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We live in a world that’s increasingly predetermined. From the results in your search engine, to the next spoon-fed video YouTube recommends, to the advertisements you’ll see in this very article (which by the way you’ll see a lot less of if you sign up for Over The Monster and join our little community). Equations and algorithms run our life.

Enter the Red Sox rotation, which like our lives, feels increasingly preprogramed. There SHOULD be an intriguing little battle between Johan Oviedo, Connelly Early and Payton Tolle for the final spot behind Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suarez, Sonny Gray and Brayan Bello — but is there?

Yesterday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive did an outstanding job of outlining the factors at play, and by factors I mean the reason Oviedo is almost certainly going to get the first crack at the rotation over both Early and Tolle, no matter how fabulous their stuff looks on the mound down in Fort Myers. In short, Early has to spend 35 days in the minors for the Sox to gain an extra year of control of his services in 2032, and Tolle needs to spend 46 days down there to get that same extra year of control in 2032. So guess where they’re going come April?

Last week, we did our quarterly approval polling here at Over The Monster, and one of the questions asked “Do you believe the Red Sox will play service time manipulation games with Payton Tolle and / or Connelly Early?” A whopping 77% of respondents answered “yes” to that question, which is kind of astounding when you think about it. We can see what’s happening, and we know what’s about to transpire, but few cry foul because we’re slaves to the most “efficient” way to run a ballclub.

And of course, there’s also just enough plausible deniability where a couple of things could go off script and the kids end up breaking through anyway. The first of course is injury, and that’s partially how Early and Tolle got their shot last September. The rotation thinned, the other obvious options were clear losers, and the club needed fresh arms to get to the finish line. This spring, I see five arms in front of Early and Tolle and nearly a month to go before Opening Day, so it’s not impossible a slot opens up. Stuff happens!

Secondly, Early or Tolle could agree to a team friendly contract. Look no further than last spring when Kristian Campbell made the Opening Day roster over both Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer despite not looking nearly as good as either of them in camp. And wouldn’t you know it, just days after the season started, Campbell and the club agreed to an eight-year, $60 million deal. (What an amazing coincidence! I’m sure there’s no possible way that was agreed to before camp ended and influenced who made the roster.)

In any case, those are the two most likely ways I see Early and/or Tolle making the roster out of the gate, but as far as actually pitching their way into the rotation through good ol’ fashion merit? Well, let’s just say my cynical ass has some serious doubts. In fact, the better these guys look, the more likely the Sox are to to try and wrestle away that extra year of control. It’s all part of that Cobra Effect we talked about last year with Anthony and Mayer, just playing out with a new cast of characters.

Now of course, the Prospect Promotion Incentive (PPI) is still right there, and in theory it should work to get these guys up in Boston right away, but Cotillo even notes in his piece, this scenario remains quote “unlikely.”

So here’s how this probably plays out: If everybody stays healthy through March, Early and Tolle will need to “work on a few more things in Worcester so they’re truly ready for major league lineups.” However, if injuries pop up, then the Sox will be “so impressed” with one or both of them and they couldn’t leave them off the roster. Here, they will have “earned” that rotation spot.

Oh, and if Early or Tolle somehow do make the rotation the first swing through without any injuries, bet the farm on a contract extension being magically agreed to within days of the season starting. I mean, just look at how the big name prospects were called up last year for refence:

Kristian Campbell: Agreed to a long-term, team friendly contract in the spring, and he got a shot right away.

Marcelo Mayer: Called up in May when Alex Bregman went on the IL with a quad injury.

Roman Anthony: Called up in June when Wilyer Abreu went on the IL with an oblique injury.

Payton Tolle and Connelly Early: Called up at the end of the summer when Dick Fitts hit the IL, Walker Buehler was released, and Dustin May got injured within a couple weeks of each other.

The pattern is clear. Why would this year be any different?

