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Can I interest you in an embedded Bluesky post to set the mood?

The Royals are back in action this afternoon, hosting the San Diego Padres in Surprise. They’ll face off against MLB The Show stud but real-life underperformer Matt Waldron, the last known (to me, at least) knuckleballer in MLB. Here’s the lineup they’ll be using:

Kyle Isbel gets to bat fifth in today’s contest, likely to give him a third plate appearance before letting him head off to the golf courses. And don’t worry, that’s not the nearly-87-year-old Cookie Rojas (His birthday is March 6. Happy early birthday, Cookie!) but instead former White Sox infielder Josh Rojas getting the start at third as he tries to reclaim the success from his time with the Diamondbacks of three and four years ago. Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, and Salvador Perez are the only Royals to start a second game in a row. That’s fitting as they are the heart of both the lineup and the team in general.

Ryan Bergert will be taking the mound in a semi-competitive game for the first time since he exited a start against the Cleveland Guardians early in September with forearm tightness. He’s someone we’ll be watching closely to make sure he’s healthy heading into the season. He might not even make the opening day rotation, but he’s likely to be very important as the year goes on.

They announced who all would be pitching after him during yesterday’s broadcast, but like a rookie, I chose not to write it down, assuming I’d be able to find it easily somewhere today. Don’t worry, I’ll have that cleaned up by Opening Day. The Royals do have the following pitchers listed on their game roster for today, and I imagine most of them are going to get an opportunity to pitch:

• Eli Morgan
• Chandler Champlain
• Jonathan Heasley
• Mason Black
• Christian Chamblerain
• Ben Kudrna
• Dennis Colleran Jr.
• Andrew Pérez
• Oscar Rayo

Of that batch, I’m most interested in Morgan and Black as they both seem to have outside shots at making the bullpen out of Spring Training. I had forgotten Heasley had returned on a minor league deal last August, and even if I had remembered, I wouldn’t have realized he was still in the organization this spring. Colleran is another guy to watch closely, even if he’s unlikely to make the Opening Day roster. He had a 1.83 ERA in A+ ball last year, though with a FIP over 4.00 and not nearly enough strikeouts.

(EDIT: Anne Rogers came through!)

The outfield situation should be interesting as well; the Royals have Tyler Gentry, Gavin Cross, Kameron Misner, and Carson Roccaforte on the game roster outside the starters, and all of those guys have something to prove to the team, though only Misner seems remotely likely to break camp with the big club.

Today’s game will only be broadcast in online audio, but it’s free through either the Royals’ site or the MLB App. In the past, during such broadcasts, they haven’t played commercials but have instead allowed us to soak in the sounds of the ballpark between innings. Hopefully, we’ll get to enjoy that again this year.

This piece was originally planned for the end of January. However, the Diamondbacks were still deep into the offseason rumours, so I gave them until the beginning of spring training to make their final moves before weighing in.

As the 2025 season rolled to a close, the Diamondbacks found themselves in a somewhat unexpected position. They were, despite a massive deadline sell-off, pushing for the final National League Wild Card berth. Alas, they came u just short, despite playing with a deleted roster. One only has to wonder how things might have been different if any of Corbin Burnes, A.J. Puk, Justin Martinez, or Gabriel Moreno had avoided long-term or season-ending injuries. The same can be said about if Zac Gallen had rediscovered his mojo two or three weeks sooner than he did. If anything, this late-season surge complicated the entire offseason for General Manager Mike Hazen.

The players moved at the trade deadline were all out of contract at the end of the season. However, many of them were also primary contributors to the modest success of the first half and some were also fan-favourites. Additionally, of the players to fall by the wayside due to injury, only Gabriel Moreno has yet to return to the roster. The team’s ace starter (a legit top-5 in the league starter), the team’s closer, and the team’s primary lefty and set-up man are all still out and will miss the early portions of the 2026 season.

Trades, injuries, and departures to free agency combined, the Diamondbacks entered the winter down, Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suarez, Corbin Burnes, A.J. Puk, Justin Martinez, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Randal Grichuk, and former franchise disgrace Shelby Miller. In numbers, that is the team losing 60% of its starting rotation, the best 43% of its bullpen, and 37.5% of its everyday lineup. By the time the Diamondbacks were playing ball in September, it was already readily apparent that Mike Hazen was preparing to enter far and away the most difficult offseason of his tenure as Arizona’s general Manager – ecliping even the offseason following the teams disastrous 110-loss season.

