Worldwide Sports News

The Guardians gave up 20 runs to the Mariners last night. But it’s Spring Training so it doesn’t count. So there.

Logan Allen gave up 12 runs. I am always surprised when Allen doesn’t give up 12 runs, so nothing new here for me. Matt Festa got knocked around but hey it’s Arizona, it’s early, etc.

Jose Ramirez, Angel Martinez and Wuilfredo Antunez hit homers. CJ Kayfus doubled.

The team designated Nolan Jones for assignment to Columbus. MLB’s rules are opaque but I think he will either be claimed by another team or have to accept the assignment to keep his $2M contract because he is short of five years of service time. That Columbus team will be crowded with Jones, Johnathan Rodriguez, Petey Halpin, Kahlil Watson, Juan Brito and even potentially Stuart Fairchild in the outfield mix… with options like Antunez not far behind. Makes you wonder if we might see some small trades prior to Opening Day.

I think CJ Kayfus takes Valera spot as a right field option and Angel Martinez secures the fourth outfielder spot. With Gaddis on the IL, the Opening Day roster has come into focus, and I do think Parker Messick will beat out Logan Allen for the fifth starter role.

Jim Rosenhaus spoke to Chris Antonetti, Daniel Schneemann and Angel Martinez on the latest Guardians Weekly podcast.

At this point each season, everything is fresh and new, and nearly anything seems possible. For the Red Sox infield, the mystery of what the season holds is even more intriguing because the Red Sox have an almost completely new-look infield.

For the most part, the players are new to each other and to Fenway: Willson Contreras, Caleb Durbin, Isiah Kiner-Falefa (bench), and Andruw Monasterio (bench) are all new to the Sox. All but Kiner-Falefa have arrived from the National League. Durbin and Marcelo Mayer, the starting third and second basemen, are still new-ish to MLB, with both returning for just their second year in the big leagues. Mayer, in particular, is an unknown quantity since his first season was cut short by injury.

Trevor Story holds a special place in the infield; at this point, he’s the only infielder who returned from the 2025 team and is not on the IL or in the minors. As such, he’s the anchor, though even he brings some question marks with him related to health and age.

What are these infielders capable of, individually and as a group? With as many unknowns as there are, it would be foolish to make predictions but there are certainly goals.

Stabilize the Infield Defense

This is foundational goal and must be considered a bare minimum for the season. Veterans Story and Contreras will lead the way here, facilitating the transition out of the chaos of recent seasons.

The organization’s new focus on defense will be stabilizing in its own right because it’s given the front office a mission. By signing a number of glove-first utility players, the team should be able to significantly reduce the errors that have plagued them for too long, and shut the revolving door on the procession of Quad-A players who were needed due to poor roster construction and lack of depth.

Stay (or Get) Healthy

This might be considered a stretch goal, as injuries are a way of life in professional sports and the Red Sox have had their share recently.

Romy González and Triston Casas could be contributors this season but they begin the season on the IL, recovering from their respective surgeries (shoulder and knee). Brendan Rodgers, who wasn’t likely to make the MLB roster anyway, is likely out for the season due to surgery.

With Story and Mayer, who have been defined in many ways by their injuries in recent years, fingers are crossed. For Mayer especially, finishing the year on the field—something he hasn’t done since 2021, the year he was drafted—is crucial. He has never played more than 100 games in a season as a professional and needs to prove what he’s capable of. He will surely want to shut down the speculation, which only reignited when he experienced “soreness” late in spring training.

Unlike recent years, there is a versatile bench to draw from—to allow Alex Cora to execute his matchups, to keep starters fresh, and to step in when infield injuries arise.

Manufacture Enough Runs to Quiet the Talk About the Missing Power Bat

This is absolutely a stretch goal.

This task doesn’t fall only to the infield, of course, but since first and third base are typically seen as power-hitting positions, the battle lines are drawn. Contreras has amassed 172 HRs in his career, though never more than 24 in a season. His bat is one of the strongest on the entire team, not only among infielders, which speaks to the lack of overall power. There are other ways to score runs, of course, but in working to create those opportunities throughout the batting order, they find themselves operating outside of the long-time Red Sox identity. Contreras has decent power and hits to the gaps. His goal is to hit close to 20 homers and consistently drive in runners with doubles off the wall, or other well-placed hits.

