Category: Baseball

As one of the 5,000 Rockies fans to hear from the new front office and coaching staff and lean into the new-look Rockies organization at Rockies Fest on Jan. 24, I was struck by three things:

1. A genuine feeling of optimism
2. Consistent messaging
3. The emergence of three new core values that feel like the new direction is real

First, a genuine feeling of optimism.

Coming off 119 losses, it almost seems impossible, but I was inspired by the new Rockies leaders. Everyone I heard from who came to Colorado from other organizations mentioned being excited about the challenge of finding a way to win in Colorado’s unique environment. They were also all focused on winning, which wasn’t always communicated so clearly from the previous front office.

“I was having a good time in the NFL and everything else, but the chance to be here in Denver, to be around this fan base that has supported this team — I mean, even during the last couple years — looked pretty amazing,” said president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta. “And then to be able to, hopefully, do what we want to do, which is build not just a good team out in the field, but a championship organization, that’ll be a championship contender, year in, year out, and do that here, I think it’d be incredibly special.”

Second, the consistency from the top down on the new vision for baseball in Colorado.

From DePodesta and GM Josh Byrnes and his assistants to the research and development department and players and coaches, everyone talked about winning and the excitement to explore new ideas on how to do it for pitchers and position players from Single-A to MLB.

Third, three core principles of that winning vision came up over and over again in various sessions: learning from failure, embracing curiosity and sticking with the process.

While all three values are closely linked, since there was so much discussion of the trio, I’ll focus on failure this week, and curiosity and sticking with the process next week.

I first heard failure come up when former Rockie turned announcer Ryan Spilborghs was moderating a panel with some of the new pitching coaches and members of the R&D department. Considering the Rockies have struggled to develop players in the past, despite calling themselves a draft-and-develop team, there was a consistent theme around helping players learn to learn from and bounce back from setbacks.

“We also like it when players fail. We, like, in general, we want, you want a pitcher to stink for a month and figure it out after that. You don’t want it always to be, like, you’re dominating, dominating, dominating ’cause you’re gonna get your teeth kicked when you get here [MLB],” Spilborghs said to kick off the discussion on failure. “So you have to have that background of, ‘Okay, when I fail, this is what I did to get out of it.’ … Failure is a huge, huge advocate for learning and to get better.”

New pitching coach Alon Leichman, who worked on pitching coach staffs for the Marlins, Reds and Mariners before coming to Colorado, also mentioned how beneficial it is to have Minor League teams in Double-A Hartford, which has an altitude of 30 feet, and Triple-A Albuquerque, which sits at 5,312 feet. His biggest reason why the change is helpful is more exposure to failure.

“It can be really helpful because it lets them have an opportunity to fail. You know, they go from Connecticut to now altitude, and it’s kind of like a test run for them of what it’s gonna be like over here,” Leichman said. “So, it’s a super important level setting. We’re hoping that they come, learn from their failures. Once they come here, it’s not the first time they are experiencing it.”

Understanding the new focus on growing from failure, especially since it’s such a part of the game of baseball, made it easy to understand why the new front office and coaching staff wanted to sign pitcher Michael Lorenzen. The RHP is an 11-year veteran with a 4.08 career ERA who has pitched for the Reds, Angels, Tigers, Phillies, Rangers and Royals. He represents the rare free agent pitcher who willingly signs a deal to pitch in Colorado.

Lorenzen credits his routine to his longevity, in addition to his love for problem-solving and ability to make and monitor adjustments. Considering the Rockies have recorded the worst team ERA in MLB every season since 2022, there is a big problem to be solved.

“One thing I do love is problem-solving and growing as a pitcher, and I have grown as a pitcher by failing,” Lorenzen said in a panel with other members of the Rockies pitching staff. “So I feel like that’s why I’ve been able to stick around for as long as I have, and Colorado just seems untapped in that area. So we’re gonna fail a little bit, but we have a good coaching staff that has been brought in and a new front office that has been brought in to hopefully make that learning curve a lot shorter than normal.”

Gabe Ribas, the new assistant pitching coach, was on the same page. Ribas has dealt with his fair share of helping develop prospects and coach MLB pitchers as he spent the last five years as the director of pitching for the Detroit Tigers and four years as a pitching coordinator with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“A wise person once said to me, ‘You do not want them experiencing failure for the first time at the Major League level.’ That is a recipe for disaster,” Ribas said. “… So nobody should panic when they get their teeth kicked in in Fresno or Albuquerque or Harford or wherever. That’s all part of the learning curve.”

Ribas then looked out to the audience and talked about the lessons that failure can teach us all outside of the game of baseball.

“You know, I would do a poll in this room. How many people have walked away from something successful going, ‘Man, I learned so much.’ Right?” Ribas said. “It’s when you get beat up. It’s how you respond. That sparks learning and curiosity. And anything that’s worth having is hard. And they’re gonna experience that.”

Over the last few seasons, the Rockies have experienced more failure than success. Since 2021, their 504 losses are the most in MLB. Now, it’s time to learn from that failure, keep learning from that failure, fail and bounce back and do it all over again.

It takes resiliency and curiosity to make that process work, which we’ll dive into next week.

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Will Rockies lose 90 games or fewer in 2026? | Mailbag | Denver Post ($)

Patrick Saunders admits to being optimistic, but doesn’t believe the Rockies will improve as much as the headline hopes. He also shares his thoughts on Kris Bryant’s status, if he thinks Germán Márquez will return, who will lead the team in saves and more.

2026 MLB farm system rankings: Prospect insights, analysis | ESPN.com

The good news? The Rockies aren’t in last place.

The bad news? They are ranked No. 28, ahead of only Houston and San Diego.

