Category: MLB

The Dodgers open spring training this week, with pitchers and catchers scheduled to report on Thursday, February 12.

Here’s an inside look at where the team stands as camp begins:

Best position battle

If the Dodgers get through spring with a fully healthy roster, most positions should take care of themselves. However, Tommy Edman is uncertain for opening day as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery. So too is Blake Snell, after slow-playing his winter throwing program while treating a lingering shoulder injury.

If Edman starts the year on the IL, it will create at least a temporary opening at second base. Miguel Rojas would figure to get plenty of the at-bats, but there could also be a runway for either Hyeseong Kim or Alex Freeland to carve out an opening day role.

In the rotation, a potential Snell absence could open a spot for one of the Dodgers’ younger arms, such as River Ryan or Gavin Stone, among others, to earn an opening-day spot.

Most intriguing minor leaguer

There has been growing excitement around the organization in Ryan, who debuted as a top prospect in 2024 and posted a 1.33 ERA in four starts before going down with Tommy John surgery. Since then, the right-hander has bulked up by roughly 30 pounds, added life to his upper-90s mph fastball, and impressed club officials in his throwing program this winter. 

Whether or not he starts the season in the majors, he’ll almost certainly have a role to play at some point. And if his brief debut a couple years ago was any indication, he could be primed for a breakout campaign.

Story to watch develop

The Dodgers have been open about their need to manage the starting rotation’s workload this year, coming off the heavy burden they shoulder in the 2025 playoffs. It’s why the team is already preaching patience with Snell. And it will be a subplot to follow as other veteran arms ramp up for the year.

Outside of Snell, the Dodgers’ other starters have reported feeling OK so far with the quick turnaround from last season. But as intensity heightens in the spring, so too will the threat of lingering after-effects being felt. By the time they get to opening day, the Dodgers should have a better idea of how their pitching staff rebounded from last October.

Manager’s toughest challenge

The Dodgers will have one of the oldest lineups in the majors this year. And manager Dave Roberts has already acknowledged the need to find his veterans more regular rest.

It won’t be easy. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, for example, have been loath to off days in recent years. Thus, Roberts will have to find the right balance between keeping his older bats fresh, and keeping them happy and in-rhythm as they continue to age. It will be an ongoing challenge for the 10th-year skipper.

Most intriguing newcomer

It’s been five years since Kenley Jansen left the Dodgers. Since then, they’ve struggled to find a defined, consistent closer, having not had one reliever with a 25-save season.

That should change now, with the arrival of Edwin Díaz and his 253 career saves. The Dodgers invested $69 million in him to anchor the relief corps. And as long as he clicks, a weak Dodgers bullpen from last season should be a strength in their three-peat bid.

Most notable absence

For two decades, Clayton Kershaw has been the face of the Dodgers franchise. For the first time since 2006, he won’t be at camp for spring training.

The Dodgers, of course, have plenty of options to replace the retired left-hander in the rotation. But his clubhouse presence will leave a void, creating a Hall of Fame-sized hole that will be felt this spring.

Don’t be surprised if it becomes an issue

Injuries, and not just to the rotation. Freeman will be 36 this year, Max Muncy 35, Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez both 33, and Will Smith, Shohei Ohtani and Edman all 31. While the Dodgers have battled injuries in recent years, they’ve largely had their entire lineup healthy come the playoffs. Accomplishing that again will only get harder as time goes on. 

Pitching absences are already expected. The Dodgers have to hope position player losses don’t become a problem either.

Biggest comeback

Ohtani completed his two-way comeback last year. But now, he will enter a season without any health restrictions for the first time since 2023, when he had arguably his most complete career year.

Ohtani will begin this campaign as the frontrunner for his fifth MVP. He could very well wind up in the Cy Young conversation, too. The Dodgers have already seen historic feats from their $700 million star. Now, they’ll get their first look at a full season of Ohtani playing both ways full-time.

Remember back in December when I wrote about about “tractability?”

This was a concept discussed in Pedro Moura’s 2022 book How to beat a broken game: The rise of the Dodgers in a league on the brink. The term essentially refers to a player’s willingness to accept instruction.

In this column, I want to look at a second concept Moura discusses, “optionality.”

Here, he explains how Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman approaches decision-making:

Every decision he made was governed by the guiding principle of optionality [emphasis added], a term co-opted from Wall Street, where he had his professional start. The idea is to render no decision absolutely necessary, to preserve as many possible choices as long as possible. It manifests in many ways, most notably in the Dodgers’ relative lack of desperation. Desperate teams make decisions they will regret. Because of Friedman’s patience and ownership’s resources, the Dodgers stand perpetually ready to seize on opportunities created by another team’s desperation.

So, for Friedman’s Dodgers, maintaining flexibility for as long as possible was key. We watched the 2025 Rockies play from a place of desperation — that’s why players were promoted before they were MLB ready — and we saw the results. The Dodgers would have never allowed themselves to get into that position.

