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RHP Hunter Brown, who was announced by Joe Espada as the Astros Opening Day starter, will make his Spring debut today. In 2025, Brown established himself as one of the top starters in the Majors, going 12-9 in 31 starts with a 2.43 ERA with 206 strikeouts in 185.1 innings of work. Among AL starters, Brown ranked second in ERA and Quality Starts (21),  third in strikeouts (206), fourth in WHIP (1.03) and fourth in pitching WAR (4.8). Brown was named to his first All-Star team and finished third in the voting for the AL Cy Young Award. He also earned AL Pitcher of the Month honors for June (1.19 ERA, .130 opp. avg.) and his season included a 28.0-inning scoreless inning streak in 2025.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Wednesday, February 25, 12:10 p.m. CST

Location: Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, Jupiter, FL

TV: No Local Broadcast

Streaming: MLB.tv (audio only)

Radio: KBME 790 AM / 94.5 FM HD-2

Diesel Day.

⚾️: 12:10pm CST | 1:10pm EST
📺: No broadcast 🙁
🎙️: @SportsTalk790#ChaseTheFight x @PalmBeachesFLpic.twitter.com/lRi1JgubwF

— Houston Astros (@astros) February 25, 2026

A beautiful day for more baseball ☀️

👂: https://t.co/jUTgbN4KBU | MLB App
⏰: 1:10 PM ET pic.twitter.com/h7Wiu6qqJA

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) February 25, 2026

TODAY’S POTENTIAL RELIEVERS: RHP Jayden Murray, RHP Roddery Munoz, RHP Alimber Santa, RHP Logan VanWey, RHP Amilcar Chirinos, RHP Wilmy Sanchez, RHP Trey McLoughlin.

CURRENT CAMP NUMBERS: The Astros have 66 players at Major League Spring Training, including a full 40-man roster and 26 non-roster invitees…the roster consists of 36 pitchers, eight catchers, 12 infielders and 10 outfielders.

Carlos Mendoza provided an update on Francisco Lindor to the media today, saying that the Mets’ shortstop can restart “impact” activities in 2-3 days after having the stitches removed from his surgically repaired left hand on Tuesday.

Lindor underwent surgery on February 11 to repair a stress fracture in his left hamate bone and the estimated recovery time was six weeks, putting him on track to return right around Opening Day. Lindor is progressing as expected, according to Mendoza, and is still on track to meet that timeline provided all goes well as he resumes baseball activities. He has been present at Port St. Lucie with his teammates, but not an active participation in spring training thus far. However, that should change soon.

What is less clear is how long it may take Lindor’s power to return once he starts swinging the bat again. Baseball players are particularly susceptible to hamate injuries and in fact, multiple other players suffered hamate injuries right around the same time Lindor did this spring. Though the surgery recovery timeline is fairly standard, some players suffer lingering effects, particularly in the power department. However, the majority of players have good outcomes. The only thing that will determine which bucket Lindor falls into is time.

Speaking of time, Lindor has missed very little of it since coming to the Mets, despite playing through discomfort on a few occasions. The 32-year-old also underwent right elbow debridement surgery following the conclusion of the 2025 season, but there is not any evidence that has hindered him at all this spring. Though Lindor should be able to take the field for the Mets on March 26 as scheduled, his hamate injury has prevented him from participating in the World Baseball Classic for Team Puerto Rico, which plays its first game on March 6 against Colombia.

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Arizona Diamondbacks righty Zac Gallen gets the ball against the Los Angeles Dodgers this afternoon, and I like him to lead the Snakes to victory. 

We've got a full slate of Spring Training games on the docket, and I've isolated a trio of MLB picks for Wednesday, February 25, below.

Spring Training predictions for February 25

Pick #1: Diamondbacks moneyline

The Arizona Diamondbacks have a difficult task against the unbeaten Los Angeles Dodgers, but with Roki Sasaki drawing the start, I'll grab the Snakes.

Sasaki is electric, no doubt, but he was wild in his MLB debut, boasting a 13.7% walk rate in 2025. He could put L.A. in an early hole, benefiting Arizona starter Zac Gallen, especially if the Dodgers go with a lineup that doesn't entirely mirror their regular-season offense.

Pick #2: Rangers vs Guardians Over 10.5

Nathan Eovaldi draws his second spring start, and the Texas Rangers will still slow-play the right-hander after he missed a ton of time to injury in 2025. Limited exposure combined with rust equals an opportunity for the Cleveland Guardians to exploit Texas' bullpen.

And even if the Guardians don't do a ton of damage, I don't have a lot of confidence in Cleveland starter Slade Cecconi escaping unscathed. 

Pick #3: Nationals moneyline

This is a pure value pick. The New York Yankees are heavily favored, so the Washington Nationals are available at significant plus money. 

