Category: Sports News

For most of the 2025 season, the Yankees' bench was one of the weakest in baseball.

GM Brian Cashman's additions helped lift an uneven, light-hitting bench to allow manager Aaron Boone to navigate the second half of the season and postseason. 

It didn't result in a championship, they performed well enough that they brought back most of those bench options from a year ago. 

While that may signal that there aren't many spots open on the bench for Opening Day, there are still options the Yanks will have to sift through this spring.

Here's a breakdown of all the potential bench options...

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The Locks

Health is a big part of this, as Anthony Volpe will begin the season on the IL. That elevates a 2025 bench player into the starting shortstop role, but also opens up the backup infielder role.

Here are the sure-fire picks for the Yankees bench on Opening Day -- if everyone remains healthy:

Amed Rosario
Paul Goldschmidt
J.C. Escarra

Jose Caballero will be the everyday shortstop to start the season, and Boone and the organization will have to sort through that position once Volpe returns. Caballero's backup could be Rosario, who has experience just about all over the field. However, Rosario will be the backup to Ryan McMahon at third base when they take on southpaws.

Rosario's versatility will give Boone enough experience at multiple infield positions that he can prioritize others, like the outfield.

Goldschmidt will back up Ben Rice, who is set to take the majority of the starts at first base, while Escarra will give Austin Wells a spell once in a while as the team's backup catcher. 

Martian Left Behind?

One of the biggest stories this spring is what the Yankees plan to do with Jasson Dominguez.

The young outfielder started the 2025 season as the team's everyday left fielder, but he was overtaken by the surprising Trent Grisham to the point where Dominguez became the fourth outfielder as Grisham, Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge roamed the outfield for most of the second half and the postseason.

And, unfortunately for Dominguez, all three outfielders are projected to be the Opening Day outfield when the 2026 season starts. So where does that leave Dominguez?

The organization has teased that Dominguez's role in 2026 will be reduced, and it seems likely he starts the year in Triple-A. In 2024, the last time Dominguez was in Triple-A, the outfielder slashed .309/.368/.480 with seven homers and an OPS of .848. Perhaps some more seasoning in the minors can help him on the defensive end and when it comes to hitting from the right side of the plate.

But Dominguez can also kill it this spring and force the Yankees to bring him along. That feels less likely at this juncture. 

Fourth Outfielder Options

Aside from Dominguez, New York has a few options to fill that fourth outfielder role.

Veteran outfielder Seth Brown was invited as an NRI, and his lefty swing would be perfect for Yankee Stadium. He did have career-lows last season with the Athletics, playing 38 games before being released. It's an intriguing prospect to bring Brown to Opening Day, but the team is already too left-handed, especially in the outfield.

Marco Luciano is a right-handed hitter who was invited to camp on a minor league deal and is a former top prospect. While he hasn't played in the majors in a couple of years, he could potentially show enough to break camp.

And then we have Oswaldo Cabrera, the Swiss-Army Knife of the Yankees the last few years. Cabrera broke camp last season as the starting third baseman before a season-ending injury forced a slew of moves -- from moving Jazz Chisholm Jr. to third to eventually trading for McMahon. Cabrera will look to prove to the Yanks that he's healthy. If he is, he should have the inside track to be a bench piece.

Many forget Cabrera has experience in the outfield -- as does Rosario -- so he could be used in a variety of ways. 

Spencer Jones

Jones took a massive step in his development in 2025, dominating Double-A pitching and carrying that over into Triple-A. Between the two levels, the young slugger slashed .274/.362/.571 with 35 home runs, 80 RBI and an OPS of .983. That production elevated Jones from an afterthought to on the doorstep of a promotion to the big leagues.

But just like Dominguez, Jones doesn't have a clear path to the bigs. The outfield is crowded, and it may not benefit Jones to sit on the bench and play once a week. Like most of the Yankees' roster, being left-handed also does Jones a disservice, as the team is already loaded with them. 

Jones could potentially play his way to breaking camp with the team, but he'll need to lower his strikeout rate. He fanned 200 times in 124 games in 2024 and 179 times in 116 games in 2025.

Other Infield Options

The Yanks need a fourth outfielder, but they can potentially piece it together with Rosario and Cabrera getting time in the outfield. Even Giancarlo Stanton could see some time in the outfield.

Although it's more likely the Yankees use a traditional outfielder on the bench, there are some infielders who could fill in the role if they play well enough or if Cabrera doesn't prove he's healthy enough.

Jorbit Vivas is one option. The youngster played 29 games in the bigs last season but didn't show much in terms of offense. He was 9 of 56 (.161) with two doubles, one home run and five RBI. He does provide versatility, playing at second and third last season, but would need to show more upside to make the team.

Paul DeJong is an interesting option. The veteran infielder was invited to camp and his experience is something the Yankees could use in a pinch. The 32-year-old played 57 games with the Nationals last year, slugging six homers while slashing .228/.290/.373. 

Meet the Mets

David Stearns was on hand to break ground on the team’s new minor league complex which will almost be entirely paid for by Steve Cohen.

After being acquired in the Freddy Peralta trade, Carlos Mendoza confirmed that Tobias Myers will be on the roster Opening Day but what role he would have remains unclear.

Christian Scott is in camp after losing all of last season to Tommy John surgery and he should provide valuable pitching depth to the team this year.

The team’s top prospects are all in camp and they all have something different they are working on to improve in hope of making the team in the future.

Tom Seaver’s family is auctioning off some of his things including memorabilia from the 1969 season.

Former Met Daniel Murphy is just one of the names that came up as a possible candidate to replace Tony Clark as leader of the MLBPA.

