Defensive whiz Dru Baker is on the bubble to break camp north with the White Sox. | (Photo by Ben Catapane/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Yesterday was the first official full practice for MLB teams, and for non-roster invitees (NRIs), it’s the official start of their fight for a position on 40-man rosters. Although 10 of the 26 White Sox NRIs have already inked contracts with the club, roster shifts are expected before Opening Day on March 27.
With invitations extended to new faces, a few veterans and even some familiar faces, who has the best chance of breaking camp with the White Sox?
Ben Peoples The Sox tapped into Tampa Bay’s pitching factory last year in the Adrian Houser trade, and it’ll pay off this season. Peoples spent his first three years in the Rays minor league system putting up solid numbers as a starter before he transitioned into a long reliever role in 2025. His 2.65 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 37 1/3 innings with the Durham Bulls showed much promise despite his performance slippage once he was traded to Chicago. While seven earned runs and nine hits in 10 relief appearances doesn’t look great on paper, consistency (especially in Charlotte) is hard to expect from a reliever. With nearly five-and-a-half seasons of sub-4.00 ERA ball under his belt, don’t reach too much into Peoples’ second-half 2025 stats.
Peoples is in a strong position to break camp with the team. He could easily steal a bullpen spot from incumbents Wikelman González or Prelander Berroa (who is on the Tommy John mend and could struggle in his initial return). After one of the worst bullpen years in recent memory (and that’s saying something), the Sox will be experimenting with their bullpen to find a crew that clicks, and Peoples could become a go-to guy in the fifth and sixth innings.
Dru Baker The Sox are in dire need of defense, and Chicago’s outfield could end up a mess. That leaves the door open for Baker to sneak onto the 40-man roster in March. Baker hasn’t produced jaw-dropping numbers, but he’s done enough to be given a chance. Coming off a strong 2024 campaign, Baker’s .245/.321/.343 slash line and 30 walks in 100 games in 2025 was serviceable. His real strength is defense: Baker has spent most of his time in center, but is no stranger to the outfield corners. He showcased excellent fielding several times last year. and was recognized as Tampa’s minor league player of the month last April.
There isn’t much separating a Triple-A outfielder from a major-leaguer in the Sox organization, leaving Baker a narrow window of opportunity. Injuries and Spring Training performance will play a huge role in whether Baker makes his MLB debut before June.
Jarred Kelenic The former 2018 first-round pick hasn’t lived up to his hype. Kelenic’s performance quickly dropped off following his career-high .253/.327/.419 slash in 2023 with the Mariners. He struggled to stay in the majors in his last two seasons with the Braves, batting .222/.279/.381 with 17 home runs in 155 games. His poor swing decisions (41.5% WHIFF in 2025) are hard to fix and don’t bode well for a fruitful career in the majors. However, it’s possible that Chicago’s hitting coaches can make enough tweaks to get him back to being a viable defensive sub option, as his strong arm beats Andrew Benintendi’s any day. At this rate, put me in left field, Venable!
Kelenic has a slim chance of making the Opening Day roster, but his big league experience and raw power could be enough to beat out the rest of the competition.
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) throws in the bullpen during spring training workouts Saturday, February 14, 2026, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
While Brandon Sproat is my pick to be the next Brewers “pitching lab” success story, I started writing that article before the Brewers traded for left-hander Kyle Harrison (4.09 ERA in 2025). Harrison — the main piece acquired in the trade that sent Caleb Durbin to Boston— might have an even more intriguing profile. He’s a former top 25 overall prospect who the Red Sox liked enough to make him the centerpiece in the trade that sent slugger Rafael Devers to San Francisco. He seems like a perfect candidate for the Brewers “lab” to work some of its magic.
I don’t put very much stock in the fact that Harrison hasn’t exactly impressed in the majors, nor that he lost his spot in the Giants’ rotation to Landen Roupp (who, by the way, has a very respectable 3.73 career ERA). Harrison has a ton of potential but is in need of some more development. That might be worrying, maybe, if he wasn’t already ahead of schedule. When Harrison made his debut as a Giant, at 22 years old, he was the youngest pitcher to pitch in a Giants uniform since Madison Bumgarner. He’s already spent a full season in a major league starting rotation. It’s not like San Francisco desperately wanted to unload Harrison either; most general managers would have traded Harrison for Rafael freakin’ Devers.
Harrison was originally drafted in the third round by the Giants back in 2020. While he was drafted over five years ago, he was drafted out of high school, so at 24 years old, he’s still younger than a few notable Brewers prospects — Sproat (25), Craig Yoho (26), Robert Gasser (26), and Coleman Crow (25) are all older than Harrison. He’s not much older than Logan Henderson, Jeferson Quero, and Brock Wilken, who are all 23. Harrison is the same age as Tyson Hardin, and the same age that Quinn Priester was when Milwaukee traded for him.
To me, there are some Priester parallels with Harrison. Harrison, like Priester, was picked high in the draft and was a top prospect for a couple of years. Harrison didn’t exactly light the world on fire in his first full season in the Giants rotation, pitching to the tune of a 4.56 ERA with 118 strikeouts in 124 1/3 innings pitched. Neither did Priester, who lost his rotation spot to Richard Fitts (5.00 ERA in 10 starts in 2025). Fitts is now in St. Louis, and Priester just put up a 3.32 ERA in Milwaukee.
