SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 27: Keston Hiura #9 of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks through the dugout after scoring in the second inning of the spring training game against the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium on February 27, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Jeremy Chen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers Monday made their first roster cuts of spring training, sending 11 players to the minor league side of camp at Camelback Ranch in Arizona.
All of the cuts were non-roster invitees: pitchers Patrick Copen, Luke Fox, Jerming Rosario, Adam Serwinowski, Nick Frasso, and José Rodríguez; catchers Nelson Quiroz and Chuckie Robinson; infielders Keston Hiura and Matt Gorski; and outfielder Chris Newell.
Hiura played in seven games, including four starts at designated hitter. He had one hit, a home run, in 13 at-bats, plus three walks in Cactus League play.
Copen put together a solid season in 2025 after losing vision in his right eye the year before. He had a 3.59 ERA in 27 starts and led all Dodgers minor league pitchers with 152 strikeouts last season. Having already made 17 starts at Double-A, it’s not hard to envision a scenario in which Copen impresses in Triple-A this season and might find his way to the Dodgers should the need arise. He allowed two runs in two innings in his two games with the Dodgers this spring.
Newell was active for each of the first nine days of the Dodgers’ spring schedule, and appeared in six games, with two hits, including a home run, in his 11 at-bats.
Frasso, Rodríguez, Robinson, and Gorski hadn’t yet appeared in a Cactus League game this spring.
With these moves, the Dodgers have 65 players remaining in big league camp, including 35 pitchers and 30 position players. This excludes pitcher Evan Phillips and utility man Kiké Hernández, both of whom are on the 60-day injured list.
Former Senator Mark Stone was injured on Sunday in curious circumstances.
The Vegas Golden Knights captain was skating through the neutral zone against the Pittsburgh Penguins and took the lightest of cross-checks from defenseman Kris Letang. Stone immediately skated off in pain, left the game and did not return.
"I barely touched him," Letang told rinkside analyst Darren Pang right after the play.
Mark Stone left the game injured after this play with Kris Letang and he will NOT return 🤕 pic.twitter.com/si55E8Oi24
In fact, it was barely a standard cross check, almost more of cross check shove. Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy, the former Ottawa 67s great, wasn't sure about Stone's status after the game.
"I assume he'll be on the plane with us to Buffalo and then probably have a better update (on Monday)," Cassidy told the media. "Upper body is all I was told and we'll see where it lands."
When asked about the impact of losing Stone in the game, Cassidy had a thoughtful reply. He said the club has been used to pushing through with players out of the lineup this season, but because of his past, an injury to Stone lands a little differently.
"I just think it's the timing of it, maybe. Mark's had some injuries before, so guys are concerned for him, rightfully so. So I think that would be the biggest effect (on the team today), you know, is he OK? Or did he re injure something he has in the past? I think everybody's kind of worried about that. So that probably plays in your mind a little bit. But we're certainly not going to use that as an excuse for how we played. We just weren't good enough."
It added injury to the insult of a 5-0 Sunday loss for the Knights.
Meanwhile, seeing Stone injured while taking such light contact on the week of the NHL trade deadline is sure to raise eyebrows with some of the more suspicious fans around the league.
While Stone has had injuries in the past, it's also true that seeing him on the injury list before the deadline, which hasn't happened yet in this case, has happened more than once before.
The silver lining in Stone (or anyone else) going on LTIR was the creation of cap space so that the Knights could make trades at the deadline. Then, when the playoffs arrived and there is no cap, the Knights were often fortunate that Stone was ready to rejoin the bolstered roster.
That led to complaints of cap circumvention, and whether the Knights were truly doing that or not, it cannot be argued they were playing by the NHL's rules.
But no one can make that claim with Stone's latest injury. The loophole is now closed.
"Playoff Cap Counting" was announced back in September as an add-on to the new CBA which officially begins next season. The 2026 trade deadline is set for this Friday at 3 pm.
Steve Warne The Hockey News
This article was first published by The Hockey News. More headlines here:
Mar 1, 2026; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets pitcher Clay Holmes (35) pitches against the Houston Astros in the first inning at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
The Mets had their first walk-off win of the spring, beating the Houston Astros 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth thanks to a Yonatan Henriquez line drive single that scored John Bay.
Clay Holmes made his second start of spring training, going four innings and allowing one run on three hits while tallying a walk and four strikeouts.
Jack Wenninger had a rough 1.2 innings, giving up two runs and walking five batters while getting two strikeouts.
