Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter | Nate Ulrich / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Zack Meisel published a great article today about Chase DeLauter’s debut and his approach to this coming season. He, again, emphasizes that the organization was planning for DeLauter to break camp with the major league team in 2025 before his injury. So… one would have to assume the plan is for him to break camp this season. Right? Right?!
There was a rumor that Ty France was on the Guardians’ radar. He signed a minor-league deal with the Padres today. Rhys Hoskins is still out there. The Guardians will not sign him.
In case you missed it, Hoynes had a quote from Stephen Vogt saying that David Fry isn’t going to play right field or third base yet. This complicates the roster situation and will be interesting to follow.
Will Brennan signed a split contract with the San Francisco Giants. We wish Brennan all the best.
The Guardians have their first full-squad workout tomorrow. Jose Ramirez was the only player not yet in camp, but should be there as of today.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JUNE 19: Drew Smith #33 of the New York Mets pitches during the seventh inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on June 19, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After signing Cionel Perez a couple days ago, the Nats picked up another veteran reliever on an incentive-laden minor league deal. This time Paul Toboni and the Nats picked up Drew Smith, who was a mainstay in the Mets bullpen for a few years. From 2021 to 2024, Smith featured prominently in the Mets bullpen, but missed last season recovering from Tommy John.
Former Met reliever Drew Smith stays in the NL East agreeing to a minor league deal with the Nats. $1.75M if he makes the team, with $1.25M in performance bonuses, according to sources
However, he should be ready to go right away. The surgery was back in July of 2024, so plenty of time has passed. This is Smith’s second Tommy John, so it is not a given that he looks like his old self. If he does bounce back, the $1.75 million price tag if he makes the team could be a steal.
Back when he was on the Mets, Smith was known for his swing and miss stuff. His fastball sat around 95 MPH and he had a strong feel for spin. Smith throws a cutter, a slider, a curveball and an occasional changeup to go with his lively heater. He can be susceptible to hard contact, but he makes up for it by getting swing and miss.
Earlier this offseason, I actually brought up Smith as a potential under the radar target. His career 3.48 ERA and his ability to generate whiffs stuck out to me. It seems like Toboni was also impressed by those skills.
Spring Training will be huge for Smith though. He will need to prove that his stuff is still good after a second major surgery. There are examples of pitchers who have succeeded after a second Tommy John, but there are also plenty of guys who struggle to bounce back from that second surgery. Hopefully Smith can be part of the former group.
Importantly, he will be ready to go immediately. There was some optimism that he could return at the end of the Mets season, but he just could not quite make it. Given how far removed he is from the surgery, this offseason was probably relatively normal for Smith.
It's still far too early to know with any certainty, but Mets reliever Drew Smith (recovery from Tommy John surgery) has some optimism that he'll be able to return in late September or October. He's on track to begin throwing bullpen sessions next month — a good sign.
Due to his injury status, Smith is less likely to break camp with the team than Cionel Perez. However, he might have more upside to his ability to generate whiffs. This is another worthwhile dart throw from Toboni. If Smith does not look like the same pitcher, he can just be a depth arm in Rochester. However, if the stuff does return, he could be an important veteran in the Nats bullpen.
At 32 years old, Smith should have gas in the tank if he is fully recovered from the injury. He also provides some experience and veteran leadership to a Nats bullpen that does not have much of that.
If Smith can pitch to a 3.48 ERA, which is his career mark, this would be a great pickup. There is also no risk because this is a minor league deal. I like these small bullpen moves Toboni has made in the last few days.
While Anthony may be a bit of a downgrade in terms of outfield coverage from Carroll, he will bring a stronger arm and he can make up for the difference in bat pop. Anthony joins teammate Garrett Whitlock, one of the best aces in baseball, on the WBC roster.
Anthony signed an eight-year contract worth $130 million with the Red Sox last August, and the deal has escalators up to $230 million. Though he missed out on $1 million for not finishing top two in Rookie of the Year voting, he can make $2 million for winning MVP, $1 million for finishing second or third in MVP voting, with descending numbers down to top-10 in voting.
The USA outfield will now have Anthony, Byron Buxton, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and captain Aaron Judge.
How old is Roman Anthony?
Born May 13, 2004, Anthony is 21 years old and will be 22 in May. He is the youngest player on the Team USA roster.
Anthony became the youngest Red Sox player to make his debut since Rafael Devers at 21 years and 27 days on June 9 against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Roman Anthony stats
Anthony slashed .292/.396/.463 last season with eight home runs.
In terms of other metrics, the only spots where Anthony fell under league average at the plate were in whiff percentage and strikeout percentage.
Team USA World Baseball Classic roster
The World Baseball Classic roster is again filled out now, with Anthony joining Buxton, Crow-Armstrong, and Judge in the outfield.
HOOVER, AL - MAY 24: Vanderbilt pitcher Cody Bowker (55) pitches the ball during the SEC Baseball Tournament Semifinals game between Tennessee Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores on May 24, 2025, at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Listen, I really liked the idea that the Phillies recognized that developing their own starters and relievers is the proper way to build and develop. Spending at the top of free agency each year is fine, but there has to be some counterbalance to what is being done. So spending higher draft picks on pitchers that fit best in the bullpen? I’m fine with that.
As stated in previous articles, the team definitely took the right step in trying to develop arms themselves rather than having to trade for them each deadline. The hope is probably that if they can hit on one, maybe two arms, that can be used in major league bullpens, that’s a solid win.
