“He will be in the MVP conversation this year,” Roberts said this week. “But again, I think, speaking for Mookie, his main goal is to help us win a championship. So, I think whatever falls out from there, I think that will happen. I just want him to focus on just being healthy, helping us win, and then whatever happens outside of that, will happen.”
Coming off a season that got off on the wrong foot with a stomach virus that caused him to lose 20 pounds and then saw him set career lows for batting average (.258), on-base percentage (.326) and OPS (.732), Betts is eager to move forward. And with a more typical spring training timeline this year — unlike the previous two years when season-opening games in South Korea and Japan sped up preparations — Betts can ease into his seventh season with the Dodgers.
“I haven’t had a regular spring maybe since I’ve been a Dodger,” said Betts, who also won't be participating in the World Baseball Classic as he did in 2023. “I just know that, being 33 now, I don’t have to hurry up and get here, and be ready to play from day one. So, I can just kind of embrace that. Not everybody’s blessed to have that, so being that I am one of the ones that’s blessed with that, I’ll see what I can make of it.”
One thing that's not in question for Betts heading into the season: his shortstop play. Despite the nearly unprecedented shift from the outfield to the infield, Betts played 148 games at short last season and was a Gold Glove Award finalist. The work he put in to learn a new position raised questions about whether that was a root cause of his hitting struggles, a point he granted some credence to late last season.
Betts did pick up the pace late in the season, batting .317 and nearly doubling his home run total from 11 to 20 over his final 47 games. But he slumped in the NLCS and World Series, batting a combined .136 and was eventually dropped from second to third in the batting order for Game 5 against the Toronto Blue Jays, then fourth for Games 6 and 7.
Roberts said this week that he intends to slot Betts third in the batting order this season, with Shohei Ohtani still in the leadoff spot. (He added that Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and newcomer Kyle Tucker are all in play for the second and fourth spots in the order.)
“I like [Betts] in the number three in the sense that there’s an on-base component, there’s a ‘get hits’ component, there’s a drive-in-runs component, and you’re more of a Swiss Army knife in the lineup," Roberts said. "So, I’m not beholden to it, but I like him in the three-hole right now.”
And as a result, Roberts feels bullish about Betts this season.
“I think he had a great offseason,” Roberts said. “He’s in a good headspace. The body’s good, and I think for me, it’s just getting back to being who he is. I just think that last year was an outlier offensive season, and I’m not too concerned about Mookie at all.”
Yoshinobu Yamamoto to start Cactus League opener
Roberts announced Thursday that World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start the Dodgers' first spring training game Saturday against the Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium. He did not share how many pitches or innings Yamamoto expects to throw, but he did state that it will likely be Yamamoto’s only Cactus League start before departing to play for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic.
Roberts also revealed what players may start Saturday’s Cactus League opener.
“I would expect Will Smith to be in there,” Roberts said. “I expect [Teoscar Hernández] in there, and probably Andy [Pages]. I think that’s safe, and then we’ll go from there.”
Roberts plans to hold other veteran players until next week.
“Guys like Mookie and Muncy, I’m going to start those guys a little bit later than this weekend and see where we go,” Roberts said. “Once they get going, then we’ll stagger and give them the ample time in-between. I’ve got to appreciate that it’s a longer spring. So, if they’re going to be here for six weeks, then I don’t want to kind of come in too hot, I want to pace them out a little bit.”
Freeman said Thursday that he will not play in the Dodgers’ first three spring training games.
“I feel good, I’m ready to go, but we are going to slow-play it a little bit,” Freeman said. “I won’t play until I think Tuesday, so the fourth game, and then I’ll get going.”
Former Mets Gold Glove-winning outfielder Juan Lagares announced his retirement Thursday after two decades in professional baseball.
Lagares, whose last MLB appearance came in 2022, thanked the Dominican Winter League’s Águilas Cibaeñas in a social media post after appearing with the team for the last four seasons.
“Thank you so much, Águilas family,” the 36-year-old wrote in Spanish on Instagram, which was translated by The Post. “Thank you to the fans for your unconditional support on and off the field. I will be eternally grateful. God bless you always. With gratitude and pride.”
Juan Lagares announced his retirement from baseball on Thursday. Paul J. Bereswill
The Constanza, Dominican Republic, native began his pro career by signing with the Mets as an international free agent in 2006.
He ascended in the Mets’ system as a light-hitting prospect with elite outfield defense, eventually reaching the majors in April 2013 and winning a Gold Glove the next year.
He made a strong first impression at the plate in his rookie season, including being named National League Player of the Week for July 15-21, 2013, after hitting .700 with a home run and five RBIs.
In 121 games that season, Lagares slashed .242/.281/.352 with four homers and 34 RBIs while playing outstanding defense, including a franchise-rookie-record 15 outfield assists.
Lagares won a Gold Glove with the Mets in 2014. Getty Images
After making the Mets’ Opening Day roster in 2014, Lagares went down with a right hamstring injury in mid-April and did not play much upon his return, sparking a “Free Lagares” campaign on social media.
Despite going down with another injury in June, Lagares put together the best season of his major league career in 2014.
He hit .281 with four homers, 47 RBIs, 117 hits and 13 stolen bases while winning a Gold Glove, joining Tommie Agee (1970) and Carlos Beltran (2006-08) as the only other Mets outfielders to win the award.
The Mets honored Lagares alongside a bevy of other Mets legends before their home opener last April as he threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“Juan is by far the best outfielder I’ve seen, that I’ve played with and got a chance to watch,” Curtis Granderson said after Lagares won the award. “There are some amazing things he does because he’s not necessarily the fastest guy out there, but his jumps are amazing. His reads are amazing and the fact that you can throw in center field is a top tool to have.
“If you think about all the center fielders in the game, there’s not too many of them that can possess an arm with that much accuracy and that much strength. So he’s got that, he’s got the range. He closes the gap. Everyone talks about how big Citi Field is and he made it look very small out there.”
While Lagares remained a strong defender, he never took the next step at the plate and spent the remainder of his Mets tenure battling injuries, mostly as a fourth outfielder.
Lagares briefly joined the Padres on a minor league deal in 2020 but eventually returned to the Mets later in the year after never appearing for San Diego in the majors.
His New York return lasted just two games as the Mets designated him for assignment.
Lagares spent his final two MLB campaigns with the Angels, hitting .228 with six homers from 2021-22.
