The new face of the franchise, Colson Montgomery, sports the pinstripes on Photo Day as he prepares to lead the youth movement in 2026. | Getty Images
Spring Training in Glendale is officially in full swing, and if you haven’t already muted the “Chris Getz is building a team of 2023 roster castoffs” jokes on X, now might be the time. The biggest buzz at Camelback Ranch isn’t just the desert heat; it’s the arrival of Munetaka Murakami. While most of the roster is easing into their routine, Murakami is ramping up for the World Baseball Classic. The Sox are banking on that high-stakes environment keeping his timing sharp, which is a bold strategy for a guy adjusting to MLB velocity. But hey, seeing him and Colson Montgomery side-by-side in the infield at least gives us something to dream about while we wait for the Cactus League opener against the Cubs this Friday.
On the “project” front, Erick Fedde is back for a second act on a one-year flyer, and the early reports suggest he’s already tinkering with his hand break to fix the mechanical mess that was his 2025. Meanwhile, the front office continues its quest to collect every available depth piece with a recognizable last name, apparently signing DarrenBaker (son of Dusty) to a minor-league deal.
Darren Baker, the son of future Hall of Fame manager Dusty Baker, is working out on the back fields of the Chicago White Sox. He officially signed a minor league contract after being with the Washington Nationals and likely will open the season at Triple-A Charlotte.
Whether any of this translates to more than 60 wins is a conversation for another day. For now, the pinstripes looked crisp at yesterday’s Photo Day, and the optimism is palpable.
Yes, it’s early, and we all know the drill. It’s mid-February, the sun is hitting the back fields at Camelback Ranch, and hope is really the only thing we have in abundance before the actual games start exposing the flaws. But with the LuisRobert Jr. era officially over (still feels weird seeing him in Mets blue), the 2026 iteration of the White Sox is definitely leaning hard into the “Youth” movement, which does bring some excitement. And one thing is for certain, manager Will Venable has a lot of pieces to move around, with the general consensus being that the kids are finally getting the keys to the South Side. Between the high-OBP profile of Chase Meidroth, the sheer “juice” Murakami and Montgomery bring to the middle of the order, and the All-Star caliber catching duo of Kyle Teel and Edgar Quero, the 2026 lineup might actually — dare I say — force a pitcher to break a sweat in the fourth inning.
So, grab your sunscreen and settle in. If Murakami’s power is as real as the desert heat and the kids can maintain that second-half swagger from a year ago, we might actually find ourselves enjoying South Side baseball again before the 162-game marathon is through.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 8: Dominic Smith #7 of the San Francisco Giants hits a two run home run a game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on September 8, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Suzanna Mitchell/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves made a minor move on Tuesday and added infielder Dominic Smith on their list of non-roster invites to spring training. Smith, 30, spent the 2025 season in San Francisco, where he appeared in 63 games. He spent the majority of his time at first base, but also appeared in right field and briefly filled the DH role.
He debuted with the New York Mets in 2017 and in his early career, logged most of his innings in the outfield.
It is an under-the-radar addition for Atlanta, but Smith gives the Braves another experienced option in camp and a potential source of depth, should he make an impression this spring.
More Braves News:
Skipper Walt Weiss caught up with the media, discussing the pitching staff, Ronald Acuña Jr., and more.
JUPITER, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 17: Nolan Gorman #16 of the St. Louis Cardinals poses for a photo during the St. Louis Cardinals Photo Day at Roger Dean Stadium on February 17, 2026 in Jupiter, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Originally, I was going to write about the Cubs last, but I feel more threatened by Milwaukee overall. So, I am saving them for last. There is some small chance I might move to Milwaukee, so it’s not the city. It’s the team that annoys me. I’ll probably stick here in St Louis, yeah. But maybe some day I will have to change my name to Cards Fan in Brewtown or whatever it’s called, since long ago on VEB I was known as Cards Fan In Chitown. Miltown just doesn’t sound right. But this is about Chicago! A place I lived in for over 20 years, it was a love/hate thing.
Chicago is too cold, too little parking for residents without private parking, parking tickets are expensive, and they charge you like $100/yr for a sticker to put on your car so you don’t get tickets from the police for simply not having a Chicago sticker. That said, I never understand why people say Chicago is violent and scary unless they’re looking for heroin in the wrong neighborhoods, and even then, it’s survivable. I once was pulled over by a cop in a bad west side neighborhood, and the first thing that came to my mind was that he probably thought I was a kid from the suburbs looking for the h.
Nope, I am and was an artist/musician, and another artist had bought a building in a dangerous area to house artists. If you avoid these bohemian zones or whatever you want to call it, Chicago is filled with cops and security and cameras… it’s just a whole media lie to manipulate people about Chitown and to force a narrative. The rate of crime is average there. There’s just more counting numbers to scare people with. If anything, there are too many cops and order there. At least in the Chicago I experienced from the late 90’s until 2019.
I used to drunkenly ride my bike through Wrigleyville yelling “Cubbies!” in the most mocking tone possible. Everyone else was walking between bars or after the Cubs game, drunk too. No one cared or maybe it didn’t even register that I was mocking them, but regardless, these were more carefree times. I used to enjoy going to the Gingerman, a bar near Wrigley. I saw the Cardinals on the 4th of July there, and my friend and I were able to walk to Wrigley Field because I lived in Uptown, just one neighborhood past Sheridan, which was just north of Wrigleyville. I lived right by Graceland Cemetery, one of the world’s greatest places for the dead, I guess?
I spilled a beer on a Cubs fan on accident that 4th of July, but not his girlfriend. So I didn’t feel too bad about it. I had brought my best friend, friends since grade school, with, and we will always have a chuckle over that one.
