Last year, on July 31st, the New York Yankees traded prospects Roc Riggio and Ben Shields to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for right-handed reliever Jake Bird, who had a 3.49 FIP to that point, albeit with a 4.73 ERA, in 53.1 innings. Unfortunately, he imploded upon reaching the Bronx, and just three outings were enough to see him optioned to Scranton after surrendering seven runs (six earned) in just two innings of work.
His walk rate was a respectable 9.7 percent in the Rocky Mountains, but he just couldn’t throw strikes and get himself in favorable counts in the Bronx. He paid the price with bases on balls and a couple of home runs, too, even if he did strike out four. Then in Scranton, Bird did a better job preventing the long ball, conceding just one in 15.2 frames, but control issues persisted as he put up a disappointing 16.7 percent walk rate. His 6.32 ERA in Triple-A didn’t paint a particularly encouraging picture about his prospects for 2026.
It appears, however, that the offseason has really come in handy for Bird, not just to perform a complete mental reset after a few rocky months upon landing in New York, but to actually attack his weaknesses. Speaking on the YES Network, Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake discussed some of the things Bird has been working on these last few months with his eye on winning a spot in the bullpen.
While David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Fernando Cruz, and others are exciting and talented, the Yanks’ bullpen just isn’t as powerful as it used to be, so having an in-form Bird would be a breath of fresh air.
“I think the biggest thing was trusting his stuff in the zone. (It) has really big shape: big sweeper, big breaking ball. The pitches are moving a lot. So, we got to get him in the zone at a higher rate and limit the walks,” Blake explained. With the Rockies, Bird’s Zone%, or the percentage of pitches throw in the zone, was 57. The number fell to 53 percent with the Yankees in MLB, and 50.5 percent in Triple-A.
It comes down to confidence and execution. In 2025 as a whole, Bird had success with his sweeper (33.8 percent whiff rate, .258 xwOBA) and curveball (38 percent, .158 xwOBA.) He had some bad luck with the former, which had a .338 wOBA in contrast to that solid xwOBA. But they are both good, usable pitches. Swing-and-miss pitches, even.
Luck aside, Bird can be a useful pitcher if he is throwing his breaking stuff for strikes. Since they have a lot of natural movement, trying to get creative with the corners and nibbling might be counterproductive and lead to a lot of balls. And balls lead to hitters’ counts. And, well, hitter counts lead to what we saw in pinstripes this year.
This is a glimpse of what the Yankees can have in Bird if he manages to find himself in favorable counts:
Starting at-bats on the right foot is also crucial for Bird. In Colorado, he threw a first-pitch strike 60.6 percent of the time. That fell to 50 percent with the Yankees, and even though the sample size is tiny, the number was a horrible 44.4 percent in his short stint in Scranton, per Sports Info Solutions.
Blake talked about how Bird struggled to show his best version in his short Yankees stint, but warned that he has had a really good offseason. The pitching coach said the righty has also been working on some adjustments on his sinker to somewhat “limit some of the contact quality.”
Combining his stats with the Rockies and Yankees, it’s safe to say his sinker was inequivocally and unquestionably rocked last year, with a .420 wOBA and a .414 xwOBA. That’s definitely a problem when you throw the pitch a third of the time. Any improvements he can make regarding this particular offering, whether it comes in movement, velocity, or sequencing/usage, will immediately make his stat line look better.
While it’s safe to say that Bird’s 2025 with the Yankees was a disaster both in the majors and in Triple-A, there is a lot of room to improve and also a need for solid relievers who can miss bats. If he can show his Rockies version, the right-hander should have a chance to lock up a spot and slowly earn high-leverage work.
We’re here to talk about the one thing on everybody’s minds: who is going to be the Milwaukee Brewers’ backup catcher when the 2026 season starts?
There was a bit of news on this front on Tuesday, when the Brewers—after rumors swirled for some time—signed the Chicago Cubs’ 2025 backup, Reese McGuire. The wrinkle here is that McGuire was not signed to a major league deal; he instead received a minor league deal with an invite to spring training.
McGuire, who turns 31 early in spring training, is still probably the best bet to open the season as the backup catcher, but since he is not yet on the 40-man roster and doesn’t have a guaranteed deal means that we cannot take that for granted.
Whoever the team’s backup catcher is may not have much of a role. William Contreras plays as often as any catcher in the league, and he’s one of the best at the position, so Milwaukee’s backups in recent years haven’t had a whole lot to do.
Let’s take a quick look across Milwaukee’s catching landscape to see who could be in the running here.
Reese McGuire
As mentioned, McGuire makes the most sense. Of all the catchers that we currently know will be in major league camp with the Brewers, McGuire is the only one other than Contreras who has ever played in a major league game. That seems notable.
Harrison did a good job running down McGuire’s bona fides yesterday, but a quick review: McGuire was the 14th overall pick out of high school in 2013, and worked his way onto top-100 prospect lists within the next couple of years. But McGuire’s bat didn’t develop like some hoped, and it wasn’t exactly an “event” when he made his major-league debut with the Blue Jays late in the 2018 season.
McGuire spent most of 2019 in the minors, but he had an encouraging, brief 30-game run in the big leagues in which he hit .299/.346/.526 and clobbered five homers. That good offense turned out to be a mirage, though; after he struggled through the shortened 2020 season, McGuire settled in as a low-offense, solid-defense backstop in 2021, a season in which he played more games than any other Blue Jay catcher but eventually got a bit crowded out by the dependable Danny Jansen and the emerging Alejandro Kirk.
With both Kirk and Jansen playing well, Toronto broke up their catching trio by trading McGuire to the White Sox at the end of spring training in 2022. Chicago didn’t have as much invested in McGuire as the team that drafted him did, so after a rough season they cut bait and shipped him to Boston at the trade deadline. McGuire actually had a magical partial season with the Red Sox: in 36 games after the deadline, he hit .337/.377/.500. That magic didn’t last, though, and he spent the next two seasons playing rather poorly backing up Connor Wong.
