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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The biggest success a team can find in spring training is getting through the month-plus grind with most of its key players healthy. For the 2026 Miami Marlins, that won't come to pass, as it was announced that Kyle Stowers, the club's All-Star representative last season, will start the season on the injured list with a grade-1 right hamstring strain. In what was a breakout 2025 season for him, the former top prospect hit .288/.368/.544/.912, slugging 25 home runs in the process. Limited to all of 117 games, one can only think the Marlins, winners of 79 games, could have found themselves securing a wild card spot had Stowers been more readily available. The club's depth will be tested, too, as it was later announced that Esteury Ruiz would be out 6-8 weeks with a left oblique strain. Acquired in the offseason as a potential bench piece and late-game pinch-runner, Ruiz struggled this spring, hitting .129 with a .446 OPS across 41 plate appearances but also five steals. Not committing to one player, Marlins manager Clayton McCullough noted the roster's versatility as a potential strength. "We feel like we have enough players that can play multiple spots and can move pieces around." One player who could see time out there is Connor Norby, who started in left field on Saturday, homering in his second plate appearance. The questions around Norby have largely centered on his defense, and suffice to say, those concerns weren't quelled when he dropped a line drive in Saturday's 7-4 loss to the Cardinals. The club's swiss army knife last season, newly minted World Baseball Classic champion Javier Sanoja, is a likely candidate, as well,m. He saw parts of 35 games in left, appearing at eight different positions overall. Sanoja's effort would be rewarded with the National League's utility player Gold Glove Award. Let's not forget Griffin Conine, who has shown above-average defense and raw power in parts of two seasons. Conine would go back-to-back with Norby in Saturday's loss. Heriberto Hernández could find himself playing more than initially expected in the wake of Stowers' injury. The 26-year-old posted a batting line 16 percent better than league average in a part-time role in his debut 2025 season, finishing 13th in NL Rookie of the Year voting. Signed with the intention of being the club's primary first baseman, Christopher Morel has 164 games of outfield experience in his four seasons in the Major Leagues, grading out rather poorly at minus-16 DRS. The Game at Hand Sandy Alcantara, set to extend his franchise record as he makes his sixth Opening Day start this coming Friday, Todd the slab for the club's Grapefruit League finale, allowing three runs over 4 2/3 innings pitched in Miami's 4-3 walk-off win over the division rival New York Mets. Prior to a three-run top of the fourth, Alcantara had set down the first nine Met hitters faced, including strikeouts against Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Luis Robert Jr. It would be the former two who would start New York's rally in the top of the fourth. Miami finishes its spring training schedule 11-13. "Nice to end on a winning note," said McCullough. Speaking on how he feels for the start of the season, Alcantara noted the confidence he has in both himself and the team as a whole. "Last year, it wasn't my best year, but I think about it from a positive...I finished strong, finished healthy, I threw 170-plus innings, but you just forget what happened last year, be here today and be out there during the season." Alcantara struggled in his first year coming off Tommy John Surgery, posting a career-worst 5.36 ERA. Amid the news of the Stowers injury, a feel-good story came out of Marlins camp this weekend, as it was announced that Andrew Nardi had made the Opening Day roster. Nardi, who missed all of 2025 with lower back inflammation, owns a career 4.51 ERA in parts of three seasons. In five appearances this spring, the Tennessee native struck out nine, allowed just one hit, and didn't allow a single run. "I feel like I'm back in 2023 again when I was told I made the Opening Day roster for the first time. I'm just excited to get going," reflected a smiling Nardi. That 2023 season saw Nardi establish himself as one of the better left-handed relievers in the sport, posting a 2.67 ERA over his 57 1/3 innings pitched. Not Talked About Enough If the Marlins want to take continued steps forward, suffice to say their forward progression is predicated on how they fare against left-handed pitching. The club's collective .656 OPS against southpaws last season ranked 24th. Even the Colorado Rockies, fresh off a 119-loss season, finished at .679. The biggest offenders here are two of the better position players on the team last season, in Otto López and Xavier Edwards. Among the 57 players with at least 175 plate appearances against lefties in 2025, López and Edwards ranked worst and second-worst at .521 and .564, respectively. While we're not making much of spring training statistics, López has hit .333 with an .833 OPS in a limited, six-plate-appearance sample. Edwards, on the other hand, has seen his struggles carry over into the new year, as he's hit .091 across 11 such plate appearances. Looking Ahead The next time the Marlins take the field, the 2026 regular season will be upon us, as they're set to open the year at home against the Colorado Rockies on Friday, March 27. As noted, Sandy Alcantara will take the ball in his franchise-record sixth Opening Day start. Opposing him, Kyle Freeland will start for Colorado. First pitch from loanDepot park is slated for 7:10 EST. View the full article

