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That might sound like a joke at first. Baseball players do not suddenly lose height over the offseason. But thanks to a new league-wide measurement system tied to the Automated Ball Strike challenge system, several members of the Minnesota Twins are officially a little shorter this spring. If this feels like a throwback, it should. Anyone who has been around a high school roster sheet remembers how flexible listed heights could be. Players stood a little taller, wore their cleats, and rounded up an inch or two when no one was looking. That era is effectively over at the major-league level. With the implementation of ABS, accuracy is no longer optional. Why MLB Suddenly Cares About Exact Height The ABS challenge system is coming to the big leagues, after several seasons of testing in the minors. Rather than relying solely on the home plate umpire, teams will now be able to challenge certain ball-or-strike calls, with a computer-generated strike zone determining the result. That strike zone is not one-size-fits-all. It's customized to each hitter, based on their height. The top and bottom of the zone are calculated using a player’s stance and physical measurements, which means even the smallest discrepancy can impact whether a pitch is ruled a ball or a strike. When you consider that some calls come down to the stitches of the ball, precision becomes critical. That's why MLB has standardized the measuring process in a way the sport has never seen before. Players are now measured without shoes or hats, with heels together, knees visible, backs against the wall, and no slouching allowed. Even the timing matters. Teams must conduct measurements between 10 AM and noon local time to minimize natural height variation throughout the day. “Because people shrink over the course of a day,” said Brewers assistant GM Will Hudgins, the club’s point man on ABS. “I’m not entirely sure how much, but I’ve been told that enough times to believe that it is scientifically true.” In other words, MLB is eliminating every possible variable. The Twins Who Got a Little Shorter With the new system in place, several Twins saw their official listings tick down by an inch. This compares their 2025 listed heights on MLB.com to their current 2026 listed heights. Ryan Jeffers goes from 6-foot-3 to 6-foot-2. Brooks Lee shifts from 6-foot-1 to 6 feet. Byron Buxton drops from 6-foot-2 to 6-foot-1. Gabriel Gonzalez moves from 5-foot-11 to 5-foot-10. Austin Martin also slides from 5-foot-11 to 5-foot-10. None of these changes are dramatic, but they are telling. Across the league, players are almost universally being measured slightly shorter than their previously listed heights. It's less about shrinking, and more about finally being measured the same way across all 30 organizations. Over the weekend, Alex Bregman’s height was the one being most circulated. Two seasons ago, his height was listed as 6 feet. Last season, he dipped to 5-foot-11, and he enters the 2026 season an inch shorter than that. Why It Matters More Than You Think It would be easy to dismiss this as a quirky footnote of spring training, but it ties directly into how games will be decided. A slightly lower top of the strike zone for a player like Buxton could turn a borderline high fastball into a ball instead of a strike. Over the course of a season, those margins add up. ABS has already passed through multiple iterations in the minor leagues, where players and teams have become comfortable with the challenge system and the technology behind it. As it reaches MLB this season, the expectation is that the process will be smoother, even if it still invites debate. And debate is inevitable. Strike zones have always been part science and part art. Now, the league is leaning harder into the science than ever before. Baseball has always been described as a game of inches. This season, that idea becomes more literal than ever. The Twins are not actually shrinking. But thanks to a stricter, more consistent measuring system tied directly to the strike zone, they and the rest of the league are being defined with greater precision. In a sport where a fraction of an inch can change an at-bat, that's one of the most important changes of all. How much do you think changes in heights will impact ball and strike calls this year? Are you looking forward to the ABS system? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

The Toronto Blue Jays have made two decisions regarding their Opening Day bullpen. 35-year-old Tommy Nance has made the team, while 2024 Rule 5 draft pick Angel Bastardo has been left off. Nance has struggled this spring, throwing 5 1/3 innings while posting a 6.75 ERA and an 11.1 walk percentage. However, he doesn't have any minor league options. Without an option, and given his strong performance last season (1.99 ERA and 1.01 WHIP over 31 2/3 innings), the right-handed reliever would likely have been selected off waivers by another team if the Blue Jays had designated him for assignment to try to send him down to the minors. Bastardo missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. Because he was a Rule 5 selection, not making the team means the Blue Jays must return him to his original team, the Boston Red Sox. Injuries to Trey Yesavage and José Berríos, forcing them to miss the start of the season, have moved Eric Lauer to a starting role. This situation left an additional open spot in the bullpen that Bastardo looked to be a possibility to fill. However, he has had an up-and-down spring training, posting a 4.70 ERA over seven 2/3 innings with a 15.2 strikeout percentage and an abysmal 21.2 walk percentage. Since Bastardo missed last season, the Jays would need to keep him on their 26-man roster for 90 days before they could option him. This requirement, along with Yesavage's expected return shortly after the season begins, means the Blue Jays are better off just cutting ties with Bastardo now and focusing on the relievers who can help the team all season. With two open spots in the bullpen, Mason Fluharty will fill one spot. He will join Brendon Little as Toronto's second lefty reliever while Lauer is in the rotation. Little was the only consistent left-handed presence in last year's bullpen; Fluharty and fellow southpaw Justin Bruihl had their ups and downs, while Lauer moved between the rotation and the 'pen. The team won't want Little to have too big a workload to start the season, and Fluharty's addition will help relieve the pressure on Little. Blue Jays insider Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet has reported that the final spot in the bullpen is between Chase Lee and Spencer Miles. Lee came over in an offseason trade with the Detroit Tigers because the Tigers needed to open a roster spot for Kyle Finnegan. Lee offers the Blue Jays MLB experience, having thrown 37 1/3 innings last season with a 4.10 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. He also offers a different look with his -4 degree sidearm angle. The sidearmer has been impressive in a short spring stint, not allowing a run over six innings, but he did walk two batters while only striking out four. Miles was a 2025 Rule 5 selection from the San Francisco Giants, which means he will need to spend the entire season on the Blue Jays' 26-man roster or else be sent back to the Giants. He was selected in the 2022 MLB Draft, but missed the 2023 season after undergoing back surgery. The righty returned in 2024, but only made five appearances before requiring Tommy John surgery due to a right flexor strain. Miles made his return in the Arizona Fall League last year at the conclusion of the minor league season. He threw eight 2/3 innings, posting a 4.15 ERA, but he struck out 12 batters while only walking one. This spring, he has made a case to make his MLB debut. Miles produced a 3.72 ERA over nine 2/3 innings and had a 23.9 strikeout percentage. However, he's struggled with his control, walking batters at a 10.9 percent clip and posting a 1.66 WHIP. Zwelling said both players will travel to Toronto Monday night, and the club expects to make the final decision by Wednesday afternoon. Lee's experience and shutout spring performance may give him the edge, but with Miles making it to the final cut, the Blue Jays must see something they like. Lee's availability to be optioned to Triple A hurts his case, as Toronto can keep both players if he is sent down. If this plays out with Lee being demoted, the sidearmer will still play a role in the Blue Jays bullpen at some point this season. View the full article

The Boston Red Sox have seemingly decided upon their bench for Opening Day, as Nate Eaton has been optioned to Triple-A Worcester according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo. Eaton was in a competition with Andruw Monasterio for the final bench spot, but in the end, it was Monasterio who won it. What may have swung the decision towards Monasterio was his ability to play second base and the potential to platoon with Marcelo Mayer by hitting left-handed pitching well. Eaton signed as a minor league free agent prior to the 2025 season and played well enough to garner a call up to Boston. In 41 games with the big-league club, Eaton hit .296/.348/.383 with four doubles, one home run, four RBIs, and nine stolen bases. He can also play all three outfield positions and third base will provide excellent depth in Worcester. He will likely be one of the first players called up should injury or inconsistent play occur. The Red Sox's bench now should look as such come Opening Day: Connor Wong, Masataka Yoshida, Andruw Monasterio, and Isiah Kiner-Falefa. In other roster-related news, Ryan Watson was informed Monday that he made the team. Watson was a Rule 5 pick over the winter and was required to be on the active roster in order to remain with Boston. In response, Boston optioned Tyler Samaniego to Worcester per MassLive's Chris Cotillo. The roster is nearly complete, as the only spots remaining is who out of Johan Oviedo, Connelly Early, and Payton Tolle will be the final member of the rotation and who might be the final bullpen arm. View the full article

Signing relievers to multi-year deals is not typically part of the Cubs' team-building plan. Even a modest two-year commitment to Phil Maton this winter was a relatively significant investment, by Jed Hoyer's standards; he prefers to cobble together a relief corps without using up a meaningful share of his total resources. It might be worth making Daniel Palencia the exception to that rule. The Cubs' closer, 26, is still five years from reaching free agency based on service time. However, he'll reach arbitration eligibility next winter. He had 22 saves last year, and will probably save more games this season. The arbitration system infamously underpays middle relievers, but rewards those who rack up high saves totals. Palencia is in line, absent any change, to go through the arbitration process four times, and his salary will rise steeply because of his role. Instead of risking seeing him push toward an eight-figure salary by 2030 and being in a position where his earning power diminishes their interest in retaining him, the Cubs could lock Palencia up right now, to an exceptionally team-friendly deal. He only received a $10,000 signing bonus when he joined the Athletics organization in 2020. As a reliever, he has to reckon with the inherent volatility of his role, and unlike most big-leaguers, he's not set for life. A contract extension for Palencia wouldn't need to include massive guarantees. Instead, the Cubs could lock up Palencia for the balance of his five years of team control, and add one or two club options that would extend their control. The cost would be trivial, from the team's perspective. Here's one possible structure: 2026: $1 million + $2-million signing bonus 2027: $2.5 million 2028: $4 million 2029: $5.5 million 2030: $7 million 2031: $11 million - club option with $1-million buyout 2032: $12 million - club option with $2-million buyout This structure would guarantee Palencia $23 million, with the opportunity to earn as much as $45 million if the team options are exercised. It's not dissimilar from the deal to which Cleveland signed now-disgraced closer Emmanuel Clase in early 2022. That deal also included incentives, which Palencia's could, too, but he doesn't have quite as strong a track record as Clase had when he signed, and the Cubs have more leverage over Palencia (based on his age and amateur signing bonus) than the Guardians had with Clase, so the incentives could be muted. A deal like this would ensure that the Cubs don't end up owing huge money to Palencia in 2029 or 2030. It's not terribly uncommon for high-end relievers to reach eight figures in arbitration, especially if they become Super Two-eligible, as Palencia will next winter. Astros closer Josh Hader made over $25 million in his final two years of arbitration, alone, and got $4.1 million in his first year as a Super Two guy. Palencia, again, is not quite on Hader's level, but that illustrates how much a closer can rack up money via arbitration. The Cubs have every incentive to gain some cost certainty, given their lack of power arms waiting in the wings in the minors. Palencia, for his part, would have a hard time passing up over $20 million in guaranteed money, since he's one elbow surgery from ending up as a free agent next winter with less than $2 million in total career earnings. Although deals with Pete Crow-Armstrong, Nico Hoerner or others would be more impactful, the Cubs could secure Palencia's services pretty cheaply, and it could resolve some of their perennial uncertainty in the bullpen without eating into their ability to do anything else. The two sides should be talking, and try to hammer out a deal before Opening Day. View the full article