So, how did Mike Hazen and Company do this winter? Here’s a quick look at the moves made and how they may or may not pan out for Arizona and how things look for Arizona now that spring training games have begun.

The moves:

Arizona tenders a qualifying offer to long-time starter Zac Gallen. This move was about the biggest no-brainer of the offseason, even if it did not eventually end in the team acquiring an extra draft pick and draft pool money.

The MLB Free Agent Signings:

The following are ranked best-to-worst from this pundit’s vantage point.

Arizona re-sign James McCann to 1-year/2.75 million contract with easy escalators to push the deal up to $3.25 million. This deal is almost without a doubt, the single-best free agent signing or trade made by the franchise this past winter. Not since the early years of Miguel Montero have the Diamondbacks had this level of relative depth behind the plate. Instead of a starter and a borderline AAA/AAAA player behind the dish, the Diamondbacks are running out a top-five backstop whose back-up is a borderline starter for lower-tier teams who has extensive experiences as a top-flight catcher. Given McCann’s reputation as a solid pitch-caller and the fact that, when he gets hot, he can carry a club for a week or two, and bringing back was a no-brainer decision for Arizona, so long as he agreed to a reasonable late-career contract. The deal McCann signed to return to Arizona comes in below market value for many backstops, giving the club and fans even more to appreciate.

Arizona re-signs Zac Gallen to a 1-year/$22.025 million deal. Zac Gallen had an abysmal 2025. It was the worst season of his career. Here’s the thing though, he turned it around post-deadline, in a fairly dramatic way. Also, outside of the disastrous 2021 season where Gallen was injured and missed 8 starts, it is the only season of his career where he did not rate 15% or better than the rest of the league. Last season is also the only season (including the painful 2021 season) in which Gallen did not post a least 2.1 WAR. Back at the deadline I wrote an article where I was getting flack for estimating $9-10 million/WAR. Then the latest number came out and it seems the real cost is now closer to $11 million/WAR, especially for pitching. Suddenly, $22 million seems very reasonable for a pitcher with the pedigree of Gallen. Could Gallen continue his slow, gradual decline into 2026 and end up being below average? Of course he can. Is it likely? Probably not. Yes, he may fall short of his best seasons. But it is not at all a stretch to see even a diminished Gallen being at least a league average, 160+ IP starter. That’s a 2 WAR player. Given that Gallen’s contract is a 1-year deal, there is really not much risk and almost no downside. If he is terrible, he’ll be gone sooner rather than later. If he is good but the team struggles, he’s easily traded. If he is vintage Gallen, not only is he tradeable, but Arizona might just find themselves in contention for October baseball. Additionally, when Gallen was signed just before the start of spring training, the Diamondbacks were still looking at opening the season with fewer than five established starters. With the new finances of MLB contracts in full effect, this is about as close as a deal for a starter comes to being low-cost/low-risk with a potential high reward.

Arizona signs Merrill Kelly to a 2-year/$40 million with a vesting option worth up to $18 million for year three/2028. The return of Merrill Kelly to the Diamondbacks was one of the most anticipated moves of this offseason going all the way back to the trade deadline in 2025. The return of Merrill Kelly to the Valley of the Sun always seemed like a foregone conclusion, even after his abysmal spell with the Texas Rangers and his comments that he would not be returning to Arizona for a hometown discount. Seriously. I have been covering the team since their inception. I cannot for the life of me think of a single instance where a free agent has been more telegraphed and anticipated joining the club than Merrill Kelly. So why do I rank signing him as third on this list? That comes almost entirely down to the length of the deal. While it is true that Merrill Kelly has proven himself the textbook definition of a workhorse starter during his time in Arizona, he has also shown the signs of the ravages of time and use. Frankly, Merrill Kelly for $20 million or less in 2026 seems like a minor bargain. It’s beyond that that I have an issue. While Zac Gallen’s deal may be problematic, it is a one-year deal, mitigating risk. Merrill Kelly is seven years older and starting to show signs of the mileage on his arm. While I feel confident there is little downside to 2026, it is the 2027 and likely 2028 seasons I am concerned with. For one thing, I am not at all convinced there will be meaningful baseball in 2027. In 2028, Kelly will be three years removed from his workhorse seasons and 40 years of age. The number of red flags associated with Merrill Kelly in 2028 is too much for me to ignore. That said, teams like Arizona, if they want premium free agents, often need to be willing to take on a bit more risk than other clubs. Sometimes, that works in marvelous ways (Randy Johnson, Steve Finley, Troy Glaus). Other times, it is a nightmare (Russ Ortiz, Maddison Bumgarner). The jury remains out on Kelly and likely will continue to be out until August or September, unless he simply implodes. Under no circumstances does Kelly ever fall into the same category as the two listed free agent busts. But this contract does not come without real risk for a team with essentially no wiggle-room when it comes to payroll. The likelihood of a 2027 lockout that costs a majority of the games for the year does not help matters.

