Category: Baseball

Welcome to The California Post’s weekly Dodgers recap, where baseball writers Dylan Hernández and Jack Harris review the week that was, hand out very official awards, and take stock of the state of the season –– publishing every Thursday.

For better or worse, Shohei Ohtani is no Barry Bonds.

Following five games in which he was thrown a limited selection of hittable pitches, Ohtani stepped into the batter’s box on Wednesday in a situation that called for Cleveland Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams to challenge him. With no outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Dodgers had men on first and second base.

Ohtani grounded into a double play. 

“From the side,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “it looked like a good pitch and he just hit the top of it.”

By the time Ohtani returned to the batter’s box two innings later, his air of invincibility had evaporated into the Los Angeles sky. The Dodgers were down by four runs, but they had runners on second and third. 

Left-hander Erik Sabrowski was called out of the bullpen to pitch to Ohtani. Rather than walk him with first base open, Sabrowski threw a curveball that caught the lower outside edge of the strike zone.

Ohtani responded by swinging at two other breaking balls delivered in the same general area – except they were balls. Ohtani whiffed on both of them, and the threat was over.

The Dodgers went on to lose the game, 4-1, and the series, two games to one.

This alone shouldn’t be a source of concern. Ohtani has slumped before, and he will slump again. He will eventually start hitting at some point, and besides, the Dodgers have started the season 4-2 with him batting just .167.

However, if a trend emerged over the first week of games, it was that teams playing the Dodgers really didn’t want Ohtani to beat them. They didn’t care that Kyle Tucker and Mookie Betts were behind him. They didn’t want to pitch to Ohtani, which is why he already has a team-leading seven walks. His on-base percentage of .423 is second on the team to Andy Pages’ .429.

Watching how the Guardians and Arizona Diamondbacks pitched around Ohtani, Roberts was reminded of the best player with whom he ever played.

Roberts and Barry Bonds were both San Francisco Giants in 2007.

Bonds turned 43 in the middle of that season, which turned out to be his last in the majors. His 132 walks that year were the most in baseball. 

“I think Barry was as patient and as good as anyone I’ve seen that can take walks, value walks,” Roberts said. “Yeah, there were times where he got a handful of pitches a week to hit. Shohei’s certainly not to that extreme of patience, but he’s doing a good job.”

Bonds once walked 232 times in a single season.

How would Ohtani react if that happened to him?

“Shohei likes to swing the bat,” Roberts said with a smile. “Shohei would go crazy.”

Ohtani will have to figure out how to keep it together, to not allow his desperation to lead to the kind of at-bat he had against Sabrowski.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Andy Pages (.429 average, 1 home run, 5 RBIs, 1.048 OPS)

It’s not just that Pages has a team-best average, or is looking like the one Dodgers regular who managed to carry over his strong spring training.

What has made the third-year slugger the Dodgers’ most standout hitter early on is the way he has conducted his at-bats.

Last year, Pages struck out once in every five trips to the plate. This week, he did it twice in 21 at-bats.

Last year, the younger slugger still looked like, well, a youngster. This week, the 25-year-old played with the confidence of a veteran.

“He’s hitting to all fields,” Roberts said Wednesday after Pages’ 3-for-3 showing. “He’s staying on sliders with two strikes. He’s shooting fastballs. Today, he pulled a sinker 97 for a base hit.”

And “at the end of the day,” Roberts added, “he’s really controlling the zone really well. He’s done that all spring.”

PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Edwin Díaz (3 games, 3.00 ERA, 2 saves, 4 strikeouts)

With all due respect to Ohtani’s six scoreless innings, Edwin Díaz was the most refreshing development.

The live trumpets. The heavy fastball. And, most importantly, the lack of late-game stress.

Last year, the ninth inning was a recurring nightmare for the Dodgers. Now, with their new $69 million closer, it’s more like a late-night party.

Díaz slammed the door on the Diamondbacks in a pair of one-run wins over the weekend. He closed out another win over the Guardians on Tuesday in what was a non-save situation with the team up four.

Asked why he used Díaz in that latter spot –– especially considering soggy conditions that clearly affected the right-hander while giving one run –– Roberts provided a simple, and telling, answer.

“I wanted to win the game,” he said. “And for me, three, four (runs), Eddie is in. So it’s not just padding his save statistics. I wanted to win the game.”

PROSPECT OF THE WEEK

James Tibbs III (.545 average, 3 HR, 9 RBIs, 8 extra-base hits in triple-A)

One of the feel-good stories of spring training is feeling even better through the first week of the minor-league season.

In his second game of the season, Tibbs went 4-for-5 with two doubles, a triple and three RBIs. The next night, he was 3-for-4 with two home runs, a double, 5 RBIs and a walk. Entering Thursday, he’d made it four-straight contests with multiple hits.

The 23-year-old former first-round pick (and trade deadline acquisition of the club last summer) already entered the season as a potential call-up candidate at some point this year. Now, that timeline seems like it could potentially be accelerating. One week in, he has been putting up video game-esque numbers.

FUTURE DODGER OF THE WEEK

(Where we identify a potential Dodgers’ future acquisition –– sometimes far-fetched, sometimes not)

Munetaka Murakami, 1B, Chicago White Sox (ETA: 2028)

The Dodgers were skeptical of Murakami’s ability to hit a major league fastball, but the Japanese slugger probably won’t hold that against them.

Every other team shared their suspicions about the former Japanese league triple-crown winner, and that included the White Sox, who signed him to a two-year, $34-million contract.

The deal will allow Murakami to re-enter the free-agent market after the 2027 season, by which time the Dodgers could be looking for a corner infielder. Murakami was primarily a third baseman in Japan, albeit one with a shaky glove.

A member of Japan’s two most recent World Baseball Classic teams, Murakami is chummy enough with Ohtani to be able to make fun of the two-way player’s recent haircut, which is considered outdated in Japan.

