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On Tuesday afternoon, Kazuma Okamoto was officially announced as a member of the Blue Jays. The press conference featured the usual suspects: Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins was present along with Okamoto’s translator, Gino Gordon, his agent, Scott Boras, and Okamoto himself. After a brief introduction and a flurry of photos taken as Okamoto donned the Blue Jays jersey for the first time, the standard question-and-answer period began. The presser included lots of fun information (which can be found here), including how Okamoto (with the help of his daughter) chose the Blue Jays, his affection for the city of Toronto, and lots more, but one question in particular stood out more than others, and it may be a hint into what's in store for the rest of the offseason. That question was addressed to Atkins, who was asked about the potential of more moves coming for this team. He gave his usual, “we're always looking to make the team better” response that Blue Jays fans have heard for years, but then added, “The one thing I’ll add is additions... will start to cut away playing time from players that are very good MLB players.” The quote itself could mean many things, and pinning down exactly what Atkins is trying to convey is no easy task. Perhaps he means that the Jays are content with their roster and no further moves are forthcoming, or maybe it indicates that a trade is being considered to move some MLB talent off the team. Alternatively, it could be a negotiation tactic to lower the demands of Kyle Tucker/Bo Bichette. Only Atkins truly knows. But regardless of what his motives were, there is a lot of truth to his statement. The Blue Jays are running into a problem that a lot of good teams have: too many players and not enough roster spots. If the Jays do decide to add another position player, then someone is going to be the odd man out. As things stand right now, the position player group seems full. George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Alejandro Kirk, and Daulton Varsho are no-doubt starters. Addison Barger, Ernie Clement, and Andrés Giménez were key contributors during the 2025 playoff run. While there are some question marks about Okamoto and Anthony Santander, both players have tremendous upside and deserve a shot to play regularly until they prove they can't. The Okamoto signing now moves the left-handed hitting Nathan Lukes into a pure bench role, with Myles Straw as the right-handed alternative. Both are strong defensive outfielders who did enough offensively in 2025. Davis Schneider also profiles as a bench piece, but he can hit left-handers and hold his own at second base or in the corner outfield. The other spot belongs to Tyler Heineman, who will serve as the backup catcher. This makes the roster crunch decision incredibly difficult, as all four players were above replacement level in 2025. Here are the fWAR totals for those players: Schneider - 1.3 Straw - 1.8 Lukes - 1.8 Heineman - 2.1 Only Schneider and Lukes still have minor league options. None of these players deserves to be taken off the roster, and I would hate to be in John Schneider's shoes if he has to tell one of them that they're no longer on the team. Now, the Blue Jays could turn this surplus into an advantage. They have a pool of depth that could be used to improve other areas of the roster. Not too long ago, the Blue Jays had three major league-calibre catchers, and they ended up trading one of them to acquire Varsho in 2022. Yet, turning the depth they have now into a trade may be harder than it first appears. Straw is still owed $7.4 million going into the season. Lukes will be 32, and he just played his first full big league season. Schneider may be the piece that other teams have the most interest in, but he was a key contributor in the clubhouse last year and has the most home run power of the bench pieces. The logjam exists not just on the 26-man roster but on the 40-man roster as well. Paxton Schultz was designated for assignment when the Okamoto signing became official, and he threw some quality innings for the team in 2025. He made 13 appearances with a 4.38 ERA and more strikeouts (28) than innings pitched (24.2). He’ll likely catch on with another team, but for now, he’s a victim of circumstance. As for who might be next off the 40-man roster, that's a dilemma in itself. Tommy Nance is a candidate, but like Schultz, he had his moments in ‘25. There are two Rule 5 hopefuls in Angel Bastardo and Spencer Miles who the Jays will likely try to carry into spring training. Bowden Francis had an ugly 2025 season, but a DFA would be surprising. After that, it's the largely unproven group of Adam Macko, Lazaro Estrada, Jake Bloss, Leo Jimenez, Jonatan Clase, and Joey Loperfido. While one of them may be next in line, losing any of them comes with real risk. All of these players have potential big league upside, and a case can be made that they can all help the major league team in 2026. There’s a cliché in baseball that these things always work themselves out, and that's likely to be true again. But the Kazuma Okamoto signing is already forcing the Blue Jays to confront a reality that all good teams face, and that's with depth, difficult decisions follow. Okamoto doesn't just add talent to the lineup; he compresses the roster. And as the offseason continues and more moves feel likely, the challenge for the Blue Jays won't only be who they add, but who they’re willing to let go. View the full article

After getting off to a hot start, the offseason hot stove has been idling over the holidays. As has been rumored for months now, the Chicago Cubs have their sights set on some of the best bats on the market. Ken Rosenthal of "The Athletic" is reporting that the Chicago Cubs remain "in the mix" for superstar free agents Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette. Jon Heyman initially reported the clubs interest in Bichette on New Years Day, and Bregman was first tied to the team by Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic over a month ago. Additionally, Mark Fieinsand of MLB.com recently reported that the Cubs aren't expected to be the highest bidder for Bregman. Despite the swirling rumors regarding infield help, the team has expressed confidence in third baseman Matt Shaw as a core part of the team. The 24 year old had a particularly strong 2nd half of the season sporting an .839 OPS with 11 home runs and six stolen bases. However, when a team has the opportunity to add superstars like Bichette or Bregman, you worry about the roster construction after the fact. Who do you think the Cub should prioritize? Let us know in the comments! View the full article

There are still many wondering what went wrong with Jose Miranda in 2025. He set a new MLB record just a year before, getting hits in 12 consecutive at-bats and putting up a respectable .284/.322/.441 slash line in 121 games. But in 2025, Miranda looked completely lost at the plate. He hit a measly 6-for-36 to start the season with the Minnesota Twins, and after he was sent down to Triple-A for the rest of the year, his numbers decreased to a .195/.272/.296 slash line with just seven home runs, and 28 RBI over 371 plate appearances with the St. Paul Saints. When I spoke with Miranda for an end-of-season feature in September, he didn’t pinpoint one exact thing or another as the cause of his numbers taking a drastic drop; rather, his whole swing was off since the start of spring training. “I felt like it was a challenge throughout the whole year,” Miranda said about his swing. “A mix of not feeling comfortable with my setup, my stance, my move at times, that’s kind of been the biggest battle. I feel like that started since I got to spring. So it’s been just a battle of not hitting the ball the way I want to.” So, how did Miranda plan to make adjustments and get back to form this offseason? His first step was reevaluating his whole body as a hitter and identifying the specific areas that felt off, which was much easier to do in the offseason, rather than halfway through the year. From there, he’d work with all of his people back home in Puerto Rico to help get him in better shape for the upcoming season. “I’m going to sit down with my people back home, the people that I always [work with], my trainers that I always work out with. All of those people, my trainer, my therapist, my nutritionist, and sit down and analyze and see some videos and start working. Start working from the get-go. Obviously, I always like to take time off, have a reset the first couple of weeks, and then start building off and get working the whole off-season,” Miranda said in September. Shortly after the MLB Postseason concluded, Miranda returned to game action, playing in the Puerto Rican Winter League for the first time since the 2020-21 offseason. His numbers there aren’t spectacular, but even in the small sample size of 99 plate appearances, there’s been a slight uptick in his numbers. All his slash line numbers have risen up from where they were in Triple-A this year, sitting at .230/.313/.333 with two home runs and eight RBI in 24 games for the Criollos de Caguas. Miranda PRWL Swing.mp4 Based on a video showing one of his two home runs hit in the PRWL this season, it appears Miranda is bringing his hand back a bit more before making his swing. He’s also not raising his front left foot before the swing as he was for much of 2025, and opting for a simple toe tap instead as his timing mechanism. These are looking like helpful improvements for Miranda’s approach to the plate, and may be one of many reasons why the Padres opted to give him a minor-league deal for 2026. Miranda is still young and won’t turn 28 until June 29. He may not be the budding cornerstone player he was projected to be when he first came up with the Twins in 2022, but if the Padres can help him keep improving on the changes to his swing he’s made this offseason, then he can turn into a valuable corner infielder on their bench. But Miranda will need to prove the effectiveness of his swing changes first, and will most likely start 2026 with Triple-A El Paso, barring no major injuries to the Padres' infielders currently on the 40-man roster. The Padres have already proven they can help a player with a broken swing in Gavin Sheets, as Peter Lubaza examined right before the holidays. Miranda getting the extra work in to show those changes sooner by playing in the PRWL should only benefit his chances of reemerging with the Friars. Miranda may never have a season as he did in 2024 again, but if he can come close to replicating the numbers he had as a rookie in 2022 (.268/.325/.426 slash line, 15 home runs, 66 RBI), then his big league career will likely continue beyond 2026 with a chance for a major-league deal after the lockout. Despite all the trials and tribulations Miranda went through with his swing in 2025, he never lost his confidence in his abilities. The short sample size in the PRWL has helped reinforce it a bit, and hopefully, his opportunity with the Padres can help him build up his confidence as a player suited for the highest level of competition. “My mind is always just keep grinding. Keep grinding no matter what happens. If I go 0-for-20, 0-for-50, I’ve just got to come the next day, put in the work, keep putting in the work, and trust the game. And trust that good things are going to come.” View the full article