MLB statistics definitely matter when evaluating Harrison, but when you look at the big picture, the acquisition starts to look more promising. Numbers in this small of a sample size can also be somewhat misleading. If Harrison had simply not made his last start of the season (3 ER in 3 IP against the Tigers), he would have finished the season with a 3.58 ERA.
Think of Harrison like a prospect. He’s still as young as some prospects and is uber-talented, but comes with the added bonus of big-league experience. He’s already shown flashes of what he could be, but he hasn’t been consistent enough to justify a featured role thus far in his career. Now, Harrison is in an organization known for “unlocking” pitchers, of getting the most out of new acquisitions. With some tweaks, he could justify his former ranking as a top prospect in baseball as soon as this season. Here’s everything you need to know about Harrison’s current arsenal and how it might look different in Milwaukee.
Harrison’s Fastball
Harrison’s fastball is a “problematic pitch,” as put by Steven Kennedy from McCovey Chronicles. The “problem” is actually paradoxical — his fastball is really, really good, but in his only full season as a starter (2024), he threw it more frequently than any other starting pitcher in baseball. No pitcher is going to win a Cy Young throwing his fastball nearly 60% of the time, but part of the reason that Harrison’s heavy fastball usage became “problematic” is that his average fastball velocity declined from what it was in 2023. In 2023, Harrison averaged 93.6 mph on his fastball. In 2024, that number dipped down to 92.5 mph.
Harrison has never thrown super hard, but his fastball (characterized by a late-rising movement) has always been effective as a result of its shape. The decline in velocity led to a decline in movement. Together, both led to a decline in overall effectiveness.
Here’s what The Athletic baseball writer Grant Brisbee said about Harrison prior to the 2025 season:
“If Harrison levels up with his offspeed stuff or with his command, or ideally both, his ceiling is where you might expect a former top-20 prospect’s ceiling to be. If it’s just a mid-90s fastball that carries him, he’ll still help the Giants toward the postseason. If the fastball is what we saw toward the end of last year and the offspeed stuff and command don’t improve, the 4.56 ERA (85 ERA+) doesn’t have to be a blip or something that can be written off because of inexperience.” Brisbee and Kennedy both characterized Harrison as someone who “can be, and has been, a serviceable starter at the back-end of a rotation purely on the merits of his four-seam. What prevents him from filling a more elevated rotation role is his secondary pitches.” From reading other scouting reports, most people seemed to view Harrison similarly — a back-end starter at worst, a high-end starter if he can develop his secondary offerings.
One good sign for Harrison’s development is that he got his velocity back — and then some — in 2025. Harrison’s average fastball velocity in 2025 was 94.6 mph (over 2 mph faster than in 2024). Unsurprisingly, his fastball also played better. Opponents hit .249 against it in 2024 and .195 in 2025. Simply put, I wouldn’t worry about the fastball.
Harrison’s secondary stuff, however?
Harrison’s Secondary Offerings
Harrison’s secondary offerings, for most of his career, have left something to be desired. The narrative on Harrison was exactly how Brisbee and Kennedy described him — great fastball, less-than-great secondary stuff. When he was traded to Boston last summer, however, the Red Sox reportedly “started to modify his arsenal, adding a cutter and sinker and tweaking his breaking ball.”
Harrison didn’t throw either pitch all that often in 2025 (22 and 12 times, respectively). Getting either pitch to miss bats consistently would change the equation entirely. The sinker averages a similar velocity (93 mph) to his fastball, but with an entirely different shape. Harrison’s fastball features arm-side movement (away from a right-handed hitter) and significant rising action, while his sinker has arm-side movement but… well, it sinks. Pitching is all about deception, so having two pitches that look very similar until the last 30-ish feet would go a long way towards missing bats. The cutter also shows a lot of potential playing off his fastball, as detailed in this September article from Over The Monster.
While the sinker and the cutter are both new additions, Harrison has also featured a slurve (thrown 27% of the time last year) and a changeup (8%). The slurve has been inconsistent, although it’s been consistently more effective against righties than it has against lefties. Before joining the Red Sox, Harrison’s slurve tended not to “finish its’ shape,” straightening out inside of continuing to break down and towards the glove side. With the Red Sox, however, Harrison was throwing the pitch slightly harder (82.2 mph as opposed to 80.6 mph) and getting an extra 1.6” of vertical break on average. In the Over the Monster article, author Jacob Roy wondered if a “harder breaking ball is the answer” — it seems the Red Sox were already making that adjustment. That may be something the Brewers have also pinpointed.
As for the changeup? Well, who better to hear from than Harrison himself?
“(The changeup) used to be similar to Logan Webb’s changeup — the way he throws his with a one-seam orientation — but I’ve switched to a kick,” Harrison explained. “That’s what I’m trying to harness. It is a little harder to get a feel for. Throwing a kick kind of takes away that being perfect, of trying to pronate a pitch and get to a spot. Now it’s, ‘Throw the pitch and let the kick take care of it.’”
It’s admittedly a very small sample size, and opponents did hit .300 against Harrison’s changeup last year, but they also only slugged .400 — lower than any pitch other than his fastball and his cutter (22 total pitches thrown). Fastball pitchers usually rely on changeups to keep hitters off balance and unable to sit on the fastball, since both pitches are generally thrown with a similar arm angle, arm speed, and release trajectory. A quality changeup would aid Harrison in the same way that a quality sinker would; batters can’t sit on Harrison’s rising fastball when he has a pitch that looks similar out of his hand, but reaches the plate significantly slower and drops inside of rising.
