Category: Sports News

Quickly piggybacking on yesterday’s news, the question is simple.

What’s your excitement level?

In theory, it doesn’t have to be very different. MLB.tv is still MLB.tv for out-of-market folks like me, though this may offer you a cheaper monthly option than A) buying all teams through MLB.tv or B) whatever FanDuel direct-to-consumer option previously existed, which of course bundled a bunch of non-Braves stuff too. It won’t have the FanDuel branding, which I guess could be a plus? Maaaybeee there’s more Braves-relevant programming eventually, though that’s clearly not the Braves’ main concern at this time given that they have about a month to get things up and running to be able to cover Spring Training.

Anyway, hype or de-hype here.

Good morning.

Kennedi Landry takes a look at what to know about the Texas Rangers as they prepare to open camp in Surprise, Arizona next week.

Jeff Wilson’s spring training preview kicks off with a look at which young hurlers need to step up for the reconstructed bullpen.

At FanGraphs, Ben Clemens has some takeaways from their newly released playoff odds for the upcoming 2026 season.

R.J. Anderson put together a top 100 prospect list for CBS Sports and you won’t have to look long or hard for Rangers prospects with Sebastian Walcott the only guy for Texas near the top of the list.

Meanwhile, over at The Athletic, Keith Law checks out the state of the Texas farm system, one that has been impacted greatly by the current World Series-winning window.

And, Evan Grant notes that Team USA wanted Jack Leiter for the World Baseball Classic, but the righty won’t be on the roster.

Have a nice day!

For the last 10 days, Maryland has been encased in a covering of frozen snow perpetuated by near constant freezing temperatures. The feeling of being imprisoned by the winter months is something most baseball fans share, as they wait for the offseason to thaw into the renewed hope that comes with spring and the start of a new season.

The feeling of being stuck in an unending cold stretch is also something all too familiar to Orioles fans. Over the last 24 months, Birdland has watched as the O’s plummeted from the top of the American League to the bottom of the AL East. Over the last season and a half, it’s seemed like the Orioles couldn’t get out of their own way as the stars that form the core of this franchise played like their feet were stuck in blocks of ice.

But just like the temperatures will eventually turn and melt away the snowcrete, there is hope that the coming 2026 season will melt away the Orioles’ previous shortcomings. After all, the Orioles are projected to have the best offense in the American League! Newly signed star slugger Pete Alonso is preparing the rest of the team for the glory that comes after “the storm and the war!” And surely more reinforcement for the starting rotation is on the way!

Despite having a solid B+ offseason up to this point, the O’s will need to shake off ongoing slumps if they want to truly have a successful 2026. Here are three cold streaks the Orioles will look to break during the upcoming season:

1. Adley Rutschman’s injury-riddled slump

For the last four seasons, the Orioles go as Adley Rutschman goes. From his debut in May of 2022 through June 2024, Rutschman was one of the best catchers in baseball. Over those first 300+ games of his career, the former No. 1 overall pick hit .274, had an OPS above .800 and provided Gold Glove caliber defense. In short, he was everything the Orioles hoped he’d be when they drafted him in 2019.

During that same time, the Orioles’ performance skyrocketed. After being baseball’s worst for the four seasons prior to Rutschman’s arrival, the O’s went 221-147 from his debut through the end of June 2024. That .601 winning percentage translates to a 97-win pace over 162 games—a mark that would have led the American League each of the last two seasons.

All of that seemed to change when Rutschman fouled a ball off his hand in the series opener against the Rangers during the last series of June 2024. The unfortunate foul ball didn’t land him on the IL, but for the rest of the season, it seemed like the Orioles’ All-Star backstop was always playing through pain. Across July, August and September, his offensive output fell off a cliff, with the backstop’s batting average dropping 100 points and his OPS more than 250 points.

After a demoralizing end to 2024 that saw the Orioles swept out of the playoffs for the second year in a row, Rutschman came into last season with a seemingly renewed sense of purpose. A noticeably slimmer and more muscular Rutschman dominated in spring training and looked set to return to his All-Star form. Then the injuries set back in. Multiple oblique injuries limited Rutschman to 90 games in 2025, while his offensive numbers continued to decline.

As the Orioles’ catcher enters his age-28 season, the Orioles need him to break out of this prolonged offensive rut if they’re to return to the playoffs. The solution may just be staying healthy, as the last time he was fully healthy for a full season, he played like the best catcher in baseball.

