Category: MLB

Astros continue to look for pitching depth with option years.

Thursday night the Houston Astros made a couple of roster moves as GM Dana Brown continues to look for pitching depth that still have options available on the contracts.

First, Houston made a deal with the San Francisco Giants to acquire SP Kai-Wei Teng in exchange for minor league catcher Jancel Villaroel.

Teng has swing and miss stuff (11.8 K/9 last season in 29.2 IP for SFG last season, 14.1 K/9 last season in 57 IP at AAA Sacramento) but can struggle with command (5.2 BB/9 last season for SFG, 3.5 BB/9 at AAA Sacramento).

His best pitch is his sweeper, his fastball generally sits 92-93 but can reach 94-95. He has shown the extra velocity when pitching in relief. His fastball is best when elevated in the zone. He also throws a curveball and changeup.

Villaroel was the Astros #13 overall prospect in their system. Last year he split his age-20 season between Fayetteville in the Carolina League (A Ball) and Asheville in the Sally League (High A). His numbers decreased dramatically at High A, although he was young for the league (-2.0 age difference). At 5 foot 8 and 175 pounds, he doesn’t project to be a big power threat, but he does have good speed and stole 20 bases for Fayetteville in 27 attempts. He could find himself eventually as an outfielder. He is currently ranked as the Giants #27 prospect.

In order to make room for Teng, the Astros designated SP J.P. France for assignment.

France struggled last season coming back from shoulder capsule surgery. He posted a 2-2 record with a 6.59 ERA and 1.72 WHIP in 9 games/6 starts across 3 minor league levels with 22BB and 28K in 27.1 IP. He was 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA and 1.00 WHIP for the Astros in 2025 in 2 appearances covering 4 innings with 2BB and 5K.

France’s velocity was noticeably down following the surgery, and he struggled with his command. He will be 31 on April 4.

The Astros also signed RP Tom Cosgrove.

Cosgrove has both starting and bullpen experience, and is lefthanded. He has been exclusively a reliever at the MLB level.

Cosgrove is primarily a sweeper/slider pitcher who also throws a sinker. His fastball generally sits 88-91, and his low arm slot makes him very tough on lefties.

After a successful rookie season in 2023, Cosgrove has struggled with command and walks have been an issue.

The Astros also have a track record of getting the most out of nearly every pitcher they get “in the lab” so to speak.

Both Teng and Cosgrove have options, which is important for the Astros. Houston will play 24 games in the season’s first 26 days. They will utilize a 6 man rotation, which will leave the bullpen short with only 7 arms.

In the event they have a game/games where they really burn the pen, they need to have optionable arms to they can swap fresh arms to the big league club to replenish the bullpen if needed on a short turnaround.

Also, having potential arms like Jason Alexander, Colton Gordon, Ryan Weiss, Nate Pearson who can go multiple innings can also help the pen, as they can save a lot of other arms and potentially only have to swap one player who can eat a bulk of innings if needed.

FanGraphs | Dan Szymborski: All winter, Dan Szymborski has been running the ZiPS projections for each team for the 2026 season. Now, with all 30 teams done, he ran one million simulations of the 2026 season. Unsurprisingly, the American League East projects to be a dogfight, with four of the division’s five teams having at least a forty percent chance of making the postseason. Among the top four teams, the Yankees don’t have the brightest performance in the model, with an average win total of just 87 games.

Newsday | Laura Albanese: One of the big reasons that the Yankees have a slightly lower performance by the ZiPS model is the fact that the team’s core is aging. Over the last few years, the organization has basically “run it back” year in year out, leaning on Aaron Judge offensively and trying to build a strong pitching staff behind 2023 Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole. Because of this, though, the Yankees’ core has begun to get old, as Judge, Cole, Giancarlo Stanton, Max Fried, and Carlos Rodón are all on the wrong side of 30. While that does not mean they will perform poorly — the team did win 94 games in each of the last two seasons, and 92 or more in six of the last seven full seasons — it does increase the margin of error, as Father Time is mostly undefeated.

MLB.com: In a low-level move, the Yankees sent lefty reliever Jayvien Sandridge to the Los Angeles Angels yesterday in exchange for cash considerations. The 26-year-old Sandbridge made one appearance with the Yankees last season — his Major League debut — while serving primarily as bullpen depth in Triple-A.

