The World Baseball Classic will be without several of its top stars because they have been unable to acquire insurance coverage in case they are injured during the tournament.
No team has been hit harder than Puerto Rico, which couldn’t secure insurance coverage for several of its biggest names in Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa, Jose Berrios and Emilio Pagan. Puerto Rican officials are so frustrated that they are considered pulling out of the WBC, according to veteran Dominican reporter Hector Gomez, editor of Deportivo.
The Major League Baseball Players Association said that Lindor is unable to play in the WBC because of an elbow procedure early in the offseason, although he will be fine to participate in spring training for the New York Mets.
“Francisco is obviously disappointed that he was be unable to participate," the MLBPA said in a statement. “However, because of WBC insurance constraints, he is ineligible to play in WBC games. He was participate fully in all spring training activities."
Houston Astros All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve was also denied insurance and won’t be able to play for Venezuela in the WBC.
“Due to the criteria for WBC insurance coverage, Jose Altuve was looking forward to participating in the WBC and representing Venezuela, but unfortunately is not eligible to do so," the MLBPA said in a statement.
Venezuela will also be without Dodgers World Series hero Miguel Rojas, who announced on his Instagram account that he was also denied insurance.
“Today I am very sad,” he wrote in Spanish. “A true shame I can’t represent my country and put that flag on my chest.”
The inability to secure insurance kept three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw from participating in the WBC in 2023 because of his back issues. Now that he’s retired, there’s no need for insurance and he’ll be on this year’s USA team.
MLB requires all players on their 40-man roster to have an insurance policy that protects the team if a player sustains and injury during the WBC that requires them to miss games during the regular season. Most of the insurance issues are over a player’s prior injury history.
Players like Edwin Diaz and Altuve who were injured in the 2023 WBC were covered by insurance policies, and were still paid, but not by the team.
Diaz missed the entire 2023 season when he suffered a complete patellar tendon tear in his right knee celebrating Puerto Rico's win over the Dominican Republic. Altuve suffered a broken right thumb when he was hit by a pitch from Team USA pitcher Daniel Bard. He missed the first 43 games of the 2023 season.
There have been no publicly known cases of any player this year who were prevented from joining Team USA because of an inability to acquire insurance.
Yet, perhaps no one in the tournament is taking a bigger financial risk than two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers. He’s a free agent after the season and is expected to secure the largest contract by a pitcher in MLB history, perhaps exceeding $400 million.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - APRIL 09: Cincinnati Reds mascot Mr. Redlegs pumps up the crowd prior to a game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Milwaukee Brewers at Great American Ball Park on April 09, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Leo Balcazar landed in spot #13 in this year’s Community Prospect Rankings here at Red Reporter, doing so after putting a major injury that required surgery further into the rear-view mirror and once again looking more like his previous top-prospect self. Interestingly enough, I’ve added a player with a similar tale to the group for this round of voting.
Per usual, you can find the link to the Google Form for voting right here, yet it’s also embedded at the bottom if you want to read through first and not have to embark upon the painstaking process of scrolling all the way back up here. Both link and embed will be removed once voting closes so you can’t stuff the ballot post facto, however, so be advised that this paragraph will make zero sense if you stumble back across it a year from now.
Here’s how the list has materialized so far:
Sal Stewart
Alfredo Duno
Rhett Lowder
Hector Rodriguez
Edwin Arroyo
Cam Collier
Steele Hall
Tyson Lewis
Chase Petty
Arnaldo Lantigua
Jose Franco
Zach Maxwell
Leo Balcazar
A large list of talented names exists below for spot #14. Have at it with the votes!
Adolfo Sanchez, OF (19 years old)
2025 at a glance: .339/.474/.504 with 2 HR, 10 SB in 154 PA with DSL Reds (Dominican Summer League)
Pros: Left-handed hitter who profiles to have a plus hit tool and potentially plus power; arm good enough to play RF if he doesn’t stick in CF; shaved 20% off his K% year over year; plus runner
Cons: Questions whether he’s already physically matured to the point where projecting him to be much better exist
The Reds signed Sanchez for $2.7 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2024 and kept him there to ply his trade professionally in the Dominican Summer League. Things went quite poorly for him there during his age 17 season, and he subsequently stuck around there to repeat in 2025 – though this time, things went swimmingly.
He’ll undoubtedly play in the States in 2026, but the question now is just how quickly the Reds might try to move him up if he hits the ground running. At 6’3” and 200 lbs already, he’s not the kind of prospect where you say he’s X now, but when he gets bigger and stronger he’ll be Y in two years. In other words, if he looks the part now, he needs to be challenged immediately, and my hope is that he gets time with Daytona right off the bat.
He’s got a hit tool that comes with all-fields power, excellent patience at the plate, and I really do think his swing will continue to play. Still, it’s likely he ends up in a corner spot in the OF, which means the power’s going to need to continue to show up for him to project as an everyday regular – at least vs. RHP.
