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Starting pitcher Miguel Gonzalez is drawing interest from multiple teams, especially the Chicago White Sox, after being released by the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday.

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Gonzalez Drawing Interest from Multiple Teams

Thursday, March 31    

Chris Cotillo of SB Nation’s MLB Daily Dish reported the White Sox are “aggressively pursuing” the 31-year-old who is 39-33 in his career.

According to Cotillo, his sources also mentioned the Miami Marlins, Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays as candidates to sign the four-year veteran, who may not be on a major league roster come Opening Day:

Gonzalez will be on release waivers for 48 hours, meaning he will be eligible to sign as a free agent tomorrow. Any team that would claim Gonzalez off waivers would have to pay his entire $5.1 million salary for this season, so he is almost certain to hit free agency.

Gonzalez appears likely to get a minor-league deal at this point, though his strong market may push teams into giving him a guaranteed major-league deal. More teams are expected to jump in before the end of the week.

Last season was the worst for Gonzalez, who posted an ERA above four (4.91) for the first time in his career, as well as an ERA+ below 100 (84) for the first time, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

Mark Viviano of WJZ-TV Channel 13 Baltimore thinks despite a poor spring for Gonzalez (9.78 ERA in 19.1 innings), the 6’1″, 170-pounder can find a job:

The right-hander proved he can win at the major league level, but he’s never had a breakout season. And with the disappointing 2015 campaign still lingering, he’s not guaranteed a major league contract.

Chicago’s starting rotation, which includes Chris Sale and Jose Quintana on the top, is solid, meaning a minor league contract with the White Sox is a possibility until they deal with an injury to a starter.

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When the Boston Red Sox signed Pablo Sandoval in the winter of 2014, their hope was surely that he would take his game to new heights.

Instead, Sandoval has gone down, down and down some more. And on Thursday morning, you could practically hear the THUD of him hitting bottom.

Signed for $95 million just 16 months ago, the word out of Red Sox camp is that Sandoval is no longer the club’s starting third baseman. As reported by Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, Boston skipper John Farrell has handed that job to the upstart candidate, Travis Shaw.

In explaining himself, Farrell didn’t make things complicated:

Although this is an event that should be surprising, it’s not.

Sandoval entered spring training off a 2015 season that was several different shades of disastrous. The 29-year-old hit just .245 with a .658 OPS, marking the worst offensive season of his career. Per the advanced metrics, he also played some terrible defense. All together, Boston’s big offseason investment might have been in the worst everyday player in baseball.

The Red Sox have seen more of the same from Sandoval this spring. Though he’s shown off some decent power, he’s hit only .244. And as Ian Browne of MLB.com reported, Sandoval’s continued struggles on defense also had a hand in his new position on the depth chart.

For his part, Shaw clearly deserves his spot. Though his arrival in the big leagues last season wasn’t met with much fanfare, it resulted in a .270 average, an .813 OPS and 13 home runs in 65 games. He’s stayed warm this spring, hitting .333 with an .886 OPS.

Whether Shaw is really the answer the Red Sox seek at third base, though, remains to be seen.

The 25-year-old’s modest minor league numbers (.261 AVG, .803 OPS) suggest he’s hitting way over his head. And though he’s not totally out of water at third base, he fits better at first base. As R.J. Anderson wrote at CBS Sports, the Red Sox are banking more on Shaw’s “acumen for the game” than they are on his talent.

Still, there’s no blaming the Red Sox for rolling the dice on Shaw over Sandoval. Where the former earned his chance, the latter ran out of chances.

The Red Sox’s decision to sign Sandoval ahead of the 2015 season had “knee jerk” written all over it.

Boston was clearly desperate to patch up an offense that was one of the worst in the American League en route to a last-place finish in 2014, and Sandoval was coming off a red-hot run through the postseason with the San Francisco Giants that ultimately led to his third World Series ring.

Oh, but the red flags were there.