Obviously, the hope would be there were more to develop and that’s possible. Getting two arms from this past draft to the major leagues with the belief that they could be successful is the dream. But after years of neglect, it’s at least refreshing that arms like Bowker, one who might start but is more likely to be a reliever, are in the system to provide depth when/if they are needed
Bowker has an extreme drop-and-drive, low-slot delivery. His right shin is practically scraping the ground as he delivers, creating extreme uphill angle on his pitches. Bowker sat in the 91-94 mph range all year even as he blew through his career innings high, and he throws fastballs for strikes (70% strike rate with plus-plus miss and chase) despite mechanical funk. Though his secondary pitch feel is not as crisp, Bowker has a bunch of them. He changes speeds on two breakers — a mid-80s cutter and low-80s slider — that play nicely off his fastball near the top of the zone, and he can turn over a changeup in the low 80s if he wants something to finish low. It’s a starter’s pitch mix in a mechanical package more commonly seen in the bullpen, which is why Bowker is projected to slot into multi-inning big league role.
With each new post, we’ll reveal who won the voting for that particular slot, then post new players for you to vote on, adding another one to the list each time until we get to our final tally of 20. Once we get to 20 top prospects, we’ll do an honorable mention post at the end. If a player gets traded to another team, we’ll just chuck him right on outta here and all the players will move up a spot. If a prospect gets acquired, we’ll ask where he should go on the list.
Probably the most important thing about this whole process – please vote. Give us a few minutes of your time, just click a button and then we can discuss other players and things in the comment section, but don’t forget – VOTE!
In this special Spring 2026 preview episode of the Royals Rundown Podcast, Jacob Milham and Jeremy Greco sit down with Kansas City Royals pitching coach Brian Sweeney for an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at how the organization is building its staff for the upcoming season.
Sweeney walks us through his daily routine during spring training — from 6 a.m. physicals and data review to individualized bullpen sessions and game-day preparation. Sweeney’s candid stories about player personalities, in-game adjustments, and clubhouse culture provide rare access to the human side of pitching development. For fans who want more than surface-level analysis, this episode delivers insider insight into how the Royals are preparing to compete in 2026.
Jacob and Jeremy also dive into bullpen construction, including why Lucas Erceg is viewed as a high-ceiling, swing-and-miss weapon, how Carlos Estevez factors into late-inning strategy, and which emerging arms — including Steven Cruz, Alex Lange, Nick Mears, Luinder Avila, and others — are pushing for meaningful roles in 2026.
Whether you’re a longtime Royals supporter or a baseball enthusiast interested in pitching strategy and player development, this conversation offers a valuable perspective on what it truly takes to build a modern MLB pitching staff.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 27: Cody Freeman #39 of the Texas Rangers looks on prior to a game against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on September 27, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
With the 2025 Texas Rangers season having come to an end, we shall be, over the course of the offseason, taking a look at every player who appeared in a major league game for the Texas Rangers in 2025.
Today we are looking at infielder Cody Freeman.
Cody Freeman spent more time in the major leagues in 2025 than I think any of us expected to be the case. Or wanted to be the case, for that matter.
Freeman had a short stint in the bigs right after the All Star Break when Sam Haggerty went on the injured list, and then was sent back down after about a week when Haggerty returned. A little less than a month later, Freeman was called back up again in mid-August, once again taking the place of Sam Haggerty, and ultimately sticking around until the end of the season due to, you know, everyone being injured.
Freeman had the role of “young-ish guy in AAA who can play a lot of positions who can be pressed into duty in the big leagues if need be” in the second half of 2025. That role had previously been held by Jonathan Ornelas, who was designated for assignment in May and then sold to Atlanta, because that’s where all the players DFA’d by the Rangers end up.
Freeman’s time in the majors in 2025 was relatively uneventful. he slashed .228/.258/.342 and played a variety of positions, none of them particularly well according to the advanced defensive metrics.
Freeman wasn’t on the 40 man roster until he was summoned in July, and would have been a free agent at the end of the season had he not been added to the 40 man at some point before season’s end. He ended up with a -0.3 WAR of both the f and b varieties. He seemed to generate a degree of enthusiasm among Rangers fans that was disproportionate to his actual performance.
Really, though, what is more interesting to me than Freeman’s 2025 major league performance is Freeman’s 2025 minor league performance. He appeared to be a completely different hitter in AAA than he had been throughout his entire minor league career up to that point.
In 71 career games in low-A, Cody Freeman has slashed .247/.357/.383.
In 196 career games in high-A, Cody Freeman has slashed .235/.308/.384.
In 124 career games in AA, Cody Freeman has slashed .262/.318/.428.
In 97 career games in AAA, Cody Freeman has slashed .336/.382/.549.
That’s a big jump! And yes, the PCL is a great league for hitters, and yes, Freeman had been one of the Rangers’ infielder-to-catcher conversion projects and was catching at least some of the time until the 2024 season, and so not catching anymore probably helped him.
But even so…that’s a big, big jump in performance.
In looking at his historical minor league data, one can see how that change manifested. Here’s Freeman’s K rates in the minors by year:
2021 — 15.8%
2022 — 16.1%
2023 — 18.4%
2024 — 18.1%
2025 — 8.7%
That’s a huge drop in Freeman’s strikeout rate in 2025 compared to prior years. And its at AAA, where he is seeing more experienced pitchers, and where one would expect his K rate to go up rather than down.
One would expect that Freeman was swinging less frequently once he got to AAA, but that wasn’t the case. He swung at 44.4% of pitches with Round Rock in 2025, compared to 44.2% and 46.3% the previous two seasons.
The difference is in contact rate — after putting up contact rates a little above 80% in his career prior to 2025, with a high of 82.8% in AA in 2024, Freeman had an 89.9% contact rate at AAA in 2025.
To put these numbers in perspective, Steven Kwan had an 8.7% K rate in the majors in 2025, which was the fourth lowest K% among qualified hitters.
