Category: Baseball

With pitchers and catchers set to report to Spring Training in just a couple of weeks, the Astros’ farm system continues to take shape. While the system has undergone significant changes in recent years due to promotions and trades, there remains intriguing talent throughout the organization. Here are three prospects who could be poised for a breakout in 2026.

Ethan Frey

Frey was selected by the Astros in the third round of the 2025 MLB Draft, with the organization going over slot to ensure his signing. The former LSU standout broke out during his junior season, hitting .331 with 15 doubles, 13 home runs, and 50 RBIs over 62 games. The 21-year-old carried that momentum into his professional debut, where he impressed by hitting .330 with five doubles, three home runs, 17 RBIs, and a strong 20-to-25 walk-to-strikeout ratio. His performance translated to an outstanding 166 wRC+ in his first taste of pro ball. Under the hood, the numbers were just as encouraging, as Frey posted an elite 6.2% swinging-strike rate along with an 83.4% contact rate. For comparison, 2024 first-round pick and current No. 3 overall prospect in baseball JJ Wetherholt recorded a 6.7% swinging-strike rate and an 83.8% contact rate in his own pro debut. Given Frey’s advanced contact skills and the potential for significant power as he continues to develop, he looks like a strong candidate to take a major step forward in 2026.

Ryan Forcucci

Forcucci is a right-handed pitcher listed at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds whom the Astros selected in the third round of the 2024 MLB Draft. Although he made only five starts during the 2024 college season, he was dominant in that limited sample, posting a 2.16 ERA with 37 strikeouts over 25 innings. The right-hander features a mid-90s fastball that has touched 97 mph, paired with a wipeout slider in the 80s that gives him a true swing-and-miss weapon. Forcucci underwent Tommy John surgery in June, sidelining him for the remainder of 2024 and all of the 2025 season, but he has since returned to full health. This offseason, he has been throwing in West Palm Beach as he works his way back into game shape. Forcucci also shows above-average command, and within the Astros’ development system, it’s likely his pitch mix will evolve from what it looked like in 2024. With his combination of stuff, command, and projection, he has the potential to develop into an above-average starter and could begin to show that upside during the 2026 season.

Anthony Huezo

Huezo was selected by the Astros in the 12th round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of high school. After a challenging first year in professional baseball, he took a significant step forward in 2025. The 19-year-old spent most of the season in the Florida Complex League, where he hit .231 but led the team with an .856 OPS while also posting six home runs and 12 stolen bases, flashing an intriguing blend of power and athleticism. Huezo finished the season strong after a promotion to Fayetteville, hitting .301 over 22 games and showing noticeable growth at the plate. The underlying data supports the breakout, as he recorded a 90th-percentile max exit velocity of 107 mph and posted an eye-popping 27% barrel rate, the highest among 19-year-olds listed on Baseball America’s Hit+ leaderboard. Although his 2025 season ended a couple of weeks early due to injury, Huezo is now healthy and has been dominating in the Australian Baseball League this offseason. Through 30 games, he is hitting .340 with six doubles, six home runs, 22 RBIs, and a 1.031 OPS. Entering the 2026 season at just 20 years old, Huezo has the tools and momentum to climb quickly up prospect rankings.

Nick Pivetta joined the San Diego Padres rotation after the start of Spring Training last season, and he proved himself to be the best arm in the rotation throughout the year. Pivetta has been mentioned in trade rumors throughout the offseason, but as the team gets closer to Spring Training it appears he will be back on the mound for the Padres in 2026. Can he have another career year in San Diego that sees him mentioned as a Cy Young candidate? The Padres and Friar Faithful would like to think so. Pivetta announced at Padres FanFest he is not going to play for Canada in the World Baseball Classic this spring because he wants to focus on getting ready for the season and helping the Padres win a World Series.

Padres News:

• According to a report from Dennis Lin of The Athletic, Sheel Seidler and the Seidler family have reached an agreement that will end the bulk of the claims the widow of late owner Peter Seidler brought against two of his brothers, Matt and Bob, in a lawsuit last year. However, some of the claims made by Sheel Seidler in the lawsuit remain.
• The offseason is slowly but surely coming to an end and that is a reason for San Diego fans to be excited. There have not been many moves this offseason that have inspired Padres fans to start making postseason plans, but there is still time for San Diego president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller to make the “blockbuster move” that was rumored to be in the works following the MLB Winter Meetings. The question asked by Gaslamp Ball in this week’s Padres Reacts Survey is do you think Preller and the Padres will make a significant trade or signing prior to the start of Spring Training?
• The Padres infield has age, experience and long-term contracts but what does that mean for the 2026 season? Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribunelooks at what the veteran group has to offer on the dirt and whether Gavin Sheets can be the answer at first base in his Padres spring training primer.