OK! So yeah, the Cubs this year… my gut tells me last year was their peak window, and they didn’t do enough. They blew it, whether it was the players on the field or the owners not putting forth the funds to compete with the coasts. Or maybe we could just say, the two Big Cities. LA & NY will almost always outspend anyone. They usually do. Ironically enough, the Dodgers were originally from NY, but empires go coast to coast.
Sometimes I just get into this writing mode and words gonna churn like butter. The Chicago Cubs are the best of the midwest, the cream of the crop? Let’s check that out.
The Cubs best infielder is Dansby Swanson. In December, 2022, the Cubs signed Dansby Swanson to a 7 year, $177 million contract. He should put up around 3.7+ WAR this season. Dansby was maybe a sleeper pick because he’s athletic in not the offensive way: he’s good at defense and a fast runner. Sort of their Masyn Winn. I think the two players will be rather similar this season.
Nico Hoerner and Alex Bregman round out their really good infield. Bregman is projected to be close to the same value as Nico, according to the consensus of projections. ZiPS actually says Hoerner is the superior player. Dansby, Nico, and Alex are quite the left side of the infield! Not a world beater, but pretty damn good. Over at first base, Michael Busch ain’t no slouch either. He’s not supposed to be much better than Alec Burleson, but still, that’s good! Two and a half plus WAR ain’t nothing to scoff at.
Oh but the Cubs have a Pete Crow-Armstrong, their best player! Will he be a legend like he was the first half of 2025, or more like the second half? Maybe him and Victor Scott II will both be better first half players, not to compare the offense but in a most general sense, they both did not have as good of second halfs. For Pete Crow Armstrong, he seems a little bit difficult to predict: 3.3 to 4.9 is the difference in floor vs ceiling projections here. I will do a final article comparing projection systems without any outlier projections involved, later on. Still, he is a key factor in what sets the Cubs ahead of the pack. He is more than likely going to be the Cubs best position player, like it or not. That’s how important it is for a defensive center fielder to be able to hit a little bit. They just become super valuable.
It’s time (for me) to admit the Cubs are going to be good. They have installed a 13.5ish WAR infield with a somewhat fantastic outfield because of PCA, Seiya Suzuki, and Ian Happ. The corner outfielders are no slouches, either. Ian Happ has always been annoying, and Seiya Suzuki should be around a 3 WAR player!
It’s their starting pitching *especially at Wrigley, that doesn’t seem to be very competitive. They will predictably trade for a better starting pitcher around the all star break (maybe?) but Matthew Boyd, Edward Cabrera, Shota Imanaga, Cade Horton, and Jameson Tailon aren’t projected to break 10 WAR. That’s better than the Cardinals rotation, but maybe not by as much as many people think. If OOPSY is right about the Cubs rotation and The Bat is correct about the Cardinals rotation… they’re almost the same. Both teams will certainly not rely on the same top 5 all year, so it’s just spitballing, but I was a little surprised.
A conclusion to derive from the Cubs starting position players is that they absolutely blow away the Reds, Cardinals, and Pirates lineups. I am guessing, the Brewers too. I don’t think much sticks out about the Cubs bullpen, and I don’t know much about it, so I’ll just leave it at that.
Matthew Boyd should be the best Cubs starting pitcher, but Shota Imanaga is the most famous name on the staff. They don’t have bad pitching depth, but it’s not too impressive either. The Cubs will rely upon health among their position players to compete, is what I am reading in the tea leaves.
I’ll just lay the Cards on the table: none of the Cardinals, Pirates, or the Reds have the firepower to compete with the Cubs position players. They may have shot themselves in the foot with lackluster pitching at Wrigley field, plus if any of Swanson, Armstrong, Hoerner, Bregman, Busch, or Suzuki go down, they may be hampered quite a bit. Carson Kelly – Miguel Amaya are a good catching tandem, as well, but they kind of back each other up pretty well. The two will equate to a pretty decent catcher.
*Pirates updated but not finalized, Cardinals still in raw form… I switched from ZiPS to ZiPS DC and updated all
Will the Cubs be the projected favorite to win the division? Only the Brewers might compete.
***
There is something about the Cardinals, though, that you cannot predict: they’re one of the youngest teams in all of MLB! Also, if you dive into the linked ESPN created average age chart, a mystery 38 year old player is listed: Ryan Tapera! So maybe we are the youngest team, idk, you tell me.
The top 5 aging rosters are the Padres, the Mets, the Dodgers, the Yankees, and the Cubs! Only the Marlins, Nationals, and White Sox have a younger average roster age than the Cardinals. The Guardians and the Cardinals have the same average age of 26.5. This puts us on the same page as Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, and of course Cleveland. The top three youngest teams are not much younger, overall.
If you look at these projections through an age lens, it would appear that the Cubs flubbed the most this offseason. They should have done more. Maybe they will, but time runs out soon on their offseason endeavors. But Atlanta did not do much either, comparable to Chicago. Neither did Toronto.
Texas, Kansas City, Houston, and Baltimore are all aging teams when you get to the middle. The Orioles need to do something now. Hopefully they’ll compete in the AL East. Seattle, Detroit, Boston, Arizona, and San Francisco are also probably in the “better do something” boat. Philadelphia seems to be set up pretty well to compete with a slightly younger average age than you might think. But they’re also the same age as the Angels.
Age vs price of aging player contracts is such a huge factor and disparity within baseball. Perhaps what everyone needs to go through is a leveling of the playing field, a jubilee of sorts. Contracts and wages are all out of whack everywhere within out society and economy. Everything is stagnant. And it has been for a while, but things are grinding to a halt, it would feel. Maybe the system needs a whole revision, on every level.
So, the Cardinals are now a very, very young MLB team. Let’s take a look at our team’s players’ ages…
Pitchers
Ryne Stanek is now the older brother in the clubhouse, oldest Cardinal at 34 years old (also, he was born in St Louis!)
