Category: Baseball

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across Major League Baseball. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Yankees fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

We’re almost there. In just over two weeks, the Yankees will open the 2026 MLB season in San Francisco against the Giants. Final rosters around the league are still being developed, so we don’t know just yet what each of 30 teams will look like when the season starts. But we know a decent chunk about it now, so why not speculate?

Focusing on the American League, who do you think will be the toughest foe for the Yankees to take down this season? Is it the Blue Jays, who narrowly beat out the Yankees for the AL East last year, took them out in the playoffs, and then nearly won the World Series? They’re probably the favorite, but you don’t have to look too hard around the internet to find people doubting their ability to repeat that magic. Maybe you’re more of a believer in the youthful Red Sox, now also infused with Ranger Suárez, Sonny Gray, and Willson Contreras. The Mariners came oh-so-close to dispatching the Jays in the series before the Fall Classic, and their oft-vaunted pitching should stand to rebound from 2025 anyway. The Tigers added more Astros nemesis Framber Valdez to a rotation that also included two-time defending Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, so Detroit won’t be a walk in the park either.

So make your vote known! And while you’re at it, just for fun, pick a team in the second question’s prompt, which asks about the worst team in the American League. There are certainly some ignominious contenders.

The Yankees optioned Spencer Jones to minor league camp, the team announced on Monday, ending the outfield prospect’s bid to make the big league roster for Opening Day.

It was always a bit of a long shot for Jones to make the Yanks’ roster out of camp with Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, and Aaron Judge set in the outfield and Giancarlo Stanton at DH, and he was in an uphill battle competing with the speedy, switch-hitting Jasson Dominguez to be the youngster on the bench.

The six-foot-seven outfielder has an abundance of power, to the tune of 82 home runs over his last three minor league seasons, but the big flaw in his game will be that he strikes out at an outrageous rate, 534 times over that same span.

“Those are the challenges of being a big guy,” manager Aaron Boone said recently. “It’s a hard thing to figure out, but if you can do it, [that size is] a massive advantage.”

Jones, who did hit a 427-foot blast early in spring, had six hits in 18 at-bats for the Yanks with three home runs and seven RBI.

“He’s done a nice job. He’s worked really hard this winter to make adjustments to try to hone his craft and had pretty good results here the first few weeks of games,” Boone said recently of Jones, who turns 25 in May.

Jones, now the Team's No. 6 prospect in the system according to MLB Pipeline, is still looking to make his MLB debut.

The club also announced right-hander Elmer Rodriguez, the team’s No. 3 prospect and No. 82 in all of baseball, to minor league camp.

Rodriguez had a solid season at High-A Hudson Valley with a 2.26 ERA over 83.2 innings, and at Double-A Somerset posted a 2.64 ERA over 61.1 innings last season. 

The 22-year-old made one appearance at Triple-A last season and expects to start there this season and could be in line for his big league debut later this summer.

At a time when his rotation-mates are relishing the opportunity, while their catcher is away at the WBC, to try out new tricks, Bryan Woo is dancing with the one that brought him.

Woo looked sharp today in his third spring outing: his pitches were crisp, well-located, and thrown with conviction. He opened with a dominant first inning where he struck out the Diamondbacks’ top three hitters on, in order, an elevated fastball, a backfoot slider, and an elevated sinker at 95 mph. It took him all of 12 pitches. It took him another 10 pitches to retire the D-Backs’ next three hitters, this time working in his sweeper and sinker more. Woo didn’t allow a hit until the third inning, when he missed on a sweeper to Ivan Melendez, but Brendan Donovan helped his pitcher out with an awesome circus catch into the third base line netting for the second out, and Woo was able to coax an inning-ending groundout off the bat of leadoff hitter Ildemaro Vargas after that to end the inning.

Brendan Donovan goes into the net to make the catch in foul territory. He isn't going to take plays off in spring training pic.twitter.com/iuFpKC3wAu

— Ryan Divish (@RyanDivish) March 9, 2026

“Much better today,” said Woo about his outing. “Getting ahead, being in better counts. That’s my brand of baseball right there. That’s exactly what it needs to look like.”

While his fellow starters might be taking the lack of regulars here in camp as an opportunity to experiment, Woo remains laser focused on Opening Day – perhaps even as the Opening Day starter.

“It’s always tempting, but I think that’s kind of the trap with any of us, trying to tweak too much. For me, just getting ready for the season and getting closer to regular season shape is more just doing the little things, so that’s exactly what we did.”

