Category: Baseball

HOUSTON — Baseball is rarely easy to predict, and so Lucas Ramirez has made a habit of the next best thing.

In the months leading up to his World Baseball Classic debut for Team Brazil against Team USA, the outfielder ritually practiced affirmations and visualizations to prepare for his entry onto baseball’s international scene.

“Ever since the (WBC) qualifiers, I was envisioning that first at-bat bomb,” Ramirez said. “And it’s crazy that it actually happened. For five months, I’ve been – every time before I go to bed after I pray, I visualize it. And it happened.”  

So when Ramirez rounded the bases at Daikin Park on Friday night after he delivered a leadoff home run in Brazil’s first at-bat of the tournament – one of two solo home runs he hit in the game – he screamed, “I told you!”

“I say go out there with confidence (and) you can do anything you speak,” Ramirez said later. “If you say it out loud, it’ll happen. I’m telling you. It will happen.”

Although Team USA broke the game open in the late innings for a 15-5 win over Brazil, two of Brazil’s youngest players provided the team’s brightest moments.

At 20 years and 49 days old, Ramirez is the youngest player in WBC history with a multi-homer game. His teammate, Brazil pitcher Joseph Contreras, the youngest player in the tournament at 17 years and 291 days old, got USA captain Aaron Judge to ground into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded.

JUPITER, Fla. — After a year marred first by an oblique strain suffered in spring training and an elbow issue in July, it was somewhat eye-opening to see Sean Manaea’s velocity drop by more than 3 mph from last year on both his four-seam fastball and his sinker in his opening Grapefruit League start Friday against the Marlins. 

The lefty, though, said he was unconcerned by the dip in the numbers, noting the “weird mound” at Roger Dean Stadium, as well as it being his first start of the spring against an opposing team. 

“Some pitches need a little work, but I feel healthy and for the most part I was throwing strikes,’’ Manaea said of his three-inning outing in which he allowed just one hit, a homer by Connor Norby in the bottom of the first. He threw 33 pitches, just 19 for strikes. 

Manaea said he was pleased with his changeup and cutter. 

Carlos Mendoza also liked the cutter, noting it broke in against right-handers and had movement. 

Of the decreased velocity, Mendoza said, “I’m not gonna make too much of the first one. He says he feels really good physically.’’ 

As for his arm slot, which the Mets believed may have gotten too low last season, Manaea said he’s looking to get a bit higher, although not over the top. 

More than anything, though, Manaea wants to avoid the IL. 

“I think I’m good,” he said. “I feel healthy. I feel strong.” 

It’s a long way from the east coast of Florida to the cauldron of New York, but Devin Williams has so far looked more like the lockdown closer he was for the Brewers in his early days with the Mets than he did a year ago with the Yankees. 

He struck out three in an inning earlier in the week and tossed another scoreless inning Friday. 

“He’s pretty elite,’’ Mendoza said. “Players at some point…are gonna go through tough stretches. For him, it wasn’t easy out of the gate [with the Yankees] and you know how that can be, especially here in New York. But he figured it out and he’s been that guy.” 

The Mets are counting on Williams being that again this season in the wake of Edwin Díaz’s departure to the Dodgers, leaving Williams as the clear choice to finish games. 

“We’ve just got to keep him healthy,” Mendoza said. “I like the fact he’s working on that slider. Maybe that will be a different look for hitters and get them off the fastball and changeup.” 

As for closing out games during the regular season, the manager said of Williams, “He’s been in that position and we’re counting on him.” 

Robert Stock, who impressed during his first Grapefruit League appearance for the Mets, has been shut down with a shoulder injury, Mendoza said Friday. 

The right-hander tossed three scoreless innings against Houston on Feb. 26 before experiencing discomfort following his outing with Team Israel in the WBC. 

