As expected, having been the top player at the position when the MLB Network ranked the top hundred players last week, Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte duly ranked first overall on MLB Now’s Top 10 Second Basemen Right Now earlier tonight. The three-time All-Star, who also ranked first overall on the Top 10 Second Basemen Right Now countdown last year, finished one spot ahead of two-time All-Star (and former Diamondback prospect!) Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Marte, MLB Network analyst and 17-year MLB veteran Cliff Floyd said, “He’s in his prime. …We’ll figure out every other position and get everybody else right because we have a guy at second base that’s the best in the sport.”
The complete ranking for MLB Now’s top-10 second basemen is listed below:
Top 10 Second Basemen Right Now
Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
Jazz Chisholm Jr. New York Yankees
Nico Hoerner, Chicago Cubs
Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals
Marcus Semien, New York Mets
Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
Gleyber Torres, Detroit Tigers
Xavier Edwards, Miami Marlins
Brandon Lowe, Pittsburgh Pirates
Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers
Hosted by MLB Network’s Brian Kenny, the 16th season of each Top 10 Right Now ranking considers player performance over multiple seasons, offensive and defensive metrics, both advanced Statcast data and traditional numbers, and expert analysis by the MLB Network research team. Next up, tomorrow, will be left field – but I don’t expect the D-backs to trouble the listing there. We’ll be looking forward instead to the Thursday night ranking, which discusses shortstops. I feel sure Arizona should have some representation there. But as to how high, we will just have to wait and see.
So, do you think that Marte is, indeed, the best player at the position in baseball? Tell us in the comments, and explain your logic – whether your answer is yes or no!
Bo Bichette poses with manager Carlos Mendoza at his introductory press conference at Citi Field, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Queens, NY.
Bo Bichette’s transformation into a third baseman is already underway.
The former shortstop, who recently arrived to the Mets on a three-year contract worth $126 million, worked out in front of manager Carlos Mendoza on Monday in Port St. Lucie, Fla., three weeks before position players are due to report to spring training.
The early reviews were positive, Mendoza told Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman on “The Show” podcast.
“He’s an athlete,” Mendoza said. “We’re looking at a guy that has played shortstop pretty much his whole career. And just watching him today, moving around third base, taking ground balls, creating angles and then the throws to first base, I was telling him, ‘It looks like you played there before.’ ”
Bichette, who played in the 2025 World Series with the Blue Jays, isn’t the only Mets player learning a new position: The team also signed Jorge Polanco to a two-year contract worth $40 million to move to first base, a position that became open after Pete Alonso accepted a five-year deal worth $155 million with the Orioles.
Bo Bichette poses with manager Carlos Mendoza at his introductory press conference at Citi Field, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, in Queens, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Polanco has only one career appearance at first base. Brett Baty (displaced at third with Bichette’s signing) and Mark Vientos also figure into the equation at first base.
“[Polanco] is a guy that came up as a shortstop, playing in the middle of the diamond,” Mendoza said. “He moves around as well and the same thing with Baty and Vientos, guys who have got some experience there. But I feel like it’s going to take some time getting used to some game action.”
Mendoza was also asked about team chemistry — The Post reported in November that Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto had a frosty relationship. Soto last year was in his first season in Queens after signing a record $765 million contract.
Francisco Lindor #12 of the New York Mets is greeted by Juan Soto #22 of the New York Mets after he scores on his solo home run during the first inning. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
“It’s two very different guys,” Mendoza said. “Soto is very businesslike. He’s a guy that comes in, he’s going through his process. Lindor is more outgoing, like what you see on the field — the big smile. And that guy, whether we win or lose, is going to be the same guy. He cares. Obviously, they both care. And I feel like because of who they are individually, it’s a relationship that they care about winning. They care about each other. They care about their teammates. But they’re two different personalities.”
Mendoza will have a new arm atop his rotation following the trade last week that brought Freddy Peralta from the Brewers for Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat.
