BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 21: Kyle Bradish #38 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches in the fourth inning during a baseball game against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 21, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good Morning Birdland,
It is getting increasingly difficult to write these opening thoughts to the Bird Droppings while the Orioles make no roster moves of note. There has been zero significant movement in quite a while.
In case you have missed the last…uh…five months (?), the Orioles still want to sign a “frontline” pitcher. They have been linked to every viable free agent you can think of. Framber Valdez, Justin Verlander, Lucas Giolito, Zac Gallen. Yep. All of them. Nothing has changed there in a long time.
Looking at the roster, they need bullpen help too. But there is even less noise there. In fact, it has been silent. Mike Elias added Andrew Kittredge and Ryan Helsley a few months back, and then hunkered down. The best guess is they will add some fringier arms on minor league deals with spring invites, and then they will pick up some scraps as teams cut their “extras” throughout February and March. Bullpen heros can come from unexpected places, but you would like to have a bit more certainty.
The position player groups seem set. At least to begin the spring. No trade of Coby Mayo or Ryan Mountcastle is imminent. The 40-man roster has no true utility man on it. They did just add Bryan Ramos as a potential bench option, but almost all of his experience as a pro has come at third base, so he’s not the most versatile. Colton Cowser is lining up to be the center fielder most days with Leody Taveras in tow to spell him on occasion.
The pieces are not fitting together perfectly. But they don’t have to. Elias has made it clear that he wants to build redundancies into the squad so that an injury here or there doesn’t derail the season. Players can be optioned to Triple-A if they see fit. That includes Mayo and Jackson among others. In a 162-game season, players that begin the year in Norfolk are still likely to get their big league chance. That’s the theory anyway.
Links
Kyle Bradish beats Orioles in arbitration, will get $3.55M in ’26 | ESPN The Orioles and Bradish filed at numbers that were $675,000 apart. It would have been nice to see the two sides come to agreement rather than going through the arbitration process. It’s pretty common for the experience to sour a player’s view of their organization. If healthy, Bradish is a player that is probably going to be pretty important to this team for a few more years, at least. It would be best to keep him in good spirits. But it’s a business. I know, I know.
Orioles 2026 minor league coaching staffs announced | On The Verge This is a great, simple and contextual look at the changes made at each of the levels going into 2026. I do not personally know enough about minor league coaches to really have an opinion. But it doesn’t seem like the Orioles did much of an overhaul here, so they must be happy with the general direction of player development.
What to expect at Orioles spring training | Roch Kubatko Maybe it has been this stretch of ridiculously cold weather around Baltimore, or perhaps the team has just made some genuinely exciting moves this offseason, but I am more excited for spring training than I have been in a few years. Man, it is really gonna hurt if/when this team falls apart.
Orioles birthdays
Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!
February 4 is bereft of former Orioles player birthdays, but some of the non-baseball people celebrating today are former Vice President Dan Quayle (b. 1947), rock star Alice Cooper (b. 1948), actor Rob Corddry (b. 1971), former boxer Oscar De La Hoya (b. 1973), and comedian Hannibal Buress (b. 1983).
This day in O’s history
2011 – The Orioles sign Vladimir Guerrero to a one-year deal. It would prove to be the final season of his Hall-of-Fame career. Over 145 games with the O’s, Guerrero will hit .290/.317/.416 with 13 home runs and a 98 OPS+.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 20: Alec Bohm #28 of the Philadelphia Phillies cannot make a play on a pop fly against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 20, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
TALKING STICK, AZ - OCTOBER 29: Jonny Farmelo #21 of the Peoria Javelinas runs to third base during the game between the Peoria Javelinas and the Salt River Rafters at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 in Talking Stick, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It’s time for one of our favorite annual traditions: going through the list of Mariners non-roster invites and spending entirely too much electronic ink on a lot of guys who will never suit up for the Mariners this season.
Left-Handed Pitchers:
Kade Anderson
Making one of the most highly anticipated organizational debuts in recent Mariner memory, Anderson jumps straight from the College World Series to big league Spring Training with the hopes of proving to the world his dominance will translate at the next level. Having reportedly gained considerable strength over the course of the offseason, Anderson will look to show off his polished four pitch mix with some extra oomph behind it, hopefully continuing his run of dominance from last year into his first taste of game action as a professional. – ME
Austin Kitchen
The Kitchen is open once again for the Mariners, who brought back the six-foot lefty on a minors deal for another year thanks to intriguing characteristics such as “throw baseball with left hand.” A true crafty lefty reliever, Kitchen makes his 91 mph heater work for him with the old fastball-up/sinker-down while mixing in a sweeper, changeup, and curve (in that order of preference) to generate ground-ball outs and weak contact rather than strikeouts. He doesn’t strike people out, but he also doesn’t walk them, making him one of my preferred fringe relievers to watch in the late innings of a spring training game. -KP
Right-handed pitchers:
Charlie Beilenson
After a dominant start at Everett this year, the Mariners jumped the 2024 fifth-rounder to Double-A, where he continued to show himself to be absolutely allergic to issuing free passes. The six foot Beilenson is athletic on the mound and features a Sewald-esque release point. He’s not a hard thrower, with a fastball around 94, but he’s able to get swing and miss on the pitch due to its rise and he pairs that with a sharp slider and a changeup that also elicits whiffs. Beilenson won organizational Reliever of the Month honors in June after contributing to a combined no-hitter in Everett. Fun fact about Beilenson: he’s eligible for three countries in the WBC (USA, New Zealand, Israel). Keep an eye on Beilenson as a dark horse to crack the bullpen at some point this season. -KP
Tyler Cleveland
There’s been a tremendous dearth of weird in the Mariners bullpen for a while now, and Tyler Cleveland is looking to change that. Though “The Pile” has never been as exciting as it is at present, Cleveland’s submarine release and funky arsenal will pose a legitimate threat to break into the Mariner ‘pen this season. Dominating the minor leagues to the tune of a 0.87 ERA last season, Mariner fans should get acquainted with perhaps the best 87 mph sinker they’ll see all year. – ME