So, what does Harrison need to live up to his potential? Simply put, he needs better shape on his secondary pitches and a go-to secondary offering. As detailed in the Sproat article, Milwaukee has a (literal) pitching lab dedicated to, in the words of former Brewer Josh Hader, learning “how pitches should spin to get optimal drop or movement.” Using that data, they’ve gotten great seasons out of pitchers much less talented than Harrison.
I don’t know whether Milwaukee thinks they can make the slurve the (harder, faster) swing-and-miss pitch it should be, or whether they think the cutter, sinker, or changeup can become plus pitches with some tweaks. I do know that trading a valuable part of last year’s team (Caleb Durbin) and versatile infield depth speaks to their confidence in their ability to get the best out of Harrison. The Brewers think he can live up to his billing as a former top prospect leaguewide, and I’m excited to see how they get him there.
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Kyle Harrison (52) throws in the bullpen during spring training workouts Saturday, February 14, 2026, at American Family Fields of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
While Brandon Sproat is my pick to be the next Brewers “pitching lab” success story, I started writing that article before the Brewers traded for left-hander Kyle Harrison (4.09 ERA in 2025). Harrison — the main piece acquired in the trade that sent Caleb Durbin to Boston— might have an even more intriguing profile. He’s a former top 25 overall prospect who the Red Sox liked enough to make him the centerpiece in the trade that sent slugger Rafael Devers to San Francisco. He seems like a perfect candidate for the Brewers “lab” to work some of its magic.
I don’t put very much stock in the fact that Harrison hasn’t exactly impressed in the majors, nor that he lost his spot in the Giants’ rotation to Landen Roupp (who, by the way, has a very respectable 3.73 career ERA). Harrison has a ton of potential but is in need of some more development. That might be worrying, maybe, if he wasn’t already ahead of schedule. When Harrison made his debut as a Giant, at 22 years old, he was the youngest pitcher to pitch in a Giants uniform since Madison Bumgarner. He’s already spent a full season in a major league starting rotation. It’s not like San Francisco desperately wanted to unload Harrison either; most general managers would have traded Harrison for Rafael freakin’ Devers.
Harrison was originally drafted in the third round by the Giants back in 2020. While he was drafted over five years ago, he was drafted out of high school, so at 24 years old, he’s still younger than a few notable Brewers prospects — Sproat (25), Craig Yoho (26), Robert Gasser (26), and Coleman Crow (25) are all older than Harrison. He’s not much older than Logan Henderson, Jeferson Quero, and Brock Wilken, who are all 23. Harrison is the same age as Tyson Hardin, and the same age that Quinn Priester was when Milwaukee traded for him.
To me, there are some Priester parallels with Harrison. Harrison, like Priester, was picked high in the draft and was a top prospect for a couple of years. Harrison didn’t exactly light the world on fire in his first full season in the Giants rotation, pitching to the tune of a 4.56 ERA with 118 strikeouts in 124 1/3 innings pitched. Neither did Priester, who lost his rotation spot to Richard Fitts (5.00 ERA in 10 starts in 2025). Fitts is now in St. Louis, and Priester just put up a 3.32 ERA in Milwaukee.
MLB statistics definitely matter when evaluating Harrison, but when you look at the big picture, the acquisition starts to look more promising. Numbers in this small of a sample size can also be somewhat misleading. If Harrison had simply not made his last start of the season (3 ER in 3 IP against the Tigers), he would have finished the season with a 3.58 ERA.
Think of Harrison like a prospect. He’s still as young as some prospects and is uber-talented, but comes with the added bonus of big-league experience. He’s already shown flashes of what he could be, but he hasn’t been consistent enough to justify a featured role thus far in his career. Now, Harrison is in an organization known for “unlocking” pitchers, of getting the most out of new acquisitions. With some tweaks, he could justify his former ranking as a top prospect in baseball as soon as this season. Here’s everything you need to know about Harrison’s current arsenal and how it might look different in Milwaukee.
Harrison’s Fastball
Harrison’s fastball is a “problematic pitch,” as put by Steven Kennedy from McCovey Chronicles. The “problem” is actually paradoxical — his fastball is really, really good, but in his only full season as a starter (2024), he threw it more frequently than any other starting pitcher in baseball. No pitcher is going to win a Cy Young throwing his fastball nearly 60% of the time, but part of the reason that Harrison’s heavy fastball usage became “problematic” is that his average fastball velocity declined from what it was in 2023. In 2023, Harrison averaged 93.6 mph on his fastball. In 2024, that number dipped down to 92.5 mph.
Harrison has never thrown super hard, but his fastball (characterized by a late-rising movement) has always been effective as a result of its shape. The decline in velocity led to a decline in movement. Together, both led to a decline in overall effectiveness.
