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The Royals announced they have invited 25 non-roster players to spring training in Arizona, including former first-round picks Blake Mitchell, Frank Mozzicato and Gavin Cross. The list also includes some MLB veterans trying to make the club, such as catcher Jorge Alfaro, infielder Josh Rojas, and pitchers Jose Cuas, Héctor Neris, and Aaron Sanchez

We have invited 25 non-roster players to Major League Spring Training. pic.twitter.com/kQxM9RxChd

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) January 27, 2026

Here is a rundown of the 25 players with non-roster invites:

Pitchers

AJ Causey is a sidearming right-hander who was selected by the Royals in the fifth round of the 2024 draft. He posted a minuscule ERA of 1.72 with 75 strikeouts and just 18 walks in 73.1 innings across High-A and Double-A, and walked just one batter with 13 strikeouts in the Arizona Fall League.

Dennis Colleran boasts a 100 mph fastball that he used to strike out 72 hitters in 66.1 innings last season, while posting a 2.85 ERA.

Jose Cuas pitched for the Royals from 2022 to 2023, and was a very effective reliever his first season witha 3.58 ERA in 47 outings. The 31-year-old sidearmer has since played for the Cubs and Blue Jays, but returned to the Royals on a minor league deal.

Chazz Martinez is a 26-year-old left-hander out of the University of Oklahoma. He had a 1.85 ERA in 31 outings for Northwest Arkansas, before struggling upon a promotion to Omaha.

Frank Mozzicato was the seventh overall pick of the 2021 draft known for a big curveball that causes a lot of whiffs. But he has failed to add velocity and has struggled with control, posting a 1.24 ERA in 36.1 innings at High-A, but struggling with a 7.46 ERA and 53 walks in 56.2 innings at Double-A.

Héctor Neris is a 12-year MLB vet who had 18 saves in 2024 with the Cubs and Astros. The 36-year-old had a 6.75 ERA in 35 games last year, but still struck out 11.8 hitters per-nine-innings.

Helcris Olivárez was signed as a minor league free agent after stints in the Rockies, Red Sox, and Giants organizations. He has a blazing fastball that can hit 100 mph, but has trouble with control. Last year, the left-hander posted a 3.65 ERA but with 43 walks in 37 innings across Double-A and Triple-A.

Shane Panzini is a 24-year-old right-hander drafted out of high school in 20212. He had the best season of his pro career with a 3.39 ERA and an improved strikoue rate of 9.4 per-nine innings in 109 innings.

Hunter Patteson dominated High-A ball this year with a 1.99 ERA in 13 starts, before going to Double-A and posting a 4.41 ERA in 49 innings. The lefty was a fifth round pick out of Central Florida in 2022.

Aaron Sanchez faced the Royals in the 2015 ALCS as a member of the Blue Jays, and was a 2016 All-Star. He has not pitched in the big leagues since 2022, but was named Pitcher of the Year in the Dominican Winter League this year.

Catchers

Jorge Alfaro is a nine-year MLB vet who has hit .253/.301/.391 in his career. The 32-year-old played in a handful of games with the Nationals last year, and last had significant big league time in 2022.

Canyon Brown is a ninth round pick in the 2024 draft who hit .225/.309/.297 in 70 games at High-A.

Omar Hernández is a 24-year-old switch-hitter who hit .225/.259/.275 in 75 games across High-A and Double-A last season.

Elih Marrero is a former Red Sox prospect who spent last season in the Rangers organization and is the son of former Royals outfielder Eli Marrero. He hit .257/.381/.657 with two home runs in 13 games in the Dominican Winter League.

Blake Mitchell is a former first-round pick with the Royals and a top 100 prospect on many lists. The 21-year-old suffered a wrist injury that caused him to miss the start of last season, and returned to hit .218/.390/.320 with three home runs in 60 games, then a .434 on-base percentage in 19 games in the Arizona Fall League.

Ramón Ramírez was the best hitter for the Columbia Fireflies last year, htiting .244/.339/.442 with 11 home runs in 70 games.

Luca Tresh is a 26-year old former North Carolina State catcher who hit .259/.321/.473 with 10 home runs in 72 games for Omaha last year.

Infielders

Connor Kaiser is an Overland Park native who has appeared in a handful of MLB games with the Rockies and Diamondbacks. The 29-year-old hit .236/.345/.406 with six home runs in 71 games at Triple-A last year.

Kevin Newman has played in eight MLB seasons, mostly with the Pirates, as a career .259/.300/.355 hitter. He was a 2.2 rWAR player in 2024 with the Diamondbacks, but hit just .202/.209/.272 in 56 games with the Angels last year.