Nick Davila
The Mariners re-signed Davila, 27, to a minor-league contract this off-season with an invitation to spring training, which is why he’s here. Davila is more of a contact manager than a strikeout artist, a tough fit as a reliever; he also got a little walk-happy in Arkansas this year, which is a problem that will have to be tamped down. -KP
Randy Dobnak
It has been quite the arc for Dobnak – going undrafted in college, he signed with the Twins in 2017 off of YouTube videos of his outings for a shiny $500, and quickly rose through the ranks of the Minors, debuting in 2019 with a scintillating 2.90 FIP over 28.1 innings. On the back of a solid 2020, Minnesota signed him to a unique five-year, $9.25 million extension with club options and escalators galore. Sadly, injuries wreaked havoc on him – after 50.1 tough innings in 2021, Dobnak has appeared in just six Major League games since then, but with his low arm angle and sinker/slider pitch mix, it’s easy to understand why the M’s are bringing him aboard. He’ll serve as starting pitching depth in Tacoma, and I, for one, will be rooting for a fellow Old School RuneScaper’s success. -CD
Dane Dunning
Hey baby, I heard you like depth. How about depth and upside? How about depth, and upside, and prospect pedigree paired with big league experience? How about depth, upside, prospect pedigree, big league experience and rec specs? Have yourself a Dane Dunning, sweetheart. You deserve it. Seattle signed him as a free agent in January to nonexistent enthusiasm, save for Mikey Ajeto and Isabelle Minasian. Do with that combination what you will. A former first round pick, he won a World Series ring with the Rangers in 2023 and, like so many on that team, ‘23 was a career year for Dunning with 172 innings pitched (most as a starter), a 3.70 ERA and career-high strikeouts. It’s been downhill ever since, to the point where the Rangers traded him to Atlanta mid-season last year and they moved him into the bullpen fulltime. He’s a weird throwback of a pitcher; a glacially slow right-hander who survives by dipping into a bulging bag of tricks (pitch mix), but he’s been working out with Tread and is seemingly back up to his 2023 velo on his sinker (his best/most utilized pitch). I’m curious to see if they’ll tag him for long relief or, in light of the Logan Evans news, run him out again as a starter. I’ll be rooting for him either way. – IM
Casey Lawrence
Updating from last year: When the 2097 Western Landmass QA1 MechaMariners show up to colonized Mars for spring training, Jacob Nottingham Casey Lawrence will somehow still get an invite. -KP
Teddy McGraw
It’s only 30 minutes from Cooperstown’s Main Street to Oneonta. Home to the Southside Mall, the nearest movie theater, a beloved indie bookstore and a deli that’s a front for a cult, Oneonta is where you go if you’re living in Cooperstown and need (crave?) that unreplicable strip mall feeling. I’m being rude. It’s also home to Oneonta High School, which produced one of my favorite humans of all time, and also Teddy McGraw. A third round pick out of Wake Forest in the 2023 draft, McGraw has a tantalizing fastball (two-seam) and devastating slider but is also a two-time Tommy John surgery recipient plagued by injuries (anyone getting hints of eau de Woo, or is that just me?). When he’s healthy, he has some of the best stuff in the system (Max Ellingsen says so). Questions remain whether they’ll keep him as a starter, or attempt to preempt injury by moving him to the bullpen. – IM
P.S. Yes, his dad is Tim McGraw.
P.P.S. No, not that Tim McGraw.
Michael Morales
Every day, you sit on the riverside, one rock among a hundred thousand hundred thousand. Deer amble up to the water’s edge, nudging some of your older compatriots into the water with their light-stepping hooves. Lizards crawl upon others, basking in the sunlight briefly before scuttling off. Your exterior grows mossy as a storm rolls in, sending gales through the forest and crashing a mighty pine down upon the bed of you and your ancient companions. The river is diverted, flowing over you directly for the first time since the dinosaurs roamed. As the water courses faster you are jostled free at last, turned for the first time to glimpse your still-dry neighbor. It is Michael Morales, resolute and unchanged as the day he was formed. —JT
Gabe Mosser
Signed as a minor league free agent, Mosser is now 29 after being in the Padres’ and Phillies’ systems since he was a 27th-round pick in 2018. In all that time, he’s never posted an ERA below 4 in a stop of more than 30 innings. As happens for a lot of pitchers nearing the end of the line, he started playing with a knuckleball last year as a Hail Mary. So while I have very little expectation that he’ll be a meaningful contribution to the 2026 Mariners, I’ll definitely pay attention when he’s on the mound this spring just for the show. – ZAM
Michael Rucker
One day after the Mariners signed Michael Rucker (an extremely popular time to be born, shoutout to commenter Lou Seal), I turned 31. If I was a horse and I got a small stomachache now, they would shoot me. If I was a professional baseball player, they wouldn’t shoot me (yet), but they would sit me down in an upholstered rocking chair, hand me a thick glass of Ovaltine, laced with Ensure and ground up Benadryl, and speak patronizingly to me. I’m exaggerating. A little bit. Unfortunately for Rucker, I am not exaggerating enough. Currently 31, but playing in his age 32 season, the right-hander has amassed 123 innings in relief at the big league level (all for the Cubs), but did not play in organized baseball in 2025 after electing free agency in November 2024. An Auburn Riverside grad and one-time Gonzaga bulldog, this signing reeks of Tacoma depth. Or maybe I’m just losing my sense of smell in my old age. – IM
Ryan Sloan
I love trains. Gigantic, industrial locomotives? They get everything we want and need from here to there, while providing young artists a canvas and night owls distant ambiance and companionship. Slick, modern high speed rail? Don’t mind if I do spend my commute playing my Switch, reading a book, scrolling the articles comments of lookoutlanding.com. But if there is one train that puts my nerves on edge, it is the mighty, mercurial hype train. There is, in the most literal sense, nothing wrong with Sloan. Instinctive and industrious, Sloan’s debut season has him now as the most tantalizing M’s prep pitcher since Taijuan Walker. I strongly recommend reading some scouting reports on Walker at the time of his call-up if that seems like damning with faint praise. I’ll be surprised if Sloan gets significant play in main field games this spring, given how cautious the club was with him a season ago, but this is one of the most impressive young pitchers I’ve seen. Choo choo. –JT
Guillo Zuñiga
