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The death spiral of Main Street Sports Group took its biggest fall of a brutal last couple of years Monday when the Milwaukee Brewers and five other MLB teams officially said they were no longer going to have their games telecast on FanDuel Sports Network. The Brewers were joined by the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, St. Louis Cardinals, and Tampa Bay Rays in completely ditching Main Street. MLB will take over the telecasts of those teams, as it already has for seven others. The three still hoping for a Main Street miracle regarding their regional sports network are Atlanta, the Detroit Tigers, and the Los Angeles Angels. Main Street, formerly Diamond Sports Group, restructured under Chapter 11 bankruptcy for 20 months and emerged about a year ago, hoping the new structure would last. But Main Street missed payments to multiple teams across its portfolio of MLB, NBA, and NHL clubs in recent months; the Brewers were among nine MLB teams to announce last month that they were terminating their deals. Shortly thereafter, there was some renewed hope that Main Street could continue as it searched for a potential buyer — DAZN was one of the rumored suitors — but that appears to have fizzled out. The timing is also important, as teams are less than two weeks from pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, with the first exhibition games shortly thereafter. For the Crew, the report dates are February 12 for pitchers and catchers and February 17 for position players. The first Cactus League game is Feb. 21. How does that affect how fans can watch the Brewers? For in-market games, which include most of Wisconsin and include all home and road games during the regular season not on a national outlet, you will still be able to watch the Crew on your cable or satellite provider, as well as streaming through MLB.tv. But those games will be a separate package, likely priced at $19.99 per month or $99 for the entire season (the better deal), from a typical MLB.tv package. The Brewers said those packages will go on sale this month. Instead of FanDuel Sports Network, you will see the branding of Brewers.tv. On cable and satellite, that will also likely mean new channel locations. The TV announcing teams will remain the same, with Brian Anderson, Bill Schroeder, and Sophia Minnaert leading the way. The announcers are hired by the team. Main Street continues to provide TV coverage of its NBA and NHL teams through the end of the current season, but what happens after that is unclear. Main Street offered a reduced rate to continue carrying the nine MLB teams, with the Reds offered $42 million, down from $52 million, according to The Athletic. The Brewers were reportedly getting $35 million in regional sports network fees. Teams that lost their RSN (FanDuel Sports Network) received about 50% of what they did with their previous deals. Before this latest announcement, the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, and Washington Nationals were slated to be carried by MLB in 2026. Some teams have faced this situation for a couple of years, with the Nationals just recently joining the fray after a dispute with the Baltimore Orioles was resolved. That brings the number of clubs whose television rights are being taken over by MLB to 13. View the full article

He doesn't have to answer this question for a while, but at some point, Craig Counsell will need to make the call: Who will be bumped from the Chicago Cubs' rotation when Justin Steele is ready to come back from elbow surgery? Steele is, in his words, "ahead of schedule" and moving "full steam ahead" in his rehab, but an early return is not happening. At the Winter Meetings, Counsell was looking at some point in the first half, barring a setback. Last month, Steele told reporters that he's thinking long term as well. He's assuming that his surgeon, Dr. Keith Meister, will recommend a cap on his 2026 workload. A later start changes the goal to being available for the second half and postseason. "There’s going to be some kind of innings limit, so there’s definitely some comfortability knowing that I don't have to rush,” Steele said after a throwing session at Elite Baseball Training, per MLB.com's Jordan Bastian. So, Counsell and the Cubs' front office have time on this. But let's address the question now, anyway: Whenever Steele is medically cleared and built up, who goes? The choice will probably be easy, because so many things go wrong with a pitching staff during a season. The Cubs could be faced with making one of these four simple moves: Replace an injured guy. The Cubs' projected Opening Day rotation is, in some order, Matthew Boyd, recently acquired Edward Cabrera, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon. Odds are that there will be attrition among this group, same as there was among last year's group. Steele went down in April, Imanaga (hamstring strain) got hurt in early May, Taillon (calf and groin strains) hit the injured list in July and August, and Cabrera (elbow sprain) missed three weeks in September for the Miami Marlins. Replace the guy who replaced an injured guy. Counting Steele, the rotation could go nine deep. Colin Rea would be the next man up if one of the top five goes down. He's now the swingman after making 27 starts last year. If more injuries hit, Chicago could turn to Javier Assad (seven starts in 2025) and/or Ben Brown (15 starts last year). Assad was mostly effective in his limited duty. Brown lost his rotation spot and was optioned to Triple-A Iowa last June. He came back a month later and switched to long relief. If the Cubs stretch Jordan Wicks back out and fast-rising prospect Jaxon Wiggins takes a big step forward in the spring, the number of starting candidates could grow to double digits. Replace an ineffective guy. Brown had a 6.13 ERA/4.14 FIP when he was sent down. Horton is the only pitcher in this year's projected rotation with minor-league options, but after he dominated in the second half last year, would the Cubs give him extra time to work things out in the majors if he regresses hard? A vet who's getting hammered would have to shift to the 'pen or land on the IL, assuming the Cubs forgo an early-season trade or surprise DFA. Replace no one and go to a six-man rotation. This could be a necessity or a best-of-all-worlds solution, depending on when Steele comes back. If he returns within the first two months, Counsell could back off his starters during a heavy portion of the schedule: the Cubs are looking at a stretch of 42 games in 45 days from April 17 through May 31. If Steele returns in June, the starters could get extra rest following that gauntlet. The bottom line? As with most thorny issues in baseball, the question of how to make room for a healthy Justin Steele will answer itself when the time comes. View the full article

In less than two weeks, pitchers and catchers will report to the Lee Health Sports Complex in Fort Myers, serving as the unofficial start to the 66th season of Minnesota Twins baseball. Understandably, angst, uncertainty, and pessimism will be the forefront emotions of many who follow the club. Still, reasons for optimism will manifest this spring, with the club’s starting rotation being the most likely source to bring that trait to light. Barring injury or an unforeseen trade, Pablo López and Joe Ryan will operate as co-aces of the five-pitcher unit, creating one of the most formidable frontline duos in baseball. Experienced righties Bailey Ober and Simeon Woods Richardson will likely occupy the third and fourth spots, respectively. Interestingly, the club has four more starting pitchers with major league experience on its 40-man roster. However, only one of those four arms will win the final rotation spot, creating one of the more fascinating Spring Training competitions in recent Twins history. Taj Bradley, Zebby Matthews, David Festa, and Mick Abel are the four arms set to compete for the fifth rotation spot. Luckily, all four pitchers have minor league options remaining, meaning Minnesota won’t need to make any drastic 40-man roster decisions before flying to Baltimore in late March. Still, deciding which arm to hand the fifth rotation spot to will be an incredibly consequential decision as the Twins try to avoid starting their 2026 campaign on the wrong foot, as they did in 2024 and 2025. As noted earlier, Twins decision-makers could demote the three pitchers who lost the camp competition to Triple-A St. Paul, with that trio headlining the Saints’ rotation. Interestingly, one of the four rotation hopefuls could still make an immediate impact on the major league club, just not in the role he entered Spring Training vying to win. David Festa's Stuff Making his major league debut with Minnesota in 2024, Festa has struggled during his first two seasons, generating a 5.12 ERA and 4.27 FIP over 117 2/3 innings pitched. The primary reason behind Festa’s struggles in the majors, so far, is that his four-seam fastball has been ineffective. Thrown a combined 36% the past two seasons, hitters have generated a .344 batting average against the 25-year-old’s fastball. Alongside hitting the pitch often, batters have also done a meaningful amount of damage with the pitch, evidenced by the pitch surrendering a .609 slugging percentage last season. On average, major league fastballs thrown by right-handed pitchers move eight inches toward same-handed hitters while dropping 15 inches. Festa’s moves only two inches while dropping 13 inches. His fastball is flat, so hitters can see it clearly as it enters the zone. A lack of four-seam shape and movement can work if a pitcher generates above-average velocity (i.e., Paul Skenes). Yet, given that Festa’s average four-seam velocity is below-average alongside being flat, hitters are able to tee off on the pitch, despite him being able to consistently locate it high in the zone. Fortunately, the Seton Hall product’s breaking and offspeed pitches are far more effective, functioning as driving forces in the minimal success he has generated in the majors. Last season, Festa threw his change 29% of the time, nearly matching his four-seam usage rate. Unlike his four-seam, however, the right thrived with his change, posting a .113 batting average against while throwing it 256 times. Festa primarily threw the pitch low in the zone against left-handed hitters. Lefties often swung over the pitch, often whiffing or dribbling the ball to the right side of the infield, evidenced by his impressive .274 slugging percentage against. Festa’s change also functioned as his put-away pitch, evidenced by him generating 26 strikeouts and a 23.2% put away rate. David Festa's Pitch Arsenal His slider (thrown 27% of the time) was similarly effective. However, he primarily threw his breaking pitch to right-handed hitters. Festa generated a .231 batting average against and a .423 slugging percentage against with his slider. Yet, underlying metrics undermine his success with the pitch, evidenced by his generating a .550 expected slugging percentage against (xSLG) and a .359 expected weighted on-base average (xWOBA) with the pitch. For reference, his four-seam manufactured a .568 xSLG and .418 xWOBA. Festa often caught too much of the plate with his slider when throwing it to right-handed hitters. Similar to his four-seam, Festa’s slider lacks horizontal movement, meaning hitters can see it well as it crosses the plate. That being the case, right-handed hitters generated a lot of damage against his slider, making it an ineffective secondary pitch. Given the plus nature of his change, Festa has somewhat surprisingly been more effective against left-handed hitters of the course of his career, evidenced by lefties generating a combined .305 wOBA the past two seasons compared to righties posting a .322. Being 6’6”, Festa has one of the highest release points in baseball, releasing the ball six feet from the ground on average. Given his lanky frame, Festa also sports one of the highest extension rates in the sport, shortening the distance between him and the batter. Unfortunately, the lanky righty’s height-driven advantage has been nullified by his throwing at a 50-degree angle, one of the highest release points in baseball. As noted earlier, Festa often throws his four-seam high in the zone. Throwing the pitch high in the zone from a high arm slot is what makes the pitch flat and, therefore, ineffective. Also, releasing breaking pitches from a high arm slot creates less horizontal movement, explaining the ineffectiveness of his slider. Interestingly, his high arm slot is likely the driving factor in his change being so effective, given that he can drop the pitch in from such a high release point. Year Pitch Type # # RHB # LHB % MPH PA AB H 1B 2B 3B HR SO BBE BA XBA SLG XSLG WOBA XWOBA EV LA Spin Ext. Whiff% PutAway% 2025 Four Seamer 280 120 160 31.7 94.1 76 64 22 13 5 0 4 9 56 .344 .309 .609 .568 .447 .418 90.1 26 2416 7.0 14.1 16.1 2025 Changeup 256 91 165 29.0 87.8 67 62 7 3 1 0 3 26 36 .113 .134 .274 .302 .201 .221 85.7 19 1758 6.9 44.0 23.2 2025 Slider 236 154 82 26.8 87.6 55 52 12 8 1 0 3 16 36 .231 .263 .423 .550 .300 .359 91.3 19 2595 6.9 32.2 20.5 2025 Sinker 110 73 37 12.5 93.9 31 26 8 8 0 0 0 2 25 .308 .301 .308 .435 .319 .365 92.2 7 2297 7.0 13.0 25.0 2024 Four Seamer 442 242 200 40.2 94.7 93 79 24 13 7 0 4 23 56 .304 .265 .544 .514 .410 .385 91.3 18 2349 7.0 19.4 21.3 2024 Slider 349 244 105 31.8 86.1 97 92 19 13 3 2 1 26 66 .207 .236 .315 .394 .246 .292 90.2 13 2564 6.8 29.1 20.2 2024 Changeup 308 116 192 28.0 88.4 87 80 19 10 4 1 4 28 53 .238 .203 .463 .329 .319 .262 85.9 13 1839 6.8 39.4 23.0 What Should Be David Festa's Role In 2026? Given Minnesota’s surplus of starting pitching depth and Festa’s struggles the past two seasons, the lanky 25-year-old would be best used in a short-relief role, with the Twins' pitching development staff working with him to lower his arm slot to maximize his four-seam and slider. If converted into a short relief role, the 25-year-old could add velocity to his four-seam, potentially bumping the pitch up to 96-97 MPH. As mentioned earlier, pitchers can make flat four-seams work with increased velocity. Festa would likely be able to sustain increased four-seam velocity pitching in a one-inning role. Also, minimizing his workload would allow him to maximize his slider, adding more break and velocity to the pitch. If he is able to refine his four-seam and slider while continuing to sport an elite change, Festa could quickly become Minnesota’s most effective reliever, given how little high-end talent presently resides in the club’s bullpen. View the full article