Sandoval’s dominant postseason obscured the reality that his offense was actually in a steady decline. There were also the ever-present concerns over Sandoval’s annual struggles with his weight, and his consistent defiance that his heft was actually a problem.

“I feel in shape,” he told MLB.com at one point. “Who cares what other people say? I’m here to do my job.”

If that was Sandoval’s attitude before his big payday, it raises the question of what assurance the Red Sox had that it wouldn’t be his attitude after his big payday.

Perhaps now-former Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington decided to take what Sandoval told Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan in spring of 2013 to heart.

“I’ve got this year and next year to change all the things,” Sandoval said. “It’s going to take me a while, but I can do it. I know I can do it. You need to learn. You need to grow up. You need to step up and know the difference between what you can do and what you can’t.”

Sandoval’s timeline put him on track to start getting serious in 2015, just in time for his first season in Boston.

Instead, Sandoval never even bothered to try. He showed up to spring training with a boiler heard ’round the Internet, and failed to put concerns to rest by hitting just .259 with a .662 OPS in the exhibition season. Maybe “pathetic” is too strong, but that performance sure ended up being prophetic.

As the Red Sox were careening toward another last-place finish in the AL East, Sandoval’s facepalm-worthy season is one thing among many that led to Cherington’s ouster in August. In came Dave Dombrowski, and among his directives was that Sandoval spend the winter getting into better shape.

In January, the news was good. Farrell told Sean McAdam of CSN New England that Sandoval was 20 pounds lighter than he had been at the end of 2015. After the club’s signing of David Price and trades for Craig Kimbrel and Carson Smith, this was another bit of good news in an exciting hot-stove season for the Red Sox.

But then, this happened:

And then, this happened:

Which brings us to today, and what the heck the Red Sox are supposed to do with Sandoval now. 

The best option is trading him. A recent report from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe suggests the San Diego Padres may be interested in a deal. If so, they’re probably not the only team intrigued by taking a flier on a two-time All-Star and three-time champion who’s still on the good side of 30.

But as Sandoval goes, so goes his value. The only way the Red Sox are moving him for anything of value now is by eating a good chunk of the nearly $80 million he’s still owed, or if they agree to a bad contract swap.

If the Red Sox go through with keeping Sandoval on the pine, they don’t have much choice but to hope his benching lights a fire under him and inspires him to try to win back his starting role.

But there’s not much hope for this hope. Scott Lauber of ESPN.com wasn’t out of line when he recently scolded Sandoval for having thin skin. That’s something he’s demonstrated time and again. Rather than inspire him to ramp up his give-a-you-know-what meter, his benching may leave the Red Sox with a piece of mopey dead weight on their bench.

For now, choosing Shaw over Sandoval at third base is the best the Red Sox can make of a bad situation. And if Shaw continues to surprise them, that’s just another reason to buy into the notion that they can pull off a worst-to-first season in 2016.

If they’re lucky, Sandoval will either soon be gone or will ultimately find a way to be a part of it. If they’re unlucky, he’ll stay in a pit of his own making and see how deep it goes.

Regular-season stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted/linked. Spring training stats courtesy of MLB.com.

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The New York Yankees‘ bullpen has suffered another setback as Bryan Mitchell is expected to miss at least three months due to a toe injury.  

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Mitchell Out Until Midseason Due to Toe Ailment

Thursday, March 31

Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Mitchell has a fractured toe on his left foot, but it’s unclear whether surgery will be necessary. Jack Curry of the YES Network stated it’s a “Grade 3 turf toe,” which will require a minimum of 12 weeks to recover.

Word of the setback comes just days after Mitchell was informed he earned a spot on the 25-man roster for Opening Day. Ryan Hatch of NJ Advance Media passed along comments from the right-handed reliever after he first suffered the injury Wednesday: “I honestly don’t know what to feel right now. I’m just trying to stay positive and hopefully when I wake up tomorrow it feels 10 times better than it does. Just trying to stay positive right now.”