The scandal that got the newest writer for Baseball America banned for life from MLB employment changed the trajectory of a young Colombian flamethrower. Instead of Atlanta, Zuñiga inked a deal with the Dodgers, creeping his way up the ranks with peripherals that always seemed to outpace his results. Minor league free agency placed Zuñiga in the system of St. Louis, then later Anaheim, Philadelphia, and eventually Seattle. Triple-A will be the destination all but assuredly for a fourth straight season, seeking for the first time an ERA starting with a number less than 5. Increasingly groundball-enticing, the 27 year old will be looking to add to a big league tenure featuring 19.2 frames he’d like another go at. There’s not much… deception in Zuñiga’s snub-nosed delivery, but a shuffled pitch mix might make a difference. –JT
Infielders:
Michael Arroyo
A prospect frequently overshadowed by the likes of Colt Emerson, Arroyo has a legitimate chance to become a big leaguer during the 2026 season. With rumblings of a potential position change to left field, the now infielder brings an incredibly polished offensive profile to the table and has the looks of a bat-first run producer despite his shorter, stockier frame. The defense will be something to watch for over the course of Spring Training; if he can find a natural home somewhere on the diamond, Arroyo would immediately put himself on the big league radar. – ME
Colt Emerson
I have been big in on Colt Emerson for a long time, but spending time with him this past week at FanFest has absolutely turned me into a Colt Truther. It’s a wild comparison, but Colt reminds me a lot of Cal Raleigh as a prospect – someone whose hype doesn’t seem to match up with his performance in the minors. I think Colt, like Cole Young before him, suffers a little from the curse of the “well-rounded”: he doesn’t have the kind of flashy skills that inspire breathless social media posts; he just does everything really, really well. Perry Hill absolutely loves his defense, which kind of tells you all you need to know about it: it’s foundationally sound, mechanically clean, and looks effortless. After watching video back from last spring training, he added a toe tap this past season (more on this later) that’s helped him damage elite velocity better and after a rough adjustment period at Double-A, solved a lot of his own problems. We love a learner around here, and we love Colt Emerson. -KP
Brock Rodden
A fifth round pick in 2023, Rodden won that year’s Dominate the Zone competition, winning him an NRI invite to Spring Training in 2024. A strong season then earned a spot on his own merit last year. But every rocket needs a countdown, and multiple injuries kept resetting the Brocket Ship’s clock in 2025. He looked fine over 163 PAs with neither the atypically high BABIP or high strikeout rate being concerning over a sample that small. He’s looking to get back on track and earn a 40-man spot before he’s Rule 5 eligible this coming offseason. – ZAM
Carson Taylor
Perhaps lost in the shuffle after the Mariners re-signed Josh Naylor to ignite the Hot Stove, the Mariners picked up Taylor in the minor-league portion of the Rule 5 Draft that closes up the annual Winter Meetings. Taylor, 26, was drafted out of Virginia Tech by the Dodgers in 2020, which gives him at least two characteristics desired by the Mariners (they love their Old Dominion-area prospects). A third characteristic emerges: Taylor walks a lot, doesn’t strike out excessively, and has some pop, although maybe not quite as much as you’d want in a first baseman. He’s here to fill the Tyler Locklear-shaped hole in your heart, albeit imperfectly. -KP
Will Wilson
Confession: I saved Will Wilson for last, and really intended to mail this wee blurb in. Unfortunately for my sleep schedule, but perhaps fortunately for the Mariners, Wilson doesn’t deserve that. The vaunted minds at r/ClevelandGuardians are split on him; some are thrilled he’s gone, others fear he may depart and become the next Ernie Clement. I suppose that’s the respect you get when you’re a former first round pick once cited as one of the top prospects in the draft, but also struck out 37.4% of the time in 91 plate appearances alongside a .051 ISO. He’s utility-ish; interesting-ish. I guess. – IM
Patrick Wisdom
Marco Gonzales’s BFF is back for another ride. The 34-year-old spent last season with the Kia Tigers, who are like the Yankees of the KBO, and proved that three true outcomes persist from Gwinnett to Gwangju. He did bash 35 homers, so if you’re at any games he’s playing in this spring, stake out a good spot on the berm. -KP
Outfielders:
Brennen Davis
Davis was a second round pick by the Cubs way back in 2018 and made it as high as 25 on Fangraphs’ top 100 prospects list in 2022. But he’s yet to make his MLB debut as injuries have derailed his minor league career. His Prospect Savant page is rather impressive. He makes a ton of hard contact and was the top player in AAA in pulling the ball in the air. But he’s also shown high chase and whiff rates that limit whatever projection remains. Every once in a while a guy like this figures it out… -RB
Jonny Farmelo
Raise your hand if you are super excited to watch a healthy Farmelo tear it up at spring training this year. Every hand should be up. Farmelo has one of the most tantalizing skillsets in the system, true five-tool potential, and this year could be the year he launches himself into one of the best prospects in baseball. Get your seat on the Melo Wagon early. -KP
My hand is up! My hand is so high up! It is also up in a way that gives ample space to Farmelo, so as not to create a raucous breeze that might unloose a garage sale flyer, that might tumble in the air towards him, that he might reach out to catch (Jonny Farmelo Hates Littering), that might give him a paper cut, that might become mysteriously infected, that might lay him up for 6-8 weeks or necessitate the amputation of his hand. – IM
Victor Labrada
Minor league aficionados will no doubt recognize Victor Labrada’s name, and the lefty outfielder has earned his first big league spring training invite since signing out of Cuba prior to the 2021 season. On the back of a high-walk, low-strikeout, low-power profile at the plate, Labrada has steadily climbed through each level of the Minors, getting his first taste of Triple-A last season. He also brings blazing speed to the table, swiping a combined 44 bases last year and 49 in 2024. While he can cover center field in a pinch, he’s more suited in a corner, getting the bulk of his time in Double-A and Triple-A last year in left field. Labrada is pretty far down the depth chart of Seattle’s outfielders and will be playing in his age-26 season, but if he can unlock a bit more game power, he could be an option the Mariners turn to if need be. -CD
Lazaro Montes
The haters will tell you that Montes’s poor contact metrics mean his prospect arrow is pointing down. The haters will tell you the swing and miss in his profile will keep him from getting to his 70 grade power. The haters will tell you his barely-passable defense in a corner spot limits him to a DH role in the bigs. The haters will become the waiters at Montes’s table of success, except not really because he’s such a nice guy he’d invite anyone to sit down and insist on serving them himself. -KP