Josh Rojas is a career .241/.317/.353 hitter in seven MLB seasons as a left-handed hitter. He is an exemplary defender and can play all over the field, and was worth 2.2 rWAR in 2024 with Seattle.

Abraham Toro plays mostly first and third with a little time at second, and hit .239/.289/.371 with seven home runs in 77 games with Boston. The 29-year-old switch-hitter has also spent time with the Astros, Mariners, Brewers, and Athletics.

Daniel Vázquez is a slick-fielding shortstop who was ranked #16 in the farm system by MLB Pipeline last year. The 22-year-old hit .26/.333/.351 in 116 games, but really impressed in the Arizona Fall League with a line of .329/.459/.468 in 22 games.

Peyton Wilson is a versatile, switch-hitting former second-round pick, who hit .259/.353/.389 in 103 games last year.

Outfielders

Gavin Cross was the ninth overall pick in the 2022 draft, but had his career derailed early on by illness. His numbers have been underwhelming, but he seemed to come on at the end of last year, hitting

Carson Roccaforte enjoyed a breakout season by hitting .258/.373/.470 with 18 home runs and 43 steals across High-A and Double-A. The 23-year-old left-handed hitter also led the entire organization with 82 walks.

The first workout for Royals pitchers and catchers is Wednesday, February 11. The first full squad workout is scheduled for Monday, February 16.

Burly right-hander Jose Franco claimed the #11 spot in this year’s Community Prospect Rankings, and now we head into the voting for spot #12.

Per usual, here’s a link to the Google Form where you can vote, though it should be embedded at the end of the list if you’d rater read first and then vote on-page after digesting all the glorious information on these up and coming future Cincinnati Reds.

Here’s how the list has materialized so far:

1. Sal Stewart
2. Alfredo Duno
3. Rhett Lowder
4. Hector Rodriguez
5. Edwin Arroyo
6. Cam Collier
7. Steele Hall
8. Tyson Lewis
9. Chase Petty
10. Arnaldo Lantigua
11. Jose Franco

A large list of talented names exists below for spot #12. Have at it with the votes!

Adolfo Sanchez, OF (19 years old)

2025 at a glance: .339/.474/.504 with 2 HR, 10 SB in 154 PA with DSL Reds (Dominican Summer League)

Pros: Left-handed hitter who profiles to have a plus hit tool and potentially plus power; arm good enough to play RF if he doesn’t stick in CF; shaved 20% off his K% year over year; plus runner

Cons: Questions whether he’s already physically matured to the point where projecting him to be much better exist

The Reds signed Sanchez for $2.7 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2024 and kept him there to ply his trade professionally in the Dominican Summer League. Things went quite poorly for him there during his age 17 season, and he subsequently stuck around there to repeat in 2025 – though this time, things went swimmingly.

He’ll undoubtedly play in the States in 2026, but the question now is just how quickly the Reds might try to move him up if he hits the ground running. At 6’3” and 200 lbs already, he’s not the kind of prospect where you say he’s X now, but when he gets bigger and stronger he’ll be Y in two years. In other words, if he looks the part now, he needs to be challenged immediately, and my hope is that he gets time with Daytona right off the bat.

He’s got a hit tool that comes with all-fields power, excellent patience at the plate, and I really do think his swing will continue to play. Still, it’s likely he ends up in a corner spot in the OF, which means the power’s going to need to continue to show up for him to project as an everyday regular – at least vs. RHP.

Leo Balcazar, SS/2B (22 years old)

2025 at a glance: .263/.339/.381 with 12 HR, 8 SB in 560 PA split between A+ Dayton Dragons (Midwest League) and AA Chattanooga Lookouts (AA Southern League); .277/.340/.340 in 103 PA with Peoria Javelinas (Arizona Fall League)

Pros: Good strike zone judgement and plate discipline (52/75 BB/K in 2025); well-rounded tools, continuing to improve off ACL surgery

Cons: Not a ton of power yet; some question whether he’ll be able to stick at SS long term

It’s easy to forget just how good of a start Balcazar had to his pro career after signing with the Reds for $100,000 out of Venezuela. He posted an .882 OPS in 2021 in Dominican Summer League play, an .886 OPS in 2022 with the Arizona Complex League Reds, and was off to a wicked start (.897 OPS) across the first 18 games of his 2023 season with Class-A Daytona before he tore his ACL.

2024 was a bit of a rough year for him, however, as the layoff and working back from the surgery clearly impacted his performance (.264/.295/.354 in 410 PA). However, 2025 saw him look a lot more like his former explosive self – both at the plate and in the field – and he clearly was healthy enough once again as he logged a combined 663 PA across all leagues.

