Category: Baseball

First Half Record: 31-44 (7/10, International League East Division)

Second Half Record: 46-29 (2/10, International League East Division)

When the 2025 season began, the Syracuse Mets had an assortment of the Mets’ top prospects and an additional nineteen players with major league experience. Syracuse had ended the second half of the 2024 season as one of the worst in the International League, but with so much talent on board, expectations were that the team would turn things around.

All in all, the team got off to a sluggish start and struggled to really build momentum, with the promotion-and-demotion of players augmenting the Mets’ lineup really having an effect on the team. They ended the first half with a 31-44 record, 7th in the International League East Division, 16.0 games behind the first place Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, and were one of the bottom teams in all of Triple-A baseball. In the second half, Syracuse benefited from promotions from Double-A Binghamton, with top prospects such as Carson Benge, Jett Williams, Jonah Tong, Nolan McLean, and Ryan Clifford all suiting up for Syracuse. Additionally, a handful of players who had otherwise struggled in the first half righted the ship to some degree. The team went 46-29 in the second half, their magic number running out in the last week of the season.

Dick Scott will be returning as team skipper, his fourth year as manager. Joining him will be John Nogowski, who will be serving as bench coach, A.J. Sager, who will be serving as pitching coach, and Nate Irving, who will be serving as hitting coach. Nogowski will be replacing 2025 bench coach J.P. Arencibia, while Sager will be reprising his 2025 role and Irving will be replacing 2025 hitting coach Rick Guarno.

The 2026 season will be Dick Scott’s thirteenth year in the New York Mets organization. Besides coaching Syracuse for the last four, he also served as Coordinator of Coaching Development and Instruction in 2021-2022, New York Mets bench coach in 2016-2017, Director of Player Development in 2012-2015, and was a Minor League Field Coordinator in 2011-2012.

The 2026 season will be John Nogowski’s first season not just with the Mets, but as a coach. The infielder attended Florida State University and was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 34th round of the 2014 MLB Draft, the 1,032nd player selected overall. He was released in 2017, signed a contract with the Sioux City Explorers of the American Association a few months later, and then was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals a few weeks later. He remained in their organization for the next few years, making his MLB debut in 2020, and was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for cash considerations in July 2021, getting released by them at the end of the season.

A.J. Sager will be returning to the role that he held last season for Syracuse and will be returning to the Mets for his sixth season. Prior to serving as pitching coach for the Syracuse Mets, he was the pitching coach for the Binghamton Rumble Ponies in 2022-2023 and was pitching coach for the Brooklyn Cyclones in 2021. Before he was a coach in the Mets organization, he was a coach for twenty years with the Detroit Tigers.

The 2026 season will be Nate Irving’s first season as Syracuse hitting coach and will be his second season with the Mets. In 2025, he served as Binghamton Rumble Ponies hitting coach. Prior to joining the organization, he coached in the Cincinatti Reds system, serving as hitting coach for the Single-A Daytona Tortugas in 2024, the ACL Reds in 2023, and as bench coach for the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts in 2022. Additionally, he served as a hitting coach for the Bravos de Margarita of the Venezuelan League during the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 seasons.

The Syracuse Mets will be opening the 2026 season against the Worcester Red Sox at Polar Park this afternoon at 4:05 PM EDT. And here’s their full Opening Day roster.

Pitchers

• Nick Burdi
• Alex Carrillo
• Bryce Conley
• Daniel Duarte
• Carl Edwards
• Joey Gerber
• Ofreidy Gomez
• Dan Hammer
• Joe Jacques
• Ryan Lambert
• Jonathan Pintaro
• Anderson Severino
• Joander Suarez
• Jonah Tong
• Austin Warren
• Jack Wenninger

Catchers

• Hayden Senger
• Onix Vega

Infielders

• Christian Arroyo
• Ryan Clifford
• Jackson Cluff
• Yonny Hernández
• Ronny Mauricio
• José Rojas

Outfielders

• JiHwan Bae
• MJ Melendez
• Nick Morabito
• Cristian Pache

There’s another television vendor that will be carrying BravesVision. An actual cable-like streamer, FuboTV, is part of the BravesVision family.

FuboTV and Braves has agreed a multiyear partnership to carry BravesVision, the Braves’ owned and operated network. BravesVision will be available for the customers in Atlanta’s television footprint, which contains Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and western North Carolina.

FuboTV has undergone a multitude of changes in the last decade. They attempted to carry all sports channels from Fox, Disney, NBC, and Paramount. They were blocked via their cable partners from doing so. Then they sued when Fox, Disney, and Paramount attempted to build Venu, which was to combine all their sports offerings. Now Disney owns 70 percent of the streamer. The BravesVision addition may be a swipe at fellow cableish streamer YouTube, who hasn’t carried the Braves for about a half decade.