When Spring Training ends, the preparation for the regular season's start, and the roster accounting that entails brings for a spontaneous explosion of Injured List assignments. Many of these players had likely been injured for weeks or more, but as it all had gone largely unreported on, the effect is that of a meteor collision striking down in St. Lucie tearing menisci and rupturing hamstrings all over town at once. And the depth chart fans had counted on is thrown into dissaray. Transactions, 3/16/2026 "table { margin: 2px; width: auto; border: 1px solid black;} th { padding: 2px; line-height: 1; max-width: 90px; border: 3px solid black; font-family: ""Arial"", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; background-color: #000000; } td { padding: 6px; line-height: 1; max-width: 90px; border: 3px solid black; font-family: ""Arial"", sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;}" GOING Released Outfielder Hector Francis L/L DoB: 39366 High Level: MLB (2025) When a minor-leaguer gets released mid-camp, one wonders what infraction he triggered. Did he sleep through a wake-up call and miss a bus? Did he cross the wrong coach at the wrong time? Fall down during a drill. While any of that might be possible in the case of Hector Francis, the truth is that a .153 batting average in 67 Dominican Summer League plate appearances is not the guarantee of future employment it used to be. Maybe young Hector was not at very bottom of the list of paid servants of the House of Wilpon, but he was probably at low end of the outfielder totem pole. And that, sadly, led to him being sent home early. Without so much as a thumbnail photo in circulation to represent his brief career. And now, on to the end-of-camp triage report. End of Camp IL Assignments 03/18/26 Binghamton Rumble Ponies placed RHP Joshua Cornielly on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 Brooklyn Cyclones placed LHP Ryan Ammons on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 Brooklyn Cyclones placed SS Boston Baro on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 Brooklyn Cyclones placed RHP Austin Troesser on the full-season injured list. 03/18/26 Brooklyn Cyclones placed RHP Owen Woodward on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 Brooklyn Cyclones placed LHP Eli Ankeney on the full-season injured list. 03/18/26 FCL Mets placed RHP Peter Kussow on the full-season injured list. 03/18/26 FCL Mets placed RHP Peyton Prescott on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 FCL Mets placed C Daniel Silva on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 St. Lucie Mets placed RHP Ethan Lanthier on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 St. Lucie Mets placed RHP Edgar Moreta on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 St. Lucie Mets placed RHP Jace Hampson on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 St. Lucie Mets placed SS Trey Snyder on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 St. Lucie Mets placed RHP Candido Cuevas on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 Syracuse Mets placed RHP Kevin Herget on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 Syracuse Mets placed RHP Robert Stock on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 Syracuse Mets placed 3B Grae Kessinger on the 60-day injured list. While Mets Roster Central researchers are hard at work trying to get to the bottom of who Peter Kossow is (was?), we can't help but feel that there is a lesson in here for you kids. If you want to be professional baseball player — if it's March 18, don't pick up the phone, don't check your e-mail, don't even check turn on the light switch if you can help it. View the full article

The Minnesota Twins made another round of spring roster cuts, optioning both Ryan Kreidler and Eric Wagaman to Triple-A as Opening Day draws closer. While neither move comes as a complete surprise, the decisions help clarify how the bench picture is forming under new manager Derek Shelton. Kreidler’s path to the roster always felt like a narrow one. Claimed off waivers from the Pittsburgh organization in October, he brought some familiarity for Shelton, who previously spent time with the Pirates. That connection made him an intriguing under-the-radar candidate to win a backup middle infield role, especially given his defensive versatility. Ultimately, the bat did not provide enough support for the glove. Kreidler appeared in 17 spring games and went 6-for-39, good for a .154 average, with one home run and an 11-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The broader offensive track record paints a similar picture. Across 89 career big-league games, he owns a .383 OPS, which translates to an 11 OPS+. That level of production makes it difficult to justify a roster spot unless the defensive value is elite, and even then, there are limits to how much a team can carry offensively. Wagaman’s case is a bit different, but the result is the same. Acquired in early January in a trade that sent left-handed reliever Kade Bragg to Miami, Wagaman brought a more balanced offensive profile. He logged 140 games for the Marlins last season and hit .250/.296/.378 (.674). His 28 doubles and nine home runs helped him post an 86 OPS+, suggesting he can at least provide some pop off the bench. This spring, Wagaman showed flashes of that ability, going 10-for-39 with one home run and a 13-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 18 games. Still, without the same defensive upside as Kreidler, he needed to clearly separate himself offensively. That did not quite happen, leaving him on the outside looking in as the Twins finalized their bench mix. All signs now point to Orlando Arcia securing a spot on the Opening Day roster. The veteran infielder and former All-Star brings a longer track record and the ability to handle shortstop behind Brooks Lee. Even with a difficult 2025 season that saw him post a 42 OPS+ and -1.2 rWAR across 76 games between Atlanta and Colorado, Minnesota appears willing to bet on experience and defensive reliability in a reserve role. There is still time for things to shift at the margins, but this decision signals a clear preference from the Twins coaching staff. They are prioritizing stability up the middle while keeping additional depth in Triple-A should injuries or performance issues arise. In the end, both Kreidler and Wagaman remain part of the organizational picture. Each offers a different skill set that could become useful over the course of a long season. For now, though, the message is simple. The Twins are narrowing their focus, and the Opening Day roster is beginning to come into view. View the full article

Alex and Maddie sit down with NESN’s Jahmai Webster to discuss his path to becoming the sideline reporter for the Red Sox, what it was like getting a chance to interview Kobe Bryant as a young journalist, and a lot more stories that led him to where he is today. After the interview, Alex and Maddie give Greg Weissert his flowers and talk through why Jarren Duran is the best DH option for the team in 2026. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-talk-sox-podcast/id1783204104 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qPrPXEngu0CxgTmlf0ynm Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-talk-sox-podcast-244591331/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/4tmd121v View the full article

The San Diego Padres' farm system has everything from seasoned arms to up-and-coming backstops to support Ethan Salas in their top 10. Here are prospects no. 6 to 10, according to our Padres Mission writers. Learn all about the background, strengths, and weaknesses of the following players: Kale Fountain, Ryan Wideman, Ty Harvey, Humberto Cruz, and Jagger Haynes. View the full article

Any major-league starting pitcher wants to have a strong suit of pitches to select from when taking the mound. For the Royals' Kris Bubic, he's put together a strong suit to select from this season. Bubic, a left-hander, finished 2025 with a 2.89 FIP in 116 1/3 innings and 20 starts. He recorded 116 strikeouts, good for a 24.4% strikeout rate. He also finished a .277 wOBA, well below the baseball-wide average of .313. Now, entering the 2026 MLB season, Bubic wants to dig into his arsenal of pitches and make them all work together. But what does that arsenal look like? According to Baseball Savant, Bubic uses a four-seam fastball, a changeup, a sweeper, a slider, and a sinker to keep opposing hitters guessing. Per his Statcast Pitch Arsenal, Bubic uses his four-seamer the most at 38.1% of the time. Next is his changeup, which Bubic throws it 21.1% of the time. As for the sweeper and slider, he uses them 28.9% and 13.4% of the time, respectively. And the sinker? He's used that 6.5% of the time when he's on the mound. Let's break down how Bubic used his pitches against left-handed and right-handed hitters in 2025. Baseball Savant data indicate Bubic used his four-seamer 38% of the time, with 42% against right-handed hitters and 25% against left-handed hitters. Bubic used his changeup 21% of the time, with 27% against righties versus just 3% against lefties. Bubic saved his sweepers, sliders, and sinkers for left-handed hitters. His overall sweeper percentage was 21%, but against lefties, he threw it 26% of the time and 19% against right-handers. He used his slider 13% of the time in the 2025 MLB season, with 27% usage against lefties and 9% usage against righties. And the sinker? Bubic used it 7% of the time in 2025, with 19% versus lefties and 3% against righties. With these percentage breakdowns, Bubic has a chance to evaluate which pitches will prove effective in different situations. Ever since Bubic entered the majors back in 2020, he's shown a willingness to adjust his arm angle, too. When he first arrived for the Royals, he was throwing at a 45-degree arm angle. That dropped to a 37-degree angle in 2023, rose to a 41-degree angle in 2024, and dropped back to a 38-degree angle last season. Can Bubic put all of this data together for even better results in 2026? Royals manager Matt Quatraro and pitching coach Brian Sweeney sure hope so. And they really hope that Bubic can stay healthy, especially since he missed a chunk of the 2025 MLB season after dealing with his left rotator cuff strain. View the full article