NJ.com: Retired Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo appears to be launching a sports media career this season, as reports indicate that he is set to join NBC Sports as they take over the coverage of Sunday Night Baseball this season. He will join Bob Costas and Clayton Kershaw as studio analysts.

This one might prove a little controversial. For Geraldo Perdomo was only ranked sixth on MLB Now’s Top 10 Shortstops Right Now countdown. The complete ranking for MLB Now’s top-10 shortstops is listed below: 

1. Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals 
2. Corey Seager, Texas Rangers 
3. Francisco Lindor, New York Mets 
4. Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles 
5. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers 
6. Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona Diamondbacks 
7. Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies 
8. Jeremy Peña, Houston Astros 
9. Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds
10. Zach Neto, Los Angeles Angels 

According to the network, “Each Top 10 Right Now ranking considers player performance over multiple seasons, offensive and defensive metrics, both advanced Statcast data and traditional numbers, and expert analysis by the MLB Network research team.” It is worth noting that it doesn’t just go on a single season (though the most recent one is likely more heavily weighted), and that probably hampered Perdomo’s ranking, since before 2025, he was probably “good, but not elite.” That said, I would be unsurprised if Gerry out-produces a couple of the players supposedly ahead of him, in 2026.

Next up of possible interest is the catcher ranking on Monday. Might Gabriel Moreno appear there? But I’ve little doubt we will certainly be back here on Tuesday night, when the subject is right field…

The San Diego Padres acquired outfielder Ramon Laureano in the July trade deadline spree that saw them part with six prospects to the Baltimore Orioles. Outfielder/first baseman Ryan O’Hearn was the headliner in that deal but he is now gone via free agency.

Laureano had a team option of $6.5 million for 2026 that the team quickly picked up in November of last year. After starting 2025 with one of the worst left field rankings in baseball (FanGraphs had them at 27 out of 30 teams), the acquisition of Laureano made the biggest upgrade of all the deadline swaps.

After arriving from Baltimore, Laureano played 50 games for the Padres. He hit .269/.323/.489 with an OPS of .812. His combined numbers for 2025 came out to .281/.342/.512 with a .855 OPS. Laureano had 24 home runs and 76 RBI for the season. His only better numbers came in 2019, his second season with Oakland.

The 2025 season saw his best hard-hit rate, his best barrel rate and his best K rate of his career. He also had his lowest chase rate during 2026. He finished the season with an fWAR of 3.0, which would have left him tied for seventh in fWAR rankings for left fielders for the year.

FanGraphs recently published their projections for 2026 and believe that Laureano will take a big step back. They project him to play in 119 games with a .242/.314/.428 line and .743 OPS. His projected WAR is 1.8. If correct, that would make 2026 his third worst season since his debut in 2019.

A career change

After finishing 2023 with a .224 average and .675 OPS, Laureano made a decision to remake himself. He reworked his approach in the batting box with the intent of making better contact and seeing breaking balls better.

Standing deeper in the box, moving away from the plate, closing up his stance and choking up on the bat were all incorporated into his new approach. The results started to show in 2024 with improved outcomes but 2025 was when the new adjustments really made a difference.

Laureano now ranks in the 80th percentiles for expected batting average, barrel percentage, hard-hit percentage and in the 93rd percentile in expected slugging (see Baseball Savant stats).

Expect a decline?

The decrease in projected value from FanGraphs could be due to Laureano’s age. He is 31 years old and will be 32 in July. Although still able to be productive at the plate, statistics project declines year over year from the year 31 season on.

As the Padres already have several aging players committed to long-term deals, don’t expect them to sign Laureano to an extension, so it is safe to assume this will be a walk year for him. Based on the improvements he has made and his mentality and make up, Padres fans should not be surprised to see a career year from their left fielder.

His 2025 season ended early with a broken finger suffered while swinging the bat. That should be completely healed going into this spring. With a normal offseason and a healthy spring, expect Laureano to easily outperform the projections.

Here is the writeup from FanGraphs for their fantasy projections for 2026.

Ramón Laureano (217 ADP)

In 2025, Laureano set a career high with 488 PA. From 2018 to 2024, Laureano’s paced 17 HR and 13 SB per 488 PA. That’s about what Friedl posted last season (15/13). If given enough playing time, he could be a solid fantasy value just by being himself.