The Mets honored Lagares alongside a bevy of other Mets legends before their home opener last April as he threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Jun 8, 2024; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels Gavin Gallaher (5) makes a throw to first base against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the fifth inning of the DI Baseball Super Regional at Boshamer Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Camarati-Imagn Images
The UNC-ECU baseball series that’s been happening for several years now is one of the best nonconference traditions in college baseball — two historically notable programs that are geographically close enough that they can pull off a weekend series where each team hosts one with a third game being played at a venue as cool as Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The two teams come into the weekend having started the season in kind of opposite ways: the #10 Heels swept their opening weekend series and stayed unbeaten in two midweek contests, while the Pirates lost an opening-weekend series to Xavier and then split their midweek games — a loss to Campbell before a bit of a get-right win against NJIT on Wednesday. Still, this series nearly always delivers some really good, fun baseball, and often tells us UNC fans a lot more about what we’ve got to look forward to. Last year’s ECU series featured Jake Knapp’s first action back from injury — while his 3-inning start with 2 runs allowed didn’t really foreshadow his eventual National Pitcher of the Year campaign, there was at least something there.
Leading up to this weekend, the Heels continued their display of pitching dominance in their two midweek contests. Kyle Percival, back from an injury that ended his season early last year, started Tuesday’s game against Richmond and tossed 4 scoreless innings, allowing 3 hits and one walk while striking out 2. A couple of those outs were on pretty loud contact, but Percival mostly missed barrels pretty effectively and used his pitch mix well — it’s a good early sign for UNC to have another reliable lefty in the bullpen, which for all of last year’s pitching success was something that the staff sometimes missed having. He got good run support, too — a pair of RBI doubles from Gavin Gallaher and Macon Winslow in the first, then a pair of 3-run homers from Winslow and Jake Schaffner in the second made it a 8-0 ballgame early. A Gallaher sac fly in the 3rd took the score to 9-0 before the offense slowed down, but that was enough for Scott Forbes to throw a couple of freshmen for an inning each in a low-stakes situation. Both of them, Talan Holiday and Jackson rose, threw scoreless innings while relying heavily on off-speed stuff, differing a little from the rest of their righty teammates who are more power-oriented. Camron Seagraves finished the shutout with a clean inning of his own in his first action of the season, and the game ended after Rom Kellis hit a pinch-hit double and was advanced home by a fly ball and a wild pitch to trigger the 10-run rule.
Wednesday’s game against Longwood looked like it might go similarly after a four-run first inning that featured two-RBI singles from Colin Hynek and Michael Maginnis, but the Lancers’ pen really locked in after the first and shut down the UNC lineup from innings 2-6. They had some legit stuff, with some of their arms reaching well into the mid-90s, and while UNC made a lot of good contact, they couldn’t seem to find grass. Boston Flannery started this game after his positive appearance last Friday, but functioned more as an opener than a starter. He threw two innings and continued to look pretty good — he did walk 3 batters, but struck out 5 and allowed just one hit. One run did score on a throwing error from the catcher, but Flannery still looked a lot more comfortable and effective than he ever had before as a Tar Heel. Cam Padgett pitched scoreless frames in innings 3 and 4, helped by an awesome throw by Tyler Howe from right field to 3rd base to deny an advancing runner, but Longwood was able to scratch one across in the fifth and make it a 4-2 game. Walker McDuffie once again suffused a high-leverage situation with a strikeout and pitched a 1-2-3 sixth before giving ground to freshman Caden Glauber, who allowed one run to score early in his outing before striking out 4 of the next 6 batters he faced. The Heels were able to match that run in the 7th, maintaining a 2-run stiff-arm, before Matthew Matthijs earned the save with a lockdown 9th that sealed a somewhat surprisingly hard-fought 5-3 victory.
The preseason expectation that the Heels would have one of the best top-to-bottom pitching staffs in the country appears to be holding true. The Heels have thrown 13 arms across 43 innings with nobody having pitched more than 5, and boast a 1.47 ERA and a .179 opponent batting average. They’ve walked a few more batters than you’d like with a 50:26 K:BB ratio, but are pitching well enough for that not to have translated yet into real damage — and we still haven’t seen a couple of guys who have been talked about as contributors, namely Olin Johnson and Amos Rich. Offensively, things are still being worked out, with the at-bats looking good (after 5 games, their mark of more walks than strikeouts holds) but the team average at just .279. Their on-base percentage is a healthy .429, but the relative lack of hits has bitten them in RISP and bases-loaded situations where they haven’t really been able to produce crooked numbers. Especially seeing the amount of good contact against Longwood that didn’t get rewarded, I tend to think that’s more variance than an actual sign of the kind of offense we’re going to see, but it’s noteworthy nonetheless.
As far as ECU goes, the headliner is Ethan Norby, ranked the #3 pitcher in the country by D1Baseball. As a sophomore starter last year, he pitched 90 innings with an ERA of 3.80, striking out 119 and walking just 22 while shining in ECU’s biggest games, like a regional upset win over Florida. The Friday duel between him and Jason DeCaro promises to be an exciting one, even though Norby didn’t have a fantastic first appearance this year — he lasted just 3.2 innings against Xavier, allowing 4 hits and 2 earned runs. This Pirates team returns the bulk of a squad that got hot down the stretch last year and nearly won the Conway Regional last year as a 3-seed, so there’s definitely talent there. Names to look out for in the batter’s box include Braden Burress and Austin Irby. Right fielder Jack Herring has also been raking to start the season, but the Pirates have not gotten a lot of production from the back half of the lineup. Out of the pen, look for Sean Jenkins, the power righty who’s struck out 10 in 5.2 innings with no runs allowed.
The season hasn’t started the way they wanted, but this ECU team is still a talented group with high expectations led by a coach in Cliff Godwin who knows what he’s doing. This weekend promises to be fun and, like I said, a good litmus test for the Tar Heels. Game 1, in Greenville, will start at 5:00 PM Friday the 20th of February and be televised on ESPN+. Game 2 on Saturday will be played at the DBAP starting at 2:00 PM but will not be available on television or streaming, as far as I can tell, and Game 3 in Chapel Hill will start at 1:00 PM on Sunday the 22nd.
