Mariners Moose Tracks, 3/21/20: Red Sox sign-stealing, Padres TJs, and Aaron Judge’s lung

Despite what your body clock says, this is indeed Saturday.

In Mariners news...

• The Mariners optioned four players to AAA-Tacoma yesterday: INFs Donavan Walton and Patrick Wisdom, as well as RHPs Zac Grotz and Taylor Williams.
• They also released likable RHP reliever Sam Tuivailala. Despite good results last year, Tuivailala was reportedly 85-87 mph on his fastball this spring and clearly not at full strength.
• Something to keep an eye out for on FanGraphs.

• The Mariners rank 3rd in Baseball Prospectus’ farm system rankings.

Around the league...

• The Red Sox appear to know of MLB’s ruling in their involvement with sign-stealing cheating and disagree with the ruling, per reporting by Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic.
• The Oakland A’s are hiring out the announcers for your home baseball videos.

• Would you want to live inside a ballpark? Michael Clair of MLB looks at a place where that’s a possibility.
• Former Mariners righty Ryan Weber will likely have a rotation role in the absence of Chris Sale in Boston.
• Two Padres RHPs, Reggie Lawson and Andres Munoz, will undergo Tommy John surgery.

• The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a list of new baseball books to keep your spirits up as the season’s delay drags on.
• NCAA D-II spring athletes will receive a full extra season of eligibility, after their seasons were cut short. D-I has yet to rule on their handling of the situation.
• It seems like Aaron Judge is recovering, though his injuries were more serious than initially known. He had, in addition to his fractured rib, a partially collapsed lung.

• With scout-averse Jeff Luhnow out, new Astros GM James Click is leaning into a more balanced approach in hiring scouts.

John’s picks...

• Seattle’s NHL team is considering revealing their name soon despite the social distancing and challenges created work-wise.
• Cutting your hair is hard.