Bryce Conley went 1.1 scoreless innings, walking one while striking out three.
Anderson Severino and Matt Turner each had a scoreless inning, Severino getting one strikeout and Turner getting three along with the win.
Tyrone Taylor went 1-for-2, hitting his second home run of the spring.
Cristian Pache went 1-for-1 with an RBI double and a walk.
Chris Suero hit his first spring training home run, and he drew a walk to boot.
Yonatan Henriquez was the hero of the game, going 1-for-2 with the one hit being the all-important game winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth.
The Mets next game will be on Tuesday at 1:10 PM EST, against Team Nicaragua in a pre-World Baseball Classic exhibition game. There is currently no way to either watch or listen to that game, so if you’re interested you’ll have to watch the box score.
Mar 1, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts against the Los Angeles Angels during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Mookie Betts played in his first Cactus League game on Sunday, played four innings at shortstop, was 0-for-2 at the plate and scored a run against the Angels.
Betts in the first two-ish weeks of spring training got his work in on the backfields and in the batting cages, one of a few Dodgers who were slow-played this season after consecutive long postseason runs through October (and last year, one day into November).
In 2025, Betts had the worst season on offense of his Hall of Fame career, setting career lows across the board by hitting .258/.326/.406 with a 104 wRC+. His swing was out of whack at times, and his hard-hit rate fell from 39.5 percent to 35.8 percent, after six straight seasons at 41 percent or higher.
It was also his first full season at shortstop, which he was pressed into during spring training in 2024, then switched back to right field that season after returning from a broken hand. Betts also had the stomach virus that wiped him out for the Japan trip, losing 20 pounds during a short time.
Now 33 years old, Betts eyes a bounce-back season at the plate, and still occupies a premium spot in the batting order, slated to bat third between lefties Kyle Tucker and Freddie Freeman this season. The depth of the Dodgers lineup is immense, but whether the offense can potentially be the best in franchise history might depend on what they get from Betts, and whether he can recapture at least some of his previous form.
After Sunday’s game, Betts spoke with reporters about his offseason.
“Instead of just trying to fix problems,” Betts said, “I was able to go back to what I do best and really groove those patterns instead of trying to fix old patterns.”
“I enjoyed both to be honest. I enjoy working. And I enjoy chilling. Whichever one, I was cool with either way,” Betts said of the dichotomy between his past two offseasons.
“I’ve put in so much work that, at some point, you just gotta let it do its thing. There’s only so many ground balls you can take. I think I took enough of them last year.”
SURPRISE, AZ - FEBRUARY 17: Austin Gomber #40 of the Texas Rangers poses for a photo during the Texas Rangers photo day at Surprise Stadium on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for March 2, 2026 against the Cleveland Guardians.
Spring training games keep rolling along. Austin Gomber is starting this one, instead of Nathan Eovaldi, as Eovaldi will be pitching in a minor league game.
Seaver King’s first full professional season went a bit rocky in 2025, posting an 88 wRC+ in 125 games, including a 78 wRC+ at Double A. While he flashed some incredible tools, such as plus defensive ability at shortstop and elite speed, his lack of plate discipline and struggle to tap into his power limited his offensive upside.
Coupled with the fact that seemingly every player selected before and after King in the 2024 MLB Draft is now a top prospect in the sport or already a big leaguer, it’s understandable why the fanbase has had some frustrations with King’s development.
While the regular season didn’t go quite as many hoped it would for King in 2025, his performance in the Arizona Fall League was certainly worth tuning in for. In 18 games and 79 plate appearances, he hit .359 with 2 home runs and a 1.030 OPS. The sample size was small, but the underlying metrics backed up his strong performance, as he posted a 93rd percentile average exit velocity, 96th percentile hard hit rate, and 72nd percentile strikeout rate in the AFL.
King has taken the improvements he made in the AFL and, so far, applied them to Spring Training, as he is 4-8 with 4 singles and a walk so far this spring, good for a 180 wRC+. Perhaps most importantly, he has yet to strike out, a pleasing sight after he ran a 21% strikeout rate in the minors last year.
The sample is once again way, way too small to draw any meaningful conclusions from, but the fact that King has been able to perform well against upper-minor-league and big league pitching is very reassuring for his future as a big league hitter.
