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The Yankees' offseason was a roller coaster, to say the least.

Juan Soto signed with the Mets, eliminating an MVP-caliber bat from New York's lineup, and injuries to ace Gerrit Cole among other notable bats and arms in the spring have put a damper on expectations for this season.

After going to the World Series last season for the first time since 2009, the Yanks are looking to get back and finish what they couldn't a year ago. That will be more difficult with the roster the way it is.

Although the Bombers retooled by signing Max Fried, Cody Bellinger,and Paul Goldschmidt with the money they were planning to use to re-sign Soto, there are more questions than answers surrounding this year's team.

It'll be up to manager Aaron Boone and GM Brian Cashman to answer them, but while we wait for the year to play out here are five big storylines to watch as the 2025 season begins...

Can Max Fried help Yanks survive without Cole?

A little de ja vu, to start things off.

A year ago, I wondered if the Yankees could survive without Cole. The AL Cy Young winner exited camp last spring with elbow soreness and didn't return until a few months in.

This time, the ace underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire 2025 season, so the stakes are arguably more dire -- especially considering the team's other injuries to Luis Gil (lat) and Clarke Schmidt (shoulder) that will leave just Carlos Rodon and Marcus Stroman as the holdovers from a year ago in the rotation.

Last season, Nestor Cortes, Stroman, Rodon, and Gil stepped up to help the Yanks get out to the best record in baseball through April, and it gave the team enough leeway until Cole's eventual return.

The difference this year is the addition of Fried. He was signed to be the team's co-ace and now he'll be the team's No. 1 starter. The southpaw has been as advertised this spring and will be looked upon to anchor a rotation that will include veteran Carlos Carrasco and prospect Will Warren to start the season.

Can Fried stay healthy and help keep the team afloat until reinforcements arrive?

How will the lineup perform without Juan Soto?

Judge had another MVP season in 2024 and was the best hitter in baseball. However, it can't be overstated how much punch the Yankees are missing this year without Soto.

Although Soto benefited from batting in front of Judge, the Yankees captain had more ducks on the pond when he was at the plate and didn't have to be burdened with elevating the offense alone. With Soto gone, Judge will be looked upon to do more. Can he come close to his MVP season? It'll go a long way to helping a short-handed rotation.

Also, what production will we see from newcomers Bellinger and Goldschmidt? Their MVP days are likely behind them but the Yanks need production from their two sluggers -- especially Goldschmidt.

First base has been a black hole of production the last two seasons with Anthony Rizzo's diminishing numbers -- and inability to stay healthy -- so if the former NL MVP can give New York a consistent bat from that position, it'll benefit the rest of the lineup.

The Yankees also need youngsters Anthony Volpe and Austin Wells to take the next step in their development. Meanwhile, New York needs production from another young bat...

Can Jasson Dominguez deliver?

There may not be another player on the roster who can impact the Yankees more than Dominguez.

That may seem like hyperbole, but consider the expectations surrounding the young outfielder. Dominguez burst onto the scene in 2023, showing off his power and speed. But Tommy John surgery -- and the addition of Soto -- put a halt to the switch-hitter's ascent to the big leagues.

Now that he's healthy and there's a spot open in the outfield, 2025 is Dominguez's time to sink or swim. And for the Yankees' sake, they need him to swim.

Adding a switch-hitting power bat lengthens the lineup and, again, takes some of the pressure off of Judge and the others.

This season is also an indicator of the Yankees' future. At just 22 years old, New York sees Dominguez as their future outfielder for years to come and if he doesn't pan out, the questions will only get bigger and louder.

How will Brian Cashman improve the roster?

Signings and trades are a part of each team's season, but with the expectations surrounding the 2025 Yankees and the mounting injuries, Cashman will need to be creative to improve this roster.

It's understandable that the longtime Yankees GM will wait and see how the rotation will play without Cole before making a move, but he can't be too patient -- especially with the Orioles and the upstart Red Sox in their division.

And that's not even bringing up the Yanks not having an everyday third baseman.

Right now, New York is going to go with a committee at the hot corner, but Cashman refused to get a legit bat in that position and it could hurt them in the long run. As the season moves along, a trade opportunity could present itself (Nolan Arenado) but again, Cashman can't wait too long to make improvements -- especially if the American League East is more competitive than a season ago.

Solving the third base puzzle

We alluded to it above, but third base has been a question the Yankees have been trying to answer since the offseason began.

Camp started with four potential options, but now it's really down to two. Oswaldo Cabrera is likely the Opening Day third baseman as New York employs a revolving door of infielders.

DJ LeMahieu was going to be in that rotation, but the injury he suffered this spring will likely force him to the IL to start the season. That leaves Pablo Reyes or former top prospect Oswald Peraza as Cabrera's potential backup.

Peraza hasn't shown much in his brief stints in the majors, but without any minor league options remaining this is likely the infielder's last shot to show what he has.

But this is all a short-term solution. What's the answer for the long-term this season?