Recent years across Major League Baseball have shown that you don't have to be an elite defensive team to make a deep playoff run. But it helps. The Toronto Blue Jays were the best defensive team in the league last year, according to Statcast's Fielding Run Value. They posted a mark of 44, which finished four runs ahead of the Chicago Cubs and 16 ahead of the third-place Cleveland Guardians. The Los Angeles Dodgers, meanwhile, ranked 18th in FRV at -1. Of course, they were also one of just three teams that scored over 800 runs in 2025, negating whatever advantage another team could have in the field. More than anything, quality defense helps a team to compensate on the margins for those periods where a different element of their game may not be producing in the way that it should. In the case of the Padres, the defensive component is now more essential than ever. Last year's offense was prone to down stretches, and while they've taken a volume approach that can keep the lineup afloat, they're working behind a starting pitching staff that's been cobbled together by past-their-prime veterans and non-roster invitees. As good as the bullpen may be, the variance at the plate combined with a shaky starting group will help to illustrate the importance of the defensive phase within the broader fortunes of the 2026 team. The Padres were 20th in the league in FRV last year -1. They were also below average in Outs Above Average (-7) but ranked in the top half of the league in Defensive Runs Saved (28). Each metric measures something different. OAA is about outs recorded and includes range as a factor. DRS is about runs prevented and lacks some of the nuance of a positional adjustment that OAA has. For our purpose, we'll utilize FRV due to its more comprehensive nature in examining a player range and arm, among other factors. This is how each projected Padre regular figured in the FRV game in 2025: Freddy Fermin (C): 0 FRV Jake Cronenworth (2B): -1 FRV Xander Bogaerts (SS): 7 FRV Manny Machado (3B): -4 FRV Ramón Laureano (LF): -5 FRV Jackson Merrill (CF): 5 FRV Fernando Tatis Jr. (RF): 9 FRV One of the things that makes FRV valuable as a defensive metric is that it includes catcher adjustments as part of its calculation (other metrics have a more difficult time integrating catchers). The Padres finished at -4 FRV as a catching group, which was largely held down by Martín Maldonado & Elías Díaz prior to the acquisition of Fermin ahead of last year's trade deadline. Even at exactly average, Fermin should represent a sizable improvement in the work behind the plate. Maldonado, in particular, was woeful in the metrics posted at catcher. He sat below average in blocking, throwing, and framing. Díaz was closer to average or slightly below in each regard. That means that on the merit of their starter alone, the Padres are looking at improvement behind the plate. It's when you look past the starter that things get a bit more questionable. In 2024, Luis Campusano caught enough innings to qualify for the defensive leaderboard. His FRV that year came in at -13, which tied with Shea Langeliers for the league's worst mark. His defense was bad enough that even a team as thin at the position as the Padres were last year essentially refused to give him a crack at regular work, electing to roll out the Maldonado-Díaz tandem for much of the year instead (despite the upside Campusano possesses at the plate). We'll have to see if a full spring within the context of being the for-sure backup yields anything positive, but given what the Padres seem to gain with Fermin as the No. 1, it may be difficult to compensate if he goes down or misses time. The middle infield doesn't represent a source of concern in the same way. Jake Cronenworth graded slightly below average in range and exactly average with his arm. Where he lost points in the FRV calculation was in his inability to turn double plays, where he finished at -2. There's some pretty stiff competition on the leaderboard in range at second base, but there are also some regulars held in higher esteem that were far worse off in the field than he was. Factor in the part where his running mate on the middle infield missed almost a full month while readjusting to a position that he hadn't played full-time in two years, and there's some optimism that he could be slightly back toward where he was pre-2023 (2 FRV). Speaking of names about which there is little worth being concerned about, Xander Bogaerts returns after missing most of September of last year with an injury. Since demonstrating marked improvement with the glove between the 2021 and 2022 seasons when he was still in Boston, Bogaerts has yet to post a season where he is below average in the eyes of the metrics. While his weaker arm pins him down a bit in the FRV calculations, his range is undeniable. That becomes a key component when you're talking about the potential area of concern to his right. After falling from 10 FRV to 0 between 2023 and 2024, Manny Machado dropped yet again in 2025. His -4 FRV was his worst since 2019, wrought by a poorly-graded arm that was also his lowest since that first year in San Diego. Last May, we wondered if there was a positioning factor at play in such a rapid regression. The conclusion at the time was that Machado's positioning had certainly changed and may have played a role in his regression. But we also were unsure of the reason for such a change. What we do know, however, is that it's something worth monitoring. Machado was better from that point on, with a -1 FRV from June through the end of the year, and a leadership change on the bench could have some impact on what positioning looks like for him. His body isn't what it used to be, so any chance to regain an advantage and capitalize on what remains a quality arm should help him to recover some value there. The Padres' outfield is more unique in this discussion, as two of their three spots are of no concern. Jackson Merrill has thrived with the glove, even when he's mired in an injury-riddled season like he was last year. Meanwhile, Fernando Tatis Jr. is one of the sport's premier defenders and has the hardware to back it up. Instead, the only real concern lies in the -5 FRV of Ramón Laureano, who is poised to handle full-time duty after being acquired from the Baltimore Orioles at last year's trade deadline. What's interesting about Laureano in left is that his inclusion on the leaderboard only accounts for his time post-deadline. Even so, his FRV was the worst among qualifying Padres defenders last year. And that's with an arm value that sits in the 92nd percentile among all MLB players. It's also important to acknowledge that defensive metrics rely heavily on sample size to find validity. It's hard to put too much stock in a 400-or-so inning sample. Nevertheless, that so much of his negative FRV is indicative of a range issue — something that was also problematic when his range accounted for -6 of his overall -2 FRV in 2024 — may not bode super well for improving on a position that ranked 15th in FRV last year. It's a much more enigmatic situation than the team has anywhere else on the field. Can playing next to Merrill help? Can the arm compensate more for the range over a full season? Either way, the fact that there's stability has to mean something on the defensive front against the rotating cast of characters left field saw last year. You will note that there has yet to be a discussion about first base as part of this larger exploration of team defense. That represents sort of an important position on the field in its need to effectively support the rest of the infield defenders. The fact is that this position is a complete wild card in matters of the San Diego Padres' defense in 2026. Each of Gavin Sheets, Nick Castellanos, and Miguel Andujar have either zero or minimal sample on which to hang their defensive hat. Other than a decent showing in a small sample from Sheets last year, there is simply no way of knowing where the numbers may end up in this position by the end of 2026. It's because of that that it becomes fairly difficult to state that the Padres can be a better defensive team in 2026 than they were last year. There are certainly things that indicate that they should be. Fermin and Laureano as full-time contributors, Cronenworth back in a full-time position, Machado's improvement after a brutal start, and Sung Mun Song's presence as a utility fielder all paint a rosier picture this time around. The defense should be, at worst, league average. First base, however, will have a lot to say about how far above or below they land on that threshold when it's all said and done. View the full article

Some players can make or break a season, and the 2026 Twins have a few names that fit that mold perfectly. From Royce Lewis’ upside to Luke Keaschall’s injury risk, and Anthony Banda’s high-pressure experience, these X-factors could determine how the season plays out. View the full article

Next in Talk Sox prospect rankings, we look at the group in the 11 through 15 range. What is Jake Bennett's upside? What position will Henry Godbout call home in the long run? These questions and more are answered in this video! Discussed in this video are prospects Yoeilin Cespedes, Henry Godbout, Johanfran Garcia, Jake Bennett, and Miguel Bleis. View the full article

Finally, the time has come to look at the top five prospects in the Milwaukee Brewers organization as voted on by contributors at Brewer Fanatic. Where will recent acquisitions Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat fall in the list? Additional players discussed in this video are Jesus Made, Luis Pena, and Cooper Pratt. View the full article

With their time in Arizona over and the Milwaukee Brewers returning to Wisconsin after more than a month of the desert warmth, it's time to reflect on what took place over the last six weeks. The biggest thing to note is that the Brewers appear to be pretty healthy going into Opening Day, which is Thursday at American Family Field against the Chicago White Sox. They're dealing with injuries, to be sure, but they're relatively few and minor, compared to other teams. Let's take a look at what happened in Arizona, picking out one starting pitcher, one reliever and one hitter who had good and bad springs. Who's Hot? ? Jake Bauers If you have an OPS of more than 1.700, you are simply en fuego. Welcome to the world of Bauers this spring. The first baseman/left fielder put together a slash line of .471/.581/1.147. How does that happen? Bauers, who came to life late in the 2025 season to provide an unexpected spark, went 16-for-34 with 6 homers and 8 RBIs. He walked seven times and struck out seven times. His 16 hits tied him with Andrew Vaughn for the most on the Crew, while the half-dozen homers led the team, and his walks were tied for second-most. He and Vaughn will share time at first base in the early going. Aaron Ashby Let the speculation continue. Of all of the Crew's pitchers who made multiple starts this spring, Ashby performed the best. A stalwart of the bullpen in recent years, this spring has once again raised the specter of Ashby being part of the rotation. In four games, including two starts, Ashby had a 1.17 ERA over 7⅔ innings, walking five and striking out eight. Ashby could be in line for more of a hybrid role this season, perhaps piggybacking with Brandon Woodruff as the grizzled right-hander slowly builds up his velocity and endurance. Ashby's versatility could be one of the most important aspects of the pitching staff this season. Jacob Waguespeck The skyscraping righty is one of those Brewers finds. Having spent 2022 and 2023 in Japan, he returned to the U.S. and joined the Tampa Bay Rays, pitching in an MLB game for the first time since 2020. But that only lasted four games, and he spent most of the year in the minors. That is also where he was most of 2025, when he dealt with injuries, a midseason release and then joining the Philadelphia Phillies. He latched on with the Crew this spring, and the 32-year-old turned in a 1.17 ERA in tying for the team lead with seven appearances. Waguespeck allowed three hits and two walks against seven strikeouts in 7⅔ innings to put himself in position to be a call-up this season. Who's Cold? ? Garrett Mitchell The center fielder had horrible numbers in camp, going 2-for-32 (.063/.189/.188) with 1 homer and 4 RBIs. On top of that, he struck out in 15 of the 30 at-bats in which he did not get a hit. Mitchell did draw a respectable five walks, at least. Even with those poor numbers, the 2020 first-round draft choice was given a spot on the Opening Day roster. Perhaps that's because of the talent he's shown (when healthy) in his three-plus seasons with the Crew. The obvious problem, though, is that Mitchell only played in 113 of 468 games from 2023-25. He flashes enormous potential when available, but various injuries have kept him from consistently showing his skills. Chad Patrick Figuring out why a pitcher struggles in spring training can be a futile effort. Sometimes a guy is working on a specific mechanical cue or tinkering with a grip to get things just right for the regular season. Is that what was going on with Patrick this spring? He capped Cactus League play by surrendering seven runs while reaching 87 pitches Sunday against the Chicago Cubs. As a caveat, Patrick was the only player from major-league camp who was left in Arizona as the team traveled back to Milwaukee. Still, he lasted just four innings, giving up six hits and two walks, while striking out four. It wasn't his only poor statistical outing, as he gave up six runs in his previous start to finish Cactus League play with an 11.68 ERA, including 8 walks in 12⅓ innings. Mark Manfredi We'll give the 2023 ninth-round draft choice a mulligan, considering this was his first major-league camp experience. Even so, the 26-year-old left-hander has progressed through the system quickly, spending 2024 at High-A Wisconsin and 2025 at Double-A Biloxi, notching a 3.30 ERA in 44 appearances and 60 innings. Given a shot to make an impression this spring, Manfredi appeared in five games and allowed four runs over four innings. He walked five and struck out five. It will be something to work off of in 2026, but for a guy on the old side to still be considered a prospect, it wasn't quite the springboard for which he might have hoped. View the full article

