As Spring Training moves forward, so to do the considerations
s MLB moves inexorably towards Opening Day, teams are starting to get their rosters situated, with questions about who plays where being resolved by the day. The Houston Astros are no exception. They came into Spring Training perhaps with more questions than in seasons past, but they seem to be working through them. Granted, not all the questions are answered, and even if Houston thinks they have the answers, who’s to say that the Baseball Fates don’t pull a Rowdy Roddy Piper and change the questions. With that, a few thoughts/considerations.
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Who’s on Second? No, What’s on Second, no wait…A prime example of “changing the question” centers on the unexpectedly fluid situation at 2B. At this point, most baseball fans know that the Astros plan to move Jose Altuve to the outfield. However, what is unknown is who will take Altuve’s place at second. As of March 16, 11 Astros have logged time at the 2B position. Right now, if using who is playing 2B to start the games, and in particular, with the main projected starters, the appearances are tied at 9 between the Astros field playing Swiss Army knife in Mauricio Dubon and bargain-basement free agent pickup Brendan Rodgers. Not that Spring Training stats should ever be taken as gospel, but Rodgers (.286/.310/.739) is hitting far better than Dubon (.143/.200//414). Other players like Brice Matthews and Shay Whitcomb have logged time across multiple games at 2B, but it is likely that the Opening Day starter is either Dubon or Rodgers. When will we know? Maybe not until the end of Spring Training.
A potential injury concern: Well, you had to figure that the pitching injury curse would return soon enough. The biggest news saw Yankees ace Gerrit Cole opt for Tommy John surgery, which will sideline him until sometime in 2026. Top-of-the-rotations arms like George Kirby (Mariners) and Grayson Rodriguez (O’s) also report significant arm issues, which might begat significant arm surgery. For Houston, the story of the arms is more centered on the rehab of McCullers and Garcia. To date, no reports of any pitchers with arm issues. However, one to keep an eye out for might be Framber Valdez. Like Cole last season, Valdez was shut down from pitching for a few weeks early in the season due to forearm issues. For Valdez, it worked out and he finished the season. Yet, it could rear its ugly head again, and like Cole, perhaps Valdez might have to go under the knife. This would be a nightmare for all parties, as Houston loses one of its top players, and Valdez loses out on millions as he enters free agency.
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Maybe better comms from the Astros Medical Staff: For the past few seasons, you had to hire an old Kremlinologist to try to figure out what was going on with the Astros medical staff. Between opaque communications, conflicting communications, or no communications, you couldn’t glean ground truth about injured Astros, from the myriad of injuries plaguing McCullers, the question marks about Javier and Urquidy, and then the saga of the bone bruise-turned-broken shin of Kyle Tucker. Throw in the major rehab setbacks associated with Javier, Garcia, and McCullers, and the med staff hasn’t engendered much trust.
While only Spring Training, they are seemingly a bit more open about injuries. While they were initially wrong about the seriousness of Pedro Leon’s knee injury, they did issue a correction within 24 hours. The drama with Christian Walker’s obliques did not offer near the frustrating drama of Tucker, as the med staff was more open about the situation, and that it was positive news made it even better to hear. Still, the medical staff won’t escape continued scrutiny. With baseball getting more into bed with gambling, player health information takes on significant financial and potentially legal considerations.
The drama isn’t just on the field: When the regular season starts, we will all tune in to see how the hitters hit, the pitchers pitch, and how the games go. Yet, there are some significant off-field issues to consider. Recently, Manfred indicated that he would press the current Rays owner to sell the team, likely to help potential revenue issues for the game, and avoid the massive shortfall in fan support for the MLB franchise. Sure, one could anticipate the damage that Milton did, but money has always been a problem with Tampa Bay. If Manfred wants to build up the baseball empire, it helps to have a stronger Tampa franchise increasing their value as well as the game.
Then you have the ESPN/MLB drama. ESPN opted out of its current deal with MLB, and MLB fired back that ESPN wasn’t giving the game the proper attention. This isn’t to say that ESPN and MLB won’t resolve their issues, but even if MLB just transfers their Sunday Night/All-Star/Wild-Card package to Fox/TNT/TBS, this gets at the larger issue of how baseball will broadcast its games in the future. With the decline of the Regional Sports Networks, Manfred is setting up baseball to try to create a situation where MLB oversees the broadcasts for all the games, akin to the NFL model. This could make it easier to get those bigger broadcast deals that will set up better revenue sharing. Especially when some of the other regional broadcast deals ends, MLB is primed to step in to take charge.
Of course, for all the potential for greater financial gain for MLB with rising ratings and a more stable broadcasting system for games, there are storm clouds brewing on the horizon in the form of the expiring CBA. Sure, it is two seasons out, but the Players Association and the Owners are already prepping the battlespace for what is sure to be a contentious labor donnybrook. The owners will yet again press for the salary cap, the red line that the MLBPA has never accepted. A lockout at the end of the 2026 season seems all but certain, and one can’t rule out a strike in 2026. 2025 doesn’t figure to see either thing happen, but don’t be shocked if labor issues creep into the discourse on slash lines, ERA, and win/loss records.
Ok, so more than a few thoughts, but with the coming of the regular season, time to see how all of these considerations bear out.