That would have been it between MLB and the “Worldwide Leader,” but later in 2025 the league and the channel put together another agreement that will keep baseball on ESPN this year, though in somewhat of a different form (for example, the Sunday Night Baseball franchise is moving to NBC).
As part of the new MLB/ESPN agreement, the league licensed the rights to its out-of-market product, MLB.TV, to ESPN.
Initially, the idea was that fans would not need to use MLB’s app for MLB.tv; they could simply purchase the product through the ESPN app and watch games there. That changed shortly after the deal was announced. For at least the 2026 season, fans will still be able to access MLB.tv directly through MLB’s platforms. But there’s a big catch.
With few exceptions, MLB.tv subscribers will also need to be ESPN Unlimited subscribers to purchase the package. In other words, MLB.tv is now behind a double paywall. You’ll need to purchase MLB.tv, which is priced at $150 per season for new subscribers and $135 for returning subscribers, in addition to the ESPN Unlimited plan, which is $30 per month.
Now, there are some caveats. MLB.tv offers a free month of ESPN Unlimited upon signup. MLB.tv subscribers can cancel the ESPN Unlimited subscription during their free trial and still retain access to MLB.tv throughout the entire season. Likewise, if you already have access to ESPN Unlimited through your cable, satellite, or virtual TV provider, there’s no need to pay the extra $30 per month.
Oh.
Basically, if you are a new subscriber to MLB.TV this year, you’ll have to also sign up for ESPN Unlimited. As noted, at least for 2026 you can cancel ESPN Unlimited within the free trial window (30 days) and still have MLB.TV. It’s unclear whether this will continue for the 2027 season and beyond.
Also:
Additionally, if your MLB.tv subscription is set to be auto-renewed from last season, you will not need an ESPN Unlimited subscription.
So that’s good, at least. According to that, if you are a current MLB.TV subscriber and renewing, this new ESPN subscription requirement won’t apply to you. Again, though, it’s unclear whether this applies to fans who receive MLB.TV as season-ticket holders or get it by being a T-Mobile customer. The T-Mobile deal is still in place, as far as I know, but… who knows for sure, with this new system. It’s also unclear as to what this will do to anyone who buys the single-team version of MLB.TV (for example, if you buy the Cubs-only package).
Drew Lerner concludes:
Regardless, this is insanely confusing for fans. No doubt, several MLB.tv subscribers will be fooled into paying for an ESPN Unlimited subscription they don’t need, either by failing to cancel during the one-month free trial or paying the $30 per month when they already have ESPN Unlimited included in their pay TV bundle.
Absolutely, positively true. This is yet another example of MLB owners and Commissioner Rob Manfred simply pocketing as much money as they can and not caring about the impact on fans, who are, well, their customers. What sort of business does that? (Don’t answer that, it’s a rhetorical question.)
Mainly, I wrote this article as a public service to those of you who subscribe to MLB.TV. Be careful on signup to see what you’re signing up for and if you have to take the “free trial” ESPN Unlimited subscription and don’t want it, make sure you note the date you sign up and cancel within 30 days.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 21: Cristian Pache #20 of the Miami Marlins fields during the game against the Atlanta Braves at loanDepot park on September 21, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jasen Vinlove/Miami Marlins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Earlier this winter, the Mets signed outfielder Cristian Pache to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training, a very standard offseason contract for a player looking to revitalize a stalled major league career. Pache, who last appeared in a major league game in 2024, will look to claim a roster spot after failing to break through with the Diamondbacks last season.
If Pache’s name rings a bell but you can’t quite place him, it’s because he has suited up for many of the Mets’ rivals over the years, making the outfielder no stranger to the National League East. A former top prospect who signed for $1.4 million as an international free agent in 2015—MLB.com ranked him as the tenth-best international free agent at the time—he debuted for the Braves in 2020 and played parts of two seasons for Atlanta. He slashed .119/.157/.209 with a -5 wRC+ and a -0.6 fWAR in 24 games before being traded to the Athletics as part of the Matt Olson trade in March 2022.
He got his most playing time for any singular season in then-Oakland (91 games) and hit .166/.218/.241 with a 33 wRC+ and a -1.0 fWAR, and he was eventually traded to the Phillies for Billy Sullivan. He had his best offensive season in 2023, hitting .238/.319/.417 with a 98 wRC+ and a career-best 0.5 fWAR in 48 games. He started 2024 with Philadelphia but was traded along with Seranthony Domínguez to the Orioles for former Mets offseason target Austin Hays. After just three games, he was designated for assignment and latched on with the Marlins, where he spent the rest of 2024 and hit .183/.234/.283 with a 43 wRC+ and a -0.1 fWAR in 35 games. He signed a minor league game with Arizona and spent the whole year in the minors before electing free agency and ending up with the Mets, which catches us up to the present day.
Pache can play any of the three outfield positions, but he has primarily appeared at center field, appeared in 191 of his 241 career games in center. His primary value is his outfield versatility, and it’s easy to see a world where the Mets thought he could be an ideal fourth outfielder. However, he was signed before the team brought in Luis Robert Jr., whose signing pushed Tyrone Taylor to the fourth outfield position. That makes Pache’s path to Citi Field somewhat more difficult. To make matters more complicated for Pache, the team signed MJ Melendez to a major league deal on Sunday, which puts Melendez one step higher on the depth chart. Melendez is much more adept to the corner outfield spots and would almost assuredly see the time there before Pache does. The team is expected to carry one backup outfielder, as well as a utility player who can cover multiple positions, including the outfield.
Pache’s offense, as previously highlighted, is fairly non-existent. He strikes out a ton (30.8% career K%) and doesn’t walk much (7.2% career BB%). He also doesn’t really steal bases, with five career stolen bases to date while also being caught stealing five times. He doesn’t have much power, with seven homers and a .093 ISO. He is a very strong defender, however, with a 4 OAA in 2024, a 4 OAA in 2023, and a 6 OAA in 2022. His arm strength was in the 92nd percentile in 2022, while he was also above average in OAA and arm value.
