UNDATED: Toby Harrah #11 of the Texas Rangers poses for a portrait. Toby Harrah played for the Texas Rangers from 1972-1978, 1985-1986. (Photo by Louis Requena/MLB via Getty Images) | MLB via Getty Images
There’s so much drama in the WBC its kind of hard being Puerto Rico, who may withdraw from the tournament after 8-10 players expected to be on the team’s roster were denied insurance coverage, including team captain Francisco Lindor.
Luis Arraez is reportedly in agreement on a one year deal with the San Francisco Giants, which is good news for those of us who were tired of him being a topic of conversation in the comments here. We can now devote more time to Chase Utley’s Hall of Fame case.
Jul 7, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Robert Stock (89) pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
It’s February 1st, which means that we are just about two weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting. And while we are all excited to see the return of our favorite players, let’s be real. There’s very little that Francisco Lindor or Juan Soto could do on a spring training field that would change much for their status on the club.
But there are 35ish people who will be in camp whose performance over the six weeks of spring training will mean everything to them. To some, it will allow them to make their big league debut; for others, this may be their last chance at the spotlight. For others, it is the difference between bus rides and plane rides between games. These are the real stories of spring training, even if, for the vast majority of fans, they will go unnoticed.
That brings us to Robert Stock. Stock is a 36 year old veteran pitcher who has logged time with five MLB franchises – including the Mets in 2021 – as well as played in Korea, Mexico, and has even suited up for that station of the cross for so many journeymen: the Long Island Ducks.
Stock is an unusual signing not just because of his age, but because of the type of player he’s been in his career. Yes, he’s had a cockroach-like ability to adapt and survive in a game where many players flame out a decade earlier than where Stock is now. Yes, it’s a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training, so it’s not exactly a financial burden to the Mets to take a chance on Stock. But Stock never had that one ‘pop’ in his career that teams are trying to recapture when they sign him.
Stock agrees that this is unusual, as he posted on Twitter shortly after his signing was announced:
“I’m 36 years old and have had extremely limited MLB success. And yet MLB teams continue to give me chances. Why? Because I continually find new ways to improve. Newest trick for 2026 – the knucklecurve.”
Stock is right – there aren’t many pitchers of his age with his lack of easy to point to successes (a career -0.5 bWAR) who keep getting the call to travel to Florida or Arizona each year to give it another try. But his curiosity and his ability to move beyond what is expected of him and try new things – like the aforementioned knucklecurve – that allows him these opportunities. He’s also a thoughtful and interesting follow on Twitter, where he talks about baseball in a way that belies his professional pedigree.
If Stock works out for the Mets, he’s likely looking at some time split between Syracuse and the big league club. That would be considered, objectively, a good outcome for him. Could magic happen and he earns a full-time role with the Mets? It seems unlikely, but sure, that’s possible. Could he earn a high-leverage spot by taking his 20+ years of baseball knowledge and applying it in a new way, stunning not just the Mets but baseball in general?
He could. Even though that possibility is slight, it is still a possibility. And that is what makes the next eight weeks so intriguing for fans and players alike. We’ve all got our dudes that we root for, despite their longshot status. We know the stories of the guys not willing to trade in their sliders for Adidas sliders just yet. And we hope that maybe, just maybe, one of our dudes can have a year and make all of this look even more romantic and magical than it already does to our frostbitten eyes on the eve of a new season.
Sep 26, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) hits a home run against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
In Mariners news…
Fan Fest returned for day one yesterday and the biggest reveal was the demise of the cream alternate uniforms in favor of what I can confidently say is the new best uniforms in the entire league.
Introducing Steelheads Sundays!
New in 2026, we’ll be honoring the 1946 Seattle Negro League team by wearing our Seattle Steelheads uniforms every Sunday home game and committing $500,000 to support local Black-led baseball & softball initiatives.
Everything we once loved continues to be ruined in unique and terrible ways. The newest ruination is insurance potentially ruining the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Contract insurance is pretty complicated, and it’s become a very serious issue with a suspicious number of Latin American players being denied contract insurance and being forced to withdraw from the tournament, with Team Puerto Rico being most heavily affected after team captain Francisco Lindor withdrew due to insurance denial. Puerto Rico’s roster has been so gutted that the president of the Puerto Rico Baseball Federation threatened to drop the team from the tournament altogether.
Los Angeles, CA - May 30: Arizona St. pitcher Ben Jacobs (22) throws at the NCAA baseball regional tournament game between Arizona State and UC Irvine at Jackie Robinson Stadium on Friday, May 30, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
While it’s going to take time to see if the Detroit Tigers prep pitching strategy ultimately pays off, they’ve managed to balance out their risk with some successes with college pitchers. They’ll be hopiong left-hander Ben Jacobs out of Arizona State will be the next.