McGuire became a free agent after the 2024 season. He signed with the Cubs in January but didn’t make the major league team out of spring training. But when Miguel Amaya strained an oblique in late May, the Cubs re-signed McGuire, and he was with them through the end of the season. In total, he played 44 games in 2025. He hit for a low average and walked only four times in 140 plate appearances (!) but did hit for power: nine homers put his slugging all the way at .444 despite a .245 OBP. That power bump was probably an outlier; through his first seven seasons, McGuire had an isolated power number of just .113, which shot up to .218 in his small sample with the Cubs.
McGuire’s profile is of a guy who features good-enough defense who can obviously run into one at the right moment, but his offensive production will likely be bad; in eight major league seasons covering just under 1,200 plate appearances, he holds an 84 OPS+ and an on-base percentage of just .293.
If McGuire doesn’t make the Brewers out of spring training, he has no minor league options yet, so he would need to be designated for assignment or traded.
Jeferson Quero
The only non-Contreras catcher on the 40-man right now is former mega-prospect Jeferson Quero, who finished last season at Triple-A Nashville. You’re all familiar with the Quero story, so I won’t spend much time on it: Quero ranked in the top 40 of all three major prospect rankings heading into the 2024 season, but he suffered a torn labrum in the very first game of the 2024 season, which cost him the whole year.
Crucially, it may also have cost him the weapon that set him apart as a catching prospect: his throwing arm. Quero was one of the best players in all of professional baseball at catching base stealers in 2023, but the early returns after Quero returned from his long injury journey last June were, at best, discouraging. At worst, it showed that the tool that was always the first thing mentioned in Quero scouting reports is no longer something that is going to help him.
There’s certainly a chance that with more time elapsed since the injury, Quero recovers some of his arm strength in 2026. And it’s not like that was the only thing that people liked about him; scouting reports laud his receiving and his work with pitchers, and he projects as a capable, if not good, hitter.
Still, Quero is unlikely to start the season as the team’s backup catcher even if the Brewers think he is ready, because that’s not how the Brewers act with their top prospects. Keeping him in the minor leagues for a month or two delays his service clock, which is something that Milwaukee has done with its other big prospects in recent years.
If I were guessing who finishes the season as the Brewers’ backup catcher, I might choose Quero, but I doubt we’ll see him on Opening Day.
Ramón Rodríguez or Matt Wood
Rodríguez and Wood are notable because they were on a list of Brewer minor leaguers invited to major-league camp recently. Wood, who turns 25 on the same day that McGuire turns 31, was a fourth-round pick in 2022 and has worked his way up to Double-A Biloxi, where he performed well at the plate in 2025.
Rodríguez was drafted by the Dodgers way back in 2016, and caught on with the Brewers as a minor league free agent in 2024. He played just 21 games in 2025, but he raked for the Shuckers in those 21 games, in which he hit .359/.457/.484. Rodríguez is a career .262/.335/.380 hitter in nine minor league seasons and reached Triple A when he was in Baltimore’s system but has never made the majors.
Neither Rodríguez or Wood likely factors into Milwaukee’s plans at the major league level, at least for now. But they’ll be working with the pitching staff during spring training, and one of them will likely start the season at Triple-A Nashville.
Any others?
Last season, Jorge Alfaro played 82 games with Triple-A Nashville, and Eric Haase played 19 after accepting an assignment there after the Brewers acquired Jansen at the trade deadline. Nick Kahle was another player who got some time behind the plate at the highest level of the Brewers’ minor league system.
Alfaro is gone: he signed a minor league deal with the Royals earlier this month. Haase, likewise, reportedly agreed to a minor league contract with San Francisco a couple of weeks ago. Kahle, as far as I can tell, is not under contract. Another player hypothetically in the mix is another guy with an early-May birthday, Darrien Miller, who is still in the Brewers’ system; he was a ninth-round draft pick in 2019 and has played the entirety of his last two seasons at Double-A Biloxi. But his progress has stalled; at the plate, Miller can take a walk but he can’t do much else—he hit .192/.381/.329 last season and hasn’t hit above .228 in a full-season league since graduating from Low-A in 2021.
The likely outcome
The names have changed, but I have long held the belief that Quero is going to be in Milwaukee as soon as the team is sure they’ve delayed his clock. I thought at first that the logical “first backup” was Eric Haase, who has served in that role before and knows Milwaukee’s pitchers, but McGuire makes a lot of sense here too. My official prediction is that, assuming health all around, McGuire makes the Brewers out of spring training, and is designated for assignment (or traded, or both) sometime in May or June when Quero makes his major league debut.
A few things could change that prediction, though: someone could get hurt; McGuire could continue hitting bombs like he did last year and prove himself a worthy, solid offensive option; or Quero could struggle in the minors.
If Contreras gets hurt, the Brewers likely call up Quero and make him the everyday catcher, though he’d likely split time with McGuire. If Quero or McGuire gets hurt, then the other is the backup. If Quero struggles, he likely just stays in the minors and McGuire continues as the backup. Hopefully everyone stays healthy and productive, and things work out for everyone.
There are a few more signing rumors out there, but we’ll wait for confirmation. The Dylan Carlson deal is done. More pitching and infield help (Gabe Klobosits, Karson Simas) may be on the way. We, um, await developments.
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Brian Kelder (North Side Baseball*): What is the Point of Tyler Austin? “The slugging first baseman is intriguing, but will he play often enough to justify his roster spot?”
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The Colorado Rockies haven’t exactly had a quiet off-season. They hired an entirely new front office and coaching staff as the organization begins their much needed modernization and rebuild efforts. They’ve signed two veteran free agents in Michael Lorenzen and Willi Castro to Major League deals, acquired Jake McCarthy from the Arizona Diamondbacks, brought on a full new class of young international free agents, and made a smattering of minor league deals.
However, it’s always felt like—with a crowded outfield and further roster evaluation needed—there had to be more coming.
Then, on Wednesday, the Rockies suddenly had one of their busiest days of the off-season.
