Meet the Mets

Come on, Superman, say your stupid line: Francisco Alvarez is in the best shape of his life as spring training begins.

Christian Scott is very confident as he makes his return from Tommy John surgery.

Unlike past springs, Jonah Tong is now firmly in the spotlight for the Mets.

Steve Cohen spoke to Howie Rose about the various departures the Mets experienced this offseason and the outlook on the 2026 squad.

As we inch closer to the start of baseball, here is another roster projection for the 2026 opening day Mets.

Around the National League East

Several people with the Phillies offered their thoughts about Nick Castellanos’s acrimonious departure from the organization.

Spring training camp has begun, yet the Braves are still seeking to add a playoff-caliber starting pitcher.

To the surprise of no one, Sandy Alcántara will be taking the mound for the Marlins on opening day.

The Nationals’ spring training stadium has leaped into the 21st century.

Around Major League Baseball

One of the biggest name free agents remaining on the market is now off the board, as Zac Gallen is returning to the Diamondbacks on a one-year deal.

Milwaukee has filled an infield hole on their roster by signing Luis Rengifo to a one-year deal.

The Blue Jays and Astros have swung a trade, with Jesús Sánchez heading to Toronto and Houston receiving Joey Loperfido in return.

Shelby Miller will likely miss the entire 2026 season, but the Cubs are signing him to a two-year deal to secure his place on their 2027 squad.

Gerrit Cole is feeling good as he seeks to make his return to the mound this season following last year’s elbow surgery.

Alex Vesia offered an emotional statement to the media in response to his missing the World Series last October due to the death of his infant child.

Which teams had the biggest WAR improvements over the course of the offseason?

We still have a ways to go until opening day, but the college baseball season has begun with a splash, i.e. three grand slams from one player.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

We asked the community to provide their prediction for the 2026 NL East standings.

Brian Salvatore examined Christian Arroyo, one of many depth options the Mets have with them in spring training.

This Date in Mets History

Mets legends José Lima (RIP) and Liván Hernández were signed on this day in 2006 and 2009, respectively.

Here's what happened in Mets Land during spring training workouts on Friday, in case you missed it...

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• Jonah Tongis looking forward to developing his secondary pitches and growing mentally as a first-time big league camper
• The Mets are excited about the defensive versatility and untapped potential from MJ Melendez, who recently signed a one-year deal 
• While the club is still preparing for Grapefruit League action, it's not too early to predict what the Opening Day roster might look like
• On the latest episode of The Mets Pod, Connor and Joe reacted to Francisco Lindor's hand injury and Juan Soto's position change
• WATCH:Bo Bichette’s move to third base is in full swing for Mets

• WATCH: Mets manager Carlos Mendoza on starting rotation, development of Jonah Tong
• WATCH:Mets starter Jonah Tong reveals what he’s working on in live BP sessions

As you may know, MLB will use an automated ball-strike system in nearly all games this season. Teams only get two of these in the first nine innings of a game, which isn’t nearly enough. If an umpire misses less than five ball-strike calls in a game, it’s a very good effort. So they probably have a strategy for using their challenges. They will need one to use it effectively. We already know how Chris Sale feels on the subject. He’s borrowing a page from a Braves pitcher from yesteryear.

#Braves Freddy Garcia: "I don't panic. I just make pitch."

— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) October 7, 2013

I feel that emotion and it may play into what the Braves want to do. He’s going to (A) let the catcher to decide on a close call and (B) bank those calls for later in the game. What I think you want to avoid from a pitching standpoint is having a third strike being called a ball and having it immediately hurt you. Did the Braves benefit from this situation last year? Yes, twice it happened where the Braves hit a home run. This is Drake Baldwin on the Fourth of July.

Then later:

The second was Matt Olson on September 26. Statcast had this a ball, but it didn’t appear egregious.

