Category: Baseball

Joe Espada has been upfront about wanting to start the season with a six-man rotation. Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, Mike Burrows and Tatsuya Imai appear to have four of those spots locked up, but what about the other two?

Here’s a list of contenders to watch with the start of spring training just a week away.

Spencer Arrighetti

Arrighetti was limited to just seven starts and 35.1 innings last season. He missed four months after suffering a fractured thumb when he was struck by an errant ball during batting practice. He made five starts in August, but was shut down in September due to elbow inflammation.

The good news is that Arrighetti didn’t need elbow surgery, and told reporters at FanFest on Saturday that he’s thrown seven bullpens, which would seem to mean he’s on track to hit the ground running when spring training begins. 

The 26-year old has an 87 ERA+ through his first two Major League seasons, but the Astros would be over the moon if he could find a way to come close to replicating the 3.18 ERA he posted in the second half of 2024 with a 29 percent strikeout rate and a 7.9 percent walk rate.

Lance McCullers Jr

It’s now or never for McCullers, who is in the final year of the five-year, $85 million extension he signed before the 2021 season. McCullers returned after missing more than two seasons due to flexor tendon surgery and posted a 6.51 ERA over 55.1 innings in between three separate IL stints, though none were arm-related.

If you’re looking for signs of optimism for the 32-year old in 2026, you can point to a few starts early in his return. He struck out 12 while allowing three runs over six innings against the A’s on May 28, tossed six shutout innings against the Pirates six days later, and limited the Dodgers to one run over six innings on July 4, but compiled an 8.10 ERA over his final seven games.

Despite the IL time, McCullers was healthy when the season ended, which should’ve given him a normal offseason ramp-up for the first time in a long time, but it’s hard to think he recaptures the form that earned him a top-10 Cy Young finish, the season before his extension kicked in.

Jason Alexander

Claimed off waivers from the A’s in May, Alexander saved an Astros rotation ravaged by injuries. The 32-year old journeyman put up a 3.66 ERA and the Astros won 10 of his first 11 before losing his last two. 

Whether or not Alexander can repeat that success remains to be determined. His FIP with the Astros was a run higher than his ERA, and there is a lot of blue in his Baseball Savant profile, and a good portion of that blue is dark. His 22 percent chase rate was in the bottom 1 percent in all of baseball. That’s a tough way to make a living.

Ryan Weiss

The Astros thought enough of Weiss that they gave him $2.6 million after compiling a 2.87 ERA with a 28.6 percent strikeout rate in 178.2 innings last season in the KBO. Last season marked a major improvement for the former fourth-round pick, who posted a 3.77 ERA in the second half of 2024 after beginning the year in the Atlantic League.

Weiss shows average fastball velocity, though Astros GM Dana Brown said he was able to touch 97 mph in Korea, and his command and control, which were strengths for him during his first stateside stint, improved in the KBO.

Whether or not Weiss’ improvements last season carry over is still to be determined. He pitched parts of three seasons in Triple-A for the Diamondbacks and Royals, posting a 6.72 ERA over 89.2 innings, and his numbers in Double-A were not much better.

AJ Blubaugh

Blubaugh made his Major League debut April 30, allowing two runs over four innings against the Tigers, and did not return to the big leagues until August, when he pitched well every time Joe Espada gave him the ball. Blubaugh finished last season with a 1.69 ERA over 32 innings, mostly working out of the bullpen as a long reliever.

The 26-year old showed average fastball velocity and relied on a sweeper against right-handers, but opponents went 0-for-29 against his changeup, which he could throw effectively to both lefties and righties. While the sample size was small, Blubaugh’s FIP was almost three runs higher than his ERA, indicating some good fortune, though his strikeout numbers suggest his low ERA wasn’t entirely a mirage.

Possibly the biggest question moving forward is whether the Astros view Blubaugh as a starter. He made only three starts, and he was never asked to turn a lineup over twice, topping out at 19 batters faced in his first two Major League outings.

Colton Gordon

Gordon compiled a 5.34 ERA over 86 innings in his first taste of Major League action last season. The 27-year old had one of baseball’s lowest walk rates, but he did not miss bats and allowed too much hard contact. Opponents batted .298 against his four-seam fastball with a .645 slugging percentage. That pitch posted a -10 run value, per Baseball Savant, and his sweeper—against which opponents slugged .515—carried a -7 run value.

Unless he improves his fastball velocity, which is well below average, or develops another weapon, it’s hard to see Gordon surviving as a Major League starter.

Nate Pearson

The Astros signed Pearson to a one-year, $1.35 million contract in October, a month after he was released by the Cubs. Once one of baseball’s top prospects, the 29-year old has a 5.17 ERA in 123 major league games, almost entirely out of the bullpen, but represents an intriguing reclamation project for a team with a strong track record of fixing pitchers.

While major league success has eluded Pearson, elite velocity has not. The right-hander’s four-seam fastball averaged 97.6 mph last season, and he has a slider that generated a 37.5 percent whiff rate in 2024. He probably profiles more as a reliever, but a starter with elite velocity is a hot commodity, and Pearson reunites with Brown, who was part of the Blue Jays’ front office when he was drafted in the first round nine years ago.

Miguel Ullola

Rated as the Astros’ best pitching prospect by MLB.com, Ullola finished 2025 with a 3.88 ERA while appearing in 28 games (23 starts) and logging 113.2 innings for Triple-A Sugar Land. He posted a 26.6% strikeout rate, but also walked nearly 16% of the hitters he faced. It’s hard to see him finding consistent success at the major league level if he doesn’t throw more strikes.

The good news is that his ERA dropped to 3.00 in Sugar Land, where conditions more closely resemble big league parks, but that did nothing to rein in his walk rate, which actually ticked up slightly.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Trevor Hoffman is one of the most beloved players to ever wear a San Diego Padres uniform and that fact is highlighted with the results of this week’s Padres Reacts Survey. Gaslamp Ball asked readers which of the 2026 bobbleheads would get them to Petco Park to take in a game and the top choice was the Hall of Fame closer. The Hoffman bobblehead will be given out to the first 40,000 fans on Wednesday, July 8, when the Padres host the Arizona Diamondbacks at 7:10 p.m.

