DiamondCentric

Royals pitchers and catchers began workouts on Wednesday, and many of the Royals' beat writers were sharing video of players back in action in camp in Surprise, Arizona. While pitchers and catchers reporting was the biggest news of the day, another big story was Kris Bubic and his arbitration case getting settled. According to Mark Feisand, Bubic was awarded $6.15 million for the upcoming season. That is $1 million higher than what the Royals filed this offseason. Bubic underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023, which limited him to just 16 IP that season. He ended up returning to the Royals in 2024, but primarily pitched in the bullpen. However, the role suited him, as he posted a 2.67 ERA and 1.95 FIP in 30.1 IP. He was a key setup man for Kansas City down the stretch and in the postseason in 2024. Fully healthy, the Royals returned Bubic to the rotation in 2025, and the early results were solid. The Stanford lefty posted a 2.55 ERA and 2.89 FIP in 20 starts and 116.1 IP. That performance helped him earn his first-ever appearance in the All-Star game. Unfortunately, he only pitched 7.2 innings in the second half before suffering a shoulder injury that shut him down for the remainder of the season. With Bubic working out in Surprise on Wednesday, it seems he's fully recovered and ready to go for 2026. He is entering his last year of team control with the Royals (he will be a free agent after this season), and because of that, his name has been frequently floated in trade talks. As of now, Bubic is still on the Royals' roster, and he should start the season in the rotation, though it will be interesting to see if manager Matt Quatraro manages his innings load to keep him healthier this season. View the full article

For the second time this week, the Miami Marlins have bolstered their pitching depth via free agency. They reached a one-year deal with right-handed starter Chris Paddack on Monday, followed by another one-year deal with left-handed reliever John King on Wednesday afternoon. King is guaranteed $1.5 million. Jeff Passan of ESPN was first to report the contract details, though the Marlins have not announced it yet. King, 31, has split his major league career between the Texas Rangers (2020-2023) and St. Louis Cardinals (2023-2025), with practically identical workloads for each franchise in terms of innings pitched. Across 214 total appearances (all of them in relief), he owns a career 3.80 ERA and 4.04 FIP, never issuing more than 14 walks in a single season. He doesn't have any postseason experience. King's command is particularly sharp against left-handed batters, issuing walks to them at only a 4.4% rate in his career (1.9 BB% in 2025). He's a welcome addition to a Marlins team that ranked 30th in Major League Baseball last season with only 98 relief appearances from lefties. Why was King still on the market this deep into February? He performed poorly in 2025, allowing a lot of hard contact, particularly against his sinker. A career-high eight home runs by his opponents contributed to a 4.66 ERA and 5.00 FIP. The Cardinals non-tendered King rather than pay him a projected $2.1 million via arbitration. Entering this season with four years and 148 days of MLB service time, he'll be arbitration-eligible again in 2027, so the Marlins can turn this one-year deal into two years of club control if they're satisfied with how he performs. Accommodating Paddack on the Marlins 40-man roster seemed simple enough now that Ronny Henriquez (right UCL surgery) is eligible to be placed on the 60-day injured list. With no other major league players known to be suffering from significant injuries, making room for King will require designating somebody for assignment. The Paddack signing is expected to be made official on Thursday. View the full article

As spring training gets underway, the San Diego Padres have no shortage of infield options. In fact, they would be remiss not to attempt to move one of these options if they really want to bolster their starting rotation. However, they may be looking at the possibility of one of those players getting reps in the grass. To a pool of reporters on Wednesday, Sung Mun Song shared that he was told he'll be "covering third, second, first, and also maybe outfield." He adds that while his primary position is third, his "goal is to be out there every single day and play any position that they want [him] to be out there for." Sung, 29, played all over the infield (except shortstop) for the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO). However, in 2025, he didn't play first base, and he's never played the outfield in his career. His mindset is exactly what you want to hear from a player trying to establish himself in the States after a successful career in the KBO. Sung holds a career slash line of .283/.347/.431 with 80 home runs and 51 stolen bases across 3,236 plate appearances, various projection models have him being a below average hitter in his rookie campaign. Whether that will be the case remains to be seen, but his positional versatility could make up for what he may lack at the plate if he can produce even a mid-80s wRC+. Do you think Sung should focus on a single position in the short term, or do you think he can handle the adjustment to Major League Baseball well, also moving all around the diamond? Let us know in the comments! View the full article

Whether the Brewers would pursue a backup catcher was a hot topic over the final few weeks of the offseason. As they opened camp to pitchers and catchers Wednesday, the team answered the question more forcefully than they had to that point, signing old friend Gary Sánchez to a one-year deal worth $1.75 million. Two years after spending a campaign with the Brewers as a slugging backstop and occasional DH, Sánchez will reprise the role, though for one-fourth of the money he made last time around. More to come. View the full article

Whether the Brewers would pursue a backup catcher was a hot topic over the final few weeks of the offseason. As they opened camp to pitchers and catchers Wednesday, the team answered the question more forcefully than they had to that point, signing old friend Gary Sánchez to a one-year deal worth $1.75 million. Two years after spending a campaign with the Brewers as a slugging backstop and occasional DH, Sánchez will reprise the role, though for one-fourth of the money he made last time around. Jon Heyman of the New York Post had the news first. Sánchez, 33, batted .220/.307/.392 and swatted 11 home runs for the Brewers in 2024. Last year, with the Orioles, he played in just 29 big-league games and had only 101 plate appearances, but he hit .237/.297/.418. Though big and sluggardly, he plays acceptable defense at catcher, and his power remains a helpful threat. He's played for five teams in the last four years, but after having a comfortable and useful season as William Contreras's understudy in Pat Murphy's first campaign, Sánchez will get a second stint with the club. This makes the path to a spot on the Opening Day roster much tougher for both Reese McGuire (who signed a minor-league deal last month) and Jeferson Quero. Presumably, Quero will be the starting backstop for Triple-A Nashville to open the season, and the team will try to convince McGuire to stick around as a depth piece. Alternatively, Quero could be involved in a trade that brings Milwaukee a replacement for just-traded third baseman Caleb Durbin, but for now, that possibility feels remote. If nothing else, Sánchez brings power and a veteran presence to a young team with below-average raw pop. View the full article