Do your thing, 2️⃣2️⃣ pic.twitter.com/LFDnCMOn1O

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) March 9, 2026

But as strong as Woo was, Diamondbacks starter Zac Gallen matched him blow for blow, mowing through the Mariners the first time through the order, collecting a strikeout in each of his three innings. The Mariners finally got a little traffic on the bases when Gallen departed the game in the fourth. Brendan Donovan opened the inning with what could have been a single but it deflected off the first baseman’s glove and rolled clear to the right field wall, so, “double.” Rob Refsnyder then worked a walk to put two on with no outs. Unfortunately, that brought up the strikeout-prone part of the Mariners lineup, and both Luke Raley and Mitch Garver struck out to bring up J.P. Crawford, who swung at the first pitch he saw for an inning-ending groundout.

The Diamondbacks answered back with traffic of their own, but they were able to turn it into runs. Behind in a 2-1 count, Woo threw his hardest pitch of the day (95.6 mph) but right in the zone for Barrosa to tag for a leadoff double (109 mph EV). Barrosa then moved to third on a groundout and scored on a Pavin Smith ground ball single, but the damage was capped there when Woo was able to get AJ Vukovich to ground into an inning-ending double play on a sinker, cleanly turned by J.P. Crawford and Ryan Bliss.

With new pitcher Andrew Hoffman in for the fifth, the Mariners were finally able to break through in the run column. Connor Joe, who loves to hit the high fastball, continued his strong spring with a well-struck single up the middle. Ryan Bliss worked a walk, and then Rhylan Thomas brought home the run with a single of his own. But an opportunity for more scoring was cut off when Bliss was caught stealing and picked off of second in a rundown that wasn’t particularly close; Donovan singled for his second hit of the day but Thomas wasn’t able to beat out the throw at home, and the Mariners let a good chance to score more runs go by, continuing a frustrating theme this spring.

The teams traded zeroes after that until the dam broke for the Mariners in the bottom of the ninth; Blas Castaño, in his second inning of work, allowed a single, and then Tyler Cleveland couldn’t turn in a clean inning in relief, walking a hitter and then, with two outs, giving up a parachute fly ball to score the runner from second and hand the Mariners their 12th loss of the spring.

Other notes:

• Alex Hoppe worked a hitless inning, walking one but striking out two. Something I noticed today in watching him is Hoppe’s delivery is violent. He really comes down the mound at hitters. The pitches move violently, too; it’s 98 in the dirt, essentially, but then he also has a slider with similar movement that comes in around 88-90 and a cutter around 91. I find his stuff both beautiful and terrifying.
• In addition to his single, Connor Joe also had a hard-hit double in this game, turning on a 95 mph sinker in and stroking it to left field. After being fairly noodle-batted for his MLB career, I’m curious if Joe has made any adjustments with the Mariners or if this is just spring training noise. Sure it’s spring training but 108.4 off the bat is 108.4 off the bat.
• Staff writer Nick Tucker was at today’s game and noted that Victor Robles, working back from shoulder soreness, was clearly late with some of his swing timing, but said it looked like Robles was getting better over the course of the game.
• J.P. Crawford got a few chances at short in his first time in the field this spring since opening day of spring training, cleanly turning a double play with Ryan Bliss.
• Colt Emerson got some actual challenges at shortstop today as a defensive replacement for Crawford. He couldn’t quite get to a grounder hit hard past him (111.2 off the bat) but smothered another slow roller and made a strong throw to first.

Once again, a Brewers-Dodgers matchup ended in a low-scoring affair and the Dodgers came out on top with a 4-2 spring training win.

The Brewers got off to a strong start against Emmett Sheehan of the Dodgers with Greg Jones rifling an RBI single in the 2nd inning to give the Crew a 1-0 lead. Aaron Ashby was looking strong as he was stretched out to three ups today. But Ashby gave up an answer by the Dodgers in the top of the 3rd on a Dalton Rushing RBI single.

However, Milwaukee was able to get past their one run per game limit against the Dodgers with a Jake Bauers solo blast in the 5th inning. That’s Bauers’ third home run of the spring and he’s now 9-for-17 on the spring with five walks as well.