He’s still just 21 years of age (22 in June of 2026), and if he’s shaken the rust off completely and enters this season after a normal winter, there’s a chance we see a whole lot more from him, too.

Aaron Watson, RHP (19 years old)

2025 at a glance: Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2nd round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Trinity Christian Academy (FL); signed overslot $2.7 million bonus to forego commitment to the University of Florida

Pros: 6’5” frame; potential 60-grade slider; fastball that runs up to 96 mph from a three-quarter arm slot and already has a solid three-pitch mix with his change rotated in

Cons: Did not pitch professionally after being drafted, so he’s a complete unknown

One glimpse of Watson on the mound and you immediately think yep, I bet that guy can turn into a pretty dang good pitcher. He’s got an ideal frame to produce downhill offerings, and his fastball/slider mix is already something on which he can hang his hat.

However, command of all three of his pitches – specifically a very developmental changeup – will be what he needs to work on to begin to move quickly through the ranks. He possesses a good ‘feel’ at the moment in terms of what pitches to throw, which part of the zone to attack vs. which hitters, etc., but how well he can build in more deception with his offerings will be vital.

Carlos Jorge, OF (22 years old)

2025 at a glance: .251/.342/.355 with 6 HR, 40 SB in 469 PA with High-A Dayton Dragons (Midwest League)

Pros: Plus speed; former infielder moved to CF in 2023 and in 2025 looked like a natural there; plus speed; shaved 12.5% off K-rate from down 2024 season; 60-grade arm strength a weapon in CF

Cons: ISO declined for third straight year, this time precipitously; prone to extreme streakiness

If you threw out every other stop of Carlos Jorge’s pro career and just focused on the good ones, he’d already be ranked by now. The good parts of the best of his years have been quite tremendous, all told. He’s flashed great speed (40 steals in 2025), good pop for a small-ish CF (12 HR in 2023 and 2024; .483 SLG in the cavernous Florida State League in 2023), and the ability to play pretty elite CF defense (as recently as 2025).

However, he’s added some real clunkers in there, too. He hit just .220/.291/.394 with a K-rate over 31% at Dayton in 2024, and that came on the heels of hitting just .239/.277/.398 in 23 games once he reached Dayton at the end of 2023.

Maybe it’s just Dayton, where he was again in 2025 in a much better all-around year, even though his power dried up again. He’ll surely begin with AA Chattanooga of the Southern League in 2026, and at 22 (with his position in CF now settled) the former 2B might finally have a one-track shot to focus on his all around game in a new locale. After acing his move on defense, shaving off a ton of strikeouts, and bumping his walk rate back up over 11.1% (where it’s been for most of his career), perhaps 2026 will have a lot more in store for him.

Zach Maxwell, RHP (25 years old)

2025 at a glance: 4.50 ERA, 5.64 FIP, 13/4 K/BB in 10.0 IP with Cincinnati Reds; 4.17 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 59/32 K/BB in 49.2 IP with AAA Louisville Bats (International League)

Pros: Huge. Literally gigantic (6’6”, 275-ish lbs). Throws gas (100 mph+) with a devastating slider (70-grade). And he’s titanic.

Cons: Struggles with control (6.1 BB/9 across 172.1 IP in his minors career)

Maxwell, a former 6th round pick out of Georgia Tech, throws the ball up to 102 mph with his heater, and it’s clear that hitters have just about as little idea where it’s actually going to be as Maxwell himself. That’s the rub here, really, in that Big Sugar has the pure stuff to turn even the best hitters into guessers, and it comes down to whether they’ll guess wrong more often than Maxwell misses the zone in each and every PA.

If they swing, though, they’re likely going to miss, and that’s why he’s right in the mix for a spot in Cincinnati’s bullpen again in 2026 after making his debut there in 2025. He can be a bit wild if it’s effectively wild, and that’s a tightrope he’s been walking since his days back at North Paulding HS in Dallas, Georgia. When he’s locked in, though, the heater is backed up by an absolutely devastating slide piece, and that two-pitch mix – again, when he’s locked in – is good enough to be closer material. He’s just got to continue to refine his delivery.

Liberts Aponte, SS (18 years old)

2025 at a glance: .247/.368/.461 with 7 HR, 9 SB in 193 PA for DSL Rojos (Dominican Summer League)

Pros: 29/35 K/BB showed greatly improving strike zone awareness; already a plus defender at short where he projects to be excellent both with range and arm long-term

Cons: Still not viewed as a potential plus with the bat, though early returns are already better than original scouting reports; has a long way to go in terms of physically maturing

The Reds doled out $1.9 million to sign Aponte last January, and that marked the single largest contract they doled out in that particular international signing window. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the #18 player overall in that class, noting he was ‘one of the most skilled defenders in his class’ and ‘offers solid wheels’ with ‘magic in his hands’ while doling out a 65 grade on his fielding ability.

