Category: MLB

After an eventful spring training for the Mets, who saw tons of prospects get playing time on the field and in the batter's box, it's time to answer some of your questions regarding players who will start the season in the minor leagues.

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How disheartening was Jonah Tong’s spring? On a scale of “no big deal” to “should’ve kept Sproat”, where should I be? - @_Biergan

This is squarely in the no big deal category for me. I’d even lean closer to being more encouraged than disheartened.

Tong did not possess any realistic pathway to breaking camp with the big league team. The most important thing for him this spring was development, not results. He knows that he has the fastball and the Vulcan changeup to lean on, but development of the third and fourth pitch is paramount.

The focus has been on pitches that give him some glove-side movement to prevent him from being essentially an entirely north-south pitcher. Those pitches have been a cutter and attempting a harder version of his curveball, with a little more horizontal movement.

In his two spring training starts, Tong threw 34 cutters, according to Statcast -- roughly 26 percent of his pitches thrown. He did not throw the curveball as much in-game, but it’s something he’s thrown a lot on the backfields.

It should not be forgotten that Tong was called up to the major leagues before he was truly ready, due to a dire need. The positive of his up-and-down big-league stint is he learned what he had to work on. 

He will head back to Triple-A and continue to work on those two pitches as well as refining some command. The internal feeling about Tong in the organization has not dampened. He just needs innings in Triple-A. 

I never hear much about Jacob Reimer’s defense at 3rd, what are his pros and cons at the position and is it parallel to Mark Vientos orBrett Baty? - @KickinitwithKeef

Reimer told me explicitly in spring training that his big focus was improving defensively at third base.

The main pros is he has the actions and plenty of arm for the position. He continues to work on his pre-pitch setup and first step with infield coaches Tucker Frawley and David Adams.

The main con is his lateral quickness is below average, so it is important his first step is right, and he is in the proper positioning pre-pitch.

The organization believes his third base defense under the hood was better in 2025 than what it appeared surface level. However, scouts I spoke to outside of the organization believe he is more likely to fit at first base long-term, considering his third base defense at this time grades as just passable.

I believe Reimer’s bat will play at the next level. In 2026 I will be keeping a close eye on his defensive development and how much of a split the Mets deploy him between third base and first base. To compare him to Vientos and Baty defensively at third base, I’d say Reimer sits in the middle of the two.

Will Elian Peña fly through Low-A and High-A ball to Double-A this season? - @TonyHvacGod

The excitement surrounding Peña is real. The No. 7 prospect in the organization has stood out since reporting to Port St. Lucie in January. In the Spring Breakout game last week, the 18-year-old looked mature beyond his years and like the most talented player on the field. It wasn’t much of an offensive game for either side, but Peña went 1-for-2 with a walk. The hit was a single on a 1-2 pitch that he roped into right field at 102 mph off the bat.

The Mets will decide in the coming days if Peña will start with Low-A St. Lucie or the Florida Complex League, though this is the type of player who is ready for the slightly more aggressive starting point with St. Lucie, in my opinion.

It is a lofty expectation for an 18-year-old to go through three levels in his first season stateside. Despite the Mets being aggressive in promoting prospects within the farm system, I will predict he does not reach Double-A in 2026. However, I won’t completely rule out the possibility.

The more comfortable projection would be him performing well enough to reach High-A Brooklyn before the year is done.

Peña could be poised for a breakout year, and it should not shock anyone if he is on all top 100 prospect lists and competing to be the top ranked prospect in the Mets organization by the end of the season.

It’s hard to shake the memories of the Phils’ failures against the Dodgers in last year’s postseason.

A .212 batting average in four games. A .299 on-base percentage. They slugged .358, for an OPS of .657. If a player posted an OPS of .657, that would have put them 139th out of 145 qualified hitters in baseball last season. They hit just three home runs in the series, all of them in their lone victory, 8-2 in Game 3.

It’s hard to shake those memories. It’s difficult to shake the ghosts of the 2024 NLDS against the Mets, when the offense was even worse, posting a .186/.295/.302 slash line and a .598 OPS. The futility of Games 6 and 7 of the 2023 NLCS against the Diamondbacks left an indelible mark, too.

