Category: MLB

The Yankees recently floated the possibility of Gerrit Cole appearing in Grapefruit League games before camp breaks, and he's at least taken the first necessary step toward achieving that goal.

The veteran ace, nearly a year removed from Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for all of 2025, completed his first bullpen session of spring training down in Tampa on Friday.

Cole sported a new beard and debuted an over-the-head windup on the mound. With coaches and teammates observing nearby, his fastball velocity consistently sat in the mid-90s, reaching as high as 96 mph.

"It felt really good. It was a well-executed pen, overall," Cole said after his session. "[My arm] feels different than it's been in quite some time... I'm just doing exactly what I've been told. When I'm told to push, I push. When I'm told not to, I don't. I really haven't deviated, hardly at all, from my targets."

The Yankees' level of excitement with Cole's progress is warranted. He checked off every box in his lengthy rehab, logging a handful of offseason bullpen sessions in California without any hitches before arriving to camp in Florida.

What remains unclear, though, is Cole's return date. The Yankees are hoping to see the 35-year-old back in pinstripes by May or June, and when asked for an update on his recovery timeline, Cole said that he's on track with the data-backed target window of 14-18 months.

"We've had a lot of discussions between myself and the Yankees," Cole said. "It's always been, with a full Tommy John reconstruction surgery, the target is always between 14-18 months. That really hasn't changed."

As far off as May and June sound now for rejoining the rotation, Cole is still trending in the right direction. Earlier this week, manager Aaron Boone said that the former AL Cy Young winner could face hitters in a few weeks, and if all goes according to plan then, there's the option of game action.

The Yanks will obviously err on the side of caution with Cole, who has always been meticulous about his routine and upfront about his health. After all, the club can't afford to be reckless with a volatile pitching staff that's already banged up.

No matter when Cole makes his 2026 debut, it'll be a welcomed sight for the Yankees. He missed the first half of 2024 with elbow inflammation, finishing the year with a 3.41 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 17 starts (95.0 innings). He also produced a 0.71 ERA across two World Series games.

Cole said his long layoff from the game has "reaffirmed" some of his core values. And while his recovery process from Tommy John surgery has paled in comparison to past stints on the injured list, he's embraced a positive mindset.

"The work during this rehab process is different than what I typically would be doing when healthy. Yet, I've attacked the process the same way as I attack the regular work," Cole said. "That has produced good results, so it just gives me confidence that I go about my business the right way."

Gerrit Cole's first bullpen of the spring pic.twitter.com/WhPoU1woht

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) February 13, 2026

PHOENIX — Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia slowly walked over, took a deep breath Friday, wiped his eyes, and stared at his cell phone.

For the first time since he and his wife Kayla lost their newborn daughter, Sterling Sol, on Oct. 26, days after being born, he stood in front of a crowd of reporters and spoke for six minutes. He stopped and caught his breath several times, frequently touching his heart He didn’t take any questions, and instead asked for privacy as he and his wife continue to heal.

“The lessons we've learned from this is that life can change in an instant," Vesia said. “For us, 10 minutes is all it took. Sterling Sol was the most beautiful girl in the world. We got to hold her, change her diaper, read to her and love her. Our time together was far too short … I was not prepared to not bring my baby girl home, but we're carrying her with us every day.

“Kayla and I will keep those precious moments and memories to ourselves. I hope that anyone listening can empathize and respect our wishes for privacy as we continue to heal and as we navigate the ups and downs of a baseball season."

“We are beyond grateful to be a part of this organization and this family," Vesia said. “So many of you have stepped up and have been there for us in a big way over the past few months, and has meant the world to both Kayla and I."

He spoke about the healing process including the grief counseling he and his wife have begun six weeks ago, the strength and support the Dodgers organization has given them, the Toronto Blue Jays’ heartfelt gesture during the World Series, and the outpouring of love from all over the the world, including the Los Angeles Rams sending an autographed jersey to them that he plans to frame.

Vesia, who stayed with Kayla and left the team during the World Series, still watched every pitch of all seven games, and was overwhelmed with emotion by seeing that every pitcher in the Blue Jays’ bullpen was wearing his No. 57, his jersey number, on their caps in support.

“They are a first-class organization," Vesia said. “Kayla and I just want to say thank you to them. When Kayla and I were watching the World Series, we noticed that there was 51 on Louis Varland's hat. I immediately texted Gus Varland, his brother, and I asked him if I was seeing that correctly. He texted me back right away, and he said, 'the Varlands love you, dude, the whole Toronto bullpen has it too. It's bigger than baseball. We love y'all.'

“Kayla and I, we were very emotional. We were super overwhelmed ... the baseball community, the relationships that you make along the way, it showed that was much bigger than baseball. The outpouring of love and support Kayla I've had over the past few months, few months, has been unmatched.

“We're both grateful to not only Dodger nation, but the fans worldwide. My DMs are basically broken on Instagram from all the love and support that we've had, I've tried to read all the comments and everything because it's meant the world really."

While it was difficult for Vesia to leave the team, he knew that his wife and family needed him much more, and watching the World Series together began the healing process.

“For us, in so many ways, that was a light in our darkness,’’ said Vesia, who returned to his Arizona home after the World Series. “I immediately got back into the gym. I started my throwing program. Having something to look forward to has helped me. The gym has been my mental clarity.

