Category: MLB

Manager Alex Cora announced yesterday that Red Sox utility man Romy Gonzalez is currently shut down from all baseball activities except for playing catch. This announcement came after earlier reports that he initially injured his shoulder in the final series of the 2025 regular season and has been dealing with pain and discomfort all offseason. Gonzalez has received a PRP injection and has not technically yet been ruled out for Opening Day, but the fact that he has now been dealing with an injury for over four months seems, uhh, really, really bad to me.

One year ago, it wouldn’t have been a very big deal if the Red Sox announced that Romy Gonzalez was injured. But he broke out last year, particularly against southpaws. Against lefties in 2025, Romy led the team in homers, batting average, slugging percentage, OPS, wOBA, and wRC+. And by the way, the players who were second, third, and fourth on the team in OPS against lefties were Rob Refsnyder, Rafael Devers, and Alex Bregman. The team’s entire offense against left-handed pitching is either gone or injured, with only Willson Contreras and Caleb Durbin to replace them.

Romy’s injury puts even more pressure on Roman Anthony, who was fifth on the team in OPS against lefties in 2025. Considering that he wasn’t even in the big leagues for the first few months of the season last year, Anthony’s swift rise to offensive cornerstone and face of the franchise is rather stunning. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)

Outfielder/“fastest DH in the league” Jarren Duran was asked about his performance against lefties, saying “I did pretty good against lefties in ’24, right? So, ’25 they adjusted, so in ’26 I can adjust to them.” For the record, in 2024 Duran put up an OPS of .665 against lefties. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

Someone who has performed well against lefties is Triston Casas, the slugger who posted an OPS of .817 against them in 2023. But 2023 was his only full season in the majors, as he is struggling to show he can stay on the field. Casas is not yet participating in full team activities and is expected to be out until at least May, but he’s okay taking his time: “This was a major injury and I’m a great player, and I don’t find any reason to rush this process. And whenever I feel ready to come back is when I am going to contribute best.” (Ian Browne, MLB.com)

The injury to Romy and the lengthy recovery for Triston Casas is also a major hit to the team’s first base depth. That’s why Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who has played every single position expect for first base in his big league career, is now working out there. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)

With so many question marks in the lineup, the 2026 Red Sox are going to need to be carried by their excellent (on paper) starting rotation. Sonny Gray is expected to be a big part of that, but right now it’s his 11-year-old son who is going viral on social media. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

Newcomer Johan Oviedo has not yet locked in a rotation spot alongside Gray, but Alex Cora likes what he sees out of him so far: “He’s physical. Good stuff. I don’t want to say he’s a work in progress but there’s a lot of things that we can help him accomplish and have the total package.” (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)

Spring training positional battles are storied Florida/Arizona traditions, but as of now, the Yankees don’t have many significant battles to play out in camp. Sure, there could be injuries that shake up the depth chart, and there will always be jockeying for spots at the back of the rotation and in the bullpen. But as far as the Yankee lineup goes, all the slots seems spoken for.

One of the few positional storylines actually left to follow is that of Jasson Domínguez and whether he’ll make the club’s Opening Day roster. After coming out of camp as the team’s starting left fielder last year, Domínguez is far from a lock to make the team, with Brian Cashman indicating earlier this week that Domínguez could plausibly start the season in the minors at this point.

What do you think the Yankees ought to do with Domínguez? From a pure roster-building standpoint, I think it’s hard to argue that he isn’t one of the most talented 26 players in the Yankee organization and that he shouldn’t make the team based on potential production alone. Domínguez struggled for chunks of 2025, but even as a 22-year-old coming off a series of major injuries that cost him huge chunks of development time, he managed a league-average batting line as a rookie, hitting the ball very well against right-handed pitchers and flashing elite athleticism.

Yet the Yankees’ decision on Domínguez doesn’t just hinge on whether he’s one of their 26 best players, as there’s obvious context to consider. The team’s outfield is plenty full, starting Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, and Aaron Judge from left to right, and Domínguez’s skillset at the plate (strong against righties, weak against lefties) doesn’t fit well as a backup, given the team’s desire for bats that can hit left-handed pitchers off the bench. Though Domínguez clearly has more upside than, say, Oswaldo Cabrera, or the veteran reserves the Yankees have brought in this offseason like Paul DeJong and Max Schuemann, they may be better served letting Domínguez get regular run in Triple-A while letting the others assume backup duties at the major-league level.

