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Nathan Eovaldi was just one inning into his second start of spring training, but New York Yankees television analyst John Flaherty was impressed.

“He looks locked in already,” Flaherty said on the YES broadcast Wednesday night.

An inning later, Flaherty was bemoaning Eovaldi’s high pitch count, which would force him from the game after just two innings of his scheduled three.

“He needs to work on that, to get to the next level,” Flaherty said.

This is the year he can get there. He can do it with the 100 mph fastball and the splitter he used so effectively last year, and the slider he has worked to improve this spring. But it’s going to take more than that.

As one veteran scout said after watching Eovaldi this spring, “He’s always had the stuff.”

He had it back when he was growing up in Alvin, Texas—yes, Nolan Ryan’s hometown. He had it when he was a 21-year-old kid with the Los Angeles Dodgers and even when he was giving up the most hits in the National League as a 24-year-old with the Miami Marlins.

He certainly had it last year, when his 96.6 mph average on his fastball was the best of any regular major league starter, according to FanGraphs.com.

He has it already this spring, hitting 99 mph on the YES radar gun his first time out.

The stuff isn’t the issue, just as it never was with the Cubs‘ Jake Arrieta. But even if he didn’t reach the depths Arrieta did with the Baltimore Orioles, Eovaldi has also been a guy who leaves you thinking he can do more.

This is the year he can do it, with the confidence acquired in a strong stretch of 12 starts last year (he went 8-0 with a 2.93 ERA and a .584 opponents’ OPS from June 20 to August 24).

The elbow problem that ended his 2015 season in early September appears to have gone away. Any concern over the dangers of being nine years out from his high school Tommy John surgery may be fading away, too.

A couple of years back, doctors suggested that replacement elbow ligaments might have a shelf life of seven to 10 years, which would have put Eovaldi and some other current major league pitchers in serious danger of needing a second Tommy John procedure. More recent research, though, suggests that’s not true.

According to Dr. Glenn Fleisig, the research director for the American Sports Medicine Institute, pitchers who make it back successfully from Tommy John surgery are at no greater risk of needing a second surgery than pitchers who never had Tommy John at all. Their careers should be as long as they would have been if they hadn’t needed the surgery.

As a pitcher who just turned 26 last month, Eovaldi has every chance at a long career. He has every chance at a good career.

And some chance of a great one.

The scouts who watch him continue to have some doubts.

“I still feel he would be better in a 2-3 role rather than as a No. 1 [starter],” one scout said. “Less pressure.”

The Yankees don’t necessarily need Eovaldi to be a No. 1, but they do need him to be dependable. Right now, he’s typical of their rotation—plenty of promise but also reasons for caution.

He still hasn’t pitched 200 innings in a major league season, although he fell only one out shy of the milestone in 2014. He still has those starts where he throws 100 pitches in just five innings. For all the velocity and even with the improved split, he has just one double-digit strikeout game in 106 major league starts (none last year). He still gives up a surprising number of hits (175 in 154.1 innings last year).

For what it’s worth, Eovaldi hasn’t allowed a hit in his four innings so far this spring. Even with the elevated pitch count that forced him out of his second start, he has looked locked in.

There’s no reason he can’t stay there.

Danny Knobler covers Major League Baseball as a national columnist for Bleacher Report.

Follow Danny on Twitter and talk baseball.

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Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria suffered a shin contusion on Thursday. It’s unclear when he’ll return to the field. 

Continue for updates.

Longoria Out vs. Phillies

Thursday, March 17

The Rays announced that Longoria would not return to Thursday’s game against Philadelphia with a left shin contusion. After the game, manager Kevin Cash told reporters the third baseman was sore but walking around fine and didn’t need X-rays. He added that Longoria could be the team’s designated hitter on Friday. 

Longoria Remains Among MLB‘s Best When Healthy 

While Longoria, 30, saw his numbers take something of a dip last year, he’s still one of Tampa Bay’s most important players. He hit .270 with 21 homers and 73 RBI in 2015, which marked the seventh time in the last eight years he’s hit at least 20 home runs and driven in 70 runs.

When healthy, he remains one of MLB’s best third basemen. 

The three-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove winner and 2008 Rookie of the Year has played in at least 160 games the last three seasons, so this latest setback is a disappointment given his recent durability.

Longoria only managed to play a combined 207 games out of a possible 324 between the 2011-12 seasons, but it appeared his injury woes were behind him. The Rays will certainly be hoping this latest injury is nothing more than a minor setback, as Longoria remains a key piece to what they hope will be a postseason contender.

With Longoria sidelined, Tampa Bay will likely give exciting prospect Richie Shaffer a long, hard look at third base in Longoria‘s place.

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In the midst of an offseason shopping spree meant to restore its success, the Boston Red Sox pulled off a largely unheralded trade, acquiring Carson Smith from the Seattle Mariners.