“We all know the type of arm, the type of pitcher that [Peralta] is, a guy that’s pitching at the front of the rotation,” Mendoza said. “But as soon as we acquired him, I got on the phone with a lot of people that have been around him, and everybody keeps telling me he’s the quality of the person, how good of a human being he is and how much he cares about his teammates, about people. And that was one of the things that he mentioned to me when I got on the phone with him. It’s like, ‘I’m planning on reporting early to Port St. Lucie so I can start meeting a lot of the new faces.’ That goes to show you the type of guy he is.”
Mendoza was spared amid a coaching staff shake-up following the nosedive that kept the Mets from reaching the playoffs last season. He will be entering the final year of his contract.
“I have a great opportunity in front of me,” Mendoza said. “You get an owner that is willing to put all the resources in order to accomplish the ultimate goal. And you have a front office that continues to make moves to continue to improve our roster. And now it’s up to us, you know, and me as the manager in this situation is a great opportunity. I know where I stand.”
The Royals have signed 36-year-old right-hander Héctor Neris to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training, according to New York Post reporter Jon Heyman. Neris pitched for the Braves, Angels, and Astros last year, posting a 6.75 ERA but with 35 strikeouts in 26.2 innings. He had 18 saves in 62 games with a 4.10 ERA in 2024, and was a 2.6 rWAR pitcher in 2023.
Neris has pitched in 643 career MLB games over 12 seasons, with 107 career saves. From 2021 to 2023 he posted a 3.03 ERA with 11.0 strikeouts-per-nine innings. He can still miss bats, but his walk rate spiked upwards. Neris relies heavily on a split-fingered fastball that opponents hit just .182 against. But opponents hammered his 92 mph four-seamer, batting .366 against the heater. Neris posted a 29 percent groundball rate last year, the lowest of his career.
The Royals’ bullpen will feature Carlos Estévez, Lucas Erceg, Matt Strahm, John Schreiber, Nick Mears, and Daniel Lynch IV. Two more spots will be up for grabs with Neris likely competing for a spot with Steven Cruz, James McArthur, Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek, Bailey Falter, Mason Black, Alex Lange, and Luinder Avila.
There’s a very real chance that major league players could participate in the Olympics for the first time. If they do, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has strong feelings about who should lead Team USA at the 2028 Summer Games.
Himself.
“I want to manage the Olympic team,” Roberts told the California Post. “That’s what I want to do. In L.A., I want to manage that team.”
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts celebrates on the podium after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2025 MLB World Series. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“I went to school here,” the UCLA graduate said. “I manage the Dodgers.
“It’s a no-brainer.”
Roberts also represented the United States at the 1999 Pan American Games. Because the U.S. finished second, it qualified for the 2000 Olympics, at which it won a gold medal with Tommy Lasorda as its manager.
Something else Roberts didn’t mention: The son of an African American father and Japanese mother, he reflects the wide range of cultures that can be found in Los Angeles.
Want patriotism?
Roberts’ late father, Waymon, spent three decades in the Marines.
“In L.A., I want to manage that team,” Roberts said. “No one’s more relevant to do that than me.”
Bryce Harper has said he wants to play in the Olympics. So has Shohei Ohtani.
The 2028 Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles. AP
“Of course,” Ohtani said in 2024.
Because Major League Baseball has refused to pause its season to release players for an international competition it doesn’t control, the United States has fielded teams consisting of collegians or minor leaguers at previous Olympics. Japan has used players from its professional league in each of the last four Games in which baseball was included.
For players such as Ohtani and Harper to be cleared to play, an agreement must be reached between Major League Baseball, the players’ union and LA28, the organizing committee for the 2028 Olympics.
Commissioner Rob Manfred has sounded increasingly optimistic that a deal could be made. A major obstacle was removed in November when LA28 announced a new schedule for its baseball, with the competition requiring just a slightly extended All-Star break from MLB.
The opening game of the Olympic tournament is now slated to take place on July 13, a day before the opening ceremony. The final would be on July 19.
Under that scenario, MLB could be able to hold its annual All-Star Game on its traditional Tuesday date on July 11.
There’s no denying the impact, love, and legacy that Andrew McCutchen has left on the Pirates and the region.
