Category: Sports News

For all but maybe one or two years in the Aaron Judge era, the Yankees have always had a good, if not great, offense beyond the big man himself. They routinely pace the Junior Circuit in runs, wRC+, home runs, etc. Regardless of who’s in the lineup or what their overall skills are, they generally manage to cobble together a fearsome lineup (well, except in 2023).

That’s not to say they’ve been without flaws. The past half-decade or more of Yankees baseball has usually fielded an offense that meets the same qualifiers, to the point where it feels like a stereotype. They’ve been overly right-handed. They’ve prioritized the home run ball. They drawn walks and reached base, albeit at the expense of spells of high strikeout rates. They’ve been mediocre at best on defense. They’ve been extremely unathletic and composed of 30-something sluggers. The few players with any sort of athleticism have made bad mistakes on the bases. Their bench has been extremely shallow. On and on and on.

And these stereotypes are not without reason. The Yankees have employed some Three-True Outcome kings (Joey Gallo in particular and Giancarlo Stanton to an extent), have fielded lineups with very few lefties (2018-20, especially), have had substandard defenders littered across the diamond (Luke Voit, Gleyber Torres, Gary Sánchez), and have had some of the worst baserunning teams of all time, buoyed by aging veterans (Stanton, Anthony Rizzo, DJ LeMahieu, Josh Donaldson).

But there was an organizational change that took place at some point after the pandemic, trying to slowly erode this stereotype. Starting in 2021, by acquiring Gallo and Rizzo, the Yankees once again began prioritizing lefty bats who could abuse the short porch. They won the Team Gold Glove in 2022 and focused on finding more fundamentally sound defenders. They looked to reduce their strikeout rate by adding hitters with good plate control after the Gallo experiment flamed out in spectacular fashion. They’ve added more youth and athleticism to their lineup and bench, giving them more late game flexibility.

All of this came to a head at the 2025 Trade Deadline, when the team acquired José Caballero, Amed Rosario, and Austin Slater to add more right-handed depth and positional versatility to a lineup that was lefty-heavy. While Slater is gone (they still wanted him back at one point!), they re-signed Rosario and stopgap Paul Goldschmidt to keep the same versatility in 2026.

That’s where we stand today. For the first time in the Judge era, the Yankees are deep and versatile with their hitting core to start a season, to the point where they could conceivably option a player who would start on most non-playoff teams to the minor leagues. It’s jarring after what we’ve seen in the past.

As things stand entering spring training, the everyday lineup will be identical to the one we saw in October, sans the injured Anthony Volpe. Yet, it’s entirely possible that the team could deploy entirely different lineups depending on the handedness of the starting pitcher:

vs RHP:
Austin Wells (C)
Ben Rice (1B)
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B)
Ryan McMahon (3B)
Oswaldo Cabrera (SS)
Cody Bellinger (LF)
Trent Grisham (CF)
Aaron Judge (RF)
Giancarlo Stanton (DH)

vs LHP:
Ben Rice (C)
Paul Goldschmidt (1B)
Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B)
Amed Rosario (3B)
José Caballero (SS)
Cody Bellinger (LF)
Trent Grisham (CF)
Aaron Judge (RF)
Giancarlo Stanton (DH)

The Yankees are able to simultaneously field quality lineups with seven left-handed bats and a separate one with five right-handed bats. Both lineups would yield a formidable top and middle of the order and would still have upside towards the bottom with Wells and McMahon’s power and Rosario’s hefty platoon splits.

In these lineups, the team would have the versatility to use its entire bench at the end of games. If the team isn’t completely sold on Rice’s defense, he can be subbed out in the final innings for Goldschmidt or J.C. Escarra, depending on the position. The same can be said with Caballero or Cabrera, whoever is on the bench, replacing Rosario, as while the lefty-killer does have versatility in the sense that he could spell one of the team’s starting outfielders at times and get reps at first and second base, he’s not strong defensively.

This 1-through-13 depth gives the team countless pinch-hitting, pinch-running, and defensive replacement opportunities, depending on the lineup they deploy on a given day. We haven’t even talked about potential fourth outfielders, Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones, who both flex elite speed if called upon, but unless there’s an injury, both could start the year in Triple-A. That’s how deep this hitting core is. And what happens after Volpe returns from his shoulder injury?

This overflowing depth gives the team some insurance options if/when players go down with injury. Stanton will inevitably hit the shelf for several weeks, but the fit is rather seamless with Domínguez or Jones (the latter presently much more of a long shot due to his contact issues) moving into the lineup at either DH or in the outfield and shifting things around. The same can be said if Judge, Grisham, or Bellinger goes down. In fact, with the signing of Goldschmidt, the only positions where an injury would cripple the team’s depth* would be catcher—due to forcing Rice into a much larger role—and shortstop, while Volpe is down.

*The caveat here is on Judge, since depth strength might only mean so much if you lose the best hitter in the sport to an injury.

It wasn’t even a year ago that the Yanks were playing games with a bench that consisted of multiple players who provided almost zero value to the team. Jorbit Vivas, Oswald Peraza, and DJ LeMahieu were not options to pinch-hit, and while Vivas and Peraza could pinch-run or sub in defensively, neither moved the needle enough to be on the roster for a playoff team. These are Triple-A emergency depth guys, who each team normally has anyway.

I’ve said in the past that running it back isn’t the worst thing in the world, and while the team could’ve upgraded at a number of positions (especially with the pitching staff), they’ll still be entering 2026 with maybe the best and most complete offense they’ve had since their last World Series title in 2009.

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — As you know, at long last MLB players will get the chance to challenge ball-and-strike calls during games beginning this year. Officially called the ABS challenge system, this has been tested in Triple-A games for a couple of years and had a test in some Spring Training games in 2025.

Thursday, the league gave a presentation about how the system will work as part of Cactus League media day. Joe Martinez, who pitched for four MLB teams from 2009-13 and who is now the league’s Vice President for On-Field Strategy, presented facts about how the tests have worked and how the system will work in action in MLB games this year.

For those of you worried about ABS challenges lengthening games, remember that teams get just two challenges per game (which are retained if the player is correct, so in theory, there could be more). In Triple-A games last year, ABS challenges added one minute and eight seconds to the average game time and in 2025 Spring Training games, that addition was 57 seconds. It’s just not a big deal.

