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His command has remained alarmingly inconsistent. His explanations are starting to sound more like excuses.

Roki Sasaki has done little this spring to inspire confidence that he will be an effective starting pitcher this season.

But he will be on the Dodgers’ opening-day roster.

“He’s going to be one of our starters,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters this week.

Asked by Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group whether Sasaki was one of the team’s 13 best pitchers, Roberts offered a revealing non-answer.

“He’s going to start the season in the rotation,” Roberts said.

In other words, no.

That doesn’t mean the Dodgers shouldn’t have the unseasoned 24-year-old on their major league roster. Just because they technically have the right to option Sasaki to the minor leagues doesn’t mean they should.

Sasaki trusted them when he chose to play for them. Regardless of whether they believe he will succeed, they now owe their second-year right-hander the same courtesy.

Doing right by Sasaki is in the best interest of everyone involved – for Sasaki, who believes he can start in the major leagues, and for the Dodgers, whose dealings with him could influence how they are viewed by the future Japanese players.

Examining the Dodgers’ position with Sasaki requires revisiting the circumstances under which he was signed. 

Because he was only 23 when the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese league made him available to major league teams before the 2025 season, he was classified as an international amateur. As such, Sasaki could only sign a minor league contract.

The bargain price made Sasaki the most desirable Japanese free agent in history outside of Shohei Ohtani.

Yu Darvish and Daisuke Matsuzaka were comparable to Sasaki in stature when they moved stateside, but each cost their original major league teams more than $100 million. 

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Sasaki could have fetched $200 million on the open market. The Dodgers landed him for just a $6.5-million bonus.

Rules prohibited teams from making any promises to Sasaki about a future contract or roster spot, but the Dodgers had to know they were taking on unspoken responsibilities when they signed him. 

Here was a pitcher viewed as arguably the most talented ever produced by his home country, one pursued by other teams as a frontline starter.

The scale of the vision they sold Sasaki became evident at his introductory news conference when president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said he would be part of the rotation from the start of his rookie season. There were mentions of a Cy Young Award and comparisons to Paul Skenes.

Sasaki flopped in the regular season last year. 

Maybe it was because his preparation was rushed so that he could start in the Dodgers’ season-opening series in Tokyo. Maybe it was because of the unfamiliar part of the major league game such as the pitch clock or slicker American baseball. Maybe it was the shoulder problem that ended up sidelining him for four months. 

Or maybe he just wasn’t as good as the Dodgers thought.

He managed to salvage the year by returning as a reliever in the final week of the regular season. 

He became the closer in October, his festive entrance music and 100-mph fastball transforming him into a crowd favorite. While he became less dominant with each passing round of the playoffs, he was without question a major reason why the Dodgers won the World Series.

Something else worth recalling: Sasaki agreed to pitch in relief under the condition that he be given an opportunity to start this year.

The Dodgers are honoring their arrangement, and it’s important they do so. 

The reality is that Americans are viewed as particularly untrustworthy in many parts of the world, and that perception is strengthened every time a foreign player and his major league team have entirely dissimilar interpretations of the same deal. 

In the case of Sasaki, he obviously expects to be afforded the luxury of treating spring training as a time to experiment in preparation for the regular season rather than to prove anything.

He wouldn’t be the only Japanese player to have treated the exhibition season in this way. 

Ichiro Suzuki was famously doubted by his own manager in his first major league camp. Ohtani was compared to a high school hitter in a Yahoo Sports article that quoted several scouts who broke down his miserable Cactus League performance.

Sasaki has a 13.50 earned-run average in three exhibition starts, but he hasn’t sounded concerned.

“If I’m able to pitch the entire season,” Sasaki told reporters after his most recent Cactus League game, “I don’t think anyone will remember spring training.”

The Dodgers are giving him the same chance the Angels once gave Ohtani to prove the skeptics wrong, and why not?

Sasaki is not pushing Tarik Skubal out of the rotation. 

Sasaki’s spot comes at the expense of River Ryan, whose workload the team will carefully monitor this year because he is coming back from Tommy John surgery. 

What happens from here is entirely up to Sasaki.

He won’t be able to point a finger at the Dodgers for demoting him right as he thought everything was about to come together.

He won’t be able to complain about how they didn’t trust him after telling him how much they believed in him.

If he fails, this will be squarely on him.

