Category: Baseball

The O’s are making the 3.5-hour trip across Florida to West Palm Beach this afternoon, taking on the Astros at CACTI Park. Most of the regulars are staying in Sarasota, but the Birds’ lineup today includes four projected Opening Day starters — Dylan Beavers, Colton Cowser, Samuel Basallo, and Coby Mayo — along with a bunch of randos. Interestingly, Beavers is starting in center, with Cowser sliding over to right.

Mayo, who started at third base yesterday, gets a semi-breather with DH duty this afternoon. Samuel Basallo starts behind the plate, where he hasn’t looked stellar this spring. I guess that’s why you practice. They’ll face veteran Astros starter Lance McCullers Jr.

The Orioles’ expected pitchers today are all guys who won’t be breaking camp with the team. Levi Wells makes the start, with Andrew Magno, Eric Torres, and Josh Walker scheduled to follow. Prospects like Wells, Trey Gibson, and Luis De León have all made starts in the past few days, which is nice to see, but I’m sort of wondering where all the actual O’s starting pitchers are. None of the Orioles’ top six guys have started since Chris Bassitt last Friday the 6th. Dean Kremer has the excuse of being away at the World Baseball Classic, but it’s been a minute since we’ve seen any of the others. I assume they’re getting their work in on the back fields and simulated games.

Orioles lineup:

CF Dylan Beavers
RF Colton Cowser
C Samuel Basallo
3B Bryan Ramos
DH Coby Mayo
1B Ryan Noda
SS José Barrero
2B Willy Vasquez
LF Will Robertson

RHP Levi Wells

The amazing plays by Bobby Witt Jr. in the World Baseball Classic yesterday had me thinking about Royals defense. He has dazzled us just a few years into his playing career, but Royals fans have really been spoiled by great defense over the years. There was Amos Otis, then Willie Wilson flying around the outfield. Frank White winning Gold Gloves at second by playing at the edge of the infield. We had Bo Jackson throwing guys out from the warning track. Carlos Beltran making dazzling catches at the wall. Alex Gordon learning how to play left field and firing guys out. Salvy gunning guys from behind the plate.

But what was your favorite defensive play in Royals history? A few come to mind:

• George Brett’s terrific throw home in Game 3 of the 1985 ALCS
• Bo Jackson throws out Harold Reynolds from the warning track
• Mike Moustakas diving into the dugout to catch a foul ball in the 2014 ALCS
• Alex Gordon dives into the stands to make a catch in Chicago
• Jarrod Dyson’s ridiculous catch at the wall in Miami

Was there a moment you caught live that stands out to you? Was there a play that may not be the best, but just the one you aesthetically appreciate, or perhaps one that came in a clutch moment? What was your favorite defensive play in Royals history?

Detroit Tigers vs. Boston Red Sox

Time/Place: 1:05 p.m., JetBlue Park – Ft. Myers, FL
SB Nation Site: Over the Monster
Media: MLB+ Audio (Red Sox broadcast)

The St. Louis Cardinals are traveling to the New York Mets Spring Training home at Clover Park. According to MLB.com, the Cardinals will have Jared Shuster take the mound while the New York Mets are expected to start David Peterson. The game today will not be televised.

The Rangers led all of baseball in run prevention in 2025. Behind a full, healthy season from Jacob deGrom, a career-best and injury-shortened season from Nathan Eovaldi, and a big step forward from Jack Leiter, the starting rotation was among the best in baseball and the bullpen was deceptively deep. Even though the team led the majors in ERA, their peripherals didn’t necessarily back up that performance; they were just fifth by FIP, tenth by xFIP, and 16th by xERA.

Facing an exodus of a significant portion of their depth this offseason, Texas’s pitching staff looks a lot weaker than the elite unit from last year. Yes, deGrom and Eovaldi still form a formidable pair atop the rotation, and the team made one huge move to bolster that unit behind those two stars, but there were just too many pieces they needed to replace across the entire staff. The run prevention should still be very good, just not as good as it was a year ago.

