Category: Baseball

There is no Cactus League game for the Dodgers on Wednesday, but they still have a game on their schedule, an exhibition within the exhibition of spring training. They will host Team Mexico on Wednesday afternoon at Camelback Ranch, one of a handful of games for teams in preparation of the World Baseball Classic.

Across Arizona and Florida, there are 31 games on the docket Tuesday and Wednesday this week featuring a World Baseball Classic team playing a major league team. Tournament play for these teams — in Pools A, B, and D in San Juan, Houston, and Miami, respectively — at the WBC begins on Friday.

Tyler Glasnow makes his second start this spring. He threw 33 pitches in two-plus last Thursday against the Chicago White Sox, facing one batter in the third inning by design. Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who got to three innings before leaving for the World Baseball Classic, are the two Dodgers starting pitchers stretched out the most so far this spring.

Wednesday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Team Mexico
• Ballpark: Camelback Ranch
• Time: 12:05 p.m. PT
• TV: SportsNet LA
• Radio: none

The Dodgers on Monday sent Jack Suwinski outright to the minors and off the 40-man roster after the outfielder cleared waivers.

Suwinski was claimed off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates on February 21. He hasn’t yet played in a Cactus League game, but was getting work in on the backfields at Camelback Ranch. On Friday, Suwinski was among the group of hitters who faced Emmet Sheehan in a simulated game, which was captured on video by the fine folks at Dodger Blue.

It’s not all that surprising that the Dodgers would try to get Suwinski through waivers, as he was below replacement level the last two seasons, hitting a combined .169/.271/.297 with a 59 wRC+ in 455 plate appearances in 2024-25 after a strong first two years with the Pirates, and he’s out of options.

That roster gambit didn’t work with catcher Ben Rortvedt (twice duringthis offseason) nor infielder Andy Ibáñez, both of whom were claimed. That Suwinski got to the Dodgers, who are 26th in waiver priority for now based on last year’s records, in the first place made it unsurprising that he cleared waivers this time around.

Now, Suwinski remains in the organization as outfield depth, and leaves 39 players on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster. There’s no real urgency yet to fill that spot, but it removes an extra burden should an opportunity arise. Like if Rortvedt inevitably becomes available yet again, or if someone like non-roster invitees Santiago Espinalor Cole Irvin play their way onto the roster over the next three weeks.

Mets lineup

1. Marcus Semien – 2B
2. Jorge Polanco – DH
3. Bo Bichette – 3B
4. Francisco Alvarez – C
5. Brett Baty – 1B
6. Mike Tauchman – RF
7. Ronny Mauricio – SS
8. Cristian Pache – CF
9. Ji Hwan Bae – LF

SP: Jonah Tong

Nicaragua lineup

1. Chase Dawson – CF
2. Jeter Downs – 2B
3. Ismael Munguia – RF
4. Mark Vientos – 3B
5. Emanuel Trujillo – 1B
6. Omar Mendoza – LF
7. Cheslor Cuthbert – DH
8. Freddy Zamora – SS
9. Ronald Rivera – C

SP: Erasmo Ramírez

Broadcast info

First pitch: 1:10 PM ET

Team Colombia vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, March 3, 2026, 1:05 p.m. ET

Location: LECOM Park, Bradenton, FL

How to Listen: 93.7 The Fan, 100.1 FM, AM 1020 KDKA, Sports Net Pittsburgh app SNP 360

The Pittsburgh Pirates are hosting the Colombian national team in their preparation for the World Baseball Classic.

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It’s split squad day with one contingent of Rays traveling to take on the Twins and another contingent remaining in Port Charlotte to take on the Phillies.

No TV today but the Twins radio team will cover that game and the Rays will have radio coverage of the game in Port Charlotte. We will have both Brody Hopkins and Shane McClanahan starting for the Rays.

First pitch against the Minnesota Twins is at 1:05 at Lee Health Sports Complex, and then 1:05 at Port Charlotte against the Phillies.

Today’s highlight package is from June 19-20, 1999 when the Devil Rays took on the Twins.

Scottsdale, Ariz. — Nolan Arenado was drafted by the Colorado Rockies second round of the 2009 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut on April 28, 2013, and the rest is history. 

He spent eight years with the Rockies and enjoyed many highs – including eight Gold Gloves, four Platinum Gloves, four Silver Sluggers, five All-Star appearances, two playoff runs, and numerous jaw-dropping offensive and defensive spectacles – and plenty of lows. After an ugly public feud with the Rockies front office in 2020, Arenado was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals on February 1, 2021 – less than two years after signing a record eight-year, $260 million contract extension.

Arenado played five years in St. Louis, and still enjoyed plenty of highs and lows. He won two more Gold Gloves, one more Silver Slugger, made three more All-Star appearances, went to two more playoffs, and continued to make jaw-dropping offensive and defensive plays. But after a down year in 2025 – both for the Cardinals and for Arenado – he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks, marking his return to the NL West.

“I’m really excited about [returning to the NL West],” he said. “Obviously, I know the division well, but there’s a lot of new players and new pitchers and stuff. And obviously I know the ballparks really well. I grew up in this division, so it should be fairly easy getting adjusted to it.”

And, in true Arenado fashion, he has high expectations for his new team and his new season.