The rest, we knew, would take time, as he was just liked at 6’0” and 160 lbs, and that even felt like a slight exaggeration. To his credit, though, he mashed 7 homers as a 17 year old in DSL play while showing more power than anticipated, and if that aspect of his game grows to match what’s already known the Reds have found themselves a gem.

It will be interesting to see if the Reds push him up to Arizona Complex League play at all in 2026 or give him another year in the DSL seeing as he just turned 18 years old in November.

Luke Holman, RHP (23 years old)

2025 at a glance: ER, 2 H, 10 K, 4 BB in 9.0 IP with Daytona Tortugas (Class-A Florida State League

Pros: Two plus breaking pitches (slider, curve)

Cons: Not a ton of velocity on his fastball, which sits 91-94 mph

Luke Holman threw 109 pitches for LSU in a 6-2 loss to North Carolina on June 1st, 2024, a game in which he yielded 4 ER in 6.2 IP with 7 H, 11 K, and a lone walk. Since then, he’s thrown just 9.0 IP on a mound, total.

Holman, Cincinnati’s 2nd round pick in 2024, sat out the remainder of 2024 after being drafted, finishing his calendar year with 91.2 IP of 2.75 ERA ball that included a wonderful 0.98 WHIP and 127/33 K/BB. When his 2025 began in Daytona, all signs looked promising in his first pair of starts only for an elbow issue to subsequently sit him down and require Tommy John surgery, and we’ve not seen him since.

He sat 91-94 with his fastball (and touched 96) before, and has a pair of wicked breaking balls that he uses as his out pitches. If he returns to form in 2026 the way he ways before (or even better!), he still profiles as a back-end starter who should move quickly through Cincinnati’s system after dominating SEC play in stints first with Alabama and later with LSU.

The New York Yankees have claimed pitcher Dom Hamel on waivers from the Texas Rangers, it was announced today. The Rangers had designated Hamel for assignment to make room on the 40 man roster for newly signed reliever Jakob Junis.

If you aren’t familiar with Dom Hamel, that’s understandable. The Rangers claimed him on waivers from the Baltimore Orioles at the end of September. The Orioles had claimed him on waivers a week before that on waivers from the New York Mets. The Mets had drafted him in the third round in 2021 out of Dallas Baptist, eight picks after the Rangers selected Cam Cauley, and 16 picks before the A’s picked Mason Miller, who I think everyone picking ahead of them in the third round wishes they had selected instead of whoever they picked.

The Yankees didn’t have an open 40 man roster spot, so to open up a spot for Hamel, they designated infielder Marco Luciano for assignment. Luciano spent several years early in his pro career as a consensus top 20 prospect with the San Francisco Giants, then a couple of years as a consensus top 50 guy, and is now out of options and bouncing around the waiver wire. The Pirates claimed him on waivers from the Giants in December, then the Orioles claimed him from the Pirates in early January, and then the Yankees claimed him from the Orioles earlier this month.

The Yankees are no doubt hoping to sneak Luciano through waivers so they can outright him, and likely will try to do the same thing with Hamel before too long.

Aaron Judge is coming off his third American League MVP season, and now he gets to run back another accomplishment: being on the cover of MLB The Show 26.

"Aaron continues to rewrite history," San Diego Studio, publisher of the MLB the Show series, said in a statement on Tuesday. "... Aaron’s performances have not only inspired players on the diamond, but athletes and fans around the world. We’re excited to have him back as the cover athlete of MLB The Show 26."

3X AL MVP ✅ ️2X #MLBTheShow cover athlete ✅
Welcome back, Aaron Judge! @TheJudge44@Yankees@Yankees_Beisbolpic.twitter.com/2l0kOAt7Nu

— MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) January 27, 2026

This marks the second time Judge has been featured on the cover of the best-selling video game after first appearing in 2018 following his rookie season, joining Hall of Famer Joe Mauer (2010, 2011) as the only player to be selected for the cover twice. In the eight years since, the Yankees slugger has been a three-time MVP, seven-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger. His 62 home runs in 2022 broke Roger Maris' AL single-season record, which had stood for over 60 years. Judge was recently named captain of team USA ahead of this year's World Baseball Classic.

San Diego Studio teased the reveal on Monday night with a brief statement posted to social media that read, "we wanted to let everyone know we have decided that we will not have a new cover athlete. Please stay tuned to all of our social channels for more information to come."

