The Yankees defeated the Tampa Bay Rays by a score of 3-2 on Tuesday afternoon.
Here are the key takeaways...
-- J.C. Escarra, likely to make the Opening Day roster as the backup catcher, blasted a 438-foot solo home run in the second inning to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.
Escarra went 3-for-4 at the plate and also threw a runner out trying to steal second base in the bottom of the seventh inning.
-- Will Warren continued his strong spring on the mound. The right-hander cruised through his first four scoreless innings, allowing just one hit. But he allowed a pair of singles to start the fifth, and with his pitch count in the mid-60s, his day ended there.
Cade Winquest allowed one of those inherited runners to score, so Warren's final line read 4.0+ innings, one earned run on three hits, four strikeouts, and one walk. His spring ERA is still very impressive at 1.77.
--It was a quiet day overall for the Yankees offense, until the ninth. Ben Rice, serving as the DH, went 0-for-4 with three runners left on base in his first four at-bats, but in a rare fifth spring at-bat, he ripped a single to give the Yankees runners at first and third with nobody out in the ninth inning. Coby Morales, a non-roster player, would drive in a pair to put the Yankees up late.
-- Jasson Dominguez went 0-for-3 with a walk. Ryan McMahon, starting at shortstop, went 1-for-4.
--Oswaldo Cabrera, continuing his recovery from last season's devastating ankle injury, went 0-for-2. He remains hitless this spring in eight at-bats.
KANSAS CITY, MO - AUGUST 11: St. Louis Cardinals manager O?li Marmol and St. Louis Cardinals assistant hitting coach Brandon Allen watch batting practice a MLB game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals on August 11, 2023, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
We spoke with St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol recently about the state of the team now including the progress of Nolan Gorman, challenges with Jordan Walker, the impressive Spring for Joshua Baez and his goals for the 2026 team.
The St. Louis Cardinals made manager Oli Marmol available to us for over a half-hour late last week which included about a dozen online writers and podcasters representing multiple brands. During that time we and others asked him numerous questions which included the progress (or not) of prospects, the expectations for the pitching staff and what Oli would consider a successful season for 2026. Here are a summary of all the questions and a snapshot of his answers to each. He started with an opening statement which included this:
“Our audience experiences our team…a lot of it through the work that you guys do and I feel like when you put out work…I want to give you guys the opportunity to have direct access…rather than sometimes guessing as to how we’re thinking about things or how I’m thinking about things.”
How excited are you about the young Cardinals arms you have and how do you balance opportunity with allowing young players with enough runway to make adjustments?
“We almost have to take the approach we did with Libby with some of these guys where he wasn’t looking over his shoulder every start trying to figure out if I’m going to make my next one and I think that helped him see it as I have enough of an opportunity…there’s always gonna be urgency. None of these guys are taking the mound thinking…I have plenty of time to figure this out. But, it is nice for them to know that as I’m working towards becoming the best version of myself, I have the ability to make mistakes and then correct them…I really do believe that’s what helped Libby because he had to work through some things last year that weren’t easy and him knowing that if he had a bad outing that he was going to have a bullpen session two days after and be able to work on it and give it another shot…I think when you look at someone like Leahy who I really do want to see in the rotation because I think he can fit a little bit of what Libby did where because of how diligent he is with it and I mean when I say this dude is thoughtful in his preparation…it’s impressive.”
What type of things have you been doing with Nolan Gorman that have led to less strikeouts and better at-bats?
“He’s an interesting case because there has been opportunity, but it has been broken up at times because of having to give others opportunity…and bounce back and forth there based on having Arenado here and some others. It hasn’t panned out exactly the way you would want it laid out, but it has been broken up by injury…just having that real opportunity where it’s not choppy and you can see what he’s capable of doing. When you talk about what we’re doing with him and what he’s doing in order to prevent that from changing…more contact, not doing that at the expense of bat speed. You have to start somewhere and that’s why I wanted to lay that out last year….the bat speed is going to drop a little bit while we try to figure out how to get him through the zone and impacting the baseball at a higher rate. We saw bat speed drop. We saw contact go up. As he gets comfortable with that new move, then that allows for him to make more contact while still impacting the baseball…that’s what we’re seeing in Spring. It is more walks, more contact, but it’s not at the expense of him swinging the way he wants to swing…the counting stats…I don’t look at it in Spring as much…because you’re looking under the hood at the things you name that lead to sustainable success…are you controlling the strike zone? When you swing, are you making contact and are you hitting it hard?…You can be fooled in Spring Training by someone that has really good numbers, but it’s not sustainable.”
We know this is a different type of year and you’ll try to win every game, but how will you balance that with player development?
“It’s gonna be tough, but that’s part of the gig. If we’re trying to make decisions based on…we need to look long term, but we’re not giving anything away today. I think that’s how you build a winning culture…when I was coming up through the minor leagues…all the way through. We always talked about developing winning players. When we think about this group that is young and hungry…you’re going to have times where you have to make decisions that isn’t strictly to win that game, but it is to teach them what winning habits…look like. The goal is you do that often enough, then you just start winning. We could put a timeline on this and say…we’re gonna be good in 2028 or 2029…(but) try to be good today. I don’t know the timeline…these guys may come out and surprise the heck out of people…they may not. We’ll find out a lot about who can and who can’t. Our job is to create a framework for them to operate in, do it really well…hold them accountable and hold our staff accountable to it and move this thing as quick as possible in the right direction…our staff is in the mindset that it’s today.”
Who are some prospects that have really impressed you this Spring behind the scenes?
“I think you would agree with…Baez…that was fun to watch and not just because of the skill set. His demeanor…sometimes guys come up here and you can tell that they are putting on a front as far as looking confident when they’re really spinning inside and they’re just trying to control it. This dude had a quiet confidence to him that was pretty impressive. The way he carried himself in the clubhouse was really good. The way he communicated with the staff was really good…his overall presence on the field is felt. That’s not always the case. He’s one of the ones that you can get pretty excited about what’s to come…and the way he’s working now…there’s an urgency to it. He knows it’s close.
