Category: MLB

Good morning, LSB.

Evan Grant has observations from yesterday’s game in which Jack Leiter continued to tinker.

Kennedi Landry writes about World Series hero Josh Sborz battling for a roster spot.

Jeff Wilson talks camp and the season ahead with Rangers GM Ross Fenstermaker.

Elsewhere Grant writes that the clock is ticking on Josh Jung’s opening day availability.

The Rangers added lefty reliever Jalen Beeks.

Kyle Higashioka hasn’t played since March 5 with a bad back.

Leandro Lopez is next up on the DMN’s top 30 prospects countdown.

Grant has a list of Rangers issues still to be resolved at camp.

And finally, Rangers field reporter Emily Jones won’t be a part of the team’s broadcasts this season for the first time in over two decades.

That’s all for this morning. Happy Friday!

Good morning! The Red Sox did something yesterday they hadn’t done in a few weeks: they signed someone to the big league roster. Left-handed middle relief had been one of the weakest spots on the team — and given Danny Coulombe’s injury history and age, you could say it still is. But he undeniably fits a need.

So with Coulombe on board, is there anything else you’d like to the Sox to do with the roster before the season starts? Is there another free agent reliever or bench bat you’d like to see? Still hoping for a trade of one of the outfielders? Talk about roster needs and whatever else you want, and, as always, be good to one another.

Things are getting real, people. The Orioles’ 2026 season begins in just under two weeks, with a home opener against Minnesota on March 26th. The spring has had its fun and games, but it’s nearing time to make final roster cuts. With that, let’s summarize what we’ve learned, with an eye to roster decisions.

Some position groups remain more open-ended than others. Take the starters, for instance. Often a category that’s slim pickings for the Orioles, of late, the front office has opted for starter quantity, if not to say over quality. The list of projected locks to make the rotation stands at five: Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Shane Baz, Chris Bassitt, and Dean Kremer, all of whom have looked strong this spring.

You might have had Zach Eflin, signed to a one-year free agent deal in November, on that list, but according to MASN’s Roch Kubatko, Eflin is getting more time to build up his innings before the joining the active roster. That’s fine; with the righty fresh off back surgery last season and memories of copious pitching injuries last season still vivid, it’s OK to let Eflin work his way back to the rotation.

The only question marks here appear to be Cade Povich, and whether the O’s will go with a six-man, or a five-man outfit. The rookie is having a nice spring, with a 1.59 ERA in 5.2 innings tossed so far, and he’ll get one more start against Philadelphia in Clearwater, but odds are he’ll be in the bullpen or start the season in Norfolk. As for the five- or six-man question, the skipper is keeping mum so far, but keeps saying that a surfeit of resources is a “nice problem to have.”  

The Orioles bullpen looks like its usual hodgepodge of random names. The locks appear to be closer Ryan Helsley, Yennier Cano, Tyler Wells, Keegan Akin, Rico Garcia, Grant Wolfram, and maybe Yaramil Hiraldo. It’s weird that the last three are now sort-of veterans on the team, but all have been spotless so far this spring, and are benefiting from the temporary absence of Andrew Kittredge, out with shoulder inflammation. Who else? Lefty Dietrich Enns has a lousy 18.90 ERA so far, but at least he’s continuing to strike guys out (6 in 3.1 spring IP), so after his revelatory 2025, it looks like he’ll be on the list, too.

That leaves, on the outside looking in, Jose Espada, Jackson Kowar, Cameron Foster, Anthony Nunez, and Albert Suárez. Shoulder troubles married Suárez’s 2025 season, and in three spring training tries he’s laid an egg once, allowing seven runs to the Cards, but with his long track record, expect him to be a part of the bullpen picture going forward. José Espada, 29, a journeyman now playing for Team Puerto Rico in the WBC, remains interesting after three scoreless innings this spring. Jackson Kowar, acquired from the Twins for cash in February, could end up a roster crunch as he doesn’t have any options remaining. Newcomers Cameron Foster and Anthony Nunez were optioned on Sunday, but it looks like they will be considerations, too.

Turning to the infield, there’s not much to say at catcher. Maverick Handley and Sam Huff will serve as depth, unless a need arises behind Samuel Basallo or Adley Rutschman (it’d better not).  

Beyond the backstop, things get interesting. If we plan on six infielders, it seems clear that the list will include at least Pete Alonso, Gunnar Henderson, Coby Mayo, Ryan Mountcastle, and Blaze Alexander. That’s five. Injuries to second baseman Jackson Holliday and third baseman Jordan Westburg have opened up spots for Mountcastle and Mayo, the latter—who knew!—at third. And while Mayo isn’t likely to win a Gold Glove at the hot corner, the bat looks good (.500 BA in 26 spring AB’s), so he’ll keep the spot warm until Westburg gets back.

That’s one more infield spot left for a rando (excuse my language). Under consideration, we have Jeremiah Jackson, Thairo Estrada, Luis Vázquez, Bryan Ramos, Willy Vasquez, José Barrero, and Weston Wilson. Jackson, who has played some right field, would seem to have the edge as a utility guy who can back up in the outfield (same for Alexander). Luiz Vázquez, off playing for Team Puerto Rico, isn’t on the 40-man, but he did a nice job in the field in 21 games last season.

Lastly, the outfield. With five spots to fill, the lineup seems set here: Dylan Beavers, Colton Cowser, Tyler O’Neill, Taylor Ward, and Leody Taveras. Beavers and Cowser remain exciting youngsters worthy of playing time; Ward and O’Neill have contracts, and Taveras, 27, has positional versatility in his 11th (wow!) professional season.

That seems to leave no room for Heston Kjerstad, Enrique Bradfield Jr, or Jhonkensy Noel. Not a surprise for Bradfield, who just reached Triple-A at the end of last season and didn’t hit much in spring training (1-for-9). Noel, 24, had a nice spring (.375 BA and .882 OPS in 16 AB’s), but the O’s can use more time to check out what the former Cleveland farmhand brings to the table. As for a finally healthy-seeming Kjerstad, he finally showed us his big-boy bat, with an .823 OPS and four extra-base hits in 30 AB’s. I’m thrilled for him, but he’ll likely start in Norfolk and get the chance to hit his way back to the majors.

