Category: Baseball

Having spent the entirety of his professional baseball career in the Dodgers organization until he signed a minor league deal with the Mets this offseason, José Ramos has yet to get a shot in the big leagues. And heading into his age-25 season, he seems most likely to begin the year in Triple-A Syracuse.

After signing with Los Angeles as an international free agent out of Panama in 2018, Ramos first played in the Dominican Summer League in 2019, putting up a relatively pedestrian .739 OPS. Like all minor league players, he didn’t play in any games in 2020, but he came back strong in 2021 with a .329/.396/.576 line and 11 home runs in just 288 plate appearances in Rookie and Single-A ball.

As he moved up the ranks of the Dodgers’ system, though, Ramos tended to see worse results. In 2022, between Single-A and High-A, he finished with an .818 OPS. And in Double-A the following year, he wound up with a .742 OPS. The Dodgers had him repeat the level in 2024, and things went worse the second time around, as he hit just .221/.308/.388. He started the 2025 season in Double-A once again, and things didn’t improve, as he hit ten home runs but had just a .688 OPS in 58 games at the level to start the year.

Despite those struggles, the Dodgers bumped Ramos up to their Triple-A affiliate for the first time in July. The change of scenery seemed to help, even if the Pacific Coast League features some particularly hitter-friendly parks. Ramos hit .295/.359/.557 with eight home runs in 167 plate appearances.

Defensively, Ramos has played center field the majority of the time in his minor league career, but he’s logged significant innings in right field and played a little bit of left field, as well. That relative flexibility could give him a better chance at getting his first look in the big leagues this year with the Mets, as the team’s outfield is perhaps the most uncertain part of its roster.

Luis Robert Jr. hasn’t been the most durable player, Tyrone Taylor struggled mightily at the plate last year, and Carson Benge isn’t a lock to hit the ground running this season, even if there’s very good reason to be excited about the Mets leaving the left field job open for him to win in spring training. And we’ll see if the Mets really intend to use Brett Baty at all in left field.

Ramos would have to establish himself as the team’s best option should they need to call someone up from the minor league ranks, and he won’t be without competition. Mets prospects A.J. Ewing and Nick Morabito might both start the year in Syracuse and have center field experience and at least some innings logged in a corner outfield spot. And Ramos isn’t the only mid-to-late 20s outfielder who will be in the mix, either.

There are quite a few variables in the mix here, but we know that David Stearns likes a center fielder who can hit home runs. We’ll presumably get a look at Ramos a bit in spring training and then plenty more in Syracuse, and if he’s a good defender in center, even a decent line at the plate in Triple-A might be enough to get him a look.

Coming off a season where Missouri baseball sat at the bottom of the Southeastern Conference with a 16-39 record and three wins in SEC play, there’s no place to look except up for a bounce-back season. Injury returnees, a revamp in identity, and a building project were some of the main talking points from Tigers head coach Kerrick Jackson on Friday afternoon when he met with the local media. 

One key point in the talking points of positivity was that the build is going to take time, and there is no satisfaction with where the program is currently. A flip on the constant reality of the Tigers being an underdog in the all-powerful SEC baseball conference this season is to simply use that status to help themselves play their best baseball.

“It’s year three for us, and we finally have the right people in place,” Jackson said. “Whenever you’re building something, it takes time. My first year here, we didn’t bring in 25 portal guys. We didn’t do that in year two, either. We slowly pieced things together and got the right people in for the system we want. Now we have people who have been here for several years, and they know what our culture needs to be, and how we need to go about things.”

“For me, it feels comfortable,” Tigers infielder Kam Durnin said. “Growing up where I did in the middle of nowhere, the closest facility I had to play baseball at was Columbia, which was an hour and a half away. I’m used to the underdog mentality, to having to work more to get the same amount done as everyone else.”

Durnin is certainly a player who could help the Tigers reach that timeline. A standout not just due to his two years at Wichita State, but also because of his off-the-charts season in the summer of 2025. The numbers and achievements at the plate speak for themselves: .407 batting average, 56 RBI, and a 1.181 OPS in 40 games, with his BA and RBI both Appalachian League records according to MU athletics.

