While Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones remain unclear in their roles for the Yankees after the return of Cody Bellinger in left field, the Yankees added some outfield depth Friday by claiming Michael Siani off waivers from the Dodgers.
The 26-year-old Siani spent most of last year with the Cardinals’ Triple-A Memphis affiliate and appeared in just 19 games with St. Louis.
Michael Siani #22 of the St. Louis Cardinals makes a catch in the outfield against the Houston Astros. MLB Photos via Getty Images
But he played 124 games for the Cardinals in 2024, although he had just a .570 OPS.
A solid defender in center field, Siani was selected off waivers by Atlanta from St. Louis in November and then claimed by the Dodgers last month.
He was designated for assignment by Los Angeles after they signed Kyle Tucker.
A player who fits the exact criteria the New York Rangers are looking for has found himself in the thick of trade discussions.
In the letter issued last week by Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury emphasizing the team’s intentions to retool the roster, Drury said that the team will focus on obtaining young players.
According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, the Seattle Kraken could be willing to trade Shane Wright if the appropriate offer presented itself.
“Teams say that Jason Botterill, the GM of the Seattle Kraken, is listening on Shane Wright,” Dreger said. “But he is in no rush and understandably, the expected return for Shane Wright is incredibly high.”
Wright was selected by the Kraken with the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, and despite recording a career high of 44 points during the 2024-25 campaign, he hasn’t quite lived up to expectations in Seattle.
If the Rangers are indeed looking to get younger and begin the process of retooling the roster, acquiring the 22-year-old forward is a good place to start.
The Kraken are reportedly looking for a top-six winger, and it’s public knowledge now that the Rangers won’t re-sign Artemi Panarin and will look to deal him ahead of the trade deadline on March 6.
There have also been discussions around the Rangers potentially shopping Alexis Lafrenière, who Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman directly links to the Kraken in a hypothetical trade involving Wright.
“The Kraken have never had that dynamic young scorer,” Friedman said. “And I think they're hoping that Wright can get them that (in a trade). (I was asked) 'Could you see them doing Wright for Lafreniere?' I don't know how both teams feel... But when I thought about that, that's not the worst idea I've ever heard... Both players could use a change of scenery... I think there's logic behind it.”
In 49 games this season, Wright has tallied seven goals, 10 assists, and 17 points while averaging 13:44 minutes.
The New York Yankees claimed Michael Siani off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, continuing a busy offseason transactionally for the center fielder in his fourth organization in the last four months.
The 26-year-old has played parts of the last four seasons in the majors with the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals. A .221/.271/.270 career hitter, Siani is much more known for his outfield defense, with 17 career Outs Above Average in only 1,014 innings, a little over two-thirds of a season.
Siani ended last season with the Cardinals, for whom the bulk of his major league playing time has come. He was claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves on November 6, then claimed off waivers by the Dodgers on December 12, before getting claimed on Friday by the Yankees.
With a lot of the top positional talent in the system under 20 years of age, it’s no surprise that the two players that land in the Top 100 are both pitchers. That said, 19 year old left handed pitcher Cam Caminiti leads the charge for the Braves coming in at No. 53 overall. Cam had a fantastic 2025 season that saw him pitch a combined 70 innings across two levels (FCL & Low-A) finishing the season on an absolute tear for Augusta – posting a 2.08 ERA, 11.98 K/9, and 4.15 BB/9. It’s been well documented here that Cam was mainly a two pitch pitcher last year, focusing on his fastball command and sweeper, occasionally throwing in a changeup. 2026 is a big season, as it is expected that the Braves fully unleash Cam and his talented arsenal.
Also coming up with a strong season, and coming in at No. 84 overall, is JR Ritchie. JR pitched across three levels last season (A+, AA, AAA) where he threw a combined 140 innings, had a 2.64 ERA, while maintaining a 9.0 K/9, and 3.47 BB/9. At 22 years of age, JR will be pushing the Braves to include him in Atlanta plans during the spring where he may be a potential addition to the rotation should he show continued strong play. If not, he is likely one of the first arms up should/when the Braves need an additional starting pitcher.
While the Braves landed just two this season, there is a chance that number increases as a number of the positional prospects showcased strong seasons last year in Low-A and A-ball.
The Cubs had played a bit better after the All-Star break in 2022, but were still far out of first place, or indeed, any contention.
They had picked up Franmil Reyes on waivers from the Guardians in early August. Just one year earlier, Reyes had a 30-homer season for Cleveland (and had hit 37 for the Padres in 2019), but his offense had trailed off badly and he was let go.
