Category: Baseball

Spring training always brings a mix of optimism, overreactions, and genuine roster dilemmas, especially when young players are pushing for jobs, and the front office has real decisions to make at the margins. So let’s turn it over to you. If you were setting the roster for Opening Day, who makes your 26 and why?

Lock in your lineup, rotation, bullpen, and bench, and defend your choices before reality inevitably ruins all of our carefully constructed plans.

Here’s who’s in camp:

*-denotes non-roster invitee

Catchers (10): Jorge Alfaro*, Canyon Brown*, Omar Hernandez*, Carter Jensen, Luke Maile*, Elih Marrero*, Blake Mitchell*, Salvador Pérez, Ramon Ramirez*, Luca Tresh*

Infielders (13): Brandon Drury*, Maikel Garcia, Jonathan India, Connor Kaiser*, Michael Massey, Kevin Newman*, Vinnie Pasquantino, Josh Rojas*, Tyler Tolbert, Abraham Toro*, Daniel Vazquez*, Peyton Wilson*, Bobby Witt Jr.

Outfielders (11): Dairon Blanco, Jac Caglianone, Gavin Cross*, Isaac Collins, Kyle Isbel, Nick Loftin, Kameron Misner, John Rave, Carson Roccaforte*, Lane Thomas, Drew Waters

Pitchers (33): Luinder Avila, Ryan Bergert, Mason Black, Kris Bubic, Noah Cameron, A.J. Causey*, Eric Cerantola, Dennis Colleran*, Steven Cruz, Jose Cuas*, Lucas Erceg, Carlos Estévez, Bailey Falter, Stephen Kolek, Ben Kudrna, Alex Lange, Seth Lugo, Daniel Lynch IV, Alec Marsh, Chazz Martinez*, James McArthur, Nick Mears, Frank Mozzicato*, Héctor Neris*, Helcris Olivárez*, Shane Panzini*, Hunter Patteson*, Cole Ragans, Aaron Sanchez*, John Schreiber, Matt Strahm, Michael Wacha, Steven Zobac

Marsh is likely to miss most of the year with a shoulder injury. Among the players out of options are Bailey Falter, Nick Mears, and Drew Waters.

Give me your 26 players that begin the season in Atlanta on March 27!

12. Gabriel Hughes (340 points, 18 ballots)

Hughes is now over two years removed from a Tommy John surgery that cut a promising first full professional season short for Colorado’s first pick in 2022 (10th overall with an under-slot $4 million bonus). The 24-year-old 6’4” right-hander was ranked more as a late-first rounder than a top-10 pick by national prospect watchers at the time, but the Rockies obviously liked the starter’s frame, feel for pitching and the three-pitch mix. The former two-way player has a fastball that sits in the low-mid 90s and a bulldog mentality that has been compared to Max Scherzer (you can see some of that in the video below).

Hughes pitched well in High-A in his first full professional season in 2023. He threw 37 2⁄3 innings across eight starts with a 5.50 ERA (3.48 xFIP), 1.20 WHIP, 12.9 K/9 rate, and 3.6 BB/9 rate. The xFIP and high K/9 rate indicate better stuff than the raw results delivered, and the Rockies agreed by promoting Hughes to Double-A Hartford in early June. Hughes was 3.4 years younger than league average, but he mostly held his own, even if the ERA didn’t bear that out. In 29 innings over six starts, Hughes had a 7.14 ERA but a 4.06 xFIP with a 1.55 WHIP, 9.0 K/9 rate, and 3.4 BB/9 rate for Hartford. It was a good first full professional season for Hughes, but unfortunately it ended due to the injury that necessitated Tommy John surgery in July.

Hughes rehabbed the injury throughout the 2024 season but was able to make Colorado’s Arizona Fall League roster. He started six games, throwing 17 ¹⁄₃ innings with a 8.31 ERA, 1.73 WHIP, 7.3 K/9 rate, and 5.2 BB/9 rate. The numbers weren’t impressive, but scouts at the AFL reported his stuff had largely returned post-surgery and he was working on developing his breaking balls.

In 2025, Hughes returned to Hartford, where he was still 1.7 years younger than average. In nine starts there, Hughes got good results in short bursts (he was limited to five innings per start), throwing 41 innings with a 3.07 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 7.7 K/9 rate, and 1.8 BB/9 rate — earning him a late May promotion to Triple-A Albuquerque.

