Oct 16, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jacob Misiorowski (32) reacts in the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game three of the NLCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
We’re back with another daily question, and today’s may be one of the more polarizing topics: would you rather watch a pitchers’ duel or a slugfest?
Pitchers’ duels are entertaining in that you’re watching to see who will break first. Slugfests are entertaining in that you’re watching to see who gets the last laugh at the plate.
In my opinion, a slugfest is more entertaining, but that isn’t to say I’d rather watch a slugfest. Slugfests are fun because odds are, you’re going to see a lot of homers and a lot of runs, which, as we’ve come to learn over the last couple of decades, MLB loves.
But I think I’d rather watch a pitchers’ duel.
Maybe I’m biased because of the long string of great pitchers we’ve seen come through Milwaukee, but I think there’s just something about two star pitchers going head-to-head and waiting for somebody to crack. Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta have all had their share of ace-esque performances in recent years, and it isn’t uncommon to see the pitcher on the other side do the same.
Just think about the Paul Skenes-Jacob Misiorowski matchup from last summer, a game that turned into a Wednesday afternoon sellout at American Family Field and lived up to the hype — Miz went five shutout frames with eight strikeouts while Skenes scuffled a bit, allowing four runs over four innings in what ended up one of his worst outings of an NL Cy Young-winning year.
So, imagine this: You’re headed to Am Fam Field for a game. Would you rather see a pitchers’ duel or a slugfest?
Weigh in in the comments, and join us throughout the month as we keep these conversations rolling into spring training. Have a question you’d like to ask in a future BCB Daily Question? Drop one in the comments, and we may use it later this month.
The Detroit Tigers took a rollercoaster ride on Tuesday on the news that Justin Verlander will be returning to his original franchise for a Hall of Fame-bound swan song in 2026. While that marked the apex of the day, the following news that Reese Olson is out for the year with surgery brought things back to earth.
Maybe missed among the big moves was the finalization of Framber Valdez’s contract, which along with JV’s return to the D, gives the Motor City Kitties a formidable starting five heading into spring training. The Tigers also added outfielder Austin Slater on a minor league deal.
That is a lot to take in on one day, with Detroit’s pitchers and catchers set to report to Lakeland on Sunday. What felt like a mostly meh offseason finally has some spark — and just in time.
So Tigers fans, how are you feeling out there? It feels like forever since Chris Ilitch greenlit some big offseason moves, and despite PECOTA’s bearish outlook, this could actually turn out to be a season to remember for the Olde English D.
On a scale of 1 to 10 — with 1 being the 2003 Tigers and 10 being the 1984 edition of the D — how excited are you now with less than two weeks until the first spring training game? Let us know in the comments below!
In full disclosure, I am somewhere around a seven… but there is a lot of upward momentum right now.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths.
“Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire.
1962 – Before the start of spring training, Don Zimmer and right-hander Bob Miller, both who reside in the St. Pete area, become the first players to don a Mets jersey when they model the club’s away uniform tops for a photo shoot at Huggins Field. The expansion team’s inaugural third baseman, who will be traded to the Reds in May for southpaw Bob Miller, poses with his nine year-old son Tommy on his shoulders.
1974 – Forty-eight major-league players invoke the new arbitration procedure established to settle contract differences. Pitcher Dick Woodson (seeking a contract for $29,000) and the Twins (offering $23,000) are the first to present their respective cases to Detroit lawyer and labor arbitrator Harry H. Platt, who must decide on one of the monetary amounts presented. Woodson wins. (2)
2006 – Avoiding an arbitration hearing, starting pitcher Carlos Zambrano (14-6, 3.26) and the Cubs agree to a one-year deal worth $6.5 million. After earning $3.76 million last season, the emotional right-hander had asked for $7.2 million, with Chicago offering $6 million. (1)
2015 – Little League International decides to strip the Jackie Robinson West team of Chicago, IL of its United States Championship won at the 2014 Little League World Series because it used players from outside its territory and manipulated district boundaries in order to field a stronger team. Various officials from the district are also suspended for their actions. (2)
55 – Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus, heir to the Roman Emperorship, dies under mysterious circumstances in Rome, clearing the way for Nero to become Emperor.
385 – Siricius, bishop of Tarragona, elected as Bishop of Rome; first to style himself Pope.
1809 – American inventor Robert Fulton patents the steamboat.
1907 – Passenger ship Larchmont sinks by Block Island, off Rhode Island, 322 die.
1938 – World’s first science fiction TV program is a broadcast of the play R.U.R. by Karel Čapek.
1990 – Nelson Mandela is released after 27 years of imprisonment in South Africa.
Some of these items spread from site to site without being fact-checked, and that is why we ask for verifiable sources, in order to help correct the record.
PITTSBURGH - JULY 14: Outfielder Alfonso Soriano #12 of the Washington Nationals on the field before a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on July 14, 2006 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pirates defeated the Nationals 7-4. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Continuing my series of articles that take a look at NL Central teams using several different projection systems, I now zoom in on the Cincinnati Reds. Last week I noticed that the Pirates could have problems scoring runs, but the Reds are here to outdo them. I will re-do the Pirates article down the road, and there’s plenty of time for that and more work to do with some of their recent acquisitions. I should not have scoffed at the Pirates, because now they’ve made some upgrades that may put them over the edge vs the Reds and Cardinals. The dust of the offseason is still settling, and pitchers and catchers will be reporting soon, but the actual season is still sort of distant… foggy at best.