Rutschman should also benefit from the additions of Alonso and Taylor Ward. Over the past two seasons, there were definitely times Rutschman was trying too hard to fill the Orioles’ need for a power bat in their lineup. Overly aggressive upercut swings replaced the patient and balanced approach that propelled the former No. 1 overall pick to early-career success. With Alonso and Ward brought in specifically for their ability to rain home runs across Camden Yards, Rutschman can now return to his well-rounded approach that made him such a potent offensive force behind the dish.

2. Their ice-cold approach with RISP

The Orioles built the legacy of this franchise on the prowess of the three-run home run. But it’s still nice to score from a well-place single with a runner on second. Last year, Baltimore was easily one of the worst teams in the league with RISP. Their .234 average with runners on second/third bested only the White Sox, Rockies and Pirates—three of the four worst teams in baseball. Their 25% strikeout rate was the third-worst in MLB, with only the Rockies and Angels getting punched out more in run-scoring situations.

If the Orioles are going to make it back to October, they need to hit better with RISP. Of the 12 teams that made the playoffs last year, only the Mariners hit under .250 with runners on second/third. Last I checked, the Orioles do not have the same pitching talent as Seattle, so they shouldn’t look to follow the Mariners offensive blueprint if they want to make it back to the playoffs.

Instead, if the O’s want to reclaim the Top 10 offense they boosted in 2024 and 2023, they’ll need to hit better with second and third occupied. This is one of the areas where Alonso should be a major catalyst. The 5-time All-Star hit .309 with a 1.035 OPS last season when there were runners in scoring position. Of returning Orioles who had at least 50 PAs with RISP, only Gunnar Henderson (.342) and Jordan Westburg (.358) hit above .300 with RISP, while the other returners all hit .221 or worse. Ward was below league average last year with a .246 average with RISP, but still should help improve the Orioles’ numbers.

3. The 10-game playoff losing streak

Despite finishing in last place in 2025, playoffs are very much the expectation for the 2026 Orioles. Fangraphs currently gives the O’s a 55% chance to play October baseball, the sixth best chance of any AL team. That number should only go up with if Baltimore can add a pitcher like Framber Valdez or Zac Gallen to further solidify its revamped rotation.

If the Orioles can make it back to the postseason, it will be the first time since 1974 that the O’s made the playoffs in three out of four seasons. However, just making the playoffs won’t be enough to placate the frustrated fan base in Birdland. The Orioles’ last playoff win game in the series clincher over Detroit in the 2014 ALDS. For context, Gunnar Henderson was in middle school, Adley Rutschman a sophomore in high school and Peter Alonso a sophomore in college the last time the Orioles won a playoff game.

Manager Craig Albernaz, his staff and these players will have a hard enough task getting the Orioles back on track and back to October. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that the most important cold streak the O’s need to break in 2026 is their losing streak in the postseason.

Harper. Schwarber. Realmuto. Turner. Wheeler.

The Phillies have some of the biggest names and best players in baseball today — at least, on paper. The five core names on this roster have been together for a few years now, and will mostly be together for the next few years as well. We’ve seen what they’re capable of in the regular season, both individually and as a team, but the past three postseason campaigns have been disappointing to say the least.

Today’s question of the day is: Have the Phillies kept this core together for too long? If so, what realistic options are even available to get them to the next level?

Diamondbacks News

Former MLB GM Gives Harsh Critique of Diamondbacks’ Offseason by Michael McDermott [Heavy]

Former MLB general manager Jim Bowden released his offseason grades for all 30 MLB teams for The Athletic. Bowden gave the Arizona Diamondbacks a scathing critique of their offseason, assigning them a D+ grade. He also predicts a fourth-place finish for Arizona.

The former Washington Nationals‘ GM said this about Arizona’s offseason.

“The Diamondbacks have had a rough offseason. So far, their only significant move was to bring back right-hander Merrill Kelly. They traded for Nolan Arenado, whose production has been declining, took a chance on the oft-injured Michael Soroka and added a backup catcher in James McCann. They also traded for a good bullpen arm, righty Josh Grosz, but had to part with speedy outfielder Jake McCarthy in the deal.”

