Category: MLB

Series Preview

Nebraska Cornhuskers (4-3) at #7 Auburn Tigers (7-1)

Location: Samford Stadium – Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park, Auburn, AL

Dates: Friday, February 27th-Sunday, March 1st

Times (all CST): Feb. 27th @ 6pm, Feb 28th @ 2pm, Mar 1st @ 1pm

Head Coaches: Will Bolt (7th season, 174-129-1) & Butch Thompson (11th season, 331-233-1)

TV/Stream: ESPN+/SEC Network+

Radio: All Nebraska games on Huskers Radio Network, Huskers.com, Huskers App

Up next ➡️ Auburn pic.twitter.com/dlQIGQz9j3

— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) February 24, 2026

Coach Butch Thompson took over an Auburn team that despite having a ton of recent NCAA tournament success had failed to make the field for 3 straight postseasons. After missing the field again his first season, he has only done it once since. Coach Thompson has also led the team to two of its six College World Series appearances. The one thing that has eluded the Tigers in his 11 years is a conference title. Their last SEC title was in 1998. This team could be their best chance since.

This years version of the Tigers were in the same College Baseball series as Nebraska last week in Globe Life Field. Unlike Nebraska they were rarely challenged on their way to winning the weekend. They took out Kansas State 5-1, Florida State 8-5, and Louisville 10-6. Other than FSU putting up a 4 run first inning before going dormant until the 9th, Auburn was in control of every game.

While they were expected to be a good team, being ranked preseason #9 in D1Baseball.com’s top 25, the offense in particular got off to a really slow start prior to arriving in Arlington. A pair of 2-1 wins (with 1 bing in 10 innings) against Youngstown State is how the season began for the Tigers. They did finish the sweep with a 17-2 run rule victory in only 7 innings, but then came out and lost 8-0 to a “meh” Cincinnati team in the midweek. They also were losing with 2 outs in the 9th inning, needed a walk-off to beat West Georgia 4-3 in the midweek. Will they continue to be sleepy at home? Or did their trip to Globe Life wake their offense up?

Pitching Probables

Weekend rotation is locked in. 🔒 pic.twitter.com/8ED1AdbHq5

— Nebraska Baseball (@HuskerBaseball) February 24, 2026

Game 1: RHP Ty Horn (0-0, 1.86 ERA) vs. LHP Jake Marciano (1-0, 0.82 ERA)

Game 2: RHP Carson Jasa (1-0, 5.06 ERA) vs. LHP Jackson Sanders (1-0, 3.27 ERA)

Game 3: RHP Gavin Blachowicz (1-0, 1.86 ERA) vs. RHP Alex Petrovic (2-0, 2.70 ERA)

Through 2 starts, Ty Horn has done just about everything you could ask for in an ace, other than getting a bit deeper into games. He still seems to get a little too deep into counts trying to go for the strikeout each batter, and that has cost him an inning+ in each game probably. He nearly kept an extremely potent Louisville offense off the board, allowing a leadoff double in the 6th who would eventually score on the bullpen. Other than that, 5 strikeouts, 2 walks and 5 hits in 5+ innings of work against that team is something to build on. He left with the lead, which is all you can ask in a big game like that.

Carson Jasa continues to fill up the stat sheet. Through 2 games and 10.2 innings, he has struck out 17, walked 5 and allowed 6 earned runs. Coach Bolt admits he may keep him in a bit too long in his games because his “stuff” at that point in time is still better than what will come out of the pen fresh. He gets a little more wild the further he goes into games. Getting the walks and just overall balls out of the zone in check in the 5th and 6th innings will go a long way to improving his outings and the teams chances of winning his starts.

When asked about the Gavin Blachowicz and Cooper Katskee situation, Bolt quickly said, “Blachowicz isn’t going anywhere.” Katskee for the time being looks to be potentially a weekend bullpen guy and a mid week starter. Bolt points out it’s a long season, and thats where he started last season at before becoming a Friday starter and conference pitcher of the year. Blachowicz has done nothing but impress in his first 2 starts. Since adding a cutter/change and slurve to his fastball and curveball over the offseason, opponents have had major issues getting the barrel on his balls, with 11 strikeouts in 9.2 innings. His only hit given up against #16 Florida State was a solo shot from one of the top power hitters at the College Baseball Series.

Auburn went out in the transfer portal for some big time pitching prospects. Former Virginia Tech starter Jake Marciano is their Friday ace. He is a smooth lefty that doesn’t have a ton of power, staying mostly around 89-91 mph with his fastball, but still piles up the strikeouts. In 5 innings against Youngstown St, he struck out 12. Then against a potent Kansas State offense, he still struck out 8 in 6 innings of work, allowing zero runs on 2 hits. An easy way to think of him is peak Will Walsh pitching at the Big Ten Tournament. Thats the pounding of the strike zone, efficiency and pace he will pitch with. He has 18 walks in 71+ career innings.

A lot of how Auburn will do this season depends on their starters after Marciano. Saturday starter Jackson Saunders was one of the top pitching recruits in the country, but had an up and down year last season as a reliever. He had a 5.29 ERA and was upside down, giving up 13 walks with only 10 strikeouts in 17 innings. He has lived up to his billing to start this year however, striking out 17 and only walking 2 in his 11 innings. Alex Petrovic was a long shot to get a weekend rotation slot, but an injury to Griffin Graves jumbled up the staff at the last minute. Petrovic has been a reliever that piled up strikeouts, albeit in limited opportunities, pitching less than 30 innings combined over the pervious 2 seasons. He has yet to give up a walk this season, in his 10 innings. So the NU bats will have to be ready to swing.

Scouting Report

There are a number of guys to look at with regard to the Tigers’ offense. Maybe the best place to start is the player that just won Most Outstanding Player down in Arlington. Bristol Carter has really taken hold of the centerfield and leadoff spot for Auburn. The junior had a bit of a down year last year at Auburn, after being a Freshman All American the previous year at ECU. No such issue this year. He gets on base by any means necessary, as his .513 on-base percentage shows. He led the team with 14 stolen bases last season, and has been given the green light even more this season, already 6 for 6 on the season. He also hit a home run in the cavernous Globe Life Field, so he does have the ability to show some power.

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿@bristol_carter was balling all weekend.#WarEaglepic.twitter.com/cOleUuFP4V

— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) February 23, 2026

The top returner everyone expects to put up some big numbers this season is Catcher/INF Chase Fralich. He was a Freshman All American as a catcher last season, batting .335 with 17 doubles, 4 home runs and 41 RBIs. He has been red hot to start the season, mainly at catcher, but also appearing at first base, a position the team is trying to find a consistent starter for. He is batting .500 on the year, with a 1.343 OPS and has a double, triple, and 2 home runs to go with 8 RBIs in just 8 games thus far.

The Tigers don’t have a lot of freshman, like most top teams in the portal era, but they do have a couple really talented ones trying to break into their lineup. Ethin Bingaman is the most talented of the bunch. He is rated as the 31st best player in his class, and the 6th best freshman to make it to school in the SEC. He has broken into the lineup at the previously mentioned first base and right field. He’s hitting .400 with 2 home runs, and is the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week. Oh, and he was also rated as the #4 right handed pitcher in his class, though he has yet to set foot on the mound for Auburn yet.