So this might be good news for those wishing to watch the Braves on YouTube TV. But for now, BravesVision is on FuboTV. The recent BravesVision announcements haven’t stated which tier or what the price point will be. But like Spectrum and Xfinity customers, you have your option.

Before we dive into an analysis of Matthew Liberatore’s arsenal changes from spring training, let me take a second to introduce myself. I’ve been reading VEB for as long as I can remember. It’s always been an awesome place for analysis and fan commentary. I hope, in some small way, to be able to contribute to that ethic and help grow this community. I’m looking forward to the journey!

Like any good Rachel Ray pie, I’m constructing this before opening day and so Libby has just pitched yesterday. So, he was awesome – all star game here we come! Or, break out the torches and pitchforks while we chant “We want Fitts!” (That felt like the safest thing to chant for him, by far.) Here’s the thing, either way, Libby is going no where as Grand Poobah Chaim Bloom is solidly in his corner.

The Cardinals organization has gone from a lonely western tumbleweed as a player development staff to a team beefed up with former Guardians, Mariners, Dodgers, and Rays employees. Can we notice anything different in Libby? The answer is a resounding yes. At least as far as spring training shows, Libby is evolving. Let’s go ahead and issue the small sample size boilerplate response here – I know spring training stats don’t matter, you know it, frankly everyone but Mike Matheny knows it. But sometimes a change in approach does carry over.

Over on the Redbird Rundown podcast (if audio/visual is your thing, we have a ton of fun diving into numbers over there), we quickly brought up Libby’s name in Cardinals that will define the season. Check it out here if you want – Apple or Spotify!

Here’s the thing, Libby’s arsenal has expanded. (I was considering an Iran reference here, but I’m not going to test the limits of the first amendment in my first article for this hallowed site) He has debuted a splitter that is designed as an additional weapon against righties. News flash: a majority of MLB hitters are righties. This is going to determine just what caliber of pitcher he can be.

The splitter debuted in spring training with some fairly good metrics. It measured 6.2 in. IVB (10.1 in. offset from fastball), 5.6 in. armside run (2 in. offset from FB), and 88.2 MPH (6.9 MPH offset from FB). If these metrics have you smelling a changeup, you’ve got a good smeller. In fact, Fangraphs is noting a distinct uptick in the changeup usage – the splitter is likely to be the cause of that. This gives Libby seven pitches to play with.

Now this is where things get downright fascinating. In spring training (yes, I still know it’s spring training and that he has to prove it on repeat), Libby’s fastball was more effective than it’s ever been. According to Fangraphs, his fastball had a 2.1 run value. That’s the only time in his career that it’s ever been positive. Libby has always been a use-the-fastball-to-set-up-his-breaking-stuff guy. Now, maybe he’s not? The interplay between his increased offspeed offerings, in this case with the shape of his splitter, and his fastball produced some very interesting early results. (Yes, I know it’s spring training still, kindly refrain from thinking I’m not aware)

The downstream effects of Libby having a plus fastball are like the butterfly effect. He struck out 33.9% of all batters he faced and, brace yourself here, only walked 3.6% of hitters. That’s Dylan Cease level strikeouts with Tarik Skubal walk rates. Are those sustainable? Probably not, but if the fastball keeps playing up then it’s obvious that he doesn’t have to nibble on the edges as much. 

You want more proof? You guys have a higher burden of proof than an Old Testament stoning. But here’s some more magic. Batters, in spring training, swung at rates that are average for Libby’s career. But their contact rates fell by 20%. His swinging strike percentage was double his career average. Yeah. Libby missed some serious bats this spring. Did you guys know the Cardinals need more swing and miss in their rotation? Huh, crazy.

There’s one last piece of Libby’s very strong spring that is intriguing. Batters made contact to the opposite field 42.9% of the time. His career rate is 26.7%. He’s baffling hitters into being behind and avoiding the deadly pull side contact more often than he ever has in his career.

Look, all this is likely to normalize. A leopard doesn’t change its spots often. But, the organization around Libby has certainly changed its spots and the very best development teams in baseball seem to be able to grow talent at will. Perhaps, just perhaps, this Cardinals franchise really is on the march back to relevance and will be powered by developing new talent and maximizing the guys they already have. So, it’s possible this new splitter is a weapon that will lead to a serious evolution in what Libby is capable of. I’m rooting for that. Shouldn’t you?

Regardless of how he pitched yesterday, the arsenal changes that Matthew Liberatore is making deserve our attention and, frankly, our respect. I’ll be watching that splitter closely going forward, but I think the secret is whether or not it continues to increase the effectiveness of his fastball or not.

Let me know what you’ve been seeing in the comments!

The Royals open their 2026 season tonight against the Atlanta Braves and manager Matt Quatraro has posted the first lineup of the season. The lineup is right-handed heavy against Braves left-hander Chris Sale, with Jac Caglianone and Kyle Isbel on the bench. Lefties hit just .162/.250/.302 against Sale last year.