Jake Bauers is having a RIDICULOUS spring:

🔵 Homers in back-to-back days
🔵 Three homers in last four games
🔵 .529 AVG
🔵 1.843 OPS pic.twitter.com/JDp6RGEzAV

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) March 9, 2026

That lead would not last, though. Shane Drohan, who has been pitching well all spring, gave up an RBI single to Ryan Fitzgerald in the 7th and then an RBI single to Seby Zavala in the 8th. He also allowed a run on a double play by Charles Davalan and then his day was done after 3.2 IP and 63 pitches.

The Brewers tried to mount a comeback in the 9th. Josiah Ragsdale, a 7th round pick last year, roped a double into the gap. He later scored on an Ethan Murray infield single. But then Luis Lara and Mike Boeve grounded out to end the game in a 4-3 loss.

The Brewers have an off day tomorrow but will be back in Cactus League action on Wednesday against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Dodgers snapped their two-game losing skid on Monday, as they rallied for a pair of eighth inning runs to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday 4-3.

Emmet Sheehan made his first start of the spring, lasting 2 1/3 innings while tossing 49 pitches (26 strikes) while allowing two hits and one earned run coming via a Greg Jones RBI single, but struggled with his command as he walked three and struck out two. Cody Morse was able to get out of the third inning in relief of Sheehan as he struck out two to escape further trouble.

River Ryan came in relief to begin the bottom of the fourth inning, and despite letting the Brewers pull ahead by a run with Jake Bauers taking him deep to left field, he registered 2 2/3 solid innings of work, with the home run being the only hit he allowed while striking out three and walking one. Ryan now has a 1.59 ERA with seven strikeouts across 5 2/3 innings this spring as he continues to increase his odds of being a part of the starting rotation come the team’s home opener on Mar. 26.

Dalton Rushing plated home the first run of the game with an RBI single to tie the game at 1 in the top of the third. Although the counting numbers look great on paper (two home runs, five RBI), Rushing has struggled at the plate so far this spring, slashing just .200/.250/.440 across 28 plate appearances with a 32.1 percent strikeout rate.

Michael Siani and Ryan Fitzgerald managed to even the score at two runs apiece with a double and an RBI single respectively with two outs in the top of the seventh. The Dodgers took their first lead of the game in the top of the eighth with an RBI single from Seby Zavala, later adding an insurance run with Emil Morales scoring on a double play. The elder Ryan brother, Ryder Ryan, managed to record the final six outs of Monday’s contest despite allowing a run in the bottom of the ninth inning to trim the Dodger lead to one run.

UP NEXT

The Dodgers head back to Camelback Ranch to host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday (1:05 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Tyler Glasnow gets the start for the Dodgers, facing right-hander Brandon Pfaadt.

The Yankees announced today that they’ve optioned two of their top prospects, Spencer Jones and Elmer Rodríguez, to minor league camp. The two will finish out spring training at minor league camp and will start their seasons with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre.

Even as they head back to the minors, both prospects showed very well with the major league club this spring. The 6-foot-7 Jones slashed .333/.455/.889 with three homers in 22 plate appearances, with six strikeouts against four walks. Facing pitching that’s roughly equivalent to that of Triple-A, you can in a way view this as Jones continuing to tear up the highest levels of the minors, as he did to close out his 2025 campaign.

Rodríguez is currently with Team Puerto Rico at the World Baseball Classic, though he has yet to appear in a game. The right-hander made two starts for the Yankees in spring training and was impressive, totaling six innings while allowing two runs with five strikeouts against one walk. He touched 97 mph on the radar gun and showcased a nasty-looking changeup and some solid command, particularly in his first start against the Orioles, in which he held a lineup of regulars scoreless over three frames.

While it was to be expected that players like Jones and Rodríguez, who were longshots at best to make the club out of spring training, would be sent down, it’s always a bit of a bummer to see the top prospects depart, as their presence in camp is one of the more fun reasons to tune into preseason games. If the two of them can perform as well for Scranton as they had thus far in spring, they’ll be among the first names the Yankees call during the season when the need arises.

The Philadelphia Phillies, envisioning a future in which Zack Wheeler is no longer part of their rotation, moved to lock up another stalwart from their staff for the long term.

Left-hander Jesús Luzardo and the Phillies are in agreement on a five-year, $135 million contract extension, a person familiar with the agreement confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal has not yet been finalized.