Nico Hoerner had an 89.9% contact rate in the majors in 2025. That was the fourth highest contact rate among qualified hitters.
Freeman was able to maintain an elite contact rate — 88.5% — in his time in the majors. His K rate jumped up to 15.7%, which is still well above average in terms of avoiding strikeouts.
The problem was, though, that Freeman didn’t walk in the majors — he had a well below average 4.1% walk rate — and he didn’t make quality contact. His hard hit rate and average exit velocity were both near the bottom of the league, and almost 60% of his balls in play were either ground balls or infield pop ups.
Freeman has two options remaining, and seems most likely to start the year back at AAA as infield depth. It will be interesting to see, should he be in Round Rock for the bulk of the year, whether he can replicate the offensive success he had there in 2025.
With the Rangers needing a righthanded bench bat, there’s been talk about Freeman possibly filling that role. However, Freeman has not performed especially well against lefties — in fact, he has reverse splits over the last three seasons. That makes it hard for him to have value in a big league bench role at this point.
2025 was a big step forward for Freeman. He had a successful year at AAA and got regular playing time in the bigs in the final six weeks of the season. Now we just need to see if he can build on that for 2026.
Francisco Lindor is now widely considered the leader of the Mets as their longest-tenured hitter, but seniority doesn't guarantee captaincy.
In fact, there isn't any player on the roster who should expect that title and status under Steve Cohen's watch, as the Mets owner revealed Monday he'll never appoint a captain while in control of the franchise.
"As long as I'm owning the team, there will never be a team captain," Cohen said at the Mets' complex in Port St. Lucie. "That was my decision. My view is, the locker room is unique and let the locker room sort it out, year-in, year-out. There'll never be a captain. I've felt that way all along."
Following the exit of slugger Pete Alonso, who became the Mets' all-time home runs leader before signing with the Orioles in free agency this winter, all signs pointed toward Lindor -- their de facto captain -- eventually earning the rank officially.
Lindor was an obvious candidate, considering the leadership traits and responsibilities he's assumed since joining the Mets in 2021. Just last spring, when the Mets reportedly mulled the idea of naming him captain, the veteran shortstop expressed the possibility as "an honor and a privilege."
"The captain thing is not up for me to decide. If it does happen, it would be fantastic, an honor and a privilege," Lindor said a year ago. "Something I would never take for granted. Something that would put me next to the greats of this organization forever and It would be very humbling."
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza even admitted to having captain conversations. He told WFAN last February he shared feelings on Lindor to Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, contending, "he doesn’t have the ‘C’ on [his uniform], but he’s doing a lot of the things that a captain will do."
Lindor also received an endorsement from Mets legend John Franco -- the third captain in franchise history -- who ran into the switch-hitter last spring training and told him he wants to see that 'C' on his uniform.
The only wrinkle was Mendoza never talked to Cohen on the matter then, which explains the change in tune now and why the Mets aren't inclined to name a fifth captain in franchise history and their first since David Wright.
"The way we see it is we have a bunch of guys there who are part of that leadership group," Mendoza said. "We lost a few guys who were part of that group, and then we gained some guys who have done that -- so I think when you're talking about a major league locker room, you need to have not only one guy, but a few guys."
The story of Cohen's reign can't be told without Lindor, however. He was acquired by the Mets in a blockbuster trade with the then-Indians five winters ago, and their commitment to a long-term relationship was cemented when Lindor signed a10-year contract extension prior to Opening Day.
Since then, Lindor has slashed .261/.338/.462 with 148 doubles, 141 home runs, and 445 RBI across 758 total games with the Mets. He nearly captured NL MVP honors in 2024, finishing second in the race, and earned Silver Slugger awards in 2023 and 2024.
There have only been four official captains in Mets history -- Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter,Franco, and Wright -- and the exclusive group isn't accepting new members, according to the boss.
Mets owner Steve Cohen said Monday that as long as he owns the team, the title “captain” won’t be bestowed on a player.
Mets owner Steve Cohen speaks to reporters at spring training in Port St. Lucie on Feb. 16, 2026. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“There will never be a captain,” Cohen said.
He added the decision is based on how he would like to see the clubhouse run.
“Every year a team is different,” Cohen said. “And let the team figure it out in the locker room rather than have a designation. Having a captain in baseball doesn’t happen often — it’s actually unusual. Whatever previous ownership did, that was their way of doing things. I look at things differently.”
In recent seasons, Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso had emerged as potential captains. Nimmo and Alonso departed the organization after last season, which appeared to clear the way for Lindor to potentially land the title.
David Wright, who played his final game for the Mets in 2018, was the team’s last captain. Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter and John Franco have also worn the title for the Mets.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 13: Max Muncy #13 of the Los Angeles Dodgers participates in a fielding drill during spring training workouts at Camelback Ranch on February 13, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Since getting called up to the Dodgers in April 2018, Max Muncy has been a fixture in the Dodgers infield at three different positions, and has yet to reach free agency. The contract he signed Thursday — his fourth extension — keeps Muncy under contract through 2027 with another club option for 2028.
Muncy has expressed multiple times in recent years of his desire to stay in Los Angeles, and did so again on Saturday at Dodgers camp at Camelback Ranch.
“I know I’m leaving some money on the table,” Muncy said Saturday. “But I want to be here. I want to end my career here. I know who I am as a person, and I wouldn’t be happy trying to chase money somewhere else. I’ve never been comfortable trying to do that. And I wouldn’t be comfortable now.”
The 2026 incentives were included in the option that was picked up from the previous contract. It includes $15K in performance bonuses with each plate appearance from 401 to 550, with a maximum of $2.25 million.
