Category: MLB

They might be the two best words in all of sports.  “Opening Day”

“One of my favorite memories of Opening Day from the Astros was in 1980 when my dad opened the home game in the Astrodome after signing the first million dollar contract. It was the Astros vs. the Dodgers and my dad hit a home run off of Don Sutton in that game and the fans went crazy!” – Reid Ryan, former Astros team president.

Richard Hidalgo launched 171 home runs in his major league career but none for him were more special than opening day 2000 at the old Three Rivers Stadium versus the Pirates.

On April 4th, 2000, Hidalgo would hit the first ever Astros Grand Slam on an Opening Day in a 5-2 victory.  “That day was special.  That’s the day that the numbers start to count. I loved that day. On that day, you know you have to do your job and I always wanted to start out good.”

Pitcher Scott Kazmir was no stranger to the pageantry, playing portions of 15 big league seasons across the major leagues.  However, for the 3x All-Star, the Houston native immediately recalled his 2015 transaction to the Astros telling us of a midsummer debut which constituted an “Opening Day” in its own right.  

“Being traded to Houston in 2015 was something really special for me. 

I grew up in Houston, so putting on an Astros uniform and pitching in front of my hometown crowd was a dream I’d carried since I was a kid. My home debut at Minute Maid Park is a memory I’ll never forget. The atmosphere in that ballpark felt like a true homecoming. When the roof is closed and that crowd gets going, it’s electric in a way you can’t fully describe until you’ve felt it.

That whole stretch with the Dodgers coming in for that home series in August was incredible. Houston fans showed up with so much passion, and you could feel the city really believing in that team. Being part of the first Astros playoff run since 2005, getting to experience that postseason atmosphere at Minute Maid as a Houston kid, that’s something I’ll carry with me forever.”

Kazmir would pitch seven scoreless innings in his hometown debut in a decisive victory over Kansas City.  His acquisition would fuel a post season berth for the first time in a decade. Eleven years removed, it’s still a vivid memory for the pride of Cypress Falls. 

SNY MLB Insider Chelsea Janes answers your Mets questions as the 2026 MLB season begins...

“Do you see them working out an extension with Peralta during the season, or do you think he’ll hit free agency? It feels odd they haven’t been able to make something work despite the difference on years.” – @nutedawn.bsky.social

This is a fascinating one for me because I also thought there was a decent chance they got a deal done before Opening Day, but here are the things we know for sure:

-- Peralta told Jon Heyman of the NY Post he is looking for seven or eight years.

-- David Stearns has no history – literally, none – of giving starting pitchers deals that long. The only reasons he has a history of giving deals that long at all are Christian Yelich and Juan Soto, one of which was the face of the franchise and not a hugely expensive player at the time, the other of which was pushed by ownership. Which leads me to…

-- Steve Cohen has shown a willingness to push to sign superstars even beyond the comfort level of his front office. Does Peralta, who will be 30 at season’s end, rise to that level? Or perhaps more importantly, does he rise to that level over a 30-year-old lefty named Tarik Skubal who will become a free agent this winter, too…?

-- Stearns DOES have a history – an extensive one, actually – of trying to keep Peralta on his teams as long as possible. He traded for him twice. He signed him to an extension when he was young. Comfort with Peralta could ease concerns about what the last years of a deal might look like. Comfort with Stearns could, perhaps, make Peralta more willing to work within the Mets’ preferred parameters.

-- Peralta has family in Queens. He seems to have found comfort in the Mets clubhouse, at least initially, and he has a history of durability.

-- Those things lead me to conclude that while both sides have seemed open to a long-term deal, neither side should be desperate to make one. As a result, I don’t necessarily see failing to get an extension done by the end of the season as a sure-fire dissolution of the partnership: Should Peralta hit the open market looking for an eight-year deal and find a cautious industry reluctant to give it, the Mets could offer a shorter-term, high-dollar deal like they have to many others, offering Peralta security without length.

All of which is to say, I don’t know if a deal will get done during the season. But while starters’ walk-years can often be contentious or complicated, I don’t expect that here. If he signs during the season, great. If he doesn’t, I wouldn’t expect either to abandon the possibility of a potential future with the other.

“How many games do you think Luis Robert Jr. and Marcus Semien will play this year? Are there plans to give them extra rest days in order to keep them fresh?” @dand-ri.bsky.social

This question is so crucial to the Mets' season because Robert Jr. might just be the biggest “if healthy” player of the last half decade, non-Mike Trout division. The Mets were very careful with him during spring training, to the point that Robert admitted he would rather have played in games sooner but understood the Mets’ desire to ensure his oft-injured legs were ready for duty. 

I would expect Carlos Mendoza and Co. to be similarly proactive in resting him regularly to avoid pushing him too far, but not so regularly that he does not start the majority of the games in center field. At some point, the guy just has to play.

Semien is a more complicated case. He does not want rest. He has always wanted to play. It is central to his identity and part of what has helped him develop a reputation as a steady, dogged worker during his career.

When I asked him earlier this spring about maybe playing less to produce more, he said he thinks he is best when he is playing. I’m sure the Mets will give him the chance to prove that. But if he is struggling offensively, like he did at times last year in Texas, I would assume the Mets will have a more convincing case to make that they try a little workload management.

“Do you think Carson Benge would've made the team if Tauchman hadn’t been injured? Was his spot secure based on his spring?” -- @SheaWasBetter

The short answer: Yes. I think once Benge proved he was not overmatched against big-league pitching early in spring, the decision was pretty much made. I know everyone’s been saying this, and it won’t matter if he’s 0-for-30 in two weeks, but he just looked so comfortable – almost defiantly comfortable – in the box and in the clubhouse.