𝗦𝗘𝗖 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸@BingamanEthin's big weekend earns him @SEC honors!

📰 » https://t.co/agsBCFrAaS#WarEaglepic.twitter.com/TIucHCUHxp

— Auburn Baseball (@AuburnBaseball) February 23, 2026

The bullpen has a good mix of experience within the program and new arrivals. In fact they have both competing for saves as a closer. Last season’s primary closer is RHP Ryan Hetzler. He had 8 saves last year with a 3.86 ERA. They added former Michigan State LHP Garrett Brewer. He already has 2 saves on the year, and has yet to allow a run in 3 appearances over 2.1 innings.

One arm out of the bullpen close to returning from injury that the Huskers are familiar with is former Creighton closer, Mason Koch. He only appeared in 3 games in 2025 before being sidelined with a wrist injury. They thought best case scenario was he was 5-6 weeks away when spring practice began 6 weeks ago. They want to be extra careful with him though, needing him to be full strength for the stretch run of the SEC schedule. So if I had to guess, he will remain shelved.

The defense is serviceable, but not the team’s overall strength, ranked 80th in the NCAA in fielding percentage at .979. Coach Thompson admits, his catchers need work at controlling the running game. If Nebraska gets things rolling offensively, they like to use their running game to bury people.

Series History

This is the first time these programs have met on the diamond.

On Deck

• Nebraska is 7-3 in their last 10 games against ranked teams, following the split with Louisville and FSU this past weekend.

• Dylan Carey is up to 50 career doubles after his offensive showcase in Arlington. He is fifth all time at Nebraska, 3 away from Alex Gordon for 4th, and 6 behind his skipper and NU record holder, Will Bolt.

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We have some rare Spring Training night games on the Friday slate, with the Nationals hosting the Astros, and the Mariners taking on the Diamondbacks.

But first up in my Spring Training predictions for February 27 is the Guardians-Cubs tilt.

Read on for my free MLB picks.

Spring Training predictions for February 27

Pick #1: Guardians moneyline (+125)

The Chicago Cubs are 2-5 with a -16 run differential so far in Spring Training. Edward Cabrera makes his first appearance in a Chicago uni today, and he had a disastrous 24.55 ERA in exhibition play with Miami last year.

The Cleveland Guardians counter with Logan Allen, and he pitched a solid two shutout innings on Saturday, scattering a hit and a walk with two strikeouts.

This is nothing unusual for Allen, who owned a 1.88 ERA over 14 1/3 innings (six starts) in the Cactus League last year.

Pick #2: Nationals moneyline (+100)

I don't entirely trust Miles Mikolas in his new home with the Washington Nationals, but I absolutely do not trust the oft-injured Lance McCullers Jr. for the Houston Astros.

McCullers looked over the hill for Houston with a 6.51 ERA last season. He'll take on a Nationals team that's a decent 4-2 with a +7 run differential.

The Astros, meanwhile, are off to a terrible 1-4 start with a -9 run differential. They should not be favored on the road.

Pick #3: Mariners moneyline (-165)

The Seattle Mariners moneyline is a little steep, but not without good reason. Ryne Nelson authored a 9.26 ERA in Spring Training with the Arizona Diamondbacks last year, while Luis Castillo had a 3.31 ERA.

Castillo recorded three or more innings in four of five exhibition starts last year, so don't expect the token one-inning outing we're accustomed to seeing from so many top-notch starters as they prep for the regular season.

Castillo should get plenty of run support, with Seattle sporting a .928 OPS so far in Spring Training.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Brewers boast one of the best farm systems in baseball, though most of their top prospects are still a year or two away from the big leagues. That hasn’t stopped Jesús Made, Luis Peña, Josh Adamczewski, and others from offering glimpses of what’s to come. Let’s take a look at the Brewers prospects who have made an impact over the first week of spring training.

Jesus Made:

Made is 2-for-8 this spring, a stat line that belies the fact how encouraging the early returns have been. In his last appearance, against the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday afternoon, the Brewers’ No. 1 prospect went 2-for-2 with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored. On the triple, Made got caught out in front of a José Buttó changeup and still managed to register an exit velocity of 98 mph. The pitch before, a foul ball that looked for a second as if it might stay fair, came off the bat at 110.9 mph.

Hello 👀 pic.twitter.com/Iil0qyscuO

— Javik Blake (@javblake8) February 25, 2026

Made’s still only 18 years old, and he’s not doing this against Double-A guys either. Buttó has appeared in 95 major league games and is coming off a season where he posted a 3.90 ERA. He’s not a scrub.

The single in the eighth came off of Nick Margevicius, who hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2021 but still has 32 more games of major league experience than Made does. After Wednesday’s game, Made now has a .900 OPS this spring. Nobody’s expecting him to make the Brewers out of camp, but he’ll be one to watch at Double-A and Triple-A this season.

Luis Peña

Made is further along the development track than Peña, but Peña’s performance this spring has been equally impressive. He’s 2-f0r-5 so far with a double and this single, a 108-mph rocket off of Guardians prospect Zane Morehouse. Like Made, he’s not expected to contribute this year (or even next). The Brewers just want to see development from their No. 2 prospect, and he’s developing before our eyes.

19-year-old Luis Pena, our No. 2 prospect, has already registered two hits of +100-mph this spring, including this double 🔥

In case you were wondering pic.twitter.com/AGrXjuj83l

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) February 24, 2026

Josh Adamczewski

Adamczewski, one of the biggest risers in the farm system last year, split the season between Low-A and High-A, slashing .320/.420/.490 over 71 games. He’s been making hard contact, and his stat line so far (2-for-6 with a double) is about as good as you could realistically expect to see from a guy who hasn’t even played a game in Double-A.

Lineout from Josh Adamczewski, but the swing is just too pure not to post. I feel very strongly that a big year is ahead of him. pic.twitter.com/mHOUNOSYnX

— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) February 21, 2026

Last season, Adamczewski was listed as a second baseman, but he’s been playing left field this spring — indicating that the Brewers want to find a way to get his bat in the lineup despite the presence of highly-regarded middle infield prospects like Made, Peña, Jett Williams, and Cooper Pratt.

Tyler Black

Black isn’t really a prospect anymore, but he’s only appeared in 22 games with Milwaukee and is still 25. Given the spring he’s putting together, he’s worth including. After yesterday’s three-hit game, Black is now hitting .667 with a 1.942 OPS through 12 at-bats.

I’ve seen a couple Vinny Capra comparisons, but unlike Capra, Black was at one point a top 50 prospect in baseball. As recently as last year, Baseball America ranked him a top five prospect in the Brewers organization. Maybe he’s finally figuring things out at the major league level.

The problem is that it’s hard to see where he fits into the Brewers’ plans. He could theoretically see time at third base, but for an organization that highly values defense that feels unlikely. First base is manned by Andrew Vaughn. Maybe he’ll see some time in left field to start the season? Either way, if Black keeps hitting this well he’ll be hard to keep off the roster. If he’s no longer in the Brewers’ long-term plans, a strong spring might bring back a worthwhile return via trade.