In that timeframe, Durnin achieved a 13-game hit streak, which also led the Appalachian League, and ultimately finished the season with a 10-game hit streak. Durnin went 1-for-3 at the plate in the scrimmage Friday afternoon with a single and a stolen base.

“He’s a high-IQ baseball guy,” Jackson said. ”Obviously, he’s really talented. He’s a really good shortstop, and he’s going to be solid there. Offensively, he really hadn’t come into his own until this past summer, and then it took off. He’s made himself a complete baseball player. He comes from a baseball family, and what he’s done by coming in here — bringing that energy and that desire to compete — has been really infectious for our guys. It’s been really good.“

The Tigers are coming off a season in which their pitching staff posted a team ERA of 9.19 and allowed a conference-worst 458 earned runs and 290 walks. Enter new pitching coach Drew Dickinson.

In June 2025, Jackson announced the hiring of Dickinson, who coached a Virginia Cavaliers pitching staff that made three total trips to the College World Series since 2021 and ranked in the upper echelon of ERA, including the fourth-best in the nation in 2021, according to MU Athletics.

When asked about the mojo the revamped pitching staff aims to develop, Jackson had two words for what Dickinson will bring: energy and identity. 

“That’s something our pitching staff hasn’t had — an identity,” Jackson said. “Now they do. He’s a competitor. He’s going to compete in anything: chewing gum, walking down the sidewalk, whatever it is. He loves to compete, and he puts that on those guys. They’re embracing that, and as a result, you’re going to see our guys go out and do just that — be relentless, put pressure on teams.”

Two arms on the pitching staff, JD Dohrmann and Dane Bjorn, both stood out among the appearances in Mizzou’s intersquad scrimmage on Friday afternoon. Dohrmann tossed six innings, allowing three earned runs, while Bjorn kept the bats quiet in his two scoreless innings of relief.

Javyn Pimental was accustomed to keeping runners off the basepaths himself, leading the Tigers in team ERA at 3.61, and allowed nine base hits, the least conceded on the Mizzou pitching staff. This strong 2024 season appeared to be a resurgence for the left-hander, before the nightmare scenario for every pitcher hit him: Tommy John surgery, which kept Pimental sidelined for the whole of the 2025 season. Pimental, being one of the multitude of starters who had limited time on the mound last season.

“I couldn’t really make an impact on the field where I wanted to, but in the locker room and clubhouse, I could still make an impact,” Pimental said. ”That year and a half where I sat on the sideline, I took things for granted, and when things get taken away, you have a different gratitude for it.”

2026 will mark the third season at the helm at Mizzou for Jackson in the rebuilding process of the Tigers’ program. Jackson said the difficulties have given him lessons, but one important one in particular.

“All good things take time. We’re building, not reloading. Nobody likes to build except the builder. It’s like the North End Zone project — nobody likes what it looks like right now, but when it’s unveiled, everyone’s going to love it. You have to enjoy the process and not get frustrated. Once we reach our timeline, we’re not going backwards.”

If you’re following along with our prospect rankings and reports, you’ve noticed several themes developing. One low key trend that’s less obvious is the Tigers success with inexpensive college pitchers from smaller schools. While the Detroit Tigers have focused their bonus pools at the top of the draft and then on prep talent later on, they’ve done a pretty nice job plucking the right college pitchers beyond the top three rounds. A few have already turned into minor trade chips, while Troy Melton and to a lesser extent, Jaden Hamm, developed into legit upper level pitching prospects. 2023 ninth rounder Hayden Minton may be another one in the making, but a big test is coming in 2026 as the right-hander makes the Double-A leap.

The Tigers paid Minton the minimum after a good senior year for Missouri State. The Oklahoma product pitched there without much to recommend him as a freshman and sophomore, and spent his junior year in community college before earning his way back. On draft day, the 6’3”, 210 pound right-hander was an unheralded senior signing with just one good season for a solid but unspectacular D1 program, but good strikeout rates, advanced strike throwing, and a strong trendline after having to work his way back to Missouri State drew the attention of the Tigers’ scouting department hoping for a bit of a late bloomer.