Baseball News:

• Free agent first baseman Carlos Santana and the Arizona Diamondbacks agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal on Tuesday.
• Recent reports have stated there is not much of a market for free agent pitcher Framber Valdez which means all 30 MLB teams could make a run at signing him. One of the biggest names showing interest is the Toronto Blue Jays.
• Outfielder Michael Siani is apparently a wanted man. He has been picked up and designated for assignment multiple times in recent weeks by the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees.
• Hall of Famer Carlos Beltran had a few hats that could have been on his plaque in Cooperstown. It was announced Tuesday the hat on his plaque will be a New York Mets hat, making him the third Hall of Famer to do so.
• Jazz Chisholm will compete in the World Baseball Classic for Great Britain.
• Eugenio Suaraez will rejoin the Cincinnati Reds but said he will do so wearing a different number.

Well, Truck Day has come and gone. Spring Training action, though, is still some weeks away. That gives us ample time to speculate: with an unsettled 2025 season, there’s all sorts of opportunity for the narrative to take hold while the games don’t matter.

My memory goes back to “Shuise Control” and the time Jared Shuster and Dylan Dodd dominated — only for that to be largely moot for the season as a whole. But there are probably lots of others that can be pulled from the annals of Grapefruit League history as far as the Braves are concerned.

Anyway, what do you expect to dominate discussion in late February and March this year? Health or lack thereof from pitchers? Clarity, or fuzziness, on how Grant Holmes and Reynaldo Lopez fit into the pitching picture? Me? I want to see the bats do something in Spring Training that suggests they’re working on a new offensive approach — basically the opposite of last year’s Spring Training, where the bats were mostly just trying to get stuff over with as quickly as possible for whatever reason, with the added facet of using Spring Training as, well, training for what’s going to be put in place for the season offensively. Not sure how likely that is given last year in all sorts of respects, but it is what it is.

Have at it.

Baseball Prospectus unveiled its top prospects on Wednesday, and the usual quartet of outfielders are among five Dodgers ranked in the top 101 prospects in baseball heading into 2026.

Josue De Paula is the top-ranked Dodgers prospect, which was telegraphed in November when the Baseball Prospectus team ranking list was released. On the national list, De Paula is ranked 14th this year, down a bit from ninth overall last preseason.

BP wasn’t just high on De Paula last year. They ranked his outfield teammate Zyhir Hope eighth overall, the highest 2025 rankings for both. This year, Hope is ranked 18th overall. The only outfield prospects ranked above De Paula and Hope are No. 1 overall Konnor Griffin, a Pirates shortstop/outfielder, plus Max Clark of the Tigers (sixth) and Carson Benge of the Mets (10th).

Hope hit .266/.376/.428 with a 131 wRC+, 13 home runs, 29 doubles, and 27 stolen bases in 127 games last season, the bulk of which for High-A Great Lakes before getting promoted to Double-A Tulsa for the final week of the season. He also played in the MLB Futures Game in Atlanta in July.

“A sub-70% contact rate in the low minors is a bright crimson flag, although Hope was less of a passive, pick-a-keyhole slugger in 2025 than previous years,” Jeffrey Paternostro wrote of Hope in November. “There’s some kinks to work out at the plate for sure, and he’s unlikely to bump above an average hit tool in the majors, but the on-base and slugging ability should still carry the day.”

Shortstop Emil Morales is the only non-outfielder Dodger ranked in BP’s top 101, checking in at 56th overall. That’s his highest ranking to date on the four top-100/101 lists he’s made

Prospect	Pos	2026 rank	2025 rank
Josue De Paula	OF	14	9
Zyhir Hope	OF	18	8
Eduardo Quintero	OF	27	NR
Mike Sirota	OF	34	NR
Emil Morales	SS	56	NR

Yesterday, I wrote that I’m starting to accept the increasingly likely possibility that the Red Sox are not going to add an infielder before opening day, leaving second base to be covered by a platoon of Romy Gonzalez and David Hamilton. It seems to me to be a clear case of roster mismanagement to enter the season with holes in the infield while the outfield remains overcrowded (arguably for the second year in a row). And yet, Craig Breslow doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, a new report says that the Red Sox are exploring the possibility of adding yet another outfielder, specifically a right-handed one in an attempt to balance out the lineup. (Katie Woo, Will Sammon, The Athletic)