In the tough Pacific Coast League, Hughes faced an uphill climb. In 14 starts there, Hughes (as expected) posted worse run prevention numbers across the board (5.11 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 7.0 K/9 rate, 4.2 BB/9 rate) in 61 2/3 innings. These starts were interrupted by a month-long IL stint between mid June and late July (and a brief rehab start in the ACL). After returning, Hughes ramped up his pitch count (the highest was 96) and pitched into the sixth inning in three straight starts.

Though Hughes didn’t blow upper minors hitting away in 2025 or go super deep into games, his blended 4.19 ERA in 105 1/3 innings in 24 starts was an encouraging sign in his first full season post-Tommy John. It was enough for the Rockies to add Hughes to the 40 man roster this offseason.

Here’s some video on Hughes from 2024 instructs and the AFL courtesy of FanGraphs:

In the report accompanying the above video, Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs grades Hughes as a 40 FV player (down from 45 preseason), 18th in the system with a 55 future grade on the changeup and a 50 future grade on command and slider:

Hughes attacks with a 93-94 mph fastball that often has a little bit of natural cut. His breaking stuff has plateaued; his 85-88 mph slider/cutter is average and lives off of his command, while his 79-82 mph curveball is well below average. Toss out Hughes’ surface-level AFL stats because he was clearly working on this curveball a ton during that stretch. His changeup, a tailing upper-80s offering, is getting better and might be his best pitch at peak. It often has enough tail to run off the front hip of lefty batters and back into the zone. Hughes’ prototypical size, athleticism, and arm action augur more changeup growth, as well as strikes and efficient innings. Hughes won’t be dominant, and I’m perhaps not appreciating how homer prone he’ll be sitting 93 in Colorado, but he should work efficiently and eat innings enough to be a team’s no. 4/5 starter during the regular season.

Keith Law of the Athletic recently listed Hughes 18th in the system:

Hughes’ stuff is down from pre-surgery, as he was sitting 90-92 in Triple A last year with fringe-average breaking stuff, bearing in mind that Albuquerque is about a mile high (with help from Walter White) and that may be contributing to Hughes’ problems. It was Hughes’ first year back post-surgery, so I want to believe the stuff will tick up with another year; as is, he’s a reliever, and probably would be better off in the majors than going back to pitch on the surface of a small Jovian moon again.

MLB Pipeline ranks Hughes 14th on the system list last year as a 45 FV player with a 55 slider grade to pair with 50 grades on the fastball, curveball, and control:

Hughes was able to use his 17 1/3 innings in the AFL to shake some of the rust off and the good news is that his stuff looked pretty much back to where it was pre-injury. His fastball averaged 93 mph and touched 96, thrown with good sink to frequently get ground-ball contact. His cutter-like slider was regularly in the mid 80s, a hard breaker that flashed plus in the past, and he has some feel to spin a slower 80-82 mph curve, though it’s behind the harder breaking ball. His upper-80s changeup is starting to improve as well.

Throw out Hughes’ surface numbers in the AFL given they came from his first post-surgery innings. He generally was around the zone previously, though his up-tempo delivery could get out of sync and cause timing issues, which in turn would lead to control problems. His ceiling might be somewhat limited, but once he really puts TJ behind him, he could be a big league back-end starter soon.

John Trupin of Baseball Prospectus ranked Hughes 15th last January:

At his healthiest, Hughes has looked like an efficient, mid-rotation workhorse, befitting his 10th overall selection in the 2022 draft. That’s meant low to mid-90s fastballs and a medley of off-speed that all plays up thanks to plus command. That all evaporated in mid-2023, as Hughes saw his velocity and stuff fall off, a sure sign of concerns that led ultimately to the surgeon’s table. Out recovering and rehabbing all of 2024, Hughes can hopefully return to the mound in full in 2025. He’ll have plenty of company in the rehabbing circuit, with several of the most promising arms in the system making their way back from TJ alongside him. His physicality and athleticism is encouraging in spite of the surgery, as the 6-foot-4 righty has the frame to flesh out a more durable existence.

Hughes is a starting pitcher prospect with pedigree and polish, though he probably won’t be a star, which is why I ranked him as a 40 FV player, 18th on my list. His 2025 Hartford performance and late-season run in Albuquerque was encouraging given how he’s working to fully trust his stuff post-surgery. As a 40-man roster spot holder, Hughes will be a candidate for the Rockies’ rotation this spring, though I expect him to be an up-and-down contributor to the team in 2026.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Good morning everyone and happy Mariners Pitchers and Catchers Report Day! We should get a healthy dose of news today for the M’s — hopefully all of it good news — as we learn what everyone has been up to over the winter.