That should do it. Really, surveying the state of things, what we’re talking about are less roster battles than roster crunches. How will Albernaz mix-and-match six or seven potential starters? Will guys like Cade Povich, Tyler Wells, and Albert Suárez serve as long men or more orthodox relievers? Will lesser-known names like José Espada and Jhonkensy Noel get playing time? More is merrier, it seems, when it comes to roster design. Hopefully this plays out well this season.

German Marquez and JP Sears were squarely in the mix in the competition to decide the fifth spot in the starting rotation for the San Diego Padres. Their respective candidacies took a hit in San Diego’s 10-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals at the Peoria Sports Complex on Thursday. Marquez had easily his worst outing of the spring and that was in large part due to his lack of command. Marquez finished his outing after 1.2 innings pitched. He allowed six earned runs on four hits with four walks and a strikeout. Sears fared a little better considering he pitched four innings, but he allowed three runs on five hits with six strikeouts. The plus for Sears is that he kept the ball in the yard and he did not allow a walk. The Padres offense was held in check throughout the game and managed just five hits. The lone run scored for San Diego came on the strength of a Ramon Laureano home run in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Padres will look to have a better outing when they take on the Athletics at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Ariz. today at 1:05 p.m.

Padres News:

• Padres manager Craig Stammen announced on Thursday that reliever Bryan Hoeing will have surgery on his elbow and will miss the 2026 season. On a positive note, starter Matt Waldron faced hitters in live at-bats and seems to be ramping up to make his return.

• The Friar Faithful have not seen him pitch for their beloved Padres, but we have been told Griffin Canning could prove to be a formidable back-end starter when he his cleared to play. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune made Canning the focus of his Padres roster review.

Baseball News:

• A 2013 baseball card featuring Aaron Judge sold for a record $5.2 million.

• The Boston Red Sox signed free agent reliever Danny Coulombe to a one-year deal and placed Romy Gonzalez on the 60-day IL.

• Zack Wheeler continues to work back to a return to the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies. He threw his first live batting practice since his injury on Thursday.

• Quinn Priester, starting pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, will begin the season on the IL. The team is hoping his return will be sooner than later if he can avoid surgery.

• The New York Yankees reassigned their top prospect George Lombard Jr. to Minors camp.

• MLB Opening Night will be shown on Netflix and MLB.com has all the information you need to know to be able to watch it.

WBC News:

• Team USA made some roster moves adding some players and removing others. Manager Mark DeRosa continued to try to clarify his thoughts and comments before the matchup against Team Italy.

• Dominican Republic looks to continue its WBC dominance against Korea today at 3:30 p.m. PST.

• The US takes on Canada today at 5 p.m. PST.

• Japan takes on Venezuela on Saturday at 6 p.m. PST.

• Puerto Rico faces Italy on Saturday at Noon. PST.

Yesterday was an off day for the WBC, so instead of our daily recap we’ll take this opportunity to look ahead to the quarterfinal round that begins tonight and continues tomorrow. The tournament now advances to a single elimination format, with two sides of a bracket that will narrow eight teams down to two.

The #WorldBaseballClassic bracket is set heading into the quarterfinals! pic.twitter.com/Jmh1PkOd9s

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 12, 2026

Friday

There will be two games tonight, with the first being Korea vs. Dominican Republic at 6:30. The D.R. has been an offensive powerhouse as expected, bulldozing their way through Pool D. They have scored the most runs (41), hit the most home runs (13), and collected the second most overall hits (40). Their absolutely loaded lineup has been led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr., as that pair has combined to hit .480 with four home runs and 16 RBIs. The Phillies own Cristopher Sánchez has been named the starter for tonight’s game.

Korea meanwhile was the runner-up to Japan in Pool C, going 2-2 with a pair of wins against Czechia and Australia and a pair of losses against Japan and Chinese Taipei. Bo Gyeong Moon opened the tournament with a grand slam in the first inning of Korea’s first game against Czechia and hasn’t slowed down there. The first baseman is hitting .538 with two home runs and a tournament best 11 RBIs.

The second game tonight will be the United States against Canada. The U.S. and its manager Mark DeRosa got bailed out from a possible humiliating exit thanks to Italy, as they were still able to make it out of Pool B despite their previous loss to Italy. Their offense has been just about as advertised in most categories, as they’re first in hits (41) and second to the D.R. in total runs (40). However, one area that’s been lacking is power, as their seven home runs are fifth most and are nearly half of the D.R. (13) and Italy (12). The U.S. can still lean on its pitching though even if the loss of Tarik Skubal has made it just a little thinner, as they will send Logan Webb to the mound tonight for his second start of the tournament.

Canada has advanced to the quarterfinal round for the first time in its history, winning Pool A with a 3-1 record. Their pitching staff has pitched well, allowing the third fewest runs (10) in the tournament, and their hitting has been able to manufacture enough offense to overcome just two total home runs and the second fewest runs total (21) of the eight remaining teams. Michael Soroka will take the ball against the U.S. in his second start following three innings of one-run ball that earned him the win against Columbia.

Saturday

On the other side of the bracket that starts Saturday, we have the upstart Italy taking on Puerto Rico at 3:00. Italy has been the surprise of the tournament, as their upset of the U.S. being one of the biggest wins so far. Their offense has been impressive with 12 home runs and 32 runs scored. Phillies prospect Dante Nori has had a strong tournament, hitting .500 with two homers and a team-leading six hits and five RBIs. Aaron Nola’s five shutout innings against Mexico was one of the best pitching performances so far and was the saving grace of his Phillies teammates Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Brad Keller on Team U.S.A.

Puerto Rico, despite having one of their weaker teams in recent memory, was still able to advance to the quarterfinal round as the runner up to Canada in Pool A. Their pitching has carried them, as their 1.22 ERA is the best in the WBC and their 40 strikeouts are fourth most. Their offense hasn’t impressed with just 10 runs scored, but they have been able to get clutch hits when needed, capped off by arguably the most dramatic moment of the WBC so far with Darrell Hernaiz’s walk-off homer against Panama.