Hoffman started his tenure in San Diego at the end of the 1993 season, and he remained with the Padres through the 2008 season. Hoffman accumulated 552 of his 601 saves in San Diego, which included his career best 53 save season in 1998, helping the Padres reach the World Series. It is fitting the Hoffman bobblehead is donning the navy-blue hat and jersey with white pants that was the uniform during that magical season.  

Not surprisingly, the Don & Mud theme game bobblehead, with Don Orsillo in his mini-yacht towing Mark “Mud” Grant sitting in a life ring, was the second choice. The broadcast team is routinely voted one of the best booths in MLB and Padres fans often make signs for the duo whether at home or on the road. The Don & Mud bobblehead will be given out Friday, July 31, when the Padres host the San Francisco Giants at 6:40 p.m. Fans must purchase a theme game ticket to receive one of these bobbleheads.

New Padres closer Mason Miller was also a top choice of fans joining Hoffman and Don & Mud as the only bobbleheads of the nine listed to receive 20 percent or more of the vote. The Miller bobblehead will be given out to the first 40,000 fans on Thursday, May 7, when the Padres host the St. Louis Cardinals at 7:10 p.m.

It has been a slow offseason for the Padres and their general manager A.J. Preller, but many fans and baseball reports still believe a major move is coming. Will that be as a trade or a free agent signing no one sees coming, only time will tell. The team, with stars like Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts in the lineup is enough to get fans to the stadium, but the added bonus of a promotional giveaway in the form of a bobblehead adds a little extra motivation to see the game in person.

MLB.com | Joe Trezza: This time of year is one where you’ll see a lot of prospect rankings released by the various outlets that track and profile the future stars of the sport. According to MLB.com, the Yankees ended up with four players in the Top 100 prospects across baseball, led by George Lombard Jr. at #32. However, here’s a look at some of the prospects who could crack future Top 100 lists with a good year or two, including former first round draft pick Ben Hess.

New York Post | Greg Joyce: One of the earliest moves of the Yankees’ offseason was outfielder Trent Grisham accepting the qualifying offer to remain with the Yankees in 2026. While the $22+ million that the qualifying offer was worth felt like a big number when he accepted, GM Brian Cashman believes the price may end up a bargain considering how the free agent market has played out since.

MassLive | Christopher Smith: The Red Sox made a deal on Sunday, trading pitcher Jordan Hicks to the White Sox. In return, they got pitching prospect Gage Ziehl, which is a name that might sound somewhat familiar. If it does, that’s because Ziehl is a former Yankees’ prospect that they sent to Chicago as part as the Austin Slater trade last summer.

The consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball is Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Konnor Griffin.

The 19-year-old has been invited to spring training and has an outside shot at making the Opening Day roster after playing a grand total of 21 games at Double-A. Now, while that may sound like a premature move, he did nothing but hit last season. Across three minor-league levels, Griffin slashed .333/.415/.527 with 21 home runs and 65 (!) stolen bases. 

The Pirates may be inclined to promote him early to make the most of former NL Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes' time with the club. They're in dire need of offensive upside, and he'd provide that. With a clearer path to the bigs, Griffin's MLB odds to win have gone from +1400 to +600 in just one month. 

New York Mets right-hander Nolan McLean (+370) is still drawing the shortest odds, and St. Louis Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt - a fellow alumnus of the 2024 MLB Draft alongside Griffin - is right there at +400 after veteran Nolan Arenado was traded.>

Pitchers and catchers report soon, so we'll have a better idea of where preseason battles will take us in just a few weeks.

Odds to win 2026 AL Rookie of the Year

Player
Trey Yesavage	<<+320>>
Munetaka Murakami	<<+425>>
Kazuma Okamoto	<<+425>>
Tatsuya Imai	<<+550>>
Carter Jensen	<<+600>>
Kevin McGonigle	<<+800>>
Samuel Basallo	<<+900>>
Connelly Early	<<+1400>>
Chase DeLauter	<<+1500>>
Walker Jenkins	<<+1800>>
Travis Bazzana	<<+2000>>
Payton Tolle	<<+2200>>
Colt Emerson	<<+2500>>
Brice Matthews	<<+4500>>
Max Clark	<<+5000>>
Spencer Jones	<<+5000>>

Odds as of 2-1. 

Odds to win 2025 NL Rookie of the Year

Player
Nolan McLean	<<+370>>
JJ Wetherholt	<<+400>>
Konnor Griffin	<<+600>>
Sal Stewart	<<+900>>
Moises Ballesteros	<<+900>>
Bubba Chandler	<<+1100>>
Justin Crawford	<<+1300>>
Bryce Eldridge	<<+1400>>
Owen Caissie	<<+1900>>
Jonah Tong	<<+2000>>
Carson Benge	<<+2000>>
Rhett Lowder	<<+2200>>
Robby Snelling	<<+3000>>
Quinn Mathews	<<+3000>>
Jhostnyxon Garcia	<<+3500>>
Joe Mack	<<+3500>>
Andrew Painter	<<+3500>>
Thomas White	<<+4500>>
Alex Freeland	<<+5000>>

Odds as of 2-1.

Past Rookie of the Year winners

Previous AL RoY winners

Although all players have an equal chance of winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award, the honor has been claimed disproportionately by outfielders since its inception in 1949. Outfielders have 24 victories compared to 17 for pitchers and 17 for shortstops. Catchers are bringing up the rear with just two ROY victories over the past 73 years.

Year	Player
2025	Nick Kurtz (1B)
2024	Luis Gil (SP)
2023	Gunnar Henderson (3B/SS)
2022	Julio Rodriguez (OF)
2021	Randy Arozarena (OF)
2020	Kyle Lewis (OF)
2019	Yordan Alvarez (OF)
2018	Shohei Ohtani (P/OF)
2017	Aaron Judge (OF)
2016	Michael Fulmer (SP)
2015	Carlos Correa (SS)
2014	Jose Abreau (1B)
2013	Wil Myers (OF)

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Previous NL RoY winners

No franchise has won more Rookie of the Year awards than the Dodgers. "The Blue Crew" have claimed 18 RoY trophies dating back to the club's early days in Brooklyn.