3B Maikel Garcia (R)

SS Bobby Witt Jr. (R)

CF Lane Thomas (R)

C Salvador Perez (R)

1B Vinnie Pasquantino (L)

RF Starling Marte (R)

2B Jonathan India (R)

LF Isaac Collins (S)

DH Carter Jensen (L)

Cole Ragans gets the Opening Day start for the Royals, the sixth pitcher in club history to get the nod in the first game in three or more consecutive seasons.

Game time is tonight at 6:15 CT, and you can watch on Royals.TV.

Unsurprisingly, the vibes were good after the Mets’ 11-7 Opening Day victory over the Pirates at Citi Field on Thursday afternoon. That reflected in the post-game comments, where there were a lot of positive things to say about the team’s performance in the win.

Carlos Mendoza

On the team’s approach against Paul Skenes in the five-run first inning: “If you want to beat guys like this…you’re going to have to play perfect baseball, pretty much, not only putting together some pretty good at-bats, but running the bases, putting the ball in play. That whole inning, the way everything unfolded, was pretty impressive. Overall, one through nine, pretty solid day, and it says a lot about our offense.” (MLB)

On the team getting contributions from the entire lineup: “They continued to add on. Not only that first inning, but that fifth inning was as good as the first one, where they’re controlling the strike zone, they’re creating traffic, we’re putting the ball in play with two strikes, we’re going the other way when we need to, that’s the sign of a good offensive team from one through nine. When you get contributions from Marcus [Semien], from [Carson] Benge, and Alvy [Francisco Alvarez], and we’re able to turn that lineup over, we’re going to be in a good place.” (MLB)

About Benge’s debut: “Who he is is super consistent. He’s 0-for-2 with a couple of strikeouts and he still feels pretty good about his chances. He controls the strike zones, he walks…and then he gets a pitch where he can do damage and goes to the pull side like that. I’m not surprised by it.” (SNY)

About Peralta’s Mets debut: “Other than the two mistakes there to Lowe, I thought he was pretty good. They put together some really good at-bats…he was able to get through five on a day where, like I said, a couple of missed pitches there where they clipped him. But overall, I thought he was very good.” (SNY)

Carson Benge

On his first major league home run: “I kind of blacked out running around the bases. I don’t really remember too much. I know I got it good off the bat.” (SNY)

On his support system in his major league debut: “It means the world, you now. Having all the people that have sacrificed so much for me come up and watch that happen is definitely big.” (SNY)

On his approach following the two strikeouts: “Just calm down. Deep breath, calm down. Great atmosphere, great fans, just trying to bring myself back down so I can compete.” (SNY)

On the Citi Field crowd: “It was amazing. The crowd was the loudest I’ve ever heard, times five.” (SNY)

On the reaction from the fans: “I just got chills that this is where I’m supposed to be and just having fun every day playing baseball.” (SNY)

On the dead bird incident: “I heard a thud, I looked over and it was just down. Down for the count.” (SNY)

Freddy Peralta

On the atmosphere at Citi Field: “Amazing, man, amazing. I think, personally, something that helped me to get better. But it’s amazing and I can’t wait to see it in the rest of the season that same way.” (SNY)

On the offense picking him up: “Amazing! I asked them earlier today before the game, ‘I need some runs from you guys.’ But damn, that’s crazy!” (SNY)

On the feeling of walking to the mound in a different uniform: “I don’t know how to explain to you right now what is the difference, but it feels different. The energy from the first pitch to the last one, you can feel it.” (SNY)

On his plans for a barbecue after Opening Day: “I wish. I don’t know, you never know. I’m going to keep it a secret. It may happen, yeah!” (SNY)

Bo Bichette

On his competitive at-bats: “The goal of our team should be to have the most competitive at-bats every single day.” (SNY)

On the mindset after getting down 2-0 in the first: “I mean it’s the first game, but it could give us a glimpse into what we want to be as a team. You know, getting down early and coming back against you know, maybe the best in the game. That’s good stuff, so we’ll try to keep it going.” (SNY)

Brett Baty

On contributing to the team’s Opening Day victory: “That was awesome. That was a really fun game. Our lineup was really special, put together a lot of scrappy at-bats, and then Freddy, the bullpen…it was awesome.” (SNY)

On Benge’s debut: “Unbelievable. Really, really cool. I think if I’m remembering correctly, Alvy hit a home run his first hit, maybe, and I think I did it, too. Well, I know I did it. But no, it was really really special, and I’m super happy for him.” (SNY)

On the team’s lineup: “It’s huge, that’s what we harp on. We’re a complete lineup. If you wear the pitcher down, then somebody in our lineup’s going to get a mistake and do some damage with it.” (SNY)

MLB Spring Training is over, and the 2026 baseball season is upon us! As teams put the final touches on their Opening Day rosters, let’s look at some of the biggest headlines across the league.