What about the issues with Jordan Walker?
“This has been one that…keeps us up at night. We have to figure it out. When I say I’m committed to it, I need to think of a stronger word to make sure that this dude figures it out…with us…because there’s a real skill set there, but I do feel like we missed some time in getting to where we’re at now. I wished we would have gotten to this point sooner. What I mean by that where there’s real vulnerability of what has actually happened…how do we feel…how are we gonna get on the other side of this to create real change…not just say we’re working on something, (but) six months later it looks very similar. I feel like we’re finally at a point where that’s happening. It could be a month before we feel good about it…it could be three months before we feel good about it…I may feel good about it in 3 hours….I don’t know. I like where we’re at with what’s taking place. There’s a real responsibility on both ends here…on mine, on Brownie and that whole hitting department…to unlock what he’s capable of…and there’s real responsibility on (Jordan’s) end, too…of carrying the work that he’s doing into the game. We’re doing everything possible for that to be the case…but this is one that has not gone well and we need it to go well. All hands on deck for this one.”
Big thanks to Oli Marmol and the St. Louis Cardinals for allowing us direct access. We’re assured that this will happen again more frequently moving forward so we can get the thought process of the President of Baseball Operations and his team and the manager as they navigate the St. Louis Cardinals forward through this rebuild of what we hope will be a team that returns to its winning ways sooner rather than later.
There are three late games on the spring training schedule tonight, which suits me just fine.
My MLB picks for Tuesday, March 17, highlight moneyline predictions for all three games, including the Cincinnati Reds toppling the Cleveland Guardians.
Spring Training predictions for March 17
Pick
Odds
KC moneyline
+115
CIN moneyline
-125
LAA moneyline
+130
Pick #1: Royals moneyline
This is a pure value play. The Kansas City Royals are still without Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia (playing in tonight's WBC Final) and Vinnie Pasquantino (whose team was just eliminated on Monday), so it makes sense they're underdogs against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
But until he can prove otherwise, I have no faith in Roki Sasaki finding the strike zone with any consistency. The right-hander has issued five walks across 3 1/3 innings this spring while surrendering seven earned runs and five base hits.
Batters can wait until he gives in and crush him.
I'll take the plus money on the underdogs in case Sasaki digs himself, and the Dodgers, too big of an early hole.
Pick #2: Reds moneyline
The Cleveland Guardians lineup remains unimpressive, especially with Jose Ramirez likely sitting again with an injured shoulder.
I'm high on Cincinnati Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo, who was occasionally brilliant last season, even if his overall output was uneven.
With Cleveland sending lefty swingman Kolby Allard to the hill, I like the Reds to do enough early damage to preserve a win.
Pick #3: Angels moneyline
Chicago Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga faded down the stretch last season, and there are plenty of questions surrounding whether or not he can be a viable part of this rotation.
On paper, I like Imanaga more than Los Angeles Angels starter Mitch Farris, but not enough to ride with -155.
The Angels can stack the order with right-handed bats like Jo Adell and Mike Trout. If this were at Wrigley Field, I'd be less inclined to take the upset, because the wind often suppresses fly balls, helping Imanaga keep his ERA low, especially in colder weather.
In Arizona, he's much more susceptible to the long ball.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Peoria, Ariz. - March 05: Bryce Johnson #29 of the San Diego Padres is congratulated in the dugout after scoring a run against the Seattle Mariners during spring training game at the Peoria Sports Complex on Thursday, March 5, 2026 in Peoria, Ariz.(Photo by Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
San Diego Padres at Seattle Mariners, March 17, 2026, 1:10 p.m. PST
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Luis Morales takes the mound today against the Chicago White Sox in Glendale, Arizona. It will be his fifth spring outing this year. | Diamond Images/Getty Images
With just more than one week before opening day, The Athletics will take on the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona today at 1:05 PM. The A’s come into today with a 12-13 record and matchup against a Chicago team currently 13-11 this spring.
Twenty-three-year-old righty Luis Morales will take the mound for the A’s this afternoon. Morales has made four spring appearances, three starts and has a 2-1 record in twelve total innings. He’ll go up against 30-year-old lefty Anthony Kay. Kay has pitched 11.2 innings this spring, going 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2023.
Kay will face off against this lineup for the A’s today:
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 23: Bobby Witt Jr. #7 of the Kansas City Royals warms up before the first inning of a Spring Training game against the Chicago Cubs at Surprise Stadium on February 23, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Once again, the AL Central isn’t looking like the strongest division in all of baseball. With that being said it’s definitely an interesting one. There’s only one team that seems completely hopeless, while the other four have varying degrees of realistic hope and hope that’s feasible but may require some of the optimistic delusion that abounds during this time of year.
Now it’s time to take a look at what this division may have to offer here in 2026. Will the Guardians maintain their tenuous grip on the divisional title? Will the Tigers finally emerge to claim the title after they knocked Cleveland out of last year’s Postseason? Will the Royals step it up and take the crown, themselves? Will the Twins recover from a disastrous 2025? Will the White Sox recover from a disastrous existence in general?
Chicago White Sox
2025 Season: 60-102
Notable Additions: INF Luisangel Acuña, RP Seranthony Domínguez, SP Erick Fedde, OF Austin Hays, RP Jordan Hicks, RP Anthony Kay, INF Munetaka Murakami, SP Sean Newcomb
When will they play the Braves: Tuesday, June 9, Wednesday, June 10 and Thursday, June 11, al at 7:40 p.m. ET at Rate Field
Well, they should be better than they were last season? Granted, that’s not saying much since 102 losses in 2025 was actually an improvement itself after their historically-bad 2024 campaign but hey, progress is progress, right? Unfortunately for Chicago, it’ll likely be slow progress since this is still looking like a last-place team for not just the AL Central but the American League as a whole.
