Last night we got to see the epic conclusion of the World Baseball Classic, as two powerhouse teams went head to head in the final. Team USA and Team Venezuela squared off to see which epic roster of superstar talent could call themselves best in the world. While Team USA was heavily favored from the offset to be a juggernaut, Team Venezuela beat out several other teams that were predicted to do better in the series, taking their place in the final. Considering the dominant talent that has come out of Venezuela for decades, their rise to the top of the WBC should come as no surprise.

In the winner-take-all final, Team Venezuela emerged victorious. The final score was 3-2. Despite the best efforts of Bryce Harper to tie the game in late innings, Venezuela came out on top, winning their first WBC Championship.

With the WBC now finished, focus will return to the final weeks of Spring Training as teams gear up for Opening Day. Years with the WBC are always such a treat, as we get to see the best of the best go head-to-head, but also it serves as a tremendous platform for baseball on a more global scale. The more eyes on the sport the better.

Let’s get into the rest of today’s links.

• Eric Longenhagen breaks down some experiment rule changes we might see in the minors this season.
• Davy Andrews tries to provide context for the Texas Ranger statue at Globe Life Field.
• Max Ralph looks at all the previous MVP winners at past WBCs.
• Team USA were rocking a lucky charm on their way to the WBC finals. Story by Kristen Wong.
• Shohei Ohtani is slated to make his Spring Training pitching debut today. (AP)
• Gerrit Cole is also poised to make his return today for the Yankees. (AP)
• Yikes, bring on the ABS, please.

• Davy Andrews looks at how baseball sometimes really is a children’s game.
• Anthony Castrovince looks at how Team Venezuela managed to find their pitching groove just in time for the biggest test of the WBC.
• Jimmy Traina looks at how the WBC succeeded in creating consistent buzz about baseball ahead of the regular MLB season.
• Alex Rodriguez is bad at comparisons. Story by Andy Nesbitt.
• Evan Drellich looks at how much WBC winners stand to earn. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Some big moments from WBCs past.

• Michael Baumann takes a look at what the Brewers can expect from their new pitching rotation.
• The Red Sox have signed Tommy Kahnle to a minor league deal. Story by Manny Randhawa.
• Madison Williams looks at a sweet moment between Clayton Kershaw and his son.
• White Sox pitcher Mike Vasil will miss the season due to elbow surgery. (AP)
• Andy McCullough looks at why Team USA would lean on rookie pitcher Nolan McLean to start the biggest game of the series. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• A very important update about the Mariners’ ferry boat. (Here’s a direct link to the BlueSky post for anyone reading on Apple News)

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.

As we are in the final stages of spring training, that limbo where you think you know what’s going to be the final roster but not quite, I am sort of at a loss on what to write about. So I’m going to provide some links to Cardinals-related news around the world wide web.

As it turns out the Opening Day roster is far from set. Brandon Glick observed that, according to Derrick Goold, Ramon Urias has some soreness in his elbow while swinging, and that Ivan Herrera has a little soreness in his knee, which won’t prevent him from seeing some time at catcher before spring training ends.

It sounds as if Herrera will be more of a third catcher, and that the Cardinals will be having him occupy the DH position mostly. I’m a little surprised by this, because it seemed that they had every intention of having him catch more often earlier in the year, but if he is an easily injured player, I suppose his playing time must be limited while catching, the main goal being to keep his bat in the lineup as much as possible. If there’s a knee involved, catching doesn’t seem ideal.

Urias’ injury seems to be a bit more of a mystery at this point. He will need to swing the bat again to see if it is ready to go. Maybe this is what brings Saggese back into the fold.

Bill Ladson at MLB.com gives us a good article on Herrera. He provides a little more detail on the injury. Ivan says he’s not sure how he got an inflamed knee, speculating it could’ve happened while running and then while being in a car for a long ride back to Jupiter. But it wasn’t swollen until he woke up the next day. This was back on March 6th. He has resumed baseball duties for a week now and will see playing time soon in spring training.

It’s interesting to see how DriveLine improved Herrera’s offense. On such a young team, Herrera ends up being both a team leader and a cheerleader, saying not to write them off because of their talent. I see a lot more talent than what a sub-70 win team would show. I still think the projections are lowballing the Cardinals because there isn’t enough data, and when looking at the various projection systems there is a ton of variance in projecting this roster. This is because Chaim Bloom has built in so many players with a higher ceiling and lower floor. 2026 is a gamble. But also a way to find which players are best, there is some depth there in the farm system.

Patrick McAvoy at Sports Illustrated sounds a little wowed by the potential of the future of the Cardinals middle infield. I concur! Masyn Winn hitting 16 home runs while playing some of if not the best defense in the NL sounds very much ok to me, and JJ Wetherholt being potentially one of the best hitting second basemen in the game is a future to build around. Winn’s only spring malady was some mild elbow soreness early in March. Sounds like early March was not very nice to our team. But I’m glad Winn and Herrera are feeling better.