The full deal, which the teams completed back on Dec. 7, sent Smith and left-handed pitcher Roenis Elias to Boston in exchange for pitchers Wade Miley and Jonathan Aro.

It’s never easy to draw major interest to a reliever acquisition—especially when the reliever won’t be a closer for his new team. But make no mistake: Smith will prove to be the steal of the offseason.

At only 26 years old and having only one full season in the majors under his belt, Smith has yet to touch the prime of his career. Based on his 2015 numbers, he could become the best reliever in the game shortly.

Last season, Smith made 70 appearances out of the bullpen for the Mariners, mostly in late-game situations. His 22 holds ranked ninth in the American League, and he also notched 13 saves.

When taking a closer look at Smith’s numbers, we see just how good he really was.

He struck out 11.83 batters per nine innings pitched, ranking No. 12 among qualifying MLB relievers. He also kept his pitches largely unpredictable, as his 0.26 home runs per nine innings pitched ratio was tied for third-best in the league.

Perhaps the most impressive number is his 2.1 WAR, tied for fourth among MLB relievers. It shows just how much he boosted Seattle’s bullpen.

Smith has quickly taken notice as one of the best strikeout relievers in the game, and his highlights show it well. Take a look at his five-strikeout performance against the Detroit Tigers back on July 7, arguably his best of the season:

Keep in mind that these aren’t bad hitters Smith mowed down; All-Stars J.D. Martinez and Jose Iglesias were two of the victims.

Smith goes right at the hitters, and he isn’t afraid to go to his off-speed pitches to get the strikeout. He loves to locate his sinker and slider on the outer half of the plate, either getting the hitter to chase or placing it right on the corner for a called third strike.

In his profile of Smith, FanGraphs‘ Zach Sanders raved about the young reliever:

After a dominant season with the Mariners in which he struck out nearly a third of the batters he faced, Smith was traded to the Red Sox for some reason, and he’ll likely make the Mariners regret that move for his next five years of team control. The 26-year-old right-hander features a low-90s sinker and wicked slider thrown from a funky angle, helping him neutralize left-handed hitters despite his typically split-heavy repertoire.

Smith’s talent is undeniable, and the fact that Boston was able to acquire him and Elias for a serviceable starter like Miley was nothing short of trade robbery. But the question persists: What role will Smith play in the Red Sox bullpen?

The acquisition of Craig Kimbrel rules out Smith as the team’s closer (barring an injury), and Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa’s presence have forced Smith into a role as the team’s “bridge reliever”; someone who comes in for the sixth and perhaps even seventh inning to hold the score.

Even if that remains Smith’s role all season, it’s still a major benefit for Boston.

Every team needs a strong bullpen to boost its chances at a World Series, and it’s hard to argue with the strength of Boston’s pen. It’s clear that Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has learned from his Detroit days, where a poor Tigers bullpen ruined several promising seasons for an otherwise loaded roster.

Even if the worst-case scenario does hit the back of Boston’s bullpen, Smith can step right in as the closer, and the team won’t skip a beat.

Given the lack of clarity behind David Price in the Red Sox starting rotation, its nice to know that the team can count on Smith to guide it through countless must-win games over the duration of the season.

And all it cost them was two dispensable pitchers.

Advanced stats courtesy of FanGraphs.

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FORT MYERS, Fla. — It’s Yoan Moncada’s turn.

After 90 minutes of fielding drills, the prospect one major league scout labeled “the closest thing to [Mike] Trout I’ve seen,” per Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan, finally gets to take batting practice.

With a chiseled, 6’2″, 205-pound frame that Red Sox pitcher Joe Kelly likened to a “friggin’ inside linebacker,” Moncada divides his cuts evenly between the right and left side of the plate. It’s hard to see a weak side in his swing or when contact is made. The approach is a model of controlled anger. It is as fierce as it is fluid.

There are no BP home runs this day, but steady line drives to left, center and right from both sides of the plate give onlookers a taste of what they came to see.

Moncada departed from Cuba in 2014 and took a disjointed international journey, complete with secret workouts, before signing with the Red Sox 13 months ago.

“I’m not sure we’ve ever had someone quite like him physically in our system,” said general manager Mike Hazen, who has worked with the Red Sox since 2006. “Bo Jackson was a guy built that way. Of course, he played football, too. But no one we’ve had in our system.”

That physical talent and the baseball potential it carries pushed the Red Sox to sign Moncada for a record-shattering $31.5 million in March 2015. Due to the MLB luxury tax imposed on the deal for exceeding the allotted international signings bonus pool, however, his cost to the team was $63 million.

That was $63 million for a then 19-year-old who played 101 games of organized baseball in Cuba. All of it based on possibility. So what have the Red Sox gotten for so much of John Henry’s money?

If they’re right, they get a player whose potential appears limited only by how quickly he can reach the majors. If they’re wrong, they get another entry on a long list of multimillion-dollar busts.

