:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68779547/1228808750.0.jpg)
Diamondbacks News
Cactus League Fan Attendance Update
The City of Tempe announced yesterday that it would permit 25% attendance at games, albeit with a host of restrictions on behaviours. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks and Rockies, both of which play out of Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, are postponing the sale of tickets to their spring training games while they further review the situation.
Free Agency News
Trevor Bauer Lands in Chavez Ravine
The pursuit for signing Trevor Bauer came down to the Dodgers and Mets on Friday. The Mets seemed to have the inside track early in the morning, but things changed quickly as the day wore on, with the Dodgers offering what it took to make him head home to SoCal. The deal is a three-year deal with opt-outs after both of the first two years. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand adds that Bauer is guaranteed a total of $102MM on the deal, which includes a $40MM salary in 2021 and a $45MM salary in 2022. Both marks establish new records for the highest single-season salary, though the contract’s overall $34MM average annual value is still a bit shy of Gerrit Cole’s record $36MM.
Save further moves by the Dodgers, this lines Bauer up to be the team’s #3 starter behind Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw.. The rest of the rotation will be filled out by Julio Urias and David Price.
Related: Details on Mets’ Offer to Bauer
While the Mets offered slightly more than the Dodgers did, it was not enough to lure Bauer away from returning home to southern California, or inserting himself directly into a championship rotation.
Marcell Ozuna Returning to Atlanta
Ozuna’s deal is a four-year deal with a fifth-year option. Ozuna’s guarantee is $65MM, with a potential for $80MM if the fifth-year option is picked up by the Braves.
Other Baseball News
The first of 13 scheduled arbitration hearings were held on Friday. The Mets defeated J.D> Davis and the Orioles defeated Anthony Santander. Ji-Man Choi won his argument against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Yankee Stadium Opens as Vaccination Facility
IN an attempt to help get as many people vaccinated as possible, the New York Yankees have opened up Yankee Stadium as a mass vaccination site for the people of New York.