This week I have decided to add in OOPSY projections, because the name is super funny (projections often get it wrong) and in the spirit of this series over the years, I try to bring in as many projection systems as possible. This is just as much an exercise for me as it is for you, so I hope you dig this poring over data that you could probably look up, but it’s fun to read about and compare/contrast these different systems, no?
I have left out systems like PECOTA because they are not too accurate and are not readily available on fangraphs. Last fall I analyzed the projections from last year and found ZiPS and The Bat to be most accurate, but I could be suffering from just looking at one year and one team. But anyway, I’m incorporating ZiPS, Depth Charts which was actually pretty accurate last time I wrote this, The Bat X (*or the Bat for pitchers), and now OOPSY because it’s been known to be pretty accurate too. It incorporates a lot of statcast data so I want to include it.
So I’ve been spitballing here, getting to know what the other teams the Cardinals are directly competing with are going to look like this year, on paper at least. Last year the Reds were a playoff team. I had them pegged as about as good as they were, but maybe not to make the postseason. Can they repeat a wild card this year and appease their fans after an early playoff exit? Or were they more of a fluke team in 2025…
The Reds key producer from their position player side is still Ely De La Cruz, who’s consensus projection is over 4 WAR. He is a defensively pretty good shortstop with 20+ HR power. Most of the projections think he will hit at least as well as last year, but none of them outside of OOPSY have him topping what he did in 2024, where he was definitely a little better hitter than he was last season. That said, he is still going to derive a lot of value from being a plus on defense at shortstop. Ely De La Cruz is no Masyn Winn defensively, but he is the better hitter. I must note however, that OOPSY sees De La Cruz 2026 as the potential breakout player many saw him as when he was a rookie.
Where do the projection systems agree on De La Cruz? ZiPS and Fangraphs DC are closest to agreement, with The Bat X pessimistic and OOPSY being high on the hopium.
Matt McLain is a more defense forward player over at the keystone for Cincinnati. He should quietly put up over 2 WAR while hitting a little below league average. Run preventing middle infield for the Reds.
Where do the projections agree? Depth Charts and OOPSY both have him at 2.4 WAR in 2026. ZiPS is more optimistic and The Bat X doesn’t think much of Matt.
Perhaps more exciting, 22 year old Sal Stewart will be a player to watch out for: ZiPS says 2.7 WAR but Depth Charts thinks more like 1.5 WAR. The other systems are more in line with DC so it would appear ZiPS is the outlier and that maybe Stewart isn’t that exciting.
Eugenio Suarez is also sort of exciting, because he is the addition to the team largely at DH. Suarez is a low batting average high power hitter. He will most likely not hit as many home runs as he did last year, but he will add 30+ home run power to the Reds lineup. That certainly has helped a lineup that could use some blast power. He will surely hit a lot of home runs in Cincinnati, but he strikes out so much that he’s going to be around a 110 wRC+ hitter. He should be about a 1.4 WAR player according to a consensus, none of them see him as a breakout player.
So far, neither the Reds or Pirates position player roster is projected for as much WAR as the Cardinals, but both team’s starting rotations are twice as good as the Cardinals rotation. In fact, the Reds and Pirates rotations should be about equal in value, with Pittsburgh’s rotation having a higher upside, and the Reds’ rotation locking in with five 2+ WAR pitchers lead by Hunter Greene, who will likely finish with around 3.4 WAR. Where am I getting all these numbers? Well, from these four projections systems. Basically, the whole Reds starting rotation is at the least, pretty darn good.
Reds might have the lowest projected position player total in the NL Central before the season starts
Very solid rotation that stacks up with Pittsburgh’s minus the elite ace… likelihood to be slightly better overall than the Pirates’
Suarez could make or break this team, but so could Ely De La Cruz… if he goes over 5 WAR their chances increase. If Suarez hits 50 HR this year, their chances increase even more.
Andrew Abbott or Chase Burns could surprise as the team ace, but my bet’s still on Greene
I’m going to go out on a limb and predict the Reds as battling it out for last place with the Pirates and Cardinals… And it might be only the Cardinals they can beat, leaving the Redbirds in the basement. I won’t be making my final “predictions” until around the WBC, with the Brewers and Cubs still to go and re-do’s on both the Pirates and Cardinals. My methodology is to look at each team’s top 20 players, with a minimum of 11 position players.
Next week I will take a look at the Milwaukee Brewers!
1977
Continuing along with another series I’ve been writing, about every year of music and culture in my life. As a musician and baseball fan, I’ll be focusing on mostly music, and some baseball factoids, but also movies and the current events of the time. I have found my favorite albums from 1975 and 1976, so on to 1977…
1977 was Jimmy Carter’s first year as president. When he was on the campaign trail in 1980, I actually got to meet the man as a child, and it is one of my first memories actually, meeting a president. One of the best presidents in history, if you ask me, but I’m also judging him on his whole life, not just his presidency. Anyhow, he was sworn in on January 20th, 1977.