The Tigers selected the 6’1” 195 pound southpaw in the third round of the 2025 draft. They signed him for roughly $60,0000 under slot value at $722,500, and as they’ve typically saved money with college players, paying so close to slot value says they really liked Ben Jacobs at 98th overall.
Jacobs played his high school ball for Huntington Beach HS, a notable long-tiem prep powerhouse. He pitched for UCLA in his freshman year before transferring to Arizona State for his sophomore and junior seasons, where he became their Friday night starter. In 2024, between those seasons, he pitched in the Cape Cod League and for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team, so he’s been well known to scouts for a long time.
After a very good college career, one might expect Jacobs to go in the first or second round, but he just doesn’t have that one monster pitch teams can dream on. He was closer to late first, early second round levels on draft boards after his sophomore season, but regressed a little at times throughout his junior year. He throws strikes, and he has three average pitches that flash plus. He’ll need to refine them in pro ball to push his ceiling higher than backend starter projections.
His fourseam fastball is typically around 93 mph, and he had some stretches his junior year where it was down a little bit further. However, he’s also shown some bursts where he’s reaching back for 95 mph. The fourseamer had good riding life his sophomore year and is aided by pretty good extension, but that movement wasn’t as consistent in his junior year, which was another part of him slipping a bit into the late third round. His primary breaking ball is a low 80’s slider and he shows feel for both a harder version with late gloveside break and a softer, slurvier version to steal strikes. His changeup is typically 82-84 mph with good fade but pretty average depth. Both offeringa got whiffs for him in college and give him weapons to handle either-handed hitters. Overall he’s a good strike thrower who needs a little more precision and consistency as he develops. Nothing unusual there, and Jacobs has already shown himself capable of managing all that for stretches in his college career.
Jacobs has a pretty prototypical delivery and generally repeats it well. He usually lands closed to the plate, and will sometimes lose his landing spot and start rolling off his lead foot to get back on his target. His lead leg blocking and lower half strength and balance could use some work, but those are things the Tigers are pretty good at correcting. If he can clean that up he should hold 94 mph more consistently with more consistently good ride on the fourseamer. If the slider and changeup keep their shapes but are thrown a little harder, that’s all enough to make him a solid 4/5 starter, and if his command really improves, perhaps even a regular mid-rotation arm. If he falls a little short he’ll fall more in the swingman category.
Jacobs is not super projectable in terms of his physique, but his best is already near good enough for the major leagues. If he can build himself up to produce his best stuff and command consistently, he develop into a solid starting pitcher. He threw 83 2/3 innings in his junior year, and the Tigers would like to see him get to 100 innings and graduate through Single-A by the end of his 2026 pro debut. He’s advanced enough that he shouldn’t spend long in extended spring training, nor the Complex League. If conditioning and minor adjustments to his delivery click for him this year, he’ll move pretty quickly into the upper levels as an advanced lefty.
Since we began our Yankees’ birthday series at the start of the new year, we’ve generally gone back in time to celebrate a Yankee from the distant past. However today, we don’t have to go back very far at all. In fact, we’ll almost certainly see this player take part in further games as a member of the Yankees this season.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. is one of the brighter lights in the Yankees’ lineup. Today also happens to be his 28th birthday, so let’s look back at the Bombers’ current second baseman.
Jasrado Hermis Arrington “Jazz” Chisholm Jr. Born: February 1, 1998 (Nassau, Bahamas) Yankee Tenure: 2024-current
While it’s an emerging sport, baseball is hardly the biggest in Chisholm’s birthplace of the Bahamas. However, he was drawn to the game as a child. His grandmother, who was a member of the Bahamas national softball team taught it to a young Jazz and would practice with him. (And apparently will still call him after every game with advice and well wishes.) The lessons turned Chisholm into a full-blown fan, who would watch highlights of Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds. and other stars of the time.
Chisholm moved stateside for a couple years to attend high school in Wichita, Kansas, before returning to the Bahamas and enrolling at a sports academy. He also developed into quite the baseball player himself, and eventually signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks as an international free agent in 2015.
As he began to play in the minors, Chisholm started to develop into a a big deal of a prospect. By 2019, he started to crack Top 100 prospect lists. However, he soon found himself on the move. At the 2019 Trade Deadline, the Diamondbacks traded him to the Marlins for pitcher Zac Gallen in a rare win/win deal involving prospects.
Chisholm would make his MLB debut in the 2020 COVID season, and appeared a bit in the Marlins’ unexpected run in that year’s expanded playoffs. He then made the team out of spring training the following season. His combination of speed, some power, and a whole bunch of flashiness quickly got him on the radar around the sport. By 2023, he was selected as the cover athlete for MLB: The Show.
However, the third part of that equation often made him a target, even in his own clubhouse. Chisholm drew the ire of some Marlins’ veterans, especially Miguel Rojas, now of the Dodgers. The young star’s fashion sense seemed to irk Rojas in particular, who reportedly destroyed a couple pairs of custom cleats Chisholm had made. Things got so bad that then-Marlins manager Don Mattingly had to call a team meeting to try and resolve the issues.