Martinez mentioned a couple of minor tweaks to the rule. If a team is out of ABS challenges after nine innings, they will get one additional challenge in the 10th. If that challenge is used in the 10th, they’ll get another in the 11th, but if not used, the one challenge simply carries over to additional extra innings.

As you know, the challenge can be initiated only by the batter, pitcher or catcher, and must be done within about two seconds. The umpire has the right to “wave off” a challenge if players take too long. Two other tweaks were also mentioned:

• No ABS challenges will be allowed if a position player is pitching, and
• If an incorrect ball/strike call impacts a play on the bases, the umpires have discretion to then place any runners involved.

MLB surveyed fans about this system and 72 percent had a positive view of ABS challenges, with only 10 percent seeing it as negative. Minor league players who were surveyed also liked it, with 60 percent in favor of the challenge system (and another 16 percent voting for “full ABS”). Really, this is something whose time has come. With pitch-tracking technology now available, it’s just been a matter of tweaking the system to find one that’s agreeable to all.

The box that will be used for ABS challenges will be the width of the plate, at the middle of the plate (the point at which the plate’s edges begin to angle to its rear point). Each player will be measured and thus there will be a personal box for every player, with the top of the box at 53.5 percent of the player’s height and the bottom at 27 percent of the height.

Martinez said that if any part of the ball touches said box, it’s a strike. That will clearly be shown on the graphic that will be shown to fans at ballparks and on TV broadcasts. One thing that the league is aiming for is to have the boxes shown by MLB Gameday, by TV broadcasts and by Baseball Savant to be the same box. So for those who have said, “Well, that box you see on TV isn’t the real strike zone,” MLB intends for that to be the actual zone for each player.

The number of ABS challenges will be shown on scoreboards, in most cases replacing the “MVR” currently shown for “Mound Visits Remaining,” though MVR is also supposed to be “prominently displayed.” At Wrigley Field, MVR has been shown on the right-field video board, while the score line has been on the left-field board. I would assume the Cubs will find a prominent place to show both ABS and MVR.

The graphic shown above, which is from last year, will be tweaked to also show the team that is challenging the call, and after the call is either confirmed or overturned, the count will be shown so that players, coaches and fans will know what the current count is. Umpires will also make an announcement over the PA system that there is a ball-and-strike challenge, as well as the result.

The method of challenge, as you likely remember from last year, will be for the pitcher, catcher or batter to tap his cap or helmet. Players are also being encouraged to verbalize the challenge so that the umpire can hear it as well as see the gesture. If there is a play after the pitch (for example, a stolen base attempt), the challenge can be made and accepted at the conclusion of that play.

To help ensure that players aren’t getting assistance from the dugout for ABS challenges, the league will institute delays on pitch location data in MLB Gameday and there will be a nine-second delay for the broadcast feed to show pitch location to dugouts. That’s only for players and coaches, though. As reported by MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince, here’s how it will work for you, the fan:

It remains up to the individual broadcasters to determine whether and how to present the zone. The only change is that MLB is now requesting broadcasters to no longer differentiate the circle in the box depending on whether the pitch is a ball or a strike. In other words, some broadcasts would show a filled-in circle on the zone if the pitch was a strike and a hollow circle if it was a ball. MLB is asking its broadcast partners to do one or the other but not both.

So you will probably continue to see some sort of strike zone box on game broadcasts

The following rules will be in effect for any ABS challenges that might also trigger a traditional replay review:

• If there is potential for a review following an ABS Challenge, umpires will check that neither manager wants to initiate a Replay Review before restarting the clock.
• If a manager want to challenge a play following an ABS Challenge, the request must come immediately after the conclusion of the ABS Challenge (thus no 15-second manager hold as you often see for replay review).
• If these two types of reviews are requested simultaneously, the umpire will accept the ABS Challenge first and then prompt managers for Replay Review.
• The play types that are most likely to be impacted are plays on the bases (stolen base attempts or pickoffs) and HBPs.

In this year’s Spring Training, all games between two MLB teams will have ABS challenges available. If a MLB team plays a college team, minor-league team or WBC team, ABS won’t be used (so not in the Cubs vs. Italy game on March 3). Further, this year’s WBC will not use ABS challenges — though the WBC will use the pitch timer for the first time.

There were two other unrelated rule changes mentioned at the demonstration.

One has to do with obstruction. A runner who initiates contact with a fielder with the intent to “draw” an obstruction call will be called out. If a runner does this, umpires should treat it like “unsportsmanlike conduct,” thus the runner is out and all other runners will return to the base last touched.

The other has to do with positioning of base coaches. You have certainly seen many base coaches far out of the official “coaches box” which is designated (usually) by white lines on the first- and third-base sidelines. Now, base coaches will have to be positioned in those coaches’ boxes between pitches when the pitcher is on the rubber. If the umpires observe a base coach outside of the coaches’ box between pitches while the pitcher is on the rubber, they will warn to coach and instruct him to return to the box. If, after receiving a warning, the coach is observed outside the box again, the umpire may remove the coach from the game. The purpose of this change is to help prevent sign-stealing.

Of course, players will have to be judicious in when they call for challenges. Limiting teams to two per game creates strategy. You wouldn’t likely bother, for example, calling for a challenge if a pitch in a scoreless game in the second inning with nobody on base is perceived to be incorrect. This proved to be true in the Triple-A tests, with only about two percent of pitches challenged in the first two innings, but with that percentage rising to 3.5 percent in the ninth inning. It was different in the MLB Spring Training test last year, with more pitches challenged in the early innings. This is likely because MLB players are playing the early innings and were encouraged to use more challenges. That’s what happened, in fact, in the very first ABS challenge, called for by the Cubs’ Cody Poteet (remember him?) last February.

Personally, I’m excited to see ABS challenges become part of the game. There are quite a number of players who are very good at strike-zone judgment and who have been victimized by what Cubs analyst Jim Deshaies always calls “egregious” bad calls. Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki is one of these players. I think we’re going to see Suzuki strike out somewhat less because of this rule.

Here’s the entire MLB presentation if you’re interested.