Here at the start of 2026, we're taking stock of talent in the Twins organization by ranking their top 20 player assets. Went over the ground rules in our introductory post from Monday, but the short version is this: We're trying to answer the question, "Which current players in the organization are most indispensable to fulfilling the vision of building a champion?" Check out Monday's and Tuesday's posts for breakdowns of each player, but here's a quick glance at the list so far: 20. Marek Houston, SS 19. Ryan Jeffers, C 18. Brooks Lee, SS 17. Bailey Ober, RHP 16. Connor Prielipp, LHP 15. David Festa, RHP 14. Eduardo Tait, C 13. Royce Lewis, 3B 12. Matt Wallner, RF 11. Zebby Matthews, RHP Now we dive into the top 10 with an overview of my picks for the 6th through 10th most essential players to the outlook of the Minnesota Twins. The Top 20 Twins Player Assets of 2026: 6-10 10. Taj Bradley, RHP Age: 24 Controlled through: 2029 2025 Ranking: NR The Twins acquired Bradley at the trade deadline as a distressed asset. If a Tampa Bay Rays blogger were putting together a list similar to this one for their org, Bradley would've previously been near the very top of the rankings for many years in a row. He was one of the very best pitching prospects in baseball, and the fact that he has already made 73 major-league starts before turning 25 says a lot about how he's viewed. But, so does the fact he was demoted to Triple-A when Minnesota got him last July. Bradley just hasn't been good. The high-end stuff is there, the durability is there, and it's really not hard to envision him as a frontline starter, but the breakthrough hasn't come. Bradley has a career 85 ERA+ and a mediocre 4.38 FIP to match. He got knocked around for a 6.61 ERA in his first six starts as a Twin. With four more years of team control remaining, there's still plenty of time to figure it out, and he would seemingly have a pretty safe fallback as a quality reliever – likely a big part of the Twins' reasoning when they dealt two years of Griffin Jax for him. I had Jax ranked in the exact same spot last year (10th) some form that perspective its a very even value swap for the Twins. 9. Mick Abel, RHP Age: 24 Controlled through: 2031 2025 Ranking: NR Abel is altogether pretty similar to Bradley: promising young righty arm, acquired at the deadline in exchange for a top reliever, and valued for his upside and team control. On the latter front, Abel still has at least six full years remaining, as he has barely started his MLB service clock. Like Bradley, Abel has multiple plus pitches and the potential to pan out as a frontline starter, even if a mid-rotation or bullpen role is ultimately more likely. While his first foray into the majors in 2025 was rocky overall (6.23 ERA), he showed what he's capable of in his first start for Philly and his final start for Minnesota – 6 IP, 0 R, 9 K in each. Abel won't even reach arbitration until 2029 at the earliest. It's easy to see why the rebuilding Twins were swayed to trade Jhoan Duran when getting him alongside Eduardo Tait (ranked #14 on this list). 8. Byron Buxton, OF Age: 32 Controlled through: 2028 2025 Ranking: NR Once a mainstay at the top of these rankings, Buxton has struggled to crack the top 20 in recent years, with relentless injuries and a sizable (albeit reasonable) contract keeping his asset value in check. There are still factors weighing him down in this exercise: he just turned 32 as a player whose game is highly dependent on premium athleticism, and his history of unavailability remains. But Buxton is coming off a career-best season that offered more reason for optimism around his health outlook than we've ever really had. He's feeling good enough to join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic, which would've been an absurd proposition not long ago. In the short term, Buxton is without question one of the most important players to the Twins' fortunes, but they do have another star center fielder on the rise as Buck reaches his mid-30s. 7. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF Age: 22 Controlled thorough: 2031+ 2025 Ranking: 7 As I internally debated where to put players in these rankings, Buxton versus Rodriguez was a tricky dichotomy. Looking at the big picture for a semi-rebuilding team facing payroll constraints, how do you compare the proven All-Star, who's aging into his mid-30s and making $45 million over three more years, to the 22-year-old top-tier prospect on the verge of his major-league debut? In some ways, placing Rodriguez one spot higher feels like falling into the trap of "shiny new object" fixation. But that also undersells how special of a talent he is. (And, more practically, the value of three extra years of control at league minimum). Rodriguez has a unique, extreme skill-set that gives his MLB outlook a lot of variance. There's a fair chance of stardom, and a fair chance of not making enough contact to stick at all. His first exposure to Triple-A in 2025 was fairly underwhelming but he did post an OBP over .400, as he's done everywhere. Rodriguez needs to overcome the injury bug (sound familiar?) and has some aspects of his game to solve, but time is very much on his side. 6. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP Age: 25 Controlled through: 2030 2025 Ranking: 19 Woods Richardson is one of those guys who often gets talked about as underrated. Well I'm not going to underrate him anymore. This is a borderline top-five asset in the organization, and a case study in gradual, steady improvement. I've talked about the value of controllable young starting pitching, and how that element pushed names like Abel and Bradley into the top 10. Woods Richardson doesn't have the upper-90s fastball or gaudy strikeout rates of those two. The ceiling is not as high at a glance. What he does have is a well-established track record of consistently solid MLB performance over the past two years. The dude can just pitch. He was only picking up steam toward the end of 2025, posting a 2.33 ERA with 36 strikeouts in 27 September innings. There are hints of a #2 or #3 starter in there, especially if he can unlock just a bit more velocity. I think we'd all be talking more about last season as another major step forward for Woods Richardson if not for the unfortunate battle with a stomach issue that cost him much of the second half. We've almost reached the end of the list. Share your thoughts about the rankings so far in the comments and circle back tomorrow morning when we wrap up with the top five. View the full article

It's been a little over a month since our first 2026 roster projection for the Chicago Cubs, and there's been some notable changes since then. No major offensive additions have been made, but Jed Hoyer and Co. have made strong attempts to field another great bullpen next season. With all of the team's new additions accounted for, here is the second prediction at the Cubs' Opening Day roster. Pitchers (13) Shota Imanaga - SP Matthew Boyd - SP Cade Horton - SP Jameson Taillon - SP Colin Rea - SP Javier Assad - RP Phil Maton - RP Caleb Thielbar - RP Porter Hodge - RP Hoby Milner - RP Jacob Webb - RP Hunter Harvey - RP Daniel Palencia - RP The additions of Milner, Harvey and Webb all happened since our first projection. Those three likely signal that pitchers such as Luke Little, Ethan Roberts and others will begin the season with Triple-A Iowa. Also, not included on the list is Justin Steele. Steele is slated to return near the summer months of the season, and he will certainly be a factor down the stretch in the rotation. For now, the big question is who will win the No. 5 starter job in a fierce competition among Colin Rea, Javier Assad, Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, and top prospect Jaxon Wiggins. Catchers (2) Carson Kelly Miguel Amaya Nothing significant has changed at catcher. Chicago did sign Christian Bethancourt to a split contract, but he will likely be a non-factor on the major-league roster unless Amaya or Kelly is injured during the season. Infielders (5) Michael Busch - 1B Tyler Austin - 1B Nico Hoerner - 2B Dansby Swanson - SS Matt Shaw - 3B In our first prediction, we guessed that the Cubs would add utility man Luis Urias for the fifth infielder spot. That is no longer the case with the addition of 34-year-old Tyler Austin. Austin has spent the previous six seasons in Japan and will likely be the platoon option at first base with Busch. Outfielders (5) Ian Happ Pete Crow-Armstrong Seiya Suzuki Owen Caissie Kevin Alcantara We predicted Rob Refsnyder to be on the North Side in our first edition of the roster projection, but that can no longer be true as he headed out West to Seattle. There doesn't seem to be much traction surrounding the Cubs and available outfielders — save for some loose rumors connecting them back to Cody Bellinger and Kyle Tucker — so we're likely headed toward Caissie and Alcantara getting those two reserve outfield spots. Designated Hitter (1) Moises Ballesteros No change here, as it seems likely that Ballesteros and Suzuki will have some sort of platoon situation going at DH depending on the pitching matchups and what happens with Caissie in spring training. These predictions are always subject to change with major offseason acquisitions, but as of now, this is our best guess at what the team will look like come Opening Day against the Washington Nationals. Do you think we missed anybody? Let us know in the comments below! View the full article

Smorgie’s: The Perfect Place to Warm Up After TwinsFest Located in the heart of downtown Minneapolis (508 N 1st Ave), Smorgie’s is already known as one of the best places for great food, great drinks, and great value before or after a big event, making it the ideal backdrop for a gathering of Twins fans of all kinds. We'll be taking over their enormous lower level. What to Expect at the Winter Meltdown As always, Winter Meltdown is the ultimate offseason celebration built by fans, for fans. Each ticket includes: Two complimentary craft beers An exclusive Winter Meltdown 2026 pint glass Entry into door prize raffles Premium hangouts and baseball conversations with the Twins Daily community Live on-stage interviews hosted by Aaron Gleeman & John Bonnes and special guests who mingle with the Twins Daily community Previous years have featured familiar Twins names and fan favorites, and it is shaping up to be another unforgettable night. When & Where Date: Saturday, January 24th Time: 4:00 – 9:00 PM Location: Smorgie’s, 508 N 1st Ave, Minneapolis Per usual, the Winter Meltdown is the same weekend as TwinsFest. That means you can soak up the full fan experience at Target Field, then stroll over to the Meltdown to top off the day with the ultimate afterparty with the Twins Daily community! TAKE MY MONEY! We would love to, but tickets are limited — only about 250 are available — and are expected to go quickly, especially through the Twins Daily Caretaker program. And they're only available to Caretakers, whose tickets are FREE, and who can buy three guests tickets for just $20 apiece. Can I Just Buy A Ticket if I'm not a Caretaker? Maybe? Later? If our Caretakers do not sell this thing out, we will offer general admission tickets the week of the event. The last two years, we could not. But if we can, they will be $60 apiece. (So becoming a Caretaker is a better deal anyway.) Become a Caretaker here! If you are already a Caretaker, THANK YOU. Just click on that link. But please do not delay in buying your ticket. We will likely sell out, even limiting them to Caretakers and their friends. So grab them now. The Caretakers take care of Twins Daily, and we want to take care of them, so to give them the best chance, we are limiting the tickets to them, at least for now. If you want to join Twins Daily's Caretakers, you can do so for as low as $4/month. You get exclusive content, other benefits, and support from our hard-working writers, moderators, and tech guys. We would LOVE to have you join us. Purchase tickets here. Why Smorgie’s is such a great fit for the Meltdown: It's just a short stroll from both Target Field (and Target Center), so fans can walk over from TwinsFest and keep the celebration going. Daily 2-for-1 drink specials from 3–5 PM, so don't be afraid to get there early! Everything on the menu is under $12, and Smorgie’s is known as the cheapest spot on the block for drinks and food. One of the best stops for value and fun before a game, concert, or night out. Home of the Smorgie’s Smash, voted one of the best burgers in the Twin Cities (a must-try while you are there). Wanna stay late? It's open seven days a week: 11 am – 1 am, with the kitchen open until 1 am, so you won’t miss a bite. Whether you are grabbing a Smorgie’s Smash, sharing cheese curds and pickle fries with friends, or enjoying one of the bar’s signature cocktails, Smorgie’s delivers the kind of relaxed, lively atmosphere that feels like a Meltdown should. It is known as one of the best stops for value and fun before a game, concert, or night out – and now it is this year’s home of Twins Daily’s biggest winter gathering. Whether you are planning to catch TwinsFest earlier in the day or just want a legendary winter meetup with fellow fans, Smorgie’s in downtown Minneapolis is where it's all happening this January 24th! In previous years, hundreds of people have sought to attend this exclusive event; however, this year, we have only 250 tickets available. You will likely need to become (or know) a Twins Daily Caretaker to get a ticket. Again, each caretaker gets a free ticket to the Meltdown, and caretakers can buy up to three additional tickets for just $20. Looking for more details? Great! We will reveal more about the Meltdown as it approaches, including our guests, special brewery, giveaways, and other sponsors. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Bluesky for more news as it is released. View the full article