Luzardo, 28, was eligible for free agency after the 2026 season, and was coming off perhaps the finest campaign of his career, winning 15 games and posting a 3.92 ERA across a career-high 183 ⅔ innings. While he might have garnered more than a $27 million average annual value on the free agent market, it actually puts him in line with Yankees ace Max Fried, whose eight-year, $218 million deal is worth $27.25 million per year.

Wheeler, the Cy Young Award runner-up in 2024, has indicated he'll retire after his three-year, $142 million deal expires after the 2027 season. The club already retained right-hander Aaron Nola on a $172 million deal signed after the 2023 season, and Luzardo's extension ensures a decent base from which to work.

The club also hopes top prospect Andrew Painter solidifies the back of the rotation and grows into mid- to frontline starter. Now, he'll have both Nola and Luzardo to slot behind in the future.

Luzardo will make $11 million this season in his final year of arbitration-eligibility before his extension kicks in.

Jesus Luzardo stats

• 2025 (Philadelphia): 15-7 record, 183.2 IP, 216 SO, 3.92 ERA
• 2024 (Miami): 3-6, 66.2 IP, 58 SO, 5.00 ERA
• 2023 (Miami): 10-10, 178.2 IP, 208 SO, 3.58 ERA
• 2022 (Miami): 4-7, 100.1 IP, 120 SO, 3.32 ERA
• 2021 (Oakland/Miami): 6-9, 95.1 IP, 98 SO, 6.61 ERA
• 2020 (Oakland): 3-2, 59.0 IP, 59 SO, 4.12 ERA
• 2019 (Oakland): 0-0, 12.0 IP, 16 SO, 1.50 ERA

Contributing: Bob Nightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jesus Luzardo contract extension with Phillies for $135 million

Record 8-9. Change on 2025: +0.5. 5-inning record: 4-11-2.

The pitching was on point for both teams this afternoon. For Arizona, that meant starting with three perfect innings from Zac Gallen, who struck out a trio as he retired all nine batters faced. It took him 41 pitches to get there, and was probably the best start from a D-backs’ pitcher this spring. After him, Juan Morillo put the first two on base, before retiring the next three. Andrew Hoffmann’s zero ERA ended as he allowed a run over 1.2 innings, and it probably would have been worse but for the Mariners running into two outs on the basepaths. Among the “known” names, Taylor Clarke also pitched a scoreless frame.

Not much doing on offense, the Diamondbacks being held to six hits and two walks. The first Arizona run crossed the plate in the fourth, Pavin Smith singling home Jorge Barrosa, who had doubled to lead off the inning. Ivan Melendez had the D-backs’ only other extra-base hit, also a double. That was it until the bottom of the ninth, where two singles around a walk gave Arizona a walk-off win, Adrian Rodriguez driving home Alexander Benua. I don’t know much about either player – neither even fall into the category of non-roster invitees. Looks like between them, they have nine games above A-ball: so all I can say is, welcome to spring, and well done to both. Anyway, five ABS challenges on the afternoon, three of which were successful.

Tomorrow, it’s back over to the West side for the Diamondbacks, who will be taking on the Dodgers at Camelback Ranch. It’s a 1:05 pm first pitch, with Brandon Pfaadt starting. And with that, I’ll cut this short, and go back to celebrating Britain’s victory over Brazil, sealing their participation in the 2029 WBC, while I wait for USA/Mexico to kick off! Feel free to use this as a GDT for that if you’re watching.

The deal many expected to happen this spring has indeed come to fruition, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan is reporting that the Phillies and Jesús Luzardo have agreed to a five-year contract extension that will keep the left-hander in Philadelphia through 2031. Luzardo, now 28 years old, will be 34 when his contract expires.

BREAKING: Left-hander Jesús Luzardo and the Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a five-year contract extension, sources tell ESPN. Luzardo, 28, was set to become a free agent after this season. The new deal will begin in 2027 and locks up one of baseball’s best young arms.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 9, 2026

Passan also reported that the deal is worth $135M, putting Luzardo 12th among all active pitchers in total value and average annual value.