It's an awkward time of year to review (or even preview) a starting rotation. Teams often go into camp with up to nine potential starters and (if they're very lucky) a couple of intriguing prospects. At least one projected member of the 26-man roster usually hits the injured list before Opening Day. There's still the chance for trades and signings, but what we see right now is the Cubs' Plan A for the rotation. The pitching injury rates of the current era necessitate serious depth. Last season was a good lesson for the Cubs on that score, as three members of their Opening Day rotation—Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon—missed significant time due to injuries. Matthew Boyd didn't miss time, but that was the first time in over half a decade that he'd stayed healthy all year; he's unlikely to do so again. Hence, we see the Cubs remaining interested in additions to their starting depth chart. For now, though, let's taxonomize the guys who are coming to camp as rotation candidates. Measuring Aces vs. Mid-Rotation Contenders In the top tier of starting pitching, you don't want to make any longwinded excuses for anyone. You want the statistics to leap off the page and command confidence. Ideally, you want at least one such stud at the front of a rotation. Do the Cubs have one? Let's define an ace arm in very simple terms. An ace arm should rank in the top 40 in the league in terms of long-term fundamentals. You don't want the guy to be too dependent on finesse and luck against the world's best hitters. We'll use two stats for fundamentals: Expected ERA (xERA), and Pitching+, via Fangraphs, the latter of which combines Stuff+ and Location+ modeling. A player with fundamentals below these expectations (even one who manages to get results) is showing a red flag: Those ace-caliber results may be inconsistent going forward. Still, there are plenty of dudes who have a complex approach to hacking the fundamentals, and the Cubs specialize in finding those guys. More importantly, perhaps, an ace will rank in the top 25 in basic results. We'll combine three measures to rank pitchers on that front: Earned Run Average (ERA), Home runs per nine innings (HR/9), and walks per nine innings (BB/9). One's ERA is the natural statistic for how reliable a player is, but it can sometimes overlook an elite player because of a few bad outings, or poor defensive support. Homer rate is less important during the regular season, except in extreme cases, but it becomes very important for assessing a player's ability to face elite slugging lineups in the postseason. Meanwhile, limiting walks is essential for amassing quality starts during the season but has a bit less impact against elite contact hitters in postseason. I computed total indices as an average of all five statistics, but with ERA weighted three times as heavily as the other two. After all, we want to emphasize run prevention in this portion. We'll also give a pitcher some extra credit if they play good defense, including controlling the running game well. For a World Series hopeful like the Cubs, you'd like to see the top 5 starting options to rank in the top 75 in both xERA and ERA (out of 127 players in the year 2025 who had 100 or more innings), and all of them, obviously, should be as highly ranked as possible. Without further ado, let's evaluate the leading three options for ace quality, based on their 2025 statistics. (Note, in the case of Boyd, adding in 2024 would inflate his overall results into clearer ace territory, but it was a small sample). The Top Trio: Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd, and Edward Cabrera Horton ERA: 12th (2.67) HR/9: 18th (0.76) BB/9: 51st (2.52) xERA: 44th (3.88) Pitching+: 70th (97) TOTAL WEIGHTED RANK, 2025: 31 An elite pitcher rarely peaks in their rookie year. Ideally, a hurler loses some "major-league jitters" their sophomore season. Horton had ace-like numbers in ERA and HR/9 in his debut. He was appropriately showered with affection during Rookie of the Year voting. His best results came during the second half of the season ,when you most need it. His overall stuff and expected ERA should both be better this year, as we have seen him do better in minor-league performances with clean bill of health. If you're an optimist, you see an ace in the making. I expect top-40 fundamentals and top-25 results in 2026. It's worth remembering, though, that "sophomore slumps" are as real as those jitters we mentioned earlier. Boyd ERA: 29th (3.21) HR/9: 29th (0.95) BB/9: 23rd (2.10) xERA: 33rd (3.75) Pitching+: 76th (96) TOTAL WEIGHTED RANK, 2025, including good fielding bonus: 25 Boyd is famous for his nice guy attitude and leadership on the mound. Here's a mid-velocity lefty with very good breaking pitches, who really remade himself last year. I believe his career year in 2025 has some chance to be repeated, but his stuff has hit a hard ceiling. His Gold Glove-level defense makes him a borderline ace; he kept runners in check as well as anyone in baseball last year. His results are quite fringy for an Ace, without factoring in defense. However, as a lefty with 5 decent or good pitches, we can give him quite a bit of leeway on velocity, too. Cabrera ERA: 42nd (3.53) HR/9: 51st (1.11) BB/9: 80th (3.14) xERA: 56th (4.05) Pitching+: 21st (107) TOTAL WEIGHTED RANK, 2025: 47 Cabrera is virtually the opposite of the typical Cubs starter: a guy whose raw ingredients hint at an ace, but who has yet to put it all together for a full season. His numbers profile as classic third option, but with good enough momentum to be a trusted No. 2. The bad news is that he drags the Cubs down from an elite walk rate; the good news is his results should improve in the Friendly Confines, and with the pitcher-friendly Cubs defense behind him. The even better news is that he's young and has showed steady improvement three seasons in a row. He had a four-month stretch last year wherein he was in the top 5 in ERA. The 4-6 Rotation Arms: Justin Steele, Shota Imanaga, and Jameson Taillon Breaking down the less starrish arms can lead to many arguments. You'll see cases of very high WAR and xERA paired with a bad ERA (Ben Brown, 2025), or a consistently impactful starter with a deceptively low WAR and stellar ERA (Jameson Taillon's 2024). Overall, the Cubs can be proud of their fourth through sixth guys; they're better than the back half of many rotations. The best of the bunch, Steele, certainly belonged to the first tier of the team's starters before his injury last year, but that very thing now makes it harder to gauge what the team will get from him and when. We'll judge him based on his 2024 stats, since he essentially lost 2025. Steele ERA: 17th (3.07) HR/9: 19th (0.80) BB/9: 52nd (2.47) xERA: 7th (2.81) Pitching+: 52nd (102) TOTAL WEIGHTED RANK, 2024: 26 Steele's 2024 self was as good as the team can reasonably hope for Horton, Boyd or Cabrera to be. However, two problems restrict his ranking in 2026. First, pitchers rarely play their best ball when they come back midseason from injury, especially in terms of fundamentals (Pitching+). Second, his results were a just below the desirable cutoff of top 40 in Pitching+, and thus, he's likely to face regression. He succeeded so much with precision before shredding his elbow that it's hard to expect him to be as good afterward. Between these two factors, we must expect Steele to have a shortened and diminished 2026. If he can reclaim health, he'll still be atop the rotation in 2027. Imanaga ERA: 20th (3.28) HR/9: 108th (1.64) BB/9: 4th (1.53) xERA: 28th (3.66) Pitching+: 39th (104) TOTAL WEIGHTED RANK, 2024 AND 2025: 34 Here, by the way, I've used his last two seasons' numbers taken together. I wish we could just roll with his 2024 stats, because he flashed ace-level results in his first major-league year. It's safer, though, to assume that he'll be somewhere between the stud he was that year and the suspect he was down the stretch of 2025. His velocity really became a problem last season, as he lost over 1 mph while navigating a stubborn hamstring strain. Still, the upside is real. We've seen it relatively recently, and he's a tenacious and creative competitor. Taillon ERA: 28th (3.45) HR/9: 83rd (1.37) BB/9: 12th (1.83) xERA: 46th (3.95) Pitching+: 60th (100) TOTAL WEIGHTED RANK, 2024 AND 2025: 41 We'll look at each of the last two seasons again here, to accentuate the reliability of the team's veteran workhorse. Taillon has put together two very impressive seasons, with a near-ace ERA and an elite walk rate that is confidence-inspiring. Still, his low strikeout rate hurts his xERA. In addition, those darn homers keep him out of postseason primacy. The only good news in that category is that he had a career-worst HR/9 year in 2025 and regression should be expected. Taillon has the exact profile of a season-long innings eater who wins many games with ruthless efficiency. He's definitely worth his $18-million salary, but he won't carry you in October like $30-million arms do. The Rest of the 40-Man Starters Colin Rea, Ben Brown, and Javier Assad: Better Than You Think Let's look at the rest of the important arms quickly. Colin Rea and Ben Brown finished last season with xERAs of 4.52 (85th) and 4.53 (86th), respectively. This means each team has, on average, three better pitchers capable of giving 100+ innings. When we look closer, it gets better. In BB/9, Rea was 50th (2.49), and Brown was 55th (2.71). Rea was tied for 52nd in HR/9 (1.13), whereas Brown can brag about his Pitching+'s 70th rank (97) being a floor, not a ceiling. In the case of Assad, you've got a guy who is much like Rea in junk pitching style, but somehow always outperforms Rea's (and his own) fundamentals. In terms of players with at least 250 innings pitched from 2023-2025 (134 results), Assad's ERA is shockingly good, at 29th-best (3.47). Adding to that, he boasts a HR/9 (1.10) that ranks 52nd, despite a sad xERA of 4.98 (117th) and equally bad BB/9 of 3.56 (117th). His horrendous Pitching+ scrapes the bottom of qualified players, and explains why he rarely strikes anyone out. This huge gap between actual and expected performance is why most analysts believe Assad will never again repeat his best two seasons. His best role on a good team is in long relief, although a non-contending team would immediately stick him into the back of the rotation. Caveats Clearly there's no exact science for projecting results from prior history. Pitching can be rather volatile across a season, let alone multiple seasons. The simplest evaluation is the most recent healthy year, though in some cases, two years is more appropriate. Comparisons: Who Potentially Has Three or Four Aces? Instead of thoroughly evaluating all 30 ballclubs, let's just compare six of the scariest rotations on highly complete contending squads: the Dodgers, Braves, TIgers Mariners, Phillies, and Red Sox. The point here is merely to illustrate how good the Cubs really are, rather than predict the relative quality of these teams. The Dodgers Stand Alone Los Angeles has an embarrassment of riches, of course. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell stand clearly above the Cubs' top four, although not by as much as you may think. It's hard to make statistical comparisons, because three of the four didn't have 100+ innings in 2025 or 2024. It will be interesting to see if they actually meet their lofty expectations. Of course, it doesn't end there. Roki Sasaki and River Ryan could blossom into deadly weapons this year. Four Top-Quality Performers, When Healthy: The Mariners, Tigers and Braves Seattle still has its deadly ace trio of Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert, and George Kirby. Luis Castillo, who has some fringe ace stats at his best, is comparable to Cabrera in ERA and xERA. However, their next three guys can't compete with the Cubs' fifth through seventh options (Imanaga, Taillon, and Rea). Detroit can go man-for-man with Seattle, after signing Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander to complement their previous top duo of Tarik Skubal and Jack Flaherty. Skubal is, without controversy, the best pitcher in baseball. Valdez is an ace in his own right, and Verlander and Flaherty are solid mid-rotation pieces. The team won't have Reese Olson to round out their staff this year, as Olson is set to undergo season-killing surgery, but they have a handful of other young arms and former No. 1 pick Casey Mize to brace them against the risk of an injury to Verlander. Until camp opened, it looked like Atlanta would fit into this tier, too, although more tenuously. Chris Sale remains dominant at times, but is starting to age. Spencer Strider returned from Tommy John surgery, but wasn't his best self. Reynaldo López missed last season with shoulder trouble, and now Spencer Schwellenbach will spend at least the first two months of the year on the IL, too. The upside is very high for the Braves, but the downside is coming after them. Two Studs, One Fringe Ace: The Red Sox and Phillies Philadelphia's Christopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, and Jesús Luzardo (fringe) are good enough to top Horton, Boyd, and Cabrera, but Wheeler is coming off thoracic outlet syndrome and won't be ready to start the season. Similarly, Boston's Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suárez, and Sonny Gray (fringe) trio can strike fear in batters' hearts. Boston has better depth; Philadelphia has better upside. Neither is clearly superior to the Cubs, though. Conclusion Though other teams have truer aces, the Cubs blend depth and upside as well as almost anyone. They'll have to prove that they can hold up, and Cabrera and Horton have to take the next step after their quasi-breakouts in 2025, but this is an October-ready starting rotation. Unless and until they run into the Dodgers, they can hang with anyone. View the full article

Beginning his second season on the job, Marlins manager Clayton McCullough speaks to the media on the first day of spring training, describing his pitching staff as the backbone of the 2026 team.View the full article