On the field, Chisholm broke out with a All-Star season in 2022. The following season, the Marlins even tried playing him in center field to make room for trade acquisition Luis Arraez. Advanced metrics didn’t grade Jazz out as a disaster, and that alone shows the raw talent he possesses.
As 2024 came along, trade rumors started to surface, as they so often do for Marlins’ players — especially given the controversial front-office change from Kim Ng to Peter Bendix despite the team’s Wild Card berth in 2023. In the end, the Yankees were the team that pulled off the move to land Chisholm, sending prospects Agustín Ramírez, Jared Serna, and Abrahan Ramírez to Miami.
On a new team, and one that has seemingly been much more willing to let Jazz be Jazz, Chisholm made an immediate impact. He hit two home runs each in his second and third game as a Yankee and quickly won people over. Over the course of his 46 games with the 2024 Yankees, Chisholm posted a 133 wRC+ and hit 11 homers, taking him to a career high 24 for the year. Looking to try and put their best lineup on the field, the Yankees also moved him over to third base. While it wasn’t always pretty, it did help accommodate Gleyber Torres at second, and the Yankees went on a deep playoff run. In the postseason, Jazz didn’t quite replicate his regular season results, but did hit a home run in Game 5 of the World Series, prior to everything going wrong. Along the way that October, he also managed to alienate the entire city of Kansas City for being correct.
This past year, having moved back to the keystone, Chisholm followed up with another stellar campaign in his first full season as a Yankee. He topped the 30 home run mark for the first time in his career, as he became the third Yankee to ever join the 30/30 Club (alongside Bobby Bonds and Alfonso Soriano) while posting a 126 wRC+ and 4.4 fWAR. He also won his first career Silver Slugger and earned his second All-Star nod as well.
As for the future, Chisholm will be back for the Yankees in 2026, but is set to be a free agent after the season. While that will probably lead to trade rumors at points, it would be tough for the Yankees to improve on the production that they’ve gotten from him at second. He also seems to fit in well in this particular clubhouse, and it’s been pretty easy to jump in a root for him. Happy birthday, Jazz!
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
Boston, MA - April 8: Boston Red Sox second baseman Kristian Campbell reacts after committing a throwing error in the sixth inning. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
I like Kristian Campbell and want him to succeed. But I am totally convinced that, if he does, it won’t be at second base.
Is it harsh to say that he was arguably the worst defensive middle infielder I’d ever seen last season? Maybe I’m still haunted by the routine double play that he flubbed against the Yankees, when he broke the wrong way on a ground ball that was hit just a few feet to his left. I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever seen a big league middle infielder go the wrong way on a slow grounder like this:
The Red Sox brass seemed to agree with my assessment. He barely stepped foot on the infield grass after his demotion to Worcester and played exclusively in the outfield during winter ball, amongst a lot of chatter that he would focus on left field going forward.
There’s no question that Kristian Campbell learning to be merely an average big league infielder would be a tremendous boon to the Sox. It would instantly fix some major roster issues and, along with Marcelo Mayer, secure the team’s double play partnership for years to come (if, you know, Kristian Campbell can turn double plays).
But can he actually succeed there?
Talk about that, along with whatever else you want, in this open thread and be good to one another.
Nov 9, 2025; Mesa, AZ, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Jake Bennett (24) during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Who is he and where did he come from?
He’s Jake Bennett, the former Oklahoma Sooner and 2022 second-round draft pick who the Red Sox acquired for Luis Perales earlier in the offseason. This is curious because Perales had just returned from a 2024 UCL tear and still is just 22 years old, but the 25 year-old Bennett had a pretty fantastic 2025 season, albeit capping out at double-A; he even ended his campaign after fall ball as the organization’s number 10 prospect. Although he’s primarily been a starter in his career, Bennett is on the 40-man roster and, amongst a lack of lefty relief arms, definitely stands to have an opportunity at some Spring Training innings come March.
Is he any good?
Craig Breslow on Jake Bennett: “We feel like Bennett is a high probability starter that excels in some things that are hard to teach. Fastball playability driven by above average extension and strike throwing ability. His whiff rates and ability to manage hard contact have us…
Too early to really tell, but he could be. If nothing else, Bennett’s archetype is definitely a favorite of Craig Breslow’s since his appointment as Chief Baseball Officer. He’s a towering lefty, sizing up at 6’6”, 234 pounds. In the 2025 MLB draft, the Red Sox used six of their first eight picks on SEC pitchers who are at least 6’2”. It helps that Bennett, who missed all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery (another possible favorite trait of this front office…) is a lefty. Between Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, Johan Oviedo, and an emerging Brandon Clarke, Bennett joins a room full of giants. And I don’t mean the ones in San Francisco!
