Author: MLB Baseball News, Scores, Standings, Rumors, Fantasy Games

In last offseason's analysis of the Mets' payroll situation, we pointed out how the team -- fresh off a run to the NLCS and with tons of money coming off the books -- was uniquely positioned to be aggressive, including the potential to make a serious run at Juan Soto.

The Mets were indeed aggressive and they landed Soto, changing the complexion of the payroll for the next 15 seasons.

This time around, the club was regrouping after one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history, as they went from the best team in baseball in June to one that missed the postseason entirely.

Colored by David Stearns' stated refusal to "run it back," the 2025-26 offseason featured seismic change.

With the dust having settled, gone are fan favorites and key lineup cogs Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil.

Also gone is closer Edwin Diaz, who wanted to return but wound up with the Dodgers in Los Angeles, with Devin Williams set to take Diaz's closer role.

The way the offseason unfolded, with most of the Mets' key departures happening early and many of their big imports arriving late, there was a sense of uncertainty in the air for quite some time.

But with three enormous moves in late January -- Bo Bichette, Luis Robert Jr., and Freddy Peralta -- Stearns executed his plan to near perfection. 

With a large chunk of the pitching staff already at spring training in Port St. Lucie ahead of next week's reporting date and Opening Day next month at Citi Field, here's how the payroll situation looks for 2026 and beyond...

SALARY COMMITTED FOR 2026

The Mets entered the offseason with roughly $223 million committed for 2026, per Cot's Contracts -- a number that included the $18 million estimated for player benefits, as well as money owed to arbitration-eligible players, zero-to-three players in both the majors and minors who are under team control, and the bonus pool for pre-arbitration players.

As things currently stand, the Mets' projected 40-man payroll for CBT purposes is $376.6 million. That includes $17 million still owed this season to Frankie Montas, who has been released.

For reference, New York ended last season with a 40-man payroll of $346.6 million.

Typically, the payroll expands during the season as teams add players via trade and the waiver wire. 

Now off the books are the contracts of Alonso and Diaz (who both opted out before signing elsewhere). Also mostly cleared is the contract of Nimmo, who has five years and 97.25 million left on his contract (New York is paying $6 million of Nimmo's salary for 2026). The Mets will be covering $5.75 million of McNeil's remaining salary, and will pay his $2 million buyout for 2027 if the Athletics don't exercise his team option. 

Other big obligations also off the books: Starling Marte (who made $20.75 million in 2025), Jesse Winker ($7.5 million), Ryne Stanek ($4.5 million), Griffin Canning ($4.25 million), and last season's four major trade deadline acquisitions -- Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers, Cedric Mullins, and Gregory Soto.

It's possible the Mets bring Marte back on a much smaller contract than the one that just expired.

Here are the major offseason additions and their cost against the CBP payroll for 2026:

Bo Bichette: $42 million
Marcus Semien: $24 million
Luis Robert Jr.: $22 million
Jorge Polanco: $20 million
Devin Williams: $15 million
Luke Weaver: $11 million
Freddy Peralta: $8 million

WHAT ABOUT EXTENSIONS FOR UNDER-CONTROL PLAYERS?

The name that jumps out here is Peralta, who is set for free agency after the season.

In order to acquire Peralta, the Mets dealt Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat to the Brewers -- a steep but fair price.

Speaking shortly after the trade, Peralta weighed in on the possibility of signing an extension.

"I just got here. I think that I got to share time with my teammates, think about different ideas," Peralta explained. "Learn about everybody -- coaches, the organization in general. And then we can see."

The above scenario -- feeling things out a bit before potentially discussing an extension -- is something that worked out with the Mets and Francisco Lindor in the not-too-distant past.

The Mets acquired Lindor from Cleveland on Jan. 7, 2021 and ultimately signed him to a 10-year, $341 million extension on the eve of Opening Day ahead of what was Steve Cohen's first season of ownership.

There is another player who stands out when it comes to a potential extension.

It's Francisco Alvarez.

An extension for Alvarez is probably something it would make more sense to explore during the season, though, if he begins the year in similar fashion to the way he ended 2025 -- when he slashed .276/.360/.561 with eight homers, nine doubles, and one triple in 41 games from July 21 through the end of the season. He also needs to continue to hone his defense.

Alvarez, who excelled after returning from the minors last season, also showed his toughness while playing through injuries to both of his hands down the stretch.

THE PAYROLL SITUATION IN 2027 AND BEYOND

Here are the Mets' projected 40-man roster salary obligations from 2027 to 2030, via Cot's:

2027: $266.94 million
2028: $186.77 million
2029: $106.26 million
2030: $106.26 million

As things currently stand, there will be a large drop in salary commitments after the 2027 season, and another big drop after the 2028 season.

It's important to note that the salary figures for 2027 and 2028 include the contract of Bichette at $42 million annually. Bichette has opt-outs after 2026 and 2027.

Not included for 2027 is potential money owed to Robert, with the Mets holding a team option for the 2027 season worth $20 million. 

While the Mets have an enormous payroll for 2026 and are well above the highest luxury tax threshold of $304 million, they're starting to merge their high-priced veteran core with inexpensive starting rotation options (Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, and Christian Scott) and an emerging group of young position player prospects.

Those players include outfielder Carson Benge, who could be the Opening Day left fielder. That group also features  outfielder A.J. Ewing, and infielders Jacob Reimer and Ryan Clifford. 

The Mets could also get a jolt in the bullpen this season from prospects including Dylan Ross and Ryan Lambert.

The stated vision of Stearns and Cohen is to build a sustainable winner that relies heavily on player development while having the wherewithal to bolster the team via free agency and the trade market -- outbidding other interested teams along the way.

That's something the Mets put into action this offseason, especially while using their deep farm system to land Peralta and their financial might to swipe Bichette from the Phillies' grasp. 

The Mets, despite the step back on the field in 2025, continue to get closer to their ultimate vision, with them now having one of the best farm systems in baseball (despite trading Williams and Sproat) and a strong big league nucleus that has been remade. 

With spring training on the somewhat immediate horizon, there’s been a bit of anticipation surrounding the annual list of non-roster invitees to camp. The Atlanta Braves have now revealed that list and as expected, there’s a decent mix of top prospects looking to make a splash and veteran longshots looking to latch onto a roster for Opening Day.

The Braves officially revealed the list via press release, which I’ll share part of with y’all right here:

Five invitees ended the 2025 campaign ranked among Atlanta’s top 30 prospects per MLB.com, including top 10 pitchers RHPs JR Ritchie (No. 2), Garrett Baumann (No. 6) and Owen Murphy (No. 8). Shortstops Alex Lodise (No. 4) and John Gil (No. 13) also received their first invites to major league spring training and are the highest-rated positional prospects in camp. In total, nine of Atlanta’s top 30 prospects following last season will be in camp this year, including 40-man players RHPs Didier Fuentes (No. 7), Rolddy Muñoz (No. 17) and Jhancarlos Lara (No. 21), as well as LHP Hayden Harris (No. 25). 