Beyond his size and control, there were a few other traits the Tigers were intrigued by. They like pitchers with good extension, and Minton gets almost seven feet of extension to the plate, well above average. He can also rip the baseball, averaging 2720 rpms on his mid-80’s slider, a little less with his 80 mph curveball. In pro ball, Minton has leaned into the slider and it has developed into an above average pitch for him. Even better, he arrived with some changeup feel as well, understanding how to kill spin and velocity on his 85 mph circle change while maintaining his armspeed.

Minton’s fastball isn’t a standout pitch, but his size, extension, and fairly limited pitching background in college argued for plenty of upside. He arrived in Lakeland in 2024 with a fringe average sinker sitting 93 mph, and while its movement profile out a low three-quarters arm slot needed some tuning in pro ball, Minton arrived with the ability to locate it around the strikeout zone and induce weak contact.

Minton struck out his share of hitters in 2024, but as he and the Tigers worked on his stuff, his strike throwing suffered at points. He pitched a lot better than his 4.65 ERA. A 26.6 percent strikeout rate against his 10.4 percent walk rate was a good ratio, and he didn’t allow many home runs. Instead he was mostly BABIP’d to death. Still, the stuff developed, his command started to come around as the season progressed, and he made 21 starts and threw 93 innings.

That pro debut didn’t wow anyone, and Minton wasn’t jumping up any prospect lists, but his 2025 season showed signs of growth. He cut his walk rates down to nothing in seven starts at Single-A Lakeland to start the year, then made the move to High-A West Michigan. He had some trouble making the move, giving up a few more home runs as he continued to tweak the fastball and slider in particular. His results were fine in June, but the strikeouts were lacking a bit, and then he had a rough stretch of starts in July that contined after the All-Star break.

Finally, everything started clicking for Minton in August, and he posted a 2.63 ERA for the month. His fastball velocity was up a bit and his ability to command the slider and curveball combination sharpened up considerably. Over his final six outings, he issued just five walks, while striking out 29 hitters and allowing just two home runs across 29 innings. The timing couldn’t have been better as the Whitecaps stormed down the stretch with momentum that would carry them to a Midwest League championship. Minton’s contribution was six no-hit innings with five strikeouts and one walk to lead the Whitecaps to a divisional title over Lake County on September 11. You can watch that outing here courtesy of Tigers Minor League Report.

At season’s end, Minton looked like a much more well rounded pitcher. He was sitting 94 mph consistently and touching 96-97 when he let it all out. He appears to be mixing in more fourseamers with the sinker and is getting more whiffs up in the zone as a result. His low three-quarters armslot doesn’t produce great ride, and this is still an average set of fastballs, but by mixing types and taking advantage of his extension and improved command, he’s become much more effective with it. A steadier bump in velocity or some tweaks to get a little more seam-shifted wake movement will still be required to really develop an above average heater, but he’s a lot closer than he was at the beginning of 2025. The hints of 96-97 mph heat showing up bodes well for his future.

Another area in which he shines is in pairing the tilt on his slider and curveball to keep hitters guessing. The slider will draw plenty of whiffs and is an above average pitch when he’s dialed in. The curveball is fringe average, but because he’s able to make the pair look the same out of his hand, he’s often able to get hitters off balance and induce routine contact off the curveball. His changeup still has nice depth, but his command of it remains fairly crude. As a result, Minton was really tough on right-handed hitters, but sometimes struggled against lefties.

Essentially he reminds me somewhat of another Sawyer Gipson-Long in the making. It’s natural to look for guys with plus raw stuff and hope they round out their arsenal and develop command. Eye-popping stuff is the quickest path to big bonuses and focus from prospect hounds. Minton is a bit ahead of the curve in terms of command, particularly for a pitcher with a fairly long arm path. He also now boasts a pretty well rounded pitch mix. Still, it’s true that the stuff is still pretty average overall with the exception of his slider.

While Minton will be 25 this year and has two full seasons of pro ball under his belt, I still think his limited college career, size, and extension bode well for a little upside remaining in terms of pure stuff. Some of those late bloomer tendencies have already come to pass to get him this far. He’ll need a bit more to make the leap and thrive at the Double-A level this season. If things come together a little more the Tigers will have a pretty good depth starter candidate who can swing to middle relief as well.