Mendoza said the 36-year-old Stock, signed to a minor league deal for pitching depth, will be sidelined for the rest of the tournament as the Mets determine the severity of the injury. He underwent an MRI on Friday… Freddy Peralta is scheduled to start for the Mets on Sunday… Right-hander Dylan Ross was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Friday. 

Here are the latest updates on Yankees who are playing in the World Baseball Classic...

March 6

Team USA vs. Brazil

Aaron Judge got the night started for Team USA with a two-run shot in his first-ever WBC at-bat. The captain finished 1-for-4 with two walks and three runs scored, but he could have done a lot more damage. In his second at-bat, Judge had his bat sawed off by 17-year-old Joseph Contreras -- son of former Yankees pitcher Jose Contreras -- to ground into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded.

Despite that missed opportunity, Team USA went on to win 15-5 over Brazil.

Dominican Republic vs. Nicaragua

Yankees reliever Camilo Doval pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning to pick up the hold in DR's 12-3 win. Yankees catcher Austin Wells went 0-for-5 with a strikeout for DR, while Amed Rosario came in to pinch-run and play third base in the later innings.

Puerto Rico vs. Colombia

Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz got on out to get out of a jam in the eighth as PR went on to win 5-0. 

Panama vs. Cuba

Jose Caballero went 0-for-2 with a walk in Panama's 3-1 loss 

Great Britain vs. Mexico

Jazz Chisholm Jr. went 0-for-5 with a strikeout, leading off for Great Britain in the team's 8-2 loss to Mexico.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Carlos Lagrange has been turning heads this spring, and joining the list is his most esteemed colleague in Gerrit Cole. The youngster hit triple digits on the radar gun several times during a live BP session Friday afternoon, and the Cy Young winner was simply blown away. “I’ve hit 101 in my career probably less than 10 times, and I’ve seen him do it every single time,” said Cole. Hopefully Lagrange can continue to hone his command – which, frankly, has already been better than expected this spring – and reach his top of the rotation ceiling.

The Athletic | Jayson Stark: ($) Will the advent of ABS eliminate manager ejections for arguing balls and strikes? Not so, says Aaron Boone. I’m inclined to believe him; he knows what he’s talking about. After all, per Stark, Boone has led the league in ejections for five years running now — something that even the legendarily cantankerous Bobby Cox never did. While ABS should help turn many a low strike call on Aaron Judge into balls, there are still other avenues in which Boone can channel his rage towards the blue.

FanGraphs | Davy Andrews: FanGraphs is doing a series on who to root for in each pool of the WBC, and some familiar names are mentioned in their preview of Pool B. Aaron Judge is the most obvious one, though for the wrong reasons (his lackluster speech to Team USA is lampooned yet again). Jazz Chisholm Jr. receives a shoutout in the Team Great Britain section as the best player on his team. Finally, old friend Dante Bichette Jr. (of the glorious green hair) is name-dropped in the Team Brazil writeup. Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to grab a beer and ruminate on early 2010s Yankee prospects and the passage of time.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Nine months after a slide gone wrong at T-Mobile Park ended his 2025 season, Oswaldo Cabrera returned to the field* yesterday against the Rays, drawing a walk in his only plate appearance and making a couple of plays at short before being pinch-hit for by George Lombard Jr. in the fourth. It’s certainly been a long road to recovery for Oswaldo, and he’s feeling all the emotions right now: “Having nine months out of the field, I feel so happy about it. I’m feeling so good right now.” We’re happy for you too, Oswaldo. Best of luck in 2026.

*Cam Schlittler returned as well for his spring debut, but we’re keeping the focus on Cabrera for this story.

Logan Webb took the mound tonight, just not for our humble San Francisco Giants, but for Team USA in their World Baseball Classic opener. His second pitch for the Stars and Stripes got blasted nearly 400 feet. He went on to retire the next dozen batters, discarding half of them by way of the K. My patriotism levels are admittedly very low right now, my Giants pride is through the roof, so… Good show, Logan! Way to bring it to those Brazilians!    