He just seems to have such a simple approach to things. His job is to hit. He hates striking out. So he tries to do the former and not the latter.

Honestly, I think his place became so secure that the Mets wanted to make sure they could go without a backup middle infielder and carry Tauchman as a bench bat instead. I know they planned to get Bo Bichette some shortstop work all along, and I believe that. But I do think that once Benge looked like someone who could start five days a week, the best possible roster included Tauchman on the bench and therefore they needed to make sure Bichette could actually serve as a backup shortstop if needed.

Clearly they think he can, which is why they could bring Jared Young as that lefty bat Tauchman would have been. Anyway, yes. I think Benge secured that spot pretty early.

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Opening Day continues Thursday with a full MLB slate — and with it, our first real chance to attack the betting board.

With teams settling in, pitchers stretching out, and early overreactions already shaping the market, there’s value to be found if you know where to look.

Below, we break down the top moneyline MLB picks for Thursday, March 26.

MLB moneyline picks for March 26

Matchup	Pick
Pirates vs Mets	-116
White Sox vs Brewers	-192
Nationals vs Cubs	-217
Twins vs Orioles	+109
Angels vs Astros	-175
Tigers vs Padres	-137
Rays vs Cardinals	-120
Rangers vs Phillies	-154
Diamondbacks vs Dodgers	-250
Guardians vs Mariners	-250

Lines courtesy of Kalshi as of 3-26.

Expert MLB moneyline picks for March 26

Pirates vs Mets: Pirates (-116)

The New York Mets might be deeper, but early-season volatility + Paul Skenes = value. That’s it. In a game with a low total (6.5), the better pitcher matters more than lineup depth. 

White Sox vs Brewers: Brewers (-192)

The Chicago White Sox boast yet another weak roster with limited offensive upside, and the Milwaukee Brewers have the pitching edge with Jacob Misiorowski getting the ball to open up the season. 

Nationals vs Cubs: Cubs (-217)

The Chicago Cubs should control this game wire-to-wire. They're the better team with the bigger pitching edge. Laying -240 is not advisable, but it's the right side. 

Twins vs Orioles: Twins (+109)

I believe this line is wrong. It's pricing Baltimore as a clear tier above, but I don't believe that's the case. Twins have enough offense to trade blows, and the pitching isn’t a mismatch. You’re getting plus money in what I believe is a coin flip. Take the Twins.

Red Sox vs Reds: Reds Sox (-161)

Boston has the more reliable arm and the more complete lineup. Cincinnati can mash when it gets hot, but until then, we will take a wait-and-see approach. This feels like a game Boston controls if Garrett Crochet is dialed in. 

Angels vs Astros: Astros (-175)

Houston is just better across the board — lineup, pitching stability, experience. Angels can hang for stretches, but over nine innings, I'll take the better side. 

Tigers vs Padres: Tigers (-137)

Tarik Skubal is the separator. When you have the best pitcher in the game, you don’t need to be perfect elsewhere. The Padres are dangerous, but also inconsistent. Detroit has the edge where it matters most early in the season. 

Rays vs Cardinals: Rays (-120)

Tampa is almost always undervalued because it doesn’t have star power. Pitching matchup is competitive, and the Rays are better at manufacturing runs. You’re getting plus money on the team that just knows how to get it done.

Rangers vs Phillies: Phillies (-154)

This is one of the tighter games on the board, but Philadelphia at home with the better overall roster is enough. The Texas Rangers are live, but they rely more on timely hitting, and that could be an issue against Cristopher Sanchez.

Diamondbacks vs Dodgers: Dodgers (-250)

Arizona isn’t the team I'd back in a fade of L.A. with, unless you’re getting a much bigger pitching edge. Yoshinobu Yamamoto carries his playoff form into the opener and leads the Dodgers to one of many wins. 

Guardians vs Mariners: Mariners (-182)

Seattle is at home with the better starter and more power upside. Cleveland struggled to string hits together last year, and that'll be tough to do today against quality pitching. 

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

The Dodgers’ first game against the Diamondbacks on Thursday will be exclusively televised by NBC, with streaming on Peacock. Lead play-by-play announcer Jason Benetti will call the game, alongside analysts Orel Hershiser and Luis González. NBC Sports plans to use analysts from each team on their broadcast this season, both on Sunday Night Baseball, their earlier Sunday games, as well as the wild card round, all of which will be on NBC Sports.

From Joe Reedy at Associated Press:

“At some point, somebody will ask if you’re around a bunch of baseball people, what three people would you want to have at the dinner table to talk baseball? And I kind of get to do that with this every week,” Benetti said. “It’s going to be two separate people who maybe you haven’t heard have a baseball conversation before. That brings me a lot of joy and curiosity, and we think it’s going to be for fans as well.”

After opening day, the Dodgers have three more games on NBC this regular season.

Links

The Dodgers open the season with eight pitchers on the injured list. They don’t necessarily plan it this way, but last year worked out in the most ideal way possible, with their top four starting pitchers all healthy and thriving for the postseason. Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register wrote about the Dodgers depth, including this from baseball operations Andrew Friedman: “I think we are breaking camp with the most talented group of pitchers one through 20 that we have ever had.”