What do you think? Should the Yankees prioritize giving Domínguez consistent playing time in the minors, or should they include him on their Opening Day roster on the basis that he’s more talented than the other options?

Today on the site, you can get your morning started with Nolan’s overview on the state of relief pitching in the Yankee organization. Also, Matt celebrates Wally Pipp, the man most famous for losing his starting job to Lou Gehrig, and John previews J.C. Escarra’s 2026 campaign. And later, as part of our Free Agents series, Michael looks back at one of the most important signings in Yankees history, their re-signing of Aaron Judge in 2022.

When asked to describe Game 7 of the World Series and his place in it more than three months later, veteran infielder Miguel Rojas did not hesitate with his answer.

“Game 7 of the World Series was unbelievable,” Rojas said at his locker inside the Dodgers' clubhouse at Camelback Ranch last week. “Because nobody believed that I was able to hit a home run in the ninth inning with one out, and in that spot. No way.”

Rojas worked the count full, and on the seventh pitch of the at-bat, Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman left a slider over the plate, which Rojas rocketed over the left field bullpen, leaving the 44,000 fans on hand at the Rogers Centre — and the 51 million viewers watching — completely stunned.

“That was one of the most shocking World Series home runs I’ve ever seen,” award-winning baseball writer and Fox Sports commentator Tom Verducci said. “Here I was thinking, ‘Well, Ohtani’s on deck, so he doesn’t want to walk him.’ Never in my mind did I ever think that he was going to hit a home run. It was even more shocking to me than the Rajai Davis home run off [Aroldis] Chapman in 2016.”

Read more:Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes responds to Manny Machado, Bryce Harper comments about spending

Davis’ two-run blast in the 2016 World Series tied Game 7 at 6-6, capping a three-run comeback for the then-Cleveland Indians. It however, occurred in the eighth inning, and came in a loss, as the Cubs snapped their 108-year championship drought in extra innings that night in Cleveland.

How does Rojas’ tying homer rank historically? Is it on par with Kirk Gibson’s pinch-hit, walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series?

“I think in terms of game leverage, it’s right up there in I want to say the top five [greatest hits in the World Series],” Verducci said. “You’re not going to match Gibby’s for the kind of cinematic quality of it. But, in terms of out-of-the blue, series on the line — not just game on the line. Kirk Gibson was Game 1. Freddie Freeman off [Nestor] Cortes [in 2024] was Game 1. This is down to your last couple of outs in the World Series by a guy who hadn’t hit a home run all year against a right-handed pitcher — he hit one off of a position player right-handed. The shock value and game-leverage situation, it’s got to be top five; I’m talking about any hit in a World Series game.”

Rojas, who turns 37 next week, has not been known for his power. The middle infielder enters his 13th and final big league season with a total of 57 home runs. As Verducci notes, he hit just seven last season — six off left-handed pitchers and the one he hit off of a righty came against San Francisco Giants catcher Logan Porter late in a regular season game in which the Dodgers won, 10-0.

Batting ninth, with Shohei Ohtani on deck, Rojas stepped into the box with the goal of getting to first base. Hoffman started Rojas off with an 86-mph slider off the plate, getting the veteran to chase, putting him behind in the count, 0-1.

“I mean, my mentality was always to get on base,” Rojas said. “I think the first pitch taught me a lot about how the at bat was going to go. I was able to, kind of like, regroup and kind of keep myself in that at-bat and give myself an opportunity to get on base."

Hoffman proceeded to throw the next two pitches out of the zone, bringing the count to 2-1. He then attacked the strike zone with back-to-back fastballs, both of which Rojas fouled away, into the stands. An up-and-in slider brought the count full.

“Then he hung a slider, and I put a good swing on it,” Rojas said. “I knew a strike was coming. I didn't know what kind of strike I was gonna see. I was happy to put the barrel on that ball.”

The rest is history. The Dodgers would go on to win in 11 innings, repeating as World Series champions. What came in the immediate aftermath of confetti and champagne, was not something Rojas could have ever expected when he rejoined the Dodgers via trade before the 2023 season.

