Category: MLB

SAN FRANCISCO — The Yankees weren’t the Bronx Bombers early on in their season-opener against the Giants, but it didn’t stop them from putting together a second-inning rally.

They scored five runs in the top of the second at Oracle Park — all with Giants ace Logan Webb on the mound.

Ben Rice grounded out to start the inning before Giancarlo Stanton singled to right-center for the Yankees’ first hit of the night.

Webb then hit Jazz Chisholm Jr. with a pitch and José Caballero opened the scoring with a double to left.

And the bottom of the lineup continued to produce, with Ryan McMahon following with a two-run single up the middle to make it 3-0.

An Austin Wells single kept the rally going and Trent Grisham’s triple to right-center gave the Yankees a 5-0 lead.

The outburst ended with back-to-back strikeouts by Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger.

With the Texas Rangers playing the first game of their season tomorrow, they announced the formal procedural moves to finalize their roster today.

First of all, the Rangers have purchased the contract of outfielder/DH Andrew McCutchen. To make room for him on the 40 man roster, the Rangers have designated outfielder Dairon Blanco for assignment.

Infielder Cody Freeman has been placed on the 10 day injured list.

Pitcher Cody Bradford has been placed on the 15 day injured list.

Veteran NRIs Austin Gomber, Cal Quantrill, Josh Sborz and Tyler Wade are staying with the organization and being assigned to Round Rock.

The Padres’ Yu Darvish is headed to the restricted list. 

The move could free up payroll for the salary-crunched franchise as players on MLB’s restricted list are generally not entitled to salary. 

The Japanese star will miss the entire 2026 season after undergoing elbow ligament repair surgery in November. 

He is owed $15 million this season as part of the three years and $43 million left on the six-year, $108 million extension he signed with San Diego in 2023.

Earlier this offseason, Darvish reportedly told the Padres that he was retiring, leaving his big contract on the table. 

Darvish’s agent, Joel Wolfe, quickly refuted that claim, telling MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand that his client’s days in the majors might not actually be over. 

Darvish would shoot down the retirement rumor a short time later. 

“You may have seen an article, and although I am leaning towards voiding the contract, there’s still a lot that has to be talked over with the Padres so the finer details are yet to be decided,” he wrote on X. “Also I will not be announcing my retirement yet.

“Right now I am fully focused on my rehab for my elbow, and if I get to a point where I can throw again, I will start from scratch again to compete. If once I get to that point I feel I can’t do that, I will announce my retirement.”

A month after his latest surgery, Darvish, 39, indicated that he might never play in the big leagues.

In December, Darvish appeared uncertain if he would pitch again in the majors. 

“I’m not necessarily thinking about really pitching, as I go through this rehab process right now,” Darvish said, per MLB.com. “I don’t have that in my mind. I’m just trying to just rehab my arm right now. If I get the urge to come back, if I feel that I can stand on the mound and come back, then I will go for that. But I’ll just leave it there for now.”

Darvish was limited by injuries in 2025 and didn’t debut until early July after dealing with elbow inflammation during the first half, tossing 72 innings and going 5-5 with a 5.38 ERA and 68 strikeouts across 15 starts.

The Mets begin their 2026 campaign as they take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in their Opening Day game on Thursday at 1:15 p.m. on NBC/Peacock.

Here's what to know about the game and how to watch...

Mets Notes

• Freddy Peraltacontinues the trend of varying Opening Day starters for the Mets. Peralta will be the fifth straight different pitcher to start Opening Day for the Amazin's, the last repeat starter being Jacob deGrom from 2019-21. 
• Peralta pitched on Opening Day for the Brewers in 2025. He allowed two runs on four hits across five innings against the Yankees.
• Carson Benge will start in right field on Thursday. The Mets' No. 2 prospect won the job after having a very good spring, where he slashed .366/.435/.439 with an OPS of .874. 
• Paul Skenes will take the mound for the Pirates and has had success against the Mets in his short career. Skenes is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 14 strikeouts across two career starts against the Mets.

Today's Lineups

How can I watch Mets vs. Pirates online?

To watch Mets games online via Peacock, you will need a subscription to Peacock. This will allow fans to watch the Mets on their computer, tablet, or via the Peacock app.

