With the news of his hamate surgery still fresh in our minds, it’s important that we remember that there is no one on the Mets’ roster – 40-Man or otherwise – that can take Francisco Lindor’s place, even for just a few weeks. But that doesn’t mean that the Mets don’t need someone to play short, and ideally, someone by whom they won’t be handcuffed when Lindor returns.

While it may be appealing to just shift Bo Bichette back to short for a limited time, if the Mets really want Bichette to get acquainted with a new position, the short term benefit might not be worth stalling his progress. Jorge Polanco played most of his career at short, but recent history at that position has been rough. Ronny Mauricio could probably handle a few games there, but isn’t a true shortstop.

With both Jett Williams and Luisangel Acuña departing the system via trades this winter, the Mets find themselves with a serious dearth of upper-minors shortstop talent. This is why the Mets signed a number of fringy guys who could help out on a short term basis at the position. During his press conference yesterday, David Stearns mentioned a number of potential shortstops, including Mauricio, Vidal Bruján, Grae Kessinger, Christian Arroyo, and Jackson Cluff. While we will get to all those players eventually, today we’re looking into Cluff.

Cluff, a product of Brigham Young University, was drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 draft by the Nationals. After missing the 2020 season due to COVID-19 and parts of 2021 due to injury, the ‘21 Arizona Fall League was Cluff’s first real test in professional baseball. He hit .342 with six doubles, a home run, and eight stolen bases in 22 games, which put him into the conversation going into 2022.

Unfortunately, that would be the last time that Cluff batted over .250 in organized ball of any kind. To his credit, the now 29-year old has improved fairly consistently offensively, but in small steps and not enough to garner real excitement as a prospect. In 2025, in 103 games at Triple-A Rochester, Cluff hit .242/.349/.771 with twelve home runs, 14 doubles, and 23 steals.

Additionally, Cluff isn’t just a shortstop. Across 2024 and 2025, Cluff played all four infield positions, center field, left field, and pitched in five games. While he’s no “Super” Joe McEwing, that’s a useful player in the high minors.

His usefulness makes his release by the Nationals a little odd. Yes, he’s too old to really be considered a prospect at this point, and no, he hasn’t done enough to really inspire confidence. But he’s a player with no major league service time who can handle the middle infield and hit a tiny bit. Those guys usually stick around an organization until one or more of their skills has eroded enough to render them unfit for the upper minors.

Cluff was part of the large exodus of players from the Nationals system at the end of last season, and the Mets signed him to a minor league deal. He’s probably destined to spend most or all of the season at Triple-A, but he does represent a type of player that is very useful, especially when your starting shortstop gets hurt before spring training officially starts. Cluff won’t be an embarrassment at short, and the Mets’ lineup is deep enough that, if they had to keep him in the lineup for a couple of days, that probably wouldn’t hurt the club too much.

While Cluff isn’t the ideal long term, or even medium term, solution if Lindor has to miss any significant time, we’ll likely get lots of looks at him during spring training and the Mets will be able to determine if he’s a decent short term, stopgap solution if one of the Mets’ middle infielders gets hurt.

11. Roldy Brito (352 points, 18 ballots)

Brito was easily the breakout prospect in the Rockies system in 2025. The 18-year-old 5’11” Dominican switch-hitting up-the-middle defender (he played both second base and center field frequently in 2025, plus some shortstop in 2024) was a member of Colorado’s 2024 international signing class, but his $420k bonus was only the fifth-highest among those signing with the Rockies that year. Two years later, the speedy Brito is the only player from the class who has played at a full-season affiliate and he crushed it in a late season appearance with Fresno.

After signing, Brito spent 2024 with the Dominican Summer League team, where his .254/.360/.314 line with 24/27 steals (89 wRC+) frankly didn’t stand out much. The Rockies saw enough though to bring Brito stateside to the Arizona Complex League team in 2025, where he was 1.6 years younger than league average. Brito rose to the challenge, hitting a scalding .368/.445/.555 with three homers among his 22 extra-base hits and 22/29 steals in 209 plate appearances, good for a 159 wRC+. Brito was second in the league in OPS and hits, 3rd in slugging, batting average, and steals, 4th in runs, and he was sixth in OBP and doubles. For that performance, Brito took home MVP honors for the ACL.