Ryan Weathers has considerable upside as a starter for New York, but he's not as proven as some of their mainstay arms.

It's risky, because Andrew Alvarez — and the Nationals bullpen behind him — could get obliterated from the jump, but I like the number on a spring game that ultimately means very little to the Yankees.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Now that we get Statcast data from Triple-A, Single-A, and spring training games, it’s a lot easily to find notable details in pitching performances. Even when things go poorly in early outings as pitchers and hitters shake off the winter rust, you can still get a nice baseline on pitchers’ velocity and movement profiles, and then track that progress though camp. Sometimes it means something, sometimes it doesn’t. You still have to command your stuff to handle major league hitters unless you’re just absolutely gifted with raw velocity or movement.

So, we’re through three Grapefruit League games at this point. Pitching hasn’t been particularly impressive, but if we look deeper into pitchers’ stuff, there are some interesting points to note on numerous guys in Tigers spring training camp. These are just going to be quick hits to get some ideas of what to look for as camp progresses.

Remember this is literally just the beginning of camp. There was really nothing much to say about brief appearances from Brant Hurter, Bryan Sammons, Konnor Pilkington, Tanner Rainey, Jack Little, Burch Smith, or Brenan Hanifee. No big changes are apparent after the offseason, so it’s just a matter of how well they use what they’ve got.

We haven’t even seen Framber Valdez, Justin Verlander, Casey Mize, Troy Melton, Will Vest, Kenley Jansen, Kyle Finnegan, or Tyler Holton yet. Wednesday’s split squad action should see several more spring debuts. Again, we’re just getting warmed up here.

Tarik Skubal

There wasn’t much to report from the two-time and reigning AL Cy Young award winner. He looked great in his two innings of work against the Twins on Sunday. Velocity was good on the fastballs and the induced vertical break was at the top of his range on the fourseam fastball, and he continues to reduce horizontal movement. Got whiffs on three of the four changeups he threw. Light work.

Jack Flaherty

Jack Flaherty looked very Jack Flaherty-like in his outing on Monday against the Orioles. He wasn’t particularly sharp but everything looks good under the hood. His fourseam velocity was up a tick over his average last year. Hopefully that’s a good sign as he tries to find his way back to his dominant 2024 form after a shaky 2025 season.

Drew Anderson

The Tigers offseason free agent pickup looked pretty good in following Skubal on Sunday. He sat 95.3 mph with his fourseam fastball though the vertical movement was a little off on average at 16 inches of IBV, whereas he’s usually around 18. The kick change looked good. The curve and slider still look pretty average, but that will do. Right now Anderson is going to start the season in the bullpen, but the Tigers will keep him stretched out in camp. He certainly wouldn’t be the first pitcher to figure it out in Korea and return an effective major league pitcher, and the stuff looked the part in his first outing.

Keider Montero

Montero got the start in the Grapefruit League opener on Saturday, and his command wasn’t particularly sharp against a lineup with Aaron Judge and several other regulars in the mix. He did average 96.3 mph with both his fourseamer and sinker, well above his 93.8 mph average fastball last year. However, the induced vertical break on the fourseam remains really pedestrian at 16 inches, and he left a couple up over the plate that went for a single and a double in the first inning, and then Spencer Jones blasted another fourseamer into orbit in the second inning.

It’s good to see the velo in terms of where he might sit in shorter outings in the bullpen, but unless he can get more ride on the fourseam he’s probably better off using the sinker more and just mixing the two up fairly evenly. That might be tricky given that his command is pretty average, but if his fastballs were just a bit less hittable everything else would play up nicely. Still a work in progress.

The spin rates on his breaking stuff remain elite, particularly with the knuckle curve, while the slider continues to have average depth but sweeps horizontally a good amount. It still feels like that pitch would do better if it dove more and wasn’t so distinguishable from his knuckle curve.

Cole Waites

The 27-year-old right-hander was drafted by the Giants and finally released last year, so he’s well known to Scott Harris. As a prospect, Waites scraped triple digits with an explosive fastball that drew 70 grades, but he never had a particularly good breaking ball, and like many hard-throwing relief prospects, his high effort delivery left him with poor command.

His return from September 2023 Tommy John surgery didn’t go particularly well in 2025. He wasn’t able to get back on the mound regularly until the end of the season, but he did average 95.7 mph at the Triple-A level. So far this spring the velocity is nowhere in evidence as he’s sitting around 92 mph. The big fastball was always his calling card and ticket to the major leagues, so until he recovers a lot of velo there isn’t much to talk about here. Maybe they’re rebuilding him up slowly, maybe he’s cooked. This is a longer term project.