There was a solar eclipse back in 1977. Cambodia and Vietnam fought each other. A huge part of my childhood began with the release of Star Wars, although I didn’t see it until I was a little older. They would show this movie in the theaters years after it came out. They still do and how many times it will be re-released is anyone’s guess. It was so popular that it was a box office hit FOR SIX YEARS. Probably not until The Empire Strikes Back debuted. May 25, 1977 was its original release date.
On July 13, 1977 Somalia declared war on Ethiopia, and NYC had an electricity blackout that lasted into the next day, resulting in looting and arson. Around July 21st, the Libyan-Egyptian war broke out. On August 4, 1977 Jimmy Carter created the US Dept of Energy. The military controlled government of Uruguay turned power back over to the people through general elections. The first test flight of the Space Shuttle Enterprise was successful.
The Big Ear radio telescope at Ohio State University received a transmission from deep space. Three members of Lynyrd Skynyrd died in a plane crash. October 26, 1977 is considered the date of the elimination of smallpox.
Punk rock started to hit the mainstream.
In baseball, the first year of familiar franchises the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays was 1977. This was baseball’s third expansion. Prior to that, the Seattle Pilots relocated to Milwaukee and became the Brewers. I did not know that! The NL did not expand, and remained at 12 teams until the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins were introduced to the world in 1993. In what would’ve been both a popular and very unpopular world series, the Yankees beat the Dodgers. It ended a fifteen year Yankee drought and was their 21st world series championship.
The Royals and Phillies had more wins than the Yankees 100 in the regular season, but just by a game or two. The Cardinals and Cubs were mid level teams in the NL East, with the Phillies and Pirates being the two teams to beat. The Cincinnati Reds finished second to the LA Dodgers in… the NL West?? ok!
Rod Carew and George Foster were the MVPs, Sparky Lyle (baseball name!) and Steve Carlton were the Cy Young Award winners, Eddie Murray and Andre Dawson were the rookies of the year, and Rollie Fingers got his fingers on a Relief Man of the Year Award (along with Bill Campbell in the AL).
Back to Rod Carew: he batted .388!!!!! What?? George Foster was no slouch either, hitting 52 HR and knocking in 149 RBI for the Reds of the west. Nolan Ryan threw 341 strikeouts, not to be outshined by the hitters. The NL won the All-Star Game.
Bob Watson, John Mayberry, and Jack Brohamer (another baseball name!) all hit for the cycle in 1977! Willie Stargell reached 400 home runs vs the Cardinals in 1977, and Lou Brock stole his 900th stolen base on September 30th! Lou Brock also surpassed Ty Cobb in stolen bases just 7 SB prior to #900.
The Cardinals attendance went back up in numbers this season with an above .500 team that finished just ahead of the Chicago Cubs. The first Mariners game ever was a loss to the Angels, while the first Blue Jays game ever had Toronto over the Chicago White Sox. A Canadian pitcher playing for Boston, Ferguson Jenkins, threw the first shut out in Exhibition Stadium vs the Blue Jays, in their first month of existence. The White Sox selected Harold Baines as the #1 pick in the 1977 MLB draft.
Top 10 Albums of 1977
#1: Heart – ‘Little Queen’ This is my album of the year for 1977. I’ve always liked the song “Barracuda” as does everyone I know. Roger Fisher is one of my favorite unsung guitar heroes, and the Wilson sisters are among my favorite singers of any genre. I think both their 1975 album and this one are perfect albums, but ‘Little Queen’ is their best album of all. An absolute classic of the rock genre. Ahem.
#2: Rush – ‘A Farewell To Kings’ this particular album is many Rush fan’s favorite one, but it’s not my favorite Rush album. However, it is REALLY good still, for me it’s all about three songs: “Closer To The Heart”, “Xanadu”, and “Cygnus X-1” being among the best rock songs of all time. The rest of the album ain’t bad either and it flows start to finish. I struggled putting this album this highly on the list, but man, those three songs are just life changing. Farewell!
#3: Fela Kuti & Africa ’70 – ‘Zombie’ here is my sleeper pick, that I would not have even ranked in my top 10 without research… even though I’m familiar with Fela Kuti I need to know the discography better. Speaking of mid 70’s funk and punk, this is perhaps the most funk punk album of all time. The sound is mostly funk, but the spirit is very punk. The genre is called Afrobeat. The Nigerian government hated this album and Kuti’s own elderly mother was thrown out a window resulting in her death, while his commune was destroyed by the military. Fela Kuti was severely beaten in the process, but survived. ‘Zombie’ has made a couple of different major top 100 of the 1970’s music lists. An absolutely legendary album.
#4: Wire – ‘Pink Flag’ Funny thing is, I actually have met a member of The Wire at The Gingerman, an old bar neighboring The Metro in Chicago. He was having a drink at the bar talking to a cool younger lady. I think that bar is now known as the G-Man, an idiocracy level downgrade for a name of a bar, but whatever. They always had a good jukebox. So far I have been reviewing some proto punk albums, and this is the one that has struck me as most influential. Its production and sound sound much clearer and louder than other albums from this time period, every layer is really apparent in their sound. Not only is it awesome, but it’s the very first Wire album, showing poise and maturity from the get go. This is another album that I was unfamiliar with prior to this writing that I am glad to have found. I am sure I have heard it before but have neglected it since. It’s almost as if they’re inventing new genres of alt rock with every track.