In 2025, Jonathan India entered the season as the Royals’ primary leadoff hitter to set the table for Bobby Witt Jr. at the top of the lineup. By the end of the season, India found himself near the bottom of the order after continued offensive struggles. When Kansas City traded for India last offseason, he was coming off his strongest season since winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2021. In 2024, he slashed .248/.357/.392 with a 105 OPS+. In 2025, however, his production sharply regressed, and India posted career lows across the board, finishing with a .233/.323/.346 slash line with an 89 OPS+. At the beginning of the offseason, there were rumors that India could be a non-tender candidate entering his last year of arbitration. The Royals and India did eventually agree on an $8 million deal for 2026, keeping India in Kansas City for one last season before he hits free agency. Statcast data can provide insight on what may have caused India’s decline. Despite continuing to have excellent plate-discipline, ranking in the top 3% in chase rate, his walk rate dropped from 12.6% in 2024 to 9.5% in 2025. That drop significantly reduced his on-base value. A more concerning decline was in India's batted ball quality. In 2025, we were in the launch-angle sweet spot, with barrel rates dropping from the 92nd to the 29th percentile and from the 49th to the 22nd percentile, respectively. These changes had a major impact on his power production and slugging percentage. Another notable shift is that India’s pull rate increased in 2025 compared to his previous two seasons in Cincinnati. In 2025, he pulled the ball on 48% of his batted balls compared to 41.5% and 41.2% of the time in 2023 and 2024, respectively. This could be the result of no longer playing in the hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park (GABP), one of the most hitter-friendly environments in baseball. The change in India’s pull rate can be seen in the hit spray charts from the last three seasons. Cincinnati’s ballpark features a shorter and lower right field wall than left field, giving right-handed hitters like India an incentive to drive the ball to the opposite field for power production. Kauffman Stadium, however, has a symmetrical outfield wall and one of the most spacious outfields in baseball, and suppresses home runs. Statcast data provides details on how the ballparks impact offensive production. GABP ranks 4th among the most hitter-friendly ballparks. It has the highest park factor for home runs, and it consistently ranks high in boosting offensive metrics like OBP and wOBA. Kauffman Stadium, by contrast, ranks close to average in overall park factor and is the 4th worst ballpark when it comes to home runs. Statcast’s expected home run by park metric, which accounts for wall distance, height, and environmental factors, provides additional context to the difference in these parks. By this metric, India would have 97 career home runs if all of his batted balls were hit at GABP, compared to just 48 home runs if they were all hit at Kauffman. Is there optimism for India going into 2026? Various projections on FanGraphs predict a rebound season for India, forecasting anywhere between 1.3 and 1.7 fWAR, placing him at slightly above league-average production. These projections could stem partly from the fact that India’s batting average, slugging percentage, and weighted on-base average were all lower than their expected counterparts. Despite the fact that the expected numbers are still below average, they do suggest that India ran into poor luck in 2025. BA SLG wOBA Actual .233 .346 .301 Expected .241 .373 .315 India’s other key metrics, such as hard hit rate, exit velocity, and bat speed, stayed relatively consistent in 2025 compared to previous years. Additionally, along with India’s still excellent plate discipline, his strikeout rate has declined in each season in MLB. With key additions in the outfield such as Lane Thomas and Isaac Collins, India will likely no longer be asked to play out of position in left field, which could provide stability in his day-to-day approach. The addition of Marcus Thames to the hitting staff could provide a change of approach for India. A refined approach that could help India recapture his production and on-base value that could help him return to the top of the order. Unless there is another significant addition to the Royals’ roster, all signs point to Jonathan India being the main baseman in Kansas City. If he does continue to struggle, Michael Massey or even Isaac Collins could spend time platooning with India at second base. However, a salary of $8 million is a lot of money to dedicate to a part-time player on the Royals’ payroll. View the full article

Additions to the roster just keep on coming for the Blue Jays this offseason. Kazuma Okamoto is the first position player the team has signed in free agency, joining from NPB's Yomiuri Giants on a four-year, $60 million contract (no opt-outs). Okamoto absolutely raked in Japan. He makes a lot of contact with some power upside, which makes it seem like he was born to play for a team like the Blue Jays became in 2025. He also hasn't automatically taken Toronto out of the running in the sweepstakes for Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette. The real intrigue with this acquisition is the impact it will have on the way this team sets up defensively for the upcoming season. The Blue Jays' socials introduced Okamoto as an infielder when confirming the signing. He spent about three-quarters of his time on the field manning the hot corner in 2025, with the remainder coming at first base. He has played left field on a sporadic basis in recent years as well. Obviously, he won't have to worry about playing first base every day with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. holding a seemingly infinite claim to that spot. He has a clearer pathway to consistent reps both at third and in left, but those are confusing situations in their own right. Ernie Clement finished top-five in Statcast's fielding run value at third base, his primary position, last year, though he also excelled at second base in both the regular season and the postseason. Addison Barger can play third as well and has a cannon for an arm, which can't be said for Clement, though Barger has inferior range and is also sometimes used in right field. Meanwhile, Nathan Lukes frequently patrolled left field, and Davis Schneider often took over when he didn't. Myles Straw saw some time there when John Schneider opted for a defense-first arrangement, and Anthony Santander even saw 58 innings in left, but that isn't as much time as he spent in right field or at DH. Don't even get me started on how this general logjam would intensify if Tucker or (and?) Bichette were added. Okamoto's Defensive Ability Since the Blue Jays got outstanding middle infield defense from Clement and Andrés Giménez in October, Okamoto's most logical fit seems to be at third for now. How that might go has been a mild source of disagreement amongst talent evaluators around the league. Baseball America's scouting report deemed him an above-average defender at third base, where he won two of NPB's equivalent to the Gold Glove. FanGraphs' Eric Longenhagen is a tad more skeptical, arguing he lacks range but still commending his lower body strength and arm accuracy. Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith says the consensus among MLB scouts he has talked to is that Okamoto profiles as average at third but would be a plus defender at first base. BA went so far as to call him 'plus-plus' at first, clearly the most optimistic of the bunch. Yakyu Cosmopolitan on X recently noted that Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) graded him as an average third baseman in Japan, with his unimpressive range holding him back a bit despite solid fundamentals. Potential Scenario #1 It wouldn't be surprising, then, if Okamoto's overall proficiency at third ended up somewhere in between Clement's and Barger's. He's bigger than Clement, listed as 6-foot-1 and 220 lbs on FanGraphs, but not as stocky as Barger. Either way, it'll be a priority to get his bat in the lineup. The what-if scenarios, depending on how the rest of the winter shakes out, are interesting to ponder. If Tucker comes north and Bichette walks, Giménez will likely take over at shortstop, clearing the way for Clement at second base and, therefore, Okamoto at third. Such a sequence of events would complicate things for Barger because Tucker primarily plays right field, and George Springer is still set to DH for the final year of his contract. In turn, the urgency to get Barger's bat in the lineup would theoretically hurt Santander's stock. Potential Scenario #2 Alternatively, if the Jays retain Bichette but fail to land Tucker, Okamoto figures to see more time in left and not as much at third as in scenario #1, because Clement won't be needed in the middle infield as much. Barger and Santander would have less competition for outfield reps. In both scenarios, Okamoto could shift between third and left depending on factors such as scheduled rest days, the opposing pitcher, and how John Schneider wants to position his lineup on the spectrum between the best possible run-scoring unit and the best possible run-saving unit. Okamoto will also take some pressure off Guerrero to play the field 145 games a year, though the latter has certainly shown the ability to do so. Versatility Is the Ultimate Benefit Amidst this daunting game of Blue Jays Lineup Tetris, it's hard to see the rest of the offseason playing out without a corresponding subtraction to the existing position player group. Later on in his report about Okamoto, Nicholson-Smith acknowledged that any further additions to the 40-man roster would necessitate a trade of someone whose playing time would be negatively impacted. Regardless, the coaching staff has a ton of options to work with. USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported that the Jays are interested in using Okamoto in a super-utility role, which makes a ton of sense – teaching him another position, or, at the very least, not assigning him a primary spot out of the gate would help accommodate the many different kinds of talent on this roster. In the postseason and especially the World Series, John Schneider and co. showed zero hesitancy to move players around in-game to adapt to the circumstances at hand, a sight that fans should probably get used to. When there are a lot of good players with overlapping strengths on the same team, everyone has to contribute in more ways than one. More clarity surrounding Okamoto's role will surface in the coming weeks, but the fact that he can assume more than one responsibility in the field makes it self-explanatory, to an extent, why the Blue Jays were pushing for him, even with Tucker and Bichette still out there. His propensity for contact and offensive well-roundedness are reminiscent of his new team's strengths, but so, too, is his defensive versatility. View the full article

Spring training is still a ways off — just about seven short weeks away — but we thought it was time we take a stab at a roster prediction here at Talk Sox. Boston Red Sox fans are the type of fan that likes to play the ‘what-if’ game and start building next season’s roster as soon as possible. Right now, there are still holes to be filled and a lot of rumors swirling around potential free-agent additions or trade candidates. While there's not telling what will happen in those pursuits, we wanted to take some time and think about what the roster on Opening Day could look like once the offseason dust settles. Starting Rotation (5) Garrett Crochet Sonny Gray Brayan Bello Johan Oviedo Connelly Early The ultimate goal for any franchise is that all of their starting rotation will make 30 starts and be lights out from top to bottom. Realistically, that won’t come to pass for any club. The good news, though, is that the Red Sox have quite a bit of starting depth stashed away at the upper levels of the minor leagues that will allow these five to get extra days off and, in the worst-case scenarios, be replaced due to injury. Obviously, Crochet isn’t going anywhere, and Gray can likely join him on that list unless the team has just completely fallen apart by the trade deadline. Bello took positive steps forward in 2025, but as I wrote previously, he’s the most under-the-radar trade chip the team possess right now, so he could potentially be calling a different city home in the near future. Oviedo comes with a ton of upside, but just as much injury risk. I gave Early the nod over fellow rookie Payton Tolle solely because Early has the secondary stuff that you can trust more earlier in the season, and I think the organization showed more trust in him during the postseason by letting him start game three of the Wild Card round while moving Tolle to the bullpen. Should any of these five come out of the gate slowly, you can expect Tolle to be the next man up along with Kutter Crawford, Kyle Harrison, and Patrick Sandoval. Behind them, there’s still a ton of depth floating around in Worcester, so there’s not a lot of concern about the arms they’ve traded away to bolster the major-league roster. Bullpen (8) Aroldis Chapman Garrett Whitlock Justin Slaten Ryan Watson Greg Weissert Jovani Moran Zack Kelly Jordan Hicks A lot has been made about the team’s need to acquire another starter and there’s a ton of validity to that, but the bullpen clearly needs some help still. Obviously, Chapman is going to close games out after his dominant 2025 and subsequent extension he signed at the end of the season. Whitlock proved just how dangerous he was out of the bullpen again last season. Slaten had his ups and downs, and injuries, but he proved to be a steady arm more often than not. Watson is a big question mark at the moment and has to stick on the 40-man roster or be returned to the A’s, but the Sox have proven with both Whitlock and Slaten that they have an eye for identifying talent who can contribute in big ways through the Rule 5 draft. After that group, though, there are question marks all over the place. Weissert pitched fine in 2025 but ran out of gas by the All-Star break. Kelly showed flashes of potential but hasn’t proven that he can be fully trusted yet. Moran is the only other lefty in the pen besides Chapman at the moment and doesn’t bring the strongest track record with him, Hicks is well… Hicks. Sure, he can hit triple digits, but your guess is as good as his as to where it’s going to actually go once it leaves his hand. There’s still work to be done in the bullpen, and guys like Crawford and Sandoval above could be utilized here if need be. Catchers (2) Carlos Narvaez Connor Wong As currently constructed, the Red Sox should return both catchers from last year. Narvaez has a firm grip on the starting job and likely won’t let it go unless something catastrophic happens. He’s young, talented, and exactly what the team needs behind the dish on a near-daily basis. Wong, on the other hand, has a ton to prove as a backup in 2026. His 2025 season was abysmal and he offered very little of value either behind the dish or with a bat in his hands. The team could stand to upgrade at backup catcher, but Wong’s value is the lowest it can be and there’s not much out there that would prove to be much better in a backup role. The team could shock everyone and bring in someone like JT Realmuto, but that’s likely not going to happen. Infielders (6) Willson Contreras (1B) Bo Bichette (2B) Marcelo Mayer (3B) Trevor Story (SS) Romy Gonzalez (INF) Nate Eaton (INF/OF) I’ve been stumping for the team to sign Bichette for a while now, so on this projection, I’m pretending they did. I’m not going to predict his contract or anything like that, but bringing him on means the team has moved on from Alex Bregman and trusts Mayer to man the hot corner until he can take over at shortstop after Story leaves in free agency in a couple of years. Contreras will see the lion’s share of time at first base to begin the season, but that conversation could get interesting if Triston Casas is tearing the cover off the ball with Worcester early on. Story remains the starting shortstop until his contract in Boston is over, or until he gets hurt again — whichever comes first. Obviously, super-infield utility man and lefty masher Gonzalez stays on the bench to get into games when his knack for getting on base is needed, or just to spell Contreras at first from time to time. I struggled with the last bench spot between Eaton and Nick Sogard but opted for Eaton since he plays more positions and likely will be the platoon partner for Wilyer Abreu in the outfield when necessary. Outfielders (5) Roman Anthony (LF) Ceddanne Rafaela (CF) Wilyer Abreu (RF) Jarren Duran (DH/LF/CF) Masataka Yoshida (DH) This was by far the hardest group to determine, solely because there’s still such a logjam in the outfield right now. As long as either Duran or Yoshida is on the roster, there’s no perfect answer for the outfield. Anthony is obviously going to be a day one starter with Rafaela, but then what does the team do with Duran? Abreu is a two-time Gold Glove winner in right field while in a platoon role. Alex Cora and Craig Breslow have both given him a huge vote of confidence to play more against left-handed pitchers, so he’s also locked into his position. Rafaela is a Gold Glove center fielder who should never move off that spot until he’s ready to retire, and Anthony is a superstar in the making right now. Yoshida is a DH-only at his point, and he’s not great there either unless you want a slap-hitting DH. Duran isn’t good enough against left-handed pitchers to warrant being used as a DH on a regular basis. There’s just such a logjam here that it’s hard to figure out exactly what the plan is. Ideally, someone will be moved in a trade for a number two starter, but that’s just a step too far for me to predict out right now. Is it the correct path forward? Probably, but I’m just not confident that’s going to happen right now. There’s still a ton of offseason left, and I fully expect the Red Sox to make at least one more major addition to the roster. How they navigate the bullpen additions and the outfield logjam is going to be something watch as we get closer to the start of spring training. Some national writers think the team has a big trade and a big free-agent signing left in them. If that’s true, this roster could look drastically different at any moment. View the full article