But let’s return to the idea of optionality. The poster child for this concept is Mookie Betts. Here’s Moura:

Betts is the human embodiment of optionality, always available to boost the team in one facet or another. He could connect on a home run. He could beat out an infield single. He could unleash an unreasonably accurate throw. He could make a leaping, or diving, catch. He could steal second base, or he could score from first on a single, as he did to finish his final game with the Red Sox. He could demand his teammates establish a new, higher standard of effort, as he did before his first game with the Dodgers.

Look, the Dodgers moved Betts from the outfield to shortstop with very little effort. That’s how versatile he is. He gets hits; he’s athletic; he makes plays; and he does whatever is asked of him. It’s why he’s such a valuable player.

Finally, let me cite one more passage from Moura, this one on Max Muncy:

In 2019, Max Muncy became the fifth major leaguer to appear at least sixty times at both first base and second base. This flexibility, or optionality, is essential to how the Dodgers operate. It frees them to pursue off-season and midseason improvements at more positions than their peers, because somebody can always slide somewhere to accommodate a newcomer. It liberates Roberts to use the best available pinch-hitter in any game situation and not burn another reserve to defend, because, again, somebody on the field can always slide somewhere. And it insulates the team against the impact of injury. No matter where the hurt player played, the team’s best reserve can move from the bench into the lineup, because, of course, somebody—or somebodies—can always slide somewhere.

The ideas in this passage are key to the Rockies’ rebuild. It’s less about having “specialists” — though every team needs a few, say Will Smith at catcher and Freddie Freeman at first — than having highly athletic players who are willing to learn and, to quote a favorite Josh Byrnes phrase, “max out” and play a number of positions with ease.

(I’ll have more to say about “maxing out” in a separate column. I asked Byrnes about it, and his answer was interesting. I also have some ideas about the Rockies’ possible Mookie Betts, but they’re too undercooked to share right now.)

Here’s my working theory as we head into the 2026 season: Whenever you wonder what are president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta and general manager Josh Byrnes doing, ask yourself, “What would the Dodgers do?”

That’s probably influencing their thinking.

Okay, hold that thought, and let me return to the spring training and non-roster invitees list we got last week.

Let’s leave pitchers out of this and just talk about position players.

Look at all those utility players. The Rockies have listed seven utility players. (I know: Kris Bryant? I just work with the list I was given.) Tyler Freeman is no longer just an outfielder; they view him as a utility player. And Troy Johnston, generally seen as a first baseman, is also a utility player. Willi Castro was signed because of his versatility.

Here’s perhaps the most interesting point. As Cory Ryan Knowles pointed out last week on the Purple Row board, “The thing I am most intrigued by is that they designated Condon as a utility player. That says to me that the current front office may not be locked in to him being a 1B exclusively going forward.”

Absolutely.

Under the former front office, it was just assumed Charlie Condon (No. 2 mid-season PuRP) would become a first-base specialist in the tradition of Todd Helton.

Not so fast.

DePodesta et al are more interested in seeing what Condon — and a lot of other players — can do.

At Rockies Fest, DePodesta made an off-hand comment that has stayed with me: Fans should expect to see players at spring training playing positions that they perhaps hadn’t expected to see those players playing.

I’ve called this an “inventory” year for the Rockies as the new front office tries to figure out what they have — and I think that’s still true — but part of that inventory involves determining who’s tractable (or teachable) and comfortable with optionality.

A comment on the Purple Row board last week was that the Rockies had replaced their worst players with less-worse players. I agree. But they’ve also been replaced with more athletic and versatile players. It’s like a table reading for the first season of a television drama as the show runner figures out who they have and what they’ll need.

Clearly, not all the non-roster invitees will make the roster, but I expect a number of those players to break camp with the Rockies. Most fans are not going to be excited about an Opening Day roster with Blaine Crim and Troy Johnston platooning at first; Edourard Julien at second; Ezequiel Tovar at short; and Willi Castro at third with, say, Tyler Freeman, Chad Stevens, and Vimael Machín as depth pieces.

But it may happen.

The Rockies are going to delay decision making and give themselves options, both in terms of their roster and in-game decision-making. This approach will also give their prospects time to develop more fully in Albuquerque or Hartford. (How DePodesta will approach Albuquerque is another interesting question.)

And DePodesta et al are going to be implementing a system not just for players but also for the coaching staff. Manager Warren Schaeffer will need to change his approach to in-game management. I’m not worried about that because Schaeffer has shown he’s as eager to learn as any player on the roster, but that’s going to take some practice.

My sense right now is that fans are not going to get the Opening Day roster they think they want.

The payoff will come later in the season.

Who will break camp with Rox? Let’s take an early guess | MLB.com

Thomas Harding breaks out his crystal ball to predict the Rockies’ Opening Day roster.

FanGraphs weekly mailbag: February 7, 2026 | FanGraphs

SDS asked, “Would you please ask Dan to give us a projection for just how much worse that lineup would be than the weakest MLB team’s starting nine?” Dan Szymborski’s answer does not disappointment as he explores how the Colorado Rockies would fare in this scenario.