Batting Leaders
(among players with 2 PA/game and 75% of games played)
Batting Average: SS Jake Schaffner, .421
On-Base Percentage: C/DH Macon Winslow, .522
Slugging Percentage: Schaffner, .789
Home Runs: Winslow, 2
Runs Batted In: C/DH Colin Hynek, 7
Hits: Schaffner, 8
Walks: CF Owen Hull, 8
Runs: Schaffner and Winslow, 6
Stolen Bases: Schaffner, Hynek, and Hull, 1
Pitching Leaders
(in the future, this will be among players with 1 IP/game; for now, I’ll set the line at 3 IP)
ERA: Jason DeCaro, Boston Flannery, Kyle Percival, and Matthew Matthijs, 0.00
Strikeouts: DeCaro and Flannery, 7
Innings Pitched: DeCaro, Folger Boaz, and Ryan Lynch, 5.0
PORT ST. LUCIE -- On a 3-2 count, Jonah Tong threw a biting changeup that fooled Juan Soto, who is merely the most disciplined hitter in baseball. By the time Soto recognized the offspeed pitch moving down and away late, he tried to check his swing, but it was too late.
Because it was Soto, even if it was only live BP in spring training, the strikeout got an audible reaction from players in the dugout watching, and a visible one from Tong, who smiled and did something of a playful fist pump.
At his locker afterward, when I asked him about it, Tong smiled again and said, “I was really happy with that,” drawing the words out for effect.
Well, why not? It was Soto, right? And coming on the heels of Tong’s not-quite-ready-for-prime-time big-league stint late last season, who would deny him a little joy in such a moment, spring training or not.
After all, it was hard to watch Tong struggle last season after he came up with such hype, leading the minors in strikeouts. He had his moments, and clearly showed promise, but he was young, just 22 then, and seemed to lose confidence upon seeing he couldn’t throw the ball by major league hitters the way he did in the minors, as he wound up pitching to a 7.71 ERA in five starts, giving up 24 hits in 18.2 innings.
Yet the Mets say they are as high on him as ever, even making him off-limits in the trade talks for Freddy Peralta, as they gave up Brandon Sproat (and Jett Williams) instead.
As manager Carlos Mendoza said on Thursday, “We know he still has a very high ceiling.”
The question now is how quickly he can reach that ceiling. Tong disagrees with any notion that he learned a hard lesson about just how good major league hitters are compared to the minors, and says his takeaways from his big-league experience were all positive.
“I think I learned that if I can execute my pitches, I can put myself in position to get results at that level,” Tong said. “But the other thing I took away is that I need to give myself more options to get big-league hitters out.
“When I had my pitches working, I felt really confident. But I’m working to add to my repertoire.”
Yes, because his go-to pitches are his high fastball, which has plenty of deception, in part because of his unusually high release point, as well as his changeup, his arsenal is almost all vertical, if you will, and the Mets are working with him to add a cutter that breaks more horizontal.
Here’s how new pitching coach Justin Willard explained it to me on Thursday:
“We’re working with him on the ability to land something else in the zone to continue to leverage the four-seamer and the changeup. Those are really good pitches but it also becomes a really simple plan for big-league hitters.”
A major league scout agreed with Willard, saying that expanding Tong’s arsenal is critical.
“You saw it when he came up,” the scout told me on Thursday. “He couldn’t throw his curveball for strikes, or even the illusion of a strike, and they started sitting on the fastball. As deceptive as it is, with his delivery, big-league hitters will catch up to it when they can look for it. He does have a good changeup but he needs a reliable breaking ball that hitters will have to think about.”
That said, there are contrary opinions as well. Former Mets’ reliever Jerry Blevins, now an SNY analyst, thinks the Mets should be careful about messing too much with Tong’s pitching foundation.
“I think it could be hard for him with that over-top-delivery to develop a sweeper, and I’m not sure about a cutter either,” said Blevins. “I’d really like to see him get a little more time to develop what he has. That fastball-changeup combination can be lethal, especially if he can command his curveball.”
He couldn’t do that during his call-up, and that was partly the issue for Tong as a Met. He said his curveball actually has been his favorite pitch since he was a kid, but he lost the feel for it at times last season, especially in the big leagues, and that made him all the more predictable.
As a result, the Mets are working with him to throw the curveball with more velocity this season, while hoping to keep the same big-break depth.
“It’s like with the cutter,” said Willard. “It’s adding pitches to the arsenal to help maximize what makes him really good.”
More than likely, barring injuries to other starters in spring training, Tong will get more time in Triple-A to refine that arsenal. Remember, as dominant as he was moving up the ranks last season, he made only two starts in Triple-A before the Mets, in desperate need of starting pitching, called him up.
How much time does he need? And does he need to rebuild his confidence?
Tong insists he came away from his big-league experience feeling that he could pitch successfully at the highest level. When I asked him if he felt he’d been “scared out of the strike zone” by major league hitters, as scouts said last season, he didn’t hesitate.
“Not at all,” he said. “To me I learned that if I execute my pitches, I can get those hitters out. I didn’t really see a different reaction to my pitches from big-league hitters. It was more about executing. I feel confident about that.”
Maybe it’s a matter of needing to believe that, and all the better if he does, since Tong does seem to understand the need for a more complete array of pitches.
But that little show of joy on the mound Thursday, after he struck out Soto, said a lot as well. Maybe it’s exactly what he needed.
TORONTO, CANADA - OCTOBER 04: Aaron Judge #99 and Giancarlo Stanton #27 of the New York Yankees talk before the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on October 4, 2025 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There was a time, in the history of baseball and its Hall of Fame, in which certain numbers almost brought automatic inclusion into the game’s most exclusive clubs. Things like 3,000 hits, 300 wins, and of course, 500 home runs provided a clear pathway to Cooperstown. For the 2026 season, the Yankees have a couple of players who could make significant headway with regard specifically to that 500 home run mark. Both Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge have put themselves in good position to reach the number before the end of their careers, and in turn, to reach Cooperstown.
The two Yankee sluggers, assuming all goes well, will present very different cases to Hall voters when their day comes. We’ll start with Judge, who at this point has the much easier path to enshrinement, and perhaps to the 500 home run mark.
As unfortunate as it is to consider, Aaron Judge is not exactly a spring chicken. 2026 will be his age-34 season, and his 11th in the Major Leagues. On the bright side, that is about the only thing holding back the three-time MVP from hitting host of huge milestones. Since turning 30, Judge has done things on a baseball field that can only be compared to names like Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds. At this point in his career, number 99 has four different seasons with 50 or more homers (including one with 62), and has posted an OPS+ of at least 210 in three of the last four seasons. It has been said time and again, but it is impossible to argue that we are seeing an all-time great at the peak of his powers.
