In theory, per the MLB commissioner’s office, teams are supposed to take four “major league players” to away spring training games. This is for competitive reasons, as well as to give fans actual, you know, major-league players to watch.
This was not really the case in the Cubs’ 8-3 loss to the Indians Friday night, a game I had long before decided not to attend.
Just two of the Cubs in this game are going to be on the Opening Day roster: Ian Happ and Victor Caratini. Addison Russell, who will be under suspension Opening Day, also appeared, and if you squint real hard you can see a fourth “big league” player in Cristhian Adames, who has 166 games’ worth of major league experience, though he spent all of 2018 in the minors.