Worldwide Sports News
From performers to locals watching the opening ceremony and tourists taking in the atmosphere, this gallery shows scenes of daily life around the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
The 2026 MLB season is approaching, as pitchers and catchers have reported, and spring training games are soon to follow.
The MLB playoff odds market is a simple "yes/no" proposition. You look at a team's odds and decide whether or not you think they'll be playing in October.
With a clean slate, let's look at how MLB odds look before any action has occurred.
| Team | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
 Los Angeles Dodgers | -5000 | +1800 |
 New York Yankees | -380 | +300 |
 New York Mets | -310 | +250 |
 Philadelphia Phillies | -290 | +225 |
 Toronto Blue Jays | -280 | +225 |
 Seattle Mariners | -280 | +220 |
 Chicago Cubs | -250 | +200 |
 Atlanta Braves | -220 | +175 |
 Boston Red Sox | -195 | +160 |
 Milwaukee Brewers | -190 | +160 |
 Detroit Tigers | -185 | +140 |
 Houston Astros | -185 | +150 |
 San Diego Padres | -155 | +130 |
 Baltimore Orioles | +100 | -120 |
 Texas Rangers | +115 | -145 |
 Cincinnati Reds | +145 | -175 |
 Kansas City Royals | +160 | -200 |
 Cleveland Guardians | +185 | -230 |
 San Francisco Giants | +215 | -270 |
 Arizona Diamondbacks | +270 | -340 |
 Tampa Bay Rays | +310 | -400 |
 Pittsburgh Pirates | +425 | -650 |
 Athletics | +475 | -700 |
 Miami Marlins | +500 | -750 |
 Minnesota Twins | +500 | -750 |
 St. Louis Cardinals | +600 | -1000 |
 Los Angeles Angels | +750 | -1400 |
 Washington Nationals | +1600 | -5000 |
 Chicago White Sox | +2000 | -5000 |
 Colorado Rockies | +3500 | -20000 |
Odds courtesy of DraftKings.
The MLB playoffs expanded in the 2022 season, adding an extra wild card to both the AL and NL, making it a total of 12 teams in the postseason.
The new format will see the top two division winners in each league (Seeds 1 and 2) get a first-round bye, while the third-best division winner (Seed 3) will host the third wild card (Seed 6) — and the two remaining wild cards (Seeds 4 and 5) will face off — in a three-game series.
Following the Wild Card Round, the No. 1 seed will face the winner of the two wild cards (Seeds 4/5), while the No. 2 seed will face the No. 3 vs No. 6 winner in the Divisional Round.
If the second-best record in the league does not come from a division winner (e.g. the San Francisco Giants in 2021), they will remain the top wild card — and not get a first-round bye.
This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here
Spring training is about a month away. The air is starting to warm, and the birds are returning. I love spring. It’s a time of renewal, both in life and in baseball.
One of the beauties of baseball is its consistency. Things change slowly in baseball, and that’s okay with me. Speaking of change, has anyone else noticed the Girl Scouts changed Thin Mints? As a bit of a cookie connoisseur, I’m not a fan. They’re not as delectable as the old Thin Mints.
Back to baseball. A pitcher delivers the ball and, 60 feet 6 inches away, a batter tries to hit it. Granted, over the years, the equipment has improved: better bats, balls that we assume are more uniform, even small things like better spikes can make a difference. Even in years when we question the integrity of the baseball, the umpire switches out balls after nearly every pitch. In the old days, a ball might have been used until it was hit into the stands, which meant many batters stood in the box trying to locate a dirty baseball hurtling toward them.
One noticeable change over the years has been hitters wearing all sorts of body armor. I understand it— a 95-mile-per-hour fastball that hits your elbow is going to cause significant pain and possibly a trip to the injured list. This is one change that tilts in favor of the batter, giving them confidence to stand a little closer to the plate even against the hardest throwers. When I was a young teen, I took a fastball off my left thigh from the hardest thrower in town. The next day, I could see the baseball’s stitches imprinted in the bruise. I’d have given anything to be wearing a thigh pad. Do you think I was thinking about that pitch the next time I faced him? You’d better believe it. The lack of body armor gave hard throwers like Don Drysdale and Bob Gibson a significant advantage.
This is the final installment of great hitting seasons, looking at some of the best from the 1990s to the present day, with memories of the jacked-up ’90s. It seemed like everyone was lifting weights in that glorious decade, and many players were supplementing their workouts with illegal substances. Balls were flying out of ballparks faster and farther than any of us had ever seen. It was all an illusion and, at the same time, glorious.
Before we road trip to the ’90s, I want to write about one of my personal favorite hitting seasons: Rusty Staub in 1973. Statistically, it wasn’t anything special: .279/.361/.421 with just 15 home runs and 76 RBI in 152 games. It wasn’t even Staub’s best season, which was probably 1970 in Montreal or maybe 1978 with the Tigers. Staub, adorned with one of the all-time great nicknames in Montreal—Le Grand Orange—was a vastly underrated hitter over his 23-year career.
What made his 1973 season so memorable was the joy it brought to baseball. That was the season an undermanned Mets team made an improbable run to the World Series, primarily on the backs of ace Tom Seaver and Staub’s timely hitting.
Over the final 13 games of the season, the Mets went from two and a half games back to winning the pennant by one and a half games over the St. Louis Cardinals. Staub led the charge by hitting .393 over that stretch, helping lead the Mets to ten wins.
The Mets finished just 82–79, then somehow beat the heavily favored Cincinnati Reds in a thrilling five-game championship series.
Against all odds, they took the powerhouse Oakland A’s to seven games in the World Series, with Staub hitting .423 despite playing with a separated shoulder. Maybe it was just my 12-year-old memories, but it seemed like anytime the Mets needed a big hit late in a game—especially in the Championship Series or the World Series—Staub delivered.
There was no mistaking Staub’s brilliance with the bat. He ended his career with 2,716 hits and is the only player in history to record at least 500 hits with four different franchises. Most years he was a doubles machine, and he had a fantastic eye, drawing over 100 walks twice and finishing with a career .362 OBP.