The 2013 NL MVP brought winning baseball back to Pittsburgh and may one day have his No. 22 retired at PNC Park. But is it the last time McCutchen has donned the number on the diamond in the Steel City?
McCutchen remains a free agent after concluding the third season of his second stint in Pittsburgh. During the ever-popular “Ask Pirates Management” segment of PiratesFest on Saturday, General Manager Ben Cherington was noncommittal on whether the Pirates will re-sign the former face of the franchise.
“Andrew has meant a ton to the team,” Cherington said, per Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. “He’s had an incredible run, in two different times with the Pirates. Certainly, his legacy is secure, and our desire — everybody at the Pirates would desire — to have him maintain a really good relationship with Andrew well into the future.”
Cherington may be referring to a connection with Pirates alumni and returning to team events in the future.
The more Cherington spoke on the topic, the more it sounded like the Pirates are moving on.
“Then we come back to our team. What is the job? The job is to build a team that gives us the best chance to be winning games when you’re in the ballpark in June and July, and that’s where I see the passion come out,” Cherington said.
Following a season with PR nightmares, spotty attendance, and frequent “Sell The Team” chants, the Pirates were the most active they’ve ever been in the Cherington era in adding to the roster.
Pittsburgh signed first baseman/DH Ryan O’Hearn to the first multi-year deal since Ivan Nova, traded for 31 home-run hitting second baseman Brandon Lowe, and acquired outfielders Jake Mangum and Jhostynxon Garcia.
Cherington said their approach has been based on winning more games this year than previous seasons and “that’s going to continue to guide our decisions.”
The Pirates, at least yet, haven’t deemed that McCutchen best puts them in position for this to come to fruition. This could be because they are chasing a bigger bat to acquire, or don’t want McCutchen back and haven’t wanted to tell him.
Cherington hasn’t been clear, but concluded: “So much respect for Andrew. That relationship is really important to us, and we’ll continue to communicate with him, directly, as the team comes together. We have more work to do.”
McCutchen was not in attendance at the annual fan fest held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
Cherington didn’t close the door on a reunion with McCutchen, but the more time that passes makes it more and more unlikely as we approach spring training.
Frustrated by the process, McCutchen took to Twitter to express his feelings about being absent from PiratesFest.
He pointed to how the St. Louis Cardinals had a farewell season with Adam Wainwright, Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, the Dodgers with Clayton Kershaw, and the Tigers with Miguel Cabrera as examples of franchise icons who had one final run and were either known, or strongly implied, that it was their final year.
“I wonder, did the Cards do this Wainwright/Pujols/Yadi? Dodgers to Kershaw? Tigers to Miggy? The list goes on and on,” McCutchen said. “If this is my last year, it would have been nice to meet the fans one last time as a player. Talk to them about my appreciation for them over the years. Shake that little kid’s hand or hug the fan that’s been a fan since Clemente.”
I wonder, did the Cards do this Wainwright/Pujols/Yadi? Dodgers to Kershaw?Tigers to Miggy? The list goes on and on. If this is my last year, it would have been nice to meet the fans one last time as a player. Talk to them about my appreciation for them over the years. Shake that… https://t.co/oB8Nq1bjng
In 135 games, McCutchen hit .239 with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs for the Pirates in 2025. A 17-year MLB vet who has spent 12 in the black and gold, McCutchen is a five-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger winner.
McCutchen thinks the fan base deserves transparency. He believes it’s “bigger than baseball” with the relationships McCutchen has built with loyal Pittsburgh sports fans.
“You see, this is bigger than baseball!” McCutchen said. “Bigger than looking at a 40-man roster and cherry picking numbers that fit your agenda or prove why your opinion matters. The fans deserved at the very least to get that opportunity.”
McCutchen ranked second on the team in hits (114) and third in home runs and RBIs. He still lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Maria, who welcomed the couple’s fifth child this month.
“(I don’t know) what the future holds for me at the present moment, but what I do know is (that) though I am 39, on the backend of my career, I still work everyday to be better than I was the year before,” McCutchen said. “If there wasn’t a burning desire to continue this journey, I would be home surrounded by my family, in which no one would judge or be surprised.”