Notable Transactions

Out: RHP Tyler Mahle, RHP Merrill Kelly, RHP Jon Gray, LHP Patrick Corbin, RHP Phil Maton, RHP Shawn Armstrong, LHP Hoby Milner, LHP Danny Coulombe, RHP Jacob Webb
In: LHP MacKenzie Gore, LHP Jordan Montgomery, RHP Jakob Junis, LHP Tyler Alexander, RHP Alexis Díaz, RHP Carter Baumler, RHP Michel Otañez, RHP Ryan Brasier, LHP Austin Gomber, RHP Cal Quantrill
Italics = Minor League Deals with Spring Training Invite

The biggest move the Rangers made this offseason was sending a ton of prospects to the Nationals in exchange for MacKenzie Gore. After being one of the centerpieces in the Juan Soto trade a few years ago, Gore established himself as a solid, if inconsistent, starter in Washington. He’s still got two years of team control remaining which fits the Rangers’ contention window pretty neatly.

The team also restocked the bullpen with a mix of veteran arms and reclamation projects. None of those relievers look like they’re up to the level of Maton, Armstrong, or Milner, but relief performance is notoriously volatile so maybe they’ll get lucky with a few of the new arms.

The Rotation

Player	Age	Throws	IP	K/BB	ERA	FIP	WAR
Jacob deGrom	38	R	169	4.75	3.51	3.46	3.7
Nathan Eovaldi	36	R	173	3.64	3.78	3.77	2.9
MacKenzie Gore	27	L	160	3.05	3.83	3.71	2.9
Jack Leiter	26	R	148	2.32	4.29	4.29	2.0
Kumar Rocker	26	R	106	2.92	4.18	4.02	1.2
Jacob Latz	30	L	111	1.98	4.42	4.45	0.8
Cody Bradford	28	L	71	3.56	4.36	4.25	0.5

After pitching just 265.1 total innings over the previous five seasons, deGrom dialed things back a bit in 2025 in an attempt to stay healthy for an entire season. The effort was a great success; he made 30 starts for the first time since 2019 and crossed the 150 IP threshold for just the fifth time in his career. The tradeoff from a small amount of elite production on a per inning basis to pretty good results over a full season was the right call. Yes, he posted his lowest strikeout rate since 2016 and the highest FIP of his career, but as the saying goes, the best ability is availability.

Eovaldi made some pretty significant changes to his pitch mix last year, fueling his fantastic season. He dropped the usage of his four-seam fastball by nearly 15 points, added a sinker to his repertoire, and increased the usage of his cutter and curveball. The result was a pitch mix that was a lot less predictable and a lot less dependent on his deteriorating fastball velocity. Unfortunately, an elbow issue forced him to miss a month of the season in June and then he was sidelined in September with a shoulder strain and underwent surgery in October for a sports hernia.

Leiter finally took a big step forward last year behind his excellent raw stuff. His command still leaves a lot to be desired, but he’s got the look of a mid-rotation arm now with some ceiling to grow into if he can get his walk rate under control. The fifth spot in the rotation is a bit up in the air. Kumar Rocker hasn’t been able to harness his raw stuff like Leiter did last year but the talent is still very apparent. He’s battling with Jacob Latz for that final spot in the rotation this spring. For his part, Latz is attempting to evolve from his swingman role last year but needs to bring down his walk rate to really take a step forward.

And then there are the injured arms who could make an impact later on in the season. Cody Bradford had a really promising stint in the rotation back in 2024 but was sidelined for all of 2025 after undergoing elbow surgery in the spring. He’s working his way back from that injury and should be a factor in May or June. And then there’s Jordan Montgomery who was a huge part of Texas’s 2023 championship run, but hasn’t pitched since late 2024 and is still recovering from Tommy John surgery. I have no idea what to expect from him and I don’t think the Rangers do either.