The American League Central has been relatively quiet this offseason. Have the Royals done enough to make a push for the playoffs? The Tigers are the presumed favorite to win the division, but have the Royals done enough to be a lock for second place? Barring any pushes from a non-roster invite, the only additions the Royals made at the major-league level have come in the outfield and bullpen. How much should we anticipate these additions' impact on the team’s performance? Last week, Fangraphs published a breakdown of the ZiPs projections for 2026, which had the Royals tied with the Tigers at the top of the AL Central with 83 wins each, though the Tigers had a slightly higher chance to make the postseason. Since that article was published, the Tigers signed Framber Valdez to a three-year contract with the highest average annual value for a left-handed pitcher in MLB history. Now, as of writing this post, ZiPS has adjusted its projections, dropping the Royals to 81 wins and boosting the Tigers to 86.7 wins and a significantly higher chance to win the division at 59.3%. Looking at the rest of the AL Central, the Guardians’ biggest move has been to extend superstar Jose Ramirez, but their lineup and rotation remain largely unchanged. The Twins made relatively modest additions in Josh Bell, Victor Caratini, and Taylor Rogers, while the White Sox have been very active this offseason with the additions of Munetaka Murakami, Austin Hays, and Seranthony Dominguez. Though the White Sox still have considerable room for improvement after finishing last season 60-102. With those adjustments to the projections, the Royals now have the seventh-best odds to make the postseason in the American League. If the Royals need to battle for a wildcard spot, they will have a tough battle, particularly with the AL East teams, which currently have four teams with better projections than the Royals. How have the offseason moves impacted the Royals’ outlook? In 2025, the Royals’ offense produced 15.0 fWAR, ranking 22nd best in MLB. For 2026, Fangraphs projects the Royals to have 22.2 fWAR on offense, which would still rank only 20th. On the pitching side, the Royals finished 2025 with 17.5 fWAR (ninth best in MLB) and are projected to post 16.7 fWAR (11th best) in 2026. Combined, those projections have the Royals with the 15th most fWAR league-wide. This fWAR projection perfectly mirrors their current projected total of 81 wins and a 50% winning percentage. While the projections aren’t 100% accurate, they do provide useful insight into league-wide expectations. Given that the offense represented the clearest area for improvement, it’s worth looking into how the Royals’ offensive additions have impacted their outlook for 2026. The most significant addition to the offense in the offseason, Isaac Collins, is projected to regress in his second big-league season. Last year, Collins slashed .263/.368/.411 with a 122 wRC+ and 2.6 fWAR. The most optimistic projections have him slashing .245/.345/.384 with a 104 wRC+ and 1.1 fWAR. Collins does not offer much upside for power, but he gets on base and shows strong plate discipline. His walk-rate ranks in the 90th percentile, and his chase rate grades in the 98th percentile. Even with his projected regression, an fWAR of 1.1 would place him tied for 5th-best fWAR in the Royals' 2025 offense. However, with the departure of Mike Yastrzemski, Collins’ arrival likely only replaces the production from Yastrzemski rather than improving on it. The only free agent signing that is projected to make an impact at the major-league level is Lane Thomas. After a disappointing 2025 campaign that was plagued by injuries, Fangraphs projections have him bouncing back to around 0.5 to 0.9 fWAR. The Royals will certainly be banking on Thomas returning to his 2022-2024 production, where he was good for at least 1.4 fWAR each year and close to or above average in wRC+. Even at positions with stability, the projections are underwhelming. With Vinnie Pasquantino at first base and the tandem of Salvador Perez and Carter Jensen at catcher, the Royals are projected to rank 21st and 18th in fWAR at first base and catcher, respectively. The rankings in the outfield and at second base are even less encouraging. The Royals rank 23rd, 29th, and 23rd on projected fWAR in left, center, and right fields, respectively. They also rank 28th at projected fWAR at second base. The Royals have clearly indicated that they anticipate growth from Jac Caglianone and in right field, in addition to a bounce-back season from India at second. If these players are unable to meaningfully improve, there will be increased pressure on high performers Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia to carry the offensive burden for yet another season. The Royals have not completely ignored second base this season after tendering India a contract worth $8 million in his last season before free agency. The Royals have signed a variety of middle infielders to minor league deals with invitations to spring training, signaling an openness to competition at second base. Veterans Abraham Toro, Peyton Wilson, Josh Rojas, Brandon Drury, Kevin Newman, and Connor Kaiser all will have the ability to challenge for this spot on the major league roster or even assume India’s starting role. Even if one or more of them show signs of a resurgence in Spring Training, the Royals’ outlook at second base will still be one of the lowest in the league. Are there any players still available who could make an impact? While the Tigers have addressed one of their needs in adding a strong partner, Tarik Skubal, at the top of their rotation, the Royals have largely bet on improvements from their current roster to raise their ceiling on offense. The Royals will likely need to make another addition on offense if they are serious about competing in 2026. With Spring Training starting, the available players who can make an impact are dwindling, but below are a couple of options. Veteran outfielder Jesse Winker could be a potential option. His 2025 season was impacted by an oblique strain, but in 2024, he was in the 79th percentile in batting run value. His chase and walk rates were both in the 95th percentile, which is in line with trends seen in the acquisitions of Collins and Thomas. His speed and defense have declined over the years, but the Royals don’t currently have an everyday designated hitter. If he can return to full fitness, Winker could potentially make an impact on this offense. The Royals could pursue him in a low-risk move with a minor-league contract with an invitation to the major league camp. Another option is veteran outfielder Mike Tauchman, who similarly has a low chase rate and strong on-base skills. While he does offer the power potential that Winker could, Tauchman’s ability to get on base is still well above average as he enters his age-35 season. In only 93 games played last season, he accumulated 1.4 fWAR and was still able to provide league-average defense in right field with 0 Outs Above Average. Like Winker, he could be another low-risk option with a minor-league contract with an invitation to the major league camp. As the rest of the league’s rosters continue to shape out, there could be more opportunities to find upgrades in the trade market. With many teams still looking to find improvements to their starting rotation, the Royals should still be exploring trades that will improve their lineup. While there is still time in Kansas City to make these types of moves, time is certainly running out. If they are unable to find meaningful improvements to the offense, there will continue to be uncertainty around the Royals' chances to make a push for the playoffs. Another season on the outside, looking in, could be a costly missed opportunity to compete during Bobby Witt Jr.’s prime years. View the full article

Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett speaks to the media on the first day of spring training about the team's much-improved spring training facilities and how he hopes to reclaim his starting rotation spot.View the full article

During the offseason, contending teams are always searching for hidden gems. In the case of right-handed starter Triston McKenzie, the San Diego Padres are looking to see if they can work some magic and restore some of the early-career luster to the once highly rated Cleveland Guardians prospect. If so, the Friars could have a cheap addition for their rotation, which needs some fortification at the back end. McKenzie signed a minor-league contract with the Padres in December after being designated for assignment and outrighted to Triple-A following a rough beginning to last year. McKenzie's struggles last year, in which he pitched just 16 minor-league games including eight appearances in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League, could be remnants of his 2023 decision to choose rehab instead of having Tommy John surgery. The troubles since then are in stark contrast to his 2022 season. Following a bumpy 2021 as a rookie with the Guardians, McKenzie put things together and posted a 3.59 FIP (2.96 ERA) in 31 games, all but one a start, and 191⅓ innings. That included a 5.9% walk and 25.6% strikeout rate. He started twice in the postseason, including a really good outing versus the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Wild Card Series (6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 SO) in a 15-inning triumph, then getting knocked around a bit by the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the AL Division Series (5 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 SO) in a walk-off win. It is that enticing season that makes McKenzie such an attractive wild card for the Padres entering spring training. Due to two injuries in 2023, he has pitched in 24 MLB games (20 starts), tossing 97⅓ innings and notching a 6.21 FIP (5.46 ERA) and a horrendous 15.6% walk rate to go along with a 21.2% strikeout rate over the past three seasons combined. That is where Ruben Niebla, the Padres' well-respected pitching coach who worked with McKenzie when he was in the Cleveland system, comes into play this spring. How much can the Friars fix in McKenzie and can he be an immediate contributor to the team or does he need time at Triple-A El Paso to work on his issues? While the Guardians are a pitching development machine, sometimes a player just needs a change of scenery. Triston McKenzie's Stuff Entering 2026 as a 28-year-old, McKenzie should have plenty of gas in his arm, especially with as much time that has elapsed since his a shoulder injury in March 2023 and elbow injury in June 2023. Since he pitched just 5⅔ innings over four relief appearances at the MLB level in 2025, everything has to be taken with a grain of salt. McKenzie has three pitches, which he has had most of his career, and his struggles in 2025 can be seen in the limited results from Statcast. As an example, his four-seam fastball had 4.1 inches less tail than the average MLB right-hander but did have 4.9 inches more rise. His curveball was his most consistent pitch and right around league average, but his slider tended to hang a bit with 4.7 inches less drop. Reminder that this is data from just four MLB relief appearances. Triston McKenzie's Arsenal Leaning on three pitches, McKenzie offers a four-seamer, curveball and slider. He did have a changeup that he ditched after his rookie season of 2021 and then had his best season (and only full season since) in 2022. His four-seamer was at career-high 93.7 mph in 2025, which was in the 39th percentile, and used it a whopping 80.5% of the time. That compares to 91.1 mph and 52.4% in 2024, 92.4 mph and 63.3% in 2023, 92.5 mph and 56.1 mph in 2022 and 92.1 mph and 61.6% in 2021. McKenzie's curve has been pretty consistent velocity-wise, checking in at 79.5 mph and 13% usage, 77.7 mph and 26.6% in 2024, 78.8 mph and 16.7% in 2023, 79.4 and 21.9% in 2022 and 79.3 mph and 21% in 2021. Finally, his slider, his least-used pitch, was at 86.6 mph and 6.5% usage in 2025, while at 85.4 mph and 21% in 2024, 85.2 mph and 20% in 2023, 87.3 mph and 21.9% in 2022 and 86.4 mph and 19.1% in 2021. The lack of sustained time over the last three seasons leaves little to take away from much of this, other than his velocity hasn't suffered and perhaps is a tick better. What Should Triston McKenzie's Role Be In 2026? Unless McKenzie blows the doors off in spring training or injuries force the Padres' hand, it would be prudent to have McKenzie gain a little confidence by starting at Triple-A El Paso. He also doesn't have any minor-league options remaining, which is why he was DFA'd by the Guardians early last year, which makes a trip to El Paso even more likely. But if McKenzie can smooth out whatever has ailed him, as his velocity would portend, he is definitely the non-roster arm to watch this spring. View the full article