Defending champions Japan will look to continue their march back to the finals with their quarterfinal game against Venezuela. Japan has predictably been a juggernaut, outscoring their opponents 34-9 and pitching two shutouts. They’re third in home runs (8) and total runs offensively while their pitching staff is second in ERA (2.12) and strikeouts (49). Shohei Ohtani has of course done Shohei Ohtani things, as the reigning WBC MVP is 5-9 with two home runs including a grand slam for six total RBIs in just three games played. World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start on Saturday in his second appearance this WBC. He threw 2.2 scoreless in his only other appearance against Chinese Taipei.

Venezuela will look to knockoff the reigning champs with their own well-balanced roster. Their lineup that includes Ronald Acuña Jr., Luis Arráez, Jackson Chourio, and Eugenio Suárez among others ranks seventh in runs scored (26) while their pitching staff that includes Ranger Suárez and Eduardo Rodriguez is fifth in ERA (2.75). Suárez has already been named the starter against Yamamoto. Ranger is also making his second appearance after allowing one run in three innings in the opener against the Netherlands.

The prep pitcher theme continues at number 18 with right-hander Owen Hall. At least the now 20-year-old Hall got on the mound last spring for a few games before going down with a stress reaction in his right shoulder. Considering how things have gone with their prep pitchers from the draft, the Tigers didn’t hesitate to shut him down and put him through an extended rehab program and then strength and conditioning to get him better prepared for full season ball in 2026. He’s throwing in camp this spring, and plenty of eyes will be on his progress this season.

Hall was the Tigers second round pick in the 2024 draft out of Edmond North HS in Oklahoma. The right-hander impressed on the summer circuit between his junior and senior years, where he was topping out at 96-97 mph already. He then put together a monster campaign featuring 75 strikeouts to just 13 walks, and a 1.65 ERA as a senior. He was a featured starter in the All-American All-Star game during All-Star week that summer.The Tigers paid him $1.75 million as the 10th pick in the second round to pass on his commitment to Vanderbilt.

He didn’t pitch after the draft, which is standard procedure for the Tigers, particularly with high schoolers. However, in the leadup to spring camp in 2025 videos from his training at the Pitching WRX facility in Oklahoma City, where Hall trained with Jackson Jobe, emerged showing really outstanding metrics on his stuff and velocity up to 98 mph with pretty good extension, spin, and movement on his fastball and slider. There was plenty of excitement in camp as he neared his pro debut. Unfortunately, his shoulder started barking pretty quickly and the Tigers shut him down for the year after only four short starts for the Single-A Lakeland Flying Tigers.

Hall stands 6’3” with a lean build and long levers. He’d clearly added some muscle in his first offseason as a professional and presumably is already bigger than his listed 185 pounds. Apart from the raw stuff on display, Hall’s repeatable delivery and good extension down the mound all projected well for his development. He has a pretty long arm stroke, but is able to keep his release point relatively low despite his vertical forearm position into release, in part because he gets down the mound well and really sinks into his left leg. As he builds those legs up, his ability to resist and generate more of his velo from his legs will improve. The relatively low release helps the riding action on the fourseamer play up, and his ability to stay behind it helps him spin the heck out of it. At its best Hall has a really explosive fastball that gets on hitters quickly even when sitting 93-94 mph, as he did in his brief Lakeland work.

He did top out at 96.2 mph with the Flying Tigers while showcasing the whopping spin rates, posting numerous fourseamers over 2500 rpms. His IVB numbers sat between 17-18 inches of ride, and he also showed himself capable of mixing in a sinker with a lot more run to jam right-handed hitters. It was only a brief look at him, but the ability to use both with advanced command for his age was a very positive sign prior to the shoulder trouble. He also showcased his mid-80’s slider, which features nasty two-plane break and should be a plus pitch for him. Hall also had a pretty advanced changeup in high school with a lot of late movement, though he still needed to work to kill some velocity on it without giving the game away. Unfortunately, he didn’t get to pitch enough to give us many looks at that pitch with the Flying Tigers.

Hall is reportedly throwing in camp, so for now at least, the Tigers have gotten him through the shoulder issues through their caution. Reports from camp say they’ve managed to build him up in the gym in the interim. Of all the prep pitchers they’ve drafted, Hall remains the most exciting of the bunch and the one who already has the makings of a starter’s arsenal and delivery. The Tigers will still want to be fairly careful with his workload in what will be his first full pro season, knock on wood, but with a fair amount of work under his belt over the last two offseasons, he’s one to keep a close eye on and probably the most likely to break out in 2026.

If there’s one team that Yankees fans will keep up with every season (outside of the men in pinstripes), it’s their biggest rival: the Boston Red Sox. Regardless of the race in the American League East, the rivalry between the Sox and the Yankees is one that continues to heat up every time the two take the field against one another and get closer in the standings.

Last season, the Red Sox were competitive with both the Yankees and the Blue Jays for the top of the AL East, ultimately settling for a Wild Card spot that still marked their first playoff berth in four years and just their second since winning it all in 2018. Led by an up-and-down effort from the lineup and some excellent performances from the mound, the Red Sox will look to make up the ground they were missing in 2025 this time around.

2025 record: 89-73 (3rd, AL East)
2026 FanGraphs projection: 85-77 (3rd, AL East)

Led by now-longtime manager Alex Cora the Red Sox have had a busy offseason of moves that have even extended into the start of spring training. The biggest news out of Beantown, and one that came as a bit of a surprise to those within the organization. was the loss of Alex Bregman, who—in addition to being a clubhouse leader—finished the season with a 125 wRC+ and 3.5 fWAR, the third-highest on the team last season. However, with his loss comes plenty of additions, both to a rotation that needed some insurance and a lineup that could always use another bat to help “recreate Bregman in the aggregate.”

The biggest statement came shortly after Bregman came to terms with the Cubs, as Boston responded by signing starter Ranger Suárez to a five-year, $130 million contract. The southpaw finished last season with a 12-8 record, 3.20 ERA, and 151 strikeouts in 157.1 innings pitched for the Philadelphia Phillie, and figures to team up with ace Garrett Crochet to form a fearsome one-two punch. And to continue bolstering their rotation, they traded for Cardinals lefty Sonny Gray (a familiar name to Yankees fans) and Pirates righty Johan Oviedo to round out their top five, alongside playoff Game 2 starter Brayan Bello. Patrick Sandoval and Kutter Crawford could also be rotation options when they are deemed healthy enough as well, as Richard Fitts and Hunter Dobbins were dealt as part of their offseason moves. The bullpen is still led by erstwhile Yankeses closer Aroldis Chapman, who had a career season at age 37, winning AL Reliever of the Year, pitching 61.1 innings, and finishing with a 1.17 ERA (the lowest of his career), a 2.53 xFIP, a 12.5 K/9, and a 2.6 fWAR — the second-highest among anyone on the pitching staff.