Let’s check in on the rest of the league, where some camps have already gotten underway.

In Mariners news…

• The Mariners have agreed to minor league deals with outfielder Connor Joe and left-hander Jhonathan Díaz.

Around the league…

• The 42-year-old Justin Verlander is headed back to Detroit for the first time since 2017, signing a one-year, $13M deal with the Tigers.
• The Braves agreed to a one-year, $1.5M deal with former Rangers backstop Jonah Heim.
• The A’s inked righty starter Aaron Civale too a one-year, $6M contract. He is expected to slot in as their No.3 starter.
• The Rockies signed 36-year-old Japanese righty Tomoyuki Sugano to a one-year, $5.1M contract — a wild fit considering Sugano led the American League in homers surrendered in 2025.
• The Blue Jays got brutal news on the injury front to start spring training: slugger Anthony Santander will miss 5-6 months while he recovers from shoulder surgery; right-hander Shane Bieber will begin the season on the injured list; and righty Bowden Francis will miss the season to get Tommy John surgery.
• Tigers right-hander Reese Olson will miss the entire 2026 campaign after undergoing shoulder surgery.
• Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor may require surgery to repair a broken hamate bone. Even if he undergoes the procedure, he’s expected to be ready for Opening Day.
• Baseball Prospectus unveiled its 2026 PECOTA projections, which give the Mariners the second-most projected wins of any team in the sport.
• Jorge Castillo at ESPN told the behind-the-scenes story of how Team USA managed to woo both Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal.

The day has finally arrived. Washington Nationals pitchers and catchers are officially reporting to camp today. After a long winter, the baseball season is finally here. While the weather is still chilly in DC, the first sign of spring is here. The expectations for this team are not very high, but it is still exciting to see the Nats back in action.

This is one of the best days on the baseball calendar. I can’t help but feel so alive when I hear the crack of the bat or the pop of the catchers mitt. This Spring Training is going to be different for the Nats. It is the first camp without Davey Martinez and Mike Rizzo running the show for a long time. Instead, we have the youthful duo of Paul Toboni and Blake Butera.

Pitchers and catchers are the only ones who officially report today. However, there are plenty of early arrivals to Nats camp. The Nats social media pages put out plenty of content yesterday, and a lot of players were already in West Palm Beach. Brady House, Luis Garcia Jr., Dylan Crews and more were spotted in West Palm yesterday.

This does not surprise me one bit. The Nationals are a young roster and these players have a lot to prove. They are also going to want to impress their new bosses. Paul Toboni is not as directly tied to these players as Mike Rizzo was, which makes them more disposable. Toboni was not the person who drafted or signed most of these players. That means these players will want to make a strong first impression.

For guys like Garcia, House and Crews, 2026 will be a major year for their careers. All of them had disappointing 2025 seasons, at least at the MLB level. Garcia is looking to bounce back, while House and Crews are looking to establish themselves. The new bosses seem very open to competition, and these guys want to prove themselves.

Speaking of the new bosses, both Toboni and Butera did a press conference before setting sail for West Palm Beach. There was nothing overly newsworthy in it, but both men talked about what they wanted to see this spring, as well as their philosophies. I also got to ask a question to Butera, which was fun.

Speaking of those philosophies, they will be meaningfully different from the last regime. There is going to be more of a focus on analytics and using technology. For the first time, the Nats will have a Trajekt Arc machine at their Spring Training facility. I am sure that is not the only new piece of technology we see.

It will be  interesting to see what kind of changes these players make based on the new data. I would not be surprised if a bunch of Nationals pitchers add new pitches or tweak their arsenals. A potential big storyline this spring will be Nats pitchers throwing fewer fastballs.

The Red Sox have been leading the way on cutting fastball usage, and that is where Toboni comes from. A lot of Nats pitchers were throwing mediocre fastballs too much. That should change in 2026, and we will see the first signs of that this spring.

It is so exciting to see baseball back. The clips the Nats media team puts out of the boys in action will just warm my heart. Sure, the team may not be good, but a bad baseball team is better than no baseball team. There are also going to be plenty of great storylines to follow in the drama that is the baseball season. Buckle up, because the boys are back in town.

Good morning! MLB Network’s ongoing project to determine the 10 best players at each position continued yesterday, as they finally made it to the bullpen. And if you’re a Red Sox fan, this is what you want to see:

Two Sox relievers on the list, with Aroldis Chapman taking the top spot. Not too shabby.