That impressive performance led the Rockies to jump Brito up to Low-A Fresno after the ACL season ended in late July, where he was 3.2 years younger than league average. Brito didn’t miss a beat in his full-season debut. In 33 games with Fresno, Brito hit .375/.442/.463 with a homer, a triple, seven doubles and 13 steals in 156 plate appearances, which was good for a 156 wRC+. He also tacked on a 3-for-9 performance with a triple in two playoff games for Fresno.

Brito didn’t face many lefties and therefore didn’t hit right-handed that often, but in 56 PA from that side in 2025 he posted a 1.129 OPS (his OPS was .927 hitting from the left side). He struck out in 17% of Low-A plate appearances while walking in 9% of them, while his speed led to a ridiculous .459 BABIP. In the field, Brito played 36 games at second base (ten errors, eight in the ACL) and 41 in center field (two errors with six outfield assists).

Purple Row’s own Evan Lang chronicled Brito’s magical 2025 throughout the season in the weekly Pebble Reports and got a chance to interview Brito as he entered fall instructs in October.

Here’s some video of Brito from his stint with Fresno late last season, including some slo-mo looks at swings from both sides of the plate:

Here’s another slo-mo view of his swing from the ACL:

Brito is just breaking out and has only recently attracted national prospect attention. The most enthusiastic voice so far on Brito has been Keith Law of the Athletic, who recently ranked Brito third on his Rockies system list and slotted Brito just outside his top 100 overall prospects list:

Brito led the Arizona Complex League in batting average last year by one point over the Dodgers’ Ching-Hsien Ko, finishing second in OBP and third in slugging. He then moved up to Low A and hit .375/.442/.463 in 33 games. Those numbers are a little misleading about his hit tool; he’s at least a 70 runner who legged out some ground-ball hits, and likes to bunt for hits as well, picking up 29 points of average in Low A just from bunt singles.

He’s a switch-hitter who can hit from both sides, with maybe a touch more bat speed right-handed, and he’s gotten much stronger already since he signed so that he can impact the ball and maybe come into average power. He played mostly second base with some shortstop in the DSL in 2024, after which the Rockies tried him in center field, giving him almost equal time in center and at the keystone in 2025. He gets mixed reviews at both positions, although he’s 18 and doesn’t have a ton of experience at either spot. If he keeps raking like this in his return to Low A this year, and even shows he can play average defense at one of those two positions, he’ll be in the top 100 a year from now.

After Josh Norris of Baseball America ranked Brito 17th among all prospects in the ACL in Mid-July, BA recently ranked Brito fifth in the system and listed him as the starting second baseman on the 2029 Rockies while calling him the best athlete in the system (also, the best hit tool and base-running skill):

Brito shows above-average bat-to-ball skills and power with the ability to consistently find the barrel. … There are some red flags in Brito’s profile, however, including subpar angles and a swing-happy approach prone to expanding the zone. Despite this, Brito had very good expected outcomes this season due to his combination of contact and power.

MLB.com took the unusual step of jumping Brito straight into their late season 2025 Rockies list, ranking him 16th as a 45 FV player with plus speed and 50 grades on his hit, arm, and field tools:

Compact at 5-foot-11, Brito is a twitchy athlete and switch-hitter, who has shown an ability to hit the ball hard from both sides of the plate. In his brief time with the Rockies, he’s shown he has a gameplan at the plate, is willing to draw walks and keeps his swing-and-miss relatively limited. There’s extra-base thump in there, with perhaps more power to come, but he profiles more as a catalyst type who could sit atop a lineup long term. His plus speed would be an asset there as well, especially if he can learn the nuances of the basestealing craft (35 steals, 14 caught in 2025).

Signed as a middle infielder, Brito did see a little time at shortstop during his pro debut, but has spent most of his time on the dirt at second, in deference to [Ashly] Andujar. He added center field this year, giving him more defensive versatility and has looked fine defensively in both spots, giving the Rockies options should his offensive game continue to trend upwards as he moves up the ladder.

