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Someone on the Royals’ bench needs the ability to play third, in case All-Star Maikel Garcia goes down or needs a rest. The two most likely candidates to fill that role would be either Josh Rojas or Nick Loftin. The former signed a minor league deal and is coming off a pretty terrible season, but he also has a lot of big-league experience. The latter worked his way up through the Royals’ system and has played parts of the last three seasons at the major-league level. So who’s it going to be?

Josh Rojas was on the South Side in Chicago last year, and he could not hit while also grading out as a below-average fielder. His 44 wRC+ in 2025 was easily the worst of his career, though he posted between 1 and 2.5 fWAR in each of the four preceding seasons. This is a veteran ballplayer with a track record that suggests he belongs in the big leagues. So far this spring, the left-handed hitter has been crushing it, hitting .258/.361/.548 while trying to earn a spot in Kansas City. He can play second and third as well as some corner outfield, so that flexibility matches up well with Loftin. I would give Loftin the edge at third overall because he has been pretty consistent there, though he has a more limited sample size. Rojas has the edge at second base and in the outfield. He is older at almost 32, but not so old that his productive years are necessarily behind him.

I like Rojas a lot, mostly because he has shown himself to be a productive MLB player and Loftin really hasn’t yet. Because Nick still has an option remaining and can easily be sent to the minors, that makes Josh the safer pick. However, he was really, really bad last year, so he should get the hook pretty quickly if the team goes with him. Rojas will be inexpensive, though not quite as cheap as Loftin. His mix of plate discipline and experience makes him a better bet and a cheap way to add depth to the 40-man roster.

What does Nick Loftin bring to the table? A couple of things working in his favor are youth and right-handedness. With Jac Caglianone and Kyle Isbel already in the outfield, adding another left-handed bat in Rojas might be a bit of overkill, especially with Pasquantino, Jensen, and Massey also in the infield mix. The roster is balanced enough right now that I’m not sure that will become the deciding factor.

What youth brings is upside and often less injury risk, along with a slight cost advantage. Since Rojas accepted a minor league deal, he can start in Triple-A (assuming there are no opt-outs I missed) and keep the organization’s depth intact. So far, he has also been crushing it in Arizona, posting a .300/.400/.600 slash line. In both 2024 and 2025, however, Loftin struggled to hit at the big-league level, and until he proves he can do that consistently, he leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe he will turn it on at age 27, and if he does, the team would be rewarded for sticking with him over Rojas. He has just over a year of service time, so he is under team control for another half-decade and could be a valuable role player for years to come.

Both players are making a strong case to be part of the 2026 Royals Opening Day roster, but there can really only be one unless the team decides it can do without Michael Massey. That seems unlikely, though perhaps these two could make him look expendable.

For me, I would give Rojas the first shot. He has been a good player at the top level for most of his career, while Loftin’s consistent inability to hit the ball hard has really limited him offensively. It would be nice to see Loftin take a step forward and become a solid bench piece for the next few years, but I have seen enough of him to think that is a risk a team trying to win now should not take.

In advance of the 2026 season, it’s time to take a look at Detroit’s biggest rivals. Rosters around the AL Central have experienced a lot of turnover this winter, especially in Chicago and Minnesota, and some under the radar trades have shored up the depth for the top-heavy KC Royals. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Guardians are still led by Jose Ramirez and a band of misfits that I’ll inevitably regret underrating. This four-part series will be a brief summary of what to expect from each team, highlighting the major gains and losses to the roster, their projected strengths and weaknesses, and a key player who could flip the entire season on its head if things break right. Today, we’re starting with the Kansas City Royals, who are projected to be Detroit’s stiffest competition for an AL Central title.

Projected Record and Team Summary

The two most reputable project systems, at least at the team-level, are PECOTA from Baseball Prospectus, and the Depth Charts from FanGraphs. The two naturally value different teams and players differently, but the broad steps they use to project standings – determine how good each player on each team is, assign playing time, and then simulate the season thousands of times with different injury scenarios and luck – are similar. PECOTA projects the Royals as an 85-77 team, which wins the division, while Depth Charts has them for 81-81 and a few games behind the Tigers.

It’s worth noting none of this is certain, of course, and I don’t have deep access to either’s methodology. The Royals are a team of extremes that projection systems tend to evaluate differently. Recently, the Royals have had a ‘stars-and-scrubs’ approach to team building around Bobby Witt Jr. This year seems poised for more of the same, but a few small moves have helped shore up their depth, especially in the outfield.

The winter saw KC spend about $7M in free agency to bring in former Tiger Alex Lange and two depth outfielders, Lane Thomas and Starling Marte. That’s all. Trades for Isaac Collins of Milwaukee and Kameron Misner of Tampa Bay furthered the outfield depth; Collins is a projected starter in a corner after an unexpectedly excellent rookie year. Their likely most impactful trade was to snag Matt Strahm, a good lefty reliever, from a cash-strapped Phillies roster to bolster the bullpen. Extensions to key players Maikel Garcia, Sal Perez, and Vinnie Pasquantino ensure the band stays together for a long time, but the organization continued to make small additions around a solid core rather than take a big swing.

Greatest Strength: Star Power

Is it a cop-out to say Bobby Witt Jr and leave it at that? Any roster with him on it starts in an excellent position; he’s simply the best shortstop in baseball right now and the best single player in the division. KC is clearly built in a “if he goes, we go” fashion around Witt and a few other stars. Cole Ragans is one of the better lefty starters in the game and projects as a top 15 or so starter if he’s healthy in 2026. Meanwhile, Garcia and Pasquantino anchor the top of the lineup around Witt, while Strahm and Carlos Estevez are a strong 1-2 duo at the back of their bullpen. The issue is what comes next.

Currently, KC is counting on two rookies, two over-30 veterans with 2.2 total fWAR over the last two years, and a second-year player Milwaukee didn’t believe in, to fill out their lineup behind the big three. In the rotation, it’s more of the same, as only Ragans projects for meaningfully above average production. Michael Wacha and Kris Bubic project as about average, while Seth Lugo looks pretty much done as his strikeouts have plummeted. Building depth around their top guys has been a longstanding struggle they don’t quite appear to have solved this year. They’ll need good health and a few breakout performances to really threaten Detroit this year.

