DiamondCentric

Depth is something every organization tries to create, and it goes well beyond what we see at Target Field or in St. Paul. I'm researching the Twins' depth beyond the 40-man roster, and have already taken a look at catcher, first base, second base, third base, and shortstop. Outfield prospects are interesting because sometimes they have been outfielders since Little League. Other times, these prospects played other positions and shifted to the outfield for a variety of reasons. Former Twins players that fit the latter description include Michael Cuddyer, Nick Gordon, and, more recently, Austin Martin. Remember that time Joe Mauer was tried in right field? Anyways… Here is a list of outfield prospects not on the Twins' 40-man roster. I’ve included how and when they were acquired, along with the highest level they played this past season. Walker Jenkins Acquired: 1st round, 2023 Highest Level in 2025: Triple-A The result of the first draft lottery was the Twins jumping from pick 13 to pick 5 in a draft where five players had a chance to be the number one pick. Jenkins was selected out of South Brunswick High School in North Carolina and has been a constant on top prospect lists since being drafted. The soon-to-be 21-year-old has slowly climbed the minor leagues and shown why he was the fifth overall pick. The only hindrance to his development has been injuries, which he has dealt with off and on throughout his professional career. He played in 82 and 84 games the past two years, respectively. He played the majority of this past year with Double-A Wichita but was called up to Triple-A for the final month or so of the season. A left-handed hitting outfielder, Jenkins has adjusted well at each level he has played at and shows the possibility to stick in center field. At worst, the 6’3” outfielder will move to a corner where his athleticism should make him above average. As long as things go as planned, Jenkins should make his major league debut later this year, or at the latest, early in the 2027 season. Kala’i Rosario Acquired: 5th round, 2020 Highest Level in 2025: Double-A The Twins' final selection in the shortened 2020 draft, Rosario, struggled early in his professional career but has since made adjustments. struggles. The Hawaii native is a corner outfielder with a good enough bat to potentially be a designated hitter option as well. A potential Statcast darling, Rosario has shown the ability to hit the ball very hard. With hitting the ball hard, there is some swing and miss to his offensive profile as well. Rosario will be playing his age-24 season in 2026 and played this past year at Double-A, where he hit .256/.358/.487, good for an above-average OPS. He also tapped into more power, hitting 25 home runs, along with 30 doubles. To become more than a platoon bat, he will need to hit both righties and lefties. This past year, he hit for a .954 OPS against lefties and a .794 OPS against righties. You’ll likely see him in St. Paul at some point this year, so if you live near the Twin Cities, go see him in person. Kyler Fedko Acquired: 12th round, 2021 Highest Level in 2025: Triple-A Fedko was drafted in 2021 out of the University of Connecticut, where he hit .330/.407/.552 over three seasons with the Huskies. In his final season, he showed more power, hitting 12 home runs over 52 games played. He has continued to grow into his power, most recently hitting 28 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A in 2025. He improved from his 2024 numbers, where he had a .645 OPS in his first season with Double-A Wichita. He’ll be playing his age-26 season this coming year, so this will be an important year to see if he can build off his solid 2025 season and force himself into the Twins' long-term plans. He was not protected in the Rule 5 draft and was not selected, so he will provide some depth, specifically as a right-handed hitting outfielder who has shown some power with the possibility of playing center field in a pinch. He has also played a handful of games at first base, so he might get more experience there, depending on where the Twins front office sees his best fit. If this is the case, he will need to continue improving at the plate, since the expectations on offense at first base are higher than at other positions. Garrett Spain Acquired: Triple-A Rule 5 Draft, December 2025 Highest Level in 2025: Double-A Drafted in the minor league portion of the Rule-5 draft out of the Milwaukee Brewers organization, Spain will likely spend most of the year in St. Paul at Triple-A. He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021 out of Austin Peay in the 15th round, where he had a .926 OPS over three seasons. During his professional career, the now 25-year-old has climbed the minor league ladder, playing the majority of the year at Double-A with the Brewers and playing 11 games with Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate in 2025. Listed at 5’9” and 178 lbs, the left-handed hitting outfielder will get a fresh start in the Twins organization and see if he can adjust his approach to the upper minors to see more consistent success. The upper minors have been a struggle for him over the past two years, during which he has posted an OPS of .550 and .644, respectively, across those seasons. He did hit for a bit more power in 2025, hitting 16 home runs. He has played a handful of games in center field, but has played the majority of his games in right field specifically, so that would be where he will likely play going forward as well. Maddux Houghton Acquired: Non-Drafted Free Agent, 2023 Highest Level in 2025: Triple-A The Twins signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2023, after he played four seasons with Lipscomb University, where he hit 16 home runs, stole 63 bases, and hit for a .785 OPS over 225 games played. He has had similar production since joining the Twins organization, with 68 stolen bases over 285 games played with an OPS of .730 since being signed. He’s played mostly center field professionally, but has the ability to play in the corners as well. This past season, the soon-to-be 27-year-old moved up the minor league ladder quickly, playing at four different levels in 2025. Across the four levels, he started to hit a bit more, hitting for a .812 OPS with 12 home runs and 26 stolen bases. While not a heralded prospect, Houghton’s ability to steal bases is an intriguing tool, and if he continues to develop at the plate, he could serve as a serviceable fourth outfielder for the Twins in the future. Kyle Hess Acquired: Free Agent, 2024 Highest Level in 2025: Double-A Another free agent signing, Hess signed out of independent ball in 2024 and got his first taste of the upper minors in 2025, playing in six games with Double-A Wichita. He will be 27 later this year, so to not serve as organizational depth, he will need to show he can handle upper-minor pitching this year. He has played all three outfield positions, but mostly played in the corners this past season. He hits left-handed, so he is on the strong side of a platoon and has mostly faced righties since signing with the Twins. Against righties, he hit for a .716 OPS this past season. Brandon Winokur Acquired: 3rd round, 2023 Highest Level in 2025: High-A I could have included Winokur at multiple positions, including shortstop and third base, but many think he will transition from the infield dirt to the outfield long term. Since being drafted, the 21-year-old has shown power across the board and the athleticism to play multiple positions, which is really valuable for any team. He cut down on his strikeouts this past year at High-A Cedar Rapids, but also had a down year offensively. He’s still young, so there's plenty of development to come. He did play in the Arizona Fall League this past year and did struggle offensively, but the experience can be invaluable going forward. Winokur is a prospect on the rise and someone we will likely see in a few years, so 2026 will prove to be a key year in his development. He’ll likely start the year with Cedar Rapids, but we could see him move up to Double-A Wichita if his development goes as planned. Caden Kendle Acquired: 5th round, 2024 Highest Level in 2025: High-A Kendle was drafted out of UC Irvine, where he was very solid, hitting .342/.447/.536 over four seasons. In his final college season, he posted a 1.069 OPS. While he hasn’t hit quite to that level in pro ball, he has still held his own, hitting for a .712 OPS between Single-A and High-A in his first two years. He showed a little more power in his first full season in 2025, hitting eight home runs, along with 16 stolen bases. He will turn 24 during Spring Training, so this year will be an interesting one to watch to see if he can continue developing both offensively and defensively, where he has played mostly in center field and right field. Eduardo Beltre Acquired: International Free Agent, 2024 Highest Level in 2025: Single-A Beltre was ranked the 40th prospect in the 2024 international class and got his first taste of playing in the United States in 2025, appearing in both the Complex League and Single-A Fort Myers. He has shown the ability to play center field, but might move to a corner outfield spot depending on the team's long-term needs. The 18-year-old has shown above-average tools across the board, which makes him that much more exciting to watch and dream about what he could be long term. Beltre is still very young and a few years away from making an impact at Target Field. He will be someone to keep an eye on, as he has a world of potential. Byron Chourio Acquired: Trade, Miami Marlins, January 2023 Highest Level in 2025: Single-A The somewhat forgotten part of the return, along with Pablo Lopez when the Twins shipped Luis Arraez to Miami, Chourio was seen as a bit of a lottery prospect at the time of the deal. The switch-hitter will play his age-21 season in 2026 and has shown athleticism and the ability to play center field, though he has also played in the corners. To force himself into more discussions on future lineups, he will need to hit a bit more, as he hit for a slash of .193/.336/.238 this past season. Still early in his development, this coming season will be key to seeing if he can make adjustments and live up to the potential the Twins hoped for him when they acquired him. Yasser Mercedes Acquired: International Free Agency, 2022 Highest Level in 2025: Single-A Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2022 for $1.7 million, Mercedes played this past season mostly at Single-A Fort Myers, where he struggled to a .186/.296/.307 slash line. He also struck out in just over 25% of his plate appearances at Single-A, but did walk at a 13.1% rate as well. Even with a lower on-base percentage than he or the Twins hoped, he showed the ability to steal 36 bases over 99 games, so that’s something to be excited about. He will play his age-21 season in 2026. Mercedes will see if he can get back to the type of results he had in his first professional season, where he hit .355/.420/.555 and stole 30 bases in 41 games. While a step up in competition typically slows a player down, Mercedes is still young enough to make an impact, and his base-stealing ability is a really fun tool that will help him as he gains more professional experience. Jacob McCombs Acquired: 7th round, 2025 Highest Level in 2025: Single-A Drafted this past year, McCombs played two seasons between San Diego State and UC Irvine, where he was a very good hitter, hitting for an OPS over 1.000 in both seasons. A left-handed hitter, he got his first taste of professional ball over eight games and will play his first full season this coming year. His contact ability at the plate will be his calling card, as he has limited power. Like any young player, there will be tweaks and a learning curve, but there is enough there to be intriguing and to keep an eye on to see how he develops long-term. There is also a list of players who have played in the Dominican Summer League or at the highest level in the Florida Complex League. I wanted to mention them because they are part of the organization and are all still young, early in their professional careers. These players include: Jhomnardo Reyes Ariel Castro Ricardo Perez Merphy Hernandez Luis Fragoza Carlos Taveras Joyner Perez Yovanny Duran Teilon Serrano Which of these outfield prospects are you most excited about? Let’s discuss in the comments. View the full article

On Friday, the Cubs signed right-handed reliever Shelby Miller to a two-year, guaranteed big-league deal. It's a rare step for a team to take to secure the services of a pitcher who won't take the mound in the first year of the contract. Miller underwent Tommy John surgery near the end of the 2025 season and won't pitch for the Cubs until 2027, if at all. Most of the time, a pitcher in their mid-30s signs a minor-league deal while the recuperate from this kind of operation. For instance, after his Cubs career ended on a surgeon's slab, Adbert Alzolay signed a two-year minor-league deal with the New York Mets. In this case, though, the Cubs went the extra mile. Doing that has short- and long-term implications. The Cubs will have to designate someone for assignment to slot Miller onto their 40-man roster, even though they'll pass him directly through that list and onto the 60-day injured list. That's fine, in that the team has plenty of players on the fringes of the roster whom they can lose without being especially upset. It still means that acquiring Miller now was more important to them than seeing a few spring outings from whichever arm gets the axe—likely someone like Gavin Hollowell, Luke Little or Ryan Rolison. It also means that Miller will take up a 40-man roster spot all next winter. Given how many current Cubs are set to hit free agency after the World Series, that, too, is an acceptable tradeoff, but it's a real cost. These considerations are why few teams sign players like this to deals like this one. Why did the Cubs take that extraordinary step? In part, at least, it's because of their neighbors to the north—their foremost rivals, not only for division titles but for under-the-radar pitching help. Miller was the Milwaukee Brewers' top trade deadline acquisition last summer, and though he didn't last with the team long before his elbow blew out, he and Milwaukee had mutual interest in a reunion this winter. Miller is the kind of pitcher the Brewers like, which means he's the kind of pitcher the Cubs like. In the five seasons since 2021, the following pitchers have twirled for both the Cubs and the Crew: Brad Boxberger Andrew Chafin Aaron Civale Trevor Megill Wade Miley Shelby Miller Tyson Miller Hoby Milner* Daniel Norris Enoli Paredes Drew Pomeranz Colin Rea Taylor Rogers In a sense, even that list isn't exhaustive. It doesn't include players each team has brought into camp who had pitched for the other during the same span, but who never appeared with the second club—or cases like that of Bryan Hudson, the ex-Cubs farmhand whom the Brewers scooped up and briefly turned into a strong lefty setup man. It'll suffice, though, to demonstrate the point: these teams look for a lot of the same things and compete for a lot of the same pitchers. The Brewers love a three-fastball mix. They prize pitchers who can use a four-seamer, a sinker and a cutter to positive effects, and ask their guys to lean on those offerings. The Cubs don't preach using all three of those varietals together as consistently, but they like the cut-ride fastball, which is often a way of getting the benefits of a four-seamer and a cutter from one pitch, thereby simplifying the mix for the pitcher (but putting a bit more pressure on their secondary weapon(s)). That's an important commonality, even if the two sides each think of it differently. Both teams, too, assiduously build strong defenses, and they try to get the most of them by bringing in pitchers who manage contact, rather than dodging it. Each team prefers more of their resources to be allocated to position players, so they don't often take big swings on pitching in the draft or splurge on high-priced hurlers with whiffs-forward arsenals. They're trying to prevent runs, and they're happy to do that a slightly more cost-efficient way (by sacrificing offense at one or two positions to maximize defense, and being excellent on balls in play, rather than racking up strikeouts). The overlap is not perfect, in either philosophy or execution. The Brewers have to attack things this way when it comes to external acquisitions, but they focus on accumulating depth via internal development and team control. They don't use first-round picks on pitchers, but they spend more time, energy and money on the later rounds of the draft than the Cubs do, and it shows. They're better than Chicago at pitching development, and that difference gets exaggerated by the way they go about team building over multi-year periods. Milwaukee also maximizes their chances to get that kind of development right, though, through deals like the one they made earlier this month. In trading their starting third baseman (Caleb Durbin) and two backup infielders, they created a small hole they had to patch, but also reinforced their pitching depth admirably with two new lefties. Chicago, by contrast, is willing to walk the tightrope with a more expensive and less flexible (but more proven) pitching staff. They've paid a price for that, at times, but they've also reaped the benefits of it. Since these teams tend to prefer finding and using similar pitchers at different stages of their careers, it's not surprising that they end up employing a lot of the same guys. It does add a sense of silliness to the ostensibly heated rivalry between the sides, though. Few teams in baseball are more similar than these two, in the ways they try to win games—especially on the mound. The seeds of an eventual divergence between them have been planted, in the Cubs' hiring and promotion of Tyler Zombro, who has some slightly different predilections than the Brewers', but even then, there's overlap. If one of the two clubs likes you, the other is likely to like you, too. Being a Brewer, especially, is a leading indicator of eventually being a Cub. The teams sometimes vie unexpectedly hard for the same otherwise forgettable players, which is a big part of why Miller has a 40-man roster spot right now. At least twice in the last two offseasons, both teams have pursued a pitcher who ended up signing a minor-league deal with one or the other; they often end up at the top of the market for hurlers the rest of the league is less high on. As much as each side might want to beat the other, they show considerable tacit respect for one another by so often locking in on the same targets. View the full article