Tate Kuehner

Kuehner, a left-handed pitcher who ended last year with the Triple-A Nashville Sounds, has put up impressive numbers since the Brewers drafted him in the seventh round of the 2023 Draft. Kuehner posted a 3.17 ERA in 2024 and pitched even better (2.77 ERA) in 2025. He went two scoreless innings yesterday, picking up four strikeouts and the save in Milwaukee’s win over the Texas Rangers.

I’ve been banging the drum for Kuehner since I joined BCB, and I still think he’s somewhat underrated as a prospect. He has great shape on his fastball, a sharp slider with swing-and-miss potential, and a changeup that Fangraphs gave a 55 grade. If Kuehner gets a chance in the big leagues this year, don’t be surprised if he sticks.

If there’s one thing we can safely predict about the 2026 Dodgers, it’s that they will use many different arms to get through the 186 days of the regular season. In 2023 they set a franchise record by using 39 different pitchers, then topped that by using 40 pitchers in each of the last two seasons.

The Dodgers are not alone in this regard among major league teams. Their 39 pitchers used in 2023 were tied for fourth in MLB, then in 2024 they were tied for second, and were sixth last year. There have been 23 teams in major league history to use at least 40 pitchers in a season, with 20 of those seasons coming since 2021.

We’ve gone over how the Dodgers have plenty of starting pitching depth in addition to their Big Four in the rotation. So let’s look at the bullpen options today.

On the sideline (3)

Evan Phillips is already on the 60-day injured list and isn’t expected back until midseason after Tommy John surgery last June. Brock Stewart is coming off shoulder surgery in October, and will likely open the season on the injured list.

Same for Brusdar Graterol, who is coming off November 2024 shoulder surgery and did not pitch at all last season. He’s being slow-played this spring.

Roster locks (5)

Edwin Díaz and Tanner Scott each signed big contracts. Veteran Blake Treinen is in the second and final year of his deal. Alex Vesia has been a bullpen staple the last four years and with over five years of service time can’t be sent to the minors without his consent.

Jack Dreyer was a rookie last year and could be optioned. But he also lasted on the roster all of last season and the postseason, joining Yoshinobu Yamamoto as the only Dodgers pitchers to remain active from last March through November. So we’ll include him here among the locks.

Swing men (2)

Ben Casparius and Justin Wrobleski were both starters in the minors but have pitched more in relief during their parts of two seasons in the majors. If there isn’t room in the rotation, having either one in the bullpen would be a welcome addition, with both having such experience in the postseason. Both can be optioned.

Other relievers with options (6)

From the right side, this includes Edgardo Henriquez, Kyle Hurt, Paul Gervase, and Bobby Miller, plus left-hander Ronan Kopp, who was added to the 40-man roster in November.

Another right-hander, Will Klein, has been called a “World Series hero” every time he has been mentioned in the Dodgers game notes this spring, after his four scoreless innings in the marathon Game 3 last October.

That’s 16 potential relievers on the 40-man roster, but as we’ve seen in recent years the Dodgers’ pool to choose from extends far beyond that. Twenty-two of the 42 non-roster pitchers in Dodgers camp from 2023-25 ended up pitching for them in the majors in that season, for instance.

Last year the Dodgers had 13 different pitchers appear at least 10 games in relief:

• Anthony Banda 70 games relieved
• Alex Vesia 68
• Jack Dreyer 62
• Tanner Scott 61
• Kirby Yates 50
• Ben Casparius 43
• Blake Treinen 32
• Luis García 28
• Lou Trivino 24
• Edgardo Henriquez 22
• Justin Wrobleski 22
• Will Klein 14
• Michael Kopech 14

Garcia was a non-roster invitee last spring, while Klein and Trivino started 2025 in other organizations. The two Dodgers pitchers last year with nine games in relief were in the same boat, as Alexis Díaz was acquired in May and Matt Sauer was a non-roster invitee.

In other words, we’ll see quite a few different pitchers this season, many of whom aren’t currently on the 40-man roster. That brings us to today’s question: How many Dodgers will pitch at least 10 games in relief in 2026?

Welcome back to our preview of 2026 Red Sox starting pitching. If you missed the bulk of the preview last week, check it out below.

Today, we turn our attention to the back of the back of the rotation: the depth starters.

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Now that we’ve been through the nine pitchers who are fighting for spots in the opening day rotation, we can turn our attention to the depth. In theory, those nine arms I already went through will make the bulk of the starts for the Red Sox this season. This is major league baseball we’re talking about, though, and pitching injuries are bound to happen. Last season, 15 different pitchers started games for the Red Sox, and Brennan Bernardino was the only true “opener” they used. Come August, when the rotation has been through the wringer and is run down, look for one of these names to provide five innings or so.

Tyler Uberstine

Of the options on this list, Tyler Uberstine is probably first in line to make a spot start, although there are several pitchers ahead of him (covered here and here).

Uberstine, who reached Triple-A last season, was added to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft this winter. Like many Red Sox pitchers, he has a low release point that creates a flat approach angle for his mid-90s fastball. Over about 90 innings at Worcester, he struck out a very respectable 26% of hitters, but struggled with walks, handing out free passes at a 9.4% clip. He uses multiple breaking balls, with his slider and changeup showing the most potential. His ceiling is likely a back-of-the-rotation arm, but there’s nothing wrong with eating innings to help carry the load through a very long season.

Jake Bennett

Jake Bennett is 6’6”, 235 pounds and throws with his left hand. He has seven feet of extension. In his first Spring Training outing, his fastball averaged 95 mph and reached 98 mph. According to SoxProspects, he has “advanced command and control” of said fastball.

My scouting report is based on the numbers and other people’s scouting reports, but I’m buying all the Jake Bennett stock I can get. His best secondary pitch is a changeup, which will neutralize righties, while he also has a slider and a curveball. He’ll mix in sinkers and cutters to fill up the zone, and has a slider and a curveball as well. That’s six pitches from a huge lefty who gets down the mound well. He’s at least a back-of-the-rotation arm with a chance to be much more.

While there’s a long list of pitchers ahead of him for turns in the rotation, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Bennett knocking on the door of the majors for some leverage relief appearances late in the season. He’s the pitching prospect I’m most excited about.

Kyson Witherspoon

After the ascent of Payton Tolle and Trey Yesavage, flying through the minor leagues is all the rage. As such, many have tabbed 2025 first-round pick Kyson Witherspoon to debut a year after being drafted, despite not pitching in the minor leagues in 2025.

He has a huge fastball that’s already up to 97 mph in camp, along with a cutter and slider that he executes consistently. Fangraphs labeled his curveball and changeup as his nastiest pitches, but said they need polish to be viable weapons. His high 70s curveball was described as “hitter-pantsing” when thrown in the dirt. Because there are so many names ahead of him on the depth chart, I’m going to guess Witherspoon debuts in mid-2027, but crazier things have happened, and he’s a fun name to monitor going forward.

Tanner Houck

Houck is the only guy on this list that we’ve seen in action before, but he’s last because we won’t see him until September, if at all. He had Tommy John Surgery last season after an ugly start to his campaign. He threw a baseball for the first time this spring, but is still a long way from returning to game action.

While he might fill some innings down the stretch, don’t expect Houck to become a key contributor. At his best, Houck is in the zone with everything he throws, keeping hitters on the back foot. His splitter is particularly important against left-handed hitters, and while it’s somewhat of an anecdote, finding a feel for offspeed and breaking pitches seems to lag behind fastballs when returning from TJS. I can’t support that evidence, but I feel like James Paxton said it once, and I’ve taken it as gospel. If Houck returns in 2026, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in a relief role with a focus on returning to the rotation in 2027.