To get more into Bennett’s skillset, though, he certainly has some velocity across all five of his pitches (he goes to three more often, though). His fastball is creeping back up towards he 97 mile per hour peak it reached before his elbow injury. His cleanest pitch, a mid-80’s changeup with 7.1 feet of extension (which, had he pitched in the Majors, would have placed him in the top 10 percentile) is graded at a 60 on a 20-80 scale on Baseball America. His cutter is quite a bit shorter, but tops out at 88. As a whole, though Bennett struggles with control, he gets a 47.3% groundball percentage, which is definitely a positive sign in a guy with his velocity.
Too long didn’t read: big guy throws hard. And throwing hard certainly comes with advantages, as he worked his way up the Nationals’ system after returning from a year’s absence, proving himself to be up to the challenge at each level. He finished 2025 with a cumulative 2.27 ERA and 1.08 WHIP and allowed just three home runs in 75 innings.
His extension is on display here, along with his velocity, as he punches four consecutive batters, going four innings in relief while allowing a run, earning him the hold in this particular contest in front of an attendance of 488 that, at first glance, seems a bit embellished, but it’s fine.
What’s he doing in his picture up there?
I’d like to take the opportunity to say that, with his shoulder length hair and big frame, Bennett definitely looks like a guy in a mid-2000’s coming-of-age film named “Jake.” His facial expression up there adds to that.
For one more fun fact: he went to high school AND college with Nats hurler (and 2020 1st round pick) Cade Cavalli. Bennett was actually the first one drafted late in the 2019 MLB draft, but went to Oklahoma instead. Here’s the rapport between the two of them and Jake Irvin.
Jake Irvin, Cade Cavalli & Jake Bennett have a ton in common – they all pitch, they all went to Oklahoma, they all got drafted by the Nats, and they all had to come back from Tommy John.
I sat down with them in spring to discuss the bond they share & how they lean on each other. https://t.co/rWUdD9kKcL
There are a few ways this can go given that the Red Sox still have about 100 lefty relief appearances to fill between the absences of Justin Wilson and Brennan Bernardino (note that the former, at 38 years old, has not opted to retire yet amidst rumors of him doing so but is a free agent currently.) It’s possible that Bennett still lacks the stamina or the control to give the rotation five strong innings, especially at a Major League level, and especially coming off of a lengthy injury.
Luckily, he won’t have to worry about the pressure of performing the rotation, given the big bodied southpaws ahead of him in the depth chart, like the aforementioned Connelly Early and Payton Tolle, and obviously the staples of the rotation like Crochet and a newly acquired Ranger Suarez. But, it stands to question whether, should Bennett really impress, he could be this year’s version of a Zack Kelly or Darwinzon Hernandez, who fights his way into the bullpen, wins over some goodwill and, even better, unlocks some potential in a pitching staff that holds pitchers like Bennett so dearly. Here’s hoping that Bennett has more staying power than either of those. He certainly has the mechanics to.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 13: Francisco Lindor #12 of Puerto Rico celebrates in the dugout after teammate Javy Baez #9 hit a double in the first inning against Israel at loanDepot park on March 13, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Mets reliever Adbert Alzolay, who the Mets signed to a two-year minor league deal last offseason as he spent 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery, is healthy and ready to fully participate in spring training in 2026 to try to compete for one of the Mets’ bullpen slots.
“With [Juan] Soto in his prime and a core of young talent coming up through the Mets’ system, it’s not entirely about the Mets winning this year, but you can be sure the expectation is that they better win soon,” writes Mike Lupica for MLB.com
The Mets’ trade for Freddy Peralta underscores a new trend that the Dodgers (like many trends in baseball) have spearheaded: amassing six, seven, or more legitimate big league starting pitchers to prepare for injuries.
Around the National League East
Theo DeRosa of MLB.com outlines three things that could make the Phillies bullpen better in 2026.
Mark Bowman gave his thoughts on the Braves’ pursuit of a top of the rotation starter.
The image immortalized on 21-year-old Atlanta Braves prospect Cody Miller’s first Bowman card, recently released by Topps, happened to be taken by his father, Brian Miller.
Cade Cavalli, Dylan Crews and Luis Perales are the three Nationals players Sam Sallick of Federal Baseball is most excited to see in spring training.
Around Major League Baseball
Tensions are rising around the World Baseball Classic regarding heightened insurance concerns for players. Since injuries to Jose Altuve and Edwin Díaz in the previous WBC derailed their MLB seasons, player insurance has become more expensive and the league’s insurer “has become more stringent about which players it approves,” per reporting by The Athletic.
Because many Puerto Rican stars (like Francisco Lindor) did not receive permission to play in the World Baseball Classic due to these insurance issues, Puerto Rico is considering not participating in the tournament. “We are considering not participating in this edition [of the WBC],” said President of the Puerto Rico Baseball Federation, Dr. José Quiles in an interview. “It’s a discussion we’ve already had. If we are not playing under equal conditions, we will not participate. It’s a decision that is almost, almost, made. We are issuing a warning. We’ll see what happens in the coming days and we will make a final decision.”