“Being around the guys again, preparing for spring training, it's been really nice. I've gotten a lot of love so far in the clubhouse, being able to laugh and joke around. It's been really nice for me."

When Dodgers manager Dave Roberts saw Vesia on Thursday for the first time since the tragedy, he hugged him, and they talked for 30 minutes.

“There’s not a whole lot [to say],’’ Roberts said. “You’re just sort of there to help support. That’s something they’ve got to process themselves. … It’s one of those things you can’t even imagine. I can’t think of anything worse.

"But I do think that getting back to what he loves to do and play baseball, that’s something that’s therapeutic for him."

Therapy has also been a huge benefit, Vesia says, for him and his wife, strongly recommending counseling to anyone enduring tragedy.

“It hasn't been easy, but talking to someone, it has made a difference," Vesia said. “For those out there who've lost a child or are fighting through any struggle, if you can take anything from this, please seek help. Talk to somebody. It's definitely helped.

“Don't be afraid to speak up. Your mental health matters. I've learned that what happened, what has happened to us, has also happened to so many families. Realizing that has deepened our empathy and our gratitude for this community, the baseball community, is extremely strong. …

“It's been hard, but we're doing okay."

Vesia nodded, looked ahead and then slowly walked back to the Dodgers clubhouse, knowing that his baby girl will never be forgotten, praying and Kayla will one day find comfort and peace.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alex Vesia back with Dodgers after newborn baby death

It’s almost hard to believe, but we have a top 40 in the 2026 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List. We only need four more ballots sent out and counted, and then we will have succeeded in once again ranking the top 44 prospects in the San Francisco Giants organization.

The last chapter of the CPL has brought us someone with a delightful display of power: it’s outfielder Jakob Christian, who has been voted as the No. 40 prospect in the system, falling 10 spots from his debut ranking at No. 30 last year.

Christian, who was the team’s fifth-round pick in 2024 out of the University of San Diego, was essentially in his debut season last year, after only getting into nine games after being drafted. The right-handed hitter, who turned 23 right as the season was ending, flashed some dynamism in his first full year, but countered it with some red flags as well.

Let’s start with the good stuff, though, because that’s what earned him a spot on our list. Christian spent the bulk of the year with Low-A San Jose, where his line was quite solid: he hit .272/.355/.460 with 10 home runs in 70 games, finishing with an .815 OPS and a 119 wRC+. That earned him a late-season promotion to High-A Eugene, which is where he really caught fire and put his skills on display. During his month in the Northwest League, the San Diego native slashed a blistering .304/.380/.570 with four home runs in 23 games, for a .950 OPS and a 155 wRC+.

Those are some green flags! A good average (.279 across the levels), a good walk rate (9.8%), good power (.205 ISO), while getting better late in the year is something to be excited about, and he also added 15 stolen bases while getting caught stealing just twice.

But there were some concerns under the hood. Namely, there were issues with his contact rates. In Low-A, Christian posted a 28.3% strikeout rate and a 17.7% swinging strike rate, very high rates for a large-school college bat who was nearly a year older than league average. While his overall stats improved greatly in High-A, it was despite the contact rates also moving in the wrong direction: he had a 34.8% strikeout rate and a 19.8% swinging strike rate. Across the two levels, Christian ranked 51st out of 58 Giants Minor Leaguers (minimum: 200 plate appearances) in strikeout rate, and dead last in swinging strike rate. That’s a notable hole that needs significant patching if he’s to have success at higher levels.

There’s also the matter of defense. It’s fairly telling that Christian, an outfielder, spent nearly as many games in 2025 at first base (40) as he did in the grass (51). Some of that was to make space in the outfield for San Jose’s higher-touted prospects, but some of it is also a reflection of his defensive value.

I’d assume, given the swing-and-miss issues, that Christian will return to Eugene to start the upcoming season. If he can maintain his offensive performance while patching some of the holes in his swing, he could quickly become a very good prospect.

Now let’s add to the list! As a reminder, voting takes place in the comment section, using the “rec” feature.

The list so far

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

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

No. 41 prospect nominees

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

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

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

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

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

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

If someone told you right now that over the first four full years of Sal Stewart’s career he would hit .274/.359/.432 and average 20 HR a season, would you take it?

You’d probably take it!

The first four years of Nathaniel Lowe’s career saw him do exactly that, as from 2021 through 2024 he was the regular 1B on a Texas Rangers club that excelled all the way to the 2023 World Series title. The 2025 season, however, was another story altogether, as he hit just .228/.307/.381 split between the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox as he struggled to mesh with his new clubs.

Apparently, his 2025 work soured opinion on him enough that he was willing to accept a minor league deal with an invite to spring training, and on Friday that’s precisely what the Cincinnati Reds provided. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, Lowe will head to Goodyear and put in work in an attempt to make the Reds out of spring camp.

The Reds are bringing in Nathaniel Lowe on a non-roster deal, sources tell me and @m_sheldon.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) February 13, 2026

Now 30, Lowe is exclusively a 1B/DH guy at this point of his career, though he did dabble in work at 3B earlier on. What he has going for him particularly, though, is that he’s a left-handed hitter who consistently has hit RHP with aplomb, even to the tune of .252/.333/.429 in his otherwise down 2025 season. Considering each of Sal Stewart, Spencer Steer, and Eugenio Suarez bat from the right side of the plate in the 1B/DH conversation, there’s some consideration that throwing Lowe into that mix would add some balance to the depth.