“It was a little bit more of attention, on the media side, fans and all that,” Rojas said. “It feels like it was overwhelming with the off-the-field stuff, because I was traveling a lot and all that.”

Little did he know, Rojas had unintentionally launched himself to stardom.

Read more:Plaschke: Yoshinobu Yamamoto must remain the calm in the Dodgers' storm

“There were definitely a couple things that I didn't have on my radar, like the Latin Grammys was one of them,” Rojas said. “I went and shot an episode of 'Wheel of Fortune.' A couple nice things that you don't even know that you're playing this game for. But then you got the opportunity to, kind of like, travel and visit the world and go to places that you never expected to go. Really, it was really cool, overwhelming… but I think it's something that you don't have another opportunity to do.”

After enjoying the ride of the unanticipated media tour, Rojas is back at Dodgers camp, itching to win the final game of the season for the third year in a row in what he has said will be the final season of his career.

“Ever since I got traded, I can feel like walking into this clubhouse in spring training, the expectations are the same,” Rojas said. “And they're always making the team better. It's kind of like, right now, it feels like you have to win. It's not like, ‘OK, let's try to win. Let's try to do our best.’ It's like, ‘We have to win.’ It feels the same as last year and the year before and the year before that. The mentality is 'win.'”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are cutting ties with tenured outfielder Jack Suwinski as they are officially designating him for assignment.

Suwinski has been a part of the Pirates’ organization since July of 2021 when he was acquired in a trade that sent second baseman Adam Frazier to the San Diego Padres. Suwinski having now being DFA’d will have the opportunity to be claimed off waivers by the other 29 MLB organizations. If Suwinski is not claimed off waivers, he will return to the Pirates’ Minor League system and likely elect to hit the free-agency market.

Suwinski being DFA’d frees up space on the Pirates’ 40-man-roster to officially sign newly acquired designated hitter, Marcell Ozuna. The Pirates resigned Suwinski to a one-year contract this offseason to avoid arbitration.

The time that Suwinski spent with the Pirates was highlighted by power at the plate coupled with wild inconsistency. The 27-year-old slugger made his MLB debut in 2022 and played in 106 games for the Pirates that season. Suwinski enjoyed a breakout season in 2023 where he had 26 homers, which ranked as the 20th-most in the National League. Suwinski’s cardinal sin was while he would have incredible power at the plate, he also had a nasty reputation of having a high swing and miss rate. That same 2023 season where he ranked 20th in homers, he also ranked sixth in total strikeouts with 172.

While he had flashes of greatness and potential as a power hitter in Pittsburgh’s lineup, Suwinski was never able to replicate the pop he he showed during the 2023 season. 2024 saw Suwinski appear in 88 games and hitting just 9 home runs.

2025 seemed to be the real breaking point for Suwinski’s time in Pittsburgh. He would appear in just 59 games, as he battled inconsistent play at the plate and did several stints with Triple-A Indianapolis. Suwinski finished the season with a slash line of .147/.281/.534 with 57 strikeouts and a career low t3 homers.

Suwinski’s departure opens the door for prospects Jake Mangum, Jhostynxon Garcia and Esmerlyn Valdez to have more playing opportunities in a thin Pittsburgh outfield group.

Giants' Patrick Bailey makes notable adjustment to improve from right side originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SCOTTSDALE — Patrick Bailey’s 2025 MLB season was not a strong one offensively, but you wouldn’t know that if you watched a highlight reel of the Giants season. 

In addition to winning a second straight Gold Glove Award, Bailey provided two of the biggest moments at the plate for the Giants. He put his name in the history books in July with a rare walk-off, inside-the-park homer against the Philadelphia Phillies, and two months later he stunned the Los Angeles Dodgers with a walk-off grand slam. 

Bailey smiled Monday when asked which highlight he watched more often over the winter.

“I feel like I get tired when I watch the Phillies one,” he said. “So I like the Dodgers one.”

That second walk-off was notable for more than just allowing Bailey to become the first player in MLB history to check both of those specific boxes in one season. It came from the right side, and it was his first homer against a lefty in two years.

