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

Last week, I started taking another look at how the Cardinals have done (historically) with draft-and-development. This is a journey more than end point and I have many more numbers to crunch. This week is an abbreviated update, since most of my time has been spent at Spring Training and sitting inside number crunching doesn’t seem like a thing to do right now. The pool calls. If you missed last week’s article, you can find it here.

I did a mash-up of ZIPS projections for 2026-2028 future seasons and Fangraphs fWAR results for seasons 2017-2025, but limited to players listed in the FanGraphs prospects boards, which ranks prospects dating back to 2017. That covers 9 seasons of “young guys”. With ZIPs doing most of the heavy lifting, I analyzed how ZIPs thinks teams have done with drafting (and developing?).

Interesting side note … I heard from Dan Szymborksi a few hours after my article published using the ZIPs projections. He kindly offered to provide some additional data he may have beyond what FG makes public. If I’m smart enough to figure out something, I will take him up on that.

Below, I’ve summarized, by team, all the fWAR that ZIPs thinks our list of prospects will have accumulated by the end of the 2028 season. I’ve added the perspective of showing (on the y-axis) how much teams have put out in signing bonuses for those prospects. Note the narrow range of spending, with a high of $56 million (over 9 years) to a low of $13 million. Peanuts compared to some of the FA contracts. The highs and low are effectively constrained by where teams draft and the international bonus pool limits. The teams at the low end of the spending (Dodgers, Astros, Yankees, Cardinals) are ones that typically draft low (by being good) or sign Free Agents regularly (losing draft choices and associated pool money). Or both. The teams that have more to spend (Cincy, Pittsburgh, Baltimore) are the opposite. They’ve been bad during the analysis period (drafting high, getting higher bonus pools) and generally avoiding the Free Agent market.

On the x-axis, you see a pretty wide spread of projected fWAR (through 2028). Washington and Miami trail the pack which the Cardinals lead. A quick observation is an oldie, but apparently a goodie. As noted in earlier work using different data sets, it is remarkable how consistently that poorly run teams both play and draft poorly and are unable to acquire much value through their much higher draft picks. As you look in the lower right quadrant, you see the same phenomenon occurs while studying 2017-2028 as occurred during the original study (2000-2019). Well run team, drafting lower, still draft better. Really, only San Diego has broken that mold. Tip of the cap to A.J. Preller. The Cardinals have now had two consecutive high draft picks. I am fascinated to see how that turns out.

The red and blue dashed lines divide the teams into 4 quadrants, with labels as shown. As surfaced with previous analyses using different data sets, the phenomenon continues to be that strong organizations do well on the field and still manage to acquire more measurable prospect talent than the other organizations. These are the ones shown in bottom right=hand quadrant – Low Investment, High Return. These are the organizations getting more fWAR for less dollars.

Which team is projected to derive the most fWAR value from the prospect ranks from 2017 through 2028? Your St. Louis Cardinals. Tops. Bar none. At 371 accumulated and projected fWAR, the Cardinals come out comfortably ahead of Atlanta at 354 accumulated and projected fWAR for their prospects. And the Cardinals were doing this under tighter constraints. Not self-imposed constraints like being cheap, but round/pick bonus constraints that come with drafting where they have typically drafted (except the last 2 years). As a side note, y-axis on this graph shows bonuses actually paid. I queried against pick value and almost all teams, all years have their paid bonuses fall within 5% of the pool allocated the by round/pick values assigned.

Interesting.

Other observations

Let’s look around the league for other tidbits. How about those Padres. They appear to be drafting well. Their bonus spending is right on average, too. Their only drawback is most of those projected WAR are projected to occur with other teams like Washington (the Soto trade) and Oakland (the Miller trade).

I note the Pirates and Reds have spent comparatively heavily, by virtue of being bad for multiple, multiple years. If I peek at only projected WAR (ignoring any WAR actually accumulated 2017-2025), ZIPs appears to like Pittsburgh (157 future WAR) a lot better than Cincy (106 future WAR), but over the 9 seasons views them both as average drafters, albeit spending more to get to that average mark. For the curious, ZIPs sees the Cardinals future (projected) WAR as exceeding both those teams.

Milwaukee and Pittsburgh’s short-term outlooks looks pretty strong. They are local competition. The Cubs and Reds? Not so much. Details upon request.

Clouds on the horizon?

From the Cardinals viewpoint, one dark spot is that if you look ONLY at future performance expected (2026-2028), the Cardinals are more mid-pack, with Detroit, Baltimore, Tampa, San Francisco and Milwaukee in the top 20%. This could be viewed as worrisome, but it is a point-in-time look unpolluted by actual performance data that could prove to be highly variable even by mid-season 2026. Also, I don’t believe any of the Cardinals recent acquisitions (Cinjtje, Doyle, Rodriguez and others) have ZIPs projections yet. I bet they do by this time next year. Let’s hope they are good ones.

I would be remiss if I didn’t note that IF the Cardinal’s projected WAR improves next year, it will be a result of replenishing the farm system via trades as well as good drafting. Later, I will look more deeply, but I suspect that 2021-2023 were not good draft years, creating a bit of a donut hole that all these trades had to backfill.