The bullpen was expected to become a major part of the Yankees’ success coming into spring training. Now, it’s suddenly become a question mark with the regular-season opener scheduled for Monday afternoon against the Houston Astros.

Projected closer Aroldis Chapman was suspended 30 games under the league’s new domestic violence policy. Andrew Miller, who was expected to fill the closer void for the time being, also faces an uncertain status due to a wrist injury, per Mark Townsend of Yahoo Sports.

Mitchell had shined during spring training with a 0.57 ERA across six appearances with 12 strikeouts in 15.2 innings. He also posted a 0.64 WHIP, and his batting-average against was just .132.

That success, combined with the suddenly unstable New York bullpen, made him a candidate to pitch some high-leverage innings early in the campaign. That seemed like a long shot at the start of camp after he finished last season with a 6.37 ERA in 20 games.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post noted the injury is a double whammy for the organization:

Looking ahead, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported Miller hopes to pitch through the pain despite the injury to his non-pitching hand, but the Yanks are awaiting details form a hand specialist. If he’s unavailable, Dellin Betances will be the last member of the team’s star pen trio left standing.

Chasen Shreve, Johnny Barbato and Kirby Yates are among the other relievers who will need to step up while the Yankees wait for Chapman, Miller and Mitchell to assume their expected roles.

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Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell announced Thursday that Travis Shaw has won the starting job at third base over Pablo Sandoval. 

Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe passed along word of the decision from Farrell, who met with both players Thursday morning to inform them of the decision.

“I’m not going to take this opportunity for granted,” Shaw said after learning of his spot in the starting lineup, per Tim Britton of the Providence Journal.

Shaw has outperformed Sandoval at the plate during spring training, hitting .333 with a .377 on-base percentage across 20 games. Sandoval has a .244 average and .279 OBP in 16 games.

That said, Farrell noted “defense became a deciding factor” in the final decision as well, per Britton.

Sandoval admitted “it’s the right decision to help the team win,” and because of that, he’s happy despite heading to the bench for the time being, according to Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald.

However, Sandoval’s agent Rick Thurman didn’t agree, saying ““if you want to win, why leave the ferrari in the garage?” per Jon Heyman of MLB Network.

While all of the on-field signs point to Shaw being the right choice, it’s still a bit surprising given the financial commitment the Red Sox made to Sandoval last offseason. Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post spotlighted the money still owed to the 29-year-old infielder:

Sandoval has provided almost no bang for that buck. He posted a career-low .292 OBP during his first season in Boston while hitting just 10 home runs. Pictures of him early in spring training this year became a viral sensation, as he looked out of shape.

Though the former San Francisco Giants star has never been a physical specimen, the extra weight started to have an impact on his ability to defend third base. His minus-11 Defensive Runs Saved figure last season tied the worst mark of his career, according to FanGraphs.

Looking ahead, the Red Sox would probably love to rid themselves of Sandoval, even if it meant eating a sizable portion of his remaining contract. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported Monday the San Diego Padres were scouting the third baseman.

Otherwise, they’re stuck with an extremely high-priced bench player for the foreseeable future. Shaw has been the better player throughout spring training, and he shined with 13 homers in just 65 games as a rookie last season, so the team will stick with him as long as he keeps slugging.

It’s been a rapid fall from grace for Sandoval, who won three World Series titles and got selected to the All-Star Game twice while with the Giants. Now, his future is a mystery as he prepares to watch the start of the new season from the dugout.

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The 2016 Major League Baseball season is nigh, so it’s time to offer some predictions to the baseball gods.

We need to get them in before Sunday, when Opening Day will arrive in the form of a tripleheader highlighted by a World Series rematch between the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals. And when it comes to predictions for a new season, we dare not skimp the baseball gods.

We have predictions for pretty much everything. We’ll hit on who the best players will be. We’ll hit on who the best teams will be. We’ll hit on which players will be traded. We’ll hit on which team will disappoint. And so on and so on until we have a clear picture of how the 2016 season will play out.

