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"We will be competitive in 2026," said Tom Pohlad on Friday, reiterating an assertion he's made multiple times since taking over as controlling owner of the Minnesota Twins in December. It's a proclamation that defies reality, and certainly hasn't been backed by any significant action on the roster-building front. Coming off a 92-loss season, mired in question marks, and lacking much in the way of relief pitching, the Twins face a steep uphill climb to fulfill Pohlad's ambition. That point of friction seems to be what resulted in Derek Falvey stepping aside. While this split has been positioned by the team as "mutual," Falvey could surely see the writing on the wall and was ready to move on. Opinions will vary on the effectiveness of his tenure, but no one can deny Falvey has been stifled and railroaded repeatedly in trying to do his job over the past couple years. Minnesota's 2023 success was immediately followed by a momentum-shattering payroll slash, with sharper spending limits imposed since. The about-face in strategic direction this winter had to be the final straw from Falvey's point of view. The Twins' approach at the deadline clearly signaled intentions for a rebuild, or at the very least a temporary reset. Shipping out 10 players set the stage for a presumed follow-through in the offseason that would see the Twins trade Pablo Lopez and/or Joe Ryan (who was by all accounts very nearly dealt in July) for peak remaining value. This was a tough pill to swallow for Twins fans, but in the aftermath of what Minnesota did at the deadline, it was the only viable option. That is, until ownership threw a curveball and Tom took over from Joe as executive chair. With him, the new figurehead brought a contradictory mandate: compete now. No kicking the can down the road. As a fan, I can appreciate what Pohlad is trying to do. He sees that interest in the team is spiraling, he knows the difficult road ahead for Major League Baseball, and he wants to temper the crash in fan morale by demonstrating some level of care and investment. Thus, we have the "we're going to compete" campaign, and the green light for modest acquisitions like Josh Bell and Victor Caratini. (Not to mention calling up canceled season ticket-holders personally.) But here's the thing: it's too late. The die was cast for the 2026 season at the deadline when the front office traded three top relievers under team control, as well as Carlos Correa with no expectation of backfilling his salary. If the Twins were going to have a shot at rebounding from those losses, it was going to take higher-scale moves than Bell, Caratini and an army of waiver claims or scrap-heap signings. The Twins are projected in Vegas for 72-74 wins, which seems a very fair expectation objectively. Derek Falvey knew it, helping explain his decision to jump ship. He was in line to be a scapegoat this summer, following in the footsteps of Rocco Baldelli, and he got out ahead of it. As for the motivations of Tom Pohlad and the Twins? Those are harder to reason, both in this instance and at a broader level. Parting ways with Falvey at this peculiar moment feels more like a denial of reality than an inspired shakeup. "We're in the business of winning baseball games," Pohlad said back in December when he took over the reins. But therein lies the problem: business savvy doesn't win baseball games. It takes visionary baseball leadership and sound big-picture decision-making. The departure of Falvey leaves a huge experiential void in that department, while the Twins navigate aimlessly into a season that is bound to disappoint. View the full article

Picture a mountain of money so tall it could cast a shadow over the CN Tower. Not a neat stack of bills, not a vault filled with cash, a skyscraper made entirely of currency. That’s what $285 million looks like when you try to visualize it. It stops feeling real and starts feeling like something out of franchise mode. Now imagine that money isn’t going toward mansions or startups or a fleet of super‑yachts. Imagine instead that you’re the president and general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays. And that $285 million? That’s your 2026 Opening Day payroll. You’re operating with the financial firepower of an elite MLB franchise. No arbitration rules. No service‑time games. No club‑control limitations. Just salaries, star power and imagination. If you could assemble the most devastating roster possible, a team that would make the rest of the teams in the league groan into their morning coffees, what would it look like? This is that thought experiment. It’s not infinite money. You can’t simply buy every superstar alive. You need a strategic blend: a few megadeals, several high‑end veterans and a backbone of young players criminally underpaid compared to their production. The goal is simple: build the most dominant, most terrifying, most “this shouldn’t be legal” baseball team imaginable. With that mission in mind, here is my version of the super‑team. The Lineup Catcher: Adley Rutschman A franchise‑shifting presence behind the plate. He receives like a veteran, hits like a middle‑of-the-order bat, and elevates everyone around him. First Base: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The face of the franchise remains at home. His swing is unmistakable. His presence, magnetic. Even in a “down” year, he terrifies pitchers, and at peak form, he’s an MVP. Toronto wouldn’t dream of doing this without him. Second Base: Ozzie Albies A switch‑hitting spark plug with a team‑friendly contract and elite instincts. Albies brings energy, contact, power, and pristine defense. He is the exact kind of efficient superstar every mega‑payroll needs. Shortstop: Gunnar Henderson A five‑tool monster and one of the best young players alive. He hits rockets, steals bases, plays elite defense and does it all while making less money than most utility infielders. The ultimate roster hack. Third Base: Austin Riley A perennial middle‑order thumper with 40‑homer power. Riley brings stability, leadership, and the kind of consistent slugging that championship teams are built on. Left Field: Yordan Alvarez Baseballs fear him. Pitchers fear him. Statcast fears him. Yordan hits baseballs with the anger of a man who has personally been wronged by them. As a pure hitter, he might be the best left‑handed power bat since peak David Ortiz. Center Field: Julio Rodríguez Charismatic. Explosive. Marketable. Julio is a walking highlight reel and an organizational cornerstone. His contract is a bargain, his production is top quality and he hasn’t even peaked yet. Right Field: Aaron Judge The skyscraper in spikes. A titan who hits 450‑foot homers as casually as most players take batting practice swings. One of the highest‑paid players in the sport and worthy of every penny. Designated Hitter: Corbin Carroll Yes, Corbin Carroll as the DH. A luxury so absurd it almost shouldn’t count. He’s a superstar athlete, an MVP candidate, and one of the most efficient contracts in baseball. As the fourth outfielder/DH hybrid, he turns an already‑elite lineup into one with no breaks. The Rotation Logan Webb The groundball surgeon. Webb doesn’t overpower hitters; he erases them. A bulldog with elite command who can anchor any staff. Tarik Skubal The left‑handed ace with Cy Young stuff. Skubal’s fastball explodes, his command is sharp and his strikeout totals belong in the realm of baseball demigods. George Kirby He throws strikes the way painters apply brush strokes with intention, precision, and artistry. Perhaps the best command of any pitcher on Earth. Logan Gilbert The 6-foot-6 flamethrower brings controlled violence with every pitch. He’s durable, reliable, and still trending upward. Bryce Miller Your No. 5 starter is a pitcher who could be a No. 2 on half the teams in baseball. That’s when you know the rotation is unfair. The Bullpen This isn’t a bullpen. It’s a closing argument. Emmanuel Clase — The best closer alive. Jhoan Duran — Velocity incarnate. The hardest thrower in MLB history. Andrés Muñoz — Slider from hell. Mason Miller — Triple‑digit prodigy. Matt Brash — Breaking‑ball sorcery. Gabe Speier — Lefty stabilizer. Yennier Cano — Turbo sinker specialist. Cooper Criswell — Swiss Amy depth. Every game is effectively over after the fifth inning. The Bench A true super‑team doesn’t have depth. This isn’t a bench. It’s a starting lineup for most franchises. Gabriel Moreno — Backup catcher. Elly De La Cruz — Chaos incarnate. Ha‑Seong Kim — Elite defender everywhere. Ernie Clement — Glue guy. The Price Tag: $283.87 million This roster comes in just under the $285 million imaginary cap, with a group that features megadeals, elite mid‑prime stars, underpaid superstars, and a historically dominant bullpen. It’s the perfect blend of financial muscle and strategic efficiency. The Dodgers are the modern blueprint for big‑market dominance. They spend without fear. They chase every star. They operate like a baseball superpower. But this hypothetical Blue Jays roster? It matches them punch for punch and in many areas, it surpasses them. This team has more power, more speed, a deeper rotation, a more dominant bullpen and a younger core. It’s the kind of roster that makes analysts shake their heads and mutter, “This isn’t fair.” How many games would this team win? Let’s be honest: 120 wins is conservative. This isn’t a team. It’s a cheat code. In today’s MLB, a payroll in the range of $280-300 million puts you in rare company with the Dodgers, Mets, Phillies, Yankees and Jays. The next tier (Padres, Red Sox, Cubs, Braves, Astros) sits around $200-250 million. The rest of the league ranges from $195 million (Giants) to well below $100 million (Marlins, White Sox, Rays, Guardians). Money doesn’t guarantee championships. But it guarantees opportunity. It guarantees depth. It guarantees that when a superstar hits the market, you’re in the conversation. And in this fantasy exercise, it guarantees something even more fun: the chance to build the greatest team imaginable. There’s something fun about imagining what you would do if you ran a baseball team with no restrictions. It taps into the same part of the brain that loves simulations, fantasy sports and franchise mode. But it also highlights something real: The Blue Jays are already acting like a big‑market team. They’re already spending like contenders. They’re already in the financial tier where championships become possible. This $285 million super‑team will never exist. But the ambition behind it? That part is very real and pretty awesome. View the full article