The Cubs got him and figured, “Why not take a chance?” But it didn’t really work. In 48 games for the Cubs, Reyes hit .234/.301/.389 with five home runs and departed as a free agent after the season.
But not before he took the mound for the Cubs!
The Cubs played six doubleheaders in 2022, many of them forced by rescheduling after the lockout. The last of those was Tuesday, Aug. 23 against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. They actually won the first game 2-0, a combined five-hit shutout by Javier Assad (making his MLB debut!), Michael Rucker, Sean Newcomb, Erich Uelmen and Brandon Hughes.
But the Cardinals teed off on Adrian Sampson, Nicholas Padilla and Anderson Espinoza and led 7-3 when Steven Brault entered with the bases loaded and nobody out in the ninth. He wasn’t any better, allowing a walk, double and triple that made it 12-3.
That brought David Ross out, and Reyes took the mound. He had been the DH that day, so no other lineup changes were needed.
Reyes played for the Royals in 2023 and has played the last two years for NPB’s Nippon Ham Fighters. In 2025 he batted .277/.347/.515 with 32 home runs in 132 games, and he’s under contract with the Fighters for 2026.. He’s only 30. The Cubs don’t need him, but I could see a MLB team taking a chance on him in the future.
Good afternoon everyone, it’s time to dive back into the mailbag and answer some of your questions. Remember to send in your questions for our bi-weekly call by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
The idiot that said, “Harper is coming” asks:Now that Bellinger is officially back, what’s next?A) Nothing of note.B) Trade of Dominguez or Jones to clear the deck a little.C) Trade not involving those two to better the team.D) Signing another free agent.E) Some combination of these choices — please specify.
I think my answer at this point in the offseason would be E. I don’t think they’ll trade Domínguez or Jones in the next month or so, but rather hold onto them as insurance until the deadline where they can outline their needs more and perhaps have better targets to go after. Could you argue there were solid additions they could’ve made over the offseason by trading one of them earlier instead of letting other teams load up on starting pitchers? Certainly, but they played their waiting game with Cody Bellinger, and while it worked out in terms of getting a deal done without going past a fifth year it did carry an opportunity cost of needing to hold onto them in case they did walk away from Bellinger and needed to have them on hand for a spring training competition.
As for the remaining needs the team has, there’s always room for a reliever and the lineup could use another right-handed bat with a focus on their catching tandem. Both Austin Wells and J.C. Escarra hit from the lefty’s batter box, and Ben Rice hits lefty as well so his occasional forays behind the plate can’t solve that issue. Flipping Escarra for a righty might be something the Yankees explore, and I trust the Yankees brass to find effective targets from other organizations to replenish the bullpen. They could also just end up signing a random reliever, which is the only reason I’m going with E instead of outright answering C, but given how late we are in the winter I think if there were arms they thought could get mileage out of with some tweaks they would’ve gotten them already. There could be a gem hidden on another roster that becomes available for a decent price, however, and if there’s any avenue of roster building I’ll give my full faith to Brian Cashman and company on it’s this one.
Hector asks: Should the Yanks create more playing time for Dominguez by NOT carrying a traditional BUC? Instead, let Rice be the primary 1B and the BUC. When Rice catches, Belli can play 1B, and Jasson plays LF. I prefer Jasson’s good bat/bad glove to Escarra’s bad bat/good glove.
As we just talked about, there’s reason to believe they do want a traditional backup catcher in the mix but also want to add another right-handed bat into the mix. Should they fail to find that, however, I wouldn’t mind this arrangement too much — part of Bellinger’s appeal is his defensive versatility, and I like giving Rice more consistent playing time behind the plate to ensure that he can hold it down. On top of that, if Domínguez is going to be on the roster he needs to find regular playing time or else they’d honestly be wasting him at this point in his development.
The only downside is that it limit’s Aaron Boone’s ability to utilize his bench late in the game if he wanted to, because if he commits to a swap and then an injury happens at any of those relevant positions there’s suddenly not enough bodies to fill the field properly. The team has an abundance of options for the middle infield with José Caballero and Amed Rosario in the mix, and in a pinch could shift one of them there, but over the course of 162 games its safer to have insurance across the field.
OLDY MOLDY asks:Does Beltran’s entry into HOF absolve the taint of the cheating scandals?
It doesn’t surprise me that the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal was treated differently than the steroid era players in the eyes of the writers, namely because one was a case of a team-organized offense versus individuals from across the league making the choice to utilize steroids. You could argue that didn’t save the players in the Black Sox scandal, but clearly throwing games/gambling is put in a higher tier of sin than the sign-stealing operations that were prolific in the 2010s but done to excess by Houston after the league had warned clubs against continued scheming. So the penalty that Beltrán, the first big name of the Astros’ championship roster to find himself up for election into the Hall and with a more than reasonable shot at it? Opening on less than half the ballots and waiting out another year of incremental gain before shooting up to success in his third year of eligibility.
