Category: Baseball

Slugger Eugenio Suárez is headed back to Cincinnati. 

Suárez and the Reds have agreed to a one-year, $15 million deal, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed. 

The contract includes a mutual option for the 2027 season worth $16 million, ESPN reported. 

Suárez was the biggest bat remaining on the open market, and he heads to the Reds after hitting 49 home runs last season, although he struggled during the second half of the campaign. 

Suárez spent seven of his 12 years in Major League Baseball with the Reds, playing in Cincinnati from 2015-21.

The infielder split last season between the Diamondbacks and the Mariners. 

He clobbered 36 home runs and batted .248 before the trade to Seattle. 

Suárez then hit .189/.255/.428 and recorded 13 home runs in 53 games with the Mariners following the move. 

He did finish the 2025 season with a career-best 118 RBIs, though he finished the year hitting .228/.298/.526. 

ESPN reported that Suárez is expected to get a majority of his at-bats in Cincinnati as a designated hitter, with the Reds already having Ke’Bryan Hayes at third base and rookie Sal Stewart believed to be taking over at first base for the upcoming season. 

He spent two seasons with the Mariners from 2022-23 before he was traded in November 2023 to the Diamondbacks.

Day 2 of SoxFest Live felt very familiar, with many of the same key talking points put out by GM Chris Getz and manager Will Venable the night before. However, the atmosphere did seem a bit different. While Friday night set the tone for a more intimate gathering, Saturday’s sold-out crowd made it feel more like a celebration.

Friday evening was only for season ticket holders, while Saturday opened its doors to everyone, offering general admission and VIP options. GA ticket holders had access to the lower level, but the VIP experience added the upper level for exclusive player photo opportunities and meet-and-greets (ahem, Bo Jackson), along with a nightcap after-party that felt less like a formal event and more like a late-night hangout. White Sox staff, coaches, and players mingled with fans, music pumping, conversations flowing in the kind of setting where walls came down, and personalities came out.

Our own Crystal O’Keefe and her son Hayden opted for the VIP route, and it paid off. The up-close access made a real difference. “My son was able to collect more autographs and was especially excited to chat with Miguel Vargas,” O’Keefe says. Those types of moments, unhurried, unscripted, and personal, are what seemed to set this reimagined SoxFest apart.

O’Keefe also talked with pitcher Davis Martin, who shared how excited he is for the season. The event’s interactive setup let players and fans really connect. They weren’t just answering questions or taking photos; they were laughing, joking, and even dancing with the DJ.

The overall vibes of the weekend were positive, and the optimism was pretty evident. Many of the fans we spoke with were energized by the direction and momentum of Rebuild 2.0. One lifelong South Side fan, someone who’s been a fan of the team for more than 60 years, told us he’s officially bought back in, convinced by the new wave of young talent the Sox have acquired and developed. That kind of hope, from someone who’s seen it all, says a lot.

Young fans are also enjoying the connections they’re making with players they can relate to:

South Side Sox writer Hannah Filippo dove deeper into Friday night’s event in her assessment, taking a closer look at clubhouse culture and the organization’s emphasis on bringing in players with a specific makeup. Skepticism from fans about rebuilding and culture is understandable and earned, given recent history. But having seen firsthand what happens when a clubhouse lacks cohesion (talking to you, 2022), it’s hard not to at least acknowledge the importance of getting that part right.

For a lot of people, the 2005 championship team was special not just because of talent, but because of how close the players all seemed to be. That was evident at the 20th World Series reunion at the ballpark last summer. After interviewing six different players from the current team on Friday, it was obvious they really enjoy being together. Just looking through their social media posts, you can see many of them got together during the offseason. This young core likes to compete and push each other, while understanding that there’s a lot of work to do. They appear ready to put in the effort, and their skipper seems to have their attention, and, more importantly, their trust.

Will “vibes” or clubhouse culture really make that big of a difference? Probably not. But it certainly won’t hurt. And it’s hard to ignore how damaging the previous group’s toxic culture appeared to be in the long run.

Maybe this rebuild flames out, too. We know all too well that it’s a possibility. But for now, I’m willing to take the gamble. This group comes across as humble, likable and focused. That’s a foundation I find worth rooting for.

Even so, it’s totally fair for many Sox fans to be hesitant. No one should feel pressured to “enjoy the ride.” That’s what makes being a sports fan great — everyone gets to experience it their own way. At South Side Sox, we call out the team when it’s needed, and we’ll keep doing that. You can count on it. We’re fans first, always.

But it’s also fair to give credit where it’s due. The White Sox appear to be making a real effort to do things differently by hiring outside the organization, modernizing long-neglected infrastructure and reshaping SoxFest into an event that actually connects players and fans.

For one weekend at Ramova Theatre, at least, it felt like a step in the right direction.

MLB Rumors: Eugenio Suarez and the Cincinnati Reds are in agreement on a one year, $15 million deal with a $16 million mutual option for 2026, per reports.

I think it is fair to say that this is a much lighter deal than most were expecting. Suarez, 34, split the 2025 season between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Seattle Mariners, and ended up accumulating 49 homers on the season. Ben Clemsns projected two years, $50 million for Suarez at Fangraphs, while Kiley McDaniel had him at 2 years, $45 million. Just $15 million for one year for a 49 homer guy from last year doesn’t seem to make sense.

There are some concerns, though, which would seem to help explain it. Suarez has become rather one-dimensional — his defense at third base has declined, and Cincinnati will be playing him primarily at a DH, per reports. He doesn’t get on base much, slashing .228/.298/.526, and strikes out a ton. Basically, his value is pretty much wrapped up in his home runs, and teams have long been leery of righthanded power hitters falling off the cliff. Suarez likely didn’t help himself with his .189/.255/.428 slash line for Seattle post-trade, though he did hit three home runs in the playoffs.

A couple of interesting things here, to me, anyway. Suarez has 1814 strikeouts in his career, which places him 26th all time, two behind Dave Kingman. However, given he struck out 196 times last year, and has averaged 190 Ks per season the last five years, if he plays every day, he has a good chance of cracking the 2000 K mark. Only 8 players have struck out at least 2000 times in their major league careers, though Paul Goldschmidt (1979) seems likely to reach 2000 Ks in 2026, assuming he plays, and Andrew McCutchen (1893) could get there as well if he lands somewhere he can play every day. He needs 189 to tie Andres Galarraga, who is currently 8th, and 158 to pass Justin Upton and reach the top 10.