Meanwhile, the boys scrapping it up back in camp improved to 10-2 in a 6-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds. 

RHP Tyler Mahle made his second start of the Cactus League and wrestled with command over his two innings. Three walks put Mahle in the weeds, but he bushwhacked out of trouble with four strikeouts and minimal contact meant stranded runners and a scoreless outing. The live-play workload has been minimal so far for the veteran, who is returning from a clipped 2025 campaign thanks to shoulder fatigue, but fans got a taste of an effective mix that leans heavily on a rise-and-ride four-seamer and split-finger. 

RHP Trevor McDonald took the ball in the 3rd and put together another convincing roster audition over the next three frames. He managed some traffic in the 3rd and stranded Tyler Stephenson at second, after a very loud double, in the 5th with the help of six groundouts. The uptick in velocity has turned heads, but a sustained success for McDonald lies on his ability to do what he did this afternoon: work efficiently by dictating contact into the ground. 

Competition for the fourth outfield spot stayed hot after positive days from top contenders and peripheral candidates.

While long-shot for the role due to his non-roster invitee status, Jared Oliva started in centerfield and batted lead-off. After getting plunked by Red starter Andrew Abbott, he promptly swiped two bases and scored on another NRI Victor Bericoto’s sacrifice fly. Bericoto would double in his next at-bat (9-for-18), setting up Matt Chapman’s 454-foot homer, his second of spring. 

But it was Luis Matos who was loudest with the bat today. Option-less and backed into a corner, Matos bears the burden of proof. If he believes he should be in the San Francisco clubhouse in two weeks, he needs to supply evidence to back up his claims. He can’t beat around the bush anymore, he needs to be emphatic — an apt word to describe the kind of exit-velocity and distance he generated with his bat Friday afternoon.

A first inning double off the wall in center would’ve been a homer in every Major League Park. The knock easily scored Bryce Eldridge after his triple. Matos followed his second double with his second homer of spring off right-handed reliever Yunior Marte in the 6th.

Matos has 9 hits in 20 at-bats so far in Arizona and has yet to strike-out. Impressive, while not totally surprising given his known bat-to-ball skills. What comes as a bit more of a shockis Grant McCray, the 40% K-rate Kid, has kept his free-swingin’ ways in check. He’s struck out just twice so far in 20 trips to the plate and worked 6 walks. Another base-on-balls to go along with a bunt single this afternoon, and McCray had a productive game checking-off items on his To-Do list. If he makes this a habit, and pairs some plate discipline with his raw athleticism, he might find his way on the Opening Day roster.

The same can’t be said for Jerar Encarnacion. As a PH-DH, he went 0-for-2 today and is now just 4-for-23 with no walks, no extra base-hits, no RBIs. Now Spring Training performances aren’t everything, but considering how the likes of Matos and McCray are playing right now, the big man is in serious danger of getting left behind.

Here are the latest updates on current Mets who are playing in the World Baseball Classic...

March 6, 11:35 p.m.

Dominican Republic vs. Nicaragua

Juan Soto helped Team Dominican Republic in their WBC-opening game against Nicaragua. 

The Mets slugger went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. 

Soto did have an error in the outfield that allowed a Nicaraguan run to score, but Team DR still rolled to a 12-3 win.

Mets reliever Huascar Brazoban helped DR by pitching 1.2 scoreless innings in relief of starter Cristopher Sanchez. 

On the other side, Mark Vientos went hitless in his four at-bats, but did walk and made a nifty snag at third base to rob Fernando Tatis Jr. of a hit. 

Mexico vs. Great Britain

In an earlier game, Mets reliever Alex Carrillo allowed a tying home run to Great Britain in the sixth inning. 

Despite that, Carrillo struck out one in his 0.2 innings pitched. 

When New York Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury issued a letter on Jan. 16 outlining the team’s plan to “retool” the roster, the expectation was that the Blueshirts would be busy ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline. 

That was partly correct. 