However, unlike the AL — where the West has been the recent home of the top rookies — the NL East has housed six of the last 13 RoYs, with a mix of outfielders, infielders, starting pitchers, a catcher, and even a reliever.

Year	Player (Team)
2025	Drake Baldwin (C)
2024	Paul Skenes (SP)
2023	Corbin Carroll (OF)
2022	Michael Harris (OF)
2021	Jonathan India (2B)
2020	Devin Williams (RP)
2019	Pete Alonso (1B)
2018	Ronald Acuna Jr. (OF)
2017	Cody Bellinger (1B/OF)
2016	Cory Seager (SS)
2015	Kris Bryant (3B)
2014	Jacob deGrom (SP)
2013	Jose Fernandez (SP)

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

The Mets’ biggest star will be among those on display during next month’s World Baseball Classic.

Juan Soto will represent the Dominican Republic in the tournament, the Mets announced Sunday — hardly a surprise given the All-Star outfielder’s visibility within his native country.

Soto also played for the Dominican Republic in the 2023 WBC.

Rosters for this year’s event will be finalized this week.

The Mets will send Nolan McLean and Clay Holmes to represent the United States in the WBC.

Mark Vientos has committed to representing Nicaragua.

Francisco Lindor was set to serve as Puerto Rico’s captain for a second straight WBC, but the Mets shortstop won’t participate after the event’s insurer ruled last week he was ineligible for coverage following two elbow surgeries in the past three offseasons.

Jose Altuve was also among those denied insurance coverage, removing him from the tournament.

Lindor and the Mets are all too familiar with the insurance ramifications after Edwin Díaz tore the patellar tendon in his right knee during an on-field celebration with Team Puerto Rico during the 2023 WBC.

The All-Star closer underwent season-ending surgery, but received his full salary through insurance.

Soto appeared in four games for the Dominican Republic in the 2023 WBC and finished 6-for-15 (.400) with two homers and a 1.500 OPS.

He will be joined on this year’s Dominican squad by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Julio Rodríguez, Ketel Marte and Manny Machado, among others.

The Mets have been well represented in the tournament since its inception, most notably by David Wright, who earned the “Captain America” moniker for his WBC heroics.

The team sent Lindor, Díaz, Pete Alonso, Eduardo Escobar and Brooks Raley to the 2023 WBC.

McLean will be a Mets focal point for Team USA in this year’s event after the rookie dominated in eight starts following his call-up late last season.

Holmes will also be a first-time participant.

“It’s an opportunity that you never really know if you’re going to get again,” Holmes said in December. “For me, just looking at the whole workload stuff and kind of where I was at in spring training last year, I feel like I was going to do the same workload this year, the same buildup and it really put me on track to do not much different this year, even with the WBC.”

The usual suspects, Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes, are holding firm atop their respective leagues as betting favorites to win Cy Young awards in 2026.

However, there has been some intriguing movement, both in terms of trades and odds. MacKenzie Gore went from the Washington Nationals to the Texas Rangers via trade, and from +2000 to win the NL Cy Young to +4000 in the Junior Circuit.

The Milwaukee Brewers finally traded Freddy Peralta (to the New York Mets), and he's now +3000, which is equal to his former Brew Crew teammates, Brandon Woodruff and Jacob Misiorowski.

With Framber Valdez the biggest pitching domino left to fall, he's the last remaining free-agent arm who will likely crack either board upon his signing.

Let's look at the latest MLB odds for the 2026 MLB Cy Young races.

Odds to win AL Cy Young award 2026

Player
Tarik Skubal	<<+350>>
Garrett Crochet	<<+425>>
Jacob deGrom	<<+1300>>
Cole Ragans	<<+1300>>
Hunter Brown	<<+1300>>
Max Fried	<<+1700>>
Bryan Woo	<<+2000>>
Logan Gilbert	<<+2000>>
Kyle Bradish	<<+3000>>
Joe Ryan	<<+3000>>
Ranger Suarez	<<+3000>>
Nathan Eovaldi	<<+3500>>
Dylan Cease	<<+3500>>
George Kirby	<<+3500>>
Carlos Rodon	<<+3500>>
Trevor Rogers	<<+4000>>
Kevin Gausman	<<+4000>>
MacKenzie Gore	<<+4000>>
Jose Soriano	<<+4500>>
Pablo Lopez	<<+5000>>
Gavin Williams	<<+5000>>
Bryce Miller	<<+5000>>
Cam Schlittler	<<+5000>>

Odds last updated on 2-1.

Odds to win NL Cy Young award 2026

Player
Paul Skenes	<<+225>>
Yoshinobu Yamamoto	<<+500>>
Cristopher Sanchez	<<+1000>>
Chris Sale	<<+1400>>
Hunter Greene	<<+1400>>
Blake Snell	<<+1500>>
Logan Webb	<<+2000>>
Zack Wheeler	<<+2000>>
Spencer Strider	<<+3000>>
Spencer Schwellenbach	<<+3000>>
Shohei Ohtani	<<+3000>>
Brandon Woodruff	<<+3000>>
Freddy Peralta	<<+3000>>
Jesus Luzardo	<<+3000>>
Jacob Misiorowski	<<+3000>>
Nolan McLean	<<+3500>>
Tyler Glasnow	<<+3500>>
Michael King	<<+4000>>
Nick Pivetta	<<+4500>>
Nick Lodolo	<<+4500>>
Eury Perez	<<+4500>>
Mitch Keller	<<+5000>>

Odds last updated on 2-1.

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Previous Cy Young Award winners

Here are the last 10 winners of the AL and NL Cy Young Award, with Detroit, Cleveland, Houston, Washington, and the New York Mets each leading the way with two. Overall, the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers have the most Cy Youngs all time (12), followed by the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves with eight and the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, and Mets with seven apiece.