There’s no question that the Red Sox lineup could really use a right-handed bat, even if there doesn’t seem to be much room for one that doesn’t come with an infield glove. But they will begin the season with a little extra wiggle room in the DH rotation, as Triston Casas is not expected to be “full go” until at least the start of May. But that still leaves five players for four spots, even before any hypothetical right-handed outfielder is added to the mix. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)

Perhaps they’re pivoting to the outfield because they’ve given up Isaac Paredes (to the extent that they were ever seriously in on him, that is). The General Manager of the Houston Astros, Dan Brown, recently stated that they are planning on having Paredes in the lineup this year, though the repeated “right nows” in this statement seem to leave a lot of wiggle room:

Do you think it's likely that both Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker are on your roster when you get to camp?

Dana Brown: "Right now, both of them are still part of our roster and we have plans for both of them to play. Right now, our plan is for both of them to be there."

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) February 3, 2026

And let’s face it, beyond Paredes and the pipe dream of Nico Hoerner, there just isn’t that much exciting infield talent out there. Ramon Urias has been named as a possibility and the Sox have checked in on him, but they don’t seem too tempted and have shown only “lukewarm interest” in him. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

Though the Sox have procrastinated in the infield, they continue to be very active in adding minor league pitchers. The latest addition is 33-year-old Kyle Keller, who has spent the last four years finding success as a reliever for the Hanshin Tigers and Yomiuri Giants in Japan. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

FanGraphs has published their projected playoff odds, which means the season draws near. Soon we will have real baseball to bicker and banter over between ourselves. But in the meantime, we can argue over playoff odds. The Phillies are projected by FanGraphs to have a 65.7% chance to make the playoffs, and an 18.9% chance to defend their NL East Title. Both the Braves and the Mets are given better playoff and division odds.

Today’s question is: What do you think of FanGraph’s projections for the Phillies? Too pessimistic? Too optimistic? About right? Make your case.

Jeremiah Jackson made his major league debut the day after the Orioles traded Cedric Mullins to the Mets. The trade deadline marked the unofficial end to a season that was lost over the first two months. Any fans still tuning into MASN or MASN2 (RIP) on a given night were left looking for fun stories and surprise candidates to help the team in 2026 and beyond.

Enter Jackson—a 25-year-old looking to finally break into the big leagues after being selected by the Angels in the second round of the 2018 MLB draft. The Orioles signed Jackson as a minor-league free agent prior to the start of last season.

Jackson had never exceeded Double-A during his time with Los Angeles or a stint in the Mets’ organization. The former Mobile, Alabama resident slashed .254/.291/.412 over the first two months with Chesapeake, but he became a star of Camden Chat’s minor league recaps once he reached Triple-A.

Jackson slashed .377/.400/.673 with 11 homers and 22 RBIs over 40 games with Norfolk. The same guy that hit a measly .205/.245/.373 over 122 games at Double-A the year prior now featured an OPS over 1.000.

Baltimore’s front office took notice. With plenty of holes to plug, the Orioles recalled Jackson and cut him loose. The team had room in the lineup without guys like Mullins and Ryan O’Hearn, but Jackson arrived without a default position.

Jackson had made 12 appearances at second, 50 at shortstop, 13 at third, two in left field, and one in right between Chesapeake and Norfolk. Shortstop was out of the question with Gunnar Henderson on the roster, and Jackson Holliday wasn’t going to be displaced at second base. Jordan Westburg needed to start at either second or third.

Jackson spent a majority of August playing right field, but third base opened up when Westburg sprained his ankle. At the end of the year, Jackson had 34 major league appearances in right, 13 at third and one game at second base.

The rookie brought his hot bat to the big leagues and slashed .276/.328/.447 over 170 at bats. He went deep five times, drove in 21, and scored 20. With those numbers and an infielder/outfielder position, Jackson immediately emerged as the leading candidate for Baltimore’s “utility” position in 2026.

Jackson made for a tremendous story, and he’ll hold value as long as he continues to swing like that. But there’s one elephant in the room here—is Jackson really a “utility man?”

A utility infielder traditionally possess the ability to play shortstop, and a utility outfielder must play a respectable center field. Jackson has never played either of those positions at the major league level.

Jackson played plenty of shortstop in the minors, but would new skipper Craig Albernaz trust him in big league action? Holliday could play the position with Westburg sliding over to second if Henderson needed a breather.

The Orioles could definitely use another bench option in center field behind Colton Cowser, but Jackson hasn’t played the position since logging 14 games at Double-A in 2023. The Orioles roster is filled with corner outfielders, and it remains to be seen whether Baltimore would trust Dylan Beavers to play up the middle. If not, Leody Taveras appears to be the favorite while Enrique Bradfield Jr. gets at bats at Triple-A.