On the No. 3 practice field behind JetBlue Park, Moncada cannot hide his mere 20 years, even behind designer sunglasses and a Red Sox helmet.

“He’s strong,” said Red Sox manager John Farrell. “Athletic. He’s a physically gifted player. A lot of people are excited to see him play in our uniform. He’s extremely talented for sure.

“Talented players are going to command large signing bonuses. Our ownership made a significant investment in him. I know the due diligence that [former GM Ben Cherington] and everyone in the international department did. They felt comfortable with that investment. We’re excited he’s in our organization.”

Moncada told Bleacher Report in remarks translated from Spanish that his goals for 2016 are simple. 

“Steal 100 bases and keep focused on reaching the big leagues.”

While he may not reach the big leagues this year, he swiped 49 bases on 52 attempts last season in 81 games at Low-A Greenville. He also hit. 310 with a .415 on-base percentage and 25 extra-base hits (16 doubles, two triples, seven homers) in his last 56 games (.278 overall with an .817 OPS).

Those numbers earned Moncada Minor League Player of the Year honors in the Red Sox organization.

But Moncada was not invited to the Red Sox’s major league camp this year, and he will likely start the season at High-A Salem (Virginia)—three levels shy of his MLB goal. 

As far as the Red Sox are concerned, he remains right on schedule.

“His expectations for how hard the game is, and the work that’s needed, mostly on the defensive side, we’ve seen that grow by leaps and bounds since last year,” Hazen said.

“The amount of time and energy he spends on his defense. We’re watching him grow up that way. It’s been really positive. He made a lot of strides on that in Greenville [South Carolina] last year from when he got there until the end. We believe he can be an offensive player. He can run. He’s a pretty dynamic player.”

‘Basic is important’

For 115 minutes on this sunny and windy March morning, Moncada labors on the basics of baseball.

Fielding. Throwing. Running. Hitting.

Rollers to second, baserunning situations, force-outs, double plays, man on first, man on second, man on third and fungoes fielded from his knees. Not everything was perfect. He overran second base once and the ball fell harmlessly into center field. A few other grounders were simply missed. He even changed gloves from white to black.

Coaches watch every move.

“Basic is important. Being able to do the fundamentals the right way is important for all our young players,” Hazen said. “He’s not any different. We do that with every one of our minor league players. The game is more challenging if you move up, but if you have a solid knowledge of the fundamentals, you’ll be that much more prepared.”

The feedback is constant—always in Spanish—and it modulates between encouraging and blunt in tone.

Moncada chats in Spanish with teammate Chris Marrero on and off the field. The two and their teammates share a makeshift steel bench in a dugout barely suitable for Little League.

When the day’s workout is finished, a group of seven or eight fans ask for and receive Moncada’s signature on various pieces of baseball swag.

“We’ll see you on the cover of Sports Illustrated some day,” one says.

There is a nod.

Two fans ask Moncada to pose for a photo.

He obliges.

But he doesn’t smile. He hasn’t smiled all day, so why start now?

He walks off the practice field alone, the last player to depart.

The journey from Cuba to the United States for Moncada wasn’t as simple as buying a plane ticket and leaving town. Moncada needed permission granted by his team in Cuba, the Cuban military and the Cuban baseball league. He received it and was given a passport. His first stop was Ecuador.

Part A-Rod, part Machado

It’s easy for the Red Sox and their fans to smile when pondering Moncada’s potential. Baseball America ranked him the No. 3 overall MLB prospect entering 2016.

The Boston Herald‘s Scott Lauber (now with ESPN) raved in January that Moncada could be the “best 20-year-old baseball player on the planet” and likened his appearance to a “combination of Alex Rodriguez (circa 1996) and Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado.”

Moncada turns 21 on May 27. If the plan holds, future stars will be compared to the “young Moncada.”

That type of anticipatory career success means little to new Red Sox minor league hitting coach Greg Norton. A former batting coach at Auburn, Norton spent parts of 13 seasons with six different major league teams. Like Moncada, Norton hit from both sides of the plate.

As a big league veteran-turned-coach, Norton said his focus when it comes to Moncada would be on what he sees and not what he’s heard.

“He’s an impressive player,” Norton said. “Built really well. Strong from both sides of the plate. Right now, I have to see him play.

“If you have talent, it’s not hard to get to the big leagues, it’s hard to stay. It’s about adjusting to other teams. As an ex-player, I’m mindful of too much information and I’m trying to observe.”

Norton said spring training does provide an adequate baseline to evaluate talent. “As a coach, I’m trying to build a relationship and establish trust by talking to them. What do you do that’s going well and not going well?”

A knee injury scuttled the Red Sox’s plans for Moncada to play winter ball in Puerto Rico. The bulk of his time during weekdays in the offseason was spent working on those fundamentals of hitting, fielding, running and throwing in Fort Myers.