From the extension: 2027 salary escalator based on 2026 plate appearances. $20K for each plate appearance from 401-500 and $35K for each plate appearance from 501-550, with a maximum of $3.75 million. The 2028 performance bonuses (if the option is exercised) includes $20K for each plate appearance from 401-500 and $35K for each plate appearance from 501-550, with a maximum of $3.75 million.
Let’s run through the history of Muncy’s contracts with the Dodgers, beginning when he was first eligible for salary arbitration after the 2019 season.
February 2020: three years, $26 million, plus club option
Covered all three arbitration seasons (2020-22), after Muncy and the Dodgers exchanged salaries for his first time through arbitration. Muncy was at $4.675 million and the Dodgers were at $4 million, with a midpoint of $4.3375 million. Muncy got a $4.5 million signing bonus and a $1 million salary in 2020, $7.5 million in 2021, and $11.5 million in 2022, with a $13 million club option and a $1.5 million buyout for 2023.
Muncy’s club option had salary escalators based on his placement in MVP voting, and his 10th-place finish in 2021 added $500,000 to his 2023 club option base salary.
August 2022: one year, $13.5 million, plus club option
The base salary for 2023 matched Muncy’s club option salary, with another club option for 2024 at $10 million and no buyout. The 2024 option salary had escalators based on 2023 playing time, and Muncy earned all $4 million with his 579 plate appearances, putting his club option at $14 million
November 2023: two years, $24 million, plus club option
February 2026: one year, $10 million, plus club option
Already signed for 2026, Muncy’s extension pays him $7 million for 2027, plus a club option worth $10 million for 2028 with a $3 million buyout.
The Dodgers have paid Muncy $37.5 million over the last three years, what would have been free agent seasons had he hit the open market. That’s a relatively modest sum for someone who has been an integral part of the Dodgers lineup who has been productive even while missing time with injuries the last two seasons.
Muncy can earn up to $2.25 million in bonuses for 2026 and add to his 2027 option base salary based on playing time, but those bonuses don’t start until 401 plate appearances, something he hasn’t reached since 2023. He can max out those bonuses with 550 plate appearances, something he’s done four times in his career — 2019, plus 2021-23.
Apr 20, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies right fielder Zac Veen (13) rounds the bases on a solo home run in the third inning against the Washington Nationals at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
A star ceiling was promised when Veen was made the ninth-overall pick in the 2020 draft and signed for a slightly above-slot value $5 million — but there are some ifs to be overcome. If the 24-year-old lefty-swinging, righty-throwing outfielder can stay healthy; ifhe can manage the swing-and-miss in his profile; if he can translate more of his raw power into game power; and if Veen can remain sober and clear-minded through it all… Then Veen could be a star at the big-league level.
Mid-season 2025 Rank: 7
High Ballot: 4
Mode Ballot: 9, 11
Future Value: 40+, platoon outfielder
Contract Status: 2020 First Round, Spruce Creek (FL) HS, 40 Man Roster, two options remaining
MLB ETA: Now
After three years in an injury-affected purgatory (primarily a left wrist issue, but also back and thumb injuries last year) at Double-A Hartford, Veen finally ascended to Triple-A Albuquerque in late 2024. Veen played in 21 games for Albuquerque down the stretch, hitting a slugging-heavy .220/.281/.476 with six homers and three doubles in 92 plate appearances.
That was good enough for Veen to be considered a strong candidate for the Opening Day roster in 2025. While that didn’t quite happen (despite a strong spring training), Veen was up with the Rockies on April 8th after a 5-for-5 game with Albuquerque that included a homer and two doubles. With the Rockies, Veen played consistently in a two week stint but just didn’t hit very well. In 37 plate appearances across 12 games with the Rockies, Veen had only four hits, though one of them was a homer, en route to a .118/.189/.235 line (4 wRC+, -0.3 rWAR) — a humbling experience in his first taste of the big leagues.
Veen returned to Albuquerque in late April for a month, until in late May it was revealed that Veen had been nursing a spring training ankle injury that had hampered his performance (he had hit for just a .481 OPS in May). That led to a three week absence and a stint on the ACL team to rehab the injury and refine his hitting mechanics to improve his ability to hit high fastballs. Upon his return from that assignment, Veen promptly had a 14-game hitting streak that included eight multi-hit and two four-hit games.
In total for 2025, including the ankle-impacted beginning of the season, Veen recovered to hit .289/.354/.468 with 11 homers, five triples, and 23 doubles with 15 steals for Albuquerque in 412 plate appearances — a slightly below average 94 wRC+. He cut his strikeouts five points to 20% of plate appearances while walking 9% of the time. For as long as he’s been in our prospect consciousness, it’s also important to remember that Veen only faced a younger pitcher than him in 8% of plate appearances (and a chunk of those were during his ACL rehab stint). On defense, Veen played all three outfield positions, with the plurality of playing time coming in left field. He made four errors and had three outfield assists in 80 Triple-A games.
In a recent article by Thomas Harding of MLB.com, Veen explained that his last few years had been affected by substance abuse issues and that he has recommitted himself to the game, packing on 40 pounds vs. last year. We’ll see how that new body serves Veen this spring against fastball velocity as he fights for an Opening Day roster spot.
Here are some of Veen’s 2024 highlights, which show off all-fields power:
Veen was slotted 16th in the system by Keith Law of the Athletic earlier this month:
Veen was Colorado’s first pick in the 2020 draft and was the last player I saw live before everything shut down. In that game, he hit a massive home run, aligning with reports I’d heard for months before about his plus power, but that has not been a part of his game at all in pro ball. He hit 15 homers in Low A in 2021, and that remains his career high. He’s the king of medium-quality contact, and that might work if he were a more disciplined player in the box or on the bases. He chases way too many pitches — nobody in Albuquerque should be swinging at 33 percent of pitches out of the zone — and he tends to swing too uphill, hitting for power he doesn’t have. I thought Veen would have a very different career than this when the Rockies took him, and maybe the new front office can try to get him to be more of a contact-first hitter and give up on the power, but for now, he’s maybe a backup corner outfielder.
Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs ranked Veen as a 40+ FV player, 14th in the system (despite a 70 run grade and 60 future grades on fielding and raw power) last January:
Veen’s lefty swing is still vulnerable to inner-half velocity, and he remains in a liminal prospect space more than he is a slam dunk big league star.
This grade remains skeptical of Veen’s future ability to hit and access his raw power, but appreciates how impactful his speed will be in a part-time outfield role.
I’m excited by Veen for the same reasons anyone would be: He’s a ferocious rotator capable of hitting some epic home runs, and he’s built as if Maserati started making human beings. Veen has one of the more electric power/speed combos in the minors, but his levers and long, low-ball swing make it very difficult for him to be on time to the contact point, especially against fastballs, which has led to a good number of strikeouts and mediocre contact. Pitchers work him in on the hands, then get him to swing over the top of back-foot breaking balls once Veen starts to cheat on heaters in that spot. He’s best able to create power against bad breaking balls and pitches located down-and-away from him, when he can get his arms fully extended. When he does, it’s very beautiful and easy to see why so many folks (including your author) have been gaga for Veen at various points in his prospectdom. Still, as it’s currently constituted, he presents a below-average contact and game power look.
Veen brings other meaningful stuff to the table. He plays with an elite motor, moves from base to base with just a few gigantic strides, and commits to the next base with abandon in borderline situations. There are more opportunities for speed to impact the big league game now, which helps elevate Veen into a more impactful FV tier. On defense, his speed allows him to turn would-be doubles into singles by chasing them down before they can trickle into the gap or corner, but he doesn’t get good reads and looks uncomfortable at the catch point. Despite his wheels, the Rockies have basically never given Veen any kind of extended run in center field because his reads and routes aren’t good. It makes Veen feel like a turbo charged fifth outfielder on a good team rather than a true fourth or platoon guy.
Veen is ranked as a 45 Future Value player by MLB Pipeline, 11th in the system, including plus grades on his speed and arm with a 55 on fielding and a 50 on his hit tool:
The 23-year-old outfielder still offers plenty of projection in his 6-foot-3 frame and game, if he can stay on the field. His 2023 wrist injury definitely wreaked some havoc with his swing mechanics, but it was encouraging that he started to get to some of his power again in ’24, albeit sporadically. He’ll have to be cognizant of not trying to get to too much loft, something that has happened in the past, also the reason why his strikeout rate is north of 25 percent at the upper levels. Earlier in his career, he offered better bat-to-ball skills.
A solid runner who squeezes every ounce of his speed by being aggressive with good instincts on the basepaths, Veen probably fits best in an outfield corner if he were to settle in as a regular. He’ll see time in all three outfield spots to provide options for when the need arises, but more than anything, he has to show that he can answer the bell over the course of a full, healthy season.
John Trupin of Baseball Prospectus ranked Veen sixth in the system last January with a 55 OFP grade:
Veen plays hard—a double-edged sword—as his gazelle-like strides generate a gait at paces he cannot always easily alter. That can lead to electric defensive plays and swipes of third and home, as well as self-injurious plays that are unfortunately the purview of those who burn particularly bright. At the plate, Veen’s prominent uppercut swing generates loft, while his patience and power earn him respectful approaches from pitchers. It can get long through the zone, and doesn’t offer much room for adjustment when fooled. His struggles in Triple-A Albuquerque following his activation from the injured list are not yet of high concern, as his power and defense fit the bill, but a 28.3% whiff rate highlights the ceiling limiter for one of the best athletes in this system. Ahead of last year, we’d hoped to see Veen dominate and stay healthy. He came up a little short of both, but is nonetheless on the cusp of the big leagues.
When he makes contact, you can see a superstar’s framework in Veen’s powerful swings and strides. But not only has he struggled to maintain that performance, his body has not held up to the pace at which Veen plays. Injuries that continue to sap his athleticism would leave a thimble-wide passage for success, while lasting health will make him a Coors Field mainstay.
First of all, Veen needs to be more forthcoming about injuries that are impacting his ability to perform — this has now happened at least twice (with his wrist and now his ankle). Veen is a player that Purple Row has stayed higher on than the scouting consensus due to what he can be when he’s not playing through injuries or on the shelf. Maybe Veen won’t be able to adjust to some holes in his swing that big league pitching will exploit, but he’s shown the ability to adjust before.
Veen is an excellent base-runner, a good outfielder, he has raw power to tap into. He’s making better swing decisions and he’s come into camp this year in much better shape. That makes him a candidate for a big league role this season and a 40+ FV grade (13th on my list).
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 8: Grant Holman #67 of the Athletics pitching in the top of the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Sutter Health Park on June 8, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Justine Willard/Athletics/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Morning everyone and happy President’s Day!
Yesterday afternoon we got word that right-handed reliever Grant Holman was claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks, ending his time in the A’s system and thinning out the bullpen:
RHP Grant Holman has been claimed off waivers by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
That’s lame. The A’s were clearly trying to sneak him though waivers and hoping he would go unclaimed. That would have opened up a spot on the 40-man roster but instead the A’s trickery comes back to bite them in the butt.
Holman was one of the more intriguing relief prospects that the A’s had developed in recent years. The 25-year-old, a former 6th-round pick in 2021, began his pro career as a starter but shifted to a relief role after struggling in his first couple years in the system.