He was beloved in both Montreal and New York and is a member of both teams’ Halls of Fame. Staub is one of those players who deserves another look from the Veterans Committee of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Albert Belle. The name conjures a lot of different feelings. He was the son of a football coach and a math teacher. He was a member of the National Honor Society and an Eagle Scout. He had a reputation as a hothead prone to outbursts, but man, could he hit. Despite his virtuosity with the bat, he was only the second-best hitter in history named Albert.
He attended LSU, where he hit .332 with power over his college career. The Indians took him in the second round of the 1987 draft—the same draft in which Ken Griffey Jr. went first overall. The Royals selected Kevin Appier in the first round and Terry Shumpert in the second, six picks before Belle. It’s hard to imagine passing on Belle when you look at his college production, but that’s never stopped the Royals from making questionable draft choices.
Belle made his major league debut in 1989 at age 22 and blossomed into stardom in 1991. At his peak—an eight-year stretch—he was one of the most feared power hitters in the game. His best season likely came in 1995, though a case can be made for others.
The 1995 season was shortened due to a players’ strike, and in 143 games Belle slashed .317/.401/.690 with 50 home runs, 52 doubles, 126 RBI, 121 runs scored, and 377 total bases. He almost certainly would have topped 400 total bases in a full season. As it was, he became the first player in history to hit 50 home runs and 50 doubles in the same season. He led the league in six offensive categories, made the All-Star team, and won the Silver Slugger. In a great injustice, he finished second in the MVP voting behind Boston’s Mo Vaughn. Maybe voters were punishing Belle for his often-surly attitude, but Vaughn was no choir boy. Belle’s offensive output dwarfed Vaughn’s.
Belle was remarkably consistent all summer, rarely going more than two consecutive games without a hit. He had 15-game and 11-game hitting streaks and collected four hits in a game on four occasions. When a guy is swinging the bat like that, it’s hard to pick out his best game. The peak probably came on August 5 against the White Sox, when Belle went 4-for-4 with two home runs and ten total bases in an 11–7 Indians win.
Belle retired after the 2000 season due to degenerative hip osteoarthritis. In a fitting farewell, he homered in his final career at-bat. He was inducted into the Guardians/Indians Hall of Fame in 2016.
One of Belle’s teammates on those powerhouse Cleveland teams was his outfield running mate Manny Ramirez. The Indians took Manny with the 13th pick in the 1991 draft, and by 1993 he was in Cleveland. Ramirez hit his stride in 1995 and had an amazing 13-season peak. Did Manny use steroids? Most likely, as many did. I’m not here to pontificate about the steroid era. Everyone has their own feelings about it.
Ramirez’s best season came in 1999, when over 147 games he hit .333/.442/.663 with 44 home runs, 34 doubles, 96 walks, and 165 RBI. That earned him his third All-Star appearance and his second Silver Slugger. Before his career ended, Manny would make 12 All-Star teams and win nine Silver Sluggers. He won a batting title in 2002 and had 11 seasons with an OBP greater than .400. He was a wizard with the bat.
Ramirez finished third in the 1999 MVP voting, which is probably where he belonged given his defensive shortcomings.
His best game that summer came on August 25, when he lacerated Oakland for four hits, including three home runs. He scored four times and collected 14 total bases in a 12–4 Tribe win.
Manny played through the 2011 season and would probably be in the Hall of Fame if not for the steroid issues. And I’m okay with that.
Ramirez was inducted into the Guardians/Indians Hall of Fame in 2023.
When Ichiro Suzuki signed with the Mariners prior to the 2001 season, no one quite knew what to expect. Ichiro had been a megastar in Japan, but Japanese players had yet to translate that stardom to American baseball. Already 27 at his major league debut, he brought nine years of experience with the Orix BlueWave. He burst out of the gate, collecting a rookie-record 242 hits. That shattered the previous mark of 223 set by Lloyd Waner in 1927 and was the most hits by any player since 1930. Ichiro won his first batting title that year with a .350 average and displayed a cannon arm in right field. He was a runaway winner of both the Rookie of the Year and the American League MVP.
His best season came in 2004, and the numbers are almost cartoonish: .372/.414/.455 with a league-leading 262 hits—a major league record—and 101 runs scored. Ichiro never hit for much power, finishing his 2,653-game career with 117 home runs and just 96 triples in 19 seasons. But he was a consistent 25–30 doubles hitter and a savant at stroking singles.
How do you pick the best game of someone who hits .372? Ichiro had a 21-game hitting streak, collected four hits in six different games, and five hits in four different games. His best game was probably August 17 against the Royals at the K. It was his first game in Kansas City and perhaps the impetus for his famous description of August in Missouri as “hotter than two rats f***ing in a wool sock.” Coming from anyone else, it wouldn’t have been as funny.
The Royals finished 58–104 that year, which felt normal in those days. Ichiro led off and deposited the second pitch he saw into the right-field bullpen. The blast came off Darrell May, who lasted just two innings, allowing nine hits and nine runs. Ichiro singled again in the second before Tony Peña turned to Matt Kinney, a pitcher I have absolutely no memory of. Ichiro greeted him with a bases-loaded single in the third. Three innings, three at-bats, three hits.
He added a fourth hit in the fifth and later drew a walk. Final tally: 4-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored, and five RBI. Ichiro hit .352 against Kansas City in his career, his highest average against any opponent. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2025 with 99.7 percent of the vote.
Looking at great hitters, two things jump out. Nearly every outstanding hitter debuted very young, usually at 19 or 20. Yes, once in a generation a team overlooks a terrific hitter like Bob Johnson or, on a local level, Whit Merrifield. Both debuted at 27, but they are exceptions. Most hitting savants reach the majors early. The second commonality is a long peak—10 to 14 years is not unusual.
Both were true of Miguel Cabrera. Miggy debuted with the Florida Marlins at age 20 and by the next season was a force. His 13-year peak produced a .306 career average, 511 home runs, 1,881 RBI, and 3,174 hits. Those are Hall of Fame numbers, and he will be elected when eligible in 2028.
