Good morning. It’s “it’s baseball season!” season.

It is the beginning of the Skip Schumaker era that highlights the upcoming season for the Texas Rangers, so says MLB dot com folks.

Assuming he’s not manning third base in Arlington by like June, R.J. Anderson writes that Sebastian Walcott is among the best bets to be the best prospect in baseball come 2027.

And, former longtime Rangers beat writer T.R. Sullivan has a retrospective on the infamous Harold Baines/Sammy Sosa trade via MLB Trade Rumors.

Have a nice day!

Talking trades is one of everyone’s favorite pastimes. Making a theoretical deal for another player is just fun, something that shows depth of knowledge of both the opposition’s team and one’s own.

Then comes the word “untouchable.”

Everyone thinks there is at least someone on the Phillies that would be untouchable. Most of that time, that term refers to a prospect or group of them, but there could be major leaguers as well that should never leave the team any time soon. The question for today follows along those lines: which player(s) in the team’s organization, major or minor league, would be considered untouchable in trade talks?

By nature and contract size, we know that several of the members of the team aren’t getting moved either because of what they are due to make compensation wise or because of how important they are to the whole operation. It’s still fun to think about.

Spring training begins, in part, right now. Pitchers and catchers that will be taking part in the World Baseball Classic have to report to Sarasota today. But odds are that many more Orioles than that will arrive at Ed Smith Stadium early this week to begin work towards a bounce-back campaign.

There is plenty of intrigue around the Orioles as spring arrives. The roster has a lot to prove after last season. The front office was quite busy, although holes remain throughout the pitching staff. And they are competing, yet again, in what looks like baseball’s toughest division.

But we can’t talk about EVERYTHING in a single blog post. So instead let’s focus on a trio of storylines that are worth watching as the O’s open up camp for 2026.

1. The new arrivals

The signing of Pete Alonso, whether you love the actual contract or not, is a big deal for the Orioles. For the first time under Mike Elias, the Orioles went out and did what it took to get a marquee free agent to Baltimore. And this didn’t seem to be a Chris Davis-type of situation where the Orioles were bidding against themselves. The Red Sox were in the hunt as well, and Kyle Schwarber had just signed the previous day for similar money in Philadelphia. It was simply the cost of getting one of the game’s best power hitters.

There was less fanfare about the new manager, Craig Albernaz. But baseball people lauded the move. He was well-regarded within the Guardians organizations—one of the clubs that Elias has often given high praise—and has experience throughout the league. While some preferred an experienced skipper to get this unproven squad over the hump, the Orioles opted for a long-term play. It could be the most crucial hire of Elias’ career.

Alonso said during his introductory press conference that Albernaz, and the way he presented his vision for the team, was a key factor in the slugger’s decision to sign with the Orioles. Then in January, speaking at a Birdland Caravan event, he claimed that his intention was to create a refreshed culture around the team. He dubbed it the “New Oriole Way.”

That certainly piqued the interest of many in town. The “Oriole Way” is what brought the team into its Golden Era in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. Apart from occasional returns to relevance since then, the organization has struggled to stay in contention. If Alonso can actually lead the club back to being a perennial juggernaut like it once was, his salary will be a pittance compared to the appreciation of the entire fan base.

The way in which Alonso, Albernaz, and any of the other new faces impact the Orioles, starts this week in Sarasota. We won’t be able to learn too much, but it will be exciting to feel like a new era is beginning, and with seemingly enough talent around those prominent voices to get the club right back into the postseason.

2. Potential injuries

For the last few years, Mike Elias has had to drop some unfortunate news on Orioles fans at some point in the spring. Two seasons ago, he kicked the year off with a reveal of elbow injuries for both Kyle Bradish and John Means. Last year, he announced that Grayson Rodriguez would need to be sidelined for an undetermined amount of time due to shoulder issues. Neither of those situations ended up well!

Nothing that severe has been reported just yet, but that was also the case in prior years. And if you want to be conspiratorial about it, some of the Orioles actions indicate that something could be afoot.

There’s the signing of Zach Eflin to give the team, seemingly, five solid major league caliber starting arms on the roster. But it was immediately followed up with reports that they were still seeking another pitcher. They were connected to Framber Valdez and Ranger Suárez before they signed elsewhere, and there continue to be rumors of conversations with a handful of other free agent arms.

