Worldwide Sports News

Previous Winner

Caden Bodine, C
22 | S/R| 5’10” | 200
A (BAL) | .326/.408/.349 (133 wRC+) 49 PA, 0 HR, 0 SB, 5 BB, 8 K

Drafted 30th overall in 2025, Bodine was acquired in the Shane Baz trade. He profiles as a relatively safe prospect thanks to 60 grade bat-to-ball skills, and comfortably-plus blocking and receiving behind the plate. There is some concern that his smaller frame limits him to fringe power, but those concerns are off-set by solid plate discipline from both sides of the plate; his sweeter swing is left handed. All catching prospects will see their value proposition shift with the challenge system, but his defensive actions, leadership, and receiving give him real value, projecting him as a solid major league contributor.

Rank	Player	Position	Votes	Total	Percentage	Last Season
1	Carson Williams	SS	14	25	56%	1
2	Brody Hopkins	RHP	19	25	76%	8
3	Jacob Melton	OF	14	28	50%	NA
4	Theo Gillen	OF	14	26	54%	13
5	Ty Johnson	RHP	12	25	48%	15
6	Daniel Pierce	SS	13	23	57%	NA
7	Jadher Areinamo	INF	15	28	54%	NA
8	TJ Nichols	RHP	13	28	46%	NR
9	Michael Forret	RHP	8	33	24%	NA
10	Santiago Suarez	RHP	11	30	37%	16
11	Anderson Brito	RHP	7	28	25%	NA
12	Xavier Isaac	1B	9	28	32%	3
13	Caden Bodine	C	10	25	40%	NA

Bodine settled in as the clear favorite early, finally finding his place at No. 13. Thanks to all for the several suggestions and votes in Testers. Not a pressing need for more yet, but feel free to fire another up if you feel led. Baumeister is added next.

Candidates

Jackson Baumeister, RHP
23 | 6’4” | 224
AA | 4.62 ERA, 4.15 FIP (15 GS) 62.1 IP, 19.5% K, 9.6% BB
AFL | 6 ER (1 HR), 9.0 IP (4 G, 3 GS), 10 K, 9 BB

A shoulder injury derailed what should have been Baumeister’s coming out party, as his previously plus breaking ball was expected to carve up Double-A. After a tough start to the year and two months on the sidelines, Baumeister returned in August with a brilliant finish to the year. The tough luck continued in the Arizona Fall League, where a line drive struck him in the head, but he escaped without significant injury. Currently, Baumeister has taken on a fastball/slutter profile, with a slow curve in his back pocket, and has shown teachability and pitchability over the years. The former Seminole currently thrives on his frequently used major league fastball that may be better challenged by a promotion to Triple-A.

Slater de Brun, OF
18 | L/L | 5’10” | 187

Drafted 37th overall in 2025, through a draft pick traded by the Rays, de Brun was essentially re-acquired in the Shane Baz trade. Like many Rays outfield prospects he’s not expected to develop much power, but compensates with an ability to hit to all fields, and has the benefit of years to develop. His hit tool rates plus thanks to a quick, compact swing, and his double-plus speed elevates both his baserunning and range in center; he has a solid arm and can stick long term. The key to his development will be improving pitch selection to maximize his power potential. Despite not yet playing in a pro game, he’s a good bet to skip the complex league and debut in Charleston this season.

Homer Bush Jr.
24 | R/R | 6’3” | 215
AA | .301/.375/.360 (122 wRC+) 546 PA, 0 HR, 57 SB, 8.8% BB, 17.9% K

Acquired in the 2024 Jason Adam trade, the starting center fielder at Double-A passed the test of advanced pitching, but just barely. He lacks in-game power due to a lack of use of his lower half in his swing, and he whiffed more often than you can for long term success with a low-power approach. His calling cards are Rays-grade defense and plus-speed, having notably swiped 57 bags in back-to-back seasons.