Greatest Weakness: The Outfield

This is absolutely just the outfield. KC’s outfield in 2025 posted a combined .617 OPS, roughly equal to uh… Manual Margot’s production? Did you remember he was a Tiger for a few weeks? That was their average outfielder. It was .019 worse than the next worse team, a Cleveland outfield we’ll be talking about later. Bringing in Isaac Collins is a good start, but they probably shouldn’t count on him repeating his age-28 rookie breakout. History has generally been unkind to hitters who rely on walks alone to garner offensive value. His speed and defense give him a high enough floor, but Isaac is probably more fourth outfielder than everyday corner option going forward. Meanwhile, the veterans Starling Marte and Lane Thomas are already fourth outfielders or platoon options, while Misner is purely optional depth. Getting so little production from the easiest positions to add cheap offense seems likely to hamstring KC once again.

X-Factor: Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen

If any player is likely to significantly alter KC’s season in a good way, it’s the dynamic duo of Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen. The two debuted last year to very opposing results, but both showcased their tools and upside. Look for them to build on 2025 as they adapt to their first tastes of MLB level pitching.

Jensen is a patient catcher with tremendous raw power and roughly average defense. His late-season debut yielded an excellent .941 OPS and strong underlying power metrics in 20 games, with a surprisingly low 17.4% K rate. Of course, 20 games doesn’t guarantee anything, but it’s as positive of a start as a rookie can have. He seems likely to split time around catcher and DH with Perez as he phases into the power-hitting, clubhouse-favorite backup phase of a strong career. If he can maintain even a little of his stunning debut, he’ll be a lineup mainstay for years to come. Catchers that hit like this are very hard to replace.

Caglianone had just about the opposite debut, but the talent is undeniable. Caglianone destroyed the SEC in 2023 and 2024 enroute to the 6th overall selection in the 2024 draft. He then tore up the minor leagues and earned a MLB promotion on June 3rd, just 11 months later. Caglianone is a slugger in the Giancarlo Stanton mold; he’s a huge physical specimen who swings terribly hard and posts eye-popping exit velocities, but adds little value elsewhere. He isn’t fast and doesn’t play defense well, but his offensive ceiling is so high it just might not matter. He’s looked much improved this spring training and cranked this massive home run off a solid MLB lefty, Ryan Yarbrough, in the WBC. Things didn’t go his way in 2025, but an unfathomable .172 BABIP and an above-average xwOBA suggest he’ll be just fine moving forward.

These two youngsters hitting the way KC expects turn the offense from 3 good hitters and a group of underwhelming veterans into a threatening lineup where Sal Perez bats closer to 7th than 4th. That’s plenty of support for Bobby Witt Jr and Cole Ragans. However, if they struggle to adjust to MLB hitting over a full season, that puts a lot of stress on Starling Marte or Jonathan India being better than replacement level.

Overall, Kansas City has built a roster along the same lines of the recent Tigers’ teams: a few great players anchor the roster while some critical rookies have an outsized responsibility on a team close to contending. There’s undeniable upside, but considerable risk, too. They made very few additions to a team that won 82 games last year and seem to be hoping for the AL Central classic strategy of “sneak into October and get hot”. With Bobby Witt Jr, anything’s possible, but it feels like there’s too many holes on the roster and not nearly enough depth to really count them in unless things go perfectly for them.

On December 8, 2009, the Yankees were part of a three-team trade that brought Curtis Granderson’s big smile to the Bronx. New York acquired the center fielder from the Detroit Tigers while sending Austin Jackson and Phil Coke to Detroit and Ian Kennedy to Arizona. The larger trade also included Edwin Jackson going from Detroit to the desert and a pair of pitchers heading to the Tigers: future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer and not-future-Hall-of-Famer Daniel Schlereth.

The Grandy Man would spend four seasons patrolling center field in pinstripes. He celebrates his 45th birthday today.

Curtis Granderson
Born: March 16, 1981 (Blue Island, IL)
Yankees tenure: 2010–13

When the Yankees acquired Granderson from the Tigers, expectations were high. He had already established himself as one of the American League’s most exciting center fielders, combining power, speed, and defense while helping lead Detroit to the 2006 World Series earlier in his career.

Despite going yard in his first career at-bat with the Yankees, Granderson’s first season in New York came with an adjustment period. Granderson hit .247 in 2010 while launching 24 home runs, but he struggled at times adapting to the Yankees’ lineup and the pressure of the Bronx. Late that season, Granderson worked with hitting coach Kevin Long to make adjustments to his swing. Those changes, combined with a full season of experience under the bright lights of Yankee Stadium, set the stage for one of the most productive stretches of his career.

The following season, Granderson exploded into one of baseball’s most dangerous hitters. In 2011, he blasted 41 home runs, drove in 119 runs, and posted a .916 OPS while settling into the two-hole in the Yankees’ lineup between Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira. The performance earned him an All-Star selection and a fourth-place finish in the American League MVP race.

Granderson followed that campaign with another outstanding season in 2012, crushing 43 home runs, with 106 RBI, earning him his third and final All-Star selection. He became the fifth player in Yankees franchise history to hit 40+ home runs in back-to-back seasons. From 2011 through 2012, Granderson’s 84 home runs were the most in Major League Baseball. Forty-seven of those blasts came in front of the Bleacher Creatures in Yankee Stadium.

The 2013 season would be mostly lost to injury. Granderson broke his forearm during spring training after being hit by a pitch by future Yankee J.A. Happ. Then Granderson was hit again that season, this time by Cesar Ramos, fracturing a finger. He finished the year hitting .229 with seven home runs, 15 RBI, and a .723 OPS. That winter, Granderson signed with the Mets, a move that was somewhat overshadowed in New York by Robinson Canó’s blockbuster departure to the Seattle Mariners. Across four seasons in pinstripes, The Grandy Man hit 118 home runs while becoming one of the most popular players in the Bronx.

Yankees fans quickly embraced Granderson not only for his production, but for his personality. His upbeat attitude and constant smile made him an easy favorite in the clubhouse and among fans. When he stepped to the plate during those peak seasons, Yankee Stadium speakers often played the theme song from The Jetsons, a nod to his nickname “The Grandy Man.”

But while Granderson’s home runs and curtain calls made him a fan favorite, his most meaningful impact may have come off the field. Those are the contributions worth celebrating most today. Throughout his career, Granderson became known as one of baseball’s most dedicated philanthropists. In 2007, he established the Curtis Granderson Foundation, an organization focused on improving educational opportunities and expanding access to baseball for young people.