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

Good morning, baseball fans!!

Today is the day! The most exciting day of the baseball year! The day in which nothing meaningful really happens, but no one cares because PITCHERS AND CATCHERS REPORT TODAY!

That’s right, friends, we’ve made it through the long winter. And the San Francisco Giants pitchers and catchers will be reporting for duty in Scottsdale, AZ today.

We’re gonna get pictures, we’re gonna get interviews, we’re going to get PEAK “best shape of his life” content and I’m ready for it.

So go get your coffee, hit play on the video below, enjoy the vibes and let me know how you plan to celebrate down in the comments!

With spring training starting soon, Anne Rogers gives her Opening Day roster prediction.

Outfielders (4): Isaac Collins, Kyle Isbel, Jac Caglianone, Lane Thomas
The Royals will have a ton of outfielders in camp this spring, but it’s pretty clear that Collins will play left and Isbel will play center. Thomas will be on the team, it’ll just depend on the day as to where he’s playing. Caglianone is competing for the job in right field, but likely has the leg up given that he needs to get reps at the Major League level. Other competitors include Kameron Misner, Drew Waters, Dairon Blanco and John Rave.

Now that the NFL season is done, Craig Brown is ready for baseball and talks about WBC rosters.

I had assumed that Lugo would not be on Team Puerto Rico, due to the injury that kept him sidelined for most of the second half of 2025 and the fact that several of their key players had difficulty securing insurance, but you know what they say when you assume…

Also, I did not anticipate Michael Wacha being on Team USA. The presence of 2/5ths of the Royals starting rotation out of camp doesn’t exactly excite me. The same goes to a degree for Cerantola, a reliever who is on the 40-man roster yet is ticketed to open the year returning for an encore in Omaha. Hopefully, team federations have learned from the past how to keep pitchers in this tournament on their preseason routines so those involved can do their duty for country and then get back into action with their club.

MLB writers pick one storyline for each team heading into Spring Training.

Royals: What does the lineup look like around the core?
We know Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, Salvador Perez and Maikel Garcia will hit somewhere between 1-4 or 2-5. Where Isaac Collins hits remains to be seen. The rest of the lineup will include some combination of second baseman Jonathan India, catcher/DH Carter Jensen and outfielders Kyle Isbel, Lane Thomas and Jac Caglianone. Nick Loftin, Tyler Tolbert, John Rave, Drew Waters and more are all competing for bench spots. How the Royals maximize their roster for better offense in 2026 will be a focus all spring.

Meg Rowley and Ben Lindbergh preview the Royals on their Effectively Wild podcast with Anne Rogers.

It would appear the Royals can’t afford hot dogs anymore.

The beloved Dollar Dog Night, where guests can enjoy $1 hot dogs at concession stands all around Kauffman Stadium, was hosted every Tuesday home game in 2025. New in 2026, the event is only available for the first Tuesday home game of each month during the regular season.

The promotion is only available for six home games this year: April 21, May 5, June 9, July 21, Aug. 4 and Sept. 1. It’s half of the Dollar Dog Nights offered in 2025, when there were two times fans could indulge on the Ball Park Brand hot dogs each month.

Caleb Moody at Kings of Kauffman talks about the decision to retain India.

The Red Sox traded for Brewers infielder Caleb Durbin.

The Rays are signing Nick Martinez to a 1/$13M deal.

The Pirates are signing Marcell Ozuna to a 1/$12M deal.

In college basketball, KU beat previously-undefeated Arizona 82-78 last night.

Team USA mixed curling, the C(K)oreys, advances to the gold medal match.

US Figure Skater Amber Glenn is in a little hot water for her music choice.

Medals at the Olympics are breaking off their ribbons.

The OKC Thunder are being investigated for sitting 10 players against the Spurs in a nationally televised game. I watched some of this game, and the Thunder’s third-stringers nearly took down Wemby and the Spurs. I’m not sure the Thunder are the problem here.

Off Topic: The ads for the Super Bowl sucked. The AI ones especially, but all of them in general.

Your song of the day is Mammoth with The End.

I am not at all unhappy to see Caleb Durbin heading to Boston. The guy is a pain in the ass at the plate. Plus it means that Matt Shaw/Nico Hoerner are even more likely to stay put.

The Super Bowl is over. It’s time for baseball.

“We’re taking the afternoon off”

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

• Mike Mazzeo (Sports Business Journal*): MLB teams stay top of mind by investing in fan fests during the winter. “This year, more than 8,200 fans packed the Sheraton Grand Chicago from Jan. 16-18 for Cubs Convention.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Chicago Cubs spring training preview: Players feel primed to contend after banner offseason. “We’re a better ballclub,” Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd said. “With the moves that were made, I think it’s obvious.”
• MLB.com*: One intriguing prospect from each team who can make a run at an Opening Day spot. “Cubs: Kevin Alcántara, OF”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Early look at a potential Cubs Opening Day roster. “Winning the division is the next task.“
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Nico Hoerner, creating value, and the many ways to win. “… there are more than just a couple ways to be a valuable hitter at the plate…”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): Five Cubs players in the spotlight with spring training about to start. “… the Chicago Cubs will gather at their Arizona complex this week for the start of spring training.“

Food For Thought:

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series. We will not wittingly publish A. I. – driven articles or clickbait, and insist on unimpeachable sources.