And the most recent news for the pitching staff broke as of March 12th, as the Red Sox signed free-agent left-handed pitcher Danny Coulombe, who finished the year with a 2.30 ERA in 43.2 innings. However, it was a tale of two different teams, as he finished his time with the Twins with a 1.16 ERA in 31 innings pitched. Then in 15 games and 12.0 innings pitched with the Rangers after he was traded there, Coulombe finished the year with a 5.25 ERA and 12 strikeouts. So, for the second season in a row, he will get a fresh start.

Of course, we can’t not talk about Crochet for just a moment. After finishing second in the AL Cy Young Award race behind Detroit’s Tarik Skubal, the big lefty is looking to finish the campaign on top of the pitching world. He finished last season with a 2.59 ERA, 2.64 xFIP, and a 5.8 fWAR, not just the highest of anyone on the pitching staff by over double the points, but also the most of anyone on the Red Sox last season. All of that occurred in 205.1 innings pitched, easily the highest count of his career, beating his previous best of 146 with the White Sox in 2024. Add in a stellar Wild Card Series start in the Bronx, and it all made for an outstanding debut in Boston. Extended for six years and $170 million shortly after Opening Day 2025, Crochet will be a thorn in the Yankees’ side for quite awhile.

When looking at the lineup, there isn’t much that needed to be changed outside of making up for the lost bat of Bregman. But the Red Sox did just that by trading for first baseman Willson Contreras, who finished last season in St. Louis with a 124 wRC+ and a 2.8 fWAR, not quite what Bregman produced defensively but also good enough with the bat to make up for it. In mid-February, they also swung a trade with Milwaukee to add two key infielders: former Yankees farmhand Caleb Durbin, who finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting, and Andruw Monasterio, who had a 110 OPS+ in 68 games. Look for Durbin to take the majority of reps at third base in Bregman’s absence.

Along with the addition of Contreras, the Red Sox have plenty of weapons throughout their lineup. Jarren Duran was the leader in fWAR for the hitters at 3.9, but Ceddanne Rafaela was just behind him at 3.8. In fact, the Red Sox had four hitters reach the 3.0 mark last season (including Bregman) and eight reach the 2.0 mark, including Rafael Devers, who finished eighth but was of course traded to the Giants in mid-June.

The player to watch amongst those who finished with 2.0 fWAR or above is Roman Anthony, who reached the mark in just 71 games. The moment he stepped on a big league diamond, the rookie made his presence felt and has continued lighting up opposing pitching whenever he was penciled into the lineup. Like Crochet, he impressed enough to earn a midseason extension, for eight years and $130 million. At just 21 years old, there is so much in store for him both in the field and at the plate for the Red Sox.

With the pitching additions the Sox made, along with their strong lineup up and down, there will be plenty of battles at the top of the AL East as 2026 moves forward.

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More Pinstripe Alley MLB team season previews can be found here.

We did this with the starters on Wednesday. We looked at six key numbers that can help us both explain why some pitchers succeed and some fail and hopefully help us predict progression or regression. Reliever numbers in particular are ver volatile. When you condense 180 innings into 50 or 60, you are going to have some pretty wild swings back and forth in certain numbers.

Last time, we noted that BABIP, left on base percentage, and home runs per fly ball tend to be a little more volatile than the other numbers. So, we key in on chase rate, hard hit rate, and contact rate as generally more stable and maybe more predictive in whether a pitcher will be good, average, or bad. As I have each and every time, I am listing our numbers below and their league averages for your perusal.

• Chase rate: This is the percentage of balls a player swings at outside of the zone. The league average normally lives around 30 percent, but we will be looking at three year intervals and we should notice trends more than where a player is in relationship to the league average.

• Hard hit percentage: This is simply the percentage of balls that a player hits hard. Hard hit balls become hits and extra base hits more often than softer contact. Typically 35 percent is around the league average in this category.

• BABIP: This is batting average on balls in play. Home runs are obviously excluded since they are not in play. The league average tends to hover around .300 but it will largely depend on hard hit percentages and breakdowns between groundballs, flyballs, and line drives.

• Contact percentage: This is the percentage of swings that turn into contact. Typically 75 percent is around league average.
• HR/FB percentage: This is the percentage of flyballs that result in home runs. Ten percent is typically around the league average.
• LOB%: It is pretty self-explanatory. It is the number of runners that get stranded on base. The league average tends to be around 70 percent. Of course, there is some debate as to whether pitchers control that or not.

Bryan Abreu

	Chase	Hardhit	BABIP	Contact	HR/FB	LOB%
2023	28.5	34.0	.259	62.2	9.8	87.6
2024	30.5	38.0	.286	68.8	11.7	82.9
2025	31.0	45.5	.309	60.8	6.8	84.6
Aggregate	30.0	39.2	.285	63.9	9.4	85.0

Abreu raises some questions that need answering from those of us that crunch numbers. Can pitchers control how many runners they strand? Abreu has consistently stranded well above the league average, so maybe he is just more adept at doing it. Maybe it has something to do with low contact rates. Maybe there is a clutch gene that these numbers just can’t touch. Still, if we remove that number entirely we see what Abreu’s superpower is. He misses bats and does so at a very high rate.

The difficulty with Abreu is that some of the other numbers point to regression. Hard hit rates have steadily gotten higher and BABIP has gotten higher with it. He also might have lucked out a little with home runs last season. Add that all up and he probably regresses some this season. The contact rates will step keep him effective overall though.

Enyel de los Santos

	Chase	Hardhit	BABIP	Contact	HR/FB	LOB%
2023	29.8	33.3	.275	74.4	5.9	72.2
2024	28.1	42.3	.291	72.5	19.5	80.1
2025	28.8	40.1	.292	72.7	9.0	67.4
Aggregate	28.9	38.6	.286	73.2	11.5	73.2

de los Santos is the definition of an average pitcher. He is also a perfect example of how an average pitcher can look really good in short bursts. That was the case in 2023 when he was with Cleveland. de los Santos will start on the injured list, but I am guessing he will figure into the bullpen somehow. Like with most middle relievers, you are praying to the baseball gods for good batted ball luck.