The Bullpen

Role	Player	Age	Throws	IP	K/BB	ERA	FIP	WAR
Closer	Robert Garcia	30	L	64	3.10	3.54	3.52	0.9
Setup	Chris Martin	40	R	54	4.66	3.38	3.42	0.8
Setup	Cole Winn	26	R	63	1.78	4.64	4.67	-0.3
Middle	Jakob Junis	33	R	65	3.34	4.08	3.95	0.4
Middle	Josh Sborz	32	R	48	2.42	4.07	4.01	0.1
Middle	Tyler Alexander	31	L	69	3.11	4.68	4.49	0.1
Middle	Ryan Brasier	38	R	48	2.85	3.99	3.97	0.1
Long	Carter Baumler	24	R	52	1.84	4.63	4.54	0.0

The Rangers’ bullpen was pretty strong last year thanks to unheralded seasons from guys like Phil Maton, Shawn Armstrong, and Hoby Milner. That trio of veteran arms is out the door while guys like Jakob Junis, Tyler Alexander, and Ryan Brasier take their place. The most important roles in the ‘pen will be manned by two veteran holdovers. The ninth inning should be handled by Robert Garcia; he spent a few months as the team’s closer last year, compiling nine saves and 15 holds with a 2.95 ERA. He was a bit home run prone which pushed both his FIP and xERA nearly a run higher than his ERA. Texas also re-signed the ageless Chris Martin to continue serving as a setup man. Even as he enters his age-40 season, he’s shown very few signs of decline and would be the next man up in the pecking order if Garcia falters.

Cole Winn is a former first round pick who flamed out as a starter but has taken to short-stint relieving pretty well. He’s got a lively fastball and a nasty slider but has a tough time with his command. Josh Sborz has spent the last five years with the Rangers but missed all of last year with a major shoulder injury. He re-signed with Texas this offseason on a minor league deal, and given his familiarity with the organization, he probably has an inside track on a backend bullpen role if he can prove he’s healthy. Carter Baumler is a Rule 5 pick and will need to stick on the major league roster or risk being sent back to Baltimore. He’s dealt with both elbow and shoulder injuries but was finally healthy last year. He’s got an explosive fastball and a big, bendy curveball, but profiles as a pretty generic middle relief arm.

After an off-day, the Jays are back at it, hosting the Braves.

I’m putting this together Monday night, so I don’t have the lineups.

But the Jays have Dylan Cease making his second spring start. I’d guess they would want 3-4 innings out of him.

The Braves are starting JR Ritchie, who pitched in the Braves minor league system last year, when he could get away from Southfork (sure Tom, use a reference that no one under 60 will get), starting in A ball and finishing in Triple-A, with a 2.64 ERA in 26 starts, 140 innings with 140 strikeouts.

Things may be progressing well for Astros closer Josh Hader, according to this update from Brian McTaggart:

Josh Hader (biceps) returned to the mound just now, throwing about 15 pitches in the bullpen.

"Speed is there, fastball is there, action is there, synched up. All positives," he said.

When asked about Opening Day, he said: "We'll see." pic.twitter.com/PTYZlXy3Xb

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) March 10, 2026

While it should still be considered unlikely Hader would be ready Opening Day, this update does indicate that if Hader has to start the season on IL, he could potentially only miss the minimum required time.

Having Hader at the back of the pen with Bryan Abreu gives the Astros one of the best 1-2 punches to close out a game in baseball.

Meanwhile, SS Jeremy Pena is still getting some work in, despite his fractured finger, as shown here in another McTaggart update.

Jeremy Peña is still able to get his infield work in despite his fractured right ring finger pic.twitter.com/WYCupElmhF

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) March 10, 2026

Pena is seen getting in grounders while not using his bare hand at all, flipping the ball with his glove to the coach during the drill.

Pena should be back as soon as his finger is healed, and the Astros have previously shown they will push a top player right back to the lineup in the past. If Pena misses Opening Day, he may not miss much more. At this point it seems like Pena could avoid the IL to start the season. Carlos Correa is scheduled to play SS until Pena returns, with Isaac Paredes playing 3B.

Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:

Yanks in town pic.twitter.com/m3oVRL8Di8

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 10, 2026

For the Yankees:

Crew’s headed to Clearwater ☀️#RepBXpic.twitter.com/GWlcibxVXI

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) March 10, 2026

Let’s talk about it.

We’re back with Tuesday Spring Training to go alongside your dose of the WBC.

Seattle native JR Ritchie will be entering his third game and first start with the Braves after being invited as a non-roster prospect during this Spring Training series. This is an open opportunity for him, especially after the news that LHP Joey Wentz is suffering a knee injury, scratching him out for the remainder of the season.

Ritchie will be facing Dylan Cease and the Blue Jays today at 1:07 EST, and the game will be broadcast on the Blue Jays’ Sportsnet and can be listened to on ESPN 103.7.

The Houston Astros (5-8-3) host the Baltimore Orioles (7-8-2) in Grapefruit League play.

RHP Lance McCullers Jr. is set to start for the Astros, with RHP Levi Wells starting for the Orioles.

TODAY’S STARTER: This is Lance McCullers Jr.’s second appearance of the spring. He previously pitched one shutout inning on Feb 27 vs. the Nationals, working a 1-2-3 inning on 8 pitches. His velocity was improved from last year, primarily working 93-94 with his fastball/sinker.

He made his return to the mound in 2025 after missing the entire 2023-24 seasons due to a right flexor tendon injury that required surgery, working around four IL stints to go 2-5 with a 6.51 ERA (40ER/55.1IP) and 9.92 SO/9IP through 16 games (13 starts).

TODAY’S POTENTIAL RELIEVERS: RHP Bryan Abreu, RHP AJ Blubaugh, LHP Tom Cogrove, LHP Bryan King, RHP Michael Knorr, RHP Roddery Muñoz.

TODAY’S ROSTER MOVES: Following yesterday’s game, the Astros reassigned C Walker Janek and OF Lucas Spence to minor league camp…additionally, the Astros optioned RHP Jayden Murray to minor league camp this morning.

ASTROS IN WBC: IF/OF Shay Whitcomb went 1×1 with a double as a pinch-hitter in Team Korea’s 7-2 win yesterday vs. Team Australia. Team Korea secured a spot in the WBC quarterfinals with the victory.

In Team Italy’s last game on Sunday vs. Team Great Britain, IF/OF Zach Dezenzo went 1×3 with a double, a walk and two runs scored.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Tuesday, March 10, 12:05 p.m. CST

Location: CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches, West Palm Beach, FL.

TV: Space City Home Network, MLB Network (HOU Blackout)

Streaming: SCHN+

Radio: KBME 790 AM/94.5 FM HD-2

Afternoon in WPB. 🌴

⚾️: 12:05 CDT | 1:05pm EDT
📺: @MLBNetwork (HOU Blackout | @SpaceCityHN
🎙️: @SportsTalk790#ChaseTheFight x @PalmBeachesFLpic.twitter.com/ntNkDjh5fb

— Houston Astros (@astros) March 10, 2026

Tuesday in West Palm 🌴 pic.twitter.com/sbKYfNYUPB

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) March 10, 2026

Mets Lineup

1. Marcus Semien – 2B
2. Jorge Polanco – 1B
3. Bo Bichette – 3B
4. Brett Baty – RF
5. Francisco Alvarez – C
6. Jose Rojas – DH
7. Christian Pache – CF
8. A.J. Ewing – LF
9. Jackson Cluff – SS

David Peterson – LHP

Cardinals Lineup

1. Victor Scott – CF
2. Yohel Pozo – C
3. Nelson Velazquez – LF
4. Chase Davis – RF
5. Blaze Jordan – 1B
6. Ramon Mendoza – 3B
7. Jeremy Rivas – SS
8. Brody Moore – 2B
9. Bligh Madris – DH

Jared Shuster – LHP

Broadcast info

First pitch: 1:10 PM EDT
TV: SNY

Gavin Lux is slated to make his spring debut while Chandler Simpson and Cedric Mullins will make their returns to the Rays lineup.

First pitch against the Minnesota Twins is at 1:05 at Charlotte Sports Park and the Rays will be providing radio coverage.