There’s also something to the fact that the upset party in the respective cases were complete opposites. The league was the one that brought the hammer down on the players for the crime of using substances that they tacitly approved of until the Mitchell Report and congressional hearings forced them to change their tune, but the outrage over the Astros’ scheme was in large part stoked by their fellow competitors. That grudge carried over for a number of years, perhaps even still quietly harbored to this day but pushed aside as the core responsible aged and other playoff runs proved Houston a routine contender, but the league itself fumbled their investigation so badly that Beltrán was the only player that could even face punishment of any kind for it, and he was an aged vet on his last pursuit of a ring when it occurred.
It’d be reasonable to assume that the immunity the commissioner offered Houston’s active players for their testimonies will shield them here as well — the voting base has come down extremely harsher on players that faced actual suspensions and league punishment versus speculation. Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez are facing an even tougher uphill battle than Roger Clemens or Barry Bonds faced in their still-unsuccessful bids, so what would the equivalent of an acquittal do for them? It’s mainly a question for Jose Altuve’s candidacy whenever he hangs up his cleats, as he’s the member of Houston’s core most likely to make it and also the one that his teammates were most adamant didn’t contribute to the scheme. Will the denial of being a first-ballot Hall of Famer be punishment enough in the electorate’s eyes, will they come down harder because he’s a career Astro more attached to the franchise and thus the scandal, or will they gloss over it? It all remains to be seen, and Altuve’s career is far from over to make a full judgement on it now, but the litmus test for how the scandal has aged in the eyes of the Hall is very favorable.
Three months after their baby’s death, Dodgers pitcher Alex Vesia and his wife, Kayla, paid tribute to the little girl with a touching social media post.
The Vesias shared a snap of them on Tuesday embracing in front of a sunset with the caption, “Sterlings mom and dad .”
In the picture, the two had smiles on their faces.
It’s the first time Kayla has put anything on her Instagram grid since Nov. 7, when she and Alex announced they had lost their daughter on Oct. 26, just two days after the Dodgers and Blue Jays began the World Series.
Alex Vesia and his wife, Kayla, have been dating for years. @babyy_vesia/Instagram
Alex was left off the roster for the championship games with what the Dodgers called “a deeply personal family matter.”
In the Vesias’ announcement of Sterling’s passing, they wrote, “There are no words to describe the pain we’re going through but we hold her in our hearts and cherish every second we had with her.”
They also penned a thank you message to the Dodgers, the Blue Jays and all their fans for their support.
“Our little angel,” they added in the caption of the post that showed them holding hands with their little girl, “we love you forever & you’re with us always.”
Alex and Kayla Vesia shared a photo of them holding their daughter’s hand when they announced her tragic passing. Alex Vesia
Vesia, 29, made his MLB debut in 2020 for the Marlins and then made his Dodgers debut in 2021 following a trade from Miami.
Fox Sports unveiled the bulk of their 2026 schedule on Friday, which includes six planned exclusive Saturday games on Fox and two more games on FS1.
Saturday games on Fox are exclusive broadcasts, which means no local telecast for those games, no SportsNet LA broadcast for the Dodgers games. The Dodgers’ six games exclusively on Fox include facing each of their last two National League Championship Series opponents as well as a 2024 World Series rematch against the Yankees in The Bronx. All of these Saturday games starting at 4:15 p.m. PT, except for July 18 against the Yankees:
April 25 vs. Chicago Cubs
May 2 at St. Louis Cardinals
May 23 at Milwaukee Brewers
July 18 at New York Yankees (5:08 p.m. PT)
July 25 at New York Mets
August 15 vs. Brewers
The Dodgers also had exactly six games exclusively on Fox each season dating back to 2022, the first four years of the network’s seven-year contract with Major League Baseball that runs through 2028.
Two other Dodgers games in 2026 will be on FS1, which are non-exclusive broadcasts and available locally, offering the rare dual-broadcast option for folks in the home markets for these games. Both of the FS1 Dodgers telecasts are road games — Monday, April 6 at the Toronto Blue Jays, and Thursday, August 27 at the Atlanta Braves.
Here are all the Los Angeles Dodgers games during the 2026 season that will be available to watch on television or streaming nationally.
NBC Sports is the newcomer among Major League Baseball’s broadcast partners this season, signing a three-year deal to take over the former ESPN ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ slate as well as Sunday leadoff games on NBC, NBC Sports Network, and Peacock. ESPN will still have exclusive games this season and through 2028, but those will now be during the week.