Diamondbacks interested in free agent 1B Carlos Santana by Douglas Santo [Arizona Sports]

The move marks a major shift from the 2023 tournament, when Arenado played for Team USA, as he now looks to represent his heritage after previously competing for his home country. The Diamondbacks’ third baseman has Puerto Rican heritage through his mom’s side and now has the opportunity to represent his roots on baseball’s biggest international stage.

Diamondbacks Prospects Who Could Break Camp Part 1: Hitters and Starting Pitchers by Michael McDermott [D-backs Under Review]

It’s usually a good sign when a top prospect gets a camp invite. That typically means the organization wants to evaluate them as potential additions to the big league roster. Some prospects will have a chance to break camp on the Opening Day roster. 

The most recent example is infielder Blaze Alexander, who hit .400 in Spring Training to win the backup shortstop job in 2024. I had him as the D-backs’ No. 25 prospectgoing into that season.

We’ll take a look at some candidates who could accomplish that feat in 2026. Since there are a lot of potential relievers on my prospect list, I’ve elected to break this into two pieces.

D-backs’ Moreno Earns Surprise Spot Among MLB’s Top 10 Catchers by Alex D’Agostino [SI]

Here is how The Shredder lined up the #Top10RightNow behind the plate! ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/QC0lc3jHJF

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 3, 2026

Around the League

Six teams leave regional sports network Main Street to join MLB by Alden Gonzalez [ESPN]

Six teams officially left their regional sports network, Main Street Sports, and joined Major League Baseball on Monday, essentially shedding their local-media contracts.

The Milwaukee Brewers, Miami Marlins, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Tampa Bay Rays have decided they will partner with MLB, which will produce their games for the 2026 season and beyond, as first reported by Puck’s John Ourand.

It’s all on the line for these 6 teams in 2026, 1 for each division by Will Leitch [MLB]

NL West: Padres

The Padres have been close. So, so close. They have been chasing the Dodgers for many years, and don’t forget that in 2022, they did in fact catch them, beating them in the NLDS. The problem is that the Padres lost to the Phillies in the NLCS and haven’t gotten that close since … while the Dodgers, well you know what the Dodgers have been doing.

The Padres should be commended for their ambition (and financial commitment) in pursuing their rivals to the north, but now their once-strong farm system has been mostly decimated by trades to fortify the big league roster, which, alas, still doesn’t look nearly as good as that of the Dodgers. (Who have a much better farm system now, too.) Bringing back Michael King is a sign that the Padres aren’t giving up yet, nor should they. But if they don’t catch the Dodgers soon, San Diego might be out of the race for a while.

Six Takeaways From Our Playoffs Odds Release by Ben Clemens [FanGraphs]

Fine, the Dodgers aren’t actually projected for a clean 100 wins, but 99.6 is close enough for me. Believe it or not, this is the most wins we’ve ever projected them for. Projection systems are inherently conservative; 100-win projections are rare. This team simply looks that good. When you take the two-time defending World Series champions, lose almost no one, and add the top hitter and top reliever available in free agency, an already-rosy projection simply spikes to the moon. We think the Dodgers have a comically high 94.1% chance of winning the NL West. That’s silly.

The other teams in the West are actually locked in an interesting race for second. The Padres and Diamondbacks have made playoff noise in recent years, but we have the Giants narrowly ahead of those two this year despite a relatively quiet offseason. Their big addition will be a full season of Rafael Devers, and adding solid veterans like Harrison Bader and Luis Arraez won’t hurt. The Padres, on the other hand, lost three important contributors and added no one of note to replace them. The core group of Machado, Tatis, Merrill and Co. is still excellent, but the long-term impact of the trades the Padres made to surround that core with a good supporting cast means that there’s very little depth to go around here at the moment.

The Diamondbacks are more of a wild card than the Padres, who we know will be good, but expect to be less so than in recent years. The D-backs, on the other hand, has been pivoting all over the place. They sold at the deadline last year, then added this offseason by trading for Nolan Arenado and bringing Merrill Kelly back to replace Zac Gallen. There’s a ton of upside here – three different Snakes project for 4 WAR or more, with Gabriel Moreno not far behind at 3.9. But between some lineup holes – presumptive DH Adrian Del Castillo feels particularly risky to me, but first base isn’t great either – and a thin pitching staff, it’s easy to see how this team could fall out of the race early.