Over the weekend, Payton Tolle did an interview with the Section 10 guys, and in it he mentions a recent interaction with a fan where upon confirming Tolle’s concentrating on a starting role, the fan said something along the lines of “oh, so you’re going to be starting the season in Worcester?” And I couldn’t help but laugh because that fan could easily be from one of two possible extremes — Both of which seem amazing well represented among Red Sox fans:

1. He could be your classic New England a-hole who has no problem telling anybody how much they suck to their face.
2. He could be somebody who knows exactly how service time manipulation works, how the Red Sox use it, and why Tolle is a prime candidate to experience it in 2026.

The is no in-between here!

But at the end of the day, despite that amusing little story, doesn’t this suck? Sports are supposed to be one of the last remaining bastions of spontaneous, unpredictable things in life where the human element still rules the show. And yet, when it comes to who fills out the first few trips through the rotation, we’re likely stuck with a preprogrammed script. On one hand, I get it, but on the other hand, I’m really, really underwhelmed by it.

Now, a couple final thoughts before I wrap this up.

One: I actually do think Tolle needs to spend some time in Worcester to work on his secondary pitches. He needs this better secondary stuff to complement his electric fastball and keep hitters off balance. Connelly Early however should have a real chance at getting major league starts. While not as flashy as Tolle, he has a much deeper arsenal and already knows how to use it.

Secondly, because I need to scratch this itch, I believe the bloated, oversaturated playoff field is a huge problem when it comes to treating players properly. When fewer teams make the postseason, and there’s fewer division winners to reward, there’s more pressure on clubs to put the best team possible on the field from day one. Do you remember what April and May games felt like as recently as the early 2000s when fewer teams made it to October and you had to get out of the gate hot to keep up with the Yankees and the top Wild Card team?

Part of the reason why it’s inefficient to play young players who may be better, more productive roster fits is because the sport’s overlords have devalued the 162 game season to the point that you can kind of get away with this chicanery. Not giving another inch in terms of more teams in the postseason (or even pushing to reduce the number of postseason teams) is a sneaky huge issue I’d stand firm on if I were the players in the upcoming war with the owners next winter.

In the meantime, Early and Tolle should start looking at short-term rental options in Worcester.

Let’s start off by being honest. Left field is a bit of a quagmire for the Astros as they aren’t sure if Yordan Alvarez will get a majority of the starts out there or if they can follow through with their plan to DH him. I should not that in the Hall of Fame Index I did not have a DH position, so Yordan would be categorized as a left fielder anyway. We will undoubtedly see Zach Cole there on occasion, Zach Dezenzo on occasion, and Joey Loperfido on occasion. For our purposes here, we will look at just Alvarez and Dezenzo.

However, I am throwing in one more name that is not and probably never will be an Astro. I insert him as a frame of reference. One of the things I have found is that analytics requires any number of frames of reference. I usually talk about the averages for each number we look at it, but sometimes it is informative to look at what the very best are doing. So, I am including a player that I believe to be the best overall hitter in baseball. I’m certain I will get pushback there, but I have my preferences which I will go into.

• Chase rate: This is the percentage of balls a player swings at outside of the zone. The league average normally lives around 30 percent, but we will be looking at three year intervals and we should notice trends more than where a player is in relationship to the league average.

• Hard hit percentage: This is simply the percentage of balls that a player hits hard. Hard hit balls become hits and extra base hits more often than softer contact. Typically 35 percent is around the league average in this category.

• BABIP: This is batting average on balls in play. Home runs are obviously excluded since they are not in play. The league average tends to hover around .300 but it will largely depend on hard hit percentages and breakdowns between groundballs, flyballs, and line drives.

• Contact percentage: This is the percentage of swings that turn into contact. Typically 75 percent is around league average.

• HR/FB percentage: This is the percentage of flyballs that result in home runs. Ten percent is typically around the league average.

Yordan Alvarez

	Chase	Hardhit	BABIP	Contact	HR/FB
2023	27.8	52.2	.306	79.5	21.2
2024	31.3	49.7	.317	81.3	16.0
2025	28.0	52.9	.295	78.4	9.5
Aggregate	29.0	51.6	.306	79.7	15.6

Coming into last season, Yordan had two superpowers. He hit the ball really hard and more of his flyballs turned into dingers than any other Astro. Obviously, those numbers dipped last season in the power department, but we can probably chalk it up to the hand thing and move on. However, his chase and contact rates are also slightly above the big league average, so the key to his game is that he doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses at the plate.