Around the National League East

Braves righty Spencer Schwellenbach underwent surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow and Hurston Waldrep will undergo the same surgery soon.

Marlins prospect Robby Snelling will get the start to open Grapefruit League action against the Mets.

Bryce Harper praised the Giants hiring of Tony Vitello as their new manager despite lacking major league experience.

Former Met Drew Smith signed a minor league contract with Washington and is hoping to impress the Nationals in camp after recovering from his second Tommy John surgery.

Around Major League Baseball

The Major League Baseball Players Association elected Bruce Meyer as its new interim executive director.

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Brusdar Graterol will miss the beginning of the season as he continues to recover from surgery for a torn labrum.

Due to his size Aaron Judge might benefit from the new ABS challenge system since umpires call him inconsistantly.

The Mariners signed catcher Mitch Garver to a minor league contract.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

On the latest episde of A Pod of their Own, broken hamate bones and the controversy of captains were discussed.

Lukas Vlahos previewed Ryan Clifford’s 2026 season.

This Date in Mets History

The New York Mets hosted their first ever spring training workout on this date in 1962.

Ahead of the Dodgers’ first official workout on Tuesday, manager Dave Roberts delivered his annual opening address to the team.

First full squad workout starts with a speech from Doc! #DodgersSTpic.twitter.com/pt1DH3vwM7

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) February 17, 2026

Included during the presentation was asking newcomers Kyle Tucker and Edwin Díaz why they chose the Dodgers. Well, besides the record-setting contractsboth signed.

From Alden González at ESPN:

Their message, Roberts said, centered on the team’s attention to detail, the professionalism with which they play and the way staffers take care of players’ families.

…

“I think one of our most overarching goals is to be a destination spot,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “Most important, where our own guys don’t want to leave. But where players from other teams are looking longingly, like, ‘Oh, I want to be on the Dodgers’ — that’s our goal. Because we feel like if we’re able to maintain our really talented players, we’re able to get really talented players from other teams, that obviously will help in our ultimate quest to win World Series.”

Roberts on Tuesday also was a guest on the ESPN Baseball Tonight podcast with Buster Olney, talking about Tucker and Díaz, among other things.

"What's makes a good manager – good players, and we got a lot of good players."

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts on the addition of Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker | @Buster_ESPN@ESPNLosAngeleshttps://t.co/LvReHHFmwMpic.twitter.com/HEeWF9Eu8h

— ESPN Podcasts (@espnpodcasts) February 18, 2026

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Christian Zazueta last season won the Branch Rickey Award as the Dodgers minor league pitcher of the year, and figures to open his age-21 season with High-A Great Lakes. The right-hander was listed as one of 10 prospects to watch on the backfields this spring in Arizona by Baseball America.

“Zazueta’s fastball has taken a significant step forward alongside his physical development. The heater now sits around 93 mph and climbed as high as 98 in 2025,” wrote Jesús Cano. “The pitch excels because of his lower release height and excellent extension, allowing it to jump on hitters and generate more impact than the radar gun alone might suggest.”

Old friend alert

Former Dodgers general manager and current Colorado Rockies president of baseball operations talked with Renee Dechert at Purple Row about ‘Moneyball,’ which captured his time with the Oakland A’s under Billy Beane.

The whole interview is worth reading, but I particularly enjoyed this answer from DePodesta on on-base percentage, and how it was portrayed in the book (and movie):

It’s funny. There were a lot of things we were doing at that point that went beyond on-base, but it was in our conversations with Michael is probably the best way to express, at least directionally, what it is that we really were doing. We were trying to find value in the game. And at that point in the game, on-base was something that was probably a little undervalued. Now, in the last 20 years, there have been times where it’s been overvalued, and sort of gone through cycles.

Good morning baseball fans!

As we approach the beginning of the season, we’re going to be doing some questions for y’all about your thoughts about the San Francisco Giants and baseball in general!

Today’s question: What would be the darkest timeline for this season?

For those unfamiliar with the premise of the “darkest timeline,” it’s based on the episode of Community titled “Remedial Chaos Theory” in which a storyline plays out in various alternate realities based on the decision of which one of the main characters would go downstairs to get pizza.

You’ve probably seen the bit where Donald Glover’s character re-enters the scene with the pizzas while everything around him is on fire. And that wasn’t even the darkest timeline, just the most memorable (and meme-able) moment.

Basically the darkest timeline is the worst possible outcome with everything going as wrong as it could possibly go based on one factor changing.

A Giants example of this would be kind of like the 2021 team busting their butts, winning every game they possibly could win, only to have the Los Angeles Dodgers keep pace with them until the bitter end and ultimately overtake them in the first round of the playoffs because they were all tired as heck. And the Dodgers are like the monster in a horror movie.

You could also make a case for the 2011 season going pear-shaped after Buster Posey was injured. Or simply Game 6 of the 2002 World Series.

But in keeping with the spirit of the prompt, I’m going to go in a comical direction (read: joke. this is going to be a joke) and lay out my scenario for what could be the darkest timeline for the 2026 team.

On Opening Day, Tony Vitello is being hounded by the press after his recent statements about the handling of the announcement of his hiring, which causes a few too many people to be in a pre-game press conference in the dugout.

One of the attendees tries to toss a banana peel into the trash on their way out, but doesn’t realize they missed because they’re distracted by Lou Seal carrying a tray of drinks, dancing on the top of the dugout. Raphael Devers then slips on the banana peel, in cartoonish fashion, leading to a season ending injury.

Jung Hoo Lee and Willy Adames try to help, but Devers knocked over the water cooler on his way down and everything is slippery, so they crash into each other and end up on the concussion protocol for weeks.