According to D.M. Fox of the Future Blue Jays Newsletter, the Toronto Blue Jays have been in touch with "most of their players and prospects in Venezuela." Thankfully, all the players they've been in contact with (and their families) are safe, though Fox adds that the organization is "still working on reaching a few players." On Tuesday, DiamondCentric's Seth Stohs wrote about how the strikes in Venezuela could affect the landscape of the 2026 MLB season and beyond. You can read what he wrote here. Featured image courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images. View the full article

According to The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon, the Blue Jays have “increased their efforts to recruit [Kyle] Tucker.” He adds that “Toronto’s interest in the 28-year-old is clear,” noting that the Jays have become “more aggressive” in their pursuit. To that point, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports that the team has had “recent dialogue” with Tucker regarding the “parameters” of a contract. While recent reports seem to suggest that the Blue Jays would prefer Tucker to Bo Bichette, Nicholson-Smith writes that dialogue also “remains open” between the Jays and their long-time shortstop. Asked about the possibility of re-signing Bichette today during Kazuma Okamoto's introductory press conference, general manager Ross Atkins had this to say: "If there’s an opportunity to think about improving the organization, we’re going to always lean into creative ways to do so" (per Nicholson-Smith). Featured image courtesy of Kyle Ross, Imagn Images. View the full article

By one metric, Royce Lewis was on time as often as any hitter in baseball in 2025. Only the Diamondbacks' Corbin Carroll edged out Lewis in Statcast's Ideal Attack Angle rate, which gives the percentage of swings on which a hitter's barrel is moving uphill at their contact point, within the range (8° to 20°) that most often generates high-value batted balls. Attack Angle is one number meant to tell us whether a hitter is on time for the pitch they're swinging at. Every swing has to start downhill, to enter the hitting zone, and to hit anything more than a weak ground ball, they almost all have to begin working upward before making contact. If the timing of the swing is right, the barrel will be usually be moving at an angle that fits in that 8-20° range, generating fly balls and line drives with high exit velocities or high-trajectory, topspin grounders when slightly miscalibrating. In theory, the fact that Lewis trailed only Carroll should tell us that he was on time exceptionally often, leading to very dangerous contact. We know that's not really how things played out. Lewis not only batted a forgettable .237/.283/.388, but ran an unimpressive BABIP (.267) for the second year in a row, and saw his power decline sharply. He's actually quite good at hitting the ball in the air and pulling it, which is a product of his swing's timing signature, but those tendencies don't translate to high-value contact—despite his above-average bat speed. Part of the problem could be an approach that was pretty aggressive and unrefined in 2025, but the issue runs deeper. The ideal attack angle for a swing by Lewis doesn't range from 8° to 20°. It's a much smaller window than that. Consider these breakdowns of swing shape and performance based on attack angle, for Lewis and for another hitter with a very high Ideal Attack Angle rate, Alex Bregman. Royce Lewis Alex Bregman Attack Angle Attack Dir. Swing Speed Contact Point Whiff Rate Exit Vel. Launch RV/100 Attack Dir. Swing Speed Contact Point Whiff Rate Exit Vel. Launch RV/100 Below 0° 19° Opp. 64.7 11.5 36.2 89.2 -8° -7.3 13° Opp. 66.2 18.6 20.4 84.9 4° 1.1 0°-5° 6° Opp. 70.8 20 22.2 90.2 11° -3.1 17° Opp. 65.5 19.5 11.3 91.7 7° 10 5°-10° 2° Pull 72.6 24.8 19.2 90.6 21° -3.3 9° Opp. 68 24.4 16.3 89.5 13° -5.5 10°-15° 9° Pull 72.9 29.2 23.4 91.2 20° 4.8 2° Pull 69.5 29.9 9.2 90.4 23° -4.1 15°-20° 18° Pull 73.7 35.2 25.3 88.1 24° -5 11° Pull 71.9 35.2 9.3 91.7 22° 0.8 20°+ 28° Pull 69.1 42.9 55 80.4 4° -3.5 26° Pull 70.2 43.6 29.8 83.4 16° -1.4 Bregman doesn't actually benefit much from hitting what Statcast has mapped onto all hitters as the Ideal Attack Angle band, but he can create lots of positive outcomes when catching the ball unusually deep and with a very flat address of the ball—in essence, when he's late. He can't be consistently beaten by velocity, because he doesn't have to get the barrel out in front of him very far or get around on it to produce solid contact. Lewis, on the other hand, has to find the ball within one small window of Attack Angle. Even in that window, he whiffs on nearly a quarter of his swings, which is an issue; most hitters whiff at a much lower rate when they're on time. More importantly, though, his swing only truly works—he only delivers the barrel to the ball in a way that results in hard, lofted contact by getting a good piece of the ball—when he gets around the ball a bit and catches it out close to 30 inches in front of his frame. Indeed, one reason why Lewis's swing so often fell into the Ideal Attack Angle range is that pitchers learned that they could beat him with fastballs. They didn't spend much time manipulating his timing; he saw fastballs more often than in any previous big-league stint. Compare that chart to this one, showing the same pitch type distribution by year for Carroll, the other guy who topped the league in Ideal Attack Angle rate. Carroll can be dangerous within a much wider range of attack angles, so pitchers tried to mess with his timing more. Yet, he was just as good at overcoming that and being on time as Lewis was: equally accurate, despite a higher degree of difficulty and a greater margin for error had he needed it. That's why Carroll batted .259/.343/.541, while Lewis struggled so much despite meeting the same threshold for being on time as often as Carroll did. It's not that hard to see why Carroll is more adaptable than Lewis, and why this number thus tells us two different things about them. To grasp it best, let's fold in one other comparator, too. William Contreras is another right-handed batter, whose swing might be easier to contrast with Lewis's at a glance. His nominal swing plane (29°) is the same as Lewis's, and he, too, has a high Ideal Attack Angle rate. Here are the swings for all three players, as visualized in composite form and frozen at the frame closest to when each makes contact. Both Contreras and Carroll stay back better, partially because they see more soft stuff and have to. Lewis's weight has crashed forward more by the time he makes contact, such that he's catching the ball deeper in his own hitting zone than the other two, despite having the same nominal attack angle. Yet, he's also come around the ball more than either of them, signaling that despite hitting it deeper in the zone, he's closer to being too early to catch it squarely and keep it fair. Contreras and Carroll are not ideals against which Lewis must be measured, but studying the different ways their bodies and bats work in space as they attack the baseball lays bare the ways that their apparently similar swing stats can mislead us when evaluating them. Lewis's unusual stride locks him into some big problems at the plate. He's unique, with a step forward as the pitcher prepares to deliver the ball, then a second, separate one going in the same direction. It amounts to something very close to a lunge, but he stays stiffly upright during it, as you can see by comparing his posture at contact to those of Contreras and Carroll. This is part of why the window within which his swing can yield a cleanly struck ball is so small, relative to many other players, and in 2025, pitchers found that they could consistently get their fastball past that window and into his kitchen, such that they didn't need to change speeds, location or movement direction as much as they do against other, similarly fearsome swingers. Contreras and Carroll are long striders; it's not about the sheer distance covered as Lewis gets going in the box. Rather, his double-forward move brings his weight forward sooner, and makes it harder for him to rotate and flatten out through the ball, producing feel for the barrel throughout the swing. The dots between each player's feet in the grids below show the player's center of mass. Notice how much farther forward Lewis's is, within his starting (black) and ending (red) foot positions, relative to those of Contreras and Carroll. The more we learn about swing metrics, the more obvious it becomes that we need to study each player's physical and mental approach in and of themselves, rather than applying broad rules to large batches of players. There's still plenty to take away from things like Ideal Attack Angle rate, attack angle and direction, and swing speed and plane, but for most players, sorting leaderboards does little to elucidate what's really happening. Bregman, Carroll and Contreras are all more selective than Lewis, not only in terms of how often they expand the zone but in terms of what they swing at within it. Just as we needed to know that pitchers stopped throwing Lewis as many offspeed and breaking pitches to understand why he fooled Statcast into thinking he was always on time, we need to know what types of pitches each hitter should be swinging at (and in what areas of the zone) based on their swing characteristics, to discern whether they're really on time or on target as much as one-size-fits-all numbers might imply. Lewis, clearly, needs to adjust both his physical moves and his plan at the plate in 2026. That's a big job for new hitting coach Keith Beauregard, but armed with data like this (and superior, proprietary metrics teams can build without trying to create a single number digestible to fans), he and the rest of the coaching staff have a chance to turn Lewis around. They just need to avoid letting anyone imply that what Lewis did last season was ideal, or league-leading. View the full article

The Boston Red Sox have begun to add to their spring training roster, naming seven non-roster invitees. While most names on the list are of no surprise, it also doesn’t close the book on other players being added as a non-roster invitee the closer we get to the team reporting to Fort Myers. The group of seven are made up of catcher Jason Delay, infielder Vinny Capra, right-handed pitchers Osvaldo Berrios, Hobie Harris, and Devin Sweet and left-handed pitchers Alec Gamboa and T.J. Sikkema. Among the seven players announced, six of them signed minor-league deals with the Red Sox across the offseason while the seventh (Harris) re-signed with the Red Sox on a minor-league contract back at the end of September. While non-roster invitees may not seem all too exciting, they help create competition in camp for the final few roster spots, along with exciting storylines. And, sometimes, they may even break camp with the team. Last season, the team saw non-roster invitees Kristian Campbell and Sean Newcomb make the team, while the likes of Trayce Thompson, Matt Moore, and Adam Ottavino created discussion pertaining to the back end of the roster. Overall, the group is comprised of veterans who have either limited experience in the majors or have spent several seasons in the minors as they attempt to showcase why they should be in the major leagues. Of the seven, four have some time spent on a major-league roster. Sikkema, a left-handed pitcher, signed with the Red Sox shortly before the announcement. Now 27 years old, he was a former first-round pick by the Yankees back in 2019 (39th overall). Last season, he split time in the Cincinnati Reds’ organization as he played for both Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville. View the full article

