Category: MLB

Over the past few years, the Yankees have coveted a good deal of players from other teams who, despite not possessing star status, had profiles that Brian Cashman and his cohort of front office personnel nonetheless found appealing. Ryan McMahon was one of those players who routinely came up again and again in MLB trade rumors, and time after time, those rumors linked him to the Bronx.

Third base had been a sore spot for the Yankees for a few seasons, and when the hot corner situation reached its nadir last summer, Cashman finally pulled the trigger with a somewhat-limited market for improvement available to him. McMahon was at last a Yankee. One unspectacular half-season later, he enters his first full year in the Bronx with subdued expectations — even on a contract that will pay him $32 million across 2026-27.

Can McMahon finally unlock the full potential of his long-tantalizing toolset? Or will he continue to be a merely cromulent glove-first third baseman?

2025 statistics (total): 154 games, 586 PA, .214/.312/.281 (86 wRC+), 20 HR, 53 RBI, 32.3 K%, 11.9 BB%, 10 Defensive Runs Saved, 6 Outs Above Average, 1.9 fWAR

2025 statistics (with NYY): 54 games, 185 PA, .208/.308/333 (84 wRC+), 4 HR, 18 RBI, 33.5 K%, 11.4 BB%, 7 DRS, 0.6 fWAR

2026 FanGraphs DC projections: 113 games, 490 PA, .211/.304/.371 (91 wRC+), 17 HR, 1.7 fWAR

Once arriving in his new environments, McMahon did exactly what people figured he’d do: provide excellent defense at the hot corner while striking out far too often to be a productive presence at the plate. By the end of the year he was effectively part of a platoon with Amed Rosario, whom the Yankees re-signed this winter. While certainly Rosario is a nice depth add across the board, his return signals that the team is not bursting with confidence that McMahon will take a step forward at the dish.

And entering his age-31 season, there isn’t much reason to think differently. Despite consistently providing solid power numbers and demonstrating above-average plate discipline, McMahon has never posted a wRC+ above 97 in his nine-year MLB career. This is mostly because roughly 30 percent of his over 4,000 career plate appearances have resulted in strikeouts. In fact, McMahon had the highest strikeout rate among all qualified hitters in 2025. The tightrope you have to walk to eat that many K’s and remain productive is unforgiving, and McMahon has never been consistent enough in doing damage with the contact he makes to walk it effectively.

That’s not to say he can’t do damage. McMahon has always run high hard-hit rates and had a 12.1 percent barrel rate in 2025, the highest of his career. Last year also saw a massive jump in the percentage of batted balls that were pulled in the air: up to 17 percent from 11.1 percent. This is an encouraging development, and hints at the possibility that McMahon could become more consistent in reaching the seats with his fly balls if that trend continues into 2026.

But of course, there’s also the platoon stats you have to worry about. McMahon throughout his career has been worse against lefties, but in the normal way—a sizable but not dramatic split. In fact, he actually hit better against lefties in 2024. Last year, though, the gulf widened in the other direction: he managed just a .534 OPS against lefties compared to a .739 OPS against righties. That was the impetus for Rosario taking a bigger chunk of his at-bats versus southpaws down the stretch. Platoon splits can be volatile, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he does a little bit better this season, but if he doesn’t, that timeshare with the returning Rosario will continue.

Thankfully, McMahon remains dependable in the field. While he’s never won a Gold Glove for his work at third base, he made a big late push last year with 7 Defensive Runs Saved in his time with the Yankees alone. He’ll be in the mix to unseat incumbent Maikel Garcia and win the award at the hot corner this year, which will give him a leg up on Rosario—a comparatively poor fielder—in that platoon arrangement. And he’s already produced some spectacular highlights, most notably that Derek Jeter-esque catch in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series last year.

Ultimately, unless McMahon seriously shaves his strikeout stubble, there’ll always be a bit of a five o’clock shadow around his triple slash, so to speak. His defense nonetheless gives him a high floor even when he struggles at the dish—and eighth or ninth place hitters are never expected to challenge for the batting title anyway. We’re not prognosticating an All-Star selection for him, a Gold Glove could be in the offing—and if he can sniff that elusive 100 wRC+ figure, so much the better.

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See more of the Yankees Previews series here.

The St. Louis Cardinals have 4 new nominees for their Hall of Fame and Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina are among them. Brian Jordan and George Hendrick are also on the ballot.

The St. Louis Cardinals made the announcement today of the 2026 Hall of Fame nominees that fans can vote for now through April 17. You can vote here and the players with the most votes will be enshrined on September 12, 2026. Wow. I wonder if Pujols and Molina will make the cut? Yes, that’s the ultimate sarcasm. It’s unfortunate that George Hendrick and Brian Jordan will likely get overlooked in this vote as both players had big impacts on the Cardinals in their era. Henrick was a big impact bat from 1978 through the mid 1980’s. Brian Jordan was a part of the resurgent St. Louis Cardinals teams of the 1990’s and was a vital part of the 1996 team that nearly went to the World Series if not for the collapse against the Atlanta Braves.

At this point in the Romy Gonzalez injury story, we don’t so much have updates as we have a slow reckoning with reality. Gonzalez injured his shoulder in late September and has not been able to participate in baseball activities ever since. Yesterday, he spoke to the media and conceded that he probably won’t be ready to play by Opening day. Which, yeah, duh. He will have another medical check-in next Friday, but he is already anticipating that he still won’t be cleared to swing a bat then, either. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

Marcelo Mayer’s recovery from offseason wrist injury hasn’t gotten much attention. That began to change, though, once games got underway and people started saying, “Uh, hey, where’s Marcelo Mayer?” The answer is he’s in Fort Myers, but the Sox have deliberately slowed his hitting work in order to give the wrist more time to heal and strengthen. But the team has now announced that he’ll make his spring debut on Friday. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)

Willson Contreras is healthy, thankfully, and he’s already playing and hitting bombs in a Red Sox uniform. Let’s home he stays healthy, too, because he’s currently the biggest power threat in the Sox lineup. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

With all of the attention Mayer has received since being drafted fourth overall, fellow middle infield prospect Mikey Romero has flown under the radar a bit. But he’s now in his first big league spring training and he thinks you’re sleeping on him. (Rob Bradford, WEEI)

In fact, you don’t have to work too hard to come with some scenarios where Romero ends up getting more playing time with the big league club this year than just about anyone expects. Alex Cora certainly sounds intrigued by him, and wants to get a good long look at how he does playing second base this spring. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

And speaking of young guys getting a run at second base in spring training, here’s a look at how Kristian Campbell tried to retool his swing this offseason. (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)

Morning, all!

Shawn McFarland is profiling the Rangers top 30 prospects and takes a look at number 29, Braylon Morel, and number 28, Frandel Pineda.

Sebastian Walcott had internal brace surgery on his elbow Mk day and is looking at a 4-6 month rehabilitation.

Walcott observed that you can’t speed up your recovery just by wishing it would happen faster.