Logan Webb attempts to set a good example to the rest of his team, and goes to warm up for the game. Unfortunately, he gets stung by a bee, causing him to throw an errant pitch directly into the knee of Matt Chapman, sidelining him for several days or even weeks, depending on the results of his MRI.

Lou Seal attempts to help boost morale by bringing the tray of drinks to the remaining players in the dugout, but trips on his way down the steps and spills hot coffee everywhere, as Patrick Bailey yells: “My eyes! The doctor said I’m not supposed to get coffee in them!”

The entirety of the infield and half of the relievers are now down with third degree burns, so Vitello begs the ownership to make corresponding moves immediately so they can actually field a team. But they’ve already spent too much money on real estate developments for the year, so they just send him deeds to various properties to shove into gloves and he tells them to take the field. And the season is over before it’s even started.

Annnnd, scene.

Feel free to come up with your own comical scenario, or go with something more realistic and depressing. Up to you!

What would be the darkest timeline for this season?

There was a time, not so long ago, when bullpen roles felt rigid. The setup man handled the eighth. The closer handled the ninth. Everyone else filled in the gaps and tried not to make a mess of things. But if there’s one quiet constant of Brewers baseball over the last several years, it’s this: they’ve understood the value of the multi-inning reliever better than most.

This isn’t some trendy, Rays-style opener experiment. It’s more practical than that. The Brewers have consistently built bullpens that don’t just survive when a starter exits in the fifth inning; they stabilize the game. And that stability often comes from the guy who throws the sixth and seventh instead of just one clean inning with the bases empty.

Modern starting pitching just doesn’t last the way it used to. Even good starters are carefully managed the third time through the order. Injuries pile up. Pitch counts climb. October-style urgency seeps into random Tuesday nights in June. If your bullpen is constructed entirely of one-inning specialists, you’re asking for burnout by August.

The Brewers have largely avoided that trap.

Think back to how they’ve deployed arms over the past several seasons. Whether it was a converted starter finding new life in relief or a swingman shuttling between roles, Milwaukee has consistently found ways to squeeze two or three innings out of pitchers who might be pigeonholed elsewhere. When a starter exits after four innings, it’s not a scramble. It’s often a bridge.

And that bridge matters more than the ninth inning sometimes.

We spend a lot of time talking about closers, and understandably so. High-leverage outs are dramatic. But the highest leverage point in a game frequently arrives in the sixth with two on and one out, not the ninth with the bases empty. The Brewers have shown a willingness to let their better non-closer arms handle those spots and keep going if they’re efficient. That’s not old-school long relief. That’s targeted aggression.

It also protects the bullpen as a whole. If one reliever can give you 2 1/3 clean innings on 28 pitches, that’s two other arms who get a full day off. Over 162 games, those saved bullets add up. Milwaukee’s ability to keep its late-inning arms fresh deep into seasons hasn’t been accidental. The approach fits the organization’s broader identity.

The Brewers are rarely the team with the deepest rotation on paper. They don’t wade into the top tier of free agency for 200-inning workhorses — just look at them trading aces like Corbin Burnes and Freddy Peralta before they inevitably lose them to free agency.

Instead, they build layers of pitching. Optionable depth. Pitchers with starter backgrounds who can slide into relief. Relievers who can stretch beyond the standard three outs if the matchup and pitch count allow it.

It’s flexible, and flexibility is currency in today’s game.

There’s also a developmental angle here. Milwaukee has long shown a knack for identifying pitchers with one or two standout traits and maximizing them. A fastball with unusual ride. A breaking ball with elite spin. In shorter bursts, those traits can dominate. But when those pitchers prove capable of turning a lineup over once without losing effectiveness, the Brewers don’t rush to cap them at a single inning. They experiment. They stretch them to 30 or 40 pitches. They see what happens.

Often, what happens is that the middle innings stop being a liability.

That might not show up in the save column, but it shows up in win expectancy. It shows up in series wins where the bullpen doesn’t feel fried by Sunday afternoon. It shows up in September when key relievers still have life on their fastballs.

If you want some easy current examples, look at Aaron Ashby and Jared Koenig, not to mention the now-departed Tobias Myers, all of whom filled that role at different points in 2025.

None of this means the Brewers have reinvented bullpen strategy. Plenty of teams deploy multi-inning arms. But Milwaukee has made it a habit rather than a contingency plan. When things go sideways early, they don’t panic. They patch the game together with purpose.

In a division that rarely offers much margin for error, that matters.

The art of the multi-inning reliever isn’t flashy. It won’t generate jersey sales. But it’s one of the reasons the Brewers so often feel competitive even when a game starts tilting in the wrong direction. They don’t just chase the final three outs. They control the gray area in the middle, and more often than not, that’s where games are actually decided.

Scottsdale, Ariz. – The Colorado Rockies invited 20 non-roster players to join Major League camp this year. Chief among them is their 2025 No. 2 prospect Charlie Condon (No. 2 Mid-Season PuRP).

The IF/OF was drafted third-overall in the 2024 MLB Draft out of the University of Georgia and has had a meteoric rise through the system. He finished 2025 in Double-A Hartford before being selected to the Arizona Fall League. While in the AFL, Condon was also selected as a Fall Star and as the winner of the Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award winner. (In case you’re wondering, he said he put the award “on a dresser in [his] bedroom” but is also hoping to “one day…expand the trophy closet a little more.”)

This year, he made his debut in big-league camp.

“It’s great,” Condon said last weekend of his initial experience. “[It’s] just nice to be around the guys of the big-league group. They’ve been very welcoming to me so far. It’s been a good experience…I know all the guys here are really excited to work.”

Condon has been using the time to get to know all of the teammates he might start playing alongside soon.