Jackson exceeded his rookie limits last season, but he still holds three minor-league options. The Orioles could send Jackson to Norfolk to hone his defensive skills. Bradfield Jr. doesn’t need the defensive reps, and the organization routinely bounces players around the infield in the minors.

Baltimore’s lineup possesses significant fire power at full strength. Pete Alonso adds even more power potential to Coby Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle at first base, while Henderson, Westburg and Holliday all feature All-Star potential. The outfield corners are littered with guys like Beavers, Taylor Ward, Tyler O’Neill and maybe even a healthy Heston Kjerstad.

This team needs a utility player that it can trust on the defensive side of the ball. The Birds will have Jackson’s defense under a microscope in Sarasota. If he passes the eye test, he could head north with a roster spot. If not, he’ll qualify as valuable offensive depth for injury-prone guys like Westburg and O’Neill.

Meet the Mets

New York—specifically Etihad Park, which is being constructed right next to Citi Field—will be hosting group stage soccer games during the 2028 Olympics.

Rest easy: Keith Hernandez has signed a new deal with SNY to return to the booth for yet another Mets season.

However, Keith will be cutting back on his workload this season, going from 110 games last season to just 91 this season.

Christian Scott, who should be returning from Tommy John surgery soon, has been throwing in Port St. Lucie.

The three players being inducted to the Hall of Fame have had their cap selections announced, and the speculation can be put to rest—Carlos Beltrán will be going into the Hall of Fame in a Mets cap.

Nolan McLean will be working on refining some of his pitches going into 2026.

Around the National League East

There was very little doubt but it has been confirmed that Andruw Jones will be going into the Hall of Fame as an Atlanta Brave.

Around Major League Baseball

Jeimer Candelario agreed to a minor league contract with the Angels. Regardless of whether or not he makes it to the major leagues, he will still be getting paid a tidy sum by the Reds.

ESPN put out some season predictions for some of the top prospects in baseball going into 2026.

Pitcher Eduardo Salazar has signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins.

The result of Tarik Skubal’s arbitration case will likely have an affect on what the Tigers do next, says Ken Rosenthal.

First baseman Carlos Santana has agreed to a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Chaim Bloom is rebuilding the future of the Cardinals to his vision, especially with the Brendan Donovan trade.

Both Rob Manfred and Ron DeSantis have approved of the Tampa Bay Rays’ plan for a new stadium and mixed-use development.

Things are awkward between the Pirates and Andrew McCutchen, but they might find each other once again in the end.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Brian Salvatore took a look at a potential Mets bullpen (side-)arm in Joe Jacques.

Steve Sypa has nearly concluded his list of the top 25 Mets prospects going into 2026, with outfielder Carson Benge taking second place.

This Date in Mets History

Shea Stadium was given its name 66 years ago today.

Kevin Gausman is entering the last year of his five-year, $110 million contract. In his first four years with the Jays, he made 125 starts, posting a 48-41 record, a 3.48 ERA, and an 11.2 bWAR.

We don’t really need a ‘better know’ for him, we’ve been watching him for the last four years.

By bWAR, last year was his best, a 3.8, with a 3.59 ERA in 32 starts, 193 innings (a career high). Not bad for a 34-year-old.

He’s been very consistent in his 30s, making 31 or more starts in each of his last five years. 2024 was a bit of a down season for him, if a 3.83 ERA in 31 games could be called ‘down’. He said he should have started the season on the IL and he likely should have.

Gausman has been a two-pitch pitcher for his career, but over the last couple of seasons, he’s added a slider. In 2025, he used it 8.6% of the time (up from 6.2% in 2024). It was hit pretty hard this year; batters had a .605 slugging average on it. I still think it is a good idea for him to give batters another pitch to think about.

At 34, he hadn’t lost anything on his fastball. He’s still averaging 94.5 MPH on it and topped out at 98.8. At some point, he’ll start slowing down. Steamer still thinks he’ll start 31 games and throw 185 innings, with 11 wins (which would put him 9th in wins in team history) this year, but with a 4.02 ERA, which would be his highest in his time with the Jays.

He is entering his free-agent season. I’m sure he’d like to have a good year and set up another contract. Going into his age-36 season, though, he won’t be getting another five-year deal.

The Washington Senators set a precedent for reigning championship winning teams by visiting President Calvin Coolidge at the White House in 1925. Just over a century later, the Dodgers will arrive in our nation’s capitol in early April during their first road trip of the season— just like they did in 2025.

