Travis Bazzana was mentioned in MLB Pipeline’s preview for Australia’s WBC team. I found it funny that they acted like there was doubt if he would make the team… if Bazzana doesn’t make Australia’s team… we are in BIG trouble.
Chas McCormick, another interesting right-handed hitter who can play center, signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs. But, we’ve got Stuart Fairchild, so who cares? Right? Right?!
MLB Pipeline will reveal their top 100 prospects tonight at 8pm.
I noticed that ATC, the final FanGraphs’ projections system, released their 2026 projections. Only Jose Ramirez, Kyle Manzardo and Steven Kwan are projected for over 100 wRC+, and the pitching projections are mostly middling. I guess we will see if the Guardians can defy expectations yet again!
When the Rockies signed Prosecky to a slightly over-slot $300k bonus after drafting him in the sixth round in 2022, most observers thought the left-handed pitcher would be ticketed for the bullpen. After all, that’s where the 6’3” hurler had distinguished himself in college as Louisville’s closer. Instead, the now 24-year-old made the transition to the starting rotation in his first full professional season and has stayed there ever since. As a prospect, Prosecky pairs a deceptive low to mid-90s fastball with a high spin rate curveball, slider, and change-up.
Mid-season 2025 Rank: HM
High Ballot: 20
Mode Ballot: 21, 22, 24, 25
Future Value: 35+, starting pitcher depth
Contract Status: 2022 Sixth Round, University of Louisville, Rule 5 Eligible, three options remaining
MLB ETA: 2026
After a strong 2023 spent in Low-A Fresno, Prosecky was delayed by elbow inflammation in 2024 until mid-June, which limited him to 48 2/3 innings across 14 games for a combination of the ACL team, Low-A, and High-A. The good news was that he struck out a sterling 14.4 batters per nine innings, albeit against younger competition. Prosecky also received an Arizona Fall League valedictory, where he threw an additional 15 1⁄3 innings with poor run suppression numbers (7.63 ERA, 2.02 WHIP, and 5.3 BB/9 rate) and strong strikeout numbers (13.5 K/9 rate). All told, across 22 appearances in four leagues in 2024, Prosecky ended up with 101 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched (14.2 K/9 rate), 30 walks (4.2 BB/9 rate), and 37 earned runs allowed (5.20 ERA).
In 2025, Prosecky went back to High-A Spokane, where he was 0.8 years older than league average. He stayed healthy and threw 88 2/3 frames of 3.86 ERA ball in 18 starts with a 1.26 WHIP, 9.4 K/9 rate, and 4.2 BB/9 rate. That’s a significant K/9 rate drop, but the run prevention numbers improved enough to earn Prosecky a post All-Star break promotion to Double-A Hartford, where he was 0.7 years younger than league average. In nine starts with Hartford, Prosecky posted a 4.97 ERA (4.81 xFIP) in 38 innings built on his 1.55 WHIP, 8.1 K/9 rate, and 5.4 BB/9 rate. Overall, it was nice to see Prosecky succeed against upper minors hitting.
Here’s Prosecky striking out ten in a start for Spokane last year:
The 6-foot-3 left-hander does have the size and repertoire to potentially start, with a four-pitch mix. At his best, he runs his fastball up to 95-96 mph and can command it well, missing bats with it along the way. He has a slider that has late action with depth, a slower curve that he can use to steal a strike and an improving feel for his changeup as well.
Prosecky had thrown just 64 innings in college before topping 100 IP in 2023. The Rockies are hopeful that a now completely healthy Prosecky, who has generally been around the zone when he’s at his best, can hit the reset switch and start moving up the ladder again in 2025.
Prosecky only sits 91-93 mph, but hitters don’t seem to pick it up. The southpaw has a short, vertical arm stroke that helps his heater play as an in-zone bat misser despite below-average velocity. He hides the ball forever and it appears to jump on hitters very quickly. He throws a classic 12-to-6 curveball off of that, a pitch that’s virtually indistinguishable from his fastball until it starts to bend with huge, bat-missing depth. Those two pitches give Prosecky a lower-leverage reliever’s foundation. Prosecky’s arm stroke isn’t always well timed, and his strike-throwing results have been mixed during this try as a starter. In the 2024 Fall League, Prosecky was working with a second breaking ball, a slider in the 82-84 mph range that looked below average. There’s definitely more variance here than is typical for a guy who sits 92, but Prosecky is tracking like a low-leverage lefty.
Prosecky fails to light up the radar gun but gets by thanks to plus carry on a low-90s heater. With a four-pitch mix, Prosecky has more of a typical starter’s repertoire. What he lacks is reps, as a reliever in college who then missed time due to injury. Colorado sent him to the Arizona Fall League, where he continued to miss bats but also yielded runs in an environment more friendly to older hitters. A full-health season would see Prosecky end next year having handled a decent chunk of time in Hartford, continuing to miss bats. His floor is lofty as a bullpen piece, but as long as he seems startable he’s performed enough to merit the looks.
Prosecky was my sleeper for the Rockies last year, but after he went to an outside lab to try to boost his velocity, he came down with elbow inflammation and never got on track, throwing 63 innings total between the regular season and Arizona Fall League, with terrible results in the fall and in High A. Even when he did pitch, he was 90-94, down from 92-95 the year earlier; he barely used his slider; and his command was way off. When healthy, he’s got a four-pitch mix, with the slider his best offering and a changeup that could flash plus but didn’t sit there. There’s deception in his delivery to help the fastball play up as well, as long as he’s locating it. Let’s hope a full offseason of rest gets him back to his 2023 form, when he looked like he might be a mid-rotation starter.
It’s interesting to see the difference in evaluation on the curveball — for Law and MLB Pipeline, it’s Prosecky’s weakest pitch but for Longenhagen, it’s his best.
Prosecky has been a pleasant player-development surprise for the Rockies thanks to his jump up the pitcher role value spectrum and effectiveness in the role. He missed fewer bats in 2025 but took a step forward in run prevention at a higher level while throwing 126 2/3 innings. The Rockies didn’t protect Prosecky from the Rule 5 Draft this off-season but he wasn’t selected, so he will likely return to Hartford to begin 2026 and he will be a big league rotation option later in the season. I ranked Prosecky in the middle of my 35+ FV tier, 29th on my list.