I would note that the Cardinal’s did underspend their slot money over the 2017-2025 time period. By $2m on a $25m spend over the 9 years. The $25m is calculated at 105% of the slot values, since teams can go over-slot by 5% with negligible penalties. The underspend is nothing egregious. But I do wonder if a team like St. Louis that is so reliant on draft/sign and develop can afford to miss even that much. Back of the envelop math tells me if $23m can produce 371 fWAR, then $2m more could well have produced an added 35 fWAR. That’s not nothing.

One other interesting (to me) thing I see in the data. I know that the Giants grew impatient with their development-oriented leadership and switched over to Buster Posey. Zaidi was hired in 2019 and let go in 2024. Although the graph above shows the Giants running below average on draft/sign talent acquisition, the ZIPs projection data is much more friendly on the view of more recent draft classes and the Giants will likely trend more to the right over the next couple of years (unless they trade all those prospects). The data hints that the Giants may have been too hasty to abandon the track they were on. I note that Bloom is on a similar 5-year timeline. Makes me wonder if that might be too little.

The Atlanta Braves went to Tampa on Thursday and returned with a 7-3 loss to the New York Yankees. Carlos Carrasco got the ball and lasted just 1.2 innings. Though his outing was short, he surrendered four hits and five runs. He struck out one and surrendered a base on balls.

Offensively, the Braves recorded eight hits but were only able to plate runs in the third and fourth innings. It was a pretty backup-heavy lineup for Atlanta, with most of the regulars getting the day off as the team continues to sort through its depth this spring.

The Braves host the Boston Red Sox this afternoon back in North Port.

More Braves News:

Just ahead of the World Baseball Classic, there is plenty of competition at Braves camp.

MLB News:

The Athletics have reportedly made an extension offer to first baseman Nick Kurtz, who is “open and interested” depending on the timing. 

Minnesota Twins right-hander David Festa will likely begin the season on the injured list after being diagnosed with a shoulder impingement. He will be shut down from throwing for two to three weeks. 

With the offseason behind us, it’s once again time to check in with the Over the Monster community and gauge fan opinion on how the Red Sox organization is doing.

Below are polls covering the job performance of the front office, ownership, and the manager, followed by some other topical items. Your job is to express your opinion on them.

As always, we try and run these four times per year (in late May as the season hits its stride, in early August right after the trade deadline, in early November after the World Series with the offseason kicking off, and in February as we transition into a new spring training).

So, without further ado—make your choices in our February check in, and let us know in the comments your overall feelings about the club.

Previous poll results for this question when it was run:

In November: Yes 60% vs. No 40%

In August: Yes 74% vs. No 26%

Previous poll results for this question when it was run:

In November: No 80% vs. Yes 20%

In August: No 75% vs. Yes 25%

Previous poll results for this question when it was run:

In November: Yes 66% vs. No 34%

In August: Yes 76% vs. 24%

Previous poll results for this question when it was run:

In November: Yes 88% vs. No 12%

In August: Yes 90% vs No 10%

Previous poll results for this question when it was run:

In November: Better 64%, Worse 12.4%, The Same 23.6%

In August: Better 90%, Worse 1%, The Same 9%

Previous poll results for this question when it was run:

In November: Offense 49.1%, Starting Pitching 28.2%, Defense 16.2%, Bullpen 4.7%, Other 1.4%

In August: Bullpen 34%, Starting Pitching 26%, Offense 21%, Defense 14%, Other 5%

Previous poll results for this question when it was run:

In November: Yes 76%, No 24%

Previous poll results for this question when it was run:

In November: Blue Jays 43%, Red Sox 27.9%, Yankees 21.3%, Orioles 2.1%, Rays 0.2%

Last February before the season started: Yankees 53%, Red Sox 36%, Orioles 9%, Rays 1%, Blue Jays 1% (Whoops!)

Previous poll results for this question when it was run:

In November: No 51%, Yes 49%

In August: Yes 62%, No 38%

Previous poll results for this question when it was run:

In November: Bring back the blues 50.1% vs. Keep the yellows 49.9%. (It literally came down to one vote!)

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Now, let’s work some new questions into the mix:

(The next poll should end with “more than a month” but the poll space ran out of characters.)

Greetings, Brew Crew Ball community. Welcome to (almost) March, which means baseball is less than a month away!

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-baseball sports, the Brewers, you name it. As long as it’s appropriate and is allowed by our moderators, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread:

This post is part of a series of daily questions that we’ll ask the community here at Amazin’ Avenue throughout the month of February. We hope you find the questions engaging and that our prompts can spark some fun conversations in the comments. We’ll see you there and plan to have staff chiming in, too.

What do you miss most about Shea Stadium?

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Nolan Arenado plops down on a bench in the back fields of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ spring training complex, takes off his cap, wipes the perspiration from his forehead, and breaks into a slow, expansive smile.