“There have been a handful of guys that I’ve overlapped with in the minor league system here,” Condon said, “but just getting to know the guys that I haven’t played with yet [and] getting to know some of the new guys that we brought in this offseason…we’ve got a good group of position players. Just hanging out at first base the past couple of days, we’ve got some great guys over there. So it’s been fun to continue to get to know the guys I have played with and create relationships with the guys I haven’t.”

In addition to meeting his teammates, Condon is also eager to try out some of his offseason adjustments.

“I just worked on adjustability at the plate,” he said. “I brought my hands up a little bit higher to feel a little bit more of a natural turn.

“I felt like I hit well in the Fall League for average, but it’s got to kind of get that OPS and better ball flight [and] kind of feeling more of a natural turn in my swing. So hopefully that’ll lead to some more power production this year and things like that. But other than that, just getting stronger, staying healthy and being ready to go for today.”

In addition to his own personal adjustments, he’s also staying ready for the Rockies in whatever position they might need him to play – either strictly at first base or in the outfield.

“I’m kind of day-to-day wherever they need me,” he said. 

“The majority of my work has been at first base recently, but I still get out in the outfield and shag some balls during BP. [I] keep getting routes in and things like that so the corner outfields are never foreign to me, so [I’m] just keeping those in my back pocket. Wherever they need me – I feel comfortable at first base, I feel comfortable in the corner outfields, and [I’ll] just keep going from there.”

Condon is most looking forward to “the challenge” of big league camp.

“I feel like this is the best competition I’m going to have seen so far in my career, and I’m excited for it,” he said, smiling. 

“I feel like I’ve shown well against some of the other competition in the minor leagues, but [this is] as high as you can get to face the best competition you can. I’m excited about that, and I’m excited about growing closer with this group of guys as well.”

And most of all, he – like many others – is taking note of the clubhouse vibes.

“Obviously I wasn’t in big league camp last year, but there feels to be a different energy amongst the guys around here with the new leadership that we have,” he said. “There’s a lot of optimism, which is great. I think we’ve got some people in the right places and [we’re] just going to continue to keep moving forward and pushing the rock a little bit further.”

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Rockies embrace ‘Camp Schaeffer’ as franchise tries new methods to turn things around | Denver Post ($)

After being lauded as “insular” for many years, the Rockies are doing things differently this year — they’re opening camp up. On Tuesday, they sent out footage of a base-running drill; yesterday, they were very intentional about showing the media what a ‘day in the life’ looks like under the new regime. Schaeffer and DePodesta have said repeatedly that they value transparency and communication — and this is more proof of that.

RJ Petit aims to make impact with Rockies after Rule 5 draft selection | Denver Gazette ($)

RJ Petit was taken in the Rule 5 Draft by the Colorado Rockies in December and will be part of the Rockies’ bullpen in 2026. Kevin Henry profiles the towering 6-foot-8, 300-pound right-hander and what he could bring to the table.

Grading The Colorado Rockies Potential Starting Rotation For 2026 | Sports Illustrated

As we’ve discussed at length recently, grades are always arbitrary, especially when it comes to the national media and the Colorado Rockies. However, Jeremy Gretzer gave the Rockies’ rotation a B- for their efforts to retool and bolster a young rotation, even though they have a long way to go to completely rebuild the thing. He predicts the rotation as Kyle Freeland, José Quintana, Michael Lorenzen, Tomoyuki Sugano and Ryan Feltner. Do you agree with his grade and rotation?

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We need to start this with an acknowledgement that Anthony Volpe will turn 25 on April 28th, the same age Aaron Judge was in his breakout season, so we can’t write the Yankee shortstop off just yet. Ok, age acknowledged.

I do still think the Yankees have an Anthony Volpe problem. The club has given him all the runway in the world — 472 games played out of a possible 486 to start his career. In that time he has never been a league average hitter, and while his 2024 was above average, entirely due to his strong defense, the onetime Top 10 prospect in baseball hasn’t exactly lived up to his billing.

And as Yogi said, it gets late early out there. Volpe has just three years of team control left, admittedly with players’ contract status ahead of a possible work stoppage next season up in the air. If his baseline is an 85ish wRC+ and you’re relying on defense, that’s not exactly something you want to bank on as arbitration raises creep up.

Volpe has also never been optioned to Triple-A, which is what we’re here to talk about today. He’s not going to be ready for Opening Day, as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery in the offseason. It’s tempting to bank on his healthy return being enough for a step forward, except for his remarkable consistency in producing a .660 OPS over three seasons. A rehab assignment is all but guaranteed, but I think the Yankees should go further than that.

I’m willing to concede that Volpe’s shoulder injury contributed to his poor defense, but his approach at the plate has been all over the place throughout his career. He’s vacillated between a contact-heavy attitude and one that prioritizes driving the ball in the air, and neither have really stuck. He runs into troughs where he steps in the bucket on every swing for three weeks that guts his overall production, even when he manages to establish some kind of average-or-better batting line.

Two months with Scranton allows Volpe to fully recover from labrum surgery, as well as work out those persistent mechanical failures in a much-lower-stakes environment. José Caballero, who will be at shortstop on Opening Day, is projected to produce exactly the same as Tony Fox’s 2025, and five points of wRC+ shy of Volpe’s 2026 projections. In effect, the Yankees have two Anthony Volpes on the roster already — Caballero shined in his post-trade-deadline time with the Yankees, so giving him some room to run starting the season may help him stay on that higher level, while giving Volpe time to correct his habitual swing failures can help HIM in the long run.