Other national broadcasters are Fox Sports, Apple TV+, and TBS.
Six Dodgers Saturday games will be exclusively televised by Fox this season, beginning on April 25 against the Chicago Cubs. Two more games will be on FS1, though those games aren’t exclusive, which means the Dodgers’ own telecast on SportsNet LA will be available locally as well.
Apple TV+ has not yet announced any of its exclusive Friday Night Baseball broadcasts. Typically, Apple TV+ announces the first half of its schedule before the season, then announces each successive month over the course of the season.
Seranthony Dominguez, the long time Baltimore Orioles reliever whom the Blue Jays acquired at this past season’s trade deadline, has signed a deal with the Chicago White Sox. Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the deal is for two years and $20 million. Dominguez has been a steady performer throughout his career, with an ERA between 10 and 30% better than league average in all but one season and a 3.50 mark overall in 306.0 innings. Since missing 2020 and most of 2021 with injury, he’s managed at least 54 appearances and 50 innings in four straight seasons. His 10.5% career walk rate and very good but not elite 27.9% K rate aren’t quite high end closer material, but he has consistently limited hard contact and fits as a high quality setup man in a contender’s bullpen.
After being traded to Toronto in exchange for Juaron Watts-Brown, the Jays’ 2023 third round pick, he posted a 3.00 ERA in 24 appearances with 12 hits, 12 walks and 25 strikeouts in 21.0 innings. He also appeared in a dozen games during Toronto’s playoff run, allowing four runs over 11.1 innings.
This winter, he entered free agency in the second tier of the relief market, behind elite closer Edwin Diaz. His contract is 10th in AAV and seventh in total value among relievers who have signed.
The White Sox seem like an unlikely landing spot for an expensive 31 year old reliever. They project as one of the three worst teams in the league and solidly the worst in the American League. They have money to spend, though, with only four players making over a million dollars. The signing will push their payroll up from 30th in the league to 28th, ahead of the Miami Marlins and roughly tied with the Cleveland Guardians. They’ll also likely be able to flip him at either this deadline or the next, especially if they’re willing to keep some money. That’ll secure some prospect capital to continue their never ending rebuild. From Dominguez’s point of view, he lands a solid payday and a closer job, and while he isn’t going to get a chance for a ring in Chicago he might wherever they inevitably deal him.
For the Jays, this further reinforces that they’re probably done on the free agent market. The position player market is all but barren, with arguably no one left who would crack the starting lineup. Barring a shocking move for Framber Valdez, the same is true of the rotation. Dominguez coming off the board also means that there’s no remaining reliever who would move the needle. Any additions at this point will have to come from trades, if they don’t feel like they’re ready with the roster they currently have.
This would be a significant change on the trade winds rumor front.
According to former Fox 26 Houston Sports Director Will Kunkel, the Astros are not currently in trade discussions with the Boston Red Sox for OF Jarren Duran:
The Houston Astros are NOT in trade talks for Red Sox OF Jarren Duran , per source.
Now, trade talks and rumors are a fickle entity, as not currently being in trade talks doesn’t mean they weren’t previously in trade talks, nor does it mean they cannot be involved in future trade talks. However, at the current time, it would appear these trade talks have stalled/ceased.
The Astros have also been linked to another Red Sox player, OF Wilyer Abreu. While not possessing Duran’s offensive upside, Abreu is also a lefthanded hitter, is younger, and has won 2 consecutive Gold Gloves in the outfield. Abreu is not arbitration eligible until 2027, making him far cheaper than Duran.
As posted on Crawfish Boxes yesterday, the Red Sox may be transitioning off of Isaac Paredes and looking for a more defensive-minded player for 2B instead. You can see that information here:
The Astros are still considered likely to clear up their current logjam in the infield by trading either Isaac Paredes or Christian Walker. Paredes has far more value, and a Walker trade would be more of a salary dump.
The Milwaukee Brewers play big. The zythophilian juggernauts of the NL Central have the same number of division titles as the Dodgers over the past half decade. They’ve been punching down on the incompetent and/or uncompetitive clubs in their division, while managing to outmaneuver the Chicago Cubs, and pushing the St. Louis Cardinals into their first period of irrelevance in the 21st century. Many of those haymakers have come from a vaunted pitching development program, generating aces from unexpected places. Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta have benefited from brilliant bullpens, too, with Josh Hader, Devin Williams, Abner Uribe, and Trevor Megill blossoming on the West Coast (of Lake Michigan).