Nathan Flewelling, C
19 | L/R | 6’2” | 200
A | .229/.393/.336 (126 wRC+) 439 PA, 6 HR, 9 SB, 20.3% BB, 27.6% K
A+ | 22 PA, 4 H, 5 BB, 6 K

The 94th overall pick from 2024, Flewelling made his debut at 18 years young and caught a full season (75 C, 26 DH), plus a five game cup of coffee (3 C, 2 DH). Taking the longview, he could grow into 50-60 grade power with 50 grade defense, which makes him one to follow. His plus zone awareness at the plate offsets his lagging contact, and most importantly for the position his ability to call games and frame pitches are already plus. A strong season with the bat at High-A could vault him into Top-100 consideration.

Trevor Harrison, RHP
20 | 6’4” | 225
A | 2.61 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 82.2 IP (17 GS), 22.4% K, 10.7% BB
A+ | 3.33 ERA, 4.26 FIP, 24.1 IP (5 GS), 23.8% K, 12.4% BB

Harrison entered the season as Baseball America’s top pitcher in the system thanks to a cleaned up delivery and high heat. He ran into some bumps in the road by running up his pitch count against batters, but he still made it over 100 innings in 22 starts. A power pitcher through and through, his hard slider flirts with cutter classification and could evolve into two distinct pitches down the road. It will be interesting to see how his change up plays as he’s challenged at higher levels, but for now he has premium stuff and the upside of a rotation anchor. (video)

Tre’ Morgan, 1B/LF
23 | L/L | 6’0” | 215
AAA | .274/.398/.412 (119 wRC+) 402 PA, 8 HR, 8 SB, 15.9% BB, 19.2% K

Morgan continued to hit without power in 2025, a great discouragement for some evaluators, but his present 50-grade hit tool and feel for the zone allow a major league projection. He continued his improved, quieter two-strike approach in 2025 that built on his success retooling his swing in the AFL last year. The Rays gave Morgan 14 starts in Left Field last season, and Baseball America called the defense “playable,” but his value is tied to his plus-plus defense at First.

Aidan Smith, OF
21 | R/R | 6’2” | 190
A+ | .237/.331/.388 (114 wRC+) 459 PA, 14 HR, 41 SB, 11.5% BB, 31.2% K

Acquired in the Arozarena trade, Smith became the prince who was promised, a five tool athlete with a strong bat, good face, and a preternatural glove in center field. That promise unraveled a bit in 2025, with his strikeout rate rocketing nine percent and his power stroke faltering after facing harder velocities in High-A, causing both his hit and power grades to drop into the 40’s. It was a full transformation into a “center field” profile, but with his ceiling that’s not a compliment. He plays with a fire, but the dip in contact rate left some evaluators feeling burned.

Brendan Summerhill, OF
22 | L/R | 6’3” | 200
A | .333/.429/.444 (160 wRC+) 42 PA, 0 HR, 5 SB, 6 BB, 5 K

Following an All-Star performance at the Cape Cod summer league, Summerhill exhibited some of the best bat-to-ball skills in NCAA as a junior at Arizona. His draft stock took a minor hit due to injury (broken hand from from punching a cooler) and was drafted 42nd overall, but Summerhill rebounded well with a dominant stop at Charleston to finish the year. Summerhill has plus barrel control, allowing for a high-contact approach for his long swing. He has plus speed as well, which provides a chance to stick in center. Evaluators would like to see more power to complete a five-tool profile. Even if the power doesn’t materialize, it’s an above average contributor’s projection.

Brayden Taylor, 2B/3B
24 | L/R | 6’0” | 180
AA | .173/.289/.286 (77 wRC+) 437 PA, 8 HR, 17 SB, 14% BB, 27.7% K
AFL | .264/.400/.472 (.384 wOBA) 65 PA, 1 HR, 5 SB, 12 BB, 19 K

Taylor entered 2025 as a top-100 prospect after demolishing High-A (154 wRC+), and left 2025 as an afterthought on prospect lists, although he was selected as an Arizona Fall League “Fall Star” in between, where he worked to keep his chase rate low and his hard hit rate high. The juice must have been worth the squeeze, as the Rays have elected to invite Taylor to major league Spring Training this year.