One provision in the new WBC insurance rules prevents players’ contracts from being insured after they turn 37. “It’s not right. I don’t feel it’s right,” said Miguel Rojas, who turns 37 on February 24 and therefore was denied permission to participate for his home country of Venezuela.
Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani will not pitch in the WBC, per Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who said it was Ohtani’s decision.
The Giants signed free agent infielder Luis Arráez to a one-year, $12 million deal. He will play second base for San Francisco.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com takes a look at which teams may still sign Framber Valdez—the top starter remaining on the free agent market.
Austin Hays, who had been connected to both the Mets and Yankees this offseason, signed with the White Sox on a one-year, $6 million deal.
Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue
I wrote about Griffin Canning’s injury-shortened 2025 season and how his success presents a reason to be optimistic about the Mets’ pitching apparatus in 2026.
Lukas Vlahos took a look back at Chris Devenksi’s 2025 season, in which he didn’t throw that many innings, but the ones he did throw were good ones.
This Date in Mets History
On this date in 2008, the Mets signed Johan Santana to a six-year deal. Of course, Santana would go on to throw the first no-hitter in franchise history.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 1: Fans wait outside of the ballpark before the Padres Fan Fest at Petco Park on February 1, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The San Diego Padres held their annual Padres FanFest at Petco Park and fans came out to see the organizational leadership and the some of the players who were in attendance. One of the fans who made the trip to the ballpark and committed to a full day was Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball. She gives insights from her time at Petco Park, which included Q&A sessions and overall observations. One critical phrase Bell heard throughout the day was “World Series.” Brent McGuire of Padres.com captured a similar sentiment stating vibes were high and one specific reason for that was the return of pitcher Joe Musgrove to the starting rotation.
Padres News:
Many members of the San Diego baseball organization spoke at Padres FanFest and one thing admitted by most of them is there is still work to be done. General Manager A.J. Preller said he is still looking to make additions to the roster as the start of Spring Training draws near.
Some important notes came out of Padres FanFest, which included Nick Pivetta opting to focus on the MLB season rather than competing in the World Baseball Classic; Gavin Sheets is currently the starter at first base and Luis Campusano is currently in line to be the backup catcher.
A contract extension for Preller is still not done and that has some fans wondering if an extension will happen at all. Preller said he is confident he and the team can reach an agreement but added that he has been more focused on completing the roster.
Baseball News:
Former Padre Luis Arraez and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a one-year, $12 million contract. Arraez wanted an opportunity to return to second base and that is where he will play in San Francisco.
Dominican Republic added Arizona Diamondbacks infielders Ketel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo and New York Yankees reliever Camilo Doval to the WBC roster.
The Seattle Mariners held their FanFest, Saturday and part of the festivities was the announcement they will wear Seattle Steelheads black-and-white uniforms for Sunday home games. The uniforms are said to honor the legacy of the 1946 Negro League team.
TORONTO, ONTARIO - OCTOBER 31: Mason Fluharty #68 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning in game six of the 2025 World Series at Rogers Center on October 31, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Sorry about the lack of content the last couple of days. It has been busy. It should ease off soon.
Mason Fluharty is a 24-year-old left-handed pitcher. The Jays picked him in the fifth round of the 2022 draft.
He was #40 on our 40-man prospect list in 2022. Matt said:
Listed at 6’2” and 215 pounds, the lefty has an extreme cross-fire delivery from a low arm slot that hides the ball and makes it tough to pick up, especially for lefties. A reliever profile all the way, Fluharty doesn’t have huge raw stuff with a bat-breaking low-90s cutter and sweeping breaking ball. Profile wise, there’s a lot of similarities to Brandon Eisert, just tracking about 18 months later.
The Jays called Mason up to take Max Scherzer’s roster spot early in the season. He was optioned out and brought back two times, but he still made it into 55 games (fifth most among Jays’ relievers, and second most among lefty relievers.
He had a 4.44 ERA, but a 3.31 expected ERA and a 4.19 FIP, so there was some bad luck involved.
He has a couple of option years left, which means he’ll likely have some more drives between Toronto and Buffalo in his future.
Mason and Brendon Little are the two lefty relievers the team relied on last year, and, at least at the moment, they appear to be the two important lefties in the pen this year. Eric Lauer is likely to be in the pen, too, but is likely to be in a long relief role. I did expect the team to add another lefty bullpen arm over the winter (and they might still). They did pick up Spencer Miles in the Rule 5 draft, who was a top (ish) prospect with the Giants, and who we’ll talk about later in this series. If they hold on to him, Fluharty and/or Little will lose playing time.
Baseball Savant tells us that Fluharty was a two-pitch pitcher, throwing a cutter (90.2 MPH) and a Sweeper (81.7).