It's hard to imagine the Yankees sticking with LeMahieu/Cabrera/Peraza the whole year. Will Cashman make a deal? Will a midseason call-up, like youngster Jorbit Vivas, do the trick?

We'll have to take the Yankees' third base situation a week at a time, but it'll be among the most scrutinized aspects of this team if production at the plate/field is not there.

Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell to make Opening Day roster: Reports originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox are putting one of their top prospects, Kristian Campbell, on the Opening Day roster, per multiple reports.

The most logical position/role for Campbell would be the starting second baseman. The Red Sox begin their 2025 season Thursday against the Texas Rangers on the road.

Campbell is the No. 7 ranked prospect in all of baseball, per MLB.com’s latest rankings. He won Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year award in 2024 after hitting .330 with 20 home runs, 77 RBI and a .439 on-base percentage across three levels of the minor leagues.

After a slow start to Spring Training, Campbell has played really well of late. He can hit for average and power.

His defense is pretty good, too.

One of Campbell’s best attributes is versatility. He can play multiple positions, including second base, shortstop and center field.

The Red Sox made some good upgrades in the trade market (Garrett Crochet) and free agency (Alex Bregman) during the offseason. But to build a long-term winner, they need these elite-level prospects, including Campbell, to become stars. His journey will begin soon.

With the Mets about to break camp and travel to Houston for Opening Day on March 27 to face the Astros, they're entering one of their most anticipated seasons ever.

There have been some recent campaigns where the legitimate hope was that it would end with a parade down the Canyon of Heroes, like 2023 (which wound up being cursed from the start) and 2016 (when the Mets bowed out in the Wild Card Game a year after reaching the World Series), but something seems different about this one.

For the first time since the mid-2000s, it feels like the Mets are building something sustainable -- which is of course the stated goal of owner Steve Cohenand still-newish head of baseball operationsDavid Stearns.

The idea is to churn out impact prospects year after year while supplementing the team via trade and free agency, playing at the top of the market when it's deemed necessary.

The Mets aren't the East Coast Dodgers just yet, but they're making strides.

And as the regular season begins, there's a belief the Mets have what it takes to go one or two steps beyond where they went in 2024, when their magical season ended in Game 6 of the NLCS in Los Angeles.

Here are five big storylines to watch as things get underway...

The starting rotation

Sean Manaea is expected to be out until the end of April, while Frankie Montas' return should come by some point in June. That means 40 percent of the expected rotation will be missing to start the season.

Gone along with Manaea and Montas for now is the plan to use a six-man rotation, which would've kept Kodai Senga on a more elongated schedule and allowed Clay Holmes' innings to be managed a bit as he transitions from a reliever to a starter.

As they deal with the injuries, the Mets have turned to depth options Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning, who will be in the five-man rotation along with Senga, Holmes, and David Peterson to start the year.

The rotation has serious upside (Senga pitched like an ace in 2023, Holmes' stuff is legit, Peterson had a 2.90 ERA last season), but there's also the possibility that Senga needs time to shake off the rust, Holmes hits some speed bumps, and Peterson is inconsistent.

So the rotation bears watching early, as does the performance of Brandon Sproat in Triple-A Syracuse. If Sproat masters the level quickly, his MLB debut could come sooner rather than later -- injecting a high-upside arm into the rotation.

The second base situation

With Jeff McNeil missing the start of the season due to a mild oblique injury, the expectation is that Brett Baty will get a chance to grab the regular second base job for the time being.

Baty, who got some burn at second base last year in the minors, looked the part there during spring games. He also had a terrific spring offensively.

Since this will be Baty's fourth year getting major league time, it's easy to forget that he's had only 602 plate appearances in the bigs and is entering just his age-25 season.

The talent is there for Baty, and there's still time for him to become a real part of the Mets' future -- whether that comes in an everyday role or on the bench.

While Baty could get the bulk of the starts at second base early on, the speedy Luisangel Acuña could factor in as well -- perhaps as the starter at second against tough left-handers.

Juan Soto

Soto spent spring training doing what he always does -- hitting homers, staring pitchers down, walking a bunch, and looking like the most confident hitter on the planet.

Now it starts for real.

Soto really is a Met, and that will be fully hammered home when he steps in the box against the Astros on Thursday and again when he digs in for his first at-bat as a Met at Citi Field on April 4.

The Mets' offense, even without McNeil and Francisco Alvarez for a bit, should be loaded. And it will orbit around Soto and Francisco Lindor, who could form one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball. If Lindor and Soto play as expected, it should create tons of opportunities for Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos, and Brandon Nimmo to do serious damage.

How dominant will Edwin Diaz be?

Even though he has a 2.60 ERA (2.10 FIP) and 1.01 WHIP while striking out 15.0 batters per nine in 204 games over his last four seasons, Diaz remains a polarizing figure.

He has been one of the best and most dominant closers in baseball each of the last four seasons he's pitched (he missed the entire 2023 campaign due to a knee injury), but that doesn't stop people from pushing the panic button at the first sign of a wobble.