Why? Depth is important, but you can only use so many pitchers at a time. Would that be the best use of financial resources? The Orioles have not actually made another move on that front, so perhaps they don’t actually want another pitcher as bad as they have claimed, but it certainly feels like they don’t believe they will have all five current starters ready to go on Opening Day. That could be as simple as giving Eflin, who had back surgery last year, extra time to get ready, or it could be something else.

The Blaze Alexander trade also has a waft of concern. Elias gave up a decent haul, including a useful and cheap bullpen piece in Kade Strowd, for a player that looks like a utility type on paper. But the cost seems far more affordable if the team has an immediate need on the infield. Alexander is not a real shortstop solution, but he is capable at second and third, so it could make sense to keep an eye on Jordan Westburg’s and Jackson Holliday’s time on the training table early in spring.

3. Bullpen competition

Losing Strowd in the Alexander trade weakens a bullpen group that was already pretty thin. Outside of new closer Ryan Helsley and returning veteran Andrew Kittredge, the group is a bunch of question marks, and even Helsley is something of an unknown after his finish to the year with the Mets.

That isn’t totally unique in baseball. Relievers are volatile, and most teams are just hoping they can cobble together enough competent arms at some point in the summer, not necessarily on Opening Day. But this Orioles’ group does feel particularly unproven.

Colin Selby, Dietrich Enns, and Rico Garcia are all penciled into the Opening Day staff, and none of them have more than two years of MLB experience. They also lack options, with makes the group both unproven and inflexible. Not a great combination. Down in Triple-A is another batch of green arms too, including Chayce McDermott, Grant Wolfram, Yaramil Hiraldo, and others. There’s upside, but also the potential for disaster.

Odds are that the Orioles will add another veteran to the mix at some point before Opening Day. Those guys aren’t too hard to find, especially as teams make cuts in March. But it is risky to wait so long and to rely on the scraps of your competitors to get reinforcements. If that doesn’t work, you may be holding on until July when the trade market gets going and higher quality arms are available again.

You can win enough in the regular season with a flimsy bullpen. But it puts more pressure on an offense that has struggled for a year-and-a-half at this point, plus a starting staff that still feels unfinished. At this point, a major bullpen addition is unlikely. So the Orioles will have to hope that their eye for talent and their ability to develop pitchers at the big league level can be relief upon.

Yeah, so the timing is weird (no Hall vote for another 10 months, and no induction ceremony for five), but sometimes inspiration overrides practicality. A brief discussion among staff regarding the size of the Hall of Fame — in fact emanating from a comment about it being laughable that Bulls coach Billy Donovan is in the Basketball Hall of Fame — led to this point-counterpoint from Brian O’Neill and David James. It’s not our “Discussion” topic today, but feel free to weigh in on whether you are big-Hall or small-Hall, down in the comments.

A Big Hall, for a Weird Sport in a Dumb and Beautiful World

by Brian O’Neil

A co-worker, one who delightfully brings in the newspaper every day, came up to last week and, obit page open, said, “This guy who just died pitched three complete games in the 1968 World Series.” Before he even finished, my synapses fired and I said, confidently, “Yeah, Denny McClain.”

No! Shit! It was Mickey Lolich, I realized before the words were even out of my mouth. McClain is the other Tigers pitcher from 1968, the guy who somehow won 30 games that year. The same year Bob Gibson had a 1.12 ERA, the lowest in the live-ball era. The same Gibson who Lolich outdueled in that unmatched Fall Classic in that most terrible of American years. But of course, only Gibson is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

If you’re reading this, you might say, “Of course, that makes sense. Gibson is one of the greatest pitchers of all-time, the other two are journeymen who had a bafflingly great year, or just a legendary series. Gibson is immortal; Lolich left baseball and ran a donut shop.”

But that gets to the heart of the “Big Hall” argument, where it’s OK that players who aren’t obvious Olympians make the Hall of Fame. There are many who understandably think that degrades the Hall, cheapens the accomplishments of the best of the best, and perhaps that it makes it seem like being great is somehow easy. Or at least achievable, even for a guy like Harold Baines.

That’s understandable. But it also misunderstands what the Hall is, and maybe is even slightly off-kilter with the madness of baseball (I say this knowing full well that David James, below, understands the game at a level I do not and never will).

Let’s start with the Hall of Fame. We tend to use that phrase as synecdoche for an incredible career. “Is X a Hall-of-Famer?” is, when we ask it, about greatness. It’s tangible and stat-based, but not concrete. We ask if this player is mythical. The actual Hall, however, isn’t mythical. It is essentially a private club where a small clique of self-selected misanthropes bring their biases and blind spots to decide something that pretends to be a public good. The veteran and old-timer committees expand that, but it also falls more often than not into cliquish or piqued cronyism.