The foundation has supported a wide range of initiatives, including renovating baseball fields in underserved communities, providing scholarships for students, and funding youth programs that connect education with athletics. Granderson has frequently emphasized that the mission is about more than simply promoting baseball.

“The goal isn’t just to create baseball players,” Granderson once explained. “It’s to create opportunities.”

Those opportunities have taken many forms. The foundation has partnered with schools and community organizations across the country, helping provide resources for classrooms while also introducing young people to the game that shaped Granderson’s own life. His work has also extended to efforts to promote diversity within baseball. Granderson has been a vocal advocate for expanding access to the sport and ensuring young athletes from a wide variety of backgrounds can see themselves represented on the field. It’s a role he has embraced enthusiastically since retiring following the 2019 season. Granderson has continued promoting the foundation’s mission through media appearances, most recently during his work as a baseball analyst for TNT.

Granderson played 16 major league seasons, finishing his career with 344 home runs, more than 1,700 hits, and three All-Star selections. Yet his reputation within the game has often been defined as much by his character as by his accomplishments. That reputation was evident throughout his time in New York. Teammates routinely praised his professionalism and leadership, while fans appreciated the way he carried himself both on and off the field.

For many Yankees fans, Granderson represents the kind of player who made the organization easy to root for: productive, approachable, and deeply committed to the communities that supported him. His home runs provided plenty of memorable moments in Yankee Stadium. But years after those balls cleared the outfield wall, Curtis Granderson continues to make an impact in a very different way.

Happy birthday to the Grandy Man!

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

Since making his debut, Brett Baty has been fighting to prove he belongs in the majors. The former first round pick, whom the Mets drafted 12th overall in 2019, has struggled to establish himself at the big league level, and there were serious doubts about where he might fit on the Mets’ roster, especially after Mark Vientos’ breakout 2024 regular season and eye-opening postseason performance.

Fast-forward to the end of the 2025 season: Baty enjoyed an all-around solid campaign on both sides of the ball, while Vientos came crashing back to earth. Meanwhile, Ronny Mauricio, who missed all of 2024 due to an ACL injury, failed to make a strong impression in his return. All of that helped Baty climb up the depth chart in the minds of both the Mets and the fans. This is a critical season for Baty, who must show that the progress he made in 2025 is not a fluke, and that he has legitimate staying power at the big league level.

Baty’s star shone brightest right before the start of his major league career. He entered 2022 ranked No. 2 among prospect in the Mets’ system by both Amazin’ Avenue and MLB Pipeline (No. 27 overall by the MLB Pipeline rankings). By the midway point of the season, he moved up to #19 overall and the calls grew louder for the Mets to bring him up, including from our very own Michael Drago. The call finally came in mid-August, and he homered in his very first at-bat in Truist Park, a feat accomplished by only four other Mets before him, which showcased some of the promise that excited the fanbase and the organization.

However, that really was the lone highlight of a rough launch to his career. He appeared in 11 games and slashed a paltry .184/.244/.342 in 38 at-bats, finishing the year with a -0.1 fWAR and a 69 wRC+. After a scorching-hot start in Triple-A to kick off 2023, he returned to Flushing two weeks into the season and stayed with the club, more or less, through August, posting a -0.5 fWAR in 389 plate appearances. He ended 2023 with nine homers and 51 runs scored, and slashed .212/.275/.323 with a 67 wRC+.

He broke camp with the club for the first time in 2024 and stayed with the team until late May, when his inconsistent play earned him a demotion to Triple-A so he could get consistent playing time. His numbers were marginally better—a 0.5 fWAR, an 83 wRC+, and a .229/.306/.327 slash line, with four home runs in 50 games—but nowhere near good enough for his level of promise and the needs of the club. Combine that with Vientos’ breakthrough, and Baty didn’t really fit on the roster.

Baty once again broke camp with the Mets in 2025, and once again failed to make a positive impression. He hit .204/.246/.352 with a 66 wRC+ in 18 games prior to his demotion, but he returned in early May following Jesse Winker’s injury and stuck around this time. From that point forward, he saw much more consistent playing time and posted a 117 wRC+ in 108 games, slashing .263/.324/.448 while hitting 17 home runs, scoring 49 runs, and driving in 46. He set career highs in all major offensive categories, including hits (100), doubles (13), homers (18), runs scored (53), RBI (50), walks (33), and wRC+ (111) while posting a career-best 2.3 fWAR. He also started 46 games and appeared in 57 games at second base, a position he had never played before, and posted a 3 DRS and a -1 OAA, while posting a 4 DRS and a 2 OAA at third base, his natural position. That, paired with Vientos’ awful play at third, helped him secure more time in the field and has done wonders for his outlook heading into 2026.

A quick glance at his baseball savant page shows noticeable improvement in a few key areas, including Avg Exit Velo (90.7 in 2025 vs. 86.6 in 2024), Barrel % (12.8% in 2025 vs. 5.4% in 2024), Hard Hit % (46.9% in 2025 vs. 33.0% in 2024), and Chase % (24.8% in 2025 vs. 31.1% in 2025). In each of those categories, he progressed from ‘poor’ or ‘average’ to ‘great’ in 2025. He also finished 2025 in the 86th percentile among qualified major league hitters with a bat speed of 74.8 mph, up from 73.5 mph in 2024—he finished 2025 second behind only Pete Alonso in bat speed among Mets hitters). He did hit the ball on the ground way too often, which has plagued him throughout his career. His 52.6% GB% in 2025 was the fifth-highest among major leaguers with at least 300 plate appearances, and it’s something he will likely need to work on with the team’s new hitting coach. As Michael summarized in his season review for Baty:

To put it simply: when Baty swings hard and makes good contact, he’s still capable of showing why he was such a highly rated prospect just a few short years ago. While the bad parts of his batting profile still held him back some, the good parts allowed him to take a meaningful step forward this year.

This is probably the first year that Baty is all but guaranteed a spot out of spring training, and he has come out swinging to start spring. As of March 14, he’s posted a 191 wRC+ while slashing .389/.450/.667 with one homer, two doubles, 4 runs scored, and five runs batted in over 20 plate appearances. He’s worked hard to seize the opportunity in front of him and has left no doubt that he deserves a spot on the roster.

