It is Thursday, March 24, which means in this wacky 2022 Major League Baseball calendar, spring training opening day was exactly one week ago and Opening Day is in exactly two weeks. A few transactions are trickling in, the usual spring injuries are happening and the players are getting themselves ready for the grind.
Let's hit some news, notes and rumors.
Reds sign Pham
One of the best players remaining in free agency was outfielder Tommy Pham, but the Reds have reportedly scooped him up on a one-year, $7.5 million deal. Full story here.
Story gets vaccinated while finalizing with Red Sox
A story that could linger over games played in Toronto all season would be the vaccination status of visiting players. It seems very unlikely Canada's vaccine mandate will be lifted, so any opposing player not vaccinated against COVID-19 would be forced to sit out of road games against the Blue Jays. We bring this up because it appears to be part of the equation regarding Trevor Story recently signing with the Red Sox.
At one point, sources told ESPN, there were concerns the agreement could fall apart because Story was reluctant to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
On Tuesday, sources said, those fears were allayed when Story agreed to get vaccinated, and on Wednesday morning, he donned a Red Sox jersey for the first time and worked out with the team.
"It's a very personal matter. Decisions like that are kept between me and my family," Story told ESPN. "But with that being said, I'll be available for my teammates 162-plus. That's the main part."
The Red Sox play 10 games in Toronto this season. Thursday, New York City mayor Eric Adams tweaked a vaccine mandate that will now allow unvaccinated Yankees and Mets players to appear in home games.
Blue Jays, Rockies swap outfielders
The Blue Jays have traded right fielder Randal Grichuk to the Rockies in exchange for right fielder Raimel Tapia. Full story here.
Shaw returns to Guardians, again
Veteran reliever Bryan Shaw has re-signed with the Guardians on a one-year, $3 million deal, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
Shaw, 34, is entering his 11th season in the majors and it'll be his seventh with Cleveland. In 693 career appearances, he has a 3.78 ERA. Last season, he led the majors with 81 appearances, pitching to a 3.49 ERA (126 ERA+), 1.38 WHIP and 71 strikeouts.
Shaw has been a workhorse of a reliever in his career, leading his league in appearances four times and posting four seasons with at least 75 relief innings. If we lop off his rookie year and 2020, he's worked at least 54 2/3 innings every season and has gone 64-plus in all but two.
Emmanuel Clase is firmly entrenched as the Guardians closer and the primary setup men should be right-hander James Karinchak and lefty Anthony Gose. Expect Shaw to eat a bunch of the important relief innings that aren't closing or setup duty.
Herrera hurt, clears way for Vierling
Phillies center fielder Odúbel Herrera has injured his oblique and it's possible he'll miss four to six weeks, per manager Joe Girardi (via Alex Coffey). With the regular season just two weeks away, it looks like Herrera will have to open the year on the injured list. That leaves a roster opening for former first overall pick Mickey Moniak, but perhaps the biggest movement here would be the ascension of Matt Vierling to opening day starter in center, between Bryce Harper and either Kyle Schwarber or Nick Castellanos.
In 77 plate appearances last season, Vierling hit .324/.364/.479 with three doubles, a triple and two homers. In 80 games between Double-A and Triple-A, he hit .277/.358/.444 with 12 doubles, two triples, 11 homers and 10 steals. This could be his chance to seize the job.
Rays add another reliever
The Rays appear to have signed reliever Luke Bard, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, who notes Bard has a locker in the spring clubhouse.
Bard, a 31-year-old right hander, has experience with the Angels in parts of three seasons (eight appearances in 2018, 32 in 2019 and six in 2020). He's pitched to a 5.05 ERA in 66 career innings.
The Rays' pitching staff at the big-league level is likely full to start the season, but they like to build organizational depth through small additions like this.