Before reading this part of the Brewers' voyage to Milwaukee, read part one of the series, "A Failed Launch". And in the meantime, popular manager Joe Schultz was fired by GM Marvin Milkes—who would become the Brewers' first general manager—and speculation began about who was going to be the next Pilots manager. Dave Bristol, Billy Martin, Dick Williams, and Grady Hatton were among the names mentioned. Two days before Thanksgiving, the Pilots hired Bristol, who had been recently fired by the Cincinnati Reds after guiding them to a record of 89-73 during the season. The estimated contract was a two-year, $80,000 deal. (No, that is not a typo.) A week later, the American League unanimously voted to accept the sale from Daley to the Danz group. However, the $40 million domed stadium deal remained uncertain, and both sides had concerns. Just after the New Year’s Eve hangovers had subsided, more complications popped up in early January 1970 when the Bank of California demanded immediate repayment of a $3.5 million loan that was made to the Pilots the previous season. The new ownership group, led by Danz, was going to assume that loan and was working feverishly to settle its financial issues. Danz later announced a ticket drive that he hoped would raise $1 million to show that the Pilots could count on local support. The ticket drive started slowly, and over the first few days, the team had raised only $200,000 toward the $1 million goal. On January 13, the American League announced they were giving the Denz group nine more days to settle its finances. After only a few days, the Pilots got a five-day extension from the league so Danz and his associates “could find a solution to the financial bottleneck which is holding up the sale” according to the Appleton Post-Crescent. Just days later, baseball commish Bowie Kuhn stated that if the Pilots did not get their deal squared away, “There is a possibility of a franchise transfer. When and if there is a transfer, one thing is certain—Milwaukee will receive serious consideration.” But he also told the crowd of 700 at the Wisconsin Baseball Writers Association 17th Annual Diamond Dinner in Milwaukee that Dallas-Fort Worth was still in the running. “I wish I could bring you some guarantee that would lighten your heart tonight,” Kuhn said. “But I can’t.” On January 22, Daley announced that Seattle was “up for grabs.” Danz and his group were unable to meet a 2 pm deadline to refinance or settle the Bank of California loan. Hunt, the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs, and Mercer then formally applied to the American League for the transfer of the team to the DFW area. Selig’s group reportedly offered less money but had a major league-ready stadium as part of the package. Dallas-Fort Worth only had a minor league facility ready to go, even though a big-league park was in the planning stage. And if there hadn’t been enough chaos already, one day later, the courts got involved when the city of Seattle filed a ‘specific performance’ suit against Pacific Northwest Sports, Inc. (Daley et al) that basically said the Pilots needed to fulfill its five-year lease agreement. It turned ‘hardball’ quickly. King County Superior Court Judge F. A. Walterskirschen threatened a “temporary restraining order barring removal of the franchise” from Seattle. New Seattle Mayor Wes Uhlman intimated that a lawsuit would be filed against any team that bought and moved the Pilots. Uhlman told reporters, “Seattle deserves more than a one-year turn at-bat.” Milwaukee was also looking for ‘another’ turn at bat, as the Milwaukee Braves had skipped town after the 1965 campaign. Earlier in January, Milwaukee radio station WOKY sent telegrams—the forerunner of email—to all American League clubs and AL president Cronin. The telegram read: “The world’s greatest baseball fans urge you to put the Pilots in Milwaukee. Remember the ‘Miracle of Milwaukee.’ It can happen again.” Around that time, things started to get nasty. Ewing Kauffman, owner of the expansion Kansas City team and chairman of a four-man board that would help shepherd the troubling transaction, set the purchase price at $8.8 million, down from Daley’s initial ask of $10.5 million. “We’ve done this [set the price] so that Daley and the Sorianos will make less than half a million profit. They don’t deserve a profit. They did not stay in there and pitch.” Ouch. Once again, AL owners were split in their visions of the outcome. Some wanted the Pilots to stay in Seattle, and others rooted for either Milwaukee or Dallas-Fort Worth to come forward and win the day. Selig and Co. had Milwaukee County Stadium as an anchor and a valid reason for choosing Milwaukee. On the other hand, DFW would have been the larger cash cow, no pun intended. And to add a little more intrigue into this convoluted, comical, and controversial piece of commerce, DFW principal Hunt had a ‘private understanding’ with the Cleveland Indians, according to a column by Leonard Koppett of the New York Times. Rumor had it that Hunt wanted to buy the Indians for $13 million after the 1970 season. Koppett whimsically posited that, “Apparently, the oil millionaire (Hunt) now believes a Pilot in the hand is worth two Indians in the handshake.” You can’t make this stuff up. On January 28, the Pilots were once again given a nine-day extension to allow the Seattle group, now led by hotel executive Edward Carlson, more time to come up with the now-$9-million asking price. Two days later, an airline executive from Oakland threw his hat into the three-ring circus as a potential buyer. Edward J. Daly was president of World Airways, Inc., an Oakland charter carrier. What was Daly’s sudden interest in buying the Pilots? A friend of his, Oakland A’s owner Charles O. Finley, asked him to. And it gets better. Carlson and Danz of the Seattle group asked Tommy Mercer of the DFW group to lend them $4 million. “I said we were not in the finance business,” Mercer commented. Remember when Seattle Mayor Uhlman threatened any non-local buyer with a lawsuit? That number was purportedly now $25 million. Mercer then proposed that the league take over the Pilots and pay $150,000 per team for the year’s baseball operations, rather than each team paying 1/10 of the $25 million lawsuit amount. “It could possibly happen,” Mercer said. Not to be left out, Bank of California vice president Warren G. Campbell told the Milwaukee Sentinel on February 3 that the Carlson/Danz group was “at least $3.5 million short, and maybe $7 million” short of the necessary money needed for purchase. Campbell also said, “I don’t know how many times I have to repeat it. We want the cash, or a guarantee in the form of other types of security other than the franchise.” Meanwhile, Milwaukee and DFW waited…patiently. Coming soon, part three: ladies and gentlemen, the Milwaukee Brewers! View the full article

Though most of the group remains the same, the San Diego Padres have two changes to highlight among their crop of infielders. With the departures of Luis Arraez and Ryan O'Hearn in free agency, the Friars enter 2026 having to replace them at first base and designated hitter, respectively. Those are the positions they were at for all three games of the NL Wild Card Series loss to the Chicago Cubs. Both were basically first basemen with the Padres, Arraez getting 117 starts at the position in 2025 and O'Hearn 25 at first and 16 at DH after coming over from the Baltimore Orioles at the trade deadline. But that void is easily filled, at least positionally, from within and with a late add to camp. Who Was Scheduled to Come Back? Third baseman Manny Machado, shortstop Xander Bogaerts and second baseman Jake Cronenworth return in their primary spots from 2025, with Gavin Sheets also back after making 11 starts at first, 60 in left and 59 at DH. Sheets enters spring training as the presumed starting first baseman, although that could shift depending on other performances. Mason McCoy is the only backup from the postseason roster back for 2026. Freddy Fermin, acquired at the trade deadline from the Kansas City Royals, returns as the Opening Day catcher, with Luis Campusano as his backup. Machado's status is unquestioned as the team's leader and the player with the biggest contract ($350 million over 11 years). His .275/.335/.460 slash line with 27 homers and 95 RBIs in 2025 was on par with his career numbers. He also plays solid defense, although that's been in decline over the last two seasons. Bogaerts hasn't been as good offensively in his three seasons with the Friars after 10 years with the Boston Red Sox. In 2025, Bogaerts put together a .263/.328/.391 slash line, matching his 2024 with 11 homers to go along with 53 RBIs. He did steal a career-high 20 bases in 22 attempts. Bogaerts had a career slash line of .292/.356/.458 with the Red Sox, including four seasons of more than 20 homers and a high of 33 in 2019. After splitting time between second and short in 2024, Bogaerts was back to a full-time shortstop in 2025 and had his best defensive season. Cronenworth had his best production in 2025 since his breakthrough 2021-22 seasons, but it was below what has come to be expected. He posted a slash line of .246/.367/.377 after subpar outputs in 2023-24. His 11 homers and 59 RBIs were the second-lowest of a full 162-game season in his six MLB seasons. His defense at second base is a little below average, although it was surprisingly good during a brief tenure at short when Bogaerts was hurt. Fermin wasn't as good as expected offensively after he came over from the Royals, putting up a .244/.278/.339 slash line with two homers and 14 RBIs in 42 games. Campusano, who spent most of 2025 at Triple-A, could help with the offense at catcher, while potentially seeing spot starts at DH. Sheets, a non-roster invitee a year ago who made the Opening Day roster, bounced between first, DH and left while accumulating a .252/.317/.429 slash line with 19 homers and 71 RBIs. Never known for defense, he might be best-suited as a DH, but he'll get the first crack at first base. McCoy has limited MLB experience, but does provide coverage at shortstop. Who Was Added? The Friars made a big move Saturday, agreeing to bring in Nick Castellanos for the MLB minimum following his well-publicized split with the Philadelphia Phillies. Castellanos is suddenly in the mix at first base, a position he has never played but has apparently been working at this offseason. Putting the clubhouse issues aside, Castellanos is a low-risk acquisition who could bring pretty good production as a right-handed bat. His path to playing time is first base and designated hitter due to his poor defense in right field. In his four years with the Phillies, Castellanos slashed .260/.306/.426, averaging 21 homers and 82 RBIs. Prior to Castellanos, the biggest offseason addition was Sung Mun Song, a free agent from the Korea Baseball Organization. Song was mostly a third baseman in the KBO, although he had time at second base and a little at first. Song, a left-handed hitter, had really good 2024 and 2025 seasons, with respective slash lines of .340/.409/.518 with 19 homers and 104 RBIs and then .315/.387/.530 with 26 homers and 90 RBIs. He also had 21 and 25 steals in those two campaigns. The huge question is how quickly Song will adjust to MLB pitching. He sustained an oblique injury that was reported about a month ago, with a timeline to return around the first few official games of spring training. How much that impacts his performance during the exhibition slate will be key to that process. If he is able to hit the ground running in his first few weeks, he should be fine. The next question is whether he hits well enough to force his way into the starting lineup. Song said he was going to bounce around the infield, except for shortstop, and the outfield, which lines up with what the Friars have previously said about where he could find playing time. One recent addition, expected to fill a bench role, is corner infielder-outfielder Miguel Andujar. He brings a right-handed bat that produced 17 homers last year between the A's and Cincinnati Reds. He has battled injuries since crushing 27 homers with the New York Yankees in 2018, when he finished second to Shohei Ohtani in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. He provides coverage at third and first base as well as left field, though his defense is suspect at each spot. Candidates to Join the Infield or Catcher Group? Will Wagner, the son of Hall of Fame closer Billy Wagner, will be in the mix for a backup role after coming over at the trade deadline from the Toronto Blue Jays. He can play anywhere on the infield except for shortstop. Two players with non-roster invites that have a chance to win a spot are corner infielder Jose Miranda and Samad Taylor, who can play anywhere on the infield (no experience at first) as well as the outfield. Another out-of-the-box possibility is the Friars going with a third catcher, allowing Campusano more hitting opportunities, his strength. Blake Hunt is the top non-roster invitee on the catching side, but he is also an offense-first player. The Padres could be in search of a defensive catcher to help out Fermin. The Bottom Line At worst, Castellanos is a DH. If he can be a good defensive first baseman — he did begin his career as a third baseman — that would push Sheets to DH. But Song holds the real key to how the Friars' infield alignment shakes out. He could surprise and take the starting second base job or simply settle into a utility role. If he does grab second base, that would move Cronenworth to platoon at first base with Castellanos and Sheets, with one being the DH. There would be some obvious shuffling when Machado either needs a day off or serves as the DH, with Song moving over to third, Cronenworth to second, and Sheets to first. Regardless, there should be more versatility among the infield group with Song and Andujar in tow. The battle for the last bench spot between McCoy, Wagner, Miranda and Taylor will be decided by spring performance and whether to go with three catchers. The offense will suffer a bit without Arraez's contact ability, but the additions should help boost the power capability of the lineup this season. View the full article

