Hot on the heels of adding to their pitching depth with Cooper Criswell entering the fold, the Mariners have made a small move to bolster their options on the other end of the battery.
Pereda, 30 in mid-April, has played in affiliated ball since 2013 after being signed by the Cubs out of Venezuela. After bouncing around the Red Sox, Giants, and Reds orgs, he made his long-awaited big league debut in 2024 with the Marlins the day before his 28th birthday. Although he slashed .231/.250/.231 over 40 scattered plate appearances, he made a strong first impression behind the plate, throwing out four of eight would-be base stealers. That was enough to draw interest from the A’s, who claimed him from Miami last January and opened the season with him backing up Shea Langeliers. His production at the plate remained lackluster, though, and Oakland Sacramento designated him for assignment in June before he was snapped up by the Twins. Minnesota kept him in Triple-A until September, giving him ample opportunities was they played out the string. While Pereda finished the year on a high note, slashing a sturdy .345/.387/.483 over 32 plate appearances, it wasn’t enough to save his roster spot after the Twins signed fellow catcher Victor Caratini.
Pereda has never been one to show much pop; still searching for his first big league homer, he’s only popped 33 over 3033 career minor league plate appearances. He does, however, bring solid bat-to-ball skills to the table, being punched out in just 15.1% of the time across the minors, and an accompanying 11.8% walk rate suggests he’s no mere hacker. On the defensive side, he brought a sub-two second pop time in MLB in 2025 – good for the 68th percentile – and showed some heads-up decisions, but graded out as an average receiver overall.
Crucially, Pereda has one minor league option remaining – doubtlessly a key factor in his acquisition. Cal Raleigh is coming off of one of the best single-seasons in franchise history, and the M’s brought in Andrew Knizner to serve as backup after trading Harry Ford to the Nationals. Before Pereda came aboard, they were the only two catchers on the 40-man roster – not exactly ideal for depth purposes. It’s unlikely that he will see much time in Seattle, but he should slot in as Tacoma’s starting catcher, and would be the first man up if needed.
To make room for Pereda, the M’s designated righty Jackson Kowar for assignment. It was a long road back for Kowar after undergoing Tommy John in March 2024, but he made his Mariners debut on May 28th, tossing 17 mostly low-leverage innings. While Kowar showed flashes of what made him such a promising prospect with the Royals, a lack of minor league options combined with a pedestrian strikeout rate of 21.1% had him on the bubble, especially with the aforementioned Criswell being brought on. There’s still a chance Seattle could outright him and keep him in the org, though, so don’t pronounce the Robinson Canó/Edwin Díaz trade tree dead just yet.
It is hard to imagine that San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth is entering his seventh season with the franchise. A feat that should not be dismissed, as his versatility to play multiple infield positions could be key to the Padres’ success in 2026.
Cronenworth’s glove sets the standard for infield defense
Too often, we value hitting metrics more than fielding stats in determining a player’s importance to a team’s success. Cronenworth’s bottom-of-the-order run production, paired with his outstanding glove work, earned him a full-time starting role with the Padres since arriving in 2020.
He came to San Diego in the Hunter Renfroe trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Padres highly valued his versatility, as he could effectively play first base, second base and shortstop.
The intangible is his career fielding percentage (.991), as Cronenworth’s attention to detail allows him to take a challenge and usually excel in a position change. His defense does not suffer because he has maintained a utility player’s mentality, despite being the starting second baseman.
Cronenworth is exceptional at fielding balls hit directly at him. Other middle infielders may have more range, but it is not a guarantee that they will field each ball hit in their direction.
Obviously, the front office prefers to keep Cronenworth at second base, but circumstances may force him to play more at first base this season. The Friars are hoping to add another bat before opening Spring Training in Peoria, Ariz. on Feb. 11.
Padres need more bottom-of-the-order production
At the plate, Cronenworth’s value is his ability to move runners along the base paths and drive in those who are in scoring position. His standout season came in 2021, Cronenworth hit .266 (career best) with 21 HR (61 extra-base hits) and 71 RBI. He achieved a career-high 122 OPS+, which earned him his first All-Star Game appearance.
Last season, Cronenworth struggled with consistency at the plate after missing time with fractured ribs. The injury limited him to a .246 batting average with 11 HR and 59 RBI in 135 games. The concern was his lack of power from the left side of the plate, as just 32 of his 103 hits were for extra-base hits.
The Padres hope Cronenworth returns to his former power-hitting, run-producing self, as this would add considerable length to the batting order.
Spring Training should have the same feel for Cronenworth, as he will take fielding reps at first and second base. However, he has no clue where he will start in the regular season. Some time at first base could be in his future, especially with the uncertainty of free agent Luis Arraez possibly returning to the fold.
Thankfully, Cronenworth is the type of player who comes to the ballpark ready to compete. It does not matter where he plays as long as his name is in the lineup.
To get back to the postseason, the Friars must excel at using Cronenworth’s versatility to their advantage.
The New York Rangers secured an emotional 4-3 victory over the Boston Bruins on Monday night, but lo and behold, Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury was working behind the scenes to send Carson Soucy to the New York Islanders.
Soucy was notably absent from the lineup, as it was reported earlier in the day that he would be scratched due to roster management, with a trade between the Rangers and Islanders brewing.
Drury’s letter, issued on Jan. 16, outlining the team’s plans to retool the roster, sent a message that change is coming, and part of this core is bound to be broken up in the coming weeks and months.
Since then, Rangers players have preached a business-as-usual mentality, while saying all the right things regarding the direction and future of the team.
However, it feels like the calm before the storm, and a major shakeup to the team’s core is inevitable.
After the Rangers’ Monday night win, J.T. Miller was asked point blank if he is trying to savor these potential last few days with this group currently in place.
“To be honest with you, I try not to think about it,” Miller said. “It is what it is at this point. We have a close group in here. This isn’t the position that any of us thought we were going to be in at the start of the season, but it’s a business and we’re just trying to treat it like normal days. We have a lot of fun together in this room, so I don't think we're very worried about that.”
There’s a certain element of calmness coming from within the Rangers’ locker room right now with everything out in the open after Drury’s letter was released.
The reality is clear to everybody in the organization, and it’s just about waiting for what is ultimately to come.
Soucy is just the first domino to fall in what should be a flurry of moves made by Drury.
For the most part, the Dodgers know what they have.
In Shohei Ohtani, they have the best player in baseball. In Mookie Betts, they have a capable shortstop who might or might not be declining offensively. In Freddie Freeman, they have a professional hitter whose short swing should slow down the effects of age.
Nothing is guaranteed in sports, but the Dodgers can estimate the range of potential outcomes this season for most of their players.
One notable exception: Roki Sasaki.
Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki throws against the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 6 of the 2025 World Series. Getty Images
Pitchers and catchers will report to the Dodgers’ spring training home in Arizona on Feb. 13, and Sasaki will once again show up as one of the greatest mysteries in camp.
The Dodgers have invested heavily in the 24-year-old Sasaki, as they basically sacrificed two classes of international amateur players in their quest to sign him. Even after an up-and-down rookie season last year, they remain committed to him. Sasaki is committed to them as well, as plans are for him to stay in spring training rather than join the Japanese national team at the World Baseball Classic.
“We’re gonna give him every chance to be the fifth starter or the sixth starter,” manager Dave Roberts said.
Sasaki is the most naturally gifted pitcher Japan has produced. In his homeland’s domestic league, he dominated with only two-plus pitches, a 100-mph fastball and Wiffle ball-like forkball.