There is an icky factor to this suggestion, of course. A player accrues a year of MLB service after 172 days on either the 26 man roster or the injured list. Rehab assignments come within the scope of an IL stint, so Volpe would continue to accrue service on a brief trip to Scranton. Wheat I’m proposing is a much longer time at Triple-A, one that would make it impossible for Volpe to be on the 26-man roster for 172 days. This will delay Volpe’s free agency, ticketing him for the 2030 class instead of 2029.

That’s no small sacrifice to ask of a player, especially a player who could have his age-26 season wiped out by a work stoppage. You don’t need a player’s consent for a minor league option until he has five years of MLB service, but being clear with Volpe about the expectations, and the investment in his long-term success, would be crucial to this kind of decision.

I believe there is a world where Anthony Volpe could be an above-average MLB hitter. I believe that he has strange mechanical deviations and I also believe he has gotten into his own head on more than one occasion. Giving him a real Triple-A run, with a real chance at fixing what’s broken in his offensive approach, is the best way to square that complicated circle.

The Orioles outfield is completely remade going into the 2026 season, with Colton Cowser now the full time CF and Taylor Ward brought in to man LF. However, the Orioles outfielder I am most excited to see take the field in 2026 is rookie Dylan Beavers.

The 24-year-old former Cal Golden Bear comes into 2026 after a 2025 season that saw him take a massive leap as a player. Beavers finished the 2024 season as the Orioles No. 8 prospect, seemingly destined to remain stuck behind Heston Kjerstad and Enrique Bradfield Jr. in the O’s prospect pecking order. Instead, Beavers parlayed a Triple-A season that saw him hit .304 with a .934 OPS, 15 HRs and 31 SBs into an August MLB debut and clear status as the Orioles best OF prospect.

However, his rise to Top 100 prospect status and encouraging Major League cameo doesn’t guarantee him a starting spot with the 2026 O’s. With Ward and Cowser set for a lion share of the playing time in left and center, Beavers is set to battle it out with Tyler O’Neill for the RF job.

If O’Neill can stay healthy, the two may form a platoon with Beavers playing against right handed pitchers and TON playing against lefties. Beavers was particularly strong against righties in his short debut, posting a .798 OPS with eight extra-base hits in 90 ABs. If he can improve upon those numbers, he may force manager Craig Albernaz to give him the every-day RF role.

Major projection sites seem differ on how they think Beavers’ season will play out:

• ZiPS: .249/.336/.414 with 17 HR and 15 SB in 550 PA
• BRef: .247/.347/.407 with 8 HR and 5 SB in 269 PA

FanGraphs’ ZiPS projection paints a picture of Beavers playing a major role in the Orioles outfield, getting close to a 20/20 season while taking a slight step back from the .375 on-base percentage he posted in 2025. It helps that ZiPS projects the oft-injured O’Neill to only play 89 games in 2026.

Baseball Reference projects Beavers as more of a part-time player who splits time all season with O’Neill. Each projection service projects the 24-year-old to take a jump in his batting average, while taking a dip on on-base percentage and maintaining his slugging output.

If Beavers outperforms the modest projections, he could become the exact hitter the exact hitter the Orioles need at the top of their lineup. In his 35 games last season, he posted an elite chase rate and BB%, suggesting the .375 OPS is something that he can maintain as he gains more Major League exposure. He also showcased near elite speed that could make 25+ SB a real possibility. If everything breaks right, the O’s could have a faster version of Nick Markakis patrolling RF for years to come.

Tom Ricketts is making World Series noises, which ring like endorsing a manager before changing faces. There’s a real spring game tomorrow. Kris Bryant is having a hard time with his chronic pain condition.

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Thoughtful answers from new Miami Marlins Outfielder Owen Cassie who was traded by the Cubs to Miami in the offseason Cabrera deal. Says he felt somewhat blocked in Chicago, now gets a fresh opportunity this Spring. pic.twitter.com/Psao9prsEV

— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) February 16, 2026

• Marisa Rodriguez (WGN9*): Chicago Cubs to drop life-sized bobbleheads across city on Thursday with a chance to win game tickets. “According to the Cubs, the first 150 people who find a bobblehead or bobblehead box will win a pair of tickets to a regular season game.”
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Cubs react to Tony Clark resigning as MLBPA executive director: ‘The strength of the union is in the players’. “With the collective-bargaining agreement expiring Dec. 1, the timing isn’t ideal.”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): ‘We have to win more World Series’: Chicago Cubs’ Tom Ricketts has high expectations for 2026 and beyond. “I mean, it’s about winning. All this other stuff, it all leads to one thing, and that’s about winning. We just have to put the kind of teams on the field that can be in the playoffs every year and get back on top.” More from Sahadev Sharma{$}.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Veteran-laden Cubs could ‘do something really special’ after reaching NLDS in ’25. “They expect to make the playoffs this year and hope there is a World Series trophy at the end of the ride.”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): A look at what three pitchers are working on as the Cubs build rotation depth. “Once a team starts to feel settled, that is usually the moment something goes awry.”
• Randy Holt (North Side Baseball*): Cubs’ bullpen will be better because the Front Office abandoned their usual practices this offseason. “Typically building out a relief corps via waiver claims, reclamation types, and low-risk signings, will the Cubs’ different approach to their bullpen yield anything more in 2026?”
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): How USA Baseball shaped Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong long before his first WBC. “… it won’t be the first time he dons Team USA’s stars and stripes. He has been in USA Baseball’s system since 12-and-unders.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Shaw’s focus on basics — and the right glove size — easing move to OF. “… the Cubs are confident that the 24-year-old Shaw will take to the outfield just fine.“
• Maddie Lee (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Could Cubs’ Seiya Suzuki carry postseason momentum through WBC for hot start to 2026? “Suzuki is set to represent Japan in the World Baseball Classic, where he’ll play center field. He leaves Monday to join his national team.” More Suzuki from Forbes* {$}.
• Tommy Birch (Des Moines Register* {$}): Marty Pevey returning for 14th-straight season managing Iowa Cubs. “The winningest and longest tenured manager in Iowa Cubs history will be back in Des Moines this year.”
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Kris Bryant talks about his pain, and what comes next. “Some days it’s hard to grab the toothpaste in front of me. It’s not like that every day, but those days it’s like you just wish you had some type of answer.”