#5: MX-80 Sound – ‘Hard Attack’ This album should be in every punk rock fan’s collection, but it’s not. The only reason this isn’t ranked higher than ‘Pink Flag’ is that the production isn’t nearly as cool, and the music is a little more jammy, but this is a proto punk masterpiece collection of songs from a band in 1977. Blending in multiple other genres as the band finds its way, creating new paths in the process. This is so far ahead of its time, cannot really overstate it.
#6: Talking Heads – ‘77’ Speaking of debuts from important bands such as Wire, here is the debut from Talking Heads! I mostly love this because of bassist Tina Weymouth’s playing, but the whole band is really good, and it’s a really fun listen. It’s more of a prediction of what is to come from this band, but it’s among the very best releases of 1977.
#7: Television – ‘Marquee Moon’ At the roots of punk rock are many different genres presented in different ways. I am not sure what other genre you would file Television under, other than that they kind of sound post-punk, already. Same with Wire, but, Television might be the only band that blended some prog rock into their punk sound, and even a little classic rock too, but making it all sound fresh and new.
#8: Rennaissance – ‘Novella’ described as symphonic prog, I find this album to be more relaxing than either genre. This is put on a sunny, cool afternoon, but stay inside watching the sun glint through the leaves music. Just space out to this and relax, thinking of other times, other places… and yes, I like some more obscure prog rock, too. I would have more King Crimson on the list but their first era ended prior to my birth! And by the way, if you love mellotron like I do, you need to hear this.
#9: The Residents – ‘Fingerprince’ is a hodgepodge of early Residents tracks, from what I can tell. One youtube reviewer said, “this is what insanity sounds like” and I tend to agree. There are parts of this album that invented early Primus sounds… Primus even covered them. But this is the only band I would compare to Chrome from this time, so that’s pretty cool. I have only discovered this album recently so I would have more to say about it, but it surely deserves a spot on this list, along with these other bands inventing new sounds!
#10: Iggy Pop – ‘The Idiot’ + ‘Lust For Life’ Iggy Pop or Bowie in this slot, and I pick Iggy here. Bowie had a trilogy, but I’d rather hear these two Pop albums.
See you next week with the Brewers and 1978. May the fruit of our labors be blessed.
Orioles President of Baseball Operations Mike Elias welcomes the media and VIPs to the new facility. The Baltimore Orioles unveiled their new Player Development Complex to the media on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. The 47,700 square-foot facility includes indoor batting cages and infield, a biomechanics lab, new outdoor covered batting cages and more fan access areas. | Mike Lang / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Good Morning Birdland,
Pitchers and catchers have arrived to Sarasota! Spring is here (kind of). We can soon stop worrying about all of the offseason storylines, and instead talk about actual baseball.
Get a look at these guys! In this post from the Orioles’ Instragram alone, you can see Dean Kremer, Samuel Basallo, Kyle Bradish, Trevor Rogers, Shane Baz, Yennier Cano, Luis De Léon, Ryan Helsley, Trey Gibson, and Yaramil Hiraldo. And the in this one you can also see Adley Rutschman, Keegan Akin, Dietrich Enns, Rico Garcia, Cade Povich, and Maverick Handley, among others already mentioned.
By the end of September, I was annoyed by all of them! The season was a disappointment and a drag. But the winter weather has cooled my anger. I am ready to be hurt again.
But before we get to that, there is still the settling of the rotation to sort out. We got some news there on Tuesday.
We learned that Justin Verlander will not be joining the team. He is headed back to Detroit, where he spent the first 13 seasons of his career. That’s nice for him.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported yesterday that the Orioles are one of four teams still in the mix for free agent pitcher Zac Gallen. Nightengale is the same guy that reported Gallen had already agreed to a deal with the Cubs way back in December, so take his words with a boulder of salt.
Mike Elias told the media yesterday that his front office continues to be “plugged in” on the pitcher market, but also said that he believes the existing rotation is “very strong and very talented.” That sounds like a guy that doesn’t love the available external options, and would prefer to wait for an in-season trade.
That logic is fine if the team can actually make it to July in a competitive position. He made a similar bet a year ago, and it didn’t pan out. This roster does feel better prepared to make a run than the one 12 months ago, but nothing is guaranteed.
A variable to consider in this are the Orioles young pitchers. We have seen Povich and Brandon Young. Both can fill in here and there, but I’m not sure anyone wants them to be full-time members of the rotation. Next up is Gibson and De Leon. Gibson is likely to get a chance at some point in 2026. If he is the real deal, all that talk of adding another pitcher will seem silly. But we won’t know that until June at the earliest. De Leon is a bit farther off, but potentially even more talented. Odds are that both of them could be in the rotation by sometime in 2027. But how much that helps the team in the near term is unclear, and that is frustrating for those that want the team to strike now.
Links
Time for the first Orioles workout | Roch Kubatko A whole bunch of quotes from new skipper Craig Albernaz. He sounds confident in his crew! But what else is he going to say? On the first day of spring training every team feels like a World Series winner.
