MLBits: Is Spring Training Less Fun Now? Formerly Rampant Steroid Use, Big Braves Injury, More ...Middle East

MLB NEWS — I don’t think this is too hot of a take, so I’ll just say it: Spring Training is pretty boring. Yes, I’m happy to post “Baseball is back!” after the Super Bowl ends (…and again when Pitchers and Catchers report … and again for the first Cactus League game … and again for the first game that’s actually televised), but at a certain point, it all feels a little trite. A little forced. Except it didn’t used to feel that way, right? I can’t tell exactly what changed or when, but I do have two theories.

For one, we used to get WAY fewer looks at top prospects outside of Spring Training. So tuning in to see how they performed here in February and March was often our only chance to put faces (and performances) to names. But now, most of those games are on Marquee, while highlights (and even Statcast data) are available for most of the minor leagues.

Likewise, we used to get far fewer televised Spring Training games in general — though Marquee sure made their reduction felt this year (27 last year, just 17 this season). Obviously, it’s better to have more games televised than fewer — and any team that owns their own network should have as many as possible — but it definitely reduced the impact of “OMG BASEBALL IS ON MY TV AGAIN!

Champagne problems for a modern baseball fan, I suppose. Or maybe I’m just getting old and grumpy.

The (Formerly) Rampant Steroid Use in MLB

In case you missed it earlier today, Sammy Sosa was brought back to the discussion of his own PED usage and inched a bit closer to a full admission of guilt. We talked about all of that in a dedicated article here. But there was a bit more in the USA Today article from the rest of the baseball industry that really drives home just how pervasive PED use was at the height of the scandal. One anonymous former GM was particularly blunt”

‘If truth be told, PEDs were nearly as common as chewing tobacco. There were a few front office executives and managers who actually encouraged some players to take PEDs. And if you traded or signed a free agent who was using PEDs, you certainly didn’t want him to suddenly stop.

“That was the worst,” one former GM said. “I signed a guy that I knew was on the stuff, and once we got him, he stopped using. It helped cost me my job.”‘

You’ll forgive me if I don’t feel too badly for the GM who knowingly signed a player who was on PEDs and then was frustrated that he … stopped? Even if it helped cost him his job. But it certainly does underscore how truly rampant it all was. This wasn’t just a clubhouse thing or a manager thing. The front offices knew exactly what was happening and used it to their advantage (or demise, I suppose).

Sean Murphy Injured Again

Major MLB news (injury edition) out of Braves camp, where All-Star catcher Sean Murphy cracked a rib when he was hit by a pitch on Friday. According to David O’Brien (The Athletic), Murphy is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.

What the Braves do next is anyone’s guess, but they basically have two options.

Option 1: They could elevate top prospect Drake Baldwin to the role of starting catcher. Baldwin, 23, is the #62 overall according to MLB Pipeline and hit well in his first extended stretch at Triple-A last season: .298/.407/.484 (135 wRC+). The only problem is that he’s not on the 40-man roster yet. And that brings us to option two.

Option 2: If Sean Murphy is going to miss only 1-2 weeks of the regular season, the Braves might elect to go with their primary backup, Chadwick Tromp, as their starter with a backup behind him (Sandy Leon and Curt Casali are options).

Two imperfect choices if you ask me, and another frustrating chapter in the Braves era of Sean Murphy’s career (he was good in 2023 but played in only 108 games and then was bad and hurt for most of last season).

As always, we hope the Cubs make the playoffs by virtue of winning their division, but we’ll always keep an eye on any potential impact to the NL Wild Card race … juuuuuuuust in case.

Orioles/Nationals TV Dispute Has Been Resolved

This fight hasn’t been on the radar for a while, but its resolution does seem rather significant!

The short version of the news is that the Washington Nationals will now be free to explore alternative broadcast opportunities starting in 2026. But the setup/background explains why that’s such a big deal.

History lesson: When the Expos moved to D.C. and became the Nationals, they were forced into an arrangement that compensated the Orioles for moving into their geographic territory. And that arrangement, it seems, heavily favored the Orioles while preventing the Nationals from securing (what they felt) were an equitable share of fees (from the TV rights).

Evidently, that led to multiple rounds of litigation over the past 10+ years and disrupted the sales process for the Orioles (who did eventually sell) and the Nationals, whose owners tried to sell the team, but failed in part because of this litigation.

The new agreement, then, will allow the Nationals to secure a new TV deal beginning in 2026, which could lead to increased revenues and the sort of financial certainty that could allow the Lerner Family to try to sell the team again.

Other MLB News:

David Robertson is still a Free Agent and the Cubs' are $27M beneath the first tier of the luxury tax. David Robertson – 2024 Stats3.00 ERA72.0 IP33.4 K%48.8 GB%5.5 Barrel%

These games are mysterious and important.The Apple TV+ #FridayNightBaseball schedule has dropped through June! pic.twitter.com/tzVpyiJ6GJ

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