The newest focus for the Brew Crew, however, has been on punching up. While they can frequently outfox their low-effort division-mates, what’s put Milwaukee in perennial competition in recent years has been the capacity to literally punch up. Milwaukee had the shortest position player group in MLB last year, in particular on the infield dirt. None of 3B Caleb Durbin (5’7), SS Joey Ortiz (5’10), 2B Brice Turang (5’11), nor 1B Andrew Vaughn (5’10) clear the six-foot line. Both OF Isaac Collins, since traded to Kansas City, and OF Sal Frelick, are also just 5’8. These are normal sized human beings, even on the taller end in some cases. But like Leo Rivas, clocking in at 5’8, 150, they are players against the grain of the modern, tools-oozing Adonises who will often earn the centerfold from scouts and analysts.
MLB has always had room for the little guy. Unlike basketball and football, which have the occasional pint-sized performer (or have narrow, specialized niches for such players), baseball players have always been able to more easily walk down the street without being immediately identified as athletes. It’s an endearing feature of the game, one that allows people of all ages and sizes to identify more easily with those on the field. There is an immense amount of work that goes into being a pro athlete in any sport, but most of us could simply never be Aaron Judge or Rob Gronkowski, Josh Allen or Victor Wembanyama.
But Leo Rivas? Leo Rivas could be anybody.
The good-natured Venezuelan turned 28 this past October, famously celebrating his birthday with one of the biggest hits in Seattle Mariners history. His game-tying pinch-hit RBI single capped a stellar second season, with Rivas performing his way into a key role late in the season as the 2B and backup infielder.
With Jorge Polanco gone, there’s a case for Rivas to take on the starting 2B spot. After all, in half a season of total big league games, he’s mustered a 107 wRC+ with a patient approach, steals bases frequently and efficiently, and can cover the entire infield capably. Switch-hitting makes him more versatile than many utility players, and yet Seattle seems unlikely to give Rivas the pole position.
Cole Young, no towering titan himself, is much younger and more heralded than the man who came to Seattle as a minor league free agent. Despite a disappointing debut season, Young has shown higher capacity to hit the ball hard, and has on paper and otherwise similar profile to that of Little Leo. I can’t say I disagree ferociously with Seattle’s assessment. After all, for nearly a decade, Rivas struggled to separate himself as a minor leaguer. The area in which hitters who lack meaningful big league power can still be successful is a target you’d want George Kirby or Bryan Woo to be aiming for.
Still, I am concerned Rivas is being literally overlooked. Much of Milwaukee‘s lineup has been effective, not just because of their skill, but because they have been given consistent opportunities. Rivas does not look like most of the sport’s best players. And yet, everything he did last year looked at least like a solid big leaguer. Going out on a limb for players who looked like Rivas has been a boon for the Brewers. In Seattle, soft line drives and free passes are the bread and butter of their long time stalwart shortstop, J.P. Crawford. Why shouldn’t it be the foundation for their keystone as well?
Rivas will likely start 2026 in competition with Miles Mastrobuoni for the utility spot on the bench. Because he still has minor league options remaining, it’s likely the switch hitting Venezuelan starts his season in Tacoma. I can’t help but wonder if he’s capable of more.
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll ranked ninth on MLB Network’s Top 100 Players Right Now countdown earlier tonight. The two-time All-Star, who was ranked 32nd on the Top 100 Players Right Now countdown last year, finished one spot ahead of five-time All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays and one spot behind 2025 American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers. On Carroll, MLB Network analyst Steve Phillips said, “He now is that combination of power and speed, and those are the most impactful players in the game. Those 30-plus homers, 30 doubles from him, the stolen base numbers from him, and he’s doing such unique things right now with what he’s done at the plate.”
In addition to Carroll, teammate Ketel Marte ranked 19th last night while Geraldo Perdomo ranked 24th on Monday on the Top 100 Players Right Now. Here is the top 25 listing, along with the previous year’s position in brackets.