Surveillance, captive-audience and wholesale pricing are in Colorado Democrats’ cost-of-living crosshairs | Colorado Sun/CPR News

New legislation in Colorado could include an element that could help make life at Coors Field a little more affordable for Rockies fans. The “captive-audience pricing” element of House Bill 1012 would lower food prices at places like stadiums, where food is usually outrageously expensive.

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The Yankees offseason hasn’t been as bad as the average fan believes: it has been worse. All kidding aside, things haven’t been explosive on the player acquisition front, but the Bombers have done plenty of work. They brought back Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, Amed Rosario, Tim Hill, Ryan Yarbrough, and Paul Blackburn while also trading for Ryan Weathers and taking a few chances in the form of minor league deals.

After adding Weathers, their rotation depth for the first few weeks of the 2026 campaign looks as follows: Max Fried, Luis Gil, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, Weathers, and Yarbrough.

That group has, in that order, an established ace, a ‘broken’ former Rookie of the Year, an exciting second-year young star, and three serviceable mid-to-backend options with upside, some with more upside than others. Keep in mind, things will improve dramatically when Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon rejoin the staff at some point in the first couple of months of the 2026 campaign, but until that happens, there are real depth concerns with the aforementioned group.

Given the inexperience of some of those pitchers (Schlittler, Warren) plus the injury-related concerns of others (Gil, Weathers), it’s clear that the Yankees could stand to add at least one more capable starter before the start of the season.

We are not talking about another ace (although that would be nice!). But Spring Training always brings injuries with it, and the Yanks are a couple of strains away from having to rush Elmer Rodríguez to the majors or use a mediocre Triple-A option for spot starts. Counting on Cole and Rodon to be aces immediately upon returning would also not be fair.

That’s where a pitcher like José Quintana comes in. The veteran left-hander is not a sexy name, but the Yanks don’t necessarily need one. They need reliability and pitching know-how, and Quintana offers both.

In 2025, Quintana was limited to 131.2 innings due to a left shoulder impingement and a calf strain, yet he was able to offer reliable production while on the mound. His 3.96 ERA was more than serviceable, and even though his 4.81 FIP told another story, the lefty was able to keep the Brewers in more games than they probably expected.

Quintana is 37 and, as a result, is not expected to command a hefty salary or a multi-year deal, which certainly appeals to a team like the Yankees. And his run-prevention skills are not exclusive to last season: his career ERA is a fine 3.76, and his mark over the last four campaigns is an even better 3.53 in 543.1 frames.

In fact, here are his ERA finishes since 2022:

2022: 2.93

2023: 3.57

2024: 3.75

2025: 3.96

That’s consistency right there. That’s a pitcher who repeatedly hits his spots when he is locked in and is not afraid to pitch when the lights shine the brightest.

Quintana is far from dominant, though. He pitches to contact, ranking in the seventh percentile in both whiff rate and strikeout rate last year. In fact, his Statcast profile is more blue than red:

Still, 543.1 innings is definitely proof that, when he’s healthy, the crafty lefty has gotten outs consistently in recent seasons, even if his underlying stuff is far from over-powering.

He relies heavily on his sinker, which he throws 44 percent of the time, and also on a mix of changeups, curveballs, four-seamers, and slurves as his secondary pitches. As long as Quintana’s sinker averages between 90 and 91 mph, he will probably be able to offer solid backend production for a contender, and so far, there haven’t been any signs of a relevant velocity drop. He has been around that range for the last three years.

Maybe the Yankees don’t want to spend anymore and are happy with their current group. Perhaps they bring in another arm via trade. But Quintana gives them a rather inexpensive option if they want to go that route, and while it wouldn’t be wise to expect a 3.50 ERA with a strikeout per inning, somewhere around a 3.80 ERA and a 4.20 mark with plenty of weak contact would be enough to meet expectations and provide cover while the Yankees wait for their injured starters to come around.

As my mind’s eye turns to Spring Training, hope stirs. What once seemed so far away is now just around the corner, even though it hasn’t moved one iota (for those keeping score at home, iota is the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet and is proxy for really, really small amount). My mind wanders to considering the possibilities for young Tink Hence, one of my personal favorites.  He reminds me a bit of Carlos Martinez, another personal favorite from years past, both in stature and in stuff. 

In the abbreviated 2020 draft, the Cardinals drafted a 2-way player out of a Pine Bluff, Arkansas HS by the name of Markevian “Tink” Hence with their Comp-B pick (end of 2^nd round).  Arkansas.  I wonder if he grew up a Cardinal fan?  Perhaps listening via KDPX – Pine Bluff? He was converted to full-time pitcher and quickly received a lot of prospect accolades normally reserved for 1^st rounder.  Since, he has been listed in various Top-100 publications anywhere between 47^th and 84^th.  Not too shabby.

This off-season, he has fallen out of the Top-100.  This isn’t a lack of stuff, it is more about his availability, as he has only accumulated 257 IP over 5 minor league seasons, averaging just over 50 IP per year.  One can look at this stat alone and wonder if he has a starter’s trait. 

Coming into the 2026 season, people are left to ponder several unknowns.

Is he a potential star?

Baseball American (BA) now ranks him with a 55 scouting grade (above average), so his star potential is seen as diminished, but not absent.  They rate him as high risk, which adjusts his scouting grade down to 40. Yuk.   Individually, his FB and SL are grade 50, command is graded 50 and his change is graded at 60 (excellent!).  Fangraphs is a little more bullish on his slider and change, giving the Change an FV of 70!    

BA ranks him 15^th in the Cardinal organization.  No longer a prospect darling, he is in that typical saddle of prospect fatigue that so often occurs when initial hype is excessive and success isn’t immediate.  