Riley O’Brien will surprise some at 31! He doesn’t seem that old, does he
Nick Raquet is 30… we have 3 rostered players who are 30+
JoJo Romero is 29… maybe when he’s 30, he will be traded
Dustin May, Kyle Leahy, Matthew Pushard, Chris Roycroft, & Justin Bruihl are all 28 year olds
Matt Svanson, Andre Pallante, Zak Kent, and Ryan Fernandez are 27
Matthew Liberatore, George Soriano, Richard Fitts, and Hunter Dobbins are 26
Michael McGreevy and Gordon Graceffo are 25
Roby, Mautz, & Hjerpe are all 24 years old
Tink Hence is the youngest rostered pitcher at 23
Catchers
Yohel Pozo is the godfather of the catchers at 28
Pedro Pages is 27
Ivan Herrera is 25
Jimmy Crooks III is 24
Leonardo Bernal is one of the youngest rostered players at 22!
Infielders
Sir Alec Burleson is the eldest infielder at 27 years old
Jose Fermin and Cesar Prieto are 26
Nolan Gorman is 25
Masyn Winn and Thomas Saggese are only 23!
Outfielders
Lars Nootbaar is the same age as Bryan Torres: 28
Victor Scott II and Nathan Church are both 25
Jordan Walker is the same age as his buddy Masyn Winn: only 23
Up and comer Joshua Baez is only 22!
Nelson Velasquez is 27 in case anyone was wondering (I was!)… if he perseveres, it will be his first MLB appearance since 2024. His MLB career had some ups and downs but ended at .719 OPS, not bad, not great. In his last MLB stint, he was with the Royals, and had a .640 OPS in 240 PA. You can’t really hope he’s any kind of answer to the outfield equation, but maybe he will surprise.
1978
Here I am, writing about the last 50 years of my life. Back in 1978, things were just as topsy turvy as they are now, or I’d like to think of it that way, anyway.
Roman Polanski skipped bail in the US and fled to France after pleading guilty to sexual relations with a 13 year old girl. Charlie Chaplin’s remains were stolen in Switzerland. Dallas the tv show debuted on CBS, and gave birth to the genre of modern primetime soap opera. Jimmy Carter decided to delay production of the neutron bomb. May 25, 1978 featured the first Unabomber attack at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Al Unser won his 3rd Indianapolis 500 (my favorite racing event other than drag racing). June 25th, 1978 was the debut of the LGTB rainbow flag.
Angels outfielder Lyman Bostock was shot to death in Gary, IN while visiting friends during the season. He was another 27 guy. On October 14, 1978, Jimmy Carter signed a bill into law that allowed the home brewing of beer in the U.S. The first Superman movie was released. In Chicago, John Wayne Gacy was arrested. My friend rented an apartment in that house years later!
1978 was a Yankees Dodgers World Series, the Yanks somehow overcoming multiple issues to win everything. Those types of World Series are really annoying, but hey, I suppose they’re bound to happen sometimes. The Yankees were the only 100 game winner in 1978, and they ended up winning it all. The Dodgers were nearly as good, winning 95 games that season. The Big Red Machine was still running strong at 92 wins, more than the NL East leader, the Phillies, who only won 90 games. The Cardinals and Mets were terrible in 1978, winning under 70 games! The Red Sox finished only 1 game back of the Yankees at 99 wins.
It must be serendipitous that I was speaking of Chicago at the beginning of this article, because my favorite album of 1978 is an album that was part of an overarching soundtrack to my life in Chitown. Sun Ra’s masterpiece album, ‘Lanquidity’. I listened to it often while living there.
#1 Sun Ra – ‘Lanquidity’ One of the most subtle and deep groove albums of all time! Parts acid jazz, classic jazz, funk, world music, and space rock, it is among the best albums of Sun Ra’s entire discography! It works both as an introduction to Sun Ra and as advanced Solar Arkestra listening. They’re both more focused and tight here than usual, but also more detached and machine-like. This is Sun Ra still at his peak. Total pure genius. A stunningly deep work. Sun Ra and His Arkestra invented Afrofuturism, not just music, an art movement. And we will see several other cultural movements arise in 1978, a time of change.
#2 Rush – ‘Hemispheres’ is just as close of a life soundtrack to me as Lanquidity, so one could consider this a tie… but I feel like Sun Ra runs a little more deep. Rush is also super deep, but in a very prog rock way. And this is probably the most exemplary prog rock album of all time. It far outdoes ‘2112’, and King Crimson isn’t quite as well known as Rush. Hemispheres vs Court of the Crimson King would be an interesting debate about best prog rock album ever, but you could also enter Yes – ‘Fragile’ into that conversation as well. However, ‘Hemispheres’ is the best prog rock album released in my lifetime, and there’s not much doubt about that. And despite it being known as a bloated prog rock extravaganza, it’s actually very concise at just over 36 minutes.
#3 Captain Beefheart – ‘Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)’ could easily be #1, I would basically consider these top 3 albums a tie for first. Shiny Beast is Captain Beefheart’s sleeper beast of an album. Troutmask Replica gets most of the attention, but I’d argue that there are a few better Beefheart albums, nothing against Troutmask it’s just that the good Captain’s discography is absolutely stacked. I also love ‘Lick My Decals Off Baby’ and his very first album ‘Safe As Milk’, and I’m rather fond of his later era trio of albums ‘Shiny Beast’ (which is also known as Bat Chain Puller, which could get confusing because there’s another version of the album recorded in 1976 and released in 2012), ‘Doc At The Radar Station’ (I have both of these albums on remastered vinyl), and ‘Ice Cream For Crow’. Captain Beefheart is THE weirdo musician, and isn’t it supremely weird that him and Frank Zappa went to the same high school, concurrently?