10. Grayson Rodriguez starts on the Angels IL

The Angels have always struggled with pitching, but missing the ace they traded for ranks high on the Halo’s biggest worries this year. Rodriguez didn’t throw a single regular-season pitch with Baltimore in 2025 after missing the season due to a right lat strain, and his return has been delayed due to severe arm weakness, known as ‘dead arm.’ Rodriguez’s absence makes trading Taylor Ward away look like a huge mistake right now.

9. Konnor Griffin misses Opening Day

MLB’s No. 1 prospect will have to wait to pencil in his debut date. The Pirates’ 2024 first-round pick made a splash in his first year in the minors, slashing .333/.415/.527 while belting 24 home runs and 94 RBIs from Single to Double-A ball. For the first time in a blue moon, Pittsburgh is making the right call not to rush Griffin to the majors. While he has the highest odds of being the NL Rookie of the Year, he can wait an extra month or two to earn the accolade.

8. Atlanta’s rotation is plagued with injuries

What should’ve been a bounce-back year is already starting on the wrong foot for the Braves. Atlanta can create their own rotation from injured starters alone. Ace Spencer Strider is out for at least two weeks, with Spencer Schwellenbach also sidelined for a few months. Losing that much production will sting.

7. Hyeseong Kim starts season in Dodgers Triple-A

Dave Roberts has too many great players and not enough roster spots. Utility player Kim was optioned to the Oklahoma City Comets ahead of Opening Day. His strong .280/.314/.385 slash line and 13 stolen bases off the bench last year wasn’t enough to beat out LA’s No. 8 prospect Alex Freeland. Kim won’t be in Triple-A long, though, whether it’s with the Dodgers or another organization.

6. No lefties in the Dbacks bullpen

The MO for general managers is to have a fair mix of lefty and righty pitchers to keep batters on the tips of their cleats. Still, the Arizona Diamondbacks took an unconventional, and likely unintentional, approach to finalizing their pitching staff. Maybe GM Mike Hazen is taking a Billy Beane approach, ignoring the psychology- and performance-driven strategies that have dominated roster construction and pitching changes. Or, perhaps it’s just a fun coincidence. Either way, it will be fun to see how this decision shakes out.

5. Top prospect JJ Wetherholt makes Cardinals roster

The projected best player in St. Louis will headline the lineup on Opening Day. Although he struggled during Spring Training, Wetherholt taxed pitchers last year with a .306 batting average, .421 on-base percentage, and 72 walks. His high offensive ceiling and speed should be enough to bring fans to one of the most underrated ballparks in the league.

4. Rangers break Opening Day news to Carter Baumler on the mound

What’s the best way to learn that you’ve made the Opening Day roster as a Rule 5 Draft pick? If you didn’t say during a game during a mound visit, you’re wrong. Texas manager Skip Schumaker marched to the mound after five straight outs from Baumler, not to send him to the dugout, but to break the great news. This is another reason why it’s impossible not to be romantic about baseball.

3. Luis Gil loses Yankees rotation gig

The Bronx made the tough decision to option 2024 Rookie of the Year Gil to Triple-A. Despite pitching well after spending nearly half the season on the IL, Aaron Boone claims that the Yankees don’t need a fifth starter until mid-April, with roster priority being given to reliever Rule 5 pick Cade Winquest and relievers Jake Bird and Brent Headrick. Why give the ball to a reliable guy when you can experiment with three less-proven players?

2. Detroit’s Kevin McGoingle set to make his debut 

The Tigers’ star shortstop prospect is ready to get to work. The 2023 draft pick has quickly made a name for himself, tallying three-straight .300+ batting average, .400+ on-base percentage, and .850 on-base plus slugging percentage seasons across his minor league stints. Detroit is making an interesting decision to have McGoingle skip Triple-A and go straight to the majors, but if it works out, it’ll look genius.

1. Chase DeLauter secures locker in Guardians clubhouse

MLB’s No. 46 overall prospect will be in Seattle’s right field to start the season after a Spring Training that went exactly how Cleveland fans hoped. DeLauter’s exceptional .459/.535/.838 slash line, three home runs, 10 runs driven in, and 10 runs scored with only four strikeouts in 14 games has the Guardians and baseball fans across the nation pumped to see this young stud’s first at-bats.

Alex Vesia’s wife was happy to be back at another Opening Day at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, but she noted it was very difficult to be there without her and Alex’s daughter, who passed away in October.

Kayla Vesia attended Los Angeles’ season opener against the Diamondbacks, and in an Instagram post, she called her evening at the ballpark “very bitter sweet.”

View this post on Instagram

“What I would give to have my Sterling girl here,” Kayla wrote, “carrying her in my heart always.”

Alex and Kayla announced on Nov. 7 that Sterling Vesia, their newborn, died on Oct. 26. They wrote at the time there were “no words to describe the pain we’re going through.”