The White Sox did manage to pull of a bit of a splash move for the first time in what feels like ages after they ended up signing Japanese posting Munetaka Murakami. Was this just a case of the White Sox swooping in on what ended up being a wildly depressing market for Murakami after it turned out that a lot of MLB scouts weren’t exactly confident in the lefty bat’s chances of transforming from NPB slugger to MLB slugger? Probably, since they ended up only getting him for two years and $34 million. With that being said, someone was going to give Murakami a chance and I applaud GM Chris Getz and the White Sox for at least trying.
That’s just about all the credit I can give them, though: The White Sox are trying! I believe that they have officially bottomed out from the absolute cratering that they suffered in 2024 and should at least be more than a speedbump for the contenders in the AL Central. I do like the additions of Seranthony Dominguez and Anthony Kay on two-year deals and the Austin Hays deal could end up being two years depending on how things go thanks to a mutual option. I can’t say that I’m too enthused about them signing Sean Newcomb and Erick Fedde for their pitching staff but hey, you gotta have arms and they are certainly arms.
As you can imagine with a team of this caliber, though, the main focus is going to be on the young big leaguers and prospects developing. The White Sox may have something with Colson Montgomery at shortstop (even though he’s apparently struggling through spring training right now), Miguel Vargas is starting to look like he’s going to be a solid third baseman, Chase Meidroth should provide solid defense at second and Kyle Teel also seems like he’ll be a reliable catcher as well (even though he’ll be out for a bit due to a hamstring strain). Add Murakami at first base and suddenly this is not a bad-looking infield at all! If there were any signs of life in the outfield or at the DH spot then this could’ve been a really interesting team!
Instead, Chicago’s likely to languish at the bottom of the AL Central yet again. At least they’ll have a handful of consensus Top-100 prospects to keep an eye on and they’ll also be picking first overall in this year’s draft. Also, notorious owner Jerry Reinsdorf is on the way out (not immediately but sometime in the future) so that alone is worth celebrating for White Sox fans. They just probably won’t have a lot to celebrate on the field any time soon.
Cleveland Guardians
2025 Season: 88-74
Notable Additions: RP Shawn Armstrong, RP Conor Brogdon, C Austin Hedges, OF Rhys Hoskins, RP Colin Holderman
When do they play the Braves: Friday, April 10 and Saturday, April 11 at 7:15 p.m. ET. Sunday, April 12 at 7:20 p.m. ET. All games at Truist Park.
The Guardians had a lowkey stinker of an offseason. They followed up a shocking AL Central win (despite that being three divisional titles out of the past four seasons for them) by doing little-to-nothing to add to their lineup in the offseason. Sure, they did make the Postseason last season as divisional champions but they somehow pulled that off with a run differential of -6. The Tigers ended up dumping them out of the AL Wild Card and theyr responded to that early exit by making Rhys Hoskins (on a minor league deal, no less) their “crown jewel” signing heading into the season.
That’s the main question for this team: Will the offense be able to pull their weight this season? On paper, it’s looking like this is going to be another season where they’ll be leaning heavily on their pitching staff while hoping that José Ramirez is the one who’ll be doing the heavy lifting at the plate. There’s really only two possibilities at play here: Either they figure that the offense should be a lot better than it was last season (despite not doing much to improve said offense) or ownership just decided to cheap out on the baseball operations. Considering that Ramirez is the only player on this team currently making more than $8 million, I think we know which one is the more likely possibility.
The pitching staff should be perfectly fine. Tanner Bibee has proven that he’s a very good starter, Gavin WIlliams isn’t too far behind and they’ve got a wealth of options for their rotation with Logan Allen, Joey Cantillo, Slade Cecconi and Parker Messick in the mix. Closer Cade Smith is done floating under the radar and is starting to get recognized as being one of the best closers in the game right now with a four-seamer that has proven to be nearly un-hittable. It’s going to be tough to score runs on this crew.
On the flip side, it’s going to be tough for the Guardians to score runs on anybody. Aside from Ramirez, Steven Kwan figures to be the only sure thing to provide some consistent help i the hitting department. There’s a lot of hype surrounding Chase DeLauter but like any other prospect, he’s going to have to prove it at the big league level. Outside of Kwan and potentially DeLauter, there is not a lot to get excited about when it comes to tis lineup. Maybe Rhys Hoskins will revive his career and deliver some consistent hitting as well? There’s just not too much hope for this lineup to improve over what they did last season and the pitching staff will have to be nails all season in order for this team to have a shot at retaining the AL Central crown.
Detroit Tigers
2025 Season: 87-75
Notable Additions: SP Framber Valdez, 2B Gleyber Torres, RP Kyle Finnegan, SP Justin Verlander, RP Kenley Jansen, RP Drew Anderson
When do they play the Braves: Tuesday, April 29 and Wednesday, April 29 at 7:15 p.m. ET. Sunday, April 26 at 1:35 p.m. ET. All games at Truist Park.
There’s a very good chance that this could be the best (and last) opportunity that the Tigers will have to make some noise in the Postseason while having Tarik Skubal in their employ. Detroit didn’t exactly seem enthused about paying Skubal a record amount of money via arbitration and once again, ownership’s willingness (or reticence) to spend seems like it’ll play a major factor in whether or not Skubal will stick around. With that being said, he’s still here and is going to be here for the rest of the season (assuming the wheels don’t fall off and they end up being sellers at the deadline) so again, this appears to be an all-or-nothing season facing the Tigers here in 2026.
They did a lot of work on their pitching staff and their rotation looks like it’ll be the best in the AL Central. Framber Valdez is a huge addition and bringing back Justin Verlander is more than just a nostalgia play. Having Jack Flaherty and Casey Mize as middle-of-the-rotation guys is about as good as it’ll get for a lot of teams — even if they’ll be missing Reese Olson for the whole season. The bullpen should be reliable enough, with Will Vest and new acquisitions Kyle Finnegan and Kenley Jansen helping to fortify the relief pitching for this squad.
Unlike in Cleveland, this lineup should definitely be able to pull their fair share of the weight. Riley Greene should lead the way at the plate as he’s turned into a solidly above-average hitter. Gleyber Torres and Dillon Dingle shouldn’t be too far behind with their offense as well. FanGraphs Depth Charts projections believes that top prospect Kevin McGonigle is the real deal and if he (and a potential arrival from other top prospect Max Clark) performs as expected then the Tigers will definitely have a shot at making this crucial year count in a big way.
