Mariners Moose Tracks, 3/1/24: Jackson Kowar, Shohei Ohtani, and Kris Bryant

Spring training Marches on!

Hello friends! We’ve finally made it to March. Opening Day is just around the corner now! With that in mind, let’s catch you up on the latest from around baseball.

In Mariners news...

• Jerry Dipoto had some interesting comments about the team’s third base situation, remarks that included Ty France possibly getting looks at the hot corner this year.
• Shannon Drayer spoke to Mariners players about right-handed reliever Jackson Kowar, who is making a lot of noise in camp this spring.

Around the league...

• Shohei Ohtani made a shocking announcement early yesterday morning — he is now married! Congratulations to the newlyweds.
• More good news: Erik Swanson’s son is out of pediatric intensive care! Let us hope for a full, speedy recovery.
• Could Major League Baseball really implement an offseason signing deadline? Alden Gonzalez at ESPN dives into the logistics of such a proposal and whether or not it can be considered realistic at this time. ($)
• Sam Blum at The Athletic caught up with Kris Bryant, who we haven’t heard much from since he signed in Colorado, but who now carries the responsibility of helping the Rockies become prominent again. ($)
• At 75 years old, Diamondbacks pitching coach Brent Strom is still making his mark on the game of baseball, writes ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
• Jay Jaffe at Fangraphs explores the weakest positions among American League contending clubs.
• A question answered by a bunch of MLB All-Stars and uhh...Harry Ford?

Anders’ picks...

• Elmo’s hind legs will now haunt my dreams.