Sitting just a few hundred yards from the complex where his career first started with the Colorado Rockies, this is home now, perhaps for the duration of his career.

He has found peace.

No more trade rumors.

No more trade requests.

No more venting his frustration with the front office.

Home sweet home, just a five-hour drive from where he grew up in Orange County, California, and about a 20-minute drive away from where he and his wife, Laura, just purchased a new home in the Scottsdale area, with their two young  kids (3-year-old daughter, Levi, and 4-month-old son, Beau).

“I’m so much more relaxed now," Arenado tells USA TODAY Sports. “I mean, obviously, the last year or two, we kept hearing that you’re going to be traded and stuff. Now, to finally have some clarity, it feels good. Really, it feels great.

“I’m thankful for the Diamondbacks to have interest in me. Now, my goal is to hold up my end of the bargain on that and take care of business."

The irony with Arenado’s arrival in Arizona is that his fate directly hinged the last two winters on Alex Bregman’s decisions.

Arenado was supposed to be taking over for Bregman a year ago as the Houston Astros’ third baseman. Bregman was a free agent, the Astros refused to raise their offer, and reached out to the St. Louis Cardinals to acquire Arenado in December 2024. The deal was done, but Arenado, who had a full no-trade clause, vetoed it.

“Listen, I respect Houston, I respect that team and who they are," Arenado says. “But at the time, I was hesitant, because they had just traded Kyle Tucker. And Bregman wasn't coming back. I just didn't know what direction they were going.

“It was nothing more than that."

The Los Angeles Angels called that winter, too, knowing that Anthony Rendon wouldn’t be healthy, but Arenado had no interest. He wanted to be on a contender, not a team that hasn’t had a winning season in a decade.

Arenado informed the Cardinals that if they could work out a deal with either the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres or Philadelphia Phillies, he would accept it. He kept holding out hope until spring training that the Red Sox would reach out; he expected to be their fall-back plan, but Bregman wound up signing a three-year, $120 million contract with two opt-outs with Boston, leaving Arenado in St. Louis.

Arenado, who had the worst season of his career last year, still was hoping to be gone at the July 31 deadline. No one showed interest. He played in only 11 games after the deadline with a strained right shoulder and finished the season hitting just .237 with 12 homers, 52 RBI and a .666 OPS in 107 games. He looked like a shadow of himself, a guy who finished third in the MVP race in 2022 with 30 homers, 103 RBI and an .891 OPS.

When the 2025 season ended, and Chaim Bloom replaced John Mozeliak as the Cardinals’ new president of baseball operations, he informed Arenado they were going into a full-scale youth movement and would do everything possible to trade him during the winter.

The Padres eventually reached out, received Arenado’s blessing that he’d leave his third baseman’s glove at home and move to first base, but they failed to work out a deal to the Cardinals’ liking. The Athletics expressed strong interest, but sorry, they are playing at a Triple-A ballpark in Sacramento, and Arenado had no interest in potentially finishing his career in a minor-league stadium.

So, once again, he waited on Bregman, who also was drawing interest from the Diamondbacks. Bregman wound up leaving Boston and signed a five-year, $175 million deal with the Chicago Cubs. Arenado waited on the Red Sox to call. They never did.

The Diamondbacks, with Bregman off the board, reached out, offered the Cardinals an eighth-round draft pick who hadn’t thrown a professional pitch, made the Cardinals pick up $31 million of the remaining $42 million in Arenado’s contract, and Arenado approved the deal in January.

“It’s hard when it gets out in the public that this team or that team was interested, and I said no," Arenado said. “Well, they were never on my yeses to begin with, you know? So, it makes it hard."

Arenado already is hearing it from Athletics’ fans this spring.

“The A's are going to carve you up."

“We didn’t want you in the first place."

“I’m like, don’t take it personal," Arenado said. “They were never on my (approval) list anyway. I needed time to really think about that one, but the other two (San Diego and Arizona), I told Chaim if he could work out a deal, I’d go.

“I just didn't want to go through what I went through last year.

“I wanted to get this over with."

Now, here he is, the eight-time All-Star, 10-time Gold Glove winner, six-time Platinum Glove winner, five-time Silver Slugger, burning to prove he’s still got it, turning 35 years old in April.

He’s not carrying a Gold Glove-sized chip on his shoulder for everyone who showed no interest, or even Team USA, which chose Bregman over him to be the starting third baseman in the World Baseball Classic after he had played the previous two times. But Arenado has something to prove to himself.

“I know I’ve had a couple of tough years," Arenado says, “but this team believes in what I can do. And that’s helped me get me excited for the confidence they have in me. It’s already a top-10 lineup, and I think I can make it better.

“I'm hopeful that they can bring out the best of me."

Arenado, who used to work out in Diamondbacks World Series hero Luis Gonzalez’s backyard batting cage when he first came up with the Colorado Rockies — finishing in the top 10 in MVP voting for five consecutive seasons — knows he can find it again.

He’s almost 35, not 55.

He still feels fresh, healthy, and is rejuvenated.

