SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MARCH 25: Fans of the New York Yankees receive autographs prior to the game between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on Wednesday, March 25, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The New York Yankees are off to as good a start as you can ask for in the 2026 Major League Baseball season. After a series sweep of the San Francisco Giants on the road, they travel up the west coast and play the Seattle Mariners for a three-game series before a day off and their first home series of the year against the Miami Marlins.
With the strong start and some excellent performances from the necessary players to steer this ship toward a World Series, there was certainly some optimism among the Yankees fanbase coming out of opening weekend (also with the understanding that the Giants are a team still trying to find their footing in the National League West). However, according to a recent article in The Athletic, Yankees fans were generally less optimistic about the 2026 season and its potential results. In fact, they were about as optimistic as a few teams firmly within the rebuild territory.
More than 11,000 fans participated in our fifth annual MLB Hope-O-Meter.
Overall, 72 percent reported they are optimistic about their favorite team this season, compared to 66 percent in 2025. pic.twitter.com/ywvrqQAsGs
The first observation from the optimism survey is precisely that: the Yankees, a team that tied for first in the American League East with 94 wins and made it to the American League Divisional Series (even though that’s not nearly the standard that has been set), are sandwiched by the Chicago White Sox, who finished last year with 102 losses — the second-most in all of MLB — and the Miami Marlins, who finished four games below the .500 mark. They’re also only three spots higher than the St. Louis Cardinals, who finished six games under .500 last year and have made it pretty clear that they’re in rebuild territory.
Suffice to say, for a team that finished with such a good placement in the standings last year and had a legitimate chance of making it back to the World Series, it was unexpected to see them surrounded by those other franchises.
Below are the Yankees’ finishes in the “Hope-O-Meter” polls in other seasons and how their final results turned out.
2025: 68.1 percent (17); 94-68, T-1st in AL East, lost in ALDS to Toronto Blue Jays 2024: 80.7 percent (11); 94-68, 1st in AL East, lost in World Series to Los Angeles Dodgers 2023: 71.1 percent (18); 82-80, 4th in AL East, Did not make playoffs 2022: 48 percent (21); 99-63, 1st in AL East, lost in ALCS to Houston Astros
Within these results there is a little bit of correlation here — the highest finishing year being the year where they made it to the World Series, the third-highest being when the team tied for first and made it to the ALDS — but the other two years showcase that just because the fans aren’t optimistic doesn’t mean that the plan of attack will or won’t work out. Yankees fans in 2022 finished 21st (one spot above where they are for 2026) and made it to the ALCS after winning the division with 99 wins. The year following, they finished 18th and went almost .500.
While the Yankees did take a more unpopular approach to the offseason moves they made this winter, it’s important to note that it’s a lot easier to look at your house and say it’s burning when you’re looking for every tiny ember versus not looking nearly as closely at all the other houses around you that are burning or have the potential to do so. And, of course, it’s important to remember that the entire attitude around the Yankees organization is “championship or bust.” It’s a noble concept in practice. Everyone wants their sports franchise to be run that way. But it can provide a bit of a “rose colored glasses” view of how a team operates relative to the others around it.
The Hope-O-Meter is not a predictor of results, and it never has been. Instead, it’s more of a fun experiment done by an outlet that lets fans voice their feelings (good or bad) about where they believe their franchise is heading into the season. And while Yankees fans were clearly not thrilled with how things were handled over the offseason and heading into the regular season, there’s a reason they play the games.
Mar 29, 2026; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves left fielder Mike Yastrzemski (18) slides into second base after hitting a double against the Kansas City Royals during the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
The Braves will be going for the series win against the A’s behind Jose Suarez, in a matchup of fringy starting pitchers with the opportunity to give Chris Sale a chance to secure a sweep tomorrow. The Braves are running with what is probably their best possible lineup on true talent available on the active roster, facing the righty in Civale, as Mike Yastrzemski bats fifth and plays left field. Walt Weiss continues to be comfortable stacking Baldwin and Olson at 2 and 3 in the lineup, despite them both being lefties. At the back of the lineup, Dominic Smith rejoins the lineup at DH and Mauricio Dubon plays shortstop once again.
On the other side, the A’s shuffled their lineup a bit, as Nick Kurtz drops to third and Jacob Wilson takes the leadoff spot. Former Braves first round pick Shea Langeliers catches for the A’s and bats second.
Tonight’s game is on BravesVision and Gray TV at 7:15 PM ET. This may be a game high in runs scored, given the pitching matchup and offensive talent, so let’s hope the Braves can bring the lumber.
CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 17: Brandon Williamson #55 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches in the first inning during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Kareem Elgazzar/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It’s been since September 17th, 2024 since Brandon Williamson has taken a mound in a professional baseball game at any level, let alone at the big league level. His grind back after having Tommy John surgery on the UCL in his left arm, though, is finally complete.