It’s hard to argue with MLB Network. Chapman was a blizzard of dominance in 2025. Already one of the greatest closers of his generation, Chapman posted career bests in ERA+, walk rate, strikeout-to-walk ratio, and WHIP, while posting the second-best hits-per-nine-innings rate of his career. He was outstanding.

And yet… I’m not completely sold on him as we enter 2026. I was skeptical of him last year and he shoved it in my face, so feel free to ignore me. But the reason why I was skeptical in 2025 — he was an aging pitcher with poor control whose performance had been trending downward for years — still gives me cause for concern this season.

Chapman was a completely different pitcher in 2025 than he had been in the three prior years, seemingly fixing his life-long control issues over night. He says that there was a reason for this, and that it wasn’t just statistical noise:

That’s right: if Chapman is to be believed, the reason why he suddenly was able to control his fastball after 15 years in the big leagues was that… last year was the first time he tried to control his fastball?

I don’t know, I’m not really buying that.

Chapman will be 38-years-old this year and everything I know about baseball tells me that last season will prove to be a statistical fluke. Granted, Chapman could come back down to Earth this season and still be perfectly effective in the ninth inning this year. But I’m worried about the back-end of the bullpen. Are you?

Talk about the closer’s role and whatever else you want, and, as always, be good to one another.

San Diego Padres pitchers and catchers reported to Peoria, Ariz. to open Spring Training for the 2026 season. Manager Craig Stammen, bench coach Randy Knorr and hitting coach Steven Souza Jr. all took questions from the media and at least sounded like they were on the same page. Position players Xander Bogaerts , Jackson Merrill, Jake Cronenworth, Gavin Sheets and Ramon Laureano reported to camp early and took swings on the backfields. Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball looks at the potential philosophical differences between the 2025 team and the 2026 and how that could impact the results this season.

Padres News:

• Lincoln Zdunich of Gaslamp Ball predicts two minor league signings who could make an impact at the major league level. While many Padres fans are hoping a reunion between Triston McKenzie and Ruben Niebla could produce a capable backend starter, Zdunich makes the argument for Marco Gonzales to be the breakout arm. He also tabs Nick Solak as the player to watch of the position player group.
• New Padres hitting coach Souza Jr. told the media one of his goals is to have his hitters be more aggressive in the zone, adding that they will have to adjust their approach from game to game or park to park rather than using a one-size fits all philosophy.
• San Diego would like to add to its rotation and the rumor Tuesday was the Padres were showing interest in free agent starter Zac Gallen. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune says that type of signing is not likely unless the price for Gallen drops much lower. But Acee said he does expect the Padres to add an arm soon.
• Jason Adam is ahead of schedule regarding his recovery from surgery following a ruptured quadriceps tendon. He wants to pitch as soon as possible, but Stammen stated he and the team will take a cautious and methodical approach to getting Adam back on the field.
• Dennis Lin of The Athleticposes three questions for the Padres as Spring Training opens. The first is about the potential sale of the team, the second is whether general manager A.J. Preller will receive a contract extension and the third is whether the Preller and the Padres can add to their roster with bargain bin finds.

Baseball News:

• Justin Verlander returns to Detroit after he agreed to a 1-year, $13 million with the Tigers.
• Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Anthony Santander is in danger of missing the 2026 season after undergoing shoulder surgery. Francisco Lindor could also miss time after being evaluated for a hamate bone injury.
• The New York Mets acquired Bryan Hudson from the Chicago White Sox.

Spring training is coming up on every baseball fan’s docket. Teams travel to warmer weather to begin their work and preparation for the coming season, and players on the bubble hope to earn their spot on the Major League roster.

To that end, the Twins on Monday announced 22 players who have received an invite to major league camp:

Some notes from this group:

The non-roster invitees include three recent Twins first-round picks: Aaron Sabato, Walker Jenkins, and Kaelen Culpepper. Sabato made his AAA-St. Paul debut last season, hitting 14 home runs with a .741 OPS after putting up a .973 OPS (with nine homers) in AA-Wichita. Jenkins also reached St. Paul last season after spending most of the season in Wichita (.912 OPS), playing in 23 games as a Saint (.719 OPS) in his age-20 season. Culpepper, like Jenkins, has been accelerating through the minors, reaching Wichita in his second minor league season and putting up an .824 OPS over 59 games.