Howdy friends! It’s the final weekend before pitchers and catchers report to spring training. As the offseason draws to a close, here are the big stories of the day.

In Mariners news…

• Amanda Lane Cumming told the story of the Seattle Alkis, the first base ball club to grace the city way back in the late 1800s.
• Daniel Kramer provided a primer for Mariners spring training, including the timeline of major events and information for those interested in attending games and workouts.

Around the league…

• The Yankees are bringing back first baseman Paul Goldschmidt on a one-year deal.
• The Athletics have agreed to a one-year, $2M contract with righty reliever Scott Barlow.
• The A’s hired former All-Star slugger Mark McGwire as a special assistant to the player development department.
• Longtime Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez announced that he is retiring.
• Former Dodgers star outfielder Yasiel Puig was found guilty of obstruction of justice and lying to federal officials investigating an illegal gambling operation.
• Baseball Prospectus unveiled its minor league organizational rankings for the 2026 season. ($)
• Mario Delgado Genzor at Baseball Prospectus wrote up an introductory article to understanding how fastball movement works. ($)

We are launching a new daily article here at South Side Sox, more prominently than our items that pop up on The Feed. It falls under the category of White Sox Discussions, which you’ll see in a few weeks will also be our new branding for Game Threads.

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The World Baseball Classic is back this spring, with action kicking off at the Tokyo Dome on March 5 (9 p.m. CT on March 4). The White Sox are sending five players to the WBC: Kyle Teel and Sam Antonacci (Team Italy), Curtis Mead (Team Australia), Munetaka Murakami (Team Japan) and right-handed pitcher Seranthony Domínguez (Team Dominican Republic).

Murakami is the only player to have previously appeared in a World Baseball Classic; in 2023, he hit a two-run, walkoff double in the semifinals and a game-tying solo homer vs. Team USA in the finals.

Of course, you don’t have to root for a team with a White Sox player on the roster. But White Sox reps or no, who you got in the WBC?

The finances of the San Diego Padres have been scrutinized since at least 2023 and each of the past two offseasons have been clouded with speculation about the lack of financial flexibility for the club. Padres president of baseball operation and general manager A.J. Preller has been able to walk the monetary tightrope the last couple of seasons and produced back-to-back postseason rosters. Thomas Conroy of Gaslamp Ball looks at what the financial picture is for San Diego in 2026 and what it will look like in the years ahead and if Preller or another general manager will have the ability to spend money to address roster needs.

Padres News:

• The Padres added Miguel Andujar earlier this week and his ability to hit left-handed pitching and play multiple positions on the field makes him a valuable addition to the roster. AJ Cassavell of Padres.com looks at how manager Craig Stammen will use his players to put a competitive team on the field game after game.
• The strength of the Padres in 2026 will be their bullpen. According to experts and fans alike, the Padres have the best bullpen in the sport. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune looks at what fans can expect from the group this season.
• As the offseason winds down and Spring Training draws near, the Padres roster review by Sanders will eventually end, but not before he focuses on right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr.
• In recent days the Padres have reportedly been interested in signing free agent pitcher Framber Valdez and most recently free agent first baseman Paul Goldschmidt. Of course, neither player will play for San Diego in 2026, but it shows San Diego is trying to shore up the roster holes.

Baseball News:

• Goldschmidt re-signs with the New York Yankees on a one-year deal.
• The Boston Red Sox are reportedly looking to add an infield bat via trade, but nothing is imminent.
• Mexico Green advances to Caribbean Series final with win over Dominican Republic.
• The Tampa Bay Rays acquired Victor Mesa Jr. in a trade with the Miami Marlins.

The New York Yankees and veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt are finalizing a one-year contract, according to ESPN.com.

No financial terms were disclosed, but the New York Post reports the deal is worth $4 million and Goldschmidt can earn an extra $2 million based on plate appearances.

In Goldschmidt's first season in pinstripes, the seven-time All-Star hit.274 with 10 home runs and 45 RBI in 146 games.

For the 2026 season, the 38-year-old Goldschmidt is expected to back up Ben Rice at first base and get spot starts, especially against left-handed pitchers.

The Yankees were especially quiet during the free agent period, resigning a half-dozen players from last year's squad, instead making a splash by bringing in a big name from another team.