MLB clubs and free agents are taking their sweet time wrapping up the 2025-26 offseason. The opening of spring training camps this week spurred a flurry of activity. The Cubs got in on the action Friday by agreeing to a multi-year contract with veteran right-hander Shelby Miller, who'll miss the 2026 season after undergoing elbow surgery earlier this offseason. If the club wants to add more major-league pieces, the market's still very much open. If it isn't satisfied with the rotation, they'll need to move fast after Zac Gallen re-signed in Arizona. If it wants another bench bat, about a couple dozen are still unsigned, though that list shrank as well once Nick Castellanos signed with the Padres There's a case for signing a number of players as spring training gets underway, but here's one specific name that should be on the Cubs' radar with camp shifting into high gear. Why the Cubs should sign Ty France France, 31, no longer plays around the infield, but his recent work at first base would make up for that. Last season, he won an American League Gold Glove at the position while playing for the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays. His 10 outs above average (OAA) led the majors at the position, and his nine defensive runs saved (DRS) were third-most. His work in the field helped push him into positive fWAR territory (0.9). By comparison, Michael Busch posted minus-1 OAA and 2 DRS at first base for the Cubs last year. The right-handed hitting France could spell Busch against left-handers and be a defensive replacement/pinch-hitter the rest of the time. He makes decent contact -- he was in the 70th percentile in strikeout percentage last year and increased his contract rate on pitches in the zone by nearly three percent from 2024 to 2025. His barrel percentage keeps improving, too, as his 7.7 percent mark last season was the second-highest of his career. Now, the negatives. France does not fit the Cubs' power-and-speed offensive philosophy. He's one of the slowest runners in the game (sixth-percentile foot speed, per Baseball Savant), and his SLG has declined over the past three years, ranging from .360 to .366 after spending a few seasons in the mid-.400s. He has posted 92 and 93 wRC+ the past two seasons, and his mark last year was a full-season career low. The glove work might be a mirage as well; he produced minus-12 OAA and minus-8 DRS in 2024. Can that all be overlooked? Perhaps not, but if the Cubs can find a way to get him into camp on a low-risk (or non-guaranteed deal), any potential downsides would be mitigated. Their current first-base backup is Tyler Austin, who returned to the States in the offseason after playing six years in Japan. His potential contribution is a mystery. Austin is on a split contract, so the Cubs could option him to Triple-A Iowa if they decide to go in another direction. France could be that upgrade based on his latest glove work and bat-to-ball skills. View the full article

With the World Baseball Classic on the horizon, many were wondering whether Byron Buxton or Pete Crow-Armstrong would be Team USA’s starting center fielder. That debate may have just resolved itself. Presumed starting left fielder Corbin Carroll suffered a broken hamate bone in his right hand. While Team USA will replace Carroll on the roster, it is difficult to imagine that replacement being a better overall option than either Buxton or Crow-Armstrong. The most logical alignment now features Crow-Armstrong in center field, Aaron Judge in right, and Buxton sliding over to left. And that possibility should grab the Twins’ attention. Buxton has never played a corner outfield position in the majors. Yet given how well he handles center field, there is little doubt he would be an elite defender in left. In fact, he might immediately become the best defensive left fielder in baseball if he played there full-time. The reads, the closing speed, and the arm strength. Those tools would not disappear simply because the wall is closer and the angles are different. But the numbers suggest this conversation is arriving at the right time. Baseball Prospectus’ Deserved Runs Prevented metric shows a clear month-to-month picture of Buxton’s defensive performance this season. March and April: - 0.1 May: 1.4 June: -1.1 July: -2.4 August: -1.4 September: - 0.9 Even early in the year, there were hints of slippage. As the season progressed, the inconsistency became more pronounced. Buxton still makes spectacular plays, but the day-to-day impact has not been as steady as it once was. He turned 32 in December. Speed is often the first tool to fade as players move into their 30s, and center field is one of the most physically demanding positions on the diamond. The Twins understand that reality. If Minnesota wants to maximize Buxton’s offensive value during one of the most productive stretches of his career, it may soon be time to reduce the defensive burden. The World Baseball Classic could serve as a trial run. If Buxton thrives in left field on an international stage, the optics change. It no longer feels hypothetical. It becomes practical. And then there is Walker Jenkins. Minnesota’s top prospect reached Triple-A as a 20-year-old and appears poised to debut sometime next season. His short-term future is in center field. In the minors this year, Jenkins has logged 443 innings in center and just 43 in right. Emmanuel Rodriguez, another top prospect, also has significant center field experience and could factor into the big league roster soon. The Twins may not want to block that pipeline. Buxton is under team control through 2028. Even if his defense in center remains solid through a modest decline, the organization has to consider roster optimization over the next several seasons. Moving Buxton to left field would allow Jenkins to step into center without forcing an awkward positional shuffle. There is also the matter of health. Buxton’s career has been defined as much by time on the injured list as by highlight reel catches. He has been healthier recently, but reducing the physical demands of his position could help keep his bat in the lineup more consistently. Corner outfield spots typically require less ground to cover and fewer all-out sprints into the gaps. Preserving Buxton’s body has always been a priority. A move to left field could be a proactive step rather than a reactive one. It does not have to be viewed as a demotion. It is a natural progression that helps extend careers. Some of the game’s best center fielders eventually make that move. The bat stays in the lineup. The legs last longer. The value shifts but does not disappear. The World Baseball Classic might only last a few weeks. But for Buxton and the Twins, it could quietly preview the next phase of his career. Should the Twins consider moving Buxton to a corner outfield spot in 2026? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

With his recent retirement from broadcasting, it seems like a good time to look back at the career of Buck Martinez. Martinez will likely be remembered as a Blue Jay by most baseball fans due to his long association with the franchise. He played for Toronto from 1981-1986, then worked as a broadcaster for the team in stints from 1987-2000 and 2010-2025. He even managed the Blue Jays in 2001 and 2002. But Martinez was a Royal for many years. And he’s an original Royal, part of the expansion 1969 squad. Although he never played more than 95 games in a season in Kansas City, he was a part of the team’s growth from an expansion team to a division winner. John Albert Martinez was born on November 7, 1948, in Redding, California. His paternal grandparents emigrated from Spain, while his mother was part of the Karuk Tribe of northern California. Martinez was playing amateur baseball in Sacramento when future Royals manager Joe Gordon, then scouting for the California Angels, noticed him. Gordon recommended the Angels sign him, but Philadelphia beat them to the punch. However, the Houston Astros selected Martinez in the Rule 5 draft in 1968. Two weeks later, they sent him to the Royals (with two minor leaguers) in return for minor league catcher Johnny Jones. Gordon, set to manage the initial Royals team, had his man. It was a small example of the shrewd trades the Kansas City front office, headed by GM Cedric Tallis, made in the team’s early days, as Jones never made it past A-ball. Martinez was finishing his junior year at Sacramento State College and didn’t even join the Royals for spring training, but joined the major league team soon after his school year was over. He made his MLB debut on June 18, 1969, with a flyout as a pinch hitter. Less than two weeks later, on June 28, he made his first start behind the plate. It was a game to remember, as he hit his first major league home run, picked off a runner at second, and tagged out two runners at home, one of them a collision with Minnesota’s Bob Allison. All of this on a hot, humid Saturday afternoon that was brutal enough to send Twins third baseman Rick Renick to the hospital with heat exhaustion. Martinez ended the year with a .229/.258/.327 line in 214 plate appearances. Not too shabby for a rookie who didn’t even have spring training. He had impressed the team with his defense. But Martinez would barely get to play in 1970. He was optioned to Triple-A Omaha during spring training, as Ellie Rodriguez won the starting job and the team wanted Martinez to catch every day. But then Buck was called up… to active military duty. The Army stint lasted until early August. Martinez played in just six games for the Royals that year, then headed to Florida for Instructional League play and then on to Puerto Rico for winter ball, where he played for Frank Robinson on the Santurce club. Martinez reported to spring training in 1971 with his eyes on the starting job, although the Royals had acquired Jerry May from Pittsburgh in the same trade that brought Freddie Patek to Kansas City. Martinez did indeed make the Opening Day roster and even got the nod for the opener, as the Royals were facing a left-hander. But Martinez was soon returned to the minors because the Royals wanted him to play every day. He bounced back and forth between Kansas City and Triple-A Omaha, ending the year with 53 plate appearances for the Royals and a .152/.231/.196 mark. At least he made the American Association all-star team for Omaha. That obviously took some of the shine off his status as a prospect. Martinez spent the entire 1972 season in Omaha. Perhaps fighting off disappointment, he hit just .174/.299/.282 before a foul tip broke a bone in his right hand in mid-July. While Buck’s arm and defense had never been in question, his bat definitely was a concern. When Martinez was optioned to Omaha again at the end of spring training in 1973, he apparently took that decision better. He batted .272/.345/.382, earning a September callup. Although he only played in 14 games, he hit .250/.333/.375, putting him back on the Royals’ radar. In fact, Martinez had played in the minors for the last time. Hitting coach Charley Lau is most famous in Royals history for turning a poor-hitting rookie third baseman into George Brett, but he also helped Martinez turn his career around following that horrid 1972 season. “I had no rhythm, no timing, no feel for hitting the ball. We worked on it over and over – sometimes he’d even throw it to me underhanded, trying to get it right. Day after day, I’d be down in the cage, maybe some days taking 300, 400 swings. And finally, I saw where it was making a difference. I felt like it was just a matter of putting in the time, like if I’d go out and work on it seven, eight hours a day I would have it. And of course the beautiful thing about Charley… I mean, he never quits. If you show him a sincere effort and a willingness to learn, he’ll be out there with you until… it’s done." --Martinez, quoted by Gib Twyman, Kansas City Star, April 3, 1974 After five seasons, the Royals had finally sorted out their catcher situation, with Fran Healy the starter and Martinez now the backup. He played in 43 games, hitting just .215/.317/.290. But when he saw more regular action in September, with the team out of contention, he finished strong with a .261/.333/.413 mark in 51 plate appearances, nearly half his total for the season. The catching arrangement remained the same for 1975, although the rumor mill in spring training said the Royals were hoping for an upgrade on their backup. But Healy was injured in the first series of the season, and Martinez filled in capably, with a .242/.317/.352 line in 30 of the team’s 44 games through the end of May. Healy got injured again in July, allowing Martinez and Bob Stinson to split catching duties for basically the rest of the season. Martinez got the most starts behind the plate among the trio. As the 1976 season began, the status quo was still in place, with Healy the starter and Martinez and Stinson slated for backup duty. But things changed quickly, as the Royals dealt Healy to the New York Yankees in mid-May for pitcher Larry Gura. It turned out to be a great deal for the Royals, as Gura, who had fallen out of favor with Yankees manager Billy Martin and hadn’t even appeared in a game for the New Yorkers all season, would go on to win 111 games with Kansas City. It was also a great deal for Martinez, who now seemed to be the starter. Until, that is, he injured himself sliding into second base a few days later. Somehow, he managed to spike his own leg, requiring six stitches. The hit that resulted in the injury gave him an 11-game hitting streak. He returned to the lineup in early June and quickly re-established himself as the starter as the Royals battled for their first division title. His offensive numbers were still not outstanding (.228/.269/.356 in 295 plate appearances), but he continued to receive praise for his defense. He also performed well in the ALCS, with five hits in 16 plate appearances and four RBI, although the Royals lost the best-of-five series to the Yankees. But once again, change was coming to the Royals’ catcher position. After the season, Kansas City acquired Darrell Porter in a trade with Milwaukee. Porter, a left-handed hitter, offered more power and had been a highly-rated prospect a few years earlier, although his 1976 season had been a disappointment. The two started the season as a platoon, but Porter soon captured the job with a hot hitting start. As a result, Martinez appeared in only 29 games, and not at all in the ALCS. His Royals career came to an end when he was traded to St. Louis with pitcher Mark Littell for pitcher Al Hrabosky during the winter meetings. The Cardinals, the same day, shipped him to Milwaukee for pitcher George Frazier. Martinez was a Brewer for three seasons, then was traded to Toronto early in the 1981 season (a deal, incidentally, that kept Ned Yost on the Milwaukee roster). That began an association with the Blue Jays that lasted more than 40 years. But he should be remembered by Royals fans both as a member of the original team and the franchise’s first AL West title team. View the full article