The group also includes several older veterans, none more familiar to Twins fans than Gio Urshela. Urshela was the Twins’ primary third baseman in 2022, playing in 144 games and putting up a 2.9-WAR season before joining the Angels the following year. Across the last three seasons, though, Urshela has been a subpar player, with a .654 OPS and 0.4 total WAR in just 249 games played.

Twins fans may also recognize veteran middle infielder Orlando Arcia via familiarity with his brother Oswaldo, who spent the first three-plus seasons of his career as a Twin, bounced around the league in 2016 (playing for four teams), and was out of the majors following that year. And there is one more player here who has previously appeared in a game for the Twins: reliever Matt Bowman, who made five appearances out of the Minnesota bullpen in 2024.

The last player I want to draw attention to here is Matt Canterino, whose pitching track has been repeatedly derailed by injuries. Canterino last threw a pitch in a non-spring training game in 2022 and will reportedly be unable to pitch yet again this spring, but he remains with the organization.

Of course, I haven’t talked about everyone here, which means it’s going to be one of the players I haven’t mentioned who comes out of nowhere to earn a roster spot. And that’s the best part of spring training.

We’re this close to baseball.

Texas Rangers rumors: Jordan Montgomery is returning to Arlington on a one year deal for $1.25 million plus incentive bonuses, per Evan Grant. Montgomery, who is returning from Tommy John surgery, would presumably immediately go on the 60 day injured list.

Montgomery, of course, was one of the heroes of the 2023 World Series team. Acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline, along with Chris Stratton, in exchange for Tekoah Roby, Thomas Saggese and John King, Montgomery put up a 2.79 ERA in 11 starts post-trade and a 2.90 ERA in 6 post-season appearances, including pitching in relief in the Rangers’ Game 7 ALCS clincher.

Montgomery hit the free agent market after 2023 expecting to cash in, but ended up finding the market for his services much softer than expected. He ended up signing a one year, $25 million deal with the D-Backs with a $20 million player option right before Opening Day, and fired his agent, Scott Boras, two weeks later. Montgomery put up a 6.23 ERA in 21 starts and four relief appearances in 2024, then missed all of 2025 due to Tommy John surgery, which he underwent at the end of March, 2025.

In the comments recently, I dismissed a suggestion that the Rangers could/should bring back Montgomery, noting that he would probably not be ready to return to the majors until close to the All Star Break, and that his timeline being about a month behind Cody Bradford made him not that attractive an option. I have now been proven wrong, as we are reminded that Chris Young never believes you can have enough starting pitching, and at just $1.25 million guaranteed, the price is obviously right.

One of the things we have talked about is how much turnover there has been from the 2023 team, and how many contributors to that club aren’t here anymore. Bringing back Montgomery, who is up there with Cliff Lee as one of the best trade deadline additions the Rangers have ever made, goes in the other direction, and there’s definitely a quality vibes element to this move, however it may work out. Now maybe they will bring back Mitch Garver to platoon at DH with Joc Pederson.

On Tuesday, Baseball Prospectus revealed their PECOTA projections for the 2026 season. The White Sox, like most teams, have had a long-standing beef with the system, having long in the past chronically underestimating performance.

As a mathematical projection system, PECOTA is not without biases. But it’s math, man. So, as funny as this division looks, well, this is how a “normal” 2026 sizes up to play out:

To give this projection some perspective, the second-half White Sox played 28-37 baseball in 2025. That .431 winning percentage works out to a 70-92 record. (In fact, .431 is 69.8 wins.) So PECOTA sees whatever additions and subtractions made this offseason, plus growth or regression of prospects, all as a wash.

Tomorrow, we’ll ask you for your thoughts on the entire AL Central. For today, take on the White Sox fortunes for 2026.

Do you agree? Will the White Sox prove PECOTA wrong?

They say you can never have too much pitching. The Orioles were reminded of that simple phrase during an injury-filled 2025 season. Mike Elias knows this. He knew it last year too, and he knew it all the way back in December 2023 when he signed a 34-year-old swingman that hadn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2017.

Elias never could have anticipated the impact Albert Suárez would make the following season, but he clearly saw something he liked during Suárez’s time in Japan and Korea. Baltimore inked Suárez to a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training. The Birds called on the righty for a spot start in mid-April, and the veteran went on to post a 3.70 ERA over 133.2 major-league innings.

The Birds kept Suárez around in 2025, but injuries prevented any real opportunity for a sequel. He made the Opening Day roster but suffered a right subscapularis strain after his first appearance. Big Al returned from the injured list in the middle of September, but the O’s shut him down after he reported elbow discomfort. He posted a 2.31 ERA and 0.943 WHIP over five appearances (one start) last year.