Aaron Watson, RHP (19 years old)
2025 at a glance: Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2nd round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Trinity Christian Academy (FL); signed overslot $2.7 million bonus to forego commitment to the University of Florida
Pros: 6’5” frame; potential 60-grade slider; fastball that runs up to 96 mph from a three-quarter arm slot and already has a solid three-pitch mix with his change rotated in
Cons: Did not pitch professionally after being drafted, so he’s a complete unknown
One glimpse of Watson on the mound and you immediately think yep, I bet that guy can turn into a pretty dang good pitcher. He’s got an ideal frame to produce downhill offerings, and his fastball/slider mix is already something on which he can hang his hat.
However, command of all three of his pitches – specifically a very developmental changeup – will be what he needs to work on to begin to move quickly through the ranks. He possesses a good ‘feel’ at the moment in terms of what pitches to throw, which part of the zone to attack vs. which hitters, etc., but how well he can build in more deception with his offerings will be vital.
Carlos Jorge, OF (22 years old)
2025 at a glance: .251/.342/.355 with 6 HR, 40 SB in 469 PA with High-A Dayton Dragons (Midwest League)
Pros: Plus speed; former infielder moved to CF in 2023 and in 2025 looked like a natural there; plus speed; shaved 12.5% off K-rate from down 2024 season; 60-grade arm strength a weapon in CF
Cons: ISO declined for third straight year, this time precipitously; prone to extreme streakiness
If you threw out every other stop of Carlos Jorge’s pro career and just focused on the good ones, he’d already be ranked by now. The good parts of the best of his years have been quite tremendous, all told. He’s flashed great speed (40 steals in 2025), good pop for a small-ish CF (12 HR in 2023 and 2024; .483 SLG in the cavernous Florida State League in 2023), and the ability to play pretty elite CF defense (as recently as 2025).
However, he’s added some real clunkers in there, too. He hit just .220/.291/.394 with a K-rate over 31% at Dayton in 2024, and that came on the heels of hitting just .239/.277/.398 in 23 games once he reached Dayton at the end of 2023.
Maybe it’s just Dayton, where he was again in 2025 in a much better all-around year, even though his power dried up again. He’ll surely begin with AA Chattanooga of the Southern League in 2026, and at 22 (with his position in CF now settled) the former 2B might finally have a one-track shot to focus on his all around game in a new locale. After acing his move on defense, shaving off a ton of strikeouts, and bumping his walk rate back up over 11.1% (where it’s been for most of his career), perhaps 2026 will have a lot more in store for him.
Liberts Aponte, SS (18 years old)
2025 at a glance: .247/.368/.461 with 7 HR, 9 SB in 193 PA for DSL Rojos (Dominican Summer League)
Pros: 29/35 K/BB showed greatly improving strike zone awareness; already a plus defender at short where he projects to be excellent both with range and arm long-term
Cons: Still not viewed as a potential plus with the bat, though early returns are already better than original scouting reports; has a long way to go in terms of physically maturing
The Reds doled out $1.9 million to sign Aponte last January, and that marked the single largest contract they doled out in that particular international signing window. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the #18 player overall in that class, noting he was ‘one of the most skilled defenders in his class’ and ‘offers solid wheels’ with ‘magic in his hands’ while doling out a 65 grade on his fielding ability.
The rest, we knew, would take time, as he was just liked at 6’0” and 160 lbs, and that even felt like a slight exaggeration. To his credit, though, he mashed 7 homers as a 17 year old in DSL play while showing more power than anticipated, and if that aspect of his game grows to match what’s already known the Reds have found themselves a gem.
It will be interesting to see if the Reds push him up to Arizona Complex League play at all in 2026 or give him another year in the DSL seeing as he just turned 18 years old in November.
Luke Holman, RHP (23 years old)
2025 at a glance: ER, 2 H, 10 K, 4 BB in 9.0 IP with Daytona Tortugas (Class-A Florida State League
Pros: Two plus breaking pitches (slider, curve)
Cons: Not a ton of velocity on his fastball, which sits 91-94 mph
Luke Holman threw 109 pitches for LSU in a 6-2 loss to North Carolina on June 1st, 2024, a game in which he yielded 4 ER in 6.2 IP with 7 H, 11 K, and a lone walk. Since then, he’s thrown just 9.0 IP on a mound, total.
Holman, Cincinnati’s 2nd round pick in 2024, sat out the remainder of 2024 after being drafted, finishing his calendar year with 91.2 IP of 2.75 ERA ball that included a wonderful 0.98 WHIP and 127/33 K/BB. When his 2025 began in Daytona, all signs looked promising in his first pair of starts only for an elbow issue to subsequently sit him down and require Tommy John surgery, and we’ve not seen him since.
He sat 91-94 with his fastball (and touched 96) before, and has a pair of wicked breaking balls that he uses as his out pitches. If he returns to form in 2026 the way he ways before (or even better!), he still profiles as a back-end starter who should move quickly through Cincinnati’s system after dominating SEC play in stints first with Alabama and later with LSU.
Mason Morris, RHP (22 years old)
2025 at a glance: 9.00 ERA, 7/1 K/BB in 4.0 IP with Class-A Daytona Tortugas; 3.29 ERA, 78/31 K/BB in 54.2 IP with University of Mississippi
Pros: Fastball that can touch 100 mph; four-pitch mix
Cons: Lack of experience
Mason Morris landed with Ole Miss in 2023 primarily as a corner infielder, and the now 6’4” 225 lb righty only recently became a full-time pitcher prior to the Reds selecting him with their 3rd round pick in 2025. He’s got projection through the roof, though, with a 100 mph heater, plus cutter, and a pair of other breaking balls that look like they’ve also got the juice.