Besides having a solid base coming into 2025, Laureano made two improvements. His contact% jumped from 70.8% to 74.8%, which is his highest since 2021. With more contact, his strikeout rate dropped from 31% to 24 percent, pushing his batting average up to .281.

The other improvement was a career high 90.3 average exit velocity and 112.7 max EV. With the extra power, he tied his career high with 24 HR.

As for the stolen bases, his sprint speed has varied from just 27.6 to 27.9 over the past six seasons. Around 8 SB to 10 SB is a reasonable estimate.

One final note: several of our playing time estimates seem a little on the low side (450 PA to 500 PA). If he were to go into the 600 PA or more range, he’s a steal at his current ADP.

Final Take: If Ramón Laureano can keep the contact and power gains he made in 2025 while playing a full season, he becomes a solid sleeper.

The best in baseball

Si.com recently published an article suggesting the Padres have the best trio of outfielders in baseball. Not surprisingly, they expect Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill to carry the bulk of the offensive load. Although Laureano’s offense could regress slightly, they don’t expect the big regression FanGraphs does.

The biggest negative for Laureano has been his defense. Although he has a plus arm in the outfield, his speed and range have been below average. It is not likely he will get faster but his defense could improve with better technique and it should be watched closely as the new season gets underway.

Another aspect of Laureano’s game is his attitude and intensity. Having an edge and a serious approach on the field is a steadying influence with the young outfielders he works with. Laureano stood out for Padres fans soon after his arrival in San Diego. After a walk-off hit in the Aug. 9 game against the Boston Red Sox, Laureano showed his honesty and endeared himself to most fans.

He could be one of the biggest surprises of 2026.

With less than two weeks remaining in the offseason, most of the moves involving the Yankees bullpen this winter have been departures.

As in two former closers, Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, heading to Queens and a handful of other relievers being nontendered.

While some of those may be viewed as additions by subtraction, the Yankees are still going to have to cover those high-leverage innings somehow, even if they have yet to bring in any new established options — more or less banking on their pitching department to work its magic once again.

The Yankees believe they did the heavy lifting of their bullpen makeover at last summer’s trade deadline, when they acquired David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird, who were all under contract beyond 2025.

They then picked up Tim Hill’s club option, re-signed swingman Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn, added Cade Winquest in the Rule 5 draft and acquired another project in hard-throwing righty Angel Chivilli from the Rockies on Wednesday.

Fernando Cruz is an important holdover, coming off his own breakout season, while left Brent Headrick (whom multiple Yankees officials have mentioned as a candidate to pop this season) and Yerry De los Santos are among the other candidates to carve out a role in the bullpen.

“As we enter spring training, we definitely are a different bullpen right now than we were last year, because we’ve had some departures,” general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday. “But we also have some young pups pushing up the ladder, we have a Rule 5 pick we selected, we just made this addition [Chivilli]. So I think it’s a work in progress with a lot of quality choices. Some might be emerging talented players from our system, some might be more imports like [Chivilli].

“I’d just say stay tuned.”

The best of the “young pup” pitching prospects the Yankees boast are currently starters, though someone like Carlos Lagrange — who some scouts see as a reliever in the long run — could speed up his road to The Bronx in a relief role if the organization eventually chooses to go that route. They also have a group of relievers at Triple-A that could help at some point, including Kervin Castro (added to the 40-man roster earlier this offseason), Eric Reyzelman and Harrison Cohen.

None of those are sure things, though. While even the best of relievers are volatile — in the same season he thrived as the Yankees closer in a playoff chase, Bednar was demoted to Triple-A by the Pirates — the Yankees could still use another arm or two that are closer to safe bets to give Aaron Boone enough trustworthy options for the late innings.

They sat out the high-end (and now most of the mid-tier) portion of the free agent relief market, with those dollars reserved for Cody Bellinger, though the Yankees have had their best success acquiring impact relievers through trades in recent years.

“We’re going to continue to evaluate all choices that come our way,” Cashman said. “But I do think we have a lot of quality choices at the very least that we can fall back on if we do nothing more. But the job at hand is to see if we can improve in any aspect of the roster we can and we’ll continue to look at that.”