This time around, amidst national turmoil surrounding two fatal incidents regarding federal agents in Minnesota, the case for the Dodgers to visit the commander in chief is far from concrete.

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times asked manager Dave Roberts and team president Stan Kasten about whether or not the team that continues to revere the legacy of Jackie Robinson would consider visiting the White House. Roberts confirmed that he intends to go while Kasten declined to provide a definitive answer.

Per Roberts: “I was raised — by a man who served our country for 30 years — to respect the highest office in our country. For me, it doesn’t matter who is in the office, I’m going to go to the White House.”

Per Kasten: “I don’t have any news for you on that.”

Shaikin argues that the decision for the Dodgers to accept or decline a visit to the White House will be based on their moral courage, especially as they honor a pioneer of baseball who used his platform to advocate for civil rights and liberties once they return to Los Angeles.

For me, going to the White House would feel more expedient than right. If the Dodgers do go, they ought to skip the tributes to Robinson’s grand courage, since they would not have been able to muster up a fraction of their own.

Links

Edwin Díaz will once again be representing Team Puerto Rico for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Díaz appeared in four games for Puerto Rico in 2017, allowing two runs and striking out nine over 5 1/3 innings. In 2023, Díaz secured the final out against the Dominican Republic to send his team to the quarterfinals against Team Mexico, but suffered a season-ending injury to his ACL while celebrating.

Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register shares a preview of how the starting rotation will shape up this season. The four-headed monster of All-Stars are cemented at the top with several young options vying to fill in that fifth spot. Plunkett notes that the Dodgers could reignite their interest in Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal should he be made available during the season.

If the Detroit Tigers put Skubal on the market at any point, the Dodgers will be at the front of the line looking to acquire him. They have the prospect capital to make a deal happen and the financial resources to give him the massive contract extension his agent, Scott Boras, will be seeking if Skubal is going to forgo free agency next winter.

Sonja Chen of MLB.com takes a look at how the Dodgers outfield is shaping up. The starters right now are the newly signed Kyle Tucker in right field, Andy Pages in center and Teoscar Hernández returning to left field. Chen breaks down the different depth options at play, while also noting that a reunion with Kiké Hernández is not off the table should the team need additional options outside of Alex Call, the recently re-claimed Michael Siani and rookie Ryan Ward.

It would not be surprising to see the Dodgers bring back fan favorite Kiké Hernández… Los Angeles has openly stated its interest, but because Hernández is recovering from left elbow surgery and expecting to miss time at the beginning of the season, it seems likely that a deal might not materialize until the 60-day IL opens at the start of Spring Training.

Today, our topic for conversation is shortstop.

Which player do you prefer get the Opening Day nod as shortstop for the Cleveland Guardians – Gabriel Arias or Brayan Rocchio? And why?

Discuss in the comments below!

On this week’s episode of Rays Your Voice, we discuss the recent press conference led by Governor Ron DeSantis, where major power players came out in support of the Rays new stadium plan on the Hillsborough College Dale Mabry campus. While funding was not discussed, Tuesday’s presser feels like a big step in the right direction for building a ballpark in Tampa.

We also discuss the three-team trade that saw the Rays acquire infielder Ben Williamson in exchange for Colton Ledbetter and a comp pick. Williamson is not the blockbuster acquisition that fans have been dreaming about this offseason (there was a better player involved in this deal headed to Seattle), but he does have the tools to carve a spot on this roster. We take a look at where he fits and what he brings to the table.

If you love what we do on Rays Your Voice, consider becoming a Patreon member for as little as $1/month. Also, if you’ve been a podcast listener from the jump, subscribe to our YouTube channel as well! We go live on YouTube for almost every single episode. Make sure to turn on our channel notifications so you can join us when we go live.

Good morning. Quite a lot of news today.