The question, though, is how Cincinnati plans to use him.
Morris only got a pair of outings as a pro after being drafted, and it appears the Reds have intentions on seeing if he can develop into a starting pitcher. That’s something he’s never really done before, however, and he’ll turn 23 years old in August of 2026. So, we’ll see how long of a leash the Reds give him with that avenue, since if they want to simply keep him in the bullpen there’s very little reason why he shouldn’t rocket through the minors and give them a legit relief arm at the big league level in short order.
Julian Aguiar, RHP (25 years old)
2025 at a glance: Did not pitch
Pros: Four-seam fastball that flirts with 100 mph; five-pitch pitcher with a pair of breaking balls and potentially plus change-up
Cons: Missed all of 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery; roughed up in 31.2 IP in MLB debut in 2024 (22 ER, 8 HR)
Julian Aguiar has risen quietly through the ranks of the Reds after being a 12th round pick out of Cypress College back in 2021, and his 2024 season saw him rocket from AA Chattanooga all the way through AAA and then to the Reds. Unfortunately, his short stint there ended with him requiring Tommy John surgery, and he missed all of 2025 while recovering.
He’s got plus potential with at least three pitches, and has another two that are still passable to keep hitters off-keel. His 360/93 career K/BB in 346.1 IP across the minors shows he’s got good strikeout stuff and a passable ability to keep hitters from free passes, and if his command returns as quickly as his velocity does post-surgery he should be in the mix to get big league batters out in some role as early as Opening Day. My best guess, though, is that he’ll be slated for AAA Louisville’s rotation to re-establish himself as a starter first, and he won’t actually turn 25 until June.
VERO BEACH, FL - CIRCA 1992: Pitcher Pedro Martinez #45 and brother Ramon Martinez #48 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pose together for this photo during spring training circa 1992 at Holman Stadium in Vero Beach, Florida. Pedro played for the Dodgers from 1992-93 and Ramon played for the Dodger from 1988-98. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ramón Martínez in 1993 put up a 3.44 ERA in 32 starts and 211 2/3 innings, the third of his four seasons with at least 200 innings. Ramón and Pedro pitched in the same game 12 times that season, with the best one likely on July 31 at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs. Ramon allowed two runs in eight innings in his start, and the game needed 13 innings to decide. Pedro retired all six batters he faced in the final two innings, and earned the win after the Dodgers exploded for five runs in the top of the 13th.
“I didn’t take the win away from my brother–he was already out,” Pedro Martínez said, per Maryann Hudson at the Los Angeles Times. “I took it away from Chicago, not from him.”
There was also a third brother, Jesus Martínez, who also pitched in the Dodgers minor leagues from 1992-97. He reached Triple-A, but never made the majors.
Larry Sherry was the World Series MVP in 1959, pitching in all four Dodgers wins in the series in their second year in Los Angeles. He won two games and closed out the other two (10 years before saves became an official statistic). His older brother Norm, who like Larry was signed out of Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, did not play in that World Series.
The Sherry brothers overlapped for four seasons with the Dodgers (1959-62). They didn’t match up as a battery in 1959, but Norm caught Larry in 30 games from 1960-62, with Larry posting a 2.73 ERA in 52 2/3 innings with his brother behind the plate.
After the game, Norm said, “It has to be my biggest thrill. Winning one in the majors for my brother was really something.” He added, “I knew it was hit well enough, but I was afraid it might curve foul. It was a slider inside. I wasn’t looking for anything especially. I was just trying to get a hit.”
Paul and Lloyd Waner are probably the most accomplished brothers to ever play for the Dodgers, though the overwhelming bulk of their careers came with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Both outfielders are in the Hall of Fame, with Paul having by far the better career. At the very least, they have two of the best tandem nicknames in baseball history — Big Poison (Paul) and Little Poison (Lloyd).
Both came to the Dodgers later in their careers, 1941, 1943-44 for Paul, and 1944 for Lloyd. They played in 14 games together for Brooklyn, never both starting in the same game. Lloyd Waner drove in one run in his brief time with the Dodgers, and it came after Paul was intentionally walked to load the bases. In the ninth inning at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn on May 3, 1944 against the Boston Braves, Lloyd pinch-hit for shortstop Bill Hart with one out, and laid down a bunt single for the walk-off win.
Steve Sax and Dave Sax were the first set of Dodgers brothers I remember from growing up, but they very rarely played together. Steve was the team’s regular second baseman for seven years, while Dave was a catcher in the organization for seven years (1978-84) who only played in the majors for Los Angeles briefly in 1982-83.
Dave Sax played in nine games for the Dodgers, all of which were also played by his brother Steve. The one time they both started the same game was June 3, 1983 at Dodger Stadium against the New York Mets. Steve led off and Dave batted eighth, but both were 0-for-4 at the plate in a 5-2 loss.
Zack Wheat was one of the Dodgers’ great early stars in Brooklyn, and the outfielder was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1959. Wheat roamed the outfield for Brooklyn in 18 of his 19 seasons, and remains the all-time franchise leader in hits, total bases, doubles, triples, games played, and plate appearances. His brother Mack was a catcher, and played parts of five seasons (1915-19) with the Dodgers, overlapping with Zack.