Alex missed the Dodgers’ World Series win over the Blue Jays while he and his wife processed the tragedy.

Alex wrote a sweet note to Kayla in the comment section of her post later Thursday night.

“I LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH!!” he said, adding three red heart emojis.

At a spring training workout last month, Alex read a lengthy statement to reporters in which he touched on the heartache he and Kayla endured last fall.

“The lessons we’ve learned from this is that life can change in an instant,” Alex said. “Ten minutes is all it took. Sterling Sol was the most beautiful girl in the world. We got to hold her, change her diaper, read to her and love her. Our time together was far too short. Kay and I will keep those precious moments and memories to ourselves. I hope that anyone listening can empathize and respect our wishes for privacy as we continue to heal, and as we navigate the ups and downs of a baseball season.”

While Alex didn’t appear in the Dodgers’ 8-2 victory over Arizona, he is expected to toe the rubber at some point in the series.

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One of the most intriguing baseball betting options is the “run first inning” market, where you can wager on whether there will be a scorer plated in the opening frame.

With two potent offenses facing off in tonight’s NL West duel between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, my MLB picks expect early fireworks. 

Check out the rest of my free NRFI and YRFI bets for Friday, March 27.

Best NRFI/YRFI bets today

Pick	Odds
/ - NRFI	-125
/ - YRFI	-102
/ - YRFI	-113

Rockies at Marlins: NRFI (-125)

The Colorado Rockies have the worst offense in the majors, especially on the road, where they posted a pathetic .589 OPS and averaged just 2.81 runs per game last year.

Meanwhile, the Miami Marlins had a .693 OPS with 3.91 runs per game at home. Neither team has made significant lineup upgrades, and 10 mph winds are blowing toward the infield at LoanDepot Park tonight.

Miami is handing the ball to former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara, who struggled last season coming off Tommy John surgery. Now two and a half years removed from the procedure, he could be in line for a resurgent campaign.

• Time: 7:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Marlins.TV | Rockies.TV

Angels at Astros: YRFI (-102)

Although Houston Astros righty Mike Burrows looked good in the preseason, I’m not convinced he’s a true No. 2 starter.

Burrows posted a 4.33 xERA last year, and the Los Angeles Angels ranked third in the majors in first-inning scoring percentage (33.3%). The Halos lack depth, but they’re strong at the top of the lineup — at least when Mike Trout is healthy.

L.A. will counter with lefty Yusei Kikuchi, who had a 4.48 xERA last year and sported a 6.00 ERA in the first inning. The Astros hit well against lefties, and with a healthy Yordan Alvarez back in the lineup, they should be more productive offensively this season.

• Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: Apple TV

Dodgers at Diamondbacks: YRFI (-113)

These were two of the most productive offenses in the majors last year, with the Los Angeles Dodgers leading the NL in OPS (.768) and the Arizona Diamondbacks sitting third (.758).

L.A.’s murderers’ row has gotten even stronger after adding Kyle Tucker. Meanwhile, the top of the D-Backs’ lineup remains formidable with Corbin Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo, and Ketel Marte.

Arizona is starting Ryne Nelson, who posted a 3.93 xERA last year and ranked in the bottom fifth percentile in average exit velocity.

• Time: 10:10 p.m. ET
• Where to watch: MLB Network

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

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There are eight games on the MLB slate today, and prediction markets like Kalshi allow baseball bettors in every state (excluding Nevada) a chance to lock in their favorite MLB best bets.

We've asked our baseball experts for their favorite MLB picks today — as well as offering extra MLB expert picks from the rest of the Covers staff for Friday, March 27.

MLB expert picks for today

Pick	Price
Josh Inglis: DET ML	+104
Jon Metler: MIA ML	-186
Joe Osborne: MIA/COL o7.5	+100

Prices courtesy of Kalshi.

Josh Inglis' expert pick: Tigers ML

Price:49¢ (+104) at Kalshi

The Detroit Tigers hold a clear starting pitching edge in Game 2 after an 8–2 win over the San Diego Padres yesterday, who got just nine outs from Nick Pivetta in the opener. I’m backing Detroit on the moneyline at 49% and would buy at 52% or better, with a projected fair price closer to -122.  Framber Valdez has a significant edge over Michael King, who struggled this spring (20 runs allowed in 17+ innings) and tends to lack efficiency — opening the door to the Padres’ bullpen early. Detroit’s young bats also looked legit in Game 1, and this lineup has real upside.

Jon Metler's expert pick: Marlins ML

Price:65¢ (-186) at Kalshi

The Colorado Rockies can’t catch a break — it’s Opening Day, and they’re already being targeted as a team to fade. The Miami Marlins are priced at 65 cents, and I think that number should be closer to 69 cents, so I’m hitting the button. Miami has a clear platoon advantage here, with a starting lineup featuring eight right-handed hitters against Kyle Freeland, a lefty who allowed right-handed batters to hit .300 with an .821 OPS last season. With a lineup built to exploit that matchup and Sandy Alcantara unveiling his revamped sweeper, I’ll back the Marlins in this spot.