#4 Weidorje – ‘Weidorje’ is funky alien music with basslines that not only conjure disco and funk but also Jaco Pastorius and the sound of early 70s King Crimson bassist John Wetton. This is another spinoff band from another more well known band. That band is fellow Zeuhl movement powerhouse, Magma, who also make this 1978 top 10 list. So now you know two prog rock movements: Zeuhl and RIO (rock in opposition). Canterbury Scene is another. Anyways, you may wonder where I find this stuff, but I have been a fan of this album for at least a decade. Just a big prog rock fan! This is honestly one of my favorite albums of all time. This is a very fun listen, mostly instrumental but some fun made up language vocals occasionally keep things interesting. And that album cover is absolutely amazing.
#5 Various Artists – ‘No New York’ Pretty much right after the punk explosion hit, punk rock started to splinter into new movements and subgenres. One of the earliest and most punk subgenre of all was No Wave punk, an alternative to the smoother sounds of New Wave. ‘No New York’ is exemplary, a blueprint for a whole movement, which was primarily based in New York City, but also branched out to Philadelphia, Chicago, and the Kansai region of Japan, cities with creative musicians who wanted to be on the cutting edge of culture. The term was a reaction to New Wave, and it became not only a music scene but an art movement in NYC. Glen Branca started to deconstruct the sound of guitars, bands started to do the same, and detune guitars or make certain instruments sound absurd. Rather than technical playing, reinventing sounds and displaying raucous energy were the focus. The bands on this super punk album sound really ahead of their time and had names like The Contortions, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Mars, and DNA. As this was largely a nihilistic cultural movement, the sounds of the music are usually abrasive, noisy, dissonant, and/or absurd. What is most interesting is how the movement branched out to incorporate so many different, disparate genres into its sound, making the genre more about a spirit, style, and attitude that is not easy to describe unless you’re already familiar it. This album (produced by Brian Eno) is a good intro to no wave music.
#6 Magma – ‘Attahk’ French Zeuhl progenitors update their sound with more funk, more jazz fusion, and even gospel. This album would be ranked a little higher because I love them, but I think they’re stretching a bit here. It makes the list because it features three of their best songs in album opener “The Last Seven Minutes”, “Lyric Necronomicus Kant”, and the lovely “Dondai”. This is one of the best live bands you’ll ever see, so if they tour again, it’s a must. They bring a full band with multiple guitarists, bassist, a choir of singers, and keys plus the incredible talents of drummer and bandleader Christian Vander. I’m don’t think they will be touring again because Vander is going to turn 78 years young in a couple days, but you never know.
#7 Devo – ‘Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!’ Speaking of New Wave, Devo are my favorite new wave punk band! If they were even a little less structured and pop, and a little more noisy, I think they’d be considered no wave (or maybe they just had to live in NYC instead). Devo were certainly a little weird themselves, and were one of my first favorite bands. I had a cool older sister who listened to them, and they always looked fun on MTV in their hats. While Devo were formed back in 1973, they didn’t release their first album until 1978! Devo went on to release an album every year from 1978 to 1982! And yet another album in 1984. This is one of the few bands I never got to see live, that I’d like to see. They’re so fun! Devolution.
#8 Art Bears – ‘Hopes and Fears’ is the sound of one band disintegrating into another band during the recording sessions. At the same time half of ‘Hopes and Fears’ was being recorded, the final Henry Cow album was also laid to tape. The swansong album was not released until 1979, however. The world got to hear the new band Art Bears, first. The second half of the album was recorded in March 1979, just a month or two after the first half was recorded, but now with only a trio of musicians, including singer Dagmar Krause. She absolutely steals the show here, who along with guitarist Fred Frith and drummer Cris Cutler created next level avant art rock. They became (along with Henry Cow) the originators of the Rock In Opposition movement, which aligned European outsider prog rock bands, and the English Art Bears/Henry Cow. They even had a festival based around these bands no record label dared to promote. If you enjoy oddball, weird music, this is a must-listen.
#9 Siouxsie and the Banshees – ‘The Scream’ I did not know this album even existed before I did my research, but I’m glad I found it! I’ve always liked what I have heard from Siouxsie, but I had no idea that they went all the way back to 1978. As it turns out, they’ve been around as long as Devo. While new wave and no wave were also around, Siouxsie was getting post-punk started. While they had been around a couple years before their debut album, they were not signed right away. But eventually a label released their tunes to critical acclaim and even were said to have created a new sound. The late 1970s were a very interesting time in music where old ideas were dying out and new ones emerging constantly. It was a good idea to be in a band back then as it could be your career. And you could create new ways while doing it.
#10 Magazine – ‘Real Life’ and to round out my top 10 albums of 1978 is Real Life by Magazine, and eclectic collection of songs that could also be filed under post-punk. People have also described this album as new wave or art rock, but you get the picture. If you want to know a band that influenced Radiohead, here you go. My standout track is “The Light Pours Out Of Me” which one of my favorite bands Ministry covered really well, I might add!
I could go on forever writing about music and baseball. Let’s cut if off until next week though, thanks for reading!
TAMPA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 17: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees poses for a photo during Spring Training Photo Day at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 17, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We have asked a lot about favorites – time for the other end of the spectrum?
The Chicago Blackhawks have multiple trade candidates to watch ahead of the 2026 NHL trade deadline. One of them is Jason Dickinson, as the veteran forward is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) and certainly has the potential to generate interest from contenders looking for a bottom-six center who can kill penalties.
Now, a few potential suitors have been named for Dickinson.
In a recent article for The Athletic, Scott Powers, Mark Lazerus, and Chris Johnston named the Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights as two potential trade fits for Dickinson.