Shohei Ohtani, DH/P, Dodgers (1)
Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees (2)
Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Royals (3)
Cal Raleigh, C, Mariners (59)
José Ramírez, 3B, Guardians (9)
Juan Soto, SS, Mets (4)
Paul Skenes, P, Pirates (15)
Tarik Skubal, P, Tigers (11)
Corbin Carroll, OF, Diamondbacks (32)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Blue Jays (13)
Francisco Lindor, SS, Mets (6)
Garrett Crochet, SP, Red Sox (56)
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, SP, Dodgers (63)
Ronald Acuña Jr., RF, Braves (16)
Fernando Tatis Jr., RF, Padres (22)
Julio Rodríguez, CF, Mariners (23)
Kyle Schwarber, DH, Phillies (65)
Mookie Betts, SS, Dodgers (5)
Ketel Marte, 2B, Diamondbacks (18)
Will Smith, C, Dodgers (60)
Kyle Tucker, RF, Dodgers (14)
Freddie Freeman, 1B, Dodgers (8)
Nick Kurtz, 1B, Athletics (no rank)
Geraldo Perdomo, SS, Diamondbacks (no rank)
Trea Turner, SS, Phillies (35)
Obviously, the Dodgers lead the way, with six (!) players on the list above. But nobody else has as many as the Diamondbacks, which is nice. The problem, of course, is not the top of the Arizona roster. It’s the sharp drop-off after that trio which is going to limit the D-backs. You have Gabriel Moreno, who should be solid. But otherwise? With all respect to the likes of Blaze Alexander, Alek Thomas, etc. I can’t feel they were unjustly overlooked for the top 100. The lack of pitchers is also apparent. Maybe next year, the Diamondbacks might have some listed here? Corbin Burnes and, perhaps, Ryne Nelson would be nice.
It’s also interesting to see Perdomo ranked below Carroll and Marte, even though by all metrics he was clearly more valuable than them last season. I think it’s Gerry’s lack of track record which is likely responsible for that. Perdomo was almost the highest new entry on the list this year, just one place beyond Nick Kurtz, who had a similarly unexpected breakout campaign. Anything close to the same season for Perdomo in 2026, and he could be looking at joining Carroll in the top ten.
The regular MLB Network Top 10 Right Now at each position gets under way on Monday. First up are the second baseman, and based on the above, Marte should be leading that group. But for now: what do you think – both of the Arizona player placements, and the top 25 in general?
The Pittsburgh Pirates are coming to the end of their offseason, which has been busy to say the least.
The Pirates have done a decent job acquiring offensive talent, including Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn, among others. Some members of the Bucs Dugout staff put their two cents in on the team’s grade for the offseason.
Austin Bechtold: B
The Pirates offseason is still incomplete, in my mind. They need to add a third baseman and left-handed fifth starter. Eugenio Suarez and either Tyler Anderson or Jose Quintana would be an A. Right now, it’s a B. They finally signed a free agent to a multi-year deal and I’m intrigued by O’Hearn. I like the Lowe and Garcia trades from Tampa and Boston. They need to solve third. I’m encouraged but what they’ve done and give Ben Cherington credit for the moves he’s made, but add one significant bat at third and it’s a great offseason.
Darren Yuvan: B+
That might be on a slight curve given that I wasn’t expecting the things that they did, but it was a successful offseason nonetheless. But not perfect, so that’s why it’s not an A. They still need help at third, maybe one more outfielder, and probably another left-handed arm, but there’s no doubt that this team improved.
Ethan Coulehan: B
They made more moves than I thought they would in the offseason. They didn’t sign anyone groundbreaking but I do think the moves they made and the pitching rotation that the Bucs have I think they could be a sneaky playoff team for 2026.
Jaiman White: B+
They added some good pieces on offense that should help to improve what was a terrible lineup in 2025. Adding two All-Stars like Lowe and O’Hearn was a very uncharacteristic move for the Pirates and it should give this lineup a much needed facelift. The Buccos sacrificed some starting pitching to get those pieces, but with one of the best rotations in baseball already the team should be in a good spot. Resigning McCutchen to one last contract will make this the perfect offseason.
Jeremy Brener: C
I think most of my Bucs Dugout comrades have been generous to Pirates general manager Ben Sherrington and what the team has done. The Pirates have made moves, but there’s no guarantee any of these will be a slam dunk. Lowe and O’Hearn are solid signings compared to what they have done in the past, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it will get the Pirates out of the doldrums of the NL Central standings.
They have missed on some opportunities, but have made a considerable effort to improve the roster. To me, that results in an average offseason, which explains the C grade.
BD community, what do you think of the team’s offseason? What grade would you give the Pirates for the offseason? Chime off in the comments section below.
Righty Chase Petty has the stuff to potentially end up #1 on this list at some point. He also had a poor enough 2025 season that a repeat of said production could see him off this list altogether by 2027.
Here’s hoping the uber-talented starter figured it out over the winter and shows up to Goodyear in February ready to take it to the next level. He’s the #9 prospect in the Cincinnati Reds system in this year’s Community Prospect Rankings according to you, the esteemed voters.
By now you know the new voting rules here. There will be an embedded poll at the bottom of this post where you can cast your vote until the poll closes, but if that’s stripped out for you for some reason there will exist a link right here to take you to Google Forms to vote. Both of those will magically disappear when voting closes, though, so that internet chicanery cannot come in after the fact, dump votes, and change the already created history of the world.