The Spring Breakout game has come and gone, as the Red Sox prospects unfortunately fell to the Orioles prospects in what was a close game. The idea behind the game is a great one, as it gives all 30 major league teams a chance to showcase their top prospects in a game worth little beyond bragging rights for the young players. For any Red Sox fan, the roster was a look into the organization's possible future, as it was filled with both players knocking at the major league level and newcomers poised to make their own mark. Among the players on the roster that fans were excited to see were infielders Franklin Arias, Henry Godbout, and Mikey Romero, along with outfielders Allan Castro and Justin Gonzales. On the pitching side, fans got to see the likes of Anthony Eyanson, Marcus Phillips, and Kyson Witherspoon make appearances. Despite the Red Sox ultimately losing 3-1, there were plenty of highlights and things to be excited about. We’re going to go over a few players who put on a good display during the showcase. Anthony Eyanson – Talk Sox’s No. 10 Prospect Eyanson, who was taken in the third round of the 2025 draft, may have been the Red Sox's most dominant pitcher in the game. Despite pitching only one inning, Eyanson looked nearly unhittable on the mound as it took just 14 pitches to strike out the side. Relying on his cutter, four-seam fastball, and curveball, Eyanson threw 10 of his 14 pitches for strikes. Of the 10 strikes, two were called while the rest were the result of the batters swinging. Eyanson generated four whiffs, three of them on his cutter. Eyanson’s fastball was a pleasant surprise, as the pitch averaged 99.1 mph in his lone inning of work. He threw the pitch five times and, unfortunately, was unable to generate a single whiff with it. He did, however, top out at 100.2 mph in the inning. He also managed to get batters to chase the pitch on 50% of the batters’ swings. The curveball was used the least, but it was the pitch he turned to in order to get each of his three strikeouts. It broke well, having a vertical break of -16 inches and a horizontal break of six inches, breaking in on left-handed batters, including a called third strike to the final batter he faced. While it would have been nice to see Eyanson pitch a second inning (and had it gone to the bottom of the ninth, he likely would have), you can’t help but be impressed by his lone inning. The big question will be whether that velocity will hold up over multiple innings, or if he was letting it fly because it was just one inning. Regardless, the fact that he and the Red Sox turned a fastball that was around 93-95 mph in college into one that topped out at 100.2 mph in less than one year is impressive and points to a bright future for the pitcher. Marvin Alcantara – Unranked Alcantara was an interesting player in the game. Not ranked by Talk Sox (or any other sites that have Top 30 prospect rankings), Alcantara was previously viewed as one of the top position players on the Red Sox's 2022 Dominican Summer League team. While offensively he’s yet to replicate the results in affiliate ball, he has shown improvement, hitting .271/.344/.331 with four doubles, one home run, and 15 RBIs in 32 games with High-A Greenville before a promotion to Double-A Portland. While he struggled offensively with Portland (.226/.289/.298) in 87 games, he was only 20 years old at the time. Alcantara is also a much better defender than he is a hitter, being viewed as potentially being an above-average defender at both middle infield positions. During the game, Alcantara struck out in his first at-bat but made up for it during his second and final at-bat in the sixth inning. Taking a 93.5 mph fastball that was left over the heart of the plate, Alcantara drove it on a line drive into the right-center gap for a double. Off the bat, Alcantara’s hit had an exit velocity of 98.8 mph, showcasing that while he may not have much power in his game, he could still develop into a doubles hitter if he manages to improve his hitting ability. The Orioles' pitcher at the time was Nestor German, the 12th-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline. More importantly, Alcantara’s defensive showing was where he made four plays, including a double play, and was involved in a runner being thrown out while trying to steal second base. Alcantara’s defense has always been his calling card, and it was on display Friday night. While Alcantara will likely be playing second base in Portland this season due to Franklin Arias being there, his defense shouldn’t take a hit, and in theory, the middle infield duo should provide Portland with some of the best defense up the middle in Double-A. If his hitting comes around and he can be like the hitter he was in Greenville to begin 2025, the Red Sox could have another intriguing middle infield prospect. Jake Bennett – Talk Sox’s No. 12 Prospect Bennett, who was acquired for Luis Perales from the Washington Nationals back in December, is part of the 40-man roster and could potentially see time with Boston at some point in 2026. Tasked with being the starting pitcher of the Spring Breakout game, the left-hander did not disappoint. Tossing two innings, he allowed just one hit while striking out two batters. Bennett used five of his pitches, tossing his four-seam fastball, changeup, cutter, sinker, and slider for a total of 25 pitches. Though he had different plans for his pitches depending on the batter. For left-handed batters, Bennett relied on his cutter, sinker, and slider, as these were the only pitches he threw. Against right-handed batters, he didn’t throw one sinker or slider and only threw one cutter. Instead, he tossed his fastball and changeup 18 times. His fastball showcased great movement, averaging 13 inches of ride and 12 inches of glove-side run. The pitch averaged a spin rate of 2,172 RPM and was used for the only two strikeouts Bennett had on the day. One positive with his fastball was that it topped out at 95.1 mph, and he gained velocity on it during the game, going from 93.5 mph in the first inning to 94.8 mph on average in the second inning. Unfortunately, it did not generate much whiff on the six swings he got it to generate, only getting one whiff. He also gave up a hard-hit ball at an exit velocity of 102.9 mph that fortunately ended in an out. Despite that, it might have been his best pitch as he threw it for a strike 91% of the time, including four times for a first-pitch strike. For Bennett, his changeup looked good despite being used just six times. It generated a whiff on the three swings and was hit twice, but very weakly. The pitch had an average exit velocity of 60.2 mph and was chased out of the strike zone 40% of the time. The changeup had four inches of vertical break and 12 inches of glove-side run. The only real blemish on the outing was the hit Bennett allowed on a cutter. While it was just a single, the ball was crushed at 106.6 mph, which was fortunately hit into the ground by Orioles hitter Enrique Bradfield Jr. The pitch caught too much of the plate despite being down and away from the batter, and Bradfield Jr. shot it past Alcantara and Freili Encarnacion. Bennett will still have some things to work on in 2026, especially after missing time in 2023 and all of 2024. Last season, he pitched 75 1/3 innings after returning from injury, making 19 appearances, and was also sent to the Arizona Fall League to make up for the time he lost. While he’s made strides, Bennett is still developing as a pitcher, and 2026 will be a big year for him. Overall, the Spring Breakout once again showed that Boston’s ability to develop prospects on both sides of the ball has improved greatly over the last half-decade. The future looks to be bright for the organization, so long as they can agree on which prospects are key to the organization and which can be moved to improve the immediate team. View the full article