And on the next pitch:

The Braves had 88 third strikes called a ball. They yielded two home runs. If you think you have the hitter struck out, that would be a good time to ask. 88 times over the course of a year would be 27% of your challenges. But that’s if you spot every error. In reality, your odds of overturning may be closer to a coin flip. So that’s over half your challenges. I would run the query the other way (Braves pitching versus opponent hitting) but it’s a tougher task. That is, until I can quit being lazy and fully upgrade my data collection.

Notice here that we’re not considering the game’s leverage here. In a close game late, a challenged third strike feels like a given. But trying to grab an out, whenever you can get, it seems like a good idea too. What we’re also not doing is considering how the Braves use innings and score instead of leverage when it comes to bullpen selection, and that might extend to this as well.

There’s lots more to consider. But there’s 400 of my words. So how will the Braves employ ABS this season? I yield back the balance of my digital ink to the commentariat.

Let’s assume for a second that Nick Castellanos finds gainful employment this offseason. It’s a likely supposition since he was still an above average hitter by wRC+ not long ago and likely would be unburdened of the yoke of outfield defense by whatever team decides to sign him. Wherever he goes, he will ultimately be compared to the player that is replacing him in Adolis Garcia. Together, the Phillies are spending ~$30 million on that position this year, paying one to stay and one to go away.

They will be linked all season, so let’s put our guesstimation hats on. Who will have the better season by WAR: Castellanos or Garcia? It’s going to be something worth following all year, from up close and from afar, to see if the money spent was done so wisely.

With Opening Day only 40 days away, we are winding down on what has been a busy Orioles offseason. Punctuated by the big-money signing of slugger Pete Alonso, the 2026 offseason has seen the O’s bring in Alonso, Ryan Helsley, Chriss Bassit, Zach Eflin and Leody Taveras through free agency, while trading for Taylor Ward, Shane Baz, Andrew Kittredge and Blaze Alexander. Mike Elias & Co. haven’t always met Birdland’s hopes and expectations with these moves, but no one can say they haven’t been busy.

The front office pulling the trigger on the Ward and Baz trades may signal an increased willingness to be aggressive in the trade market. Previously, Elias had been accused of clutching too tightly to the prospects he drafted/acquired, instead preferring to make trades using low-level prospects for players with lower upside. Even the hallmark acquisition of his tenure in Baltimore, the trade for Corbin Burnes, cost relatively little in terms of prospects.

The recent trades certainly paint a picture of a bolder, more “win-now” Mike Elias. Acquiring Ward came at the expense of starter Grayson Rodriguez, formerly the top pitching prospect in all of baseball and the presumptive future ace of the Orioles, who missed all of 2025 with shoulder and elbow injuries. The trade for Baz saw the O’s send away four Top 30 prospects, including two of Elias’ top four picks from the most recent draft.

Should the Orioles dip back into the trade market to bridge the gap between “playoff hopeful” and “true contender,” determining who is off limits in trade talks in now harder than before. Gunnar Henderson, as the Orioles’ best player and Top 20 player in all of baseball, surely isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Samuel Basallo and his $67M contract would also undoubtedly be on the no-trade list. The same goes for the recently-signed Alonso.

But are there truly any other no-brainer, must-be-included candidates for an Orioles’ no-trade list? A year ago, it would have been unfathomable to consider trading Adley Rutschman. However, after his battles with injuries over the last 18 months, and the major financial commitment to Basallo, is that still the case? Infielders Jordan Westburg and Jackson Holliday have both shown flashes of All-Star potential. And yet, with Westburg’s own mounting injury concerns and Holliday’s general inconsistency, it’s also hard to label them truly untouchable.

In the outfield, Colton Cowser and Dylan Beavers are the players with the most long-term upside, but is their potential high enough to keep them far away from the trade block? And while I’d personally love to see Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers spend the rest of their careers in Baltimore, the front office may not be so steadfast in their admiration for the Orioles top two pitchers.

So we turn it over to Camden Chat’s best would-be GMs. Who are the Orioles you would never trade, no matter what the offer was?

Baseball is finally back as Spring Training has just begun this week and teams are reporting in to lay the groundwork for the upcoming season. In a lot of ways this is a new look Pittsburgh Pirates team on many levels. Even with the new look however I fear there may be some factors that would cause fans to tune out long before the All-Star break.