Previous AL Cy Young winners

Year	American League Winner
	Tarik Skubal
2024	Tarik Skubal
2023	Gerrit Cole
2022	Justin Verlander
2021	Robbie Ray
2020	Shane Bieber
2019	Justin Verlander
2018	Blake Snell
2017	Corey Kluber
2016	Rick Porcello

Previous NL Cy Young winners

Year	National League Winner
	Paul Skenes
2024	Chris Sale
2023	Blake Snell
2022	Sandy Alcantara
2021	Corbin Burnes
2020	Trevor Bauer
2019	Jacob deGrom
2018	Jacob deGrom
2017	Max Scherzer
2016	Max Scherzer

Pitchers with multiple Cy Young awards

Twenty-two pitchers have won multiple Cy Young Awards, led by Roger Clemens' seven trophies. Of those 22 winners, five are still active in the majors.

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This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

At the time Trent Grisham accepted the qualifying offer back in November, the $22.025 million seemed like a steep price for the Yankees to pay him.

A few months later, with the market more defined and the offseason nearly complete, Brian Cashman believes they got a deal.

“At this point, that $22 million looks like a bargain the way the free agent market got away from everyone, on a one-year basis,” Cashman said Sunday morning on MLB Network Radio.

Grisham only made $5.25 million in 2025, his final year of arbitration, but did so while enjoying a breakout season in which the center fielder hit 34 home runs with a .811 OPS and became the regular Yankees leadoff hitter.

That led the Yankees to extend a qualifying offer to Grisham, who could have explored the free agent market and potentially landed a multiyear deal worth more overall than the $22.025 million.

Instead, he accepted it, giving the Yankees some insurance as they worked to bring Cody Bellinger back as well — ultimately re-signing him on a five-year, $162.5 million contract.

Besides Bellinger and Kyle Tucker (four-year, $240 million deal with the Dodgers), Grisham was the next best outfielder who would have been available on the free agent market.

“What he did last year to unlock and take it to another level was spectacular and all the information that we buy into leads us to believe clearly that by offering him the qualifying offer that [2025] was real, it is sustainable and that he is an offensive and defensive player for us moving forward,” Cashman said.

“We’re really happy he chose to stay with us at the $22 [million] on a one-year basis and hopefully he can replicate what he did last year for us because it was one of the reasons we had the success we had and made the postseason.”

And so the Yankees are set to bring back the same starting outfield of Bellinger, Grisham and Aaron Judge, with Jasson Domínguez — who was eventually squeezed out of playing time last season because of Grisham’s continued emergence — currently projected to be a fourth outfielder.

While Grisham’s high average annual value is part of the reason why the Yankees’ luxury tax payroll now stands at $335.5 million, according to Cot’s Contracts, his $22.025 million is tied for the seventh-highest AAV of any position player who signed this offseason.

That trails only Tucker ($60 million), Bo Bichette ($42 million), Alex Bregman ($35 million), Bellinger ($32.5 million), Pete Alonso ($31 million) and Kyle Schwarber ($30 million).

At -125, Shohei Ohtani is breathing rarefied air at his current price.

Consider last year, when he was the overwhelming preseason favorite to win NL MVP, and he was still only +150 by the end of March, per Sports Odds History. That was already crazy, because the shortest number we've generally seen in recent years is +200 or +300. 

Below, we'll look at the early MLB odds for the 2026 season, and AL & NL MVP, as the likes of Alex Bregman (Chicago Cubs) and Kyle Tucker (Los Angeles Dodgers) have found new homes since our previous look.

Odds to win 2026 AL MVP 

Player
Aaron Judge	<<+225>>
Bobby Witt Jr.	<<+550>>
Cal Raleigh	<<+850>>
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.	<<+1300>>
Julio Rodriguez	<<+1300>>
Nick Kurtz	<<+1500>>
Jose Ramirez	<<+1500>>
Gunnar Henderson	<<+1600>>
Roman Anthony	<<+1700>>
Junior Caminero	<<+2200>>
Pete Alonso	<<+2200>>
Yordan Alvarez	<<+2500>>
Jeremy Pena	<<+2500>>
Cody Bellinger	<<+3000>>
Corey Seager	<<+3000>>
Carlos Correa	<<+3000>>
Zach Neto	<<+4000>>
Wyatt Langford	<<+4000>>
Byron Buxton	<<+4000>>
Alejandro Kirk	<<+4500>>
Adley Rutschman	<<+4500>>

Odds last updated on 2-1.

Odds to win 2026 NL MVP 

Player
Shohei Ohtani	<<-125>>
Juan Soto	<<+800>>
Ronald Acuña Jr.	<<+1300>>
Fernando Tatis Jr.	<<+1700>>
Corbin Carroll	<<+1800>>
Francisco Lindor	<<+1900>>
Alex Bregman	<<+2000>>
Bryce Harper	<<+2500>>
Elly De La Cruz	<<+2500>>
Kyle Tucker	<<+3000>>
Ketel Marte	<<+3000>>
Kyle Schwarber	<<+3000>>
Paul Skenes	<<+3500>>
Rafael Devers	<<+4000>>
Pete Crow-Armstrong	<<+4000>>
Mookie Betts	<<+4500>>
Manny Machado	<<+4500>>
Jackson Chourio	<<+5000>>

Odds last updated on 2-1.

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Previous MVP winners

Here are the last 10 winners of the AL and NL MVP Award, with Shohei Ohtani leading the way as a four-time winner, with two in the AL and two in the NL. Only Frank Robinson has also won MVP awards in both leagues.

Barry Bonds holds the record for most MVP awards (seven)

The New York Yankees have won the most MVPs in MLB history with 25, while the St. Louis Cardinals are second, leading all NL teams, with 21. No player for the Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, or Tampa Bay Rays has ever won MVP.

Previous AL MVP winners

Year	American League Winner
2025	Aaron Judge
2024	Aaron Judge
2023	Shohei Ohtani
2022	Aaron Judge
2021	Shohei Ohtani
2020	Jose Abreu
2019	Mike Trout
2018	Mookie Betts
2017	Jose Altuve
2016	Mike Trout

Previous NL MVP winners

Year	National League Winner
2025	Shohei Ohtani
2024	Shohei Ohtani
2023	Ronald Acuna Jr.
2022	Paul Goldschmidt
2021	Bryce Harper
2020	Freddie Freeman
2019	Cody Bellinger
2018	Christian Yelich
2017	Giancarlo Stanton
2016	Kris Bryant

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MLB MVP odds explained

Most sportsbooks will display odds in the American format as listed above. When Goldschmidt ran away with the MVP award in 2022 his odds had a minus (-) sign ahead of the number for a large part of the season. 