10. Griffin Herring (368 points, 19 ballots)

Herring was the headline prospect coming to the Rockies from the Yankees in exchange for Ryan McMahon near last year’s trade deadline. The 6’2”, 22-year-old lefty pitcher was the Yankees’ sixth-round pick in 2024 out of LSU as a draft-eligible sophomore. Herring signed for a $798k bonus that was over double the pick’s $340k slot value, more akin to a late third-round pick’s slot value. Herring was a key contributor as a freshman to the 2023 National Championship squad as an ace multi-inning reliever despite velocity topping out in the low 90s, then was even more impressive in that role as a sophomore (1.79 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 12.0 K/9 rate, 2.3 BB/9 rate) in 50 1/3 innings (which was third on the team) across 21 games.

As a professional, the Yankees not only gave Herring the opportunity to start, they remade his delivery and his pitch mix — emphasizing the slider. The result was a breakout debut professional season. Herring made eight starts in Low-A to begin the year and was dominant, posting a miniscule 1.21 ERA with a 0.9 WHIP and 11.7 K/9 rate in 44 2/3 innings as a league average pitcher. A late-May promotion to High-A (where he was 1.2 years younger than league average) didn’t faze Herring much. He threw eight more strong starts with another 44 2/3 innings, a 2.22 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 8.9 K/9 rate, and 4.0 BB/9 rate — though his 3.71 xFIP indicated some good fortune.

After the trade in late July, Herring made seven shorter starts for High-A Spokane as the Rockies no doubt metered his usage considering his lower innings total in 2023 and 2024. In 30 innings with Spokane, Herring allowed eleven earned runs (2.40 ERA) on 14 hits and 13 walks ( 0.90 WHIP) while striking out an impressive 47 hitters (14.1 K/9 rate). In fact, Herring struck out over a batter per inning in every single start with Spokane, going a max of 84 pitches and five innings in those outings, and was named the August Pitcher of the Month in the Northwest League.

Across the full 2025 season, Herring threw 119 1/3 innings across two levels and three teams with a 1.89 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 11.2 K/9 rate, and 3.7 BB/9 rate while allowing only a .530 OPS. That’s 149 strikeouts against 49 walks and 70 hits. Impressively, the lefty was even stingier when batters had the platoon advantage (.485 OPS for righties, .639 OPS for lefties), though Herring cut down the mightiest hitters in the league regardless of handedness.

Here’s some video of Herring in High-A in a mid June start:

Additionally, here’s an interview with Herring from August where he describes his adjustment to a new team and a new coast.

Keith Law of the Athletic recently ranked Herring 10th in the system:

Herring struck out 31.4 percent of batters he faced last year, the seventh-best strikeout rate among all qualifying starters in the minors. He sits 90-92 from a very high slot that gives him a ton of deception, working with a short slider that generates a ton of whiffs and an average changeup. He’s almost certainly a reliever between the slot and the below-average fastball, but could get there quickly and be valuable in any kind of once-through-the-order role. I wish he’d been traded to the Reds; I’m worried in Denver, he’ll get smoked.

Baseball America ranked Herring 12th in the system last month:

Herring has been developed as a starter, which might seem strange for a player with a fastball that averaged a tick under 90 mph in 2025, but his nearly seven feet of extension and slight pause in his delivery create an impressive angle of attack, plenty of deception and a whippy finish. He has found the most success so far with a mid-80s slider that generates plenty of whiffs within the strike zone. … If Herring wants to remain a starter, he’ll need to add more zip to his fastball, perhaps by packing on some muscle over the offseason. His profile and wipeout slider could fit better in a bullpen.

Shaun Kernahan of Three Quarter Slot wrote up Herring earlier this month:

Herring operates with a deceptive, athletic delivery from the extreme third-base side of the rubber, using extension, timing disruption, and angle to make a below-average fastball play above its raw velocity. The heater lacks pure velo, but the ride/run shape allows it to miss bats at the top of the zone when located, even if it can flatten out and get exposed when it leaks arm-side or into the middle. Your look showed a mechanical operation with a slow windup and quick finish, hiding the ball well but occasionally losing consistency through release, which ties directly to the fastball’s volatility. A modest velocity bump would materially change the profile, especially given how well the rest of the arsenal fits a starter look.

The slider is the clear carrying pitch, working in the mid-80s with tight gyro action and strong spin, consistently landing glove-side and missing bats against both lefties and righties. The changeup is better than most give credit for, showing real vertical separation and late tumble when executed, particularly effective against right-handed hitters. Strike throwing is generally solid, though command can waver within outings, leading to stretches where hitters are off balance followed by lapses where he misses his spots. His background as a high-leverage reliever at LSU shows up in the competitiveness and ability to execute secondary pitches, but the long-term path hinges on fastball improvement. If the heater takes even a small step forward, there’s a workable starter track; if not, the slider/changeup combination still fits an innings-eating role or leverage usage where the deception and bat-miss traits can play up.

MLB Pipeline is high on Herring, ranking him 9th in the system as a 45 FV player with a 60 grade on the slider:

Herring’s best pitch is a sweeping mid-80s slider with horizontal and vertical action that confounds both lefties and righties. He can’t overpower hitters with his fastball, which operates in the low 90s and tops out at 94 with some armside run, and he’ll need to find more velocity or life against better competition. He threw only 11 changeups at LSU but emphasized the pitch more during three Cape Cod League starts last summer, showing some decent if firm mid-80s cambios with depth.

Herring has a long arm action and a less-than-smooth delivery, though it throws batters’ timing off and didn’t stop him from pounding the strike zone as a sophomore. To succeed as a pro starter, he’ll need to add more strength to his 6-foot-2 frame and improve his fastball and changeup. If he can’t, he still could become a high-leverage reliever thanks to his slider and mound presence.

Eric Longenhagen at FanGraphs ranks Herring 20th in the system as a 40 FV pitcher with a 55 future grade on the slider and command:

The Yankees made several changes to Herring after drafting him (more sliders, better extension, higher arm slot) and the result looks like a stable backend starter despite 30-grade fastball velocity.