Durbin (.256/.334/.387) is known for slapping singles, not for pop. He has speed and baserunning smarts, with 18 stolen bases in 2025. His part of this collective goal? Continue to get those hits, work walks, and turn on the speed to stretch some of those hits into another bag. Once he’s done that, the mission becomes swiping bases and racing home to score. He seems like a player who would find his groove in this hard-working, keep-the-pressure-on style of play.

Story rebuilt trust with Red Sox Nation and resurrected his career in 2025, as he hit 25 homers, drove in 96 runs, and stole a career-high 31 bases. At 33 and with his injury history, it’s unclear if he can maintain that pace, though he has spoken about managing his routines as a means of staying healthy and fresh. He will need to do just that and be a major offensive contributor, as he was last year.

Mayer has plenty of room to grow at the plate, slashing .228/.272/.402 with eight doubles, a triple and four home runs in 44 games. In the small sample size of 136 plate appearances over 44 games, he struck out 41 times (a rate of 30%) and walked eight times (a rate of 5%). Alex Cora has challenged him to improve his batting eye and plate approach, and in many ways, Mayer can only improve from here.

When González returns later in the season, he will hopefully be ready to do his share by mashing off the bench. Casas’ future in the infield or on the roster is unclear at this point, but if there’s any hope that he can resume the production he’s showed flashes of, he’ll be welcomed back with open arms.

Later this week, the infield will get the chance to prove itself in real games that matter. The foundation is there to build on, and the infield looks better, on paper at least, than any the Red Sox have rostered in several years.

Roki Sasaki has struggled with command this spring training, all while adding new pitches to his repertoire. The Dodgers have been exceedingly patient with the 24-year-old right-hander, insisting all spring that he will start the season in the starting rotation, rather than get optioned to the minors to continue his work in progress.

Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register talked with manager Dave Roberts and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman about the plan for Sasaki:

“There’s obviously a big gap between Triple-A and the big leagues,” Friedman said. “With certain really talented young players that we really believe in, we think that last mile of player development is generally better served at the major-league level.

“That said, even with our established guys it’s one of continued player development. Now for some guys, that’s more on the margins. For other guys there’s more involved. But we believe very strongly that he is going to be a very successful major-league starter. Just how quickly that comes to be is a fair question. Obviously we’re going to pour everything we can into making that happen sooner rather than later and we’ll go from there.”

Friedman talked with Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times about a number of topics, including organizational goals:

I wouldn’t say our mindset is all that different. But obviously, when you’re in a moment in time with an incredibly talented roster, I think the mindset is, ‘Don’t sit back on your heels, be aggressive, and don’t be nonchalant about the opportunity that we have in front of us.’ And so it’s more the idea of pressing an advantage and being aggressive on that front.

Santiago Espinal, who was selected to the Dodgers roster on Wednesday, will earn a $2.5 million salary this season, per Fabian Ardaya at The Athletic.

Alden González at ESPN wrote about how restrictions on pitcher usage constrain the potential of the World Baseball Classic, and that the Olympics potentially providing a road map for moving the WBC to midseason wouldn’t necessarily solve those restraints.

Janie McCauley at Associated Press previews the National League West.

Major League Baseball on Thursday announced that Polymarket is now the league’s official prediction market exchange, which is definitely a group of words that make complete sense together. Gabe Lacques at USA Today wrote about the potential pitfalls:

Manfred himself even has some control over the market.

The No. 2 search result after “2026 win totals” on Polymarket is “New MLB (collective bargaining agreement) by Dec. 1?” While Manfred has telegraphed a lockout by that date, the market believes there’s a 49% chance a deal will be struck between MLB and the players’ association by then.

It is time for my favourite post of the year. It is fun to read about where everyone who comes here is from and their answers to the various questions.

Your mission, if you choose to accept, is to copy and paste these questions into the comment thread and give us your answers.

