Category: Baseball

Well, that didn’t take long.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Nick Castellanos is now gainfully employed once again, this time signing with the Padres to play three positions. That’s what’s in.
• J.T. Realmuto “never felt like a Plan B” option as catcher ($). He continues fighting to make sure catchers are paid well.
• Aaron Nola is in the crosshairs this spring as a bounceback candidate. Here is why he should succeed in that quest.

MLB news:

• Castellanos wasn’t the only player that agreed to go to San Diego. The Padres inked a pair of starting pitchers to one year deals.
• The Astros and Blue Jays hooked up for another trade with Joey Loperfido going back to Houston and Jesus Sanchez going north of the border.
• Elroy Face passed away at the age of 97. He was a stalwart for the 1960’s Pittsburgh Pirates.
• The ESPN/MLBTV partnership is a little odd to parse out, so here is a handy guide to everything you need to know.

Hello, friends.

There are now 39 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day. It’s only one day more until all position players are required to report to camp, and on Friday, the Grapefruit League schedule will begin for the O’s. We have made it to the week that has something resembling Major League Baseball, even if the real thing must wait a while longer.

The main thing I don’t like about spring training is that nothing good can happen. There can pretty much only be bad news. It doesn’t matter how good such-and-such guy looks or who is looking forward to doing what. The only thing that matters is that nobody important gets hurt between now and March 26. But all the guys are down in Sarasota and all of the beat writers are down there too, so assorted daily narratives come along anyway, like yesterday with Trevor Rogers looking good in simulated game throwing:

Sometimes guys look good in spring training and it doesn’t mean anything in the regular season. Sometimes guys look bad in spring training and it doesn’t mean anything in the regular season. Depending on how things go, sometimes it does feel like it means something, but on the outside, we have no way of knowing what really could connect to what will happen in 39 days and what won’t.

Still, for this kind of thing, my philosophy is that it’s better to have things that don’t matter where you need to remind yourself to pump the brakes on excitement rather than have it be where you have to make excuses for why it will be better when it matters. So, Rogers? Looking great. And since position players aren’t even required to have reported yet, we will just not worry about how hitters looked on Valentine’s Day.

In fringe of the roster news, the Orioles yesterday sent cash considerations to the Twins to acquire reliever Jackson Kowar. The 29-year-old Kowar had been in “DFA limbo” after the Twins cast him off; Kowar had already been waived by the Mariners early this offseason. He is out of minor league options after a 2025 season where he posted a 4.24 ERA in 15 games. Over four major league seasons, he’s appeared in 54 games and has an 8.21 ERA. He might just stink enough to be an O’s bullpen candidate.

The team transferred Colin Selby to the 60-day injured list to make room on the 40-man roster. Selby was reported to have shoulder inflammation, so the team must think he’ll be out for a while for him to go on the 60-day.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

Chris Bassitt just missed out on a title in Toronto. He wants to win it in Baltimore. (The Baltimore Banner)
One thing can always pierce right through my jaded defenses: Guys showing up and immediately talking about wanting to win a World Series here. I still remember Brett Phillips arriving and doing that. Why do I even remember that Brett Phillips existed, let alone that he was an Oriole for a short time? It’s a sickness. Anyway, let’s hope this goes better for Bassitt than with Tomoyuki Sugano saying similar stuff (minus the just missing out on a title) last spring.

Bassitt says Alonso ‘one of the big reasons why I came here’ (The Baltimore Sun)
I dream of the day when top-end starting pitchers are saying things like this as they sign with the Orioles. This offseason was not the one.

Albernaz says Bassitt will ‘fit in right away’ with Orioles (Baltimore Baseball)
The manager has not, as yet, tipped his hand about his plans for the starting rotation. Which he doesn’t really need to divulge for a month anyway until he sees if someone gets hurt between now and then.

New Orioles closer Helsley standing out with stuff, work ethic early in camp (Orioles.com)
This is another example of a story that only gets written because there’s nothing real to say. But hopefully it ends up meaning good things in the season!

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 2018, the Orioles announced the signing of free agent starting pitcher Andrew Cashner to a two-year contract. Cashner, who wasn’t even the latest-signing Orioles starting pitcher that year (with Alex Cobb to come later in camp,) put up a 5.28 ERA in 28 starts that season. Let’s hope the recently-announced Chris Bassitt signing goes much better.

There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 1997 reliever Brian Williams, 1991-93 outfielder Luis Mercedes, and 1960-64 pitcher Chuck Estrada. Today is Estrada’s 88th birthday, so an extra happy birthday to him.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you as well! Your birthday buddies for today include: astronomer Galileo Galilei (1564), philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748), jeweler Charles Tiffany (1812), women’s suffrage activist Susan B. Anthony (1820), Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton (1874), The Simpsons creator Matt Groening (1954), comedian/actor Chris Farley (1964), and rapper Megan Thee Stallion (1995).

On this day in history…

In 1493, while on his return journey to Europe, Christopher Columbus wrote an open letter of his discoveries on his voyage to the New World that was widely distributed after he returned to Portugal the following month.

In 1898, the USS Maine suffered an explosion while in the harbor of Havana, Cuba. The explosion and sinking of the ship, which killed 274 of the ship’s 354 crew, was almost certainly an accident, but some American officials and newspapers instead chose to blame Spain and the incident sparked the Spanish-American War.