“You know, it disappoints me that I didn't play the way I expected to in St Louis the last couple years," Arenado says. “But, you know, it's baseball. I'm learning about my body. There's some things changing.

“I'm getting a little bit older, I’ve just got to take care of business a different way. There's all those little things that I wish I would have nipped in the bud a little earlier in St Louis.

“I loved playing every minute in St. Louis. Their fans are unbelievable. They are so supportive. They have high expectations. I just wish I could have played better for them."

Now, with a new workout routine, he believes there’s no reason he can’t resemble the same dude who terrorized the NL West when he played with the Rockies. Certainly, if he didn’t believe he could be a star again, he wouldn’t have accepted manager Yadier Molina’s offer to play for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.

Arenado played with Molina, the future Hall of Fame catcher, in St. Louis. He was still planning to say no, since he never got a call from Team USA, but his family, particularly his mom who’s from Puerto Rico, persuaded him to do it. His entire family plans to be in Puerto Rico for the first round, giving Arenado a chance to see the beautiful island for the first time in his life.

“I wanted to play for USA again, but I didn’t get the call," Arenado said. “Honestly, I didn’t deserve the call. And when Yadi called me about it, I felt a little hesitant about it because I played on USA, and I was recovering from a shoulder surgery. But my mom really wanted me to do it, and my family kept telling me to do it."

The original plan was for Arenado to play first base for Team Puerto Rico with Carlos Correa at third base. But after Correa couldn’t get the insurance to play in the WBC, Arenado will once again be back in his customary position.

“I love it, for me, selfishly, it's the energy," Arenado says. “It gets you mentally ready for the season. Obviously, the stakes are high right away, which is tough, but it brings that intensity. It brings the focus that you only get when opening day of the season starts. I really think it’s beneficial."

It will be Arenado’s final WBC, he says, but he has plenty of other lofty goals in mind. He has two years remaining on his contract, but with a strong finishing kick, he could erase any doubts that he deserves to be standing behind a podium in Cooperstown one day. He has 353 homers, 1,184 RBI and an .846 OPS, to go along with his 10 Gold Gloves. He has more Gold Gloves, All-Star appearances, and homers than Scott Rolen, the last third baseman to be inducted into the Hall of Fame two years ago.

“I try not to look that far ahead," Arenado says, “but I still feel like I do have good game left in me. I still feel like I can express it and do it now. For how long? I don't know. I’ve got two years left. I don't know if I want to play past two years, but if I take care of the business the way I know I can, or I feel I can, I could see myself playing a little bit longer.

“But, I do expect to perform well on both sides of the ball again.

“I expect to help this team win.

“And I expect to be a complete player again."

Follow Nightengale on X: @BNightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nolan Arenado has plenty to prove in 2026 MLB season after trade

Last week, I wondered about which Yankees pitching prospect could have a Cam Schlittler-esque turn this year, coming up in the middle of the season to make a major impact on the Yankee staff. Elmer Rodríguez and Carlos Langrange look like prime candidates, even if it’s unlikely that any single prospect plays as well as Schlittler did in his summer audition last year.

The thought of another young power arm coming up and propelling the Yankees midseason is tantalizing, but the fact is the Yankees have a plethora of young starters already on the major-league roster. New York hopes that Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, and Carlos Rodón will ultimately lead them to glory, but with injury concerns stuck to at least two of those three, young starting pitching will have to buoy the Yankees during parts of 2026.

Schlittler stands tall, literally and figuratively, among that group of hurlers, coming off a sensational rookie campaign and one of the most memorable playoff debuts in Yankee history. There’s also Will Warren, who’s had his inconsistencies in his career but just led all rookies in starts in innings, with his baffling east-west arsenal hinting at untapped upside. Luis Gil stands at a pivotal moment in his career, not long removed from his 2024 Rookie of the Year campaign but looking to re-establish himself after a 2025 season in which he was injured and diminished. You can even arguably include Ryan Weathers in this group; though the left-hander has appeared in five different MLB seasons, he only just turned 26 and has but 280 career innings to his name.

The question today is, which of these young starters will make the biggest impact in 2026? With Rodón likely to miss about a month of the season, Cole scheduled to miss about two months, and Clarke Schmidt still on the mend, the Yankees need a chunk of these young starters to show out, if not most of them. Who will it be? Which of these inexperienced arms will prove to be most valuable to the Yankees this year?

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This morning, Matt’s entry in our Yankee Birthday series highlights Ron Hassey, who had a couple of remarkable things happen to him over the course of his career. Also, Peter previews Carlos Rodón’s season, and Jeff takes a look at the Pirates as part of our 2026 MLB preview.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees at Minnesota Twins

Time: 1:05 p.m. EST

Video: Gotham Sports App, Twins.TV

Venue: Lee Health Sports Complex, Fort Myers, FL

The sun is shining, birds are chirping and the Pirates are back in Bradenton for Spring Training. Spring ball for fans is the first glimpse into how their favorite ball club is going to look in the regular season, and there has already been several noteworthy developments for the Buccos.