It’s understandable fans are down on the offense heading into 2026, a lineup that mirrors the ones we’ve watched come up short in October each of the last three seasons.

Everyone is another year older, and time is undefeated. There are worries the bats simply are not good enough to win a championship.

Let me posit a counter-argument. That the offense might actually be… good?

It’s understandable that we fixate on the October failures, but perhaps we should reflect on how they performed in the regular season last year. They scored the 8th-most runs in the Majors, 5th-most in the NL. Their 212 home runs were 9th-most, and their .759 OPS ranked 4th.

Yes, that’s right. The Phillies had the 4th-highest OPS in Major League Baseball in 2025. And for the first time in the last few seasons, everything was humming beautifully heading into October.

Their .797 OPS after the All-Star Game was 2nd-highest, behind only the Yankees’ .799. They slugged .471, which was the best mark in MLB in the second half. Their 110 homers were 2nd-most, their 340 runs scored were tied for 4th and they were tied for 3rd in wRC+. Every regular except for J.T. Realmuto and Nick Castellanos posted an above average wRC+, with Kyle Schwarber (152), Trea Turner (144), Brandon Marsh (140), Bryson Stott (135), Bryce Harper (133), Harrison Bader (129) and Edmundo Sosa (120) all at least 20% better than league average. All seven of those players had an OPS over .800.

Essentially, the vast majority of the lineup played like All Stars over the final two months of the season.

The Phillies enter 2026 without a major anchor around their necks, Castellanos, sucking up playing time. It’s no coincidence the offense performed better once his role was reduced. While I remain skeptical his replacement, Adolis Garcia, can improve upon Castellanos’ offense performance, there were encouraging signs late in spring training for the 33-year-old.

After a slow start, Garcia smoked the ball over the final two weeks, finishing with a .275 batting average, two home runs, and a .408 OBP in 40 spring at-bats. Most impressive was newfound plate discipline displayed by Garcia this spring, walking 8 times and striking out in only 5 plate appearances.

There is hope Harper will have a more impactful, “elite” season, in 2026. His late home run at the World Baseball Classic inspires hope. Bryson Stott’s mechanical adjustments that spurred on an .855 second half OPS last year appear to be taking hold. No one should expect a 1.072 OPS from him in the regular season, but it’s encouraging to see him picking up where he left off last season.

Yes, there will still be platoons in some spots. Despite Stott’s improvement, he’ll likely continue to share time with Sosa, and Otto Kemp will split duties in left field with Marsh. And center field remains a question mark. Bader was a breath of fresh air and an offensive injection for a lineup that had gone stale by last year’s trade deadline. Justin Crawford’s solid spring (.250/.291/.346, with 10 runs scored in 18 games) earned him the everyday nod in center, and as the No. 9 hitter, he is not expected to carry the lineup.

On Monday, the Phillies posted what will most likely be their starting lineup on Opening Day against the Texas Rangers.

Spring Training finale pic.twitter.com/Czf9iVyyuJ

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 23, 2026

Everyone knows Alec Bohm, who also had an outstanding spring down in Clearwater, is miscast as a traditional cleanup hitter. It is a spot in the batting order in which the Phillies received below league average production a season ago, with a .720 OPS that ranked 20th. But they were 9th out of the No. 5 spot, 1st in the No. 6, 13th at No. 7, and 3rd at No. 8.

The top and bottom of the Phillies lineup was one of the best in baseball. That cleanup spot, an admittedly important role, was the only one that was below league average. Maybe they can survive that. Maybe it’ll get better.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you this offense isn’t going to frustrate us this year. It absolutely will. Here’s the thing; if we zoom out, we’ll realize every other offense and every other fanbase goes through similar frustrations.

Yep, even the Dodgers.

Nationally, analysts are more bullish on the offense. MLB.com recently ranked every lineup and put the Phillies at No. 8. I think everyone would take that. The dream would be a repeat performance of 2025. It was the best year this group has ever had together. They just couldn’t carry it through into October.

I know you’re down on the Phillies’ lineup, but it’s probably going to be better than you think, and may actually be pretty darn good.

