Worldwide Sports News

The Cincinnati Reds have put together an enviable breadth of starting pitching heading into the 2026 Major League Baseball season. That’s a nebulous, bland, blanket statement on its surface, but it’s also very much emblematic of the fact that almost none of the cadre of starting-caliber arms they have down there is the same, or even in the same situation.

They’ve got a bona fide ace in Hunter Greene, the lone one amongst the group operating on a long-term contract extension. They’ve got Brady Singer, a veterans innings-eater, who is in his final year of team control with free agency looming.

They’ve got a flamethrowing rookie with Cy Young upside in Chase Burns, and a mix-match command maestro in rookie Rhett Lowder – who’s own stuff is good enough to chase awards, too. They’ve got lefties in Andrew Abbott and Nick Lodolo and Brandon Williamson to match the might of their RHPs. They’ve got guys coming off lost seasons who’ll need to deal with innings limits, and guys like Lodolo and Greene still looking to complete full seasons to add that badge of honor (an incredibly lucrative badge of honor) to their already growing resumes.

It’s also unique in that it’s a group composed completely of players who were already within the organization last year, with nary a new starting pitcher brought in to camp on a big league deal among them. Even with Nick Martinez, who left for free agency following the 2025 season, they lost a guy who spent a ton of the end of the season pitching as a reliever despite his prowess as a starter, so their rotation options have been lined up for 2026 long before 2026 ever arrived.

The one obvious question that we don’t necessarily know about this group, though, is who becomes their workhorse.

Last season, it was Singer who topped the IP leaderboard for the club at 169.2, a number that marked the fourth straight season in which he’d topped 150 IP for his respective clubs. That edged out both Abbott (166.1) and Lodolo (165.2) for the team lead, with each of those numbers marking career-bests for the lefties. Greene, meanwhile, has the best stuff on the team (and perhaps in the game) with the best surface stats, too, but injuries once again limited him during the 2025 campaign and he fired just 107.2 innings.

If the mantra is truly have your best pitchers pitch the most, then it’s pretty obvious the Reds would love it if Greene ended up leading the team in IP this year. However, since he’s only topped 150 IP once (at 150.1 IP in 2024) and threw just 107 IP last year, I doubt the Reds are itching to see him chase 200 IP this season from a long-term (and playoff) perspective. Innings limits for each of Lowder and Williamson coming off injury will 100% be in play, while the team is going to be cautious with Burns due to his 2025 forearm issue and lack of overall IP experience, too.

Singer, a perfectly cromulent mid-rotation starter for just about any rotation in the bigs (including this one), may well end up being leaned on more to take innings off others this year and wind up leading the team in innings once again – all despite being perhaps the fifth or seventh most ‘talented’ arm on the roster. Lodolo or Abbott could power their way to 32+ starts and set new career marks, too, something that would inch both closer to being considered legitimate top-of-the-rotation starters nearing lucrative paydays.

It’s a discussion with no crystal ball, clearly. Who do you think ends up leading the 2026 Reds in IP?

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza provided some updates prior to Wednesday's game against Team Israel...

McLean good to go for sim game

Nolan McLean's vertigo-like symptoms are gone, and the right-hander is officially set to throw in a sim game on the backfields in Port St. Lucie on Wednesday. 

McLean is expected to throw about four innings and 50-55 pitches. 

If he's able to get through that without any issues, he'll likely join Team USA in the coming days and make his scheduled start in their pool play finale against Italy on March 10. 

The 24-year-old is also penciled in as USA's starter for the WBC Championship if they were to make it that far. 

McLean expects to make just two appearances of around 60 pitches during the tournament. 

Robert's next step

McLean won't be the only big-name Met partaking in that sim game on the backfields, as Luis Robert Jr. is officially set to play four innings in center, as well. 

This will be Robert's first game action as a Met this spring training. 

The 28-year-old has gotten plenty of swings in the cages and during live BP sessions, but the Mets are easing him in to game action in an effort to keep him healthy heading into the year. 

He'll be playing in these sim games on alternate days until he's ready to jump into Grapefruit League action. 

Minter's up and moving around

The Mets have been encouraged by how A.J. Minter has looked in his early bullpen sessions, and he's officially ready to take the next step in his spring training build-up. 

Minter is set to face hitters in live BP for the first time since undergoing season-ending lat surgery last May. 

The southpaw still remains without a timeline for a return, but best-case scenario, the team is hoping he'll be back in the mix around late April or early May.

Whenever he does return, it'll certainly be a huge boost for this group. 

Minter was spectacular before going down to injury last year, allowing just two runs and striking out 14 over his first 13 appearances in orange and blue. 

Morning, all!

Shawn McFarland continues his prospect countdown with left handed pitcher Dalton Pence at number 22 right handed pitcher Izack Tiger at number 21.