Joe Osborne's expert pick: Marlins/Rockies Over 7.5 runs - Yes

Price: 50¢ (+100) at Kalshi

This total of 7.5 is showing way too much respect for these starting pitchers. Alcantara is coming off an awful season, where he posted a 5.36 ERA and looks nowhere close to regaining his 2022 Cy Young form, and Freeland is average at best, yet somehow posted a 4.51 FIP on the road in 2025 — which was worse than his mark at Coors Field. He also got smacked for eight hits and six earned by Miami late last season. While bullpens can change year to year, both of these units were consistently among the worst in 2025.

More MLB best bets for today

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

The Gwinnett Stripers have released their initial roster for the 2026 season today, ahead of today’s first game of the season. The roster below is mostly as expected, though there is one big, surprising omission in Jhancarlos Lara not being part of it after spending a good chunk of time in Gwinnett last season.

Starters

The biggest story is probably that Lara is not here, though Brett Sears is also not after reaching Gwinnett last year and making 15 quality appearances in Columbus last season. Among the guys who are here, top prospect JR Ritchie is the best prospect on the team, and a candidate to quickly be promoted to Atlanta with a strong start to the season. Fellow prospect Lucas Braun is also back here after making three starts with the Stripers last year. The 39-year-old Carlos Carrasco may be the biggest name on the entire squad, making 286 career big league starts. They may also be looking to Dylan Dodd and Elieser Hernandez to round out the starting rotation. It is also in the plans for Didier Fuentes to join this group at some point, and this group will further deepen when Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, Hurston Waldrep, and potentially AJ Smith-Shawver return to action at various points in 2026.

Relievers

Hayden Harris is probably the top relief prospect who is here, after the lefty dominated in his stint last year. Anthony Molina and Rolddy Munoz are also a pair of younger relief arms that the Braves like. Ian Hamilton, Javy Guerra, Tayler Scott, and Hunter Stratton are relievers with a decent amount of big league games on their resumes, and candidates to help the big club in some capacity this year – however the most interesting arm of the bunch may be James Karinchak. Karinchak seemed on his way to being one of the top young relievers with the Guardians not too long ago, but has dealt with injuries and hasn’t appeared in a big league game since 2023. Anderson Pilar and Austin Pope are the other arms here, though both of them are guys the Braves wanted for their Triple-A affiliate, which makes this a deep and talented relief corps.

Catchers

Sandy Leon is arguably the biggest name among this group, as the 37-year-old has 559 games of big league experience under his belt, but he will have to split time here. Chadwick Tromp has received big league time in Atlanta in each of the past four seasons, and figures to factor in heavily in the playing time. Jair Camargo is a younger option who has five games of big league experience back with the Twins in 2024. While they may not have a guy who stands out as THE guy, all three of these options are more than capable at the Triple-A level.

Infielders

Nacho Alvarez is easily the most interesting young hitter on this roster, though he has lost his prospect status last year as he surpassed the rookie maximum for at bats. That would make Jim Jarvis the most interesting hitter prospect on the roster, which is kind of telling as he is more of a utility type of prospect. Recent minor league signing Rowdy Tellez could absolutely mash in Triple-A, and is likely the reason David McCabe isn’t here to open the season. Former Georgia Bulldog and 2019 second round pick Aaron Schunk is also here and should add even more offense to a Striper team that has been inconsistent in recent years with their bats. Contact oriented Luke Waddell and utility piece Luke Williams round out the infield. This is another group which looks improved heading into 2026, as it isn’t hard to picture a group led by Alvarez, Tellez, and Schunk holding their own offensively.

Outfielders

Although there aren’t any true prospects, this may be the most talented outfield we’ve seen in Gwinnett since the group with Cristian Pache and Drew Waters, back in 2021. Ben Gamel, Brewer Hicklen, and even DaShawn Keirsey Jr should provide power, and will be candidates to get called up to Atlanta this year should a temporary bat be needed. Jose Azocar is more of a speed guy with limited power, and he too has some big league experience on his resume.

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

Earlier this week, we asked Yankees fans to predict how far the team would go in 2026 in addition to our usual monthly GM approval poll. The results are in, in addition to some broader MLB-wide prompts about potential World Series outcomes. Let’s see how the voters voted!

Our first question asked fans to predict how successful the Yankees season would be when all is said and done.

Over one-third of responders believe that the Yankees will suffer the same fate as last season, when they were eliminated in four games by the Blue Jays in the ALDS — a series which was never particularly close. Some of that is down to the whole Toronto lineup getting hot at the same time, while a significant portion of the blame falls on the Yankees’ pitching staff. Perhaps the front office’s decision to run it back with essentially the same squad of players as last year helps explain Yankees fans’ pessimism that the team can do better this year — same team, same result. It’s encouraging that the next most popular response reflected faith that the Yankees will win their first World Series in 17 years, while roughly eight in nine voters believe they will at least make the playoffs.