Check out my latest Hittin’ Season podcast, powered by WHYY, where we discussed the lineup, Cristopher Sanchez’ contract extension, and a disastrous start to the season for the Atlanta Braves!

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At long last, we've reached the final day of spring training.

With regular-season games set to start on Wednesday, I've got one last batch of spring training MLB picks for you, including the Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers, and Chicago Cubs on their respective moneylines on Tuesday, March 24.

Spring Training predictions for March 24

Pick #1: Guardians moneyline

Cleveland Guardians left-hander Parker Messick is a popular breakout candidate this year, and it's easy to see why. He boasted a 2.72 ERA across seven starts while limiting the walks and home runs in his first cup of coffee at the MLB level.

The uptick in long balls this spring isn't a concern, and I like him more than Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Mike Soroka in this matchup.

Obviously, spring bullpens can strike (as they did for two of my three picks yesterday), and even with Jose Ramirez and Chase DeLauter on the bench, I like these odds, which have shifted from -110 to +105 since the Cleveland lineup was announced.

Pick #2: Tigers moneyline

At -160, this is a lot of juice, but I expect the Detroit Tigers to deploy something very similar to their Opening Day lineup against Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano.

Sugano has thrown just three innings this spring and is coming off his debut MLB season where he posted a 4.64 ERA, allowed 33 home runs, and recorded a paltry 15.7% strikeout rate over 157 innings.

He doesn't miss bats, and even though Justin Verlander hasn't looked his best this spring, the old goat still has something left in the tank, as evidenced by his 3.85 ERA in 152 innings with the Giants last season. The talent disparity on the whole is worth paying the elevated price.

Pick #3: Cubs moneyline

Gerrit Cole makes his second spring start for the New York Yankees in his road back from elbow surgery. He pitched just one inning in his last outing, and I don't see them pushing him much more than that today, as his regular-season debut isn't expected to come until May or June.

The Chicago Cubs haven't seen the best from Edward Cabrera yet, but most of his 6.35 ERA came from his last outing when he allowed seven earned runs over three awful innings.

So, small sample sizes aside, with the Yankees likely going to the pen early, the Cubs are in a better position to do damage against the relievers.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

For once, Shohei Ohtani’s left-handed swing wasn’t the smoothest thing at Dodger Stadium.

On Monday night, as Kirsten Watson was delivering a live shot from the Dodgers’ dugout just ahead of the team’s exhibition matchup with the Angels, she pulled off a slick move that had social media buzzing.

The Spectrum SportsNet reporter was breaking down Santiago Espinal’s positional versatility, when suddenly, a Dodgers staffer asked for a fist bump right in the middle of one of her sentences.

Spectrum SportsNet's Kirsten Watson with the no-look fist bump pic.twitter.com/ju4xRNdKZD

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 24, 2026

Without missing a beat, Watson casually dapped up the guy without looking, and went on with her analysis as if nothing had happened.

Quickly, X users clipped the video and praised her for the clean maneuver.

“That’s a championship reporter right there,” one wrote.

“Peripheral vision off the charts,” another added.

At least one of the X videos had nearly half a million views as of Tuesday morning.

It won’t be long until Dodgers fans can get another up-close look at Watson’s work — the reigning World Series champions play the Angels again on Spectrum SportsNet later Tuesday, before they officially open their regular season against the Diamondbacks on Thursday.

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On this episode of The Dodgers Post, Jack Harris and Dylan Hernández look ahead to the start of the regular season, and debate whether the Dodgers made the right Opening Day roster decisions.

They talk about the team’s most difficult roster choice, keeping Alex Freeland with the big-league club while sending Hyeseong Kim to the minors to begin the year. They also discuss Roki Sasaki’s challenging spring, and the pros and cons of starting him in the opening day rotation.

Later, the duo breaks down their expectations for Shohei Ohtani in 2026 as he returns to a full-time two-way role. And they make predictions about the upcoming season, revealing their expected Dodgers win totals and whether the team can complete a World Series three-peat.

All that and more, as the regular season finally arrives.

At Citi Field, there are the usual heavy hitters when it comes to food choices — not to mention on-field stars — but new additions make this year’s options a well-rounded food lineup with plenty of depth.