The Brewers have a bright future at shortstop – between Cooper Pratt and Jesus Made, they could have a generational talent at the position. Both are top-100 prospects, both are relatively young, and both could be. Jett Williams is also a potential contender there, boasting top-100 prospect talent, though he could end up at any number of positions. Then there is Joey Ortiz, who posted a positive WAR value (barely) despite a horrendous season at the plate in 2025. 2025 Brewers Shortstop Review The Brewers faced some serious struggles at shortstop in 2025, at least in terms of offense. Joey Ortiz’s OPS+ dropped from 102 in 2024 to 66 in 2025. That would have been bad enough, but Willy Adames posted a 119 OPS+ for Milwaukee in 2024, making the drop-off at the plate that much worse for Milwaukee. The Brewers got some offensive punch when Andruw Monasterio took over for Ortiz after an injury shelved him late in the 2025 regular season. Monasterio had been a cult hero and competent infield backup since the 2023 season, when he arrived after a scary incident involving Adames, then stayed to hold down the hot corner, but he’s with the Red Sox now after a six-person deal that also sent Caleb Durbin and Anthony Seigler to Boston. Current Shortstop Roster Situation Ortiz, new acquisition David Hamilton (a one-time Brewers prospect dealt to Boston in the Hunter Renfroe trade), and Platinum Glove winner Brice Turang are the natural shortstops on the 40-man roster. Top 100 prospects Pratt, Made, and Williams are NRIs to spring training. Eduardo Garcia is a one-time shortstop prospect who’s played all over the diamond due to the emergence of Pratt and Made. Eddys Leonard, a minor-league free agent signing, could be a contender, either as a starter somewhere or as a super sub. In essence, the question isn’t if Joey Ortiz will be displaced. It’s more about who does the displacing, when it happens, and why it happens. Ideally, the Brewers will debut their new shortstop along with a new third baseman, both of whom would be home-grown, on Opening Day 2027, with plenty of good choices to choose from. Best Case Scenario A Top 100 prospect displaces Ortiz at shortstop around the middle of 2026, despite a return to Ortiz’s offensive form from the first half of 2024. This would likely entail the following: Ortiz would have been hitting well, while Cooper Pratt and/or Jett Williams would have been performing so well that Milwaukee has no choice but to call them both up. Ortiz would then become part of a midseason deal that Milwaukee uses to either further bolster its farm system or address a key need that emerges during the regular season. This is not to say Ortiz is a bad player. At the very least, he is an excellent defensive shortstop with trouble producing at the plate. You could do far worse than that, especially for a salary at or close to the major-league minimum. But the way the Brewers have drafted over the past few years, as well as their signings in international free agency, leave them arguably overstocked at shortstop. How deep? Freddy Zamora and Eduardo Garcia were one-time top prospects who have been bypassed by Pratt and Made, and neither of them is a horrible player - Zamora has good OBP skills, doesn't strike out a ton, and can steal a few bases and play decent defense. Garcia's got pop, speed, excellent defense, and improved his walk rate big-time in 2025. Worst Case Scenario The 2025 version of Joey Ortiz gets over 40 starts. This would mean that multiple top 100 prospects are not performing well or have ended up on the injured list, while the Brewers are unable to move Hamilton from third base. There are some other ways for a shortstop to go poorly, as well. The Brewers could end up with Turang or Hamilton at the position as well, with the team trading prospects in a panic deal to shore up their infield. Depth is a commodity the Brewers cannot afford to lose, especially since their farm system lost six players in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 draft, including Zavier Warren, a switch-hitting supersub listed as a first baseman, in addition to the panic trade made early in the 2025 season for Quinn Priester. Brewers Shortstop Overview While the Brewers have long-term depth and very good prospects, the Durbin deal that brought two solid left-handed starting pitching prospects and Hamilton came at a price: shortstop Monasterio. Milwaukee’s operating without much of a safety blanket, although the team has multiple prospects and one-time top prospects (Williams, Pratt, Zamora, Garcia) who could be surprisingly capable. Keep in mind, the Brewers have had unheralded prospects become valuable assets – with the recently departed Monasterio being one such under-the-radar pickup. In this case, Garcia and Zamora could easily fall into this category, despite their higher-round pedigree. View the full article

When the Blue Jays arrived in Baltimore for the final three games of their dismal 2009 season, the team was in complete disarray. A variety of resentments towards manager Cito Gaston and his coaching staff boiled over into a “mutiny,” the funniest recorded level of clubhouse revolt. As team president Paul Beeston flew in to be a featured guest at a players-only meeting the next day, José Bautista quietly homered in his fourth straight game. It was the first sighting of the José Bautista that Blue Jays fans would come to know and love. He appeared in just 21 games for Toronto in 2008 after being acquired from Pittsburgh, but behind the scenes, Bautista was beginning a makeover that changed his career. Gaston and hitting coach Gene Tenace encouraged Bautista to pull driveable pitches and start his swing earlier. The changes were anything but small, and it took Bautista some time to adapt. “The way that I would compare it would be if somebody tells you to brush your teeth with your left hand and not your right hand,” recalled the right-handed Bautista. After hitting only two home runs in the first half of 2009, Bautista was given an opportunity in the weeks following the All-Star Game. After the break, the disappointing Blue Jays dealt third baseman Scott Rolen to Cincinnati before letting White Sox GM Kenny Williams shoplift Alex Rios from the waiver wire. As a result, Bautista found himself with more playing time, and by September, the switch had flipped. As his leg kick heightened at the plate, so did his power: Bautista hit more home runs in September (10) than he did the rest of the season (three). Bautista’s swing transformation throughout the 2009 season is fun to watch; you can see the difference in his early-season blasts compared to September. At least stay for the first 25 seconds, featuring a depressed-at-his-best Hawk Harrelson calling Bautista’s first home run of the year in a drubbing of the White Sox. Other than Bautista (“I 100 per cent felt different”) and perhaps his manager, no one knew that the player’s transformation into Joey Bats had already taken place. Bautista avoided arbitration with Toronto and its new general manager Alex Anthopoulos, returning on a $2.4 million deal for 2010. After his Grapefruit League batting average hovered around .500 all spring, Gaston penciled Bautista into the leadoff spot on Opening Day. Still, when Bautista hit his first home run of the year on April 11 in Baltimore, no one knew what was to come. Bautista erupted for 54 home runs that season to lead the major leagues and set a new Blue Jays single-season record. After Toronto’s 85th win of the year in the season finale in Minneapolis, Bautista was embraced near the top of the dugout by Gaston. Suffering through “one of the worst winters of his life,” Gaston returned for one more season and watched as his last protégé set fire to the American League. A year before, a worn-down Gaston was asked about Bautista during the season’s final weekend in Baltimore. If José were an everyday player, the manager said, “He’d have a chance to do some damage.” One day, I’m going to write 30,000 words about the mutiny at the end of the 2009 season, but Bautista’s breakout gave Gaston’s woeful second tenure some positive and lasting meaning. (photo credit: Sportsnet/CP) Bautista’s emergence left Anthopoulos at a crossroads in the offseason. Bautista would be arbitration-eligible one final time. Left with a year of control, Anthopoulos explored his options. On the trade market, Bautista’s name was met with skepticism. No general manager wanted to acquire the second coming of Brady Anderson and told Anthopoulos as much. Plus, the Blue Jays were coming off a winning season despite trading Roy Halladay the previous winter. Would trading a fan favourite for a second straight offseason be palatable to the fans? A trade was not going to happen. Anthopoulos didn’t feel much urgency in addressing his emerged slugger’s contract, and neither did Bautista. Prior to Game 4 of the World Series, Bautista was named the Hank Aaron Award winner as the American League’s top offensive player and said he had not yet received any offers from the Blue Jays. “I’m not worried by any concern the team might have whether I can repeat it or not,” said Bautista. “I have no problems with an arbitration deal and going back out there and hopefully doing as well as I did last year.” Bautista would also win a Silver Slugger award in 2010, and while he was hopeful in a wide-open AL MVP race, he finished fourth, with one first-place vote courtesy of Shi Davidi, then of the Canadian Press. (photo credit: Sportsnet) Arbitration seemed to be the way things were headed. When the deadline to file for arbitration came in January, Bautista sought a $10.5 million salary, nearly $3 million more than Toronto offered. Anthopoulos refused to negotiate one-year pacts with players once arbitration numbers were filed, but door number three, a long-term deal, was still on the table. Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star felt the team intended to extend Bautista all along and was “content to lose the arbitration decision” if it came to it. On Valentine’s Day, a panel was scheduled to hear the arbitration case before the two sides decided to postpone the hearing. Negotiations on an extension were ongoing, said Anthopoulos, and the Blue Jays’ payroll situation had also changed recently. Having failed to land Adrian Beltré or Carl Crawford as free agents, the Angels foolishly traded for Toronto outfielder Vernon Wells. The subtractions of Rios and then Wells had taken nearly $39 million off Toronto’s payroll for the 2011 season alone. Bautista and the Blue Jays agreed to delay the arbitration hearing until the last possible minute. Two nights before the deadline, Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes dropped the big news: Bautista and the Blue Jays were in agreement on a five-year, $65 million extension with a team option for a sixth season. The contract was official the next day. “We could have paid him for one year, and we could have waited to see what he does this season,” Anthopoulos said, “But I believe it’s the right time to sign him, and that’s my job.” When news of the extension broke, several player agents called Toronto’s general manager asking if he had lost his mind. Even the pro-extension crowd recognized the risk in the commitment to Bautista, owner of one great season and a bunch of meh previous. Anthopoulos didn’t shy away from criticisms, but they found a way to eat at him. “I remember on my daily drive to the ballpark in Dunedin two or three days after the fact just thinking, ‘Did we do the right thing, did we make a mistake?’,” he recounted to Shi Davidi, “You can’t help it when there’s an avalanche of criticism and second-guessing.” When the newly wealthy Bautista arrived in Dunedin to start spring, it was easy to forget this would be the first time the new face of the franchise wouldn’t spend his March fighting for a roster spot. Playing under new expectations, Bautista followed up his 54 home run season with the most complete offensive performance of his career. Once again leading the majors in home runs (43), Bautista also posted a major-league best OPS (1.056) and drew more walks (132) than anyone else in baseball. It was production the Blue Jays happily came to expect from Bautista as his contract continued forward. Standard Batting Table Season Age Team WAR G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ Awards 2011 30 TOR 8.3 149 655 513 105 155 24 2 43 103 132 111 .302 .447 .608 1.056 182 AS,MVP-3,SS 2012 31 TOR 3.8 92 399 332 64 80 14 0 27 65 59 63 .241 .358 .527 .886 138 AS 2013 32 TOR 4.5 118 528 452 82 117 24 0 28 73 69 84 .259 .358 .498 .856 132 AS 2014 33 TOR 6.9 155 673 553 101 158 27 0 35 103 104 96 .286 .403 .524 .928 162 AS,MVP-6,SS 2015 34 TOR 4.8 153 666 543 108 136 29 3 40 114 110 106 .250 .377 .536 .913 145 AS,MVP-8 2016 35 TOR 1.3 116 517 423 68 99 24 1 22 69 87 103 .234 .366 .452 .817 118 Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table Generated 2/7/2026. The extension of Bautista remains one of the most important moves the Blue Jays have made in the 21st century. After trading Halladay and enduring a final year with Gaston, Anthopoulos had cued the Blue Jays to enter a new era in 2011. Bautista getting traded in the name of asset accumulation would have made some unsavoury sense, but the general manager believed in the breakout. It was Anthopoulos at his best, and as Toronto worked towards its postseason return in 2015, Bautista helped power it all, providing one memorable moment after another. There was the ALDS-deciding home run, of course, but there was also throwing out Billy Butler at first from the outfield and that tweet at Steve Simmons. Bautista getting the nod to throw out the first pitch for Game 6 of this year’s ALCS signified his stature among the franchise’s greats, and the response from the sold-out crowd showed why. 54 home runs let everyone know the name José Bautista; the six seasons afterwards put it in the Level of Excellence. View the full article

We’re still a week from Grapefruit League games, but that’s not too early to start talking about what we want to watch. Any value in watching spring training games isn’t in looking at players’ stats. Partly, that’s because it’s just such a small sample size. But on top of that, players are testing out new pitches and swings, which can produce results that will never make it into an actual game. No, if there is any value, it’s in looking at what players or coaches are trying to do, and reacting to success or failure. For instance: Brooks Lee’s Lateral Movement Brooks Lee spent the offseason working on two things, and one of them was getting more explosive lateral movement as a shortstop. “It's kind of like an obvious thing,” said Lee when asked about his offseason focus. “You know, balls hit to me, I'll make the play, but it's the ones I don't get to.” Lee’s range and whether he can handle the defensive workload of a shortstop are major questions for the Twins. So watch how often he gets to balls “in the hole” to his right, or on the other side of second base to his left. Brooks Lee’s Left-handed Opposite Field Swing The second thing he worked on was his left-handed swing, specifically hitting the ball to the opposite field. Coming up through the minors, Lee’s strong side was hitting for a high average, especially left-handed. Instead, last year he hit better (.266 BA) right-handed than left-handed (.220). View the full article