For much of the last decade, the Pohlad family has operated the Minnesota Twins as if accountability were a shell game. When results soured, someone else was usually nearby to take the fall. Executives were shuffled, managers were dismissed, and coaches were swapped out. Each move came with the implication that the problem had been identified and removed. Yet, the cycle has continued, and the list of available scapegoats is getting uncomfortably short. What once looked like decisive action is starting to resemble a pattern of deflection. The common thread is that the ownership group remains untouched, while nearly every layer beneath it has been stripped away. President Derek Falvey (January 2026) The most significant domino fell last week, when Falvey and the Twins agreed to mutually part ways. The language was polite, but the reality was clear. Falvey and Tom Pohlad did not see eye-to-eye on the direction of the franchise. Falvey had been the face of baseball operations and often the public shield for ownership decisions, particularly as payrolls tightened and long-term planning gave way to short-term austerity. By removing Falvey, the Pohlads removed the last executive who could plausibly claim autonomy over roster construction. It also raised an obvious question: If the architect of the modern Twins model is gone, who's responsible for the limitations placed on him in the first place? Joe Pohlad (December 2025) Just weeks earlier, the family turned inward. Joe Pohlad was pushed out as his elder brother assumed control. The move was framed as a necessary reset, but it also signaled something deeper. When even a family member can be deemed expendable, it suggests panic, rather than vision. Joe Pohlad had been positioned as the future of the franchise. His removal did not come with a clear philosophical shift or a renewed commitment to spending. It simply concentrated power, while offering another name to point at when explaining why things had gone wrong. Manager Rocco Baldelli (September 2025) Baldelli was fired after two disappointing seasons, something few managers can withstand. However, the decision felt less like a baseball call and more like an ownership directive. Baldelli was widely respected in the clubhouse and around the league. He had navigated earlier Twins teams through adversity and postseason success, with limited resources. His dismissal appeared to come from above Falvey, rather than through him. In hindsight, it may have marked the beginning of the end for Falvey, as well. Once the manager was removed, the front office structure began to crack, and the chain of responsibility became murkier. SS Carlos Correa (July 2025) Correa was meant to be the franchise cornerstone and a signal that the Twins were willing to spend like a contender. Instead, his time in Minnesota was defined by inconsistency. He showed flashes of playing like a $30-million player, but those moments were fleeting and often disrupted by injuries. The expectations never aligned with the on-field results, and frustration followed. By July 2025, the Twins moved on, while still paying the Astros $10 million per season to take Correa. Minnesota is saving roughly $20 million annually by having him off the roster, but it doesn't feel like that money has been reinvested into improving the team. Correa became another name attached to failure, while the larger issue once again went unaddressed. GM Thad Levine (October 2024) When the Twins collapsed in 2024, someone had to answer for it in the front office. Levine became that person. While elements of the failure were tied to decisions made during his tenure, the issues ran far deeper than the actions of one executive. Development stalled, depth eroded, and financial constraints tightened. Levine’s departure offered a clean headline and a sense of action, but it did little to address the systemic problems that had been brewing for years. The organization moved on quickly, and the root causes remained. Hitting Coach David Popkins (October 2024) In the weeks before Levine left, the Twins fired a trio of hitting coaches, including Popkins. The offense collapsed in the second half of 2024, making changes to the coaching staff inevitable. Popkins was fired, and the Twins pointed to approach and preparation as culprits. Then Popkins landed in Toronto and helped the Blue Jays make a World Series run in 2025 on his way to being named Baseball America’s MLB Coach of the Year. The contrast was jarring. What was deemed failure in Minnesota translated to success elsewhere. It reinforced the idea that the environment and roster construction matter and that coaching alone was not the issue in Minneapolis—especially after the team ousted Popkins's replacement, Matt Borgschulte, at the end of 2025. With Falvey gone, Joe Pohlad sidelined, Baldelli dismissed, and a wave of executives and coaches already removed, the Pohlads are running out of people to blame. The familiar explanations are wearing thin. At some point, the constant turnover stops looking like accountability and starts looking like avoidance. The Twins do not lack talent or institutional knowledge. They lack stability and a clear commitment from the top. Until ownership is willing to examine its own role in the franchise’s struggles, the cycle will continue. There are no scapegoats left, except the ones in the mirror. Are there any scapegoats left for the Pohlads? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

Several weeks after the longtime married couple separated, they are moving forward with a divorce. The Miami Marlins are ditching the regional sports network setup to produce their own television broadcasts in partnership with Major League Baseball. The Marlins and five other teams informed MLB of their plans last weekend, according to John Ourand of Puck. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald confirmed the report on Monday. The Marlins' TV rights previously belonged to Main Street Sports Group, which distributed their games via FanDuel Sports Network Florida throughout the 2025 season. But Main Street's business model has been steadily deteriorating and it was highly unlikely that they'd be able to continue paying tens of millions of dollars in annual rights fees to the Fish. In an interview with Fish Unfiltered, Marlins president of business Caroline O'Connor said that the Marlins expect to retain much of their TV talent during this transition, specifically mentioning play-by-play announcer Kyle Sielaff and host/reporter Kelly Saco. The Marlins' presence on traditional TV isn't disappearing entirely. "There'll probably be some aspect of simulcasting this year" with CBS 4 and WBFS 33, O'Connor said. The Seattle Mariners and Washington Nationals are among the teams making the same transition to MLB for broadcast production/distribution. For context, their products are priced at $19.99 per month or $99.99 per year. It's unclear whether the Marlins will follow suit. Marlins.TV subscriptions will be available later this month. Fish On First will have an in-depth "how to watch the Marlins" guide for you once all the specifics of this new arrangement are available. View the full article

The 2025 San Diego Padres saw six different players log time at first base. If Craig Stammen and Gavin Sheets have their way, that number will come down quite a bit in 2026. Last year's iteration of the Padres rode out Luis Arráez for 117 games, Ryan O'Hearn for 27 games, and each of Sheets and Jake Cronenworth for a baker's dozen. Yuli Gurriel got four games worth of time, while Connor Joe appeared once in his brief time with the organization early in the year. Of those names, only Sheets and Cronenworth remain in the mix now. Comprehensively, the results were not terrific. The Padres' 1.6 fWAR at the cold corner ranked 15th in the league. Their cumulative wRC+ was 109, which sat 14th. Where issues arose was on the power side. A position that traditionally favors a power profile checked in at just 23rd on the Padres' end of things, as they finished the year with a .138 isolated power figure. Things were even worse on the defensive side, where the team's -6 Outs Above Average finished in 24th. The combination of uneven performance and various departures, both during and after the season, led to questions about the shape the position could take ahead of 2026. Without a designated hitter and in need of some extra depth in the outfield corners, there was an immediate assumption that Gavin Sheets would fill the former role primarily and fill in at either corner or at first base on occasion. Cronenworth, meanwhile, was expected to take back over at the keystone and perhaps move a bit in either direction upon the arrival of Sung Mun Song in San Diego. Either way, the position lacked someone of a visibly full-time vintage. This weekend's Fan Fest in San Diego appeared to put some of those questions to bed with new manager Craig Stammen asserting that Sheets would get the first run at serving such a role. After a career rebirth in San Diego last year and another two seasons before he hits free agency, is it possible that Sheets might actually offer some stability at first base? The profile is certainly there, at least. Sheets turned in above-average offensive production for the first time since he was a rookie, with a 111 wRC+ that was aided by some of the more sustained power output the team had last year. His .177 ISO was also his highest since he posted a gaudy .256 figure back in 2021. Both the strikeout (19.6 percent) and walk (8.1 percent) rates were steady, and a career-low chase rate indicated that there was some refinement occurring in his approach. From an offensive skill set, Sheets certainly has the chops to hang at the position. The primary question will come with the glove. A quality defensive first baseman improves the entirety of the infield defense. The Padres have posted -14 OAA at first base over the last three years, which ranks 21st over that span. In an ideal world, the regular first sacker is someone who can make life easier for the likes of Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and Cronenworth. It remains to be seen, though, if a player with fewer than 800 innings across five seasons can be the one to do it. Much of Sheets' work at first came in 2023 and 2024 with the Chicago White Sox. In the former campaign, he posted -2 OAA in about 140 innings before following it up with another -2 in roughly 360 frames the following year. Last season, however, he was actually above average, with 1 OAA in 99 innings. Perhaps there's something in his positioning — which moved a touch deeper and at a narrower angle — that was able to provide a bump in the defensive performance. Should that defensive growth continue to manifest into 2026, the Padres find themselves in a much more stable position than they might've been otherwise. It seems necessary more now than ever, too. With no visible trade options and defensive quality lacking in what remains on the free-agent market, there's a good deal of pressure for this to work. The offensive should play, at least. It's just a matter of the defense continuing to follow suit. View the full article

February is here, which means pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training is on the horizon. A lot of the heavy work has been done by president of baseball operations A.J. Preller (or has it?), with the majority of players who will be reporting to Peoria, Ariz., already on the roster. Still, there are some soft spots, including the bench. Which of those players will be on the Opening Day roster come March 26 when the Friars host two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers at Petco Park? Let's take a position-by-position look to see who those 26 will be. Starting Rotation (5) Nick Pivetta Michael King Joe Musgrove Randy Vasquez JP Sears There was a saying by the old Boston team that was in the NL in the 1948 season when referring to its starting staff of "Spahn and Sain, then pray for rain." Well, this Padres rotation isn't at that level, but could be if it could gets hit by injuries. And that is with the knowledge that Musgrove has yet to pitch in a game since having Tommy John surgery in October 2024. Musgrove will be 16 months removed from that procedure when spring training begins and recently said he is in a "good position" to begin 2026. The veteran right-hander only made 19 regular-season starts in 2024, as he battled elbow ailments before blowing it out in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series vs. Atlanta. That came after a 2023 season in which he was limited to 17 starts due to a weightlifting incident in which he broke a toe (and developed shoulder issues). If Musgrove can hit the ground running to begin the season, the Friars' top three of him, Nick Pivetta, and Michael King will be just fine. It is a big season for all three right-handers. While Musgrove is hoping to remain healthy, Pivetta and King have contract motivations. Both have opt-outs following 2026, so this could be the last season for the duo in San Diego. That carrot at the end of the stick serves as additional motivation to do well, knowing a payday is waiting for them. Pivetta had a breakthrough 2025 in his first season with the Padres, finishing sixth in NL Cy Young Award voting. King returned to the Friars after receiving a qualifying offer and, sensing a soft market, took a three-year, $75 million deal that pays him $17 million in 2026. Shoulder and knee injuries hampered him in 2025, when he made just 15 starts. After that, the Friars are hoping for the best. Vasquez made 26 starts (28 appearances) last year and had a 4.85 FIP and 3.84 ERA. Sears is the only left-hander in this group and made just five starts with a 6.18 FIP after coming over from the A's in the Mason Miller trade. The options should anyone go down are left-hander Kyle Hart and right-handers Matt Waldron and Miguel Mendez. Another low-cost addition to the rotation wouldn't be surprising before Opening Day. Bullpen (8) Mason Miller Adrian Morejon Jeremiah Estrada Wandy Peralta David Morgan Yuki Matsui Bradley Rodriguez Ron Marinaccio This is a pretty good group even after the loss of closer Robert Suarez to free agency. Miller's acquisition at the trade deadline softens Suarez's loss a bit. Morejon, Estrada and Peralta will be the key performers in bullpen that could get a lot of work early in the season with Musgrove's uncertainty and the dependance on Vasquez and Sears in the rotation. Morgan was a true find last year, coming out of nowhere to earn a trusted spot in the bullpen, making 41 appearances. Rodriguez is an exciting prospect to watch, having also made his MLB debut in 2025 like Morgan. Rodriguez has been a top prospect and made seven MLB appearances and could earn a vital role as the season goes along. Marinaccio will be looking to prove himself after being on the shuttle to Triple-A El Paso in 2025. He gets this opportunity thanks to a couple of injuries; right-handers Jason Adam (ruptured left quadriceps tendon) and Jhony Brito (right elbow surgery) aren't expected to be ready for Opening Day. Brito would be the first one back following internal brace surgery as well as a procedure to fix his flexor tendon that sidelined him all of 2025. Adam might not be too far behind depending on his recovery after being injured Sept. 1. A ruptured quad tendon has a recovery time of six-nine months — Feb. 1 marks six months. Matsui has been solid, albeit with some rocky experiences. Catcher (2) Freddy Fermin Luis Campusano The only truly locked-in position for the Friars at this moment. Fermin came over at the trade deadline for a big price in young starting pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek. Catcher was a nonentity for the Padres most of last season, so getting anything out of Fermin, who has a .264/.309/.376 career slash line mainly as the backup to Salvador Perez, would be terrific. Campusano gets another chance after being relegated to El Paso most of last season. He had a monster year at Triple-A (.336/.441/.595, 25 homers, 95 RBIs), but other than a flash in 2023, he hasn't shown that ability at the MLB level. Combine that with suspect defense and you get why this might be his last chance in a Friars uniform. Campusano could see time as the designated hitter, too. Infield (6) Manny Machado (3B) Xander Bogaerts (SS) Jake Cronenworth (2B-1B) Gavin Sheets (1B) Sung Mun Song (2B-3B) Mason McCoy (SS-2B) This group could use another bat, especially if the DH comes from here. Machado and Bogaerts are the no-doubters here at third base and shortstop, respectively. The true wild card is Song, the free-agent signee from South Korea. The 29-year-old had two really productive years in the Korea Baseball Organization in 2024 and 2025, posting slash lines of .340/.409/.518 and .315/.387/.530 with a combined 45 homers, 194 RBIs and 46 stolen bases. While his natural position of third base is manned by Machado, if he can prove a capable glove at second base, a position he did play in the KBO, and adjust to MLB pitching, the Padres could be sitting in a good spot offensively. He is also expected to see some time in the outfield in spring training to see how he fits there. Song at second would allow Cronenworth to slide to first base, with the veteran infielder playing second when Song spells Machado. For a better defense, Sheets is better-suited to be the DH (he had 64 starts each in left field and DH and 13 at first in 2025). The real question on the infield is who will get the other backup spot: McCoy or Will Wagner. Neither will give you much of anything offensively, so it will be up to their defense. The other contender here is Jose Miranda, who has a minor-league deal with a spring training invite. While he does have the ability to hit, Miranda is a corner infielder, leaving the Friars without a backup shortstop. McCoy and Wagner have options left, so one will start in the minors. Another option could be to carry McCoy and Wagner and go with four outfielders with Sheets and Song being able to flex out there. Outfield (5) Fernando Tatis Jr. (RF) Jackson Merrill (CF) Ramon Laureano (LF) Bryce Johnson (OF) Tirso Ornelas (LF-RF) Tatis, Merrill and Laureano are the clear-cut starters from right field to left. Defensively, it might be the best trio in all of baseball, thanks to the addition of Laureano at the trade deadline. That will certainly bolster any shortcomings in the starting rotation. Offensively, Merrill had a down sophomore year after finishing second in the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year voting. Some of that downswing can be attributed to injuries. Merrill had a strained right hamstring, a concussion and a bone bruise in his left ankle. Laureano is coming off one of his best offensive years, which included him matching his career high with 24 homers. Johnson is a solid backup who can play all three spots and had a really good offensive showing in 2025. In just 55 games, he slashed .342/.383/.434, with his batting average nearly double what he had in limited time in his first three MLB seasons (.177). Then we get to Ornelas, who is primarily a corner guy who has some experience in center. Ornelas made his MLB debut in 2025, appearing in seven games, and doesn't bring much in the way or power or sustained speed on the basepaths. A recent addition on a minor-league deal, Samad Taylor could also be in the mix for the last roster spot. View the full article