The last big publication, FanGraphs, have released their released their pre-season Braves top prospect list – lets jump in and take a look.

Atlanta Braves Top 33 Prospects https://t.co/l7pBGUMkN4

— FanGraphs Baseball (@fangraphs) March 10, 2026

Let’s break down this list into groups of five and discuss.

Group 1

• JR Ritchie
• Didier Fuentes
• Cam Caminiti
• Owen Murphy
• Alex Lodise

While there is no surprise in the names associated with the top five, save maybe Alex Lodise, the order in which they are ranked is open for discussion. Without a true plus pitch, according to the writer, JR Ritchie tops the list above Didier Fuentes and Cam Caminiti both of whom have at least one pitch that is currently graded with a future value of 60. Sliding in after Cam is Owen Murphy, but then surprisingly it’s Alex Lodise who is the first positional player to reach the list. With a 20 grade hit tool, and the approach problem that currently plagues him, it’s interesting to say the least that Lodise is above the likes of a Gil or a Tornes who have both made names for themselves with their very professional approach at the plate. While there’s nothing necessarily wrong with this grouping, it’s just an overall interesting way to group them.

Group 2

• Garrett Baumann
• Luke Sinnard
• Diego Tornes
• John Gil
• Tate Southisene

A lot to like about the names on this section of the list, but once again it’s the order of the players that comes into question. Without a true standout pitch, at least yet, Garrett Baumann comes in above Luke Sinnard and his slider/cutter/splitter combination of pitches. Diego Tornes, and John Gil coming in below Lodise is questionable but make sure to read what was said about the two, as there is lofty praise.

Group 3

• Briggs McKenzie
• Owen Carey
• Conor Essenburg
• Edelson Cabral
• Raudy Reyes

Much like the second group, tools stand out in this section as Briggs McKenzie and his curveball, Owen Carey and his overall approach, Conor Essenburg and his power potential, and Raudy Reyes and his massive fastball make this portion of the list. The intriguing addition is Edelson Cabral, who was considered a polished middle infielder, without the highest of upsides found his way all the way to #14 overall.

Group 4

• Eric Hartman
• Blake Burkhalter
• Rolddy Muñoz
• Carter Holton
• Luis Guanipa

Group 4 consists of a high upside athletic 2B/OF in Eric Hartman, a trio of relievers (potentially), and a 5-tool prospect who has struggled with injuries. While Guanipa dropping to 20 isn’t that big of a surprise because he has yet to fully put together a season, having his enormous upside below the likes of Blake Burkhalter and Rolddy Muñoz paints the picture of someone who highlights ceiling more than floor – again a perfectly reasonable thing to do, just doesn’t necessarily fit with my line of thinking/ranking. That said, it is nice to see Eric Hartman getting national love as he does have a very intriguing skill set that every organization would want.

Group 5

• Landon Beidelschies
• Lucas Braun
• Drue Hackenberg
• Ethan Bagwell
• Hayden Harris

Once again the value of relievers is apparent as Landon Beidelschies and Hayden Harris make up 40% of this grouping. While it is interesting to see Lucas Braun and Drue Hackenberg that close, it speaks more to Drue’s upside than it does his struggles on the mound in 2025. Ethan Bagwell coming in at 24 is one of the highest rankings I’ve seen for him to which I personally love.

Group 6

• Herick Hernandez
• Angel Carmona
• Brett Sears
• Cade Kuehler
• Jose Perdomo

The biggest part of this list is the inclusion of Angel Carmona this high on a list, with Jose Perdomo dropping all the way to 30th. Angel had a fantastic 2025, with an .827 OPS across 20 games in his age 18 season so it’s not surprising he is getting love, just surprising to see him over the likes of a Jeremy Reyes, Rayven Antonio, Cody Miller, Dixon Williams, Jhancarlos Lara, or Isaiah Drake all players with large upsides that put together strong seasons themselves against higher quality competition. There’s nothing against Carmona, but when that much talent is left off the list it’s an interesting choice.