Right-hander Jesse Hahn will be heading to Blue Jays camp in Dunedin. According to the team's transaction log, they signed the 36-year-old to a minor league contract with a spring training invite on Saturday. From 2014-17, Hahn made 50 starts (53 games) for the Padres and Athletics, pitching to a 4.19 ERA with 212 strikeouts and a 49.7% groundball rate in 286 innings. After tearing his UCL in 2018, he was one of the first pitchers to receive an internal brace procedure. Upon his return, he made a handful of relief appearances for the Royals from 2019-21, putting up a 4.62 ERA in 25.1 innings of work. A shoulder injury ruined most of Hahn's 2021, and he did not pitch professionally for the next two seasons. He made his return to affiliated ball with the Dodgers organization in 2024, and in 2025, he finally made it back to the majors, appearing in three games and tossing five innings for the Mariners. All told, across an unusual career, the righty has pitched 316.1 innings with a 4.24 ERA and 3.4 FanGraphs WAR. He's never been one to overpower hitters, and control has often been an issue, but he's always excelled at inducing groundballs. Hahn will join names like Jorge Alcala and Connor Seabold as righty NRIs in camp with MLB experience. Earlier last week, the Blue Jays also reportedly signed first baseman Juan Yepez, according to Eric Treuden of Just Baseball. He, too, will presumably report to big league spring training, but the team has not yet announced his deal. Yepez, 27, hit 20 home runs with a .730 OPS and a 103 wRC+ in 166 games for the Cardinals and Nationals from 2022-24. The righty batter did not appear in the majors last year, as injury and ineffectiveness kept him at Triple-A. Initially a utility player with experience at first, third, and the corner outfield spots, Yepez has mostly played first base and DH the past two years. He'll have a better chance of making it back to the majors in 2026 if the Blue Jays think he can handle outfield work, so it will be worth watching where he plays in the coming weeks and months. View the full article

Before diving into this article, we recommend reading previous entries in this series, along with an introduction in part one. With that said, let's look at the gold standard Padres, bench edition. Part one: Gold Standard Padres, Infield Edition Part two: Gold Standard Padres, Outfield Edition The Bench: The Strategic Reserves The unsung heroes and the specialists. These are the versatile souls who waited for their moment in the sun, ready to deliver the clutch hit or the game-saving play. A roster is only as deep as its bench, and these are the pillars that hold the foundation together. C Terry Kennedy "TK" 1982 (WAR 4.1) The Blue-Collar Backstop AVG: .295 | H: 166 | R: 75 | 2B: 42 | 3B: 1 | HR: 21 | RBI: 97 | SB: 1 | BB: 26 | IBB: 9 | SO: 91 | OBP: .328 | OPS: .814 1982 Padres Team MVP | NL Player of the Week (August 22, 1982) The Five Pillars of TK Innovation: Kennedy was a "thinking man's" catcher who revolutionized offensive expectations for the position in San Diego. The son of MLB manager Bob Kennedy, Terry utilized an "advanced scout" mentality to stabilize the Padres' staff while overhauling his own offensive approach. He was a pioneer of the "doubles-gap" strategy; rather than chasing home runs in "The Murph’s" cavernous dimensions, he shortened his left-handed stroke to prioritize high-velocity contact. This mastery was defined by his ownership of the 3.5 hole — the corridor between first and second base — which he exploited with such frequency that it became his personal trademark. In 1982, this technical adjustment allowed him to record 42 doubles while playing catcher, tying the National League record for the position and proving that a backstop could be a primary offensive catalyst. Impact: The 1982 campaign established Kennedy as the premier workhorse of the National League. While maintaining a .295 average, he anchored the Padres' lineup by leading the team with 97 RBI, a total that ranked in the NL Top 10 and cemented his role as the team's primary run producer. His durability was record-setting; he led all NL catchers in Games (153) and Innings Caught (1,343.1), effectively serving as the iron man of the San Diego defense. Kennedy’s impact was most visible in high-leverage moments, where he recorded a team-high 15 game-winning RBIs, proving that his offensive production was the engine behind the Padres' winning record. Defensively, he was the league's most active backstop, leading the NL in Putouts (851) and providing the veteran stability required for a young pitching staff to take a significant leap forward. Legend: Terry Kennedy served as the emotional heartbeat of the clubhouse during the "Trader Jack" McKeon era, providing the foundation for San Diego’s 1984 World Series run. Known for blue-collar toughness, he famously endured the grueling 1982 schedule without a comparable backup, refusing days off despite the physical toll of catching 1,300+ innings. He solidified his status as a franchise icon that year by becoming one of the few catchers in major league history to record a 20-home run, 40-double season, a statistical rarity that redefined the ceiling for San Diego backstops. His left-handed swing and clutch performance (15 game-winning RBIs) set the benchmark for every future Padres catcher. At Jack Murphy Stadium, "TK" wasn't just a player; he was the team’s emerging identity: rugged, reliable, and relentlessly productive. Iconic Look: Behind the plate, Kennedy served as the physical anchor of the Padres' defense. Outfitted in a classic steel cage mask and the era's signature Wilson "West Coast" style chest protector, his frame acted as a heavy-set barrier for pitchers and a brick wall for baserunners. At the plate, he maintained a strict "old school" aesthetic, sporting a flapless batting helmet, thick white cotton wristbands high on his forearms, and no batting gloves. Draped in the Wilson brown-and-gold road pullover—complete with orange-and-yellow racing stripes—he gripped a Louisville Slugger heavy with dark pine tar, emphasizing his gritty approach. This look reflected his workhorse reputation: rugged armor for a catcher who refused to take a day off, paired with a technically precise swing. The "Did You Know Factor": On December 8, 1980, Terry Kennedy became the centerpiece of the first "Trader Jack" McKeon masterpiece—a massive 11-player blockbuster that fundamentally shifted the franchise's trajectory. To secure their cornerstone catcher, McKeon was famously given his choice by the Cardinals between Kennedy and veteran All-Star Ted Simmons; he chose "TK," trading away future Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers and 1972 World Series MVP Gene Tenace, along with Bob Shirley and Bob Geren. In return, the Padres received a seven-player haul: Kennedy, Steve Swisher, Mike Phillips, John Littlefield, John Urrea, Kim Seaman, and Al Olmsted. This trade remains one of the largest in MLB history, and by 1982, Kennedy had justified the cost by racking up 172 hits, leading all major league catchers, and proving he was the elite offensive force McKeon gambled on. UTIL Bip Roberts "Bipper" 1990 (5.8 WAR) The Ultimate Spark Plug AVG: .309 | H: 172 | R: 104 | 2B: 36 | 3B: 3 | HR: 9 | RBI: 44 | SB: 46 | BB: 55 | IBB: 3 | SO: 65 | OBP: .375 | OPS: .808 Padres Team MVP (1990) The Five Pillars of Bipper Innovation: Bip was the master of "small ball" and a pioneer of the Leadoff Disruptor role. He used his 5'7" frame to shrink the strike zone, and his elite speed to turn walks into de facto doubles. As a switch-hitter, he perfected a short-arc swing that eliminated the traditional weak side disadvantage most switch-hitters face. Beyond the box score, his true innovation was his mechanical manipulation of "bat-lag"; by keeping his hands high and deep, he allowed the barrel to stay in the hitting zone longer than traditional slap hitters, enabling him to drive 36 doubles into the gaps. He also mastered the drag bunt through a lower-half pivot that allowed him to initiate his sprint toward first base before making contact, shortening the baseline. Additionally, he utilized a "walking lead" and calculated jump-start technique on the basepaths that forced pitchers to alter their delivery. Impact: He was the engine of the 1990 squad. Tony Gwynn famously said that Bip "drove other teams crazy." In 1990, he provided elite versatility by starting 60+ games in both the outfield and at third base, while also logging time at second and shortstop. This "Defensive Chameleon" ability allowed the Padres to maintain an optimized offensive lineup every day, regardless of defensive injuries. On the bases, he reached base 233 times and compelled middle infielders to cheat toward the bag, physically opening up wider holes in the infield for hitters like Tony Gwynn and Jack Clark following him in the lineup. By playing four different positions at a high level, he provided a 5.8 WAR, the 5th highest among all NL position players that year, and his 104 runs scored (4th in the NL) proved he was the premier run-scoring engine in the league despite a lack of traditional power. Legend: Bip Roberts was the ultimate spark plug, serving as the 1990 San Diego Padres MVP and the emotional igniter for the clubhouse. He earned a reputation as a "Giant Killer," backed by a .314 average with runners in scoring position against elite rotations like the World Champion Cincinnati Reds and the Dodgers. His 1990 campaign redefined the utility player archetype, as he became the first Padre to log 30+ doubles, 40+ stolen bases, and 100+ runs in a single season. This established him as the "Gold Standard" for the leadoff catalyst in franchise history. Despite being cited by historians as having one of the greatest non-All-Star seasons in MLB history, his 5.8 WAR remains the benchmark for the "Padre Way"—combining relentless grit with high-level defensive versatility. Iconic Look: Bip Roberts epitomized the 1990 Padres aesthetic, characterized by the white home jersey with brown and orange pinstripes and accents, paired with the solid brown cap featuring the orange interlocking "SD". His signature look was defined by dark-tinted flip-up sunglasses perched on his bill, worn alongside orange wristbands on both forearms. At the plate, he displayed a high-handed rhythmic bat waggle while sporting a shined-finish batting helmet, often caked with pine tar, and black-and-orange Mizuno batting gloves. On the field, he maintained a classic high-sock aesthetic, wearing his pants cinched below the knee to showcase high-cut brown ribbon stirrups over traditional white sanitary socks. Whether patrolling the outfield or the dirt, his Wilson A2000 glove and dirt-stained jersey reflected the intensity that defined his career-best season. The "Did You Know Factor": By the time he became the Padres' most indispensable player in 1990, many fans forgot that Bip originally joined the club as a Rule 5 draft pick who started the 1986 season with San Diego. It is extremely rare for a Rule 5 acquisition, a player another team was willing to let go by not adding him to the 40-man roster, to develop into a franchise cornerstone. He cemented this legacy in 1990 by becoming the first player in Padres history other than Tony Gwynn to score 100+ runs in a season with fewer than 10 home runs. He is also the only Padre to ever hit over .300, score 100+ runs, and steal 40+ bases in a single season while playing 60+ games at two different positions. Beyond the stats, Bip was a psychological nightmare for pitchers; he maintained such elite bat-to-ball skills that he famously went on a 14-game stretch in July where he didn't strike out a single time. IF Manny Machado "El Ministro" "El Capitan" 2022 (7.4 WAR) The Captain of Swag AVG: .298 | H: 172 | R: 100 | 2B: 37 | 3B: 1 | HR: 32 | RBI: 102 | SB: 9 | BB: 63 | IBB: 9 | SO: 133 | OBP: .366 | OPS: .898 NL All-Star: 3x (2021, 2022-Starter, 2025-Starter) | NL Silver Slugger: 3x (2020, 2024, 2025) | All-MLB First Team: 2x (2020, 2022) | All-MLB Second Team: 2024 | Team MVP: 3x (2020, 2022, 2024) | Heart and Hustle Award: 2022 | NL Player of the Week: August 14, 2022 The Five Pillars of El Capitan Innovation: Manny made the "impossible play" look routine, fundamentally changing the geometry of the hot corner before the 2023 shift ban by pioneering a hybrid role in which he often served as a deep-right-field "rover." Known as MLB's "unicorn infielder," his ability to throw across his body with elite velocity from the shallow outfield grass redefined defensive expectations, proving he could get runners out from 200 feet away with flat-footed lasers. By trusting his elite internal clock and unmatched arm strength, he turned unconventional positioning into an art form. Offensively, his "calm-before-the-storm" approach has made him one of the most clutch hitters in Padres history, masking an explosive power stroke that relies on maintaining nearly zero head movement and elite hand speed rather than a traditional, high-effort load. Impact: He provided the swagger and winning culture that transformed the modern Padres. Manny’s 2022 season solidified his legacy as a future Hall of Famer, finishing 2nd in NL MVP voting after carrying a Tatis-less offense through a year of massive adversity. Voted as the National League’s starting third baseman and named to the All-MLB First Team, he served as the team's singular heartbeat. He posted a career-high 7.4 WAR, the highest mark by a Padres position player since Ken Caminiti’s 1996 MVP season. He led the club in nearly every offensive category with a .298 average, 32 home runs, and 102 RBIs. Despite a gruesome mid-season ankle sprain, he gutted out 150 games and hit .322 in high-leverage moments. By fulfilling owner Peter Seidler’s vision of "slaying the dragon up the freeway" in the NLDS, he shifted the city’s identity from underdog to perennial contender. Legend: He is the greatest power hitter to ever wear a Padres uniform. He officially cemented this status in 2024 by surpassing Nate Colbert’s franchise record of 163 home runs to become the club’s all-time leader. During his historic 2022 campaign, he became the first Friar since Tony Gwynn to win back-to-back Player of the Week honors and became one of only 17 players in MLB history to reach 1,500 hits and 250 home runs before age 30. His consistency earned him a place in the most exclusive offensive circle in San Diego history, joining Ken Caminiti as one of only five players to record a 30-home run, 100-RBI, and 100-run season. By recording his 2,000th career hit in 2025 and signing a historic $350 million "Lifetime Pact" in 2023, Manny has transformed from a superstar arrival into a permanent monument of the franchise. Iconic Look: Manny is the architect of the modern Padres’ Swag Diego identity, characterized by a short fade hairstyle, Oakley sunglasses (specifically Hydra and Sutro models), and Jordan Jumpman branding on his cleats and batting gloves. In 2022, this look was defined by the classic white home uniforms with brown pinstripes and gold accents, which he helped reintroduce in San Diego. His gear featured a custom Rawlings infield glove sporting exclusive Platinum labels, a rare mark of defensive excellence. His signature is capped off by a home run trot featuring a "no-doubt" bat drop followed by a smooth glide around the bases. The ultimate accessory of this era was the "Swag Chain"—a massive, spinning gold and brown medallion featuring the Padres' SD logo, which Manny commissioned from a luxury jeweler in 2021 to reward home run hitters. The "Did You Know Factor": Beyond the diamond, Manny is a pillar of the San Diego community and its sports culture. In 2024, he and the Padres Foundation made a $350,000 donation to the San Diego Rescue Mission to support the South County Lighthouse, a project honoring the legacy of the late Peter Seidler. His commitment to the city’s future was further cemented in 2023 when he became a founding part-owner of San Diego FC, the city's Major League Soccer expansion team. His leadership even extends to the front office; in 2019, he famously marched into management’s office to demand that Fernando Tatis Jr. make the Opening Day roster, an act of veteran advocacy that changed the franchise forever. Even his famous nickname, "El Ministro de la Defensa", has historic roots, bestowed by fans in the Dominican Republic during his defensive clinic in the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Dave Winfield "Big Dave" "Winnie" 1979 (8.3 WAR) The Three Sport Stud AVG .308 | H 184 | R 97 | 2B 27 | 3B 10 | HR 34 | RBI 118 | TB 333 | SB 15 | BB 85 | IBB 14 | OBP .395 | SLG .558 | OPS .953 | OPS+ 166 NL All-Star: 4x (1977, 1978, 1979-Starter, 1980) | NL Gold Glove: 2x (1979, 1980) | Padres Team MVP: 2x (1978, 1979) | Padres Team Captain: 2x (1978, 1979) | NL Player of the Week: June 3, 1979 | San Diego Padres No. 31 Retired: 2001 | Padres Hall of Fame: 2000 | MLB Hall of Fame: 2001 The Five Pillars of Big Dave Innovation: Winfield was a pioneer of sport-specific training, using specialized vision-tracking and developing his own "SST" rotational-resistance equipment decades before functional movement became an industry standard. He further redefined the "big man" archetype by pairing his massive power with elite-level speed, becoming one of the first players of the era to master the "five-tool" skillset and regularly surpass 20 stolen bases a season. Off the field, his forward-thinking was equally disruptive; in 1977, he became the first active athlete in history to establish his own 501(c)(3) foundation, setting the modern blueprint for the athlete-philanthropist and creating a template for community impact that is now the gold standard across all professional sports. Impact: In 1979, Winfield delivered one of the most statistically dominant seasons in National League history, leading the league in RBIs (118) and total bases (333). He single-handedly carried a lineup that lacked supporting power, accounting for nearly 20% of the Padres' total runs batted in while serving as team captain for both the 1978 and 1979 seasons. This dominance made him the first San Diego Padre ever voted by fans to start an All-Star Game—one of four selections he earned in a Padres uniform. Defensively, he redefined excellence in right field, winning the first of his two Gold Gloves by leading all National League outfielders in putouts (386) and assists (16), while utilizing a legendary "cannon" arm that also led the league in double plays turned by an outfielder (4). Legend: Dave Winfield stood as the Padres' first true homegrown superstar, proving the young franchise could develop a first-ballot Hall of Fame talent. His status as a once-in-a-century athlete was forged as the only person ever drafted by teams in the MLB (Padres), NBA (Hawks), ABA (Stars), and NFL (Vikings)—an incredible feat considering he never played a single down of high school or college football. Winfield furthered this myth by bypassing the minor leagues entirely, utilizing a "directional" power swing to generate elite contact and shatter the stereotype that 6'6" hitters were prone to high strikeout rates. A 12-time All-Star and 7-time Gold Glove winner, his immortality was cemented by joining the elite 3,000-hit and 400-home run club. Iconic Look: Winfield’s visual identity was defined by the bold 1970s San Diego baseball look. He is the face of the "Pullover" era, transitioning from the solid "mustard" yellows of his debut to the iconic brown jerseys with gold sleeves and the classic brown hats featuring the gold "bell" front panels. In 1980, his final season with the club, he helped introduce orange accents—a style that would carry the franchise through its 1984 World Series run. In the box, he stood tall with a wide stance wearing his signature flapless batting helmet, a trademark he maintained throughout his entire career. He paired a massive 35-inch Louisville Slugger, which looked like a toothpick in his hands, with oversized brown Rawlings wristbands and high-cuffed pants that put his solid brown stirrups on full display. The "Did You Know Factor": Winfield’s legendary athleticism was so dominant that in 1973, he was named the College World Series MVP as a pitcher, not an outfielder, after striking out 29 batters in just 17 1/3 innings with a 0.52 ERA. His career also features one of the most bizarre "international incidents" in sports history; in 1983, during a game in Toronto, a warm-up toss accidentally struck and killed a seagull on the field, leading to his actual arrest by Ontario police before the charges were quickly dropped. Despite his massive power, he was remarkably consistent, becoming one of the few players in history to collect over 3,000 hits without ever having a 200-hit season. Most significantly, when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001, he chose to become the first player ever depicted on a Cooperstown plaque wearing a San Diego Padres cap. View the full article