Beyond an impressive spring training, Pache likely would only find himself playing for the Mets with an injury to Robert or Taylor, or if the left field options don’t cut it and Taylor mans one of the corners. Beyond that, Pache will likely find himself in Triple-A for much of the year, or off of the club’s roster altogether.
Detroit Tigers right fielder Kerry Carpenter celebrates after hitting a go-ahead two-run home run against the Seattle Mariners during the sixth inning of ALDS Game 5 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
As we close in on the opening of spring camp with pitchers and catchers due to report on Wednesday, pitching has rightly been the focus in recent weeks. Framber Valdez and Tarik Skubal have kept that group firmly in the spotlight. The position players won’t have to report for a few extra days on February 15, but the attention is going to start turning their way quickly with the pitching staff now in a very good place. There are a few names to key on, but certainly one of them is going to be Kerry Carpenter.
After a down year in which Carpenter’s plate discipline cracked over the course of the season, and now just two years from free agency, the popular slugger could really use a bit of a bounceback season in which he stays healthy for a full year. His team’s ambition to make a deep run in October looks a lot more realistic if he can manage it.
2025 was still a pretty good year at the plate by most players’ standards. Carpenter hit .253 with 26 home runs over 464 plate appearances. He got roughly three-quarters of a season’s worth of at-bats despite a hamstring injury that he tried to play through in June before finally hitting the injured list for much of July. Going a full year without his hamstrings or his back tightening up on him would certainly help his chances of a big season, but he’s never managed a full season without an issue cropping up.
On the downside, Carpenter’s walk rate cratered to just 3.9 percent, producing a pretty miserable .291 on-base percentage that really held down his overall production despite the power. A 115 wRC+ is still well above average, but it was also the worst mark of his pro career. No one expects Carpenter to be an on-base machine, but he’s got to work that back to the .310-.320 OBP range.
His chase rates, which hit career lows in 2024 and looked to have him on track to become a more selective, more dangerous hitter in his late 20’s, spiked 3.5 percent to 34.8 percent, significantly worse than league average. He did make more contact overall, trimming his swinging strike rate a bit, but he also took more called strikes than usual. For a player trying to earn more playing time against left-handed hitters by showing a more mature approach, taking more strikes and swinging at more pitches you can’t drive is decidedly not the path. Carpenter is no longer a young player who might breakout. Instead he just needs to maximize the tools he already has to work with.
Looking through his numbers, there is no smoking gun that really gives cause for concern other than the overall chase rate. His bat speed still looks unchanged, and he was extremely good againt fastballs in 2025 as usual. He posted a strong .385 wOBA against all fastballs in 2025, and a .376 wOBA against fastballs above 94 mph. That is very positive, illustrating that there’s no underlying weakness in his physical ability at the plate. He whiffed a little more against breaking balls in 2025, but he also did more damage against them, which also suggests that a slight down year might just be random variation and possibly the result of playing with a sore hamstring for much of June. He was somewhat streaky in 2025, but his 112 wRC+ in the first half, and his 118 wRC+ in the second half, say he was still reasonably productive throughout the year.
So, plate discipline is one minor area of concern. The other is that fairly lengthy injury history. Going back to 2023, Carpenter dealt with a strained hamstring coming out of camp. He then injured his shoulder in late April and missed six weeks of time on the injured list. In 2024 he missed time from late May to mid-August with a lumbar stress fracture, and then aggravated his left hamstring in the ALDS. Then we had a right hamstring strain in 2025 that plagued him for weeks in late May and throughout June before he finally went on the injured list in July.
On the plus side, Carpenter still has average speed and there’s no sign of him losing a step defensively despite playing through the hamstring issue. He was a negative 3 Outs Above Average in 2025, which is not ideal, but basically par for the course for Carpenter. He was 23rd out of 36 qualifed right fielders, so very far from the bottom of the list. The injuries don’t seem to be cutting into his overall athletic ability. They just keep limiting his total production by putting him on the injured list for a stint every season.
Carpenter is still a valuable, dangerous hitter. He’s still a force in the lineup against right-handed pitching, and his somewhat maligned defense is still just a little below average rather than a problem. For an unheralded ninth round pick back in 2019, he’s already far exceeded expectations. Right-handed pitchers do not want to see Kerry Carpenter up in a big spot late in a game. That much is certain. It’s just getting hard to envision Carpenter getting any better than we’ve already seen from him, or just putting together one big season where everything goes right. He’s tracking more like a player who is at his peak and may start declining over the next year or two. It would be nice to see the trendline flip back the other way.
Season
PA
wRC+
K%
BB%
HR
ISO
fWAR
2023
459
121
25.1
7.0
20
0.194
1.9
2024
295
158
25.3
7.4
18
0.303
2.4
2025
464
115
22.8
3.9
26
0.245
1.5
Projection systems like ZIPS do forecast more walks and a return to a more respectable on-base percentage this season. ZIPS projects a .262/.318/.491 slashline with 24 home runs in 464 plate appearances in 2026. That would do nicely, and is well within Carpenter’s abilities. Combine that with a bit below average defense in right field, and you still have a very good strong side platoon player.
A sticking point for some fans remains Carpenter getting pinch-hit for against left-handers. He holds a miserable 69 wRC+ against lefties in his career, though he’s only had 197 plate appearances against southpaws in his career. His numbers weren’t any better against them in 2025, so you can expect it to continue. A.J. Hinch can’t miss opportunities to put a lefty masher like Jahmai Jones into a prime spot.