Steamer figures Mason will pitch in 42 games, with a 3.94 ERA. That seems fair. Let’s do the polls:
Boston sent right-handed reliever Jordan Hicks, minor-league RHP David Sandlin, and two players to be named later to Chicago in exchange for minor-league RHP Gage Ziehl and a player to be named later. The Red Sox sent $8 million to the White Sox to cover some of Hicks’ $24 million contract, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic.
Hicks was initially acquired as part of last year’s blockbuster trade that sent slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. The 29-year-old struggled mightily in Boston, posting an 8.20 ERA and 1.98 WHIP across 21 appearances.
Sandlin was the No. 9-ranked prospect in the Red Sox’ system, per SoxProspects.com. The 24-year-old, whom Boston acquired from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for reliever John Schreiber in 2024, had a 4.50 ERA in 32 games (14 starts) for Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester last season.
Ziehl, 22, was a fourth-round draft pick by the New York Yankees in 2024. He notched a 4.12 ERA and 1.26 WHIP across three minor-league levels (Low-A, High-A, Double-A) last season.
For the Red Sox, this trade was all about shedding Hicks’ salary and making room on the 40-man roster for future moves. A right-handed bat, specifically a middle infielder, remains a glaring need with less than two weeks until pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers for spring training.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 15: (L-R) Cristopher Sánchez #61, Aaron Nola #27, Austin Hays #9, Bryson Stott #5, Garrett Stubbs #21, and Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies react after Weston Wilson #37 of the Philadelphia Phillies hit a double for the cycle in the bottom of the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on August 15, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Nationals 13-3. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Phillies will be a contender this year. They have assembled a talented roster that has the ability to go on a run that would ultimately lead them to lifting a trophy when the season ends.
This very fact can sometimes offend people who might believe otherwise. Does the team have some holes? Sure. Every team, yes even the Dodgers, has holes that could be filled in a different way. Yet there is every reason to think that the Phillies will be right there when the playoffs ultimately get underway.
Which makes our question of the day easy: what is the biggest reason to believe this season won’t be a waste? There has to be a part of the roster or decision making group that would make you think this season will not be a waste of time for the people that follow them. Let us know what that reason(s) is.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - APRIL 25: Lars Nootbaar #21, Victor Scott II #11 and Jordan Walker #18 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate after defeating the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium on April 25, 2025 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Jeff Le/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Before you immediately run to the comments and simply put “YES”, hear me out. The St. Louis Cardinals have spent the entire offseason actually committing to the (re)build, but have done so by trading away high-priced and/or underperforming veterans and restocking the minor league pitching staff. Those deals have created opportunities around the diamond, except one position group has been completely untouched by Chaim Bloom and his staff.
The St. Louis Cardinals outfield has something to prove in 2026 and beyond
The trade of Willson Contreras meant that utility Silver Slugger Award winner Alec Burleson would move to first base full-time, the position where he is the best fit for the long-term, although he held his own in the grass. That cleared up a potential “logjam” in the outfield, so the current setup seems to be Lars Nootbaar, Victor Scott II, and Jordan Walker from left to right. All three of these players come with their own questions as they each enter different stages of their careers. The idea for the look into the outfield came while perusing the cesspool of Twitter, and I came across a Phillies account posting their thoughts on the Philadelphia outfielders.
I looked at every roster in MLB and only found five teams that currently have a worse outfield than the Phillies:
While the Cardinals team is definitely young, the roster does contain plenty of major league caliber talent under the age of 28 years old, which we heard all of Michael McGreevy, Thomas Saggese, and Andre Pallante point to being a potential strength of this team. In the outfield, that youth continues, with Nootbaar being the elder statesman at 28, but all three of the expected starters have gained major league experience despite their ages. Noot has played in over 500 games, with Walker playing another 279, and Scott putting 191 games under his belt as a 24-year-old.
That experience has not come with production, for really any of those three outfielders just yet, but I understand how those on the outside (or even inside) could be so down on the entire group. Last year, the Cardinals outfield finished 24th in the league (13th in NL) in terms of fWAR, and that could have been way worse if not helped by VSII’s Gold Glove caliber defense in center. With that entire group returning, and the only supplemental pieces coming from Nathan Church and 28-year-old rookie Bryan Torres, it makes sense that the rest of the league could be seen as being stronger than St. Louis in the outfield. Further behind is 40-man addition Joshua Baez, but he has not seen a pitch beyond Double-A, which I guess does not mean all that much since that’s the same level that Scott reached before his rushed promotion to the majors.
Looking at each position brings what questions each player has to face in 2026 as they look to either rebuild their careers or take a step forward into the future. For Nootbaar specifically, he might have the largest gray area surrounding him in terms of his St. Louis Cardinals tenure. The oldest of the group, Noot is entering his sixth season for the big league team and has had an issue with taking advantage of the opening in the outfield to turn it into a guaranteed full-time starting spot. This past season, there was plenty of hype surrounding the outfielder as Baseball Savant was full of red and his offseason hitting videos showed some gaudy hitting numbers. That momentum followed him into the new campaign and he was hitting .263 with an .834 OPS through April, thanks to five homers and 25 walks.