Fellow PuRP Robert Calaz (who received more scouting acclaim in the process due to his power potential) followed a similar trajectory in 2024 to what Brito did last summer. If that’s an indication, Brito should be back in Fresno next year as one of the younger players in the league. Calaz didn’t wow in his return engagement to Fresno, but perhaps Brito will be different (or maybe he’ll get a jump up to High-A right away).

Brito clearly has a strong enough hit tool for lower minors pitching and provides speed and flexibility with his up the middle defense. I’m generally reticent to get too excited by numbers alone and typically wait for scouting confirmation for players without a strong pedigree, so the recent rave reviews on Brito from national prospect watchers have been very encouraging. In fact, after those recent reports I think my 40+ FV rating, 12th on my list, of Brito might be a little light.

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Nine players have been born on February 12th and have gone on to wear the pinstripes, but none of them had totally memorable tenures in New York.

Pat Dobson was a mainstay in the Yankees’ rotation from 1973-75, and Monk Dubiel started his career with the Yankees in 1944, starting 48 games in two years. Others, including 1953 World Series champion Don Bollweg, had brief, one-year stints. The shortest stint of the nine players came from Kiddo Davis, who played one singular inning in right field in 1926 before not appearing in the majors again until 1932 with the Phillies.

Of all the players celebrating their birthday today, none captivated Yankees fans in their short tenure more than the Toms River native whose Little League World Series factoid remains a memorable (and often meme’d) piece of Yankees trivia. I’m talking about, of course, the Toddfather himself, Todd Frazier.

Todd Brian Frazier
Born: February 12, 1986 (Point Pleasant, NJ)
Yankees Tenure: 2017

Frazier grew up in Toms River, playing for the local powerhouse Little League team that remains a staple in the Little League World Series to this day. It just so happened that the year he was there, 1998, they won it all. After the tournament, they were invited to Yankee Stadium on September 1st, where Frazier would stand next to Derek Jeter during the national anthem.

Todd Frazier and Derek Jeter: Both Yankees. pic.twitter.com/4jzjZGdKS8

— Mitch Goldich 🐙 (@mitchgoldich) July 19, 2017

While many who win the Little League World Series never make it to the big leagues, Frazier remains one of the few who went on to have a great MLB career over a decade after their moment in the sun in Williamsport. After being drafted in the 34th round out of Toms River High School in 2004, he starred for Rutgers University and went in the first round to the Cincinnati Reds in 2007.

While his older brother, Jeff, got his lone stint in the majors in 2010, Frazier was becoming a top-50 prospect in the sport, eventually getting the call to the bigs in 2011, where he did fine in a cup of coffee.

In his first year as a full-time starter, he came third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2012, mashing 19 home runs and posting a 119 OPS+. After a down year in 2013, Frazier took full advantage of playing in Great American Ballpark the following year, slashing .273/.336/.459 with 29 home runs and 20 stolen bases, making his first All-Star Game in 2014.

In 2015, he represented the Reds in the Home Run Derby and won it in his home ballpark in the midst of his second (and final) All-Star season, mashing 35 homers. That offseason, the stumbling Reds traded Frazier to the Chicago White Sox in a complicated, three-team deal that involved seven players and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Fun fact: Frankie Montas was traded from the ChiSox to the Dodgers here!

His lone full season on the South Side of Chicago was a mixed bag. He once again showed his prodigal pop with 40 homers, but was down to a .225 batting average and a 107 OPS+, striking out 24.5 percent of the time. As his strikeout rate ballooned, it made him a one-trick pony offensively. By the middle of the 2017 season, he was barely over the Mendoza Line as he approached free agency at age 31.

But with the White Sox floundering and selling at the 2017 trade deadline, Frazier had a chance to rebuild his value elsewhere. In the middle of July, he was packaged with relievers Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson and sent to the Yankees for a bunch of young players who didn’t amount to much, headlined by former first-round pick Blake Rutherford.

The need was evident for the Yanks, who suddenly found themselves competing for the AL East crown in what was supposed to be a rare rebuild year. Chase Headley wasn’t cutting it at third base, and Frazier added some pop to a lineup that, aside from rookie sensations Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, was lacking it.