Herring spent two years as LSU’s most consistent long reliever (working as many as five innings) and was a draft-eligible sophomore in 2024. The Yankees made multiple changes to his delivery and pitch usage, which helped him dominate Low-A and earn a promotion after just eight starts. He had a 1.71 ERA combined at both levels at the time of the trade, though his K% dipped quite a bit after he was moved up to Hudson Valley. Herring’s fastball only averages about 90 mph, but lives off deception and riding life. Since turning pro, his arm slot has been raised, but Herring’s stride down the mound has gotten bigger and longer, and his extension was just shy of seven feet at the time of the trade. His loose, whippy arm action prevents hitters from seeing the baseball until release, and despite lacking anything close to average big league fastball velocity, Herring’s heater has generated above-average miss and chase so far this year.

With the Yankees, Herring also emphasized use of his slider, which has become his most-deployed pitch. It ranged from 80-85 mph in his final outing prior to the deal, and has tight late movement but lacks huge depth. It’s playing like an above-average pitch in pro ball. Herring didn’t really have a changeup in college, but he’s added one as a pro and is throwing it about 14% of the time. His feel for it isn’t bad considering he’s just begun using it, but it often cuts on him or finishes too high. A smooth on-mound operator, Herring looks the part of a starter even though he isn’t especially physical because of his mechanical grace. It’s impressive that he’s maintained his excellent college strike-throwing even though his delivery has been changed, and he projects as a high-floored backend starter.

Herring joins fellow PuRPs Carson Palmquist (No. 19) and Sean Sullivan as left-handed Rockies pitching prospects who use deception and extension to make mediocre fastball velocity play up. Herring hasn’t yet proved his effectiveness against upper-minors hitting like the other two pitchers have, but he is my favorite of the group given his weapon of a slider and is a 40+ FV player for me, ranking tenth on my list. I expect Herring to start in Double-A this season, with a big league debut possible later in the year if he’s successful and healthy.

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Cade Cavalli made his long-awaited return to the big league mound in August 2025, and in his 48.2 innings pitched, he flashed brilliance, posting a 95th percentile chase rate, 95th percentile barrel rate, and 93rd percentile groundball rate. Outside of a disastrous outing against the Yankees in August, where he allowed 7 earned runs over 2 1/3 innings, Cavalli was extremely productive in his starts, giving up more than 3 runs just once.

One of the few areas in which Cavalli struggled in his return to action in 2025 was against right-handed hitters, who had his number with a .381 opponents batting average and .990 opponents OPS, much worse in comparison to his .221 opponents batting average and .651 opponents OPS against lefties. He bumped up his curveball and sinker usage and bumped down his fastball and changeup usage against righties, but it wasn’t enough to keep them from hitting at a high clip against them.

The good news is that, entering the 2026 campaign, it appears Cavalli is working on a new pitch that will give him an edge against righties. According to Mark Zuckerman of Nats Journal, Cavalli has spent the offseason working on a sweeper for his arsenal, a pitch similar to a slider, but less sharp and with more verticality. If he can get a feel for it and incorporate the pitch into his pitch arsenal, he may finally have the answer he’s been looking for to getting right-handed hitters out consistently.

Pretty much everybody with the Nationals couldn't wait to go home at the end of the 2025 season. Cade Cavalli wished he could stay. "I felt like I could go pitch more and more. I was kind of just getting going."

On the finally healthy, would-be staff ace:https://t.co/rBuKk5kJ8O

— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) February 12, 2026

The sweeper has been around for many years, with Corey Kluber throwing a version of the pitch in the 2010s, but it gained popularity within the last few years, surging in usage in 2022 and 2023. Today, it’s a weapon in the arsenal of some of the best pitchers in the league, with Garrett Crochet and Paul Skenes ranking near the top in run value with the pitch.

The slider is the more traditional pitch that pitchers use to get same-side hitters out, so why a sweeper for Cavalli? My theory is that a sweeper will tunnel better than a slider with Cavalli’s curveball, his most used pitch against righties at 33%. Pairing a sweeper with his curveball will not only give hitters another pitch to worry about, but it also prevents them from being able to sit on Cavalli’s curveball in any given count.

Pitchers tinker with new pitches all the time, and while they don’t always stick due to lack of feel or command, Cavalli being able to keep the sweeper in his arsenal would be massive in his development as a frontline starter for the Nats. With improved success against righties, as well as more and more experience against big league lineups, I believe Cavalli has what it takes to not only potentially start on Opening Day for the club in 2026, but in years beyond.

In our collective, continued existence as residents of Panic City, the fear surrounding Francisco Lindor’s surgically repaired left hand is lingering on the edges of our minds. Yesterday, we looked at Jackson Cluff as a potential short-term replacement for Lindor if the timing of his recovery is slower than expected. Today, we do the same with Christian Arroyo. 

While on the surface Arroyo and Cluff look similar, their circumstances are quite different. Arroyo, entering his age 31 season, is out of minor league options and so can’t be moved up and down from Triple-A Syracuse without clearing waivers, whereas Cluff has yet to make his big league debut yet and can make that trek as often as the Mets like. While Cluff was a sixth round draft pick out of college, Arroyo went in the first round out of high school and was once heralded as one of the best prospects in baseball. 

It is likely due to that prospect background that Arroyo is still sticking around, 13 years after being drafted by the Giants with the 25th overall pick. Prospects of that caliber usually have natural talent for days and the thought is that they are more likely to ‘figure it out’ late than someone with a lesser skillset. 

But time is running out for Arroyo to do just that. In 295 MLB games, he’s hit just .252/.299/.394 with 24 home runs. His last big league at-bat came in 2023 with the Red Sox; in subsequent full minor league seasons with the Brewers and Phillies, he never once got called up. 

On the plus side, he’s defensively versatile, having played all four infield positions as well as right field. He also had a nice offensive season in Triple-A Lehigh Valley last season, but a BABIP of .375 might have somewhat inflated that number. 

This signing has almost no downside for the Mets. Arroyo is cheap, he’ll get some spring reps, and if Lindor’s recovery time is brief and healthy, he’ll either wind up in Syracuse or out of the organization. If, for some reason, he unlocks something after a baker’s dozen years in pro baseball, fantastic. But even if he doesn’t, this is the type of move that teams can and should make all the time.  

Happy Friday everybody!

Spring Training is truly underway. Next week will be the first full week of practice leading up to the first preseason games a week from today. 