The new look lineup looks great

The Pirates organization made it a point this offseason to improve their bottom dwelling offense and in just a week of games, it already looks like this lineup is transformed. So far the Pirates are 5-2 in Spring and have had a couple of contests with offensive barrages overpowering their competition. It’s not uncommon for hitters to be a step behind pitchers following the long winter away from the game, but for the Pirates, it has been the complete opposite.

Against the Boston Red Sox, the Buccos scored 16 runs, with three homers recorded. In their opener against the Baltimore Orioles, this transformed offense put up eight runs with Ryan O’Hearn and Endy Rodriguez both going deep. Then against Tampa Bay, the team put up seven runs, with the team currently averaging just over six runs scored in the seven contests that they’ve played.

Oh yeah….

Ryan O’Hearn – absolutely LOVE to see this…

The power he brings & the ability to clear the bases and bring in 3 runs just like THAT is EXACTLY what the Bucs were missing

Love it 🏴‍☠️

pic.twitter.com/tGoJmoZZXs

— Christian ✞ (@CWolfPGH) February 21, 2026

Obviously it’s only Spring ball, but it is very encouraging to see an offense this hot already ahead of the regular season. While the lineup will still need some fine tuning for regular season competition, there is clearly a lot of fire power coming to PNC Park this season.

Konnor Griffin is turning heads and crushing baseballs

Konnor Griffin is the unanimous top prospect in baseball, and he is showing everyone why in a big way. In the team’s contest against Boston, Griffin had two huge home runs and is already looking like a Major Leaguer.

Since arriving in Pirate City, the talk of the town has been on if Griffin can make Pittsburgh’s opening day roster. All signs are pointing to yes, but more than that, it’s looking like the Mississippi native could be the next generational super star in Major League Baseball. Griffin is very much on the same trajectory as Barry Bonds, Bryce Harper, Juan Soto and Ken Griffey Jr. At just 19-years-old, he already plays, moves and operates like a Major Leaguer, and it may already be time for Pittsburgh to consider signing Griffin to a long term deal.

I would offer Konnor Griffin an 8-year, $150 million deal with a club option. #Pirates

Roman Anthony set the market with 8-year, $130 million. Would need to add incentives for Griffin too. I think Griffin would sign. pic.twitter.com/2PLZM3S9Us

— Austin Bechtold (@AustinRBechtold) February 26, 2026

Griffin could finally be the piece the Pirates need to put them over the top and emerge as real contenders in the National League. We have to hope that Bob Nutting and company don’t screw this one up.

Fans should be excited about Pirates’ baseball again

I was talking to my father a couple of weeks ago, and he was telling me that he would really love to see Pittsburgh become a great baseball city again. There’s a lot of work that still needs to be done, but it really feels like the Pirates may finally be heading back in a good direction. They have to rid themselves of some nasty heritage that has in the last 30 years not been committed to winning, and currently hold the longest playoff drought in the NL.

The black cloud that follows Pittsburgh because of the sins committed by Nutting and management is something that fans and players are still constantly working through, but there is no doubt that this Pirates squad on paper is looking to be one of the best teams they’ve had in a decade. They signed big free-agents in the offseason, went out and made smart trades and of course have some of the best talent in baseball emerging as Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler and Griffin are looking to change the reputation of Pittsburgh’s ball club.

It’s a long 162 game season that hasn’t even started yet, but there are shades already of a quality ball team. O’Hearn has said that this Pirates team reminds him of the Baltimore teams that he found success on. Don Kelly at the helm is reimagining the culture in the clubhouse and is willing to bring back alumni to help inspire the new generation of Buccos. The best time of the year is just getting started and fans should be excited to see their Pittsburgh Pirates in 2026.

Nope. pic.twitter.com/qAZe5vZXum

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) February 26, 2026

What has stood out for yinz in Spring Training? Let us know in the comments!

The Athletic and the San Diego Union-Tribuneboth reported that an unnamed source has divulged that there are five groups who submitted bids on Wednesday in the first round of offers to purchase the San Diego Padres.

The source or sources were not authorized to speak on the sale but it seems possible that the Padres could change hands within the next month to two months.

The Athletic reported a new group, headed by Vuori CEO Joe Kudla and former San Diego Chargers quarterback and NFL Hall Of Fame player Drew Brees, were one of the five to submit bids. Before today, there were reportedly three other groups who had expressed interest in the team.

Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob, Serie A club Roma and Premier League Everton owner Dan Friedkin and ClearLake Capital founding partner Jose E. Feliciano are the other three names that have been reported to be interested or to have placed bids. There is no confirmation on any of these reports.

There is no information on who the last bidder could be.

Feliciano is a Puerto Rican native who is headquartered in Santa Monica. Friedkin is a San Diego native who lives in Texas and Kudla is the Carlsbad-based owner and CEO of Vuori, he graduated from USD and began his business in 2015, per The Athletic. His company is an athletic leisure-wear brand. Brees, his partner in the bid, participates in marketing for Vuori and is a part-time San Diego resident with a long history of Padres fandom.