It took a few games, but the Toddfather eventually got his bat going. When the team that drafted him came to town a week after the trade, he went 3-for-5 with his first Yankee home run. He was a solidified presence for the bottom of the lineup down the stretch, and the hometown kid even had a two-week stretch in September where he ran a 1.255 OPS with five home runs in 11 games. Frazier was also a popular guy in the clubhouse, and with the help of one displeased Rays fan, helped start the “thumbs down” trend in reaction to big hits.

Frazier’s stats weren’t flashy, slashing just .222/.365/.423 with a 107 OPS+ in 66 games, but he lengthened the lineup and was slick with the glove at the hot corner. And come October, he would get to play playoff baseball for just the third time in his career after just five career postseason games.

Frazier had just a .588 OPS in the team’s trip to Game 7 of the ALCS, but had some moments. He had a three-hit game against Cleveland in ALDS Game 2, hit an RBI double in Game 4, and golfed a go-ahead three-run home run in Game 3 of the ALCS against the Astros.

Sadly for him and the Yankees, perhaps the more defining at-bat of his postseason would be his pitiful swing through a filthy pitch by series MVP Justin Verlander in Game 6 as the Astros went on to end the Yankees’ season and his Yankees tenure. He signed a two-year, $17 million contract with the crosstown rival Mets in the offseason.

Frazier had two decent seasons with the orange and blue across town, remaining a viable home run threat and solid overall hitter and defender, but he would be out of the league by 2021 after unsuccessful tenures with the Rangers and Pirates. He would have one final moment in the sun, however, winning a silver medal at the belated Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Even in retirement, Frazier remains around the game of baseball and is back with the organization as a studio analyst for YES Network, even taking on color commentary duties over the last few seasons. We wish him a happy 40th birthday!

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See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

The Brewers put together a historical season in 2025. They won a franchise-record 97 games and broke their postseason losing streak, advancing to the NLCS for the first time since 2018. Though the postseason run ended with a thud, it was an overall positive year for the team. With the full core of the team set to return in 2026, the Brewers could still contend without significant additions in the offseason. However, the moves they did make are ones that would be expected more of a rebuilding team, not one that led the league.

The first significant move of the offseason came on December 14, when they traded Isaac Collins and Nick Mears to the Royals for Ángel Zerpa. It felt like a strange trade considering the role both players had in 2025. Collins put together a strong rookie season, and Mears was one of the most reliable relievers out of the bullpen.

Looking deeper into the trade, it did make sense. The Brewers had an outfield jam, with five players (Jackson Chourio, Sal Frelick, Blake Perkins, Garrett Mitchell, and Collins) competing for three starting spots. Even with a rotation, it would be difficult to get more than four outfielders regular playing time. Collins had also slumped toward the end of the season, so there was concern that he wouldn’t be able to repeat his performance. Also, Mears was out of minor league options and had a reasonable, but increasing, salary. The trade cleared the outfield jam and brought in another strong reliever that has some flexibility with a minor league option.

The next big move came on January 21, when they traded Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers to the Mets for Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat. This move hurt since the Brewers traded their strongest starter away but wasn’t unexpected. With Peralta just one year from free agency, he joined the list of pitchers (such as Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams) who were traded before their walk year.

The more surprising inclusion was Myers, who had an up-and-down two years for the Brewers. After arguably leading the rotation in 2024, he slumped following an injury in 2025 and spent most of the season in the minors. However, toward the end of the season he was showing signs of a rebound. The move still made sense, though. The Brewers have a long list of pitchers for their starting rotation, and Myers would have had a difficult time getting back into the rotation.

The return for the trade was a good one. Williams and Sproat are both near major league ready and could impact the team as soon as this season. Williams doesn’t have a specific spot set but has the ability to play in the infield or outfield. As for Sproat, he might not make the rotation out of spring training but should get some chances during the season. Overall, the trade was one that would hurt in the short term but should improve the team beyond 2026.