Freddy Peralta will take the mound for Opening Day on Thursday, a significant honor for his official welcome to the Mets and Citi Field.

Barring something unforeseen, though, the nod will not be paired with an extension that would have opened up the possibility for more Opening Day privileges.

Peralta and the Mets are taking their will-they-won’t-they dance into the regular season. During Wednesday’s workout in Queens, both Peralta and president of baseball operations David Stearns declined comment concerning the possibility of an extension for a two-time All-Star pitcher whom the Mets acquired for a significant prospect package ahead of his walk year.

Peralta, for his part, smiled when giving his latest “no comment,” a persistent wink that has led to some speculation that the two could be working on a new pact.

Stearns clearly likes Peralta — he has acquired him twice, first with the Brewers, after which Stearns and Peralta agreed to a five-year extension in 2020 — and was willing to send top 100 prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat to Milwaukee to bring in what the team hopes is its new ace.

Stearns also does not go deep with many starting pitchers — Sean Manaea’s three-year deal is Stearns’ longest with the Mets — and the 29-year-old Peralta presents an interesting case. He has been as reliable as any starter the past three years, each of which he turned in at least 30 starts while owning a 3.40 ERA.

And for a team whose clubhouse was suspect last season, Peralta arrived with a sparkling reputation that has only been strengthened.

“It’s a big smile, it’s authenticity, it’s love of baseball, appreciation for his teammates, support of his teammates,” Stearns said, “and we’ve seen all of that over the last six, seven weeks in camp.

“And we’re also going to see a really good competitor when he takes the mound. I think that’s sort of the trick with Freddy. He can be this genuine, positive individual, and then when he takes the mound in front of 45,000 people, he’s as competitive as anybody. It’s a lot of fun to watch.”

Peralta has been excited about pitching and living in New York, where the Dominican Republic native has plenty of family, and has been happy with his first months with the club, where “we are all on the same page here. We are all connected,” he said.

These are a couple ingredients that can help when extensions are discussed.

Of course, the pitcher, club and its chemistry will only begin getting tested Thursday against the Pirates and Paul Skenes.

“Very excited, grateful about the opportunity,” Peralta said. “I know it’s going to be great.”

SAN FRANCISCO — More than any other team this spring, the Yankees racked up a quality sample size of data for the automated ball-strike system.

The time for trial and error is now over, but Aaron Boone hopes their aggressiveness remains, within reason.

As the regular season got underway Wednesday with the Yankees squaring off against the Giants at Oracle Park, so too did the use of the ABS in games that counted, with Boone’s club trying to make the most of it.

“I feel like we’re going to be good at it,” Boone said a few hours before first pitch. “That’s the expectation. I’m sure we’ll continue to evolve with it. My thoughts on it now maybe are a little bit different than even at the start [of camp], somewhat. So I would imagine as the season unfolds, those things will continue to evolve and we’ll try to exploit it as best we can.”

The Yankees used 102 challenges during spring training, the most of any team, winning 54 of them. Their batters won 49 percent (24-for-49) of their challenges while their catchers and pitchers won 57 percent (30-for-53).

Entering the season, Boone said he will not have any hard and fast rules about who can or cannot challenge, though he has voiced his opinion about it in meetings with his players at the end of camp.

“I’ve told some pitchers, like, ‘It’s frowned upon,’ ” Boone said. “But I feel like we’ve done a really good job of it this spring. I mean, it’s spring, so it’s hard to judge it totally, because especially some veteran players are probably trying out the limits of it, when maybe they wouldn’t otherwise. But I expect us to be really good at it.

“Really just trying to get our guys to understand leverage intuitively, instinctively, in the moment. Again, I want them to be aggressive, but obviously there’s times when it’s a bad idea to challenge one that you’re not certain on. Our pitchers, for the most part, have done a pretty good job. They’re not outright forbidden from doing it, but I want them to lean on their catcher.”

Some pitchers have said they do not plan on challenging because they are too emotional on the mound and think everything is a strike — along with often not having the best view of the pitch as it crosses the plate.

Teams will have two challenges per game and get to keep them if they are successful. There may be some inclination to save the challenges for late in the game in high-leverage moments, but Boone has argued that the biggest moment of a game could come in the third inning, depending on the situation. He just wants his players to keep leverage in the back of their mind for when to pull the trigger on a challenge.