Poor team defense hampering the pitching rotation

The heart and soul of the Pirates is the pitching staff. The rotation of Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller, Bubba Chandler, Braxton Ashcraft and Jared Jones (eventually) is going to be what elevates this team in the win department. Pittsburgh’s offense was putrid last year, but luckily the organization has added plenty of pieces to help their lineup and offer some more run support for their pitching core.

The downside of adding to this offense is that the Pirates were not able to address any major defensive concerns. Since the Ke’Bryan Hayes trade there has not been another third baseman acquired by the club, leaving that spot to likely be played by Jared Triolo. However, there’s a chance that Triolo will have to play shortstop if phenom Konnor Griffin is not deemed ready for the majors following Spring Training, leaving a question mark at third if that’s the case. The outfield needed some depth added and the Pirates just didn’t sign anyone that moves the needle defensively.

Will Oneil Cruz put it all together in 2026? #MLBNHotStovepic.twitter.com/Fan5nQCceL

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 6, 2026

Last season the great pitching rotation that the Pirates had was hampered by the lack of offensive output, and regularly lost close games because of the lack of runs. It will be a disaster if all the Pirates did this offseason is flip the equation on its head and causes the pitching staff to again be hampered by a lineup that doesn’t make the required plays to keep opposing runs in check. ESPN projected that the Pirates will win 80 games in 2026, citing that the team defense will hold this club back from reaching its full potential.

A lack of Konnor Griffin

An argument could be made that Konnor Griffin is the most exciting prospect for the Pirates since Barry Bonds. In his lone season of professional baseball he absolutely crushed it in the minor leagues and at just 19-years-old is in a position to be on Pittsburgh’s opening day roster.

Now if Griffin is not a part of the Pirates immediately following Spring Training, it’s not the end of the world. The organization notably did not elevate Paul Skenes past triple-a until May 11 his rookie year. Sometimes it’s just about seeing how a player adapts to the next level and giving them time to adjust. However, if the Pirates give Griffin the Bubba Chandler treatment I will stop tuning in.

Pirates reporter @KevinGormanPGH of the Trib from Bradenton:

"I think Konnor Griffin is the starting shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates on Opening Day"

!!! pic.twitter.com/Ah0m7NwgBJ

— Austin Bechtold (@AustinRBechtold) February 13, 2026

Chandler was infamously not called up until August 22 last season. The top pitching prospect in baseball was stuck in triple-a for most of the year and when he was called up the Pirates were already way out of the playoff race and were obviously not in a position to compete. I understand the idea of maintaining team control as long as possible and earning that extra year of control over a player’s career, but when there is a generational star sulking in the minor leagues it shows that the organization is not serious about winning. Griffin is the real deal, and if he’s not on the Pirates before June 1 I’ll have lost my patience.

Same old same old

For the first time in franchise history, the Pirates are projected to have a payroll over $100 million with FanGraphs projected the team to have a payroll of $105 million. This still puts the team well in the bottom half of the league of total payroll. While the teams with the highest payroll doesn’t always win the World Series, it does at the very least show that the organizations at the top are willing to do whatever it takes to win.

Because of the questionable team culture from previous seasons, the Pirates missed out on marquee free agents like Kyle Schwarber and Eugenio Suarez. Even if the Pirates were willing to pay top dollar, they weren’t going to get top dollar talent because of the preconceived notions surrounding ownership. The same owner that traded away Andrew McCutchen in 2018. The same owner that did not build upon the core of the team that brought the Pirates back to the postseason after 20 straight losing seasons. The same owner that covered up Roberto Clemente’s number with a drink ad. The one constant in this recent history of the Pirates is Bob Nutting, who will be public enemy number one as long as he sits atop his ivory tower as the owner of Pittsburgh’s ball club.