The NL East could have several strong teams this year. The Phillies appear to be in win-now mode. The Mets have made major changes. The Braves should recover from a down year in 2025. Even the Marlins could make some noise. The Nationals? Well, they are here.

Atlanta Braves

Key departures: Jarred Kelenic, Marcell Ozuna, Pierce Johnson, Nick Allen

Key arrivals: Mauricio Dubon, Mike Yastrzemski, James Karinchak, Martin Perez, Jonah Heim

The Braves had their first losing season since 2017 last year, largely because of massive injuries to their starting rotation. Bryce Elder was the only Braves starter to make more than 23 starts and he had a 5.30 ERA and… well, I think you can see the problem.

Otherwise Atlanta returns pretty much everyone, including re-signing closer Raisel Iglesias. They’ll have a full year of Ronald Acuña Jr., which should help.

At Wrigley Field: Sept. 14-15-16

At Atlanta: May 12-13-14

SB Nation team site: Battery Power

Miami Marlins

Key departures: Valente Bellozo, Joey Wiemer, Eric Wagaman, Edward Cabrera, Ryan Weathers, George Soriano

Key arrivals: Zach Brzycky, Pete Fairbanks, Esteury Ruiz, Owen Caissie, Chris Paddack

The Marlins won 79 games last year. That might not sound too great, but it put them just four games out of the last wild-card spot and they seem improved this year, despite trading Edward Cabrera to the Cubs for Owen Caissie and prospects. Caissie gets a chance to play every day. This, hopefully, is a trade that helps both teams.

The key to Marlins success this year will likely be Sandy Alcántara and whether his first full year back from Tommy John surgery is successful. Overall his numbers don’t look great but over his last 12 starts he posted a 3.13 ERA and 0.991 WHIP, with 18 walks and 69 strikeouts in 77.2 innings. Keep that up and the Marlins could be a wild-card contender.

And they could look very different by the time the Cubs face them, which won’t be until September.

At Wrigley Field: Sept. 22-23-24

At Miami: Sept. 4-5-6

New York Mets

Key departures: Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz, Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte, Jeff McNeil, Ryan Helsley, Cedric Mullins, Tyler Rogers, Gregory Soto, Ryne Stanek, Richard Lovelady, Drew Smith, Frankie Montas

Key arrivals: Marcus Semien, Luis Robert Jr., Devin Williams, Jorge Polanco, Bo Bichette, Luke Weaver, Jose Rojas, Carl Edwards Jr., Vidal Bruján, Austin Barnes, Craig Kimbrel, Ben Rortvedt

The story of the 2026 Mets is those two lists. The Mets finally admitted that what they had been doing the last couple of years wasn’t working and blew it up. You’ll definitely need a scorecard to ID most of these new Mets.

The thing is, they traded for and signed a lot of guys but… some of them are going to be playing out of position. They expect Jorge Polanco to be their first baseman and he has played exactly zero MLB games there. Bo Bichette’s going to third and… well, same, zero MLB games at third.

Maybe it’ll work, maybe it won’t. It will sure be interesting to watch.

At Wrigley Field: April 17-18-19

At New York: June 22-23-24-25

SB Nation team site: Amazin’ Avenue

Philadelphia Phillies

Key departures: Max Kepler, David Robertson, Jordan Romano, Ranger Suárez, Harrison Bader, Matt Strahm, Nick Castellanos

Key arrivals: Adolis Garcia, Brad Keller, Genesis Cabrera, Chase Shugart, Tim Mayza

The Phillies are running back much the same crew that won 96 games last year and 95 the year before. They’ve made the postseason four straight years, but haven’t gotten back to the World Series since they lost to the Astros there in 2022.

So maybe it’ll work again, but these guys are all getting older and there’s some controversy surrounding some comments ownership made about Bryce Harper.

Kyle Schwarber seems like he can still keep hitting homers for some time, though, and the Phillies rewarded the free agent DH with a five-year deal, so he’ll likely finish his career in Philadelphia. That’s a monument to Jed Hoyer’s worst decision as Cubs POBO.

As you can see here, the Cubs will face the Phillies seven times in an 11-day span in April and then not again until… well, maybe the postseason. That’d be fun.

At Wrigley Field: April 20-21-22-23

At Philadelphia: April 13-14-15

SB Nation team site: The Good Phight

Washington Nationals

Key departures: Zach Brzykcy, Jose A. Ferrer, MacKenzie Gore,

Key arrivals: Harry Ford, Warming Bernabel, Matt Mervis, Joey Wiemer, Gus Varland, Sergio Alcántara, Richard Lovelady, Andre Granillo, Miles Mikolas

I am not sure what the Nats are doing here, but yikes, look at that “arrivals” list. It looks like a random August waiver-wire list. They haven’t had a winning season since their World Series win in 2019.

And they have replaced MacKenzie Gore in their rotation essentially with Miles Mikolas, who I thought was going to retire at the end of 2025. Instead we could see Mikolas at Wrigley Field in the season-opening series.

The only really interesting thing the Nats did was trade for Harry Ford, a former No. 1 pick of the Mariners who was blocked by Cal Raleigh in Seattle. Ford hit .283/.408/.460 with 16 home runs in just 97 games with Triple-A Tacoma last year. He turned 23 last week and will be installed as Washington’s No. 1 catcher. He’s a Rookie of the Year candidate. So the Nats have that, if nothing else, as they are a candidate to lose 100 games this year.

At Wrigley Field: March 26-28-29

At Washington: Aug. 11-12-13

SB Nation team site: Federal Baseball

This series will resume on Monday.

Morning A’s fans and happy Friday! Ready for a relaxing weekend with some A’s baseball?

The front office has been busy in recent months working out long-term extensions with key members of this core. First beginning with Brent Rooker’s 5-year, $60 million contract in January 2025, the team then turned to outfielder Lawrence Butler and came to a deal with him just a couple months after Rooker’s deal, inking Butler to a 7-year, $65.5 million contract. Things went quiet during the season but extensions continued this winter, first with left fielder Tyler Soderstrom signing a 7-year, $86 million extension and then with shortstop Jacob Wilson getting his own deal just a few weeks ago, a well-deserved 7-year, $70 million payout. This has been the largest and most expensive investment the front office has ever done for a core. While it’s a fantastic development and a great achievement to be locking down these guys, there was one name that A’s fans have been hoping to see sign his own extension sooner rather than later.

Getting first baseman Nick Kurtz locked down would be the cherry on top of all of these recent extensions, and the front office has reportedly been working on a deal all offseason long. There’s been some skepticism regarding Kurtz and an extension with the A’s, mainly because of agent Scott Boras. Boras isn’t known to advise his clients to sign early-career extensions, though that hasn’t been a hard-and-fast rule and he has seen some of his clients ink long-term deals before hitting the free agent market.

Kurtz could be the newest member of that small group. The lefty slugger is reportedly “definitely open and interested” in a deal to remain with the A’s and be a building block when the team opens the new Vegas stadium. Seeing all of his teammates get their money and getting comfortable seems to have made Kurtz a little jealous/anxious to get his own money coming his way soon. That is music to A’s fans ears because there’s little doubt that Kurtz prices himself out of the A’s budget in five seasons if they go year-to-year with him.