Boone has also given his players instant feedback on their challenges during the season, often bluntly.

“I’ve been very direct with our guys when things have happened — good one, ‘Good,’ bad one, ‘Hey, that was terrible. Like that’s a 10 out of 10 bad,’ ” Boone said. “That’s how I’ve been with them. I told [José] Caballero one last week, I said, ‘No. Awful.’ [Carlos] Lagrange [on Monday], ‘That one’s for the catcher.’ So it’s been my little pet project if you will to try and just be on it as best I can. But I think guys have a real good feel for it.”

And while the ABS may take away some of the in-game arguing from managers, Boone, who has led the American League in ejections for five straight years, does not believe that will be going away entirely.

“I’m sure I will [find a way],” Boone said with a grin. “But we’ll see.”

SAN FRANCISCO — The toughest decisions Buster Posey had to make in his second time setting the Giants’ Opening Day roster revolved around three spots.

Posey opted for specialized skill sets over future potential by selecting Jared Oliva and Jerar Encarnacion over Luis Matos as San Francisco’s backup outfielders.

He decided to deprioritize platoon advantages by sending Drew Gilbert and Will Brennan, two left-handed-hitting outfielders, to the minor leagues, leaving first-year manager Tony Vitello with five right-handed hitters on his bench.

And he decided to go with new additions rather than known quantities to round out the Giants’ bullpen, selecting righty Caleb Kilian and lefty Ryan Borucki over Spencer Bivens and Tristan Beck, who both spent much of 2025 with the big-league club.

“The Matos one was hard,” Posey told a group of beat writers, including The California Post, after setting the Giants’ 26-man roster ahead of their season opener Wednesday against the Yankees. “Ultimately, [we] felt like carrying Oliva with what he can do on the basepaths, defensively, is a weapon for us. … With Jerar, the hope is to have some power.”

Matos, a 24-year-old former top prospect, was out of options and designated for assignment. Posey said the Giants are hopeful he clears waivers, but it’s unlikely given his pedigree.

While Encarnacion was also out of options, and Oliva had to be added to the 40-man roster as a non-roster invitee this spring, Posey said the decision had as much to do with a Giants lineup that is expected to have everyday players in at least eight of the nine spots.

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“The discussion we’ve had internally is that we feel fortunate that we have a group of position players that wants to be out there every day,” Posey said. “It’s gonna be our job, Tony’s job, medical’s job, to make sure that we keep them as fresh and out there as much as possible.”

The pair of left-handed outfield options would have provided similar speed and defense as Oliva, but Posey said he wanted both to get everyday at-bats after Gilbert missed a chunk of spring training with a shoulder impingement and Brennan returns from injuries last season.

The battle to back up Patrick Bailey at catcher was one of the closest-fought all spring, with Rule 5 pick Daniel Susac beating out Eric Haase, who was released by San Francisco.

Susac became the first Rule 5 selection to make the Giants’ roster out of spring training since Blake Sabol in 2022, but Posey said he didn’t take Susac’s Rule 5 status into consideration.

“I really wanted to see which player stood out the most, and both played well,” Posey said. “Daniel, I think the most important part, carried himself well defensively and swung the bat well also.”

Posey’s most anticipated decision came last week, when the Giants optioned top prospect Bryce Eldridge to Triple-A. The 21-year-old first baseman responded to the demotion by homering twice in exhibition games the past three days.

Posey believes a conversation with vice president of player development Randy Winn got Eldridge back on track after a poor ending to spring at the plate, though he didn’t commit to a timeline for the top prospect to join the big-league club.

“I think he got a little bit technical and mechanical in spring training,” Posey said. “Randy simply said just make sure you see the ball. That’s the most important thing: to see the ball. Because he’s such a physical force. For a 21-year-old, the skill set is already very, very refined as a hitter. …

“Bryce has a bright future in front of him. I think what he’s got going for him the most is his belief in his own ability but also from what I can tell his understanding of the changes that he needs to make to become the best player.”