In 1945, the third and final night of the fire-bombing of the city of Dresden took place. This combined effort by the Royal Air Force and US Army Air Force destroyed much of the city center and killed around 25,000 people.

A random Orioles trivia question

I received a little book of Orioles trivia for Christmas. I’ll post a question each time it’s my turn in this space until I either run out of questions or forget. The book has multiple choice answers, but I’m not giving you those because it would be too easy. Here’s today’s question:

Whose 68 career triples put him atop the Orioles franchise leaderboard?

**

And that’s the way it is in Birdland on February 15. Have a safe Sunday.

Who is he and where did he come from?

The Red Sox, at last, have a young versatile infielder who gets on base at at least a replacement level … and they acquired Caleb Durbin! Kidding, kidding. But, another newcomer in the deal that sent David Hamilton, Shane Drohan and Kyle Harrison to Milwaukee is Andruw Monasterio. This is a deal that took some bloat in the pitching depth and turned it into a slight infield bloat, but perhaps some that was needed given last year’s eventual lack of infield depth and the repeated questions that plagued a lot of the positive moves from this offseason.

Monasterio, 28, a righty from Venazuela, made his debut in 2023 and, since then, has been a viable platoon option for a Brewers squad that has emerged as a competitor. He’s played games at all four infield positions as well as left field, though he primarily spends time at second and third.

Is he any good?

He’s exactly okay. Which is fine! It’s a big plus that the Red Sox brought in Caleb Durbin and have the services of a healthy Marcelo Mayer, as well as a recently signed Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, to start 2026. That’s not even counting some other options joining the roster like old friend Mickey Gasper, Quad-A locker room guy Vinny Capra, a returning Nick Sogard, Taiwanese WBC representative Tsung-Che Cheng, Brendan Rodgers, and…. oh yeah! Kristian Campbell. After the monstrosity that was the infield’s defensive performance last year, a lot of these transactions signal a desire for guys who don’t commit many errors. Monasterio committed just 1 error last year in 68 games, affirming the Red Sox’s commitment to better defensive stability. But his paltry power does little to boost him into a lineup that has some shortcomings in the home runs department in 2026. Further, his WAR has yet to rise above 1, and he also simply doesn’t draw walks at an acceptable level (8.6% in his career.) That’s simply not going to cut it for a regular job on a Major League roster — but Monasterio is still relatively young and 2025 also marked the first time his WrC+ was over 100 (at 111.) His OPS also topped out at .756. So there’s promise yet!

Tl;dr, just give me his 2025 stats.

68 G, 4 HR, 9 2B, 16 RBI, 32 K, 7 BB .270/.319/.437, 1 E

Show me a cool highlight.

He has ups!

What’s he doing in his picture up there?

Warming up in the Wild Card series. Monasterio actually was on a postseason roster in 2025! He didn’t actually play in any games, but he did play in one postseason game back in 2023.

What’s his role on the 2026 Red Sox?

There’s a reason David Hamilton was dealt the other way in this move for Caleb Durbin — the Brewers saw David Hamilton as a more viable option in the infield than Monasterio while also getting two rotation pieces that may have breakout years a la Quinn Priester. Still, Monasterio, who has options remaining, likely looks to spend the majority of the start of the season at Polar Park in Worcester. Again, that is fine! Last year’s woes with Marcelo Mayer getting injured were joined by calls that Mikey Romero was not far along enough in his development to be a key piece in Boston. He still may not be; the likes of Monasterio, Sogard, etc. make it so that the former first round pick is not rushed. Either way, it’s better to have guys with Major League experience at this level anyway for the best possible development for these prospects. It’s not the flashy portion of the Durbin deal, nor was the deal itself flashy, but this is the good type of depth to acquire.

Preseason projections are the name of the game in the early going of spring, as camp gets going but the games have yet to start. Barring some last-second news dropping, the AL East has their rosters lined up for another year of chasing one of the hardest crowns to claim in baseball. We’ve talked about their overall strengths a couple of days ago, but every contender aims to stockpile as much pitching as they can, and it’s worth its own breakdown.

The Yankees didn’t make many changes to their rotation, saving their tinkering for a bullpen that was far more volatile in 2025. Max Fried leads the charge again, but this time with Gerrit Cole set to lead beside him at last. Carlos Rodón builds the bridge to the younger part of the staff, where Cam Schlittler hopes to live up to some star potential and both Will Warren and Luis Gil hope to make a mark before Clarke Schmidt is ready to return. Ryan Weathers is the one new addition on board for 2026, brought in to help cover the innings workload while Cole and Rodón get their legs back under them. It’s a strong staff, one of the best in the league if the dice roll in their favor, but there’s a lot of uncertainty built into just how many of their arms are returning from significant injuries.

And, just as their competition has built some all-around competitive rosters, there are some strong staffs around the East specifically. Boston matched up particularly well against the Yankees with Garrett Crochet atop their rotation, and they’ve augmented themselves with Ranger Suárez and Sonny Gray to go alongside Kutter Crawford and Brayan Bello. That’s a rotation that carries a high floor, and should be a driving factor in whether Boston makes it back to the postseason.

Toronto were no slouches in free agency this year, signing Dylan Cease to be the new ace of their staff. While Cease had a down year in his final season as a Padre, his overall body of work has been elite and he got rewarded handsomely for it — now he’ll hurl alongside Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, and Shane Bieber. The Rays continue to pump out gems on the mound and last year was Drew Rasmussen’s time to shine, but they also have a high-risk, high-reward ace candidate in Shane McClanahan as well when healthy. The Orioles have the potential to contend this year, but their rotation looks the most questionable with Trevor Rogers and Kyle Bradish trying to prove that their fantastic stretch of play can last an entire season.