Josh Hader

	Chase	Hardhit	BABIP	Contact	HR/FB	LOB%
2023	34.6	28.3	.264	68.5	5.8	88.8
2024	36.5	38.8	.230	62.0	15.8	67.0
2025	40.7	33.9	.202	61.1	12.3	88.8
Aggregate	37.3	33.7	.236	63.9	11.3	81.5

The main difference between Hader and Abreu is the chase rate. Hader gets guys to chase that slider more often than Abreu gets chase on his. Otherwise, they are similar pitchers. They limit contact and depend on high stranded rates and low BABIP rates to thrive. Hader will begin the season on the injured list, but hopefully should miss the minimum amount of time and resume his role as the team’s closer. There is little reason to expect anything other than what he has done in recent seasons.

Bryan King

	Chase	Hardhit	BABIP	Contact	HR/FB	LOB%
2023	—-	—-	.302	74.9	6.7	83.9
2024	24.7	34.4	.302	78.3	4.3	82.3
2025	30.5	36.1	.276	78.0	14.5	88.5
Aggregate	27.6	35.3	.293	77.1	8.5	84.6

Monty Python did “Life of Brian” where an ordinary guy was mistaken for the savior. King has the look of an ordinary guy that did extraordinary things last season largely due to an astronomically high left on base rate. Add in a little lower BABIP than normal and you can see where this is going. Predicting more of the same from King would be tantamount to “magical thinking.” He has fairly average rates otherwise, so expecting average is probably in the cards. Average relievers have value, but they probably shouldn’t be pitching after the seventh inning in close games.

Peter Lambert

	Chase	Hardhit	BABIP	Contact	HR/FB	LOB%
2023	26.0	40.0	,296	79.5	15.8	71.4
2024	25.0	45.8	.344	80.3	10.6	65.8
2025	—-	36.7	.331	——	10.1	74.4
Aggregate	25.5	40.8	.327	79.9	12.2	70.5

Lambert pitched overseas last season, so some of the numbers are missing and some of these are minor league numbers. He is a high octane arm that might provide some quality innings if given the opportunity. He has been sparkling so far in camp, so he has a decent chance to make the team. If you think in terms of Kaleb Ort then you are probably on the right wavelength. The Astros have made a living off of these guys and he might be another that serves them well until he reverts back into a pumpkin.

Roddery Munoz

	Chase	Hardhit	BABIP	Contact	HR/FB	LOB%
2023	27.3	40.3	.291	71.1	15.5	68.1
2024	25.4	45.0	.267	78.6	21.8	70.3
2025	37.2	36.0	.311	61.0	11.1	77.3
Aggregate	31.5	40.4	.290	70.2	16.1	71.9

Munoz’s spring has been a fascinating microcosm in the life of a relief pitcher. His first few outings were rocky and so his overall numbers probably don’t look great. Still, they don’t reflect how well he has pitched and given that he is a Rule V pick, he probably still has a leg up on a bullpen slot. How good can he be? Like most of these other guys, he will be a slave to batted ball luck. The results show he missed more bats last season. Maybe he found something and if so then he could be a good one.

Steven Okert

	Chase	Hardhit	BABIP	Contact	HR/FB	LOB%
2023	27.6	34.5	.295	72.0	11.8	77.0
2024	21.9	29.6	.304	78.1	13.0	72.4
2025	26.0	32.7	.230	69.1	6.4	71.2
Aggregate	25.2	32.3	.273	73.1	10.4	73.5

The Astros rely more heavily on these BABIP warriors than most other teams and therefore their season to season results are more volatile. That can partially explain why they seem to get off to slow starts. It takes Joe Espada (or Dusty Baker before him) several weeks to figure out who the hot hand will be. Last season it was Okert, King, and Bennett Sousa. This year it will likely be some other guys. Okert looks okay according to the numbers, but he’s not special and likely will revert back to average.

Bennett Sousa

	Chase	Hardhit	BABIP	Contact	HR/FB	LOB%
2023	38.6	44.0	.326	59.3	20.0	66.1
2024	—-	—-	—-	——	——	——
2025	39.1	36.8	.271	64.8	7.5	73.3
Aggregate	38.9	40.4	.299	62.1	13.8	29.7

Depending on health, Sousa mght have been more of a find than King and Okert. He gets much higher chase rates and has a lot more swing and miss from opposing batters. That is generally more sustainable than what King and Okert are doing. So, getting him back could be a key to making the bullpen a little longer. The danger here is that the track record is obviously shorter which leaves you to wonder if hitters will figure him out eventually.

Kai-Wei Teng

	Chase	Hardhit	BABIP	Contact	HR/FB	LOB%
2023	29.5	23.7	.331	68.2	7.8	70.2
2024	26.1	37.4	.336	79.2	17.8	56.0
2025	32.3	29.8	.322	67.3	8.3	67.9
Aggregate	29.3	30.3	.330	71.6	11.3	64.7

In the movie “Major League” manager Lou Brown utters, “I know he hasn’t done much against this guy, but I got a hunch he’s due.” Sometimes, analysis can be just that simple. Teng has been a victim of bad batted ball luck for three years now. Maybe they have a hunch he is due. The BABIP is higher than it should be and the left on base is lower than it should be. Put those back at league norms with the lower contact rates and softer contact and you have yourself something. I wouldn’t put together a bullpen this way, but taking an occasional flier on someone like this never hurts.

---

Naturally, some of the starters we saw last time will find their way in the pen. I did leave out one or two names that we might see just based on space. However, these nine guys should be the bulk of their bullpen for the coming season. What do you think? Who are you high on?

Who is he and where does he come from?

He’s Danny Coulombe and he comes from Scottsdale, Arizona, where he attended one of those powerhouse warm-weather high schools that somehow produces more baseball players in a decade than most New England schools produce in a century. Paul Konerko, Ike Davis, and Brian Bannister are all alumni of Coulombe’s Chaparral High School, as is the actress Busy Phillips, the Bella Twins of WWE, and Stephanie Meyer, vampire romance millionaire.