Even though Opening Day 2026 is 80 days away, with the flip of the calendar, the temptation to start sketching out what the Milwaukee Brewers will look like in late March has begun to build. Just over a month ago, we published the first version of our projection of the Brewers' Opening Day roster. Here is an update of that projection for the team that takes the field on March 26 against the Chicago White Sox, at Uecker Field. PITCHERS Starting Rotation (5) Freddy Peralta Brandon Woodruff Chad Patrick Jacob Misiorowski Quinn Priester Ideally, of course, each member of this group would stay healthy and perform well enough to make 30 starts. Reality is the antidote for such delusions, though, and the Brewers have realities both behind and before them that figure to shake up the rotation at some point. Peralta is high on the pundits' list of stars most likely to be traded, but he is still in the Brewers fold. Woodruff returned from a year and a half on the shelf in dominant fashion, but landed on the injured list again with a lat strain in September. Presumably, he's back in full health right now, but next season will be a new test of the staying power of his shoulder. Patrick made 23 starts and pitched well enough to earn down-ballot NL Rookie of the Year votes. Misiorowski looked like the Rookie of the Year candidate at one stretch, and has the highest upside of any Brewers pitcher. Priester and his revamped arsenal slot solidly back into the rotation for 2026, after he staked a sturdy claim there in 2025. If one or more of these five falter, the Brewers have exceptional depth to buttress the rotation. Tobias Myers is the most experienced in that group. Logan Henderson dazzled in his brief opportunities with the parent club, and if he's healthy, he could be every bit as good as Patrick or Priester. Robert Gasser made two starts but spent a lot of time on the injured list. In his return from Tommy John surgery, Coleman Crow made 12 starts at two levels, striking out batters at a rate of 32%, though he didn't find his way to the 40-man roster until the end of the season. All of their key starter prospects have minor-league options remaining, so if neither transactions nor injuries blow a hole in the side of the ship, this group can wait at Triple-A Nashville for a while. Only Myers and Crow are candidates to do much work in relief for the team. V 2.0 changes: NONE. Bullpen (8) Grant Anderson Aaron Ashby D.L. Hall Jared Koenig Trevor Megill Abner Uribe Rob Zastryzny Ángel Zerpa On December 14, the Brewers traded Isaac Collins and Nick Mears to the Kansas City Royals for the left-handed Zerpa. In theory, Zerpa replaces Mears in the bullpen, but the Brewers have mentioned that Zerpa could be a candidate for the starting rotation. We will have to see how that shakes out. The group listed (except newcomer Zerpa) pitched about two-thirds of the 634 2/3 innings Brewers relievers spent on the mound last year; expect to see more of the same. With five lefties and three righties in the pen, manager Pat Murphy has the flexibility to match up with opposing batters. Only Koenig and Uribe stayed healthy all year, and each of them wore down as the season progressed. As is true with the starters, the organization boasts good depth in the upper levels of the minors. There's another bullpen's worth of credible big-league hurlers beyond the group above. Craig Yoho, Easton McGee, and Sammy Peralta would be the frontrunners in that group. V 2.0 changes: Mears out, Zerpa in. CATCHERS (2) William Contreras Jeferson Quero Quero will probably get his first shot in the big leagues, as the backup to the workhorse and lineup centerpiece that is Contreras. When Contreras is your starter behind the plate, the backup matters less than it does on most teams. Marco Dinges is probably the next-best backstop in the organization not named Contreras or Quero, but he is about two years away. V 2.0 changes: NONE. INFIELDERS (6) Andrew Vaughn (1B) Brice Turang (2B) Caleb Durbin (3B) Joey Ortiz (SS) Jake Bauers (1B-OF) Andruw Monasterio (INF) Tyler Black and Anthony Seigler are both on the 40-man roster, but neither will make the Opening Day roster, barring something unforeseen. Vaughn and Bauers figure to hold down first base, while Turang, Ortiz and Durbin are entrenched (for now) at the other positions on the dirt. Monasterio's role will be filling in for and backing up all three, unless and until more moves come. V 2.0 changes: NONE. OUTFIELDERS (5) Sal Frelick Jackson Chourio Christian Yelich Blake Perkins Garrett Mitchell Brandon Lockridge, Steward Berroa, and free-agent signee Akil Baddoo are all on the 40-man, but this quintet has the inside track. Lockridge and Berroa might be waived at some point to free up roster spots. Mitchell could be in his make-or-break season; injuries have derailed his last three campaigns. Frelick has played in center and in right, and the phenom Chourio played every outfield spot last year. The question about the team's superstar-in-training is where he's best suited to play. Our Jack Stern wonders if center field might be the spot for Chourio. Yelich can play left in a pinch, but his best defensive days are behind him. Perkins and Mitchell will battle for playing time in center, and if Mitchell is healthy, Chourio could be back in left field almost full-time. V 2.0 changes: Collins out, Baddoo in. A lot can happen over the next two months. The Brewers could add or subtract more players through free agency or trade. This version of the projected Opening Day roster could very well change, but it doesn't need to. Even this version of the roster is a clear favorite to win the NL Central next season. What do you think about this 26-man group? Am I missing anybody? Who is on your projected card? Feel free to start a conversation in the comments section. View the full article

The calendar has flipped. We're barely six weeks from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training. There are a few top-of-the-market free agents still unsigned, but the cupboard is becoming more bare almost every day. The Chicago Cubs have been frustratingly quiet. They are yet to add a frontline pitcher, and the offense still has the hole left by Kyle Tucker's departure. Cubs fans are sitting here with burning questions: What is the offseason plan? Is there a plan? Is the inactivity part of the plan? The only thing we have confirmed is that the plan for the bullpen is to hope for the same magic as last season, with veteran arms on cheap deals. We just saw Japanese starter Tatsuya Imai sign a shorter-than-expected deal with the Astros, which stings, because the Cubs were seen as a great fit. Maybe Jed Hoyer prefers to explore the trade market again, as they have a few big league-ready players without a clear path to playing time. Let's look at some of the options left on the free-agent market, as well as some trade candidates that could save the Cubs’ offseason. Free Agents: Framber Valdez Ranger Suárez Zac Gallen The Cubs rotation has some depth, and Justin Steele should return at some point in 2026, so they just need one more top-of-the-rotation arm to make that group an area of strength again. All three of these players come with red flags, but when they’re right, they're solidly above-average starters. The Cubs have also been linked to all three (at one point or another) this offseason. Valdez is probably the only one who can be considered a true ace. He earned Cy Young and MVP votes each year from 2022-2024, but was not himself in 2025. His ERA of 3.66 was high, by his standards, but he still made over 30 starts. It's easy to compare him to Jon Lester and use the six-year deal as a baseline, but many are predicting Valdez to sign for just four or five years. Valdez comes with some postseason concerns, though, largely due to his volatility. He was electric in the playoffs in 2020 and 2022, where he pitched to a sub-2.00 ERA. In 2021, 2023 and 2024, however, he had an average ERA of 7.67. To worry about the playoffs, one must get to the playoffs, and Valdez would likely bolster the team's odds to do that most. Unlike Lester, though, he's not an asset in the clubhouse; it's closer to the opposite. Lester, too, had something much closer to an ace-caliber October track record. Suárez likely isn’t on any team’s radar as an ace; he profiles best as the second or third hurler in a good rotation. The 2024 All-Star is coming off the best full season of his career as a full-time starter. He finished the season with a 3.20 ERA paired with an impressive 3.21 FIP, suggesting that he wasn’t the beneficiary of a ton of luck. The issues with Suárez are his health and his declining fastball. He has made at least 22 starts per year since 2022, but has spent time on the injured list with back problems in three of the last four seasons. He was never a power pitcher, but his average fastball in 2025 was 91.3 miles per hour, the lowest in his career. These issues will likely scare teams away from a longer-term pact, but a three- or four-year deal would make sense. Before 2023, the Cubs signed Jameson Taillon to a four-year deal worth $68 million. Suárez will probably get more, but not all that much more. Gallen probably fits the Cubs' predilections best. Picking up Cy Young votes in 2020, 2022 and 2023, Gallen showed about as much upside as Valdez, but will cost less after a considerably worse 2025 campaign. He's coming off a rough year, wherein he had a 4.83 ERA, but he was still durable, throwing 192 innings. That ability to eat innings would make a huge impact in the Cubs’ rotation for 2026. Steele will be coming off Tommy John surgery, Matthew Boyd just threw the most innings he has in a single season since 2019, and leaning on sophomore Cade Horton for 200 innings sounds unduly optimistic. The front-line upside from Gallen is what separates him from other innings-eaters available, like Lucas Giolito or Miles Mikolas. Trade Candidates The Brewers won't trade Freddy Peralta to the Cubs, for obvious reasons, and it looks unlikely that Tarik Skubal will be traded at all. It's unlikely that the Marlins will trade Sandy Alcantara at the kind of price with which the Cubs will be comfortable. Three names that make sense for Chicago on the trade market are MacKenzie Gore, Edward Cabrera, and Nick Pivetta. The Cubs were linked to Gore at the 2025 trade deadline, but reportedly were not able to come to an agreement because they would not include Cade Horton and Matt Shaw in the trade package. The current asking price should have come down a bit, as Gore did not pitch nearly as well in the second half and ended up finishing the year with a 4.17 ERA, after entering the All Star break with a 3.02 ERA. Many think Gore’s best days are still ahead of him, as he has shown an ability to miss bats at an elite rate throughout his career. He can give up hard contact at times, and also walk more hitters than a true ace should, but this is a former top prospect who has taken strides forward every season since his debut in 2022. Gore will be 27 on Opening Day and is under control via arbitration through 2027, meaning the rebuilding Nationals will likely benefit from moving him sooner, rather than later. Horton and top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins should be off the table, but the team's young, non-established hitters are very much in play. The Marlins are more likely to move Cabrera than Alcantara this offseason, and he is another arm to whom the Cubs have been linked. Per FanGraphs, Cabrera's average velocities on his four-seam fastball and sinker were 97 mph and 96.8 mph, respectively, with a changeup touching 95 mph and a slider that can scrape 90 mph. He also comes with major issues with the free pass and durability. Last year was a step in the right direction, as he topped 100 innings for the first time in his career, but he'll need to keep that up in order to make any real impact for a competing club. The Yankess are in advanced talks with Miami about Cabrera, so time is short, but if they're willing to part with their top offensive prospects, Chicago could still storm in with a late bid. The Cubs have Moisés Ballesteros and Kevin Alcántara hanging on the edges of the big-league roster, without a clear path to playing time in 2026. The Marlins have a few quality young catchers, in Agustín Ramírez and prospect Joe Mack, but Ballesteros could fit there at first base. Pivetta is the oldest player on this list. He will be 33 on Opening Day, but he is coming off a season wherein he generated Cy Young buzz in the first half. Overall, he had a 2.87 ERA in 181 2/3 innings, while striking out 190. All of those marks are career bests. Under the hood, there are some reasons to be concerned. He had a 45% hard-hit rate in 2025. This was also the first season of his career in which he finished with an ERA under 4.00. Though the Padres are still trying to compete, they've made it known they’re willing to sell high on Pivetta in order to add some MLB-ready talent. He does have an opt-out after this season, so if he pitches well again, this will likely turn into a rental deal. The best case for the Cubs would be a situation where Pivetta remains an ace-level pitcher for this season, helps them make a deep playoff run, and opts out, leaving the Cubs free of paying $32 million over the last two years of the deal. One problem is that the Padres would likely want a young pitcher they can expect to contribute in 2026, along with an outfielder. Wiggins is the only Cubs pitching prospect that might catch the attention of GM A.J. Preller, but that will be a non-starter for the Cubs. The other problem, as illustrated by the team's unwillingness to grant opt-outs after 2026 in their offers to both Imai and fellow righty starter Michael King earlier this winter, is that the team is set to lose Taillon, Boyd, Imanaga and a bevy of position players to free agency next offseason, so bringing in anyone else who will similarly depart after 2026 is an undesirable outcome for Hoyer. As we discussed earlier this week, the odds of the Cubs adding a top-flight starter have dwindled in recent weeks. It's still possible, but it's certainly not a given. If they do still want to make it happen, though, these are the key names to watch. View the full article