Spoiler: We’re not going to be right about everything. The baseball gods demand predictions not so they can grant wishes but because doomed predictions are their nectar. They’re jerks like that.

Anyway, better get to it…

Begin Slideshow

With April 3’s Opening Day finally in sight, now is the time to predict who will lead each league in some notable statistical categories.

This is obviously a shot in the dark, and there are always at least a few surprises that emerge over the course of the season.

However, a player’s recent track record, positive and negative regression factors and the teammates surrounding him all helped to make these a series of educated guesses.

Remember though, at the end of the day these are still just that—guesses.

The following includes predictions for the top five finishers in each league for the following categories:

• Batting Average
• Hits
• Home Runs
• RBI
• Runs
• Stolen Bases
• Wins
• ERA
• Strikeouts
• Saves

Also included is one player to “keep an eye on” in each category, highlighting someone who finished well off the leaderboard last season who could make a surprise push this coming season.

Begin Slideshow

In year one, you feast. In year two, the bill arrives.

We’re talking about the dreaded and enigmatic sophomore slump, when MLB rookies follow their breakout debuts with underwhelming second acts. 

Before we cruise down that dreary highway, let’s recount just how amazing the 2015 rookie class was. As FanGraphs‘ Owen Watson outlined in a piece published at FoxSports.com, last season’s position-player rookies posted an average WAR of 1.76, the highest tally since 1920.

Yeah, we’re dipping back to the Woodrow Wilson administration.

If WAR isn’t your thing, how about we rattle off some names: Kris Bryant, Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor, Matt Duffy, Kyle Schwarber, Maikel Franco, Miguel Sano, Jung Ho Kang—are you not moved? 

Whichever way you slice it—on the side of statistics or the eyeball test—2016 features an enviable array of second-year studs looking to build on last year’s success.

Which begs the obvious question: Will this group be immune to sophomore slumps, or can we expect some regression?

Let’s take a closer look, narrowing our focus to non-pitchers (don’t worry, Noah Syndergaard, you’ll be fine). But first…

Is the Sophomore Slump Even a Thing?

The argument for the sophomore slump is largely anecdotal. The league tends to “figure out” second-year players, to expose their weaknesses and exploit their tendencies. Then, it’s up to those second-year players to adjust and respond accordingly, or so the story goes. 

There’s truth in that. Baseball is a game of adjustments, to cite the cliche. But are we looking at an actual, measurable trend?

Recent data is murky. As Beyond the Box Score’s Steven Martano noted last April, of the 11 position-player Rookie of the Year recipients between 2007 and 2013, four—Ryan Braun, Geovany Soto, Chris Coghlan and Wil Myers—took a notable step back in their second year.

The others—Ryan Howard, Hanley Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia, Evan Longoria, Buster Posey, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout—generally continued raking. And Jose Abreu, 2014’s American League Rookie of the Year, followed his stellar debut with 30 homers and 101 RBI.

That’s only ROY winners, and an admittedly small sample. But it suggests the sophomore slump is far from assured. If anything, excellent rookies keep being excellent more often than not.

Speaking of excellent rookies…

Star Shortstops

From the ashes of Derek Jeter’s retirement, a pair of stud shortstops rose in the Junior Circuit.

First, let’s talk about Correa, the 21-year-old who helped propel the Houston Astros to the postseason and took home Rookie of the Year honors on the strength of a .279/.345/.512 slash line and 22 home runs in 99 games.

Correa is young, so it’s worth wondering if there are some growing pains in his near future. But the instant dominance he displayed last season, coupled with the fact that he plays his home games in a hitter-friendly park in the midst of a potent lineup, assuages those fears. 

As FanGraphs‘ Eno Sarris noted, “None of his peripherals seemed out of whack. There wasn’t a single split that made him look bad either—home/away, left/right, early/late season, he was always good.”

The same can be said of the Cleveland Indians’ Lindor, who finished second to Correa in AL Rookie of the Year balloting but had an equally impactful season.