In December 1967, at baseball’s Winter Meetings in Mexico City, a group led by William Daley, Dewey Soriano, and Max Soriano was awarded a major league franchise. Pacific Northwest Sports, Inc. was led by Daley’s $5.5 million, which gave him about 47% of the team’s ownership. A few months later, they announced that the team would be known as the Seattle Pilots and would play at the same stadium that the Triple-A Seattle Angels played in—Sick’s Stadium. The team was originally scheduled to begin play in 1971, but that schedule was advanced two years when Senator Stuart Symington of Missouri demanded that his Kansas City Royals begin play in 1969. Symington threatened to challenge baseball’s antitrust exemption with legislative action, and Kansas City was awarded the franchise. The American League then forced Seattle to begin play in 1971 rather than 1970 to keep the schedule balanced. The award was contingent on the Pilots making improvements on the stadium, including expanding the seating capacity from 11,000 to 30,000 by April 1969. This issue would be a bone of contention for the next two-plus years. Prior to the Pilots, the Seattle Rainiers and Seattle Angels of the Pacific Coast League called the 11,000-seat Sick’s Stadium home from 1938-68. The Seattle ownership group persuaded several major league baseball players, including Carl Yastrzemski, Mickey Mantle, and Joe DiMaggio, to stump for a new domed stadium in Seattle. The $40 million proposal was passed overwhelmingly by the Seattle electorate. So, it looked like a domed stadium was going to be a part of the bright baseball future in the Pacific Northwest. In late April 1968, the Pilots signed a 20-year contract for a spring training facility in Tempe, Arizona. Baseball Facilities, Inc. (BFI) agreed to construct a 6,000-seat stadium, two practice diamonds, dressing rooms, and other facilities for $500,000. In perhaps what was a harbinger of things to come for the Pilots, in December 1968, E.B. Smith, president of BFI, filed a $6 million lawsuit against the Seattle owners, saying they did not live up to an agreement to provide capital for the Tempe spring training facilities. Legal wrangling aside, the Pilots opened their spring training season on time. Nineteen sixty-nine was a crazy season on the baseball diamond. The Amazin’ Mets. The collapse of the Chicago Cubs. The Baltimore Orioles won 109 games but lost in the World Series. And the Seattle Pilots made their major league debut. After splitting a pair of games in Anaheim against the California Angels to begin the season, the Pilots played their first and only Opening Day at home on April 11 by defeating the Chicago White Sox, 7-0, before a crowd of 14,993. Since construction of some of the outfield seating hadn’t been completed, those who had left field bleacher tickets had to wait three innings for workmen to install the seats before they could even sit down. Eventually, that season, the stadium could seat 25,000, but many of those seats had obstructed views. When there was a large crowd, low water pressure in the main pipeline kept the toilets from working properly. The field had no photo wells, so photographers had to lug their equipment to the top of the grandstand roof to get their shots. A mirror was set in the press box so visiting team media could see the entire field. Suffice it to say, the place was a dump. The first-year team drew only 677,944 to the decrepit stadium, surprisingly ranking 20th of the 24 major league teams. The only teams that fared worse were the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, and the expansion San Diego Padres. The other expansion teams did better: the Montreal Expos ranked 10th and drew 1.2 million, while the Kansas City Royals drew just over 900,000 and ranked 15th. The Pilots finished the year in last place in the AL West with a mark of 64-98-1. Rumblings between the team and the city of Seattle began late in the season. All was not well in the city of the Space Needle. It all started with Mayor Floyd Miller. On September 5, the mayor of Seattle sent a letter to the management of the Pilots demanding a $660,000 letter of credit and a $150,000 surety bond, payable to the city by September 8. The annual rent for the stadium ($165,000) was paid through December 31, 1969, but the remaining $660,000 under the five-year lease was still outstanding. Max Soriano, the secretary-treasurer of the team, said, “We don’t believe the stadium is complete yet. The agreement says it will be renovated to American League standards.” This was the first of many shots fired by all sides in the continuing saga of the Seattle Pilots. After the deadline had come and gone, Miller gave the Pilots two more weeks to pay. This time, Pilots president Dewey Soriano (Max’s brother) said, “We have paid our rent. There is no way we can be kept from playing. All that other stuff—we can get injunctions against that.” In mid-September, King County executive John Spellman, the Pilots, and other organizations began lease negotiations for the use of the multipurpose domed stadium in Seattle, which was expected to be completed by April 1973. On October 11, Dick Cullum, a sportswriter for the Minneapolis Tribune, reported that the American League “may oust the Seattle Pilots from membership.” The two main reasons for this unprecedented action were low attendance and the team's failure to act on providing a new stadium. There were also reports that Daley and the Milwaukee group led by Allan H. (Bud) Selig had a ‘handshake deal’ that would send the Pilots to Milwaukee for $10.8 million. Further reports said the deal was shot down by the American League, which wanted the Pilots to stay in Seattle and recommended that Daley find a buyer in the Seattle area, even if it was for less money. An American League meeting scheduled for October 21 included not only league and team personnel, but Mayor Miller and senators Henry Jackson and Warren Magnuson. At the meeting, AL president Joe Cronin listed three conditions for keeping the Pilots in Seattle: 1) Stadium expansion from 25,000 to 28,000, 2) Evidence that a domed stadium would be completed by 1973, and 3) Notification of a change of ownership. Points 1 and 3 would be easy; the second point might be a problem. A local buyer came forward and said he was ‘thinking’ about purchasing the team, so an owner change in Seattle could be an option. But a sale to the Texas group, led by Tommy Mercer and Lamar Hunt, or a sale to the Milwaukee group led by Selig could also be in the cards. When the season ended, it was a busy time for the Pilots' management team, which included Daley and the Soriano brothers. If the Pilots didn’t end up getting kicked out of the league, potential moves to either Dallas-Fort Worth or Milwaukee were discussed. There was scuttlebutt that a local Seattle group wanted in. There were still some options. In early November, Seattle theatre chain operator Fred Danz and Daley agreed to a purchase deal for a reported $10.5 million. Or did they? A day or two later, Danz told reporters, “It is premature to say we have an agreement. All we have is an opportunity to put together a package, and I’ll start meeting with local fellows to discuss it.” A week before Thanksgiving, Daley and the Danz group announced that 75% of the club’s stock would be exchanged for a sale price of $10.3 million, dependent on the approval of the American League at its Winter Meetings on December 4. In addition, it was reported that another buyer or buyers had offered as much as $13 million. Coming soon in Part Two, Milwaukee, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Seattle all clash to gain control of the franchise. View the full article