Williamson will start for the Cincinnati Reds tonight at home in Great American Ball Park with the Pittsburgh Pirates in town, the second game of this three-game set between the NL Central rivals. The Reds took home the first game of the series last night behind an excellent start by Chase Burns and a rock solid effort from some inexperienced arms in their bullpen, and Williamson will hope to lead the charge tonight that gets them a second straight series victory.
The lefty looked good all through Cactus League play, eventually earning his way onto the team’s Opening Day roster despite a positional battle with former 1st rounders like Burns and Rhett Lowder. After Nick Lodolo’s blister issues flared up, though, the team’s ‘six for five’ plan with their starters was reduced down to a five-man rotation that needed Williamson to be a starter from the outset.
That’s what we’re going to see for the first time tonight.
Spencer Steer will be the odd-man out of the starting lineup for this one after having started each of the team’s first four games of the year, the team’s utility-man extraordinaire sure to make an appearance at some point later in the game. Will Benson will slide over and start in LF with RHP Bubba Chandler on the mound for the Pirates, while Noelvi Marte is back in the starting lineup in RF after getting last night off.
Here’s how the Reds have stacked their lineup for the evening:
Opening Day at Petco Park (Photo by Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
Every Major League Baseball team begins Spring Training with one goal in mind: to win a World Series title. The San Diego Padres are chasing the same goal, as their desire to win has never wavered.
Disappointing opening series does not define season
The opening series loss to the Detroit Tigers was disappointing and felt like a setback. A sputtering offense can turn a festive environment into an eerily quiet ballpark. It reminded everyone of the Wild Card Series against the Chicago Cubs last October. The lineup could not plate runs and that shattered everyone’s dreams of this being a long playoff run.
However, a 162-game regular season is a marathon, and stumbles of this nature rarely define a team’s final record. The Padres can still set a tone for 2026.
The Friar Faithful will have to take their anxiety level down a notch, but they’re tired of the excuses for empty Octobers. The absence of another run-producing bat, starting rotation injuries, and having a frugal payroll are no longer acceptable excuses for postseason failures.
It is time to change the narrative because the Padres’ roster is too talented and postseason-ready to fizzle out in the first week of October baseball.
Padres team leaders can change the narrative
Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. are the undisputed team leaders, who have become hardened by crushing playoff losses to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies. Both are tired of receiving pats on the back for their outstanding play and are determined to change the results.
Some within the organization would like to base the Friars’ success on their pitching staff and move past last season’s offensive struggles to score runs. Randy Vasquez showed over the weekend why he is a prized pitching talent. He could conceivably be the Padres’ ace by season’s end.
Possessing the game’s best bullpen, the Friars can shorten the contest to a five- or six-inning affair. Shutting down the opposing team’s bats does mask the club’s offensive flaws.
Thankfully, the bats showed up to salvage the final game against the Tigers. The lineup has several question marks, but the group did have moderate success on Saturday night. The hope is that more productive at-bats will return everyone to form and lead to more baserunners crossing home plate.
2026 can become a promising season
Setting the tone never guarantees a team will make the playoffs. Professional athletes rarely need tangible reminders about their goals for the coming season. They aim to hit their stride just in time for October baseball.
A couple of bad days should never reflect how a baseball team would fare in the regular season. It further confirms how unpredictable the sport actually has become. The 2026 Padres have high expectations, and losing the first home series is just a blip on their radar.
The roster has enough talent to secure another postseason berth. If the Friars get into the dance, all bets are off on how far they can go.
Mar 10, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of the scoreboard showing an ABS ball and strike challenge call being confirmed during the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Arizona Diamondbacks during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
As I was recapping Saturday’s extra-inning loss to the Reds, my thoughts and emotions ran the gamut when it came to ABS, umpiring, and the intersection of the two. I touched on a few of those in the recap itself, but the broad outlines were this:
The ABS system (officially, the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System) brought a level of fairness back to the game, in that some clear mistakes were overturned
The home-plate umpiring on Saturday was awful and a challenge system overall goes some way toward ameliorating that, when it happens
There was heightened drama in the game, and it didn’t all stem from Wilyer Abreu’s two-out, ninth-inning heroics, or the intensity of extra innings
I had some other thoughts about ABS that I didn’t include in the game recap because it felt just a little out of scope for that format. Keeping in mind that this Red Sox season is still getting off the ground, so the sample size is currently miniscule, here’s me poking around this topic a little bit more.
Pros
CB Bucknor, the home plate umpire for Saturday’s game, was not on point in any way, shape, or form. He simply didn’t have it. It is objectively true that his ball-strike calls were off the mark, proven by six challenges (out of eight total) that overturned his initial call. (He was also far from on-point, but within his rights, in his missed check swing call on Trevor Story. Let’s come back to that.)
Eugenio Suárez struck out twice in the sixth inning with two outs and the bases loaded, on called strikes and on successive pitches. (What a weird sentence to write, but it is factually correct. We live in strange times, my friends.) Suárez challenged the call each time and prevailed. This was way more exciting, and important, than Roman Anthony using up the remaining Red Sox challenges in the first at-bat of the third inning, when the stakes were low. Ultimately, the Suárez reversals didn’t matter because the Sox retired him anyway, but it restored to the Reds their rightful opportunity to proceed with the inning and hopefully capitalize.