Sportico has valued the Padres at $2.31 billion but reports from sources inside MLB have said that the Seidler family is seeking closer to $3 billion for the team. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred made a statement when the potential sale was announced in November of 2025, stating –

“It’s a really appealing franchise. They’ve done a great job building a fan base. The in-ballpark experience in San Diego’s probably one of our best. They’ve got some great players and I expect there will be people that will be interested in buying.”

Manfred updated that statement on Feb. 12 in his yearly media gathering at the beginning of Spring Training.

“The best I can tell on you on the Padres is there is robust interest on what is viewed as a really appealing asset.”

Padres Chairman John Seidler spoke at the start of Padres Spring Training and stated that there were multiple interested parties, not all of which had been reported in the media, and what the owners were seeking in a new owner.
“We would like to see what everybody would like to see: We would like to see somebody with ties to San Diego, a deep love of San Diego and a deep love of baseball, so they can continue doing the work that we do in the community and providing the product on the field that the fans enjoy.”

He also stated the team would not be moved.

There have been widespread rumors that if Lacob were to buy the franchise, he would seek to move it out of San Diego to Northern California, where he resides and owns the Warriors.

“I can’t speak as to any details as to what may or may not be negotiated with an ultimate buyer,” Seidler said. “But if you look, a new buyer would be nuts to move the team out of San Diego, with the second-highest attendance in all of baseball last year. San Diego’s a great place for baseball. Baseball is the only major sport in San Diego right now. So, the opportunity is in San Diego, not elsewhere.”

It seems likely that the Padres could have a new owner by Opening Day or very soon thereafter. It’s unlikely most Padres fans will have a strong opinion on who would be the best owner for the team but share Seidler’s hope that a dedication to San Diego and baseball will be their motivation for owning the Padres.

This recap is late because it is being typed out on the bar of a lovely establishment in Twin Falls, Idaho, called Scooter’s. I am on my way to spring training and listened to this game – even though it was televised – while driving up and down various mountain passes. This country hilly as heck, y’all. I thus did not have time before stopping for the evening to recount what happened in today’s game, which you have likely already seen, but in case you, too, were consumed with other things, here is what happened in today’s game, another back-and-forth spring training affair where the Mariners eventually came out on top, 8-7.

Bryce Miller

Miller made his season debut and went 1.1 innings, allowing three hits and punching out one on a pitch the broadcast crew was divided between being a splitter or a curveball (Gameday says splitter now, although Gary Hill initially announced it as a curve). Miller came out firing in his spring debut, touching 98.4 on his four-seam – he did give up a double on that pitch, but it was located well across the plate and David Fry sort of stuck his bat out at it and got lucky. Shannon Drayer said on the broadcast that Miller opted not to get the surgery for his bone spur because he found a gel injection that has been working for managing the pain should it crop up, which it hasn’t; he’s not concerned, and therefore I’m not concerned.

The WBC Guys Are Getting Their Hacks In

Julio Rodríguez leaves on Saturday to join Team Dominican Republic and they’ll be happy to have him; he had a double but also worked two walks in his four plate appearances. Not to be outdone, Cal Raleigh had two doubles, although he didn’t catch seven innings this time. Randy Arozarena, who will also leave soon for the WBC, also had a double in a particularly fun first inning that saw that trio go back-to-back-to-back with doubles.

Luke Raley-Dominic Canzone: Heated Rivalry

In the position battle I’m watching most closely this spring, the healthy revenge tour of Luke Raley continues; he added another hard-hit double today off former Mariner Matt Festa, smoked at 109.8 mph. Dominic Canzone also had a hit, a line-drive single to center on a pitch inside that he fought off and got to drop.

The Spring Awakening Continues

Continuing to see a lot of playing time at second base, Michael Arroyo collected another pair of hits today, including his second double of the spring, and worked a walk. He also initiated another successful challenge; this kid really knows the strike zone. Meanwhile, Colt Emerson had two hits of his own, including a triple.

Brocketship to the Moon

While I was driving up a mountain in eastern Oregon to what felt terrifyingly close to driving onto the moon’s surface itself, Brock Rodden was checking in with his first home run of the spring. Yes it was a middle-middle first-pitch cutter that he ambushed, but still, we love healthy Brock Star.

Pitching Pile Update

It was a mixed bag for the bullpen hopefuls today. One of the best lines was posted by a pitcher I had no idea was a Mariner, one Abdiel Mendoza, who came in during to relieve Miller and polished off the second inning cleanly. Casey Legumina also had a solid outing, working a clean fifth inning with a strikeout. Cooper Criswell didn’t have as dazzling an outing as he did in his spring debut, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks, but showcased his ability as a swingman or multi-inning reliever, going two innings. Ryan Loutos struggled again, getting himself into some trouble and surrendering a big hit in the form of a three-run homer to Kate Fave Petey Halpin. Maybe the most intriguing outing for me today was Cole Wilcox, who again showcased his big stuff; he does have trouble commanding it at times, issuing a free pass, but he also collected a strikeout. It’s…so…tantalizingly…close with Wilcox.