Jack Leiter has been experimenting with a cutter this spring in an attempt to be able to offer three fastball variants to hitters.

Leiter says he learned the pitch from Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet over the offseason.

Evan Carter started in left and Wyatt Langford in center in Tuesday’s game against the Diamondbacks, though Schumaker says they will be moving them between those positions to see what works.

Former All Star closer Alexis Diaz threw a scoreless inning yesterday in an attempt to come back from back a 2025 season in which he had an ERA over 8.00 with three different teams.

Jacob Latz is absolutely determined to land a starting role on the Rangers even if the Rangers don’t seem all that enamored with the idea.

As Corey Seager enters his 12th major league season, Buster Olney has him ranked as the 5th best shortstop in the majors.

Kevin Sherrington pens an open letter to Chris Young where he asks if the Rangers really had a culture problem last year or if the just had a crappy offense.

While surfing Baseball Reference’s Frivolities page for unusual uniform number facts, as I do, I came across a “Cup of Coffee” page, listing players who only made one appearance in the majors. Surprisingly, there are only two players who appeared in their sole MLB games as members of the Twins, both pitchers, and one is in recent memory.

The first came in the Twins’ debut season, 12 games into their move away from Washington. Facing the Athletics in Kansas City on April 25, the home team took an early 7-0 lead, knocking starter Ted Sadowski out of the game after 2.2 innings. After Minnesota got two runs back in the top of the fourth, they brought Fred Bruckbauer to the mound.

A New Ulm native who attended the University of Minnesota, Bruckbauer had been signed by the Senators in 1959, receiving a $50,000 signing bonus. Two years later, he debuted for his home-state team… and faced four batters. After allowing three runs on two doubles, a walk, and a single, Bruckbauer was pulled for Chuck Stobbs, who induced a line-drive double play and got out of the inning without allowing any more runs. The Twins ultimately lost the game 20-2, and Bruckbauer never appeared in the majors again, ending his career with an infinite ERA.

Nearly 60 years later, during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the Twins hosted the Cincinnati Reds on September 25. Down 4-2 entering the ninth, Minnesota called on Edwar Colina to hold the lead. The Venezuelan righty had been signed to the organization in 2015, finally cracking the big league bullpen nearly five years to the day later. Wearing #86, the first Twin (and fourth major leaguer, all in 2020) to do so, Colina’s outing and career lasted 24 pitches, the second of which Mike Moustakas clubbed over the right field fence. Colina’s next five batters consisted of two walks and three singles, and after Nick Castellanos grounded into a force at home, Colina was pulled for Jorge Alcala. He failed to crack the roster the following season (after a number switch to #52) and was eventually waived, claimed by the Rangers that October. Even with a new organization, he never made it back to the bigs.

We should remember that although Bruckbauer’s and Colina’s careers were short, they still worked hard enough and had enough pitching talent to make it to the majors in the first place. They may not have been great major league pitchers, but they were great pitchers, and they should not be disparaged for lasting a total of one-third of an inning.

It’s currently spring training. Some players getting a chance to play on the field with established major leaguers may never crack the big club’s roster. But even if they don’t make it — and of course, making it is the goal of every one of them — they have already achieved so much by getting this chance.

Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor is close to ramping up his activity following surgery for a stress reaction in his left hamate bone.

Lindor, who had the surgery two weeks ago, recently got his stitches out and is roughly two-to-three days away from being cleared to start doing some "impact" activities, manager Carlos Mendoza said on Wednesday.

The expectation from the Mets all along has been that Lindor will be ready for Opening Day on March 26.

Speaking on Feb. 15, Lindor said he was "optimistic" he would be back by then.

While Lindor has been unable to swing a bat or field grounders since his surgery, he has been a constant presence at spring training, often on the dirt for infield drills he can't fully participate in just yet.

SNY spoke with a sports surgeon earlier this month about Lindor's injury, timeline to return (expected to be roughly six weeks from the surgery), and the potential impact the surgery might have on his power upon his return. 

"The hamate is a bone of the wrist that has a small hook on it. The hook is a weak point, susceptible to fracture from either getting hit directly or from repetitive stress," said Deepak Chona, MD, a Stanford and Harvard-trained orthopedic sports surgeon and founder of SportsMedAnalytics. "In Lindor’s case, it's a stress injury, which means it’s likely been developing for some time from the repetitive motion of the bat against that portion of his hand. Surgical treatment involves cutting out the fractured hook, and carries high success rates."

Chona noted that Lindor's six-week timeline is "likely very realistic," adding that the performance outlook upon his return is "favorable, with data demonstrating no significant change in WAR or power after surgery." 

As far as the power aspect?

"Most likely, this timing correlates with the recovery of grip strength and control of the bat," Chona said. "This dips after surgery (1) because of the generalized trauma/swelling to the muscles of the hand and (2) because the part of the bone (called the hook of the hamate) that they cut out to treat the fracture is involved in generating grip force as well."

One thing that could favor Lindor is that he's a switch-hitter who is having surgery on the hand that is dominant when he hits right-handed. That could be especially important for Lindor when you consider that he'll be hitting left-handed far more often, and that the majority of his home run power comes from the left side. Just seven of Lindor's 24 home runs in 2025 came from the right side of the plate, and his OPS as a lefty was nearly .200 points higher than it was as a righty.

"The area near the hamate sees greater force on a left hand when batting right-handed, so it’s possible – if not likely – that Lindor being a switch hitter may help him bounce back faster than other batters," Chona said.

"Limited data exists, but we’d anticipate a greater effect when he bats right-handed early on in the recovery. By one-to-two months post-return, most data suggests he’d be near his baseline level from both sides of the plate."

In the event Lindor is not ready for Opening Day, Ronny Mauricio and Vidal Brujan could be among the options to fill in.

This time last year, A.J. Ewingwas a prospect who was considered to have some upside but ended up ranking just outside of the top 30 prospects in the Mets' system. A year later, Ewing is a consensus top 100 prospect in the sport, ranking as high as No. 28 in baseball by ESPN.

Ewing gave a glimpse into his game during the Mets' first spring training game in Port St. Lucie when he showed off his range, going back on one fly ball and into the gap on another, seemingly with ease. His above-average arm also flashed when he threw a runner out at third trying to advance from second. He also worked a professional at-bat late in the game, resulting in a sacrifice fly for the only run the Mets scored in the game. 

His performance in that game and thus far this spring has caught the eye of Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. 

"There’s a lot to like there," Mendoza said. "And the defense, he made a couple of good plays, good jumps. His ability to give a good at bat, I have been really encouraged so far."

The Mets selected Ewing in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Springboro High School in Ohio with the compensatory pick they received when Jacob deGrom signed with the Rangers. Ewing was signed away from a commitment to the University of Alabama with an over slot bonus of $675,000. He posted a .751 OPS in 90 games split between the Florida Complex League and Low-A St. Lucie in his first full professional season in 2024.