This is important and is certainly the point of the whole ABS system.
Something I wasn’t expecting was the additional excitement the challenges added. You could see and hear the crowd’s reaction when the result of each Suárez challenge was revealed. They went wild. The cheer that went up was as loud as if he had hit a home run. It was a high-stakes moment, as discussed, and Suárez is a batter who can turn on the power, so anything seemed possible. And for it to happen twice! Unprecedented.
In-game excitement, yes, count me in. Is it also possible that some of the fun comes from rebelling against authority in some small, albeit sanctioned, way? For me, I think that might be true; I felt it also when Roman Anthony won his initial challenge. In a world where computer programs monitor my keystrokes to let coworkers know that I’m not actively tapping away at the keyboard…where cameras track my nearly every movement, through my neighborhood, my city, my workplace…where Rob Manfred, Sam Kennedy, John Henry and more are trying to get more money from me while investing increasingly fewer resources of their own, generally speaking…little wins can take on a bigger profile. Maybe this is one of those micro-wins, one minuscule way to enjoy the feeling of beating the system, even for just a moment? I don’t know, but my therapist may have additional thoughts on the subject.
Cons
This isn’t really a con of the ABS system but it can’t be left out of the discussion of Saturday’s game: the call that arguably could have mattered was Story’s controversial strikeout on a checked swing in the eighth inning. It hurt because the Red Sox had some momentum going, with batters on first and second with two outs, in a one-run game. But this was a situation not governed by ABS, nor was it subject to challenge at all.
Lou Merloni mentioned several times that Bucknor did not consult with the first base umpire on his decision. Quick rules review: because Story was deemed to have swung and a strike subsequently called, there was no possibility of appeal. If Bucknor had called a ball (having decided Story had not swung), an appeal would have been possible, most likely from the Reds’ catcher, or the manager. In this case, it could have been appealed and then Bucknor would have been required to ask for a ruling from a corner base umpire (first base, in this case, since Story is right-handed) who has a better angle. With a strike call in this situation, there is no possibility for appeal (see Rule 8.02 (c) of the Official Baseball Rules (and please don’t ask me why I can order the bound and printed 2026 version, but MLB itself posts the 2025 rules on their website. It is what it is. See what I mean about micro-wins?). Could Bucknor have asked for assistance before making that strike call? Yes, if he thought he didn’t see it. Based on his quick ejection of Alex Cora, he seemed more than willing to double down, so I wouldn’t necessarily expect him to say he didn’t see, wasn’t sure, or needed help. This is veering into pop psychology territory but is all a way of saying that ABS righted several umpiring wrongs on Saturday even though it didn’t come through for the Red Sox where it felt like it might have counted. Of course, this is all a what-if game because even if the opportunity was restored to the Red Sox to proceed with the at-bat, who says Story would have executed?
Aside from Story’s at-bat, introducing checked swings into a discussion on ABS isn’t totally out of nowhere. Check swing challenge testing has been underway. Could this make a difference in the future? Perhaps, but first MLB may need to actually define a checked swing; there is currently no definition at all.
Here’s a true con, but one which was within the Red Sox control: Roman Anthony wasted a challenge. So did Carlos Narváez, for that matter, and they each did it in extremely low-stakes situations. In the first inning of the second game of the season, to me, Narváez’s challenge felt like a new toy. He lost his challenge, but Anthony’s first challenge generated a fuck yeah! adrenaline boost in me for proving the umpire wrong. Maybe Anthony felt the same. But by the very next pitch, when he challenged again, the novelty had already worn off. It was the third challenge of the day by the Sox, and it was only the first batter of the third inning. It was a 3-1 pitch, for godsakes. Anthony was wrong, the Red Sox were out of challenges far too early in the game, and that will serve as a strategy lesson.
I also wonder if ABS lengthened the time of the game. It will take more games and data to see if that’s true, but it feels true about Saturday’s game. Sometime during that game, I wrote “3 hours???” in my notes, well before it went to extra innings. The 2025 nine-inning average game time was 2:38; the final game time for Saturday was 3:32. This game didn’t spend an hour in extra innings, so it was empirically a long game through nine. Was it a coincidence that there were also multiple ABS challenges? It’s completely anecdotal at this early stage of the season. But I have to ask: is ABS at odds with one of baseball’s central goals of increasing engagement and interest in our beautiful sport by keeping game times manageable?
I find myself, for now, in support of ABS, in that it can restore opportunities that were wrongly taken away, but it also tried my patience on Saturday. Red Sox hitters will need to develop ABS discipline to match their plate discipline, or turn off their egos, or whatever in order for the team to use this tool to their advantage. These are quick thoughts on a big subject that will continue to play out in the 2026 season.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 25: Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants pitches his 1000th career strikeout during the game at Oracle Park on March 25, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Suzanna Mitchell/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants continue their series against the San Diego Padres tonight from Oracle Park.
Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Logan Webb, who finished the 2025 season with a 3.22 ERA, 2.60 FIP, with 224 strikeouts to 46 walks in 207 innings pitched. His last start was on Opening Day, in which he allowed seven runs (six earned) on nine hits with seven strikeouts and a walk in five innings.
He’ll be facing off against Padres right-hander Germán Márquez, who finished the 2025 season with a 6.70 ERA, 5.47 FIP, with 83 strikeouts to 48 walks in 126.1 innings pitched. This will be his first start of the 2026 season.
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 04, 2026: Lazaro Montes #99 of the Seattle Mariners bats during the fifth inning of a spring training game against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium on March 04, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Lazaro Montes, perhaps the single most powerful bat the Mariners have had in their minor leagues this decade, is a polarizing player within the scouting community. While many see his thunderous bat that launched 32 homers last season across two different levels and liken him to some of the great sluggers of our time, others are concerned about his contact rates and lack of positional versatility, positing he won’t ever hit enough to make his power play in game action. Regardless of where you align yourself on the spectrum of outcomes Laz ultimately arrives at, Montes is undoubtedly one of the best prospects in this entire system and deserves his flowers after an excellent 2025 season.
It won't make highlight reels, but Lazaro Montes quietly had a very good Spring Breakout game, going 3-for-3 with three singles, driving in two of the Mariners' three runs, and stealing a base. Nice controlled swing on a curveball here to gap a single. pic.twitter.com/qdoOYZNm8C
The calling card here is the power. With some mammoth home runs under his belt, his lefty swing is catered for lofting balls over the outfield fence, and thanks to his hulking frame (he’s listed at 6’5 210lb, but as someone who has stood next to him, I can assure you he’s bigger than that), he accomplishes that goal with regularity. The exit velocities are loud, and because he’s able to elevate the ball so frequently, they lead to tangible results on the field.
An interesting tidbit for Montes that gets underrated by most public outlets, Montes seems to have a better innate handle for the bat than many give him credit for. He’s shown stretches of time where he is very obviously avoiding the “sell out for power” mentality, poking singles the other way and making more contact with the ball. There’s a happy medium in there somewhere, and if he’s able to achieve a sustainable balance of contact and dynamic power, Montes quashes a lot of the concerns evaluators have around his offensive game.
Outside of the bat, Montes profiles as a corner outfielder at the next level, with a massive arm suited for right field. His speed, though perhaps a hair underrated, is still below average and won’t be a major part of his game, but what he lacks in footspeed he makes up for with incessant hustle. He is constantly giving max effort everywhere on the field, and it’s incredibly fun to watch as a fan. There’s never a doubt Montes deeply cares about doing his best for the team in any way he can, and it’s a refreshing style of play that fans naturally gravitate to.
Montes draws more extreme comps than just about any prospect in this system, and while a player with his skills is typically clumped into one bucket of corner outfielders or another, it’s doing Montes a disservice to remove all nuance from him as a player. Yes, the strikeouts are very high, and yes, he does not make a lot of contact, but how much of a concern is it if a then 20 year old is producing in Double-A? At what point does production reign supreme? To say Montes is a perfect prospect would be a lie, but to discount Montes’ accomplishments and cite only his worst trait as a universal dealbreaker is equally flawed. The risk associated around him is why he’s at sixth in our overall rankings, but with a supremely talented top of the farm, Montes was neck-and-neck with the next prospects on our list and still sits within our upper echelon of premium prospect talent.
PHILADELPHIA — Andrew Painter threw spring training pitches clocked at 100 mph, underwent Tommy John surgery and spent an unexpected season rehabbing in the minors.
The 22-year-old Painter — considered to have one of the top arms in any level of baseball — finally is ready for his Phillies debut.
Painter will make his first career big league start Tuesday night against Washington.
“The preparation, everything else is going to be the same,” Painter said. “I’m going to go on the field and treat it like another start.”
Painter was the 13th overall pick in the 2021 amateur draft and signed for a $3.9 million bonus. He sprinted through Philadelphia’s system in 2022, going 6-2 with a 1.48 ERA in 26 appearances spread across two Class A teams and Double-A Reading.
He hurt his elbow during spring training in 2023 and had Tommy John surgery later that year.
The 6-foot-7 right-hander emerged the top candidate to win the Phillies’ fifth starter job as he attempted to crack the rotation before his 20th birthday. Instead, the injury set him back at least two seasons, and he went 5-8 with a 5.26 ERA during two minor league stops last season.
The Phillies never were concerned with his record. They wanted to see how his elbow and arm held up over a career-best 118 innings pitched.
He’s been deemed good to go and joins a stout rotation that this season will include Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sánchez and Jesús Luzardo.
“It’s definitely been a long road,” Painter said. “Grateful for it. Grateful for all the failure. Last year was a tough one. But I think I learned a lot from it.”