His transition to the major leagues last year was rough. His body looked undeveloped compared with other players. His command was lacking. His fastball velocity declined. By mid-May, he was on the injured list with a shoulder impingement. He didn’t return to the majors until the final week of the regular season.
Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki celebrate in the locker room after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in Game 7 to win the 2025 World Series. Getty Images
When Sasaki returned, it was as a reliever, agreeing to a test run out of the bullpen on the condition that he be granted a chance to start next season. With the back of the Dodgers’ bullpen in shambles, Sasaki inherited the role of closer almost by default and thrived. In four postseason games, he registered three saves and a 0.84 ERA.
His unexpected October heroics restored his phenom status, but Roberts cautioned that for his success as a reliever to translate into success as a starter, he will have to make adjustments.
Roki Sasaki celebrates after pitching in the 2025 World Series. Getty Images
“For me,” Roberts said, “he needs to develop a third pitch.”
Perhaps a slider, perhaps a curveball.
“It’s going to need to be something that goes left,” Roberts said.
A fastball-forkball mix could work for a reliever who comes in and throws as hard as he can for an inning. But Roberts reasons that as good as Sasaki’s primary pitches are, the right-hander will need another offering to keep hitters guessing in his second or third time through the order.
Some evaluators wonder if Sasaki has a delivery that could prevent him from effectively throwing another pitch, but Roberts believes the obstacle is more mental than physical.
“It’s always hard for a young player who’s had success doing something one way – great success – to now be vulnerable and open to something the game hasn’t told you that you needed to do,” Roberts said.
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The Dodgers have encountered trouble reaching Sasaki, who is known for his strong individual streak. When he emerged as a bullpen savior, the organization scrambled to share stories of how it helped him recover his fastball velocity. Sasaki offered an entirely different retelling of events that minimized the role played by the team. He said he discovered the problems with his delivery when he watched old videos of himself.
Roberts said he was conscientious about striking a balance in dealing with Sasaki. He wants Sasaki to have the humility to be open to ideas. But he also wants him to retain the brashness that made him stare down hitters in the ninth inning. Roberts said the game should lead him to his destination.
“I like the phrase, ‘The game tells you,’” Roberts said.
The game once told Ohtani to abandon the leg kick he used in Japan. The game told Clayton Kershaw to develop a slider. Now, Roberts expects the game to tell Sasaki that he has to add a weapon to his arsenal. Sasaki’s future as a starter could depend on it.
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Padres fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
It’s not the news San Diego Padres fans wanted necessarily, but it’s the news we got, and it allows us a moment to step away from prognostications and hypotheticals about potential trades or free agent signings to think about something we, as fans, can control.
The Padres released their 2026 promotional schedule with the items being unveiled on Ben & Woods on 97.3 The Fan Monday morning, and across all San Diego social media platforms as well as emails to subscribers. There is no doubt you have at least heard of the giveaways if not seen them by now.
There is something for everyone on the giveaway schedule this year. The items range from scarves and crossbody bags to T-shirts and lunchboxes. But some of the most sought-after giveaways in recent years have been bobbleheads. The Padres announced six regular game bobblehead giveaways and three theme game bobblehead giveaways.
Manny Machado, Mason Miller, Xander Bogaerts, Trevor Hoffman, Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. each will be featured in the regular season bobbleheads, while Jeremiah Estrada, Merrill and Don Orsillo and Mark “Mud” Grant will have theme game bobbleheads.
Of course, the idea is the giveaways will bring fans to Petco Park, which has not been a problem the past few seasons, but the bobbleheads have become quite the collector’s item especially for fans of the Padres or a specific player. The first 40,000 fans in attendance will receive a bobblehead for the regular games and only fans with a theme game ticket will receive one of the Estrada – Lowrider, Merrill – Star Wars or Don and Mud – Mini Yacht bobbleheads.
Gaslamp Ball wants to know which bobblehead would entice you to make sure you’re at the game. There are plenty of choices and something for everyone. Undoubtably there will be fans who collect them all, but if you could get just one, which bobblehead would you want?
Results of the poll will be posted later in the week.
About how their $400 million payroll is bad for baseball. About the financial and competitive disparities that their spending is exposing. About how they’re pushing the salary cap-less sport to an existential crisis.
It’s just that, after back-to-back World Series championships and more splashy acquisitions this offseason, team officials have essentially just shrugged at the conversation.
And, barring a significant change to the league’s economic structure in the next CBA, they certainly have no plans to alter their approach anytime soon.
The Dodgers have no plans to change their approach any time soon. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“The expectation always has been, and should continue to be, that we expect to contend every year,” team president Stan Kasten reiterated in a recent interview with the California Post. “We’re the DODGERS. All caps. It’s the kind of franchise we are. Historically, it’s what our fans expect and what they deserve. And we will always be trying to deliver that.”
Indeed, from the Dodgers’ point of view, the club has been blessed with opportunity. They have big-market revenue streams, the most lucrative local TV in baseball, and most importantly a one-of-a-kind partnership with two-way star Shohei Ohtani –– enabling a level of spending the sport has never before seen.
“We are in a really strong position right now, financially,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said at last month’s Winter Meetings. “And our ownership group has been incredibly supportive of pouring that back into our team and that partnership with our fans.”
In Los Angeles, it’s the kind of aggressive approach Dodgers fans have long been waiting to see.
“The expectation always has been, and should continue to be, that we expect to contend every year,” team president Stan Kasten reiterated in a recent interview with the California Post. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Ever since the team’s Mark Walter-led Guggenheim ownership group dragged the franchise out of the dark (and bankruptcy-riddled) days of Frank McCourt’s chaotic stewardship, the Dodgers had been primed to go on this sort of spending spree.
They’ve long been near the top of MLB in attendance and revenue. They’ve always been an attractive destination for big-name players. And they’re now more than a decade into the 25-year, $8.35 billion television contract* they signed with Charter Communications (Time Warner Cable at the time of the deal) that set the industry standard for local broadcast deals.
*An aside on that television deal: While there has been much recent speculation about a supposed “secret deal” the team and league had when the contract was first struck, which would’ve limited how much of the Dodgers’ TV money would be subject to the league’s revenue-sharing system, the reality is more complicated.
The Dodgers are now more than a decade into the 25-year, $8.35 billion television contract they signed with Charter Communications (Time Warner Cable at the time of the deal). IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
That initial agreement, which MLB made with McCourt during the club’s 2011 bankruptcy, was later modified to make the Dodgers’ new owners commit up to $1 billion more in revenue-sharing over the life of the deal, as the New York Post reported in 2013.
The real advantage now is the stability the contract has provided the team amid an era of cable cord-cutting that has upended much of the industry. As Sports Business Journal detailed in 2023: “Charter will pay the Dodgers’ rights fee in full, regardless of how many subscribers it loses with SportsNet LA.”
Despite that, the Dodgers operated with a level of fiscal constraint for much of their early years under Guggenheim and Friedman. They twice ducked under the luxury tax in 2018 and 2019. Before the Mookie Betts trade and $365 million extension in 2020, it’d been a half-decade since their last $100 million player acquisition.
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The real change over the last several years has had all to do with Ohtani –– and his decision to insist on deferring all but $2 million per year in his record-breaking $700 million signing.
