Category: MLB

With spring training and the regular season right around the corner and with some new openings on the staff here at Battery Power, we’ve decided to officially open up applications in order to find new writers! If you’d like a chance to write about the Braves for what is (in our own biased opinion) the best website on the internet for fan-based coverage of the Braves, now’s your chance to throw your hat into the ring.

We’re looking for writers who would be willing to help out with game coverage at least once a week (including weekends). Any analysis pieces and willingness to chip in with news coverage would also be nice as well, but we’re primarily trying to find writers who would be willing to do previews, cover lineups, post game threads and do recaps for single games across the regular season. This would be a paid position, albeit a part-time one with a monthly stipend.

Naturally, we’d be looking for Braves fans with prior writing experience to cover the team but all writers of all backgrounds and prior experience are encouraged to apply. Whether you’re a writer who has been counting the days until baseball season since the last pitch of the 2025 World Series was thrown or someone who is just willing to jump right into the baseball writing world for the first time, we encourage you to apply. So yeah, we’re trying to cast this net as wide as possible in order to open it up to as many interested parties as we can. This is a fun gig and we want to bring in some new writers for the fun!

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Application Details

We are asking that you either do both No. 1 and No. 2 OR that you do No. 3 by itself.

1. Send us a piece that you’ve written in the past (baseball-related or not) that you feel is some of the best stuff that you’ve written so far
2. Give us a pitch for a Braves-related topic that you’d be interested in writing about if given the opportunity here at Battery Power.
3. Pitch an original Braves-related topic idea AND write about it in no fewer than 550 words.

We’ll tell you how to apply below. Even though we are trying to cast this net as wide as possible, it would still be a plus for you if you’re familiar with being able to apply statistics and data from FanGraphs, Baseball-Reference, Baseball Savant (Statcast) and Baseball Prospectus. Again, it’s not a requirement but it’s certainly a plus.

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How to Apply

Send your article and/or pitch in a .docx or .pdf attachment via e-mail to batterypowersbn [at] gmail [dot] com. Please include “New Writer Application” in the subject line. Please attach your resume to the email as well. If you have social media that you’re willing to share with us, please give us your handle as well. If you happen to have any links to your past writing (like this, for instance) then please share that as well.

We will close applications at 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, February 20. We’ll announce the new writers by early March — ideally the first week of March. Thanks for reading and we’re looking forward to seeing how this process plays out!

Vox Media is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to building a safe, inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds. Everyone is encouraged to apply, including women, LGBTQ people, people of color, and people with disabilities.

There’s one pitch that sums up Eduard Bazardo’s 2025 season. I don’t need to beat around the bush, we all know it. Let’s just roll the clip and get it over with:

Bleh. Thank goodness that’s over with, no more MLB Network re-runs needed.

On July 12th, in the bottom of the 8th inning, against the then-AL-best Detroit Tigers, the Mariners felt antsy, even with their 11-5 lead. They’d won the night before in a 12-3 romp, sending reigning and future Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal running with four earned runs in five frames, albeit just a 4-3 lead headed into the sixth inning. In that July 11th game, Seattle turned to Bazardo, who deftly glided through two shutout, hitless frames, watching the M’s swell their lead by a trickle, then later a flood after he’d retired to the dugout for good.

Not expected to be a mainstay, active injuries to Gregory Santos, Collin Snider, and Bryce Miller, as well as the early absences of other rotation and bullpen options had forced Bazardo to the fore. There he’d shone, and would continue to all season long, running a 2.52 ERA somewhat belied by his 3.64/4.12 FIP/DRA, but hey, that’s a strong 4th reliever or a dynamite 5th one. But for Bazardo to get that opportunity, he had to pitch a lot. Unheralded as a trade acquisition from the Baltimore Orioles back in 2023, and originally signed for just $8,000 out of Venezuela by the Red Sox in 2021, his ascension from mop-up to to leverage arm was well-chronicled by Kate just before this pre-All-Star break series in Detroit.

But Bazardo never fully was solidified in any one particular role, even as necessity and his performance merited heightening responsibility. While Santos, Snider, Troy Taylor, Jackson Kowar, Casey Legumina, Trent Thornton, Carlos Vargas, and others struggled, Bazardo maintained his composure. In so doing, he was used heavily. Bazardo had the 8th-highest innings total on zero days rest in MLB, with 18.1 frames in 18 games of back-to-backs. All but two of the names ahead of him were their club’s closer, and Bazardo is the only one in the top-16 to have thrown more innings than games he appeared in on no rest. Those two were RHP Tony Santillan of the Reds, who is 6’3, 285, and more easily fits the “workhorse” archetype, and RHP Tyler Rogers of the Giants and Mets, who is a submariner which typically requires less strain on the body for those who can master it.

Bazardo is sturdy for his size, but is more Fjord than Percheron (thank you LL equine consultant Isabelle Minasian), and his 78.2 innings in 73 regular season frames were the sixth-most of any reliever in 2025. Tack on the 11.2 innings in nine playoff games and Bazardo was the most used reliever in baseball in 2025, with 90.1 innings on the hill. He was able to find so much success and merit his usage thanks to a series of tweaks highlighted by Mikey Ajeto early in October, but Seattle simply needed innings all the time. It led to an interesting cadence from Bazardo, exemplified from July 3rd thru August 7th, wherein he pitched 14 times and, aided by the All-Star Break, received three or more consecutive days off four different times, but pitched back-to-back seven times in that stretch.

Let’s come back to the pitch at this piece’s outset. It’s likely the worst offering Bazardo throws all year, a heart-shot four-seamer in a 1-2 count, pitching on the heels of a two-inning appearance the night before, with a six-run lead against Detroit. The situation is not dissimilar from the at-bat highlighted by Mikey in his piece, but Bazardo is not yet fully actualized. It’s not too different from a few situations of memorable note, in fact, where Bazardo was called upon following a heavy workload the night before, and left a fastball over the plate’s heart.

A different bullpen has two different men for its bridge inning mop-up and high leverage, but Bazardo wore both hats, particularly as Carlos Vargas floundered beyond trustworthiness. The Venezuelan outperformed expectations right until the last, aided by a .228 BABIP against, but earning a certain role moving ahead. There is standing on your head, and then there is coming in for a shutdown in extra innings with two on and no out, escaping, and working ANOTHER inning and a half scoreless.

Just… let this man get a little more rest this year.

It’s the eve of Spring Training for the San Francisco Giants! If you’re sad that this is the first day without football, you can rejoice that it’s the last day without baseball!

There will be a little overlap between Spring Training and our Community Prospect List, which will see us rank the top 44 prospects in the organization. But there won’t be much overlap, because we’re somehow already almost done!

The next name on the list is someone who is facing a critical season ahead of him: it’s outfielder Rayner Arias, who has been voted as the No. 38 prospect in the system. It’s a drop of a whopping 34 spots for the right-handed hitting and fielding Arias, who was voted the No. 4 prospect in last year’s CPL.