Bailey hit .212 with a .566 OPS from the right side last season, but he responded with a quick “no” during a group session last week when asked if there was any thought of giving up switch-hitting. The other five catchers in camp all hit from the right side, including both young options on the 40-man roster — Daniel Susac and Jesus Rodriguez — so the Giants are positioned to limit Bailey’s exposure to tough lefties if they want to, but he doesn’t intend to cede any playing time. 

During a live batting practice session over the weekend, Bailey scorched a ball into the gap off lefty reliever Matt Gage. The swing showed off some mechanical changes made over the winter. 

Bailey’s hands are lower and he has a much bigger leg kick from the right side than he did in 2025. The latter adjustment came when he was doing a drill that required him to hover his lead leg in the air and then bring it down in a controlled manner. 

“I took a couple of good swings that way and I was like, ‘You know what, let’s just lift my leg really high and give myself more time,'” he said. “I almost feel more athletic when it’s up in the air. Pitchers do it, so it feels like an easy timing mechanism. It feels really good so far.”

Bailey is hopeful the changes help him rediscover some of the results from his rookie year, when he had a .829 OPS against lefties. But he also knows there’s a long way to go on his left side, too. Bailey’s OPS against righties last year was .615; overall, he had a .602 OPS and six homers, both career lows.

The strange thing about Bailey’s 2025 season was that he was actually one of the Giants you might most want up late in a game. He hit .290 in what were deemed “high-leverage” plate appearances, with a .739 OPS that was comfortably above the league-average mark of .717. Bailey drove in 28 runs in 107 high-leverage plate appearances and 27 in his other 345 plate appearances. 

The new staff is diving into those specific numbers, and Bailey is well aware of the splits. He said he enjoys the big moments, but he’s working with hitting coach Hunter Mense on trying to be more balanced and improve his swing intent earlier in games.

The splits are odd, but there also might be a simple explanation. Bailey is the game’s best defensive catcher and expends a lot of physical and mental energy before and early in games leading the pitching staff. At the same time, he’s a first-rounder who has shown flashes of being a good big-league hitter.

It would make sense if Bailey had a bit more focus in those tense moments late in games and was able to tap into more of his natural talent. But that’s not something he’s leaning on.

“Obviously what I do with catching a lot is a grind, but at the end of the day, a lot of other guys do it,” he said. “I’ve got to hold myself to that standard whether it’s the ninth inning or the first inning. Each run is the same. But yeah, we’re definitely kind of trying to play around with intent on each swing and just trying to be the same.”

Even with a subpar offensive season, Bailey was worth 3.2 fWAR, ranking him eighth among MLB catchers and behind only Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers and Willy Adames among Giants position players. His defense is simply that valuable, and the Giants don’t anticipate that changing much with the implementation of ABS. Bailey will take the lead in requesting their challenges, and given that they’re limited, his pitch-framing skills are likely to still have a huge impact. 

A step forward at the plate would be huge for the lineup and could turn Bailey into an All-Star, which would be nice timing given that he’s about to go through his arbitration years. So far, he’s encouraged by how he’s feeling after offseason adjustments. 

“I wasn’t happy with either side last year,” he said. “But I’m super confident this year, both right-handed and left-handed.”

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Former World Series hero Walker Buehler is getting another chance to revive his MLB career — and this time, it’s with a former rival.

Buehler, 31, has agreed to a minor-league deal with the Padres, and he’ll get a chance to compete for a spot in their starting rotation throughout spring training, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Triston McKenzie, Matt Waldron, Germán Márquez, JP Sears and Marco Gonzales are all competing with Buehler for likely just one rotation spot with the Padres, according to the Union-Tribune.

The deal marked a return to the NL West division where Buehler starred for the first seven seasons — not counting 2023, when he missed the entire campaign due to a second Tommy John surgery — with the Dodgers and won a pair of rings with them in 2020 and 2024.

Buehler, though, has mostly struggled since returning from the procedure, and in 2025, he didn’t even last the entire season with the Red Sox before getting demoted to their bullpen and then ultimately released — landing a minor-league deal with the Phillies ahead of the postseason.

He started just one game for Triple-A Lehigh Valley and appeared in three — while starting two — for the Phillies the rest of the season. Buehler finished with a 4.94 ERA across his stints with both teams in 2025.