Dylan Smith

Right-hander Dylan Smith is a former interest starting prospect turned reliever who has battled some injuries the past few years. He showed some potential in a brief 2025 major league debut before a shoulder strain shut him down after the All-Star break.

On Sunday against the Orioles, Smith came in at the end of the game against a minor league lineup. Still he averaged 19 inches of IVB, two more than his 2025 average, and it showed as the Orioles whiffed on all five fourseamers he threw in his inning of work. His sweeper is still pretty average and he’s going to need consistency back-footing it through dangerous territory against left-handed hitters. However, he doesn’t need to lean on the breaking ball too much either. He’ll be very effective with the fastball sitting 94-95 and getting that much ride on it. More of that, please.

Tyler Mattison

This 27-year-old right-hander has become a bit of a mirage over the past few seasons. Once a pretty good relief prospect with a dominant fastball who seemed pretty close to the major leagues, Mattison has gone through Tommy John surgery and a shaky return to action in 2025. He’s still in the same spot as a pitcher that could help the bullpen and give them a different look if he can stay healthy and get back to peak form. The Tigers released him from the 40-man roster at year’s end, but the two parties always intended to agree on a minor league deal and he’s back in the fold.

Mattison throws from a really high overhand arm slot with freakishly high spin rates (2600-2700 rpms), producing huge active spin and 19-20 inches of induced vertical break. His slider and changeup come out of the same slot, dropping steeply in either direction. He hasn’t really ever had precision fastball command, but pre-injury he was often 95-97 mph and pretty unhittable at times. The unique arm slot and stuff would be a really nice addition to the relief mix, but it’s mainly a question of staying healthy and getting back into a groove.

His velocity was still only around 93 mph in his first outing, so we’ll see if he can build that up. The stuff is still really good and Mattison is still a guy worth keeping an eye on. It wouldn’t take that much of a bump in command and velo to turn him into a legitimate setup caliber reliever.

When the Seattle Mariners delivered the final rock to the windshield of the Angels organization in late summer of 2023, they sunset anything approaching justified contention in Anaheim for seasons to come. Unfortunately for Orange County, the Angels had shaken their purse and raided the couch cushions year after year.

Some of that has come to burn them, with the losses of back-fillers like C Edgar Quero and RHP Coleman Crow as talent that might behoove their mis-matched roster. But the Angels are a peculiarity, not really competitively balanced for. Thanks to a players union neither toothless nor brainless, MLB has prodigious competitive balance measures without an ill-conceived cap. Those measures provide small market teams with additional resources like bonus draft picks, shared revenue from the more wealthy clubs, larger pools of allowed spending money on international amateurs, and greater compensation if and when a major free agent should leave the club. As we will see next week with the Athletics, all these factors, and able development and scouting, can allow a team that is trading off and selling from a competitive standpoint to return to the upswing rather quickly with savvy management.

By contrast, the Angels are an outlier, the New York Jets of MLB. They benefit from vast wealth, not only in their owners coffers, but from a region they have occupied for close to 70 years which holds massive population size and spending capacity, even accounting for their more savvy urban NL neighbors. In 2026, they’ll pick outside the top-10 at 12th overall, a consequence of recent anti-tanking rules to keep large-market clubs from being rewarded for uncompetitive, cheap rosters.

Player	Age	Position	Highest Level	ESPN	FanGraphs	Baseball America	Baseball Prospectus	The Athletic	MLB Pipeline
Tyler Bremner	22	RHP	N/A	56	52	51	79		81
George Klassen	24	RHP	AAA		57

It’s not all bad news in the burbs, though. RHP Tyler Bremner, as outlined above, is a glowing talent. The No. 2 overall pick in 2025, Bremner was frequently mocked to the Mariners. Instead, Anaheim has the strike-throwing UC Santa Barbara product on their side. Bremner’s stuff is potent enough to merit peerage with Seattle’s southpaw Kade Anderson, and the progression of the two likely fast-movers is a contrast that will follow them their whole careers. 

Moving fast is the key here. Beyond Bremner, Anaheim’s last five first round picks will likely break camp with the big league club. They range from swingmen RHP Sam Bachman and LHP Reid Detmers to potential lineup mainstays 1B Nolan Schanuel and 2B Christian Moore, crowned by star SS Zach Neto. Beyond them, OF Jo Adell still mans the outfield as well, just 27 in April. Anaheim made waves at the start of 2025 by jumping their 2024 2nd rounder RHP Ryan Johnson to the big leagues as well, but saw enough struggles for him in the pen that they returned him to starting in High-A. RHP Caden Dana and LHP Sam Aldegheri also struggled in their first tastes of the bigs, including debuts against Seattle.

