Spring Training Notebook: Maulers Holding Breath on Cole

The news of the day and possibly Spring is that Mission Viejo Maulers ace Gerrit Cole (2/$70) had an MRI on his elbow after reportedly not recoving well between throwing sessions. Cole will receive multiple opinions on the status of his elbow, and the Yankees don’t expect to announce a prognosis today or even tomorrow, tweets Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

Cole was the 2023 RDBL Pitcher of the Year for the Maulers, leading all pitchers in full season scoring with 573.0, posting a 2.85 ERA and 1.02 WHIP.

The Maulers entered the off-season with substantial pitching depth and could still turn to other options if the news is enough to push Cole off the Maulers Keeper Roster. The club dealt away Tarik Skubal earlier this Winter, but have Yusei Kikuchi (2FA/$5) and Ranger Suarez (2FA/$5) standing by as options to fill in behind Luis Castillo, Jose Berrios and Zach Eflin. They could also elect to retain Edwin Diaz (2/$12) in the bullpen or shift salary cap to Alex Bregman (3/$36) or Matt Chapman (3/$14) who have recently been shopped.

Around the RDBL

• The San Mateo Oppo Tacos have been among the teams engaged on Bregman who enters the final season of a $36 deal for the Maulers. The Maulers have been linked to third baseman Josh Jung (2R/$3) in recent weeks according to sources.

• Despite a red-hot Spring Training, the Burlingame Blue Ducks plan to retain Wyatt Langford (Minors) in the Minor Leagues for 2024 according to GM Ryan Walsh. Langford collected a pair of hits Monday to raise his average to .379 with a 1.300 OPS through 29 Spring Training at-bats and looks poised to break camp in the middle of the Texas Rangers lineup for Opening Day.

• The Nashville Aristocrats are holding their breath on Gavin Williams (Minors) after he reported some elbow soreness after weighted ball work over the weekend. Williams doesn't appear to be in need of an MRI with hope that he will be able to throw again in a few days. The 'Crats enter 2024 as one of the league's most exciting young teams to pair with substantial cap space. The club will have a week to decide whether or not to activate young phenoms Jackson Chourio (Minors) and Jackson Holliday (Minors) with both looking likely to receive Opening Day jobs.

• The Honolulu Hammerheads continue to shop starting pitchers Reese Olson (2FA/$5), Kutter Crawford (2FA/$5) and Chase Silseth (2FA/$5) according to sources. All three have impressed in Spring Training thus far with Olson working four innings of one-run ball Monday. He posted a 1.45 ERA and 0.77 WHIP over his last five starts in 2023, finishing the full season with a 3.99 ERA in 103 2/3 innings of work. Crawford might have the highest upside of the trio and remains in the mix for a Keeper spot on the Heads. He posted another strong start Saturday and holds a 1.13 ERA through eight Spring Training innings after posting a 4.04 ERA in 129 1/3 IP last season. Silseth rounds out the group as he enters 2024 with a solidified spot in the Angels rotation. He's been dominant this Spring with a 1.08 ERA over 8.1 innings after posting a 3.96 ERA in 52 1/3 innings last season.

• The Alamo Short Stacks don't appear to be finished with the club reportedly still seeking upgrades in their infield after adding Marcus Semien and Nico Hoerner this off-season. The club has had several hits on right-hander Bryan Bello (2FA/$5) who appears to be the odd man out after Monday acquisition of Justin Steele who is expected to slot in behind Skubal, Bryan Woo and Logan Gilbert.

TRADE: Ducks Acquire Romano from Fish

The Burlingame Blue Ducks kept up their activity Monday, announcing the acquisition of RP Jordan Romano (2/$8) from the Spokane Fightin' Fish in exchange for a 2024 3rd Round Pick (36th Overall).

Romano racked up 36 saves for the second consecutive year. It wasn't always pretty, as his 1.22 WHIP was his worst since his rookie season, but the right-hander remained effective in closing out games for Toronto. He set a Blue Jays franchise record with 26 successful conversions in a row. Romano maintained a 96.7 mph average fastball velocity that was in the 90th percentile despite dealing with lower back inflammation near mid-season, an injury that forced him from the All-Star Game after just five pitches, then subsequently resurfaced a few weeks later. Romano was able to return after a near-minimum IL stint, but he wasn't as sharp down the stretch, walking nine batters over his final 17 innings. He finished the season with a below-average 9.7% walk rate, but actually improved his strikeout percentage (29%), swinging strike rate (17%) and whiff percentage (35.9%). There's still a lot to like in Romano's profile to safely project him for another 30-plus saves in 2024.

Romano joins newcomer Marcus Stroman on the pitching staff while he's projected to be paired with Devin Williams in the bullpen.

The deal finalizes a 2023 deal that mistakenly sent a 3rd Round pick to the Ducks that the Fightin' Fish no longer had.

TRADE: Stroman Heads to Ducks for Chisholm, Pick

The Burlingame Blue Ducks have turned up the heat in recent days and found their first big addition to a rotation starving for innings. The club announced the acquisition of RHP Marcus Stroman (3/$5) from the Lake Merced Goutfish in exchange for outfielder Jazz Chisholm, Jr. (3R/$5) and a 2024 5th Round Pick.

The 2023 season was a tale of two halves for Marcus Stroman. The 32-year-old made his second All-Star team on the strength of a first half which saw him collect a 2.96 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 98:41 K:BB over 112.2 innings. In the second half, Stroman missed six weeks with hip and rib injuries and posted an 8.63 ERA, 1.96 WHIP and 21:11 K:BB over 24 frames. Undaunted by his poor finish, Stroman opted out of the one year and $21 million remaining on his contract with the Cubs to pursue free agency before landing a two-year, $37M deal with the Yankees. Although there have been some curvy roads along the way, Stroman has been rock-solid on the whole over the last three seasons in holding a 3.45 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 396:132 K:BB across 454.1 innings.

Chisholm Jr. first got the baseball world excited for his fantasy future after a solid rookie campaign, but his follow-up efforts have been marred with injury. 2023 saw him miss time with turf toe, an oblique strain, and a hamstring strain. The turf toe required offseason surgery to fix, but the demands of the centerfield position are not likely to reduce Chisholm Jr's. injury risk any time soon. He remains capable of a 30/30 season, but his aggressive approach has led to a career .304 OBP on over 1,000 at-bats which limits his overall upside.