Welcome to part seven of North Side Baseball’s offseason series covering the 1918 Chicago Cubs. You can find the first six parts here: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Last time, we left off with the World Series in question. The Cubs began August 3.5 games up on the second-place New York Giants. However, with World War I ongoing in Europe, it was declared in July that all draft-eligible men must either sign up for war-related work, or risk being drafted to fight in the war. Of course, this included baseball players. The National League was considering ending its season, and was scheduled to discuss the matter on August 1. Ending the Season Early According to The New York Times, the National League first agreed to end the season early, with the American League later following suit. The two leagues were looking to end their respective regular seasons at the end of August, with a World Series to be played not long after. The issue, according to an August 3 article in The Times, was whether or not the government would approve. “After some discussion, the owners agreed to put the situation to a test by agreeing to close the season Labor Day and then starting a World Series Sept. 4 if permitted by the government.” The National League and American League were essentially hoping that the government would allow for a special exemption for the players playing in the World Series. The work or fight order was scheduled to take effect at the end of the month, and if it still applied to the players in the World Series, they would be at risk of being drafted to fight in the war smack dab in the middle of the championship. National League Champions The Cubs held steady at the start of August, starting 11-7-1 after a doubleheader sweep over the Philadelphia Phillies on August 17. The Giants, though, were in free fall. By the time the Cubs suited up on August 18, they were eight games up on the Giants, who started the month just 6-10. Needing just one win to clinch the pennant on August 25, the Cubs hosted the Brooklyn Robins for a doubleheader. Game one featured little-used Roy Walker against future Hall of Famer Rube Marquard. Led by two hits from Dode Paskert and Bill Killefer, as well as RBIs from Max Flack and Charlie Hollocher, the Cubs won 5-3 and clinched the National League pennant. Over in the American League, the Babe Ruth-led Boston Red Sox were wrapping up their impressive regular season by being officially crowned American League champions. The World Series was set to feature the Cubs vs. the Red Sox. But would it be played? When would it be played? Questions were still abound. Finalizing World Series Plans After submitting for the government to allow for the players competing in the World Series to be exempt from the work or fight rule, The Times officially reported on August 23 that this was approved. “Secretary of War Baker placed the approval of the Government on the [World Series] yesterday. He announced that one of the principal reasons he [believed] the baseball classic should be played was because the American [soldiers] in France are intensely interested in the results.” The Times continued their reporting on August 25 by stating that “the series is expected to contribute between $30,000 and $40,000” to war charities. Admission to the series was also set to be reduced “in order to enable patrons to attend the games at reasonable prices.” Box seats were to be sold for $3 per ticket, down from $5 the previous year, grandstand seats were going to go for $1.50, pavilion seats for $1, and bleacher seats for 50 cents (oh, how times have changed). With the Red Sox having clinched the American League pennant, by the end of the month it was time to officially plan the World Series. It would begin September 5. The first three games would be played in Chicago at Comiskey Park, with the last four games being played in Boston at Fenway Park. Instead of playing at the Cubs’ usual home of Weeghman Park, the team opted to play at Comiskey Park because it had a larger capacity, 30,000, compared to just 16,000 at Weeghman. The dates, teams, and venues were set. The war-related negotiations were over. The Cubs and Red Sox were all set and ready to face off in the 1918 World Series. View the full article

With a little over a month left before the start of the tournament, the rosters for each participating nation are all but finalized. Some countries have a few spots to fill, and Joey Ortiz was recently announced as part of the newest crop of baseball talent to join the Mexican National Team. He was added alongside Jonathan Aranda, Alek Thomas, and Taijuan Walker. Ortiz has Mexican heritage through his parents and should be a big upgrade over Alan Trejo, who served as the team's starting shortstop in 2023. His offensive regression for the Brewers last season was a point of concern, but his defensive production allowed him to stay slightly above replacement, giving him 1.4 fWAR. He'll be joined in the infield by Ramón and Luis Urías, the latter of whom is a former Brewer. Mexico's roster is now stacked with big-leaguers, including many returning faces from 2023 like Randy Arozarena and Jarren Duran. The schedule of the tournament will directly conflict with Spring Training, a crucial time for young talent like Ortiz to prepare for the upcoming season. These refusals are often due to injury risk ,but front offices have occasionally been strict with the way that their younger players are managed. Despite his regression in 2025, it's an encouraging vote of confidence by the franchise that he'll be allowed to forego spring training for the WBC. Ortiz will join fellow Brewers Brice Turang, Jackson Chourio, and Tyler Black in Miami for the competition. View the full article

For months, the idea lingered quietly in the background. It showed up in subtle ways through roster decisions that felt restrained rather than ambitious and through an organizational structure that seemed increasingly muddled. On Friday, it became official when the Minnesota Twins announced that Derek Falvey and the organization were mutually parting ways. While the timing may have surprised some with spring training just around the corner, the reality is that this relationship has been drifting toward a breakup for quite some time. When the Twins finally won their first playoff series in decades during the 2023 season, the organization looked like a franchise that had turned a meaningful corner. Payroll sat around $160 million, and ownership had committed to building around cornerstone players. Carlos Correa was locked into a long-term deal. Pablo Lopez was acquired and extended to anchor the rotation. The message was clear. The Twins were done treading water and intended to push their competitive window well into the next decade. That momentum never carried forward. Payroll has steadily dropped since that high point and now sits just over $100 million projected for the 2026 season. The drop has been stark not only in numbers but in perception. Instead of supplementing a playoff core, the front office was forced into cost-cutting moves that chipped away at depth and flexibility. Two disappointing finishes in 2024 and 2025 followed, and the sense of progress evaporated. At times, the Twins looked less like a team building on success and more like one trying to stay afloat. Nothing symbolized the disconnect more clearly than the Carlos Correa situation. The Twins are paying him $10 million per season to play for the Houston Astros for the next three years, an outcome that would have been unthinkable when the deal was signed. That decision reflected a franchise that had lost its direction and a front office operating within tighter constraints than ever before. The strange handling of Falvey’s role only added to the confusion. His promotion from President of Baseball Operations to President of Business and Baseball Operations was framed as a massive vote of confidence, especially following a disappointing season. Across Major League Baseball, only a handful of executives hold that level of power, overseeing both sides of the organization. Yet it never truly felt like Falvey was running the business side. Dave St. Peter shifted into an advisor role roughly a year ago but remained highly visible around the team throughout last season. While St. Peter was expected to focus on facilitating the sale of the franchise, the process dragged on, and Falvey never appeared to fully take control of the broader operation. Instead of clarity, the Twins operated in a gray area where authority felt shared, but accountability did not. That kind of structure rarely lasts, especially when on-field results are slipping, and financial commitment is shrinking. Ownership change only accelerated the inevitable. Tom Pohlad officially took over the ownership role from Joe Pohlad earlier this winter, and Falvey’s departure may be the first major domino tied to that transition. Tom brings a strong business background from running other family enterprises, and it seems increasingly clear that his vision did not align with Falvey’s. Whether it was philosophy, spending priorities, or long-term strategy, the two sides were no longer moving in the same direction. From Falvey’s perspective, the calculus is understandable. There are only so many top front office jobs across Major League Baseball, but what incentive did he really have to stay? Early in his tenure, payroll growth made it easier to envision sustained competitiveness in the AL Central. Lately, the opposite has been true. The current ownership group appears more likely to hold the club until a new CBA is approved before exploring a sale at a price they find acceptable. That limbo offers little appeal to a baseball executive tasked with building a winner. Leaving now is far from ideal with spring training on the horizon, but staying was starting to make even less sense. The reasons that once made Minnesota an attractive long-term project were steadily disappearing. By this winter, the writing was no longer subtle. The breakup had been coming, and this offseason finally brought it to a head. What are your thoughts on Falvey leaving? Has this been coming for some time? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

In a shocking turn of events, the Minnesota Twins and general manager Derek Falvy have decided to mutually part ways. Jeremy Zoll will take over as general manager at a time where the Twins as an organization have a lot of questions to answer.View the full article

Miami Marlins prospect and Sydney Blue Sox superstar Eric Rataczak has been announced as the Australian Baseball League's Helms Award Winner, bestowed upon the league's most valuable player. In 38 regular season games, Rataczak slashed .336/.411/.571 with seven home runs and three stolen bases. He tied for the league lead with 19 extra-base hits. The Helms Award was voted on by ABL team representatives, officials and media members. The other award finalists were Nick Ward and Robbie Perkins, two ABL veterans in their early 30s. Rataczak's Blue Sox team posted the league's best regular season record, but fell in the ABL Championship Series. Drafted by the Marlins in 2024 out of Niagara University, Rataczak received a modest $75k signing bonus. He has appeared in 101 minor league games across three levels, slashing .238/.350/.345 with six homers, 17 steals and a 107 wRC+. The vast majority of his MiLB defensive reps have come at the corner outfield spots, but the Blue Sox used him exclusively at first base. Rataczak was one of 22 players in the Marlins organization who participated in fall/winter league leagues during the 2025-26 offseason. Rataczak, who turned 25 earlier this month, will attend minor league camp this spring. He's likely to return to Double-A Pensacola, where he spent the final month of the 2025 MiLB campaign. View the full article