The last big trade of the offseason is the one that really shocked everyone. On Monday, with pitchers and catchers set to report in just two days, the Brewers traded Caleb Durbin to the Red Sox. He was the main piece in a trade package that also included Andruw Monasterio, Anthony Seigler, and their Competitive Balance B draft pick (No. 67 overall). In return, they got Kyle Harrison, Shane Drohan, and David Hamilton.

Unlike the other trades, Durbin was arguably going to be a major contributor on the Brewers for the next several years. He’s coming off of an excellent rookie season that included a third-place finish in the NL Rookie of the Year vote. He’s a young player with six years of team control remaining. For the Brewers, this is the type of player they have built around and don’t trade easily. If the Brewers got a player back who had a stronger track record and immediately improved the team, that would have made more sense. Instead, they continued to add on to their minor league system.

That doesn’t mean the players the Brewers got in return aren’t good players. They can all factor into the Brewers’ plans immediately and in the future. Harrison immediately slotted into the Brewers’ starting pitcher depth chart, and Hamilton could take over at third. It’s a move that would be more expected of a rebuilding team, though. That’s compounded by the Brewers’ uncertain plan for third base. Based on a comment from Murphy yesterday, they have a handful of players who will compete for the starting position.

What also adds on to the decision are the prospects that are almost major league ready. Jesús Made, the top prospect in the system and a consensus top 10 player on any prospect list, is getting a taste of major league play this spring in camp. He won’t make the team this spring and likely not this season but could be ready as soon as next year. In addition to him, the Brewers next three top-ranked prospects (Luis Peña, Williams, Cooper Pratt) are all infielders, and they also have a couple of other potential third baseman (Andrew Fischer, Luke Adams) a little further down the list. With significant depth building in the minors, a move to alleviate the potential logjam was expected, but not this season. All those players still need more time in the minors, and the Durbin trade creates a potential hole for a year or two.

The one other aspect that adds on to all of this is the Brewers’ lack of activity in the free agent market. It’s not unexpected for the Brewers to not make a big splash with a free agent. Considering that they had a strong roster after 2025, a big addition wasn’t necessarily needed but would have been welcomed. With their TV deal changing and the regular push to keep costs down, this wasn’t the season for them to make a major signing. That’s what they stuck to all season. They only made two signings in free agency this offseason: outfielder Akil Baddoo and catcher Gary Sánchez. Both were on modest contracts that only added minimal amounts to the payroll. (Brandon Woodruff technically counts as a free-agent signing, but he fits in more as a returning player.)

The result of the offseason is the Brewers enter camp with a few of their best players no longer on the roster. They have more depth to build the team back up, and some of those players will impact the team this season. They have regularly defied expectations so it’s foolish to think they can’t do it again. Matt Arnold and Pat Murphy have built an organization that can get the best out of whoever they bring in. After an unconventional offseason for a team that led the league last season, they will have to show they can do it again.

Down a rabbit hole of things that didn’t happen, the Red Sox apparently made several attempts to acquire Zach Neto from the Angels before pivoting and trading with the Brewers for Caleb Durbin. This was confirmed by Sean McAdam earlier this week, and from there, Tyler Milliken was asking the right question.

The Red Sox took several tries at acquiring shortstop Zach Neto but the Angels had set a very high bar for him, per @Sean_McAdam.

That’s the type of deal that would’ve created some serious buzz… wonder if they would’ve moved him off of shortstop. pic.twitter.com/0xB0t9ESXN

— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) February 9, 2026

Neto is one of the best defensive shortstops in the games, posting a +11 and +13 Defensive Runs Saved from the position the last two seasons. The only reason you trade for a guy like that is to put him at shortstop, which means that in that scenario, Trevor Story gets moved back to second base and Marcelo Mayer plays third.

This is intriguing because from just last winter we already know the Red Sox have no problem acquiring a guy for a position they already seem to have filled. While Story’s defense at short certainly isn’t bad, it is declining and at some point they may need to make a move.

Looking at things from a different angle, this is also where Marcelo Mayer comes into the conversation. Is he a shortstop long-term? If that’s the plan, shouldn’t he be there sooner rather than later? Do the Red Sox not want to make the move for now because Mayer’s been so injury prone he hasn’t played 100 games in a season in his career yet?