Spencer Packard
Another spring, another year of writing about NRI invite Spencer Packard. Packard, now 28, has crossed the line from “older prospect” to “MiLB journeyman” and the hopes for a Ty France-type power breakout are starting to dim. Like France, Packard has never posted a minor-league wRC+ of below 100, thanks to a bone-deep unwillingness to expand the zone. Unlike France, Packard hasn’t come near a 20-homer campaign despite playing in some of the same bounce houses of the PCL. With little to offer defensively (he is an OFINO), there has to be some bump in the power production to find a way onto a big-league roster…at least, Seattle’s. -KP
Jared Sundstrom
Gualala, California is one of the most beautiful little enclaves in one of the most beautiful parts of the state. It’s a pass through for most pursuing the idylls of Mendocino county, with under 3,000 residents and nominal tourist draws. There’s rugged coast, and towering redwoods, and a river slicing through it all; it is the very best of the Northern California coast. Jared Sundstrom probably will not be the very best of the Mariners’ Spring Training, but he is also not tiny like his hometown. A veritable tank of an outfielder with the commensurate power and athleticism, the former Gaucho’s primary dings are his age and some mixed sentiments on plate discipline. If you’re on the backfields of Peoria and you watch a ball sail up, up, up, up and away, it just might be courtesy of Sundo. – IM
Utility:
Blake Rambusch
Leo Rivas should sue Rambusch for IP theft. The 26 year old will be in line for his first taste of Triple-A this year, in what could be a lengthy lid on his career unless the pint-size utility-man can unlock any power or truly blow things out of the water in another realm of the game. Rambusch’s last home run came in High-A Everett at the age of 23… in August of 2023. He’s missed bits of time in 2024 and 2025, but that’s over 170 games without leaving the yard. The hard-running Auburn University product is a menace on the bases and walks frequently, like Litleo, but a lot of folks hit in the minors like this and get bowled over in the bigs. It’s hard to make it work, and Rambusch will have to conquer Tacoma to get a chance to try. –JT
Catchers:
Josh Caron
After a strong debut run with the championship Nuts that had him ranked in our 2025 preseason Top 20, Caron took a huge step back at Everett this year. His calling card is his big right-handed power, but he didn’t even muster double-digit home runs in the friendly parks of the Northwest League. Meanwhile, his aggressive approach at the plate was exposed by A-ball pitchers, leading to him striking out just under a third of the time. Caron’s strength at present is his skill behind the dish, where he’s a good receiver and leader of a pitching staff, which earned him an NRI invite. ABC, Always Be Catching. -KP
Connor Charping
As a catcher, Charping would have been a lock to be invited to spring training anyway, but he also likely would have gotten there as a reward for the “control the zone” contest, coming very close to walking more than he struck out this year at AA. He also hit .300, although it’s a fairly empty .300; he’s hit all of two homers over his pro career since signing as an UDFA in July of 2022. Still, shiny number is shiny number, and ability to catch even at a basic level only burnishes it further–although his caught stealing numbers in Arkansas are pretty brutal this year (which might not be his fault! As is anything, it takes two.). -KP
Brian O’Keefe
Oh hey, it’s that guy, he’s back! -RB
Brian O’Keefe is 32. How have his knees not sued him for an OSHA violation yet? -KP
Nick Raposo
Nick Raposo returns to the Mariners after signing as a minor-league free agent last season. After a couple underwhelming turns at Triple-A, the Mariners let him get his feet under him as the primary catcher for the Arkansas Travelers this past season; he’ll compete for a job in Tacoma, and hopefully not anything more than that, this spring. -KP
Jakson Reetz
Someone asked me recently how I choose which 40 in 40s I write. “Why honey,” I replied, ignoring their mild alarm at the sudden emergence of a 1920s Hollywood starlet drawl and batting my eyelashes furiously. “I choose my 40 in 40s like I pick my NRIs. The less I know about them, the better.” Mouth ajar, I wink cartoonishly and take a hearty puff off my cigarette holder (the table’s butter knife). They look on, aghast.
(Jakson Reetz is a 30-year-old catcher drafted out of high school in 2014 with 17 big league plate appearances. As of this writing (8:43 p.m. on Tuesday, February 3 (sorry Kate)), Baseball Reference has his 2026 contract status as “Not Updated” and not his transaction section ends with being granted free agency in November 2025.) – IM
Luke Stevenson
A power-over-contact catcher from an ACC school? It worked the last time the Mariners tried! Stevenson spent 100 PAs destroying Modesto to the tune of a 154 wRC+ while walking more than he struck out. And he gets good reports on his receiving too. Catchers are hard to project because they have so much growth to do, but all arrows are pointing up for Stevenson since the Draft. In a system without a lot of guys in the middle tier, Stevenson’s one to watch. – ZAM
PHOENIX, AZ - JUNE 17: Frank Cairone pitches on the mound during the 2025 Draft Combine game between Team Stars and Team Stripes at Chase Field on Tuesday, June 17, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Jill Weisleder/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Just a few short weeks ago, 18-year-old Brewers left-handed pitching prospect Frank Cairone was hit head-on by a vehicle that ran a stop sign in his home state of New Jersey. Cairone was airlifted to a hospital where he was treated for serious injuries.
The road to recovery seemed like it could be very long, but thankfully, he seems to be progressing down that road. On Tuesday, Cairone posted a video of himself lightly tossing a baseball against a wall, signifying he’s progressed enough for some light baseball activities.
While there’s clearly still a ways to go until Cairone is ready for game action, considering where he was just a few weeks ago, this is tremendous news.
The full extent of Cairone’s injuries haven’t been made publicly known. The Brewers issued a statement at the time of the car crash, but there’s been no official word on just what all he’s gone through in the aftermath of the accident.
It’s unknown just how long he’ll be out of action, and it’s unlikely we’ll get any answers on that until he makes his way down to American Family Fields of Phoenix for spring training. Pitchers and catchers are due to report next week, but given Cairone’s circumstances, his arrival could be delayed.
The Brewers drafted Cairone with the No. 68 overall pick in the 2025 Draft out of Delsea Regional HS in New Jersey. They signed him away from a Coastal Carolina commitment with a $1.1 million signing bonus. Cairone joined the list of young, projectable, high-upside pitchers that the Brewers have added to their farm system in recent years.