The two-time reigning NL East champion Phillies already need Painter to step in and make a solid start following a 1-3 beginning that has them in last place.
Considered the organization’s top pitching prospect since Cole Hamels, Painter entered the season ranked No. 26 among all prospects in baseball. Painter gave up seven hits and struck out eight in 11 2/3 innings this year in spring training.
Painter said he would try to keep calm while pitching in front of about 40 friends and family in his ticket group.
“Not super anxious,” he said. “Just trying to lean into the everyday process and just keep preparation, everything the same when I show up to the ballpark and let that stuff take care of itself.”
Painter took a knee before he ever threw a regular-season pitch. He posted proposal photos on Instagram in March with his girlfriend, Shelby.
What’s more nerve-wracking, proposing or taking the mound?
“I’m not sure,” Painter said with a laugh. “We’ll revisit that.”
The Mets are making a notable front office addition, hiring J.D. Martinez as a special advisor to baseball operations, the team announced Tuesday afternoon.
Martinez's role will be similar to Carlos Beltran's.
Beltran has been a regular presence around the team since being hired as a special assistant in February of 2023.
"Similar to the way we use Carlos," said manager Carlos Mendoza when asked what Martinez's role would be. "I love having Carlos around and when I was talking to David [Stearns] and [assistant GM] Eduardo [Brizuela] for a potential role with J.D., that’s kind of how we envisioned it. Not only being here in the clubhouse, but in the front office for him to get familiar with processes and how we come up with decisions.
"Just kind of get him on board, kind of like the way we use Carlos as well, not only with position players, but with the pitchers. There’s so much information and the value of having pitchers talking to a Hall of Famer in Carlos Beltran and now a guy like J.D. Martinez and the mind that they [have] and everything that they bring to the table so that’s kind of how we see it moving forward."
Martinez, who spent his final MLB season with the Mets in 2024, had a 14-year playing career that also included stints with the Astros, Tigers, Diamondbacks, Red Sox, and Dodgers.
A six-time All-Star who finished fourth in MVP voting in 2018, Martinez was meticulous about his craft -- regularly using a notebook in the dugout to jot things down. He finished with 16 home runs and 69 RBI in 120 games with the Mets in 2024 and was paramount in leading New York to the postseason after the team's rough start to the season.
"Huge impact," Mendoza said of Martinez during his time in Queens. "I think not only on us in here as an organization, but outside of the organization, everybody saw it, what he meant to the team in 2024 when he first came up. Not only on the field, but off the field.
"Great guy in the clubhouse, he was just super consistent, very knowledgeable and very positive. A guy that’s won a World Series, been in the playoffs. Overall, huge addition and I was super excited when I found out."
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners have agreed to an eight-year, $95 million deal with top prospect Colt Emerson, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.
The contract, which starts this season and includes a team option for 2034, would be the largest ever for a player who has not made his major league debut.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been announced.
The Mariners selected the 20-year-old shortstop with the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 amateur draft. Emerson entered the season as Baseball America’s No. 7 prospect.
Emerson batted .357 with one home run and a double and a 1.000 on-base percentage plus slugging in three games for Triple-A Tacoma. He appeared in 18 spring training games for the Mariners and batted .268 with two homers and eight RBIs and an .828 OPS.
Peoria, AZ - February 18: Jason Adam #40 of the San Diego Padres poses for a portrait on February 18, 2026 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images) | MLB
On Sept. 1, 2025, San Diego Padres reliever Jason Adam attempted to field a ground ball in a game against the Baltimore Orioles. After pivoting off his left leg, Adam fell to the ground in obvious pain. He was immediately carted off the field while holding his left thigh. The subsequent announcement from the team detailed a ruptured left quadriceps tendon that would require immediate surgery and end the season for Adam.
The injury normally requires a 6-9 month recovery time and Adam notably later stated he wanted to be ready for Opening Day of the 2026 season. March would be the best case scenario for a return, so it isn’t a surprise that the Padres opted to slow-play Adam in his return to the team. Keeping Adam healthy for the entire season is the real goal and rushing him back would not serve either party.
Adam made two appearances in Cactus League games before the Padres left Arizona. He pitched two innings over two games with two strikeouts and no hits or walks allowed. He began the season on the 15-day IL, retroactive to March 22. He is able to return April 6, if all goes well.
Adam pitched on March 28 for the Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, throwing 1.1 innings and allowing one hit with no walks and no runs. That was his first test of pitching an up/down during his recovery. He was also required to field his position over a that stretch.
Today, Adam with be with the Lake Elsinore Storm, pitching a simulated game where the conditions can be controlled by the staff and Adam can be stressed in particular ways to ensure that he is fully recovered.
