Category: Baseball

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

Padres News:

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

Baseball News:

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

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

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

Some notes from this group:

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

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

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

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

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

We’re this close to baseball.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Detroit Tigers News

• Welcome back to the D, JV!

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

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

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

AL Central News

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

MLB News

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

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

• Oof.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let us know what you think, Camden Chatters.

Meet the Mets

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Around the National League East

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

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

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

Around Major League Baseball

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

The Athletics have signed pitcher Aaron Civale.

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

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

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

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

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

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

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

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

This Date in Mets History

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Dodgers made a flurry of waiver claims over the past week, first by reclaiming outfielder Michael Siani from the New York Yankees while designating recent signee Andy Ibañez for assignment.

The Dodgers then brought back catcher Ben Rortvedt off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds, and in doing so, they made the tough decision to designate Anthony Banda for assignment. Banda had been a fixture within the Dodgers bullpen over the past two seasons, posting a combined 3.14 ERA across 114 2/3 innings while pitching 30 percent better than league average per ERA+.

With the Dodgers having a plethora of left-handed relief options paired with the fact that Banda no longer has any available minor league options, the expectation is that Banda will be traded by Friday, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Ardaya notes that Banda should have a respectable amount of interest, considering the scarcity of left-handed bullpen options still available on the open market.

Now, the team will look to see if it can fetch anything for Banda via trade… Banda is expected to have an interesting trade market, with quality left-handed relievers being hard to come by – much less at his $1.625 million price tag.

Links

The Dodgers continued shoring up their non-roster invitee group on by signing both right-handed pitcher Jordan Weems and catcher Seby Zavala to minor league deals. Weems has appeared in 144 career games across parts of six big league seasons, most recently posting a 14.54 ERA in just 4 1/3 innings with the Houston Astros last year. Zavala has played in 194 career games across parts of five seasons, having most recently appeared in 18 games with the Seattle Mariners in 2024.

The Dodgers outfield is now more fortified both offensively and defensively with the addition of All-Star Kyle Tucker, giving Teoscar Hernández the opportunity to return back to left field. Waiting in the distance are some of the Dodgers’ top prospects, which includes outfielders Josue de Paula and Zyhir Hope.

Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com aren’t ready to jump the gun on de Paula getting his first cup of coffee at the big league level this season, with Callis noting that the star talent is too heavy for the 20-year-old outfielder to get a legitimate shot.

Per Mayo: There’s no chance. I love Josue De Paula. I love the bat. I could see him being ahead of the timeline and being ready by, say, September.

Per Callis: The Dodgers’ lineup is just too loaded.

The salary cap/floor debate will be the one of the main talking points once the current CBA expires after the 2026 season, as the Dodgers seemingly “ruin” baseball with the amount of spending they’ve done over the last three offseasons. Just because there is a salary cap doesn’t automatically give every other team a fair chance of being competitive.

Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times takes a look at the Sacramento Kings and the NBA as a whole when discussing the need for a salary cap, as he notes that the quality of spending and managing outweighs the amount of capital they possess.

If you are a fan of a small-market baseball team, and you hear your owner say your team would win if only MLB had a salary cap, our friends in Sacramento would offer you three letters in response: LOL.

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Tigers fans got an unexpected surprise yesterday when the team announced a one-year deal with Justin Verlander. Verlander, who began his career in Detroit, was a beloved former ace for the club, and the reunion—that might be more of a farewell tour—feels like an appropriate next chapter for both Verlander and the club.

In today’s news bites we’ll also look at Paul Goldschmidt’s reunion with the Yankees, plus the lockout-proof contract Cody Bellinger signed with the Bronx Bombers. We’ll also explore how the World Baseball Classic managed to help form some of the best pitching we’ve seen in MLB, and also puzzle out precisely how we’re all supposed to watch baseball this season.

Let’s get right into it!

• Paul Goldschmidt will be home in New York, New York this season. Story by Ben Clemens.
• Ben Clemens reports that the Pirates have signed Marcell Ozuna.
• Kennedi Landry shares the iconic Nolan Ryan moment that the Rangers are turning into a bloody interesting giveaway.
• Jason Foster looks at the top player in every position headed into the 2026 season.
• Stephanie Apstein looks at the lockout-proof provision Cody Bellinger built into his contract.
• Jorge Castillo looks at how the last Team USA managed to craft one of the most unstoppable pitching rotations in baseball.
• Stephen J. Nesbitt has the annual Athletic fan survey. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Justin Verlander is back where it all began for him.