It’s no secret that the Mets were looking for rotation help this winter. Mets’ starters posted a 4.13 ERA and a 3.95 FIP last season, which doesn’t look so terrible on the surface until you zoom into the latter half of the year. After June 13 (the day after Kodai Senga suffered the injury that would derail his 2025 campaign), Mets’ starters posted a 5.27 ERA, the fourth-worst mark in MLB. Beyond that, Mets’ starters tossed just 796 innings in 2025, which ranked fourth from the bottom in the sport. That also amounts to an average of just under five innings per game, which put an unnecessary strain on their bullpen and caused all sorts of problems for the team.
The Mets have overhauled their lineup and their bullpen this winter, but the rotation has been mostly untouched. That changed on Wednesday night when the Mets acquired Brewers’ starter Freddy Peralta in a four-player deal that also landed them pitcher Tobias Myers. With that, the club picked up that elusive ace who can slot at the front of their rotation, which immediately turned the team’s enigmatic rotation into a strength.
Peralta led the National League with 17 wins and finished fifth in Cy Young voting last year. Even better than his 2.70 ERA and his 204 strikeouts, he threw 176 2/3 innings and made 33 starts. For reference, David Peterson led the club with 168 2/3 innings, followed by Clay Holmes at 165 2/3, and then Senga at 113 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old made at least 30 starts in each of his previous three seasons and has recorded at least 165 innings in each of those seasons. For a team that is starved for a veteran pitcher who can give them valuable innings, Peralta gives the club exactly what they needed.
As for the rest of the rotation, it remains largely intact, although they have floated both Peterson and Senga in trade rumors this offseason. It is still conceivable that the club could deal one of them to fortify another position, but with their lineup and bullpen mostly set, it’s unlikely the team will be inclined to deal either player. That means that it’s very likely that the starters currently on the club’s 40-man roster will find themselves in the Opening Day rotation, with Peralta a leading contender to take the ball against the Pirates on March 26.
Nolan McLean, who burst onto the scene with a 2.06 ERA, a 2.97 FIP, and 57 strikeouts across in 48 innings across eight starts last year, will almost certainly be a guarantee to make the rotation, and you could make a strong case for him being the team’s number 2 starter. McLean, who fell two innings short of qualifying as a rookie, will garner a lot of Rookie of the Year buzz if he can match or exceed his performance last year, but he is no longer an unknown commodity around the league. Teams will certainly have a scouting report ready to go for the 24-year-old, and how he adjusts to that will determine how much success he has in his first true go-around in the majors.
Beyond the top two pitchers, there’s a lot of uncertainty but a lot of talent. Peterson had an All-Star season in the first half (3.06 ERA, 3.42 FIP, 20.5% K%, 8.1% BB% in 109 innings across 18 starts) but faltered after the break (6.34 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 21.2% K%, 10.1% BB% in 59 2/3 innings across 12 starts) as he blew past his career-high in innings. He is set to make $8.1 million in his final year before free agency, which is a relative bargain for a left-hander who has demonstrated his ability, but he remains a bit of an enigma. If he can recapture what he did in the first half, you could make a strong case for him slotting in at the three-spot.
Behind Peterson, Holmes was the team’s most reliable pitcher and steadiest hand in the rotation. The right-hander, who took the ball on Opening Day last year, signed as an experiment, an elite closer-turned-starter, and it paid immediate dividends for New York. After throwing right around 63 innings in each of his previous three seasons out of the pen, he threw over 165 frames, second-most on the team. He led the team with 12 wins and posted a 1.9 bWAR, the best of his career. He’s likely a guy whom the team won’t want to run too deep into games, and at points last year he was mostly limited to five innings, but he excelled at limiting the damage and keeping the Mets in games, which was a huge factor in his success.
The back-end of the rotation could be the deciding factor in whether the Mets have a great rotation or an average rotation. Sean Manaea and Senga have a wealth of talent but were derailed by injuries and poor performance last year. Both were expected to front the rotation in 2025 but instead became afterthoughts as the team flailed towards a late-season collapse. However, Manaea excelled in 2024 and Senga was an ace in 2023 and the first-half of 2025, so there is proof that they can be successful. A six-man rotation will keep their arms fresh and could help increase their impact.
All in all, a rotation of Peralta-McLean-Peterson-Holmes-Senga-Manaea is a strong group, and while it is high variance, the ceiling is extremely high for this set of starters. The team could look to sign or trade for another arm, but at this point it looks like the rotation may be set. Tobias Myers can also spot start in a pinch, and Jonah Tong can easily be stashed in Triple-A and ready to go at a moment’s notice, though his big league cup of tea last year proved that he needs a bit more seasoning in the minors.
David Stearns could have another big surprise up his sleeve, but for now he has done well to acquire a front-end starter that was sorely lacking. And along with his recent additions to the bullpen and lineup, he’s done well to overhaul this roster and put together a squad that should be competitive in a very tough National League field.
It’s no secret that the Mets were looking for rotation help this winter. Mets’ starters posted a 4.13 ERA and a 3.95 FIP last season, which doesn’t look so terrible on the surface until you zoom into the latter half of the year. After June 13 (the day after Kodai Senga suffered the injury that would derail his 2025 campaign), Mets’ starters posted a 5.27 ERA, the fourth-worst mark in MLB. Beyond that, Mets’ starters tossed just 796 innings in 2025, which ranked fourth from the bottom in the sport. That also amounts to an average of just under five innings per game, which put an unnecessary strain on their bullpen and caused all sorts of problems for the team.
The Mets have overhauled their lineup and their bullpen this winter, but the rotation has been mostly untouched. That changed on Wednesday night when the Mets acquired Brewers’ starter Freddy Peralta in a four-player deal that also landed them pitcher Tobias Myers. With that, the club picked up that elusive ace who can slot at the front of their rotation, which immediately turned the team’s enigmatic rotation into a strength.
Peralta led the National League with 17 wins and finished fifth in Cy Young voting last year. Even better than his 2.70 ERA and his 204 strikeouts, he threw 176 2/3 innings and made 33 starts. For reference, David Peterson led the club with 168 2/3 innings, followed by Clay Holmes at 165 2/3, and then Senga at 113 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old made at least 30 starts in each of his previous three seasons and has recorded at least 165 innings in each of those seasons. For a team that is starved for a veteran pitcher who can give them valuable innings, Peralta gives the club exactly what they needed.
As for the rest of the rotation, it remains largely intact, although they have floated both Peterson and Senga in trade rumors this offseason. It is still conceivable that the club could deal one of them to fortify another position, but with their lineup and bullpen mostly set, it’s unlikely the team will be inclined to deal either player. That means that it’s very likely that the starters currently on the club’s 40-man roster will find themselves in the Opening Day rotation, with Peralta a leading contender to take the ball against the Pirates on March 26.