But Coulombe’s journey to the Notable Alumni tab of his high school’s Wikipedia page was an arduous one. In fact, fifteen years ago he almost gave up on baseball altogether. This was after a disastrous freshman season at USC, where he only made four appearances, and an even worse sophomore campaign at a Phoenix-area community college, where he injured his shoulder in the first inning of first start and was lost for the year.

Coulombe considered calling it quits, but made one more transfer, this time to Texas Tech, where he not only made it through his opening day start, but threw the bulk of the workload in a combined two-hitter. Coulombe was injured again after just 21 innings and underwent Tommy John surgery. But the Dodgers liked what they saw in his small sample size and to took him in the 25th round of the 2012 MLB Draft. Coulombe made his big league debut two years later and subsequently put together an 11-year career as a left-handed reliever, primarily with the A’s and Twins. The Red Sox signed him yesterday to a one-year, $1 million deal.

Is he any good?

In 40 appearances for the Twins last year, Coulombe put up an eye-popping 371 ERA+, making him one of the most dominant relievers in the game for most of the season (Aroldis Chapman’s ERA+ last year was just 351, for comparison’s sake). He is the dictionary definition of a crafty lefty: a guy who strikes out a ton of batters and limits walks (when healthy, his strikeout and walk rates are both consistently well above average), and does it all with a fastball that averages just a touch over 90 MPH, making him one of the baseball’s softest tossers.

Given the success he’s had, you’re probably wondering why the Red Sox were able to sign him for just a million bucks. Well, the first thing to consider is that Coulombe has never been able to shake the injuries that started dogging him back in college. From 2022 through 2025, Coulombe averaged just 39 games a season, missing time due to injuries to his hips, bicep, elbow, forearm, and shoulder. That’s a lot of body parts! Moreover, Coulumbe was traded from the Twins to the Rangers at the deadline last year, and was absolutely horrible in Arlington, giving up 11 hits and an ugly 9 walks in just 12 innings.

Entering his age-36 season, Coulombe is very much in the Eddie Harris phase of his career, getting by on guile and guts and hoping his body holds up for another season or two.

Tl;dr, just give me his 2025 stats.

With the Twins: 31.0 IP, 1.16 ERA, 31 K, 21 H, 9 BB, 0 HR

With the Rangers: 12.0 IP, 5.25 ERA, 12 K, 11 H, 9 BB, 3 HR

Show me a cool highlight.

Here’s his 2025 highlight reel. Check out how frustrated these hitters are. When he’s right, Coulombe is the type of pitcher who leads to a lot of broken bats — not from making contact with his pitches, but from making contact with the dugout walls.

What’s he doing in his picture up there?

He appears to be attempting a cartwheel before delivering a pitch. That’s definitely against the rules, but it’s also the type of move that Bugs Bunny might pull out while twirling yet another perfect game, which only burnishes Coulombe’s crafty lefty credentials even more.

What’s his role on the 2026 Red Sox?

Well, as Jacob Roy pointed out just yesterday in his horribly-timed preview of the Red Sox left-handed relievers, the Sox were seriously lacking in depth in that part of the roster, with Jovani Moran being the leading candidate to be the first lefty arm out of the bullpen. Coulombe will immediately step into that role. How long he stays there will be determined by his health and whether he can fix whatever went wrong for him last year in Texas.

The Dodgers slow rolled Blake Snell’s throwing program this offseason, and as a result, he has yet to log a single inning of spring action.

Snell finally threw his first bullpen session one month removed from both pitchers and catchers reporting to camp, notes Sonja Chen of MLB.com, but he wasn’t throwing at maximum effort during that 15-pitch session. The likelihood of him getting some innings under his belt this spring is virtually non-existent, and he is guaranteed to be out for the opening series of the regular season against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Snell remarked that it would “be sick” if he is able to make his 2026 debut by late April, but for both Snell and the Dodgers alike, patience is still the most important virtue surrounding his progress as the team looks to get a healthier version of the two-time Cy Young award winner.

“I think it’s a good step in the right direction,” Roberts said, “in the sense of getting on the slope, on the mound. … This is not a max-effort bullpen. So yeah, he’s on the mound, which is great, but until he’s kind of going full steam ahead, then we really don’t know what we’ve got.”

Snell spoke with Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA following his bullpen session, noting that he only topped out at 89 miles per hour but acknowledged that it felt effortless.

“I was very excited to throw off the mound again and pitch. I’d been looking forward to this for a while… I was still limited to what I could throw. I was throwing 87 to 89 [miles per hour], but felt effortless, easy, good command of the ball, so I’m happy with that.”

Links

All the pomp and circumstance that came with the Dodgers two consecutive championships have come and gone, as the number one priority for the team is to become the first MLB team to three-peat in 26 years. Kiké Hernández, who played a pivotal role in both World Series runs, spoke with the media on Thursday about the mindset of going for a third consecutive title.

“We’re just trying to win this year. We already won the last two years, and that doesn’t do anything for us other than put a target on our backs. We’re trying to win this year, and if we win this year then it just so happens to be three years in a row.”

Friday will mark the final time that Clayton Kershaw will play competitive baseball, as Jon Paul Morosi of MLB.com tweets that Team USA manager Mark DeRosa will replace Kershaw with Minnesota Twins right-hander Joe Ryan following Friday’s game against Team Canada.

Good morning, baseball fans!

Per reporting from John Shea of The San Francisco Standard, the San Francisco Giants will get the honor of hosting Netflix’s first baseball broadcast this season on Opening Day.

Now, I’m not the best person to write on this. I have been crusading against the streaming wars taking over baseball one app at a time for several years now. However, I will say that this broadcast, specifically, should be a cool one. Even if it’s probably only happening because they will be playing the New York Yankees for their opening series (and it’s one of the only games being played on March 25th).

Netflix is planning to take to the cove, McCovey Cove that is, where they are set to have 73 branded red kayaks to represent the number of home runs that Barry Bonds hit to break the MLB record back in 2001. It sounds like these will be available for fans to use, with McCovey Cove Dave (Dave Edlund) assisting Netflix in recruitment efforts.

Per Shea’s reporting, Netflix is hoping to involve Bonds in the broadcast in some capacity as well. We’ll get you more information on the game as it gets closer.