Jesús Luzardo’s five-year extension is for $135 million, sources tell ESPN. The deal, negotiated by Roger Tomas and Brodie Van Wagenen of Roc Nation, puts Luzardo among the highest-paid left-handed pitchers in baseball and solidifies the Phillies’ rotation going forward.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 9, 2026

Luzardo arrived in Philadelphia prior to last season in a trade with the Miami Marlins. He turned in the best season of his career in 2025, going 15-7 with a 3.92 ERA while setting new career highs in innings (183.2) and strikeouts (216). Outside of a brutal two start span in June where he allowed 20 runs in 5.2 IP, Luzardo was excellent all season for the Phillies and, most importantly, finished a season healthy for the first time since 2023. The lefty also added a strong performance in the postseason, pitching six innings while allowing two runs with 5 Ks in his only start in Game 2 of the NLDS and adding an 1.2 scoreless in relief in Game 4. Luzardo now joins Cristopher Sánchez, Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Aaron Nola as Phillies players under contract through at least 2030.

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Japan has survived back-to-back scares following tight wins over Korea and Australia. But there’s a good chance the Samurai return to their dominant form when they take on Czechia in their final pool stage game.

In a game where Japan is such a heavy favorite, where is the value? My Czechia vs. Japan predictions and World Baseball Classic best bets picks break it all down for this Pool C clash.

Czechia vs Japan prediction

Czechia vs Japan best bet: Over 9.5 (80¢ at Kalshi)

Japan’s pitching staff wasn’t going to be as dominant as 2023, with Yoshinobu Yamomoto being the main holdover. We’ve seen that in close results against Australia and Korea.

Luckily, they still have Shohei Ohtani and a bevy of other major league talent leading a lineup that has plated 25 runs over three games in this tournament, with Ohtani going deep twice and owning a crazy 2.025 OPS.

Czechia is a good story, but this team full of part-time players already has a -25 run differential. The best bet here is to back Japan to power this game Over the total.

Czechia vs Japan players to watch

If Japan wants to defend its World Baseball Classic crown, it will likely have to outslug their opponents. Luckily, they have the lineup to do just that.

Shohei Ohtani is leading the way, going 5-for-9 with three extra-base hits and six RBI. But don’t overlook Masataka Yoshida, who has been nearly as good.

The Boston Red Sox outfielder is 5-for-10 with three extra-base hits and six RBI. 

Slowing down the Samurai will be tough for a Czechia pitching staff with a 10.88 ERA in this tournament.

Czechia vs Japan opening odds

• Moneyline: Czechia 3¢ | Japan 97¢
• Run line: Czechia +2.5 | Japan -2.5
• Over/Under: Over 9.5 | Under 9.5

How to watch Czechia vs Japan and game info

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

PHOENIX –– After Joe Ryan was scratched from Team USA’s roster for the group stage of the World Baseball Classic last week, one Dodgers player glanced toward Tyler Glasnow’s locker at Camelback Ranch and wondered aloud:

Why wasn’t the Dodgers’ All-Star right-hander picked to be a replacement?

The answer: He had other priorities this spring.

Late last season, Glasnow found a comfort level that had eluded him for much of his first two years in the Dodgers organization, when injuries and inconsistent performance marred his acclimation to the team.

For starters, he was healthy, returning from an early-season shoulder issue (as well as the elbow problem that ended his 2024 campaign early) to pitch the second half of the year without any significant disruptions.

But more importantly, he was convinced in his mechanics; embracing delivery tweaks that pitching coaches Mark Prior and Connor McGuiness suggested ahead of the postseason, en route to what became a dominant October performance.

In six playoff outings, Glasnow did it all for the Dodgers, posting a 1.69 ERA that (among teammates with more than five postseason innings) was bested only by Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.

The team went 3-0 in his three starts, highlighted by his scoreless six-inning gem in their National League Division Series clincher against the Philadelphia Phillies. Three other times, he pitched in relief, including a first-career save in Game 6 of the World Series and 2 ⅓ crucial innings in Game 7 the following night.

By the end of the team’s title run, the 32-year-old was described by manager Dave Roberts as the player who “grew as much as anyone” over the course of the season.

And going into the winter, Glasnow felt he’d finally formed a stable foundation –– one he saw a chance to build upon entering 2026.

“I’ve been in such a good spot since last year,” he said this spring. “It feels natural to me now, to where I’m not thinking about it. I’m just pitching.”

Thus, as he told the California Post recently, Glasnow expressed to Team USA officials early in the WBC selection process that his preference this spring was to stay in Dodgers camp.

He wanted to build on the progress he made at the end of last year. And he wanted to lean into the trust he had built with the team.

“I have so much trust in them, to where I don’t feel like I have to do everything on my own,” Glasnow said. “Now, it’s just like, ‘What do you guys got?’ And then I go out and just do whatever they tell me. It’s not as much tinkering. I can rely on them.”