Here’s what The Athletic baseball writer Grant Brisbee said about Harrison prior to the 2025 season:
“If Harrison levels up with his offspeed stuff or with his command, or ideally both, his ceiling is where you might expect a former top-20 prospect’s ceiling to be. If it’s just a mid-90s fastball that carries him, he’ll still help the Giants toward the postseason. If the fastball is what we saw toward the end of last year and the offspeed stuff and command don’t improve, the 4.56 ERA (85 ERA+) doesn’t have to be a blip or something that can be written off because of inexperience.” Brisbee and Kennedy both characterized Harrison as someone who “can be, and has been, a serviceable starter at the back-end of a rotation purely on the merits of his four-seam. What prevents him from filling a more elevated rotation role is his secondary pitches.” From reading other scouting reports, most people seemed to view Harrison similarly — a back-end starter at worst, a high-end starter if he can develop his secondary offerings.
One good sign for Harrison’s development is that he got his velocity back — and then some — in 2025. Harrison’s average fastball velocity in 2025 was 94.6 mph (over 2 mph faster than in 2024). Unsurprisingly, his fastball also played better. Opponents hit .249 against it in 2024 and .195 in 2025. Simply put, I wouldn’t worry about the fastball.
Harrison’s secondary stuff, however?
Harrison’s Secondary Offerings
Harrison’s secondary offerings, for most of his career, have left something to be desired. The narrative on Harrison was exactly how Brisbee and Kennedy described him — great fastball, less-than-great secondary stuff. When he was traded to Boston last summer, however, the Red Sox reportedly “started to modify his arsenal, adding a cutter and sinker and tweaking his breaking ball.”
Harrison didn’t throw either pitch all that often in 2025 (22 and 12 times, respectively). Getting either pitch to miss bats consistently would change the equation entirely. The sinker averages a similar velocity (93 mph) to his fastball, but with an entirely different shape. Harrison’s fastball features arm-side movement (away from a right-handed hitter) and significant rising action, while his sinker has arm-side movement but… well, it sinks. Pitching is all about deception, so having two pitches that look very similar until the last 30-ish feet would go a long way towards missing bats. The cutter also shows a lot of potential playing off his fastball, as detailed in this September article from Over The Monster.
While the sinker and the cutter are both new additions, Harrison has also featured a slurve (thrown 27% of the time last year) and a changeup (8%). The slurve has been inconsistent, although it’s been consistently more effective against righties than it has against lefties. Before joining the Red Sox, Harrison’s slurve tended not to “finish its’ shape,” straightening out inside of continuing to break down and towards the glove side. With the Red Sox, however, Harrison was throwing the pitch slightly harder (82.2 mph as opposed to 80.6 mph) and getting an extra 1.6” of vertical break on average. In the Over the Monster article, author Jacob Roy wondered if a “harder breaking ball is the answer” — it seems the Red Sox were already making that adjustment. That may be something the Brewers have also pinpointed.
As for the changeup? Well, who better to hear from than Harrison himself?
“(The changeup) used to be similar to Logan Webb’s changeup — the way he throws his with a one-seam orientation — but I’ve switched to a kick,” Harrison explained. “That’s what I’m trying to harness. It is a little harder to get a feel for. Throwing a kick kind of takes away that being perfect, of trying to pronate a pitch and get to a spot. Now it’s, ‘Throw the pitch and let the kick take care of it.’”
It’s admittedly a very small sample size, and opponents did hit .300 against Harrison’s changeup last year, but they also only slugged .400 — lower than any pitch other than his fastball and his cutter (22 total pitches thrown). Fastball pitchers usually rely on changeups to keep hitters off balance and unable to sit on the fastball, since both pitches are generally thrown with a similar arm angle, arm speed, and release trajectory. A quality changeup would aid Harrison in the same way that a quality sinker would; batters can’t sit on Harrison’s rising fastball when he has a pitch that looks similar out of his hand, but reaches the plate significantly slower and drops inside of rising.
So, what does Harrison need to live up to his potential? Simply put, he needs better shape on his secondary pitches and a go-to secondary offering. As detailed in the Sproat article, Milwaukee has a (literal) pitching lab dedicated to, in the words of former Brewer Josh Hader, learning “how pitches should spin to get optimal drop or movement.” Using that data, they’ve gotten great seasons out of pitchers much less talented than Harrison.
I don’t know whether Milwaukee thinks they can make the slurve the (harder, faster) swing-and-miss pitch it should be, or whether they think the cutter, sinker, or changeup can become plus pitches with some tweaks. I do know that trading a valuable part of last year’s team (Caleb Durbin) and versatile infield depth speaks to their confidence in their ability to get the best out of Harrison. The Brewers think he can live up to his billing as a former top prospect leaguewide, and I’m excited to see how they get him there.
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 08: Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies prepares to take batting practice prior to Game Three of the National League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, October 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Today is the day. Pitchers and catchers have already begun their workouts, but the players are coming. A bunch of them are already there, eager to run it ba—
Get better for the season. Today, though, today is the marker in the sand. The one where it truly feels like spring is underway.
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 08: Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies prepares to take batting practice prior to Game Three of the National League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, October 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Today is the day. Pitchers and catchers have already begun their workouts, but the players are coming. A bunch of them are already there, eager to run it ba—
Get better for the season. Today, though, today is the marker in the sand. The one where it truly feels like spring is underway.
Sep 2, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Coby Mayo (16) celebrates after hitting a double during the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
Happy President’s Day, Camden Chatters! If you’ve got the day off from work today, I hope you use it wisely. I plan to do some relaxing.
We are now just four days from the first Spring Training game of the season. This Friday, the Orioles kick off their Grapefruit League season at home against the New York Yankees. The game will be televised on MASN, the first of 20 exhibition games they’ll show this season. Even though the game means nothing, it’ll sure be nice to see the guys out on the field for the first time.