It’s a tough call to make on who bests who in a given series, but over the course of the season I’d expect the Yankees to slightly edge out Boston for the top rotation in the East, closely followed by Toronto before Tampa and Baltimore round it out. There’s always a need for pitching, however, so we’ll see if these rotations look similar enough to what they were now by the end of the year or if the trade deadline will inspire a transformation or two.

It’ll be a quiet day on the site as we head into the weekend. Kevin celebrates the birthday of a Yankee that made a sizeable impact despite his short stay in pinstripes in Russell Martin, and then later on John has the social media spotlight to cap off the offseason and get us into spring mode at long last.

His smile is so unassuming, his stare so innocent, one has to wonder.

Does Yoshinobu Yamamoto understand he’s become a Dodgers legend?

“No,” he said Saturday, chuckling at the notion. “Nothing’s changed.”

Ah, but everything has changed, the formerly overpaid disappointment having transformed himself into arguably the most important player on baseball’s most important team.

Barely touching 5 feet 10, he looks tiny next to giant countryman Shohei Ohtani, with whom he’ll always be compared because they joined the Dodgers at the same time with equally historic contracts.

Quiet and contemplative, he seems dry next to the charming Ohtani. Employed only as a pitcher, he seems boring next to the goose-bump-inducing Ohtani.

Struggling at times during his first two regular seasons with the Dodgers while Ohtani was twice voted National League MVP, Yamamoto was originally overshadowed by the greatest player in history.

Until last October, when he became one of the greatest World Series pitchers in history.

Who can forget how he shut down the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 2, shut them down again in Game 6, then shut them out in relief on zero days rest to get the win in the deciding Game 7.

It was crazy. It was historic. It was two allowed runs in 17 ⅔ innings with 15 strikeouts and two walks.

Put it another way: It was more compelling than Sandy Koufax’s three-hit shutout on two days rest to win the 1965 World Series over the Minnesota Twins.

It was Yamomania. It was Bulldog 2.0. But if you believe the guy on the mound, it barely made a ripple.

Read more:Why Dave Roberts expects Shohei Ohtani to be 'in the Cy Young conversation'

At Camelback Ranch on Saturday, in his first news conference since his World Series heroics, he shrugged and acted like those games were just a walk in the park — except, of course, he barely walked anybody in the park.

Someone asked, how did the World Series change him?

Um, it didn’t.

“I was able to get into the offseason with a great feeling and I was able to go into the offseason with more calmness,” he said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda.

Someone else asked, did he have to alter his legendary workload in the offseason?

Er, no.

“As a matter of fact, the amount of work I did last year has not been affected in terms of preparation,” he said. “In November, I took off and then I began a gradual ramping up. It’s been like a normal offseason.”

Read more:Plaschke: Alex Vesia opens up about unimaginable loss: 'Life can change in an instant'

Then someone asked, has he watched anything from that World Series?

Actually, yes!

“Of course, that moment of the last out,” he said. “But when I reflect back on that series, there’s so many great plays they made. Also there’s the small play which was very important. So many great scenes.”

One of the best scenes was the one nobody saw, after Yamamoto had thrown 96 pitches in a Game 6 victory.

He was done. He told his personal trainer he was done. Dave Roberts told the media he was done.

But then, in his words, he got “tricked.”

According to a report by then-Times columnist Dylan Hernández, trainer Osamu Yada told Yamamoto, “Let’s see if you can throw in the bullpen tomorrow.”

The trainer figured Yamamoto’s mere presence as a potential reliever would inspire the Dodgers and worry the Blue Jays.

Yamamoto figured he was just going to the bullpen for show.

Oh, he put on a show, all right.

After he pitched 2⅔ scoreless innings to win the game and the World Series championship for the Dodgers, the gamesmanship had been transformed into greatness, and the con man had become a hero.

“For him to have the same stuff that he had the night before is really the greatest accomplishment I’ve ever seen on a baseball field,” said Dodgers baseball boss Andrew Friedman to reporters after the game.

Yamamoto explained afterward, “I didn’t think I would pitch. But I felt good when I practiced and the next thing I knew, I was on the mound in the game.”

And before he knew it, history.

“I really couldn’t believe it,” Yamamoto said. “I was so excited I couldn’t even recall what pitch I threw at the end.”

Read more:Plaschke: Start talking three-peat! Dave Roberts believes these Dodgers can be better than ever

Now, with the Dodgers chasing a third consecutive championship and Yamamoto involved in a daring race for a Cy Young Award — who will get there first, he or Ohtani? — a different sort of question must be asked.

How on earth can he pitch any better?

“That’s an internal personal question … as far as, can you repeat and continue to get better than what you’ve been,” Roberts said. “Certainly there’s a high bar, but there’s always room for improvement and I can’t find anything right now to be quite honest, but …”

Yamamoto needs to stay healthy. He made his major-league high 30 starts last year after making just 18 the previous year. He needs to do that again to support the other frail Dodgers starters.

Yamamoto also needs to take care of himself while playing for Japan in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Ohtani is not pitching, but Yamamoto is, and he doesn’t need to wreck his arm.