‘He’s still just a kid’

David Hastings, a certified public accountant in Gulfport, Florida, is Moncada’s improbable agent.

During his first year in America, when he wasn’t playing baseball, Moncada lived in an apartment adjacent to Hastings’ home. Last year, he purchased a home on the same street, three houses down. Hastings’ wife, Jo, was born in Cuba and currently runs a restaurant in St. Petersburg.

The couple serves as surrogate parents for Moncada.

And, yes, Jo Hastings would swat Moncada with a pillow if he chose to sleep in too late or scold him if his room wasn’t kept clean.

“He’s still just a kid,” Hastings told Bleacher Report. “My wife really has taken to him as a son. It’s no-holds-barred. If she’s mad at him, she lets into him.

“She’s able to talk to him and his parents. Making sure his parents were comfortable with us helping him and treating him like a son, that was a huge part of the equation. Once the parents trusted her and me at the same time, it made the journey a lot more comfortable every day. Hearing the same things from my wife and his parents, and his parents telling him they are placing their trust in us, helps us in guiding him in his future.”

While any 20-year-old minor leaguer is trying to learn how to hit a curve or improve his flexibility when it comes to pivoting on a double play, Moncada also carries the extra burden of doing so in a country that bears virtually no resemblance to the one in which he which he was raised.

“We try to develop all our players and expose them to real-life scenarios. We’re college for a lot of these kids,” Hazen said. “We work really hard to try to present them with as many skills from a development perspective [as possible]. Whether it’s English as a second language. That’s something we work hard on. It’s important we take care of him. Not just the guy on the field, but the guy off the field.”

What has been Moncada’s biggest challenge?

“Learning English and being without my parents,” he told Bleacher Report.

Moncada hasn’t seen his parents since June 2014, but they speak on a regular basis. He sends his parents and younger sister money regularly, Jo Hastings said.

“He’s getting better with his English,” Jo said. “‘I’m hungry.’ He has that one down.”

If you want to know what Moncada is like away from the diamond, she offers this simple description: “He’s a 20-year-old kid, at home on the couch playing Playstation, snacking on a box of Twinkies.” 

‘Very, very, very nervous’

In many spring training camps, the presence of a $31.5 million minor leaguer from Cuba—who cost his team twice that much—toiling away on a practice field might be the source of never-ending angst, speculation, scrutiny and chatter.

But these are the Boston Red Sox, and they have no shortage of storylines on the 2016 marquee, from David Ortiz’s final season to David Price’s first season in Boston to the rebuilt bullpen to the team trying to shake off the stench of last-place finishes in the AL East three out of the past four seasons.

That has left Moncada virtually free to learn how to become a major leaguer with little distraction or fanfare—a critical advantage for a far-from-finished product.

Moncada made his MLB spring training debut on March 9, against Pittsburgh in Bradenton, Florida.

Though he told B/R he was happy to be facing big league competition, he also said he was “very, very, very, nervous” as the game began. “When I went up that to plate, it wasn’t real. I was thinking, ‘Wow, what have I gotten myself into?'”

Moncada was a bit more relaxed as the game progressed. He played six innings and went 0-for-2 with a walk.

“I was glad when it was over,” Moncada said. “When I got pulled out, I felt relief. It was like the most nerve-racking day of my life.”

His second game, against the Rays on Sunday, saw him get his first hit of the spring, but he also bungled what would have otherwise been a sure double-play grounder. It served as a reminder that he made 23 errors in just 71 games last season.

“Defensive side of things is a clear area of development for him,” Farrell told reporters after the Rays game. “I think to be in this setting, the speed of the game, this is helpful for him. There’s work to be done defensively.”

Moncada said he’s “most comfortable” at second base and told B/R his coaches haven’t discussed him playing another position—yet.

“The main thing I’m working on is movement from side to side,” he added Sunday through Red Sox translator Daveson Perez, per Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.  

Meanwhile, Red Sox veteran incumbent second baseman Dustin Pedroia is under contract—complete with a no-trade clause—through 2021.

Pedroia doesn’t appear worried about Moncada or anyone else taking his roster spot, but he’s not ready to coast into 2016, either.

“You have to get better, no matter what level you’re at. Facts are facts. If he improves, he will be in the big leagues,” he told WEEI’s Rob Bradford. “Does [talk of Moncada playing second base] bother me? It’s an open competition. You think it’s my first picnic? You think I shy away from competition? No. Not at all. We all have to keep proving ourselves.”

Moncada, too, is very aware that he must prove himself on multiple levels of organized ball before challenging Pedroia or anyone else on the Red Sox’s 25-man roster.

“Stepping onto the field in Boston for the Red Sox. Everything I’m doing right now is to make sure that happens. And I can’t imagine what that will feel like,” Moncada told B/R.

The anti-Puig?

At first cynical glance, the geographic origins and physical stature along with the money and hyperbole showered upon Moncada trigger comparisons to another Cuban superstar—Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig.

