Rise and Phight: 3/23/2022

The Nick Castellanos signing was made official yesterday, which meant a 40-man roster spot needed to be had. Unless a deal was in the works, someone had to be designated for assignment. Turns out, that player was Luke Williams and it’s a sad thing. On the one hand, Williams probably was squeezed out the second Ronald Torreyes was signed to a minor league deal since he wouldn’t require a 40-man spot and could do the same things Williams can do. On the other, it’s still mystifying that Mickey Moniak remains on the roster. Guess that 1:1 label has some strong carrying power.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• MLB Pipeline gave out their top 30 prospects and for the most part, it’s harmless. Though Moniak over Simon Muzziotti is something.
• Rhys Hoskins avoided arbitration yesterday, agreeing to a reported $7.7 million deal with the team.
• The injury to Odubel Herrera has thrust the center field job back open with some viable candidates to take the spot.
• Seranthony Dominguez looks like he could be a big part of this bullpen this year.

MLB news:

• Folks, the rules are being changed again, some for good (The Ohtani Rule) and some for bad (the zombie runner).
• Bernie Sanders is going to introduce legislation to remove baseball’s antitrust exemption.
• Owners: “We don’t have any money, so we’re not giving you any!” Also, owners: <spend a record amount of money on contracts>
• To keep track of all of the arbitration settlements made, here is MLBTR’s handy dandy arbitration tracker.