For the most part, the players who find themselves on a 26-man Opening Day roster entered spring training as members of the 40-man roster. However, we usually at least one non-roster invitee rise above the rest to break camp with the big league team, or earn a spot shortly after the season begins. One of the most famous Miami Marlins examples was José Fernández in 2013. A first-time NRI at just 20 years old, he joined the MLB starting rotation in early April and quickly established himself as an elite pitcher. We saw a more traditional example last year with Janson Junk, who signed with the Marlins as a minor league free agent and made a strong impression during spring training. He was initially promoted when long relief help was needed and never went back down, finishing third on the club with 110 innings pitched in 2025. On Thursday, the Marlins announced a list of 31 non-roster invitees who will get the opportunity to prove themselves in Jupiter this spring. The following names are worth watching very closely because of their talent and potential roster fit. Fish On First's number three prospect Robby Snelling will be right at the top of this list with the Marlins recently trading Edward Cabrera (Chicago Cubs) and Ryan Weathers (New York Yankees). Between Double-A and Triple-A last season, Snelling posted a 2.51 ERA, 2.77 FIP, 10.99 K/9 and 2.58 BB/9 in 136 innings pitched. Snelling's AAA stint really set him apart, with a 1.27 ERA, 2.62 FIP, 11.45 K/9 and 2.40 BB/9 in 63 ⅔ innings pitched. The Marlins can gain an extra year of service time with the left-handed starter by delaying his debut until mid-April. On the other hand, there is nothing left for him to prove in the minor leagues. Also, as a consensus Top 100 MLB prospect, he is eligible to earn a Prospect Promotion Incentive draft pick for the organization. A strong spring training could force the hand of president of baseball operations Peter Bendix. Thomas White is the consensus top-ranked prospect in the organization. Across three MiLB levels, he posted a 2.31 ERA, 2.27 FIP, 14.55 K/9 and 5.12 BB/9 in 89 ⅔ innings pitched. White's biggest issue has been command/control. If he can show the Marlins he has addressed that throughout the course of spring training, the 21-year-old could contribute right away. Beyond that, though, his limited workload in the past hasn't prepared him to be a full-season starter in 2026. Expect White to be called up later in the season. Relievers Josh Ekness (FOF #27) and Nigel Belgrave (unranked) have been successful in the minors ever since the Marlins selected both of them with late-round draft picks in 2023. This will mark Ekness' second invite to major league camp while for Belgrave, this will be his first. In 2025, Ekness posted a 4.17 ERA, 3.27 FIP, 11.33 K/9 and 4.33 BB/9 in 54 innings pitched. A main reason for the inflated ERA and FIP are due to his struggles when he got up to AAA, only making three appearances, surrendering nine runs in that span. With Pensacola, he had a 2.73 ERA, 2.50 FIP, 11.28 K/9 and 3.59 BB/9. Ekness' fastball velocity is a major standout along with a slider's ability to miss bats. If injuries come up impacting other bullpen options, there is a chance he can make the trip to Miami on Opening Day before even establishing himself at AAA. Belgrave between AA and AAA posted a 2.51 ERA, 2.62 FIP, 12.18 K/9 and 3.84 BB/9 in 68 innings pitched. His ceiling may be lower than Ekness', but his history of dominating right-handed batters makes it easy to envision him contributing in the big leagues immediately. Switching over to the hitting prospects, Kemp Alderman is knocking on the door. During a breakout campaign in 2025, he slashed .285/.338/.482/.819 with 22 home runs, 70 RBI, 22 stolen bases and a 135 wRC+. Alderman has incredible power to all fields. Being right-handed helps his case given how left-handed-heavy the Marlins outfield is, but consistency will be key with a prospect like this. Jacob Berry slashed .261/.348/.394/.742 with eight home runs, 54 RBI, 27 stolen bases and a 104 wRC+ during a full season in Jacksonville. His offensive production ticked up as the year progressed. Berry was used in the outfield by his Puerto Rican Winter League team, but he is currently listed as an infielder by the Marlins. Ongoing defensive struggles make him unlikely to find a role on the roster. Brendan Jones was acquired from the New York Yankees in the Ryan Weathers trade. Last season between High-A and AA, he slashed .245/.359/.395/.754 with 11 home runs, 69 RBI, 51 stolen bases and a 126 wRC+. His ability to play all three outfield spots, speed, strikeout rate of 19.9% and walk rate of 14.9% make him a strong option for the Marlins if he finds early success in his first taste of AAA. Infielder Jesús Bastidas stands out amongst Miami's minor league free agent signings. Last season at AAA between the Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros orgs, he slashed .262/.352/.440/.792 with 16 home runs, 80 RBI and a 109 wRC+. That momentum carried over to winter ball. Defensively, Bastidas has played primarily second base and shortstop, but has experience at third base as well, so he does provide some versatility, which the Marlins are always searching for. View the full article

The Minnesota Twins and top baseball executive Derek Falvey are parting ways, the team announced to staff in a stunning internal email Friday morning. Falvey, 42, ran baseball operations for Minnesota for nine seasons. The team issued a press release announcing the move shortly after sharing it internally. Falvey began his career with Cleveland, worked his way through a variety of front-office roles, and ultimately rose to assistant general manager. He joined Minnesota in the fall of 2016 as the Twins’ top baseball decision-maker, with a background built on process, research, and analytics (particularly in regard to pitching) and emphasizing relationships and culture. The Twins hired Falvey to lead a reset after a 103-loss season, and much of his early impact came behind the scenes. Under his leadership, Minnesota invested in technology and information, modernizing how they integrated pro scouting, player development, medical/performance, and research. That foundation helped fuel competitive peaks, including a quick return to the postseason in 2017, and the 2019 breakout, when the Twins won 101 games with their Bomba Squad. With success came some bold roster bets: signing Josh Donaldson, committing long-term to Byron Buxton, aggressively pursuing Carlos Correa, and trading Luis Arráez for Pablo López. He also developed the pitching pipeline the fans were promised, with somewhat middling results. More to come. View the full article

Given that he threw as many major-league innings in 2025 as he did in each of 2023 and 2024 combined, it wouldn't have been hard to call the former a career season for San Diego Padres starting pitcher Randy Vásquez. And in many ways, it was. After 20 starts in his first full season in San Diego, Vásquez made 26 starts (28 appearances overall) for the Padres last year. His ERA checked in at 3.84 (4.85 FIP). He improved each of his groundball and home run rates by roughly two percent — 40.1 & 8.3, respectively — while continuing to thrive via avoidance of quality contact. His 39.3 Hard-Hit% landed in the 60th percentile. Of course, when you're talking about a pitcher whose skill set lives on the margins due to minuscule whiff counts and occasionally shaky command, there's going to be variance within the results. Such was the case with Vásquez. From a month-to-month standpoint, Vásquez had some stretches where he was very good for the Padres in 2025. May, July, and September each stand out, as he went every-other-month in his ability to find success. May's 28 innings of work came with a 2.89 ERA and a strikeout bump from just 8.2 percent in April to 18.8 percent. He posted a 2.79 ERA in 19 innings in July, with a .289 opposing wOBA that was 20 points lower than even his finest work in the months prior. September, though, is what has many optimistic about what Vásquez's future in this rotation could look like. In 22 1/3 innings to close the year, Vásquez pitched to a 3.22 ERA, with a .260 opposing wOBA, a season-high 21.3 K%, and a 29.9 percent hard-hit rate. As should be expected given what happened in between those three individual months, there's an enigmatic quality to the 2025 output from Vásquez. The month that featured his best ERA also featured his highest amount of hard contact allowed and a season-low strikeout rate. In August, meanwhile, he posted his highest whiff rate and lowest walk rate but had an ERA over eight. Of course, that came across just seven innings of big-league work. Nevertheless, there's a lot going on there for a pitcher who was already somewhat difficult to figure out in terms of future projection. In order to try and predict his future output, though, it requires one to redefine expectations given where Vásquez was supposed to be based on his prospect profile versus where he actually is. The following is his writeup from MLB Pipeline back in 2023, when he was a prospect with the New York Yankees: Last year's iteration of Vásquez saw him utilize (technically) seven different pitches. He led the way with three different fastballs: a four-seam, a sinker, and a cutter. The four-seam was primarily deployed against left-handed hitters while the sinker was for the righties. The cutter, meanwhile, was distributed in a nearly identical fashion regardless of handedness. His curveball took on more of a sweeper shape against righties while left-handed hitters got a more standard curveball as it took on more of a vertical shape. The actual fastball velocity, though, sat at just 93.3 MPH (32nd percentile). While he was able to generate the type of spin noted in the scouting report in either form of his curve, he was also unable to generate much of anything when it came to whiffs. The more standard curveball got just a 15.8% swing-and-miss rate, while the sweeper was a bit higher at 25.2 percent. His overall 15.7 Whiff% landed in the first percentile among all qualified pitchers in 2025. This is also where we see some of the monthly variance come into play. The curve was rarely near the top of his whiff rates, while the sweeper was there early before falling behind: It's that type of graphic that speaks to a couple of issues with Vásquez, his arsenal, and his usage. For one, the pitch shape differs vastly depending on handedness. A second is that his command simply is not good enough for that type of differentiation. The following is his movement profile from 2025: None of the work here is indicative of a pitcher who has full command of his arsenal, expansive as it may be. That he's this all over the place in his ability to garner swings and misses, mitigate hard contact, and locate pitches with regularity is a symptom of more overarching command woes. It's why we see such intense change between individual months. There is, however, something encouraging to take away from the end of the season. Over the last three months of the campaign, there were trends in his usage that indicated he might be settling into something more consistent with the way he deploys his pitches: The changeup falling out of the rotation is an encouraging start; Stuff+ rates it as his worst offering. The four-seam becoming his primary fastball of choice also seems wise. In the two years prior, Stuff+ had that as an above-average pitch before the really heavy mixing began in 2024. The curveball-sweeper dynamic is fine to stay if the command is there, since that appears to be a shape based on handedness. Ultimately, it looks as if Vásquez began to simplify toward the end of the year, and it's such simplification that could be key to him beginning to stabilize in 2026. Which would be kind of an essential development for him in the upcoming year. The Padres are working with Nick Pivetta, Michael King, and a returning-from-Tommy-John-surgery Joe Musgrove atop their rotation. There isn't much to speak of on the depth front. Randy Vásquez becoming a stabilizing presence capable of eating innings would be tremendous for a shallow group. Unfortunately, given his prior month-to-month woes, we may not know if these trends are real until the temperature starts to rise this season. View the full article