With regards to his reaching of 500 homers, the path is fairly straight forward. Judge has six years remaining on the contract he signed with New York prior to the 2023 season, and for the argument’s sake, we’ll assume that brings him to the end of his playing career. With 368 career homers already in the bag, Judge would need to average 22 home runs per season for the remainder of the deal. That is easier said than done, but Judge benefits greatly from the fact that he could easily knock out more than two thirds of the 132 homers he needs to join the exclusive club in the next two seasons. In fact, he’s averaged well over 50 over the last four years, and nearly 60 per 162 games in that stretch. No matter how the final few years of the contract look for Judge, he can easily do much of the needed damage in the next two or three seasons.
As far as his Hall of Fame case stands, the rest would just be gravy at that point, as his case is already nearly settled after his first decade in the league.
The case becomes a little bit blurrier when it comes to his teammate Giancarlo Stanton. For the full-time designated hitter, the greatest enemy is simply getting enough games to reach the all-important 500 mark. This has been a theme for much of his career, as he’s averaged around 28 homers per season during his career, but that number jumps all the way to 43 on a per-162-game basis.
This issue has become even more pressing since joining the Yankees in 2018, as he’s topped 140 games just one time, and has topped out at 114 over the last four seasons. It appeared, for a stretch, that he would also be battling greatly diminished performance for the final stretch of his career. He hit below his standards back in 2022, before posting his first ever below-average offensive season in ‘23. He was slightly better in 2024, though he still played in just 114 games, and left plenty of room for reasonable doubt.
Last season, however, Stanton provided some hope. It was actually a concerning year on one front, considering that he played in just 77 games, but it was positive in another: he can still rack up dingers with the very best of ‘em. In an abbreviated 281 plate appearance season, Stanton found the time to pummel 24 homers, and it wasn’t just the long ball either. The 158 OPS+ he posted in 2025 was his best mark since winning MVP with the Marlins back in 2017.
Despite the continued injury trouble, 2025 was the best that we’ve seen of Giancarlo Stanton in pinstripes. And although remaining on the field will always be the chief concern, his renaissance certainly rejuvenated his chase for 500 homers and possible enshrinement.
Stanton has two years remaining on his enormous 13-year deal, which brings him through his age-37 season. The most realistic route to 500 homers is that he continues doing what he has been — playing in 100-110 games and hitting 20-25 home runs (he needs 47). Those aren’t exactly sky-high expectations, and they are certainly within reach for Stanton. Even if he doesn’t reach 500 under this contract, it feels reasonable to think he’d latch on somewhere after in an effort to chip away at the milestone.
Assuming he does eventually get there, his Hall case will be far more consideration-worthy than Judge’s. Even if things go well, it would be pretty unlikely for him to finish above 50 fWAR, and with much of his career coming as a designated hitter, the 500 home run selling point may be a bit harder to convince voters with.
Stanton has been a terrific hitter for his entire career regardless of the finish, but if he does reach that former auto-enshrinement number, things could get interesting once his name comes up on Hall of Fame ballots.
The Lakers have hired Lon Rosen as the franchise’s president of business operations, the team announced Thursday.
Rosen replaces Tim Harris, longtime president of business operations, after Harris announced in an email to colleagues earlier in the week that he was stepping down from the role he had for over 30 years.
Dodgers president Stan Kasten (left) and executive VP Lon Rosen before a game against the Miami Marlins at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Rosen has been the Dodgers’ executive vice president and chief marketing officer since 2012.
Lakers owner Mark Walter, who acquired majority ownership of the franchise from the Buss family in October, is also the controlling owner of the Dodgers.
Rosen started his career with the Lakers as an intern while in college before becoming a front office executive in the 1980s, eventually becoming an agent and business executive.
“For many years, I have seen the impact that Lon has had in our industry,” Lakers governor Jeanie Buss said in a statement. “Over that time, I have learned that not only is Lon a great person, but he also has a deep understanding of both sports and entertainment and a true feel for where this business is headed.
Lon Rosen walks past Dodgers fans during day two of spring training at Camelback Ranch in Phoenix, Arizona. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Buss added: “Finding someone who could fill Tim’s shoes overseeing the business side of our organization would never be easy. The answer, we soon realized, was someone both Mark and I knew well — and who already understood the values, culture and commitment to excellence of both the Dodgers and the Lakers.”
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TAMPA, FL - SEPTEMBER 19: Cole Wilcox #15 of the Tampa Bay Rays pitches during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Friday, September 19, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Alex Zadorozny/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Had the deal not occurred in the early stages of the winter, with the club still reeling from their ALCS exit, Cole Wilcox’s acquisition from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations would’ve delivered a classic Jerry Dipoto quote. Something in the milieu of having had their eyes on Wilcox since his draft day, seeing him as one of the most talented arms available, yadda ft. yadda.
Instead, as I wrote upon his acquisition, Wilcox appears more as tertiary decor for the M’s bullpen pile; 40-man bunting that will remain past Opening Day but is unlikely to be in Seattle for the season’s debut. In the linked blurb, I outlined Wilcox’s growth mechanically from his starting days into a higher-effort, bullpen role. Once a notable feature of the Blake Snell trade that sent that ace from Tampa Bay to San Diego, Wilcox’s post-Tommy John trajectory is a reminder that the big leaguers we see recovering fully from the knife are those who’ve been more fortunate.
Wilcox’s velocity and efficacy has never recovered fully from his 2021 time on the surgeon’s table. His halting performance and health in 2023 and 2024 demonstrated a very different ceiling than his draft day promise, where as Emerson Hancock’s former rotation-mate he secured an ample $3.3 million signing bonus to leave campus early as the 80th pick overall. Now, he’ll be in the bullpen, or even possibly the rotation once again with Hancock, helping the Tacoma Rainiers compete for a Pacific Coast League title while filling a swingman role in the aftermath of Logan Evans taking his turn on the TJ roulette.