Publications across the industry are releasing their top 100 prospects lists, with spring training soon upon us. Jamie and Jeremy look into the Twins players making their names on Baseball America, ESPN, MLB.com, and Keith Law's list at The Athletic. Included players are Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Kaelen Culpepper, and others. View the full article

Marlins president of business Caroline O'Connor speaks with Fish Unfiltered about when the Miami Live! entertainment development will be coming to loanDepot park.View the full article

With only ten days remaining until pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers, the Minnesota Twins bullpen remains very much a work in progress. There are arms on hand, ideas on the table, and a front office that knows this group will not look the same on Opening Day as it does right now. What that final version becomes is still open for debate. General manager Jeremy Zoll has been clear that the bullpen is the central focus as camp approaches, and the path to improvement is not limited to one obvious move. Building a Bullpen “For sure, I think it’s the most obvious area of need coming into the offseason,” Zoll said. That acknowledgement sets the tone for everything else. The Twins know the bullpen needs help, and they know it cannot be solved by a single signing alone. Zoll pointed to Taylor Rogers as “a step in that direction,” but emphasized that help can arrive from multiple angles. “Help in that regard is going to come in all shapes and sizes,” he said, whether that means “more major league signings,” or working through “the NRI process and waiver claims and DFA trades.” That creative approach has been a calling card for the organization before. Zoll noted that the Twins have “shown the ability to build bullpens well in the past in creative ways and different ways.” It is a reminder that the most effective relief groups are not always the most expensive ones. Configuration, opportunity, and internal development often matter just as much as name recognition. Still a Goal to Add a Right-Handed Reliever While creativity is important, there is still a very clear type of arm the Twins would like to add. A reliable right-handed reliever remains high on the list. “I think that feels like the most obvious opportunity for us to find ways to raise the floor and improve the club,” Zoll said. That phrasing matters. This is not just about chasing upside but about stability. After the bullpen turnover of last summer, Minnesota could use more certainty in the middle and late innings. Zoll also hinted that timing may work in the Twins' favor. “The trade market is starting to open up more as some of the dominoes are falling across the rest of the league,” he said. Whether that addition comes via free agency or trade remains unclear, but the next couple of weeks could provide more clarity as other teams finalize their plans. Starters Tabbed for Relief Conversion One of the more interesting questions is whether any starters could eventually slide into bullpen roles. It is a topic the Twins have revisited successfully in the past. “Definitely, internal conversations continue on that,” Zoll said. What he was careful to emphasize is that nothing has been decided yet. The Twins have not told anyone that a move to relief is coming, and they are waiting to see how things unfold. Several factors complicate that decision. Minnesota likes its starting depth, and with it being a World Baseball Classic year, there will be multiple starters heading to that tournament. Zoll acknowledged that “there’ll be a number of innings available,” and the club wants to avoid limiting itself too early if injuries pop up during camp. Some names to keep an eye on are Connor Prielipp and Marco Raya, who Derek Falvey mentioned by name earlier this winter. Still, the track record is there. Zoll referenced previous success stories like Griffin Jax and Louis Varland, noting that it remains an internal topic as the Twins continue to evaluate how best to deploy their arms. Who Is the Team’s Closer? Perhaps the most unsettled question of all is who finishes games when the season begins. At the moment, there is no clear answer. “I think it’s a topic,” Zoll said, while also pointing out that building bullpens continues to evolve. “I think there's a lot of different ways that you can get to having a successful ‘pen, and also want to make sure we're giving various guys opportunities to take that step forward.” Rather than locking into a single name, the Twins want to see which pitchers take a step forward. Zoll mentioned Cole Sands and Justin Topa as pitchers who handled late-inning opportunities last season and remain very much in the mix. “Think they can really contribute,” he said, reinforcing the idea that the closer role could evolve naturally once the roster takes its final shape. For now, Zoll is not interested in rushing to label roles before the group is fully built. It will be “an ongoing discussion,” and one that likely carries into camp itself. As spring training approaches, the Twins bullpen sits in a familiar place. There are questions, possibilities, and a front office confident that answers will come, even if they arrive later than fans might prefer. Is this bullpen missing one final move, or will internal growth have to carry the group early in the season? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

The San Diego Padres are looking to shore up their infield depth despite having multiple options currently on the 40-man roster. Especially on the right side, Jake Cronenworth and Gavin Sheets are expected to share some combination of time between first base and DH. Will Wagner and Sung Mun Song can both play second base (among other infield positions), while depth options include Luis Campusano and Mason McCoy. Despite those options, that's not stopping the Padres from looking at an upgrade for their bench. Chris Cotillo of MassLive is reporting that the San Diego Padres are part of a "robust market" who have shown interest in first baseman Ty France. France, who was drafted by the Padres in the 34th round of the 2015 draft, won the American League Gold Glove in 2025. However, he struggled at the plate in back -to-back season posting a sub-.700 OPS, hitting 20 home runs, and having a below-average wRC+ in both 2024 and 2025. The San Diego State product would serve as a right-handed option on the right side of the infield that has four left-handed options. Do you think the Padres should sign him? Let us know in the comments! View the full article

Welcome to part eight of North Side Baseball’s offseason series covering the 1918 Chicago Cubs. You can find the first seven parts here: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Today, we’ll be doing another player profile, this time on the great Hippo Vaughn. By FanGraphs WAR, Vaughn is the best left-handed pitcher to ever don a Cubs uniform, and he was an essential member of that 1918 Cubs team, leading the pitching staff in fWAR. His 1.74 ERA that season was second among qualified pitchers, behind only Hall of Famer Walter Johnson. Vaughn never made the Hall, but deserves to be recognized for his contributions to the Chicago Cubs. James Leslie “Hippo” Vaughn was born on April 9, 1888, in Weatherford, Texas, a town located about 25 miles outside of Fort Worth. According to his Society for American Baseball Research biography, the young lefty began pitching professionally in the Texas League, where he was eventually recognized and acquired by the New York Highlanders—or, as you likely now know them, the Yankees. Vaughn would become the youngest Opening Day starting pitcher in Yankees history in 1910, at 22 years and five days old—a record that he still holds today. He would go on to post a stellar 1.83 ERA in the 1910 season, but following a more difficult 1911 season that saw him put up a 4.39 ERA, Vaughn was sold to the Washington Nationals, and then to Kansas City of the American Association. After a couple of impressive seasons there, Vaughn wound up on the Chicago Cubs, and it was there where his career really took off. Following a brief debut of 56 innings in 1913, from 1914 to 1920, he never had a season wherein he posted less than 3.8 fWAR, and he never produced an ERA higher than 2.87. From 1914 to 1920, per FanGraphs, his 33.6 WAR was third in baseball, behind only two future Hall of Famers: Walter Johnson and Grover Alexander. The latter, ironically, was Vaughn’s teammate in Chicago for a bit. Vaughn’s 2.16 ERA over those seven seasons was fourth. His 143 wins was third. His 165 complete games, 2,051 innings pitched, and 1,071 strikeouts all also ranked third, behind the aforementioned greats. Any way you slice it, he was one of the best pitchers in baseball for a time. There is no greater illustration of how dominant Vaughn could be than the game he started on May 2, 1917. It featured him against Fred Toney of the Cincinnati Reds. Both pitchers threw no-hitters through nine innings, though, of course, the score was tied at 0-0, so the game persisted into the tenth. In a retrospective on the game from 1953, Arthur Daley at The New York Times wrote the following about Vaughn: “Vaughn, perhaps, pitched a mite better than Toney because only one member of the Reds even stroked the ball beyond the infield.” Daley would go on to describe the top of the tenth inning, when Vaughn finally allowed a hit (and, unfortunately, a run) that led to a 1-0 Reds win. “Larry Kopf sliced a roller between the gloves of Fred Merkle at first and Larry Doyle at second. It was the first hit of the game," Daley wrote. "Then Hal Chase flied out deeply to [Cy] Williams—except that Williams dropped the ball for an error, as Kopf raced to third.” That brought up Jim Thorpe, who hit a little tapper out in front of home plate. Vaughn, likely knowing that he would have a tough play on Thorpe, a former Olympic gold medalist in the classic pentathlon and decathlon, threw home. Art Wilson, the catcher, never saw it coming, and the ball “shot past him to the backstop and Kopf pattered home from third base with the only run of the game.” Toney retired the Cubs without a hit in the bottom half of the tenth, completing his no-hitter and wrapping up the win for the Reds. Still, this is the only known game in baseball history where two pitchers both had no-hitters through nine innings of baseball. Unfortunately for Hippo, who was given that nickname due to his large stature for a player at the time at 6’4”, 215 lbs, he is also commonly known for the way that he left baseball. He was not his usual, dominant self during the 1921 season, and after a start against the New York Giants on July 9, Vaughn disappeared. “Jim walked from the pitchers’ box to the clubhouse at the Polo Grounds on Saturday after being belted for successive home runs by Frank Snyder and Phil Douglas and he has not been seen since by Manager Johnny Evers or any other member of the Chicago Cubs,” the Times reported on July 11. The article said that should Hippo Vaughn return to the team, he would be suspended for his unexplained absence. According to his SABR biography, the Cubs were later ready to reinstate the pitcher, but Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the commissioner of baseball, refused to do so, and suspended Vaughn for the remainder of the season. Interestingly enough, the Times reported in October of that same year that Vaughn was missing again, with his wife having asked the Chicago police to look for him. The same wife, Edna, filed for divorce in 1920, the previous year, only to later drop the proceedings sometime after Edna’s father stabbed Vaughn. Perhaps this all helps explain the sudden decline of Vaughn, who went from one of the best pitchers in the National League in the 1920 season, to a pitcher with a 6.01 ERA in the 1921 season. He would never appear in Major League Baseball again, despite bouncing around several lower-level leagues. Arguably, Vaughn is the best left-handed pitcher that the Chicago Cubs organization has ever seen. Between the double no-hitter and his performance both during and leading up to the 1918 World Series (we’ll get to that in more detail in a future article), his on-field feats deserve greater remembrance. View the full article

