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.