Jeff Passan at ESPN wrote about how the baseball world revolves around the Dodgers, with this passage capturing how the Dodgers have collected and used that depth:

The Dodgers’ success in balancing the vagaries of a 162-game slog with the urgency of an October sprint is one of their greatest successes. Money gives them stars, yes, but just as much it offers options. If a player is not playing well, or is hurt, or needs to spend time working out kinks, he can with limited interruption to the rest of the team.

Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic wrote about the evolution of the Dodgers clubhouse culture through recent years.

Dave Roberts re-watched Game 7 of the World Series with Jack Harris and Dylan Hernández of The California Post. A fun watch.

Meet the Mets

It’s Opening Day, Mets fans! After a long, cold winter baseball is finally back, and it’s time for another season of Mets baseball.

Ahead of Opening Day, the team finalized its roster with Richard Lovelady and Jared Young grabbing the final two spots.

Freddy Peralta gets the honor of starting Opening Day, and the ace is ready for the challenge of facing Cy Young winner Paul Skenes.

Skenes will be no easy task for both the new Mets and the returning vets who want to put the disappoint of last season in the rear view mirror.

David Stearns worked hard this offseason to overhaul the team, and he’s confident the moves he made will help them withstand the grind of a 162-game season.

Carson Benge will be starting in right field, and he has the potential to be a solid contributer for this team.

There will be no Gary, Keith, and Ron for Opening Day since the game will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock.

The staff at The Athletic made their predictions for the 2026 season.

The Mets are one of the teams interested in signing old friend Drew Smith, who was recently released by the Nationals.

Around the National League East

The Braves had the best record in Grapefruit League action, but historically that has had little bearing on how the regular season will go.

The Marlins signed veteran outfielder Austin Slater to a one-year deal to complete their roster.

Phillies owner John Middleton defended the decision to rename a stadium bar that had honored beloved broadcaster Harry Kalas. It is now named for an energy drink company after the naming rights were sold.

The Nationals surprisingly named Miles Mikolas as their number two starter behind Cade Cavalli, who will start Opening Day.

Around Major League Baseball

The Yankees opened the 2026 season with a 7-0 win over the Giants.

The Opening Day game was broadcast on Netflix, making it the latest streaming service fans need if they want to watch baseball.

The .300 hitter is a dying breed in baseball due in part to both tougher pitching and better defense around the league.

Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores is one of the bidders interested in buying the Padres.

Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday will start the season on the IL to give him more time to rehab after suffering a broken hamate bone in his hand.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

It’s to vote on this year’s King of Spring Training!

The championship round of Linus Lawrence’s Mets Madness tournament is in the books.

Lukas Vlahos gave David Stearns a final grade on his offseason moves.

Brian Salvatore previewed Juan Soto’s season.

This Date in Mets History

On this date in 1988, the Mets acquired Mackey Sasser from the Pirates.

The long offseason is officially over, as regular season baseball begins later today when the Brewers battle the White Sox in Milwaukee. If you’ve been tuned out during the winter, we’re here to get you up to speed on the Brewers’ offseason moves, the roster, the farm system, and the coaching staff. But first, let’s start with a look at what’s happened in and around American Family Field and the Brewers’ broadcasting situation.

American Family Field

The Brewers made a few big changes to the stadium this offseason, including a “complete reimagining” of the Glove Playground on the field level in right field. The playground’s new activities include “Race to First,” a “Skee-Ball-style Sausage Race,” and “Rob a Home Run.” They’ve also refreshed some of the returning attractions, including “Bring the Heat,” “Strike Zone,” and “Batter Up!”

Another major change, which isn’t expected to be completed until June, is the UW Credit Union Plaza. The plaza, located beyond the outfield walls near the pedestrian bridge over State 175/Brewers Boulevard, will include a six-hole mini golf course, the Joie Play Yard (a cow-themed play space), a beer garden, and a performance stage, which will host pregame activities, theme-night celebrations, and live music. Food trucks and other vendors will also be present for select games. A second phase to the project is expected to be completed next year, featuring fixed concessions and additional attractions. The plaza is free to visit, including on gamedays.

Other changes in the stadium include the new automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system on the field (learn more here) and an expansion to MLB’s Go-Ahead Entry. Introduced at American Family Field last year, Go-Ahead Entry (which uses facial authentication to recognize your tickets) will be available at the Home Plate West, Home Plate East, Third Base, and UW Credit Union Plaza gates in 2026. Learn more here.

I did a full rundown on the new food options earlier in March, but the highlights include a new Fair Foods stand featuring Wisconsin State Fair favorites, an expansion to the 3rd Street Market Hall Annex in right field, an expansion to The Alley Food Truck Park in left field, and new concession items across the stadium. Learn more here.

Lastly, the Brewers are offering another loaded lineup of promotions, giveaways, and theme nights. For more information on giveaways, click here. For more information on theme nights, click here.

Getting to (and from) American Family Field

Let’s talk about the traffic around the stadium. Unless you haven’t driven since the end of the postseason, you probably already know about the major construction on I-94 around the stadium. I-94 eastbound between 70th Street and General Mitchell Boulevard, which currently features a bottleneck from four lanes to two lanes, will return to three lanes to begin the season, though the long-term lane closure will return by late summer. The I-94 eastbound exit ramp and westbound entrance ramp to General Mitchell Boulevard will also reopen.