One of the best Royals stories from 2025 was the emergence of rookie left-handed pitcher Noah Cameron. In his first MLB season, the rookie from St. Joseph, Missouri, made 24 starts and pitched 138.1 innings after starting the season initially in Triple-A Omaha (seven starts and 32.2 IP with the Storm Chasers). In that MLB sample, he posted a 2.99 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 2.65 K/BB ratio, and 1.8 fWAR. In a season where Cole Ragans, Kris Bubic, Seth Lugo, and Michael Lorenzen all missed some time on the IL, Cameron became a workhorse at the bottom of the Royals' rotation. As a result, he not only finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting, but he also earned the Bruce Rice Pitcher of the Year team award, which goes to the best pitcher in the Royals organization that season. Safe to say, Cameron did everything in 2025 to prove that he belongs in the Royals rotation in 2026 and beyond. That said, there were a couple of minor red flags from the past year that could affect his outlook for the upcoming season, based on surface-level metrics alone. While he posted a sub-three ERA, which is pretty elite, his xERA was 4.08, his FIP was 4.18, and his xFIP was 4.08. Those aren't bad metrics by any means, especially for a No. 4 or No. 5 starter in the rotation. At the same time, each of those indicators has a difference of over 1, which is a significant gap. Add that with a .241 BABIP and 84% LOB% (strand rate), and it seems likely that Cameron will be unable to sustain his 2025 numbers into 2026, especially with the new park dimensions at Kauffman Stadium. At the same time, Cameron remains a strong pitcher with a solid repertoire and the ability to minimize hard contact. Therefore, how much regression should Royals fans expect from the 26-year-old lefty this year? Will he pitch himself out of the rotation, especially with options like Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek, and Luinder Avila likely starting the season in Triple-A Omaha? Or will Cameron's regression be minor? In this post, I am going to look at his pitch repertoire and quality, what the batted ball and spray chart metrics from last season illustrate, and some final takeaways about Cameron's outlook for 2026 and beyond. (All stats and graphics courtesy of TJ Stats and Baseball Savant). Excellent Repertoire, but Poor Four-Seamer Cameron doesn't sport an elite fastball, which is why he was a bit of an underrated pitching prospect in the Royals system after being drafted in the seventh round (199th overall) out of Central Arkansas in the 2021 MLB Draft. However, he succeeded in the Minors thanks to his super command. Cameron posted a 6.7% walk rate and 21.1% K-BB% over 128.2 innings with Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals and Omaha Storm Chasers in 2024. While the St. Joseph-born lefty limited walks, he also succeeded with a five-pitch mix that kept hitters off balance. That trend continued in the Majors, as he sported a diverse pitch mix, throwing all of his pitches at least 14.3% of the time. While that's not Lugo's level of pitch variety (very few pitchers can throw 10 pitches), it's still strong enough to keep hitters at bay. Furthermore, he was able to sport not just decent stuff with his pitches but also strong chase and whiff rates, as well as a reasonable xwOBACON, as seen in his TJ Stats summary below. Cameron doesn't generate a ton of extension on pitches, as his 6.3 average rates as slightly below average. Thus, it's not a surprise that he doesn't generate a ton of velocity on his offerings either. Four of his five offerings last year rated as below average in terms of velocity, with the only exception being his curve, which was slightly above with an 80.9 MPH velocity. That said, he still produced strong movement and quality on the pitches. That led to four of his five offerings earning decent to above-average ratings for TJ Stuff+. Furthermore, non-Royal folks have rated his repertoire pretty highly, pointing out his advanced "feel" for his pitches, as well as his ability to tunnel pitches with one another effectively. Speaking of "tunneling", Cameron does do a good job of pairing offerings with one another soundly, which makes it tough for hitters to hone in on his offerings, even if they aren't "elite" in terms of stuff or velocity. Below is a look at his pitch movement plot from 2025, and notice how he pairs certain offerings with one another on the chart. His four-seamer and changeup are both paired with one another, which is an effective combo, especially considering the 11 MPH difference between the two pitches. He also does a nice job blending his cutter, slider, and curve, which proved to be a sound strategy for him last year. All sport downward, glove-side movement, but to different degrees of break. That is hard on hitters because the slightest difference in movement on breaking pitches can lead to bad swings, which result in weak contact or whiffs, as seen below against Seattle. When it comes to breaking down his offerings individually, his cutter was his most standout pitch from last year and his second most-thrown offering at 21.5%. It also had a 103 TJ Stuff+, tied for the best grade of his five offerings. The cutter was an interesting pitch location-wise, as Cameron tended to throw it more in and up on righties and down and away against lefties, as illustrated by his TJ Stats pitch heatmap summary. He threw the pitch more against righties (23% to 16.9% against lefties), but in terms of CSW, it was far more effective against lefties. It sported a 36.8% CSW and 39.1% whiff rate against left-handed hitters, compared to 24% and 18.9% rates against right-handed hitters. There wasn't much difference, though, in terms of chase (34.1% O-Swing% against lefties and 30% O-Swing% against righties) and xwOBACON (.371 against lefties; .366 against righties). In terms of fastball offerings, his cutter was by far better than his four-seamer. When it comes to breaking offerings, the curve was Cameron's best swing-and-miss offering against righties. It sported a 100 TJStuff+, which was 3 points lower than his slider. Nonetheless, despite the lower grade, it was a key part of his repertoire last year (19% usage). Like his cutter, he threw the pitch in one area, down and glove-side, against both righties and lefties. However, it was more effective against righties, as illustrated by his 33.8% CSW, which can be seen below. Lefties did worse in terms of production on the pitch, as they had a .291 xwOBACON against Cameron's curve, which was 21 points lower than his xwOBACON allowed against righties. That said, when Cameron needed whiffs against righties, it seemed like his curveball was his best offering. Conversely, when it came to getting swing-and-miss against lefties, his slider was the better pitch, as seen below in the slider heatmap data. There was a huge gap in slider usage for Cameron against lefties (28.7%) and righties (9.8%). It made sense, as Cameron's slider generated a 39.2% CSW and 34.9% whiff rate, which is pretty impressive, to put it mildly. Interestingly enough, righties chased more on the slider (45.3% O-Swing%), and his xwOBACON was lower (.292 to .331 against lefties). Still, fewer strikes were generated against righties with the slider, as evidenced by his 28% CSW. His last solid offering was his changeup, which had a 98 TJ Stuff+, the second-lowest mark of his five offerings. It didn't necessarily have elite qualities, but he had superb command on the pitch, especially against right-handers (22.9% usage). Against righties, his changeup generated a 30.5% usage, 43.5% whiff rate, and 27.7% O-Swing%. He also seemed to effectively throw the pitch away and arm-side to right-handed hitters, while his command of the offspeed pitch against lefties was more erratic. Against lefties, the changeup had a CSW of 8.7% and a whiff rate of 7.7%, and a .541 xwOBACON (nearly 200 points higher than his split against righties). Thus, it wasn't really an ideal pitch against lefties in any context. Then again, he threw the pitch less than five percent of the time, so it was more of a "get-me-over" offering than a regularly utilized one against lefties. Unfortunately, when it comes to pitch repertoire, the main concern with Cameron is his four-seamer. The primary offering sported a lackluster pitch quality with an 87 TJ Stuff+. That's not a good pitch for any pitch, let alone one he throws the most in a given game. Unsurprisingly, he generated lackluster CSW and whiff marks with the pitch against both lefties and righties. However, he did at least command the pitch effectively: in the upper edges of the strike zone. Hitters didn't chase much on the pitch, and most of his CSW rates came from called strikes rather than swinging ones. He was better against lefties with xwOBACON (.393) than righties (.510), which is interesting to see for a left-handed pitcher. When it comes to Cameron moving forward with the four-seamer, he's at a bit of a crossroads with the pitch. It's an essential part of his repertoire, and I think it's more effective against righties because it tunnels well with the changeup (a pitch that righties struggled against). That said, when he makes mistakes with the pitch, it's hit hard. The .550 xSLG and .390 xwOBA on the pitch illustrate that. Thus, I don't think it's as easy as "throwing the four-seamer less" because I think that could come at a cost of his other offerings, especially the cutter, which has emerged as one of his best offerings. Rather, I wonder if new assistant pitching coach Mike McFerran can help Cameron make some tweaks to the pitch, perhaps generating more vertical movement to at least make it a slightly below-average offering in 2026 rather than a greatly below-average one. The right tweak on his four-seamer could help him avoid a major regression on the mound in 2026. Induces Weak Contact; But Will Results Change with "New" Kauffman? When it comes to contact, Cameron was obviously above average at getting hitters to not "connect" as often as they would like. When looking at his Statcast percentiles via TJ Stats from last season, he ranked in the upper percentiles of the league in terms of minimizing the kind of contact that could result in a lot of production (i.e., home runs, extra-base hits, etc.). Cameron ranked in the 91st percentile in average exit velocity allowed, 86th in barrel rate, and 85th in hard-hit rate. He also ranked in the 71st percentile in whiff% and Z-Contact%. That's pretty elite, especially for a pitcher with fastball velocity that ranked in the 24th percentile and extension that ranked in the 29th percentile. On a more negative note, he was mediocre in terms of his zone, chase, K%, BB%, and K-BB% (all under 50%). While his GB% and CSW% ranked in the 52nd percentile, they need to be higher going forward, especially since it's unlikely that the Z-Contact% and CSW will remain at such high levels with his stuff profile. A key hint that regression may be coming on the batted-ball end could be seen in his rolling xwOBA chart from 2025 via Savant. He maintained a below-average xwOBA for the first half of his season, but that trend spiked around the 350th plate appearance and stayed above the league average for the remainder of the season (above-average is NOT good in this case). Now, he still posted a 2.99 ERA last year despite this trend. Thus, let's take a look at how this correlated with his actual wOBA chart trend from 2025. Cameron saw a spike in rolling wOBA, but there was a decline at the 500th plate appearance. He also appeared to be "unluckier" around his 100th to 250th plate appearances, as his wOBA trend was higher than his xwOBA. Still, that big gap in wOBA and xwOBA from the 500th plate appearance to the end of the year is a bit concerning and could be a hint that regression could be coming to his overall metrics in 2026 unless proper adjustments are made. Speaking of adjustments, the 26-year-old lefty will be pitching in a new Kauffman Stadium in terms of dimensions. When looking at his spray chart at home from 2025, it did seem that he would've given up a few more home runs at the K when taking into consideration the new dimensions (which would be similar to Target Field in Minnesota). Notice the number of outs that would have been homers below, especially in right field. When it comes to right field, he would've given up six more home runs at Kauffman Stadium had these new dimensions been in play last year. That's a huge boost, and it could've resulted in his ERA not just being higher than his 2025 mark, but his FIP mark as well (which was already in the four range). For Cameron to overcome these new "possible" ballpark issues, he will need to increase the swing-and-miss in 2026. After all, strikeouts can't go for extra-base hits or home runs in any park. On a positive note, he showed a strong whiff trend at the beginning of the year before it tailed off around the 300th swing mark. For roughly 100 swings after the mark, the swinging-and-missing percentage stayed subpar. Thankfully, he made some adjustments and got it back to above league-average around the 425th swing mark. Getting more swing-and-miss in 2026 won't be easy, especially considering the limitations of his velocity and stuff (98 TJ Stuff+ overall). However, Cameron is a student of the game who made strong adjustments to succeed in 2024 in the Minors after a rough stint in Double-A the previous year. He also made the proper adjustments to succeed in the Majors in 2025. Perhaps he has a couple of more tweaks in him to help him become a better swing-and-miss pitcher. Final Breakdown on Cameron Cameron is well-loved by Royals fans as a local kid from Northern Missouri. However, he also had gotten plenty of attention from non-Royals fans, with Roster Economics showing some praise of the Royals' homegrown product in a breakdown of Cameron on Twitter on January 29th. The Royals have a solid asset on their hands in Cameron, even if he may never be more than a No. 3 starter over the course of his career. He still isn't arbitration-eligible until 2029 and won't be a free agent until 2032, so Cameron won't be an arm that they'll financially have to worry about for a long time (which is nice after the tough arbitration negotiations with Bubic this offseason). That kind of profile is needed for teams, especially small-market ones, trying to stay competitive each season. And yet, regression seems likely for Cameron in 2026. The stuff profile isn't there to be a sub-three ERA pitcher again, and the below-average extension will make it harder for him to add more perceived velocity on his offerings as well (Bubic succeeds with below-average velocity because his strong extension gives him more perceived velocity). When it came to this offseason, I was more willing to part with Cameron as a trade asset than Bubic simply because I believe Bubic's stuff profile makes him more dependable long-term than Cameron (even with Bubic being older and hitting free agency next year). At the same time, the Royals' pitching coaches have shown they can help pitchers make the right tweaks and adjustments to succeed and avoid long stretches of poor performance. While McFerran doesn't have the history of former assistant pitching coach Zach Bove (who's now the White Sox's head pitching coach), his background suggests he's cut from a similar cloth and will be able to do the same things Bove did. I am hoping that McFerran and Sweeney can identify the right tweaks with Cameron to get more movement and quality out of his four-seamer because that seems to be the key to what his regression could look like in 2026. A similar fastball in TJ Stuff+ in 2026 is likely to result in much worse outcomes. However, a newer, slightly better one? Perhaps Cameron could give another dependable 130-150 innings with an ERA in the 3.00-3.50 range. If that's the case, the Royals will not just have one of the best rotations in the AL Central, but perhaps in all of baseball (as long as they stay healthy, of course). View the full article

Jett Williams's feel for hitting is the tool scouts have most openly questioned during his time in pro ball. Most notably, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs tagged just a 30 present value on Williams's contact ability, on the 20-80 scale. Longenhagen cited a steep swing plane without a lot of adjustability, and that's difficult to argue with. There's some evidence, though, that Williams has an exceptionally advanced approach—and thus, that he's more adaptable than he first appears. A couple of things stood out immediately on this front. The first is that Williams's in-zone contact rate was a troubling 78% during his stint in Triple A. The second is his out-of-zone contact rate of 65%, which is well above average. One of Williams's best traits is his discipline around the strike zone. He rarely chases, but even when he does, he can foul off pitches and extend at-bats. For someone with a stiff swing and poor maneuverability, you would expect his contact rates outside the strike zone to be considerably worse. Independent analyst Thomas Nestico has an estimated model for pitch locations without Statcast that seems to be a solid approximation of reality. Even at Double A, his in-zone contact rate sagged as the season progressed. At the same time, we began to see some changes to Williams's batted-ball profile. He pulled the ball more this season than he had before that, at 47.5%, and he cleared more fences, averaging a home run for every 19 at-bats in Triple A. He traded some contact skills for a more pull-happy approach, but that changed when he got to two strikes. Most hitters are nearly as likely to swing and miss with two strikes as in any other count, with the added likelihood of chasing a pitch offset by the more defensive swings taken by the hitter. Williams, however, whiffs a lot less with two strikes than he does early in the count. The chart below shows the average whiff rate per swing when at zero, one and two strikes: There are some small samples here, particularly with the curveball and changeup, but the piece I find most intriguing is the swing-and-miss against four-seam fastballs. As Longenhagen mentioned, Williams has a steep swing that he uses to elevate to the pull side; that should create problems with high fastballs. That proved not to be the case with Williams. Nor was he merely fouling off more pitches. He put more balls in play per swing, which suggests that his swing-and-miss concerns might be more of an approach-based decision than a mechanical weakness. This is reminiscent of a new coach on the Brewers staff. Daniel Vogelbach had the lowest swing rates in the league, happy to work himself into two-strike counts and put the ball in play, but he was looking to do damage in zero- and one-strike counts. Williams might not have Vogelbach's raw power, but he does have an above-average 90th-percentile exit velocity, and with his heavy pull-side approach, the result could be the same. A better comp, perhaps, would be former second baseman Ian Kinsler, another diminutive but sturdy right-handed hitter who used both a pull-focused approach and good athleticism to carve out a long, impressive career. The approach will require some maturation, and perhaps there are some mechanical tweaks to allow Williams to find a blend where he can still access the pull-side power but cut down on whiffs early in counts. If he struggles, he could modulate his approach and become a truly contact-oriented hitter, just like Brice Turang did in 2024. With his speed and defensive cover, Williams will have time to find the mold that fits him best in the major leagues; he might have a higher floor than many believe. View the full article