Also close: spring training, for me. I’ll unfortunately just miss a bunch of the WBC guys as they’re leaving but will have plenty up about everyone else over the coming weeks. Make sure you’re following us on Bluesky (@LookoutLanding) for the video content and let me know if there’s anything in particular you want to hear about. I’m aiming for my first day there to be Saturday, Kade Anderson’s professional debut, so unless I fall into a canyon there will be lots of content about that come the weekend.

NJ.com | Randy Miller: Giancarlo Stanton is obsessed with winning a World Series with the Yankees. It’s too bad his elbows keep getting in the way. In an interview with Miller, the slugger explained why he didn’t want to undergo surgery to address the chronic tendinitis that is still affecting him, and reminded the world that he can’t open a bottle or a bag of chips. However, he clarified that he wants to play a full season and take home the trophy. As his 158 wRC+ and 24 home runs in 77 games last year proved, Big G can still mash with his current condition.

SNY | Alex Smith: The Yankees beat the Braves 7-3 on Thursday, with another solid outing by Elmer Rodríguez and home runs by Paul Goldschmidt, Spencer Jones, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. Rodríguez allowed two runs in three innings of work, striking out four and walking one. His changeup looked on point; he got seven whiffs and his spring ERA now stands at 3.00.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: Spring training star Ryan Weathers changed his offseason routine with the intention of staying healthy. The new habits, explained in detail by Phillips, involve the elimination of “some lifting patterns in the weight room” and the implementation of “more ground-based rolling exercises that, with the help of a foam roller, focused on his spine.” Yankees fans are praying to every god they know for these habits to pay off, because he is looking fantastic on the mound.

CBS 58 News Milwaukee | Kathryn Merck: Retired MLB umpire Bruce Froemming, whose career spanned from 1971 to 2007, passed away on Wednesday, aged 86. He umpired the third-most games in league history, and spent most of his career in the National League. His strike call was unique, and he is best known by Yankees fans for being the umpire who ejected Billy Martin in Game 4 of the 1976 World Series. Rest in peace.

Manny Machado got his first two hits of Spring Training in dramatic fashion on Thursday. Machado came to the plate with the San Diego Padres trailing the Cincinnati Reds, 3-1 in the top of the third inning and blasted a two-run home run to left to tie the game, 3-3. He then watched the Reds put up six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and returned to the plate in the top of the sixth with the bases loaded and a chance to tie the game again. Machado did just that with a grand slam to center field that tied the game, 9-9. In the end, Cincinnati was able to scratch out one more run than San Diego and Machado and the Padres dropped the game at Goodyear Stadium in Goodyear, Ariz., 11-10.

Who is Manny Machado? For the blind, he is vision. For the hungry, he is the chef. For the thirsty, he is water. If Manny thinks, I agree. If Manny speaks, I'm listening. If Manny has one fan, it is me. If Manny has no fans, I do not exist. pic.twitter.com/aatfFDHoMW

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) February 26, 2026

The Reds won the game, but Machado was the top story from the Padres side. He was quickly followed by Sung-Mun Song who recorded his first hit in MLB action on a 96.5 mph cutter from Cincinnati reliever Graham Ashcraft, which resulted in a single to start the six-run top of the sixth inning. The base hit was a step forward for Song, who admitted in a recent report he was going to need some time to adjust to pitch velocity in the majors. Song also worked two walks in the game.

With all the offensive fireworks, the fact that Nick Pivetta started the game for San Diego kind of got lost in all the numbers. He worked two innings and allowed three runs on three hits with two walks and a strikeout. It was not the outing Padres fans expected to see from Pivetta who was the staff ace in 2025, especially after Michael King looked so dominant in his start against the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. However, it was the first start of Spring Training for Pivetta and play-by-play announcers Jesse Agler and Tony Gwynn Jr. made note on the broadcast that it appeared the right-hander was working on specific pitches in his outing.

Padres pitchers Miguel Mendez and Justin Yeager each had difficult outings, which resulted in a combined six runs for the Reds. Mendez lasted 0.2 innings and allowed three runs on four hits with two walks and a strikeout. Yeager was called on to finish the inning for Mendez and he allowed two runs on two hits with a walk and a strikeout.

On the offensive side, Machado and Song were joined by Nick Solak, Gavin Sheets, Anthony Vilar, Marcos Castonon, Clay Dungan and Rodolfo Duran who all recorded at least one hit in the game. Duran had two hits, one of which was a solo home run to open the top of the third inning.

Our third catcher is better than your starter btw pic.twitter.com/8Dk0BGmoj3

— Christmasin July (@cjwalters4242) February 27, 2026

San Diego will travel to Salt River Fields at Talking Stick to take on the Colorado Rockies on Friday at 12:10 p.m.

Longtime MLB umpire Bruce Froemming, who worked the third-most games in league history and a record 11 no-hitters, died Wednesday in Milwaukee, his son Steven confirmed to the Associated Press.

He was 86.

Froemming struck his head during a fall at his Mequon, Wisc., home on Tuesday night, and doctors failed to stop the bleeding in his brain due to blood thinners he was taking, according to his son.