The Kansas City Royals, a team striving to rebound from the disappointment of missing the playoffs last year after a stunning return to postseason play in 2024, open their 2026 campaign against the Braves in Atlanta Friday night. Featuring as it will the two clubs’ respective aces — Cole Ragans for the Royals and Chris Sale for the Braves — the 6:15 p.m. CDT tilt at Truist Field sizes up as one not to be missed. And the first game of the year for both teams will also snap a trend to which Kansas City has become so accustomed. After opening at home for five straight seasons and nine of the past 11, the Royals are set to launch their newest pursuit of October baseball on the road. Ominously, the club lost its two most recent openers away from Kauffman Stadium — 7-1 at Minnesota in 2017, and 2-0 at Cleveland in 2020 — and hasn’t beaten an Opening Day host since edging Detroit 5-4 in 2008. How, though, did the Royals fare in their first-ever road opener? Answering that question requires turning the baseball clock back 55 years. The Royals Started on the Road for the First Time in 1971 After kicking off their inaugural 1969 campaign by beating the Twins at Kansas City’s old Municipal Stadium, and then losing the 1970 opener to Oakland at home, the Royals headed West to take on the then-California Angels on Opening Day in 1971. And things went well. The Royals won 4-1 to post the first victory of their third season. Leading the way was starter Dick Drago, an original Royal who went the distance and limited California to six scattered singles; although he struck out only two, he didn’t walk anyone, retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced, and put the Angels down in order five times. The only run he surrendered came on a fifth-inning passed ball. Drago won 16 more games that season, a total that would today challenge for the big league lead, but significantly trailed major league leader Mickey Lolich’s 25 in 1971. And in another sign of a bygone era, Drago’s 2.98 ERA wasn’t good enough to crack the majors’ top 10. He won at least 11 games in four of his five KC seasons and retired after the 1981 campaign following stops in Boston, California, and Seattle. Most responsible for giving Drago the offensive support he needed were second baseman Cookie Rojas and left fielder Lou Piniella. Piniella opened the top of the second with a single off California starter Clyde Wright, went to third on Bob Oliver’s single, and scored when Rojas beat out an infield single that gave KC its first run of the season and a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, Rojas scored what proved to be the winning run on Buck Martinez’s sacrifice fly to Tony Conigliaro in right. Piniella and Rojas struck again in the fourth. Piniella opened the frame with a double and, after Oliver bunted him to third, came home on Rojas’ sacrifice fly to left fielder Alex Johnson. Kansas City scored once more when third baseman Paul Schaal drove in Amos Otis with a single. Otis and Rojas went on to make the American League All-Star team that year. The Game Featured Three Future Royals Club Hall of Famers KC’s 1971 Opening Day lineup included Rojas, Otis, and shortstop Freddie Patek, all of whom also later became members of the team’s Hall of Fame. Rojas spent half of his 16-year big league career with the Royals before retiring after the 1977 season. Patek played nine of his 14 big league campaigns in Kansas City and didn’t play after 1981 with the Angels, and Otis, a Royal for all but three of his 17 major league seasons, played for the last time in 1984 with Pittsburgh. How Did the Royals Fare the Rest of the 1971 Season? It was a historic campaign — the Royals went 85-76 to notch the first winning season in franchise history. But the A’s, whose departure from Kansas City after the 1967 season paved the way for the Royals to bring baseball back to Municipal Stadium in 1969, were simply too good and finished 16 games ahead of second-place KC in the AL West. The season was the Royals’ best until 1973, when they won 88 times but again ended up second to Oakland in the West. Kansas City didn’t clinch its first division title and playoff berth until 1976. View the full article

Opening Day is always about possibility: a fresh start, a clean slate, and the belief that anything can happen. This year, the Twins Daily Social Club is adding even more excitement to that feeling with a giveaway that keeps the celebration going beyond March. At our Opening Day Watch Party at BlackStack Brewing, one lucky fan will walk away with a pair of tickets to see the Minnesota Twins Home Opener at Target Field. That’s right – while we gather to watch the Twins kick off the season against the Baltimore Orioles, you’ll also have a shot at being there in person when the Twins return home to take on the Tampa Bay Rays for their first game of the season at Target Field on April 3. All you need to do to get in on the action is RSVP and show up. Throughout the watch party, we’ll be running games and handing out raffle entries, giving you multiple chances to win. We will draw names at key moments – first pitch, final out, and throughout the game – so there is always something happening beyond the action on the screen. It is all part of what makes a Twins Daily watch party different. You’re not just watching the game, you’re part of it. Every inning brings a new chance to win, every big play brings the room to life, and every fan in the building shares in the energy of Opening Day. And then there’s the grand prize: a chance to be at Target Field for the Home Opener to get a first look at the Twins on their home field in 2026. It’s one of the best days on the baseball calendar, and you could be there. So grab your spot, bring your friends, and get ready for a full afternoon of baseball, beer, and big moments. Opening Day starts at BlackStack. And if things break your way, your next stop for a live game might just be Target Field. EVENT DETAILS RSVP: bit.ly/4sgSTnG What: Twins Daily Social Club's Opening Day Watch Party Cost: Free When: 1 pm, March 26, 2026 Where: Blackstack Brewing, 755 Prior Ave N, St Paul, MN View the full article

Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened. The final edition of Talk Sox's top prospect rankings for the 2026 season is finally here, featuring hard-throwing southpaw Payton Tolle. A consensus Top-100 prospect with an otherworldly fastball, he's the perfect player to lead the Boston Red Sox's farm system. Be sure to check out all of our previous rankings here: Part 1 (Nos. 16-20) Part 2 (Nos. 11-15) Part 3 (No. 10) Part 4 (No. 9) Part 5 (No. 8) Part 6 (No. 7) Part 7 (No. 6) Part 8 (No. 5) Part 9 (No. 4) Part 10 (No. 3) Part 11 (No. 2) Boston Red Sox Top Prospects: No. 1 Payton Tolle What is there left to say about Tolle at this point? The mustachioed 23-year-old rose from High-A to MLB in his first professional season, skyrocketing up both prospect rankings and the team's starting pitching depth chart. To call his potential tantalizing would be an understatement, particularly if you're dreaming upon a future rotation starring him and fellow southpaw Garrett Crochet. What he brings to the table — a 6'6" frame, elite extension, and a high-90s fastball — can't be taught. He cruised through his 20 minor-league appearances last year to the tune of a 3.04 ERA and 2.75 FIP while striking out a ridiculous 36.5% of the hitters he faced. Perhaps even more impressively, his walk rate sat at just 6.3%, suggesting a better feel for the strike zone that scouts foretold of the second-round pick. That dominance led to an earlier-than-expected MLB debut, which generated even more excitement after an electric start against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Unfortunately, he struggled after that point, surrendering nine earned runs over his next 11 innings. It would have been unreasonable to expect him to beat the best hitters in the world right away, but Tolle's specific shortcomings were really exposed in the majors. His fastball is great, and the raw numbers (96.7 mph average velocity, 28.3% whiff rate, 23.3% put-away rate) are fantastic. But he also used the pitch 64% of the time in his brief big-league stint, hence why hitters were still able to tag it for a .565 slugging percentage and .402 wOBA despite its elite shape and relatively solid command up in the zone. Meanwhile, his cutter and slider both hold very similar shapes and movement profiles, and his changeup is disastrously flat. Tolle only mustered the courage to throw that latter pitch 21 times in the big leagues (all against righties) and it was hammered to the tune of a .711 wOBA. To put it simply: Tolle throws five pitches, but only one is ready for the major leagues right now. That's why he'll open up the season at Triple-A Worcester. It's also why it wouldn't be a surprise to see him spend all of 2026 there, as he tinkers with his other offerings and learns not to be so reliant on his heater. No pitcher, no matter how good they are, can win with just one pitch. Aroldis Chapman's fastball has always had a slider to pair with; Mariano Rivera's cutter always had a two-seamer or sinker to keep hitters honest. Tolle has the physical attributes, primary offering, and know-how to be a legitimate frontline starter. In a farm system that also contains Connelly Early, Kyson Witherspoon, and Jake Bennett, he's the best prospect of the bunch. With some refinement of the skills he already he has, Tolle can become the Red Sox's next homegrown ace. View the full article