Finally, he needs to continue acting like the ace that he has become, from his uncomplaining leadership to his dazzling arsenal.

“Every time he takes the ball, he expects to win and we expect to win,” Roberts said.

That is the bottom line on Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s new reality. He was once Ohtani’s sidekick. He is now Ohtani’s partner.

Like it or not, his life has changed. Witness the crowd that screamed for him Saturday at Camelback Ranch like they always scream for Ohtani.

“More calmness?”

He’ll need it.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

PHOENIX — One was a 36-year-old career journeyman infielder from Venezuela who hadn’t produced a hit in more than a month.

The other a 26-year-old reliever with his fourth team in 11 months who wasn’t even on the playoff roster the first three rounds.

Who would have imagined that in a clubhouse full of All-Stars and future Hall of Famers, Miguel Rojas and Will Klein would be honest-to-goodness Los Angeles DodgersWorld Series heroes, still basking three months later from the most glorious moments of their careers?

Rojas, who hit perhaps the most unlikely home run in World Series history, will not only forever be remembered in Dodgers lore for not that ninth-inning Game 7 homer, but also saving the game with a spectacular defensive play in the bottom of the frame.

“I’ve watched that moment over and over so many times, but it’s still hard to believe it happened," Rojas tells USA TODAY Sports. “It’s just overwhelming. I’ve always wanted to have a moment in my career where I feel valuable, especially on the offensive side. And then when you do something like that, you know it’s going to be remembered for a long time.

“Probably forever."

Klein was working out in Arizona and wasn’t even on the Dodgers’ postseason roster until Alex Vesia left the team before the World Series to be with his wife after the loss of their newborn daughter. He was summoned in the 15^th inning of Game 3, and then pitched four shutout innings in the 6-5, 18-inning victory.

“It’s still crazy to think about," Klein says. “I mean, I was hearing from people I went to high school with and old teams. There were people I went to middle school and high school with that didn’t even know I was playing baseball. They saw me on TV, and started sending me random stuff."

'No one expected' Miguel Rojas home run

The Dodgers were down to their last two outs, trailing the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-3, in the ninth inning of Game 7. Rojas, who hadn’t had a hit in an entire month, stepped to the plate facing Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman. Rojas worked the count to 3-and-2 when Hoffman tried to fool him with a slider. Rojas belted it over the left field wall and the screaming crowd at the Rogers Centre went dead silent.

The only sound you heard was the Dodger bench and scattered fans screaming in euphoria with Rojas barely able to feel his feet trotting around the bases.

“No one expected Miguel Rojas to hit that home run," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says. “No one."

Still, it looked like it might be all forgotten when the Blue Jays loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the ninth. The Dodgers pulled the infield in, and Daulton Varsho hit a bouncer to the right side of Rojas. He snared the ball, but then slipped, and had his momentum carrying him towards second base. Rojas set, and fired home just in the nick of time to nail Isiah Kiner-Falefa at the plate and prevent the winning run.

Two innings later – and after Yoshinobu Yamamto’s 2 ⅔ shutout innings in relief on no days’ rest – the Dodgers were back-to-back World Series champions with Yamamoto winning the World Series MVP.

With the Dodgers all gathering for the first time since their World Series parade, everyone still is talking about Rojas and Klein's heroics.

“(Rojas) is one of the best teammates I ever had, and just one of the best people in baseball," says third baseman Max Muncy, who delivered an eighth-inning homer in Game 7 then made his own big defensive play. “So, for something like that to happen to him, after all of the work he out in and the mentality he had about certain situations, it was so well deserved.

“It was like how the game was rewarding him for how he handled his role last year."

Rojas, who didn’t even play the first five games of the World Series, and was informed only a text message from manager Dave Roberts that he was starting Game 6 in Toronto, never complained about his role. Sure, he wanted to play more, but once Mookie Betts shifted from right field to shortstop, he did everything possible to help Betts improve so dramatically defensively that Betts became a Gold Glove finalist.

And in one glorious moment, it was Rojas who went from an understudy to an Academy Award winning performance, getting congratulatory messages from the likes of Hall of Famer Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, and the scout who signed him out of Venezuela.

“That’s why I felt so great after it happened, not just because I hit a home run that tied the game," Rojas says, “but seeing the reaction of the people that I really care about. It was so cool. And everybody in the media had something good to say about me.

“The biggest compliment for me is that a guy like me, in front of the whole team, Doc [Roberts] told them that the game honors me because I did things the right way. I’ll remember those words forever. That makes me feel like after the 20 years that I’ve been in professional baseball, I’ve been doing something good."

Rojas, who plans to retire after the season and stay with the Dodgers in player development with hopes one day of being a manager, still has strangers stopping him and thanking him for his home run. He has had more autograph requests during the winter than he’s had in his entire life.

Yet, the question no one asks is which play meant to  him, the game-tying home run or the game-saving play in the bottom of the ninth inning that forced the game into extra innings.

“The home run is going to be something that people will remember forever because you’re two outs away from being done," Rojas says. “But the play, I mean that’s the hardest play I ever made because it’s do-or-die to not only win the game but lose your season. If I don’t make the play, the home run and everything is kind of our of the window.

“So, it’s really tough to put it into context because if I don’t hit the home run, I don’t make the play, and then if I don’t make the play, the homer doesn’t count. I’m just so proud I was able to come through when it counted."