In major-league front offices, no moves are made in a vacuum. Many voices are in play and Twins fans are well aware that outside constraints (e.g. payroll limitations) can hold major influence. But ever since he was first hired after the 2016 season, up until his departure on Friday, Derek Falvey was atop the chain of baseball command. Every move made over the past nine years has had his stamp on it. During that time, we've seen some of the best trades and boldest signings in franchise history. We've also seen a lot of misfires and missed opportunities that played a huge role in the inability of talented teams to get over the hump. These are my picks for the five best, and five worst, moves made by the Twins during Falvey's time in charge. 5 Best Twins Moves Under Derek Falvey The first Carlos Correa signing It's reasonable to look back at Correa's Twins career with some bitterness, given the shortcomings and early exit. His second contract with Minnesota was at best a mixed bag. But that shouldn't cause us to overlook what a monumental, game-changing moment his first signing was. Announced out of nowhere in the middle of the night, Correa's bombshell contract – three years, $105 million with opt-outs – seemed to redefine what was possible for the Twins franchise. They had never waded into these kinds of free agency waters before. This was a statement signing that they (briefly) followed through on the next year, And although the 2022 season proved to be a disappointment overall, Correa produced one of the best seasons for a shortstop in team history, posting 4.6 fWAR and setting the stage for an unlikely return. The Joe Ryan trade Now this is how you "sell" at the deadline. When the Twins fell out of contention in 2021, they made hay with their best expiring asset, trading Nelson Cruz to the Rays for two pitching prospects. One of those prospects came to the majors almost immediately, and has been excelling in the Minnesota rotation ever since, to the point where he's now arguably their ace. This was a rare moment where the Twins managed to outfox a Rays front office that they so admired and aspired to emulate. Easily one of the best trades in franchise history. The Pablo López trade The López trade doesn't rate quite as highly as Ryan, since the Twins had to give up more substantial value for him, but it looked smart at the time and looks genius in retrospect. Luis Arraez has declined rapidly since the trade while López – whom the Twins quickly extended – instantly solidified his status as a frontline starter, which he has maintained since. He led the way in two playoff victories in 2023 and will likely start on Opening Day for a fourth consecutive season. The Byron Buxton contract extension For a long time, it looked like this wasn't going to happen. Unable to find common ground on an extension as free agency approached, the Twins were actively exploring trades for Buxton before finally managing to reach an agreement just ahead of the 2021 lockout. The seven-year, $100 million contract was very favorable to the team, built around incentives due to Buxton's availability concerns. It has already paid for itself based on his performance on the field, despite injuries and missed time. Drafting Ryan Jeffers There are a lot of other candidates I thought about throwing in here: the Escobar-for-Durán trade, the Willi Castro signing, the Royce Lewis selection. Bailey Ober deserves mention as well. But I think it's fair to say Jeffers was the biggest draft success story of the Falvey era – the one position player who has developed into an above-average, multi-year major-league regular. Perhaps that is damning with faint praise, given that Jeffers hasn't been a spectacular player or All-Star, but we've seen how hard it is to develop a good big-league catcher. 5 Worst Twins Moves Under Derek Falvey The 2024 trade deadline As you'll see, most of the low points from Falvey's tenure revolve around the trade deadline. Missed opportunities to supplement good or borderline rosters will haunt memories from this stretch of competitive seasons where the Twins too often fell short of their potential. The deadline in 2024 was a perfect example. When it arrived the Twins were very much in contention, 11 games above .500 at the end of July. At the deadline, the front office did nothing of consequence; in fact, trading only for Trevor Richards – a replacement-level reliever who'd be released weeks later – was almost worse than nothing. This set the stage for a full-on collapse to ensue, with no added quality depth to help weather the storm. The 2019 trade deadline Unlike the 2024 team, the 2019 team didn't need saving. It needed reinforcements. The Bomba Squad was perhaps the best regular-season Twins teams ever, but got swept out of the playoffs. There's no guaranteeing savvier pickups at the trade deadline would've changed that outcome, but Sam Dyson was a disaster and Sergio Romo didn't move the needle enough. If ever there was a time to think big. The Alex Colomé signing Rarely has a singular offseason acquisition tanked an entire season like this. Signed as a free agent to handle the closer position in 2021, Colomé repeatedly melted down in key spots while the Twins dug an inescapable early-season hole. It's one of several examples that makes me raise an eyebrow when people intimate that building a bullpen on the fly is easy. The Ryan Pressly trade Ope, another deadline trip-up. I view letting Pressly get away as perhaps the single most regrettable move of Falvey's time at the helm. He would've been under control in 2019, when the Twins were scrambling for the likes of Dyson and Romo at the deadline, but instead was flipped in 2018 for Jorge Alcala and Gilberto Celestino. Pressly went on to become Houston's bullpen ace for several years, helping the Astros win a World Series. A former Rule 5 pick, Pressly was one of the biggest reliever development success stories for Minnesota in decades, but the front office – intent on "selling high" with extended control remaining – let him get away before his impact could be fully felt. You hope the same doesn't happen with the players lost in this final set of moves... The 2025 firesale I know this wasn't all driven by Falvey or the front office. Maybe not even mostly. But still, you have to hold the baseball decision-makers accountable for some truly baffling baseball decisions. On their own, many of the trades at least year's deadline made sense, but in totality this scorched-earth sell-off completely obliterated any realistic hopes of contention in 2026, which now looks like a glaring misstep in light of Tom Pohlad's directive to field a competitive squad this year. Had the Twins not sold off four key controllable players, that would have actually been viable. What are your thoughts? Which highs and lows did I miss from Derek Falvey's nine-year tenure as Minnesota Twins baseball leader? Where are you hoping to see the team improve in his absence? Sound off in the comments. View the full article

Trey Yesavage took the world by storm in 2025 with his high release point that led to a high rising fastball and a devastating splitter to pair alongside it. His third pitch is a harder gyro slider that sits in between the velo of his fastball and splitter, which forces hitters to guess when a pitch will be lower in the zone. The quirk of Yesavage’s arsenal is that none of his pitches break to the glove side, largely due to his release point and delivery, which make him such a nightmare for hitters to face. That does raise a concern, however, as if hitters know which direction his pitches are always going to move, will they figure him out faster than a pitcher with a more traditional four-pitch mix with pitches that break in both directions? And even if Yesavage remains effective with his current style of pitching, will he be able to stave off the three times through the order effect with just three pitches, or will he be able to get outs when one of his pitches isn’t 'on' on a certain day? Will he be able to maintain effectiveness over 30-ish starts, when division rivals are likely to see him multiple times? Graphic via @TJStats Meet the ‘new’ pitch, which is really an old pitch. Yesavage threw a low-80s 12-6 curveball in college, but since his three main pitches were so polished, it was a clear fourth pitch for him. Shape-wise, the curveball had little depth, with -7 inches of induced vertical break, and once again broke to the arm side. Baseball America gave the pitch a 45 FV grade, and with his limited usage of it in college, Yesavage wasn’t able to get a good enough feel for it to throw it in professional baseball. However, this didn’t mean that he completely left the curveball to rot. In August 2024, Mitch Bannon (now the Blue Jays beat reporter for The Athletic) reported that Yesavage was tinkering with a cutter and a curveball that he wanted to add prior to the 2025 season. This offseason, Yesavage has done more of the same, talking about adding a new pitch. Specifically, he mentioned bringing the curveball back to his arsenal in a recent interview with Jays reporters. The 22-year-old said that he “would love something that moves glove side.” So, what would this curveball look like for Yesavage? Given the uniqueness of his release point, it’s difficult to imagine how exactly a curve would look shape-wise, but a key to it being an effective pitch for Yesavage will be depth and movement to the glove side. Yesavage’s delivery allows him to be very behind the baseball when he throws his fastball, leading to the fifth highest active spin for four-seamers in 2025. This, however, creates an issue when he’s throwing his breaking balls, as not having cut-ride characteristics makes it difficult for Yesavage to supinate and get the glove side movement that pitchers like Justin Verlander and Nick Pivetta do. Both are high arm angle pitchers with high release points. Verlander and Pivetta were the only two pitchers in 2025 with an average release height of at least 6.8 feet that threw at least 100 curveballs at that release height, but Yesavage would find it difficult to replicate the shape of their breaking balls due to how efficient his four-seamer is. Verlander and Pivetta both have curveballs with at least 7 inches of glove side movement as well as over -12 inches of induced vertical break, which is a different beast compared to Yesavage's college curveball shape. There is a pitcher who has a similar profile to Yesavage, with a curveball that might be more similar to one Yesavage should be able to throw, and that is Bradley Blalock, recently traded from the Rockies to the Marlins. Another north-south pitcher with a high arm angle, Blalock has seen tough results due to pitching in Colorado. Yet, similar to Yesavage, he has > 99% active spin on his four-seamer, making it more difficult to supinate and get significant glove-side break. Blalock’s shapes were depressed by pitching in Coors, but on the road, he was able to get 1.4 inches of glove side movement and -11.3 inches of vertical break in 2025. Similar to Yesavage's in college, Blalock’s curveball sat in the low 80s as well. It’s weird looking at a pitcher with a 9.31 ERA and 7.31 FIP as someone Yesavage should replicate, but given the limitations of Yesavage's delivery, it’s difficult to find a shape that would work for him without changing what he’s best at. Here’s how his movement profile will look with a curveball similar to Blalock’s: Adding a curveball with this shape will help Yesavage perform much better against right-handed hitters. Although his slider and splitter were both effective, he performed much better against lefties than righties in 2025, with a 20.0 K-BB% against lefties compared to just a 7.4 K-BB% against same-handed hitters. A curveball that moves even slightly to the glove side will prevent hitters from knowing that all his pitches move to the arm side, and it should add an extra split-second to their decision-making process. Although Yesavage's funky delivery should help suppress familiarity, adding a fourth solid pitch will also make third time through the order penalties less severe and give him more options in pitch sequencing. The curveball is something that Yesavage has been tinkering with for years, however, and even if he can get its shape to a point where it will enhance his arsenal, he’ll still have to learn how to command it and get a feel for it. If he’s able to do that successfully, he'll have added another weapon to a devastating arsenal. View the full article