While the Pirates seemingly remain unsure if McCutchen has a role on the team in 2026, McCutchen isn’t ready to hang up the bats and cleats just yet.
“But not yet,” McCutchen said. “There’s more work to do, and I’m not done, no matter what label you try to stamp on. Rip the jersey off of me. You don’t get to write my future, God does.”
There may be a role for McCutchen, but much more minimal than as the starting DH over the past three years. O’Hearn will likely DH, but McCutchen could be a valuable asset to start against lefties.
In 131 at-bats last season against left-handers, McCutchen hit .267 with a .389 slugging percentage and .742 OPS.
McCutchen’s leadership, passion for the city, and, more importantly, his still decent bat speed could make him a valuable asset as a pinch hitter late in games.
His eye for the strike zone may be an asset with the new ABS challenge system going into place.
The Pirates vastly improved their roster this offseason. The downside for many fans is that it likely came at McCutchen’s expense.
The Pirates and McCutchen could both benefit from one more year together, as long as the pieces go together for the Pirates to focus on getting back to the postseason for the first time in over a decade.
Just like at BA and MLB, four outfielders comprised the top four slots on Law’s list at The Athletic. The youngest of the group, Eduardo Quintero, earned the top spot among Dodgers here, ranked No. 9 by Law. Josue De Paula checked in at No. 20, Zyhir Hope was 36th, and Mike Sirota was 51st.
Ryan should be ready to pitch in some role this spring after hitting 100 mph during his rehab. If he were completely healthy, he might be the No. 1 pitching prospect in baseball. He has above-average to plus stuff across the board, with ride on the upper-90s four-seamer, a slider, a cutter that was new in 2024, a two-plane curveball and a changeup, with the cutter probably the worst pitch at the moment because his other stuff is so good.
The other Dodgers prospect ranked in the top 100 at The Athletic is shortstop Alex Freeland, the switch-hitter who made his major league debut in 2025 and played all over the infield in his five weeks with Los Angeles. Freeland is ranked the 87th-best prospect in baseball by Law, who said of the infielder, “He’s played shortstop, and could probably be a fringe-average big leaguer there, but he’s best suited to second or third.”
Whenever he ponders his professional future, Dave Roberts asks himself a simple question: What are you chasing?
A couple years ago, the answer left him with an “unsettling” feeling.
Before the Dodgers cemented their modern-day dynasty over the last two seasons, before they won back-to-back championships that burnished the legacy of their superstar roster and historically successful veteran manager, before they climbed to heights few clubs in more than a century of Major League Baseball have ever reached, a sense of uncertainty gnawed at Roberts as he considered the state of his career and his personal fulfillment in one of sports’ highest-profile posts.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts looks on during batting practice before game one of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Center on October 24, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. Getty Images
He had the winningest managerial record in MLB history, plus a World Series ring from the Dodgers’ pandemic-altered 2020 championship.
But he was also “kind of thinking, ‘How much longer do I want to do this?’” he recalled, after early postseason eliminations in 2022 and 2023 had prompted external questions about his job security and an internal period of self-reflection within him.
“It was like, ‘What am I doing this for?’” Roberts told The California Post recently, sitting down for lunch at a beachside restaurant near his offseason home in San Diego. “I love the question, ‘What are you chasing?’ And I was there at home, [after] you lose, and you’re like, ‘What am I chasing?’ Am I chasing a championship? We already won one. Is that going to bring me joy and fulfillment? I didn’t have an answer.”
Dave Roberts gives an interview after the Los Angeles Dodgers Workouts day at Tokyo Dome on March 17, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan Getty Images
“That’s unsettling,” he added, “when you don’t have an answer to, ‘what are you chasing?’”
Two years later, all those doubts have washed away now.
Entering 2026, Roberts is at the pinnacle of his managerial career, on the verge of a World Series three-peat that he feels has validated the “steadfast [way] in how we’ve done things” over the last decade.
Roberts celebrates after beating the Toronto Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Toronto. AP
“We’ve been very consistent,” he said, citing everything from front-office and ownership stability to the culture the Dodgers have cultivated in their clubhouse. “I think that for us to look back on how we’ve won, I feel proud of that.”