There has been a decent bit of discussion around Alex Anthopoulos’ comments regarding essentially only looking to add a starter who would be a middle/top of the rotation guy and not really trying to add just a guy to fit into the back of the rotation. I have conflicted feelings on these comments. A guy like Chris Bassitt would have made this roster better on paper. That’s not really something disputed. I think there is an argument if you think that Bryce Elder and/or Joey Wentz are 1-1.5 fWAR/162 starting pitchers, then adding a 2-2.5 fWAR/162 starter for just under $20 million isn’t good return on investment and doesn’t substantially improve depth when it results on the likely loss of a guy like Elder from the roster entirely. One counter-argument to that would be that Elder or perhaps a Holmes or Lopez could be stashed in the bullpen to preserve depth if a guy like Bassitt had been added, but I don’t see Elder as a particularly strong bullpen candidate and that scenario wouldn’t have made much sense until Schwellenbach’s injury status was discovered. That said, adding a top 3 starter to the roster for reasonable cost is a very difficult task, so perhaps that is an unrealistic self-imposed bar for adding to the pitching staff. It’s an interesting approach and I hope that the Braves don’t suffer from another plague of injuries to their pitching staff this season.

Braves News

We put out some early roster predictions including the starting rotation and the backup catcher spot.

MLB News

The Orioles acquired pitching depth from the Twins for cash.

The Padres signed longtime Rockies starter German Marquez to a one year deal with a mutual option in 2027.

Zac Gallen’s one year $22 million deal in Arizona will be considered worth $18.7 for luxury tax purposes after considering deferrals.

Greg Joyce | X: After learning on Friday that Cam Schlittler was dealing with a back/lat issue that is not believed to be serious, the team reported that first baseman Ben Rice is also nursing a minor injury. The young first baseman, per Joyce, ‘slept on his neck wrong the other night’ and that’s why he has not been hitting the last few days. The hope is that he starts swinging again in a matter of days, possibly hours. Big things are expected from Rice, who put together a breakout season in 2025 with 26 home runs and a 133 wRC+.

Francys Romero | X: Heavily criticized in recent seasons for their lack of success in the international market, the Yankees secured their first major prospect in the Mario Garza era: Venezuelan catcher Sebastian Pérez, who is expected to sign for a $1.7 million bonus. The real challenge for the Yankees will be actually signing the young star when the next period opens in January 15, 2027. According to Romero, Pérez “features elite exit velocity at the plate and premium defensive skills behind the dish.”

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Gerrit Cole threw his first official bullpen session of the spring on Friday, and reportedly touched 96 mph on the radar gun. Despite the pitcher himself doing his best to control expectations, he looks ahead of schedule and could return in April. When asked about his ace and how he looked, manager Aaron Boone gave an encouraging response: ‘He looked like Gerrit Cole.’

“Just really efficient, really great command,” Boone told Hoch. “When I think of Gerrit and his greatness, a lot of it ties to his delivery. Everything looks like it’s coming out free and easy. I liken it to a diver that dives off the high board and just goes in the water, making no splash. That’s Gerrit.” Catcher Austin Wells also praised the veteran pitcher, saying he could get outs in the majors right now. The Cole Train is in full swing this spring.

MLB Trade Rumors | Anthony Franco Late on Friday, the Yankees added a veteran right-hander to their bullpen mix. They signed Rafael Montero to a minor league deal with an invitation to camp, with a $1.8 million base salary if he makes the club. Montero played with three clubs in the 2025 campaign: the Astros, the Braves, and the Tigers, compiling a 4.48 ERA in 60.1 innings pitched.

SNY | Phillip Martinez Last spring, Yankees prospect Chase Hampton was diagnosed with a flexor strain that resulted in Tommy John surgery. After several months of grueling rehab, the right-hander is trying to show the organization he is ready to pick right where he left off.

“I don’t know his progression, so to speak. I’ve seen a couple of his bullpens now and it keeps ticking up,” Boone said after Saturday’s practice. “I know he is chomping at the bit for a little bit more because he is feeling really good as well. Boone added that Hampton is looking ‘pretty good right now’ and that bodes well for his future and his chances. The skipper didn’t want to predict if the young righty is going to pitch in Grapefruit League games, though.

PHOENIX — Baby got back.

Pocket-sized World Series hero Yoshinobu Yamamoto has returned to the Dodgers with a substantial posterior that was sculpted over the winter to withstand what promises to be a demanding year that includes the World Baseball Classic.

Everything about the 5-foot-10 right-hander looks stronger, from his chest to his shoulders to his lower body — especially the backside.

Yamamoto said he gained weight but declined to reveal how much.

“A little,” he said in Japanese.

Yamamoto smiled and made a completely unnecessary clarification: “It’s not from a slackening of the spirit.”

No kidding.

Yamamoto looks like a boulder. He looks like a little tank. He looks like he will be the National League’s Cy Young Award winner this year.

If resilience was his greatest obstacle in becoming Japan’s first pitcher to win the prize, he has addressed it.

A year after acknowledging he was “awfully interested” in the Cy Young Award, Yamamoto said of baseball’s greatest pitching honor, “I think it’s a lovely award, record. I’d like to be able to pitch in a way that would make me be appraised like that.”

Just a day earlier, Shohei Ohtani also said he wanted to win the award.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts chuckled when asked whom his money was on.

“I’m not going to say,” Roberts said.