• Jason Beck breaks down the one-year deal signed by Verlander with the Tigers.
• A look at the six-player deal that sent Caleb Durbin from the Brewers to the Red Sox. Story by Davy Andrews.
• Anthony DiComo reports that Francisco Lindor is being checked for a potential hamate bone injury, surgery is possible.
• Patrik Andres shares that Terrance Gore, a former World Series winner with the Royals, has passed away at the young age of 34.
• After Verlander, Kershaw, and Scherzer, when will we see the next Hall of Fame starting pitcher, and what does the new wave of starter look like? Story by Jayson Stark. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• You’d think they’d find a way to make this easier. (Here’s a direct link to the BlueSky post for those on Apple News)

• Anthony Castrovince has a complete guide to how to watch MLB TV.
• Michael Baumann asks the important questions, like: just how much free food can a player consume under the CBA?
• Michael Rosen looks at four back-end starters who finally secured new jobs.
• Keegan Matheson shares that Anthony Santander will miss much of the 2026 season after left shoulder surgery.
• Ex-MLB outfielder Yasiel Puig has been found guilty on two federal charges related to gambling, reports Patrick Andres.
• The Pirates GM says he’ll never close the door on finding ways to reunite with Andrew McCutchen. (AP)
• We loved Kris here, but this is starting to look like it wasn’t the best signing for the Rockies…

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.

Now is prime time for the first stab at a Kansas City Royals roster projection. David Lesky started his take over at Inside the Crown with a good layout of the process.

Every year at the start of spring, I like to take stock of where the Royals roster is at that moment. What we see on February 10 (or whatever day I’ve started in the past) is generally a good chunk of what we’ll see on Opening Day, but there are always some surprise entrants. This year’s Royals roster is filled with some guaranteed spots, but there are still roster battles, both on the bench and among starters. Some of those battles may be more ceremonial than anything, but sometimes those become very real.

Today I’m going to start with the position players and tomorrow I’ll shift to the pitchers. Today, I’m going to include last year’s stats with each player. In another round, I’ll shift to some projections, including maybe even my own if I ever get those done. I look at this as a running piece that I’ll do every couple of weeks or when there’s a reason to make a shift and I’ll run it right up to probably around March 19 or so.

Jaylon Thompson has the latest from pitchers and catchers reporting on Tuesday, including asking Michael Wacha about the fence movement in Kauffman Stadium.

The offense should make a significant leap in 2026. That is due to both the new additions and the club’s decision to move the outfield fences in at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals expect an influx of extra-base hits as the changes are tailored to their lineup.

In the same vein, the pitchers welcome the new challenge. “I’m not even thinking about it really,” Wacha said. “As a pitcher, at least for me, you know, I’m going to stick to what’s worked for me. I tend to be more of a flyball pitcher, but I feel like I’m able to get weak contact at times as well. Hopefully, rely on that weak contact and get a bit more swing and miss than I did last year. I’m not too worried about it though.”

The MLB Pipeline crew is not too worried about Carer Jensen’s chances of making the Royals’ Opening Day roster.

Carter Jensen, C, Royals (MLB No. 18)
Callis: 100 percent

Mayo: 100 percent: That’s an easy one.

The Royals took to social media to announce that royals.tv is open to subscribers!

With an influx of teams being available through mlb.tv adjacent services, there is rightfully a flood of questions with few answers. How do you prefer your explanation? Perhaps from the source itself, MLB.com.

“We are proud of the award-winning production MLB has offered clubs while increasing the reach of the games, enhancing production features, and offering greater access to the players and game,” MLB Deputy Commissioner for business and media Noah Garden said in a release. “Additionally, we are listening to our fans who want blackouts eliminated. MLB’s in-market streaming option allows us to remove a point of friction for the fans.”

For the 15 non-RSN teams, MLB.TV subscription prices will be the same as last year — $99.99 per season or $19.99 per month. Fans can bundle a club’s local streaming service with an MLB.TV out-of-market subscription — giving them access to the entire league’s local games — for $199.99 per season or $39.99 per month, a 20% savings off individual pricing of the two services.

Hard to go wrong with AP, in my mind.

Those who subscribe to Spectrum, DirecTV, Fubo TV, Hulu Live TV and Verizon Fios have access to ESPN Unlimited subscription as a part of their TV plan. The rest, including cord-cutters, pay $29.25 per month for all of the ESPN networks. The local in-market streaming products for 14 teams whose games are produced by MLB will be available on the MLB site and through the teams. So far those teams are the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, San Dieg

For all the catch-alls, Forbes is a good way to go, too.