Earlier this winter, Jays Centre contributor Bob Ritchie estimated that the Blue Jays made $36.9 million in revenue from their share of the gate receipts from the 2025 postseason. Of course, as Bob acknowledged, there were several more sources of revenue related to the postseason that he did not have enough information consider, including the TV and radio broadcasts. On Monday, a new report from the Financial Post offered more clarity as to just how much money the Jays brought in from their run to the World Series. An estimate from a National Bank of Canada analyst suggests “the MLB playoff run was worth over $100 million” in revenue for Blue Jays ownership. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s still a conservative number. After all, there are so many ways a playoff run can indirectly increase a team's revenue. For example, I wonder if that $100 million estimate includes the ad revenue Rogers brought in from all the extra traffic the Sportsnet website and YouTube channel were surely getting last October. Not to mention, the monetary benefits of a deep postseason run don’t go away when the postseason ends. In addition to all the extra tickets and TV/streaming packages the Blue Jays/Rogers will be able to sell, consider how much more the Jays can charge their advertisers in 2026. That $100 million is really just a jumping-off point. With that in mind, it’s hardly surprising that Toronto has already committed more than $300 million to free agents this winter. And with a projected payroll that’s still only $21 million higher than it was last season (per RosterResource), it really is believable that this team is still in the market for top free agents Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette. Can the Blue Jays become the Dodgers of the north? I say, why the heck not? Featured image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images. View the full article

Every season brings a handful of players who rewrite their own narratives. Sometimes it's health. Sometimes it's timing. Sometimes it's simply baseball being baseball. For the Minnesota Twins, 2026 sets up as a year where several familiar names could remind the league why the expectations were so high in the first place. Matt Wallner, Royce Lewis, and Brooks Lee all entered 2025 with hype and finished it in a cloud of disappointment. That combination makes them ideal candidates to surprise in the season ahead. Matt Wallner Wallner entered 2025 as one of the few hitters coming off a legitimately strong 2024 campaign. He was expected to be a middle-of-the-order force and a stabilizing presence, alongside the veteran bats. Instead, his season never quite found a rhythm. An oblique strain and back spasms limited his availability and consistency, and while a 110 OPS+ is nothing to scoff at, it paled in comparison to the 143 OPS+ he averaged across 2023 and 2024. When Wallner was healthy, the impact still flashed, but it came in shorter bursts than the Twins needed. Looking ahead to 2026, the underlying traits remain extremely enticing. Wallner’s 76.6-mph bat speed is among the best in the league, and his 11.8% walk rate shows a hitter who understands the strike zone. Those two skills tend to age well, and offer a sturdy foundation even when things are not clicking perfectly. With better health and a full season of at-bats, Wallner has a clear path back to being a difference maker in the heart of the lineup. Royce Lewis Trying to define Lewis’s next step feels like trying to hit a moving target. On paper, 2025 looked like progress. He appeared in a career-high 106 games and showed tangible defensive improvement at third base. Offensively, however, the offensive results were jarring. His 83 OPS+ was not what anyone envisioned, especially for a player once viewed as a franchise cornerstone. A hamstring injury in spring training cost him Opening Day, and the same issue resurfaced later in the summer, interrupting any momentum. The Twins are betting that a healthy runway changes everything. This winter, the organization has been vocal in its support of Lewis, which feels intentional. Confidence has always been part of his profile, and the flashes are still there. Last June offered a glimpse, when he went 11-for-28 (.393 BA) with three extra base hits. Once the hamstring acted up again, that stretch became a footnote, instead of a turning point. As a right-handed hitter on a roster heavy with left-side bats, Lewis brings lineup balance that Minnesota sorely needs. If his body cooperates, the impact could be immediate. Brooks Lee From the moment the Twins selected Lee in the first round of the 2022 draft, his calling card was simple: He hit. That profile carried him through the minors, where he posted a .289 batting average with an .836 OPS across parts of four seasons. The transition to the majors has been far less kind. Over his first two big-league seasons, Lee owns a .636 OPS and a 75 OPS+, numbers that fall well short of expectations. What makes Lee intriguing is that many of the building blocks remain intact. He continues to square the ball up at a strong rate (28.6% of the time, as a percentage of all swings), and his 17.5% strikeout rate suggests a hitter who is not overmatched. In 2026, Lee is set to take over as the primary shortstop, a role that comes with both opportunity and pressure. In the minors, his power was more pronounced from the right side of the plate. So far in the majors, his production has been more evenly split, with just 33 points of OPS separating his two sides. If that right-sided power shows up consistently, Lee’s offensive profile could take a meaningful step forward. What It Means If They All Click Individually, each of these players has a chance for a major rebound. Collectively, the impact could be enormous. A productive Wallner lengthens the lineup and protects the middle order. A healthy and confident Lewis adds right-handed thump and positional stability at third base. A more comfortable Lee at shortstop provides on-base skills and contact ability. Suddenly, the Twins' lineup looks deeper, more balanced, and far less dependent on a small group of veterans carrying the load. Baseball seasons often hinge on these types of internal surprises. If even two of these three take a step forward, Minnesota benefits. If all three find their stride in the same season, the Twins could field one of their most complete lineups in years. Of course, that's a big collection of 'if's. Which of these three players do you believe is most likely to surprise the league in 2026, and why? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the conversation. View the full article

The Boston Red Sox and right-handed pitcher Kutter Crawford have come to an agreement on a one-year deal for the 2026 season. The contract, which allows both sides to avoid heading to an arbitration hearing, is worth $2.75 million, which is the same amount Crawford made in 2025. Crawford, who missed the entire 2025 season due to various injuries, has been part of the Red Sox's pitching staff since making a spot start in 2021. The right-hander has bounced between the bullpen and rotation, but in 2024 was a key member of the rotation as he made 33 starts and tossed 183 2/3 innings. While home runs were an issue for Crawford in 2024, he provided the rotation with an arm that could provide innings every fifth day. It's uncertain what Crawford's role will be in 2026, but he should be one of the top candidates for the final job in the rotation behind Garrett Crochet, Sonny Gray, Brayan Bello, and Johan Oviedo. The Red Sox have four arbitration-eligible players yet to agree to a deal. The team has until Thursday to come to an agreement with Triston Casas, Tanner Houck, Johan Oviedo, and Romy González. View the full article

The new international signing period opens on January 15. As a smaller-market team, the Twins are one of a handful of organizations with an upper-echelon bonus pool. They, along with seven other teams, have $7,357,100 to spend, the second-highest annual allotment in the tiered setup under the current CBA. This year, the Twins class is headlined by Enmanuel Merlo, a Venezuelan shortstop who turned 17 in November. Merlo is slated to receive the 29th-largest bonus of any international prospect, per Baseball America. His signing bonus is expected to be about $1.5 million. Merlo is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the 34th-best prospect in the 2026 class. Listed at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, Merlo is a switch-hitter with a wiry frame. He's currently better from the left side and has a well-rounded offensive profile. Merlo consistently produced above-average exit velocities relative to his peers, while also being praised for controlling the strike zone effectively and taking free passes when available. Despite being an average runner, Merlo is aggressive on the base paths, and his running may become an asset in his game as he develops his reads. He has an above-average arm and a smooth first step at shortstop. While he may not stick there permanently, he certainly has the requisite skills to stick in the dirt as a professional. We'll have more details on the Twins' forthcoming international crop at Twins Daily in the coming weeks. For now, Merlo leads the way, but (as is true of virtually all such signings) don't expect imminent impact from him. Ordinarily, players like this don't even come to the United States for a year or two after they sign, though given the state of affairs in Venezuela, Merlo could relocate either to the Twins' academy in the Dominican Republic or to their complex in Florida sooner than is typical. View the full article

With Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto agreeing to a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays over the weekend, choices are suddenly limited for the San Diego Padres to round out their infield group. Specifically, it's the first base position that still lingers as one of the team's most pressing questions a mere six weeks out from the beginning of training camp. What the team could do to fill their first base vacancy loomed as one of the top questions heading into the offseason. With each of Luis Arráez and Ryan O'Hearn reaching free agency, it represented the most obvious pathway toward bolstering the offensive production of the roster. Okamoto was a corner infielder who could've served such a purpose. Willson Contreras could've been another prior to his trade to the Boston Red Sox. With those two now off the board, O'Hearn signing in Pittsburgh, and A.J. Preller unlikely to traverse the Cody Bellinger waters, the problem of what shape first base will take for San Diego persists. Not that the team is entirely without options. There is certainly an in-house path toward addressing the position. Gavin Sheets is coming off something of a breakout and has first base experience. He could form something of a platoon with out-of-options backup catcher Luis Campusano, if Craig Stammen & co. were so inclined. Jake Cronenworth could also slide back over from the keystone upon the arrival of former KBO star Sung Mun Song, even if the former's offensive profile doesn't necessarily fit the spot. Should the team look outside the present roster, though, could they turn to a familiar face? Luis Arraez remains a free agent. He's coming off a career-best 3.5 K%, which represented the lowest full-season strikeout rate since Tony Gwynn's 1995 campaign. However, he also sat in the first percentile in hard-hit rate (16.7 percent) and barrel rate (1.1 percent), both of which were at least partially wrought by a bat speed figure that has consistently dropped in the last three years; his 62.6 MPH average bat speed was the lowest of his career. But even as a contact-only bat, he's not entirely without value to a lineup. Consider that his .289 batting average on balls in play represented a 35-point drop from the previous season. He still posted a line that included a .292 average and a technically-above-average 104 wRC+. Even his isolated skill set does provide value, especially within the context of a Padres lineup that, on paper, could use him as an effective supplement. In a lesser lineup, his one tool might get lost. In a San Diego lineup that employs Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado, should see a bounce back year from Jackson Merrill, and features the likes of Ramón Laureano and Song, there's an argument to be made that he's still a worthy fit with this group. In such a scenario where the Padres were to re-sign Arráez, it takes some of the pressure off to settle first base specifically. You could roll out Sheets and/or Campusano or Cronenworth from a defensive standpoint. while Arráez serves primarily as a designated hitter to compensate for his below-average defense at the cold corner. It solidifies the lineup at what would likely be a lower price point for a cash-strapped team, too. Which brings us to the specific circumstances under which such a return would be logical. The first is that the contract would have to make sense. Arráez has just the one notable tool. With a glut of long-term contracts on the books, Preller can hardly afford to overpay on a multi-year deal, even if Arráez is still only 28. The other is that Stammen would have to avoid the tendency of hitting him near the top of the lineup in the way that Mike Shildt did. His on-base percentage isn't in good enough shape for such an integral role. If you can get him on a team-friendly, short-term deal in a way that still allows for an addition(s) on the pitching side, all while having him serve a role further down the lineup where his contact skills would get the OBP guys at the top moving around the bases, then you have a case. A few months ago, such a move would've seemed outlandish. But as the winter and the personnel options begin to dwindle, one could make the argument that this is precisely the type of short-term move Preller should explore before pivoting back to the much larger need that continues to live on the mound. View the full article

