Category: Baseball

Romeo Sanabria ended his 2026 Spring Training for the San Diego Padres with a bang. He hit a grand slam home run to right-center field in the bottom of the eighth inning that put the Padres ahead of the Seattle Mariners 8-3 en route to a Cactus League win in the spring finale at the Peoria Sports Complex on Monday. Kale Fountain followed Sanabria later in the inning with a two-run home run and the Padres went on to win the game, 10-3. Kyle Hart started the game for San Diego and pitched one inning, allowing one run on two hits with a walk. He was followed by German Marquez who pitched 4.2 innings, allowing one run on four hits with two walks and eight strikeouts. With the spring schedule complete, Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ballidentifies various standouts who performed well in camp for San Diego throughout Spring Training. The Padres will return to San Diego and prepare for the season opening matchup against Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal on Thursday.

Padres News:

• There was speculation throughout Spring Training about who would be on the mound for the Padres when they open the season against the Detroit Tigers. Nick Pivetta was largely thought to be in line to take the start, but there was talk that Michael King might be in line to pitch on Opening Day. San Diego manager Craig Stammen ended the speculation naming Pivetta as the Opening Day starter.

• Pivetta will get the start on Opening Day, and the thought is Michael King will follow with Randy Vasquez after him. Stammen did not initially name Vasquez as one of his five starters and that seemed to motivate the right-hander who was one of the best Padres pitchers throughout spring. Thomas Conroy of Gaslamp Ball believes the spring performance points to a breakout season for Vasquez.

• The Padres had a new manager and an incomplete roster when Steamer and ZiPS released their projections for number of wins for San Diego. After a full Spring Training the Friar Faithful are in the position to provide a more educated projection for the number of wins for this season. Gaslamp Ball is asking respondents to predict where they think the Padres will be when the 2026 season ends. AJ Cassavell of Padres.com also provided his predictions for the upcoming season.

• Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that reliever Jason Adam will start the season on the IL. He also mentioned Sung-Mun Song is playing again in an effort to make it back to the roster as soon as possible. Acee adds additional insights about the potential San Diego roster on Opening Day and which players might fill the few remaining holes on the roster.

• The plan this season is to preserve Manny Machado as best as they can as the Padres navigate the season. The future Hall of Famer has been consistent year after year but getting him more time off his feet could benefit San Diego and the efforts for a third straight playoff berth.

• The Padres added to their relief options on Monday, adding veteran right-hander Jose Leclerq on a minor league deal.

Baseball News:

• The Chicago Cubs and outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong are working on a long-term extension to keep the young star in Chicago for many years to come.

• The top prospect for the St. Louis Cardinals, JJ Weatherholt, has made the team and will be on the St. Louis roster on Opening Day. Carson Benge of the New York Mets also made the roster for the Mets. Andrew McCutchen made the roster for the Texas Rangers.

• The Atlanta Braves pitching staff took another hit learning that Spencer Strider will start the season on the IL with an oblique strain. Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki will also start the season on the IL after suffering a knee injury while competing in the World Baseball Classic with Team Japan.

Yesterday morning, we wondered whether Connelly Early or Johan Oviedo would nab the final spot in the Red Sox rotation. Come nightfall we learned that it would be… both of them? In a surprise move as they finalized the roster, the Sox decided that both Early and Oviedo would head to Cincinnati to help protect the rotation in the early going, especially in light of the fact Ranger Suárez has thrown only 9.1 innings between the World Baseball Classic and Grapefruit League. The Sox still haven’t explained whether they’ll go to a six-man rotation or stick someone in the bullpen as a long man, though. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

UPDATE, 10:08 AM: It’s Early in the rotation with Oviedo as a piggyback option:

Early won’t be the only young hot shot lining up on a big league diamond come Opening Day. He’s one of a number of top-100 prospects who have cracked their team’s rosters. (Brendan Samson, Kenny Van Doren, MLB.com)

Carrying an extra starter obviously means that the Sox will carry one fewer reliever. It’s Zack Kelly who draws the short end of the roster stick and will head to Worcester, along with newcomer Tommy Kahnle, who is still getting back up to big league speed. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

Unfortunately, there are also some injury issues complicating the bullpen, as the team is now monitoring Danny Coloumbe’s non-throwing wrist:

While the back of the rotation remains unsettled, the front end is as solid as can be thanks to Garrett Crochet. He’s so good that even Pedro Martinez sees some parallels between Crochet’s career and his own. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

Having already established himself as one of the best pitchers in the league, Crochet doesn’t need much veteran leadership to push himself to the next level. But that’s not necessarily the case with Marcelo Mayer, who has been held to account by the Sox coaching staff and vets like Trevor Story all spring. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

Roman Anthony hasn’t gotten the same tough love treatment that Mayer seems to be getting. But maybe that’s because prominent national writers are already predicting him to win the 2026 American League MVP. (Eno Sarris, The Athletic)

Good morning.

Dave Sessions writes that while the Texas Rangers were beating the Kansas City Royals in a dress rehearsal at The Shed last night, Rule 5 reliever Carter Baumler found out he made the squad while on the mound.

Evan Grant writes that Kumar Rocker was the victor of camp’s most publicized battle as he earned the final spot in the rotation.

MLB dot com’s David Adler writes that Wyatt Langford’s superlative stats were among those that stood out this spring.

Jeff Wilson notes that after signing with the club late in spring, former NL MVP Andrew McCutchen earned a spot on the roster.

Grant writes that the former Pirates star McCutchen beat out Mark Canha for the right-handed DH option on the bench.

Tim Cowlishaw writes that the key for Texas in 2026 might be hitting the 50 start mark from their two elder statesmen aces.

Sarah Langs notes that one of those aces — Jacob deGrom — is primed to reach the 2,000 strikeout milestone this season.

Shawn McFarland writes about the best offerings from Rangers pitchers by the estimations of the players on the team themselves.

Grant writes that despite overtures to make Langford the everyday center fielder, the Rangers have opted for Evan Carter to man to role with Langford still playing there on days where Carter sits against lefties.

Per Jim Bowden at The Athletic, the Rangers have one of the upper third rotations heading into the 2026 campaign.

However, per FanGraphs, the Rangers have a projected bottom third bullpen expected for 2026.

With the rotation appearing as a strength for Texas, McFarland checks out what the starting five could look like five years from now.

Grant notes that the rotation could be further bolstered as the season progresses as Cody Bradford and Jordan Montgomery continue to work their way back.

And, for the 43rd year in a row, and despite likely missing most of the 2026 season, Sebastian Walcott ranks as the Rangers’ No. 1 prospect on the DMN’s top 30 list.

Have a nice day!

Here are Mets and Yankees predictions from SNY staff and contributors for final records, team MVP, and more for the 2025 MLB season...

