Good morning, baseball fans!

Boy, do I have great news for you today. We are officially one week away from Opening Day 2026! That’s right, the San Francisco Giants will be playing meaningful baseball exactly one week from today!

So today, I wanted to check in with you all to see what you’re watching for from the team over the last few days of Spring Training games and exhibition play.

Personally, after the potentially devastating injury news facing Hayden Birdsong, I’m really just hoping everyone can stay healthy and not get hurt before the season starts. Baseball injuries suck no matter when they happen, but there’s something that feels even more cruel about injuries happening before the season can even begin.

Of course I’ll also be keeping an eye on the roster, and the pitching depth, etc. But at this point, I’m mostly just hoping everyone stays healthy!

What will you be keeping an eye on over the last week of pre-season play?

With so many Kansas City Royals at the center, Craig Brown looks at what made Venezuela-Italy so joyous.

Was this what is was like when Richard Williams watched Venus and Serena square off in a tennis tournament? Truly, I could not bring myself to root for either team, yet I was transfixed, hanging on every single pitch. I just wanted a good showing from the boys. I feel bad for Lorenzen, but good for Garcia. It’s too bad that Vinnie and Jac aren’t going to play in the final, but I sure hope Salvy gets in the lineup. I loved those espresso-chugging Italians. I don’t think they were underdogs. This was a legit team with plenty of talent.

But those Venezuelans…they make you feel something. You knew they had a run in them. You knew they were going to make things very uncomfortable for Italy. That game should’ve been the final.

Anne Rogers talks with new Royals pitcher Nick Mears about joining the team and the changes in store.

“If we’re looking at my pitches, it’s four-seam up, slider away, curveball down,” Mears said. “It’s moving away from a righty. If it’s away, they’re committing to away. With the two-seam, it’s taking advantage of that commitment to the outside, and it just goes, ‘Whoosh,’ inside. It’s not like a metrically glorious pitch. It’s a different look from everything else that I’m throwing.”

Mears wasn’t as sure about a changeup because he had tried to throw one in 2019 and “it was bad, just being blunt,” he said. He also tried a splitter a few offseasons ago, and it looked too much like his gyro slider. But then the Royals brought up a kick-changeup. The R&D department had scoured through video and data to find pitchers similar to Mears — who throw from the same slot and release point, along with a similar repertoire — who also throw a changeup. There were a few different grips they brought to Mears, including a splitter, a three-finger change and a kick-change.

Derek Jeter caught some flak for asking Maikel Garcia to compare the World Baseball Classic to Kauffman Stadium.

You could say Garcia has been Captain Clutch for Venezuela, which has enjoyed a decided home advantage in games played in Miami during the WBC. Captain Clutch was one of the nicknames Yankees fans gave Derek Jeter, who is now a broadcaster for Fox Sports. After Venezuela defeated Italy, Jeter asked Garcia about the enthusiastic pro-Venezuela crowd. “Take a look around, does it remind you of Kansas City?” Jeter asked. Garcia replied: “Not even close.”

David Lesky looks at the pitching rotation and the resumed depth ahead of 2026, but let’s remember just how healthy the 2024 rotation was.

In 2024,as we all remember so well, the Royals got 151 starts from the original five-some, and then six more from a guy they traded for to replace one of the original five. That left five starts to be made by someone else. Five! One of the five was a true bullpen game. Daniel Lynch IV started three of the other four and then Jonathan Bowlan started the last one. Those four starts for Lynch and Bowlan marked the end of their careers as starters, for whatever that’s worth. It was pretty magical.

FanGraphs’ positional power rankings were not kind to the Royals on Tuesday. Both first base and second base earned below-average rankings from the site, including a 28th-place rank at the keystone.

The Athletic looks at how the world off the diamond causes “complicated feelings” from Team Venezuela fans ahead of the WBC final.

Andscape looks at Dusty Baker’s time and energy managing Team Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic.

Is college baseball focusing too much on velocity? Baseball America breaks down how that correlates to success in collegiate action.

Famed sportswriter Joe Posnanski ponders what the humanity of umpiring is in 2026.