Alex and Maddie sit down with MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo to talk through the Red Sox offseason so far, his roster projection, and get a few behind-the-scenes travel stories. They wrap up with an overview of which Red Sox players are participating in the World Baseball Classic. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-talk-sox-podcast/id1783204104 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qPrPXEngu0CxgTmlf0ynm Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-talk-sox-podcast-244591331/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/4tmd121v Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@talksox View the full article

The Twins traded Pierson Ohl and Eduoard Julian to the Rockies to acquire minor league arm Jace Kaminska. What can Kaminska truly bring to the table in Minnesota, and how long do we have to wait until he debuts at Target Field? We answer all of these questions and do a deep dive on the prospect in this Twins Daily video. View the full article

Jack and Spencer discuss what the Reese McGuire signing could mean for Jeferson Quero, how the Brewers could round out their rotation, and why Jackson Chourio should get more opportunities in center field. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-brewer-fanatic-podcast/id1740648724 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5CY8mWsQayqjDXqw9OT2Td iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-brewer-fanatic-podcast-166534588/ Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/ommzz627 Watch On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@brewerfanatic View the full article

Over the weekend, The Athletic’s Dan Hayes reported that Minnesota Twins executive chair Tom Pohlad called 50 lapsed season-ticket holders in an attempt to make amends with a portion of the team’s vocally displeased fan base. As it turns out, at least some of those phone calls went in an unexpected direction. “It started out pretty normal, just asking me why I didn’t renew and listening to my responses,” said Zach Christiansen, 41, of Lino Lakes. “But once I told him I was going to wait and see how this season goes before considering renewing, he asked me if I wanted to buy an office building in Bloomington. I thought he was kidding, then he started breaking down the numbers and asking me if I had any limited partners I’d like to bring in. “I’m a manager at Cub Foods. I don’t have limited partners. I don’t even have a 401(k).” Christiansen’s experience was echoed by Miriam Westrum, 67, of Edina. “These tickets have been in the family forever, but all the kids moved out of state and I really don’t like driving in the Cities, everyone’s going so fast these days,” said Westrum. “I told him that, he said he understood, then he said he had a sweetheart deal on a mixed-use development in downtown Minneapolis. “I’m a retired math teacher. My husband passed in 2018. I told him as much.” In fact, every season ticket holder Twins Daily spoke with said Pohlad closed his call by gauging their interest in a number of properties owned by his family. “I work in customer service, so I am very familiar with these ‘tell us how we can win you back’ pitches,” said Tommy Gutierrez, 38, of St. Paul. “But it went really off the rails when he asked if I ever considered owning my own skyscraper. He said he could get it to me for ten cents on the dollar, compared to what they paid on it. “I’m pretty sure he was crying.” View the full article

I get things wrong all the time, so humility is one of my key assets. When my Miami Marlins coverage is missing critical information or context, I'll put in the effort to rectify the initial mistake. Over the course of the 2025 season, I watched all 20 of Eury Pérez's starts. While Fish On First followers Vik Torres and Mike Morhardt noticed that Pérez generally lifted his hands above his head when pitching from the windup (with the bases empty), that didn't stick in my memory. Pulling up footage from the end of the year, the 22-year-old kept his hands close to his chest throughout his delivery, and I assumed that had always been the case. As I pored over more footage from previous starts, I discovered my error. On the bright side, that research has equipped me with interesting analysis to share with all of you. Pérez was dismantled by the New York Mets during a start at Citi Field on August 29, failing to get through the first inning. The road trip continued with a visit to the Washington Nationals, and that outing was just as discouraging when adjusting for the quality of competition (4.0 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 76 pitches/47 strikes). As the wheels fell off against the Nats, that's when the talented right-hander began experimenting with lowering his hands. He adopted it as his full-time windup routine on September 10. Here is a side-by-side of Pérez pitching from the windup in his games before and after the aforementioned road trip: There's a twist—Pérez's mini-slump in NY and DC notwithstanding, he generally thrived from the windup in 2025. In 251 plate appearances with the bases empty, opponents slashed .160/.247/.293. He struck out 29.5% of batters compared to 23.1% with runners on base. If he had maintained most of that effectiveness when working from the stretch, he would've easily been Miami's best starter. That being said, this late-season change was a boon to Pérez's overall production. During his final four starts, there were increases to his whiff rate, first-pitch strike rate and fastball velocity. He posted a 2.70 ERA in 20 innings pitched. A superhuman 42.3 K% contributed to his 1.09 FIP over that stretch, the seventh-best mark in MLB (min. 10 IP). As you can see from Pérez's most recent bullpen session, he is sticking with his September adjustment entering 2026. Our own Kevin Barral spoke with Pérez last week about how offseason weight gain and refinement of his secondary pitches will also help him realize his full potential. View the full article

We'll never know exactly how much extra cash the Blue Jays brought in with their run to the World Series last fall. It's may not even be possible to put an exact number on it. Still, financial details have slowly emerged over the past few months. Earlier in January, a report came out suggesting that Toronto's playoff run was worth "over $100 million" to the organization. Then, on Thursday, Rogers CEO Tony Staffieri provided details about the company's fourth quarter earnings. Rogers' media revenue over the final three months of 2025 was $1.24 billion. That's significantly more than twice their revenue from the last quarter of 2024 ($547 million). While note all of that can be attributed to the Blue Jays (Staffieri also credited increased revenue from Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE), which Rogers officially purchased an additional 37.5% stake in last summer. Still, it's clear that the Blue Jays pulled in an enormous amount of money over the 18 games they played in October. Hopefully, ownership will continue to invest that money back into the roster. Staffieri also confirmed that Game 7 of the World Series between the Blue Jays and Dodgers was "the most watched Rogers broadcast ever." In fact, it was "the most-watched broadcast in Canada’s history" outside of the 2010 Winter Olypmics. On top of the financial implications of the Blue Jays' national popularity, it's just plain exciting to think about how beloved this team can be when it's playing winning baseball. Featured image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images. View the full article

In Part 1 of this mini-series on the finances of the Twins and their small shift in ownership, we studied the two new investment groups heavily betting on the team. The other question worthy of our attention is how much of the Pohlads' debt is truly gone, thanks to this deal. It is certainly true that the debt for the team got out of hand at $500 million, though even that was not the highest in baseball. There are plenty of reasons for teams to hold debt. If you look at the Atlanta Braves—the only team traded on a public market, which requires financial disclosures and quarterly earnings—you can see that they have $759 million in debt spread across its investments, though $483 million of that is related to the development of The Battery, their ballpark-adjacent real estate boondoggle. The reason many teams like to hold debt is that MLB-backed debt is unique. While sports owners can often get lucrative deals on debt from banks, the leagues as a whole can secure even bigger ones. Currently, the Braves have $67.5 million in debt with the league at competitive rates: $30 million at a 3.65% interest rate and another $37.4 million at 5.4% and 5.71%. These payments to the league are at much better rates than the rest of their debt. Fitch Ratings assigned the debt an “A” rating, saying the Braves have a “stable revenue profile due to national media and shared league-level revenue streams, and they are insulated from the local media market.” The problem, for the Twins, was that the amount of debt—even with a mix of debt at favorable interest rates—likely meant one of two things. First, that meant almost certainly eating profits. If the Braves earned $66 million in their baseball team over the last year (with a notably good TV deal from Diamond Sports Holdings, as well as the All-Star Game), the Twins almost certainly earned less. And if $27.5 million is going just to cover interest, that makes things complicated. Besides, the Internal Revenue Service has noted that it will do more investigations of teams with “significant tax losses, and review whether the income and deductions causing the losses are reported in accordance with the tax rules.” Given the administration's penchant for investigating personal enemies and the Pohlads’ political donation history, giving the administration an excuse could be a bad idea. Secondly, MLB does have rules about debt. Under the CBA with the MLBPA, “Teams are not allowed to hold debt more than eight times operating income, or twelve times for teams with new stadiums.” However, the league has always had a number of teams in violation of this term, and the Players Association has done little to combat it. The only time the league has used the rule was to force Frank McCourt to sell the Dodgers, which had more to do with their dislike of McCourt. This was a less vital and urgent consideration, then, but it did demand the team's attention. Did the Twins get rid of all their debt? Probably not, but that's fine. Debt at low interest rates is good, when you can make money elsewhere by spending what you've borrowed. When the Pohlads imagined their future in 2019, it was likely using profits from real estate to cover any extra debt from the team. That just never materialized. But as long as the team can cover its interest payments and give itself some wiggle room to head toward profit, there is no reason to eliminate all the debt at once. That might mean that part of the investment is the reason why the Twins have spent more on payroll this winter than many predicted. The question is: what does the team making a profit really mean, short-term and long-term? The Dodgers make a profit, and so do the Pirates. Only one of those teams relies on winning. As long as revenue-sharing agreements benefit teams that spend very little, the Twins may find themselves in the black by remaining in the $110 million range, rather than the $130 million or $160 million range. Fans would find that unhelpful, and distasteful—and rightfully so. All of this leads me toward two speculative predictions: The various partners think there are benefits to getting the Twins back in shape, both financially and (to an extent) on the standings page. That might not be done by immediate spending on payroll at levels commensurate with the media market, but by the same kind of moderate spending that produced winning teams in 2019 and 2020, rather than 2023. The Victor Caratini deal is a good example. If Ryan Jeffers posts around the same WAR as last year, he will certainly be making anywhere from $10 million to $20 million a year when he hits free agency. The Twins already know what they owe for their primary catcher in 2027: $7 million. More importantly, I do not think these minority owners expect to be in it for the long term. The Pohlads will almost certainly jump back into the market following the new collective bargaining agreement—whether or not there is a salary cap—and the signing of new media rights deals after 2028. With the collapse of Bally Sports Networks FanDuel Networks Diamond Sports Holdings Main Street Sports, the league is almost guaranteed to have a majority of team rights by that time; Manfred believes he can gain all of them. That will likely mean the league can sign a long-term agreement, cementing profits that are well-distributed throughout the league. If the team valuation inflates even further, the Pohlads will have a chance to get the truly bonkers number they sought but couldn't find this time. If anything, Tom Pohlad's goodwill tour is about raising the profile of the team, so as not to leave a cultural hole in the ground for the next set of owners, because people pay more for teams whose fans like them. Like many, I found the announcement of the Pohlads ending their potential sale to be more dismaying than the fire sale of the trade deadline. Yet, I think there is perhaps a rainbow at the end of this dark tunnel. Sports fandom is built on pain. What's a few more years of it? View the full article