Puig’s litany of clubhouse tiffs, tardiness, me-first antics and off-the-field woes led one ex-Dodgers teammate to tell B/R’s Scott Miller that Puig is “the worst person I’ve ever seen in this game.”

Moncada, at least thus far, has been the anti-Puig. He labored through a season in the minors with barely a ripple of news or notoriety.

“He’s continuing to mature as a human being and a baseball player,” David Hastings adds. “He’s still getting accustomed to a world he never grew up in. When you come from a country like Cuba and have nothing, and then all of a sudden you’re showered with millions of dollars and you can buy anything, it’s overwhelming.”

‘Take care of his business first’

Luis Tiant pitched for the Red Sox from 1971 to 1978 and won a pennant in 1975 during a career that spanned six teams and parts of 19 seasons.

Now 75, Tiant was born in Cuba and signed with the Cleveland Indians in 1961 prior to the failed Bay of Pigs invasion that sealed off Cuban-American relations. His introduction to America and pro baseball was a galaxy away from the welcome received by the likes of today’s Latin players—both in terms of finances and acceptance.

Despite the differences in era, the former Red Sox star has become an important source of wisdom for the team’s newest potential star.

“We’ve talked about what to do and what not to do,” Tiant said. “He’s not supposed to try and go crazy, or throw all his money away. I told him he has to take care of his business first.

“It’s hard for a young kid like that to get that kind of money. You can only tell him so much, since I never got that kind of money when I was his age. You can tell him what not to do: Don’t go out and get in trouble, get caught speeding, drinking, stuff like that. You have to behave.”

Tiant finally returned to Cuba in 2008 after 48 years away. He is scheduled to return to the island later this month as part of MLB’s exhibition series there. He believes the sacrifices he and other Latin ballplayers of the past made are not lost on Moncada.

“He’s a good kid. I like him,” Tiant said. “He shows me respect. He behaves properly. The family has taught him good manners. If he keeps it up, he’ll be fine.

“He respects [the older players], as do the other Cubans [Rusney Castillo and Yoenis Cespedes]. They’re not fresh. They call you ‘Senor Tiant’ or ‘Mr. Tiant.’ It makes you feel old. But it’s a good thing. When you respect people, you can go a long way. People want to be around you.”

All revved up

With his talent and salary, Moncada is not your typical minor leaguer. And one need not look any further than the parking lot to see that. It’s where the young star has started amassing a collection of cars that can simply be described as spectacular.

Moncada’s high-end collection consists of a Lamborghini and two BMWs from Alex Vega’s Auto Firm, a Miami-area garage that customizes cars for “more than 300” MLB ballplayers, according to Vega, including Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez of the Red Sox and Cespedes of the Mets. The combined cost of three vehicles and their modifications, according to Vega, is about $615,000.

“There’s also a competitive drive among players over their rides,” Vega said. “They love their cars. You’re on a team and everyone on that team can afford any car they want. Many of them want their car and want it different. They always try to outdo each other.”

Moncada’s affinity for expensive automobiles has drawn criticism on social media and among some in the baseball press. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote Sunday that Moncada “flaunting his expensive car collection in the parking lot of a Fort Myers hotel isn’t very becoming for a player who hasn’t played one inning in the major leagues.”

An understanding of Moncada’s background offers perspective when it comes to some of his four-wheeled purchases, Jo Hastings said. The first thing he bought once his bonus check cleared was a gold chain.

“He used to walk or hitchhike to his games in Cienfuegos on a dirt road,” Jo Hastings said. “He was paid $4 a month to play baseball in Cuba. He’s 20. He’s a multimillionaire now. I know if I was a 20-year-old millionaire, I would have parked myself at Fashion Week in Paris. I’m happy for him. I’m not going to criticize him for that. But a lot of people are riding his coat-tails. I love the kid like a son. I want him to be a Chris Archer. To be a humble kid on his time off and go to Africa and spend time with kids.”

As Moncada proudly proclaimed to Vega, “Boston is going to know my name.”

The Red Sox certainly hope so.

All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Jo Hastings translated Moncada’s remarks from Spanish to English to Bleacher Report for this story.

Bill Speros can be reached at bsperos1@gmail.com. He tweets at @RealOBF.

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Toronto Blue Jays star Edwin Encarnacion is dealing with an oblique injury, and it is uncertain when he will be able to return to action.  

Continue for updates.

Encarnacion Shut Down for a Week

Thursday, March 15

Mike Wilner, the Blue Jays’ play-by-play announcer, noted Encarnacion’s injury is “minor,” and he is expected to be OK in time for Opening Day.

Encarnacion Is No Stranger to Injury

This is a difficult setback for the slugger, especially since he has never played a full 162 games in his entire career. What’s more, he only reached the 150-game plateau once (2012) since he entered the league in 2005.