“I think this team is really good,” he said. “This offense is a Top-10 offense without me, but I think I could really help it. I’m trying to make some adjustments that I feel can really help me play the way I know I can. I always keep those goals to myself, but I do have hefty goals and I don’t think I’m ever going to change that.”

However, he does have some fond memories of his time in Colorado.

“Obviously, I think the group of players that I was with – starting off with Todd [Helton] and [Troy Tulowitzki] and [Dustin] Morneau and some of those guys – were awesome,” he said. 

“And then playing with [Carlos González], [Trevor] Story, Charlie [Blackmon] and DJ [LeMahieu]. I see the players now, and I’m like ‘Man, I have no idea who any of these players are.’ 

“And so just thinking about the past with those players, it was a really special group,” he continued. “The more I look back on it… it’s funny, everywhere I go, even the Diamondbacks now, they’re like, ‘Man, that team you guys had was unbelievable. It was so hard to pitch to. It was a pain to face you guys.’ And now when I look back on it, it was probably one of the better offenses I’ve ever played on.”

Even though that was nearly a decade ago, he still keeps in touch with many of his teammates, including Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela, whom he played with from 2017-2021.

“When I see ‘Free,’ I always say hi. Same with ‘Senza,’” he said. “Those guys mean a lot to me. They were young when they came through, and they did such a great job pitching when I was there. I want healthy success for them. But I talk to Charlie all the time. I talk with DJ probably every day. Story, too. We still trash talk.”

And not only does he still have connections with some players, but he and new Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer also go way back.

“I played with him in Double-A,” Arenado said. “I was young at the time. I was a pain in the butt at that time. But we got along great because he loved that I worked. And he was a big worker, too. He took ground balls everyday. And the one thing about Schaeff – there were times where he wasn’t starting in those games, but he was still working every day and never complained. He showed up to work.”

Schaeffer also looked back fondly on their time together with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers.

“I remember just enjoying watching him play,” Schaeffer said. “I mean, he was the young kid coming up; I was, at that time, the old guy that sat on the bench, and he played one of my positions.

“I always thought he was the best practicer, and I loved it,” Schaeffer continued. “He was the first guy I ever saw other than myself show up like that — and do it almost more than me — and that’s why he’s so great. He had that mixed with talent and that’s why he’s a future Hall of Famer. He’s unbelievable. He’s probably my favorite baseball player that I’ve ever seen.”

Arenado is entering what could be the final stages of his career, and has been in the conversation for the Hall of Fame since his early years in Colorado. 

But he’s not focused on that quite yet.

“Being in the conversation is great, but I don’t even think about those things,” he said. “I feel like I’ve got a whole season ahead of me here [in Arizona]. I’ve got to go out there and play well – I have high expectations for this team, and I have high expectations for myself, and we’ll cross that bridge when we need to.”

But what’s a Nolan Arenado profile without some defensive gems?

I asked him to name his favorite plays, and here they are:

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

For almost a decade now, I have been following the baseball journey of Ronny Mauricio. I remember seeing Mauricio for the first time down at Segra Park in Columbia, South Carolina back in 2019 and immediately understood what all the hype and fuss was about; his skinny, athletic frame oozed potential, and the sound of the ball off his bat just sounded different. Fast forward a few years later, and I was one of Mauricio’s biggest skeptics, going very much against the grain along with the rest of the Amazin’ Avenue prospect team following a successful season in Triple-A as a 22-year-old. What happened? In short, the Ronny Mauricio of 2021 showed up in 2022 and 2023; as Lukas succinctly put it, he showed us that he is who we thought he was.

At some point during the 2023 season, likely during one of his many Minor League Player of the Week wins, I began looking at his numbers and saw some really problematic stuff. Obviously, we knew surface-level stuff, like that he struck out a bit more than we’d all like and didn’t walk as much as we’d want him to, but his time in Triple-A Syracuse gave us all kinds of Statcast tidbits that we didn’t have access to until then. He didn’t walk a lot, swung a lot, and posted an extremely low SEAGER score; he swung at more pitches both inside and out of the zone than average, and made less contact inside and outside the zone than average; he had a lot of difficulty against off-speed pitches and even more against breaking balls, curveballs in particular; his ground ball-to-fly ball ratio was extremely poor and his fly ball rate exacerbated even more by the high number of infield fly balls; he was exhibiting some noteworthy platoon splits. None of which meant necessarily that Mauricio was cooked as a prospect and that any kind of major league future was doomed, but there were numerous red flags under his surface-level stats. What gave me a lot of concern was less that those red flags existed, but rather, that nowhere over the course of his career did we see Ronny improving in any meaningful way on those flaws.

Mauricio came on extremely strong in his MLB debut at the end of 2023, but crashed back down to earth following that hot streak. Likewise, after missing all of 2024 due to a torn ACL, he started the 2025 season in Syracuse and put up excellent numbers, but once again hit a wall when he was called up the majors. Both seasons, those problematic red flags became more than just problematic, limiting his value at the plate.