If World Baseball Classic organizers want more MLB stars in the tournament’s mix, Max Scherzer said this week he has a solution that “would get everybody to participate.”

During a sitdown interview with Foul Territory’s A.J. Pierzynski and Erik Kratz, Scherzer claimed a small schedule tweak would have players lining up for WBC uniforms.

“I wish this tournament was pushed back two weeks,” the future Hall of Famer said, before explaining 14 additional days would significantly lessen athletes’ concerns about injuries.

“Two more weeks here and in my opinion, you’d really drop the risk factor for pitchers,” he said, “and you would get everybody to participate.”

The WBC traditionally kicks off in early March, and while that’s not necessarily a problem for Big League hitters, Scherzer told Pierzynski and Kratz it’s a significant issue for pitchers.

The Blue Jays starter called throwing in high-intensity games so early in the season “a huge risk factor.”

But if the showcase started in late March, Scherzer said it’d change everything.

“Everybody wants to be out there competing for their country,” said the 42-year-old, who’s never participated in a WBC. “Full stop. There’s no argument about that. Everybody wants to. It’s just you have a risk factor to this. This is hard on your arm.”

Scherzer acknowledged that might mean the MLB season would have to drop from 162 games to 155 and there would be a financial loss, but he said the benefit for the sport would be worth it.

“The WBC is great. Everybody is watching,” Scherzer said. “Can you imagine if all the players were in it and it’s even better? You’re having even better baseball. The WBC can be even better with that regard.”

Plus, Scherzer noted April matchups are “not high-revenue games” for MLB teams.

The WBC began on March 5 and concluded on March 17. Team USA advanced to the finals, but lost, 3-2, to Venezuela.

Red, white and blue fans have pointed out that adding star pitchers like Garrett Crochett and Bryan Woo — or even getting more innings out of Tarik Skubal and Mason Miller — could have resulted in a championship, and Scherzer said his idea would have paved the way for that reality.

“Where’s the perfect slice here?” he said. “It’s right now (in late March). Start it right now and that would solve a lot of this.”

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Thursday night the Cincinnati Reds will send the best and brightest pieces of their farm system to Scottsdale to take on the best and brightest prospects from the system of the San Francisco Giants, the 2026 edition of the Spring Breakout Game.

Cincinnati won’t be sending the likes of Rhett Lowder or Sal Stewart, I should note, despite both still maintaining rookie status (and, in most cases, ‘prospect’ status). That’s because those two are going to be part of the big league Reds roster come Opening Day. Instead, the Reds will turn over the reins to the likes of Alfredo Duno, Edwin Arroyo, Tyson Lewis, Cam Collier & Co.

Right-hander Chase Petty will toe the rubber to start for Cincinnati’s young stars, and the team will lineup this way:

Of note is a middle infield of Arroyo at short and Leo Balcazar at 2B given that the likes of Steele Hall and Tyson Lewis are both on the roster (and expected to play). My best guess is that the Reds will work those two in together at some point mid-game.

Also on the roster is 2025 2nd round pick Aaron Watson, whom the Reds selected out of Trinity Christian Academy down in Jacksonville last summer. The 19 year old didn’t throw a single professional pitch last year after being drafted, and it would be cool to see him get into some pretty serious non-serious action this evening for the first time.

I say ‘see’ because this one should be able to be viewed most places thanks to televised coverage by NBC Sports Bay Area (and, therefore, MLB.tv). I’ve even seen some reports that it may be viewable via MLB.com, though I cannot guarantee that’s the case at the moment.

First pitch is set for 9:05 PM ET, so put on a pot of coffee while you watch the first round of the NCAA Tournament first.

Sports!

Jurickson Profar is officially out for the 2026 season. 

The Braves outfielder’s appeal for his performance-enhancing drug (PED), 162-game suspension was resolved.

He will also be ineligible to play during the postseason.

It’s the second time Profar tested positive and was suspended for PEDs after receiving an 80-game ban last year, getting popped for Chorionic Gonadotrophin (hCG) after appearing in Atlanta’s first four games of the season.

This time around, Profar tested positive for exogenous testosterone and its metabolites, per ESPN.

At the time of the first suspension, Profar proclaimed innocence, claiming he’d “never willingly take a banned substance.”

“This is especially painful for me because anyone who knows me and has seen me play knows I am deeply passionate about the game,” Profar said in a statement last March. “There is nothing I love more than competing with my teammates and being a fan favorite. I want to apologize to the entire Braves organization, my teammates, and the fans. It is because of my deep love and respect for this game that I would never knowingly do anything to cheat it.”