The San Francisco Giants play the very first game of the 2026 MLB season tonight against the New York Yankees at Oracle Park. As a reminder, this game will only be broadcast on Netflix.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-handed ace Logan Webb, who concluded the 2025 season with a 3.22 ERA, 2.60 FIP, with 224 strikeouts to 46 walks in 207 innings pitched, finishing fourth in Cy Young Award voting.

He’ll be facing off against Yankees southpaw Max Fried, who concluded the 2025 season with a 2.86 ERA, 3.07 FIP with 189 strikeouts to 51 walks in 195.1 innings pitched, also finishing fourth in Cy Young Award voting for the American League.

Game #1

Who: San Francisco Giants vs. New York Yankees

Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

When: 5:05 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: n/a

National broadcast: Netflix

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

After a glacially slow winter and a spring that flew by, Opening Day is here! The Yankees begin their quest for No. 28 after the 2025 season ended in disappointing fashion, getting rolled by the Blue Jays in four games in the ALDS. The Giants meanwhile are hoping to get back to the postseason after missing out on the playoffs with a .500 or worse record in each of the last four seasons. They’ve made it to the playoffs just once since 2016.

San Francisco team president Buster Posey has overseen some major signings and trades already in his short tenure at the helm of the front office, perhaps none more noteworthy than hiring Tony Vitello as manager despite the former Tennessee Volunteers head coach possessing zero professional baseball experience either as a player or coach. The Yankees on the other hand were one of the least ambitious teams of the offseason, happy to run it back with last year’s squad and making only minor additions in hope of a better outcome. There’s new ground being broken this Opening Day, with Netflix hosting its first-ever MLB broadcast. It is blackout-free.

Max Fried is named the Opening Day starter for the first time with the Yankees after earning the distinction three times with the Braves. The 32-year-old southpaw has made four starts at Oracle Park in his career, pitching to a 2.59 ERA with a 23:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .209 batting average allowed across 24.1 innings. Look for him to lean on the cutter against the Giants’ righty-heavy lineup, a pitch which went from an afterthought to his most-frequently used pitch after joining the Yankees. Fried finished fourth in last year’s AL Cy Young race after going 19-5 in 32 starts, with a 2.86 ERA (142 ERA+), 3.07 FIP, and 189 strikeouts in 195.1 innings.

Logan Webb has been named the Giants’ Opening Day starter for the fifth year in a row. He’s a throwback workhorse in this era of five-and-dive starters, with the most starts (132), innings pitched (820), and second-most fWAR (19.1) of any qualified starter over the last four seasons. He’s a sinker-sweeper-changeup guy and one of the preeminent ground ball and command artists in the game, placing well into the 90th percentile in groundball and walk rates across the last five years, though he did strike out over 200 batters for the first time in his career last season. He’s coming off his third-straight top-six NL Cy Young finish having gone 15-11 in 34 starts, with a 3.22 ERA (124 ERA+), 2.60 FIP, and 224 strikeouts in 207 innings.

There are both familiar and new faces in Yankees lineup relative to Opening Day 2025. Trent Grisham was their most used leadoff hitter and reprises that role after rejoining on the qualifying offer. He bats ahead of the Captain, Aaron Judge beginning the quest for his third-straight AL MVP crown. Cody Bellinger was the Yankees’ big-money signing of the winter, re-upping for five years and $162.5 million — he bats third. Ben Rice is perhaps the Yankees’ best development story since Judge, his meteoric rise earning him the right to bat cleanup. Giancarlo Stanton continues his march towards Cooperstown and stands as the X-factor of the offense if he can stay healthy and produce like he did in the second half last year. Jazz Chisholm Jr. bats sixth after becoming just the third player in franchise history with a 30-30 season. José Caballero starts at shortstop with Anthony Volpe still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and looks to lead the AL in stolen bases for the third year in a row. Trade Deadline acquisition Ryan McMahon and fourth-year catcher Austin Wells are among the game’s best defensively at their positions but are looking to rebound from disappointing campaigns at the plate —they bat eighth and ninth.