Obviously, it’s a low-cost depth signing that brings in a pretty proven quantity with zero risk if he’s completely lost it. But if he hits in camp the way he has in the past, it gives the Reds some serious decisions to make. For instance, each of JJ Bleday and Will Benson – both left-handed swingers – have minor league options remaining, and if Lowe is mashing (and if Steer looks comfy in LF), carrying Lowe as the lefty bench bat and 1B/DH rotational partner could a) make the most sense for the big league roster and b) maximize the depth on the farm, too.

The Reds previously sprang to sign former Colorado Rockies 1B Michael Toglia to a similar deal, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand is also presumably fighting for a big league roster spot at the same time. Lowe has a much, much more extensive track record than either of those guys, though, and I’d wager that he immediately jumps them in the hierarchy for spots on the Opening Day roster if he shows up in camp and performs the way he’s shown on the back of his baseball card.

Nice pickup, Reds!

Sports give us a socially acceptable outlet for our pettiness. They let us boo, roll our eyes, and carry grudges that would be wildly inappropriate anywhere else in life. You’re allowed to hate teams, from division rivals to big-market behemoths.

Which team do you hate the most? There are several possibilities.

• The Yankees. Do you root for Darth Vader in Star Wars? Do you cheer when the blackjack dealer wins at the casino? You might be a Yankees fan. They’re called the “Evil Empire” for a reason.
• The Dodgers. They’re the new Yankees. They spend like it’s going out of style, and their fans leave games in the seventh inning to beat traffic.
• The Cardinals. Our cross-town rivals. They’re still chirping about Denkinger’s call in 1985 and how they’re the self-anointed “Best Fans in Baseball.”
• The White Sox. Division rivals. The Royals and White Sox have had dust-ups before, including the time two Chicago fans jumped on the field and assaulted a Royals coach.
• The Pirates. I dunno, I just don’t like the way they look at us.

Which team do you hate the most and why?

I have my complaints about the Hal Steinbrenner-Brian Cashman administration, with one of the big ones being that it’s not always clear where Cashman’s decision authority stops and Hal’s starts. The one thing you can never take away from the duo though is that when they want a guy, really want him, they pull out all the stops to get him. Following a devastating loss in the 2019 ALCS, the Yankees needed a true ace to compete with the Red Sox and Astros, the two teams that had bounced them from the postseason in the previous three years.

Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole was putting up numbers that made him look like a hydrogen bomb going up against coughing babies with Louisville Sluggers. As the lead photo to this post commemorates, Cole also famously grew up a Yankee fan, and his signing was something of a homecoming — one that bar a devastating Tommy John surgery, has paid off in spades.

Gerrit Cole
Signing Date: December 16, 2019
Contract: 9 years, $324 million

Cole’s kind of always been the golden boy. His senior year of high school at Orange Lutheran High he sat 96 mph, striking out 121 batters in 75 innings. Of course the Yankees actually drafted him long before signing him in 2019, 28th overall in the 2008 draft. The club offered an overslot $4 million bonus, but the righty stuck to his commitment with UCLA. Three years later, Cole went 1-1 and signed with the Pirates for $8 million.

But then, he did go to the soon-to-be-resurgent Pirates, a franchise that was being widely celebrated at the time for building strong pitching, backed by Ray Searage’s encouraged use of sinkers and two-seam fastballs. Cole was never bad with Pittsburgh, putting up a 5.1-fWAR season in 2015 and finishing fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting, but it always felt that he had another gear to reach. Perhaps a philosophical misalignment—with Cole rivaled perhaps only by Justin Verlander in this era of taking a “screw you, hit this” approach to his repertoire—kept Gerrit from being the ace he would later emerge as.

Regrettably we got to see that pairing for two years, as the Houston Astros added Cole to a very, very dangerous rotation ahead of the 2018 season. That philosophical match was there, as was some sticky stuff, and the big righty put up 13.4 fWAR in two years with Houston — fanning 40 percent of batters he faced in a 326-K 2019!! If only he didn’t dogwalk the Yankees while doing so, we’d all probably remember this fondly.

What I do remember fondly is the famous Boras Corp. hat Cole sported after going unused in a World Series Game 7 loss, signaling that the game’s best pitcher was going to be available to the highest bid. The Yankees, with their Baby Bomber core already starting to show some cracks — love you forever, Gary Sánchez — were in need of A Guy to pair along with Aaron Judge.

Of course having one of the most dominant pitching seasons since Peak Pedro right before becoming a free agent meant there were many suitors, with the Angels, Padres, Phillies, and Astros all expected to be significant competitors, and the Yankees not even considered favorites. The club did catch a break when the Angels bit on Anthony Rendon just before Cole signed, with the former Nationals’ third baseman going to Orange County, and that tale is a much less happy one.

In the end, the Yankees pulled out all the stops on this one. The organization showed up at the right-hander’s door with an entourage that included his childhood hero Andy Pettitte, who spoke about the uniqueness of success in pinstripes. New pitching coach Matt Blake was also part of the delegation, detailing his plans to revamp Yankee pitching development, and appealing to the often-professorial attitude Cole takes to his craft.