• Paul Goldschmidt -6000

That means that a bettor in August had to wager $6,000 to win $100 by betting on Goldy to win MVP. Before the season starts, almost every player will have a plus (+) sign ahead of their odds.

• Shohei Ohtani +200

That means a bettor would have profited $200 for a $100 wager on Ohtani before the season started. 

If American odds aren't your thing, simply use a tool like our odds converter to switch the odds to decimal or fractional format. Most online sportsbooks also give you the option to change the odds format that you see.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

Slugger Eugenio Suárez is headed back to Cincinnati. 

Suárez and the Reds have agreed to a one-year, $15 million deal, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed. 

The contract includes a mutual option for the 2027 season worth $16 million, ESPN reported. 

Suárez was the biggest bat remaining on the open market, and he heads to the Reds after hitting 49 home runs last season, although he struggled during the second half of the campaign. 

Suárez spent seven of his 12 years in Major League Baseball with the Reds, playing in Cincinnati from 2015-21.

The infielder split last season between the Diamondbacks and the Mariners. 

He clobbered 36 home runs and batted .248 before the trade to Seattle. 

Suárez then hit .189/.255/.428 and recorded 13 home runs in 53 games with the Mariners following the move. 

He did finish the 2025 season with a career-best 118 RBIs, though he finished the year hitting .228/.298/.526. 

ESPN reported that Suárez is expected to get a majority of his at-bats in Cincinnati as a designated hitter, with the Reds already having Ke’Bryan Hayes at third base and rookie Sal Stewart believed to be taking over at first base for the upcoming season. 

He spent two seasons with the Mariners from 2022-23 before he was traded in November 2023 to the Diamondbacks.

Day 2 of SoxFest Live felt very familiar, with many of the same key talking points put out by GM Chris Getz and manager Will Venable the night before. However, the atmosphere did seem a bit different. While Friday night set the tone for a more intimate gathering, Saturday’s sold-out crowd made it feel more like a celebration.

Friday evening was only for season ticket holders, while Saturday opened its doors to everyone, offering general admission and VIP options. GA ticket holders had access to the lower level, but the VIP experience added the upper level for exclusive player photo opportunities and meet-and-greets (ahem, Bo Jackson), along with a nightcap after-party that felt less like a formal event and more like a late-night hangout. White Sox staff, coaches, and players mingled with fans, music pumping, conversations flowing in the kind of setting where walls came down, and personalities came out.

Our own Crystal O’Keefe and her son Hayden opted for the VIP route, and it paid off. The up-close access made a real difference. “My son was able to collect more autographs and was especially excited to chat with Miguel Vargas,” O’Keefe says. Those types of moments, unhurried, unscripted, and personal, are what seemed to set this reimagined SoxFest apart.

O’Keefe also talked with pitcher Davis Martin, who shared how excited he is for the season. The event’s interactive setup let players and fans really connect. They weren’t just answering questions or taking photos; they were laughing, joking, and even dancing with the DJ.

The overall vibes of the weekend were positive, and the optimism was pretty evident. Many of the fans we spoke with were energized by the direction and momentum of Rebuild 2.0. One lifelong South Side fan, someone who’s been a fan of the team for more than 60 years, told us he’s officially bought back in, convinced by the new wave of young talent the Sox have acquired and developed. That kind of hope, from someone who’s seen it all, says a lot.

Young fans are also enjoying the connections they’re making with players they can relate to:

South Side Sox writer Hannah Filippo dove deeper into Friday night’s event in her assessment, taking a closer look at clubhouse culture and the organization’s emphasis on bringing in players with a specific makeup. Skepticism from fans about rebuilding and culture is understandable and earned, given recent history. But having seen firsthand what happens when a clubhouse lacks cohesion (talking to you, 2022), it’s hard not to at least acknowledge the importance of getting that part right.

For a lot of people, the 2005 championship team was special not just because of talent, but because of how close the players all seemed to be. That was evident at the 20th World Series reunion at the ballpark last summer. After interviewing six different players from the current team on Friday, it was obvious they really enjoy being together. Just looking through their social media posts, you can see many of them got together during the offseason. This young core likes to compete and push each other, while understanding that there’s a lot of work to do. They appear ready to put in the effort, and their skipper seems to have their attention, and, more importantly, their trust.

Will “vibes” or clubhouse culture really make that big of a difference? Probably not. But it certainly won’t hurt. And it’s hard to ignore how damaging the previous group’s toxic culture appeared to be in the long run.

Maybe this rebuild flames out, too. We know all too well that it’s a possibility. But for now, I’m willing to take the gamble. This group comes across as humble, likable and focused. That’s a foundation I find worth rooting for.

Even so, it’s totally fair for many Sox fans to be hesitant. No one should feel pressured to “enjoy the ride.” That’s what makes being a sports fan great — everyone gets to experience it their own way. At South Side Sox, we call out the team when it’s needed, and we’ll keep doing that. You can count on it. We’re fans first, always.

But it’s also fair to give credit where it’s due. The White Sox appear to be making a real effort to do things differently by hiring outside the organization, modernizing long-neglected infrastructure and reshaping SoxFest into an event that actually connects players and fans.

For one weekend at Ramova Theatre, at least, it felt like a step in the right direction.

MLB Rumors: Eugenio Suarez and the Cincinnati Reds are in agreement on a one year, $15 million deal with a $16 million mutual option for 2026, per reports.

I think it is fair to say that this is a much lighter deal than most were expecting. Suarez, 34, split the 2025 season between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Seattle Mariners, and ended up accumulating 49 homers on the season. Ben Clemsns projected two years, $50 million for Suarez at Fangraphs, while Kiley McDaniel had him at 2 years, $45 million. Just $15 million for one year for a 49 homer guy from last year doesn’t seem to make sense.