That unprecedented contract structure supercharged the Dodgers’ economic capabilities. Sportico estimated the team’s revenue jumped by more than $200 million during Ohtani’s first season in 2024, making the Dodgers the first MLB franchise to eclipse the $1 billion revenue threshold. The club’s sponsorship business alone is now believed to make as much money as roughly half of the league’s other 30 teams do overall.
The Dodgers head into the 2026 season looking to be the first team to three-peat since the 1998, 1999 and 2000 Yankees. Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
As a result, the Dodgers were able to do exactly what Ohtani had hoped when he signed: Add layers upon layers of star talent around him –– from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell, to this winter’s signings of Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz –– and build the closest thing modern-day baseball has seen to a super team.
And now, the team finds itself in an almost self-fulfilling financial cycle that does’t seem likely to end: Invest in a World Series-caliber roster, with the belief it will only make revenues stronger, which in turn will allow for more payroll spending and star-studded teams.
“The strength of our marketplace provides us with tools that not every market has,” Kasten said. “That’s well known. We’ve never shied away from it. In fact, we’ve done the opposite. We said, ‘We have a market that will produce for us and reward us if we do our job and do things correctly.’ … And that has been what has kept us going.”
Piggybacking off of this Feed post from DJourn from earlier: Are y’all going to Braves Fest on Saturday? Granted, it’s forcasted to be absolutely brick cold in Cobb County on this coming Saturday but hey, it’s Braves Fest. We didn’t get it last year and it only comes once a year. I’m planning on going, myself but also I totally understand if the cold ends up being too much — heck, I’m even second-guessing myself a tiny bit. We’ll see what happens, haha.
Anyways, the floor is now yours. Here’s a random clip:
Realistically, that’s probably a good thing for both the players and the Houston Astros.
Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve will not participate in this year’s World Baseball Classic, despite both players wanting to represent their home teams again. Correa has previously played for Puerto Rico and Altuve has previously played for Venezuela.
Their absence is not one they planned on, but rather one of economics.
MLB hires an outside insurance company to insure any players who participate in the WBC against injury. This insurance company deemed both players uninsurable, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic.
Carlos Correa will not participate in the World Baseball Classic after he failed to receive insurance on his contract, he tells @TheAthletic. Full story, with Correa's comments – https://t.co/Pl5ySas3l8
Correa has a notable injury history, and Altuve’s recent injury history coupled with age are the most likely factors in the decision.
Both players are expected to be key cogs in the lineup for the Astros in 2026, and getting off to a good start would be paramount for both them and the organization. For a team that missed
In the 2023 WBC, Altuve was hit by a pitch that fractured his thumb and caused him to miss the first 43 games of the 2023 season.
Both players would be at risk of losing salary if they were to be injured in the WBC and miss MLB games as a result.
The Astros want all their players to be focused on being healthy and productive for the 2026 season after missing the postseason for the first time since 2016.
In 2025, Astros players missed over 1800 games due to injury and led the majors with a staggering 17.6 WAR lost due to injury.
You’ve heard it said before. He’ll be different with us. We can fix him.
Former Red Sox top prospect, White Sock, and Dodger, the artist known as Michael Kopech remains one of the great project pitchers of our time. There are always a few guys like this around. Blessed with great stuff but unable to put together the health and the command to really take advantage of their strengths. Garrett Richards, Nick Pivetta…Zack Wheeler was once this sort of guy. Hard-throwers with nasty breaking stuff who continue to break hearts and disappoint fanbases for years. Sometimes, as with Wheeler and to a lesser degree Pivetta, it eventually gels and they become much more consistent major league pitchers. Or like Richards, one or two good seasons are followed by nearly a decade of struggle before the player finally hangs up his spikes for good.
The Tigers have been vaguely linked to free agent starting pitcher Lucas Giolito, with some rumor that the high school teammate of Jack Flaherty might find a comfortable home in Detroit. Lefty swingman Nick Martinez has been mentioned. Justin Verlander is still available, but likes things quiet and is rarely a big subject of rumors until a deal is about to happen. Maybe he’d be best served preparing on his own and waiting until a contender needs him in March when injuries crop up. Zac Gallen and Chris Bassitt are still out there as potentially solid inning eater type arms. However, even if they’re hunting for another arm, it seems likely the Tigers would like to wait another week or so for Tarik Skubal’s final number before they decide to add another pitcher.
But while attention is focused more on a starter, and Kopech hasn’t been a starter since 2023, I just want to personally beg the Tigers to take a flier on the mercurial, oft-injured, hard-throwing right-hander. The Tigers have four main ingredients that could help any pitcher. Pitching coaches Chris Fetter and biomechanics specialist and assistant pitching coach Robin Lund, catcher Dillon Dingler behind the plate, and a reasonably good park for a fly ball pitcher to thrive in.
Kopech history
Of course, Kopech has been on some well coached teams. Ethan Katz of the White Sox seems fairly good, and Kopech spent 2024 and an injury plagued, 11 inning campaign in 2025, with the Los Angeles Dodgers. So we can’t expect miracles, but Kopech has enough potential to recapture his former form that I would love to see the Tigers coaching staff get a crack at him. There are signs that he and the Dodgers were on the right track until a knee injury ended his 2025 season.
Kopech is not going to get a particularly large sum of money. He’s barely drawn any attention in free agent chatter this offseason. So we’re just talking about taking a fun flier where the Tigers get a chance to work with Kopech in the spring and early in the season, and they just see how it goes.
Michael Kopech was the 33rd overall pick out of Mount Pleasant High School in northeast Texas way back in 2014. He quickly emerged as one of the better pitching prospects in baseball, blowing people’s minds with a 105 mph fastball in High-A ball and consistently sitting triple digits as a starter by 2016. That same year the Red Sox dealt him to the White Sox in a hugely consequential deal for Chris Sale.
Things did not work out for the White Sox. As he so often has, Dave Dombrowski won that deal handily. Sale thrived, while Kopech briefly debuted in 2018, then had UCL reconstruction surgery in 2019 and wasn’t back on the mound until 2021. Two mediocre years in a starting role followed, along with nagging injuries, until the White Sox finally dealt him to the Dodgers. There he converted to relief in 2024-2025 and has been reasonably effective in that role.
Of course, a meniscus tear in his right knee caused Kopech to miss most of the 2025 season, so it’s not as though things magically turned around with the Dodgers. However, with the usual monstrous caveat, “if he’s healthy,” Kopech is a quality reliever who has the odd bout of wildness but can also overpower the best hitters in the game when he’s on. And he can do that almost entirely based off his fourseamer alone.
Of course it’s also possible that he’s wild, injured, walks the world, and has to be released. There’s a reason he’s likely to be fairly cheap as a free agent.
Season
IP
ERA
K%
BB%
HR/9
FIP
2023
129.1
5.43
22.7
15.4
2.02
5.68
2024
67.2
3.46
31.5
12.2
1.20
3.81
2025
11.0
2.45
22.6
24.5
0.00
5.76
Kopech’s upside
Kopech still has the power stuff. As a reliever he’s basically fastballs all the time. Over the past two seasons he’s been 81 percent fastballs with an average velo of 98 mph and a slightly above average induced vertical break mark. He also retains his above average extension. Unfortunately he also retains a long arm path and a pretty high effort delivery that will sometimes get off balance as well. Even as a prospect the relief risk was always a part of Kopech’s scouting reports, as his delivery never screamed consistent strike thrower.