This is always the difficulty with having platoons rather than stars who can do it all at several positions. Hinch makes it work and there weren’t many instances during the season in which Carpenter started, was pinch-hit for late in a game, and ultimately missed out on a plate appearance later. Plus, sitting him against left-handed starters means that Hinch can pick a high leverage spot in which to bring Carpenter off the bench, putting opposing managers in a difficult position.
Ultimately, Kerry Carpenter should bounce back a little and otherwise continue to do Kerry Carpenter things. It would just be great to see him get through a full season of good health and really see him max out his production for a season. With two years left to free agency and due to turn 29 in September, it would be very good for him as well. As a fan favorite, and an integral part of the lineup, we’d love to see a huge season from Carpenter, but all he really needs to do is recover a bit of selectivity at the plate this season. If he can manage that, the Tigers will be plenty happy with his production as usual.
PEORIA, ARIZONA - MARCH 14: Nick Kurtz #28 of the Athletics in the field during the fourth inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the San Diego Padres at Peoria Stadium on March 14, 2025 in Peoria, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Morning all!
The Super Bowl has come and gone and with that comes the smell of fresh grass and Spring Training! Things are still happening on the free agent and trade markets but soon pitchers and catchers will be reporting and closely followed will be the start of exhibition games. It’s time to play ball!
What do the A’s have in store for us this year? Shortstop Jacob Wilson and first baseman Nick Kurtz are set to be the young cornerstones of the Athletics’ lineup along with veterans Shea Langeliers and DH Brent Rooker, so we have the heart of a playoff-worthy lineup already set. There remain questions regarding a couple positions (mainly third base) but the A’s won’t miss the playoffs because of their hitters.
Where the club will live and die will be on the pitchers. The team has found an interesting arm in Jacob Lopez but he’s just one man and had an injury to end his first full season. The A’s will need more from the guys in-house if we’re going to succeed. Veteran starter Luis Severino looked good at times but also not good at home and he’s not the front-line starter that we need. Lefty Jeffrey Springs was solid throughout the year but like Sevy doesn’t have the front-line upside the A’s need right now. Maybe that player will be Luis Morales but that’s asking a lot of a pitcher who has just 48 innings in the big leagues. But the pitching needs to get better all around, from the starting group to the relief corps. If the A’s sign a veteran starter to hand the ball to every fifth day that helps stabilize things a bit, but does it move the needle in our direction? We need to see improvements from guys like JT Ginn, Mason Barnett, Gunnar Hoglund, and hopefully even Luis Medina, who was once considered the future but lost his 2025 season to Tommy John surgery. Can one of the young guys step up to that challenge? We’ll be finding out soon enough. Who else is ready for baseball?!
ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 9: Rhys Hoskins #12 of the Milwaukee Brewers walks back to the dugout after breaking his bat and fouling out during the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on September 9, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Pitchers and catchers report to camp tomorrow, and the Washington Nationals roster still feels painfully incomplete. Even for a team that does not have serious playoff aspirations, there are still holes that need to be filled. The team lacks veteran leaders and proven commodities. Hopefully new President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni can do something to fix that as the offseason winds down.
For his part, Toboni has acknowledged that the team needs more additions. In interviews from the past couple of weeks, Toboni said that the team is not set heading to West Palm Beach and that the team is actively looking for pitching help. However, no deals have materialized since then, besides waiver wire action.
From two weeks ago, a compilation from 2 interviews that Paul Toboni gave:
"By no means do we feel we're set going into West Palm."
"We're actively looking in that [pitching] market, and I think there's a chance we can sign a player here in the next week or two. But we will… pic.twitter.com/OAE86MOtge
Hopefully Toboni sticks to his word because he is right that the team is not complete. In fact, they are far from it. The Nats have as many holes as Swiss Cheese right now. There are question marks at first base, DH, the rotation and in the bullpen. You can have internal competitions at some of those spots, but it would be unsettling to do it at all of those positions.
The Nats are not going to be a good team this year, but fans still want to see a respectable product on the field. Right now, it does not seem like there is a serious effort to do that. The only free agent signing Paul Toboni has made is the $5.5 million addition of Foster Griffin, who has spent the last three years in Japan.
The Nats have not signed a player to a big league contract that actually played in the big leagues last year. Even in a rebuilding year, that is unacceptable. It is something Toboni needs to fix, for the sake of the fans if nothing else.
Most of the high profile free agents are off the board, but that is okay because the Nats were never fishing in that pool. However, there are still some solid free agents available that could be in the Nats price range. Some names to watch could be Rhys Hoskins and former Nats draft pick Lucas Giolito.
Now only eight of the @TheAthleticMLB's top 50 free agents remain unsigned, including none of the top 20.
21. Zac Gallen 30. Lucas Giolito 31. Chris Bassitt 37. Zack Littell 38. Marcell Ozuna 41. Max Scherzer 43. Rhys Hoskins 50. Michael Kopechhttps://t.co/a6wfQyi7RK
The Nats need reliability at first base and in the rotation. Giolito and Hoskins are veteran presences who can provide that. While the underlying numbers suggest Giolito’s 3.41 ERA from last year is not sustainable, he should still be able to provide league average production which the Nats desperately need in their rotation.
Other starters they could turn to for that include Nick Martinez, Chris Bassitt and Zack Littell. Zac Gallen is also on the market, but Toboni is likely to stay away from him due to his price tag and the qualifying offer attached to him. Toboni does not seem like he is in the business of giving away draft picks.
Another area that could use a boost is the bullpen. The Nats had the worst bullpen in all of baseball last year and it got worse on paper over the offseason. Toboni traded away Jose A. Ferrer, the Nats most promising reliever. It was a deal I liked, but it still weakens the bullpen. The Nats are projected to have the worst bullpen in baseball again in 2026.
