Category: MLB

There are many more than 10 trade candidates in Major League Baseball. If you think about, every player is a trade candidate; I mean, you can technically trade any player if they waive their no trade clause, and until American sports institutes the “ironclad no trade clause” which prevents both the team and player from consenting to a trade (sidebar: imagine how much content we’d all get out of that), everyone can be a “trade candidate.” 

Instead, we’re picking the 10 most interesting trade candidates, people who would not simply be a boring, 35-year-old first-baseman with decent power numbers on a losing roster. I’m talking sneaky trades, players with the potential to dazzle, deals the potential to change everyone’s fortunes overnight. That, or to be really, really funny. 

(Note: Trade are ranked in order of how much I’d like to see them happen, corrected for one standard deviation of Boston Red Sox bias, but not ranked by how likely they are to occur. You really can’t know these things this early.)

1. Tarik Skubal

How many times would I say “wow” if this happened: 6 (wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, that’s just an example, I’m not going to write it out every time)

Do the Detroit Tigers want to trade Skubal? No, they don’t, but they also didn’t want to be 10 games below .500 in late May with Skubal coming off apparently very-successful elbow surgery. Unless the Tigers are really super-duper confident they can re-sign Tarik Skubal (they aren’t), they probably have to trade him. Jon Heyman’s really-super-happy-positive reporting about the surgery leads me to believe the Tigers are working hard to downplay Skubal’s injury to improve his market. I expect he will be traded.

The interesting bit is what they may or may not be able to get back given Skubal’s injury timeline. Any trade would be a physiologically-dubious rental, and how much would you pay for a rental car that just recently failed inspection? That said, Skubal isn’t some Toyota Camry; he’s a Ferrari that makes a good rotation great overnight. Someone will talk themselves into this, and it won’t be a long talk.

2. Sandy Alcantara

How many times would I say “wow” if this happened: 2

Alcantara was an ace-level pitcher between 2021 and 2023, but has not been remotely that since missing all of 2024 with Tommy John Surgery. It’s worth wondering if the Miami Marlins would rather just hang onto Alcantara as they try to moneyball their way out of having just one winning season since 2011. They almost certainly won’t get ace-level compensation anymore as Alcantara continues to try to figure out his post-surgery career, but they also might want to get something before its gone — he only has one year left of team control after this one, and his trade market will evaporate if they allow his contract to progress another year.

3. Jarren Duran

How many times would I say “wow” if this happened: 0, I would just say “mhmm, yep”

I’m a Red Sox fan, so the “mhmm, yep” would be a reaction to the fact that Duran is redundant on this team, plain and simple. He’s a nice luxury who can plausibly hit leadoff, but his 9 WAR 2024 is starting to look like more of an aberration than who he always was. Plainly, he hasn’t been able to hit this year, striking out constantly with super-problematic whiff rates. Once Roman Anthony returns from injury, the Red Sox outfield is set with Cedanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu being two of the only offensive bright spots all year. If those are his hitting chops right now, he just doesn’t have a position in Boston.

4. Rafael Devers

How many times would I say “wow” if this happened: 19, then cackle hysterically for four minutes

This would be flooring if it actually occurred, since Devers has spent most of 2026 looking like the mother of all cursed contracts. He has been slowly course-correcting, but the San Francisco Giants aren’t a big budget team that has routinely been willing to pay the luxury tax. They are on the hook for $171 million for seven years after this — not sure who is trading for that, but given that Willy Adames and Matt Chapman both have full no-trade clauses, Devers is somehow still the easiest to move.

5. Seth Lugo

How many times would I say “wow” if this happened: 0.5 (would consider saying wow)

Is Seth Lugo an elite starting pitcher? No, not really, but he’s much improved since last year, still throwing 873 different pitches and liable to seduce someone into thinking his 2024 All-Star campaign could be recaptured sometime soon. He can pitch a lot of innings, (ideally) get some ground balls and I think would benefit a good team as a third or fourth starter without too much pressure. He’s 36 with two full years of team control after this one, so the Royals could plausibly make some demands for him. Maybe one demand. One single demand seems fair. 

6. CJ Abrams

How many times would I say “wow” if this happened: 1 solid wow

Here’s the rundown about CJ Abrams: he’s 25, a great hitter, wicked fast but a horrendous defensive shortstop. He’s also on the Washington Nationals, who are currently .500 but are absolutely not expected to maintain that. A lot of teams would love a hard-hitting shortstop who can fly, but there’s a lot of evidence he probably shouldn’t be a shortstop. Some executives think his defense is better than his metrics, so I suggest that whoever that was trade for him! Put your money where you mouth is.

7. Yordan Alvarez

How many times would I say “wow” if this happened: 5

This would be serious business. The Houston Astros have had the season from one of the circles of Hell (which one is still up for debate), but Alvarez has been every bit the ball-striking machine they all knew he could be when healthy. He would command a major return, though I don’t know if Houston wants to be in the business of trading 29-year-old MVP candidates with two more years left on their deal and plenty of time to turn things around.

8. Joe Ryan

How many times would I say “wow” if this happened: 4

Joe Ryan has been awesome again this year, utilizing his witch’s brew of pitches to smack hitters around like he’s Doctor Octopus in a slap fight. They apparently came close to trading him last year, and with the Twins fire-sale not quite done burning down the roster, I wouldn’t be shocked at all (though it would matter a lot) if Ryan and #10 on this list make their way out of Minnesota.