The front office recognizes that, which is why it’s no surprise that they’ve reportedly already made the first baseman a contract offer:

The A’s have made a long-term extension offer to AL ROY Nick Kurtz, according to 2 sources. I received no word on the likelihood of getting it to the finish line. The A’s over the last year have done pre-arbitration extensions already with Butler, Soderstrom, Wilson.

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) February 26, 2026

While none of the details have leaked out, it’s fair to assume it’s into the $100 million range. The record for a player with less than a full year of service time is Seattle Mariners center fielder Julio Rodriguez, who bagged himself a 12-year, $210 million in guaranteed money (with the potential to increase to 17/470 with bonuses and options). That comes out to $17.5 million average a season, which is looking like a steal of a deal at this point. Rodriguez was coming off his own Rookie of the Year campaign and also placed 7th in MVP voting. Kurtz’s rookie slash line was better in every category and he finished 12th in the MVP race in just over half a season, but he’s also a first baseman compared to a premium position like center field. Rodriguez’s deal might be a good idea of what it might take to lock Kurtz in for the long haul.

It’s important to remember that the A’s aren’t technically in any sort of time crunch to get a deal done. While he’s set to be earning the league minimum for the next couple of seasons, thanks to winning the American League Rookie of the Year award he was awarded a full year of service. That takes away some bargaining power but still means the Athletics have five seasons of control over their prized hitter and have time to work out a deal. The longer they wait though the more expensive any contract will likely become.

The 22-year-old later added near the end of his comments, “It’s just about timing.” If he’s one of those players that doesn’t like negotiations taking place during the season then any contract extension would be coming in the next few weeks. Signing Kurtz to a long contract would be a franchise-altering move. Fingers crossed we can see him put pen to paper before March 26th, which is just under a month away.

Have a good day everyone!

A’s Coverage:

• Spring Training Interviews Ahead, But With Whom?
• Butler ramps up recovery efforts, eyes mid-Spring Training return
• 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
• Athletics Community Prospect List: 18th Spot Goes To Junior Perez
• 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
• 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)
• “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:

• Way-too-early predications for 2026 All-Star Game starters
• Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo exits game with abdominal discomfort
• Injuries: Lindor, Yanks, Twins, Kelly, Woodruff, Basallo
• U.S. denies visas for 8 in Cuba’s WBC delegation
• Padres reliever Yuki Matsui out of WBC for Japan, uncertain for Padres’ opener
• What does Scherzer’s return mean for Jays’ packed rotation?
• Comparing the industry’s 2026 Top 100 prospects lists
• CC Sabathia to have number retired by Yankees
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Need Lopez healthy for the season, so hopefully the A’s take their time with the lefty. Hoglund news is…. unsurprising:

A’s updates:

Jacob Lopez has been throwing sides and live BPs this week. A’s are looking at March 8 vs. Dodgers as a potential spring debut for him.

Gunnar Hoglund is seeing a doctor for a knee issue that popped up earlier this spring. He’s coming off hip surgery last June.

— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) February 26, 2026

Some performances from yesterday’s spring exhibition game:

A’S TODAY (2/26)
DH Rooker: 2-3, HR, 3 RBI
SS Hernaiz: 2-3, 2 2B
2B McNeil: 1-2, 2B, BB, RBI
LF Soderstrom: 2-3, 2 RBI
RHP Perkins: 2 IP/0 H/0 ER/0 BB/1 K/Win
LHP Lin: 1 IP/0 H/0 ER/2 BB/0 K
RHP Zhuang: 2 IP/4 H/2 ER/0 BB/1 K
RHP Kriske: 1 IP/0 H/0 ER/0 BB/2 K
A’s win 7-3

— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) February 26, 2026

Sneak peak of the next big thing coming:

Some Leo De Vries BP. pic.twitter.com/sMfMDGzT7S

— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) February 26, 2026

Probably the guy who hit 36 as a 22-year-old rookie in just 114 games played:

In the last 70 years, only two players younger than 25 (Pete Alonso in 2019, Prince Fielder in 2007) have hit 50+ HR in a season.

Which of these young sluggers has the best chance to pull it off this year? pic.twitter.com/clLchnCxKw

— MLB (@MLB) February 26, 2026

Not enough!

A chain of islands in the hemisphere of his choosing, diplomatic immunity, one of those pre fab Amish cabins on instagram named after him & his own brand of hand churned butter. https://t.co/BYX3Vdb46N

— Dallas Braden (@DALLASBRADEN209) February 26, 2026

After revealing the Purple Row community’s Colorado Rockies top prospect list over the last several weeks, it’s time to show the whole list at once with some voting stats. I’ll also have some thoughts on the state of the system as a whole soon to conclude the series.

Without further ado, here is the full pre-season 2026 Top 30 PuRPs list, including some voting stats:

Rank	Player	Total	# Ballots	High Ballot	Mode Ballot	Position	ETA
1	Charlie Condon	563	19	1 (12)	1	1B/OF	2026
2	Ethan Holliday	554	19	1 (6)	2	SS/3B	2029
3	Brody Brecht	511	19	2	3	RHP	2028
4	Cole Carrigg	476	19	3	5	OF/SS	2026
5	Jared Thomas	476	19	3	4	OF	2026
6	Robert Calaz	470	19	3	4,6	OF	2028
7	JB Middleton	409	19	4	11	RHP	2028
8	Sean Sullivan	398	19	4	7	LHP	2026
9	Zac Veen	388	19	4	9,11	OF	Now
10	Griffin Herring	368	19	6	10	LHP	2027
11	Roldy Brito	352	18	3	16	OF/2B	2028
12	Gabriel Hughes	340	18	1 (1)	12	RHP	2026
13	Sterlin Thompson	314	19	6	13,14,15	OF	2026
14	Roc Riggio	294	19	6	13,14,26	2B	2026
15	Max Belyeu	293	19	8	9	OF	2027
16	Jackson Cox	284	19	4	13,16	RHP	2027
17	Welinton Herrera	282	19	7	18	LHP	2026
18	McCade Brown	275	18	3	19,20	RHP	Now
19	Carson Palmquist	201	16	13	14	LHP	Now
20	Ashly Andujar	197	18	13	15,17,20	SS	2029
21	Jordy Vargas	161	14	16	18,20	RHP	2027
22	Yujanyer Herrera	115	15	12	25,26,28	RHP	2027
23	RJ Petit	115	12	14	23	RHP	Now
24	Wilder Dalis	93	11	14	14,27	SS/3B	2028
25	Michael Prosecky	89	12	20	21,22,24,25	LHP	2027
26	Cole Messina	86	14	17	23	C	2027
27	Riley Kelly	79	10	17	17,21,22,28	RHP	2029
28	Konner Eaton	75	12	21	24	LHP	2027
29	Ethan Hedges	58	12	19	30	3B	2028
30	Oscar Pujols	55	9	15	27	RHP	2030

Charlie Condon, first baseman/outfielder and Colorado’s first round pick in 2024, received 12 of the 19 first place votes to top the list. That bested Colorado’s 2025 first rounder, shortstop Ethan Holliday, who got six first place votes. Pitcher Brody Brecht, outfielder Cole Carrigg, and outfielder Jared Thomas rounded out the top five, with number 12 Gabriel Hughes receiving the other first place vote.