You've made it through numbers 20-16 and 15-11, and now we begin our coverage of Jays Centre's top 10 prospects by taking a much deeper look at each of the players that made it into this most coveted top-tier territory. Coming in at number 10, we have Jake Bloss, someone who has traversed the country toward his goal of making it to and sticking at the major league level. No. 10: SP Jake Bloss (Buffalo) IP G GS ERA FIP xFIP K% BB% 23.2 6 6 6.46 4.76 4.85 20.9% 11.3% After a four-year college career, where he played three years at Lafayette and one year at Georgetown, Bloss was drafted in the third round of the 2023 MLB draft by the Houston Astros. After some token innings to end the season at Rookie ball and Single-A Fayetteville, he would start the 2024 season at High-A Asheville. In his first full professional season, he would accomplish a feat virtually unheard of in today's baseball world. He would play in games at four different levels, including the major leagues, and for two different teams after being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline. In the minor leagues that season, he pitched in 21 games for a total of 93.1 innings, amassed a 3.18 ERA, and a 3.92 FIP. He had a 23.3% strikeout rate, a 9.5% walk rate, and a 1.07 WHIP. His time in the major leagues for Houston was not nearly as rosy. In three starts (11.2 innings), he had a 6.94 ERA and an insane 7.92 FIP. In 2025, Bloss was looking to get back on track at Triple-A Buffalo for the Toronto Blue Jays and even make it back to the major leagues. However, fate intervened when he had Tommy John surgery after just six starts. Those six outings were rough to say the least; he had a 6.46 ERA in 23.2 innings, but a more respectable 4.76 FIP. His season would end with him having a 20.9% strikeout rate and a walk rate that ballooned to 11.3%. He had begun to turn a corner before his injury; in two of his last three starts, he went a total of nine innings, didn't give up an earned run, and struck out 12. What To Like Bloss has a very big pitch arsenal for a pitcher in the minor leagues. He used five pitches in 2025, with his four-seam fastball grading out as one of his best pitches. He sat just under 94 mph with the offering and averaged 18.3 inches of induced vertical break (IVB). His above-average extension of 6.9 feet also helps to boost how the fastball plays against hitters. It works to give him the appearance of a slightly faster pitch, and when coupled with his high IVB, makes his fastball a near plus offering. His other nearly elite pitch was actually his curveball, which he only used 12.4% of the time. What he was doing well with his pitches in 2025 was setting up batters with his fastball high and then getting swings and misses down in the zone from his secondaries. He had 55.6% and 73.3% whiff rates just below the zone on each side of the plate. It can also be seen in his 13.2% swinging strike rate (SwStr%), which was his highest mark since his debut in 2023. What To Work On Bloss has a daunting task ahead of him. Not only does he have to rehab and return healthy from Tommy John surgery, but he also has to get back to what made him so good in 2024. The first thing he will have to do is focus his control/command, which will help him to miss less often high and to the arm side. The vast majority of his pitches in 2025 were missed there, and it undoubtedly led to his 11.3% walk rate (41st percentile). He also needs to stay away from the middle of the zone with his pitches, where he gave up high slugging rates. He needs to work hitters down in the zone and on the edges, as his pitches give him the best success when located there. One of the easier, but most effective things he can improve on is his first pitch strike rate (F-Strike%). In 2025, his F-Strike% sat at 47%; in 2024, it was 51.2% in the minors and 60% during his three starts in the majors. What's Next? Bloss is still working his way back from Tommy John surgery and, as such, won't likely return to games until late in the season, if at all this year. He is still one of the better starting pitching prospects in the Blue Jays organization and will immediately look to regain the 2024 form that saw him shoot all the way up to the major leagues. If he can do so, he will have an upside of a poor man's SP2 but will most likely land as a back-of-the-rotation starting pitcher. He was on the cusp of being a contributor at the major league level, but he will have to get healthy and find the stuff that made him a prized piece at the 2024 trade deadline. It's an uphill battle for him, but he's got all of the talent to get there and maybe even shine while doing so. View the full article

There are a few guarantees in life. Death. Taxes. And Chicago White Sox fans logging on to explain why projections are not just wrong, but deeply offensive on a personal level. This week’s outrage stems from FanGraphs projecting the Minnesota Twins to finish 79-83, while the White Sox sit at a cozy 69-93. In most corners of the baseball world, that would register as a shrug. In the digital corners occupied by White Sox Twitter, it has sparked a full-scale philosophical crisis. User @SouthSideScholar took a measured approach. “79 wins for the Twins is comedy. Name five players on their roster without Googling. I dare you.” User @RealChiSoxTruth responded moments later with a thread that included 47 tweets, three pie charts, and a conspiracy theory about lake-effect weather. “The projections don’t account for vibes. Our vibes are elite this year. Minnesota’s vibes are like a Tuesday at the DMV.” Others pointed to the White Sox offseason as clear evidence that the gap should not only be closed, but reversed entirely. “People are sleeping on Munetaka Murakami ,” wrote @MurakiMVP2026. “You don’t just import a first baseman from Japan and not immediately add 20 wins. That’s basic baseball economics.” Muraki, who has yet to take a regular season at bat in Major League Baseball, has already become a cornerstone of online optimism. According to at least six accounts with egg avatars, his swing alone is worth “minimum four WAR based on aura.” The bullpen additions have only strengthened the case. “Seranthony Dominguez is depth,” posted @DepthWinsTitles. “Do you know what depth is? Championships are built on depth. We have depth. Therefore, do the math.” Ironically, math is at the center of the current dispute, though not in the way projections intended. There is also growing excitement around the rotation, where Anthony Kay has become something of a folk hero before throwing a meaningful pitch. “Anthony Kay breakout season incoming,” @KayHive declared. “People forget he once threw a baseball 95 miles per hour. That doesn’t just go away.” Twins fans, for their part, have mostly watched from a safe distance, occasionally checking in like one might observe a storm from across a lake. A few have attempted to engage, only to be met with replies that include phrases like “small market propaganda” and “midwestern bias.” Back on the South Side, the frustration continues to build. “I’m not saying projections are fake,” @SoxLogicGuy posted. “I’m just saying if you adjust every variable to favor the White Sox, we clearly win 90 games.” At press time, FanGraphs had not responded to requests to simply “feel the vibes” before updating their projections. Meanwhile in Minnesota, the reaction has been far less dramatic and significantly more passive-aggressive. Twins fans have spent the past 48 hours pretending not to notice while quietly bookmarking screenshots for future use. User @MNNiceButPetty summed it up best. “I don’t even care about projections. But I have saved 12 of these tweets just in case.” There is also a growing sense of confusion among the Twins faithful. Not about their own team, but about how a 79-win projection somehow qualifies as disrespect. “Are we good now?” asked @TargetFieldTherapist. “Because last year, everyone said we weren’t. Now we’re projected to be mid, and it’s still a problem.” Inside the clubhouse, one can only assume the Twins are preparing in the most dangerous way possible, by saying very little and letting the internet do the talking for them. If nothing else, Minnesota appears poised to weaponize mild expectations, polite indifference, and a deep archive of receipts. And if the projections do hold, Twins fans may not say much at all. They will just like a few old tweets, nod quietly, and go back to insisting they were never worried in the first place. View the full article