Perhaps they eventually get some relief from the rotation once the likes of Carlos Rodón, Gerrit Cole and eventually Clarke Schmidt get healthy, but until then, they seem to be putting an awful lot of faith in their pitching department — getting Bird back on track, continuing Blackburn’s transition to relieving, trying to harness Chivilli’s big arm and get something out of the rookie Winquest, among others.

The other issue with the projected 2026 bullpen is a lack of flexibility. Only Bird, Chivilli, Headrick, Doval and Cruz have minor league options remaining — and if they are used on Doval or Cruz, they will have bigger issues than flexibility — while they must carry Winquest on the big league roster all season if they want to keep him in the organization. For a team that often churns through arms with the last spot or two in the bullpen, that may prove to be more difficult this year.

After agreeing to a contract with free agent center fielder Harrison Bader on Monday, the San Francisco Giants had work to do trimming their roster. They would need to trade or waive a player to accommodate Bader on the 40-man roster, and on Thursday they found the solution. As first reported by Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the Giants agreed to send right-handed pitcher Kai-Wei Teng to the Houston Astros in exchange for catching prospect Jancel Villarroel. The Giants have since announced the move, and added that they also received international slot money in the deal.

Villarroel is an intriguing prospect who signed with the Astros out of Venezuela after the 2022 Dominican Summer League season. The right-handed hitter, who turned 21 a few weeks ago, spent the bulk of the year with Houston’s Low-A affiliate, where he hit .258/.360/.385 for a .746 OPS and a 123 wRC+. He played a few weeks with the Astros’ High-A affiliate to end the year, and figures to open the upcoming season with High-A Eugene. He has a decent amount of raw power — though that hasn’t really shown itself yet on the stat sheet — and decent bat-to-ball skills. He had just a 17.2% strikeout rate in Low-A last year. In the midseason 2025 rankings, Villarroel ranked as the Astros No. 13 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and their No. 20 prospect according to Fangraphs. Earlier this month, Baseball America ranked the catcher as the No. 19 prospect in Houston’s system.

He’s a little bit of a project defensively at catcher, but also has experience all over the diamond. In his brief Minor League tenure, he’s seen time at every position except shortstop and pitcher.

As for Teng, it’s the end of a long, up-and-down tenure. And as the leader of the Kai-Wei Teng Believers Club, I’m pretty bummed seeing him leave. The righty came to the Giants in 2019, during his first full season of affiliated ball, in the Sam Dyson trade. He rose through the system as one of the organization’s top strikeout arms, but often struggled to control his walks and keep his ERA down.

The Giants rostered him as a Rule 5 protection prior to the 2024 season, but everything fell apart for him that year. He stopped striking people out, sported an awful 8.60 ERA in AAA, was even worse in his brief Major League stint, and was designated for assignment.

He re-signed with the Giants last offseason, and started to turn his career around. He was excellent for AAA last year, splitting time between the bullpen and rotation, where he had a 3.63 ERA and a 2.95 FIP, while his 14.05 strikeouts per nine innings were among the best in the Minor Leagues. That earned him another MLB opportunity, and the results in eight games were hot-and-cold: on the bad side, he had a 6.37 ERA and issued 5.16 walks per nine. On the good side, he had a 3.81 FIP, a 4.00 xERA, and 11.83 strikeouts per nine.

With the Giants entering the year with a full rotation, Teng was scheduled to join a very large group of unproven arms who would battle for a spot in the rotation and/or the sixth and seventh starter roles. That group includes fellow 40-man arms Hayden Birdsong, Carson Whisenhunt, Carson Seymour, Trevor McDonald, Blade Tidwell, and Keaton Winn. Given his strikeout ability, I thought Teng might have the inside position for a bullpen role, but either the Giants disagreed, or the Astros saw things similarly. It’s always hard to gauge with trades like this whether Teng was the outgoing piece because he was the player the Giants were ready to move on from, or he was the player that Houston was targeting.

Either way, the recently-turned 27-year old is headed back to the American League, and will get a chance to solidify his role in the Majors with the Astros. I, for one, will be rooting for him.

Former Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo is joining NBC as part of their MLB coverage team, according to multiple reports on Thursday.