Fangraphs RP DC Rankings (Bottom 5) 26th: Athletics (1.3 fWAR) 27th: DBacks (1.2 fWAR) 28th: Rockies (1.1 fWAR) 29th: Giants (1.1 fWAR) 30th: Nats (0.4 fWAR)😬😬😬 Bullpens shouldn’t be the main focus of a rebuilding team, but they cannot go into 2026 without any new additions https://t.co/9TP84FDuFK
The free agent options are slim, but there are still some names available. Michael Kopech could be an interesting flier to take. He has injury issues, but also possesses huge upside. If the Nats wanted a safer option, veteran lefties Danny Coulombe or Jalen Beeks could be options.
I am not expecting any massive additions, but are a couple stabilizing additions too much to ask for? With this pitching staff, the Nats are really running the risk of bottoming out and losing 100+ games. Even in a rebuild, that is not something you want to do, especially with a draft lottery in place.
A few veterans would help the young guys develop and keep the fans engaged. Speaking of the fans, how about an addition of Max Scherzer? I know that would fire me up and he would be such a great leader for this young team. Both the Nats and Scherzer have reasons to not be interested in each other, but it would be a ton of fun.
Pitchers and catchers report tomorrow and the Nats roster just feels so unfinished. Can you really roll out there with this rotation, Abimelec Ortiz or Matt Mervis at first base, and this no name bullpen? It just feels like you would be asking for trouble. I guess we are going to find out based on what Paul Toboni does in the coming days and weeks.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 17: Caleb Durbin #21 of the Milwaukee Brewers walks back to the dugout after striking out during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game four of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In a move that seemingly came out of nowhere, the Milwaukee Brewers have traded third baseman Caleb Durbin, utility infielders Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler, and their competitive balance B pick to the Boston Red Sox. In return, Milwaukee has acquired left-handed starter Kyle Harrison, infielder David Hamilton, and minor league left-hander Shane Drohan.
Trade news: The Boston Red Sox are acquiring third baseman Caleb Durbin in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, sources tell ESPN. Left-hander Kyle Harrison is headlining the three-player package headed back to Milwaukee.
Harrison, 24, was ranked as a top 25 prospect in the league prior to the 2024 season by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline. He made his major league debut with the Giants in 2023 but was the centerpiece of San Francisco’s deal for Rafael Devers in June of last year. In 42 career appearances (37 starts, 194 2/3 innings) Harrison has a 4.39 ERA, 4.43 FIP, and 2.85 K:BB ratio. In the minors, though, Harrison has a 3.39 ERA in over 350 innings and has struck out 13.7 batters per nine, a massive number for a starter.
Hamilton, 28, is a speedy, versatile defender who doesn’t hit much. A former draft pick by the Brewers, he was sent to the Red Sox in the Hunter Renfroe trade a few years back. He was a very good player in 2024, when at 26 years old he hit .248/.303/.395 (96 OPS+) in 98 games and played good defense split between second base and shortstop. He earned 2.6 bWAR that season, but was unable to replicate that success in 2025, when he hit just .198/.257/.333 in 194 plate appearances across 91 games.
Drohan has yet to make his major league debut. He turned 27 last month and was a 2020 fifth-round pick by Boston. Drohan missed much of the 2025 season with “forearm inflammation,” but when he was healthy, he was excellent: in 47 2/3 innings at Triple-A Worcester, he had a 2.27 ERA, 12.7 K/9, and 3.0 BB/9.
Durbin was the Brewers’ starting third baseman in 2025, a role that now seems up for grabs. He was a big part of the Brewers’ 97-win team last year and earned 2.8 WAR in a promising rookie season. He doesn’t turn 26 until later this month and won’t be a free agent until he’s past his prime, and it seemed like Durbin would be a big part of the Brewers’ future. While there are some reasons to be skeptical of his offensive game given his Statcast numbers, the move is quite a surprise.
Monasterio has been the team’s primary utility infielder for the past three seasons and has been solid, likable, and reliable in that role. Seigler had a disappointing first season in the majors, but there were reasons for optimism in some of his underlying numbers and he was another versatile player.
Hamilton can certainly replace Monasterio in the utility infield role, but we now have a real question on our hands: who is the Brewers’ starting third baseman on opening day?
Brewers' current (non-1B) infield depth:
-Joey Ortiz -Brice Turang -Jett Williams (never played third)
ZAPOPAN, MEXICO - FEBRUARY 7: Players of Mexico (Red) celebrate winning the 2026 Caribbean Series Final game between Mexico (Green) and Mexico (Red) at Estadio Charros on February 7, 2026 in Zapopan, Mexico. (Photo by Luis Gutierrez/ Norte Photo/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Super Bowl Sunday brings closure to the football season and is the unofficial start to the baseball season. Fans across the country put away their pigskins and pickup their mitts knowing the crack of the bat is just days away. For teams competing in the Caribbean Series, the sweet sounds have baseball have been heard for weeks and while Super Bowl LX took the top headlines two teams from Mexico battled it out in the championship to determine who would take the Caribbean Series title this weekend. Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball provides the news you need to know from the series, including which Padres or former Padres were competing for the crown.
Houston Astros infielder Isaac Paredes is drawing interest from teams looking to trade for his services, with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Red Sox being the most interested at this point.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 24: Marcell Ozuna #20 of the Atlanta Braves reacts as he rounds first base after hitting a solo homer in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Truist Park on September 24, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB Rumors: Marcell Ozuna and the Pittsburgh Pirates have agreed to terms on a one year, $12 million deal, per reports.
Ozuna, 35, began his career with the Miami Marlins before being shipped out after a career year in 2017 for a package that included pitching prospects Zac Gallen and Sandy Alcantera. After a couple of middling seasons with the Cardinals, he signed a one year deal with the Atlanta Braves, for whom he mashed in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. After exploring the market for a while, he ended up agreeing in early February of 2021 to return to Atlanta on a five year deal.