Name:

Location:

Favourite Current Jay:

Favourite All-Time Jay:

Favourite Non-Jay:

Favourite Blue Jays Prospect:

Metaphysical Position on the Diamond:

Ballpark I’d Most Like to Visit:

Favourite Baseball Movie:

What was the best thing about your past year:

When Not Bantering, I:

On Twitter or BlueSky, I am:

Baseball Card Back Fun Fact:

Walkup Music:

Name: The One and Only Billy Shears

Location: Calgary. Surrounded by guitars and a mess. Or a mess of guitars.

Favourite Current Jay: Addison Barger

Favourite All-Time Jay: Depends on the moment. Let’s go with Jesse Barfield

Favourite Non-Jay: Former Red Sox outfielder Dwight Evans

Favourite Blue Jays Prospect: JoJo Parker, if his walk-up music isn’t ‘Get Back’, I’ll have to pick someone else. Jojo was a man who thought he was a loner, But he knew it couldn’t last

Metaphysical Position on the Diamond: Second base. Moved over from short since my arm isn’t good enough to make that Metaphysical throw from the hole. Me and Bo, if we stand close together, you couldn’t tell us apart.

Ballpark I’d Most Like to Visit: Right now? Tokyo Dome. And I hope to get to in a few days.

Favourite Baseball Movie: Still Bull Durham. “Don’t think, it hurts the team”

What was the best thing about your past year: We had a vacation to Africa, that was amazing.

When Not Bantering, I: been playing tennis a lot, squash some and trying badminton, because why not.

On Twitter or BlueSky, I am: @bluebirdbanter

Baseball Card Back Fun Fact: I have my name on a bowling trophy. And no, it wasn’t for a record low score.

Walkup Music: Oh I don’t know, how about All Just To Get To You

Name: Tom M

Location: Calgary

Favourite Current Jay: Vlad

Favourite All-Time Jay: Jose Bautista

Favourite Non-Jay: Francisco Lindor

Favourite Blue Jays Prospect: I’m about to list 40 of them

Metaphysical Position on the Diamond: Crafty junkballing lefty starter

Ballpark I’d Most Like to Visit: Fenway

Favourite Baseball Movie: Bull Durham

What was the best thing about your past year: I got published as lead author on an academic paper for the first time

When Not Bantering, I: take pictures, develop pictures, sometimes run marathons.

On Twitter or BlueSky, I am: silent

Baseball Card Back Fun Fact: I can tell the difference between butter and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter 

Walkup Music: Work to Do, Average White Band

Name: Colin C

Location: Edmonton

Favourite Current Jay: Alejandro Kirk

Favourite All-Time Jay: Carlos Delgado

Favourite Non-Jay: Bobby Witt Jr

Favourite Blue Jays Prospect: Gage Stanifer

Metaphysical Position on the Diamond: Guy who sits on the ball bucket and heckles the ump

Ballpark I’d Most Like to Visit: PNC Park

Favourite Baseball Movie: Major League 

What was the best thing about your past year: vacation to Mexico 

When Not Bantering, I: Run around with my kid to all her different activities, play baseball and travel back and forth to Winnipeg a lot. (Editor: Because the mosquitos in Edmonton aren’t big enough??)

On Twitter or BlueSky, I am: A lurker 

Baseball Card Back Fun Fact: Have played baseball in 3 different Arizona Spring Training complexes.

Walkup Music: Bone Cracker

Good morning, baseball fans!

We have officially reached the last weekend before baseball gets back! Opening Day for the San Francisco Giants is right around the corner. So this weekend, I wanted to get one last temperature check before the season starts.

Personally, I’m just excited for baseball to be back. I have a tiny, tiny bit of cautious optimism. I can’t help it. A new season is like the first day of school, full of potential and not yet tainted with disappointment and annoyance. A fresh start. A time where anything is possible because it hasn’t actually started yet.

It’s the best. I’m gonna ride that feeling right into the first series. Maybe even two, depending on how the Yankees series goes.

How are you feeling going into the new season?