And yet, Baty still enters 2026 with something to prove. His name was floated in trade rumors all offseason, as recently as February, despite being under team control until he reaches free agency in 2030. The price was understandably high, and the winter came and went without a trade. However, two of the club’s most notable acquisitions—Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette—have displaced Baty from his natural infield positions. He has spent the spring taking up outfield, despite only one major league inning in left field to date (back in 2023). He made his spring debut in right field and has spent considerable time playing the outfield, exclaiming that he is “comfortable” playing the outfield given his time there in both Double-A and high school. Baty has displayed the right attitude amidst the transition, saying “I just love being on the field, wherever I play,” and “Whatever it takes to help us win.” Despite the up-and-down start to his career, all signs point to him still having a place on this team, especially if he can build off his 2025 progress.

Most Mets fans are not the illusion that Baty will become a superstar who can carry the franchise. However, with his positional flexibility, and given the progress he made at the plate in 2025, there’s every hope he can establish himself as a super utility player who can become very useful to the club for years to come. With Jeff McNeil now in Oakland Sacramento, Baty can take up the mantle and fill his shoes, playing a little bit of second, a little bit of third, and a little bit of the outfield when needed. That would serve the club well, and would likely lead to Baty finding a pretty steady spot on the club’s roster for the foreseeable future.

Good morning! The Mariners defeated the Cincinnati Reds yesterday 6-3 with another solid George Kirby outing. His final line after 4 2/3 innings pitched included two runs, seven hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. There is no game today as the players will get a break from live game action.

With Team USA’s win in the World Baseball Classic last night, who do you hope their opponent will be in the finals?

In Mariners news…

• The No Fly Zone was in full effect in Miami last night as Julio made an incredible catch at the wall for the Dominican Republic, and robbed Aaron Judge and Team USA of a home run in the fourth inning of the WBC.

• Third baseman Brendan Donovan continued his impressive Spring Training performance today with a four-hit game, bringing him to 14 hits in 31 at-bats so far.
• As Mariners players start to return from the WBC, their focus is finally turned towards the MLB regular season, writes Tim Booth at The Seattle Times.
• Jerry Dipoto joined Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob this past weekend to discuss what the team saw in Eduard Bazardo last season and the tweaks they made to unlock his potential.
• As Bryce Miller works back from his left oblique inflammation, the battle for the Mariners’ fifth starter spot is heating up between multiple potential candidates.

In the World Baseball Classic…

• Team USA is headed to the finals after defeating the Dominican Republic 2-1 with a very questionable game-ending strike call. Impressive pitching by Paul Skenes, and homers from Gunnar Henderson and Roman Anthony held the dominant Dominican Republic team to just one run.
• Italy and Venezuela face off today at 5 PM for a spot in the finals against the U.S.

Around the league…

• Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez left the team’s game early with left shoulder inflammation and is currently considered day-to-day.
• Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki is battling right knee discomfort after he was forced to exit in the first inning of Team Japan’s WBC matchup against Venezuela on Saturday.
• New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor made his Spring Training debut yesterday after recovering from a left hamate bone injury, and will now likely be ready for Opening Day.
• San Francisco Giants RHP Hayden Birdsong has suffered a UCL sprain and Grade 2 forearm sprain. He will weigh treatment options in the coming days but could potentially miss significant time this season.
• In other Giants news, the team lost a combined perfect game and then a no-hitter with one out to go in the ninth inning of their Spring Training matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers.
• St. Louis Cardinals RHP Hunter Dobbins will begin the season on the injured list as he continues rehabbing from an ACL tear he suffered last July.

The AL West is an intriguing division to unpack. Last year was a bit of a turnaround, as the Astros failed to win it in a full season for the first time since 2016, and actually missed the playoffs for the first time since that season. The Mariners project to be the crema of the crop this year, and in fact, have one the better projections in the AL overall.

There’s a fair bit of uncertainty here beyond the Mariners looking like the best team in the division, and every team addressed the offseason in a different way.

Seattle Mariners

On paper, it feels like Seattle has a great chance to win the division in back-to-back years, something the franchise has never managed in their history. (Their only consecutive playoff appearances came in 2000-2001, thanks to the 116-win campaign in the latter year. The Mariners have this bizarre thing where, in their history, they’ve had ten different seasons with 85+ wins and no playoff berth; they’ve only had five seasons with 85+ wins and a playoff berth.)

The rotation was fine last year and looks pretty good heading into 2026. Josh Naylor is back on a big-money $92.5 million, five-year deal. The eventual Brendan Donovan transaction saw him make his way to Seattle, and Jose Ferrer cost a big-time prospect but will now pair with Gabe Speier as another lefty option in their bullpen.

Jorge Polanco and Eugenio Suarez (a midseason (re-)acquisition last year) have moved on. Whether Cal Raleigh can pull off an encore season remains a question, but he’s projected to be the top catcher in the game in 2026. Julio Rodriguez has generally been a monster despite complaints about consistency, and gives the Mariners the best center field projection in MLB as well. One spot to watch will be shortstop, as J.P. Crawford is playing through a shoulder woe in Spring Training and had an unfortunate defensive season last year. He’s now in his 30s, and while the Mariners have Colt Emerson bumping around, the situation is somewhat fluid.

Overall, this is a dangerous team projected for 88 wins as a central estimate.

Houston Astros

The Astros and Braves both missed the playoffs in the first time in seemingly forever last year, and both have tried to reload. The Astros rejiggered their rotation, signing Tatsuya Imai from overseas and dealing for Mike Burrows. Overall, their roster doesn’t wow you, and the hope is that the Jeremy Pena-Carlos Correa-Yordan Alvarez triumvirate hits enough to make up for an unsettled situation in right field, while the bullpen carries some water for a rotation that will need someone (probably Imai) to step up behind Hunter Brown.

The FanGraphs Steamer-ZiPS blend is not a fan of their up-and-down roster, seeing the Astros as something like 80-82 as a central estimate. ZiPS alone is much more positive, with an 87-win central estimate that’s just one game behind the Mariners. The Astros are, overall, reminiscent of the Braves — not just because both teams need a bounceback into contention after what is hopefully a one-year blip, but also because there are depth issues that threaten to upend the whole thing.

