Mariners Moose Tracks, 2/18/23: Robbie Grossman, Lance McCullers, and DK Metcalf

Good morning all and happy Saturday! Let’s dig into the latest.

In Mariners news...

• That ankle seems to be holding up pretty well! Hopefully this means he’ll be ready for Opening Day.

• Stacy Rost at 710 ESPN Seattle wonders if this is finally the season that Jarred Kelenic puts it all together.

Around the league...

• The Rangers added some outfield depth by agreeing to a one-year deal with Robbie Grossman.
• Lance McCullers has been experiencing arm soreness during the early parts of spring training.
• Scott Lauber at The Philadelphia Inquirer spoke to Phillies owner John Middleton about his aggressive spending habits compared to many owners around the league.
• Clayton Kershaw decided to bow out of competing in this year’s World Baseball Classic. The rumored reason is that he could not secure insurance on his contract due to his history of back injuries. With his departure from the squad, things are looking bleak for Team USA’s pitching staff.
• Manny Machado was pretty open about his contract status, saying he plans to exercise his opt-out clause at the end of the year. He would be hitting free agency again at 31 years old.
• Major League Baseball has set its sights on Las Vegas for the A’s new stadium, according to Rob Manfred.
• For those of you who are interested in such things, Scott Rolen will enter the Hall of Fame in a Cardinals cap while Fred McGriff will have no team logo on his hat.
• Big league backstop Rene Rivera has announced his retirement.
• If you start seeing him referred to as Luis Robert, Jr., you can blame his father.

• Somehow, these feel more right to me than the actual projection systems.

Anders’ picks...

• Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf stole the show last night at the NBA Celebrity Game, winning the contest’s MVP award.