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Chelsea Janes, SNY MLB Insider

Who will the Mets' MVP be? Juan Soto
Over/under 40 home runs for Juan Soto? Over
What will Freddy Peralta's ERA be? 3.85
Which prospect will have the biggest MLB impact? Carson Benge
Where will Mets finish in NL East? First
What will Mets' final record be? 94-68

Who will the Yankees' MVP be? Aaron Judge
Over/under 50 home runs for Aaron Judge? Under
What will Cam Schlittler's ERA be? 3.99
Which prospect will make the biggest MLB impact? Carlos Lagrange
Where will Yankees finish in AL East? First
What will Yankees' final record be? 92-70

Todd Zeile, SNY Mets Analyst

Who will the Mets' MVP be? Juan Soto
Over/under 40 home runs for Juan Soto? Over
What will Freddy Peralta's ERA be? 2.97
Which prospect will have the biggest MLB impact? Carson Benge
Where will Mets finish in NL East? First
What will Mets' final record be? 93-69

Who will the Yankees' MVP be? Aaron Judge
Over/under 50 home runs for Aaron Judge? Under
What will Cam Schlittler's ERA be? 3.01
Which prospect will make the biggest MLB impact? George Lombard Jr.
Where will Yankees finish in AL East? First
What will Yankees' final record be? 92-70

Jerry Blevins, SNY Mets Analyst

Who will the Mets' MVP be? Juan Soto
Over/under 40 home runs for Juan Soto? Over
What will Freddy Peralta's ERA be? 3.22
Which prospect will have the biggest MLB impact? Carson Benge
Where will Mets finish in NL East? Second
What will Mets' final record be? 90-72

Who will the Yankees' MVP be? Aaron Judge
Over/under 50 home runs for Aaron Judge? Over
What will Cam Schlittler's ERA be? 3.99
Which prospect will make the biggest MLB impact? Spencer Jones
Where will Yankees finish in AL East? Third
What will Yankees' final record be? 85-77

Jim Duquette, SNY Mets Analyst

Who will the Mets' MVP be? Juan Soto
Over/under 40 home runs for Juan Soto? Over
What will Freddy Peralta's ERA be? 2.50
Which prospect will have the biggest MLB impact? Carson Benge
Where will Mets finish in NL East? First
What will Mets' final record be? 90-72

Who will the Yankees' MVP be? Aaron Judge
Over/under 50 home runs for Aaron Judge? Over
What will Cam Schlittler's ERA be? 3.30
Which prospect will make the biggest MLB impact? Spencer Jones
Where will Yankees finish in AL East? First
What will Yankees' final record be? 92-70

Sal Licata, BNNY Host

Who will the Mets' MVP be? Juan Soto
Over/under 40 home runs for Juan Soto? Over
What will Freddy Peralta's ERA be? 3.41
Which prospect will have the biggest MLB impact? Carson Benge
Where will Mets finish in NL East? First
What will Mets' final record be? 93-69

Who will the Yankees' MVP be? Aaron Judge
Over/under 50 home runs for Aaron Judge? Over
What will Cam Schlittler's ERA be? 3.78
Which prospect will make the biggest MLB impact? George Lombard Jr.
Where will Yankees finish in AL East? First
What will Yankees' final record be? 95-67

John Harper, SNY Contributor

Who will the Mets' MVP be? Juan Soto
Over/under 40 home runs for Juan Soto? Over
What will Freddy Peralta's ERA be? 3.08
Which prospect will have the biggest MLB impact? Carson Benge
Where will Mets finish in NL East? First
What will Mets' final record be? 93-69

Who will the Yankees' MVP be? Aaron Judge
Over/under 50 home runs for Aaron Judge? Over
What will Cam Schlittler's ERA be? 3.24
Which prospect will make the biggest MLB impact? Carlos Lagrange
Where will Yankees finish in AL East? Second
What will Yankees' final record be? 92-70

Anthony McCarron, SNY Contributor

Who will the Mets' MVP be? Juan Soto
Over/under 40 home runs for Juan Soto? Over
What will Freddy Peralta's ERA be? 3.15
Which prospect will have the biggest MLB impact? Carson Benge
Where will Mets finish in NL East? First
What will Mets' final record be? 94-68

Who will the Yankees' MVP be? Aaron Judge
Over/under 50 home runs for Aaron Judge? Over
What will Cam Schlittler's ERA be? 3.95
Which prospect will make the biggest MLB impact? Carlos Lagrange
Where will Yankees finish in AL East? Second
What will Yankees' final record be? 94-68

John Jastremski, SNY Contributor

Who will the Mets' MVP be? Juan Soto
Over/under 40 home runs for Juan Soto? Over
What will Freddy Peralta's ERA be? 3.10
Which prospect will have the biggest MLB impact? Carson Benge
Where will Mets finish in NL East? Second
What will Mets' final record be? 92-70

Who will the Yankees' MVP be? Aaron Judge
Over/under 50 home runs for Aaron Judge? Under
Which prospect will make the biggest MLB impact? Carlos Lagrange
What will Cam Schlittler's ERA be? 3.44
Where will Yankees finish in AL East? First
What will Yankees' final record be? 92-70

Keith Raad, Mets Radio Broadcaster

Who will the Mets' MVP be? Juan Soto
Over/under 40 home runs for Juan Soto? Over
What will Freddy Peralta's ERA be? 3.13
Which prospect will have the biggest MLB impact? Ryan Lambert
Where will Mets finish in NL East? First
What will Mets' final record be? 90-72

Who will the Yankees' MVP be? Aaron Judge
Over/under 50 home runs for Aaron Judge? Under
What will Cam Schlittler's ERA be? 3.49
Which prospect will make the biggest MLB impact? Carlos Lagrange
Where will Yankees finish in AL East? Third
What will Yankees' final record be? 88-74

Joe DeMayo, The Mets Pod Co-host

Who will the Mets' MVP be? Juan Soto
Over/under 40 home runs for Juan Soto? Over
What will Freddy Peralta's ERA be? 3.32
Which prospect will have the biggest MLB impact? Carson Benge
Where will Mets finish in NL East? First
What will Mets' final record be? 95-67

Who will the Yankees' MVP be? Aaron Judge
Over/under 50 home runs for Aaron Judge? Under
What will Cam Schlittler's ERA be? 3.68
Which prospect will make the biggest MLB impact? Carlos Lagrange
Where will Yankees finish in AL East? First
What will Yankees' final record be? 97-65

Matt Spendley, SNY Director, Digital Engagement

Who will the Mets' MVP be? Juan Soto
Over/under 40 home runs for Juan Soto? Over
What will Freddy Peralta's ERA be? 3.99
Which prospect will have the biggest MLB impact? Carson Benge
Where will Mets finish in NL East? Second
What will Mets' final record be? 87-75

Who will the Yankees' MVP be? Aaron Judge
Over/under 50 home runs for Aaron Judge? Under
What will Cam Schlittler's ERA be? 4.09
Which prospect will make the biggest MLB impact? Carlos Lagrange
Where will Yankees finish in AL East? First
What will Yankees' final record be? 93-69

Danny Abriano, SNY Manager of Editorial Production

Who will the Mets' MVP be? Nolan McLean
Over/under 40 home runs for Juan Soto? Over
What will Freddy Peralta's ERA be? 3.27
Which prospect will have the biggest MLB impact? Carson Benge
Where will Mets finish in NL East? First
What will Mets' final record be? 93-69

Who will the Yankees' MVP be? Aaron Judge
Over/under 50 home runs for Aaron Judge? Under
What will Cam Schlittler's ERA be? 3.81
Which prospect will make the biggest MLB impact? Carlos Lagrange
Where will Yankees finish in AL East? Second
What will Yankees' final record be? 92-70