To Know in 2026

OF Nelson Rada and RHP George Klassen

Even in the Angels max speed assembly line, it’s hard to pick a clear bat and arm who might be hassles for Seattle in 2026. Rada takes the role by dint of his handling, with Anaheim pushing the teenager up to Triple-A Salt Lake a season ago and seeing him respond impressively. Rada runs well and covers a lot of ground despite his compact, 5’9 frame. This is Harrison Bader/Cedric Mullins-type stuff for Rada, who blazes around at a pace less eye-popping than A’s stalwart debutant Denzel Clarke, but still would stand out dramatically in this defensive morass. Rada lacks any semblance of power, however, and relies on a lot of infield hits and groundball singles to get into position. That’s a profile that’s tested and broken often in the bigs, where a high walk rate evaporates against pitchers who are unthreatened by his three home runs in the past two years. He’ll be just 20 in 2026.

In Klassen, Anaheim has a divisive, talented arm (see also, RHP Chris Cortez – tons of walks and stuff, RHP Chase Shores – same plus gigantic and injuries). Acquired from the Phillies in one of Anaheim’s rare “sell” trades in recent years for RHP Carlos Estevez, Klassen’s line of faith comes from whether you buy him as a starter or think he’ll need to be scaled down for the bullpen given his narrow repertoire and lithe frame. What he does well, however, which is belied by a 5.35 ERA in Double-A Rocket City, is miss bats. 126 strikeouts in 102.2 frames is ample, and Anaheim will likely have starts to allot him in the second half.

Final Verdict

This is no longer a system to match the late 2017 Seattle messes, but it is still more 2018 than 2019. Anaheim’s stuck with big swings in their talent pools deeper in the system, with massive arms like Shores and RHP Trey Gregory-Alford alongside among at least a half-dozen promising hurlers in LAA’s lower ranks. This group outpaces what the M’s have to offer in terms of upside spread throughout their system’s pitching depth, and just 2-3 becoming potent big league rotation arms could set a far different tone for the Angels in years to come. But in terms of position player talent, this system is what its big league roster is showing, or what is in its lowest possible levels. That is what keeps this group’s estimation still among the sport’s least compelling for now.

*In an effort to make the nomination voting easier for everyone, I will comment, “NOMINATIONS”, and you may reply to that with your picks and upvote the player you’d like to see on the next nominee list.

Taking the 18th spot on our annual Community Prospect List is speedy and powerful outfielder Junior Perez. Always one of the more unheralded prospects coming up through the Athletics’ farm system, Perez opened some eyes this past year when he arrived at Triple-A. Even in that hitter’s haven, Perez’s .298/.412/.642 was 43% better than league-average. Add in his legitimate power (26 long balls this past season between Double and Triple-A), quality speed on the basepaths (27 steals between both levels), and ability to handle all three outfield spots, and the righty-swinging Perez looks like a late-bloomer than should be an option for the A’s this coming season.

Next up joining the nominees is right-hander Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang. The right-hander spent this entire past season in Double-A and set a new career-high with 145 innings pitched. His strikeout and walk rates were fairly solid but he also got tagged for in insane 22 home runs this past year. He’ll need to do a better job of keeping the ball in the park this coming season, especially if and when he moves up to the hitter’s heaven that is Triple-A.

The process for this public vote is explained below. Please take a moment to read this before participating:

• Please only vote for one. The player with the most votes at the end of voting will win the ranked spot. The remaining four players move on to the next ballot where they are joined by a new nominee.
• In the comments, below the official voting, the community will nominate players to be put onto the ballot for the next round. The format for your comment should be “Nomination: Player Name”.
• If a prospect is traded, his name will be crossed out, and all other players will be moved up a space. If a prospect is acquired, a special vote will be put up to determine where that player should rank.

Click on the link here to vote!

* * *

A’s fans top prospects, ranked:

1. Leo De Vries, SS
2. Jamie Arnold, LHP
3. Gage Jump, LHP
4. Wei-En Lin, LHP
5. Braden Nett, RHP
6. Henry Bolte, OF
7. Johenssy Colome, SS
8. Edgar Montero, SS
9. Steven Echavarria, RHP
10. Devin Taylor, OF
11. Mason Barnett, RHP
12. Tommy White, 3B
13. Henry Baez, RHP
14. Zane Taylor, RHP
15. Cole Miller, RHP
16. Gunnar Hoglund, RHP
17. Shotaro Morii, SS/RHP
18. Junior Perez, OF

The voting continues! Time to vote for the 19th-best in the system everyone. Here’s a quick rundown on each nominee— the scouting grades (on a 20-to-80 scale) and scouting reports come from MLB Pipeline.