Heading into 2025, the Mets assigned Ewing to repeat Low-A St. Lucie. 

"I told A.J. towards the end of spring training, 'Hey, you’re going back to PSL to start," Mets senior vice president of baseball development Andy Green told SNY’s The Mets Pod. Ewing’s response to Green: "That’s OK, I will be in Brooklyn by the end of the month."

Ewing’s proclamation came true, as he slashed .400/.506/.615 in 18 games with Low-A St. Lucie and was promoted to High-A Brooklyn before the end of April, making his Brooklyn debut on April 29.

Growing up in Ohio, Ewing exclusively played in the infield, mostly shortstop, but the Mets believed his raw athleticism would translate to the outfield as a professional. 

While it is expected that Ewing will continue to maintain versatility in the dirt playing second base, the focus for both him and the organization is going to be on working to become an elite defensive center fielder.

"He has all the athleticism to play center field at an elite level," Green said. "He has work to do to get to that level, but he has everything you look for." 

He made significant strides defensively in 2025, mostly based on his plus speed. The next step, according to Mets people, will be improving his routes and jumps. Those typically come with experience and reps. Ewing has appeared in just 132 games in center field in his life. 

When asked what his goals were to take the next step in his development in 2026, the first words out of Ewing’s mouth were about defense: "I think it’s the defensive part. I play a premium position in center field, and I think there’s a lot of value in that if I can become elite out there."

The success offensively carried over to Brooklyn, where he slashed .288/.387/.388 with 16 doubles, four triples and 44 stolen bases in 78 games before being promoted to Double-A Binghamton, which was the third minor league level he played at in 2025.

Ewing played a key role in Binghamton’s run to winning the Eastern League Championship. The interesting dichotomy in minor league baseball and player development is that players inherently must focus on self-improvement, but winning games is also important.

"Winning that (the Eastern League Championship) was awesome," Ewing said. "It creates a winning culture with us as teammates and we are friends in the clubhouse. It is about development, but you want to win because winning is what matters."

Ewing’s final 2025 season line was .315/.401/.429 with 26 doubles, 10 triples, three home runs, 55 runs batted in and 70 stolen bases in 124 games.

What may stand out is that he hit just three home runs in those 124 games. Especially in a time when there is focus on max exit velocities and home run power, that is not an emphasis on Ewing’s game.

"It is line drives all over the field," Green said. "It’s quality at-bats, and there are not a lot of players in professional baseball capable of stealing 70 bases. You’re talking about a guy who can get on base at the level he can, defend the field and steal bases, power doesn’t have to exist, but we do believe he has the attributes that eventually lead to power."

Even if home run power does not end up being a large part of his game, Ewing does show ability to impact the baseball with line drives and has shown above average exit velocities. He combines this with at least above average bat-to-ball skills and swing decisions.

Ewing is likely to start 2026 with Double-A Binghamton at just 21 years old, which will put him three years younger than the average pitcher he will face in the league. If he picks up where he left off in 2025, he should find himself in Triple-A in 2026, where he’d be nearly six years younger than the average pitcher in the International League and then just a call away from the big leagues.

He is an above-average defensive center fielder right now with the traits to be even better. He looks the part of a table-setter who hits for average and gets on base while causing havoc on the basepaths as a nearly elite baserunner.

Ewing has a chance to be a complete player who could be considered among the best prospects in baseball in the next few months.

The sports corruption trial of former Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz and recently arraigned co-defendant Robinson Vasquez Germosen remains scheduled for May 4, but legal maneuvers involving the receipt of discovery from the Department of Justice could delay it. If a magistrate grants either Ortiz or Vasquez their request for more time to prepare defenses, that could also push back the date.

Whenever the trial commences, it figures to be an adversarial proceeding, with Ortiz’s attorneys, who have sought a separate trial, contending that they will call one of Clase’s attorneys as a witness. They will also deny that Ortiz knew anything about what the government alleges: that the pitchers conspired to alter the location or speed of numerous pitches to allow gamblers to win prop bets on them.

Ortiz asking for a severed trial centers around his contention that as a late addition to a Clase’s gambling scheme that spanned parts of three seasons — he’s alleged to have rigged pitches for gamblers in two games from May through June last season — his involvement would be unfairly equated with Clase’s. Federal prosecutors claim Clase, who recruited Ortiz and communicated with gamblers about their alleged activities, is accused of attempting to rig pitches on far more occasions, upward of 48 from 2023-25 that have been alleged in court filings so far.

Ortiz (on right in above photo) and Clase (on left) are each charged with four counts: wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sports betting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy. Both pitchers pleaded not guilty. Vasquez is charged with one count of wire fraud conspiracy.

A fourth co-defendant has not been named.

Gamblers allegedly won as much as $58,000 on some of the 19 documented Clase pitches in question, including $4,000 on one in Game 1 of the 2024 American League Division Series against Detroit. Clase bounced his first pitch of the ninth inning to Matt Vierling, but retired the side in order to close out a 7-0 victory. Cleveland won the series in five games.

Every Emmanuel Clase pitch from Game 1 of the 2024 ALDS against Detroit, where he is alleged to have thrown a rigged pitch https://t.co/BAVvBpDdq8pic.twitter.com/3l5FYW9LGS

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) February 13, 2026

Potential Clase-Ortiz trial conflicts

Documents filed by attorneys for Ortiz, Clase, and federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY) reveal potential adversarial defense strategies. Clase’s attorneys filed paperwork supporting Ortiz’s request, citing their client’s desire for a May 4 trial.

Clase continues to favor that date, because an exoneration would allow him to receive his scheduled $6.4 million salary for the 2026 MLB season, according to his attorneys. Both Clase and Ortiz remain on paid administrative leave through an agreement by MLB and the players’ union.

Vasquez’s attorneys contend that they won’t be adequately prepared for trial before September. Ortiz’s attorneys filed documents contending that they are “unavailable” in October, but could begin a defense on Nov. 9.

Federal prosecutors oppose splitting the cases.

Revelations of potential conflicting defenses from these filings include:

Defense strategy

• Ortiz now claims that he didn’t actually participate in a gambling scheme knowingly and was an unwitting, non-complicit victim. His attorneys claim that Clase used scouting reports and casual conversations with his teammate to anticipate Ortiz’s strategies, which Clase then relayed to gamblers.
• Clase is expected to argue that no inside information was shared, refuting federal prosecutors’ allegations that the ring used code words like “chicken” and “rooster” to communicate the pitchers’ intentions.