• The Mariners landed the white whale they’ve been after all season as the Cardinals traded infielder/outfielder Brendan Donovan to the Mariners as part of a three-team deal with the Rays. The Cardinals got three prospects and a draft pick for Donovan, the best of which is pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje. Cijntje was announced as a right-handed pitcher, which is a bummer for those of us who hoped he would remain a switch-pitcher. The Cardinals hate fun. And amphibians.
• Ken Rosenthal has the story of the Mariners front office trying to complete the deal while being honored at the state capital in Olympia. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Ben Clemens breaks down what all three teams got in the deal.
• Jordan Schusterman offers his take on the three-way swap.
• R.J. Anderson hands out grades to all three teams.
• Andy McCullough and Sam Blum also chime in with their grades for the M’s, Rays and Cards. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Andrew Simon has all the notable three-way deals this century. Plus a four-way deal that the Cubs were in a while ago.
• Former Cub Carlos Santana signed a one-year, $2 million deal with the Diamondbacks.
• The Athletics signed young shortstop Jacob Wilson to a seven-year, $70 million extension.
• Davy Andrews breaks down the deal and how the A’s are trying to lock up a foundation of a good team before they head to . . .are we still saying Las Vegas? Sure. Las Vegas.
• Martin Gallegos also looks at the loosening of the pursestrings by the A’s ahead of their move to Nevada.
• Ben Clemens examines the Reds’ one-year deal with free agent Eugenio Suárez.
• Jay Jaffe evaluates the Giants deal with infielder Luis Arraez.
• Dayn Perry looks at how new team president Chaim Bloom is tearing down the Cardinals to rebuild it in what he hopes will be a new and better team. The Cardinals have never really gone into rebuilding mode before, having just three losing seasons this century—two of which came over the past three seasons.
• Jay Jaffe has some useful role players who are still free agents. They’re probably almost free to a good home by now.
• The Dodgers claimed outfielder Mike Siani off of waivers and designated infielder Andy Ibanez for assignment. That’s notable because the Dodgers DFA’d Siani a month ago and also signed Ibanez to a $1.2 million major league deal a month ago.
• David Schoenfield asks if the Dodgers make the National League stronger than the American?
• Dan Szymborski has a fun exercise. How many of MLB’s worst teams to you have to combine to get a team that could beat the Dodgers in a seven-game series?
• Former Marlins outfielder Avisaíl García has announced his retirement.
• David Adler looks at teams that trending up and down in the most-recent forecasts.
• Will Leitch has six teams with a lot on the line in 2026.
• Thomas Harrington has seven players who will need to step up and replace others who have left. Moisés Ballesteros is on the list.
• Ken Rosenthal recounts and laments how relations between the Pirates and Andrew McCutchen have deteriorated. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Brian Murphy has three Yankees whom he thinks will exceed expectations in 2026.
• Anthony DiComo takes a look at the Mets starting rotation as it stands now.
• Orioles starter Kyle Bradish won his arbitration hearing. He’ll make $3.55 million in 2026.
• Later today, the Tigers and Tarik Skubal will have their arbitration hearing. (The Athletic free reg. req.) Cody Stavenhagen has what you need to know.
• R.J. Anderson offers his Top 100 prospects. Only Ballesteros made it for the Cubs.
• The Hall of Fame announced that Carlos Beltrán will wear a Mets cap on his plaque. He’s only the third player to go in as a Met after Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza.
• Florida governor Ron DeSantis and commissioner Rob Manfred held a press conference in support of a new stadium for the Rays in Tampa. The Rays want half the stadium paid for by the taxpayers.
• Jake Mintz explains why insurance issues have been costing World Baseball Classic rosters several big stars.
• Francys Romero and Sarah Langs look at some amazing WBC records.
• Manny Soloway wonders why you can easily watch international soccer in the US but you can’t watch international baseball?
• Alden Gonzalez has a great inside look at Driveline Baseball’s hitting lab.
• With the signing of Munetaka Murakami, the White Sox are upgrading the toilets in their clubhouse with bidets.
• And finally in honor of Monday’s 150th anniversary of the founding of the National League, official baseball historian John Thorn re-published this look at a new discovery of some founding documents of the league as well as the general story of how the National Association gave way to the National League.

Anne Rogers writes that the fastball could be key for Seth Lugo in 2026.

“I think over the past couple of years, all the breaking balls that I like to throw, it kind of gave me a reality check — we’ve got to use your fastball,” Lugo said. “We’ve got to command the fastball. Get up when I need to. So that’s been my focus.”

John Sherman says the team isn’t looking to move out of the area.

CEO and chairman John Sherman reiterated at Saturday’s Royals Rally that he has no intention of moving the Royals.

“Look, we’re not going anywhere, and that’s what we’ve said all along,” Sherman said. “Someone else will have to do that. But I think related to the other comment about wealth and those types of things, I think that’s part of what we’re dealing with in our society. And in our case, we’re looking for a public partner, right, as I said before. We’re working day and night right now to find a way to make sure this team stays here for as long as any of us are going to be around.

“And the public partner is what ties you to a community, right? That’s really why that’s important.”

Jaylon Thompson writes about why Cole Ragans turned down an invite to pitch in the World Baseball Classic.

