MESA, Ariz. — Take a spin around the Cactus League with “Three Up, Three Down,” an inside look at what is coming up and what went down on Tuesday.
THREE UP
1. The Cubs and right-hander Jake Arrieta, the 2015 National League Cy Young Award winner, are interested in a contract extension, but progress toward an agreement has not materialized this spring.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Arrieta is asking for a multiyear contract but is under the Cubs’ control for this season and next. Both sides seem to be fine with the nature of discussions, and further talks appear likely to resume after the season.
Arrieta, who will make his spring game debut Wednesday, is coming off a 22-6 season. Even if nothing is achieved this year, the Cubs have plenty of time to work out something with Arrieta and could even save a little money if his amazing numbers from last year (1.77 ERA) aren’t comparable in 2016.
2. It should be interesting to watch the spring training competition to be the right-hand-hitting first baseman for the Seattle Mariners in a platoon with lefty Adam Lind.
The candidates are power hitter Dae-Ho Lee, who starred in South Korea and Japan before signing a minor league deal to compete for a job in the U.S. majors with Seattle; Jesus Montero, who hit well at Triple-A Tacoma in past years; veteran Gaby Sanchez, an All-Star in 2011 with the Marlins; and Stefen Romero, the organization’s former minor league player of the year who has struggled to hit in the majors but is off to a good start this spring at the plate and on defense.
Lee hit a towering home run Monday against Arizona.
“There’s big power there, we know that,” manager Scott Servais said. “He’s played a lot of baseball.”
3. Infielder Jean Segura is looking like a steal for Arizona after the Diamondbacks acquired him in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers in January.
Segura is 9-for-13 in four games thus far, and while it is easy to say it is early in the spring, Segura looks like a much more confident and easy-swinging player at the plate, where his numbers have dipped since he was an All-Star in 2013.
Moreover, Segura is only 25 and looks as if he still has plenty of upside as a hitter high up in the order and a basestealer. He had three hits Tuesday and made a fine defensive play, and the D-backs certainly could use an offensive upgrade at shortstop this season.
THREE DOWN
1. In what seems like an annual occurrence at some ballpark in the Valley of the Sun, a swarm of bees caused a delay in the Colorado Rockies-Kansas City Royals game Tuesday in Surprise, Ariz., home of Royals spring training.
A retired beekeeper from Missouri was at the game and came out of the stands to help round up the bees and put them in a plastic bag. Apparently Royals manager Ned Yost knows a thing or two about the importance of bees to the balance of life on the planet. He insisted the bees not be exterminated, and they were released outside the stadium.
2. This year’s MLB Diversity Business Summit got underway Tuesday in Phoenix at Chase Field, the home of the Diamondbacks. Commissioner Rob Manfred and former player Harold Reynolds kicked the day off with a conversation about diversity in the game, followed by a session on diversity and inclusion with MLB senior vice president of baseball operations Kim Ng, former All-Star outfielder Luis Gonzalez, former players Billy Bean and Curtis Pride and veteran pitcher LaTroy Hawkins.
A panel of team owners and executives, a job seekers’ trade fair, more panel discussions and the screening of a film on former home run king Hank Aaron are scheduled for Wednesday.
In a league that is one of the most diverse as far as ethnicity in the country, such initiatives are meaningful.
3. The Rangers have two of the hottest hitters in the Cactus League at present in 25-year-old outfielder Ryan Rua and 20-year-old outfielder Nomar Mazara, a top-20 prospect for Texas.
Rua had seven hits in his previous seven at-bats over two games before going 1-for-2 Tuesday against the Oakland A’s. He was the Rangers’ Opening Day left fielder last season before injuries limited him over much of the campaign.
Manager Jeff Banister was peppered with questions about what Rua’s role could be this year.
“Let’s just let him continue to compete right now and we’ll make those decisions when they’re appropriate,” Banister said after the game.
The Rangers know what Rua can do, and if he stays hot, he will be hard to keep off the final roster.
Mazara finished 1-for-3 with an RBI on Tuesday, making him 8-for-14 with seven RBIs in five spring training games.