On Tuesday, the Royals announced that 25 players not currently on the 40-man roster will be attending major league spring training in Surprise, Arizona. This group of players will typically include free agents who recently signed minor league contracts with the club, along with top prospects in the minor leagues. Last year, free agents Cavan Biggio and Taylor Clarke were in this group, who would eventually spend time on the active roster. Here is an overview of the players invited and who might break into the team. Royals Pitchers RHP Héctor Neris Neris was signed to a minor league deal on Monday. Neris spent time in 2025 with the Braves, Angels, and Astros. For those three teams, he pitched 26 2/3 innings with a 6.75 ERA, good for a -0.8 bWAR. Earlier in his career, Neris was trusted in high-leverage positions, being either the closer or main setup man for the Phillies, Cubs, and Astros. Entering his age-37 season, he is now more often used as a middle reliever. FanGraphs projects him to have around 0.1 WAR. One concern is his declining groundball rate, which dropped to a career-low of 26.1%. With the fences moving in at Kauffman Stadium next year, that could make him more susceptible to giving up home runs. His FIP being lower than his ERA last season could indicate that he was unlucky last season, and his experience in high-leverage positions could help him earn one of the last spots in the bullpen going into 2026. RHP Jose Cuas Cuas was signed to a Minor League deal in December. Cuas pitched in Kansas City in 2022 and 2023 and has since spent time with the Cubs, Blue Jays, Phillies, and Braves. Last season, Cuas struggled at the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate with a 13.5 ERA in 7 appearances. He also appeared in 18 games for the Braves' Double-A affiliate, posting a 3.63 ERA across 22.1 innings. This winter, Cuas also pitched in the Dominican Winter League, allowing only one earned run in 12.1 innings pitched. While he may face an uphill battle to make the Royals’ roster, his winter performance could earn him a longer look to make the team. RHP Aaron Sanchez Sanchez was signed to a minor league deal this Tuesday. In 2017 with the Toronto Blue Jays, he finished 7th in NL Cy Young voting and won the ERA title. Sanchez has battled injuries and has not made an MLB appearance since 2022. He did make 8 starts in the Dominican Summer League with only a 1.55 ERA across 46 1/3 innings, which caught the Royals’ attention. He will face tough competition for a spot in the Royals’ deep rotation. While it is unlikely that Sanchez will make the Opening Day roster, he could potentially attract trade interest from other teams or provide depth if the Royals end up trading one of their starters (assuming he is willing to accept spending time in Triple-A). LHP Helcris Olivarez Olivarez has recently spent time in the Giants organization, and the Royals signed him to a minor-league deal this offseason. Last season, he threw for 37 innings with a 3.65 ERA across the Giants' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. He is more likely to start the season with the Omaha Stormchasers, but with the Royals still looking to add a left-handed reliever, Olivarez could eventually get a chance to make an impact in the major league bullpen. Former Draft Picks Right-handers A.J. Causey, Dennis Colleran, Shane Panzin, i and left-hander Chazz Martinez, Frank Mozzicato (No. 20 Prospect), and Hunter Patteson will also have the chance to make an impression at the big league camp this spring. Royals Catchers Jorge Alfaro The Royals signed Alfaro to a minor-league deal earlier this month. Last season, he played in 14 games for the Washington Nationals, slashing .256/.256/.308 with a 60 OPS+ and -0.3 bWAR. With Salvador Perez and Carter Jensen as locks to make the roster, it is very unlikely that Alfaro will be on the opening day roster. However, he could be in a good position to bring a veteran presence to Omaha and be called up in case either Perez or Jensen gets injured this season, much like Luke Maile last season. Elih Marrero Marrero has spent time in the Rangers and Red Sox systems and has yet to break through to the major league level. Entering his age-29 season, he will likely be battling with Jorge Alfaro to earn a spot in Triple-A next season. Blake Mitchell Currently the Royals’ No. 2 prospect, Mitchell has only progressed as far as High-A in the minor league system. While there is a lot of excitement around him, it is unlikely that he will make an impact at the major-league level in 2026. This camp invitation will provide Mitchell with experience to help his career progression. Other Catchers Other prospects and former draft picks Canyon Brown, Omar Hernandez, Ramon Ramirez (No. 8 prospect), and Luca Tresh have also been invited to the major-league camp. Royals Infielders All four infielders with non-roster invites are middle infielders. After Jonathan India, Michael Massey, and Nick Loftin all struggled in 2025, the Royals have brought these players in to challenge for the infield depth roster spot. Each of these players had their own struggles in 2025, so it will be interesting to see if any of them can make a meaningful impression in spring training. Kevin Newman Last month, Newman was signed to a Minor League deal. Newman struggled last season with the Angels, slashing .202/.209/.272 with a 33 OPS+. He is only one year removed from a 2.2 bWAR season where he batted .278/.311/.375 with an 80 OPS+. Despite last year's struggles, Newman was a plus defender, grading in the 83rd percentile in fielding run value. He is also able to hit for good contact, grading above average in whiff rate and strikeout rates. If he could return to that 2024 form, he could prove to be an option at second base in 2026. Josh Rojas Earlier this month, Rojas was signed to a Minor League Deal. Similar to Newman, Rojas struggled greatly in 2025 with the White Sox after having a good year in 2024 with the Mariners. Even in his struggles, Rojas has maintained a good chase rate of 19.6% and a walk rate near-average at 9%. If he can pair his plate discipline with better batted ball production, he could be an asset for the Royals in 2026. However, entering his age-32 season, he is at an age where it is rare for a player to develop those skills. Abraham Toro Toro was signed to a Minor League deal in December. Last year, Toro was acquired by the Red Sox to play first base, despite mostly playing second and third base in his career, when Triston Casas was lost to a season-ending knee injury. Toro went on to have little success in Boston, slashing .239/.289/.371 with an 83 OPS+. Toro is a contact hitter, grading in at least the 74th percentile in whiff rate, zone contact rate, and strikeout rate. However, his contact is rarely for power, and he rarely walks. Connor Kaiser In November, the Royals signed the Blue Valley West graduate to a Minor League deal. Kaiser has yet to make a meaningful impact at the major-league level with either the Rockies or the Diamondbacks, with a career slash line of .091/.130/.136 in 23 career plate appearances. He is unlikely to make the major league roster, and this will likely be one of his last opportunities to make an impression. Daniel Vazquez The Royals’ No. 14 prospect, Vazquez has also been invited to the big league camp. Despite having a good run of games in the Arizona Fall League, slashing .329/.459/.468, he is unlikely to break into the major league roster this spring. Peyton Wilson Rounding out the infielders is Peyton Wilson. He was the Royals’ second-round pick in the 2021 draft and spent time in Double-A and Triple-A last season. Wilson had great success in Double-A with an OPS of 1.195 in 19 games. However, he was unable to extend that success in Trip-le-A, slashing .223/.309/.309 in 84 games. His inclusion in camp should provide valuable experience as he continues his development. Royals Outfielders Last year, the Royals’ outfielders struggled on offense. To address those issues, the Royals added Isaac Collins, Lane Thomas, and Kameron Misner in the offseason. With nine outfielders currently on the 40-man roster, it is unlikely that either of these players will break into the big-league roster in spring training, but both could be called upon if the outfield struggles continue into 2025. Gavin Cross Cross is a former Royals top prospect and 1st round draft pick from 2022. Injuries have impacted his career, and his stock has dropped so far that he went unselected in the Rule 5 Draft this offseason. Cross is a bounce-back candidate after seeing moderate success the past two seasons in Double-A, slashing .250/.314/.420 and stealing 53 bases. Carson Roccaforte Roccaforte is the Royals’ No.16 prospect. Last season, he broke into the Double-A team and showed signs of power, slashing .290/.387/.475. He continued to show power in his 18 games in the Arizona Fall League, slashing .279/.393/.485. He will be someone to watch for the future. View the full article