I want to believe in this new era of Pirates’ baseball with Don Kelly at the helm, but having a general manager as average as Ben Cherington and an owner like Nutting makes me fear that nothing has really changed. Groundhog Day just passed, and there’s a real possibility that we will witness the same Pirates’s season that we’ve seen year after year now since the last postseason appearance 2015. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result. I’m already insane enough during the Steelers’ season, and I refuse to be driven insane during the Pirates’ season too.

Bob Nutting has been selling Pirates fans on the same story for almost two decades now pic.twitter.com/uLjcjKpQtU

— Pittsburgh Sports Memories (@PittsburghSpo18) February 12, 2026

What do yinz think? Will there be anything that will make you check out from watching the Pirates early on or will you be around for the full 162 games? Let us know in the comments!

Alex Vesia threw a bullpen session as did many other Dodgers pitchers on the first official day of workouts at Camelback Ranch in Arizona. Then the veteran left-hander spoke to reporters en masse for the first time since the death of his newborn daughter Sterling in October.

Vesia read a prepared statement for six minutes on Friday, the transcript of which you can read here from Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic and can watch the video here courtesy of SportsNet LA.

Alex Vesia speaks publicly for the first time since October, sharing a heartfelt message and encouraging others facing loss to seek help. 💙

“For those out there who have lost a child or are fighting through any struggle… please seek help. Talk to somebody.” pic.twitter.com/8yC9fdmT37

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) February 13, 2026

“I was not prepared to not bring my baby girl home, but we’re carrying her with us every day,” Vesia said Friday. “It’s been hard, but we’re doing okay.”

“I know his teammates are excited to have him back,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Friday. “Our hearts went out to him and Kayla. You don’t wish that on anyone.”

More on Vesia from Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register and from Jack Harris of The California Post.

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Max Muncy’s contract extension signed Thursday has him under contract with the Dodgers through his age-36 season and, if the 2028 club option is exercised, at age 37 as well. He talked to Rowan Kavner at Fox Sports on Friday about staying in Los Angeles.

“I like to be loyal and my relationships mean a lot. I’ve created such a relationship with the staff, the front office, the coaches, the medical and training staff, the clubhouse guys,” Muncy said. I just don’t want to create that somewhere else. Being here for my entire career at this point would mean the world to me, and this gives me the chance to do that.“

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One day after getting traded to the Twins, Anthony Banda penned a thank you to Los Angeles on Instagram for his two years in the Dodgers, thanking the city, his teammates, coaches, and fans.

“The last two seasons changed my career,” Banda wrote. “I’ll always be grateful for my time in LA. This chapter meant a lot to me.”

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The Tulsa Drillers, the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate, unveiled a new alternate uniform for this season, with an oil derrick on the cap and honoring Route 66 on the jersey. From the press release: “A reflection of the infamous Route 66 neons, the blue outline imitates the familiar glow.”

Introducing our Tulsa Connects, where Drillers baseball meets the legacy of Route 66 in its Centennial year. pic.twitter.com/b2E6renBpO

— Tulsa Drillers (@TulsaDrillers) February 13, 2026

We all know Jose Ramirez is the greatest of all-time – but who is your next favorite player on the Guardians?

This is not a question asking you who is next BEST. But, instead, whom does your heart prefer? Who do you like rooting for? Which player matches your personal preferences?

We will have another question about Jose in specific, but for this time, let us know who is your guy outside of Jose.

Let us know why you like that player and help us enjoy their presence on our favorite team in the comments below.

Good morning Birdland,

The Winter Olympics do not have the same appeal as the Summer Games. While nearly all of us can relate to the athletes running, swimming, jumping, and playing various ball sports in the sweltering heat of the summer, far fewer can sympathize with the snow-focused events that required a whole lot more time, gear, and resources than you had as a kid. I don’t know anyone that cross country skis. But everyone raced their friends, or has played some games of pick-up at recess.

That said, I have been enjoying the Winter Games! It’s nice to have some sort of sport to check out throughout the day. I don’t necessarily understand it all, but high-level competition is fun, and it’s filling a gap in the sports schedule that is often devoid of much else. Give me an international curling tournament every February! Maybe they already do that. I will have to check.