“It’s obviously disappointing,” Buehler said after being demoted to the Red Sox’s bullpen. “It’s the first time in my career that I’ve been in a situation like that, but at the end of the day the organization and to a lesser extent myself, kind of think it’s probably the right thing for our group and it gives me an opportunity to kind of reset in some ways.”

But at the peak of his career, Buehler was an ace for the Dodgers who topped 23 starts in a season three times and finished inside the top-10 for Cy Young voting twice.

During the Dodgers’ World Series run in 2024, Buehler threw five shutout innings against the Yankees in Game 3 before recording the final three outs in Game 5 to secure Los Angeles’ championship.

He also delivered a strong start for the Dodgers during Game 3 of the NLCS against the Mets.

MLB | Bryan Hoch: Flame-throwing prospect Carlos Lagrange knew he’d be throwing a three-inning live batting practice session. He did not know he would be facing the greatest hitter on the planet, Aaron James Judge. Each got the better of the other, as they faced off three times. Judge demolished a 99-mph heater from Lagrange out over the left field wall. Later, Lagrange struck out Judge with 102.6-mph gas. There’s video of the two facing off over on X, so it’s not hard to find Monday’s battle of power versus power.

The Athletic | Chris Kirschner ($): Speaking of Judge, he is preparing for more than the regular season. For the first time in his career, he will represent Team USA at the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Monday, he gave some of his thoughts on the opportunity. Noting that Team USA fell short against Japan in 2023, Judge made his feelings clear that he wants a rematch with the reigning champions this time around. “They’re the reigning champs. They got a great squad coming back. I think that’s why Team USA really bulked up this year to go out there and take care of business. If (Japan) is bringing back the same crew they did three years ago, it’s gonna be a heavyweight fight…”

ESPN: One more from the Yankee Captain. Discussing the club’s offseason, Judge made it clear he was impatient for the Yanks to make some moves. “Let’s sign these guys right now and start adding more pieces because I’m seeing other teams around the league get better… They’re making trades. They’re signing big prospects or big players. And we’re sitting there for a while kind of making smaller moves.” Judge also clarified that he expressed his discontent to the front office. All that said, with the first games of the spring coming later this week, Judge is confident the Yankees are right where they need to be.

MLB Trade Rumors | Charlie Wright: Finally, there is actually news that has nothing to do with Aaron Judge. Yanquiel Fernandez, whom the Yankees claimed from the Colorado Rockies, has cleared waivers after the club designated him for assignment. That enables the Yanks to outright Fernandez, once one of the brightest prospects in the Rockies’ system, to Triple-A. A path to the Bronx in 2026 for Fernandex is unlikely barring a whole slew of worst-case scenarios. But he provides depth and who knows… maybe the 23-year-old can figure it out with a change of scenery.

Spring training is in full swing. Pitchers and catchers reported to camp last Thursday, and the rest of the squad is set to officially join them tomorrow.

At the end of last season, the Colorado Rockies looked like they were going to once again trot out a very young rotation that saw Chase Dollander and McCade Brown make their MLB debuts, and Tanner Gordon and Bradley Blalock enter their second years in MLB after debuting the previous summer.

Kyle Freeland and Germán Márquez filled out the rotation after Antonio Senzatela was relegated to the bullpen, and Ryan Feltner spent nearly the entire year on the Injured List.

However, since January, the Rockies have signed a trio of veteran starters who are now set to join the rotation alongside Freeland. Blalock was designated for assignment to make room for Michael Lorenzen, and Márquez recently signed with the San Diego Padres as a free agent. Senzatela appeared poised to remain in the bullpen at the end of last year, but manager Warren Schaeffer is giving him a chance this spring to potentially be a starter once again.

So, if the rotation is set with Freeland, Lorenzen, Tomoyuki Sugano and José Quintana, who is the fifth starter that will break camp with the Rockies? Will it be Feltner in his return from injury? Will Dollander prove himself right out of the gate? Will it be Senzatela making his case to return to the rotation? Or will it be someone else — Gordon, Brown, or someone else entirely?

Let us know your thoughts!

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Phillies shortstop Trea Turner wanted to run it back with Team USA at the World Baseball Classic.

He had a convincing case, too, after tying the tournament record and leading his country with five homers back in the 2023 iteration of the event, too.