The Birds non-tendered Suárez at the end of 2025, but they brought him back on another minor-league deal. Suárez will once again head to Sarasota looking to prove that he still has what it takes to get big league hitters out on a routine basis.

Suárez remains a low-risk, high-reward option for the Orioles, but the stakes have changed. The 36-year-old will continue doing everything he can to earn a roster spot, but the Birds may need him now more than ever. Suárez provided incredible value (2.7 bWAR) as a surprise contributor over 145 innings in a Baltimore uniform, but the Birds need him to do it again.

Baltimore’s bullpen will begin the season as the club’s least proven unit. Ryan Helsley and Andrew Kittredge will anchor the back end, but just about every other reliever will bring some form of uncertainty into 2026. Keegan Akin and Yennier Cano have been inconsistent, while guys like Rico Garcia and Yaramil Hiraldo will begin the year without any real type of track record.

Dietrich Enns followed the Suárez template with a 3.14 ERA over 16 relief appearances and one start last year. The 34-year-old will return as a multi-inning option for the Orioles, but he could face a roster crunch if both Suárez and Tyler Wells find their way to the bullpen. Enns is healthy and two years younger, but Suárez holds more credibility right now. What was that phrase about never having too much pitching?

Baltimore dealt from an already thin unit when they traded Kade Strowd and prospects for Blaze Alexander. It remains to be seen whether guys like Cade Povich and Brandon Young will join the bullpen or Norfolk’s rotation. Colin Selby and Grant Wolfram could be good, but the team will have to find out the hard way. Chayce McDermott may finally discover something, and Anthony Nunez figures to get a look at some point.

Still, I can’t help but come back to what Suárez delivered in 2024 and wonder if he has another year in the tank. The six-foot-three righty pitched to contact with a mid-90s fastball. Batters rarely put the ball on the ground (just a 35.5 GB%), but they only barreled the ball 7.1 percent of the time. Sure, there could have been some luck involved, but Suárez appeared to have what it takes to keep hitters off balance.

Injuries forced Suárez into the rotation for a majority of 2024. The Orioles appear to have more depth in that department right now, but it’s a comfort knowing that a healthy Suárez could give the team five or six strong innings at some point during the season. A set relief role could provide Suárez a better chance to stay healthy, but his workload will be worth monitoring as spring training progresses.

It’s never wise to put all your eggs in the basket of a 36-year-old coming off an injury. You can call him a dark horse, an x-factor, or anything in between—either way, Suárez has a chance to provide real value to an unproven bullpen, and the Orioles would greatly benefit from one-more year of the veteran exceeding expectations.

The day is here. Pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater today. The offseason is over: rejoice!

Of course, there’s still a bit of time before the actual spring training games begin. But for the devoted (or, perhaps, obsessive) baseball fan, there’s still things to watch. Videos of pitcher workouts will hit social media. Interviews will happen. Pitchers will try new offerings. Rust will be shaken off. Etcetera.

This is all small, quiet stuff, but it’s baseball. And there are fans who will gladly take any baseball they can get. There are also fans, of course, who find this all tedious and won’t start watching until the games begin.

So, today’s question is: Will you be following the pitchers and catchers (to the extent that one can)?

There could be little else to start today’s news roundup with than general enthusiasm over the return of former Tigers’ ace Justin Verlander. Verlander, who accompanied the Tigers on both their last visits to the World Series, is winding down his Hall of Fame career, and seems to want to bring it back to where it all began in Detroit. We’ve covered his one-year deal in more detail on the site already, but a news recap wouldn’t be complete without some general chatter about the signing. We’d love to know how you feel about the deal. While Verlander is not as young and no longer has the same stats he did when he was traded to Houston all those years ago, he has certainly proven over the last several seasons that there is still gas in the tank. And with Jackson Jobe and Reese Olson both hitting the 60-day IL yesterday, this is a team that could certainly use pitching. On that note, yesterday the Tigers made things official with Framber Valdez as well.

There’s more tidbits in today’s news, including the unexpected passing of a former Royal, and some legal woes for a former Dodgers outfielder. So let’s just jump right into it.

Detroit Tigers News

• Welcome back to the D, JV!

• If you want to feel a little misty-eyed about it.

• Jason Beck looks at the one-year deal signed by Verlander.
• Some injury updates

• A look at the new streaming home for the Tigers in 2026.