The Wheat brothers played in a total of 113 games together with the Dodgers, including 69 games with both starting, the bulk of those coming in 1918-19.
Mack Wheat hit one home run in his 137 total games with the Dodgers, hit at Ebbets Field on August 7, 1918 against the Cubs. It was a three-run shot in the fourth inning off Cubs right-hander Phil Douglas that scored Zack Wheat, who reached base on an error earlier in the frame. Those three runs were all the Dodgers scored in the game, and was enough to secure a 3-2 win.
CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 24: Tommy Pham #28 of the Pittsburgh Pirates celebrates with teammates after the game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Wednesday, September 24, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Colten Strauss/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
January is drawing to a close, which means there will be a mad scramble for remaining free agents that have been left to twist in the wind. At some point, their demands for that extra year, those few million dollars, will fall by the wayside, tossed aside in the hopes of finding employment for the 2026 season. We can have a separate conversation about how the CBA has increasingly killed the middle class of free agents, but the way the market sets itself up these days, those players that are in that 1.5-3 WAR area are usually squeezed out of the game of finding long term deals. What we’ll start to see is more players start agreeing to deals that are one year if they’re lucky, a minor league deal with a spring invitation if they’re willing and able. The Phillies were already able to do that Friday night when they signed Dylan Moore to a minor league deal.
That makes it an appropriate time to see which players that are still on the market that might be attractive to the Phillies. This isn’t a comprehensive list, rather a smaller one of players that might fit a very specific need the team might have from the outside looking in.
Miguel Andujar
Michael Baumann over at Fangraphs wrote a great piece looking for players that might hold a platoon advantage that can be of use for teams looking to fill out their roster. One quote that kind of stuck out to me was this:
A short-side platoon bat — even an incredible one, like Refsnyder — is a bit of a luxury player. That goes double when the player in question is stuck on the lower end of the defensive spectrum. It’s not always easy to carry a guy like that, let alone invest in a good player for that role.
If the Phillies were looking at someone like Andujar, it would be specifically for that role, the one of platoon player with Brandon Marsh or Justin Crawford (or both). Andujar would be one that slides into the position of being a lefty killer from the right side, creating some kind of Frankenstein player with either of the two lefties that could raise the floor of the outfield as a whole. That might cut down on his playing time quite a bit, something he may not be interested in if he’s still harboring ideas of being a starter on a team, but it would give the team a serious weapon against southpaws.
Defensively, Andujar is a butcher. His -5 OAA in left field would be a significant downgrade for a team that looks to be making sure their outfield defense is at least average in the corners, if not something more. Putting Andujar there with either Marsh or Crawford in center would be inviting potentially disastrous results, which might also be the reason he remains a free agent.
Tommy Pham
Now, listen first before making your fantasy football jokes.
One of the bigger factors here is going to be age. Pham is 37 years old right now, but will play the 2026 season as a 38 year old as his birthday is in March. No team is going to be handing him a starting job, so it’s probably safe to say he’ll be open to a platoon position. In order to do that job, though, he needs to be good at it. He needs to be someone who is still hitting left handed pitching well.
Well, how does an 82 wRC+ against left handed pitching in 2025 sound?
That is going to be the issue with Pham. If he’s not able to produce against left handed pitching better than what he did in 2025, he’s going to be a liability with the team. Career against lefties, he’s got a 121 wRC+, so there is hope that he can repeat his past successes. His under the hood metrics suggest that perhaps last year was a bit of blip, so extending a minor league deal his way could give the team some depth.
Justin Verlander/Max Scherzer/Chris Bassitt
If you had to convince me that the team could use another starting pitcher, the argument from me would be minimal. As good as I think Andrew Painter is going to be, simply handing him a starting spot in the rotation might be a bit foolhardy. At the very least, he should have to win a competition to win a job, something he is projected to do considering the current candidates to do battle with him.
But what if the team brought in a veteran like this trio to actually pose a threat to his and Taijuan Walker’s spot?
Consider: neither of these three veteran pitchers would likely sign with the Phillies had they not been guaranteed a spot in the rotation. Even as they are in the twilight of their respective careers, there is enough pride in each one that they would not want to risk being cut and having to ride buses in the minor leagues, not to mention some milestones that are at least theoretically in reach that they would want to continue marching towards. They likely would not even want a minor league deal, something the Phillies would probably only be willing to offer to continue maintaining some flexibility in their roster.
However, these are at least some enticing names to look into to see if there is a fit.
You might not think this photo has enough evidence or clues to figure out the date and situation.
After all the sleuthing photos I’ve posted here, though… you should not doubt me.
This photo is another from BCB reader Joe Coney.
What do we know about this photo at first glance? Pete Rose is playing first base for the Phillies at Wrigley Field, and Ryne Sandberg is the baserunner. Sandberg has clearly grounded a ball somewhere in the infield, and… is he safe or out? Looks like it’s going to be a close play!
That seems pretty random, but we can narrow this down. Rose played for the Phillies from 1979-83, but Sandberg didn’t debut for the Cubs until 1982, so this has to be 1982 or 1983. Rose played in 16 games at Wrigley Field in those two years. We can eliminate three of those games because Rose didn’t play first base until late in those games (started in RF in two of them and pinch-hit in the other) and Sandberg was not involved in any plays at first base in the innings Rose was at first.