The $324 million, nearly double what the Yankees landed CC Sabathia for just over a decade earlier, certainly helped as well. Gerrit Cole was going to be the Opening Day starter for the New York Yankees, in an ironic echo from what might have happened 10 or so years before.

That first start was a strange one, coming in July in an empty stadium as baseball grappled with continuity in the time of COVID-19. Perhaps we could see that first start as an omen of sorts, with the time since seeing Cole win a Cy Young, start a World Series game, and twirl one of the more impressive regular season outings in recent Yankee history on July 10, 2021:

Yet just like all of Aaron Judge’s lofty, indeed historic, accomplishments, everything that Cole has done as a Yankee has ended in a bit of disappointment. In the 2021 AL Wild Card Game, the win-or-go-home playoff outing that you expressly sign a player like Cole for, he gave up a pair of home runs early to put the Yankees down 3-0 and was out after two innings (due in part to a nagging hamstring). The Yankees couldn’t recover and went home.

The team had their backs to the wall in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, this time in the Bronx, once again the exact type of scenario you imagine when you ink an ace to a deal commiserate with his talent. Gerrit Cole played a pivotal role in that nightmare fifth inning, not agreeing with Anthony Rizzo on who should cover first base, and unable to re-establish control over the frame after other errors in the way that we have seen him do so before.

And then came that bad news last spring, just about exactly a year ago. Elbow discomfort, MRI, Tommy John surgery, and a lost year. We don’t know at press time when Cole will be back—probably mid-to-late May by the updates the club has provided—but just like that your nominal ace is 35, hasn’t pitched in anger since that World Series game, and hasn’t had a season without elbow trouble since 2023.

If nothing else, Gerrit Cole is a marked case of Get Caught Trying. Nothing is guaranteed, no one player means that you’re going to win the last game of the season. No active pitcher has a higher career WAR without a World Series ring than Gerrit. Even one of the last, great, 200+ inning workhorses can be felled by a ligament about the size of a Q-tip. Man proposes and baseball disposes, but put it all together and try. The biggest criticism of the post-dynasty Yankees has been that they’ve refused to push it all in at once, but signing Gerrit Cole was probably the closest we’ve gotten to it, and there’s a reason there’s a No. 45 jersey in my closet.

---

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

The college baseball season starts today, which means it is officially draft season. I wanted to highlight a few college prospects that could be available for the Nats to select with the 11th pick. It is supposed to be a very good draft this year, so the Nats will have plenty of options.

Let's play ball! ⚾️👏

🎟️ https://t.co/i73Q25MuVk#NCAABaseballpic.twitter.com/yikZUKh7fl

— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) February 13, 2026

We have already written about a few prospects the Nats could take like Tyler Bell, Cameron Flukey, Jackson Flora and Chris Hacopian. The three prospects we are highlighting today are Florida RHP Liam Peterson, TCU outfielder Sawyer Strosnider and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey. All of these players have wide ranges, but have a chance to be the pick for the Nats at 11th overall.

I want to start with Peterson, who is the most famous of the three. Some early rankings had him as the top college pitching prospect in this class, but Cameron Flukey and Jackson Flora are ahead of him on most boards now. As an SEC pitcher, he will be facing a higher caliber of hitter compared to Flora and Flukey, who play at UCSB and Coastal Carolina. That means he could end up being SP1 by the end of the season.

Peterson arguably has the best raw stuff of any pitcher in college baseball. His fastball is in the mid to upper 90’s with explosive life at the top of the zone. He also has two breaking balls with a chance to be plus pitches, showcasing a slider and a 12/6 curve. Peterson also shows a changeup with some promise, but is not as comfortable throwing it. One stuff model actually thinks Peterson is the nastiest returning pitcher in all of college baseball.

Happy College Baseball Opening Day! Here are the Top Returning Pitchers in Stuff+

Liam Peterson- 114
Thomas Burns -113
Cade Townsend – 113
Jackson Flora – 112
Robert Orloski – 112
Camron Seagraves – 111
Luke McNeillie – 111
Jack Ohman – 111
Joey Volchko – 111
Jacob Dudan – 110 pic.twitter.com/G8D5poyhY4

— Timothy Chen (@TimStats) February 13, 2026

Consistent strike throwing is the question mark for Peterson right now. His BB/9 went from over 6 his freshman year to 4.2 as a sophomore. However, that is still a bit higher than you would like. He also allowed more hits than you would think for a guy with his stuff, giving up 67 hits in 69.1 innings. Both Fangraphs and MLB Pipeline note some stiffness and effort in his delivery, which is worth monitoring. That could be why they both rank him at 13th, while Baseball America has him at 9th. 

Peterson has very loud stuff, and that could attract Paul Toboni. At 6’5 205 pounds, Peterson also has a prototypical frame. There is a ton of intrigue here, but Peterson will need to perform in his final season at Florida to maintain his stock. He has yet to have a season with an ERA under 4, and that will have to change this year.

The next guy I want to talk about is Sawyer Strosnider, a toolsy outfielder from TCU. Strosnider is a draft eligible sophomore, so he will be younger than most college prospects, having just turned 21 before draft day. He is a freak athlete, with speed and power for days.

Strosnider is not just pure projection though. In his freshman year at TCU, he hit .350 with 11 homers, 10 steals and a 1.070 OPS in 56 games. That made him one of the most productive freshmen in the nation. His speed, power and production make him a tantalizing prospect.