Known for his loud, distinctive strike call, Froemming umpired 37 consecutive seasons from 1971-2007 in the majors, working a total of 5,163 games, trailing only Bill Klem (5,373) and Joe West (5,460).

Froemming briefly pursued a semi-professional playing career, but ultimately started umpiring at age 18, working his way through the minor leagues, at times making $250 a month, before reaching the National League in 1971.

“Every game to me is important,” Froemming told NPR after he umpired his 5,000th career contest in 2006. “You know and I learned early on it’s not the level of play that you’re umpiring or officiating, it’s how you attack the sport as an official. And every game is important. It’s important to somebody. It’s important to the people that are playing, no matter at what level.

“You may think you’ve got a B game or a game that’s not important. To those kids or people that are playing it, it is important. So every game that you work you have to work at a high level.”

During his nearly four-decade career, Froemming often found himself at the forefront of some of the most memorable moments and skirmishes in MLB history.

On Sept. 2, 1972, Froemming was behind the plate for an afternoon Cubs-Padres game at Wrigley Field as three-time All-Star pitcher Milt Pappas closed in on a perfect game. With pinch-hitter Larry Stahl representing the final out, Froemming called a close 3-2 pitch ball four, ending Pappas’ bid for perfection.

While Pappas retired the next hitter to complete a no-hitter, the right-handed pitcher was upset by Froemming’s call, which remained a source of controversy.

“The word ‘close’ came in,” Froemming told MLB.com in 2016 about the call, shortly after Pappas’ passing. “The pitches were ‘close.’ I said: ‘To me, this is my perception about umpiring. It’s a ball or a strike; it’s not “close.” I’ve got it a ball or a strike.’

“When that came up the next day — ‘You could have given it to him, it was close’ — I said, ‘I’m an umpire, not a fan. I called what I saw.'”

Froemming worked 10 more no-hitters during his career, and was behind home plate for three of them: Ed Halicki (1975), Nolan Ryan (1981) and José Jiménez (1999).

The Milwaukee native was involved in a bevy of melees during his career, including working as the second base umpire during Game 3 of the 1973 National League Championship series at Shea Stadium when Bud Harrelson and Pete Rose fought near the bag.

More than three decades later, Froemming was working the plate at Fenway Park on July 24, 2004, when Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek shoved his glove into Yankees’ third baseman Alex Rodriguez’s face, inciting a brawl.

Not shy about giving anyone the hook, Froemming also recorded 125 career ejections, good for the 13th most all-time. Perhaps none were as memorable as him ejecting Yankees manager Billy Martin in Game 4 of the 1976 World Series.

The Yankees skipper chucked a baseball toward home plate in the ninth inning with Froemming at first base during first of five Fall Classics he’d work in his career.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Froemming asked Martin, according to a 1985 Los Angeles Times story.

“None of your f–king business!” Martin reportedly shot back before his ejection.

During his final season in 2007, Froemming drew the ire of then-Yankees owner George Steinbrenner for not delaying Game 2 of the ALDS between the Yankees and Indians after midges swarmed inside Jacobs Field.

“The umpire was full of [expletive],” Steinbrenner said of Froemming, who served as the crew chief. “He won’t umpire our games anymore.”

MLB stood by Froemming, who said Steinbrenner was “entitled” to his opinion, as the Yankees dropped the series to Cleveland in four games.

“He loved the fact that baseball was like a fraternity,” his son Steven told The Athletic. “You argued like hell on the field, and after the game was over, you left it at the stadium, and it was a new day tomorrow.”

After his retirement, Froemming worked as a special assistant to MLB’s vice president on umpiring.

Froemming is survived by his wife, Rosemarie, whom he married in 1957; two sons, Steven and Kevin; sister Cathy Seizer; half-brother Johnny Froemming; and two grandchildren, Nicolas and Christopher.

With Post wires

On Tuesday, I asked which pitching prospect you thought would make a name for himself in 2026.

Tonight, let’s look to the position player side of the roster.

Which Rockies prospect do you see stepping up this season?

And if you need a refresher, the most-recent PuRPs rankings are here.

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Observations from Yankees spring training on Thursday.

Having a blast

Jazz Chisholm Jr., Paul Goldschmidt and Spencer Jones all crushed home runs in a 7-3 win over the Braves — Chisholm’s first of the spring and the second each for Goldschmidt and Jones. 

Downer for Doval

Camilo Doval made his spring debut and gave up a home run to ex-Yankees minor leaguer Ben Gamel in an inning of work. But he rebounded by striking out a pair to strand a runner on third. 

Caught my eye 

Goldschmidt’s homer came off the bat at 102.4 mph, but his single in the bottom of the first inning (against former Yankee Carlos Carrasco) was smoked at 108 mph.

Results can be deceiving in spring, especially for veterans, but quality of contact is a better measuring stick and in that regard, Goldschmidt has consistently been hitting the ball hard during the first week of games. 

Friday’s schedule

Luis Gil makes his second start of the spring when the Yankees travel to face the Twins in Fort Myers, Fla.