The potentially bad news for Lindor is that he posted an inflated .348 batting average on balls in play (BABIP), meaning his .313 average could be due for a tumble. Likewise, his .482 slugging percentage was higher than he put up at any minor league level.

If the offensive numbers cry out for regression, Lindor‘s value is buoyed by his defense. In fact, his 10 defensive runs saved and 10.5 ultimate zone rating, per FanGraphs, suggest Gold Glove capabilities at one of the most important, difficult positions on the diamond. 

Clubbing Cubbies

The Chicago Cubs are loaded with young talent, but a pair of 2015 rookies stand out. First, of course, there’s Bryant, the 2015 National League Rookie of the Year and one of the most promising sluggers in the game.

The biggest knock on Bryant, as with many Cubs hitters, is his strikeout rate, which sat at 30.6 percent. He also posted a .378 BABIP.

Assuming he cuts back on the whiffs a bit and improves his contact rate, Bryant could mitigate the BABIP gap. And he’s surrounded by capable bats in the hitter-friendly NL Central. 

Like Bryant, Schwarber struck out a lot in 2015, to the tune of a 28.2 percent rate. Still, the 2014 first-round pick launched 16 home runs in 69 games.

Overall, Schwarber is a high-OBP hitter with a discerning eye, which indicates the offensive numbers should continue to jump out.

The challenge could come on defense, where the Cubs may ask Schwarber to pivot between catcher and the outfield. 

According to skipper Joe Maddon, the 23-year-old is up to the task.

“When you start in the outfield and catch later in the game, you might feel a little more tired, jogging back [and] forth from left field,” Maddon said, per Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “But this guy, I don’t think there’s any negative rub any way with him. He’ll be ready to play wherever you want him to play, all the time.”

Burgeoning Bashers and Dark Horses

The good news for the Minnesota Twins is that Sano hit 18 home runs and posted a .916 OPS in 80 games last season.

The bad news? The Dominican masher “failed to put in the offseason toil that would give him his best chance at success” and showed up to camp nearly 20 pounds overweight, according to Patrick Reusse of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. 

That doesn’t ensure a sophomore slump, but it undeniably hints at one.

On the other side of the ledger, the Philadelphia Phillies’ Franco is leading all spring swingers with eight home runs and 21 RBI entering play Thursday.

While exhibition stats should always be swallowed with a chaser of context and a hint of salt, that’s an impressive showing. And it positions Franco as a prime breakout candidate on a rebuilding Phils squad.

Finally, let’s talk about Duffy and Kang, the dark-horse rookies of 2015.

Virtually no one expected Duffy, an 18th-round pick in 2012, to be a starter for the San Francisco Giants last season. Yet the spindly 25-year-old won himself a job and hit .295 with 12 home runs and 77 RBI, finishing second to Bryant in NL Rookie of the Year balloting.

It’s tempting to dismiss Duffy as a one-year wonder, and his .336 BABIP means some backsliding could be in order. Then there’s the lack of pop he displayed in college and throughout the minor leagues.

On the other hand, he’s a solid contact hitter and—wait for it—it’s an even year. So we’ll swill the orange-and-black Kool-Aid and predict another expectation-defying season from the Duffman.

Unlike Duffy, Kang had an established track record coming into last season. But all of his stats were compiled in South Korea, leaving him an MLB mystery man.

The mystery was solved after Kang hit .287 with 15 home runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates before suffering a late-season knee injury on a takeout play at second base.

Kang is still working his way back from the injury and said he’s “not 100 percent yet,” per Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 

Assuming there are no setbacks, the 28-year-old has the experience and, now, the MLB results to precipitate another strong season.

All statistics current as of March 30 and courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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The New York Yankees bullpen had a biblical feel to it at the start of spring training. We knew it was general manager Brian Cashman’s creation, but it seemed as if a higher power put it together.

