February 20th, 2024, spring training notebook: Chase Anderson arrives in Bradenton & more

MONDAY'S TOP STORIES

It was a rather quiet day in Bradenton on Monday with the top story for the Pirates being that the club has claimed former Bucco Canaan Smith-Njigba off waivers while also placing JT Brubaker on the 60-day injured list as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery. You can read more on the pair of roster moves by the Pirates, here courtesy of Bryce Naughton.

Rum Bunter's Noah Wright takes a look at notable Pirate prospects who will be making their professional debuts this season.

Also worth checking out is Marty Leap's story on which pitches will be key to left handed starter Martín Pérez bouncing back with the Buccos this season. Pérez signed a 1-year, $8 million contract with the Pirates this past January.

THOUGHTS AND NOTES FROM BRADENTON

Recent signing Chase Anderson met with the media on Monday for the first time since becoming a Pirate. Anderson noted that he feels like Pittsburgh gives him the best chance to compete and grab a roster spot. He also noted that the hard-working, blue collar nature of Pittsburgh also appealed to him while referring back to his time in Milwaukee as well as growing up in a small town in Texas.

The Pirates are just a few days away from their first game of spring training and many are still worried about the Pirate rotation especially the bottom of the rotation including Rum Bunter's own Kody Duncan.

The Pirates' top three in the rotation barring injury is set in stone as it will be some order of Mitch Keller, Martin Perez, and Marco Gonzales. But the no. 4 and no. 5 spots in the rotation remain a big question mark with Luis Ortiz, Bailey Falter, Roansy Contreras, and Quinn Priester among the potential options to fill out the rotation.

Potential options that remain on the market include Michael Lorenzen, Johnny Cueto, Brad Keller, and Hyun-Jin Ryu among others.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

The first big news on Monday came from the Milwaukee Brewers as the Brew Crew has signed Brandon Woodruff to a two-year deal through next season. Notably, Woodruff underwent shoulder surgery in October and is likely going to miss the entire 2024 season, making this move one more for 2025 than 2024.

In his seven career seasons, Woodruff pitched in 130 games for the Brewers including making 115 starts, posting a 3.10 ERA and a 46-26 record. Jon Heyman was the first to break the news of Woodruff's signing.

Staying in the NL Central, the Chicago Cubs have signed David Peralta to a minor league deal. The 35-year-old Peralta played in 133 games for the Dodgers in 2023, hitting .259/.294/.381 over 394 at-bats and 422 plate appearances. He also had 33 total extra base hits including seven home runs while knocking 55.

Also signed by the Cubs on Monday was free-agent first baseman Dom Smith. The 28-year-old Smith signed a minor-league deal after hitting .254/.326/.366 for the Washington Nationals last season in 153 games.

Both deals were reported by FanSided's Robert Murray. Additionally, the Cubs are continuing their discussions with free-agent outfielder Cody Bellinger but owner Tom Ricketts is not classifying the discussions as "negotiations", at least yet.

Perhaps the biggest news out of baseball on Monday came out of the Los Angeles Angels camp in Tempe, Arizona. While Mike Trout told reporters that wants to stay in Los Angeles and doesn't want to be traded, the biggest news surrounds oft-injured third baseman Anthony Rendon.

When meeting with reporters on Monday, Rendon said that baseball has "never been a top priority" for the former All-Star. "This is a job. I do this to make a living," he added. Since making the comments, he has received quite a bit of flack from fans both in Anaheim and around the league.

Since signing a seven-year, $245 million contract with the Angels following the 2019 season, Rendon has hit .249/.359/.399 with the Angels, hitting just 22 home runs and driving in 111 runs across 200 games and 857 plate appearances.