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One of the most fun things about spring training is the annual emergence of one young player who makes the whole camp his own. Two years ago it was Ceddanne Rafaela. Last year it was Marcelo Mayer. This year could it be Kristian Campbell, someone who has already won a player of the month award at the MLB level? After a strange and ultimately disappointing rookie year, Campbell is back trying to find a place for himself in the big leagues. And while he admits that he was nervous last year, he thinks this spring is going to be different. This year, I feel like I’m a lot more under control and calm. I know what’s going on around me. I know more people in the locker room this year. It’s a better environment, for sure, for me, personally. I feel a lot more comfortable.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

Campbell probably will be able to fly under the radar a bit this year. Most of the spring training attention falls on the new faces, and the Sox have plenty of them, especially on the mound. And one of those new faces, Sonny Gray, says that, “on paper,” this Red Sox rotation is the best one he’s ever been a part of. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

Johan Oviedo is another one of those new faces, though in his case it seems like he is in the media shadow of both Gray and Ranger Suárez. He’s also already really close to at least one of his new teammates as, even before he was traded he Boston, he spent the winter working out with his countryman Aroldis Chapman. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

And speaking of being in the shadow of bigger names, how many baseball fans even realize that Patrick Sandoval is on the Sox this year? Right now, it’s looking unlikely that the man who once led the league in shutouts (with, uhh, one) will start the season in the Red Sox rotation, both because there’s a lot of competition and because he hasn’t thrown a competitive pitch in a looooooooong time. But he feels like he’s getting closer. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)

I think most people assume that Oviedo has the inside edge on the fifth rotation spot, if for no other reason than that the Sox gave up a lot to get him. But according to Craig Breslow, there will be competition for the role this spring, including not only Oviedo and Sandoval but also Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, and Kutter Crawford. (Tyler Maher, NESN)

The Sox have so many new pitchers that Brayan Bello is now the most-tenured guy in the starting rotation (most tenured in a Sox uniform, that is.) That seems wild given that most fans still thing of him as a young arm who is continuing to hone his game. Case in point, he recently received some pitch grip tutelage from Ranger Suárez. (Lauren Campbell, MassLive)

And on the other side of the ball, Trevor Story is now the second-most tenured position player. Which is why he’s being called “unc” by the kids. (Ian Browne, MLB.com)

Unc will open the 2026 season with an entirely new infield than the he opened 2025 with. Marcelo Mayer and Caleb Durbin will be in the infield somewhere, but at what positions? They’re both going to work out at both second and third for now, and Alex Cora doesn’t seem too stressed about it: “We went through this dance last year. I know how to dance it. Just be patient.” (Kaley Brown, Boston.com)

To David Hamilton, formerly of the Sox,
Watching you play often made my insides balk.
Your errors were many, your hits were quite few.
I’ll admit I wasn’t the biggest fan of you.

But since you’ve been traded,
I’m distinctly less jaded.
Happy for you, that you’ve found a new place,
Thrilled for us, with new hope for second base.

You may be Quad-A
Which is why you struggled to stay
With Boston’s MLB club.
You were asked to do too much, too often.
It’s not all your fault—we kept you too long in Boston!
But I wish you the best as you leave The Hub.

I hope you impress in Milwaukee
And that your second stint there won’t be so rocky.

May your batting get better and the ball find your glove,
From a distance, I send you this Valentine’s love.

Around this time every year, prospect hounds across the country release all their lists, from team Top 10 lists, Top 100’s, and farm system rankings. The last few years, the Yankees haven’t looked so hot on those farm system ranks. This year, ESPN had them 23rd, and Baseball Prospectus put them at 22nd. It was a similar story last year, when ESPN pegged the Yankees 21st, while BP had them in 25th.

Those placements compare poorly to those of the Yankees’ direct rivals. The Rays perennially have one of the best farm systems in the sport, and perhaps most concerningly, the Red Sox and Blue Jays, probably the two biggest threats to the Yankees in the AL East, still sport above average farms per most sources despite pushing a lot of chips into the middle in the past year.