As a reminder, 30 points were granted for a first place vote, 29 for second, etc. Until a player was named on seven ballots, his vote totals were modified on a sliding scale to avoid an individual ballot having too much say over the community forecast — though that wasn’t a factor this time around in the top 30. There were two ties on the top 30, one of which was broken by number of ballots and the other by the mode ballot tiebreaker. Other ties were broken for non top-30 players according to voting rules. Polling concluded in early January right around the time of the Josh Grosz trade (for Jake McCarthy), so his votes were allocated elsewhere.

For more info on voting numbers for players that didn’t quite make the top 30, please check out the intro post to this edition of the PuRPs list, two articles’ worth of multi-ballot players (Part I and Part II) as well as the write-ups of the honorable mention PuRPs.

Some more notes:

• The top 18 players were listed on at least 18 of the 19 ballots — 15 were named on each ballot. Beyond that, the entire top 22 was listed on at least 15 of the 19 ballots.
• 55 players received at least one vote for this PuRPs list (down from 65 last time), 46 got mentioned on multiple ballots (down from 50), while 31 were named on at least seven ballots (and therefore were unmodified). Here is a link to the polling thread.
• In this edition of the PuRPs list, there were eight new names compared to the mid-season 2025 list, all of which ranking 22 or lower.
• Among those who were on the mid-season list, the biggest risers were Roldy Brito (up 18 slots) and McCade Brown (up 8 slots), while there were no big fallers with a large amount of new slots available.
• Breaking the list down by position, there are 16 pitchers (two of whom are definitely relievers; ten are righties, six are southpaws, only one is in the top five, and just five are in the top half of the list), two corner infielders, seven outfielders, four middle infielders, and one catcher — there’s some positional flexibility in there of course.

I’ll have more on the overall system in my concluding post soon!

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Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Gooooood morning friends! Happy Friday.

Yesterday, the Mariners staved off a late-game surge by the Guardians, pulling out a close 8-7 victory.

I received live play-by-play updates via text for this one from my dad, who, like many of you, makes a regular pilgrimage to the Phoenix area this time of year. My conversation with him reminded me of my childhood tradition of always getting Krispy Kreme donuts (doughnuts?) with him after games at Safeco. We’d call them “celebration donuts” if they won and “misery donuts” if they lost, so there was always an excuse to get them.

Do you have any pregame or postgame traditions when you attend Mariners games in-person? Are there any traditions you had in the past?

In Mariners news…

• Matt Brash has been slowed down this spring due to a cracked tooth, from which he is mostly healed but is still suffering from some swelling. Ryan Divish at The Seattle Times has the report.
• Zac Hereth at Seattle Sports outlined the roster spots that are actually up for grabs this spring in Mariners camp.
• MLB Trade Rumors’ Steve Adams provided a recap of what the Mariners accomplished this offseason.
• Jesús Cano at Baseball America spoke to M’s farm director Justin Toole about what Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan have been up to this offseason and what his impression of them is as games get underway. ($)

Around the league…

• Eight members of Team Cuba were denied entry into the United States for WBC games, though the team still plans to participate in the tournament. Evan Drellich at The Athletic has the report. ($)
• The A’s, who have signed several contract extensions with young players over the last two years, have reportedly offered one to star first baseman Nick Kurtz.
• The Padres’s Seidler Family is reportedly mulling over five different offers to purchase the organization.
• Baseball Savant already added a dashboard for ABS challenge data. It will be fun to track which players end up being the most successful in this new aspect of the game.
• Eno Sarris, Dan Hayes, and C. Trent Rosecrans at The Athletic looked into the data to determine which pitchers will benefit the most from the ABS challenge system. ($)
• Keith Law at The Athletic listed the 20 prospects most likely to make an impact in the big leagues this season. ($)
• Longtime Angels correspondent Sam Blum is leaving the Anaheim beat to shift to a national baseball reporting role for The Athletic. While it’ll be nice to read Sam’s coverage of national news, I will miss his insight into the league’s most chaotic franchise. ($)
• The Red Sox are kind of a mess, but the vibes appear to be better than they were this time last year.

• Caltrain, a California public transportation system, won an award for a commercial posted last summer that dunked on Dodgers fans.
• David Schoenfield at ESPN shared his too-early predictions for the 2026 MLB All-Star Game rosters.
• Marc Normandin at Baseball Prospectus wonders if expanded revenue sharing could be the key to MLB finally giving the green light to expand. ($)

Anders’ picks…

• Today is the 30th anniversary for Pokémon. If you’re a fan, keep track of all of the latest Pokémon Day announcements on their website!
• If you have teenage daughters, you may know this already, but torn ACLs are rampant among that particular demographic. Craig Welch at The New York Times dove into the data behind this unfortunate trend.
• Man, how about that The Traitorsfinale? I will say no more to avoid spoiling folks, but you can check out this link if you’re curious what happened. Two part question for you all:
  • 1. What did you think of the finale and Season 4 as a whole? (NOTE: Please be extremely generous with spoiler tags and clearly label your comment as a The Traitors post if answering this prompt in the comments)
  • 2. Which Mariner (past or present) would make the best Faithful? Who would make the best Traitor?

With Garrett Crochet taking the mound yesterday, I was reminded of how exciting it was to have two new stars on the 2025 Red Sox. Getting to know a new star — particularly an ace pitcher — is one of the most exciting things baseball fans get to do over the course of 162 games.

The Red Sox have brought in a lot of new talent for 2026. But I’m not sure the term “exciting” is a good fit for any of Sonny Gray, Ranger Suárez, or Willson Contreras. They all fall closer to the “very good” bucket than the “great” one, and they’ve all been around for so long that most Sox fans are already pretty familiar with them. For a player to be truly “exciting” I think there has to be an element of the unknown, a sense that watching that player carries the possibility of discovery.

So the question of the day is: which player are you most excited to watch on the 2026 Red Sox?

The easy answer is probably the guy most of us expect to be the best player on the 2026 Red Sox: Roman Anthony. And in this case, the easy is probably the right answer. But it’s worth considering that we did already get an extended look at Roman last year, and we already got a reasonable idea at just how good he already is. He’s not necessarily an unknown. There’s arguably more room for the possibility of discovery in guys like Marcelo Mayer, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu, all of whom have more question marks in their game than Anthony.

Maybe the answer is, once again, Garrett Crochet. There’s less to discover with him, but he also has the potential to be the single best pitcher on the planet, which is what made Pedro the most exciting player on the Red Sox for years.

But for me, I’m going with this guy:

And now a presentation from Payton Tolle: pic.twitter.com/hHgEUeLtLR

— Red Sox (@RedSox) February 26, 2026

Payton Tolle’s debut against Paul Skenes last year was easily my favorite game of the season. And while his subsequent struggles show that he’s not quite ready to be penciled into the top half of a big league rotation — and likely won’t even start with the big league team — I’ll be glued to every pitch he throws in hopes that we’ll see more of that magic from him. This is the guy I want to watch more than anyone else.

Talk about that and whatever else you want and, as always, be good to one another.