When healthy, Encarnacion is one of the best hitters in the league. He is a two-time All-Star and finished the 2015 season with a .277 batting average, 39 home runs and 111 RBI. He also boasted a career-high 4.7 WAR last year and has been an absolute masher since joining the Blue Jays with 151 long balls from 2012 to 2015.

Fortunately for the Blue Jays, they still have plenty of firepower remaining in the order. In fact, Encarnacion’s 39 homers last season still only ranked third on the team. Josh Donaldson won the MVP and hit 41, while Jose Bautista launched 40, and Toronto finished first in the majors in total runs scored with 891.

The Blue Jays also have Chris Colabello and Justin Smoak to rotate in at first base and designated hitter while Encarnacion heals.

Colabello had a career year in 2015 and finished with a .321 batting average, 15 home runs and 54 RBI. Smoak is a veteran who drilled 18 home runs and drove in a career-best 59 runs in 2015 and will likely see more at-bats without Encarnacion.

While the Blue Jays have enough pieces to remain in the postseason race without Encarnacion, they need their slugger back in the middle of the order to once again be the best offensive force in the league.

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There’s a debate raging in my head when it comes to the Toronto Blue Jays‘ otherworldly offensive output in 2015.

Which was more shocking: the Blue Jays dominating baseball in nearly every offensive category or shortstop Troy Tulowitzki having nothing to do with it after being traded to Toronto? 

Since adding one of baseball’s best hitters did nothing to boost an already potent Blue Jays offense in 2015, Toronto should only look better at the plate in 2016 with Tulowitzki in a Blue Jays uniform the entire season.

Last year, the Blue Jays led MLB with 570 walks, a .340 on-base percentage, 232 homers and 891 runs scored, which were 127 more than the second-place Yankees. Toronto’s .269 batting average was second to Detroit’s league-leading .270.

Tulowitzki—a career .297 hitter—is all that stood between Toronto and the team batting title.

After a trade on July 28 sent him to Toronto, Tulowitzki hit .239/.317/.380 in 41 games with the team. It was a shockingly poor output for a player who had hit .300/.348/.471 in the 87 games prior with the Rockies.

The offseason might have helped ease his psyche. Tulowitzki deserves criticism for having brought his issues with the Rockies to Toronto.

A nasty, public split with Colorado ended with Tulowitzki and Rockies manager Walt Weiss getting into a verbal altercation after Weiss pulled the shortstop from a game and told him he was headed to Toronto.

Tulowitzki believed he would be consulted about any potential trade, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. That apparently did not happen.

“I’ll never talk to him, never talk to those people,” Tulowitzki said. “You get lied to, straight to your face, you get upset. I believe in forgiveness, but at the same time, I don’t plan on being friendly with them, or anything like that.”

He was so furious about the situation that his rage spilled over into spring training this year. Just a few weeks ago, Tulowitzki engaged in a wide-ranging rant on the Rockies organization in an interview with Nightengale. He not only criticized the way in which his trade was handled, but he also knocked the Rockies’ spring training facility and voiced his frustrations with being the leader on a young Colorado team.

But most importantly to Toronto, Tulowitzki vowed he was done rehashing the situation. Whether justified or not, the aftermath of the breakup with Colorado weighed on him last season.

The passing of time should give him relief.

The reality, though, is that regardless of the reasons, it’s difficult to imagine Tulowitzki struggling as much as he did with the Blue Jays in 2015.

Yet, last season Toronto’s offense still served as the league’s benchmark—in name only. The numbers the Blue Jays put up seemed far too unattainable for any other roster.

The fact Tulowitzki did nothing to help that effort makes it seem as though the team is adding a new All-Star to its 2016 roster. That’s the kind of player Tulowitzki proved to be over his 10-year career, save for those 41 games last season with the Blue Jays.

Tulowitzki’s struggles at the end of last season brought his batting average down to .280, which was his worst mark since hitting .263 in 2008. Based on his production over the past half-decade, his performance after the trade seems to be an outlier.

We’re likely to see the version of Tulowitzki in 2016 that can hit .300 as easily as Justin Bieber can find his next girlfriend. Remember, the five-time All-Star hit .340 just two seasons ago.

Switching leagues may have had an adverse effect on Tulowitzki. An offseason to study the American League pitchers he will face regularly should allow him to round back into the hitter he was before Colorado traded him to Toronto, even if he’s leaving hitter-friendly Coors Field.

Even if Tulowitzki doesn’t return to being the .300 hitter he was for so many seasons with the Rockies, he is almost certain to hit better than .239. His history suggests it.

It’s impossible to look at last season’s Blue Jays output, presume that Tulowitzki will be better and dismiss the idea that Toronto will be even better offensively in 2016.

Given the numbers the Blue Jays posted, it seems hard to believe. Insane even.