This post is part of a series of daily questions that we’ll ask the community here at Amazin’ Avenue throughout the month of February. We hope you find the questions engaging and that our prompts can spark some fun conversations in the comments. We’ll see you there and plan to have staff chiming in, too.

What are your favorite and least favorite things about spring training?

Who is he and where did he come from?

Caleb Durbin is an infielder who played college baseball at D-3 Washington University (in St. Louis) and was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 14th round of the 2021 draft. He was traded from Atlanta to the Yankees after the 2022 season for Lucas Luetge, and then again to Milwaukee after the 2024 season as part of a package that landed Devin Williams. A year later, Durbin comes to the Red Sox from the Brewers, along with fellow infielders Anthony Siegler and Andruw Monesterio and the 67th draft pick (Comp B), in return for pitchers Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan, and infielder David Hamilton.

Is he any good?

It depends on where you’re setting your expectations. If you’re looking for the middle-of-the-order power bat that Craig Breslow stressed was a top need on multiple occasions, you’re not going to find that with the 5’7”, 183 lb. Durbin. 

What you will find is someone with an average-to-plus hit tool, who can make the plays defensively at multiple positions, with a lot of speed on the bases. Durbin slashed .256/.334/.387 in his rookie season, with 11 home runs and 18 stolen bases, which led to third place in Rookie of the Year voting. 

The ball is usually put into play when Durbin is at the plate. He was one of only five qualified hitters in all of MLB who had less than a 10% strikeout rate (9.9%), but also had just a 21st percentile walk rate (5.9%). On Monday, Breslow noted Durbin’s Air Pull%, which is well above average at 20.4%. For a right-handed hitter at Fenway, that’s never a bad thing, both for home runs and for doubles. 

Defensively, Durbin started 119 games at third base, but just three games at second base for the Brewers in 2025. He was a +5 in Defensive Runs Saved at 3B, but was exactly in the middle of the range with a “0” in Outs Above Average on Statcast. He can also play shortstop in a pinch. With an emphasis on a staff filled with groundball pitchers, Durbin should be part of an improvement on the defensive side in 2026. 

TL;DR, just give me his 2025 stats. 

136 G, 506 PA, .256/.334/.387, 11 HR, 53 RBI, 60 R, 18-for-24 SB, 5.9 BB%, 9.9 K%, 105 wRC+, 2.6 fWAR

Show me a cool highlight. 

Here’s a walk-off homer by Durbin against the Padres on June 7th of last year. And, really, what’s better than a walk-off homer?

What’s he doing in his picture up there?

He’s getting hit by a pitch, something that Durbin can do with the best of them. He led the National League with 24 HBPs a season ago. While that may seem like a flukey stat, there is an art to getting hit by a pitch. If you have ever had a teammate who got hit by a ton of pitches and always found a way to make it look like an accident, you know what I’m talking about. Durbin had double-digit HBPs in each of his three minor league seasons, in significantly fewer plate appearances. 

In fact, the Red Sox have brought the top two in HBP over from the NL, as new first basemen Willson Contreras was hit by 23 pitches a year ago. Is it possible that this was intentional?

In Durbin’s case, as mentioned earlier, his 5.9 BB% was in the bottom quarter of the league. But what if you include his 4.7 HBP%? A “walk rate” of 10.6% doesn’t sound so bad, and it’s a higher rate than Durbin strikes out at. In general, hit batsmen happened on 1.1% of the plate appearances in MLB in 2025, and Durbin was drilled at more than 4X that rate. 

What’s his role on the 2026 Red Sox?

There were no definitive answers on day one from Red Sox executives, nor Alex Cora. It seems like Durbin would slot in at either second or third base, with Marcelo Mayer playing at the other spot. Upon prospect graduation, the 6’3”, 188 lb. Mayer had a 60-grade arm on Baseball America, where Durbin had a 50-grade arm. My best guess is that Mayer, with more size and a bigger arm, will play third base with Durbin starting at second, a position that he played the majority of the time coming up through the minor leagues. When left-handers are on the mound, Mayer may take a seat in favor of second baseman Romy Gonzalez, which may slide Durbin over to third base on those days. Roster Resource currently projects Durbin to hit seventh in the lineup behind Carlos Narvaez and ahead of Mayer, at least against RHP.

Last year, the Guardians completed the largest comeback in MLB history to win the AL Central.

This year, the entire roster is set to return, with several top prospects knocking on the door to debut.