Mike Elias has confidence in Orioles pitching staff but doesn’t rule out an addition | The Baltimore Banner If the Orioles are good, they are going to add to the pitching staff. But it has always felt like that addition was going to come from a trade, rather than the free agent market. Elias doesn’t like paying top-dollar for arms. He has said as much. If a discount isn’t available, he is usually going to prefer to make a swap for a younger option with team control.
Coby Mayo’s future with the Orioles feels more uncertain than ever | The Baltimore Sun The fact that Mayo hasn’t been moved, paired with the trade for Blaze Alexander last week, feels like something could be afoot. Is someone hurt? Or do the Orioles just plain to cycle through infielders all summer? It is odd. But it is also not uncommon for Elias to let prospects wilt on the vine a bit rather than dealing them.
Gregory Soto turns 31 today. The lefty just spent parts of two seasons with the Orioles from 2024-25, accumulating a 4.33 ERA and 0.2 bWAR over 68 total appearances. He was traded to the Mets last summer and is now with the Pirates.
César Cabral is 37. His Orioles career lasted two games, both of which came in 2015 as a reliever.
The late Brian Matusz (b. 1987, d. 2025) was born on this day. Selected fourth overall in 2008, Matusz transitioned to a bullpen role early in his big league career, eventually turning into one of the game’s better lefty specialists. He was particularly dominant against Hall of Famer David Ortiz, who went 4-for-29 with 13 strikeouts against Matusz in his career.
Matt Lindstrom is 46 years old. The reliever’s time in Baltimore was short, spanning just 34 games in 2012. He was eventually dealt to the Diamondbacks in exchange for postseason hero Joe Saunders.
This day in O’s history
1987 – The Orioles sign Ray Knight, the MVP of the Mets’ recent World Series win, to a one-year, $475,000 deal plus incentives. Knight had turned down an $800,000 offer from the Mets earlier in the offseason.
TORONTO, CANADA - SEPTEMBER 28: Ian Seymour #61 of the Tampa Bay Rays pitches in the first inning of their MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 28, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
DRaysBay works best as a place for community and conversation. Accordingly, in the lead up to the new season, we are posting “Daily Questions” in the month of February. I look forward to seeing you in the comment section!
Pitchers & Catchers begin to report to Spring Training today, so I can think of no more timely a question than this! Who do expect to make the Rays starting rotation?
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 10: Kerry Carpenter #30 of the Detroit Tigers is congratulated by Javier Báez #28 after hitting a two run home run against the Seattle Mariners during the sixth inning in game five of the American League Division Series at T-Mobile Park on October 10, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I touched on this in Monday’s question, but let’s get more direct. I want to know where you truly think the Twins stand among the worst division in baseball. I’ll once again reference you to FanGraphs’ playoffs odds page, which is updated after games and transactions.
Here’s my ranking:
Tigers
Royals
Twins
Guardians
White Sox
If we’re using groups or tiers, I would say that the Tigers are clearly a group on their own, especially after signing Framber Valdez. The Royals probably have a good gap between themselves and the Twins as long as their starters can be healthier than they were in 2025. Then the Twins and Guardians are in a “if they get 1 or 2 players to breakout” group. I put Minnesota above Cleveland simply because the Twins’ main weakness is the bullpen, which is much easier to fix or find new, reliable players, whereas the Guardians need to find 3-4 bats that can be above-average behind Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan. Also similar to the Twins, they have a few former top prospects that have yet to establish themselves (George Valera, Chase DeLauter, CJ Kayfus), so it’s definitely possible they somehow win the division yet again.
I also, briefly, want to give a shoutout to the White Sox who have gone from historically terrible to a dark horse division contender within two years. GM Chris Getz has nailed several big trades over the past two years, bringing in current or future mid-lineup bats like Chase Meidroth, Kyle Teel, and Braden Montgomery. They have some work to do on the pitching side, but they have a solid base and a clear path toward the future, which is much more than what they could say when Getz took over baseball ops.
So, what’s your AL Central ranking? Is this the Tigers’ division to lose, or are you higher on the Royals than I am?
DUNEDIN, Fla. — Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander will miss much of the upcoming season with a shoulder injury, manager John Schneider announced Tuesday at spring training.
Schneider said Santander will have labrum surgery on his left shoulder Wednesday and is expected to be sidelined for five to six months.
It’s another disappointing turn for Santander, who had 44 homers and 102 RBIs with Baltimore in 2024. He signed a $92.5 million, five-year contract in free agency to join the Blue Jays last offseason, but struggled badly at the plate and played in just 54 games during an injury-plagued Toronto debut.
“Kind of had a setback when he started ramping up with his hitting earlier in January and came over to the complex, got checked out, and we kind of did everything we could to avoid this,” Schneider said.
There was more bad news for the Blue Jays on Tuesday: Right-hander Shane Bieber, the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner, has forearm fatigue and won’t be ready for opening day.
Schneider said the team is being extra cautious with Bieber and expects him to be a major contributor this season.
Bieber was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery when he was acquired from Cleveland at the July 31 trade deadline last year. He made his season debut Aug. 22 and pitched 40 1/3 innings for Toronto during the regular season, going 4-2 with a 3.57 ERA in seven starts. But he threw 18 2/3 innings in the postseason with a 3.86 ERA and helped the Blue Jays come within one win of a World Series championship.