In fairness, Diaz did have some hiccups last season -- including a sticky stuff suspension and a really bad stretch in May that skewed his final numbers a bit. He also went through a rough patch with his command in the postseason.

But Diaz-- as he's always been since 2020 -- was mostly dominant in 2024, which included how he pitched from June 13 to the end of the regular season on Sept. 30. In 35 games during that span, Diaz posted a 2.41 ERA (2.07 FIP) while holding batters to a .155/.252/.241 triple slash. In 33.2 innings over those 35 games, Diaz allowed just 18 hits while walking 13 and striking out 54.

Some expect perfection from Diaz, though, or at the very least a repeat of his 2022 season -- when he had one of the best relief seasons ever and garnered Cy Young votes. Diaz is unlikely to ever repeat 2022, but there's no reason to believe he won't be mostly dominant once again.

Will the bullpen reach its potential?

The aforementioned Diaz is obviously a huge part of the equation here, but the Mets' relief corps beyond him has a chance to be really good.

Behind Diaz, there are three other legitimate late-inning options -- A.J. Minter, Reed Garrett, and Ryne Stanek -- who all have the stuff to dominate. Minter had a 2.62 ERA and 1.01 WHIP last season for Atlanta, Garrett emerged with the Mets to be one of their key relievers, and Stanek (despite a tough stretch right after he was acquired last year) was one of New York's most reliable relievers in the playoffs.

Then there's Dedniel Núñez, who was one of the Mets' best relievers last season in what was his rookie campaign. Núñez needs a bit more time to stretch out after last season ended due to injury, but the expectation is that he'll arrive quickly.

But the true X-factors here could be Jose Butto and Max Kranick, who are both viewed as potentially high-impact, multi-inning options.

Butto was a serious weapon last season, allowing just 41 hits in 74.0 innings while pitching to a 2.55 ERA and 1.06 WHIP.

Then there's Kranick, whose stuff has played up in a big way as he completes his transition from starter to reliever.

Clemens makes the team, Phillies appear to have their Opening Day roster originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Kody Clemens has won the final spot on the Phillies’ Opening Day roster, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters in Clearwater on Monday morning.

The left-handed-hitting Clemens and right-handed-hitting Buddy Kennedy had made it down to the final day of spring training in their competition for the last spot on the bench. Both are out of minor-league options and would have to be passed through waivers before accepting a minor-league assignment, so the Phillies knew all along they could lose whichever one doesn’t make the team unless a trade is worked out before Thursday’s opener.

Clemens has demonstrated his value as an extra man with the Phils over the last two seasons, playing seven different positions and coming up with several big hits late in games. Clemens hit a game-tying homer in the ninth inning of a game against the Nationals last May that the Phillies won in extras. In early September, he doubled in the ninth inning in Toronto to set up Kyle Schwarber’s game-winning homer. The next week, Clemens hit a walk-off single to beat the Rays.

Clemens went 16-for-52 (.308) this spring with two homers and seven RBI. Kennedy hit for power and drew walks throughout Grapefruit League play as well, and there was some thought that he might make it because of his right-handed bat. The Phillies are lefty-heavy with Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Max Kepler, Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh in the starting lineup, and they use a right-handed pinch-hitter for Stott or Marsh far more often than they use a lefty pinch-hitter for Trea Turner, Alec Bohm, Nick Castellanos or J.T. Realmuto. But still, Clemens has shown enough to earn a place on the roster.

A part of the decision was likely the Phillies’ comfort in using Sosa occasionally in the outfield. He played 23 innings in left field this spring and five in center. Weston Wilson, a right-handed hitter, strained his oblique just before spring training games began and the injury was believed to carry a six-week timetable. The Phillies will ease him back but he could potentially be in play for a bench job by late-April if he finds his timing quickly in the minors. Wilson does have an option year remaining.

This is how the Phillies’ 26-man roster, which needs to be submitted to the league by Thursday afternoon, looks:

Catchers (2)

J.T. Realmuto, Rafael Marchan

Infielders (4)

Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, Trea Turner, Alec Bohm

Outfielders (5)

Kyle Schwarber, Max Kepler, Brandon Marsh, Nick Castellanos, Johan Rojas

Utility (2)

Edmundo Sosa, Kody Clemens

Starting pitchers (5)

Zack Wheeler, Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez, Taijuan Walker

Relievers (8)

Matt Strahm, Jordan Romano, Jose Alvarado, Orion Kerkering, Tanner Banks, Jose Ruiz, Joe Ross, Carlos Hernandez

Injured list (2)

Ranger Suarez (back), Weston Wilson (oblique)

The Mets face the Yankees on Monday at 1:10 p.m. on SNY.

Here's what to know about the game and how to watch...

Mets Notes

• This is the Mets' final spring training game before they break camp
• After Monday's game, the Mets travel to Houston to prepare for Opening Day on Thursday against the Astros at 4:10 p.m. on SNY

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