Ozuna had a couple of bad seasons for Atlanta to start of that contract, a couple of really good seasons in 2023 and 2024, and then a decent 2025 campaign, in which he slashed .232/.355/.400. He has only played DH the last two seasons, and played DH in all but two games in 2023, so while he could theoretically put on a glove and stand in left field at some point in 2026, he’s a full-time DH at this point.
The Pirates had been rumored to be pursuing free agent pitcher Framber Valdez, who ended up agreeing to a three year deal with Detroit late last week. The Pirates were also supposedly talking to the Astros and Cardinals about a potential three-way deal that would have sent Brendon Donovan to the Astros and Isaac Paredes to Pittsburgh, with the same piece saying that the Pirates pursued Eugenio Suarez before he joined the Reds.
A couple of weeks ago, I ran down some potential options to fill the Rangers’ one big remaining hole — a righthanded bench bat to platoon with Joc Pederson at DH. About Ozuna I wrote that he “is also going to be more expensive than someone similar, such as [Miguel] Andujar, and probably doesn’t want to accept a part-time role right now.”
Not that I was really going out there on a limb with that comment, but both of those things ended up being true. Miguel Andujar, another popular righthanded bench option for the Rangers, agreed to terms on a $4 million deal with San Diego late last week, so Ozuna is getting three times as much as Andujar and would appear to be slated to be the Pirates’ everyday DH.
Paul Goldschmidt, who I also mentioned as a possibility (albeit not a strong one), is returning to the Yankees, also on a $4 million deal, so we can similarly scratch him from the list of guys who, in theory, could be pursued.
The Ozuna deal would seem to put an end to any possibility of Andrew McCutchen returning to the Pirates, for whom he has played each of the past three years. If the Rangers are looking for a cheap righthanded bat with veteranocity, McCutchen would seem to be a candidate.
Nov 4, 2025; Baltimore, MD, USA; Right: Baltimore Orioles President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias introduces Left: Craig Albernaz as the new Baltimore Orioles manager at Warehouse Bar. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
Spring training begins, in part, right now. Pitchers and catchers that will be taking part in the World Baseball Classic have to report to Sarasota today. But odds are that many more Orioles than that will arrive at Ed Smith Stadium early this week to begin work towards a bounce-back campaign.
There is plenty of intrigue around the Orioles as spring arrives. The roster has a lot to prove after last season. The front office was quite busy, although holes remain throughout the pitching staff. And they are competing, yet again, in what looks like baseball’s toughest division.
But we can’t talk about EVERYTHING in a single blog post. So instead let’s focus on a trio of storylines that are worth watching as the O’s open up camp for 2026.
1. The new arrivals
The signing of Pete Alonso, whether you love the actual contract or not, is a big deal for the Orioles. For the first time under Mike Elias, the Orioles went out and did what it took to get a marquee free agent to Baltimore. And this didn’t seem to be a Chris Davis-type of situation where the Orioles were bidding against themselves. The Red Sox were in the hunt as well, and Kyle Schwarber had just signed the previous day for similar money in Philadelphia. It was simply the cost of getting one of the game’s best power hitters.
There was less fanfare about the new manager, Craig Albernaz. But baseball people lauded the move. He was well-regarded within the Guardians organizations—one of the clubs that Elias has often given high praise—and has experience throughout the league. While some preferred an experienced skipper to get this unproven squad over the hump, the Orioles opted for a long-term play. It could be the most crucial hire of Elias’ career.
Alonso said during his introductory press conference that Albernaz, and the way he presented his vision for the team, was a key factor in the slugger’s decision to sign with the Orioles. Then in January, speaking at a Birdland Caravan event, he claimed that his intention was to create a refreshed culture around the team. He dubbed it the “New Oriole Way.”
That certainly piqued the interest of many in town. The “Oriole Way” is what brought the team into its Golden Era in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. Apart from occasional returns to relevance since then, the organization has struggled to stay in contention. If Alonso can actually lead the club back to being a perennial juggernaut like it once was, his salary will be a pittance compared to the appreciation of the entire fan base.
The way in which Alonso, Albernaz, and any of the other new faces impact the Orioles, starts this week in Sarasota. We won’t be able to learn too much, but it will be exciting to feel like a new era is beginning, and with seemingly enough talent around those prominent voices to get the club right back into the postseason.
2. Potential injuries
For the last few years, Mike Elias has had to drop some unfortunate news on Orioles fans at some point in the spring. Two seasons ago, he kicked the year off with a reveal of elbow injuries for both Kyle Bradish and John Means. Last year, he announced that Grayson Rodriguez would need to be sidelined for an undetermined amount of time due to shoulder issues. Neither of those situations ended up well!
Nothing that severe has been reported just yet, but that was also the case in prior years. And if you want to be conspiratorial about it, some of the Orioles actions indicate that something could be afoot.
There’s the signing of Zach Eflin to give the team, seemingly, five solid major league caliber starting arms on the roster. But it was immediately followed up with reports that they were still seeking another pitcher. They were connected to Framber Valdez and Ranger Suárez before they signed elsewhere, and there continue to be rumors of conversations with a handful of other free agent arms.
Why? Depth is important, but you can only use so many pitchers at a time. Would that be the best use of financial resources? The Orioles have not actually made another move on that front, so perhaps they don’t actually want another pitcher as bad as they have claimed, but it certainly feels like they don’t believe they will have all five current starters ready to go on Opening Day. That could be as simple as giving Eflin, who had back surgery last year, extra time to get ready, or it could be something else.
The Blaze Alexander trade also has a waft of concern. Elias gave up a decent haul, including a useful and cheap bullpen piece in Kade Strowd, for a player that looks like a utility type on paper. But the cost seems far more affordable if the team has an immediate need on the infield. Alexander is not a real shortstop solution, but he is capable at second and third, so it could make sense to keep an eye on Jordan Westburg’s and Jackson Holliday’s time on the training table early in spring.