Tinkering, of course, has long been one of Glasnow’s biggest internal impediments.

The 10-year veteran is a notorious “overthinker” and self-described “perfectionist.” His lanky 6-foot-8 frame gives his delivery many moving pieces. And a long history of injuries has often forced him to seek health-conscious adjustments.

That meant, when Glasnow first arrived on his $136.5 million contract three offseasons ago, he and the Dodgers’ coaches needed time to acquaint themselves.

“I think it’s taken us a couple years to kind of understand the nuances of his delivery, and really matching his feel versus the output (of what he’s doing),” Prior said. “With a lot of guys, we’re trying to get things narrowed down to one or two things that we can really hit somebody between the eyes with. But I joke with him, like, ‘Hey man, you got 50.’”

That’s why, near the end of last year, Prior and McGuiness tried to hone in on a few specific tweaks. They adjusted the alignment of Glasnow’s feet and hips. They crafted a mental cue with how his glove arm leads his body through his throwing motion. They tried to simplify the sequence of his release to the plate.

Now, Glasnow said his throw feels more consistent than it has at any point in the previous four years.

“It has just allowed me to go out and pitch and be athletic,” he said. “It’s not like you’re thinking of something and trying to limit where my body’s going or this or that.”

It helps, Glasnow noted, that this is the first time he has pitched under a long-term contract, with his Dodgers deal still containing two years (plus a team option for another).

“Having a contract and knowing you’ll be somewhere for quite a while, maybe allows you to trust a bit more,” he said.

But mainly, his faith comes from recognizing that he is surrounded by “really good staff members.”

“I will run whatever they tell me through the gauntlet of a lot of questions,” he said. “And when you get to understand everyone is telling you something for a reason, and it’s really thought through and not just words, it really means something. It’s easier for me to decide, ‘Alright, I trust you.’”

Prior gave much of that credit back to Glasnow, noting how he has learned to give himself more grace as he goes through starts.

“Those guys don’t want to face him,” Prior said. “So he’s got room for error, where a lot of pitchers don’t, even when he’s not dialed in.”

This spring, however, Glasnow has looked dialed in more often than not.

His changes from last year have been further cemented. His confidence from the playoffs has given him a new edge. When things do feel off, he waits for a bullpen session, when Prior or McGuiness can identify a fix. And after a long acclimation period with the Dodgers, he seemed primed for maybe his best season yet.

“I think now, for the first time, I’m allowing everyone else to just be like, ‘What do you got?’” Glasnow said. “Everything is so buttoned up here. It’s nice to know a bunch of people have your back.”

The Pittsburgh Pirates are beginning to shrink their spring training roster as Opening Day approaches.

On Monday, the Bucs announced several players being optioned to Triple-A, and others reassigned to minor league camp.

Eight moves were announced, most notably right-handed pitchers Antwone Kelly, Thomas Harrington, and Wilber Dotel sent to Triple-A Indianapolis, signaling they are highly unlikely to make the team. 

Kelly was one of the most impressive pitchers in the organization last season, going from unranked in MLB Pipeline’s Pirates Top 30 to ranked No. 9 this season. 

In 25 starts between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona, Kelly earned a 3.02 ERA, a .206 opponent batting average, 1.06 WHIP, and 116 strikeouts in 107.1 innings. 

Kelly, 22, owns a 65-grade fastball, 50-grade slider, and 55-grade changeup on MLB Pipeline’s 20-80 scale. He is one of 20 pitchers on the Pirates’ 40-man roster.

Harrington made his MLB debut last season but struggled mightily, allowing 15 runs in 8.2 innings in three outings. 

In two spring training outings, Harrington allowed a solo home run and struck out two in six innings, earning a 1.50 ERA. He’s a former Pirates top 10 prospect who now ranks No. 14 by MLB Pipeline and will be a key part of the Bucs’ depth this season.

Dotel ranks one spot ahead of Harrington and had a breakout season in Double-A. In 27 starts with the Altoona Curve, Dotel earned a 4.15 ERA with a .234 opponent batting average, 1.23 WHIP, 43 walks, and 131 strikeouts in 125.2 innings.

The Pirates put Dotel on the 40-man roster this winter to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. Dotel, 23, owns a 60-grade fastball, 50-grade slider, and 50-grade sweeper.