Still, while he’s struggled with his breaking stuff and become almost pretty one dimensional as a reliever, that fastball is so good that he has a 3.32 ERA through 78 2/3 innings of relief work, though his 4.09 FIP speaks to the high walk rate as well. Kopech is punching out 30.1 percent of hitters despite the fact that everyone in the stadium and watching at home knows what’s coming 80 percent of the time.
Kopech has also made some moves toward recapturing the higher arm angle he had earlier in his career in his time with the Dodgers. That arm angle had dropped some after Tommy John when he was still trying to hold up to a starting workload. It reached its low in 2023, but with the Dodgers has been moving back up. That seems like the right adjustment for him considering his riding fourseam shape, and may indicate that at least his arm is healthier than he was following TJ.
As a starter, Kopech’s fastball command was occasionally a problem, but his bigger issues came from wildly inconsistent breaking and offspeed stuff. In longer outings, he couldn’t just rely on blowing most hitters away, and that’s when he got into trouble. Kopech’s slider was good but erratic and he had a distinct tendency to hang it in a bad spot. In 2023 he started tinkering with a cutter, and it’s become a bigger part of his repertoire over the past two years, replacing the breaking balls. He only threw 11 innings in 2025, but he ditched the slider entirely, using the 91.1 mph cutter instead. It’s pretty close to a turbo slider not dropping that much but with some gloveside cut. It’s a nasty pitch, and more to the point, Kopech may have a lot easier time locating it than his old slider, which required him to really rip through and spin the baseball.
The case for signing Kopech
The idea is pretty simple. The best pure arm talent still available in free agency is Michael Kopech. The power stuff in relief is pretty hard to argue with here. The questions with Kopech are all about his command and his health, but when he’s healthy he’s remained an effective pitcher who balances out the high walk rate with a lot of strikeouts based on raw stuff alone. This despite a whole litany of mostly minor injuries in the years since he returned from Tommy John surgery.
If the Tigers can do even a little bit to help him refine the arm slot adjustment and the new cutter he’s worked on, they’ll have a top 30 reliever here. The dream of converting him back to starting is probably dead, but the continued excellence in his fastball and the developments he’s been working on with the Dodgers could make him a minor steal for the Tigers and a nice reinforcement for the bullpen.
Yes, the Tigers should probably go out and add the best starter they can if they aren’t comfortable with their rotation depth. Kopech can’t come at the expense of signing another starter if that’s their plan. And yes, adding both Kopech and a Lucas Giolito level starter would require opening two more spots on the 40-man roster. That can be arranged without too much difficulty to bolster the pitching staff.
All bets are off if Kopech ends up getting a flurry of good offers and ends up getting a big enough deal that it would get in the way of the Tigers adding a starter. The Giants have been rumored as interested in recent weeks, but nothing has come of it yet, and beyond that the Kopech news has been light. If the Tigers could snatch him up right now for $5-6 million with a 2027 team option, I would love it.
No argument it’s a volatile profile, but the upside is worth a minor risk for the Tigers. If he’s banged up in 2026? Well he isn’t hurting anything and he won’t cost as much as Alex Cobb. Without access to his medicals, it’s impossible to insist that this is a good idea. Maybe he’s got too much wear and tear in his shoulder, elbow, and knee. The optimistic view is that maybe the things he’s been working on come together and he’s pitching the eighth and ninth inning by midseason, lengthening the bullpen and giving A.J. Hinch even more flexibility.
The Tigers were unwilling to go out on a limb to sign a major free agent this offseason. Perhaps they’ll still go get themselves a mid-rotation starter once Tarik Skubal’s arbitration hearing clarifies their 2026 payroll. Who knows, maybe they’ll blow our minds by signing Eugenio Suarez to play third. Yes I’m kidding. But taking a smaller swing with this kind of upside is a plus and an aggressive, smaller scale move would be welcome either way. In Kopech’s case the potential reward is worth the risk and we’d love to see the Tigers staff get a crack at tuning him up a bit more.
Recently MLB Network hosts Houston native Robert Flores and Harold Reynolds released their own Houston Astros Franchise Favorite list, followed by another Houston native Brian McTaggart Astros beat writer for the Houston Astros. I figured why not weigh in the deep end of this pool. If you look at this graphic you will see the list I have compiled.
This list took some removing and replacing a few times. There simply aren’t enough spots for everyone I think deserves to be on this list.
The Starting 9: Catcher: Craig Biggio
Craig Biggio logged more time at other positions than catcher, he logged only 428 games at backstop, and 1989 games at 2B, 363 games in the OF, so why would I put him as the backstop. First, it is where he began his career, and Second Jose Altuve has already cemented his place in Astros history with 2 world Series titles, batting titles galore. What Biggio did could solidify him as the ultimate utility guy over the tenure of his storied 15 year career. Bottom line, I could not leave him out of the starting 9. Mr. 3,000 was the definition of Houston baseball, both he and his partner in crime Jeff Bagwell never wore another uniform. This scrappy kid from Smithtown, NY made his home in the dirt, he was either sliding in to extend a double, diving for line drive, or sprinting around the bases after one of his famous lead off home runs. THis 7 time All Star, 4 time Gold Glover, 5 time silver slugger and Hall of Famer deserves the ability to be placed on this lineup as a catcher. He may disagree and give the accolades to to Ausmus, but since this is my list he will be our starting catcher.
First Baseman: Jeff Bagwell
Clearly this Hall of Famer is second to none in Houston Astros history. An original member of the Killer B’s, leading the club to division titles and its first ever World Series. This NL Rookie of the Year, MVP, 4 time All Star, as well 3 time silver slugger carved his name in Astros history. This blistering bruiser of the baseball made mincemeat out of pitches thrown his way and executed his defense like an art. His .297 Career Avg. 2,314 hits, 1,517 Runs , and a .408 OBP sets the standard.
Second Baseman: Jose Altuve
Jose Altuve, clearly in the running for GREATEST HOUSTON ASTROS PLAYER OF ALL TIME. Some say the time has not yet arrived, others differ. Since I was a kid I recall seeing Astros greats put on the orange and blue. From the Astrodome to Daikin Park, and I cannot recall a single player who has had a greater impact on a franchise as much as Jose Altuve. He is a 2 time World Series Champion, a Gold Glove winner, AL MVP, 3 time batting champion, 7 time silver slugger, and a 9 time all star. One of the only questions remains for this Titan of the diamond, will he reach the 3,000 hit plateau? I will throw my hat in the “Yes he will”, ring when it comes to 3,000. Beyond that, this man has put his team on his back and done his best “Take out the Yankees”move in the postseason, enough times to never be forgotten, and solidify a case for a statue in H-Town (as we call it.)
Third Baseman: Alex Bregman
Many old school Astros fans will say, what about Ken Caminiti, Doug Radar, Enos Cabel or even Morgan Endsberg? Not to mention Phil Garner clearly in the Top 5 of third baseman. At this point I looked at what happened under their tenure holding down the Hot Corner, and what kind of positional prowas did they represent while in Houston. We know Alex Bregman has moved on, but we will never forget what this 5’11” or 6’0” (depends on the day) kid from Albuquerque, New Mexico brought with him after stopping at LSU where he grew into a favorite to be a Top draft pick in MLB’s amature draft. This 3 time All-Star, 2 time World Series Champion, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger and All Star game MVP gave his all to the Houston Astros. An astounding career on the diamond and in the batters box, as well a “Pro’s Pro”. One of my favorite things about Alex was his ability to bridge cultural divides with his teammates, there was no language barrier with him, he was always in the lab with the guys. Having spoken with him on a couple occasions there aren’t many that are obsessed with baseball as this man is and will always be. I think he deserves to have his number retired once his career has come to a close.
