Mariners Moose Tracks, 3/20/22: Jorge Soler, Joe Smith, Alberto Rodríguez

Spring has sprung, but Trevor Story hasn’t seen his shadow yet

Happy first day of spring! Let’s celebrate with the third Mariners spring training game of the season, starting at 1 PM today. It’s not on ROOT, but it is on the LA Bally affiliate so you can get it on MLB TV.

In Mariners news...

• Speaking of games, re-upping this info:

• Prospect Alberto Rodríguez (OF), who was added to the 40-man this off-season, has arrived in Mariners camp after dealing with some visa issues. Expect to see him in games starting next week, likely as a later-innings defensive replacement.
• In case you missed this detail in the announcement that the Mariners are switching from Pepsi to Coke products, that switch also comes along with free refills of any size fountain drink throughout the park. Since the margin on soft drinks is ridiculously criminal (think like 85%), this is definitely filed under “doing the least,” but it is a great step towards making games more family-friendly.
• Speaking of which, presented without comment:

Around the league...

• Jorge Soler is in agreement on a contract with the Marlins, which I definitely misread when the push notification came across my phone, causing me a moment of confusion and excitement. Deal is reportedly for three years/$36M, with opt-outs after the first and second season.
• Old friend alert: Ryon Healy decided he didn’t like overseas baseball so much, and has returned to MLB (or MLB-adjacent, at least), on a minors deal with the Rays.
• Other old friend alert: Joe Smith, who came over in the Graveman trade, has signed a one-year deal with the Twins ($2.5M).
• Everyone but the Orioles and Nationals will be returning to sending broadcasters on the road again in 2022 (the Nats will be sending radio people, just not TV people). I guess if you’re putting out a product like the Orioles have been, it doesn’t matter if there’s anyone in person to witness it or not.
• I knew these spring training caps would hurt someone somehow. But also, normalize sunscreening your scalp! Even those of us with more hair than Jake here need to remember that.

• I’m disappointed that we’ve never seen Andrew McCutchen as a Mariner, but this is pretty freaking cool.
• New York City announced that its vaccine mandate for city employees will continue indefinitely. The Yankees and Mets will have to decide how to proceed with the unvaccinated players on their roster.

Kate’s pick:

There was a solid thread on Twitter yesterday where everyone was telling bad date stories (always wild to see what some people think is appropriate human behavior). This wasn’t the wildest but I find myself thinking about this person, and wishing them well, wherever they are.

~Jazz hands and a weird noise towards all of you!