King will almost certainly begin his 2026 regular season campaign in Double A, playing Shortstop everyday. While he struggled at the level in his 80 games there in 2025, his strong AFL performance, coupled with the new coaching staff around him, has me more confident this time around in his ability to handle the pitching at that level. If he goes out and performs well in the first few months of 2026, he should see a promotion to Rochester, putting him on the doorstep of the big leagues. If his breakout continues there, could we see Seaver King in DC by the end of the year?
King’s big league fate this season would depend not only on his own production, but the production and future of those ahead of him already. 4 shortstops sit ahead of Seaver King in the Nationals organization currently: Sergio Alcantara, Levi Jordan, Nasim Nunez, and CJ Abrams.
The 29-year-old Alcantara and 30-year-old Jordan are more organizational depth than anything, not making them major hurdles for King if he has an offensive breakout, but Nunez could prove difficult to overtake for King, as he has the benefit of already being a big leaguer and sharing many similar skills to King, as both are speedsters with plus defense at shortstop and questions with their bats.
Then, of course, there is CJ Abrams, the Nats’ star shortstop, who is leaps and bounds better offensively than King at the moment, but lacking on the defensive side of the ball. While it’s hard to envision King outright taking the shortstop position from Abrams anytime soon, there is the potential for Abrams moving off it to open the spot for him, whether that be from Abrams moving to another position, such as second base, or Abrams being traded to another ballclub.
In a world where King has the breakout 2026 campaign fans are hoping for, and Abrams is moved at the deadline for more prospects to strengthen the farm system, I believe there is the potential for Seaver King to be playing middle infield for the Nationals in the backend of the 2026 season. Thanks to his great versatility, his path to big league playing time is increased, as he could come up and play any number of positions the Nats need him to.
Aug 22, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; New York Mets outfielder Tyrone Taylor (15) runs the bases against the Atlanta Braves during the sixth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
Last time we spoke about Tyrone Taylor, it seemed like he was in line to be the starting center fielder for the 2026 Mets. Now, I’m a big fan of Taylor, but that was a touch grim given his .223/.279/.319 line last season. Clearly the front office felt the same and made major additions, bringing in Luis Robert to take over lead duties in center field and bumping Brett Baty to a super-utility role (one that will likely include some time on the grass) by bringing in Bo Bichette. Taylor now slots into a much more appropriate role as a fourth or even fifth outfielder.
This all works out rather well from a roster construction perspective. Against tough righties, Benge can slide over to center with Baty in left. Against a tough lefty, you can put Taylor out in left field for a game. If and when Robert goes down for his typical 50-game injury stint, Benge slides to center and Taylor becomes a more traditional 4th outfielder. It’s a well defined role that his matchup-specific offensive profile and high-end defense are very well suited for, and it’d be very reasonable to expect a bit of an offensive bounce back.
If this upsets you for whatever reason (I can’t fathom being a Tyrone Taylor hater), fear not, since it’s likely not a long-term arrangement. Taylor will reach free agency in 2027, and the Mets have a number of upper minors position prospects (A.J. Ewing, Jacob Reimer, maybe Ryan Clifford, even Nick Morabito as a reserve option) that may factor into the outfield picture in some way. It seems likely the Mets would move on in favor of younger, cheaper, higher-upside internal options going into next season.
Taylor’s tenure might not even make it that long though. A midseason trade for a reserve outfielder is very possible, perhaps someone like Ausin Hays once the White Sox have their inevitable trade-deadline sell. There’s even a non-zero chance the Mets make such an addition prior to the start of the season, though convincing a player better than Taylor to sign for such a marginal bench role is not always straightforward.
The trade to bring in Taylor was one of the first moves made by David Stearns when he joined the Mets. Counting this upcoming season, the Mets are on track to pay less than $10M for three years of strong fourth outfielder play, a good bit below what the market typically pays for this sort of player (as an example, Lane Thomas received more than $5M this offseason). It’s been a successful tenure all around, and we can appreciate this last go round with Taylor back in the right role.
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 23: Bobby Witt Jr. #7 of the Kansas City Royals catches a soft line drive for an out during the third inning of a spring training game against the Chicago Cubs at Surprise Stadium on February 23, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s time for another Royals roster projection! We last did this exercise in December of last year. We’ve got double digits of spring training games played now, so the picture has become perhaps a little bit clearer. Certainly, it seems EXCEPTIONALLY unlikely any of those dream lineups I concocted at the end of the piece are going to come to fruition. Alas.
But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been any changes! So here’s the new projection with any changes from the previous projection indicated by italics.
Everyday lineup
SS Bobby Witt Jr.