Food For Thought:

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series. We will not wittingly publish A. I. – driven articles or clickbait, and insist on unimpeachable sources.

It’s funny that Tanner Franklin ended up at 12, because that’s about where I thought he’d end up when we started this, and yet it took him a rather long time to actually be added to the voting because he lost two initial votes to players who still haven’t been selected to the top 20. That’s a little odd, and tells me there are certain players where the head-to-head against individual guys may not exactly tell me about his chances to be added to the top 20. Franklin must just be a unique enough pitcher that normal voting rules don’t seem to apply. The current top 20 stands at:

1. JJ Wetherholt
2. Liam Doyle
3. Rainiel Rodriguez
4. Quinn Mathews
5. Jurrangelo Cjintje
6. Joshua Baez
7. Leonardo Bernal
8. Jimmy Crooks
9. Brandon Clarke
10. Tink Hence
11. Tekoah Roby
12. Tanner Franklin

Comparable Player Poll

We’re going to stick to the same theme as yesterday’s polls and run three outfield prospects together and see which player ends up on top. It’s an easy way to turn three potential names that I am considering adding and making it just one name. Makes my job easier later.

Won-Bin Cho has seen some ups and some downs in his short pro career. Things started well enough. He hit reasonably well with a great approach in both the complex league and Low A. He’s had a lot more trouble at High A. He whiffed like crazy and had no power in his first attempt. In his second attempt, his approach was much better, but the results weren’t quite there until a very strong finish to the season. He will either repeat High A with the intention of a quick promotion so long as results are there or he’ll start the year in AA. He’ll be 22.

Colton Ledbetter was the third piece of the Brendan Donovan return. Drafted 55th overall in 2023, Ledbetter played well enough in that draft season at Low A to start his first full pro season in High A. He played there well too, albeit with some strikeout issues. With his promotion to AA, he may have made an emphasis on cutting down his K rate, which he did, but he did see a noticeable drop in power while still managing an above average hitting line. He will be 24 and probably in AAA.

Zach Levenson was drafted in the 5th round of the 2023 draft. While he did well enough in his initial debut season at Low A, he was not particularly impressive in his first attempt at High A. It was almost an average line, but he repeated High A in 2025. This time, he was quite good thanks primarily to an excellent K/BB ratio. He finished the season in AA with a strong showing in 26 games. He will be 24 and probably repeat AA.

VOTE HERE

New Add

There are obviously still prospects who could arguably be on the poll, but I think we’re in a good place where there’s nobody missing that I feel is kind of egregious. That means I think it’s okay to re-add Ryan Mitchell back to the voting. I think he’s going to be on the voting for good and considering everyone on the current list got at least 9 votes, I feel like there’s no real contenders left who could get removed. Never say never, but I probably won’t have to go to that well again just because honestly there won’t be much time to do it.

Jesus Baez, IF – 21

Stats (High A): 416 PAs, .244/.327/.397, 10.3 BB%, 18.5 K%, .153 ISO, .270 BABIP, 116 wRC+, 121 DRC+

Scouting (FG): 30/45 Hit, 35/50 Game Power, 50/55 Raw Power, 40/40 Speed, 40/45 Fielding

The biggest weakness, near as I can tell, is that Baez is immature. He is also about to be 21-years-old. I’ll be very interesting to see how Baez pans out specifically because I kind of want to know how much weight to put on when a scout like Keith Law essentially goes after his character. It’s one sample, so I shouldn’t use his example for all prospects like him but nonetheless I really am not sure how to handle it.

Nathan Church, OF – 25

Stats (AA): 129 PAs, .336/.380/.563, 6.2 BB%, 7.8 K%, .227 ISO, .327 BABIP, 157 wRC+, 136 DRC+

AAA: 242 PAs, .335/.400/.521, 9.9 BB%, 10.3 K%, .186 ISO, .338 BABIP 144 wRC+, 132 DRC+

MLB: 65 PAs, .179/.254/.250, 4.6 BB%, 27.7 K%, .071 ISO, .237 BABIP, 46 wRC+, 78 DRC+

Scouting: 55/55 Hit, 35/35 Game Power, 40/40 Raw Power, 55/55 Speed, 45/45 Field

I know that scouts can’t constantly update their numbers, but I feel like you are clearly out of date if you’re giving Nathan Church a 45 fielding grade. You don’t want to overrate the small sample of fielding numbers that Church currently has, but I will say when a player posts an 84 percentile sprint speed, has a 92 percentile arm speed, and posts a fairly high OAA, we can probably write off him being a below average fielder. That doesn’t feel like asking much. I’m not convinced he’s as good as his numbers were, mind you, but I am convinced he’s an above average fielder at the least.

Yhoiker Fajardo, RHP – 19

Stats (CPX): 6 G, 20.2 IP, 31.6 K%, 9.2 BB%, 51.2 GB%, .205 BABIP, 0.44 ERA/2.41 FIP/3.29 xFIP

Low A: 13 GS, 51.1 IP, 27.8 K%, 9.4 BB%, 50 GB%, .326 BABIP, 2.98 ERA/2.50 FIP/3.14 xFIP

Scouting: 40/45 Fastball, 55/60 Slider, 30/50 Change, 35/50 Command

Acquired in the trade for Willson Contreras, Fajardo is an unusual 19-year-old, because he’s already built up his innings to throw 100 or so innings for the 2026 season. He’s also probably going to be in High A and that is a fairly rare group. His next step is maintaining what he’s been doing, because though he’s a hitter, we saw an example of a very young player struggling to get past High A in Won-Bin Cho these past two seasons. Wouldn’t be totally shocking if he had an adjustment period.