Right off the bat, I'll note that the player I'm focusing on in this piece isn't necessarily available. He hasn't been mentioned in many (if any) trade rumors, and it'd be a miracle to pry him loose from the Cleveland Guardians. But can you blame me for having to dig a little deeper here? The second base market is completely dry in free agency (Jose Iglesias is the top option remaining), Ketel Marte has been taken off the block, Nico Hoerner and Brendan Donovan are going to cost a fortune in a trade and don't have much team control remaining, and the Boston Red Sox's internal options are better suited for other positions (Marcelo Mayer), roles (Romy Gonzalez), or need more time to develop altogether (Mikey Romero, Franklin Arias). Insofar as an external upgrade at second base is coming, prepare to be uninspired by Craig Breslow's choice. Unless, of course, he gets really creative. I'm talking A.J. Preller levels of daring, which is completely antithetical and perhaps a polar opposite to the way Breslow operates. The reasons to do something like this are already limited, and they shrink even further if you believe the Red Sox can pair Gonzalez with an able-bodied platoon partner at the keystone. And so, with all that hedging out of the way: Let's trade for Travis Bazzana. Seriously. The Red Sox should trade for the No. 1 overall pick from the 2024 MLB Draft. Of course, such a trade would be easier said than done. He's a 23-year-old middle infielder who ascended to Triple-A in his first full professional season while working a 137 wRC+ and 17.6% walk rate. The Guardians ranked 28th in scoring in 2025 and desperately need a bat of his caliber to upgrade the lineup. For more on Bazzana, take this analysis on his prospect profile from Baseball Savant: Suffice it to say, he's got the goods. But, like all prospects, he's not without his flaws. Injury issues have plagued him since college, including a lingering oblique injury that landed him on the injured list twice and limited him to just 84 games in 2025. He also started to display some worrying strikeout tendencies as he climbed the minor-league ladder, finishing the season with a 24.3% punch-out rate. There's enough additive concerns that he's been falling down some top prospect lists, with The Athletic's Keith Law even going so far as to suggest that Bazzana "may not be the impact player [the Guardians] expected" when they drafted him. Are those yellow flags enough to loosen Cleveland's grip on him? Maybe. The Guardians have done literally nothing this offseason to add to their offense (which, again, ranked 28th in runs scored last year). Their most-important contributor by a country mile, José Ramirez, will be playing out his age-33 season in 2026. And the team is already banking a lot of their hopes on the continued development of 25-year-old Kyle Manzardo and top prospect Chase DeLauter. There may not be a huge appetite to rely on yet another unproven youngster in Bazzana if an MLB-proven contributor presents themselves as an alternative. And that's where the Red Sox come in. The Guardians' outfield is currently comprised of Steven Kwan, George Valera, and DeLauter, but their designated hitter spot is wide open, and none of those players are quite the offensive threats that Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu are when they're on. Could one of those two (plus perhaps a veteran pitcher like Patrick Sandoval or Kutter Crawford) stir up some conversations in Cleveland? The Guardians are a win-now team — they've won three of the past four AL Central titles — as are the Red Sox. They aren't traditional trade partners by any means. A lot of concessions would need to be made by both sides in order to strike a deal of this magnitude. The Red Sox would need to accept more risk than they have in all of their other offseason trades combined, and the Guardians would need to accept the optics of punting on a No. 1 overall pick less than two years after taking him. There are serious long-term downsides for both franchises present in this deal. But when you have a wide-open roster hole at second base and your best option to fill it is 36-year-old Jose Iglesias, risk becomes inherent in seeking upgrades. Few options are as risky as Travis Bazzana, but none of them present nearly as much upside. View the full article

As consequential as 2025 was for the Blue Jays at the big league level, things were just as promising for their minor league pitching. It's been a long time since they've developed a homegrown starter that has lasted more than a handful of years in MLB before switching teams or roles, and that will have to change if they hope to be competitive long-term. After floating in the proverbial abyss for most of our short-term memory, the system has surged over the past year and a half, with Trey Yesavage, Johnny King, and Gage Stanifer breaking out to project as future starters. Khal Stephen was also part of that group before he was dealt to Cleveland for Shane Bieber at the deadline. Ricky Tiedemann is essentially fully recovered from Tommy John surgery. The Blue Jays' recent player development hires, including amateur scouting director Marc Tramuta and minor league pitching director Justin Lehr, shortly preceded this wave of positive momentum. While the recent lack of quality pitching to come from within has drawn the ire of many fans who care for sustainability (and has been offset by ownership's willingness to invest in winning), early returns suggest the Blue Jays have the right minds in place to end that drought. Absent from the list of pitchers who saw their stock rise in 2025 is righty Jake Bloss, who made six starts before tearing his UCL. He won't be fully recovered for spring training but should be back at some point later in the year. Bloss, who will be 25 in June, was the headliner in the prospect package Toronto managed to secure for Yusei Kikuchi, joining the franchise alongside Joey Loperfido and Will Wagner. He hasn't yet gotten outstanding results in Triple A, with an ERA over 6.50 in 14 starts since the trade. Command is the main culprit; his walk rate in Buffalo is a few ticks over 11%, and his zone rate is around 45% – considerably below-average. On a positive note, he has the stuff to succeed, with an in-zone swing-and-miss rate exceeding 15% post-trade. Heads were turned last week when FanGraphs listed Bloss as the Blue Jays' third-best prospect in their annual top prospect ranking, giving him a future value (FV) grade of 50 on the traditional 20-80 scouting scale. Their evaluators are optimistic about his chances to become a regular mid-rotation starter at the MLB level. Of course, some other outlets remain a little more skeptical after the injury; Baseball America has Bloss at #9 in the system, and MLB Pipeline's most recent update has him at #8. That FanGraphs ranked him so highly even after major elbow surgery, though, is nothing short of a ringing endorsement. That the Blue Jays got him and two others for what ended up being a pure rental was nothing short of a decisive victory. What's unfortunate about Bloss's injury is that the Jays had already begun to tinker with his pitch mix in an intriguing way over the 2024-25 offseason. He entered last year relying noticeably more on his changeup while dialing back his sinker. He also cast his sweeper aside after reworking his gyro slider, which was already a good out pitch, into a version that had more drop and more cut, effectively becoming a hybrid of the two slider shapes he was previously working with. How this all changes post-surgery is something to watch, but in general, pitchers seem less affected by UCL surgery now than they ever have. That's a good thing, because Bloss's stuff comps are rather encouraging. He leads with a mid-90s four-seamer with tons of carry and notable cut action. When accounting for his nearly seven feet of extension, the heater is reminiscent of Padres reliever Jeremiah Estrada's notorious fastball shape circa roughly 2023 when he was still with the Cubs, before he added a few ticks of velocity. A more recent comp for the pitch would be Red Sox reliever Justin Slaten's four-seamer. Estrada's 2023 fastball was an above-average pitch per Stuff+. Slaten's is one of the best in the game. Against righties, that new slider became Bloss's primary pitch in the starts leading up to his injury. It has somewhat of an unusual movement profile, with roughly seven inches of sweep (just a few short of being considered a sweeper) and positive induced vertical break, as well as mid-to-high-80s velocity. It compares closely to the ride-sweep shape coined by White Sox reliever Jordan Leasure, who isn't a household name but still notched a near 40% swing-and-miss rate with the pitch in 2025. It was one of the more effective sliders in MLB by run value (+7). Bloss's knack for cutting the ball makes him a good bet to handle same-handed hitters once he gets to MLB. Meanwhile, it was the changeup that was his preferred secondary against lefties. It doesn't have a special amount of separation from his fastball in terms of vertical movement or velocity, but it averaged nearly 13 inches of arm-side run, which contrasts nicely with the fastball's tendency to cut. Metrically, it likely won't be a plus pitch; it averaged 87 mph with less drop and run than most of the premier changeups around the league. Its closest shape comps are from 2023, a mostly uninspiring group led by Mike Clevinger, who got a 90 Stuff+ on the offering. If I had to guess, Bloss's newfound emphasis on it since coming to the Blue Jays has more to do with arsenal effects than anything else. In his TL;DR blurb on FanGraphs, former Pirates scout Brendan Gawlowski mentioned that a slower arm path might make Bloss's changeup easier to detect, but it runs enough that lefties don't usually square it up. His arsenal is rounded out by a sharp 12-6 curveball he deploys to both sides. It falls off the table with high-70s velocity and considerable glove-side action, often throwing off hitters expecting something else. It's biomechanically similar to the curve thrown by Giants starter Adrian Houser, which didn't receive glowing reports from pitch models by any means but was still useful last year thanks to Houser's elite command and deep pitch mix. The slider is Bloss's best breaking ball; he'll use this one more for effect. From time to time, he'll also mix in a sinker to righties, which runs like the changeup with a few more ticks of velocity and carry. The sinker's speed and movement profile has a top comp of new A's reliever Mark Leiter Jr. It's not a special pitch by any means, but it does the job to keep hitters guessing. He may have missed out on the shared success that Toronto's upper tier of pitching prospects enjoyed in 2025, but Jake Bloss is integral to the short-term future of the staff. Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber are set to come off the books following this season, and Bloss is closer to being MLB-ready than most of the internal options the Blue Jays have to fill those spots. He has a deep arsenal led by a potentially plus-plus fastball and a bat-missing slider, and once he returns from injury and gets his accuracy under control, he'll be on the doorstep of a spot on the big league roster. After all, the state Toronto's incumbent starting pitching unit finds itself in is exactly why the Jays traded for him. As of now, there figures to be plenty of competition for rotation spots in 2027 and beyond. Bloss's first steps to proving he's an arm that can take on such a responsibility will begin in a few short months. View the full article

