SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 26: Jesús Rodriguez #79 of the San Francisco Giants bats during the seventh inning of the spring training game against the Colorado Rockies at Scottsdale Stadium on February 26, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants have a whole lot of camp cuts to make in the next week. They entered Wednesday with 49 players still in Major League camp; next Wednesday, that number needs to be 26.
But they’re slowly chipping away at it. After cutting a pair of players on Tuesday, the Giants sent four more packing on Wednesday: left-handed pitcher Carson Whisenhunt and catcher Jesús Rodríguez, who were optioned, along with third baseman Parks Harber and infielder Buddy Kennedy, who were reassigned to Minor League camp. The difference in wording between those two is mostly inconsequential: it just means that Whisenhunt and Rodríguez are on the 40-man roster, while Harber and Kennedy are not.
Whisenhunt was always a long shot to make the Opening Day roster: he remains one of the team’s top starting pitching prospects, so the Giants likely want him to continue developing in that role, and he lacks the fastball velocity of some of his teammates like Hayden Birdsong, Blade Tidwell, and Keaton Winn, making him less of a fit in a bullpen role. His spring was up-and-down: on the one hand, he showed increased life with his fastball, boosting his velo and striking out 14 batters in 9.1 innings. On the other hand, he had trouble with location, and his fastball was often way too hittable: he gave up some of the loudest contact in camp, while allowing eight hits and eight walks, resulting in a 9.64 ERA and a 3.26 FIP. He’ll surely be up at some point this year.
Rodríguez was the favorite to win the backup catcher job when the offseason began, but that changed when the team added Daniel Susac in the Rule 5 Draft. But Rodríguez had as good of a spring as he could have hoped for, going 12-34 with one home run, four doubles, three walks, and just five strikeouts, for a .964 OPS and a 148 wRC+. The defense behind the plate — which is his biggest question mark — was solid, and earned strong reviews from his coaches. And he showed off not just his versatility, but the team’s desire to get his bat in the lineup by spending a not-insignificant amount of time playing both second base and left field. He also stole a pair of bases in as many attempts. He seems likely to play a big role this year, it will just have to wait a while.
As for the non-roster invitees, Harber — who has flown up the team’s prospect list ever since the Giants acquired him in the Camilo Doval trade — impressed mightily. Despite having never taken a bat in AA, let alone AAA, Harber posted mesmerizing exit velocities in the Cactus League, and hit 10-28 with a home run, three doubles, two walks, and just five strikeouts, good for a .996 OPS and a 154 wRC+. Unfortunately, he suffered a hamstring injury a few games ago, and will be out for 4-6 weeks. He’ll presumably begin the year with AA Richmond, but he could move very quickly. A debut this season is unlikely, but not out of the question.
Kennedy — a 27-year old who signed as a Minor League free agent — also had an exceptional spring. The right-handed hitter went 9-26 with two home runs, a triple, a double, four walks, and five strikeouts, which gave him a 1.112 OPS and a 173 wRC+. He’s struggled to hit at the Major League level in four years of scattered appearances, but you never know when it might click for a player. He’ll be important depth with AAA Sacramento, and could come up to fill in if someone gets injured.
With these four cuts, the Giants now have 37 rostered players in camp, and eight non-roster invitees.
DUNEDIN, FLORIDA - MARCH 14, 2026: Jonatan Clase #8 of the Toronto Blue Jays runs out a ground ball during the seventh inning of a spring training game against the Detroit Tigers at TD Ballpark on March 14, 2026 in Dunedin, Florida. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Orioles 3 Blue Jays 2
The offense didn’t do much today, just five hits on the day.
Batters, starters:
George Springer: 1 for 2, k, double. .250. Nice to see his average coming up some.
Daulton Varsho: 0 for 3, k. .400. Made a very nice catch in the outfield.
Alejandro Kirk: 0 for 2, walk, k. .188. He was 1 for 3 on challenges.
Addison Barger: 1 for 2, home run. .281. He hit that one a long way.
Kazuma Okamoto: 3 walks. .333. I like seeing guys swing the bat in spring training, but showed he has a good eye at the plate. And he made a nice defensive play.
Nathan Lukes: 1 for 3, k. .300.
Davis Schneider: 0 for 3, 3 k. .094. I want him making contact.
Eloy Jiménez: 0 for 3. .275. He was fine at first base. His bat was terrific at the start of spring, but he’s hit nothing lately. He is streak hitter, but he’s not making a case for himself lately. We have a surplus of LHH outfielders, not as big a surplus of RHH outfielders. If he would just get hitting again, he’d have a shot. The team is likely looking at how hard hit the balls that are outs have been, but he’s a long shot.