At some point, the Red Sox are going to have to decide if Mayer’s a shortstop or not, and if the answer to that question is yes, it creates a very tricky timetable with Trevor Story. Even though the Red Sox didn’t land Neto, their willingness to do so suggest they may also have a willingness to move Story off shortstop.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are looking to improve their offense, and they might have a candidate in Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos.

The Athletic insider Matt Gelb is reporting that Castellanos will either be traded or released by the Phillies during Spring Training.

“Photos line the hallway that leads from the lobby to the Phillies’ clubhouse at BayCare Ballpark and, on Wednesday, there was a gap between the photos of Trea Turner and Alec Bohm. There used to be one of Nick Castellanos there. He is still on the Phillies’ roster, but there is no locker in the clubhouse for him. As the Phillies continue their quest to save a few million dollars, they have told Castellanos not to report to the team’s complex this week, league sources said,” Gelb wrote.

“A Castellanos resolution — either through a trade or release — is expected in the next two days.”

Castellanos, who turns 34 next month, it’s set to make $20 million on the final year of his deal. He had a .250 batting average in 2025 with 17 home runs and 72 runs batted in, but those numbers won’t cut it with his price tag.

If the Phillies were willing to pay the Pirates a good chunk of his 2026 salary, would Pittsburgh be willing to throw in a prospect in a trade? The Pirates have been looking to get some juice for the offense this offseason and Castellanos could provide that for the team.

The Pirates have gone out of their way to add Ryan O’Hearn, Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum and Marcell Ozuna, giving them more options to work with. In addition to Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds, the Pirates should have a strong outfield this season.

The reason against a Castellanos trade would be how crowded the team is with all of the new additions. Cruz is set to play center field, while Reynolds likely ends up in right. Ozuna can fill in at left field and O’Hearn could be the designated hitter.

If the Pirates wanted to move O’Hearn to first base, Castellanos could add to the team as a possible designated hitter, but it isn’t a need at this point in time. There’s a better chance other teams would pay more for Castellanos given the need.

What do you think BD community? Should the Pirates trade for Castellanos? Chime off in the comments section below.

Yesterday, Paul Toboni finally made a move in the rotation. Bringing in Miles Mikolas on a one-year $2.25 million deal is not exactly what fans were dreaming of, but it is a move. With Mikolas highly likely to be in the rotation, I wanted to take a look at what the Nats pitching staff could look like entering 2026.

RHP Miles Mikolas and the Nationals are reportedly in agreement on a contract. pic.twitter.com/OvTHDDCkR8

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 11, 2026

While the rotation is full of uncertainty, I do think there are three locks. Those are free agent signings Foster Griffin and Miles Mikolas. The other is Cade Cavalli, who is the highest upside arm on the team. It will be an open competition for the last two spots. I think Jake Irvin will take one of them, but after how he performed last season, he is not a lock.

Brad Lord is an interesting case. He had an impressive rookie season last year, but was more effective in a relief role. In his 19 starts, Lord posted a 4.99 ERA. For 2025 Nats standards, that is not awful, but it is still not good. However, in his 29 relief outings, Lord posted a 2.79 ERA. With Lord’s increased velocity in the ‘pen and his limited pitch mix, a bullpen role could be a better fit. Still, Lord may be one of the five best guys for the Nats in the rotation.

The Nats are short on proven commodities, but they have plenty of options. Guys like Josiah Gray, Mitchell Parker, Andrew Alvarez and even waiver claim Ken Waldichuk could get a shot to compete for rotation spots. The quality may not be great, but the Nats have more bodies than they have had in the past.

Projecting the arms who could make up the Nationals' rotation in 2026:

Cade Cavalli
Brad Lord
Miles Mikolas
Josiah Gray
Jake Irvin

Also receiving votes:
Foster Griffin
Mitchell Parker
Ken Waldichuk
Andrew Alvarez
Riley Cornelio

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) February 11, 2026

Gray is an interesting case as well. He has missed most of the past two seasons due to Tommy John Surgery. However, he made the All-Star game and posted a sub-4 ERA the last time he pitched a full season in 2023. Even in that season though, we saw Gray’s flaws and that sub-4 ERA was pretty lucky based on the underlying numbers. If his stuff looks good this spring, he should get a spot in the rotation though.