Earlier today, reports came out that Maikel Garcia would be playing for Team Venezuela in the WBC. Later in the evening, the Dominican Republic WBC selection team announced on their social media that Carlos Estevez would be playing for his home country in this upcoming tournament. Like Garcia, this will be Estevez's first WBC appearance. That said, the Royals closer has long expressed his desire to play for the Dominican Republic in the WBC as far back as April, as quoted in an article from Robert Rizzo of Latino Sports on April 17th. It was a stellar first season in Kansas City for the 32-year-old reliever. In 67 appearances and 66 IP, he posted a 2.45 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 3.67 FIP, and 1.1 fWAR. Furthermore, his 42 saves were not just a career-high, but also led all of Major League Baseball. He is the first Kansas City closer since Dan Quisenberry to lead the Majors in saves. Estevez's 20.1% K rate was 3.5% down from the previous season, and his 11.9% K-BB% was six percent lower than his 2024 mark. However, the Dominican-born closer found success by pounding the strike zone and keeping the ball in the yard (5.2% HR/FB rate, a career-low). Estevez has the stuff to succeed in the WBC and in 2026 as the Dominican Republic and Royals' closer, respectively. While he struggled to generate chase and whiff with the Royals in 2025, his strong TJ Stuff+ numbers (103 TJ Stuff+ overall) illustrated that he still overwhelmed batters in high-leverage situations. In addition to Garcia and Estevez, Salvador Perez (Venezuela), Vinnie Pasquantino (Italy), and Bobby Witt Jr. (USA) have all been confirmed to play in this year's World Baseball Classic. Jac Caglianone (Italy) and Seth Lugo (Puerto Rico) have committed to play if selected, but they have not officially been named to their respective rosters just yet. MLB Network will unveil all the official WBC rosters on February 5th. Photo Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images View the full article

On Thursday evening, the Kansas City Royals added to their Spring Training roster by signing right-handed reliever Eli Morgan to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Royals fans should be familiar with Morgan, as he pitched for four seasons with the Cleveland Guardians from 2021 to 2024. His best season with Cleveland came in 2024, as he posted a 1.93 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 3.64 FIP, 3.09 K/BB ratio, and 0.3 fWAR in 32 appearances and 42 IP. He was also a key reliever for them in the postseason, as he came in and pitched in some high-leverage spots. The Guardians traded him to the Chicago Cubs before the 2025 season in exchange for outfield prospect Alfonsin Rosario. Unfortunately, Morgan struggled to transition that success from Cleveland to the North Side. In 7.1 IP, he posted a 12.27 ERA, 8.59 FIP, and 1.33 K/BB ratio. His K rate dropped from 20.4% in 2024 to 11.4% last year. However, it's likely that he wasn't healthy at the start of the year, as he was put on the 60-Day IL on April 15th for right elbow impingement, related to an inflamed ulnar nerve. While he was activated off the IL on September 21st, he didn't return to the Majors last season. He posted a 5.06 ERA and 3.96 FIP in 10.2 IP with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. The Cubs did not tender Morgan a contract this offseason. Morgan is a three-pitch pitcher who leans heavily on his changeup (41.7% usage last year). Even though his overall stuff wasn't impressive on a TJ Stuff+ end (98 overall), he did an excellent job of generating chase. He sported a 41.1% chase rate last year, with all three of his offerings having a chase rate of 40% or above, according to TJ Stats. Morgan will need to improve his command in 2026, as he lagged in zone rate (44.7%) and generating whiffs (21.7%) last year. However, the Royals' bullpen has been valuing pitchers who can induce chase, and Morgan fits the bill perfectly. Royals pitching coach Brian Sweeney also has experience working with Morgan in Cleveland, so it's likely that Sweeney and GM JJ Picollo felt Morgan was worth taking a risk on due to their familiarity with him. The former Gonzaga product has a Minor League option remaining, which gives the Royals some roster flexibility with him should he make the team. The Morgan acquisition now increases the Royals' non-roster invitee list to 26. Photo Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images View the full article