Kyle Freeland will take the ball for the Rockies on Opening Day in 2026 — the fifth Opening Day nod for a pitcher who has quietly built one of the most unique résumés in franchise history. By Baseball-Reference, he is already the Rockies’ all-time leader in WAR among starting pitchers (19.2), a reflection of both longevity and effectiveness in baseball’s most difficult pitching environment. 

And yet, that same metric — WAR — is part of why Freeland is so often misunderstood. 

Because here’s the reality: WAR doesn’t always evaluate pitchers at Coors Field particularly well. And Freeland is one of the clearest case studies of that disconnect. 

His 2018 season is the most extreme example. FanGraphs credited him with 4.1 WAR. Baseball-Reference credited him with 8.4 WAR. Same performance, radically different value depending on the model. 

That season stands out — an outlier peak — but it doesn’t stand alone. Freeland has put together multiple solid seasons in Colorado, just not always at that elite level. 

Why Coors breaks clean metrics 

Most public pitcher WAR (Wins Above Replacement) models rely on two approaches: 

• FIP-based WAR (FanGraphs) — built from strikeouts, walks, and home runs.  

• RA9-based WAR (Baseball-Reference) — based on actual runs allowed.  

Both work well in most environments. At Coors, they don’t. 

At altitude, air density is roughly 15–20% lower than at sea level. Pitch-tracking research shows fastballs can lose roughly 2–3 inches of movement in Denver. 

Movement isn’t just reduced: It’s altered. That makes generating swing-and-miss more difficult and increases reliance on contact. 

So pitchers adapt. 

Freeland doesn’t overpower hitters — and that’s exactly what WAR tends to undervalue. 

2018 shows the disconnect 

Freeland’s 2018 line: 

• 202.1 innings  

• 2.85 ERA  

• 3.67 FIP  

• 4.1 fWAR  

• 8.4 rWAR  

That gap between fWAR and rWAR isn’t small — it’s philosophical. 

One model saw a pitcher without dominant strikeout numbers. The other saw elite run prevention. 

At Coors, Freeland threw 93.2 innings with a 2.40 ERA — not just surviving, but thriving. 

Coors isn’t just hitter-friendly 

Coors is often called “hitter-friendly,” but that undersells it. 

Park factors are averages — one adjustment applied broadly. 

Coors isn’t average. 

It interacts with pitch shape, contact quality, and decision-making in ways that don’t scale cleanly. Two identical pitches can produce completely different outcomes depending on where they’re thrown. Even the humidor reduced but didn’t eliminate these effects. 

In Colorado, the numbers rarely tell the whole story.

The skill that gets missed 

Freeland’s profile won’t jump off the page: 

• Modest strikeout rates  

• Solid command  

• Heavy reliance on contact  

But his value shows up differently: 

• Weak contact  

• Ground balls  

• Avoiding letting one inning break everything  

At Coors, that last skill might be the most valuable. 

WAR rewards outcomes that translate cleanly across environments. Freeland’s value comes from handling one that doesn’t. 

The Coors credibility tax 

There’s also a perception gap — call it the Coors credibility tax. 

A 4.30 ERA in a neutral environment looks like back-end production. At Coors, that same performance can resemble mid-rotation value or higher. 

If the Rockies are building around pitchers like Freeland, the question isn’t just whether they’re good enough: it’s whether we’re measuring them correctly. 

So what is he actually worth? 

On paper, a ~2 WAR pitcher looks replaceable. 

In reality, it’s not that simple. 

Freeland is owed $16 million in 2026, with a vesting option tied to innings in 2027. That reflects something the numbers struggle to capture: reliability in a uniquely difficult environment. A pitcher with similar “true talent” elsewhere might not translate to Coors at all. Freeland already has. 

Kyle Freeland isn’t an ace in the traditional sense. 

He’s something more specific: 

A pitcher built to survive — and occasionally thrive — in baseball’s most difficult pitching environment. 

Until metrics better capture environmental context and contact management at altitude, pitchers like Freeland will continue to look ordinary on paper and essential in reality. 

So the next time you see a WAR total next to a Rockies pitcher, ask: 

Is that number telling the whole story — or just the part that survives outside of Coors Field? 