Anyway, the point of all of this is to say that baseball’s time to shine is nearly here. This weekend will see anyone that isn’t already in Orioles camp roll in ahead of the first full-squad workout on Monday. The first game of the Grapefruit League season takes place on Friday. Baseball is in the air.

You can tell by the pure volume of links down below that people are getting excited. There are genuinely interesting things to read about the Orioles all over the internet. The time for offseason hypothesizing and projecting is over. The players will be on the field (and then on our TVs and radios) very, very soon.

The final nail in that offseason coffin came on Friday, when the Orioles confirmed their deal with Chris Bassitt. Any lingering hopes for adding an “ace” were officially dashed, although that probably happened in truth quite a while ago. It will be up to the arms they have in-house to carry them through the early part of the season. If the team puts itself in a good enough position come July, they might be back in the trade market for an upgrade.

But let’s get through the spring healthy first. That has already proven difficult for certain parts of the 2026 roster.

Links

Another look at center field, Kjerstad’s long home run and other live batting practice nuggets on Day 3 of Orioles camp | Roch Kubatko
Roch runs through a bunch of outfielders in this one. It sounds like Colton Cowser is the center fielder. That is not a shock to anyone at this point, but it wasn’t always obvious throughout the offseason. Heston Kjerstad is looking strong, which is great news. It’s tough to see a path to playing time for him with the Orioles, but it’s possible. If it doesn’t happen here, maybe he shows enough in the spring to get back onto radars around the league.

Jordan Westburg’s oblique setback starts another frustrating rehab process | The Baltimore Banner
Thankfully, the Orioles are currently setup well to absorb an injury like this. If Westburg can actually get back to 100% (or close to it) before Opening Day, this won’t be a big deal. But obliques are tricky. They can linger and nag. Even if Westburg is cleared for the opener, the O’s may have to handle him with kid gloves early.

Which teams improved the most this winter? | MLB.com
The Orioles are one of the most improved teams, according to bWAR added this offseason. That does not guarantee anything, particularly not in the AL East, but it is a reflection of the work done this offseason. Hopefully it translates onto the playing field.

The Orioles roster needed a lot of help. Like it or not, the front office has provided it. | The Baltimore Banner
In a similar vein to the above MLB article, this lays how all of the things that the Orioles did accomplish these last few months. There is certainly space to criticize the front office’s moves this offseason, but you can’t say they sat on their hands. It was a busy winter. Now we will see if it all pans out.

MLB offseason grades: From A’s for the Dodgers, Cubs, Mariners and Orioles to a handful of D’s, here’s how each team did this winter | Yahoo! Sports
The Céspedes Family BBQ guys have graded every team’s offseason. The Orioles did well!

Veteran RHP Bassitt agrees to 1-year deal with Orioles | MLB.com
What had been reported earlier in the week was confirmed by the Orioles on Friday evening. Chris Bassitt will bolster a starting staff that feels a whole lot better than it did 12 months ago.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Ryan McKenna turns 29 today. The outfielder spent parts of four seasons with the Orioles, often coming on as a late-inning defensive replacement, or used as a right-handed bat to face left-handed pitching. Across those four years he accrued 0.8 bWAR and a 79 OPS+.

This day in O’s history

1959 – The Orioles purchase first baseman Whitey Lockman from the Giants. Lockman will later be traded to the Cincinnati Redlegs.

The above turned out to be controversial as trolls descended upon Taillon’s X-feed, prompting him to sign off for the season, as he put it.

Lots of spring training interviews via Marquee, making up for lost time, I suppose, since they went almost two weeks without any new material. Here’s the playlist.

I don’t see picking up Nick Castellanos. He isn’t what he was in 2019 when he knocked the ball around Wrigley for part of a season. If he was, he’d still be in Philly. Tyler Austin or even Jonathan Long might be better as an RH DH bat. But people gonna talk, and that’s in the zeitgeist.