Kansas City Royals
2025 Season: 82-80
Notable Additions: OF Issac Collins, OF Lane Thomas, OF/DH Starling Marte, RP Alex Lange, RP Nick Mears, RP Matt Strahm
When do they play the Braves: Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28 at 7:15 p.m ET. Sunday, March 29 at 1:35 p.m. ET. All games at Truist Park.
The Tigers may have the best pitcher in this division but the Royals absolutely have the best player in this division in the form of Bobby Witt Jr. Assuming everything goes like normal, Witt should be an MVP candidate yet again and he’s got all the tools to be one of those rare players who can leave a major impact on a game by himself. With that being said, this is the ultimate team sport and even the superstars in this sport will need help.
Fortunately for Witt, hep is here. Maikel Garcia is playing to Witt’s right at third base and that’s a very formidable side of the infield for any team to deal with. Jonathan India can be dangerous on his best day, Vinnie Pasquantino should be flying into the season after an encouraging performance in the World Baseball Classic and Salvador Perez still commands respect behind the dish. The outfield is especially intriguing with the most intriguing figure of all being Jac Caglianone. If Cags can live up to his potential then that could be huge for a team that is already pretty solid all-around. He’s got the potential to breakout and it would be massive for the Royals if this was the year where he did break out.
There’s also plenty to like about this pitching staff. Speaking of breakouts, Kris Bubic will be entering this season looking to prove that his breakout in 2025 is here to stay. Cole Ragans may have had his 2025 season curtailed by injuries but there’s plenty of reason to believe that if he stays healthy then he’ll be able to bounce back and return to the great form that he showed in 2024. Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo are both known commodities at this point and their veteran presence and steady mound production will keep this rotation afloat at times during this season. Noah Cameron should also be a very solid performer in this rotation as well.
The bullpen got a major boost with the addition of Matt Strahm and then Kansas City will have Lucas Erceg and Carlos Estévez to reply on out of the pen as well. John Schrieber and Nick Mears should also be effective as well. This entire squad is just really solid all-around and I honestly wouldn’t be shocked at all if they ended up being the ones to come out of this division as champions. The Tigers are tough as well but the Royals have what it takes to keep up and possibly even surpass Detroit.
Minnesota Twins
2025 Season: 70-92
Notable Additions: 1B/DH Josh Bell, C Victor Caratini, C Alex Jackson, 1B Eric Wagaman, IF Tristan Gray, RP Taylor Rogers
When do they play the Braves:Monday, August 17 and Tuesday, August 18 at 7:40 p.m. ET. Wednesday, August 19 at 1:40 p.m. ET. All games at Target Field.
I can’t think of many more teams who had a more depressing end to the season than the Twins did. Minnesota made a real effort at contending in 2025 and then proceeded to sell off just under half of their big-league talent once things failed to materialize. As a result, they ended up losing 90 games for the first time since 2016 and are now looking like longshots to contend ten years later here in 2026.
That’s due to the fact that Minnesota’s offseason dealings left a lot to be desired. A lot of this had to do with the fact that ownership decided to get involved with the offseason moves — so it’s not a coincidence at all that the team got cheaper when it comes to payroll. Sure, the talent is here for the Twins to make a surprise run to the Postseason — Byron Buxton is still around and you can do a lot worse than having players like Royce Lewis, Luke Keaschall and Ryan Jeffers around. Joe Ryan is still a perfectly capable top-of-the-rotation hurler and the rest of the rotation may not be spectacular (with guys like Bailey Ober, Simeon Woods Richardson and Taj Bradley available) but it should be enough to make sure that the Twins aren’t terrible.
That’s basically what the Twins are going for this season — simply avoid losing 90 games again. Now granted, once you’re in the 80-loss territory then it’s a thin line between being mediocre and being a Wild Card contender so there’s certainly a universe where this all comes together for the Twins and they make a Postseason run. However, this is a team that’s going to need everything going their way and the stars aligning perfectly for them to bounce back from a 2025 teardown and a relatively inactive offseason to follow.
The final of the World Baseball Classic is stacked with star power. And speaking of power, don’t be shocked if we see a few home runs when Venezuela takes on the United States.
Aaron Judge, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Kyle Schwarber are the big bomber names, but who are the best bets to hit some dingers in what should be an epic WBC final? Check out my home run picks below.
There are some great power hitters on Team Venezuela — Eugenio Suárez and Sal Perez just to name a few — but the best pure power swing on this team still belongs to Ronald Acuna Jr.
What makes the Venezuelan’s star center fielder so dangerous is he’s got easy power to all parts of the field. He’s already gone deep twice in the WBC, and I love this value for him to go yard once again.
Acuna Jr. faces American starter Nolan McLean. The Mets' top pitching prospect began his MLB career with an impressive eight-game stretch at the end of last summer, but one guy who burned him was Acuna — who took him deep in an August 22 meeting.
USA home run pick
Alex Bregman (+425 at DraftKings)
It's been some of the young guns like Gunnar Henderson, Roman Anthony, and PCA that have powered the Americans to the final, but I’m betting on an old guard to go deep tonight.
One, the final seems like a spot for a veteran to step up. Two, the other thing those guys have in common is they’re lefty bats.
With that in mind, I expect Alex Bregman to get the start against Venezuela starter Eduardo Rodriguez, who, you guessed it, is a lefty.
Bregman also has solid career numbers vs. Rodriguez, going 9-for-27 with three home runs and a 1.160 OPS.
How to watch Venezuela vs USA and game info
Location
LoanDepot Park, Miami, FL
Date
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
First pitch
8:00 p.m. ET
TV
FOX
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SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 18: Kyle Freeland #21 of the Colorado Rockies poses for a portrait during photo day at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on February 18, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Jeremy Chen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Kyle Freeland will be on the mound when the Rockies start the 2026 season on March 27 in Miami against the Marlins.