Arizona signs Carlos Santana to a 1-year/$2 million contract. This deal feels very much like the proverbial making a deal to make a deal. Yes, Santana was marginally above average with the glove at age 39 in 2025. Does that automatically make him a better option than the beleaguered Pavin Smith and Tim Tawa? That’s a pretty tall order for Santana, who will be 40 and coming off a season in which his bat was only good for an OPS+ of 77 for 2025, including a -25 OPS+ for his short stint in Chicago’s north side. While there is reason to appreciate the likes of Smith and Tawa being pushed to e better, it feel a bit rich to be spending $2 million on a player whose biggest contribution to the team is likely to be eating up at-bats that could just as easily go to one of a handful of other players already in the organization. The likelihood of Santana out-performing any of his competitors offensively is quite low.

Arizona signs Paul Sewald to a 1-year/$1.5 million deal. Excuse me, what?!?!?! Are we talking about the same Paul Sewald that might have cost the Diamondbacks the 2023 World Series? Are we talking about the experienced closer who spent the very next season vacillating between injury and ineffectiveness? It would seem that the answer to those questions is, yes, Arizona is reuniting with that Paul Sewald. What’s more is, Sewald was again below average in 2025. As a low-cost reliever add, Sewald is not the worst option. Even some of the best teams have a marginal reliever that throws the middle innings that can flash brilliance from time-to-time. However, comments made by the organization since the signing point toward Sewald being a short-list candidate for closer. That is a far more problematic proposal. While I am not sure if Paul Sewal will turn out to e superior to Arizona’s in-house options for relief pitching, I am downright skeptical as they come to the notion of him ever being a closer again. For a team like Arizona that has pushed its payroll to the point of bursting at the seams, this particular contract seems ill-advised, even at the price. When combined with the salary given to Carlos Santana,

Arizona signs Mike Soroka to a 1-year/$7.5 million deal with escalators that could take the deal up to $9.5 million. Frankly, I am not terribly worried about Soroka ever obtaining the levels of performance for the escalators to kick in. I almost made my take on this signing an entire article all in itself. Mike Soroka has not been an effective starter since 2019. Then, in the COVID-shortened 2020, he started only three games and 13.2 innings before his season was done. He wouldn’t return to the mound until 2023. Since then, across three seasons, he has made a total of 54 appearances (32 starts) . He has been injured again. He has also been considerably below league average. Across all those appearance scattered across three full seasons, Soroka only barely eclipsed 200 innings pitched (201.2). His ERA+ of 85 over that time is worse than Zac Gallen’s terrible single season of 2025. Sure, Soroka has a bit of heat, but nothing special. Yet, despite all this, until the late signing of Zac Gallen, all reports out of Arizona’s camp were that Soroka was expected to be in the team’s rotatin. Now, after the addition of Gallen, the narrative has changed a bit, slotting Kelly, Ryne Nelson, and Gallen into the rotation, with the final two spots up for competition. That is only somewhat reliable though, as Eduardo Rodriguez is all but a shoe-in for the rotation is he is healthy. The signing of Soroka was one of Arizona’s very first decisions of the winter. Dedicating a full $7.5 million to a lottery ticket starter, all the way back when the entire field was still available, feels suspect at best – negligent at worst. Given the price paid to so many established relievers and utility bats, this feels very much like $7.5 million nearly flushed down the drain. Is Soroka truly better than anyone Arizona has in-house, including the trade acquisitions and minor league signings? It is honestly difficult to even give him credit for being better than the aforementioned Paul Sewald. The signing of Mike Soroka back in December was a warning klaxon to the world that Arizona was desperate and tapped out regarding payroll.

The Minor League Signings

Honestly, this category is so fluid, I give up trying to make sure this is accurate to the moment. The number of organizational filler players that come out of this category makes it difficult to grade the entire pool. Instead, I’ll just be highlighting the more notable moves.