Murakami told Ohtani that if he didn’t homer in the White Sox’s season opener, he would also get a “techno cut,” which features a straight and angled hairline above the ears. Murakami was spared the unfashionable trim, as he not only homered on opening day but followed up with bombs in the second and third games of the season.

ONE BIG QUESTION 

When will the lineup start hitting?

Six games in, this is not the Dodgers’ offense that was advertised.

They rank 19th in scoring, 11th in batting average and 14th in OPS so far as a team. The top of their lineup has been particularly glaring, combining for a .182 average from the Nos. 1-5 spots that is better than only three other teams.

Cue all the caveats about small sample sizes, not jumping to conclusions and overanalyzing the randomness an opening week can often provide.

Still, for a team that slumped through much of the second half of the season and almost all of the playoffs, this has felt uncomfortably familiar –– even if, as Freddie Freeman declared Wednesday, “I think our offense is inevitable.”

“It’s just the first week,” he said. “We’ll be fine.”

ICYMI

— Roki Sasaki made his season debut. Why just because it wasn’t a disaster doesn’t mean it was all that good.

— Alex Vesia made an emotional return to Dodger Stadium after the death of his newborn daughter last October. He is using custom-designed gloves to help honor her memory.

— Freeman’s fine wine tastes most recently include a 2015 Château Cheval Blanc. He’s hoping he can age just as nicely, following an opening week in which he just missed several home runs.

— Clayton Kershaw is back with the Dodgers, hired as a special assistant with a yet-to-be-defined role following his retirement as a player.

— Will Smith has a new title: Most overlooked clutch hitter in the sport.

— Shohei Ohtani got all his teammates new watches.

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Well, that didn’t go well.

The Royals lost the third game of a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins, squandering a fine start by Cole Ragans. For the Royals, quiet bats doomed them.

The Royals made things interesting in the later innings. After going down 2-0, Maikel Garcia led off the eighth with a single before moving to third when Bobby Witt Jr. followed with his own single. Runners on first and third with none out, and Vinnie Pasquantino up to bat.

While Pasquantino drove in Garcia with a sac fly, the rest of the from went quietly. Salvador Perez grounded to short and Bob was thrown out at second on a close play. Tolbert pinch-ran for Salvy, stole second, and stayed there as Jac Caglianone looked like a little leaguer against Taylor Rogers.

End of inning, end of threat.

But at least the Royals had cut down the lead to one. Steven Cruz came out of the bullpen to keep it a one-run game until the Royals came back up in the bottom of the ninth.

Steven Cruz did not keep it a one-run game.

Cruz, who to this point in his career had only surrendered six home runs, allowed three solo homers in the top of the ninth, including back-to-back shots to Kody Clemens and Josh Bell. Suddenly, it was 5-1 Twins.

The Royals started off the bottom of the ninth with consecutive baserunners, but a Lane Thomas double-play all but sealed things. Kyle Isbel whiffed to end the game.

On the bright side, Cole Ragans looked good. Over six innings, he allowed just one run (unearned) while striking out eight, walking one, and giving up four hits.

Matt Strahm had a nice one-inning appearance, too.

Overall, though, the bullpen continues to struggle. Aside from Cruz’s misadventures, John Schrieber needed 27 pitches to get through the eighth inning, which included allowing one earned run, a strikeout, and a walk.

One more note: Carter Jensen, whose start was scratched less than an hour before first pitch, made an appearance late in the game, so it appears he’s not dealing with an injury, which is good.

Now, the Royals are back to .500 at 3-3. They welcome the Brewers to town tomorrow night.

Just a week into the season and we already have our newest addition to the Top 100. You don’t have to look any further than Didier Fuentes. Didier had a stellar Spring Training where he appeared in four games and pitched 13.2 innings with an absurd 18 strikeouts and just one walk (11.8 K/9, 0.66 BB/9).

Didier then broke camp with the big league team and made one appearance where he pitched four one run innings with four strikeouts and two hits. Following that outing, the Braves optioned Didier to Triple-A Gwinnett – presumably to ramp up his conditioning and get him ready to start.

Unfortunately for the Braves, despite being named to the Top 100 now, if Didier were to take over the league he will be ineligible for a PPI pick because he was not named Top 100 to start the season. Regardless, this looks to be a special season for the young right handed pitcher as he develops more into a major league talent ready to take on the league.

There have been plenty of whispers about members of the Mets' 2025 clubhouse not all pulling in the same direction, and one of the rumors that circulated involved an alleged rift between Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo, now a member of the Texas Rangers.

But Lindor recently told Jon Heyman of the New York Post that there is no truth to that allegation.

“Nimmo and I are brothers. I love him. I love him," Lindor told the Post. "He’s a great guy. He’s missed around here — good teammate, good person, good family man.”

The Mets' clubhouse chemistry last season became a talking point in the offseason, with manager Carlos Mendoza telling Heyman and Joel Sherman in a podcast interview that the Mets had a "corporate" clubhouse culture.

"We had a professional clubhouse," he said. "When you're winning, everything is fun. Then you go through stretches where it's hard, and you're not winning as many games. And I take responsibility for it, because it became, like, a corporate clubhouse, you know, where guys respected each other, but I don't think we celebrated each other enough."

Nimmo, of course, was traded to the Rangers this offseason in the deal that brought Marcus Semien to the Mets. Nimmo is hitting .360 with a home run and five RBI to begin his career in Texas. 

Lindor, who had a day to forget on Wednesday against the Cardinals, is off to a bit of a slow start, hitting .143 as he recovers from surgery to repair the hamate bone in his left hand.

Texas Rangers pitcher Cody Bradford will begin a rehab assignment with the Round Rock Express tonight, the team has announced.