Leo Jiménez: 0 for 2. .250. His BA isn’t as important as his glove and he looked fine with the glove.
Subs:
Jesús Sánchez: 0 for 2, walk, k. .211.
RJ Schreck: 0 for 1, walk. .158. Make a nice catch in foul territory in right field.
Tyler Heineman: 0 for 2. .294.
Myles Straw: 1 for 2. .200.
Josh Rivera: walk. .222.
Yohendrick Pinango: 1 for 1. Double. .160.
Riley Tirotta: 0 for 1, k. .226.
Josh Kasevish: 0 for 1, walk. .281.
Pitching:
Josh Fleming started, going 2 innings, the first was terrible. 3 hits, 2 earned, walk. The second inning was quick, 3 up, 3 down. He had 2 k.
Others:
Spencer Miles: 2 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned on a home run, 2 strikeouts.
Louis Varland: 1.1 innings, 3 strikeouts. He looked great.
Braydon Fisher: Got one out.
Brendon Little: 1 inning, 1 hit, 3 strikeouts. He was terrific.
Mason Fluharty: 1 inning, 1 k. A very nice inning.
Tomorrow the Jays host the Yankees. Cody Ponce starts for the Yankees. I’m surprised they aren’t hiding him from the Yankees. Ryan Weathers starts for the Yankees.
The Dodgers' Miguel Rojas high fives his teammates after scoring during a spring training game against the Cleveland Guardians last month. (Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)
Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas addressed an erroneous report from earlier in the week with understanding while also making his feelings clear.
On Monday, a senior baseball writer at the Athletic misidentified Rojas as the recipient of an 80-game suspension for the use of a banned substance on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. It was in fact Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas who had tested positive for Boldenone. The writer, Evan Drellich, quickly deleted the post and corrected it.
“I'm not frustrated because of the report, because we are all humans and we make mistakes,” Rojas said Wednesday morning in front of his locker at Camelback Ranch. “I was expecting a little bit more of an apology, not just to me, but the organization. Because it wasn't just my name, it was pretty clear that it says, ‘Miguel Rojas from the Los Angeles Dodgers.’ And I don't think anybody in this organization should be kind of freaking out and jumping out of their seats for the six or seven minutes that it happened.”
Rojas saw the correction post as an opportunity to issue that apology.
“It wasn't just my name, it was the organization that I represent too, and that's really important to me,” he said. “So that's the only thing that I'm kind of bothered [by].”
Later on Wednesday, Drellich followed up with another post: “To Miguel Rojas and the Dodgers, I sincerely and publicly apologize. I’ve reached out to Miguel, the Dodgers and Miguel’s agent to say the same. Once again, I’m sorry.”
In the midst of the fallout from the report, Rojas watched Team Venezuela, who he would have represented in the World Baseball Classic if it weren’t for insurance issues, win the tournament with a victory against the United States in Tuesday's final.
“It was really special to see my kids kind finding joy in that moment that the third strike was called,” he said, noting that his children were born in the United States. “And they felt Venezuelan the same as I did, and every other family in Venezuela.”
Rojas said he’d moved on after the insurance snag.
“When I made my last post, when I came to spring training, I made a decision of being another fan and supporting from any anywhere that I was going to be," he said. "Because I knew I wasn't going to be there anymore. So I had to kind of remove myself from the possibility of playing, and now I'm just becoming another Venezuelan pulling for a team that are getting ready and preparing for something like that.”
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - MARCH 10: Relief pitcher Kumar Rocker #80 of the Texas Rangers pitches against the Chicago Cubs during the third inning of the spring training game at Surprise Stadium on March 10, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for March 18, 2026 against the Kansas City Royals.
Opening Day creeps ever closer, and Kumar Rocker heads out to the mound tonight to try to help his case for being in the rotation when Opening Day arrives.
JUPITER, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 26: Walker Janek #84 of the Houston Astros at bat during a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium on February 26, 2026 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Houston Astros have released the roster and coaching staff for tomorrow’s spring breakout game against the Miami Marlins at 11:05 A.M. CT. The game will be available on Space City Home Network/SCHN+.
Time to shine.