The Giants have assembled their lineup around a core of nine-figure stars. Willy Adames and Matt Chapman have a legitimate claim as the best all-around left side of an infield in MLB. This might be the one year that Gerrit Cole — on the IL as he finishes his Tommy John rehab — is relieved not to be Opening Day starter given the presence of his personal nemesis Rafael Devers. That trio bats second-through-fourth, ahead of leadoff hitter and offseason signing three-time batting champion Luis Arraez. Jung Hoo Lee plays right and bats fifth while Heliot Ramos breaks a 19-year streak of the Giants naming a different Opening Day left fielder since Barry Bonds. Casey Schmitt gets the surprise nod at firsts ahead of the Giants’ consensus top prospect Bryce Eldridge. Patrick Bailey established himself as the best defensive catcher in baseball and bats eighth, while former Yankees and Giants offseason signing Harrison Bader rounds out the lineup and patrols center.

How to watch

Location: Oracle Park — San Francisco, CA

First pitch: 8:05 pm ET

TV broadcast: Netflix

Radio broadcast: WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280

Online stream: Netflix

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With expectations higher around this Mariners team than any other this decade, it makes sense that fans want to know how to watch their hometown nine this season. Frustratingly, despite the early announcement of a new streaming option, details about the cable situation for non cord-cutters have been thin on the ground. Finally, we have some clarification on the eve of Opening Day. Mariners games will indeed be available on both Comcast/Xfinity and Charter/Spectrum cable in the Seattle/Tacoma area, but now we have an exact channel listing.

Xfinity: channel 1261

Spectrum: channel 414

While there was no announcement about DirecTV, this post indicates it will remain on channel 687.

If you had the ability to get Mariners games in the past, the games should still be part of your cable package. If you tune into these channels as a test and don’t get anything today, don’t fret; they’ll only be live during game time. RIP to Root Sports and the pre-game Mariners content where we learned about players’ first baseball gloves and the like, I guess.

You can also of course follow the team in-market with Mariners.TV as a streaming option. Out-of-market fans, as in years past, can watch on MLB.TV. All the various options are described here. [Pro tip: if you are a T-Mobile subscriber, you can get MLB TV free through March 31st by downloading the T-Life app.] On your smart TV, download the MLB app; you can access the games from there. If you can’t figure out how to do that, try an Amazon Fire Stick/Chromecast or similar and connect it through the HDMI port. I use the app on my LG TV, but I hear the external connection is more reliable.

And for those of you who love that old-time magic of a radio broadcast, the Mariners will continue to be on their flagship station Seattle Sports 710 with all the radio voices you know and love, including Rick Rizzs in his final season.

There are a few exceptions to the MLB TV/Mariners TV lineup. Two Mariners games will be broadcast exclusively on Apple TV’s “Friday Night Baseball” this year, and four on Peacock, taking over the Sunday Night Baseball broadcast. There are also a pair of games on whatever “ESPN Unlimited” is; I have a request in with the team to clarify if that will be exclusive for ESPN+ subscribers, available on cable, or will be broadcast on Mariners TV still. This story will be updated with clarification.

• March 27th vs. the Guardians (Apple TV, 6:45)
• March 29th vs. the Guardians (Peacock, 4 PT)
• April 11th vs. the Astros (ESPN Unlimited)
• April 14th at the Padres (ESPN Unlimited)
• May 1st vs. the Royals (Apple TV, 6:45 PT)
• May 17th, Padres at Mariners (Peacock, 4 PT)
• July 5th, Blue Jays at Mariners (Peacock, 5 PT)
• August 16th, Mariners at Astros (NBC/Peacock, 4 PT)

There are also a handful of Mariners games on MLB Network this year, but those games will still be broadcast on Mariners TV. Similarly, the games on TBS (March 31st vs. the Yankees) and FOX/FS1 (April 18th vs. the Rangers; April 27th at the Twins; May 11th at the Astros; May 16th vs. San Diego, May 23rd at the Royals; July 18th vs. the Giants; July 25th at the Rangers; August 1st vs. the Twins). All dates are subject to change.

Got any more questions about how to watch the Mariners in 2026? Let us know in the comments!

In what’s arguably the most stereotypical sibling relationship in professional baseball — and maybe all of sports — the Padres play the role of little brother extremely well. They’re always chasing the bigger, better, stronger — and back-to-back defending champion — older brother 124 miles to the north in the Dodgers.

The Padres have become one of the most lovable teams in professional sports, choosing to stay in San Diego and take pride in an incredible atmosphere at Petco Park. They’ve spent money building a championship-contending roster, yet for some reason, they’ve yet to break through to the game’s biggest stage.