Based on what the 27-year-old Yamamoto did last year, he figures to be the safer choice of the two Japanese aces. He was the only pitcher on the team, regardless of nationality, to stay in the rotation for the entire regular season. An All-Star selection, he was 12-8 with a 2.49 ERA in a team-high 30 starts.

The playoffs elevated him even more. He pitched a complete game against the Brewers in the NL Championship Series. He pitched another against the Blue Jays in the World Series. When the Dodgers ran out of pitchers two days later, he offered to pitch and went as far as to start warming up in the bullpen before Freddie Freeman ended the game with an 18th-inning homer. Yamamoto won his Game 6 start. The very next day, he returned to pitch the final 2 ⅔ innings in a Game 7 victory.

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His efforts made him the World Series MVP.

As much as he pitched in October, Yamamoto said he didn’t feel any more worn down than usual. If anything, he said, he felt better.

“Honestly, the degree of fatigue on my body wasn’t as bad as in years past,” Yamamoto said. “When I started moving my body after taking a month off, the feel and condition of my body was much better than usual.” 

When he went back to work, he did so again under the watch of his longtime trainer, Osamu Yada. After his start in Game 6 of the World Series, it was Yada who advised him to prepare his body to at least be able to throw in the bullpen the next day. Yada convinced him that his presence in the bullpen would give the Dodgers a psychological advantage over the Blue Jays. 

“That’s how I got tricked,” said Yamamoto, who wound up giving the Dodgers more than just a mental edge.

Yada’s training program for Yamamoto is unusual, consisting of handstands, back bridges and javelin throws. The trainer makes tweaks every year based on what he thinks Yamamoto needs. This winter, he wanted Yamamoto to add some bulk. With Yada by his side, Yamamoto worked out six days a week.

The pitcher has a demanding year ahead of him, but he said he wasn’t concerned about the possible workload.

At the end of the month, Yamamoto will join the Japanese national team for its WBC training camp. He is expected to be the team’s No. 1 starter in the tournament.

In the months that follow, he will lead the Dodgers’ rotation, this time looking to avoid the midseason slump that removed him from Cy Young contention last year.

These will be chances for Yamamoto to further elevate himself. As it is, he was already being called the best pitcher on the planet by Ohtani when the Dodgers won the World Series last year. When Yamamoto threw live batting practice on Friday, Ohtani and Roki Sasaki watched him from behind home plate in the seiza kneeling position, with their lower legs tucked under their hamstrings. The traditional Japanese method of kneeling is intended to convey respect. In this case, Ohtani and Sasaki were poking fun at Yamamoto, but the premise of their joke was that Yamamoto was a great pitcher.

Now literally bigger, Yamamoto could be on his way to becoming figuratively bigger. By this time next year, the opinion Ohtani shared about Yamamoto’s place in the game could be the consensus.

PORT ST. LUCIE — Marcus Semien has seen two significant developments in the Mets infield in recent weeks that couldn’t have been anticipated when he was traded to the club in November.

First, they signed Semien’s former Blue Jays teammate Bo Bichette to play third base.

Then, before Semien even reported to spring training, he learned that double-play partner Francisco Lindor would be sidelined in camp, with Opening Day in question, after he underwent hamate bone surgery in his left hand.

The new Mets second baseman plunged into his initial spring workouts Saturday upbeat about his reunion with Bichette and lamenting Lindor’s absence.

Bichette, a former shortstop, began his transformation to third base last week after arriving on a three-year contract worth $126 million.

“He’s a little older, a little more seasoned, and now he’s learning a new position,” former shortstop Semien said of the 27-year-old Bichette, with whom he played in 2021. “I was in that position when I met him. I was learning second base, so there’s things we can talk about.

“It’s two different positions, but being in a new place and learning a new position can get uncomfortable at times, I am sure. And because he’s such a pure hitter and a great hitter, you know he’s going to be one of the best hitters. I think we’ll just talk about defense and see how well we play together.”

Lindor underwent hamate bone surgery Wednesday and faces a six-week recovery.

It leaves Semien to work mainly with Ronny Mauricio, Vidal Bruján, Grae Kessinger and Jackson Cluff in the middle infield.

“It was really a bummer,” Semien said of Lindor’s surgery. “I was looking forward to this time of the spring, but it doesn’t take away the fact he’s going to be back, hopefully for Opening Day, and we’ll get as many games as we can together. But I think communication is a big thing. We’ve already been talking this offseason how we want to do things, and I just can’t wait until he gets here to kind of talk through some things that maybe we won’t be able to work on here in spring.”

The Mets acquired Semien, 35, in a trade that sent Brandon Nimmo to Texas.

Semien brings Gold Glove defense to second base but was below average offensively last season, when he posted a .230/.305/.364 slash line with 15 homers and 62 RBIs.

It was a second straight season in which his OPS fell below .700.

The Mets also value the veteran’s leadership qualities.

“This is a guy who has been in that role on winning teams,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He’s been in the league for a long time, and the one thing from him is to lead by example. We have a bunch of leaders in that clubhouse, and he’s another one that we’re counting on, not only posting and playing and performing but just the way he works, with the way he goes about his business. He’s not a guy that is going to be saying much.”

Semien said his conversations with the team’s new hitting staff, headed by director of major league hitting Jeff Albert, began immediately following the trade.

Troy Snitker is the team’s new hitting coach.

“Conversations about what they thought of my last two seasons offensively and what are some adjustments maybe I can make to get back on track,” Semien said. “Those conversations were good. I think I have been able to control the strike zone for the most part, but it’s about hitting the ball with more authority and getting my body in the right position to do that more consistently.”