For our purposes, we’ll look at his 2012 Triple Crown season. Winning the Triple Crown in baseball is about as difficult as winning it in horse racing. There have been only 17 winners in history and just three in my lifetime. The National League hasn’t had one since Joe Medwick in 1937, which still amazes me. Shohei Ohtani may eventually end that drought.
In 2012, Cabrera hit .330/.393/.606 with 44 home runs, 139 RBI, 109 runs scored, and 377 total bases. He clinched the Triple Crown in the final three games of the season, played in Kansas City. Cabrera went 6-for-10 in that series, and the Kansas City crowd rewarded him with a standing ovation when Jim Leyland removed him in the fourth inning of the final game. Cabrera was visibly moved, thanking the fans and saying it “felt like playing at home.” It was one of those moments that made me proud to be a Royals fan.
Cabrera’s longest hitting streak that summer was 14 games, and he recorded four four-hit games. He was mechanically consistent all season, rarely going more than two games without a hit. His peak RBI game was five, which came in the third game of the season.
His best game likely came June 2 against the Yankees, when he went 3-for-4 with two solo home runs and ten total bases. On October 1, he torched the Royals with four hits in five at-bats, including a home run, leading the Tigers to a 6–3 win.
Purely by numbers, he may have been even better in 2011 or 2013, but sometimes it takes a little luck to win a Triple Crown. Cabrera retired after the 2023 season, one of those players you simply felt lucky to watch.
Freddie Freeman last season hit 39 doubles, the third-most in the National League, the seventh time in his career he’s been in the top three in the league in two-baggers. That includes four times leading the NL in doubles, including each of his first two seasons with the Dodgers. His 59 doubles in 2023 are tied for most in MLB in the last 89 years.
His 180 doubles over the last four seasons are 27 more than anyone else in the majors, 17.6 percent more than Guardians star third baseman José Ramírez, his next-closest competitor. Freeman’s 180 doubles are the most by any Dodgers hitter in a four-year span, surpassing Babe Herman’s 170 doubles from 1928-31 for Brooklyn.
Freeman’s 39 doubles last season vaulted him further up the all-time leaderboard. After beginning 2025 in 59th place on the doubles list, Freeman ended 2025 with 547 doubles, tied for 34th place with Manny Ramírez. Four years ago, before he played a game with the Dodgers, Freeman ranked 257th.
Age and injuries have caught up a bit to Freeman, who played in 147 games in each of the last two regular seasons after playing in 99 percent of his teams’ games from 2018-23.
Should Freeman hit 25 doubles in his age-36 season in 2026, he’d move up seven spots in the leaderboard, to tied for 27th. Thirty doubles gets him to 25th place, and 40 doubles would vault Freeman into 21st place. He’d need at least 45 doubles to get into the top 20, with Todd Helton in 20th place at 592 doubles.
There have been only nine seasons in Dodgers history with at least 30 doubles by a player 36 or older, the last by Justin Turner with 36 doubles to match his age in 2022. The only other Los Angeles Dodger that old to hit at least 30 doubles was Jeff Kent, with 36 doubles in each of 2005 (age 37) and 2007 (age 39). Zack Wheat has the top-two doubles seasons by a Dodger this old, with 41 doubles at age 36 in 1924 for Brooklyn and 42 doubles one year later.
Here are some projections for Freeman’s doubles in 2026:
Today’s question is how many doubles will Freddie Freeman hit in 2026? Give us your guess in the comments below.
It appears, to me at least, that Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer has put together a pretty strong 40-man roster.
This Cubs team should be a World Series contender and, at the very least, be the NL Central champion. That’s obviously the goal, and the team as constructed should be able to do those things.
Where do any weaknesses in this team lie? What sorts of things could take this contending team and doom it to mediocrity?
I’d have to say starting pitching. For an example, we need look no farther than last year’s Atlanta Braves. The Braves were coming off a 2024 season in which they won 89 games, though they lost a Wild Card series to the Padres. That came after two 100+ win seasons.
The Braves were expected to be strong contenders again in 2025. What went wrong?
First, they dug themselves a big hole by starting the season 0-7. But mostly, it’s because a lot of their starting pitchers went down with injuries. Only Bryce Elder made more than 23 starts (he had 28), and he had a pretty bad year. Chris Sale, Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach all missed considerable time with injuries. Their top five starters made only 109 starts. They didn’t have the depth to replace these guys in the rotation.
By comparison, the 2025 Cubs’ top five starters made 128 starts.
Of course, we hope that the Cubs starters are healthy this year, and Hoyer has made an effort to improve the depth of the rotation, something he acknowledged in Wednesday’s presser in Mesa was an issue in 2025.
So that’s what I think is the answer to the question posed in the headline. What about you?
Hello everyone! As spring camps open up around the league, we had a flurry of injury news and last-minute signings. Let’s get to all of that and more to begin this Thursday.
Baseball is back with pitchers and catchers reporting yesterday. With that, the Astros extended invites to some prospects that weren’t on the 40 man roster. Here are a few prospects to look out for during Spring Training.
Sullivan was the Astros 7th round pick in 2024 after a solid college career at South Alabama. The outfielder was a mid round selection but came with a ton of upside. He is a great athlete with plus speed and the chance to stick in center field. Sullivan grades well on swing decisions and has good raw power that he has been able to prove in games this season. He has a great makeup and has an edge to him in the weight room and on the field. He started the year in High-A and had a .872 OPS with 15 HR, 34 SB earning him a promotion to Double-A. The promotion to Double-A was a little tougher for him, but he still finished with 17 home runs, 42 stolen bases and a .798 OPS over 106 games in his first full season. After some time in the AFL, he will now get some run in big league camp.
Janek was seen as the best defensive catcher in the 2024 draft, showing up a plus arm and a quick release. The 23-year-old has above average bat speed and the ability to produce 20+ homers at the major league level. He hit .364 with 17 homers, 58 runs batted in and 13 stolen bases in 58 games in 2024 for the Bearkats. His raw power has improved and he has chance to be a gold glove type at catcher while hitting for average and power. In 2025 he hit .263 with 21 doubles, 2 triples and 12 home runs over 92 games for High-A Asheville. He also added a surprising 30 stolen bases. Even more important though, he threw out 31% of base stealers, a really strong number for a catcher. He’s the top catching prospect in the system.