Beyond the scouting grades, it is hard to evaluate his stuff anymore.  His Statcast data dates back to 2022 (ancient history!), and I’m not sure he is that pitcher anymore.  Suffice to say, he would have had lots of red on his Statcast/Savant page.  Good K-rate, north of 25%, decent walk-rate, good at suppressing hard contact (80^th to 90^th percentile).  Since, he has pitched at High-A and AA, which do not support Statcast data collection.   We will get a new look at the pitcher he has become when he hits Memphis. 

Is he a starter or a reliever?

The IP totals in his minor league career suggest durability is lacking.  He has yet to cross 100 IP in a season and has not regularly exceeded 5 IP in his starts.  In the modern game, these aren’t significant concerns for young starters, but the time spent on the IL is. 

His pitch mix and command says starter.  His durability says reliever.   His career arc begins to lean that way (see next paragraph).  High leverage reliever is a sought after commodity in MLB, no?

Reports are the Cardinals are having that starter/reliever conversation internally.  Their focus seems to be to get him to the place where he can start and finish a season healthy, and work from there.  This seems sound.  

Is he running out of time? 

He is only 23 years old and projects to start this season at AAA, where he will be young for the league.  In that sense, it is way too early to give up on such a dynamic arm. 

That said, one of the challenges of drafting high school pitchers is the requirement that they be added to the 40-man roster after their 4^th professional season.  Hence was added last year.  This means they had to burn one of his 3 minor league option-years last year, in what turned out to be a lost year.  He has 2 such option-years left, and a second will undoubtedly get used when he is assigned to AAA around the middle of 2026 Spring Training.  That will leave 1 remaining option, ostensibly to be used in the 2027 season (if needed. One can hope!).

Even if he were to join the major league team in either 2026 or 2027, given his relatively low innings build up, it is easy to imagine that he would not be on the MLB roster for an entire season.  They will need to manage his innings and that is difficult to do at the major league level.  Those options will be needed, and that safety blanket will come off in 2028, when he will be out of options.  He will be merely 25 years old then and potentially the poster-boy for why teams shouldn’t draft HS pitchers. 

Even the most optimistic innings projections would be unlikely to project him as built up much over 100 IP by 2028.  So, in the race to build up his arm before he runs out of options, he appears to be running out of time.

Also, related to the time scale, is the fact that he is occupying a 40-man roster spot.  It’s one thing to give a 40-man spot to a prospect, but quite another to not have that spot producing at either level.  At some point, the Cardinals are going to face needing a roster spot for a different prospect and will have to choose between a high-upside/low availability option like Hence, or another prospect.  That decision will be a bit tougher this next off-season, when the 40-man is refined yet again, especially if there has been any slippage in his stuff as the injuries have accumulated.

What kind of innings build up can a pitcher like this accept?

The Cardinals have a pretty complicated database that captures baseline (chronic, steady-state) workloads for pitchers and also acute (recent) workloads.  They use this database to manage innings (and pitches) and protect pitcher health.  Tink’s prior workloads likely present a unique challenge in this regard, as his pattern is a bit unusual, particularly for a starter.  They are likely wondering …

What exactly is his baseline heading into 2026? 

The average of 50 IP?  That 21 IP from last year is artificially low, because he threw bullpens with some frequency, even though he didn’t get in games.  They count this and factor it in, although it is lower stress, so not that low.  

How about the 79 IP from the 2024 season?  The 96 IP from 2023?  Since they count more than innings, they really can’t put a single IP number on a target to shoot at.  Pitch stress, max effort throws, high pitch count innings and things like that factor into workload calcs.  But I’d bet they are looking at 80-100 IP as the high side of a target range this year.   I’d also bet they start him but use him as more an opener (2 or 3 IP) to begin the season and work from there.  While lower inning counts might be to his benefit, irregular usage is likely not his friend and he still needs to build experience, in addition to stamina. 

Given health, 20-25 appearances might be a nice target, with 20 starts averaging 4 IP each (lower at the start of the season, higher toward the end), with a handful of MLB opener/bulk inning appearances to nudge that number up.  Basically, once per week.  They might set up framework like that.  Within his MiLB starts, they would likely shorten them if stress pitches go up or if he has excessively long innings or if his velo drifts, as it can do.  They do this with a lot of young pitchers anyway, but probably a bit moreso with him.   

What does his future look like?

One could say 2026 is a big season for him, but really, any season is big for every prospect. 

Because of his relative lack of experience, he is very likely to start the 2026 in the minors, most likely at AAA, which is where he was targeted last year before injuries derailed that trip. 

Because of his 40-man spot and diminishing options, he is equally likely to see some time at the major league level.  Because of the difficult innings management challenge they will face with him this season, it would seem more likely that they might spot him into starter/opener situations that they can control the timing and duration such appearances (such as 27^th man for double headers, or a planned extra rest day for the rest of the rotation.  They could slot him in as an opener or a bulk innings guy and return him to Memphis immediately after using him, where they can manage his innings.  They could pretty much do this once a month throughout the season, without exceeding the limit of 5 minor league assignments in a single season.  More practically, I wouldn’t expect to see any of these appearances before June.  He will be one of nine (or so) pitchers at Memphis on the 40-man roster, and he wouldn’t seem to be first in line for promotion.    

Beyond that, health, durability and performance will dictate, as it does with all pitchers.  If he maintains health and given how starters are used in the modern game, it doesn’t appear that they need to make a permanent starter vs. reliever decision, but his path to the MLB will almost certainly start in the bullpen.

I will seek him out in Spring Camp at the end of February.  I hope to see him pitch, at least in live BP if not in a game.  

I used to be a “small Hall” guy—generally believing that the hallowed halls of Cooperstown should be reserved for “the best of the best of the best—sir!” Then I saw this in 2023…

Truth be told, I wouldn’t have checked the box next to Scott Rolen’s name on the HOF ballet. But seeing his emotional reaction to telling his parents he made it in softened my stance. While I still would probably be a small Hall voter in a strictly balloting sense if given a vote, I no longer complain too much about the results. Who am I to begrudge these moments of joy in a world where such things are hard to come by?