The three-time All-Star will have a role on the network’s studio show as the lead MLB analyst during “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcasts, Opening Day, as well as some postseason games carried by NBC, Sports Business Journal reported. 

Rizzo was mentioned in November as a target for media companies for the upcoming baseball season, according to Front Office Sports. 

The former first baseman’s ability to navigate the tough New York media market during his tenure with the Yankees helped make him an attractive analyst option to network executives.

“Rizz played the New York media better than anybody — and that’s not easy,” a source told Front Office Sports. “He always had a smile on his face.”

Rizzo played 14 years in the major leagues, 10 with the Cubs and three and a half in the Big Apple. He finished his career with 303 home runs and 965 RBIs.

The well-liked Gold Glove winner is best remembered for being a member of the 2016 World Series-winning Cubs who helped break the infamous Curse of the Billy Goat that lasted 71 years.

News of Rizzo’s hiring comes shortly after Front Office Sports broke the news that Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw is also being added to the network’s MLB coverage. 

NBC is also slated to bring in Bob Costas for hosting duties.

As of today, we’re almost exactly two weeks from the day when pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training. I would say there’s at least an even chance that Brendan Donovan will remain a St. Louis Cardinal once the season begins. If that’s the case, what do you think the St. Louis Cardinals opening day infield should be?

Until I have reason to believe otherwise, let’s assume for the sake of argument that Brendan Donovan remains a St. Louis Cardinal through Spring Training and remains untraded once the regular season starts. What should the team’s infield look like on opening day? There are some easy assumptions, but there are also some complicated questions, too. I’ll share what I think this might look like, but I’m more interested in what moves (or not) you would make. Here’s my St. Louis Cardinals starting infield against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday, March 26:

1B – Alec Burleson

2B – JJ Wetherholt

SS – Masyn Winn

3B – Nolan Gorman

C – Ivan Herrera

If Brendan Donovan is still a part of the St. Louis Cardinals roster on that day, I start him in left field with Victor Scott II in center and Jordan Walker in right field. If Lars Nootbaar were healthy and ready for opening day, I’d start him in right and let Jordan start the season in AAA. I still think one more trip to Memphis would help Walker until he shows consistent plate discipline, but I’d be thrilled if I had to change my mind because he was so impressive in Spring Training.

For my opening day infield, I’ve made the assumption that JJ Wetherholt is ready for the show. If there’s an unforeseen hiccup with Wetherholt’s development, then Brendan is the obvious choice to be opening day starter at second base. I’m also frustrated that I don’t have a place for Thomas Saggese. I would like to see what Thomas would do if given the chance to be an everyday player. I’m fine with José Fermín being the off-the-bench utility man to fill in roster holes.

I need to add one additional thought. I am fine with Nolan Gorman being the DH instead of our third baseman. 20/20 hindsight being what it is, I prefer that to Nolan playing the field, but I think it’s important for him to have a consistent lineup presence one way or another so we can determine once and for all if he can become a successful major league player. Having Nolan at DH then brings the debate of who plays third. Do you then bring Brendan in at third and leave JJ at second or reverse the roles? I think that wherever you play JJ initially is where you need to leave him. I’m in agreement with many that he should not have to figure out multiple positions his rookie year.

I’m torn on how I feel about the St. Louis Cardinals possibly hanging on to Brendan Donovan. On one hand, we are no doubt a better team with him on our roster and in our lineup, but I also think his trade value will never be higher than it is right now. As I was trying to envision what the St. Louis Cardinals infield would look like, I understand why Chaim Bloom isn’t in a rush to trade him. Beyond opening day, Brendan is a great solution to take over third base if Nolan Gorman fails to solve his strikeout woes. He’s also insurance if JJ Wetherholt isn’t ready for the big league roster and the team needs Brendan at second base. His versatility also means he’s a backup if Masyn Winn were to be injured again. The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly says the San Francisco Giants “remain engaged” with the St. Louis Cardinals on Brendan Donovan, so where he fits in the opening day lineup may become a non-issue soon, but we also have to anticipate that the Giants (or any other team) won’t meet the Cardinals demands.

If you were making the call, what do you think the St. Louis Cardinals opening day infield should look like? I look forward to see what you think the priorities should be and how you would fill in the missing pieces.