The buzz around the 2026 Chicago Cubs is real. They have a new marquee bat in Alex Bregman and a new marquee arm in Edward Cabrera, and are coming off a postseason berth primed to compete for a division title. Among their burgeoning set of high-end talents, one stands out: Cade Horton. It's difficult to overstate how much of a success Horton's rookie campaign was. Across 22 starts at the major-league level last year, he pitched to an 11-4 record, a 2.67 ERA, and a 20.4% strikeout rate, with a 6.9 percent walk rate. Even with room for growth in missing bats and a fractured rib that cut his season short, Horton finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting to Atlanta's Drake Baldwin. It sets the stage for one of the most hyped pitching prospects that the organization has seen in decades. That might seem like hyperbole; it isn't. The Cubs have done well in drafting and developing hitters over the last decade-plus. They've been able to acquire prospects from the lower levels of other organizations' minor-league ranks and do the same. Pitching, however, has not been as consistent an area of excellence. The odd reclamation project or mid-rotation arm notwithstanding, it's been an area in which the team has lacked going back multiple generations of front office leadership. That perception of the Cubs and their pitching development could shift dramatically if Horton is able to continue the ascent he began after being selected 7th overall in 2022. We know that the upside is beyond what Horton turned in across the 118 innings of his rookie campaign, particularly in regard to the strikeouts. While the control was a healthy element, he'd been running strikeout rates between 28% and 30% in the minor leagues. Generating whiffs outside the strike zone should help him to do just that. Opponents made contact on about 52% of their out-of-zone swings against Horton at the big-league level last year; he's shown the ability to generate whiffs much more often on chase pitches. Horton isn't an overwhelming strikeout pitcher, but by virtue of generating more swings with his secondary offerings alone, that number should increase. What should work farther in Horton's favor is the continued development of his changeup. Once thought of as a tertiary pitch, that offering has become arguably his best. Matt Trueblood examined this as a concept following Horton's 10-strikeout outburst against Cleveland on Monday. In that outing, Horton garnered whiffs on 11 of 15 changeups thrown, which could be indicative of where some of that additional whiff might be found. Ultimately, though, the projections don't love Horton to build on that aspect of his game too much. The following is where the various models have him performing in 2026: Steamer: 24 GS, 8-9, 4.34 ERA, 4.40 FIP, 20.4 K%, 7.9 BB%, 1.2 fWAR ZiPS: 25 GS, 8-7, 3.89 ERA, 4.06 FIP, 21.2 K%, 7.2 BB%, 1.6 fWAR ATC: 23 GS, 9-7, 3.91 ERA, 4.14 FIP, 20.6 K%, 7.5 BB%, 1.7 fWAR THE BAT X: 23 GS, 8-8, 4.06 ERA, 3.89 FIP, 21.0 K%, 7.5 BB%, 2.3 fWAR OOPSY: 24 GS, 8-8, 3.96 ERA, 4.12 FIP, 22.4 K%, 8.3 BB%, 1.7 fWAR Pitching projections are notoriously difficult to gauge, given the position's reliance on other factors beyond their own skill set. Nevertheless, there's a fair bit of consistency here, and each projection speaks to a central idea: Horton will experience regression in run prevention, with essentially similar peripheral numbers. You could do worse than a season like that. A season of 23-25 starts, an ERA around 4.00, and a strikeout rate working its way slightly more toward average would keep Horton in the thicket of mid-rotation starters. At the same time, it's fair to hope for more than that. Horton's fastball-sweeper combination was already going to be adept at getting outs. Use that combination against right-handed hitters, offer the changeup against lefties, and you're in a good spot. If Horton can sustain the results he's getting in the spring on that changeup, you're not looking for middle-tier results. You're looking for something that finishes closer to the top tier of all starting pitchers in the sport. It doesn't feel unrealistic to expect that out of Horton in 2026. His first taste of big-league action proved that he's a resourceful, intense competitor with plus stuff. If he stays healthy, those traits should carry him to a stronger 2026 than the raw numbers imply. View the full article

Last season, the Brewers used Jackson Chourio in center field most of the time, and Isaac Collins emerged as the team's regular left fielder. Rather than running that back, though, they dealt Collins to Kansas City this winter, and Chourio will be back in the corner outfield mix for 2026. Who else will factor in prominently? Let's break it down. The Starters Left Field: Jackson Chourio Right Field: Sal Frelick Milwaukee prioritizes fielding an excellent defense. Nowhere is that clearer than in the corner outfield spots. Frelick and Chourio are solid center fielders, but as they've established themselves in the majors, they've moved to the corners. Chourio is a franchise cornerstone. The massive eight-year, $82-million contract (with two team options) he signed before 2024 made that abundantly clear. He’s posted two straight 20-20 seasons, and he still hasn’t hit his peak yet. Frelick is a Gold Glove-caliber right fielder who could start in center for about two dozen other major-league clubs. While he lacks the traditional power of a corner outfielder, some power did emerge in 2025. Frelick is simply a solid all-around player who can add speed and defense to his impressive bat control. The Major-League Backups Jake Bauers Brandon Lockridge Yes, you saw the header right: backups, plural. Bauers will get most of his playing time by dividing chances with Andrew Vaughn at the cold corner, but he made an offensive leap in 2025. If it holds up in 2026, he can keep Frelick and Chourio fresh, especially if his bat is on a hot streak like the one he had late in the 2025 season. Lockridge was acquired when the Brewers moved on from Nestor Cortes, making him an indirect return from the Devin Williams trade. He's beaten out Blake Perkins for an Opening Day roster spot based on a red-hot spring training. If it carries over into the regular season, it will be the second time the Brewers have generated a massive secondary return on trading a closer—the first being when Esteury Ruiz, who had been acquired in the Josh Hader trade, went to the Athletics in a three-team deal that brought William Contreras to Milwaukee—under Matt Arnold. He'll also play a good amount of center field, but he's available to slide to the corners as needed. Other 40-Man Roster Options Tyler Black Jett Williams Christian Yelich Akil Baddoo Steward Berroa The Brewers' corner outfield group is so deep that both a former MVP and a former MLB Top-100 prospect are on the outside looking in for playing time. Yelich is still an outfielder, the organization insists, and has played there twice this spring, but he went nearly two months between appearances in the outfield two different times last year. Black is a solid hitter, if his power surge this spring is for real. The rest of these options are emergency-only—not because they can't be good, but because the team has considerably better options and/or would rather play those guys elsewhere. Overview Having so many center field-capable athletes in the mix to play in the corners is an extraordinary luxury—one of several the Brewers have afforded themselves of late. The team doesn't have one or two clear-cut candidates for each position, but that just serves to insulate them against injuries and maintain opportunities for players who break out unexpectedly. View the full article