Mariners Acquire Brendan Donovan by Darragh McDonald [MLB Trade Rumors]

A Donovan trade has felt inevitable for quite a while. The Cardinals have been leaning harder into a rebuild this winter. They tried to kick off a reset last offseason but struggled to move their veteran players with no-trade clauses and ended up mostly standing pat. With president of baseball operations John Mozeliak ceding the reins to new president Chaim Bloom after the 2025 campaign, it became clear that the club would push harder to focus on the future.

Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras all had no-trade clauses in their contracts and seemed reluctant to approve deals in the 2024-25 offseason. As last year was winding down, they all publicly expressed a greater openness to playing for new teams in 2026. That has now come to fruition for all three. Gray and Contreras were both traded to the Red Sox, while Arenado landed with the Diamondbacks.

Donovan’s situation was slightly different. Those other three guys were all veterans making eight-figure salaries. Moving them out of St. Louis was partially about slashing the payroll and also about opening up opportunities for younger players as part of the rebuild. Donovan, on the other hand, is still in his arbitration seasons. He will make a relatively modest $5.8MM in 2026 and would be due a raise in 2027.

It’s been three months since any action took place on the baseball field, and we’re still one month away from meaningful baseball (the world classic variety) kicking off. If you’re like me, you’ve had enough of the contract talk, trade speculation, and the word “control” and want to get back to the on-field action.

I got the itch and wanted to break down some tape, so here’s a look at the Red Sox’s newest starting pitcher, Ranger Suarez, attacking hitters from this past season.

We’ll start with Jose Altuve. He’s super aggressive at the plate, swinging at the first pitch about half the time. His power is to the pull side, with most of his damage coming against pitches up in the zone.

Suarez starts Altuve off with a curveball, and it’s a perfect one. Altuve was looking to ambush a first-pitch fastball, and winds up out in front as a result. If he were looking for a curveball, Suarez put it in a spot where it’s difficult to keep fair. Now at 0-1, Suarez can either work to the other side of the plate with a changeup or change speeds with one of his fastballs.

He goes to a cutter, and it’s in a good spot on the inside edge. It’s another pitch that’s difficult to keep fair if he does get a swing, but still gets a called strike if it doesn’t. Altuve is looking to bunt and gets a piece of it, but fouls it into the mitt. Now at 0-2, Suarez can throw whatever he wants, as long as it isn’t good to hit. Following two pitches to the inside part of the plate, I’d look for either a sinker that starts at the front hip to try to freeze Altuve, or a changeup low and away.

Before the pitch, Suarez was called for a pitch timer violation, making the count 1-2. I somehow managed to pick the at-bat with his only violation of the season, believe it or not. Anyways, it’s his first changeup of the game, and it’s non-competitive. At 2-2, he can still throw whatever he feels good about. Personally, I like doubling up on the changeup. With two outs and nobody on base, it’s a low-risk opportunity to make the adjustment and find the feel for an important pitch early in the game. Worst case, you spike another one and throw something else in a full count.

Beautiful. He goes back to the slow ball and hits his spot precisely. Altuve is looking for something hard and takes an ugly swing to end the inning. That’s a pretty low-stress at-bat for Suarez, and he didn’t throw anything harder than 87 mph. Let’s do another one.

Jumping ahead to the second inning, Cam Smith is up with one out and nobody on. Smith hit lefties well in his rookie season, but struggled with pitches inside. I’d expect Suarez to work the cutter up and in to prevent Smith from getting his arms extended and driving the baseball.

Suarez starts with a sinker on the outside edge. It’s not a great pitch to hit, but hitters often shoot the balls down the right field line. Smith fouls this one straight back, an indication that he just missed it. I’d shy away from throwing a sinker to this location again.

At 0-1, it’s a perfect cutter that starts over the middle and cuts to the inside edge. Smith gets jammed and bloops it foul to run the count to 0-2. At 0-2, a curveball down and in makes sense, as does a changeup away. Basically, anything but a fastball over the middle.

I believe David Cone calls this “X Games”. It’s a sinker that starts at the front hip and runs back to the inside edge for strike three. It looks like the cutter out of his hand — Smith likely thinks it’s running inside and is frozen for strike three. If you want to see more of how Suarez attacks righties, that game against the Astros (June 24) is a great start to watch. It’s a lineup entirely of righties, and Suarez is at his best.