It isn’t pure. It isn’t an objective signifier of greatness, as you know when thinking about your favorite player who isn’t in the Hall. And there is no real way to make it so. Expanding voting to, say, the public would be just as dumb, as you’d have idiots like me thinking, “Hell yeah, Ron Karkovice should be a Hall-of-Famer, I loved that guy!” And going the other direction — a set of numbers that someone has to achieve, be it dingers or wins or WAR or or whatever — is a bit of autonomic drudgery.

And baseball, which gives us the great gift of numbers, so many wonderful numbers, is still anything but drudgery. It’s weird and unpredictable and maddeningly difficult and anyone who excels at it is doing something that is nearly impossible.

Let’s look at Lolich again.

He was a very good pitcher. Career WAR of 47, comps to Jim Bunning and Billy Pierce and Vida Blue, with peaks in the Bert Blyleven zone. Longevity and still that begat 2,800 strikeouts. By most accounts, not a Hall-of-Famer. Good career, cool story, but not immortal.

Says who, though? Some mustard-stained sportswriter? Deciding one man’s legacy?

But think of a slightly bigger Hall. Think about a Hall that recognizes where good verges into great, where a guy who had a solid career doing something nearly impossible, who in one improbable fall where the country was falling apart gave people a positive reason to disbelieve reality, in the same way that Shohei Ohtani did for us last year.

That’s not nothing. Feeling the improbable is why we love sports even if we know it makes no sense in a world run by depraved maniacs. If there was a bigger Hall, there’d be more to celebrate. There’d be more people to marvel at, even if you marvel at them less than god’s chosen destroyer, Bob Gibson.

Having Lolich as a Hall-of-Famer wouldn’t take anything away from Gibson. It would show him to be a great among greats. Remind us that most people can barely throw a baseball and Lolich could do it better than 99% of anyone else and that 1% is Bob Gibson, and isn’t that cool? Isn’t that beautiful? Isn’t that baseball?

Raising Hall standards doesn’t mean raising the standard for greatness: The 1968 World Series hero should be memorialized by the Tigers, not the Hall

by David James

I think of the Big Hall-Small Hall debate as a spectrum. One end says “Great Career” and the other says “Great Stretch.” At the Career end are the Babe Ruths, Tom Seavers and Jackie Robinsons who put up MVP-caliber numbers for 10-plus years. The other extreme is for the flash-in-the-pan types like Yermín Mercedes or Joe Hall (ifyky.) In the middle of that spectrum is everyone else.

Having an opinion on the Baseball Hall of Fame means drawing your line, your personal threshold along that spectrum where you believe longevity and greatness combine to create a Hall-of-Famer. I have commissioned the artist rendition below for $750:

I’ll be the first to admit that the Hall has contradictions. Freddie Lindstrom is in the Hall of Fame with a career 28.5 bWAR and one really good lobbyist in former Hall of Fame Veteran’s Committee member Frankie Frisch. Mickey Lolich, by any measure, is better than Freddie Lindstrom. There’s an injustice somewhere.  

But adding Lolich doesn’t rectify it. The real answer is to retract Lindstrom, alongside a handful of other clear nepotism cases from over the years.

I don’t want to throw mud, though. I want to celebrate Lolich, who passed away on February 4. Mainly, I want to celebrate his 1968 World Series because this is fucking insane: Lolich went 3-0, throwing three complete games and a Series ERA of 1.67. Here they are, in all their splendor:

Game 2: After Bob Gibson outdueled 31-game winner Denny McLain in Game 1, Lolich dog-walked the Cardinals lineup for nine dominant innings. Final line: CG, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 SO. He also hit a home run, just ’cuz.

Game 5: The Cards won Games 3 and 4, putting them ahead, 3-1, in the series. Lolich gave up three runs in the top of the first because he was searching for ways to challenge himself. His interest now sufficiently piqued, Lolich locked down the Cardinals lineup the rest of the way. Just want to stress, by the way, that these Cardinals boasted Lou Brock, Orlando Cepeda, Roger Maris and Curt Flood. Final line: CG, 9 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO. He also went 1-for-4 and scored a run! (Lolich was a career .110 hitter, FYI. Like Gucci Mane after him, Lolich was shining for no apparent reason.)