3. Bullpen competition
Losing Strowd in the Alexander trade weakens a bullpen group that was already pretty thin. Outside of new closer Ryan Helsley and returning veteran Andrew Kittredge, the group is a bunch of question marks, and even Helsley is something of an unknown after his finish to the year with the Mets.
That isn’t totally unique in baseball. Relievers are volatile, and most teams are just hoping they can cobble together enough competent arms at some point in the summer, not necessarily on Opening Day. But this Orioles’ group does feel particularly unproven.
Colin Selby, Dietrich Enns, and Rico Garcia are all penciled into the Opening Day staff, and none of them have more than two years of MLB experience. They also lack options, with makes the group both unproven and inflexible. Not a great combination. Down in Triple-A is another batch of green arms too, including Chayce McDermott, Grant Wolfram, Yaramil Hiraldo, and others. There’s upside, but also the potential for disaster.
Odds are that the Orioles will add another veteran to the mix at some point before Opening Day. Those guys aren’t too hard to find, especially as teams make cuts in March. But it is risky to wait so long and to rely on the scraps of your competitors to get reinforcements. If that doesn’t work, you may be holding on until July when the trade market gets going and higher quality arms are available again.
You can win enough in the regular season with a flimsy bullpen. But it puts more pressure on an offense that has struggled for a year-and-a-half at this point, plus a starting staff that still feels unfinished. At this point, a major bullpen addition is unlikely. So the Orioles will have to hope that their eye for talent and their ability to develop pitchers at the big league level can be relief upon.
Apr 18, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) and catcher J.T. Realmuto (10) take the field for action against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Talking trades is one of everyone’s favorite pastimes. Making a theoretical deal for another player is just fun, something that shows depth of knowledge of both the opposition’s team and one’s own.
Then comes the word “untouchable.”
Everyone thinks there is at least someone on the Phillies that would be untouchable. Most of that time, that term refers to a prospect or group of them, but there could be major leaguers as well that should never leave the team any time soon. The question for today follows along those lines: which player(s) in the team’s organization, major or minor league, would be considered untouchable in trade talks?
By nature and contract size, we know that several of the members of the team aren’t getting moved either because of what they are due to make compensation wise or because of how important they are to the whole operation. It’s still fun to think about.
Fans watch from the stands as the Arizona Diamondbacks play against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium on Sunday, March 2, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Good morning. It’s “it’s baseball season!” season.
It is the beginning of the Skip Schumaker era that highlights the upcoming season for the Texas Rangers, so says MLB dot com folks.
Assuming he’s not manning third base in Arlington by like June, R.J. Anderson writes that Sebastian Walcott is among the best bets to be the best prospect in baseball come 2027.
And, former longtime Rangers beat writer T.R. Sullivan has a retrospective on the infamous Harold Baines/Sammy Sosa trade via MLB Trade Rumors.
Should Mickey Lolich, and many others like him, be in or out of baseball’s Hall? | (Photo by SPX/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
Yeah, so the timing is weird (no Hall vote for another 10 months, and no induction ceremony for five), but sometimes inspiration overrides practicality. A brief discussion among staff regarding the size of the Hall of Fame — in fact emanating from a comment about it being laughable that Bulls coach Billy Donovan is in the Basketball Hall of Fame — led to this point-counterpoint from Brian O’Neill and David James. It’s not our “Discussion” topic today, but feel free to weigh in on whether you are big-Hall or small-Hall, down in the comments.
A Big Hall, for a Weird Sport in a Dumb and Beautiful World
by Brian O’Neil
A co-worker, one who delightfully brings in the newspaper every day, came up to last week and, obit page open, said, “This guy who just died pitched three complete games in the 1968 World Series.” Before he even finished, my synapses fired and I said, confidently, “Yeah, Denny McClain.”
No! Shit! It was Mickey Lolich, I realized before the words were even out of my mouth. McClain is the other Tigers pitcher from 1968, the guy who somehow won 30 games that year. The same year Bob Gibson had a 1.12 ERA, the lowest in the live-ball era. The same Gibson who Lolich outdueled in that unmatched Fall Classic in that most terrible of American years. But of course, only Gibson is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
If you’re reading this, you might say, “Of course, that makes sense. Gibson is one of the greatest pitchers of all-time, the other two are journeymen who had a bafflingly great year, or just a legendary series. Gibson is immortal; Lolich left baseball and ran a donut shop.”
But that gets to the heart of the “Big Hall” argument, where it’s OK that players who aren’t obvious Olympians make the Hall of Fame. There are many who understandably think that degrades the Hall, cheapens the accomplishments of the best of the best, and perhaps that it makes it seem like being great is somehow easy. Or at least achievable, even for a guy like Harold Baines.
That’s understandable. But it also misunderstands what the Hall is, and maybe is even slightly off-kilter with the madness of baseball (I say this knowing full well that David James, below, understands the game at a level I do not and never will).
Let’s start with the Hall of Fame. We tend to use that phrase as synecdoche for an incredible career. “Is X a Hall-of-Famer?” is, when we ask it, about greatness. It’s tangible and stat-based, but not concrete. We ask if this player is mythical. The actual Hall, however, isn’t mythical. It is essentially a private club where a small clique of self-selected misanthropes bring their biases and blind spots to decide something that pretends to be a public good. The veteran and old-timer committees expand that, but it also falls more often than not into cliquish or piqued cronyism.
It isn’t pure. It isn’t an objective signifier of greatness, as you know when thinking about your favorite player who isn’t in the Hall. And there is no real way to make it so. Expanding voting to, say, the public would be just as dumb, as you’d have idiots like me thinking, “Hell yeah, Ron Karkovice should be a Hall-of-Famer, I loved that guy!” And going the other direction — a set of numbers that someone has to achieve, be it dingers or wins or WAR or or whatever — is a bit of autonomic drudgery.