Alec Burleson is 3 years older than Winn and 2 years older than Herrera, and is also a new father. So he seems like an elder of the clubhouse at this point. Are you worried about Burleson playing first base? Well, think again! I just had a random thought: how will Burly’s good throwing arm be a part of the infield defense?

Here is Masyn Winn talking about Burleson stealing 18 bases! And Burleson goes 3-3 with his new son in the stands. Here is Burly way back at Winter Warmup.

JJ Wetherholt is definitely generating a buzz! It would appear that JJ is probably a lock to be the opening day second baseman, and possibly leadoff hitter, at least to start the season. It is certainly possible they will make him work his way up the totem pole of the lineup order, but I’d be fine letting him lead off each game, especially since he’s sort of used to it anyway. Let’s not forget he is one of the overall top prospects in MLB. This is very exciting!

Over at third base things weren’t so clear until Nolan Gorman had a resurgent spring training. He is finding his groove at the hot corner, at least on offense, because of studying with the other Nolan’s (Arenado) hitting guru. That could prove to be a difference maker, or the end of the Gorman experiment. Because he has surely been tested with erratic playing time, moving around the infield, and just having a propensity to strike out as a major feature of your game. Maybe he can get the Ks down and the HR back up, because he did hit 27 home runs one season, and could hit 30 without too much trouble because he has always had massive power potential.

For more on Nolan Gorman, I encourage you to read this in depth article. Perhaps the most interesting takeaway is Gorman referencing Barry Bonds:

“When you can control your body in the box (it’s great),” Gorman explained. “I think Barry Bonds says it a lot. ‘Just control everything.’ The move. The strike zone. Everything. When you can do that and be in a good position to hit, you’re going to have a lot more success.” _{(Nolan Gorman quote stltoday linked above)}

Is Barry Bonds the mystery baseball guru working with the two Nolans? I hope so! I don’t really think so. Another big takeway is that it sounds as if Gorman is now able to make mid swing adjustments. I think it’s the same as last year, if one of Gorman or Walker can figure out how to hit home runs, we might stand a chance. Add Baez to the equation and who knows. Maybe Velazquez ends up good too. Might as well enjoy the hope for now.

Victor Scott II short interview

Jordan Walker is a mystery wrapped inside an enigma proposed as a riddle and we will not speak of him here

Nelson Velazquez gives me a sense of vague hope. If we can convert an ex-Cubs/Royals player into a good player, that would be very cool. It would appear that we may have caught lightning in a bottle, but I remain skeptical because it seems most people are. From what I’ve seen, though, Velazquez has made me a spring training believer. And he did have some potential in the past.

Do you think that the Cardinals could’ve found a diamond in the rough with Nelson Velazquez? I certainly do. And that excitement is palpable.

Make Viva El Birdos your hub for entertainment!

1982

Ok so I have been going off about every year about my life. I was born in 1975. This is my 8th week in a row and I don’t plan to stop anytime soon! To change it up this week, I am going to list my top albums of 1982 first, and go back to the Top 10 format for now.

1. Prince – ‘1999’ I definitely have a soft spot for this album because it was one of the first tapes I owned, and I was just starting to get into music at this age. I had a cassette copy of this album from my sister, which I played through a Walkman gifted to me by my sister’s Japanese foreign exchange student, and it was twice as loud as American portable cassette players. Purple power forever.
2. Captain Beefheart – ‘Ice Cream For Crow’ the Captain’s last musical adventure before he became a fine artist/painter. I feel like this one is a bit overlooked in his catalog. It may not be him at his peak, but he wraps up the musical adventure of the Magic Band very nicely here.
3. Chrome – ‘3rd From The Sun’ The top three I have outlined for 1982 could go in any order, in my opinion. This one is a little more raw and bursting with new ideas than the first two, but Damon Edge and Helios Creed are piloting uncharted territory here, influencing others in the THE FUTURE. The original industrial metal band, but with a psychedelic punk edge.
4. Sonic Youth – ’Sonic Youth’ only reason this isn’t any higher is that this is pretty much their demo, they’re super young *literally youth, and yeah it’s not a whole album of material. But what we hear here is a glimpse into their future as well as the future of music. They’re babies here but still a leap forward in the realm of musical expression. One of my favorite bands.
5. Allan Holdsworth – ‘i.o.u.’ absolutely also deserving to be in the top 5 is this early Allan Holdsworth album, a guitarist who redefines music in my opinion. Jazz fusion for the early 80s, but this album was recorded years earlier, in the 70s, and not distributed until 1982. Some say Holdsworth played while drunk as part of his style, but whatever his secret was, he was a guitar legend. Another guy ahead of his time.
6. King Sunny Adé & His African Beats – ‘Juju Music’ one of the most magical psychedelic albums I’ve ever heard. I look forward to hearing this album more, always. What a discovery!
7. SPK – ‘Leichenschrei’ at the inception of the industrial music genre and still at the top, total experimental cyberpunk genius, listen to the whole thing, don’t give up. Another very interesting discovery. Uneasy listening, though!
8. X – ‘Under The Big Black Sun’ another album that could easily be #1… X covers all the bases and becomes one of the most important rock n roll bands of all time, if never making it big they were originators… their variety in songwriting, and ability on all approaches make them a most definitive punk rock band to remember!
9. Oppenheimer Analysis – ‘New Mexico’ actually listened to this album while moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico. For fans of new wave and goth! And early industrial dance.
10. Junior Delahaye – ‘Showcase’ one of the most intense dub reggae productions you’ll hear in the early 80s or anytime, really… lovely genius. Red tape dub sound delivered with unique vocal stylings.