In the early days of camp, teams often limit their starters to a few innings every other day to avoid injury or burnout before the 162-game marathon begins.  Fans heading to the first few games at Hohokam expecting to see Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker and Jacob Wilson may instead find a lineup featuring Michael Stefanic, Cade Marlowe and other non-roster players.

Yet, that is the magic of spring training and a great way for a player to make a strong first impression on his new team’s coaching staff. Every spring training game features multiple lineup changes halfway through the game, ensuring everyone from starters to top minor-league prospects to lesser-known players has the opportunity to make an impact.

This spring, much of the spotlight will be on the A’s stellar young offensive core, along with three of the organization’s top prospects: shortstop Leo De Vries and left-handed starting pitchers Gage Jump and Jamie Arnold.

All three are among the 31 non-roster invitees in camp this year. They will have the chance to show why the A’s think so highly of them. Additionally, these next few weeks serve as a showcase for the likes of Stefanic and other non-roster players to vie for organizational roster spots, most likely with the A’s Triple-A affiliate Las Vegas Aviators.

Last spring, Justin Sterner entered camp relatively unknown and earned a spot in the Opening Day bullpen after tossing 12 scoreless innings. With the A’s bullpen one of the weakest and most in-flux aspects of the team, there is an opportunity for a non-roster reliever to follow in Sterner’s footsteps. Veteran Nick Anderson is in camp after struggling last season with the Colorado Rockies, while GustavoRodriguez recorded a 2.27 ERA last year with the Aviators.

What are you looking forward to as spring training ramps up? Which players will be the surprises and disappointments of A’s camp?

A’s Coverage

• A’s Trade Mitch Spence to KC Royals in exchangefor minor leaguepitcher
• Darrell Hernaiz to play for Team PR in WBC
• Are The Final Two Rotation Spots Really Up For Grabs?
• Story Lines To Watch As Spring Training Unfolds
• A’s Sign Starter Aaron Civale
• Athletics Community Prospect List: Barnett Finds His Spot At #11
• Athletics add developmental leaguer in trade with Yankees
• Little Signings Everywhere
• A’s Non-Roster Invites to Keep an Eye On 
• What to know as A’s head to spring camp with high hopes for ‘26
• A’s Claim Andy Ibanez, Add Scott Barlow In Busy Roster Shuffle
• Extensions For Everyone! (Except Kurtz)
• Managers & Top Front Office Executives On Expiring Contracts
• De Vries (No. 4 overall) leads Athletics trio on Top 100 Prospects list

MLB News and Interest

• What is the hamate and why are so many players injuring theirs?
• Orioles To Sign Chris Bassitt
• Liam Hendriks agrees to Minor League deal with Twins
• Phillies Release Nick Castellanos
• Kiké Hernández announces he’s back with Dodgers
• Veteran lefty Quintana will bring experience to Rockies’ rotation
• Spring Training Hats Drop
• Paul Sewald reunites with D-backs on 1-year deal
• Manfred optimistic about MLB players participating in ’28 Olympics
• MLB owners vote in favor of enforcing rule to curb pitch stealing
• Pirates to sign Marcell Ozuna
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

What do you think of this? What kind of content should the A’s put out to engage fans?

Would love to see the @Athletics lean into the personalities of the players this spring:

Walk-up song origin stories 🎶
Who puts pineapples on pizza 🍕
Weirdest pregame routine ⚾️

This roster is fun – let’s see more of itpic.twitter.com/Yl1acsYuub

— SleeperAthletics (@SleeperAth) February 12, 2026

AJ Causey’s stuff looks nasty, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him coming out of the bullpen for the A’s this season.

AJ Causey has received a Non Roster Invite to Spring Training with the Royals pic.twitter.com/NSTe0rHP58

— Sam (@sthorn_23) February 5, 2026

A’s players happy to be back together at spring training.

We're so back 🙂‍↕️https://t.co/8QWdqXtLUkpic.twitter.com/kYotHzD40s

— Athletics (@Athletics) February 12, 2026

In Mariners news…

• New Mariners RHP Jose Ferrer has already made a strong impression at Spring Training this year.
• MLB Network insider Jon Morosi joined Seattle Sports 710 AM to discuss his thoughts on the current Mariners bullpen.

Around the league…

• The Philadelphia Phillies have released right fielder Nick Castellanos as his relationship with the team worsened in recent seasons.
• MLB owners have voted in favor of a new rule regarding base coaches in hopes of preventing pitch tipping.
• Longtime reliever Liam Hendriks has signed a minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins that includes a non-roster invitation to Spring Training.
• The Los Angeles Angels are in agreement to bring back veteran utility player Chris Taylor.
• The Arizona Diamondbacks have re-signed RHP Paul Sewald to a one-year/$1.5 million deal.
• The Minnesota Twins have acquired LHP Anthony Banda from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for international bonus pool money.
• The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to a one-year/$7 million contract extension with third baseman Max Muncy through 2027 that includes a $10 million club option for 2028.
• MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is optimistic about MLB players participating in the 2028 LA Olympics for the first time ever.

Shameless self-promotion alert: I (Kate) am hijacking Becca’s links post to say that this Saturday, so tomorrow, my friends who took over Kate’s Pub in Wallingford—now known as The Rebel—are hosting a Heated Rivalry watch party/trivia night starting at 5 PM. I spent all night making buttons for it and it’s going to be very fun, if that sounds like your sort of thing and you don’t have Valentine’s Day plans. It is also my actual literal birthday so if you feel like stopping in please do! I’ll be there at open (4 PM) if Heated Rivalry is not your thing but you still want to say hi. Pic of said buttons attached for tax, sorry this is not about baseball, I am invoking birthday privilege okay bye sorry Becca.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — By the time manager Dave Roberts dropped by the Dodgers’ spring training facility on Thursday, Shohei Ohtani had been in camp for well over a week.

“Shohei,” Roberts said, “looks fantastic.”

Yoshinobu Yamamoto received a similar evaluation from Roberts, as did some of the other players who were at Camelback Ranch before the reporting date for pitchers and catchers.

But as the team gathers over the following handful of days, Roberts doesn’t expect everyone to be as built up as Ohtani or Yamamoto, who are preparing for the World Baseball Classic in March.