Ixan Henderson, 24 – LHP

Stats (AA): 25 GS, 132 IP, 25.2 K%, 9.6 BB%, 37.1 GB%, .278 BABIP, 2.59 ERA/3.16 FIP/4.00 xFIP/4.51 DRA

Scouting: 50/60 Fastball, 45/50 Slider, 30/40 Change, 40/45 Cutter, 40/50 Command

I’m happy that the voting for Henderson seems to have been unaffected by the recent news of him getting shut down for the moment from throwing. I think that’s the right call. Even if he does end up missing a significant amount of time, it’ll feel more like a hiccup than if say, Tink Hence got injured again. It’s not an injury prone guy who can’t stay healthy, but someone going through the typical injury that just about every starting pitcher seems to face at some point.

Cooper Hjerpe, 25 – LHP

Didn’t pitch

Scouting: 55/55 Fastball, 55/60 Slider, 50/50 Change, 45/50 Cutter, 45/50 Command

Good news about Hjerpe: he had Tommy John surgery in April of last season. That is not a statement that is usually said, but basically it means Hjerpe’s Tommy John recovery should put him in line to throw half a season or so of innings. A very reasonable timeframe of returning in fact would have him in line to throw his career high in professional innings. That’s the bad news about Hjerpe: he hasn’t given us a lot of faith in staying healthy.

Brycen Mautz, 24 – LHP

Stats (AA): 25 GS, 114.2 IP, 28.6 K%, 7.1 BB%. 41.2 GB%, .286 BABIP, 2.98 ERA/3.58 FIP/3.20 xFIP/4.54 DRA

Scouting: 45/45 Fastball, 55/55 Slider, 45/50 Curve, 30/35 Change, 50/55 Command

Mautz has reasonably good scouting, but I’ve always kind of felt like he was almost a scouts versus stats prospect where if scouts were more convinced he would start for sure, then his stats would be good enough to become a legit prospect. What I’m saying is that his stats are strong. He struck out guys, didn’t walk much, got enough groundballs. If he has that exact same line in AAA, he’s an MLB caliber starter I would think.

Ryan Mitchell, 19 – OF

I do not have stats to share with you – I’m sure I can find high school stats, but they aren’t a lot of use on this kind of list. It doesn’t appear Fangraphs has given him scouting grades, I can’t find MLB Pipeline (and I don’t like how they give grades anyway, too high generally). I have access to Baseball Prospectus’ top 20, and while they don’t give Mitchell a scouting grade, I thought just sharing their blurb would suffice:

“Mitchell, a toolsy overslot second-rounder, didn’t play after the draft. For much of his high school career, he would rotate so early that he was more or less standing up when making contact, but his swing became one of the most fun to watch in the class. He dips down a bit and explodes from the lower half. There is some risk he won’t be able to get around against higher velocity fastballs, but his contact rates on the circuit were adequate, and there’s enough athleticism, present bat speed, and physical projection to expect some power. Defensively, he has good actions but could be forced to second base in pro ball. There aren’t any elite tools here, but he presents a pretty well-rounded infield profile and had an arrow up coming into the draft.”

Deniel Ortiz, 21 – 1B/3B

Stats (Low A): 320 PAs, .285/.406/.446, 15.3 BB%, 27.5 K%, .162 ISO, .386 BABIP, 145 wRC+, 119 DRC+

High A: 130 PAs, .336/.438/.500, 13.8 BB%, 22.3 K%, .164 ISO, .436 BABIP, 168 wRC+, 97 DRC+

It feels weird that a player as young as Ortiz playing at two separate levels who dominated both levels was not considered a good enough prospect to give an actual scouting report. I feel like the fact that I’m not sharing any scouting numbers with you makes him harder to grade. He has some swing-and-miss and those lines are uncomfortably BABIP-driven, but he was also 20 at High A who had a 168 wRC+.

Yairo Padilla, 19 – SS

Stats (CPX): 38 G, 148 PAs, .283/.396/.367, 12.2 BB%, 14.2 K%, .083 ISO, .340 BABIP, 119 wRC+

Scouting: 25/55 Hit, 20/55 Game Power, 40/60 Raw Power, 50/40 Speed, 30/40 Field

On the flipside of the scouts versus stats is Padilla on the scouting side. Which is slightly misleading, because as you can see, he does actually have good stats. It’s not necessarily a line that would stand out to me, but an 18-year-old shortstop prospect with a 119 wRC+ in rookie leagues would most likely be a prospect in nearly all outcomes. But clearly there is more power expected specifically and that’s where the scouting part of it comes more into play.

Tai Peete, OF – 20

Stats (High A): 529 PAs, .217/.288/.404, 8.7 BB%, 30.6 K%, .187 ISO, .282 BABIP, 79 wRC+, 79 DRC+

Scouting: 20/30 Hit, 30/50 Game Power, 50/60 Raw Power, 60/60 Speed, 45/55 Fielding

And here we have your classic “if only he could make contact a little bit more” prospect. One quick fix and he’s a super prospect. That fix might be the most difficult thing to fix though. Even with his swing-and-miss stuff, he still had 19 homers in 125 games and had a .189 ISO as a 19-year-old playing in High A. That is not that common. Unfortunately, that pesky contact tool. You’ll see that speed and he did steal 25 bases, although he also got caught an unacceptable 11 times. The year before he stole 45 bases and got 6 times. Not really sure why he was such a worse base stealer, but there is base stealing potential in his future.