Shelby Miller is the newest Cub, as reported by Robert Murray originally. Miles Mikolas has landed in Washington, sources say. Jose Quintana is a Rockie.

“Unfinished business” is in the air. The players are in the best shape of their lives and they’ll all pull together as a team. They have already had their hair cut and are after the jewelry. Real games start in a week.

“The work seems different than years past. I know it’s like a Spring Training cliche, but guys show up and it doesn’t seem as rah-rah exciting. It seems more like, ‘Let’s get to work’ exciting, if that makes sense. It should be an exciting year.” — Jameson Taillon

*means autoplay on, (directions to remove for Firefox and Chrome). {$} means paywall. {$} means limited views. Italics are often used on this page as sarcasm font. The powers that be have enabled real sarcasm font in the comments.

• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): As expectations heighten, so does Jed Hoyer’s need to obsess over every detail. “Yeah, it’s a super-healthy mindset,” Hoyer said with a laugh…
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): ‘There’s unfinished business’: Chicago Cubs open camp with high expectations — and embrace the challenge. “The Chicago Cubs are not shying away from lofty goals.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Shota brings philosophical approach, renewed focus to important spring. “There will be no shortage of motivation for Imanaga this year.“ More from Maddie Lee* {$}.
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): What we learned at Chicago Cubs camp, including starter Cade Horton having ‘a lot to prove’ in Year 2. “I felt like I ended the year in a good spot and so just being able to to go out there and really hammer down my routine and stay in the process, I think that’s the biggest thing for me.” More Horton from Matthew Trueblood.
• Ken Rosenthal (The Athletic {$}): Cubs camp is barely underway – and Alex Bregman is already making his new teammates better. “He really wants to help guys get better,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “He’s passionate about it.”
• Randy Holt (North Side Baseball*): Can Miguel Amaya ride a smaller role to long-term gains in 2026? Through no fault of his own, Miguel Amaya was one of the Cubs’ most disappointing stories of 2025.
• Seacoastonline*: Winnacunnet High School alum powers Chicago Cubs with baseball science. “… Gyorda has now been working for the Chicago Cubs for nearly two years.”

Food For Thought:

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series. We will not wittingly publish A. I. – driven articles or clickbait, and insist on unimpeachable sources.

Scottsdale, Ariz. – Ryan Feltner had a forgettable 2025 season.

After a brilliant 2024 campaign, the right-hander made just six starts in 2025 before suffering from back spasms. He went on the 15-day IL on May 2 and was transferred to the 60-day on June 15. He made a few rehab starts in June, but was then optioned to Triple-A on July 4 and never returned to the major league clubhouse. In fact, his injury flared up again in late July, which ended his season. 

But Feltner isn’t letting an injury-plagued 2025 sour his goals for 2026.

“Last year, my body didn’t hold up quite the way I wanted it to,” he said, “but I did a lot of things in the offseason to prepare me for this year. I spent it at Cressey Sports Performance in Jupiter, Florida. It was a good time. I got stronger – that was my main goal. I feel really healthy right now.”

Clearly, a lot has changed since Feltner last set foot in the Rockies clubhouse: Bud Black was fired, and Warren Schaeffer was elevated (and since fully hired) as the manager; Bill Schmidt resigned as general manager and replaced by Josh Byrnes and Paul DePodesta; the entire coaching staff is new; and the whole vibe of the clubhouse is different. 

“I’m super excited (for Schaeffer),” Feltner said.

“I had him in Triple-A as my manager, and I’ve always had great respect for him. I think he’s doing a great job, and he’s already started to move things in the right direction. (And we’d) kept in touch over the offseason and things like that. I’ve known him for a while, so it definitely feels like a positive environment around here right now.”

And as far as the pitching coaches go, Feltner has hit the ground running when he arrived in Arizona.

“I’ve worked closely with the pitching guys for about three weeks now, just being here early, and they were all around,” he said.

“I think they’re excited because I have a very diverse arsenal. I have a lot of pitches that I can throw, and so I think if I’m given the right pitch grip or the right cue or whatever it is, I’m able to throw any pitch.