The Opening Day start will be the fifth of Freeland’s career, which breaks his own record of most in Rockies history.
Freeland, 32, also made the Opening Day start for Colorado in 2019, 2022, 2024 and 2025. Last season, Freeland had a great debut, throwing six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and only two hits against the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rockies went on to lose 3-2 after Kameron Misner hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the night.
It was the 14th quality start in franchise history, but the rest of the season didn’t go as well for Freeland, who also didn’t get much run support, as he went 5-17 in 31 starts with a 4.98 ERA.
This spring has been another story, despite Freeland seeing action late with back spasms in February that delayed his spring training debut. Since then, in five innings over two starts, Freeland has a 1.80 ERA. He has given up four hits and three walks with six strikeouts.
The Rockies also made two roster announcements on Tuesday, optioning infielder Adael Amador and RHP Tanner Gordon to the Triple-A Isotopes.
The Rockies announced today that the following players have been optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque: – INF Adael Amador – RHP Tanner Gordon
Colorado has 43 active players remaining in Major League camp, including 10 NRIs.
— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) March 17, 2026
The key here is “experimental.” Don’t expect all of these to be instituted in MLB, and even for some that might be, I would think testing will go on for several seasons.
So let’s take a look at them.
The first, which I won’t quote extensively here, is going to be used only in rookie-level and lower leagues — the Arizona Complex League, Florida Complex League and the Dominican Summer League. This rule change will allow the starting pitcher to re-enter the game after being removed, subject to the following restrictions:
Only the starting pitcher may reenter the game after being removed.
The removed starting pitcher may only reenter the game at the beginning of the inning following removal and may only reenter the game once.
To be eligible for re-entry, the starting pitcher must throw at least 25 pitches in the inning during which he is removed.
COMMENT: A process like this has existed in Spring Training over the last few years, when a team wants a pitcher to throw a certain total number of pitches but not too many in one inning. It’s used when a pitcher has given up a lot of hits or walks or runs in an inning and the manager just wants to get the inning over with, then have the starter come back and finish his allotted pitch count. Longenhagen concludes:
This is the first rule change listed in the memo, but it’s also the only one that seems like it’s being implemented solely with player health and development in mind and isn’t being piloted for eventual big league use.
So just make a note of this, you won’t be seeing this in MLB. Now, on to some you might see in MLB someday.
Games played in the Pacific Coast League will use the ABS Challenge system and follow the same rules that have been adopted at the Major League level for the 2026 season (i.e., each team will start the game with two challenges, successful challenges will be retained, teams will receive an extra challenge if they have no challenges remaining in extra innings, etc.). Consistent with past seasons, MLB will monitor gameplay to determine if there is a desire to test changes at a later point in the season. Beginning on May 5, 2026, the batter, pitcher, or catcher may also appeal the umpire’s decision regarding whether the batter swung at a pitch (“Check-Swing Challenge”). A swing will be considered to have occurred if the maximum angle between the bat head and the bat handle exceeds 45 degrees. This rule was tested in the Florida State League and Arizona Fall League in 2025. In the FSL, the strikeout rate was over 3% lower when Check-Swing Challenge was used, having a positive impact on balls in play and encouraging more extensive testing at higher levels. Under this format, each team will continue to start the game with 2 challenges. Challenges may be used on either ball/strike calls or swing/no-swing calls, but not both on the same pitch.
This will also be used in the other Triple-A league, the International League, as well as in the Florida State League.
COMMENT: The check-swing review was used on a limited basis in the Arizona Fall League last year, as noted. It seemed well-received, because it did make a specific note as to exactly what is considered a check swing, something that’s not now in the rule book and so is up to the umpire’s judgment. It will be interesting to see the results of this experimental rule. I’d think that after testing this might come to MLB, but it will take a few years. There are a couple of videos in the Fangraphs article where you can see this in action.
PitchCom Safe Harbor. In Triple-A, teams will be assessed a mound visit if play is stopped for the purpose of addressing an issue with PitchCom (at which point the team will have the opportunity to address the issue while the Pitch Clock is turned off). If the team does not have a mound visit remaining, a Pitch Clock Violation will be assessed (i.e., automatic ball), at which point the team will have an opportunity to address the issue while the Pitch Clock is turned off.
COMMENT: This seems kind of extreme for something that is a technical issue, not something teams are using to delay games. Or does MLB think the latter is actually what some teams are doing?
Defensive Signals. At all levels, the clock will no longer stop and reset when the catcher leaves his position to give defensive signals. If the catcher is unable to return to the catcher’s box with at least 9 seconds remaining on the clock, a Pitch Clock Violation will be assessed (i.e., automatic ball).
COMMENT: I’m not sure how often you see a catcher do this. It will be interesting to see how this works in practice.
Mound Visits. At all levels, mound conferences must end and all coaches and players, other than the pitcher, must be off the dirt of the mound and moving toward their positions or the dugout before the mound visit clock reaches zero. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in a Pitch Clock Violation (i.e., automatic ball).
COMMENT: This is something you see all the time in MLB games. The mound visit clock starts at 30 seconds. The umpire usually starts heading to the mound to break up the conference with a couple of seconds left on the clock, and often the manager/coach and players dilly-dally a bit. This is a way to attempt to speed up games after mound visits. I could get behind this.
There are several experimental rules for batter timeouts, depending on the minor league level.
Double-A & Triple-A. When a batter requests time, the home plate umpire will grant time, point at the batter, then immediately reset the Pitch Clock. Batters must return to the batter’s box and become alert to the pitcher before the clock reaches 8 seconds remaining.
High-A. Batters will only be permitted to request time with runners on base (i.e., batters will not be permitted to request time with the bases empty). Umpires may continue to grant time if a special circumstance applies (e.g., hitter is brushed back, there is bona fide equipment issue, or injury concern).
Single-A. Batters will not be permitted to request time. As in High-A, umpires may continue to grant time if a special circumstance applies (e.g., hitter is brushed back, there is a bona fide equipment issue, or injury concern).