That will be followed by a back-to-back appearance with the San Antonio Missions in Tulsa, Okla. Adam will pitch April 3 and April 4 for the Missions, the last significant test for the reliever before he is eligible to come off the IL and make his season debut with the Padres. (Update per Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune)
If all goes well, Adam will then be back with the Padres. If he comes off the IL on April 6, he will be available in Pittsburgh for the start of the series against the Pirates. When activated, the organization will need to send another member of the bullpen to the minors to make room for Adam.
Considering the status of the rotation, it is unlikely that pitcher will be lefty Kyle Hart. The other long-man, righty Ron Marinaccio, is out of options and can’t be sent down without being exposed to waivers. While having two long-relief options is a bonus, the ineffectiveness of the rotation so far indicates a definite need for both.
The pitcher sent down will most likely be either Bradgley Rodriquez or Jeremiah Estrada. Estrada has struggled with control so far this year, both in Spring Training and his appearance in the second game of the season against the Tigers. Rodriguez has been excellent and would be the better option to stay with the team.
Yuki Matsui status
Lefty reliever Yuki Matsui threw both bullpens and live BP in Peoria, Ariz. before the Padres broke camp and returned to San Diego. He was placed on the 15-day IL on March 25, retroactive to March 22, due to a left groin strain suffered early in camp. He missed pitching for Japan in the WBC as well as not appearing in any Cactus League games before the end of spring. After making the introductions on Opening Day, Matsui returned to Arizona for extended spring and has not made an appearance in a minor league game yet.
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 18: Former New York Yankees (from left) Bernie Williams, Darryl Strawberry and David Wells during a ceremony prior to a game between the Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on August 18, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the Blue Jays 11-6. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Back in August, I began a series here at Pinstripe Alley where I was going to put together an All-Star Yankee team of players who were born in a given month. Since then, we as a staff have started doing daily posts for the year 2026, highlighting a Yankee from history whose birthday happens to land on that day. I thought, what better way to put a cap on a month’s worth of birthday posts then by using the all-month teams as a way to look back on who we covered — and maybe some we didn’t cover who shared a birthday with someone else.
With that in mind, here are my choices for the All-March Birthday Yankee Team.
There are other pitchers who had better overall careers who happened to pitch for the Yankees, such as Hall of Famer Dazzy Vance, but the “Springfield Rifle” is probably the best starting pitcher to have a career as a Yankee (though we’ll always love Chien-Ming Wang). When he’s out, the March Yankees could bring in Dellin Betances from the bullpen.
It’s not his most natural position, but Waldo is flexible enough to play at first, and he’ll have to do with not a ton of good options in the rest of the month.
Second Base: Mariano Duncan
We didn’t get to profile Duncan, as he shares a March 13th birthday with another member of this team, but “We play today, we win today… das it!”
Shortstop: Isiah Kiner-Falefa
Shortstop is another bit of a weak spot on this team, so IKF will have to do.
Current manager Aaron Boone also has a March birthday, and you maybe could’ve put him on the team, just for one moment in particular, but Baker had a far more distinguished career, both in pinstripes and overall. Boone would also get beaten out for the manager position for this team by Miller Huggins.
The March Yankees have some solid outfield depth, and that includes Keeler, who was one of the first stars of the franchise, back when they were still the Highlanders.
Granderson was a personal favorite of mine back during his Yankees’ career, not only for his home runs and fourth-place MVP finish in 2011, but also because he always seemed like a cool and nice guy.
The Yankees’ 2006 trade for Bobby Abreu remains one of the all-time best midseason moves in franchise history. For not a whole lot, they got a very good middle of the order bat, who was a perfect fit for the Yankees’ lineup at that time.
The most famous part of his career will always be his time as a star for the 1980s Mets, but Strawberry later went to the other side of the city, picked up a few more rings, and became a beloved veteran member of the ’90s Yankees’ dynasty.
That’s my lineup, but if you would have a different combination, let’s keep the conversation going!
Mariners giving 20-year-old prospect record-breaking $95 million contract
Seattle is taking a big-league swing on its top prospect — before he takes one of his own.
The Mariners have signed wunderkind shortstop Colt Emerson to a historic eight-year, $95 million contract before even making his MLB debut, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed Tuesday morning.
The deal, pending a physical, would become the largest contract ever given to a player without any MLB service time — shattering the record set by Jackson Chourio’s $82 million over eight years that he fetched from the Brewers at the 2023 Winter Meetings.
Seattle Mariners top prospect Colt Emerson IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The historic pact also includes a full no-trade clause and a ninth-year club option, as well as “incentives and escalators” that could push the total upwards of $130 million, according to the Seattle Times.
Emerson, 20, was selected by the Mariners in the first round of the 2023 draft, and he currently sits as baseball’s No. 7 overall prospect on MLB Pipeline.
Labeled in his scouting report as “one of the best pure hitters in the minors,” he surged up to Triple-A Tacoma by the end of 2025, boasting a clean 1.000 OPS with five hits and home run across a six-game cameo with the Rainiers.
He posted an .828 OPS with a pair of bombs and eight RBIs for the Mariners in spring training.