“In talking to him and talking with our medical team, just decided that the best possible outcome would be this,” Schneider said. “Slow play it a little after going through what he went through in the postseason and the World Series.”
Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis will miss the entire season after undergoing UCL reconstruction surgery Wednesday.
ANAHEIM, CA - AUGUST 24: Pitcher Justin Verlander #35 of the Detroit Tigers throws apitch against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim on August 24, 2009 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
My photoshop skills have really been perfected and I was able to show you what Justin Verlander’s outfit is going to look like in 2026.
• Aaron Civale is headed to Sacramento. I’d have loved him as SP depth who starts out the season in the bullpen, but $6M is probably too much for that.
Jose Quintana of the Milwaukee Brewers throws a pitch against the Mets in 2025.
Jose Quintana has found a new home — just not one that’s historically pitcher-friendly.
The 37-year-old left-handed starter has agreed to a deal with the Rockies, ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported Tuesday night.
Terms of the contract, which is still pending medicals, are not yet known.
Jose Quintana, a member of the Brewers last season, throws a pitch against the Mets in 2025. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
Colorado has had an active Tuesday, agreeing earlier in the day with right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano to a one-year pact after he spent last year pitching in Japan.
He gave the Brewers some stability in the back end of the rotation with a 3.96 ERA and 1.291 WHIP across 24 starts and 131 2/3 innings. Quintana pitched in two postseason outings, a three-inning scoreless effort in relief during the NLDS against the Cubs before getting lit up for three earned runs in a two-inning start against the eventual World Series champion Dodgers in the NLCS.
Quintana, through his first 14 seasons in the big leagues, has 113 victories, the most for a native of Colombia.
At high altitude (5,200 feet above sea level), Coors Field has long been a hitters’ haven and has had the top park factor in MLB over the last three seasons, according to Baseball Savant.
Jose Quintana celebrates during the 2024 wild-card series with the Mets. Jason Szenes / New York Post
In six career outings at Coors, Quintana has a 5.40 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 42 innings.
The Rockies are hoping to get out of the National League doldrums after three straight seasons of 100-plus losses, including a baseball-worst 119 defeats in 2025.
Sep 8, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Jose Quintana (62) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
Late this evening, ESPN’s Jess Rogers broke the news that the Colorado Rockies signed Jose Quintana:
News: Veteran Jose Quintana is in agreement with the Colorado Rockies, sources tell ESPN. The 37 year old is back for his 15th big league season. The deal is pending a physical.
The 37-year-old lefty spent 2025 with the Milwaukee Brewers on a one-year, $4.25 million contract.
In 131 2/3 innings, Quintana logged 24 starts and finished with a 3.96 ERA.
According to Baseball Savant, Quintana has a five-pitch arsenal: sinker (42%), changeup (22%), curveball (15%), four-seamer (12%), and slurve (8%).
In 2025, Quintana had a 16.0% K%, a 9.0% BB%, and a 43.3% GB%.
We’ll have more analysis tomorrow, but at first glance, this signing does a few things for the Rockies.
First, it adds another lefty to the rotation; second, Quintana, like Michael Lorenzen and Tomoyuki Sugano has a diverse and developed arsenal; and third, he is an experienced pitcher in a position to help mentor young pitchers.
The Rockies had indicated they would sign an additional starter; with today’s moves, they have now added two starters to their rotation.
UPDATE
Some contract details have become available:
Jose Quintana’s deal with the Colorado Rockies is for one-year, $6 million, pending physical.
Today’s guest column is from professors John Cairney and Rick Burton.
Dozens of movies built around the suspenseful premise of an outnumbered army or unit surrounded at a fortress and coming under fierce attack. The Alamo (1960) used to hold a primary position for that allegory, but others we might offer up include Night of the Living Dead, 300,The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Sinners. For video gamers, think something like Assassins Creed.
In each of those situations, a small group of individuals must defend something worth preserving. Kind of made us think about Major League Baseball’s owners and commissioner Rob Manfred, who not only face an aging fan demographic but also the real possibility of a lengthy strike/lockout looming on the labor peace horizon.
Notably, if MLB shuts down in 2027, as some are already hinting, it will happen less than a year after the three-country tidal surge of the FIFA 2026 World Cup.
It made us want to page back through Kotler and Singh’s legendary paper “Marketing Warfare in the 1980s” as well as Ries and Trout’s 1986 book Marketing Warfare. Those authors (and others) discussed strategic concepts for attacking market leaders with frontal attacks, flanking maneuvers and encirclement or, on the other hand, defensive strategies for market leaders such as “position, flank, preemptive, counteroffensive, mobile and contraction.”
Baseball’s contemporary problem is defending ground rather than commanding it. The NFL took the highest hill by the early 1970s and MLB arguably has no hope of ever replacing football as America’s most popular and largest revenue-generating professional league. Maybe games like basketball or soccer will, but baseball doesn’t have nearly the global reach of those sports.
That, of course, is fine. Baseball is a wonderful game, MLB is a powerful league, and top players can earn salaries that are healthy percentages of billions. According to Sportico’s Kurt Badenhausen, as of 2025, every MLB franchise was worth at least $1.3 billion (the Miami Marlins), with the average for MLB’s 30 teams hovering around $2.82 billion.