Jose Urquidy nearly joined the Diamondbacks as a minor league signing. If he had, his arrival would have ranked among the better moves the organization has made in the last two or three seasons. Unfortunately, the deal fell through. Urquidy will instead be pitching for Pittsburgh, for only $5 million, substantially less than the lesser Mike Soroka. The upside for Urquidy is not terribly special. In fact, it is pretty average. But at least he can eat innings and is likely to give the team more than a small handful of appearances. Let me be clear, neither player is a needle-mover. But when finances are as tight for the club, every MLB move has an out-sized impact.

Joe Ross – Joe Ross looks very much like a potential middle relief swingman. He hasn’t had much success of late and has battled injuries. He was a solid bullpen arm as recently as 2024, but as he is a reliever, volatility goes hand-in-hand with him. In all likelihood, Ross fills in as organizational depth in Reno. However, if he finds a good run of form, he could quickly reinforce the MLB bullpen during the dog days of summer. At the very least, the team is getting some veteran leadership in the Reno bullpen to help mentor the youth upward.

Grant Holman – Holman is a late-inning reliever with solid set-up man upside. Holman was claimed from the Athletics when they needed to make 40-man space for Aaron Civale. Holman’s 2025 was marred by significant injury. Before that he was shaping into a reliable late-inning arm. Holman features mid-90s velocity on his fastball and his slider features roughly 9 mph slower with hard bite. Despite this, he doesn’t miss quite as many bats as one would hope. This is where he may run into trouble in the dessert or Reno. He allows more contact than someone with his stuff probably should. On the other hand, he does a better job than most of Arizona’s pitchers (especially relievers) of limiting walks. If Holman is able to work his way back to his pre-injury form, the Diamondbacks may have found a steal to bridge the gap until the returns of A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez. If he should continue to show rust or a decline in control, he’ll slide into anonymity in Reno before moving on.

Jonathan Loáisiga – Loáisiga is a former Yankee standout whose career has been something of an injury-fueled rollercoaster. Loáisiga’s worst season came in 2022, when he was still essentially league average, pitching in the AL East. If Loáisiga can stay healthy throughout spring and can combine that with throwing as well as he did for the Yankees in 2025, the right-hander has every reason to expect that he will crack the opening day 26-man roster. If he is on top of his game entirely, he is the sort of arm that can anchor a bullpen. Chances are, he’ll be somewhere in between those points. Even if he falls short of making the roster though, he’ll slot nicely into the first call-up from Reno when there is the inevitable injury or ineffectiveness. Loáisiga represents the sort of high upside, solid floor that fans would like to see in more of the waiver and late-winter pick-ups.

The Trades

If there is anything that defines Arizona’s winter, it is probably the trade that wasn’t made. Entering the offseason with a limited budget and a need for controlled starting pitching, Mike Hazen made the aggressive choice to put Ketel Marte on the market. That started the rumour mill swirling and frankly, the rumours still persist to a small degree. No one reached Hazen’s asking price, though it has been reported that Arizona could have had Boston’s Connelly Early. So, Marte was not moved and Arizona was forced to bring back Zac Gallen to create a bridge to next season. Other than Marte, the winter started off with the entire world expecting one of Alek Thomas or Jake McCarthy to be traded.

Jake McCarthy is traded to the Colorado Rockies for minor league pitcher, Josh Grosz
The right-handed Grosz, 23, was acquired by the Rockies last summer in the deal that sent third baseman Ryan McMahon to the New York Yankees. Grosz went 5-14 with a 4.67 ERA in High-A ball with Hudson Valley and Spokane. Grosz was drafted in the 11th round out of East Carolina in 2023. Grosz shows some intriguing upside, but is still a year or two from MLB contribution. He’ll likely open the season in AA, Amarillo, which will certainly not help his attempts to show he can suppress offense. That said, Grosz misses a lot of bats and, if he continues to do that the way he has since being drafted, he could find himself moving to Reno sooner rather than later.