SAWYER. STROSNIDER.

6 RBIs • 2 home runs pic.twitter.com/zztT4X3woi

— TCU Baseball (@TCU_Baseball) March 23, 2025

He is not a perfect player though. That is why Fangraphs has him ranked at 15th and Baseball America has him at 18th. Pipeline is the highest on Stronsider, ranking him 9th overall. Both Pipeline and BA note Strosnider’s chase happy approach as a question mark. Fangraphs has some swing and miss concerns, but he was making more contact as the season went on.

Strosnider actually started his college career very slowly, going 5/35 with 17 strikeouts. However, he turned things around after that, hitting .389 with a 14% K rate the rest of the way. Strosnider actually plays right field due to TCU having another high profile outfield prospect in Chase Brunson. He has the tools to play center though, and whoever drafts him will try him out there.

This is a player that could intrigue Paul Toboni. Strosnider has massive tools and big time production. If he has another good season, he could be in the Nats range, and potentially be a top 10 pick.

The last player I want to talk about is Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey. Based on the rankings, he seems like a pretty divisive prospect. Fangraphs is very high on him, with Lackey being their number four overall prospect. Baseball America is much lower on him though, putting the catcher 25th in their rankings. Pipeline is in the middle, ranking him 12th.

With the addition of Harry Ford, the Nats are not as desperate for catching in their system, but Lackey could be a player they like. He is universally praised for his defensive ability and athleticism. Lackey is a lock to stick behind the plate and could be a plus defensive catcher.

However, the offense is where the disagreements come from. Lackey advocates like Fangraphs see him as a good contact hitter with the potential to add average power down the road. However, skeptics are not as convinced by the power and are worried his approach is too passive. He also hits the ball on the ground more than you would like due to his flat swing. Lackey has decent raw power, but will he get to it?

The profile for @GTBaseball junior Vahn Lackey continues to grow.

Syncs up well here for the frozen rope at 112 EV. Barrel feel 📈

Most versatile defender on the roster, plus glove behind the plate. Tools litter the 6-foot-2 frame.

Day one pick.@PB_DraftHQ || @DSeifertD1PBRpic.twitter.com/aVIukZb7lS

— Ian Smith (@IanSmittyGA) January 24, 2026

Lackey has only hit 10 home runs in two seasons at Georgia Tech. He also does not have a very long track record. Lackey was not super highly touted coming out of college, and only hit .214 his first year at Georgia Tech. However, he had a huge breakout in 2025, hitting .347 with a .921 OPS. 

That makes this season a huge one for Lackey. If he can show his 2025 was not a fluke, he could be an option for the Nats. However, if the power does not come and he takes a slight step back, he will become more of a late first or early second round guy. The defense makes him a high floor prospect, but the bat will determine his ceiling.

This is going to be a very exciting college baseball season. I am going to try to watch as much as I can to monitor these prospects. It is a shame the Nats were not eligible to pick first overall because Roch Cholowsky is the best college shortstop prospect in over a decade. However, there is a ton of talent and depth in this class. I trust Paul Toboni to strike oil here.

3pm FloSports.

The 2026 Diamond Dores Season begins… now. See my Season Preview for more on this team.

On the Mound

Friday @ 3:00pm FloSports

#39 Vanderbilt Jr. RHP Connor “The Spice” Fennell (6-0; 2.53 ERA*)

vs. #49 TCU Jr. RHP Tommy “The Pour” LaPour (8-3; 3.09 ERA*)

*Record and ERA from 2025.

The Lineup

The lineup is in 👇 pic.twitter.com/mWbXwMWuqd

— Vanderbilt Baseball (@VandyBoys) February 13, 2026

See you in the comments.

Was today’s trade a precursor to another one coming soon?

Today the Astros traded OF Jesus Sanchez to the Toronto Blue Jays for a former Astros fan favorite – OF Joey Loperfido.

Clearly the Astros were sour on Sanchez after he performed poorly both at the plate (.199 AVG with Houston) and in the field, as this deal essentially equates to a salary dump. Sanchez was due to ear $6.8M while Loperfido still makes the MLB minimum $820K. Loperfido also has an option remaining.

With the trade, the Astros now sit close to $15.8M under the first tax line ($244M), and have more flexibility for another deal to bring in a player who would be a lineup upgrade. While a previous fan favorite, Loperfido profiles as a reserve OF capable of playing all three outfield spots.

What does this trade mean going forward?

Right now it means the Astros have a projected starting outfield of Zach Cole in LF, Jake Meyers in CF and Cam Smith in RF. But it’s important to note, that is as of right now.

"We're not done."

Dana Brown #Astros GM just moments ago after announcing Joey Loperfido acquisition from Toronto for Jesús Sánchez @KHOUpic.twitter.com/nLce4qgNsE

— Jason Bristol (@JBristolKHOU) February 13, 2026

Astros GM Dana Brown dropped the bomb at the end of his conversation with the media. “We’re not done.”

Now armed with more flexibility under the first tax line, perhaps Brown can now be more aggressive in his pursuit of another left-handed OF bat, possibly one that can play LF every day and set up a RF platoon of Cam Smith and Zach Cole, or lead to a trade of Jake Meyers and a shift of Cole or Smith to CF?