AL Central News

• Terrance Gore, a World Series winner with the Royals, has passed away at age 34.

MLB News

• Paul Goldschmidt will make his home with the Yankees this season.
• The Pirates have signed Marcell Ozuna.
• It took a six-player deal to send Caleb Durbin to the Red Sox.
• Exactly how much free food can a player consume under the CBA?
• The Rangers are turning an iconic Nolan Ryan moment into a bloody unique giveaway item.
• Who is the top player in every position heading into the 2026 season?
• Francisco Lindor may need to undergo surgery for a potential hamate bone issue.
• Anthony Santander will miss much of the 2026 season after undergoing left shoulder surgery.
• How Cody Bellinger lockout-proofed his new contract.
• Ex-MLB outfielder Yasiel Puig has been found guilty on two federal charges related to gambling.
• 10 MLB players with surprising international connections heading into the WBC.
• How the last Team USA in the WBC managed to put together one of the most unstoppable pitching rotations in current baseball.
• The Pirates will never totally shut the door on finding ways to work with Andrew McCutchen.
• The annual state of baseball fan survey from The Athletic has been released. ($)
• After Verlander, Scherzer, and Kershaw… when will we see the next Hall of Fame starting pitcher? ($)
• So wait, how am I supposed to watch baseball again?

• Here’s a helpful guide for how to watch games on MLB TV this season.

• Oof.

As Orioles relief pitchers report to spring training this week, it’s largely the same crew that finished the 2025 season. And that’s a surprise.

The expectation was that the O’s would be aggressive in reshaping their bullpen after trading away four veteran relievers last year and losing closer Félix Bautista to injury. Instead, the O’s have made only two relief additions. On Nov. 4, they reacquired Andrew Kittredge, one of the relievers they’d dealt at the deadline. And on Dec. 1, they signed Ryan Helsley as their new closer. Since then, it’s been crickets. The O’s even traded away a reliever, Kade Strowd, in the Blaze Alexander deal.

With Helsley and Kittredge slotted into the closer and setup roles, respectively, the O’s otherwise are rolling with a group of largely untested arms to fill out the rest of the bullpen. Keegan Akin and Dietrich Enns are the top lefties, perhaps with Grant Wolfram in the mix. Candidates from the right side are Rico Garcia, Yennier Cano, Yaramil Hiraldo, Colin Selby, and Tyler Wells, if he’s not needed in the rotation. Albert Suárez is back on a minor league deal. Prospects Cameron Foster and Anthony Nunez were added to the 40-man roster and could get a look.

If the O’s don’t have another bullpen acquisition in the cards before the season starts, which of these relievers — if any — are you feeling the most confident about? Did Kittredge impress you in his three-month stint as an Oriole last year? Do you trust in the two-time All-Star Helsley’s strong Cardinals career, or did his brutal post-deadline performance with the Mets last year turn you off? Do any of the lesser-known names strike you as breakout candidates?

Let us know what you think, Camden Chatters.

Meet the Mets

Christian Scott trained at the same facility as Max Scherzer this offseason, and Scherzer is still as intense as ever.

Juan Soto will be making the move to left field this season.

Francisco Lindor has a hamate bone injury, one which could require surgery with a six-week recovery period, which brushes up against the start of the regular season.

Hayden Senger resigned from his winter job at Whole Foods this past offseason, opting to play winter ball instead.

The Mets acquired left-handed reliever Bryan Hudson from the White Sox for cash considerations, and they in turn moved Reed Garrett to the 60-day injured list.

The timeline for A.J. Minter’s return is early May.

MLB’s prospect writers placed odds on which top 20 prospects will (and won’t) make Opening Day rosters.

Around the National League East

The Braves signed catcher Johan Heim to a major league deal worth $1.25 million, and he’ll likely be the backup catcher with Sean Murphy starting the season on the injured list.

Meanwhile, they put Spencer Schwellenbach on the 60-day injured list with bone spurs in his right elbow.

The Braves made a trade with the Rays, acquiring infielder Brett Wisely (who they traded to the Rays last month). They subsequently placed pitcher Joe Jiménez on the 60-day injured list.

Around Major League Baseball

Jayson Stark wrote about how, very soon, the idea of who qualifies as a Hall of Fame-caliber pitcher will change drastically.

The Athletics have signed pitcher Aaron Civale.

Justin Verlander has signed a one-year contract with the Tigers, returning to where his career began.