If anything, Roberts anticipates more players to be behind where they would usually be. 

The days of players using spring training to work their way into shape are something of the distant past. Most of them show up to camp already in shape, as they are paid enough to be able to train year-round and not have to find odd jobs in the winter. 

But many veteran Dodgers didn’t have that luxury this winter, as their team played through October in each of the last two years, requiring many of them to prioritize recovery in the offseason.

“Most of the guys I’ve talked to have been on the same program I’ve been on,” Max Muncy told Foul Territory recently. “We haven’t started any baseball activity until the middle of January.

“Just trying to give your body as much rest as possible.”

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This is what a World Series hangover really is: the physical and mental aftereffects of a seven-month season. The manager nicknamed “Doc” will be tasked this spring with treating the symptoms, which could be especially pronounced on a team in which many key players are in their mid-30s.

Freddie Freeman is 36. Max Muncy is 35, and Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez are 33.

“It does change the ramping-up process,” Roberts acknowledged at Cactus League media day.

Roberts could use some players sparingly in the early stages of the exhibition season. He and pitching coach Mark Prior could slow down certain pitchers’ throwing programs.

“I don’t know what it looks like for each individual, whether it’s pitching, whether it’s a younger player that’s been around, a veteran position player, for example, Freddie Freeman,” Roberts said. “It’s going to be individualized.”

Roberts said he will have a better idea what this camp will look like after he checks in with his players.

“I do think that I’m prepared to use all six weeks to get guys up to speed and ready,” he said. “It’s fair to say that it’s going to be a slower ramp-up for most guys because of the last two seasons that we’ve had to endure.”

Already, Blake Snell has talked about taking a more deliberate approach to building up his arm after a season in which his shoulder never felt right. Snell’s status for Opening Day is uncertain. Tommy Edman is recovering from offseason ankle surgery and will also be slow-played.

This is only the start for Roberts, who will have to monitor the condition of his players throughout the season.

Freeman said a couple of weeks ago that he wanted to play 162 games this year.

“Great,” Roberts said jokingly.

Adopting a more serious tone, Roberts continued, “I think that I’ve already come to understand and respect that every player wants to play every game, should want to play every game. Certainly a guy like Freddie, who’s done it. 

“And for me, I don’t have a set number right now on games played. I still probably got the under on 162.”

On the other side of the spectrum are the players who will leave the team to represent their countries in the WBC: Ohtani, Yamamoto, Will Smith, Edwin Diaz and Hyeseong Kim.

Roberts expects them to be featured in Cactus Leagues games before they join their respective national teams, with Yamamoto possibly making two starts in the first week of the exhibition season. Because Ohtani will be limited to hitting in the WBC, Roberts said he wouldn’t pitch for the Dodgers until after the tournament.

Whether it’s players such as Ohtani or Yamamoto who are ramping up early for the WBC or players such as Snell or Muncy who are taking it slower, Roberts is looking to guide them with the objective of ensuring they are healthy in October. 

The players understand. The World Series hangover is real. When the Yankees won three consecutive championships from 1998 to 2000, their regular-season win total decreased every year, from 114 to 98 to 87.

“Knowing that if we want to make another run to November, you’ve got to be as rested as you can to get through the summertime,” Muncy said. “Spring training this year is going to be more like it was in the old days, where spring training is almost like your offseason.”

Such is the cost of winning.

Yesterday, we looked at the most optimistic view of Guardians’ hitters – today, we turn our attention to Guardians’ pitchers.

Rotation:
Gavin Williams – Williams had a 3.06 ERA last year and for the last 60 innings, had a K-rate over 10 per 9 and a walk-rate around 3.6 per 9. If he can sustain that, the Guardians will have their next ace.

Tanner Bibee – Bibee had an xERA of 3.61 and ZiPS sees him as a 3.71 ERA pitcher. He also threw 182 innings, so there’s a durability factor here that is valuable in and of itself. I know Bibee was making a lot of changes to his pitch shapes, delivery and mechanics last season. Maybe an offseason of letting all that sink in allows him to return to his 2024 level of a 3.47 ERA, and he can get to 200 innings.

Joey Cantillo – Cantillo had a 3.21 ERA last year, striking out over 10 batters per 9. If he can slightly lower his walk-rate (around 4 per 9), he should be able to get to ZiPS’ projected 3.65 ERA and hopefully Steamer’s projection of around 150 innings. He can also prove me dead wrong that his better spot would be as a high leverage reliever, much to my joy.

Slade Cecconi – Another offseason with Cleveland should help Cecconi, who came over from a poor pitching development group in Arizona. OOPSY has the best projection for Cecconi at 154 innings and a 4.29 ERA. That’s a solid #4, but Cecconi has good Stuff+ numbers for his slider (99) and curve (101). If he can manage to leverage those pitches into strikeouts enough to go from 7.5 K’s per 9 to 8.5-9, he could take a leap. He has the mentality you want to see on the mound, and I also think he can easily transition to the bullpen and be very effective there if need be.

Parker Messick – A 2.72 ERA and the underlying metrics to back it up make it hard not to be excited about Messick. He also threw 130 innings last year and is just a bulldog in his entire presentation. Hard to believe he has more than halved his walk rate from the minors to the majors, but if that is at all real… this is exciting.

Logan Allen – 156 innings and a 4.25 ERA is a fourth starter, folks. Now, all of Allen’s metrics indicate he is more of a fifth starter and due for regression. But, he continues to work the edges of the zone and do just enough to avoid homers with guys on base. He’s a very valuable player to have around, but I do hope if the five arms listed above him are healthy that Allen will be held in reserve in Columbus (I’d be shocked if they run a six-man rotation due to the relentless devotion to eight bullpen arms the team has had for a long time).

Bullpen:
Peyton Pallette – I am on board with the Guardians working with a player who put up a 12/4 K/BB/9 in the minors and maximizing a pitcher they picked off the White Sox’ roster.

Connor Brogdon – Brogdon is 6’6” and languished on the Phillies and Angels, but has a fastball and a change that both measure as 107 in Stuff+. This is the kind of pitcher the Guardians almost always turn into a very effective middle reliever.