Texas Rangers

Both the Depth Charts and ZiPS have the Rangers as around a .500 team. That’s what they’ve been the last two years after their 2023 title run, so that makes sense. They’ve retooled, swapping Skip Schumaker for Bruce Bochy in the manager seat, moving Marcus Semien for Brandon Nimmo, and acquiring MacKenzie Gore for a bunch of prospects. The team will definitely look different than its prior iterations, but whether that moves the needle, who knows?

There are question marks and potential downsides at catcher, first base, second base, third base, and in the bullpen. But there is also a ton of upside at shortstop (hi Corey Seager) and all over the outfield, not to mention that this looks like a top-five rotation on paper. It’s a mix-and-match roster construction that could be great with some good fortune, or awful if some of the expected producers get hurt or regress. If the rotation leads the way, maybe the offense does just enough to vault them out of the .500 range.

The Athletics

No one has the Athletics as particularly good, but you don’t need to be particularly good to make a playoff run these days, and at least their roster is pretty fun. They spent the offseason handing out extensions to youngesters like Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson, while also acquiring veterans like Jeff McNeil to play babysitter.

Overall, the Athletics are projected squarely below .500, but there’s some stuff to like here. Nick Kurtz was a monster and could be monstrous again. Combined with Brent Rooker and Soderstrom, there’s some real offensive heft here in a small park. The real issue is the pitching, both on the rotation and relief end. The rotation doesn’t have much upside (Luis Severino dominating the U.S. lineup for 3 1/3 innings last night notwithstanding), and the bullpen is more about hoping for breakouts and bouncebacks than anything else. This is a roster where the position players look like a fringy contender and the pitching staff looks like a miserly rebuilder. If they can force slugfests every night in that park, though, they might make some noise, though.

Los Angeles Angels

Ah, the Angels. Has a team ever done so little with so much? Maybe they’re thankful for the Mets.

Former Brave Kurt Suzuki is the Halos’ new manager, and GM Perry Minasian may be on the hot seat as well at this point. The roster has retooled, moving Taylor Ward for Grayson Rodriguez, while signing a quintet of relievers and adding a bunch of position player depth. As the roster keeps changing, it’s hard to know exactly how it’s all going to play out, but the projections have them as the dregs of the division. You can see why, though:

• They’re projected to have the worst production from catcher and second base in MLB.
• First base, third base, the entire outfield, and DH are also poor in this regard, while projections don’t care for their bullpen additions.
• Zach Neto is one of the few exciting parts of this roster.

Basically, the Angels are hoping that a solid rotation provides cover for everything else, or that everyone gets better in a hurry. If those things don’t happen, then it’ll be consistent with prior years… again. No one will really notice that the composition of the roster has changed.

The Tampa Bay Rays head into 2026 in a somewhat familiar position: a payroll well below most divisional rivals, a roster built more on ingenuity than name recognition, and a front office quietly convinced they can squeeze more wins out of this group than any algorithm will give them credit for.

One potential area of difference: the Rays’ typical areas of strength and weakness. For one, the usually light-hitting team has one of the league’s more exciting bats in Junior Caminero. In 2025, the 22-year-old third baseman casually posted a 45-homer, .264/.311/.535 season in 2025, making him not just the face of the franchise, but the sort of player who seems like he’ll one day go and sign a 12-year deal with the Yankees. That’s a few years from now, anyway.

On the other hand, the pitching staff—where Tampa Bay usually shines—harbors a few reasons for concern. All told, since last season the Rays lost a total of nine pitchers between the rotation and the bullpen. This team seems to have a magic ability to find good pitching out of nowhere, but they still find themselves having to rebuild more than half of last year’s innings.

Let’s dive into some of the recent comings and goings.

Additions and Subtractions

Since 2025, the Rays lost nine pitchers and five position players. The former includes starters Shane Baz (you know where he went), Zack Littell (at last year’s trade deadline), and Adrian Houser, not to mention Zach Eflin the year before that. Relievers Pete Fairbanks, a longtime weapon, Eric Orze, Forrest Whitley and Mason Montgomery, among others, also flew the coop.

The departed position players include University of Maryland alum and longtime Ray Brandon Lowe (2B), dealt to Pittsburgh, and three outfielders in Josh Lowe, Jake Mangum, and Kameron Misner, plus 1B/OF Christopher Morel.

To cover these holes, the Rays did what they do, which is go in aggressively on low-cost veteran talent. Perhaps the most notable acquisition was Cedric Mullins, the former Oriole who can hit for power, steal bases, and play a reliable center field. Tampa also brought back speedster Jake Fraley, an outfielder who was a former second-round pick a decade ago. The Rays acquired one more outfield glove in Justyn-Henry Malloy, via trade with the Tigers, and a veteran utility man in Gavin Lux.

The projected Tampa Bay batting order will lean heavily on its top four spots. In his second season, centerfielder Chandler Simpson will lead off and attempt to create chaos on the bases. Yandy Díaz (day-to-day this spring with an undisclosed issue) bats second and remains a scary-enough disciplined contact hitter to make his non-existent defense worth the investment. Infielder Jonathan Aranda is likely to hold down first base and hit solidly in the third slot. Then comes Caminero, and with his 45 home runs and .846 OPS last season, opposing pitchers should be ready.

After that? It gets thin, and conspicuously left-handed. There’s Mullins, Lux, Taylor Walls at short, Jake Fraley in right, and Hunter Feduccia behind the plate. It’s a lineup with a pretty limited floor.

Then, as I said, there’s starting pitching. The Rays are top-heavy, with Drew Rasmussen their clear ace. The righty had an elite 2025 season, going 10-5 with a 2.76 ERA in 31 starts. After that, well. Shane McClanahan hasn’t pitched a meaningful inning since August 2023, but he was darn good before that, and presumably is healthy now. Ryan Pepiot was fine last year. The 35-year-old Steven Matz was signed this offseason and will compete for a rotation spot. Same deal, Nick Martinez.

The bullpen figures to include Edwin Uceta (temporarily slowed down with a back injury in spring training), Garrett Cleavinger, old Oriole Bryan Baker, Mason Englert, Jesse Scholtens, Hunter Bigge (status also uncertain), and Joe Boyle and Ian Seymour, two starters making a turn to relief pitching this year.