9. Robbie Ray

How many times would I say “wow” if this happened: 0, not sure 2026 Robbie Ray is a wow guy

I said this list was going to be “interesting trade candidates” which makes me wonder how exactly Robbie Ray got himself on the docket. He actually was an All-Star in 2025 but was much worse after the All-Star break, I’m not going to sit here and tell you I think Robbie Ray will swing the fortunes of some budding contender. But he is a professional starter who showed last year he could pitch big innings again; he’s a half-season rental that probably won’t cost much at all, I’d be shocked if the Giants don’t move him.

10. Byron Buxton

How many times would I say “wow” if this happened: 2, 4 if he’s healthy

We are big fans of Byron Buxton around here … when healthy. He’s a center fielder who hits for serious power and runs seriously fast. Two years left on his deal, only 32 with late-career DH potential, every team wants that. But this is also his 12th MLB season, and he has played over 100 games in only three of them. That will be factored into whatever package the Twins try to get back for him.

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Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jesus Sanchez is on fire at the plate, and I expect him to continue his hitting streak with Sandy Alcantara on the mound for the Miami Marlins.  

Read on to see why with my Jays vs. Marlins predictions and MLB picks on Tuesday, May 26.

Marlins vs Blue Jays predictions

Marlins vs Blue Jays best bet: Jesus Sanchez Over 0.5 hits (-170)

Jesus Sanchez has been the hottest hitter in the Toronto Blue Jays lineup, and the books seem to be slowly catching on, but there’s still some juice left to be squeezed at a -170 price.

The Jays outfielder has eclipsed today’s 0.5 hits total in 12 of his last 15 contests, posting a .400 batting average and a 1.032 OPS in that stretch. 

As for Sandy Alcantara, he’s been victimized more by left-handed batters, who are hitting .276 against him. 

He has also struggled mightily in May, posting a 6.04 ERA this month, with an opponent batting average of .315 while allowing an average of 7.25 hits per outing. 

COVERS INTEL: Sandy Alcantara ranks in the 92nd percentile with a .290 xBA.

Marlins vs Blue Jays same-game parlay (SGP)

With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. out of the lineup tonight, I’m banking on Daulton Varsho to step up. The Jays' lefty owns a 59% hard-hit rate against the four-seamer and a .375 average vs. the sinker, two pitches that Alcantara throws often against left-handed hitters.

Ernie Clement is on an eight-game hitting streak, averaging 2.65 bases per game. With a struggling Alcantara on the mound, who pitches to contact, I’ll bet on Clement to keep swinging a hot bat and go Over 1.5 total bases.

Marlins vs Blue Jays SGP

• Jesus Sanchez Over 0.5 hits
• Daulton Varsho 1.5 total bases
• Ernie Clement Over 1.5 total bases

Marlins vs Blue Jays home run pick: Daulton Varsho (+475)

Alcantara has kept the ball in the yard, only allowing two homers over his last six starts, so we’ll make this a half-unit wager. 

The Marlins starter gives up fairly hard contact to lefties like Varsho, who have 15 extra base hits off him for a .787 opponent OPS. 

Marlins vs Blue Jays odds

• Moneyline: Miami +125 | Toronto -150
• Run line: Miami +1.5 (-170) | Toronto -1.5 (+145)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-125) | Under 7.5 (-115)

Marlins vs Blue Jays trend

The Blue Jays have covered the run line in 10 of their last 12 games for +9.4 units and a 59% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Marlins vs. Blue Jays.

How to watch Marlins vs Blue Jays and game info

Marlins vs Blue Jays latest injuries

Marlins vs Blue Jays weather

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Alright, so here we are, folks. It’s the day after Memorial Day which is usually the moment in the season where I’d say that it’s safe to start taking whatever’s happening in the standings a bit more seriously. We’re over a quarter of the way deep into this campaign and basically the news is nothing but positive for the Braves as they enter into the Summer portion of the baseball season.

Heading into today’s action, the Braves are 36-18, they have the best record in the National League, they’re tied on percentage for the best record in all of baseball and they’re 8.5 games clear at the top of the NL East, with only the Washington Nationals joining them in the “Over .500” Club at this point in the season.

Whoa. I bet y’all didn’t see any of this coming, now did you? I’ll happily admit that I figured that this team wasn’t going to put on a performance that would have them looking like something closer to what we saw this team do for the second half of 2021 and throughout the 2022 and 2023 seasons as well. “They don’t have enough starting pitching,” I cried. Well, Bryce Elder is looking like a more-improved version of his 2023 version and Martín Pérez has developed into a solid fifth starter while Chris Sale, Spencer Strider and Grant Holmes have all performed as expected The starting rotation is putting up great numbers as a collective (3.02 ERA, 75 ERA-, 4.01 FIP, 102 FIP-) but the bullpen has been just as good as well (3.07 ERA, 76 ERA-, 3.52 FIP, 90 FIP-), combining to make Atlanta’s pitching staff the current ERA and ERA- leaders (3.04 and 91) while also making sure that their FIP is in a position where this doesn’t seem too unsustainable going forward. That’ll do it!

It also helps that the offense has returned to something that looks a whole lot similar to what it looked like back when this team was really clicking. Braves President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Alex Anthopoulos said on multiple occasions during the offseason that he figured that if the Braves were going to bounce back, it would be because of the offense rather than the pitching. It’s almost as if one of the best front office executives in baseball was onto something, huh? Heading into tonight’s game, the Braves are sitting on the third-best team wRC+ in all of baseball (113, only behind the Yankees and the Dodgers), they’re tied for first in batting average (.260) with the Rays, they have a top-10 On-Base Percentage as a team, they lead baseball in slugging (.431) and they only trail the Dodgers in OPS (.755) and wOBA (.334).