The Miami Marlins are reacquiring one of their Rule 5 draft departures. Right-hander Zach McCambley did not make the Philadelphia Phillies' Opening Day roster, so they will return him to the Fish (h/t Todd Zolecki, MLB.com). Meanwhile, fellow right-hander and Rule 5 draftee Matt Pushard is sticking with the St. Louis Cardinals. McCambley and Pushard were both trending toward these fates earlier this month, as I detailed here. Individual ability aside, McCambley had a tougher path to a big league job considering that the Phillies have a deeper and more experienced bullpen than the Cardinals and much more urgency to win games in 2026. In eight Grapefruit League games (7.1 IP), McCambley allowed one earned run, six walks and four strikeouts. He threw only 55.3% of his pitches for strikes. In Pushard's eight games (8.2 IP), he allowed three earned runs, two walks and nine strikeouts. He faced his former organization twice during that span. McCambley has a long history with the Marlins, who selected him in the third round of the 2020 MLB Draft. He spent most of 2025 with Triple-A Jacksonville. In 62 total innings working exclusively in relief (AA and AAA combined), he posted a 2.90 ERA and 2.60 FIP with a 24.3 K-BB% (best of his professional career). His arsenal consists of a four-seam fastball, cutter and sweeper. Expect the Marlins to assign McCambley to Jacksonville again. Health permitting, he's likely to make his MLB debut by season's end. Turning 27 years old in May, McCambley can elect minor league free agency next offseason if he isn't on the Marlins 40-man roster by then. View the full article

The Brewers didn’t use much variation at designated hitter in 2025, with only 12 players recording an appearance at DH. However, only two hitters had more than 20 appearances at the position, and both are still on the roster as Milwaukee heads towards Opening Day at American Family Field. Brewers Designated Hitters At A Glance Starter: Christian Yelich Backup: William Contreras Depth: Jake Bauers, Gary Sanchez Prospects: Luke Adams, Brock Wilken Brewers fWAR Ranking Last Year: 10th out of 30 Brewers fWAR Projection This Year: 9th out of 30 The Good Yelich still led the team in home runs in 2025 with 29, but the main positive was his health. The former MVP appeared in 150 games for the Brewers, which is his most since 2022. Yelich slashed .264/.343/.452 in 2025, and while his OPS was his lowest since 2022, Yelich is still the most dangerous bat in the Brewers lineup, day in and day out, even if he isn’t an MVP-caliber player anymore. The highest-paid player on the Brewers will look to continue his stretch of success with the club in 2026. William Contreras is the other hitter who got significant time at DH in 2025, starting 22 games. This lineup construction usually appeared when Contreras needed time off behind the plate, opting to keep his bat in the lineup to give Yelich a day off. Contreras slashed .260/.355/.399 in 2025, and his OPS was down overall from his past three seasons. However, the two-time all-star is a mainstay in the Brewers lineup, and he will look for a bounce-back year in 2026. Jake Bauers and Gary Sanchez are two bench bats that could provide value for the Brewers in 2026, and both should see appearances at DH during stretches this season, depending on matchups or injuries. Bauers appeared in seven games at DH for the Brewers this past season, slashing .235/.353/.399 in 85 total games. Sanchez returns to Milwaukee after his short stint with Baltimore in 2024, only appearing in 29 games for the Orioles. The Bad The main problem with this group would be health, primarily Christian Yelich. If Yelich isn’t in the lineup at DH for the majority of 2026, something has gone wrong with his health, and the Brewers will have a significantly worse lineup without him. Not to say that Contreras, Bauers, or Sanchez wouldn’t be adequate fill-ins, but much of the Brewers’ success relies on Yelich, his performance, and his leadership on and off the field. Contreras is an everyday contributor for the Brewers, but Bauers and Sanchez will contribute in a matchup-based role from their respective bench spots. Sanchez has more sustained major-league success than Bauers, and the team could look for an outside addition if this duo struggles. However, if Bauers and Sanchez were forced into a more significant role, the Brewers would be worse off for it, but the two of them could potentially form a serviceable duo at DH if Yelich goes down. The other thing Yelich contributes from the DH spot is competent base running, stealing 16 bases this past season. None of the backup options would be able to contribute to the ground game like Yelich can, even though he is a year older. However, this is mainly a secondary contribution from Yelich’s game, and Milwaukee will be able to find speed from Brice Turang, Sal Frelick, and Jackson Chourio, among others. The Bottom Line This may be the most boring position analysis for the Brewers this year, but it may be the most important. The designated hitter spot will primarily be split between two players, and both players' health will be crucial this year, especially Yelich’s. Additionally, while all of us truly believe in the coaching staff to produce sufficient pitching out of seemingly nowhere, Milwaukee traded away its ace, Freddy Peralta, to the Mets earlier in the offseason. Assuming the pitching will be worse, the Brewers will need to score more runs this year, period. This comes down not only to the younger players stepping up but also to Yelich continuing his consistent production for the Brewers in the designated hitter role, with Contreras still providing meaningful at-bats on days when he isn’t behind the plate. View the full article