“He was asked by Team USA to pitch for them,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “And very mature decision by him to decide not to — as tempting as it was. But in his mind, he wanted to be healthy. He wanted to ramp up into the season and not be ramped up going into spring training. And I thought it was a real mature decision on his end.”

Eno Sarris at The Athletic ranks pitchers for fantasy baseball, with Ragans ranked #12.

Last year, though, it was a new affliction: a rotator cuff strain, on the heels of a groin strain. The bad news was that it limited him to just over 60 innings and kept him out of the top 100 starting pitchers on the year. The good news was that he came back and showed the same stuff that launched his career just a year before. With that wide arsenal of high-stuff pitches and good command, he’s on a short list of pitchers who could win hardware this year. Which is why you take on the injury risk.

David Lesky writes that it is harder than it seems to find an upgrade in the outfield.

I think it would be difficult for the Royals to give Hays the opportunity to play every day. He hasn’t played center field since 2023, so I don’t think that’s an option. And even when it was sort of an option, it wasn’t even then. He played 36.2 innings that year, but the last time he played more than that was 2020. We can continue to discuss where that 105 wRC+ would rank on the 2025 Royals, but it’s also 17 points lower than what Collins produced in 2025. Sure, Hays has more of a track record, but other than a 75-plate appearance sample in 2019 at 23, he hasn’t ever even come within 10 points of what Collins did last year. And he isn’t even especially good defensively anymore, at least not by the numbers.

The Data Dugout lists Jac Caglianone as a player due for a breakout season.

No player in MLB — rookie or not — posted larger gaps between actual and expected batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base average than Caglianone. It’s incredible he led the league in every one of the three. Most notably, his expected slugging ranked 10th among rookies, while his actual slugging finished fourth-worst.

Aside from his slash line, Caglianone tops all rookies in EV90, meaning the top 10% of his batted balls were hit harder than any other players. He also ranked 6th among rookies in barrel rate (12%).

Players with those numbers normally produce at a much higher rate. Caglianone has jaw dropping power in his bat, which should be on full display next year.

Jon Heyman has the breakdown on Vinnie Pasquantino’s salary and escalators.

Vinnie Pasquantino has HUGE awards escalators

Base salary of $6.9M in 2027 increases with 2026 MVP awards votes like this …

$4M for MVP

$3M-2nd thru 5th; $2M-6th-10th; $1.5M 11th-15th; $1.25M-16th-20th
or $1M All MLB 1st Team ($750K-2nd Team) (Max $4.6M) https://t.co/EtaCT963Ee

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 3, 2026

R.J. Anderson at CBS Sports ranks the Royals’ farm system among the three worst in baseball.

Michael Coyle at Royals Keep looks at how the offense stacks up.

Caleb Moody at Kings of Kauffman looks at the promotional schedule for Omaha.

Carlos Beltrán will wear a Mets cap in the Hall of Fame.

Arizona signs Carlos Santana to a one-year, $2 million contract.

The Twins claim former Royals pitcher Jackson Kowar off waivers.

The Angels sign Jeimer Candelario to a minor league deal.

ESPN has bold predictions on MLB rookies this year.

Will Max Scherzer or Justin Verlander pitch this year?

How the Cardinals tore it down and what’s next for them.

An explanation of the insurance issue with the World Baseball Classic.

Rob Manfred supports the new Rays stadium plan at Hillsborough College.

Why its harder and more expensive to be a sports fan these days.

The Cleveland Cavaliers acquire James Harden from the Clippers.

Why do some people catch a cold worse than others?

Spain may be banning social media for kids under 16.

The Muppet Show is back.

Your song of the day is ODB with Shimmy Shimmy Ya.

The history of the Yankees dates back to the start of the 20th century and a humble team known then as the New York Highlanders. Their first ever game was played on April 22, 1903, against the Washington Senators, a 3-1 loss at American League Park, one of the more well-known Griffith Stadium’s predecessors in the nation’s capital (close to Gallaudet University). And stepping into the batter’s box to take the first ever at-bat in franchise history was an outfielder known as Lefty Davis.

Alphonso DeFord “Lefty” Davis
Born: February 4, 1875 (Nashville, TN)
Died: February 4, 1919 (Collins, NY)
Yankees Tenure: 1903

Little is known about Lefty’s early life and upbringing, but Tennessee had become an epicenter of early organized baseball by the late 19th century, and the Nashville region was certainly in that mix. The Southern League, founded in 1885, was the predominant regional circuit of minor league clubs that included teams from Atlanta, Augusta, Chattanooga, Columbus, Nashville, Memphis, Birmingham, and Macon.