Meyers has been the topic of trade discussion all off-season, as has 3B Isaac Paredes who has been caught in a logjam in the infield with 1B Christian Walker. While the club likes Paredes bat and toughness, Paredes has far more value on the market than Walker does due to his age, contract, production and positional flexibility. Reports have indicated significant interest in Paredes and near none in Walker.

In addition to a left-handed hitting power bat in the outfield, the Astros could also benefit from a backup catcher to replace Victor Caratini and another high-leverage arm in the bullpen due to uncertainty surrounding closer Josh Hader and reliever Bennett Sousa. Hader had a setback in his recovery from a sprained shoulder capsule as he developed bicep tendonitis, and Sousa’s season was cut short due to a flexor/pronator strain in his left elbow.

Sousa also had Thoracic Outlet surgery in 2024 but returned to pitch the best baseball of his career. Thoracic Outlet surgery usually leaves pitchers with diminished stuff, but Sousa was surprisingly at his best.

There isn’t much in the way of a viable backup catcher on the free agent market that would offer an offensive upgrade from Cesar Salazar, so it seems the best way to achieve that would be the trade market. The Astros have been linked to Pirates catcher Joey Bart.

While the Astros didn’t get their final roster truly settled before Spring Training began, it is clear that they are still working on that potential final roster. They’re not done yet.

Tell us in the comments what additional moves you would like to see the Astros make.

With spring training officially rocking and rolling, this is definitely as good of a time as any to hear from both Atlanta Braves President of Baseball Operations/General Manager Alex Anthopoulos and the newly-promoted manager, Walt Weiss. Both of them spoke with the media one-after-the-other on Friday afternoon and the first thing on my mind was to confirm how AA felt about the state of the rotation.

“We’ve got four guys right now in Strider, Sale, Holmes and López in our rotation We’ll have competition for our fifth spot,” confirmed AA when I asked him about the rotation. “We know what Strider can be, we know what Sale has done. López was an All-Star the year before and Holmes did a nice job for us in the rotation before he went down. We like some of the arms we have and some of the talent we have.”

He went on to add that he feels like the team as a whole can step up in order to make sure that the burden of bringing this team back to success is equally spread amongst the squad. “I think the big key for our club is that offensively for the past two years we haven’t performed the way we hope,” said Anthopoulos. “Part of that is performance, part of that is injury. We have a deeper group of position players, a deeper bullpen and that should take a lot of pressure off of the other parts of the team.”

Anthopoulos was also asked about Ha-Seong Kim during the press conference and we got a tiny bit of good news on that front. “We’re hopeful and optimistic that he’ll be back at the beginning of May,” revealed AA. That bit of information is new, as that appears to be on the shorter side of recovery from Kim’s icy calamity.

“That’s why we have guys like Mauricio Dubon. He can play everywhere and we’re excited to see him at shortstop where he’ll have an opportunity, ”Anthopoulos affirmed shortly afterwards. “If we didn’t sign Kim then we were prepared to go with Dubon at shortstop. Hopefully it’s not that long of an absence for him and he’ll have the remainder of the season to have a chance to have a lot of at-bats and make a big impact on our team.”

AA also shared his reasoning behind the signing of catcher Jonah Heim, as he confirmed that he’ll be getting an opportunity to serve as the backup backstop around here. “He had a tremendous 2023 as starting catcher on a World Series team. He was a Gold Glove, it was great. The last two years offensively, he hasn’t performed nearly as well and the numbers certainly bear that out. Even defensively, he hasn’t been the same,” stated AA.

“He’s still young — he’s only 30. He’s got a switch-hit bat with a lot of upside and Walt Weiss talked about during his interview about how he wants to get Drake Baldwin’s bat in the lineup as often as he can with the DH spot. Having someone who’s been durable as an everyday guy, I’m not going to put it on him to be the guy he was in 2023 but he’s young enough, he’s capable and he’s done it before. We think he can do better offensively and defensively as well.”

We also got a bit of an update on Sean Murphy’s status as well, which was basically just confirming that they’re expecting to have him back in May as well before evaluating their options at the catcher spot. “We think Sean Murphy will be probably be back sometime in May but we start at the end of March so that’s a long period of time,” said AA. “Having a guy like Jonah who’s been a starter and we think he has upside, it was a no-brainer for us. He knows when Sean Murphy comes back that we’ll see where we’re at with the roster but we’re excited to have him. We think he’s certainly capable of being a better player than he’s been and that’s certainly the goal and we think our staff might be able to unlock some things.”

With two players already heading to the 60-Day IL in the form of Spencer Schwellenbach and Joe Jiménez, AA also had to talk about the injury situation as well. He did acknowledge the issues with injuries but also made sure to bring up everybody’s track record in that regard.

“We’ve been a healthy club, we had a bunch of durable players. Some guys had pre-existing things, especially some of the guys that pitched,” said Anthopoulos. “We knew that there was some risk with some of those guys. [When it comes to] position players, guys getting hit in the hands, sliding into a base, I don’t know that you can really address those things.” He went on to say that the Braves were looking into “their throwing programs, their bullpens. We’ve looked at if a guy has had a recurring injury on the position player side. It’s obviously an issue across the game and we had a really good run of success with the same group of coaches and trainers and all the medical staff — a long run of success that led to six divisions and seven postseasons in a row. We had injuries but not like we had the last few years. Like anything, you should review and tweak and make adjustments and we’re certainly going to try to do that as well.”