Seventeen of the 24 invitees have previous major league experience, including five – RHP Carlos Carrasco, Cs Sandy León and Chadwick Tromp, INF Luke Williams and OF José Azócar – who appeared with Atlanta last season. LHP Martín Pérez enters camp as a former American League All-Star and World Series champion, earning All-Star honors while with Texas in 2022 and hoisting the trophy with the Rangers the following season. Infielder Aaron Schunk is an Atlanta native and attended the Lovett School and the University of Georgia prior to his professional career.  

It’s pretty exciting to see a Who’s Who of top Braves prospects on the non-roster invitee list. JR Ritchie is a consensus Top 100 prospect, Didier Fuentes was knocking on the door of consensus Top 100 status and Braves fans got very familiar with Hayden Harris last season as well. It’ll be very interesting to see which prospects use the opportunity as a chance to simply learn and get better or if there’s anybody who’s capable of taking a leap and potentially cracking the Opening Day roster. It’ll be a longshot but it’ll also be intriguing to see how these guys fare during spring training.

On the veteran side of things, we’ve got some familiar faces like Sandy León, Chadwick Tromp and Luke Williams — the two catchers are in a very intriguing situation considering what’s going on with Sean Murphy and his injury status for the early portion of this upcoming season. Luke Williams (and Aaron Schunk as well) could also potentially have aspirations of breaking camp with the big league squad since Ha-Seong Kim’s icy mishap has left a spot open there for potential depth. Martin Pérez was recently signed not too long ago, so it’ll be interesting to see what he’s got. Also, Carlos Carrasco is still going for it — even if he had a very rough 2025 at the big league level, it’s still nice to see him keep going considering the circumstances that he’s had to deal with over the course of his career.

The full list shared by the Braves via press release is below. Which NRIs are y’all most excited to see and/or hear about during this season’s spring training?

Non-Roster Invitees (24)

• Pitchers (10): RH Garrett Baumann, RH Carlos Carrasco, RH Javy Guerra, RH Elieser Hernández, RH James Karinchak, RH Owen Murphy, LH Martín Pérez, RH Austin Pope, RH JR Ritchie, RH Tayler Scott
• Catchers (3): Jair Camargo, Sandy León, Chadwick Tromp
• Infielders (7): Tristin English, John Gil, Jim Jarvis, Alex Lodise, Aaron Schunk, Luke Waddell, Luke Williams 
• Outfielders (4): José Azócar, Ben Gamel, Brewer Hicklen, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. 

Spring Training will be a massive opportunity for so many players on this roster. With a new regime coming in, everyone will be evaluated and spots will be up for grabs. There are going to be camp competitions all over this roster. I wanted to break down some of the competitions to watch.

We did a deep dive on the catcher battle yesterday, so we will avoid that. However, there are so many more competitions to discuss. There are open spots up and down this roster. From the bullpen, to first base, to bench spots, roster spots are up for grabs.

First Base Job Up For Grabs:

The most wide open competition of the spring could be for the first base job. Unless the Nats sign Rhys Hoskins or Paul Goldschmidt, there will be a true competition. There are four or five contenders that all could realistically win the job. In the end, I think there will be a platoon, but there are a number of candidates.

There are five players who I think are in the mix here. Abimelec Ortiz, Matt Mervis, Warming Bernabel, Andres Chaparro and Yohandy Morales will all get chances. Mervis and Bernabel signed minor league deals with Spring Training invites, but have MLB experience. Chaparro also has MLB experience and has mashed in AAA. However, none of these guys have been great in the MLB.

My favorite of the group is Abimelec Ortiz. The Nats acquired him from the Rangers in the MacKenzie Gore deal. While he has not made his MLB debut yet, he was fantastic in AAA last year. Ortiz has big time power, but also has the angles to consistently pull the ball in the air for home runs.

Abimelec Ortiz | 1B/OF | 23 yo

Ortiz, the only prospect with a chance to debut in 2026, likely will, and may very well play lots of 1B in DC this year.

556 PA in AA, AAA (2025):
.257/.356/.479 | 25 HR | 89 RBI
4/6 SB | 53 XBH | 22-K% | 12-BB%

53 XBHs.pic.twitter.com/MJrhBU8G70

— Nats Of The Future (@NatsOfTheFuture) January 23, 2026

Morales may have even more raw power than Ortiz, but his angles are not as good. He hits the ball on the ground much more than you would like from a power hitter. Morales also struck at a 30% clip in AAA last year. While he has the most upside of the group, he is still raw. However, with a big spring, Morales has a chance to win the job.

This is a true competition though. There are not any clear favorites right now. Unless the Nats sign a 1B in free agency, this will be a fight that won’t be decided until the very end of Spring Training. May the best man win.

A Look at the Outfield Situation

The outfield is the strength of this Nationals team. They have stars like James Wood, but also plenty of depth. As of right now, Wood, Daylen Lile, Dylan Crews and Jacob Young seem like locks to make the team. However, I think the Nats are going to carry a fifth outfielder.

If they decide to do that, there will be plenty of candidates. Christian Franklin, Robert Hassell, Joey Wiemer and Andrew Pinckney are all in play for that role. A lot of times teams only carry four outfielders, but the Nats have so many guys in the outfield. They will also be rotating a lot of these players in the DH position.

Robert Hassell III is the most high profile of these names. He was one of the prizes of the Juan Soto trade in 2022, but has not developed as expected. Hassell finally showed some promise in AAA last year, but really struggled in the MLB.

In an event the other day, Blake Butera said that Hassell added 25 pounds of bulk this offseason. While he clearly had room to fill out, 25 pounds feels like a lot to me. Nats fans are going to be skeptical about this after the Jacob Young situation last year. Adding that much mass as an athletic outfielder has negatives.

Blake Butera said @robert_hassell3 put on 25 pounds of bulk. pic.twitter.com/rHL8jX5E6O

— Talk Nats (@TalkNats) January 31, 2026

However, Hassell clearly thought he needed to add more power. Based on his MLB production, he clearly needed to change something. While he is the highest profile name, I do not think he is the favorite.

My favorite player of the group is Christian Franklin. The Nats acquired him at the deadline in part of the Michael Soroka trade. He had a nice year in AAA last year and should be MLB ready at 26. Franklin is a well-rounded player who can do a bit of everything. I really like the idea of him as a platoon bat who specializes against left handed pitching.

Joey Wiemer is also a name to watch. Paul Toboni picked him up off of waivers this offseason. He is a tremendous athlete with big power, but is not a great hitter. He will get a shot to make the roster. Andrew Pinckney has a similar profile to Wiemer. He is a non-roster invite, so he will be on the outside looking in. Franklin is my favorite, but this is an open competition.

What is up With the Bullpen

The Nationals bullpen is painfully short on proven commodities. Despite the ‘pen being a clear need, Toboni has not signed any veterans to reinforce the group. Instead, he is relying on waiver claims and internal development.

Last year, Mike Rizzo tried the veteran route, and it failed miserably. So, I suppose Toboni’s lower profile strategy deserves a shot. The Nats have a few young, interesting relief arms like Cole Henry, Clayton Beeter, PJ Poulin and Griff McGarry, who should make the team.

However, there are so many spots up for grabs. Jackson Rutledge, Orlando Ribalta and Julian Fernandez have big league experience, but they have not been great. Can Toboni unlock anything in those three? I think Rutledge has a good slider he should throw more and Ribalta looks very good when he is on. They have been very inconsistent though. 