But what market strategies (warfare or otherwise) should MLB executives consider, especially if there is even a remote chance they might shut MLB down within the next 14 months? If the average age of MLB’s TV viewership is 57, despite youth-facing improvements such as the pitch clock, shouldn’t MLB be thinking about what it can do to attract 10-year-olds in the future?
Before we fall into the convenient trap of burying MLB, we took to heart Maury Brown’s April 2025 column for Forbes, where he suggested: “Major League Baseball has been portrayed as having fans that are too old. That the league is ‘dying’. That MLB pales when compared to the NBA in terms of popularity on television. These narratives have followed MLB around like grim death. But that fact is, these are all largely myths.”
In fact, Brown noted, “There has been [an ongoing] myth that baseball is the sport of old people and is out of touch with other sports leagues that skew to a younger generation. But data from Nielsen Scarborough shows the median age of an MLB fan is 54.04, below college football and the WNBA.”
Interestingly, the Nielsen data suggests the NFL, college basketball and NBA are also in the 50s. Only MLS, with a median age of 49, showed up in the forties.
To channel the wondering Alice, Nielsen’s numbers are curiouser and curiouser. Speaking of TV ratings, it is notable MLB is now producing broadcasts for around half the league, meaning the RSN landscape that previously protected the fort is under assault.
That said, without claiming insight into Manfred’s thinking or the professional counsel he’s receiving, several points seem clear:
Don’t shut down in 2027. If you do, MLS (which, with its new calendar, will be playing meaningful games a the end of a truncated season in April and May of ’27, then starting the ’27-28 season in July) will be a massive beneficiary. In addition, a labor strike hurts every other league … in one way or another.
Understand perceptions of parity matter, and if there is no salary cap in MLB, young fans will find it increasingly difficult to support teams with no chance of competing. In other words, MLB could come to look like certain European football leagues where no more than two teams ever win the seasonal competition.
If the biggest stars in baseball are Japanese, South Korean or Latin American, think harder about flanking strategies that go around the NFL’s traditional reliance on North Americans. That said, don’t underestimate just how hard the NFL is working to make itself a global game.
Figure out how not to lose (or fail to leverage) the star power of great generational players like Mike Trout who appear on MLB’s dreamy fields but somehow never become famous faces like those from the NFL and NBA. Use league-driven storytelling, national showcase scheduling and coordinated digital/broadcast visibility rather than leaving star-making solely to local markets.
Understand that in this new creator economy, MLB can do better at having its players generate interesting material targeting younger audiences. As Syracuse media entrepreneurship professor Sean Branagan recently said (with italics emphasized), “Broadcasting must mean just that: the many telling the many.”
We’ll close by suggesting that baseball—and MLB—are not in crisis, but like pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training, the league must get back into shape for the sustained attacks already forming on the horizon. MLB may find itself surrounded by other competitors (as well as the growth of women’s professional leagues), but we hope it chooses to fight like the Spartans at Thermopylae or the Rohirrim warriors at the Battle of Helm’s Deep.
John Cairney is head of the University of Queensland’s School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences. He also serves as deputy executive director for the Office of 2032 Games Engagement and directs Queensland’s Centre for Olympic and Paralympic Studies. Rick Burton is an honorary professor at UQ, Syracuse University’s David B. Falk Emeritus Professor of Sport Management, former commissioner of Australia’s National Basketball League, and co-author of the book, The Rise of Major League Soccer.
FORT MYERS, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 10: Isiah Kiner-Falefa #2 of the Boston Red Sox speaks to the media during a team workout ahead of Spring Training at JetBlue Park at Fenway South on February 10, 2026 in Fort Myers, Florida. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
New York Post | Cooper Albers: For the second straight year, the Yankees have been called out by the team that eliminated them in October — or at least, a member of that team. While attempting to complete the All-AL-East career, Isiah Kiner-Falefa revealed that the Blue Jays were hoping the Yankees beat out the Red Sox in last year’s American League Wild Card Series, believing New York to be an easier opponent. This comes on the heels of many critiques the Dodgers tossed against the Yankees after the 2024 World Series, but then again, IKF is a non-insignificant reason why the Blue Jays went down to those Dodgers some months ago.
The Athletic | Jayson Stark ($): Perhaps nothing has changed as much in baseball over the last 20 years like the standard for Hall of Fame pitchers. Hurlers on the ballot today, even those gaining momentum like Andy Pettitte, just don’t have the same counting stats and career milestones as pitchers from previous generations. In an era where just three pitchers top 200 innings, those milestones are going to have to change further. Stark talks to a number of past and present starters, including Hall of Famer CC Sabathia, about the challenges current pitchers face around induction standards.
Baseball Prospectus: BP is out with their PECOTA projections, widely seen as one of the most reliable systems across the sport. The good news is that PECOTA is high on the Yankees, tabbing them to just eke out atop the AL East, but they have them just a single point of winning percentage higher than Toronto. The way it shows up is 88.5 wins to 88.3, so there’s not much separation. If nothing else, expect the division to be a dogfight once again. For those curious, the Mariners are tabbed as the American League’s best team in the 93-win territory, while the two-time defending champion Dodgers pace MLB as a whole at an emphatic 105-win pace — one of their highest-ever projections.