Lance Brozdowski has updated rankings and data for 40 top pitching prospects.

Under the Knife has some updates on two veteran Toronto Blue Jays starters.

Shohei Ohtani is set to make his spring training pitching debut today.

Gerrit Cole is also scheduled for his first spring game since Tommy John surgery.

Seiya Suzuki suffered a ligament strain in the World Baseball Classic, casting doubt on Opening Day availability.

The Denver Broncos traded for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.

Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg admits Kentucky offered him “$7 (million) to $9 (million)” when he was in the transfer portal.

How is F1 staying on the leading edge with global brands?

Heed the letter X.

Nicole Kidman returns to streaming in new Prime Video series Scarpetta.

Story time. I had the better part of a year between when I graduated high school in May 2014 and shipped out to basic training in January 2015. I found ways to pass the time, but the most important thing I did during that time was be a friend to someone. My mom was a special education teacher for most of my life, nearly 20 years in all. She had a student, let’s call him T, who loved to go to school sports games. Did not matter the sport, T always had a friend there or a great time at least. But T was raised by a single dad, and that made getting to these events, with no post-event travel provided, hard. There was a program in Kansas that paid very little, enough for gas, snacks, and admission, in our case, for me to be there for T. That fall, we went to every game we could. It was amazing, honestly. But more often than not, we had to leave early because T was overstimulated by the environment. It was just part of the deal. So that is why, when these sensory areas became more popular, like what the Omaha Storm Chasers are doing with Autism Action Partnership for the 2026 season, I love it. You may never need it, but this makes a world of difference for those who need it.

Today’s song of the day is Could Have Been Me by The Struts.

The Atlanta Braves turned in mixed pitching performances on Tuesday, with Spencer Strider and Reynaldo López each partaking in spring festivities. In North Port, Strider faced a lineup full of Boston Red Sox minor leaguers. He threw five innings and surrendered a run. His fastball touched 96MPH, but he stayed around 93-95MPH.

In Fort Myers, Reynaldo López and the Braves took on the Boston Red Sox, where they fell 4-3. López tossed a long 3.2 innings, giving up three runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out six.

As Opening Day nears, the Braves will likely feel encouraged by Strider’s steady progress while hoping López can sharpen his command in his final exhibition outings.

More Braves News:

The Braves will continue to represent QUIKRETE on their uniforms, after their partnership was extended through 2036.

The Braves have reportedly signed left-hander Kyle Nelson on a minor league deal. 

MLB News:

As we preview each of the Braves’ 2026 opponents, it’s time to take a look at the AL Central. 

Ronald Acuña Jr. and Team Venezuela won the World Baseball Classic, defeating Team USA in the championship.

Joe Torre would talk a lot, and probably still does, about how a good bullpen shortens the game. Now, he had Mariano Rivera, and the Sandman spent the better part of 20 years turning Yankee games into eight-inning affairs. When paired with a setup man like David Robertson, or a fireman like Dellin Betances, those clubs could carve out another inning or so. Sure, there was the odd blowup here and there but that consistently high floor was predictable year after year.

In the Baby Bomber era, the Yankees haven’t had a Mariano Rivera — then again, who has? — but for how sweaty and tumultuous Aroldis Chapman was by the end of it all, he had a 3.05 ERA and struck out 37 percent of batters he faced from 2017-22. Chad Green and Zack Britton helped to shorten up games too, and that high floor of the bullpen stayed pretty reliable, a hallmark of Brian Cashman’s approach to rosterbuilding: have just enough starting pitching to get through five or six innings with the score close, your hitters will grind down the opposition and your relievers will put up zeros, and you’ll win more than you’ll lose.

Last year, and headed into 2026 though, that floor doesn’t seem to be there in the same way. David Bednar is, for my money, as good a closer as you’ll get in the game today. The unit surrounding him just carries more downside risk than we’re used to seeing from Yankee squads. The bullpen for ‘26 is projected for 4.1 fWAR, which would actually be a considerable upgrade over the past two seasons, but is at least a half-win weaker than the 2023 group, and two-plus wins worse than in ‘22 or ‘21 — side note, that 2021 season saw 7.2 fWAR from the bullpen…we used to watch gods!