There are some concerns, though, which would seem to help explain it. Suarez has become rather one-dimensional — his defense at third base has declined, and Cincinnati will be playing him primarily at a DH, per reports. He doesn’t get on base much, slashing .228/.298/.526, and strikes out a ton. Basically, his value is pretty much wrapped up in his home runs, and teams have long been leery of righthanded power hitters falling off the cliff. Suarez likely didn’t help himself with his .189/.255/.428 slash line for Seattle post-trade, though he did hit three home runs in the playoffs.

A couple of interesting things here, to me, anyway. Suarez has 1814 strikeouts in his career, which places him 26th all time, two behind Dave Kingman. However, given he struck out 196 times last year, and has averaged 190 Ks per season the last five years, if he plays every day, he has a good chance of cracking the 2000 K mark. Only 8 players have struck out at least 2000 times in their major league careers, though Paul Goldschmidt (1979) seems likely to reach 2000 Ks in 2026, assuming he plays, and Andrew McCutchen (1893) could get there as well if he lands somewhere he can play every day. He needs 189 to tie Andres Galarraga, who is currently 8th, and 158 to pass Justin Upton and reach the top 10.

The other interesting thing is that Suarez is seemingly coming full circle in his franchise travels. This is his second stint with the Reds, who traded him to Seattle in the spring of 2022. Seattle traded him to Arizona after the 2023 season, then re-acquired him last summer. To make it complete, after playing for the Reds this year, Suarez will need to join the Detroit Tigers, who signed him originally, and traded him to Cincy for Alfredo Simon in 2014.

We will continue to update this list with new articles as new information/acquisitions occur.

Spring Training is almost here. Astros pitchers and catchers report to West Palm Beach February 11.

This is the part of the year where that excitement starts to ramp up, it’s almost time for baseball to be back!

Now that the calendar has turned to February, let’s start taking a look at the Astros roster. While I do not believe the roster is a finished product and that Astros GM Dana Brown will continue to make some more moves, these projections will reflect only players currently in the Astros’ organization.

Here is my “as of Feb. 1, 2026” roster projections/depth chart for the Houston Astros:

Pitching Staff:

Starters (6): Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, Tatsuya Imai, Mike Burrows, Spencer Arrighetti, Ryan Weiss

Bullpen (7): Josh Hader (CL), Bryan Abreu (SU), AJ Blubaugh, Bennett Sousa, Bryan King, Steven Okert, Nate Pearson

AAA Depth: Colton Gordon, Jason Alexander, Miguel Ullola, Jayden Murray, Kai-Wei Teng, Logan VanWey

Decisions looming: Enyel De Los Santos (out of options), Roddery Munoz (Rule V pick, must be on MLB roster or MLB IL or offered back to original team), Lance McCullers Jr. (retirement?)

The Astros top 4 starters are a virtual lock. The back two spots are the ones being battled for, and currently Spencer Arrighetti and Ryan Weiss should have the inside track.

Arrighetti has spent the last 2 seasons on the big league club, although 2025 was a forgettable year due to injury and ineffectiveness. How much of that ineffectiveness after his return was due to lingering injury is yet unknown. He must prove he is healthy and has regained his command. Arrighetti’s significant decrease in strikeout rate year over year (10.6 in 2024, 7.9 in 2025) combined with his very high walk rates (4.1 BB/9 in 2024, 5.0 BB/9 in 2025) and propensity for surrendering the long ball(1.3 HR/9 in 20024, 1.5 HR/9 in 2025) will need to be rectified or he will not stick at the MLB level.

Weiss has never pitched at the MLB level, but his tremendous stats in the KBO in 2025 (16-5, 2.87 ERA, 1.024 WHIP) and his demonstration of being able to pitch an entire season (178.2 IP in 2025) should give him a nod over AJ Blubaugh and Nate Pearson entering Spring Training.

Five of the seven bullpen spots return from last season, with two newcomers in Blubaugh and Pearson. The Astros need righthanded arms in the pen, where they are very lefty heavy. Since the Astros plan on utilizing a 6-man rotation, having multiple relievers capable of going multiple innings will be important for them.

Both Blubaugh and Pearson are capable of giving longer outings out of the pen, and being able to “save the pen” is going to be paramount for team that doesn’t have a lot of maneuverable spots in it’s pen to begin with. While Blubaugh still has options remaining, Pearson does not. If Pearson fails to impress or hold his own early, he could find himself with a one-way ticket to DFA-ville early.

Lance McCullers Jr. is a sentimentally difficult decision but not necessarily difficult from a production standpoint. Lance’s velocity on his fastball last season was not MLB caliber, and both he and the team know it. He will need to show improved velocity and command this spring or it will be time for that “come to the light” meeting where the Astros give him the choice of retiring as an Astro before the season or being DFA’d.

The Astros have shown they are not afraid to DFA players in the final year of their contracts and simply eat the money to free up the roster spot.

McCullers is a fan favorite. I cannot help but have the utmost respect for him as a competitor, watching him year after year work his tail off to recover from repeated injuries. Unfortunately, there comes a point in time where the body can no longer do as the mind and heart command and injuries accelerate that timetable. It may be that time for McCullers.

As this time, I would expect Jason Alexander to be the first man up from Sugar Land if one of the projected arms to start the year with the Astros underperforms or suffers an injury.

With 24 games in the first 26 days of the season, the Astros need some pitchers with options to call up fresh arms when they have to burn a pen arm for any reason.

Blubaugh, Gordon, Alexander, Murray and Teng all have options, and are all players who could be on the “Sugar Land Shuttle” if the Astros need pen reinforcements in the first month. Sousa also has options and has an injury question coming into the season regarding his left flexor tendon, which shut him down last year, though the Astros considered the injury minor and he did not need surgery.

Enyel De Los Santos is out of options and needs to make the club or pass through waivers. Logan VanWey is not on the 40-man roster. Roddery Munoz was a Rule V pick and will have to show monster improvement to make this roster. He has a significant likelihood of being returned to the Cincinnati Reds as Rule V picks must be offered back to the team they were selected from if they are not going to be on the MLB roster or MLB IL for the season.