But considering the Blue Jays traded for Tulowitzki to rely on him offensively, it’s clear the team didn’t reach its full potential in 2015. Without a star player playing as such, Toronto couldn’t have done so.

Even the slightest improvement from Tulowitzki means even more is possible for this team.

Looking at Toronto’s 2015 offensive numbers, even now, is stunning. Then imagine how much more is possible in 2016 with Tulowitzki unencumbered by the baggage that comes with being traded midseason.

And if he returns to form, the Blue Jays’ shocking output from 2015 could turn into something outright historic this season.

Seth Gruen is a national baseball columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @SethGruen and like his Facebook page.

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Boston Red Sox pitching prospect Michael Kopech is on the shelf with an uncertain timetable for his return after injuring his hand in an altercation with a teammate.

Continue for updates.

Red Sox GM Comments on Kopech’s Injury

Tuesday, March 8

According to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, Kopech fractured his right hand during the incident, and it ultimately required a cast.

Per Bradford, Red Sox general manager Mike Hazen acknowledged the incident and challenged Kopech to mature:

It was stupid. He’s going to have to grow up, obviously, with the things that have happened so far. He’s got a long road to go to get to the big leagues. He obviously has a ton of potential. He’s got a long way to go. These types of things, you don’t want to put more barriers in front of you than playing professional baseball already presents you.

It is unclear who Kopech scuffled with, but this isn’t the first time the 2014 first-round pick has gotten into trouble.

The Mount Pleasant, Texas, native was suspended for 50 games last season after testing positive for Oxilofrine. According to Danny Wild of MILB.com, he denied knowingly taking the substance:

[…] I never have and never will intentionally cheat the game that has been so great to me. I haven’t bought any supplements that aren’t NSF certified for sport. Therefore, I know I have not bought a supplement containing this drug. I have never heard of Oxilofrine, honestly. Apparently, it is a drug that many people use for weight loss. I have been trying to gain weight since I signed with the Red Sox. I do understand this is also a stimulant. This drug would have no positive outcome for me and that’s why I chose to appeal. I realized I didn’t have much evidence to prove that I’m innocent, but I didn’t have any understanding of how I could have failed a test. I respect the system and understand why they have to be so careful with the testing. I also understand why that means my suspension couldn’t have been overturned without proper evidence. I have 50 games to get to work and better myself and as a ball player. Next season I’ll be better than ever. Drug free.

The suspension damaged what was an otherwise spectacular year for Kopech, as he went 4-5 with a 2.63 ERA and 70 strikeouts in 65 innings at Single-A Greenville.

Kopech was highly unlikely to make Boston’s 25-man roster out of spring training because of his relative inexperience in professional baseball, but the injury could move his timeline back even further.

While the Red Sox have yet to reveal how long Kopech is expected to be out of action, the fact that the injury is to his throwing hand is a major negative, and a potential late start to his season could make building upon 2015 difficult.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.

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For a manager, navigating a bullpen through a baseball season is like driving your car down an unkempt road. You try to avoid the damage, but you eventually resign yourself to the understanding that you’ll hit a pothole.

Over the course of a 162-game season, no team’s bullpen looks the same from month to month. There are injuries that force call-ups, doubleheaders that require fresh arms and, inevitably, at least one guy whose struggles force a change.

Teams tend not to count on consistency from their bullpens because they never really get it.

So though the Yankees will be without closer Aroldis Chapman, who will begin the season serving a 30-game suspension for an alleged domestic violence incident, the team’s bullpen will be fine.

Chapman is expected to return from his suspension on May 9.

By trading away relievers Adam Warren and Justin Wilson on consecutive days last December, the team eliminated its depth. But even without Warren, Wilson and the flame-throwing Chapman, the Yankees still have two of the best power-pitching relievers in baseball.

Yankees left-hander Andrew Miller, right-hander Dellin Betances and Chapman were the only three relievers in baseball with 100 strikeouts last season. Those three arms alone may give the Yankees baseball’s best bullpen.

But what general manager Brian Cashman has also given his team, by default, is an insurance policy.

Chapman may be the Yankees’ closer, but that never meant he would close every game. Aside from the suspension, he could get hurt or may just need rest. Any good bullpen has multiple guys capable of closing games anyway.

So, in Chapman’s 30-game absence, there will be people able to competently fill in.

Miller had 36 saves for as the Yankees’ closer last season, and Betances had nine for the club. Miller will again close for the team in Chapman’s absence. But if there is a day Miller needs to rest, Betances has the ability to close too.

Essentially, this team has a trio of pitchers capable of being the primary closer on any number of other ballclubs. When Chapman returns, that’ll be a terrifying thought for the rest of the American League East.

Even without him, Miller and Betances form a formidable back-end tandem.

But to suggest the Chapman hole could be plugged with two players—even two really good relievers—is disingenuous.

After all, a bullpen’s best friend is its starting rotation. The best way to help a bullpen is to use it less frequently, and that comes as the direct result of a team’s starters throwing well.