Arias still has a few more months of teenage life, yet it’s already been quite a roller-coaster of a career for him. He was signed in 2023 out of the Dominican Republic, and immediately made an impression as one of the most dynamic players in the system. He played 16 games in the Dominican Summer League after signing, and the numbers are almost comical: he hit 24-58 with 12 extra-base hits, 15 walks, and just 11 strikeouts. It made for a not-a-typo slashline of .414/.539/.793, with a 1.333 OPS and a 233 wRC+. And it’s not like he was old for the level, or a slugging pillar of salt first baseman: he had just turned 17, was playing a delightful center field, and added four stolen bases.

The only downside with his magical debut was that it was cut short, when he injured his wrist diving for a fly ball.

That injury seemed to prove costly. He showed up at Papago for his stateside debut in 2024, and it went quite poorly. He hit just .250/.371/.364 for a .735 OPS and a 98 wRC+ for the organization’s Arizona Complex League. The bat speed and power thump had almost entirely evaporated, as his average was modest despite a high BABIP, and his isolated slugging plummeted from .379 to .114, without a single home run. His strikeout rate rose from 14.5% to 25.7%, he stole just three bases (while being caught three times), and his defense looked considerably worse. And just to really make matters worse, he was limited to just 25 games, after re-injuring his wrist, again while diving for a fly ball.

While it was a bad 2024, the glass half full view was that he wasn’t fully healthy, and his results would flourish when he could get on a field with good health. Unfortunately, that half-full glass was spilled in 2025, when Arias remained healthy all year. He returned to the Arizona Complex League, and in 47 games hit just .242/.333/.366 with three home runs, resulting in just a .699 OPS and an 87 wRC+, while virtually repeating his strikeout rate (25.8%). He did make his Low-A San Jose debut, but not on merit — it was more to get reps while he was suspended from the ACL for a scuffle, and to help with roster logistics as the Baby Giants dealt with a string of outfield injuries. In seven games with San Jose, Arias did nothing to prove that his struggles in the ACL were an aberration: he hit just 1-for-25 with nine strikeouts.

And so Arias enters a highly critical 2026. It’s hard to believe the player who was not just putting up absurd numbers, but wowing scouts with his athleticism, power, contact ability, and feel for the game just up and vanished overnight. But after looking like a five-tool star, we’re now two years into Arias looking like a zero-tool player whose opportunities are on the verge of running dry. The optimistic view is that, while Arias was healthy in 2025, his injured wrist was still impacting his game, either through lingering pain, a lack of confidence, or some compensations that his body had made.

To my eye, Arias feels like one of the most must-watch prospects in the system this year, because it feels like his potential outcomes are so extreme. Could I see him struggling once again, and no longer being a prospect of note at all in a year? Yes. Could I see him recovering, putting all those tools on display, and jumping back into the top-10 next year? Also yes. Can I see something in the middle? Not really, though that’s usually the most likely outcome. In a way, he’s the (much younger) Reggie Crawford of the position players: you can’t trust him to be healthy and good, but if he is, then he’s probably going to be really good.

Now let’s add to the list, and we’ve got some new names to vote on today! As a reminder, voting takes place in the comment section using the “rec” feature.

The list so far

1. Bryce Eldridge — 1B
2. Josuar González — SS
3. Jhonny Level — SS
4. Bo Davidson — CF
5. Dakota Jordan — CF
6. Luis Hernández — SS
7. Gavin Kilen — SS
8. Carson Whisenhunt — LHP
9. Blade Tidwell — RHP
10. Keyner Martinez — RHP
11. Jacob Bresnahan — LHP
12. Trevor McDonald — RHP
13. Argenis Cayama — RHP
14. Luis De La Torre — LHP
15. Trevor Cohen — OF
16. Jesús Rodríguez — C
17. Parks Harber — OF/3B
18. Carlos Gutierrez — OF
19. Drew Cavanaugh — C
20. Daniel Susac — C
21. Gerelmi Maldonado — RHP
22. Josh Bostick — RHP
23. Lorenzo Meola — SS/2B
24. Will Bednar — RHP
25. Yunior Marte — RHP
26. Joe Whitman — LHP
27. Joel Peguero — RHP
28. Alberto Laroche — RHP
29. Trent Harris — RHP
30. Carlos De La Rosa — LHP
31. Diego Velasquez — 2B
32. Lisbel Diaz — OF
33. Maui Ahuna — SS
34. Cam Maldonado — OF
35. Victor Bericoto — OF/1B
36. Reid Worley — RHP
37. Jack Choate — LHP
38. Rayner Arias — OF

Note: Clicking on the above names will link to the CPL where they were voted onto the list.

No. 39 prospect nominees

Sabin Ceballos — 23.5-year old 3B — .670 OPS/102 wRC+ in AA (420 PA)

Jakob Christian — 23.4-year old OF/1B — .950 OPS/155 wRC+ in High-A (92 PA); .815 OPS/119 wRC+ in Low-A (318 PA)

Reggie Crawford — 25.2-year old LHP — did not pitch in 2025; 1.04 ERA/4.07 FIP in AAA in 2024 (8.2 IP); 4.66 ERA/4.93 FIP in AA in 2024 (9.2 IP)

NateFurman — 24.6-year old 2B — .970 OPS/188 wRC+ in AA (39 PA); 1.139 OPS/211 wRC+ in High-A (96 PA); 1.283 OPS/237 wRC+ in Low-A (15 PA)

JuanSánchez — 25.2-year old LHP — did not pitch in 2025; 3.93 ERA/5.17 FIP in AAA in 2024 (34.1 IP)

CharlieSzykowny — 25.7-year old 3B/1B — .816 OPS/122 wRC+ in High-A (549 PA)

JancelVillarroel — 21.0-year old C — .699 OPS/91 wRC+ in High-A (61 PA); .746 OPS/123 wRC+ in Low-A (372 PA)

Note: Each player’s first name links to their Baseball-Reference page, and their last name links to their Fangraphs page. All stats are from the 2025 season.

The Dodgers have grown in strength gradually since the early days of Dave Roberts in charge — before becoming this current powerhouse, essentially the favorite against whichever National League opponent came their way in the postseason — the Dodgers played the role of spoilers against the team of destiny, and for a little bit, in great part due to Clayton Kershaw’s magnificent work, they looked set to fulfill that task.

Back in 2016, the Chicago Cubs were a moderate version of what the Dodgers should be: this absolute juggernaut filled with talent and a well-oiled machine ready to compete not only in that but across multiple seasons. This in itself created quite the challenge, but further increasing scrutiny and public interest in this team, the Cubs carried the best odds this organization had to break a curse that dated back to 1908, a type of storyline that transcended baseball itself.

After a heroic effort against the Washington Nationals, one that saw Kershaw pitch in three of the five games of the series, including earning a save on one day of rest to close out Game 5, finally getting his revenge on Daniel Murphy, the Dodgers found themselves as the only things standing in the way of a World Series ticket to the Cubs.