Tim Herrin – A bad season for Herrin last year but this is still the pitcher who put up a 2.86 FIP in 2024 in 65 innings. I think he bounces back.

Matt Festa – 54 innings and a 3.14 FIP. Festa is good, actually.

Erik Sabrowski – Personally, I think Sabrowski is closer to the 3.8 walk-rate he had in 2024 than the 6.8 walk-rate he had in 2025. He still had an incredibly low ERA both seasons. If he can be healthy, he is one of the nastiest lefty relievers in baseball.

Hunter Gaddis – A 2.30 ERA in 140 innings from 2024-2025. I don’t care what some underlying metrics present to doubt this guy. He’s a dude.

Shawn Armstrong – A 3.07 FIP in 74 innings, handling high leverage spots for the Rangers, Armstrong is a great veteran addition to the pen.

Cade Smith – A 1.75 FIP in almost 150 innings the last two years. Hand him the ball and I feel great. The only player in baseball who can make us not blink to lose the best closer in baseball to a gambling scandal.

Reserves:
Austin Peterson – A 3.21 ERA in 145 innings last season in the minors. Peterson profiles as a 5th starter but if the team can JUST squeeze a little more swing-and-miss from him, he could be a very nice major league arm.

Will Dion – I think Dion is probably a decent fifth starter, lowering his FIP by 2 runs last season in Columbus. Is that exciting? No. But, it can be very useful.

Doug Nikhazy – A terrible season for Nikhazy in 2025 should probably not cause us to erase his good 2024. I think there’s potential for a decent reliever or fifth starter left in here with his 9 K’s per 9 still hanging around… but time is running out.

Khal Stephen – I would not overlook the possibility of Stephen making a summer debut with the Guardians after his 2.60 FIP in 100 innings last year. An offseason of adjusting with Cleveland’s development group and we might have a Bieber replacement here with his 9.61/1.75 K/BB/9.

Colin Holderman – Holderman probably starts in Columbus because he has an option, but sign me up for what the Guardians can do with a pitcher from the Pirates who has these kind of Stuff+ numbers: 106 four-seamer, 112 sinker, 105 cutter, and 133 slider. I think this is probably someone we are very happy to see in the seventh innings by the end of the season.

Pedro Avila – Avila’s metrics looked solid in Japan last year and he had a 3.89 FIP in 82 innings for the Guardians in 2024.

Andrew Walters – This guy struck out like 15 batters per 9 in the minors and flashed that kind of ability in 2024. If he can come back from a tough injury, this is a very valuable bullpen arm.

Franco Aleman – His walks per 9 went up by 2 in 2025 and he was unlucky on batted balls. I’d guess he figures that out and shows something close to his 14 batters struckout per 9 in the bigs at some point in 2026.

Yorman Gomez – A 2.76 FIP in 121 innings in 2025. He’s probably too short (5’11”) to be a starting pitcher, but there is potential for an excellent reliever here.

Daniel Espino – No one has better stuff than Espino. IF he can be healthy for once in his life (please, sweet baseball gods), he is probably the only arm in our system who could be an equal fireman to Smith’s closer talent (or vice versa).

Steven Perez – A 3.15 FIP in 69 innings with a 9/2.6 K/BB/9, Perez looks like a viable matchup lefty at some point.

Codi Heuer – For his career, Heuer has a slider measuring at 107 and a changeup at 101. This is a useful organization arm who may get an opportunity to be a matchup lefty in the pen with Herrin ramping up in Columbus.

Ben Lively – Lively JUST signed back with Cleveland and probably won’t be able to help until late in the year after Tommy John, but he’s useful fifth starter depth.

So, what do you think? How do you feel about the Guardians’ pitching corps for 2025?

Major League Baseball is considering becoming the second major American professional team sports league to partner with prediction platforms.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said on Thursday that the league is mulling teaming up with increasingly popular platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket.

Key Takeaways

• The league did not say it was actively engaging in negotiations.
  
  
• MLB is in the middle of an illegal sports betting investigation involving teammates and a three-time All-Star.
  
  
• Partnership with prediction platforms could allow MLB to help with integrity monitoring.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that MLB team owners were informed during their quarterly meetings that the league could ingratiate itself with the prediction industry.

Manfred conceded that he only learned about platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket a few months ago. The NHL is the only other American professional team sports league to have prediction partners, both of which are listed above. 

UFC also has a partnership deal with Polymarket.

“We thought it was important for the owners to be updated on why prediction markets are different than sports betting – why we might want to consider being in business with prediction markets in an effort to protect our integrity, to get the kind of protections we need,” Manfred said. “The regulatory framework, very different. Obviously, state by state on the sports betting side, federal on the other.”

Protecting integrity

One of the primary concerns in the modern era of sports gambling and prediction market trading is the potential for illicit manipulation.

The MLB is currently experiencing that with an ongoing case involving Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, who were charged with manipulating their performances in games for the benefit of sports bettors. Clase specifically was accused of rigging pitches in 48 games, or roughly one-fourth of his appearances in a two-year span.

Despite that precedent, Manfred said that teaming up with prediction platforms would allow the league to be in greater control of threats of nefarious manipulation.

“There's obviously an opportunity to work with the markets themselves to get the kind of integrity protections you want,” he said.

In the interest of preserving integrity, Kalshi announced earlier this month a slew of overhauls designed to increase consumer protection. That included banning insider trading, hiring former Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian Nelson, as an adviser on market integrity, and integrating responsible trading and iMarket integrity pages on its platform, among others.

What’s the big deal?

Prediction platforms offer similar services to sportsbooks, but their operational and regulatory frameworks are completely different.

Whereas legal sportsbook users compete against the house with pre-determined odds, prediction users buy and sell contracts related to various outcomes. Prices are dictated by real-time consumer demand, influenced by updates and current events.

State gaming regulators are in charge of monitoring sportsbooks. Prediction market apps operate under the watchful eye of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

A growing collection of state regulators have expressed a form of concern related to prediction markets being allowed to operate without their approval. In response, the platforms have claimed that their federal regulation supersedes state-level decisions.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — Bring on the robots, tap your helmet if you disagree, and tell your analytic department it better preparing be for a whole new wave of research.