RF Jac Caglianone
3B Maikel Garcia
1B Vinnie Pasquantino
C Salvador Perez
DH Carter Jensen
LF Isaac Collins
2B Jonathan India
CF Kyle Isbel
It’s the same nine guys as last time, though I did rearrange things a bit. Yes, I admit this looks a little crazy, but stick with me for a minute.
With Bobby doing some leading off in Spring Training and projected to do so for Team USA in the WBC, I think he’s finally going to come around to doing it for the Royals in the regular season. Jac Caglianone is having a monster spring — including laying off a lot of pitches up in the zone, which were something of a kryptonite for him last year — and he’s been batting second a lot. The smart money is that this is just because the Royals want him to get extra ABs before he also heads off to the WBC, but look at all the fun things we can do with R-L arrangements if he takes over as the number two hitter. For what it’s worth, if he can reach his 80th-percentile projections, he could very easily be the team’s second-best hitter and absolutely belong in that spot. Having Maikel batting behind him could help him get more pitches to hit, too.
Listen, it’s not any fun if we only say the most obvious things. So yeah, it’s a little crazy, but I think it just might work.
Bench
DH/OF Starling Marte
OF Lane Thomas
UT Michael Massey
UT Tyler Tolbert
The Royals signed Marte to a Major League deal on Saturday, so he — along with Thomas — is going to be a lock for the bench. This no longer leaves room for a third catcher, so the Royals are just going to have to live on that edge. Michael Massey takes over from Adam Frazier on the bench after a hot spring, and with Frazier choosing to join the Halos. The last spot could go to Nick Loftin instead of Tyler Tolbert, but I think the Royals will prefer the speed on the bench to Loftin’s batting eye. But also, based on how they approached the offseason, I could be very wrong on that one. Tell me I’m an idiot in the comments if you want, and then ask me again tomorrow because I could change my mind.
I don’t think Josh Rojas has a real shot to break camp with the club — especially not with the Marte signing, with how well Massey has played, and with Tolbert and Loftin already on the 40-man roster. That goes double for all other infielders trying to crack the roster.
Rotation
LHP Cole Ragans
RHP Seth Lugo
LHP Kris Bubic
RHP Michael Wacha
LHP Noah Cameron
Last time, I mostly thought Bubic wouldn’t be on the team and that, if he was, they’d consider moving him to the bullpen. But he really was one of the best starters in MLB last year, and since none of the trades materialized and Marte signed, it seems like we get to watch him pitch for KC for at least one more year. Now I just have to pray for my favorite pitcher to get a midseason contract extension, à la Seth Lugo last year.
Bullpen
CL Carlos Estévez
RHP Lucas Erceg
LHP Matt Strahm
RHP John Schreiber
RHP Nick Mears
LHP Helcris Olivárez
RHP Mason Black
LHP Bailey Falter
With Bubic no longer in the ’pen, they need another lefty. Olivárez has really impressed me this spring, especially with his heretofore unseen ability to throw strikes while regularly hitting 98 from the left side. I think that should be enough to get him a big-league job. Alex Lange drops off because he hasn’t impressed me much yet, and his major league money doesn’t kick in until he’s on the major league roster, so starting him in AAA if he doesn’t look ready is a smart move. Black also has options, but he’s looked terrific on the mound so far this spring, and I’d like to see him carry that on.
I’m still not remotely convinced that Bailey Falter will be with KC by the end of Spring Training, but I also haven’t seen anyone else stand out enough to kick him off the team if KC doesn’t find a trade partner. My best guess is that if they do deal Falter, as things stand right now, Daniel Lynch IV would get his spot as the swingman/mop-up guy. I would like to point out that Danny Coulombe is still looking for a job, though. Come on, Royals, do the fun thing and bring him in! Then we wouldn’t need Lynch or Falter, and Olivárez could become the mop-up guy!
This still leaves out talented relievers Steven Cruz, James McArthur, and Luinder Avila in the minors to start the year, but expect all of them to appear in KC at various points when the team needs to option someone or someone hits the IL. Dennis Colleran Jr. has looked pretty good, but I just can’t see him in the big leagues earlier than very late this season — and probably more like next year.
I’ve had hours and days to think about this, and I think I’ve finally figured out how Marte fits on this roster. It took so long because, for most of my Royals fandom, they’ve filled their benches with defensive masters or speedsters. The last time I can remember them carrying someone on the bench primarily for his ability to hit was Ryan McBroom in 2021. And McBroom didn’t last the whole season. Before that, it was Dave McCarty in 2000 and 2001 (though he was bad in 2001). So Marte will break with tradition in more ways than one — being primarily a good hitter on the bench and not having an Irish/Scottish surname while doing so.