There are also a couple of guys on the mend that could play a role later this season. The Nats have already placed Trevor Williams and DJ Herz on the 60-day IL. This is not much of a surprise, as both are recovering from elbow surgeries. 

Herz is a guy I am particularly intrigued by though. He was super promising in 2024, and was a popular breakout candidate for 2025. However, he looked bad in Spring Training last year and then it was revealed that he needed Tommy John Surgery. If Herz can come back and be the guy he was in 2024, he will be a massive piece of the Nats rotation.

Herz does have some command concerns, so there is a chance the Nats just decide to let him rip in the bullpen. Luis Perales is in a similar boat, but he is further removed from his Tommy John. He should start the season in the Minors, but could play a role, either in the rotation or the bullpen.

The biggest X-factor in the Nats rotation though is Cade Cavalli. On paper, Cavalli will be the Nats ace. He showed major promise down the stretch last season. His stuff looked very sharp, and his fastball averaged 97. 

Cade Cavalli first major league win comes against the Phillies

pic.twitter.com/R2uDIfgmtm

— Kev (@klwoodjr) August 16, 2025

Manager Blake Butera has already praised Cavalli’s mound presence. For the first time in a while, Cavalli will be entering a season with no health restrictions. He is ready to rock and roll. The 2020 first round pick is finally going to be able to be a part of the rotation on a full time basis. 

I also think he is going to really be helped by the Nats new pitching philosophy. He has the stuff, but his execution and sequencing could use some work. Hopefully, new pitching coach Simon Mathews can help him out with that.

For the guys who do not make the rotation, they could still make an impact as long relief options. Paul Toboni and Blake Butera do not seem married to the idea of having a set five man rotation where the goal is for these guys to go at least five innings every time. That philosophy could make the roles of Mitchell Parker or Andrew Alvarez important.

Alvarez showed some nice things down the stretch. He does not have amazing stuff, but he has a deep mix and can throw any pitch in any count. Alvarez also has a strong feel for spin and executes well. He is a guy who can fool lineups for one or two turns, but does not have the stuff to face hitters a third time. The Nats new regime will have a use for a guy like that.

There are still more questions than answers on this Nats pitching staff, but the pickup of Mikolas does provide some clarity. The Nats now have a guy they will be confident in to take the ball every fifth day and give them some length. I also wonder if the Mikolas pickup makes Irvin a bit redundant. Last year, he was the innings eater with not great stuff. If he comes out throwing 90-92 MPH again this spring, he could be in trouble.

There is competition all across this roster. For a team that is not very good, I like that. If we can find one or two unexpected breakout guys who could be a part of the next good Nats team, that would be a win. Also, so much can change between now and even the start of the season. Buckle up ladies and gentleman, because baseball is here.

Spring training is around the corner, and we've already got projected win totals for all 30 teams.

It's a simple market. If you think a team is projected for too many wins, take the Under. If you're more bullish on, say, the Cincinnati Reds than the books are, hammer the Over.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are the only team projected to win more than 100 games, at 102.5. Meanwhile, the Colorado Rockies are on the low end of the spectrum, with a projected total of 52.5.

No team won more than the Milwaukee Brewers' 97 last season, while the Rockies indeed came in Under even this year's rock-bottom total with just 43 victories. The Brewers' total is set at 84.5 after trading ace Freddy Peralta to the New York Mets.

Here’s our initial look at the MLB odds for projected wins in the 2026 regular season.

2026 National League win total odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings

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2026 American League win total odds

Odds courtesy of DraftKings.

How to bet MLB season win totals

Season win totals are pretty straightforward: you're betting on how many wins a team will have that regular season.

Oddsmakers set a projected number of wins for each team — based on past success, returning personnel, and strength of schedule — and offer Over/Under betting options, allowing you to wager on if a team will exceed that win total (Over) or fall short of it (Under). This total does not include postseason games.

On top of the season win total itself, oddsmakers set an assigned cost to the Over and Under bets — also known as vig or juice — depending on the implied probability of the team winning more or less than that total.