The other interesting thing is that Suarez is seemingly coming full circle in his franchise travels. This is his second stint with the Reds, who traded him to Seattle in the spring of 2022. Seattle traded him to Arizona after the 2023 season, then re-acquired him last summer. To make it complete, after playing for the Reds this year, Suarez will need to join the Detroit Tigers, who signed him originally, and traded him to Cincy for Alfredo Simon in 2014.

We will continue to update this list with new articles as new information/acquisitions occur.

Spring Training is almost here. Astros pitchers and catchers report to West Palm Beach February 11.

This is the part of the year where that excitement starts to ramp up, it’s almost time for baseball to be back!

Now that the calendar has turned to February, let’s start taking a look at the Astros roster. While I do not believe the roster is a finished product and that Astros GM Dana Brown will continue to make some more moves, these projections will reflect only players currently in the Astros’ organization.

Here is my “as of Feb. 1, 2026” roster projections/depth chart for the Houston Astros:

Pitching Staff:

Starters (6): Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, Tatsuya Imai, Mike Burrows, Spencer Arrighetti, Ryan Weiss

Bullpen (7): Josh Hader (CL), Bryan Abreu (SU), AJ Blubaugh, Bennett Sousa, Bryan King, Steven Okert, Nate Pearson

AAA Depth: Colton Gordon, Jason Alexander, Miguel Ullola, Jayden Murray, Kai-Wei Teng, Logan VanWey

Decisions looming: Enyel De Los Santos (out of options), Roddery Munoz (Rule V pick, must be on MLB roster or MLB IL or offered back to original team), Lance McCullers Jr. (retirement?)

The Astros top 4 starters are a virtual lock. The back two spots are the ones being battled for, and currently Spencer Arrighetti and Ryan Weiss should have the inside track.

Arrighetti has spent the last 2 seasons on the big league club, although 2025 was a forgettable year due to injury and ineffectiveness. How much of that ineffectiveness after his return was due to lingering injury is yet unknown. He must prove he is healthy and has regained his command. Arrighetti’s significant decrease in strikeout rate year over year (10.6 in 2024, 7.9 in 2025) combined with his very high walk rates (4.1 BB/9 in 2024, 5.0 BB/9 in 2025) and propensity for surrendering the long ball(1.3 HR/9 in 20024, 1.5 HR/9 in 2025) will need to be rectified or he will not stick at the MLB level.

Weiss has never pitched at the MLB level, but his tremendous stats in the KBO in 2025 (16-5, 2.87 ERA, 1.024 WHIP) and his demonstration of being able to pitch an entire season (178.2 IP in 2025) should give him a nod over AJ Blubaugh and Nate Pearson entering Spring Training.

Five of the seven bullpen spots return from last season, with two newcomers in Blubaugh and Pearson. The Astros need righthanded arms in the pen, where they are very lefty heavy. Since the Astros plan on utilizing a 6-man rotation, having multiple relievers capable of going multiple innings will be important for them.

Both Blubaugh and Pearson are capable of giving longer outings out of the pen, and being able to “save the pen” is going to be paramount for team that doesn’t have a lot of maneuverable spots in it’s pen to begin with. While Blubaugh still has options remaining, Pearson does not. If Pearson fails to impress or hold his own early, he could find himself with a one-way ticket to DFA-ville early.

Lance McCullers Jr. is a sentimentally difficult decision but not necessarily difficult from a production standpoint. Lance’s velocity on his fastball last season was not MLB caliber, and both he and the team know it. He will need to show improved velocity and command this spring or it will be time for that “come to the light” meeting where the Astros give him the choice of retiring as an Astro before the season or being DFA’d.

The Astros have shown they are not afraid to DFA players in the final year of their contracts and simply eat the money to free up the roster spot.

McCullers is a fan favorite. I cannot help but have the utmost respect for him as a competitor, watching him year after year work his tail off to recover from repeated injuries. Unfortunately, there comes a point in time where the body can no longer do as the mind and heart command and injuries accelerate that timetable. It may be that time for McCullers.

As this time, I would expect Jason Alexander to be the first man up from Sugar Land if one of the projected arms to start the year with the Astros underperforms or suffers an injury.

With 24 games in the first 26 days of the season, the Astros need some pitchers with options to call up fresh arms when they have to burn a pen arm for any reason.

Blubaugh, Gordon, Alexander, Murray and Teng all have options, and are all players who could be on the “Sugar Land Shuttle” if the Astros need pen reinforcements in the first month. Sousa also has options and has an injury question coming into the season regarding his left flexor tendon, which shut him down last year, though the Astros considered the injury minor and he did not need surgery.

Enyel De Los Santos is out of options and needs to make the club or pass through waivers. Logan VanWey is not on the 40-man roster. Roddery Munoz was a Rule V pick and will have to show monster improvement to make this roster. He has a significant likelihood of being returned to the Cincinnati Reds as Rule V picks must be offered back to the team they were selected from if they are not going to be on the MLB roster or MLB IL for the season.

Position Players:

STARTERS: Yainer Diaz (C), Christian Walker (1B), Jose Altuve (2B), Jeremy Pena (SS), Carlos Correa (3B), Zach Cole (LF), Jake Meyers (CF), Cam Smith (RF), Yordan Alvarez (DH)

BENCH: Isaac Paredes (CO), Cesar Salazar (C), Nick Allen (MI), Jesus Sanchez (OF)

AAA Depth: Zach Dezenzo (OF) Shay Whitcomb (UT), Taylor Trammell (OF), Carlos Perez (C)

There is likely to be some movement among this group before the season starts, as Astros GM Dana Brown has expressed desire for another lefty hitting outfielder and a veteran backup catcher. The Astros publicly deny that their logjam in the infield is an issue but information from around the league tells a different story of the Astros trying to figure out a way to make a deal that alleviates that logjam and improves the team at the same time.

In the meantime, Yainer Diaz projects to get a significant share of the catching reps, perhaps as much as 75% (120 games). That number could change if the Astros bring in a veteran (they have reportedly been exploring talks with Christian Vazquez though Vazquez has been a dreadful hitter since the Astros acquired him at the deadline in 2022), if Diaz struggles at the plate badly, or if they get unexpected production elsewhere. Right now, Cesar Salazar would seem to be the best option as a backup catcher. Houston is concerned about his bat at the MLB level, but if they are concerned about Salazar’s bat then they should be more concerned about Vazquez’ bat. If the rest of the team produces as it should, Salazar’s potential weak bat would not be much of an issue.

Christian Walker will start at 1B, although if Isaac Paredes is on the team and healthy, he may cede some playing time to him.

Paredes and Walker coexisting will be a challenge for Joe Espada, as getting enough ABs for both of those players will not only be a major challenge, but will be something the Astros manager will be asked about every single game.