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What about lefties? Here’s Jackson Holliday on August 6th with one out and nobody on in the third inning.

Suarez starts the at-bat with a four-seam off the plate. Obviously, you want to start every matchup 0-1. For Suarez, this isn’t the end of the world, though. He throws both a four-seam and a sinker, and the four-seam just off the plate sets up the backdoor sinker later in the at-bat.

Suarez goes back to the fastball, this time hitting the outer edge to even the count. After two fastballs on the outer half, a sinker inside might get in on the hands, or a sinker away could freeze Holliday for a second called strike.

Perfect. It’s the sinker that looks just like the four-seam, but it runs inside and drops more. Holliday swings on top of it and grounds it to first base for an easy out. That’s basically the blueprint for Suarez against lefties, minus the breaking ball. Had Holliday fouled that one off, he’d likely have gone to his slider or curveball on the outer half. Here’s that sequence.

The sinker starts on the inner edge and fades off the plate, while the slider starts on the outer edge and runs away. It’s almost all East-West for Suarez against lefties as he tunnels his fastballs and uses the breaking pitches for whiffs.

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So we saw a few examples of Suarez pitching well, but he’s not perfect, and it’s not hard to imagine how things go wrong. Here’s Logan O’Hoppe with one out in the second inning on July 20.

The first pitch is a sinker at the bottom of the zone for called strike one. Good start.

At 0-1, Suarez tries to go to the cutter that we saw him jam a few hitters with earlier. It’s in a decent location, but this one is 84 mph, as opposed to the ones we watched earlier at 87/88 mph. Lower velocity means it’s easier to get the bat around, and while O’Hoppe doesn’t kill it, he does drop it in for a base hit.

The next batter is Luis Rengifo.

It’s a four-seam fastball over the plate at 90 mph. Again, it’s a fine pitch if the hitter is taking, but this is roughly what most hitters are looking for to start an at-bat. Rengifo lines it up the middle, and there are two runners on.

We’ll fast forward a few hitters to Taylor Ward with the bases loaded and two runs already in. Suarez made a pitch to Mike Trout the previous at-bat that should have been called strike three, but went for ball four. With the ABS system, he’s out of the inning with one run allowed, but that didn’t exist yet, so he had to keep fighting.

The first-pitch sinker is fouled off for 0-1.

Here’s another cutter on the inside edge that’s grounded foul to make the count 0-2. At 87 mph, this one is tougher to get around and keep fair.

Suarez goes to the changeup, and it’s way off the plate for ball one. To that point, he had already missed badly with his changeup three times in the inning. While hitters are still aware of the pitch, his inability to locate it in the inning makes it less of a threat, and they can look for more pitches on the inner part of the plate as a result. A well-located changeup would work at 1-2, but Suarez doesn’t want to throw another non-competitive pitch and get closer to a full count with the bases loaded.

He tries to go inside with the fastball, but leaves it over the plate, and it’s in the gap to drive in three runs.

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Suarez relies on finesse over power. His stuff is good, but he doesn’t have one pitch he can use to dominate a lineup. He needs to locate his pitches and sequence properly to get hitters out. Fortunately, he’s shown the ability to do that consistently over the past several seasons, and it’s an attack plan that should age well with his contract. If he can find some of the velocity he lost over the past two seasons, there’s that much more margin for error.

Meet the Mets

Pitchers and Catchers don’t officially report for another eight days, but Freddy Peralta, Nolan McLean, and Jonah Tong have already arrived at Port St. Lucie.

Tong talked about the Brandon Sproat trade and his goals for the upcoming season, stating “I’m just going to be where my feet are and let everything else take care of itself…I’m looking forward to having fun along the way”

Clay Holmes also arrived to Port St. Lucie ahead of the report date.

Anthony DiComo analyzed the Mets’ revamped bullpen, which no longer has Edwin Díaz but makes up for it with a ton of upside.

Joe Pantorno wondered if Framber Valdez, who remains unsigned, could fall into the Mets’ lap as the offseason reaches its final days.

There is still a chance that Francisco Lindor could suit up for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. They are currently working on a private insurer to cover Lindor, at which point they will seek approval from MLB and the Mets.

Huascar Brazobán will play for the Dominical Republic in the WBC, joining teammate Juan Soto.

The Mets were one of several teams to send scouts to the Caribbean Series in Mexico.