Entering the offseason, the direction seemed clear as day for the Boston Red Sox's position player group. Bring back third baseman Alex Bregman, add another middle-of-the-order bat, ideally at first base, and trade away an outfielder. Well, as spring training fast approaches, they've kept all their outfielders, didn't bring back or replace Bregman, but they did at least trade for first baseman Willson Contreras. In a perfect world, they can trade from the outfield contingent to add another infielder. In the perfect-est world, that outfielder is probably 2024 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Jarren Duran. The 29-year-old is the oldest from the contingent and also has the least amount of team control. However, it may not be a perfect world. The closer it gets to Opening Day, the likelier the Red Sox are of having to make do with the roster they have -- for better or worse. There are several questions they need to answer, both about individual players and overall construction. By the time he got hurt in September, Roman Anthony's most-frequented order spot was leadoff. But is that the best way to use him in 2026? Duran took to the heart of the order against righties last season, but are the strikeouts too much to keep him there? Where does he play? How about Ceddanne Rafaela? Let's do our best to answer those questions. Leading off: DESIGNATED HITTER, Masataka Yoshida There are a couple of reasons Yoshida makes sense as the team's leadoff man. For starters, he's simply a good hitter. While his 2025 numbers suggest otherwise on the whole, he had the team's second-highest wRC+ in September. In 20 games, he slashed .333/.351/.486 with 13 runs batted in and just a 6.5% strikeout rate. There's a great level of dependence on batted ball luck with Yoshida. He's not a power bat, nor does he strike out with great frequency at his worst. But with the over-reliance on BABIP luck comes a less-than-optimal profile — one conducive to ground balls. He's a good hitter, but hitting him behind Anthony in a lot of ways leaves them susceptible to rally-killing opportunities. Double plays, glorified sacrifice bunts, etc. Hitting him leadoff opens up the first base line for Yoshida, it also may help him lean back into his 2024 approach which had him crushing the ball despite playing through a torn labrum. Not to mention, it's a great way to open up potential pinch-hitting opportunities against left-handed relievers late in close games. Batting second: LEFT FIELDER, Roman Anthony The way game the game is trending with lineup construction, you often want your best hitter hitting second. The last few years, that was Rafael Devers. But right now, projection models believe Anthony is comfortably the team's best hitter. Given how he took over the lineup before his oblique strain last season, it'd be hard to disagree with that idea. In 2025, he slashed .292/.396/.463 with a 140 wRC+ and eight home runs. His Steamer projection calls for a 124 wRC+ in 2026, but models are often conservative. Really, though, that's neither here nor there. Hitting him behind Yoshida could put some training wheels on Anthony in terms of stretching boundaries on base hits, taking extra bases. However, hitting Anthony second gives him RBI opportunities early in the game. Part of the 2025 team's identity was early offense, ranking second in runs scored in the first inning. Setting the tone first, especially with this group's pitching staff, is paramount, especially if the offense as a whole is a question mark. Batting third: FIRST BASEMAN, Willson Contreras Guaranteeing Contreras a first inning at-bat is critical. Sure, maybe the way he does damage is best served for the cleanup spot. However, he's the team's best right-handed hitter. Grand slams are more fun, but I can already envision the Yoshida single, Anthony walk or double, then Contreras three-run home run sequence. While his career-high for homers is just 24 (and came during the juiced-ball era of 2019) he still hit 20 a season ago in 135 games. There's no real debate he shouldn't hit in the heart of the order; it's just a matter of third versus fourth. Batting fourth: RIGHT FIELDER, Wilyer Abreu This one's a little tricky, as Abreu is more of a run-producer than a table-setter. He's certainly capable of being a table-setter, but his BABIP struggles last year hindered his on-base ability. The average leadoff hitter in 2025 had a .333 on-base percentage; Abreu's was .317. Perhaps foolish to compare him to a leadoff hitter while jockeying for him to clean up, but there's a real chance he'd be counted on in similar first-man-up situations in 2026. He could be leading off the second inning; he could follow up a home run. There's a value to having both the ability to reach base and hit the ball out of the ballpark. Abreu can do both, he just needs to find a bit more success when he puts the ball in the play. Batting fifth: SHORTSTOP, Trevor Story Story had a great year by his Red Sox standards in 2025, but projection models question his ability to replicate it. He's 33 years old, and his whiff, chase, walk, and strikeout numbers all don't love him. He hits the ball hard when he makes contact, but he doesn't make a ton of it. That said, he's a power source and was the team's leading RBI man a season ago. Keeping him in a similar role, even if demoting him from third to fifth, is vital for this team's success. Perhaps at some point during the year, he can fall down to seventh, or re-claim his spot in the upper-third, but on Opening Day, his best slot is smack dab in the middle of the batting order. Batting sixth: CENTER FIELDER, Jarren Duran Duran might be polarizing among Red Sox fans, but objectively he's still a very good player. He didn't take to being a full-time left fielder last year and historically is a better center fielder. But the very sight of seeing that be his position in 2026 isn't exciting to fans. As for hitting sixth, it's a good spot for him. Less pressure on him to be the table-setter or the run producer. It gives him a chance to operate freer. It gives him a chance to push the envelope as a baserunner as well, hitting ahead of the perceived weakest part of the order. There's some give and take here with Duran. On one hand, you're giving him back his best defensive position, but you're taking from him a lot of plate appearances dropping him out of the top half. To me, I think that's the best way to get the 2024 version of Duran back, or at least closer to that version. Perhaps I'm oversimplifying it, but this lineup will need its 29-year-old speedster to shoulder a lot of responsibility this year. They'll also need someone in the lower half to do the same. Why not kill two birds with one stone? Batting seventh: THIRD BASEMAN, Marcelo Mayer Speaking of players needing to shoulder a massive burden, Mayer has a lot riding on him in 2026. Defensively, he was awesome in his rookie campaign. Offensively, he hit the ball hard but not often enough for it to yield strong results. He was a rookie, so it's water under the bridge. The main concern with him is his health. Drafted in 2021, Mayer's never had a fully healthy campaign as a professional. Sometimes, that'll course correct itself and he'll not be a major health risk. But sometimes, a leopard is a leopard. Replacing Bregman isn't an easy ask of anyone, much less a second-year player. But Mayer had that task a season ago and, while his offense was pretty touch-and-feel, it wasn't something people talked about a lot as an issue because he was so great defensively. Batting eighth: CATCHER, Carlos Narvaez Narvaez is one of the best defenders in the sport, regardless of position. Offensively, he was overall a fine bat but generally a lucky hitter. Hitting him eighth softens the blow if his offense over-corrects itself and he's considered a liability at the dish. But his profile of average bat speed, average barrel rate, and average Pull-Air give him a decent chance of sustaining a roughly league-average output. He doesn't have to set the world on fire, because his defense is so potent. But if he can stay above a 90 wRC+, he can cement himself as a top-10 catcher in baseball. Batting ninth: SECOND BASEMAN, Ceddanne Rafaela This isn't optimal for the defensive alignment, but Rafaela at second base gives the Red Sox their best chance at deploying their nine best hitters. Offense is secondary when analyzing Rafaela's game. But if he can maintain his Pull- and Straight-Air approach of last season, he should be able to offset struggles with impact hits. The argument for Rafaela at second base is a losing one. They're appeasing Yoshida and Duran while asking the player they signed to an extension in 2024 to make a sacrifice. Not only that, but it's also a sacrifice that's not proven to be beneficial. But people treat Rafaela like he's a bad second baseman. Anything compared to his center field defense is bad, but him being an average second baseman and average bat is the best this team's got right now. But this lineup construction is under the presumption a right-hander is pitching. The Red Sox have obvious platoon questions at several positions. Mayer had a 6 wRC+ last year against lefties; Duran's a career 70 wRC+ hitter against them, with Abreu sitting at a 62 mark. Two outfielders are potentially worthy of sitting against southpaws, meaning Rafaela can play out there against lefties. Again, there's give and take. This is about optimizing the 2026 Boston Red Sox. As constructed, Rafaela as the team's primary second baseman is the best thing for ensuring success early in the season. 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With the start of spring training barely a week away, Miami Marlins president of business Caroline O'Connor joins Isaac Azout and Ely Sussman for an exclusive interview. They discuss what to expect from this year's FanFest at loanDepot park, where games wil be televised in 2026, how to boost the franchise's ticket sales, what makes the stadium an ideal host site for the World Baseball Classic and when the Miami Live! entertainment development will finally be ready. You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. O'Connor is entering her ninth season with the Marlins, but likely her first without the franchise having a traditional television rights agreement with a regional sports network. Last month, the Marlins terminated their deal with Main Streets Sports Group, the struggling parent company of FanDuel Sports Network Florida. "We are in active conversations with Major League Baseball about getting ready for all the things that we'll kinda shift the model on if we are sort of producer of our games," O'Connor said. "We're talking to people like Kyle (Sielaff), Kelly (Saco) and all of the faces that you guys love to see, making sure that they feel good and they're ready to get out to our fans, regardless of who the broadcasting partner is." "We were so pleased last year with the first time ever of simulcasting the games—we did 15 of our games over the air with our partners at CBS Miami, and that was a great experiment for us," she added. "There'll probably be some aspect of the simulcasting this year as well. We're excited and we'll probably have those plans solidified in the next few weeks here." Previously expected to be operational for next month's WBC, the timetable for Miami Live! has been pushed back. "We'll have some smaller elements like an enhanced stage and some outdoor elements, but the full delivery of it will be in the 2027 season," O'Connor said. "We're hearing great things about it from the fans, from our partners and we really wanna give it a chance to be everything we think it can be and making sure that we get the concepts right and get all of the elements to the right level to make it a first-class experience that we want for our fans." Follow Isaac (@IsaacAzout), Ely (@RealEly and Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) on Twitter. Join the Marlins Discord server! Complete Miami Marlins coverage here at FishOnFirst.com. View the full article

For the second offseason in a row, the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox have made a trade involving a flamethrowing pitcher. Only this time, it's the Red Sox who are subtracting from their roster, sending Jordan Hicks and prospect David Sandlin (plus two PTBNL) to the South Side of the Windy City for Gage Ziehl and a player to be named later. Hicks has been a popular point of discussion around these parts ever since he was acquired in the exceedingly ill-fated Rafael Devers trade with the San Francisco Giants. There were flashes of his old brilliance in Boston, and a profile that was just wanting for some slight tweaking. Alas, an 8.20 ERA and 6.19 FIP were simply too ugly to withstand, and the front office was able to move off the $25 million remaining on his contract. Sandlin is by far the bigger loss from the Sox's perspective. The 24-year-old reached Triple-A for the first time in 2025, logging a 4.50 ERA (3.76 FIP) in 106 innings across the two highest levels of the minor leagues. Like Hicks, we was on the 40-man roster, freeing up two roster spots for the Red Sox to use. His departure marks yet another young starting pitcher traded by the organization this winter, joining the likes of Luis Perales, Yhoiker Fajardo, Hunter Dobbins, Blake Aita, Brandon Clarke, Richard Fitts. The front office has done an excellent job building up depth at the position, and they continue to focus their scouting and drafting efforts on pitchers. They have more than enough talent to withstand those losses, but it's interesting to see that after years of building up their pitching depth, they've had no qualms knocking it down. Ziehl is the only named part of the return, but he's certainly an intriguing arm to add to the farm system. A fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft by the New York Yankees, the 22-year-old right-hander pitched to a 3.39 FIP in 107.0 innings between them and the Pale Hose last season. With an impressive slider and some excellent command (4.2% walk rate), he's got a high floor as a starter and should eventually replace Sandlin's position within the organization once he ascends to the upper minors. Beyond the roster spots and money saved, perhaps the biggest implication of this deal is what it means for Kyle Harrison. Thanks to all of the other offseason trades, he's now one of the most important depth pieces on the 40-man roster, and because Hicks and James Tibbs III (traded in the ill-advised Dustin May deal) are already out of the organization, pressure will mount and ratchet up for the 24-year-old southpaw to live up to his former top prospect billing. Barring a big developmental leap for Jose Bello, the Red Sox's only hope of extracting value from the Devers trade lies in Harrison. Considering that they salary-dumped Devers just to have to salary dump Hicks less than a year later, this already feels like a huge whiff by Craig Breslow and the front office. It's not Harrison's fault that he is now the ostensible centerpiece of that deal, but if he also doesn't pan out... yikes. The other primary question is how the Sox will fill Hicks' vacated spot in the bullpen. Another power arm would be helpful, as would an additional southpaw. Free-agent options are scarce, and the trade market will require a king's ransom for anyone who fits both of those qualifiers. Perhaps a transition to the 'pen for Harrison could help the team assuage both concerns in one go. Hicks was almost certainly never going to pan out in Boston, and trading him (even at the price of surrendering Sandlin) was the right way to move on. There's now more money to spend on players and free roster spots with which to add said players. The Devers trade tree is looking uglier and uglier by the day, but it's important that the front office didn't give into the sunk cost fallacy and try to stubbornly resurrect Hicks' career out of pride. The team should be slightly better for this move in 2026, even if it's also fair to say they would've been significantly better if Devers was still around. View the full article

Matt Wallner has been a polarizing player since he debuted with the Twins. The organization has been cautious of his skill set, and some sections of the fanbase still have not bought in, despite nearly 1000 plate appearances of impact offense. After a down 2025, could a focus on reverting his approach lead to a bounce-back? Twins fans shudder at Wallner’s offensive profile after a prolific stretch of all-or-nothing hitters over the last decade or so within the organization. His strikeouts have been high, and have admittedly given him significant problems at times in his career thus far, as he’s hit cold stretches that have gotten him demoted in some instances. While Wallner’s profile may limit his ceiling and lead to inconsistencies, it’s hard to argue with the overall body of work. Wallner has an .829 OPS in his career, which is 31% above the league average hitter since he debuted. 2025 was undoubtedly a down year for Wallner. His still-solid .776 OPS felt much worse to watch, as he struggled situationally and never put together any extended stretches of production. Many fans felt justified in their doubt about Wallner’s swing-and-miss profile, wondering if the league had finally caught up with him and figured out how to take advantage of his lack of contact more consistently. While it was Wallner’s worst season since he debuted, his whiffs didn’t play the role many people think they did. Wallner’s down season didn’t have just one major component to blame; rather, many smaller factors came together to cause his struggles. His maximum and average exit velocities were the lowest of his career. His percentage of pop-ups increased. His performance against fastballs, which was arguably his biggest strength in his first few seasons, cratered to a sub-200 expected batting average, with his expected slugging percentage following suit. You’ll notice that an increase in strikeout rate wasn’t cited. That’s because Wallner’s 29.1% strikeout rate was comfortably the lowest of his career. His whiff rate against fastballs declined, which opposes the narrative that pitchers simply found a hole in his swing that could be exploited with velocity. This was the case for all pitch types in 2025. With runners in scoring position, where plenty of fans recognize Wallner struggled, he struck out 24% of the time, a sharp decline from 35% in his stellar 2024 season. Matt Wallner looks like a player who was trying to shift away from his high swing and miss ways last season, despite the fact that they’ve made him an elite hitter at times. Being just a bit more tentative in decision-making and focusing more on contact than on impacting the ball could certainly lead to a snowball effect, with many small declines combining to produce poor overall performance. It’s never this simple, but Wallner may benefit from a return to his hard swinging ways in 2025. His bat speed notably declined in 2025. Perhaps this was the result of an intended shift in approach, or perhaps Wallner’s hamstring injury in early 2025 affected him all season. Either way, his 2025 performance suggests he’s a better hitter when he’s reaching his peak bat speed, so he can cause maximum damage when he makes contact, even if it results in more swing and miss. Would you like to see Matt Wallner return to his 100th percentile hard swinging ways in 2026? Are the strikeouts simply too much of a trade-off? Let us know below! View the full article