This isn’t conclusive for Wilcox. The 26 year old showed promise a season ago, sitting around 96 mph with his sinker as a reliever and making his big league debut with the Rays for a single frame. After an age 25 season with just two appearances in the majors, Eduard Bazardo burst onto the scene with… three more seasons riding the AAA-MLB shuttle between three organizations, throwing 133.1 minor league innings and just 60.0 in the majors. At age 29, Bazardo came into camp last year as a contender for the final spot in the bullpen. It would be, for the first time in his career, a year fully spent as a big leaguer, solidifying himself as a sinker-slider mainstay for the M’s. 40 in 40s are a snapshot, a moment only somewhat more predictive than one we might’ve taken in Chattanooga, TN in 1999 when Wilcox came into this world.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 11: A detail shot of a New York Mets London Series 2024 bobblehead during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Saturday, May 11, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Mets will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1986 team all season long with some unique giveaways. If you’d like to rock a replica ring from the ‘86 squad, you have to be one of the first 15,000 fans in the ballpark on Saturday, March 28. If clothing is more your style, the team will distribute a 1986 World Champions retro t-shirt on Tuesday, May 26, and a 1986 Retro Jersey on Saturday, July 12. It’s worth noting that the jersey will be given out in a game against the Red Sox, whom the Mets famously defeated to earn their second, and most recent, championship. The Mets will also give out four bobbleheads to celebrate iconic moments from the 1986 team, but these games require a special ticket in order to procure the promo. These are: a Gary Carter bobblehead (Thursday, April 9), a Jesse Orosco bobblehead (Friday, April 24), a Mookie Wilson bobblehead (Tuesday, May 12), and a Ray Knight bobblehead (Sunday, August 2)
Beyond celebrating the 1986 team, the club also has a number of cool bobbleheads that could be yours if you don’t value your time enough and can wait in line two hours before gates to guarantee the promo (side note and opinion of this writer, but all promotions at sporting events should be available to all fans; you purchase a ticket, you get the promo. End rant). The Mets have two unique Juan Soto bobbleheads: One highlighting his 40/30 season on Saturday, April 11, and one baseball card bobblehead on Thursday, June 25. The Mets also have a Mr. Met Unisphere Light Up bobblehead on Saturday, April 25, and a Hello Kitty Bobblehead on June 13 that is sure to be very in-demand. Those promos go to the first 18,000 fans through the gate.
The Mets didn’t forget all you kids out there, because they lined up some child-friendly promos. The first 5,000 kids 12 and under at the Sunday, March 29 game on Opening Weekend will get a 5-borough race kids puzzle, which seems to suggest the popular race is returning in 2026. There is also a Crayola “Color Your Own Mrs. Met” Bobblehead on Sunday, June 14, which also goes to the first 5,000 kids at the game.
All fans in attendance to Opening Day will get a magnetic schedule (I suppose the Mets heard my pleas in one specific instance). Beyond that, probably the most unique and creative giveaway is the “Bobby Valentine Disguise” promo, which goes to the first 15,000 fans at the Friday, May 29 game against the Marlins. There’s also a soccer jersey (Thursday, June 11), a Mets purse (Monday, June 22), a Mets chain necklace (Tuesday, June 23), a Marcus Semien replica jersey (Wednesday, June 24), and a Pride Night sleeveless jersey (Friday, June 26).
Aug 9, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals guest coach Yadier Molina (4) looks on from the dugout during the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
One of the biggest non-player questions St. Louis Cardinals fans have as the 2026 season is about to begin is what will Yadier Molina’s real role be with the team. We’re starting to get answers and it appears his impact with the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals team will be greater than the past which could be a crucial part of the team’s ongoing rebuild.
It was nearly a month ago that I shared the news that the St. Louis Cardinals had hired Yadier Molina as a Special Assistant to President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom. This was the same title Yadi received in December of 2023 when then POBO John Mozeliak brought him back into the organization, but his visibility then was scarce. There are signs that this new era of Yadi will be different as he just told KMOV in St. Louis that he would be in the dugout for 2 or 3 series in St. Louis this year and then he would head to the minor leagues to help the young catchers in their development. I have not heard him specify exactly how much time he’ll spend with the minor league catchers.
There is no doubt that Yadier Molina imparting his knowledge into young Cardinals catching prospects like Rainiel Rodriguez could be the key to the team developing the next leader behind the plate. The newest MLB prospect rankings said that Rodriguez has thrown out at least 30% of the base stealing attempts against him and you’d have to believe that Yadi can help him increase that number. Pitch framing is another skill set that Rainiel needs to improve.
From what I’ve heard Yadi say during his time at Spring Training over the past week is he believes the St. Louis Cardinals have the talent they need even if they don’t have the recognizable names. He said his goal is nothing less than helping the Cardinals win the World Series again. Most believe that’s nothing but a daydream for the 2026 season, but Molina’s influence on all of the young Cardinals will be a key element in helping the organization bring back the winning mindset that is required for a future playoff-contending St. Louis club.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 13: Brusdar Graterol #48 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws on the field during spring training workouts at Camelback Ranch on February 13, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Brusdar Graterol pitch in an actual game. And it’s going to be a little while longer too, as manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Wednesday at Camelback Ranch that the Dodgers reliever won’t be ready to open the regular season.
“With Brusdar, he’s shown that we can count on him in the biggest of spots. We just gotta get him up to the velocity. It’s an intentionally slow build up,” Roberts said Wednesday. “He’s not going to start the season [active].”
We’ve talked before about how opening day is just one of 186 days on the regular season schedule, and on a Dodgers team with postseason aspirations they basically plan for seven months instead of six. Last year, for instance, the Dodgers tied their franchise record with 40 pitchers used, but only four were active for the entire regular season — Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Alex Vesia, Anthony Banda, and Jack Dreyer.
But it still has to be disheartening for Graterol, who also had shoulder trouble and a hamstring injury in 2024 that limited him to only 10 games between the regular season and postseason that year, only pitching a combined 9 2/3 innings over the last two seasons.
Graterol with his five years, 167 days of major league service time will be a free agent after this season. But he enters his launch season with 190 2/3 career innings. Weirdly, that almost exactly matches Dustin May (191 2/3) heading into last season with similar service time. May though was a starter and after two Tommy John surgeries was able to pitch 132 1/3 innings in 2025, more than any two of his previous seasons combined heading into the open market.
Phillips will also be a free agent at the end of the season, and will have less of a runway into free agency, as he’s not expected back before the All-Star break. He has a little more bulk stats under his belt at this point with 252 innings and 46 saves (45 of them with the Dodgers).
Graterol will still have time to put together his 2026 season, even if the build-up to get there is methodical.
Aug 22, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Carson Whisenhunt (88) in the dugout out after being taken out of the game agains the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
Heading into last year’s Spring Training, one-time pitching coach J.P. Martinez was excited by the prospect of having “15 or 16 legitimate starters” to work with and the overall feeling that — especially with the signing of Justin Verlander — the team had an almost glut of pitching depth.
Depth doesn’t always mean starting pitching, of course, but Buster Posey’s time as a player was during a stretch where it felt like the Giants could get any geek off the street and transform him into a solid arm. That didn’t wind up being the case, of course, and the Giants’ inability to stay out of long slumps contributed to the front office discarded a good chunk of the depth, but here are some guys who threw some innings to varying degrees of quality and did poor enough that we’re sure to never see them again OR well enough that they’ll be counted on in 2026.