But when Team USA announced its roster ahead of this year’s tournament in March, Turner was left off it and he revealed Monday that it wasn’t because he turned down an opportunity to play.

Trea Turner said he would have been interested in playing for Team USA again in the World Baseball Classic, but “phone never rang.”

(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/gxflYUI8iW

— OnPattison (@OnPattison) February 16, 2026

“It’s something I wanted to do, but the phone never rang,” Turner told reporters from his locker at the Phillies’ spring training complex. “It’s so much fun. I gladly would have done it again. I said it last time, if they ever ask, I would say yes.”

Team USA manager Mark DeRosa and general manager Michael Hill selected the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. and the Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson over the 32-year-old Turner as Team USA shortstops — giving the infield a different complexion as they look to win the tournament after falling to Japan in the 2023 championship game.

Led by captain and Yankees superstar Aaron Judge, Team USA’s star-studded roster also includes two of Turner’s Phillies teammates in Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.

“They’ve got a great roster this year,” Turner told reporters Monday. “It’s stacked.”

Instead, Turner will remain with the Phillies for the entirety of their Grapefruit League slate and spring training.

The next chance for Turner, whose vintage WBC moments in 2023 included a go-ahead grand slam against Venezuela in the quarterfinals, to play for Team USA will be in 2029, when the tournament unfolds next.

“I think we’re in a good spot to win,” Turner told reporters of Team USA, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’ll definitely be watching it, and I wish Kyle and Bryce and all these guys, [Edmundo] Sosa, everyone playing, I hope they perform well for their countries, and it’s a lot of fun.”

Turner won the National League batting title last season after collecting a .304 average — in addition to 15 homers and 69 RBIs — in what served as his best season since signing with the Phillies ahead of the 2023 season.

It is just about time for Guardians baseball to be back! The first full squad workout is today, and Steven Vogt announced that Logan Allen and Joey Cantillo will be the starters for the first two games Saturday. Vogt also mentioned that we would see a lot of Stuart Fairchild and Travis Bazzana before they have to leave for the WBC, which is very exciting.

FanGraphs posted their new top 100 and it includes six Guardians:

26. Chase DeLauter

40. Ralphy Velazquez

42. Angel Genao

54. Travis Bazzana

82. Parker Messick

91. Khal Stephen

In the past I have not been a fan of Eric Longenhagen, but I think this is a very good list. I would have Doughty in there as well, but I mostly agree with this order. Of course all of this will change by July, but it’s still fun to see where our guys stack up amongst the rest of the prospects in the league.

It’s another week here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in and join us. We’ve waived the cover charge. The dress code is casual. We still have a few tables available. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last week I asked you if the Cubs should sign Nico Hoerner to an extension. Normally this would be a no-brainer, but the presence of Matt Shaw complicates things. In any case, 55 percent of you thought my proposal of four years and $84 million sounded like a fair deal for Hoerner that the Cubs should make. Another 32 percent of you think my estimate was too low, but that the Cubs should pay what it takes (within reason) to sign Hoerner to an extension.

Basically, about 95 percent of you want to see Hoerner as a Cub for life. I hope Jed Hoyer is listening.

Here’s the part where we listen to music and talk movies. The BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic is almost over, but we still have a few contests left. But you’re free to skip ahead to the Cubs stuff at the end.

I guess real New Orleans people don’t say “Laissez le bon temps roulez,“ but it’s a good phrase anyways as it’s Mardi Gras time down in Louisiana. And since New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz, we can’t let the holiday pass without a tribute.

Here we have New Orleans trumpeter Kermit Ruffins playing “Drop Me Off in New Orleans” inside of a van in 2012.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) Directed by Nicholas Meyer. Starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and Ricardo Montalban.
oday I have to play teacher and scold some of you who are ruining things for everyone. Once again, someone stuffed the ballot box in the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic. So no matter what the final vote total says, I’m declaring 2001: A Space Odyssey the winner of Godzilla (Gojira) since it seems clear to me that more of you voted for it than Godzilla, even if one or more of you decided to vote for Godzilla a few dozen times.

Should this kind of ballot stuffing continue, I’m going to discontinue this feature in future winters.