Alex Smith, SNY Editorial Producer

Who will the Mets' MVP be? Juan Soto
Over/under 40 home runs for Juan Soto? Under
What will Freddy Peralta's ERA be? 3.53
Which prospect will have the biggest MLB impact? Carson Benge
Where will Mets finish in NL East? Third
What will Mets' final record be? 83-79

Who will the Yankees' MVP be? Aaron Judge
Over/under 50 home runs for Aaron Judge? Over
What will Cam Schlittler's ERA be? 3.74
Which prospect will make the biggest MLB impact? Carlos Lagrange
Where will Yankees finish in AL East? Second
What will Yankees' final record be? 93-69

Phillip Martinez, SNY Editorial Producer

Who will the Mets' MVP be? Juan Soto
Over/under 40 home runs for Juan Soto? Under
What will Freddy Peralta's ERA be? 3.10
Which prospect will have the biggest MLB impact? Carson Benge
Where will Mets finish in NL East? Third
What will Mets' final record be? 88-74

Who will the Yankees' MVP be? Aaron Judge
Over/under 50 home runs for Aaron Judge? Under
What will Cam Schlittler's ERA be? 3.35
Which prospect will make the biggest MLB impact? Carlos Lagrange
Where will Yankees finish in AL East? First
What will Yankees' final record be? 94-68

How will things shake out during the 2026 MLB season?

Here are predictions from SNY staff and contributors for playoff teams, World Series matchups and winners, and the major awards...

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Chelsea Janes, SNY MLB Insider

NL East champ: Mets
NL Central champ: Cubs
NL West champ: Dodgers
1st NL Wild Card: Phillies
2nd NL Wild Card: Diamondbacks
3rd NL Wild Card: Braves
AL East champ: Yankees
AL Central champ: Tigers
AL West champ: Mariners
1st AL Wild Card: Red Sox
2nd AL Wild Card: Blue Jays
3rd AL Wild Card: Orioles
NLCS: Dodgers over Mets
ALCS: Yankees over Mariners
World Series: Dodgers over Yankees
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani
AL MVP: Bobby Witt Jr.
NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes
AL Cy Young: Garrett Crochet
NL Rookie of the Year: JJ Wetherholt
AL Rookie of the Year: Kazuma Okamoto

Todd Zeile, SNY Mets Analyst

NL East champ: Mets
NL Central champ: Reds
NL West champ: Dodgers
1st NL Wild Card: Braves
2nd NL Wild Card: Brewers
3rd NL Wild Card: Padres
AL East champ: Yankees
AL Central champ: Guardians
AL West champ: Mariners
1st AL Wild Card: Red Sox
2nd AL Wild Card: Blue Jays
3rd AL Wild Card: Rangers
NLCS: Mets over Dodgers
ALCS: Yankees over Red Sox
World Series: Mets over Yankees
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani
AL MVP: Aaron Judge
NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes
AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal
NL Rookie of the Year: Carson Benge
AL Rookie of the Year: Trey Yesavage

Jerry Blevins, SNY Mets Analyst

NL East champ: Phillies
NL Central champ: Cubs
NL West champ: Padres
1st NL Wild Card: Dodgers
2nd NL Wild Card: Mets
3rd NL Wild Card: Giants
AL East champ: Red Sox
AL Central champ: Tigers
AL West champ: Mariners
1st AL Wild Card: Yankees
2nd AL Wild Card: Orioles
3rd AL Wild Card: Guardians
NLCS: Mets over Padres
ALCS: Tigers over Mariners
World Series: Mets over Tigers
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani
AL MVP: Bobby Witt Jr.
NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes
AL Cy Young: Garrett Crochet
NL Rookie of the Year: Nolan McLean
AL Rookie of the Year: Kevin McGonigle

Jim Duquette, SNY Mets Analyst

NL East champ: Mets
NL Central champ: Cubs
NL West champ: Dodgers
1st NL Wild Card: Phillies
2nd NL Wild Card: Brewers
3rd NL Wild Card: Giants
AL East champ: Yankees
AL Central champ: Tigers
AL West champ: Mariners
1st AL Wild Card: Red Sox
2nd AL Wild Card: Blue Jays
3rd AL Wild Card: Orioles
NLCS: Cubs over Mets
ALCS: Yankees over Tigers
World Series: Cubs over Yankees
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani
AL MVP: Aaron Judge
NL Cy Young: Freddy Peralta
AL Cy Young: Garrett Crochet
NL Rookie of the Year: Nolan McLean
AL Rookie of the Year: Kevin McGonigle

Sal Licata, BNNY Host

NL East champ: Mets
NL Central champ: Cubs
NL West champ: Dodgers
1st NL Wild Card: Braves
2nd NL Wild Card: Phillies
3rd NL Wild Card: Giants
AL East champ: Yankees
AL Central champ: Tigers
AL West champ: Astros
1st AL Wild Card: Mariners
2nd AL Wild Card: Red Sox
3rd AL Wild Card: Blue Jays
NLCS: Mets over Braves
ALCS: Yankees over Astros
World Series: Mets over Yankees
NL MVP: Juan Soto
AL MVP: Aaron Judge
NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes
AL Cy Young: Bryan Woo
NL Rookie of the Year: Carson Benge
AL Rookie of the Year: Chase DeLauter

John Harper, SNY Contributor

NL East champ: Mets
NL Central champ: Cubs
NL West champ: Dodgers
1st NL Wild Card: Phillies
2nd NL Wild Card: Padres
3rd NL Wild Card: Pirates
AL East champ: Blue Jays
AL Central champ: Tigers
AL West champ: Mariners
1st AL Wild Card: Yankees
2nd AL Wild Card: Red Sox
3rd AL Wild Card: Rangers
NLCS: Dodgers over Mets
ALCS: Tigers over Blue Jays
World Series: Dodgers over Tigers
NL MVP: Juan Soto
AL MVP: Aaron Judge
NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes
AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal
NL Rookie of the Year: Nolan McLean
AL Rookie of the Year: Kazuma Okamoto

Anthony McCarron, SNY Contributor

NL East champ: Mets
NL Central champ: Brewers
NL West champ: Dodgers
1st NL Wild Card: Cubs
2nd NL Wild Card: Phillies
3rd NL Wild Card: Diamondbacks
AL East champ: Red Sox
AL Central champ: Royals
AL West champ: Mariners
1st AL Wild Card: Yankees
2nd AL Wild Card: Orioles
3rd AL Wild Card: Rangers
NLCS: Dodgers over Mets
ALCS: Yankees over Red Sox
World Series: Dodgers over Yankees
NL MVP: Juan Soto
AL MVP: Bobby Witt Jr.
NL Cy Young: Logan Webb
AL Cy Young: Garrett Crochet
NL Rookie of the Year: JJ Wetherholt
AL Rookie of the Year: Kevin McGonigle

Our SNY staff predicts their 2026 World Series Champion 🏆 pic.twitter.com/KdSCKVPfzj

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 24, 2026

John Jastremski, SNY Contributor

NL East champ: Braves
NL Central champ: Cubs
NL West champ: Dodgers
1st NL Wild Card: Mets
2nd NL Wild Card: Phillies
3rd NL Wild Card: Pirates
AL East champ: Yankees
AL Central champ: Royals
AL West champ: Mariners
1st AL Wild Card: Blue Jays
2nd AL Wild Card: Tigers
3rd AL Wild Card: Orioles
NLCS: Dodgers over Braves
ALCS: Mariners over Yankees
World Series: Dodgers over Mariners
NL MVP: Ronald Acuña Jr.
AL MVP: Bobby Witt Jr.
NL Cy Young: Yoshinobu Yamamoto
AL Cy Young: Bryan Woo
NL Rookie of the Year: Nolan McLean
AL Rookie of the Year: Kazuma Okamoto