Nolan McLean, who burst onto the scene with a 2.06 ERA, a 2.97 FIP, and 57 strikeouts across in 48 innings across eight starts last year, will almost certainly be a guarantee to make the rotation, and you could make a strong case for him being the team’s number 2 starter. McLean, who fell two innings short of qualifying as a rookie, will garner a lot of Rookie of the Year buzz if he can match or exceed his performance last year, but he is no longer an unknown commodity around the league. Teams will certainly have a scouting report ready to go for the 24-year-old, and how he adjusts to that will determine how much success he has in his first true go-around in the majors.
Beyond the top two pitchers, there’s a lot of uncertainty but a lot of talent. Peterson had an All-Star season in the first half (3.06 ERA, 3.42 FIP, 20.5% K%, 8.1% BB% in 109 innings across 18 starts) but faltered after the break (6.34 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 21.2% K%, 10.1% BB% in 59 2/3 innings across 12 starts) as he blew past his career-high in innings. He is set to make $8.1 million in his final year before free agency, which is a relative bargain for a left-hander who has demonstrated his ability, but he remains a bit of an enigma. If he can recapture what he did in the first half, you could make a strong case for him slotting in at the three-spot.
Behind Peterson, Holmes was the team’s most reliable pitcher and steadiest hand in the rotation. The right-hander, who took the ball on Opening Day last year, signed as an experiment, an elite closer-turned-starter, and it paid immediate dividends for New York. After throwing right around 63 innings in each of his previous three seasons out of the pen, he threw over 165 frames, second-most on the team. He led the team with 12 wins and posted a 1.9 bWAR, the best of his career. He’s likely a guy whom the team won’t want to run too deep into games, and at points last year he was mostly limited to five innings, but he excelled at limiting the damage and keeping the Mets in games, which was a huge factor in his success.
The back-end of the rotation could be the deciding factor in whether the Mets have a great rotation or an average rotation. Sean Manaea and Senga have a wealth of talent but were derailed by injuries and poor performance last year. Both were expected to front the rotation in 2025 but instead became afterthoughts as the team flailed towards a late-season collapse. However, Manaea excelled in 2024 and Senga was an ace in 2023 and the first-half of 2025, so there is proof that they can be successful. A six-man rotation will keep their arms fresh and could help increase their impact.
All in all, a rotation of Peralta-McLean-Peterson-Holmes-Senga-Manaea is a strong group, and while it is high variance, the ceiling is extremely high for this set of starters. The team could look to sign or trade for another arm, but at this point it looks like the rotation may be set. Tobias Myers can also spot start in a pinch, and Jonah Tong can easily be stashed in Triple-A and ready to go at a moment’s notice, though his big league cup of tea last year proved that he needs a bit more seasoning in the minors.
David Stearns could have another big surprise up his sleeve, but for now he has done well to acquire a front-end starter that was sorely lacking. And along with his recent additions to the bullpen and lineup, he’s done well to overhaul this roster and put together a squad that should be competitive in a very tough National League field.
Recent transactions and discussions in baseball have turned attention back to the age-old complaints about wealth disparities that have plagued Major League Baseball forever. It’s hard to tell whether the current situation is meaningfully different, historically speaking, or if this is simply the same debate we’ve been having my entire life. Still, there are a couple of notable factors that suggest the current gap may differ from those of the past.
I first became aware of the small-market versus big-market dynamic during the Yankees’ “Evil Empire” era in the early 2000s. It was easy to be frustrated by that version of the Yankees. They reached the World Series six times in eight seasons from 1996 to 2003 and won four championships. George Steinbrenner didn’t mind running enormous payrolls, and that approach really stood out in 2003 and 2004, when the Yankees’ payrolls were more than 60 percent higher than the second-highest team. They began to feel like they were in a class of their own, completely separate from the other 29 clubs.
The Yankees are no longer the focal point of baseball’s financial anxiety, but the question now is whether the Dodgers and Mets are worse than those Yankees teams.
If you look strictly at payroll compared to the next-highest team or to the bottom of the league, the answer is probably no. That 2004 Yankees team ran a payroll nearly six times that of the lowest spender—and more than six times if you include the luxury tax, though the tax structure was very different then. Today, the Dodgers and Mets are clearly above everyone else at over half a billion dollars apiece, but the Dodgers are only about 45 percent above the Phillies, so the gap isn’t as extreme as it was in 2003. Similarly, the lowest payroll in 2026 sits a little over $100 million, which is still far below the top but not the six-to-one disparity we saw between the Yankees and Rays back in the day.
Those gaps are still significant—just not larger or scarier than they were 20 to 25 years ago. What gives me pause are the two massive contracts that were just signed. Both the sheer dollar amounts and the structure of those deals make me think the path toward even larger disparities between rich and poor teams isn’t far off. Some of the other owners appear to agree and will push for a salary cap in the next round of CBA negotiations. The Kyle Tucker deal seems to be the one drawing most of their ire, but I want to start with Bo Bichette, because I think a lot of nuance there is getting lost.
From a headline perspective, the Bo Bichette deal looks simple: three years and $126 million, an average annual value of $42 million. That’s a lot of money for a player who has posted between 3.5 and 5 WAR in four of the last five seasons. But he actually received more than $42 million per year in effective value. Bichette can opt out after 2026, has another opt-out after 2027, and receives $5 million if he exercises either one. That’s wild. Opt-outs represent pure risk for teams—they only get exercised when the team would prefer they didn’t—and here the Mets have to pay him on the way out, too.
On top of that, Bichette was extended a qualifying offer, meaning the Mets are also surrendering draft-pick compensation to Toronto. This deal could realistically turn into a one-year contract in which the Mets pay $47 million and a draft pick for a player projected at roughly four wins. That’s more than $12 million per win in total value. It’s an incredibly rich deal, and the team is shouldering almost all the risk. If Bichette struggles again, as he did in 2024, the Mets are still on the hook for more than $40 million per year. No small-market team can sign a deal like that, but the Mets can, because they’re in New York and their owner has more money than anyone could possibly need.
