SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Diamondbacks have decided to anchor their offensive future around Ketel Marte’s ample talents.
The club announced on Tuesday that it had finalized a $76 million, five-year contract with Marte that begins in the 2023 season and includes a team option for the 2028 that could be worth up to $13 million.
The 28-year-old Marte has clearly been the D-backs’ best player over the past few seasons. The only problem has been keeping him on the field. Marte batted .318 with 29 doubles and 14 homers last season despite being limited to 90 games because of hamstring injuries.
Marte is also a good defender at multiple positions though the D-backs hope to play him mostly at second base this season.
D-backs GM Mike Hazen said securing Marte to a long-term deal is important as the team tries to build back toward playoff contention. Arizona lost 110 games last season, which was the second-worst year in franchise history.
ASTROS: Still sporting a 0.00 ERA after three spring training starts, Astros ace Justin Verlander won’t start on Opening Day as Houston plans around the early-season schedule.
Manager Dusty Baker said skipping Verlander in the opener on April 7 at the Los Angeles Angels better positions him to take advantage of three off-days the Astros have in the first two weeks.
“We’ve got to be a little bit apprehensive in general in the beginning,” Baker said.
Returning from Tommy John surgery, the 39-year-old Verlander hasn’t pitched in a major league game since the delayed Opening Day of the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. The two-time Cy Young Award winner threw six innings that July day before being shut down for the year.
Prior to 2021, Verlander had been Houston’s Opening-Day starter every season since his arrival via trade during the 2017 season.
Verlander threw four scoreless innings against Washington on Tuesday, allowing two hits. He struck out six and walked one.
Overall this spring, the right-hander hasn’t permitted a run in 8 2/3 innings and given up just five hits. He’s fanned 10 and walked three.
YANKEES: Right-hander Luis Severino had his spring training start scheduled for Wednesday night pushed back to Saturday because of general body soreness.
Severino was limited to four late-season relief appearances in 2021 after having Tommy John surgery on Feb. 27, 2020. He is slated to follow Opening-Day starter Gerrit Cole this season in the Yankees’ rotation.
Manager Aaron Boone said Jordan Montgomey will start the third game for the Yankees, with Jameson Taillon taking the mound for the fourth.
Nestor Cortes Jr. is the fifth starter.
GUARDIANS: It didn’t take a severe ankle injury to ignite Josh Naylor’s love of baseball. But time away from the game definitely deepened his appreciation.
Nine months after a frightening collision ended his season, the Cleveland Guardians outfielder-first baseman is resuming his career. After playing on minor league fields in the last week, the 24-year-old was in the lineup for his first spring training game Tuesday, batting fifth and playing right field against Milwaukee.
“It felt great to do it again,” Naylor said after batting four times and having some chances in right field Saturday. “I’m trying to keep myself under control.”
Naylor, the 12th overall pick by the Miami Marlins in 2015, was traded to San Diego the following year. Cleveland acquired him in a nine-player deal at the 2020 trading deadline.
He had played in 69 of the team’s 74 games last year, with seven home runs and a .253 batting average, when trouble struck.
Last June 27 in Minnesota, Naylor was in right field and chasing a shallow fly ball when he collided with second baseman Ernie Clement. Jorge Polanco wound up with a single – Naylor wasn’t so fortunate.
Naylor was taken to a hospital and was diagnosed with a “closed fracture and dislocation of the right ankle.” He underwent surgery later that week to repair those injuries, in addition to torn ligaments in the ankle.
BREWERS: Corbin Burnes’ Cy Young Award-winning performance last year has resulted in him getting the Opening-Day assignment for the Milwaukee Brewers this season.
Brewers Manager Craig Counsell announced Burnes would start the Brewers’ April 7 opener against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Cubs haven’t yet named their starting pitcher for that game.
Burnes, 27, has been one of baseball’s best pitchers the last two seasons after struggling through a difficult 2019 campaign.
He went 1-5 with an 8.82 ERA in 2019 but followed that up by going 4-1 with a 2.11 ERA in the pandemic-delayed 2020 season. Last season, Burnes went 11-5 with an MLB-leading 2.43 ERA and struck out 234 while issuing only 34 walks in 167 innings.
• Former Miami Marlins and Detroit Tigers pitcher Jose Urena signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Urena, 30, went 4-8 with a 5.81 ERA for the Tigers last season in 26 appearances, including 18 starts. The right-hander had 67 strikeouts and 42 walks in 100 2/3 innings.
He owns a 36-54 career record with a 4.77 ERA, and 473 strikeouts and 250 walks in 697 2/3 innings. Urena pitched for the Marlins from 2015-20.
Urena’s best seasons came in 2017 and 2018. He went 14-7 with a 3.82 ERA in 2017 and was 9-12 with a 3.98 ERA in 2018.
BRAVES: The World Series champion Atlanta Braves’ season opener against the visiting Cincinnati Reds will be televised nationally by ESPN2 on April 7.
Coming off their first title since 1995, the Braves will raise their championship banner before the game, which will be pushed back slightly from its intended 7:20 p.m. start.
ESPN said Tuesday it had added the game, which was not on its original schedule.
TRADE: The Chicago White Sox acquired outfielder Adam Haseley in a trade with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Chicago sent minor league pitcher McKinley Moore to Philadelphia for Haseley, a .264 hitter over parts of three big league seasons. Outfielder Blake Rutherford was designed for assignment by the reigning AL Central champions to make room on their 40-man roster.
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