Nominees on the current ballot:

Kade Morris, RHP

Expected level: Triple-A | Age: 23

2025 stats (AA/AAA): 4.38 ERA, 28 starts, 150 IP, 128 K, 48 BB, 16 HR, 4.71 FIP

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 40

Morris runs up his four-seam fastball to about 95-96 mph and also throws a sinker with good arm-side run in the 92-95 range. His mid-80s slider has developed into an above-average secondary offering. His mid-70s curveball provides a good variation of pitch speeds, though he is still working to make it a more consistent pitch, along with his improving upper-80s changeup.

Morris is athletic with his 6-foot-3 frame. His competitive drive stands out whenever he takes the mound. Discovering the right arm slot that allows for the most consistency is the next big step in his development. How that pans out as he moves through the system will likely determine his long-term role, though he profiles as a back-end starter given his overall pitch mix and solid control.

A.J. Causey, RHP

Expected level: Double-A | Age: 23

2025 stats (A+/AA): 1.72 ERA, 48 appearances, 73 1/3 IP, 75 K, 18 BB, 0 HR, 2.28 FIP

Causey thrives with a fastball that hovers around 90 mph, but that’s because he has a funky sidearm delivery that helps him get crazy movement and deception with his arsenal. Causey excelled in his first full pro season, posting a 1.72 ERA across High-A Quad Cities and Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He’s a fast mover with a different look that could add to the Royals’ bullpen in the coming years.

Causey began the year with a sinker, changeup and sweeper, but he added a four-seam fastball this season to help him at the top of the zone. After years of working on adding a cutter, Causey finally found something that works with the four-seamer.

Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang, RHP

Expected level: Double-A | Age: 25

2025 stats (AA): 4.08 ERA, 26 starts (28 appearances), 145 2/3 IP, 145 K, 35 BB, 22 HR, 4.19 FIP

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 45 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 550 | Control: 55 | Overall: 40

Zhuang relies heavily on his four-seam fastball, which can touch 95 mph but normally hovers in the 90-93 range. He also throws a low-80s split-finger offering with good diving action. His arsenal is rounded out by a low-80s slider, a mid-70s curveball with good bend and a low-80s changeup.

Zhuang does have a history of injuries, which brings some real concern as to whether he can hold up as a starter despite having the necessary pitch mix for the role. He can command it well, as evidenced by his low walk numbers. For now, the A’s are enjoying watching the rise of the man many in the organization have nicknamed ‘Z-Man.’ He is firmly on their prospect radar, and his age could actually help him move up quickly if the success continues.

Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, SS

Expected level: Double-A | Age: 23

2025 stats (A+/AA): 549 PA, .296/.359/.372, 30 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HR, 47 RBI, 40 BB, 49 K, 27 SB

MLB Pipeline grades and scouting report:

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 45

Kuroda-Grauer’s athletic size and hard-working mentality remind some in the A’s organization of a young Marcus Semien. While he may never have Semien-type power, his high-level ability to frequently make contact and rarely strike out is reminiscent of another more high-profile touted top prospect in Jacob Wilson. His advanced approach at the plate allows him to work counts and make good decisions with his simple swing. The power remains below-average, though the A’s believe he could grow into some extra pop with 15-homer potential as a ceiling.

There is a speed element to Kuroda-Grauer’s game, and while he may not be a burner, his 40 stolen bases in college show he can be a decent threat on the basepaths. Defensively, his arm is average, but his overall glovework and instincts give him the chance to stick as a shortstop with second base as a fallback. Between that and his excellent bat-to-ball skills, Kuroda-Grauer enters his first full professional season with a chance to quickly rise through the system.

Yunior Tur, RHP

Expected level: Triple-A | Age: 26

2025 stats (A+/AA/AAA): 3.29 ERA, 26 starts (30 appearances), 125 2/3 IP, 130 K, 60 BB, 7 HR, 3.79 FIP

Per The Athletics’ Keith Law:

Tur is 26 but only signed with the A’s before the 2023 season after several seasons pitching in the Serie Nacional in Cuba. He started almost all of last year, going from High A to Triple A, although I think he’s a straight reliever. He comes straight over the top, sitting 96 with some ride along with a 55 splitter and a low-90s cutter that doesn’t miss many bats. The slider is fringy and he’s very north-south because of the arm slot. He could pitch in the big-league bullpen right now.

* * *

Programming Note: Each CPL vote will run for around 48 hours, so don’t delay in making your

We have seen one week of Spring Training games, so we know all we need to know!

-Chase DeLauter has to make this team and has to be given every opportunity to stay healthy and in the lineup.

-Travis Bazzana is the best option at second base already. We won’t see him until May at the earliest. They will use April to evaluate which of Gabriel Arias and Brayan Rocchio they want to be the team’s shortstop when Bazzana is brought up to play second base.