The 2026 Spring Breakout game is tomorrow! Take a look at who's on the squad. pic.twitter.com/4vDvRx6GgD
PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 7: A general view Salt River Fields at Talking Stick during Pool D, Game 1 between Italy and Mexico in the first round of the 2013 World Baseball Classic at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Thursday, March 7, 2013 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Barry Gossage/WBCI/MLB via Getty Images) | MLB via Getty Images
After last night’s dramatic World Baseball Classic final, Eduardo Rodriguez will be returning to Salt River Fields in triumph, having started the game for the winners, and pitched a gem against a stacked American line-up. With all respect to the Cubs, this afternoon is going to be something of a let-down in comparison. But, cheer up! A week from tomorrow, it’ll be the end of meaningless baseball. It feels like spring training has gone by quite quickly this year. Normally, 26 games in, I’ll be thoroughly fed-up of the whole endeavor. This year, though, it hasn’t been too bad.
After Merrill Kelly, scheduled to pitch will be RHP Joe Ross, RHP Taylor Clarke, RHP Juan Morillo, RHP Paul Sewald and RHP Kade Strowd. Kelly’s first start of spring was a bit rough, allowing six hits over 1.2 innings, with no walks and one strikeout. But results there were probably less important than health, and Merrill reported coming out of it feeling fine. He is still likely to start the year on the injured list, but it hopefully will not be for long. Could even end up missing less than 15 days of the season, if the team opts to backdate his IL stint the permitted three days before Opening Day.
Livestream today on dbacks.com, with Chris Garagiola & Cole Tucker on the call.
WEST PALM BEACH, FL - MARCH 04: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals scores a run during the game between the Team Venezuela and the Washington Nationals at Cacti Park at the Palm Beaches on Wednesday, March 4, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Lawrence Brown/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
CJ Abrams is in the midst of his 4th spring training as a Washington National, and his 6th spring training overall. The 25-year-old shortstop has certainly become accustomed to the buildup to the regular season that occurs in March, but this time around, it’s different, with an entirely new coaching staff and technology around him.
Everyone on the Nationals roster is being challenged by the new staff to work on something new this spring to improve their game, and as for Abrams, he’s adapting as well as anyone to this. While Abrams overall numbers are nothing to write home about, he has made major strides in one area this spring.
It’s no secret that Abrams is a free swinger at the plate, finishing below average in chase rate every year he’s been in the big leagues. While it’s helped him tap into his power better, hitting 18 or more home runs each of the last 3 seasons, it’s limited his on-base capabilities, as Abrams .315 OBP in 2025 was the highest of his career, not ideal for a top of the lineup hitter.
One of the goals of manager Blake Butera and hitting coach Matt Borgschulte for Abrams this season is certainly to get on base at a higher clip, allowing him to wreak havoc on the base paths with his speed and be in position for bats like James Wood and Daylen Lile to drive him in.
While conclusions should hardly ever be drawn from spring training stats, certain outliers are worth keeping an eye on, and for Abrams this month, his chase and walk rate is one of those outliers. In a 37-plate-appearance sample size, Abrams’ chase rate ranks in the 85th percentile among all hitters with at least 25 plate appearances, a far cry from his 19th percentile chase rate during the 2025 regular season.
Factors such as facing worse pitching during the spring and minor league hitters increasing the sample size and bumping up Abrams’ ranking are at play, but they don’t fully explain how Abrams could go from near the very bottom in chase rate to near the top.
What does help explain the sudden change is the addition of Trajekt pitching machines at the Nationals’ spring training facilities, a high-tech device that can mimic the pitch arsenals and speeds of big league arms to better prepare hitters for games. According to Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic, Abrams arrived early to spring training this season specifically to train with this new technology, and the results are already beginning to show.
Abrams also had a strong chase rate in spring training 2025, ranking in the 79th percentile, but the difference this time around is that he’s turning them into walks at a much, much higher clip. Abrams’ walk rate last spring was 3.4%, just below his 5.8% walk rate during the 2025 regular season and right about in line with his 2021-2024 spring training walk rates.
This spring, Abrams is walking at a whopping 16.2% clip, leagues above where he’s been in the past. Abrams is swinging as a whole much less, and it’s leading to not only fewer swings and misses at pitches outside of the zone, but fewer mishits, which turn into weak groundouts or flyouts, when those at-bats could’ve ended in walks or extra-base hits.
37 plate appearances in February and March don’t dictate how Abrams 2026 season is going to look, but they may offer some insight into what we can look for, and in Abrams case, it might be more free passes, meaning more opportunities to swipe bags and let the hitters behind him do damage.