Pitchers and catchers report to Twins camp in Ft. Myers Wednesday. With that milestone comes the annual ritual of looking back at what the Twins did (or didn’t do) over the winter. This offseason was not defined by splashy headlines or aggressive spending. Instead, it was marked by modest depth additions and a series of transactions that mostly reshuffled the bottom of the roster. Minnesota thus enters spring training with many of the same questions it had when the season ended—and, perhaps, with a bit more business left to do. Free Agents 1B/DH Josh Bell 1-year, $7 million C Victor Caratini 2-years, $14 million LHP Taylor Rogers 1-year, $2 million The most notable additions came through free agency, starting with Bell. Signing the slugger to a one-year deal worth $7 million was a strong way to open the winter. He provides an immediate offensive upgrade for a lineup that badly needed a reliable veteran bat. Bell’s switch-hitting power lengthens the order and gives the Twins some much-needed stability, regardless of whether he plays first base or DH. The downside is his defense. Bell is a clear liability at first base, which is why he might spend more time as the designated hitter. That creates some roster tension, as Minnesota already has several players who profile best there (including Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach), along with some lineup regulars who will need partial rest days. Caratini’s two-year, $14-million deal raised more eyebrows. The Twins have been open about their desire to give Ryan Jeffers regular time behind the plate, and they also acquired Alex Jackson in a trade with Baltimore. Jackson is out of minor-league options, which complicates the roster math. Carrying three catchers seems unlikely, unless Caratini sees frequent time at first base or designated hitter. (General manager Jeremy Zoll indicated when the signing became official that Caratini could play those spots.) That said, catching depth is rarely a bad thing, and Caratini provides a steady presence with experience handling pitching staffs. Rogers returned on a one-year, $2-million deal, addressing the need for bullpen depth at a reasonable cost. The issue is that this move alone does not come close to replacing what the Twins lost last summer, when five relievers were dealt away at the trade deadline. The bullpen remains inexperienced, and while the front office has spoken openly about adding another arm, the free agent market is essentially dry. That leaves trades or internal conversions as the only realistic paths forward. Trades: Acquired C Alex Jackson from the Orioles for 2B Payton Eeles Acquired 1B Eric Wagaman from the Marlins for LHP Kade Bragg Acquired IF Tristan Gray from the Red Sox for C Nate Baez Acquired cash considerations from Mariners for C Jhonny Pereda Acquired RHP Jace Kaminska and cash from the Rockies for 2B Edouard Julien and RHP Pierson Ohl The trade market brought volume, but little impact. Jackson came over from the Orioles. a move that clearly focused on raising the floor of the catching depth after Christian Vázquez departed in free agency. Wagaman and Gray were acquired as infield depth, but neither significantly changed the outlook of the roster. Pereda was moved shortly after the Caratini signing, making his brief stint in the organization officially forgettable. The most notable transaction sent Julien and Ohl to Colorado for Kaminska and cash considerations, a deal that largely reflected roster management decisions at the fringes of the 40-man roster. None of these trades made the Twins meaningfully better for 2026. They added depth and flexibility, but not wins. When you zoom out, the offseason feels uninspiring. Bell, Caratini, and Rogers are useful players, but none move the needle significantly. The roster looks deeper, but not stronger. That reality was underscored by the unexpected news that longtime baseball head Derek Falvey and the Twins mutually parted ways just as spring training approached, adding another layer of uncertainty to an already underwhelming winter. There is still time for the front office to make a meaningful addition before Opening Day, but as things stand now, this offseason earns a D. It is a passing grade only in the sense that the Twins showed up and turned something in. There is a chance to resubmit the assignment, but it will require more than marginal depth moves to change the final mark. What grade would you give the Twins for this winter? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

The first half of the interview is spent interviewing Simon Li, one of Jays Centre's prospects writers. Simon helps the guys break down top prospects like Trey Yesavage, Arjun Nimmala, and JoJo Parker, and dig into some of the system's pitching depth like Johnny King and Gage Stanifer. The second half addresses the news of Anthony Santander's shoulder surgery, which will result in him missing at least half of the season, and Shane Bieber's forearm fatigue, which will cause him to miss opening day. The guys also break down who on the roster has the most to gain or lose from spring training, especially Davis Schneider, Yimi García, and Tommy Nance. They finish with some fond memories of Buck Martinez. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jays-centre-podcast/id1846108462 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Bi7SzfpcqMo5xYWnbCeoL Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-jays-centre-podcast-300304824/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/2qk9wqxd Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jayscentre View the full article

In addition to the arms on their official 30-man rosters, each country in the World Baseball Classic can name up to six pitchers to its Designated Pitcher Pool. These pitchers will be ready to serve as potential replacements in later rounds of the tournament. According to MLB.com's Michael Clair, "Teams can replace up to four pitchers following the first round and then up to two pitchers after the quarterfinal. These players can replace one of up to four arms that the team had previously marked as a potential substitute." Clair also published a list of all the known pitchers that have been included in their country's DPP. Team Canada was not included in the article, and it's unclear if that means Canada doesn't have a DPP or if it just hasn't been revealed yet. However, three notable Blue Jays names appeared on the DPP lists: Jeff Hoffman (USA), Tyler Rogers (USA), and José Berríos (Puerto Rico). They could join the 12 other Blue Jays expected to participate in the WBC. Berríos was originally going to be on Puerto Rico's 30-man roster, but he was one of several players denied insurance coverage for the tournament. It isn't clear what his inclusion in the DPP means about his insurance status. View the full article

The Minnesota Twins are welcoming one of the franchise’s most beloved figures back into the fold as they approach the 2026 season. Paul Molitor’s connection to the Twins stretches back decades, both as a hometown player and an influential presence in the organization. His return in a new capacity is sure to resonate with long-time fans and offer fresh insight to viewers tuning in this year. This week, the Twins revealed Molitor’s latest role. “Hall of Famer Paul Molitor is joining the Twins' rotation of TV analysts this season, along with Justin Morneau, Trevor Plouffe, Denard Span, and Glen Perkins. Cory Provus returns as the play-by-play voice and Audra Martin is back as the sideline reporter,” reported Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic on Tuesday. Molitor’s addition to the broadcast team brings a respected voice with firsthand experience in nearly every corner of the sport. He has been a superstar player, a veteran leader, a manager, and a special assistant in the front office. There are not many perspectives within baseball that he has not experienced. His playing credentials remain among the most impressive in the game’s history. Over a 21-year career, Molitor compiled 3,319 hits, a .306 batting average, 234 home runs, 1,307 RBIs, and 1,782 runs scored. He also stole 504 bases, making him one of the rare players to pair 3,000 hits with 500 steals. His .817 OPS reflected a balanced offensive profile built on consistency, durability, and intelligence. Those accomplishments secured his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004. Although Molitor built the bulk of his playing legacy with the Milwaukee Brewers and added a World Series title with the Toronto Blue Jays, his time with the Twins holds a special place. A native of St. Paul, he finished his career in Minnesota from 1996 through 1998, batting .312 across those three seasons, earning a Silver Slugger Award, and producing 5.2 bWAR in what were supposed to be his twilight years. For a player in his late thirties, that level of production was remarkable, and it provided a bridge between eras for the franchise. Molitor’s impact in Minnesota extended well beyond his playing days. He managed the Twins from 2015 through 2018 and authored one of the more memorable managerial seasons in team history. In 2017, he guided Minnesota to the postseason one year after a 100-loss campaign, earning American League Manager of the Year honors in the process. Even after being let go from that role, Molitor remained involved as a Special Assistant in Baseball Operations, helping shape player development and instruction throughout the organization. He has also made radio appearances over the years, offering thoughtful and measured analysis. There is a reason Molitor has remained intertwined with the Twins for much of the past decade. His Hall of Fame resume commands respect on its own, but his steady demeanor and deep understanding of the game make him a natural fit in any role. He is not necessarily remembered first as a Twin when it comes to his playing career, yet his post-playing identity has become closely tied to Minnesota. That matters to him, and it matters to the organization. Now, as he joins a television rotation that already includes Morneau, Plouffe, Span, and Perkins, Molitor brings historical context and credibility to the broadcast. He understands what it means to chase 3,000 hits. He understands what it feels like to manage through a 100-loss season and then turn it into a playoff berth. He understands the pressure of expectations in this market. For fans, that means more than just another analyst in the booth. It means hearing the game explained by someone who has lived every angle of it. Even if the Twins encounter bumps along the way in 2026, Molitor’s presence on the broadcast will offer perspective, nostalgia, and a connection to the franchise’s past. That is a win for the organization and a win for viewers tuning in all summer long. View the full article