-I am looking to be very wrong about Juan Brito so far, as he presses both in the plate and at the field. I do think the team is right to challenge him to prove himself as a first base-third base-second base-left/right field utility guy as it is the best way for him to impact the current roster, but I do wonder if it would be better to just have him compete for the second base job in spring, and then move him into more of the utility role in Columbus if he misses out on that opportunity. I can’t deny that the player who pulls fly balls and doesn’t whiff hasn’t shown up in spring, but it’s early and I do think he is letting the weight of the opportunity get to him.

-CJ Kayfus is only playing first base, so far, so it appears he is the player who will be in Columbus as depth, provided that DeLauter and George Valera stay healthy. Folks will be upset by this, but Kayfus is the kind of depth a playoff team should have on hand.

-I will be carefully monitoring if David Fry ends up playing any outfield by the end of camp, or if the team indicates he can start playing outfield during the year. Fry being able to fill in for left or right field would be huge for roster flexibility.

-Connor Brogdon looks like the real deal. Colin Holderman has an option and looks like he’ll need it to work on stuff in Columbus.

-I think Codi Heuer or Kolby Allard will make the roster while Tim Herrin will start the year in Columbus, if only to have some LHP depth in the bullpen.

-Peyton Pallette must have some sort of injury, as our intrepid insider TexasTribe reported, as he has yet to get in a game. It will be interesting if the Guardians can keep him on the IL to start the season and so preserve a lengthier time to take a look at their Rule 5 pick.

-Valera looks back with a vengeance and ready to secure a roster spot.

-Stuart Fairchild looks like a major league ballplayer. Angel Martinez does not. Martinez has an option, so expect Angel to open in Columbus and Fairchild to get a look as the fourth outfielder who hits right-handed, first.

What else have you noticed, so far? Give us your hot takes in the comments below

Over the past few years, the Yankees have coveted a good deal of players from other teams who, despite not possessing star status, had profiles that Brian Cashman and his cohort of front office personnel nonetheless found appealing. Ryan McMahon was one of those players who routinely came up again and again in MLB trade rumors, and time after time, those rumors linked him to the Bronx.

Third base had been a sore spot for the Yankees for a few seasons, and when the hot corner situation reached its nadir last summer, Cashman finally pulled the trigger with a somewhat-limited market for improvement available to him. McMahon was at last a Yankee. One unspectacular half-season later, he enters his first full year in the Bronx with subdued expectations — even on a contract that will pay him $32 million across 2026-27.

Can McMahon finally unlock the full potential of his long-tantalizing toolset? Or will he continue to be a merely cromulent glove-first third baseman?

2025 statistics (total): 154 games, 586 PA, .214/.312/.281 (86 wRC+), 20 HR, 53 RBI, 32.3 K%, 11.9 BB%, 10 Defensive Runs Saved, 6 Outs Above Average, 1.9 fWAR

2025 statistics (with NYY): 54 games, 185 PA, .208/.308/333 (84 wRC+), 4 HR, 18 RBI, 33.5 K%, 11.4 BB%, 7 DRS, 0.6 fWAR

2026 FanGraphs DC projections: 113 games, 490 PA, .211/.304/.371 (91 wRC+), 17 HR, 1.7 fWAR

Once arriving in his new environments, McMahon did exactly what people figured he’d do: provide excellent defense at the hot corner while striking out far too often to be a productive presence at the plate. By the end of the year he was effectively part of a platoon with Amed Rosario, whom the Yankees re-signed this winter. While certainly Rosario is a nice depth add across the board, his return signals that the team is not bursting with confidence that McMahon will take a step forward at the dish.

And entering his age-31 season, there isn’t much reason to think differently. Despite consistently providing solid power numbers and demonstrating above-average plate discipline, McMahon has never posted a wRC+ above 97 in his nine-year MLB career. This is mostly because roughly 30 percent of his over 4,000 career plate appearances have resulted in strikeouts. In fact, McMahon had the highest strikeout rate among all qualified hitters in 2025. The tightrope you have to walk to eat that many K’s and remain productive is unforgiving, and McMahon has never been consistent enough in doing damage with the contact he makes to walk it effectively.

That’s not to say he can’t do damage. McMahon has always run high hard-hit rates and had a 12.1 percent barrel rate in 2025, the highest of his career. Last year also saw a massive jump in the percentage of batted balls that were pulled in the air: up to 17 percent from 11.1 percent. This is an encouraging development, and hints at the possibility that McMahon could become more consistent in reaching the seats with his fly balls if that trend continues into 2026.