Contradictions

• Ortiz will contend that a conspiracy existed, but that he wasn’t a part of it.
• Clase will contend there was no conspiracy.
• A jury accepting one premise would in theory hurt the other, although federal prosecutors said in a response to Ortiz’s severance request: “If Clase shared the information without Ortiz’s knowledge and without paying Ortiz a kickback, a jury could conclude that Clase was not involved in a conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, because the pitcher (Ortiz) was not bribed.”
• Ortiz must explain the $5,000 and $7,000 payments that the government alleges were made to him after he supposedly rigged pitches on June 15, 2025 and June 27, 2025. If he concedes that they were payments for acts he didn’t agree to commit, he would still incriminate Clase as the cog of a conspiracy.
• Ortiz’s lawyers told the EDNY before he was indicted that he had not communicated with Clase during either the June 15 or June 27 games. Now Ortiz contends that he shared information with Clase before those games, but without any inclination that it would be used to make prop bets. This flip is potentially damaging to both, because it implicates Clase in a conspiracy.
• Ortiz’s attorneys have indicated they plan to call one of Clase’s attorneys to impeach a witness, Bettor 1, that implicated Clase in the scheme.

Ultimately, federal prosecutors argue that the Ortiz and Clase defenses are not legally “mutually antagonistic” and therefore they can be tried fairly at the same time. From the response to Ortiz’s request to sever: “Critically, Ortiz is incorrect that a determination that Ortiz did not participate in the conspiracy mandates a finding that Clase did … In short, Ortiz’s proffered defenses do not constitute ‘mutual’ antagonism.”

ClasersponsetosevererequestOrtiz-1

Happy Wednesday, A’s fans.

There is no Athletics baseball today, as the team has a day off to right the ship and regroup. The A’s have been outscored 33-4 through their first four spring games — all losses by sizable margins. Last season, the A’s offense was one of the best in the league, yet this year they have not scored in half their games and have yet to hit a home run.

That said, it is far too early to panic. It is still February, and spring training results are always taken with a grain of salt. Starting position players only play half the game if at all before sitting to let the youngsters play. The pitching staffs are like turnstiles with new pitchers entering the game every inning to showcase their abilities against opposing hitters. Those factors make this part of the MLB calendar a more relaxing atmosphere for players and spectators alike.

However, that does not mean teams and fans cannot evaluate players during preseason action to see who has improved over the offseason and who looks ready for Opening Day. For instance, has a pitcher decided to use a new pitch and if so, how does it look against hitters? Pitching will be the focus of camp. The offense is strong, but the staff must improve for the team to take the next step. So far, the A’s have not had many positive pitching performances aside from J.T. Ginn and Luis Severino’s stellar spring debuts against the San Francisco Giants and Cleveland Guardians.

At the moment, the A’s offense is lagging behind, but that could be due to the likes of Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom needing to get their timing back and shake off any offseason rust. Fortunately, the A’s have nearly a full month of spring training remaining to sort out any kinks, get the offense rolling and prepare for what they hope will be a successful 2026 campaign.

A’s Coverage:

• Athletics Drop Fourth Straight Spring Contest, Fall To Brewers 10-0
• Prospect Wei-En Lin Making an Impression at A’s Spring Training
• 1st results for Ginn’s new windup? 3 K’s over 2 perfect frames
• A’s Make First Cut of Camp
• A’s Top Pitching Prospect Jamie Arnold Set to Debut Later This Week
• Circa Las Vegas bringing in A’s legend for baseball opening day festitivies
• A’s spending on $2B Vegas stadium passes $300m mark, is Fisher’s folly really happening?
• Bob Melvin opens up: A Giants firing, an A’s hiring, and what comes next
• Athletics Community Prospect List: Morii Voted As 17th-Best
• Athletics Drop Third Straight Spring Contest, Fall To Giants 6-2
• Athletics Drop Second Spring Contest, Fall To Guardians 6-0
• A’s Drop Spring Opener To White Sox 11-2
• Meaningless Stats Begin Today!
• See you later, soda: A’s Perkins ditches sugar for science
• Can The A’s Young Core Turn Defense Into a Strength?
• Pesky Drawback Of “Closer By Committee” (It Never Really Works)
• Can Kurtz get his glove to match his monster bat?
• Zack Gelof: Outfielder?
• “Relievers Are Volatile”… But Why?
• Are The Final Two Rotation Spots Really Up For Grabs?
• Story Lines To Watch As Spring Training Unfolds

MLB News and Interest:

• Tarik Skubal Explains Role on USA’s 2026 WBC Roster
• Angels Players ‘Took Notice’ of Arte Moreno’s Remarks About Winning, Fans, MLBPA Director Says
• Ex-MLB Player Dan Serafini Called a ‘Liar’ and ‘Manipulator’ by Judge as His Bid for New Murder Trial Is Denied
• Braves sign Chris Sale to one-year contract extension with option for 2028 season
• Braves launching own network to air 140 games
• Guardians reportedly sign first baseman Rhys Hoskins to minor league pact
• Twins’ starter Joe Ryan has lower back inflammation
• Red Sox interested in left-handed bullpen depth
• 2 for 1! MLB’s top prospect clears Monster twice for 1st spring HRs
• Cardinals sign veteran infielder Ramon Urias to major league deal for 2026
• Ron DeSantis, Florida cabinet approve land for Rays ballpark
• Yankees’ Gerrit Cole reaches 96.9 MPH in 1st session versus hitters
• Freddie Freeman hopes to retire with Dodgers
• Honus Wagner card sells for $5.124 million, third-largest for T206 Wagner card
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X

Not a great day at the office for the A’s yesterday.

A’S TODAY (2/24)
CF Marlowe: 1-1
RF Perez: 1-2
SS Wilson: 1-2
DH Kurtz: 1-3
LF Soderstrom: 1-3
RHP Barnett: 2 IP/3 H/2 ER/0 BB/2 K/Loss
RHP Sterner: 0.2 IP/1 H/2 ER/1 BB/2 K
RHP Beers: 0.1 IP/1 H/1 ER/ 1 BB/0 K
RHP Barlow: 1 IP/3 H/2 ER/0 BB/0 K
A’s lose 10-0

— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) February 24, 2026

Jamie Arnold will make his A’s debut on Friday. Can he quickly ascend to the Majors like Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson did or will the left-hander need more time to develop in the minor leagues?

POV: Jamie Arnold just clinched a playoff spot for the A’s ⏳ https://t.co/ITVH81nhMLpic.twitter.com/VJ8jVetcXb

— SleeperAthletics (@SleeperAth) February 24, 2026

Luis Severino is one of many A’s players representing their countries in the World Baseball Classic, which starts March 5. He will toe the rubber for the Dominican Republic when they play Netherlands.

Estos serán los abridores de República Dominicana para la primera ronda del World Baseball Classic 2026, según anunció el dirigente Albert Pujols:

Cristopher Sánchez vs. Nicaragua
Luis Severino vs. Países Bajos
Brayan Bello vs. Israel
Sandy Alcántara vs. Venezuela pic.twitter.com/WKHPLBsYT8

— MLB Español (@mlbespanol) February 24, 2026

After four consecutive years of running out of starting pitchers in October, the Dodgers last year saw the other side of that coin, with all of their top four starters healthy and thriving during the postseason.