Funny enough, I wouldn’t have voted for any of the three 2026 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees. But they’re in now, so let’s take a brief look at their key stats/accomplishments, career versus our Twins, and why I’d not have punched their ticket.

Jeff Kent

• Key #’s: 55.4 bWAR, 2,461 H, 377 HR, .290 BA, .855 OPS, 123 OPS+, 1x MVP, 4x Silver Slugger
• vs. MN: 11 G, 38 PA, 2 HR, .212 BA, .710 OPS
• Why not: Purely stats-wise, he’s a little sub-par across the board. Kinda one of those “a few supernova seasons and a bunch more okay ones” player. Poor with the leather, Kent was also a surly fella—once vehemently blaming a 2002 wrist injury on “slipping and falling while washing my truck” when really he was tooling around on his motorcycle and had an accident.

Andruw Jones

• Key #’s: 62.7 bWAR, 1,933 H, 434 HR, 152 SB, .254 BA, .823 OPS, 111 OPS+, 1x Silver Slugger, 10x Gold Glove
• vs MN: 25 G, 87 PA, 7 HR, .237 BA, .873 OPS
• Why not: Jones was really good at two things: CF defense and power. I’d argue not quite enough for enshrinement. I think he gets a lot of press for being 19 years old and playing in a World Series (1996), and for his age he truly was a phenom. But the rest of his career is a little iffy outside of glove & pop.

Carlos Beltran

• Key #’s: 70.0 bWAR, 2,725 H, 435 HR, 312 SB, .279 BA, .837 OPS, 119 OPS+, ROY, 2x Silver Slugger, 3x Gold Glove
• vs MN: 105 G, 472 PA, 21 HR, 16 SB, .290 BA, .879 OPS
• Why not: This one is tougher because Beltran’s career on the field probably is Hall-worthy (solid average, power, speed, & defense). Maybe not slam-dunk HOF, but better than a lot of folks already inside. Yet, I still can’t quite get over his role in the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal. I know this gets complicated because of Carlos Correa, but I truly do hold Beltran more accountable in that debacle for being a veteran presence who was still largely masterminding/championing the cheating behind the scenes.

Again, congratulations to all these new members of the MLB HOF club! I visited Cooperstown back in 2001 (I saw Kirby’s plaque!) and would love to get back to upstate New York someday—perhaps tag-teaming it to see the Rod Serling Memorial statue in Binghamton.

The much anticipated 2026 World Baseball Classic will be starting in early March with teams finalizing their rosters as the tournament approaches. The Pirates’ centerfielder Oneil Cruz is the latest addition to the Dominican Republic team.

Cruz will be participating in his first ever WBC as he joins a loaded Dominican lineup. The Pirates’ centerfielder had hinted at the possibility of participating during Pirates’ Fest, but it was officially confirmed this week.

Since coming into the league Cruz has spent his winters working out back in his native Dominican Republic, and has close ties to several of the players on the team.

Here are your finalized pools and schedule for the 2026 #WorldBaseballClassic.

The Championship Game will be played March 17, 2026 at loanDepot Park in Miami.

Full ticketing information for the 2026 tournament is available at https://t.co/h4Fi0dLx07. pic.twitter.com/t8q8Nopf4k

— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) April 9, 2025

“Three or four days after the season or when I got to the Dominican, I started working right away with Wilton Guerrero, Vladimir Guerrero Sr.’s brother, down in the Dominican,” Cruz said. “He helped me a lot with the outfield stuff and hitting stuff. Basically no break.”

During the annual Pirates’ Fest, Cruz acknowledged his shortcomings during the 2025 season, stating that he felt that he had no time to relax this offseason and had to get to work.

“The season that I had last year, it was not my best season,” Cruz said. “I just went home, no time to relax. I went right to work. Just to work on the stuff that I was having trouble with last year and work on my body again. No time to relax. Just focus on what I need to do to get better.”

Cruz is one of the most physically gifted players in MLB, but Pirates’ fans have been waiting for him to take the next step in his career and really come into his prime. Being on this stacked Dominican team could be a great opportunity for him to be around incredible talent and get some valued experience playing in a high stakes tournament.

Oneil Cruz will play in the 2026 World Baseball Classic! 🇩🇴

per @francysromeroFRpic.twitter.com/IRVvxptem4

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) January 27, 2026

The Dominican Republic last won the WBC in 2013 and with the roster they have this year are going to be hard to beat as they’re one of the best teams in international play. Players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr. and Seranthony Domínguez are just a few of the top talent that will be apart of this Dominican roster.

Fellow Pirate Paul Skenes will be representing Team USA during the WBC as the Americans will be looking to win the title on home soil.

The Dominican Republic is full of fire power throughout their lineup and rotation, and Cruz should be a welcomed addition to an already stacked roster.

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths.

“Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire.

Happy birthday to Brailyn Marquez*, Grover Cleveland Alexander threatens to retire,and other stories.

