Mariners Moose Tracks, 4/2/22: Ken Giles, Merrill Kelly, and Craig Kimbrel

Good day everyone! Let’s kick off the weekend with some links.

In Mariners news...

• With that, the No. 5 starter race appears to be down to Matt Brash and George Kirby.

• Daniel Kramer reported that the Mariners are likely to carry three catchers on their 28-man Opening Day roster.
• We’ve got some Mariners injury updates.

• Larry Stone at The Seattle Times says that it would be a huge mistake for the M’s to leave Julio Rodríguez off the Opening Day roster.

Around the league...

• Legendary Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker had a very trying offseason for both his physical and mental health, but the 88-year-old is ready for another season of calling Brewers baseball.
• The Blue Jays have extended the contract of manager Charlie Montoyo through 2023.
• The MLB Pipeline prospect team released their organizational rankings for 2022.
• Astros outfielder Jake Meyers is ahead of schedule in his shoulder recovery but still is not likely to be back in action until May.
• Bill Shaikin makes the case for MLB realignment now that baseball has the universal DH.
• Gamblers everywhere have been placing a lot of bets on Nationals catcher Keibert Ruiz winning Rookie of the Year even though he’s ineligible for the award.
• The Diamondbacks agreed to a two-year contract extension with right-hander Merrill Kelly. Michael McDermott at AZ Snake Pit broke down the importance of the deal.
• Uh oh.

• The White Sox sent reliever Craig Kimbrel to the Dodgers for outfielder A.J. Pollock. Chrystal O’Keefe at South Side Sox broke down the deal from a Chicago perspective while Eric Stephen at True Dodger Blue provided the Los Angeles point of view.
• The White Sox got some bad news as it appears left-hander Garrett Crochet will likely need Tommy John surgery.
• It turns out the minor league housing plan doesn’t necessarily include those players’ families, which many players are now just learning.
• The Mets got some pretty bad news on Jacob deGrom, who will be shut down for at least a month due to ongoing shoulder issues.
• The Mets have reportedly been in trade discussions with the Padres regarding a deal that would send Chris Paddack and Eric Hosmer to New York for Dominic Smith.
• Evan Webeck at Mercury News broke down how the Giants managed to get a 2 mph velocity bump out of Alex Cobb.
• The Angels announced their six-man rotation for the season.

Anders’ picks...

• If you’re in the Seattle area, please keep your eye out!