Our next question asked whether Yankees fans approved of general manager Brian Cashman, specifically the course he charted over the offseason.

It’s not surprising that less than one-third of voters polled approve of the GM. This prompt goes hand in hand with the previous question. Yankees fans want the team to go farther in the postseason than last year, and a healthy proportion of the fanbase felt that the front office needed to upgrade the roster to achieve that goal. Instead, the two biggest offseason outlays saw the Yankees bring Trent Grisham and Cody Bellinger back into the fold, each a year older than last season. It’s hard to argue with the strategy considering they scored the most runs in MLB last season, but the lack of ambition also deserves criticism.

We also have a pair of MLB-wide polls to review, starting with a question about the Dodger’s chances of a three-peat.

Only two teams — the 1972-’74 A’s and 1998-2000 Yankees — have won three World Series in a row in the last fifty-plus years, yet 29 percent of those polled believe the Dodgers will join that pair in pulling off the three-peat. It’s understandable given the Dodgers’ dominance over this decade, the team adding Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz to an already star-studded roster that boasts the most valuable player in baseball in Shohei Ohtani. Baseball fans are slightly more optimistic about the Dodgers’ chances than the two most cited projection systems, FanGraphs setting the Dodgers’ World Series winning odds at 22.6 percent and PECOTA at 20.8 percent.

Those same fans were than asked about which team they felt had the best chance of preventing the Dodgers from winning their third crown in a row.

The Blue Jays topped the responses at 24 percent, with the Mariners right behind them at 23 percent. Toronto came within two outs of winning Game 7 and the World Series last year, only for Miguel Rojas to hit the game-tying home run in the ninth and Will Smith the game-winner in the 11th. However, they are a weaker team relative to last year — despite signing Dylan Cease to be their ace, they lost one of the their biggest offensive contributors in Bo Bichette after he signed with the Mets in free agency. The Mariners are right there behind them, which makes sense give that both FanGraphs and PECOTA projected them for the most wins in the AL. They’ve got a full year of Josh Naylor and added All-Star Brendan Donovan, and have one of the best starting rotations in baseball that’s healthier than last season to start the campaign. The Yankees are in third place with roughly one in six voters believing they have what it takes to avenge their 2024 World Series loss to LA, while a trio of NL teams in the Mets, Phillies, and Cubs round out the most popular responses.

These survey results are sponsored by FanDuel.

A dynamic start from their ace. Two stars clubbing huge home runs. A rookie making a splashy debut. Some drama late, exterminated by their closer.

Yep, 2026 Opening Day had pretty much everything you wanted to see from the Philadelphia Phillies.

On a gorgeous spring day at Citizens Bank Park, a lot of things went right and, for just a little while, the memories of last October’s crushing defeat at the hands of the Dodgers in the NLDS faded.

This baseball team is going to play another 161 of these things, all for a chance to try once again to push their Sisyphusian rock up the hill. But we’ll get to all that. On Thursday, the blueprint for regular season success was clear for all to see. Their 5-3 win over the Texas Rangers had all the ingredients we’ve seen this team successfully cook with over the last four seasons.

Cristopher Sanchez’ incredible performance was a continuation of the blossoming we’ve seen from him over the last three years. Not since Curt Schilling in 1997 has a Phils starter piled up 10 or more strikeouts in an Opening Day start.

That’s right. Roy Halladay never did it. Neither did Cliff Lee. Or Zack Wheeler. Or Cole Hamels. Or Aaron Nola. And that ain’t all.

His changeup was once again unhittable, generating a 54% whiff rate against the Rangers, who had absolutely no answers for him. His Game Score of 76 ranks tied for the 16th-best Opening Day performance by a starting pitcher in Phillies history (out of 129 starts). After Pittsburgh starter Paul Skenes was absolutely raked by the Mets for five runs in two-thirds of an inning on Thursday, the shortest outing of his career, Sanchez leapfrogged the reigning Cy Young Award winner in at least one odds-makers listing of ‘26 Cy Young contenders.

That didn’t take long!

While Sanchez was busy doing the “ace” thing, Kyle Schwarber once again gave fans an early Schwarbomb, a Ryan Howard Special to the opposite field in left-center. Two batters into the 2026 season, the Phils had a 2-0 lead, and Schwarber was 1/50th of the way to a second-straight 50-homer season.

Schwarber has a knack for these Opening Day dingers, especially after signing big free agent deals. He did the same thing in his very first at-bat as a Phillie on Opening Day in 2022, too.

Straight from the Irony Department, after an off-season in which everyone (including me) was bemoaning the idea of Alec Bohm hitting cleanup once again this year, it was Bohm who ended up smashing the biggest blast of the game, another oppo-shot, this to right field, to put the Phillies up 5-0.