Keith Raad, Mets Radio Broadcaster

NL East champ: Mets
NL Central champ: Cubs
NL West champ: Dodgers
1st NL Wild Card: Braves
2nd NL Wild Card: Padres
3rd NL Wild Card: Phillies
AL East champ: Blue Jays
AL Central champ: Tigers
AL West champ: Mariners
1st AL Wild Card: Red Sox
2nd AL Wild Card: Yankees
3rd AL Wild Card: Astros
NLCS: Dodgers over Phillies
ALCS: Red Sox over Tigers
World Series: Dodgers over Red Sox
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani
AL MVP: Aaron Judge
NL Cy Young: Cristopher Sanchez
AL Cy Young: Bryan Woo
NL Rookie of the Year: Nolan McLean
AL Rookie of the Year: Kazuma Okamoto

Joe DeMayo, The Mets Pod co-host

NL East champ: Mets
NL Central champ: Brewers
NL West champ: Dodgers
1st NL Wild Card: Phillies
2nd NL Wild Card: Padres
3rd NL Wild Card: Cubs
AL East champ: Yankees
AL Central champ: Tigers
AL West champ: Mariners
1st AL Wild Card: Blue Jays
2nd AL Wild Card: Red Sox
3rd AL Wild Card: Guardians
NLCS: Dodgers over Mets
ALCS: Mariners over Yankees
World Series: Dodgers over Mariners
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani
AL MVP: Aaron Judge
NL Cy Young: Yoshinobu Yamamoto
AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal
NL Rookie of the Year: Nolan McLean
AL Rookie of the Year: Kevin McGonigle

Matt Spendley, SNY Director, Digital Engagement

NL East champ: Phillies
NL Central champ: Cubs
NL West champ: Dodgers
1st NL Wild Card: Brewers
2nd NL Wild Card: Mets
3rd NL Wild Card: Pirates
AL East champ: Yankees
AL Central champ: Tigers
AL West champ: Mariners
1st AL Wild Card: Blue Jays
2nd AL Wild Card: Orioles
3rd AL Wild Card: Astros
NLCS: Cubs over Dodgers
ALCS: Mariners over Yankees
World Series: Cubs over Mariners
NL MVP: Juan Soto
AL MVP: Bobby Witt Jr.
NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes
AL Cy Young: Garrett Crochet
NL Rookie of the Year: Konnor Griffin
AL Rookie of the Year: Munetaka Murakami

Danny Abriano, SNY Manager of Editorial Production

NL East champ: Mets
NL Central champ: Cubs
NL West champ: Dodgers
1st NL Wild Card: Phillies
2nd NL Wild Card: Padres
3rd NL Wild Card: Braves
AL East champ: Red Sox
AL Central champ: Tigers
AL West champ: Mariners
1st AL Wild Card: Yankees
2nd AL Wild Card: Blue Jays
3rd AL Wild Card: Rangers
NLCS: Mets over Padres
ALCS: Mariners over Red Sox
World Series: Mariners over Mets
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani
AL MVP: Bobby Witt Jr.
NL Cy Young: Yoshinobu Yamamoto
AL Cy Young: Garrett Crochet
NL Rookie of the Year: Nolan McLean
AL Rookie of the Year: Carter Jensen

Alex Smith, SNY Editorial Producer

NL East champ: Phillies
NL Central champ: Cubs
NL West champ: Dodgers
1st NL Wild Card: Padres
2nd NL Wild Card: Braves
3rd NL Wild Card: Mets
AL East champ: Blue Jays
AL Central champ: Tigers
AL West champ: Mariners
1st AL Wild Card: Yankees
2nd AL Wild Card: Guardians
3rd AL Wild Card: Red Sox
NLCS: Dodgers over Cubs
ALCS: Red Sox over Yankees
World Series: Red Sox over Dodgers
NL MVP: Fernando Tatis Jr.
AL MVP: Roman Anthony
NL Cy Young: Cristopher Sanchez
AL Cy Young: Bryan Woo
NL Rookie of the Year: Nolan McLean
AL Rookie of the Year: Kevin McGonigle

Phillip Martinez, SNY Editorial Producer

NL East champ: Braves
NL Central champ: Cubs
NL West champ: Dodgers
1st NL Wild Card: Phillies
2nd NL Wild Card: Brewers
3rd NL Wild Card: Mets
AL East champ: Yankees
AL Central champ: Tigers
AL West champ: Mariners
1st AL Wild Card: Blue Jays
2nd AL Wild Card: Red Sox
3rd AL Wild Card: Royals
NLCS: Dodgers over Cubs
ALCS: Blue Jays over Yankees
World Series: Blue Jays over Dodgers
NL MVP: Ronald Acuña Jr.
AL MVP: Bobby Witt Jr.
NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes
AL Cy Young: Garrett Crochet
NL Rookie of the Year: Nolan McLean
AL Rookie of the Year: Kazuma Okamoto

Congratulations to all of Birdland. Opening Day is just two days away. We made it to the start of 2026.

As our Tyler Young outlined yesterday, the Orioles’ time in Sarasota gave us plenty of clarity about some things. And yet, there are plenty of aspects of this Orioles roster that we want to see put to the test in the games that actually matter.

The Orioles are one of the most changed teams in the American League as they look to bounce back from the profound disappointment of the 2025 season. In comes new manager Craig Albernaz, new star 1B Pete Alonso and other big veteran additions in Taylor Ward, Shane Baz, Chris Bassitt and Ryan Helsley.

The first month of the 2026 season will give us the first glimpses as to whether this team is ready to return to contention or if this roster’s holes will again prove insurmountable. And yet, the beginning of a new season is supposed to offer hope and a chance to learn about the newest iteration of the O’s. With that in mind, here are four things to look forward to in the upcoming first month of Baltimore baseball.

1. A hot start from the Orioles

The Orioles want a chance to prove that the disastrous start to the 2025 season was a complete anomaly. The schedule makers gave them the opportunity to do just that with a favorable opening slate of games across March and April.

The first series of the season sees the Orioles welcome the Twins to Camden Yards, as the two biggest sellers at the 2025 trade deadline square off in Baltimore. Minnesota is entering the early stages of a rebuild, and FanGraphs projects the Twins to finish fourth in the AL Central with a 23.8% chance of making the playoffs. In terms of easy opening series, only a few teams present less of a threat than the Twins.

Things don’t get all that much tougher across the rest of the Orioles’ first 1o series of the year. FanGraphs gives the O’s a 52.1% chance to make the postseason. Of their first ten opponents, only the Red Sox (60%) head into the new season with better odds to play October baseball. Next highest is the Pirates at 47.3%, though the schedule lines up such that the Orioles shouldn’t have to face reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes.

Most of the Orioles’ early opponents fall in the category of “fighting to get above .500,” as the O’s will welcome the Rangers, Giants, Astros and Diamondbacks to Baltimore while traveling to face the Guardians and Royals. The Orioles also get an early trip to the South Side of Chicago to take on a White Sox team most assume to be the worst in the AL.