Because of his NLDS efforts, Kershaw wasn’t available to go in Game 1 of the NLCS, and unlike in previous campaigns, that 2016 team didn’t have a 1B in Zack Greinke to take the hill. A valiant effort by Kenta Maeda and the bullpen was for naught as Joe Blanton allowed a tie-breaking grand slam to Miguel Montero, and with their backs against the wall, the Dodgers relied on their ace in Game 2 at Wrigley Field.

Facing a lineup that had led baseball with a team 115 wRC+ against southpaws, a mark even more impressive accounting for the fact it came before pitchers stopped hitting, Kershaw had his work cut out for him, facing the likes of Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, and company. Further increasing the need for a strong outing from Kershaw, the Dodgers had just overworked two of their more trusted relievers in Pedro Báez and Blanton.

Pitching his first NLCS matchup since that forgetful evening in St. Louis back in 2013, Kershaw looked every bit his most dominant self. Commonly, we hear about the freedom of pitching with a lead, particularly a large one, as it allows a pitcher to more freely attack the zone and take the game to the opposing hitters. This was anything but that.

While Kershaw did pitch the majority of the game with the advantage, he did so in the most stressful of circumstances, as an Adrian González solo shot in the second was the only scoring this game saw. Facing the best team in the big leagues, on the road, Kershaw shut it all down in an incredibly efficient manner, needing just 84 pitches to complete seven scoreless frames before turning it over to Kenley Jansen for a two-inning save.

One of the purposes of this series is to highlight how things could’ve easily been different for Kershaw with a few breaks here and there; on the flip side, even in the most dominant of performances, one can point to a couple of potential turning point moments. After not allowing a baserunner through the first four innings, Kershaw ran into some problems in the fifth, but the right man at the right time helped him get out of it.

With two on and two out after back-to-back singles from Javier Báez and Willson Contreras, manager Joe Maddon had the wrong man up to do the damage against Kershaw. The Cubs’ biggest offseason signing ahead of that season, Jason Heyward, had been absolutely atrocious with the bat in 2016, and even worse against the lefties—although he tried his best to make up for it with elite defensive work. Thanks to his outstanding defensive talents, the fifth inning was early enough even in a one-run game for Maddon not to pinch-hit a Jorge Soler or some other right-handed batter for Heyward, and Kershaw retired him without any problem, dropping his arm angle on a fastball, something the left-hander really got into doing once in a while during that period.

A couple of innings later, the big threat came around as the first two reached, and a run of three right-handed hitters was due up, following an error that gave Chicago first and second. Kershaw struck out Ben Zobrist and retired Addison Russell. The only thing standing in the way of six scoreless innings was Javier Báez.

With a 1-0 count, Kershaw threw Báez a fastball up in the zone, one that he was ready for, connecting pretty well straight to center, but it had just enough air on it for it to be caught by Joc Pederson in center.

That was the last pitch Kershaw threw, one that, in different circumstances completely beyond the control of the pitcher or batter, might’ve had another outcome.

This series, ultimately, isn’t one looked back on fondly by Dodger fans, as the team collapsed after taking a 2-1 lead, including a completely different Kershaw outing in Wrigley in Game 6. Still, that one particular game is one of my favorites for all that it represented: a time the Dodgers succeeded, even if briefly, without the weight of expectations currently associated with this team.

You did not see this every day.

We’re trying a new series at Royals Review, a daily mid-day question of the day to hear about your opinions on a fun or pressing question affecting the Royals or baseball in general. Chime in and drop your answers below!

The Royals made a surprise postseason appearance in 2024, a 30-win improvement. But last year they regressed and it was easy to find a culprit – an outfield that couldn’t hit. So far this offseason, the only upgrades the team has made have been trading for Isaac Collins from the Brewers and signing free agent Lane Thomas. The club is certainly banking on Jac Caglianone to bust out, but is it enough?

With the Tigers signing Framber Valdez, the standard in the division has been raised. The Royals are projected by Cot’s Contracts to have a $142 million payroll, 18th-largest in baseball. That number is up from the $126 million payroll last year and would mark the largest team payroll since 2017. They have one of the best players in the game in Bobby Witt Jr., and two 100-RBI men in Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino. Caglianone and Carter Jensen are two of the most promising young hitters in baseball. They have some of the best starting pitching in the league, and two terrific relievers in Lucas Erceg and Carlos Estévez.

But is it enough to truly contend, or is the team doing just enough to make it seem like they are trying to win? What do you think?

The Yankees’ forays into the Japanese market have produced some mixed results. The signing of Hideki Matsui was an absolute success, as he was a very good player for the Yankees for many years, and capped it off by winning World Series MVP in 2009. On the other hand, the acquisitions of pitchers Hideki Irabu and Kei Igawa were, uh, less great.

In the 2013-14 offseason, one of the hottest names on the market was another Japanese pitcher. Having just led the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles to a Japan Series title, Masahiro Tanaka was sought after around MLB. The Yankees were among that chasing pack, and they ended up winning the fight. In the end, his highs were not quite as the ones experienced by Matsui, but it’s hard to argue that Tanaka wasn’t a success, and he came up with some big playoff moments of his own.

Masahiro Tanaka
Signing Date: January 22, 2014
Contract: Seven years, $155 million

Thanks to a dominant career in Japanese high school baseball, Tanaka was long on the radar of NPB teams. When he was finally eligible to be selected in the NPB Draft, the Golden Eagles did so in 2006. He debuted as an 18-year old the following season and quickly cemented his place as a star for the team, winning the league’s Rookie of the Year Award.

Having only been founded ahead of the 2005 season, the Golden Eagles hadn’t done much of anything before Tanaka’s arrival, but he helped them to their first ever playoff berth in 2009. Over the next couple years, Tanaka continued improving and began to dominate. His most impressive season came in 2013, as he posted a crazy 24-0 record with a 1.27 ERA with 183 strikeouts in 212 innings. The Golden Eagles went on to win their first — and so far only — Japan Series title that year. In the series, Tanaka allowed just one run in a Game 2 win, threw 160 pitches in Game 6, and then came back the very next day and recorded the save in the Game 7 win. It was a truly remarkable effort.

Not that he wasn’t already on MLB team’s radars, but the remarkable season turned Tanaka into probably the top pitching name on that year’s free agent market. The Yankees always seemed to be one of, if not the top, favorites to land Tanaka, and they eventually did so in January 2014, inking him to a seven-year deal worth $155 million.

When big-name Japanese imports come to MLB, there’s always a big spotlight on them, and it was no different for Tanaka, especially considering that he was playing in New York. He made his MLB debut on April 4th in Toronto, going seven innings, allowing two earned runs on eight hits, with eight strikeouts as the Yankees beat the Blue Jays, 7-3.

His first truly astounding MLB start came in his third game, when he threw eight shutout innings and struck out 10 against the Cubs. Tanaka mostly kept cruising through his debut season, putting up a 2.27 ERA through July 3rd, making the All-Star team and getting himself in award contention. However, he struggled in his next start, and hit the IL after that with what turned out to be a partially torn UCL. Despite some saying that he and the Yankees should just bite the bullet with Tommy John surgery, they opted to rehab the injury. As it turned out, he would never need to go under the knife over the entirety of his Yankees career.