VOTE HERE

It’s that time of year again. The wind off the lake is still occasionally biting, the potholes on 35th Street are reaching record depths, and yet, the first sign of life is finally here. The White Sox have dropped their Spring Training broadcast schedule, and for those of us who have spent the winter itching for baseball again, it’s the lifeline we’ve been waiting for.

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Glendale is calling. And while we know better than to put too much stock in Cactus League box scores, there’s no denying the pull of seeing the South Side logo back on a TV screen.

The action kicks off with a bang, or at least a very loud neighborhood dispute, on February 20 at 2:05 p.m. CT against the Cubs. Even though it’s a meaningless exhibition, beating the North Siders is always a healthy way to start the year.

The first part of the schedule is heavy on the home turf at Camelback Ranch, with matchups against the A’s, Brewers, and Rangers all slated for late February. If you’re looking for an early glimpse at the new-look rotation or young prospects, mark these dates down.

• The Crosstown Reprise: After the opener, we get another look at the Cubs on March 1.
• The Night Caps: If you prefer your baseball under the lights (or at least as the sun sets over the desert), keep an eye on March 19 for a double-header of sorts against the Diamondbacks and Padres, followed by a 5:30 p.m CT start against the Dodgers on March 21, which is the Spring Breakout game.
• The Finale: The broadcast slate wraps up on March 22 against the Mariners. By then, we should have a much clearer picture of who’s heading north to Chicago and who’s packing for the affiliates.

Most of these games will be carried by ESPN 1000 and CHSN, with a few webcast options sprinkled in for the true diehards who need to hear the crack of the bat while they’re “working” from home. Additionally, both of the Cubs matchups will be broadcast on the Marquee Sports Network.

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Whether you’re watching to scout the next generation or just to see some green grass and sunshine while huddled over a space heater in Bridgeport, baseball is officially back. Let’s see what this squad has in store for us.

Jaylon Thompson wrote about the first full-squad workout on Monday.

The Royals expect most of the spring competition to be reserve roles. The starting lineup is pretty much set with Bobby Witt Jr., Maikel Garcia, Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez leading the way.

“I mean, without naming names, it’s very obvious who some of the everyday guys are,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “The competition is going to be how we fill out the last, you know, I’ll say 10 through 13. You know, we have some guys that have more experience than others, but it’ll play out in spring training. And I think our guys are hungry. I think they understand what the competition is like. They want to go out and win.”

Anne Rogers writes about the team testing out the new ABS challenge system.

“We are going to talk about that a little bit to see who’s going to challenge,” catcher Salvador Perez said Saturday. “Early in the game, if we lose a challenge, we may need it later in the game. It’s like, ‘Should we wait?’ Even if the umpire makes a little mistake, you have to be 100% right to challenge in the first three innings. That’s kind of what I think. But I have to wait for Skip [manager Matt Quatraro] and see what Bobby [Witt Jr.], Vinnie and Maikel [Garcia] think about that.”

Stephen Kolek will start the Cactus League opener on Friday against the Rangers.

Stephen Kolek will be the #Royals starter for their Cactus League opener on Friday against the Rangers. Ryan Bergert follows on Saturday.

— Anne Rogers (@anne__rogers) February 18, 2026

Union reps came to Royals camp following the resignation of head Tony Clark.

“It was a good meeting,” said John Schreiber, who is the Royals’ player representative. “A lot of questions from guys and a lot of positive feedback. So feeling good about where we are right now. Obviously, it’s a little bit of a disappointment. A little bit of a challenge with what came out yesterday and all that stuff. But, you know, the unity and strength we have from this union from the players is what it’s about.”

David Schoenfield at ESPN gives the Royals a “C” for their offseason.

Kansas City outfielders hit a miserable .225/.285/.348 last season, which isn’t going to work if the Royals want to return to the postseason. They acquired Collins from the Brewers after he hit .263/.368/.411 and finished fourth in the Rookie of the Year voting, but he was a 27-year-old rookie, so there isn’t any growth potential there — more likely some regression. Still, if he can get on base at a reasonable clip, he’ll give the Royals the leadoff hitter they lacked a season ago. Thomas hasn’t been good since 2023, so it’s unclear why the Royals would give him $5.25 million coming off a season in which he hit .160. Call it a ho-hum offseason that gets a boost with the underrated Maikel Garcia signing an extension that runs through 2031.

Philip Ruo at Royals Keep wonders who will lead off for the Royals in 2026.

Dan Szymborski has Carter Jensen at #15 and Blake Mitchell at #96 in his ZIPS top prospects.

The Astros sign former Royals infielder CJ Alexander to a minor league deal.

The Braves will be without pitchers Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep for the first two months.

The Mariners sign catcher Mitch Garver to a minor league deal.

Ten positional battles in MLB camps to be decided in spring training.

The Astros have interest in free agent outfielder Michael Conforto.

The key player for each World Baseball Classic team.

Bruce Meyer is named Executive Director of the MLBPA.

Aaron Judge wants to improve his baserunning.

Why the Orioles may not want to trade Coby Mayo or Ryan Mountcastle.

The Mets will never have a team captain under owner Steve Cohen.

How ten teams can overcome their playoff odds.

The Chiefs restructure Patrick Mahomes’ contract to free up more cap space.

The winners and losers from the first week of the Winter Olympics.

Antarctica has a gravity hole.

Cocaine is having a comeback.

The first worldwide Tic Tac Toe championship will be at SXSW.

Your song of the day is Built to Spill with The Plan.