Honorable mentions to The Cure, Duran Duran, Michael Jackson, Kate Bush, The Clash, Bad Brains, etc. Not hating on them, I am just into these ten albums more, what can I say…

1982 Playlist

What was happening in 1982?

• Ozzy Osbourne was treated for rabies after biting the head off a bat. There’s a pizza bar that plays heavy metal music in St Louis called The Headless Bat! They have really good pizza. Maybe I’ll join you.
• The first computer virus was invented by a 15 year old. It effected Apple computers, oddly enough.
• First emoticons posted.
• E.T. blew away the competition at the box office, what would be controversial today, Tootsie, was the second highest-grossing movie of 1982, An Officer and a Gentleman, Rocky III, and Porky’s rounded out the top 5. My favorite flick of ‘82, Star Treck 2: The Wrath of Khan was 6th at the box office, and don’t forget 48 Hours and Poltergeist, a movie which scared the absolute shit out of me for at least a whole year after seeing it.
• Delving a little more obscure, you had some amazing movies like Basket Case (one of my favorite b-movies!), Conan the Barbarian, Firefox, Bladerunner (!), Tron, Fast Times At Ridgemont High, and The Beastmaster.

And of course, to wrap up, 1982 in Major League Baseball was the year I became a Cardinals fan. Obviously, the Cardinals won the World Series over the Brewers that year, but what else? Cal Ripken Jr and Steve Sax won Rookie of the Year in 1982. Dale Murphy and Robin Yount were the MVPs. Steve Carlton and Pete Vuckovich won the Cy Young Award in their respective leagues. The Brewers were really good that year with both and MVP and a Cy Young Award winner. But the Cardinals still were able to take them down.

Keith Hernandez and Ozzie Smith won Gold Glove Awards on the Cardinals. The Cards were first in the NL East winning 92 games, while the Brewers had won 95 that year. To reach the World Series, the Cardinals swept the Braves while the Brewers had a tougher path through the California Angels who had won 93 games that season.

Milwaukee would not return to the World Series until 2008, so this was the last AL postseason appearance by the Brewers. They were also in the postseason in 1981. For the Cardinals, it was their first postseason appearance since 1967! And just imagine going all the way to the World Series after 15 years! That must’ve felt quite nice. The Braves had had a nearly as lengthy postseason draught, since 1969. 1982 was the 9th World Series Championship for St Louis.

The World Series itself was a battle between two very, very good teams and went 7 games. The Cardinals overtook the Brewers at the end, winning by 12 runs in Game 6 and then the 1982 Cardinals lineup took out the Brewers bullpen and won Game 7. Had the Brewers manager kept starter Pete Vuckovich in the game, who know who what would’ve happened. Vuckovich also played for the Cardinals during the years 1978-80, and was later cast as slugger Clu Haywood in the movie Major League.

Friends, we are just a week away from Major League Baseball returning in full force and the Colorado Rockies opening up the season in Miami on March 27. Camp is winding down, which means the team will have to start making decisions about who will be on that plane to Florida. So, without further ado, let’s predict what the Opening Day roster could look like. For a further exploration of each position, be sure to check out our State of the Position series.

Catcher: Hunter Goodman, Brett Sullivan

It’s no surprise that we can pencil in Hunter Goodman as the Opening Day catcher for the Rockies. After a breakout All-Star season in 2025, Goodman more than earned his spot heading into the offseason. Yes, Goodman hasn’t had the best time in Cactus League play, slashing .147/.225/.324 with two home runs in 40 plate appearances, but he’s earned the benefit of the doubt for the time being. Can he replicate last season?

As for the backup catcher spot, I’m going with Brett Sullivan over Braxton Fulford. Sullivan has had a phenomenal time at the plate in camp and presents a left-handed alternative to Goodman. Additionally, much like Fulford, Sullivan isn’t too bad on the base paths, presenting the athleticism this team appears to be valuing. Despite having roughly the same number of big league games under their belt, Sullivan edges out Fulford as someone with plenty of professional experience and has shown a keen ability for game calling and working with the pitchers. Fulford would then get the chance to play nearly every day in Triple-A to continue developing.

First Base: T.J. Rumfield, Edouard Julien

T.J. Rumfield has made the most of the opportunity to win the first base job since coming over from the New York Yankees. His lengthy minor league experience back to 2021 has left him with nothing else to prove, and now he looks to finally get his shot at the big league level. His solid defense and contact-heavy bat with some power potential harkens back to a certain Hall of Famer for the Rockies.