Tanaka’s rookie campaign saw him finish fifth in Rookie of the Year. In 2015, he made his first ever MLB Opening Day start, and was given the ball in the Yankees’ Wild Card Game loss, which was due more to the nonexistent offense than his two runs in five innings. In 2016, he had probably his best MLB season, finishing seventh in Cy Young voting after a 4.7 fWAR year.

The 2017 regular season was a bit of a down one compared to his previous years, but once the postseason came around, he began to establish his reputation as a big game pitcher.

With the Yankees’ backs against the wall in Game 3 of the ALDS against Cleveland, Tanaka threw seven shutout innings as the Yankees won the game and rallied to win the series. In the next round, he repeated that effort in Game 5, giving the Yankees a 3-2 edge in the ALCS against the Astros. While the Yankees never ended up winning a ring during Tanaka’s tenure, he stepped up in the playoffs in most of the games he was called on. While there were some blips in his final season with the team, over his seven-year deal, he had a 3.33 ERA and 0.981 WHIP in 10 postseason starts, with the Yankees going 6-4. Only one of those four losses can be fully put on him too. In the other three, he allowed just seven total runs, getting just four runs of support combined.

Tanaka had an opt-out after the 2017 campaign, but he decided to stick around on his initial contract. Across those final three years, he dropped off a bit as he aged, but still made his second All-Star team in 2019 while posting a 107 ERA+ and 6.4 fWAR across a steady 368 innings of work from 2018-20. The Yankees opted to let him walk in free agency after the COVID-shortened 2020 season. As it turned out, Tanaka would walk away from MLB entirely and opted to return to Japan and rejoin his old Golden Eagles team. Playing in NPB allowed him be part of the Japan national team when they won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

After a couple seasons with the Golden Eagles, Tanaka signed with the Yomiuri Giants — often called the Yankees of NPB — where he’s preparing to play the 2026 campaign. This past year, he became the fourth pitcher to accumulate 200 wins between MLB and NPB play, joining Hideo Nomo, Yu Darvish, and former Yankees teammate Hiroki Kuroda.

On the field, Tanaka was a competitor who was never satisfied, no matter how good his last start was. Off the field, he always seemed like a genuine and nice guy, who’s missed on the Yankees’ roster in that aspect. He was a lot of fun to root for across his seven years in pinstripes.

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See more of the “50 Most Notable Yankees Free Agent Signings in 50 Years” series here.

As we sit mere days away from pitchers and catchers reporting for duty at their respective complexes in Arizona and Florida, much of the world is focused on international competition.

The Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina are in full swing, with fans across the world rooting for athletes representing their home towns, their countries, or even their favorite professional sports teams. The Colorado Avalanche have eight Olympians for the 2026 games, including captain Gabriel Landeskog wearing the “C” for his Team Sweden.

However, in the shadow of the Winter Games lies another rapidly approaching international competition: the World Baseball Classic.

The competition—which takes place every three years—grants an uncommon opportunity for professional baseball players worldwide to represent their home country or country of heritage on the world stage. Many of the teams from dominant baseball countries like the United States, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela are packed with a veritable who’s who of Major League Baseball stardom and familiar faces from both the regular season and the playoffs.

For fans of the Colorado Rockies—who have not been to the post-season since 2018 and are beginning a crucial rebuild—the opportunity to see players from their team on a big stage are often few and far between. Even in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, the Rockies had just five players in the tournament and only one of them—left-handed pitcher Kyle Freeland—remains with the team.

This year the Rockies are fairly well represented in the World Baseball Classic. While they have no players on Team USA, the Rockies are sending ten players and one coach to represent six different nations in the upcoming tournament.

Let’s begin the Parade of Nations!

Team Canada

Recent arrival and infielder Edouard Julien will be representing Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic for the second time in his career. Although Canada was eliminated in pool play during the 2023 tournament, the Quebec City native still ended up leading the World Baseball Classic in slugging percentage and OPS. He then turned that excellent performance into a strong rookie season in which he hit .263/.381/.459 with 16 home runs and was worth 2.6 wins above replacement.

Julien suffered down seasons in 2024 and 2025 and enters the season looking to recapture the magic of his rookie campaign. Hopefully former Rockies All-Star and Team Canada hitting coach Justin Morneau can help Julien start the season strong.

Joining Julien on the Canadian roster is left-handed Québécois pitcher Antoine Jean, in what will technically be the first professional games of his career. The Rockies selected Jean in the seventh round of last year’s draft from the University of Houston, where he was the 2025 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and led all NCAA Division I pitchers in batting average against (.168) and had the second-best K/9 (14.8).

Team Israel

The player to watch for Rockies fans when it comes to Team Israel is without a doubt prospect outfielder Cole Carrigg (no. 6 mid-season PuRP).

Carrigg—also a non-roster invite to spring training this year—spent the entire 2025 season with the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats, where he hit .237/.316/.394 with 18 doubles, six triples, 15 home runs, and 46 stolen bases as the team’s starting center fielder. Although he won’t be big league ready to start the season, a strong tournament could do a lot to lift his stock as a prospect.

Joining Carrigg is first baseman and outfielder Troy Johnston, whom the Rockies claimed via waivers from the Miami Marlins during the off-season. The 28-year-old made his Major League debut in 2025 with a strong .277/.331/.420 line and four home runs over 44 games with the Marlins.

Team Italy

The Rockies’ most important off-season free agent acquisition is also their lone representative for the Italian national team. Right-handed pitcher Michael Lorenzen was brought in to help the Rockies finally figure out pitching at Coors Field, a challenge he was eager to accept.

The 34-year-old’s aggressive approach and extensive arsenal of pitches will be a key asset to the Rockies’ rotation in 2025 as the team begins to work on their new pitching philosophy. One of his teammates for Italy will be former Rockies closer Adam Ottavino, who had previously performed well at Coors Field and was rumored to be in contention for a front office job over the off-season.

Team Mexico

Mexico was one of the breakout stories in the 2023 tournament, placing third overall after losing an incredible game against Japan in the semifinals. Returning manager Benji Gil is currently riding high after his México Rojo (Charros de Jalisco) emerged as the victor of the Serie Del Caribe and is no doubt ready to take another crack at the World Baseball Classic.

Gil’s bench coach will once again be Rockies special assistant and legendary third baseman Vinny Castilla. The Blake Street Bomber has extensive experience playing and coaching for various Mexican teams, including acting as the manager for Team Mexico in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.

Pitching for Mexico by way of California will be right-handed reliever Victor Vodnik and left-handed reliever Brennan Bernardino.

Vodnik, a bullpen staple, is entering his fourth big league season after an excellent 2025 campaign during which he posted a 3.02 ERA over 52 appearances. He notched ten saves and tallied 49 strikeouts over 50 2/3 innings of work.