If A.J. Preller has a significant other, they might not be happy with how he has spent his Valentine's Day. However, San Diego Padres fans are at least enjoying Preller's work. In their third move of the day, the Friars are bringing in a second contender for the starting rotation, agreeing to a one-year deal with right-hander German Marquez, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Financial terms were not immediately available. The former Colorado Rockies ace's deal comes hours after right-hander Griffin Canning was added to the rotation competition by Preller, the Padres' president of baseball operations. Preller also cut a deal with first baseman-outfielder Nick Castellanos on Saturday. Like the other two, the Marquez deal is pending the pitcher passing a physical. The Padres entered Saturday with 39 players on their 40-man roster, so two corresponding moves, perhaps with injured players, will need to be made. He should benefit from the change of scenery from the pitcher-unfriendly Coors Field to Petco Park. Marquez had a rough 2025 in his first action since undergoing Tommy John surgery at the start of the 2024 season. He made 26 starts and posted a 5.47 FIP (6.70 ERA). Following a 3.28 FIP in an MLB-best 13 starts in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Marquez was an All-Star in 2021 and had a 3.86 FIP. In his 10-year career, all with the Rockies, he has a 7.2% walk rate and 21.8% strikeout rate. View the full article

This winter, the Minnesota Twins made a move that didn’t generate a ton of headlines. No splashy press conference, no massive contract. Just a two-year, $14 million deal for veteran catcher and first baseman Victor Caratini. On the surface, it’s easy to shrug at it. Last season with the Houston Astros, Caratini hit .259 with a .324 on-base percentage and 12 home runs across 114 games. Solid, but certainly not eye-popping. The surface-level numbers don’t scream impact player, but this is exactly the kind of signing that can quietly matter more than people realize. Caratini’s value doesn’t jump out in traditional stat lines because he doesn’t win games with towering home runs. He wins with consistency, contact, and versatility. He doesn’t swing and miss much. His strikeout rate last season was just 16.8%, comfortably better than league average. His whiff rate was below 20%, which is very strong for a catcher. He makes contact on pitches in the zone at an above-average clip and doesn’t chase at much. He keeps at-bats alive and puts the ball in play, traits that can make a massive difference from someone in the bottom half of a lineup. According to RosterResource, Caratini is currently projected to hit eighth for Minnesota. That’s typically where teams hide their weakest bat, but you can do a lot worse than Caratini in that spot. A switch-hitter who controls the zone, doesn’t strike out excessively, and can provide 10-15 home runs has real value down there. And if you dig a little deeper, there’s even more to like. Caratini posted an expected batting average (xBA) of .255 last year and an expected slugging percentage (xSLG) 20 points higher than his actual production. His hard-hit rate hovered around 41%, so while he’s not crushing the ball every at-bat, he’s not getting lucky either. His production is stable. Where Caratini separates himself, and where this signing really starts to make sense, is defensively. Over the course of his career, he’s consistently graded as an above-average defender behind the plate. His blocking metrics are strong, and he’s historically been an above-average pitch framer. Those are things that don't show up in a box score but absolutely matter over 162 games. And then there’s the flexibility. Caratini can also play first base, and he’s significantly stronger defensively there than Josh Bell. That gives Minnesota lineup options. If Jeffers is catching and Bell is at first, Caratini can still find his way into the lineup. If Bell is at DH or needs a day off, Caratini slides over seamlessly. And because he’s a switch-hitter, he won’t force any platoon limitations either. Despite being a switch-hitter, Caratini hit .268 against right-handers in 2025 and just .208 against lefties, which makes the split look pretty significant at first glance. But his isolated power (ISO) and wOBA were actually higher against lefties than they were against righties. The production didn’t fully show up in the batting average, but the underlying numbers suggest lefties weren’t a true weakness, and more so just uneven in results. One area worth addressing is park fit. Caratini hit 12 home runs last season in Houston, but if you replicate the exact contact quality of those balls in Target Field, only about half would have left the yard. He hit the majority of his home runs to right field and right-center, and it’s much harder to drive the ball out to right in Minnesota than it is in Houston. So yes, expecting another 12-homer season may be optimistic. But here’s the thing: the Twins didn’t sign him to hit 25 home runs. They signed him to be steady and provide positional flexibility. Even if the power dips slightly because of park factors, the rest of his profile remains intact. Remember, his value isn’t just power-dependent. His run value against fastballs has consistently been positive, and he’s historically handled velocity well. Pair that with an above league-average bat speed, and there’s enough pop in his bat to do serious damage. Because of his defense and versatility, I expect Caratini to be a near-everyday player. He may get the occasional off day when Jeffers is catching, Bell is at first, and someone like Byron Buxton is occupying the DH spot. But that’s likely not going to be a common occurrence. Between catching duties, first base, and potential DH opportunities, there should be plenty of plate appearances available. And if he’s hitting eighth, he’s not being asked to carry the lineup. He’s being asked to stabilize it, which is where guys like Caratini thrive. At $7 million per year, this is not a league-altering contract. It’s a strategic investment for a player that will provide experience and depth. If Caratini provides roughly 2.0 wins above replacement (WAR) per season, something he’s been capable of in the past, that’s tremendous value at that price point. The average rate for a win is significantly higher than $7 million. You don’t need him to be a star for this deal to work. You just need him to be himself. This wasn’t a flashy signing, and Caratini isn’t a flashy player. But teams win in the margins. Players who provide lineup depth, defensive reliability, and don’t give away at-bats go a long way. That’s exactly what Minnesota is getting. And over the next couple of seasons, I think there’s a very real chance that Victor Caratini ends up being more impactful than most people expect. View the full article

The Minnesota Twins continued reshaping their bullpen on Saturday by signing veteran left-hander Andrew Chafin to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. As camp opens in Fort Myers, the organization is clearly investing in relief depth and experience. Chafin’s addition may seem modest on paper, but in what figures to be a tightly contested American League Central race, reliable left-handed options could quietly influence the team’s postseason outlook. News of the agreement was first reported by Jon Heyman, who noted that Chafin will report to Minnesota’s big league camp to compete for a bullpen job. According to Darren Wolfson, Chafin would earn $2 million if he makes the active roster, with an additional $1.25 million available through incentives. Chafin enters his age-35 season, and what would be his 13th year in professional baseball. While the deal does not guarantee him a spot on the Opening Day roster, it immediately throws him into legitimate competition for a role. This is less of a speculative flyer and more of a calculated depth play by a front office intent on fortifying the relief corps after last season’s midyear bullpen turnover. The veteran split the 2025 campaign between the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels, posting a 2.41 ERA across 33 2/3 innings. He struck out 36 hitters against 19 walks and limited left-handed batters to a .136 average. That type of platoon effectiveness remains especially valuable when navigating late-inning matchups against division rivals built with left-handed thump throughout the middle of the order. Even with strong run prevention on the surface, some of Chafin’s peripherals told a more complicated story. His elevated walk rate, paired with an 81.9 % strand rate, pushed his SIERA to 4.11, a number that sat well above his actual ERA. Outside of the command concerns, many of his underlying indicators remained encouraging, though durability remained his biggest hurdle. A right hamstring strain and later inflammation in his left triceps each led to injured-list stints that cost him more than five weeks of the season. This also marks the second consecutive offseason in which Chafin has signed a non-guaranteed contract. He followed a similar path last year after agreeing to a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers in February. Chafin exercised an opt-out near the end of April and soon secured a major league opportunity with the Washington Nationals, making 26 appearances before being dealt to the Los Angeles Angels at the trade deadline. Minnesota has now added three left-handed relievers in the past month. Taylor Rogers signed earlier in free agency, and Anthony Banda arrived via trade. Minnesota also already had Kody Funderburk on the 40-man roster. Chafin’s presence intensifies competition while expanding the Twins’ flexibility against left-handed heavy lineups within the division. Across 12 major league seasons, Chafin owns a 3.35 career ERA while pitching for eight different organizations. If he can replicate anything close to last season’s surface-level results, this minor league deal could evolve into meaningful in-season value rather quickly. The message from Minnesota’s front office is straightforward. The Twins are stockpiling experienced arms in an effort to stabilize the late innings and create internal competition before Opening Day decisions are finalized. With multiple non-roster invitees and recent acquisitions now in camp, the bullpen battle is shaping up to be one of Spring Training’s defining storylines. View the full article

After announcing Wallet friendly ticket packages last week, the Minnesota Twins continue to try to get fans back to Target Field. This week they announced over 50 different promotions over the 81 game home schedule. Additionally, they've expanded the happy hour pricing to Friday and Saturday games as well as a freebie on Sunday games for kids!View the full article

Fort Myers felt a little more official on Thursday. Pitchers and catchers reported to the Lee Health Sports Complex, the Florida sun was beating down on the back fields, and a new chapter began as Derek Shelton officially started his first spring training as Twins manager. Bullpens popped, catchers dropped into their stances, and optimism was easy to find. One notable arm, however, was not firing away. Twins pitching prospect Cory Lewis has been shut down from throwing after being diagnosed with a moderate subscapularis strain in his right shoulder. Lewis reported discomfort following a bullpen session on Saturday after arriving at camp early. Shelton told reporters that Lewis will be reevaluated in two weeks. For a player trying to force his way into the big-league conversation, it is far from an ideal start. Lewis, 25, entered camp as a non-roster invitee after spending last season at Triple-A. The numbers were not kind. In 73 innings with the Saints, he posted a 7.27 ERA while striking out 87 and walking 68. The uneven command and high traffic outings made for a frustrating campaign. He also missed time with a right shoulder issue last season, though it is not yet clear whether this strain is connected to that prior injury. The disappointment of 2025 stands in sharp contrast to the trajectory Lewis was on before reaching Triple-A. When the Twins selected him in the ninth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of UC Santa Barbara, he was viewed more as an intriguing project than a fast-moving arm. What set him apart was not overpowering velocity but creativity. Lewis featured an unorthodox delivery and a deep mix of pitches, highlighted by a knuckleball that has become increasingly central to his identity. In 2023, he split his professional debut between Low- and High-A. Across 22 starts, Lewis posted a 2.49 ERA with a 28.6% strikeout rate and an 8.0% walk rate. His poise and command stood out as much as the knuckleball itself. By the end of 2024, he had reached Triple-A and continued to miss bats, posting a nearly 28% strikeout rate, a 2.51 ERA, and a 1.31 WHIP. In many farm systems, that type of rise would have generated louder buzz. In Minnesota, he was somewhat overshadowed by Zebby Matthews and a wave of pitching prospects who grabbed headlines. Still, evaluators appreciated Lewis for what he was becoming. Not a traditional power arm, but a different look. A pitcher capable of disrupting timing in a sport increasingly built around velocity. That is what makes this spring important. With Shelton taking over and the Twins once again leaning on pitching depth as an organizational strength, camp reps matter. Lewis was unlikely to break north with the club, but a healthy and productive spring could have reestablished him as a depth option and potential call-up candidate during the season. Instead, the focus shifts to recovery. Shoulder injuries are always delicate, and a subscapularis strain impacts one of the key stabilizing muscles in the shoulder. For a pitcher who relies heavily on feel and touch, especially with a knuckleball, any interruption to throwing progression can complicate timing and command. The Twins will reevaluate Lewis in two weeks, and the hope is that this is merely a short-term pause rather than a lingering issue. Minnesota has seen how quickly pitching depth can evaporate over a long season. They will need arms at St Paul ready to contribute. For Lewis, the path forward remains the same even if the timeline shifts. Embrace the uniqueness. Refine the knuckleball. Regain the command that fueled his rise. The Twins believed enough in the profile to invite him to big league camp. Now the challenge is getting back on the mound and proving that last season was a detour, not a destination. Spring training is about fresh starts. For Lewis, that fresh start may just have to wait a few weeks. View the full article

Tom Pohlad has had a lot to say since taking over as principal owner roughly two months ago. As our own Cody Christie pointed out, none of it really seems to make sense and the message only gets harder and harder to follow every time he's in front of a microphone. Or, maybe…just maybe we shouldn’t hold Tom accountable for the poor decisions of the Pohlads who came before him. At least that's what one Minnesota Twins alumnus is encouraging fans to consider. Former 1st round pick and Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe met with Pohlad via a Zoom call on Friday afternoon and “left the conversation feeling really, really excited about the future of the Twins.” By way of a video shared from his X account (that Plouffe alleges Pohlad didn't ask him to make), Plouffe shared that Pohlad reached out to him to set up the call to get Plouffe’s “thoughts on the organization, where we’ve been, [and] where we need to go.” Despite coming prepared for the call, Plouffe was told that Pohlad would talk first after which Plouffe told Pohlad he was “going to do great at this”. Plouffe went on to share that Pohlad “touched on” every one of the notes that he had prepared and that the call was a “breath of fresh air.” While Plouffe calls himself “bullish on this team” and an “optimist”, he pleads for fans to give “the Twins and Tom a chance this year.” Label me a cynic, because I'm not sold. While I'll give credit to Tom for speaking more and more candidly than any of the family members he succeeded, at the end of the day he's a businessman. Moreover, he's in real estate. He's a professional salesman and it's to be determined whether he's a professional baseball owner. While those are all facts, it’s my opinion that until he proves otherwise he's nothing more than a schmoozer. He allegedly believes that this Twins team, which is mostly the same as the team who went 19-35 in the last season two months of 2025, can compete in 2026. Yet, we’re two months removed from him taking on his new role and the Twins payroll sits roughly $35 million below last Opening Day and $70 million below the MLB average. Tom talked about 2026 being “critical to the success” of “building a business that can be playing competitive baseball for a string of seasons in a row.” Yet, the highlight of his short tenure as principal owner is spending $21 million on two average at best players (Josh Bell and Victor Caratini), one of whom opens the door to trading the third highest paid player on the roster (Ryan Jeffers). So, in case you got lost like I did, 2026 is “critical” but not critical enough to make moves that make the team meaningfully better. While I have enjoyed following Trevor’s post playing career, especially with how much love he's always shown the Twins, I don't feel obligated to just give Tom Pohlad a chance on a whim. After all, trust isn't given, it's earned. In fact, a little trust was lost hearing that Tom demanded to talk first. He wanted to control the conversation. He wanted to make sure Trevor heard what he had to say before Trevor had the chance to speak for himself. Take any class on leadership and you’ll learn how important listening is to being an effective leader. Tom didn’t listen, he told Trevor what he wanted to hear. In my opinion, he wanted to control the narrative. In my opinion, Trevor was schmoozed. So, call me a cynic because I am. Until Tom earns my trust, he's paying for what Joe Pohlad (and Jim before him) “got wrong.” However, at the end of the day, I am a Twins fan through and through. A few years from now, I hope I'm the one that got it wrong. Does listening to what Trevor shared change how you feel about the Twins as a team or Tom Pohlad as the new principal owner? Join the conversation in the comments! View the full article