Jays Centre is counting down the top 50 Blue Jays in franchise history. Check out prior entries in the series here: Introduction 50 to 46 45 to 41 40 to 36 35 to 31 30 to 26 25 to 21 A ‘F****** A trade.’ It’s the type of trade that Billy Beane said in Moneyball “causes everyone else in the business to say,” well, you know. His acquisition of Ray Durham that year garnered such noise, but over a decade later, Oakland’s general manager would find himself on the wrong end of one. After losing in the previous years' Wild Card game, Beane said he “had to do something that wasn’t timid” and, in doing so, broke one of his own golden rules, handing Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos his own ‘F****** A trade.’ Beane broke Rule #2, as told to Michael Lewis: “The day you say you have to do something, you're screwed. Because you are going to make a bad deal.” Mmhmm. (photo credit: Canadian Press) No. 20: Josh Donaldson 15th among Toronto position players in bWAR (19.8) 2015 American League Most Valuable Player Two-time American League All-Star (2015 and '16) The drum break in Phil Collins’ "In The Air Tonight" has never sounded better than it did bringing Josh Donaldson to the plate in Toronto. His arrival in 2015 turned the Blue Jays’ high-powered offence into a juggernaut. Donaldson paced the prolific lineup in home runs (41), RBI (123), and OPS+ (151) while leading the majors with 122 runs scored. 23 of 30 MVP ballots came back with Donaldson atop, making him the second Toronto player to ever win the AL’s top individual player prize. Donaldson continued his elite play in ‘16 and scored the winning run of the ALDS from second base on a ball that never left the infield. The image of Donaldson diving airborne headfirst into home plate was an encapsulation of what the Bringer of Rain brought, but as the Blue Jays’ successes dwindled, the mercurial side of the player came into view. A dead-armed Donaldson fielded his position like Christian Hackenberg on Opening Day ‘18, the start of a bitter year that Donaldson spent mostly on the injured list before he was traded to Cleveland on August 31. Any hard feelings from the final of those four whirlwind seasons quickly passed by. An ovation greeted him at Rogers Centre a year later when he returned with the Braves, by which time Donaldson regretted how things had ended with Toronto. To everyone's delight, they haven’t. Donaldson played a key role in ending Toronto’s playoff drought and re-energizing crowds inside the dome, a crowd he once again basked in when he was tapped to throw the first pitch before Game 2 of last year's ALCS against Seattle. No. 19: Jim Clancy Fifth among Toronto pitchers in bWAR (24.8) Second most innings pitched in team history (2,204.2), behind Dave Stieb Third in wins (132) and strikeouts (1,237), behind Stieb and Roy Halladay It was the worst day in the team’s short history. Sitting at 34-62 in their first season, Toronto called up Jim Clancy to make his first big league start against the Texas Rangers, the organization Clancy was selected from in the previous winter's expansion draft. Looking shaky from the start, Clancy lasted only 13 batters, eight of which reached during a 14-0 onslaught. Manager Roy Hartsfield knew his young starter had more to offer, and as he put it after the game, “We’re not going to shoot him between the eyes.” Thank goodness for that. Clancy became Toronto’s only respectable starter in the team's second season, and along with newcomer Dave Stieb, the duo provided the Blue Jays with some punch at the top of the rotation, as the team became competitive in the ‘80s. Clancy was Toronto’s Opening Day starter in ‘81 and ‘84 and was an All-Star in ‘82, a year he led the majors with 40 starts. Teammates and fans alike knew the Jays had a chance when Clancy took to the mound. Everyone wants their starting pitcher to be a horse, and few in team history fit that bill better. No. 18: Lloyd Moseby Sixth among Toronto position players in bWAR (26.0) Blue Jays stolen base leader (255) Fourth-most games played in team history (1,392) Lloyd Moseby had hoop dreams. Growing up in the Bay Area, “Shaker” blew by opponents on the court and wanted to be like Warriors star Rick Berry. There was time for other sports, and like many childhoods in Oakland, Moseby found himself on the baseball diamond, just “for the hell of it.” He befriended a few guys a couple years older than him, battling in ping pong matches with Rickey Henderson and getting his first pair of cleats from Dave Stewart. Moseby had natural talent for the game, and when the Blue Jays gave him $60,000 as the second pick of the ‘78 draft, he turned down Division I basketball scholarships and began to accelerate towards the major leagues. Moseby went 2-for-4 against the Yankees in his debut on May 24, 1980, before going 3-for-5 with his first home run the following afternoon at Exhibition Stadium. It was just a momentary flash. Called up as a 20-year-old, Moseby struggled with big league pitching but showed improvements after Cito Gaston was brought on as the hitting coach in ‘82. The next season, Moseby was named Blue Jays MVP, posting career highs in every offensive category, netting a 59-point increase in OPS+ from the previous year. His bat remained productive as Toronto’s starting center fielder throughout the 1980s, but at the heart of it, he was always Shaker. He is sixth all-time among Blue Jays in total bases, second in triples, fielded next to George Bell, and still holds the franchise-high mark for steals. No. 17: Ernie Whitt 17th among Toronto position players in bWAR (19.2) Third-highest defensive bWAR in team history (9.1) Sixth-most games played in team history (1,218) Not many have the staying power of Ernie Whitt. The only catcher taken by Toronto in the expansion draft, Whitt shuttled from Triple A to Toronto over the team's first couple seasons before he broke into the big leagues for good in 1980. He didn’t receive over 300 at-bats until his age-31 season in ‘83, but from that point on, Whitt provided the Blue Jays a reliable and consistent performer behind the plate for the remainder of the decade. The Detroit-born backstop became an adopted athlete of Canada with his play, and he continues to represent the country, with the 2026 World Baseball Classic marking the 27th year he has managed the national team. Whitt relished playing his hometown Tigers, whom he cheered for as a kid. He hit 23 of his 134 career home runs against Detroit, with 11 coming at Tiger Stadium, which was also the site of his biggest pain. After a collision with Milwaukee’s Paul Molitor on the basepaths broke two of his ribs, Whitt was forced to watch from the dugout as the Tigers took the AL East with a season-ending three-game sweep of Toronto in ‘87. Whitt stayed for two more seasons, and his Blue Jays career ended in a five-game defeat by Oakland in the ALCS, but his presence through the ‘80s helped put the franchise on the course for world titles. No. 16: Edwin Encarnación Eighth among Toronto position players in bWAR (24.9) Third-most home runs in team history (239) Three-time American League All-Star (2013, ‘14, and ‘16) When Edwin Encarnación was acquired from Cincinnati as part of the return for Scott Rolen at the 2009 trade deadline, all general manager J.P. Ricciardi could do was talk about the other two players he acquired in his didn’t-know-it-yet final trade. Josh Roenicke was going to be a good fit for the bullpen. Zach Stewart had been on Toronto's radar since his draft year. Encarnación? Crickets. Included by Cincinnati to shed salary and now a Toronto payroll problem, Edwin displayed good power but little else in an audition during the final two months of the season. The parrot almost never walked. Encarnación shot a firecracker off his face in the winter and started the 2010 season with an injured wrist. Marred by struggles at the plate and his ‘E5’ moniker, he was taken off the hot corner and designated for assignment. He returned when replacement Jarrett Hoffpauir was oodles worse, but the Blue Jays left him exposed to waivers in the offseason, where he was claimed briefly by Oakland before becoming a free agent. Encarnación unexpectedly re-signed with Toronto and played well enough in 2011 for Anthopoulos to pick up an option year on his contract. With Toronto up three runs on Seattle on April 28, 2012, Edwin stepped to the plate with bases loaded in the eighth inning. His excitement over the grand slam hit off Hisashi Iwakuma would cause him, in his words, to turn like an airplane as he rounded the bases. Whatever it was, a Boeing, an Edwing, a parrot, everyone liked it – especially the frequency with which the celebration was used during a breakout 42 home run season. From that point on in his 239 homer-long journey with Toronto, the parrot perched on the slugger’s arm after every long ball. One of his final home runs as a Blue Jay was his lasting moment, a proper funeral for Buck Showalter’s extra innings incompetence in the 2016 Wild Card game. The parrot never walked in a louder environment. View the full article

At long last, Opening Day is right around the corner. However, one of the New York Mets' biggest question marks coming into spring training remains unanswered at the dawn of the season, and that is Sean Manaea. Manaea signed with the Mets ahead of the 2024 season and immediately transformed his profile by adopting a lower arm slot and a cross-body delivery inspired by Chris Sale. This mechanical overhaul led to a career-best 3.47 ERA over 181.2 innings, fueled by a sinker that jumped to 92.4 mph on average. According to Baseball Savant, his primary four-seamer posted a .218 xBA, while his sweeper became a legitimate put-away pitch with a 33% whiff rate. By the end of 2024, his Pitching Run Value sat in the 88th percentile, making him the undisputed anchor of the Mets' rotation during their postseason push. Sean Manaea's 2025 and 2026 Spring Struggles However, the 2025 season saw those gains evaporate, as Manaea regressed to a 5.64 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP across just 60.2 innings. The decline was largely attributed to a right oblique strain suffered early in camp, followed by the discovery of a loose body in his left elbow that sidelined him until July. The advanced metrics highlighted a thinning arsenal. His fastball velocity dipped to 91.7 mph, and his hard-hit rate ballooned to 42.6%. Though he avoided surgery in the offseason, his xERA finished at a middling 4.02, suggesting his poor results weren't merely a mirage or sign of bad luck. Entering 2026 spring training, the alarm bells have shifted from his health to his radar gun readings. In his most recent Grapefruit League outings, Manaea has averaged a meager 88.3 mph on his four-seamer -- a significant 4 mph drop from his 2024 peak -- and has yet to touch 90 mph this spring. While he and manager Carlos Mendoza have publicly downplayed the dip, citing a transition to a new cutter and mechanical tweaks to his arm slot, the lack of zip on his pitches is undeniable. In a recent four-inning perfect performance against the Marlins, the southpaw generated only one swing-and-miss, raising serious questions about whether he can survive the regular season with a heater that currently sits in the high-80s. Manaea's Future In the Mets' Rotation This weekend, Mendoza announced that Manaea will not start the season in the rotation. As it sits now, the starting five is comprised of: RHP Freddy Peralta LHP David Peterson RHP Nolan McLean RHP Clay Holmes RHP Kodai Senga Manaea will begin the season in a piggyback role in the bullpen. This is most likely not permanent and only through the first two rotation turns, but it should be noted that the Mets have some concern with how Manaea has performed this spring. "I'm not concerned, as long as he keeps telling us that he's healthy," Mendoza said earlier in camp. "That's what he keeps telling us: 'I feel great.' Look, it might take a while for the velocity to come back. That's why he's tinkering with the cutter, the changeup is good, the sweeper." "I feel healthy, I feel good. To me, I'm not concerned about anything." Manaea said after his outing against the Cardinals on March 12. He added that adrenaline will become a factor during regular-season games and might boost his velocity. Mendoza did claim that Manaea will make starts for the 2026 Mets, but how many remains to be seen. At 34 years old, his margin for error has evaporated; without tangible improvements to his health and stuff, Manaea could become dead weight on an already-bloated payroll. View the full article

JUPITER — Something needed to change. Even with a strong finish from platoon partners Troy Johnston and Eric Wagaman, the Miami Marlins did not get enough production from their first basemen in 2025. Relative to the rest of Major League Baseball, that position provided below-average plate discipline, below-average defense, solid contact but minimal power, culminating in sub-replacement-level production overall. By the end of the calendar year, Johnston was a Colorado Rockie and Wagaman was a Minnesota Twin. Matt Mervis, who opened the season as Miami's primary first baseman, is now a member of the Washington Nationals. Addition by subtraction, right? Maybe not. The Marlins placed dead last among all MLB teams at first base in the 2026 FanGraphs positional power rankings. Based on a blend of ZiPS and Steamer projections and playing time estimates for individual players at the position, no club has a worse outlook than the Fish. That tracks with what transpired during spring training. The only hitter to sign a major league free agent contract with the Marlins this past offseason, Christopher Morel is familiar with many different positions. He has played 97 MLB regular season games at third base, 88 in left field, 74 at second base, 69 in center field, 15 at shortstop, 10 in right field...and none at first base. After struggling to various extents at each of those spots, he's moving even further down the defensive spectrum. Morel's Grapefruit League performance was uninspiring, to put it gently. In 13 games at first base, he was charged with three errors, and that does not fully convey how much of a liability his glove is. He isn't showing much of a knack for adjusting to off-target throws, and at 6'0", his overall "catch radius" is smaller than the average first baseman. During Friday's game at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, there was a lapse in communication that resulted in a preventable run scoring. With two outs in the top of the fifth inning, Washington Nationals catcher Drew Millas ripped a single to right field. Brady House attempted to score from second on the play. Owen Caissie made a strong, accurate throw home that, barring a missed tag or extraordinary slide, would've nabbed House for the final out of the inning. Unfortunately, Morel cut the ball off. "It's actually a good thing that it happened because you can just use it," Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said postgame. "For the next time, be thinking through these things to aid in your decision-making." The following animation of the play was generated by MLB using player tracking data: kmt4he_1.mp4 These sort of miscues are tolerable if Morel reverts to being the impactful hitter he used to be. In 2023, through the end of July, the former Chicago Cub owned a Kyle Stowers-esque .281/.344/.541 slash line. However, in 301 games since then, he is slashing .197/.284/.371—that's even worse than his Marlins first base predecessors. He recorded only one extra-base hit in 46 spring training plate appearances. His strong exit velocities suggest that those will come more often moving forward, but he continues to be impaired by a career-long whiffing problem. Sometimes when the Marlins oppose right-handed starting pitchers, we will see Liam Hicks at first. If only and Morel could be melded into a single body, they'd be a remarkably well-rounded player, but for the time being, MLB won't improve of such an innovation. Hicks' main deficiency is a lack of power, having ranked in the fifth percentile in hard-hit rate in 2025, per Baseball Savant. Despite concentrating on addressing that over the offseason, he went XBH-less this spring. Very much like Morel, Connor Norby is a newbie at the position and an awkward fit elsewhere on the diamond. His spring training was a mixed bag—he drew only one walk while striking out 34.9% of the time, but he did damage against lefties, which was a notable hole in his profile last year. Griffin Conine is an intriguing wild card. He had the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 Marlins season and topped that same leaderboard in spring games. In an admittedly microscopic sample, he looks like a superior first base defender than the aforementioned options. However, in the aftermath of Stowers' injury, his services will be needed in the outfield initially. At least in part, the Marlins' first-base-by-committee approach is about maintaining the flexibility to hand the car keys to Deyvison De Los Santos later this season. Still just 22 years old, the Dominican prospect has 205 games of Triple-A experience. Despite coming with tantalizing power upside of his own, there shouldn't be any expectations placed upon his 2026 MLB production given his sky-high chase rate in the minors. The Marlins had ample opportunities to bring in a short-term floor-raiser at first base, whether via free agency or trade, and they opted not to. There needs to be accountability if that decision results in them finishing a few games outside of the National League postseason field. View the full article