That change in role did wonders for Holman. After a year adjusting to his new role Holman had a lockdown 2024 season split between Double and Triple-A, allowing just 3 earned runs in 40 appearances. That earned him his first call up to the big league squad and though he wasn’t as unhittable as he was in the minors he still showed plenty of potential in his brief call up.
Holman entered 2025 with raised expectations but fell flat this past season. He struggled when he was on the mound before eventually getting demoted back to Triple-A. There things continued to go south as he suffered rotator cuff tendinitis that more or less ended his season before he could ever fix things on the field.
Though he was coming off a down season it wasn’t long ago he was a hot relief prospect coming up through the system. The homegrown arm was likely looking at beginning the year in Triple-A but would have surely been an option at some point this season. That won’t be the case as he’ll instead be an option for the Diamondbacks down in Arizona. It’s not a crippling loss but it won’t feel good if we see him take off with his new team while the A’s continue to face bullpen struggles. Relievers are super unpredictable so we’ll have to see if this was a smart move to move on from Holman, but my gut says that we’ll regret letting him go before giving him a real extended chance.
MOVES RHP Grant Holman claimed off waivers by AZ RHP Mitch Spence to KC for RHP A.J. Causey (to MID) RHPs Aaron Civale & Scott Barlow signed as free agents IF Max Schuemann to NYY for RHP Luis Burgos (to DSL A’s) IF Andy Ibanez claimed off waivers from LADhttps://t.co/joKXkyUAPy
Former fan favorite is joining division-rival Rangers:
The Rangers have signed Mark Canha to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Canha slashed .212/.272/.265 in 46 games for the Royals last year.
Apr 12, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros third baseman Grae Kessinger (16) throws out a runner during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
It is interesting, and potentially advantageous, that the Mets signed so many middle infielders during the offseason. As we all cross our fingers for a speedy recovery from hamate surgery for Francisco Lindor, we’ve been highlighting some of the potential players who may take some at-bats during spring training and (hopefully not) during the early days of the regular season.
Today’s spotlighted middle infielder is Grae Kessinger. A third-generation major leaguer, Kessinger was drafted in the second round by Houston in 2019. Much like Christian Arroyo, Kessinger was a top prospect who showed promise at times in the minor leagues, but he never had a slam dunk season on the farm, but his 2023 was solid, hitting .283 .397 .429 across AA and AAA. Later that season, he got his first shot in the big leagues. In 26 games for the Astros, he hit .200/.289/.325 with one home run while playing all four infield positions.
2024 saw Kessinger mostly playing in Triple-A, but he made 23 appearances for the Astros, but didn’t collect a single hit in 25 plate appearances. After the season, the Astros traded Kessinger to the Diamondbacks for minor league pitcher Matthew Linskey. However, after just 11 games for Triple-A Reno, Kessinger was designated for assignment.
While minor league releases happen all the time, it’s odd to see a relatively young (27) year old who made the majors in the prior season be released after less than a dozen games. Not that these are Babe Ruth numbers, but Kessinger collected 8 hits in 11 games, only to be released. MLB Trade Rumors was similarly surprised by the move:
It’s a bit surprising to see Kessinger released, as most DFA’d players are either traded or placed on outright waivers. An injured player can’t be placed on outright waivers, so a release is sometimes an indication that a player is hurt, though there’s been no reporting to suggest that’s the case with Kessinger. Another possibility is that he has been released to pursue an opportunity overseas, though that’s entirely speculative.
He was not signed by another club all season, either stateside or elsewhere. No official statement was ever released by either the club or Kessinger to explain his departure and lack of signing elsewhere.
Of all the potential middle infielders we’ve discussed so far, Kessinger’s story is the least conventional. While the money and minor league roster spot aren’t exactly a big deal to Steve Cohen’s budget, it’s rare to see a player who wasn’t playing organized ball of any kind for 90% of the season last year get signed at all.
But the same ‘former top prospect’ caveats that applied to Arroyo apply to Kessinger. He’s a versatile player with options remaining who isn’t terribly far removed from some moderate minor league success. As long as whatever led to his mysterious release in 2025 doesn’t pop up again, Kessinger seems likely to play a lot in Syracuse this season, maybe popping up to the majors for a cup of coffee.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 02: Carlos Narváez #75 of the Boston Red Sox walks across the field prior to game three of the American League Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on October 02, 2025 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
During this past week’s run of press comments from members of the Red Sox organization at Fenway South (including Sam Kennedy, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about), catcher Carlos Narváez got some glowing reviews.
Manager Alex Cora noted that Narv/Narvi/The Narv did a great job exceeding expectations in 2025, per Gabrielle Starr the Boston Herald, while being “banged up” the entire time. Red Sox Hall of Famer and current team staff member Jason Varitek commended him for his preparation and mindset in the clubhouse. Cora himself ordained him as the team’s starting backstop, a call that was all but official leading up to Spring Training.
These are all good things for a guy who was basically an afterthought when he was traded from the Yankees to Boston in December 2024. After all, he was acquired by the Sox on the same day that ace Garrett Crochet was. A little over a year later and Narváez is starting his 2026 season in the good graces of those around JetBlue Park.
That Herald article did have one other point that I feel warrants further discussion, though: the idea of a contract extension for the 27-year-old Narváez.
“The only thing I may say is I would love to be a Red Sox forever. I would like to retire with this team. We haven’t talked about it, hopefully that will come in the future.
That’s something that I’m not paying attention to right now. Of course, I would love it, but we’ve got different goals this year, and I think this year is going to be very important for us, for everybody.