Good morning, LSB.

Evan Grant has arrived with a list of ideas to prevent the MLB’s looming work stoppage.

Shawn McFarland has observations from another spring training matchup.

Kennedi Landry writes about impressive Rule 5 draft pick Carter Baumler.

Kumar Rocker has made some tweaks to his game in an effort to build more consistency in 2026.

And the team’s top pitching prospect Caden Scarborough has arrived at camp after a bit of a melanoma scare. Yeesh.

That’s all for this morning. Happy Friday. 🙂

For many teams, it would be a death sentence to lose their ace for the season before games had even begun. However, when the Yankees lost Gerrit Cole for the entirety of the 2025 campaign to Tommy John surgery, their pair of co-deputy-aces stepped up in a big way, Max Fried and Carlos Rodón pitching brilliantly as two of the best starters in the AL when it came to durability and run prevention. Fried is almost certainly this year’s Opening Day starter, while offseason elbow surgery for Rodón clouds the start of his season, creating some uncertainty for the 33-year-old southpaw as he enters his fourth season in pinstripes.

2025 Stats: 33 starts, 195.1 IP, 18-9, 3.09 ERA (132 ERA+), 3.78 FIP, 3.89 xFIP, 25.7% K%, 9.3% BB%, 1.01 HR/9, 1.05 WHIP, 3.2 fWAR

2026 ZiPS Projections: 24 starts, 129.1 IP, 10-8, 4.04 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 24.1% K%, 8.7% BB%, 1.11 HR/9, 1.24 WHIP, 2.1 fWAR

2025 was undoubtedly Rodón’s best season with the Yankees, continuing a pattern of the lefty improving dramatically in each subsequent campaign with the team. He posted for the entire regular season, logging a career-high 33 starts and 195.1 innings, allowing him to rack up over 200 strikeouts for just the second time in his career. Home runs had been an issue his first two seasons with the Yankees, but he slashed those down to yield right around one per nine innings, allowing him to post a sub-four FIP and xFIP for the first time in pinstripes.

This success accompanied a philosophical shift from a pure power pitcher to a more well-rounded starter with more ways to get hitters out — a shift that began in 2024 as a way to prevent a repeat of his disastrous debut season with the Yankees. Last season saw Rodón continue to deepen his arsenal, deploying the changeup and sinker at the highest rate of his Yankees tenure in exchange for reducing his four-seamer usage rate. With this more varied repertoire, Rodón was one of only a handful of starters in the league to place in the 90th percentile or higher in fastball, breaking ball, and offspeed Run Value as measured by Statcast.

Rodón’s slider remained one of the best in baseball, tying for the fifth-highest Statcast Run Value at +12 runs by racking up an impressive 40.3-percent whiff rate, 39.2-percent strikeout rate, and 32.7-percent chase rate. His changeup became elite in 2024 and that remained the case in 2025, with a 35-percent whiff rate, 22.6-percent strikeout rate, and 38.7-percent chase rate. The pitch that intrigued me most was the sinker, used significantly for the first time since 2018 with the White Sox, and it looks like a serious weapon to neutralize lefties, limiting same-handed batters to a .119 batting average, .143 slugging, and .208 wOBA.

Becoming less predictable allowed Rodón to mitigate the batted ball woes that plagued his first two seasons in the Bronx. Relative to those first two seasons, Rodón’s exit velocity dropped from around 91 mph to 88.6 mph, his barrel rate slashed from about 11.5-percent to 7.5-percent, and his expected wOBA on contact from roughly .400 to .335. Most importantly, Rodón cut down significantly on the rate of pulled fly balls he allowed, going from about 22-percent between 2023 and 2024 to 15.3-percent in 2025. This evolution into a more complete pitcher is the number one factor in why I believe Rodón can maintain this level of performance in the upcoming season and well into his 30s.

However, the multi-million dollar question for Rodón (and Cole) is when he will make his return from offseason elbow surgery and what version of pitcher that will end up being. He underwent a procedure in mid-October to remove bone spurs and loose bodies from his pitching elbow, and it is worth wondering what effect that ailment had on his shelling at the hands of the Blue Jays in Game 3 of the ALDS. He and the team are targeting a late-April return, and by all accounts this spring he is right on schedule with that timetable. If all goes according to plan, he could miss just three to four starts, giving him an outside shot at making at least 30 starts for the third year in a row.

The projection systems can’t agree on the amount of time Rodón will miss. ZiPS provides one of the more pessimistic forecasts, skeptical that he will even reach 25 starts or 130 innings pitched. I suppose one saving grace is that they and the other projection systems expect him to pitch with the same effectiveness as last season when he returns. I also feel that none of the systems give Rodón proper credit for suppressing hits the way he did in 2025 — his .187 opponents’ batting average allowed was the lowest among any qualified starter in the AL — and this plus personal optimism over an on-schedule return to play lead me to remain bullish that Rodón’s 2026 can look at lot closer to his 2025 results than ZiPS predicts.

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See more of the Yankees Previews series here.

Four of the five groups that have submitted bids to become the new owners of the San Diego Padres have been identified, but the fifth group or individual is unknown. It was reported Thursday that former San Diego Chargers quarterback and NFL Hall of Famer Drew Brees is a part of one of the groups that have submitted bids. The sale process is expected to move quickly and the new owners reportedly could be in place sometime soon after the start of the 2026 regular season.

Padres News:

• The Padres lost to the Cincinnati Reds 11-10 on Thursday, but Manny Machado was the story. The third baseman crushed two game-tying home runs, one of which was a grand slam. Sung-Mun Song recorded his first hit as a member of the Padres and Nick Pivetta made his first start of Spring Training. San Diego continues play today with a matchup against the Colorado Rockies.
• Padres reliever Yuki Matsui, who is recovering from a groin injury, was officially removed from the World Baseball Classic roster for Team Japan on Thursday.
• David Morgan is already established as another elite arm in arguably the top bullpen in baseball in San Diego. However, he is looking to improve his standing in the bullpen with a strong Spring Training.
• Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Joe Musgrove had a solid outing in a simulated game and that he could be close to making his first start since his Tommy John surgery.
• Dennis Lin of The Athletic answered questions from readers regarding the Padres. He touched on multiple topics including the sale of the team, A.J. Preller’s contract extension, salary and free agency and the catching position.

Baseball News:

• Pitcher Tatsuya Imai made his first spring appearance for the Houston Astros and it went well according to reports.
• New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean made his first start of the spring as he gets ready to compete for Team USA in the WBC.
• Long-time former MLB umpire Bruce Froemming died Wednesday at the age of 86.
• The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown opened a new exhibit that features the WBC.
• The Athletics have approached Nick Kurtz about a possible contract extension after his breakout 2025 season.
• Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis was scratched from Thursday’s lineup due to right side tightness.

A year ago, Cade Povich was the answer to one of the Orioles’ most pressing questions. On the final day of spring training in March 2025, the club named him their fifth starter. He was 25 years old, making his first Opening Day roster, and stepping into a rotation that needed him.

Twelve months later, despite making 20 starts for this team the year before, Povich’s place on this roster has become a question mark.