Is the Yankees’ lagging farm a serious issue? In theory, it seems like it could be a major long-term problem. At the major-league level, not much separates the Yankees from Boston and Toronto; the recently released PECOTA projections have New York as AL East favorites, but barely over the rival Red Sox and Jays, and with only roughly a 40-percent chance of winning the division. If the Yankees have only a narrow edge in the bigs right now (or arguably a non-existent edge, given they did just lose the division in 2025, albeit via tiebreaker), then it stands to reason that their rivals equipped with deeper farms could ease by them in the near future.

On the other hand, the Yankees’ farm system has generally ranked poorly in recent years, but has still managed to produce both major-league contributors and prospects that Brian Cashman has traded for productive veterans. Even as the system lagged heading into 2025, Cashman turned a host of prospects into David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Ryan McMahon, Amed Rosario, and more at the deadline. Plus, most prospect lists didn’t have the likes of Ben Rice or Cam Schlittler very high a year ago, yet those two look like they could be stars at the major-league level as soon as this season.

So which is it? Will the Yankees continue to squeeze big-league talent and impact trades from their farm system, in spite of meager farm system rankings? Or will it eventually catch up to them?

Today on the site, Matt goes back to the 1940’s to tell us about a strange game in Yankees history, where a player allowed one hit and zero earned runs but still lost handily. Also, Maximo writes that there shouldn’t be any Max Fried Postseason Narrative, and Nick gives us the next entry in our Yankee Birthday series, celebrating former reliever Damaso Marte.

Nick Castellanos ships out west, Phillies still on hook originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

On Saturday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that Nick Castellanos signed a one-year agreement with the San Diego Padres.

It’s on the Major League minimum. The Padres will pay $780,000, while the remaining $19.22 million stays on the Phillies’ books. Philadelphia will save just over $1.6 million with the 110% luxury tax penalty.

Castellanos’ departure from Philadelphia felt inevitable for months, but the landing spot adds an interesting wrinkle. Earlier this offseason, he went on MLB Network and expressed interest in learning first base, a move that would expand the number of teams that could carry him without asking him to play the outfield every day.

That’s the idea in San Diego.

Even with a down 2025 overall, Castellanos still brings a clear skill: he has a career .853 OPS against left-handed pitching. That matters for a Padres lineup that’s set to start left-handed hitting Gavin Sheets at first base. Sheets hit a career-high 19 home runs last season, but only two came against southpaws, and he posted a .669 OPS in those matchups.

The way the roster fits suggests Castellanos won’t be an everyday player on Opening Day. After last year’s trade deadline, that detail certainly did not make the former Silver Slugger satisfied.

It looks more like a platoon role, with some first base mixed in, designated hitter reps, and minimal time in right field — especially assuming the health of Rawlings Platinum Glove winner Fernando Tatis Jr.

And defensively, the contrast is sharp. Castellanos’ Outs Above Average, which measures range, sat at -12 last season. Tatis posted 8 OAA.

Castellanos has found a new home, but he hasn’t hit much at Petco Park. In 28 career games, including the postseason, he owns a .222/.257/.352 slash line (.608 OPS).

If anyone in Philadelphia is circling a date, the wait won’t be long. The Padres open a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park on June 2.

That series will be the first real moment for the fan base to decide what the Castellanos era was. Some will remember the October swings, especially the 2023 NLCS. Others will focus on how the ending played out.

Either way, the beer, the letter and the clubhouse issues are part of the past now. The saga is over. The bill, for now, isn’t.

Giants' Jung Hoo Lee prioritizing team amid move to right field for 2026 season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SCOTTSDALE — Tony Vitello has never managed a game at Oracle Park. But when it comes to figuring out the Giants outfield, he’s very familiar with what the dimensions can do to the men chasing down fly balls through the marine layer. 

“At Oracle,” Vitello said this week, “You have to have a center fielder in right field.”

The Giants are moving their center fielder to right, although not because of the dimensions. The addition of Harrison Bader, a former Gold Glove Award winner, bumped Jung Hoo Lee to the corner after a disappointing defensive season. On Friday, speaking to reporters after a workout at Scottsdale Stadium, Lee said he fully understands.

