Just one more day to Pitchers and Catchers. We can do this …
It happened more or less at the same time as the Nick Martinez and Erick Fedde signings, so it slipped by me: Chris Paddack is signing with the Marlins. Only just having turned 30, and perpetually with upside, it makes sense for the Marlins to take a relatively inexpensive flier ($4 million), but it’s been six years since Paddack put together a season with a better-than-average ERA (when he was a rookie). There are still a bunch of these guys left to go, with Zac Gallen obviously the biggest name. But Zack Littell, Chris Bassitt, Lucas Giolito, Griffin Canning, Aaron Civale, Jose Quintana, and many more sure seem like big league arms still. Plus you have Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer still out there. Diamondbacks lefty reliever Andrew Saalfrank just underwent shoulder surgery and will miss the season. He wasn’t necessarily a critical component of the Diamondbacks bullpen such that his loss is so massive that I have to write a bullet on it. Rather, I note it for the reminder of what looms, draping everything in dread: guys start ramping up their throwing program toward competitive pitches for the first time in four or five months, they feel something funky, and then they are out for a good long while. It happens to at least SOME guys every spring at this time, and you just hope your team can avoid the worst of it. Speaking of which, the Phillies have long known that they would probably be without Zack Wheeler for a bit to open the season after surgery to address thoracic outlet syndrome, and the team may well still be seeking a depth signing to provide extra cover now that they have a better picture. That is where the early-spring injury story and remaining starting pitchers in free agency story naturally intersect. Some of these pitchers could be rolling the dice that they’ll find a better signing opportunity once more injuries are revealed/take place. One more from the Phillies, unrelated to the pitcher stuff: they are still trying to find a home for Nick Castellanos. The 33-year-old kinda-outfielder is in the final year of his deal with the team, which will pay him $20 million, but they’ve been very explicit that he doesn’t have a spot. Combine that with the .250/.294/.400/90 wRC+ that he hit last year (negative WAR) and it’s hard to see a team out there committing real money to him, if there is even a guaranteed roster spot available. It’s a sad situation, but it wasn’t entirely unpredictable given Castellanos’s long-standing struggles on defense and the nature of his production. He was very much bat-speed-chase-contact-dependent, and that’s a style that doesn’t age well into a guy’s 30s as the bat speed necessarily declines and the ability to make decent contact (without good discipline) erodes. Although automated balls and strikes are coming to MLB this season (via the challenge system), they are not going to be in the World Baseball Classic. This year’s Cubs Spring Training cap: The Tigers, who are part of the group of teams moving their local broadcast rights back to MLB, are partnering with the Red Wings to kinda-sorta reinvent the regional sports network:Ilitch Sports + Entertainment is reshaping its media strategy, moving both the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings onto MLB Media in a first‑of‑its‑kind hybrid model. READ MORE from @tomfriendwriter: t.co/eCZbx5YdLV pic.twitter.com/0y52D6lRV3
The Tigers will have a new TV home in 2026!Full details: t.co/8M3LWW7yS6 pic.twitter.com/UltOUbZxNH
— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) February 9, 2026 I joke, but not really. The whole idea of RSNs was to create a single place to appeal to local fans’ desire to watch the teams they care most about. This is the same thing, but streaming. We know other streamers would love to be able to do the same thing. Marquee has tried to get other local sports rights, to the extent plausible, with some college stuff and WNBA stuff. This will inevitably get more complicated as MLB tries to nationalize more of the streaming rights, but, in the interim, I expect the Tigers won’t be alone in trying to make something like this happen with a nearby NHL or NBA team whose rights were also impacted by the Bally/Main Street/Diamond/FanDuel/whatever implosion. This was the last moment I cared about the pitcher win statistic:Tune in to MLB Network to watch Greg Maddux earn his 300th career win on the mound ? pic.twitter.com/e58GxmpvXY
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 9, 2026 Had a great chat about the history of Bleacher Nation with Tom Loxas:Really enjoyed the convo with @Brett_A_Taylor about @BleacherNation — why it worked, how it changed, and what Cubs fans actually needed during the rebuild years. t.co/jg0fbDfA8A
— TomLoxas (@TomLoxas) February 10, 2026 I’ll stand by my answer here, but other folks definitely tossed out some very good ones, including Kerry Wood, Kris Bryant, and Bo Jackson:Very close, but it's Mark Prior. t.co/qPIfgoYepR
— Brett Taylor (@Brett_A_Taylor) February 9, 2026 MORE CUBS FROM BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN NewsletterBears Stadium Watch: Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker Shares Optimism Regarding Stadium Deal in Arlington Heights t.co/nmWdKqbto1
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) February 9, 2026Mark Cuban Looking to Buy Mavericks BACK from Dumont Family! (REPORT) t.co/tgNYDvgXhO
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) February 10, 2026Blackhawks Prospects Mentioned as “Reclamation Project” Trade Targets #blackhawks t.co/4XKMMIvB9e
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) February 10, 2026Hence then, the article about more pitcher signings inevitable injuries castellanos what could have been rsn and other cubs bullets was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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