Bernardino, meanwhile, is another new arrival to the Rockies. Obtained from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for minor league outfielder Braiden Ward, the 34-year-old middle reliever has a career 3.47 ERA over parts of four big league seasons.

Team Puerto Rico

The delegation from Puerto Rico had some difficulties putting their roster together, often due to insurance issues with their star players. As such, Carlos Correa of the Houston Astros and Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets are both sitting out, much to their consternation.

For off-season free agent acquisition and utility player Willi Castro, however, it represents an opportunity. The 28-year-old from Río Piedras will represent Puerto Rico for the first time in his career. The Rockies brought in Castro on a two-year, $12.8 million contract. The 2024 All-Star had a down year in 2025—especially after he was traded from the Minnesota Twins to the Chicago Cubs—but a strong performance in the World Baseball Classic could help him start a rebound campaign on the right foot.

Team Venezuela

A healthy and productive tournament would likely mean a lot to young Rockies star shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. The 24-year-old performed well enough during the 2025 season, hitting .253/.294/.400 with 18 doubles, four triples, and nine home runs, but he missed significant time due to injury and appeared in just 95 games.

Tovar is a key building block for the Rockies’ future, and entering the 2026 season strong with some much-needed momentum could help propel him to new heights after he won a Gold Glove Award and even had an MVP vote in 2024. Hopefully that comes with cutting down on strikeouts and not chasing so many pitches down and away.

Joining Tovar on Team Venezuela is right-handed pitcher Antonio Senzatela, who I’m sure is banking on the World Baseball Classic to kick off a much-needed bounceback campaign as he enters the final guaranteed year of his current contract.

Senzatela struggled immensely in 2025, posting a 7.42 ERA from the rotation in 23 starts before he was relegated to the bullpen. He fared especially poorly in the first inning, where he held a staggering 11.03 ERA. He performed better in limited bullpen appearances with a 2.86 ERA over 22 innings and is likely to remain in the bullpen for the upcoming season.

It is also worth noting that former Rockies starting pitcher Germán Márquez will also be on Venezuela’s roster. Márquez is currently still a free agent and could look to leverage his tournament performance into a contract.

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The pool play portion of the World Baseball Classic kicks off on March 4th and the tournament itself runs through March 17th. There will also be multiple exhibition matches in which MLB spring training squads will face off against national teams. The Rockies are scheduled to play Team USA on March 4th at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick with a first pitch time of 1:10 PM MT.

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As I do here every spring, today I present to you a full numerical roster of all the players and coaches in Cubs spring camp. Also included are the Cubs’ retired numbers, so you can see the full numerical progression. There are 58 players in camp, the 40-man roster plus 18 non-roster invitees.

A few notes:

• The Cubs have still not re-issued No. 44, worn by Anthony Rizzo during the World Series run, since he was traded away in 2021. I’m guessing that will remain un-issued for quite some time. Jon Lester’s (and Kerry Wood’s) No. 34 has also not been re-issued since Lester left after 2020. Lastly, the team hasn’t re-issued Kyle Hendricks’ No. 28 since he departed after 2024. None of these numbers is likely to be retired by the team. Other numbers not in use this spring: 19, 21, 51, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59, 61, 62, 64, 66, 67, 69, 73, 82, 87, 96 and 99.
• Of interest are some of the numbers issued to non-roster guys. Dylan Carlson gets 5, while Chas McCormick, his presumed competition for a backup outfield spot, gets 55. Neither of those players has previously worn the numbers indicated. Does the lower number issued to Carlson indicate the team thinks he has a better chance of sticking?
• Speaking of No. 55, Hoby Milner wore that for several years in Milwaukee (and also for the Phillies in 2017 and 2018), but instead chose 41, the number he wore last year for the Rangers.
• There is one number duplicated. Jefferson Rojas, a non-roster invitee, and bullpen catcher Erick Castillo will both wear No. 93.
• Of the 58 players listed here, 18 were not in the Cubs organization a year ago.

Lastly, I’d like to take a moment for a bit of self-promotion, if you’ll indulge me. If you still don’t have the latest edition of “Cubs By The Numbers” (complete through 2015 but still full of fun stories!), here’s your link to buy one!

Here’s the entire list of players and coaches in camp (along with retired numbers). Non-roster players in italics.

0 Quintin Berry (third base coach)
1 Justin Dean
2 Nico Hoerner
3 Alex Bregman
4 Pete Crow-Armstrong
5 Dylan Carlson
6 Matt Shaw
7 Dansby Swanson
8 Ian Happ
9 Miguel Amaya
10 Ron Santo (retired)
11 Craig Counsell (manager)
12 Scott Kingery
13 Kevin Alcántara
14 Ernie Banks (retired)
15 Carson Kelly
16 Matthew Boyd
17 Tyler Austin
18 Shōta Imanaga
20 Ben Cowles
22 Cade Horton
23 Ryne Sandberg (retired)
24 Caleb Thielbar
25 Moises Ballesteros
26 Billy Williams (retired)
27 Seiya Suzuki
29 Michael Busch
30 Edward Cabrera
31 Fergie Jenkins/Greg Maddux (retired)
32 Ben Brown
33 Ryan Rolison
35 Justin Steele
36 Jordan Wicks
37 Porter Hodge
38 Corbin Martin
39 Ethan Roberts
40 Jeff Brigham
41 Hoby Milner
42 Jackie Robinson (retired by MLB)
43 Luke Little
45 Hunter Harvey
46 Gavin Hollowell
47 Jack Neely
48 Daniel Palencia
49 Trent Thornton
50 Jameson Taillon
52 Collin Snider
53 Colin Rea
55 Chas McCormick
60 Christian Bethancourt
63 Juan Cabreja (assistant hitting coach)
65 Jose Javier (first base coach)
68 Tommy Hottovy (pitching coach)
70 Jaxon Wiggins
71 Jacob Webb
72 Javier Assad
74 A.J. Lewis (staff assistant)
75 Pedro Ramirez
76 Dustin Kelly (hitting coach)
78 Casey Opitz
79 Connor Schultz
80 John Mallee (assistant hitting coach)
81 Mark Strittmatter (bullpen coach)
83 B.J. Murray
84 Ryan Flaherty (bench coach)
85 Garrett Lloyd (bullpen catcher)
86 Casey Jacobson (assistant pitching coach)
88 Phil Maton
89 Ariel Armas
90 Jonathan Mota (major league coach)
91 Jonathon Long
92 Brett Bateman
93 Jefferson Rojas
93 Erick Castillo (bullpen catcher)
94 Riley Martin
95 James Triantos
97 Connor Noland
98 Grant Kipp

Previous Winner

Slater de Brun, OF
18 | L/L | 5’10” | 187

Drafted 37th overall in 2025, through a draft pick traded by the Rays, de Brun was essentially re-acquired in the Shane Baz trade. Like many Rays outfield prospects he’s not expected to develop much power, but compensates with an ability to hit to all fields, and has the benefit of years to develop. His hit tool rates plus thanks to a quick, compact swing, and his double-plus speed elevates both his baserunning and range in center; he has a solid arm and can stick long term. The key to his development will be improving pitch selection to maximize his power potential. Despite not yet playing in a pro game, he’s a good bet to skip the complex league and debut in Charleston this season.