Jack Martinez is traded to St. Louis for Nolan Arenado and cash
This could go down as an amazing steal. Likewise, it could quite easily go down as one of the bigger nothing-burgers out there. Martinez was Arizona’s eighth round selection in the 2025 draft. The right-hander was drafted out of ASU and is pegged to be a quick-moving reliever. He will make his pro debut later this spring. For Arizona, Arenado will hold down third base for 2025 and is still under team control for 2026. With the cash contribution from the Cardinals, the Diamondbacks will be footing only $11 million over the two seasons. While Arenado’s bat has certainly regressed of late, he is still a solid defender and a dangerous mid-to-late lineup bat. If rumours regarding injury impacts to his game in 2025 are true, then there is even more reason to be excited that the veteran third baseman can have a late-career resurgence not unlike Eric Chavez had for the team. The acquisition of Arenado also paved the way for a later move by Arizona and gives the team a bridge player at third while the organization continues to search for an internal long-term candidate.

Blaze Alexander is sent to Baltimore for Kade Strowd, Wellington Aracena, and José Mejia
This is very much a case of selling high on a player, something that Arizona has not always been good at. While Blaze Alexander spent the last season and change establishing himself as something of a fan favourite, the reality of the situation is that he profiles as a utility player with a bat that is something just shy of league average. When Alexander goes on a tear, he can carry a team’s offense for a spell. But, when Alexander’s bat cools, he is a typical utility player bat, decent pop with little impact. With a cannon for an arm and improved glovework at the hot corner, many expected Alexander to open the season for the Snakes at third. The acquisition of Arenado pushed Alexander out from that position though, adding the young man to the mix of players looking for reps in the outfield. In return for the useful Alexander, Arizona received a right-handed reliever in Kade Strowd, who enjoyed an unexpected breakout season in 2025 for Baltimore. In the minors, Strowd’s numbers were very middling. When the Orioles began shipping out their entire roster via trades and the like, Strowd suddenly found himself being called pong to fill some innings. Not only did he do that, he thrived in the role. If Arizona gets that pitcher again in 2026, they have something special on their hands, a quality reliever under control for six seasons. The 27-year-old should be on the shortlist for relievers to open the season on the 26-man roster. Strowd also represents Arizona’s slow shift to adding more velocity to the bullpen, even if it comes with suspect control. This profile is what will make Strowd one to watch in 2026. If the control starts to waver again, he’ll need to be quickly moved back to Reno too find his mojo again. Aracena is a flame-throwing 20-year-old right-hander who will almost certainly open the season in A+ ball and continue development as a starter. At some point, he may well be moved to the bullpen. As a bullpen arm Aracena possesses the profile of a power closer. José Mejia is still a complete lottery ticket who will likely open the season in Hillsboro. There is little to talk about regarding him for now. He’s one to circle back to in about two more years. Overall, the return for a Alexander, if viewed as a utility player with some pop and speed, is fairly hefty. Sure, there are questions regarding the returned players, especially Strowd. But if Arizona can get five or six total seasons of quality relief pitching out of Strowd and Aracena, it is hard to expect much more.

Final Grade

Previous to the signing of Zac Gallen, I was hard-pressed to find reasons to award more than a D+ for the winter. The team still had only four starters and proved themselves unable to make the big move to improve the club’s problematic overall pitching. Additionally, they spent entirely too much time essentially making Marte unwanted at the club before altering course when the desired return did not materialize. The best bit of work the team had done before the 72 hours within which they traded for Arenado and re-signed Zac Gallen was likely either the James McCann re-signing or the Alexander for Strowd trade. While both served the team by improving the team’s quality of depth, neither move did anything to move the needle with regard to the expected season record for Arizona. The addition of Arenado, the return of Gallen as the team’s #3 starter, and later, adding Grant Holman to the bullpen has elevated things significantly.

The loss to injury of Corbin Carroll and Andrew Saalfrank makes grading the winter tougher, as the team is now faced with fresh challenges it did not have while working their way through the winter months. The team is now thin with regard to left-handed pitching. Problematically, there aren’t really any lefties currently openly available that the team could turn to, assuming they have any money whatsoever left to work with. The closest might be Jalen Beeks, who did well for Arizona in 2025, but did so while concealing injury. The fact that no other team has kicked the tires on Beeks suggests that there still might be something there in terms of flags. The injury to Carroll would have created some opportunities for Alexander. Instead, now, it seems that Lawlar, Troy, Robinson, and Waldschmidt will get looks. One can make a strong argument for that being a potential upgrade on Alexander.

Final Grade:D+C- B-

After falling to the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2 in yesterday’s Cactus League opener, the Colorado Rockies will look to bounce back against the Snakes. Nolan Arenado connected on a home run against former teammate Antonio Senzatela early, and it proved to be the difference late in the game.