For example, the Blue Jays are projected to win 91.5 games but oddsmakers felt like there was a better chance of them winning fewer than 92 games instead of winning 92+ games. Therefore, they set the Jays with a win total of 91.5 but increased the vig on the UNDER to -115 (bet $115 to win $100) and decreased the vig on the OVER to -105 (bet $105 to win $100).

• OVER 91.5 wins (-105)
• UNDER 91.5 wins (-115)

Season win totals are considered futures betting odds and sportsbooks will take action on season win totals from the time they post the odds until the start of the season. Futures bets are then graded at the end of the season when all results are final.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here

MLB teams from across the country have descended on Arizona and Florida to open their Spring Training camps for the 2026 season. Those camps will have a very different look them than most years because players from the MLB teams will leave to join teams representing their countries for the World Baseball Classic. While the level of competition and premier matchups like Mike Trout versus Shohei Ohtani gets fans excited to watch the games there is always an uneasy feeling until the players return to their MLB clubs. This feeling is caused by knowing an injury that could end a player’s season could happen, and if it did, it could derail the season for an MLB team. Gaslamp Ball asked its readers how they feel about Padres players competing in the WBC.

Padres News:

• Since the Padres started Spring Training, they have been watching free agent targets sign with other teams. Justin Verlander signed with the Detroit Tigers and Chris Bassitt signed with the Baltimore Orioles. There have been rumors San Diego is interested in signing Zac Gallen, but the price may be too high. Thomas Conroy of Gaslamp Ball thinks the Padres should look at a reunion with Ty France.
• In his scrum with members of the media on Wednesday, Padres manager Craig Stammen stated the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation are open for competition. He admitted that Randy Vasquez has the inside track on the No. 4 starter spot, but nothing is set yet outside of Joe Musgrove, Nick Pivetta and Michael King.
• There was speculation at the start of the offseason that Mason Miller might return to the rotation. That speculation was dismissed when the Padres announced he would not move from the bullpen. It was assumed then that Miller would be the closer. In the event Padres fans dreamed of a Miller start at some point this season, it was made clear Wednesday that Miller is the closer.
• Sung-Mun Song was one of the key free agent acquisitions for the Padres this offseason and he has already suffered his first injury. Song suffered a rib injury and will miss some time in Spring Training but should be back for the regular season. Song will be playing various roles throughout the season according to Stammen.
• Bryan Hoeing returns to the mound for the 2026 season after missing significant time with injury during the 2025 season. He told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune “it was not a fun year.” Hoeing will compete for one  of very few spots in the Padres bullpen, but has potential to be a starter should the Padres want to explore that as an option.

Baseball News:

• New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor had hamate surgery, and the Mets are optimistic he will be able to return by Opening Day.
• Free agent reliever Liam Hendriks and the Minnesota Twins agreed to a minor league deal.
• Arizona Diamondbacks right fielder Corbin Carroll underwent hamate surgery and will miss the World Baseball Classic.
• The Milwaukee Brewers brought back a familiar face when they agreed to a one-year deal with Gary Sanchez.
• Free agent pitcher Chris Bassitt and the Baltimore Orioles agreed to a one-year, $18.5 million deal, Wednesday.

Tyler Callihan was playing the best baseball of his career in early 2025. After reaching AAA Louisville for a cameo at the end of 2024 (and raking during it), he began 2025 at the highest level of the minors and picked up right where he’d left off.

He mashed to the tune of .303/.410/.528 across 106 PA, showing the gap power and patience at the plate that have been his calling cards (when healthy) all through his pro career to date. That earned him a call-up to the Cincinnati Reds, one that went awry almost immediately when he dove for a ball in the outfield corner and broke his arm in two to nine places, ending his season.

Several surgeries later, Callihan is reportedly back in action and ready to compete again for a spot on the Reds roster, and will do so in 2025 in his age-26 season after being drafted by the Reds all the way back in the 3rd round of the 2019 MLB Draft.

He’s the #18 prospect in this year’s Community Prospect Rankings, earning that honor after dominating the vote in a busy, crowded ballot.