If Abrams can take more walks and get on base at even a slightly higher clip than he has in years past, it opens up lineup construction for Blake Butera in a big way, as he can experiment with all sorts of hitters in different spots because he can trust Abrams in the leadoff spot to start the rallies. Even though Abrams is only hitting .226 with a .706 OPS, this spring gives me optimism for the Nats shortstop.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 20: Jeremy Peña #3 of the Houston Astros celebrates after hitting a home run in the seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners at Daikin Park on September 20, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) | Getty Images
SS Jeremy Pena has already resumed throwing, and will begin swinging a bat this weekend:
Clarification: Peña has resumed throwing. He will start swinging again this weekend. https://t.co/gFzpQd5Jsr
Jeremy Peña continues to make progress in recovery from a fractured finger tip and hasn't been ruled out for opening day on March 26 https://t.co/PhZVc21ARw
UT Zach Dezenzo will be limited to DH duties for a little while:
Zach Dezenzo's elbow flared up during Team Italy's WBC run. Dezenzo will continue to DH now that he's back in Astros camp, but won't throw for a few days.
So far, there’s no structural issues with Dezenzo’s elbow:
Zach Dezenzo’s right elbow flared up during the WBC. He can DH but will not throw for the next few days, Joe Espada said. Dezenzo said he had an MRI that showed everything “fully intact” structurally.
Manager Joe Espada intended to give his starters some run in today’s game vs. St. Louis, but wet field conditions changed that plan:
The Astros are pulling players due to the playing conditions here in Jupiter, a team spokesman said. Carlos Correa was just pinch-run for. https://t.co/0fE6V2M7JU
The Astros are pulling starters from today's game early due to playing conditions, per a team spokesperson. (It's been raining intermittently). Isaac Paredes was removed before the bottom of the third and Carlos Correa for a pinch-runner in the top of the fourth.
SP J.P. France started for the Astros today, working 4 innings of one run ball. He allowed 3 hits, struck out 4, and did not walk a batter. He threw 38 of his 51 pitches for strikes. He primarily worked 91-92 MPH with his fastball/sinker, and hit exactly 93 MPH one time. He also threw his cutter, curve, and change.
France projects as minor league depth for the Astros this season. Despite his low velocity since returning from shoulder capsule surgery, he has shown a willingness to battle and has worked hard to set up his pitches for efficiency and effectiveness. His best role is likely long relief, but it could give France another crack at the majors after undergoing an incredibly difficult surgery for pitchers that is known to decrease velocity.
Relievers Steven Okert, A.J. Blubaugh and Kai-Wei Teng all threw shutout innings today. Okert threw 16 of his 25 pitches for strikes, did not allow a hit, walked one and struck out 1. Blubaugh threw 5 of 9 pitches for strikes and started an inning-ending 1-4-3 double play. He did not allow a hit, walked one and struck out one. Teng threw 6 of his 9 pitches for strikes, did not allow a hit or a walk, and struck out one.
Okert is a lock to make the bullpen. Blubaugh and Teng are in the mix for a pen role and both should make the Opening Day roster as righthanded options in the pen.
UT Shay Whitcomb entered the game in the top of the 6th, pinch hitting for Yordan Alvarez, as Espada was unhappy with the wet fielding conditions and was removing starters early. Yordan was supposed to play LF today, but that plan was scrapped roughly two hours before the game.
Whitcomb went 0x2, but drove in the only Astros run of the day with a groundout. Whitcomb utilized situational awareness, and hit a ground ball to the right side, allowing James Nelson to score and Tommy Sacco to advance to 3rd with one out. Situational hitting was a major problem for the Astros in 2025, which is why it is being noted here.
Unfortunately the Astros would not further capitalize, as Riley Unroe flew out to shallow center and Sacco was thrown out at the plate trying to tag up and score.
Whitcomb is unlikely to make the Opening Day roster, but has shown improved defense at multiple positions, had a solid showing in the WBC and is currently hitting .267 for Houston this spring. He will be minor league depth and could be called up during the season as a injury replacement/bench player.
Nelson, Sacco and Unroe are not likely to see MLB time in Houston this season.
Feb 21, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani against the Los Angeles Angels during a spring training game at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The best baseball player on the planet prepares for what will hopefully be another successful campaign with the Dodgers—Shohei Ohtani makes his first start this spring training, pitching against the Giants.
MESA, ARIZONA - MARCH 12: Pitcher Emerson Hancock #26 of the Seattle Mariners walks to the dugout before a spring training game against the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park on March 12, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s a preview of the Spring Breakout game as the Mariners take on the Brewers in Peoria. Emerson Hancock gets the start as he continues to eye an Opening Day slot in place of the injured Bryce Miller.
Lineups:
Julio back! Julio back!
Injury news:
J.P. Crawford saw Dr. Kenneth Meister yesterday for his injured shoulder and received a cortisone injection. He should be able to resume baseball activity in a few days.
Roster move:
The Mariners optioned RHP Alex Hoppe to Triple-A Tacoma today.