There isn’t one cheat code to win in October — after all, the Dodgers had three-ish starting pitchers healthy in 2024 but rode a strong bullpen and monstrous offense to a championship anyway. In 2025, the postseason bullpen and the offense was functional but not dynamic, but they had Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Shohei Ohtani make all 17 starts. Then all four starters pitched in Game 7 of the World Series to close it out.

Glasnow makes his first start this spring on Thursday against the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch, coming off of a regular season that saw him make 18 starts and 90 1/3 innings. The last three seasons have the top three start totals of his career — 21 starts in 2023, 22 in 2024, before 18 last year, averaging 114 2/3 innings during those three seasons.

Snell might not be ready to start the regular season, but the Dodgers will likely be conservative in making sure he’s fully ready before joining the rotation. That’s how they treated the shoulder-related stints on the injured list for both Snell and Glasnow last season.

Ohtani during his three full two-way seasons with the Angels (2021-23) started 23, 28, and 23 games, the latter cut short in August with the elbow injury that led to his second career Tommy John surgery. This spring, his pitching build up will be on the back fields both in spring training and at least through his time with Japan in the World Baseball Classic. We saw last year as Ohtani was eased into the rotation, the Dodgers are comfortable with having their extra 14th pitcher start games even if he’s not fully stretched out, as they’ll usually have a full complement of bullpen arms to back him.

We noted earlier in February how the Dodgers will surely use several other starting pitchers this season. But for now let’s focus on the big four. Yamamoto, Snell, Glasnow, and Ohtani during last regular season combined to make 73 starts, less than half of the season.

Today’s question is how many regular season starts will Yamamoto, Snell, Glasnow, and Ohtani make in 2026?

With Shane McClanahan hopefully returning to the rotation for the first time in two seasons, the Rays will need to manage his workload carefully to ensure he’s healthy for October – both this year and beyond. The goal isn’t necessarily to restrict or limit him, but to preserve his health while also allowing him to provide value in a structured way.

The most effective way to do that while maximizing overall rotation performance may be to abandon the traditional five-man model altogether.

Optimizing Performance

Below I’ve listed wOBA-against for starting pitchers by the number of days between starts for the league across the last decade including the postseason. For instance, two days since a pitchers most recent start would mean they had one day of rest (Player A pitched on a Monday, rested on Tuesday, and then pitched again on Wednesday):

Number of Days Rest Between Starts	wOBA-against
1 Day	.338
2 Days	.325
3 Days	.326
4 Days (Traditional 5-man rotation)	.319
5 Days (Proposed 5.5-man rotation)	.316
6 Days	.321
7 Days	.318
8 Days	.321

Two points of wOBA is worth roughly one run per 600 plate appearances. Over 3,600 batters (about what a rotation faces in a season), a three-point improvement translates to roughly nine runs, or about one to two wins. Of course, with off-days, rainouts, injuries, etc. not every start in a season will be made with five days between starts, but there’s still a clear benefit to aiming for that amount of rest. A one-win edge may seem marginal, but teams routinely spend millions of dollars in free agency to gain that same advantage. While these are marginal performance gains, the primary benefit would be sustainable usage/workloads and – as a byproduct of that – possibly reduced injury risk.

A six-man rotation would also maximize the number of starts made on five days of rest. However, it can limit bullpen flexibility unless there are multiple, optionable multi-inning relievers available on the 40-man. Unlike a six-man rotation, this approach intentionally caps McClanahan’s workload per outing while maintaining five traditional starters.

What a Rays 5.5-Man Rotation Could Look like

The deepest area of the roster may be the starting pitching group. They’ve got 10 guys on the 40-man roster who could realistically start games in the majors this season:

Established Starters

• Drew Rasmussen
• Ryan Pepiot
• Nick Martinez

Workload Management

• Shane McClanahan
• Steven Matz

Bulk/Piggyback/Flexible Pitchers

• Joe Boyle
• Ian Seymour
• Yoendrys Gomez
• Mason Englert
• Jesse Scholtens

Among this group, Rasmussen, Pepiot, and Martinez are all guys who will likely start without many limitations. The rest will have limitations in some capacity due to a variety of factors (recovery from injury, previous season’s workload, strike throwing consistency) but are still valuable in bulk and starting roles. Any shift away from the traditional five-day cycle would require buy-in from pitchers accustomed to routine.

There are also a handful of guys not on the 40-man roster who are capable of pitching in bulk and starter roles if needed: Chase Solesky, Jake Woodford (who we recently profiled), and Logan Workman.

The health of the group coming out of spring training will largely determine who is on the Opening Day roster. If the Rays were to go with a 5.5-man rotation, they would carry six pitchers from this group. The obvious counterargument is that it would shorten bullpen depth. However, if they carried a seventh pitcher capable of 3-4 inning outings in tandem with the “half” starter, they could avoid overusing their short-relief options. Those innings would be planned and assigned to designated multi-inning arms, rather than spread across high-leverage relievers. Boyle, Seymour, Englert, and Scholtens all have options, so they could easily rotate in and out of that role throughout the season to help keep the bullpen fresh.

Below is an example of what it could look like in practice.

The exact names at the back of the rotation and in the bullpen are less important than the conceptual part of how this could all fit together. The greatest area of depth (and possibly the roster’s greatest strength) on the roster is their starting pitching/bulk options, so why not leverage that in a creative way to get the most out of the pitching staff as a whole? The swingman in the bullpen would primarily be used in combination with the half-starter but could be deployed in tandem with another starter depending on the context of a game.

• SP: Drew Rasmussen
• SP: Ryan Pepiot
• SP: Nick Martinez
• SP: Yoendrys Gomez
• SP: Joe Boyle
• Half-starter: Shane McClanahan
• Bulk/swingman: Steven Matz
• RP: Griffin Jax
• RP: Edwin Uceta
• RP: Garrett Cleavinger
• RP: Bryan Baker
• RP: Hunter Bigge
• RP: Steven Wilson

A 5.5-man rotation wouldn’t be a gimmick. It would be a structural hedge against injury and fatigue through workload management – and a way to ensure McClanahan is at full strength when the games matter most.

The Rays have long embraced incremental edges, even when they challenge convention. This would simply extend a philosophy that has already produced openers, bulk relievers, and fluid roles.

The Kansas City Royals enter the 2026 season with a problem that has plagued them for the last few seasons; they are looking for a solution at leadoff hitter. The Royals have not had an above-average offensive campaign from their leadoff hitter since the COVID-shortened 2020 season. The team attempted to address this issue last season with the addition of Jonathan India, but he had a disappointing first year at Kauffman Stadium. Mike Yastrzemski ended up being a good option, at least against right-handed pitching, for the Royals last season, but Yaz is now a member of the Atlanta Braves.