The Astros drafted Knorr in the 3rd round of the 2022 draft. Knorr spent his first three seasons at Cal State Fullerton before moving to Coastal Carolina for his senior year where he struck out 86 in 69 innings. Knorr has a fastball that reaches 98 MPH and a good changeup. In 2023 he struck out 78 on 58.1 innings between Single-A and High-A, though he missed some time with an injury and those injuries continued in 2024. He pitched strictly in relief in 2025 posting a 5.03 ERA over 53.2 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. He has some good stuff but just hasn’t translated to success but will now get some run with Houston in Spring Training.
We have had a full offseason to complain about the Guardians – let’s be as optimistic as we can reasonably be.
I will list below the hitters I would like to see make the Guardians’ Opening Day roster and present the best case I can for them being part of a division-winning, World Series-contending team, and also include others who will hopefully play a role, also:
Bo Naylor – He turns out to have turned a corner and puts up something similar to his last 100 plate appearances in 2025: 105 wRC+, 22.1/6.7 K/BB%. His game-calling and blocking abilities improve and his pitch-framing gets back to 2024 levels.
Austin Hedges – His last 50 plate appearances in 2025 are a miraculous turnaround and he repeats the 82 wRC+ he put up for that magical six weeks, while continuing to be a defensive wizard.
David Fry – He is what he has been so far in his career, and returns to being able to play catcher, first base, right field and third base as needed. 110 wRC+, 26/8.9 K/BB% and a 128 wRC+ against LHP.
Kyle Manzardo – He gets to his 80th percentile ZiPS projections, having settled into an established role as a major leaguer: 130 wRC+ with a .267/.346/.497 slashline, finding some of the solid success he had against LHP in the minors, and he’s playable in about 200 innings at first base.
CJ Kayfus – Kayfus in his last month of playing time put up a 131 wRC+ with a 23/9.8 K/BB%. He finds a midway point between that and his overall number of 96 wRC+, which would be roughly 113 wRC+. He also hits LHP well, as he did in the minors, and plays a good defensive first base.
Brayan Rocchio – From September through the end of the playoffs, Rocchio put up a 100 wRC+ with a very sustainable 19/9 K/BB%. It turns out that is sticky and he manages to return to his gold glove form at shortstop from 2024.
Travis Bazzana – It turns out Bazzana comes back locked in and ready to get to his 80th percentile ZiPS projection while playing a solid second base, and gets his shot starting in early May: 107 wRC+ with a .246/.348/.403 slashline.
Gabriel Arias – For about his first 200 plate appearances in 2025, Arias put up a 90 wRC+ while playing good defense. He repeats that in a part-time role at second, short, third and even outfield on an emergency basis. AND the team recognizes that he isn’t a platoon bat and doesn’t just try to play him vs. lefties.
Jose Ramirez – Jose gives us one last glimpse of his absolute peak, getting back to his 2020 level for a season: 167 wRC+, .292/.387/.607, getting a 40/40/40 season, playing the elite third base he did from June-September, and securing that elusive MVP
Steven Kwan – Kwan is healthy and, so, able to get to his 80th percentile ZiPS projections: 122 wRC+ with a .311/.377/.419 slashline, while securing his fourth-straight gold glove in left field.
Nolan Jones – Jones turns out to have been dealing with a back issue last season that has resolved itself this offseason. That and his work at Driveline help him get to his 80th percentile ZiPS projection: 116 wRC+ and a .268/.351/.431 slashline. He also continues to play a solid centerfield.
Chase DeLauter – DeLauter is healthy enough to play 100 games in right field and center field and 20 or so at DH and manages to do fulfill on his minor league promise, getting to his 80th percentile ZiPS projections: 116 wRC+ with a .272/.338/.448 slashline.
Stuart Fairchild – Fairchild moves past his injury-plagued 2024-2025 and returns to more of his early career form, while playing a solid centerfield, putting up a 121 wRC+ against LHP.
Other names to monitor:
Daniel Schneemann – 80th percentile ZiPS projections while playing good defense all around the field: 104 wRC+, .248/.324/.425.
Angel Martinez – His career 121 wRC+ vs. LHP turns out to be sustainable and he takes big steps forward as an outfield defender (or at second base, if they try that).
George Valera – His performance last season was real and repeatable, and an offseason of additional rest allows him to be average in right field and hit RHP as a platoon there and at DH where needed to help manage the load for DeLauter, Manzardo and Kayfus: 113 wRC+, 27.1/14.6 K/BB%.
Juan Brito – Hits his 80th percentile ZiPS projections while playing an adequate second base and moving effectively to a bench role at 1B/RF/2B/3B, mostly against LHP which he has crushed in the minors: 107 wRC+, .249/.337/.417.
Johnathan Rodriguez – If Fry isn’t the real deal, Rodriguez gets DH opportunities and hits his OOPSY projection: 109 wRC+, 27.5/8.2 K/BB%, with a 120 wRC+ vs. LHP. The team doesn’t allow him to touch outfield grass.
The Rose-Colored Glasses Lineup:
1. Kwan LF – 122 wRC+
2. DeLauter RF – 116 wRC+
3. Jose 3B – 167 wRC+
4. Manzardo DH – 130 wRC+
5. Kayfus 1B – 113 wRC+
6. Jones CF – 116 wRC+
7. Bo C – 105 wRC+
8. Bazzana 2B – 107 wRC+
9. Rocchio SS – 100 wRC+
Bench:
Fry – 110 wRC+ (121 wRC+ vs. LHP)
Fairchild – 121 wRC+ vs. LHP
Arias – 90 wRC+
Hedges – 82 wRC+
(Valera 113 wRC+, Schneemann 104 wRC+, Martinez 121 wRC+ vs. LHP, Brito 107 wRC+, and Rodriguez 109 wRC+).
The Cleveland front office and Grant Fink get the last laugh, and we fans are happily eating crow while watching this team make a playoff run.