There has been a lot of turnover in the Ranger bullpen, but Chris Young says that the best bullpens in baseball have a lot of moving parts.

Evan Grant has his most recent roster projection as we move inexorably towards Opening Day.

Former Ranger prospect Jurickson Profar is facing a lengthy suspension after testing positive for PED’s a second time.

Skip Schumaker was impressed by Winston Santos’ grit after a comebacker fractured Santos’ left hand but he finished his simulated inning.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Brewers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

We’re back with another Brewers Reacts Survey as we’re now nearly two weeks into spring training! In this edition of the survey, we’re asking fans which position player they’d most like to see make the roster.

Now, before we look at the options, let’s quickly run down who should make the roster.

1. William Contreras (C)
2. Gary Sánchez (C)
3. Andrew Vaughn (1B)
4. Jake Bauers (1B)
5. Brice Turang (2B)
6. Joey Ortiz (SS)
7. Luis Rengifo (3B)
8. David Hamilton (UTIL)
9. Jackson Chourio (OF)
10. Sal Frelick (OF)
11. Garrett Mitchell (OF)
12. Christian Yelich (DH/OF)

Assuming all of those names are safe (barring the seemingly inevitable injury), that leaves one roster spot up in the air. There are probably five realistic candidates, but I didn’t include Jett Williams simply because he isn’t on the 40-man roster. That leaves us with the four candidates below.

1. Akil Baddoo (OF)
2. Tyler Black (1B/OF)
3. Brandon Lockridge (OF)
4. Blake Perkins (OF)

Baddoo, 27, was a second-round pick out of high school by the Twins in 2016 and made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 2021. His best season was that rookie year, when he totaled 2.1 bWAR across 124 games, hitting .259/.330/.436 (112 OPS+) with 13 homers and 55 RBIs. Over the last four years, however, he played in 223 games and totaled just 0.7 bWAR, with 15 homers and 49 RBIs. He did have some success at Triple-A in 2025, though, hitting .281/.385/.483 with 15 homers and 48 RBIs across 103 games. It remains to be seen if he’s just a AAAA-type player, a la Keston Hiura. He’s had a strong start to his spring, hitting .455/.462/.818 with a homer, three RBIs, and three runs across four games.

Black, 25, was a supplemental pick (No. 33 overall) by the Crew in 2021 out of Wright State University. He rose through the minors at a pretty average pace, hitting Triple-A Nashville in 2024. Across 102 games with the Sounds that year, he hit .258/.374/.429 with 14 homers, 67 RBIs, and 20 steals. He took a slight step back in the minors in 2025, hitting .243/.369/.360 with just four homers, 34 RBIs, and 22 steals across 61 games at Triple-A. He’s had brief MLB cameos in each of the last two seasons, totaling 23 games with 57 at-bats, hitting .211/.357/.263 with three RBIs, five runs, and three steals. The main reason he’s on this list, though, is his hot start to spring training — across four games, Black hit .667/.692/1.250 with a homer, a triple, two doubles, eight RBIs, four runs, and three steals before departing for Team Canada during the World Baseball Classic.

Lockridge, who turns 29 next weekend, was a fifth-round pick by the Yankees out of Troy in 2018. He made his MLB debut with the Padres in 2024 and has appeared in 79 games between San Diego and Milwaukee the last two seasons, hitting .226/.268/.308 with a homer, 12 RBIs, 21 runs, and 12 steals. Not known for his power, Lockridge got out to a powerful start this spring, slugging a pair of homers in the Brewers’ first couple of games. Across four games this spring, he’s hitting .545/.643/1.182 with six hits, including those two homers, with two RBIs, six runs, and a steal.

Another veteran, Perkins, 29, was a second-round pick out of high school by the Nationals in 2015, though he didn’t catch on anywhere until finding a home with the Brewers. He made his MLB debut with Milwaukee in 2023, and across three seasons with the Brewers, he’s hit .232/.314/.339 with 13 homers, 82 RBIs, 107 runs, and 35 steals over 242 games while providing above-average defense. Perkins has also had a solid start to his spring, hitting .375/.500/.500 with three hits, including a double, to go with two RBIs and two runs scored over three games.

Given that all of these players have options remaining — Baddoo and Black each have one, Lockridge and Perkins each have two — the question is really where the Brewers see the most value for this team on opening day. Who do you think the Brewers should include as the 13th man when opening day rolls around later this month? Weigh in on our poll below, and stay tuned for results later in the week!

For the past two seasons, MLB has featured a “Spring Breakout” series during Spring Training where every team assembles a team of their best prospects from throughout their farm system. Then these teams of prospects each play one exhibition game against a squad from a rival team in the Cactus or Grapefruit League. These games have been a great way to showcase baseball’s next generation of talent. The games are all televised locally and some of them end up on the MLB Network or streaming platforms. All games are also streamed for free on MLB dot com.