Where the 25-year-old begins the season is most likely dependent on factors beyond his control. Francisco Lindor’s surgery to correct a hamate injury may or may not cost the All-Star some time at the beginning of the season. If he is unable to start the year on the active roster, Mauricio is one of a handful of shortstop options the Mets have to fill-in for the injured Lindor, perhaps the most appealing, as he is a young, homegrown player that has more potential upside than the Jackson Cluffs, Vidal Brujans, Christian Arroyos, and Grae Kessingers of the baseball world. If Lindor is fully healthy and ready to go when the season begins, it will likely be in Mauricio’s best interest to begin the year in Triple-A, so that he can get regular at-bats. At the same time, his bat from the left-side would be useful off the Mets’ bench, as he posted a .265/.336/.447 in 132 at-bats, good for a 121 wRC+. On one hand, being used irregularly in certain situations might not be the best use for Mauricio’s development as a baseball player. But then again, Mauricio has long showed us that this is who he is, so perhaps why not?

By our means of ranking prospects here on the site, RHP Christian Little is largely de facto roof of a tier of M’s prospects. Very little separated Little, Tyler Cleveland, Alex Hoppe, Jared Sundstrom, Mason Peters, and Charlie Beilenson, while Thursday’s prospect will have as much separation from Little as he from Beilenson at 19th. We’re unsure about this cohort, but there’s something there. What that something might be might be strongest in Little, a 6’4 former top prep prospect on a several-year hunt for consistency.

Little is a prospect archetype well-represented in some systems but scarcely in Seattle’s. The high-upside pitcher with a long lead line to work out his starting chops isn’t inherently a high-probability player to become a big league contributor, but Seattle’s recent success with fast-moving hurlers isn’t the only way. Like the majority of the pitchers outlined in this series thus far, Little has at least one plus pitch – in his case a fastball that ranges 93-95 usually with excellent bat-missing ride – and enough question marks to muddy his route up-farm.

The 6’4 22 year old has usually missed bats, and did that very thing in his first pro season, coming from LSU after a transfer from Vanderbilt to sign with Seattle for $200k in the 11th round of 2024. Little has come a long, long way since campus mechanically, where you can see a variety of jerky, high-effort motions that contributed to eye-popping walk rates in college, ultimately driving him down from a potential top-100 pick out of the bonus rounds.

By contrast, a year or two later, you can see a smoother, more controlled delivery from Little that also features a breaking ball more focused on sweep as his primary off-speed.

Little finished out his college career as a reliever for the Tigers, but he started in Low-A Modesto, earning a late-season promotion to High-A Everett after an excellent second-half carried by those improved mechanics and recovery from a bone spur that was noted for a dip in stuff in late June that cost him the month of July. The young man from St. Louis, MO mixes in a changeup and more 12-6 breaking ball as well still, offering four distinct planes of movement and a sinker that can at times have vicious late bite. He’s adjusted his hands pre-pitch to cue himself into consistency.

The strength of Seattle’s system has been its ability to convert their top picks into impact talent, along with a few huge hits on arms later in the top 10 rounds. But Little, who was a top-notch prep prospect and a member of Team USA’s 15U roster, is the type of player we’ve rarely seen converted into a big leaguer here in Seattle. The depth behind Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan (spoilers) quickly has question marks, and Little is fraught with them. His command remains a work in progress, and unless 1-2 of his off-speed pitches continue building consistency, he’ll struggle to retire more talented bats. But a SEC bat-misser with the build and coachability to make adjustments is the sort of player who can find his upper realms of promise, which would be another member of the M’s rotation depth in the next couple seasons. Nothing little about that.

1995
Spring Training got underway with a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals, in 10 innings. But there was something different about this opener. Perhaps it was the fact it was a game played with scabs “replacement players,” on both sides.

With a lockout in full force after a failed offseason of labor negotiations, the major news of the day being Michael Jordan leaving White Sox camp after being told he would have to cross the picket line in order to continue his quest to play for the White Sox one day. On the field, ex-MLBer Oil Can Boyd started the game, backed mostly by a host of unknowns, in front of 1,504 fans.

1998
It’s a belated but banner day for White Sox icons, as Larry Doby and George Davis are among four players selected for Hall of Fame enshrinement by the Veterans Committee.

Doby was better known for his play in Cleveland and the Newark Eagles, but provided 6.7 WAR in just 280 games for the White Sox over three seasons toward the end of his career. On the whole, Doby very broadly provided similar value as his career contemporary in the AL and Negro Leagues, Minnie Miñoso.

As a favorite of White Sox (and Cleveland) owner Bill Veeck, Doby also made history in 1978, when Veeck elevated the coach from staff to manager, replacing Bob Lemon at midseason. Doby became just the second Black manager in MLB history.

In a coincidence of timing, Doby’s honor came 39 years to the day he was traded from Cleveland to Detroit for Tito Francona. Later that season, Doby was flipped to the White Sox for the second time, and finished out his MLB playing days on the AL pennant-winners.

Davis was an even better player than Doby, starring in the 1890s-1900s as a shortstop for the New York Giants and White Sox. His 84.5 WAR qualifies him as 53rd-best player in baseball history, and the fifth-best shortstop. With the White Sox, Davis put up 33.1 WAR in just seven seasons, placing him ninth all-time among club hitters and the third-best shortstop. Before he moved to Chicago to play full-time, “Gorgeous George” was the subject of an intense fight between the White Sox and Giants, as Davis bolted New York in 1902 to sign with the upstart league at double the salary — then had misgivings and tried to return to the Giants.