One of the most anticipated minor league debuts this season will be Zach Swanson embarking on his first pro season. The right-hander is another in the Detroit Tigers stash of prep pitchers they’ve drafted over the last three years who immediately went down with a major injury. The theory is that they can add a lot more high end pitching talent by taking multiple prep pitchers for overslot bonuses beyond the early rounds, rather than paying full price for just a few college arms each draft. That makes some sense, but it’s a long-term play and so far the risk seems to be heavily outweighing the potential rewards. It will take a few more years to really know, but we’ll be curious to see if the draft strategy starts to tip back toward JUCO and college junior pitchers this year.

Is this the new market inefficiency? Get the big injury out of the way early and go from there? No, no it is not, but the point of taking risky prep pitchers is the chance of hitting a home run because of their upside, and Swanson, like all of them, has a lot of upside. The Tigers are going to need this to pay off over the next few years with a couple of them developing into starters and relievers. For Swanson, that process should begin this season, hopefully by June.

Swanson was taken in the ninth round of the 2024 draft, but the Tigers paid him roughly late third round money, $722,500 to forgo his commitment to Oregon State. The Washington state, Toutle HS, grad is yet another pitcher taken out of the Pacific northwest over the past few years, as the Tigers scout that area heavily.

The 6’3” right-hander was pretty well known on the national senior circuit, but had an inconsistent final year of high school ball. At his best, he showcased big-time stuff with the potential to develop into a very good power pitcher. His delivery was still fairly raw, but Swanson was a reasonably good basketball player as well, and the Tigers like that well rounded athleticism as a predictor of the ability to make mechanical adjustments and develop good balance and a repeatable delivery.

Swanson was up to 95-96 mph as a senior, though more typically sitting 92-94 mph. He has high spin rates on his fourseam fastball, and can spin the slider up to 2800 rpms, which is borderline elite. It’s a two plane, frisbee style slider in the low to mid 80’s, sometimes looking more sweeperish, and at other times snapped off for more bat missing depth. Swanson wasn’t always getting consistent break on it in high school but with consistently it looks like a future plus breaking ball. He has a decent curveball and changeup combination as well, but on draft day they were both somewhat crude by comparison.

The Tigers will presumably be working with Swanson on raising his arm angle, improving his stride, and learning to block himself better with his lead leg. In high school he had a fairly simple delivery without a ton of push off the rubber. As a result he tended to fly open with some excessive head whack, while his arm angle dropped into a low three-quarters position through release. That delivery required a lot of upper body effort to throw hard, and comes with a tendency to sail pitches to his armside. That’s not ideal for efficient velocity and command, and it doesn’t help him use his ability to spin the baseball that well, so adjustments will be required.

In high school, he looked a little bit like long-time farmhand and former Tigers pitcher, Alex Faedo. Despite being a top college starter and a first round pick, Faedo needed a lot of work to use his lower half more effectively and improve his fastball shape with a higher arm slot in the minor leagues. Fortunately, Swanson projects to be a better athlete on the mound, with more velocity projection and a similar quality slider to Faedo. There’s certainly plenty of relief risk in the fact that Swanson has two strong offerings and needs to develop a third pitch, but he’s got a long road ahead just to develop his command. They can worry about his future role later.

Swanson worked in camp after the 2024 draft, so the Tigers did have an opportunity to start coaching him up before his UCL tear in the buildup to the 2025 season. He went on the full season minor league injured list in mid-March last year, but the surgery seems to have occurred before spring camp opened, so hopefully by May or June we’ll see him out in the Complex League, or even in Lakeland if he’s made some nice strides during the rehab process.

We haven’t seen Swanson on a mound since the spring of 2024. At the time he was a hard throwing right-hander with a nasty slider at his best, who generally threw strikes, and who has a lot of physical projection ahead. With nearly two years elapsed, and likely a full two years between his final high school start and his pro debut sometime later this spring, a lot may have changed. At a minimum, we’d like to see Swanson built up physically during the rehab process. There’s a lot of work that can be accomplished without throwing, and we’ll be looking for strength gains and better use of his legs to power his delivery when he returns to action. Without some advancement in that regard, and with a lot of time lost to injury, Swanson’s projections will turn to more of a control over command relief project than the power starting pitcher the Tigers were looking for when they drafted him.

Of course, pitching is a bulk business. The Tigers have paid well overslot bonuses to roughly a dozen prep pitchers in three drafts under Scott Harris. They’ve stockpiled a lot of talented young arms and so far have struggled to keep them healthy and developing. Meanwhile, they’ve done a lot better to date hunting undervalued college and JUCO pitchers. Troy Melton, Jaden Hamm, Jake Miller, and Andrew Sears have all moved quickly into the upper minors, with Melton already having some success, while Hamm’s rough 2025 sinking his stock somewhat for now. It will be interesting to see if the Tigers are encouraged to alter their draft strategy somewhat, while still expecting that some of this youth group will put the injuries behind them and start making progress.

Right now we’re still working with little more information on Swanson than we had on draft day. Anyone can lose a year to injury, so we’ll hold the line here. However, further setbacks will push his grades and projection down, and we really need to see at least some of the expected physical development this year. For now, there’s nothing to do but wait for Swanson’s pro debut and see what has changed and what hasn’t in the interim. Hopefully we see a stronger, more refined young pitcher on the mound, ready to start the work of developing his command and a third pitch to round out his arsenal. The potential in his fastball and slider are really intriguing. Now he needs to start making up for lost time.

Remember 2022? We kept waiting for the Orioles to call up Adley Rutschman, the 2019 #1 draft pick. When Mike Elias chose to bring him up, there was little time to prepare. The move was announced at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning, the same day as Preakness.

Rutschman went hitless in that first game, but heated up quickly after that. In 113 games as a rookie, he had an OPS of .806, looked great behind the plate, and put up a bWAR of 5.4. He was a revelation.

Things have gone downhill since then. Rutschman had a good 2023, but it wasn’t quite as good as his rookie season. He started off well in 2024, but was terrible in the second half. It seemed logical that he was playing with an injury, though he didn’t own up to it.

If he had bounced back in 2025, 2024 could have been written off. But he did not. In fact, he had his worst year as a major leaguer with a bWAR of just 1.9. He hit .220/.307/.366 and was limited to just 90 games due to multiple trips to the IL with oblique strains.