A winning record in April won’t guarantee a winning season, but a slow start can doom a team—as we saw last season. In the Orioles’ two most recent playoff seasons, they combined to go 38-19 (.667). Last year, the O’s opened the season 12-18 on their way to a losing record. This year, Baltimore should get back to winning ways early thanks to a favorable schedule.

2. The new look rotation in action

The Orioles may not have added an ace in the offseason, but there’s little doubt that this rotation is significantly better than what they had last season. After all, Zach Eflin was the Opening Day starter last year; this year, he’s the O’s No. 5 starter.

This Orioles rotation has been hailed as the best ever assembled under Mike Elias. However, this group still has something to prove. Trevor Rogers will look to prove that he can sustain his excellent 2025 performance over a whole season. Kyle Bradish will want to show that he’s fully back to his 2023 form after returning from Tommy John surgery with a strong, six-start cameo last year. Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt will look to prove they were the right depth additions to round out the rotation.

This group should be day and night compared to the Charlie Morton, Tomoyuki Sugano days of yesteryear. The favorable early schedule should give this rotation the stage to show how far this pitching staff has come in the span of a year.

3. How Alby manages the 1B, DH and C at-bats

The signing of Alonso and the long-term financial commitment to Samuel Basallo created a potential logjam at 1B and C. Albernaz now has the pleasure of trying to figure out how Alonso, Basallo, Ryan Mountcastle and Adley Rutschman can all help the Orioles play winning baseball in 2026.

Part of this headache was “solved” as a side effect of the Jordan Westburg injury. With Westburg out until at least May, Coby Mayo spent all of spring training earning the Opening Day start at 3B—and in turn taking him out of the equation at 1B. That still leaves four players vying for playing time at three spots.

Common sense says that Alonso will get the Opening Day start at first, with Rutschman behind the plate and Basallo at DH, leaving RMC as a bench bat and late inning defensive replacement. Then, against LHPs, Alonso will slide to DH, Mountcastle will step in at 1B and Basallo will assume a traditional backup catcher role in the dugout.

However, if managing a team were as simple as following common sense, you wouldn’t need 10+ years of major league coaching experience to land in the first-base dugout at Camden Yards. Will Alby prioritize getting RMC’s better glove in the lineup against more than just lefties? Will the lack of a third catcher influence how often Basallo and Rutschman start together? These are the questions Alby will look to answer over his first 10 series as Orioles manager.

4. Alby’s return to Cleveland

At every opportunity this offseason, the Orioles’ new manager has spoken glowingly about friend and former boss, Stephen Vogt. Albernaz will get the chance to square off against the reigning two-time AL Manager of the Year and his former employer, the Guardians, when the O’s visit Cleveland in mid-April.

While the matchup will certainly be emotional for the Orioles new skipper, it also gives him and his new team a chance to prove they can win the type of games that playoff teams win. On paper, the O’s are more talented than the reigning AL Central champions. However, Vogt has made his name as a manager through exceeding expectations and minimizing his team’s perceived shortcomings. Albernaz has a similar task with the Orioles; beating his friend and mentor would be a strong early sign that he’s up for the challenge.

Bryson Stott had himself a productive spring this year. The Phillies second baseman hit .366 with a 1.072 OPS across 16 Grapefruit League appearances. Spring training stats are not a surefire precursor to a successful season, but in this particular case, Stott’s success continues a trend of improved hitting dating back to last season.

Stott hit .294 with an .855 OPS in 60 games after the All-Star break in 2025, and that’s including a brutal month of July where he hit just .194 in 20 games. If you look from August through the end of the season, Stott was hitting .310 with an .880 OPS.

There are more reasons to believe the improvement is real in addition to those traditional back of the baseball card numbers too. Stott’s weighted on-base average (wOBA) improved on both fastballs and breaking balls from August on, and in the case of fastballs it was a significant increase.

Stott’s expected batting average on both pitch types also hit their season highs in August and September, offering dramatic increases from the early season months.

What this means is that Stott began impacting the ball more and at a higher rate of occurrence, leading to more well hit balls and base hits in general. He credits lowering his hands and understanding his limitations to the opposite field as major reasons for his success as he described to the Athletic’s Charlotte Varnes.

That ability to impact the ball has carried over so far into 2026, as Stott’s average exit velocity in spring training was 92.5 MPH, which if it happened over the course of a full season, would be the first time he had an average exit velocity that started with a 9. Stott has routinely been among the bottom of the league when it comes to hitting the ball hard with a career average exit velocity of 87.7.

Now of course, this is spring training and we’re only talking about 16 games and 48 plate appearances. It’s hardly reasonable to conclude anything for certain from such a small sample size. Even with Stott’s second half improvements last season, he still only had average exit velocities under 90 in his two months of greatest improvement. But Stott doesn’t need to be someone who rips the ball all the time either, as his skill set leads to being more of a contact hitter who sprays the ball over the field rather than swinging for the fences. That said however, he still needs to be better at impacting the ball, something he’s been able to accomplish since the end of last season.

Time will tell whether Stott is truly a new hitter or not. Once again, this spring isn’t a confirmation, but rather a continuation of a trend that started in August. It will be interesting to see if Stott’s improvements hold up as the league will no doubt adjust back at him as the regular season gets under way.

So, do you buy in to Bryson Stott’s improvement? Has he finally found the secret to unlocking more of his offensive potential? Or will all of this prove to be a mirage once pitchers find a new weakness to exploit?

I had a mild heart attack after searching for Lucas Giolito news. Not going to repeat it, but the robots believe a signing has occurred already. There’s no reason to feed the algorithms any further. If content farms are going to wish something into existence, then let me tell you about Shohei Ohtani opting out of his contract to join the Braves on a league minimum deal. There, let some Dodger fan do a double take.

The Braves have lost a fourth starting pitching option before Opening Day. This may bring Martin Perez back into the picture. It also might have the Braves scrambling for more bodies. So let’s take a brief look at what Lucas Giolito brings to the table.

Last year he avoided the HR/FB monster in Boston to a 3.41/4.17/4.39 (80/99/110) line. He got 2.15 strikeouts per walk. He has a 93 MPH fastball at 33 years old. Projections have him in the 0.7-1.5 WAR range. He throws fastballs around 48 percent of the time, and breaking stuff around 30 percent. There may be more there, but those are some top-line numbers.

You know who he sounds like? An older, luckier Bryce Elder. Bryce was devoured by the HR/FB monster in Atlanta to a 5.30/4.55/4.04 (125/112/98) line. He got more strikeouts at a 2.56 strikeouts per each walk. He has a 93 MPH fastball at 27 years old. Projections have him in the 0.8-1.7 WAR range. The pitch selection is slightly fewer changeups etc. but you get the idea. MLB Trade Rumors has Giolito getting 2 years at 32 million. He’s not getting that from the Braves, even in the state they’re in. It would probably be closer to 5-10 million per year.

So should the Braves be interested in an older, perhaps luckier Bryce Elder? Can they afford not to, though? Pitchers are dropping like flies here. The Braves have a somewhat light schedule (as far as competition, not volume) in March and April. Maybe they bump along the best they can, pick up a marginal-type starter and see what’s available for trade in June. Or they can sign Giolito, warts and all, and still see what’s out there in June.

