Baseball welcomes another season as most pitchers and catchers report Wednesday

There's a new No. 2 in the New York Yankees' rotation behind Gerrit Cole. A familiar face is getting a fresh start leading the Cincinnati Reds. Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani & Co. are preparing title defense. There was plenty to see as baseball returned Wednesday for most big league clubs, with pitchers and catchers working out at sites across Arizona and Florida. The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers got an early start ahead of their opening series in Tokyo on March 18 and 19, and a few clubs won't get going until Thursday. The Yankees are welcoming back Cole, the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner, after he chose to remain with New York rather than opt out of his contract, which runs through 2028. "The intention wasn't to do anything but stay," Cole said. "I was happy to be where my feet were back in Yankee Stadium." Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Cole did not make the offseason contract situation a distraction. "He came in and talked about it openly after the fact," Boone said. "He kind of put us at ease a little bit and a laugh. Certainly, I'm excited he came back. Great pitchers get attractive on the market. As great as he's been, you never know." Cole is joined in the rotation by Max Fried, a key addition as they try to return to the World Series and win their first title since 2009. New York lost to the Dodgers in five games, lost Juan Soto to the rival Mets in free agency, and then signed Fried to a $218 million, eight-year contract, the largest for a left-handed pitcher. Fried went 54-25 with a 2.81 ERA over the past five seasons with Atlanta and was instrumental in the Braves' 2021 World Series victory over the Astros. Terry Francona watched his first workout as Cincinnati Reds manager. The Reds went 77-85 last season but has promising young talent led by speedy infielder Elly De La Cruz and ace Hunter Greene. Francona won two World Series titles with Boston and took Cleveland to the playoffs six times from 2013-23, including the 2016 World Series. The Dodgers added even more star power this offseason with two-time winner Blake Snell and 23-year-old Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki. The biggest boost to LA's rotation could be Shohei Ohtani, expected to return to the mound at some point in the first half of the season from elbow surgery that prevented the two-way star from pitching in 2024. Dodgers relievers Michael Kopech (forearm) and Evan Phillips (shoulder) probably will begin the season on the injured list, manager Dave Roberts told reporters. Los Angeles' other team will be without third baseman Anthony Rendon for an extended period because of impending hip surgery, Angels general manager Perry Minasian told reporters. Rendon, in the sixth season of a $245 million, seven-year contract, has played in just 205 games over the past four seasons. In 257 games with the Angels, he has hit just .242 with 22 home runs 125 RBIs. Rendon batted .290 with 136 homers and 546 RBIs in seven seasons with the Washington Nationals. Reigning National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes arrived for his first spring training as a true major leaguer rocking a beard and T-shirt featuring Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Famer Honus Wagner. The 22-year-old then stood alongside Mitch Keller and Bubba Chandler for a bullpen session watched intently by every member of the Pirates baseball operations staff. Throwing to starting catcher Joey Bart, with new assistant pitching coach Brent Strom and coaches, support staff and equipment on a platform behind them, Skenes made Bart's mitt pop with regularity. The two embraced when the session was over, the first step in what should be a normal spring training for Skenes. The Pirates last year brought the top pick in the 2023 amateur draft along slowly. Skenes talked openly last month about wanting to be more vocal this season, though the club expects the National League All-Star starter to continue to lead by example following a year in which he went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA. "He's obviously got really high-quality pitches," general manager Ben Cherington said. "And we know... there are certain parts of his arsenal that he went into the offseason looking to refine even further and we know he's working on it and we'll let him answer that question as he gets in here." The Detroit Tigers don't expect to have starting pitcher Alex Cobb ready when the season opens because of hip inflammation. He signed a $15 million, one-year contract after pitching in just three regular-season games for the Guardians last season because of injuries. Cobb did appear in two playoff games for Cleveland, and the Tigers were hopeful he will be an important part of a rotation that also includes AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and recently signed Jack Flaherty.