However, the team has slashed payroll by almost $30 million and failed to find a proven centerfielder or a proven right-handed lefty masher for the middle of their order. They also will be without elite closer Emmanuel Clase and up-and-coming young starter, Luis Ortiz, who are likely to be out of baseball entirely after allegedly gambling on the game. Meanwhile, the Tigers have signed Guardians’ nemesis Framber Valdez to pair with Tarik Skubal.

Are you more excited for 2026 than you were for 2025? Why or why not?

We’re back with another daily question, and today’s is a look at yesterday’s deal between the Brewers and the Red Sox.

In a deal just about nobody saw coming, the Crew sent three infielders (Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, and Anthony Seigler) and a draft pick (No. 67 overall) to the Red Sox for a pair of pitchers (Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan) and another utility infielder (David Hamilton).

On the surface, it seems like a bizarre trade.

Milwaukee now has no clear third basemen, as the trio of Durbin, Monasterio, and Seigler were ranked 1-2-3 on the team’s depth chart. At this point, it seems like Tyler Black, Jett Williams, Hamilton, and/or Sal Frelick are the frontrunners. However, Frelick is a star defensive outfielder, and Black and Williams are both below-average defensively, something the Brewers typically prioritize when aligning the squad. That makes it seem likely it’s Hamilton at this point, but most expect the Brewers to make another move to add to the infield.

On the return side, Harrison figures to fit into the rotation (or as a long-relief arm, a la Aaron Ashby and DL Hall), while Drohan could make it to the majors at some point this season. Hamilton doesn’t offer much offensively (he was an even worse hitter than Joey Ortiz last season, which says a lot), but he is a solid defensive player.

How would you grade the deal, and who do you think won the trade?

Weigh in in the comments, and join us throughout the month as we keep these conversations rolling into spring training. Have a question you’d like to ask in a future BCB Daily Question? Drop one in the comments, and we may use it later this month.

The St. Louis Cardinals claimed 3B Bryan Ramos off of waivers from the Baltimore Orioles, and his particular fit on the roster is one that feels like a strained one at best. Ramos primarily plays 3B but has played a little bit of 2nd base and left field as well. That situation feels like bringing in a low-risk-high-reward opportunity in spring to see if they can capture lightning in a bottle. Ramos is out of options, so if he doesn’t make the roster out of camp, he would likely find himself back on waivers, where the Cardinals would be more than happy to have him at AAA and remain Cardinal property. If he is claimed, however, it costs them nothing to bring him in and give him a chance, and they lose out on nothing if he isn’t able to show anything of substance in camp and another MLB team claims him afterwards.

Jeff Jones, writer for the Belleville News Democrat, who will be our guest on the podcast this coming week, tweeted after Ramos was claimed that Randal Grichuk was still a name that was on the table for the Cardinals. However, if Grichuk can find a last-minute opportunity with a contender, he would likely select that option over the Cardinals. Which would mean if St. Louis were to add their proposed right-handed bat, they might have to add it through the trade market.

So, I did some research and looked across the league to see if I could identify some targets that are potentially blocked at the big league level that would benefit from the opportunity that exists in the Cardinals outfield currently. So, here are 5 right-handed bats who would have a clear path to playing time in St. Louis:

5. TOR Davis Schneider INF/OF

Davis Schneider famously hit a lead-off home run off of Blake Snell in this past year’s World Series and is known for being a positive clubhouse presence and a capable option against LHP. The added flexibility of playing 2B/3B and LF/RF could also be useful as the Cardinals will likely want to rotate players to different positons to see who might stick long term.

Much to my surprise, Schneider is a menace against RHP and is still above league average against LHP. The Blue Jays have a glut of postion players at the big league level and ESPN wrote an article recently that the Blue Jays and Cardinals should come together on a trade that would send LHP JoJo Romero to Toronto in exchange for Davis Schneider. This exact framework is a deal I have been talking about for over a month since Bloom started publicly talking about the desire to add a RHB and the Jays, after missing out on several key free agent bullpen pieces could still benefit from a leverage reliever like Romero and could use their excess piece in Schneider to acomplish a need-for-need style trade.

4. CIN Rece Hinds OF

At 6’3 215 lbs Rece Hinds is built like a tank and in his limited opportunities has displayed some impressive raw power for the Cincinnati Reds. However, with Noelvi Marte, TJ Freidle, and JJ Bleday/Dane Meyers roaming the outfield and bringing in Eugenio Suarez to DH it appears Cincy doesnt have much room on their roster for Hinds.

Posting a .302/.359/.563 slash for a .922 OPS and 139 wRC+ last season not to mention the 24 HR and 83 RBI its hard to say that Hinds has anything left to prove at AAA and in a season centered around development it would be easy to justify a player like Hinds striking out 30% of the time if it meant 25+ HR production for a Cardinals offense that is starved for power production.

3. ATH Colby Thomas OF

Slightly undersized at 5’10 190 lbs Colby Thomas is a prototypical power/speed outfielder and is super athletic (no pun intended) who will likely find playing time hard to come by with an everyday outfield of Soderstrom, Clarke, and Butler for the “Sacramento” A’s. Thomas was one of their top prospects mid season last year before earning his big league call up. Thomas has the ability to play CF, which I know some of our readers who are more pessimistic on the future of Victor Scott II, would be something that would be of value to them, especially.