Shortstop: Carlos Correa
In 2015 the Houston Astros played the New York Yankees in a 1 game Wild Card Playoff, Carlos Correa was asked , “Being your first postseason game are you nervous about playing here, in Yankee Stadium against such a storied franchise?” Carlos replied, “I have been preparing for this since I was 6, I’m not nervous, I am ready.” That made an impression on me and from that point on he took the mantle of leader. He lead the team to their first World Series in 2017. He’s won Rookie of the Year, a Gold Glove, and Platinum Glove, as well a 3 time All-Star twice wit the Astros. Carlos Correa’s speech to Framber Valdez on the mound in the 2020 ALCS Game 6 almost single handedly helped them win that series. When he left the club felt a void and in an unexpeceted return to Prodigal ahs come home. Now at third base this newly minted third baseman has his eyes set on another World Series.
Left Field: Lance Berkman
Lance Berkman fell off the Hall of Fame ballot after 1 time through, I believe something is very wrong with that. The Big Puma was one of the most prolific switch hitters during his playing days, and probably one of the most effective all time in an Astros uniform. Back in 2012 Bleacher Report ranked Switch hitters all time. Lance Berkman was 9th on that list, guess who ranked lower? Newest Hall of Famer Carlos Beltran (12th) he’s the lone Hall of Famer behind him. Those that are ranked 1-8, 6 are hall of famers and 7 if you count Pete Rose. While these things can be debated back and forth, it appears that Lance Berkman is at least by this list a snub. A 6 time All-Star, career .293 hitter, 1,905 hits, 366 Home Runs, 1146 R, and 1234 RBI. Lance Berkman should clearly be in the Hall, and hopefully his peers will feel the same way down the road. His 6 seasons of 100+ RBI, hitting over .300- 5 seasons, and posting a career OPS+ of 144 in my mind puts him up there. Who can forget that amazing iver the shoulder grab on Tal’s Hill quite possibly the worst addition to a MLB field in our lifetime.
Center Field: Cesear Cedeno
Cesear Cedeno was one of the best Center Fielders in baseball, especially playing in the wide open spaces of the Astrodome. He won 5 Gold Gloves navigating the outfield in Houston, as well earning 4 All-Star selections. Some say Cedeno was THE Best CF in baseball those 5 years he won the Gold Glove. He also was able to hit for power at times. I recall a conversation with Jose Cruz at Reckling Park home of the Rice Owls and I asked him. “If you, Cedeno, Wynn, Puhl and others played at Minute Maid park (prior to its name change) would you guys have hit more home runs?” Cheo Cruz, “Definitely my friend, we would have hit soooo many more. That is without a doubt, but when we hit it, there was never a cheap Home Run, it was a feat.” I think Cedeno’s 550 stolen bases is often over looked, along with his 2,087 hits, .285 career avg. and his OPS of .790 (.805 w/the Astros) OPS+ of .123. Cesar was truly one of the greats and earns my center field spot.
Right Field: George Springer
This 4 time All-Star, World Series MVP, and 3 time Silver-Slugger was drafted and grew up in Houston. George Springer is one of the most Clutch MLB Superstars of this generation. I had other options in right field, Kyle Tucker, Terry Puhl (Astros Hall of Fame), Richard Hidalgo and Hunter Pence all deserve a mention. None thought did it like, George Freakin Springer, on a cool October night George Springer went 0-4 with a strikeout. Many wondered “Why is he batting lead off?” Well George found that clutch gene, and the rest is history. Yes I know baseball fans outside of Houston hate hearing this, but what George Springer did was without any assistance, no scandal, no trash receptacle just George being George. He went on to hit a Springer Dinger in 4 consecutive World Series games. Going 11 for 25 and hitting 5 home runs in the next 6 games. This 11th overall pick of the Houston Astros made his mark. Clubbing 20 plus Home Runs 4 seasons in a row, an OPS of .974 in 2019. Not to mention his amazing grabs in Right Field. Springer along with the Golden Era Stros Bregman, Altuve and Correa were a force to be reckoned with until they eventually parted ways.
Designated Hitter: Yordan Alvarez
There I am sure could be others you could slot in here, but no one even in a down year makes the Top 30 after a year where he was limited by games played. Before I move forward I think we lean into the injuries a little to much with Alvarez. The bottom line, he is one of the most prolific Left handed hitters in all of baseball. In his young career he won A.L. Rookie of the Year after only playing 87 games in his rookie campaign, is a 3 time All-Star, a Silver Slugger award winner, hit the series clinching go ahead 3 run home run in game 6 of the 2022 World Series, as well won ALCS MVP in 2021. Yordan Alvarez who hits better when he plays in the field is on a trajectory to become one of the best DH players alongside David Ortiz. The man lights up the score box, as well takes out light panels in scoreboards. He hit 31 or more home runs 4 straight seasons from 2021-2024. He still has more in the tank where that came from.
HONORABLE MENTION: Brad Ausmus
Although he didn’t end his career as a Houston Astros backstop, nor did he endear himself to Astros fans post playing career. There is no doubt that the man who lifted more than Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio in the clubhouse back in the late 90’s was catcher for more games than any other 1,243 games. Brad Ausmus was a defensive menace for opposing base runners, and one of the best battery mates an Astros pitching staff has ever seen. Out of his 3 Gold Gloves 2 were awarded to him while in as Astros uniform. I was in attendance when he hit the biggest home run of his career which sent Game 4 of the 2005 NLDS into extra’s. We all recall the 18 inning marathon that ended with Chris Burke hitting the walk-off. I would say, without Ausmus home Run that obviously never happens.
Who would you put in this list?
Please share in your comments below, agree or disagree as you see fit. I do not believe there is simply one answer to this, and it is always fun to see where others are on these lists.
The Astros Can’t Afford to Stand Pat and Dana Brown Knows It
With FanFest now in the rearview mirror and the Super Bowl still dominating the sports calendar, it’s easy for Houston Astros fans to mentally hit pause before spring training truly begins. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: this roster is not finished, and pretending otherwise risks slamming the Golden Era window shut far sooner than anyone wants to admit.
If the Astros genuinely believe they can make another run at a World Series, Dana Brown has a lot more work to do. And no amount of optimism, prospect hype, or internal faith should change that reality.
Yes, the national conversation has focused almost entirely on Houston’s crowded infield and which piece, Christian Walker or Isaac Paredes, might be moved. That’s fine. It’s a real storyline. But it’s also a convenient distraction from two far more pressing issues that could undermine this team long before October even comes into focus.
The Catcher Situation Is a Problem
Victor Caratini signing with the Minnesota Twins didn’t just create a hole on the roster. It exposed a blind spot.
The Astros can talk all they want about Yainer Díaz being the everyday catcher, and long term, that’s probably the right call. But anyone who watched this team closely last season knows the truth: Caratini carried far more weight than a typical backup catcher should.
He didn’t just fill in, he delivered. He switch-hit. He came up clutch. He stabilized the pitching staff. More often than not, he was the reason the Astros survived injuries and inconsistency without falling out of the AL West race.
Expecting César Salazar to replicate that is wishful thinking at best. This isn’t a knock on Salazar, who is serviceable behind the dish, it’s an acknowledgment of reality. Caratini was a luxury Houston leaned on heavily, and now that safety net is gone.