When Spring Training ends, the preparation for the regular season's start, and the roster accounting that entails brings for a spontaneous explosion of Injured List assignments. Many of these players had likely been injured for weeks or more, but as it all had gone largely unreported on, the effect is that of a meteor collision striking down in St. Lucie tearing menisci and rupturing hamstrings all over town at once. And the depth chart fans had counted on is thrown into dissaray. Transactions, 3/16/2026 "table { margin: 2px; width: auto; border: 1px solid black;} th { padding: 2px; line-height: 1; max-width: 90px; border: 3px solid black; font-family: ""Arial"", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; background-color: #000000; } td { padding: 6px; line-height: 1; max-width: 90px; border: 3px solid black; font-family: ""Arial"", sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;}" GOING Released Outfielders Hector Francis L/L DoB: 39366 High Level: MLB (2025) When a minor-leaguer gets released mid-camp, one wonders what infraction he triggered. Did he sleep through a wake-up call and miss a bus? Did he cross the wrong coach at the wrong time? Fall down during a drill. While any of that might be possible in the case of Hector Francis, the truth is that a .153 batting average in 67 Dominican Summer League plate appearances is not the guarantee of future employment it used to be. Maybe young Hector was not at very bottom of the list of paid servants of the House of Wilpon, but he was probably at low end of the outfielder totem pole. And that, sadly, led to him being sent home early. Without so much as a thumbnail photo in circulation to represent his brief career. And now, on to the end-of-camp triage report. End-of-Camp IL Assignments 03/18/26 Binghamton Rumble Ponies placed RHP Joshua Cornielly on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 Brooklyn Cyclones placed LHP Ryan Ammons on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 Brooklyn Cyclones placed SS Boston Baro on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 Brooklyn Cyclones placed RHP Austin Troesser on the full-season injured list. 03/18/26 Brooklyn Cyclones placed RHP Owen Woodward on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 Brooklyn Cyclones placed LHP Eli Ankeney on the full-season injured list. 03/18/26 FCL Mets placed RHP Peter Kussow on the full-season injured list. 03/18/26 FCL Mets placed RHP Peyton Prescott on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 FCL Mets placed C Daniel Silva on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 St. Lucie Mets placed RHP Ethan Lanthier on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 St. Lucie Mets placed RHP Edgar Moreta on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 St. Lucie Mets placed RHP Jace Hampson on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 St. Lucie Mets placed SS Trey Snyder on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 St. Lucie Mets placed RHP Candido Cuevas on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 Syracuse Mets placed RHP Kevin Herget on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 Syracuse Mets placed RHP Robert Stock on the 60-day injured list. 03/18/26 Syracuse Mets placed 3B Grae Kessinger on the 60-day injured list. While Mets Roster Central researchers are hard at work trying to get to the bottom of who Peter Kossow is (was?), we can't help but feel that there is a lesson in here for you kids. If you want to be professional baseball player — if it's March 18, don't pick up the phone, don't check your e-mail, don't even check turn on the light switch if you can help it. Which bring us on to the (very) small amount of drama from yesterday Transactions, 3/22/2026 "table { margin: 2px; width: auto; border: 1px solid black;} th { padding: 2px; line-height: 1; max-width: 90px; border: 3px solid black; font-family: ""Arial"", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; background-color: #000000; } td { padding: 6px; line-height: 1; max-width: 90px; border: 3px solid black; font-family: ""Arial"", sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;}" GOING Released Catchers Austin Barnes R/R DoB: 1989-12-28 High Level: MLB (2025) Austin Barnes has been a backup catcher for the bulk of 11 years, all while playing for a single team (The Los Angeles Dodgers). And while an old-fashioned Ron Hodges Special of a career may not be laced through and through with glory, it is undeniably elegant. So while Barnes presence in Mets camp was mostly insurance against a cascade breakdown in catcher health on the Mets roster, Mets Roster Central is pleased for more than one reason that this did not come to pass. Barnes' release likely comes at his request, probably based on an agreement the Mets made when bringing him on board. Getting jettisoned a few days before the start of the season gives him a fighting hope at catching on with some team, that finds themselves at loose ends for reserve catchers, and we can't help but hope that the such team might be the Dodgers (as indirectly unkind as that might be to the hopes of Barnes and current Dodger catchers Will Smith an Dalton Rushing). The Barnes release leaves four non-roster players hanging around as the Mets mop up camp, but as Craig Kimbrel has been told he has not made the roster, and Mike Tauchman is confronting surgery on his torn meniscus, for practical purposes, only Carson Benge and Cristian Pache remain as the Mets weigh their outfield options. Your Mets Coaching Staff "table { margin: 2px; width: auto; border: 1px solid black;} th { padding: 1px; line-height: 1.1; max-width: 60px; border: 3px solid black; font-family: ""Arial"", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; background-color: #000000; } td { padding: 1px; line-height: 1; max-width: 60px; border: 3px solid black; font-family: ""Arial"", sans-serif; font-size: 9px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;}" Manager Bench Coach Pitching Coach Hitting Coordinator Third Base Coach First Base Coach Bullpen Coach Ass't Pitching Coach Carlos Mendoza Kai Correa Justin Willard Jeff Albert Tim Leiper Gilbert Gomez José Rosado Dan McKinney DoB: 1979-11-27 DoB: 1989-07-14 DoB: 1990-09-09 DoB: 1992-08-16 DoB: 1996-07-19 DoB: 1992-03-08 DoB: 1974-11-09 DoB: 1989-06-06 Hitting Coach Strategy Coach Catching Coach Coaching Assistant Bat'g Practice Pitcher Equipment Manager Bullpen Catchers Bullpen Catchers Troy Snitker Danny Barnes J.P. Arencibia Rafael Fernandez Kevin Mahoney Kevin Kierst Eric Langill Dave Racaniello DoB: 1988-12-05 DoB: 1989-10021 DoB: 1986-01-05 DoB: 1988-08-03 DoB: 1987-05-11 DoB: 1964-07-09 DoB: 1979-04-09 DoB: 1978-06-03 Your Mets Training Staff "table { margin: 2px; width: auto; border: 1px solid black;} th { padding: 1px; line-height: 1; max-width: 60px; border: 3px solid black; font-family: ""Arial"", sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: right; vertical-align: top; background-color: #000000; } td { padding: 1px; line-height: 1; max-width: 60px; border: 3px solid black; font-family: ""Arial"", sans-serif; font-size: 9px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;}" Director of Player Health Head Athletic Trainer Assistant Athletic Trainer Reconditioning Coordinator Reconditioning Therapist Head Performance Coach Assistant Performance Coach Performance Coordinator Brian Chicklo Joseph Golia Bryan Baca Sean Bardanett Josh Bickel Dustin Clarke Tanner Miracle Jeremy Chiang DoB: 1972-07-17 DoB: 1978-??-?? DoB: Circa 1980 DoB: 1988-06-23 DoB: 1996-??-?? DoB: 1987-??-?? DoB: 1991-??-?? DoB: ????-??-?? " Your 2026 New York Mets "table { margin: 2px; width: auto; border: 1px solid black;} th { padding: 2px; line-height: 1; max-width: 90px; border: 3px solid black; font-family: ""Arial"", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; background-color: #000000; } td { padding: 6px; line-height: 1; max-width: 90px; border: 3px solid black; font-family: ""Arial"", sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;}" Starting Pitchers Clay Holmes Nolan McLean Freddy Peralta David Peterson Kodai Senga R/R DoB: 1993-03-27 R/R DoB: 2001-07-24 R/R DoB: 2996-06-04 L/L DoB: 1995-09-03 L/R DoB: 1993-01-30 Relief Pitchers Huascar Brazobán Luis Garcia Bryan Hudson Sean Manaea Tobias Myers Brooks Raley Luke Weaver R/R DoB: 1989-10-15 R/R DoB: 1987-01-30 L/L DoB: 1997-05-08 R/L DoB: 1992-02-01 R/R DoB: 1998-08-05 L/L DoB: 1988-06-29 R/R DoB: 1993-08-21 Relief Pitchers Catchers Infielders Devin Williams Francisco Alvarez Luís Torrens Bo Bichette Vidal Brujan Francisco Lindor Jorge Polanco R/R DoB: 1994-09-21 R/R DoB: 2001-11-01 R/R DoB: 1996-05-02 R/R DoB: 1998-03-05 S/R DoB: 1998-02-09 S/R DoB: 1993-11-14 S/R DoB: 1999-11-13 Infielders Outfielders Marcus Semien Mark Vientos Brett Baty Luis Robert, Jr. Juan Soto Tyrone Taylor Jared Young R/R DoB: 1990-09-17 R/R DoB: 1993-12-11 L/R DoB: 1999-11-13 R/R DoB: 1997-08-03 L/L DoB: 36093 R/R DoB: 34356 L/R DoB: 1995-07-09 Also on 40-Player Roster "table { margin: 2px; width: auto; border: 1px solid black;} th { padding: 2px; line-height: 1; max-width: 90px; border: 3px solid black; font-family: ""Arial"", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; background-color: #000000; } td { padding: 6px; line-height: 1; max-width: 90px; border: 3px solid black; font-family: ""Arial"", sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;}" Starting Pitchers Starting Pitchers Relief Pitchers Tylor Megill Christian Scott Jonah Tong Alex Carrillo Reed Garrett Joey Gerber Justin Hagenman R/R DoB: 1995-07-28 R/R DoB: 1999-06-15 R/R DoB: 2003-06-19 R/R DoB: 1997-06-06 R/R DoB: 1993-01-02 R/R DoB: 1997-05-03 R/R DoB: 1996-10-07 On 60-Day Injured List with torn right UCL. In minor-league camp. Projected for Syracuse. In minor-league camp. Projected for Syracuse. In minor-league camp. Projected for St. Lucie. On 60-Day Injured List — right UCL surgery and nerve relocation surgery. Projected for Brooklyn. On 60 Day Injured List with fractured rib. Relief Pitchers Catchers Richard Lovelady A.J. Minter Dedniel Núñez Jonathan Pintaro Dylan Ross Austin Warren Ben Rortvedt L/L DoB: 1995-07-07 L/L DoB: 1993-09-02 R/R DoB: 1996-06-05 R/R DoB: 1997-11-07 R/R DoB: 2000-09-01 R/R DoB: 1996-02-05 L/R DoB: 1997-09-25 Projected for Syracuse, despite being out of options. Expected to open season on Injured List — left UCL tear. On 60-Day Injured List — right UCL surgery. In minor-league camp. Projected for Binghamton. In minor-league camp. Projected for St. Lucie. In minor-league camp. Projected for St. Lucie. Projected for Syracuse. Out of options. Catchers Infielders Outfielders Outfielders Hayden Senger Ronny Mauricio MJ Melendez Nick Morabito R/R DoB: 1997-04-03 S/R DoB: 2001-04-04 L/R DoB: 1993-11-29 R/R DoB: 2003-05-07 In minor-league camp. Projected for Binghamton. In minor-league camp. Projected for Syracuse. In minor-league camp. Projected for Syracuse. In minor-league camp. Projected for Binghamton. Also in Camp "table { margin: 2px; width: auto; border: 1px solid black;} th { padding: 2px; line-height: 1; max-width: 90px; border: 3px solid black; font-family: ""Arial"", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; color: #FFFFFF; text-align: center; vertical-align: top; background-color: #000000; } td { padding: 6px; line-height: 1; max-width: 90px; border: 3px solid black; font-family: ""Arial"", sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: center; vertical-align: bottom;}" Relief Pitchers Outfielders Outfielders Outfielders Craig Kimbrel Carson Benge Cristian Pache " Mike Tauchman R/R DoB: 1988-05-28 L/R DoB: 2003-01-20 R/R DoB: 1998-11-19 L/L DoB: 1990-12-03 Projected for Release. Projected for Binghamton Projected for Binghamton Expected to Open Season on IL View the full article