The Dodgers’ deal with Kyle Tucker is similar, only with even bigger dollars. He receives $54 million up front, a $1 million salary this year, $65 million in 2027, and $60 million in each of the following two seasons. That’s $240 million over four years, a $60 million AAV, though $10 million is deferred in each of the final three seasons. After accounting for deferrals, the luxury-tax hit is $57.1 million per year. That’s an enormous number—larger than the annual tax hit for Shohei Ohtani (because of deferrals) and Juan Soto, who sits at $51 million and carries that hit for 15 years.
Tucker’s deal is much shorter, but it’s also incredibly steep. When you factor in the Dodgers paying dollar-for-dollar into the luxury tax at their current payroll level, you could argue they’ve effectively agreed to pay $114.2 million per year for Kyle Tucker. He’s a 4.5–5 WAR player, which works out to roughly $23 million per win. Now imagine what a Bobby Witt Jr. contract would look like if he’s viewed as a seven- or eight-win player—and then consider the chances of him still being a Royal after 2030 (spoiler: he won’t be). If the Dodgers can afford to pay three times the typical $8 million-per-WAR rate we’ve come to think of as standard, very few teams can realistically compete.
None of this is new, but it does present at least one possible silver lining. If other owners can force a salary cap, there may be a path toward greater balance and a more equitable game. On the other hand, it could also lead to a strike, and I really don’t want players in the middle and lower income tiers to get squeezed as collateral damage.
The cynical side of me suspects that owners are happy to point at the Dodgers and Mets so they can frame a salary cap as a principled stance, when in reality it’s another attempt to capture a larger share of league revenue. A salary cap paired with a salary floor—and a guaranteed percentage of league revenue for players—however, might offer a path toward a healthier overall baseball ecosystem.
He made 17 starts early in his career and the results were not good: 5.49 ERA, 1.341 WHIP, his teams were 5-12 in those 17 games.
Then this pitcher was traded — twice in one offseason, incidentally — and converted to relief. Almost immediately he became a dominant closer, eventually pitching in four postseasons and winning a World Series ring. He accumulated 330 saves, which ranks 17th all time.
You could look this up, but I will tell you who this is. It’s John Wetteland, noted as one of the earliest successful starter-to-reliever conversions.
Perhaps you’d like some more recent examples. I have some!
Wade Davis, who posted a 32-save season for the Cubs in 2017, began his career as a starter for the Rays. It did not go well, as he posted a 4.57 ERA and 1.452 WHIP in 88 career starts. The Royals acquired him, converted him to relief and he helped the Royals to the World Series title in 2015.
Brandon Morrow posted 22 saves for the Cubs in the first half of 2018 before missing the rest of that season with injuries. Perhaps if he’d been converted to starting earlier, he might have pitched longer. Morrow posted a 4.32 ERA and 1.324 WHIP in 113 starts for the Mariners, Blue Jays and Padres before being converted to relief in San Diego.
Andrew Miller was a starter for the Tigers, Marlins and Red Sox early in his career, posting a 5.70 ERA and 1.732 WHIP in 66 starts. His 547 relief appearances were much better — 2.95 ERA, 1.095 WHIP, 12.9 SO/9 inning ratio, along with 63 saves (he was mainly a middle relief guy).
One more? Raisel Iglesias made 21 starts for the Reds his first two years, posting a 3.88 ERA, which isn’t too bad — but he’s been much better as a reliever, with a 2.71 ERA in 579 relief appearances and 253 saves.
I remember when Aroldis Chapman first came to MLB, many said the Reds should use him as a starter. They never did — Chapman has never started a MLB game — but I believe that if he had started, throwing that many 100 mile per hour fastballs would have shortened his career. Instead, Chapman has 367 career saves and probably had the best year of his career in 2025 at age 38.
Now, to the subject of this article, Ben Brown. Brown has a 5.26 ERA as a starter (23 starts) and 4.79 as a reliever, not all that different, although the split was more pronounced in 2025 (6.30 ERA in 15 starts, 4.99 ERA in 10 relief appearances).
Brown also doesn’t have a varied pitching repertoire:
Brown’s fastball velocity was actually down a tick in 2025 (it was 96.4 miles per hour in 2024), but I believe that if he were to be used exclusively as a one-inning reliever, he’d tick back up, perhaps even to 98 or 99. The curveball can be devastating if used properly.
This is the repertoire of a relief pitcher. Modern starters need sliders and cutters and other offspeed stuff and Brown just doesn’t have that. Sending him to Triple-A Iowa to “work on that” is not anything that, in my view, would change this. Brown is 26 and he is, in my opinion, who he is.
“But!” some will say. “Justin Steele has a repertoire like this and he’s a starter!”
That is demonstrably false. Here’s Steele’s repertoire from 2024 (I’m using that because he made only four starts in 2025, though those splits were similar):
Brown doesn’t throw a sinker or slider, and while his curveball use is much higher than Steele’s, overall Steele has more choices of pitches — much more like a starter’s repertoire.
The Cubs have five good starters: Matthew Boyd, Edward Cabrera, Cade Horton, Shōta Imanaga and Jameson Taillon. They have Colin Rea as a swingman backing up those five. They will have Javier Assad at Triple-A Iowa ready to go if needed in case of injury. Steele will rejoin the rotation at some point this year. After that, top prospect Jaxon Wiggins is next man up.
Thus the Cubs already have nine available starting pitchers who will likely throw a pitch in the rotation this year. They don’t need Ben Brown to be a starting pitcher.
The Cubs do need relief pitchers who can dial it up to 98 miles per hour plus, and I believe Ben Brown can do that. Most pitchers do better with defined roles; Brown has never really had one with the Cubs. If they put him in the bullpen and assign him a setup role with the idea that he might even close games from time to time, I think he will become a successful MLB reliever.
Remember Andrew Chafin’s shirt? Perhaps Ben Brown could be the next “failed starter” to succeed in relief.
Andrew Chafin:
– 24.1 scoreless inning streak in relief (longest in MLB this season) – 17 holds (3rd most in MLB) – Part of combined no-hitter vs LAD – Failed Starter
Will miss one of mine and every fan's favorite Cubs. OAK's getting a good one pic.twitter.com/DSUzvKNJbC
The selfsame Rangers made a big splash, acquiring left-hander MacKenzie Gore from the Nationals for a package of five prospects headlined by Texas’ 2025 first-rounder Gavin Fien.
Joshua Rodrigues at Baseball Prospectus dug into the bat speed data behind the top hitters in this year’s free agent class to understand how things panned out the way they did for them. ($)
How did we get here with the Dodgers? Joon Lee breaks it down.