Big raw right handed power with some swing decision elements to clean up but for a young hitter this is something that is very common in todays game and with the advancements the Cardinals are making in their player development process at both the big league and minor league level then adding a talent like Thomas would make all the sense in the world who might have fringe All-Star 20/20 upside when its all said and done.

2. HOU Zach Dezenzo 1B/OF

At 6’5 220 lbs Dezenzo looks the part when he steps off the bus at the stadium. Featuring big time raw power from the right side highlighted by a max EV of 112.2 MPH in 2024. The Astros have a long list of veteran options at corner postions between Christian Walker at 1B, Carlos Correa and Isaac Parades at 3B, Jose Altuve and Cam Smith in the corner outfield spots and the return of Yordan Alvarez takes away the DH. Dezenzo would benefit from a change of scenery where his path to play time is much better in St. Louis.

Take the rate stats with a grain of salt as the sample size is very small but the ability to impact the baseball and produce loud contact is there along with the above average arm and not shown, but measured, is also above average sprint speed. Dezenzo could capable handle LF and would be a nice balance option to all the LHH on the roster.

1. SFG Luis Matos OF

At just 5’11 and 207 lbs Luis Matos has a very average size build but his ability to make consistent hard contact and avoid striking out are two things that seem to be growing in demand in MLB. Matos displays average sprint speed and isnt the greatest defender but has one of the strongest measured throwing arms from the outfield in baseball at 92.6 MPH putting him in the 95th percentile of players in baseball. Matos also doesn’t walk, much like Yohel Pozo but more athletic, with 593 MLB PA to his name Matos continues to struggle cracking everyday consistent AB’s for San Francisco and with Heliot Ramos, Harrison Bader, and Jung-Ho Lee blocking his path it might be best for the Giants to try and get something for him before he runs out of value.

Perhaps strattling that AAAA line a full season of “runway” (everyone drink) could give a more clear indication of whether or not Matos will every amount to anything more than such a role. The Cardinals could both benefit from and afford to give that opportunity to any of these players listed above, though with Matos, he more than most has had the most extensive opportunity to show what he can do at the big league level.

This list would indicate there is plenty of upside to be had from teams who have players stuck behind another wave of talent currently entrenched for their respective teams. Can Chaim Bloom and the Front Office pry one of these high upside right handed bats away and give the Cardinals a little more balance as they march in 2026 with a lot of opportunity available all over the diamond? Time will tell and Chaim has accomplished everything he said he was going to this offseason. Perhaps he has one last impact move up his sleeve.

-Thanks for reading

Who’s on third? I don’t know. An Abbott & Costello sketch has turned into reality for the Milwaukee Brewers after Monday’s trade with the Boston Red Sox.

The Brewers had seven different players spend time at third base last season. The leading returner at the position is Sal Frelick, who played one inning in one game at the hot corner. Caleb Durbin, Anthony Siegler, Oliver Dunn, Vinny Capra, Andruw Monasterio, and Isaac Collins have all departed the organization. It’s a complete turnover at that position.

With the Crew’s top three options at the hot corner all being sent out in this trade, it leads to a major question for Brewers fans: Who in the world is going to play third base? Let’s take a look at the options

1. Jett Williams

Brewers PBO Matt Arnold told reporters on Monday that Williams will get reps at third base during spring training. That’s among his other reps he’ll get at shortstop, second base, and the outfield. He’s sure to be busy during camp. But third base might be the best path to playing time for Williams, who was acquired in the Freddy Peralta trade not long ago.

A shortstop by trade, Williams is not as highly regarded defensively as Joey Ortiz and defense is a priority for the Brewers. If the best defensive shortstop stays at that position, Williams won’t win it, but a move over to third base could be most logical. Williams has more power than you’d expect by his size and slugged 17 home runs last season in the minors.

Williams does have a good enough throwing arm to make it work at third base and he does profile as a regular in a starting lineup and not just a platoon/bench option masquerading as a starter. Given that he was acquired for a high profile player in Freddy Peralta, the Brewers likely want to give him every opportunity to make an impact right away and third base looks like that avenue.

2. David Hamilton

The lone infielder coming back to the Brewers in this trade, David Hamilton is also due to get reps at third base during spring training, according to Arnold. Hamilton is more of a utility type infielder, playing in 91 games last year with just 177 ABs. He got a little bit more run in 2024 with 294 ABs and had a lot more success at the plate that year.

Hamilton has spent most of his career up the middle at shortstop and second base. He got a tiny taste of the hot corner in Boston last year and I mean tiny. Just 1.1 IP of third base experience last year in one game. That’s it.

But there’s a potential path to regular playing time for Hamilton at third base so he’ll do his best to learn the position and try to get his offense back on track. Hamilton brings speed but not a ton of pop, so he’s not a prototypical corner infielder, but he’s the only non-1B infielder on the 40 man roster not named Turang or Ortiz.

