The Opener: Davis, Giolito, Snell, Montgomery

As Opening Day draws ever closer, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Where will Davis land?

The Giants reportedly placed third baseman J.D. Davis on waivers over the weekend, likely signaling the end of his tenure in San Francisco. The soon-to-be 31-year-old slugger appeared to be an odd man out when third baseman Matt Chapman signed in San Francisco earlier this month, and now he’ll be available to the league’s 29 other clubs for the cost of his $6.9MM salary in 2024. Since breaking out with the Mets during the 2019 season, Davis has slashed a solid .268/.352/.443 in 528 games split between New York and San Francisco while spending time at both infield corners as well as left field and DH. At least in the eyes of Statcast, Davis made strides with his defense at the hot corner in 2023, garnering +5 Outs Above Average after posting negative marks in that category throughout his career prior. The Brewers, Cubs, and Mariners are among the handful of contenders that could make sense for Davis if they’re willing to assume the full freight of his salary.

2. Giolito’s second opinion:

Red Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito, who signed a two-year, $38.5MM contract this offseason — the second season of which is a player option — could miss the entire 2024 season after being diagnosed with a partial UCL tear and flexor strain earlier in camp. Surgery is on the table, as is common with UCL injuries, but Giolito was slated to receive a second opinion from Dr. Jeff Dugas today before making any final decisions on how to treat his injury. He’s clearly looking at a long absence regardless, but today’s opinion could determine which type of surgery is recommended (e.g. Tommy John surgery, internal brace surgery) or whether surgical intervention is required at all. Some players will go the rest-and-rehab route before going under the knife, as surgery is always a last resort, though it’s perhaps telling that manager Alex Cora has already publicly acknowledged the possibility of surgery.

3. When will the front-of-the-rotation southpaws sign?

Last week, agent Scott Boras indicated that new teams have begun to check in on his pair of southpaw clients, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery. The duo entered the winter as two of the top four starting pitching options on the market alongside Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Aaron Nola, though that hasn’t stopped both from lingering on the market even as Opening Day is now a matter of weeks away. Updates on the southpaws’ respective markets have been relatively few and far between, with Snell being loosely connected to the Angels over the weekend while Montgomery’s reported negotiations with the Red Sox hitting a snag over the lefty’s apparent desire for a seven-year pact. With the start of the regular season just around the corner, will either of the duo find a new home in the coming days?