The Rangers made a major move before the Olympic break, trading Artemi Panarin to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Liam Greentree and a conditional third and fourth-round pick.

Panarin was expected to be traded, given that he was set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2025-26 season, and the Rangers did not intend to offer him a contract extension. 

After Panarin was traded, the attention shifted to Vincent Trocheck, who many expected to get dealt before the March 6th deadline. 

Trocheck even addressed the media earlier this week, where he openly discussed the possibility of moving to a different team and what that might look like. 

On March 5, Trocheck was held out of the Rangers’ lineup due to roster management, as a trade appeared to be imminent. 

However, the Rangers opted not to trade Trocheck despite all of the speculation and retooling direction. 

Drury ultimately wasn’t satisfied with the value Trocheck was generating on the trade market and decided it was best to hold onto him.

“Vincent Trocheck is a great player,” Drury said “He's been a great Ranger for us and a leader on and off the ice. Broadly speaking, to any player in the organization as it pertains to a retool and this trade deadline and moving forward is we're going to make deals that make sense. 

“The deals we made today and leading up to this deadline, to us made sense. Certainly weren't going to make a trade on any player just to say we made a trade. We will always continue to try and make the team better. It certainly doesn't stop today at the 3 o' clock deadline.”

The Rangers were relatively quiet in the days leading up to the trade deadline. 

The Rangers traded Sam Carrick to the Sabres in exchange for a third and sixth-round pick while also sending Brennan Othmann to the Calgary Flames for Jacob Battaglia, but no substantial move outside of the Panarin trade was made by Drury.

Rangers Trade Brennan Othmann To Flames In Exchange For Prospect The New York Rangers have reportedly traded Brennan Othmann to the Calgary Flames in exchange for Jacob Battaglia. 

There still may be seismic shifts to the Rangers’ core on deck, but we’ll have to wait until the offseason to see where this “retool” takes the franchise. 

"There's a certain amount of teams, obviously, that are pushing towards getting in the playoffs. Teams and rosters look to get reset and do different things in the offseason,” Drury said.

“Teams will be looking at free agents and different things, and maybe moving draft picks once picks are set in stone after the lottery and after the playoffs. So, a lot of factors that go into it, and we'll certainly be ready and opportunistic when and where we can."

Sean Manaea worked a ton over the offseason to rediscover his arm slot. 

The left-hander, of course, experienced a breakthrough with the Mets down the stretch in 2024 thanks to a lower slot, but he struggled mightily last season after lowering it even further. 

Manaea battled through a loose body in his elbow, as well. 

Now healthy and back closer to where he was, he’s feeling good. 

“I think it’s good,” he said. “I feel strong, I feel all of these things and I’m not worried about it -- that’s the biggest thing, just going out there and throwing and not worrying if I’m too over the top or too low, so yeah, I feel good about it.”

And Manaea certainly looked as such on Friday as he made his first start of the spring. 

The veteran southpaw gave up a two-out solo homer to Conor Norby in the bottom of the first, but that was it as he worked his way through three efficient innings in a loss to the Marlins.

He struck out just one batter on the night, but stretched out to 33 pitches. 

“I felt good,” Manaea said. “I mean, some pitches need a little work, but I felt healthy, for the most part was throwing strikes -- overall it was a good one to build off of, and just got to continue from there.”

Manaea dipped into his full arsenal but mainly leaned on his cutter, four-seam, and changeup. 

His fastball velo sat a couple of notches below last season's average, but nobody is sweating it after just his first time out. 

“I feel healthy, so I’m not worried,” Manaea said. 

“Not going to make too much out of the first one,” Carlos Mendoza added. “I liked the movement of all of his pitches -- he says he feels really good physically, so no concern.”

The 34-year-old staying healthy and finding his way back to that ’24 form would be a ginormous boost towards helping this rotation. 

TAMPA — The last, but perhaps most anticipated, piece of the Yankees’ projected Opening Day rotation has finally joined the fold. 