Then there are the waiver claims. Just this offseason, Toboni has claimed Paxton Schultz, Gus Varland, Richard Lovelady and George Soriano. Some of these guys are bound to contribute in some way. They could also be DFA’d at any moment based on how Toboni uses the wire.

My favorite of the waiver wire pick ups is Paxton Schultz. He showed some really nice things as a swing man for the Blue Jays last year. His MLB debut was memorable, striking out 8 in 4.1 innings. He has a good chance of being a solid, versatile piece for the Nats.

What a debut 👏

8 strikeouts by Paxton Schultz TIES the @MLB record for the MOST in a debut by a reliever! #lightsupletsgopic.twitter.com/NvjMMuZCDN

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) April 20, 2025

The other guys I do not have as much faith in. Gus Varland was solid in 2024, but had an injury riddled season last year. Lovelady gets ground balls, but has mostly struggled at the MLB level. George Soriano has good stuff, but had a brutal 2025. Maybe one of these guys can find a new level with the Nats. Regardless, there are a lot of options in the bullpen, but none of them are proven.

Other Competitions to Watch:

These three camp battles are the ones I am most fascinated about, but there are more. The rotation has a lot of uncertainty as well. There have been rumblings that the Nats could sign another starter, but that has not happened yet.

Right now, Cade Cavalli, Foster Griffin, Jake Irvin, Brad Lord and Josiah Gray seem fairly likely to be the starting five. However, Mitchell Parker and Andrew Alvarez will also be in the mix. Luis Perales could even get a shot if he has a phenomenal spring.

There will also be a competition for the bench spot on the infield. Nasim Nunez is the favorite to win that battle. However, Jose Tena and Orelvis Martinez will also be vying for that spot. 

This Nats team is so unsettled, and I don’t necessarily think that is a bad thing. Paul Toboni is treating this like an evaluation year. Spring Training will be the first data point in that evaluation. I think there are going to be a lot of roster moves throughout the season and a lot of these players will be getting chances. If guys aren’t performing, they will be at risk of being replaced.

With the signing of Eugenio Suarez, the roster of the Cincinnati Reds seems just about wrapped up with spring training in Goodyear, Arizona looming just over one week away. There may still be a utility glove added, there could be a reliever tucked into the back of the roster somehow, but the bulk of what we expect to see in the dugout and on the field in 2026 seems as if it’s already now in-house.

The question now, though, is what’s left to shake out once they get there?

What spot on the roster is the most up-for-grabs at the moment? Is it the pecking order of left-handed bats in the outfield now that Gavin Lux has been dealt away, with former 1st round draftees Will Benson and JJ Bleday vying for who gets regular PA in LF? Is it whether one of Michael Chavis or Garrett Hampson can wiggle their way onto the active roster come Opening Day?

Or, is it the battle for the fifth starter role? With talented options (and high draftees) in Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder, and Brandon Williamson, the club has ample options, but how they manage them both at the end of March and the end of September will be of equal importance.

The 26-man seems to be just about cobbled together, but how it stacks up still remains to be seen. What say you about what’s left to be decided?

Diamondbacks News

Diamondbacks Sign Carlos Santana
The deal is a 1-yr/$2 million pact for the switch-hitting veteran to platoon with Pavin Smith at first base. Meh.

Zac Gallen on a Potential Return to Arizona
With pitchers and catchers reporting in less than a week, Zac Gallen still remains unsigned.

Jim Bowden Rips Arizona
Hanging Arizona with a grade of D+ for the offseason pretty much sums things up succinctly, but there are reasonings for those interested.

Prospects Who Could Break Out in 2026
The calls to see Ryan Waldschmidt are only going to increase until he makes his debut, even though he is likely most of a season away from being ready. Tommy Troy needs to make some noise. Kohl Drake may be the best pitching prospect they have had in some time.

Other Baseball News

The Relationship Between Framing and Blocking
No two ways about it, catching is incredibly complicated.

Kiley McDaniel’s Top-30 Prospects for Each Team
“The D-backs ranked 21st in the farm ranking largely because they didn’t have any players in the top 50 prospects in baseball and only one in the top 100 at all.”

Tarik Skubal and Tigers Head to Arbitration Hearing Today
Arbitration history is almost certain to be made today.

Hall of Fame Reveals Cap Picks for Incoming Beltrán, Jones, Kent
The caps will be the Mets, Braves, and Giants respectively.

Shohei Ohtani signed the largest contract in baseball history at the time in December 2023, and in his first two years in Los Angeles has won two championships, won two MVP awards, and set two Dodgers single-season home run records.

Ohtani’s 54 home runs in 2024 were five more than Shawn Green’s previous franchise mark set 22 years prior. Then in 2025, Ohtani added one more to his total, to date the only player in MLB history to hit exactly 55 home runs in a season.

That brings us to another Dodgers record that is well within reach for Ohtani in 2026.

Most home runs in a 3-year span, Dodgers

• Duke Snider (1954-56) 125
• Duke Snider (1955-57) 125
• Duke Snider (1953-55) 124
• Shawn Green (2000-02) 115
• Gary Sheffield (1999-2001) 113
• Cody Bellinger (2017-19) 111
• Shawn Green (2001-03) 110
• Shohei Ohtani (2024-25) 109

Only four Dodgers — covering seven total spans — have hit more home runs in a three-year span than Ohtani hit in his first two seasons.

He’s already 31st in Dodgers history with his 109 home runs, and he’s only played two years for them.

Ohtani needs only 17 home runs in 2026 to set a Dodgers records for most homers in a three-year span. If he has another year anywhere close to his last two seasons, more rarefied air is in play.

Six Dodgers have three or more consecutive seasons of 30 or more home runs: Gil Hodges five years (1950-54), Duke Snider five years (1953-57), Mike Piazza (1995-97), Eric Karros (1995-97), Raúl Mondesi (1997-99), and Gary Sheffield (1999-2001).

Snider, who hit at least 40 home runs in five straight years from 1953-57, is the only Dodger with more than two seasons of 40 home runs.

Ohtani hit 46, 34, and 44 home runs in his final three years with the Angels, giving him 233 home runs over the last five seasons, an average of just shy of 47 per year. His projections for this season are in that same area:

• ZiPS: 52 home runs
• OOPSY: 50 HR
• THE BAT: 47 HR
• Marcel: 44 HR
• Steamer: 44 HR

Today’s question is how many home runs with Shohei Ohtani hit in 2026?

The Royals announced they have signed infielder Brandon Drury to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. Drury did not appear in the big leagues last year, but hit 26 home runs in 2023 and was a Silver Slugger winner in 2022.

Drury was drafted by the Braves in 2010, when Royals scouting director Brian Bridges was a scout with the club. He was traded to the Diamondbacks in the Justin Upton deal and made his debut with Arizona in 2015. He bounced around to the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Mets before having a breakout season in 2022 with the Reds. He hit .263/.320/.492 with 28 home runs, earning a Silver Slugger Award.

Drury signed a two-year, $17 million deal with the Angels and hit 26 home runs in his first season with them. But he fell off drastically in 2024, hitting just .169 with four home runs in 97 games. He joined the White Sox organization last year, but he was released in the summer without appearing for the big league team, and he spent the rest of the season in the Angels organization.