A series of cuts over the weekend, including some rather surprising ones, brought further clarity to the expected Opening Day roster for the Twins. It feels safe to say that at least 23 or 24 spots are accounted for, with some lingering uncertainty at a few positions heading into the final days of camp. This will be our last update on spring training usage, highlighting who's played where and who's pitched when over the past seven days (Monday through Sunday). As the Twins prepare themselves for the start of meaningful action on Thursday, let's see what we can deduce from Derek Shelton's decision-making. (Total spring starts are listed next to each player; starts in the past week are in parentheses.) Catcher Ryan Jeffers: 14x (4x) Victor Caratini: 9x (2x) Alex Jackson: 6x Noah Cardenas: 1x The Twins used a traditional two-catcher rotation, and Jackson did not get any starts as the Twins reportedly shop him around. First Base Josh Bell: 11x (1x) Eric Wagaman: 8x (2x) Kody Clemens: 6x (2x) Victor Caratini: 4x (1x) Aaron Sabato: 1x Bell still leads the team in starts at first base, but made only one in the past week. Will he be there on Opening Day? I assume it'll be either him or Caratini against lefty Trevor Rogers, with the other at DH. Second Base Luke Keaschall: 12x (3x) Kody Clemens: 8x (1x)
 Tristan Gray: 4x Orlando Arcia: 5x (2x) Kaelen Culpepper: 1x Keaschall batted leadoff on Sunday in a lineup that sure seemed like a regular-season tune up. A sign of things to come? His skill set is an obvious fit. Third Base Royce Lewis: 13x (4x) Gio Urshela: 6x (1x) Tristan Gray: 4x (1x) Ryan Kreidler: 3x Eric Wagaman: 2x Orlando Arcia: 1x Jake Rucker: 1x It would have been convenient if Urshela accepted an assignment to Triple-A, where he could wait on hand as third-base depth behind the oft-injured Lewis, but he chose to re-enter the open market instead. The fact that Arcia has made only one 3B start all spring is, to me, an indicator that he's not making the team, because if he does he'll be the top backup there. Wouldn't you want to get a little more of a look at now his skills and reactions play? Shortstop Brooks Lee: 18x (5x) Orlando Arcia: 5x Tristan Gray: 4x (1x) Ryan Kreidler: 3x Lee has made four more starts at shortstop this spring than anyone else has made at any single position — a fitting reflection of Minnesota's deeply lacking depth. Left Field Austin Martin: 8x (1x) Trevor Larnach: 7x (1x) Luke Keaschall: 4x (1x) James Outman: 3x (1x) Alan Roden: 3x (1x) Emmanuel Rodriguez: 2x Eric Wagaman: 1x Gabriel Gonzalez: 1x Ryan Kreidler: 1x (1x) Martin returned to the lineup on Sunday after a concussion scare earlier in the week sidelined him for a few days. He's going to start in left fielder against left-handed pitchers (including on Opening Day) and he'll be a handy asset on the bench. The question is how much he can expand his role beyond that. Roden was optioned to Triple-A on Sunday, ensuring that Outman will make the Opening Day roster as fourth outfielder. Center Field James Outman: 8x (2x) Alan Roden: 7x (2x) Byron Buxton: 6x (2x) Austin Martin: 5x Ryan Kreidler: 2x Walker Jenkins: 1x Emmanuel Rodriguez: 1x Buxton returned to the starting lineup on Friday after his run with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, where he played ... somewhat sparsely. It would come as no surprise if he takes a little extra time to consistently find his timing compared to some others. “I need at-bats,” Buxton said over the weekend. “I’m not off. I feel like I’m a couple of clicks off, but it ain’t nothing where I’m worried.” Right Field Matt Wallner: 13x (3x) Alan Roden: 6x Trevor Larnach: 4x James Outman: 2x Ryan Kreidler: 2x (1x) Austin Martin: 1x (1x) Gabriel Gonzalez: 1x Kyler Fedko: 1x (1x) It's been a great spring for Wallner, who's swinging a hot bat and looking solid defensively in right. He's primed to be the starting right fielder in almost every game, regardless of matchup. Designated Hitter Josh Bell: 8x (3x) Matt Wallner: 4x (1x) Trevor Larnach: 4x (1x) Gio Urshela: 3x Royce Lewis: 2x Byron Buxton: 2x Alex Jackson: 1x (1x) Victor Caratini: 1x Ryan Jeffers: 1x Luke Keaschall: 1x Emmanuel Rodriguez: 1x Gabriel Gonzalez: 1x Hendry Mendez: 1x Bell has started at first base more than anyone else this spring, but he's also gotten twice as many DH starts as anybody else. I don't know how much meaning to attach to that but I tentatively expect we'll most often see him at DH and Clemens at 1B against right-handers. The Pitching Carousel Last week I noted that both Liam Hendriks and Andrew Chafin were often among the first relievers entering games, meaning that they were getting chances to face relatively legitimate spring competition. When you see that trend, you can conclude that either: A) they're gearing up for high-leverage roles and the team wants them primed for those match-ups, or B) they're being closely evaluated and the team wants to see them against the best hitters possible. It turns out that it was the latter, and through this assessment, neither was deemed up to snuff. Both Hendriks and Chafin were granted their releases on Friday, with team officials citing their lack of consistency as the cause. I can give the Twins some credit for being honest with themselves and not simply deferring to veteran status, but it leaves the bullpen pretty light on bullpen depth and experience. Here's how the pitcher usage sequences played out in six games over the past week. Monday: Joe Ryan, Anthony Banda, Cole Sands, Justin Topa, Chafin, Kody Funderburk Tuesday: Bailey Ober, Hendriks, Eric Orze, Zak Kent Thursday: Mick Abel, (Luis Quiñones), Hendriks, Dan Altavilla, Matt Bowman Friday: Simeon Woods Richardson, Topa, Banda, Taylor Rogers, Sands Saturday: Ryan, Orze, Altavilla, Cody Laweryson Sunday: Taj Bradley, (Logan Whitaker), Funderburk, Bowman, Trent Baker Ryan is lined up to start against the Orioles in the season opener on Thursday. From there, it looks like he'll be followed by Bradley, Ober, Abel and Woods Richardson. Zebby Matthews was optioned to Triple-A on Friday, where he will stand by as the next man up.It sure looks like Altavilla is going to make the team, but the leverage hierarchy is still a bit tricky to figure out. Topa might be the closer? Share your thoughts on final roster decisions and emerging roles as we head into the final days of spring camp. View the full article