That makes adding a veteran backup catcher non-negotiable. No, the Astros won’t find another Caratini. But they must find someone Joe Espada can trust to catch meaningful innings, provide competent offense, and step in if Díaz hits a rough stretch or simply needs a breather. Anything less is rolling the dice with a position that quietly mattered far more than fans want to admit.
One Left-Handed Starter Isn’t a Plan, It’s a Risk
Then there’s the rotation, where the lack of left-handed pitching borders on negligence for a team with championship aspirations.
Yes, Houston can go eight or nine deep with starters on paper. But only one of them, Colton Gordon, throws left-handed. That’s not just a minor imbalance. It’s a strategic disadvantage, especially against elite lineups in October.
Gordon was fine. At times, he was even decent. But “fine” is not the standard for a team chasing another American League crown. And relying on him as the lone lefty option is asking for trouble when injuries inevitably hit.
There’s no cavalry coming from the farm system, either. No left-handed starter is knocking on the door ready to provide depth. That means the responsibility lands squarely on Dana Brown to find solutions, preferably plural, not just hope the rotation stays healthy and everything goes “all right.”
Some fans continue to dream about a Framber Valdez reunion on a short-term, high-AAV deal. Don’t hold your breath. That ship has sailed. Valdez will get paid elsewhere, and the Astros were never going to meet that price tag anyway. Brown’s path forward is clear: veteran, plug-and-play left-handers who can stabilize the rotation when chaos strikes.
Trades Aren’t Optional, They’re Necessary
The reality is the Astros no longer have the luxury of relying on their farm system to patch holes. Years of success have depleted that pipeline, and now the only way forward is through calculated, sometimes uncomfortable trades.
Whoever gets moved between Walker and Paredes has to bring back real value, players who can fill multiple needs, not just depth pieces. And if Jake Meyers or Jesús Sánchez are still on the market, those assets must be leveraged to address weaknesses that are glaring to anyone paying attention. You have depth in the outfield and that depth needs to translate into soloutions at other positions of need.
Standing pat isn’t a strategy. It’s surrender by complacency.
Dana Brown still has time, but time is ticking away and you can’t afford to let it run out. The Golden Era doesn’t stay open out of nostalgia, it stays open because tough decisions are made before they become desperate ones. Dana, the ball is in your court, shoot your shots because we all know you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take and you could end up missing the playoffs too.
The Royals announced they have invited 25 non-roster players to spring training in Arizona, including former first-round picks Blake Mitchell, Frank Mozzicato and Gavin Cross. The list also includes some MLB veterans trying to make the club, such as catcher Jorge Alfaro, infielder Josh Rojas, and pitchers Jose Cuas, Héctor Neris, and Aaron Sanchez
Here is a rundown of the 25 players with non-roster invites:
Pitchers
AJ Causey is a sidearming right-hander who was selected by the Royals in the fifth round of the 2024 draft. He posted a minuscule ERA of 1.72 with 75 strikeouts and just 18 walks in 73.1 innings across High-A and Double-A, and walked just one batter with 13 strikeouts in the Arizona Fall League.
Dennis Colleran boasts a 100 mph fastball that he used to strike out 72 hitters in 66.1 innings last season, while posting a 2.85 ERA.
Jose Cuas pitched for the Royals from 2022 to 2023, and was a very effective reliever his first season witha 3.58 ERA in 47 outings. The 31-year-old sidearmer has since played for the Cubs and Blue Jays, but returned to the Royals on a minor league deal.
Chazz Martinez is a 26-year-old left-hander out of the University of Oklahoma. He had a 1.85 ERA in 31 outings for Northwest Arkansas, before struggling upon a promotion to Omaha.
Frank Mozzicato was the seventh overall pick of the 2021 draft known for a big curveball that causes a lot of whiffs. But he has failed to add velocity and has struggled with control, posting a 1.24 ERA in 36.1 innings at High-A, but struggling with a 7.46 ERA and 53 walks in 56.2 innings at Double-A.
Héctor Neris is a 12-year MLB vet who had 18 saves in 2024 with the Cubs and Astros. The 36-year-old had a 6.75 ERA in 35 games last year, but still struck out 11.8 hitters per-nine-innings.
Helcris Olivárez was signed as a minor league free agent after stints in the Rockies, Red Sox, and Giants organizations. He has a blazing fastball that can hit 100 mph, but has trouble with control. Last year, the left-hander posted a 3.65 ERA but with 43 walks in 37 innings across Double-A and Triple-A.
Shane Panzini is a 24-year-old right-hander drafted out of high school in 20212. He had the best season of his pro career with a 3.39 ERA and an improved strikoue rate of 9.4 per-nine innings in 109 innings.
Hunter Patteson dominated High-A ball this year with a 1.99 ERA in 13 starts, before going to Double-A and posting a 4.41 ERA in 49 innings. The lefty was a fifth round pick out of Central Florida in 2022.
Aaron Sanchez faced the Royals in the 2015 ALCS as a member of the Blue Jays, and was a 2016 All-Star. He has not pitched in the big leagues since 2022, but was named Pitcher of the Year in the Dominican Winter League this year.
Catchers
Jorge Alfaro is a nine-year MLB vet who has hit .253/.301/.391 in his career. The 32-year-old played in a handful of games with the Nationals last year, and last had significant big league time in 2022.
Canyon Brown is a ninth round pick in the 2024 draft who hit .225/.309/.297 in 70 games at High-A.
Omar Hernández is a 24-year-old switch-hitter who hit .225/.259/.275 in 75 games across High-A and Double-A last season.
Elih Marrero is a former Red Sox prospect who spent last season in the Rangers organization and is the son of former Royals outfielder Eli Marrero. He hit .257/.381/.657 with two home runs in 13 games in the Dominican Winter League.
Blake Mitchell is a former first-round pick with the Royals and a top 100 prospect on many lists. The 21-year-old suffered a wrist injury that caused him to miss the start of last season, and returned to hit .218/.390/.320 with three home runs in 60 games, then a .434 on-base percentage in 19 games in the Arizona Fall League.
Ramón Ramírez was the best hitter for the Columbia Fireflies last year, htiting .244/.339/.442 with 11 home runs in 70 games.
Luca Tresh is a 26-year old former North Carolina State catcher who hit .259/.321/.473 with 10 home runs in 72 games for Omaha last year.
Infielders
Connor Kaiser is an Overland Park native who has appeared in a handful of MLB games with the Rockies and Diamondbacks. The 29-year-old hit .236/.345/.406 with six home runs in 71 games at Triple-A last year.
Kevin Newman has played in eight MLB seasons, mostly with the Pirates, as a career .259/.300/.355 hitter. He was a 2.2 rWAR player in 2024 with the Diamondbacks, but hit just .202/.209/.272 in 56 games with the Angels last year.
Josh Rojas is a career .241/.317/.353 hitter in seven MLB seasons as a left-handed hitter. He is an exemplary defender and can play all over the field, and was worth 2.2 rWAR in 2024 with Seattle.
Abraham Toro plays mostly first and third with a little time at second, and hit .239/.289/.371 with seven home runs in 77 games with Boston. The 29-year-old switch-hitter has also spent time with the Astros, Mariners, Brewers, and Athletics.
Daniel Vázquez is a slick-fielding shortstop who was ranked #16 in the farm system by MLB Pipeline last year. The 22-year-old hit .26/.333/.351 in 116 games, but really impressed in the Arizona Fall League with a line of .329/.459/.468 in 22 games.