🚨Breaking News: There will not be a new cover athlete for #MLBTheShow 26. 👀 pic.twitter.com/xhTW8D3u0g

— MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) January 26, 2026

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aaron Judge announced as cover athlete of MLB the Show 26

Jonatan Clase is a 23-year-old (24 in May), switch-hitting outfielder from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He came to us in trade from the Mariners, along with catcher Jacob Sharp, for Yimi Garcia. Sharp played in New Hampshire in 2025, hitting .161/.271/.206 in 68 games

He has played 60 major league games, and lost his rookie status in 2024. In the 60 games, he’s hit .224/.294/.311 with 3 home runs, 6 steals, caught 2 times.

The big news is the MLB has given the Jays one more option year on Clase. Well, good news for the Jays, I’m not so sure it is good for Jonatan. It makes him less likely to be DFAed. But then, if he were on another team, he would be more likely to find a spot on the active roster. With the Jays, he looks to be waiting for an injury or two. He would be a good choice for the 27th man when we have a doubleheader. If you had room on your active roster, he would be the perfect guy to pinch-run in extra innings, being the Manfred Mann. And he would be an excellent defensive replacement. But then, he’d still have to hit better than .161.

At the moment, I’d think he would be behind Joey Loperfido, Yohendrick Piñango, as well as spring training invites RJ Schreck and Elroy Jiménez (though the latter two aren’t on the 40-man roster at the moment) in line for a job in the majors if there is an injury. Of course, we have Daulton Varsho, George Springer, Anthony Santander, Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw, Davis Schneider and Addison Barger all who can play outfield and are expecting a spot on the active roster (I’m not sure how all of them can make it).

Clase played 87 games for the Bisons, last year, hitting .255/.335/.403 with 7 home runs and 30 steals (caught just 4 times). His defense is good, with the occasional poor route (but he generally makes up for that with his speed).

As much as I like him, I really don’t see a path to him getting major league at-bats. I guess a terrific spring training would help.

I often compare him to Otis Nixon. Nixon didn’t have a MLB season with over 200 PA until age 29. Nixon had 727 PA before age 30 and 5073 after age 30. So don’t count Jonatan out. Clase has more power than Nixon had and is a better defensive outfielder.

Steamer projects he will appear in 12 MLB games, hitting .225/.294/.367 in 45 plate appearances.

Rick Rizzs has announced through the Seattle Mariners that the 2026 season will be his final one as the radio voice of baseball in the Pacific Northwest, retiring following this year’s campaign.

The season will be Rizzs’ 41st in Seattle, and his 44th in the big leagues (having spent three years with the Detroit Tigers), and his 52nd overall. Rizzs has been bringing the Mariners to fans over the airwaves longer than any other broadcaster in the franchise’s history, surpassing even his longtime partner in crime, Dave Niehaus, with whom he called games for 25 years. The 72 year old’s career in broadcasting baseball is older than the franchise that he has been the voice of, and the kid from the South Side of Chicago has become a community cornerstone in his adopted home of Seattle for decades.

The Mariners noted that the 2026 season, which will also be the club’s 50th, will be spent celebrating Rizzs’ Hall of Fame-caliber career as the Voice of the Mariners. He is, by all accounts professional and personal, a truly kind man, whose capacity for consistency and warmth is as genuine in the broadcast booth as it is through his interpersonal interactions and indefatigable charitable work. The co-founder of Toys for Kids and the Rick’s Locker program, Rizzs has spent over 30 years raising funds and resources for kids and families in the Pacific Northwest, as well as housing, food, school supplies and scholarships, and baseball gear. Say friends, it’s hard to see him go.

The Yankees announced on Tuesday that they have claimed RHP Dom Hamel off waivers from the Texas Rangers.

Hamel, 26, was originally drafted by the Mets in the third round of the 2021 draft. The Arizona native worked his way up the Mets' farm system before making his major league debut in 2025 for the Mets. In that appearance, Hamel allowed three hits and hit a batter across one inning of work against the Padres back on Sept. 17. 

The Mets designated Hamel for assignment on Sept. 18 and he was claimed by the Orioles a few days later. The Rangers would claim him off waivers on Sept. 27 before he was DFA'd last week. 

In the minors last year, Hamel made 31 appearances (11 starts), pitching to a 5.32 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP across 67.2 innings pitched with Triple-A Syracuse.

Across 111 appearances (89 starts) in his five-year minor league career, Hamel has a 4.72 ERA, a 1.37 WHIP and 511 strikeouts across 438.1 innings pitched. 

The Yankees also announced they have designated for assignment LHP Jayvien Sandridge and INF/OF Marco Luciano, who they claimed off waivers from the Orioles a week ago.

Kiley McDaniel, one of the more respected writers in the prospect sphere of baseball coverage, released his top 100 prospects this morning ($). Three Phillies showed up on the list.