The 25-year-old has a solid glove and turned in a strong season with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, slashing .285/.378/.447 with 31 doubles, one triple, and 16 home runs. He can also draw walks regularly, doing so at a 11.9% clip compared to his 18.4% strikeout rate.
“We’re going to keep adding talent to this roster, but in no way are we not believing in the young guys we have,” DePodesta said. “I think we have a lot of really good young players that are in Double-A and Triple-A, and there’s no doubt in my mind that they’re going to earn their opportunities on this team. And once they do, they’ll have long runways with us.”
However, those long runways don’t necessarily apply to everyone. We have already seen the Rockies part ways with young players prospects this off-season. In addition to the Chivilli trade, the Rockies also dealt prospect pitcher Josh Grosz to the Arizona Diamondbacks and designated a player once believed to be the team’s catcher of the future in Drew Romo for assignment.
Later in the day, the Rockies added outfielder Yanquiel Fernández to that list by designating him for assignment. Once ranked as high as the Rockies’ no. 3 organizational prospect per MLB Pipeline, Fernández made his Major League debut in 2025. He slashed .225/.265/.348 with four home runs over 138 at-bats as both a right fielder and designated hitter. Fernández, despite having just turned 23, is now potentially out of the Rockies organization entirely after getting his first cup of coffee.
“We’re certainly at the point where we feel like every time we make a move we’re losing someone we like, or potentially losing someone we like, and that certainly was the case with Yanquiel,” DePodesta explained. “We now have a group in the big leagues that we feel pretty good about. We also have a handful of guys on the 40-man who haven’t yet gotten a lot of time in the big leagues, or even any time right now, like Sterlin Thompson. Guys that we like and guys that we think have a chance to help us.”
While DePodesta had plenty of praise for Fernández and Chivilli, his new front office’s decisions would indicate that this team isn’t as high on it’s current stock of youth and prospects as the Rockies of the past—especially when it comes to position players.
This would seem to be substantiated by moves today and throughout the off-season. While DePodesta says he believes the youth will earn their spots, his focus has been on bringing in competition and creating fluidity on the roster.
“I think what we’re really trying to do is create really healthy competition on our roster,” he said. “Most of the players we have acquired do have a good amount of versatility. I think there are lots of different ways that the pieces can fit, and I think that’s really what we’re looking for.”
Willi Castro—now officially signed to the roster—can play all over the field and create competition for younger players like Kyle Karros at third base and Adael Amador at second. Both he and Jake McCarthy’s outfield versatility creates competition for the aforementioned Thompson, the beleaguered Zac Veen, and other outfield prospects. Fernández ended up being the odd man out because—despite his strong arm and power bat—he lacked the flexibility of other outfielders on the roster. With his poor speed and defense, he was anchored exclusively to right field or as a designated hitter.
New first baseman TJ Rumfield represents another potential option for the Rockies in a first base group that has surprisingly become quite crowded alongside Blaine Crim, Troy Johnston—who can also play corner outfield—, and current top prospect Charlie Condon.
Julien, 26, was once a top prospect of the Twins organization and can play both first and second base. However, the Rockies also like him for another trend we have seen in their acquisitions: getting on base and batted ball skills. More Rockies on base means more runs to be driven in.
While Julien is coming off two down years, in 2023 and throughout his minor league career he has hit well against right-handed pitching and getting on base. He has a whopping .427 career on-base percentage in the minors, while carrying a solid enough .336 Major League OBP and a 13% walk rate.
The Rockies also believe that Julien—along with Castro and McCarthy—can have bounce-back seasons after losing a step in 2025.
“I think we feel really strongly about all their capabilities. Also. I think the underlying fundamentals of their performance have stayed reasonably consistent. So we think we have a chance to build on that foundation and get them back to,or maybe even exceed, where they were.”
With all of these roster moves, the Rockies are already showing a different approach to the off-season compared to the previous front office. There may also be more moves yet to come.
“We may not be done adding. Well, we’ll see…” DePodesta said. “But we did want to make sure that we had healthy competition at a handful of these different spots and then different ways to put the puzzle together.”
The rosters for the World Baseball Classic are taking shape, and one of the newest members of the Rockies will be a part of it. Puerto Rican super utilityman Willi Castro will suit up for his first World Baseball Classic appearance alongside Nolan Arenado for Team Puerto Rico.
Our friends over at Twinkie Town discuss the trade of Edouard Julien and Pierson Ohl from their perspective. They see Julien as a reclamation project for the Rockies and have some concerns about his defense.
We are within a month of pitchers and catchers reporting which means, the equipment truck is making its annual trek to Goodyear, Arizona. The truck departs today, signaling spring’s prompt arrival better than any groundhog.
To kick things off, José Ramírez will be signing his shiny new contract extension at Progressive today.
Now to some good news today, the #Guardians will officially announce the José Ramírez contract extension tomorrow at Progressive Field with the superstar third baseman, team owner Paul Dolan, President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti and Spanish Interpreter Agustin Rivero.
Grady Sizemore, first base coach for the Minnesota Twins did an interview on the Inside Twins podcast.
After being traded to the Colorado Rockies just before the start of the 2025 season, it looks like Tyler Freeman is hoping to develop into a leader on the field and in the clubhouse for the Rockies.
Around the League:
NBC is reportedly striking a deal with Clayton Kershaw for MLB coverage.
In the vote for the #4 prospect, Quinn Mathews did not win by a lot. It was a two-man race and Joshua Baez was only 14 total votes short of Mathews’ total. He received over double the votes of the third-place vote getter. It is not a hard and fast rule, but it was a pretty safe bet that Baez would win this vote and comfortably. That is exactly what happened. He received over half the votes in a poll with eight other players. The current list stands at:
JJ Wetherholt
Liam Doyle
Rainiel Rodriguez
Quinn Mathews
Joshua Baez
Comparable Player Corner
Last week, I ran a comparable player poll of two players I was considering adding to this poll. I in fact told you that I would add the player who won the poll, which I did do. This is maybe the opposite of that. There’s a certain class of prospect who could be just about anywhere on a Cardinals’ list, including well out of the top 20. Not top 10, but after that. And it’s especially hard to know who a relatively random collection of Cardinals fans will think is the 19th best prospect, when another site might think them the 50th best prospect. On the flipside, some site thinks a prospect is the 19th best prospect and this crowd might not give them a single vote if I put them on the voting. So occasionally, I need to put those kinds of prospects in this section to know if I need to start considering adding once we hit the 10th vote or if I can ignore them completely.