Most people look at a roster and see names and numbers on a page. We’re doing something different. We are building a machine. To make it into Article I: The Gold Standard, it wasn't enough to just show up in the box score. To earn a spot here, a player had to have a soul. They had to have an "Iconic Look" that a kid could draw from memory thirty years later. They had to have a "Did You Know" factor that could win a bar bet at a local dive. It is the smell of the salt air off the bay mixed with the pine tar in the dugout; the way the late-afternoon sun hits the brick, casting shadows that only the legends knew how to play. For decades, San Diego was told to "act like you’ve been here before." But the men in this vault didn't wait for permission. They didn't just play for a city; they defined its pulse when the rest of the league wasn't looking. This roster is a generational handshake—where the high-socks and stirrups of the 1969 expansion meet the swagger and bat flips of the modern era. Different decades, same relentless pursuit of the standard. The math here is absolute, but the criteria are higher. We aren't just looking for the highest WAR; we are looking for where that dominance meets defiance. If a player’s presence didn't change the gravity of the room while they were rewriting the record books, they didn't make the cut. This 26-man roster represents the pinnacle of San Diego baseball—the absolute apex of grit, innovation, and pure dominance. We’ve meticulously documented every legend, from the unbuttoned chest protector of Benito Santiago to the dirt-stained jersey of the late, great Ken Caminiti. We aren't just counting hits; we are documenting immortality. This isn't just a list of the greatest to ever wear the uniform; it is the unredacted DNA of what it means to be a San Diego Padre. The Glossary of Pillars: The Five-Point Metric To achieve "The Gold Standard," every player in this vault is measured against these five pillars. This is the criterion that separates a career from a legacy. The Legend: The narrative weight. The stories are told in the stands and passed down through generations. The Innovation: How they evolved their position or changed the way the game was perceived in San Diego. The Impact: The measurable shift in the franchise's trajectory. If they weren't there, the history of the Padres would look fundamentally different. The Iconic Look: The visual identity. Whether it was the brown-and-gold, the pinstripes, or a specific piece of gear, they owned the uniform. The "Did You Know" Factor: The grit and the trivia. The obscure, undeniable facts that define their "unredacted DNA." The WAR Standard: The peak of the ledger. In building this machine, we respect the math, but we refuse to be limited by it. We utilize WAR (Wins Above Replacement) as our baseline, but we recognize that the two titans of the industry—FanGraphs (fWAR) and Baseball-Reference (bWAR)—often see the game through different lenses. Our mandate is simple: We seek the absolute peak. The "Highest Possible" Rule: We do not settle for an average. We hunt for the highest documented WAR available for every player. If one system values a pitcher’s FIP while the other values their RA9, we take the higher mark. The Integrity Clause: We do not compromise the numbers. No player is selected for sentimentality alone if it drops the collective value of the roster. The Architecture: Building the Machine A 26-man roster is more than a list; it is an ecosystem. In selecting this unit, we didn't just look for the highest individual ceilings—we looked for how those peaks fit together to form a dominant whole. We have engineered this squad using a precise 6-7-9-4 blueprint: The Rotation (6 Starting Pitchers): Representing the absolute peak of dominance. We chose seasons where these men were "Ace Killers"—possessing the rare ability to shut down an offense single-handedly and hand the ball directly to the back end of the game. The Bullpen (7 High-Leverage Relievers): Selected based on their "Closer Mentality." We looked for the seasons where these seven arms were statistically "unhittable" in the moments that mattered most. The Starting Nine (9-Man Lineup including DH): From our "Igniters" at the top to the "Pure Gravity" of our power hitters and the designated hitter, the lineup is built for relentless pressure. These legends forced opposing managers to change their entire strategy before the first pitch was even thrown. The Defensive Spine: A roster's soul is found in its middle—Catcher, Shortstop, and Center Field. We selected the seasons when these players were at their peak in run prevention. The Tactical Reserves (4 Bench Spots): This is the machine's specialized toolkit. We have reserved four dedicated spots: Catcher, Infielder, Outfielder, and Utility. These are our "Swiss Army Knives," selected for their ability to stay cold for three hours and change the game in thirty seconds. The Creed of the Friar We do not look back out of nostalgia. We look back to remember the cost of excellence. To wear the Brown and Gold is to inherit a history of defiance—a legacy built by men who refused to be overlooked in a small corner of the map. This anthology is the ledger of that defiance. The standard has been set. The machine is synchronized. The Strategy of the Nine: A Positional Blueprint This isn't just a list of names; it's a structural masterpiece. Each position on this field was chosen to serve a specific purpose in the machine. The Battery (C): The general. We prioritize a catcher who can handle a generational pitching staff while providing a "bonus bat" that most teams lack. The Infield Corners (1B & 3B): The "Power Gates." These spots are reserved for the heavy-hitters who anchor the heart of the order and shut down the hot corners. The Middle Infield (2B & SS): The "Engine Room." Speed, range, and the ability to turn the tide of a game with both the glove and the bat. The Outfield (LF, CF, RF): The "Wall of Speed & Steel." A trio built to erase base hits in the gaps and provide the most iconic offensive peaks in San Diego history. The DH: The "Pure Force." A spot dedicated to the bat that was too dangerous to ever leave out of the lineup. The Bench Logic: The tactical safety net. The final four spots are our "Swiss Army Knives"—insurance for every possible scenario. The Backup Catcher: High-WAR stability to ensure the pitching staff never loses its rhythm. The Infielder & Outfielder: Gold-standard depth to maintain the "DNA" of the defense during substitutions. The Utility: The wild card. A player whose value comes from being everywhere at once. Step into the Vault. This is the 26-man roster that defines the franchise. The Starting Lineup: The Foundations of the Diamond These are the names that echo through the canyons of Mission Valley to the renovation of Downtown. From the lead-off spark to the clean-up power, this unit represents the daily heartbeat of the franchise—the men who set the tone the moment the first pitch crossed the plate. Benito Santiago "Benny" 1987 (3.4 WAR) AVG: .300 | H: 164 | R: 64 | 2B: 33 | HR: 18 | RBI: 79 | SB: 21 | BB: 16 | OPS: .791 BBWAA NL Rookie of the Year (1987) | 4x Silver Slugger (1987-1988, 1990-1991) | TSN NL Rookie of the Year (1987) | Baseball Digest NL Rookie of the Year (1987) | Topps All-Star Rookie Team (1987) | Padres Hall of Fame (2015) The Five Pillars of Benny Innovation: Santiago revolutionized his position by introducing a "from-the-knees" throw to second base. Developed in Puerto Rico as a teenager by practicing against trash cans and mattresses, this technique leveraged elite arm strength to achieve a flat, rocket-like trajectory. This unique approach allowed him to stun base runners while fundamentally changing how opponents approached stealing against San Diego. While critics predicted this high-stress motion would eventually blow out his arm, these mechanics actually sustained his elite defensive pressure for two decades. This durability translated into 2,417 career games. Impact: In 1987, Santiago’s historic performance led to a National League and franchise first unanimous Rookie of the Year award within his position. He capped this debut season by securing a National League Silver Slugger, becoming Major League Baseball's only rookie to earn that distinction as well. These accolades were fueled by career-high marks, including 164 H, 33 2B, and a .300 AVG. These totals paced all Major League rookies while he led all National League catchers in hits, doubles, stolen bases (21), total bases (255), and extra-base hits (53). Legend: Santiago served as a cornerstone for the "New Generation" Padres, a youth movement redefining team identity following veteran-heavy rosters from 1984 through 1986. During this breakout year, Jack Murphy Stadium became a destination, single-handedly providing the franchise with clear direction for the future. Although his career spanned 20 seasons across 9 teams, his legacy remains anchored in this franchise’s history. During his 2015 Padres Hall of Fame induction speech, he shared a powerful admission with fans: "If I could do it over again, I'd have stayed in San Diego. That's when I was happiest." Iconic Look: Santiago was instantly recognizable for trademark gold hoop earrings and a refusal to look like a traditional catcher, appearing more like a converted shortstop playing behind home plate. He brought a rare, lean athleticism to the position, often sporting shades while commanding the diamond. Swagger arrived when he stepped to the dish with high hands and a constant bat waggle, while signature curls showed from beneath his helmet. Benito snapping a throw from one knee remains an iconic centerpiece of defensive dominance throughout his era at Jack Murphy Stadium. The "Did You Know" Factor: Santiago possessed a rare burst of speed for a catcher. He remains Major League Baseball's only catcher to record a hitting streak of at least 30 games (34) and steal more than 20 bases (21) during a single campaign. This historic streak began with a three-run homer in late August and shattered the all-time rookie record that had stood since 1899. As the longest hitting streak for any catcher or rookie in major league history, it also stands as the Padres all-time record. This legendary run only concluded on the season's second-to-last day against Dodgers ace Orel Hershiser. 1B Adrian Gonzalez "A-Gon" "Gonzo" 2009 (6.9 WAR) AVG: .277 | H: 153 | R: 90 | 2B: 27 | HR: 40 | RBI: 99 | SB: 1 | BB: 119 | OPS: .958 3x NL All-Star (2008-2010) | 2x Gold Glove (2008-2009) | 4x Padres Team MVP (2006, 2008-2010) | NL Player of the Week (5/31, 8/17) | HR Derby Participant The Five Pillars of Gonzo Innovation: González revolutionized expectations for Padres first basemen by pairing elite power with technical defensive mastery. He utilized a repeatable swing to weaponize Petco Park’s gaps, refusing to be neutralized by the "Marine Layer." He evolved the modern slugger role through elite discipline, setting a franchise record with eight consecutive multi-walk games. Defensively, he redefined the position with a "sweeping" stretch that provided an unrivaled radius. This 2009 masterclass resulted in a career-high .996 fielding percentage. Impact: Gonzo shattered the narrative that Petco Park was a power hitter’s graveyard. By becoming the first franchise player to reach 40 home runs while calling Petco home—hitting 12 at home and 28 on the road—he provided a massive statistical impact. In a stadium designed to suppress offense, his ability to drive the ball made him a singular force; he led the Major Leagues with 119 BB as managers adjusted strategies to avoid him. He finished with 27 more home runs than any teammate, carrying the offensive identity. This production earned him a career-high 162 OPS+. Legend: Gonzalez remains the ultimate San Diego success story—the local standout who lived out the dream of becoming the face of his hometown franchise. His legend is rooted in community connection; he was a native son carrying the weight of the city. In 2009, he became the first San Diego native named an All-Star and Gold Glove winner in the same season for the club. His icon status was cemented by his mentorship of the Park View Little League team and his local foundation. He finished 2009 having played a franchise-best 314 consecutive games. Iconic Look: Representing the peak of 2000s style, Gonzalez's look was defined by long, "pajama-style" pants draped over his cleats. Unlike the high-socks tradition of past icons, Adrian’s silhouette was distinctly modern. This relaxed, low-cuff style became synonymous with his calm demeanor and elite flexibility at first base. The defining visual of 2009 was Gonzalez fully extended in the dirt, his pants stretching as he executed a perfect backhand scoop. Punctuated by a signature one-handed, high-finish home run follow-through. The "Did You Know" Factor: The ultimate testament to Gonzalez’s makeup was the fear he struck into opposing managers. In 2009, he led MLB with 119 BB, including a staggering 22 intentional passes. He set a franchise record with eight consecutive multi-walk games, proving he refused to chase pitches out of the zone. This discipline was balanced by a rare ability to punish pitchers when challenged; on August 11, 2009, Gonzalez became the first player in franchise history to go 6-for-6 in a 9-inning game. These six hits solidified his place in history. 2B Mark Loretta "Get Back" 2004 (6.4 WAR) AVG: .335 | H: 208 | R: 108 | 2B: 47 | HR: 16 | RBI: 76 | SB: 5 | BB: 58 | OPS: .886 NL All-Star (2004) | Silver Slugger (2004) | 2x Padres Team MVP (2003-2004) The Five Pillars of Get Back Innovation: Loretta utilized a technical approach centered on pitch recognition. He trained his eyes with a high-velocity tennis ball machine, reading colored numbers on balls fired at 150 mph. This discipline resulted in a 6.3% strikeout rate, with only 45 strikeouts in 707 plate appearances. By mastering the two-strike count, Loretta acted as a human hit-and-run machine, dismantling defensive shifts years before they became a league standard. His ability to manipulate the bat head made him the ultimate tactical weapon in a contact-starved era. Impact: Loretta’s 2004 campaign drove the Padres' first winning season in six years. Moving into Petco Park, he proved he could conquer the "Marine Layer" by hitting through it. While others struggled with the park's dimensions, Loretta thrived as a road warrior, batting .368 away from San Diego. His 208 hits and 47 doubles provided the steady production that allowed the franchise to transition from rebuilding into a playoff contender. He finished 9th in NL MVP voting, serving as the most consistent offensive force in the league. Legend: As a Southern California native, Loretta’s legacy is that of a permanent franchise fixture. His .314 career average as a Padre is the second-highest in team history behind Tony Gwynn, and his 208 hits in 2004 are the highest single-season total by any player not named Gwynn. Now serving as a Special Assistant to the club, his technical mastery remains part of the organizational DNA. He bridged the gap between the Gwynn era and the modern generation, proving elite contact hitting still had a home in San Diego long after the stadium changed. Iconic Look: The groove of "Low Rider" by War remains the definitive auditory memory of Loretta’s tenure, echoing through Petco Park before every plate appearance. Visually, his short swing and compact stance were technical trademarks, representing a blue-collar precision that matched the city's ethos. A creature of habit, he paired this surgical approach with a signature black-and-tan SSK fielding glove and a specialized thin-handle bat. Whether turning a slick double play or spraying a line drive to right, his mechanics were perfectly repeatable. The "Did You Know" Factor: Mark Loretta joins Tony Gwynn as the only players in Padres history to record 200+ hits in a season. In 2004, he finished 3rd in the NL Batting Race, trailing only Barry Bonds and Todd Helton—placing him among the greatest offensive forces in history. His ability to put the ball in play was nearly unparalleled, averaging one strikeout for every 15 at-bats. This elite contact rate, combined with 47 doubles, made him one of only three second basemen in the last 20 years to win a Silver Slugger while recording over 200 hits. SS Fernando Tatis Jr. "El Niño" "Bebo" "Nando" "Tati" 2021 (7.3 WAR) AVG: .282 | H: 135 | R: 99 | 2B: 31 | HR: 42 | RBI: 97 | SB: 25 | BB: 62 | OPS: .975 NL Home Run Leader (2021) | All-Star (NL Starter 2021) | 2x Silver Slugger (2020-2021) | 2x All-MLB First Team (2020-2021) | 2x Padres Team MVP (2019, 2021) | NL Player of the Month (May '21) | 2x NL Player of the Week (4/26, 6/27) The Five Pillars of El Niño Innovation: Tatis revolutionized the shortstop position by sacrificing traditional safety for explosive offensive output. His 7.3 WAR set a modern benchmark, demonstrating a power-speed combination never before seen in San Diego. By leaning into an aggressive range strategy, he reached balls that standard metrics deemed impossible, changing the geometry of the infield. He forced the league to account for a player who covered more ground than any shortstop in history while delivering the most dangerous bat in the lineup—a high-stakes evolution that turned the field's most difficult position into a platform for pure dominance. Impact: Beyond the stat sheet, his 2021 campaign set the franchise record for home runs by a shortstop. As the NL Home Run Leader, his presence altered how the division was managed, posting a 1.015 OPS and 24 home runs against NL West rivals. This production earned him a 3rd Place finish in the NL MVP voting, proving his status as a top-tier superstar despite missing significant time. This "division killer" status forced opposing managers to pitch around him at historic rates, providing the protection that stabilized the franchise’s identity during its modern resurgence. Legend: The legend of El Niño was cemented at Dodger Stadium. In 2021, Tatis tormented Los Angeles by hitting 7 home runs in their park—the most by any visitor in a single season. This included a monstrous 467-foot moonshot that completely cleared the stadium, making him only the fifth player in history to hit a ball entirely out of the yard. By recording three multi-home run games at Dodger Stadium in one season, he turned the rivalry’s biggest stage into a personal playground—homering on the exact 22nd anniversary of his father’s historic two-grand-slam inning in that very same building. Iconic Look: Flowing dreadlocks, oversized gold sunglasses, and custom-painted cleats—anchored by a signature hot pink arm sleeve worn to honor his mother—defined the visual brand of Tatis in 2021. This personal aesthetic was punctuated by the team’s spinning Swag Chain, blurring the line between high fashion and elite performance. The look was finalized by his trademark stutter-step as he rounded third base—a rhythmic skip that served as a psychological dagger to opponents. This move was so culturally dominant that its digital recreation became a benchmark for realism when he served as the cover athlete for MLB The Show 21, The "Did You Know" Factor: Tatis is the only player in Major League history to record 40+ home runs and 25+ stolen bases in a season while appearing in fewer than 135 games. This historic efficiency is underscored by his physical resilience, as he played through recurring shoulder instability that eventually forced a mid-season move to the outfield just to keep his bat in the lineup. Despite the physical toll, he averaged a home run every 11.4 at-bats—the highest rate in the majors—and joined Barry Bonds as the only players in history to amass 70+ HRs and 50+ SBs within their first 227 career games. 3B Ken Caminiti "Cammy" 1996 (7.6 WAR) AVG: .326 | H: 178 | R: 109 | 2B: 37 | HR: 40 | RBI: 130 | SB: 11 | BB: 78 | OPS: 1.028 1996 NL MVP (Unanimous) | 2x NL All-Star (1996-1997) | 3x Gold Glove (1995-1997) | Silver Slugger (1996) | Sporting News MLB Player of the Year | Players Choice NL Outstanding Player | 2x NL Player of the Month (Aug/Sept '96) | Padres Hall of Fame (2016) The Five Pillars Of Cammy Innovation: Ken Caminiti weaponized third base with physical intimidation, transforming the Padres' defensive identity. In 1996, he pioneered a high-risk style that essentially closed off the diamond's left side. He famously ignored conventional "safe" mechanics, utilizing a raw, slingshot arm to record outs from impossible angles—most notably his "sitting down" strike to first base. Offensively, he revolutionized modern switch-hitting, setting a Major League record by homering from both sides of the plate in four different games during the '96 campaign. He proved a third baseman could be both the primary defensive shield and the league's most explosive offensive engine simultaneously. Impact: The 1996 season was a scorched-earth campaign that dragged the franchise into the National League's elite tier. Caminiti became the first player in Padres history to homer in an All-Star Game, signaling to the league that San Diego was no longer an underdog. His production was historically concentrated when the pennant race was most volatile; he hit an unthinkable .363 with 28 home runs and 82 RBIs after the break. His 130 RBIs that year remain the highest single-season total in franchise history. As the only unanimous MVP in team history, he established a 1.028 OPS that remains the franchise's single-season "Gold Standard." Legend: The legend of Cammy is the "Snickers Game" in Monterrey, Mexico. Seconds before a crucial rubber game against the Mets, Cammy lay on the locker room floor of Bruce Bochy's office receiving two liters of IV fluids to combat severe food poisoning. He looked like a man who belonged in a hospital, not a batter's box. Instead, he demanded a Snickers bar for a sugar boost, unwrapped it as he walked toward the dugout, and proceeded to launch two titanic home runs in an 8-0 shutout. This showed his teammates that as long as Cammy was breathing, the Padres would not lose. Iconic Look: Cammy was a visual titan, bringing a football mentality to the baseball diamond. He was "death personified" in a dirt-caked jersey and signature heavy white wrist tape, playing through a torn rotator cuff that he refused to acknowledge until the season ended. His look was defined by the navy-pinstriped home whites, a pine-tarred helmet, and the physique of a heavyweight prizefighter. Whether diving into the stands or sliding headfirst to break up a double play, he played as the ultimate gamer with zero regard for his own safety. Standing over the hot corner, his presence alone forced opposing runners to second-guess every lead they took. The "Did You Know" Factor: While power was his calling card, Caminiti’s 1996 season was a masterclass in tactical leadership. He led the National League with 10 sacrifice flies, underscoring an obsession with manufacturing runs at any cost. Beyond the box score, Caminiti was the emotional architect of the clubhouse, often providing personal funds to teammates and strangers facing medical crises. He was a warrior to the media, but a guardian to his peers. In August 1996 alone, he posted an .844 slugging percentage—a four-week stretch of hitting that remains among the most dominant months in sports history, cementing a legacy of raw brutality and quiet generosity. View the full article