But of course, there’s also the platoon stats you have to worry about. McMahon throughout his career has been worse against lefties, but in the normal way—a sizable but not dramatic split. In fact, he actually hit better against lefties in 2024. Last year, though, the gulf widened in the other direction: he managed just a .534 OPS against lefties compared to a .739 OPS against righties. That was the impetus for Rosario taking a bigger chunk of his at-bats versus southpaws down the stretch. Platoon splits can be volatile, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he does a little bit better this season, but if he doesn’t, that timeshare with the returning Rosario will continue.

Thankfully, McMahon remains dependable in the field. While he’s never won a Gold Glove for his work at third base, he made a big late push last year with 7 Defensive Runs Saved in his time with the Yankees alone. He’ll be in the mix to unseat incumbent Maikel Garcia and win the award at the hot corner this year, which will give him a leg up on Rosario—a comparatively poor fielder—in that platoon arrangement. And he’s already produced some spectacular highlights, most notably that Derek Jeter-esque catch in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series last year.

Ultimately, unless McMahon seriously shaves his strikeout stubble, there’ll always be a bit of a five o’clock shadow around his triple slash, so to speak. His defense nonetheless gives him a high floor even when he struggles at the dish—and eighth or ninth place hitters are never expected to challenge for the batting title anyway. We’re not prognosticating an All-Star selection for him, a Gold Glove could be in the offing—and if he can sniff that elusive 100 wRC+ figure, so much the better.

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See more of the Yankees Previews series here.

The Phillies have had a bit of success finding guys that they can grab for free, raiding another team that is in a 40-man roster crunch. Curet could possibly be the next.

Yoniel Curet – 97
Zach McCambley – 82
Alex McFarlane – 11
Griff Burkholder – 9
Keaton Anthony – 9
Mavis Graves – 7
Seth Johnson – 7

The Phillies like to make moves with the Rays, acquiring high octane arms that Tampa needs to expose because of a roster crunch. It worked with Jose Alvarado and the team is hoping it works again with Curet. A starter with the Rays, it looks like the Phillies will be trying him out as a reliever to be some depth in their system. Curet looks like somewhat interesting if he can figure out some control.

2025 stats (w/ Tampa Bay org)

16 G (14 GS), 55 1/3 IP, 3.90 ERA (3.85 FIP), 25.5 K%, 12.8 BB%, 0.33 HR/9

Fangraphs scouting report

Curet pitched a couple of times in the Dominican Winter League and was still throwing hard, but he had very little feel, especially for his upper-80s slider. He’s an interesting change-of-scenery pickup by the Phils, as a little over a year ago, he seemed talented enough to pitch in the eighth or ninth inning even if things didn’t work out for him as a starter. Still, at this point, he’s purely a bounce-back candidate whose lack of option years puts extreme pressure on him to throw more strikes during 2026 spring training or else be on Philly’s roster bubble.

With each new post, we’ll reveal who won the voting for that particular slot, then post new players for you to vote on, adding another one to the list each time until we get to our final tally of 20. Once we get to 20 top prospects, we’ll do an honorable mention post at the end. If a player gets traded to another team, we’ll just chuck him right on outta here and all the players will move up a spot. If a prospect gets acquired, we’ll ask where he should go on the list.

Probably the most important thing about this whole process – please vote. Give us a few minutes of your time, just click a button and then we can discuss other players and things in the comment section, but don’t forget – VOTE!

In recent years, the Mariners have developed a bit of a reputation as a major pitching lab. Not just through their minor league system, but also the success stories of journeyman relievers coming through Seattle and turning middling careers into All-Star/Team USA appearances. A part of that is that the Mariners have a very specific pitching philosophy and pitching profile they look for. Josh Simpson fits the profile and philosophy.

[Editorial note: The 40 in 40 series was scheduled to a triumphant, thematic close yesterday with the potential Opening Day battery of Bryan Woo and Cal Raleigh. Then accounting informed us we had overlooked one later-off-season acquisition. Management sincerely regrets the error. Please pretend this story ran early last week. And go back and read all the 40 in 40s you might have missed. Errrrm. 40 in 41.]

Rule 1: You gotta throw a slider and sinker

When I started writing this 40 in 40, I really expected to find a slight trend, but I’m not exaggerating when I say that to play in the Mariners bullpen, you have to throw a slider and expect to throw it all the time:

• Matt Brash Slider usage: 61%
• Andrés Muñoz Slider usage: 50%
• Eduard Bazardo Slider usage: 43%
• Gabe Speier Slider usage: 26%
• Carlos Vargas Slider usage: 19%
• Josh Simpson Slider Usage: 6%

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Mariners continue to use and acquire guys with high-end sliders with a lot of movement, and then help them to refine it into one of the most dangerous pitches in the league. More to the point, the Mariners were ranked 6th in terms of slider usage by pitchers in 2025. As a team, they threw the slider 26% of the time.