The food is just part of what goes into the decision-making for the partners the Mets bring in each season, as there are unique stories and backgrounds all across the diamond that they hope satisfy hungry fans.

This year will see a wide array of additions, such as 1986 World Series hero Mookie Wilson bringing his take on barbecue and Bronx-born chef Zina Bunch taking her brand of Puerto Rican empanadas to the major leagues.

“I think that those stories are really great, and that’s what I mean when literally everywhere you look in the ballpark, there’s a cool story, there’s a cool food item, and there’s just something amazing,” Jason Eksterowicz, Aramark senior executive chef for Citi Field, told The Post.

“When you look around here, and you talk to all of these different partners, it literally is like a food family that we’ve built here.”

The Mets are selling 37 new offerings for the 2026 season in partnership with 27 vendors. The Amazin’s may be looking for their first World Series crown in 40 years, but Citi Field’s culinary concoctions continue to be champs — now having won USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Award for best baseball stadium food for three straight years.

Ahead of the Mets’ home opener on Thursday, March 26, against the Pittsburgh Pirates, here are some of The Post’s favorite dishes for this season after sampling items at the team’s annual tasting event. 

Eat in the Cave

The Puerto Rican soul-food kitchen brings its delectable empanadas to Citi Field, with its veggie nadas being the star of the show. Described as a savory blend of rice, cilantro, sweet pumpkin, chickpeas and potato, they pair with the aptly named Cave sauce that bolsters the flavor of the dish.

Chef Bunch told The Post that the veggie nadas are one of the best-selling items for their New Jersey-based food truck, and the inclusion of the vegan-friendly option — the Cave sauce, however, is not — was because she “wanted to touch the crowd of vegans and vegetarians, and Citi Field thought it would be a great touch.”

Eat in the Cave will also offer beef and cheese nadas, and fans looking to try them can find the empanadas in the Hudson Whiskey NY or Clover Home Plate clubs.

Pig Beach BBQ

A fan favorite at Citi Field the past few seasons, this barbecue joint is throwing a change-up with a new menu item — loaded cornbread with decadent cheddar cheese sauce, BBQ sauce and, the pièce de résistance, pulled pork. The cornbread is moist and sweet and balances out nicely with the pork.

Because this isn’t exactly your garden-variety cornbread, Pig Beach founding partner and chef Shane McBride recommends to The Post that fans use a fork to enjoy this indulgent item, which he considers a main attraction and no mere side dish.

“The pulled pork just naturally goes with it — it’s just juicy, succulent,” McBride said. “There’s a little bit of sweet and sour from the vinegar sauce, and it pairs really well with the cornbread. It’s quick and easy … This is probably the fastest dish we’ve ever done here.”

Taqueria Ramirez

Brooklyn residents have become acutely aware of this Greenpoint eatery’s fresh tacos over the past few years, and now the world’s borough will experience some of that at the Coca-Cola Food Truck in Section 302 from opening day through July 12.

The stand will offer a nopales (cactus) taco, and with the depth of flavor, even carnivores will have a hard time turning up their noses.

Chef and co-owner Giovanni Cervantes is bringing his best fastball with this one because it definitely doesn’t lack heat. There’s a crunch and je ne sais quoi quality to the flavor profile that Cervantes believes foodies will crave.

“We always like to create a little bit of contrast with a little bit of fat, a little bit of acidity that we create with the salsas, a little bit of spiciness that comes with that as well,” Cervantes, who hails from Mexico City, told The Post. “But I feel, particularly, this taco is really rich in textures you don’t expect.”

Legacy Catering by Mookie Wilson and family

During his playing days, Wilson used to cook up pork chops and yams for himself and some of his teammates. Now, the Mets legend is showing off his culinary skills for everyone.

The smoked pulled-chicken sliders — available at the Hudson Whiskey NY Club — feature a classic golden BBQ sauce, bread and butter pickles on a Martin’s slider bun. One could argue that the sandwich is as enjoyable as watching Wilson hit a groundball through a certain first baseman’s legs.

Wilson enjoys the idea that his food will help people see the many layers that baseball players have.

“I think that it kind of opened people’s eyes a little bit,” he told The Post. “There’s another side to many, many ball players.”

