As the offseason winds down and early-arriving players begin ramping up for the 2026 season, it’s your turn, once again, to ask us at VEB your most pressing questions as we head into spring training. The Cardinals were able to move all of their no-trade-clause-wielding players on the roster and added a couple of veteran pitchers with high-octane stuff, and there were many other small moves in between. What position battles are you most intrigued to watch unfold in spring camp? Who is going to hit lead off for the Cardinals in 2026? Which Cardinals have the most to prove in 2026? We’re eager to hear from you, and we haven’t completed a reader mailbag episode since the end of October, when Cardinals assistant GM and head of player performance Rob Cerfolio joined us to answer your most pressing offseason questions.

Leave your questions in the comments section, and we will be sure to answer them on the next episode of the Viva El Birdos Podcast! This post will also act as an open thread for the day.

-Thanks for participating…?!

DRaysBay works best as a place for community and conversation. Accordingly, in the lead up to the new season, we are posting “Daily Questions” in the month of February. I look forward to seeing you in the comment section!

Which player has your unwavering belief? Forget the performance on the field yesterday, you have your eyes set on tomorrow, knowing they can deliver if given the chance.

You want links? You can’t handle the links!

Phillies News:

• Justin Crawford poised to be the youngest Phillies outfielder in 46 years, and trying to improve via training from former MLB All-Star Eric Davis ($$)
• MLB.com ponders reasons why the ‘26 Phillies bullpen could be better
• NBCSN seems to have similar ponderings about the bullpen
• Also, what’s with the starting pitching? Do they have enough depth?

MLB News:

• Ol’ JimBow gives out his offseason grades ($$)
• Brendan Donovan was finally traded, this one to Seattle in a three way deal with Tampa Bay.
• The Big Hurt is having big feelings after getting snubbed by the White Sox for a BHM graphic ($$)
• Milwaukee Brewers to have games produced and distributed by Major League Baseball, they will be joined by the Cardinals, Reds, Royals and Marlins
• CBS puts out their Top 100 baseball prospect ranking

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

You wouldn’t know it from the current weather on the East Coast, but baseball season is fast approaching. In just one week, all Orioles pitchers and catchers will have reported to Sarasota for the start of spring training. The first workout is in eight days. Soon we’ll be inundated with reports of how every Oriole is in the best shape of his life and that it’s a great group of guys and the team is destined for glory. It’s the time of year that optimism abounds and there’s no evidence to the contrary (yet).

Even with the start of camp so close, it doesn’t feel like the Orioles are done tinkering with their roster, nor should they be. The bullpen, in particular, is one unit that doesn’t currently inspire confidence. The O’s did jump early this offseason to fill their closer spot, signing former All-Star Ryan Helsley, and reacquired Andrew Kittredge after dealing him last July. But ever since the Helsley signing, which was more than two months ago, the Birds have yet to add any other notable relievers.

The O’s, at the moment, seem set to rely on many of the journeymen and unproven arms who comprised their bullpen after the trade deadline last season. And that’s a major risk. Can the Orioles rely on the well-traveled Dietrich Enns and Rico Garcia to be as effective this season as they were in a two-month sample size last year? Will a guy like Kade Strowd take a step forward or be overexposed in regular duty? What happens if Helsley gets hurt or pitches like he did with the Mets (7.20 ERA)? Who would replace him as the closer? If Kittredge is injured or ineffective, who takes over the eighth-inning role? The Orioles might not be prepared for every contingency, but bringing in another reliable arm or two would go a long way to strengthening the whole bullpen.

The Orioles’ offseason got off to a fast start but has slowed to a halt as spring approaches. There’s still a little bit of time for Mike Elias and his staff to acquire a reliable reliever or starting pitcher. But if they want a new pitcher to be able to have a full spring training of preparation, they’d better act sooner rather than later.

Links

Putting together the Orioles’ 2026 bullpen – BaltimoreBaseball.com

Rich Dubroff maps out a potential Opening Day bullpen, and it reinforces the point I was just making. If Yennier Cano is penciled in for a spot, then I’m sorry, but that’s not a particularly good bullpen.

Orioles position preview: Rutschman, Basallo form high-upside catching duo – The Baltimore Sun

The key word here is “upside.” If either or both of them play like they’re capable of, the O’s could have the best catching situation in the division. But their 2025 performances for the Orioles don’t exactly inspire confidence.

As the Framber Valdez saga drags on, these are alternatives for the Orioles – The Baltimore Banner

Update: Framber Valdez still is not an Oriole. Will the O’s pivot for someone like Zac Gallen, Chris Bassitt, or Lucas Giolito, or will they roll the dice with the pitchers they’ve already got?