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 21: Winston Santos #18 of the Surprise Saguaros throws a pitch during an Arizona Fall League game against the Glendale Desert Dogs at Surprise Stadium on October 21, 2025 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Texas Rangers optioned righthanded pitchers Winston Santos to AA Frisco and Emiliano Teodo to AAA Round Rock yesterday, per the MLB.com transactions page. The team has not formally announced those moves, though I assume they will do so today.
Both Santos and Teodo are dealing with physical issues that are currently limiting him. Santos suffered a broken left hand when hit by a comebacker while throwing batting practice, while Teodo is reportedly still recovering from the back issues which limited him in 2025.
Santos, who turns 24 in April, was added to the 40 man roster after the 2024 season. He spent most of the 2025 season on the injured list, making five starts for Frisco and one start for Round Rock during the regular minor league season. He also appeared in five games in the Arizona Fall League. The expectation is that Santos will be ready to go pretty soon after the minor league season starts.
Teodo, 25, was also added to the 40 man roster the previous winter. While he was seen as a dark horse candidate to make the Rangers’ bullpen out of spring training last year, he struggled to stay healthy and throw strikes all year, ultimately throwing 30 innings over 27 games between the ACL, Frisco and Round Rock, putting up a 7.20 ERA. He also threw four innings in the Arizona Fall League.
While players who are injured normally cannot be optioned, teams are allowed to option a player who is injured if he did not appear in the major leagues the previous season, so long as the player is sent down at least 15 days prior to the start of the major league season.
EDIT — The team has officially announced these transactions. They have also announced that Nabil Crismatt, Declan Cronin, and Trevor Hauver have been officially assigned to the minor league camp, leaving 61 players in the major league camp.
The Dodgers are going to win 130 games and blow away the NL West.
Of course they’re not going to do that. Isn’t that what was said about the Dodgers last year? They won exactly one more game than the Cubs did.
Obviously they’re the favorites to win their division again, as they have done 12 times in the last 13 years, missing out only in 2021 when they won 106 games but the Giants had that freak 107-win year. (And then LA beat the Giants in the postseason anyway.)
But a couple of other teams in this division have improved, and this division might be more competitive than you might think.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Key departures: Jalen Beeks, Ildemaro Vargas, Jake McCarthy, Blaze Alexander
Key arrivals: Nolan Arenado, Merrill Kelly, Carlos Santana, Paul Sewald, Jonathan Loaisiga, Michael Soroka
Look at that “arrivals” list. Looks like a 2019 All-Star team to me.
The D-backs did bring back Zac Gallen, who was rumored for a while to be coming to the Cubs, and re-united with Merrill Kelly, who they traded to the Rangers last summer.
The Cubs had Carlos Santana for a while last September. Remember that? Now he’s expected to be at least a platoon first baseman for Arizona — and he’ll turn 40 in April and hasn’t been dominant since, yes, 2019.
Nolan Arenado seems in career decline, too.
The D-backs still do have some good younger players, including Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo and Gabriel Moreno. An injury to Corbin Carroll puts the start of his season in jeopardy.
They finished 80-82 and it says here they won’t be much better than that.
Key departures: Germán Márquez, Kyle Farmer, Thairo Estrada, Sam Hilliard, Ryan Rolison, Michael Toglia, Warming Bernabel, Anthony Molina, Drew Romo, Angel Chivilli
Key arrivals: John Brebbia, Nicky Lopez, Keegan Thompson, Jake McCarthy, Michael Lorenzen, Willi Castro, Edouard Julien, Valente Bellozo, Tomoyuki Sugano, José Quintana
There is almost no chance this Rockies team could be worse than last year’s, which went 43-119, setting a franchise record. It was their third straight 100-loss season.
The Rockies actually played a bit better after starting the year 9-50. From that point until Aug. 31, they went 30-48, which is bad but not horrendous (it’s a 62-100 pace for a full season). Then they went 4-21 in September, which, yikes.
They’ve acquired a couple of decent veteran starters in Lorenzen, Sugano and Quintana and have a few decent young players in Hunter Goodman, Brenton Doyle and Ezequiel Tovar.
Like the 2025 White Sox, who improved by 20 wins over their 41-121 season in 2024, the Rockies could post a 60-win season. Which is still bad, but would be a significant step in the right direction.