I try to find a hook when I place two players in this section. There needs to be something similar about the two players. A lot of times, I try to just compare two players who play the same position. Today’s two players are similar only because they are both probably going to be in Memphis and both have a decent shot of making their MLB debut. That’s just about the only similar thing about them.
Blaze Jordan’s big selling point, to be honest, is his age. Drafted out of high school, he’s been a professional since he was drafted in 2020, and yet he turned 23 a little over a month ago. He already has over 300 PAs in AAA. That gives him time. He is essentially a right-handed Alec Burleson, but a Burleson who probably can’t play 3B instead of probably can’t play OF. Jordan also has more questions about his contact quality than Burly did. But free swinger who makes a lot of contact who would benefit from being more selective? Yeah that’s Blaze.
Bryan Torres’ big selling point is his performance and his versatility. He can play anywhere, and he has. His pro career started as a catcher, so he would probably even be the emergency catcher. He destroyed AAA, albeit with a huge BABIP and not a lot of power. The question is really if his stats will translate, which is a question because of his age: he’s 28 next season. Why does that matter? Well, 26 and 27-year-olds hit in AAA all the time, it is a little bit more rare that they continue hitting in the majors. Nothing represents this more than the wide range of projections he has, as high as 108 from ZiPS and as low as 77 by THE BAT. (With 88, 93, and 101 in between – I don’t think I’ve ever seen such variety)
As I said above, I ran a comparable player poll in which I told you I would add the winner of the head-to-head. Which means Brycen Mautz is getting added to the voting. As you will see below, he had a truly excellent season in AA. He is on the 40 man and stands a good chance of making his MLB debut in 2026. I mentioned in the past two votes that I was going to use the advantage of getting to add two players by using last year’s list for one of the players – a player I pretty much know how this crowd feels about – and also add a player that has never been voted on.
So in a way, I’m kind of skirting that when I call Mautz the player where I have last year’s list as a frame of reference. He was not actually on last year’s list. He was on the 2024 list. But most importantly, I did directly say that he was going to be in this vote, so he certainly fits the known quantity addition more than the unknown quantity. The unknown quantity is recent trade acquisition Jesus Baez. No idea how high you guys are going to be on Baez, but he’ll probably land in the top 20, so feels like a good time to add him.
Scouting (FG): 30/45 Hit, 35/50 Game Power, 50/55 Raw Power, 40/40 Speed, 40/45 Fielding
So this was not intentional – I only realized after I had decided to add him – but Jesus Baez replacing Joshua Baez is kind of funny. There’s going to be a Baez in the voting for quite a few votes. It actually kind of worked out. It may have been confusing if Jesus and Joshua were ever on the same vote, and I’m kind of kicking myself for not thinking of replacing Joshua with Jesus before, because yeah them being on the same ballot would be confusing. Again total accident.
I listed Baez as an infielder and not a specific position, because I realized I didn’t know what position to put. He plays SS the most, but nobody really thinks he’ll stay at SS. The Cardinals actually played him at DH more than either 2B or 3B. That’s not to suggest he’ll land at DH, just that it’s an open question which position the Cardinals will prefer him at. If he’s heading to Springfield, Jeremy Rivas is in his way at SS, though he’s not considered a prospect, but he’s much better defensively. Deniel Ortiz may be in his way at 3B, although he also plays some 1B and there ain’t nobody at 1B in Springfield. So his position is infield for now.
Scouting (FG): 35/50 Hit, 35/45 Game Power, 50/50 Raw Power, 40/30 Speed, 40/55 Fielding
Bernal seemingly had one weakness in his offensive profile and that was BABIP. He did have a .333 BABIP in High A last season and also his DRC+ does suggest he deserved a higher one. At the same time, he cut his K rate from 22.8% to 16.9%, and a possible consequence of that was he made weaker contact on plate appearances he struck out on in 2024. If that makes sense.
Also, these aren’t listed in my stats, but worth pointing out. Bernal allowed 42 stolen bases, but caught 27 base stealers for a 39.1% caught stealing rate. Pretty sure that’s good. Also fun fact, given he is not fast, he himself swiped 13 bases and got caught stealing just 3 times. He stole 7 bases to 7 caught stealing last season, so probably not a talent of his, but always fun to see a slow guy steal some bases.
Clarke threw so few of innings partially because of injuries, in particular nagging blister issues, which surely there’s a way to prevent those in the future. The other reason, if you can tell by his innings per appearance, was because of how the team used him. His injury history before ever entering pro ball caused them to limit his innings – he didn’t pitch at all in 2024 due to thoracic issues.
But in his limited time, he did two of the three things I want pitchers to do: he struck out a lot of batters and he got groundballs when hitters did make contact. In Low A, he also did the third thing, which was not walk hitters. He walked a lot of hitters in High A, definitely impacted by his nagging blisters, although I’m sure he struggled with control more generally too.
Scouting: 35/40 Hit, 40/45 Game Power, 50/50 Raw Power, 20/20 Speed, 60/70 Fielding
There needs to be a term – and honestly there might be a term for what I’m looking for – for a player like Crooks, whose stock seems to be down by the fanbase due to limited exposure in the MLB. It’s not prospect fatigue – Crooks hasn’t been in the conversation long enough to suffer from that. But he looked bad in the majors. That has almost certainly impacted peoples’ opinions of him. He looked bad in 15 total games as a 23-year-old making his MLB debut. Do I need to share Mike Trout’s rookie stats to show you why maybe we shouldn’t put a lot of emphasis on those 15 games?