Projections

This is, on paper, a lineup that could work in a bad division. The AL East is not a bad division. So we might well have doubts about the Rays’ chances this year. Here’s what the pundits think:

PECOTA: 81-81 (5th in the AL East)
FanGraphs: 81-81 (same)
DraftKings Sportsbook: Over/Under 78.5 Wins, +250 to win the AL East, +3000 to win the AL Pennant, +8000 to win the World Series

The pundits place the Rays at between 78-81 wins, which in this division almost certainly means watching October from home. The Blue Jays project as division favorites, the Yankees will have Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón back in the rotation at some point, the Red Sox’s rotation got significantly better thanks to acquiring Ranger Suarez, and the Orioles have the talent to make a run.

None of that means the Rays can’t surprise. Manager Kevin Cash has coaxed more out of less before, and this organization has a habit of finding contributors where other teams dare not tread. But in the AL East, the margin for error is essentially zero. So maybe don’t fully count the Rays out. But also, just maybe, don’t pencil them in, either.

When the Rockies signed Thairo Estrada to a one-year deal ahead of the 2025 season, it seemed like the team had an answer — at least in the short-term — at second base in the post-Brendan Rodgers era. 

Injuries derailed that plan as Estrada started and ended the season on the 60-Day IL twice, first with a fractured wrist and then with a sprained hamstring. He also suffered a sprained right thumb for a shorter IL stint. In the end, Estrada played only 39 games and the Rockies second base position was made up of a quilt of players with no clear starter emerging in the season.

Adael Amador started the second-most games at second with 26, Kyle Farmer and Ryan Ritter followed with 28 starts apiece, Orlando Arcia started 13 games, while Tyler Freeman had 12 starts.

With the Rockies signing Willi Castro this offseason, and only three of those six players returning to spring training, second base will look different for Colorado in 2026. And it has to if the Rockies want to improve — Colorado’s second basemen combined to rank No. 29 in on-base percentage (.267) and OPS (.550), No. 28 in batting average (.213) and slugging percentage (.283) and tied for No. 26 in homers (eight) and RBI (53) among the same position in MLB in 2025.

The starter

When the Rockies signed Castro to a two-year, $12.8 million deal in January, he seemed like a great fit for the Rockies because of his utility abilities, as he can play second, third, and shortstop, as well as all three outfield positions, as well as his talent on the basepaths and bat that made him an All-Star with the Twins in 2024.

He’s pulled way ahead as the best candidate for second base in spring training, even if he only has a small sample size with the Rockies. In 11 at-bats in five games, Castro has seven hits, including two doubles, three runs scored, two RBIs, two walks, one stolen base and one strikeout. 

He also has the 2026 World Baseball Classic on his resume and had a standout performance for Puerto Rico. He earned a spot on the highlight reels with a leadoff homer against Italy in the quarterfinals on March 14. It was a cause for celebration as Castro only has 10 homers in seven MLB seasons.

In 15 at-bats in five games in the WBC, Castro recorded four hits, including a double and a homer, with three RBI, four walks, a stolen base and four strikeouts. Even before that homer, the Purple Row community dubbed Castro as the Rockie having the best WBC.

At age 28, Castro could give a boost to the Rockies lineup, offensively and defensively, as he works to show that his down year in 2025 with the Twins (slash line of .222/.404/.389) was an outlier.  

The backups

Ritter, the 25-year-old who finished the 2025 season as the Rockies second baseman, has been playing so well in spring training that he’s making a case to earn a spot on the roster. He can play second, shortstop and third base, and has even played six games in left field this spring. In 42 at-bats over 16 games, Ritter is hitting .357/.413/.524 with three stolen bases, four doubles, one homer, seven RBI and nine runs scored. 

Ritter made his MLB debut on June 6 last season, and started with a bang before being sidelined with a right middle-finger laceration. Despite the injury, Ritter returned and ended up playing 60 games, batting .241/.296/.337 with nine doubles, three triples, one home run, 18 RBI, three stolen bases (in four tries), 10 walks (4.8%) and 61 strikeouts (29.5%). He’s also a great defender with a solid glove and range.

Also vying for a backup spot, Amador has played the most at second base in spring training thus far. His 11 games lead the way with Roc Riggio at nine, Edouard Julien at seven, Castro at five and Jose Torres at one. Even though Amador made his MLB debut in 2024, he is still just 22 years old. In 10 games in 2024 and 41 games last season, Amador has struggled at the plate with a career line of .176/.242/.250 with two homers, 10 RBI and 27 strikeouts in 148 at-bats.

This spring, Amador has hit better, slashing .229/.270/.429 with two homers, five RBIs, six runs, one double, two walks, six strikeouts and two stolen bases with 34 at-bats. Amador’s first homer also happened to be the Rockies’ first of spring training — a solo shot on Feb. 21. 

Depth options

Julien is making a play for first base or second base — or both. The Rockies acquired Julien in a trade with the Twins in late January. Julien, who had a breakout rookie season in 2023 with the Twins when he posted a .263/.381/.459 slash line with 16 home runs. He’s struggled in the two seasons since, but he does provide versatility and a left-handed bat. Julien hasn’t performed well at the plate so far in spring training, where he’s only posted two hits in 15 at-bats with an RBI, two walks, one run scored and five strikeouts.

Freeman is also available to play second base and can also play in the outfield. Arriving just before the 2025 season from Cleveland in a trade for Nolan Jones, Freeman put up the best batting average of Rockies with at least 100 games. He batted .281/.354/.361 with 18 stolen bases, 20 doubles, two homers, two triples, 50 runs and 31 RBIs. While Freeman offered a solid bat, his defense can be a bit of a liability. This spring, Freeman is hitting .316/.435/.421in 19-at bats.

On the farm

There are lots of possibilities for second basemen in the Rockies farm system. 

Riggio (No. 14 PuRP) came to the Rockies from the Yankees in the 2025 trade for Jake Bird. The 23-year-old lefty-hitting, right-handed throwing infielder has a solid presence at the plate with power and a good eye. Riggio has posted two hits, including one homer, in eight at-bats this spring. After coming to Colorado’s organization on July 31, Riggio played the rest of the season in Double-A Hartford, where he’s likely to start 2026.

Also in the pipeline is Torres, a 26-year-old infielder, who was claimed by the Rockies in the 2024 Rule-5 Draft from Cincinnati. He split his time in 2025 between Double-A Hartford and Triple-A Albuquerque and hit .242/.307/.426 with 15 homers and 17 doubles.

