Spring briefly sprang in the Twin Cities last week, with temperatures in the mid-50s and the promise of baseball on the horizon. Naturally, as the team congregated in Florida for their first workout of Grapefruit League action, so too did the nice weather congregate in a little place called “Somewhere Else.” So, it is with a fresh six inches of snow and a consistent streak of lows in the single digits that we northerners get to watch the first weekend of 2026 baseball, with a mixture of excitement
and envy in our hearts.
If you are the kind of person who prefers the cold-weather months — such as myself — please feel free to re-read the entire opening paragraph but with your own adjectives substituted into emotional areas where they make more sense. It’s like Mad Libs, but much less restrictive. Plus, you don’t need a friend.
- Spring is a season of hope and ambition, which is why the Cleveland Guardians will be giving Steven Kwan some center-field reps this spring. I suppose if you win enough Gold Gloves in a defensive position without much prestige, somebody will get the idea that your talents might be better-utilized elsewhere.
- Cleveland minor-league Cam Schuelke turned some heads by turning his elbows and showcasing multiple release points in the same at-bat, which is kind of like if Pat Venditte only had one arm instead of two, but that one arm was actually two arms. Do you know what I mean?
- Here’s a fun one for Twins fans of a certain vintage — Alexei Ramirez will participate in the World Baseball Classic. Yes, as a player.
- By special request of NPB addition Munetaka Murakami, the Chicago White Sox will be adding bidets to the clubhouse in 2026. In line with my reference to Mad Libs from earlier, this is a situation where you, the readership, will be able to come up with something funnier as a collective. Feel free to brainstorm in the comments.
- The Sox also added Erick Fedde on a one-year deal, returning to the organization that brought him back from Korea, and signed Seranthony Dominguez to a two-year contract during which he is expected to be the closer.
- The Detroit Tigers are adding an orange alternate jersey, which feels right on paper but wants for a little individuality in real-life execution, as the kits could easily belong to either the Baltimore Orioles or San Francisco Giants, two teams who manage to distinguish their own orange-and-black palettes from each other. For Detroit, it’s proven a harder task, although we’ll have to wait for a little in-game action under the lights before passing too much judgment.
- Of course, new jerseys weren’t the only major on-field moves for the Tigers this month. They finally reunited with Justin Verlander, picked up Framber Valdez out of free agency, and lost an arbitration case that will see Tarik Skubal make $32MM this season.
- Finally, just because I like this kind of news, and not because I think you’ll be able to watch, the Kansas City Royals will be simulcasting their home opener over-the-air on KCTV5.