You typically don’t want to have a player like Bohm in that spot in the lineup. We all know that. His career high in home runs is 20 (2023), and last year he hit just 11 in 120 games. He’s never had a slugging percentage above .448 in any of his first five MLB seasons. He’s simply miscast there.

But after all the talk of Bohm not providing enough “protection” for Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, it’s ironic that he was the one to pick up the slack for his teammates, both of whom struck out ahead of him with two runners on base. Had the Phils signed Bo Bichette this winter, Bohm wouldn’t even be here.

And then there’s rookie center fielder Justin Crawford, making his long-awaited MLB debut, hitting in the No. 9 hole. He was active early on, lacing line drive singles to center in his first two at-bats. It would have been icing on the cake if he could have delivered with the bases loaded and two outs in the 8th, but we’ll have to save that moment for some other day.

The Phils have had their share of dramatic Opening Day moments over the last 20 years. With a 5-0 lead entering the 9th, this wasn’t looking like one of them, but spring superstar reliever Kyle Backhus left his good stuff down in Florida. After a two-run blast, a couple more baserunners and some poor defense by Bryson Stott and Harper, Jhoan Duran entered the fray to secure the final two outs of the ballgame.

Manager Rob Thomson could have brought Duran in to start the 9th, even though it wasn’t a save situation, given the team is off on Friday. In the end, he had to use him anyway. Perhaps it’s just that Thomson forgot that, for the first time in his managerial career, he actually has a lock-down 9th inning pitcher at the start of the season. After Duran shut the door, it was revealed he became the first reliever in franchise history to record a save, at home, on Opening Day.

As Jayson Stark noted, eight Phils closers had earned saves on the road on Opening Day, but never at home.

It’s always fun to mix in a little “weird” on Opening Day.

For one day, everyone forgot about the World Series drought. Baseball was back, and the Phillies were doing what they’ve done every season since Thomson took over the reigns as manager.

They won a baseball game.

They’re going to win many more of them before the season is out.

They’re probably going to look a lot like this one did, too.

Paul Skenes is arguably the best pitcher in the league even after a rough start on Opening Day to the New York Mets. So it should be no surprise that teams would have interest in the former Cy Young winner, especially teams with a lot of money like the New York Yankees. 

 Skenes is under contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates through the 2029 season. However, that reportedly didn’t stop the New York Yankees from pursuing him as early as last season. 

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported Thursday that New York “tried for Skenes at the deadline but were shut down so quickly the Pirates didn’t even listen to the offer.”

Heyman said a deal might have included a combo of Cam Schlitter, Carlos Lagrange, George Lombard Jr, and Spencer Jones. The Bucs disliked the offer and never called the Yankees back.

If the rumors are true, those are some of the Yankees’ top prospects, but it makes sense for Pittsburgh to not entertain that trade. Skenes is an already proven ace in the league, and he is still young with plenty of years ahead of him.

We have seen the Pirates make trades like this in the past, and they have not paid off. A lot of times, the prospects don’t pan out, and the last thing fans in Pittsburgh want is to trade their best player for a bunch of busted prospects.  

While Heyman reported the Pirates have “no intention to trade Skenes … in the foreseeable future,” he also explained there is “little hope to sign him long term under current rules since he’ll probably be a $50 million-a-year pitcher assuming a payroll cap isn’t implemented.”

If there comes a time in the next year or two where Pittsburgh is out of the NL Central race and has no chance of making the postseason and staring at what could be a long rebuild, a package of top-notch prospects could start to look good for the franchise.

The Cleveland Guardians, with a 1-0 record, face the Seattle Mariners, who are 0-1, in this regular-season matchup. Cleveland's Gavin Williams (ERA 3.06 in 2025) will start against Seattle's George Kirby (ERA 4.21 in 2025). The Mariners are favored with a -1.5 spread and a moneyline of -175, with the over/under set at 7 runs.

How to Watch Cleveland Guardians vs Seattle Mariners

• Date: Friday, March 27

• Time: 9:45 PM ET / 6:45 PM PT

• Where: T-Mobile Park, Seattle, WA

• TV Channel: Apple TV

• Live Stream:ESPN+, MLB.TV | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team Records

• Cleveland Guardians: 1-0 (#1 in AL Central)

• Seattle Mariners: 0-1 (#4 in AL West)

Odds

• Spread: Seattle Mariners -1.5

• Moneyline: Seattle Mariners -175 / Cleveland Guardians +145

• Over/Under: 7

Starting Pitchers

• Cleveland Guardians: Gavin Williams (2025 stats: 12-5, ERA: 3.06, K: 173, WHIP: 1.27, BB: 83)

• Seattle Mariners: George Kirby (2025 stats: 10-8, ERA: 4.21, K: 137, WHIP: 1.19, BB: 29)

Weather: 55°F at first pitch