Willets Point Brewery

The 9-9-9 challenge — nine beers and nine hot dogs over nine innings — has taken over a subset of baseball culture over the past few years, and Citi Field is now offering fans a more formal way to do it, albeit in a scaled-down variation. Chowhounds can pig out on nine mini Nathan’s hot dogs that come with nine 4-ounce beers (either Coors Light or Heineken).

But Willets Point is also selling a backyard BBQ burger that is loaded with two 4-ounce Pat LaFrieda patties, New York cheddar, BBQ pulled pork, onion rings, whiskey BBQ sauce, shredded lettuce and pickles on a brioche bun.

This was one of The Post’s new favorite bites, so if you’re looking for an elevated burger, this should be a go-to.

The rest

If any of those items don’t catch your fancy, there are plenty of other options when you’re at the ballpark.

The Queensboro — an eatery from Jackson Heights — will have a kimchi reuben at the Taste of Queens from March 26 to July 12, while former “Man v. Food” host Adam Richman’s Burger Hall of Fame will now offer a caprese burger at its stand. Amazin’ Deli added a chopped Italian sausage sandwich that’s a new spin on a ballpark staple.

Those looking for a sweet treat have a few choices, with Long Island-based Hildebrandt Ice Cream bringing a Mets-inspired Blue & Orange Skies flavor, along with Pat LaFrieda’s Chop House adding an apple pie cheesecake that bears a striking resemblance to the ballpark’s iconic home run apple.

The Mets announced that they will be wearing a memorial patch on their jersey sleeves during the 2026 season, honoring former manager Davey Johnson. 

Here's a look (click on the tweet below to see the uncropped image):

The Mets will wear a "Davey" patch on their jerseys this year to honor the late Davey Johnson pic.twitter.com/XEN9OkdSF1

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) March 24, 2026

Johnson died this past September at the age of 82.

The winningest manager in Mets history (595-417), Johnson was at the helm for the Mets from 1984 to 1990, leading the 1986 team to a World Series win over the Boston Red Sox. 

He had a winning record in all six of his full seasons (including five straight 90-win seasons), with the team moving on from him after a 20-22 start to the 1990 season.

Johnson was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 2010.

A week after the All-Star Break in 2005, the Houston Astros were swept in St. Louis. The loss dropped them two under .500 and for all intents and purposes, left them dead in the water. Some fourteen weeks later, they’d shock the baseball world, appearing in their first World Series.     

Tim Purpura was at the helm as GM and sat down for an extensive interview with The Crawfish Boxes.     

Andy & Roger in 2005. What did they bring to the clubhouse each day?     

They brought legitimacy to Houston baseball.   They were great teammates, and set the standard in different ways.  As you know, we signed Andy first to help us win games in the post-season. 

But we hoped he would also help us develop some of our good young pitchers (Oswalt, Lidge, etc.)  He was the guy to who was teaching the young pitchers mound presence, hyped up their competitiveness, etc.   It seemed like whenever I saw Andy in the clubhouse or dugout, he always had a young pitcher by his side.

Roger brought a competitiveness that we never had in recent times. Roger was also ultimately prepared.  During spring training in 2005, the head groundskeeper came running into my office from the pouring rain to tell me that the crew couldn’t get Roger off one of the mounds.  Afraid that he might get hurt, I ran down there to talk to him.  When I got outside (in the rain) I asked him if he could bring it inside and finish his bullpen on an indoor mound. After I made my request he said, “but Boss, when else am I going to be able to practice throwing from the mound in the rain.”

When he first came on board, on Opening Day, he had hundreds of Under Armor fleece sweatshirts with his personal logo and his number 22 embroidered.  He had the clubhouse team distribute them not only to the players, but every single full-time employee at Minute Maid Park. He’s a very thoughtful person.

How tough is it to deal away aging vets and stars when the organization and fans have such an attachment?  The Astros recently have endured that with the Tucker, Bregman departures.   

Unfortunately, we didn’t do a good job doing that.  Our fans, our owner, etc. put a great deal of pressure on us to stay the course, particularly after the World Series in 05.

I believe that the budgets for free agents, player development, and scouting as well as foreign signings and operations must be robust enough to be able to create the next star players to satisfy.