Now the Mariners are smart enough to know that most pitchers are not Mariano Rivera and can’t rely on one pitch most of the time. Which is why you also need to be able to throw a sinker if you wanna join the Mariners arm barn, and expect to throw it right alongside your slider:

• Carlos Vargas Sinker usage: 63%
• Eduard Bazardo Sinker usage: 41%
• Gabe Spier Sinker usage: 30%
• Josh Simpson Sinker Usage: 22%
• Matt Brash Sinker usage: 22%
• Andrés Muñoz Sinker Usage: 12%

As a team, the Mariners threw a sinker or sinker-like pitch 23% of the time, good enough for second in MLB overall.

While Simpson isn’t exactly a major slider pitcher, he does throw a sweeper more than any other pitch. At a time when the sweeper is still riding the back end of a crest in popularity, the Mariners have tempered their adoption of the pitch, throwing just 5.8% sweepers in 2025 (19th-most in MLB), down from 7.1% (14th) in 2024, 6.9% (12th) in 2023, and 7.2% (7th) in 2022 per Baseball Savant. Simpson is already a pretty heavy sinker thrower, but he favors his sweeper over his slider most of the time. With the Marlins, the sweeper was his most effective offering, generating whiffs over 40% of the time, but his infrequently-used slider had a distinct shape and could be effective as well.

That only tells some of the story for Simpson’s sweeper, however, as he only really uses it in lefty-lefty situations, rarely throws it to righties, if at all. Now, as a left-hander, it may be that he doesn’t pitch to many righties, but throwing the pitch to righties only 11% of the time suggests to me it’s a conscious choice rather than a lack of opportunity. Right now, Simpson goes to the sweeper and the curve most often overall, but I think the numbers are there to find success with a more slider-sinker combo. The slider and sinker are much closer in speed which makes tunneling pitches more effective. Plus, as told to me by John Trupin, the wrist motion for the sweeper and slider is very similar, the difference between throwing a frisbee and flicking a light switch. While it’s obviously not a one-to-one, I feel there’s potential for Simpson to fully embrace the Mariners’ pitching philosophy and succeed.

Rule 2: You gotta attack the zone

The Mariners have made no secret about keeping their pitchers in the zone and not being afraid to attack hitters directly. The Mariners were third in the league for pitches thrown inside the zone at just about 54%.Bryan Woo was second among all pitchers at 57% of pitches being in the zone. Clearly, this is a strategy the Mariners have fully embraced, and something the pitchers they bring in need to be able to do without fear. In 30 innings, Simpson had a zone percentage of 54%. Despite this, Simpson ran an atrocious 6.46 BB/9, the 3rd-highest in MLB among 475 pitchers with at least 30 innings in 2025. He’s the only pitcher in the top 150 of Zone% to manage such a poor walk rate (and really nobody else is close).

Clearly, Simpson is willing to go at a batter, and willing to do it at a rate the Mariners are happy with. He was, in some ways, astoundingly unsuccessful in this approach a year ago. There’s a reason the Columbia product (the school, not the country) only managed 30 innings for the Marlins last year, but with such an outlier on the outcome end Seattle may see this as a puzzle they can solve I’m hoping that, with some adjustments from the Mariners’ pitching lab, we could see a whole new player this season.

Rule 3: Be a part of at least one transaction

The Mariners have been very active on the waiver wire, trade market, and DFA postings to build out the bullpen they have now. None of the relief pitchers on the Mariners 2025 roster were originally drafted by Seattle, and only Brash made his big league debut with the Mariners. Not to be rude, but the Mariners take a real “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” type perspective to the bullpen, and to their credit, it has worked out for the most part. Simpson definitely falls within that category. Simpson was acquired from Miami for cash considerations in early February. I don’t know what it is, but the Mariners seem able to give guys on their second (or last) chance the spark to keep things going for a while longer or step up in a way they never have before. Gabe Speier was just a face in the crowd in Kansas City, Baltimore traded Eduard Bazardo for a low-minors reliever, Carlos Vargas was a toss-in prospect from the original trade of Eugenio Suárez to Arizona, Matt Brash was a player-to-be-named-later, Muñoz was a talented but unreliable and majorly injured prospect with the Padres.

It’s the engine that’s fueled much of Seattle’s success in the 2020s, fueled by bullpen body after bullpen body. Hm? What’s that? What happens after the Mariners are done with you? Don’t worry about all that; we’ll cross that bridge when we get there, or you’ll cross it not, so much for the rest of us. While Simpson has a questionable track record from his time in Miami, the variety of interesting secondaries and ability to get groundballs while pitching in the zone fits what the Mariners are looking for, and he’ll likely have the chance to tweak things in Tacoma before his big league return sometime this summer in Seattle.