Keep that socked away in your mind when we look at what to expect from him but also where to categorize him in the game. If there is a significant bounce back candidate on this squad it is Yordan. He was starting to come back late last season, but then injured his ankle running the bases (stepped funny on home plate) and was lost for the season. Just for fun, let’s compare him with the best hitter in baseball.

	Chase	Hardhit	BABIP	Contact	HR/FB
2023	17.2	55.3	.296	81.9	24.5
2024	18.4	56.1	.298	79.8	25.0
2025	16.2	55.1	.270	79.9	25.1
Aggregate	17.3	55.7	.288	80.5	24.9

These are Juan Soto’s numbers. I will grant that Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani will likely have singular categories better than Soto. Luis Arreaz makes more contact than Soto. However, that is not what makes Soto the best hitter in baseball. What makes him the best hitter in baseball is the microscopic chase rate. There is no player in baseball more adept at getting on base than Soto and he succeeds in making people pay when they do come in the zone.

What strikes me is that Yordan is not that far away from Soto historically. The only category that is wildly different is the chase category. Yordan hits the ball just as hard. When you go back beyond these three seasons you see that he also has similar power numbers. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it is probably a duck. If you put up underlying numbers that match the best hitter in baseball then you are one of the best hitters in baseball. Yordan has an opportunity to be THAT guy again. If he is THAT guy then the Astros offense becomes viable again.

Zach Dezenzo

	Chase	Hardhit	BABIP	Contact	HR/FB
2023	—-	—-	.382	70.8	18.8
2024	23.1	51.4	.371	75.7	14.3
2025	21.6	41.0	.373	69.3	8.3
Aggregate	22.4	46.2	.375	71.9	13.8

These are mostly the minor league numbers for Dezenzo and as we can see, he did not play above AA in 2023. This hitting profile is becoming all too familiar. It looks almost identical to what Brice Mathews is bringing to the table. Not to spoil any future articles, but we will see it again with Zach Cole and Joey Loperfido. Dana Brown has a type. He likes selective hitters that hit the ball hard and have good power. Unfortunately, that usually comes with some hit and miss.

I only have the numbers to go on, but I would assume the idea is that hopefully one or two of them will make enough contact to be viable big league hitters. Most hitters are not Juan Soto or Yordan Alvarez. Those guys are the guys that get megadeals. Most hitters have a hole. The question is where do you want your hole? The Astros have chosen contact for most of their upper level prospects. Is that right way to go? What do you think?

Come Opening Day, the Yankees’ starting rotation will be far from full strength. Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole will both be on the injured list to begin the 2026 campaign, but the Bombers will also be without Clarke Schmidt for a significant stretch to begin the year. The right-hander is recovering from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent during last July with the newer internal brace procedure.

Whether Schmidt will even be among the top five starters when he is able to return remains to be seen, but nonetheless, the Yankees will be without another valuable arm for much of the campaign. He has missed ample time over the last two seasons, but his performance during that stretch has been the best of his career, so the Yankees would welcome a full return from their 30-year-old starter.

2025 Stats: 14 starts, 78.2 IP, 4-4, 3.32 ERA (123 ERA+), 3.95 FIP, 4.44 xFIP, 23.1% K%, 9.5% BB%, 1.03 HR/9, 1.09 WHIP, 1.3 fWAR

2026 FanGraphs Depth Charts Projections: 3 starts, 32.0 IP, 2-2, 3.99 ERA, 4.05 FIP, 23.1% K%, 8.0% BB%, 1.17 HR/9, 1.25 WHIP, 0.3 fWAR

Schmidt debuted for the Yankees back in 2020, and after forgettable cups of coffee in that season and in 2021, the right-hander got his first real look at action the following year. The 2022 season saw him pitch in 29 games, only three of which were starts, but it was a solid body of work — a 3.12 ERA in 57.2 innings. A year later, he was a full-fledged member of that starting rotation, making 32 starts, doing so as an average back half guy, managing a 4.42 FIP in his 159 innings of work.