Cam Schlittler, slowed earlier in camp by mid-back/left lat inflammation, made his spring debut Friday night, throwing 2 ¹/₃ scoreless innings against the Rays at Steinbrenner Field. 

As long as he continues to bounce back well the rest of the spring, the Yankees believe Schlittler can get built up to throw around 65-80 pitches in his regular-season debut. 

“We got a plan laid out, so I’m very confident that I’m going to be good to go that [first] weekend,” Schlittler said. 

The 25-year-old right-hander brought the heat from the jump, striking out the first batter he faced on three pitches, capped off with a 99.4 mph fastball.

That pitch averaged 98.7 mph across his 39 pitches, scattering two hits and one walk while striking out four. 

But the pitch that may have jumped out the most Friday was Schlittler’s cutter, which he used to strike out a pair of batters. The pitch peaked at 96.5 mph and averaged 94.9 mph, up noticeably from the 91.9 mph it averaged last season. 

“It’s nasty, too,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Couple of his live [batting practices], just standing behind him, it’s kind of wicked. I think if he can get the consistency on that downer curveball that he has, then if you want to count the cutter as the third fastball [along with a four-seam and two-seam], the three fastballs with the curveball, then he gets pretty tough to deal with.” 

Schlittler credited Gerrit Cole with having him split the cutter into two pitches before his final start of the regular season last year, focusing on a harder cutter that he predominantly threw up in the zone. 

“Continue to hopefully keep the velo and location as well,” he said. 

Schlittler has the potential to elevate the Yankees’ rotation this year if he can build off his 14-game cameo last season, when he was called up in July to replace the injured Clarke Schmidt and pitched to a 2.96 ERA the rest of the way. He was even better in the playoffs, delivering an historic performance against his hometown Red Sox in the clinching Game 3 of the AL wild-card series, striking out 12 across eight shutout innings. 

Boone said that Schlittler’s confidence, combined with his competitiveness, is what impressed him the most. 

“He comes up and he’s able to make adjustments without it being stressful,” Boone said. “He was just at ease right away, in the best kind of way.”

A high schooler got the best of Aaron Judge during Friday’s World Baseball Classic matchup between Team USA and Brazil.

Yes, a high schooler.

With the bases loaded in the top of the second inning, 17-year-old right-hander Joseph Contreras — son of former Yankee pitcher Jose Contreras — got Judge to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Contreras fared better against Judge than Brazil starter Bo Takahashi, who gave up a two-run homer to the three-time American League MVP that gave the U.S. an early 2-0 lead.

Despite his brief appearance, Contreras’ outing was impressive, throwing a fastball in the high-90s while giving up one earned run in 1⅓ innings.

Contreras is the youngest player in the entire 2026 WBC, and currently attends Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Roswell, Georgia.

According to MLB.com, Contreras is ranked as the No. 47 draft prospect and is committed to play college baseball at Vanderbilt.

“He could fit into the top two rounds as one of the higher-ceiling arms in the high school class, though teams will have to sign him away from a Vanderbilt commitment,” Contreras’ MLB.com prospect profile says. “He still has room to pack plenty of muscle on his lanky frame, so he could add more power to his heater and his secondary offerings.”

Contreras’ father, Jose, spent 11 seasons in the big leagues (2003-13), spending time with the Yankees, White Sox, Rockies, Phillies and Pirates.

Across his MLB tenure, Jose posted a 4.57 ERA and 889 strikeouts through 299 appearances, along with having an All-Star appearance in 2006 with the White Sox.

Despite Jose being from Cuba, Joseph is eligible to play for Brazil in the WBC because his mother is Brazilian.

The Dodgers were able to bounce back after suffering a walk-off loss on Thursday by shutting out the Kansas City Royals 6-0 on Friday.