There aren’t good choices when you lose four starting pitcher options (and maybe a fifth with Lopez) before the season starts. They may have to hold their nose at some point and bring in someone. Only question now is which one.

Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Yankees open the 2026 season against the Giants in San Francisco on Wednesday...

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5 things to watch

Will Max Fried's subpar spring carry over?

Fried's performance in his first year with the Yankees was so good that the loss of Gerrit Cole didn't hurt the team much. Fried was the ace of the staff and anchored arguably the best rotation in the majors. 

Entering year two, Fried will have to shoulder that burden once again, at least in the early going. That's why his mediocre spring is a bit alarming. In three spring starts, Fried allowed seven earned runs across 14.1 innings (4.40 ERA). While his strikeouts are where they usually are, opposing teams got bat to ball for 12 hits. 

In Fried's last start, he walked four batters in his five innings, which was his worst outing this spring. While Fried didn't pay too much mind to his struggles, the Yankees want to start the season on the right foot and a return-to-form for their Opening Day starter would help. 

How will the other starters do?

With Cole and Carlos Rodon on the shelf to start the season, the other starters will need to step up behind Fried. 

Schlittler will get one of the starts in San Francisco and the Yankees will lean on their playoff hero to take the next step in 2026. It's unclear who else will take the mound over the weekend, but it's likely Will Warren and Ryan Weathers. Meanwhile, the Yankees hope Luis Gil can return to the form he had in 2024. 

Can Aaron Judge put the WBC behind him?

The captain was having a nice showing in the WBC before the knockout rounds began. But when the pressure hit, Judge didn't come through in the way many hoped he would.

In the championship game against Venezuela, Judge went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Worse off, his at-bats came in big spots that could have flipped the game in Team USA's favor. 

For the tournament, Judge finished 6-for-27 (.222) with two home runs and five RBI. He walked six times and struck out seven. 

It should be made clear that it's still March and hitters usually take a bit to get going -- as evident with Judge's so-so production in spring games -- but this team goes as far as Judge takes them. If he's not producing, this lineup will be hard-pressed to put up enough runs.

Unless....

Offense elsewhere

The Yankees are putting a lot of stock in the development of Ben Rice and Austin Wells this season. They believe there's plenty of offensive production still there to be mined, especially with Rice.

The young first baseman will see the bulk of the time at that position, giving the Yanks a dynamic bat. Depending on how manager Aaron Boone draws up his lineup, Rice could be batting behind Judge. He'll need to prove that he can be that protection Judge needs to see hittable pitches.

As for Wells, his defense is major league ready, but he regressed offensively last season. Wells did have a very good WBC playing for the Dominican Republic, and perhaps that can carry over and lengthen this lineup. 

And then we have Trent Grisham. The Yankees' de facto leadoff man from a year ago, Grisham may not provide the same gaudy offensive numbers he gave them last season, but giving the team anything close to that will also help give Judge and this lineup opportunities to drive in runs.

New-look bullpen

The bullpen will have some returning faces, but there will be a lot of new ones as well.

Gone are Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, but David Bednar and Camilo Doval -- acquired last trade deadline -- are still here, and Fernando Cruz and Tim Hill have become mainstays. But what about the rest? This weekend should give us a clue as to how Boone will deploy his relievers, especially the new ones -- and who he trusts in which situations.

This will be especially crucial in Schlittler's start, as his oblique tightness earlier in camp set his progression back a bit. He won't be built up as much as the others, so we can expect Ryan Yarbrough or Paul Blackburn to help bridge the game for Schlittler. 

Predictions

Who will the MVP of the series be?

Aaron Judge

Back in his home region, Judge will get off to a hot start in San Francisco.

Which Yankees pitcher will have the best start?

Max Fried

The Giants deploy a lot of left-handers, and Fried should be able to neutralize them.

Which Giants player will be a thorn in the Yankees' side?

Rafael Devers

The Yankees' old nemesis from when he was with the Red Sox. The slugger will see his first Opening Day as a Giant, but should be much more comfortable with the organization this year after being acquired midseason in 2025.

Every spring brings the smell of grass, the sunshine at Salt River Fields, the eternal hope that only Spring Training can provide. It also inevitably brings a litany of new food offerings at Chase Field. Some are basic ballpark fare. A beer cheese hotdog, for example. Some are much needed offerings to appeal to a wider demographic of potential fans, an Impossible Burger, for example. Others… come from a dark place where the conventions of the culinary arts dare not tread. The D-bat dog. The fried chicken funnel cake sandwich. Sandwiches that are nearly two feet long and combine chicken parmesan and meatball subs. They are all equally important to me.

These crazed food items have become integral to the experience of the game itself. Far beyond the Diamondbacks, though I believe them to be pioneers in the field, teams try to one up each other and themselves with their offerings every year. The full list of additions can be found here, but indulge me to share my top five most anticipated items that were announced.

#5: Oreo Explosion Churro Dog

Look, I am a sucker for the Churro Dog. It’s one of the items that started this whole journey off, both for the Diamondbacks as well as myself as the official food critic of AZ Snakepit. They either have declined in quality over the years, I’ve gotten older, or both, but you’ll still find me trying the latest iteration on Opening Day (assuming Levy’s doesn’t run out). This year, it’s simply described as “our classic churro dog with Oreo toppings.” Sure! Sold! I’ll take two. Is it going to be good? Eh. Is the churro going to be stale and cold, and they won’t have plasticware again? Yeah probably, but such is life. Have a churro dog. Churro Dog HQ, 129 and 324

#4: Take Me Out to the Ballgame Milkshake

This is a salted caramel shake with whipped cream, peanut butter sandwich cookies, Kit Kat bars and Cracker Jack. Look at it

The D-backs will have a "Take Me Out to the Ballgame Shake" at games this year 🤤

It's a salted caramel shake with whipped cream, peanut butter sandwich cookies, Kit Kat bars and Cracker Jack.

(via @LevyRestaurants) pic.twitter.com/hLTgNVOpNy

— MLB (@MLB) March 18, 2026

This is a monstrosity. How do you eat it? You can’t drink that with a straw. Honestly, I’m not sure a spoon is breaking through those chunks. It’s impossible. And the flavor profile. My god it’s like someone asked for the Diabeetus special. You won’t be able to taste anything specific, it will just be sugar. Can’t wait to have one. One of these days this job is going to kill me. Churro Dog HQ, 129 and 324

#3: Footlong Beer Cheese Hotdog

Look, I’m a simple man. Give me cheese, meat, carbs, and I’ll probably be happy. This new Beer Cheese Hotdog hits all those checkboxes. It’s exactly what it says it is, plus bacon and crispy onions. I’ll eternally be disappointed in the hotdogs they serve at Chase, but this still sounds good, even knowing it’s going to be a subpar hotdog. Grand Canyon Grill, 214. Only accessible with 200 level ticket.