Of the players on the Chicago Cubs who helped the squad come to within a game of the National League Championship Series in 2025, few were more instrumental than second baseman Nico Hoerner. And yet, as the city's North Side baseball team wades through an underwhelming and perplexing offseason, the Northern California native's name has become the focal point of swirling trade talks. It's clear why another club would want to trade for Hoerner: At just 28 years old, Hoerner has two Gold Gloves to his name and just produced a season worth 14 outs above average (OAA). Not only did he get on base frequently in 2025 with a .345 OBP, but he also made things happen once he got on, stealing 29 bases. More than this, the star infielder was one of the only players in Craig Counsell's lineup to consistently hit for contact, tallying 40 extra-base hits among his total of 178. Is that kind of production easily replaceable? No. Why, then, do the Cubs have designs on bringing Bo Bichette to Wrigleyville? Now, it's worth mentioning that since Bichette's ball club made it to Game 7 of the World Series, he has more numerous and more recent failures at the plate than his counterpart in Chicago. But Bichette still finished the 2025 season with a .311 batting average. Over the course of the regular season in 2025, Bichette had fewer hits (in fewer at-bats) than Hoerner. Defensively, Bichette is inferior to Hoerner, with a Baseball Savant page featuring more blue than a postcard from the Caribbean. What Toronto's star infielder does have, however, is hype. Since entering the league with his equally-famous teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bichette was announced as being one of the game's new young superstars, carrying the weight of the league's rising popularity on his shoulders. Despite falling short of his lofty expectations thus far, Bichette remains one of the more prominent and recognizable players in professional baseball. When examining this specific aspect, Bichette's profile, the Cubs' pursuit of him makes sense. This is an organization that likes to maintain a certain level of name-brand players — guys that fill seats at Wrigley. Think Cody Bellinger, Kyle Tucker, and Yu Darvish. Given that fact, it's likely that Tom Ricketts, Jed Hoyer, and the rest of the brass wouldn't mind welcoming Bichette to Chicago, with designs on hiding his defensive shortcomings next to the exemplary Dansby Swanson. Playing at second should mask a great many of his range concerns, and it wouldn't be hard for Bichette to improve at least a little on that side of the ball. Still, he'd be a far cry from what Hoerner offers at the keystone, and signing Bichette to a long-term deal almost certainly comes with the caveat that the incumbent second baseman will be dealt away. If and when a package is assembled to make this theoretical trade a reality, Chicago would still earn an incomplete grade for this offseason as we sit just one calendar month away from the start of spring training and the 2026 season. The North Siders still need an ace to lead their pitching rotation, and not only have they not acquired one, but also seem content in allowing other challengers to exhaust all the best available options on the market. So, the question remains: What is the Cubs' play here? For this club to expand upon its triumphs from last season, it needs consistency. That's something that Nico Hoerner has a proven track record of providing. Can Bichette, in a new city, with a new ballpark, pick up where Hoerner left off? As the great Ellie Goulding once said: Anything could happen. View the full article

Sweet Lou and Ol' Gregg team up to set some resolutions for coaches, players, and ancillary characters with your Minnesota Twins. There's a gripe and a blind lineup as well. And won't someone think of Bill Pohlad! Listen using Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twins-off-daily-podcast/id1741266056 Listen using Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4tb78XlurcPTYYSsARdbD7 Listen using iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-twins-off-daily-podcas-167548600/ Listen using Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/nvclbt0w \Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twinsdaily View the full article

It’s hard to believe we’re closer to the first pitch of 2026 spring training than the end of the 2025 World Series. Thankfully for Blue Jays fans, it means it’s officially time to focus on the future instead of the past, because I’m not sure many of us have had a very easy time coming to grips with the painful end of that series against the Dodgers. That Game 7 loss brought the most exciting run of Blue Jays baseball in 30 years to a screeching halt on the one-yard line. It was devastating for a fanbase that wants nothing more than to celebrate its team. But if those same fans have been keeping up with the offseason that Ross Atkins is putting together, their excitement will only be greater in 2026. The Jays seem to be determined to get over that one-yard line and burst into the endzone in 2026, because they’ve outspent the circuit this winter. They’ve committed $337 million worth of salary, and of the 15 players that have signed for at least $30 million, four of them have done so with the Jays. The offseason started with the Jays addressing the starting rotation by bringing in Dylan Cease on a seven-year deal and Cody Ponce on a three-year contract. Next in the order of operations was bringing in some bullpen help. Tyler Rogers is bringing his funky delivery to Toronto on a three-year deal. Most recently, the Blue Jays dipped their toes in the position player market, bringing Kazuma Okamoto over from Japan on a four-year deal. It’s hard to deny that the roster is ready to start the season as-is, and the offseason has already been a success. The craziest thing is, there still seems to be a real chance that the Jays sign the top free agent on the market, Kyle Tucker, or bring back Bo Bichette. There will almost certainly be changes to the roster between now and Opening Day on March 27, but if the offseason ended today, here are the 26 I’d expect the Jays to bring north from Dunedin. Editor's Note: In December, Jays Centre's Sam Charles took a stab at predicting Toronto's Opening Day roster for 2026. Just over a month later, things already look quite different. Today, Owen Hill makes his best guess as to what the 26-man roster will look like on March 27 in version 2.0 of our roster projection series. PITCHERS STARTING ROTATION (5) Kevin Gausman Dylan Cease Shane Beiber Trey Yesavage Cody Ponce Should the Jays get a clean bill of health, this will be one of the best rotations in baseball in 2026. On the outside looking in here is José Berríos, who’s been a mainstay of the rotation since the 2021 trade deadline. It’s really hard to know what kind of role the Jays have in mind for him, because the five listed above are all projected to have better seasons than Berríos, but it’s also extremely hard to envision him pitching out of the bullpen. There’s no such thing as too much pitching depth, but is a trade imminent? Some other depth options will include Eric Lauer, Bowden Francis, Adam Macko and potentially Ricky Tiedemann. BULLPEN (8) We know that bullpens are always volatile, and one guy not showing up to spring training healthy or underperforming in spring training can throw this whole prediction out of whack. Assuming health, this is the bullpen I expect to see on Opening Day: Jeff Hoffman Yimi García Louis Varland Tyler Rogers Brendon Little Tommy Nance Mason Fluharty Eric Lauer If you thought the starting rotation had a logjam of talent, feast your eyes on the bullpen. Between Hoffman, García, Varland and Rogers, the back-end is more than solid, even if it lacks the star closer the Jays were rumoured to be chasing at the start of the winter. Little and Fluharty both had very solid seasons, especially against opposing teams’ lefties. Nance probably slips under the radar in this group, but he was awesome in his 31.2 big league innings last year, is out of options, and has too much arm talent to let go. Lauer slides in as the long man. If this is the bullpen that opens the season, Berríos will have either been traded, placed on the injured list, or sent to start the season in Triple A (it's unlikely but possible). This scenario also would mean both Angel Bastardo and Spencer Miles – Rule 5 picks from each of the last two seasons – would be sent back to their previous teams. It’s very feasible that one of them wins a job, but it’s tough to see who they'd beat out for that roster spot right now. Lastly, this group doesn’t include Braydon Fisher, who was great for the Jays across 50 innings in ‘25, and will certainly see a lot of time in the big leagues again in ‘26. He simply falls victim to the asset management game: Fisher has options, whereas not many other guys in the ‘pen do. HITTERS CATCHERS (2): Alejandro Kirk Tyler Heineman Cal Raleigh is a safe bet to be the most valuable catcher in baseball, but Kirk is a solid bet to be second or third. If Heineman can recreate some of the magic (pun intended) that helped him to put up a 120 wRC+ and 2.1 fWAR in 2025, the Jays should have one of the best catching tandems in baseball. INFIELDERS (3): Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B) Ernie Clement (2B, 3B, SS) Andrés Giménez (SS) If a Bichette reunion isn’t in the cards, the infield is in safe hands, anchored by Vladdy at first and Giménez at short. Clement will play elite defense at any of the three positions he’s listed at, but he'll likely open the season as the everyday second baseman. If Bichette re-signs, he’ll more than likely be the second baseman. Clement would shift into a utility role and probably get the bulk of his playing time against lefties. UTILITY (3): Addison Barger (3B, Corner OF) Kazuma Okamoto (3B, 1B, Corner OF) Davis Schneider (LF, 2B) The addition of Okamoto likely means Barger gets a heavier dose of his playing time in the outfield, but he should still see some time at third. Okamoto is listed as a utility player here because there have been some whispers that he may see some time in left field, but the starting third base job is likely his to lose. Schneider will get at-bats against lefties, either in left field or at second base, although Okamoto definitely steps on the toes of his role. OUTFIELDERS (5): George Springer (DH, Corner OF) Anthony Santander (Corner OF, DH) Daulton Varsho (CF) Nathan Lukes (Corner OF) Myles Straw (CF) After posting a career year in his age-35 season playing primarily out of the DH spot, Springer will be the regular DH again in ‘26. Santander is likely to fill in when Springer gets a day off and spend the rest of his time in left or right field. Varsho will look to put together a healthy contract season and continue to display his elite centre field defense, with Straw backing him up. Lukes’ role will likely shrink, despite a very productive 2025 and playoff run. Right now, he’s slated to come off the bench but will have a role against right-handed pitchers. A Tucker signing is still on the table, but it’s hard to see where he would fit without one of these other outfielders being sent away. In that scenario, I’d suspect that that guy is Santander, but it could also be Lukes, who would have at least some value in a potential trade. OPENING DAY LINEUP Just for fun, here’s how I’d line up the current roster on Opening Day: George Springer (DH) Addison Barger (RF) Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (1B) Anthony Santander (LF) Alejandro Kirk (C) Daulton Varsho (CF) Kazuma Okamoto (3B) Andrés Giménez (SS) Ernie Clement (2B) SP. Kevin Gausman It’s still early January, so this is all subject to change, and hopefully, soon, we’re in for a Bichette or Tucker signing that will make v. 3.0 of this roster look unbeatable. Still, as constructed, this team should be a favourite to repeat as AL East and American League champs. View the full article