Paredes can give Walker a day off (or 2) at first, Correa a day off at third, maybe an occasional day out of the field for Altuve at 2B (whether Paredes can truly play 2B is a question right now), and spell Yordan at DH every couple of weeks. That has Paredes in the lineup about 4 days a week, and has a lot of days off for both him and regulars.

Granted, two of those players are older players (Altuve, Walker) and two are injury-prone players (Alvarez, Correa), but if everyone is healthy it can be a pretty tough situation trying to keep everyone happy. (Before you ask, yes, happy matters, especially over 162 games.) Guys need to be accepting of their roles, and the biggest potential problem would be Paredes.

Paredes is the one with the most to gain by playing well and playing often. He has one year of arbitration remaining, and he can get either a long term extension or a big free agent contract if he gets enough opportunity and capitalizes on it. The opportunity may be diminished if he and Walker are both on the team and it forces Espada to use Paredes in a super utility role. The looming work stoppage that could potentially happen at the end of the 2026 season also plays a factor.

The outfield right now breaks down to just four players, as a 4 man bench limits opportunity and the team must use two spots for a backup catcher and backup shortstop, and one for Paredes. That leaves Smith, Meyers, Cole and Sanchez as the outfield.

Sanchez has reportedly been on the trade block all offseason, with the Astros disappointed both by his offensive disappearing act once they acquired him from Miami last year and his defensive deficiencies. However, for his career he is a decent hitter against righthanded pitching.

Sanchez career numbers against RHP (.253/.324/.450 slash line, .774 OPS) are certainly playable at the bottom of the lineup, but his numbers vs. lefties are abysmal (.181/.231/.289 slash line, .520 OPS) for his career, and he is clearly a platoon player.

The Astros are hoping Cam Smith can take a step forward and be a productive hitter for an entire season and against both righties and lefties. While Dana Brown has said Smith is not guaranteed a roster spot to start the season, it’s hard to see who would take that roster spot from him, as competition right now for his spot would come from Zach Dezenzo, Shay Whitcomb and Taylor Trammell. None of those players should be striking fear in the heart of Smith that his spot is truly in jeopardy. Brown just wants more from a player he views as immensely talented in Smith.

Jake Meyers has reportedly been on the trade block all offseason, but he is still on the team. If he is on the team, he starts in center.

Cole impressed the organization with his progress and power last season, and he will get a chance to show his wares plenty in spring.

Potential Lineups:

Pena – SS

Yordan – DH

Altuve – 2B

Correa – 3B

Walker – 1B

Diaz – C

Cole – LF

Smith – RF

Meyers – CF

I believe this can form the baseline of the Astros lineup. Sanchez will get time, solely against RHP, and he will get more time if Smith falters.

Paredes will get time as well, and could find himself hitting behind Correa in the 5 spot or pushing everyone down one slot by batting 2.

Salazar would be the 9 hitter anytime he played, pushing the bottom three hitters up a spot, ditto Allen. I would expect we would never see Allen and Salazar in the same lineup barring something unexpected or catastrophic. In fact, with the current roster, I would expect to see the Astros make Paredes a regular with any infield injury (he would start at 1B/2B/3B, and in the case of an injury to Pena – Correa would slide to SS and Paredes would play 3B).

Of note: Altuve hit .222 with a .316 OBP and .649 OPS batting 2nd (133 PA) and .276 with a .338 OBP and .854 OPS batting 3rd (350 PA) last season.

Yordan for his career is a .312 hitter batting second, with a .383 OBP and .926 OPS. In 2025, Yordan batted .338 with a .409 OBP and .909 OPS in 22 games batting second.

Paredes had his worst slash numbers batting second in 2025, posting a .233 AVG with a .337 OBP and .765 OPS in 58 games. For his career, he a .223 hitter batting 2nd with a .329 OBP and .751 OPS. His best slash line has been batting sixth, where he is a career .293 hitter with a .393 OBP and .999 OPS in 57 games.

Despite a busy weekend hosting a fan convention Sox Fest Live at the Ramova Theatre on the South Side, Chicago White Sox GM Chris Getz was still making moves behind the scenes. Between interacting with fans and answering questions during a town hall, Getz was brewing up a trade with the Boston Red Sox to acquire veteran righthander Jordan Hicks as well as right-handed prospect David Sandlin, in exchange for right-handed pitching prospect Gage Ziehl (No. 31 at SSS) and our favorite prospect: Cash Considerations ($8 million).

With both Hicks and Sandlin being added to the White Sox 40-man roster, Chicago made a couple of subsequent moves by designating RHP Jairo Iriarte and catcher Drew Romo for assignment.

Ziehl originally came to Chicago at the 2025 trade deadline, from the New York Yankees in exchange for outfielder Austin Slater. Slater performed well in the first half of last season, and was solid enough for the Yankees to decide to deal a pitching prospect to add outfield depth in the midst of their playoff run. Now, in the course of a half-year they upgraded from Slater to a solid prospect (Ziehl) to a blue-chipper (Sandlin).

The immediate impact of this trade comes in the form of Hicks, a flamethrower who simply hasn’t found footing in the majors.

Drafted in 2015, Hicks debuted with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2018 and was fairly dependable out of the bullpen with a 3.59 ERA and 1.339 WHIP in 77 2/3 innings (73 games). He was even better in the first half of 2019, posting a 3.14 ERA while reducing his WHIP down to 0.942 in 28 2/3 innings. Hicks unfortunately tore his UCL and Tommy John surgery knocked him out for the rest of 2019 until late 2021, downgrading him to just a moderately reliable bullpen arm for St. Louis for the remainder of his time there.

Upon joining the San Francisco Giants in 2024 after signing a four-year, $48 million deal, Hicks shifted into a starting role. While he didn’t necessarily dazzle anyone with his 4.10 ERA and 1.450 WHIP in 20 starts (29 total games), he was a serviceable arm with the same tantalizing pedigree.

Hicks, however, experienced a steep drop in production in 2025, accumulating a 6.95 aggregated ERA across 67 1/3 innings with the Giants and the Red Sox — and his performance fell off of a cliff in Boston after being including in the Rafael Devers blockbuster, posting a whopping 8.20 ERA in 18 2/3 innings with the team. His previous performance is likely what Getz and the White Sox are hoping to lean on as someone who can eat innings so some of the prospects can sharpen up a bit before heading to the show — especially given his high fastball velocity (97 mph), and ability to induce ground outs. Outside of avoiding barrels, however, Hicks’ Statcast profile has a bit too much blue on it, and the low chase and whiff rates are definitely a cause for concern,. He is not a long-term solution by any means.

