Port st. Lucie, Florida – This winter, the dishes built their pitching staff on a depth foundation. Rather than targeting the best available starters, the dishes have acquired several less options, in the hope of protecting themselves against attrition and injuries. They entered the camp, feeling comfortable with the interchangeability of their best eight runners.
This depth is tested immediately. Manager Carlos Mendoza announced on Monday that right-handers Frankie Montas had a high quality lat tension and will not launch for 6-8 weeks. The Montas will need a complete accumulation of spring format style after that, which means that a best case scenario would bring it back in mid-May. More realistic, it is likely to stay away until the end of May or June.
“We talked about it all the offseason – we know that so that we can spend more than 162, we will need eight to 10 guys,” said Mendoza. “Here we are. This is nothing new for us. The guys will intervene. Guys will have opportunities. We feel well with the options we have. »»
Montas, 31 years old, arrived in the healthy camp but experienced discomfort after his first session of enclosure of the lifts last week. The team coaches recommended an MRI, which revealed high quality tension.
This is a good start of a contract of $ 34 million over two years for Montas, whose agreement includes an opt-out after this season. His long history of injuries include stays in each of the last three seasons, especially due to shoulder surgery that has gone away for almost the entire campaign in 2023. Montas was mainly healthy. ‘Last year, however, apart from a brief absence for a forearm bruising.
For the moment, Montas’ injury is changing little in terms of food pitching strategy. They always intend to use a rotation of six men most often, considering it as a way to keep Kodai Senga healthy. Senga, Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes and David Peterson will occupy four of these rotation points, leaving Paul Blackburn, Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill to compete for the other two.
It should be noted that Megill has an option accessible in the minor league, which could harm his chances. But there is potentially room for the three on the list if the team decides to share at the start of the season. The dishes have three days off during the first 15 days of the season, allowing them to massage the rotation as they see fit.
“We have options,” said Mendoza. “We have depth. It is still too early. Here we are dealing with an injury to one of our entries. We will continue to have these conversations. »»
First and foremost, the dishes must finish training in the spring without other injuries. For their entire depth, they lack certainty in the rotation. Senga only made one departure last year due to an injury. Peterson missed the first two months and spent October playing in relief. Holmes is transformed from the enclosure of the readers in rotation, Blackburn missed the end of last year due to a vertebral leak in the back, the canned put produced an MPM of 5.19 and was not Tandoned by the angels, and Megill was incompatible throughout his career.
Under the hole coach Jeremy Hefner, the dishes have a strong recent story of success, notably Manaea and Luis Severino last season. But this is not a guarantee of future success for a team that will require solid pitch to participate in a national East piloted league.