"The Minnesota Wild are looking for a top-six center, but any help down the middle would be welcome. The Vegas Golden Knights could be an interesting destination, as well," Powers, Lazerus, and Johnston wrote.
The Wild being named a potential landing spot for Dickinson is understandable. When looking at their roster, he could fit perfectly as their fourth-line center. That would not be a bad thing for a Minnesota club that is looking to go on a run this spring.
As for the Golden Knights, it is clear that their bottom six could use a boost as well, and Dickinson would have the potential to give them just that. In addition, he would give them another clear option for their penalty kill if acquired.
Ultimately, the Blackhawks have a decision to make with Dickinson. It is fair to wonder if they could look to extend him, as he has been a good veteran mentor for the club's younger players. However, at the same time, the Blackhawks have several promising youngsters in their system, so they could very well move him if they do not see him as a long-term part of their plans.
Once the NHL Olympic trade freeze lifts, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be a team to keep an eye on. With the Penguins exceeding expectations in a big way and currently being second in the Metropolitan Division standings, it would not be surprising if they looked to add to their roster ahead of the deadline.
One area that the Penguins could look to improve is their forward group. When looking at trade candidates around the NHL, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann stands out as a very interesting trade target to consider.
There is no question that the Penguins could use another middle-six forward who provides a bit of everything, and McMann is just that. This is because he is not only a solid goal-scorer, but also provides plenty of physicality. This could make him a good pickup for a Penguins club that looks ready to get back into the playoffs.
McMann is currently impressing this season with the Maple Leafs, as he has recorded 19 goals, 13 assists, 32 points, and 126 hits in 56 games. This is after he had 20 goals, 34 points, and 134 hits in 73 games this past season with Toronto. With numbers like these, he would be a great addition to a Penguins club that could use a bit more secondary scoring.
McMann is also a player whom Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas knows well, as he signed the 29-year-old forward back when he was GM of the Maple Leafs. Dubas has shown that he is not afraid to reunite with his former players.
Overall, with the Penguins needing another forward, McMann is an option worth considering. This is especially so if acquiring him came with a contract extension
It's uncommon for swaps of minor-league prospects to amount to anything meaningful in the NHL, but the Philadelphia Flyers and Christian Kyrou have turned out to be perfect fits for one another.
The Flyers traded for Kyrou, 22, in an Oct. 30 deal that sent winger Samu Tuomaala the other way to the Dallas Stars, and since then, it's been clear who the winner of that trade was.
In 37 AHL games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Kyrou has erupted for seven goals, 18 assists, and 25 points from the blueline, easily surpassing his previous career-high of 23 points in 57 games with the Texas Stars in 2023-24 with plenty of hockey left to spare.
With an AHL All-Star appearance now under Kyrou's belt in place of Denver Barkey, who made his leap to the NHL official, the rest, as they say, is history.
"Once I got traded, I just stopped worrying so much about what the coach thinks or what anybody thinks. Just trust playing my game," Kyrou told The Hockey News's Frank Zawrazky at the AHL All-Star Classic in Rockford, Illinois. "No stress, just trust my teammates."
The 5-foot-11 rearguard has taken full advantage of the fresh start given to him, leapfrogging the likes of Ethan Samson (later traded for Roman Schmidt) and Helge Grans and assuming the role of No. 1 power play quarterback on the Phantoms.
Schmidt and Maxence Guenette, who were both in-season trade acquisitions themselves, have not been enough to slow Kyrou's offensive production down and reduce his role on the team.
For the Flyers, that's a good problem to have going forward.
"He's been really good and better than expected. We didn't have a power play QB after [Emil Andrae] left and he came in, took charge of it," Flyers GM Danny Briere told The Hockey News of Kyrou.
"Like any young defender, he has to learn when and where to take chances with the puck and learn how to physically defend versus bigger and stronger forwards. Overall, a great addition to our group."
The coming months have a lot riding them, as the undersized Kyrou is a pending RFA for a Flyers organization that already has quite a few established defenders on the smaller side, including Andrae, Cam York, and Jamie Drysdale.
Andrae and Drysdale, of course, are pending RFAs themselves.
On Tuesday, the Montreal Canadiens resumed practice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, but not all players were present and accounted for. Of course, the team’s four Olympians, Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, Oliver Kapanen, and Alexandre Texier, were absent, but there was another player missing: Patrik Laine.
Shortly after practice began, the Canadiens reported that the player was dealing with a lower-body injury that would be evaluated daily. That raised more than a few eyebrows for a couple of reasons. Firstly, because the big Finn took part in an impromptu practice with his teammates the day before and looked just fine, and secondly, because the injury which forced him to miss months of action and from which he hadn’t been cleared before the Olympics was not a lower-body injury, but a core muscle one.
When the Canadiens’ communications department was asked whether Laine was injured during yesterday's training, they said they did not know. The sniper has been talked about at length recently as trade rumours swirl around, and finding a place for him in the lineup if and when he is cleared to play will be a challenging endeavour for Martin St-Louis. There’s a trade freeze in the NHL right now, but it expires on February 22 at 11:59 PM ET. Some are wondering whether his absence isn’t just a sign that a trade is in place, which will be officialised when the calendar turns to February 23. It looks like we’re in for a bit of a waiting game.
Meanwhile, Alex Newhook joined his teammates at practice for the first time in three months after fracturing his ankle. Although he wore a non-contact jersey, it indicates he has made significant progress in his recovery. When he is ready to return, it will be interesting to see what kind of impact he will have on the Canadiens’ lineup. Could he go back to the second line with Slafkovsky going back to the first line after his great performance at the Olympics? Where does Kirby Dach land if that’s the case? And Texier? Who comes out of the lineup? Joe Veleno? Brendan Gallagher?
While there are still eight days left until the Canadiens play their next game against the New York Islanders, it doesn’t look like we’ll be short of discussion topics.