Bradford spent the entire 2025 season on the injured list due to an elbow injury that ultimately necessitated internal brace surgery. Bradford is currently on the 15 day injured list. Reports have previously indicated that the hope is that he would be able to return to the majors sometime in May.

Bradford had a 3.54 ERA in 13 starts and a relief appearance in 2024, and was anticipated to be a member of the team’s rotation in 2025. Bradford has also pitched out of the bullpen in the past, so if there is not an opening in the rotation when he is ready to return, he could potentially fill a reliever role instead.

Round Rock hosts Gwinnett tonight in a game that starts at 6:45 p.m. Central. I am guessing that Bradford will be on a 2 inning/30 pitch limit in this first appearance.

The Texas Rangers have been slow on the draw so far with the introduction of automated balls and strikes. There’s been plenty to like about how the first week of the season has gone for Texas, as they sit at 4-2 with two road series wins, but taking advantage of the potential competitive advantage afforded by the new ABS replay system seems to be a work in progress.

While I’ve been against a lot of the recent Manfred era rules changes, I’ve been waiting for practically my entire baseball-following life for robot umps and now it’s kind of here albeit with the twist that teams are allowed two failed challenges before they can no longer appeal to the divine intervention of replay on suspected blown ball/strike calls.

Indeed, if I had my druthers, they’d just turn the hawkeye on for every pitch for a fully automated, purely human error-less experience. But there’s no doubt that the challenge system offers degrees of tactics and intrigue and here in the early goings, that’s been a fun new aspect for the baseball enjoyer and a nightmare for some umpires.

Team strategies and philosophies are developing. Do you challenge a close ball you’re fairly sure the ump got wrong in the 2nd inning of a scoreless game and risk being wrong and losing a challenge? Do you have a hierarchy for who can challenge? Do you save challenges for specific hitters or potential run-scoring rallies? Do you keep a challenge in your back pocket for a pitch that could determine the outcome of the game?

Each team likely has their own ideas on the hows and whens and whos and that undeniably adds an extra dimension of strategy to the rollout of this new tech and ruleset. With extra dimensions of strategy comes, frankly, people who are best at it or those who are best at exploiting it.

Right now, the Rangers are not those people.

So far this season Rangers hitters have made seven challenges and have succeed on three of them. The 43% success rate is good for 21st in the league. You know, whatever, it’s early. However, per Statcast’s ABS tracker, the Rangers have had the most opportunities in the league with 38 “reasonable” challenge chances and have only challenged on five of those offerings.

By Statcast’s estimation, the Rangers are about half a run in the hole due to their actual batting challenge decisions, which is third worst in the league. And their expected run value on potential overturns is -2.5 runs, second worst behind Cleveland.

Meanwhile, the Rangers have lost another estimated -0.2 runs on ABS challenges made by opponents against Texas hitters with teams going 5-for-6 on reversing a call.

The Rangers also had the indignity of being the first team to lose on a walk-off challenge in Wednesday’s finale in Baltimore. Though, it’s no surprise seeing the Rangers and Orioles involved in bizarre history.

It’s not any better when the Rangers are out on the field on defense, either. Texas is the only team in the league that has yet to win a challenge while an opponent is up to bat but they’ve also only challenged once overall with Kyle Higashioka losing a challenge on Sunday in Baltimore.

Despite the lack of challenges by Rangers pitchers and catchers, they’ve had 15 reasonable opportunities and challenged zero of them, worst in the league.

Meanwhile, while the Rangers are on defense, teams have gotten six of eight Texas offerings reversed with Baltimore going 5-for-5 on challenge attempts during the recent three-game set.

It’s obviously incredibly early and the technology and rule is brand new for most of the players and coaches, so there will be plenty of adjustments to be made. So far, however, the Rangers have been seeing a lot of chances to impact the game in their favor while being a bit gun-shy to pull the trigger.

Meanwhile, their opponents are taking advantage of the system and earning extra calls which has potentially led to snuffed out rallies that never were for Texas or more chances to add runs to the board for them.

Hopefully the Rangers do adjust and make better use of ABS because it’s not much fun being the team worst at humiliating umpires.

Former Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer is beginning another chapter in his professional baseball career.

Bauer, 35, signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), the team announced Thursday, April 2.

The former MLB All-Star is slated to be the starting pitcher on opening night against the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars on April 21 at Fairfield Properties Ballpark in Central Islip, New York.

“We are excited to welcome Trevor to Long Island,” Ducks President/CBO Michael Pfaff said in a news release. “His talent and knowledge will be important additions to our ballclub, and we are happy to offer him this opportunity to showcase his talents to MLB clubs while giving fans unprecedented access to Ducks baseball.”

The Ducks also plan to have Bauer provide in-game commentary and access as he will be “mic’d up” for all games and practices to create content for their social media platforms and streaming outlets.

“I’m looking forward to competing in front of U.S. fans again this season,” said Bauer. “The Ducks have had some incredible players come through their organization, and I’m excited to be part of that tradition.”

A look back at Bauer's MLB career

Bauer has spent 15 years playing professional baseball. He previously spent 10 seasons in Major League Baseball, where he played for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Indians (now Guardians), Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers.

His career began as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft, selected by the Diamondbacks. Bauer made his first MLB appearance in 2012 and pitched for another decade.

While in Cleveland, Bauer was named to the AL All-Star team in 2018. His best season came a couple of years later pitching for the Reds. Bauer recorded a 1.73 ERA in the 2020 season, and allowed just 41 hits while striking out 100 batters in 73 innings of work for Cincinnatti, earning him the National League Cy Young Award.

In 10 MLB seasons, Bauer notched 83 wins in 212 big league starts.