One of the ripples from Monday's six-player trade between the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers, with Caleb Durbin and Kyle Harrison as the principals, was the idea that maybe a path had opened for the Padres to make a late trade for a starting pitcher. The thinking was this: Milwaukee has pitching depth after acquiring left-handers Harrison and Shane Drohan from Boston, and they no longer have a third baseman after unloading Durbin. David Hamilton, the other player Milwaukee got in the deal, might get the first crack at the job. Could A.J. Preller interest his Brewers counterpart Matt Arnold in, say, Jake Cronenworth to fill that gap? But then there was another thought: Now is not the time for the Padres to move Cronenworth, even though we posited during the Winter Meetings that trading him might be the club's easiest path to acquiring pitching. Here's an argument, albeit not a full-throated one, for keeping him as spring training begins: 3 reasons for Padres to retain Jake Cronenworth Cronenworth wouldn't fetch what other teams have gotten for versatile infielders this month True, the market for versatile infielders appears robust. The Durbin deal brought Milwaukee back an MLB arm, an MLB-ready arm, and a speedy MLB infielder. Four days earlier, the Arizona Diamondbacks dealt Blaze Alexander to the Baltimore Orioles for hard-throwing right-hander Kade Strowd and two minor leaguers. A couple of days before that, the St. Louis Cardinals bagged a top-100 prospect (Jurrangelo Cijntje), two other minor leaguers and two draft picks from the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays for Brendan Donovan. But each move featured someone who had more overall value than Cronenworth. Durbin will turn 26 this month and is coming off a season in which he finished third in National League Rookie of the Year voting. Alexander is 26, he's cheap, and he has flashed potential during his brief career. Donovan, 29, is one of the best contact hitters in the game, he's still arbitration-eligible, and he's highly versatile. Cronenworth is 32 and has five years and $60 million-plus remaining on his seven-year, $80 million extension. He can play second, short and first but has just one inning of MLB experience at third base. How much money -- and what level of prospect -- would Preller need to attach to him for a team to bite? Cronenworth is the Padres' best internal option at second base First, the negative: There's a lot of blue on his Baseball Savant page. His career-high .367 on-base percentage last year was boosted by a career-high 13.4 walk rate that was three points higher than his previous personal best. Using run values, he could only handle four-seam fastballs last season. Was that a byproduct of the rib fracture that cost him most of April and a bit of May, or was that a sign of age? Now, the positive: Cronenworth delivers above-average offensive production (117 wRC+, 108 OPS+ in 2025, in line with his career averages). San Diego's other options at second base -- Mason McCoy, Sung Mun Song and Will Wagner -- can't be counted on to match that. Song, 29, hit a career-high 26 home runs in the KBO last year, but he has never taken an MLB at-bat and he's nursing an oblique injury suffered during offseason training. McCoy, 30, has made 84 mostly empty plate appearances over parts of three seasons (.494 OPS). Wagner, 27, has a career 95 wRC+ over roughly a full season of plate appearances. None of that says "everyday player for a contending club." Defense is the weakest part of this argument. Cronenworth's fielding at second last year was average to below average according to advanced metrics. He was eighth among 11 qualified second basemen with minus-8 defensive runs saved. Outs above average rated him better at minus-1, fifth-best in that group. Song, meanwhile, was a Gold Glove third baseman in Korea. McCoy and Wagner have posted middling defensive metrics. Cronenworth is a part of the Padres' core, and vibes matter He has been a regular contributor since making his MLB debut in 2020, the COVID year. San Diego has made the postseason four times in his six seasons. He forms a veteran keystone combination with shortstop Xander Bogaerts. San Diego would be removing a big piece -- for a potentially low return -- from a team that has championship aspirations. View the full article

Jaxon Wiggins is the top pitching prospect in the Cubs' farm system. His scouting report says he is estimated to arrive in The Show this upcoming summer, but is that feasible? In this video, we dive into Wiggins' pitch arsenal, the Cubs' rotation, depth pieces ahead of Wiggins, and whether or not we will truly see him at Wrigley Field in 2026. View the full article

Nothing signals the start of spring training like a barrage of injury news. Pitchers and catchers report to camp today, and that means Blue Jays reporters started showing up to Dunedin earlier this week. Once they did, it wasn't long before injury updates were thrust upon us. The big news yesterday was that Anthony Santander could miss the next five to six months recovering from shoulder surgery. However, Santander isn't the only Blue Jay undergoing major surgery. Manager John Schneider revealed that right-hander Bowden Francis needs UCL reconstruction and will miss the 2026 season. It's not yet clear if he's going for Tommy John or the less invasive internal brace procedure, but either way, he's out for the year. Schneider also offered a concerning update regarding right-hander Shane Bieber. The 2020 AL Cy Young winner will begin the season on the injured list, as he's dealing with forearm fatigue right now. On the bright side, it doesn't seem as if he'll miss significant time; he hasn't been shut down from baseball activities, he just won't be able to ramp up in time for Opening Day. With that said, forearm issues are always worrisome, and especially so for a pitcher who only just returned from Tommy John surgery. Given Bieber's status, it's hardly surprising that Eric Lauer will be stretched out as a starter this spring. For as long as Bieber is out, Lauer will be the sixth man on Toronto's starting pitching depth chart – a depth chart that's also thinner without Francis as an emergency backup plan. John Schneider also spoke about Yimi García, whose 2025 season concluded before the All-Star break. While an ankle injury sent him to the shelf, it was ulnar nerve symptoms that stopped him from making a return. He had season-ending surgery to address the issue in August. On top of that, he also missed time with a shoulder injury earlier in the year. According to Schneider, García is on track to make the Opening Day roster, though the team is still exercising caution with the 35-year-old righty. Finally, Toronto's skipper spoke about the many injury issues George Springer played through in 2025. While we already knew about some of them, Schneider told Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith that right wrist discomfort became a problem for the veteran as the year went on. Apparently, the injury interfered with his throwing, therefore making it difficult for him to play the outfield. Now that he's feeling stronger, however, Springer could see time in the outfield again. Of course, with Santander on the shelf, it might make sense for Springer to be a full-time DH in 2026 anyway, but more flexibility is never a bad thing. View the full article

Baseball Prospectus posted their PECOTA projections for 2026 on Tuesday, including projected standings and playoff odds. For Brewers fans, the news is not good. The Cubs are not only favorites to win the division, but project for 90.5 wins—a full 10 games clear of the 80.5 victories for which the system pegs the Brewers. The system gives the Crew just a 10.5% chance to win their fourth straight NL Central crown, and only a 31.2% shot to make the playoffs at all. This feeling is familiar, but not fun, even though the story tends to end with Milwaukee far outstripping their projected win total. Last week, FanGraphs posted their own projections and playoff odds, which are (technically) more optimistic about the Brewers. It gives them an 82-win projection. However, in that version of the projected standings, the Cubs are still first (albeit at a more reachable win total) and the Pirates sneak in just ahead of Milwaukee, for second place. That's a jarring snapshot of where things stand as Brewers personnel gather in Maryvale. They're not only not the favorites, but very much the underdogs in the fight to sustain their regional dynasty. For PECOTA, at least, the problems the Brewers face lie in run production, rather than run prevention. The model expects Milwaukee pitchers to be better than average, and for them to be about 11 runs better than average when combining fielding and baserunning. However, the team's projected DRC+ is just 96, where 100 is average and higher is better. It's a dreary outlook, even for a team that prides itself more on good pitching and defense than on slugging. Two things about the projection stand out especially starkly. Firstly, PECOTA hates Brice Turang. I mean, it hates him. The model projects an 87 DRC+ and a .238/.311/.360 batting line for Turang. It sees him hitting 13 homers in 630 plate appearances, which would represent a small step backward after 2025, but the extent of the setback that overall line would be is much greater. Turang batted .288/.359/.435 in 2025. Admittedly, he hit just .254/.316/.349 in 2024, but even that line is essentially equal in value to the one he's forecasted to produce this season—and it ignores his breakout year altogether, despite that being the most recent and relevant data about what he'll do next. Systems can be designed for varying levels of sensitivity to sub-surface adjustments, like the way Turang increased his bat speed in 2025 and traded some contact for better power, but they can't be tweaked in specific cases; the risk of compromising the methodological integrity of the model is too great. Thus, PECOTA's wariness about Turang is understandable, and perhaps even a necessary evil. Nonetheless, to best predict what the Brewers will do in 2026, one should mentally adjust Turang's expected offensive output upward by about 10 runs. Secondly, the Brewers set themselves back Monday by trading Caleb Durbin, as far as PECOTA is concerned. Durbin, now with the Red Sox, is projected for a 104 DRC+, with a .254/.332/.377 line. If the system is to be believed, Milwaukee will sorely miss those on-base skills. Player AVG OBP SLG DRC+ Caleb Durbin .254 .332 .377 104 Andruw Monasterio .234 .306 .356 86 Joey Ortiz .248 .307 .392 96 Jett Williams .235 .314 .387 96 David Hamilton .223 .292 .357 77 Tyler Black .197 .296 .338 75 David Hamilton will bring more speed and better up-the-middle defense off the bench than did Andruw Monasterio, but Monasterio is projected to be the better hitter. Meanwhile, neither Joey Ortiz nor Jett Williams is expected to replace what Durbin (with his elite contact rate and knack for getting hit by pitches) brought to the Milwaukee lineup. Barring a move for an external solution at third base, the Brewers downgraded somewhat significantly by trading Durbin and Monasterio to Boston. It's nice to have better pitching depth than ever, but it might not be enough to justify having moved on so quickly from a player with long-term team control and such a high baseline for performance. Sharp-eyed readers will notice that both Ortiz and Williams are projected to outhit Turang, according to PECOTA. That just reinforces the jarring nature of Turang's projection. It feels indefensibly wrong, but it does highlight an important truth: using more than one year of data (where it's available) makes projections better. What happened last is not always what should be expected to happen next. Turang's projection probably is too low, but that doesn't mean that Ortiz's is unduly optimistic. The best-case scenario, then, is that the Brewers make some other addition to shore up the infield mix, but also get this version of Ortiz (one very much akin to the player he was in 2024) and the improved version of Turang. That still won't get them to 90 wins, but it'll start them on the journey there. The team will have to find other players who outdo their projections, too, but that's rarely a problem for the unassuming superpower of the NL Central. At least Pat Murphy won't be hurting for bulletin board material this spring, should he want some. View the full article

New Marlins right-hander Bradley Blalock speaks to the media on the first day of spring training about expanding his arsenal and coming to a more pitcher-friendly environment.View the full article