If there is a set of players who have a chip on their shoulder entering the 2026 season, it is the group who will primarily fill the role of designated hitter for the San Diego Padres. Nick Castellanos was dumped by the Philadelphia Phillies. Miguel Andujar spent most of the last two seasons with the nomadic Athletics. Sung Mun Song is new to MLB. Ty France is back just looking for a job. And there is Gavin Sheets, who could lose playing time to one or all of those players. It is all part of the throwing-spaghetti-against-the-wall plan the Friars have taken to boosting a position that was woefully inadequate in 2025. Padres Designated Hitters At A Glance Starter: Nick Castellanos Backup: Gavin Sheets, Miguel Andujar Depth: Sung Mun Song, Manny Machado, Ty France Padres fWAR ranking last year: 21st out of 30. Padres fWAR projection this year: 25th out of 30. The Good At one point just before spring training, you could take a look at the Padres' roster and wonder if the designated hitter spot would be at all productive this year. But thanks to the usual offseason shenanigans of A.J. Preller, that is no longer the case. In fact, there are enough candidates for at-bats here that the DH spot could be a very nice contributor to the offense. Castellanos, the Philadelphia Phillies castoff, could get most of the time here if Sheets starts at first. Those two figure to be interchangeable at both positions depending on whose glove (or bat) is hotter. Then you have to factor in Andujar, who will be in the lineup somewhere—DH, left field or third base—due to his career success against left-handers (.297/.332/.475). Song and France, who could snag the last bench spot, will also see time at DH to keep their bats fresh. And that isn't even figuring in Machado, who will DH on occasion to keep him fresh from the wear and tear of playing third base. But the real focus here should be Castellanos. Setting aside the problems with the Phillies, Castellanos was a constant in Philadelphia's lineup the last four years. He posted a .260/.306/.426 slash line in that time, averaging 20 homers and 81 RBIs. Castellanos could also end up playing more first base, a position he has never played before this spring, with Sheets taking more DH at-bats. Sheets rotated between DH, first base and left field in 2025, producing a .252/.317/.429 slash line with 19 homers and 71 RBIs. With Song expected to play second base, third base and possibly shortstop and the outfield, nearly anyone could take a day or two off the field to fill in at DH. Of course, Song himself is working his way back from his second oblique injury in two months, so DH is also a spot to ease him into his first season in MLB after nine years in the Korea Baseball Organization. In his last two years in the KBO, Song hit 45 homers and had 46 steals combined while putting up slash lines of .340/.409/.518 and .315/.387/.530. respectively. The Bad Do you remember who started off at DH for the Padres in 2025? It was Yuli Gurriel, who was off the roster by early May. That set the tone for the position, which produced a .225 batting average, 25th in MLB. It could be that the Friars have too many bodies to throw at DH at this point of the season, but in essence that is a good problem to have. That depth usually sorts itself out through injuries and production. There is no huge investment in any single player in the mix at DH, so this should be a true meritocracy. The designated hitter should never be among the least productive hitters on the team, but it was for the Friars last year. A repeat of that from the laundry list of castoffs the Padres are employing in 2026 would be catastrophic. The Bottom Line Whether the individuals in this group have something to prove based on their MLB track record or are a newcomer to the league, there are plenty of possibilities here. The depth itself is better than what the Padres ran out there last year, which ended up dragging down the offense. There will be more power out of the DH position, something the team needs as a whole. Castellanos is surely motivated following his unceremonious exit from Philadelphia, but he did just turn 34 and is coming off the worst season of his career. Perhaps that is resolved with the change of scenery. Having Andujar, Song and potentially France as alternatives will provide manager Craig Stammen with choices. View the full article

On Saturday morning, Blue Jays manager John Schneider confirmed his starting rotation to begin the 2026 season. As we already knew, Kevin Gausman will take the ball on Opening Day against the Athletics. He will be followed by Dylan Cease and Eric Lauer to close out the first series of the year. After that, when the Jays welcome the Rockies to the Rogers Centre, Cody Ponce and Max Scherzer will take the bump for the first two games, before (presumably) handing the ball back to Gausman. At one point, it seemed like Toronto had too many good starting pitchers to choose from. Yet, in the end, the Blue Jays and Schneider didn't have any difficult decisions to make. Shane Bieber, José Berríos, and Trey Yesavage will all begin the season on the IL, leaving five starters left for five jobs. View the full article

On Friday, the Minnesota Twins released veteran relievers Liam Hendriks and Andrew Chafin, providing clarity on how the club’s eight-pitcher collective will be constructed as the team travels to Baltimore to begin its 2026 campaign on Mar. 26. Cole Sands, Kody Funderburk, Taylor Rogers, Justin Topa, and Anthony Banda are all but guaranteed bullpen spots. Fringe major league relievers Eric Orze, Zak Kent, Cody Laweryson, and Dan Altavilla appear to be the four remaining arms competing for the final three spots. Possessing 40-man roster spots, Orze and Kent have the inside track over non-roster invitees Laweryson and Altavilla. Still, how the end of Minnesota’s bullpen will be constructed remains unknown, with Opening Day less than one week away. Projected to be the 20th-best relief group in baseball according to Wins Above Replacement at FanGraphs (fWAR), Minnesota’s bullpen could reasonably end the 2026 season as a bottom-five collective, with the 25th-ranked team (Los Angeles Angels) expected to net only 0.8 fWAR less than Twins relievers. The club’s bullpen is in dire straits, and no amount of copium can fix that, not even for the proudest of Twins apologists like myself. But glimmers of hope persist in this lackluster octet, most notably in the aforementioned Funderburk. Through 6 ⅔ innings pitched this spring, the 29-year-old has generated a 1.35 ERA, 2.47 FIP, and 21.9% strikeout rate. The lefty has excelled this spring on the heels of being the club’s best reliever post-Aug. 1 last season, netting a 0.75 ERA, 2.87 FIP, and 28% strikeout rate over 24 innings pitched. Funderburk’s late-season renaissance was the product of missing barrels and generating weak contact, particularly against left-handed hitters. His ability to suppress hard contact has only progressed this spring, with the southpaw dominating both left- and right-handed hitters, getting lefties to produce an average exit velocity (EV) of 80.6 MPH and righties to produce an average EV of 86.3 MPH, both of which are well above league-average results for Funderburk. Having been able to suppress runs at a near-elite rate for three consecutive months, Funderburk profiles as one of Minnesota’s most effective reliever entering the 2026 regular season. Banda is the only reliever who held a candle to Funderburk’s dominance late last season, generating a 2.12 ERA, 4.43 FIP, and 29% strikeout rate over 17 innings pitched after Aug. 1, 2025. Again, it cannot be overstated how ineffective the Twins' bullpen could be in 2026 if trends from late last year persist. Still, if we are to squint hard enough through our rose-tinted glasses (which I fear no longer exist in Twins Territory, but alas), one could see Funderburk excelling early this season, quickly solidifying himself as one of the club’s preferred high-leverage arms. View the full article