So we’re down to 13 games.
I eliminated two games of these 13 in which Sandberg did not play. That leaves 11.
There are two other recognizable people in this photo. One is Marla Collins, who served as the Cubs “ball girl” for several years in the 1980s. The other is the first base umpire. We can’t see exactly who he is, but I know who he is NOT. I eliminated a game where Doug Harvey was the 1B umpire — that’s not Harvey. I eliminated another where Eric Gregg was the 1B umpire — that’s not Gregg.
Now we’re down to nine games, and it’s time to go methodically go through all of them to see if we can find a matching play.
The throw appears to be coming from the left side of the infield, so we can eliminate any ground ball to second base.
Seven plays remain after that. One of the six was in the second game of a doubleheader, and given the shadows and the fact that fans on the third base side are in full sun, it can’t be that one. Now we’re down to six, and one of those was in the ninth inning of a game in September, and fans in that area wouldn’t have been in sunshine that late in a September game.
Five plays now remain. Only one of these games had weather conditions listed in the boxscore, and those do match what we see here — 84 degrees and sunny. But I figured it was worth checking the other four.
I eliminated a game in May 1983 because the forecast high was 48.
Then I looked at the inning for the remaining games. Because we see the fans on the third-base side in full sun, this has to be early in a game — otherwise those fans would have been in the shade. I’m sure you’ve noticed this at games during the summer.
That leaves us with only one possibility. On Sunday, Aug. 8, 1982, Sandberg grounded to short in the bottom of the first inning. That’s the play we are looking at.
Sandberg batted leadoff that day and went 2-for-4 with two RBI. The Cubs trailed 4-0 going into the sixth, but Jay Johnstone hit a three-run homer in that inning and Sandberg’s two-run triple keyed a four-run eighth, and the Cubs won the game 8-5.
Just another little slice of Cubs history, featuring one of our favorite Cubs Hall of Famers.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 23: Nico Hoerner #2 of the Chicago Cubs walks off the field before a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 23, 2025 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One more time. With feeling.
If you follow our blog, you know that I have written probably a dozen articles this offseason outlining small upgrades the Guardians could make to their roster. From being told by Cardinals fans that St. Louis wouldn’t trade Willson Contreras to pointing out that Harrison Bader would fill a clear need on the roster and had to be affordable given that it was January, I have been foiled every time. Contreras went to Boston because they were willing to cover most of his contract and give decent prospects for the part they weren’t covering and Bader went to the Giants because God forbid Cleveland commit ANY money for 2027 because revenues won’t be a sure thing given the lockout so if a shortened season starts the Dolans/Blitzer want to have as little money committed as possible. I even wrote an article last week accepting the fact that there really isn’t a clear fit who would upgrade what they have now who is definitely available in trade or free agency.
However, I think there are two clear exceptions that I would like the Guardians to pursue fervently until the season opens: Ketel Marte of the Diamondbacks and Nico Hoerner of the Cubs.
As you may have heard, the Diamondbacks pulled Marte off of the trade market after not getting any offers they liked enough to move their best player before his 10/5 rights vest. It is very possible they do not intend to revisit talks. However, I also think it’s possible they will listen before the season opens. This would be the opportunity for Cleveland to unload their prospect arsenal for a player who instantly transforms their lineup with consistent production. And, there is a very simple way to do it – offer the Diamondbacks Travis Bazzana and their choice of any pitcher not named Gavin Williams or Cade Smith.
I guarantee that deal would be done today if that offer was made. For his career, Marte is a good second baseman defensively with a 112 wRC+ against RHP and a 140 wRC+ against LHP as a switch-hitter. He is under team control through 2030 with a player option for 2031, his age 38 season. His average annual value for the deal is only $14.64M, so he would not be paid more than Jose Ramirez during that time period. He would give the Guardians two legitimate superstars finishing their respective careers in Cleveland. Additionally, Marte has been rumored to be amenable to come to Cleveland in a trade. That’s why you give up your top prospect and a good pitcher to get him if you can. (I love Bazzana and will not be disappointed to see him stay; Marte is one of like three players I would trade Bazzana for).
For folks concerned about Marte’s clubhouse presence, the entire kerfuffle about his taking more time off than some of his teammates liked said more about his teammates than it did about Marte. He has been a star in Arizona for his entire career and a leader on a World Series team in 2023.
In Hoerner’s case, he has a 120 wRC+ against LHP and a 98 wRC+ against RHP for his career. He is an excellent defender at second and at shortstop. The Cubs have his replacement in Matt Shaw. I would offer the Cubs their choice of reliever not named Cade Smith and negotiate from there, not going beyond a return of C.J. Kayfus. Hoerner is only under control through 2026, so, if you’re trading Kayfus, you need to pursue an extension with Hoerner (a good idea!). Landing Hoerner enables the Guardians to move Rocchio to second base and see how he performs there until Bazzana is hopefully ready to supplant him there in June, allowing Rocchio to become the utility infielder, hopefully upgrading that spot from whatever Daniel Schneemann and Gabriel Arias offer in that spot.