Despite his failure to thrive as one in 2025, the Chicago Cubs still see Ben Brown as a starting pitcher heading into 2026. That was the most important insight offered by pitching coach Tommy Hottovy when he appeared Saturday on 670 The Score's "Inside the Clubhouse" and was asked about the 26-year-old righthander. "I mean, Ben Brown should be an established big-league starter," Hottovy said. "In my mind, he's got the stuff there to be able to do it." Brown has, indeed, flashed plus stuff in the 40 games and 162 innings he's pitched in the majors. Since the Cubs acquired him from the Phillies in exchange for David Robertson in 2022, he's flashed huge upside, powered by a fastball that reaches the upper 90s and a sharp breaking ball. He struck out 25.6% of opposing batters in 2025 and walked just 6.8%. However, Brown's heater flattens out and becomes exceptionally hittable any time it sags below 97 miles per hour, because of the combination of its shape and his high arm slot. Working as a starter, he's struggled to keep his velocity that high, and has thus been hit hard. He had a 5.92 ERA last year, despite the strong strikeout and walk numbers. For most of his career, he's also utterly lacked a functional third pitch. He has a reliever's arsenal, and a reliever's need for sheer velocity. Hottovy's optimism about him in a starting role stems in large part from what he's seeing in the club's efforts to help Brown expand that arsenal. "Our goal is to get him stretched out, continue to develop the changeup, working on a few other pitches, and continue to build out his repertoire and let him go be a dominant pitcher for us," he said Saturday. Therein lies the upside, if he's to stay in the rotation. Brown must tap into a changeup that works, and/or widen his arsenal to include a sinker or a slider with more lateral movement. His efforts to do that over the last two seasons have yielded mixed results, but late last year, there was a breakthrough. That pale green offering is a kick-change, the same pitch that unlocked things for Jameson Taillon last spring. It's a pitch with a better chance to be consistently effective for Brown than his old changeup had, because he's more likely to be able to command it—not in terms of location, but in terms of execution and movement. Whether hitters will ever chase the pitch out of the zone often enough for it to play as well as it grades is an open question, but one that probably hinges more on his command of his other two offerings than on that one. Though he's coming up on two years of service time, Brown still has one minor-league option year remaining. The Cubs could choose to stash him in Iowa this spring and keep him stretched out as an emergency starter. That, however, feels like a waste of a high-powered, high-upside arm. To get the most out of Brown, the team needs to either help him turn the corner and become a useful big-league starter now; convert him to a relief role, where he could be a stellar setup man; or trade him. Hottovy's faith in Brown is admirable, but he hasn't yet earned that faith. The talent is there, but it also has limits of which we should take note. The fastball shape is a constraint on his upside. So is the lack of a breaking ball with more side-to-side movement. Most of all, he needs a changeup he trusts, so he can force hitters (especially lefties) to respect that pitch more. As pitchers and catchers officially report to camp, Brown might be the most interesting Cub on site. He could be hugely helpful to the team this year, either as a trade chip or by directly contributing to their pursuit of a division title. If he doesn't take a big step forward this year, though, he's unlikely ever to do so. View the full article

Taj Bradley might have been the best-known name acquired by the Minnesota Twins during the 2025 trade deadline fire sale. A former top 100 prospect, Bradley’s performance plateaued during his third season with the Tampa Bay Rays, who shipped him to the Twins in exchange for the highly coveted Griffin Jax. Bradley’s first run with the Twins was mediocre. He finished the 2025 campaign with a 5.05 ERA in a career-high 142 ⅔ innings, though, as has been consistent throughout his young career, his 4.37 xFIP suggested that he got a little unlucky. Entering his first full season with the Twins, the question of whether or not Bradley would be more effective as a reliever has been swirling through many minds. However, unlike my analysis of Zebby Matthews, I think there is sufficient data to suggest that Bradley’s role as a starter is clearer, at least in the short term. Read Previous Entries: David Festa's Arsenal Zebby Matthews' Arsenal Taj Bradley’s Stuff and Pitch Arsenal Bradley’s arsenal primarily consists of four pitches—a four-seamer, cutter, splitter, and curveball—though he occasionally throws a sinker (or at least some of his four-seamers get labeled as such). Like most pitchers, his offerings vary depending on the handedness of the hitter; in 2025, he primarily deployed his fastball, cutter, and curve against righties (515, 347, and 146 pitches, respectively) and his fastball, splitter, and curve against lefties (565, 246, and 189). (Of note: Baseball Savant labeled 192 of Bradley’s fastballs against righties in 2025 as sinkers compared to only 10 against lefties. This suggests that Bradley will alter his grip on occasion against same-handed hitters to induce more horizontal run into the batter.) On paper, Bradley’s fastball should play well. It sits in the mid-90s and can touch near 100 mph on occasion with 18.5 inches of induced vertical break (IVB) and 6.2 inches of horizontal break. His fastballs, categorized as sinkers, feature a similar velocity profile, though with 15.4 inches of IVB and 10.5 inches of arm-side run. His four-seamer’s IVB is well-above average, meaning it should fare well at the top of the zone, where its ability to create a rising illusion should cause it to induce whiffs. Notice how many “shoulds” are in the previous paragraph. In practice, Bradley’s fastball is arguably his worst pitch. In nearly 3,000 offerings across 385 ⅓ major league innings, the fastball has produced an .896 OPS. According to FanGraphs, since making his MLB debut in mid-April 2023, Bradley’s fastball ranks 371st out of 419 in OPS against, while throwing it with the 29th-highest volume (minimum of 500 pitches). (His sinker provides much too small a sample size to make any grand conclusions, but Pitch Info Solutions, which provides its pitch data to Savant, has Bradley producing a .756 OPS across 192 pitches.) What should—there’s that word again—be heartening to Twins fans, though, is that the rest of Bradley’s repertoire has performed quite well. Nearly 1,500 cutters have produced a .711 OPS (14th volume, 27th OPS, out of 103); his splitter has produced a .597 OPS (10th volume, 26th OPS, out of 171; 1,216 offerings); and his curveball, undeniably his best pitch, has produced a miniscule .454 OPS (39th volume, 6th OPS, out of 100; 844 offerings). Seemingly, the easiest fix to make Bradley a more effective pitcher is to alter his pitch mix, namely, throwing many more curveballs. Bradley’s curve features a significant vertical break (55.8 inches with gravity, four inches more than average) at 82 mph on average. It’s truly one of the best curves in the game and plays well off his high velocity, high IVB fastball. He’d also do well to throw more cutters. It features below average velo (89.6 mph) and a relatively poor movement profile (4.0 inches of glove side break is good but 5.6 inches of IVB is quite poor), but a .711 OPS is much better than a .896; even if it were to perform worse at higher volume (and it almost undoubtedly would based on its movement profile), it almost couldn’t perform worse than the fastball. Year Pitch Type # # RHB # LHB % MPH PA AB H 1B 2B 3B HR SO BBE BA XBA SLG XSLG WOBA XWOBA EV LA Spin Ext. Whiff% PutAway% 2025 Sweeper 34 17 17 33.3 82.0 10 8 0 0 0 0 0 2 6 .000 .078 .000 .087 .138 .197 86.1 14 2416 6.7 40.0 18.2 2025 Four Seamer 27 22 5 26.5 93.2 6 6 1 1 0 0 0 2 4 .167 .093 .167 .123 .147 .093 90.2 52 2247 6.8 27.3 22.2 2025 Sinker 27 8 19 26.5 92.9 9 6 2 2 0 0 0 1 5 .333 .277 .333 .455 .430 .442 85.2 32 2040 6.7 10.0 20.0 2025 Changeup 11 11 0 10.8 88.9 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 .500 .448 1.000 .633 .626 .456 98.1 5 1891 6.8 0.0 0.0 2025 Cutter 3 3 0 2.9 89.4 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1.000 .889 4.000 3.536 1.380 1.257 107.1 29 2393 6.7 0.0 0.0 2024 Sweeper 128 95 33 32.1 80.6 25 21 4 3 0 0 1 8 15 .190 .135 .333 .232 .245 .190 86.0 21 2497 6.7 34.5 19.0 2024 Sinker 97 79 18 24.3 92.5 27 27 6 6 0 0 0 2 25 .222 .268 .222 .318 .196 .262 87.1 6 2043 6.7 17.6 11.8 2024 Four Seamer 80 70 10 20.1 93.3 35 33 7 7 0 0 0 4 29 .212 .250 .212 .298 .217 .268 83.1 20 2183 6.7 14.6 10.8 2024 Changeup 57 56 1 14.3 87.9 16 15 5 4 1 0 0 1 15 .333 .299 .400 .419 .319 .321 82.2 2 1985 6.7 17.2 20.0 2024 Cutter 37 32 5 9.3 88.4 11 10 6 5 0 0 0 1 10 .600 .379 .900 .607 .587 .411 93.3 17 2430 6.7 20.0 11.1 What Should Taj Bradley’s Role Be In 2026? From an aresenal standpoint, Bradley has enough juice to remain a starting pitcher. He possesses three pitches—the cutter, splitter, and curve—that have performed at an above-average to well-above-average clip throughout his three years in the bigs. Altering his pitch mix to feature fewer four-seamers and more curveballs and cutters against righties would be prudent (and would likely improve his rather poor career 15.2% K-BB% and .754 OPS against same-handed batters; for reference, lefties, who should be much better against the right-handed Bradley, have produced a 17.4% K-BB% and .730 OPS. That’s weird.) However, at a certain point, the results speak for themselves. Bradley has largely been an underwhelming starting pitcher, especially when you take into account his hype as a prospect. He has seen his strikeout rate drop from 28.0% as a rookie to 21.0% in 2025, while his walk rate has increased, from 8.5% (an already high number) to 9.3%. It’s possible that 2026 marks his last run at a starting pitching role, unless he improves his ability to miss bats and avoid freely placing runners on base. View the full article