Entering the 2025 season, the Boston Red Sox made waves with a regime change at third base for the first time since 2017. Following their first postseason appearance since 2021, Boston will once again turn to a new face at the hot corner in 2026, this time in the form of Caleb Durbin. Despite having Rafael Devers as the primary third baseman in 2025, Boston made a clubhouse-altering signing late in the offseason, bringing in two-time World Series Champion and former Gold Glove-winner Alex Bregman. While Bregman provided the Sox with offensive stability at third, as well as strong defense, the infield was never a puzzle the team was able to solve. A year later, both Devers and Bregman are with new teams, and the hot corner will look completely different. Red Sox Third Baseman At A Glance Starter: Caleb Durbin Backup: Isaiah Kiner-Falefa Depth: Marcelo Mayer, Andruw Monasterio The Good In January, Bregman signed a five-year, $175 million deal with the Chicago Cubs, leaving a gaping hole on the left side of Boston’s infield. Following Bregman’s departure, second-year infielder Marcelo Mayer seemed to be the top candidate for the job. Mayer took over the hot corner from late May to early July during Bregman’s stint on the injured list, providing above-average defense. However, recent trades by Boston have moved the former top prospect to second base for 2026. With said trades, the Red Sox have put together a young core at the hot corner, including stability for the future under rookie contracts. Boston acquired Durbin and Monasterio from the Brewers in February in exchange for pitchers Kyle Harrison, Shane Drohan and infielder David Hamilton. The catch? Everyone that Boston acquired in the Devers trade is no longer on the roster. Perhaps a small price to pay for long-term stability? While the Devers trade may hurt, and parting ways with everyone they got in return stings, Boston has a lot to look forward to with the acquisition of Durbin. Following the departure of Bregman, the Red Sox had three cornerstones they wanted to solidify at third base: youth, defense, and power. While Durbin is not the biggest home run threat, the 26-year-old has strong defensive upside and is entering his second full season at the big-league level. Durbin posted an impressive 2.8 WAR across 136 games in just his rookie season, including a stout .979 fielding percentage. He also hit .256 with 11 home runs and drove in 53 runs. Bregman sported a 3.5 WAR in 2025, but played in 22 less games. With Devers at third in 2024, the slugger posted a 3.7 WAR in 137 games, a slight increase, but with poor defensive play. Durbin may not be a star, but he’s a high-floor replacement for the two most recent faces of the franchise. The Bad One of the biggest questions surrounding the team the last two seasons has been defensive efficiency. The Red Sox led the entire league in errors in 2025 with 116, six more than the next team in the Rockies. In 2024, Boston committed 117 errors, which was second most in the league. With the addition of Durbin, what will that number look like in 2026? With Durbin being confirmed as the Opening Day starter at third base, there’s also questions about Mayer’s future. He played the majority of his 44 games in 2025 at the hot corner, but unfortunately for him, his rookie season ended in late July, as he underwent wrist surgery in August. In his shortened season, he hit just .228 with four home runs and 10 RBI. Mayer is likely to find most of his playing time at second, but will be a viable backup for Durbin at third. Neither is an offensive savant, and Kiner-Falefa would be lucky to hit somewhere around league average. Have the Red Sox traded too much stick for the improved gloves? The Bottom Line Boston’s infield defense has significantly improved with the offseason additions of Durbin and Willson Contreras at first, plus whatever Mayer provides at the keystone. After years of fielding superstars like Bregman and Devers at the hot corner, it’ll be difficult to accept someone who does the little things well but doesn’t carry the team, but Durbin is a foundationally solid, cheap piece to build the rest of the infield group around. He should have a nice season playing alongside Trevor Story on the left side of the infield. View the full article

Are you excited for the 2026 Brewers? YOU SHOULD BE.View the full article

The surface numbers this spring look promising for Brooks Lee, but the underlying data tells a much different story. With 2026 shaping up as a make-or-break year, can he turn weak contact into real production before the Twins start looking elsewhere? View the full article

The contributors at Talk Sox have ranked their top 20 prospects, and in this video, we look at the 16-20 ranked prospects. Will Tyler Uberstine crack the top 20? Where will Conrad Cason fall? Tune in to find out! Discussed in this video are Conrad Cason, Nelly Taylor, Tyler Uberstine, Yophery Rodriguez, and Yoeilin Cespedes. View the full article

At times, Ben Brown looks like an impact starter with his high-octane four-seam fastball and wipeout breaking ball. He’s been held back by lacking an effective third pitch, especially against lefties. This spring, it appears that the Chicago Cubs' right-hander may have found an answer. Much of Brown's past struggles can be traced to his limited pitch mix. His .323 career BABIP allowed and 12.9% home-run-to-fly-ball rate may stem from being mainly a two-pitch pitcher. Allowing a .351 wOBA to lefties, compared to .291 to righties, shows the need for a third offering, particularly one that runs away from the former. After several years of wondering whether Ben Brown would add that third offering, it appears he's finally done it. He debuted a sinker this spring, and it might be just what he needs to take the next step. It's a legitimately different option to turn to, with six more inches of horizontal break than his four-seamer. Two starts ago, the sinker was Brown’s most used pitch. He used it comfortably against hitters on both sides. In his last start, he threw the sinker only to lefties, who have often overmatched him. The pitch posted a 33.3% whiff rate and allowed only weak contact. Sinkers are not traditionally the go-to option when it comes to retiring opposite-handed hitters in the MLB. For that reason, many had hoped Brown would integrate a change or a splitter into his repertoire, which is typically a great equalizer. That being said, sinkers performing better against same-handed hitters is not a universal truth in baseball. Plenty of pitchers have found great success with this strategy. Even though the sample size is small, it’s hard not to be encouraged with this new pitch, especially with how it was used and how it performed in Brown’s last start. If the sinker becomes an effective answer against left-handed hitters, the sky is the limit. The velocity and break are both flashing plus tendencies, and the pitch works tremendously off his best pitch, the knuckle curve. The Cubs boast ample starting pitching options. Ben Brown may have to wait for another rotation opportunity, as his remaining option allows the team to send him to Triple-A, but a return shouldn't be out of the question. His dominant arsenal finally has a complement, and after years of showing promise, Brown might be poised to put everything together. View the full article