Ronald Acuña Jr. and Austin Riley have both performed below their respectively lofty expectations and normally that’d be a recipe for disaster. Instead, they’ve just been serving as complimentary pieces to guys like Drake Baldwin (who was absolutely murdering the baseball before going down with an oblique strain), Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris II. It also helps that some of the players outside of the core have been coming up big as well. Mauricio Dubón has been an invaluable piece for this team so far, Jorge Mateo and Dominic Smith have been reliable when called upon and we’re starting to get some good stuff from Mike Yastrzemski as well. If Ha-Seong Kim can get going and the Braves can finally play a game with a full-strength lineup at some point, the ceiling for this team figures to be about as tall as Victor Wembanyama.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to come to the conclusion that if you’re hitting well and pitching well, you’re going to win a whole bunch of ballgames. Fortunately for the Braves (and outside of their most recent woeful series at home against the Nationals), the bad luck that seemingly tripped them up at all times is starting to turn around for Atlanta. As such, the team has played its way into a very comfortable position as far as their outlook for the rest of the season goes.

FanGraphs currently has the Braves winning 94 games and winning the NL East (86 percent chance by their current calculations) by eight games over the Phillies. PECOTA has a similarly rosy outlook for the Braves at the moment (94 wins, 84 percent chance of winning the division) and both Atlanta’s Expected W/L record and Pythagorean Record (both 38-16) suggest that this is no fluke on Atlanta’s part. Pretty much all of the statistics and metrics indicate that the Braves are right where they need to be right now and it’s something that they’re definitely capable of keeping up or even improving upon going forward.

While it’s been a tiny bit concerning to see them benefit greatly from the New Manager Bounce of going from Rob Thomson to Don Mattingly, Philadelphia would have to keep up an astonishingly furious pace all season while the Braves would have to suffer a significant slow down in order to make this even a nervous race for the Braves going forward. I’m not going full Sal Licata and saying that “The NL East is over” because there’s still plenty of baseball left to be played between now and September but it’s totally fair to say that everybody else in this division is going to be spending a lot of time looking up at the Braves while this season is still going on.

So am I saying all of this to say that the Braves are going to be on easy street from now until October? I’d love to say that but I think we all know that baseball is about as unpredictable as a washer when you throw a brick inside of it (for some reason or another) so there’s always a possibility that a nasty surprise here or there could pop up and throw a wrench in things for Atlanta. Despite the good times that the Braves have had so far, they’ve still had some injuries to key players. I mentioned that Drake Baldwin is currently on the IL and it doesn’t help that his fellow catcher Sean Murphy is also on the IL so Atlanta has already had to go deep into their depth chart for catching help at the moment. Ronald Acuña Jr. has had an IL stint recently and we all know how things go for pitchers nowadays where you kind of just have to pray for health and hope for the best.

Still, it’s hard to see how this train gets derailed for the Braves going forward. Sure, they had a woeful series against a Nationals pitching staff that has been one of the absolute worst in all of baseball so far this season but again, that’s just baseball for you! Not everything is going to go as planned and there’s bound to be some slip-ups and drop-offs here and there. With all of that being said, it really does seem like the Braves are back to playing at the level that we’re used to seeing from them.

It’s also fun to think about where the Braves were at this time last year. At the end of the day on May 25, 2025, the Braves were 25-27 and 8.5 games back in the division. After Memorial Day in 2024, they were 30-21 but six games back. They were only up four games in the division after Memorial Day in 2023 but they were actually 9.5 back in 2022! It’s been a good long while since the Braves were in such a comfortable position after crossing the Memorial Day signpost and while the past has shown that the story of this season is far from being complete, it’s clear that the Braves have played themselves into a very good spot to be in now that it’s starting to get really hot outside. Hopefully we’ll see the Braves continue to keep rolling so we’ll have a very fun Summer around here. We’ll see what happens!

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We're double-dipping on a West Coast matchup today, highlighting our favorite MLB picks for today's slate.

Read on to see why our baseball experts like both a side and a total in the Mariners/Athletics matchup — along with several other top picks for Tuesday.

MLB expert picks for today

Pick	Odds
Josh Inglis: SEA/ATH o9.5	+100
Neil Parker: ATH ML	-104
Joe Osborne: MIN ML	-108
Jon Metler: ARI ML	+100

Prices courtesy of Polymarket.

Josh Inglis' expert pick: Mariners/Athletics Over 9.5

Price: 50¢ (+100) at Polymarket

Bettors saw five home runs yesterday at Sutter Health Park, and that kind of output could show up again today with Ballpark Pal grading it as the best park on the slate for both home runs and run scoring. Luis Severino has struggled to navigate the park this season, carrying a 5.55 ERA and 2.2 HR/9 at home, compared to just 0.5 HR/9 on the road. Seattle Mariners starter Emerson Hancock also brings some red flags, ranking in the Bottom-20 among qualified starters in HR/FB rate, plus his xERA suggests his current 3.07 ERA could be headed in the wrong direction — after posting an ERA near 5.00 last season. THE BAT, still the best projection model in the industry, has this as the highest-scoring game on the slate with 11.23 projected runs and a fair price of -188 on Over 9.5, making it one of the best +EV sides on the board today.

• Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
• How to watch: NBCSCA, SEAM

Neil Parker's expert pick: Athletics moneyline

Price: 51¢ (-104) at Polymarket

The Athletics have beat up on righties, to the tune of a second-ranked OPS and third-ranked wOBA, and Seattle RHP Emerson Hancock has surrendered a healthy 44.2% hard-hit rate, while also sporting an unsustainable 83.3% strand rate. Hancock has also been more vulnerable away from pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park, allowing a .355 wOBA with a 5.12 ERA across 96 2/3 career innings on the road. Additionally, Luis Severino has allowed two runs or fewer in five of his past six starts, while spinning a solid 2.92 ERA and 3.09 xERA.

• Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
• How to watch: NBCSCA, SEAM

Joe Osborne's expert pick: Twins moneyline

Price: 52¢ (-108) at Polymarket

Minnesota Twins starter Joe Ryan has been dominant in May, posting a 1.47 ERA while allowing just 10 hits over 18 1/3 innings of work. Meanwhile, Sean Burke has hit a wall for Chicago, with a 5.59 ERA this month, and the White Sox have dropped six of his last eight starts. Minnesota also owns a massive bullpen edge, ranking 2nd in ERA over the past two weeks — compared to Chicago sitting at 27th. The offenses are closer, but the Twins are still the hotter lineup entering this game.

• Time: 7:40 p.m. ET
• How to watch: CHSN, MNNT

Jon Metler's expert pick: Diamondbacks moneyline

Price: 50¢ (+100) at Polymarket

There’s no reason the Arizona Diamondbacks should be trading near 50 cents against the San Francisco Giants in this matchup. I make Arizona closer to 56-cent favorites, which gives us solid value at the current price.

This is also a difficult offensive setup for San Francisco. The Giants already struggle to generate consistent offense, and facing left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez only complicates things further. The lefty-lefty matchup neutralizes a lot of the impact from key bats like Rafael Devers and Luis Arraez.

Meanwhile, Arizona’s lineup is in a great spot. Ketel Marte is swinging a hot bat, while Corbin Carroll is one of the best gap hitters in baseball and an ideal fit for the spacious alleys at Oracle Park.

• Time: 9:45 p.m. ET
• How to watch: Dbacks.TV,NBCS Bay Area

More MLB best bets for today

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.

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I'm hoping this hot weather breaks this cold snap I'm on.

I'm still targeting hot hitters this week for home runs and MLB player props, and even going back-to-back in some spots at better prices in better spots.

Baltimore is a strong place to look for home runs, and Yandy Diaz's prices may not stay north of +650 for long if he keeps slugging at this level. I'm also backing two bats, led by Julio Rodriguez, at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park.

These are my favorite home run props for Tuesday, May 26.

Best MLB home run props today

Player to hit a HR	Odds
Yandy Diaz	+670
Randy Arozarena	+600
Julio Rodriguez	+448
💲Today's HR parlay	+20900

Home run pick: Yandy Diaz (+670)

I'm not getting next-day theoried today with Yandy Díaz, who I'm getting at a better number than yesterday and is still grading as +EV, per the projections at Covers.

Over the last two weeks, he has been one of the best bats in baseball, ranking seventh in slugging and third in BlastContact%. He’s ripping extra-base hits right now with six over his last five games and gets a great matchup in a favorable park today.

Oriole Park grades as the No. 4 home run environment on the slate, per Ballpark Pal, and Shane Baz is a strong target for dingers.

The Baltimore right-hander just saw this Tampa lineup in his last start, so the familiarity edge shifts to the hitters in today’s matchup. He has allowed a home run in seven of his last starts and ranks in the bottom 50 among starters in BlastContact% and HR/FB rate over the last 30 days.

This is a buy to +600.

• Time: 6:35 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MASN, Rays.TV

Home run pick: Randy Arozarena (+600)

Sutter Health Park is once again grading as the best home run environment on the slate today, per Ballpark Pal.

The wind is blowing out, and the pitching matchup is better than it may look at first glance, as Luis Severino has been hit hard there and the splits back it up. The Athletics starter owns a 2.2 HR/9 in Sacramento compared to just 0.94 HR/9 on the road.

Six of his eight home runs allowed have come in that minor-league park.

Seattle clubbed four home runs yesterday and could leave the yard multiple times again vs. Severino and the bullpen, as no team in baseball has allowed a higher HR/9 at home than the Athletics.

Randy Arozarena at +600 is my target with a fair price of +530, per the projections at Covers. The right-handed hitter ranks 10th in slugging and 15th in BlastContact% over the last 14 days and is one of just six hitters inside the Top 15 in both categories during that stretch.

He went deep yesterday and added a double, and now owns a .299/.390/.477 slash line on the season.

• Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCSCA, Mariners.TV

Home run pick: Julio Rodriguez (+448)

I'm running it back with Julio Rodriguez in what projects as the best home run-hitting environment on the board today. This is a spot that graded out as +EV at +360 in a similar setup yesterday.

This is easily the best HR park on the slate today, and Luis Severino has struggled, like most starters, in this minor-league park. His HR/FB rate ranks in the Bottom 25 among MLB starters, and that number is even worse at home.

J-Rod didn’t go deep yesterday, but he entered that game slugging .667 over his last seven days with two home runs. Luke Raley at +350 was a consideration as a left-handed alternative, but J-Rod at this price is the stronger look.

• Time: 9:40 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: NBCSCA, Mariners.TV

Today’s HR parlay

Yandy Diaz	Bet Now +20900
Randy Arozarena
Julio Rodriguez

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 on Monday beat the Colorado Rockies, completing exactly one third of their season, now 54 games into the 162-game schedule.

As we’ve done for the better part of two decades, we like to take a look at each season in 54-game chunks, seeing how players seasons are put together. For now, we just have the first third of the season to go on, so we’re not necessarily comparing players to themselves. But on a team level, the Dodgers are on pace for 102 wins, and have won at least 32 of their first 54 games for eight years in a row.

The Dodgers allowed only 171 runs so far this season, fewest in MLB at 3.17 per game. It’s the fewest runs allowed by the Dodgers through 54 games since 1989. The plus-108 run differential is the Dodgers’ third-best through 54 games since 2013, the start of their streak of postseason appearances.

Now let’s look at the individual players.