Rank	Player	Position	Votes	Total	Percentage	Last Season
1	Carson Williams	SS	14	25	56%	1
2	Brody Hopkins	RHP	19	25	76%	8
3	Jacob Melton	OF	14	28	50%	NA
4	Theo Gillen	OF	14	26	54%	13
5	Ty Johnson	RHP	12	25	48%	15
6	Daniel Pierce	SS	13	23	57%	NA
7	Jadher Areinamo	INF	15	28	54%	NA
8	TJ Nichols	RHP	13	28	46%	NR
9	Michael Forret	RHP	8	33	24%	NA
10	Santiago Suarez	RHP	11	30	37%	16
11	Anderson Brito	RHP	7	28	25%	NA
12	Xavier Isaac	1B	9	28	32%	3
13	Caden Bodine	C	10	25	40%	NA
14	Brendan Summerhill	OF	11	27	41%	NA
15	Slater de Brun	OF	10	25	40%	NA

de Brun has been receiving votes since No. 5, a charge led by DRB writer Ben, so I’m thrilled to free him up to vote elsewhere now. In my mind, the three 2025 draftees from the last first round rated similarly, so it’s nice to see them clustered 13-14-15 on the list, even if it’s not necessarily draft order (30-42-37). Up next we’ll add a profile for recent acquisition Victor Mesa Jr.

Candidates

Jackson Baumeister, RHP
23 | 6’4” | 224
AA | 4.62 ERA, 4.15 FIP (15 GS) 62.1 IP, 19.5% K, 9.6% BB
AFL | 6 ER (1 HR), 9.0 IP (4 G, 3 GS), 10 K, 9 BB

A shoulder injury derailed what should have been Baumeister’s coming out party, as his previously plus breaking ball was expected to carve up Double-A. After a tough start to the year and two months on the sidelines, Baumeister returned in August and salvaged the season with a brilliant finish. The tough luck continued, however, in the Arizona Fall League, where a line drive struck him in the head, but he escaped without significant injury. Currently, Baumeister has taken on a fastball/slutter profile, with a slow curve in his back pocket, and has shown teachability and pitchability over the years. The former Seminole currently thrives on his frequently used major league fastball that may be better challenged by a promotion to Triple-A.

Homer Bush Jr.
24 | R/R | 6’3” | 215
AA | .301/.375/.360 (122 wRC+) 546 PA, 0 HR, 57 SB, 8.8% BB, 17.9% K

Acquired in the 2024 Jason Adam trade, the starting center fielder at Double-A passed the test of advanced pitching, but just barely. He lacks in-game power due to a lack of use of his lower half in his swing, and he whiffed more often than you can for long term success with a low-power approach. His calling cards are Rays-grade defense and plus-speed, having notably swiped 57 bags in back-to-back seasons.

Nathan Flewelling, C
19 | L/R | 6’2” | 200
A | .229/.393/.336 (126 wRC+) 439 PA, 6 HR, 9 SB, 20.3% BB, 27.6% K
A+ | 22 PA, 4 H, 5 BB, 6 K

The 94th overall pick from 2024, Flewelling made his debut at 18 years young and caught a full season (75 C, 26 DH), plus a five game cup of coffee (3 C, 2 DH). Taking the longview, he could grow into 50-60 grade power with 50 grade defense, which makes him one to follow. His plus zone awareness at the plate offsets his lagging contact, and most importantly for the position his ability to call games and frame pitches are already plus. A strong season with the bat at High-A could vault him into Top-100 consideration.

Brailer Guerrero, OF
20 | L/R | 6’1” | 215
A | 249.338/.399 (119 wRC+) 222 PA, 6 HR, 9 SB, 11.3% BB, 29.3% K
AFL | 2 H, 0 HR, 2 SB, 3 BB, 16 K, 29 PA

Good news: the $3.7 million 2023 signee made the leap out of the complex league in his final teenage season. Bad News: He was injured yet again, with hamstring and knee injuries limiting him to 51 games for Charleston. The Rays tried to make up for lost time with an aggressive assignment to the AFL that resulted in only two hits in 29 plate appearances. He makes loud contact from a quick, quiet swing which he pre-loads by reaching back for even more power. He appears to make early decisions to swing, leading to a bit extra whiffs against anything off-speed, but that could easily clear up with some consistent playing time.

Trevor Harrison, RHP
20 | 6’4” | 225
A | 2.61 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 82.2 IP (17 GS), 22.4% K, 10.7% BB
A+ | 3.33 ERA, 4.26 FIP, 24.1 IP (5 GS), 23.8% K, 12.4% BB

Harrison entered the season as Baseball America’s top pitcher in the system thanks to a cleaned up delivery and high heat. He ran into some bumps in the road by running up his pitch count against batters, but he still made it over 100 innings in 22 starts. A power pitcher through and through, his hard slider flirts with cutter classification and could evolve into two distinct pitches down the road. It will be interesting to see how his change up plays as he’s challenged at higher levels, but for now he has premium stuff and the upside of a rotation anchor. (video)

OF Victor Mesa Jr.
24 | L/L | 5’11” | 195
AAA (MIA) | .301/.368/.510 (136 wRC+) 171 PA, 7 HR, 4 SB, 9.9% BB, 16.4% K
MLB (MIA) | 6 H (1 HR), 5 BB, 5 K (81 wRC+) 38 PA

This Cuban power bat already made his major league debut with Miami last year after bouncing back from a spring hamstring injury, and was dealt to the Rays in February. He profiles as a fourth outfielder but has an option remaining, so the organization may send him down for regular playing time and one last chance for something more in development. If not, he’s a center field capable on defense, which goes a long way for a platoon bat. In the running for the nicest guy in baseball.

Tre’ Morgan, 1B/LF
23 | L/L | 6’0” | 215
AAA | .274/.398/.412 (119 wRC+) 402 PA, 8 HR, 8 SB, 15.9% BB, 19.2% K

Morgan continued to hit without power in 2025, a great discouragement for some evaluators, but his present 50-grade hit tool and feel for the zone allow a major league projection. He continued his improved, quieter two-strike approach in 2025 that built on his success retooling his swing in the AFL last year. The Rays gave Morgan 14 starts in Left Field last season, and Baseball America called the defense “playable,” but his value is tied to his plus-plus defense at First.

Aidan Smith, OF
21 | R/R | 6’2” | 190
A+ | .237/.331/.388 (114 wRC+) 459 PA, 14 HR, 41 SB, 11.5% BB, 31.2% K

Acquired in the Arozarena trade, Smith became the prince who was promised, a five tool athlete with a strong bat, good face, and a preternatural glove in center field. That promise unraveled a bit in 2025, with his strikeout rate rocketing nine percent and his power stroke faltering after facing harder velocities in High-A, causing both his hit and power grades to drop into the 40’s. It was a full transformation into a “center field” profile, but with his ceiling that’s not a compliment. He plays with a fire, but the dip in contact rate left some evaluators feeling burned.

