Worldwide Sports News

Spring Training is officially underway with Atlanta Braves pitchers and catchers reporting to North Port for workouts.

Today has been a jam-packed news day with the Braves adding catcher Johan Heim, losing starting pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach to the 60-day IL, dealing with new reliever Robert Suarez having visa issues and Dylan Lee winning his arbitration case. Oh, and Nacho Alvarez, Jr. is working out with the catchers.

All of that and it is just day one!

What do the Braves do next in the starting pitching market? Does the team look to bring in a right-handed bat?

Sound off below.

The Los Angeles Dodgers unveiled their 2026 promotional schedule and it reads less like a giveaway list and more like a victory lap written in plastic, resin, gold trim, and intentional nostalgia. Bobbleheads headline it, of course. They always do in Los Angeles. But this year, the Dodgers aren’t just handing out figurines — they’re curating memory, mythology, and celebrating a season that permanently rewired October.

Here’s the highlights of the Dodgers 2026 promotional schedule:

“Game 7” — The Two Words That Became a Collection

The two best words in sports have always been “Game Seven,” and last October it became scripture for the Dodgers.

Down 4-2 in the eighth inning against Toronto, their season teetering on the brink of disappointment, the Dodgers authored one of the most audacious World Series comebacks the sport has ever seen, winning 5–4 in extra innings to secure back-to-back championships. The organization isn’t letting that night fade quietly into highlight packages.

Instead, it’s turning it into a four-part bobblehead series — each piece frozen at the exact moment the season tilted on the edge.

It starts immediately. Opening weekend. Saturday, March 28 against Arizona. Will Smith, mid-swing, immortalized for the go-ahead home run he launched in the 11th inning of Game 7.

Then comes the heartbeat of the comeback. Miguel Rojas, honored May 8 against Atlanta, recreating the game-tying homer in the ninth inning — the first of its kind in a World Series Game 7. A moment that didn’t just keep the Dodgers alive. It resurrected them.

The most reverent piece of the series arrives May 27 versus Colorado. Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Less than 24 hours removed from dominating Game 6. Zero days of rest. Dave Roberts handed him the ball anyway. The “Game 7 Last Out” bobblehead captures the exclamation point: 2.2 innings of shutout baseball, pain ignored, pressure embraced.

And then there’s the final snap of the frame. June 19 against Baltimore. Mookie Betts, now fully at home at shortstop, turning an unassisted 6-3 double play — the last outs of the World Series. A former Gold Glove outfielder redefining himself again, sealing history with his own hands.

Shohei Ohtani, Still Breaking the Bobblehead Economy

No Dodgers promotional calendar is complete without Shohei Ohtani bobbleheads that have fans lining up outside Chavez Ravine.

The 2026 season features multiple Ohtani bobbleheads, each one louder than the last. April 10 brings the “Greatest Game” version, commemorating his offensive eruption in Game 4 of the NLCS. 

Later, the pitching edition drops July 8, honoring his dominant Game 4 start on the mound in the clincher. 

And the “Starter Series” version arrives August 22 to complete the arc.

The Supporting Cast Bobbleheads

The Dodgers didn’t stop at their biggest stars. They never do.

Roki Sasaki opens his bobblehead chapter April 25. 

Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow anchor the “Starter Series.” 

Dave Roberts gets his managerial moment. Yoshinobu Yamamoto appears again. So do Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández, Alex Vesia, Miguel Rojas, and cultural crossover icons that twinkle, ranging from Ice Cube in a lowrider to Shaquille O’Neal and Son Heung-min.

Twenty-four bobblehead nights. For a franchise that already leads MLB in attendance year after year, that number feels less like excess and more like a flex.

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Non-bobblehead Giveaways

If bobbleheads aren’t your thing, then the non-bobblehead giveaways hit just as hard.

How about a back-to-back World Series champions hoodie? Or a Jackie Robinson jersey?

A replica World Series trophy. A gold championship jersey. A World Series replica ring after the All-Star break. Soccer jerseys. Mother’s Day. Father’s Day. This is merchandising as celebration, not filler.

The Dodgers aren’t promoting games in 2026. They’re setting a standard for the rest of baseball.

This is what dynasties do when they understand the moment they’re living in. They preserve it. They package it. And they dare you to keep up.

The bobbleheads are just the proof that sits on your shelf reminding you that you were there.

Tickets and Full Promotion Schedule:

Single-game tickets go on sale Thursday, February 12, and fans would be wise to plan accordingly. The first 40,000 through the gates will be walking out with history tucked under their arms.

The entirety of the Dodgers’ promotional schedule can be found at Dodgers.com/Promotions.

Atlanta Braves reliever Dylan Lee has reportedly won his arbitration case over the team, according to a report by MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. Per the report, Lee will make $2.2 million for the 2026 season. The club had filed at $2 million. Lee was the Braves’ only arbitration-eligible player this offseason to go to arbitration.