In his opening back-and-forth with the collected beat writers, Tom Pohlad defended his family against fans' decades-long complaints about their lack of investment. “People like to say we’re not committed to investing in this team," he said, but "$500 million of debt would tell you exactly the opposite.” But what about the new minority owners? What, exactly, are they investing in? While we don’t know the exact financial influx, we do know that it likely eliminated a large portion of the debt on the team's books, with roughly a 20% share of the club changing hands at a $1.75-billion valuation for the whole thing—notably above what many expected from the team sale based on (often inaccurate) Forbes evaluations. The money came from three parties: a local Minnesota group headed by George Hicks, a second investment from the New York-based Glick Family Investments, and a smaller amount from Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold. While we can talk about civic duty and the like, the reason to own a sports team—either in part or in full—is because the returns are good. More so, a minority investment in a sports team is a rare opportunity for those whose fortunes consist of nine figures, rather than ten or eleven. Unlike the Pohlads’ own complicated history, Hicks and Glick are fairly boring entrepreneurs. (As noted by Pohlad himself, the investment by Leipold is more advisory and less substantial than the others.) We can certainly ask questions about the private equity firms they used to accumulate their wealth, but there’s nothing scandalous there, outside of buying and selling properties. Still, we can learn a lot—about the Pohlads, the Twins, and the future of MLB—by probing their interest. There's No Place like NoLo George Hicks, the team’s press release would have us believe, is a “lifelong Twins” fan. Scouring the internet won’t exactly produce evidence of that fact, but there is one important detail that helps position his interest: he can watch the team from his office. Hicks founded Värde Partners, a bread-and-butter hedge fund, in 1993, and remains Co-Executive Chair and a board member. Hicks’s net worth was priced by some evaluators at a little over $500 million (though nothing there should be trusted), while the firm itself is worth more than $75 billion. It should be noted that he also did not simply put in his own money, but is meant to be the head of a consortium of "local" investors. Among the few announced individuals therein are Fort Myers Mighty Mussels owners John and Allen Martin. Notably, Värde and Hicks are betting on something that will require the Twins: a downtown revival of Minneapolis, and particularly the North Loop. Värde signed an agreement to move into North Loop Green, a new high-rise overlooking Target Field, in 2023, and moved there in early 2025. The space includes apartments (including that of current Twin Austin Martin), a hotel, and a green space for outdoor music events. It is just one of many spaces in the North Loop that are slowly expanding. As one of the other North Loop’s commercial residents explained their own relocation from Nicolet Mall, “There is just a level of energy and vibrancy that currently exists in the northwest area of downtown.” Urban planners have replaced the rail yards and warehouses with the city’s most trendy restaurants, upscale retailers and loft apartments, all alongside creative spaces and public transit that turn it into a pedestrian utopia—for those who can afford it. Värde has one building for sale in the area, the former Lumber Exchange, which it believes can be expanded and transformed into high-quality residential condos. This might be what Hicks sees: a chance to build a ballpark village west of Target Field, akin to Wrigleyville or Cobb County’s The Battery. When Hicks ran Värde, his company bet against the common knowledge of the pandemic’s long-term effects, investing in travel and hospitality and eventually making millions. It would only make sense to bet on downtown Minneapolis. Of course, Minneapolis has had its setbacks, though the reasons have been distorted by bad-faith actors. You might not know, for example, that the downtown area’s crime rate has plummeted, compared to those in the suburbs. While businesses have been slow to return, residential growth has continued—now surpassing 60,000 residents. Slowly but surely, downtown offices are growing. Target enforced their Return-to-Work policies in September of last year, alongside other businesses. (The productivity claims of return-to-work remain specious, but the companies calling their workers back have real estate costs to justify and politicians to appease.) This is all speculation, but I can see how Hicks could view Minneapolis as the next great revival—one that requires its downtown jewel to succeed. The Pohlads made their own bet on downtown that flopped due to the pandemic, but the city believes it can turn it around—almost certainly by shifting the center of downtown to the hip "NoLo," as some denizens call it. The Twins have relatively low beer and hot dog prices—probably better than some of the craft breweries across the street. I’d also note that Target Field is one of the better standing environments in the game, with plenty of spots to watch where you won’t be asked to move. If you don't have a disability and are willing to stand for a few hours, all you need is a cheap ticket, and maybe if you can ease a downtown flaneur into what sounds like a rocking ballpark, that’s going to be a winning argument. The Wolves, Vikings, and Lynx are all putting up record attendance numbers downtown, so why not Target Field? If the Twins begin to succeed, so will the neighborhood. At the moment, there are (literally) external forces dampening the environment of the vibrant city, but their staying power looks shaky. By the time the ice melts, the city should be ready for a great spring and summer. Anyone and everyone will benefit from a downtown revival. The bet is to make sure the Twins are part of that, rather than the exception to it. Square Burgers, Safe Investments Whereas it's easy to understand Hicks's personal involvement, the story of the Glick Family Investments buying in is more of a head-scratcher. Pohlad already joked that they would have to throw out their Yankees gear, and it’s not clear the equity firm has any investments—real estate or otherwise—that would put them in Minnesota. Their motivation for putting money in here appears to be getting money out, via the on-field product. Glick Family Investments is your standard investment firm. As has been well reported, their wealth began in diamonds in the 1930s and 1940s, but now has a varied portfolio. Run by Simon Glick, the firm invests in real estate, technology companies, corporate debt and the like (the one buzzy note: Sharon Stone’s engagement ring came from Glick). Simon is reportedly press-shy, so don’t expect him or anyone else in the family to open up about their interest anytime soon. Within that group, there are numerous subsidiaries, most notably the Glick Property Group, which focuses on real estate from New York City all the way to Houston. They've made other, seemingly easy bets: they were partners along with BlackRock and JPMorgan on a company that provides trading software and record-keeping for financial firms. Within their properties, they also act as managers for some 3,000 units (you can find stories of potential mishaps, but so is the case with any landlord group). One of their biggest sales occurred in 2018—Alvin, the patriarch, had gathered several properties on Third Avenue in New York between 77th and 76th street. He sold them together for a clear $232 million, which was redeveloped into a hospital. There are two ways to break down their investment in the Twins. One is to think about what value you get compared to other investments, and the other is to think about why sports, specifically, made sense. As Rob Mains has argued, one cannot simply compare the valuation of a team to something like a stock price, due to the lack of risk of the assets. “A safe investment that yields a return comparable to that of a risky investment has higher risk-adjusted returns. If the stock market rises by 8% per year and a baseball team’s value rises by 7%, the baseball team has superior risk-adjusted returns,” Mains wrote at Baseball Prospectus. Partially thanks to their long-standing antitrust exemption and the fact that MLB will always bail out an owner in need, MLB owners can make both returns and know their investment is safer than any company on the S&P 500. Think about the options for any investment firm right now. Businesses are struggling to deal with tariffs; the commercial real estate market faces high interest rates and guarded buyers; private markets are essentially bets on the teetering artificial intelligence industry; and cryptocurrency is run entirely on scams and memes. Most notably, investors have recently had trouble beating the markets, driving more and more people toward standard mutual funds. So what is a “safe” bet in 2026? A sports team, for sure. Assuming the Twins were sold in 2028, what if the valuation went up to $2 billion? That’s a 14.3% return over four years. That’s before any potential profits the team might make in any of those years. The worst-case scenario is probably something more like a 7% return—which, as Mains observed, would still be a strong one for such a low-risk asset in almost any other market. Sports ownership also provides a massive tax loophole. In 2021, ProPublica revealed that Vikings owner Leonard Wilf had “taken $66 million in losses from his minority stake in the team” over his time owning the team. This is because of a Bush-era tax write-off that allows owners to include intangible assets, such as player contracts and media rights. Though President Trump initially sought to reduce this write-off in the One Big Beautiful Bill (in response to his failure to secure a football team in the 1980s), it was eventually dropped by the Senate due to bribes pressure from NFL owners. This would not be the first time the Glick Family looked for a unique investment to create a tax shelter; they did so with a Wendy’s franchise in Connecticut. As Jason Glick told a local reporter, the purchase near Yale University was to specifically “fulfill an investment requirement necessary to avoid having to pay capital gains tax on $232 million worth of mostly vacant buildings on the Upper East Side that the investors sold in August 2018 to make way for a new medical complex.” Behold the beauty of tax savings: This might give reason for the Glick Family Investment to park cash somewhere safe. The Glicks don’t even need to look at the team's record; they can just collect whatever checks they are due. If and when the team does get sold in full, the Glick group will be able to fully cash in. That's what each of the main groups joining the Twins' ownership cabal has to gain therefrom. Next time, let's tackle another question: How much benefit are the Pohlads themselves getting from it? And in what form? View the full article

Caleb Durbin knows what Jett Williams is going through right now—and we aren't talking about dealing with both being 5-foot-7. Durbin was the other guy acquired by the Milwaukee Brewers in a trade for a popular pitcher. The difference is that Durbin was more of a finished product, ready to see what he could do in the majors. Williams, currently the Brewers' No. 3 prospect and a consensus top-100 guy in baseball, played 34 games at Triple-A Syracuse last season and might make his way to Milwaukee at some point in 2026, but not before honing his craft at Nashville. Durbin, by contrast, was in the mix for an Opening Day spot with the New York Yankees before he was dealt to the Crew in the Devin Williams trade. Durbin was never a highly-rated prospect, perhaps due to being undersized and relying on his speed as a big attribute, along with a solid and unspectacular bat. When they acquired him, it was hard to see where the Brewers would play Durbin. Brice Turang was coming off a Platinum Glove season at second base, and Joey Ortiz was seen as the heir apparent at shortstop following Willy Adames's departure via free agency, perhaps sliding from third base to second base if Turang was the choice at short. After playing shortstop in college at Division III Washington University in Missouri, he played a lot of second and some short in the minors. He dabbled at third base, seeing action in 75 games in total at the hot corner. He worked at the position in spring training last year, but the Brewers chose to go with Oliver Dunn and Vinny Capra as a platoon at third base on the Opening Day roster. It was off to Nashville to begin 2025 for Durbin, but offensive struggles prompted the Brewers to send Dunn down and call up Durbin for his debut in mid-April. The rest, you might say, is history. What Durbin did in 2025, while not spectacular, was part of the backbone of the Brewers' run to a third consecutive NL Central title. He adapted to become a more-than-competent third baseman, quelling worries that he didn't have the arm for the position and improving massively in his footwork and feel for the spot. He was a solid contributor offensively, including being a magnet for pitches from opposing pitchers. As a rookie with a new team at a new position, Durbin put up .256/.334/.387 slash line, with 11 homers and 53 RBIs in 136 games. He didn't utilize his speed as much as expected, but added 18 steals in 24 attempts. All of that led to Durbin finishing third in NL Rookie of the Year voting, one of three Brewers in the top seven and four to get votes. One thing stood out. In addition to being plunked 24 times—second-most in MLB—he was very disciplined at the plate. While he only drew 30 walks (eighth on the team), Durbin only struck out 50 times in 506 plate appearances, ranking in the 98th percentile of big-league hitters. Among Crew hitters with at least 200 plate appearances, only Andrew Vaughn had fewer punchouts (37). Heck, Jake Bauers had 59 strikeouts in 218 plate appearances (although also 32 walks). Durbin figures to be just as solid defensively in 2026, following almost a full season at third base. He had 5 Defensive Runs Saved, tying for the 10th-most at the position. However, it's on offense where Durbin could make more progress. His Statcast numbers say that his actual slash line (.256/.334/.387) was pretty close to what was expected (.253/.317/.384). While his plate discipline is a strength, Durbin needs to improve on hitting the ball hard consistently. He ranked in the bottom 4% in exit velocity (85.2 mph) and hard-hit percentage (26.9%), and the bottom 6% in bat speed (67.9 mph) and launch-angle sweet spot (29.6%). Boosting those numbers even nominally will add more doubles and a few more homers to his stat columns, while nudging his entire slash line upward. As we saw with Turang and Sal Frelick in 2025, that type of improvement from one season to another is possible. We know Durbin is capable of it, too, because he was both more selective and better at pulling the ball in the air in Triple A in 2024 than he was last year in the majors. Even a modest leap from him would give the Brewers another offensive weapon in 2026. The feistiness in Durbin won't allow him to not put up a fight, especially when others are already talking of Williams replacing him. View the full article

Prospect gurus Keith Law of The Athletic and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN both released their team farm system rankings on Wednesday, and both like the Brewers best! McDaniel posited that, in recent history, the Dodgers and Rays have been viewed as the model organizations, but that opinion has now shifted to the Brewers. Law agrees, though not in so many words, crediting the team with an advanced, integrated process for identifying and developing talent. The two writers laud the Brewers for acquiring amateur talent through all available pipelines, including international signings, the MLB draft, and trade acquisitions, and see the Brewers as having both upper-echelon talent and excellent depth. Six Brewers were featured in Law’s top 100 list, including the newly acquired Brandon Sproat (75) and Jett Williams (45). Interestingly, Law writes that the Brewers were his number one overall system even prior to the Freddy Peralta trade, while McDaniel posted on social media that the trade moved the Brewers’ system from sixth to first and moved the Mets’ from first to sixth. Overall, McDaniel has 8 Brewers in his top 100; Logan Henderson (64) and Bishop Letson (91) were included on the ESPN list but not The Athletic’s. Both experts list Jesús Made third overall behind only the Pirates’ Konnor Griffin and Kevin McGonigle of the Tigers. Luis Pena, Cooper Pratt, and Jeferson Quero were the other three prospects on both lists. View the full article