Carson Whisenhunt
Let’s start here because, in case you missed the news,
That would be a welcome development in the Giants’ quest to have starting pitching depth, but it’s not as though Whisenhunt’s 2025 debut was a total disaster. Certainly, one could argue that he’s worth an entire profile to himself and one might wonder if the writer of this piece might’ve selected him for that purpose but, due to time constraints, now finds it necessary to had him to this one… we might never know.
What we did learn about the lefty’s 5-start stint with the Giants is that he’s still a work in progress. He got his first two major league wins before Justin Verlander could get his third as a Giant. In both those wins, he was really sharp, handling a tough Mets lineup in win #1 and a tough Cubs lineup in win #2. It helps that the Giants’ lineup scored 12 runs for him in each victory. But from a basic stat analysis, it was hardly impressive: he walked 12 in 23.1 innings and struck out just 16. He allowed 6 home runs and 5 doubles. His four-seamer averaged 92.6 mph, according to Statcast and his 83 mph slider sported a 2,500 rpm. He got swing and miss on his changeup (37.8 Whiff%), but as with his fastball, when batters made contact it was very hard contact.
Major league hitters weren’t impressed by his stuff. His minor league K/9 was 7.9 (compared to 6.2 in the majors) and his 2.9 BB/9 is simply fantastic (compared to 4.6 in the majors). He was the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year, too. So, in the calendar year 2025, it’s wrong to say that Carson Whisenhunt had a bad year. Any season where you make your major league debut and don’t embarrass yourself and then go on to win a major “best in show” award is a good one.
Dominating the minor leagues is one thing, of course, and so it’ll be a great test of Tony Vitello and his new coaching staff to see if they can do that thing of finishing Whisenhunt’s development in the major leagues. Some more of that development might’ve happened in 2025 had a back sprain not limited him down the stretch, but with this entirely new set of coaches running the operation, it’s possible that that missed time might wind up being a good thing, as he has far less to forget from the previous staff’s guidance.
He enters camp in pretty much the same situation he has found himself in each of the past two years — likely headed to Sacramento to try to pitch his way into being the “first man up” when the big club needs a rotation option along the way.
If that velocity in a 2026 scrimmage is indicative of anything, it’s progress. Enough to win a job out of camp?
JT Brubaker
Brubaker might be one of the aforementioned “geeks off the street” from Posey’s time as a player. 2025 marked two years removed from Tommy John surgery and he caught on with the Yankees for his return. They used him as a reliever in what wound up a crowded bullpen. He walked 9 and struck out just 10 in 16 innings. After the Yankees released him, the Giants signed him, and once he debuted for the orange & black, he was quite good. He had a 1.95 FIP and struck out 12 (walking 3) in 12.2 innings while featuring just a 93 mph sinker.
The Giants even used him to open a game and he gave them 4 innings of 2-run ball, striking out 4 Cardinals and walking just 1. The Giants kept him away from leverage roles during this brief stint so it’s hard to get a real sense of how he’ll do as a reliever going forward, though maybe that’s not the exact role the team has in mind.
He was arbitration eligible this offseason and the Giants signed him for $1.82 million. I have been obsessed with the team finding another Jakob Junis, hoping it would be Tristan Beck or Keaton Winn, but in Brubaker they might’ve found the next multi-inning reliever who can open or serve as a bridge in the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings.
Keaton Winn
“If he could just stay healthy!”
That’s the line with Keaton Winn and 2025 really turned up the volume. He pitched just 37.1 innings across the minors and majors (10 IP in MLB) as he worked his way back following ulnar nerve transposition surgery that ended his 2024 season in mid-July. Overall, it was sort of a mixed bag and one that almost certainly pushed him from the possible starter category into a reliever role going forward.
That’s how Bob Melvin deployed him in those 10 big league innings, and Winn looked sharp there, striking out 9 and walking just 2. He, like Brubaker, was also held out of leverage roles so it’s unclear how his fastball-splitter combo might play when the game is on the line, but in the glimpses we got, it looked like a potent pairing.
2026 won’t be an absolute make or break year for Winn as he still does have a major league option, but it’s going to be a critical one for him as a part of the Giants organization.
Mason Black
The Giants gave him just 4 innings in 2025 but those, along with the 36.1 they’d seen in 2024, were enough to decide that they could use his roster spot for somebody else.
He pitched in just one game — the 4th of July game in West Sacramento — and he gave up 2 home runs while striking out 5.
Different speeds, different movements, different locations — the more varying looks the better. That’s what Black needs to improve on in the offseason, and even then, it’s a stretch to envision the right-hander getting a substantial amount of innings
That wound up being prophetic, and in the offseason, the Giants traded him away to the Royals. Is he a “victim” of the previous front office’s plan to give pitchers smaller workloads in the minors to, essentially, “save” their “bullets” for MLB or this just another prospect that didn’t pan out because that’s what usually happens to prospects?
Scott Alexander
I wouldn’t say that Alexander had a great year or even a good year, but I think the veteran lefty reliever had a fun year. It began in Colorado where he got shelled, of course, allowing 11 runs (all earned) in 16.1 innings of work. He was released by them in May and picked up by the Giants on a minor league deal in June. He allowed 8 runs (all earned) in 5.1 innings with the River Cats.
And then Erik Miller got hurt.
This forced the Giants to break the emergency glass and call him up. He appeared in 2 games, pitched 1.1 innings and allowed 1 run, walked 2 and struck out 2. His first appearance of just 0.2 innings was against the Phillies in San Francisco and in holding the Phillies scoreless he helped the Giants come back to win that game in the bottom of the 9th. The next day, he got shelled along with the rest of the staff in a 13-0 loss.
This was Alexander’s second stint with the team after throwing 65.2 innings across 2022 and 2023. You could tell by watching him that the stuff and command were compromised enough that the emergency use case for him would be the only rational way a major league team could deploy him.
Sean Hjelle
After throwing an astonishing 80.2 innings in 2024 and pushing himself into the conversation as a reliable back of the bullpen arm, Hjelle lost a full mile per hour off his fastball in 2025 and that seemed to make all the difference. In 2024, he averaged 94.6 mph, hitting 94.5 mph or better 114 out of the 211 times (54%) he threw a fastball (sinker or cutter). In 2025, he managed that just 7 times in 47 fastball throws (14.9%). He went from a 3.63 FIP in 2024 to 5.20 in 2025. In addition to the diminished stuff, he seemed to have lost control of the strike zone. There was also a significant off-field matter that certainly didn’t pair well with poor performance. It was a tough year for him and it concluded with him signing a deal to pitch for Japan’s Orix Buffaloes in the offseason.