Group 7

• Connor Thomas
• Jose Manon
• Starlyn De La Cruz

Love the additions of Starlyn and Jose Manon this high on any list despite not having played a game yet, but again it’s the addition of a Connor Thomas over any of the players listed in the above section that warrants discussion.

What are your thoughts on Fangraphs list? Do you like the aggressive rankings of floors over ceilings? What are the biggest changes you would make?

While the news broke a couple days ago, the Nats made the signing of Zack Littell official. We also got the terms of the deal, which are quite interesting. The base of the contract is a one-year $7 million deal. However, with incentives and a mutual option, Littell is likely to make much more than that.

The move is official: The Nationals have signed Zack Littell to a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2027.

It’s $7 million this year, per source, with the potential to get up to $9.5 million with innings incentives.

2027 mutual option is $12 million. $4 million buyout.

— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) March 10, 2026

If you include the $4 million buyout, the least Littell could make is $11 million dollars. By 2020’s Nats standards, $11 million is a big investment. Heading into the offseason, Littell likely expected to make more on a multi-year deal. However, he had to settle for this offer as Opening Day loomed. 

The incentives are based off of innings pitched. They start at 100 innings, and continue to climb as he throws more. Littell is a workhorse who threw 186.2 innings last year, so these incentives are quite attainable. It may not be what he was looking for after posting a sub-4 ERA in over 185 innings, but this is still a solid deal for Littell.

Innings incentives for Littell, per source:

100k each for 100, 110, 120, 130, 140 IP
250k each for 150, 160 IP
500k each for 170, 180, 190 IP

He got to 186.2 innings last year. https://t.co/FQoBBm4qcK

— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) March 10, 2026

He was actually in the locker room this morning, so I got the chance to talk to him for a bit. While he signed late in the offseason, Littell is confident he will be ready for Opening Day. He said that he has been throwing live sessions to hitters and building up as he normally would in a season. Littell told me he and the Nats will “map out” the next steps, but he feels like he is right on schedule. 

Interestingly, Littell said that his agent and Paul Toboni have a great relationship and had been talking throughout the offseason. It seems like Toboni waited for the price tag to come down and struck when the market got to where he wanted it. Littell said the Nats were always “hanging around and checking in” throughout the process.

Speaking of relationships, Littell mentioned that he has some ties to the Nats new staff. He did not really know any of the players, but his days with the Rays created ties with the Nats staff, which has a lot of connections to Tampa. Michael Johns, the Nats bench coach is one guy he mentioned. He was the first base coach for the Rays while Littell was there.

Obviously manager Blake Butera was with the Rays, but he and Littell did not interact much. Butera was working on the minor league side of things, while Littell was a big league pitcher. He said that they would see each other around every once in a while, but nothing beyond that.

However, he said that Butera was well regarded in the Rays clubhouse. Littell said that guys who played for Butera loved him and he never heard a bad word about the new Nats skipper. He also worked with Simon Mathews while he was with the Reds, and he said he was excited to reconnect with him.

After the season he had, Littell probably thought he would get a bigger deal than this, but he seemed excited to be on board. Littell brings a combination of reliability and production that the Nats needed badly. This surprise late addition really raises the floor of the Nats rotation.

The Nats needed to open up a 40-man roster spot to make this move, and did so by DFA’ing Richard Lovelady. While Lovelady had his moments this spring, his control was hit or miss. Hopefully he passes through waivers because Lovelady is a useful depth arm.

The Zack Littell signing is official. It's a 1-year deal with a mutual option for 2027. LHP Richard Lovelady was DFA'd to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) March 10, 2026

Lovelady is no stranger to the waiver wire. This is the fifth time Lovelady has been DFA’d in the last 12 months. He is the epitome of a guy who sticks on the back end of a 40-man roster.

Overall, this Littell pickup is very exciting by Nats free agent standards. Hopefully Littell has a solid season and either becomes a trade chip, or someone the Nats can keep around longer term. At just 30 years old, he could be a useful middle to back of the rotation arm for years to come.