There are a few other options worthy of a first base spot, but I’ll give it to Edouard Julien. Acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Twins, the Rockies seemed intent on bringing in Julien and using him in some capacity, and he is out of options. Julien has shown in the majors and the minors that he can be a good addition to the lineup, even though he has struggled at the plate over the last two seasons. High contact with some power mixed in against right-handers is great, and his ability to play second base rounds out some depth. Of course, Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP) and Troy Johnston are also right in the mix at the time of writing.

Second Base: Willi Castro

For a brief moment, it seemed that Willi Castro could be taking over third base while someone like Julien took over at second base. However, due to developments at the hot corner, Castro is poised to handle second base regularly. This is the best-case scenario, as the middle infield is more in line with Castro’s natural abilities, but he’ll still have his chances to show off his versatility around the diamond. He’s looked good at the plate in Cactus League play as well as in the World Baseball Classic, and could end up being an incredible first position player free agent signing by the Rockies’ front office.

Third Base: Kyle Karros

There were some questions about whether Kyle Karros would be able to make third base his own, and he has provided plenty of answers in spring training. There was no doubt he could handle the position defensively, but whether or not the bat would follow was an entirely different matter. Through his own determination and adjustments over the offseason, both mechanically and physically, Karros has left little doubt he is ready to take on a full season of Major League Baseball.

Shortstop: Ezequiel Tovar

Injuries hindered Ezequiel Tovar in 2025, preventing him from ever finding an offensive groove and doing anything close to what was done in 2024. Tovar has only played five games with the Rockies in spring training because he’s been part of Team Venezuela in the WBC. Tovar has looked like his old self in the atmosphere of the WBC, which will hopefully carry into the regular season. Gold Glove defense and the All-Star potential if he can refine some of his offensive follies could result in the best season yet of Tovar’s young career.

Outfield: Jake McCarthy, Brenton Doyle, Jordan Beck

At first, it was unclear exactly why the Rockies acquired Jake McCarthy from the Arizona Diamondbacks, but as spring training has progressed, it has become quite clear. The Rockies are hoping that McCarthy can tap back into the things that made him successful at times in Arizona and be a spark on offense. They want him to get on base by any means necessary, steal bases, and score runs. They are also banking on his center fielder pedigree to aid in covering the expanse of left field at home, while also serving as a more reliable back-up to Brenton Doyle in center field.

Doyle faced ups and downs in 2025, both on and off the field, but started to look like the breakout player from 2024 in the latter part of last season. He has battled a few things in camp already, namely a sprained wrist, but he has looked excellent in the games he has played. Of course, he’ll look to reclaim his Gold Glove title in center field after failing to become a finalist last season.

Jordan Beck will be making the move to right field on a more regular basis, at least while the Rockies are playing at home. Beck showed flashes of his potential in 2025 and will need to find more consistency at the plate this season to take the next step forward and prove to the Rockies he can be a long-term answer in the outfield corners.

Designated Hitter: Mickey Moniak

Mickey Moniak will get plenty of time in the outfield, but it looks like he’ll also get the majority of at-bats as the designated hitter. Moniak put up a career year last season with the Rockies and will get the chance to replicate and build upon it this season. The Rockies will also use the DH spot to cycle in other players to get them off their feet in the field and give other players chances to play.

Utility: Tyler Freeman, Ryan Ritter

Tyler Freeman took up quite a few games as the Rockies’ DH and right fielder in 2025, but looks to move around a bit more and perhaps use his infield abilities a bit more. He proved a lead-off revelation for the club last season, so manager Warren Schaeffer needs more options to plug him into the lineup.

Ryan Ritter showed some flashes during his big league stints last year and has impressed in spring training this year. Ritter has been learning the outfield in camp to go along with his infield experience. Two super utility players in Freeman and Ritter give the Rockies some versatility around the diamond to mix and match and try to put forth the best lineup each game.

Starting Rotation: Kyle Freeland, Michael Lorenzen, José Quintana, Tomoyuki Sugano, Chase Dollander

Kyle Freeland continues to be a rock in the rotation and will be the Opening Day starter once again. The free agent additions of Michael Lorenzen, José Quintana, and Tomoyuki Sugano bring much-needed experience, and all had some inspired outings in the WBC. The final rotation spot looks to be coming down to Ryan Feltner and Chase Dollander. I’ll go with Dollander since being around the other veteran pitchers could go a long way in helping his development, and he does have some excellent raw abilities; it just needs to be refined still. It’s also possible that Feltner could stay on the big league roster in the bullpen.