Davis, by then 35 and a legend, was a platoon shortstop on Chicago’s first World Series winner, with an OPS of .846 and six RBIs in just three contests in 1906.

And also on this day, former White Sox and Cubs broadcaster Jack Brickhouse underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor. The tumor was discovered when Brickhouse was getting dressed to attend colleague Harry Caray’s funeral. Brickhouse would die five months later.

The last few days have seen a handful of Dodgers outfield prospects make an impact in spring training games.

Mike Sirota injured his knee last July and finally got into a game on Saturday, and homered against the Rangers in Surprise. He’s is one of four Dodgers outfielders peppered throughout various top-100 prospect lists this year.

Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope have been active all 10 days of Cactus League games this spring, with each one playing in nine games so far this spring. De Paula has seven hits in 17 at-bats with a double and four walks. Hope is 5-for-15 with two doubles and three walks, plus a few nice catches in left field.

Eduardo Quintero is the youngest of the group, entering his age-20 season, and just reached High-A Great Lakes for the last six weeks of 2025. That puts him behind the others in terms of reaching the majors, even if he might have the highest ceiling of the group.

Sirota turns 23 in June, but High-A is his highest level as well, having played only 35 games with the Loons before the injury, just three games fewer than Quintero, two years his junior. Sirota was a first-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Reds in 2024 before getting sent to the Dodgers in the Gavin Lux trade. He didn’t play professionally with the Reds in 2024 and only played 59 games last year before getting hurt.

The two outfielders acquired in the Dustin May trade last year are the two oldest of the group, in their age-23 season, and both have been busy this spring. Zach Ehrhard leads the Dodgers with eight starts so far in Cactus League play, while James Tibbs III has started seven games and played in nine games, with the pair seeing time in right field, left field, first base, and designated hitter.

Tibbs has homered in each of the last two games, including a 458-foot shot Monday against the Rockies that’s the longest Dodgers home run this spring.

With extensive time in Double-A already, it wouldn’t be a surprise if both Tibbs and Ehrhard start the season with Triple-A Oklahoma City, or at the very least should play there way up there soon enough.

Dodgers outfield prospects & highest levels to date

• Ehrhard, age 23 in 2026, 92 games in Double-A
• Tibbs, age 23, 66 games in Double-A
• Hope, age 21, 6 games in Double-A
• De Paula, age 21, 4 games in Double-A
• Sirota, age 23, 35 games in High-A
• Quintero, age 20, 38 games in High-A

Today’s question is which of these Dodgers outfield prospects will play in the majors first?

Big contract numbers do not shock baseball fans the way they once did.

A decade ago, a $300 million deal felt seismic. Today, Steve Cohen’s Mets have shown what happens when new money enters the sport, and the Dodgers have demonstrated how aggressive spending and deferred structures can be used as part of a fully operational Death Star. The financial ceiling keeps moving, labor issues loom, and what once felt extreme now feels routine.

That shifting reality brings us to Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Recently, Chisholm publicly stated he would seek a contract in the range of eight to ten years at roughly $35 million annually. The reactions ranged from jokes about Dr. Evil asking for $100 million to fans ready to print the contract themselves. Before debating years, injury history, or total value, the real question is more straightforward:

Would you want the Yankees to sign that deal today?

To answer that, we start with what Jazz has actually been since arriving in New York.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. in Pinstripes

Projecting Jazz based on his Miami seasons misses the point. The Yankees are evaluating a different version of the player than the one who left South Florida Since arriving in New York, Chisholm has produced at roughly a four-win pace over a full season while combining power, speed, and defensive versatility rarely found in a single roster spot.

Using a prorated 140-game pace based only on his statistics with the Yankees:

The context matters as much as the numbers.

Much of this production occurred while Jazz learned a brand-new defensive position at the MLB level, as the Yankees asked him to try third base for most late 2024 and early 2025 as they accomodated Gleyber Torres and (more questionably) DJ LeMahieu. The defensive results have varied across the diamond, but he has demonstrated he is a natural second baseman capable of handling multiple positions because of elite athleticism. Importantly, the offensive production remained stable throughout those adjustments and under the bright New York City lights.

In other words, the Yankees are evaluating a player who already produces like a long-term core piece. Across roughly a season and a third in pinstripes, Jazz has:

• learned a new position
• been an elite basestealer
• produced the fourth-ever 30/30 season for the Yankees

That profile places him squarely as a modern long-term extension candidate.

The next question is: Does Jazz’s production match his asking price?

The Yankees’ Current Price: Cody Bellinger

The Yankees themselves recently gave us the clearest comparison point.

Cody Bellinger signed a five-year, $162.5 million contract this winter, carrying a $32.5 million annual average value (AAV) along with full no-trade protection and opt-outs.

Here is Bellinger’s most recent season compared directly with Jazz’s:

The offensive production is nearly identical. Bellinger’s value leaned on durability and defensive stability, but the comparison establishes an important baseline, as the Yankees are already paying near Jazz’s asking price for similar recent production.

Jazz’s request does not introduce a new salary tier. It slides smoothly inside the one the Yankees themselves just validated.