Once Cairone is healthy enough to pitch this season, he’s likely to make his professional debut and start the year with the Arizona Complex League Brewers and ultimately spend time with the Low-A Wilson Warbirds.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths.
“Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire.
Happy Birthday, Dan Plesac,and other stories.
Today in baseball history:
1882 – National League players are now responsible for carrying their own bats and uniforms on road trips. They are also required to purchase and keep clean two complete uniforms, including the white linen ties to be worn on the field at all times. (2)
1893 – The first recorded version of Casey at the Bat, as recited by Russell Hunting, hits the music charts. DeWolf Hopper’s more famous version will not be released until October. (2)
1956 – The Major Leagues vote to establish the Cy Young Memorial Award for the outstanding pitcher of the year. At first, there will be one award for both major leagues. (2)
1971 – CommissionerBowie Kuhn announces former Negro League players will have a separate wing in the Hall of Fame. Due to the controversy the announcement causes, it is decided inclusion in regular Hall of Fame is more fitting and more of an honor for the black former players. (2)
960 – Coronation of Zhao Kuangyin as Emperor Taizu of the Song initiates three centuries of Song Dynasty dominance in southern China.
1789 – First US Electoral College chooses George Washington as President and John Adams as Vice President.
1931 – National League adopts a deader baseball.
1952 – Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American executive of a major US TV and radio station as Director of Community Activities at radio WNBC and TV station WNBT in New York.
Some of these items spread from site to site without being fact-checked, and that is why we ask for verifiable sources, in order to help correct the record.
Just when the Clippers got some momentum, they made a major move? Just when they started winning, they dealt one of their two stars? Just when they were turning heads, they cut their Beard?
James Harden was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland. NBAE via Getty Images
The 26-year-old Garland is 10 years younger than Harden. He’s a two-time All-Star in 2022 and 2025. He could be a cornerstone of their future, which they’re clearly looking to reshape in the 2027 offseason.
The move benefits Harden, too.
It gives him a chance to win now alongside Donovan Mitchell, and secure a contract extension that the Clippers weren’t willing to pull the trigger on for a 36-year-old.
Unlike Harden’s previous departures from Houston, Brooklyn and Philadelphia, this wasn’t an acerbic breakup colored by strong-arming and bitterness. Rather, this was a mutually beneficial handshake for both parties.
The Clippers desperately needed to get younger after entering this season with the oldest roster in NBA history, with an average age of 33.2 years old. Meanwhile, Harden, who’s one of the most lauded players in the league to have never won a championship, gets a chance to play for a team that’s in fifth-place in the wide open East, as opposed to ninth-place in the very crowded West.
Darius Garland will attempt to fit into a streaky Clippers team that is currently on a tear. NBAE via Getty Images
The Cavaliers won 64 games last season before being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by Indiana. For the Cavs, Harden is a savvy vet with lots of postseason experience who could help them break the glass ceiling that has been impenetrable since LeBron James left Cleveland in free agency in 2018.
As for the Clippers, they’re punting this season in hopes for their future.
But let’s be real, they weren’t going to win anyway.
Their 17-5 record following their 6-21 start was exciting. It generated headlines. It was a feel-good story. But they had already lost too much ground to compete in a conference with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Webanyama, Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant and Luka Doncic.
For the Clippers, this may look like a step backward.
Garland, who’s averaging 18 points, 2.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists through 26 games, missed the Cavaliers’ first seven games of the season while recovering from toe surgery and has been sidelined since Jan. 16 because of an ankle sprain. Harden, meanwhile, has played in 44 of a possible 49 games, averaging 25.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.1 assists.
In other words, if Harden is rolling, Garland is strolling.
Harden yet again finds himself on a new team. Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
But this is the first of what will be many important steps the Clippers need to take to rebuild. They failed to make the playoffs in 2022 and they haven’t gotten past the first round of the playoffs ever since. Garland might not be at Harden’s level now, but he has a lot of potential.
It was a smart gamble, even though Garland’s contract is similar to what the Clippers balked at giving Harden. Garland is owed $42.2 million next season and $44.9 million in 2027-28.
For the Clippers, the Leonard-Harden experiment just didn’t work. Leonard has been injured too often. Harden can no longer carry a team. The Clippers are looking forward to 2027 and this is preparing them for their potential post-Leonard era.
Even though Leonard looks like an All-NBA player right now, he’s complicated. He has missed more than 200 games since joining the Clippers in free agency in 2019, as well as multiple playoff series. Not to mention, both he and the Clippers are currently being investigated regarding allegations that a $28 million endorsement deal with the company Aspiration was used to circumvent salary-cap rules.
Leonard is under contract through the 2026-27 season. He’s still capable of tilting the league to his will when he’s healthy. But in many ways, he’s a wild card.
By trading Harden, the Clippers made it clear that they’re preparing for what’s next.
This move was a step in the right direction for both parties, giving both the Clippers and Harden a shot at the futures they desire.
In the Montreal Canadiens’ game against the Vegas Golden Knights, the Habs had a goal called back for offside nearly a minute after the contested zone entry happened. In the post-game conference, we suggested to Martin St-Louis that there should be a cutoff time for raising an offside challenge, and the bench boss replied that, since the league has the technology to make the right calls, they should be made. He did, however, mention he felt his team was losing more goals to offside challenges than others, adding that someone could come back to him at the next presser on that topic.
Thanks to the NHL media stats website, it wasn’t difficult to verify. As of February 3 at 10:00 AM, there have been 163 coach challenges in the NHL this season, 74 of which were for offside (representing 45% of all challenges). Six of those 74 challenges for offside were against the Canadiens (representing 8% of all challenges for offside), and all six challenges were successful in getting the goal annulled.
What about the other teams, though? How many goals have they lost? No other team has had more goals annulled for offside than the Canadiens. The Colorado Avalanche are second in that department with five goals annulled on five offside challenges (7% of all offside challenges). The San Jose Sharks and the Washington Capitals are in third place, having lost four goals to offside challenges (5% of all offside challenges).
As for who challenged for offside the most, the Golden Knights are at the top of the list with six challenges, five of which were successful. The Leafs are second, with five challenges, all successful. The Wild, Utah Mammoth, Edmonton Oilers, and Chicago Blackhawks have all made four challenges. How many challenges for offside have the Canadiens made? Just one, and it was successful.