Goldschmidt, the 2022 National League MVP and a four-time Gold Glove winner, has also played for the Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals during his career. He has 372 home runs and 1232 RBI in 15 major league seasons.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yankees, Paul Goldschmidt closing in on deal for reunion

Baseball America rated the Dodgers to have the 13th-best farm system in baseball. Not only is that lower than some other publications ranked Los Angeles this year — second at The Athletic, fourth at ESPN — that’s also rare in recent BA history. It’s the first time the Dodgers’ haven’t been ranked in the top 10 farm systems since 2014, thanks in part to some injuries and also a pitching prospect corps relatively light compared to years past.

“If that seems like an anomaly, it’s because it is,” Josh Norris wrote. “The 2026 season marks the first time since 2001 that BA’s preseason Top 100 has not included a Dodgers pitching prospect.”

Jackson Ferris was among the 10 players just outside the top 100 at Baseball America. Of the five main national outlets to unveil a prospect ranking, River Ryan is the only one to show up on a top-100 list, ranked No. 55 by Keith Law at The Athletic.

Alex Freeland wasn’t included among the five Dodgers in the top 101 prospects at Baseball Prospectus this week, but he was listed Thursday as one of 10 prospects who just missed being included.

“He’s turned himself into a pretty good shortstop, can play all over the infield, and should be around an average hitter,” Jeffrey Paternostro wrote. “It’s not exciting, but it is effective.”

Freeland was also ranked the 87th-best prospect at The Athletic, and was ranked 103rd by ESPN.

Baseball Prospectus on Friday rated the Dodgers as the top farm system in baseball based on tremendous prospect depth.

“if you are the kind of person whose knees shake every time you see a hitting prospect’s z-contact drop below 83% in the minors, this is not going to be the system for you,” Paternostro wrote. “But just about every prospect here hits the ball very hard, and enough of them will keep doing it that the decade-plus of success might just stretch into two.”

The season is just around the corner with pitchers and catchers reporting this week and we’ve seen a few changes to the Phillies’ roster. For some, the changes have been too few; for some, the changes are just right. Everyone harbors opinions about the direction of the franchise, or else you wouldn’t be here talking about them. However, sometimes there are things that cannot be conveyed to anyone but the still, small voice in our heads. There might be an opinion we agree with, but we just don’t want anyone to know about it.

We’re all friends here, so let’s get it out. What is the one thing you are afraid to say out loud about the Phillies? Maybe there is a bit of positivity inside that is bursting to be set free. Maybe there is a negative take on a player that would put you in the very small minority. Let us all hear that one thing.

I’ll start: not only should the Phillies be retaining Bryson Stott this year, they should be extending him for the foreseeable future.

Meet the Mets

What might the Mets’ lineup look like coming out of spring training?

Around the National League East

The Phillies top three hitters in their lineup this year is bound to be Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper, but in what order?

The Braves ae bringing veteran infielder Kyle Farmer into spring training as a non-roster invitee.

The Marlins made a swap with their Florida counterparts, dealing Victor Mesa Jr. to the Rays in exchange for minor league infielder Angel Brachi.

Federal Baseball broke down their list of top 30 Nationals prospects.

Around Major League Baseball

Veteran first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is returning to the Yankees on a one-year deal.

Longtime Blue Jays broadcaster Buck Martinez has announced his retirement.

Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior expressed excitement at getting to see Shohei Ohtani in his full form this season.

MLB.com listed one prospect for each team who has a chance of securing a spot on the opening day roster this spring.

Mark McGwire is back in the Athletics organization in a player development role.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Brian Salvatore discussed Austin Barnes’s effort to serve as depth for the the 2026 Mets.

The Amazin’ Avenue minor league staff ranked Peter Kussow on their list of top minor league prospects entering the 2026 season.

Vasilis Drimalitis examined the current state of the team’s DH and bench positions.

Linus Lawrence provided a list of the Mets players who will be participating in the World Baseball Classic.

This Date in Mets History

Happy birthday, Endy Chavez!

It’s been a minute since we have had real, actual Braves baseball news to talk about. Oh sure, we’ve covered the nearly interminable Braves TV partner saga. At least it looks as if we are going to have a happy ending there.