The Royals announced they have signed 29-year-old right-hander Eli Morgan to a minor league deal. Morgan was excellent in 2024, posting a 1.93 ERA in 32 games with Cleveland in 2024, but appeared in just seven games with the Cubs due to an elbow injury.

Morgan was originally an eighth-round pick by Cleveland out of Gonzaga in 2017. He debuted in 2021, making 18 starts with a 5.34 ERA, but was moved to the bullpen the next season. He found success as a reliever, posting a 3.38 ERA with 72 strikeouts and just 13 walks in 66.2 innings with the Guardians in 2022. He posted his best strikeout season in 2022 with 75 strikeouts, 10.0 per-nine-innings. He was limited to just 42 innings in 2024 due to elbow inflammation, yet posted a career-best 1.1 rWAR.

The elbow inflammation carried over the next season, and after a rough start, he was placed on the Injured List in April. It was diagnosed as an inflamed ulnar nerve in his right elbow, and he suffered a setback in rehab. He was due to return in September, but the Cubs optioned him to the minors instead, where he finished the season. The Cubs elected to non-tender him after the season, rather than pay him around $1 million.

Morgan mixes a 92 mph four-seamer with a slider and changeup. Last year in his limited action, he increased his change-up usage to 41 percent.

The Royals have been building up their bullpen depth in the last week, adding veterans Héctor Neris and Aaron Sanchez on minor league deals. The cost to take a gamble on these players is next to nothing and at the very least they have some arms to pitch in spring training games and potentially at Omaha. And who knows, there’s a chance they have something left in the tank and can contribute to the big league team.

So here’s the forecast for Saturday (a.k.a. Braves Fest day) as of right now:

Of course, this could definitely change between now and Saturday (especially considering how the Metro Atlanta area ended up dodging a bullet (for the most part) when it came to last weekend’s ice storm) but also OOF. Even if there’s no snow, it’s looking like a lock that it’ll be 27 degrees. I’m not trying to hear from folks who have real winter, that’s frigid for these parts. So yeah, if you’re going to Braves fest then you’re, well, pretty brave.

Anyways, the floor is now yours. Here’s your random clip for the night:

Ahead of what will be the final season of his MLB career, Miguel Rojas won’t represent Team Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic because of insurance issues, a source confirmed.

Rojas announced via Instagram on Thursday that he wouldn’t be participating in the triannual international tournament.

“Today I am very sad,” he wrote in Spanish, in a post accompanied by a picture of himself wearing the Venezuelan flag over his shoulders. “A true shame I can’t represent my country and put that flag on my chest.”

Rojas, 37, is one of several players who are reportedly unable to participate in this spring’s WBC because of issues getting their MLB contracts insured against potential injury in the tournament –– the same requirement that also forced Clayton Kershaw, among others, to miss the most recent WBC in 2023.

Without insurance (or, in very rare cases, agreements with their MLB teams), big-league players would not have their contracts guaranteed for any time they miss during the regular season resulting from injuries sustained in the WBC.

Typically, insurance issues arise over concerns about a player’s injury history. But, while Rojas has dealt with hernia, forearm and intercostal issues over the last two years, his situation also stemmed from his age, as El Extrabase first reported and Rojas’ Instagram post itself indicated.

“On this occasion,” Rojas wrote, “age wasn’t just a number.”

A 12-year big-league veteran who has played a key role in both of the Dodgers’ recent back-to-back World Series championships, Rojas has never before played in the WBC.

He was originally part of Team Venezuela’s 2023 squad, but pulled out shortly before the tournament after Gavin Lux’s torn ACL during spring training that year thrust him into a starting role for the Dodgers –– who had just re-acquired the smooth-fielding utilityman in a trade from the Miami Marlins that offseason.

“It’s a decision that is not coming easy for me,” Rojas told MLB.com then. “Definitely the WBC and my country and being part of that squad has always been a priority for me and something I really value in my career. [It is] one of the best things that I could have done in my career, an experience like no other.”

Now Rojas, who re-signed with the Dodgers as a free agent this offseason and is slated to take on a player development role within the organization once he retires, won’t get the chance before his playing career ends.

With Rojas ruled out of the WBC, the Dodgers currently have only three confirmed participants: Will Smith for Team USA; and Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Team Japan.