Matt Quatraro has a few options, and we have seen three different choices at the top of the lineup in the first five games of the season. Let’s take a way too early look at the candidates to see what we can glean about who the Royals will end up choosing to start the season as the leadoff hitter:

The Early Leader: Maikel Garcia

Maikel Garcia appears to be in the pole position for this role, as he has hit leadoff in three of the first five Spring Training contests. Garcia is coming off his best year at the plate, posting a .286/.351/.449 slash line in 2025. The third baseman has a lot of skills that you like to see in a table setter. He rarely chases at bad pitches and is willing to draw a walk. He makes a lot of contact and is willing to shorten up and flatten out his swing with two strikes. He has some power, but you aren’t expecting him to hit 40 home runs in a season; you aren’t squandering someone who can drive in a lot of runs. He is also a good baserunner and can steal a base if you need it. If you subscribe to the theory that your best three hitters should hit in spots 1, 2, and 4 in the lineup in some order, then Garcia makes sense in the leadoff position, as he was the teams second best hitter in 2025.

There are a lot of reasons to like Garcia in the leadoff spot, but I will admit I am a bit apprehensive about Garcia in that role, and it’s more emotion-based than logic-based. The third baseman had 467 plate appearances at the top of the lineup in 2024 and had a terrible offensive year. He hit 27% below league-average out of the leadoff spot that year and generally had a miserable offensive campaign. Garcia has made a lot of progress as a hitter since 2024, and it doesn’t seem logical that putting him back in the leadoff spot will make him regress to his 2024 offensive level. He has a leadoff hitter’s approach at the plate, and there isn’t any glaring reason I can see why he would only struggle at the top of the order. If he does start the season as the primary leadoff hitter and starts to struggle, the calls to remove him will come quickly.

The Embattled Incumbent: Jonathan India

Jonathan India was brought in from the Cincinnati Reds last season in a trade for Brady Singer to accomplish one main purpose: get on base in front of Bobby Witt Jr. India’s 2025 campaign was not as disastrous as Garcia’s 2024 campaign, but it was still below league average and not acceptable from a top-of-the-order bat. There are good reasons to be optimistic about the second baseman having a bounce-back season at the plate; I wrote an article about those reasons earlier in the offseason. He still has an elite approach at the plate, doesn’t swing at bad pitches, and makes plenty of contact. The ingredients for a good leadoff hitter are still present; India and the Royals’ hitting staff just need to help him unlock it.

The Royals may be hesitant to put India right back at the top of the order after watching him struggle in his first season in Kansas City. The former Florida Gator had a lot on his plate last season: moving to a new city and team, learning a new position while hitting leadoff for a team with expectations of success. The Royals have tried to set him up better for success in 2026. The team is ending the India to the outfield experiment and is planning on him being their second baseman this year. He now has one year under his belt with the Royals, and the fences moving in should help make Kauffman Stadium a less intimidating park to hit in. India even cut his hair, and we all hope that it will have a reverse Samson effect for the infielder. India will likely get some plate appearances at the top of the order and could theoretically win the job with a monster spring, but right now it seems more likely that he will hit in the lower part of the order in order to give the Royals lineup some length.

The New Guy: Isaac Collins

Isaac Collins appeared in a Spring Training game for the first time on Tuesday, and Quatraro had the outfielder hit at the top of the batting order. Neither India nor Garcia were in the starting lineup, which left Collins as the logical choice for that slot. Collins went 0-3 with two strikeouts before being removed for Carson Roccaforte, so obviously, he’s going to be a bust, and we should just cut him now.

Collins, like India and Garcia, has the prototypical approach of a leadoff man. He is patient at the plate, sporting a .368 OBP in his first season in the big leagues. He rarely swings at pitches outside the strike zone and has an above-average contact rate. Collins is also a switch-hitter, which would help with lineup balance and give the Royals the platoon advantage to start every game. The outfielder mostly hit towards the bottom of the Milwaukee Brewers lineup last year, hitting leadoff only twice. It would be quite the vote of confidence in Collins to install the second-year player right at the top of the order. I wonder if India’s struggles moving teams last season will make the Royals want to put less pressure on Collins right away; hitting towards the bottom of the order would be a slower onboarding process. Still, it will be interesting to see if Collins keeps hitting at the top of the order even when sharing a lineup with India or Witt.

Wildcard Options

Bobby Witt Jr is a great hitter and would be a great leadoff hitter. He previously stated that his preference is not to leadoff, but told Anne Rogers that he is willing to do “whatever the team needs.” Witt has the #2 slot locked down; the No. 2 hitter is generally the best hitter on the team, and Witt is definitely the best hitter on the Royals. So I would be very surprised to see him move out of that spot.

Carter Jensen looked great as a rookie at the plate and definitely has the approach of a great leadoff hitter. He likely wouldn’t get you as many steals as Garcia would, but Kyle Schwarber was a great leadoff hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies last season, reminding us that there is more than one way to be a successful top-of-the-order bat. Jensen will have a lot on his plate as a rookie catcher, and pitchers will adjust in how they pitch to him now that he’s shown some initial success. It would be an extreme vote of confidence to put Jensen in the first slot in the order, one that feels just a little too aggressive even for those who are bullish on his future

Vinnie Pasquantino clearly adjusts his approach based on where he hits in the lineup and what he understands his role to be. Hitting leadoff might bring out the best version of the first baseman as a hitter; he would likely take more pitches and draw more walks than he would as a heart of the order bat. I highly doubt the Royals have seriously considered moving him up, and I highly doubt that Pasquantino would want to move from his middle of the lineup spot.

Are there any options that I missed? Who do you think should get the first crack at the top of the Royals order? Let us know in the comments.

2. Ethan Holliday (554 points, 19 ballots)

Ethan Holliday is a name that has been well-known to Rockies fans for a long time, if only from the connection to his father, Rockies great Matt — not to mention his brother, 2022 number one overall pick Jackson. Those connections made it extremely likely the Rockies would call Ethan’s name on draft day if he were available at pick number four, but the 6’4”, 19-year-old (as of this week) lefty-hitting shortstop from Oklahoma is much more than just a famous name.

Holliday was the number four pick and received a record (for a high schooler) $9 million signing bonus because he has plus raw power that should translate into games and good pitch selection while playing a premium defensive position very well. Scouts are concerned that Holliday’s size might limit his range at shortstop in the long-term as well as the swing-and-miss in Holliday’s game that accompanies his long, powerful swing.

Scouts are also concerned that Holliday wasn’t more of an elite performer in the summer showcase circuit where many highly regarded prospects travel to play each other. In high school though, Holliday was monster, hitting .611/.743/1.295, a cartoonish 2.038 OPS, with 19 homers and 64 RBI. He was named the Gatorade Oklahoma Baseball Player of the Year and Baseball America’s High School Player of the Year. In both of those awards, he beat out number one overall pick and fellow Oklahoma prep shortstop Eli Willits.

As a pro, Holliday was assigned to Low-A Fresno, where he was 3.2 years younger than league average. In 84 plate appearances (all against older pitchers), Holliday hit .239/.357/.380 with two homers and four doubles (an above average 108 wRC+) with four errors in 17 games at shortstop. It’s a small sample size, but Holliday struck out in a worrying 39% of his plate appearances, though he did also walk in 14% of them.