The shape of the rotation has changed dramatically. Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers are at the top of the rotation. Chris Bassitt, signed for $18.5 million this winter, gives Baltimore a veteran presence with a 3.64 career ERA and four straight seasons of 170-plus innings. Shane Baz, acquired in a trade, occupies another spot. Zach Eflin, who had back surgery in August, is back on a one-year deal and expected to join the rotation once he’s fully ramped up. That’s five starters with legitimate claims to roster spots before you even get to Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells, and Brandon Young — all of whom made starts last season.

Povich, who logged a 5.06 ERA across 21 appearances in 2025, is now competing for a role that the organization hasn’t quite defined for him yet.

“We’ve got a lot of great guys in the rotation and in the bullpen,” Povich said earlier this week in Sarasota after throwing two scoreless innings against Atlanta. “I think competition is always good.”

He knows what the situation is. Asked about the bullpen, he was refreshingly candid: “If they say, ‘we think this is going to help the team the best,’ I’m all for it.”

That flexibility matters, because right now the bullpen looks like the more realistic path to a roster spot than the rotation. The team lacks a pure left-on-left specialist. Southpaws Keegan Akin and Dietrich Enns are useful arms who can get out right-handed hitters, but neither is a shutdown weapon against same-handed batters. Povich could theoretically fill that gap, though his career splits haven’t been markedly better against lefties than righties.

One thing is making Povich’s spring more interesting than it might be: a gyro slider. A tightly spun offering with rotation like a tight football spiral, the pitch tunnels like his four-seamer before dropping just enough to induce weak contact or a whiff. In the offseason, Povich studied how Blake Snell deployed his slider last year (a pitch with a 54% whiff rate on it) and has been integrating his own version to address what has always been his most glaring vulnerability: being behind in counts.

Good timing: opponents hold a .710 OPS against Povich when he’s ahead in counts; when batters get ahead, that balloons to 1.072. The gyro slider is designed to change that equation, giving him something he can throw in the zone at 2-0 or 3-1 instead of grooving a fastball.

He’s also refined his kick change, which was his best swing-and-miss weapon in 2025 with a 34.3% whiff rate but was maddeningly unpredictable in its movement. Sometimes it cut glove-side; sometimes it ran arm-side. Catchers had trouble framing it, and Povich had trouble locating it.

Early spring results have been encouraging. Two scoreless innings against the Braves, a hit and a walk, no real damage. But these are early days against split-squad lineups, and what matters more is the stuff than the line. Manager Craig Albernaz said Povich looked good and was right where he needed to be.

The most realistic outcome for the lefty is probably a hybrid role — not quite a starter, not quite a traditional reliever, but something in between that gives the Orioles flexibility. A bulk innings guy behind an opener, or a sixth arm when the rotation needs it.

The rotation math is what it is. Bradish and Rogers are locks. Bassitt, Baz, and Eflin were brought in to stabilize things, and Elias described Bassitt specifically as someone who would give the rotation “strength in numbers.” With Kremer and Wells also pushing for spots, Povich simply isn’t going to be a regular starter on Opening Day barring an injury.

What he can control is whether he makes himself hard to cut. The gyro slider and and improvement changeup are a nice start. Showing he can get lefties out consistently would help, too. So would improved control early in counts, and staying healthy through camp, come to think of it.

Povich remains on the 40-man roster and the Orioles clearly see something in him. He’s been asked to compete, not released. For a player who was handed an Opening Day start just twelve months ago, it’s a humbling recalibration. But if the new pitch plays, and if he can carve out a role as a versatile left-hander on a team that needs exactly that, there’s still a meaningful career to be built here.

The Birds have a crowded house this spring. Povich’s job is to make himself the one they can’t send away.

With top 20 voting for Cleveland Guardians prospects in 2026 in our rear view, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the players our readers selected and see what trends and other potential information stands out about them.

Before we get started, here’s the top 20 in its entirety:

1. Chase DeLauter, LHH OF
2. Travis Bazzana, LHH 2B
3. Parker Messick, LHP
4. Ralphy Velazquez, LHH 1B/RF
5. Angel Genao, SH SS
6. Braylon Doughty, RHP
7. Cooper Ingle, LHH C
8. Khal Stephen, RHP
9. Juan Brito, SH 2B/1B/RF/3B
10. Jaison Chourio, SH OF
11. Kahlil Watson, LHH OF
12. Daniel Espino, RHP
13. George Valera, LHH OF
14. Jace LaViolette, LHH OF
15. Joey Oakie, RHP
16. Alfonsin Rosario, RHH OF
17. Juneiker Caceres, LHH OF
18. Yorman Gomez, RHP
19. Josh Hartle, LHP
20. Andrew Walters, RHP

So how does the top 20 break down?

By position

Catcher: One.

Outfield: Nine (DeLauter, Velazquez, Brito, Chourio, Watson, Valera, LaViolette, Rosario, Caceres).

Infield: Four (w/ Bazzana, Velazquez, Genao, Brito).

Starting pitcher: Seven (Messick, Doughty, Stephen, Espino, Oakie, Gomez, Hartle).

Relievers: Two (Daniel Espino, Andrew Walters).

By age

19 and under: Two (Caceres, Oakie).

20-21: Five (Velazquez, Genao, Doughty, Chourio, Rosario).

22-23: Seven (Bazzana, Stephen, Ingle, Watson, LaViolette, Hartle, Gomez).

24 and up: Six (DeLauter, Messick, Brito, Espino, Valera, Walters).

By proximity (highest level played)

MLB: Four (DeLauter, Messick, Valera, Walters).

AAA: Five (Bazzana, Ingle, Brito, Watson, Espino).

AA: Six (Velazquez, Genao, Stephen, Rosario, Gomez, Hartle).

A+: One (Chourio).

A: Three (Doughty, Oakie, Caceres).

DNP: One (LaViolette).

Positions players batting stance

RHH: One (Rosario).

LHH: Eight (DeLauter, Bazzana, Velazquez, Ingle, Watson, Valera, LaViolette, Caceres).

SH: Three (Genao, Brito, Chourio).

Pitchers throwing arm

RHP: Six (Doughty, Stephen, Espino, Oakie, Gomez, Walters).

LHP: Two (Messick, Hartle).

What stands out?

To me, it’s the number of outfield prospects in our top 20. After years of hearing Cleveland can’t develop outfielders, the system suddenly is flush with them, having nine that can technically play there in the top 20 prospects (counting Velazquez and Brito, who have taken some reps there). That also doesn’t include players outside the top 20 like Petey Halpin, who already got the call to MLB last year and held his own as a rookie in a small sample size.

Another standout is the lack of right-handed bats. Cleveland has one right-handed hitter in its top 20, outfielder Alfonsin Rosario. We’re a long way from having right-handed sluggers Albert Belle and Manny Ramirez in the lineup. Technically, three others can hit right-handed with three switch hitters in the top 20, but the system’s position players definitely lean left-centric when it comes to batting stance.

Starting pitching depth could be an issue as well. Parker Messick is the only pitcher in the team’s top 20 prospects who played at the Triple-A or MLB level last year (technically, Daniel Espino’s 0.2 innings count, but do they? And will he be able to start?). There are some solid arms in the system, but Khal Stephen, Yorman Gomez and Josh Hartle all finished last year at Double-A and still need some seasoning while youngsters like Joey Oakie and Braylon Doughty are a ways away yet.