The 2026 MLB season is right around the corner, and we're looking to expand our video coverage. Have you ever considered being on-camera and talking about the Blue Jays? If yes, we'd love to talk to you about it. Our videos are typically in a wide variety of styles: breaking news, analysis, and historical study. We're open to any and all ideas as long as they're centered around the Toronto Blue Jays. We're looking for serious baseball talk, so leave the hot takes at home. If you'd like to learn more about this cool little side gig, please email Brock Beauchamp at brock.beauchamp@jayscentre.com. Here is an example of a recent Blue Jays video from us: View the full article

The 2026 MLB season is right around the corner, and we're looking to expand our video coverage. Have you ever considered being on-camera and talking about the Red Sox? If yes, we'd love to talk to you about it. Our videos are typically in a wide variety of styles: breaking news, analysis, and historical study. We're open to any and all ideas as long as they're centered around the Boston Red Sox. We're looking for serious baseball talk, so leave the hot takes at home. If you'd like to learn more about this cool little side gig, please email Brock Beauchamp at brock.beauchamp@talksox.com. Here is an example of a recent Red Sox video from us: View the full article

Kris Bubic’s tenure in Kansas City has been complicated. Bubic made his debut in the pandemic-shortened season in 2020, where he started 10 games and posted a 4.32 ERA. His performance was respectable for a rookie, but not necessarily indicative of becoming the centerpiece of a rotation. In his 2021 season, Bubic posted similar stats with a 4.43 ERA in 130 innings. In that season, he showed signs of being effective in a hybrid role. In the nine appearances where he did not start, Bubic was used following an opener as a starter/long reliever hybrid pitcher. Out of the bullpen, he gave up nine earned runs in 26 1/3 innings, good for a 3.08 ERA, which was noticeably better than his 4.77 ERA as a starter. A bigger indicator of his performance as a starter versus a reliever would be his OPS against. As a starter, batters hit for an .823 OPS against him, but batters only hit for an OPS of .598 when he came out of the bullpen. In 2022, Bubic struggled as a full-time starter, posting a 5.58 ERA in 129 innings. He averaged fewer than five innings per start and struggled once he got through the lineup a third time. Batters hit for an OPS of .989 in their third plate appearance against Bubic in 2022. In 2023, had a decent start to the season with a 3.94 ERA in three starts and was showing signs of improvement, but he missed the rest of the 2023 season to undergo Tommy John surgery. After his rehab, Bubic joined the team in July of 2024 and made 27 relief appearances, never pitching more than two innings in an outing. He graded at above the 90th percentile in his key statcast metrics, reflected in his TJStats summary below. In 2025, Bubic won a spot on the starting rotation with some small regression in his metrics (TJStats summary below for his 2025 season), which is to be expected when moving from the bullpen to the rotation. In his 20 starts last season, he had a career-best 2.55 ERA over 116 1/3 innings. He also earned a career-best 3.1 fWAR and earned his first All-Star Game appearance. However, at the end of July, he suffered a rotator cuff strain that shut him down for the season despite not needing surgery. After suffering his second major injury, what does 2026 look like for Bubic? The Royals may have an opportunity to use Bubic in a creative way in 2026, and maybe 2021 could serve as the blueprint. This approach could be a way to preserve Bubic’s health and take advantage of the Royals’ strength in rotation depth, particularly if Bubic is still not fully recovered at the start of the season. While last season Bubic improved in his ability to go deeper into games, averaging 5.8 innings per start, scaling back his workload could be beneficial. One option would be to pair Bubic with Ryan Bergert, who averaged fewer than five innings per start, or Stephen Kolek as another hybrid starter. Pairing either of them with Bubic would also mean that the Royals would be pairing a right-handed pitcher with Bubic as a lefty. This could prove useful if the Royals face a team that is platoon-heavy. This plan would also allow the Royals to keep one of Bergert or Kolek on the major league roster following their strong performances in Kansas City after being acquired from San Diego at the 2025 trade deadline. Bergert, in particular, saw much less success against batters once the opposing lineup got to their third plate appearance. Batters jumped from having a .587 OPS in their first plate appearance to a .841 OPS by their third plate appearance. Pairing him with another starter and limiting his exposure could help mitigate that weakness. In addition to the benefit of Bubic not needing to overextend and hopefully allowing him the opportunity to pitch for a full season, pairing two starters would allow the bullpen a planned day of rest. There is a chance both pitchers could struggle and not last a combined nine innings, but that risk may be worth taking if it helps the Royals keep their rotation healthy. The tradeoff, however, would be carrying one less reliever in the bullpen, making bullpen management critical. There is precedent for this approach. The Milwaukee Brewers experimented with a version of this idea in 2025, with DL Hall and Quinn Priester piggybacking for a single start on three occasions, all of which resulted in a Brewers victory. In each of those games, Hall, who is normally a long reliever, would start and pitch three innings, then Priester, normally a starter, would pitch five or six innings of relief. Despite its success when used, this strategy was used sparingly by the Brewers. While this concept may sound good in theory, would it work in practice? Bubic is coming off a career year despite it being shortened by injury. He is also entering his last season of arbitration before free agency. It is also important to mention that Bubic and the Royals still have not agreed to a salary for the 2026 season and are headed to an arbitration hearing. It has been well reported that players often leave arbitration hearings feeling hurt. It is tough to hear your employer tell the arbitrator how bad they are, then go and play that season as if that never happened. For Bubic, being asked to transition to a hybrid role after an arbitration hearing, during his walk year, could be difficult... Being constrained to a hybrid role would hurt his value in the free-agent market and potentially limit his ability to earn a larger contract. There is certainly a scenario where Bubic does not accept a limited role. This offseason, the only free agent relievers who signed for more than $10 million per year are closers, and the only starting pitchers who are earning below that mark are pitchers who have recently struggled or are at the end of their careers. In order to maximize his earnings, Bubic would ideally want to remain a starter. All of this could be moot because the Royals could choose to trade Bubic before the season starts. The Royals have been open about their willingness to trade from their pitching depth to acquire an impact bat for their lineup. As free agents slowly come off the market, teams may be more willing to trade for a pitcher like Bubic. Given that Bubic is soon to be a free agent, the Royals might want to trade him now before losing him for nothing. If the Royals end up keeping Kris Bubic for the 2026 season, it would be wise for them to prioritize his health so that he can pitch for the entire season. His experience in the bullpen could make him a logical candidate to come in for long relief and work in tandem with someone like Bergert or Kolek. However, both the Royals and Bubic should be careful not to drop Bubic’s value in the case of him looking for a payday in the offseason or the Royals needing to find a trade partner at the deadline. View the full article

Several players who were planning to suit up for this year’s World Baseball Classic have been forced to withdraw from the tournament, just days before final rosters are due. The (frustrating and disappointing) reason? Insurance. To participate in the WBC, MLB players must be approved for an insurance policy – unless their team is willing to absorb all financial risk in case of injury. If granted, these policies cover up to two years of salary for position players and up to four years for pitchers (per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich). The list of names that have dropped out of the WBC includes, among others, Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, and Toronto Blue Jays right-hander José Berríos. Berríos is a true veteran of the tournament, having pitched in each of the last three Classics. While he hasn't had much individual success (13.98 ERA in five WBC appearances), he was a member of the runner-up Puerto Rico teams in both 2013 and 2017. His insurance case is currently under review, according to Puerto Rico’s operations manager Joey Sola, but right now, it’s looking like he’ll have to sit out the WBC for the first time in his career. It seems unlikely the Blue Jays would be willing to let him play without insurance. Berríos has long been one of MLB’s most durable arms, but he landed on the injured list last season for the first time in his career. The Blue Jays placed him on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation on September 25, and he was unable to pitch in the playoffs. He later told MLB Network that he suffered through elbow and biceps issues “all year long,” clarifying that it was biceps tendon inflammation that ultimately forced him to the shelf. Thankfully, the righty described the issue as “nothing major.” Indeed, GM Ross Atkins told reporters in November that Berríos would have a “completely normal offseason.” The Blue Jays expect him to be at 100% in spring training as he competes for a job in their starting rotation. Until recently, it seemed like a given that a healthy Berríos would also pitch in the World Baseball Classic. A strong performance might have even helped him earn a rotation spot. “I want to pitch in the WBC,” he said in his December appearance on MLB Network. “That's my goal right now.” Puerto Rico has been hit harder by insurance rejections than any other team, leading José Quiles, president of the Puerto Rico Baseball Federation, to contemplate pulling his team from the tournament. He told journalist Jay Fonseca that no final decision has been made, but he does not want to participate if his team does not have a fair chance to win. This news is especially disappointing considering that Puerto Rico’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan is set to host Pool A for the first round of competition. Venezuelan infielder Miguel Rojas, another would-be participant who was denied insurance, voiced his displeasure that insurance rejections have impacted Latin American teams, like Venezuela and Puerto Rico, more than any others. “There's a lot of things I would like to talk about with someone in control, with someone from MLB,” the veteran told ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez. Hopefully, MLB, the MLBPA, and the WBC will find a solution that allows more players to participate and prevents Puerto Rico from exiting the tournament. However, the clock is ticking. Official rosters are due February 3, and they will be formally announced on February 5. Pool play is scheduled to kick off a month later. Blue Jays who are still expected to play in the WBC include Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Dominican Republic), Alejandro Kirk (Mexico), Kazuma Okamoto (Japan), Ernie Clement (USA), Yariel Rodríguez (Cuba), Adam Macko (Canada), and Leo Jiménez (Panama). George Springer was named to Puerto Rico's preliminary roster but later backed out due to minor injury concerns of his own. View the full article