And baseball, which gives us the great gift of numbers, so many wonderful numbers, is still anything but drudgery. It’s weird and unpredictable and maddeningly difficult and anyone who excels at it is doing something that is nearly impossible.
Let’s look at Lolich again.
He was a very good pitcher. Career WAR of 47, comps to Jim Bunning and Billy Pierce and Vida Blue, with peaks in the Bert Blyleven zone. Longevity and still that begat 2,800 strikeouts. By most accounts, not a Hall-of-Famer. Good career, cool story, but not immortal.
Says who, though? Some mustard-stained sportswriter? Deciding one man’s legacy?
But think of a slightly bigger Hall. Think about a Hall that recognizes where good verges into great, where a guy who had a solid career doing something nearly impossible, who in one improbable fall where the country was falling apart gave people a positive reason to disbelieve reality, in the same way that Shohei Ohtani did for us last year.
That’s not nothing. Feeling the improbable is why we love sports even if we know it makes no sense in a world run by depraved maniacs. If there was a bigger Hall, there’d be more to celebrate. There’d be more people to marvel at, even if you marvel at them less than god’s chosen destroyer, Bob Gibson.
Having Lolich as a Hall-of-Famer wouldn’t take anything away from Gibson. It would show him to be a great among greats. Remind us that most people can barely throw a baseball and Lolich could do it better than 99% of anyone else and that 1% is Bob Gibson, and isn’t that cool? Isn’t that beautiful? Isn’t that baseball?
Raising Hall standards doesn’t mean raising the standard for greatness: The 1968 World Series hero should be memorialized by the Tigers, not the Hall
by David James
I think of the Big Hall-Small Hall debate as a spectrum. One end says “Great Career” and the other says “Great Stretch.” At the Career end are the Babe Ruths, Tom Seavers and Jackie Robinsons who put up MVP-caliber numbers for 10-plus years. The other extreme is for the flash-in-the-pan types like Yermín Mercedes or Joe Hall (ifyky.) In the middle of that spectrum is everyone else.
Having an opinion on the Baseball Hall of Fame means drawing your line, your personal threshold along that spectrum where you believe longevity and greatness combine to create a Hall-of-Famer. I have commissioned the artist rendition below for $750:
I’ll be the first to admit that the Hall has contradictions. Freddie Lindstrom is in the Hall of Fame with a career 28.5 bWAR and one really good lobbyist in former Hall of Fame Veteran’s Committee member Frankie Frisch. Mickey Lolich, by any measure, is better than Freddie Lindstrom. There’s an injustice somewhere.
But adding Lolich doesn’t rectify it. The real answer is to retract Lindstrom, alongside a handful of other clear nepotism cases from over the years.
I don’t want to throw mud, though. I want to celebrate Lolich, who passed away on February 4. Mainly, I want to celebrate his 1968 World Series because this is fucking insane: Lolich went 3-0, throwing three complete games and a Series ERA of 1.67. Here they are, in all their splendor:
Game 2: After Bob Gibson outdueled 31-game winner Denny McLain in Game 1, Lolich dog-walked the Cardinals lineup for nine dominant innings. Final line: CG, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO. He also hit a home run, just ’cuz.
Game 5: The Cards won Games 3 and 4, putting them ahead, 3-1, in the series. Lolich gave up three runs in the top of the first because he was searching for ways to challenge himself. His interest now sufficiently piqued, Lolich locked down the Cardinals lineup the rest of the way. Just want to stress, by the way, that these Cardinals boasted Lou Brock, Orlando Cepeda, Roger Maris and Curt Flood. Final line: CG, 9 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO. He also went 1-for-4 and scored a run! (Lolich was a career .110 hitter, FYI. Like Gucci Mane after him, Lolich was shining for no apparent reason.)
Game 7: The Tigers matched up Lolich against Gibson for the winner-take-all game. We’re in the year 1968, mind you. When I say “Bob Gibson was pitching,” that means Bob Gibson was pitching. That’s 1.12 ERA Bob Gibson, the guy who strained so hard while he threw, he pissed blood after his starts as a matter of routine. That Bob Gibson.
Gibson and Lolich gave up four combined baserunners in the first five innings. Gibson blinked in the seventh, giving up three runs. Lolich never stumbled until the 27th out, when he gave up a solo home run to Mike Shannon. He got the final out via Tim McCarver, who then became a broadcaster and sought his revenge on baseball.
I’m going to give Lolich credit for a gentlemen’s shutout because this is my half of the article. Here’s the “official” line: CG, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO, and a Game 7 victory over Bob Gibson!
—
Here’s one thing about the Baseball Hall of Fame we never discuss: It’s a pain in the ass to get to. The closest city you can fly into is Albany, 90 minutes west of Cooperstown via I-88. If I’m going to go through the effort I want to learn about the undisputed greats: Hank Aaron, Ted Williams, Josh Gibson. Mickey Lolich is 148th in bWAR all-time among starting pitchers; he shouldn’t make the cut on anyone’s first visit.
I want to end by stressing this, however: When I say somebody doesn’t meet my threshold for the Hall of Fame, I don’t do it with my nose in the air. In fact, do you know who should celebrate Lolich? The Detroit Tigers! He’s the franchise leader in both strikeouts (306 ahead of Verlander) and shutouts (39, five more than deadball-era great George Mullen.)
I had assumed Lolich was enshrined in the Comerica Park Walk of Fame, but he’s not! And that is the real miscarriage. Lolich’s greatness may not transcend the Tigers, but he is a pillar of the team’s history, just as much as fellow ’68 Tigers Al Kaline, Norm Cash and baseball’s final 30-game winner, Denny McClain.