He has felt a newfound embrace from the fan base, letting go of old frustrations –– “There’s times that I was resentful,” he admitted of the public criticisms he took earlier in his Dodgers tenure –– while expressing a deep gratitude for the way “they show up to support us every night.”
“I’d rather have fans that are passionate and care, even at the cost of me getting booed at home in a World Series,” he joked. “Which, I think I might hold the record with that.”
Most of all, Roberts has found a renewed satisfaction in his work. A purpose, he explained, that goes beyond wins and losses and championship rings.
“Now, I just feel I’m chasing happiness, joy and success –– whatever that means,” he said. “It’s certainly championships. But there’s a lot of other parts for me that I feel confident that I’m achieving.”
Roberts points back to last October’s title defense, highlighting the “complete buy-in” he received from the roster while managing an all-hands-on-deck pitching staff and shuffling players in and out of the lineup.
Shohei Ohtani and Dave Roberts celebrate after their World Series win in 2025. AP
“Not one time was I questioned on my decision-making [by the players], which in turn would question their commitment to the team,” he said. “They all felt their time was coming. They all felt that their roles were really valued. I don’t think that any head coach or manager can say that.”
He cites his own growth in the dugout, and the way he feels his decision-making has “really slowed down” after a decade on the top step.
“I think that with Father Time as an athlete, there’s a bell curve,” he said. “But with coaching, your best years are with experience and as you get older. That’s the irony. And I do feel that I’m much more wise … At 53, I feel like I’m just scratching the surface.”
Roberts is at the pinnacle of his managerial career being on the verge of a World Series three-peat. Getty Images
And as he begins a new four-year contract he signed last spring (which came with a record-setting $8.1 million annual salary), Roberts is no longer grappling his questions about his professional future.
“I’m not gonna say I’m going to manage for as long as Tommy [Lasorda] and Walt Alston,” he said, referencing his Hall-of-Fame predecessors’ 20-plus-year tenures with the club. “But I don’t see myself going anywhere for a while.”
Instead, the former big-league outfielder has made lifestyle changes he hopes will extend his managerial prime. Late last season, he overhauled his diet and almost entirely cut out alcohol. Over the course of this offseason, he got noticeably trimmer while shedding 12 pounds.
“I think that for us to look back on how we’ve won, I feel proud of that,” Roberts said. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“I’m in the best shape of my managerial career,” Roberts joked, while sipping on a purple beet and carrot detox juice and picking at a rice bowl with chicken.
“It was in August, probably after we got swept in Pittsburgh, where I was like, ‘I need to make a change … It was a look in the mirror moment, where I said I was fat, I didn’t shave in three days, and I was like, ‘I’m not doing this.’”
After all, Roberts didn’t want to be one of those “leaders or coaches that sort of let themselves go, where you look tired and beat up” (and no, he’s not naming names).
“I do think there’s an optics part of it,” he said. “If I come in looking healthy, and my energy is up, then I do think it can reflect [in] the clubhouse.”
He didn’t want to end up back in the place he was a couple years ago, either, wondering what he was chasing in a job that –– even beyond all the recent winning –– has him reinvigorated in both body and mind now.
“I’m enjoying the heck out of this,” he said. “I’m just re-energized. I really am.”
Ethan Salas plummeted 53 spots on Keith Law’s 2026 Top 100 MLB prospects list that was released by The Athletic, Monday. The 19-year-old catching prospect from Venezuela was the only San Diego Padres prospect to make the list, which is reflective of just how depleted the San Diego farm system is. Salas was the 17th ranked prospect on Law’s list last year, but a back injury caused him to miss most of the 2025 season. Law cited the injury and lack of looks as the reason for his decline, adding he is not giving up on the prospect.
Salas signed with the Padres as the top international free agent in 2023 and was projected to be the next big-name catcher based on his age (16) and defensive ability. Defense has never been a problem for Salas, although some think his value behind the plate will drop with the advent of the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System (ABS) in 2026. It has been his offensive production that has raised concerns.