In reality, it was a serious off-field problem and a failed trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers that allowed the Yankees and Cashman to pull off an offseason trade that brought flame-throwing left-handed closer Aroldis Chapman to the Bronx. He joined Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances to form a three-headed monster that had the potential to be one of the best relief trios baseball has seen.

They looked unhittable on paper. Now, less than a week away from Opening Day, the Yankees bullpen just looks paper-thin.

First, Major League Baseball suspended Chapman, set to be the team’s closer, for 30 games after an alleged domestic violence incident. Then on Wednesday, the team announced that after throwing only one pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning of a game against the Atlanta Braves at Disney World, Miller suffered a chip fracture in his right non-throwing wrist when a line drive hit him.

Let’s call the Chapman suspension the result of his own alleged behavior. What happened to Miller was daggone bad luck.

The Yankees stated, per Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News, that there was no timetable for Miller’s return and that he would see a hand specialist to “determine the next course of action.”

It’s so unlikely that he’ll be ready for Opening Day that I’ll let Miller drill me with a fastball if I’m wrong. But Superman couldn’t heal from a wrist fracture in less than a week. And clearly after suffering the injury, Miller doesn’t have superhuman strength.

Until then the bullpen is left without a closer. Betances is a career setup guy. Nine of his 10 career saves came last season. With New York’s bullpen at full strength, the plan was for Betances to be a seventh- or eighth-inning guy.

Having both Miller, who had 36 saves last year as the Yankees closer, and Chapman, who has eclipsed 30 saves the past four seasons, had a dual purpose.

Primarily it would have allowed the Yankees to throw a closer at opponents for six outs. Miller, who would finish games on nearly every other major league team, would pitch the eighth inning. Chapman would close. And on days when Chapman needed rest, Miller could close. Or one could fill in should the other become hurt.

Or in Chapman’s case, suspended.

One line drive decimated that plan.

Even after Miller’s injury, though, there’s still evidence that the baseball higher-ups love pinstripes. Any day of the week, the left-handed Miller would prefer an injury occur on his right side.

With his right wrist in a cast, Miller will still be able to work his pitching arm in some capacity. To what degree won’t be understood until more information is released.

Other than that, Wednesday’s news did nothing to reassure the Yankees.

“Anytime you get a line drive, right away I don’t think it’s going to feel good,” Betances said, per Feinsand. “I’m sure right away you’re going to think everything is bad, but when he was in here talking to me, he was all right.”

Until Miller or Chapman returns, whichever comes first, insurance runs will be important to the Yankees.

The less experienced Chasen Shreve will become the team’s left-handed specialist. With Miller out, expect Luis Cessa, Johnny Barbato and Kirby Yates to all make the Opening Day roster.

All three have little major league experience. Yates has pitched parts of the last two seasons in Tampa Bay but has only one save. He posted a 7.97 ERA in 20 games in 2015.

Prior to Miller’s injury, the three pitchers were competing for two remaining bullpen spots. But neither of the three figured to pitch in the high-leverage situations reserved for Betances, Miller and Chapman.

Given that the remaining Yankees relievers are baseball neophytes, Betances is the only choice to close for now.

The good news: Of the 30 games that Chapman will miss to start the season, only nine come against teams that made the playoffs last season.

The Yankees’ bad luck is coming at a good time in their schedule.

With Miller’s injury, though, it’s as if New York had awoken from a dream. Its bullpen was the envy of every executive in baseball.

When the pieces are healthy, it is among baseball’s best. It might even push to be one of the best ever. Chapman and Miller had 69 combined saves in 2015, and Betances is regarded as one of the game’s elite setup men. Both Chapman and Betances have fastballs that have clocked in at over 100 miles per hour.

But for at least the duration of Miller’s recovery, the Yankees relievers might look ordinary if they don’t struggle altogether.

So as New York awaits a timetable on Miller’s return, this bullpen may just want to ask for a little more help from above.

Seth Gruen is a national baseball columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @SethGruen.