They’ve made the postseason in four of the past six seasons but have been eliminated by their rival in the NLDS in 2020 and 2024 — two years the Dodgers won the World Series. They found success in 2022 when they eliminated the Mets and Dodgers, but Bryce Harper’s eighth inning homerun in Game 5 of the NLCS still stings to this day as San Diego ran out of pitching and fell 4-1.

Last year, the Padres fell 2-1 in the Wild Card Round to the Cubs.

So what happens this year?

With a first-time manager in Craig Stammen — who’d only been in the coaching ranks less than two years before being hired — does San Diego finally break through in 2026? Or does disappointment reign supreme and the Friar Faithful is left heartborken… again?

Most Important Hitter: Fernando Tatis Jr.

There are multiple players who can fit into this role for the Padres, which isn’t ideal, but the logic is that the players hitting in the middle of the lineup won’t matter if there’s no one on base for them. Enter Tatis Jr. He only hit .268 last season but had a team-leading .368 on-base percentage — numbers that must be higher this year. His ability to put pressure on opposing defenses — team-high 32 steals — will infuse energy into the rest of the lineup, something this team desperately needs. Simply put, the Padres will go as far as Tati takes them.

Most Important Pitcher: Michael King

By far the biggest concern with the Padres is the pitching. Can Nick Pivetta replicate last year’s breakout season? When will Joe Musrgive return from Tommy John surgery, and what will he look like? Will Randy Vasquez ever be anything more than a back-of-the-rotation starter? What will Walker Buehler look like? All of that makes Michael King’s emergence as the team’s ace that much more important. He flashed greatness in his first season with the team (13-9, 2.95 ERA in 2024), but injuries limited him last season. The bullpen will be elite again, but the Padres need an ace and King has to answer the call.

Who Will Have a Bigger Year Than Expected: Jackson Merrill

As a rookie in 2024, Merrill Jr. became a star with Padres and their fanbase when he hit .296 with 24 homeruns in 156 games. However, injuries derailed last season as he became more pull-heavy, which led to a .264 average in just 115 games. But he came on strong at the end of last year and looks good in spring training. That sets the stage for a redemption season as he’s expected to protect either Tatis Jr. or Manny Machado in the lineup.

Who Is Most Likely to Disappoint: Nick Castellanos

Conventional wisdom would say someone in the bullpen after losing Robert Suarez, but Mason Miller might be the best closer in the game. That leads us back to the offense and free agent signee Nick Castellanos. Once one of the most feared hitters in the game, Castellanos flamed out with the Phillies and they were begging for anyone to take him. The Padres took a flier on him, much at the behest of Machado. If Castellanos is good, it’s a game-changer. But there’s no real reason to expect that.

Key Call Up: Bradgley Rodriguez

With more questions on offense, Tirso Ornelas could be big for the Padres — but it’s more likely the Padres address that issue via trade at the deadline. While the bullpen looks dominant with Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, Adrian Morejon and David Morgan behind Miller, that’s where the depth ends. Rodriguez impressed in limited big league action last year and could provide a huge spark and added depth to keep this group fresh heading into the postseason.

Biggest Managerial Decision

It’s not so much a singular decision that will define Stammen’s season, but more about how he handles a veteran roster as a first-time manager. He was a part of the Padres locker room four years ago and played alongside the core of this current roster. How does he command the respect of the locker room? How does he make the tough decisions despite personal relationships with the players? How he handles the vibe check with the Padres will ultimate decide his success.

Don’t Be Surprised If…

… Tatis Jr re-enters the MVP conversation and the Padres push the Dodgers to the brink in the NL West. Tatis came on strong to end last year and was great for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, both of which are strong indications that he surges in 2026. And if Tatis Jr. can be that good, San Diego could challenge its older brother for their first NL West crown in 20 years.

Sure To Make Fans Grumble

The drama in the front office. Ever since Peter Seidler passed away in 2023 and his family took over control of the organization, the most fight the organization has shown has been with laweyrs in the court system — and the resolution looks nowhere close. How much of this drama hangs over the organization and those in the clubhouse, and does it affect the way San Diego approaches the trade deadline.