Of course, manager Joe Girardi won’t tax his rotation early in the season just for the sake of the bullpen. But by simply pitching quality starts, the Yankees starters will have a role in overcoming Chapman’s absence.

Expect them to do just that for the first month of the season.

On Sunday, Masahiro Tanaka, expected to be the team’s Opening Day starter, pitched two scoreless innings against the Philadelphia Phillies. Sure, it was a spring training game, but performance in the spring seems like a reasonable indicator of success in April.

C.C. Sabathia pitched well for the Yankees at the end of last season, posting a 2.17 ERA in his final five starts before entering rehab for alcohol addiction—an experience that can only help him remain at his best this season. Luis Severino also played well in 11 starts for the Yankees last season as a rookie.

So, while the starting rotation provides no guarantees, optimism is warranted.

Acquiring Chapman was undoubtedly among baseball’s biggest moves this offseason, but it was a move for September and October—not April.

It would be nice to have Chapman to start the season. He should be criticized heavily for the circumstances that prompted the suspension. Domestic violence is an issue of greater concern than something as trivial as the Yankees bullpen.

Regardless of the reason, though, his absence had to have been expected at some point this season. Even if it wasn’t, the Yankees still appear well prepared.  

Seth Gruen is a national baseball columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @SethGruen and like his Facebook page.

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Comcast SportsNet New England reporter Jessica Moran resigned from her position Friday after questions cropped up regarding her relationship with Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell, according to the Boston Globe‘s Mark Shanahan.

“I have stepped away from Comcast SportsNet as I thought it was in my best personal and professional interest to do so,” Moran said in a text message, per Shanahan. “They have been extremely supportive during my tenure at the network—and with this decision—and I am very appreciative of that.”

Moran later clarified via text message to the Boston Globe that she had, in fact, resigned.

According to Shanahan, “There has been speculation among local and national baseball reporters about Farrell’s relationship with Moran.” Shanahan also noted the Red Sox manager is in the midst of divorce proceedings with his wife, Sue Farrell.

“I can confirm that we’re in the process of getting a divorce,” Farrell said during a phone call, according to Shanahan. “As you can understand, this is a tough time for my family.”

CSN New England had employed Moran as a Red Sox reporter since 2009, per Shanahan.

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The Steinbrenner family has been synonymous with the New York Yankees since 1973, something managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner does not see changing anytime soon.   

In an interview this week with ESPN.com’s Wallace Matthews, Steinbrenner said he expects the Yankees to remain in the family for many generations to come:

I think all of us feel that way. … This is a family business, and we’re all involved. We all love being a part of this. We all know our dad wanted us to be a part of us (sic), and we all know he’s watching down on us and happy that we’re all a part of it. Believe it or not, to us, that’s a big deal. The idea is, let’s keep it going.

Steinbrenner also confirmed there have already been discussions among the family to eventually have George Steinbrenner’s grandchildren run the franchise: “We got a lot of grandkids, and they’re very interested. The idea is, it’s time to let the young elephants in the tent, in George’s words. So it’s begun.”

There have been rumblings of the Yankees potentially being put up for sale virtually since George Steinbrenner died in 2010. 

In May 2012, Michael O’Keeffe and Bill Madden of the New York Daily News reported the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ sale seemed to pique the Steinbrenner family’s interest in putting the Yankees on the market:

Multiple baseball and finance sources told the Daily News they are hearing that the team the Steinbrenner family has led to seven World Series titles could be put on the block in the wake of the record sale price of $2.175 billion the Los Angeles Dodgers went for in April.“There has been chatter all around the banking and financial industries in the city for a couple of weeks now,” one high-level baseball source told The News.

Hal Steinbrenner, 46, who inherited the team with his brother, Hank, after their father’s death, said they want to keep control of the Yankees because it’s their “way of keeping [their] dad’s legacy alive.”

The Yankees were sold to Steinbrenner in 1973 for a net cost of $8.8 million. The franchise has won seven World Series titles in the subsequent 43 years and become a sports juggernaut in the process. 

Matthews broached the topic of selling the Yankees with Steinbrenner because Forbes valued the franchise at $3.2 billion, tied with the Dallas Cowboys for No. 2 in all of sports. Given what his father paid for the team, that would be a nice return on investment. 

However, Steinbrenner said “it’s all money that we don’t really need.”

While there’s no doubt the Yankees would bring in a huge offer if the Steinbrenner family put them up for sale, they don’t have any impetus to do so. They clearly aren’t hurting for money, which was one reason the Dodgers were sold four years ago. 

The value of sports teams, especially in a market the size of New York, continues to go up. The Steinbrenners know they can wait a long time to put the franchise up for sale without risking any money. 

Business people will always explore options, but the marriage between the Steinbrenner family and the New York Yankees figures to continue for many years. 

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