#10 – Aidan Miller

His above-average to plus speed is apparent on the basepaths as shown by his 59 stolen bases last season. Miller could lean more into his power with more loft to his swing path, but I have a feeling what he’s doing is already optimized for him and he’ll naturally find his way to 25 homers with a strong on-base rate along with real value in the field and on the bases.

#27 – Andrew Painter

Taking a step back, Painter has four above-average pitches (95-98, touching 100 mph fastball, cutter, slider, changeup) and the components for starter-level command with a real shot to break camp in the Phillies’ rotation in 2026. In my opinion, he should de-emphasize his sweeper (the slowest of his three breaking pitches) from his second-most-used pitch to fourth or fifth, but should get a bigger boost to his performance from simply being another year away from his surgery and long layoff.

#69 – Justin Crawford

Crawford has plus contact skills and a solid approach along with solid-average raw power; he’ll sting the ball (46% hard-hit rate) though without the secondary power skills (loft in the swing and pull/lift ability) to regularly put the ball over the fence. This kind of player is often more productive via WAR than a fan would guess, because he’s racking up solid value in all aspects of the game (hitting, baserunning, fielding) while his speed helps round up his raw hitting ability (legging out infield singles/bunts) and also helps his isolated power (bloop singles become doubles).

Nothing new about this trio making a list like this, but it’s nice to continually see national respect for them.

Even before trading MacKenzie Gore to the Texas Rangers in exchange for 5 prospects, the Nationals’ rotation was looking very subpar entering 2026. Following Gore’s departure, the unit now projects to be 29th in fWAR this season, according to Fangraphs, finishing ahead of only the Colorado Rockies, not great company when talking about pitching. Foster Griffin and Cade Cavalli project to lead the rotation, with fWARs just under 2 and ERAs just above 4, but outside of those two, the rotation isn’t looking pretty, with Brad Lord projected around a 4.50 ERA, and Jake Irvin and Josiah Gray with projected ERAs near 5.

The Nats have been mentioned in the starting pitching market a few times, but never tied to any names. It is expected that they won’t want to drop a large sum of money on a pitcher, ruling out top remaining arms such as Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen, but that they would bring in a name notable enough to lock into a rotation spot over one of Jake Irvin, Josiah Gray, or Brad Lord. Let’s take a look at a few of the remaining starting pitchers on the free agent market and find one or two who would best fit in the Nats rotation in 2026.

RHP Lucas Giolito

The best available free-agent starting pitcher in the Nationals’ price range is likely Lucas Giolito, the former Nats top prospect who was shipped to the White Sox for Adam Eaton before the 2017 season. After stops with 4 other clubs, including 3 teams in 2023, Giolito now hits the open market, following a 2025 campaign where he posted a 3.41 ERA and 2 fWAR in 145 innings pitched.

While Giolito was the most productive of any free agent arm in the Nats’ price range, there is a few reasons I would be hesitant to pay him. For starters, while the surface-level numbers looked strong for Giolito, a peek under the hood suggests regression coming for him in 2026. His FIP was 4.17, a respectable number, but far off from his 3.41 ERA, and his expected ERA was even worse, sitting at 5.06, in the 12th percentile among all starting pitchers in 2025.

Giolito’s peripherals also don’t suggest his 2025 success will translate so easily to 2026. With his 22nd percentile average exit velocity, 28th percentile strikeout rate, and 30th percentile walk rate, it’s hard to imagine a world where Giolito can be worth whatever the Nats would pay him this winter. Still, perhaps Toboni believes some change Giolito made during his time in Boston can translate long-term, and their connection from that time can get a deal done.

RHP Justin Verlander

After a shaky first half to Verlander’s age-42 season in which he posted a 4.70 ERA and 4.22 FIP in 76 2/3 innings pitched, it looked like the future Hall of Famer’s career may have been coming to a close. Then suddenly, in the second half, Verlander flipped a switch, posting a 2.99 ERA and 3.47 FIP in 75 1/3 innings pitched, showing he still has what it takes to pitch in the big leagues for at least one more year.

Verlander likely hopes to pitch for a contender in 2026, but if no contender is willing to take a chance on him at the moment, perhaps starting the year with the Nationals and being traded to one at the deadline could be what he’s looking for.

Proof that an old dog still can learn tricks is Verlander adding a sweeper to his arsenal in 2025. He used the pitch primarily against right-handed hitters, throwing it to them 13% of the time, and it was a huge success, with a .135 opponents’ batting average. If Verlander is a National in 2026, as the Nats coaching staff, I’d be looking to increase his usage of that pitch even more against righties, making it one of his more used pitches.