3. Joey Ortiz

3. Joey Ortiz

In speaking with reporters, Matt Arnold did say that they are open to a variety of infield permutations. In my mind, that opens up the possibility of Joey Ortiz being moved back to third base. Ortiz was very good at the hot corner in 2024 and his offense was stronger that year as well. But a move there will put a lot more pressure on Ortiz’s bat to perform, not to mention opens up what the Brewers do at shortstop. Could Jett Williams overtake him? Does Turang slide to short and Williams or someone else goes to second base? There could be a lot of moving parts.

Ortiz prefers the middle infield, but given his previous experience there, he is a far likelier candidate to move to third base than Turang. Ortiz seems destined to be a regular in the starting lineup once again. What position he ends up at may change, but if you move him, it only switches the question from third base to shortstop.

Longshots

Eddys Leonard

The Brewers signed Leonard to a minor league deal with an invite to big league camp back in November. He has yet to make his MLB debut. He’s 25 years old and hit 20 home runs last season for Triple-A Gwinnett in the Braves system. Leonard has 700+ innings of experience at third base in the minor leagues, so that could benefit him. If his power shows up in spring training, he could launch a serious campaign for big league time at the spot.

Brock Wilken

Wilken is a non-roster invitee and a former first round pick. He was well on his way to a bounce-back season in 2025 until a freak knee injury derailed the second half of his season. He still has yet to see Triple-A ball so that makes it very difficult to imagine Wilken making the jump to the big leagues right away out of camp here.

Wilken likely starts the season in Triple-A and if that goes well, he could see a promotion mid-season. He could very well be the long-term answer at the hot corner and the Durbin trade may be about clearing room ultimately for Wilken, but it just seems too early for him to get there for Opening Day.

External Option

Isaac Paredes

This one almost makes too much sense for the Brewers not to be involved. The Houston Astros are desperately looking to trade from their infield glut and the Brewers suddenly have an opening at Paredes’ primary position. The Astros are seeking young, controllable pitching, which the Brewers suddenly have an even bigger abundance of. Paredes has one guaranteed year left on his contract at just over $9.3MM, which the Brewers could afford.

Paredes doesn’t grade well defensively, which could present a major issue for Milwaukee in terms of overall fit. But if the Brewers seek more power in their lineup, as many have begged them to do, then Paredes would present an obvious upgrade.

The free agent market is barren, most of the trade market is picked over by this point in the calendar, but Paredes is still out there and could present an ideal bridge to the arrival of the top infield prospects.

Can you smell that? Yeah, that’s baseball approaching.

Phillies News:

• Key Questions for the Phillies rolling into Spring Training
• Do we think the Phillies can unload Nick Castellanos and his contract onto the Rockies?
• Phillies bring back reliever Lou Trivino on a minor league deal
• Thank goodness, the Phillies truck containing spring training equipment arrived in Clearwater
• Former Phillies who have still not found a home as Spring Training looms

MLB News:

• Every team’s top storyline entering Spring Training
• Pirates get over the “trying” hump and sign Marcell Ozuna to a one-year deal
• Kershaw, Votto and Rizzo join NBC’s MLB Coverage this season
• Brewers seemingly trade all their third baseman depth in deal with Red Sox
• Here are the Top 100 prospects heading into big league camp

DRaysBay works best as a place for community and conversation. Accordingly, in the lead up to the new season, we are posting “Daily Questions” in the month of February. I look forward to seeing you in the comment section!

The Rays have penciled in many starters that aren’t going anywhere — Junior Caminero, Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda, these are all locks.

Which role player or guy on the fringe of the 26-man roster could come out of nowhere and surprise us this year?

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

As the Orioles make their way to Sarasota for spring training this week, they’ve got an exciting new addition waiting for them. (No, it’s not a pitcher. If only!)

Yesterday the O’s unveiled a new, $23 million player development complex at their spring home of Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota. The 47,700-square-foot facility, which team president Mike Elias described as “the best spring training setup in the state of Florida,” comes with plenty of amenities for both training and entertainment.

The complex includes a biomechanics pitching lab, equipped with 30 cameras to help provide feedback on pitch design and swing mechanics. There’s a new outdoor turf agility field that’s about twice as big as the old one. And there are now four indoor batting cages and eight indoor pitching mounds to help players get their work in on rainy days. I’m kind of surprised the Orioles didn’t have those before, but better late than never, I suppose. Plus, the facility includes classrooms for scouting and player education, along with a player lounge featuring ping-pong, foosball, and video games. It seems like an impressive setup, and it’s doubly impressive that the O’s built the facility in less than a year, having only started construction after spring training last season.

If the Orioles make full use of these new amenities, good things can happen. Maybe a struggling pitcher will be able to use the biomechanics lab to make some key adjustments to his repertoire. Perhaps the upgraded agility field will help players get into better physical shape as they ramp up for the season. And maybe a team-wide ping-pong tournament can help boost camaraderie as the O’s roster looks to gel. Couldn’t hurt!