Peyton Wilson is a versatile, switch-hitting former second-round pick, who hit .259/.353/.389 in 103 games last year.
Outfielders
Gavin Cross was the ninth overall pick in the 2022 draft, but had his career derailed early on by illness. His numbers have been underwhelming, but he seemed to come on at the end of last year, hitting
Carson Roccaforte enjoyed a breakout season by hitting .258/.373/.470 with 18 home runs and 43 steals across High-A and Double-A. The 23-year-old left-handed hitter also led the entire organization with 82 walks.
The first workout for Royals pitchers and catchers is Wednesday, February 11. The first full squad workout is scheduled for Monday, February 16.
Burly right-hander Jose Franco claimed the #11 spot in this year’s Community Prospect Rankings, and now we head into the voting for spot #12.
Per usual, here’s a link to the Google Form where you can vote, though it should be embedded at the end of the list if you’d rater read first and then vote on-page after digesting all the glorious information on these up and coming future Cincinnati Reds.
Here’s how the list has materialized so far:
Sal Stewart
Alfredo Duno
Rhett Lowder
Hector Rodriguez
Edwin Arroyo
Cam Collier
Steele Hall
Tyson Lewis
Chase Petty
Arnaldo Lantigua
Jose Franco
A large list of talented names exists below for spot #12. Have at it with the votes!
Adolfo Sanchez, OF (19 years old)
2025 at a glance: .339/.474/.504 with 2 HR, 10 SB in 154 PA with DSL Reds (Dominican Summer League)
Pros: Left-handed hitter who profiles to have a plus hit tool and potentially plus power; arm good enough to play RF if he doesn’t stick in CF; shaved 20% off his K% year over year; plus runner
Cons: Questions whether he’s already physically matured to the point where projecting him to be much better exist
The Reds signed Sanchez for $2.7 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2024 and kept him there to ply his trade professionally in the Dominican Summer League. Things went quite poorly for him there during his age 17 season, and he subsequently stuck around there to repeat in 2025 – though this time, things went swimmingly.
He’ll undoubtedly play in the States in 2026, but the question now is just how quickly the Reds might try to move him up if he hits the ground running. At 6’3” and 200 lbs already, he’s not the kind of prospect where you say he’s X now, but when he gets bigger and stronger he’ll be Y in two years. In other words, if he looks the part now, he needs to be challenged immediately, and my hope is that he gets time with Daytona right off the bat.
He’s got a hit tool that comes with all-fields power, excellent patience at the plate, and I really do think his swing will continue to play. Still, it’s likely he ends up in a corner spot in the OF, which means the power’s going to need to continue to show up for him to project as an everyday regular – at least vs. RHP.
Leo Balcazar, SS/2B (22 years old)
2025 at a glance: .263/.339/.381 with 12 HR, 8 SB in 560 PA split between A+ Dayton Dragons (Midwest League) and AA Chattanooga Lookouts (AA Southern League); .277/.340/.340 in 103 PA with Peoria Javelinas (Arizona Fall League)
Pros: Good strike zone judgement and plate discipline (52/75 BB/K in 2025); well-rounded tools, continuing to improve off ACL surgery
Cons: Not a ton of power yet; some question whether he’ll be able to stick at SS long term
It’s easy to forget just how good of a start Balcazar had to his pro career after signing with the Reds for $100,000 out of Venezuela. He posted an .882 OPS in 2021 in Dominican Summer League play, an .886 OPS in 2022 with the Arizona Complex League Reds, and was off to a wicked start (.897 OPS) across the first 18 games of his 2023 season with Class-A Daytona before he tore his ACL.
2024 was a bit of a rough year for him, however, as the layoff and working back from the surgery clearly impacted his performance (.264/.295/.354 in 410 PA). However, 2025 saw him look a lot more like his former explosive self – both at the plate and in the field – and he clearly was healthy enough once again as he logged a combined 663 PA across all leagues.
He’s still just 21 years of age (22 in June of 2026), and if he’s shaken the rust off completely and enters this season after a normal winter, there’s a chance we see a whole lot more from him, too.
Aaron Watson, RHP (19 years old)
2025 at a glance: Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2nd round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Trinity Christian Academy (FL); signed overslot $2.7 million bonus to forego commitment to the University of Florida
Pros: 6’5” frame; potential 60-grade slider; fastball that runs up to 96 mph from a three-quarter arm slot and already has a solid three-pitch mix with his change rotated in
Cons: Did not pitch professionally after being drafted, so he’s a complete unknown
One glimpse of Watson on the mound and you immediately think yep, I bet that guy can turn into a pretty dang good pitcher. He’s got an ideal frame to produce downhill offerings, and his fastball/slider mix is already something on which he can hang his hat.
However, command of all three of his pitches – specifically a very developmental changeup – will be what he needs to work on to begin to move quickly through the ranks. He possesses a good ‘feel’ at the moment in terms of what pitches to throw, which part of the zone to attack vs. which hitters, etc., but how well he can build in more deception with his offerings will be vital.
Carlos Jorge, OF (22 years old)
2025 at a glance: .251/.342/.355 with 6 HR, 40 SB in 469 PA with High-A Dayton Dragons (Midwest League)
Pros: Plus speed; former infielder moved to CF in 2023 and in 2025 looked like a natural there; plus speed; shaved 12.5% off K-rate from down 2024 season; 60-grade arm strength a weapon in CF
Cons: ISO declined for third straight year, this time precipitously; prone to extreme streakiness
If you threw out every other stop of Carlos Jorge’s pro career and just focused on the good ones, he’d already be ranked by now. The good parts of the best of his years have been quite tremendous, all told. He’s flashed great speed (40 steals in 2025), good pop for a small-ish CF (12 HR in 2023 and 2024; .483 SLG in the cavernous Florida State League in 2023), and the ability to play pretty elite CF defense (as recently as 2025).
However, he’s added some real clunkers in there, too. He hit just .220/.291/.394 with a K-rate over 31% at Dayton in 2024, and that came on the heels of hitting just .239/.277/.398 in 23 games once he reached Dayton at the end of 2023.
Maybe it’s just Dayton, where he was again in 2025 in a much better all-around year, even though his power dried up again. He’ll surely begin with AA Chattanooga of the Southern League in 2026, and at 22 (with his position in CF now settled) the former 2B might finally have a one-track shot to focus on his all around game in a new locale. After acing his move on defense, shaving off a ton of strikeouts, and bumping his walk rate back up over 11.1% (where it’s been for most of his career), perhaps 2026 will have a lot more in store for him.
Zach Maxwell, RHP (25 years old)
2025 at a glance: 4.50 ERA, 5.64 FIP, 13/4 K/BB in 10.0 IP with Cincinnati Reds; 4.17 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 59/32 K/BB in 49.2 IP with AAA Louisville Bats (International League)
Pros: Huge. Literally gigantic (6’6”, 275-ish lbs). Throws gas (100 mph+) with a devastating slider (70-grade). And he’s titanic.
Cons: Struggles with control (6.1 BB/9 across 172.1 IP in his minors career)
Maxwell, a former 6th round pick out of Georgia Tech, throws the ball up to 102 mph with his heater, and it’s clear that hitters have just about as little idea where it’s actually going to be as Maxwell himself. That’s the rub here, really, in that Big Sugar has the pure stuff to turn even the best hitters into guessers, and it comes down to whether they’ll guess wrong more often than Maxwell misses the zone in each and every PA.
