Rival Roundup, Vol. 31: We Are Not Alone

The Twins don’t have Carlos Correa anymore.

But, you know what? Neither do the White Sox. Suck it.

RIVAL ROUNDUP, BABYYYYYYY!

• In one of the splashiest moves of the week, outfielder Victor Reyes goes to the Chicagoland area, provided he impresses at spring training and is allowed to leave Phoenix in a few months. (It was a quiet week. Not burying the lede here — Victor Reyes had the highest OPS+ of any position player involved in a divisional transaction this week, at a mark of 89. Wowza!)
• In somewhat more major-league news, catcher Mike Zunino is going to the Guardians on a one-year deal.

• Zunino is coming off of thoracic outlet surgery and gets a cheap li’l deal with a reigning division champion, but I will always remember him for that come-from-behind walk-off homer while he was with the Seattle Mariners, which seems way more recent than four full seasons ago. I’m not sure if Brandon Kintzler has gotten over it yet. Outside of that, Zunino has one All-Star season (2021) and 9.8 career bWAR in 10 seasons as a major-league backstop, and is probably better known for other moments.
• Not to be outdone by themselves, the Guards put their flip-flops on and wheelie-dealied themselves a little trade!

• Miller was one of the young guns on the Guardian roster last season, though he officially debuted with 60 games played in 2021. An infield utility type, Owen will enter his age-26 season for the Brewers instead of the Guards, while Cleveland will be content with either a PTBNL or cold, hard cash as a return.
• Oddly, Miller also had an OPS+ of 89 during the 2022 season, which means the earlier factoid about Victor Reyes is still true, but now carries the monumental weight of the almighty asterisk.
• The Tigers brought an interesting name into the AL Central, signing Michael Lorenzen to a one-year deal.

• Lorenzen was a psuedo-two-way-player in pre-DH Cincinnati, slashing .233/.282/.429 and appearing as a position player in as many as 100 games with the 2018 Reds; he didn’t sneak into any batter’s boxes with the Angels last year, although word on the street is they wanted some other pitchers to get PAs instead.
• Finally, former Cleveland pitcher T.J. House became just the third former MLB player to come out, in an engagement announcement posted late last week. Via Facebook, he delves into personal detail regarding using his commitment to baseball as a means to avoid addressing his own identity. House also alludes to the reality that is the environment of a professional locker room, and helps remind us that we could all be a bit more compassionate - even, and perhaps most especially, before being given a reason. He didn’t help invent the high-five, but he’s doing some trailblazing in his own right.

Until next time — happy rounding!