In back-to-back days our division rivals have added to their rosters looking to improve their chances for the coming season. Two days ago the Los Angeles Angels came to terms with third baseman Yoan Moncada, bringing back a decent hitter with major health questions hovering over him. Moncada was a potential target for the A’s to upgrade at the hot corner themselves but evidently one or both sides didn’t see a path to joining forces.
Then yesterday afternoon we got news that the Texas Rangers made a bold move to bolster their pitching staff, acquiring left-hander MacKenzie Gore from the Washington Nationals for a massive, five-player package. Gore was considered one of the top trade target all offseason long and now finds himself in the AL West, where he’s set to face the A’s multiple times a year. It’s a small sample but in two career starts against the Green & Gold he’s pitched eight innings and allowed eight runs, so there’s that.
Texas surrendered their numbers 2, 6, 12, 16, and 18th top prospects to land the rights to Gore, who is under contract for just two more seasons. It was a massive package for a starter that has yet to fully reach his high ceiling. While the left-hander showed his immense potential in the first half last year with an All-Star selection, injuries and underperformance hindered him in the second half. Overall in his four-year big league career he’s sporting a 4.19 ERA, which is solid in its own right but not what the Nationals expected when they made him a central return piece for Juan Soto.
On the plus side for the Rangers he’s generally been durable and there’s nothing to suggest that’s going to change in Texas. Gore looks like a dependable arm that could have mid-rotation upside, but that’s a lot of prospect capital to cash in for that type of arm. That seems to be the going rate nowadays though. Texas may end up regretting giving up a few of those prospects down the line but for them, adding to a rotation fronted by JacobdeGrom is worth it, and they’re clearly expecting to contend again this coming year.
The A’s weren’t in on Gore by any means but his trade could have down the line implications for the Athletics. Baseball is a long season and the A’s have options for the starting rotation. At least to begin the year. As we have seen in recent seasons though that pitching depth can be tested early and run out by the time June rolls around. The A’s have understandably focused on different parts of the roster to upgrade (namely second base and the bullpen) but the starting staff has also been mentioned as an area that the team could use a boost.
There are still plenty of solid, durable arms on the free agent market that could provide a boost to an A’s team that has just two starters that pitched over 100 innings last year (plus JP Sears, but he’s no longer around obviously). Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs aren’t world beaters by any imagination but they do soak up innings, and the A’s will need more than just those two to last long in their starts.
The other rotation options are exciting in their own right, but haven’t pitched a full MLB season. Jacob Lopez is currently penciled in as the #3 starter, but he nearly reached his career-high in innings pitched last year at just 92 IP and also went down with an elbow injury near the end of the year. JT Ginn looked over his own elbow problem but also reached a career-high in innings pitched overall at 90 (plus 20 in Triple-A). Luis Morales looked fantastic in his short big league stint but pitched a career-high 89 innings in 2025. Luis Medina is coming off a lost season due to Tommy John surgery. Gunnar Hoglund and Mason Barnett can’t be counted on to provide innings this season and Hoglund has his own extensive injury history. Lots of interesting names, little in the way of sure things.
Removing Sears and Osvaldo Bido and the A’s are in need of nearly 200 innings pitched just from losing those two pitchers alone. We’re not even factoring in the potential loss of Severino or Springs to injury/trade. The Athletics have to know they can’t go into the season with the current group as is and expect to get through the year happy and healthy, let alone contend. Injuries/ineffectiveness will happen to multiple of those names mentioned above. The front office would be wise to bolster the starting staff before the remaining options find other homes, and now that Gore is off the table those other options may find their phones ringing more often than they have all winter.
Luckily for the A’s there’s still 20 days until pitchers and catchers report and plenty of viable options. Names like Chris Bassitt (an old friend!), Nick Martinez, Zack Gallen, Zack Littel, Lucas Giolito and Erick Fedde aren’t exciting names but you know the one thing they all have in common? They’re innings eaters, all of whom pitched at least 165 frames (except Giolito and Fedde, who pitched 145 and 140 respectively). And they would be all but guaranteed a spot in the starting rotation should they sign on with our A’s. There may be some favorites in there but frankly any will do. The Rangers weren’t happy with their starting rotation and they went out and added an upgrade. It’s time for the A’s to do the same with their own addition to an unproven starting staff, before the remaining innings eaters find their home for the coming campaign elsewhere. Time is ticking for the front office to get a move on.
"I think we're pretty confident that the Athletics thing is going to work out."@Brent_Rooker25 doesn't anticipate the A's being renamed to the Las Vegas Strippers. 😂 pic.twitter.com/roRieTZMNu
Good morning! MLB Network just completed its annual exercise in ranking the top-100 players in Major League Baseball. You already know who number 1 is, and he doesn’t play for the Red Sox. But Garrett Crochet does, and he led the way for the Sox by coming in as the 12th-best player in the game. Rounding out the rankings for the Sox were Roman Anthony (41), Jarren Duran (58), Ranger Suárez (79), and Aroldis Chapman (81). Only four other teams in baseball have as many as five players on the list: the Dodgers (8), Yankees (6), Mariners, (5), and Phillies (5).
What’s interesting about the Red Sox rankings is that, with the exception of Crochet, the Sox contingent has a lot of variance. I would not at all be surprised if neither Suárez nor Chapman turned out to be top-100 players this year, while I also wouldn’t be surprised if Jarren Duran is on another team. As for Anthony, I would actually be disappointed if he’s only the 41st-best player in baseball. He has the potential to establish himself as a top-10 player as soon as this year and, if I had to wager on it, I’d tab him to finish at least in the top-30 in 2026.
Talk about what you want, think about whether your one of the top-100 anythings in the world, and be good to one another.
The people have spoken and newcomer pitching prospect Khal Stephen is our No. 8 Cleveland Guardians prospect. Stephen won convincingly, earning 40% of the vote, beating out Juan Brito (24.3%), Jaison Chourio (12.9%) and Jace LaViolette (11.4%). He is making his CTC prospect list debut.
Stephen was a second round pick (No. 59 overall) by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Mississippi State.
He didn’t pitch the year he was drafted, but Toronto debuted him at full-season Single-A last year, where he shredded opposing hitters. Over the course of eight games (seven starts), Stephen posted a 2.06 ERA with a ridiculous 1.97 FIP over 39.1 innings while striking out a whopping 31.4% of hitters while walking just 4.6% of them.