Sep 28, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Thomas Saggese (25) throws out Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) at second base during the third inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
We’re back with another daily question, and today’s question is: Which opposing team do you hate the most?
Given that this is a community of Brewer fans, I’d guess roughly 95% of the fans in here will say either the Cubs or the Cardinals, with the other 5% dispersed to teams all over the league (Dodgers, anyone?).
For me, it has and always will be the Cubs. Even with the great Cardinals years in the 2000s and 2010s, I’ve hated the Cubs as long as I can remember. There’s just something about the franchise that rubs me the wrong way.
What team is it for you?
Weigh in in the comments, and join us throughout the month as we keep these conversations rolling into spring training. Have a question you’d like to ask in a future BCB Daily Question? Drop one in the comments and we may use it later this month.
Sep 28, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Baltimore Orioles catcher Robinson Chirinos (23) reacts after hitting a solo home run against the Boston Red Sox during the eighth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
Good Morning Birdland,
There are just two days left until an actual game is played down in Florida, kicking off this year’ Grapefruit League action. The Orioles and Yankees will face off in Sarasota at 1:05 pm on Friday. That one will be broadcast on MASN and WBAL Radio. Hopefully many of us are able to at least have it on in the background of work, school, or errands.
I am genuinely excited for that day! It’s a combination of what the Orioles have done this winter and the fact that it means actual spring is very close. I’m yearning for sunshine and warmth more this year than I can ever remember. But baseball is good too!
For now all we get are social media posts and the written account of reporters on the ground. It’s better than nothing.
According to MASN’s Roch Kubatko, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells got to face live hitters on Tuesday. There was some good and some bad, but it’s all about getting reps in right now. Wells did say that he is feeling “the best [he has] felt in a really long time.” That is a great to hear. The Orioles are going to need him, either in the bullpen or as a contributor in the rotation.
Heston Kjerstad continues to be an interesting story of camp. Seemingly past his undisclosed health issues from last summer, he has been swinging a hot stick, adding two singles off of Bradish on Tuesday. His path to an Opening Day role continues to look narrow, but you never know. The Orioles are going to need plenty of depth to survive the season, even in what might feel like a packed outfield at the moment.
Yennier Cano also got good marks for his work. We all know how impressive he can be. But it was a wild ride in 2025, and as the bullpen is currently constructed he will have a significant role to play. Fingers crossed.
The work will continue today ahead of the preseason opener on Friday. And we will all be sure to overreact to anything that comes out. That is our right as fans in mid-February.
Links
Orioles Hire Robinson Chirinos As Special Assistant | MLB Trade Rumors The former catcher is back! He spent 2022 as a player with the Orioles, and last year served as Brandon Hyde’s bench coach in the dugout. That, of course, did not go well since Hyde was fired in May. Chirinos remained in place through the end of the season, but was not part of Craig Albernaz’s 2026 staff. Now he will move to the baseball operations and player development department.
Nothing could ruin Noda’s offseason after Orioles DFA | Roch Kubatko Baseball is a brutal business. The Orioles DFA’d this guy on his wedding day! Other than that tidbit, this is a lovely little read. Ryan Noda seems to have the right perspective of life, and he loves a sweet treat. I’m with you, Ryan.
Jordan Westburg turns 27 today. The infielder has been a standout in his first three MLB seasons, including an all-star nod in 2024. He just needs to stay healthy. To this point, he has never played more than 107 MLB games in a season and entered this spring with an oblique injury.
Ryan Mountcastle is 29. A fan favorite, Mountcastle has been a solid contributor ever since his arrival 2020. His future is murky though, given the O’s recent signing of Pete Alonso and the continued presence of youngster Coby Mayo.
Nick Maton is 29 years old. The utilityman played in five games for the O’s in 2024. He last played for the White Sox for part of the 2025 campaign.
The late Walter Young (b. 1980, d. 2015) was born on this day. His lone big league season was in 2005, when he appeared in 14 games with the Orioles.
Chad Moeller is 51 years old. The journeyman catcher had a 30-game stint with the Orioles during the 2009 season.
The late Jeff McKnight (b. 1963, d. 2015) was born on this day. He played all over the field for the Orioles between 1990 and ‘91.
This day in O’s history
1954 – The Orioles acquire Gil Coan from the Washington Senators in exchange for Roy Sievers. Coan would be worth -1.0 bWAR across two seasons in Baltimore while Sievers would go to three all-star games and compile 14.6 bWAR during his six-season stint in D.C.
2011 – The Orioles finalize their deal with Vladimir Guerrero and place pitcher Alfredo Simon on the restricted list to make room on the roster. At the time, Simon is still in custody in the Dominican Republic following a shooting death on New Year’s Eve.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Bleed Cubbie Blue is pleased to present a Cubs-centric look at baseball’s colorful past. Here’s a handy Cubs timeline, to help you follow the various narrative paths.
“Maybe I called it wrong, but it’s official.” — Tom Connolly, HoF Umpire.
1922 – Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis resigns his federal judgeship, claiming the two jobs (judge and Commissioner) take up too much time. (2)
1943 – New York entrepreneur William D. Cox purchases the bankrupt Phillies from the National League. The 33-year-old new owner will be banned from baseball in November by commissioner Landis when he admits to making some “sentimental” bets on his team during the season. (1)
1944 – Fifteen-year-old Joe Nuxhall signs a contract with the Cincinnati Reds just one day after playing in a high school basketball game. The Reds had been scouting his 34-year-old father. (2)
1998 – Longtime baseball announcer Harry Caray* dies at the age of 84 after suffering a heart attack four days earlier while having Valentine’s Day dinner with his wife, Dutchie. The colorful “Mayor of Rush Street” started his career in 1945 with the Cardinals and also did play-by-play for the A’s, White Sox, and the Cubs during his 52 years in the broadcast booth. (2)
1268 – Battle of Wesenberg: Livonian Brothers of the Sword fight the forces of Novgorod and Pskov, led by Dmitry of Pereslavl near Rakvere in modern-day Estonia; both sides claim victory.