As a note, from everything the Athletic’s Guardians reporter, Zack Meisel, has said on his podcast, the Guardians are simply not interested in adding another left-handed hitters, so I am not examining the possibility of adding Boston’s Jarren Duran or Wilyer Abreu or Philadelphia’s Brandon Marsh.
Either a Marte or Hoerner move would be a clear upgrade for a team serious about making a World Series run. However, I don’t expect the Guardians to do anything until June-July, and, when they do so, I expect it to be acquiring a player on an expiring contract so, again, they have as little money committed in 2027 as possible.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 14: Cade Cavalli #24 of the Washington Nationals pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at Nationals Park on September 14, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As we enter the spring, just about everyone on the Washington Nationals roster has a lot to prove. This team is very short on proven commodities. However, there are three players fans should be paying close attention to. Cade Cavalli, Dylan Crews and Luis Perales have a ton to prove in 2025, and I will be watching them closely this spring.
Can Cavalli Put it Together:
Cade Cavalli is the player I am most fascinated by. After the MacKenzie Gore trade, he seems like the de facto ace. He had a bumpy road back from Tommy John Surgery, but showed flashes of elite potential last season. In his 10 MLB starts, Cavalli posted a respectable 4.25 ERA.
I think he can get much better. His stuff is front of the rotation caliber and he throws plenty of strikes. However, his execution and command are not great. With the new pitching development team and a fully healthy offseason, Cavalli could improve that though. As the season progressed in 2025, he made some adjustments that helped him become an effective MLB pitcher.
Cade Cavalli is now the ace of the Washington Nationals' rotation.
Cavalli was throwing from a higher arm angle (43.9 degrees), over six degrees more in 2025, primarily due to his horizontal release point shifting over five inches farther than his midline, and adding nearly… pic.twitter.com/jm7Hn10xPn
There is room for a lot more though. His fastball averages 97 MPH and he pairs it with an awesome power curveball. The curve averaged 86 MPH and generated whiffs at a 40% clip. He used the curve over 30% of the time, which makes the high whiff number even more impressive.
Despite being in the 72nd percentile for whiffs, Cavalli only struck out 18.3% of hitters. That ranked in the 18th percentile. There is no way a pitcher with Cavalli’s stuff should be striking out under 20% of hitters. This spring, fans should be watching Cavalli’s execution with two strikes. If new pitching coach Simon Mathews can improve Cavalli’s ability to put hitters away, he will have a big season.
If I had to guess, Cade Cavalli will be the Nats Opening Day starter. The fact a pitcher with 11 MLB outings is the Nats Opening Day starter says a lot about the state of the rotation. However, Cavalli has a chance to be great, he is just unproven.
Can Dylan Crews Live Up to the Hype:
Coming out of LSU, Dylan Crews was one of the most hyped up college baseball players in the last decade. Along with his teammate Paul Skenes, Crews helped the LSU Tigers win the National Championship. Since leaving LSU, Skenes and Crews have been on very different paths.
While Skenes was winning his first Cy Young award in 2025, Crews was struggling to find his footing. Crews hit just .208 with a .632 OPS last year. There were long stretches where the former Golden Spikes winner looked lost at the plate.
Coming out of college, Crews was supposed to be a can’t miss prospect. Skenes and Wyatt Langford may have had more upside, but Crews was the one that had no chance of being a bust. So far, that has not been the case. Crews, who is one of the most decorated college baseball players ever, has not been the same player in the MLB.
Even in the minors, Crews did not dominate the way he was expected to. He was good, but never elite. Crews did not torch the minor leagues the way Wyatt Langford did. In the MLB, he got exposed even more. His suboptimal angles have been a problem. Crews is hitting the ball on the ground too much and is not tapping into his power.
In 2025, Crews was also whiffing way too much. His issues against spin have been present for a while, but he was even whiffing against fastballs. Crews was an elite fastball hitter, even in his up and down MLB stint in 2024. That was not the case last year.
While Crews’ season was interrupted by injury, his performance was still concerning. He needs to get back to crushing fastballs. Hopefully the new coaching staff can help Crews rebuild his confidence. This is the first time Crews has ever failed, so I am curious to see how he bounces back. Spring Training will be our first chance to see what kind of adjustments Crews has made.
Can Luis Perales Throw Enough Strikes:
The prospect I am most curious about this spring is Luis Perales, who the Nats acquired from the Red Sox this offseason. Paul Toboni swung a rare prospect for prospect trade with his old club back in December. He sent the high floor Jake Bennett to the Red Sox for Perales, who is riskier but comes with a much higher ceiling.
Perales blew out his elbow in the middle of his breakout 2024 season. He had to undergo Tommy John Surgery, missing the rest of 2024 and most of 2025. Perales came back at the end of 2025, where he made a few appearances in the minors.
However, most of his action came in the Arizona Fall League. The results were interesting. His velocity was actually better than ever, sitting at nearly 99 MPH. Perales had a hard time finding the strike zone though. In 11.1 innings, he struck out 19 batters but walked 11.
