The 2022 Major League Baseball season once looked like it may never happen. But Opening Day is Thursday, which makes Monday’s WISE Sports Radio baseball segment the last one before games begin to count.

The rush to prepare for the season after the owners’ lockout will probably result in some injuries. The New York Mets might be the highest-profile example of that with injuries to ace pitchers Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer. Also, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox make the sort of one-for-one trade not often seen anymore. And the Los Angeles Angels cut Justin Upton loose despite owing him $28 million this season.

There was no time to mention this, but since Cameron Maybin is an Asheville native, it might have been of some local interest. I’ve always been of the belief that Justin Upton’s impact upon being called up by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007 compelled the Detroit Tigers to call up Maybin, hoping for a similar result. And maybe they did so before he was ready.

Although that probably doesn’t matter since he was traded to the Miami Marlins in the Miguel Cabrera deal after the season. Interestingly, Maybin and Upton were teammates on the 2017 Tigers. While there’s not a direct connection, I wonder if that 2007 season ever came up between them.

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