The Current Market Rate: Alex Bregman

Alex Bregman provides league-wide context.

Here’s what the former Astro did with the Red Sox last year before cashing in on his new five-year deal with the Cubs:

His contract sits at $35 million annually, the exact annual value Chisholm referenced publicly.

Bregman represents the modern All-Star contract tier: highly productive players who are not necessarily generational superstars but serve as key foundational pieces for contenders.

Jazz’s ask lands directly within that band.

The Long-Term Blueprint: Francisco Lindor

The season and winter before the 2022 campaign reshaped long-term contracts and provides the clearest structural precedent for long-term deals signed around the last labor uncertainty cycle. The Mets were proactive and inked the Francisco Lindor deal in April after trading for him that offseason. At the time, with all record-setting contracts, reactions were mixed. Lindor was respected as elite, as he was hitting over 30 home runs and stealing over 20 bases a year with Cleveland before the COVID season. Additionally, he was a switch-hitting shortstop who was entering his prime but not universally viewed as a generational superstar.

Signed during his age-27 season, Lindor came to terms on a 10-year, $341 million deal, good for a $34.1 million AAV. This is what Lindor did last year, just before turning 32 in November.

Adjusted to today’s economic environment, Lindor’s deal equates to roughly $37.9 million annually over its remaining years.

Today, contracts like this feel normal. That evolution is the point.

The Real Questions

Strip away hindsight for a moment and put yourself in the front office chair:

• Using Cody Bellinger’s contract as the blueprint, would you pay Jazz a similar AAV plus inflation for three additional years?

• If the Astros could go back three years, would they sign Bregman to an eight-year, $264 million commitment?

• Would you have signed Lindor to his exact contract at the time, or at its inflation-adjusted value today for the remaining years?

• If you could sign your second baseman to an extension and remind the crosstown hedge fund manager that your second baseman statistically produces comparable value at a lower price point than his star shortstop, would you?

Bringing It Back to Jazz

Jazz publicly stating the high end of his range is simply sound negotiation. Players anchor high. Teams negotiate downward.

He also likely understands his place within the Yankees’ hierarchy. The organization will never value him the way it values Aaron Judge, and it should not. But the club should value him as it does Belli. Every era needs multiple complementary pieces, and sometimes the second or third name on the marquee matters just as much as the star attraction.

If the Yankees believe the version of Jazz Chisholm Jr. they have seen in pinstripes is real, waiting may only increase the cost. Players in their prime rarely become cheaper.

Another strong season, a rising market, or even a potential future labor standoff could push contracts into another inflationary cycle. Instead of gambling on what this season might bring, the Yankees could choose stability now. Extending Jazz during spring training would not be about projecting superstardom at this price point. He may not be willing to consider it so close to free agency in an otherwise-light class for hitters at this point. But if possible, it would be a safe play to secure known production alongside Aaron Judge and locking in a core piece during the competitive window already in place.

*In an effort to make the nomination voting easier for everyone, I will comment, “NOMINATIONS”, and you may reply to that with your picks and upvote the player you’d like to see on the next nominee list.

We’ve officially finished the top-20 prospects in the Athletics system. This was where we were planning to end this series but due to high demand and a few weeks left until Opening Day, we’re set to continue our CPL for at least around five rounds of voting. So get ready for a few more votes!

The player that rounds out the top-20 prospects in the system according to A’s fans is righty Kade Morris. The 23-year-old was the return piece the A’s received back in exchange for former All-Star Paul Blackburn. He just wrapped up his first full season in the Athletics’ system, first beginning at Double-A and pitching well there before a promotion to the final stop in the minors. His time with the Aviators went a bit tougher than his time in Midland but hopefully a full year at Triple-A can further his development. Like many of the names on our CPL Morris could be an option for the A’s as soon as this upcoming season.

We have our first reliever taking a spot among the nominees as right-hander Eduarniel Nunez gets the nod to replace Morris in the next round of voting. One of the return pieces the A’s got back from the Padres in exchange for Mason Miller and JP Sears, Nunez comes with a big fastball and wicked slider than should make him a force in the backend of the bullpen… if he can learn to harness his two-pitch repertoire. If he can manage to do that the A’s could have their future closer already on hand.

The process for this public vote is explained below. Please take a moment to read this before participating:

• Please only vote for one. The player with the most votes at the end of voting will win the ranked spot. The remaining four players move on to the next ballot where they are joined by a new nominee.
• In the comments, below the official voting, the community will nominate players to be put onto the ballot for the next round. The format for your comment should be “Nomination: Player Name”.
• If a prospect is traded, his name will be crossed out, and all other players will be moved up a space. If a prospect is acquired, a special vote will be put up to determine where that player should rank.

Click on the link here to vote!

* * *

A’s fans top prospects, ranked:

1. Leo De Vries, SS
2. Jamie Arnold, LHP
3. Gage Jump, LHP
4. Wei-En Lin, LHP
5. Braden Nett, RHP
6. Henry Bolte, OF
7. Johenssy Colome, SS
8. Edgar Montero, SS
9. Steven Echavarria, RHP
10. Devin Taylor, OF
11. Mason Barnett, RHP
12. Tommy White, 3B
13. Henry Baez, RHP
14. Zane Taylor, RHP
15. Cole Miller, RHP
16. Gunnar Hoglund, RHP
17. Shotaro Morii, SS/RHP
18. Junior Perez, OF
19. Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, SS
20. Kade Morris, RHP

The voting continues! Time to vote for the 19th-best in the system everyone. Here’s a quick rundown on each nominee— the scouting grades (on a 20-to-80 scale) and scouting reports come from MLB Pipeline.