Technically There’s No Double-Dip Subscription Required
There has been some reporting that, under this new agreement, customers are locked into a dual-subscription model to access MLB.TV. Users may choose to retain ESPN Unlimited and access the wide range of other sports options available there, but there’s no requirement. Again, you have the option to opt out at any time.

CBS Sports’ R.J. Anderson has a way-too-early 2027 free agent rankings, with Kris Bubic rounding out his top ten of the group.

As with Rogers, this is an aggressive rank that Bubic will have to earn — with both quality and quantity. He’s thrown 162 innings total at the big-league level over the last three seasons, with nearly three-quarters of those coming in 2025. Bubic was sensational when he was healthy, but he had his campaign end prematurely on account of a strained rotator cuff. Stay tuned.

Caleb Moody laments about Kansas City not making a deal like Monday’s between the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers.

For the Royals, a name like Durbin would’ve given even more cover at second over their questionable duo of Jonathan India and Michael Massey and Monasterio and his 111 wRC+ in 2025 provided a versatile infield upgrade over current utility options like Nick Loftin and Tyler Tolbert.

And while the Royals top trade piece from their starting pitching surplus, Kris Bubic, may not exactly match the Brewers return of Harrison – given the latter’s remaining team control and prior prospect pedigree – it’s not as if Bubic is their only tradeable starter.

Kevin O’Brien is not too worried about blocking metrics painting a picture of Jensen behind the plate in 2025.

An encouraging trend is that Jensen has bounced back in minimizing passed balls in his repeat of a level the following season. He improved by 15 points in High-A from 2023 to 2024. He improved by 16 points from 2024 to 2025 in Double-A. An encouraging part of his trend was that, while he had some regression in Omaha, he kept it below 0.20 (unlike his first stints in High-A and Double-A in 2023 and 2024, respectively).

Thus, while Jensen has some work to do, he will have plenty of time to improve his blocking skills during Spring Training in Surprise, Arizona. Thus, he should see some improved blocking metrics at the MLB level as a result, especially as he gets a bigger sample of innings behind the plate for the Royals in 2026.

Is he an old friend if he never pitched for the big-league club?

Kyle Wright to the Cubs. Minors deal with MLB camp invite. Wright is the majors’ last 20-game winner.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 10, 2026

The Texas Rangers are giving away bloody Nolan Ryan jersey replicas later this spring.

Here is Robbie Dudzinski using Python and the Markov process to break down an at-bat. Call me a baseball math sadist.

Justin Verlander is back in all-too-familiar threads with the Detroit Tigers on a one-year, $13 million deal.

The injury bug is already biting the New York Mets, as star shortstop Francisco Lindor’s hand injury casts doubt on 2026 status.

Singles savant Luis Arraez finds a home with the San Francisco Giants on a one-year, $12 million pact.

Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson won his arbitration case, earning a $6.8 million salary for the 2026 season.

In case you need a reminder, Kyle Boddy knows ball.

All that glitters is not gold, or as durable as the precious metal, when it comes to the Olympic medals.

Luck and timing are impossible to account for in fantasy sports. Here is an interesting experiment in fantasy football about what could have been.

Baseball is nearly here, but even football has an offseason.

How two mid-market Midwest teams were anything but mid at the NBA trade deadline.

Joe Posnanski is back talking about FROGs again, this time with a basketball lens.

In Milan, Milo and Tina are taking stoats to the next level.

Nielsen’s final numbers are in for Sunday night’s Super Bowl viewership, with the game and halftime show falling shy of record marks and initial estimates.

A new type of Rocky is coming to theaters this year in Project Hail Mary.

Today’s song of the day is tiptoeing by senses.

THIS IS A GUEST ROCKPILE BY EVAN LIU (@evanliu.bsky.social)

Unfortunately, the Colorado Rockies have been an afterthought in MLB in terms of competitiveness. The only way they garnered national attention was by going on massive losing streaks and contending for the worst record in MLB history.

Just one mile down Blake Street at Ball Arena, the Colorado Avalanche went through a similar rebuild and scenario around a decade ago.

There have been some striking similarities in the Rockies’ path to today.

A surprising playoff run leading to nothing

In the 2013-14 season, the Avs made a surprising push for the Stanley Cup. With team legend Patrick Roy making his coaching debut, he shocked and stunned several folks around the NHL with his wild style.