It was a banner week for extensions at the corner of Clark and Addison last week, with news that Nico Hoerner was extended through the 2032 season breaking just days after news of the Pete Crow Armstrong extension. Both of these deals extended two Cubs icons for six more years, but that’s really where the similarities end. While PCA’s deal is a bet that the defensive prodigy in centerfield will continue to improve his plate discipline and value through his age-29 season, the Nico Hoerner extension is a bet on a player with a lower overall ceiling and a much more reliable floor that could make Hoerner a Cub for life.

I have to take a minute to reflect on how amazing it feels to be able to type the words “Cub for Life.” It’s been a minute since I even believed this was a possibility the Cubs would consider with their players, let alone a possibility that could become a reality. Part of the heartbreak with the Blue Friday trade deadline in 2021 was the realization that none of the heroes from the 2016 World Series team would end their careers with the Cubs aside from David Ross, who retired after Game Seven and World Series MVP Ben Zobrist, who saw his career fizzle out amidst personal issues that pulled him away from the field during a 2019 season that ended with a whimper for the Cubs.

Speaking of 2019, that was the year Nico Hoerner debuted for the Cubs. He had just finished his second season in the minors, putting together a solid campaign in Double-A when late season injuries led to him being called up during a playoff race to start at shortstop. He was certainly young for the level with zero Triple-A at bats, but the poise was evident immediately. Hoerner demonstrated his value both defensively and with a plus contact tool almost immediately. That value led to two extensions, the first was a three-year $35 million deal that bought out the end of Hoerner’s arbitration years and tacked on the 2026 season. The second is a six year $141 million that will see him in blue pinstripes until at least 2032.

The defense is elite. Since moving to second base full time in 2023, Nico Hoerner is third in MLB in total outs above average. You can see the top ten players by that metric below:

That defense has allowed the Cubs to roster a pitch-to-contact staff that generates fewer whiffs because balls hit on the ground up the middle or to the right of second have a high probability of being outs with Nico at the keystone.

His hit tool is also elite and has improved over time. You can clearly see this in looking at Nico’s wOBA by year according to FanGraphs:

As a reminder, wOBA is a fancy on-base metric that gives hitters more value for extra base hits than singles or walks. It’s notable that Hoerner has been at or above league average every season since 2021, particularly since this metric punishes him a bit for his lack of power. What it’s taking away from Nico in power it’s rewarding him for in consistent extra base power. It’s a hit tool that honestly reminds me of a 2020’s version of Mark Grace, a player who posted low strikeout rates with doubles power for for the better part of 16 seasons. I use the “2020’s version” caveat because Nico strikes out almost twice as much as Grace and is consistently about 30-50 points lighter in terms of his ability to get on base. The similarities generally derive from both players’ ability to make contact with extra base power that is light on home runs.

Obviously the 2026 spike is something for fans to hope on, but deserves small sample size caveat the size of Texas. Hoerner probably hasn’t added 60 points of wOBA this season, but he is likely to provide slightly above league average on-base and power ability. Combined with an elite glove, it’s worth every penny of the $141 million six-year contract he agreed to with the Cubs.

Konnor Griffin’s promotion to the major leagues is set to come with a massive payday.

The 19-year-old shortstop, who is poised to make his MLB debut during the Pirates’ home opener against the Orioles Friday, is finalizing a nine-year, $140 million deal with Pittsburgh, per ESPN’s Buster Olney, who noted the sides are still at work.

If and when it comes to fruition, it would become the largest guarantee made to a player before their MLB debut.

ESPN reported Wednesday that Griffin and the Pirates began extension talks in spring training, with the teenager’s camp seeking a deal comparable to the $130 million pact Roman Anthony inked with the Red Sox last August.

Griffin could now eclipse Anthony’s post-debut extension, and shatter Mariners prospect Colt Emerson’s historic $95 million deal before reaching the majors – which he signed just this week.

Before this year, Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio held the record for the largest guaranteed deal before debuting in the majors, signing an eight-year, $82 million pact during the 2023 Winter Meetings.

The promotion of Griffin, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the top prospect in baseball entering 2026, provides another boost to Pittsburgh’s lineup after a busy offseason.

The Pirates added ex-Braves slugger Marcell Ozuna, first baseman Ryan O’Hearn and second baseman Brandon Lowe, bolstering a lineup the team hopes can reach the postseason for the first time since 2015.

"I'm fired up that Konnor Griffin is making his debut on Friday..

He's gonna bring a lot of energy and his play speaks for itself" ~ @Paul_Skenes#PMSLivepic.twitter.com/KAtZuRet5k

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 2, 2026

Reigning National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes, who rebounded from a rough Opening Day start against the Mets with a strong outing Wednesday against the Reds, is “fired up” to have Griffin in the majors.

“Yeah, I’m fired up,” Skenes said Thursday during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show. “If Bucco fans needed anything else to get excited about for the home opener, they got it. It’s great. He’s super mature, he’s 19 right now, you’d never know it talking to him.

“The most mature 19-year-old you’re ever going to meet in your life. The play speaks for itself, but the way he conducts himself in the locker room and off the field, it’s cool to see. He’s going to bring an energy and obviously a skillset to Pittsburgh that’s exciting.”

Taken ninth overall by Pittsburgh in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Jackson Preparatory School in Mississippi, Griffin enjoyed a meteoric rise through the organization’s system after making his pro debut last year.

Between three different levels in 2025, Griffin slashed an eye-popping .333/.415/.527 with 21 homers, 94 RBIs and 65 stolen bases over 122 games.

He got off to a torrid start in Spring Training, including a two-homer game in late February, as he made a strong bid to crack the Opening Day roster.

Griffin cooled off the rest of spring and ultimately began 2026 in Triple-A, where he continued to hit well, notching a .438 average in five games before his call-up.