Today in baseball history:

• 1917 – Pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander announces he is ready to retire from professional baseball and join a semipro team if his salary demands are not met. Alexander wants a three-year contract at $15,000 per year. (2)
• 1926 – The Major League Rules Committee agrees that pitchers may have access to a rosin bag. On February 8, the American League will refuse to permit its use, but on April 28th, the league will give in and allow a rosin bag on the field, but discourage its use by players. The Committee also discusses the possible elimination of the intentional walk, a topic that has come up before, by making the pitcher throw to the batter. Calling a balk on the catcher if he steps out of his box has not eliminated the intentional walk as intended. No action is taken, however. (2)
• 1952 – Peter J. McGovern becomes the Little League‘s first full-time president and the league’s office is moved to Williamsport, Pennsylvania. (2)
• 1958 – Commissioner Ford Frick announces that players and coaches, rather than the fans, will vote on selections for the All-Star Game. The vote will not return to the fans until 1970, when Commissioner Bowie Kuhn reverses Frick’s action. The decision is a reaction to alleged ballot box stuffing by Cincinnati fans before last year’s All-Star Game. (2)
• 1987 – The Oakland Athletics acquire veteran third baseman Ron Cey from the Chicago Cubs for infielder Luis Quiñones. Cey will hit .221 for Oakland this year – his final major league season. (2)
• 2006 – The Cubs and Jerry Hairston Jr. (.261, 4, 30) avoid salary arbitration when the second baseman/outfielder agrees to a one-year, $2.3 million deal. The 29-year-old Illinois native was acquired from the Orioles last February for slugger Sammy Sosa. (2)
• 2011 – The Cubs sign two Cuban defectors who once played for the junior national team, OF Rubi Silva and C Yaniel Cabeza, both 21 and already veterans of the Serie Nacional. (2)
• 2017 – Commissioner Rob Manfred issues a ruling in the case of an employee of the St. Louis Cardinals caught for hacking into the scouting database of the Houston Astros. The Cards are fined $2 million, which they must pay to Houston, and also surrender two top picks in the upcoming amateur draft to the Astros. The guilty former employee, Chris Correa, incurs a lifetime ban. This is on the top of the 46-month prison sentence and $279,000 fine he received after pleading guilty to federal charges last July. (2)

Cubs Birthdays:Doc Watson, Vin Campbell, Davey Johnson, Matt Alexander, Brailyn Marquez*.

Today in History:

• 1661 – Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England is ritually executed after having been dead for two years.
• 1835 – Richard Lawrence misfires at President Andrew Jackson in Washington, D.C. in first attempted assassination of a US President.

Common sources:

• (1) — Today in Baseball History.
• (2) — Baseball Reference.
• (3) — Society for American Baseball Research.
• (4) — Baseball Hall of Fame.
• (5) — This Day in Chicago Cubs history.
• (6) — Wikipedia.
• (7) — The British Museum
• (8) — For world history.

*pictured.

Some of these items spread from site to site without being fact-checked, and that is why we ask for verifiable sources, in order to help correct the record.

It’s cold. Very cold. You know where it’s not cold? Clearwater.

Now is a pretty good time to plan a Spring Training trip.

Phillies news

Zack Wheeler was set to play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic before his injury derailed the plans.

MLB.com takes a look at the Phillies’ outfield for the upcoming season.

Lochlahn March of the Inquirer looks at what Otto Kemp can contribute to the team. ($)

MLB news

Farm system rankings! Get your farm system rankings here!

One player in each division you can’t take your eyes off of. Will Phillies fans like the choice for the NL East? No, but it’s hard to argue against it.

The Yankees and Angels made a trade, with the Halos getting a pitcher and the Pinstripes getting cash considerations.

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

This week has brought a renewed focus on the Orioles’ farm system — well, theirs and everyone else’s — as various publications have updated their prospect rankings for 2026, including The Athletic and ESPN. Several O’s prospects have gotten high marks, led by Samuel Basallo, who has been a consensus top-10 MLB prospect on every list so far.

Overall, the Orioles’ prospect depth seems stronger now than it was at this time last year, at least according to The Athletic’s Keith Law, who ranked the Birds as the #9 farm system in baseball. (A year ago, he had the Orioles ranked 20th.) The Birds’ improvement, Law writes, stems from a recent few months in which they have “had a banner draft, made several small trades for prospect depth, and seen several guys (Nate George, Dylan Beavers, Luis De León and Esteban Mejia) take big steps forward.”

“Depth” feels like the right word there. The Orioles’ farm isn’t quite at the level of 2021-23, when they regularly carried the most exciting prospects in baseball — Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Grayson Rodriguez, Jackson Holliday. This time, they don’t boast a slew of blue-chip, high-end prospects beyond Basallo. But they’ve got a whole bunch of guys with intriguing tools who are progressing nicely through the system and should contribute at the MLB level. Not every prospect is going to be a future superstar — and so far nobody of the Orioles’ previous batch has come close, beyond Henderson — but if you’ve got depth of talent all throughout your organization, you increase your odds of building a quality major league team.

I should begrudgingly mention, of course, that the reason the Orioles were able to add so much prospect depth in 2025 is because their team utterly stunk. That set off a trade-deadline selling spree in which nine O’s veterans were dealt for 15 prospects (16, if you count the draft pick the O’s acquired for Bryan Baker, which later became Slater de Brun, although he has since been traded anyway). Not all of those prospects are highly regarded, but collectively they’ve strengthened the farm system. That’s one good thing that came out of a lousy season.

The Orioles’ talent pipeline continues to churn. With any luck, it’ll lead to an O’s bounceback in 2026 and plenty more winning teams in the future.

Links

Still waiting on Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen – Steve Melewski

It’s weird that neither of these two prominent pitchers has signed yet with spring training just two weeks away. Ask Jordan Montgomery how getting a late start to the season worked out for him a couple of years ago.

Tyler Wells ready for any role Orioles have in mind – BaltimoreBaseball.com

You could do worse as a fifth starter than Tyler Wells. … I mean, a team could do worse. You would obviously do much worse than him.

Why O’s are excited about Basallo’s potential in ’26 – MLB.com

They signed him for eight years. They’d better be excited!

Because You Asked – Revenge of the Fallen – School of Roch

Roch Kubatko suggests that Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo could coexist on the O’s roster if they don’t have a utility infielder. I just don’t see how it’s possible, unless each of them is fine with getting, like, two starts per week.