Lou Trivino
It’s odd to think of Bob Melvin having “a guy,” but that’s just what Lou Trivino was. 2025 marked two years removed from Tommy John, so there’s certainly a logic to the Giants rolling the dice on a veteran relief arm who had the favor of their manager. But he had effectively pitched his way out of work in 2022 with the A’s and it was a little surprising that the team would give an arm like that an Opening Day spot. He wound up being as bad as feared, lasting just 12.1 innings (11 games) with the Giants. He gave up 8 runs (all earned) including 4 homers while striking out 11. A 5.84 ERA/7.03 FIP wasn’t going to cut it, of course, but the Giants decided to go with their better options rather than wait to see if he sorted things out.
After the Giants released him, the Dodgers executed a flawless troll of a signing and got a 3.76 ERA (4.12 FIP) in 26 games (26.1 IP). After the Dodgers released him, he signed on with the Phillies and was fine in Philadelphia, too: 2.00 ERA in 9 IP with 8 K 5 BB 3 R (2 ER) and 0 home runs allowed.
Dave Roberts apparently likes to enjoy a cigar while watching people overindulge.
The Dodgers manager popped by a wing-eating competition at a Buffalo Wild Wings in Glendale, Arizona, on Wednesday night, and he was seen puffing on a stogie as he took in all the sights and sounds of engorgement.
Dave Roberts was seen at a wing-eating competition on Wednesday night enjoying a cigar. Instagram/bobbleheadz_805
In a video shot by a spectator, the World Series-winning skipper could be seen savoring some smoke as competitors shoveled chicken into their mouths.
Dave Roberts and the Dodgers are trying to win their third-straight World Series this season. AP
At one point during the festivities, Roberts actually told the Dodgers’ social media team he thinks he’d fare pretty well in a wing-consuming showdown.
He added he’d thrive in a doughnut challenge as well.
Wednesday’s event has become a bit of a spring training tradition for the Dodgers — last season, several Los Angeles superstars, including Shohei Ohtani, made it out to catch the action.
This year, Roberts was joined by Evan Phillips, Miguel Rojas, Hyeseong Kim and Alex Call, and the guys seemed to have a blast — while insisting if they were in tilts to inhale the most sushi, ramen, hot dogs and nachos, they’d be stars.
The number one reason the Athletics suffered a fourth straight losing season last year was run prevention. Both the starting rotation and bullpen struggled, particularly at home in Sacramento. But it wasn’t solely the pitchers’ fault. The A’s finished 2025 with -34 defensive runs saved — the fifth-worst mark in MLB — and committed 88 errors, tied for eighth most in the league.
The team’s young core group of hitters took a major step forward offensively last season, cementing the team’s lineup as one of the most exciting to watch this year. Nevertheless, if the A’s want to return to the playoffs for the first time since the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, the team must display vastly improved defense to complement its offensive excellence.
In the first couple months of last season, it felt like a circus every time former A’s outfielder JJ Bleday (-19 DRS, -30 career) tried to catch a fly ball or line drive in center field. The year before, Bleday was serviceable playing that tough position, yet last year he regressed in all facets of the game.
Eventually, the A’s had enough of his mishaps and replaced him with top prospect Denzel Clarke, who proceeded to make highlight-reel catches and home run robberies nearly every game he played. Lawrence Butler also showed he can play that position if needed, although he is better suited to right field due to his strong but often inaccurate arm. Tyler Soderstrom has left field locked down for the next several years following his seamless transition last season from first base to left field. Soderstrom became a Gold Glove finalist, a miraculous achievement given that he had never played outfield before in his professional career.
The numbers made it clear that the A’s defensive shortcomings weren’t confined to one position group. The infield additionally contributed to the struggles, as several young regulars continued learning the nuances of their positions.
First baseman Nick Kurtz and shortstop Jacob Wilson finished first and second in the American League Rookie of the Year race because of their offensive performances. Nevertheless, both need to improve defensively. Kurtz trained this offseason on improving his defense, specifically catching pop-ups, while Wilson has room to get better if he can improve his range to convert more balls put in play into outs. Jeff McNeil will be at least average at second base and then the A’s third baseman will be decided in spring training. If the A’s want to prioritize defense, Brett Harris is the best option, whereas Max Muncy is the most dynamic offensive player in the mix.
Will Kurtz or Wilson have a better defensive season this year? Do you think the A’s move Wilson off shortstop when Leo De Vries is ready? If so, is he a better fit at second base or third base? Finally, what teamwide defensive strategies should the A’s employ this season to gain an edge?
The Mets will be hosting their 2026 Grapefruit League opener against the Miami Marlins in just two days, and there have been oodles of storylines worth watching down in Port St. Lucie.
Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza met with the media on Thursday, discussing two key pieces of the starting rotation, a veteran and a prospect who will impact the outfield, and much more.
Here's what Mendoza had to say...
Manaea's Mechanics
Sean Manaea unlocked something midway through the 2024 season, when he switched to more of a cross-body delivery that had hitters looking foolish. As part of that adjustment, Manaea began dropping his arm slot even lower than he typically does, according to Mendoza.
Add in some brutal injury luck, and the lefty had a tough 2025 season (5.64 ERA in 15 games).
But now, Manaea is a "healthy player," and Mendoza says that getting his mechanics right could go a long way towards once again seeing the version of Manaea who took the mound in 2024.
"Last year, that oblique injury was tricky for him, and then he had a setback, I believe, and he was just never himself. It wasn’t easy for him. It was hard. I don’t think he ever got in a rhythm last year, even when he was feeling good," said Mendoza. "Whether it was mechanics, he was just off."
"We felt like he went a little (too low with his arm slot)," Mendoza said, "so we’re trying to get him back to, I’m not going to say normal because he’s always going to have that slot, but those are some of the adjustments that we’re working on."
Robert's Rousing Power Display
Center fielder Luis Robert Jr. has proven that he can be an All-Star talent when healthy, but a host of lower body injuries have caused him to miss a combined 110 games over the past two seasons.
The Mets are taking things slow with their new outfielder, saying he won't play in spring games right away, but that hasn't stopped the veteran from putting on a show during his live BP at-bats.