After reading the headline you were probably wondering how long it would take for me to mention Leo De Vries. The answer was, apparently, 18 words. Let’s take a look at two trends that are on collision course unless they aren’t:

1. The A’s have gone wild lately with regard to extensions, inking not one, not two, not three, but four in the past two years — and made a $130M offer to Nick Kurtz that was not accepted. And have reportedly been in discussions with Shea Langeliers even if no agreement is imminent or likely. Clearly these A’s are “extension oriented” as they attempt to build a juggernaut with name recognition in the “approaching Vegas with a strong tailwind” years.

2. There seems to be a movement towards signing extensions for players with enormous potential and exactly zero track record. This past week Colt Emerson set a new record being guaranteed $95M before his first PA and it’s a record that might last for days…Reports have the Pirates and Konnor Griffin “deep in extension talks,” news that was followed by Griffin’s call up today. It’s a race to see which comes first: his (probably) 9 figure extension or his first big league hit.

It’s hard to see these 4 A’s extensions and 2 “pre-MLB debut” extensions and not wonder about De Vries. Would it be prudent for the A’s to bet on the 19 year old before he proves himself in the big leagues and his price tag rockets upwards? Could it be a break, in hindsight, that Kurtz passed up $130M guaranteed and left that purse open for the A’s to put elsewhere, perhaps into a toolsy shortstop who has drawn comps to Francisco Lindor while tearing up spring training after mastering AA as an 18 year old?

Prospects in baseball fail more often than they succeed, by a lot. Even the most promising ones, the “can’t miss” ones, often miss. Injuries can drastically alter a career arc as can issues of maturity or off the field choices around diet or lifestyle.

For this reason I tend to be risk averse with regard to offering unproven prospects appreciable guaranteed money and teams have generally felt the same way — until now. And today I am going to put myself out there by declaring that while usually my recommended answer would be “no,” with De Vries I see an exception. I would love to see the A’s hop on the “pre-debut band wagon” and sign De Vries now to a similar deal to the ones Emerson and Griffin are signing.

First off, Emerson and Griffin are such good prospects that their deals provide a fair barometer for the ceiling of a De Vries extension. That is to say Emerson isn’t going to settle for $95M over 8 years but De Vries gets $150M. In any talks with De Vries, presumably you would be looking at figures comparable to the ones we have seen with his peers. (We will see about the specifics with Griffin, but even if they are a lot more robust one has to factor in that he is the #1 prospect right now on MLB Pipeline, not 4th.)

So with De Vries, presumably, the A’s would be gambling on the efficacy of allotting somewhere around Emerson’s $12M-ish per year over an 8 year period. Given that De Vries is poised to debut as soon as the next couple months, plays a premium position, switch hits effectively from both sides of the plate and has matched stars like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Bryce Harper in his AA hitting at age 18, it’s hard to imagine where if he stays healthy De Vries won’t be a veritable bargain over the next 8 years averaging around $12M/year (or whatever his extension would look like).

Obviously you don’t want to start a salary clock too far ahead of an MLB clock, since once you are paying a player he is getting paid wherever he plays. So whenever the A’s were to agree to an extension with De Vries they would have to feel a call up was imminent — this was the case with Griffin who is getting called up for tonight’s game.

After the way he dominated the Cactus League (.426/.460/.723, 3 HR in 50 PA), including many hits against quality big league pitchers, it’s fair to think that De Vries might force his way up as soon as June 1st. So the time to talk about an extension is right about now.

Let’s be realistic here: there are finite dollars for the front office to throw around. An extension for a player making his AA season debut tonight might mean backing off on continued talks with Nick Kurtz, or it might mean foregoing a free agent opportunity in 2028. So you have to be sure it’s the right choice of where to allocate “real money” — you can’t just fall back on the cliched “Sure, it’s not my money, why not?”

Should the A’s get knee deep in extension talks with De Vries before he sets foot on a big league diamond for the first time? Suddenly there is precedent that teams are seeing this gamble as a shrewd investment in a long term future and contention window, while in the meantime Jon Singleton is laughing on his way to the bank.

In Leo We Trust?

Major League Baseball on Wednesday unveiled its recommended slot values for the 2026 MLB Draft, which determines the bonus pools that each team has to spend this July. After signing star free agents Edwin Díaz and Kyle Tucker this offseason, the Dodgers in this year’s draft have the lowest bonus pool in MLB and their lowest bonus pool in the 15 years of the slotting system.

Bonus pools are determined by adding up the recommended slot values for every pick through the 10th round. Because both Díaz and Tucker rejected qualifying offers from their former teams in November, and because the Dodgers were a competitive-balance-tax-paying team, Los Angeles lost a pair of 2026 draft picks with each signing. For Díaz, the Dodgers forfeited their second-round and fifth-round picks, and for Tucker they lost their third-round and sixth-round picks.

That leaves only six picks in the first 10 rounds of the 2026 draft, and the Dodgers have a total bonus pool of $3,951,500 to spend. Here are the team’s recommended slot values, per both Carlos Collazo of Baseball America and Joe Doyle of Over-Slot Baseball.

The Dodgers’ previous lowest bonus pool was in 2022 with $4,223,800 to spend.

“The depth of our system put us in a position where, while the cost is still meaningful, it wasn’t as significant. We have a very strong system up top,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said in January. “But even more than that, I think the depth of our system allows us this one year to have our food budget for the draft meetings exceed our signing bonuses. It’s not great by any means, but just trying to balance that with doing everything we could to put ourselves in the best position to win a championship in 2026.”

The 2026 MLB Draft place will be held from July 11-13 in Philadelphia, the host city for this year’s All-Star Game.

Among the most important positions around the diamond, there is a fair argument that catchers stand alone atop the list. Over their long history, the Yankees have been blessed with good backstops who can handle themselves with the gear and with the bat, with the likes of Bill Dickey, Yogi Berra, Elston Howard, Thurman Munson, and Jorge Posada leading the charge. While the Yankees may not boast those truly elite names behind the plate within the past decade, they have remained highly effective at manning the position, often with multiple players getting significant run.