It also gave fans their first look at the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System (ABS) at the MLB level, as five challenges were initiated. The players went 4-1 in those challenges.

Tanner Gordon will take the ball for the Rockies. Gordon had a breakout campaign in 2025, where he was led the team with six wins and finished second in Quality Starts (7). The right-hander will get his first shot to make an impression in spring, as he looks to potentially fill the fifth starter spot that’s up for grabs.

He will face left-hander Mitch Bratt. The 22-year-old Canadian was selected in the fifth round of the 2021 MLB Draft by the Texas Rangers and worked his way up the system. He reached Double-A in 2025 before being traded to the D-backs in the Merrill Kelly trade.

First Pitch: 1:10 MDT

TV: None

Radio: ESPN 620 AM (Phoenix)

Lineups:

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San Diego Padres at Kansas City Royals, February 21, 2026, 12:05 p.m. PST

Watch: None

Location: Surprise Stadium – Surprise, AZ

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

Please remember our Game Day thread guidelines.

• Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
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GB community, this is your thread for today’s game. Enjoy!

BASEBALL IS BACK BABY!!!

Okay, maybe it’s just Spring Training and today’s games will likely feature mostly backups, depth players and prospects, but baseball is baseball damn it. We got a game today against the Chicago White Sox to kick off our spring schedule, the first of 32 exhibition contests including a few split-squad contests (plus a Prospects Breakout Game). Things are about to ramp up quickly and before we know it it’ll be Opening Day in Toronto with our A’s on the first base line listening to the national anthems.

The first game begins just after noon and will see righty Jack Perkins beginning the game for the Athletics. It’s going to be a quick outing for Perkins, who is surely looking to prove that he’s more than a swingman. There’s value in that role but Perk wants to start and his path in that regard begins with a strong outing this afternoon.

After Perkins’ inning of work we can expect Wei-En Lin and Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang to come after. The left-handed Lin is one of the better prospects in the A’s system and could be an option this summer so impressing the coaches today could speed up that promotion a bit. Zhuang is another starter prospect that has shown some promise and could also be an option sooner than later,

The A’s starting lineup for their first game of 2026:

The only sure-fire everyday starter in today’s lineup is center fielder Denzel Clarke, who will bat leadoff this afternoon. We all know about his elite defense in center field, now we need to see some production with his bat. Infielders Max Muncy and Darell Hernaiz are both in today’s lineup as they fight over the right to third base. Muncy seemingly has the edge because he’s getting the nod at the hot corner but Hernaiz could end up being the option because he’s capable of handling shortstop if the worst happened to Jacob Wilson. The battle for the hot corner begins!

Elsewhere in the starting lineup we see speedy/powerful outfielder Junior Perez getting the start in center field this afternoon, alongside fellow top prospect Henry Bolte in right field and Colby Thomas in left. The outfield situation is quickly getting crowded so these starts will be big for Perez to remind the coaching staff not to forget about him. He was, after all, added to the 40-man roster this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. Time to start showing how smart the front office is.

Here’s how the White Sox will line up for today’s start to Cactus League games:

Here we go everyone. The first of almost 200 games this season. Who else is ready for some baseball?!

A seasoned center fielder camps under a lazy fly ball, drifting with it as it gets carried by a strong wind. Suddenly blinded by the intense desert sun, at the last moment the center fielder ducks and covers his head with his glove as the ball falls a few feet behind him on the outfield grass. Official scorer ruling: double.

That is just Exhibit A as to why spring training stats should be taken with a grain of salt — and then discarded. Exhibit B is the parade of A and AA players on the field by the 5th inning, Exhibit C the way the ball carries in the desert air, Exhibit D the helpless feeling a pitcher gets watching playable ground balls work their way through a B-squad infield.

Don’t get me wrong: spring training can indeed be a place jobs are won or lost. But not on numbers, by the many eyeballs focused on players who are on the bubble for a position or roster spot. So as the Cactus League opens today, here are some things to watch/listen for in the quest for the starting job at 3B or a bench role filling out the roster:

Max Muncy

Does he look more fluid and comfortable at 3B than when he learned it on the job during the 2025 season?

Can he maintain accuracy with his throws, something which has plagued Muncy whether at 2B, SS, or 3B?

Is he hitting the ball with more authority than the low exit velocities and squared up percentages he showed in 2025?

Is he more relaxed and patient at the plate, rather than jumpy as he was in his first go around with the big league club?