Game 7: The Tigers matched up Lolich against Gibson for the winner-take-all game. We’re in the year 1968, mind you. When I say “Bob Gibson was pitching,” that means Bob Gibson was pitching. That’s 1.12 ERA Bob Gibson, the guy who strained so hard while he threw, he pissed blood after his starts as a matter of routine. That Bob Gibson.

Gibson and Lolich gave up four combined baserunners in the first five innings. Gibson blinked in the seventh, giving up three runs. Lolich never stumbled until the 27th out, when he gave up a solo home run to Mike Shannon. He got the final out via Tim McCarver, who then became a broadcaster and sought his revenge on baseball.

I’m going to give Lolich credit for a gentlemen’s shutout because this is my half of the article. Here’s the “official” line: CG, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO, and a Game 7 victory over Bob Gibson!

—

Here’s one thing about the Baseball Hall of Fame we never discuss: It’s a pain in the ass to get to. The closest city you can fly into is Albany, 90 minutes west of Cooperstown via I-88. If I’m going to go through the effort I want to learn about the undisputed greats: Hank Aaron, Ted Williams, Josh Gibson. Mickey Lolich is 148th in bWAR all-time among starting pitchers; he shouldn’t make the cut on anyone’s first visit.

I want to end by stressing this, however: When I say somebody doesn’t meet my threshold for the Hall of Fame, I don’t do it with my nose in the air. In fact, do you know who should celebrate Lolich? The Detroit Tigers! He’s the franchise leader in both strikeouts (306 ahead of Verlander) and shutouts (39, five more than deadball-era great George Mullen.)

I had assumed Lolich was enshrined in the Comerica Park Walk of Fame, but he’s not! And that is the real miscarriage. Lolich’s greatness may not transcend the Tigers, but he is a pillar of the team’s history, just as much as fellow ’68 Tigers Al Kaline, Norm Cash and baseball’s final 30-game winner, Denny McClain.

If Mark Buehrle never makes the Hall of Fame, in contrast, he’ll always have a statue in center field of Sox Park. He’ll have dozens of fans every game day posing with his statue, celebrating the impact he had on generations of Sox fans. And he didn’t even get screwed around, like the Hall infamously did with the posthumous honors for Dick Allen and Ron Santo. In fact, Buerhle got to pose for the damn statue himself! Buehrle doesn’t need the Hall of Fame to validate any of that.

And while a Sox fan may understandably never fly to Albany, or a Tigers fan may never drive I-80 east of Niagara, they’re both far more likely to make the journey to catch their favorite team play a ball game at home, where their core baseball memories are made.

There is a lot to like about the Red Sox this season. A full year of Roman Anthony. What could be the best starting rotation in baseball. And swag as you scan your ticket.

Boston hasn’t always had the strongest lineup of giveaways, and “first 7500 fans” is rather stingy for an organization that nearly sells out most games, but there are still some highlights.

Some of the “giveaways” are just days that kids can run the bases which is something and very cool if you are a kid (I don’t think they even did this when I was a kid?) But that’s not really a giveaway in the same sense. Those games are Sunday May 3rd against the Astros (this is also Star Wars Night which is a special ticket event, so if your kids are Star Wars fans this may be the game for you), May 24 against the Twins, July 1 against the Nationals, July 26th against the Blue Jays, and August 23rd against the Giants.

Outside of those dates, here are the highlights.

Roman Anthony Rookie Card Bobblehead

April 6 vs the Brewers: The Roman Empire himself leads off the giveaways. Coming off a tremendous rookie year he’s looking to to take it to the next level. And you can join in that effort with this bobblehead. It looks like a diorama with the “bobblehead”figure integrated into the “card” in three dimensions. If you’re thinking “April is too cold for me” well the average high has been 53.5 and the low 38.1. But it’s also hit both 82 (1928) and 21 (1943). So weigh the odds but get there early (this advice applies for all the giveaways).

Patriots Day Windbreaker

April 20 vs the Tigers: It’s Patriots’ Day and if you like morning baseball you can be part of the 1/4 in attendance to receive this jacket. You’ll get to see the Red Sox in their home Boston jerseys. And the normal crossover with the Marathon.

Garret Crochet Jersey Variant Bobblehead

May 7 vs the Rays: There are five jerseys and five bobbleheads so it’s probably luck of the draw and maybe you need to find someone to trade with if you don’t get the color of your dreams. Red, City Connect yellow, home white, City Connect Fenway green, and the road grays will all be available.

Don’t those first two just pop? Also, imagine a five-man rotation of all Garrett Crochets? Fire up the duck boats!