Key departures: Clayton Kershaw, Michael Conforto, Michael Kopech, Kirby Yates, Justin Dean, Tony Gonsolin, Ben Rortvedt, Esteury Ruiz, Anthony Banda
Key arrivals: Kyle Tucker, Edwin Díaz, Cole Irvin, Michael Siani, Santiago Espinal
What can be said about the Dodgers that hasn’t already been said?
Kyle Tucker will be a complementary piece in L.A., a different role than he was expected to play in Houston. So if he’s healthy, that’s a big jump for a Dodgers offense that didn’t really need it (they led the NL in runs and home runs last year anyway).
The pitching rotation is its usual 11-deep, even after the retirement of Kershaw. And Díaz will head up a very deep bullpen.
And Shohei Ohtani will do more Shohei Ohtani things and very possibly win a fourth straight MVP (and fifth overall).
The Dodgers will probably win this division again. Maybe this time the Cubs will see them in October. I suspect the Cubs would have given the Dodgers a more competitive NLCS than the Brewers did.
Key departures: Luis Arráez, Dylan Cease, Nestor Cortes, Jose Iglesias, Ryan O’Hearn, Robert Suarez
Key arrivals: Triston McKenzie, Jose Miranda, Marco Gonzales, Nick Castellanos, Ty France, Germán Márquez, Walker Buehler, Griffin Canning
The Padres are trying to address the departure of Dylan Cease with quantity — look at all the FA pitchers they signed. Who knows, maybe they can resurrect Walker Buehler into what he once was with the Dodgers. Griffin Canning is a good signing, and Germán Márquez should be better outside of Coors Field.
With Robert Suarez gone, mid-season acquisition Mason Miller moves into the closer role. He was lights-out (0.77 ERA, 0.729 WHIP, struck out 54.2 percent of batters faced, 45 of 83) as a setup guy last year, so if they can get the game to him they should win a lot of close ones.
Key departures: Justin Verlander, Wilmer Flores, Joey Lucchesi, Andrew Knizner
Key arrivals: Reiver Sanmartin, Sam Hentges, Caleb Kilian, Adrian Houser, Gregory Santos, Tyler Mahle, Eric Haase, Harrison Bader, Luis Arráez, Will Brennan, Michael Fulmer
The Giants had a very strange 2025 season. On June 13 they beat the Dodgers and at 41-29, were tied with them for first place in the NL West.
Then they went on a 20-39 skid that put them at 61-68, 12 games out of first. That was followed by a five-game winning streak that included a three-game sweep of the Cubs at Oracle Park, part of a 14-4 run that put them only a game and a half out of the last wild card spot.
From there the Giants went 7-9 and finished at exactly .500… the fourth straight year they have finished within four games of. 500 (starting in 2022: 81-81, 79-83, 80-82 and 81-81).
They are hoping all the miscellaneous pitchers they picked up will help them this year. They will have outstanding outfield defense with Harrison Bader now in center field and Jung Hoo Lee moved to right. Their left side infield defense is outstanding with Matt Chapman at third base and Willy Adames at short, but the right side… yikes, Luis Arráez at second and Rafael Devers at first is kinda frightening.
Looks like another .500 season in San Francisco. These teams will meet six times in a 10-day period in June.
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Our best NHL player props for Monday, March 2
Take a look at our best bets and expert analysis below.
Prop #1: Adam Fantilli Over 2.5 shots
-120 at BET99
Columbus Blue Jackets go-to center Adam Fantilli has only picked up 10 shots across his past 26 games despite recording a healthy 26 attempts. That 38.5% conversion rate is well below the 47.7% mark he posted through the first 52 games of the season, and there’s nothing scary about this matchup.
The New York Rangers rank below average in both shots allowed per game and Corsi For percentage at 5-on-5, and Fantilli is also one of the primary shooters on Columbus' No. 1 power-play unit.
Landeskog has been on the ice with MacKinnon for a healthy 265:15 of ice time this season, and the Avs have scored 6.79 goals per 60 minutes while also running wild at 5-on-5 with 58.0 Corsi For percentage and 56.6 expected goals percentage.
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
Where to watch: ESPN+, Sportsnet+
Prop #3: Marco Kasper Over 0.5 points
+160 at BET99
Detroit Red Wings forward Marco Kasper is projected to skate on the No. 1 line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. Raymond paces the team in points, with Larkin ranking third, so this is an excellent opportunity for the 2022 eighth-overall pick.