Regardless of what Muncy’s batting average, OBP, slugging percentage, or number or errors look like, the answers to these questions likely will inform whether he wins the 3B job that appears to be his to lose coming in.

Brett Harris & Darell Hernaiz

Muncy’s main competition for 3B, Harris and Hernaiz share the same ‘deadly flaw’ they are hoping to show coaches they have conquered at least to some degree: they simply don’t slug or drive the ball nearly enough.

If either player shows up to the Cactus League truly having adjusted his swing to where he can drive the ball more consistently, suddenly you have a far more legitimately 3B candidate on your hands.

Colby Thomas

Fighting for a bench spot, probably vying with Carlos Cortes for that 4th OFer role, Thomas needs to show that he can hunt strikes and not just “most pitches”. Thomas has the reputation of feeling like he can drive most any pitch, but in order to be successful at the big league level he is going to have to develop more discernment.

Nobody questions that when Thomas makes contact, the ball flies off his bat with impressive authority. But the chase rate, the tendency to put balls in play early in the count — these are qualities you can still thrive with against MiLB pitchers but not so much against MLB arms.

Junior Perez

Perez is starting in CF for the A’s in their opener and he might get a lot of looks with Denzel Clarke soon leaving to represent team Canada in the WBC.

We all know Perez is a gifted CFer, so how he fares against the Arizona sun and wind isn’t all that important. What matters is whether he looks like the hitter who thrived upon being moved up to AAA Las Vegas last year or whether he looks at all like the confuzzled and “in his own head” mess he was at AA Midland prior. A lot of that will be seen in approach and swing decisions as well as the ability to square up pitches in the zone.

There’s a sampling of relevant specifics worth following — it’s only position players leaving room for similar analysis with pitchers another day. Any to add? Or any modifications you would suggest for the areas I have identified for these players?

Play ball! Jack Perkins gets the start at 12:05 PST but I’m guessing he won’t go all 9.

Baseball is back!

The Milwaukee Brewers kick off their Cactus League slate Saturday afternoon in Phoenix as they’ll welcome the Cleveland Guardians in a battle of the two two-time reigning Managers of the Year in Pat Murphy and former Brewer Stephen Vogt.

Today’s game is one filled with non-roster invitees, including a few you may see in the World Baseball Classic in just a few weeks. On the mound, right-hander Garrett Stallings, 28, is slated to start after appearing in 30 games (15 starts) at Triple-A Nashville last season.

Brett Wichrowski, Tyson Hardin, Jaron DeBerry, Will Childers, Blake Holub, Manuel Rodríguez, Mark Manfredi, and Stiven Cruz are all slated to pitch as well. Cruz is among those WBC players, as he’ll represent Nicaragua.

In the lineup, Brice Turang leads off and starts at second base, followed by Jackson Chourio at DH, Akil Baddoo in left, and Joey Ortiz at shortstop batting cleanup. Tyler Black bats fifth at first base, Brandon Lockridge is in center, and new Brewers David Hamilton and Reese McGuire start at third and catcher, respectively. Prospect Luis Lara rounds out the order and starts in right.

A few quick updates from spring camp, courtesy of Adam McCalvy and Todd Rosiak:

Two other quick notes: Jaison Chourio, Jackson’s younger brother and a top prospect for Cleveland, is part of the Guardians’ travel roster today, meaning we may see him go head-to-head with his brother. The Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System is also in play today. Pat Murphy had this to say in a conversation with McCalvy.

First pitch is set for 2:10 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast on 620 WTMJ and statewide on the Brewers Radio Network.

And we’re back.

Yesterday we got our first taste of Mariners baseball for 2026 , which is a great milestone to mark off the calendar. The pomp and circumstance may be somewhat lesser today, but we do get our first reminder for the steady rhythm of the season: the Mariners play every Saturday from now until Oct. 10, when the schedule makers offer a rest day before the ALCS. Hopefully it works out that way.

The Mariners roll out a lineup with dueling Emersons: Colt Emerson gets his first at bats of the spring and plays third base, while Emerson Hancock takes the mound for the first time. Both are looking to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster.

For the Giants, it’s these guys:

Game time: 12:10 PM PT

Watch: Mariners.tv

Listen: Seattle Sports 710 AM

Texas Rangers infielder Cody Freeman has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his back, the team announced today. He is expected to miss four to six weeks.