Orioles spring camp is near! Here’s what to know – MLB.com

Are you planning to attend O’s spring training but don’t know where or when the Orioles play or who’s on the team? That’s…a little weird, frankly, but this article will answer your questions.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Seven former Orioles were born on Feb. 3, including second baseman and vibes guy Rougned Odor (32); right-handers Brooks Kriske (also 32) and Don Welchel (69); outfielder Fred Lynn (74); and the late righties Scott Klingenbeck (b. 1971, d. 2025) and Harry Byrd (b. 1925, d. 1985) and outfielder Jim Dyck (b. 1922, d. 1999).

On this date in 1994, the Orioles re-signed reliever Mark Williamson. The righty had spent his first seven years with the Orioles as a workhorse in the bullpen, throwing more than 80 relief innings in six of those seasons, including 100+ each from 1987-89. His career lasted just one more year, with 28 appearances in 1994.

And on this day in 2021, the O’s signed Mariners legend Félix Hernández as a minor league free agent. The former Cy Young winner, who hadn’t played since 2019, was a favorite to break camp in the Orioles’ rotation, but he got injured in his final spring training start and never pitched again. He became Hall of Fame eligible in 2025 and received 20.6% of the vote in his first year followed by 46.1% in his second, so he seems to be making progress toward induction.

Dave Gasper, Contributor

Hey everyone, my name is Dave Gasper and I’m incredibly excited to be joining the staff at Brew Crew Ball ahead of the 2026 season. Prior to this, I spent seven years as the Editor-in-Chief over at Reviewing the Brew, covering the team from the 2018 run to Game 7 of the NLCS through so many more moments that this team has made over the years. I’ve always strived to be a trusted voice on the Milwaukee Brewers, bringing in-depth analysis from my knowledge of the game and passion for this organization.

You may also know me from my work on what was formerly 97.3 FM The Game here in Milwaukee and state-wide on The Game Radio Network of stations. There I was the producer of No BS with Billy and Armen and then co-host and producer of D.N.D. in the mid-days.

Growing up, going to Brewers games with my dad, my Brewers fandom started in the lean years of the early 2000s, watching Richie Sexson and Geoff Jenkins be the best players on some really bad teams, losing 100 games a year. That’s made this run of success the team has had over the last several years that much more enjoyable not only to watch but to be able to cover as a member of the media.

I’m excited to bring you content going inside the Brewers clubhouse as well as diving into the farm system and providing my prospect rankings.

I’ve covered this team and been in the clubhouse through a couple of champagne celebrations already the last few years and hopefully there are a couple more champagne celebrations this year.

1988
Helping to spur an upset in the 1988 Caribbean Series, José DeLeón started the Series-opening win for his Escogido Leones. Just six days later, the White Sox traded the right-handed workhorse to St. Louis for Lance Johnson, Ricky Horton and cash.

1996
To help fortify a comically-thin rotation (of the four core starters in 1995, just Wilson Alvarez and Alex Fernandez would remain with the team/stay healthy through 1996) the White Sox signed righthander Kevin Tapani to a one-year, $1.5 million deal.

After seven years in Minnesota compiling 19.1 WAR, Tapani was dealt to the Dodgers to help a playoff run. However, Tapani was horrible in the stretch for L.A., culminating in an NLDS that saw him appear in two games with just one-third of an inning pitched, scarred by three earned runs and four walks.

With Tapani’s value at low ebb, the White Sox struck with an extreme value signing — and it paid off wonderfully, as the righty put up a 13-10 record and a 3.2 WAR (tied for second-best of his career) in spite of some sloppy peripherals (4.59 ERA, 4.85 FIP, 1.385 WHIP).

Tapani’s relative success as a White Sox reclamation made the path forward even more curious. Despite not missing a start (he had 34, while No. 1 and 2 starters Fernandez and Alvarez finished with 35) and once pitching on three days’ rest, Tapani was accused of faking a hand injury by GM Ron Schueler, assuring the starter would not return.

Driving away Tapani and even the higher-profile hit of losing Fernandez to the Florida Marlins in free agency forced what would become the worst free agent pitcher signing in White Sox history: Jaime Navarro for four years and $20 million.

Tapani ended up signing a five-year, $23.5 million deal with the Cubs and put up a modest 7.2 WAR over the contract. Navarro would last just three years with the White Sox, compiling a catastrophic -3.7 WAR.