The automated ball/strike system is here for the first time in Major League Baseball, and general managers, managers and coaching staffs have already begun to strategize the best way to capitalize on a new way to challenge authority.

If the pitcher, catcher or batter disagrees with a ball or strike call, they have the right to challenge the umpire, with everyone in the stands able to see who was right with a graphic on full display on the scoreboard.

MLB 2026: Are Dodgers ruining baseball? Rivals refuse to criticize.

Teams get two challenges per nine innings, and as long as you’re proven correct, you can challenge as many times as you wish.

If you’re wrong twice, you’re out of challenges unless the game goes into extra innings.

The only players permitted to challenge are the pitcher, hitter and catcher and pitcher, and it must be issued within two seconds of the pitch being thrown, signaled by tapping your helmet.

If you blow through your challenges early, you won’t have the right to correct an errant call in the ninth inning. If the game goes into extra innings, each team will be provided one challenge in each extra inning.

So, the question for every manager now is who will be permitted to challenge, at what stage of the game, and under which circumstances.

“All I know is that we won’t let our pitchers challenge," Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said. “They think everything is a strike."

Francona laughed, but it’s certainly a sentiment shared by several managers in interviews Thursday, with most saying they would leave that up to their catchers and hitters.

But, of course, not every hitter.

“We’re going to have a lot of conversations about that," Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I do think there’s going to be a strategy that comes with it. What that looks like, I don’t think I know right now, but we’re going to encourage conversations as far as leverage, when you use it, when not to, who should, who shouldn’t.’’

So, who has been told they can’t use it?

“I don’t want to say because they’ve already been sensitive when I brought it up," Roberts said. “So, I’m not going to name-call right now. I’m not going to say any names but I don't think that there’s a self-evaluation on who knows the strike zone, who doesn’t, who gets emotional, and understanding everything.

“I’m in favor of it."

Says Francona: “We don’t have a strategy in place because we want to kind of see how it plays out. I’ve already talked to some of our player development people to ask them how they did it, and then we’ll formulate a strategy and try to do it better than other teams like everything else.

“But I think it’s going to be OK."

In research by MLB, there were four challenges per games at the Triple-A level last season with about a 50% success rate. The most challenges, 3.5%, were utilized in the ninth inning.

“You want to have one late in the game, just in case,” Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “The top of the first inning on a 0-0 fastball, I don’t want to challenge and lose. We’ll most likely rely on catchers first. Pitchers at times get a little emotional. Hitters can be that way sometimes, too. I think we’re going to rely on the catchers.

“But I want to have one in pocket, when I can, when it’s in a critical part of the game.”

It will be a strategy that will be implemented by teams in spring training, and tweaked throughout the year, with plans constantly being modified on when it should be best utilized.

“We’re going to do some experimentation over the course of the spring," said Los Angeles GM Perry Minasian. “We’ve had some staff members that have been more familiar with it than others in the minor leagues, so we’re just going to see how it evolves and how it goes.

“I’m sure every team has had conversations about it and undergone studies. We’re going to get as many different opinions and viewpoints as we can get get. We’ll go through all of the types of things through the course of spring training. I’m not one for a steadfast rule who can use it and who can’t, but I think there will be a certain component of earning the right to do it, who’s capable of doing it and who’s not.

“And I’m sure there will be adjustments made throughout the course of the year. What we may do in April may be different in May, different in June, different in July. It’s going to be one of the unique things about this season."

The ABS will add about one minute per game, according to MLB’s research, with each challenge averaging 13.8 seconds. The strike zone is also expected to slightly shrink, according to Joe Martinez, MLB’s vice president of on-field strategy. Each player will be measured by height this spring, with strike zones starting at 53.5% of a batter’s height at the top and 27% of a batter’s height for the bottom of the zone

There will be some glitches at times. There were 291 pitches that were untracked out of the 88,534 pitches last spring, according to MLB’s research. And if the computer system malfunctions, the umpires will again have the ultimate authority.

There will also be times when a team asks for instant replay on the field at the same time as a challenge. In that case, the umpires will determine the instant replay result before the challenge is assessed and be given discretion on plays that on the bases that could be impacted by challenges.

The challenge system will not be in effect when a position player is pitching in a game.

MLB also announced that the base coaches must remain in their coaching boxes until a pitch is delivered, hoping to eliminate sign stealing. It also tweaked its obstruction rule so that a runner who initiates contact with a fielder trying to draw an obstruction call will now be called out.

Play ball, and keep those computers churning.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB ABS system, 'robot umpires' and new rules are a whole new ballgame

Most baseball analysts believe the San Diego Padres have the best bullpen in MLB. Even with losing All-Star closer Robert Suarez to free agency, the Padres continue to have arguably the best ‘pen in the game in large part due to Mason Miller stepping into the closer role. Adrian Morejon and Jeremiah Estrada are returning and Jason Adam is expected to recover from his ruptured quadriceps tendon in time to make an impact on the season. As Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball reported, the problem for San Diego might be too much bullpen depth. There are possibly six spots available but there are nearly three times as many players fighting for those spots.

Padres News:

• We have seen possible Padres free agent targets such as Justin Verlander, Chris Bassitt and Mile Mikolas leave free agency to join their new teams but Lincoln Zdunich of Gaslamp Ball identifies possible free agent pitchers who are left to add at various price points.  
• AJ Cassavell of Padres.com believes there are four players who are competing for the fifth spot in the rotation. He names JP Sears, Matt Waldon, Triston McKenzie and Marco Gonzales as pitchers competing for the final rotation spot.
• One of the main topics of the offseason has been the potential for a contract extension for Padres president of baseball operation and general manager A.J. Preller. He met with the media Thursday and stated he believes a contract will get done and that he wants to remain in San Diego. Preller added “We’re either going to do it or not.”
• Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors compiled notes about the Padres that cover multiple topics including the rotation, Randy Vasquez and Luis Campusano.

Baseball News:

• The ABS Challenge Systemwill be utilized in all MLB games starting this season. MLB.com breaks down what the system is and how it will work once the 2026 season begins.
• The Philadelphia Phillies released outfielder Nick Castellanos, but will be responsible for his $20 million salary. Castellanos can sign with any MLB team for the league minimum.
• Kike Henandez announced he is re-signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.