Freeman, who the beats say gave the team an injection of energy when he came up last August, was in the mix for a bench spot to start the season. This would seem to lock Ezequiel Duran in for the backup infielder spot, which, barring injury, would mean that one spot is still open among position players, given that Sam Haggerty appears to be a given.

The team also announced that Winston Santos has a fracture in his non-throwing hand, a result of being hit by a comebacker while throwing batting practice. He won’t be facing batters for the next four weeks, but he will be able to throw in that period, so once his left hand heals he should be able to get back into action pretty quick.

Santos missed most of the 2025 season due to injury, making only 6 starts — five for Frisco, one for Round Rock — before throwing 18 innings in the Arizona Fall League. I would expect he’ll start the season in Round Rock, though he could go back to AA Frisco to start the year.

The Orioles’ Grapefruit League opener yesterday was a resounding success, at least if you’re a pitcher or Pete Alonso. The Birds’ newest slugger mashed a two-run homer in his O’s spring debut to provide all the offense in a 2-0 win over the Yankees. Trevor Rogers, Keegan Akin, Rico Garcia, Grant Wolfram, Jose Espada, and Trey Gibson combined on a three-hit shutout, with Gibson pitching the final three innings for the save. All of those guys except Gibson are either locks or strong candidates for the Opening Day roster, so it’s nice to see them all start well.

The O’s have a return engagement at Ed Smith Stadium today against the Pirates. Dean Kremer, who will soon be leaving the Orioles to pitch for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic, takes the mound today. It’s strange to think that Kremer might have to compete for a rotation spot, but that may be the case, as he, Chris Bassitt, and Zach Eflin (if healthy) are three candidates for two openings behind Rogers, Kyle Bradish, and Shane Baz.

Today’s game marks the Orioles debuts for Taylor Ward and Blaze Alexander, while Dylan Beavers and Ryan Mountcastle will also be starting for the first time this spring. Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson, the latter of whom will soon leave for the WBC as well, are the only Orioles from yesterday’s game who are starting again today. They’ll take on Pirates prospect Wilber Dotel. Former Orioles Ryan O’Hearn and Billy Cook are in the Pirates’ lineup this afternoon.

The game will be televised on MASN and on radio on 98 Rock.

Orioles lineup:

LF Taylor Ward
C Adley Rutschman
1B Ryan Mountcastle
2B Blaze Alexander
DH Gunnar Henderson
RF Dylan Beavers
CF Leody Taveras
3B Weston Wilson
SS Luis Vázquez

RHP Dean Kremer

Saturday notes…

• CUBS vs. RANGERS: The Cubs will also face the Rangers in a Spring Training game Tuesday, March 10 at Surprise Stadium. The teams will play a three-game regular season series in Arlington, Texas May 8-9-10.
• UPCOMING STARTERS: Colin Rea will start Sunday against the Giants at Scottsdale and Ben Brown will go against the Royals Monday at Surprise.

Here are today’s particulars.

Cubs lineup:

Rangers lineup:

Matthew Boyd will start for the Cubs. Other Cubs pitchers scheduled today: Daniel Palencia, Hoby Milner, Luke Little, Jack Neely and Jeff Brigham.

Kumar Rocker will start for the Rangers. Other Rangers pitchers scheduled today: Cal Quantrill, Luis Curvelo, Carter Baumler and Patrick Murphy.

Today’s game will be on Marquee Sports Network. There will also be a radio broadcast on 670 The Score, as well as on the Rangers radio channel, Rangers 105.3.

MLB.com Gameday

Please note that during spring training, Gameday sometimes doesn’t go pitch-by-pitch as it does during the regular season — usually, it will update after each at-bat.

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

Please visit our SB Nation Rangers site Lone Star Ball. If you do go there to interact with Rangers fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

As we have done in the past, we’ll have a first pitch thread at five minutes to game time and one overflow thread, 90 minutes after game time. For today, that will be 2 p.m. CT and 3:30 p.m. CT.

These threads will not post individually onto the front page; instead, you can find links to them in the box marked ”Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page. There will also be a StoryStream on the front page with all the game thread links, as well as the recap after the game is over. The pitcher photos and regular-season stats will return on Opening Day.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Detroit Tigers vs. New York Yankees

Time/Place: 1:05 p.m., George M. Steinbrenner Field – Tampa, FL
SB Nation Site: Pinstripe Alley
Media: MLB.TV (free), Tigers Radio Network