If they swing, though, they’re likely going to miss, and that’s why he’s right in the mix for a spot in Cincinnati’s bullpen again in 2026 after making his debut there in 2025. He can be a bit wild if it’s effectively wild, and that’s a tightrope he’s been walking since his days back at North Paulding HS in Dallas, Georgia. When he’s locked in, though, the heater is backed up by an absolutely devastating slide piece, and that two-pitch mix – again, when he’s locked in – is good enough to be closer material. He’s just got to continue to refine his delivery.
Liberts Aponte, SS (18 years old)
2025 at a glance: .247/.368/.461 with 7 HR, 9 SB in 193 PA for DSL Rojos (Dominican Summer League)
Pros: 29/35 K/BB showed greatly improving strike zone awareness; already a plus defender at short where he projects to be excellent both with range and arm long-term
Cons: Still not viewed as a potential plus with the bat, though early returns are already better than original scouting reports; has a long way to go in terms of physically maturing
The Reds doled out $1.9 million to sign Aponte last January, and that marked the single largest contract they doled out in that particular international signing window. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the #18 player overall in that class, noting he was ‘one of the most skilled defenders in his class’ and ‘offers solid wheels’ with ‘magic in his hands’ while doling out a 65 grade on his fielding ability.
The rest, we knew, would take time, as he was just liked at 6’0” and 160 lbs, and that even felt like a slight exaggeration. To his credit, though, he mashed 7 homers as a 17 year old in DSL play while showing more power than anticipated, and if that aspect of his game grows to match what’s already known the Reds have found themselves a gem.
It will be interesting to see if the Reds push him up to Arizona Complex League play at all in 2026 or give him another year in the DSL seeing as he just turned 18 years old in November.
Luke Holman, RHP (23 years old)
2025 at a glance: ER, 2 H, 10 K, 4 BB in 9.0 IP with Daytona Tortugas (Class-A Florida State League
Pros: Two plus breaking pitches (slider, curve)
Cons: Not a ton of velocity on his fastball, which sits 91-94 mph
Luke Holman threw 109 pitches for LSU in a 6-2 loss to North Carolina on June 1st, 2024, a game in which he yielded 4 ER in 6.2 IP with 7 H, 11 K, and a lone walk. Since then, he’s thrown just 9.0 IP on a mound, total.
Holman, Cincinnati’s 2nd round pick in 2024, sat out the remainder of 2024 after being drafted, finishing his calendar year with 91.2 IP of 2.75 ERA ball that included a wonderful 0.98 WHIP and 127/33 K/BB. When his 2025 began in Daytona, all signs looked promising in his first pair of starts only for an elbow issue to subsequently sit him down and require Tommy John surgery, and we’ve not seen him since.
He sat 91-94 with his fastball (and touched 96) before, and has a pair of wicked breaking balls that he uses as his out pitches. If he returns to form in 2026 the way he ways before (or even better!), he still profiles as a back-end starter who should move quickly through Cincinnati’s system after dominating SEC play in stints first with Alabama and later with LSU.
Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta has spoken with a bunch of his new teammates since being acquired from the Brewers in a blockbuster trade last week.
In addition to getting a FaceTime from Tyrone Taylor (the two were teammates in Milwaukee), Peralta has also talked to Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, Francisco Alvarez, and Sean Manaea.
"I can't lie. It makes me feel really good," Peralta said during an introductory Zoom on Tuesday. "I told them: I can't wait to be with you guys together and have fun together."
The exuberant Peralta is also excited about making the transition from Milwaukee to New York.
"I feel really good," he said. "It's a different market, different city. There's a lot more fans, a lot more people watching. I like the competition that we're gonna face."
With Peralta set for free agency after the season, and with the Mets having given up two of their most prized prospects to obtain him and fellow right-hander Tobias Myers, one of the biggest questions following the trade has been whether Peralta would be open to an extension -- with reports beforehand indicating that he was.
"I just got here. I think that I got to share time with my teammates, think about different ideas," Peralta explained. "Learn about everybody -- coaches, the organization in general. And then we can see."
The above scenario -- feeling things out a bit before potentially discussing an extension -- is something that worked out with the Mets and Lindor in the not-too-distant past.
The Mets acquired Lindor from Cleveland on Jan. 7, 2021 and ultimately signed him to a 10-year, $341 million extension on the eve of Opening Day ahead of what was Steve Cohen's first season of ownership.
Sep 4, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) reacts after striking out Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (not pictured) with the bases loaded in the fourth inning at American Family Field. / Benny Sieu - Imagn Images
As Peralta gets acclimated to a new team and city, he already has familiarity with president of baseball operations David Stearns.
One of Stearns' biggest moves when he was in Milwaukee's front office was to trade for a then-19-year-old Peralta. And his biggest trade with the Mets was to trade for him a second time.
"It says a lot," Peralta said about the shared history. "It's funny, because my family -- we were speaking about that, too. Being traded for the second time for the same GM, there's a lot of things that come to my mind."
Peralta, who will report to spring training in a few weeks along with the rest of the Mets' pitchers and catchers, said he hasn't yet decided whether he'll be pitching for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic -- which begins on March 5.
The 29-year-old is coming off a phenomenal 2025 season, where he had a career-best 2.70 ERA in 176.2 innings. He posted a 1.07 WHIP, allowed just 124 hits, and struck out 204 batters -- a rate of 10.4 per nine.
In 139 starts over the last five years, Peralta has a 3.30 ERA and 1.09 WHIP and has fanned 895 batters in 738.1 innings while allowing just 536 hits. He has also been reliable when it comes to taking the ball, tossing 165.2 innings or more reach of the last three seasons.
His ability to miss bats and limit hits is elite, as is his stuff.
Peralta relies mainly on a four-seam fastball (which he threw 53 percent of the time this past season), a changeup, and a curve. He'll also mix in a slider.
In 2025, his pitching run value graded out in the 97th percentile, via Baseball Savant. And all of his individual pitches were tremendous -- the fastball was in the 84th percentile, the breaking balls were in the 88th percentile, and the changeup was in the 96th percentile.
The New York Yankees have claimed pitcher Dom Hamel on waivers from the Texas Rangers, it was announced today. The Rangers had designated Hamel for assignment to make room on the 40 man roster for newly signed reliever Jakob Junis.
If you aren’t familiar with Dom Hamel, that’s understandable. The Rangers claimed him on waivers from the Baltimore Orioles at the end of September. The Orioles had claimed him on waivers a week before that on waivers from the New York Mets. The Mets had drafted him in the third round in 2021 out of Dallas Baptist, eight picks after the Rangers selected Cam Cauley, and 16 picks before the A’s picked Mason Miller, who I think everyone picking ahead of them in the third round wishes they had selected instead of whoever they picked.
The Yankees didn’t have an open 40 man roster spot, so to open up a spot for Hamel, they designated infielder Marco Luciano for assignment. Luciano spent several years early in his pro career as a consensus top 20 prospect with the San Francisco Giants, then a couple of years as a consensus top 50 guy, and is now out of options and bouncing around the waiver wire. The Pirates claimed him on waivers from the Giants in December, then the Orioles claimed him from the Pirates in early January, and then the Yankees claimed him from the Orioles earlier this month.
The Yankees are no doubt hoping to sneak Luciano through waivers so they can outright him, and likely will try to do the same thing with Hamel before too long.