So, what do you think? Which of these optimistic projections is the least realistic (ok, it’s Hedges. Which is second-place?). Which of these optimistic projections isn’t optimistic enough? Let us know in the comments below.
The Milwaukee Bucks, winners of four of their last five, do battle for the final time before the All-Star break tonight when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder smashed the Bucks in the first game this season, but without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it could be closer this time (though I’m not holding my breath). It is also a back-to-back for both teams, which could throw a spanner in the works for either side.
The Bucks are riding high after a terrific win last night over a playoff team, the Orlando Magic. Of course, the major storyline from that game was how the newbies, Cam Thomas and Ousmane Dieng, performed in their first real minutes. Thomas went nuclear with 34 points on 12/20 shooting, including some preposterous makes, but we already knew he was capable of that. On the other hand, it was really more of a coming-out party for Dieng—who hadn’t had anywhere near that much opportunity in OKC—dropping 17 points on 5/8 from deep. Now it’s really about whether these guys can replicate that level of productivity (or even come close to it).
Without SGA, the Thunder have actually been stumbling a bit lately, losing the first two of their last four games (though they were against the Spurs and Rockets). However, Jalen Williams, who had been out for an extended period with a hamstring complaint, returned on Monday against the LA Lakers, dropping 23 in a win. Williams followed that up with 28 against Phoenix, with OKC winning that one too. So overall, this team is still a juggernaut; it’ll take a mammoth effort to take ‘em down.
Both teams are on a back-to-back, so the injury reports will be out at midday, but it’s safe to assume Giannis (neck), Taurean Prince (neck), and Ryan Rollins (foot) will miss for the Bucks. For OKC, we can assume SGA (abdominal) will be out, as will Ajay Mitchell (abdominal) and Thomas Sorber (ACL).
I want to see if Ousmane Dieng can get places on the floor against the Thunder defence. Most of his shots were open threes against the Magic, and while it’s great that he knocked them down, I don’t think he’ll get those same easy looks tonight. The knock on him has been that he doesn’t play with enough explosion and force. Maybe he can start to prove that wrong as the season rolls along, but if he showed some stuff tonight against his former team? Oh, that’d be cool.
Prime Video at 6:30 p.m. CST.
Nine players have been born on February 12th and have gone on to wear the pinstripes, but none of them had totally memorable tenures in New York.
Pat Dobson was a mainstay in the Yankees’ rotation from 1973-75, and Monk Dubiel started his career with the Yankees in 1944, starting 48 games in two years. Others, including 1953 World Series champion Don Bollweg, had brief, one-year stints. The shortest stint of the nine players came from Kiddo Davis, who played one singular inning in right field in 1926 before not appearing in the majors again until 1932 with the Phillies.
Of all the players celebrating their birthday today, none captivated Yankees fans in their short tenure more than the Toms River native whose Little League World Series factoid remains a memorable (and often meme’d) piece of Yankees trivia. I’m talking about, of course, the Toddfather himself, Todd Frazier.
Todd Brian Frazier
Born: February 12, 1986 (Point Pleasant, NJ)
Yankees Tenure: 2017
Frazier grew up in Toms River, playing for the local powerhouse Little League team that remains a staple in the Little League World Series to this day. It just so happened that the year he was there, 1998, they won it all. After the tournament, they were invited to Yankee Stadium on September 1st, where Frazier would stand next to Derek Jeter during the national anthem.
While many who win the Little League World Series never make it to the big leagues, Frazier remains one of the few who went on to have a great MLB career over a decade after their moment in the sun in Williamsport. After being drafted in the 34th round out of Toms River High School in 2004, he starred for Rutgers University and went in the first round to the Cincinnati Reds in 2007.
While his older brother, Jeff, got his lone stint in the majors in 2010, Frazier was becoming a top-50 prospect in the sport, eventually getting the call to the bigs in 2011, where he did fine in a cup of coffee.
In his first year as a full-time starter, he came third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2012, mashing 19 home runs and posting a 119 OPS+. After a down year in 2013, Frazier took full advantage of playing in Great American Ballpark the following year, slashing .273/.336/.459 with 29 home runs and 20 stolen bases, making his first All-Star Game in 2014.
In 2015, he represented the Reds in the Home Run Derby and won it in his home ballpark in the midst of his second (and final) All-Star season, mashing 35 homers. That offseason, the stumbling Reds traded Frazier to the Chicago White Sox in a complicated, three-team deal that involved seven players and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fun fact: Frankie Montas was traded from the ChiSox to the Dodgers here!
His lone full season on the South Side of Chicago was a mixed bag. He once again showed his prodigal pop with 40 homers, but was down to a .225 batting average and a 107 OPS+, striking out 24.5 percent of the time. As his strikeout rate ballooned, it made him a one-trick pony offensively. By the middle of the 2017 season, he was barely over the Mendoza Line as he approached free agency at age 31.
But with the White Sox floundering and selling at the 2017 trade deadline, Frazier had a chance to rebuild his value elsewhere. In the middle of July, he was packaged with relievers Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson and sent to the Yankees for a bunch of young players who didn’t amount to much, headlined by former first-round pick Blake Rutherford.
The need was evident for the Yanks, who suddenly found themselves competing for the AL East crown in what was supposed to be a rare rebuild year. Chase Headley wasn’t cutting it at third base, and Frazier added some pop to a lineup that, aside from rookie sensations Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, was lacking it.
It took a few games, but the Toddfather eventually got his bat going. When the team that drafted him came to town a week after the trade, he went 3-for-5 with his first Yankee home run. He was a solidified presence for the bottom of the lineup down the stretch, and the hometown kid even had a two-week stretch in September where he ran a 1.255 OPS with five home runs in 11 games. Frazier was also a popular guy in the clubhouse, and with the help of one displeased Rays fan, helped start the “thumbs down” trend in reaction to big hits.
Frazier’s stats weren’t flashy, slashing just .222/.365/.423 with a 107 OPS+ in 66 games, but he lengthened the lineup and was slick with the glove at the hot corner. And come October, he would get to play playoff baseball for just the third time in his career after just five career postseason games.