We got our goal set. Like, individual things, personal things that will come in the future, and of course I’m more than happy and welcome if that happens, but as of now, our goal is to get a World Series ring this year.”
But maybe now’s the time to at least start thinking about it, even if it’s just a fun thought exercise. Hell, I’ve got nothing better to do on this holiday.
From a 30,000 foot view, Narváez was rated as the 12th-most valuable catcher in 2025 according to fWAR (2.7) out of backstops who had at least 400 plate appearances. Much of that value at the position league-wide was driven by offensive output, though, and Narv’s bang-on average OPS+ of 100 was never going to set himself apart in that department. We’ve seen some encouraging signs of power at times from Carlos from the right-hand side of the dish (something we very well might need to improve heading into the new year), but there can be some big time holes in his swing as demonstrated by his 27.7% whiff rate and 24.9% strikeout rate (both below the 30th percentile mark last season, according to Savant).
However, his Def rating on FanGraphs (which is just the combined total of his fielding runs above average and positional adjustment) of 14.2 put him as the sixth-most valuable defensive catcher in the sport. Savant’s metrics confirm those defensive skills, as his fielding run value of 12 was good for the 96th percentile across MLB in 2025. Blocks, arm talent to catch runners stealing, framing (which may not be as valuable of a skill going forward due to the introduction of the ABS challenge system, but something that will still be useful in some fashion nevertheless), pop time, you name it: Narv was in elite company.
WAR may not be able to always tell the full story of a player, but it at least gives us a good benchmark. For perspective, catchers that Narváez was within one fWAR of last season—one way or the other—include Milwaukee’s William Contreras (3.6), the Giants’ defensive wiz Patrick Bailey (3.4), rookie of the year Drake Baldwin of Atlanta (3.2), Austin Wells of the Yankees (3.0), the Cubs’ Carson Kelly (2.6), Philly’s J.T. Realmuto (2.1), and Ryan Jeffers of Minnesota (2.1).
With that in mind, we can pop over to Spotrac’s catcher contract breakdown. Three of those names I just mentioned—Contreras, Jeffers, Kelly—have average annual values between $9.4 million and $5.75 million. A fairly comparable player within Boston’s division is Alejandro Kirk of Toronto, who inked a five-year extension with the Blue Jays last year worth $58 million ($11.8 million AAV) through 2030. Kirk is excellent defender behind the plate with a career OPS just south of .750 and a career OPS+ of 108. Maybe he doesn’t get there on offense the same way Carlos would—Kirk’s 15 home runs last year was a career high after only eclipsing double-digit dongs one other time beforehand, while Narváez had 15 homers in his first full MLB season—but the similarities are there.
So if:
Narváez is the equivalent of “We have Alejandro Kirk at home,”
He’s still in his 20’s with pre-arbitration years still in play, and
Catchers of similar caliber are making somewhere around the mid-to-high seven-figure range each season…
…what sort of deal might make sense for him?
Something around the lines of five years, $45 million feels about fair to me in a vacuum right now. Red Sox Payroll on Twitter—an excellent resource, by the way—said a deal starting in 2027 worth $50 million over six years with a club option, based on pre-arb extensions for catchers elsewhere, could be worth consideration. I think that’s a fair estimation too; tack on an extra year to lower the AAV, that’s sensible.
A Narvaez contract extension at 1+ yr of service would be interesting to estimate. Below are a bunch of pre-arb catcher examples.
The most relevant are Basallo, Ruiz & Murphy, but none are perfect comps.
However, would either of those bids even make sense to offer at this point in time? The Red Sox front office certainly has to be considering the knee issue last season, right? Would an AAV of $8-9 million be worth eating into the arbitration years of a catcher? Do you let Narv play out 2026 and then come back to the table to negotiate a long-term deal? He’ll be closer to 30 years of age than 25 by the conclusion of this season; do you just let the arbitration years play out if he doesn’t take a step forward? If he does take a step forward on offense, are you gonna have to shell out even more money—Alejandro Kirk money, or even more given the nature of how the AAV line is always going to climb for talent—at this point next year if you want to keep him in the picture going forward?
Competitive balance taxes should never deter a franchise of this stature from making the moves they’ve got to make to stay competitive, and the contracts of Masataka Yoshida and Trevor Story will (probably) be coming off of the books over the next few years, but that’s another factor to consider when having this discussion.
At the end of the day, I guess I don’t expect an extension to be provided to Narváez in the near future. For clarity, let’s just call it the 2026 season; I don’t expect a long-term deal prior to the end of the World Series this upcoming fall. But Mr. Breslow does move in silence, so who am I to say for sure?
For now, I hope Narv is able to keep up that defensive presence while improving on offense. If he can do that, I’d be more than happy to entertain an eight-figure AAV extension for him—because that would mean he’d be a massive part of Boston’s success in 2026.
If this article is your first time hearing of Julian Fernández, I can’t blame you. The 30-year-old right-handed reliever was acquired in August off waivers from the Dodgers, and in 12.2 innings pitched with the Rochester Red Wings, he posted a 7.82 ERA and 5.47 FIP. He made his Nationals debut at the end of September in 2025, posting a 3.00 ERA and 5.80 FIP in 3 outings.
On the surface, Fernández’s Triple-A and major league numbers don’t suggest he is due for a major breakout in 2026. And yet, Fangraphs projects Fernández not only to be better in 2026, but to be one of the better rookie relievers in all of baseball, with Steamer projecting him to post a 3.72 ERA and 16 K-BB% in 59 innings.
Some other projection metrics, such as ZiPS and THE BAT, aren’t quite as high on Fernández, projecting him for an ERA in the low 4s, but the sentiment remains: Julian Fernández will be better in 2026 than his past performance dictates.