A 52-22-8 record led Colorado to the top of the Central Division in dramatic fashion, which no one expected. Ultimately, they were bounced in the first round in heartbreaking fashion in overtime at home in Game 7 against the Minnesota Wild.

Similarly, the Rockies made the playoffs in two straight seasons in 2017 and 2018. An 87-75 record in 2017 saw them play in the then-one-game Wild Card Game on the road against the Arizona Diamondbacks. They battled hard, coming out on the losing side of an offensive battle 11-8.

The next year, Colorado took the Los Angeles Dodgers to Game 163 for the NL West. While they fell in LA, the next night at the Friendly Confines saw them win a playoff game for the first time in nearly a decade. Tony Wolters’ historic single in the 13th inning gave the Rockies the 2-1 win over the Chicago Cubs.

While they were swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS, there was hope about going further in the coming years. The same was said about the Avalanche in 2014. Both teams had capable players to build around and push for another chance at the chip. But the following years would not be pretty for either group.

The awkwardly-timed departure of a coach

At Ball Arena, Roy’s tenure came to an abrupt end. Just a month before the 2016-17 season, the Avs announced his resignation as head coach. Colorado was left scrambling for a new man at the helm, who would eventually be Jared Bednar.

Meanwhile, at Coors Field, last season saw Bud Black finally be on the chopping block. His departure would come a month into the start of the new season, though. Both of the coaches leaving at the times they did just made things that much harder for each team.

Making the wrong kind of history

Bednar had less than a month to prepare for the 2016-17 season for the Avalanche. It showed, as they scored only 48 points with a record of 22-56-4. It marked the worst season in franchise history since they moved from Quebec City.

While they did not make history as the Chicago White Sox did just a year before, the Colorado Rockies dropped over 100 games in three straight seasons. The latter of the three smashed the franchise record for most losses in a single season.

A -424 run differential was made up by the worst 50-game start to a season, with an 8-42 record. Even after Warren Schaeffer was made interim manager, it didn’t get much better. The Rox rebounded but were still in the basement of the league by season’s end.

Big-name moves to change the team

Both the Avalanche and the Rockies made big moves to change course.

The Avs traded away Matt Duchene, a fan favorite and third-overall pick in 2009, at the start of the 2017-18 season after voicing his displeasure with the team and their trajectory. The move actually heavily benefited the Avs, as young defenseman Samuel Girard blossomed into a nice addition on the blue line, still to this day.

Meanwhile, the Rockies let go of another fan favorite recently: Ryan McMahon. The Rox only got two prospect relievers in the form of Josh Grosz and Griffin Herring. Grosz was dealt for Jake McCarthy last month, but Herring could blossom into a nice addition in the coming years.

So what now for the Rox?

The Avalanche were able to bounce back from their worst season on record to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs the next year. Since then, they haven’t missed the postseason and took home the Stanley Cup in 2022.

Meanwhile, should the Rockies continue following a similar pattern to their neighbors down the street, a first World Series ring is coming in 2031! All jokes aside, the purple pinstripes have some work ahead of them to follow a similar trajectory to the Avalanche and their striking similarities thus far.

Rockies sign RHP Tomoyuki Sugano | Purple Row

The Rockies got a new arm in the rotation with the surprising signing of Tomoyuki Sugano. He’s the first Japanese player joining Colorado since 2007 – conincidentally the last time the Rox made it to the World Series. The former Baltimore Orioles starter has joined for one year at $5.1 million, sure to bring an interesting spin to the rotation. In a corresponding move, Kris Bryant was added to the 60-day IL.

Colorado Rockies unveil 2026 Spring Training Hat | KDVR

The Rox released a beautiful spring training hat to kick off pitchers and catchers reporting to Salt River Fields in Scottsdale. There are several Arizona-desert themes alongside the typical purple ‘C’ and ‘R’ like a flowery cactus. In just over a week’s time, the hats will be in action for all to see – and perhaps flying off the shelves.

Realistic MLB Trades That Could Happen Before 2026 Opening Day | Bleacher Report

Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report put out a spicy trade the Colorado Rockies could make before the regular season begins. It involves a major name from the Phiadelphia Phillies: Nick Castellanos. With his fallout with the Phillies organization and the Rockies looking to add another right-handed man, perhaps they could take a chance on him in hopes of either sticking in the side or becoming trade bait come July.

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