The 33-year-old Oregon native is a right-handed bat that can play first, second, or third base, and has some experience in the outfield.

Drury will compete for a reserve infield role with Michael Massey, Nick Loftin, and Tyler Tolbert, and other MLB veteran non-roster invitees, Connor Kasier, Kevin Newman, Josh Rojas, and Abraham Toro.

This year’s Cubs schedule begins with a six-game homestand at Wrigley Field. Opening Day is Thursday, March 26, so that’s five games in March, concluding on April 1.

The rest of the Cubs’ April schedule is pretty reasonable. They head out for a six-game road trip after that, bookended by off days, so after April 1 they don’t return to Wrigley until April 10, and then just for a three-game series against the Pirates. That’s followed by a quick one-city trip to Philadelphia and another off day before a seven-game homestand starting April 17.

The latter 10 dates are reasonable. The first six… are not, especially because they are against two teams that come to Wrigley only once, the Nationals and Angels.

This is not smart scheduling, Major League Baseball messed this up, especially with the Angels, a West Coast team, coming to town for its only visit during this first homestand. Postponements during that series are problematic, as they could involve significant travel disruptions. The Nats and Angels do come back to Chicago to play the White Sox… at the end of April.

Look, I understand that the warm-weather and dome teams don’t want these early April games either. Kids are in school, people aren’t on vacation, etc. But if MLB is insistent on playing nearly a week of games at the end of March, those teams really need to suck it up and host those games, in my view.

Let’s look at what MLB has done with the rest of the early-season schedule. The following teams are home for the first weekend of games, in addition to the Cubs:

Giants
Cardinals
Blue Jays
Orioles
Phillies
Reds
Mets
Marlins
Astros
Brewers
Braves
Padres
Dodgers
Mariners

That’s five dome teams, four warm-weather teams, three cities where the weather can be at least decent at that time of year (St. Louis, Cincinnati, Baltimore) and two places where it could be as cold as Chicago (New York, Philadelphia).

That’s … not terrible, though I will note that the Athletics are at Toronto, the Rangers are at Philadelphia, the Angels are at Houston and the Diamondbacks visit the Dodgers. That’s four other teams that really should be hosting games this early in the season.

I am of two minds here regarding that six-game homestand at Wrigley Field beginning March 26. On the one hand — maybe we’ll get some unseasonable warmth and they’ll be able to play baseball in decent conditions. It can, occasionally, be freakishly warm in Chicago in March. In March 2012 Chicago had nine straight days with highs of 78 or above, eight of them over 80. At Cubs Spring Training games, PA announcer Tim Sheridan always gives the temp in Mesa and the temp in Chicago after the first inning. One day during that spell, he said, “In sunny Mesa, it’s 81 degrees and in Chicago… (pause)… it’s 85.” There was an audible gasp from the crowd.

But as I said, that’s a freak. And if it happens, the lesson MLB will learn is, “Hey, we can do this!” And of course, the next time they try it, the weather will be awful.

Which is the more likely outcome here. The average high temperature in Chicago on March 26 is 50. Which wouldn’t be terrible baseball weather, but that’s an average — the record low for that date is 7. For the last 10 years, the high temperatures on March 26 have been 54, 58, 48, 36, 42, 52, 46, 55, 62 and 55.

So about half the time, it appears, the temp is above 50 on that date, about half below. And that doesn’t take into account the possibility of rain delaying, interrupting, or postponing a game. Or snow — as you surely know, it’s snowed in Chicago that late in the spring, and in fact, April 2018 was just horrifically cold and snowy in Chicago, causing multiple postponements that could have been a cause of the Cubs collapsing down the stretch that year when they had to play 42 games in 43 days.

So the other part of me says, “Bring on rain and snow and multiple postponements against the Nats and Angels,” because the logistical issues that would cause maybe, just maybe would teach MLB the lesson, “Hey, maybe we shouldn’t do this anymore.”

Be prepared to dress warm in multiple layers if you’re going to the home opener at Wrigley Field this year. It’s only 50 days away.

After a disappointing 2025, Orioles GM Mike Elias certainly has not been sitting around doing nothing this offseason, hoping that the problems will solve themselves with much of the same core of the roster returning. He’s gone out and made three big moves that to me were unthinkable when I sat around four months ago and considered what was possible. Signing Pete Alonso, trading for Shane Baz, and trading Grayson Rodriguez are all moves that in their own way show that Elias was not content to just let it ride another year without changes.

The big moves on the roster aren’t the only things going on, either. There are coming changes that have nothing to do with the players at all. Given how hard the offense flopped last year, it’s a relief to know there is going to be a new set of hitting coaches. Oriole Park at Camden Yards is getting long-needed upgrades to its audio and visual capabilities. And, you know, if they haven’t beaten the optimism out of you, you can try to feel good about things like “maybe Gunnar Henderson and Colton Cowser will be healed of the secret injuries they said plagued them for a lot of 2025.”

What’s got you excited about the coming Orioles season? Be honest, I know there’s something. Even a jaded pessimist like me is ready to see the Polar Bear hit some big ol’ dingers. Drop into the comments and tell us what you’re looking forward to from this year.

A closing plea: If you’re going to post about what you’re worried about with the Orioles and the coming season, save that for tomorrow.

Hello and good morning everyone! As we roll on with the week, we’ve got some baseball news and analysis to provide.

In Mariners news…

• The M’s announced their 2026 MLB high performance staff, minor league instructors and roving coordinators.
• Adam Jude at The Seattle Times explained why Brendan Donovan is the perfect fit for the Mariners in 2026.
• Ben Clemens at Fangraphs provided his take on the Donovan trade. If you’re crashing out over what the M’s gave up in the deal, Ben’s level-headed analysis should help you feel better about it.
• The Twins claimed reliever Jackson Kowar off waivers from Seattle. Kowar was the last remaining piece of the controversial Jarred Kelenic trade with Atlanta in 2023.
• A Redditor told a lovely story about his unlikely journey to Mariners fandom and his even unlikelier connection with Marilyn Niehaus.

Around the league…

• The Diamondbacks have agreed to a one-year, $2M deal with veteran first baseman Carlos Santana.
• Florida Governor Ron DeSantis joined Major League Baseball in support of a new stadium for the Rays in Tampa Bay, increasing their odds of staying in town.
• Hall of Fame inductee Carlos Beltrán will wear a Mets cap on his museum plaque.
• Elizabeth Strom of DRaysBay wrote about how Ben Williamson has adjusted (physically, mentally, and emotionally) since his first taste of MLB action, with some quotes from him at Mariners FanFest courtesy of our own Kate Preusser.
• Dan Szymborski at Fangraphs played a fun game with his projection tools, figuring out how many bad teams you need to mash together to get a squad projected to beat the Dodgers.
• Baseball Season has kind of unofficially started, with backfield videos of Mets starters Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong emerging from Port St. Lucie. Davy Andrews at Fangraphs has the latest.