Braves released their non-roster invitee list. This is the deep cut. These are prospects that are not on the 40-man roster and older players that are just on the outside of staying on an active roster. As we shared on Wednesday:

Non-Roster Invitees (24)

• Pitchers (10): RH Garrett Baumann, RH Carlos Carrasco, RH Javy Guerra, RH Elieser Hernández, RH James Karinchak, RH Owen Murphy, LH Martín Pérez, RH Austin Pope, RH JR Ritchie, RH Tayler Scott
• Catchers (3): Jair Camargo, Sandy León, Chadwick Tromp
• Infielders (7): Tristin English, John Gil, Jim Jarvis, Alex Lodise, Aaron Schunk, Luke Waddell, Luke Williams
• Outfielders (4): José Azócar, Ben Gamel, Brewer Hicklen, DaShawn Keirsey Jr.

So who you got for your favorite NRI this spring? JR Ritchie might be the best prospect in that list, but Battery Power’s #4, #9 and #12 are there too. There are guys that are trying to grab that last guy on the bench role like Luke Williams. Martin Perez and James Karinchak will be pitchers to watch. Backup catcher for Opening Day is up for grabs, and we’ve got three options there. And in the “this guy here is dead” portion of the NRIs, Carlos Carrasco is hanging around.

I have my favorites but I’ll hand the mic to y’all as usual.

Today, let’s talk about the Guardians’ young rotation.

From July to the end of the season, Gavin Williams had a 2.48 ERA and a 3.80 xFIP with a 9.68/3.49 K/BB/9.

From July to the end of the season, Joey Cantillo had a 2.96 ERA and a 3.78 xFIP with a 9.67/3.76 K/BB/9.

From August 15th to the end of the season, Tanner Bibee had a 3.35 ERA and a 3.91 xFIP with a 7.49/2.17 K/BB/9.

In September, Slade Cecconi had a 3.90 ERA and a 3.75 xFIP with a 7.80/1.80 K/BB/9.

Parker Messick had a 2.72 ERA with a 3.15 xFIP and a 8.62/1.36 K/BB/9.

Logan Allen also pitched.

Overall in 2025, the Guardians’ starters ranked 10th in ERA at 3.86. From July to the end of the season, they were 6th with a 3.69 ERA.

Where will they find themselves at the end of 2026? Look into your crystal orbs and let us know!

Good morning, LSB.

Jeff Wilson offers up his spring training preview in which he lists three players who could make or break the Rangers offense.

The Rangers added another bullpen arm in righty Ryan Brasier.

Texas lands among MLB dot com’s list of teams with the best 1-2 punches at the top of their respective rotations.

And Evan Grant welcomes in Rangers GM Ryan Fenstermaker on the latest episode of his podcast.

That’s all for this morning. Have a good weekend!

With Spring Training about to spring up, several sites have predicted a probable White Sox starting lineup for 2026, from the major sports outfits to blogs like our own. On none of them (at least none I’ve seen) is the Sox leading homer-hitter of 2025 anywhere to be seen. Well, anywhere except as a possible sub.

Whither indeed, Lenyn Sosa?

Such an omission would have been expected in any prior year, since until 2025 Sosa compensated for terrible fielding by not hitting a lick, either. Back then, it would have been no surprise if he was just dumped altogether. But this past season he not only led the Sox in dingers with 22 but he even hit .264, nearly 20 points higher than the MLB average and his own career level.

Those batting improvements, incidentally, came at the expense of right-handed pitchers. Prior to 2025, Sosa’s splits were a typical .637 OPS vs. righties and .732 vs. lefties. Last year, though, he hit southpaws about the same (.740) but took a big jump up to a .723 OPS vs. northpaws.

So why is he probably the odd man out in the infield with the addition of Munetaka Murakami to play first, given Lenyn played a lot more at second — 99 games to 42? Horrible defense is the primary reason, which is a quandary.

Way back in 2020, when Sosa was the No. 30 ranked prospect in the White Sox system according to MLB, the scouting report on his D said his “instincts should help him make plays and his hands are very reliable.” Huh?