The real star of the trade, and the reason why the White Sox are spending $16 million on a mediocre reliever in Hicks, is Sandlin. The righty ranked eighth per MLB among Red Sox prospects in 2025. He was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2022 out of the University of Oklahoma and posted a 3.51 ERA across both Low and High-A in his first professional season in 2023. Sandlin wasn’t as strong in 2024, with a 5.34 ERA in 57 1/3 innings in High-A and Double-A. Despite the ERA struggles, Sandlin still struck out batters at a high 33.2% K rate across both levels while maintaining a decent 7.3% walk rate.

His performance greatly improved with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs last season, posting a 3.61 ERA, 3.33 FIP, and a career-best 1.178 WHIP while starting 13 games and appearing in 17 before earning the promotion to Triple-A. Sandlin struggled to quickly adapt to the level, and in his small sample size of 23 2/3 innings he racked up a 7.61 ERA in 14 games out of the bullpen and one start. His strikeout rate decreased from 25.4% to 17.6% with the jump, and his walk rate inflated to 10.9%.

Sandlin has showed plenty of promise and his fastball sits in the upper-90s, averaging around 96 mph, and his secondary pitches are pretty solid, with the slider being his next most-thrown pitch.

Ziehl is a comparable player to Sandlin that has shown that he has a solid mix with his slider and cutter, but he doesn’t have as strong a fastball. Despite not exhibiting an elevated walk rate (4.2% in 2025), Ziehl’s command isn’t fully there yet. Sandlin is likely to be MLB ready much sooner.

While reading through some reactions from Boston fans, it seems they are mostly relieved to be rid of Hicks, but some are unhappy that the prospect capital to salary-dump was as high as Sandlin — a testament to the optimism behind his development as a pitcher at this point in his career. The White Sox have pinpointed some strong, underrated players over the last couple of years (notably Shane Smith and Mike Vasil), and are actually making moves on the market to address the gaps on the team. Maybe we are actually in a new era of White Sox baseball.

It will be interesting to see how Getz and Venable work together to continue to build off of this roster, but at the very least the South Siders are moving in the right direction rather than remaining stagnant.

The Cincinnati Reds awoke from their winterlong slumber long enough to welcome back the oldest of friends: Eugenio Suárez.

The Venezuelan slugger, who pounded 49 home runs last season and hit 189 for the Reds between 2015 and 2021, agreed to a one-year, $15 million deal with the club Feb. 1, taking the top remaining offensive player off the market.

Suárez, 34, was an All-Star for Cincinnati in 2018, when he hit 34 home runs, and again last season for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was dealt to the Seattle Mariners at the trade deadline and was an ideal fit, hitting 13 homers for the Mariners and then three more in the postseason, including a go-ahead Game 5 grand slam that put the Mariners within one game of their first World Series berth.

MLB offseason grades: Dodgers get top marks, plenty of Fs to go around

But the Mariners lost Games 6 and 7 at Toronto and Suárez hit the market. Meanwhile, the Reds whiffed on their efforts to land slugger Kyle Schwarber, then went virtually silent on the offensive front the remainder of the winter, save for trading infielder-outfielder Gavin Lux and taking flyers on outfielders such as JJ Bleday.

In Suárez, they get proven pop accompanied by massive strikeout totals: He fanned 195 times last season and led the AL in 2022 and '23, punching out 214 tiimes the latter year. Still, he slides seamlessly into the DH spot and can spell the defensively-great Ke'Bryan Hayes at third should the Reds desire a bat-heavy look on certain days.

Suárez's agreement was first reported by ESPN.

Eugenio Suarez stats

The 34-year-old slugger batted .228 with 49 home runs, 118 RBIs and 91 runs scored in 159 games last season, split between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners.

Eugenio Suarez contract

Suarez is reportedly signing a one-year contract worth $15 million.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Eugenio Suárez signs with Reds in MLB free agency

During the 2023 offseason, I put together a little metric I called Pesky+ with the intention of trying to encapsulate and enumerate Geraldo Perdomo’s ability to be a pest in the batter’s box. Back then, Geraldo Perdomo was firmly entrenched as a back of the lineup savant who seemed to always be a tough out even though he never really seemed to be a threat to do much damage himself. His ability to turn the lineup over to Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte seemed to be the spark plug that allowed the Diamondbacks offensive engine to ignite and run at peak efficiency.

For those of you who have been around since 2023, you may remember that in that Pesky+ metric Geraldo Perdomo was the single most pesky player in the entire sport (I’d link the article but it appears to have disappeared somehow). Then when I ran the numbers again in 2024, his peskiness was only surpassed by Steven Kwan. Domo’s ability to only swing at strikes, rarely miss when he did swing, and see a ton of pitches made him truly elite at being a pest in the batter’s box.

Over the last couple years, Domo endeared himself to Diamondbacks fans for this ability to get the job done even though the impact rarely showed up in the box score. We loved him, but he was barely a league average hitter (95 and 100 OPS+ in 2023 and 2024, respectively). We commonly referred to him as the league’s best No. 9 hitter, but we may have secretly wondered if that was all he would ever be: a pesky hitter relegated to the back of the lineup but never a top of the lineup run producer. That all changed in 2025.

Geraldo Perdomo had an incredible breakout in 2025, going from a 2ish WAR player with a career OPS+ of 84 to a 7 WAR MVP candidate with an OPS+ of 136. I doubt anyone, even his most ardent supporters here on the ‘Pit, ever expected that kind of production. Much of this jump in production could be accredited to his jump in power. His slugging percentage jumped up nearly 90 points from 2024 and his ISO was up more than 70 points. In his entire career coming in to 2025, he had hit only 14 home runs; in 2025 he hit 20. For many players, getting a power surge of this magnitude would likely mean that they had to sacrifice swing control. Instead of focusing on getting the bat on the ball, one would focus more on getting a powerful swing off. Very rarely can players do both. Well, friends, I’m here to tell you that Domo somehow pulled that rare feat off.

I ran the Pesky numbers for 2025, and I honestly expected a drop-off in Perdomo’s numbers. I mean, he would probably be in the top-10 or -20, but I didn’t think he would be leading the league. There had to be some consequence of swinging for more power, right? Wrong. In 2025, Geraldo Perdomo led all qualified hitters in peskiness:

A quick refresher on how I calculate peskiness: I take the total percentage of pitches that a hitter swings outside the zone at and the total pitches that a hitter whiffs on then scale that based on how many pitches a hitter is able to see per time in the box. The idea is that pitchers ideally want hitters to swing at pitches that are outside the strike zone and, when they do swing, the more often a hitter misses, the less of a threat they are. The more often a hitter avoids doing those things, and the longer he drags out an at bat, the more of a pain he is to deal with for a pitcher. As you can see in the chart of the top-10 Pesky hitters in MLB for 2025, Geraldo is elite in each of those metrics resulting in him regaining the Pesky throne.