Will Smith’s numbers are down across the board. Dalton Rushing got off to a scorching hot start, with seven home runs in his first 28 plate appearances. Rushing also started three games at designated hitter and two at first base. Those games are counted in his numbers above, as is Smith’s lone start at DH.

The Dodgers offense feels underwhelming, but in reality they lead the majors in wRC+ (119) and on-base percentage (.344), rank third in runs scored (5.17 per game), and are top five in the majors in home runs, slugging percentage, walk rate, and lowest strikeout rate. That’s a testament to the depth, even with injuries and few individual starts standing out.

Andy Pages is the breakout star thus far, providing excellent defense in center field with a 136 wRC+ and leading the majors in RBI. Max Muncy is having one of his best seasons. Kyle Tucker has been above average but not spectacularly so.

Tommy Edman hasn’t yet played this season. Mookie Betts missed 32 games with an oblique injury, and has been quite bad when he’s played so far. Alex Freeland and Hyeseong Kim filled in, combining for 67 starts in the middle infield, and while their defense was quite good, the offense was below average. Same for veteran Miguel Rojas.

Watch out if Kiké Hernández can keep up this blistering pace though.

Shohei Ohtani is at worst the Dodgers’ second-best hitter thus far, and while it feels silly to complain about a 147 wRC+, he’s coming off three years of a collective 177 wRC+ and 153 home runs. So far, Ohtani only has eight home runs a third of the way through this year. His 2026 offensive production is more in line with his 2021-22 with the Angels, his first two seasons fully unleashed as a two-way player when he had a 146 wRC+. Imagine getting that kind of — again, still stellar — offense from someone who’s also on pace for nearly 150 innings of Cy Young Award-caliber pitching.

Ohtani has allowed only six runs in his eight starts, and has not allowed multiple runs in any of his 49 innings to date.

The rotation was incredibly stable for the Dodgers until roughly the last two weeks, after injuries to Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell. Outside of one bullpen game, the Dodgers used only seven starting pitchers in the first third of the season, with six pitchers accounting for 52 starts. Dodgers pitchers have 30 quality starts, most in the majors.

Justin Wrobleski made one bulk relief appearance of four innings on March 30, but the vast majority of his time was as a starter, and his stat line above reflects his full season to date. Similarly, Will Klein was the first pitcher of a bullpen game on May 15 in Anaheim, but that is included with the relief numbers below.

The depth has again shone through, especially with Edwin Díaz getting surgery after only six innings with the Dodgers. Tanner Scott has looked like the dominant reliever the Dodgers signed two offseasons ago, while Will Klein, Kyle Hurt, and Edgardo Henriquez have worked their way up the trust tree.

Dodgers relievers really picked up the slack of late amid heavier usage, going from the eighth inning on May 12 through May 24 without allowing a run. The bullpen’s streak of 38 (but spiritually 40) consecutive scoreless innings is the longest in modern franchise history.

That’s our look at the first third of the Dodgers 2026 season. We’ll be back in two months to see how the middle portion went.

In baseball, there is only one finite resource. We can argue endlessly about which is more exciting, a perfectly executed bunt single or a smash through the hole, a triple or a home run. But none of that matters for winning games as much as managing that one resource as effectively as humanly possible.

Outs.

In 2005, there were 1620 sacrifice bunts. In 2025, there were only 560. Some of that is because pitchers stopped hitting after 2021, but that just goes to emphasize the point more. If you don’t already have an automatic out at the plate, a sacrifice is a bad baseball play. An extra base is almost never worth an out.

Need more evidence? Check out these run expectancy matrices. Runner at first with no outs? That averaged 0.87 runs in 2025. But a runner at second with one out? 0.67 runs. The numbers are similar the entire way across the matrix. Giving up an out for a base always reduces the number of runs you can expect to score every time. This makes sense if you think about it logically, too. A sacrifice bunt means sacrificing an opportunity to add another runner to the bases or to even drive in the run(s) in that plate appearance. There are an infinite number of bases to be gained in a 9-inning baseball game, but only ever 27 outs.

This goes beyond sacrifice bunts, though. The biggest revelation of the Moneyball Athletics teams was that OBP is more valuable than batting average. How can that be when a hit might be more than a single, but a walk only ever gets you to first base? Because a walk still represents not giving up an out. As long as you still have outs, you’ve still got a chance to win a game. Not giving them away is, therefore, the most important thing. But the Royals, even as they seem to be more analytically inclined than in years past, still don’t seem to get this.

Let me post a quote from an answer given by manager Matt Quatraro during a recent post-game press conference (emphasis mine):

[…] Our offense has to be predicated on some of the aggressiveness on the bases and sometimes you’re going to make those outs.

The Royals have used statistical analysis to determine that bringing in the fences would likely help the team play better. They spent the off-season chasing players with good on-base percentages, which has led to a team OBP of .313 – the highest they’ve had since 2015. But their analytic abilities seem to falter when it comes to the value of an extra base compared to an out despite the fact that run expectancy matrices have existed since before the Royals were even a team.

Earlier in that quote, Quatraro pointed out that the Royals don’t hit bunches of home runs. This misses the point badly. Because every time you make an out on the bases, it represents one fewer plate appearance the team can take in that inning and the entire game. The 2015 Royals had an unofficial slogan of “keep the line moving” because they also didn’t hit home runs, but they didn’t make terrible outs on the basepaths and so were able to keep getting on base and eventually force those runners home. But, hey, fewer plate appearances also means fewer opportunities to hit those home runs. So there’s that, too.

The Royals’ front office and coaching staff are not stupid. These people know baseball well. Most of them more than any of us. But that’s just why it is so painful to see them make judgments so lacking in basic logic. You don’t have to be a baseball genius to know that if you’ve got a highly limited resource like outs, you shouldn’t give them away without a darn good reason.