Mar 18, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) throws a pitch against the Boston Red Sox in the first inning during spring training at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
This afternoon, the Yankees proved that one of the most integral parts of the sport, the baseball bat, is completely unnecessary to win a baseball game. In a contest where pitchers on both sides looked dominant—including Gerrit Cole, who pitched the top of the first inning—the only run came on a throwing error caused by a double steal following a pair of walks. That delightful order of operations, as well as great pitching from Cole, Carlos Lagrange, and others, gave the Yankees a 1-0 spring training victory over the Red Sox.
Cole’s return to MLB action post-Tommy John was of course brief, but plenty encouraging. He threw 10 pitches in a scoreless first inning, working around a leadoff bunt single to retire the side. Cole threw his fastball, slider, and knuckle curve—the fastball sat comfortably in the high-90s while the slider hit 91 mph on a delivery to Kristian Campbell. We’re still not likely to get a full day’s work from Cole on a big-league mound until May or June, but it was great to see the progress in a live environment in front of real competition.
But the show on the mound continued even after the Cole Train’s departure. After a scoreless second inning from Harrison Cohen, the hard-throwing prospect Lagrange took over for the Yanks and had his way with the Boston offense—lack of MLB-caliber talent in the lineup notwithstanding. While regularly hitting 100 mph on the heater and pulling the string on his wicked sweeper, he attacked the zone consistently and finished players off in early counts. He completed four scoreless innings for a second straight Grapefruit League outing, striking out four Red Sox and throwing just 60 pitches. Plenty of eyes will be on Lagrange as he begins the minor-league season.
Not to be outdone, Boston lefty Connelly Early looked very impressive against the Yankees’ lineup. Last year’s starter for Wild Card Game 3 sliced and posted five straight zeroes on the box score before allowing a leadoff walk to Amed Rosario to start the sixth and leaving the game. Early racked up seven strikeouts with just one hit allowed and two free passes. It seems quite likely we’ll be seeing more from this Virginian southpaw in 2026.
The pitching clinic continued as neither offense managed to do much of anything through seven. Fernando Cruz danced around some loud contact ahead of the seventh inning stretch, and Red Sox lefty Tyler Samaniego picked up where Early left off with four Ks in two perfect frames.
It looked like Boston would finally win the staring contest in the top of the eighth when they got two men in scoring position with nobody out against Brent Headrick. But try as they might, they couldn’t break through. Kristian Campbell lined a ball that looked ticketed for the left field corner, but a leaping catch by Owen Cobb made it a harmless out. Following a strikeout of catcher Ronald Rosario and a walk to DH Nathan Hickey to load the bases, Headrick managed to induce a soft chopper to short from outfielder Allan Castro, who couldn’t beat Max Schuemann’s throw to first as the Sox left ‘em loaded.
Naturally, the rally which finally brought in a run in this game involved not a single bit of contact from a bat. Reliever Tyler Uberstine issued a pair of one-out walks in the eighth to Kenedy Corona and Cole Gabrielson, who decided to force the issue with a double steal. Their aggressiveness was rewarded as the catcher Rosario’s throw sailed into center field. Corona came home to score the one and only run of this extraordinarily preseason-y contest.
Angel Chivilli got the final three outs without incident to stamp an unforgettably forgettable win. I love it! Beating the Red Sox in the process is the cherry on top.
With officially one week left until the Yankees open the 2026 MLB season in San Francisco, only eight Grapefruit League contests (plus a Spring Breakout game on Saturday) remain on the horizon. Tomorrow is the final true split-squad day of the preseason, with one squad facing the Orioles at home and another hitting the road to Dunedin and facing the Blue Jays. Max Fried and Dean Kremer will be the pitching matchup for the former; Ryan Weathers will tango with Cody Ponce in the latter. Both games will start a little after 1 pm.
GOODYEAR, AZ - FEBRUARY 19: Ralphy Velazquez #87 of the Cleveland Guardians poses for a photo during the Cleveland Guardians photo day at Goodyear Ballpark on Thursday, February 19, 2026 in Goodyear, Arizona. (Photo by Nic Antaya/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Guardians have announced their roster for tomorrow’s spring breakout game. Here it is:
Pitchers: Yorman Gomez, RHP Josh Hartle, LHP Braylon Doughty, RHP Joey Oakie, RHP Matt Wilkinson, LHP Magnus Ellerts, RHP Luis Flores, LHP Jack Jasiak, RHP
Catchers: Cooper Ingle, LHH Jacob Cozart, LHH
Infielders: Angel Genao, SH Ralphy Velazquez, LHH Jose Devers, RHH Dauri Fernandez, SH Dean Curley, RHH Nolan Schubert, LHH Gabriel Rodriguez, RHH Milan Tolentino, LHH
This is an exciting roster! Travis Bazzana will be still playing with the major league team, I’m assuming. I do find it curious that Kahl Stephen isn’t on the roster, but, other than that, it seems to be everyone I would expect to see. It will be exciting to see if folks like LaViolette, Arias, Rodriguez and Fernandez get some playing time.