Skyler Timmins of Purple Row broke down Holliday’s professional debut season last September.

Here’s some pre-draft video of Holliday at a Perfect Game showcase last year with looks at him taking grounders and batting practice:

MLB Pipeline ranked Holliday as their top draft prospect and earlier this year listed him 24th overall as a 55 FV player with a 65 power grade and a 50 or better on the other tools:

Holliday might have as much raw and usable power as anyone from the class of ‘25. When at his best, the 6-foot-4 left-handed hitter can get to it without a ton of effort. He already has strength, bat speed and leverage in his swing while continuing to add physicality to his frame. Worries about swing-and-miss cropped up when he was on the summer showcase circuit, and he expanded the zone too much, and there were a lot of whiffs during his brief pro debut, but he has the chance to be a solid all-around hitter with big home run totals. 

A shortstop in high school like his brother, Holliday is agile for his size with average speed. His arm works from the position, and he has decent actions, but he’s unlikely going to be able to stay there because of his range. A move to third base would make the most sense, where his power-hitting profile should fit well.

Keith Law of the Athletic (who ranked Holliday atop his draft rankings) put Holliday first in the system and 39th overall in MLB earlier this month:

Holliday was the No. 4 pick in the 2025 draft and probably the most famous name selected, thanks to his dad, his brother Jackson and years of hype around Ethan’s easy power and potential to be more of an impact hitter than Jackson. He’s a shortstop now, with really good hands and a plus arm, but he has no chance to stay there given his size and lack of lateral range, with third base the best-case scenario and right field a realistic outcome.

As a hitter, he has plenty of bat speed and the raw power is probably a 70, but last spring, he seemed to be trying too hard to launch the ball to his pull side, so his front side was flying open and he had a hole on the outer third as a result. Holliday struggled mightily in his pro debut, as the Rockies sent him to Low A and he struck out 33 times in 84 PA (39.3 percent), even having trouble against good fastballs and looking stiffer and slower in the box. While that doesn’t undo everything he did before the draft, it’s very concerning for someone picked that high, and at the very least, he’s going to need more time to develop than the typical high school hitter taken in the top few picks of any draft class. He knows the strike zone well, and even in that stint in Low A didn’t chase pitches out of the zone excessively (25 percent overall, 16 percent on pitches well out of the zone), consistent with what he showed as an amateur.

I had Holliday ranked at the top of the 2025 draft class, which was a weak one at its uppermost echelon, based on the 30-homer upside and good instincts all around, but the near-universal sentiment after his pro debut is that he’s a much higher-risk prospect than it seemed a year ago.

FanGraphs ranked Holliday 47th overall as a 50 FV player earlier this month after slotting him as number two among draft prospects with a 70 future raw power, a 60 future game power and arm grade, and a 55 on his pitch selection:

Holliday has absurd raw power and a long swing that has limited his ability to make consistent contact. He might need an adjustment to break out, and he has 40-homer ceiling if he does.

Holliday’s physicality stands out immediately. Four inches taller and a few dozen pounds of muscle bigger than his brother, Ethan has the strength and the build of a player in his mid-20s. He’s no stiff either, a fluid mover who should be just fine at third base given time and reps (he has played shortstop thus far but likely won’t stick there). He has a fast bat and there’s loft in the path, which feeds the immense power projection listed above. He even shows a little feel for manipulating the bat head and using the whole field.

But while Holliday hammers the ball when he does connect, it’s the lack of contact that looks most worrisome here. His numbers weren’t particularly good on the showcase circuit, and anybody who hoped that a cameo at Low-A would render that moot will have to keep waiting: Holliday’s .239/.357/.380 line in 18 games at Fresno is more than fine on its own, but 33 strikeouts in 84 plate appearances suggests that there’s a long path ahead. Speaking of long paths: Holliday’s bat travels a considerable distance from the time his hands get going. He has a long and deep load with a hand loop, and then long levers on top of that. Once he starts, there’s real venom in the swing, but right now pitchers are throwing pedestrian velo right past him.

Holliday will likely need to make an adjustment, either to the length of his path or in his load; in his current form, he just looks too vulnerable to velocity. The bet here is that Holliday finds a way to make it work. He’s so strong and talented in other ways in the box that we’re in on him as a potential star, even with red flags lurking. Consider this grade more of a reflection on his upside than our conviction in his likelihood to reach it.

Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com (who ranked Holliday second among draft prospects) rated Holliday in January as a 50 FV player, 66th overall in MLB and tops in the system:

Type: A polarizing player who could be an All-Star or not hit much at all

Some teams/scouts/readers didn’t look past Ethan Holliday’s solid glove, 65-grade power, pretty swing, and last name and penciled him in at No. 1 on their board. Other teams told me his profile “terrified” them and didn’t have him in the mix for their picks in the top 10.

With the amount of information we have on every top draftee and the similarity of most teams’ analytical models, this isn’t common at all. I wrote about this multiple times and more in depth, but the short version is Holliday didn’t hit well in the summer against top pitching then fixed a swing flaw but didn’t face good pitching after it. Teams don’t like having to take performance against good pitching on faith while some others are fine if the other pieces of the puzzle are present.

After signing, Holliday posted a 39% strikeout rate in 18 games, which is a small sample but also is what the analytical teams would tell you is the risk of ignoring his summer performance. If Holliday follows the path he did last year, he’ll dial in his mechanics to adjust for velocity at this new level — this is something Braves star Austin Riley once told me he had to do at each level of the minors — and hit in 2026 like he did in 2025, but the velocity he faces will be much better than high school ball in Oklahoma. As such, Holliday could either be a top-10 prospect in the sport or not in the top 200 quite easily at this time next year.

Holliday has a superstar ceiling, combining raw power, strike zone control, and defense at a premium position (he’s probably going to end up as the long-term starter at third base, but he can still play shortstop). That defensive utility is a big point in his favor vs. top PuRP Charlie Condon and was one of the reasons I ranked Holliday atop my personal list as a 55 Future Value player.

Much is expected of Holliday by fans and scouts — let’s see if he can pass the trials to come as he ascends the minor league ladder. It’s less certain than it seemed at draft time, but I’m optimistic. Holliday will likely be sent back to Fresno to begin 2026 along with fellow PuRP shortstop Ashly Andujar, where strong results could bring a bump up to High-A by the end of the season. If he’s more like his brother Jackson, Ethan could move through the system in two years, though I’m expecting a MLB debut more in late 2028 or 2029.

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Good morning everyone!

In case you missed it, the Mariners played a typically wild spring training game against the White Sox yesterday, losing to those pesky Sox by a 12-10 score.

Whenever the Mariners play the White Sox, I can’t help but think of my parents’ friends Bill and Karen, who have remained diehard fans of the Sox through their absolute garbage play over the last decade. Shout out to them; I hope they enjoy Roch Cholowsky in a few years.