Position Players:

STARTERS: Yainer Diaz (C), Christian Walker (1B), Jose Altuve (2B), Jeremy Pena (SS), Carlos Correa (3B), Zach Cole (LF), Jake Meyers (CF), Cam Smith (RF), Yordan Alvarez (DH)

BENCH: Isaac Paredes (CO), Cesar Salazar (C), Nick Allen (MI), Jesus Sanchez (OF)

AAA Depth: Zach Dezenzo (OF) Shay Whitcomb (UT), Taylor Trammell (OF), Carlos Perez (C)

There is likely to be some movement among this group before the season starts, as Astros GM Dana Brown has expressed desire for another lefty hitting outfielder and a veteran backup catcher. The Astros publicly deny that their logjam in the infield is an issue but information from around the league tells a different story of the Astros trying to figure out a way to make a deal that alleviates that logjam and improves the team at the same time.

In the meantime, Yainer Diaz projects to get a significant share of the catching reps, perhaps as much as 75% (120 games). That number could change if the Astros bring in a veteran (they have reportedly been exploring talks with Christian Vazquez though Vazquez has been a dreadful hitter since the Astros acquired him at the deadline in 2022), if Diaz struggles at the plate badly, or if they get unexpected production elsewhere. Right now, Cesar Salazar would seem to be the best option as a backup catcher. Houston is concerned about his bat at the MLB level, but if they are concerned about Salazar’s bat then they should be more concerned about Vazquez’ bat. If the rest of the team produces as it should, Salazar’s potential weak bat would not be much of an issue.

Christian Walker will start at 1B, although if Isaac Paredes is on the team and healthy, he may cede some playing time to him.

Paredes and Walker coexisting will be a challenge for Joe Espada, as getting enough ABs for both of those players will not only be a major challenge, but will be something the Astros manager will be asked about every single game.

Paredes can give Walker a day off (or 2) at first, Correa a day off at third, maybe an occasional day out of the field for Altuve at 2B (whether Paredes can truly play 2B is a question right now), and spell Yordan at DH every couple of weeks. That has Paredes in the lineup about 4 days a week, and has a lot of days off for both him and regulars.

Granted, two of those players are older players (Altuve, Walker) and two are injury-prone players (Alvarez, Correa), but if everyone is healthy it can be a pretty tough situation trying to keep everyone happy. (Before you ask, yes, happy matters, especially over 162 games.) Guys need to be accepting of their roles, and the biggest potential problem would be Paredes.

Paredes is the one with the most to gain by playing well and playing often. He has one year of arbitration remaining, and he can get either a long term extension or a big free agent contract if he gets enough opportunity and capitalizes on it. The opportunity may be diminished if he and Walker are both on the team and it forces Espada to use Paredes in a super utility role. The looming work stoppage that could potentially happen at the end of the 2026 season also plays a factor.

The outfield right now breaks down to just four players, as a 4 man bench limits opportunity and the team must use two spots for a backup catcher and backup shortstop, and one for Paredes. That leaves Smith, Meyers, Cole and Sanchez as the outfield.

Sanchez has reportedly been on the trade block all offseason, with the Astros disappointed both by his offensive disappearing act once they acquired him from Miami last year and his defensive deficiencies. However, for his career he is a decent hitter against righthanded pitching.

Sanchez career numbers against RHP (.253/.324/.450 slash line, .774 OPS) are certainly playable at the bottom of the lineup, but his numbers vs. lefties are abysmal (.181/.231/.289 slash line, .520 OPS) for his career, and he is clearly a platoon player.

The Astros are hoping Cam Smith can take a step forward and be a productive hitter for an entire season and against both righties and lefties. While Dana Brown has said Smith is not guaranteed a roster spot to start the season, it’s hard to see who would take that roster spot from him, as competition right now for his spot would come from Zach Dezenzo, Shay Whitcomb and Taylor Trammell. None of those players should be striking fear in the heart of Smith that his spot is truly in jeopardy. Brown just wants more from a player he views as immensely talented in Smith.

Jake Meyers has reportedly been on the trade block all offseason, but he is still on the team. If he is on the team, he starts in center.

Cole impressed the organization with his progress and power last season, and he will get a chance to show his wares plenty in spring.

Potential Lineups:

Pena – SS

Yordan – DH

Altuve – 2B

Correa – 3B

Walker – 1B

Diaz – C

Cole – LF

Smith – RF

Meyers – CF

I believe this can form the baseline of the Astros lineup. Sanchez will get time, solely against RHP, and he will get more time if Smith falters.

Paredes will get time as well, and could find himself hitting behind Correa in the 5 spot or pushing everyone down one slot by batting 2.

Salazar would be the 9 hitter anytime he played, pushing the bottom three hitters up a spot, ditto Allen. I would expect we would never see Allen and Salazar in the same lineup barring something unexpected or catastrophic. In fact, with the current roster, I would expect to see the Astros make Paredes a regular with any infield injury (he would start at 1B/2B/3B, and in the case of an injury to Pena – Correa would slide to SS and Paredes would play 3B).

Of note: Altuve hit .222 with a .316 OBP and .649 OPS batting 2nd (133 PA) and .276 with a .338 OBP and .854 OPS batting 3rd (350 PA) last season.

Yordan for his career is a .312 hitter batting second, with a .383 OBP and .926 OPS. In 2025, Yordan batted .338 with a .409 OBP and .909 OPS in 22 games batting second.

Paredes had his worst slash numbers batting second in 2025, posting a .233 AVG with a .337 OBP and .765 OPS in 58 games. For his career, he a .223 hitter batting 2nd with a .329 OBP and .751 OPS. His best slash line has been batting sixth, where he is a career .293 hitter with a .393 OBP and .999 OPS in 57 games.

Despite a busy weekend hosting a fan convention Sox Fest Live at the Ramova Theatre on the South Side, Chicago White Sox GM Chris Getz was still making moves behind the scenes. Between interacting with fans and answering questions during a town hall, Getz was brewing up a trade with the Boston Red Sox to acquire veteran righthander Jordan Hicks as well as right-handed prospect David Sandlin, in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Gage Ziehl (No. 31 at SSS) and our favorite prospect: Cash Considerations ($8 million).