Here’s what I’d expect to see as a starting lineup: 1. Watson, CF 2. Genao, SS 3. Velazquez, 1B 4. Rosario, RF 5. Ingle, C 6. Chourio, LF 7. Antunez, DH 8. Tolentino, 3B 9. Devers, 2B
And, maybe Doughty taking the start? In any case, tune in at 2PM ET on MLBTV to get a glimpse of a bright future for the Guardians! Let us know who you’re most excited to see in the comments below.
MIAMI, Florida — We’re going to need an entirely new lexicon to describe the celebration that unfolded at loanDepot Park as Cubs closer Daniel Palencia struck out one of Team USA’s hottest hitters, Roman Anthony to end a legendary final in the World Baseball Classic. The win resulted in the first World Baseball Championship for Venezuela and it sent the crowd of more than 36,000 fans into a frenzy. It sent millions of Venezuelans following the action at watch parties all over the country into raucous cheers. It sent Palencia’s glove higher in the air than any bat flip I’ve seen with the exception of one his teammate Willson Contreras sent soaring against the White Sox during the 2020 shortened pandemic season.
Nine innings before Palencia would put a capstone on a historic achievement for Venezuela the vibes were already elite. Even Yankees fans couldn’t resist joining the dance party:
Fans of both countries had every right to be fired up. From the time the teams entered to the moment Venezuela won a close game it was a historic night in Miami:
It was a solid outing for McLean, much better than his start against the upstart team from Italy. But while 4.2 innings with four hits, four strikeouts, one walk and two runs, both earned, was better than last time it was not enough to best the outstanding work Eduardo Rodríguez did for Venezuela. E-Rod threw 4.1 innings of one hit, scoreless baseball for his country. The ovation was electric:
There were two innings late where the tension got the better of the vibes in the stands. As I walked through the concourse during the seventh inning stretch the dance party was a bit muted. When I returned to my seat you could almost feel 25,000 Venezuelan fans counting the outs and strikes until the end of the game. The two-run lead felt fraught. It didn’t seem possible that the capricious baseball gods would let Venezuela march to their first World Baseball Championship so easily. That feeling was ultimately correct as Bryce Harper tied the game with this no-doubt home run in the eighth:
And let’s be clear, Harper understood the assignment. The only item that traveled higher than his bat during this game was Palencia’s glove on the final out:
It’s also worth pointing out that multiple sources reported that at least three organizations asked Venezuela not to use certain relievers on back-to-back nights. We have no word if one of those organizations was the Cubs, but we do know manager Omar Lopez lobbied to change their minds:
Venezuela manager Omar Lopez on potential pitching restrictions after heavily using his bullpen Monday night: ‘I woke this morning, three text messages from different organizations trying not to pitch guys back to back.’’’ He called them back trying to convince them to change…
And of course he lobbied them to change their mind. This is an environment Aaron Judge described as better than the World Series. Venezuela is a baseball country. I don’t really know how to put this into words better than this post:
Venezuela is not just a baseball country — it is a nation that breathes the game, suffers with it, celebrates with it, and carries it in its identity. This is a country where baseball is not mere entertainment, but memory, pride, family, and national emotion all at once. That is…
Whatever Lopez said to those organizations and whether they gave their blessing or not, Venezuela hasn’t given up at any point in this tournament. They did not give up when they were down against Japan or Italy. You could almost feel the crowd exhale as the eighth inning ended and the game was merely tied. Eugenio Suárez made sure the game wasn’t tied for long:
This set the stage for Daniel Palencia’s big moment. Even if the Cubs win a World Series while Daniel Palencia is closing for them, I imagine closing out this game will always mean more to him. You don’t have to believe me, just check out the watch party in his hometown and how they reacted to the final out:
I need to set the stage for this a bit. I was at a watch party the Cubs hosted at Gallagher Way during last year’s National League Championship Series against the Brewers. Admittedly, the Cubs got blown out in Milwaukee that day, but we had maybe 500 fans assembled to watch the game. Check out what last night looked like in Caracas:
This win was World Cup energy applied to baseball for a nation that eats, sleeps and breathes baseball. It was a moment of triumph for Venezuela at a point in time where it’s hard to imagine it mattering more. It was perfection.