I also asked Alex Anthopoulos about how he envisions new outfielder Mike Yastrzemski fitting in with the current Braves squad. As you can tell, he’s pretty excited about having Yaz in that clubhouse at the moment. “Right now with Sean Murphy being out, the thought is that Jurickson Profar will get the majority of DH at-bats against right-handers. Mike Yastrzemski would start in left field against right-handers. Against left-handers, Walt Weiss will move some things around.”

AA went on to talk more about how he’s looking forward to seeing Yaz get deployed heading into the new season. “Knowing Yastrzemski is the strong side of a platoon facing the right-handed starter should get a lot of playing time. We also like the fact that he can cover us at all three outfield spots. We don’t view him as an everyday center fielder but he can certainly fit in there short-term and we just like the upside,” stated AA. “We thought he got back to some of the really good things he had done with his swing when he went to the Royals so we like that. We think there’s offensive upside as well as a left-handed bat and the fact that he protects us at so many positions. He’s just a great fit.”

Overall, AA seems pretty optimistic about the state of the club — though to be fair, everybody’s excited about the state of their club at this time of year. With that being said, there is actual reason to be optimistic about things surrounding the Braves heading into the new season and we’ll have to see how things play out going forward. We’ll have more information from Walt Weiss in the near future so keep an eye out for that. For now, what do you think abut AA’s comments here on Friday?

Today we look at the Cubs’ newest rotation member, a flamethrowing righty acquired by trade from the Miami Marlins with tremendous upside.

Edward Cabrera is 6’5”, 217 lbs. That’s a tall skinny drink of water with a buggy whip for an arm. He throws as hard as anyone when he’s on the mound. But he has averaged 95.8 innings per annum so far in his MLB career, and that’s not enough to be the difference-maker he could be. His five years in Miami’s system didn’t produce the kind of numbers you’d want from a TOR type, but the Pitch Lab will get hold of him and we’ll see what they can do.

In 2025 he was 8-7, 3.53, with 150 strikeouts and 48 walks in 137.2 innings, the most he has pitched in his MLB career. His WHIP was 1.23, which is a tad high, but Cabrera tend to put more guys on via the base on balls than the average. Not really unusual for a guy that throws that hard. He also hits a guy or two and will wild pitch on occasion.

With the Cubs’ otherworldly defense behind him and a decent offense, I suspect he could add five or six wins with a full season’s work (175+ innings). He seems to be getting a little more durable — 2025 was his best year in terms of showing up for work.

Former Cubs Mike Krukow, Randy Wells, and current Cub Jameson Taillon are among his best comps according to his Baseball-Reference profile. That’s just in terms of results and not his pitch arsenal or selection. All of those men have had some pretty decent seasons, and if he wants to be a younger, harder-throwing Taillon and has the mental makeup for that kind of consistency and professionalism, I’m right there for it.

I’m sure nobody would be upset if Cabrera amassed more than the 2.8 bWAR (2.0 fWAR) he fashioned last year, and all he really needs to do it is pitch. These Cubs are way better than the Fish are.

I don’t know where Craig Counsell will slot him. My best guess is Boyd, Horton, Imanaga, Taillon, Cabrera, at least until the Cubs know what they have in him, but he could occupy any spot from 2-5. I don’t see Cabrera opening the season as the No. 1 but he could get there given the results we expect.

Most projections have him in Taillon territory, 8-9 wins/losses, 140 or so innings in 25 starts or thereabouts. Some have him as high as 14-15 quality starts. I want to see plenty of this:

Welcome to the Cubs, Edward.

In our last matchup, in the tournament between the last free agents signed before the season, Jake Arrieta earned more votes than Ricardo Pinto and moved on to the next round.

On to the next pairing:

2. Bryce Harper, 2019

Stats with the Phillies: 858 games, .261/.357/.487, 179 HR, 530 RBIs, 26.3 bWAR

The Phillies had a lot of money to spend before the 2019 season, which put them in the mix for the two big free agents that offseason: Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. The Phillies pursued both men – there was brief speculation that they might try to sign both – but ultimately decided that Harper would be the better fit.

Harper remained unsigned into February, but eventually, the Phillies came to terms with the former National, giving the team its new franchise player.

15. Dustin McGowan, 2015

Stats with the Phillies: 14 games, 23.1 innings, 1-2 W-L, 6.24 ERA, 21K, 20 BB, -0.7 bWAR

After a failed last gasp to contend in 2014, the Phillies admitted they were in full rebuild mode heading into 2015. So, there weren’t going to be a lot of big names brought in via free agency. But the team still needed some veterans to fill out the roster, and one of those veterans was relief pitcher Dustin McGowan.

McGowan had a decent season with the Blue Jays in 2014, but he was brutal in 2015. Used mostly in low leverage situations, he still couldn’t get anyone out. His final appearance came against Baltimore on June 16th after starting pitcher Jerome Williams was knocked out of the game in the first inning. McGowan absorbed 3.1 innings, allowing five home runs. This would infamously come to be known as the “white towel” game.

Jerad Eickhoff is sixth #Phillies pitcher since 1908 to allow five or more home runs in a game. Dustin McGowan did it last on June 6, 2015, otherwise known as the "white towel" game. Cory Lidle and Vicente Padilla each did it in 2005. pic.twitter.com/cqP7KqYvex

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) June 11, 2019

Who should advance? Vote now!