More than a third of that projected fWAR comes from Bednar, and the rest highlights how high-ceiling, low-floor the rest of the relief corps is going to be. Camilo Doval and Jake Bird never really got off the ground since coming to the Yankees around the trade deadline, with Bird almost immediately optioned to Triple-A Scranton and Doval’s ERA ballooning by more than a run and a half post-deadline. His fastball isn’t as good as the pure velo would read and he walks far too many people, but in front of a competent defense you can see how some tweaks to his sinker could turn him into Zack Britton On The Cheap.

And really that seems to be the overall goal, Zack Britton or Aroldis Chapman or even Mariano Rivera on the cheap. The Yankees seemed to have learned the pitfalls of long-term contracts for relief pitchers, and given their annual payroll constraints having that kind of cost flexibility probably helps them give an extra year to a Max Fried or something similar.

However, the volatility inherent in relief pitching, the volatility that builds so much risk into longer term contracts for relievers that we know, increases in the relievers we don’t know as well. Matt Blake’s career is based around “we can rebuild him”, and he has a track record of it working, but when you don’t have the existing baseline performance of a Zack Britton or even a Chad Green, your downside risk is proportionally huger.

The Yankees will probably be fine with their bullpen, but not the perennial top 5 grouping they were at the start of the Baby Bomber era. Their rotation should be a lot better than its been in previous seasons which picks up some of that slack, but outside of the ninth inning we may be gritting our teeth more than we’re used to in 2026.

The victors erupted onto the field and into multiple dogpiles. Some wore national flags around their shoulders. Within minutes, the Venezuelans wore T-shirts that read: “The Best Baseball in the World.”

The players from the United States watched from their dugout. Within minutes, they trudged back onto the field so a silver medal could be draped around their necks. Not every player wore the medal all the way back to the dugout.

You can say all you want about how the World Baseball Classic has matured into a must-see event for fans and a must-play event for the game’s elite players. You can salute Venezuela for a spirited and thrilling victory, and the Venezuelan fans for nine innings of joyful delirium.

But you also can say this: A U.S. team billed as featuring a killer lineup could not hit, and the U.S. could not use its best pitcher because the San Diego Padres said so. The result: For the second consecutive World Baseball Classic, the U.S. lost the championship by a 3-2 score.

“I’m not OK with winning silver,” Bryce Harper said. “I don’t want to win silver.

“I want to win gold, just like anybody else. But, at the end of the night, they did it, they won, all the congratulations to them. They fought hard. I’ve got nothing but respect for them.”

By the time the eighth inning rolled around, the mighty U.S. offense had not gotten a runner into scoring position on Tuesday, and had gone scoreless for 18 of its previous 19 innings. With two out in the eighth, and Venezuela up 2-0, Bobby Witt Jr. walked, and Harper followed with a 432-foot home run, so monstrous that Venezuelan pitcher Andres Machado could only watch the flight of the ball and smile.

Harper stood and watched too, then he flipped his bat toward the dugout. At third base, he stopped to give a salute, then spotted the cameraman trailing him around the bases and pointed to the American flag on his left sleeve.

Read more:Plaschke: Get all beaned up and enjoy the surprisingly profound World Baseball Classic

“Just enjoying the moment,” Harper said. “Super grateful for it.”

With the game tied 2-2 entering the ninth, the pitcher trotting in from the U.S. bullpen should have been Mason Miller, who had not given up a hit in the WBC and struck out 10 of the 14 batters he had faced.

Before the game, U.S. manager Mark DeRosa had said Miller would be available. After the game, DeRosa said he and Miller’s employers, the Padres, had agreed Miller would only be used to protect a lead.

Once the game entered the ninth, Miller would not be able to protect a lead, since the U.S. was the home team and there could be no save situation for him. DeRosa nonetheless declined to use Miller.

“Honoring the Padres,” DeRosa said.

This is not on DeRosa, but that is nonsense. If a closer cannot be used three times in five days — with another week to ease into the regular season by throwing bullpens or in structured B games, or taking a few days off, or whatever — then he should stay home.