Brayden Taylor, 2B/3B
24 | L/R | 6’0” | 180
AA | .173/.289/.286 (77 wRC+) 437 PA, 8 HR, 17 SB, 14% BB, 27.7% K
AFL | .264/.400/.472 (.384 wOBA) 65 PA, 1 HR, 5 SB, 12 BB, 19 K

Taylor entered 2025 as a top-100 prospect after demolishing High-A (154 wRC+), and left 2025 as an afterthought on prospect lists, although he was selected as an Arizona Fall League “Fall Star” in between, where he worked to keep his chase rate low and his hard hit rate high. The juice must have been worth the squeeze, as the Rays have elected to invite Taylor to major league Spring Training this year.

Jose Urbina, RHP
20 | 6’3” | 180
A | 2.05 ERA, 3.58 FIP, 92.1 IP (19 GS), 26.4% K, 8.2% BB
A+ | 2 ER (2 HR), 4.0 IP (1 GS), 5 K, 0 BB

Good pitchers grow and adjust, and Urbina has done that consistently at an age young for his level. Physically he has grown in strength, sitting at 96 with the fastball after flashing high octane in 2024, and technically he has grown, refining his dialed up slider and his two-plane curveball into complementary pitches — which lack plus command but are thrown with feel. He shouldered a starter’s workload at 19, and was awarded one additional start at High-A, where he allowed two solo shots and struck out five. Overall, the age, body, and body of work have him on the trajectory of top prospect lists in the near future.

The end of football season marks the traditional beginning of baseball season. So fantasy baseball managers can look to emulate the Seattle Seahawks as they set their sights on bringing home a championship of their own in 2026.

The first step in preparing for this season's fantasy baseball drafts is getting to know the player pool, and figuring out which stars could potentially serve as franchise cornerstones on our rosters.

Similar to last season, there seems to be a pretty clear top three leading the way with Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. at the forefront of USA TODAY Sports' first pass of 2026 fantasy baseball rankings.

Let's dig in!

2026 top 100 overall fantasy baseball rankings

1. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers, DH/SP
2. Aaron Judge, Yankees, OF
3. Bobby Witt Jr., Royals, SS
4. Jose Ramirez, Guardians, 3B
5. Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves, OF
6. Juan Soto, Mets, OF
7. Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks, OF
8. Tarik Skubal, Tigers, SP
9. Paul Skenes, Pirates, SP
10. Kyle Tucker, Cubs, OF
11. Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres, OF
12. Elly De La Cruz, Reds, SS
13. Julio Rodriguez, Mariners, OF
14. Garrett Crochet, Red Sox, SP
15. Yordan Alvarez, Astros, OF
16. Gunnar Henderson, Orioles, SS
17. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers, SP
18. Jackson Chourio, Brewers, OF
19. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays, 1B
20. Francisco Lindor, Mets, SS
21. Nick Kurtz, Athletics, 1B
22. Cal Raleigh, Mariners, C
23. Junior Caminero, Rays, 3B
24. Ketel Marte, Diamondbacks, 2B
25. Jazz Chisholm, Yankees, 2B/3B
26. Trea Turner, Phillies, SS
27. Bryce Harper, Phillies, 1B
28. Kyle Schwarber, Phillies, DH
29. James Wood, Nationals, OF
30. Logan Gilbert, Mariners, SP
31. Pete Alonso, Orioles, 1B
32. Hunter Brown, Astros, SP
33. Manny Machado, Padres, 3B
34. Edwin Diaz, Dodgers, RP
35. Cristopher Sanchez, Phillies, SP
36. Chris Sale, Braves, SP
37. Matt Olson, Braves, 1B
38. Mookie Betts, Dodgers, SS
39. Hunter Greene, Reds, SP
40. Bryan Woo, Mariners, SP
41. Zach Neto, Angels, SS
42. Brice Turang, Brewers, 2B
43. Logan Webb, Giants. SP
44. Jacob deGrom, Rangers. SP
45. Max Fried, Yankees, SP
46. William Contreras, Brewers, C
47. CJ Abrams, Nationals, SS
48. Rafael Devers, Giants, 1B
49. Andres Muñoz, Mariners, RP
50. Josh Naylor, Mariners, 1B
51. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs, OF
52. Brent Rooker, Athletics, OF
53. Nico Hoerner, Cubs. 2B
54. Mason Miller, Padres, RP
55. Wyatt Langford, Rangers, OF
56. Austin Riley, Braves, 3B
57. Cole Ragans, Royals, SP
58. Joe Ryan, Twins, SP
59. Shea Langeliers, Athletics, C
60. Freddy Peralta, Mets. SP
61. Jhoan Duran, Phillies, RP
62. Blake Snell, Dodgers, SP
63. Roman Anthony, Red Sox, OF
64. Jarren Duran, Red Sox, OF
65. Devin Williams, Mets, RP
66. Ben Rice, Yankees, C/1B
67. Freddie Freeman, Dodgers, 1B
68. Maikel Garcia, Royals 3B
69. Jackson Merrill, Padres, OF
70. Dylan Cease, Blue Jays, SP
71. Hunter Goodman, Rockies, C
72. Riley Greene, Tigers, OF
73. Spencer Strider, Braves, SP
74. Framber Valdez, Tigers, SP
75. Cody Bellinger, Yankees, OF
76. Jesus Luzardo, Phillies, SP
77. Byron Buxton, Twins, OF
78. Tyler Soderstrom, Athletics, 1B/OF
79. Geraldo Perdomo, Diamondbacks, SS
80. Cade Smith, Guardians, RP
81. George Kirby, Mariners, SP
82. Michael Harris II, Braves, OF
83. Drake Baldwin, Braves, C
84. Spencer Schwellenbach, Braves, SP
85. Vinnie Pasquantino, Royals, 1B
86. Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox, RP
87. Randy Arozarena, Mariners, OF
88. Corey Seager, Rangers, SS
89. Bo Bichette, Mets, SS
90. Kyle Bradish, Orioles, SP
91. David Bednar, Yankees, RP
92. Oneil Cruz, Pirates, OF
93. Eugenio Suarez, Reds, 3B
94. Jeremy Peña, Astros, SS
95. George Springer, Blue Jays, OF
96. Josh Hader, Astros, RP
97. Nick Pivetta, Padres, SP
98. Alex Bregman, Cubs. 3B
99. Kevin Gausman, Blue Jays, SP
100. Brandon Woodruff, Brewers, SP

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy baseball rankings 2026: Top 100 overall players

This is a thing SB Nation is trying for February (or at least the three weeks that are left, oops…). Each weekday, I’m going to ask our readers a question to see how everyone’s feeling about the team, and to get to know each other a little bit better. I’m even more excited tha our boy Kazuma Okamoto in the header picture.