Jose Urbina, RHP
20 | 6’3” | 180
A | 2.05 ERA, 3.58 FIP, 92.1 IP (19 GS), 26.4% K, 8.2% BB
A+ | 2 ER (2 HR), 4.0 IP (1 GS), 5 K, 0 BB

Good pitchers grow and adjust, and Urbina has done that consistently at an age young for his level. Physically he has grown in strength, sitting at 96 with the fastball after flashing high octane in 2024, and technically he has grown, refining his dialed up slider and his two-plane curveball into complementary pitches — which lack plus command but are thrown with feel. He shouldered a starter’s workload at 19, and was awarded one additional start at High-A, where he allowed two solo shots and struck out five. Overall, the age, body, and body of work have him on the trajectory of top prospect lists in the near future.

The Pirates’ offseason of trying hard apparently is still underway.

Pittsburgh, which has continuously finished as a runner-up for free agents this offseason, has emerged as one of the more aggressive clubs pursuing free agent lefty Framber Valdez, per The Athletic.

Valdez, 32 is arguably the best free agent still remaining with spring training around the corner.

A Valdez-Pirates pairing normally would be one to laugh at since, well, he costs money and the Pirates protect their money more than Scrooge McDuck.

However, Pittsburgh has been linked to various top free agents this offseason, including Kyle Schwarber and Eugenio Saurez, and perhaps there is some money available.

The Pirates’ big signing this offseason was first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, who inked a two-year, $29 million deal.

There is a difference between showing interest and actually getting across the finish line with a premier player and just attempting to sign him.

Pirates ownership is Public Enemy No. 1 among its fans, mostly due to its frugality, and at least being in the mix for free agents could help lessen some of that outroar.

Pittsburgh does have a potential aiding factor in its pursuit in new pitching coach Bill Murphy, who worked with Valdez in Houston and spent the last four years as one of the team’s pitching coaches.

Adding Valdez would give the Pirates a potentially potent rotation since he would pair with NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes, along with former top prospect Bubba Chandler and Mitch Keller.

Pittsburgh is joined by the Blue Jays in pursuit of Valdez, The Post confirmed, and the Orioles have also been linked to him throughout the offseason.

The Post’s Jon Heyman previously reported that Valdez is being patient, but he’s running out of time to land with a team before camp begins.

Valdez went 13-11 with a 3.66 ERA last year, and is 81-52 with a 3.36 ERA spanning his eight-season career with the Astros.

One factor that could be limiting his market is the qualifying offer attached to the southpaw since some teams may not want to hand out a lucrative contract plus draft compensation.

The Pirates, though, would only lose their third-highest draft pick as a revenue-sharing team.

2025 started with nothing but optimism. The team had landed the biggest free agent on the market in Juan Soto. They were stocked with talent and even brought back fan favourite Pete Alonzo. The season opened with the Mets playing some of their best baseball in their history, storming out to a 45-25 in the first half of the season. But in the second half, they stumbled, scuffling through July and August but still holding second place on the back of their astonishing number of wins banked in the first half. As of Sept. 8, the Mets owned a four-game lead over the Reds with 19 games remaining for a playoff spot. They had a 92.2% chance to reach the postseason, according to FanGraphs. From there, the Mets went 7-11 to fall out of their chance at the final wildcard, becoming just the third team during the wildcard era to win 45 out of their first 70 games and still miss the playoffs.

The Mets went into the 2026 with plans to make changes and they have been active this year. I reached out to Chris McShane at Amazin’ Avenue to discuss the Mets offseason so far and how their fans view the moves of their Front Office up until now.

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The Mets had a heck of an offseason, acquiring Bo Bichette, Devin Williams, Jorge Polanco, Luke Weaver, Marcus Semien, Luis Robert Jr., and Freddy Peralta but parted ways with Pete Alonso, Edwin Díaz, Jeff McNeil, Brandon Nimmo, Brandon Sproat and top prospect Jett Williams. What do fans think of this roller coaster?