COMMENT: In MLB games now, you almost always see hitters request a timeout with two strikes on them, to be able to reset a bit. Occasionally, they’ll do so with fewer than two strikes. To eliminate them completely seems excessive. The Double-A and Triple-A rule above might work. I don’t think batter timeouts under the current system delay games too much.
Disengagement Limit. In Double-A, the Disengagement Limit will be reduced from 2 to 1. When there are runners on base, pitchers may pickoff or step off once during a plate appearance without penalty. If they disengage a second time and all runners return safely, time will be called and all runners will be advanced one base. Consistent with the Disengagement Limit used at other levels of play, if a runner advances a base during a plate appearance (e.g., stolen base), the Disengagement Limit will reset.
COMMENT: This will basically super-charge stolen bases in the Double-A level. If that’s what MLB wants, then… we’ll see if the results of this test are such that they’d want to use it at higher levels.
To encourage more action on the bases, in the International League second base will be placed entirely within the perimeter of the infield diamond during the second half. This change will decrease the distance between first base and second base, and the distance between second base and third base, by approximately 9”, i.e., double the change achieved by increasing the size of the bases from 15” inches to 18.” MLB will work with the groundskeepers in the International League to move second base prior to the start of the second half of the 2026 season.
COMMENT: This will have the effect of allowing slower runners to go from first to third on a single, or perhaps score from first on a double, bu decreasing the actual amount of distance they have to run to do that. Again, it will be fascinating to see the results of these tests.
Remember, all of these are being deemed “experimental,” so it’s entirely possible they toss all of these after the experiments. In any case, since they’ve been tweaking the rule book over the last few years, it generally takes several years and lots of testing before any such changes are made at the MLB level. It’ll definitely be worth watching the minor leagues indicated to see how these rule change ideas work in practice.
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA - MARCH 10: Bryson Stott #5 of the Philadelphia Phillies singles during the second inning of a spring training game against the New York Yankees at BayCare Ballpark on March 10, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Mark Taylor/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Good Phight will be previewing the 2026 season by going over each position on the field. We’ll talk about the players that will occupy them, the players behind them, their strengths and weaknesses and give a few takes about how we think the season will shake out.
Can Bryson Stott maintain his second half surge and hot spring over a full season?
Bryson Stott has never had an above average season in the major leagues. Not exactly a bold statement, but one that still makes the brow furrow. Making that statement requires context and for that context, we can look at one of the better, more all encompassing stats we have publicly available, wRC+. A stat that takes all offensive production a player has and puts it into one handy, dandy number where 100 is average and anything above is good, anything below is bad. Nothing Hogwartsian about it, it’s basically just a big math equation.
Bryson Stott has never been above 100.
He’s hit 100 twice, including 2025. Yet his other two seasons in the major leagues, he’s been below average at the plate. His play in the field has helped him maintain decent WAR numbers, but vacillating between bad and meh at the plate casts doubt on the future of the player. I am of the opinion that an extension would be more appropriate than casting him aside once he has completed his required six years of time with the team, but many are probably already counting down the days until he is elsewhere.
However…
His 2025 overall season stat line doesn’t tell the whole story of how his season went. Closer inspection reveals the team may have stumbled onto something with Stott that has turned him around for the better, if one wants to be that cock-eyed optimist like Billy Mumphrey.
So, the adjustments have been made. And there seems to be a clearer plan for what Stott is trying to accomplish at the plate: trying to pull as much as he can, getting on the plate more to turn middle-away pitches into middle pitches, taking the same swing each time.
Stott has managed to stick to his plan during Grapefruit League play, with good moments interspersed: a pair of homers and five walks through his first four games.
When players that have previously not done well in seasons past do well in spring, there has to be at least a shred of skepticism. Who are they having that success against? What kinds of under the hood data are they showing? These are the questions that need to be asked with a critical eye. Yet we see that Stott is carrying over the adjustments that he made last year to this year so far and the results are there. He’s had a good spring.
The real test comes next week when he finally see major league pitching with regularity. Will he continue to find success with the adjustments that he has implemented into his game? It would be helpful to the entirety of the offense if more players upped their game in 2026. There is a real possibility that steps back are coming through natural regression. Too many players taking a step back requires others to take a step forward if the offense is function at a high level. Stott is one of those players. It’s past time he started to show improvement at the plate, lest he become another middling offensive player.
Apr 22, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ryan Feltner (18) pitches during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Today, the Colorado Rockies (11-11) welcome the Seattle Mariners (6-16) to Salt River Fields for a spring training game.
Starting for the Mariners is Cooper Chriswell.
The righty has a 1.74 ERA in 10.1 IP. He’s struck out 10 and has a 0.87 WHIP.
Taking the mound for the Rockies will be RHP Ryan Feltner.
This will be his fourth start. Currently, he has an ERA of 10.80 in 8.1 IP. He’s struck out 12 and has a 2.04 WHIP.
TORONTO, ON - AUGUST 12: Former manager of the Toronto Blue Jays Cito Gaston salutes the crowd before a ceremony for former player Jose Bautista where his name is unveiled on the Level of Excellence before the Toronto Blue Jays play the Chicago Cubs in their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on August 12, 2023 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Cito Gaston turns 82 today.
Cito, the player, came up through the Atlanta Braves system and was a September call-up in 1967. He shared the outfield with Hank Aaron.
In 1968, the Padres picked him in the expansion draft. He had one standout season, hitting .318 with 29 homers and 93 RBI, and overall played 11 years as a strong defensive center fielder.
As a Black player coming up through the Atlanta Braves system in the ‘60s, Cito faced challenges shaped by that era. His experiences—both as a player and as the manager who won two World Series with the Jays—suggest his life story would make a compelling book.
He has an 894-837 record as a manager, all with the Blue Jays. He led us to 5 first-place finishes and 2 World Series wins. Interestingly, he only had 26 ejections in his managerial career, often to protect his players. He believed he was more valuable on the bench than watching from the clubhouse.
Cito managed by trusting his players. He didn’t emphasize strategic tricks or the bunt, and reportedly didn’t call hit-and-runs in his second Jays stint. He picked players he liked and let them play.