This earned Stephen a promotion to High-A, where Stephen continued to dominate. He dropped his ERA to a miniscule 1.49 while retaining an elite 2.70 FIP and an absolutely redonkulous 0.85 WHIP over nine starts spanning 48.1 innings. Despite the quick promotion, Stephen was named the Northwest League Pitcher of the Month for June
Stephen was promoted to Double-A, making one start and immediately being placed on the injured list with a shoulder impingement following his first start there. One week later, he was traded to Cleveland in a one-for-one deal for former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber. Stephen was activated three weeks later and made four starts with Double-A Akron. Three of the starts were spectacular, allowing one run in 4.0 innings twice and tossing 3.0 scoreless innings once. Unfortunately, one of those starts was a disaster, allowing six earned runs in 0.1 innings, which inflated his numbers at the level before the season ended.
Stephen possesses excellent control, striking out 110 batters versus 20 walks across three levels in 2025. He sits in the low to mid 90s and touches 96 with his fastball and every one of his pitches have the potential to be plus. I could easily see him being a mid-rotation starter for Cleveland for years to come if he stays healthy. Look for Stephen to begin 2026 repeating at Double-A, but if performs well, he could be promoted quickly and could make his MLB debut at some point this summer or fall if he continues to impress.
Now, it’s time to determine who is number nine in the Guardians’ loaded farm system! Your options are below:
Was lined up to make his MLB debut in 2025, but multiple injuries prevented the switch-hitter from getting his opportunity and it’s possible he could be passed up completely.
Impressed at the complex league, then hit the ground running in a late season promotion to Single-A before running out of steam late in his age-17 season. Loaded with potential.
Chourio was lining up to be Cleveland’s top prospect after a sensational 2024, but he was slowed in 2025 by a nagging shoulder injury and had a very average season. He’s looking to bounce back in 2026.
Acquired from Pittsburghin the Spencer Horwitz trade, Hartle was one of Cleveland’s most successful starting pitchers in its minor league system in 2025. Stands 6-foot-6, but doesn’t have a ton of velocity.
Cleveland’s first round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, the 6-foot-6 LaViolette instantly becomes one of the top power hitting prospects in the system. Strikeouts and contact have been an issue, however.
One of Cleveland’s most impressive hitters in its minor league system during his stint at High-A Lake County as a 20-year-old. Rosario has a unique combination of speed and power, but will need to overcome his strikeouts.
Acquired in the Josh Bell trade, Watson had his best season in 2025 after switching to the outfield from shortstop. Possesses a unique blend of speed and power mixed with great athleticism.
At the big league level, he was roughed up for 14 R (13 ER) in just 6.0 IP, with a trio of long balls yielded – and walked more (8) than he struck out (7). Down at AAA Louisville, he was tagged for 91 R (80 ER) in just 112.2 IP, his 102/58 K/BB far from anything worth writing home about.
Still, there’s a ton there to like. He’s a guy who has thrown as hard as 101 mph in his career, and he has a full five-pitch mix when things are going well. Over at Reds Minor Leagues, Doug Gray even openly wondered if a mid-season alteration to how he used that mix was behind some of his late season struggles, and that will certainly be something to watch with Derek Johnson as Petty revvs up for the 2026 season down in Goodyear, Arizona.
Petty also doesn’t turn 23 until shortly after the season begins, and there’s still ample time for development from him if he can rediscover the kind of consistency needed to be a big league starter. And if that doesn’t pan out, he’s still got the kind of arm that could make him follow the path of, say, Connor Phillips to the back of the bullpen.
Petty checks in 9th in this year’s CPR, and did so with a pretty overwhelming portion of the vote this round.
Acquired in return for Danny Jansen at the 2025 trade deadline, Arienamo was promoted straight to Double-A by the Rays, and his success at that level carried over into the Venezuealan winter league, where his 1.112 OPS and 13 HR were each the second highest marks in the league and earned him the ROY award. He’s considered to have a high baseball IQ, strong motor, excellent bat control, and defensive flexibility, any one of which could earn him an entertaining major league debut.
A sixth rounder from 2023, Nichols entered the Rays organization with low mileage and control issues, a match made in development heaven. Fast forward to 2025, and his 68% strike percentage ranked 10th best among all minor league pitchers with 100 innings, according to Baseball America. His breaking ball is a big fish in a little pond thanks to its two-plane movement. By my eye, he has a mid-90’s dead zone-ish fastball with easy, over the top heat, and a classic but inconsistent change up. Despite all his gains in control it’s his command that might hold him back, but he fills the zone and might be able to eat innings, which is enough for a back end starter floor. If you’re buying stock, he’s Kimberly-Clark.
Rank
Player
Position
Votes
Total
Percentage
Last Season
1
Carson Williams
SS
14
25
56%
1
2
Brody Hopkins
RHP
19
25
76%
8
3
Jacob Melton
OF
14
28
50%
N/A
4
Theo Gillen
OF
14
26
54%
13
5
Ty Johnson
RHP
12
25
48%
15
6
Daniel Pierce
SS
13
23
57%
N/A
7
Jadher Areinamo
INF
15
28
54%
N/A
8
TJ Nichols
RHP
13
28
46%
N/R
The runoff between Areinamo and Nichols was well rewarded with a very close vote. There seems to be an open question if Areinamo’s ceiling justifies his ranking, but in my view the floor is on par with what many Top-100 prospects eventually deliver, which leads us to where we are today. The next round adds two pitchers: Harrison and Urbina.
Candidates
Caden Bodine, C 22 | S/R| 5’10” | 200 A (BAL) | .326/.408/.349 (133 wRC+) 49 PA, 0 HR, 0 SB, 5 BB, 8 K
Drafted 30th overall in 2025, Bodine was acquired in the Shane Baz trade. He profiles as a relatively safe prospect thanks to 60 grade bat-to-ball skills, and comfortably-plus blocking and receiving behind the plate. There is some concern that his smaller frame limits him to fringe power, but those concerns are off-set by solid plate discipline from both sides of the plate; his sweeter swing is left handed. All catching prospects will see their value proposition shift with the challenge system, but his defensive actions, leadership, and receiving give him real value, projecting him as a solid major league contributor.