Read more:Shaikin: U.S. showing class at WBC no matter how the White House might react to a title

Venezuela scored the winning run in the ninth off Garrett Whitlock, on a walk, stolen base and RBI double by Eugenio Suárez.

In its final five WBC games — after routs of Brazil and Britain — the U.S. scored more than five runs once, with a two-run win, a two-run loss, a two-run win, a one-run win, and a one-run loss. In the semifinal and final, the U.S. combined to bat .159 and strike out 25 times, and every run came on a home run.

That — not any attempt at small ball — is American baseball. And the U.S. was outslugged by six other teams, including Australia and Italy. For glory, as the U.S. team hoodies said.

“A lot of pop ups, a lot of just-missed pitches,” U.S. captain Aaron Judge said. “I wouldn’t say we tensed up. We just didn’t execute when we needed to.”

Said DeRosa: “I mean, surprised because of the names at the back of the jersey, but not surprised because of where they're at in spring training.

“Yeah, that's my answer. I really don't have a rhyme or reason to why. I just think you're either hot or not in a seven-game blast like this.”

The WBC absolutely was a blast. The Venezuelan fans delivered concert-level noise all night long, without needing a silly stadium host or scoreboard command to do so. The WBC allowed fans to bring in 16 “permissible instruments,” including bongos, cowbells, maracas and trumpets.

“There’s bands playing,” Judge said. “There’s chants going on. You don’t usually hear that too much in the World Series games. That’s amazing. So much fun.”

More Americans watched the U.S.-Dominican Republic semifinal than watched last year’s NBA All-Star Game, according to Fox. The championship game almost certainly will have drawn more viewers than at least one game of last year’s NBA Finals.

In the 10 minutes I spent along the concourse before Tuesday’s game, I counted fans wearing the jerseys of many national teams and 17 MLB teams, plus the late and greatly beloved Montreal Expos. Japan did not qualify for the final four, but I nonetheless counted 11 fans in Japan jerseys with Shohei Ohtani’s name on the back. The advertisers believed too: DeRosa spoke in front of a banner displaying the logo of nine corporate sponsors, eight of them Japanese.

After such a lively event, can these players get fired up to go back to spring training, and then for the grind of a 162-game season?

“I’m always fired up for the Yankees, but I’m still pissed about this,” Judge said.

“I’m looking forward to the next time we get a chance to throw on the red, white and blue and take care of business.”

That would be the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where Dave Roberts has expressed interest in managing Team USA at Dodger Stadium. The major leaguers are almost certainly coming, even if the details are still being worked out.

See you there, Bryce Harper?

“I hope so,” he said. “I really do.”

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Free of charge for the discerning reader.Charlie Lau passes, and other stories.Welcome to the Tokyo Dome.

Today in baseball history:

• 1886 – The New York State League admits clubs from Buffalo, Toronto and Hamilton. The inclusion of the Canadian teams causes the league to change its name to the International League.
• 1942 – Two black players, Jackie Robinson and Nate Moreland, request a tryout with the Chicago White Sox during spring training in Pasadena, California. Sox manager Jimmie Dykes allows the two to work out but later dismisses them. Robinson will have to wait five years before making his major league debut.
• 1943 – Due to wartime travel restrictions, spring training camps begin opening in northern locations. Some of the locales include Bear Mountain, New York (Brooklyn Dodgers), French Lick Springs, Indiana (Cubs and White Sox), Asbury Park, New Jersey (Yankees), Medford, Massachusetts (Boston Red Sox) and Wallingford, Connecticut (Boston Braves).
• 1953 – The Milwaukee Braves become the first franchise to move since 1903, when the Baltimore Orioles became the New York Highlanders. The Braves have been in Boston, MA for 77 years. In a related move, the minor league Milwaukee Brewers move to Toledo, Ohio, where they become the latest incarnation of the Toledo Mud Hens.
• 1970 – The Cleveland Indians and Seattle Pilots play an exhibition game with the experimental X-5 ball, which is reported to be five per cent livelier than a regulation ball. The Pilots beat the Indians, 19-14. One week later, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn orders the livelier ball to be discontinued.
• 1984 – Charlie Lau, renowned batting instructor, dies in Key Colony Beach, FL, at age 50 after a long bout with cancer. Lau, whose major league career batting average was .255, earned his fame as the Kansas City Royals batting coach from 1971 to 1978, where his star pupil was George Brett. Lau also served as a batting coach for the Baltimore Orioles, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox and wrote a book called The Art of Hitting .300. 
• 1985 – Commissioner Peter Ueberroth reinstates Hall of Fame members Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle, who had been banned from association with organized baseball by former commissioner Bowie Kuhn due to their employment by Atlantic City casinos. Ueberroth’s ruling will allow both men to pursue employment with major league teams.
• 1990 – Major league players and owners reach a new collective bargaining agreement that will end the 32-day lockout of spring training camps. Highlights of the deal include increasing the clubs’ contributions to the players’ pension fund, raising the major league minimum salary to $100,000, and a compromise on salary arbitration that leaves 17 percent of players with between two and three years of major league experience eligible.
• 2009 – The Chicago Cubs announce that they will retire number 31 on May 3rd in honor of Ferguson Jenkins and Greg Maddux. 
• 2025 – The first game of the 2025 MLB season features the Cubs playing the Dodgers at the Tokyo Dome, with both teams starting a Japanese pitcher – Shota Imanaga* for Chicago and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Los Angeles. Both pitchers do well, but it’s Shohei Ohtani who plays local hero with two hits and two runs to lead the Dodgers to a 4-1 win.

Cubs Birthdays: Jimmy Callahan, Hiram Bithorn, Dick Littlefield, Fernando Rodney, Trey Mancini.

Today in history:

• 37 – Roman Senate annuls Tiberius’ will and proclaims Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (aka Caligula = Little Boots) emperor.
• 1314 – Jacques de Molay, the 23rd and the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, is burned at the stake by King Philip IV of France.
• 1662 – First public bus service begins, promoted by Blaise Pascal, operates in Paris as the “Carosses a Cinq Sous” until 1675.
• 1881 – Barnum & Bailey Circus, traveling as “The Greatest Show on Earth”, debuts at Madison Square Garden in New York City following the merger of two existing circus groups.
• 1965 – Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov leaves his spacecraft Voskhod 2 for 12 minutes and becomes the first person to conduct a spacewalk.

*pictured.

Great game. Mark DeRosa is terrible.

Phillies News

• Orion Kerkering faced hitters in a minor league game on Tuesday and threw about 16 pitches. It’s getting late for him to be ready by opening day.
• Johan Rojas was officially suspended for 80 games for violating MLB’s drug policy.
• Just watch the ball Bryce Harper hit:

MLB/WBC News

• Mark DeRosa said before the WBC final that closer Mason Miller would be available.
• The Red Sox signed Tommy Kahnle to a minor league deal.
• 33 veteran players with looming opt-out dates in their minor league deals.

Good morning Birdland,

The World Baseball Classic is over, and Venezuela are your 2026 champions. They beat the United States by a score of 3-2 on Tuesday night in Miami. Orioles star Gunnar Henderson did not enter the game until the ninth inning, when he was used as a pinch hitter for Alex Bregman. Henderson grounded out against Venezuela closer Daniel Palencia.

Team USA collected three total hits in the losing effort. The only two runs they scored came in the eighth inning, when Bryce Harper smacked a two-run homer, which tied the game.

Bregman, who USA manager Mark DeRosa continued to start ahead of Henderson throughout the tournament, went 0-for-3. He finished the competition with a .143 batting average and .578 OPS, among the worst marks on the team. Henderson hit .400 with a 1.267 OPS, both numbers were the best on the team. A real head scratcher.

But let’s not dwell on the losers here, and instead give a hearty “Congratulations” to Venezuela. They beat the behemoth that is Japan in the quarterfinals, and then topped the tournament darlings Italy in the semis on their way to this matchup. And then within the game itself it always felt like they were outpacing the US. When the final out was recorded, the stadium erupted with cheers. Although the final was played in the United States, and there probably were more Americans in attendance, it sure sounded like the Venezuela supporters well outnumbered the hosts. Perhaps it was the byproduct of the joy that they brought with them to the game.