Over the last few weeks, the Milwaukee Brewers have been filling up the transaction log with catching names. William Contreras settled in arbitration with a one-year extension, while the team also recently signed Reese McGuire and Gary Sanchez. All of this has happened after the team's fifth-overall prospect, Jeferson Quero, put up impressive numbers in Triple-A Nashville. What is Milwaukee's long-term play at the backstop position? We have the breakdown here. View the full article

With the first week of spring training coming to an end, the Padres have brought in reinforcements to the rotation and lineup. The club on Saturday reportedly agreed to contracts with right-hander Griffin Canning and outfielder/DH Nick Castellanos. Canning was on the free-agent market all offseason, while Castellanos became a free agent Thursday when the Phillies released him. Both men figure to play significant roles for San Diego in 2026. Here's where they might fit. What will be Griffin Canning's role with the Padres? Canning is almost certain to take a spot in the rotation. The 29-year-old turned in a standout half-season with the New York Mets in 2025, pitching to a 3.77 ERA/4.04 FIP over 76 1/3 innings. But his New York tenure ended abruptly when he tore his left Achilles tendon during a start June 26 in Atlanta. He threw for teams at UCLA last week and reportedly topped out at 93 mph with his fastball. As good as that it, the status of Canning's slider is just as important. The pitch transformed him last season, The Mets got him to throw it more as they radically changed his pitch mix from his Angels days. Canning will step into a rotation that's led by Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove and Michael King. Randy Vasquez, J.P. Sears, Kyle Hart and Matt Waldron are among the pitchers in the mix for the other rotation spot. What will be Nick Castellanos' role with the Padres? Castellanos could be an intriguing player in San Diego. The club wanted another bat, and the 33-year-old slugger fits the description. There are red flags, though. Castellanos showed steep decline with Philadelphia last season. His wRC+ plunged to 87, his on-base percentage fell to a career-low. 294, and his ISO fell to .150. But there might have been a mitigating factor with those numbers. He suffered a knee injury July 25 at Yankee Stadium and then dealt with tendinitis in the knee the rest of the season. If he's healthy, then maybe the swing improves and the production follows. There was also his messy breakup with the Phils, which started in June when he confronted manager Rob Thomson in the dugout during a game in Miami, His quick signing indicates that there wasn't much fear about him being a bad teammate. The right-handed Castellanos figures to split at-bats with Gavin Sheets and another recent addition, Miguel Andujar at DH and off the bench. His defense in the outfield is considered poor, but the Padres don't need him to do much on the grass. He last played on the infield 2017, and that was at third base. This is a low-risk move for the Padres. They'll only have to pay him the minimum MLB salary, $780,000, this season. The Phillies are responsible for the remainder of his $20 million 2026 salary after releasing him. View the full article

When the San Diego Padres traded for Mason Miller last year, the attention was (obviously, and entirely justifiably) squared on the acquisition of one of the hardest throwers in Major League Baseball. But there was also an underrated component of the trade that existed in the form of JP Sears. While not spectacular, there was a stable element that Sears could, in theory, provide to a team in need of future depth in the starting rotation. A steady arm who won’t reach free agency until 2029? That’s the kind of profile the Padres should seek to work into every trade that an ambitious executive like A.J. Preller likes to make. Across five starts with San Diego to close out 2025, however, the results weren’t quite there even for an arm with modest expectations. Sears threw 24 2/3 innings across five starts that culminated in a 5.47 ERA and even-worse 6.18 FIP. His strikeout rate sat at just 18.0 percent, while opposing hitters slugged .580 against the lefty. That ran the total body of work up to a 5.04 ERA, 5.21 FIP, and 0.4 fWAR across 27 total starts split between the Athletics and Padres. Perhaps unlike his comrade in the depth mix (Kyle Hart), however, Sears presents some intrigue. He’s never been a high-strikeout arm. It’s difficult to expect that with 15th percentile fastball velocity (91.9 MPH), anyway. Where Sears should, ideally, excel is in his ability to avoid walks and work his way around hard contact. JP Sears’ Stuff Sears, technically, works with seven different pitches. His most-used pitch is his four-seamer, which moves effectively in a horizontal fashion. The 11.9 inches of arm side run he gets out of it is actually better than comparable arms. He’s able to play each of the sweeper and changeup off it effectively, leveraging a relatively average sweeper against hitters of the same handedness and throwing his changeup to good effect against the other side. Having 16.5 inches of horizontal movement to the arm side — featuring a similar shape to that of his four-seamer — is an effective manner of doing business. Despite that, Sears is prone to flyball contact and lacks the upside with any pitch to generate whiffs. That led to opponents slugging .534 against the four-seam and .500 against the changeup. His sweeper was the only pitch to feature a positive run value, which feels logical given the effectiveness of that pitch against hitters of the same handedness as a general practice. Somewhat like the aforementioned Hart, Sears throws out of a shallow arm angle and works side-to-side. Pitchers who do so that also possess less upside are going to have a tougher time evading impact outcomes against good hitters in the absence of the changing of eye levels. Even through all of that, intrigue remains over what Sears could provide as a member of the staff in 2026. JP Sears’ Arsenal Sears’ arsenal is indicative of intent across his three primary pitches. Considering the volume of those three against the remaining four that he allegedly threw in 2025, it’s almost worth dismissing the rest as being mis-labeled due to their shape. Despite the minimal arsenal that persists as a result, there’s an argument that Sears’ pitch mix and subsequent usage suit him well for what he’s aiming to do. The four-seam is going to be a factor against hitters of either handedness. It moves in toward lefty hitters and away from the right-handed types. The issue is its location. Sears spent a lot of time squarely in the middle of the zone with that pitch, often using that pitch to get ahead early in counts. That was especially true upon his arrival in August where opposing hitters swung first pitch on the four-seamer 46.4 percent of the time. The issue there is that it’s his pitch where hitters found the highest rate of hard contact (46.0 percent) against a low whiff rate (20.5 percent). His horizontal movement allows him to evade genuinely terrible outcomes more than he probably should, but his presence up in the zone means a difficult needle to thread with it. What Sears does have going for him, though, is that the sweeper and change each play well off of it. The sweeper offers something in the vertical department, while the changeup is as close to a change in eye levels as he can establish in its working more down-and-in to right-handed hitters. The stuff can certainly be effective even with a limited ceiling. It’s just a matter of proper deployment. What Should JP Sears’ Role Be In 2026? Assuming full health early for Joe Musgrove, the Padres have three locks in their rotation to start 2026. If we assume that Randy Vásquez has the inside track courtesy of a strong finish last year, that leaves just one spot to start the year for Sears and a smattering of depth signings. Sears doesn’t have a particularly high ceiling. But the Padres are in a situation where they don’t really need it out of the backend of their rotation. They have a dominant bullpen, and one imagines that at least one or two of those depth signings may offer some volume in relief. What they seek as a result is stability. In his brief career at the top level, Sears had made strides in his percentile placement in both his walk rate and his hard-hit rate. That could help him to an early advantage in the race, as you know exactly what you’re getting out of the profile in mitigating a baserunning presence. To say nothing of the fact that he’s a left-handed thrower in a group full of righties. It’s difficult to envision someone such as Sears in a relief setting quite yet. A soft-tosser with more than two pitches can contribute to a starting staff in such a way as providing a stable, innings-consuming arm. If it’s not the Padres rotation out of camp, it’s likely the El Paso starting group for him in March and April. View the full article

The Philadelphia Phillies' attempt to unload a chunk of Nick Castellanos' $20 million salary for 2026 officially failed this week when the club made a one-sentence announcement that it had released the veteran outfielder. No team was going to help out Dave Dombrowski by trading him a player who had talked his way out of town, while also taking on (at least) a few million dollars. Now, Castellanos is a free agent and the Phillies are forced to dine on those millions. A club can soon add the 13-year veteran at the much friendlier price point of $780,000, the MLB minimum salary, once he inevitably clears waivers. But which teams make sense? The outfield-needy Astros? The offense-starved Guardians? The hometown Marlins? What if Castellanos is entertaining a reunion with an old club? Well, the Tigers have enough outfielders, and Castellanos is not Justin Verlander. The Reds are good after bringing back Eugenio Suarez. That would leave . . . the Cubs. If you're screaming, "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!", we hear you. The last-two-months-of-2019 version of Castellanos is long gone. But let's try a "hear me out" that will look to do the impossible: show why Castellanos can be a fit for this Cubs team. Let's start with the idea that he could be productive in his age-34 season. Last year, he posted full-season career lows in wRC+ and on-base percentage, but over the past four seasons, his wRC+ marks, taken together, come out to about league average: 95, 104, 108 and 90. And if you believe in counting stats, he drove in 72 runs last season after knocking in 86 in '24 and 108 in '23. There's also this: Castellanos has posted day in and day out in his career, which means he has often played hurt. It's possible that his health betrayed him last season. He suffered a left knee injury July '25 making a play in the field at Yankee Stadium and then experienced patellar tendinitis in the knee through the remainder of the season. After the injury, he slashed .200/.250/.316 with four home runs and 48 strikeouts in 168 plate appearances. He was moved into a platoon role in September, something he addressed at the time on Mookie Betts' "On Base" podcast. He appeared in 147 games anyway. The Cubs do not need an everyday outfielder. In fact, they're set at all his primary positions: Ian Happ in left field, Seiya Suzuki for right, Tyler Austin as a first base reserve, and the entire hitting group in a DH rotation. But if Castellanos is healthy, he could be a better right-handed platoon option than Austin against left-handers. Castellanos tanked to an 87 wRC+ vs. lefties last year, but his previous four years landed at 124, 147, 100 and 142, respectively. For comparison, Justin Turner posted a 112 mark vs. left-handers in 2025. We don't have a good idea of what Austin, 34, will produce. He has played in Japan the past six seasons, and he was good when he was available, but he missed significant time in 2022, 2023 and 2025. His MLB career wRC+ against lefties is 132, but in a small sample of 255 plate appearances. Finally, there's the money. If the Cubs want to save cash in their quest to stay below the first competitive balance tax (CBT) threshold, then paying Castellanos $780,000 is better than guaranteeing Dylan Carlson $2 million or Chas McCormick a similar amount. Yes, McCormick and Carlson are miles better with the glove, but that's a big difference in money. Austin is on a split contract; a $1.2 million rate if he's in the majors, a $400,000 rate if he's in the minors. The one element that hasn't yet been discussed here is whether clubs consider Castellanos a "bad teammate." He was no fan of Phillies manager Rob Thomson, his main complaint being that the skipper did not communicate well with him. Last June, Thomson benched Castellanos for a game in Miami, ending a consecutive-games streak, for making an "inappropriate comment" the day before. According to The Athletic, the comment left a lot of uniformed personnel "disgusted." On Thursday, Castellanos provided some details. He said he went up to Thomson in the dugout after being taken out for defense and told the manager that he was inconsistent with his discipline. Then, Castellanos tried to drink an El Presidente beer he had brought with him, only to have teammates and coaches take it out of his hand. He expressed remorse in his post-release Instagram statement. Fans who haven't blurred that 2019 season from their memory will remember a far different version of Castellanos with the Cubs. He was generally beloved by teammates and fans alike, which certainly wasn't hurt by his electric production in Chicago (.321/.356/.646, 152 wRC+). Perhaps the disintegration of his reputation was simply the case of the wrong person in the wrong environment? If so, will his recent comments help him as he searches for a new team? We'll know the answer if Castellanos signs quickly. Should that team be the Cubs? Well, this is one writer's case for it. View the full article

Alex and Maddie discuss the Caleb Durbin trade and how the Red Sox may have fleeced the Brewers. Then they dive into why PECOTA hates the team for the second year in a row before diving into an early spring training news roundup and discussing what, if any, moves the team needs to make to finalize the roster. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-talk-sox-podcast/id1783204104 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qPrPXEngu0CxgTmlf0ynm Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-talk-sox-podcast-244591331/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/4tmd121v Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@talksox View the full article

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