He is the sixth MLB player to receive the 162-game ban for a second PED violation since the penalty was bumped to a full season in 2014. 

Profar was set to enter the second year of a three-year, $42 million deal he signed with the Braves before the 2025 season. 

He will forfeit his entire $15 million salary for this season. 

When not suspended last season, Profar hit .245/.353/.434 with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs in 80 games for Atlanta. 

The former No. 1 overall prospect had a career season in 2024 before the PED suspensions, hitting .280/.380/.459 with 24 long balls while making his first career All-Star team and winning a Silver Slugger award.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Ronny Mauricio languished on the bench for the final six weeks of last season, and the Mets weren’t prepared to let that happen again.

The shortstop was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday, eliminating him from a potential backup role on the Opening Day roster.

Mauricio played mainly shortstop this spring while Francisco Lindor rehabbed from hamate bone surgery in his left hand.

But Lindor returned in the last week to begin playing in the Grapefruit League, signaling his buildup toward next Thursday’s season opener at Citi Field.

It’s possible the Mets will go without a backup shortstop, instead using Bo Bichette at the position as needed during the season.

“We’re getting to those days where we have to make tough decisions and this was one of them,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “But we said it from the beginning: We need Ronny Mauricio to play and for him right now with everyone — knock on wood — healthy, he needs to go down to get everyday reps.”

Mauricio, 24, produced a .313/.389/.531 slash line with one homer and five RBIs in 13 exhibition games this spring. Last season, he saw extensive action at third base, but was squeezed to the bench in mid-August. He received only 20 at-bats over the final six weeks of the season.

Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns later said Mauricio was kept on the major league roster to preserve his option for this season. The Mets would have otherwise lost that minor league option on Mauricio.

Mauricio missed the 2024 season while rehabbing from multiple knee surgeries.

“We’re very pleased with how he went about his business, what he showed here in camp,” Mendoza said. “Not only he’s healthy, but his ability to play shortstop. He got a lot of reps there and played pretty well, so that is exciting — the fact that he’s playing not only third base, but keeping shortstop as an option.”

Mendoza, a Venezuelan, said he was in tears watching Team Venezuela win the WBC final by beating Team USA, on Tuesday.

“This is something people don’t realize how big a deal it is, especially for a country that suffered so much for the last 20 years,” Mendoza said. “All around the world, there’s families that are feeling and celebrating this victory.”

Kodai Senga, who had a solid start Thursday against the Astros, is scheduled to remain in Port St. Lucie to pitch in a minor league game after the Mets break camp next week.

Mendoza has not announced his rotation beyond Freddy Peralta on Opening Day, but it would appear Senga won’t pitch in the first series against the Pirates.

Mets Lineup

1. A.J. Ewing, CF
2. Elian Pena, SS
3. Jacob Reimer, 3B
4. Ryan Clifford, 1B
5. Eli Serrano III, RF
6. Chris Suero, C
7. Mitch Voit, 2B
8. Nick Morabito, LF
9. Randy Guzman, DH

SP: Jack Wenninger

Rays Lineup

1. Austin Overn, LF
2. Theo Gillen, RF
3. Jacob Melton, CF
4. Xavier Isaac, DH
5. Tre’ Morgan, 1B
6. Braydon Taylor, 3B
7. Nathan Flewelling, C
8. Adrian Santana, 2B
9. Daniel Pierce, SS

SP: Jose Urbina

Broadcast info

First pitch: 7:10pm EDT
TV: SNY

What more can you say about a team that has won back-to-back World Series and are the overwhelming favorites to make it a three-peat? The Dodgers have positioned themselves to become the first team since the turn-of-the-millennium Yankees to win three titles in a row, which would make them just the third team in over half a century to accomplish the feat. They have become the true evil empire of baseball, scoffing at the playoff crapshoot mentality, the envy of 29 other fan bases who wish the teams they supported were as fully invested in winning every single season.

2025 record: 93-69 (1st, NL West)
2026 FanGraphs projection: 99-63 (1st, NL West)

Employing possibly the greatest all-around player in MLB history is always a decent place to start. Shohei Ohtani is going for his fourth-straight MVP and fifth in the last six seasons, and in fairness it’s difficult to pick out a legitimate challenger for his crown in the NL. No player in the sport is projected to be more valuable in 2026 — when combining his hitting and pitching projections, Ohtani’s projected fWAR of 8.4 clocks in at over a full win more than Aaron Judge.