The bad news is that an I-94 westbound lane between the Stadium Interchange and 70th Street will remain closed long-term, meaning there are only two lanes in this section as you exit the stadium. Another lane closure between 35th Street and 25th Street is scheduled to last through late 2026. To help ease gameday traffic commutes, the Wisconsin DOT launched an interactive website, linked here. Fans can also find the site at brewers.com/traffic, through QR codes at the stadium, and via the MLB Ballpark app.

Brewers TV & MLB TV

After being in limbo for much of the offseason (again), the Brewers announced a new partnership Major League Baseball to produce and distribute games for the 2026 season. While there are still a few unknowns — namely, the lack of cable channels in Wisconsin — you can now purchase a subscription for Brewers TV and/or MLB TV here. The Brewers TV package is $99.99 for the season or $19.99 per month, while an MLB TV & Brewers TV package is $199.99 for the season or $39.99 per month. The Brewers will also air 10 regular season games on over-the-air stations across Wisconsin, along with at least two Apple TV appearances.

More information about cable stations is expected to be announced on or around Opening Day, per the Brewers. We’ll communicate that information as soon as we have it, so stay tuned!

Offseason Moves

The Brewers’ offseason once again featured a major arm being traded away. This time, it was Freddy Peralta, who was sent to the New York Mets along with Tobias Myers. Other key losses include Shelby Miller (signed with Cubs), Jordan Montgomery (signed with Rangers), Connor Thomas (signed with Braves), Jose Quintana (signed with Rockies), Rhys Hoskins (signed with Guardians), Danny Jansen (signed with Rangers), Caleb Durbin (traded to Red Sox), Andruw Monasterio (traded to Red Sox), Anthony Seigler (traded to Red Sox), Nick Mears (traded to Royals), and Isaac Collins (traded to Royals).

In the additions department, the Brewers added Sammy Peralta (waivers from Angels), Ángel Zerpa (trade with Royals), Jett Williams (trade with Mets), Brandon Sproat (trade with Mets), Kyle Harrison (trade with Red Sox), Shane Drohan (trade with Mets), Jake Woodford (trade with Rays), Akil Baddoo (signed), Gary Sánchez (signed), and Luis Rengifo (signed).

The Crew additionally signed Reese McGuire to a minor league deal, though he was released and signed with the White Sox.

Roster

The Brewers officially announced their Opening Day roster on Wednesday. Here’s what it looks like:

Catchers (2): William Contreras & Gary Sánchez

Infielders (6): Jake Bauers, David Hamilton, Joey Ortiz, Luis Rengifo, Brice Turang, & Andrew Vaughn

Outfielders (5): Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Brandon Lockridge, Garrett Mitchell, & Christian Yelich

Starting Pitchers (5): Kyle Harrison, Jacob Misiorowski, Chad Patrick, Brandon Sproat, and Brandon Woodruff

Relief Pitchers (8): Grant Anderson, Aaron Ashby, DL Hall, Jared Koenig, Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe, Jake Woodford, and Ángel Zerpa

Injured List (5): Akil Baddoo, Steward Berroa, Quinn Priester, Craig Yoho, Rob Zastryzny

Farm System

Widely viewed as one of the best (and deepest) systems in baseball, the Brewers’ farm could send several top prospects to the majors at some point this season.

Milwaukee’s top prospect is Dominican infielder Jesús Made, generally regarded as a top-five prospect league-wide. Made’s rapid ascension has so far mirrored the rise of Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio, who made his major league debut just after his 20th birthday. Made won’t turn 19 until May, but he’s already in Double-A and just hit .310 in major league spring training. Expect to see him in a Brewers uniform sometime next season.

Aside from Made, the Brewers have a few other infield prospects who scouts think will become impactful players in the big leagues. A couple of those prospects have a shot at contributing this season, including the newly acquired Jett Williams (No. 3). Williams, a versatile defender with impressive pop for his size (5’7”), will start the season in Triple-A but should have a chance to prove himself in Milwaukee this season — whether at third base or elsewhere.

Andrew Fischer (No. 6) was the Brewers’ first round pick in 2025, which normally means he wouldn’t have a shot at making his big league debut this year. However, Fischer was always considered a more developed hitter than the average college draftee and has impressed in both pro ball and in his time with Team Italy during the World Baseball Classic. With third base still something of a question mark, it’s not out of the question that he could debut before the year is out.

Other Brewers infield prospects who you probably won’t see in a Brewers uniform this season include Luis Peña and Cooper Pratt. Peña (No. 2) is a toolsy, high ceiling prospect who still needs some more development but has a superstar ceiling. Pratt (No. 4) could probably play shortstop for Milwaukee on Opening Day, but his exit velocities and numbers at the plate aren’t MLB-level yet.

The other strength of the Brewers’ farm system right now is its pitching depth. Brandon Sproat (No. 5) will be in the rotation to open the season. Logan Henderson (No. 7), Robert Gasser (No. 17), and Shane Drohan (No. 25) will start the season in the minors, but each should get some time with the Brewers this year. Henderson and Gasser have already accrued big-league service time and will be ready when called upon. Drohan, acquired in the trade that sent Caleb Durbin to the Red Sox, hasn’t made his major league debut yet but put up a 2.27 ERA last season in 12 appearances (11 starts) with Boston’s Triple-A affiliate. You might also see Coleman Crow (No. 27), Craig Yoho (No. 29), Carlos Rodriguez, and Tate Kuehner in the big leagues, too.