Acquired in the Brandon Lowe trade, Brito has three plus pitches with a fastball that touches 100 with cut-ride, and two breakers in a mid-80s curveball with surprising depth and a mid-80s slider he commands best. He also mixes in a developing low-90s cutter and a scattershot but intriguing mid-80s changeup with strong velocity and movement separation, with some added deception from his smaller frame helping limit hard contact. The concern is control, as he’s posted below-average strike rates in A-ball across 2024–25 and lacks consistent feel outside the slider, leaving him to project as a slightly wild, high-leverage reliever for now. Still, with multiple plus pitches, improved durability, and meaningful command gains, he has mid-rotation starter upside, giving him possibly the widest range of outcomes on this list. Baseball Prospectus describes him as having “Shohei Ohtani’s stuff with Johnny Cueto’s body.”
Slater de Brun, OF 18 | L/L | 5’10” | 187
Drafted 37th overall in 2025, through a draft pick traded by the Rays, de Brun was essentially re-acquired in the Shane Baz trade. Like many Rays outfield prospects he’s not expected to develop much power, but compensates with an ability to hit to all fields, and has the benefit of years to develop. His hit tool rates plus thanks to a quick, compact swing, and his double-plus speed elevates both his baserunning and range in center; he has a solid arm and can stick long term. The key to his development will be improving pitch selection to maximize his power potential. Despite not yet playing in a pro game, he’s a good bet to skip the complex league and debut in Charleston this season.
Michael Forret, RHP 22 | 6’3” | 190 A+ (BAL) | 1.51 ERA, 2.45 FIP, 59.2 IP (16 G, 15 GS), 33.5% K, 7.5% BB AA (BAL) | 1.88 ERA, 2.03 FIP, 14.1 IP (3 GS), 15 K, 3 BB
A product of the State College of Florida Manatee – Sarasota (formerly Manatee Junior College), Forret was a well above slot ($450k) 14th round draft choice in 2023 and arrives via the Shane Baz trade. Despite missing some time to a back injury in 2025, his array of fastballs and breaking balls already look major league ready. He seems adept at trying new things, as he picked up a whiff-worthy kick change in 2024, and is already tinkering with a Rays-like sweeper, both through his offseason program at Tread Athletics. He has a low release point (below 6 feet) but a rising fastball, and has — to quote Eric Longenhagen — “sensational feel.” Forret pitches with efficiency and variety, and could climb the ladder quickly in 2026.
Harrison entered the season as Baseball America’s top pitcher in the system thanks to a cleaned up delivery and high heat. He ran into some bumps in the road by running up his pitch count against batters, but he still made it over 100 innings in 22 starts. A power pitcher through and through, his hard slider flirts with cutter classification and could evolve into two distinct pitches down the road. It will be interesting to see how his change up plays as he’s challenged at higher levels, but for now he has premium stuff and the upside of a rotation anchor. (video)
Isaac had his season cut short large-in-part due to the discovery of a brain tumor, disrupting an otherwise great start to the season that duplicated his cup of coffee in Double-A as a 20-year old, despite some minor arm injuries along the way. He has the best power projection in the system, and if he can hold his own for a full season in 2026 — particularly against southpaws, which is somewhat of a concern — the former first round pick (29th overall, 2021) could see his status restored near the top of the Rays prospect rankings.
Morgan continued to hit without power in 2025, a great discouragement for some evaluators, but his present 50-grade hit tool and feel for the zone allow a major league projection. He continued his improved, quieter two-strike approach in 2025 that built on his success retooling his swing in the AFL last year. The Rays gave Morgan 14 starts in Left Field last season, and Baseball America called the defense “playable,” but his value is tied to his plus-plus defense at First.
Santiago Suarez, RHP 21 | 6’2” | ? A+ | 2.88 ERA, 2.07 FIP, 40.2 IP (10 GS), 26.9% K, 3.6% BB AAA | 5 ER (9 H, 2 BB, 3 HR) 11.0 IP (2 GS), 9 K
Suarez climbed the ladder to Triple-A to finish a short season, as some triceps/shoulder issues hampered his 2025, but when called upon this Venezuelan strike-thrower has earned the trust of his managers to go out there and pitch. He has two plus fastballs, with easy heat but average ride on the 4-seam, and a hard cutter with tight bite. His only complimentary pitch thus far is a 12-6 curve, which makes it a fairly vertical arsenal. He gets good extension, although I’d be remiss to not mention the double pump in his plant leg that on first glance looks like noise, but has led to evident repeatability. What Suarez boasts in control he might lack in command. Right now it’s a supinator’s profile with an average arm slot. To progress he either needs to add some east-west depth to his arsenal (à la Chris Bassitt), or find ways to unlock the spin rates a touch more (Shane Baz). I’d expect him to slot into Montgomery’s rotation as one of the younger starters for his level.
Brendan Summerhill, OF 22 | L/R | 6’3” | 200 A | .333/.429/.444 (160 wRC+) 42 PA, 0 HR, 5 SB, 6 BB, 5 K
Following an All-Star performance at the Cape Cod summer league, Summerhill exhibited some of the best bat-to-ball skills in NCAA as a junior at Arizona. His draft stock took a minor hit due to injury (broken hand from from punching a cooler) and was drafted 42nd overall, but Summerhill rebounded well with a dominant stop at Charleston to finish the year. Summerhill has plus barrel control, allowing for a high-contact approach for his long swing. He has plus speed as well, which provides a chance to stick in center. Evaluators would like to see more power to complete a five-tool profile. Even if the power doesn’t materialize, it’s an above average contributor’s projection.
Jose Urbina, RHP 20 | 6’3” | 180 A | 2.05 ERA, 3.58 FIP, 92.1 IP (19 GS), 26.4% K, 8.2% BB A+ | 2 ER (2 HR), 4.0 IP (1 GS), 5 K, 0 BB
Good pitchers grow and adjust, and Urbina has done that consistently at an age young for his level. Physically he has grown in strength, sitting at 96 with the fastball after flashing high octane in 2024, and technically he has grown, refining his dialed up slider and his two-plane curveball into complementary pitches — which lack plus command but are thrown with feel. He shouldered a starter’s workload at 19, and was awarded one additional start at High-A, where he allowed two solo shots and struck out five. Overall, the age, body, and body of work have him on the trajectory of top prospect lists in the near future.
Jake Cronenworth has been talked about as a potential trade piece for the past couple of seasons. He has value in that he can play multiple positions and is steady at the plate. For now, Cronenworth is projected to be the second baseman for the San Diego Padres on opening day although that could change in the coming weeks. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune looks at Cronenworth and what he can bring to the 2026 team as part of his ongoing Padres roster review.