Bullpen: Jimmy Herget, Antonio Senzatela, Zach Agnos, Juan Mejia, Victor Vodnik, Seth Halvorsen, Brennan Bernardino, Parker Mushinski

There are plenty of options for the bullpen, so it’s a bit easy to pick and choose what arms to put into the mix. Senzatela will look to thrive as a long reliever, while Jimmy Herget, Victor Vodnik, and Seth Halvorsen will fill in the mix at the backend of the bullpen. Juan Mejia was excellent last season and has had some good moments with Team Dominican Republic in the WBC. Zach Agnos has looked excellent in spring training with a new sinker he’s been working on. Brennan Bernadino has quietly had a good spring with the Rockies and Team Mexico and represents the de facto lefty in the pen. I added Parker Mushinski since it would give the Rockies another lefty in the bullpen, and it feels like either him or fellow non-roster invite John Brebbia could make the roster.

Closing thoughts

We’ll start to hear more about roster decisions in the coming days, and there could always be more twists and turns and surprise moves before the 27th. Is there someone you think will make the roster instead? Be sure to carry on with your thoughts below!

‘We’re obsessed with it’: Rockies aiming to ‘elevate’ team atmosphere | MLB.com

The goal of the Rockies’ leadership this year is to change the atmosphere surrounding the team. The club is hoping to improve every aspect of how they operate as a team in preparation, performance, and overall environment in the clubhouse.

Brecht, Herring highlight talented Rockies pitching prospects | MLB.com

Jim Callis breaks down a pair of exciting arms in the Rockies system, with Brody Brecht and Griffin Herring wielding plenty of upside.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Good morning, baseball fans!

Boy, do I have great news for you today. We are officially one week away from Opening Day 2026! That’s right, the San Francisco Giants will be playing meaningful baseball exactly one week from today!

So today, I wanted to check in with you all to see what you’re watching for from the team over the last few days of Spring Training games and exhibition play.

Personally, after the potentially devastating injury news facing Hayden Birdsong, I’m really just hoping everyone can stay healthy and not get hurt before the season starts. Baseball injuries suck no matter when they happen, but there’s something that feels even more cruel about injuries happening before the season can even begin.

Of course I’ll also be keeping an eye on the roster, and the pitching depth, etc. But at this point, I’m mostly just hoping everyone stays healthy!

What will you be keeping an eye on over the last week of pre-season play?

With so many Kansas City Royals at the center, Craig Brown looks at what made Venezuela-Italy so joyous.

Was this what is was like when Richard Williams watched Venus and Serena square off in a tennis tournament? Truly, I could not bring myself to root for either team, yet I was transfixed, hanging on every single pitch. I just wanted a good showing from the boys. I feel bad for Lorenzen, but good for Garcia. It’s too bad that Vinnie and Jac aren’t going to play in the final, but I sure hope Salvy gets in the lineup. I loved those espresso-chugging Italians. I don’t think they were underdogs. This was a legit team with plenty of talent.

But those Venezuelans…they make you feel something. You knew they had a run in them. You knew they were going to make things very uncomfortable for Italy. That game should’ve been the final.

Anne Rogers talks with new Royals pitcher Nick Mears about joining the team and the changes in store.

“If we’re looking at my pitches, it’s four-seam up, slider away, curveball down,” Mears said. “It’s moving away from a righty. If it’s away, they’re committing to away. With the two-seam, it’s taking advantage of that commitment to the outside, and it just goes, ‘Whoosh,’ inside. It’s not like a metrically glorious pitch. It’s a different look from everything else that I’m throwing.”

Mears wasn’t as sure about a changeup because he had tried to throw one in 2019 and “it was bad, just being blunt,” he said. He also tried a splitter a few offseasons ago, and it looked too much like his gyro slider. But then the Royals brought up a kick-changeup. The R&D department had scoured through video and data to find pitchers similar to Mears — who throw from the same slot and release point, along with a similar repertoire — who also throw a changeup. There were a few different grips they brought to Mears, including a splitter, a three-finger change and a kick-change.

Derek Jeter caught some flak for asking Maikel Garcia to compare the World Baseball Classic to Kauffman Stadium.

You could say Garcia has been Captain Clutch for Venezuela, which has enjoyed a decided home advantage in games played in Miami during the WBC. Captain Clutch was one of the nicknames Yankees fans gave Derek Jeter, who is now a broadcaster for Fox Sports. After Venezuela defeated Italy, Jeter asked Garcia about the enthusiastic pro-Venezuela crowd. “Take a look around, does it remind you of Kansas City?” Jeter asked. Garcia replied: “Not even close.”

David Lesky looks at the pitching rotation and the resumed depth ahead of 2026, but let’s remember just how healthy the 2024 rotation was.

In 2024,as we all remember so well, the Royals got 151 starts from the original five-some, and then six more from a guy they traded for to replace one of the original five. That left five starts to be made by someone else. Five! One of the five was a true bullpen game. Daniel Lynch IV started three of the other four and then Jonathan Bowlan started the last one. Those four starts for Lynch and Bowlan marked the end of their careers as starters, for whatever that’s worth. It was pretty magical.

FanGraphs’ positional power rankings were not kind to the Royals on Tuesday. Both first base and second base earned below-average rankings from the site, including a 28th-place rank at the keystone.

The Athletic looks at how the world off the diamond causes “complicated feelings” from Team Venezuela fans ahead of the WBC final.