Frazier had just a .588 OPS in the team’s trip to Game 7 of the ALCS, but had some moments. He had a three-hit game against Cleveland in ALDS Game 2, hit an RBI double in Game 4, and golfed a go-ahead three-run home run in Game 3 of the ALCS against the Astros.
Sadly for him and the Yankees, perhaps the more defining at-bat of his postseason would be his pitiful swing through a filthy pitch by series MVP Justin Verlander in Game 6 as the Astros went on to end the Yankees’ season and his Yankees tenure. He signed a two-year, $17 million contract with the crosstown rival Mets in the offseason.
Frazier had two decent seasons with the orange and blue across town, remaining a viable home run threat and solid overall hitter and defender, but he would be out of the league by 2021 after unsuccessful tenures with the Rangers and Pirates. He would have one final moment in the sun, however, winning a silver medal at the belated Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Even in retirement, Frazier remains around the game of baseball and is back with the organization as a studio analyst for YES Network, even taking on color commentary duties over the last few seasons. We wish him a happy 40th birthday!
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
Brito was easily the breakout prospect in the Rockies system in 2025. The 18-year-old 5’11” Dominican switch-hitting up-the-middle defender (he played both second base and center field frequently in 2025, plus some shortstop in 2024) was a member of Colorado’s 2024 international signing class, but his $420k bonus was only the fifth-highest among those signing with the Rockies that year. Two years later, the speedy Brito is the only player from the class who has played at a full-season affiliate and he crushed it in a late season appearance with Fresno.
Mid-season 2025 Rank: 29
High Ballot: 3
Mode Ballot: 16
Future Value: 40+, up the middle player with potential
Contract Status: 2024 International Free Agent, Dominican Republic, Rule 5 Eligible After 2028, three options remaining
MLB ETA: 2028
After signing, Brito spent 2024 with the Dominican Summer League team, where his .254/.360/.314 line with 24/27 steals (89 wRC+) frankly didn’t stand out much. The Rockies saw enough though to bring Brito stateside to the Arizona Complex League team in 2025, where he was 1.6 years younger than league average. Brito rose to the challenge, hitting a scalding .368/.445/.555 with three homers among his 22 extra-base hits and 22/29 steals in 209 plate appearances, good for a 159 wRC+. Brito was second in the league in OPS and hits, 3rd in slugging, batting average, and steals, 4th in runs, and he was sixth in OBP and doubles. For that performance, Brito took home MVP honors for the ACL.
That impressive performance led the Rockies to jump Brito up to Low-A Fresno after the ACL season ended in late July, where he was 3.2 years younger than league average. Brito didn’t miss a beat in his full-season debut. In 33 games with Fresno, Brito hit .375/.442/.463 with a homer, a triple, seven doubles and 13 steals in 156 plate appearances, which was good for a 156 wRC+. He also tacked on a 3-for-9 performance with a triple in two playoff games for Fresno.
Brito didn’t face many lefties and therefore didn’t hit right-handed that often, but in 56 PA from that side in 2025 he posted a 1.129 OPS (his OPS was .927 hitting from the left side). He struck out in 17% of Low-A plate appearances while walking in 9% of them, while his speed led to a ridiculous .459 BABIP. In the field, Brito played 36 games at second base (ten errors, eight in the ACL) and 41 in center field (two errors with six outfield assists).
Purple Row’s own Evan Lang chronicled Brito’s magical 2025 throughout the season in the weekly Pebble Reports and got a chance to interview Brito as he entered fall instructs in October.
Here’s some video of Brito from his stint with Fresno late last season, including some slo-mo looks at swings from both sides of the plate:
Here’s another slo-mo view of his swing from the ACL:
Brito is just breaking out and has only recently attracted national prospect attention. The most enthusiastic voice so far on Brito has been Keith Law of the Athletic, who recently ranked Brito third on his Rockies system list and slotted Brito just outside his top 100 overall prospects list:
Brito led the Arizona Complex League in batting average last year by one point over the Dodgers’ Ching-Hsien Ko, finishing second in OBP and third in slugging. He then moved up to Low A and hit .375/.442/.463 in 33 games. Those numbers are a little misleading about his hit tool; he’s at least a 70 runner who legged out some ground-ball hits, and likes to bunt for hits as well, picking up 29 points of average in Low A just from bunt singles.
He’s a switch-hitter who can hit from both sides, with maybe a touch more bat speed right-handed, and he’s gotten much stronger already since he signed so that he can impact the ball and maybe come into average power. He played mostly second base with some shortstop in the DSL in 2024, after which the Rockies tried him in center field, giving him almost equal time in center and at the keystone in 2025. He gets mixed reviews at both positions, although he’s 18 and doesn’t have a ton of experience at either spot. If he keeps raking like this in his return to Low A this year, and even shows he can play average defense at one of those two positions, he’ll be in the top 100 a year from now.
After Josh Norris of Baseball America ranked Brito 17th among all prospects in the ACL in Mid-July, BA recently ranked Brito fifth in the system and listed him as the starting second baseman on the 2029 Rockies while calling him the best athlete in the system (also, the best hit tool and base-running skill):
Brito shows above-average bat-to-ball skills and power with the ability to consistently find the barrel. … There are some red flags in Brito’s profile, however, including subpar angles and a swing-happy approach prone to expanding the zone. Despite this, Brito had very good expected outcomes this season due to his combination of contact and power.
MLB.com took the unusual step of jumping Brito straight into their late season 2025 Rockies list, ranking him 16th as a 45 FV player with plus speed and 50 grades on his hit, arm, and field tools:
Compact at 5-foot-11, Brito is a twitchy athlete and switch-hitter, who has shown an ability to hit the ball hard from both sides of the plate. In his brief time with the Rockies, he’s shown he has a gameplan at the plate, is willing to draw walks and keeps his swing-and-miss relatively limited. There’s extra-base thump in there, with perhaps more power to come, but he profiles more as a catalyst type who could sit atop a lineup long term. His plus speed would be an asset there as well, especially if he can learn the nuances of the basestealing craft (35 steals, 14 caught in 2025).