Salas played at three levels of professional baseball in 2023 with the Single-A Lake Elsinore Storm, High-A Fort Wayne TinCaps and Double-A San Antonio Missions and compiled 290 plate appearances in 66 games. His ascent through the minors was aggressive and the thought at the time was the Padres wanted to challenge Salas and see how he would handle the higher level of play. He finished with a combined slash line of .248/.331/.421 with 63 hits, including 13 doubles, two triples and nine home runs for the year. Since that time, his offensive production has fallen off.
Salas spent the 2024 season in High-A Fort Wayne and made 469 plate appearances in 111 games. His final line was .206/.288/.311 with 85 hits, including 27 doubles, two triples and four home runs. The expectation was with more time at the lower level Salas would find comfort at the plate and develop offensive consistency that would allow him to continue his progression through the minors at a more realistic pace.
Despite a down offensive year in High-A, Salas started the 2025 season in San Antonio with the Double-A affiliate. He played in just 10 games and made 41 plate appearances before it was announced in May that he suffered a stress reaction in his lower back in the middle of April. Initially, Salas was expected to miss a couple months, but he did not play the remainder of the season. Salas finished with a slash line of .188/.325/.219 and recorded six hits with one double, no triples and no homeruns before the injury.
Based on the performance or lack thereof by Salas, it makes sense that he would have a dramatic fall in the prospect rankings. Salas is expected to be ready for Spring Training, and a healthy season could go a long way toward him re-establishing his value and surely that is what Padres president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller is hoping for. If Padres evaluations say Salas is not going to achieve the potential he had when he signed with San Diego, Preller could use a bounce-back season from him to move Salas in a trade that would improve the big-league roster for the second half of 2026 or 2027.
He is still a teenager and Padres fans would hate to see Preller and the organization give up on the former top prospect too soon, but Salas may no longer be the untouchable farmhand destined for stardom that he once was. By the time all is said and done, he may just be another prospect who is moved in a Preller deal.
The Mets capped off a busy week last Wednesday, acquiring Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers in a deal with the Brewers.
Peralta lands David Stearns and the Mets the top of the rotation arm they’ve been searching for this offseason, but they did have to pay a pretty penny to receive him.
New York parted ways with top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat in the deal.
While the youngsters were caught off guard by the trade, they are ready for the opportunity in Milwaukee.
“After hearing great things about the Brew Crew, I couldn’t be more excited,” Sproat added.
That opportunity could come right away, as both Williams and Sproat are expected to compete for spots on the Brewers' Opening Day roster during their first spring training with the club.
Williams will see the most of his time early on at shortstop, but his role in the majors could depend on team need.
“I’m pretty comfortable at all three positions,” the 22-year-old said. “I’ve played them so much that they all come natural -- I think for me, as long as I’m playing, I don’t really care what position it is as long as I’m helping the team win.
“It’s just about showing up every day whenever they put me in. As of right now, it’s going to be shortstop, so just going into it with an open mind of wherever they put me I’ll play.”
As for Sproat, he'll fight for a spot in the Brewers' rotation, which has an opening after dealing Peralta.
While the 2023 second-round pick is still a bit inexperienced with just four big-league starts under his belt, he’s eager to build off that late season call-up from the Mets in the midst of the NL Wild Card race.
“Those first four starts it was in big situations, but it was fun,” he said. “Those helped get my feet wet. Now I know how those games are, how the environment is -- so going into camp you kind of have an idea of what it's going to be like."
The St. Louis Cardinals are preparing the way for Spring Training which is now just over two weeks away. The team announced the 27 non-roster players that will officially be a part of camp.
Here’s the share that the St. Louis Cardinals just dropped on social media today.
In case you can’t see the Cardinals share graphic on your device, here’s the list from a press release shared by the team:
Japan unveiled its 2026 World Baseball Classic roster on Monday, which included Los Angeles Dodgers stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, as expected.
The Dodgers were initially reluctant about Yamamoto’s participation after his full workload last season, but his strong desire prevailed. He returned to Japan immediately after the World Series last year and carefully adjusted his training with his personal trainer, Osamu Yada, building his body to be able to compete in the WBC despite a shorter-than-usual offseason. He commented, “I’ve been training diligently this offseason to build the condition to compete in the WBC.”