More recently, Schmidt is coming off of some of his best work, albeit limited due to the elbow injury. In 85.1 innings, the now 30-year-old managed a 2.85 ERA in 2024, the lowest figure or his career. His strikeout rates increased to over 25 percent, and he kept the walks at bay. When on the mound, Schmidt had shown himself to be a fairly dependable, and at times good, Major League starter. Of course, the primary issue was his ability to only stay healthy for 16 starts, though he was active as a member of the playoff rotation en route to the 2024 Fall Classic.

The good times continued in 2025, as Schmidt was nearly as good in 78.1 innings of work last season, although the peripheral numbers were slightly worse. If nothing else, the continuation of that impressive stretch likely convinced the Yankees that he could be a dependable arm every fifth day. But, once again, the injury trouble resurfaced with his aforementioned Tommy John internal brace procedure — the second TJ of his career, following a pre-draft operation in early 2017. He was sidelined in July, and likely won’t be back until the later months of the 2026 campaign.

As far as his ability is concerned, the Yankees should feel fine about Schmidt. He has posted three consecutive seasons of fine-to-very-good pitching, and has even shown flashes of excellent work on the mound. Expectations should be managed, considering the limited sample size and the significant injury, but it is fair to assume that he is a solid big-league pitcher.

The right-hander’s health, however, is the primary concern. Despite the impressive numbers, Schmidt has also posted consecutive seasons in which he basically pitched half of a full-time starter’s role. Between shoulder trouble and the elbow procedure, his health is far from a certainty. The Yankees will be without him for at least the first half of the season, and their first question will certainly be of whether he can stay on the mound for an extended period. Returning from a second Tommy John surgery only adds another hurdle. Schmidt will be familiar with the rehab grind, but one never truly knows how their elbow takes to the procedure until the possible return to game action gets closer and the intensity rises. Although we can be optimistic, the first year back—especially a partial year like this one will be—can be bumpy. A setback or two could potentially nix his 2026 as well. Will Schmidt be healthy enough for a starter’s workload by late summer?

They say you can never have enough pitching, and they say it for good reason. When Schmidt does eventually return, it will be welcomed by a Yankees staff that has several hurlers returning from significant injury. Baseball being baseball, others will likely be on the shelf by then, too. Until then, the Yankees will have to wait on Schmidt’s recovery. The latest updates say that Schmidt could be throwing bullpen sessions soon, and perhaps facing hitters in the coming month or two. Get well soon, pal.

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See more of the Yankees Previews series here.

Meet the Mets

The Mets beat Team Nicaragua 6-3 in an exhibition game before the World Baseball Classic begins. Jonah Tong made the start for the Mets, going 2.2 innings and giving up a run while striking out three. Brooks Raley and Craig Kimbrel also each gave up a run, while the other five pitchers on the Mets side escaped their appearances unscathed. It was an group effort on the offensive side as well, with Bo Bichette, Francisco Alvarez, Vidal Bruján, and Chris Cuero each driving in runs, with Bruján driving in two including the game-winning run.

After playing catch on Monday, Francisco Lindor will hopefully be able to take batting practice today, a good sign for his hope to return by Opening Day.

Nolan McLean is on the mend and with Team USA after suffering with some vertigo-like symptoms last week.

Not only is McLean likely to start for Team USA in the March 10 game against Team Italy, but he’s expected to start the final on March 17 (provided Team USA makes it).

Tom Seaver’s 1969 World Series ring sold for a tidy sum at an auction.

St. John’s University honored Shannon Forde, former Mets senior director of media relation until her untimely passing a decade ago, by presenting a jersey to her family.

Edwin Díaz went into more detail about his departure from the Mets, among other things.

Jon Heyman listed eight Mets who could make or break the Mets season.

Around the National League East

Jurickson Profar has tested positive for banned PEDs for the second year in a row and is facing a full 162-game suspension, which would encompass the entire 2026 season.

The MLB Players Association plans to challenge the suspension of Profar by the league.

Baseball Prospectus has published their season preview for the Miami Marlins.

Around Major League Baseball

MLB has compiled a guide to all the teams in each pool at the World Baseball Classic.