Andscape looks at Dusty Baker’s time and energy managing Team Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic.

Is college baseball focusing too much on velocity? Baseball America breaks down how that correlates to success in collegiate action.

Famed sportswriter Joe Posnanski ponders what the humanity of umpiring is in 2026.

Lance Brozdowski has updated rankings and data for 40 top pitching prospects.

Under the Knife has some updates on two veteran Toronto Blue Jays starters.

Shohei Ohtani is set to make his spring training pitching debut today.

Gerrit Cole is also scheduled for his first spring game since Tommy John surgery.

Seiya Suzuki suffered a ligament strain in the World Baseball Classic, casting doubt on Opening Day availability.

The Denver Broncos traded for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.

Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg admits Kentucky offered him “$7 (million) to $9 (million)” when he was in the transfer portal.

How is F1 staying on the leading edge with global brands?

Heed the letter X.

Nicole Kidman returns to streaming in new Prime Video series Scarpetta.

Story time. I had the better part of a year between when I graduated high school in May 2014 and shipped out to basic training in January 2015. I found ways to pass the time, but the most important thing I did during that time was be a friend to someone. My mom was a special education teacher for most of my life, nearly 20 years in all. She had a student, let’s call him T, who loved to go to school sports games. Did not matter the sport, T always had a friend there or a great time at least. But T was raised by a single dad, and that made getting to these events, with no post-event travel provided, hard. There was a program in Kansas that paid very little, enough for gas, snacks, and admission, in our case, for me to be there for T. That fall, we went to every game we could. It was amazing, honestly. But more often than not, we had to leave early because T was overstimulated by the environment. It was just part of the deal. So that is why, when these sensory areas became more popular, like what the Omaha Storm Chasers are doing with Autism Action Partnership for the 2026 season, I love it. You may never need it, but this makes a world of difference for those who need it.

Today’s song of the day is Could Have Been Me by The Struts.

The Atlanta Braves turned in mixed pitching performances on Tuesday, with Spencer Strider and Reynaldo López each partaking in spring festivities. In North Port, Strider faced a lineup full of Boston Red Sox minor leaguers. He threw five innings and surrendered a run. His fastball touched 96MPH, but he stayed around 93-95MPH.

In Fort Myers, Reynaldo López and the Braves took on the Boston Red Sox, where they fell 4-3. López tossed a long 3.2 innings, giving up three runs on five hits. He walked two and struck out six.

As Opening Day nears, the Braves will likely feel encouraged by Strider’s steady progress while hoping López can sharpen his command in his final exhibition outings.

More Braves News:

The Braves will continue to represent QUIKRETE on their uniforms, after their partnership was extended through 2036.

The Braves have reportedly signed left-hander Kyle Nelson on a minor league deal. 

MLB News:

As we preview each of the Braves’ 2026 opponents, it’s time to take a look at the AL Central. 

Ronald Acuña Jr. and Team Venezuela won the World Baseball Classic, defeating Team USA in the championship.

Joe Torre would talk a lot, and probably still does, about how a good bullpen shortens the game. Now, he had Mariano Rivera, and the Sandman spent the better part of 20 years turning Yankee games into eight-inning affairs. When paired with a setup man like David Robertson, or a fireman like Dellin Betances, those clubs could carve out another inning or so. Sure, there was the odd blowup here and there but that consistently high floor was predictable year after year.

In the Baby Bomber era, the Yankees haven’t had a Mariano Rivera — then again, who has? — but for how sweaty and tumultuous Aroldis Chapman was by the end of it all, he had a 3.05 ERA and struck out 37 percent of batters he faced from 2017-22. Chad Green and Zack Britton helped to shorten up games too, and that high floor of the bullpen stayed pretty reliable, a hallmark of Brian Cashman’s approach to rosterbuilding: have just enough starting pitching to get through five or six innings with the score close, your hitters will grind down the opposition and your relievers will put up zeros, and you’ll win more than you’ll lose.

Last year, and headed into 2026 though, that floor doesn’t seem to be there in the same way. David Bednar is, for my money, as good a closer as you’ll get in the game today. The unit surrounding him just carries more downside risk than we’re used to seeing from Yankee squads. The bullpen for ‘26 is projected for 4.1 fWAR, which would actually be a considerable upgrade over the past two seasons, but is at least a half-win weaker than the 2023 group, and two-plus wins worse than in ‘22 or ‘21 — side note, that 2021 season saw 7.2 fWAR from the bullpen…we used to watch gods!

More than a third of that projected fWAR comes from Bednar, and the rest highlights how high-ceiling, low-floor the rest of the relief corps is going to be. Camilo Doval and Jake Bird never really got off the ground since coming to the Yankees around the trade deadline, with Bird almost immediately optioned to Triple-A Scranton and Doval’s ERA ballooning by more than a run and a half post-deadline. His fastball isn’t as good as the pure velo would read and he walks far too many people, but in front of a competent defense you can see how some tweaks to his sinker could turn him into Zack Britton On The Cheap.