17. Welinton Herrera (282 points, 19 ballots)

Herrera is probably the Rockies’ top relief prospect — among pure relievers in PuRPs voting, it was between him and Rule 5 pick RJ Petit (No. 23 PuRP). He’s also the highest ranked of the three players named Herrera in the system to receive votes. The 21-year-old 6’0” Dominican lefty reliever boasts a plus to plus-plus mid-90s fastball coming from an uphill angle and was added to the 40 man roster this off-season. He was a pop-up arm in 2024 in his first taste of full season ball. Herrera, who spent two years in the DSL after signing in January 2021 for $200k and a season in the ACL in 2023, was a bit wild but showed bat-missing stuff.

That was enough to get Herrera assigned to Low-A Fresno to start 2024. Herrera, employing a low arm slot from the left side and mid-90s velocity, was immediately dominant. He struck out an absurd 62 hitters (against only nine walks) in just 34 innings (16.4 K/9 rate) with a 2.38 ERA and 1.00 WHIP across 23 appearances at Fresno. Jack Etkin wrote in August 2024 about Herrera’s strong start in Fresno, in case you’d like to read more about his arsenal and Rockies personnel’s quotes about him.

Herrera was promoted to High-A Spokane in late June, where he was 3.1 years younger than league average. Against higher-level opposition, Herrera’s rate stats were less strong (4.76 ERA, 3.75 xFIP, 1.41 WHIP, 9.5 K/9, 4.4 BB/9) in 23 appearances totaling 28 ¹⁄₃ innings, but the fact he was doing it in High-A as a 20-year-old was quite impressive. He was also quite good in the Dominican Winter League (10 IP, 1.80 ERA, 13 K, 6 BB, 7 H) against players who were on average over 10 years older.

In 2025, Herrera went back to Spokane, where he quickly showed he had mastered the level. In 15 appearances and 18 1/3 innings, Herrera collected 10 saves with a sparkly 0.49 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 14.2 K/9 rate, and 2.9 BB/9 rate. The Rockies promoted him to Double-A Hartford in mid-May, where he was 3.7 years younger than league average. In 37 appearances totaling 46 1/3 innings with Hartford, Herrera added seven more saves with a 3.50 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 13.6 K/9 rate, and 3.7 BB/9 rate against upper minors hitters. He also represented the Rockies at the prestigious Futures Game in July, where he got the final out to record the save for the NL squad.

Herrera finished his 2025 with a strong stint in the prestigious Arizona Fall League. He pitched in nine games, throwing nine innings while allowing two runs on nine hits and eights walks with 14 strikeouts and one save. In other words, Herrera pitched around a lot of traffic of his own making and was probably fortunate to leave with a 2.00 ERA.

Here’s some video of Herrera courtesy of FanGraphs during fall instructs in 2024:

Herrera was recently ranked 10th in the system by Baseball America and was listed as having the best fastball in the system.

Keith Law of the Athletic ranked Herrera 14th in the system earlier this week:

Herrera’s fastball is 97-100 and he lived off the pitch in High A until the Rockies told him he had to throw his slider more, after which he was a little more balanced and dominated through the rest of the year in Double A. His profile is straight relief, probably the one-inning variety only, but he throws plenty of strikes and it’s a pretty easy delivery for that velocity. He could easily help the Rockies this year.

Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked Herrera as a 40+ FV player, 13th overall in the system last January, putting a 70 grade on his fastball’s future effectiveness:

A slender, 6-foot tall pure reliever, Herrera spent three years in rookie ball and then exploded in 2024 as he split his season between both A-ball levels, totaling 62.1 innings in 46 games while striking out 92 and allowing just 80 baserunners. His fastball averaged about 94.5 mph during the regular season, but was 95-98 for me during Instructional League and 94-97 in the Dominican Winter League with Aguilas.

Herrera’s drop-and-drive delivery and three-quarters slot combine to create uphill angle on his fastball, making it very tough for hitters to get on top of it when he’s sitting 96-plus; that pitch had an absurd 42% miss rate in 2024. In order to hit his ceiling as a set-up man or closer, Herrera will need to improve at least one of his secondary pitches. His slider was in the 82-84 mph range during the 2024 season and instructs, but has been up in the 86-88 mph range in LIDOM, where it still lacks the finish and depth of a great slider. His changeup, often in the 87-90 mph range, tends to cut on him and finishes in vulnerable locations. Herrera’s long arm swing makes it tough to project a ton on his changeup, but even if his fastball ends up being his only impact offering, it’s going to be good enough for Herrera to be more than just a generic middle reliever. He’s a candidate for quick promotion in 2025 and is likely to be put on the 40-man after the season.

Herrera was ranked 20th in the system by MLB Pipeline last year as a 40 FV prospect with a plus grade on the fastball:

Used only as a reliever, Herrera relies largely on his fastball-slider combination to go right after hitters. His fastball sits around 95 mph and touches 97 and it comes from a low three-quarters arm slot, an upshoot heater that has carry above the barrel that gets a lot of swing-and-miss. He can get too fastball-reliant and will have to keep learning to trust his 84 mph slider. It’s a pitch he has improved by more consistently staying on top of; it flashes better than average while dropping below barrels. He actually has feel for a changeup with depth, but he doesn’t throw it much.

Herrera pounded the strike zone during his time with Fresno, but he wasn’t as sharp with Spokane. He’s made adjustments before, so there’s confidence he’ll be able to become another legitimate big league bullpen piece for the Rockies.

The overall value that can be added by a relief arm is limited, but Herrera certainly seems like a potential late inning reliever (and he’s a lefty to boot), especially given his performance against upper minors hitters in 2025 in Hartford. That performance is why I ranked him 15th on my list at the bottom of my 40+ FV tier. Herrera will probably begin 2026 in the upper minors at either Hartford or Albuquerque, but I expect him to make his big league debut sometime during the season if he remains healthy.

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Christian Scott was the first of the Mets’ current crop of young minor league starters to make his MLB debut back in the summer of 2024. It says a lot about the strength of the Mets’ farm system that despite Scott getting Tommy John Surgery late in that year, as well as trading away three of their top starting pitching prospects in the interim, the Mets are still rich with young starting pitching. They’re so rich with starters that, despite being healthy, Scott is likely not to break club with the team this year, and may not even be the first up from the farm this season.

This is no knock on Scott, who entered 2024 as the Mets’ #5 prospect who had a rocky, though promising, start to his big league career. Injuries can happen at bad times and send folks back down the line a bit. 

That’s exactly what happened with Scott. A University of Florida product, Scott was drafted in the fifth round of the 2021 draft. His professional career was unremarkable until the spring of 2023 when in Brooklyn, Scott switched to starting and started (pardon the pun) to put it all together. In six starts for the Cyclones, Scott put up a 2.28 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 23.2 innings, while walking just four. 

He was promoted to Binghamton later that year and continued to dominate. His 2.47 ERA in 12 starts complemented an 11.2 K/9 rate and just eight walks in 62 innings pitched. He began 2024 in Syracuse and in six starts looked strong, striking out 36 and walking just six. 

A lot of Scott’s success came from his fastball(s), as described by our Steve Sypa:

Scott worked on his four-seam fastball during the Arizona Fall League and over the winter of 2022, and its emergence may be one of the reasons the right-hander was so good in 2023. Sitting in the mid-90s and topping out in the high-90s, the pitch is difficult for batters to square up on thanks to its speed and rising action. Additionally, Scott’s two-seam fastball was a solid pitch in its own right. Sitting in the mid-90s, the pitch has a lot of arm-side and sinking movement, making it difficult for batters to square up on. In and of itself, it is not so much a a swing-and-miss, bat-missing strikeout pitch as it is a weak contact pitch, eliciting weak fly balls as batters swing under it and ground balls as batters swing over it.