Another prospect who will almost certainly make his debut with the Brewers in 2026 is catcher Jeferson Quero. Formerly a top 50 prospect in all of baseball, Quero tore his labrum after just one at-bat in 2024. His arm, his calling card as a prospect, hasn’t looked the same since. Labrum injuries are complicated and often take a long time to heal; however, there’s a chance his arm will never be what it was. Quero is set to open the year in Triple-A, but after Milwaukee cut Reese McGuire earlier this week, he’s firmly established as the organization’s No. 3 catcher behind William Contreras and Gary Sánchez. If either player lands on the injured list (or if Sánchez struggles), Quero would most likely be the next man up.

Coaching Staff

The majority of Milwaukee’s coaching staff is once again returning in 2026, with Pat Murphy still at the helm after winning his second consecutive NL Manager of the Year Award. In terms of new coaches, four join the team this year: Spencer Allen (first base coach), Guillermo Martinez (hitting coach), Juan Sandoval (assistant pitching coach), and Daniel Vogelbach (hitting coach). Four other coaches have changed roles: Jim Henderson (previously assistant pitching coach, now pitching coordinator), Jason Lane (previously third base coach, now offense and strategy coordinator), Eric Thiesen (previously hitting coach, now lead hitting coach), and Matt Erickson (previously infield coach, now third base coach (though he’ll also continue to lead infield instruction)).

Returning staff from 2025 include field coordinator Néstor Corredor (fourth season), pitching coach Chris Hook (eighth season), and bullpen coach Charlie Greene (third season). Al LeBoeuf, formerly lead hitting coach, and Julio Borbón, formerly first base coach, will transition to expanded roles in the organization and assist in efforts across baseball operations with a focus on player development and scouting. Daniel de Mondesert will transition from assistant coach to game preparation specialist. Rickie Weeks, who served as the Brewers associate manager each of the last two seasons, will transition to special assistant – baseball operations and domestic/international scouting.

Lastly, Christian Correa will return for his third season as a bullpen catcher, while Ty Duvall will join him for his first season in that role.

Season Outlook

Depending on who you ask, you could get a very different outlook on the 2026 season in Milwaukee. They made a few key trades, bolstering their young roster with more prospects while losing a key veteran in Freddy Peralta. Around them, the rest of the NL Central had mixed results this offseason, as the Cardinals completely tore it down while the Reds, Pirates, and Cubs all made efforts to improve. The Cubs lost Kyle Tucker but added Alex Bregman, while the Pirates added a few key offensive pieces as they look to provide some backing for their pitching staff headed by Paul Skenes. The Reds mostly held pat, but they did bring back old friend Eugenio Suárez.

Coming off a 97-win season after most picked the Cubs to win the division (again), I’d say the Brewers are just fine with being doubted. We’ll see what the season turns into, but another playoff appearance very well could be in the cards.

In their team by team season preview series each year Effectively Wild asks “what would constitute a success for <insert team> this year?”

While winning the World Series would be seen as a success for any team, most are not in a position where that would be plausible. For those teams, some other benchmark, if met, would still have to be considered an overall good outcome.

For the 2026 iteration of their Rockies preview, guest Patrick Lyons answered the question with: Not losing 100 games.

On the surface I think this is a sensible answer. Given the state of the organization last season, however, I don’t think major league wins are the most important factor in the long-term health of the club. That, I believe, depends mainly on the following:

• A better development pipeline: You need look no further than the lack of performance from the past decade of first round draft selections the Rockies have made to conclude that their development practices haven’t been working.
• Improved technological infrastructure: The Rockies have been so willingly behind the times that they were reportedly restricting players even throwing bullpens in front of trackman units. This is an area in which they have clear needs.
• An influx of new talent: While the Rockies likely have more talent than is currently obvious (due to poor development practices), it would be hard to argue that they have enough in house to be able to field a contending team.

Most of that is hard to measure from an outside perspective. We’ll have a chance to do our own assessment of the new talent they bring in over the course of the season, but we are likely never going to know how the Rockies use of tech or development plans compare to other organizations in more than vague terms.

If we can’t directly know to what degree these goals have been achieved, we need to look to a downstream indicator of if/how those things have changed.

This brings us to:

Farm System Ranking

Coming into the 2026 season, here’s where the Rockies farm ranks among public prospect evaluators:

• Baseball America: 30th
• Baseball Prospectus: 25th
• ESPN: 28th
• MLB Pipeline: 27th
• The Athletic: 23rd

Given their poor major league performance for the past half decade, the Rockies have had every opportunity to rank highly on these lists. Regardless of how much you value the analysis of any one of those evaluators, the consensus among them being that the Rockies are — at best — a bottom-third team when it comes to prospect talent is damning.

These poor rankings indicate that the Rockies either haven’t selected talented players or developed them particularly well, both of which have been hampered by their lack of technological infrastructure. You see where I’m going with this.

If the factors for a successful 2026 season posited in the into are improved that should be seen in their farm system being ranked more favorably moving forward.

The good news is, the 2026 Rockies will continue to have plenty of opportunities to test this:

• The Draft: The Rockies have five picks in the top 104 selections of the 2026 draft, which will be backed up by what is sure to be a top-ten bonus pool.
• Trade Candidates: The new front office held off on selling low on most of the major league players they inherited this offseason. They will almost certainly enter the trade deadline as clear sellers with close to an entire roster of potentially tradable players.
• Existing Raw Tools: The farm system is already littered with players with big raw tools hampered by question marks as to whether they will actually be able to access them (Ethan Holliday, Brody Brecht, Robert Calaz, Jackson Cox, etc.).

This should be a perfect confluence of needs and means. The big question is how quickly they can execute on improvements to the organization.