Turns out St-Louis was right, the Canadiens have lost more goals than any other team to offside challenges this season, perhaps there’s some work to be done on zone entries…
Feb 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Boston Celtics center Luka Garza (52) shoots over Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson (31) during the second half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
The frenzied final 48 hours before Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET NBA trade deadline posed a challenge for the Celtics as they arrived in Dallas to face Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks.
Hours before tip-off, the Celtics reportedly traded guard Anfernee Simons to the Bulls for center Nikola Vučević. Simons was immediately downgraded from available to out due to personal reasons, stripping Boston of its leading bench scorer and leaving a void in the rotation. Luka Garza, finding confidence beyond the arc in Dallas, filled that void.
Garza played 20 minutes off the bench in Boston’s 110-100 win on Tuesday night, and carved out his domain at the top of the key, rewarding feeds from Payton Pritchard.
“That’s generally where you get most of your shots off the pick-and-pop. It’s always an above-the-break kind of area, so I try to work on that a lot,” Garza told reporters, per CLNS Media. “Over time, I’ve grown more and more confident in it, and my teammates trust me. If I get it and get into a good rhythm stepping into the ball, I feel like I’m knocking it down.”
Three times, Garza used the pick-and-pop to create space at the top of the key, and three times he knocked down a 3-pointer from that spot. He finished with 16 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting from deep, tying his career high for made threes in a game. It marked Garza’s most in-sync performance from beyond the arc in a Celtics uniform, as he grew into a critical part of the offense throughout the night.
“Anytime you can catch a rhythm and make some shots in a stretch like that where our offense is really going, it’s definitely big time,” Garza told reporters. “So I know they’re important, especially when we’re playing guys like Gafford who are sitting in a drop. One way you can expose that is by stretching the floor and giving guys more space. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
Garza’s four made 3-pointers tied his second-most attempts in a game this season and marked the fifth time in his career he has hit at least three.
Boston’s ability to lean on Garza as a floor spacer — a role he rarely occupies — helped offset the loss of Simons in a way opposing defenses wouldn’t typically anticipate. Garza is shooting a career-best 47.6 percent from three on limited volume (1.5 attempts per game), well above his career average of 36.1 percent. Typically, his greatest impact comes on the offensive glass, where he turns teammates’ misses into second-chance opportunities and forces opponents to pay for defensive miscues.
In Dallas, Garza showcased one of the most important aspects of his growth: his versatility.
“Luka is able to give us advantages in different ways,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla told reporters, per CLNS Media. “Sometimes he’ll force a veer and get us an offensive rebound. Sometimes he’ll just get us open threes. Today, it was his ability to pop and force 2-on-1s that way. I thought we missed him on a couple in the first half, then our guys made an adjustment and got him open looks in the second half, which forced them into different defensive coverages and allowed us to execute in different ways.”
As the Mavericks focused on guarding Boston’s usual offensive threats, such as Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Pritchard, Garza capitalized on the openings he found. He recognized that Dallas wasn’t accounting for him as a perimeter threat, and he turned it to his advantage, proving he could knock down multiple three-pointers and become a legitimate weapon from that spot on the floor.
Garza’s efforts to build confidence as a shooter didn’t come at the expense of his usual duties as a backup frontcourt player. He still grabbed four rebounds (all offensive), added two steals, an assist, and a block, proving he can be a Swiss Army knife in limited minutes off the bench.
“I thought Luka was great in the second half,” Mazzulla added.
With Simons out of the equation, Mazzulla was forced to make adjustments. He removed Pritchard from the starting lineup for the first time this season, slotting him into the sixth-man role, and moved Baylor Scheierman into the starting five. It was a change, but not one the Celtics weren’t prepared for, as they had spent the season stressing the importance of their core principles and delivering a clean, on-brand 48 minutes of basketball.
This approach allowed Boston to withstand Flagg’s 36 points while also creating an opportunity for Garza to take a step forward in his development.
“This year, our margin for error has been slim,” Brown told reporters, per CLNS Media. “If we don’t come to play, if the other team wins the margins, we’ll lose games that we’re supposed to win. Those film sessions we’ve had — I call them Celtics University — it’s like a classroom. Everybody’s got their notepads, asking questions, breaking down the film and the details of everything, because the details are most important. The difference between good and great players is the details.”
Cigarette card (from the Billiken tobacco company) features a photo of baseball player Jose Acosta, of the Marianao team, Cuba, 1924. (Photo by Transcendental Graphics/Getty Images) | Getty Images
1922 The White Sox purchased right-handed reliever José Acosta from the Washington Senators. Acosta, born in La Habana in 1891, was the 33rd Cuban player in major league history and the first ever to play for the White Sox.
Acosta went 0-2 with an 8.40 ERA and -0.4 over five games for the 1922 White Sox. He would pitch for six more years, until age 38, finishing with 195 professional wins across MLB, the minors and foreign leagues.
1971 Another year … another Acosta?
The White Sox purchased pitcher Cecilio “Cy” Acosta from the Mexican League — no doubt aided by White Sox legend Minnie Miñoso, who was then a player-manager for Acosta’s Jalisco club.
Acosta’s U.S. debut came that summer, in 24 games for the Triple-A Tucson Toros, struggling with the transition to the upper minors by logging a 5.27 ERA. However, that was his last unsightly season in the White Sox organization, as Acosta was almost unbelievably good in a short career with the White Sox. The righthander compiled a 153 ERA+ and 5.7 WAR in just 186 innings from 1972-74, including the (tied for) sixth-best relief season in White Sox history (4.1 WAR in 1973). Acosta was sold to Philadelphia for the 1974 season and pitched in just six more games in his MLB career.
Acosta also was the first AL pitcher to bat after the institution of the DH rule, striking out in Dick Allen’s place on June 20, 1973.
Before and after his MLB stint, Acosta was a Mexican League stalwart. He pitched 17 seasons (1968-71, 1975-86), going 122-137 with a 3.42 ERA. He was elected to the Salón de la Fama de Beisbol (Hall of Fame) in Monterrey, Nueva León in Mexico in 2005.
1985 Chicago native and Niles prep school product Greg Luzinski, who signed with the White Sox in 1981 and revitalized his career in the DH spot, retired.