In 2026, the job belongs to Austin Wells, with J.C. Escarra serving as a more-then-serviceable backup. Although neither of these backstops produce Piazza-esque numbers with the bat, they are both capable hitters, and have more recently shown themselves to be a potent duo on defense in particular. 2026 has been a historically good start on the pitching side of things in New York, and their catchers are playing pivotal roles in lifting their batterymates to new heights.

Wells, the clear starter at the position, has turned himself into a really solid all-around player. As a rookie in 2024, he showed legitimate potential with the bat, posting a 107 wRC+ in over 400 plate appearances, and although he took a slight step back last season, he made up for it with some pop, as he topped 20 homers for the first time. Wells didn’t go deep during his first week of regular season play, but his All-WBC-worthy performance in March signaled that he should remain no easy out.

Perhaps even more importantly, Wells has turned around his status as a defensive catcher. Originally seen as someone who may not stick behind the plate, both he and the Yankees have proved the skeptics wrong, as he has taken huge strides since arriving in the big leagues and seems to be thriving in the premium position.

During the 2025 campaign, Wells graded as one of baseball’s very best pitch-framers (12 framing runs via Statcast), while keeping himself afloat with average grades in other areas. Wells, who once seemed to be a bat-first catcher who had potential to end up position-less, now looks like one of the league’s steadier defenders behind the plate, all while handling his own on offense thanks to some legit thump with the bat.

While the Yankees should be satisfied with their first-stringer, whose 6.5 fWAR between 2024-25 ranks sixth among big league catchers, where they separate themselves is with their quality depth at the position.

Escarra, who initially made headlines as a feel-good story out of spring training last season, has also turned himself into a real force behind the plate. Despite only playing in only 40 games with the Yankees in 2025, his five catcher framing runs was bested by only seven catchers in baseball. Escarra established himself among the best defensive backstops in the minor leagues last season, and despite the limited work, one of the more adept pitch-framers in the sport. Even though ABS is now part of Major League Baseball, not every borderline call is going to be reviewed due to the challenge limits, and the Yankees have already stolen some strikes in 2026.

Beyond that, Escarra has a solid bat for backstop, where the bar is lower than most positions due to the inherent defensive value. His numbers will likely never jump off the page, with his 79 wRC+ last season, but he has solid discipline, posting a 11.2-percent walk rate, while limiting strikeouts and maintaining the decent potential to run into one now and then (even if you understandably discredit all spring training numbers, his three Grapefruit League bombs at least indicate that there is power in his bat). All told, Escarra stands as a more-then-adequate backup, as someone who can stay afloat with the bat, and potentially be a difference maker behind the plate.

The combination of the two catchers, Wells as a more significant threat with the bat and a surprising changing of the tide on defense, along with Escarra’s valuable glovework behind the plate, make the Yankees stand out at the position.* This is something they’ve excelled at in recent years, thanks to solid all-around value from the likes of Kyle Higashioka, Jose Trevino, and even all the way back to José Molina — skilled catching depth has legitimate value that can be hard to see with the naked eye.

*Since he’s the primary first baseman, we’re not even delving into the luxury of having Ben Rice around as a third catcher. But it sure is nice, especially because the Yankees and Rice have an interest in at least keeping that ability “in [his] back pocket.”

The success of Wells and Escarra has also allowed the Yankees to move some of their other catching depth in recent years for value elsewhere on the diamond. This includes moving Trevino for reliever Fernando Cruz, acquiring top pitching prospect Elmer Rodríguez in exchange for Carlos Narvaez, and adding the likes of David Bednar and Camilo Doval at last year’s Trade Deadline for prospects Rafael Flores Jr. and Jesus Rodriguez.

The 2026 season has gotten off to a roaring start on the pitching side of things for the Yankees, and it is only fair to credit their backstops for some of it. Two players, who were once a future non-catcher and a 30-year-old rookie have turned themselves into two of the sport’s best pitch-framers and game-managers, and as a result, an one of the game’s better catcher’s rooms.

Even if the offensive numbers remain where they are, the floor that Wells and Escarra provide on the whole is hard to overstate, and the Yankees pitchers who have dominated thus far would absolutely agree.

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There are just three games on today's MLB slate, but we still have some MLB best bets for that action based on prices at prediction markets like Polymarket, which allow bettors all across the country to get in on some baseball action.

Our expert MLB picks are below, with Minnesota and Kansas City continuing to start slow and Atlanta being underpriced in an advantageous matchup.

MLB expert picks for today

Pick	Odds
Josh Inglis: MIN/KC NRFI	+108
Jon Metler: Braves ML	-108

Prices courtesy of Polymarket.

Josh Inglis' expert pick: Twins/Royals NRFI

Price: 48¢ (+108) at Polymarket

Things should settle down this afternoon after yesterday’s 13–9 game, which still cashed a NRFI at a similar number. The 20 mph winds are inflating the total and giving us a better price on the first inning, and through the first week of the season, neither the Twins nor the Royals has scored in the first frame. It sets up well with Taj Bradley vs. Cole Ragans, especially with potential getaway-day lineups on both sides —with a chance that key bats such as Byron Buxton and Salvador Pérez get a day off.

Jon Metler's expert pick: Braves ML

Price: 52¢ (-108) at Polymarket

The Braves are trading as a 52% favorite against the Diamondbacks, and I think this price is an absolute steal — I make the Braves closer to a 62% favorite in this matchup. Ryne Nelson allowed two home runs in his season debut, lasting just 4 2/3 innings, and his cutter could get him into trouble against a Braves lineup capable of barreling the ball consistently. What really stands out is the depth of Atlanta’s lineup right now: Mauricio Dubón and Dominic Smith are both hitting over .385 to start the season, helping turn the lineup over and giving a pitcher like Nelson nowhere to breathe. If the Braves can drive up his pitch count and get into the Diamondbacks’ bullpen early, it becomes a significant advantage for Atlanta.