Signed as a middle infielder, Brito did see a little time at shortstop during his pro debut, but has spent most of his time on the dirt at second, in deference to [Ashly] Andujar. He added center field this year, giving him more defensive versatility and has looked fine defensively in both spots, giving the Rockies options should his offensive game continue to trend upwards as he moves up the ladder.
Fellow PuRP Robert Calaz (who received more scouting acclaim in the process due to his power potential) followed a similar trajectory in 2024 to what Brito did last summer. If that’s an indication, Brito should be back in Fresno next year as one of the younger players in the league. Calaz didn’t wow in his return engagement to Fresno, but perhaps Brito will be different (or maybe he’ll get a jump up to High-A right away).
Brito clearly has a strong enough hit tool for lower minors pitching and provides speed and flexibility with his up the middle defense. I’m generally reticent to get too excited by numbers alone and typically wait for scouting confirmation for players without a strong pedigree, so the recent rave reviews on Brito from national prospect watchers have been very encouraging. In fact, after those recent reports I think my 40+ FV rating, 12th on my list, of Brito might be a little light.
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With the news of his hamate surgery still fresh in our minds, it’s important that we remember that there is no one on the Mets’ roster – 40-Man or otherwise – that can take Francisco Lindor’s place, even for just a few weeks. But that doesn’t mean that the Mets don’t need someone to play short, and ideally, someone by whom they won’t be handcuffed when Lindor returns.
While it may be appealing to just shift Bo Bichette back to short for a limited time, if the Mets really want Bichette to get acquainted with a new position, the short term benefit might not be worth stalling his progress. Jorge Polanco played most of his career at short, but recent history at that position has been rough. Ronny Mauricio could probably handle a few games there, but isn’t a true shortstop.
With both Jett Williams and Luisangel Acuña departing the system via trades this winter, the Mets find themselves with a serious dearth of upper-minors shortstop talent. This is why the Mets signed a number of fringy guys who could help out on a short term basis at the position. During his press conference yesterday, David Stearns mentioned a number of potential shortstops, including Mauricio, Vidal Bruján, Grae Kessinger, Christian Arroyo, and Jackson Cluff. While we will get to all those players eventually, today we’re looking into Cluff.
Cluff, a product of Brigham Young University, was drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 draft by the Nationals. After missing the 2020 season due to COVID-19 and parts of 2021 due to injury, the ‘21 Arizona Fall League was Cluff’s first real test in professional baseball. He hit .342 with six doubles, a home run, and eight stolen bases in 22 games, which put him into the conversation going into 2022.
Unfortunately, that would be the last time that Cluff batted over .250 in organized ball of any kind. To his credit, the now 29-year old has improved fairly consistently offensively, but in small steps and not enough to garner real excitement as a prospect. In 2025, in 103 games at Triple-A Rochester, Cluff hit .242/.349/.771 with twelve home runs, 14 doubles, and 23 steals.
Additionally, Cluff isn’t just a shortstop. Across 2024 and 2025, Cluff played all four infield positions, center field, left field, and pitched in five games. While he’s no “Super” Joe McEwing, that’s a useful player in the high minors.
His usefulness makes his release by the Nationals a little odd. Yes, he’s too old to really be considered a prospect at this point, and no, he hasn’t done enough to really inspire confidence. But he’s a player with no major league service time who can handle the middle infield and hit a tiny bit. Those guys usually stick around an organization until one or more of their skills has eroded enough to render them unfit for the upper minors.
Cluff was part of the large exodus of players from the Nationals system at the end of last season, and the Mets signed him to a minor league deal. He’s probably destined to spend most or all of the season at Triple-A, but he does represent a type of player that is very useful, especially when your starting shortstop gets hurt before spring training officially starts. Cluff won’t be an embarrassment at short, and the Mets’ lineup is deep enough that, if they had to keep him in the lineup for a couple of days, that probably wouldn’t hurt the club too much.
While Cluff isn’t the ideal long term, or even medium term, solution if Lindor has to miss any significant time, we’ll likely get lots of looks at him during spring training and the Mets will be able to determine if he’s a decent short term, stopgap solution if one of the Mets’ middle infielders gets hurt.
The Brewers put together a historical season in 2025. They won a franchise-record 97 games and broke their postseason losing streak, advancing to the NLCS for the first time since 2018. Though the postseason run ended with a thud, it was an overall positive year for the team. With the full core of the team set to return in 2026, the Brewers could still contend without significant additions in the offseason. However, the moves they did make are ones that would be expected more of a rebuilding team, not one that led the league.
The first significant move of the offseason came on December 14, when they traded Isaac Collins and Nick Mears to the Royals for Ángel Zerpa. It felt like a strange trade considering the role both players had in 2025. Collins put together a strong rookie season, and Mears was one of the most reliable relievers out of the bullpen.
Looking deeper into the trade, it did make sense. The Brewers had an outfield jam, with five players (Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Blake Perkins, Garrett Mitchell, and Collins) competing for three starting spots. Even with a rotation, it would be difficult to get more than four outfielders regular playing time. Collins had also slumped toward the end of the season, so there was concern that he wouldn’t be able to repeat his performance. Also, Mears was out of minor league options and had a reasonable, but increasing, salary. The trade cleared the outfield jam and brought in another strong reliever that has some flexibility with a minor league option.
The next big move came on January 21, when they traded Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers to the Mets for Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat. This move hurt since the Brewers traded their strongest starter away but wasn’t unexpected. With Peralta just one year from free agency, he joined the list of pitchers (such as Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams) who were traded before their walk year.
The more surprising inclusion was Myers, who had an up-and-down two years for the Brewers. After arguably leading the rotation in 2024, he slumped following an injury in 2025 and spent most of the season in the minors. However, toward the end of the season he was showing signs of a rebound. The move still made sense, though. The Brewers have a long list of pitchers for their starting rotation, and Myers would have had a difficult time getting back into the rotation.
The return for the trade was a good one. Williams and Sproat are both near major league ready and could impact the team as soon as this season. Williams doesn’t have a specific spot set but has the ability to play in the infield or outfield. As for Sproat, he might not make the rotation out of spring training but should get some chances during the season. Overall, the trade was one that would hurt in the short term but should improve the team beyond 2026.