So far, the bad news out of spring training is the injuries to both Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg. Westburg plans to be back before Opening Day, but I never trust an oblique injury. With Holliday guaranteed to be out beyond the start of the season, that opens the door for Coby Mayo. Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle are the odd men out on the roster since Pete Alonso joined the team. But Mayo has been working out at third base and, if he can make it work, could find regular playing time. I personally believe the ship has sailed on Mayo being a third baseman, but I would love to be wrong on that.
And speaking of Mayo and Mountcastle, they are both on the trade block, according to the latest from Ken Rosenthal. In a story for The Athletic yesterday, Rosenthal stated that the Orioles are exploring trades for both players, “according to a person familiar with their thinking.” That is a pretty nebulous way to describe a source, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the Orioles would probably like to move at least one of these two players.
The problem with that, of course, is that neither of those players seems likely to bring back much of value. Mountcastle is coming off a year in which he was both injured and bad. He has just one year until free agency, and frankly, it was a little surprising when the Orioles tendered him a contract in the first place. Even if the Orioles could not get much of a trade return for Mountcastle, it could still be worth it to open up a spot on the roster when there is currently a logjam at first base and DH.
As for Mayo, it feels like his potential is worth more than trade value. He’d bring back more than Mountcastle, but being that his future value is unproven, whatever would come in trade return would likely be the same. I am personally not ready to give up on Mayo as a major leaguer. I really want to see him hit some dingers as an Oriole.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have four Orioles birthday buddies, including Terry Crowley (79). Crowley had a 15-season Major League career and spent 1969-1973 and 1976-1982 with the Orioles. Crowley was never an everyday player, and for many seasons he functioned almost solely as a pinch hitter. From ‘77-‘81, he had a .314 batting average as a pinch hitter.
When his playing career ended, Crowley moved into coaching. He served as the hitting coach for the Orioles from 1985-88, then returned for a second stint from 1999-2010. He was with the team in an advisory capacity from 2011-2018.
Also celebrating today are former Orioles Jorge Rondon (38), Tommy Milone (39), and Eric Byrnes (50).
Not much happened on this day in Orioles history, but on this day in baseball history:
In 1952, Honus Wagner retired at age 77 after 55 years in Major League baseball as a player and coach.
In 1989, Orel Hershiser became the first player to make at least $3 million per year with his three-year, $7.9 million contract with the Dodgers.
In 2004, the Texas Rangers traded Alex Rodriguez to the New York Yankees. Rodriguez was just three years into the 10-year contract he signed with the Rangers.
Sep 2, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Coby Mayo (16) celebrates after hitting a double during the second inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
Happy President’s Day, Camden Chatters! If you’ve got the day off from work today, I hope you use it wisely. I plan to do some relaxing.
We are now just four days from the first Spring Training game of the season. This Friday, the Orioles kick off their Grapefruit League season at home against the New York Yankees. The game will be televised on MASN, the first of 20 exhibition games they’ll show this season. Even though the game means nothing, it’ll sure be nice to see the guys out on the field for the first time.
So far, the bad news out of spring training is the injuries to both Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg. Westburg plans to be back before Opening Day, but I never trust an oblique injury. With Holliday guaranteed to be out beyond the start of the season, that opens the door for Coby Mayo. Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle are the odd men out on the roster since Pete Alonso joined the team. But Mayo has been working out at third base and, if he can make it work, could find regular playing time. I personally believe the ship has sailed on Mayo being a third baseman, but I would love to be wrong on that.
And speaking of Mayo and Mountcastle, they are both on the trade block, according to the latest from Ken Rosenthal. In a story for The Athletic yesterday, Rosenthal stated that the Orioles are exploring trades for both players, “according to a person familiar with their thinking.” That is a pretty nebulous way to describe a source, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the Orioles would probably like to move at least one of these two players.
The problem with that, of course, is that neither of those players seems likely to bring back much of value. Mountcastle is coming off a year in which he was both injured and bad. He has just one year until free agency, and frankly, it was a little surprising when the Orioles tendered him a contract in the first place. Even if the Orioles could not get much of a trade return for Mountcastle, it could still be worth it to open up a spot on the roster when there is currently a logjam at first base and DH.
As for Mayo, it feels like his potential is worth more than trade value. He’d bring back more than Mountcastle, but being that his future value is unproven, whatever would come in trade return would likely be the same. I am personally not ready to give up on Mayo as a major leaguer. I really want to see him hit some dingers as an Oriole.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have four Orioles birthday buddies, including Terry Crowley (79). Crowley had a 15-season Major League career and spent 1969-1973 and 1976-1982 with the Orioles. Crowley was never an everyday player, and for many seasons he functioned almost solely as a pinch hitter. From ‘77-‘81, he had a .314 batting average as a pinch hitter.
When his playing career ended, Crowley moved into coaching. He served as the hitting coach for the Orioles from 1985-88, then returned for a second stint from 1999-2010. He was with the team in an advisory capacity from 2011-2018.
Also celebrating today are former Orioles Jorge Rondon (38), Tommy Milone (39), and Eric Byrnes (50).
Not much happened on this day in Orioles history, but on this day in baseball history:
In 1952, Honus Wagner retired at age 77 after 55 years in Major League baseball as a player and coach.