Here’s how the list has materialized so far:
Sal Stewart
Alfredo Duno
Rhett Lowder
Hector Rodriguez
Edwin Arroyo
Cam Collier
Steele Hall
Tyson Lewis
Chase Petty
A few new names have been added to the mix for spot #10. Have at it with the votes!
Aaron Watson, RHP (19 years old)
2025 at a glance: Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2nd round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Trinity Christian Academy (FL); signed overslot $2.7 million bonus to forego commitment to the University of Florida
Pros: 6’5” frame; potential 60-grade slider; fastball that runs up to 96 mph from a three-quarter arm slot and already has a solid three-pitch mix with his change rotated in
Cons: Did not pitch professionally after being drafted, so he’s a complete unknown
One glimpse of Watson on the mound and you immediately think yep, I bet that guy can turn into a pretty dang good pitcher. He’s got an ideal frame to produce downhill offerings, and his fastball/slider mix is already something on which he can hang his hat.
However, command of all three of his pitches – specifically a very developmental changeup – will be what he needs to work on to begin to move quickly through the ranks. He possesses a good ‘feel’ at the moment in terms of what pitches to throw, which part of the zone to attack vs. which hitters, etc., but how well he can build in more deception with his offerings will be vital.
Jose Franco, RHP (25 years old)
2025 at a glance: 3.11 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 118/54 K/BB in 110.0 IP split between AA Chattanooga Lookouts (Southern League) and AAA Louisville Bats (International League)
Pros: Fastball that flirts with triple digits with ease
Cons: Secondary pitches need work, and that’s impacting his overall command (and ability to limit walks)
Franco turned 25 years old in November and earned a promotion to the 40-man roster of the Reds shortly thereafter due to his consistent performance across the upper levels of their farm system.
The Reds have a few hulks they’ve put on the mound in recent years, and Franco thoroughly qualifies. He’s listed at 6’2” and an oddly specific 257 lbs, and his size and frame allows him to tap into his excellent fastball velocity with ease. It’s the pitch he misses bats with the most, but how well he can differentiate his breaking pitches (and improve his changeup command) will determine whether or not he can a) get left-handed hitter out with aplomb and b) avoid ending up in the bullpen.
He’s been a late bloomer, in part due to injuries that cost him his entire 2023 season, and if he continues the path he’s been on since getting healthy there could be a whole lot more from him as early as 2026 for Cincinnati.
Carlos Jorge, OF (22 years old)
2025 at a glance: .251/.342/.355 with 6 HR, 40 SB in 469 PA with High-A Dayton Dragons (Midwest League)
Pros: Plus speed; former infielder moved to CF in 2023 and in 2025 looked like a natural there; plus speed; shaved 12.5% off K-rate from down 2024 season; 60-grade arm strength a weapon in CF
Cons: ISO declined for third straight year, this time precipitously; prone to extreme streakiness
If you threw out every other stop of Carlos Jorge’s pro career and just focused on the good ones, he’d already be ranked by now. The good parts of the best of his years have been quite tremendous, all told. He’s flashed great speed (40 steals in 2025), good pop for a small-ish CF (12 HR in 2023 and 2024; .483 SLG in the cavernous Florida State League in 2023), and the ability to play pretty elite CF defense (as recently as 2025).
However, he’s added some real clunkers in there, too. He hit just .220/.291/.394 with a K-rate over 31% at Dayton in 2024, and that came on the heels of hitting just .239/.277/.398 in 23 games once he reached Dayton at the end of 2023.
Maybe it’s just Dayton, where he was again in 2025 in a much better all-around year, even though his power dried up again. He’ll surely begin with AA Chattanooga of the Southern League in 2026, and at 22 (with his position in CF now settled) the former 2B might finally have a one-track shot to focus on his all around game in a new locale. After acing his move on defense, shaving off a ton of strikeouts, and bumping his walk rate back up over 11.1% (where it’s been for most of his career), perhaps 2026 will have a lot more in store for him.
Zach Maxwell, RHP (25 years old)
2025 at a glance: 4.50 ERA, 5.64 FIP, 13/4 K/BB in 10.0 IP with Cincinnati Reds; 4.17 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 59/32 K/BB in 49.2 IP with AAA Louisville Bats (International League)
Pros: Huge. Literally gigantic (6’6”, 275-ish lbs). Throws gas (100 mph+) with a devastating slider (70-grade). And he’s titanic.
Cons: Struggles with control (6.1 BB/9 across 172.1 IP in his minors career)
Maxwell, a former 6th round pick out of Georgia Tech, throws the ball up to 102 mph with his heater, and it’s clear that hitters have just about as little idea where it’s actually going to be as Maxwell himself. That’s the rub here, really, in that Big Sugar has the pure stuff to turn even the best hitters into guessers, and it comes down to whether they’ll guess wrong more often than Maxwell misses the zone in each and every PA.