So 2001 advances to the final where it will definitely take on a sequel. I know this because the two pictures we have this evening are two of the greatest sequels ever made: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan versus Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Ironically, neither one of these films were ranked by me atop their brackets, although I do remember making up the brackets and saying to myself “Man, the ‘modern’ bracket is tough if Terminator 2 comes in seeded third.“

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) Directed by Nicholas Meyer. Starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and Ricardo Montalban.

I should point out that it was TWOK that established Star Trek’s “Magnificent Seven” of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov. Anyone familiar with the original sixties television show knows that only Shatner, Nimoy and DeForest Kelley were listed in the opening credits and Kelley only in the second and third seasons. The other four weren’t in every episode and it was TWOK that elevated the other four over characters like Nurse Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett), Yeoman Janice Rand (Grace Lee Whitney) and a few other recurring characters that showed up on the original series from time to time.

Here’s what I wrote previously about Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Here’s the scene that didn’t have a dry eye in the house for. Spoiler I guess, but it’s a 43-year-old film and pretty much all of you know what happens here.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). Directed by James Cameron. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton and Robert Patrick.

Here’s what I wrote originally about T2.

Here’s the scene where the T-800 (Schwarzenegger) and John Connor (Edward Furlong) break his mom Sarah (Hamilton) out of the psychiatric prison. The T-1000 (Patrick) is hot on their heels. Schwarzenegger also gets out one of his catchphrases: “Come with me if you want to live.”

Now it’s time to vote!

The winner will take on 2001: A Space Odyssey for the tournament title on Wednesday!

Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.

Spring Training has started, which means we have a month of arguing over who should make the Opening Day roster. And since most of the roster spots are already set, most of what we discuss is who is the last guy on the bench or the final spot in the bullpen. That’s assuming there isn’t some major injury that we don’t want to think about.

Maybe the biggest discussion for Spring Training is who is going to be the fourth outfielder for the Cubs. The candidates are prospect Kevin Alcántara and three players who were added over the winter: waiver claim Justin Dean and free agent non-roster invitees Dylan Carlson and Chas McCormick.

That’s a debate for another day after we get a few Spring Training games in. I promise you we will revisit this topic later in Spring Training. But of the four players named, Alcántara is the one with the most promise and the one most likely to have a long career with the Cubs.

So tonight we’re going to focus on Alcántara. Whether or not you think he’ll break camp with the Cubs on Opening Day, there’s a good chance that he’ll spend some time in the majors this year. But how much? Will Alcántara be so good that he forces his way into a regular roster spot by May? Will he serve much of the season as a part-time player? Or will he, like in 2024 and 2025, just get a short cup of coffee with the major league team?

Just to refresh your memory, the Cubs acquired Kevin Alcántara at the deadline in 2021 in the trade that sent Anthony Rizzo to the Bronx. At the time, Alcántara had just turned 19 and had all of nine games in the rookie ball Gulf Coast League. Since then he’s slowly worked his way up the Cubs system until spending all of last year in Triple-A Iowa, save for that short major-league call-up in September. With Iowa, he struggled through some injuries but still hit a respectable .266/.349/.470 with 17 home runs and ten steals over 102 games.

“The Jaguar,” as Alcántara is nicknamed, is still in many ways the raw prospect the Cubs traded for in 2021. Yes, he’s made a lot of progress, but he’s still a player who gets by more on his raw athleticism than baseball skills. He has made progress in pitch selection, but he still has a ton of swing-and-miss in his game, especially against breaking pitches from right-handed pitchers. At 6’6”, he may always have trouble covering the strike zone. But his raw athleticism, power and speed mean that if he ever does put things together, he has the ceiling of an All-Star.

But it should be noted that he has become a very good defensive outfielder, both in center and right field. No, he’s not on Pete Crow-Armstrong’s level, but no one is. That makes him an ideal 4th outfielder. The problem is that turning him into a major league reserve player means he won’t be getting the regular at-bats that he needs to improve at the plate. So making Alcántara a regular fourth outfielder now might help the team win in 2026, but itcould stunt his growth as a regular right fielder for the future.

So whether or not you think Alcántara breaks camp with the Cubs at the end of March, how many major league games do you think he’ll play in 2026? I realized that I probably should have made this poll read “With the Cubs,” but I didn’t. So if you think the Cubs will trade Alcántara to the Tigers for Tarik Skubal (not happening) at the deadline, I guess you can add in the 45 games he’ll play in Detroit after the deal if you want.