With both Hicks and Sandlin being added to the White Sox 40-man roster, Chicago made a couple of subsequent moves by designating RHP Jairo Iriarte and catcher Drew Romo for assignment.

Ziehl originally came to Chicago at the 2025 trade deadline, from the New York Yankees in exchange for outfielder Austin Slater. Slater performed well in the first half of last season, and was solid enough for the Yankees to decide to deal a pitching prospect to add outfield depth in the midst of their playoff run. Now, in the course of a half-year they upgraded from Slater to a solid prospect (Ziehl) to a blue-chipper (Sandlin).

The immediate impact of this trade comes in the form of Hicks, a flamethrower who simply hasn’t found footing in the majors.

Drafted in 2015, Hicks debuted with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2018 and was fairly dependable out of the bullpen with a 3.59 ERA and 1.339 WHIP in 77 2/3 innings (73 games). He was even better in the first half of 2019, posting a 3.14 ERA while reducing his WHIP down to 0.942 in 28 2/3 innings. Hicks unfortunately tore his UCL and Tommy John surgery knocked him out for the rest of 2019 until late 2021, downgrading him to just a moderately reliable bullpen arm for St. Louis for the remainder of his time there.

Upon joining the San Francisco Giants in 2024 after signing a four-year, $48 million deal, Hicks shifted into a starting role. While he didn’t necessarily dazzle anyone with his 4.10 ERA and 1.450 WHIP in 20 starts (29 total games), he was a serviceable arm with the same tantalizing pedigree.

Hicks, however, experienced a steep drop in production in 2025, accumulating a 6.95 aggregated ERA across 67 1/3 innings with the Giants and the Red Sox — and his performance fell off of a cliff in Boston after being including in the Rafael Devers blockbuster, posting a whopping 8.20 ERA in 18 2/3 innings with the team. His previous performance is likely what Getz and the White Sox are hoping to lean on as someone who can eat innings so some of the prospects can sharpen up a bit before heading to the show — especially given his high fastball velocity (97 mph), and ability to induce ground outs. Outside of avoiding barrels, however, Hicks’ Statcast profile has a bit too much blue on it, and the low chase and whiff rates are definitely a cause for concern,. He is not a long-term solution by any means.

The real star of the trade, and the reason why the White Sox are spending $16 million on a mediocre reliever in Hicks, is Sandlin. The righty ranked eighth per MLB among Red Sox prospects in 2025. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2022 out of the University of Oklahoma and posted a 3.51 ERA across both Low and High-A in his first professional season in 2023. Sandlin wasn’t as strong in 2024, with a 5.34 ERA in 57 1/3 innings in High-A and Double-A. Despite the ERA struggles, Sandlin still struck out batters at a high 33.2% K rate across both levels while maintaining a decent 7.3% walk rate.

His performance greatly improved with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs last season, posting a 3.61 ERA, 3.33 FIP, and a career-best 1.178 WHIP while starting 13 games and appearing in 17 before earning the promotion to Triple-A. Sandlin struggled to quickly adapt to the level, and in his small sample size of 23 2/3 innings he racked up a 7.61 ERA in 14 games out of the bullpen and one start. His strikeout rate decreased from 25.4% to 17.6% with the jump, and his walk rate inflated to 10.9%.

Sandlin has showed plenty of promise and his fastball sits in the upper-90s, averaging around 96 mph, and his secondary pitches are pretty solid, with the slider being his next most-thrown pitch.

Ziehl is a comparable player to Sandlin that has shown that he has a solid mix with his slider and cutter, but he doesn’t have as strong a fastball. Despite not exhibiting an elevated walk rate (4.2% in 2025), Ziehl’s command isn’t fully there yet. Sandlin is likely to be MLB ready much sooner.

While reading through some reactions from Boston fans, it seems they are mostly relieved to be rid of Hicks, but some are unhappy that the prospect capital to salary-dump was as high as Sandlin — a testament to the optimism behind his development as a pitcher at this point in his career. The White Sox have pinpointed some strong, underrated players over the last couple of years (notably Shane Smith and Mike Vasil), and are actually making moves on the market to address the gaps on the team. Maybe we are actually in a new era of White Sox baseball.

It will be interesting to see how Getz and Venable work together to continue to build off of this roster, but at the very least the South Siders are moving in the right direction rather than remaining stagnant.

The Cincinnati Reds awoke from their winterlong slumber long enough to welcome back the oldest of friends: Eugenio Suárez.

The Venezuelan slugger, who pounded 49 home runs last season and hit 189 for the Reds between 2015 and 2021, agreed to a one-year, $15 million deal with the club Feb. 1, taking the top remaining offensive player off the market.

Suárez, 34, was an All-Star for Cincinnati in 2018, when he hit 34 home runs, and again last season for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was dealt to the Seattle Mariners at the trade deadline and was an ideal fit, hitting 13 homers for the Mariners and then three more in the postseason, including a go-ahead Game 5 grand slam that put the Mariners within one game of their first World Series berth.

MLB offseason grades: Dodgers get top marks, plenty of Fs to go around

But the Mariners lost Games 6 and 7 at Toronto and Suárez hit the market. Meanwhile, the Reds whiffed on their efforts to land slugger Kyle Schwarber, then went virtually silent on the offensive front the remainder of the winter, save for trading infielder-outfielder Gavin Lux and taking flyers on outfielders such as JJ Bleday.

In Suárez, they get proven pop accompanied by massive strikeout totals: He fanned 195 times last season and led the AL in 2022 and '23, punching out 214 tiimes the latter year. Still, he slides seamlessly into the DH spot and can spell the defensively-great Ke'Bryan Hayes at third should the Reds desire a bat-heavy look on certain days.

Suárez's agreement was first reported by ESPN.

Eugenio Suarez stats

The 34-year-old slugger batted .228 with 49 home runs, 118 RBIs and 91 runs scored in 159 games last season, split between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners.

Eugenio Suarez contract

Suarez is reportedly signing a one-year contract worth $15 million.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Eugenio Suárez signs with Reds in MLB free agency