Roldy Brito (No. 11 PuRP) is a promising prospect in the Rockies farm system. He isn’t expected to arrive in the Big Leagues until 2028, but he has a lot of potential.

Closing thoughts

Considering the quality and depth of the second basemen — even if it’s through utilitymen who can play multiple infield and even outfield positions — the Rockies are poised to perform better at second base this year. Whether Castro becomes the Rockies next second baseman or serves as a bridge to the future, hopefully, the Rockies are closer to finding their second baseman of the future.

Can Castro ride his WBC hot streak into the regular season? Will the depth and versatility help the Rockies win more games this season? Will Ritter force the Rockies to slot him in the lineup more often? Let us know what you think.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Last season, the Washington Nationals bullpen was an utter disaster. They posted a 5.59 ERA as a unit, which was comfortably the worst in baseball. However, I do not see that happening again. In fact, I think the Nationals bullpen will surprise people in 2026. There may not be any star names, but I think the unit will be solid.

Don’t get it twisted, I do not expect the Nats to have an elite bullpen, but I do not think it will be among the worst in the league either. Honestly, I would expect the bullpen ERA to look something like the 4.14 mark the Nats posted in 2024. There will be some breakouts, as well as plenty of trial and error.

There is going to be a lot of churn in the Nats bullpen this year. It is part of Paul Toboni’s philosophy. We already got a taste of that with all the waiver claims this offseason. These waiver claims will continue into the season. If guys aren’t producing, they will be demoted or DFA’d, and replaced by pitchers the front office finds more interesting. The mixing and matching will continue until they find the right combination.

That means we are not going to see Colin Poche and Lucas Sims types get over a month of run despite clearly not having the goods. The fact the Nats do not have a ton of relievers on guaranteed big league contracts will also help them be more flexible. A lot of teams like to just churn through relievers, and the Nats are going to be one of those teams.

However, they will have a few guys who they rely on in high leverage spots. One of those pitchers is Clayton Beeter, who Mike DeBartolo picked up in the Amed Rosario trade. Beeter posted a 2.49 ERA in 24 appearances with the Nats last year. This spring, Beeter has bumped up his slider usage, which could help him out. His slider is an elite swing and miss weapon, which he will lean on this year.

I would not be surprised if the Nats have more of a closer by committee set up this season. However, if they were to have a set closer, Beeter would be my pick. While he has control issues, he has the swing and miss stuff to bail himself out. When batters do put the ball in play against him, they do not tend to make great contact either.

Another high leverage reliever for the Nats will be Cole Henry. The right hander had his moments as a rookie, but faded as the season went on. He posted a 4.27 ERA last year, but I think that will be improved upon this year. Henry has bumped up his cutter usage this spring. I like that a lot because it gives him a bridge pitch between his fastball and sweeper. That cutter makes his arsenal much more complete.

Those two were in the Nats bullpen last year, but I would expect them to take strides forward this year. Brad Lord and PJ Poulin are two more arms that should give the Nats more stability in the ‘pen. Beyond those guys, we should see a revolving door of arms. I am sure a couple of those pitchers they give chances to will blossom under this new pitching development program.

The pitchers I have named so far lack experience, but Paul Toboni did bring in a couple of veterans on minor league deals right before Spring Training. Cionel Perez and Drew Smith are both looking to re-establish themselves as bullpen mainstays. They have success on their resume’s, but Perez struggled in 2025 and Smith was injured the whole year. Both have looked sharp this spring.

If one or both of those guys recapture some of the magic they had a few years ago, that would provide a massive boost. It feels like Smith is getting sharper and sharper as he gets more innings under his belt. Perez has also thrown the ball well this spring.

Honestly, most of the Nationals pitchers have looked good this spring. Some of the usage tweaks the new regime has made seem to have positive early returns. It is still Spring Training, but I like what I am seeing.

I am calling my shot! If the Nats bullpen ERA is not at least a run lower than last year, I would be very surprised. A 4.59 bullpen ERA still wouldn’t be good, but after last year, I would take it. Like I said up top, I expect the bullpen ERA to look much closer to the 4.14 mark they posted in 2024. 

There are no massive names in this group, but there do not need to be. We just need less Colin Poche and Jorge Lopez type blow-ups. Based on what we have seen this spring, I expect that will happen. Even last Spring Training, you could see the cracks in the Nats bullpen showing. We have not seen that so far this spring. Instead, we have seen a plethora of arms who can get outs.

You never truly know until you get into the regular season, but I really think the Nats bullpen will be solid. The pitchers performing well will stay and the guys struggling will have a short leash. I expect the bullpen to be a pleasant surprise for Nats fans in 2026.

The World Baseball Classic has matured to the point where, like the World Cup and NCAA tournament, each edition is going to be remembered for a specific storyline.

In 2023, that storyline was the ascension of Shohei Ohtani to the level of Global Sports God. Over those two-and-a-half weeks we saw him definitively swipe the crown of “game’s best player” right off the head of his then-teammate, Mike Trout. We saw him hit a cultural Q-rating that no baseball player had approached in decades. And we reached a tipping point in the baseball GOAT debate wherein a critical mass of fans started saying “yup, it’s him.”

What will the storyline be for the 2026 tournament? Sadly, I think it’ll be last night’s atrocious strike call to end what had been a sublime baseball game.

Just an awful, inexcusable call. I’m sure someone in the comments will come up with something, but I can’t think of a single botched ball/strike call that was as impactful as that in recent baseball memory. The fact that Juan Soto was rung up with a similarly bad call at a similarly big moment earlier in the game only fuels the outrage. I have a feeling this is something we’re going to hear Dominican ballplayers and fans talk about for a long time. It’ll probably even be the main storyline heading into the next tournament.

But if there’s a second storyline this tournament will be remembered for — especially in the free and independent Republic of New England — it’ll be the outstanding play of the Boston Red Sox. We had Jarren Duran balling out for Mexico, Masataka Yoshida thriving in pool play,Wilyer Abreu hitting one of the most electric homers the tournament has ever seen, Brayan Bello carving up Israel, and Greg Weissert closing out one of the most notable upsets in tournament history.

And now we have Roman Anthony and Garrett Whitlock carrying Team USA into the finals.