Luis Perales (BOS) continues to look excellent following his return from TJS
In the AFL today, his fastball averaged 99 MPH with elite ride and his breaking balls graded out well. The Red Sox have a gem here! pic.twitter.com/egLKrALIQS
It is not uncommon for pitchers coming back from TJ to struggle with command at first. They have not pitched in competitive games for over a year, so there is some rust. These pitchers are also adjusting to their new elbow as well. As pitchers get further removed from surgery, the command usually improves.
Perales showed much improved command in his breakout 2024 season, but had some control questions before then. Command will always be a question mark for the flamethrower, but as long as he is around the strike zone, the stuff will play.
I will be watching Perales very closely to see what that control looks like. If it is back to those 2024 levels, he can be a front of the rotation starter. However, he has the chance to be a nasty reliever. His injury history, smaller build and control point to a bullpen role, but he also has a chance to start.
It will be interesting to see what the Nats do with him. If they move him to the bullpen, he could be in the big leagues very soon. However, if they want to continue developing him as a starter, things will take longer. Either way, Perales should start next season at Triple-A. If Toboni wants to let him rip in the bullpen, Luis Perales could be the Nats closer by the end of the season.
There are more players we could highlight, but these are the three that stand out to me. All three have so much to prove this year, but also have great upside. 2026 will be a year where these young players will have to prove themselves. With Paul Toboni improving the farm system, these guys could be replaced if they do not perform.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 26: Francisco Lindor #12 of the New York Mets reacts during the sixth inning of the game against the Miami Marlins at loanDepot park on September 26, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Willy Adames made his mark in his first season with the Giants, but he knows there’s always room for improvement.
Adames was a key offensive contributor for San Francisco, becoming the first Giants player with 30 home runs in a single season since Barry Bonds. He also hit .225 with 87 RBI.
When he caught fire, he couldn’t cool down. When he was slumping, it was bad. But Adames is finding the silver linings in the up-and-down season.
“It was a challenging year,” Adames told reporters Saturday at Giants FanFest in Sacramento. “Adapting to everything, the fans, the organization, the city, new stadium. But it was great. Obviously at the end of the year, we didn’t achieve what we wanted to, but I think we learned a lot from last year. And now we know we need to get better in some areas, and I think we’re doing a really good job to start creating a different culture and to be better on the field.
“For me, personally, I’ll just try to be more consistent and be better every day.”
Off the field, it was no secret that Adames quickly became the team’s energizer.
His infectious spirit and good vibes were contagious around the Giants’ clubhouse, despite how San Francisco was performing on the field.
But the Giants need more than just good vibes to compete in the NL West and get back to winning baseball.
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 01: Austin Hays #12 of the Cincinnati Reds walks in the eighth inning during Game Two of the National League Wild Card Series between the Cincinnati Reds and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, October 1, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
MLB Rumors: Austin Hays and the Chicago White Sox are in agreement on a one year, $6 million deal, per reports.
The Rangers were among a number of teams that were in on Hays, per Jon Heyman, and we talked about him earlier in the week in our write-up on available righthanded platoon DH/bench bat options. The 30 year old Hays is going to a team that is not expected to be a contender in 2026, but which gives him an opportunity to play every day. If he performs well, he most likely will get traded to a contender at the deadline anyway.
So the Rangers’ hunt for a platoon DH and righty bench bat continues. While Hays was a popular choice among folks here — and was apparently pursued by a number of teams — there are still players out there who could fit the bill, and with camps opening soon, guys who have been waiting to see if a full-time opportunity comes available will have to make some decisions.
Jul 3, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Kansas City Royals infielder Nick Pratto (32) celebrates his solo home run against the Minnesota Twins during the eighth inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images
Austin Hays is reportedly signing a one-year deal with the White Sox, according to numerous report.
The Mets showed interest in Hays to help fill their outfield need before landing Luis Robert Jr. in a trade with Chicago.
New York could potentially still use another outfielder as currently constructed, but it’s unknown if they remained in on Hays after the Robert Jr. acquisition.
Instead, the veteran goes to the White Sox to likely be his replacement.
Hays is coming off a strong year in which he hit .266 with 15 homers and 64 RBI over 103 games with the Reds.
Starling Marte is available, but Mike Tauchman, Randal Grichuk, and Kiké Hernandez could also be potential fits for the Mets.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 28: Griffin Canning #46 of the New York Mets warms up prior to the game between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Mooney/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
After a season where the Mets missed the playoffs by as narrow a margin as they did, “what if” questions inevitably abound in the post mortem analysis. Of all of those “what if” questions, one that looms surprisingly large is, “What if Griffin Canning hadn’t ruptured his Achilles?” It feels strange typing those words because when the Mets signed Canning to a one-year, $4.25 million deal last offseason, no one envisioned he would play as large of a role on the team as he did.
After leading the league in earned runs in 2024 and getting traded by the Angels and then non-tendered by the Braves, Canning found himself with a job in the Mets’ rotation to begin the season because of injuries to Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. Canning looked like an entirely different pitcher in spring training, posting a 1.88 ERA and striking out 22 batters in 14 1/3 innings—a far higher rate than his career norms and a higher rate than anyone else on the team in Grapefruit League action. At the time when Canning was in the running for the 2025 King of Spring Training contest, I wrote:
The Mets have refined Canning’s pitch mix, adding a two-seam sinker and bringing back a cutter he used to throw to serve as a weapon against lefties. Canning’s changeup ranked in the top 20 in run value among starters last season and the Mets hope that some tweaks in sequencing can improve his results. The results in spring training speak for themselves. Hopefully Canning is another David Stearns success story: not a sexy acquisition, but one that will help the Mets weather a 162-game season with inevitable pitching injuries.