TAMPA — Ben Rice is now experiencing how opposing pitchers probably felt about him last season: a pain in the neck.

In the first few days of camp, the Yankees slugger has not yet joined his teammates to hit on the field because he is dealing with a minor neck issue after recently sleeping on it wrong, Rice said Saturday.

He has been getting treatment on his neck and was hoping to resume swinging in the coming days.

“I fall asleep in one position and wake up in another — something everyone deals with,” Rice said.

The neck issue did not prevent Rice from catching Carlos Rodón’s bullpen session later Saturday morning, as he continues to mix in work behind the plate in addition to his duties as the Yankees’ regular first baseman this season.

Chase Hampton, who underwent Tommy John surgery last March, threw a bullpen session Saturday that he said was his eighth as he continues his rehab from the full UCL reconstruction.

Only two years removed from being one of the Yankees’ top pitching prospects, Hampton has thrown just 18 2/3 innings over the last two seasons because of elbow issues.

He does not yet know when he might be able to return to game action this season, but the right-hander indicated that being added to the club’s 40-man roster this winter (to protect him from the Rule 5 draft) gave him some peace of mind that the Yankees still have him in their future plans

“It took a lot of weight off my shoulders,” Hampton said. “It puts me in perspective of, I got some time to get my feet under me and not have to worry about going out there and performing so early. I feel like right now, I’m in a really good spot to continue what I’m doing and continue to get better each day.”

Will Warren and Ryan Yarbrough each threw two innings of live batting practice Saturday afternoon.

Warren struck out both Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt while Amed Rosario took Yarbrough deep.

Rule 5 pick Cade Winquest also faced hitters and flashed some “electricity,” Aaron Boone said.

The rest of the Yankees position players (who are not participating in the WBC) are set to report to camp Sunday. … Cam Schlittler continued to play catch as he deals with mid-back/left lat inflammation.

PORT ST. LUCIE — MJ Melendez has played several positions over his major league career, but center field isn’t among them.

To strengthen his résumé, the 27-year-old received action in center field this offseason in winter ball.

It leaves the Mets with another option beyond Tyrone Taylor to back up Luis Robert Jr.

It’s also possible that rookie Carson Benge, who has a chance to crack the roster this spring, will see occasional action in center.

“I knew center field was something I wanted to implement into my game and it’s something that now I feel comfortable that I can do, playing all three outfield positions,” said Melendez, who arrived last week on a one-year contract worth $1.5 million.

Last season was a difficult one for Melendez, who was optioned to the minor leagues with the Royals during an April slump.

He returned for just 13 plate appearances for the season’s remainder.

Melendez finished with a .321 OPS in 23 games.

“It was definitely tough — not anything that I expected,” Melendez said. “Being optioned was something I hadn’t experienced in the past, so it’s definitely something different. I feel like I was able to learn from it physically, mentally, emotionally and I think it will definitely be better moving forward.”

The Mets experimented with the ABS challenge system during live batting practice, with catching instructor J.P. Arencibia as the plate umpire.

Teams will get two challenges of balls and strikes per game (with retention of a challenge when a call is overturned) beginning this season.

The system will be unveiled during the exhibition season.

“Everybody is going to be free to challenge,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “If they want to challenge, go ahead, but we are going to start tracking who is right, and then we’ll come up with some guidelines. Right now, it’s pretty fluid.”

Nolan McLean threw 44 pitches over three ups in live batting practice.

The right-hander is ahead of most Mets pitchers this early in camp as he builds up for the World Baseball Classic.

McLean will pitch for Team USA.

The San Diego Padres got off to a good start with their first week of Spring Training for the 2026 season. From all reports, all the pitchers and catchers reported on time and healthy with multiple position players reporting early or on time and with no injuries noted.

While the players were meeting one another again after several months of separation, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller held his usual media scrum on the first day of availability and repeated his desire to add another bat or two and another starting pitcher to the roster.

New manager Craig Stammen made his first remarks, emphasizing communication and relationships as his early priorities. He also wasted no time in naming Luis Campusano as the second catcher to Freddy Fermin as well as designating that newly acquired bat Miguel Andujar would get work at first base along with utility player Sung-Mun Song.

Pitcher Kyle Hart will be tried as a starter to begin with but no other pitchers on the staff will be stretched out as a starter.

With super-utility man Song getting opportunities to start at first and the outfield, the team was still lacking a platoon partner for first baseman Gavin Sheets, as well as more options for the rotation.

Stammen designated Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove and Michael King as locks for the rotation and indicated that Randy Vasquez, though the leading candidate, would compete for the fourth spot with JP Sears, Matt Waldron, Marco Gonzales, Kyle Hart and Triston McKenzie. That group would also fill the fifth rotation spot.

Like any manager who supports his players, Stammen expressed complete faith in this group to get it done but also reminded everyone that Preller is always working and new players wouldn’t be a surprise.

None of us should be shocked that Stammen was correct. On Saturday, the day before the official first day of workouts for the whole squad, Preller signed OF/DH/1B Nick Castellanos to a one-year deal for the league minimum of $780,000 after being released by the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday. This is a low risk move for the Friars and Castellanos has reportedly been working out at first base during the offseason in preparation for a move in position.