More MLB best bets for today

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.

The Rays have completed their first week of games facing off against a pair of NL Central teams. Below are five early trends to watch as the Rays look to build momentum in April. It’s still early, but these indicators can give us a directional sense of what’s real and what might regress.

36.7%

is the zone-minus-out-of-zone swing rate for the offense so far – slightly better than average, and good enough for 13th in the league. This group showed plus swing decisions during the spring with a rate of 40.0%, and that trend is continuing into the regular season although a few hitters have shown slightly more early-count aggressiveness than they did in the spring. The eye test and data both support the high quality of at-bats we’re seeing from this Rays offense. I expect this to continue given the players they have on the 40-man roster as they settle in more during April.

79.6%

is the team’s contact rate so far. Again, this was a pretty obvious one to see coming when we look at the roster moves they’ve been making over the last ~10 months, and the Spring Training data supports this trend as well. The Rays offense is making contact at a comfortably plus rate, ranking 3rd in the league so far.

105.9mph

is the team’s 90th percentile exit velocity. They’re currently above-average here as well and have the 5th highest EV90 in the league. The above average raw power shown from the Rays hitters so far combined with the quality of at-bats and high contact rate has helped produce a strong and efficient offense. Yes, there’s some BABIP luck that we can expect to regress a bit eventually, but they project to be one of the better BABIP teams in the league given their plus contact rate and how hard they’re hitting the ball.

59.3%

is the Rays combined line drive plus fly ball rate for the offense. This was an indicator I was a bit skeptical about heading into the regular season as it was just 46.0% in the spring and near the bottom of the league. However, they’ve done well to improve on this number so far compared to their Spring Training data and the 46.6% (last in the league) they showed in 2025. This will be something to monitor as a higher rate can raise the offensive ceiling of the group. It’s unlikely they sustain a top 10 mark over a full season, but even settling in around league average would represent a meaningful step forward from 2025.

66.5%

is the rate at which batted ball events are being converted to outs by the defense – the 9th lowest in the league. This is not a red flag yet as it’s still early, but it’s maybe a yellow flag – the defense is simply allowing too many additional outs and extra bases. The outfield has been pretty solid at 66.1% on their own (average for the outfield is 60.7%), so it’s mainly the infield and their 82.6% (average for the infield is 89.1%) which ranks near the bottom of the league. Given that they have average or better defenders at every infield position, this should improve over a larger sample. This is something to monitor through April, especially with a heavier divisional schedule coming in May.

Just as a small side note, Chandler Simpson has been one of the most impressive defenders on the team so far this season. He had a strong spring, and that has translated well into the regular season. He has made several impressive catches with relative ease, including this one with a 20% catch probability and this one with a 50% probability. The only blemish is this opportunity with a 10% catch probability that he nearly turned into an out. The reactions and routes are night and day difference from 2025, and it’s easy to see a path to him earning a larger role.

Being a Mets fan must be exhausting. Being of New York is a status symbol, which carries privilege but also responsibility. The Mets are expected to win! And short of that, they’re expected to do everything they can to win. And if they don’t, there’s no choice as a fan but to be miserable. Plenty of Giants fans would like to think their favorite team is in the same boat, but I would hope a close inspection of the franchises situations would reveal that they’re not anywhere close to the same. For the Mets, the floor is “good,” but the expectation is great. For the Giants, “good enough” is the primary philosophy.

It’s hardly a distinction without a difference, too. “Good” means spending way, waaaaaay more than it should’ve cost to acquire Juan Soto (15 years, $765 million).“Good enough” means trading for Rafael Devers in his decline phase or filling out a thin rotation with oft-injured Tyler Mahle and fifth-starter-at-best Adrian Houser. “Good” carries the expectation that the team will make the postseason, meaning that David Stearns, the Mets’ President of Baseball Operations, had compose an actual offseason plan after “let beloved Mets figures Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz walk.”

Our colleagues over at Amazin’ Avenue gave the team an “A-” for their offseason additions of free agents closer Devin Williams, first baseman Jorge Polanco (he’d played just 1-2 innings at the position prior to the signing), reliever Luke Williams and infielder Bo Bichette (whom they pivoted to after losing out on Kyle Tucker) along with trades for infielder Marcus Semien, outfielder Luis Robert, and starter Freddy Peralta.

It was a substantial rebuild of the team’s core done within the span of a single offseason with enough bona fide talent that it blows past the “well, if everything works out”-style prognostication that typically follows a Giants winter. The Giants have typically operated in that “good enough” area where if a couple of things break right, the team will be really successful. “Good,” or the pursuit of it, means building something that is less likely to fail.

But that’s why they play the games and all that very relevant history of Baseball. The Mets aren’t the Dodgers (who’ve started 4-2) nor are they the Yankees (5-1). Then again, they could be. The Giants picked up their first two wins of the season in games started by pitchers who are probably very close to the end of their major league careers (Walker Buehler & German Marquez). Like with the Yankees series, the moment they faced an average-to-above average major league starter (depending on how you want to label Nick Pivetta), their bats went cold.

The Mets’ staff has a 2.50 ERA through their first 6 games (57.2 IP) of the season, but given the peripherals, they’re right around where the Giants are (3.74 team ERA btw) in terms of value (+0.7 fWAR vs. +0.6fWAR). But they’re also just 20th in runs scored (23). Of course, the Giants are last (14 runs scored). It’s so early in the season that the sample size factor ought to be our main consideration when comparing the two teams. Of course, the next consideration is substantial, too.

While the Giants have a group that looks solid on paper, it doesn’t really measure up to the Mets. There’s the Juan Soto of it all, of course. He just hit his first home run of the season yesterday, but has started the year with a line of .346/.414/.538 (29 PA). Last season, he hit 43 home runs in 160 games and drew 127 walks. He’s quite good; and, at Oracle Park, he’s been stellar: a career .313/.422/.604 in 25 games and 116 plate appearances. So, you know, let’s look at him as a given. A guy to pitch around and a guy who will hurt you late in the game.