If Mark Buehrle never makes the Hall of Fame, in contrast, he’ll always have a statue in center field of Sox Park. He’ll have dozens of fans every game day posing with his statue, celebrating the impact he had on generations of Sox fans. And he didn’t even get screwed around, like the Hall infamously did with the posthumous honors for Dick Allen and Ron Santo. In fact, Buerhle got to pose for the damn statue himself! Buehrle doesn’t need the Hall of Fame to validate any of that.
And while a Sox fan may understandably never fly to Albany, or a Tigers fan may never drive I-80 east of Niagara, they’re both far more likely to make the journey to catch their favorite team play a ball game at home, where their core baseball memories are made.
There is a lot to like about the Red Sox this season. A full year of Roman Anthony. What could be the best starting rotation in baseball. And swag as you scan your ticket.
Boston hasn’t always had the strongest lineup of giveaways, and “first 7500 fans” is rather stingy for an organization that nearly sells out most games, but there are still some highlights.
Some of the “giveaways” are just days that kids can run the bases which is something and very cool if you are a kid (I don’t think they even did this when I was a kid?) But that’s not really a giveaway in the same sense. Those games are Sunday May 3rd against the Astros (this is also Star Wars Night which is a special ticket event, so if your kids are Star Wars fans this may be the game for you), May 24 against the Twins, July 1 against the Nationals, July 26th against the Blue Jays, and August 23rd against the Giants.
Outside of those dates, here are the highlights.
Roman Anthony Rookie Card Bobblehead
April 6 vs the Brewers: The Roman Empire himself leads off the giveaways. Coming off a tremendous rookie year he’s looking to to take it to the next level. And you can join in that effort with this bobblehead. It looks like a diorama with the “bobblehead”figure integrated into the “card” in three dimensions. If you’re thinking “April is too cold for me” well the average high has been 53.5 and the low 38.1. But it’s also hit both 82 (1928) and 21 (1943). So weigh the odds but get there early (this advice applies for all the giveaways).
April 20 vs the Tigers: It’s Patriots’ Day and if you like morning baseball you can be part of the 1/4 in attendance to receive this jacket. You’ll get to see the Red Sox in their home Boston jerseys. And the normal crossover with the Marathon.
May 7 vs the Rays: There are five jerseys and five bobbleheads so it’s probably luck of the draw and maybe you need to find someone to trade with if you don’t get the color of your dreams. Red, City Connect yellow, home white, City Connect Fenway green, and the road grays will all be available.
Don’t those first two just pop? Also, imagine a five-man rotation of all Garrett Crochets? Fire up the duck boats!
May 22 vs the Twins: Clemens struck out 20 batters two times so there are two poses of #21 on the bobble base. We all remember when the Rocket pitched from his little seat on the mound.
June 12 vs Rangers: Get ready for the World Cup with this giveaway. A Fenway green City Connect scarf with all the details of the Green Monster is waiting for you to wear in Foxboro against, well, whatever team you want to cheer for.
I almost wonder why Fenway Sports Group didn’t try to fit a World Cup game at Fenway Park? Probably limited capacity, timing, etc. But still…would anyone have been surprised if they tried?
July 1 vs Nationals: The soccer crossover continues with a team USA soccer jersey emblazoned with the Red Sox B. It’s covered in stars and is a pullover reminiscent of the 1975 jersey style.
July 19 vs Rays: Ok, son this isn’t a giveaway as much as an experience, like kids running the bases. But it’s available to everyone and there is only one. I went a couple years ago and you really can’t appreciate how tall Chris Martin is until he bends way down for a picture and still looks really tall.
September 7 vs Angels: this is the American football jersey. At least I think it is. The design feels like it could have used a bit more something. A number? Maybe a number.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - May 28: Mookie Wilson #1 amongst the players introduced to the crowd during the anniversary celebration of the 1986 World Championship team before the Los Angeles Dodgers Vs New York Mets regular season MLB game at Citi Field on May 28, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
Meet the Mets
The Super Bowl is over, the chips and wings have been consumed, the Seahawks have been crowned champions, and, more important than anything else, baseball is up next! Pitchers and Catchers report to spring training this Wednesday.
Mike Lupica wrote about Bo Bichette’s move to third base, the same move made by Alex Rodriguez with equally high stakes.
Christian Scott feels great and is excited to be back.
Griffin Canning, who pitched admirably for the Mets in 2025 but saw his season end prematurely due to a ruptured left Achilles, threw for teams at UCLA last Friday.
Around the National League East
Ronald Acuña Jr. was among the VIPs present at Bad Bunny’s stellar Super Bowl halftime show, joining the likes of Pedro Pascal, Ricky Martin, Lady Gaga, Cardi B, and Karol G.
Despite the recent lull, the Orioles have had a busy offseason. The Birds made national headlines by inking Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155 million dollar deal. They acquired Taylor Ward fresh off of a 36-homer season and brought in Ryan Helsley to occupy the closer spot with Félix Bautista sidelined. Baltimore traded for Shane Baz, resigned Zach Eflin, and brought in Blaze Alexander to provide some infield depth.
There are plenty of things to like about these moves, but there’s cause for concern too. The front office threw in the towel on the talented but oft-injured Grayson Rodriguez. What if Rodriguez remains healthy, and the Orioles miss out on several years of ace-level performance?
Speaking of aces, the Orioles failed to bring in a guy like Framber Valdez or Dylan Cease. The bullpen appears to be lacking on well-established relievers, and Leody Taveras looks like the only backup option for an injury-prone Colton Cowser.
It’s tempting to focus on the rotation after Valdez recently signed with Detroit. Rodriguez shining in LA would definitely sting too. Which Orioles offseason decision makes YOU nervous? Let us know in the comments below.