With only the Orioles now, MASN remains ‘viable,’ team official says – The Baltimore Banner

The Orioles intend to live it up on MASN now that they no longer have to worry about Nationals coverage. But don’t worry, there will still be 21 hours per day of broadcasting World Chase Tag, Wingshooting USA, and random gambling shows.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Three former Orioles have birthdays today, including the late Davey Johnson (b. 1943, d. 2025), who was both an All-Star second baseman and one of the best managers in O’s history, though far too briefly. Also born on Jan. 30 were right-hander Joe Kerrigan (72) and the late first baseman Walt Dropo (b. 1923, d. 2010).

On this date in 1997, the Orioles signed utility infielder Jeff Reboulet as a free agent. Reboulet was a well below-average hitter, with just a 61 OPS+ in his three seasons with the Birds, but was legendary for his inexplicable success against Hall of Fame lefty Randy Johnson. Reboulet posted a .790 career OPS in 60 career PAs against the Big Unit, including a home run off of him in the Orioles’ 1997 Division Series win against the Mariners.

And on this day in 2003, the O’s elected Cal Ripken Jr. into the Orioles Hall of Fame. Phew! Thank goodness he got enough votes.

Rangers say they have received numerous reports from fans and staff regarding issues at Porto's stadium during the Europa League defeat and will be "pursuing them with the relevant parties".

Rangers will collect further information about the complaints, with reports suggesting visiting fans were held inside Estadio do Dragao for up to two hours on Thursday night after the 3-1 defeat.

Djeidi Gassama gave Danny Rohl's team the lead but the home side fought back to win and leave Rangers in 32nd place of the 36 teams in the Europa League phase.

A Rangers statement read: "Following the match in Porto, we've received multiple reports from supporters and staff about issues in and around the stadium.

"That's not what anyone who travelled to support Rangers should have had to deal with, and we share the concern, anger and frustration felt by those affected.

"We will be gathering complaints and feedback and will pursue this with the relevant parties."

• Four police officers injured before Celtic v Utrecht match
• Rangers' Euro distraction fades as mammoth month comes into focus

• Visit our Rangers page for all the latest news, analysis and fan views
• Get Rangers news notifications in the BBC Sport app

We’re nearly ready to close out January, which means we’ve almost run out the clock on the last month without any professional Major League baseball being played. By the end of February, spring training games will be in full swing, and not long after that, we’ll have genuine, high-stakes international baseball in the form of the WBC. It’s close enough to be mouth-watering, but for just a little while longer, we’ll have to wait out the cold. On the site today, Estevão analyzes the free-agent deal the Yankees once gave Mariano Rivera as part of our Free Agent series, while Sam celebrates an obscure player, Hipólito Peña, for our Yankees Birthday series. Also, with the Yankees’ starting pitching depth still in question to start the season, Andrés ponders whether they should consider someone like veteran José Quintana.

Questions/Prompts:

1. If you had to pick now, who would you choose to hit the second-most homers on the Yankees in 2026?

2. Now that most of the major free agents have signed, what would you say has been the most surprising signing of the offseason?

Astros continue to look for pitching depth with option years.

Thursday night the Houston Astros made a couple of roster moves as GM Dana Brown continues to look for pitching depth that still have options available on the contracts.

First, Houston made a deal with the San Francisco Giants to acquire SP Kai-Wei Teng in exchange for minor league catcher Jancel Villaroel.

Sources: the Astros and Giants are nearing a trade that would send right-hander Kai-Wei Teng to Houston in exchange for catching prospect Jancel Villareal. Teng is an optionable swingman who can pitch out of the rotation or within a bullpen that could use more right-handed depth

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) January 30, 2026

Teng has swing and miss stuff (11.8 K/9 last season in 29.2 IP for SFG last season, 14.1 K/9 last season in 57 IP at AAA Sacramento) but can struggle with command (5.2 BB/9 last season for SFG, 3.5 BB/9 at AAA Sacramento).

His best pitch is his sweeper, his fastball generally sits 92-93 but can reach 94-95. He has shown the extra velocity when pitching in relief. His fastball is best when elevated in the zone. He also throws a curveball and changeup.

Villaroel was the Astros #13 overall prospect in their system. Last year he split his age-20 season between Fayetteville in the Carolina League (A Ball) and Asheville in the Sally League (High A). His numbers decreased dramatically at High A, although he was young for the league (-2.0 age difference). At 5 foot 8 and 175 pounds, he doesn’t project to be a big power threat, but he does have good speed and stole 20 bases for Fayetteville in 27 attempts. He could find himself eventually as an outfielder. He is currently ranked as the Giants #27 prospect.

In order to make room for Teng, the Astros designated SP J.P. France for assignment.

The Astros are designating J.P. France for assignment, source tells @TheAthletic. That presumably will clear a 40-man roster spot for Kai-Wei Teng, whom Houston is on the verge of acquiring from the San Francisco Giants.

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) January 30, 2026

France struggled last season coming back from shoulder capsule surgery. He posted a 2-2 record with a 6.59 ERA and 1.72 WHIP in 9 games/6 starts across 3 minor league levels with 22BB and 28K in 27.1 IP. He was 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA and 1.00 WHIP for the Astros in 2025 in 2 appearances covering 4 innings with 2BB and 5K.

France’s velocity was noticeably down following the surgery, and he struggled with his command. He will be 31 on April 4.

The Astros also signed RP Tom Cosgrove.

Tom Cosgrove to Astros. The LHP makes $900K if in majors. MLB camp invite.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 30, 2026

Cosgrove has both starting and bullpen experience, and is lefthanded. He has been exclusively a reliever at the MLB level.

Cosgrove is primarily a sweeper/slider pitcher who also throws a sinker. His fastball generally sits 88-91, and his low arm slot makes him very tough on lefties.