It’s a reminder that there are smart ways to invest resources into a team other than just signing players. (But to be clear, signing players is still important.) The Orioles saw an opportunity to revamp and improve their training facilities and made it happen quickly. On its own, a new spring training facility might not make the difference between a winning 2026 season and a losing one. But every little bit helps. And it’s a good sign that the O’s are doing what it takes to boost the organization by any means necessary.

Links

Lind shares his thoughts on Alonso, Henderson, Rutschman and more – School of Roch

There’s going to be plenty of attention on Dustin Lind, who’s looking to succeed where the previous two seasons’ of O’s hitting coaches have failed. Unlike those other guys, Lind has Pete Alonso to work with, which is a good start.

MASN to offer season pass to watch Orioles games. Here’s how much it costs. – The Baltimore Sun

If you’re a cord-cutter like me, you can watch the entire season of O’s baseball for $100. Sure beats paying for cable.

Jon Meoli: Two offseasons in, the Orioles’ best path to spend their money on future contracts is clear – The Baltimore Banner

Meoli is beating the drum for the O’s to sign their young players to extensions. I agree, but if it hasn’t happened yet (Samuel Basallo excluded), I have the feeling it’s not going to.

Baltimore Orioles 2026 top 20 prospects: Samuel Basallo, Wehiwa Aloy lead the way – The Athletic

Keith Law ranks the Orioles’ best prospects, including some you might not be as familiar with. I must admit that Andrew Tess was a new name for me, but Law is on his bandwagon.

Is Orioles’ rotation good enough without Valdez? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com

My initial thought was “no.” But after thinking about it some more, my answer is still “no.”

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Five former Orioles were born on this day: right-hander Jorge López (33), shortstop César Izturis (46), catchers Alberto Castillo (56) and Lenny Webster (61), and the late lefty Billy O’Dell (b. 1933, d. 2018).

On this date in 2009, the Orioles signed free agent infielder Ty Wigginton. The man affectionately dubbed “Wiggy” was not a particularly good player for the Orioles, posting a 93 OPS+ and negligible defense in two seasons with the Birds, but somehow was selected to the 2010 AL All-Star team thanks to the “every team has to have a representative” rule. Good ol’ Wiggy.

1920
Major League Baseball outlawed the spitball but grandfathered in the 17 pitchers currently using the pitch. Among those allowed to continue throwing a “wet ball” was White Sox hurler Red Faber.

Faber was coming off of a poor, illness-riddled 1919 season, registering the only negative-WAR effort of his career. His fortunes turned with a career-best 5.7 WAR in 1920, then two straight (11.4 and 9.6) seasons where Faber led all of baseball in WAR and cemented his legend.

Faber in fact pitched until 1933, and was the very last pitcher (along with Jack Quinn) in the American League to legally throw a spitball.

1955
The White Sox purchased center fielder Lloyd Merriman from the Reds. Merriman had spent four seasons in Cincinnati, with subpar production.

Merriman had a pinch-hit fly out vs. Cleveland’s Bob Lemon on Opening Day — and that would be it for his White Sox career. Four days later, he was sold across town to the Cubs, in just the seventh transaction ever between the two Chicago clubs.

2002
The day after playing in a charity baseball game that benefited the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Fla., former White Sox first baseman Jim Spencer died of a heart attack at age 51.

Spencer came to the White Sox in the deal that sent Bill Melton west to the California Angels before the 1976 season. His .682 OPS as a full-time regular in 1976 looks bad, but was nearly average, at 99 OPS+. However, he was intentionally walked 19 times that season, leading the majors. (Brian Downing, Jorge Orta, Bucky Dent and Kevin Bell most often batted behind Spencer — all pretty much the same hitter besides the much weaker Dent … so let’s presume, without going game-by-game through the misery of 1976, that most of these IBBs for Spencer occurred in front of Dent.)

In 1977, Spencer’s fortunes took a more distinctive turn. While he was just about as productive overall as 1976 (i.e, a replacement-player WAR, middling OPS), he won the second Gold Glove of his career, becoming the first-ever White Sox first baseman winner and first White Sox position player to win the fielding award in seven seasons.

And not once but twice in 1977, Spencer drove in a White Sox-record eight runs in a game.

That’s right, something that had only happened twice in the first 76 years of the franchise was equaled by Spencer in the span of six weeks!

2012
The White Sox signed former USC quarterback Mitch Mustain to a minor league contract. Mustain had gone undrafted by the NFL and failed to catch on in the Canadian Football League, leading him to pursue baseball — a sport he did not play in college and had been away from for eight years.

The righthander, said to throw as fast as 90 mph, pitched for the Bristol White Sox and Kannapolis Intimidators in 2012, relieving in 21 games with a 2-2 record and one save, 4.63 ERA, 12 strikeouts and 14 walks in 23 1⁄3 innings.

The White Sox released him after the season and Mustain then played for two seasons in the Arena Football League.