What We Got Right and Wrong About the Rockies in Spring Training | SI.com 

The Rockies’ spring training offered a mix of optimism and reality — some encouraging performances, but familiar concerns still lingering. A few players showed growth, especially on the offensive side, yet questions about pitching depth and consistency remain. In the end, the biggest takeaway is that spring can hint at progress, but proving it in the regular season is a different challenge entirely. 

Venezuelan WBC champion Ezequiel Tovar makes triumphant return to Rockies after ‘goosebump’ moments | The Denver Post ($) 

Ezequiel Tovar returned to the Rockies fresh off helping Venezuela capture a World Baseball Classic title, bringing both momentum and confidence back to Colorado. The young shortstop embraced the emotional weight of the moment, calling the experience meaningful not just for himself but for his country. Now back with the Rockies, the question becomes whether that energy — and his strong international performance — can carry over into a bounce-back season at Coors. 

Rockies see top prospects Condon, Carrigg take next steps in solid spring | MLB.com 

The Rockies reassigned top prospects Charlie Condon and Cole Carrigg to minor league camp, a move framed less as a setback and more as the next step in their development. Both impressed during spring training, with the organization emphasizing their strong performances and long-term upside. Ultimately, the decision reflects timing rather than talent — and reinforces that both remain firmly in the Rockies’ plans for 2026, even if their debuts will have to wait. 

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

Game results:

Reds 8, Cubs 6.

A’s 6, Cubs 2.

Well, that was no bueno. At least the televised game started out well. I made a bad coin flip and started out listening to the Reds game. Boyd wasn’t exactly good Friday night. Taillon wasn’t much better. Miguel Amaya had some juice. Al will have details at 8 a.m. CT.

“I’ve suggested to the hitting coaches that they stay away from him,” Counsell said. “I did have a meeting with the hitting coaches at one point this spring. I called them all together, and they got a little nervous. I said, ‘You guys should stay away from Ballesteros.’

“Joking, you know, but they got the message.” — Patrick Mooney.

Four and a half games left, including the Spring Breakout Game. Cub Tracks is not in favor of ST night games. Or Eugenio Suárez in the Central.

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

• Daryl Van Schouwen (Chicago Sun-Times* {$}): Ten years later, Cubs would love to duplicate championship success. “Seems like it’s about time for another one.”
• Jay Cohen (AP*): NL Central Preview: Loaded Cubs going for the division title, but Brewers and Reds are lurking. “… Bregman is hoping to lead the Chicago Cubs to their first Central title since 2020…”
• Andy Koval (WGN9*): PHOTOS: Cubs unveil new food for 2026 season at Wrigley Field. The teams’ respective 2026 journeys begin on March 26, when the Cubs will host the Nationals at 1:20 p.m. CT at Wrigley Field on Opening Day.
• Jordan Bastian, Jessica Camerato (MLB.com*): Nationals-Cubs Opening Day starters: Cavalli vs. Boyd.
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Daniel Palencia shows off his WBC gold medal as he rejoins Chicago Cubs: ‘I knew that moment was mine’. “I just don’t believe it,” Palencia said.
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune* {$}): Chicago Cubs notes from camp: Jonathon Long in the mix for bench spot — and Shota Imanaga is a whiff machine. More Imanaga from Matthew Trueblood.
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com*): Cubs’ top prospect Ballesteros earns Opening Day roster spot. “He’s on the team,” Counsell said on Friday. “I think we made Moisés unnecessarily nervous, actually.” Meghan Montemurro has more. Daryl Van Schouwen likewise.
• Brett Taylor (Bleacher Nation*): Cubs extension updates: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Nico Hoerner. “… it’s generally been the case that a lot of extension negotiations end when it’s time to focus on games.”
• Patrick Mooey (The Athletic {$}): Pete Crow-Armstrong on WBC loss to Venezuela, Cubs teammate Daniel Palencia: ‘I love Danny’. “He pitched out of his mind,” Crow-Armstrong said. “He was great.”
• Jim Callis (MLB.com*): 2025 Draft picks key to Cubs restocking prospect pool. “The Cubs system is going through a transition right now.”

Food For Thought:

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.