Behind every breakout at spring training is some eye-popping numbers.

Ken Rosenthal put out another notes article, including a dive into the special bond between two Team USA superstars.

David Schoenfield at ESPN ranked the most dominant positions in baseball.

There’s a very logical reason that would preclude Paul Skenes from pitching in a potential Word Baseball Classic Final game for Team USA.

Team USA is taking some inspiration from a all-time great American Olympian.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Lukas Vlahos wrote about the sneaky good gamble the Mets have taken on reliever Bryan Hudson.

Steve Sypa previewed the ever-present Ronny Mauricio’s 2026 season.

Lukas Vlahos also graded the Mets’ minor league roster moves.

This Date in Mets History

Six different former Mets are celebrating birthdays today.

After a disappointing regular season and a shoulder injury that cost him four months worth of time, Roki Sasaki was the saving grace for the Dodgers bullpen during their most recent title run.

Sasaski was finally able to show flashes of his promising potential that was heavily advertised the offseason prior, and after his brief bullpen stint, he is now set to return to the Dodgers rotation this upcoming season. Just like how his 2025 regular season began, Sasaki has struggled mightily on the mound over his first two starts of the spring.

Sasaki allowed three runs in his first start against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, following that up by allowing another four runs against the Cleveland Guardians via a grand slam from Kyle Manzardo on Tuesday. Although the Dodgers were able to salvage both games after the right-hander’s departures, the early results have painted a bleak picture on Sasaki’s outlook ahead of opening day. Despite the struggles, the plan is to keep him in the rotation come the Dodgers opening series on March 26, notes Sonja Chen of MLB.com.

“I think it can change. But I don’t think it’s gonna change before we break,” Roberts said. “Building him up, we see him as a starter, and giving him every opportunity for success. But again, we still gotta coach him up, and he’s still gotta continue to get outs and work ahead like Major League starters do.”

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River Ryan later came in relief during Tuesday’s contest against Cleveland, and tossed two scoreless innings while striking out three and allowing zero hits and one walk. Ryan’s stock for making the opening day rotation is rising with every appearance— especially with Blake Snell and Gavin Stone officially ruled out— but Dave Roberts won’t make any hasty decisions too early amidst the competition, per Courtney Hollmon of MLB.com.

“I think right now, where we’re at, I don’t think we need to really talk about a competition as far as the rotation. Once we get to the 21st of March, we’ll have a better idea once we break camp. But I think right now, there’s just too much that can happen.”

Dave Roberts spoke about the team’s top pitching prospect Jackson Ferris, as the left-hander has impressed with 2 2/3 scoreless innings so far this spring, per Jack Vita of the Los Angeles Times.

“I like Jackson,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said recently. “I like the player. He’s a good kid. A lot of talent. I think for me, it’s just trying to harness his arsenal. It’s a good fastball. He needs to continue to get ahead, be able to put hitters away with the secondary pitches, be efficient with his pitches per inning, but I like Jackson.”

MLB.com’s Anne Rogers reports on the Kansas City Royals officially adding outfielder Starling Marte to the roster and what his goals are in 2026.

“[Marte] is a longtime proven right-handed bat in the big leagues,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “He’s had pretty neutral splits over the years. Obviously, his leadership, the teammate that he brings to the table is something that’s been well talked about over the years. He’s clearly somebody who takes a lot of pride in keeping himself ready to play and keeping himself in shape.”

“I value the guys and I feel comfortable,” Marte said in Spanish on Tuesday morning. “For me this will be a new season and [I’m committing] to doing the best I can to help the team. I know and I hope that everything gets better through the difficult times, to work through it and keep moving forward.”

Rogers also looked at four Royals players who could benefit from more playing opportunities as their peers depart for the World Baseball Classic, including outfielder Drew Waters.

This spring is really the switch-hitting outfielder’s last shot at showing he can be an asset for the Royals, whether that’s with his power or speed or defense, and he’ll have to break through an already crowded outfield. Getting a few more starts — when hitters are more likely to face Major League-caliber pitching — rather than in-game replacement appearances gives him a better opportunity to do that.