So what exactly does Fernández do so well that has the projection systems so high on him? It starts with the swing and miss stuff, as he struck out over 11 batters per 9 innings in 54 innings at Triple A in 2025. Fernández has a very intriguing pitch arsenal, throwing only 2 pitches: a fastball about 60% of the time and a changeup about 40% of the time.
The fastball is loud, sitting 97 MPH with the pitch in 2025, but gets hit around quite a bit, with a 46% hard hit rate in Triple A. The changeup, on the other hand, is lethal, with a 43% whiff rate and .162 opponents’ expected batting average on the pitch in Triple A.
Fernández also does an excellent job of limiting free passes, with a 77th percentile walk rate in Triple-A in 2025. Not many pitchers are able to combine strikeout stuff with strike-throwing ability like Fernández, and that’s why he ranked 10th in K-BB% among all Triple-A pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched.
The key culprit to Fernández’s struggles in 2025 was his unbelievably high home run numbers. In his 54 Triple-A innings in 2025, Fernández had a home run to fly ball ratio of 14.5%, including an unreal 30.8% HR/FB ratio as a National.
For reference, the average HR/FB is generally around 10.5% league wide, far below where Fernández was last season. While some of that was his tendency to give up loud contact, with a 23rd percentile barrel rate in 2025, he’s bound to see some positive regression in the home run department in 2026, which will lead to better results overall.
If I were Simon Mathews, the Nationals’ new pitching coach for 2026, my main focus for developing Julian Fernández into a plus big league reliever would be to start throwing his nasty changeup much more often, as well as looking to add a third pitch to his arsenal to keep hitters guessing.
He’s shown that he can miss bats with his stuff at Triple-A, and the addition of a new pitch, such as a sinker (which he did tinker with at the end of 2025, throwing it just 0.3% of the time overall) to help induce more groundballs could help him take him from an “if” to a sure thing in a currently shaky Nationals bullpen.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 08: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Camilo Doval #75 of the New York Yankees in action against the Toronto Blue Jays in game four of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 08, 2025 in New York City. The Blue Jays defeated the Yankees 5-2. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As the Yankees approached last season’s Trade Deadline, they’d squandered an early division lead and sat in need of reinforcements. The most logical area of the roster to augment was the bullpen. Devin Williams, acquired in a preseason blockbuster to serve as the team’s closer, had been a massive disappointment, closing out July with an ERA above 5.00, and few other Yankees relievers fared much better. GM Brian Cashman acted with heartening urgency, adding not one, not two, but three relievers to the mix. Alongside David Bednar and Jake Bird, he swung a trade with the Giants to acquire their off-and-on-again closer, Camilo Doval.
Doval burst on the scene in 2021, posting an exemplary 37:9 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 27 innings for a surprising 107-win Giants club that dethroned the Dodgers as NL West champs for the only time since 2012. They fell back as a team the next year, but Doval secured San Francisco’s closer job, establishing himself as a ninth-inning stalwart before leading the NL with 39 saves in 2023. The Dominican Republic native appeared poised for a steady run as one of the game’s premier relief arms.
But, as has been proven time and again, the reliever is baseball’s most fickle creature. Doval regressed dramatically in 2024, recording a 4.88 ERA that called into question his long-term viability. While he fared better in the first half of 2025, his inconsistency—as well as the middling Giants’ inability to get back to October in an uber-competitive NL West—made him expendable at the deadline.
Doval’s Yankees debut came in a game that could not have been scripted better to shatter the hearts of the team’s fans everywhere. Riding high on the strength of their deadline additions, New York watched Bird allow four runs and Bednar allow another two to blow a comfortable lead against the lowly Marlins. New York’s third shiny new object, Doval, entered in the ninth with a two-run lead, promptly allowing three baserunners before, aided by an error from fellow newcomer José Caballero, Miami walked the game off on a dribbler.
Receiving an opportunity to enter the setup mix in a wide-open Yankees bullpen, Doval continued to flounder in his new uniform. Through his first 16 appearances with New York, the right-hander posted a 6.59 ERA. By the end of that run, he’d fallen largely into mop-up duty while an unfazed Bednar seized the closer spot and Williams settled in as setup man.
In this lower-leverage role, Doval started to turn things around. In late September, he allowed just one hit in six scoreless outings to end the season. Crucially, for a pitcher whose struggles with control had led him to give free passes in half of those first 16 appearances, Doval allowed walks in just one of those final six. He wasn’t used in the Wild Card Series but pitched reasonably well in three ALDS appearances. This included Game 2 in Toronto, where Doval entered with the Yankees down 2-0 in the fifth and tossed two perfect innings, making him one of a precious few hurlers able to keep the relentless Jays lineup at bay.
With Williams and Luke Weaver both departing in free agency, Doval would appear in line to get a crack at the setup job once again behind Bednar unless the Yankees add another top-end arm. The pressure is on, as Brian Cashman has on multiple occasions pointed to his Trade Deadline additions as a primary reason why the team didn’t add much to the bullpen this past offseason. The front office is optimistic about what they’ll get from a full season of Doval.
The big question is whether his inconsistency the past two seasons is an aberration or his early dominance has faded. ZiPS expects the latter, projecting a remarkably similar line to Doval’s last season, a performance that would land him more in the middle reliever category. Many of Doval’s peripherals remained strong last year — including a 53.6-percent ground-ball rate — but his 12.6 percent walk rate held him back from being reliably effective.
Entering 2026, expect control to be a focal point of Doval’s scouting report. If the former All-Star can keep traffic off the bases, Doval still has the stuff to be a back-end option. If not, the 28-year-old could once again cede his role and find himself in mop-up duty — and possible non-tender territory.