In 1989, Orel Hershiser became the first player to make at least $3 million per year with his three-year, $7.9 million contract with the Dodgers.
In 2004, the Texas Rangers traded Alex Rodriguez to the New York Yankees. Rodriguez was just three years into the 10-year contract he signed with the Rangers.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths.
“Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire.
1952 – Hall of FamerHonus Wagner, 77, retires after 40 years as a major league player and coach. He receives a pension from the Pirates and the number 33 he wore as a coach will be the first to be retired in Pittsburgh. (1,2)
1956 – Major League owners announce that the players’ pension fund will receive 60 percent of World Series and All-Star Game radio and TV revenues. (2)
1980 – While taping separate interviews at KNBC-TV studios in Burbank, CA, Giants coach Jim Lefebvre and Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda trade punches after a brief argument, leaving Lasorda with a bloody lip. Lefebvre had been a Dodger coach in 1979 until he was fired by Lasorda. (2)
2003 – His body temperature having soared to 108 degrees, Orioles 23-year-old pitching prospect Steve Bechler dies of multi-organ failure after a spring training workout. Early speculation is the expectant father’s death may have been caused by ephedrine, a dietary supplement linked to heat stroke and heart attacks. (1) Malcolm Allen of SABR wrote this up.
2015 – U.S. District Court Judge Darrin Gayles sentences Anthony Bosch, the man behind the BiogenesisPED scandal, to four years in jail for masterminding the operation that led to a dozen major league players receiving suspensions of 50 games or more. Ironically, the poster boy for the guilty players, Alex Rodriguez, issues a handwritten apology to fans today as he is about to head to spring training with the Yankees following the end of his suspension, but the text does not go into any detail besides expressing general regret for his trespasses. (1) More about this here.
2022 – After a short deliberation, the jury in the trial of former Angels employee Eric Kay, accused of supplying the drugs that led to the overdose death of P Tyler Skaggs in 2019, returns a guilty verdict. Kay now faces a minimum jail sentence of 20 years. (1) The straight dope from the DoJ.
Some of these items spread from site to site without being fact-checked, and that is why we ask for verifiable sources, in order to help correct the record.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths.
“Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire.
1952 – Hall of FamerHonus Wagner, 77, retires after 40 years as a major league player and coach. He receives a pension from the Pirates and the number 33 he wore as a coach will be the first to be retired in Pittsburgh. (1,2)
1956 – Major League owners announce that the players’ pension fund will receive 60 percent of World Series and All-Star Game radio and TV revenues. (2)
1980 – While taping separate interviews at KNBC-TV studios in Burbank, CA, Giants coach Jim Lefebvre and Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda trade punches after a brief argument, leaving Lasorda with a bloody lip. Lefebvre had been a Dodger coach in 1979 until he was fired by Lasorda. (2)
2003 – His body temperature having soared to 108 degrees, Orioles 23-year-old pitching prospect Steve Bechler dies of multi-organ failure after a spring training workout. Early speculation is the expectant father’s death may have been caused by ephedrine, a dietary supplement linked to heat stroke and heart attacks. (1) Malcolm Allen of SABR wrote this up.
2015 – U.S. District Court Judge Darrin Gayles sentences Anthony Bosch, the man behind the BiogenesisPED scandal, to four years in jail for masterminding the operation that led to a dozen major league players receiving suspensions of 50 games or more. Ironically, the poster boy for the guilty players, Alex Rodriguez, issues a handwritten apology to fans today as he is about to head to spring training with the Yankees following the end of his suspension, but the text does not go into any detail besides expressing general regret for his trespasses. (1) More about this here.
2022 – After a short deliberation, the jury in the trial of former Angels employee Eric Kay, accused of supplying the drugs that led to the overdose death of P Tyler Skaggs in 2019, returns a guilty verdict. Kay now faces a minimum jail sentence of 20 years. (1) The straight dope from the DoJ.
Some of these items spread from site to site without being fact-checked, and that is why we ask for verifiable sources, in order to help correct the record.
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 13: Red Sox CEO and president Sam Kennedy talks to manager Alex Cora #20 of the Boston Red Sox looks on before a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on April 13, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As players report to Spring Training the Red Sox brass are showing their faces as well. And for some reason they are deciding to speak publicly.
While availability to the press is definitely a better than the Where In the World Is John Henry? (Do it Rockapella!) game that has been played the last few seasons, the continued attempts to spin things to their benefit just keeps reaching new levels of silliness. This shouldn’t be a story. This shouldn’t have been a press conference.
But we did get a press conference from Sam Kennedy yesterday. And instead of looking to the future in 2026 we got more of the same nonsense about the past. Specifically, we got this nonsense from Kennedy about Alex Bregman’s free agency:
“If Alex Bregman wanted to be here, ultimately he’d be here.”
First of all, in September the very same Sam Kennedy had no problem saying this about Bregman:
“That’ll all take care of itself. He wants to be here, we want him to be here, and I’ll leave it at that.”
It’s actually understandable for Kennedy to not know what was coming in September, well before Bregman opted out. Heck, all Kennedy needed to say in September was “let’s finish the season, we’re focused on getting to October.” That far ahead of free agency, why would the the Sox want to set expectations?