After a successful rookie season in 2023, Cosgrove has struggled with command and walks have been an issue.

The Astros also have a track record of getting the most out of nearly every pitcher they get “in the lab” so to speak.

Both Teng and Cosgrove have options, which is important for the Astros. Houston will play 24 games in the season’s first 26 days. They will utilize a 6 man rotation, which will leave the bullpen short with only 7 arms.

In the event they have a game/games where they really burn the pen, they need to have optionable arms to they can swap fresh arms to the big league club to replenish the bullpen if needed on a short turnaround.

Also, having potential arms like Jason Alexander, Colton Gordon, Ryan Weiss, Nate Pearson who can go multiple innings can also help the pen, as they can save a lot of other arms and potentially only have to swap one player who can eat a bulk of innings if needed.

FanGraphs | Dan Szymborski: All winter, Dan Szymborski has been running the ZiPS projections for each team for the 2026 season. Now, with all 30 teams done, he ran one million simulations of the 2026 season. Unsurprisingly, the American League East projects to be a dogfight, with four of the division’s five teams having at least a forty percent chance of making the postseason. Among the top four teams, the Yankees don’t have the brightest performance in the model, with an average win total of just 87 games.

Newsday | Laura Albanese: One of the big reasons that the Yankees have a slightly lower performance by the ZiPS model is the fact that the team’s core is aging. Over the last few years, the organization has basically “run it back” year in year out, leaning on Aaron Judge offensively and trying to build a strong pitching staff behind 2023 Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole. Because of this, though, the Yankees’ core has begun to get old, as Judge, Cole, Giancarlo Stanton, Max Fried, and Carlos Rodón are all on the wrong side of 30. While that does not mean they will perform poorly — the team did win 94 games in each of the last two seasons, and 92 or more in six of the last seven full seasons — it does increase the margin of error, as Father Time is mostly undefeated.

MLB.com: In a low-level move, the Yankees sent lefty reliever Jayvien Sandridge to the Los Angeles Angels yesterday in exchange for cash considerations. The 26-year-old Sandbridge made one appearance with the Yankees last season — his Major League debut — while serving primarily as bullpen depth in Triple-A.

NJ.com: Retired Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo appears to be launching a sports media career this season, as reports indicate that he is set to join NBC Sports as they take over the coverage of Sunday Night Baseball this season. He will join Bob Costas and Clayton Kershaw as studio analysts.

This one might prove a little controversial. For Geraldo Perdomo was only ranked sixth on MLB Now’s Top 10 Shortstops Right Now countdown. The complete ranking for MLB Now’s top-10 shortstops is listed below: 

1. Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals 
2. Corey Seager, Texas Rangers 
3. Francisco Lindor, New York Mets 
4. Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles 
5. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers 
6. Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona Diamondbacks 
7. Trea Turner, Philadelphia Phillies 
8. Jeremy Peña, Houston Astros 
9. Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds
10. Zach Neto, Los Angeles Angels 

According to the network, “Each Top 10 Right Now ranking considers player performance over multiple seasons, offensive and defensive metrics, both advanced Statcast data and traditional numbers, and expert analysis by the MLB Network research team.” It is worth noting that it doesn’t just go on a single season (though the most recent one is likely more heavily weighted), and that probably hampered Perdomo’s ranking, since before 2025, he was probably “good, but not elite.” That said, I would be unsurprised if Gerry out-produces a couple of the players supposedly ahead of him, in 2026.

Next up of possible interest is the catcher ranking on Monday. Might Gabriel Moreno appear there? But I’ve little doubt we will certainly be back here on Tuesday night, when the subject is right field…

The San Diego Padres acquired outfielder Ramon Laureano in the July trade deadline spree that saw them part with six prospects to the Baltimore Orioles. Outfielder/first baseman Ryan O’Hearn was the headliner in that deal but he is now gone via free agency.

Laureano had a team option of $6.5 million for 2026 that the team quickly picked up in November of last year. After starting 2025 with one of the worst left field rankings in baseball (FanGraphs had them at 27 out of 30 teams), the acquisition of Laureano made the biggest upgrade of all the deadline swaps.

After arriving from Baltimore, Laureano played 50 games for the Padres. He hit .269/.323/.489 with an OPS of .812. His combined numbers for 2025 came out to .281/.342/.512 with a .855 OPS. Laureano had 24 home runs and 76 RBI for the season. His only better numbers came in 2019, his second season with Oakland.

The 2025 season saw his best hard-hit rate, his best barrel rate and his best K rate of his career. He also had his lowest chase rate during 2026. He finished the season with an fWAR of 3.0, which would have left him tied for seventh in fWAR rankings for left fielders for the year.

FanGraphs recently published their projections for 2026 and believe that Laureano will take a big step back. They project him to play in 119 games with a .242/.314/.428 line and .743 OPS. His projected WAR is 1.8. If correct, that would make 2026 his third worst season since his debut in 2019.

A career change

After finishing 2023 with a .224 average and .675 OPS, Laureano made a decision to remake himself. He reworked his approach in the batting box with the intent of making better contact and seeing breaking balls better.

Standing deeper in the box, moving away from the plate, closing up his stance and choking up on the bat were all incorporated into his new approach. The results started to show in 2024 with improved outcomes but 2025 was when the new adjustments really made a difference.

Laureano now ranks in the 80th percentiles for expected batting average, barrel percentage, hard-hit percentage and in the 93rd percentile in expected slugging (see Baseball Savant stats).

Expect a decline?

The decrease in projected value from FanGraphs could be due to Laureano’s age. He is 31 years old and will be 32 in July. Although still able to be productive at the plate, statistics project declines year over year from the year 31 season on.