Scott made his MLB debut on May 4, tossing six and two-thirds innings against the Rays. It was Scott’s best start of the season in terms of length, run prevention, and walks allowed. His six strikeouts were his second best of the season, as well. 

Scott didn’t pick up a win in his nine starts for the team despite a few quality starts for the club. But both in Triple-A and in the bigs in 2024, home runs were an issue. In 18 starts across the two levels, he gave up 18 home runs. For context, he only walked 24 batters in that same span. But before too much work could be done to limit his fly balls, Scott was placed on the IL in July and eventually had Tommy John, putting him out for the back half of 2024 and all of 2025. 

None of that changes the hope that the Mets have for Scott, nor does the emergence of Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong. Our Lukas Vlahos summed up Scott nicely in his season preview for 2024:

As the first real development success of the Cohen era, Scott is something of an avatar for the Mets’ pitching development pipeline writ large, a product of the improved processes the team has spun up as they play catch up with the powerhouses of the sport. Scott succeeding won’t herald in a new age of Dodgers- or Rays-like pitching wealth on its own, but it would be a strong sign that the organization is moving in the right direction and that brighter days are ahead.

[Scott’s fastball] pitch 94, touches 98, has some of the best shape in the minors, and is further improved by Scott’s elite command of the pitch, a combination that arguably makes it the best heater in the minors. He lacks both the track record and the true standout secondary to stand among the elite pitching prospects on stuff alone (Paul Skene’s slider, Drew Thorpe’s changeup, Hurston Waldrep’s splitter, Jackson Jobe’s slider/changeup), but a conservative projection still has him as a near MLB-ready mid-rotation starter. Squeeze another jump out of one of the secondaries and you’re looking at a legitimate #2 rotation option.

If Scott can come back healthy with the same control and fastball that he had in 2024, he’s going to be a part of the Mets’ plans for 2026 and beyond. If he can limit the long ball, he’s going to be a major part of them. And if he doesn’t, the way the team is constructed and the farm system operating, it won’t be the end of the world. That is a fantastic place for Scott to be in, without too much pressure weighing on him and a fantastic place for the club to be, without the need to push Scott before he’s ready and fully healed.

Happy Wednesday A’s Fans.

The 2026 season will be year two of the Athletics planned three-year Sacramento sojourn while the organization waits for construction to finish on its new ballpark in Las Vegas.

For some fans, one of the highlights of going to a baseball game is the giveaway item they get whether it is a bobblehead, hat or something else. Yesterday, the A’s announced their 2026 promotional calendar full of goodies the team will be giving fans at Sutter Health Park this season. The release is part of the team’s push to get fans to buy tickets as single-game tickets go on sale today.

The giveaways start immediately. Fans attending the A’s home opener against the Houston Astros on April 3rd will take home a magnet schedule and then get to watch postgame fireworks. The team is giving out Sacramento gold jerseys and then gloves for the latter two games of that series.

A’s fans who love to collect bobbleheads will be in for a treat this spring and summer. Those who attend the April 17 game against the White Sox will receive a Nick Kurtz bobblehead. The fact that the reigning American League Rookie of the Year is getting a bobblehead so early in his career reflects the impact Kurtz has already had on this franchise. 

If you want a bobblehead, but miss out on obtaining Kurtz, no need to fret. Jacob Wilson’s bobblehead day is June 20, Shea Langeliers’ is Aug. 15 and Mark Kotsay’s bobblehead is the scheduled giveaway on Aug. 28.

A couple other cool giveaways this year are the always popular Star Wars Grogu (March 12) and the buildable Tower Bridge (Aug 2). Based on the Bridge and Sacramento jersey, it appears that as far as giveaways are concerned, the A’s seem to be embracing playing in the state capital a bit more this year.

Let’s hope the team lives up to its potential to attract fans regardless of the giveaways! 

A’s Coverage:

• Athletics Sign Jacob Wilson to Extension
• Athletics Community Prospect List: Colome Takes Seventh Spot
• Extensions For Everyone! (Except Kurtz)
• Wilson extension signals shift for A’s ahead of Vegas move
• Managers & Top Front Office Executives On Expiring Contracts
• De Vries (No. 4 overall) leads Athletics trio on Top 100 Prospects list
• A’s Spring Training Report Date, and everything you need to know
• After monster stats as rookie, Nick Kurtz has a new number in mind: 162
• Projecting Nick Kurtz after Rookie of the Year campaign
• Analysts say this A’s outfielder could follow Pete Crow-Armstrong’s breakout path
• A’s Odds of Reaching the Postseason this year
• A’s prospect Mason Barnett has an atypical arm angle and an old school approach
• Blogfather Sabatoges Own Wins Over Replacement Hip (And A’s Stuff)

MLB News and Interest:

• Hall of Fame reveals cap picks for incoming Beltrán, Jones, Kent
• Carlos Santana reportedly signs with the Diamondbacks
• Luis Arraez, Giants Reportedly Agree to Contract in MLB Free Agency
• Shohei Ohtani Won’t Pitch at 2026 World Baseball Classic
• NBA, MLB, NHL, WWE, Major Sports Leagues to Join NFL in Wearing ‘USA 250’ Uniform Patches
• Red Sox Trade Jordan Hicks to White Sox
• Why Francisco Lindor, Jose Altuve, More MLB Players Can’t Play in 2026 World Baseball Classic
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

A’s 2026 promotions released. Which one is your favorite?

Jerseys, hats, bobbleheads, oh my!

Call dibs on your favorite giveaways for this season… single-game tickets go on sale tomorrow 🫣 pic.twitter.com/1OcHQHlbsa

— Athletics (@Athletics) February 3, 2026

Former A’s pitcher and current television broadcaster Dallas Braden shared his take on the A’s latest extensions on his podcast.

Jacob Wilson ✅
Tyler Soderstrom ✅
Lawrence Butler ✅
Brent Rooker ✅

The A’s are locking up their offensive core. pic.twitter.com/lD9buWbp5w

— Baseball Is Dead (@baseballisdead_) February 3, 2026

Should the A’s bring back Ken Waldichuk?

Following in Osvaldo Bido's footsteps, former A's LHP Ken Waldichuk has been designated for assignment for the third time in the last month and a half, this time by the Rays.

— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) February 3, 2026

This is the second part of a series about the notable baseball milestones that happened in our city. You can read part one here.

The Royals moved into state-of-the-art Royals Stadium for the 1973 season. It didn’t take long for the highlights to happen. On May 15, 1973, Nolan Ryan threw his first career no-hitter for the California Angels against the Royals at the stadium. By 1973, Ryan—just 26 years old—was already in his seventh big league season, having appeared in 144 games.

He established himself as an ace in 1972, going 19–16 and leading all of baseball with 329 strikeouts. On this unseasonably warm night, the Angels got all the runs Ryan would need in the first inning on a run-scoring single by former Royal Bob Oliver. Oliver added a solo home run in the sixth for the final margin. Ryan was masterful, striking out 12 while throwing 132 pitches. He did walk three, including Steve Hovley, who stole second, giving the Royals their only real scoring opportunity of the evening.