RHP Aaron Civale

Like Verlander, Civale got roughed up in the first half of 2025, but found another gear in the second half, posting a 3.58 FIP in 49 1/3 innings pitched. The difference between Verlander and Civale, other than Civale being 12 years younger, is that Civale finished the season as a relief pitcher, making it risky for the Nats to try him out again as a starter.

Civale did a strong job of limiting hard contact in 2025, posting a 69th percentile average exit velocity. He also does a solid job of limiting free passes, with a 59th percentile walk rate in 2025. Civale doesn’t get a lot of swing and miss, so he’s at his best when he keeps the ball out of the air and on the ground, and that was exactly the case in 2025, as when he cut his fly ball rate by 10% and raised his groundball rate by 8% in the second half of 2025 versus the first, his performance greatly improved.

While the 3 pitchers here would be my preference for rotation upgrades in 2026, I am open to whatever moves Paul Toboni and his staff believe they need to make. The new coaching staff specializes in unlocking players’ hidden potentials, and perhaps they see something in a pitcher none of us are thinking about that they can unlock.

I have been clear that the Guardians don’t have an excuse for not adding either a centerfield and/or a middle of the order hitter all off-season. Time have changed. Let’s talk about it.

For whatever reason, the Guardians did not land Willson Contreras or Brandon Lowe or Taylor Ward or Kaz Okomoto or Ryan O’Hearn (middle-of-the-order hitters) or Harrison Bader/Luis Robert, Jr./Dane Myers (centerfielders). I can’t really tell you why, except that in a couple cases, it seems to be because the team is reluctant to commit money in 2027 when they clearly expect their to be a MLB lockout initiated by MLB’s owners. I think they had to offer whatever in trades and salary necessary to land at least ONE of these players. They didn’t. It’s time to accept reality on that.

At this point in the offseason, I do not see enough of a needle mover for me to be promoting the Guardians’ sign a free agent. Austin Hays isn’t a centerfielder, Austin Slater is probably bad, Luis Arraez is not a good positional fit for his limited offensive value, Miguel Andujar and Rhys Hoskins are probably not enough of an upgrade over C.J Kayfus and David Fry, though Andujar’s case is the most persuasive to me of remaining free agents. Marcell Ozuna is someone who tried to strangle his wife whom I do not want to watch on my favorite baseball team. Eugenio Suarez is PROBABLY a DH-only and probably not enough of an upgrade over exisisting options (he also doesn’t hit LHP). I’d be varying degrees of happy if they decided to sign any of these players, but I do not believe there is any particularly compelling reason for them to do so.

Now, if the Cubs are interested in trading Nico Hoerner or the Diamondbacks revisit trading Ketel Marte, I would absolutely jump into those discussions if I were the Guardians. I understand not being in on a potential Yandy Diaz trade because he is a DH-only and the Guardians, clearly, want the DH spot to rotate between Kyle Manzardo, Chase DeLauter, David Fry and others. Given that these teams are probably planning to enter the season with each of these three options as part of their roster, it’s probably better to revisit these kind of potential trades at the trade deadline (to be clear, by the trade deadline, Ketel Marte would have to waive a no-trade clause that will vest by then). I think the Guardians WILL be aggressive in finding players, especially rentals, as needed in July to fill any roster holes if their team is competitive in the AL Central – as they should be.

The roster, as is, looks likely to be, on Opening Day:

Lineup:
Catcher: Bo Naylor, Austin Hedges and (as a 3rd catcher/pinch-hitter) David Fry
First Base: Kyle Manzardo, C.J. Kayfus and David Fry
Second Base: Gabriel Arias
Shortstop: Brayan Rocchio
Third Base: Jose Ramirez
Left Field: Steven Kwan
Center Field: Nolan Jones and Stuart Fairchild platoon
Right Field: Chase DeLauter (load management concerns for DeLauter will create reps here for David Fry and Daniel Schneemann and Stuart Fairchild)
Designated Hitter: Kyle Manzardo, David Fry, Jose Ramirez

Utility Player: Daniel Schneemann

Please hear me that I PERSONALLY would prefer the team move on from Arias now and give Juan Brito Opening Day reps, and DFA Jones to Columbus and take the risk of DeLauter as your primary centerfielder and George Valera as your strongside platoon starter in right. But, I am trying to be realistic about what WILL happen. I don’t think Arias or Jones will have a lot of rope, but I do think they both get at least another brief look to see if there’s something there.