If they swing, though, they’re likely going to miss, and that’s why he’s right in the mix for a spot in Cincinnati’s bullpen again in 2026 after making his debut there in 2025. He can be a bit wild if it’s effectively wild, and that’s a tightrope he’s been walking since his days back at North Paulding HS in Dallas, Georgia. When he’s locked in, though, the heater is backed up by an absolutely devastating slide piece, and that two-pitch mix – again, when he’s locked in – is good enough to be closer material. He’s just got to continue to refine his delivery.
Leo Balcazar, SS/2B (22 years old)
2025 at a glance: .263/.339/.381 with 12 HR, 8 SB in 560 PA split between A+ Dayton Dragons (Midwest League) and AA Chattanooga Lookouts (AA Southern League); .277/.340/.340 in 103 PA with Peoria Javelinas (Arizona Fall League)
Pros: Good strike zone judgement and plate discipline (52/75 BB/K in 2025); well-rounded tools, continuing to improve off ACL surgery
Cons: Not a ton of power yet; some question whether he’ll be able to stick at SS long term
It’s easy to forget just how good of a start Balcazar had to his pro career after signing with the Reds for $100,000 out of Venezuela. He posted an .882 OPS in 2021 in Dominican Summer League play, an .886 OPS in 2022 with the Arizona Complex League Reds, and was off to a wicked start (.897 OPS) across the first 18 games of his 2023 season with Class-A Daytona before he tore his ACL.
2024 was a bit of a rough year for him, however, as the layoff and working back from the surgery clearly impacted his performance (.264/.295/.354 in 410 PA). However, 2025 saw him look a lot more like his former explosive self – both at the plate and in the field – and he clearly was healthy enough once again as he logged a combined 663 PA across all leagues.
He’s still just 21 years of age (22 in June of 2026), and if he’s shaken the rust off completely and enters this season after a normal winter, there’s a chance we see a whole lot more from him, too.
Arnaldo Lantigua, OF (20 years old)
2025 at a glance: .268/.345/.519 in 206 PA with ACL Reds (Arizona Complex League); .261/.318/.445 in 129 PA with Class-A Daytona Tortugas (Florida State League)
Pros: Above-average bat speed and raw power; mashes left-handed pitching; good eye at the plate
Cons: Likely destined for corner OF as his range is a concern, though his arm continues to play
The Cincinnati Reds helped the Los Angeles Dodgers sign Roki Sasaki by shipping them international bonus pool money, and in return for it they landed Lantigua, who only turned 20 in December after holding his own across 32 games in the brutal hitting environment of the Florida State League (where right-handed hitters, in particular, are seriously stifled).
You wont see Lantigua winning sprint titles. You won’t see him making plays in the outfield that simply wow you. There’s not a batting title in his future, I don’t imagine. However, there’s a very real chance he continues to evolve into a classic bat-first corner outfielder who can swat over 30 homers a season, and that’s something the Reds have (as you may have noticed) really failed to produce off their farm for quite some time. He’s not on this list because he’s well-rounded, in other words, but the bat/power combo is a skillset where he’s really impressive already at such a young age, and that’s unique among this class.
Adolfo Sanchez, OF (19 years old)
2025 at a glance: .339/.474/.504 with 2 HR, 10 SB in 154 PA with DSL Reds (Dominican Summer League)
Pros: Left-handed hitter who profiles to have a plus hit tool and potentially plus power; arm good enough to play RF if he doesn’t stick in CF; shaved 20% off his K% year over year; plus runner
Cons: Questions whether he’s already physically matured to the point where projecting him to be much better exist
The Reds signed Sanchez for $2.7 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2024 and kept him there to ply his trade professionally in the Dominican Summer League. Things went quite poorly for him there during his age 17 season, and he subsequently stuck around there to repeat in 2025 – though this time, things went swimmingly.
He’ll undoubtedly play in the States in 2026, but the question now is just how quickly the Reds might try to move him up if he hits the ground running. At 6’3” and 200 lbs already, he’s not the kind of prospect where you say he’s X now, but when he gets bigger and stronger he’ll be Y in two years. In other words, if he looks the part now, he needs to be challenged immediately, and my hope is that he gets time with Daytona right off the bat.
He’s got a hit tool that comes with all-fields power, excellent patience at the plate, and I really do think his swing will continue to play. Still, it’s likely he ends up in a corner spot in the OF, which means the power’s going to need to continue to show up for him to project as an everyday regular – at least vs. RHP.
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