1478 – Duke of Clarence George Plantagenet is convicted of treason against his older brother Edward IV of England and is privately executed in the Tower of London, allegedly by being drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine.
1745 – Bonnie Prince Charlie’s troops occupy Inverness, Scotland.
1856 – The American Party (Know-Nothings) convenes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to nominate its first Presidential candidate, former President Millard Fillmore.
1930 – American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh discovers the dwarf planet Pluto.
Some of these items spread from site to site without being fact-checked, and that is why we ask for verifiable sources, in order to help correct the record.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes console starting pitcher River Ryan as he's pulled from the game in the fifth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 10, 2024. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
In the backfields of Camelback Ranch, the Dodgers' River Ryan and Blake Snell stayed behind to field grounders and practice throws to second. After a few dropped balls by Ryan during his transition, the two-time Cy Young winner talked it over at the mound with the young pitcher.
It was a typical scene you'd see in the early days of spring training, the extra work to dial in fundamentals. But for the 27-year-old Ryan, it's part of the journey in his return from Tommy John surgery.
Ryan got a taste of the majors in July 2024, making his debut against the San Francisco Giants with 5 ⅓ innings and allowing an unearned run. He showed promise with his high-velocity fastball and swing-and-miss slider/curveball combination. But during his fourth start on Aug. 10 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he exited the game in the fifth inning with what would be diagnosed as a torn UCL — his season done after pitching 20 ⅓ innings with 18 strikeouts and a 1.33 ERA.
“Have a healthy season,” he said. “I definitely want to obviously pitch in the big leagues, make the team out of camp.”
But where he and Gavin Stone — another hurler returning from major surgery — fits in remains a question. Entering the season, the back-to-back World Series champions have a deep starting rotation, even accounting for a possible six-man rotation, which manager Dave Roberts hinted at during the offseason as a way to give starters extra rest over a long season.
The potential last seat in the Dodgers’ starting staff remains a battleground.
In addition to Ryan and Stone, ascendant minor-league prospect Jackson Ferris and more established pitchers like Justin Wrobleski and Emmet Sheehan are options.
Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations for the Dodgers, sees Wrobleski as a starter, even after coming out of the bullpen last season.
"His ability to grow mature, learn how to kind of harness the stuff and compete in those moments will serve him well of kind of how to try to navigate a lineup two, three times, so he'll certainly be a candidate," he said.
"We've got a lot of candidates that we feel really good about, and whether the off days [at the beginning of the season] allow us to run with a five-man to start versus six-man, I think all are things that we're working through," Friedman added.
During the first week of camp, both Stone and Ryan made strong opening statements with their bullpen work and live batting practice sessions. In his 15-pitch live session on Saturday, Stone struck out Ohtani looking.
“Stoney was really encouraging,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said. “In his live [BP, he had] really good fastball quality, and the arm speed in the changeup was really encouraging.”
Stone missed the entire 2025 season after being shut down the previous season. During his rookie year, he struck out 116 batters, finished with an ERA of 3.53 with an 11-5 record and threw a complete game against the Chicago White Sox before he got shoulder surgery in Oct. 2024.
As for Ryan, who added 30 pounds to his frame, Gomes said: “River looks great, physically he's a house right now. Ball’s coming out really well, and he has a deep arsenal.”
Said Ryan: “[The] biggest difference for me has been just being able to maintain velocity throughout the course of a game or throwing multiple pitches. And being able to throw harder, easier.”
Ramping them up as they return from major surgery will be a tough balance, Roberts said. As spring progresses, the Dodgers will continue to dial them up with precaution, especially at the start of the season when more hands on deck are required because some pitchers are still building up their stamina.
“There’s no hard line dates for any of our players, it really isn’t,” Roberts said. “I think we have a ton of depth, a lot of able players and we’re not gonna push any position players, let alone pitchers, to be ready for whatever date.”
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 23: José Caballero #72 of the New York Yankees celebrates after hitting a one-run single to win the game and clinch a postseason berth during the game between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Mooney/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The shortstop position has been a contentious one for New York the past few seasons. Anthony Volpe was brought up as the successor to Gleyber Torres at the position after shooting through the upper minors and becoming one of the Yankees’ most highly rated prospects of the Baby Bomber era, and while his defense brought in good value until last season his bat has been suspect in the majors since his debut. Last year’s injury-derailed campaign brought with it the first shift from the organization’s stalwart defense of Volpe’s future as their shortstop, seeing them trade for Jose Caballero at the deadline as a utility weapon but eventually having him takeover in September when Volpe clearly needed to sit and recover.
Fast forward to the start of spring training, and Volpe is still sidelined for a bit as he rehabs from his shoulder surgery meaning Caballero is penciled in as the starting shortstop on Opening Day. The 29-year-old saw a surge in his offensive production in the second half with the Yankees, hitting for a 134 wRC+ compared to the 84 mark he had in Tampa Bay, and he now has the opportunity to open the season with around a month or more of uncontested starting time. On top of that, there’s been musings of Volpe potentially starting the year in Triple-A once he is healthy to work on his issues in the batter’s box. With all of that in mind, how realistic is it that Caballero could take over the starting spot for the entire season?