Within minutes of that report, another popped up on the internet. Right-handed starter Griffin Canning reportedly signed a one-year deal and profiles as a backend of the rotation starter. He is coming off a season-ending Achilles injury and surgery while playing for the New York Mets. Reports are that he could be ready for the start of the season.

A few hours later there was another reported signing. Right-handed starter German Marquez signed a one-year deal with the team. He had Tommy John surgery in 2023 with a difficult return and then had a stress reaction and biceps tendinitis in 2024 and 2025 with the Colorado Rockies. He seeks to get back to being the reliable back-end starter he was during the first years of his time in Colorado.

Instead of two bats and a pitcher, Preller signed two bats and two pitchers to add much needed depth to the roster. With only one 40-man roster spot available after signing Andujar, fitting all these players on the roster will require some moves before they can become official.

Minor league signings

Before all this excitement, outfielder Jake Cunningham, 23, was signed to a minor league contract and should be assigned to either Fort Wayne or San Antonio this season.

1B/DH Leandro Cedeño, 27, distinguished himself with the Venezuela winter league champions and bypassed a reported intention to play in Mexico this year by signing a minor league contact with the Padres. He played the last three seasons in the NPB.

RHP Daichi Moriki, 22, was signed to a minor league contract from the NPB. He had a 6.87 ERA over four seasons and has had command issues.

International agreement

The Padres reached a pre-agreement for the 2027 International class with RHP Yoel King, 16, from the Dominican Republic. He is considered the best pitcher in the class and will receive the highest bonus of his class. He reportedly already throws 100 mph with his fastball.

WBC updates

Padres reliever Alek Jacob was selected to pitch for Team Israel in the WBC and will also leave camp when the others leave on March 1. The Padres have regulars Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts all leaving. Relievers Mason Miller, Wandy Peralta and Yuki Matsui are also joining their WBC teams.

Padres minor league pitchers Victor Lizarraga and Omar Cruz are both joining Team Mexico as reserves for the WBC.

Padres pitcher Yu Darvish released a statement on social media stating that he will be with Samurai Japan for the WBC as an advisor for the team. Although he intends to join the Padres spring camp at some point, he will be gone helping Japan in the tournament. Reports continue that Darvish will walk away from his Padres contract after the details are worked out. He has not announced any plans beyond that.

Some of the game’s best

Miller, Morejon and Adam were all named as top 10 relievers by MLB Network. They join Machado as the No. 5 ranked third baseman, Tatis Jr. as the No. 6 right fielder and Jackson Merrill as the No. 5 center fielder. All three were rated higher in fan poles than the official rankings by MLB Network.

Jhonny Brito update

Manager Craig Stammen was asked in his Saturday morning media scrum about the progress of RHP Jhonny Brito, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery. Stammen said he is throwing off a mound and has had no setbacks yet. He will not be available any earlier than mid-season and it could be later than that.

MLB media

The Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Red Wings are officially joining MLB media for their broadcast rights, terminating their agreement with FanDuel Sports Network. The Tigers will be broadcast by MLB starting this season while the Red Wings have this season left on the FanDuel Network and will join MLB as their media partner starting in the 2026-2027 season. Although not yet official, there could be 14 to 16 teams with MLB as their broadcast partners for the new season.

TAMPA — Last spring, Carlos Lagrange’s only taste of the spotlight came in a showcase for prospects.

This spring, the hard-throwing 22-year-old will get a chance to show the Yankees up close why he has begun to climb onto many of those Top 100 prospect lists.

Lagrange is a few days into his first big league camp and, judging by his first bullpen session, Saturday, there will be plenty of eyes on him as long as he is here.

A 6-foot-7 frame with a big arm that can reach triple digits will do that.

“We’re excited about him, for good reason,” manager Aaron Boone said. “His size obviously stands out. But just the downhill he creates with obviously a huge fastball, really good changeup and then the slider and the sweeper. For him, it’s just a matter of continuing to get better with the command and strike throwing.

“And on top of it, just one of those kids over there that you get really great makeup reports on. He’s a leader, takes initiative. He’s got a lot of the intangibles as well as obviously a ton of talent.”

Lagrange is coming off a big year for his development, when he stayed healthy and pitched to a 3.53 ERA with 168 strikeouts across 120 innings across High-A and Double-A.

The right-hander also made some strides with his command, which has been his bugaboo (and remains a work in progress) since the Yankees signed him as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic.

He walked just 12 batters in 41 ²/₃ innings at High-A before walking 50 in 78 ¹/₃ innings at Double-A.

The Yankees want to give him every opportunity to remain a starter, though some scouts believe he will eventually end up in the bullpen, which is also where he could make a more immediate impact in The Bronx — perhaps as early as this season.

“I want to show I can compete,” Lagrange said. “Try to help my teammates and the team, do whatever they want.”

General manager Brian Cashman has mentioned Lagrange (among others, including fellow top prospect Elmer Rodríguez) multiple times when talking about the pitching depth the Yankees have that could help fill spots in the bullpen.

Asked specifically Friday whether he would be comfortable with Lagrange or Rodriguez pitching in a relief role this season, he did not rule it out.

“It’s easy to always say you want to keep guys staying in the starting rotation and stay on their turn and be depth and continue their journey to build innings as they’re developing, but at the same time, you got to rob Peter to pay Paul at times and do that balancing act where you got to service the major league club,” Cashman said. “A lot of major league starters historically break in out of the pen, too, when they get their feet wet.”