Japan won the 2023 World Baseball Classic with strong performances from Yamamoto (two runs allowed in 7 1/3 innings, struck out 12 of his 27 batters faced), who was then pitching for the Orix Buffaloes, and Ohtani (.435/.606/.739 in 33 plate appearances; 9 2/3 innings, two runs, 11 strikeouts, got final three outs in title game).
At the winter meetings in December, Dodgers manager talked about the push and pull of players committing to play in the World Baseball Classic, which takes players out of spring training for potentially a few weeks, and can be especially disruptive for starting pitchers building up toward the major league regular season.
“I don’t want to be dismissive of what it means to them representing their country,” Roberts said in December. “I know the organization doesn’t but I do think that the conversations need to be had, will be had, as far as what each individual is taking on and whatever role that they might be taking on and what potential costs there might be. … But you can’t debate the emotion, what a player might feel of this potential opportunity.”
Japan manager Hirozaku Ibata said at a press conference Monday that the MLB players on Japan are expected to join the team for exhibition games against the Chunichi Dragons on February 27-28. Japan begins its World Baseball Classic schedule in Pool C in Tokyo, with its first game on March 6.
Bader, who reportedly agreed to a two-year, $20.5 million dollar contract with the Giants on Monday, explained why he has the utmost belief in Vitello as a first-year MLB manager during an interview on “The Show with Joel Sherman & Jon Heyman.”
“I think it’s awesome, I really do,” Bader said when asked about Vitello’s hire. “Baseball is the same at every single level. You add some guys in the stands, it may speed up a little bit, but it’s the same game. If you have success at a very high level in the SEC, there’s no reason you can’t have success at the major league level. I’m excited for him and his family to go out and test that. I know he has got the energy for that.”
Vitello spent eight seasons at the University of Tennessee, posting an impressive 341-131 record while leading the Volunteers to the school’s first national championship in 2024.
Bader played his college ball at the University of Florida, making connections to plenty of players and coaches who are familiar with Vitello, all of whom seemingly had glowing reviews of the new Giants manager.
“Everybody I’ve spoken to that knows him — and I’m an SEC guy — I’m cut from the cloth of Brad Weitzel, Kevin O’Sullivan, and for those guys who know those guys over at Florida, we’re all cut from the same cloth,” Bader said. “So, that level of baseball, it doesn’t really get better in the country, in the world at that level.
“So I’m excited for him to take what he did, building a really, really good program at Tennessee, I’m excited to play for him and work with him and grow with him and learn from him because you never stop learning in this game at the major league level. So, it’s going to be exciting, I know he brings a lot of energy. Everybody has the greatest things to say about him, and that’s all you can ask for.”
Bader concluded by lauding Vitello’s high-octane energy, citing the need for an invigorated manager over the course of a 162-game season.
“You just want consistent, high, positive energy over the course of a seven, eight month season,” Bader explained. “I certainly have no reason to believe he can’t bring that ands I can’t wait to work alongside him. It’s going to be great, I know he’s excited, I know he has done a lot of things this offseason in creating that level of foundation and familiarity with a lot of his players, which is awesome. He cares a lot, clearly, which is great. I’m just looking forward to it all … I just can’t wait to dive into it all.”
Shohei Ohtani’s hardly the only one bringing home hardware in his household.
The Dodgers superstar’s dog was given a unique award over the weekend that no MLB owner’s pooch has ever received.
Shohei Ohtani’s famous kooikerhondje pup, was given the National League Most Valuable Dog honors at the BBWAA Awards Dinner on Saturday. Shohei Ohtani
Decoy, Ohtani’s famous kooikerhondje pup, was bestowed with National League Most Valuable Dog honors at the BBWAA Awards Dinner on Saturday.
Decoy Ohtani, dressed in a bowtie, posed next to his new award after winning it over the weekend. Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani was so proud of the achievement, he actually posed for a picture with his pet and the plaque. He later snapped a photo of the dog wearing a bowtie next to the award as well.