The Milwaukee Brewers' need for rotation depth certainly didn't portend a situation in which the team needed to remove a core piece of the roster, but that's exactly what happened when they struck a deal with the Boston Red Sox that landed left-handed starters Kyle Harrison and Shone Drohan (plus utility infielder David Hamilton) in Wisconsin. The price the Crew paid in exchange — Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, Anthony Seigler, and a top-75 draft pick — is hefty, particularly if you're not a believer in Harrison or his ability to rediscover the form that once made him one of the best prospects in all of baseball. The 24-year-old southpaw first emerged as a top-100 prospect in 2022 in the San Francisco Giants' system, and after dominating High-A and Double-A hitters that year to the tune of a 2.71 ERA, Harrison became a consensus top-50 prospect. He maintained that status through the end of the 2024 season, when he exceeded his rookie eligibility limits while handling 124 1/3 innings for the Giants. His results were good enough on the surface; he managed a 4.56 ERA (4.33 FIP), 22.2% strikeout rate, 7.9% walk rate, and reasonably limited home runs and extra-base hits. But the under-the-hood numbers were ugly, from a 10th-percentile hard-hit rate to a simple inability to induce chases from opposing batters. A three-pitch pitcher, Harrison found little success with any of his primary offerings, with his slurve in particular getting lit up to the tune of a .347 wOBA. A meager amount of playing time in the first half of 2025 led to Harrison getting shipped to Boston as part of the perplexing Rafael Devers trade. He mostly pitched for the Red Sox's Triple-A affiliate, Worcester, after the deal, though he did spend 12 successful innings in Beantown before the season was over. "Harrison has a funky delivery where the ball comes out of his hand at a 27° arm angle. The comparable pitchers with that slot are Andrew Heaney, JP Sears, and Kyle Freeland. These low slot pitchers who have a solid fastball typically struggle to develop reliable secondary pitches. Harrison falls into the same boat, as he has crazy high fastball usage at 65%, while he only throws the slurve 25% of the time, and the changeup 10% of the time." --Finley Rogan, Talk Sox, June 19, 2025 (Can the Red Sox Help Unlock Kyle Harrison?) One of Harrison's long-running failings has been his inability to locate a secondary offering that plays nicely with his fastball. He's got good (but not elite) velocity, which has led to some calls in the past for a move to the bullpen. Luckily, as our @Jake McKibbin explored following the trade, the Red Sox spent most of their limited time with Harrison tinkering with his arsenal. His fastball usage dropped dramatically, as he began to favor more cutters, sinkers, and slurves. The results were mixed (he generated fewer whiffs but was far better at mitigating hard contact), but the process is clear. The Brewers will need to find the right combination of pitches that'll keep Harrison effective multiple times through the order, but his primary red flag is already on its way to turning yellow. "His changeup grip has been altered significantly to alter its spin rate. In his final appearance with the Giants, the changeup had an average spin rate of 2065 rpms; compared to his latest start with the Red Sox, that number fell to an average of 1253 rpms... The cutter appears to be the most changed pitch, having such a sharp horizontal break (three inches on average in his last start). It seems to be a weapon to challenge right-handed batters in with, being tossed to a left-hander just five times since joining the Red Sox organization." --Nick John, Talk Sox, August 14, 2025 (Kyle Harrison's Tweaks Could Make Him A Key Figure in Red Sox's Rotation Down the Stretch) One of the primary directives the Red Sox instituted when working with Harrison was improving his effectiveness against righties. Such hitters got to him for a .263/.326/.439 (.331 wOBA) line in 2024, and the disparity in his effectiveness between left-handed hitters and right-handed ones only grew wider last year. The aforementioned cutter and changeup were routinely tinkered with by Boston's pitching lab, as they tried to change the shape on both to allow Harrison to work both sides of the plate more effectively against hitters with the handedness advantage. He'll always rely on his fastball, but a reliable cutter and whiff-inducing change would go a long way to making him efficient against righties. "One glaring positive from Harrison this season has been his command. He does not have enough innings to qualify, but Harrison’s 118 Location+ would rank in the top 20 among all pitchers in baseball. Yes, the sample size is small, and Harrison will likely see his command drop toward his career average Location+ (105), but good control paired with a high-spin fastball presents a more than viable profile to start games in 2025." --Finley Rogan, Talk Sox, June 19, 2025 (Can the Red Sox Help Unlock Kyle Harrison?) Command has long been one of Harrison's blue-chip skills. His career walk rate in the majors is just 8.0%, which is actually a notable improvement over his days as a prospect. There's been a trade-off, as his strikeout numbers have dwindled as well, but that feel for pitching (especially at such a young age) portends a bright future, even as he continues adding and reshaping pitches. And, unlike the Red Sox and Giants, the Brewers have an exemplary defense, especially in the infield. Even if he never gets back to a strikeout rate above 30%, pitching to weak contact should be a more-than-effective strategy in Milwaukee. "Harrison is still young — he won’t turn 25 until August — and the swingman role would be temporary until a permanent role in either the bullpen or the rotation is viewed as his final destination by the Red Sox. But for right now, it would be a waste to have him rotting away in Triple-A for the 2026 season when he could be providing support to both the rotation and bullpen by bouncing back and forth between the two." --Nick John, Talk Sox, January 8, 2026 (Does Kyle Harrison Still Fit the Red Sox's Long-Term Plans?) The Red Sox didn't surrender Harrison because they lost faith in his talent. After adding Sonny Gray, Johan Oviedo, and Ranger Suarez to a rotation highlighted by Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello, they simply ran out of places to put the southpaw starter. He was superfluous in a system that also includes top left-handed pitching prospects Connelly Early and Payton Tolle, and the Brewers were wise to take advantage of that glut. The same issue now faces the Brewers. Their starting five — currently comprised of Brandon Woodruff, Jacob Misiorowski, Quinn Priester, Chad Patrick, and Logan Henderson/Brandon Sproat — is in need of a left-hander, but it'll be hard to Harrison to overcome the established group and win a job out of camp. Likewise, with such a lefty-heavy bullpen, Milwaukee has no real incentive to plant their newest acquisition in the relief corps. There's plenty of time to figure out how Harrison will factor into the mix, both for the 2026 season and beyond, but it's imperative that he doesn't get lost in the shuffle of so many other young starters if the Brewers hope to break even on this trade. View the full article

The Boston Red Sox found their middle infielder in Caleb Durbin, trading Kyle Harrison, Shane Drohan, and David Hamilton while also acquiring Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler (plus a draft pick) in the process. This is not the flashiest trade by any means, but it is one of the better moves that could be made considering what the Red Sox gave up to get him. Compared to what the Astros wanted for Issac Paredes or the likely exorbitant price tag on Nico Hoerner, it's fair to say the Red Sox came out well on the other side of the quest for an Alex Bregman replacement. Durbin is only 25 years old and will be under club control until 2031. In a problem mostly of their own creation, there was little in the way of free agency help once the calendar hit 2026, and Craig Breslow had to find new ways to upgrade the roster. After months of rumors involving Paredes, Hoerner, Matt Shaw, and Ketel Marte, the Red Sox did what they set out to do after signing Ranger Suarez and bolstered the infield defense. Durbin stands at 5'7", 183 lbs, making him one of nine players in MLB in 2025 to take an at-bat standing at 5'7 or shorter. What he lacks in size and power, he makes up for in the other aspects of what it takes to stick in the majors. Durbin rarely misses when he swings, producing a ridiculous 93.5% Zone-Contact%, good for the 95th percentile among all major league hitters. Along a similar vein to Willson Contreras, Durbin produces a 15.7% PullAir%, which is a skill the Red Sox identified, clearly wanting to utilize the Monster more to their advantage. Alex Cora told Ian Browne of MLB.com, Despite not having the prototypical juice that teams want out of their lineup, the theme is finding more players who pull the ball in the air enough to add some points to their OPS. It's only 310 feet to left field, so while the home run numbers may stagnate or decrease, I expect an increase in doubles thanks to both the monster and his speed. The numbers show that Durbin can handle the inside pitch necessary for him to execute the plans the Red Sox seem to have for him. He finds the ideal launch angle on the inside pitch, but in those same inside zones, his xWOBA gets progressively worse the higher on the inner half you go. xWOBA is primarily a quality of contact metric, so the fact that the metric shows up as blue is no surprise. Durbin's max EV last season was 108.9 mph (14th percentile), and his 90th percentile EV was 100.1 mph (5th percentile), so a massive improvement upon his .312 xWOBA is unlikely. Thanks to his pull tendencies, though, his SLG should go up from its previous .387 number. At only age 25, his ability to put the ball in play is rare for someone so young. Only fellow Rookie of the Year nominee, Jacob Wilson, had a lower strikeout rate at age 25 or lower last season, and since 2010, Durbin had the seventh-lowest strikeout rate among rookies (min. 400 PA). Defensively, Durbin plays well at third base, producing two Outs Above Average and five Defensive Runs Saved. At second, he leaves some more to be desired, though it is not detrimental by any means, with only a -1 OAA and -1 DRS. Similar to Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Andruw Monasterio, Durbin's positional versatility gives the Red Sox even more lineup flexibility to mix and match with platoons and such. Roster Resource currently has Durbin slotted in the seven-hole against both sides, playing second base against righties and filling in for Marcelo Mayer against southpaws. Romy Gonzalez came out on Monday and said that he had a setback recovering from a shoulder injury sustained at the end of last season. He does anticipate being ready for Opening Day, but that's not the right foot to get off on day one of the new season. Gonzalez was one of the options considered as a platoon at second base, but with injury, things were up in the air. Durbin provides relief in that area. More than likely, this is the cherry on top of a busy offseason for the Red Sox. There is still the option to sign a left-handed reliever, but in terms of needle-moving deals, this should be the last one. Durbin fills a need on defense, positionally, and doesn't strike out, an ability the Red Sox sorely needed throughout 2025. MTZxTzNfWGw0TUFRPT1fQWxJQVhGRlFYZ0lBWGxGWFZ3QUhCZ1lEQUZnQ1ZWY0FCUWNEVWdCUUJ3QldBd3BW.mp4 Now all that's left to do is wait for Opening Day. The discussion of the ceiling and floor will begin to be answered in just over a month from now. The sound of cleats walking on concrete and balls smacking into gloves is back, and the Red Sox are the best they have looked top-to-bottom over the last five years. Durbin seems to be one of the final pieces of the 2025-26 offseason. It's wheels up from here on out. View the full article