That’s a wrap on major international baseball until 2028, when it will return to the Olympics for the first time since 2020. The next World Baseball Classic is slated for 2030.

Back in Orioles camp, the O’s and Tigers played to a 1-1 tie in Lakeland. Bryan Ramos went 3-for-4 with a double and solo homer. Samuel Basallo doubled as part of his 1-for-4 game. On the pitching side of things, Chris Bassitt tossed 5.1 scoreless innings, striking out four in the process. Rico Garcia and José Espada both worked clean innings to maintain their spotless spring ERAs.

The Orioles will head to Dunedin to take on the Blue Jays at 1:07 p.m. today. That game will be shown on MASN.

Links

Bassitt uses bluntness to guide Orioles’ teammates | Baltimore Baseball
I’m a big fan of the Bassitt addition. Does he truly elevate the rotation? Eh, probably not. But he definitely secures their floor. The Orioles need arms they can depend on, and Bassitt (along with Kremer) is certainly that. It doesn’t hurt that he’s had as good of a spring as you could hope.

Basallo gets the best of Verlander, Bassitt pitches into sixth, Ramos comes within triple of cycle in 1-1 tie | Roch Kubatko
Roch gives you the rundown on Tuesday’s game, which doesn’t sound like it was the most exciting affair. That’s how it goes in the spring sometimes. I think we are all just ready for “real” games at this point. Only a few more days left!

Why a tennis racket is part of Orioles outfield coach Jason Bourgeois’ training methods | The Baltimore Banner
If Mookie Betts thinks a drill is helpful, then I’m good with it! The Orioles’ defense needs to jump up a level across the board this year. That includes the outfield, where it looks like Colton Cowser will be the everyday center fielder next to a slew of corner outfielders that might change day to day.

The goal for the O’s starting rotation in 2026: ‘Surprise people’ | MLB.com
There have been a few headlines recently that describe the Orioles rotation as “underrated.” Well, they certainly aren’t overrated. Most outlets view them as an average-ish group, which feels fair. They have two potential aces in Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers, but there are legitimate questions about both. Shane Baz is a variable that could really elevate the unit, but we need to see it first. Beyond that, it’s the trio of Bassitt, Kremer, and Zach Eflin. Those are three bonafide big leaguers, but they aren’t exactly game-changers. And health is a concern for every team.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Chris Vallimont turns 29 today. His lone MLB appearances came with the Orioles on July 3, 2023.
• Trey Mancini is 34 years old. The Notre Dame product became a fan favorite during his time in Baltimore from 2016 through 2022. That reverence was only strengthened when Mancini missed the 2020 season due to a battle with stage 3 colon cancer. He returned to the lineup in 2021 and regained his place as one of the most important players on the team. The O’s traded Mancini the following season, allowing him to win a World Series with the Houston Astros. He has not appeared in a major league game since 2023, but spent 2025 in the Diamondbacks minor league system, and is currently in camp with the Angels.
• Craig Tatum is 43 today. The Orioles used him as a backup catcher from 2010-11.
• Gerónimo Berroa turns 61. A journeyman outfielder for 11 seasons, he spent a portion of the 1997 campaign in Baltimore.
• Randy Miller is 73 years old. He pitched in one game for the 1977 O’s.
• The late Dick Littlefield (b. 1926, d. 1997) was born on this day. He came with the organization when it moved from St. Louis to Baltimore. The lefty had played two seasons with the Browns and then made three appearances in an Orioles uniform in 1954 before he was traded to the Pirates.

This day in O’s history

It has been a slow day in Orioles history, according to Baseball Reference. Instead, here are a few happenings on this date from beyond Birdland:

1959 – The Hawaii Admission Act is signed into law, dissolving the Territory of Hawaii and establishing the State of Hawaii. It goes into effect on August 21.

1965 – Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov becomes the first person to walk in space, leaving his spacecraft for 12 minutes to do so.

1968 – The United States Congress repeals the requirement for a gold reserve to back US currency.

1990 – The largest art theft in US history takes place. A total of 12 paintings, worth $500 million, are stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.