The sequence of events over the course of this offseason certainly made it a roller coaster. While the most analytically-inclined Mets fans weren’t really sad to see any of the major departing players go, plenty of Mets fans were. And almost all of the significant additions were made after the four long-tenured major league players you’ve mentioned here were already gone. Surely there’s still a wide range of opinions among fans when it comes to expectations for the 2026 season, but people seem to generally think the team should be at least as good as it was going into the start of the 2025 season.

Toronto is still smarting about losing Bo, but there’s also a lot of confusion about the Mets paying a premium to slot him into a position he’s never played. Is it purely to bolster the lineup or is there a strategy to switch him to the hot corner?

While I can’t say I’ve seen enough of Bichette at shortstop to have formed any opinions about his work there, the Mets definitely addressed a big need in their lineup by signing him. The transition from short to third base seems like a fairly natural one to make, but the worst case scenario with Bichette—or with Jorge Polanco at first base—is that he spends more time than currently anticipated as the Mets’ designated hitter. In Bichette’s case, if Marcus Semien were to hit the injured list at any point, he could slide over to second base to fill in with Brett Baty playing his natural position at third.

Which players really took the biggest steps forward this year for the club?

Nolan McLean started the 2025 season in Double-A Binghamton and ended it at the major league level looking like a legitimate ace. He might not get the Opening Day start now that Freddy Peralta is in the rotation, but he is the most exciting pitcher on the Mets’ staff heading into this season.

The Mets have Canadian Jonah Tong knocking on the door for the majors, even if he did have a rough cup of coffee in 2025. Who is most likely to contribute from the farm in 2026 in a meaningful way?

While McLean is technically still a prospect because he threw few enough innings to retain that status, Carson Benge seems like the best answer to the spirit of this question. One of the best prospects in all of baseball, Benge had a fantastic season last year, and the fact that the Mets have thus far kept left field wide open is indicative of their confidence in his ability to win that job and run with it this year.

I’m still very high on Tong, and the struggles he had in his cup of coffee last year don’t really concern me much. Starting rotations rarely go according to plan over the course of a full season, and if an opportunity should arise, Tong will almost certainly get another shot. If that happens relatively early in the season, he could even make a bigger impact than Benge.

Of the remaining FAs, which would fit best for the Mets, even if it’s a bit of a stretch they’d land there?

I’d still love to see the Mets bring Chris Bassitt back, even if they already have a six-man rotation on paper. He’s been one of the best pitchers in the game when it comes to eating innings, and he’s done so pretty effectively over the past three seasons in Toronto. I’m not sure he’ll get back to a sub-3.50 ERA like the one that he had in 2022 with the Mets, but the durability combined with the way he dominated out of the bullpen in the playoffs last year would make me very happy if a reunion were to come about.

Assuming you could put on the ‘accept all trades’ button, what would an ideal but still realistic target be for you before ST starts?

The cost would be steep, I’m sure, but if the Padres were to deal Mason Miller, it would be pretty great to add him to the Mets’ bullpen. Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Brooks Raley, and eventually A.J. Minter should make the bullpen pretty good even if the other three or four spots aren’t great. But adding Miller to that mix would give them one of the better bullpens in the sport. Five of the pitchers in the Mets’ current six-man rotation had trouble going much longer than five innings per start last year. Even if that problem isn’t quite as bad this year, bolstering the bullpen with Miller would be a lot of fun.

Thanks Chris!

Dodgers spring training officially begins next week at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, so let’s take a look at the roster heading into camp. We’ll start first with the infielders, the deepest (and oldest) group on the team among position players.

Dodgers infielders hit .257/.332/.422 as a group in 2025, easily outpacing the outfielders at .240/.299/.415. The team upgraded heavily in the latter in signing Kyle Tucker, while the infielders are mostly the same group in 2026.