Nominees on the current ballot:

Eduarniel Nunez, RHP

Expected level: Triple-A/Majors | Age: 26

2025 stats (AA/AAA): 2.51 ERA, 39 appearances, 46 2/3 IP, 71 K, 25 BB, 2 HR, 2.90 FIP

2025 stats (Majors): 7.11 ERA, 10 appearances, 12 2/3 IP, 11 K, 11 BB, 2 HR, 6.77 FIP

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 70 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40

Pitching exclusively out of the stretch, Núñez has the goal to blow both of his pitches past batters, starting with a 97-99 mph heater that has touched as high as 101.4 mph in front of Statcast this season. It’s pure velo over movement here, and Núñez gets minimal extension under six feet (allowing batters to see the fastball a little longer), but it’s still enough to make for an uncomfortable at-bat. The Dominican Republic native’s upper-80s slider is an even better pitch, getting good depth while still being thrown hard, and it’s posted whiff and chase rates above 40 percent in the Minors during Núñez’s time in the San Diego system. Plenty of left-handed hitters have been fooled by the breaking ball too, but without a quality changeup, Núñez has drastic handedness splits.

Núñez’s desire to show explosive stuff can lead to inconsistencies in his delivery, and while his control numbers were much-improved with the Padres, he’s still likely to have issues locating routinely in the Majors. But there’s no doubt his electric arsenal is a quality find for a big league bullpen.

A.J. Causey, RHP

Expected level: Double-A | Age: 23

2025 stats (A+/AA): 1.72 ERA, 48 appearances, 73 1/3 IP, 75 K, 18 BB, 0 HR, 2.28 FIP

Causey thrives with a fastball that hovers around 90 mph, but that’s because he has a funky sidearm delivery that helps him get crazy movement and deception with his arsenal. Causey excelled in his first full pro season, posting a 1.72 ERA across High-A Quad Cities and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He’s a fast mover with a different look that could add to the Royals’ bullpen in the coming years.

Causey began the year with a sinker, changeup and sweeper, but he added a four-seam fastball this season to help him at the top of the zone. After years of working on adding a cutter, Causey finally found something that works with the four-seamer.

Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang, RHP

Expected level: Double-A | Age: 25

2025 stats (AA): 4.08 ERA, 26 starts (28 appearances), 145 2/3 IP, 145 K, 35 BB, 22 HR, 4.19 FIP

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 45 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 550 | Control: 55 | Overall: 40

Zhuang relies heavily on his four-seam fastball, which can touch 95 mph but normally hovers in the 90-93 range. He also throws a low-80s split-finger offering with good diving action. His arsenal is rounded out by a low-80s slider, a mid-70s curveball with good bend and a low-80s changeup.

Zhuang does have a history of injuries, which brings some real concern as to whether he can hold up as a starter despite having the necessary pitch mix for the role. He can command it well, as evidenced by his low walk numbers. For now, the A’s are enjoying watching the rise of the man many in the organization have nicknamed ‘Z-Man.’ He is firmly on their prospect radar, and his age could actually help him move up quickly if the success continues.

Gavin Turley, OF

Expected level: A+ | Age: 22

2025 stats (A): 125 PA, .243/.336/.430, 8 doubles, 0 triples, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 14 BB, 34 K, 0 SB

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 60 | Run: 55 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

In some ways, Turley is the same player he was post-high school, a veritable toolshed with some concerns about him using those tools consistently. He might have had as much raw power as anyone in his Draft class, with some scouts hanging a 70 on it. He can drive the ball for extra bases anywhere with prodigious home run pop thanks to outstanding bat speed, and he was showing more ability to hit the ball out the other way this spring. There has long been the question about whether he’ll hit enough to get to that power. He had a 36 percent miss rate in 2024 with the Beavers, leading to a 27.3 percent strikeout rate, and while he’s improved those rates this season, including his propensity to chase breaking stuff, the swing-and-miss is still a concern. He does draw a ton of walks to help offset that.

Turley has above-average speed, though he hasn’t used it to be a basestealing threat. His athleticism does help him in the outfield, where his easily plus arm is also an asset. He’s played more left field than anywhere else and he should fit nicely as a corner outfielder in pro ball.

Yunior Tur, RHP

Expected level: Triple-A | Age: 26

2025 stats (A+/AA/AAA): 3.29 ERA, 26 starts (30 appearances), 125 2/3 IP, 130 K, 60 BB, 7 HR, 3.79 FIP

Per The Athletics’ Keith Law:

Tur is 26 but only signed with the A’s before the 2023 season after several seasons pitching in the Serie Nacional in Cuba. He started almost all of last year, going from High A to Triple A, although I think he’s a straight reliever. He comes straight over the top, sitting 96 with some ride along with a 55 splitter and a low-90s cutter that doesn’t miss many bats. The slider is fringy and he’s very north-south because of the arm slot. He could pitch in the big-league bullpen right now.