As the Minnesota Twins gear up for their season opener in Baltimore, the major-league roster continues to be trimmed down to its appropriate 26-player size. Friday, two recognizable veteran relievers, Andrew Chafin and Liam Hendriks, were granted their release after being informed they wouldn't make the team. Considering the depleted state of the Twins bullpen after the trade deadline sell-off, this seems like a strange move and one that should invoke panic. It may instead be the exact opposite: a move that signals a lesson learned from past roster mistakes. Hendriks, at the outset of camp, was a leading candidate to be the top right-hander at the back end of the bullpen, vying for save opportunities. Coming off injuries and a cancer battle, the Twins needed to see Hendriks regain form closer to his 2022 self. While Hendriks was able to ramp up to the mid-90s in velocity, general manager Jeremy Zoll stated they didn’t see the consistency they had hoped to from their reliever. The most recent of those inconsistencies was on display Thursday evening as the Twins visited the Red Sox. Hendriks, in his one inning of work, gave up two hits, two walks, threw a wild pitch, and allowed one run. Evidenced by his release the next day, it was not what the Twins and Zoll were looking for in the veteran. Chafin came to the Twins with a similar good veteran track record, offering continued hope for the rebuilding bullpen. When the left-hander was at his peak of success, he was able to throw 93 mph with his sinker. As Chafin worked through spring, he was never able to touch 90 mph and sat at only 86 mph in Monday’s outing. It's a continued negative trend from his 89 mph average in 2025. Moving on from those two veterans represents a shift from what we have traditionally seen from the Twins. The club is giving a chance to an unproven group that may have upside, rather than potentially watching some name-worthy veterans continue to trend in the wrong direction. This means that now the likes of Cole Sands, Zak Kent, Eric Orze, Dan Altavilla, Matt Bowman, Trent Baker, and Cody Laweryson will have a shot at being the arms that rebuild the Twins bullpen. It may be too early to call this a full-on change in philosophy, but it is a positive sign that there may be one in process. Twins fans have had to endure watching the Twins hang onto veterans of the likes of Joey Gallo way beyond their usefulness. Instead, we will get to see if one of these low-wattage additions can have the sort of success the team desperately needs for the sake of the bullpen. It should be a welcome change from the post-deadline stretch in 2025 when veteran placeholders got most of the innings rather than anyone with much future potential. It wasn’t too long ago that the Twins had both Danny Coulombe and Jeff Hoffman in camp and released them just before they had great success elsewhere. While Derek Falvey is gone, others like Zoll have been part of a leadership that has been able to identify good arms, but hasn't held onto them long enough. Just a fraction of that sort of success from one of the group of relievers still in camp would be great development for the 2026 roster. If this is a true signal of a renewed willingness to move on from veterans sooner rather than later, it could be a significant advantage on the positional side as well. Right now, the Twins will have an exciting group of outfield prospects in St. Paul to start the season, including Emmanuel Rodriguez, Carlos Gonzalez, and Walker Jenkins. If the likes of James Outman or Trevor Larnach struggle out of the gate, fans can be hopeful that a Zoll-led front office may be willing to move on with appropriate timing, paving the way for this exciting group of prospects ready to hit the majors. What do you think? Did the Twins make a grave mistake by letting go of two proven veterans, or do you have faith that this is a sign that the tide is turning in Minnesota in how the front office handles veterans? View the full article

While the corner outfield had a lot of variance in the day-to-day starting lineup, center field was a position of relative stability. Kyle Isbel started 118 games in center field last season. When Isbel was not in the lineup, the Royals did not have a viable option to replace him, to the point that they even experimented with playing Maikel Garcia in center. Going into 2026, the Royals signed Lane Thomas to a one-year contract. The addition of Thomas gives the Royals a proven Major League depth option and the flexibility to platoon him with Isbel against left-handed pitching. Royals Second Basemen At a Glance Starter: Kyle Isbel Backups: Lane Thomas Depth: Tyler Tolbert, John Rave, Drew Waters Prospects: Gavin Cross, Carson Roccaforte Royals fWAR Ranking Last Year: 24th out of 30 Royals fWAR Projection This Year: 30th out of 30 The Good Kyle Isbel is an excellent defender. According to Statcast data via Baseball Savant, Isbel grades in the 93rd percentile in fielding run value. In 2025, he was worth 12 Outs Above Average (OAA) based on his range. The Royals know what they are getting with Isbel in the field, and they are willing to live with offensive deficiencies (we’ll get to that later) if he can continue to provide exceptional defense. Lane Thomas can help pick up the slack for Isbel’s lack of offensive production, particularly against left-handed pitching. From the 2021 through the 2024 seasons, Thomas provided above-average production against lefties, posting a wRC+ of at least 107. That will be a welcome improvement compared to the 56 wRC+ that Isbel had against lefties in 2025. Historically, Thomas has been graded close to average fielding run value with above-average arm value, arm strength, and spring speed. There shouldn’t be too big a defensive dropoff when Thomas starts against lefties. The Bad Isbel has not been good on offense, even against right-handed pitching. He has not posted an above-average wRC+ against righties since his rookie season in 2021. In 2025, Isbel graded in the 9th percentile in batting run value, along with 1st percentile marks in xwOBA, xSLG, and launch angle sweet spot. While Isbel is above average in whiff and strikeout rates, he rarely walks, doing so at just 5.6%. Ideally, Thomas would mitigate Isbel’s deficiencies, but Thomas dealt with multiple injury setbacks that limited him to just 39 games in 2025. He is only a couple of years removed from a season where he slashed .268/.315/.468, but Thomas will need to prove that he can both return to that level of production and stay healthy for a long stretch of the season. If the Royals only ask him to contribute on the short side of the centerfield platoon, that could help keep Thomas fresh and reduce the risk of additional time on the injured list in 2026. After Isbel and Thomas, there are prospects who have not yet been able to make a meaningful impact at the major-league level. Tyler Tolbert, John Rave, Kameron Misner, and Drew Waters all have struggled to impress in their limited time in the big leagues. Waters is also out of minor-league options and is more likely to be designated for assignment rather than make the Opening Day roster. While there is still time for any of them to grow into contributors in MLB, the Royals will hope that their services won’t be necessary in 2026. The Bottom Line The fWAR projection for Royals center fielders is concerning, and a majority of that production is expected to come from Kyle Isbel’s exceptional defense. While Lane Thomas is a major-league proven option, his injury history casts doubt on whether he can be a reliable option in 2026 for a full season. If Thomas can stay healthy, his offensive production could be a boon for the Royals in 2026 as a complement to Isbel’s strong defense. If his health remains an issue, however, the Royals may once again look to their minor-league depth for answers in center field. Previous Installments: Second Base Position Analysis Catcher Position Analysis First Base Position Analysis Corner Outfield Position Analysis View the full article