When I saw that Domo was incredibly able to maintain the quality of his at bats, I had to dig a little deeper and see how he was able to add significantly more power. Looking at Baseball Savant data, one number that stood out was the difference between Perdomo’s swing speed on HRs compared with his swing speed on all other swings. Swing speed data is relatively new, with only a couple seasons worth of data available to the public. Here is Geraldo Perdomo’s swing speed data each of the last few seasons:

Looking at this table, we can tell a few things we can tell about Perdomo’s swing. First, while he has consistently swung faster from the right side of the plate, the splits are remarkably consistent. Domo averages about 0.6 MPH difference between his swing speed from the left and right batter’s box. Compare that to Ketel Marte, who had a split of 7 MPH between swing speed on the left and right side of the plate! Secondly, and probably more important to this discussion, Perdomo dramatically increased his swing speed on home run swings. Each of the first 2 seasons, we see that the split in swing speed from home run to non-home run was right around 2-2.5 MPH. This season, those splits grew to 4-5 MPH. How rare is that? The league average swing speed split between homers and non-homers in 2025 was 2.8, basically right where Perdomo has been for the last 2 seasons. In 2025, his overall split of 4.3 MPH was 12th-highest out of over 140 qualified hitters in MLB.

Perdomo’s top-end swing speed hasn’t changed much over the past couple seasons (only 2 swings faster than 80 MPH in each of the last 2 years), but he has shown more ability to harness his power and turn it into positive results on the field. Of Perdomo’s top-10% highest speed swings of 2024, he only registered a hit in 14%. In 2025, that number grew to 22%. As he’s grown older and more into his physical prime, it appears he’s been able to focus more on dialing in his coordination instead of trying to dramatically boost his swing speed. Domo resisted the allure of the long ball and instead refined and built on his already elite foundational skillset and I think this was the biggest reason for Perdomo’s growth from local fan favorite to All-MLB caliber talent.

Geraldo Perdomo’s strong ability to be a pest in the batter’s box used to be his best offensive skill. Now, he’s grown into a more powerful version of himself which has made him one of the best hitters in all of baseball. I used to put a cap on what I thought was possible for Perdomo, but after 2025, I’ve been proven foolish and I’m excited to see how he wows us all in 2026.

Boston’s return for slugger Rafael Devers keeps shrinking.

Right-handed flamethrower Jordan Hicks, whom the Red Sox acquired last season in the blockbuster trade involving Devers, is headed to the White Sox alongside fellow righty David Sandlin, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported.

Former Yankees prospect Gage Ziehl, another righty who was traded to Chicago for Austin Slater at last year’s trade deadline, is headed to the Red Sox, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.

Cotillo adds that Chicago will send Boston $8 million in each of the next two seasons to partially cover Hicks’ remaining $24 million salary.

The trade allows Boston to shed some salary after a bevy of offseason acquisitions, including signing star lefty Ranger Suarez and Willson Contreras, while the White Sox flex their newfound financial flexibility after trading centerfielder Luis Robert Jr. to the Mets.

Hicks, 29, emerged as a hard-throwing bullpen weapon after debuting with the Cardinals in 2018.

Routinely hitting triple digits on the radar gun, Hicks signed a four-year, $44 million deal with the Giants entering the 2024 season – shifting from the bullpen to the starting rotation.

He struggled to replicate his relief success, posting a 4.10 ERA over 29 appearances in 2024 before enduring a career-worst campaign last year.

In 13 games with San Francisco, he posted a 6.47 ERA before being shipped to Beantown in the shocking Devers swap that came after months of drama over his playing third base reached a boiling point.

The Red Sox also acquired left-hander Kyle Harrison, outfield/first base prospect James Tibbs and pitching prospect Jose Bello.

Boston shifted Hicks back to the bullpen in hopes of recapturing his previous success, but he managed an even worse 8.20 ERA in 21 outings.

In addition to Hicks, the Red Sox shipped out Sandlin, a 24-year-old hurler ranked by MLB.com as the eighth-best prospect in the organization.

Sandlin posted a 4.50 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A in Boston’s minor league system.

The Red Sox acquired Ziehl, 22, a former fourth-round pick of the Yankees in the 2024 MLB Draft.

He finished 2025 with the White Sox’s High-A affiliate Winston-Salem Dash, posting a 4.01 ERA in six starts after he was dealt for Slater, a veteran right-handed hitter whom the Yankees have considering re-signing this offseason.

Ziehl is ranked as the 14th best prospect in Chicago’s system.

It’s Sunday, and you know what that means — it’s time for our weekly social media roundup! While the Big Apple will thankfully not be hit with a Sunday snowstorm for the third consecutive week, Boreas (the Greek northern wind, for the non-Classicists among you) has continued to hound the Northeast, with single-digit temperatures rampaging throughout the land. And yet, even as we bundled up in three layers of coats and hats to survive the cold, the first signs of spring came on the horizon. How so, you may ask, on this first day of February? Well, let’s find out!

Celebrating America’s MVP

Last Saturday, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) hosted their annual awards ceremony, where Yankees captain Aaron Judge received his third career American League MVP Award. Former teammate Anthony Rizzo introduced him, while Suzyn Waldman and Dave Sims were in attendance.

But the AL MVP was not the only honor for the Captain this week, as MLB The Show announced that Judge will be this year’s cover athlete. Since No. 99 was the cover athlete back in 2018, this marks his second time on the cover — only the second player ever to receive the distinction, and first since Joe Mauer in the early 2010s.

Congrats, Carlos and Ashley

Judge was not the only Yankee to be honored at Saturday’s event. Carlos Rodón and his wife Ashley received the Joan Payson & Shannon Forde Community Service Award, honoring them for the work they do with the Rodon Foundation helping couples dealing with fertility issues.

Belli’s Back

This past week, the Yankees officially announced that they had re-signed Cody Bellinger. Once that occurred, the social media team showed what they have almost certainly been cooking up all winter to celebrate. In particular, the videos posted stress the fact that Bellinger grew up at the old Stadium, as his father, Clay, played for the Yankees in the late ‘90s — but you probably knew that already, didn’t you?

New Computers in the Bronx

Yankee second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. and his foundation helped put together a state-of-the-art computer lab for students at CS55 in the Bronx.

Congrats to the Wells family

Yankees catcher Austin Wells and his partner welcomed a new member of their family this week: Lucy Marie Wells. Congratulations!

