Rise and Phight: 3/9/2023

The Phillies were off yesterday, which thank goodness. They haven’t been playing well of late, so maybe a little break might have been in order. Sometimes spring training games can be a little monotonous, so just getting a day off should help some of the players pressing a bit.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Gregory Soto has arrived in Clearwater. Was starting to get a little worried, but all is right with the bullpen now.
• Alec Bohm is a pivotal figure on this year’s team. He’s come a long way from his spring training last year.
• Thieves are generally just bad people, but this just feels like a “what are you even doing?” moment.

MLB news:

• The Astros signed Cristian Javier to an extension, but for now, unless some gaps are closed, they aren’t signing Framber Valdez or Kyle Tucker.
• Jacob deGrom threw batting practice yesterday. The next step is getting into spring training games.
• The World Baseball Classic has always been an important part of Rob Manfred’s tenure, but this one feels more important than any other.