The party continued long after the trophy presentation. We danced through the concourse. We chanted with fans from every nation represented at the World Baseball Classic. I saw fans in Japan jerseys, Dominican Republic jerseys and USA jerseys join in the festivities. I myself was in a Mexico jacket. It did not matter where we were from, the joy of the Venezuelans was contagious and all were welcome. This video is as my portion of the crowd began to exit an hour after the final official ceremonies:
At the risk of eliciting some ire in the comments, I’m not sure the United States could win any sport in any international competition that would generate the same level of national unity and pride. Our chanting tends towards the stoic and “USA! USA! USA!” just really doesn’t hit the same way as tens of thousands of people with drums who all know half a dozen common refrains. I was amused to see some United States fans in the lower bowl attempt to mimic the “ponche” (strikeout) chant every fan of Venezuela engaged in for every two strike count of every game I attended. It just didn’t hit quite the same.
I’ll leave you with this audio from Caracas. I imagine this what Wrigleyville must have sounded like after the Cubs won the World Series. Sometimes it takes a place built around baseball winning a championship to truly capture the vibes. Like this audio from Caricuao, Caracas:
Me enviaron este vídeo desde Caricuao, Caracas donde se ve el momento exacto de los festejos por la victoria de Venezuela en el Clásico Mundial de Béisbol
NORTH PORT, FL - MARCH 14: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves catches a flyball in the outfield during the spring training game between the Boston Red Sox and the Atlanta Braves on March 14, 2026 at CoolToday Park in North Port, FL. (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
It won’t be until mid-April that the Atlanta Braves face the Philadelphia Phillies again.
What started as a pretty underwhelming showcase today with the Braves turned into a late win (3-2) as the lineup couldn’t manage a hit to get on the board until the bottom of the seventh inning where Michael Harris II hit an RBI single to drive in Dalton McIntyre.
In the same inning, he was able to tie the score (2-2) by gaining a run of his own through a sacrifice-fly from Luke Williams. The Braves were able to get ahead by a run after a fielding error by Phillies’ third baseman (much to Phillies’ fans dismay) Garret Grubs. Outfielder Ben Gamel would get a run off of this error to take the lead (3-2).
As for veteran pitcher Martín Pérez, he was able to manage 3.2 innings and only allowing one run and six hits through switching out a few times with Jacob Kroeger.
Now, though Pérez didn’t show us a lot in today’s outing, one person that is fighting for an Opening Day roster spot—-with an impressive resume building as of now—-is Didier Fuentes. Watch the 20-year old’s improved command at the mound, along with his striking fastball amongst his arsenal that makes him a strong asset for the rotation.
The ABS system was used to his advantage in the top of the sixth and called a strike for the second out of the inning. With eight total strikeouts in today’s game, it’s safe to say that this might be a gem that the team needs to key in on for the long-run.
Could we be seeing another Braves’ Rookie of the Year this year?
The team is off tomorrow, but will be set to take on the Pirates on Friday.
Major League Baseball is facing a turbulent moment right now. Local media rights are unsettled, labor issues are expected to cause a lockout in 2027, and the lack of a salary cap creates payroll disparities. But for private equity, all this volatility is building a perfect storm through which to swoop in.
MLB was one of the first of the major U.S. professional sports leagues to allow PE firms to invest. In 2019, baseball began allowing PE funds to buy up to 15% of a team, with no limit on the number of clubs a fund can invest in. It’s not clear if MLB imposes a minimum dollar amount that funds must spend. And no franchise can sell more than 30% of its equity to PE.
As one of the first to open its doors to PE, MLB has attracted more PE funds than many other sports leagues. (The NBA has more PE investments, but that includes firms like Arctos Partners that have multiple holdings.)
A handful of private equity firms have taken stakes in MLB teams. This includes Arctos, Sportsology Capital Partners and Sixth Street. RedBird Capital, the PE firm from Gerry Cardinale, backs Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Red Sox. Silver Lake owns Diamond Baseball Holdings, which has amassed a collection of 48 minor league teams. (Marc Lasry’s Avenue Capital is an investor in the Baltimore Orioles, but Avenue is a hedge fund and not private equity.)
Ares Management is an investor in Chelsea FC, Inter Miami CF and the Miami Dolphins but doesn’t own an MLB team. Ares did act as a lender to the San Diego Padres in 2021.
Buying a professional sports team is a complicated, capital-intensive and regulated process that can take lots of time. Sportsology spent one-and-a-half years in negotiations before completing their minority stake in the Texas Rangers in February.