Luzinski was dumped at the end of Spring Training 1981 by his lifelong franchise, the Philadelphia Phillies — and the White Sox were all too happy to snap him up. “Bull” hit the ground running, clubbing his way through the strike-shortened 1981 campaign well enough to pile up 21 homers, 68 RBIs, an .841 OPS and a 23rd-place finish in MVP voting. He was every bit as good in 1982, and then had his best traditional-stats season for the White Sox in 1983 (32 homers, 95 RBIs, .854 OPS, 17th in MVP voting) and helped push the South Siders to 99 wins.
Among many White Sox to take a step back in 1984, Luzinski was as bad as any, dropping from 2.3 WAR to -0.3, and an 89 OPS+ that was by far the worst of his career. Thus, the Bull hung up his spikes, winding up his career with 307 homers and a 130 OPS+. Per JAWS, Luzinski remains the 91st best left fielder in major league history. And coincidentally, Luzinski’s closest similarity scores are of two former White Sox: Roy Sievers (94.3%) and Jermaine Dye (93.6%).
1990 Two former White Sox factor into the first and only championship of the Senior Professional Baseball Association. Both Lamar Johnson and Steve Kemp homered in a 12-4 win for the St. Petersburg Pelicans over the West Palm Beach Tropics. Johnson had three RBIs in the game and was named the Star of Stars for the game.
The league lost four teams in Florida for the 1990-91 season and added two in Arizona, with the league schedule shortening from 72 to 56 games. On December 28, it folded and did not re-form for 1991-92.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - MARCH 14: Jahmir Young #1 of the Maryland Terrapins celebrates his basket against the Wisconsin Badgers in the first half in the Second Round of the Big Ten Tournament at Target Center on March 14, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Several former Maryland men’s basketball players have impressed away from College Park this season, giving Terps fans something to root for.
Former star Jahmir Young has been one of the most impressive ones, and that was rewarded Tuesday.
Young is one of 26 G League players selected to participate in events during the NBA’s All-Star Weekend. He will play for Team Red in the Next Up Game and also participate in the 3-point contest.
Young has had a stellar season for the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He averages 26.6 points per game (second-most in the G League) and 9.7 assists per game (third-most in the G League) while also contributing six rebounds and 2.3 steals an outing.
Those contributions on the court were rewarded earlier in the year, with the Miami Heat converting Young’s deal to a two-way contract, which allows him to occasionally play in the NBA. He has totaled 34 minutes over seven games for the Heat — including 11 minutes in games on Feb. 1 and Feb. 3 — and shot 6-of-15 from the field, totaling 14 points, six assists, three rebounds and two turnovers.
That could lead to more NBA playing time for Young, who was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Chicago Bulls in 2024, waived in July and picked up by the Heat a month later.
NBA All-Star 2026 is based in Los Angeles this year. The 3-point contest will take place Feb. 14 at 2:30 p.m., and the Next Up Game will take place Feb. 15 at 2:30 p.m. Both events are available to watch on the NBA Channel and the NBA App.
In other news
Maryland men’s lacrosse’s season-opening game against Loyola (Md.) has been moved indoors.
Another big schedule update. I’m told Saturdays @TerpsMLax vs @LoyolaMLAX game has officially been moved indoors to Jones-Hill House.
Maryland men’s basketball alum Kevin Huerter got dealt to the Detroit Pistons ahead of the NBA trade deadline.
Just in: Chicago, Minnesota and Detroit have agreed to a multi-team deal that sends Jaden Ivey and Mike Conley Jr. to the Bulls and Kevin Huerter and Dario Saric to the Pistons, sources tell ESPN. Detroit also receives a 2026 first-round protected swap from Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/pgxqr1WT90
CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 15: Carlos Santana #41 of the Cleveland Guardians bats during the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on Friday, August 15, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Congratulations to Carlos Santana on finding a team for the 2026 season.
The Diamondbacks will be his 9th team, which is crazy for a guy who has spent 11 years with one of those.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers showed off just how full their free agency haul has gotten, by DFAing one of the guys they signed this offseason.
The rest of baseball really needs to wake up. Presumably LA will start adding depth by giving out MILB contracts that are $1M+.
ELMONT, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 03: The New York Islanders celebrate after defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 during overtime at UBS Arena on February 03, 2026 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Steven Ryan/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Here are your Pens Points for this Wednesday morning…
New York Islanders forward Bo Horvat scored twice on Tuesday night, including his game-winning goal 52 seconds into overtime, as the Islanders beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-4 and Pittsburgh dropped its second straight game. [Recap]
The Penguins placed goaltender Filip Larsson on unconditional waivers for a contract termination on Tuesday. [Trib Live]
It appears life in Oil Country isn’t going too well for former Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry. And recent postgame comments will likely do him no favors to endear him to teammates or the Edmonton faithful. [Trib Live]
Updates from around the NHL…
The NHL is rightfully getting flamed on social media for reducing its donation amount to cancer research following a moment during Sunday’s Stadium Series game where a cancer survivor was brought onto the ice to make a shot at a small opening in the net from center ice. [Sporting News]
The main ice hockey arena for the Winter Olympics is finally ready. However, some NHL players might feel as if they’re skating on a lake. [Associated Press]
The Columbus Blue Jackets reshuffled some of their front office personnel on Tuesday, giving promotions to former players Chris Clark and Rick Nash. [TSN]
Young Philadelphia Flyers forward Matvei Michkov has had his troubles in what would be generously described as a sophomore slump campaign. His head coach, Rick Tocchet, even offered some blunt criticism of the 21-year-old on a podcast on Sunday, saying he came into training camp out of shape. However, it appears the organization has not lost faith in the former seventh overall pick. [Sportsnet]
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 26: Paul Skenes #30 of the Pittsburgh Pirates during batting practice before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on September 26, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Brett Davis/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are going into the 2026 MLB season with a lot of optimism, largely in part due to an improving star pitcher in Paul Skenes and an offense that projects to be better than it was a year ago.
Trading for Tampa Bay Rays infielder Brandon Lowe and signing Ryan O’Hearn in free agency gives the Pirates reason to be hopeful when it comes to the offense, but there is a possibility that these offensive upgrades just aren’t enough.
The Pirates know that they are entering a potential contending window with Skenes approaching the prime of his career. Once they have No. 1 prospect Konnor Griffin coming up, the Pirates will have the foundation for a true contender. However, there is a legitimate possibility that it all falls apart like it has in the past.