* * *

Programming Note: Each CPL vote will run for around 48 hours, so don’t delay in making your

Today we look at the Cubs’new left-handed reliever.

Hoby Milner came to the Cubs as a free agent after spending a year as a Texas Ranger, where he had a little success, as he has had during a long career, previously with the Phillies, Rays, and Brewers. His ERA and peripherals weren’t so great, early in his career, but he seems to have righted the ship and has been dependable for years. Lifetime, he’s 13-9, 3.82 in 341 innings, in which he has logged 321 strikeouts, issued 94 bases on balls, and opponents have hit a rather high .252 against his offerings.

He throws a lot of ground balls. In 2025, his pitches resulted in 9 GIDP and he has 33 all-time. He’s a middle-reliever-type with a lot of holds on his baseball card. He’s likely to make the Opening Day roster and alternate with Caleb Thielbar.

Milner’s lifetime bWAR is 1.1 (2.8 fWAR). He signed a one-year, $3.75 million contract this past December. Milner is 35, 6’3”, 187. Projections have him throwing 60 innings with an ERA around 4.00 and three wins. He has four pitches, relying heavily on his sweeper and sinker, with a changeup and four-seamer worked into the mix.

His results the last few years have been pretty consistent, though nothing to write home about. But the Cubs love guys like Milner, ostensibly because the longtime vets deal with playoff pressure better than others, and have more predictable outcomes.

We’ll see. It’s always possible that a player at his age drops off. But Milner looks good to go right now. He’s got some good funk. We need the funk. Give us the funk.

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With the World Baseball Classic on the near horizon, teams are plugging lineup holes left and right.

These factors directly influence my MLB picks for Tuesday, March 3, which include the Cleveland Guardians among a trio of moneyline selections.

Spring Training predictions for March 3

Pick	Odds
SD moneyline	-105
CLE moneyline	-115
LAA moneyline	+115

Pick #1: Padres moneyline

Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. are off for the World Baseball Classic, but the San Diego Padres are still the superior team compared to the Chicago White Sox.

Nick Pivetta clears Sean Newcomb between the starters, and Jackson Merrill is still a better hitter than anyone in Chicago's lineup.

San Diego has the better bullpen, too, so I'll take the Friars as slight underdogs on a line that feels like an overcorrection.

Pick #2: Guardians moneyline

In the reverse sense, I actually buy into the Dodgers' absences being more of a problem. For one, Shohei Ohtani is with Team Japan, prepping for the World Baseball Classic. And while they aren't at the WBC, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Kyle Tucker are not scheduled to start this afternoon.

None of Los Angeles' top hitting prospects — namely Dalton Rushing, Mike Sirota, Zyhir Hope, or Josue De Paula — are in the lineup, either.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Guardians are trotting out a lineup that could mirror a regular-season batting order, complete with Jose Ramirez in the three-hole. This line should move toward Cleveland.

Pick #3: Angels moneyline

Seattle Mariners right-hander Bryan Woo could be a legitimate ace, and he gives his team the eye-test edge vs. the Los Angeles Angels and starter George Klassen (his upside is intriguing, though).

But Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh are in the WBC, taking away Seattle's two biggest weapons. While the Angels are far from fearsome, especially sans Mike Trout, +115 offers enough cushion to elevate them above a shorthanded Mariners squad.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

It was another active offseason on the margins for the Mets. Let’s see how they did.

Bats

Mike Tauchman, signed to a minor league deal only days before camp opened, is far and away the best player we’ll cover here. He’s coming off a season with a .356 OBP, a 115 wRC+, platoon-neutral performance, and scratch defense in a corner despite being 35. There’s an argument that he’s a credible starter batting in the bottom half of the lineup, and is at worst a decent part time player who can pair with a right-handed option. If you’re wondering why Mike Yastrzemski got a two-year, $23M contract from the Braves and Tauchman received only a minor league deal, I can’t explain it to you; this acquisition is a legitimate coup.

Per Tauchman himself, it seems like there’s a decent chance he makes the team out of Spring Training. What that means for the rest of the roster is less clear. The Mets reportedly cleared out Carson Benge’s locker and moved him next to the other prospects in deference to Tauchman. Is that meant to be a message about Benge’s performance to date or is it just veteran hierarchy? We leave interpretation up to the reader. It’d obviously be ideal if Benge is good enough to take the job and run with it (and I’d still bet on that outcome frankly). Having Tauchman around as a fallback is great insurance, however, and he’ll also function as a very solid part time player when the time comes.

We’ll call out two other additions here in MJ Melendez and Vidal Brujan. Melendez was signed to a split deal in early February and seemed like an early favorite to make the roster until Tauchman came on board. He was at one point the heir apparent to Salvador Perez in Kansas City, but it quickly became clear that 1) Perez wasn’t going anywhere, 2) Melendez couldn’t actually catch and 3) that Melendez couldn’t actually hit either. He’s been a below average bat with poor corner outfield defense, but is only 27 and hits the ball hard. Maybe there’s something the Mets can fix here that the Royals (hardly a bastion of good development) couldn’t. Melendez does have options remaining as well, so he can be stashed in Triple-A.

