Rival Roundup, Vol. 33: It Smells Like Broke Out There

Oh, what was that?

Oh, no, sorry. No, I haven’t been paying much attention to transactions around the league. Yeah, no, it’s — yeah, a little bit, yeah. And just busy, too. I’ve been pretty preoccupied with some other stuff. Yeah, no, just the whole thing where we signed Carlos Correa and you guys didn’t. Oh, you didn’t? Oh, yeah, huge deal. Right, right, right. Yeah, no, whole thing. (Bird funeral, etc. etc.)

Anyway, best of luck to you guys! Maybe you will get Elvis Andrus!

IT’S RIVAL ROUNDUP, BABYYYYYYY!

• The Cleveland Guardians did not sign Carlos Correa. They did, however, announce additional renovations to Progressive Field, as their organizational refresh continues beyond the boundaries of graphic design. Bars! Bars everywhere!

• The Detroit Tigers did not sign Carlos Correa. They did swing a trade with the defending National League Champions, shupping out notable reliever Gregory Soto and young-ish utility man Kody Clemens, bringing back a return of Matt Vierling, Donny Sands, and Nick Maton, all 27 years of age or younger.

• It’s the first major transaction under the new management, and leaves fans (of the Tigers and otherwise) wondering what exactly the immediate direction is for a franchise that has really fallen off the horse within the last ten years.
• Their second major transaction of the week is trading some Comerica Park outfield grass for more home run real estate. The dimensions are below, and leave fans (or at least Miguel Cabrera) wondering why they didn’t do this before he announced his final season.

• The Kansas City Royals did not sign Carlos Correa. They, uh...what they did was, uh — the Royals, see, what the Royals did this week was, uh...
• Finally, while the Chicago White Sox did not sign Carlos Correa, it is unfortunate that they had to share some serious news on behalf of their star closer. Liam Hendriks announced a diagnosis of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and per his Instagram has already begun cancer treatment. Ever a fiery competitor, Hendriks declared his intentions to be back on the mound as soon as possible, and I think everyone in Twins Territory and the larger baseball community is rooting for the same outcome.

The Carlos Correa signing inherently makes the American League Central a more interesting division in 2023. Yes, it’s still the Comedy Central, but a non-division winner retaining their five-win shortstop is grounds for a more competitive battle this upcoming season — and it’s still a brave new world out there with MLB’s most diverse schedule in the history of the sport.

Until next time, keep rounding up those rivals!