Have you ever seen anything like Ohtani? 

Generational talent. In a word: No. 

The ones that are high on the list for me are Barry Bonds, Nolan Ryan, and. Roger Clemens. I still cannot believe that Nolan never won a Cy Young Award, let alone multiple awards.  Nolan started the movement towards weight training which was the match that set Major League teams starting strength and conditioning  programs. 

As for Ohtani,  I would pay to see him. When he came into the League with the Angels, my daughter and I would always try the see him in Arlington, when the club was in town.  He can do it all and has already.   

What’s a typical day life now for you?

Busy…for the recent year or so I have been developing a negotiation, mediation and arbitration practice. 

Purpura Mediation | Sports & Business Mediation & Arbitration  Think NIL issues.     

Even though Purpura’s tenure as GM was brief, his impact was historic, delivering the first pennant in franchise history.      

Ask Jerry Dipoto in Seattle or A.J. Preller in San Diego if they wouldn’t change places.    In combination, they’ve been working as GM’s for a combined twenty five years and are still chasing a Series appearance.   

LOS ANGELES — Spring training was a disaster for Roki Sasaki, but the Dodgers are showing incredible faith in the phenom to find some semblance of command once the games count for real.

In three of his four Cactus League starts, Sasaki was removed in the middle of an inning that got away from him, earlier than his originally planned length, then re-entered the game to open the next inning, which is allowed during spring training. Prior to Monday night’s start at Dodger Stadium against the Angels, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts talked about expectations for Sasaki, who will start the Dodgers’ fourth game of the season, next Monday against the Cleveland Guardians at home.

“Tonight we need to see him in compete mode. There’s a time to work on your mechanics, and a time to go out and compete,” Roberts said. “Once the game starts, it’s about getting hitters out, because this is his last tuneup for the fourth game of the regular season. And he’s got to be ready to go.

“You’re not always going to feel perfect, physically, mentally, emotionally, whatever it is. But certainly for a starting pitcher, when it’s your day, you still got to find a way to take down a good amount of outs.”

Sasaki had his worst command to date against the Angels, and was removed five batters into the first inning with no outs. In fairness, one of those was a groundball that should have been an out, but Miguel Rojas threw errantly to second base. And it didn’t get much better once Sasaki resumed pitching in the second inning.

The only target Sasaki consistently hit on Monday was Angels shortstop Zach Neto, clipped on the right elbow on a 3-0 pitch the first inning and plunked by an errant 0-2 splitter in the second. Sasaki walked six Angels and struck out two.

“The results weren’t good today,” Sasaki said through his interpreter. “My mechanics were a little off, but I’ll keep improving.”

His spring training stats are gruesome. Sasaki threw more balls (110) than strikes (108), and half of his batters faced reached base by hit (nine), walk (15), or hit by pitch (two). All that to complete 8 2/3 innings, during which he allowed 15 runs.

Sasaki this spring has been trying to add a new pitch to his repertoire, classified as a cutter at Baseball Savant. But he mostly scrapped the pitch on Monday, throwing the cutter only six times in his 66 pitches, and still had a devil of a time against the Angels with mostly his fastball and splitter.

Roberts after the game reiterated that Sasaki would start Monday against Cleveland, and will be in the rotation to open the season.

“He’s got to go out there and attack hitters. It’s just one of those things that it’s tough to pitch when you’re working behind in counts, running deep counts, and getting your pitch count up there,” Roberts said. “If it’s mechanical, if it’s mental, if it’s emotional, all that we’ve got to sift through and find some clarity when he takes the mound. Because at the end of the day, he’s got to get outs.

“We’re still trying to learn and get better, and acclimate. I believe in him, I really do. I told him that in the dugout. For me, I’m going to keep pouring into him like our staff is, and expect it to get better.”

The Dodgers made a long-term investment into Sasaki, the most coveted pitcher in baseball last offseason who is still only 24 years old. Ideally he’s going to be around for at least five more years, and they are calculating that it’s worth a little short-term rough patch now, dealing with these growing pains to potentially reap a considerable payoff in the long run.