Brujan (acquired for cash from the Twins) is another former top prospect who hasn’t worked out to date, but he has more demonstrable utility than Melendez at present. He doesn’t impact the ball with any authority and swings way too much, but his speed and defensive flexibility make him a potentially useful bench piece. Brujan appeared at third, short, second, and all three outfield spots last season. I’d bet on him holding onto a bench spot over someone like Ronny Mauricio to start the season, though he may quickly be squeezed out given his lack of options.

Others players:

• CF Ji Hwan Bae (waiver claim, PIT) – speedy utility type who has never hit; convicted of assaulting his girlfriend in South Korea in 2018, for which he was suspended 30 games
• 3B Jose Rojas (MiLB FA) – 32-year-old Quad-A corner infielder with a 152 wRC+ in the Yankees system in 2025
• SS Jackson Cluff (MiLB FA) – generic upper-minors SS depth
• CF Jose Ramos (MiLB FA) – former Dodger farmhand with decent damage but significant approach and contact problems
• CF Cristian Pache (MiLB FA) – former top prospect who has never hit but can still go get it in center field
• SS Christian Arroyo (MiLB FA) – generic upper minors IF depth
• IF Grae Kessinger (MiLB FA) – slightly more interesting upper minors IF depth; can play all four infield spots and has a penchant for pulled fly balls despite weak exits
• C Austin Barnes (MiLB FA) – 4th catcher type
• C Ben Rortvedt (waiver claim, LAD) – 4th catcher type

Arms

Craig Kimbrel (minor league deal worth $2.5M if he makes the majors) is certainly the most famous name we’ll discuss here. Now 37-years-old, the likely future Hall of Famer posted a 2.25 ERA in 12 innings last year despite a walk rate over 14% and a BABIP of .348. He also spent 39 innings in the minors. Kimbrel still got some decent stuff, though it’s a far cry from his peak form why he was nigh unhittable. That said, when a pitcher of Kimbrel’s reputation is languishing for two-thirds of the season on minor league busses, that’s a decent sign of where things are at. I wouldn’t expect him to make the team out of Spring Training given the bevy of other options available, but boy it’d sure be fun if he had one last run in the tank for a former division rival.

Though less famous than Kimbrel, Bryan Hudson is more likely to make a significant impact on the 2026 squad. He was a disaster for most of last season, no doubt, but his 4.2 inning stint down the stretch with the White Sox displayed a potential return to form in terms of velocity, stuff metrics, and location. Yes, a back strain robbed Hudson of the end of his season, but he was legitimately one of the best relievers in baseball in 2024. Getting him back to that form would be a serious boon to the Mets relief corps, and all he cost them was some cash.

I’ll also call out Mike Baumann here as another interesting arm, though you could argue for a longer discussion of several guys on the list below. He’s got a neat little knuckle curve and a decent fastball. Even more interesting, the Mets plucked him out of Japan despite a middling performance in 15 innings. That could give one the nagging suspicion that there’s something under the hood the team thinks they can maximize here. Will that work? Probably not, but you’ve got to plant your flag and speculate on a dude from time to time.

Others players:

• RHP Nick Burdi (MiLB FA) – upper minors relief depth with strong stuff grades on his fastball and sweeper per Rob Orr’s app
• LHP Anderson Severino (MiLB FA) – cousin of Luis Severino, signed after a standout season in the Mexican League and an even better Winter Ball performance for Tigres del Licey; may compete for a spot as the second lefty early on
• LHP Joe Jacques (MiLB FA) – 30-year-old reliever who spent time in Triple-A with the Mariners and Dodgers and had an ERA over 6 in 2025; has interesting damage suppression traits
• RHP Daniel Duarte (MiLB FA) – former semi-notable relief prospect who blew out his arm in late 2024; had a flat fasteball (good) and interesting slider prior to being hurt
• RHP Carl Edwards Jr. (MiLB FA) – formerly a very good reliever, hasn’t been healthy or effective since 2022
• RHP Kevin Hergert (MiLB FA) – reunion with an upper-minors depth guy
• RHP Jun-Seok Shim (MiLB FA) – was at one point a semi-notable prospect out of South Korea, but has never made it out of the complex while dealing with shoulder issues
• RHP Tyler Burch (MiLB FA) – two-year deal for pitcher coming off elbow surgery
• RHP Ofreidy Gomez (MiLB FA) – flame-throwing reliever with big DSL performance this winter

Conclusion

I planned to have a harsher curve for all grades this offseason, but especially for these sorts of minor moves. It’s very easy to convince yourself that all your low-cost gambles will work out, even when there’s little reason to do so. As of early February, when Melendez, Kimbrel, and Hudson were the most notable additions (all additions I like, to be clear), this was likely to be a B of some sort – solid, but unremarkable.

Tauchman changes that calculus. I think he’s one of the steals of the offseason. Yes, at 35 he might just stop being good at any moment, time comes for us all eventually and not always in steady, predictable ways. But he was legitimately very good last year and the Mets added him to serve as excellent insurance for their top outfield prospect AND a useful reserve outfielder AND a contributor at DH for nothing…well, less than what similar players received in free agency. That addition pushes this category of moves over the line for me; the minor moves receive an A.