As all-powerful as he is, the Dodgers have created an enviable supporting cast around their unicorn talent. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts no longer at their peak? No worries, they’ll just sign the undisputed No. 1 free agent hitter for $60 million per year! And that’s not to say Freeman and Betts won’t be productive in 2026. Over the last two seasons, Freeman has settled in as roughly a four-win first baseman and can be expected to do the same this year, while Betts’ situation is slightly more murky. He is coming off a career-worst performance in a full season, ending the year marginally better than league average with the bat. All the same, 3.4 fWAR is still a borderline All-Star, it just fell short of the incredibly high standard he set in his first five seasons in LA — averaging a 146 wRC+ and roughly 6.0 fWAR/650 PA.

FanGraph Depth Charts projects a healthy rebound from Betts, he and Freeman expected to post a wRC+ somewhere in the 130s while combining to be worth between eight and nine wins. That’s still a roughly five-to-six win shortage relative to their peaks, but would you look at that, the Dodgers brought in Kyle Tucker to neatly make up that deficit. So what exactly does $60 million a year buy you these days? In King Tuck’s case, 33 home runs, a 142 wRC+, and 4.9 fWAR if Depth Charts is to be believed — all top-12 marks among hitters’ projections. Between Ohtani, Betts, and Tucker, the Dodgers should have three of the 12 most valuable players in MLB in 2026.

That doesn’t even take into account the rest of the supporting cast. Catcher Will Smith and center fielder Andy Pages are projected to be among the top-eight at their positions, ticketed to be worth more than three wins apiece. In fact, Hyeseong Kim is their only starter projected to produce less than 19 home runs, a 112 wRC+, and 2.1 fWAR.

If there’s anything that’s going to trip them up, it’s on the pitching side. Yoshinobu Yamamoto established himself as a top-ten starting pitcher in the league last year and that should remain the case in 2026. However, behind their ace lies a ton of injury and downside risk. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are walking human Band-Aids, though the Dodgers’ plan for the pair appears to be to not care about the regular season as long as they are ready for the playoffs. Who knows how many innings the Dodgers will let Ohtani pitch? And while Emmet Sheehan had something of a breakout 2025 and Roki Sasaki found some stability after moving to the bullpen, I have heavy doubts over the pair’s ability to hold up in the rotation for an entire season.

The bullpen also features pretty wide error bars after the Dodgers had to rely on several relative unknowns in 2025 to make up for the unexpected regression of their high leverage arms. I suppose this underlies the reasoning behind LA signing Edwin Díaz away from the Mets on a three-year deal, finally cementing their closer role after several failed tries. I’m certainly not as optimistic as the projections that Tanner Scott can rebound from being replacement level in 2025, but I also wouldn’t be surprised to see them unearth some new hidden gems as they did last campaign.

A quick look at a pair of projection systems reveals just how much the Dodgers have separated themselves from the rest of the league. FanGraphs projects the Dodgers to win the division with a 99-63 record — they don’t project any other team in baseball to reach even 90 wins. They’ve been assigned a 99-percent playoff odds — the Mets are the next highest at 80.7-percent — and a whopping 26.8-percent chance to win the World Series, their closest chasers being the Mariners at 8.6-percent. Over at PECOTA things are even more stark. With a win-loss projection of 105-57, the Dodgers are projected to win 14 more games than the next-best team in the Mariners. Their 100-percent playoff odds are more than six points higher than the Mariners, while their 20.2-percent odds to win the World Series is almost five points higher than second-best Seattle.

It’s not that the Dodgers have improved that much on paper so much as two of their divisional challengers getting worse. The Diamondbacks were one of the surprise top sellers at last year’s trade deadline, dealing away three of the team’s top contributors in Eugenio Suárez, Josh Naylor, and Shelby Miller, downgrading to Nolan Arenado, Carlos Santana, and Paul Sewald to fill those roles. Meanwhile over in San Diego, focus is fixed on the looming team sale rather than the on-field product, which is how you get a starting rotation that could fail to feature a starter who throws 100 innings in 2026. We haven’t even played a game and yet the World Series is already the Dodgers’ to lose, and at this point I’m not sure I can spot a team that can steal their crown away from them.