Around the National League East

Todd Zolecki picked out the best MLB debuts in Phillies’ history.

The Braves announced their 2026 promotional schedule.

Federal Baseball explored some potential bullpen additions for the Nationals.

Around Major League Baseball

Several MLB teams have been fleeing the cash-strapped FanDuel Sports Network for MLB’s broadcast group.

The Mariners have acquired All-Star infielder Brendan Donovan from the Cardinals in a three-team trade.

Will Leitch discussed six teams facing make-or-break seasons in 2026.

David Adler addressed four teams that are trending up (and four teams that are trending down) in standings predictions for the 2026 campaign.

Thomas Harrigan identified seven players who need to step up to make up for the loss of some key departures on their team.

Laura Albanese covered the MLB offseason winners and losers so far.

The Blue Jays are erecting a statue to honor franchise icon Joe Carter.

The White Sox are upgrading their clubhouse to make new addition Munetaka Murakami feel at home.

Edwin Díaz will play in the World Baseball Classic after the fateful injury that ended his 2023 season.

The Yankees remain interested in Ty France.

Aaron Booned sounded off on all things related to the Yankees, including their 2026 roster, Brian Cashman’s influence, and more.

Adam Berry looked at the Rays’ penchant for three-team trades.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Brian Salvatore previewed Carl Edwards Jr.’s 2026 season, which seems him competing for a role on the Mets’ roster.

Jonah Tong came in at number 3 on the Amazin’ Avenue list of Mets’ prospects list.

This Date in Mets History

Lucas Duda turns the big 4-0 today. Happy Birthday!

We are launching a new daily article here at South Side Sox, more prominently than our items that pop up on The Feed. It falls under the category of White Sox Discussions, which you’ll see in a few weeks will also be our new branding for Game Threads.

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While the White Sox have pulled off a number of heists over the years (Nellie Fox, Luke Appling, Wilbur Wood, Billy Pierce, among others), they have been on the losing end quite a bit as well. Entire novellas have been written about the acquisition, and quick dumping soon thereafter, of Nick Swisher. But there have been more than “Swish”; in fact, a bad trade doesn’t have to be one where too much is given away but what was received was such a turkey, as in the trade that brought Ron Santo to the South Side (and sent, among others, Nick’s dad Steve to the Cubs).

What trade still feels like a stake in your heart?

Every good analysts has to start with an acknowledgement of limitations. As much as we might want to rely on the numbers on the back of the baseball card, each season exists in its own universe. One of the axioms I always go by is that I don’t really start worrying or getting excited until Memorial Day. Every season exists in its own universe and teams have to spend much of April and May figuring out who is going to do what. The Astros consistently start very slowly and one of the reasons is that it takes that much time to figure out what combination of guys are going to work.

Most successful teams have a core of good players and they ride them for the balance of the season. If you look historically at the greatest teams in history, they have a core group of four to six players that play consistently at an all-star level. The current iteration of the Astros do not have that. Even if we assume health, Yordan Alvarez is the only player that stands out on a roster of solid players that aren’t likely to perform at a traditional all-star level.

The good news is that they are deeper in terms of solid players than in some years. Assuming health, there aren’t any positions that project to be gaping holes, but there are very few that project to be very good. With Dana Brown and Joe Espada on the last years of their contracts, there is added pressure to get this right. Say you want about Espada (and I know every fan has their opinions), his job will not be an easy one this season. He needs to find the right combination of guys to make this work.

We will focus on a number of different positions as we move closer to spring training, but if we look at the career numbers of just those in the outfield, we see an opportunity to mix and match to create the best result. Of course, with opportunity also comes risk. It also comes with roster decisions for Dana Brown. The question will be whether younger players can serve you better on the bench or getting regular plate appearances in Sugar Land.

Below we take a basic look at slash lines (AVG/OBP/SLG) for all of the players that could potentially play in the outfield. We will include Jose Altuve in these because he will likely get some starts in left field. The task for Joe Espada and Dana Brown is to figure out how exactly to deploy who they have to the best results. For Brown, he needs to see if there is anything out there that could fill in some of those gaps.