The Dodgers wasted no time putting the ball in play to begin the bottom of the first, as Miguel Rojas and Freddie Freeman knocked a pair of singles to strike first on the scoreboard. Mookie Betts knocked his first extra-base hit of the spring to bring home Freeman before Teoscar Hernández traded places with Betts to make it a 3-0 Dodger lead before the Royals recorded an out.

Both Rojas and Hernández finished their evening going 3-3, with Rojas hitting a trio of singles and Hernández smacking a double and two singles. Freddie Freeman finished with three RBI on the night while Hernández plated two, both contributing in the second three-run inning for the Dodgers as they led 6-0 after four innings.

Ryder Ryan was given the start for the Dodgers having given up just two runs over five previous innings. Ryan struggled with command in the first inning, issuing two consecutive walks to Nick Loftin and Isaac Collins, but Ryan managed to pick off Loftin between first and second base and Dalton Rushing threw out Collins attempting to steal second base. Ryan had an easier time on the mound in the second inning, tossing just seven pitches and picking up a strikeout to end his day at the office.

Will Klein faced his former team for the first time in his career, giving up a single from Connor Kaiser as well as a walk to Peyton Wilson, but worked around the two baserunners with a pair of strikeouts in a scoreless third inning. Tanner Scott took over on the mound in the fourth inning, pitching a perfect inning on just 10 pitches with a pair of bookend strikeouts.

Antoine Kelly, Ronan Kopp, Edgardo Henríquez, Chris Campos and Wyatt Mills each combined for a five scoreless innings to close out Friday’s contest, allowing just two hits while striking out eight and walking three hitters.

UP NEXT

The Dodgers are back under the lights at Camelback Ranch on Saturday to host the Colorado Rockies (5:05 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Landon Knack gets the start for the Dodgers, facing southpaw Sean Sullivan.

Expectations were high for Cam Schlittler’s first spring start, and he did not disappoint. Over 2.1 innings and 39 pitches, he struck out four Rays and looked really good while doing it. Meanwhile, Trent Grisham came up clutch on offense, driving in two runs on a single in the second inning. The rest of the game was relatively uneventful, with both teams’ pitching carving up batters left and right. When all was said and done, the Yankees came away with the win, a quick 2-0 affair.

How about Schlittler, though?! I try not to get too excited about spring starts, but the big righty’s outing was certainly encouraging. He started his night by striking out Taylor Walls on three pitches, with an assist from the new ABS system:

I have no idea why the ump called it a ball in the first place, but I guess they’re still a bit rusty.

To their credit, the Rays did not go quietly after that, as Theo Gillen worked a walk, and Ryan Vilade singled to put runners at first and second. However, Schlittler was unfazed, freezing Jacob Melton on a perfectly located 99 mph heater to get him looking for the second out. The BABIP gods then tested Schlittler’s resolve by turning a Ben Williamson squibbler into an infield single to load the bases, but Schlittler got Hunter Feduccia to ground out to short, escaping the inning unscathed.

The Yankees would generate some traffic of their own in the bottom of the first. After a Grisham strikeout, Ben Rice worked a walk, then advanced to third on a Cody Bellinger single. However, Giancarlo Stanton went down looking, and even though Bellinger stole second, Ryan McMahon could not bring him or Rice home, lining out to left for the third out.

Schlittler picked up right where he left off in the top of the second, inducing groundballs from Logan Davidson and Xavier Isaac before striking out Raynel Delgado for a clean 1-2-3 inning. The offense put men on base again in the bottom half, and this time, they did not disappoint. Although Paul DeJong lined out to short to lead off the inning, Oswaldo Cabrera started his comeback the right way by working a walk, and Max Schuemann doubled to put runners at second and third. Payton Henry struck out looking, but Grisham came through, slashing a base hit to right field to drive in two.

Rice continued the rally by doubling to center field, with Grisham advancing to third, but Bellinger lined out to right to end the threat. Still, the damage was done.