Conclusion

All that said, my pitch for what would constitute a successful season for the 2026 Colorado Rockies is this:

A consensus top 15 farm system in the league next offseason.

That may seem steep, but given the number of favorable opportunities available, it is plausible. If the Rockies can do that, 2026 will be a resounding success in my book regardless of how many losses the major league team ends up with.

What about you? Is there some other metric or benchmark that you’ll be using to measure the season? Let us know in the comments.

What to know about Rockies-Marlins Opening Day (Fri., 7:10 p.m. ET) | MLB.com

While most of the league will have played their first game of the season today, the Rockies will need to wait until tomorrow. Thomas Harding and Christina De Nicola offer up a very full breakdown of everything you’ll want to know heading into Rockies Opening day game.

Rockies’ Jake McCarthy grows comfortable after trade from Diamondbacks — as he pranks his former team | The Denver Gazette ($)

Kevin Henry talks to Jake McCarthy about how he’s transitioned after being traded to the Rockies this offseason. It’s a wide ranging piece going over the parallels he sees between his career and the recent Rockies teams. The real draw, however, is an anecdote McCarthy shares about how early this spring he would drive through the Diamondbacks side of camp at 6:30 in the morning and “lay on the horn” to get a response out of his old teammates.

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

No game Wednesday. Today is of course Opening Day.

We have plenty of videos to watch and some good articles. Get you some coffee like the Cubs do, and enjoy. Or perhaps some Gatorade will do.

Ian Happ leads off today:

PCA DEPT.

Miscellaneous:

*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.

• Keith Law (The Athletic {$}): 2026 MLB season predictions: Forecasting the division races and postseason results. “I make it all up, and then I talk about it.”
• Paul Sullivan (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Anthony Rizzo and David Ross team up on ‘Lovable Reunion’ for Chicago Cubs’ 10-year anniversary. “Like the 1985 Bears, the 2016 Cubs will never really go away.” More from MLB.com*,
• Alex Bregman (The Players’ Tribune*): Let’s do this, Chicago!
• Daryl Van Schouwen (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Dylan Carlson, Scott Kingery make Cubs’ roster — for now. “ Carlson played all three outfield positions in camp and batted .298/.421/.404 with one home run.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): One more Chicago Cubs valuation puts the team at the $5 Billion mark. “… the annual Forbes MLB team valuations…“

Food For Thought:

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.

This is the golden age of baseball in Southern California. The Angels heralded its dawn.

In 2002, the Angels won the World Series, the first of six postseason appearances within eight years. The Dodgers had played pretty good ball for more than a century, but they never had done that.

Angel Stadium was the place to be. The rally monkey was all the rage. The team nurtured a wave of young talent to surround Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero. In 2009, the final year of that run, the Angels drafted future Hall of Famer Mike Trout. In 2011, for the first and only time, the Angels sold more tickets than the Dodgers.

Neither the Angels nor the Dodgers made the playoffs in 2010, 2011, or 2012. Since then, the Dodgers have made 13 consecutive postseason appearances, with three World Series championships to show for it. The Angels have made one, and they did not win a game.

Read more:Inside Shohei Ohtani's baseball journey

Never — and this includes the Dodgers’ time in bankruptcy court — have the fates of the two Los Angeles franchises been so disparate. In 2026, the Dodgers could win their third consecutive World Series championship, and the Angels could finish in last place for the third consecutive year.

In a story on the Major League Baseball website, two writers ranked the 30 teams on the basis of how likely each team would be to win this year’s World Series. The Dodgers ranked as most likely. The Angels ranked as least likely.

At a time major league owners would like you to believe market size equals destiny, the team with baseball’s longest postseason drought plays in the second-largest market in North America.

Today, however, we come not to bemoan the bad times but celebrate the good times, for the Angels and Dodgers.

The century is a quarter old. So here are our quarter-century teams for both the Angels and Dodgers, based solely on performances for those teams. In a few places, we included a deserving player at a secondary position, if his primary position was fully stocked. Let us know where we got it right, and where we didn’t.

And, while you’re there, you’ll see the story of our golden age in a nutshell. Of the 22 players on the Dodgers’ first and second teams, 11 were on at least one of the World Series championship teams this decade. Of the 22 players on the Angels’ first and second teams, only four played for the Angels this decade.

One was Shohei Ohtani, the first-team designated hitter for both teams.

*We considered how long someone played for the Dodgers or Angels during this century, as well as how well someone played, but we’re making an exception here for two reasons: one, left field has not been a position of strength and depth for the Dodgers; and, two: Manny Ramirez’s two-month “Mannywood” run after the Dodgers traded for him in 2008 was simply astonishing: He played 53 games and drove in 53 runs, batting .396 with 17 home runs and a 1.232 OPS. In the playoffs, he batted .520 in eight games, hitting four home runs and driving in 10 runs, with a 1.747 OPS. The two-month “Mannywood” run was good for 3.5 WAR — the same WAR Freddie Freeman delivered over the entire 2025 season. (And, yes, in May of the following year, Ramirez was suspended for violating baseball’s drug policy.)

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Well folks, you made it. Opening Day is finally upon us and meaningful Guardians baseball will be on our TVs and radios tonight.

First pitch against the Mariners is at 10:10PM our time. Plan your post work naps and space out your caffeine accordingly.

Yesterday, the team announced its Opening Day roster. Notably, Johnathan Rodriguez was DFA’d to make room for Rhys Hoskins on the 40-man. All moves and positions can be read about here.