Newsweek | Jon Paul Hoonstra: A melancholy happy trails to Gary Blaylock, who pitched in 41 games with the 1959 Yankees and Cardinals and passed away on February 7th at the age of 94. The reliever later served as the pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals from 1984-87, winning the team’s first World Series championship in the ‘85 season. Our best to his family and loved ones.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 23: Spencer Schwellenbach #56 of the Atlanta Braves pitches against the New York Mets in the first inning at Citi Field on June 23, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Tuesday made for a busy day for the Atlanta Braves, as pitchers and catchers reported to the spring training facility in North Port, Florida. There were several storylines from the day, and in 2025 fashion, not all of them were great.
Most notably, it was announced that starting pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach has some inflammation in his right elbow, inevitably causing him to begin the 2026 campaign on the 60-day injured list. Should this timeline stick, he is eyeing an April return.
If this news was not frustrating enough, it was also reported that Robert Suarez, who the Braves signed in December, will arrive late to camp due to issues with his visa.
On a more positive note, Nacho Alvarez Jr. was spotted getting some reps in with the catchers, so the shortstop is possibly adding another position to his resume.
Lastly, the Braves have reportedly added a backup catcher after signing Jonah Heim to a one-year deal. Heim was non-tendered by the Texas Rangers after a lackluster 2025. The financials of the contract have not been confirmed, but the deal is rumored to be around $1.25M.
With camp just getting underway, more roster decisions and injury updates are likely to follow.
The Braves have reacquired infielder Brett Wisely from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for cash. In January, the Braves first traded Wisely to the Rays. To open up a spot on the roster, right-hander Joe Jiménez was placed on the 60-day injured list.
The most recent PECOTA projections have the Braves finishing 2026 with a 92-70 record.
MLB News:
The Toronto Blue Jays pitching staff took a hit on Tuesday, announcing that Shane Bieber will start the season on the 15-day injured list due to forearm inflammation. In addition, fellow pitcher Bowden Francis will undergo Tommy John and miss the entire season.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Reese Olson will miss all of 2026 due to shoulder surgery. He was placed on the 60-day injured list to open up a spot for Justin Verlander, who returns to Detroit on a one-year, $13M deal.
Kyle Wright, former Braves hurler, is joining the Chicago Cubs on a minor league deal.
Its a great day for those who collect current Topps baseball cards. Today, February 11th, the 2026 MLB Topps Series One releases.
For those who are new to the hobby, Topps Series One is the first series released by Topps to kick off the next year of collecting. They’re usually released around Spring Training and feature the first batch of player base cards and with plenty of cool parallels and inserts. Parallel cards have similar images as the base cards but feature different designs.
This year Topps is celebrating their 75th anniversary and there are plenty of parallels available of each card, over 50 total, including the full rainbow that many collectors chase. They’ve included multiple inserts, which are cards that differ from the base and parallel set with their own, unique design. Included in the insert list are the autographs and relic cards. The relic cards have historically included pieces of uniforms, bases, gloves, and even bats.
One of the inserts I’m going to be on the look out for is the Big Ticket Player inserts.
Of course, this is the just the kick off for the 2026 collecting season. The Easter Tin list is included with Series One and introduces additional parallels that feature Spring related designs. Last year the 2025 Topps Series One Celebration set released shortly after Series One and included different inserts and additional base cards. Celebration replaced the old Opening Day series Topps used to run in conjunction with Opening Day. Hopefully we’ll see it’s return this year.
This year’s Series One unfortunately does not have a lot of Guardians players represented. Of all of the current teams included there are only four teams with less cards (base and inserts) than the Guardians; the Blue Jays (61), Twins (60), Diamondbacks (60), and Marlins (54). The Guardians will have 66 card designs (not including parallels, which all base cards have) this year. The Yankees (157), Dodgers (147), and Braves (141) have the most designs.
For the base cards and parallels, Guards fans can look for CJ Kayfus, Daniel Schneemann, Parker Messick, Ben Lively, Bo Naylor, Angel Martínez, Gavin Williams, José Ramírez, and Kyle Manzardo. Kayfus and Messick will be rookie cards.
The majority of variants (similar to parallels, but not available for all base cards), are available for Kayfus, Messick, and José. Some are only available for one of two of those three players or simply do not have Guardian representation.
Outside of the same three players, George Valera, Steven Kwan, and Kenny Lofton also have autograph cards available. On the relic side of things, José has the most available at three. Kayfus and Kwan each have a single relic design available. If there is a Cleveland insert card available in a specific design, it will likely be José. Kayfus has two inserts and Messick has one.
One cool feature for the 75th anniversary are Topps Gift inserts. Collectors can find a series of prizes in packs of cards including tickets to the All-Star Game, Team Gifts from select teams, and even a $7500 gift card to Topps.
Throughout the season, fans should also keep an eye on the Topps Now program. Topps runs a pre-order only, limited print of major moments throughout the season. This includes player debuts, first hits, major walk off wins, etc. Last year they also ran a team Spring Training set that included a program where if a player on your team does a specific thing in game, you will automatically get a Topps Now card. Last year that was José’s multi-HR game against the Angels in April.
For the full list of Series One cards, including design examples, Beckett is my go-to. If you are new to the hobby, read up on the odds that each type of pack provides if there are specific cards you want to try your luck on pulling.