The Royals had a couple of chances to break through. In the eighth, Gail Hopkins hit a two-out blooper into short left-center field. Shortstop Rudy Meoli made a terrific over-the-shoulder catch to save the no-hitter and end the inning. With two outs in the ninth, Amos Otis hit a ball that looked like it might carry to the right-field wall. Angels right fielder Ken Berry turned the wrong way, righted himself, then made the catch on the warning track to end the game.

Jeff Torborg, who had caught Sandy Koufax’s perfect game in 1965, was Ryan’s catcher. After the game, Ryan said, “In the bullpen warming up, I was terrible.” The no-hitter was the first of Ryan’s career. Two months later, he would throw his second. He would eventually throw a major league record seven no-hitters. How dominant was Ryan? He holds the record for the most career one-hitters (12) and the most two-hitters (18). He beat the Royals 24 times in his career, the most wins he had against any team. It could have been worse, but Ryan played 14 of his 27 seasons in the National League.

A little more than two months later, on July 24, 1973, Royals Stadium hosted the 44th annual Major League All-Star Game. Amos Otis, John Mayberry, and Cookie Rojas made the American League squad, with Otis and Mayberry getting the start. Otis put the Americans on the board in the second with an RBI single.

The highlight of the game came in the fourth when Johnny Bench hit a massive solo home run off Bill Singer. The blast, which landed in the upper reaches of the left-field stands, remains one of the longest ever hit in the stadium. The game itself was pretty boring, as the National League pummeled seven different AL pitchers on its way to an easy 7–1 victory.

The win was part of an amazing streak of National League dominance. Between 1963 and 1985, the NL won 21 of 23 All-Star Games. Bobby Bonds of the San Francisco Giants was named MVP of the game, which featured 18 future Hall of Famers.

Steve Busby threw the first two no-hitters in team history, but both came on the road. On the evening of May 14, 1977, Jim Colborn took the mound behind an eclectic lineup. Hal McRae started in left, Tom Poquette in right, and Al Cowens manned center (Amos Otis was out with an injury). John Mayberry had the night off, which put Pete LaCock at first. George Brett was also injured, so 38-year-old Cookie Rojas played third.

Colborn retired the first 14 Texas Rangers before hitting Toby Harrah with a pitch. Poquette made two sparkling plays in right field, robbing Mike Hargrove and Willie Horton of potential hits. Cowens also made two fine plays, taking hits away from Bert Campaneris and Tom Grieve.

Colborn got stronger as the game progressed, retiring the last 11 Rangers he faced. When the final out was recorded, Colborn had thrown the first no-hitter by a Royals pitcher in Royals Stadium. He was terrific in 1977, going 18–14 while throwing 239 innings. Whitey Herzog didn’t pitch him in the 1977 ALCS for reasons still unknown, instead watching Larry Gura and Andy Hassler get lacerated by the Yankees (eight runs on 12 hits in just 7⅔ combined innings). After eight early-season appearances in 1978, the Royals traded Colborn to Seattle for Steve Braun.

Game 7 of the 1985 World Series, played at Royals Stadium on October 27, 1985, clinched the team’s first World Championship. It was a historic game, but not the one everyone talks about. That would be Game 6—the Denkinger game—the one Cardinals fans still complain about. Game 6 remains one of the most exciting games in team history, while Game 7 felt like a foregone conclusion.

After Daryl Motley cranked a two-run home run in the second inning, it was over. Sure, there were still seven innings to play, but we knew it was over. The Cardinals were still steaming about the previous night. St. Louis finally came unglued in the bottom of the fifth, when former skipper Whitey Herzog burned through five pitchers as the Royals sent 12 batters to the plate, scoring six runs to go up 11–0. Joaquin Andújar and Herzog both earned ejections from Don Denkinger in the inning.

It was a shame to see the Series end that way. I loved Whitey when he managed the Royals and felt bad for the guy, but man, that game was a celebration. New father Bret Saberhagen was masterful, scattering five hits over nine innings to give the Royals their first title.

Saberhagen delivered the next signature moment in stadium history. On August 26, 1991, he had it going. His fastball was popping and his breaking pitches were biting. Sabes cruised through the first four innings, issuing just one walk.

The wheels almost came off in the fifth. With one out, Dan Pasqua hit a line drive deep to left. Kirk Gibson gave chase, and the ball ticked off his glove and off the wall. It was initially ruled a hit, but after the official scorer reviewed the replay, it was changed to an error. Looking at it again, was it a hit or an error? I’d probably have ruled it a hit. Pasqua smoked that ball, and at that stage of his career, Gibson’s defensive limitations showed.

Saberhagen retired 14 of the next 15 batters, the lone hiccup an eighth-inning walk to Pasqua. He got Frank Thomas on a grounder to second to complete the last no-hitter in Royals history.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 35 years since the Royals have thrown a no-hitter. Saberhagen needed 114 pitches that night, striking out eight.

The only player to collect his 3,000th career hit in Kansas City was Paul Molitor, who did it on September 16, 1996. Facing José Rosado, the 40-year-old Molitor stroked a fifth-inning triple into the right-center gap. The ball landed between center fielder Rod Myers and right fielder Jon Nunnally, neither of whom seemed too anxious to retrieve it.

As the outfielders took their time, Molitor motored to third. His family celebrated in the stands, and the crowd gave him a prolonged standing ovation. Fireworks went off behind the scoreboard, and the game was delayed for several minutes while a montage of Molitor’s career played on the video board.

Molitor did it with flair. He singled in his first at-bat for hit No. 2,999. His triple in the fifth gave him No. 3,000. He added another single in the seventh for hit No. 3,001. He remains the only player to reach 3,000 hits with a triple and finished his Hall of Fame career with 3,319 hits.

Kansas City hosted its third All-Star Game on July 10, 2012. The stadium had just undergone a $250 million renovation and looked spiffy. It had cost only $70 million to build the original park, which opened in 1973. Inflation’s a bitch.

The game itself was forgettable—an 8–0 National League win. The MVP was Melky Cabrera, whom the Royals had traded to San Francisco over the winter for pitcher Jonathan Sánchez. The deal was one of the worst of Dayton Moore’s career, which is saying something. Sánchez wasn’t just a stiff; he was a Franky Carbone stiff.

Melky hit .346 for the Giants in 2012, adding to Royals fans’ angst. Moore gained some redemption by flipping Sánchez to the Rockies for Jeremy Guthrie in one of his better deals. Mike Trout and Bryce Harper both made their All-Star debuts in this game, but the real action happened the night before.

Everyone loves the Home Run Derby, right? It’s baseball’s version of the slam dunk contest. American League captain Robinson Canó said he’d include a Royal, which seemed to point to Billy Butler, who had 16 homers at the break. It made sense—keep the home crowd happy. Instead, Canó stiffed the Royals and left Country Breakfast off the roster.

Kansas City fans may not be known as “the best fans in baseball,” like our neighbors to the east, but we take pride in our city, our team, and our players. Canó basically gave the city the middle finger, and when the contest started, fans let him know exactly how they felt.