40-man roster infielders

• Freddie Freeman 1B
• Tommy Edman 2B/SS/3B/CF
• Mookie Betts SS
• Max Muncy 3B
• Miguel Rojas IF
• Hyeseong Kim 2B/SS/CF
• Alex Freeland SS/3B/2B

Things to watch

Will Mookie Betts find his bat? That Betts transformed from a longtime Gold Glove-winning outfielder into a capable major league shortstop defensively was remarkable, and kept him quite valuable even as his offense waned. Betts hit .258/.326/.406 with a 104 wRC+, worsts across the board in his 12-year career, in a season that began with a stomach virus that depleted his weight in March. Betts at Dodgers Fest on Saturday talked about his offseason plan to re-find his mojo at the plate.

Tommy Edman’s ankle: Edman had right ankle surgery in November, and his readiness for opening day might be in question. But there’s hope that the season as a whole will be healthier after being bothered by the ankle over the last year and a half, and playing only 134 games combined over the last two seasons. With Tucker on board, Edman’s time will probably be mostly spent on the dirt in 2026, playing second base for the bulk of his time.

Platoon at third base? Max Muncy missed significant time with injuries over the last two seasons, starting 162 games. That left time for eight other players to combine for the other 162 starts over the hot corner in 2024-25. Since the start of 2022, Muncy against left-handed pitchers has hit .165/.281/.375 with an 84 wRC+, with seasonal OPS of .679, .642, .743, and .594 against same-handed pitchers.

This might have been a role for Andy Ibáñez, who signed a one-year deal on January 13 (before Tucker signed) to likely mash lefties, with a career 115 wRC+ against southpaws. But he was designated for assignment on Tuesday. Miguel Rojas, who has a 121 wRC+ against lefties over the last two seasons, started 20 games at third base in 2025.

What role for Hyeseong Kim? The signee out of the KBO last season was exceptional defensively at second base but was overmatched at the plate down the stretch, ending at .280/.314/.385 with a 95 wRC+ and 30.6-percent strikeout rate after a hot start. Kim’s best opportunity at playing time probably rests in the fact that the ages of those above him on the depth chart are 36, 31, 33, 35, and 37 years old.

Welcome back, Kiké? It seemed highly likely that human security blanket Kiké Hernández would return once again to the Dodgers eventually this offseason. But with Ibáñez now out, a Hernández return seems even more inevitable. He might miss time at the beginning of the season after left elbow surgery in November, but as long as he’s healthy ready by October it’ll be fine. Hernández signed with the Dodgers on or after the first day of spring training camp in each of the last two seasons, if you’re wondering about the timing.

W-B-Seeya: Kim is the lone Dodgers infielder headed to the World Baseball Classic, which will keep him out of spring camp for at least two weeks or so. He’ll represent Korea in the WBC, which begins pool play in Tokyo on March 5.

Spring Training is officially less than a week away! We won’t quite be done ranking the top 44 prospects in the San Francisco Giants organization when it starts, but we’ll be getting fairly close!

Our next name is a player most people aren’t too familiar with, because he hasn’t yet donned a jersey for the Giants: it’s right-handed pitcher Reid Worley, who makes his CPL debut as the No. 36 prospect in the system.

Worley represents arguably the most exciting and combustable demographic in the draft: high school pitchers. The Giants took him out of Cherokee High School in Canton, Georgia in the ninth round of July’s draft, but his signing bonus — $747,500 — was in line with a late third-round pick, and was the third-highest mark the Giants gave out.

He’s on the older side for a prep prospect, as he turned 19 a few weeks before the draft, and will be debuting in his age-20 season, but the Giants are fairly enamored with him, for understandable reasons. Worley has a truly dynamic — and unique — slider that already has spin rates that would stand out in the Majors. Giants fans certainly have first-hand experience with the potential that can be unlocked with a tremendous slider.

Having such a great slider can only mean one thing: there’s some pressure on Worley’s fastball to play well enough form a one-two punch with the knockout slider, and that will be the biggest thing to watch when he debuts later this year, presumably in the Complex League rotation. For now he’s a fairly slight pitcher, but with the might of a professional organization behind him, he should be able to add some muscle and enhance his athleticism, and hopefully pump up his fastball from its current residence in low-90sville.

