Jason Kipnis reflects on his time with Cleveland in MLB Trade Rumors chat

I was never sure if Jason Kipnis would be one of those athletes who quietly faded into retirement or one who would stick around a bit more in some capacity, but I’m happy to say it looks like he might be in the latter camp.

Since he announced his retirement last month, the long-time Cleveland second baseman was a brief guest on a Guardians spring training game. and just yesterday he hosted a chat with MLB Trade Rumors where he took questions from readers. It’s not much yet, but hopefully, this is just dipping his toe in the water for more ways to stay connected with fans.

As for the chat itself, it’s clear how much Jason enjoyed his time in Cleveland — with the city itself and the Guardians organization. He went so far as to call Cleveland “One of the most supportive cities you can play for.” There were some weird questions thrown in there, such as asking if he thought he should have been benched later in his career (hint: he’s going to say no), but at least we got confirmation that he and Vinnie Pestano are still besties.

Guardians 4, Padres 6

Box Score
Gabriel Arias added another hit to his impressive spring in the loss yesterday, but Zack Collins was the only batter with multiple hits. Emmanuel Clase didn’t allow a run in his inning of relief work, but did allow a hit and walked a batter before getting out of his own jam with a strikeout.

Today’s baseball: @ Brewers, 3:10 p.m. ET (McKenzie vs. Woodruff)

Cleveland Guardians news

Outfielder George Valera still isn’t ready to play: Guardians takeaways | Cleveland
The latest quotes regarding George Valera’s injury status are not reassuring.

“Valera is not close to playing,” manager Terry Francona told reporters Thursday morning at the team’s training facility in Goodyear, Arizona. “They let him grip a bat, but he’s not ready to play.

Valera probably was not making the 26-man roster anyway, but it’s an important year for him to get at-bats, even at Triple-A.

The Cleveland Guardians should capitalize on Dodgers’ sudden need at shortstop and trade Amed Rosario now | Away Back Gone
The Dodgers need an infielder, the Guardians have infielders.

Around the league

• The Marlins are signing Yuli Gurriel to a minor-league deal.
• The Reds named Hunter Greene their Opening Day starter.
• Bryce Harper is still a ways away from returning.
• Angels pitchers screwing over Mike Trout, a tale as old as time.