#2: Pork Belly Nachos

I’m intrigued by this one. It’s described as Wonton chips, crispy pork belly, quick kimchee, gochujang cheese sauce, pickled red onions, scallions. Those are some big flavors, and not typically ones you find at an MLB stadium. You can’t go wrong with pork belly, but kimchee and gochujang are both delicious if done correctly, but its very easy to let it get out of hand and overpower the dish. I’m also not sure I’ve ever heard of using wonton chips as the base for nachos either, but again, I’m intrigued. Potentially, this could be an elite shareable at the game, bringing much needed variety to your standard choices. Available at Taste of Chase, Section 130

#1: Big Bella Sandwich

I’m genuinely excited for this one. The sandwich features mortadella, mozzarella, pistachio cream, arugula, chopped pistachio, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt. This will be available at the Jefferson Street Deli stand, where I’ve had good experiences before. The 50/50 stretch last season was surprisingly one of the best things I’ve had a Chase Field before, and I’m hoping they’ll continue the winning streak. I’m most interested in the pistachio cream they’re using as a condiment. It sounds delicious and should pair well with the mortadella. This is what I’ll be having for dinner on Opening Day. Available at the Jefferson Street Deli behind Section 120.

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These are just a few of the exciting new food options coming to Chase Field this year. Stay tuned here for the occasional review of them. Also stay tuned for my new, nearly weekly series exploring food options around the stadium for before and after the games!

Campbell @ NC State | Tues, Mar 24 @ 6:00pm | ACCNX | Live Stats

A red-hot Campbell squad that has won 10 of their last 12 games, including back-to-back midweek victories over Duke and Coastal Carolina last week, comes to Raleigh on Tuesday evening for a 6:00pm matchup with NC State.

The Camels (14-9, 8-1 CAA, RPI #119) struggled out of the gate with a 4-7 mark, which included a pair of at-the-time nice looking victories over East Carolina and Troy, but those wins have diminished since as both the Pirates and Trojans have scuttled compared to preseason expectations. Following a series loss to Wright State and former Wolfpack pitcher Alex Sogard, Campbell has put it together and is playing excellent baseball of late.

Collectively, the lineup is hitting .283/.397/.486, 46 2B, 30 HR, 12.1 BB%, 20.2 K%, 69-76 SB, presenting a much more aggressive approach on the bases (3.0 SB/gm) than the program has displayed in recent memory. The adjusted approach has resulted in an offensive boon of late, with the Camels posting double-digit runs in six of their last eight games. It’s a deep lineup with up to ten productive bats, led by rSR 3B Jonah Oster (.341/.386/.659, 7 2B, 6 HR, 5.9 BB%, 12.7 K%, 1-2 SB), JR SS Logan Chapman (.364/.411/.591, 4 2B, 3 HR, 4.0 BB%, 12.0 K%, 5-5 SB), rSR LF Joe Simpson (.306/.444/.361, 4 2B, 0 HR, 17.4 BB%, 23.9 K%, 23-24 SB), FR RF Carlos Lugo (.325/.386/.425, 5 2B, 1 HR, 6.8 BB%, 5.7 K%, 6-7 SB), and JR CF Mike Murphy (.315/.422/.574, 2 2B, 2 HR, 10.9 BB%, 23.4 K%, 8-9 SB).

Redshirt-sophomore RHP Cooper Clark (2-3, 5.20 ERA, 27.2 IP, 4.3 BB%, 23.1 K%) and David Rossow (4-1, 3.42 ERA, 26.1 IP, 8.5 BB%, 26.5 K%) have been relative mainstays of the weekend rotation, but settling on that Sunday arm will be key to continuing to sit atop the CAA standings. NC State transfer JR RHP Camden Wimbish (0-1, 4.26 ERA, 25.1 IP, 5.7 BB%, 25.5 K%) appears to have the current grip on the job. The staff as a whole has a 5.14 ERA with a 9.1 BB% and 24.4 K%. The ERA is higher than ideal, but this is a group that has some talented arms and can get it done. SO RHP/OF Jett Music (0-1, 3 SV, 4.35 ERA, 10.1 IP, 8.9 BB%, 33.3 K%) and rJR RHP Mason Smith (1-0, 1 SV, 5.09 ERA, 23.0 IP, 8.9 BB%, 28.7 K%) lead the bullpen.

The team has a .967 collective fielding percentage, but 14 of their 27 errors have come from two players (Oster and 2B Elijah Clayton), but Clayton has been error-free for seven straight games (Oster, not so much), so if things get better there this team is going to be hell for a CAA that is already looking up at them. Granted, the meat of the conference slate for the Camels is still to come, and while they avoid perennial CAA heavyweight Northeastern, they do have a pair of conference series each with UNCW and Charleston.

The 2026 Texas Rangers Opening Day roster appears to be set after the announcements made by the club last night. The 26 players who will start the season on the active roster are as follows:

Rotation

Nathan Eovaldi

Jacob deGrom

MacKenzie Gore

Jack Leiter

Kumar Rocker

Bullpen

Chris Martin

Robert Garcia

Jakob Junis

Jalen Beeks

Cole Winn

Tyler Alexander

Jacob Latz

Carter Baumler

Catcher

Danny Jansen

Kyle Higashioka

Infielders

Jake Burger

Josh Smith

Corey Seager

Josh Jung

Ezequiel Duran

Outfielder

Wyatt Langford

Evan Carter

Brandon Nimmo

Sam Haggerty

DH

Joc Pederson

Andrew McCutchen

This was more or less what we would have expected two weeks ago, with the only real questions being whether Kumar Rocker or Jacob Latz would be the team’s fifth starter, and who would get the final two spots in the bullpen.

The team announced prior to last night’s game that Rocker would be the fifth starter, Latz would be in the bullpen, and McCutchen and Duran would round out the position player group.

We wondered at the time why there was no announcement as to who the final spot in the bullpen was going to. Rule 5 pick Carter Baumler had an excellent spring, and seemed to have earned a job, but there was no announcement as to whether he would be making the squad, or if it would be someone else.

As it turns out, that’s because the team was doing something special with Baumler, who came into last night’s exhibition game to start the fifth inning. After recording the first two outs of the inning, manager Skip Schumaker came out to the mound, along with catcher Danny Jansen and the infielders. Schumaker told Baumler then that he had made the team:

A pretty neat moment for Baumler, a 2020 5th round pick of the Baltimore Orioles who due to injuries had pitched just 88 innings over 49 appearances, with just six games above A ball, prior to the Rangers acquiring him as a Rule 5 selection this winter. Baumler understandably got a little emotional talking about it during the broadcast.

Procedurally, the Rangers will need to place Cody Freeman and Cody Bradford on the injured list before Thursday’s season opener in Philadelphia, and will need to create a 40 man roster spot for Andrew McCutchen. Its possible Bradford will go on the 60 day injured list, but he is expected to start a rehab assignment soon after Round Rock’s season starts on March 27, but given the organization has said they hope to have Bradford back in May, it seems more likely that Bradford would be placed on the 15 day injured list. Dairon Blanco and Michel Otanez would appear to be the guys on the 40 man bubble.

Heading into the spring, Jasson Domínguez was the consensus pick for the Yankees’ fourth outfielder spot, as the former top prospect, now headed into his sophomore season, would be the team’s number one option in the event one of Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, Giancarlo Stanton, or — baseball gods forbid — Aaron Judge had to miss significant time. As the roster currently stands, the Martian, despite being optioned to Triple-A Scranton, remains in that role, and in truth, it would be very surprising if he did not receive a call to the Show at for some extended run at some point this year; injuries are just a fact of life in baseball, after all.