Now, there are almost certainly some fans whose opinions changed based on the totality of his 2025 season, primarily in AAA – which did come with a higher K rate. But there are definitely fans whose opinions changed because they saw him be terrible at the MLB level and for no other reason. And I’m saying honestly his MLB performance should essentially be completely ignored – it’s just too small of a sample, too big of an adjustment, too big a moment in Crooks’ life – to treat it with any kind of significance.
Hence probably suffers from prospect fatigue however. Granted, it’s not like he hasn’t given us reasons to be fatigued. He just can’t seem to stay healthy. I did argue last year, when I ranked him high on my list, that his injury issues were a bit overblown, and that’s harder to argue this year. I will say that looking at his innings totals since drafted is rather misleading though – his 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons went according to plan. His 2024 season was his first hiccup, but he still threw nearly 80 innings. (and was amazing in those innings I must add)
Last year was probably the first year where he truly deserved his reputation in my opinion. Still only 23 in 2026, let’s hope they figure out a way to keep him healthy.
As more of a stat follower than someone who scouts players or even looks at scouting reports of players, I am rather surprised how Fangraphs rates his pitches. If forced to guess, I would have predicted his secondaries were good, but his fastball was below average. It’s almost the opposite. I don’t know if this is accurate of course. But he’s a fastball/slider pitcher who needs a third pitch – according to this person’s opinion of course. Certainly, these scouting numbers for his pitches suggest an easy transition to the bullpen at the least.
The good news is that Hjerpe should be ready to pitch fairly early in the season since he had his Tommy John surgery pretty early last season. Recovery is 12-16 months, so he seems to be in the window to pitch some innings this year. The bad news is that his career high in innings right now is 52 innings, so it does kind of feel like there’s a real ceiling in how many innings he will actually pitch this upcoming season.
I imagine the thing they are working hard on with Mautz is figuring out a way to not allow quite so many homers. For the second straight season, he carried a fairly high HR/FB%. When hitters hit the ball in the air, they leave the park more than expected (hence the FIP and xFIP difference). But going from a pitcher’s park to a hitter’s park, Mautz improved in just about every way statistically, so his change from a 14% HR/FB% to a 13.1% HR/FB is actually a little more impressive than it sounds. It’s not that hard to hit homers in Springfield. He also struck out quite a few more batters, walked less, and induced more groundballs.
There are a couple questions with Ortiz. The first question is will he keep this up? He has a little more swing-and-miss in his game than you’d like, although obviously he managed to cut his K rate when he got promoted to High A. The second question I have is: when will scouts buy in? He was a 16th rounder and I don’t think he ranks particularly high on any Cardinals team list, but I mean clearly if you perform well enough, they’re going to start paying attention. Baseball America in their deep dive on the Cardinals’ system, mentioned him as a sleeper prospect. But you can’t be a sleeper prospect without ranking somewhat low. Will certainly be an interesting player to follow.
Roby had Tommy John surgery in July of 2025, so his ability to pitch next year is a little more question than Hjerpe. But he pitched well last year, re-establishing himself as a prospect. Without the injury, I wonder how high he would be selected. I also feel that Roby was an example of a prospect that didn’t get as much love because he was a deadline acquisition so there was less attachment. However, fans have gotten familiar with him for now two and half seasons, so he’s probably not harmed by this effect anymore.
If what we saw from Garcia in 2025 is real, and the Royals are betting on it with the contract extension, he fits as a pretty traditional leadoff hitter that blends old school with new school….
I think the argument against it is that he’s needed in the middle of the lineup too. If he’s hitting first, that probably props Salvador Perez up to the fourth spot, which is maybe fine, but I would still like to see him hitting fifth or sixth as we saw often toward the end of last season. Putting someone else in the leadoff spot with Garcia hitting fourth, Perez fifth and then finishing the lineup helps make it look a whole lot deeper. But at the same time, that’s giving fewer at bats to someone who might deserve more. It’s easy to see why it’s a bit of a conundrum.
Former first round picks Frank Mozzicato and Gavin Cross were both eligible to be selected in last month’s Rule 5 draft. Now they’re heading to big league camp in Surprise.
For me, among the most intriguing names—aside from Mitchell and Ramirez—will be lefty Hunter Patteson and outfielder Carson Roccaforte. Patteson turns 26 in April and has only topped out in Double-A, but saw a velocity jump last season and has what Baseball America calls “advanced pitchability.” Talk to me like that and you have my attention. Roccaforte is a guy who I think could push his way to Kansas City at some point this summer. His profile and work in the minors has me sold.
Kiley McDaniel at ESPN ranks Kendry Chourio (#124), Josh Hammond (#132), and Blake Mitchell (#143) in his 101-200 prospect list, listing Chourio as the prospect with ace potential.
Chourio has the elements to become a front-line starter I’m looking for: enough velocity, plenty of command, the potential for three above-average pitch shapes and surface number performance. The reason he just missed the top 100 is because he isn’t very projectable and needs to tweak his breaking ball shapes — but the spin rates and break suggest he has the ability to do that. At the same stage of development, there are parallels to Seth Hernandez — but Hernandez’s size, velocity and the athleticism he has demonstrated as a position player are why he has more upside and therefore ranked a good bit higher.
The newest member of the San Francisco Giants, Harrison Bader, joinedThe Max Mannis Podcast earlier this week to discuss his decision to join the Giants’ organization.
During the episode, Bader discusses his approach to facing his new team’s biggest rivals and reigning World Series champions (boo), the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In a post from Tristi Rodriguez of NBC Sports Bay Area, Rodriguez quotes Bader’s conversation with Mannis, saying:
“I think it just gives you an opportunity to go out and compete against some of the best players in baseball — and that’s awesome. Dive into that energy, have a game plan and trust it. Go out there and execute. That’s really all there is to it.“
You’ve got to love that outlook. It’s not easy to be the newest member of the Tune Squad, sizing up the MonStars, so I respect his perspective.
You can watch the full video below, it’s a little under a half hour. So get your coffee, settle in, and get to know your newest outfielder!
