Underway in North Port, Florida

David is down in Florida and relays to Eric what he's seen so far as "Pitchers & Catchers" (and some hitters too) reported to Spring Training. The competition for the back end of the rotation is crowded and the locker layout in the clubhouse is indicative of it. 

(13:40) Many guys reported to camp earlier than required and that has been a major change that David has noticed from the beginning of his career. Eric explains what led to to shift and why nobody anymore reports overweight around March 1st. 

(18:45) Get a sense of clubhouse politics in Spring Training among the players and how every franchise is unique behind the scenes (Hint: it sounds quite similar the 1st day of school). 

(26:30) Alex Anthopolos met with the media down in Florida and largely deflected questions surrounding Max Fried's future. Listen to David handicap Max's situation as he enters camp in the final season before Free Agency. 

(37:00) A look at the deep bullpen within the organization and the additional left-handed options. A.J. Minter was at times the lone southpaw in the 'pen last season and it resulted in appearing in 70 games. 

(47:00) AA concedes that the bench remains unsettled and lends an explanation as to why that is still the case. As it relates to this conversation, its important to note that Matt Olson played 162 games in 2023, with Ronald Acuna Jr. & Austin Riley just behind at 159 games.