Kershaw, who retired from the major leagues after last season, will also be on Team USA’s roster.

Cincinnati Reds legend and future baseball Hall of Famer Joey Votto is going to be a big part of NBC’s Major League Baseball coverage beginning this spring.

According to Front Office Sports, Votto is among a pretty impressive (on field) trio that will be joining NBC’s coverage, with fellow future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw and some guy who played for the Cubs for a while also set to headline.

What remains to be seen, though, is in just what capacity we’ll see Votto.

Will he be a featured analyst during weekly Sunday Night Baseball broadcasts? Will he be parked behind a desk in-studio for larger national coverage?

Will he dress like a mountie? Will he drive a school bus to work each day?

Will he go with a beard, since it’s now perpetually his off-season?

Regardless, we’re about to hear one of the best minds the sport has ever seen be back on television front and center, providing us with the kind of insight into the game of baseball at a level we could only dream.

All offseason, Dodgers officials have emphasized the importance of managing their starting rotation’s workload in 2026, after pushing that group to its physical limits during last October’s arduous World Series run.

A few weeks before the start of spring training, Blake Snell is becoming an early example.

In the aftermath of the Dodgers’ Fall Classic triumph in Toronto –– which was still not even three months ago –– Snell’s arm was “tired” and “exhausted,” he acknowledged Thursday, following five postseason starts plus a critical relief appearance in Game 7 against the Blue Jays.

“I was happy I was able to pitch the whole time,” the left-hander told The California Post during a Dodgers charity event at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. “But it was tough.”

Thus, Snell and the team decided to have the 33-year-old slow-play his winter throwing program this offseason. The plan, Snell said, is to still be ready for Opening Day in late March. But at this point, that is not seen as a certainty within the organization.

“You want to ramp up, but I gotta take my time and get healthy,” said Snell, the two-time Cy Young Award winner who returned from a long-term shoulder injury last summer to play a starring role in the Dodgers’ title trek.

“I feel like I’m doing the right thing. I feel good. I’ve been throwing. It feels better. In the postseason, I gave everything I had for that. But on the front end of spring, I’ll have to be patient and let my body get to 100%.

“That’s what I’m learning talking with (the team). Don’t rush. Be patient. Make sure you’re 100%. And that’s what’s awesome about the organization. They really are focused on your health and well-being.”

In some ways, this is nothing new for the Dodgers. They’ve long erred on the side of caution when it comes to managing pitchers’ workloads. They’ve always prioritized long-term health, and October availability, above all else.

Never before, however, has that balance been so important.

Beyond Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto presents the most obvious challenge this season. Not only did the right-hander lead the Dodgers in both regular-season and postseason innings last year (logging 210 combined, culminating with his back-to-back appearances in games 6 and 7 of the World Series), but he is also slated to pitch for Team Japan in this spring’s World Baseball Classic. That will require him to ramp up earlier than normal and make full-intensity outings several weeks before Opening Day.

“Yamamoto is gonna be an interesting case study,” manager Dave Roberts said, “given how much he’s pitched over the last couple years.”

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

Shohei Ohtani offers another unique situation, likely to get extra between-starts rest –– as much as “six, seven, eight days off,” according to Roberts –– as he returns to full-time two-way duties for the first time in his Dodgers career. He is also on Team Japan’s WBC roster, but it’s undetermined if he will pitch in the event.

Tyler Glasnow, meanwhile, has a long history of injuries the Dodgers will have to take into account, with the 10-year veteran having never made more than 22 starts in a regular season.

For now, the Dodgers haven’t set any hard innings limits on that group and will wait and see how each progresses during spring camp before formulating more specific plans.

Still, their workloads are “something we definitely have to be mindful of,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said this winter.

“It’s just making sure we’re being prudent on the front end and saying, ‘If we need extra rest here (at some point), we can do it,’” general manager Brandon Gomes echoed.

The good news for the Dodgers is that they have some depth. Emmet Sheehan and Roki Sasaki are expected to bolster the season-opening rotation. Former top prospects River Ryan and Gavin Stone had normal offseasons after recovering from surgeries last year (with excitement around the organization particularly high in how Ryan has looked ahead of camp). Justin Wrobleski, Ben Casparius, Kyle Hurt, Landon Knack and Bobby Miller are all also starting options.