“Having the opportunity to have three or four at-bats on a regular basis in starts, not only is that great leading into the season, but just as an opportunity to go out and show what you’re capable of,” Waters said.

Sports Illustrated’s Curt Bishop advocates for the Royals to look for more pitching depending on Stephen Kolek’s recovery process.

They already have Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo, Noah Cameron, Kris Bubic and Michael Wacha, which is a pretty solid starting five. But Zack Littell, Nestor Cortes, Patrick Corbin, Tyler Anderson, Jon Gray and Marcus Stroman are still available as insurance options

There are also plenty of pitchers still on the market that can be used in both roles such as Joey Lucchesi and Max Kranick. The Royals don’t know how long Kolek is going to be out. If he returns quickly, then they should be fine, but a little more depth can’t hurt, especially if he ends up being out for a long time.

Team USA and Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. had a lopsided 15-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants in an exhibition tune-up. Witt had multiple hits leading off for a stacked Team USA lineup.

Vinnie Pasquantino’s grandpa “thinks [Team Italy] is in Italy.”

A new Royals Top 30 prospects list came out from MLB Pipeline, with catcher Carter Jensen leading the pack. Here are the system’s best graded tools according to the evaluators.

Hit: 55 – Jensen (Gamble)
Power: 60 – Jensen
Run: 70 – Angeibel Gomez
Arm: 65 – Josh Hammond
Defense: 65 – Asbel Gonzalez
Fastball: 70 – Dennis Colleran
Curveball: 65 – Michael Lombardi
Slider: 55 – David Shields (Steven Zobac, Justin Lamkin)
Changeup: 60 – Ben Kudrna (Hunter Patteson)
Cutter: 60 – Colleran
Control: 60 – Chourio

Kansas City Star’s Jaylon Thompson sits down with outfielder Kameron Misner, who joins the same team that drafted him out of high school.

Misner is a Poplar Bluff native. He knows all about the Kansas City Royals and has a little history with the organization. The Royals actually selected him in the 33rd round of the 2016 MLB Draft. It was a difficult choice to turn down the Royals. However, Misner decided to go to school — attending the University of Missouri — on a baseball scholarship. His decision was worth it. Misner was a 2017 Freshman All-American and set career marks during his junior season. It was enough for him to be selected by the Miami Marlins in the first round of the 2019 draft.

Royals Keep’s Philip Ruo ponders Marte’s role in Kansas City.

The short answer is that if everything goes right, Marte won’t need to feature in the starting lineup too often. The expectation is that he will offer the Royals added roster flexibility to start in place of the starters when needed and to provide rest to keep players fresh throughout the season.

The main area that Marte will be used against is left-handed pitching. The Royals greatly struggled against lefties in 2025. Despite the additions of right-handed Thomas and switch-hitting Collins, the outlook against lefties in 2026 was still not promising. Against lefties, Marte has posted a wRC+ above 100 in four of the last five seasons. Marte could offer relief for Collins or Caglianone in the corner outfield spots against lefties to help with the lineup’s overall production.

Kings of Kauffman’s Caleb Moody looks at another minor-league free agent standing out this spring.

Now, two weeks of spring training is hardly enough time to call any signing a home run, however when it comes to lesser-discussed minor league deals, performances like Pérez’s are definitely worth something.

Though it may only be a couple of outings, Pérez has lived up to the Royals low-risk commitment in him, not allowing a single earned run and sporting a 0.73 FIP, 0.75 WHIP and .200 BAA with a 40.0% K-rate.

Again, does this make Pérez an option for Kansas City’s 2026 bullpen? Likely not. However, what it does indicate is that he could be a much needed depth arm in their system, something they lacked last season.

David Lesky gave his analysis of the Marte addition at Inside the Crown.

The Athletic’s Keith Law puts out his first MLB Draft rankings.

His peer Jim Bowden also has good news on the ABS returns in spring training.

What are some major takeaways from the NFL Combine?

Lance Brozdowski provides some nuance to pitchers’ changes in Florida or Arizona weather.

MLB suspends Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar for the 2026 season after another positive PED test.

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas is looking to contest his suspension after an alleged failed PED test.