“We’re kind of shaping my arsenal,” he continued. “It’s going to look very similar, but we’re going to do little tweaks that, I think, shift things in the right direction. So there might be a new pitch coming along. And they’ve been super helpful, even with the mental side as well, just giving me the confidence to be in the zone a lot and attack it.”

Feltner then revealed that he has been working on a cutter. 

“I have a fastball. I have a two-seamer. I’ve always had a short slider, which has also doubled as a cutter to lefties,” he listed, “but there might be a designated cutter. We’re still working on it, but it’s still in the process.”

Something new pitching coach Alon Leichman likes to do is call pitches from the dugout, which has been intriguing to much of the baseball world – players and fans alike. Feltner hasn’t experienced it before, but offered his thoughts.

“I think I’ve mentioned it before, but I think the times when I’ve pitched the best are when I’ve really leaned into what the catcher is calling,” he said. 

“It doesn’t matter to me where the pitch call comes from. I think [Leichman] has a lot of good information that he can go off of, and if he wants to call the pitches when I’m pitching, I would love that. I think for me, it clears up a lot of mental space. It’s just another thing that I don’t have to deal with, and I can just focus on pitching.”

It’s still early in the season, but Feltner is already feeling a new vibe in the clubhouse as they head into 2026.

“I think [I’m most excited for] the new culture around here,” he said. “I think there’s new energy. You walk through the hallways and there’s music playing. I think it’s a little more relaxed, and I think guys are going to have a lot more fun.”

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To Read (Rockpiles)

• Monday (Guest): A Quick Fix for Rockies Starting Pitching: Ditch the Four-Seamers | HC Werner
• Tuesday: The Colorado Rockies and “optionality” | Renee Dechert
• Wednesday (Guest): How the Colorado Rockies can follow the rebuild of another Colorado team | Evan Liu
• Thursday: ‘Super exciting’ new Rockies chapter starts today in spring training | Joelle Milholm
• Friday: Tomoyuki Sugano is ready to bring leadership and experience to the Rockies rotation | Sam Bradfield

To Read (PuRPs)

Full Stream

• No. 14, Roc Riggio
• No. 13, Sterlin Thompson
• No. 12, Gabriel Hughes
• No. 11, Roldy Brito
• No. 10, Griffin Herring

To Read (Other)

• Staff Feature: The Rockies at the 2026 World Baseball Classic | Evan Lang
• Roster News: Rockies sign RHP Tomoyuki Sugano | Evan Lang
• Roster News: According to reports, Colorado Rockies to sign Jose Quintana | Renee Dechert
• Staff Feature: 2026 spring training storylines to watch for pitchers and catchers | Skyler Timmins
• Other News: Colorado Rockies announce 2026 spring training broadcast schedule | Skyler Timmins

Weekend Discussion Topics

Which signing are you more intrigued by — Michael Lorenzen, Tomoyuki Sugano or Jose Quintana? What do you think the starting rotation will look like now? Let us know in the comments!

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Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Good morning baseball fans!

As we approach Spring Training and the beginning of the season, we’re going to be doing some questions for y’all about your thoughts about the San Francisco Giants and baseball in general!

Today’s question: What are your 2026 predictions that you will stand by all season?

I am not great at making predictions. My predictions tend to be more about what I want to see, not necessarily what I think will actually happen. So I’ll try to make one of each.

In terms of what I would like to see happen this season, I predict Jung Hoo Lee will have an absolutely standout season and make the All Star team. I don’t know if that will actually happen, but it is the prediction I would like to see happen so I’m going with it.

In terms of what I think is likely to happen, I’m predicting that the team will have a below .500 season. I think the fact that they ended last year at exactly .500 was mostly due to having an unexpectedly strong start to the year that fizzled out before the All Star break. I don’t know that that will repeat, and I don’t think this team is meaningfully better than the 2025 team, so I think even .500 might be out of reach. But I hope to be wrong!

What are your 2026 prediction that you will stand by all season?