This coming year, the team might need almost all of them at some point.

Already, the aftereffects of last year’s World Series title are being felt.

Tommy Edman has a new name to write on his lineup card. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ second baseman and his wife, Kristen welcomed the birth of their second child — a daughter, Ava, on Tuesday in Los Angeles. 

Edman and his wife Kristen shared the news on Instagram with a carousel of hospital-room stillness: the newborn bundled tight, the quiet glow of first moments, and the show-stealer — big brother Eli — meeting his baby sister for the first time.

“Worth the wait. Welcome to the world, Ava Edman,” Kristen wrote, a line that didn’t need embellishment.

View this post on Instagram

Edman dealt with a nagging right ankle injury over the past year that culminated in his second World Series championship as the Dodgers won back-to-back titles for the first time since the New York Yankees won three-straight from 1998-2000. 

The injury landed Edman on the injured list twice and shadowed him through the team’s championship run in October. He gutted it out anyway — infield, center field, wherever the team needed him — until surgery finally came in mid-November.

Download The California Post App, follow us on social, and subscribe to our newsletters

“This was clearly bothering him for a while,” general manager Brandon Gomes said at the Winter Meeting in early November. “He’s so tough and went out there and kept just posting for us, and obviously played great for us. So I think it’ll be good to get it addressed, and then that way he can kind of have this behind him.”

Edman’s recovery timetable is uncertain, but he expects to be ready by the start of spring training. However, the Dodgers have a history of being conservative with their players when they come back from injury. Their plethora of depth doesn’t hurt them in that regard either. Edman’s status for Opening Day is still in the air, but knowing the Dodgers they will likely play it safe. 

The team has prepared accordingly, adding Andy Ibáñez and leaning on depth like Miguel Rojas and Alex Freeland. Andrew Friedman, as always, has contingency plans.

February is the month when Major League Baseball teams begin to gather at their Spring Training facilities. The San Diego Padres look like a postseason contender on paper, but the front office must settle the first base debate before the opening of full squad workouts in Peoria.

Padres President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller has assembled a talented but incomplete roster that has several holes to fill before Opening Day.

Let’s dissect a couple of options at the first base position:

Castellanos: A proven run-producer

The first name on the Friars’ wishlist could be Nick Castellanos, as the Philadelphia Phillies have been looking to move him off the roster all winter. The decision is primarily due to his declining defensive skills in the outfield and constant bickering with Phillies manager Rob Thomson last season. It is time for a change for both sides. 

Castellanos is a proven run producer, having driven in 100 runs three times in his 13-year major league career. The right-handed slugger has an aggressive, free-swinging approach at the plate. Castellanos focuses on hitting the ball to the gaps for extra-base hits. It can lead to a high strikeout rate (22.3%) and a low on-base percentage (.321). But you cannot argue with his production, as he has hit 399 doubles and 250 home runs heading into the upcoming season.

A recent video surfaced on several social media websites of Castellanos taking grounders at first base, so he seems open to a position change. The sticking point in a potential trade is that Castellanos is owed $20 million in the final year of his contract. If a deal occurs, the Phillies would need to absorb some of this season’s salary. 

Stay tuned.

A reunion with Luis Arraez

If you are looking for an elite contact hitter, then look no further than Luis Arraez. A reunion with him is not out of the realm of possibility. It is hard to imagine a player who won three consecutive batting titles (2022 to 2024) is having trouble securing a contract for the upcoming season.

Preller has been reluctant to sign Arraez because of his stature (5-10), which limits his ability to play first base effectively. Arraez has a tough time catching or putting a glove on an errant high throw. Often, the ball travels down the right field line, as the batter finds himself in scoring position without the pitch leaving the infield. 

You could see an agreement on a one-year deal that benefits both sides. It allows Arraez to re-establish his value before heading back on the free agent market next winter. The Padres gain a fan favorite who can make a significant contribution on a cost-effective deal.

Unfortunately, most major league teams are willing to take a risk on power hitters with defensive limitations rather than top-of-the-order hitters who have a skillset not built to drive in runs.

The Friar Faithful have grown tired of the “wait and see” approach to filling the holes on the roster. It is time for Preller to sign or trade for a first baseman, or we are in for a long summer.

Hopefully, a resolution comes fast.