Pittsburgh also optioned right-handed pitcher Brandan Bidois and outfielder Esmerlyn Valdez. All five are on the 40-man. That’s the reason for the difference between being optioned to Indy or outrighted to minor league spring training.

We have made the following roster moves. There are now 54 players in Major League camp. pic.twitter.com/Wgg9WSQKqn

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) March 9, 2026

The Pirates reassigned right-handed pitcher Khristian Curtis, catcher Omar Alfonzo, and utilityman Mitch Jebb to minor league camp.

Pittsburgh will play in Queens against the New York Mets on March 26 to officially begin the 2026 MLB season. 

The 2026 World Baseball Classic continues, with the championship game on March 17.

The Mets and Pirates start the season in front of a national TV audience on NBC, beginning at 1:15 p.m.

Spring training continues tonight for the Yankees, with Pittsburgh coming to George M. Steinbrenner Field to face off with the Bronx Bombers. A considerable chunk of the Yankees’ roster is occupied at the World Baseball Classic—albeit with Jazz Chisholm Jr. and José Caballero now about to head home with their teams eliminated— but the Yanks are still throwing a perfectly cromulent lineup out against Pittsburgh, with ace Max Fried taking the mound for his second start of the spring.

Fried debuted this spring against Caballero and Team Panama on March 3rd, tossing three scoreless innings in the exhibition and throwing 56 pitches. We’ll see to what extent he surpasses that pitch count tonight. Last season, Fried threw seven distinct pitches. With that kind of a repertoire, it will be worth seeing what Fried chooses to work on in his second outing of the spring.

For Pittsburgh, José Urquidy gets the ball, also making his second start of the spring. The veteran right-hander (and former Houston Astro) has missed virtually all of the past two seasons due to injury, so despite having been in the big leagues for several seasons, these are invaluable reps for Urquidy.

The Yankee lineup tonight is replete with legitimate big leaguers to face off with Urquidy and whoever follows him out of the Pirates’ bullpen. The top half of the lineup is really just missing that Judge fellow who is off captaining Team USA. Trent Grisham, Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton form an imposing, albeit lefty-heavy one through four in the lineup. Elsewhere, NRI and fourth outfielder candidate Randal Grichuk makes his spring debut, playing left field. And Oswaldo Cabrera, recently returned from an awful ankle injury, holds down the keystone.

March baseball is still baseball. Go Yankees and stay healthy.

How to Watch:

Location: George M. Steinbrenner Field — Tampa, FL

First Pitch: 6:35 pm EDT

TV broadcast: Gotham Sports App / Sportsnet – PIT

Radio broadcast: 1001. FM/KDKA-AM 1020

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Max on the mound at GMS 👊#RepBXpic.twitter.com/wHZnaYHN4P

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 9, 2026

Bucs go to Tampa.

📺: @SNPittsburgh
📻: KDKA 100.1FM & 1020AM The PRN pic.twitter.com/P1Zy1m0Uf0

— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) March 9, 2026

It’s impossible to land on just one definition of the word ‘success’ in anything, let alone in the world of sports. Success as a concept to the Boston Celtics and New York Yankees is a vastly different bird than success to, say, the Cleveland Browns or Colorado Rockies.

Success to the Cincinnati Reds, at least as the franchise has devolved over the last trio of decades, has limped to meaning just slightly more than not being terrible.

You’ve begun to remember specific seasons and specific rosters who simply finished with a winning record. You recall each and every player brought in on a waiver claim or non-roster deal who actually netted the team more than 0.0 WAR. You don’t have to remind yourselves that Buster Posey’s grand slam and Pirates fans abrasively chanting ‘Cue-to, Cue-to’ were actually the good times of the last 30 years, the times this club dared participate in league-sponsored postseason activity before hibernating again for the winter.

If that run of form continues any longer, we’re going to begin to remember the 2025 Reds the way we recall 2013, 2012, 2010, 1995. They did make the playoffs in a full 162 game season, after all, even if they snuck into a superexpanded megaplayoff bracket with a barely .500 record (and were summarily dismissed immediately). The 2025 Reds made the playoffs, and around these parts that’s damn near tattoo-worthy. As the cobwebs envelope those 2025 memories, it will be hard for anyone to forget the most essential plays that allowed them to sneak into the postseason, since every single one of them mattered when the season’s final day came down to the slimmest of margins in the standings.