The rosters are finalized, the stadiums are prepped, and the stage is set for the biggest and brightest World Baseball Classic yet. On Thursday, MLB Network revealed the official rosters for all 20 teams, and the picture became more complete as to who would get the honour of representing their countries in the tournament. Although there were a few notable omissions from Team Canada (e.g., Freddie Freeman, Nick Pivetta, Matt Brash), on paper, the roster looks like one of the best the country has ever brought to the tournament. The squad is headlined by former All-Stars Josh Naylor and Michael Soroka, and it includes young players with exciting tools. It's a tantalizing mix. For Canadian baseball fans, the roster reveal confirmed something they had been quietly hoping for: the most balanced and competitive team Baseball Canada has ever assembled for the World Baseball Classic. However, advancing in the WBC won't be easy. In previous tournaments, Canada hasn't had much luck. In the five they’ve competed in, they’ve gone winless twice. While they came into a win-and-move-on situation the other three times, they lost each one. Canada has come close before, but now they have a path that doesn’t directly run through the United States or Mexico. Success for Canada doesn’t require perfection, but surviving the pool and getting past the first round would be a win for the program. Canada has been placed in Pool A, and that means they will face Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. Even though they won’t have to contend with the Americans, there is still a lot of talent on these teams, and Canada will still have to play well to advance. Canada’s schedule is front-loaded with opportunity and back-loaded with pressure. Here’s the schedule and days to know for Team Canada: Saturday, March 7th vs. Colombia 11:00 AM EST Sunday, March 8th vs. Panama 7:00 PM EDT Tuesday, March 10th vs. Puerto Rico 7:00 PM EDT Wednesday, March 11th vs. Cuba 3:00 PM EDT Canada will rely heavily on its depth and major league experience in the tournament, but in baseball, anything can happen. In a small tournament like this one, randomness and chaos are amplified even more, meaning every play, every swing, and every pitch matters exponentially. Canada will have to handle all the fundamentals, be smart on the bases, and cash in runs when the opportunity presents itself. With that context in mind, Canada’s path forward hinges on a few very specific things going right. Here are four roads that, if Canada travels, can lead them to World Baseball Classic glory. 1. Bank Early Wins Against Panama and Colombia This may seem obvious in any short round robin tournament, but the best way to advance is to win early and often. Team Canada should have a good chance to do that; they open their schedule against the two “softer” teams in the pool, Colombia and Panama. Taking care of business in those games will put immediate pressure on the rest of the group. Colombia has talent, particularly on the mound, with former MLB All-Star Jose Quintana anchoring their staff. However, an offence led by Donovan Solano, Gio Urshela, and Elias Díaz doesn't overwhelm. If Canada’s lineup can apply consistent pressure and avoid falling behind early, this is a game they should feel confident about controlling. Panama presents a slightly different challenge, with more pop in the lineup. Iván Herrera is coming off a 2.2 bWAR season for the Cardinals, and he is supported by other big leaguers like José Caballero and Edmundo Sosa. Cleveland Guardians pitcher Logan Allen will lead the staff, with former major leaguers Jaime Barria and Paolo Espino behind him. Canada’s pitchers will need to be sharp, but if the offence shows patience and capitalizes on mistakes, a 2-0 start is firmly in reach 2. Take Advantage of a Vulnerable Puerto Rico Team This will be Canada’s toughest opponent in the pool. Baseball in the Caribbean is electric, and when Team Canada takes the field on Tuesday, March 10, they’ll be stepping into a stadium fully aligned against them. Puerto Rico has dealt with some pre-tournament controversy due to several of their star players being denied insurance coverage. Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, and current Toronto Blue Jay, José Berríos, will not be competing in the WBC. At one point, this led to speculation that Team Puerto Rico would withdraw from the tournament entirely. Yet, even without Lindor, Correa, Berríos, and other omissions, Puerto Rico is still the favourite to win the pool. Eight-time All-Star Nolan Arenado will lead the team, along with major league regulars like MJ Melendez, Heliot Ramos, and Willi Castro. On the mound, former All-Star Seth Lugo will lead the rotation, while high-leverage bullpen options include Fernando Cruz, Jorge López, and one of the most dominant relievers in the world, Edwin Díaz. For Team Canada to have success in this game, managing the early innings will be paramount. A fast start can keep the Puerto Rican team (and fans) at bay and potentially keep Díaz out of the game entirely. Staying composed in a hostile environment and forcing Puerto Rico to play from behind could swing the game heavily in Canada’s favour. 3. Rely on the Coaching Staff In a tournament in which there are stricter pitching rules (a 65-pitch limit in the first round and a mandatory rest day after a pitcher throws 30+ pitches), having versatile arms in the bullpen will be key. Unlike some teams that are built around one or two frontline arms, Canada’s pitching staff is constructed to survive chaos. Multiple pitchers on this roster should be capable of throwing meaningful innings on short notice, and in a tournament with unpredictable game flow, that flexibility is a real advantage. That's where experience matters most. Ernie Whitt has managed Team Canada in all five of the country's WBC appearances. Knowing how long to let a pitcher throw, when to pull the plug, and how to navigate the bullpen within the rules can be the difference between winning a game and an early exit from the tournament. Beyond Whitt, the coaching staff contains some of Canada’s baseball legends. Former MVP Justin Morneau is the hitting coach, and all of Russell Martin, Stubby Clapp, and Paul Quantrill have worn the red and white in previous classics. For a team that has its share of young players, having these veterans to rely on can steady the group when the tournament begins. 4. Win Through Depth, Not Stars With no offence to Josh Naylor or Tyler O’Neill, Team Canada doesn’t have its own “superstar” on the roster, but that's perfectly fine; the team is built around balance, depth and adaptability, all of which are traits that have defined the Canadian international teams in any sport. Work long at-bats, get the opponent's pitch count up, and rely on your depth to outclass the other team. This can work extremely well against a team like Cuba, particularly with Canada and Cuba facing off on the last day of the round robin. Cuba has quality pitchers, but their depth doesn’t compare to Canada’s. If the final game against the Cubans turns into a winner-take-all matchup, Canada’s ability to spread responsibility across the entire roster could be the deciding factor in who moves on to the knockout round and who heads home early. Baseball is wild, and this year’s tournament is going to be more of the same. This sport is already built on small samples, and in a tournament so short, every pitch will matter that much more. Sometimes, chaos is going to be what it takes to win a tournament like this, and getting hot at the right time matters more than who has the most talent. If you're looking for an underdog story, then why can’t it be this scrappy, talented, hungry team? Oh, Canada indeed. View the full article

Even the most obsessive Miami Marlins fans would have a hard time remembering everybody who suited up for the team last season. Many of those individuals have since been traded, waived or released, but with few exceptions, their playing careers will continue into 2026. The Marlins used 56 different players in regular season games a year ago. Only 30 are still with the organization: Maximo Acosta, Sandy Alcantara, Lake Bachar, Anthony Bender, Griffin Conine, Xavier Edwards, Calvin Faucher, Cade Gibson, Ryan Gusto, Ronny Henriquez, Heriberto Hernández, Liam Hicks, Janson Junk, Otto Lopez, Jakob Marsee, Adam Mazur, Max Meyer, Patrick Monteverde, Brian Navarreto, Connor Norby, Graham Pauley, Eury Pérez, Michael Petersen, Tyler Phillips, Agustín Ramírez, Javier Sanoja, Josh Simpson, Kyle Stowers, Jesús Tinoco and Tyler Zuber. The following tracker will be updated regularly leading up to Opening Day. Found new homes These ex-Marlins have secured contracts for the 2026 season with new professional teams (parentheses denote a foreign pro league): Valente Bellozo—Colorado Rockies Jonah Bride—Texas Rangers Edward Cabrera—Chicago Cubs Nick Fortes—Tampa Bay Rays Derek Hill—Chicago White Sox Troy Johnston—Colorado Rockies Seth Martinez—Boston Red Sox Matt Mervis—Washington Nationals Victor Mesa Jr.—Tampa Bay Rays Dane Myers—Cincinnati Reds Cal Quantrill—Texas Rangers Christian Roa—Houston Astros Jesús Sánchez—Houston Astros Ronny Simon—Pittsburgh Pirates George Soriano—St. Louis Cardinals Freddy Tarnok—Hiroshima Carp (NPB) Anthony Veneziano—SSG Landers (KBO) Eric Wagaman—Minnesota Twins Ryan Weathers—New York Yankees Joey Wiemer—Washington Nationals Jack Winkler—Houston Astros Still searching That leaves five other players with unresolved job searches: Luarbert Arias, Rob Brantly, Xzavion Curry, Connor Gillispie and Robinson Piña. View the full article