This management approach has its merits.
Early as a manager, Cito favoured veterans. In his second stint, he relied more on younger players, especially when veterans no longer performed.
Cito liked aggressive, pull-hitting styles. He even convinced John McDonald to commit fully to an all-pull approach. Initially, it led to more home runs, but pitchers soon adapted, resulting in more ground balls.
Cito is number 75 on the all-time win list for MLB managers. And, of course, number one among Jays’ managers.
Turning to another birthday, Scott Downs turns 50 today. He was one of my favourites.
The Cubs drafted Downs in the 3rd round of the 1997 draft. He made it to the majors with the Cubs in 2000, though he was traded to the Twins and back before reaching the majors. Finally, in May of 2000, the Cubs traded him to the Expos for Rondell White. Most of Scott’s time with the Expos was spent recovering from 2 Tommy John surgeries.
He signed with the Jays before the 2005 season.
In 2005, he had a 4-3 record and a 4.31 ERA in 26 games, making both starts and relief appearances. In 2006, he primarily relieved, going 6-2 with a 4.09 ERA in 59 games.
In 2007, Downs contributed as a reliable reliever, pitching in 81 games primarily as a one-out lefty. He compiled a 4-2 record and a 2.17 ERA. Heavy use did not seem to negatively affect his performance that season.
In 2008, he worked his way into the setup role. Cito used him in every game, whether ahead or behind. He pitched multiple innings several times and had one of the best seasons we’ve seen from a setup man, until he twisted an ankle late in the year. He probably should have rested longer, but Cito kept using him, given his previous reliability.
In 2009, he shared closing duties with Frasor, posting a 3.09 ERA. In 2010, as a setup man again, he recorded a 2.64 ERA in 67 appearances.
After the 2010 season, he signed with the Angels. From there, he bounced around to the Braves, White Sox, Royals, and Cleveland.
He played 13 seasons, appearing in 619 games (50 starts) with a 3.56 ERA and 27 saves. With the Jays, he had a 3.14 ERA over six seasons and 347 games.
Downs was known as Snakeface. Some listeners on Jays’ Talk noted that he did not appear intimidating on the mound, prompting broadcaster Mike Wilner to jokingly suggest Downs had a snake tattoo to boost his presence.
Next, former Blue Jay great Danny Ainge turns 67 today. He wasn’t great on the baseball diamond, but he cleaned up in team pickup basketball games. After three seasons and a .220/.264/.269 batting line, he left baseball to play for the Boston Celtics, a good move. He was a far better basketball player than a baseball player. He won two NBA Championships as a Celtics player and another as the Executive Director of Basketball Operations.
Happy Birthday to all three. I hope they each have a great day.
Also, having birthdays:
Raul Chavez turns 53 today. The backup catcher played his last MLB season with the 2009 Blue Jays, hitting .258 with 2 homers.
Scott Brow turns 57. A 1990 7th-round pick, he earned a 1993 World Series ring, made 42 Jays appearances, and had a 5.78 ERA with 2 saves.
Cesar Valdez turns 41 today. He made 7 appearances with a 6.75 ERA for the 2017 Jays, also playing 68 MLB games over four years.
Anthony Kay holds a 2.31 Cactus League ERA, making his fifth start of the Spring. | (Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images)
It feels like just one week ago that I was writing up the previous Spring Training matchup against the A’s because it was! This afternoon, the White Sox are coming off a tough 3-2 loss to the Texas Rangers and will look to wake the bats up and bounce back vs the Athletics. Lefty Anthony Kay takes the mound for his fifth start of the spring and has been steady since arriving, carrying a 2.31 ERA across 11 2/3 innings.
Before we get to today’s action, the White Sox have announced the devastating news that righthander Mike Vasil will need to undergo Tommy John surgery and will, unfortunately, miss the entire 2026 season. Vasil joined the South Siders as a Rule 5 draft pick last year, and ended up being one of the top arms out of the bullpen, posting a 2.50 ERA over 47 appearances, racking up four saves with 82 Ks in 101 innings and a 1.25 WHIP.
RHP Mike Vasil will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery in the coming weeks. The procedure will be performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, per White Sox
Kay has allowed just three runs on nine hits in Cactus League play, though one thing that would be ideal for him is to cut down on walks. Despite ringing up 10 batters, he’s also walked six and hit one, but to be fair, he’s easing back into MLB life and has consistently reduced his whip each game, down from 1.71 at the beginning of the month to 1.29. Kay pitched his longest game in his last outing (four innings), and allowed just one run on a homer, but looked good overall with his command — four strikeouts with zero walks.
Looking at the offense behind Kay, Korey Lee has stepped up now that Kyle Teel is injured, and he’s ranked 14th in MLB over the last week in OPS (1.452), flashing his power with a .923 SLG with three extra-base hits — a double and two home runs. Another South Sider that has settled in a bit is Luisangel Acuña, who ranks second in MLB in batting average over the last seven days while slashing .571/.625/.643. However, the headline today for the offense is that Munetaka Murakami is back with the Good Guys after the Japanese World Baseball Classic team lost in the quarterfinals, and will start today’s game to get a few more Spring Training reps in before Opening Day. Mune will be playing first and batting in the cleanup spot, and slashed .385/.385/.538 in 13 at-bats with the South Siders prior to joining Team Japan, though he wasn’t as dominant in the WBC, posting just a .654 OPS with one homer and two RBIs.
On the mound for the A’s is righthander Luis Morales, making his fourth start of Spring Training in his fifth game appearance. Morales has tossed 12 innings so far, but hasn’t had the same success as Kay, posting a 6.00 ERA with 10 strikeouts, while his 1.92 WHIP highlights some of his struggles. Morales has allowed nine runs (eight earned) on 16 hits and has also walked seven batters. Given that the South Side bats were quiet yesterday, hopefully they can rebound and be more selective at the plate this afternoon.