MLB put out a primer on how to watch MLB.tv games this season.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa gave his side of the story in one of the most infamous plays in last year’s World Series.

Kyle Wright, the last major league pitcher to win 20 games in a season, signed a minor league contract with the Cubs, with an invitation to spring training.

Former Met José Quintana signed a one year contract with the Rockies, his 15th season.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Yours truly took a look at Craig Kimbrel’s potential as a bullpen option for the Mets this season.

The Amazin’ Avenue prospect staff writers gave their thoughts on the site’s top ten prospect rankings.

This Date in Mets History

Ray Knight, coming off his World Series MVP win, signed with the Baltimore Orioles on this day in 1987.

Just by the nature of doing a daily birthday post, we’re going to run into some days where there’s not a truly notable Yankee from history to profile. There are also going to be some days we run into where there’s more than one beloved player. However, today is definitely the former and not the latter.

There have only been three Yankees players who have ever had a February 11th birthday, and you’d be forgiven for not remembering any of them. Maybe you can recall the recently-released Jayvien Sandridge, just because he made a cameo for last year’s team.

However, one of today’s birthday boys is engrained into my mind. Unfortunately for him, it’s not for a reason you would want to be remember for.

César Augusto Cabral
Born: February 11, 1989 (Sabana Grande de Palenque, Dominican Republic)
Yankees Tenure: 2013-14

Cabral’s road to the major leagues was a strange journey. He originally signed with the Red Sox as an international free agent in 2005. While he had some OK years in the meantime, by 2010, he had only advanced to High-A ball. Left off the Red Sox 40-man roster, he was then selected by the Rays in that offseason’s Rule 5 Draft.

In the ensuing spring training, the Rays and Blue Jays played a bit of hot potato with him before the Rays had to return him to the Red Sox after Cabral failed to make Tampa Bay’s roster. Following another season back in Boston’s system, he was again picked in the Rule 5 Draft, this time by the Royals. Once again though, he wasn’t destined to play there, as later that same day, the Yankees purchased him from Kansas City.

In spring training 2012, Cabral pitched well enough that the Yankees were considering rostering him full time, negating him returning to Boston. However, he suffered a stress fracture in the dying days off spring, leading to him missing the entire 2012 season. The injury also mean the Yankees could put him on the 60-day injured list and avoid sending him back.

With the possibility of losing him wiped out, the Yankees sent Cabral to the minors to begin 2013, where he produced some iffy results. But when the rosters expanded in September, the Yankees decided to call up the pitcher. In addition to him having the raw “stuff” that impressed them in 2012, he was also a lefty who could allow them to further play matchups in the days before the three batter rule. He ended up appearing in 3.2 innings across eight games for the 2013 Yankees, striking out six batters.

In 2014, Cabral started the season in the minors, but came up that April following an injury to David Robertson. He was again used as a LOOGY, combining for one total inning across his first three games. His fourth appearance came on April 18th, and became the reason why I—and other sickos—continue to remember him.

Playing the Rays on April 18th, the Yankees brought in Cabral in the bottom of the eighth. Adam Warren had just allowed a two-run homer to increase the Yankees’ deficit to 8-5, and they were likely just looking for someone to get a quick final out of the inning before trying to rally in the ninth.

Cabral started his day by giving up a single to Ben Zobrist, and then uncorking a wild pitch in a sign of things to come. Following a Brandon Guyer RBI single, Cabral hit Evan Longoria with a pitch. He then also hit James Loney, having already fallen behind 3-0 in the count. Wil Myers followed that with a single, but in the first pitch of the at-bat after that, Cabral hit a third batter, plunking Logan Forsythe. At that point, home-plate umpire Joe West ejected Cabral, despite the protestations of manager Joe Girardi. Cabral almost certainly didn’t hit any of the batters on purpose, but at that point, the ejection was almost for the safety of batters as much as anything else.

Immediately after that game, the Yankees DFA’d Cabral, but eventually cleared waivers and returned to the Yankees’ minors. Following the season, Cabral elected for free agency and signed with the Orioles. He appeared in two games for them in 2015 and after that spent the next couple years playing in the minors and Independent ball. His last recorded stats are in the 2023-24 season in the Dominican Winter League.

Every season for every team usually features relievers who only appear in a handful of innings. Usually, those stint are uneventful and not particularly remembered. That’s probably the case for Cabral for most people out there. However, some of us are weird, and Cabral plunking three batters and getting ejected for the wellbeing of the opposition is something to remember.

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.