Left unspoken is that the Dodgers’ competition in the National League West is not as robust in 2026 as it has been in recent seasons, and it would probably take a disaster for them to not win the division. They’re willing to see it through with Sasaki, even if the early cost is being behind in his starts.

We’ll see how long that rope lasts, however. It’s one thing to struggle in games that don’t count. Going forward, the stakes are real, and the Dodgers are hoping Sasaki will finally turn a corner.

“We’re going to run him out there. I don’t think that for me, to put my head in a space that there’s another alternative right now, that’s not helpful. I don’t think so,” Roberts said. “I think that we’re gonna support him as much as we can, and then give him some runway, and then, once the season starts, then you gotta it’s about production.”

Well it’s here: the last game of Spring Training, as the Braves open their regular season on Friday in Atlanta against Kansas City. Grant Holmes gets his final spring tune-up, wrapping up what has been a strong and healthy spring for Grant. There was much concern about his health, given that he was shut down for a partial UCL tear last season and opted for the rest and rehab route for recover that has yielded mixed results in the past across baseball. He has not only been healthy, but has yet to allow a run and has struck out a bunch of batters this spring.

The Braves will be rolling with what could easily be an Opening Day lineup, as Ronald Acuna leads off, followed by Drake Baldwin and Matt Olson.

Last game of spring! 🌞 pic.twitter.com/SeD59JLVSR

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) March 24, 2026

That Braves lineup will face Ryan Pepiot, a solid #4-quality starter for the Rays. The Rays are also running out a number of MLB regulars in their lineup, so this game should resemble major league level competition for most of the game.

Spring send-off pic.twitter.com/MriyY3tuzS

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) March 24, 2026

Join us and discuss the game in the comments below!

Game Notes

Time: 12:05 EDT

TV: ATL Video, MLBTV

Radio: ESPN 103.7/WIFN 1340

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Parlays and same-game parlays in particular are more popular than ever among sports bettors, and with so many baseball games to wager on every single day in a season that stretches from March to October, the MLB and parlays are a perfect pairing.

Combining multiple baseball bets together means a bigger profit, but with that comes a bigger risk. If you are new to baseball betting and making MLB picks, we help you learn how to wager on baseball parlays the smart way. 

What is a baseball parlay bet?

A baseball parlay bet ties two or more wagers together and places one single stake for an increased payout. The more bets added to the parlay, the larger the potential profit. However, all the selections (called legs) included in the parlay must be correct for the overall parlay to win. Even if three of the four bets included in the parlay win and one loses, the entire parlay is a loss.

Parlays promise larger payouts due to the high risk involved. The more bets added to the baseball parlay, the greater the risk. Because of all those variables, parlays have a much lower win probability than single baseball bets.

While they are a fun way to wager, they are not a sustainable long-term betting strategy due to their high risk/low probability.

Baseball same-game parlays

Baseball same-game parlays have become increasingly popular recently, with sportsbooks offering parlays on odds markets from a single game. 

The example below is a three-leg, same-game parlay from a matchup between the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. The parlay includes a bet on the Yankees moneyline (to win outright) at +120 odds, a bet on the Under 7.5 runs at -110 odds, and a player prop on Kevin Gausman to record Over 17.5 outs at -145 odds.

Tying all three bets together in a baseball same-game parlay increases the odds to +610. A $100 stake on this parlay would payout $710 ($610 in winnings + $100 original stake). All three bets must be correct for the parlay to win.

Baseball multi-game parlays

Baseball multi-game parlays are the most common method of wagering on parlays, tying together bets from different MLB games.

The example below is a two-game baseball parlay, including a bet on the Yankees moneyline at +120 and the Los Angeles Dodgers moneyline at -135.

By themselves as single bets, these bets would return $220 and $174, respectively, on $100 stakes ($394 total return on $200 in stakes), but the result of one does not impact the other (one could lose and the other could win and pay out). 

As a multi-game baseball parlay, however, combining the two bets into one parlay generates odds of +282, and a single $100 stake can return $382 ($282 in winnings + $100 original stake).

MLB parlay betting tips

Baseball parlay betting is a great way to break up a long season and also capitalize on what you see as your best bets for that day’s games. Here are some MLB parlay betting tips to follow all season long: 

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.