This weekly feature, which normally posts on Mondays, is running today because Monday was a holiday and there was a day game to keep our minds occupied, not that the result of that day game was any good.

This edition of “who’s hot, who’s not” includes the games of the recently-completed homestand and doesn’t include the numbers from Monday’s game.

Here’s who was hot and not for the Cubs during the six-game homestand, during which the Cubs went … 0-6.

Three up (and it wasn’t easy to find three!)

Ethan Roberts moves up in the Circle of Trust

At age 28, and after multiple injuries, Roberts appears to have finally figured things out. He did allow a run this past week, the first one he’d given up all year, but that was all over the 4.2 innings he threw against the Brewers and Astros.

For the season, Roberts has an ERA of 0.73 and a WHIP of 0.892. He’s allowed only five hits, four of them singles, in facing 45 hitters.

The Cubs could use some more reliable relievers, so this is a good sign.

Jacob Webb continues his scoreless streak

Webb, who had a rough start to his season, threw a scoreless inning against the Brewers and Astros, one against each, and now has not allowed a run in his last five outings and only one run in his last nine, for a 0.00 ERA and 0.727 WHIP in May, with two walks and 13 strikeouts in 11 innings.

Again, reliable relievers are what this team needs and Webb looks like he could be another one.

Hoby Milner continues to baffle hitters

Look at Milner’s velocity chart:

I mean.. how does a pitcher in 2026 get hitters out throwing like that?

And yet, Milner does. He had scoreless outings against both the Brewers and Astros, and this month he has a 1.08 ERA and 0.960 WHIP in eight appearances covering 8.1 innings.

Here, he strikes out Milwaukee’s Blake Perkins on a ridiculous changeup [VIDEO].

You’ll notice that all three of the “up” players are relievers. That’s because, well, you don’t want to hear about Cubs starting pitching over the week and the offense batted .163/.269/.245 (30-for-184) in the six games with 56 strikeouts. Yikes.

I will give one positive mark to Pete Crow-Armstrong. Even though he had a rough week overall, in the series against the Astros he batted .286/.538/.714 (2-for-7) with a home run and five walks, including his first-ever three-walk game in the major leagues. If PCA can continue to coax walks, his entire offensive game is raised.

Three down

Uh-oh, Shōta Imanaga

After Imanaga had a really good start to 2026, posting a 2.32 ERA over his first nine starts with just five home runs allowed in 54.1 innings, last week made those numbers way, way worse. In two starts this past week against the Brewers and Astros, Imanaga had a 13.08 (!) ERA, 1.935 WHIP and four home runs served up in just 10.1 total innings.

Let’s hope he figures it out before his next start, which should come up Friday in St. Louis.

Alex Bregman’s offense has vanished

Bregman got off to a slow start and some attributed it to — well, maybe “new team,” “cold weather,” other possible reasons.

The weather is getting warmer and now Bregman has two months as a Cub and last week, his offense pretty much disappeared. He batted .174/.269/.174 (4-for-23) with one walk and five strikeouts. As you can see by the SLG equalling the BA, none of the hits were for extra bases. In fact, Bregman has only four XBH in May in 84 at-bats — three doubles and a home run.

He’s still playing quality defense, though. Check out this nice pick and throw he made on Sunday [VIDEO].

Somehow, Bregman is still a 1.0 bWAR player, suggesting he could have a decent WAR season… if he starts hitting. Like, now.

Seiya Suzuki also looks lost at the plate

Suzuki went 2-for-4 in each of the first two games against the Brewers, but then went 0-for-13 in the last four games of the homestand before Craig Counsell gave him a day off on Monday (other than a PH appearance, in which he struck out).

Perhaps the (mostly) off day will help him reset.

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The Texas Rangers will look to rebound following an ugly blowout loss to the Houston Astros in their series opener. 

My Astros vs. Rangers predictions expect the home team to turn things around quickly and even things up Tuesday night.

Let's break it all down with my MLB picks for May 26. 

Who will win Astros vs Rangers today: Rangers moneyline (-135)

The Houston Astros are riding a four-game winning streak while the Texas Rangers have dropped four in a row. Even so, the underlying data favors the Rangers offense of late.

The Astros own a .290 wOBA, .652 OPS, and 35.1% hard hit rate over their last six games. 

Despite getting no-hit Monday, the Rangers have fared better in each category over the same period. They are sporting a .333 wOBA, .757 OPS, and 39.4% hard hit rate.

Jack Leiter has also out-performed Jason Alexander in ERA, FIP, xFIP, and K%, making the Rangers a buy up to -140.

COVERS INTEL: In this game, four of the Top-5 batters in OBP vs. righties this month play for the Rangers.

Astros vs Rangers Over/Under pick: Under 8 (-110)

Globe Life Field is very pitcher-friendly, and that’s evident looking at the Rangers’ home numbers. They rank 29th in wOBA vs. righties at home compared to third on the road. 

The Rangers are not the kind of team that will blow up a lesser pitcher, which will allow for Jason Alexander to grind out some innings.

Conversely, the Astros are hitting .205 against righties over the past two weeks and now find themselves in a pitcher-friendly park. Leiter’s xERA is a full run lower at home, setting him up for a quality start.

Play the Under to -115.

Astros vs Rangers odds

• Moneyline: Astros +110 | Rangers -130
• Run line: Astros +1.5 (-175) | Rangers -1.5 (+150)
• Over/Under: Over 8 (-110) | Under 8 (-110)

Astros vs Rangers trend

The Rangers have hit the game total Under in 20 of their last 25 home games (+15.7 units, 57% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Astros vs. Rangers.