Anthony — who has seven hits, four walks, two homers, seven RBI and an OPS of 1.014 thus far — hit this monster sockdolager that turned out to be the game winning hit:

Then Garrett Whitlock mowed down the heart of possibly the greatest lineup ever assembled to hold Anthony’s lead in the eighth (though, yes, this included that bad call against Juan Soto).

Team USA now awaits the outcome of tonight’s Venezuela-Italy game, while Anthony-induced giddiness has reached dangerous levels amongst Red Sox fans.

Talk about the WBC and whatever else you feel like and, as always, be good to one another.

In a week full of World Baseball Classic games, Guardians players have been finding success in Goodyear and in Houston.

Naylor’s Big Night

In Friday night’s WBC game between the United States and Canada, Guardians’ catcher Bo Naylor had a big night for his native Canada. Although his team lost and ultimately sent the U.S. to the semifinals, Naylor proved himself to fans all over the world. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Gabe Speier threw a two-out pitch to Naylor with a runner on base. He took that pitch deep into the seats at Daiken Field to cut the United States’ lead to 5-3. While his team wasn’t able to capitalize on that momentum and was ultimately eliminated from the WBC, Naylor made his name known on the biggest stage.

Halpin Helping Big

Cleveland’s 95th draft pick from 2020, Petey Halpin, has been making waves in Spring Training. The young centerfielder has had pretty consistent playing time this March, totalling 25 at bats so far. In that time, he’s hit .320/.433/.640 with eight hits and two home runs. He’s also continuing to show off his speed on the basepaths, claiming five stolen bases so far. He’s played just six Major League games during the regular season so far, but if he can get consistent playing time in 2026, he’ll definitely be a threat on the bases and at the plate.

Gaddis Nearing Return

As the start of the regular season inches closer, so does the return of setup man Hunter Gaddis. Gaddis was shut down early in Spring Training due to right forearm tightness. He received an MRI to assess the damage and found that there was no damage, however, the team had shut him down just to be safe. Since then, he’s been working towards a return with two bullpen sessions this week. While the timing of his return has yet to be fully determined, he’s been making good progress and has “been feeling really good” according to Manager Stephen Vogt.

Social Media Spotlight

This week’s social media spotlight highlights Matt Wilkinson who pitched for the Lake County Captains in 2025. He’s spent the last couple of weeks representing Team Canada at the World Baseball Classic, and he had a huge moment in Friday’s game against the U.S. He struck out the team’s heavy hitters, Cal Raleigh and Bryce Harper. The below video shows just how much spirit the young pitcher has.

Sometimes when we go over numbers things get missed. In this case, there were a few arms that got left out of the conversation and I would be remiss if I didn’t at least address them as camp is coming to a close. Some of the names are names you are familiar with, but they exist on the periphery of the conversation. Our numbers can help explain why that is.

There is one that came up late last season and actually looked pretty good. A third name is from one of the many non-roster invitees that has had major league time. As we do with most of the arms, we look at both major and minor league numbers when it suits us. There is a general rule in data analysis and that general rule is that we go with more data whenever possible. Nothing kills analysis quite like small sample sizes. All three of these arms have spent more time in the minors than at the big league level. As usual, before we get started let me remind everyone about our norms for the numbers we are using.

• Chase rate: This is the percentage of balls a player swings at outside of the zone. The league average normally lives around 30 percent, but we will be looking at three year intervals and we should notice trends more than where a player is in relationship to the league average.

• Hard hit percentage: This is simply the percentage of balls that a player hits hard. Hard hit balls become hits and extra base hits more often than softer contact. Typically 35 percent is around the league average in this category.

• BABIP: This is batting average on balls in play. Home runs are obviously excluded since they are not in play. The league average tends to hover around .300 but it will largely depend on hard hit percentages and breakdowns between groundballs, flyballs, and line drives.

• Contact percentage: This is the percentage of swings that turn into contact. Typically 75 percent is around league average.
• HR/FB percentage: This is the percentage of flyballs that result in home runs. Ten percent is typically around the league average.
• LOB%: It is pretty self-explanatory. It is the number of runners that get stranded on base. The league average tends to be around 70 percent. Of course, there is some debate as to whether pitchers control that or not.

J.P. France

It should be noted that 2023 and 2024 came at the big league level where 2025 came at AAA. That can help explain the dip in contact and hard hit rate. Otherwise, France is pretty average and maybe even below average when it comes to contact rates. 2023 was a magical year for him when everything came together. He had a higher than normal left on base percentage and lower than normal BABIP.

I suppose that luck could return in limited exposure. If you pitch him exclusively in the pen and don’t let the order turn around on him then you could coax above average results out of him. In all likelihood, he will be penciled into Sugar Land’s rotation and provide decent quality depth when and if some of the ML starters go to the injury list.

Jayden Murray

Let’s start with the good news. Murray is better than the AAA numbers he put up in 2023 and 2025. He pitched only three innings in 2024, so we did not include those numbers here. Ultimately, he has the look of an average AAA pitcher. Like most average pitchers, he is capable of short bursts of solid production and that happened late in the season in Houston. He had 11.2 innings and pitched to a 1.54 ERA. That came with a .3.78 xERA and 4.52 xFIP.

Those numbers are obviously much more in line with who he is. He is like most middle relievers pitching in the big leagues. There are going to be years when the ball bounces their way and they put up very good numbers. There are going to be years where it doesn’t. The Astros’ strategy seems to be to collect as many of those guys as possible with the hope of finding three or four guys (to go along with their two or three high leveraged relievers) to cobble together a solid pen.

Christian Roa

This is one of those calculated gambles that teams sometimes take. Roa seemed to find something last season. His chase rate went up and contact rates went down. His left on base percentage, BABI, and home run rate also improved dramatically. It could be fool’s gold and that is the risk. However, consider that Roa was brought in on a minor league contract. What’s the worst that can happen?

He has a 1.29 ERA in seven innings with seven strikeouts. So, maybe what he found last season has stuck with him. If we look at just the 2025 numbers we see that he is around the league average in contact rate, home run rate, and reasonably close in chase rate. He is just another guy that could potentially work out with good batted ball luck. The Astros have at least a half dozen of those guys and the expectation is that their pitching lab along with good batted ball luck could coax good performances out of half of them. Will Roa be one of those guys?