Investing in sports teams is still relatively new, said Aaron Mulvihill, global alternatives strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management. “Sports investing is quite unique and interesting because it’s emotional and there’s a lot of fan loyalty,” he said. “It’s quite specialized. It’s a little more difficult to predict on an Excel model how a sports franchise will do.”
Private equity has recently hit some trouble. Some funds with exposure to the so-called SaaS-pocalypse are facing withdrawals as well as sharp stock declines. Particularly hard-hit is Blue Owl, which last month reportedly restricted investor withdrawals from one of its retail-focused funds. Blue Owl is the parent of the HomeCourt Partners fund which buys minority stakes in NBA franchises. Shares of Blue Owl are down 57% from their 52-week closing high of $21.65 that it reached in March 2025.
Still, there are many reasons to invest in professional sports teams, one being the scarcity of teams, with many leagues capped at around 30 clubs.
Soaring team valuations provide another reason to invest in sports. In 2001, Forbes valued the Dallas Cowboys at $743 million, a figure that rocketed to $13 billion in August’s Sportico valuations, making Dallas the world’s most valuable sports team.
While baseball lags the NFL, in part because MLB takes in far less money in national TV rights deals, its franchise values are growing, too, with the average team up 12% this year alone.
The New York Yankees again toppedSportico’s new list of most valuable MLB franchises at $9.4 billion, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers at $9.05 billion and the Boston Red Sox placing at $6.65 billion.
How to Value
When it comes to valuing a club, many professional sports teams operate with negative cash flows, so traditional valuations metrics like EBITDA are useless, according to the Corporate Finance Institute. This is why MLB teams are often valued as a multiple of revenue. Using a revenue multiple allows clubs to capture revenue from local media and the intrinsic value of each team.
Valuing teams with an EBITDA multiple also doesn’t allow teams to include their scarcity value. “Sports team ownership, for an individual, in many ways is more analogous to the ownership of a valuable piece of art than it is to cold economic rationality,” said Stephen Amdur, a partner with law firm Fried Frank, who has advised on sports transactions such as the sale of Chelsea FC and the San Francisco Giants’ partnership with Sixth Street. “I don’t know how a person ultimately decides exactly what a Picasso should be worth, just as I don’t know how a person decides exactly what the Chicago Bears should be worth. It all depends on the team, the situation and your own personal enjoyment of the sport.”
The average MLB team is worth $3.17 billion, according to Sporticodata. This translates to an average multiple of about 7.2x revenue. This low valuation is mainly due to the league’s looming labor issues. The current collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the MLB Players Association is set to expire on Dec. 1, and many expect a work stoppage.
A major point of contention is the salary cap. The NFL, the NHL and the NBA each have salary caps, but MLB doesn’t, which has led to spending disparity and competitive imbalances. While MLB officials have discussed adding a salary cap and a salary floor, the players union has long been against pay limits. “Leagues that have salary caps like NFL have more predicable costs, which is helpful for investors in long-term planning,” Mulvihill said.
There are also media rights issues. In November, the MLB signed off on a package of new, short-term media rights deals with NBC Universal, ESPN and Netflix. Local media rights for the league remain unsettled.
When asked for comment, an MLB spokesman referred to Baseball Commissioner Robert Manfred’s recent remarks. “We haven’t even started the process. Candid conversations around (seeing) things that need to be addressed doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to make this proposal or that proposal. I think we have to wait and see how things unfold at the table,” Manfred said during a WFAN radio interview in January.
Broken player economics, including the lack of a salary cap, is suppressing MLB multiples, according to one private equity executive, who declined to speak on the record.
A second PE exec, who also asked not to be named, thinks there will be a delay to the 2027 season with games likely starting in June.
Some bankers and PE executives believe all this volatility makes MLB a great place for private equity to invest right now. They say there are some longtime owners with majority stakes who are economically exposed to baseball’s volatility and would welcome taking money off the table.
Once MLB fixes its problems, including clinching a new CBA, team valuations are expected to jump. Until then, there is good value in the MLB, including for the San Diego Padres, which went on the market in November.
Conviction has helped private equity during broader economic troubles. Many PE funds that invested during the 2008 financial crisis did well. For example, Blackstone acquired Hilton Hotels in 2007 in a deal valued at $26 billion, right before the onset of the global financial crisis. When Hilton faced distress, Blackstone had to restructure the hotel’s debt in 2010. But by 2013, Blackstone took Hilton public and made a $14 billion profit, still considered one of the best PE returns in the industry.
“It is always incredibly hard to time investments whether it’s buying stocks or buying sports teams,” Mulvihill said. “It’s really about being comfortable with that investment in the long term.”