The good news for Morales is that his offense has been excellent throughout pre-season, as the Athletics have the top Spring Training OPS (.875) and the second-highest slugging percentage (.510) against left-hand pitching. On the bright side, Shea Langaliers will not be playing today as he has been ripping the ball, and holds the top 2.317 OPS in MLB with an insane 1.692 SLG in his last five games (13 at-bats), blasting FIVE home runs in that time along with five RBIs.
Nick Kurtz has been an excellent addition to the A’s and posted a 1.002 OPS in his rookie season last year. He will be leading off today, though his stats haven’t been as powerful during Spring Training. Despite his .171 batting average, he holds a .748 OPS in 41 at-bats and leads the team in walks (nine), showing that he will find ways to get on even if his bat isn’t at 100%.
Today’s game can be listened to via the Athletics radio broadcast, but unfortunately, there is no video broadcast for this one. First pitch is at 3:05 p.m. CT — let’s get a White Sox W!
Vanderbilt baseball players celebrate a home run by Vanderbilt's Korbin Reynolds (18) during their game against Marist at Vanderbilt’s Hawkins Field Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. | Alan Poizner/For The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
2pm CT on SECN+.
On the Mound
Tuesday @ 2:00pm SECN+
Vanderbilt #77 Jr. RHP Alex “The Kranz” Kranzler (1-2; 9.49 ERA)
vs. Indiana #28 Grad LHP Conner “Linnsanity” Linn (0-0; 9.28 ERA)
Jonathan Loaisiga poses for a photo for MLB media day. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images | Allan Henry-Imagn Images
Inspiration.
“We’ve got to start honing in on the pitching side of things, and we’re wanting to see guys commanding the baseball, commanding their secondary stuff, attacking the zone, filling up the zone.” — Torey Lovullo, 7 March
To the extent that Torey Lovullo’s comment reflects Diamondbacks’ pitching that is less than what it’s got to be, (and he is a straight-shooter), bullpen battles are incendiary. Spring training may add fuel to the fires. Let’s look at spring training data through 10 March.
Approach.
To increase comparability between pitchers, pitches are segregated into fastballs, breaking balls, and off-speed pitches.
To shed light on “filling the zone’ and ‘commanding the baseball’, let’s look at two things. First, what percentage of pitches are in the attack zone, and what percentage of pitches are in the combined attack zone / shadow zone per Baseball Savant? Second, what percentage of those pitches do not become balls in play? Instead, they are called strikes, whiffs, foul balls, and sometimes called balls (based on umpire judgement).
After this comparison, to add insights the pitchers will be also compared on more common (and all-inclusive for all pitch types) measures such as on-base percentage (OBP), slugging (SLG), wOBA, and hard hit percentage (HH%).
Compared two bullpen pitchers, who were acquired in the off-season.
The two pitchers were Jonathan Loaisiga and Kade Strowd. There are good reasons to be confident that Loaisiga will be on the opening day roster per this AZ Snake Pit article.
5 Bullpen Metrics. Kade Strowd’s hard hit percentage is one of the best in the Majors. In 2025 Strowd was better than Loaisiga in 4 of 5 metrics, per this AZ Snake Pit article.
For a second time, comparing those 5 metrics (in spring training through 10 March instead of last season), the picture is very different. The two pitchers were close to equal, with possibly Loaisiga having a slight edge. The following table shows the five metrics:
Filling the Zone. In spring training through 10 March, Loaisiga had higher percentages of fastballs and breaking balls that filled the zone. Also, Loaisiga when fastballs and breaking balls filled the zone, Loaisiga had less of those become balls in play. Details are in the following table.
4 Pitching Metrics. In addition, in spring training Loaisiga was better than Strowd in four more common metrics. For details see the following table.
Based on the comparisons, both pitchers are great with Loaisiga showing best in spring training.
Compared three left-handed bullpen pitchers.
Let’s look at Brandyn Garcia, Mitch Bratt, and Kohl Drake. Although the last two players were optioned to the minors on 8 March, the comparison may shed light on which pitcher is more likely to be called up if Garcia is injured or traded. Although Bratt and Drake might eventually be rotation pitchers, that doesn’t preclude them being called up to pitch in the bullpen.
Filling the Zone. Perhaps surprisingly, in spring training the three pitchers filled the zone close to the same percentages for both fastballs and breaking balls. Looking at whether those pitches became balls in play, there were differences. For fastballs, they were all great, but for in the attack zone they ranked Garcia (best), Drake, and Bratt. For in the combined attack zone and shadow zone, the rankings of Drake and Bratt switched. For breaking balls, Garcia and Bratt were great, with Drake at the bottom. Details are in the following table. It includes data from spring training through 10 March.
4 Pitching Metrics.
In spring training, Garcia had by far the best OBP, SLG, and wOBA. Bratt had the best HH%. So that may be a factor in why Garcia looks like he will be on the opening day roster.
Comparing Bratt and Drake, Bratt had the better SLG and HH%, while Drake had the better OBP. About equal was wOBA.
Details are in the following table. It includes data from spring training through 10 March.
Based on the comparisons, during the season it’s not clear to me whether I would call up Bratt or Drake. Maybe it would depend on which team the Diamondbacks were playing against, with one having the better matchups against opposing batters.
Looked at Philip Abner.
Despite being a left-handed He was not included in the 3-pitcher comparison. Last season, after an incredible rise from a+ to AA to AAA to MLB, he pitched 3.2 innings in the Majors with a 4.91 ERA.
Details are in the following tables. They include data from spring training through 10 March.
Summary.
Bullpen battles are incendiary, with filling the zone a factor.
Arguably, Jonathan Loaisiga and Kade Strowd will be in the opening day bullpen. Based on several comparisons, both pitchers are great with Loaisiga showing best in spring training.
Brandyn Garcia will likely be the left-handed pitcher in the bullpen on opening day.
If the team goes with two left-handed pitchers in the bullpen, Philip Abner could be in the bullpen on opening day.
Based on the comparisons, during the season it’s not clear which left-handed pitcher (Bratt or Drake) will be called up if needed.
KC moneyline
CIN moneyline
LAA moneyline