Rutschman felt like a franchise savior in 2022, but he has gotten worse each year. And our young star isn’t so young anymore. He turned 28 years old last month and will be a free agent in just two years.

I am a hopeless Adley dreamer. I just can’t believe that his time as an impact player on the Orioles is already over. Thus, I have high hopes for his 2026 season, even if it makes me nervous to do so. Let’s check out some projections:

• ZiPS: 133 G, 559 PA, 19 HR, 62 BB, .254/.338/.441, 4.7 fWAR
• Baseball Reference: 446 PA, 13 HR, 48 BB, .232/.333/.402

ZiPS is more optimistic here and puts his performance close to his 2023 numbers, although with fewer games played. I would be very happy with that ZiPS line from Rutschman this year. It’s not a superstar year, but it’s very good year. A borderline All-Star year, depending on other factors. Sign me up, although the dreamer in me also hopes for more.

Baseball Reference paints a less friendly picture. 446 plate appearances would shake out to just over 100 games played. And while a SLG% of .402 would be either than he had in either 2024 or 2025, it would still be a disappointing number.

So what are you expecting for Adley Rutschman in 2027? Will he bounce back to be more like the player we hoped to see? Or will he continue to disappoint?

In an interview Thursday March 12, longtime MLB insider Bob Nightengale had some direct statements regarding his thoughts on the 2026 Houston Astros.

Thursday, longtime MLB reporter and insider Bob Nightengale joined AREA 45 on Sportsradio 610. He had a lot of thoughts on the state of the Houston Astros heading into the 2026 season.

You can listen to the full interview here:

https://www.audacy.com/stations/sportsradio610/shows/area-45-with-bijani-and-creighton-0091d/episodes/d8b6a226ec7e

Click the 10pm chapter – Bob Nightengale joins the show.

Among the highlights of what Bob had to say about the Astros:

Just now on #AREA45@SportsRadio610 – @BNightengale said he thinks the #Astros are going into the season as is, and that Houston should play Yordan in OF more.

Also thinks there's no way they should trade Paredes, and believes Walker should have bounce back season.

— Patrick Creighton (@PCreighton1) March 13, 2026

"If Im the #Astros, I do not trade Paredes…" – @Bnightengale just now on #AREA45@SportsRadio610

"They're a much better team with Paredes in the starting lineup."

— Patrick Creighton (@PCreighton1) March 13, 2026

"I expect McCullers to be in the rotation" – @Bnightengale just now on #AREA45@Sportsradio610

— Patrick Creighton (@PCreighton1) March 13, 2026

Just now on #AREA45@Sportsradio610 – @Bnightengale said he thinks the #Astros are at least a #WildCard team.
Said AL West is a 2 team race between Astros and #Mariners.

— Patrick Creighton (@PCreighton1) March 13, 2026

Introduction

As part of my 6 days in Jupiter, I collected lots of observations and I’ve given to breaking them down and passing them along in manageable (ie. readable) chunks. I passed along some nuggets in game recaps if they were short and relevant to pre-, in- or post-game happenings. Last week, I published an article that summarizes what I saw on the back fields in more or less a stream of consciousness format. That left a handful of items that seem to call for more detail, for which I have chosen a short-form article where I focus on a particular topic that may deserve focused attention, but not enough for a full on daily VEB post. I will have two articles up today (this one and one after the game), then two more next week to finish the series.

Short Topic of the Day

The Cardinals signed Ramon Urias to a 1 year, $2m contract after the start of camp. Feb. 21 to be exact. He made his first field appearance in a game less than a week later.

Not everyone had a clear understanding of why they brought him on board. Some questioned the reasoning behind adding to an already crowded infielder docket. Would it take PAs away from another young infielder? Others wondered if a lifetime .686 OPS represented enough thump to meet the Cardinals need to add power from the RH side. I suspected some of this would become more obvious as time rolled by and became something I tried to watch more intently while I was down there.

Initially, I took the signing as a recognition that the Cardinals were not going to find the RH hitting OFer they appeared to desire (and need). Given the lack of depth in that market, this was not a shock. My “hot take” of this move was that it was the proverbial “pivot” off the initial strategy that was not going to bear fruit. As I tried to get a better read, it appeared that there were other nuances to this signing that began to take on the aura that is often associated with a team acquiring a “glue guy”. Reminds me of why I avoid the “hot take” discussions.

One thing not to be overlooked here is that Urias spent 2 years in the Cardinals’ system (2018-2019). That is not a reason to sign a guy in and of itself, but I think it contributes to the broader picture of why they signed him. They know him and they should have a strong understanding the “fit” side of things. Given the aforementioned logjam, that might turn out to be a key consideration.

As I listened to Oli talk about what he is looking for out of this club and various aspects of it, one thing I picked up is he sees pitching as the strength of his team and sees good defense as a way to leverage and protect that strength. In that sense, Urias fits the bill on the defensive side of the ball over at third. He can pick it. He and Winn would make quite a tandem, which would be especially useful with left-handed pitching ground ball getters, of which there are a few on the cusp of MLB in this system. “Protect it”, he says (of the pitching). I get it.

I didn’t get a chance to really see Urias play second, but I suspect he won’t embarrass himself over there, either. His D is real. JJ’s transition to MLB could get choppy at times and a good glove, average hit, good fit kinda guy seems like pretty much what a manager might want to have to backstop that, too.

So, with two young and as yet unproven prospects at third and second, both left-handed hitters, Urias begins to look like pretty good fit. Enough of a good fit that it didn’t take me too much squinting to realize that he may well push both Saggese and Fermin out of the primary back-up infielder role, and he may well push for even more PT on top of that depending now Gorman and/or JJW are doing.

One thing yet to be determined before Spring Training ends is how functional Urias might be at shortstop. He hasn’t played there in several seasons. Saggese played credibly there last summer after Winn went on the IL, but beyond that it is not clear who else could back Winn up. When healthy, Winn doesn’t give up many starts, but teams must always have a Plan B. If Urias can be that it would open a path for Saggese to play every day at Memphis. If not, that would seem to make Fermin’s spot on the roster possibly more tenuous. Thus, some background about why you see those two guys getting reps out in the grass and begin to get a sense that their offensive profile and how they adapt defensively could well drive the final outcome.

As I watched, the more I liked this acquisition. We will see how it all plays out.