Happy Retirement, D-Rob

Former Yankee reliever and 2009 World Series champion David Robertson officially hung up his cleats this week, announcing his retirement on Instagram.

Farewell, Lasagna

Earlier this month, Jonathan Loáisiga signed a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, bringing his tenure with the Yankees to a close. The dynamic-but-injury-riddled reliever spent ten seasons with the Yankees organization after being signed as a minor league free agent in 2016, including eight years on the Yankees pitching staff (originally as a starter, and then as a reliever). We wish him the best as he looks to get his career back on track after dealing with extensive injuries in 2024 and 2025.

Snow Day

Yea, there was a lot of snow last week. You know, just in case you needed a reminder that it’s merely very cold, not very cold and in need of shoveling.

CC Sabathia was also on social media complaining, but as the comments’ section on his post points out, his complaints ring hollow: he has spent a lot of time golfing in Florida and traveling to warm weather areas this winter.

Moving Day

What is the first sign of the new season? Why, it’s moving day, of course! And guess what — that was this past Friday! The Yankees’ facilities and equipment teams loaded up the trucks, with one destination in mind: Tampa, Florida.

Pitchers Jordan Hicks and David Sandlin are swapping the color of their footwear.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan has reported that the Red Sox are shipping the pair of righties to the Chicago White Sox.

In return, Boston will be getting another young pitching prospect: right-hander Gage Ziehl, a product of the University of Miami (the Florida one, not the Ohio one). The Red Sox will also reportedly be sending $8 million along to the South Side of Chicago in order to pay some of Hicks’ salary—he’s set to make $12.5 million in both 2026 and 2027, per Spotrac.

First things first: Jordan Hicks is no longer a member of the Boston Red Sox—hit the music.

Of all of the pitchers who have ever worn a Red Sox uniform, Hicks was undoubtedly one of them. Coming over from San Francisco over the summer in a trade that involved some player I can’t remember, Hicks had previously been a guy who had shown some sick stuff—if perhaps not consistent stuff—throughout his major league career.

Alas, things just never really jived for him in Boston. Across 18.2 innings in 21 outings, Hicks logged a…(makes sure I’m not reading this wrong)…Jesus Christ, 8.20 ERA, 1.98 WHIP, and an ERA+ of 51. He walked too many guys, he didn’t strike out enough guys to justify the free passes, and his outings were consistently miserable to watch. I hope, for his own sake, that he gets back on the right track with the Pale Hose, but another year (or two) of Hicks was not going to be good for anyone’s blood pressure in Red Sox Nation.

This move is a salary dump for Boston, clearly. It sucks to move off of Sandlin to execute that salary dump—the one-time Pod On Lansdowne guest has some promise, and perhaps he’ll get a shot to realize that potential with Chicago—but eight figures off the books is nothing to sneeze at.

Plus, the Red Sox’s organizational depth within the pitching staff is solid. While Sandlin’s departure may sting, Boston now has a bit more flexibility thanks to the dumped salary and the extra 40-man roster space. Go get that infielder, Craig.

Of course, this is not the first time we’ve talked about moving off of salary via a trade involving Jordan Hicks. Rafael Devers’ trade was widely seen as a salary dump, and we are now dumping part of the salary for a guy involved in the first salary dump. It’s Dumpception.

Outside of that money-specific aspect, the return for Devers now looks…………………….interesting, to put it charitably. It’s Kyle Harrison, Jose Bello, this Ziehl fella (more on him in a second), and the brief services of Hicks and Dustin May—neither of whome were fruitful on the bump in 2025. However, I think this shows that Breslow and Co. are aware of the Sunk Cost Fallacy. They’re willing to cut their losses with Hicks and move on. That’s probably the wise thing to do, but it’s impossible to not raise the point about Devers when having this discussion.

As for Gage Ziehl, the 22-year-old pitcher joining the Red Sox organization: I’m not familiar with his game, but my quick skim on Twitter shows that he projects to be a guy with solid command in spite of a lack of powerhouse stuff. I’m sure one of my OTM colleagues who are smarter than I (so, all of them) will be able to take a deeper dive on him.

Maybe that ground ball rate speaks to the organization’s desire to build a strong defensive backbone? I dunno, just something to consider.

In the meantime, get ready for the Jordan Hicks tribute video. I’m sure there won’t be a dry eye at Fenway when the day comes.

Mets superstar Juan Soto will indeed suit up for Team Dominican Republic in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Juan Soto is BACK for Team Dominican Republic!

Soto hit a pair of home runs in the 2023 #WorldBaseballClassic 🇩🇴 pic.twitter.com/w9kzX4Bcmv

— MLB (@MLB) February 1, 2026

Soto previously appeared in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and was one of the top hitters in the entire tournament.

In four WBC games in 2023, Soto led all players with a ridiculous 1.500 OPS, recording six hits in 15 at-bats, including two home runs, three doubles, and three RBI. In classic Soto style, he also walked three times.

Soto is coming of a debut season in Queens in which he finished third in MVP voting, posting a .921 OPS with 43 home runs, 105 RBI, 127 walks, and 38 stolen bases.

Along with Soto playing for Team Dominican Republic, fellow Mets Nolan McLean and Clay Holmes are set to pitch for Team USA.

Francisco Lindor, meanwhile, will not suit up for team Puerto Rico after undergoing a recent cleanup procedure in his right elbow.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic will run March 5 through March 17.

Dodgers FanFest 2026 is an annual reminder for fans that baseball is right around the corner. However, on Saturday at Chavez Ravine, the loudest presence was an absence. 

Clayton Kershaw wasn’t there.

For the first time since he was a wide-eyed 19-year-old draft pick, the Dodgers gathered without the man who had been their north star for nearly two decades. Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner, former National League MVP, 11-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion, retired at the end of the 2025 season. 

In two weeks, that reality will sharpen.

When this current Dodgers squad report to Camelback Ranch for spring training, they’ll walk into a clubhouse that has never existed for them before. There will be no locker with No. 22 hanging above it. No early-morning sprints before a start. No laughter as he sings in the weight room, no more Kershaw Days at Dodger Stadium. 

“Obviously, we’re going to miss Clayton,” manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s a different ball club without him. When we get to spring training and Camelback and not seeing his locker where it’s been for 18 years is going to be different.”

Kershaw spent all 18 seasons with the Dodgers, a rarity in modern sports and a point of pride for an organization that watched him compile a 222-96 record, a Live Ball Era-best 2.54 ERA, 15 shutouts, and 3,000 strikeouts. He leaves second on the franchise wins list, just 11 behind Don Sutton, tied with Zack Wheat and Bill Russell for the most seasons ever played  in Dodger blue. A first-ballot Hall of Famer in waiting, even if Cooperstown won’t say it out loud yet.