Kasper is also finding his footing with seven points and 29 shots across his past 12 games. Plus, the Nashville Predators have surrendered the fifth-most goals per game.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
The Buffalo Sabres are in a position to add to their roster. At the time of this writing, the Sabres have a 35-19-6 record and are second in the Atlantic Division standings. With this and the Sabres looking to avoid extending their playoff drought to 15 years, they should not be afraid to make some moves.
One trade need that the Sabres could look to address is bringing in another forward to their middle six. Due to this, they are now being connected to an interesting forward from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In a recent article for The Athletic, Matthew Fairburn named Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann as an "ideal target" for the Sabres.
"McMann is the type of fast, forechecking winger who would fit on any of Buffalo’s lines. He’s also got some goal-scoring pop to his game and only makes $1.35 million per year," Fairburn wrote.
There is no question that McMann would be a nice addition to the Sabres' roster. The 6-foot-2 forward is currently in the middle of a strong season for the Maple Leafs. In 59 games this campaign with the Original Six club, McMann has recorded 19 goals, 13 assists, 32 points, and 133 hits. This was after he set career highs with 20 goals, 14 assists, 34 points, and 136 hits in 74 games this past season with the Maple Leafs.
When looking at how McMann has performed over the last two seasons with the Maple Leafs, it is clear that he would give the Sabres a nice mixture of secondary scoring and grit if acquired. This would be beneficial for the Sabres, but especially when the games get tougher during the playoffs.
Due to his ability to play both wings, the Sabres would be able to slot McMann in multiple spots in their lineup. Yet, the idea of a line with him, Josh Norris, and Josh Doan is an appealing one. Furthermore, he would give the Sabres another clear option for their power play because of his offensive skill.
Nevertheless, with the Sabres looking to get into the playoffs, it would make sense for them to bring in a forward like McMann. It will be interesting to see if they do just that.
Overall you have to be happy with the way the Pittsburgh Penguins played their first week back out of the 2026 Winter Olympic break. Despite not having captain Sidney Crosby in the lineup, they still earned five out of a possible six points to help maintain their place in the second playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division. While Saturday’s game against the New York Rangers produced a frustrating result, letting a 2-0 lead slip away against a bad team and losing yet another shootout, the way they responded on Sunday made it all pretty easy to let go. The important thing at this point is to just keep collecting points. They are.
Now they enter an important week for their season: Trade deadline week.
Yes, there are games to be played as well, and they really start to get into the meat of their tough March schedule, but it is also going to be fascinating to see how Kyle Dubas handles this week from a roster move perspective.
He has already been busy this season, having traded Tristan Jarry to the Edmonton Oilers for Stuart Skinner, Brett Kulak and a 2029 second-round draft pick, acquiring Egor Chinakhov from the Columbus Blue Jackets for second-and third-round picks, and then most recently trading defenseman Kulak to the Colorado Avalanche for defenseman Samuel Girard and another 2028 second-round draft pick.
That is a lot.
There might still be more ahead.
The big questions to watch this week:
Does he make a move for another depth defenseman?
Does he try to acquire a center for the short-term with Crosby sidelined, or is he confident enough in the Penguins ability to win games and stay competitive until the captain returns?
Does he risk trading Anthony Mantha for what could be a big return, even though he has turned out to be a big part of this roster?
Does he trade Skinner to further add to the Jarry trade tree, while also creating an opportunity for Sergei Murashov to get a more permanent look and role in the NHL?
Does he find another impact player with term-remaining on their contract that fits in with the current young core?
We know he has a ton of draft pick capital to trade from, he has opportunities to acquire more if he trades from that, and we know the Penguins have an enormous amount of salary cap space to work with both this season and in future seasons.
There are a lot of possibilities here. My guess is there is at least one more trade of some importance before Friday. It is just a matter of what that looks like.
In between all of that there are games to deal with.
The week begins on Tuesday with a road game at the Boston Bruins. The Bruins have been wildly inconsistent all season and remain a tough team to get a read on. Their record is fine. Their underlying numbers are terrible and suggest a team that has overachieved.
David Pastrnak is one of the best players in hockey and the main guy they have to be concerned with, while Morgan Geekie has turned into a top goal-scorer (nobody saw that happening) and gives them a strong 1-2 punch offensively. But they have limited depth beyond those two and a defense that gets really thin as soon you get beyond Charlie McAvoy.