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As the New York Mets and Kansas City Royals get set to open the 2016 Major League Baseball season on Sunday night, with the Royals receiving their World Series rings for defeating the Mets last October, the only thing anyone is talking about right now is retaliation.

Marc Carig of Newsday reported Tuesday the Royals were seeking retribution against the Mets after Noah Syndergaard threw a pitch over the head of Alcides Escobar in Game 3 of last year’s Fall Classic.

Speaking to ESPN.com’s Adam Rubin on Wednesday, Syndergaard said he doesn’t understand what the Royals’ reported plan would accomplish:

I don’t think they’re too fond of me, but as far as retaliation goes, I really don’t know what they’re going to retaliate against. All I did was establish the inner part of the plate. So I don’t know what this whole retaliation talk is all about. But it’s going to be an interesting time. … I simply threw a pitch on the inside corner. Elevated. A purpose pitch. I don’t really see how any retaliation could be made.

It does seem like a pointless plan for the Royals, if it’s even true, because they got the ultimate revenge. They defeated the Mets to win the franchise’s first championship in 30 years. Nothing that Syndergaard or any other New York starting pitcher did last October changes that.

Syndergaard did say he’s not nervous heading to Kauffman Stadium this weekend: “I’m really looking forward to it, and all the guys are looking forward to it. It’s going to be an extremely high-energy game as soon as we get to Kansas City. It’s pedal to the metal from there.”

Matt Harvey is scheduled to take the mound for the Mets on Sunday, with Syndergaard getting the call in Game 2 of the series against Kansas City on Tuesday. He is going to get the same treatment from Royals fans that Chase Utley got from Mets fans last postseason.

The Royals have not been shy about trying to intimidate opponents, getting nine players ejected during a six-game span early last season for various reasons. They spent a lot of time as a doormat for American League opponents, but there should be a limit to how long one team can remain angry over something that didn’t make a difference in the outcome of its series.

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Authorities in Maui, Hawaii, will drop domestic abuse charges against Colorado Rockies shortstop Jose Reyes ahead of a trial that was scheduled to begin April 4.

Per Jennifer Sinco Kelleher of the Associated Press, Maui deputy prosecuting attorney Kerry Glen decided to drop the case against Reyes due to a lack of cooperation from Reyes’ wife.

Reyes was arrested and charged with allegedly assaulting his wife on October 31, per Chelsea Davis of Hawaii News Now.

According to Davis’ report, the alleged altercation took place around 2:30 p.m. while Reyes and his wife, Katherine, were staying at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea. Reyes’ wife told police he “grabbed her off the bed and shoved her” and also reportedly told police he “grabbed her throat and shoved her into the sliding glass balcony door.”

The Rockies, who acquired Reyes from Toronto last July, issued a statement regarding the allegations against the 32-year-old:

While awaiting a final outcome to Reyes’ domestic violence case, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announced in February the four-time All-Star had been placed on paid leave, via MLB.com’s Thomas Harding: 

Upon resolution of Reyes’ criminal proceedings and the completion of the Commissioner’s Office’s investigation into the incident, Commissioner Manfred will make a decision whether to impose discipline on Reyes. The Commissioner’s Office will have no further comment on this matter until a final disposition is announced.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported Reyes will remain on administrative leave until the investigation is complete.

Even though the case against Reyes was dropped, he could still face a suspension from MLB. The league’s domestic violence policy, established last August, gives Manfred the authority to determine a punishment following an investigation by the commissioner’s office.

New York Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman became the first player punished under the new policy after details emerged in December of an incident with his girlfriend in October. Chapman received a 30-game suspension to start the season even though prosecutors decided not to pursue a case against him due to conflicting accounts and lack of evidence, per MLB.com’s Paul Hagen and Bryan Hoch.

Reyes has not played a spring training game with the Rockies while on paid leave, so even if he avoids a suspension, he likely wouldn’t be ready to take the field when they open the season on April 4 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

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