Gerrit Cole comes to mind when looking at a premier Pirates pitching prospect that was traded because the team couldn’t build a contender around him. The Pirates need to do everything in their power to ensure that Skenes doesn’t become the next iteration of Cole.
The moves this offseason indicate that the Pirates are committed to turning things around and trying to build a contender around Skenes. It isn’t something that can be built overnight, and the team still has several years of control when it comes to his contract. So, there is no immediate need for this trade to happen.
It’s something to think about in the back of the mind, but with Skenes under team control until 2029, the Pirates will only hear the noise get louder if the team doesn’t start winning more.
Oct 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio (11) reacts during the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game four of the NLCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Continuing our February Daily Question series, we’re beginning today’s conversation with the question, “What is the thing you’re afraid to say out loud about this team?”
For the third consecutive offseason, the Brewers have swapped one of their key pitchers (Corbin Burnes in February 2024, Devin Williams in December 2024, Freddy Peralta this January) to reload with young players. This time it came in the form of Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams, two of the team’s top prospects entering the year.
Beyond that obvious major change, this squad isn’t much different from the one that finished in first place in the NL Central with 97 wins last season. Brandon Woodruff is back as is most of the rest of the pitching staff. Isaac Collins and Nick Mears are now with the Royals, but the Brewers added another lefty arm in the form of Ángel Zerpa. Akil Baddoo adds some further depth to the outfield, while catcher Reese McGuire will compete with Jeferson Quero for the backup job.
But what is the thing you’re scared to say about this team?
Weigh in in the comments, and join us throughout the month as we keep these conversations rolling into spring training. Have a question you’d like to ask in a future BCB Daily Question? Drop one in the comments and we may use it later this month.
UNITED STATES - NOVEMBER 04: New York Yankees' Derek Jeter sits alone in the dugout as the Arizona Diamondbacks celebrate their 3-2 win over the Yankees in Game 7 of the World Series at Bank One Ballpark. It is the Diamondbacks' first World Series win. (Photo by Keith Torrie/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images) | NY Daily News via Getty Images
Welcome to Wednesday. The Yankees’ pitchers and catchers will officially report to spring training a week from today! Hurrah. There’s not much else going on though, so we’ll get into today’s discussion prompt.
The Yankees have won 27 championships of course, but there have still been plenty of seasons that ended with frustrating results. Here’s just a smattering that come to mind:
The 1960 Yanks bludgeoned the Pirates in the World Series in terms of run differential; it didn’t matter when they lost in seven games on Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off bomb.
Prior to their long playoff drought, the 1980 and 1981 Yanks saw their seasons ended by two postseason opponents from the previous decade who flipped the script (the Royals and Dodgers).
The 1985 Yanks won 97 games in Don Mattingly’s MVP season and Rickey Henderson’s superb New York debut, but missed the playoffs since the Wild Card did not yet exist and Toronto beat them out for the AL East.
No AL team had a better record in mid-August of 1994 than the ascendant Yankees. A labor dispute cut the season short on August 11th and the World Series was cancelled. Fans never got to know if this Mattingly team would have gotten him to that Fall Classic.
The Yanks did return to the playoffs at last in 1995, but after jumping out to a 2-0 series lead over the Mariners, they lost three in a row in Seattle to get eliminated with Edgar Martinez delivering a dagger of a double for the final walk-off blow. David Cone still curses the Kingdome.
Can one really complain after a three-peat dynasty finally ends in 2001? Well, despite some downright thrilling playoff heroics in wake of 9/11, it did end in brutal fashion thanks to a shocking Mariano Rivera blown save that featured bad defense, an inexplicable Tony Womack double, and Luis Gonzalez winning the World Series for Arizona on a bloop to shortstop with the infield in.
The 2003 Yanks might have been the best team in franchise history to not win a World Series. They won a playoff series for the ages too, as an ALCS Game 7 rally off Pedro Martinez and Aaron Boone’s walk-off homer created an all-time moment. Instead of riding that wave to a championship, they got clowned by the Marlins of all teams in a six-game World Series loss that ended in Josh Beckett’s Yankee Stadium shutout.
2004. There have been 10,000 sports documentaries about this one, and they’re still being churned out. NEXT.
Although the Yankees had four deeply frustrating first-round exits during the first decade of this century, 2006 might take the cake. The Tigers had stumbled badly down the stretch to squander their 10-game AL Central lead and fall into a Wild Card spot. The Yankees were “Murderers’ Row and Canó,” in the words of Detroit skipper Jim Leyland. Guess which one of these teams fell apart in the ALDS?
The Yankees’ post-Derek Jeter youth movement hit the jackpot in 2017 with rookie Aaron Judge suddenly turning into a 50-homer MVP candidate. This popular team went from low preseason expectations all the way to Game 7 of the ALCS, which they lost to an Astros club that soon became infamous.
Take your pick from the Aaron Boone Era. 2019, when the 103-win “Next Man Up” Yanks went down in the flames to the Astros in the ALCS again, this time in Jose Altuve walk-off fashion? 2022, when another ALCS rematch with Houston ended in a thoroughly uncompetitive sweep? Or perhaps 2024, when one year of Juan Soto got New York back to the Fall Classic, but a previously supernova Judge went cold in October and the World Series against the Dodgers was lost with questionable managing and awful Game 5 defense?
The contenders are fierce. My old colleague Greg Kirkland always pointed to ’94 due to never getting to find out the true ending for what that team deserved. I was too young for that, but I think that’s entirely fair. Among the teams I watched most closely, 2001 was the most heartbreaking and 2004 the most embarrassing — though boy did the very end of 2024 give that a run for its money. What about you?
Today on the site, we’ll have two particular articles that will work in tandem with each other about a contentious topic at the moment: the Yankees’ bullpen. Andrés will take the optimistic view and argue why this group is being overlooked and could turn out to be quite good, while Jeff will be the opposition and detail why it’s a point of weakness at the moment that should have been improved. Elsewhere, we’ll have our Peter celebrate a forgotten “Lefty” from Yankees history for our Birthdays series, and Nick will be on double duty for a season preview post on Paul Blackburn and a look book at Andy Pettitte’s shocking-but-welcome unretirement in spring 2012 as part of our 50 Most Notable Yankees Free Agents.