Do you have any special connections to non-Mariners teams through friends or family? Do you keep up with those teams any differently as a result?

In Mariners news…

• Logan Gilbert spoke to Daniel Kramer about how being a new father has helped to give the ace right-hander perspective heading into a key 2026 season.
• Shannon Drayer spoke to top Mariners pitching prospects Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan, who are feeling confident after some strong backfield results against M’s regulars. I really can’t wait until they take the mound in games this spring.
• The M’s agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Brendan White, who was signed on to play for the Atlantic League’s Lancaster Stormers.

Around the league…

• The Braves announced that they have extended the contract of ageless left-hander Chris Sale on a one-year, $27M deal with a $30M club option for the 2028 season.
• Speaking of the Braves, the organization announced that it would stream 140 of this season’s games through the brand new BravesVision. Production, sales, marketing, and distribution of broadcasts will be fully controlled by the club.
• The Florida state cabinet and governor Ron DeSantis signed off on a 22-acre plot of land in Tampa that will be used to build a new ballpark for the Rays.
• MLB No. 1 overall prospect Konnor Griffin homered twice in a spring training game for the Pirates yesterday. Griffin is hoping to become the rare player to make his big league debut in his teens.
• Rangers top prospect Sebastian Walcott will miss 5-6 months after undergoing elbow surgery.
• Stephen J. Nesbitt at The Athletic wrote about the booming sports town that Salt Lake City is turning into, and explained why people there believe an MLB team could be on its way sooner rather than later. (Shout out to my cousin Erin for being featured in this one!) ($)
• J.J. Cooper at Baseball America outlined five key reasons why all prospects are shooting through the minor leagues faster than ever before. ($)
• Ben Clemens at Fangraphs calculated the cost of a win in baseball’s 2025-2026 free agency.
• There’s absolutely no way they’re actually doing this with Jacob Misiorowski, one of the most volatile command guys in the game, right?

Would you let The Miz throw a fastball at your head? pic.twitter.com/5Ekr848IdD

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) February 24, 2026

• Hoping to link your MLB.tv subscription to your ESPN account this year? Here’s a helpful walkthrough on how to make this work.

Anders’ picks…

• During the Olympics, I fell down a Wikipedia rabbit hole on which countries have the most islands. Before you look at the results, I want you to try to answer this question in your head. Got one? How many islands do you think they have? Alright, now take a large sip of your coffee…

Warning: This piece discusses domestic violence and includes a link to an article that shows visual evidence of domestic violence.

In one of the earliest moves of the offseason, the Mets claimed Ji Hwan Bae off waivers from the Pirates. Bae, entering his age-27 season, appeared in 163 games in parts of four seasons with the Pirates from 2022-2025, but his on-field career is only part of his story. 

In 2017, Bae was set to be the second South Korean player to sign directly out of high school with a major league team after Kwon Kwang-min signed with the Cubs in 2015. However, his contract with the Braves was voided after it was revealed that the contract was negotiated with Bae and 12 others under fraudulent terms. The KBO barred him from signing with a Korean team for two years for skipping the draft. The next season, Bae signed a $1.25 million contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

But the more disturbing part of Bae’s story comes from the period between his failed Braves contract and his subsequent Pirates one. An incident occurred on New Year’s Eve 2017, and Bae was accused of domestic violence against his then-girlfriend, including slapping, choking, and kicking her. He was eventually convicted for domestic abuse and was suspended by MLB for 30 games, as the verdict was handed down after he was already a member of the Pirates organization. 

His victim, Seul-Gi Kim, spoke with the Athletic, and gave vivid details of the abuse:

“Bae Ji-hwan hit me. He hit me [on New Year’s Eve]. The first time I was (physically) abused was on New Year’s Eve (in 2017). There (also) was verbal abuse. Before the actual physical abuse, I was under critical stress due to him and his family. His family and he repeatedly asked me to ‘endure’ him because he is a baseball player and he needs support.

The alleged incident happened on New Year’s Eve in 2017, when Bae was 18. According to Kim, Bae “threatened me he would die if I didn’t see him again. Also, he squeezed my throat until I (said) that I would love him again.

“Some ask why I didn’t report him right away — the intensity of his physical and verbal abuse was getting stronger,” Seul-Gi Kim wrote. “Because of fear, I just couldn’t go ahead and do it. What I want now is the end of this sickening relationship, a fair trial, and a just punishment.

“I have been pressured physically and mentally and that made me very scared. If you don’t have anyone reliable or good around you, you probably don’t have the courage to report the abuser. I decided to go to this path after a lot of dilemma and mental anguish. It’s a big (mental) scar that can never heal.”

According to then-Pirates general manager Neal Huntington, Bae completed a treatment program. 

“The Pittsburgh Pirates strongly support Major League Baseball’s domestic violence policy and agree with the need for significant penalties for any violation of this policy…The Pirates are committed to a culture that respects women on all levels and across all aspects of our organization. Ji-Hwan has completed a treatment program under the MLB policy.

“We will continue to work with him to ensure that he understands and adheres to the obligations and standards that are required of a professional baseball player and a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.” 

Teams sign players with domestic abuse backgrounds just about every season, and it is always a delicate situation. On one hand, many people claim that these players deserve a shot at redemption; an oft-repeated phrase is that no one should have their life ruined because of one mistake. And while people can, and should, admit wrongdoing and change for the better, more often than not, these players speak in vague platitudes and don’t publicly take significant steps towards actually changing their behavior.

Bae’s situation is slightly unusual both due to his prospect status when the event happened and the fact that it occurred overseas. There was not a lot of reporting on the event outside of the Athletic, and very little, if any of it stateside, featured quotes from Bae himself. It is unfair to paint him as either remorseful and committed to change or petulant and unmoved because we have not heard from him on the subject. If Bae has been contrite and done the work, he has done so in private. 

All of this makes the Mets’ waiver claim even stranger. Bae’s on-field career has been nothing to write home about. A career .223/.294/.293 hitter in the big leagues, he’s a weak hitter with a decent glove who has some positional versatility. If he sticks with the Mets, he has a minor league option, so he would likely wind up beginning the year in Syracuse and being called up only for injury/27th man status. Bae is a depth piece that has a place in every organization in baseball, but he’s not a superstar either in the current day or in the making.

But even if he was, does an organization really want to bring on someone with a history of domestic abuse in 2026? The Mets didn’t sign him as a free agent, and so they didn’t get to sit him down and discuss his past. He was a waiver claim; he likely found out about the move via his agent once he was back in South Korea during the offseason. 

It shouldn’t be the job of fans to find out if the player their team signed is remorseful for his violent past. It is the team’s job to either assure us that he is or to admit that they really don’t care what a player does off the field or did before donning orange and blue. While there may be more to this story, from a fan’s perspective, it’s fairly clear. The Mets looked at a fringy player and decided that this is the guy for whom they were willing to sell their integrity.