Colt Emerson impressed for the Mariners during spring training. AP
He has also flashed strong defensive upside and has also taken some reps at third base, providing the Mariners roster flexibility.
Emerson will start the season in Triple-A Tacoma. He’ll eventually replace veteran J.P. Crawford — who hits the open market after this season — as the club’s franchise shortstop.
Investing early in emerging talent isn’t a foreign concept to the Mariners; In 2019, they inked former first-rounder Evan White to a six-year, $24 million extension before he even landed in Triple-A.
White went on to win the Gold Glove at first base in 2020 but was constantly hampered by injuries, and he was out of the majors two years later.
We reach the pinnacle of the system with three infielders and (huge spoiler alert) Trey Yesavage, who arguably has more value than the other three combined though is not long for the list.
It is an interesting conundrum that after years of being more skeptical on Kasevich’s batted ball quality and consequently hit tool projection than elsewhere, we end up with him higher than almost anywhere else. We are largely looking through a lost 2025 as a result of two injuries (the latter due to a fluke collision), and largely maintaining the previous projection.
The 60th overall pick of the 2022 MLB Draft from Oregon, prior to 2025 Kasevich was a model of consistency working his way up. At all levels, his propensity to make contact has resulted in very low strikeout rates under 10% and thus high averages, but with almost no power (under .100 ISO). The Jays have been working with him to unlock a little more power, and in Spring Training he did drive some balls. We’ll see if that carries over or comes at the expense of contact, and whether the tradeoff is beneficial. At shortstop, Kasevich is a solid if unspectacular defender who lacks standout tools but makes the routine plays and should be playable there at least early in his career.
It’s a prototypical high floor/probability, lower ceiling profile. If one is looking for future impact regulars, then Kasevich would rank lower. But in terms of the probability of being a materially positive major league contributor, few in the system are as high as Kasevich and while perhaps less alluring, it still matters. The reality is, very few prospects will hit even, say, 3 WAR. And we don’t entirely rule out the possibility he plays above the tools and grinds out some regular seasons.
3. JoJo Parker, SS, age 19 (DOB: 8/8/2006), grade: 45+, 2025: high school
The 8th overall pick in the 2025 Draft out of high school in Mississippi, Parker represents another big investment in a high upside prep bat. He raked on the showcase circuit against high end pitching thanks to plus bat speed from the left side, with good power projection in his 6’2” frame. It does project as off the charts power, but should be able to maximize it in games.
That size and lack of standout defensive tools mean he probably won’t stick at shortstop, with third base the strongest possibility on the infield. That’s not a big deal; if the bat works out, there will be a spot for him somewhere. He’s also on the older side of the draft class (just 10 months younger than Arjun Nimmala despite being drafted two years later). That used to be a pretty big yellow flag, but teams are better contextualizing age factors and some of the prep players who have clicked in recent years have been on the older side.
While they are not necessarily directly comparable in terms of profile, a lot of the things that were true two years ago of Nimmala apply to Parker as well. It’s a very risky demographic with a very significant failure rate even for very high picks. This holds down the expected value until we get some pro data to (hopefully) start chipping away at the left side of the distribution and redistribute it towards the higher upside and impact outcomes. In the very short run, he could move up fairly quickly if he comes out hitting at the low-A level.
By pure expected value, Kasevich actually ranks above Parker, which is where we initially had him. But the reality is, in a straight up trade, no one is taking Kasevich over Parker and that acid test must hold and be reflected. Ultimately, the utility of the 10-15% impact outcomes for Parker outweighs the utility of of Kasevich’s probability.
By late-May of last year, notwithstanding Trey Yesavage’s dominance, I would have had Nimmala as the #1 prospect in the system high a high confidence that by August he’d be in New Hampshire. He got off to an incredible start, with a high watermark on May 27th of .293/.372/.545 (almost 50% above average) as a 19 year old in high-A. In addition to nine home runs in a tough league for power, his strikeout rate came down to 18%.
And then it was like a switch flipped. From June onward, Nimmala hit just .184/.277/.290, frequently looking lost at the plate for games at a time with very weak contact. Worse, the struggles followed him into the field as his fielding became more erratic with the marginal lapses seeming more mental than physical. If there was one positive, it was that his strikeout rate remained materially lower than before at 23%.
If everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face, it was disconcerting to see the extent to which Nimmala didn’t rebound after he struggled for really the first time in his career. How prospects fare as they go through a league or level multiple times and have to make adjustments is a significant factor for me, though the sheer magnitude seems beyond just the league adjusting to me and one wonders if there wasn’t something underlying rather than some of the hit tool related concerns suddenly and starkly being exposed.
One of the youngest players in the 2023 Draft, Nimmala slid to the Jays 20th overall due to questions about his swing and hit tool, despite offering some of the highest upside in the draft class. His performance until midseason last year had been quite promising, given his ability to get to power in-game despite aggrssive placements albeit while sometimes approaching the viability line on swing-and-miss. Defensively, he’s looked plenty capable of handling the position (notwithstanding the wobbles discussed above).