Caballero’s explosion at the plate last year was a major aberration from his career trends, where he was right at league-average in 2023 with the Mariners and slightly below-average in ‘24 with the Rays. It’s possible he unlocked something once he got in the lab with the Yankee coaching staff, but even if he did it’s more likely that he regresses back towards the median in terms of production. Still, if he can manage to stay above average with dependable enough defense, that might be enough to sway the Yankee brass — after all, Volpe himself has never posted even a 90 wRC+ over a full season. It would take several dominoes to fall in order to line up, but the possibility is there. Do you see a world where Caballero takes the spotlight away from the one-time top prospect, whether that’s getting the lion’s share of starts or outright getting named the starter?
Today on the site, we have Jeff leading off with a salute to Joe Gordon and his championship days with the Yankees that eventually landed him in Cooperstown as his birthday arrives. Then, Andrés previews Max Fried’s upcoming year entering his second season in pinstripes and Sam looks back to the signing of Carlos Rodón and the ups and downs of his Yankees career thus far for our free agent signing series.
TORONTO, CANADA - SEPTEMBER 23: Lucas Giolito #54 of the Boston Red Sox pitches in the first inning of their MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 23, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The loss of Pablo Lopez unquestionably hurts the Twins, but in baseball as in life, time moves on whether we want it to or not. I wrote out my projected roster earlier this week where I had Taj Bradley winning the final rotation slot out of Spring Training. Now, he should essentially be locked into the 4 spot while Zebby Matthews, David Festa, and Mick Abel fight for the fifth and final rotation spot. Behind them are a plethora of untested rookies, including top pitching prospect Connor Prielipp.
Even after losing Pablo, this Minnesota goes eight deep on “probably MLB ready” arms between the four locked starters and the young combo of Matthews, Festa, Abel, and Prielipp. They have four more pitchers likely ready to contribute to the Big League squad after a bit more AAA seasoning (Andrew Morris, Kendry Rojas, Marco Raya, John Klein) even more solid, if unspectacular older depth behind them (Cory Lewis, Christian MacLeod, CJ Culpepper, among others).
Obviously not every player will work out, but the point is that the Twins have multiple lines of defense to tap into in the inevitable event of additional pitcher injuries.
If they turn to the free agent market, there’s three pitchers remaining who would be an upgrade over Simeon Woods Richardson, who is probably the line for if a player is worth signing or not. They are Lucas Giolito, Zack Littell, and Max Scherzer.
I think we can cross Scherzer off the list. At 43 years old, the future Hall of Famer will likely only be interested in joining a true blue contender, which the Twins are decidedly not at the moment.
Twins fans are familiar with Giolito’s work. The former All-Star and longtime member of the White Sox had a solid bounce back in 2025 after returning from Tommy John Surgery that eliminated his 2024. His strikeouts were down significantly, but that’s not out of the norm for a player in their first season back from UCL reconstruction. All in all, he tallied 145 innings of ball with a 3.41 ERA/4.17 FIP with 121 strikeouts and 56 walks. He would likely cost the Twins somewhere in the $20M range for one season.
The other pitcher would be another familiar face: former Twin Zack Littell. Littell was in Minnesota for the first three seasons of his career, pitching 63.2 innings of relief between 2018 and 2020. He peddled along as a middling reliever for various teams over the next three seasons before the Rays moved him into their rotation midway through the 2023 season after a rash of injuries left their rotation completely depleted. Since then, Littell has emerged as a solid back end starter who excels at limiting walks and damage. He doesn’t strike out enough batters and gives up too many homers, but you don’t need to look further than Bailey Ober or Simeon Woods Richardson to see how the Twins have successfully worked with pitchers with limited stuff. Littell would be cheaper than Giolito, likely commanding closer to $10M for the 2026 season.
So, what do you think? Is it worth bringing in Giolito or Littell, or would the Twins be better off throwing the young arms at the wall and seeing who can stick?
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JANUARY 04: Lonzo Ball #2 and Darius Garland #10 of the Cleveland Cavaliers look on during the first half against the Detroit Pistons at Rocket Arena on January 04, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images
No one likes to lose. Even worse, no one likes to be blamed for losing. Lonzo Ball says he feels he became a scapegoat for fans this season when the Cleveland Cavaliers were struggling.
“I don’t feel like I’m playing as badly as people are saying,” Ball said on his podcast. “I know I’m the scapegoat right now, but look, that comes with the name, though, and that comes with what they brought me in for, so it’s granted, I’m not going to say I was playing great.”
The full quote is more reasonable than what has gone viral on Twitter. Ball recognizes he fell short of the expectations he brought to Cleveland. His only disagreement is that he doesn’t believe he was as bad as the discourse suggested. Now, that’s something we can argue on the merits. But I think it’s worth being fair to what Ball was actually saying.
“Can I play better? Yes. Have I been playing terrible? I don’t think I have,” Ball said.
Ball was brought to Cleveland with the hopes of being their version of Jrue Holiday or Alex Caruso. A defensive-minded guard who can playmake and potentially space the floor. At his best, Ball flashed the potential to be that in the past
That never materialized in Cleveland. Ball shot just 30.1% from the floor and was a non-threat to score. That drastically limited his ability to create for others — and his defense wasn’t as good as advertised. His poor three-point shooting was the nail in the coffin.
“To me, I’m just missing shots.” “People say, ‘Oh well, he’s shooting 25 percent.’ Well, let’s actually take the percentages and talk about what that is, I’m taking four shots a gameand making one of them, that’s sh****, but I promise we’re not winning or losing off of four shots.”
It would be silly to suggest that Ball was the primary reason for Cleveland’s struggles. The early portion of the season saw injuries, poor effort, and bad shooting across the board. Ball was only one part of the equation. Though he certainly wasn’t helping them when he was on the floor.
“I don’t feel like I’m the worst in the NBA,” Ball said.
Ball finished in the 0th percentile for points per shot attempt and the 1st percentile in turnover percentage. The Cavs were 5.5 points worse with him on the floor, placing him in the 25th percentile for on/off rating. As a reminder, you want to be in the higher percentiles.