May brought on Noot’s first struggles of the season, as his patience at the plate waned (or pitchers were attacking more aggressively) as he drew just eight walks and saw his strikeout rate skyrocket from 15% to 25%. The patience came back in June, walking 12 more times, but the strikeouts kept coming, this time surpassing a 30% K-rate for the month, which led to his monthly numbers dropping to a .596 OPS and a .169 batting average. Then, the Noot injury story continued.
At the end of June, he missed a couple games with a rib injury, came back, then missed another game, before sitting out two more games in July and eventually hitting the injured list on July 13. He sat out for 14 games and made his return to the lineup in August where he attempted to regain his footing from earlier in the season. Right as he got started again, his knee acted up, causing him to miss an additional two games. In a lost season, Noot opted to play the rest of the season, although he may have been hampered by the malady for the last month and a half. To end the year, Noot hit .205 in September to put his end of the season line at .234/.325/.361 for a season-long OPS of .686.
Now, Noot is rehabbing his double heel surgery and the team has not said much in terms of his recovery process. At the time of the procedures, Bloom and Marmol both noted that there is no timetable for his return as the organization wants to make sure he is fully healthy when he returns to the field.
Moving up the middle, Victor Scott II has next to nothing to prove with the glove, as he was named a finalist for the Gold Glove award in center. The story for VSII, though, is that his approach and performance at the plate has to tick up if he is to be an everyday option in the lineup. So far in his short career, Scott has a .206/.283/.293 slash line for a .576 OPS and a 67 wRC+.
Again, do not jump straight to the comments yet because yes, I do know that VSII’s value comes from his glove and whatever he provides with the bat is a bonus. To me, though, the bat has to do something to make it palatable to keep putting him in the lineup everyday. Again, again, I do not want to be unfair to Scott, because he was absolutely rushed to the major leagues after the late Spring Training injury to Dylan Carlson and the team excited about what Scott’s gamebreaking speed could do for the lineup in 2024. At the time of his promotion, he had yet to see a pitch above Double-A, but was coming off a .303 batting average and 94 stolen bases after spending equal time in Peoria and Springfield.
However, that early promotion brought quick, expected struggles as VSII worked to learn the major league game as a rookie. The time spent on the big league roster was a valuable learning experience as he had to figure out how to adjust on the go at the plate, play elite defense, and still try to be a difference maker on the bases without trying to push it too much.
To be fair (Letterkenny anyone?), Scott did show some growth at times in 2025. His overall season line was an improvement from that rookie year, but he still measured out as a 76 wRC+ and among the 22 center fielders with at least 450 plate appearances last year, his offensive value came in at 18th in baseball. He improved his walk rate and strikeout percentage, but at 24%, he will have to find a way to simply put the ball in play (but please no more 2-0 or 0-2 bunt attempts) and use his legs to wreak havoc. In the grass, his 9.2 FanGraphs defensive value put him third in the league behind Ceddanne Rafaela and Pete Crow-Armstrong. In total, his fWAR came out to 1.7, which bumped him up to 14th among qualified center fielders.
Admittedly, I have been critical of Scott’s performance at the plate but do still understand he is still shy of his 25th birthday and has not had the best development path to this point. VSII has not used that as an excuse, though, as both he and manager Oli Marmol credited his failures to aiding his offseason work and has high expectations for himself this season and beyond.
And finally, everyone’s favorite talking point since 2022: Jordan Walker, the right fielder.
In my attempt to avoid rehashing what everyone already knows, Walker has not come near the expectations the league set for him coming into the 2023 season when he was ranked as a top 5 prospect in all of baseball, with a power and speed combo that could make him a perennial All-Star.
For his career, those standards have not been met (yet), as Walker has an 89 wRC+ over his first 279 games, which honestly is not as low as I, or probably a lot of Cardinal Nation, thought it would be. It is still a far cry from the .898 OPS, 18 homers, and 22 stolen bases Walker put up in Springfield as a 20-year-old, but that is enough to still give me some hope for what we could see eventually.
For one, I have a hard time believing someone with his talent can just forget how to hit, especially since we know he was constantly working through swing changes while also learning a new position at the major league level. That is obviously a big ask of a 21-year-old who was also rushed to the bigs, but his quick promotion was a tad more understandable than that of VSII.
Regardless of your thoughts of Walker right now, I personally think it is hard to argue that he should not receive the bulk of the playing time in the outfield to start the year. The mismanagement of Walker’s development to this point leaves his with just one option year remaining, despite being just 23-years-old. To maximize their flexibility for this year and beyond, the Cardinals likely want to avoid burning that minor league option and finally get a full evaluation on the former first round pick.