When Canó stepped to the plate—with his father pitching—the boos were deafening. I’ve never heard that kind of anger from Kansas City fans before or since. It visibly rattled both Canó and his dad. He didn’t hit a single home run, and with every ball that fell short, the jeering grew louder and meaner. It was a shame, really—the Derby is usually a love fest.

But Canó earned it. He was tone-deaf to the long, strained history between Kansas City and New York. Don’t promise to include a hometown player and then change your mind. That’s just stupid.

The onslaught continued the next night. When Canó came to the plate, the chanting resumed: Rob-bie Can-o. Rob-bie Can-o. Rob-bie Can-o. It was wonderful to see Royals fans show some passion.

Canó fouled out to third in his first plate appearance, and it was ugly. He later dribbled a single up the middle off Stephen Strasburg before being removed from the game, tail between his legs.

Kansas City had found a new villain. Canó joined a long line of Yankee heels—Billy Martin, Goose Gossage, Graig Nettles, Reggie Jackson. I’ve long since moved past my feelings about those guys, but Canó? I’ll never forgive that.

Before you decide Royals fans are cretins, consider Miguel Cabrera. In 2012, Cabrera was in the midst of a glorious career. Always a great hitter, he put everything together in his age-29 season. He hit .330 to lead the league, clubbed 44 home runs, and drove in 139.

Entering the final series, Cabrera was locked in a tight battle with Josh Hamilton and Curtis Granderson for the home run lead, and neck and neck with Mike Trout for the batting title. In the first game, he went 4-for-5 with a home run off Bruce Chen. In the second, he went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.

On October 3, the finale, Cabrera went hitless in two at-bats but clinched the Triple Crown—the first in the American League since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. When he was removed after the fourth inning, the 30,383 fans in attendance gave him one of the most touching standing ovations I’ve ever witnessed.

Cabrera was visibly moved, emerging from the dugout multiple times to tip his cap. Even though the Royals finished 72–90, it was a moment that made me proud to be a Royals fan. Miggy will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2028 and will be a slam-dunk first-ballot choice.

Mention September 30, 2014, and any Royals fan worth their salt knows what happened. Some of you were there and will remember it forever. For the rest of us watching on television, it was near the top of the list of most exciting games we’ve ever seen.

A sellout crowd of 40,502 packed Kauffman Stadium for a winner-take-all showdown. People who were there swear they’ve never heard the place louder. The Royals hadn’t made the playoffs in 29 years—an entire generation had known nothing but losing.

When the Royals trailed 7–3 in the eighth, their odds couldn’t have been much higher than 10 percent. Future Royal Brandon Moss had nearly carried Oakland to victory with two towering home runs.

You know the rest. The Royals chipped away in the eighth, tied it in the ninth, fell behind again in the 12th, then finally rallied with two decisive runs. Everyone contributed—Nori Aoki, Eric Hosmer, Alcides Escobar, Billy Butler, Christian Colón, Jarrod Dyson, Lorenzo Cain, Brandon Finnegan. Salvador Perez delivered the winner, reaching across the plate and pulling an outside pitch down the left-field line. He isn’t always pretty, but he gets the job done. The Royals stole a record seven bases, every one of them enormous.

That win ignited something. The Royals swept the Angels, then the Orioles, and took the Giants to the final out of Game 7 before running out of gas.

They laid the groundwork for the 2015 team—a team that played like it knew it would win the World Series from the very first pitch. It was beautiful to watch.

The Yankees’ roster might not be a finished product. They are openly looking for a right-handed bat from the bench, and one or two bullpen additions surely wouldn’t hurt. They have, apparently, decided to open the season with their current group of starters, knowing that an injury or two in spring training could mean trouble when they’re already going to be down Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, and Clarke Schmidt on Opening Day.

Still, many fans are more concerned about the current state of the bullpen, and it’s very much understandable. The unit lost Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, among other arms, and didn’t really do much aside from running it back with Tim Hill, Paul Blackburn, and Ryan Yarbrough, claiming Cade Winquest from St. Louis in the Rule 5 Draft, and trading for erstwhile Rockies righty Angel Chivilli.

However, if we judge the unit strictly on upside and on upside alone, you can make the case that there’s plenty of it in the Yankees organization when it comes to the relief corps.

The Yanks have two elite swing-and-miss artists in Fernando Cruz and David Bednar, who finished fifth and 11th in strikeout rate last year, respectively, among pitchers with at least 40 innings. Bednar is unquestionably the safer bet to thrive in 2026 given how sharp he looked for the majority of last year at closer, especially after coming over from Pittsburgh at the Trade Deadline. Cruz can’t be overlooked after a healthy offseason however; his command never looked quite right down the stretch in wake of his oblique injury. If his splitter’s thriving the way it did earlier in 2025, then that’s a definite weapon.

Although Camilo Doval had his fair share of struggles upon landing in the Bronx in the middle of last year, he closed out his season strong with five scoreless innings in his final six outings of the regular season, accumulating eight strikeouts prior to a 2.70 ERA in the ALDS against Toronto. Doval has closer pedigree and has shown he can make adjustments, and his arrow is trending up for the 2026 campaign. His stuff is dynamic.

Hill might not miss too many bats, but the lefty has been as steady as they come since joining the Yankees from the wasteland of the 2024 White Sox in June of that year. His 2.68 ERA in 111 innings across the last year and a half is just a hair behind intimidating Phillies closer Jhoan Duran. Their styles couldn’t be more different, but the results are the results; that’s not too shabby. Additionally, the Bombers have two exciting bounce-back candidates in Chivilli and Jake Bird. Both former Rockies are one or two adjustments away from being excellent options to face righty-heavy batting orders. Winquest has an exciting profile, and Yarbrough and Blackburn contribute cheap innings and role versatility.

If the Yankees’ rotation stays relatively healthy and Cole or Rodón can return in May, one of the starters could be bumped to the bullpen (or the minors, depending on many circumstances) if needed, too. Also in the picture is Brent Headrick, who gets high marks from the organization, and Yerry De Los Santos is around as well. The former, in particular, showed significant upside last year, striking out 32.6 percent of the batters he faced and putting up a 3.13 ERA.

It’s also important to point out that top pitching prospects Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodríguez are candidates to pitch in MLB at some point this year, and the bullpen could be their 2026 home if health is on the Yankees’ side. The Yankees have the luxury of employing one of the best pitching coaches in the game, Matt Blake, so every pitcher with raw tools, a big arm, and the willingness and brains to learn has a chance to develop into a contributor.

Of course, the Yankees’ bullpen would be better if they managed to add a solid, proven, and effective reliever from free agency or the trade market. I, personally, want that to happen. I won’t deny that another pitcher capable of consistently missing bats would be magnificent. However, this unit is not the disaster some believe it is, and it’s not as though the league is overflowing with dominant ’pens (and sometimes, bullpens built to dominate like the 2025 Dodgers go through nightmare stretches anyway).

We are not saying the Yankees’ relief corps is in the top five in MLB at the moment because that’s far from the case. Almost every bullpen in baseball could be a powerhouse if they hit Yahtzee and everything broke right; that’s not particularly realistic. We are simply saying that although there is risk, this could potentially be a general team strength if just a few relief developments go the Yankees’ way.