You get the feeling whoever wrote that report had never seen Sosa play. Watch him a few times and you’ll inevitably come to the conclusion you’ve never seen a professional infielder, major or minor, with less in the way of baseball instincts. Heck, he seldom seems to know where to be or what to do. Hope that scout got a nice retirement package on his way to the home.

Murakami has a reputation as a lousy defender himself (so much for Chris Getz’s vow for improved defense). But if it turns out Murakami really can hit pitches faster than 92 mph, his potentially amazing offense will more than atone for any lapses while in the field.

Sosa has no such upside.

BUT IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT DEFENSE

Definitely not. Otherwise Sosa would be written into the DH slot ahead of whichever catcher isn’t behind the plate and such fellow fielding embarrassments as Andrew Benintendi. No, there’s also the small matter of getting on base.

In previous seasons, Lenyn was hard-pressed hit the ball very often, but in 2025 he did better at that — especially at taking balls off the plate outside to right field. The problem is accepting called balls at all.

Last season, Sosa drew 18 walks in 544 plate appearances. Yep, fewer than one every 30 trips to the plate, second-worst in all of MLB to Michael Harris of Atlanta (who had the compensation of being an excellent center fielder and stealing a bunch of bases when he did get on.) That rate wasn’t an anomaly, either, but right in line with Lenyn’s 36 career walks in 1,122 trips to the plate.

Much of that was because of poor plate discipline, but not all. His 40.9% chase rate in 2025 was bad, in the worst 3% of all MLB batters, but not as amazingly bad as the next-to-worst-of-all walk rate. And Sosa only struck out 23.3% of the time, so he was hitting some of those balls he chased.

GOTTA HAVE HIM IN THE CLUTCH, THOUGH, RIGHT?

Well, er, uh, no.

Baseball-Reference has a category to measure clutch hitting, and it shows Sosa has been clutch-ing. In the “Late & Close” line, he has career slash of .156/.193/.225 and even fewer walks than in other situations, four in 184 times up. That would indicate you not only don’t want Sosa as a pinch-hitter, you want to pinch-hit for him when the going is tough.

Contrast that godawful .419 OPS to a hefty .799 when the Sox are ahead. Lenyn thrives on non-adversity.

Now, in fairness, in late and close situations you’re more likely to face the other team’s best relievers. But still …

WHAT NOW?

Sosa is out of options, so parking him in Charlotte to wait for injuries may not work. Some team who sees the HR numbers from 2025 might want to gamble a waiver claim.

MLB Trade Rumors included a paragraph on Sosa as part of a longer piece on the Sox Thursday, and quoted Getz as saying, “There’s a little redundancy with the right-handed corner bats.” Apparently Getz, observant as always, hasn’t noticed Murakami hits lefty. Still, that’s not much of a plug for Sosa, and MLBTR doubts he has much trade value.

Thus, it looks like a lot of bench time. And that time could get even longer if the Rangers and Mets were right that Luisangel Acuña is as bad as an outfielder as he is excellent as an infielder and he moves in to second base ahead of Chase Meidroth, who himself is fun to watch there but very inconsistent.

SO?

So Sosa, so-so. But probably not “so-long.” At least so far.

Earlier this week, the Atlanta Braves announced 24 non-roster invites to spring training. On Friday, that number increased, as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman reported that Kyle Farmer will also be at camp as a non-roster invite.

The Braves added Marist and UGA product Kyle Farmer to their list of NRIs . Seems to be a good fit for an Opening Day roster spot. Dubon will move from SS to LF on nights when Yaz is pinch hit for against LHPs. Mateo and Farmer would be backup INF options

— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) February 6, 2026

Farmer spent 2025 with the Colorado Rockies, where he hit .227 and spent time all around the infield. He’s not the flashiest name in camp, but he is someone to keep an eye on this spring.

More Braves News:

The television saga continues, as it was reported that the Braves are looking into connecting with the Hawks.  

Our Top 30 Preseason Prospect rankings are complete, and headlining the list is lefty Cam Caminiti. 

MLB News:

The New York Yankees re-signed 1B Paul Goldschmidt on a one-year deal. The financials have not been reported, but his contract is expected to be around $5M. 

The Miami Marlins sent OF Victor Mesa Jr. to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for a minor league infielder.