Davis got his start in organized baseball in 1896 at the age of 21 playing the outfield for Mobile Blackbirds of the Class-B Southern Association. In 43 games that season, Davis batted .309 in 191 at-bats and also made five relief pitching appearances to the tune of a 1.75 ERA across 36 innings. He moved up to Class-A ball the following season, batting .307 with five home runs and 12 stolen bases in 225 ABs for Detroit in the Western League. 1898 saw Davis split time between Detroit and Minneapolis Millers, and he batted .291 with two home runs and 26 stolen bases across 122 combined games. He played out his final two minor-league seasons with Minneapolis, establishing a reputation as a speedy center fielder and stolen base threat, leading to his establishment in the majors.

The Philadelphia Athletics selected Davis to their team, but before he had played a single game, he jumped to the Brooklyn Superbas as players had far more agency over where they played in the inaugural years of the NL and AL. In his debut season with Brooklyn in 1901, Davis batted just .209 in 25 games, leading to his release midseason. The Pittsburgh Pirates signed him as a free agent, and he would play out the remainder of the 1901 season with the dominant NL team of that era.

In the Steel City, Davis joined the ranks of future Hall of Famers Honus Wagner, Jack Chesbro, and Fred Clarke. He appeared in 87 games for the Pirates after making the switch, slashing .313/.415/.421 for an impressive 139 OPS+ along with two home runs and 22 stolen bases, helping Pittsburgh capture its first NL pennant. The following year, he helped the Bucs defend their NL pennant crown, though he did miss a significant portion of the season to a broken leg.

It was around this time that the Highlanders were coming into existence. With the inception of the AL in 1900, there were calls to establish a pro club in New York. However, the incumbent New York Giants of the NL blocked those plans, and so instead that franchise was awarded to Baltimore and named the Orioles in 1901. In 1902, Orioles manager and part-owner John McGraw departed Baltimore to become manager of the Giants, and the short-lived Orioles folded at the end of that season.

Prior to the start of the 1903 season, the NL and AL resolved their differences and once again a proposal to create an AL team in New York was put forward. Out of the 16 major league owners, 15 voted to approve the proposal, and thus the team that started as the Baltimore Orioles was officially chartered in New York as the Highlanders. Needing to assemble a roster for the season, the Highlanders targeted that back-to-back NL pennant winning Pirates squad. Davis, Chesbro, Jesse Tannehill, Tommy Leach, Wid Conroy, and Jack O’Connor all agreed to jump to the nascent franchise, with only Leach later reneging on his commitment.

In their inaugural game as a franchise in 1903, Chesbro was on the mound as the starting pitcher and Davis was penciled in to the leadoff spot. In the bottom of the first (the home team had the choice of batting first back then) at American League Park in Washington, DC, David grounded out against future Yankee Al Orth. Both starters pitched complete games as the Senators held on to win, 3-1.

Davis would play 104 games for the Highlanders that season, his only full season with a single major-league club in his career. He slashed .237/.319/.263 with no home runs and eleven stolen bases in 372 ABs. Manager Clark Griffith was unimpressed and succeeded in dumping Davis from the team at the conclusion of the season.

Davis returned to the minor leagues, playing two seasons for Class-A Columbus, where he would bat .275 in 148 games in 1904 and .279 in 153 games in 1905. He then returned to the Minneapolis Millers in 1906, batting .333 with 47 stolen bases in 149 games. This resulted in his final opportunity in the majors — 73 games for the Cincinnati Reds in 1907, where he batted .229/.293/.297 with one home run and nine stolen bases in 266 ABs, making the final appearance of his big league career on July 16th against Philadelphia.

Davis wasn’t quite finished with baseball, however, playing for the St. Paul Saints of the American Association in 1908 and 1909, the York White Roses of the Class-D New England League in 1911, and ending with two seasons for the Class-C Winona Packers of the Northern League in 1913 and 1914 before hanging up his cleats for good. In his retirement, he settled in Upstate New York before passing away at the young age of 44 on his birthday in 1919.

Davis typified the light-hitting, transient ballplayers of the Deadball Era. His tenure with the Yankees was short-lived, and he’s definitely overshadowed by a far more Lefty who came along a few decades later. Still, Lefty Davis remains immortalized in the history books as the first batter in franchise history.

References

Lefty Davis. Baseball-Reference.

Lefty Davis. Baseball Almanac.

Tedesco, Marie. “Minor League Baseball.” Tennessee Encyclopedia. October 8, 2017.

Gordon, David J. “The Rise and Fall of the Deadball Era.” SABR. Fall 2018 Baseball Research Journal.

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See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.