I’m not even that upset they didn’t sign Bregman. After another year of mixed performance marked by injury, 2025 was more proof that a long-term deal was a risky proposition. But that is entirely beside the issue. At the end of the day we know that the Chicago Cubs acquired his services for five years and $175 million. It’s believed the Red Sox topped out at 5/$165. Chicago offered a no-trade clause and Boston, presumably, didn’t.
The Cubs have Spring Training in Arizona, Boston in Florida. Was that a factor? Sure. Maybe. Many MLB players make a lot of sacrifices to be on the road most of the year. Maybe it was the extra $10 million. Maybe he developed a fear of Wally. But again, this isn’t the point.
Sam Kennedy didn’t need to set himself and the team up for this by saying “That’ll all take care of itself.” He could have ignored it. Why did Bregman sign a deal with the Red Sox that had opt-outs instead of the rumored deal with the Tigers? Because he was always opting out. After a year in Boston, maybe they’d be the top of his list but that’s it. If he really, definitely, wanted to stay in Boston for five more years, surely he could have arranged that.
It’s too bad. Because the Red Sox went out and added two staters (Gray, Suárez). They added some infielders (IKF, Durbin). Willson Contreras was acquired. They are getting a full season of Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer. Obviously those last two spent time on the IL but for Anthony especially that’s not the expectation.
There is a lot to be excited about and the Sox brass are stepping on rakes. He wanted to make one more comment about Bregman, sure, I guess. But having it be his words from the fall in reverse and used to defend not re-signing their third baseman? Who is that for? What reasoning?
The Red Sox play Northeastern University on Friday and then it’s a rocket ship of major league opponents until Opening Day. Let’s just look ahead. This is a team to promote. If mistakes were made in the fall, that time has passed.
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 13: Red Sox CEO and president Sam Kennedy talks to manager Alex Cora #20 of the Boston Red Sox looks on before a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park on April 13, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As players report to Spring Training the Red Sox brass are showing their faces as well. And for some reason they are deciding to speak publicly.
While availability to the press is definitely a better than the Where In the World Is John Henry? (Do it Rockapella!) game that has been played the last few seasons, the continued attempts to spin things to their benefit just keeps reaching new levels of silliness. This shouldn’t be a story. This shouldn’t have been a press conference.
But we did get a press conference from Sam Kennedy yesterday. And instead of looking to the future in 2026 we got more of the same nonsense about the past. Specifically, we got this nonsense from Kennedy about Alex Bregman’s free agency:
“If Alex Bregman wanted to be here, ultimately he’d be here.”
First of all, in September the very same Sam Kennedy had no problem saying this about Bregman:
“That’ll all take care of itself. He wants to be here, we want him to be here, and I’ll leave it at that.”
It’s actually understandable for Kennedy to not know what was coming in September, well before Bregman opted out. Heck, all Kennedy needed to say in September was “let’s finish the season, we’re focused on getting to October.” That far ahead of free agency, why would the the Sox want to set expectations?
I’m not even that upset they didn’t sign Bregman. After another year of mixed performance marked by injury, 2025 was more proof that a long-term deal was a risky proposition. But that is entirely beside the issue. At the end of the day we know that the Chicago Cubs acquired his services for five years and $175 million. It’s believed the Red Sox topped out at 5/$165. Chicago offered a no-trade clause and Boston, presumably, didn’t.
The Cubs have Spring Training in Arizona, Boston in Florida. Was that a factor? Sure. Maybe. Many MLB players make a lot of sacrifices to be on the road most of the year. Maybe it was the extra $10 million. Maybe he developed a fear of Wally. But again, this isn’t the point.
Sam Kennedy didn’t need to set himself and the team up for this by saying “That’ll all take care of itself.” He could have ignored it. Why did Bregman sign a deal with the Red Sox that had opt-outs instead of the rumored deal with the Tigers? Because he was always opting out. After a year in Boston, maybe they’d be the top of his list but that’s it. If he really, definitely, wanted to stay in Boston for five more years, surely he could have arranged that.
It’s too bad. Because the Red Sox went out and added two staters (Gray, Suárez). They added some infielders (IKF, Durbin). Willson Contreras was acquired. They are getting a full season of Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer. Obviously those last two spent time on the IL but for Anthony especially that’s not the expectation.
There is a lot to be excited about and the Sox brass are stepping on rakes. He wanted to make one more comment about Bregman, sure, I guess. But having it be his words from the fall in reverse and used to defend not re-signing their third baseman? Who is that for? What reasoning?
The Red Sox play Northeastern University on Friday and then it’s a rocket ship of major league opponents until Opening Day. Let’s just look ahead. This is a team to promote. If mistakes were made in the fall, that time has passed.
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 14: A general view as Jovani Morán #47 of the Boston Red Sox throws live batting practice during a workout at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on February 14, 2026 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello and happy holiday Monday, folks. Very nice of the federal government to give Sam Kennedy and Larry Lucchino (RIP) their own dedicated holiday today.
Good news for ya: we officially get to see the Red Sox play some baseball this week! Boston’s first game of the spring, their annual tuneup against Northeastern University, will be held on Friday at Fenway South. I’m looking forward to the subsequent annual crash out on #SoxTwitter when Northeastern scores a run early—it’s something you can set your watch to at this point. First pitch against the Huskies is set for 1:05 eastern, and it’s ONLY……….ON NESN.