The Penguins always seem to struggle in Boston, and already lost there once this season having lost a 1-0 game back on January 11. They have just one regulation defeat since then, going 10-1-4 in the 15 games since, earning 24 out of a 30 possible points. That is an .800 points percentage.
The Penguins then return home for a three-game homestand that begins on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres. Buffalo has been the NHL’s best team record-wise since mid-December, and is coming off an impressive 6-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday. They look for real and are going to be a very formidable opponent. The Penguins, however, have won the first two games of the season against Buffalo, outscoring them by a 9-4 margin. The first game was probably a little misleading with its 4-2 final score (the Sabres were arguably the better team in that game), but the Penguins response before the Olympic break was a thoroughly convincing win.
They then have another weekend back-to-back. The first of those games will be on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers kind of sunk out of the playoff race before the Olympic break and are now going into the NHL Trade Deadline as likely sellers. It remains to be seen what their roster will look like on Saturday, but I would not anticipate any major changes. This will be the fourth meeting of the season, with the Penguins have won two of the first three and collecting five out of a possible six points in those games. The past two games have been completely one-sided with the Penguins outscoring them by an 11-4 margin.
The Penguins then conclude the week on Sunday, book-ending it with another game against the Bruins, this time at home. Both teams will be playing the second half of a back-to-back, while the Penguins will have the advantage of not having to travel and already being at home.
On paper, this is a tough schedule. They have three games against likely playoff teams, but the Penguins have done extremely well in those matchups this season. Against teams currently in a playoff position, they are 12-5-7, good enough for a .645 points percentage. That would be a 105.7 points pace over an 82-game season. Against teams with a top-10 points percentage they are even better with a 9-3-3 record this season. They have been able to consistently raise their game and level of play against playoff teams and the top teams in the league.
Still, these are going to be some tough games. Given where the Penguins are in the standings, the cushion they have created for themselves and the fact they are still without Crosby for the time being, they pretty much need to just play .500 hockey to maintain things until Crosby returns. Anything that results in four or more points this week should be considered a win.
Lucas Raymond is on pace to average more than a point per game for the first time in his career.
With most of his points coming by way of assist, my Red Wings vs. Predators predictions see him picking up a helper against a weak defensive side.
Let’s dive deeper into my NHL picks for Monday, March 2.
Red Wings vs Predators prediction
Red Wings vs Predators best bet: Lucas Raymond Over 0.5 assists (-105)
Lucas Raymond has recorded an assist in 19 of his last 30 games against bottom-half defenses, consistently taking advantage of favorable matchups.
He has a great one on Monday, as the Nashville Predators rank 28th in goals against, conceding 3.44 per game.
They continue to struggle defensively, sitting 27th in 5-on-5 goals allowed over the last 10 games, and have also conceded a power-play goal in five straight.
Raymond leads the Red Wings in points at full-strength and on the power play, making him a prime candidate to take advantage.
Red Wings vs Predators same-game parlay
Dylan Larkin goes as Raymond goes. He’s hit the scoresheet in eight of the past 10 games when Raymond has picked up a point, which makes sense given they correlate on the top line and power play.
Moritz Seider shoots more on the road when Detroit doesn’t control the matchups. He generates a lot of his volume from the right point, where the Predators rank 27th in shots allowed over the last 20 games.
Red Wings vs Predators SGP
Lucas Raymond Over 0.5 assists
Dylan Larkin Over 0.5 points
Moritz Seider Over 1.5 shots on goal
Red Wings vs Predators odds
Moneyline: Red Wings -105 | Predators -115
Puck Line: Red Wings +1.5 (-275) | Predators -1.5 (+220)
Over/Under: Over 6.5 (+105) | Under 6.5 (-125)
Red Wings vs Predators trend
Lucas Raymond has assists in four of his last six games against Nashville. Find more NHL betting trends for Red Wings vs. Predators.
How to watch Red Wings vs Predators
Location
Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
Date
Monday, March 2, 2026
Puck drop
2:00 p.m. ET
TV
FDSN Detroit, FDSN South
Red Wings vs Predators latest injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
Melbourne recently released a membership video that leaned into the cliches and the disappointment – one of the better executed and coherent offerings from the club in recent years. They were eight wins off finals last year. But they beat Brisbane at the Gabba, nearly beat Collingwood twice and ran top-placed Adelaide close. They lost half a dozen games by eight points or less.
Fantilli Over 2.5 shots
Landeskog Over 0.5 assists
Kasper Over 0.5 points