Schlittler finished his night by striking out Taylor Walls for the second time, this time getting him to swing through a high cutter. His final line – 2.1 innings, four strikeouts, zero runs, two hits, and a walk. He certainly brought the heat, hitting 99 mph several times, but his secondaries were sharp too, with his cutter and curveball looking quite good. He was also able to avoid the heart of the zone, generally commanding his pitches well. There were nothing but positives from his start, and I eagerly await his next one.

Not a whole lot happened for the rest of the game, as both the Yankees’ and Rays’ pitchers put up a bunch of zeros. On the Rays’ side, Joe Boyle impressed despite the Grisham hit, striking out six in his 3.0 innings and showcasing some premium stuff. Ian Seymour relieved Boyle in the fourth inning and was even better, pitching 3.1 innings, striking out six, and not allowing a single baserunner. Alex Cook came on with one out in the eighth and closed out the inning without issue. Joe Rock had the worst day of the bunch, as his wild pitch in the ninth inning allowed Kenedy Corona to score from third (after having stolen second and third!), and walked an additional two batters in the frame before striking out George Lombard Jr. to escape the inning. Still, it was an impressive showing from the Rays’ pitching corps.

All of this would have been mildly irritating if not for the fact that the Yankees’ pitchers had themselves a day, too. Tim Hill, Brent Headrick, Zach Messinger, and Danny Watson combined for 6.2 innings, 14 strikeouts, and just two baserunners. Granted, they were facing a quite toothless Rays lineup which lacked Yandy Díaz, Junior Caminero, and Jonathan Aranda, but it was a great showing nonetheless. Aside from Hill, these pitchers project to be on the Scranton shuttle rather than regular bullpen contributors, but having depth arms that won’t embarrass you is important over the course of the 162-game season.

As a small Aaron Judge/Team USA update: he clobbered a two-run homer off of Brazil’s Bo Takahashi. Great to see our Captain showing out on the international stage — even if former Yankees pitcher José Contreras’ 17-year-old son surprisingly got him to hit into a double play in his second at-bat!

The Yankees’ next game will be against the Nationals, at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches on 6:05pm ET tomorrow evening. Will Warren is slated to start against Josiah Gray.

Box Score

Freddy Peralta hasn’t even thrown a pitch that counts in a Mets uniform yet, but he already knows that this is where he wants to be. 

“I’m really comfortable here,” he told Jon Heyman of the New York Post. “I’m not going to lie, I’d love to be here, and I’d love to stay a long time.”

Peralta, of course, is a free agent this offseason and he told Heyman that he is seeking a seven or eight-year deal. 

It remains unclear if he's had any talks with the Mets on a potential extension to this point, but he did play coy following his first start of the spring, simply offering no comment and a big smile. 

The 29-year-old reiterated that comfort he’s felt with the organization.

“Everything has been amazing,” he explained. “Talking from the bottom to the top, the people in the front office, everyone -- they’ve been very easy for me, easy to work with, and I’m just happy because I feel they have my back.”

While David Stearns has been hesitant to hand out long-term pacts to pitchers over the years, perhaps he’d be willing to change things up for an arm he's comfortable with having dealt for twice in his career.

Stearns acquired Peralta as a prospect in Milwaukee, and now brings him to the Big Apple, where he'll provide a significant boost to the Mets' rotation this year... and potentially beyond. 

We’re about halfway through spring training, which means position battles are heating up. Earlier this week, we asked who you thought had the best chance to break camp with the Rockies, and you answered!

The vast majority of you believe that newly-acquired first baseman TJ Rumfield has the best chance of doing just that.

Rumfield was acquired on January 28th in a trade that sent RHP Angel Chivilli to the New York Yankees. He has contributed well this spring, slashing .350/.500/.950 with four homers in 10 games. He has also walked four times and walked just once.

Behind him, 19% of you believe that Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) could break camp. The rest of the candidates each earned less-than 10% of the vote.

Do you agree that TJ Rumfield has the best chance? What have you liked from him so far this spring? Let us know!

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