“It’s going to be really weird not seeing him in there,” Mookie Betts said. “I also want him to enjoy his retirement. It’s a new chapter in life, and something that he’s not going to be used to. I really want him to enjoy it, but I really want him to come see the boys as well.”

Freddie Freeman smiled, then paused, the memory still fresh in his mind. “I just saw my walk-off home run [in Game 3 of the 2025 World Series] and they showed Kersh running onto the field like a 5-year-old looking for candy,” Freeman said. “Everyone talks about Kershaw the Hall of Fame pitcher, what he meant to this organization, but the day-in-and-day-out inside the clubhouse, the joy he brings, him singing at the top of his lungs shirtless in the weight room — those are the things I’ll miss more. It’s weird seeing Dodgers legends no longer walking around the clubhouse anymore.”

Will Smith put it more quietly. “I’m going to miss his presence each and every day,” he said. “He keeps the mood light, but also is intense with everything he does. His legacy is going to carry on in the clubhouse.”

Kershaw once joked he was on the “no-plan, plan.” That didn’t last.

Team USA in the World Baseball Classic awaits, as does a new role on NBC’s Sunday Night Baseball. He’ll be around, Betts joked, hopefully not too critical of his former team.

Still, when spring arrives in Arizona, the silence will land first. The Dodgers will move forward. They always do.

They’ll just do it without Kershaw standing there, reminding everyone what it meant to wear the uniform.

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Spring Training hasn't even started, and the Chicago White Sox have already taken their first L of 2026.

The Southsiders' social media account rung in the first day of Black History Month on Sunday with a timeline looking back "upon momentous firsts for the White Sox organization." Some of the more notable moments included Comiskey Park hosting the first Negro Leagues All-Star Game in 1933, Al Smith becoming the organization's first Black All-Star in 1960 and current manager Will Venable becoming the third Black White Sox manager in team history and one of two active Black managers in 2024.

MLB offseason grades: Dodgers get top marks, plenty of Fs to go around

Top remaining MLB free agents: 31 best still available

But there was one glaring omission.

Frank Thomas, the club's all-time leader in home runs (448), RBIs (1,465), runs scored (1,327), doubles (447), walks (1,466), on-base percentage (.427), slugging percentage (.568), and total bases (3,949), was absent aside from a brief mention under Dick Allen's MVP section. None of his franchise records, five All-Star appearances, four Silver Sluggers, AL batting title — or his streak of seven consecutive seasons with at least a .300 average, 100 RBIs, 100 runs scored, 100 walks and 20 home runs from 1991-1997 — were in the post.

And the Big Hurt himself noticed.

I Guess the black player who made you rich over there and holds all your records is forgettable! Don’t worry I’m taking Receipts!

— Frank Thomas (@TheBigHurt_35) February 1, 2026

"I Guess the black player who made you rich over there and holds all your records is forgettable!" he said in a reply to the post. "Don’t worry I’m taking Receipts!"

Thomas' tweet ratioed the White Sox with over 2,000 likes and 218 retweets compared to 264 likes and 88 retweets on the original post as of 2:00 p.m. ET.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Frank Thomas reacts to being left off White Sox Black History Month post

Near the end of the Dodgers’ annual Fanfest event on Saturday afternoon, a sudden buzz arose in the crowd.

Over the Dodger Stadium speakers, fans heard the familiar sounds of a high-pitched trumpet. They started clapping to the beat of what will soon become a common ballpark tune.

Edwin Díaz, the team’s new closer and $69 million free-agent signing this winter, wasn’t personally in attendance. But on the unofficial start day of a new and highly anticipated 2026 season, his Timmy Trumpet entrance song was already whipping Chavez Ravine into a frenzy.

It was a reminder of how, even for a franchise with back-to-back World Series titles, another big winter spending spree has re-energized the club.

Much like their team’s fans, Dodgers players have watched in amazement at the way the organization has continued stockpiling talent over the last several offseasons.

Such moves helped build this current Dodger dynasty, netting everyone from Shohei Ohtani to Yoshinobu Yamamoto to Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. They have also turned the Dodgers into villains, with their $400 million payroll becoming the bane of the rest of the sport.

Inside the clubhouse, however, this winter’s newest additions –– namely, Díaz and $240 million outfielder Kyle Tucker –– have served another purpose ahead of the team’s three-peat bid.

Dodgers players didn’t exactly need more motivation, or a reminder of the opportunity in front of them.

But seeing more big names walk through the door, “it injects energy into us,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “To go out and keep getting the best players year in and year out, even when you’re winning the World Series, it’s refreshing. It just really shows you that our organization, our front office, our ownership group wants to win every single year. To be a part of that, it’s special.”

This has become something of an annual dynamic for the Dodgers in recent years.

Each season, they are saddled with lofty expectations. Anything short of another World Series has long been seen as a failure. That kind of environment presents an ever-present pressure, and the threat of mental fatigue over the slog of a long regular season.

The infusion of new blood, however, has come to provide an important internal reset.

“It’s huge in the sense that you’re getting the talent,” manager Dave Roberts said of this winter’s signings of Díaz and Tucker. “But the other part is, you’re getting a couple guys that haven’t won a championship (with us) … Having guys that haven’t had that feeling, that taste, infused with a lot of the guys that we already have here, I think that’s great.”

Third baseman Max Muncy, now the longest-tenured player in the organization following Clayton Kershaw’s retirement this offseason, was speaking to reporters Saturday when Díaz’s entrance song made its Chavez Ravine debut.

He said adding players of that caliber is a reminder to the rest of the roster.

“It always sends a message to the players: We’re here to win,” he explained. “It’s not, ‘Oh, we won one. We’re good now.’ It’s, ‘We want to keep winning.’ And for us as players, when we see that, you have to understand and know that we can’t just take this year off because we won last year. We have to keep going and get better.”

Veteran infielder Miguel Rojas echoed that sentiment, describing the “sense of urgency” such moves create for a new campaign, especially after a long October run and short offseason of recuperation.

“It’s going to push ourselves,” he said. “Older players need to continue to get better. Younger players need to earn their spot. And I think that’s going to be a good competition, a good vibe and a good atmosphere in the clubhouse.” 

The Dodgers wouldn’t be in such a position, of course, had it not been for their biggest recent signing of all in Ohtani, whose heavily deferred contract structure and revenue-driving celebrity status have enabled much of the club’s recent spending.

“When I signed with the Dodgers, I had conversations with (owner) Mark Walter and (president of baseball operations) Andrew Friedman, in terms of making sure we would be in position to continue to add players,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “I’m sure from a fan’s perspective, they’re ecstatic to see something like this.”