How to watch Astros vs Rangers and game info

Astros vs Rangers latest injuries

Astros vs Rangers weather

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Wander Franco is guilty of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl in 2023, a judge in the Dominican Republic made clear Monday.

Yet in his next breath, the same judge ruled that the former Tampa Bay Rays star shortstop will not be sentenced to prison because he was a victim of blackmail and extortion by the girl’s mother.

Celebrity justice in the D.R. can be perplexing, and Judge José Antonio Núñez admitted as much. But he also contended that the judicial pardon he granted Franco was the result of “logical and legal reasoning.”

“It seems contradictory to declare criminal responsibility and, at the same time, exempt him from punishment,” Núñez said. “The court has granted Wander Franco a judicial pardon due to the particular circumstances that made him a material victim, but not a legal one.”

The court found that the girl’s mother extorted thousands of dollars from Franco. The woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of commercial sexual exploitation of a minor and money laundering.

Read more:Rays' Wander Franco found guilty in sex abuse case, receives two-year suspended sentence

The odds are long that Franco will return to Major League Baseball any time soon. The fact that the court found him guilty of repeatedly having sex with a minor puts him squarely in violation of MLB’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy.

The league is in the midst of an investigation into Franco’s conduct.

“We respect the legal process and the decision issued by the court,” the Rays said in a statement. “This is a serious matter, and our thoughts remain with those affected by the case.

“The Rays will continue to cooperate fully with Major League Baseball as it completes its review under the league’s Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. Out of respect for the legal process and all parties involved, we will have no further comment at this time.”

Franco’s situation serves as a cautionary tale for MLB teams that hand out long-term contracts years before players become free agents. The Rays signed a 20-year-old Franco to an 11-year, $182 million deal in November 2021 after he batted .288 with 30 extra-base hits in 70 games as a rookie.

Franco appeared on his way to stardom during a stellar 2023 season, but according to court filings he carried on a relationship with the 14-year-old victim for several months.

Read more:A star pitcher at USC, he was cut after six years in the minors. Then Banana Ball came calling

An investigation was launched in August of 2023. Franco was arrested Jan. 1, 2024, after failing to appear before Dominican authorities who sought to interview him.

Tampa Bay placed him on the restricted list early in the 2024 season, voiding his contract.

Franco was found guilty in a June 2025 trial. Although prosecutors sought a five-year prison sentence, he was given only a two-year suspended sentence by Justice Jakayra Veras.

“Look at us, Wander,” Veras said in open court. “Do not approach minors for sexual purposes. If you don’t like people very close to your age, you have to wait your time.”

An appeals court in December ordered a new trial, which took place Monday and resulted in his pardon.

“Thank God for everything,” Franco said as he embraced his mother, Nancy Aybar, after Judge Nuñez announced the pardon.

As he departed the courthouse, Franco was asked by a reporter how he felt.

“I feel calm,” he said.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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The New York Yankees will look to extend a lengthy streak tonight when they face the Kansas City Royals in the second of a three-game set.

The Bronx Bombers have simply owned the Royals. Yesterday's comeback win gave New York its 12th straight win over Kansas City, and I like them to make it 13 straight tonight in impressive fashion.

Read all about it in my Yankees vs. Royals predictions and MLB picks for Tuesday, May 26.

Who will win Yankees vs Royals today: Yankees -1.5 (-120)

As has become the case in Cam Schlittler starts, I’m not overthinking this. The New York Yankeesare my runline play, and I’d take them to -144.

Schlittler owns a 2.60 expected ERA, top 9% of MLB, and he forces hitters into mistakes with a 95th percentile chase rate.

The path against him is discipline plus loud contact, but the Kansas City Royalsdon’t profile that way. They are average in barrel rate at 8.5% and chase rate at 30.2%.

Against a starter with few obvious holes, average is not enough. The Yankees roll. 

COVERS INTEL: Cam Schlittler has managed a 1.50 ERA despite having a breaking ball run value in the bottom 32 percentile of the sport which tells you just how impressive the rest of his arsenal has been.

Yankees vs Royals Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-115)

For the second straight game in this series, I’m nearly identical to the market with a projection of 8.8 runs, but I still lean Over 8.5 and would play it to -122.

Bailey Falter serving as an opener creates a spot where the Yankees can attack early. The only top-10 barrel rate team Falter has faced this season was the Atlanta Braves who hit him hard with two earned runs in three innings.

The Royals’ rested bullpen arms do not scare me either, with hard-hit issues across the group. Yankees do the heavy lifting, Royals find two.

Yankees vs Royals odds

• Moneyline: New York -210 | Kansas City +170
• Run line: New York -1.5 | Kansas City +1.5
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 | Under 8.5

Yankees vs Royals trend

The New York Yankees have covered the Run Line in 28 of their last 50 away games (+10.85 Units / 20% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Royals.

How to watch Yankees vs Royals and game info

Yankees vs Royals latest injuries

Yankees vs Royals weather

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The Milwaukee Brewers have struck gold with Kyle Harrison, and he's in a prime spot against the St. Louis Cardinals tonight.

My Cardinals vs. Brewers predictions expect the southpaw to stifle St. Louis' offense to cover the spread while also hitting the Under with our MLB picks for Tuesday, May 26.

Who will win Cardinals vs Brewers today: Brewers -1.5 (+123)

The Milwaukee Brewers will win this game, but I do not like the moneyline juice at -178 or worse. 

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael McGreevy is playing with fire, and his 2.40 ERA is fool's gold. He boasts an expected ERA of 5.86 (ninth percentile) and relies on opponents hitting the ball directly at the defenders behind him.