And really that seems to be the overall goal, Zack Britton or Aroldis Chapman or even Mariano Rivera on the cheap. The Yankees seemed to have learned the pitfalls of long-term contracts for relief pitchers, and given their annual payroll constraints having that kind of cost flexibility probably helps them give an extra year to a Max Fried or something similar.

However, the volatility inherent in relief pitching, the volatility that builds so much risk into longer term contracts for relievers that we know, increases in the relievers we don’t know as well. Matt Blake’s career is based around “we can rebuild him”, and he has a track record of it working, but when you don’t have the existing baseline performance of a Zack Britton or even a Chad Green, your downside risk is proportionally huger.

The Yankees will probably be fine with their bullpen, but not the perennial top 5 grouping they were at the start of the Baby Bomber era. Their rotation should be a lot better than its been in previous seasons which picks up some of that slack, but outside of the ninth inning we may be gritting our teeth more than we’re used to in 2026.

The victors erupted onto the field and into multiple dogpiles. Some wore national flags around their shoulders. Within minutes, the Venezuelans wore T-shirts that read: “The Best Baseball in the World.”

The players from the United States watched from their dugout. Within minutes, they trudged back onto the field so a silver medal could be draped around their necks. Not every player wore the medal all the way back to the dugout.

You can say all you want about how the World Baseball Classic has matured into a must-see event for fans and a must-play event for the game’s elite players. You can salute Venezuela for a spirited and thrilling victory, and the Venezuelan fans for nine innings of joyful delirium.

But you also can say this: A U.S. team billed as featuring a killer lineup could not hit, and the U.S. could not use its best pitcher because the San Diego Padres said so. The result: For the second consecutive World Baseball Classic, the U.S. lost the championship by a 3-2 score.

“I’m not OK with winning silver,” Bryce Harper said. “I don’t want to win silver.

“I want to win gold, just like anybody else. But, at the end of the night, they did it, they won, all the congratulations to them. They fought hard. I’ve got nothing but respect for them.”

By the time the eighth inning rolled around, the mighty U.S. offense had not gotten a runner into scoring position on Tuesday, and had gone scoreless for 18 of its previous 19 innings. With two out in the eighth, and Venezuela up 2-0, Bobby Witt Jr. walked, and Harper followed with a 432-foot home run, so monstrous that Venezuelan pitcher Andres Machado could only watch the flight of the ball and smile.

Harper stood and watched too, then he flipped his bat toward the dugout. At third base, he stopped to give a salute, then spotted the cameraman trailing him around the bases and pointed to the American flag on his left sleeve.

Read more:Plaschke: Get all beaned up and enjoy the surprisingly profound World Baseball Classic

“Just enjoying the moment,” Harper said. “Super grateful for it.”

With the game tied 2-2 entering the ninth, the pitcher trotting in from the U.S. bullpen should have been Mason Miller, who had not given up a hit in the WBC and struck out 10 of the 14 batters he had faced.

Before the game, U.S. manager Mark DeRosa had said Miller would be available. After the game, DeRosa said he and Miller’s employers, the Padres, had agreed Miller would only be used to protect a lead.

Once the game entered the ninth, Miller would not be able to protect a lead, since the U.S. was the home team and there could be no save situation for him. DeRosa nonetheless declined to use Miller.

“Honoring the Padres,” DeRosa said.

This is not on DeRosa, but that is nonsense. If a closer cannot be used three times in five days — with another week to ease into the regular season by throwing bullpens or in structured B games, or taking a few days off, or whatever — then he should stay home.

Read more:Shaikin: U.S. showing class at WBC no matter how the White House might react to a title

Venezuela scored the winning run in the ninth off Garrett Whitlock, on a walk, stolen base and RBI double by Eugenio Suárez.

In its final five WBC games — after routs of Brazil and Britain — the U.S. scored more than five runs once, with a two-run win, a two-run loss, a two-run win, a one-run win, and a one-run loss. In the semifinal and final, the U.S. combined to bat .159 and strike out 25 times, and every run came on a home run.

That — not any attempt at small ball — is American baseball. And the U.S. was outslugged by six other teams, including Australia and Italy. For glory, as the U.S. team hoodies said.

“A lot of pop ups, a lot of just-missed pitches,” U.S. captain Aaron Judge said. “I wouldn’t say we tensed up. We just didn’t execute when we needed to.”

Said DeRosa: “I mean, surprised because of the names at the back of the jersey, but not surprised because of where they're at in spring training.

“Yeah, that's my answer. I really don't have a rhyme or reason to why. I just think you're either hot or not in a seven-game blast like this.”

The WBC absolutely was a blast. The Venezuelan fans delivered concert-level noise all night long, without needing a silly stadium host or scoreboard command to do so. The WBC allowed fans to bring in 16 “permissible instruments,” including bongos, cowbells, maracas and trumpets.

“There’s bands playing,” Judge said. “There’s chants going on. You don’t usually hear that too much in the World Series games. That’s amazing. So much fun.”