The Kansas City Royals look to enter 2026 with a much-improved outfield over the, shall we say, less-than-stellar 2025 outfit. But they could still use another bat, preferably a right-handed hitter who could be a platoon guy as there’s a drive into deep left field by Castellanos.

Kauffman Stadium has been home to a few defining moments over recent memory that only tangentially related to the team. Miguel Cabrera hit his 3,000th career hit there. Remember Trevor Bauer losing his mind and yeeting a baseball over the fence rather than give it to Terry Francona? That was fun. It happened at Kauffman, too.

And yet Kauffman Stadium was also home to one of the weirdest and most fascinating baseball moments of the 21st century: Nick Castellanos hitting a home run off Greg Holland in the middle of Thom Brennaman apologizing for saying a slur on a hot mic earlier in the evening. In an empty stadium due to the pandemic, it is pure, hilarious performance art. And some see a connection between Castellanos home runs and other negative news incidents. I mean, how many other random home runs have a Wikipedia entry? This one does.

Castellanos had a bit of a down year in 2020 (I mean, who didn’t?) but otherwise was in the middle of a six-year stretch where he’d hit .286/.338/.515 and whack 142 home runs. That performance earned him a five-year, $100 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Well, time catches up with all of us, and Castellanos started to decline. He hit .250/.294/.400 with 17 home runs in 147 games last year, worth -0.8 rWAR. He hit just .230/.267/.367 away from Citizens Bank Ballpark. A few days ago, the Phillies released Castellanos from their service, swallowing their pride and $20 million to have the man who made it a habit of hitting home runs during somber broadcast monologues play for somewhere else.

The upshot of this all is that Castellanos can be had at the league minimum salary. As a right-handed outfield bat with some pop, it’s a low-risk move for a team like the Royals, who certainly need right-handed outfield bats with some pop. In Philadelphia, Castellanos averaged 20 homers a year and put up an even 100 OPS+. For $20 million a year? Not great. For 1/20th of that price? And considering what Kansas City had last year? Ehhhh?????

Unfortunately for Nick, he is also a Zamboni in the outfield grass. Over the last four years, Castellanos has been arguably the worst defender in Major League Baseball. In his right field home, he’s accrued -45 Statcast Fielding Run Value in right field and -41 defensive runs saved. It’s been an issue that has dogged him his whole career, but his defensive woes are accelerating as he decelerates due to age—he’ll be 34 in March. I’m 34 right now, I have certainly decelerated due to age, and the only thing I have to patrol is my basement looking for cat vomit. 

There’s also this:

In a goodbye letter to Philadelphia following his release, Nick Castellanos revealed he brought a beer into the Phillies’ dugout after being pulled for a defensive substitution against Miami.

He was then benched again the following game in June.

(via casty_8/IG) pic.twitter.com/qxSQqyOjqj

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 12, 2026

Ultimately, I think the Royals have improved their outfield enough that the addition of Castellanos, as fun as it would be to reminisce about that August evening in 2020 every time he plays, would not move the needle. Castellanos had an on-base percentage of .294 last year. He is, basically, Hunter Renfroe wearing one of those old-timey mustache disguises, and that’s no fun to watch for anyone. 

Roman Anthony among 12 Red Sox players in World Baseball Classic originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Roman Anthony is set to join 11 of his Boston Red Sox teammates in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

The budding superstar outfielder will play for Team USA if he passes his physical on Saturday, according to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. He would serve as the injury replacement for Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll, who recently suffered a broken hamate bone.

If all goes well with his physical, Anthony will represent the United States alongside Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock. The 21-year-old has apparently had a change of heart after ending his rookie season with an oblique injury.

“I would say that’s out of play,” Anthony said last month about playing in the WBC, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. “There’s a lot of noise that I’ve heard, but for me, the goal after this year was, ‘Hey, I ended on an injury. I don’t want to rush into something.’ I think this was on both ends, not just my side. This is gonna be the first full year of a big league season. It’s important we take advantage of spring and this offseason going into spring training.”

Anthony will be one of the most exciting young players in the tournament. The former No. 1 prospect showcased his star potential through 71 games last season, slashing .292/.396/.463 with 18 doubles, eight homers, and 32 RBI.

While it’ll be fun to watch Anthony on an international stage, it’ll be nerve-racking for Sox fans as he’s one of the most important pieces of the 2026 club. The Red Sox, already lacking power in their lineup, cannot afford to lose him to injury.

Anthony will join the entire Red Sox outfield in the World Baseball Classic. Here’s the full list of players on Boston’s 40-man roster who are expected to participate:

Full list of Red Sox WBC participants

1. Roman Anthony – USA
2. Garrett Whitlock – USA
3. Jarren Duran – Mexico
4. Wilyer Abreu – Venezuela
5. Ranger Suarez – Venezuela
6. Willson Contreras – Venezuela
7. Masataka Yoshida – Japan
8. Brayan Bello – Dominican Republic
9. Greg Weissert – Italy
10. Ceddanne Rafaela – Netherlands
11. Jovani Moran – Puerto Rico
12. Nate Eaton – Great Britain

The 2026 World Baseball Classic is scheduled to run from March 5 to March 17.