Dylan Lee has won his arbitration hearing against the Braves, per source. Lee will earn $2.2 million in 2026; the club had filed at $2 million.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) February 11, 2026

Lee has established himself as a key part of the Braves bullpen over his five seasons with the club. He appeared in a career-high 74 games in 2025 while posting a 78 ERA- and 78 xFIP-. Unfortunately, though, he got stung by the HR/FB bug and ended up with a 99 FIP-, such that he earned just 0.3 fWAR on the season. He struck out 76 hitters and issued just 14 walks in 68 1/3 innings. Over the arc of his career, Lee now has a 67 ERA-, 86 FIP-, and 79 xFIP- in 204 1/3 major league innings.

The Braves originally signed Lee in April of 2021 after he was released by the Marlins. He is in his second year of arbitration eligibility and isn’t scheduled to become a free agent until after the 2028 season.

When the San Francisco Giants first made the mildly-surprising news to sign bat-to-ball maven Luis Arráez, there were questions about where he would play. Like most infielders, Arráez had played all over the dirt in the Minor Leagues, though he was viewed as a second baseman by the time he made the Majors. After a few years and some NSFW advanced metrics, Arráez was mostly moved to first base and designated hitter during his time with the San Diego Padres the last two years.

The Giants, of course, have first base handled for the foreseeable future with Rafael Devers, and hope to have designated hitter accounted for with Bryce Eldridge. Did the organization see things differently? Was Arráez there to play DH while Eldridge returned to Sacramento? Perhaps to play the Wilmer Flores/Dominic Smith role off the bench? Or was he supplanting Casey Schmitt at second base?

As soon as those questions were asked, reports were sent out that it was the latter: the Giants were hoping to sprinkle some of Ron Washington’s magic infield dust on Arráez’s glove (and arm, and cleats), and run him out as the near-everyday second baseman. But with the move not yet finalized and made official, neither Arráez nor the Giants could actually comment on that.

Now they can, and it’s clear as day: Arráez is the handsomely-compensated second baseman for your 2026 Giants.

Speaking in Giants gear for the first time on Tuesday at the start of Spring Training, the always-jovial Arráez confirmed the reports that he had rejected multi-year deals because the Giants, unlike the teams offering those longer contracts, promised to play him at second base.

Luis Arraez said he had multi-year offers, but chose the Giants because they’ll have him at 2B. He also spoke to Gregor Blanco, who gave a glowing review of SF. He’ll wear No. 1 as a Giant. Asked about his hitting approach, he smiled: “I hate strikeouts.”

— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) February 10, 2026

The coaching staff and Buster Posey confirmed that Arráez is there to hold down the fort at second, and they certainly conveyed confidence in his ability to do so. According to the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser, Washington — widely considered one of the best infield coaches in baseball history — called the three-time batting champ a “pro,” and said, “He just has to be educated about the correct way to play defense — it’s more than what goes on between the lines, it’s also what your thoughts are, your work ethic, your ability to listen, learn and apply. I believe Arráez can be a very good second baseman.”

Posey, as is his style, was a bit more calculated in his response, but NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic quotes the Giants president of baseball operations as telling reporters, “I think we’re all really optimistic about (Washington) getting Luis into a good spot defensively, and then the bat, I mean, he’s the best bat-to-ball guy in all of baseball … We felt comfortable that there was a solid foundation there for a guy that could play second base well.”

Words and intention, of course, can only go so far, as Posey seemed to admit when saying, “As far as the defense, it’s not going to be for a lack of effort and work on his part and (from) the coaching staff.” But that’s what the next six weeks are for: seeing how far Arráez can progress, and how much work Washington and the coaching staff con do with him.

With no place to put him if second base doesn’t work out, it’s safe to say the Giants wouldn’t have committed $12 million to the three-time All-Star if they weren’t confident in his ability to play second … or at least, to derive more offensive value than he loses with the glove while at that position. So it seems likely that he’ll get quite a long leash, even if he struggles in the early part of the season.

The San Diego Padres season ended on a sour note in 2025. Losing two out of three to the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card series, the team then lost its manager when he retired 11 days after the season ended. Citing mental, physical and emotional exhaustion, manager Mike Shildt left the team and subsequently took a job with the Baltimore Orioles in their player development department.

After his retirement from managing, news came out about several issues that were common between Shildt’s two opportunities to manage in the major leagues. His temperament with his coaches and front offices was portrayed as volatile and there wasn’t anyone who watched the team closely that didn’t notice his short temper with media during his press conferences.