The Mets are missing Pete Alonso now, and that’s a nice development. Then again, they have Francisco Lindor and now Bo Bichette. While he doesn’t have much experience logged against the Giants, the guy with a career .292 average is off to a .111 start. Can the Giants sneak past his bat in this 4-game series?

The tougher part will be the pitching, as Nolan McLean is considered by some to be an ace in waiting. Clay Holmes, Kodai Senga, and Freddy Peralta are all #2-type pitchers. Devin Williams is a great closer when he’s not pitching for the Yankees. There are plenty of obstacles in the Giants’ way.

I don’t think it’s right to do this, but I can see the argument in assuming the Giants are in no way competitive against the Yankees or Dodgers and figure all of those will be losses. The problem is, if you start doing that with two teams, then why not three teams? The only way the Giants will be able to upend some assumptions about their .500-ness is by winning games against good teams, especially at home. It’s not too early in the season to start doing that. On the other hand, winning a game or two with the aim of getting through this tough part of the schedule around 3-5 games under .500 is the sort of “good enough” we might expect from the Giants.

The Mets have been constructed for the express purpose of winning the National League East. The Giants have been built in hopes of competing for a Wild Card slot as deep into the season as possible.

Series overview

Who: San Francisco Giants (2-4) vs. New York Mets (3-3)
Where: Oracle Park | San Francisco, CA
When: Thursday at 6:45pm PT, Friday at 7:15pm PT, Saturday at 6:05pm PT, Sunday at
National broadcasts: Friday (MLB Network simulcast)

Projected starters
Thursday: David Peterson (LHP, 0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. Robbie Ray (LHP, 0-1, 3.38 ERA)
Friday: Nolan McLean (RHP, 0-0, 3.60 ERA) vs. Tyler Mahle (RHP, 0-1, 4.50 ERA)
Saturday: Clay Holmes (RHP, 1-0, 3.18 ERA) vs. Landen Roupp (RHP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Sunday: Kodai Senga (RHP, 0-1, 3.00 ERA) vs. Logan Webb (RHP, 1-1, 7.36 ERA)

Players to watch (besides Logan Webb & Juan Soto)

Mets

Francisco Lindor: He has just 3 hits on the season, but 2 of them are triples! He also has drawn 7 walks to just 3 strikeouts. He has a career .909 OPS against the Giants with a .927 OPS specifically in Oracle Park.

Brett Baty / Mark Vientos: Why not put Bo Bicette here? Well, frankly, because I wrote about him above. He’ll either continue slumping or get some hits against the Giants in this series to frustrate them and boost his batting average. But with these two, it’ll be key to watch how they’re used. In a lot of other front offices, these two would’ve been penciled in as starters to maintain “payroll flexibility.” The Mets don’t have such considerations and so now these two ostensible corner guys are being used in a variety of roles — DH, first base, outfield, third base, second base. Baty took a step forward last season when he hit 18 home runs and drove in 50 across 130 games (432 PA) on a .748 OPS. Vientos had 27 home runs and 71 RBI on a .266/.322/.516 line in 2024 (454 PA) before backsliding to a .233/.289/.413 line with 17 homers and 61 RBI (463 PA). The Mets shed three Giants killers in the offseason: Pete Alonso, Ronnie Mauricio, and Jeff McNeil. Will either or both of these guys take their places?

Sean Manaea: The former Giant seemed to have been in a career renaissance at the end of his sole year with the Giants (2023), catching on with the Mets in such a big way that they signed him to a 3-year, $75 million deal at the end of 2024. Now he’s in the bullpen. Will he frustrate his former team late in the game or over multiple innings if one of the Mets’ starters goes down? Let’s hope not.

Giants

Rafael Devers: Rafael Devers is probably still nursing an injury. How else to explain his .593 OPS to start the season? Well, he’s getting a lot of pitches outside the strike zone (54.8%) and swinging at them more than his career average — 35.1% through the first 6 games of 2026; 32.6% for his career. He’s also making 80% contact on those pitches. The dreaded zone contact rate that is the canary in the coal mine for his contract being underwater the moment the Giants traded for him remains… stable, compared to recent years. 2024: 74.9%, 2025: 73.9%, 2026: 74.3%. So, really, it’s that he’s swinging at pitches he can’t do a lot of damage on. His average exit velocity is at 84.5 mph. His career average is 92.6. It’s been 93 since 2020. So, there you go.

Ryan Walker: He will probably have a save situation in this series, in which case, we’ll all be holding our breaths for good reason. He’s looked as shaky this season as he did through half of last season. The Giants’ defense is a bit shaky right now and, at best, is prone to giving up lots of hits (just ask Logan Webb), which is exactly what Ryan Walker doesn’t need right now as he tries to minimize baserunners.

The bench: With the Giants now setup to play 7 games in a row, we’ll finally get to see Tony Vitello deploy his bench players a bit more. How will Jared Oliva, Jerar Encarnacion, Daniel Susac, and Christian Koss fare in this series? Not sure, but it’s going to be important to see how they’re used because it’s a long season and it would be great if they got more regular work. The two off days in the team’s first 4 games was unusual.

Tony Vitello watch

Not only will we be watching how he deploys his bench, we’ll see how he manages a pitching staff across a 4-game series. Now, the front office determines a lot of the pitching plan, of course, but he’s going to become familiar with the Mets by the end of the series and he’ll be far enough along with this roster that the repetitive nature of a 4-gamer might make him comfortable enough to do something distinctly Tony.

Don’t worry. I’m thinking of ways to improve this section.

Prediction time

The Giants will manage to avoid a sweep.