"It’s pretty incredible. You watch, the sound of it, he’s pretty special," Mendoza said. "Man, I keep telling myself and people here, if this guy stays healthy, we’ve got a pretty good player. We’ve seen it, but that’s our goal. We have to, and I know he’s working really hard, but he’s just very easy. And I think it was 115 (MPH exit velocity), the ball he hit in live BP. It’s pretty impressive."
Benge-Watching
With Juan Soto shifting to left and a healthy Robert locking down center field, the starting right field spot is up for grabs, with top prospect Carson Benge among the options.
But what do the Mets want to see out of the 23-year-old as he attempts to break camp in the majors?
According to Mendoza, it's quality over quantity, saying that how Benge looks at the plate and in the field will be more important that his actual stats.
"I think it’s more the quality of the at-bats … how hard he’s hitting the baseball, how he’s controlling the strike zone, how he’s going to bounce back after a tough game," Mendoza said. "There’s a lot to look for, whether it’s offensively, defensively, and base-running-wise."
"[Benge is] another guy who impacts the baseball to all fields," he added. "I think his ability to control the strike zone—but the one thing I’ve seen the past few days here during live at-bats is his ability to foul off tough pitches, especially when he gets behind in counts. That for me is a really good sign, that he’s able to stay in the fight, and he continues to stay aggressive."
Senga's Strong Showing
Right-hander Kodai Senga saw his 2025 season get off to a phenomenal start, pitching to a minuscule 1.47 ERA over his first 13 starts. But a hamstring strain suffered in June derailed him, and his numbers on the other side of the injury (5.90 ERA in nine starts) suffered as a result.
Senga threw one inning of live batting practice on Thursday, leaving his manager impressed, especially with where his velocity is at this point in camp.
"Really good," Mendoza said of Senga. "I think the biggest thing for me, when you see 96, 97, that’s a really good sign. I thought he threw some really good sweepers, especially for strike one, back door against lefties. He’s just working on all of his pitches, he’s just trying to get the feel. First time out there, the feedback from the hitters is always important, and yeah, I think it all comes down to health. We all know that, and man, it was good to just see him go out there with intensity and throwing the ball the way he did."
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 18: Max Fried #54 of the New York Yankees is introduced at a press conference at Yankee Stadium on December 18, 2024, in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We’ve reached the end of our 50 Most Notable Yankees’ Free Agent Signings, and today we’ll wrap up with the most recent within the paramters. Okay, maybe you could argue that the re-signing of Cody Bellinger earlier this winter is technically the most recent biggest one. That one was a touch too recent to show up on our list, and also bringing a non-All-Star back like that is a little different than the big splash the Yankees made when they signed Max Fried last winter.
It’s also one that has worked out swimmingly so far.
Max Fried Signing Date: December 17, 2024 Contract: Eight years, $218 million
At the start of the 2024-25 offseason, the Yankees’ main focus was on brining back Juan Soto. In addition to hitting the home run that sent the Yankees to the 2024 World Series, Soto had an unbelievable season and his combination with Aaron Judge had the potential to be an all-time great one if he stayed in the Bronx.
Unfortunately, we know how that story went. The Mets seemingly weren’t going to be denied in their pursuit of Soto, and they beat the Yankees to the punch. That being said, even without Soto, the Yankees had a roster that had just won the AL pennant. They were still in a, hopefully, “contending” window and needed somewhere to pivot. They decided to do so with one of the best pitchers on the market.
The Los Angeles-area born Max Fried had been a first-round draft pick of the Padres — seventh overall — in 2012 after starring at Harvard-Westlake School alongside fellow future standouts Jack Flaherty and Lucas Giolito. However, San Diego would not be where Fried would make his name. Having worked his way into the top 100 prospect lists, Fried was part of a multi-player deal in 2014 that sent him to the Braves, with Justin Upton the headliner going to the Padres. It was a savvy move that would have major ramifications for Atlanta in just a few years.
The trade went down as Fried was still recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he missed the entire 2015 season. After returning for 2016, Fried got the call-up to the majors in August 2017, debuting out of the bullpen. Fried ended up appearing in nine games — four starts — in 2017, posting a 3.81 ERA in 26 innings. While he returned to the minors for much of the following season, he was again pretty solid when getting his cup of coffee in the bigs in 2018.
Fried got a chance to start 2019 in the majors, albeit in the bullpen. However, he quickly ended up in the rotation and made 30 starts in his first full major-league season that year. The 2020 season was, of course, COVID-shortened, but it was Fried’s breakout campaign, as he posted a 2.25 ERA over his 11 starts, finishing fifth in NL Cy Young voting.
The next two years saw Fried fully get on the map. In 2021, he was, by several measures, the Braves’ best starter as they won the 2021 World Series crown. He was the winning pitcher in the series-clinching Game 6 victory, shutting the Astros out for six innings.
In 2022, Fried posted arguably his best year, putting up a career best total in both WARs, recording a 2.48 ERA and a second place Cy Young finish. His 2023 was limited to just 77.2 innings due to injury, but both that year and 2024, he was still very good. That led him to being one of the marquee free agents on the 2024-25 market, and on the short list for the best pitcher available.
The Yankees have a history of employing very good left-handed pitchers, which may have prompted them to pivot to Fried as their big acquisition post-Soto. While they had already met with him while still pursuing Soto, they moved quickly after losing the outfielder, inking Fried to an eight-year deal less than a week after Soto went to Queens. The $218 million deal was the largest ever signed by a left-handed pitcher.
One year into that contract, and it’s hard to have any big complaints. Fried’s debut season in the Bronx saw him post a 2.86 ERA along with a league-leading 19 wins. He got off to a ridiculous start, winning AL Pitcher of the Month for April, and ended up winning that same honor during the season’s home stretch in September. Fried earned All-MLB First Team honors, finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting, and nabbed his fourth career Gold Glove.
Beyond that, with the absence of Gerrit Cole, Fried had to step up as the de facto Yankees’ ace. He was the man who took the mound in Game 1 of the Yankees’ Wild Card Series clash against Boston and threw 6.1 shutout innings. His start against the Blue Jays in the ALDS didn’t go well, but on the whole, Fried came up big in his first year in pinstripes — especially given the increased pressure caused by Cole’s absence.
Fried will be under contract through his age-38 season in 2032. Fingers crossed that he has more greatness ahead this coming season!
Edtior’s note: As Matt wrote at the top, since this series and its selection process began before Cody Bellinger was re-signed a month ago, the Max Fried signing from December 2024 will mark the end of our “50 Most Notable Yankees Free Agent Signings in 50 Years” series. Thank you for following along in this walk down Yankees history! If you missed any of the contracts we discussed, check out the full rundown here.