It may seem like beating a dead horse, but Walker’s 2025 season was his worst so far. Among the 38 right fielders who had at least 350 plate appearances last season, Walker finished… 38th in terms of fWAR and offensive value. After a step forward on defense last season, he regressed slightly, but bumped up to 26th in baseball by defensive value. We are approaching that time of the year where managers and teammates compliment everyone about being in the best shape of their lives, and I would be surprised if we do not hear Walker being a constant talking point around the organization.
Currently, FanGraphs projects all three outfielders to play in at least 125 games and has all of them taking a step forward in different ways. The annual ZiPS DC projection adjusts for expected playing time and has Walker taking a major leap but still below the superstar expectations placed on him as a minor leaguer. ZiPS shows Walker putting up an 88 wRC+ and hitting 14 homers, while raising his average to .232, swiping 10 bags, and cutting his strikeout rate. As sad as it may be, that type of performance could get fans back to believing in Walker and giving him another full season before throwing in the towel. It could become another vicious cycle of repeated outfield mishaps, but there’s no better time than 2026 for Walker to put it all together.
Thank you if you have stuck with me thus far! I appreciate all of the comments and feedback from everyone and do my best to engage in the conversation on Sundays. With that said, I want to take the last paragraph to plug my other work (with the blessing of Doc). I hope you check it out, follow if you please, and share your thoughts there as well!
Cardinals on My Time: My individual podcast where I talk Cardinals when it fits into my schedule and there’s something I want to talk about. I try to have a wide range of guests, from fans, to media, as well as having Ryan Loutos on as my first pro guest. I’d be happy to talk to any of you about joining in as well, after a little “screening” process! And if you have not already, follow me on Twitter as well. I am more active during the season, but try to do more than just emotionally tweet during games. I also plan to do some giveaways of baseball cards and old stadium giveaways that will take place over there.
Redbird Rundown: I joined here full-time recently and it was honestly the three brothers on the podcast that got me into giving the Cardinals content game a go. This is where I will be most consistently. They gave me a chance to be a guest for the first time and now I am working with them to put together a Cardinal hub of sorts. We post every Sunday evening and have started a YouTube channel as well as on Twitter and Instagram. Tonight, we talk about ZiPS projections. Just this week, I added my brother to the team and he began a Random Cardinal of the Week segment with Khalil Greene. That will post on Fridays.
I don’t necessarily enjoy selling things (including myself), but I do hope to see you over on those other platforms in addition to your constant support here on VEB! My weekly articles will end with brief links to any show updates, so feel free to zoom right by those on your way to the comment section!
TORONTO, ONTARIO - NOVEMBER 01: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning in game seven of the 2025 World Series at Rogers Center on November 01, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The last time Shohei Ohtani was in the World Baseball Classic, he struck out his then-Angels teammate Mike Trout to give Team Japan their third title in tournament history. Three years later, fans from around the world will only get to see half of the Ohtani experience.
After a 22 month absence from pitching on a big league mound, Ohtani tossed 47 innings in the 2025 regular season to the tune of a 2.87 ERA before tallying an additional 20 1/3 innings in the Dodgers title run. With a full offseason to prepare himself on both sides of the field, the goal for Ohtani in 2026 is to have his first full season of two-way activities in a Dodger uniform, notes Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
“I wasn’t surprised. I can’t even say I was relieved,” Roberts said. “Understanding what he did last year, what he had to go through to then how best to prepare himself for ’26 to do both — it just seemed like the right decision.”
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After undergoing ankle surgery in November, the expectation for utility man Tommy Edman was that he’d be ready around the start of spring training. With just three weeks remaining until the Dodgers play their first cactus league game against the Angels, Edman provided an update to David Vassegh of AM 570 at DodgerFest on Saturday, stating that he is back to regular baseball activities and ready for the spring.
“I’m feeling good. I just started baseball activities again, so I’m feeling like I’m in a good spot going into the spring… I just very lightly started swinging and started throwing again this past week, and that’ll be ramping up as we get closer to spring. I’m really looking forward to being a baseball player again.”
The addition of outfielder Kyle Tucker gives the Dodgers one of the most complete and dangerous lineups in all of baseball, and Dave Roberts is starting to get a feel as to how the top half of the order will shape up for the 2026 season, per Jack Harris of the California Post.
Dave Roberts hasn’t decided exactly how the Dodgers’ batting order will look in the wake of Kyle Tucker’s signing, but he did drop some hints, saying Ohtani will still lead off, Betts will likely hit third, and Will Smith will hit fifth. That presumably leaves Kyle Tucker and Freeman for the Nos. 2 and 4 spots, in some order.
Eli Morgan is a Royal. Or an Omaha Storm Chaser, on a minor-league deal, according to sources. David Robertson has retired.
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Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): How Cubs’ bullpen is shaping up as camp nears. “The bullpen is where the team has turned over the most and looks different the most,” Counsell said during Cubs Convention in mid-January.
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