Boston Red Sox infielder Brendan Rogers is looking at shoulder surgery, according to manager Alex Cora.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Gavin Stone is facing his own shoulder issues in camp.

New York Mets pitcher Nolan McLean is “feeling better” after experiencing some odd symptoms last week.

Could the Minnesota Vikings pursue quarterback Kyler Murray?

The real-world environment is having an impact on the World Cup with 100 days to go.

Miami (Ohio) men’s basketball reaches 30 games in winning streak as March Madness looms large.

Pixar uses a familiar formula to fuel a new animal-human body-jumping movie.

Anthropic’s foray into headlines is paying off with AI users, as moral cloud hangs with the U.S. military.

Who is lining up for ice cream in single-digit weather?

Today’s song of the day is Mama Weer All Crazee Now from Quiet Riot.

Good morning. There are lots of team WBC previews on MLB dot com. I put several of them here, but if your favorite country isn’t mentioned, check out the official World Baseball Classic page and see if a preview is there.

• Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar has tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug for the second time and is now facing a 162-game suspension. Jeff Passan reports.
• Ken Rosenthal has more on the Profar positive test and probable suspension, (The Athletic sub. req.) which is being appealed.
• Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas is also appealing an 80-game ban for testing positive for a PED.
• The start of the World Baseball Classic just a day away. Here’s a preview from MLB dot com.
• Matt Snyder ranks his top ten teams of the WBC.
• Michael Clair has an excerpt from his new book about the Czech National Baseball team and the firefighter who led his team to their first WBC appearance.
• Phillies star Bryce Harper says that Team USA needs the same kind of swagger that the two US Olympic hockey teams had. Ian Casselberry reports.
• Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino talks about representing Team Italy and how his Italian grandfather can’t stop talking about it. Jordan Bastian reports.
• Brian McTaggart checks in Team Venezuela, who hope to turn around a series of disappointing results in the WBC.
• Team Mexico is a favorite dark horse choice for the WBC. Mexican general manager Rodrigo Lopez talks to Steve Gilbert about why Team Mexico is optimistic they can make a deep run.
• R.J. Anderson has ten prospects and international players to keep an eye on in the WBC.
• Michael Baumann tries to predict who might be the breakout prospect or international player in this edition of the WBC.
• Michael Clair fills out his WBC bracket.
• David Schoenfield wonders how many future Hall-of-Famers are playing in the 2026 WBC.
• Yankees star Aaron Judge, playing for Team USA, has nothing but praise for Giants rookie Bryce Eldridge, who is the only player in MLB taller than Judge is. (The Athletic sub. req.) Andrew Baggarly with the story.
• Bob Nightengale explains why new Giants manager Tony Vitello praised Bryce Harper, who gave Vitello useful advice as he takes his first professional job.
• Jay Jaffe evaluates the Yankees adding of outfielder Randal Grichuk on a minor league deal.
• Alden Gonzalez writes about how Shohei Ohtani’s goal this year is to win the Cy Young Award.
• Sonja Chen asks if the Dodgers are worried about Roki Sasaki’s spring struggles.
• Fabian Ardaya writes that the Dodgers continue to downplay Sasaki’s issues this spring. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Jordan Schusterman has six under-the-radar “x-factors” in Spring Training. Moisés Ballesteros is one of them.
• David Adler has the most impressive Statcast numbers from Spring Training.
• Michael Rosen looks at some exciting new pitches that have made their debut this spring.
• Ken Rosenthal makes the case as to why the Astros should trade third baseman Isaac Paredes. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Jorge Castillo breaks down the Mets big offseason makeover.
• Red Sox second baseman Brendan Rodgers will undergo shoulder surgery.
• David Schoenfield ranks the top positions in baseball from the most talented to the least.
• Mike Axisa has a preview of the AL East.
• Keith Law has his top 30 prospects in the upcoming draft. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• And finally, Max Scherzer reveals the story behind his daughter’s letter to the Blue Jays asking them to re-sign her dad. Scherzer called it the “cutest thing” and added that he and his wife did not send it to the Blue Jays, laughingly explaining that would be a bad negotiating strategy.