Grapefruit League play begins in earnest the following afternoon as we’ll take on the Minnesota Twins, the first of eight games against our fellow Fort Myers dwellers. Hopefully we begin our quest for the legendary Chairman’s Cup strong; I’ve personally heard from CBO Craig Breslow that getting that silverware back into the Fenway South trophy case is of paramount importance this season. It’s coming home, many are saying.
How excited are you to watch spring training baseball?
Sound off in the comments about how important a 2026 Chairman’s Cup win would mean to you, and why that triumph would be a more iconic moment in franchise history than David Ortiz’s walk offs in Game 4 and Game 5 combined.
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 14: A general view as Jovani Morán #47 of the Boston Red Sox throws live batting practice during a workout at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on February 14, 2026 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello and happy holiday Monday, folks. Very nice of the federal government to give Sam Kennedy and Larry Lucchino (RIP) their own dedicated holiday today.
Good news for ya: we officially get to see the Red Sox play some baseball this week! Boston’s first game of the spring, their annual tuneup against Northeastern University, will be held on Friday at Fenway South. I’m looking forward to the subsequent annual crash out on #SoxTwitter when Northeastern scores a run early—it’s something you can set your watch to at this point. First pitch against the Huskies is set for 1:05 eastern, and it’s ONLY……….ON NESN.
Grapefruit League play begins in earnest the following afternoon as we’ll take on the Minnesota Twins, the first of eight games against our fellow Fort Myers dwellers. Hopefully we begin our quest for the legendary Chairman’s Cup strong; I’ve personally heard from CBO Craig Breslow that getting that silverware back into the Fenway South trophy case is of paramount importance this season. It’s coming home, many are saying.
How excited are you to watch spring training baseball?
Sound off in the comments about how important a 2026 Chairman’s Cup win would mean to you, and why that triumph would be a more iconic moment in franchise history than David Ortiz’s walk offs in Game 4 and Game 5 combined.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - SEPTEMBER 17: Camilo Doval #75 and Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees celebrate a 10-5 win against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on September 17, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, all! The oh-so-gradual preparations for the 2026 MLB season keep coming along, and today marks another small hurdle. Pitchers and catchers have already been in camp since at least Wednesday, and all position players had to report by yesterday. Well, today is the first full-squad workout.
…
…
It’s OK. You don’t have to get too excited. You just have to hope no one pulls something. That’s the Golden Rule of spring training, after all. Just get to Opening Day with all your limbs intact!
Since the gang’s all here, let’s think about the less-heralded members of the gang who could take major steps forward in 2026. For our question of the day today, who are you eyeing to make said jump?
Hard-hitting Ben Rice and young gun Cam Schlittler stick out as potential quality picks, but maybe you consider them too obvious. That’s up to you! The “jump” doesn’t have to be from the same point of development.
There are other good young players to consider beyond them too, like 26-year-old offseason trade addition Ryan Weathers, who has shown nasty stuff in earlier years with San Diego and Miami. Fellow aspiring starter Will Warren has the potential for more as well, and reliever Camilo Doval could be a candidate to take a step back forward to his older All-Star form from Giants days gone by. At 28, he’s far from cooked. A number of prospects could be options as well: Elmer Rodríguez, Carlos Lagrange, Spencer Jones, Dax Kilby …. who ya got?
Today on the site, Jeff will tip his cap to former No. 3 overall pick Barry Foote on the Yankees Birthdays segment, and Nick will preview the aforementioned Doval’s 2026 campaign. Kevin will take a deep sigh and look back on the second DJ LeMahieu contract, and how the Yankees kind of shot themselves in the foot multiple times in that effort. Later, Madison will issue the latest mailbag prompt.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - SEPTEMBER 17: Camilo Doval #75 and Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees celebrate a 10-5 win against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on September 17, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, all! The oh-so-gradual preparations for the 2026 MLB season keep coming along, and today marks another small hurdle. Pitchers and catchers have already been in camp since at least Wednesday, and all position players had to report by yesterday. Well, today is the first full-squad workout.
…
…
It’s OK. You don’t have to get too excited. You just have to hope no one pulls something. That’s the Golden Rule of spring training, after all. Just get to Opening Day with all your limbs intact!
Since the gang’s all here, let’s think about the less-heralded members of the gang who could take major steps forward in 2026. For our question of the day today, who are you eyeing to make said jump?
Hard-hitting Ben Rice and young gun Cam Schlittler stick out as potential quality picks, but maybe you consider them too obvious. That’s up to you! The “jump” doesn’t have to be from the same point of development.
There are other good young players to consider beyond them too, like 26-year-old offseason trade addition Ryan Weathers, who has shown nasty stuff in earlier years with San Diego and Miami. Fellow aspiring starter Will Warren has the potential for more as well, and reliever Camilo Doval could be a candidate to take a step back forward to his older All-Star form from Giants days gone by. At 28, he’s far from cooked. A number of prospects could be options as well: Elmer Rodríguez, Carlos Lagrange, Spencer Jones, Dax Kilby …. who ya got?
Today on the site, Jeff will tip his cap to former No. 3 overall pick Barry Foote on the Yankees Birthdays segment, and Nick will preview the aforementioned Doval’s 2026 campaign. Kevin will take a deep sigh and look back on the second DJ LeMahieu contract, and how the Yankees kind of shot themselves in the foot multiple times in that effort. Later, Madison will issue the latest mailbag prompt.