More Americans watched the U.S.-Dominican Republic semifinal than watched last year’s NBA All-Star Game, according to Fox. The championship game almost certainly will have drawn more viewers than at least one game of last year’s NBA Finals.

In the 10 minutes I spent along the concourse before Tuesday’s game, I counted fans wearing the jerseys of many national teams and 17 MLB teams, plus the late and greatly beloved Montreal Expos. Japan did not qualify for the final four, but I nonetheless counted 11 fans in Japan jerseys with Shohei Ohtani’s name on the back. The advertisers believed too: DeRosa spoke in front of a banner displaying the logo of nine corporate sponsors, eight of them Japanese.

After such a lively event, can these players get fired up to go back to spring training, and then for the grind of a 162-game season?

“I’m always fired up for the Yankees, but I’m still pissed about this,” Judge said.

“I’m looking forward to the next time we get a chance to throw on the red, white and blue and take care of business.”

That would be the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where Dave Roberts has expressed interest in managing Team USA at Dodger Stadium. The major leaguers are almost certainly coming, even if the details are still being worked out.

See you there, Bryce Harper?

“I hope so,” he said. “I really do.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Free of charge for the discerning reader.Charlie Lau passes, and other stories.Welcome to the Tokyo Dome.

Today in baseball history:

• 1886 – The New York State League admits clubs from Buffalo, Toronto and Hamilton. The inclusion of the Canadian teams causes the league to change its name to the International League.
• 1942 – Two black players, Jackie Robinson and Nate Moreland, request a tryout with the Chicago White Sox during spring training in Pasadena, California. Sox manager Jimmie Dykes allows the two to work out but later dismisses them. Robinson will have to wait five years before making his major league debut.
• 1943 – Due to wartime travel restrictions, spring training camps begin opening in northern locations. Some of the locales include Bear Mountain, New York (Brooklyn Dodgers), French Lick Springs, Indiana (Cubs and White Sox), Asbury Park, New Jersey (Yankees), Medford, Massachusetts (Boston Red Sox) and Wallingford, Connecticut (Boston Braves).
• 1953 – The Milwaukee Braves become the first franchise to move since 1903, when the Baltimore Orioles became the New York Highlanders. The Braves have been in Boston, MA for 77 years. In a related move, the minor league Milwaukee Brewers move to Toledo, Ohio, where they become the latest incarnation of the Toledo Mud Hens.
• 1970 – The Cleveland Indians and Seattle Pilots play an exhibition game with the experimental X-5 ball, which is reported to be five per cent livelier than a regulation ball. The Pilots beat the Indians, 19-14. One week later, Commissioner Bowie Kuhn orders the livelier ball to be discontinued.
• 1984 – Charlie Lau, renowned batting instructor, dies in Key Colony Beach, FL, at age 50 after a long bout with cancer. Lau, whose major league career batting average was .255, earned his fame as the Kansas City Royals batting coach from 1971 to 1978, where his star pupil was George Brett. Lau also served as a batting coach for the Baltimore Orioles, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox and wrote a book called The Art of Hitting .300. 
• 1985 – Commissioner Peter Ueberroth reinstates Hall of Fame members Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle, who had been banned from association with organized baseball by former commissioner Bowie Kuhn due to their employment by Atlantic City casinos. Ueberroth’s ruling will allow both men to pursue employment with major league teams.
• 1990 – Major league players and owners reach a new collective bargaining agreement that will end the 32-day lockout of spring training camps. Highlights of the deal include increasing the clubs’ contributions to the players’ pension fund, raising the major league minimum salary to $100,000, and a compromise on salary arbitration that leaves 17 percent of players with between two and three years of major league experience eligible.
• 2009 – The Chicago Cubs announce that they will retire number 31 on May 3rd in honor of Ferguson Jenkins and Greg Maddux. 
• 2025 – The first game of the 2025 MLB season features the Cubs playing the Dodgers at the Tokyo Dome, with both teams starting a Japanese pitcher – Shota Imanaga* for Chicago and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for Los Angeles. Both pitchers do well, but it’s Shohei Ohtani who plays local hero with two hits and two runs to lead the Dodgers to a 4-1 win.

Cubs Birthdays: Jimmy Callahan, Hiram Bithorn, Dick Littlefield, Fernando Rodney, Trey Mancini.

Today in history:

• 37 – Roman Senate annuls Tiberius’ will and proclaims Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (aka Caligula = Little Boots) emperor.
• 1314 – Jacques de Molay, the 23rd and the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, is burned at the stake by King Philip IV of France.
• 1662 – First public bus service begins, promoted by Blaise Pascal, operates in Paris as the “Carosses a Cinq Sous” until 1675.
• 1881 – Barnum & Bailey Circus, traveling as “The Greatest Show on Earth”, debuts at Madison Square Garden in New York City following the merger of two existing circus groups.
• 1965 – Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov leaves his spacecraft Voskhod 2 for 12 minutes and becomes the first person to conduct a spacewalk.

*pictured.