2011
The White Sox announced the signing of Alexei Ramírez to a four-year, $32.5 million contract extension covering 2012-15, with a team option for 2016.

Ramírez was coming off of what would stand up as his greatest MLB season in 2010, with 5.6 WAR and his first career Silver Slugger. His defense comprised almost half of his WAR value; Derek Jeter winning the Gold Glove at shortstop that season further cemented the need for a change in the determination process there.

The Cuban Missile would go on to have four very productive seasons of the five his extension covered, making this a rare “perfect” meld, where performance largely matched compensation.

2023
In a trade that stuck a blow against the Chicago trades, the White Sox sent reliever Theo Denlinger to Boston for reliever Franklin German. German had thrown in five games for the 2022 Red Sox, getting blown up for an 18.00 ERA. The 25-year-old nudged that ERA down a smidge in Charlotte for nine early appearances (7.15 ERA) but was waived on May 8; though catching on with the Reds and then again the Red Sox later that year, 2023 would be German’s last season of pro ball.

Denlinger, a blacksmith, struggled in Double- and Triple-A for the Red Sox and was released during the 2024 season. He surfaced for the Tecolotes de Los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League in 2025, putting up a 6.46 ERA there.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Pirates fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Last week’s question asked about the record for the Buccos. The last time the Pirates were .500 or better was 2018. However, the Bucs have one the league’s best pitching staffs, and after finally adding some offense, the Bucs seem poised to actually score some runs this season as well. Will all of that add up to finally getting over the .500 hump? Here’s what you had to say:

A full two-thirds of voters are taking the over .500 for the Bucs. Add in the 10 percent of you who think the team finishes right at .500, and that’s 77 percent of voters who think the Bucs will be .500 or better this year. That’s more optimism than we’ve had in a long time. Let’s hope the Bucs can meet our expectations.

Thanks for voting. We’ll be back soon with more Reacts.

Hello everyone! Welcome to our new Daily Question series for the month of February. With Spring Training around the corner, we want to hear what you think 2026 holds for your Minnesota Twins. Let’s get excited for baseball!

Here’s the problem with trade articles. Because you can target nearly anybody, I end up spending hours just going through realistic possibilities. Rather than doing that this time around, let’s leave it up to you and see who you have in mind.

The way I see it, the Twins have two main needs with a few weeks to go. The bullpen is the glaring and most obvious one, but they also need a right-handed outfielder to pair with their bevy of lefties incapable of hitting a left-handed breaking ball.

Last note! Ideally, these trades need to remove some assortment of Trevor Larnach, James Outman, Matt Wallner, or Alan Roden from the roster. Those four are incredibly redundant and each has different strengths, but they all have the exact same weakness: they can’t hit lefties. Larnach is the one most likely to go, but Wallner has good trade value and could be the centerpiece for a team that is low on outfield power. Outside of that, you’re probably looking at a deal centered around a starting pitcher (or two) with one of the outfielders as a throw-in.

I’ll cover the more boring, but still distinct upgrades, options first. Here are a few teams and players that could work as trade partners off the top of my head:

• Boston Red Sox: they’ve had their eye on Joe Ryan for months, but maybe there’s a smaller trade to be worked out for one of the Twins’ lower level starters. Romy Gonzalez is a lefty masher who can play anywhere and they have some intriguing relief options as well.
• Tampa Bay Rays: They could use some offensive production and rotation depth to back up their quality top end of the roster. Something like Larnach and a lower-end (but MLB ready) pitching prospect could fetch the Twins either Edwin Uceta or Bryan Baker in the bullpen.
• Colorado Rockies: The Rockies, famously, are not a well run baseball team. Could we trick them into giving up Victor Vodnik?
• Philadelphia Phillies: The Phillies have maybe the worst projected starting outfield for a bonafide contender. Larnach would be a distinct upgrade for them and they have two excellent right-handed utility men that would be an upgrade for the Twins in Edmundo Sosa and Otto Kemp. If you want to get crazy and kill two birds with one stone, Wallner and Marco Raya could probably fetch you Orion Kerkering and one of the utility guys.
• Los Angeles Angels: my dream trade that won’t happen for various reasons is Zach Neto, who has quietly emerged as one of the best young shortstops in baseball over the past two seasons. It would cost a lot prospect-wise, but picking up Neto and bumping Brooks Lee into the Willi Castro-esque super utility everyday player would solve a lot of issues for this roster.

Let’s hear it: who (realistically) do you want the Twins to trade for? Dream big. Or small. The world is your oyster, and hopefully Jeremy Zoll’s too.