“I played that position back in the KBO,” he said through interpreter Justin Han. “Going back to the past season, if I played better in center field, the organization would have kept me in center field. But, whatever it takes to make the team better. I’ve always been for the team.”

Lee initially came over from South Korea to be a center fielder and leadoff hitter, and there surely is some disappointment about where he stands after his first full season. There’s a chance that the other offseason addition, Luis Arraez, vaults to the top of the pecking order when it comes to the “bat control expert tasked with hitting atop the order” power rankings. Bader already has taken the spot in center field.

Lee has a lot to prove, and that’s exactly how Vitello wants many of his players to feel this spring. It’s particularly important in the outfield, where Heliot Ramos faces similar questions on the other side. 

Ramos and Lee were unexpectedly shaky last year, and as a result, the Giants tied for last in the big leagues in Outs Above Average on the grass. Defensive Runs Saved wasn’t much kinder; they came in at 28th. Bader alone won’t fix the problem, but the staff doesn’t expect that anyway.

Ramos has drawn rave reviews for his winter work — “Ramos has worked his butt off all offseason,” ace Logan Webb said Friday — and Lee certainly has the physical tools to be a plus right fielder. He ranked in the 91st percentile in arm strength last season while playing center.

Vitello traveled to South Korea last month to spend some time with Lee, but he got his first in-person, on-field look this week. He said he thinks Lee’s arm could “be a weapon out in right field.”

“He doesn’t even have to really let it go full steam,” Vitello said. “He’s quick with his release, accurate with his throws. And you know, we all know he can swing the bat, but I think it could be a fun deal out there and in right field for him. I know the fans will take to him in that corner, and they’ll be a little closer to him.”

The Giants had an eye on Bader for a while, but the move still caught parts of the front office by surprise. The marketing department is scrambling to figure out what to do with the Jung Hoo Crew section in the bleachers, and Lee smiled Friday and indicated he was curious, too.

Vitello suggested utilizing the cove, although he might reconsider when he finally does get to Oracle for a chilly night game. Whatever the Giants decide, the seating alignment could end up being the most dramatic part of the position change. By all accounts, Lee handled it well. 

“He almost tried to make it easier on me,” said general manager Zack Minasian, who called Lee when the Bader deal was being finalized. “Basically the message to me was — short and sweet — it was, ‘Whatever I can do to help us win.’ He was great.”

The Giants are confident it will be the right fit for Lee as he enters his third big league season, and Lee said he’ll call former teammate and good friend Mike Yastrzemski later this spring to get some pointers on the dimensions. The defensive side isn’t the only place where Lee has something to prove, though. 

He had a wRC+ of 107 last year, with eight homers, 12 triples and 10 stolen bases. The overall numbers were fine, but there were some deep slumps filled with grounders to second base, and he has yet to fully unleash the all-around game that led the Giants to give him a $113 million deal. Their hope is that there’s more power in the tank; he could certainly run more under Vitello, too.

Vitello said new hitting coach Hunter Mense already has had conversations with Lee about what he saw in the analytics. But some of this might just be about the new staff finding a way to bring out a bit more confidence.

“For me, he looked unsure,” Vitello said. “I know that there’s mechanics to it and what pitch it was and depending on what guy he’s facing — there are crazy arms in the league — but there were moments where he looked unsure. I’m kind of stealing his answer, because we’ve had some good conversations, and he’s looking to eliminate that.” 

Lee said he’s hopeful that he’ll benefit from having a full year of facing big league pitching under his belt, but some of his 2026 success at the plate also may be up to his new manager. Last year’s staff pushed Lee hard early in the season and then started mixing in more off days to keep him fresh, and Lee admitted in September that he lost about 12 pounds over the course of the season. 

The increase in depth on the position player side should make it a bit easier for Vitello to keep Lee fresh, and the outfielder said learning the intricacies of right field might not be the only thing he’s focused on when the Giants return home. 

“First of all, I have to eat a lot,” Lee said. “I like to sleep in a lot before a night game, but maybe I should wake up a little bit early, grab breakfast, then go back to sleep.”

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