And on Saturday, it was clear that feeling was reverberating among his teammates, as well, setting the tone for a 2026 season in which the Dodgers will be pursuing history, and re-energized by the new pieces they’ve enlisted to help accomplish it.

“It’s why everyone wants to be a Dodger,” Muncy said. “They see that it’s just all about winning. It’s never about, ‘Oh, we’re good.’”

*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.

Well he finally got his spot on our annual list. Outfielder Henry Bolte comes in as the obvious pick for the sixth-best prospect in the A’s system. The righty-swinging Bolte had a great all-around year this past season, demolishing Double-A pitching before a brief promotion to Triple-A. He faced some challenges at that next level but still held his own as a relatively young player against better pitching. While he may need another couple of months with the Aviators the speedy outfielder could be a legitimate option for the Athletics in the outfield this summer and looks like a potential contributor when the A’s open their new stadium.

The next nominee was a close vote but corner infielder Tommy White just eked out the win this time around. The former second-round pick has a strong right-handed bat but there are major questions about his ability to remain at the hot corner. With Nick Kurtz sticking around for the next few years at first base and Brent Rooker locked in as the DH White is going to need to show improvement at third base if he wants to get to the big leagues with the A’s.

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
2. Jamie Arnold
3. Gage Jump
4. Wei-En Lin
5. Braden Nett
6. Henry Bolte

The voting continues! Which A’s prospect do the fans believe is the #7 player in the system? 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:

Tommy White, 3B

Expected level: Double-A | Age: 22

2025 stats (A+/AA): 395 PA, .275/.334/.439, 23 doubles, 0 triples, 12 HR, 51 RBI, 29 BB, 54 K, 3 SB

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 30 | Arm: 50 | Field: 40 | Overall: 45

White’s right-handed power is legitimate and he can hit the ball a long way to all fields thanks to his strength and bat speed. He might be known for his home run totals but he’s a better overall hitter than people think, finding the barrel consistently and limiting strikeouts. His knack for contact can lead to him expanding his strike zone, but he doesn’t swing and miss very often.

It will be White’s bat that carries him to the big leagues. He’s a well-below-average runner who likely lacks the range and tools to stick at third base, where he toiled as a sophomore and junior, earning praise for playing through a shoulder injury at LSU in 2023. He’s likely headed to first base long term, which could give the A’s a glut of serious offensive talent between him and first-rounder Nick Kurtz.

Shotaro Morii, SS/RHP

Expected level: Low-A | Age: 19

2025 stats (Rookie Affiliate): 188 PA, .258/.399/.384, 8 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HR, 27 RBI, 36 BB, 47 K, 4 SB

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades (hitter): Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 55 | Arm: 60 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40

Scouting grades (pitcher): Fastball: 55 | Slider: 40 | Curveball: 45 | Splitter: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40

At the plate, Morii features a smooth left-handed swing with tremendous balance. His power stands out, as he clubbed 45 home runs as a high schooler. He is considered an advanced hitter with good barrel control. On the mound, his fastball has been clocked as high as 95 mph and sits around 92-93. He also brings a splitter with nasty movement, a true 12-to-6 curveball and a tighter slider with solid bite and depth, though that offering will probably require some fine-tuning. Having only been pitching with regularity for less than two years, Morii’s arm is relatively fresh as he enters the organization.

Morii’s high-octane throwing arm plays well at shortstop, but some evaluators see a possibility of moving to third base as his 6-foot-1 frame fills out. While scouts see Morii’s long-term future in the batter’s box, the A’s plan on giving him every opportunity to succeed as a two-way player, with excitement already building over his impressive physical traits and desire to become one of the next great players out of Japan.

Johenssy Colome, SS

Expected level: Dominican Summer League | Age: 17

2025 stats: None

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 65 | Run: 50 | Arm: 60 | Field: 55 | Overall: 60

It’s not often that teenage prospects launch home runs. But Colome has a tendency to get to that jumpy pop with frequency, consistently leveraging his swing well – so well in fact, that one evaluator mentioned the most recent occasion on which he saw an international prospect continually get to their launch point in such a manner was Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Colome is a right-handed hitter with explosive hands and a solid contact rate, although he has been known to be a tad aggressive in the box as a means of getting to said power.

Something of an athletic marvel at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds at age 16, Colome is an agile athlete who shows a lot of lateral quickness. The fluidity of his movements and strong arm led to a Manny Machado comparison being hung on him defensively. Much like the seven-time All-Star, Colome may move off short as his frame fills out, but he’s a tremendously dedicated worker and has the feet, soft hands and instincts to stick at the premium position.

Steven Echavarria, RHP

Expected level: Double-A | Age: 20

2025 stats (A+): 4.59 ERA, 25 starts (26 appearances), 104 IP, 88 K, 42 BB, 8 HR, 4.10 FIP

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

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

The A’s believe Echavarria’s stuff played better than the overall numbers might suggest. His fastball reached 98 mph and sat 95-96 with good ride up in the zone. The issue was struggling to command his arsenal when he would fall behind in counts. His mid-80s slider flashes plus, and his upper-80s changeup continues to improve. He also throws a two-seamer in the 92-93 mph range. He clearly dealt with some control issues, but the A’s are not at all sounding the alarm, instead patiently working with the teenager on adjustments.

Echavarria profiles as a starter for the long-term with his 6-foot-1 frame and sound delivery. Previously having shown an ability to consistently throw all of his offerings for strikes prior to the Draft, he will continue to work to rediscover that control in his second season of pro ball.

Edgar Montero, SS

Expected level: Low-A | Age: 19

2025 stats (DSL): 244 PA, .313/.484/.580, 14 doubles, 3 triples, 9 HR, 50 RBI, 60 BB, 54 K, 11 SB

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

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

A switch-hitting shortstop, Montero has shown the ability to impact the ball from both sides of the plate, with his natural right-handed swing more direct to the ball, though his left-handed swing is more picturesque and he obviously gets more plate appearances from that side. He has the chance to hit for average and power, with a solid approach that has allowed him to walk more than he strikes out for much of the summer.

Last year, Montero was slower and less athletic, but attention to conditioning and nutrition has helped him get leaner and stronger. An average runner, Montero has the instincts and actions to stick at shortstop for a long time, with a solid and accurate arm. If his body gets bigger as he matures — he played all of 2025 at age 18 — he could move to the hot corner, but the A’s don’t see that in his future. What they are hoping for is that he comes to instructs this year and stays in the United States as one of the better prospects to come out of their Dominican academy in some time.

* * *

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