This year, the Cubs will take on the Padres at Sloan Park at 8:05 p.m. CT on March 21. The game will be broadcast both on Marquee Sports Networkand the Padres sports channel as well as streaming for free. Tomorrow, March 5, the rosters for every Spring Breakout Series team will be announced on the MLB Network at 11 a.m. CT. Matt Vasgersian and Harold Reynolds will host the hour-long announcement program.

But that’s just for this year. The bigger news is that in 2027 and 2028, the Spring Breakout series will become two single-elimination tournaments, with one team being crowned the winner of the Cactus League and one the winner of the Grapefruit League Spring Breakout tournament. These two tournaments will take place from March 19 through the 22nd at various Spring Training venues in Arizona and Florida.

On the one hand, this is a great idea to showcase the next generation of talent in baseball and give fans something to be invested in during a slow part of the Spring. It will even give fans of two teams a little bragging rights.

On the other hand, this is clearly insurance by MLB to have something to show next March to the fans if major leaguers are still locked out in a labor dispute. Prospects not on the 40-man roster will not be locked out, so they will still be playing in Spring Training and available for the tournament no matter what is going on with the major leaguers.

So this tournament can be two things at once. It’s both a great idea and an ominous omen about baseball next year.

In any case, let’s hope that it doesn’t come to that and that the Spring Breakout Tournaments in 2027 and 2028 just become an added attraction for baseball fans before the season starts in years that there is no World Baseball Classic.

Spring training is in full swing as the Detroit Tigers prepare for their 2026 campaign, locked and reloaded for another run to the playoffs, and hopefully, a World Series ring. Sure, the team is just 2-6 so far, but these games do not matter… yet.

A great deal of the optimism heading into the season rests on the shoulders of the pitching staff, which features the best left-handed pitcher in all of baseball, Tarik Skubal, along with a robust supporting cast that includes newly added Framber Valdez and a reunion with future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander. The bullpen also got a boost by bringing back Kyle Finnegan and adding Kenley Jansen, who ranks fourth all-time in saves.

Which brings us to today’s question: “Who will be the Tigers’ best pitcher not named Tarik Skubal this year?” While the aforementioned four players are certainly prime candidates, there are other options, such as Casey Mize, who still has some headroom for growth, or perhaps Jack Flaherty can rediscover his 2024 form; maybe Keider Montero finally makes the jump to the next level.

Or maybe it is none of the above.

So, Tigers fans, who do you think will be the standout hurler for the Ole English D in 2026? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Diamondbacks News

Alek Thomas, Jordan Lawlar Among Standouts in Diamondbacks’ Loss to Mexico
Alek Thomas played for the opposition in the tilt as Team Mexico downed the Diamondbacks 6-3 on Tuesday. Zac Gallen needed only 22 pitchers to clear two innings with only one hit allowed.

Diamondbacks’ Waldschmidt Making Push for Opening Day Roster
The slugging left fielder is trying to take advantage of the opportunity given to him thanks to the WBC and various team injuries.

Other Baseball News

Making Hasty Judgments About Mark DeRosa’s Lineup
No longer a managing rookie, Mark DeRosa returns as Team USA’s manager after finishing runner-up with the team in 2023.

Teammate Connections During WBC Pool Play
What potential teammate-on-teammate connections will WBC pool play bring?

Jurickson Profar Suspended for 162 Games
Atlanta’s Jurickson Profar has been suspended for 162 games following a positive test for “exogenous testosterone and its metabolites.” This is Profar’s second failed PED test, which will also likely end his MLB career. Profar has also been scratched from the WBC roster.

Phillies’ Rojas to Appeal 80-Game PED Suspension
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas is contesting a possible 80-game suspension by Major League Baseball following an alleged failed test for a performance-enhancing substance, according to multiple reports.

Scherzer’s Daughter Wrote Letter to Blue Jays Asking for a Reunion
The hand-written missive was featured by Scherzer’s spouse after the future Hall of Famer inked a one-year deal to return to Toronto.

Top-15 Relievers in Baseball Right Now
The Mariners, Brewers, and Padres stand out in this list, accounting for six of the fifteen arms featured.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rays fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Texas Rangers lineup for March 4, 2026 against the Brazil WBC team.

The WBC years means teams getting the occasional spring training matchups against the WBC squads from various countries. Today, Brazil is coming to Surprise to play the Texas Rangers. Not the whole country, to be clear. I don’t think the whole country would fit.

Offseason trade addition Brandon Nimmo is making his first appearance in a game for the Texas Rangers, and Jacob deGrom is making his first start of the spring.

The lineup:

Nimmo — RF

Carter — CF

Burger — 1B

Smith — 2B

Jansen — C

Canha — LF

Wade — 3B

Duran — SS

Zavala — DH

2:05 p.m. Central start time.