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How did San Diego Padres President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller celebrate his new multi-year contract extension? By continuing to add to the 2026 roster.

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune posted on social media that San Diego and right-hander Walker Buehler agreed to a minor-league contract, Monday. The post contained a link to his article for the U-T.

Buehler was a first-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015 and broke into the big leagues with the club in 2017. Buehler pitched for the Dodgers until 2024 and left via free agency. He spent the 2025 season with the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies.

Buehler holds a career record of 57-29 with a 3.52 ERA. He has amassed 846 strikeouts over 839.2 innings pitched. Buehler finished the 2025 season with a combined record of 10-7 with a 4.93 ERA with 92 strikeouts in 126.0 innings pitched.

The Padres have added multiple arms since Saturday with Griffin Canning, German Marquez and now Buehler being added to the mix for a backend of the rotation. The three additions will compete with JP Sears, Kyle Hart, Matt Waldron, Marco Gonzales and Triston McKenzie throughout Spring Training for one of the final rotation spots. Randy Vasquez has been the presumed No. 4 starter for much of the offseason, but with the added competition he will have to earn it.

Observations from Mets’ spring training on Monday:

Great Scott

Christian Scott was sharp during live batting practice, striking out Juan Soto (on four pitches) and Bo Bichette in succession.

The right-hander is returning from Tommy John surgery rehab that cost him last season.

Hanging in there

Justin Hagenman also threw multiple innings of live batting practice.

The right-hander was a spot starter for the Mets last season after arriving on a major league contract despite having never pitched above the Triple-A level.

Caught my eye

Carlos Beltrán was around the batting cage in uniform for the team’s first full-squad workout.

Beltrán, a special assistant, announced in recent weeks that he would be wearing a Mets cap on his Hall of Fame plaque.

Lee Mazzilli was also in attendance for the workout.

Tuesday’s schedule

Full-squad workouts continue ahead of Saturday’s Grapefruit League opener against the Marlins at Clover Park.

TAMPA — Carlos Lagrange stepped onto the mound at Steinbrenner Field on Monday afternoon, looked toward the batter’s box and thought, “Damn, it’s Aaron Judge.”

A few pitches into the live batting practice, Judge crushed a 99.3 mph fastball into the seats for a home run.

But Lagrange, one of the top Yankees pitching prospects, showed his mettle and high-end stuff throughout the rest of the session, coming back to fan Judge on a 102.6 mph heater, a showdown that had the sizable crowd buzzing on the first day of full-squad workouts.

“He’s going to be special,” Judge said. “You can look up at the radar and see 103 mph — the fastball he threw by me — but I think it’s also just a presence he has on the mound. He’s a kid that, we sent up a nasty lineup against him today and he didn’t care. He wanted to be out there and he came right after us. That’s what you need.”

Across three simulated innings, in his first big league camp, Lagrange got a stiff test by facing Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham.

But the 22-year-old did not back down from the challenge, showing off a fastball that often hits triple digits to go with what manager Aaron Boone called a “special” changeup and sharp sweeper.

“When I see those guys, I feel really good because I’m here [in big league camp] with them,” Lagrange said. “But I try to do the same thing: throw in my zone and go through my pitches.

“I know 102 is really hard, but I work out hard in the offseason. When you do a really good job in the offseason, that’s the result.”

Lagrange, whose biggest hurdles in the minor leagues have been throwing enough strikes and staying healthy, finished last year at Double-A Somerset, where he made 15 starts and posted a 3.22 ERA.

He is already far along in his buildup for this season, throwing 49 pitches in Monday’s session.

While Lagrange is expected to get every chance to remain a starter, the Yankees could fast-track him to The Bronx in a relief role, with his stuff likely playing up in the bullpen.

For now, though, they continue to be impressed by how he is handling himself and his stuff in the early days of camp.

“I thought he was excellent,” Boone said. “First one to go out there, first full-squad day, the crowd’s full, he’s facing the big boys. What I liked is he was filling up the zone with it. The stuff obviously jumps off the page at you, but at a point where he’s going three ups, 49 pitches, he held his stuff and most importantly held his strike-throwing. 

“Again, it’s February, but really good to see him out there.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.