The Houston Rockets head to Georgia to take on the Atlanta Hawks in the second game of a back-to-back for both teams. Atlanta was in Boston last night while the Rockets were at home against the Spurs.
Atlanta has already made their big move for the trade deadline, sending Trae Young to Washington for C.J. McCollum and Corey Kispert. The move paved the way for Jalen Johnson to become the alpha in Atlanta and the Hawks seem ready to build around the young star. After a tough start to the Johnson Era in Atlanta, the Hawks had won three straight heading into Boston. The Hawks have been scorching from deep as of late, and that has been Houston’s kryptonite at times. Sometimes, the NBA really is just a math problem.
My assumption is that Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith will be held out tonight since it’s a back-to-back. With the injury to Steven Adams, Houston will be pretty thin if those two wings are unavailable. Expect plenty of Jae’Sean Tate minutes.
The 2026 NBA trade deadline will have a hard time topping its predecessor. Last year’s Luka Doncic-for-Anthony Davis bombshell was an all-time trade deadline moment, and there were a bunch of notable deals after it, with De’Aaron Fox, Jimmy Butler, and Brandon Ingram among the players who were sent to new homes. There’s potential for more fireworks this year, but no one really knows what to expect just yet.
This feels like a seller’s market. There’s a pretty clear pack of 3-4 championship contenders, and then a handful of other teams on the outside edge of the title picture. The Oklahoma City Thunder don’t feel like a runaway favorite anymore, the Denver Nuggets still need to be worried about Aaron Gordon’s lower-body injuries, and the San Antonio Spurs still haven’t let a playoff game in the Victor Wembanyama era, let alone a series. That’s just the West: the East is so much more wide open, with the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, and Boston Celtics leading the pack, each of them saddled with their own potential fatal flaws.
With the Feb. 5 trade deadline rapidly approach, here’s 30 players who could be moved.
What would Mavs want back? Salary relief, a first-round pick, a promising young player.
3. Karl-Anthony Towns, C/F, New York Knicks
Why would he be traded? The Knicks are desperate to make the most of their championship window in the East in a down year for the conference. New York’s two best players might not be able to play together in games that matter. Towns probably won’t get traded at the deadline, but the probability that he’s traded will rise significantly this summer if the Knicks fail to make the 2026 NBA Finals.
What would Knicks want back? Giannis. Or assets that help them land their next star.
4. Domantas Sabonis, C, Sacramento Kings
Why would he be traded? The Kings need to blow it up badly. There’s no scenario where Sabonis is on the next good Kings team.
What would Kings want back? A first-round pick and/or a promising young player.
5. Michael Porter Jr., F, Brooklyn Nets
Why would he be traded? Porter Jr. has had an All-Star caliber season in his first year away from Denver, and the Brooklyn would be selling high on him now as it continues to go back into its rebuild.
What would Nets want back? Two first-round picks, or one pick and one interesting young player.
What would Grizzlies want back? A first-round pick and an interesting young player.
7. Coby White, G, Chicago Bulls
Why would he be traded? He’s an expiring contract, and the Bulls might want to get something for him now instead of entering a bidding war in free agency.
What would Bulls want back? A first round pick, an interesting young player, and expiring salary.
8. Kristaps Porzingis, C, Atlanta Hawks
Why would he be traded? He’s an expiring contract, and he can’t stay healthy.
What would Hawks want back? Salary relief and draft compensation
9. Ayo Dosunmu, G, Chicago Bulls
Why would he be traded? He’s an expiring contract, and the fact that he’s playing the best ball of his career offers Chicago the chance to finally sell high on a player.
What would Bulls want back? A first-round pick or an interesting young player and multiple seconds.
10. Zach LaVine, G, Sacramento Kings
Why would he be traded? The Kings need to blow it up, and LaVine needs a fresh start after spending his entire career with bad teams. He’s certainly opting in to the final year of his contract for $48.9 million, but then he’s off the books after next season. Can we finally get this guy to a contender?
What would Kings want back? Anything.
11. Tobias Harris, F, Detroit Pistons
Why would he be traded? If the Pistons want to make a big move to improve their chances at coming out of the East, Harris a large expiring salary to grease the wheels.
What would Pistons want back? A starting four or a starting-caliber guard to aid the NBA Finals push.
12. Goga Bitadze, C, Orlando Magic
Why would he be traded? An advanced stats star with two more playoff runs left on his cheap contract, Orlando could try to trade its backup center for future assets that could help them build.
What would Magic want back? Draft picks or a promising young player.
13. Bennedict Mathurin, G, Indiana Pacers
Why would he be traded? He’s set to be a restricted free agent, and he’s never really fit into the Pacers’ long-term vision.
What would Pacers want back? Picks and potentially a young big man.
14. Daniel Gafford, C, Dallas Mavericks
Why would he be traded? The Mavs need to prioritize their future over their present, and they already have a gifted young center on the roster in Dereck Lively II.
What would Mavs want back? Future draft assets and cap flexibility.
15. Naji Marshall, F, Dallas Mavericks
Why would he be traded? He has two playoff runs left on a team-friendly contract, and he could bring in a solid return.
What would Mavs want back? Future draft assets or a promising young player.
16. Rui Hachimura, F, Los Angeles Lakers
Why would he be traded? He’s an expiring contract, and the Lakers might want to get something for him now if he’s not part of their long-term vision around Luka Doncic.
What would Lakers want back? Future draft assets or a young player.
17. Grant Williams, F, Charlote Hornets
Why would he be traded? The Hornets are a year away from a playoff run in the East, and Williams will have some appeal as a 3-and-D veteran with two playoff runs left on his contract.
What would Hornets want back? Future draft assets and expiring salary.
18. Keon Ellis, G, Sacramento Kings
Why would he be traded? The Kings need to be rebuilt from the ground up.
What would Kings want back? Future draft picks.
19. Anfernee Simons, G, Boston Celtics
Why would he be traded? The Celtics are trying to duck the luxury tax, and he’s the biggest salary on the cap sheet that they could justify cutting ahead of the potential return of Jayson Tatum.
What would Celtics want back? A small enough salary to get them out of the tax.