A David Stearns success story is exactly what Canning turned out to be. Though he didn’t maintain quite the prolific strikeout rate of his small spring sample size, Canning did maintain his momentum overall to begin the season, putting up a 2.47 ERA through his first nine starts. He did that mostly on the back of that changeup, which hitters batted just .188 against in 2025, and via a 55.2% ground ball rate over those first nine starts. Metrics like SIERA, FIP, and xERA are less kind to Canning’s impressive start because of the amount of contact he gave up, but he gave the Mets exactly what they needed from him: the ability to weather the storm.
Canning’s early luck caught up with him a bit in the second half of May and into June, over which he put up a 5.50 ERA in 34 1/3 innings, seeing his walk rate spike. Canning never got the chance to right the ship. On June 26, he suffered a non-contact injury, crumpling to the ground after stepping off the mound. It didn’t look good at the time and eventually testing confirmed the worst: a ruptured Achilles tendon that would require surgery and cost him the rest of the season.
It was truly a shame for both the Mets and for Canning. Canning lost out on the chance to parlay what was shaping up to be a renaissance season into a possible multi-year deal. As of this writing, Canning is still a free agent, though he has drawn interest from multiple teams, including the Mets. However, given the injury, the chances that Canning’s next contract is richer than the one earned in 2025 are slim. Meanwhile, the Mets lost what turned out to be, on balance, an above average starting pitcher from their rotation. All told, Canning ended up with a 3.77 ERA and a 107 ERA+ in 76 1/3 innings across 16 starts. Given the amount the Mets signed Canning for and the expectations of him entering the season, even this injury-shortened campaign was absolutely a bargain. But when one looks at what happened to the Mets from June 26 onward, the “what if” question inevitably creeps in. The starting rotation was the chief area of the team that failed down the stretch. Because of injuries and ineffectiveness, the Mets were forced to rely upon their young arms to mixed success. One can’t help but wonder if Canning simply xeroxing his first half output in the second half would have been enough to eke out that one extra win the Mets needed to make the playoffs in 2025. In that alternate universe, the resurgence of Griffin Canning and the successful transition of Clay Holmes to the starting rotation are heralded as victories by David Stearns and the Mets’ pitching apparatus that inspire confidence for 2026.
C’est la vie. Instead, we live in a universe where the outcome of the Frankie Montas signing and uncertainty surrounding Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga leave some lingering apprehension, despite the morale boost that was the Freddy Peralta trade. However, Canning’s story—injury-shortened or not—is reason for optimism; it is likely he did enough in 2025 to be given a chance by someone to prove it was not a fluke, despite the warning signs of regression. But it is unlikely that team will be the Mets unless a trade that subtracts from the current group of big league starters is still in the works.
Sep 23, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) hits a double during the fourth inning against the Houston Astros at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
Hello friends and happy Saturday! It’s the last day of January and spring training kicks off next month. As the offseason begins to wrap up, here’s the latest.
KC is thin behind Lynch and Strahm for left-handers on the 40-man roster. It’s possible the front office decides to add someone before spring training. It’s imperative to have quality lefties as depth pieces and to offset injuries.
The Royals could convert some of their starting pitchers into long-relief help. One name to watch is left-hander Bailey Falter . He has some experience working in the bullpen, having made appearances with the Royals in 2025, and is still under contract.
This is generally where the young players go, so it’s an easy look. AJ Causey and Dennis Colleran were prospects I mentioned recently who could debut in 2026. They are both absolutely making a case for a spot in the bullpen later this year when camp opens up. I think Shane Panzini is as well and I think Frank Mozzicato is too, though there’s an argument to be made that he belongs in a fourth category of a first-round pick that they just want to get a look at to see if he actually has a chance to even be depth in the big leagues.
Two of the more interesting pitchers on the list are Hunter Patteson and Chazz Martinez. I think they’re interesting because they’re kind of sneaky. They’re a little older, both 26, but neither has been mentioned much. Martinez was dominant in AA before struggling in AAA, but he struck out 45 and walked 11 in 43.2 innings in AA. He’s a lefty and they could use a strong lefty reliever. Patteson is also a lefty and he was dominant in high-A as a starter with a 1.99 ERA in 13 starts. I could see a shift to the bullpen there.
“No. 1, yes, Bobby Witt Jr. He has emerged as one of the leading superstars in the sport,” Kenny said. “While the behemoths rule the coasts — that’s Ohtani and Judge — Bobby Witt owns the Heartland. He followed up his breakout year by playing 157 games, slugging a robust .501. Stealing 38 bases, playing stellar defense. He was a whopping plus-20. Plus-20! In fielding (run value). I’m throwing these absurd numbers out there. Plus-20.
“Witt is going into his age 26 season, and we now have two years of dominance. Best batting average, slugging, OPS+ at the position, and No. 1 defensively, as measured by the Statcast defensive metric, that’s fielding run value. Put it all together in WAR, that’s what No. 1 looks like.”