In their latest offseason heist, the Toronto Blue Jays signed Kazuma Okamoto to a four-year contract. Frustrating though it may be to see a division rival continue to scoop up premier talents, this move likely takes them out of the Alex Bregman sweepstakes since Okamoto should slot into their starting third base role. The Jays have money to spend and are hungry to return to the World Series, so you can’t count them out on any free agent. However, with their eye on Kyle Tucker and Okamoto now signed, it seems that the Jays are preparing to move on from Bo Bichette in free agency. If that’s the case, the Red Sox have a choice to make between the two star infielders. Is it really even a choice, though? Technically, Bichette is a shortstop but he has told interested teams that he’s willing to change positions for the right situation. He would move to second if signed by the Red Sox, allowing Trevor Story to continue to man shortstop for the next two seasons while shifting Marcelo Mayer to third base. Mayer handled the hot corner well in a small sample size after he was called up when Bregman went down with a significant quad injury. He handeld 39 games at third, 28 of those as starts, and only committed one throwing error. An infield of Mayer, Story, Bichette, and Willson Contreras would be formidable on both sides of the ball. Moving Bichette to second would help him overcome his defensive woes at shortstop. In 2025, he posted a -13 Outs Above Average and was in the 36th percentile in arm strength. He committed 12 errors at short, six throwing and six fielding. Moving him to second would put him on the opposite side of double plays and closer to first base. Both things should help cut down on his total errors. His range leaves something to be desired, but moving him from shortstop to second base at least removes some of the onus on him to captain the infield defense. Perhaps less responsibilities would prove a boon for his glove. What he really brings to the table though, is an offensive player tailor-made for the Red Sox. Bichette has led the league in hits twice in his career. He’s not your typical slugger, but he gets on base at an incredible clip; his .357 OBP was good for tenth in the American League last year, and he has the potential to crack the 30-homer mark for the first time in his career if he’s taking aim at the Green Monster for half of the season. He’s not a pure pull hitter, but even a gap-to-gap threat can rack up lots of extra-base hits at Fenway. With someone who gets on base as much as Bichette does, it puts the guys behind him in the lineup in prime positions to drive him in. Bichette can hit anywhere in the first five spots in the order, so not only is he able to put himself in scoring position, he can drive in guys in front of him, too. Offensively, he’s exactly what the Red Sox need. Unlike Bregman, Bo Bichette allows the Red Sox to further embrace the youth movement currently going on in Boston. He adds a much-needed offensive star into the lineup and would be in Beantown for at least the next half-decade on whatever mega-contract he signs. He’s not a perfect player, and his detractors raise some valid points, but his presence would make it easy to dream on the next New England dynasty. View the full article

Opening Day is 77 days away. That feels close (typically anything under 100 days does), which means that Royals fans are thinking about what the roster will look like when they travel to Atlanta for their Opening Series. The Royals have certainly made their fair share of moves this offseason in an effort to get better and improve upon their 82-80 record from a season ago. They upgraded the outfield via free agency and trades and also got better by adding a high-leverage lefty reliever who can shut things down in the late innings. That said, it doesn't feel like Kansas City is quite done, and it wouldn't be surprising to see them make another big move or two before pitchers and catchers report in mid-February. While the club will continue to change over the next month, maybe two, let's take a look at what the Royals' Opening Day roster would look like if their opener against the Braves were tomorrow. Pitchers Starting Rotation Cole Ragans Michael Wacha Kris Bubic Seth Lugo Noah Cameron Ragans was mentioned in trade rumors early in the offseason, but it seems like the Royals are committed to him at least in 2025. Even though he posted a 4.67 ERA, he still posted a 2.1 fWAR and had a 14.30 K/9 in 61.2 IP. He should continue to be the "ace" of this rotation if healthy. Wacha and Lugo are the veterans of the staff, having signed extensions in the past calendar year. Wacha was solid again for the Royals, posting a 3.86 ERA and 3.6 fWAR in 172.2 IP, which led all Royals starters last year. He should continue to be the No. 2 starter in the rotation in 2026. As for Lugo, he took a step back after his Cy Young runner-up campaign in 2024. He posted a 4.15 ERA and 0.5 fWAR in 145.1 IP. However, he could be due for a bounce-back in 2026 if fully healthy. Bubic is a question mark for this rotation as his name has been frequently mentioned in trade talks this winter. He will be a free agent after 2026, and it doesn't seem likely that the Royals will sign him to an extension like Wacha, Lugo, or even Ragans. Thus, it's expected that Bubic won't be on this roster in our next rendition of these Opening Day roster projections. The last spot in the rotation will likely go to Cameron, who earned Royals Pitcher of the Year honors after posting a 2.99 ERA and 1.8 fWAR in 138.1 IP. However, there could be some competition for that fifth spot if Cameron struggles in Spring Training or if Bubic is traded away. Trade-Deadline acquisitions Ryan Bergert posted a 3.66 ERA in 76.1 IP with the Padres and Royals last year, and Stephen Kolek also sported a 3.51 ERA in 112.2 IP with San Diego and Kansas City. They could be in play for a rotation spot in 2026 if something opens up this offseason. Relievers Carlos Estevez Lucas Erceg Matt Strahm John Schreiber Nick Mears Alex Lange Daniel Lynch IV Bailey Falter After saving 42 games and posting a 2.45 ERA in 66 IP with the Royals last year, Estevez is pretty much guaranteed the closer role again in 2026. Erceg should also be solidified as the Royals' primary setup man, especially after posting a 2.64 ERA in 61.1 IP. That said, both could do a better job of generating strikeouts in 2026 as both sported K/9 marks under eight last year. That isn't an issue with Strahm, who posted a 10.11 K/9 and 2.74 ERA in 62.1 IP. He should be the Royals' primary left-handed high-leverage reliever and could see closing opportunities when Estevez or Erceg aren't available. Now that Strahm is on board, that should put Schreiber in fewer high-leverage opportunities, which may suit him better. Mears and Langre are new middle-innings options who should provide some chase and velocity that was missing from the bullpen last season. Lynch IV and Falter should round out the bullpen as long-relief/spot starter options. Lynch has pitched some middle-innings relief before, so he could see more action than Falter, who's primarily been a starter in his career. Falter is out of Minor League options, but the Royals opted to tender him a contract, which makes it seem like they are going to give him a serious shot to show that he can rebound in 2026 after a poor showing with the Royals in 2025 (11.25 ERA in 12 IP). If Falter continues to struggle in Spring Training, the Royals have a plethora of options on the 40-man roster who could replace him. The Royals said they still plan on developing Luinder Avila as a starter, which likely means he begins the year in Omaha again. However, he posted a 1.29 ERA in 14 IP with the Royals as a reliever last year, and he could thrive in that role again in 2026. Mason Black is an option from the Giants who could thrive in a hybrid role, though his stuff could use some refinement. Steven Cruz gave the Royals some quality innings with a 3.74 ERA in 45.2 IP. However, he needs to show he can generate more strikeouts with his velocity. Lastly, James McArthur, who closed games for the Royals in 2023 and 2024, should return to the mound in 2026. Since he has a Minor League option, the Royals will likely take it slow with him and let him develop a bit in Omaha. Position Players Catchers Salvador Perez Carter Jensen Perez and Jensen are two no-brainers for this roster on Opening Day (barring injury). The Royals captain signed a two-year extension and is coming off a 30-HR season. Jensen had a sensational rookie debut, posting a 159 wRC+ in 69 plate appearances. The top Royals prospect in the system still has some work to do behind the plate, but he should help give Perez some days off. That should keep the 35-year-old Royals legend's bat fresher over a full 162-game season, as he can play first base and designated hitter when Jensen is behind the dish. Jorge Alfaro was recently signed to a Minor League deal on Monday, and he could be an emergency option for the Royals, like Aaron Nola two seasons ago and Luke Maile last year. However, he likely will begin the year in Omaha. First Base Vinnie Pasquantino The "Pasquatch" led the Royals in home runs (32) and RBI (113). His 116 wRC+ was also the third-best mark of any Royals player with 100 or more plate appearances last season. Pasquantino still has some work to do defensively, which explains his 1.5 fWAR last year despite his gaudy offensive numbers. That said, he has proven that he can handle regular 1B duties for the Royals, with the ability to DH when Salvy needs to play in that spot. Second Base Jonathan India Michael Massey Nick Loftin Second base was a weak spot for the Royals last year. Newcomer India struggled in his debut season in Kansas City, posting an 89 wRC+ and -0.3 fWAR in 567 plate appearances. Massey wasn't much better, as he struggled in an injury-plagued campaign. He had a 57 wRC+ and -0.4 fWAR in 277 plate appearances. India provides more offensive upside, and he should be due for some positive regression after a nightmarish 2025. Conversely, Massey is a better defensive player and can play left field if needed (unlike India, who struggled in his short stints at third and left last season). I listed Loftin here at second base, though he is more of a utility player with the ability to play third, left field, and first base. Loftin has a disciplined plate approach, as he put up a 0.52 BB/K ratio last year and a 0.79 BB/K ratio in 2024. Unfortunately, he's pretty punchless with the bat, only sporting a 73 wRC+. It wouldn't be surprising to see Adam Frazier replace Loftin's spot on the roster if the Royals decide to bring back the veteran this offseason. Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. The two-time All-Star, Gold-Glove winner, and Silver Slugger should be the Opening Day shortstop in Kansas City unless he gets hurt in Spring Training. Fans should expect another big season from Witt, with the hope that he can capture his first AL MVP award in 2026 after finishing second in 2024 and fourth in 2025. Third Base Maikel Garcia After not starting on Opening Day in 2025 (which was primarily due to a Pasquantino injury that required Cavan Biggio to play first base), Garcia ended up being the best Royals player not named Witt. The 25-year-old Venezuelan hit a career-high 16 home runs, posted a 121 wRC+, and accumulated a 5.6 fWAR in 666 plate appearances and earned his first All-Star appearance and Gold Glove last season. The Royals rewarded him with a multi-year extension this offseason, thus keeping him and Witt in Kansas City until at least 2030. Outfielders Isaac Collins Kyle Isbel Jac Caglianone Lane Thomas Tyler Tolbert The starting outfield would likely consist of Collins in left field, Isbel in center field, and Caglianone in right field if Opening Day were tomorrow. Collins posted a 122 wRC+ last year with the Brewers, and his disciplined plate approach would be welcomed in the middle of the lineup. Isbel is mostly out there for defense, but he proved serviceable in the nine-hole last year. Lastly, Caglianone struggled in his rookie year, posting a 46 wRC+ and -1.6 fWAR in 232 plate appearances. That said, the projections remain pretty optimistic about Caglianone's 2026 outlook, and his exit velocity and barrel metrics last year were solid despite his struggles. Thomas most likely would start as a fourth outfielder, but he could move into a starting role if he can partially channel his 2023 self. It is unlikely that he will hit 28 home runs, steal 20 bases, post a 109 wRC+, and accumulate 2.6 fWAR with the Royals as he did with the Nationals that season. However, he has some proven history at the plate that Isbel doesn't. If Thomas is healthy and recovered, he could be the Royals' starting centerfielder by mid-season. Tolbert likely will serve as the Royals' "speed weapon" off the bench in 2026, which makes sense considering he stole 21 bases in only 57 plate appearances. He hit .280 and can play multiple positions in the infield and outfield, making him a flexible weapon who can be subbed in key spots in the late innings. Dairon Blanco, who injured his Achilles last year and never looked the same after it, could serve in that "speed weapon" role if Tolbert struggles. Blanco stole 31 bases in 88 games in 2024. Some outfield options who could sneak their way on the Opening Day roster include John Rave and Kameron Misner. Rave made his MLB debut last season and showed spurts of effectiveness at times, but he only posted a 65 wRC+ in 175 plate appearances last year. He has some defensive versatility, able to play all three outfield positions effectively. That could make him a bench option if Tolbert or Blanco aren't effective. As for Misner, he's hit 46 home runs in Triple-A the past three seasons, but he failed to put that together with the Rays. In 232 career plate appearances, he has a 62 wRC+ and 0.1 fWAR. He struggles with strikeouts, as evidenced by his 34.1% career K rate at the MLB level. Still, he could be a sleeper option if the Royals' hitting coaches can help tap into his potential this spring. View the full article