	AVG	OBP	SLG
Jose Altuve RHP	.296	.352	.451
Jose Altuve LHP	.324	.385	.508
Yordan Alvarez RHP	.286	.388	.569
Yordan Alvarez LHP	.316	.391	.580
Jake Meyers RHP	.236	.301	.353
Jake Meyers LHP	.265	.324	.421
Zach Cole RHP	.282	.317	.641
Zach Cole LHP	.125	.364	.125
Cam Smith RHP	.227	.292	.325
Cam Smith LHP	.261	.365	.452
Jesus Sanchez RHP	.253	.324	.450
Jesus Sanchez LHP	.181	.234	.289
Zach Dezenzo RHP	.262	.319	.400
Zach Dezenzo LHP	.167	.242	.233

One of the more intriguing works in the stats community is a book by former SABR president Vince Gennaro called “Diamond Dollars”. There were a few landmark nuggets in that book, but the biggest one was what he termed the “platoon advantage.” Essentially, the idea is that teams will pay a premium for a player that will hit from both sides of the plate.

For instance, Alvarez has a .900+ OPS against both righties and lefties. That kind of proficiency is expensive on the open market. Most players have one side where they are dominant and one side where they aren’t. The general premise is that if 75 percent of the pitchers in baseball are right-handed then a player that performs well against right handed players is worth 75 percent of that player that performs well from both sides. Yet, most of the time those players get a fraction of the money.

For instance, Jesus Sanchez will earn just under seven million dollars a year, but he has a career OPS against righties that is well above the league average. If you paired him with Cam Smith then the total player with an OPS approaching .800. How much would you pay for a player that would produce that level of production from both sides of the plate?

The question is how far you take the platoon advantage? There are 26 guys on a roster and 13 of them are pitchers. So you have only four bench slots and one of those will be a backup catcher. So, you need to be as strategic as possible with those remaining three bench slots. One of those decisions will be whether to carry a fifth outfielder.

When you look at the breakdown, Zach Cole performed better against right handed pitchers than against lefties. Granted, that was in a limited number of plate appearances at the big league level. However, he is a left handed hitter, so those splits would be more or less expected. He would be a natural platoon partner with Jake Meyers if given the opportunity.

This is where Dana Brown comes into play. He has to decide whether Cole is better served playing every day in Sugar Land than two or three days a week at the big league level. Players like Dezenzo offer some flexibility due to his ability to play first base. You also need to have a reserve infielder as well and that is where a player like Nick Allen comes into play.

It definitely won’t be easy for Espada and Brown in Spring Training and that is assuming there are no more moves that are made between now and then. It will take a lot of mixing and matching, but based on the career numbers above, there are opportunities to maximize production against both righties and lefties. Next time, we will take a look at the infield to see what opportunities are there.

Some Tuesday morning Dodgers news and notes, one day after closer Edwin Díaz was officially announced as pitching for Puerto Rico in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

FanGraphs unveiled its initial 2026 playoff odds on Monday. Understandably, the Dodgers are at the top, with a projected 99.6 wins and a 99.1-percent chance to make the postseason.

“Projection systems are inherently conservative; 100-win projections are rare. This team simply looks that good,“ Ben Clemens wrote at FanGraphs. ”When you take the two-time defending World Series champions, lose almost no one, and add the top hitter and top reliever available in free agency, an already-rosy projection simply spikes to the moon. We think the Dodgers have a comically high 94.1% chance of winning the NL West. That’s silly.”

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Mookie Betts talked about how he prepared during the offseason to rebound from the worst offensive season of his career, as chronicled by Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic. Also within the article was manager Dave Roberts hinting at some more clarity to the Dodgers lineup, hinting that he likes Betts hitting third and catcher Will Smith hitting fifth (which would mean newcomer Kyle Tucker batting second and Freddie Freeman cleanup).

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Keith Law at The Athletic unveiled his top 20 Dodgers prospects on Monday, and included in the article are other minor leaguers of note. Among them is Ryan Ward, the soon-to-be 28-year-old who was added to the 40-man roster in November but his path to major league playing time here is narrow with a stacked roster in Los Angeles.

“He peaked at an EV of 111.4 mph last year and his hard-hit rate was just over 50 percent, while he’s an above-average runner and can handle an outfield corner or first base,” Law wrote of Ward. “He does have a big platoon split, but he’s left-handed and should probably play as the strong side of a platoon for someone this year — like, how is this guy not a Marlin or a Rockie by now?”

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Hannah Keyser at CNN wrote about gambling addiction affecting young men’s relationships to friends, family, and sports fandom.