Meg, previously featured in the Painting the Corner series, did a new version of her “Who’s who?” graphic for this year’s roster.

Our Covering the Corner staff season predictions went live yesterday. See what we have in play for this season!

The Guards have ironed out their rotation plan to start the season:

Catch the latest Disgusting Baseball Podcast episode today!

Good morning, baseball fans!

The San Francisco Giants played their first game of the 2026 season last night against the New York Yankees. Which means it’s time for first impressions on the 2026 team!

That’s right, consider this your blank check for hot takes and small sample size analysis, baby! Let the unhinged diatribes or delusional optimism rip, I want to hear it all!

Unfortunately given the nature of having to pre-write these, the game has not yet been played as of the time I am writing this, so I don’t get to go first this time. But I look forward to reading through these later this morning to see how everyone is feeling!

What are your first impressions of the team after Opening Day?

What time do the Giants play today?

The Giants do not play today. They have a really odd schedule for this first series, with off days today and Sunday. But they’ll pick up the series with the Yankees again tomorrow!

As most of you know, I was lucky enough to be invited to attend Winter Warmup as a reporter. Last year, I used that experience to write several season previews. Due to the late start of the top 20 prospect series (caused by waiting for Brendan Donovan to be traded), my Winter Warmup stories have been pushed to now instead of at the beginning of spring training. Thus technically, these could also be called season previews, but there’s a good chance I write a couple of these after the season has already started. I’ll try to pick stories that are not outdated for the ones during the season.

There has been a lot of discussion over how good the Cardinals will be this upcoming season. On the side of ‘better than you’d think’ the primary argument is that, despite trading three of the better players on the team, there is some reason to believe it won’t be a huge drop-off. That argument works for two of the three players.

In the case of Sonny Gray, it’s mainly because the on-field results were not actually that good. He had a 4.28 ERA. I don’t think that’s an unreasonably high bar. For Brendan Donovan however, the reason is because there is a not all that unrealistic chance that his replacement is just as good on day one.

Obviously, he won’t replace the versatility of Donovan and Donovan’s absence will be felt by whoever will take take the innings he would have surely played in LF. But as far as effect on winning games, duplicating Donovan’s production is certainly on the table.

Growing up, Wetherholt was around MLB players. Living where he lived, he would see players like Neil Walker and would grow up playing with Adam Laroche’s son and Jack Wilson’s son, otherwise known as Jacob Wilson of the Athletics. Because of this, the MLB dream seemed a little more real to him than to most people.

He looked up to players like Dustin Pedroia and Jose Altuve, being a bit undersized himself. Probably also a bit of their hustling and grind it out nature. He admired Robinson Cano’s swing. He attended West Virginia, where he pretty much immediately displayed his hitting prowess.

“He has that tool that’s not necessarily hard to come by, but it’s a very, very, very good tool,” said Victor Scott, who played with him at West Virginia for one year, when Scott was a junior and Wetherholt a freshman. “He has that hit tool. And he even had that as a kid in West Virginia.”

Luckily, he had a hamstring issue that caused him to fall in the MLB draft, or the Cardinals probably never get him. And almost two years later, he’s already set to make his MLB debut later today. Coming to spring training less than a year after getting drafted, manager Oliver Marmol was already impressed by him.

“The way he carried himself in that spring, your first year to be around big league guys and big league staff showed a lot about what he’s all about and I’m looking forward to that,” Marmol said.

Marmol calls what Wetherholt has “a quiet confidence” that is rare in young players. Jordan Walker was asked if he would give any advice, being himself once a highly touted player with high expectations on Opening Day.

“I don’t think he needs advice from me,” Walker said.  “He’s just so about what he does.  He looks like someone who’s not really fazed by anything.  He’s just about his work and he gets to work.  Anything else, he’s like ‘it’s going to come’.  I think he’s one of the most level-headed people I’ve ever met, so I don’t think anything will faze him.”

Wetherholt seems to have that necessary single-mindedness to succeed where he knows what he has to do and knows he can do it. He won’t let distractions get in the way. He won’t be flashy. When opposing fans sometimes stereotype Cardinals fan for only wanting the maybe boring, hard-working guy, they are probably thinking we will only like players if they’re like JJ Wetherholt. He’s that kind of guy. He will not do us any favors in arguing against that when he inevitably becomes a fan favorite. Because Cardinals do like that guy. They don’t only like that kind of player, but they in fact like type of player.

“One of the things I guess people maybe don’t know about him is how humble he is,” Scott said.  “He doesn’t like to boast about himself, he’s very down to earth.  That kid is definitely screwed on straight.”

See? It sounds like Scott was asked something they don’t know about Wetherholt with the way that was phrased, but he wasn’t led to that response. He was asked a more general question about being teammates with Wetherholt, and it followed the praise of his hit tool in answering the question.

Wetherholt himself has been praised for his nearly impeccable ability to swing at good pitches to hit and to not swing at bad pitches to hit. He is well aware of what type of hitter he is.

“I’m a swing decision guy,” Wetherholt said.  “I make good swing decisions, control the zone, drive the ball to all fields and that’s always gonna be my game.”

One would think one wouldn’t be disappointed if someone had a season like Wetherholt had last year. But for at least one part of his game, he was kind of disappointed he strayed from being an all-fields hitter.

“If I get an outside fastball, I cannot miss that pitch,” Wetherholt said. “I need to hit that as double in the left center gap, that’s something I didn’t do as well as I would like to last year, so that’s something I would like to get back to.”