But, as our very own Estevão wrote earlier this month, “Organizational depth and a quality bench…don’t necessarily mean the same thing.” Ever since the Yankees signed Randal Grichuk to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training late last month, it immediately became the expectation that he would be given the fourth outfielder job out of spring training, and that the Martian would return to Scranton to start the season — an expectation that became reality this week.

2025 Stats (Arizona, Kansas City): 113 games, 293 plate appearances, .228/.273/.401, 9 HR, 27 RBI, 18 doubles, 82 wRC+, 20.8 K%, 5.8 BB%, -2 Defensive Runs Saved, -2 Outs Above Average, -0.4 fWAR, -0.8 rWAR

2026 Projections: 32 games, 140 plate appearances, .242/.295/.419, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 98 wRC+, 0.3 fWAR

Just a few short weeks ago, Estevão broke down the decision to sign Grichuk, and in the process of that piece he discussed reasons to both be optimistic about the veteran this season (such as his 92.4 mph exit velo last season) and to be, well, not so optimistic about him (such as his “predictable unpredictability”). Rather than treading over that same ground again, I’d instead like to talk about what the thought process behind the decision is, what the exact role Grichuk is expected to fill, and what are the possible ways his time in pinstripes may go.

The decision to option Domínguez and roster Grichuk has been met with skepticism around the Yankees online community, and for good reason. The organization has, in recent years, oscillated between playing the kids too much (see: Volpe, Anthony) and running out clearly washed veterans in lieu of letting the kids play (see: Verdugo, Alex and Kiner-Falefa, Isiah). Viewed from that vantage point, this move seems to be just the latest in a long line of overcorrections by the front office.

In this instance, though, there’s one variable that separates Grichuk from Verdugo and IKF: Grichuk is not in line to start, and is a platoon bat at best. Unlike Oswald Peraza and Volpe in 2022 and Domínguez himself in 2024, the young kid is not being blocked; there isn’t a starting job available. A much better comparandum would be 2012, when the Yankees optioned Francisco Cervelli to the minors and had Chris Stewart serve as their backup catcher, in order to have the young catcher receive regular reps. Had starting catcher Russell Martin been injured for an extended period of time, however, it would have been Cervelli filling in as the starter, not the career backup in Stewart. When/if an outfield or DH spot opens up due to injury, Domínguez is certainly slotting into that spot in the lineup.

So why is Grichuk here, rather than having the #NextManUp on the active roster to begin with? Because Grichuk, at least in theory, brings something that Domínguez has not yet shown in practice: the ability to hit left-handed pitching. As of today, the FanGraphs Depth Chart lists Trent Grisham as the Yankees’ starting center fielder, putting him in a platoon with Grichuk. According to their projection, against left-handed pitching, Grisham will sit, Bellinger will slide over to center, and Grichuk will man left. This tracks with the Yankees’ stated intention to factor in platoon matchups more this season — and it is something that, the way this roster is currently constructed, does not benefit Domínguez, as his platoon splits to date are comparable with Grisham’s. Grichuk, at least in theory, brings something different to the Yankees’ bench and gives Aaron Boone some flexibility.

Of course, what if it doesn’t work out? At this stage, it’s hard to say for certain, as despite having a reputation for holding onto aging vets for too long (e.g., DJ LeMahieu and Aaron Hicks), the Yankees have in recent years been willing to pull the plug on an experiment that clearly wasn’t working (e.g., Jay Bruce, Opening Day first baseman, and Enyel De Los Santos, trade deadline bullpen acquisition). The Yankees only have $2.5 million invested in Grichuk, and no sentimental attachments (in fact, given his performance against the Yankees over his career, they might have negative sentimentality). If Father Time has indeed caught up to the 34-year-old, it shouldn’t be too painful for the Bombers to move on.

Hopefully, though, it won’t come to that, and Grichuk quiets those disappointed in his arrival.

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See more of the Yankees Previews series here.

Meet the Mets

The Mets finally announced that Carson Benge will be on the team’s Opening Day roster, which felt like an inevitability after his incredible spring training performance.

Anthony DiComo offered some predictions for the team heading into the season.

Writing for SNY, John Harper made his predictions for the Mets’ season.

Tim Britton talked about the Mets’ easy early season schedule, which he says the team should not waste.

Craig Kimbrel will remain with the Mets after missing out on the Opening Day roster, saying, “I am going to stay down here in Florida and stay ready.”

Around the National League East

Todd Zolecki made his predictions for the Phillies’ season.

Spencer Strider will begin the season on the IL with an oblique injury.

Spencer Nusbaum took us inside the Nationals’ vision for fans and the future.

Around Major League Baseball

The MLB.com staff highlighted the most important thing we learned from each team’s camp this spring.

Will Leitch shared the Power Rankings heading into Opening Day.

Experts predicted the stats leaders across MLB this season.

Theo DeRosa explored who might be the top award winners in MLB in 2026.

Sarah Langs identified some players how are on the precipice of reaching career milestones during the upcoming MLB season.

A jersey Shohei Ohtani worn during the WBC sold for a boat load of money.

The Cubs and Pete Crow-Armstrong have agreed to a contract extension.

The Blue Jays and GM Ross Adkins have also agreed on a five-year extension.

Ben Rice has landed an endorsement deal with…Ben’s Rice, the endorsement deal he was born to have.

Cardinals top prospect JJ Wetherholt made the Opening Day roster.

Andrew McCutchen made the Opening Day roster for the Rangers as he prepares for his 18th season.

Rangers manager Skip Schumaker let reliever Carter Baumler know he had made the major league roster during a mound visit.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Grace Carbone explained why 2026 is of the utmost importance for David Peterson in her season preview.

Thomas Henderson previewed Bo Bichette’s 2026 campaign, which could see the Mets and Bichette turning a marriage of convenience into something special.

Chris McShane looked at how Sean Manaea may be able to bounce back during the 2026 season as he previewed what is hopefully a comeback season for the left-hander.

Linus Lawrence brought us Mets Madness: Elite Eight.

This Date in Mets History

You can trace the birth of Shea Stadium back to this date in 1961, when the New York State Senate approved $55 million in funding to build what would become the new home of the Mets in Queens, New York.

Once again, the Braves were dealt some bad news Monday. Spencer Strider will be out to the start the season with an oblique injury. While the Braves hope he misses just a few weeks, oblique injuries could take a month or more to come back from plus rehab time. Jose Suarez and Martin Perez could he options to internally fill Strider’s role. Didier Fuentes and JR Ritchie are other obvious candidates.

The unfortunate is now injuries have clearly impacted the start of the Braves season. “Weathering the Storm” successfully is certainly an option if the offense starts off strong. But the quality of the rotation has significantly decreased before the season has even begun.

Braves News

The Braves bested the Pirates, as Matt Olson hit home runs 5 and 6 on the Spring, showing that he is locked in to start the season. Fuentes also delivered another strong outing on the mound.

Mark Bowman looked closer at what Strider’s injury means for the Braves.

MLB News

The Cubs and Pete Crow Armstrong agreed to a long-term contract.

MLB.com looks at Spring Training stats that have some meaning, including some positive takes on Drake Baldwin.

JJ Weatherholt will make the Cardinals Opening Day roster.

Carson Benge will make the Mets Opening Day roster.

Seiya Suzuki will start the season on the IL for the Cubs.