Ohtani, of course, didn’t leave the ceremony empty handed either.
The 31-year-old, two-way player took home the MVP prize for the fourth time in his eight-year MLB career.
Decoy has seen a large portion of Ohtani’s best baseball seasons — the only member of the 50 home run/50 stolen base club got the dog a couple years ago and has given it an up-close seat to plenty of his biggest days.
Decoy helped “throw out” the first pitch on the night the Dodgers gave away a bobblehead that featured Shohei Ohtani and the dog. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
So much so, the team ended up honoring the two with a bobblehead in 2024. Decoy “threw out” the first pitch on the night of the memento’s giveaway to fans.
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Ohtani and Decoy have already been training together for the 2026 season, though the four-legged Ohtani might need to work on his fielding a bit more if he hopes for a MVD repeat.
How much snow did you get? Hopefully it’s all cleaned up by now.
Anyways, the Bruins and Rangers will renew acquaintances tonight at Madison Square Garden, with the B’s looking continue a nice recent run of results and the Rangers simply looking for a glimmer of brightness in a very disappointing season.
David Wright took the departure of several Mets mainstays as hard as anybody.
Edwin Diaz (Dodgers) and Pete Alonso (Orioles) left in free agency, while Wright’s former teammates, Brandon Nimmo (Rangers) and Jeff McNeil (Athletics), were shipped off in trades.
The former captain and Mets Hall of Famer called the departures “tough,” but urged fans to trust team ownership in the midst of a transformative offseason.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns. Corey Sipkin for the NY POSTFormer Mets third baseman David Wright. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
“I love Edwin Diaz, I love Brandon Nimmo. I’ve gotten to know both those guys on a personal level,” Wright said during a recent interview, per SNY. “Pete [Alonso], I respect what he’s done on the field…I don’t know him very well on a personal level. It’s tough for me, and I know the business of baseball, it’s tough for me to see these guys go.
“But I look at it big picture, David Stearns has won, he’s a proven winner, give him a chance and let’s see how this plan plays out.”
Stearns, who became the Brewers’ general manager in September 2015, was the architect of several postseason squads during his Milwaukee tenure – despite the organization’s payroll constraints.
Milwaukee made the postseason five out of six seasons from 2018-23 before Stearns joined the Mets as president of baseball operations.
"It's tough for me to see these guys go.
But when I look at it big picture – David Stearns has won, he's a proven winner. Give him a chance and let's see how this plan plays out."
David Wright gives his thoughts on the Mets moving on from their longest tenured players and the… pic.twitter.com/CBOHfqsOTz
The Mets’ offseason makeover included signing superstar infielder Bo Bichette, who will man third base. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
After the Mets’ collapse in 2025, which saw the team miss the postseason, Stearns said the Mets “were not gonna run back the same group.”
New York’s new-look roster took shape last week as the signing of superstar infielder Bo Bichette became official, while the team shored up the rotation with ace Freddy Peralta and center field with former All-Star Luis Robert Jr.
New York also acquired swingman Tobias Myers in the Peralta deal, while adding depth with veterans Craig Kimbrel, Luis Garcia and Vidal Brujan.
Those moves punctuated the team’s acquisitions of ex-Yankees closers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, first base replacement Jorge Polanco and second baseman Marcus Semien earlier this offseason.
“We’re confident in this group,” Stearns told reporters last week during a Zoom call. “We think this group is gonna fit well together.”
Few players understand Mets fans’ attachment to homegrown stars better than Wright, 43, who spent his entire 14-year career in Queens and became the face of the franchise.
Given that familiarity with the business side, Wright urged fans to think long-term as Stearns and company build for 2026.
“I understand it because it’s a good thing that New York and that Mets fans have the attachment with their players that they do,” Wright said. “With that being said, I think we should give David [Stearns], the front office and ownership a chance to do what the grand plan, the scheme is this offseason.
“It’s easy to jump to conclusions. It’s easy to get the pitchforks out. Let’s see what happens, let the plan play out before judging over a couple of moves.”