So far, that's been successful... but it isn't sustainable. Not when he's getting barreled in the 18th percentile with a 41.1% hard-hit rate (37th percentile). Eventually, that hard contact will translate into some crooked numbers.

What the Brewers lack in power, they make up for with contact and speed. 

Even if McGreevy continues to outpitch his peripherals, the St. Louis bullpen owns a 4.41 ERA (22nd in MLB) and a 20.2% strikeout rate (25th). Ideally, this line doesn't go any shorter, but I'd play it to +115.

COVERS INTEL:Kyle Harrison’s Milwaukee glow-up features 95th-percentile strikeout and hard-hit rates. Trust his elite swing-and-miss profile to lock in both the Brewers -1.5 and Under 7.5.

Cardinals vs Brewers Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (+105)

Harrison was always a pitcher with promise. The lefty raced through the San Francisco Giants system, showed flashes of success after reaching the majors in 2023, but never lived up to his potential. He was one of the key pieces sent to Boston in the Rafael Devers trade, but was unceremoniously dumped to Milwaukee for Caleb Durbin this offseason.

Well, as has become custom, the Brewers have unlocked the version of Harrison that Giants fans caught glimpses of. Unlike the aforementioned McGreevy, everything looks good under the hood, as well.

Harrison's 1.77 ERA isn't sustainable, but an xERA of 2.96 tells us that he's not suddenly going to transform into a pumpkin. The southpaw is inducing chase and whiff at strong levels, and the Cardinals' offense has been woefully wobbly of late after punching above its weight class to start the season.

Jordan Walker, Ivan Herrera, and Masyn Winn have all handled lefties well this season, but Walker also has a near-30% K-rate against southpaws. Given Harrison's leveling up and the Brewers' solid bullpen behind him, I like the Under to -105.

Cardinals vs Brewers odds

• Moneyline: Cardinals +170 | Brewers -178
• Run line: Cardinals +1.5 (-133) | Brewers -1.5 (+127)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-117) | Under 7.5 (+113)

Cardinals vs Brewers trend

The Milwaukee Brewers have covered the run line in 30 of their last 50 games (+14.10 Units / 23% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Cardinals vs. Brewers.

How to watch Cardinals vs Brewers and game info

Cardinals vs Brewers latest injuries

Cardinals vs Brewers weather

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The Colorado Rockies, ranked fifth in the NL West with a 20-35 record, face the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are first in the NL West with a 34-20 record. The Los Angeles Dodgers are favored with a -235 moneyline compared to the Colorado Rockies' +190. Starting pitchers are Kyle Freeland for Colorado, with a 7.04 ERA, and Eric Lauer for Los Angeles, with a 6.69 ERA.

How to watch Colorado Rockies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

• Date: Tuesday, May 26

• Time: 10:10 p.m. ET / 7:10 p.m. PT

• Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

• TV Channels: SportsNet LA, Rockies.TV

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• Colorado Rockies: 20-35 (fifth in NL West)

• Los Angeles Dodgers: 34-20 (first in NL West)

Odds

• Spread: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5

• Moneyline: Los Angeles Dodgers -235 / Colorado Rockies +190

• Over/Under: 9.0

Starting pitchers

Colorado Rockies: Kyle Freeland (1-5, ERA: 7.04, K: 35, WHIP: 1.70)

Los Angeles Dodgers: Eric Lauer (1-5, ERA: 6.69, K: 26, WHIP: 1.49)

Series: Game 2 of 3 (series tied)

Weather: 62°F at first pitch

The New York Yankees, ranked second in the AL East with a 32-22 record, face the Kansas City Royals, who are fourth in the AL Central with a 22-32 record. The New York Yankees are favored with a -200 moneyline compared to the Kansas City Royals' +165. Starting pitchers are Cam Schlittler for the Yankees, with a 1.50 ERA, and Bailey Falter for the Royals, with a 9.82 ERA.

How to Watch New York Yankees vs Kansas City Royals

• Date: Tuesday, May 26

• Time: 7:40 p.m. ET / 4:40 p.m. PT

• Where: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO

• TV Channels: Royals.TV, YES

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• New York Yankees: 32-22 (second in AL East)

• Kansas City Royals: 22-32 (fourth in AL Central)

Odds

• Spread: New York Yankees -1.5

• Moneyline: Kansas City Royals +165 / New York Yankees -200

• Over/Under: 8.5

Starting pitchers

New York Yankees: Cam Schlittler (6-2, ERA: 1.50, K: 75, WHIP: 0.86)

Kansas City Royals: Bailey Falter (0-1, ERA: 9.82, K: 6, WHIP: 2.86)

Series: Game 2 of 3

Weather: 83°F at first pitch

The Cincinnati Reds, ranked fourth in the NL Central with a 28-25 record, face the New York Mets, who are fifth in the NL East with a 22-32 record. Cincinnati is favored with a -130 moneyline compared to New York's +100. Chase Burns starts for Cincinnati with a 1.83 ERA, while the Mets' starter is TBD.

How to watch Cincinnati Reds vs. New York Mets

• Date: Tuesday, May 26

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET / 4:10 p.m. PT

• Where: Citi Field, Flushing, Queens, NY

• TV Channels: SNY, Reds.TV

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• Cincinnati Reds: 28-25 (fourth in NL Central)

• New York Mets: 22-32 (fifth in NL East)

Odds

• Spread: New York Mets +1.5

• Moneyline: New York Mets +105 / Cincinnati Reds -130

• Over/Under: 7.5

Starting pitchers

Cincinnati Reds: Chase Burns (6-1, ERA: 1.83, K: 64, WHIP: 0.95)

New York Mets: TBD

Series: Game 2 of 3 (series tied)

Weather: 73°F at first pitch