As the Padres already have several aging players committed to long-term deals, don’t expect them to sign Laureano to an extension, so it is safe to assume this will be a walk year for him. Based on the improvements he has made and his mentality and make up, Padres fans should not be surprised to see a career year from their left fielder.

His 2025 season ended early with a broken finger suffered while swinging the bat. That should be completely healed going into this spring. With a normal offseason and a healthy spring, expect Laureano to easily outperform the projections.

Here is the writeup from FanGraphs for their fantasy projections for 2026.

Ramón Laureano (217 ADP)

In 2025, Laureano set a career high with 488 PA. From 2018 to 2024, Laureano’s paced 17 HR and 13 SB per 488 PA. That’s about what Friedl posted last season (15/13). If given enough playing time, he could be a solid fantasy value just by being himself.

Besides having a solid base coming into 2025, Laureano made two improvements. His contact% jumped from 70.8% to 74.8%, which is his highest since 2021. With more contact, his strikeout rate dropped from 31% to 24 percent, pushing his batting average up to .281.

The other improvement was a career high 90.3 average exit velocity and 112.7 max EV. With the extra power, he tied his career high with 24 HR.

As for the stolen bases, his sprint speed has varied from just 27.6 to 27.9 over the past six seasons. Around 8 SB to 10 SB is a reasonable estimate.

One final note: several of our playing time estimates seem a little on the low side (450 PA to 500 PA). If he were to go into the 600 PA or more range, he’s a steal at his current ADP.

Final Take: If Ramón Laureano can keep the contact and power gains he made in 2025 while playing a full season, he becomes a solid sleeper.

The best in baseball

Si.com recently published an article suggesting the Padres have the best trio of outfielders in baseball. Not surprisingly, they expect Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill to carry the bulk of the offensive load. Although Laureano’s offense could regress slightly, they don’t expect the big regression FanGraphs does.

The biggest negative for Laureano has been his defense. Although he has a plus arm in the outfield, his speed and range have been below average. It is not likely he will get faster but his defense could improve with better technique and it should be watched closely as the new season gets underway.

Another aspect of Laureano’s game is his attitude and intensity. Having an edge and a serious approach on the field is a steadying influence with the young outfielders he works with. Laureano stood out for Padres fans soon after his arrival in San Diego. After a walk-off hit in the Aug. 9 game against the Boston Red Sox, Laureano showed his honesty and endeared himself to most fans.

Ramón Laureano got the bunt sign in extras but he says he doesn’t know the signs yet so he just hit the ball on the ground and won the game pic.twitter.com/x7ruF9Mf0v

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 10, 2025

He could be one of the biggest surprises of 2026.

With less than two weeks remaining in the offseason, most of the moves involving the Yankees bullpen this winter have been departures.

As in two former closers, Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, heading to Queens and a handful of other relievers being nontendered.

While some of those may be viewed as additions by subtraction, the Yankees are still going to have to cover those high-leverage innings somehow, even if they have yet to bring in any new established options — more or less banking on their pitching department to work its magic once again.

The Yankees believe they did the heavy lifting of their bullpen makeover at last summer’s trade deadline, when they acquired David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird, who were all under contract beyond 2025.

They then picked up Tim Hill’s club option, re-signed swingman Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn, added Cade Winquest in the Rule 5 draft and acquired another project in hard-throwing righty Angel Chivilli from the Rockies on Wednesday.

Fernando Cruz is an important holdover, coming off his own breakout season, while left Brent Headrick (whom multiple Yankees officials have mentioned as a candidate to pop this season) and Yerry De los Santos are among the other candidates to carve out a role in the bullpen.

“As we enter spring training, we definitely are a different bullpen right now than we were last year, because we’ve had some departures,” general manager Brian Cashman said Wednesday. “But we also have some young pups pushing up the ladder, we have a Rule 5 pick we selected, we just made this addition [Chivilli]. So I think it’s a work in progress with a lot of quality choices. Some might be emerging talented players from our system, some might be more imports like [Chivilli].

“I’d just say stay tuned.”

The best of the “young pup” pitching prospects the Yankees boast are currently starters, though someone like Carlos Lagrange — who some scouts see as a reliever in the long run — could speed up his road to The Bronx in a relief role if the organization eventually chooses to go that route. They also have a group of relievers at Triple-A that could help at some point, including Kervin Castro (added to the 40-man roster earlier this offseason), Eric Reyzelman and Harrison Cohen.

None of those are sure things, though. While even the best of relievers are volatile — in the same season he thrived as the Yankees closer in a playoff chase, Bednar was demoted to Triple-A by the Pirates — the Yankees could still use another arm or two that are closer to safe bets to give Aaron Boone enough trustworthy options for the late innings.

They sat out the high-end (and now most of the mid-tier) portion of the free agent relief market, with those dollars reserved for Cody Bellinger, though the Yankees have had their best success acquiring impact relievers through trades in recent years.

“We’re going to continue to evaluate all choices that come our way,” Cashman said. “But I do think we have a lot of quality choices at the very least that we can fall back on if we do nothing more. But the job at hand is to see if we can improve in any aspect of the roster we can and we’ll continue to look at that.”

Perhaps they eventually get some relief from the rotation once the likes of Carlos Rodón, Gerrit Cole and eventually Clarke Schmidt get healthy, but until then, they seem to be putting an awful lot of faith in their pitching department — getting Bird back on track, continuing Blackburn’s transition to relieving, trying to harness Chivilli’s big arm and get something out of the rookie Winquest, among others.

The other issue with the projected 2026 bullpen is a lack of flexibility. Only Bird, Chivilli, Headrick, Doval and Cruz have minor league options remaining — and if they are used on Doval or Cruz, they will have bigger issues than flexibility — while they must carry Winquest on the big league roster all season if they want to keep him in the organization. For a team that often churns through arms with the last spot or two in the bullpen, that may prove to be more difficult this year.