The last big trade of the offseason is the one that really shocked everyone. On Monday, with pitchers and catchers set to report in just two days, the Brewers traded Caleb Durbin to the Red Sox. He was the main piece in a trade package that also included Andruw Monasterio, Anthony Seigler, and their Competitive Balance B draft pick (No. 67 overall). In return, they got Kyle Harrison, Shane Drohan, and David Hamilton.
Unlike the other trades, Durbin was arguably going to be a major contributor on the Brewers for the next several years. He’s coming off of an excellent rookie season that included a third-place finish in the NL Rookie of the Year vote. He’s a young player with six years of team control remaining. For the Brewers, this is the type of player they have built around and don’t trade easily. If the Brewers got a player back who had a stronger track record and immediately improved the team, that would have made more sense. Instead, they continued to add on to their minor league system.
That doesn’t mean the players the Brewers got in return aren’t good players. They can all factor into the Brewers’ plans immediately and in the future. Harrison immediately slotted into the Brewers’ starting pitcher depth chart, and Hamilton could take over at third. It’s a move that would be more expected of a rebuilding team, though. That’s compounded by the Brewers’ uncertain plan for third base. Based on a comment from Murphy yesterday, they have a handful of players who will compete for the starting position.
What also adds on to the decision are the prospects that are almost major league ready. Jesús Made, the top prospect in the system and a consensus top 10 player on any prospect list, is getting a taste of major league play this spring in camp. He won’t make the team this spring and likely not this season but could be ready as soon as next year. In addition to him, the Brewers next three top-ranked prospects (Luis Peña, Williams, Cooper Pratt) are all infielders, and they also have a couple of other potential third baseman (Andrew Fischer, Luke Adams) a little further down the list. With significant depth building in the minors, a move to alleviate the potential logjam was expected, but not this season. All those players still need more time in the minors, and the Durbin trade creates a potential hole for a year or two.
The one other aspect that adds on to all of this is the Brewers’ lack of activity in the free agent market. It’s not unexpected for the Brewers to not make a big splash with a free agent. Considering that they had a strong roster after 2025, a big addition wasn’t necessarily needed but would have been welcomed. With their TV deal changing and the regular push to keep costs down, this wasn’t the season for them to make a major signing. That’s what they stuck to all season. They only made two signings in free agency this offseason: outfielder Akil Baddoo and catcher Gary Sánchez. Both were on modest contracts that only added minimal amounts to the payroll. (Brandon Woodruff technically counts as a free-agent signing, but he fits in more as a returning player.)
The result of the offseason is the Brewers enter camp with a few of their best players no longer on the roster. They have more depth to build the team back up, and some of those players will impact the team this season. They have regularly defied expectations so it’s foolish to think they can’t do it again. Matt Arnold and Pat Murphy have built an organization that can get the best out of whoever they bring in. After an unconventional offseason for a team that led the league last season, they will have to show they can do it again.
Down a rabbit hole of things that didn’t happen, the Red Sox apparently made several attempts to acquire Zach Neto from the Angels before pivoting and trading with the Brewers for Caleb Durbin. This was confirmed by Sean McAdam earlier this week, and from there, Tyler Milliken was asking the right question.
Neto is one of the best defensive shortstops in the games, posting a +11 and +13 Defensive Runs Saved from the position the last two seasons. The only reason you trade for a guy like that is to put him at shortstop, which means that in that scenario, Trevor Story gets moved back to second base and Marcelo Mayer plays third.
This is intriguing because from just last winter we already know the Red Sox have no problem acquiring a guy for a position they already seem to have filled. While Story’s defense at short certainly isn’t bad, it is declining and at some point they may need to make a move.
Looking at things from a different angle, this is also where Marcelo Mayer comes into the conversation. Is he a shortstop long-term? If that’s the plan, shouldn’t he be there sooner rather than later? Do the Red Sox not want to make the move for now because Mayer’s been so injury prone he hasn’t played 100 games in a season in his career yet?
At some point, the Red Sox are going to have to decide if Mayer’s a shortstop or not, and if the answer to that question is yes, it creates a very tricky timetable with Trevor Story. Even though the Red Sox didn’t land Neto, their willingness to do so suggest they may also have a willingness to move Story off shortstop.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are looking to improve their offense, and they might have a candidate in Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos.
The Athletic insider Matt Gelb is reporting that Castellanos will either be traded or released by the Phillies during Spring Training.
“Photos line the hallway that leads from the lobby to the Phillies’ clubhouse at BayCare Ballpark and, on Wednesday, there was a gap between the photos of Trea Turner and Alec Bohm. There used to be one of Nick Castellanos there. He is still on the Phillies’ roster, but there is no locker in the clubhouse for him. As the Phillies continue their quest to save a few million dollars, they have told Castellanos not to report to the team’s complex this week, league sources said,” Gelb wrote.
“A Castellanos resolution — either through a trade or release — is expected in the next two days.”
Castellanos, who turns 34 next month, it’s set to make $20 million on the final year of his deal. He had a .250 batting average in 2025 with 17 home runs and 72 runs batted in, but those numbers won’t cut it with his price tag.
If the Phillies were willing to pay the Pirates a good chunk of his 2026 salary, would Pittsburgh be willing to throw in a prospect in a trade? The Pirates have been looking to get some juice for the offense this offseason and Castellanos could provide that for the team.
The Pirates have gone out of their way to add Ryan O’Hearn, Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum and Marcell Ozuna, giving them more options to work with. In addition to Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds, the Pirates should have a strong outfield this season.
The reason against a Castellanos trade would be how crowded the team is with all of the new additions. Cruz is set to play center field, while Reynolds likely ends up in right. Ozuna can fill in at left field and O’Hearn could be the designated hitter.
If the Pirates wanted to move O’Hearn to first base, Castellanos could add to the team as a possible designated hitter, but it isn’t a need at this point in time. There’s a better chance other teams would pay more for Castellanos given the need.
What do you think BD community? Should the Pirates trade for Castellanos? Chime off in the comments section below.