Despite these issues, Shildt was a successful manager and won 90 games or more in his two seasons with the Padres. Players cited their good relationships with him and how they felt he had their backs throughout his time with the organization. But the tensions and constrained environment could not have been good for the overall vibe with the team. It isn’t hard to assume that the choice of Craig Stammen as manager by president of baseball operations A.J. Preller was partly a reflection of wanting someone whose temperament and personality he knew well.

A different approach

So what will be the new philosophy for the team be going forward?

What will Stammen bring to the environment that takes a talented group of players and helps them take the next step that is needed to win a World Series championship?

During his first presser of Spring Training on Tuesday, Stammen was asked about his organizational philosophy for the team. His response shows his sense of humor as well as his desire to build on what the team has already accomplished and then add his own contributions.

“Score as many runs as possible, that would be a good philosophy,” Stammen said, with a big grin. “We’re going to talk about hard work, we’re going to talk about togetherness and we’re going to talk about, you know, adding days together that add up to a big picture. So, being really good at the small things, being ‘extraordinary at the ordinary’ – if you want some buzz words. Those are the things I believe in and the things I’m going to try to impart on the team.”

This does sound a little similar to Shildt’s ‘winning on the margins’ philosophy but if you add the comments of new hitting coach, Steven Souza, to what Stammen stated you get a more complete picture of what they want the offense to be like.

Steven Souza outlines his goals

“First of all, it’s nice to have a talented roster like this. You’re only as good as the players you have and the culture you create,” Souza said. “There’s a lot of really good players in this offense that do a really good job at a lot of different things.”

“Controlling the zone, hammering mistakes, being able to make the pitcher do something different out there,” Souza said.

Souza went on to expand on his thoughts by adding, “create traffic, when that happens, is a huge part of the success going forward.”

He acknowledged that slug was an issue last season but emphasized having a dialogue with the hitters to give them a different creative avenue.

“The offense needs to be able to play the game that we need to play,” Souza said, stating that hitting in Petco Park might mean spraying the ball around, but a different environment would call for more slug.

“Not limiting this roster to one type of team, I think that’s what I want to do. Controlling the zone is part of that.”

He also said that he wants the hitters to feel free to do what works for them. The dialogue and communication will stress that the hitters need to feel free to be themselves.

An optimistic clubhouse

Communication and relationships are the two words most often heard from both Stammen and the players who spoke to the media at Padres FanFest on Jan. 31 at Petco Park. Many of the guys he will manage this season also played with Stammen when he pitched for the Padres.

Jake Cronenworth wasn’t shy about his feelings for Stammen, as quoted in the San Diego Union Tribune – “What an amazing guy… a mentor and an incredible human to be around. I couldn’t be more excited.”

The other telling quote from that same article came from Padres pitcher and clubhouse leader, Joe Musgrove.

“The manager’s biggest goal is to have a happy clubhouse and a good relationship with the players,” Musgrove said. “He’s coming in already ahead of the game in that aspect, having played with us. I think the communication is going to be a lot freer and a lot more open, a little bit of honesty. And I think Craig’s the kind of guy that’s not looking for praise, you know, he’s not looking to be the hero that comes in and always makes the right decision.”

Read into that what you will but just from the tone at FanFest, this team seems happier.

There is a long way to go before we get to Opening Day, but the next six weeks will hopefully show signs of what the personality of this team will be, both on offense and defense. If Stammen and his coaches do their jobs well, the Padres should give the Friar Faithful more reasons to fill Petco Park in 2026.

A Mets rival took a major blow to its starting rotation on Tuesday. 

Braves righty Spencer Schwellenbach was placed on the 60-day injured list with inflammation in his throwing elbow. 

The injury is the latest setback for the 25-year-old right-hander, who missed the final three months of the 2025 season after fracturing the same elbow in late June. 

“I feel for Spencer more than anything else,” new Braves manager Walt Weiss told reporters. “The kid has done some amazing things in a short time, and still has a bright future ahead of him. But I’m sure it’s tough for him.”

While Weiss said Schwellenbach avoided a more serious injury to his ulnar collateral ligament, he said the young pitcher is still expected to miss a “significant amount” of time.

Before going down last summer, Schwellenbach emerged as an ace-like presence in the starting rotation, posting a 3.09 ERA across 17 starts. 

In 2024, Schwellenbach’s rookie season, he looked just as strong, registering a 3.35 ERA in 21 outings.

The injury continues what has been a nightmare stretch for the Braves’ starting staff over the past year-plus, with Spencer Strider, Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, Grant Holmes and AJ Smith-Shawver also missing time in 2025. 

“I always say before a season even starts, your pitching depth is going to get tested,” Weiss said. “It’s inevitable. You’d rather not have it be right away in February, but we’ve got a lot of capable guys in there. They’re going to get a look, and that’s exciting.”

After coming into the season with World Series aspirations, the Braves finished 76-86, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2017. 

But they’re expected to once again be a division contender in the National League East alongside the Mets and Phillies this season.