Roger Clemens 20-strikeout double bobblehead

May 22 vs the Twins: Clemens struck out 20 batters two times so there are two poses of #21 on the bobble base. We all remember when the Rocket pitched from his little seat on the mound.

Red Sox soccer scarf

June 12 vs Rangers: Get ready for the World Cup with this giveaway. A Fenway green City Connect scarf with all the details of the Green Monster is waiting for you to wear in Foxboro against, well, whatever team you want to cheer for.

I almost wonder why Fenway Sports Group didn’t try to fit a World Cup game at Fenway Park? Probably limited capacity, timing, etc. But still…would anyone have been surprised if they tried?

Red Sox USA soccer jersey

July 1 vs Nationals: The soccer crossover continues with a team USA soccer jersey emblazoned with the Red Sox B. It’s covered in stars and is a pullover reminiscent of the 1975 jersey style.

On-field photo day

July 19 vs Rays: Ok, son this isn’t a giveaway as much as an experience, like kids running the bases. But it’s available to everyone and there is only one. I went a couple years ago and you really can’t appreciate how tall Chris Martin is until he bends way down for a picture and still looks really tall.

Red Sox football jersey

September 7 vs Angels: this is the American football jersey. At least I think it is. The design feels like it could have used a bit more something. A number? Maybe a number.

Do any of these giveaways move the needle for going to a game or getting there early?

Despite the recent lull, the Orioles have had a busy offseason. The Birds made national headlines by inking Pete Alonso to a five-year, $155 million dollar deal. They acquired Taylor Ward fresh off of a 36-homer season and brought in Ryan Helsley to occupy the closer spot with Félix Bautista sidelined. Baltimore traded for Shane Baz, resigned Zach Eflin, and brought in Blaze Alexander to provide some infield depth.

There are plenty of things to like about these moves, but there’s cause for concern too. The front office threw in the towel on the talented but oft-injured Grayson Rodriguez. What if Rodriguez remains healthy, and the Orioles miss out on several years of ace-level performance?

Speaking of aces, the Orioles failed to bring in a guy like Framber Valdez or Dylan Cease. The bullpen appears to be lacking on well-established relievers, and Leody Taveras looks like the only backup option for an injury-prone Colton Cowser.

It’s tempting to focus on the rotation after Valdez recently signed with Detroit. Rodriguez shining in LA would definitely sting too. Which Orioles offseason decision makes YOU nervous? Let us know in the comments below.

Meet the Mets

The Super Bowl is over, the chips and wings have been consumed, the Seahawks have been crowned champions, and, more important than anything else, baseball is up next! Pitchers and Catchers report to spring training this Wednesday.

The Mets signed outfielder MJ Melendez to a major league deal worth $1.5 million.

Will Sammon discussed the Melendez signing, which gives the Mets versatility beyond just the outfield.

Here’s what the signing means for the team’s outfield outlook.

Mike Lupica wrote about Bo Bichette’s move to third base, the same move made by Alex Rodriguez with equally high stakes.

Christian Scott feels great and is excited to be back.

Griffin Canning, who pitched admirably for the Mets in 2025 but saw his season end prematurely due to a ruptured left Achilles, threw for teams at UCLA last Friday.

Around the National League East

Ronald Acuña Jr. was among the VIPs present at Bad Bunny’s stellar Super Bowl halftime show, joining the likes of Pedro Pascal, Ricky Martin, Lady Gaga, Cardi B, and Karol G.

The Good Phight attempted to temper expectations on Aidan Miller.

Around Major League Baseball

With the Super Bowl in the rear view, spring training is up next, and here are some of the biggest storylines to watch.

Will Leitch offered seven hopeful predictions to beat out the winter blues and celebrate the return of spring.

Brian Murphy compiled a list of the best projected rookies for 2026.

Clayton Kershaw, Anthony Rizzo and Joey Votto are joining NBC’s pregame coverage for the 2026 season.

In a thrilling Carribean Series final, Mexico Red topped Mexico Green.

Andrew Simon discussed four ways the Red Sox can beat their predictions and make a play for the American League East crown.

Aaron Boone is confident in the Yankees’ rotation, especially with Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón working their way back from injuries.

A lot of big players changed teams this winter, and the MLB.com staff compiled a list of the biggest players to switch uniforms during the offseason.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Lukas Vlahos previewed Jared Young’s 2026 season, which finds the veteran once again blocked.

This Date in Mets History

Mookie Wilson turns the big 7-0 today. Happy Birthday!