Rotation: Whoever is healthy among Gavin Williams RHP, Tanner Bibee RHP, Joey Cantillo LHP, Slade Cecconi RHP, Parker Messick LHP and Logan Allen LHP

Bullpen: Peyton Pallette, LHP, Pedro Avila, RHP, Tim Herrin, RHP, Erik Sabrowski, LHP, Matt Festa, RHP, Shawn Armstrong, RHP, Hunter Gaddis, RHP, and Cade Smith, RHP
(Connor Brogdon and Colin Holderman also strong options, with Holderman having a minor-league option remaining. Franco Aleman and Daniel Espino should also have outside chances at making it.)

As I noted above, I think the Guardians WILL be aggressive with promoting outfielder George Valera and infielder Juan Brito, but I expect them to give players like Jones and Arias some additional time in April. I also think we could see Travis Bazzana sometime in June if he performs well in Columbus. Petey Halpin and Kahlil Watson will also be knocking on the door if the Jones/Fairchild platoon fails (as we likely almost all expect to be the case).

Is this my ideal? No. Is this roster LIKELY to win a World Series? No. But, IF the Guardians are aggressive with giving players like Kayfus and DeLauter as many reps as possible, and in promoting players like Brito, Valera and Bazzana by May/June, I see plenty of reasons to be optimistic and to back up their oft-repeated refrain of “not wanting to block young players.” If the Guardians try strict platoons with young players and drag their feet on promotions of deserving prospects, however… fans will have plenty of reasons to complain and picket Progressive Field.

I still can’t believe the Guardians didn’t find a way to make a significant upgrade either to the middle of their lineup or to centerfield. It seemed like an absolute necessity and I don’t think the gamble of not making that move (LIKELY caused by ownership concern over the impending lockout) is going to turn out well for the team. I am not looking forward to fans complaining about the Guardians having the lowest payroll in baseball and using it as a reason to not attend games. I get those feelings, but, in reality, this IS a very exciting group of young players who – IF the team is aggressive with promotions – should play a winning and thrilling brand of baseball.

Today ESPN and writer Kiley McDaniel – who is a former Braves scout, put out their Top 100 Prospect list for the 2026 season found here. Once again Cam Caminiti leads the way, but for the first time this year Didier Fuentes is also included, along with JR Ritchie making the third of the four big Top 100 lists.

Caminiti came in at #53, on the 50 FV tier – the eighth highest ranked prospect on that tier. McDaniel listed him as the type of prospect who is “Smooth, projectable, athletic lefty with three good pitches who could make the leap at any moment.” The most promising comment was that “Caminiti’s scouting report — 92-95, touching 97 mph with solid shape, an improving but roughly average sweepy slider, and a roughly average changeup — isn’t overwhelming at the moment, but he’s the right kind of prospect with the right markers for future growth and scouts are expecting a breakthrough in the next few years”.

McDaniel also noted that “a young pitcher who got into the mid-90s among the earliest in his class but chose to develop as a strike thrower with multiple average-or-better pitches rather than a velo-chasing circus act also speaks to Caminiti’s mindset and maturity. He tweaked and improved his breaking ball when he was told it was a weaker part of his scouting report during the draft process, another key marker for projecting future improvement.”

As for 2026 McDaniel mentioned this change “I thought Caminiti should add an upper-80s cutter to round out his repertoire and asked someone who would know, and it turns out we’ll be seeing that in 2026; the early data looks positive.” He closed with this note on Cam’s upside: “If he doesn’t take a big step forward, Caminiti will still be a solid back-end starter, but there’s front-line potential if everything clicks.”

Fuentes came in at #88, with the type of “Fastball-dominant starter who probably has enough off-speed to be a third/fourth starter.” Fuentes fastball velocity and movement is praised, with the concern being “his other pitches (sweepy slider, slurve, cutter, splitter used in that order) are the concern here. None of them are better than average pitches, though they’re all 45- or 50-grade offerings that play a role in getting weak contact and keeping hitters honest.”

McDaniel used a pair of very interesting comps to close out his talk on Fuentes, saying his “release profile is similar to Bryan Woo and his stuff is similar to Joe Ryan, so this somewhat unusual profile is one that sleeper prospects have used to become standout starters; Fuentes could be next.”

Ritchie was directly behind Fuentes at #89. His type is listed as “Six-pitch righty with starter traits fully back from elbow surgery and ready to join the big league rotation.” McDaniel noted that “His draft report was that of physical projection and command with average to above raw stuff, and that’s still basically the report.” He went on to talk about the upside and closed by saying “A tick more arm speed or a tick more velocity would make Ritchie a mid-rotation starter, but he’s more of a solid fourth starter as described; often the second full year after elbow surgery is when everything comes back.”

JR RITCHIE JUST TOSSED A CLINIC.

6.0 IP | 1 H | 0 R | 2 BB | 11 K pic.twitter.com/RrK5JDaGgm

— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) August 28, 2025