With Opening Day a couple weeks away, the Chicago Cubs have some key roster decisions looming. The starting lineup is generally set, and will look a lot like it did last season, but with Alex Bregman replacing Kyle Tucker in either the two or three hole. Here, we are going to look at the Cubs’ outlook at designated hitter for the 2026 season. Last season, Seiya Suzuki started 102 games at DH, with Kyle Tucker taking over in the playoffs after a hairline fracture in his hand was revealed in August. Justin Turner made some starts as a DH, as well as rookie catcher Moises Ballesteros. Since the DH was introduced in the NL in 2020, then again permanently in 2022, the Cubs have used the spot as a way to get players off their feet or mitigate injury risk. Suzuki’s 2025 marks the only time a single player has started over 100 games at the position. With the departure of Tucker, Suzuki is currently pencilled in as the starting right fielder, and the DH will likely revert to a position of flexibility for Craig Counsell. As of now, FanGraphs.com projects a platoon situation for the Cubs, with Ballesteros getting the lion’s share of starts against righties, while Suzuki getting the starts against southpaws (with newly trained outfielder Matt Shaw taking care of right field). Alex Bregman, who turns 32 at the end of this month, will also get work there to allow the defensive-minded Shaw to return to the infield. The rest of the field could include the other catchers, Miguel Amaya and Carson Kelly, since Ballesteros will also get time behind the plate. Tyler Austin will be back into the mix at some point mid-season following knee surgery, and Michael Conforto was added to the room weeks ago, although on a minor-league deal. Cubs Designated Hitters At A Glance Starters: Moises Ballesteros/Seiya Suzuki Backup: Alex Bregman Depth: Miguel Amaya, Carson Kelly, Michael Conforto, Tyler Austin Prospects: Jonathan Long, B.J. Murray The Good: Ballesteros is the Cubs’ number one organizational prospect, and baseball’s 55th ranked prospect according to Mlb.com. The 5-foot-8 22-year-old impressed in 20 games last season, hitting .298 with an .868 OPS, and will get the first crack out of camp. The Cubs seemed like a destination for another bat outside of Bregman, but the front office clearly does not want to block Ballesteros for another year. He has a .289 cumulative batting average across five minor-league seasons and has nothing left to prove. He'll likely bat in the bottom third, which is a lower pressure spot that should allow him to get more comfortable in the big leagues without feeling like he needs to be a top contributor in the lineup right away. FGDC projections are a bit light in terms of games played, at 84, with a slash line of .264/.327/.400; not a bad season by any means, but he seems capable of more. Ballesteros has only four major-league at bats against lefties, which would be too coincidental to not be by design. This brings us to the right-handed tandem of this platoon, Seiya Suzuki. He is going to play nearly everyday (when healthy), splitting between right field and DH. Fresh off a 32-homer campaign, Suzuki is as good of a bet as anyone to repeat those numbers, as he is coming into a contract year at 31 years old. His exit velocity has remained consistent to the rest of his career, but a launch angle improvement in 2025 caused by his barrel rate jump to 16.6%, which ranked 12th in the majors, portends some good days ahead. With Suzuki as a DH in the middle of the lineup against lefties, Shaw, who smashed lefties to the tune of an .808 OPS last year, should be a productive hitter in the bottom of the lineup. Areas of Concern: Ballesteros’ 50-grade power could eventually evolve into 20-plus homers, but he’s going to need to start hitting the ball in the air more. His high batting average and OPS in his major-league sample last season masked a ground ball rate of 62.2%. Even before the call-up, his ground ball rate was hovering close to 50% in 114 Triple-A games. His improved exit velocity and hard-hit rate are not going to translate to as much success if he cannot lift the ball more consistently. He is not exactly a burner out of the batter's box either, so this could also mean double plays galore for opposing defenses. If Ballesteros can improve on his 0.8 degree launch angle that he showed in the majors, and starts hitting more balls in the air and over the wall, it would go a long way in assuring the Cubs can finish near the top of baseball in home runs again. Last season, Suzuki, Michael Busch, and PCA topped 30 home runs for the first time in their careers. How safe is it to expect those numbers again? Especially in the case of PCA, whose power surge was as unexpected as any in baseball. Alex Bregman is more of an all-around hitter than a pure power hitter. For the team that finished sixth in baseball in home runs last season, there’s a lot of variables going into 2026. If Ballesteros continues to struggle with lifting the ball, and home run regression happens from any of the three 30-homer hitters a season ago, there could be instant regret in not bringing in a more established home run hitter at the DH spot. As for a Ballesteros backup plan: Michael Conforto and Dylan Carlson have been tearing up spring training, and first base prospect Jonathan Long should be ready for the majors after he returns from injury. Now here’s the bad news: Although he launched 20 homers with the Giants in 2024, the 33-year-old Conforto has not been a difference making bat since he hit .322 with a 2.1 WAR in the 60-game 2020 season. Carlson has never lived up to his top prospect pedigree to this point in his career and spent the last two seasons bouncing around, playing sparingly. Though Long offers intrigue as an offensive prospect, he is viewed as a higher floor player without difference-maker upside. Tyler Austin will also be in the mix upon returning from injury, but he hasn’t played in majors since 2019, and has a total of 0.9 career WAR over four seasons. He owns a slash line of .293/.377/.568 across six NPB seasons, but still counts as a lottery ticket more than a bankable contributor. The Bottom Line The in-house approach to the DH spot is all going to hinge on Ballesteros making the necessary adjustments to hold that position down. They have a top prospect in a platoon with a slugging outfielder, with Bregman filling in when he needs a day off from the field, which is a good blueprint in theory, but could test the depth of this roster should things go wrong. The plan B would be Suzuki moving back to the full-time DH, with Shaw (or Alcantara or Carlson) taking over in right field. Bregman could also make a large portion of his starts there, but taking a 2024 Gold Glove winner, who just signed a $175 million contract, off the field seems unlikely. We will see within the first couple months of the season whether Ballesteros holds his own or if the Cubs will need to add a power bat to their trade deadline shopping list. View the full article

The Milwaukee Brewers optioned left-handed pitchers Shane Drohan and Robert Gasser to Triple-A Nashville Sunday. That paves the way for right-handed reliever Easton McGee to claim the final spot on the team's Opening Day 26-man roster, barring an acquisition from outside the organization at the last minute. Because the statuses of both Kyle Harrison and Brandon Woodruff remain slightly unclear, it's possible that Drohan or Gasser could be recalled as soon as Thursday, but for now, the team has chosen McGee for the final spot in the bullpen. It's an unsurprising move, on two levels. Firstly, McGee is right-handed, and while he's had limited real utility to the team at the big-league level since joining the organization in 2024, he's the easiest fit for their needs as the season dawns. With Aaron Ashby, Jared Koenig, Ángel Zerpa and DL Hall all making the team as lefty relievers, McGee offers balance. He can also go more than three outs in a game, but isn't a candidate to be a starting pitcher, as both Gasser and Drohan are. Thus, the southpaws will head to Nashville and stay stretched out, ready to start if needed based on the availability (or lack thereof) of Harrison and Woodruff over the first few weeks of the season. Developing Drohan and Gasser as starters isn't the team's highest priority, but absent an urgent need for either in the bullpen, it makes more sense to let each continue along that path. Both remain viable prospects to emerge as starters for the team later this year or in 2027, even if their ages are reminders that it's time to find out what each can do. McGee tentatively slots into the eighth spot in a bullpen which (in addition to the aforementioned quartet of lefties) includes high-leverage duo Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe and sidearm middle reliever Grant Anderson. Even at the end of February. manager Pat Murphy admitted that in a perfect world, he might have one more trustworthy right-handed arm in that relief corps, and since then, he's lost Craig Yoho to the injured list. It's not out of the question that Milwaukee might snatch up a pitcher who doesn't make the cut for another team as the week begins, but if no such opportunity materializes, McGee will begin the season in a spot that figures to be revolving door all year. View the full article

With a new manager in Derek Shelton, there are always questions about how specific lineup and roster decisions will play out. Over the weekend, the Twins named Joe Ryan as the team’s Opening Day starter, checking one major decision off the list before the regular season begins. Another question carries just as much intrigue, though: Who should be the Twins' leadoff hitter? The answer is not as simple as it once was. Teams across baseball have shifted their thinking in recent decades, prioritizing getting their best hitters more plate appearances by placing them at or near the top of the lineup. The logic is straightforward. More trips to the plate mean more opportunities to alter the game. At the same time, the sport has reintroduced elements that once defined traditional leadoff hitters. With rule changes encouraging stolen bases and more action on the basepaths, players who can get on base and create chaos still hold significant value. With the advent of the ABS challenge system, we could see a return of OBP-over-power guys, in general, regardless of whether speed is part of the package. Finding the right balance is where Shelton’s decision becomes interesting. Who Will Do It? Byron Buxton Reasons For: It feels like the easiest answer to the leadoff question is Buxton. He's the Twins’ best all-around hitter and one of their most dynamic offensive players. He has expressed comfort hitting at the top of the lineup, and putting him there ensures he will accumulate the most at-bats over the course of the season. There is also a growing trend of elite hitters occupying the leadoff spot, with stars like Shohei Ohtani doing it for contending teams. Reasons Against: There is an inherent tradeoff when your best hitter bats first. In the opening inning, there's no one on base ahead of him. Beyond that, the bottom of the lineup often provides less consistent on-base production, limiting RBI opportunities when the order turns over. While Buxton maximizes plate appearances in this role, it does not always maximize run-producing situations. Moreover, for all the things Buxton does well, he has a .308 career on-base percentage, and even since the start of 2024, that number is .330. That's a fine figure, but it's underwhelming for a leadoff man. Buxton's skill set is better suited to the No. 3 spot. Who Should Do It? Luke Keaschall Reasons For: Keaschall brings a more traditional leadoff profile, with a modern twist. He showed an ability to get on base during his rookie season and was efficient on the bases, going 14 for 17 in stolen base attempts despite limited playing time. His skill set could allow him to function as a true table setter, creating opportunities for Buxton to drive in runs from the number two spot. On Sunday, the Twins put this one-two punch into action, so there may be a chance it comes to fruition. Reasons Against: Keaschall has just over 200 major-league plate appearances, and some regression would not be surprising. Asking him to handle the leadoff role on a daily basis could add unnecessary pressure at this stage of his development, especially since he missed development time in the minors due to injury. The Twins may prefer to deploy him in different lineup spots to take advantage of matchups and ease that burden. Who Could Do It? Matt Wallner is one of the more unconventional options. Minnesota experimented with him in the leadoff spot against right-handed pitching last season, and the results were encouraging at times. Last season, he posted an .808 OPS against right-handed starters. His power profile is not typical for the role, but his ability to produce against righties gives Shelton a matchup-based alternative. Ryan Jeffers could factor into the equation as well, especially against left-handed pitching. He's been one of the team’s most productive right-handed bats in those situations, posting strong numbers that could justify giving him extra plate appearances at the top of the lineup when Buxton isn't in the order. Last season, Jeffers posted an .885 OPS when facing lefties and a .910 OPS when facing left-handed starting pitchers. Then there's Brooks Lee, a player once viewed as a prototypical leadoff hitter thanks to his bat-to-ball skills and approach. Those traits have yet to show up (and, indeed, contact is less important than plate discipline at the top of the lineup; Lee has never demonstrated good patience), but the organization still believes in his offensive upside. If he takes a step forward, he could reenter the conversation later in the year. Shelton’s first few lineup cards will be closely watched, but this is unlikely to be a one-time decision. The Twins have multiple viable options, each offering a different look depending on the matchup, health, and performance. Buxton remains the most logical choice to open the season, simply because of his talent and impact. However, Keaschall represents an intriguing alternative who could shift the lineup dynamic if he continues to develop. Meanwhile, players like Wallner, Jeffers, and Lee provide flexibility that could allow Shelton to adjust on the fly. In today’s game, the leadoff spot is less about fitting a mold and more about maximizing value. The Twins have the pieces to experiment, and how Shelton deploys them could quietly become one of the defining storylines of the 2026 season. Who should be the team's leadoff hitter? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article