(Barad) knows that he still wants to get his own player compensated, but can also assist the team,' said King, a Florida resident who will realize a good amount of tax savings because of the inclusion of the signing bonus. 'That was the first conversation we had post-not-settling, and then it kind of just went from there. (Nick) Pivetta just did a very similar deal. Like, we're doing the same thing this year. So, I think that obviously teams get creative with it, but … (Barad) was the one that brought it to me first. He asked if I was OK with it, and I was like, 'Yeah, if you like it, I like it.'' (Photo of Dylan Cease: Matt Thomas / San Diego Padres / Getty Images)
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Mental health on Valentine's Day
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — For many, Valentine's Day is a celebration of their relationships and an opportunity for romantic fun. But for those who are dealing with loneliness and depression, it can be an unwelcome reminder. Katie Yesis is the manager of community-based behavioral health at Trillium Place. She stopped by WMBD This Morning to talk with our Shabnam Danesh about how to practice self-care and avoid stress over the holiday. For more information, you can visit or call the access center hotline at 1-888-311-0321. Love WMBD This Morning? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our Daily Newsletter. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