Baseball America just announced their top 100 prospects in baseball heading into the 2026 season. Let’s take a look at which Brewers prospects made the cut:
4. SS Jesus Made
I’ve written about Made a lot over the last year (and this offseason), so there isn’t a lot to say about him that hasn’t already been said. BA considers him a 70-grade (!) prospect with average risk, but nothing he’s shown so far has indicated that he won’t be able to adjust as he continues to rise through the minor league system.
Made is pretty much the complete package at the plate, showing above-average speed, power, and contact throughout three different levels of minor league ball. He may not stick at shortstop long-term, but that’s mainly due to Cooper Pratt’s presence as opposed to any inherent defensive deficiency. He made some errors over the course of the year, but his defense improved significantly — he projects to be, at the very least, a slightly-above-average defender.
After a hot start with Low-A Carolina in 2025, Made earned a mid-season promotion and hit even better (.915 OPS) before being promoted again — just in time for the Double-A playoffs. If he keeps improving (he should), he’ll be knocking on the door of the Brewers’ clubhouse in no time. He’s the best prospect Milwaukee has had since Jackson Chourio and should be very fun to watch in a Brewers uniform someday.
47. SS/2B Luis Peña
Peña has just as high of an offensive ceiling as Made despite questions surrounding his plate discipline and long-term defensive abilities. He’s an “athletic, aggressive hitter who tracks pitches well with excellent hand-eye coordination.” He also doesn’t strike out all that much (8.2% in 2025) despite often swinging at pitches that maybe he shouldn’t. Peña frequently posts high-level exit velocities (up to 106 mph), although his swing is geared toward top-spin line drives — meaning that his home run numbers (1 HR in 2025) are somewhat lacking despite having tons of raw power.
Peña’s ranking, per BA, is honestly quite a bit lower than I thought it would be. Peña got promoted to High-A alongside Made, but while Made improved on his Low-A stats, Peña faltered a bit (.844 OPS with Carolina, .517 over 101 at-bats with Wisconsin). He’ll need to show improvement on his numbers to justify ranking him this high, but if he starts the season off hot, he’ll probably rise significantly up BA’s rankings.
50. SS Cooper Pratt
Out of the three shortstops at the top of the Brewers’ farm system, Pratt is the best defensive prospect. I’ve said it before, but I genuinely think he’d be an above-average shortstop at the major league level in 2026. I absolutely love his defensive game. He gets to balls a lot of other shortstops don’t get to and doesn’t make many mistakes.
The bat is still a work in progress, although Pratt shows traits that hint at his bat developing further. Per BA, swing is simple, balanced and stays short to the ball for a 6-foot-3 hitter. Pratt will expand the strike zone a touch more often than he should, particularly against sliders down and away, but he has a good sense of timing with the hand-eye coordination that leads to a low swing-and-miss rate.“ For what it’s worth, scouts don’t think he’ll develop much power due to his low top-end exit velocities and lack of bat speed. Still, if he develops as hoped, a defensive wizard shortstop who can hit for average is a highly valuable player.
71. SS/2B/OF Jett Williams
Williams and his former teammate in the Mets organization, Brandon Sproat, deserve their own article once I have the time to watch some film. For now:
There was a reason many Mets fans are disappointed that Williams, the No. 14 overall pick back in 2022, was part of the return for Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers. He could be very good, very soon. His best traits at the plate are his on base ability and swing decisions, both of which sound very Brewers. Unlike most recent Brewers acquisitions, he comes with a ton of accolades. Williams was BA’s No. 1 overall Mets prospect coming into last season. Also according to BA, Williams was the best baserunner and had the strongest infield arm in the Mets organization. After the 2025 season, Williams was named the Eastern League’s top Major League prospect.
Williams also boasts significant power (17 home runs in 130 combined games last year) and should be able to hit for power at the next level, despite his diminutive stature (5’6”). Williams’ final standout trait is his versatility — while he’s mostly played shortstop as a member of the Mets organization, he’s notched at least 33 career starts at both second base and center field.
Williams had an .868 OPS in 96 games for the Mets’ Double-A affiliate last year. Upon his promotion to Triple-A, his OPS dropped a little bit (.718 OPS in 36 games), but I’d bet on his numbers bouncing back up somewhere closer to where they were in Double-A once he spends significant time at that level. It doesn’t hurt that the Brewers front office clearly thinks he could be someone (remember Caleb Durbin…).
81. RHP Brandon Sproat
Sproat, the other player that the Brewers got in return for Peralta and Myers, is going to fit in great with the Brewers’ “pitching lab.” Fun fact about the 25-year-old righty — the Mets actually drafted him twice, selecting him in the third round in 2022 and second round in 2023. He more than lived up to that draft capital through Double-A, but eventually hit a bit of a wall in Triple-A. Through his first 22 starts in Triple-A, Sproat posted an abysmal 6.45 ERA. His last 11 starts, however? A 2.44 ERA and 30% (!!) strikeout rate. He was called up in September and made four starts with the Mets before the end of the season, with varying results.
While he’s not quite as highly ranked of a prospect as Williams, he’s a legitimate talent. Sproat only posted a 4.24 ERA in 26 games (25 starts) at Triple-A Syracuse last season, but the underlying peripherals — 113 strikeouts in 121 innings pitched, .218 opponent batting average — point to a pitcher who could find success in the big leagues. Per BA, his standout traits are his control (“good enough to start” in the majors) and his breaking balls, which “stand out.” Sproat threw his mid-80s sweeper and high-70s curveball about a third of the time in his MLB debut and leaned on them as putaway pitches. He also throws a harder slider. Sproat’s sinker sits 94-96 mph, but despite that velocity, it operates as a groundball or set-up pitch rather than a whiff pitch.
96. RHP Logan Henderson
Most of you saw Henderson in his stint with the Brewers last year, a stint that was cut short due to right elbow inflammation. Despite the injury, the promise that he showed in 25 1/3 IP (1.78 ERA) with Milwaukee was enough to land him on BA’s Top 100. Henderson isn’t going to blow anyone away, but he’s a smart pitcher who gets good movement on his pitches. His standout pitch is his 80-ish mph “Nintendo pitch” changeup, which played off his fastball effectively both in Triple-A and in the majors. It’s fair to wonder whether he’ll have the same level of success once major league teams get a full year of film on him, and he certainly (almost certainly?) won’t post an ERA under 2.00 next year.
Still, Milwaukee trading Peralta and Myers shows that they have confidence in their pitching depth heading into 2026, and Henderson looks to be a significant part of the Brewers’ rotation plans for 2026. He won’t be on this list next year.