The one that stands out most, I think, is Noelvi Marte robbing Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds of a 9th inning homer at home in GABP, bailing out closer Emilio Pagán (who’d left a meatball over the plate to the Pirates lone decent hitter with the game on the line). It preserved a 2-1 victory and moved the Reds to 81-78 on the season with just a series left to play – that’s the bottom line of it – but it also seemed to somewhat validate the odd series of moves the Reds had made in the run-up to that moment.

Marte, of course, came to the Reds in the 2022 blockbuster that saw Luis Castillo head the other way to the Seattle Mariners. He was a shortstop then, a bat-first guy with elite athleticism who seemed to be just about as can’t-miss as they come. His defensive issues moved him to 3B shortly after arriving in the Cincinnati system, however, at the time a move generally considered to have been made thanks to the presence of each of Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, and fellow former Mariner Edwin Arroyo at short. His bat then carried him through to the muddled mess that was the hot corner situation at the big league level in late 2023 only for an 80-game PED suspension to torpedohis 2024 season entirely.

Then came 2025, a year where his bat played decently despite an oblique injury that once again put him on the pine. His glovework, though, became a serious issue once again, and barely after having filed Jeimer Candelario into the 3B Sunk Costsof the Reds folder next to Mike Moustakas, Cincinnati splurged, again, on a 3B at the trade deadline by picking up Ke’Bryan Hayes and the long-term contract that came with him. That pushed Noelvi off 3B for good, and despite his complete lack of experience there it’s what put him in RF that day in GABP to be in position to rob Reynolds of a homer and ‘save’ the Reds season.

It worked! The grand plan had worked!

The Reds had picked up a pristine defender at 3B and Marte was going to stick in RF just fine!

Heck, given his offensive upside, he’s a lock to be the RF of both the present and future now!

The catch, while brilliant and ‘season saving,’ put a loose patch over some more significantly glaring issues, however. While Marte was brilliant in August after the initial move, he stumbled terribly down the stretch last season while hitting just .186/.215/.275 (.489 OPS) in 107 PA over his final 25 games. Noelvi, a right-handed hitter, was positively abysmal against LHP all season long, hitting just .232/.288/.274 in 104 PA against them to the point where manager Terry Francona has made note of them in his 2026 season preparation.

Catch against the Pirates aside, the surface info here suggests a guy who’s still very, very raw in RF whose offense – which is supposed to be a calling card – still hasn’t lived up to its billing. On top of that, he’s a guy with pretty glaring reverse platoon splits on a team that a) spent the winter bringing in two more left-handed hitters who could probably use a platoon partner (JJ Bleday and Nate Lowe) alongside the already-rostered Will Benson and b) threw Eugenio Suárez’s bat into the mix in a way that, with Sal Stewart around, will make Spencer Steer’s right-handed bat much more available in outfield corners when needed.

So, when you read things like this from MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon on March 9th, it’s hard not to wonder just how strong Marte’s grip on the ‘everyday RF’ role really is, or should be.

Bleday, Benson, and Lowe have all out-hit Marte this spring. Bleday and Benson both are talented, experienced career outfielders with boatloads of experience in RF. Dane Myers, acquired from the Miami Marlins over the winter, has already been out-hitting Marte, provides plus defense all over the outfield, and came in with a reputation of specifically hitting left-handed pitching with aplomb.

Against RHP, it’s hard to imagine an outfield combo of Steer, TJ Friedl, Bleday, and Benson having the most consistent two-way floor. And against LHP, it’s hard to question an outfield spread of Steer, Friedl (whose .770 career OPS against LHP is actually better than his .754 mark against RHP), and Myers.

And if that’s the case, well, I’m not exactly sure where Marte fits right now in all of this – at least for right now.

He’s still just 24 years old. He’s still just barely played RF, and his speed and arm and athleticism makes you pretty comfortable with the idea that he’ll only get better there with rep after rep after rep. But he’s also a guy with a pair of options left, and 2026 sure does look like one of those rare years where maybe, just maybe, the Reds might win more games than they lose despite already being without Hunter Greene for a time and the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers looking ever-so-potent in the NL Central.

So, it could be another one of those years where every play, every decision could be the difference between sneaking into the playoffs or finishint ever-so-short. With that much on the line, it’s hard not to wonder whether starting Marte in AAA as the team’s everyday RF for a few weeks – or maybe longer – until he begins to wow the way a top prospect seeking a promotion should is anything other than the most prudent decision Cincinnati can make in the next two weeks.

Even if we all will never forget that catch.