And when asked about his surge in power, he doesn’t think he was doing anything differently. It thinks it was because the AAA ball was different and flew more. The AAA is in theory the MLB ball, but also he thinks the MLB ball might even be different a little. Either way, he’s not really worried about power.

“Power’s usually the tool that comes later,” Wetherholt.  “I’m comfortable with the power that I have but of course you’re always trying to add that.”

Try to become more of a power hitter, he’d likely stray from what he considers his game. If power happens because of his game, great, but don’t try to be that guy. At least maybe I’m thinking that way because it reminds me of when Albert Pujols used to say he was a line drive hitter who happened to hit homers. It’s a similar philosophy. Try to hit line drives and sometimes those become homers. Probably to a significantly lesser extent than Pujols of course.

There may be a temptation to hold back on believing in Wetherholt because of past experiences. But oddly, Jordan Walker seemed to perfectly describe the essential difference between himself and Wetherholt when he was asked what he can learn from Wetherholt.

“Relax a little bit,” Walker said. “When we’re hitting in the cage, he’s one of the most relaxed hitters I’ve ever seen. His mechanics are just so clean, relaxed, fluid.  It looks so easy when he does it.  When I go in the cage and I try to be relaxed, I have some of my best rounds.”

You’re never going to believe this, but somehow there is also a JJ Wetherholt quote that literally makes me think of Jordan Walker related to this same concept. He was not talking about Walker to be very clear. But he very well could have been.

“If you’re twitchy or you’re tense, you start to chase or you get frozen on fastballs down the middle,” Wetherholt said. “I’m definitely trying to be relaxed and  I’m just trying to get to use my barrel.”

I was listening to the interview before writing this and I felt my body jump a little. I sympathize with Walker though. I know who I am. I would be twitchy and tense for sure. I didn’t play baseball very far in life and it was unfortunately for talent-related reasons, but I don’t think I could advance because of the mental aspect of the game even if I was talented. I totally get in my own head about significantly less stressful things. But I do think that’s the number one issue with Walker, he’s not relaxed in the batter’s box.

Masyn Winn, who noted that he at least got a month in 2023 to prepare for a full season at the big leagues unlike JJ, is just hoping to make the transition as easy possible.

“I’m really looking forward to playing with JJ,” Winn said.  “I want him to come in comfortable and be himself.  I don’t want him to be walking on eggshells.  I want him to go out there and have a lot of fun.  I want to be there for JJ and let him be great.”

I think we’re good guys. I don’t think JJ Wetherholt will be a repeat of past experiences. He has the kind of hit tool and approach that typically translates, and it seems like nothing will faze him. I don’t know if he will bat leadoff later today, but I think he can handle it. One thing is for sure: JJ Wetherholt is ready for the big leagues.

“It’s always a good sight to see (Busch Stadium),” Wetherholt said.  “This place is beautiful.  It definitely gives you that feeling of ‘I don’t want to play in these minor league stadiums anymore, I want the real deal.’”

Happy Opening Day!

In case you missed it, here is the Opening Day roster for your 2026 Kansas City Royals

Below this tweet on X, the Royals announced a series of roster moves.

Here is everything you need to know about the Royals opening day contest against the Atlanta Braves.

Also, on Friday, the AAA teams will have start their seasons. Here is everything you need to know about it.

Luinder Avila was tabbed as the one AAA prospect to keep an eye on for the Royals.

Avila debuted for the Royals last August and posted a 1.29 ERA with 16 strikeouts and six walks over 14 relief innings in the Majors but was unable to secure a spot back in Kansas City this spring, part of which he spent as a member of Venezuela’s World Baseball Classic-winning staff. The Royals plan to use him as a multi-inning arm with Omaha — someone who gets starts but doesn’t have a full starter’s workload in order to preserve the rotation and bullpen routes for him back to the bigs. Avila’s best pitch remains his low-80s curveball, and he was showing a pair of 96-97 mph fastballs in limited Cactus League looks.

David Lesky talked about five numbers that will define the Royals this season.

Kevin O’Brien of Royals Keep made five bold predictions about Royals players.

O’Brien also voiced concern about Carlos Estevez and his velocity.

MLB play started last night, as the Yankees blanked the Giants 7-0. Aaron Judge made the wrong type of history however.

The Sweet 16 starts tonight, and there is more baseball teams getting their first game in as well.

Barry Bonds was almost a Yankee?

Today’s song of the day is For What It’s Worth by Buffalo Springfield

All games can be listened to on the radio on 680 The Fan/93.7 FM or in the 680 The Fan App.

We’ve finally made it to Opening Day everyone. No, we’re not counting whatever happened on Netflix last night. Sit back and get ready for a full slate of games today and for baseball to be on your television every day (except the All-Star break) until early November.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• We already know the probable Opening Day lineup, but here are ten unanswered questions about every player that will take the field for the Phillies to begin the 2026 season. ($)
• The Inquirer checks in with a look at every player on the Phillies roster as well as offering up their season predictions. ($)
• Everything you need to know about the actual game the Phillies will play today against the Texas Rangers.

MLB news:

• Ken Rosenthal brings the top 12 storylines for the 2026 season, from awards storylines all the way through to the impending sense of dread from the looming lockout. ($)
• A former umpire is upset about how the ABS system will make his cohorts look bad and bring them public shame for doing their job poorly.
• The Padres are placing the injured Yu Darvish on the restricted list to begin the season, possibly freeing up payroll space to use on immediate needs.