20. Bobby Portis, F, Milwaukee Bucks
Why would he be traded? The Bucks are ready to tank, trade Giannis, and tear the whole thing down.
What would Bucks want back? Future draft assets and/or interesting young players.
21. Rob Dillingham, G, Minnesota Timberwolves
Why would he be traded? The Wolves need to upgrade at point guard next to Anthony Edwards, and their bold swing for Dillingham during the 2024 draft just hasn’t paid off. Dillingham still can’t crack head coach Chris Finch’s rotation, and it’s time to find a lead guard who can.
What would Wolvevs want back? A starting-caliber point guard.
22. DeMar DeRozan, G, Sacramento Kings
Why would he be traded? Because he’s on the Kings ahead of their liquidation sale.
What would Kings want back? Second-round draft assets and expiring salary.
23. Jusuf Nurkic, C, Utah Jazz
Why would he be traded? This is probably the final year of the Utah’s tank, and a veteran like Nurkic is an obvious player to free. He’s not in his physical prime anymore, but Nurkic can still crash the offensive glass at an elite level at a time when it feels more important than ever.
What would Jazz want back? Second-round draft compensation.
24. Jordan Poole, G, New Orleans Pelicans
Why would he be traded? The Pelicans have no use for the final year of his deal at $34 million.
What would Pelicans want back? Second-round draft compensation.
25. Gradey Dick, G/F, Toronto Raptors
Why would he be traded? As part of a package for an impact center or another ball handler.
What would Raptors want back? An impact center or another ball handler.
26. Dalton Knecht, F, Los Angeles Lakers
Why would he be traded? He’s demanded a trade! I repeat: Dalton Knecht has demanded a trade!
What would Lakers want back? Second-round draft compensation or a better defensive player.
27. Kyle Kuzma, F, Milwaukee Bucks
Why would he be traded? The Bucks are ready to tear it down as they weigh offers for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
What would Bucks want back? All of the picks if Kuzma goes out in a Giannis deal, also salary relief.
Why would he be traded? The Wolves are firmly in their championship window, and Shannon hasn’t been able to crack the rotation even after Nickeil Alexander-Walker left in free agency.
What would Wolves want back?
29. Jeremy Sochan, F, San Antonio Spurs
Why would he be traded? He’s out of the rotation, and out of time in San Antonio has he approaches restricted free agency.
What would Spurs want back? Second-round draft capital
30. Jakob Poeltl, C, Toronto Raptors
Why would he be traded? He has one of the least team-friendly contracts in the NBA, and he’s always hurt.
What would Raptors want back? Just getting off his deal would be a miracle.
MUNICH (AP) — Germany midfielder Leon Goretzka says U.S. President Donald Trump “has managed to make us feel not only German, but also European.”
Goretzka, who plays club soccer for Bayern Munich, in an interview with Die Zeit newspaper published on Wednesday, spoke about the World Cup being hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, and he suggested Germany and other European teams will be the favorites.
“Others have caught up but in the most important game in the world we’re still ahead of every continent,” Goretzka said. “Far from being left behind, Europe will show everyone what’s what on the field.”
The countdown to the June 11-July 19 tournament has drawn calls for a boycott. Oke Göttlich, the president of Bundesliga club St. Pauli and one of the German federation’s 10 vice presidents, last week said the time had come to “ seriously consider and discuss this.”
"I’m aware of the political debates,” Goretzka said. “Still, I expect it to be a great tournament. It will advance football there and convince many people that it’s a fantastic game.”
Germany has been drawn in World Cup Group E with Ivory Coast, Curaçao and Ecuador.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have been busy this offseason in both free agency and the trade market.
The team signed designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn and traded for Tampa Bay Rays infielder Brandon Lowe, improving their offense. However, they have been slated for another big trade. Bleacher Report writer Kerry Miller suggested a trade that would send right-handed pitcher Jared Jones to the Houston Astros for infielder Isaac Paredes.
“Jones was electric when he first arrived in the majors in 2024, but he missed all of 2025 following UCL surgery. Would the Pirates be willing to give up his future in order to add another quality bat today? Paredes could be the final piece that actually makes Pittsburgh’s lineup reasonably formidable,” Miller wrote.
Paredes could play third base for the Pirates, filling in a hole that was occupied by Ke’Bryan Hayes last season before he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds. As of now, it looks like Jared Triolo will spend most of the time at the hot corner, but the team could use an upgrade when it comes to a bat at the position.
Paredes played in 102 games for the Astros last season, batting .254 and hitting 20 home runs en route to his second consecutive All-Star appearance. The Astros may look to trade him because they have a surplus of infielders and a need for starting pitching. It’s why they made a trade earlier in the offseason with the Pirates to get Mike Burrows to add to their rotation.
The Astros could look for another piece in Jones while the Pirates get a necessary offensive addition in Paredes.
BD community, what do you think of this potential trade? Chime off in the comments section below.
The teams went goal for goal in the first period to end the 1st tied at 1. Winnipeg would score 3 goals in a row in the 2nd period, before Jesper Bratt scored his 12th of the season to bring the Devils to within 2 heading into the final period. The Captain scored his 17th goal of the season late in the 3rd period, but by that point, it was too little too late.
Jake Allen did another one of his spot on Markstrom impressions, letting up 4 goals on 26 shots, and the Devils showed yet again, that they are really not a good team.
Last Predators Game
On Tuesday night, the Predators lost to the Boston Bruins, 3-2. Boston jumped out to a 2-0 lead with goals in the first and second periods, before Nashville scored late in the 2nd period to make it 2-1. Nashville scored again, midway through the 3rd period to send the game to OT, where David Pastrnak won the game in OT for the Bruins.
Like the Devils, (and Winnipeg) the Predators are another team that is struggling this season, playing basically .500 level hockey. Or, as I like to call it, not good enough. Like the Devils, Nashville has also lost their last 2 games in a row. One of these teams will break their losing streak tonight.