In large measure, we maintain the evaluation on Nimmala. High school infielders are a risky demographic, with high bust rates even at the top end of the draft, and NImmala especially so given the up-and-downs. At his best, he’s looked like a power-over-hit future regular with some impact potential. He could also conceivably stall out in the upper minors.
Surprise! Of course, the notion of a pitcher who has two World Series starts and frankly anchored the postseaosn run as a “prospect” in any meaningful sense is as absurd as NBP veterans being “rookies”. But the criteria are the criteria, and hence he’s first by a country mile.
Looking back, it is tempting to view last year as a massive underranking, and I admittedly I had the lower grading. But the reality is, about 25% of first round college pitcher picks don’t even make the majors, with the next 25% either being cups or coffee or essentially replacement and when the list was compiled we had yet to seen him pitch (the dynamic Spring Breakout performance would have modestly lifted this). His rampage through the minors to an almost unforeseeable extent eliminated that first bucket entirely and largely vitiated the second. Essentially the worst 40-50% of outcomes are gone, with more modest increases to the (reasonable) ceiling as well.
The fundamentals are well known at this point: extreme vertical release point that makes it hard for hitters to pick up the ball out if his hand, mid-90s straight four seam fastball with riding life, devastating splitter, and good slider.
If we want to pick some nits, I’ll be interested to see what happens as hitters make adjustments, particularly laying off his splitter rather than flailing as it dives below the zone. In both the minors and his major league run, there was a tendency for a fair number of splitters to hang up over the plate. It wasn’t surprising that the minor leaguer hitters couldn’t punish these mistakes, but I was surprised at how many he got away with against big league hitters. Will they eventually catch up? The fastball is pretty straight. Finally, there’s some evidence that vertical release points are correlated with (in particular) should injury risk.
But for the most part, this simply amounts to a question where on the spectrum of grade 50 (roughly 10-14 WAR over control years) and above he belongs. It’s a very attractive notion to ponder.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - MARCH 19: Chase Petty #61 high-fives Alfredo Duno #6 of the Cincinnati Reds during the game between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium on Thursday, March 19, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Rob Leiter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
While the AAA Louisville Bats got their 2026 regular season underway last week just like the big league Cincinnati Reds, the lower minors affiliates will begin their campaigns later this week. With that on the docket, the rosters for the respective Opening Days for the High-A Dayton Dragons (Thursday evening against the Lansing Lugnuts) and AA Chattanooga Lookouts (Friday against the Columbus Clingstones) have been finalized.
The Lookouts will feature top prospects like Cam Collier, Leo Balcazar, and Carlos Jorge among their position player ranks as well as former 1st round picks like Austin Hendrick and Jay Allen II. The pitching staff will be spearheaded by Jose Acuna (who returns after firing 71.2 IP of 3.64 ERA ball there last year) as well as veteran Kevin Abel, while Jose Montero (3.93 ERA in 103.0 IP with High-A Dayton in 2025) will also make the jump up a level into the rotation.
The Lookouts revealed their entire roster this morning, which you can see below.
Meanwhile, top prospect and catcher of the future Alfredo Duno will headline the roster of the Dayton Dragons, as the Reds pointed out on Twitter earlier in the day.
Dayton’s roster is largely comprised of players who spent considerable time with the club last year, though Duno is clearly the exception to that rule. He destroyed Florida State League pitching as a 19 year old in 2025 (.287/.430/.518 with 18 HR and a 95/91 BB/K ratio) before heading off to the Peoria Javelinas of the Arizona Fall League and showing out there, too.
What’s similarly interesting about Dayton’s roster, though, is who isn’t on it. Top prospect Tyson Lewis will apparently not be making the jump up a level to begin 2026 after he hit .268/.347/.417 there in 144 PA to finish 2025, his strikeout problems (51 in that time) likely something he’ll be asked to work on a bit first. Similarly, former NCAA dinger champ Mason Neville will not begin with Dayton after hitting .247/.333/.442 in 90 PA with Daytona last year, his own K-rate (34.4%) also a pretty glaring issue, while Arnaldo Lantigua will also seemingly stick around Daytona after 129 PA with them in his age-19 season.
The same is apparently true for Sheng-En Lin, who threw 16.2 IP for Daytona last year and is still focusing on pitching only after having been a two-way player prior to 2025.
The Daytona Tortugas have not yet released their roster, so we’ll need to wait for confirmation from them at some point later this week. It’s also worth pointing out that a number of names we otherwise would have seen on these rosters will begin the year on the minor league 60-day IL, with notable pitchers like Luke Holman and Carson Spiers there alongside infielder Ricky Cabrera.
The following players have been placed on the minor league 60-day IL: • RHP Carson Spiers • RHP Luke Holman • LHP Hunter Hollan • RHP Logan Tanner • SS Ricky Cabrera • C Connor Burns • RHP Owen Holt • LHP Christian Lopez • LHP Khristian Guevara •…