How Their Season Will End 

There’s always one team in each league that shocks, but this year won’t be the Padres. If healthy and the stars return to star status — and Musgrove and Castellanos provide legitimate sparks — the Padres have enough talent to win it all. But the primary problem that has plagued this franchise — execution on offense in the playoffs — will rear its ugly head again. San Diego will will win a round or two in the postseason but fall short of their ultimate goal.

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The 2026 MLB season kicks off tonight at 7:05pm tonight on ESPNFox Sports Netflix, because of course we are starting with some streaming. It is the first day of the new season, but there are only two teams playing, which never quite feels like an actual opening day. Either way I’m excited that we get real games again. Kicking things off, it will be the Yankees at the Giants.

It is a pretty solid pitching matchup plus plenty of star power in the lineups. What’s not to love?

Welcome to the 2026 season of Major League Baseball!

The Colorado Rockies won’t play until Friday, as MLB is doing a bit of a staggered start to the season. Roughly half of the league will start playing on Thursday, with the other handful picking up the action on Friday. However, there is just a single game tonight as the New York Yankees take on the San Francisco Giants to kick off the season and a new broadcasting partnership with the streaming giant Netflix.

Max Fried will take the hill for the Yankees after a spectacular season in 2025. The veteran lefty put his name in the Cy Young race consideration in his first season as a Yankee, where he went 19-5 with a 2.86 ERA. The Yankees struggled with putting together the rotation thanks to injuries, but Fried was a constant and looks to replicate that success in 2026.

Taking the pill for the Giants will be Logan Webb. A model of consistency, Webb has become the de facto ace for the Giants and for good reason. He went 15-11 with a 3.22 ERA in 207 innings over 34 starts in 2025, and it seems only a matter of time until he wins a Cy Young in his career. The hope is that he will get a bit more support from the Giants’ offense this season, taking the pressure off the need to be near perfect in every start.

Now here are the details:

First Pitch: 6:05 p.m. MDT (Pregame show 5 p.m.)

TV: Netflix

Radio: KNBR 680, 1510 AM – KSFN (Giants), WFAN 660/101.9 FM, WADO 1280 (Yankees)

Lineups:

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The Dodgers’ have been tested on their path to immortality, overcoming a wave of pitching injuries in 2024 and near-elimination in last year’s Fall Classic. Because of that, manager Dave Roberts said the pressure on the team actually feels lessened now.

“I think the back-to-back was more of something,” he said this spring. “I don’t think we feel any pressure. I felt it more last year.”

While that might be true internally, the external spotlight on the team has never been brighter.

The club’s record-breaking spending has caused consternation around the league, raising fears of a lockout at season’s end. The addition of two more star signings this past offseason –– Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz, to go along with the blockbuster acquisitions of Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and others in previous winters –– has fueled a narrative they are bad for the competitive balance of the sport.

Not since those late-90s Yankees has a single team been so polarizing.

And perhaps at no point in the game’s modern era has a roster ever looked so stacked.

Thus, their pursuit of a three-peat will be baseball’s central storyline all summer and into the fall. Plenty will be rooting for the Dodgers’ downfall this year. But history beckons if they can triumph again, with a case for “greatest team of all-time” to be made if they can return to the mountaintop.

First Base

Last year, Freddie Freeman paid for his heroics in the 2024 World Series. Though the former MVP was still good (.295 average, 24 home runs, 90 RBIs, and a ninth career All-Star selection), he was clearly limited by the ankle injury he played through the postseason before, resulting in increased strikeout rates and decreased defensive range. This offseason, however, the 36-year-old got back to full health. And now, he has eyes set on a resurgent campaign, raving about the feel of his swing during spring training.

Second Base

Eventually, this will be Tommy Edman’s spot. But as he recovers from an offseason ankle surgery that will sideline him for the start of the campaign, the Dodgers will have to get creative. Miguel Rojas figures to get plenty of early at-bats. Hyeseong Kim and Alex Freeland present left-handed options for him to platoon with. When Edman does return, the Dodgers will be hoping for him to also display improved production, after being hampered by his injury last year.