Our staring out the window and waiting for spring comes to an end this week. With the Tigers’ signing of Framber Valdez on Wednesday, the major part of the offseason is basically over, and pitchers and catchers begin to report tomorrow. With all that, I figured it was a good time to ask some questions about the offseason. First up, which move are you most excited about? Dylan Cease is of course the big one, but personally I can’t wait to see Tyler Rogers in a Jays uniform. I love me a weird reliever, and Rogers has quietly been a top 10 or so reliever the past five seasons. The Jays bullpen was awfully thin at times last year, so adding the most durable reliever in the game who happens to boast a career ERA starting with a 2 is a very welcome security blanket. And as one of the sport’s premier ground ball merchants, he’ll enjoy playing in front of an infield that features Andres Gimenez and Ernie Clement. It feels like a perfect fit of team and player.

How about you? Which move has you the most excited for the season?

Never say never, but with the Caleb Durbin deal, it looks like the Red Sox are done tinkering in the infield. The timing of the deal is interesting because, just this morning, Alex Speier gave us this report about the Red Sox efforts to acquire All-Star Ketel Marte:

According to multiple league sources, the Sox were open to dealing a package headlined by Franklin Arias and either Payton Tolle or Connelly Early in exchange for Marte. However, when Arizona sought a package led by Marcelo Mayer and one of the pitchers, the Sox declined.

Tolle/Early and Mayer is a big haul… but Marte is a hell of a player and he’s locked up until 2031. Should Craig Breslow have pulled the trigger?

Paul Toboni’s first offseason as Nationals President of Baseball Operations has been an intriguing one. He made plenty of moves, but most of them have been with the future in mind. That is a smart strategy, but part of me wonders about the state of this team in 2026. They are not going to be good, but I worry about the possibility of bottoming out.

There are plenty of holes on this roster, and Toboni has not provided solutions, at least for 2026. We wrote about how the Nats need to make a couple more additions before the season starts. Leaving such glaring holes feels risky to me. However, Paul Toboni has been unafraid to accept risk this offseason.

The one free agent signing he has made is a good example of that. Instead of going for a proven MLB innings eater to fill the back of the rotation, Toboni took an interesting flier. He signed Foster Griffin to a one-year $5.5 million deal. Griffin had a dominant three year run in Japan, but he is 30 years old and only has 8 MLB innings under his belt. 

In 3 seasons (2023-25) with Yomiuri (@TokyoGiants):

⚾️18–10 with a 2.57 ERA in 54 starts
⚾️9.1 SO/9.0 IP
⚾️2.0 BB/9.0 IP
⚾️Central League All-Star in 2025 (6-1, 1.52 ERA 87 SO in 89.0 IP) https://t.co/UdIeCyELLS

— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) December 22, 2025

There is some reason to believe that this could be a strong signing though. Griffin added a few new pitches in Japan and became one of the better arms in the NPB. His last few seasons in Japan compare favorably to Shota Imanaga, who has been a front of the rotation arm for the Cubs. The projection systems actually think Griffin will be solid, with Fangraphs projecting a 4.11 ERA season.

If Griffin can give you an ERA of around 4 for 150 innings, that would be a good contract. However, he is an unproven soft-tosser and the Nats are relying on him to be a solid starter in the heart of their rotation. This is a major risk, even for a rebuilding team.

Toboni’s handling of the bullpen this offseason has also been risky. Last season, the Nats had the worst bullpen ERA in all of baseball at 5.59. Despite that, Toboni traded away the Nats best reliever and has not signed a bullpen arm in free agency. He has been active on the waiver wire and is hoping for internal development.

This plan could work, and is something worth trying. A lot of the best bullpens are not the ones that have the biggest names. Relievers are very volatile assets. You can create a solid bullpen out of thin air, and that is exactly what Toboni plans to do. The Nats have some promising arms that Toboni and the coaching staff will look to develop.

Paul Toboni has made the worst bullpen in baseball last year even worse on paper. I took a look at some guys he could be counting on to make big steps and why he has faith https://t.co/aBrOIbnea8

— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) December 30, 2025

The bullpen battle in Spring Training is something I will be monitoring closely. I am curious to see which pitchers emerge. There are likely to be a couple arms who have added velocity or tweaked their pitch mix. The question is which ones.

Finally, the biggest move Paul Toboni made this offseason was also a risky one. Trading MacKenzie Gore was not a risky move, but the return is high variance. I actually think holding on to Gore would have been the risky option. However, the Nats decided to take a high risk package from the Texas Rangers.

Full trade, per ESPN sources:

Rangers get: LHP MacKenzie Gore

Nationals get: 3B Gavin Fien, SS Devin Fitz-Gerald, RHP Alejandro Rosario, 1B Abimelec Ortiz and and OF Yeremy Cabrera

A big return for the Nationals. Fien was the 12th pick last year. Evaluators love Fitz-Gerald.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 22, 2026

Instead of taking a deal with a true headliner, Toboni went for a quantity over quality package. Most of the players in the deal are multiple years away from the big leagues. The three main pieces in the deal are a 19 year old, a 20 year old and a pitcher who will miss two straight seasons due to injury. 

If these guys hit, Toboni will look like a genius and the Nats farm will be one of the best in baseball. However, there is also a chance that he will regret not taking a deal with more proven commodities. Even for prospects, these guys are high risk.

Overall, Toboni has made a few moves he might regret. However, he also could look very smart. Either way, these deals are also not shots in the dark. They are part of a real strategy and long term vision. He trusts himself and the coaches to develop these players and get the best out of them. 

Plenty of these moves make me nervous, but they also make me excited. Let me know which move makes you the most nervous in the comments. What is one move that you really like and what is a move you think Toboni could regret? It has been an interesting offseason, and I am excited to see it play out. 

NBC’s interest in adding Clayton Kershaw to its television team, which was first reported by The Athletic in January, officially came to fruition on Sunday, with NBC Sports announcing more of its plans for 2026 baseball coverage.

Kershaw, who retired at the end of the 2025 season after pitching 18 years for the Dodgers, joins other recently retired stars Joey Votto and Anthony Rizzo as part of the NBC Sports team in 2026, in the first season of a three-year deal with Major League Baseball.

NBC Sports has rights to Sunday Night Baseball — the Dodgers have three such games on NBC and streaming on Peacock this season — as well as Sunday leadoff games during the regular season, plus the entire wild card round.

The plan is for Kershaw, Votto, and Rizzo to be pregame analysts for the up to three days of the wild card round. Their schedule of games for the regular season hasn’t been revealed, but in a press release NBC Sports said, “Based upon schedules and availability, the three will appear on select pregame shows leading into regular-season Sunday Night Baseball games on NBC and Peacock, alongside hosts Bob Costas and Ahmed Fareed.”

The first game for NBC Sports will be at Dodger Stadium on March 26, televising the Dodgers’ opening day game against the Diamondbacks on NBC, with streaming on Peacock.