Considering he has started 11 of the last 13 games for Nashville, I would expect Juuse Saros to play tonight. Though, if there is any team in the NHL to get your backup goalie a win against, it’s the Devils. Maybe Justus Annunen will get some ice time tonight in a rare start. It doesn’t get any easier for a goalie than facing the Devils offense!
Injuries, Roster for Tonight, Yada, Yada, Yada.
Ondrej Palat won’t be playing ever again for the Devils, so at least we can stop talking about whether the Devils should bench him or not.
Luke Hughes is not due to be back any time soon. Cody Glass left the game in the 2nd period on Tuesday and did not return. Hopefully he is back in action tonight against Nashville. However, based on a post from Amanda Stein from Tuesday, it doesn’t look promising for his return tonight.
Glass wanted to try to play at the end of the second; but being so close to the end of the period Keefe elected not to play him.
Wanted to give it a go, but ultimately in the second intermission did not feel well enough to play.
Considering Jake Allen has only started back to back games 3 times, going back to November, I would expect Jacob “I’m not an NHL goalie any longer” Markstrom to get the start tonight.
Grimace’s Prediction and 2025-2026 Record Tracker
Grimace dipped his toes back in the water recently in making another prediction and like the Devils, came up short. Like them, he is a .500 level predictor. Not. Good. Enough.
Grimace’s 2025-2026 Season Prediction record currently stands at 12-11-0.
Your Take
The big news in Devils land is the Palat trade. He may be a winner, and a great teammate, but his time here had run its course. Honestly, other than the game 7 assist against the Rangers, I can’t think of any other memorable plays involving him in his time here. The way this season is going, he has a better chance with the Islanders anyway, and I wish him good luck. Feel free to leave your thoughts and comments below and thanks for reading!
In a shameless bit of non hockey related self promotion (approved by Chris – thanks Chris), I wanted to plug my brand new podcast on here, if any of you are interested in listening. We have a light hearted, fun discussion about any movies, music or video games mostly from the 1980s and 1990s. Please feel free to listen to us on any of the formats below and any feedback is welcome (positive and negative). Also, please follow us and subscribe, even if you think we stink. 🙂
Isn’t it funny how much things can change in a relatively short amount of time?
It wasn’t that long ago when the Florida Panthers were struggling to come up with any kind of consistent success when playing away from home.
Lately, it’s been quite the opposite.
Over the past several weeks, all but two of the Panthers most recent 11 games have come outside of South Florida.
Not to worry, though, as the Cats enter play on Thursday having won six of their past seven games on the road, including all three on last week’s trip that featured stops in Winnipeg, Minnesota and Chicago.
Now the Panthers will look to make it four straight road wins when they visit the St. Louis Blues.
The Blues started the month with a pair of wins and were just one game below .500 when the wheels started falling off.
Since Jan. 7, St. Louis has lost eight of their 10 games, including each of the past five.
Entering play Thursday, there is only one team in the NHL that has fewer points in the standings than the Blues’ 47, and that’s the Vancouver Canucks with 39.
Florida, meanwhile, still has a bit of work to do if they want to climb back into a playoff spot.
Currently, the Cats are six points behind the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins, who hold the two Eastern Conference Wild Card spots, and the Buffalo Sabres, who sits third in the Atlantic Division, all with 65 points.
Florida has two games in hand on Boston, one on Montreal and the same amount of games played as Buffalo.
One thing that may help the Panthers pick up two points on Thursday would be a big night from star forward Matthew Tkachuk.
It’s been ten days since Tkachuk made his season debut last Monday against San Jose. During that time he’s racked up three assists, 11 shots on goal, eight penalty minutes and a minus-3 on-ice rating while averaging 18:37 of playing time.
Perhaps returning to his hometown will provide a nice boost for the gritty forward.
It's certainly worked in the past.
During his career, Tkachuk has played 15 games back in St. Louis.
He’s accumulated an impressive nine goals and 26 points when playing in the Blues’ barn, but he’s really taken it up a notch in the three visits since joining the Panthers.
Before he was traded to Florida, Tkachuk had four goals and 17 points in 12 games in St. Louis.
Not bad at all.
In the three games he’s played in St. Louis while wearing a Panthers sweater, Tkachuk has an eye-popping five goals and nine points.
Needless to say, if you’re into hockey props, it may be a good night to lean on ol’ Chucky.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Thursday’s matchup with the Blues:
Carter Verhaeghe – Evan Rodrigues – Sam Reinhart
Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Photo caption: Feb 6, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk (19) looks on during the first period against the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center. (Jeff Curry-Imagn Images)
On Wednesday, the San Antonio Spurs announced a partnership with Austin-based Wanderlust Wine Co. Coincidence or not, the announcement came on the birthday of Gregg Popovich, a noted wine connoisseur.
The San Antonio Spurs announced a new partnership with Wanderlust Wine Co., making it the official wine of the organization. Wanderlust will also become an official partner of the team’s NBA G League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. The collaboration will come to life with future Spurs pop-up events at Wanderlust’s storefronts in Austin and sampling at select home games, furthering the strong connection between the team and its fanbase throughout the entire I-35 corridor.
Said Sammy Lam, founder & president of Wanderlust Wine Co.,
“We’re incredibly proud to partner with the San Antonio Spurs and Spurs Sports & Entertainment. This collaboration brings together two organizations that care deeply about community, innovation, and delivering memorable fan experiences. We’re excited to introduce Spurs fans to Wanderlust wines in a way that’s both premium and sustainable.”
The award-winning winery remains family-owned and laser focused on maintaining their green practices.
Brandon James, senior vice president of strategic growth and deputy general counsel for Spurs Sports & Entertainment added,
“We’ve been fortunate to engage with Wanderlust organically over the past few years, watching them grow and scale while staying true to Austin’s character. To now grow together through an official partnership is a big win for both organizations. Their strong connection to the community mirrors the special bond we share with our fans, making this partnership a natural fit.”
This partnership extends the Spurs organization’s presence in Austin. Through fan engagement activations, game watch parties, support for the local sports and fitness community, the Spurs continue community outreach.
Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.
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