Shortstop

Mookie Betts proved himself as a Gold Glove-caliber shortstop in his move to the position last year. Now, he needs to show he can still be an MVP-caliber hitter, too. Coming off a 2025 campaign in which he posted career lows in batting average (.285) and OPS (.732), Betts has tried to “re-wire” his swing and regain the strength he lost last year following a spring training stomach virus. He voiced optimism about his play this spring. But time will tell if he can fully rediscover his once-elite form.

Third Base

Now the Dodgers’ longest-tenured player, Max Muncy is back for his ninth season with the club, trying to avoid the injury problems that have plagued him the past two years. When healthy in 2025, there were stretches Muncy still looked like one of the game’s premier slugging threats. But his oblique has long been bothersome, prompting changes to his training program this winter in search of better health and more consistent play.

Left Field

Despite offseason trade rumors, Teoscar Hernández returns to the Dodgers in a new position, going back to left field after last year’s struggles in right. Hernández was hampered by a groin injury in 2025, but also left much to be desired with his defensive consistency and at-bat quality. So, he got in better shape this winter, made a point of playing early and often this spring, and now is hoping to get back to his 2024 form, when he had a career-best, All-Star caliber season in his first year in Los Angeles.

Center Field

The Dodgers haven’t successfully integrated many prospects into their lineup in recent years. But Andy Pages has been the exception. He was almost an All-Star last year, batting .272 with 27 home runs in his first full MLB campaign. And despite a horrific postseason slump that led to a World Series benching, he still made a season-saving catch in Game 7 that will forever live in Dodgers lore. Now, he is looking to take the next step, and cement his place in the team’s long-term future.

Right Field

Entering the offseason, the Dodgers insisted they didn’t need another superstar acquisition. Then, they went and signed Kyle Tucker to a $240 million contract anyway. With that deal comes lofty expectations for the four-time All-Star. He has been one of the most prolific hitters in the majors the last half-decade, yet is still looking for a signature, MVP-caliber type campaign. The Dodgers think he’s capable of that this year, especially if he can get back to Gold Glove form defensively.

Catcher

Amid all the other memorable moments from last year’s World Series run, Will Smith’s extra-inning, title-winning home run in Game 7 has almost been forgotten. Within the organization, however, it was further validation of his status as arguably the best catcher in the sport. Smith will be seeking a fourth consecutive All-Star nod this year, but the Dodgers will also be mindful of his workload. Former top prospect Dalton Rushing will back him up, trying to rebound from a disappointing rookie performance.

Designated Hitter

The only real question with Shohei Ohtani this year is how he re-adjusts to full-time two-way duties. Because offensively, he has continued to put up historic levels of production. Last year, he captured his fourth MVP award while hitting a career-high 55 home runs. If there’s anything he can improve on, it’s cutting down on strikeouts (he had 187 last year) and upping a batting average that dipped to .282 a season ago.

Starting Pitching

If healthy, this should be the best rotation in the sport. Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start opening day, aiming for a Cy Young Award coming off his heroic 2025 performance and World Series MVP honors. Tyler Glasnow has said his mechanics feel as good as they have in years. And eventually, Blake Snell will return from a shoulder injury that limited him this offseason and will keep him out for the start of the season. Roki Sasaki is the wild card of the group, returning to a starting role after his surprise emergence as last year’s playoff closer. Emmet Sheehan provides further depth, while River Ryan and Gavin Stone are returning from injuries (albeit, while facing limited workloads).

Relief Pitching

The biggest weakness from last year’s team, the Dodgers’ bullpen should be improved thanks to their offseason signing of All-Star closer Edwin Díaz. Still, Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen will need to bounce back from poor 2025 performances. Alex Vesia will need to remain one of the top left-handed relievers in the game. And younger arms like Jack Dreyer, Ben Casparius, Will Klein, Kyle Hurt and Edgardo Henriquez will need to provide depth. The unit should get stronger as the year goes on, with Brock Stewart, Evan Phillips and Brusdar Graterol coming back from injuries. Justin Wrobleski also offers a trustworthy multi-inning option.  

Bench

Alex Call will be the fourth outfielder. Rojas, Espinal, Kim, Freeland and Kiké Hernández will all be utility options. The Dodgers are unlikely to have many pinch-hit opportunities this year, given the stars populating their primary lineup. But an aging roster means injuries are bound to happen, so expect stretches of the year where depth will be tested.

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