Personally, I always love prospects like Worley, because they’re so fun to follow. He has so much potential, but so many questions, and we know so little. He seems as good a candidate as any to be this year’s version of Argenis Cayama, Keyner Martinez, or Luis De La Torre, popping off and making a run for the top-10 in next year’s CPL. But it also wouldn’t be surprising in the least if he struggles through his professional debut, and he’s not even on the radar for next year’s list.

That’s why they play the games. And thankfully, those games are right around the corner.

Now let’s add another name to the list! As a reminder, voting now takes place in the comment section, using the “rec” feature.

The list so far

1. Bryce Eldridge — 1B
2. Josuar González — SS
3. Jhonny Level — SS
4. Bo Davidson — CF
5. Dakota Jordan — CF
6. Luis Hernández — SS
7. Gavin Kilen — SS
8. Carson Whisenhunt — LHP
9. Blade Tidwell — RHP
10. Keyner Martinez — RHP
11. Jacob Bresnahan — LHP
12. Trevor McDonald — RHP
13. Argenis Cayama — RHP
14. Luis De La Torre — LHP
15. Trevor Cohen — OF
16. Jesús Rodríguez — C
17. Parks Harber — OF/3B
18. Carlos Gutierrez — OF
19. Drew Cavanaugh — C
20. Daniel Susac — C
21. Gerelmi Maldonado — RHP
22. Josh Bostick — RHP
23. Lorenzo Meola — SS/2B
24. Will Bednar — RHP
25. Yunior Marte — RHP
26. Joe Whitman — LHP
27. Joel Peguero — RHP
28. Alberto Laroche — RHP
29. Trent Harris — RHP
30. Carlos De La Rosa — LHP
31. Diego Velasquez — 2B
32. Lisbel Diaz — OF
33. Maui Ahuna — SS
34. Cam Maldonado — OF
35. Victor Bericoto — OF/1B
36. Reid Worley — RHP

Note: Clicking on the above names will link to the CPL where they were voted onto the list.

No. 37 prospect nominees

Rayner Arias — 19.9-year old OF — .173 OPS/-42 wRC+ in Low-A (30 PA); .699 OPS/87 wRC+ in ACL (178 PA)

Sabin Ceballos — 23.5-year old 3B — .670 OPS/102 wRC+ in AA (420 PA)

Jack Choate — 24.9-year old LHP — 3.51 ERA/4.17 FIP in AA (102.2 IP)

Jakob Christian — 23.4-year old OF/1B — .950 OPS/155 wRC+ in High-A (92 PA); .815 OPS/119 wRC+ in Low-A (318 PA)

Reggie Crawford — 25.1-year old LHP — did not pitch in 2025; 1.04 ERA/4.07 FIP in AAA in 2024 (8.2 IP); 4.66 ERA/4.93 FIP in AA in 2024 (9.2 IP)

Note: Each player’s first name links to their Baseball-Reference page, and their last name links to their Fangraphs page. All stats are from the 2025 season.

The Phillies made their choice. It likely wasn’t the one you or I would have made, but it is one in which the fate of the Phils offense will likely rest.

Adolis Garcia will be the everyday right fielder in 2026. Nick Castellanos, although still technically a member of the Philadelphia Phillies as of this writing, will soon be gone. For a team that entered the off-season with major question marks in the outfield, Dave Dombrowski and the front office decided to go with Brandon Marsh and Otto Kemp in left field, rookie Justin Crawford in center and Garcia in right.

It was not inspired.

For a team in desperate need of some right-handed power, it is hoped Garcia will be able to do what Castellanos has not during his time in Philly — bring consistent pop in the middle of the lineup.

Oh sure, Nick had his moments. For a little while there, the 2023 playoffs were his plaything.

For all his warts, Castellanos could do damage when he was hot. Unfortunately, that wasn’t all that often.

Enter Adolis Garcia, who is the most important player in the Phillies’ 2026 lineup.

Why Garcia? We know Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber are the heartbeats, and we know what they’re going to be. All three have consistently produced to the backs of their baseball cards (and then some) over the last two seasons, but the lineup tumbles off a cliff once the No. 4 spot shows up. The Phils have simply not received enough production from the middle of the order the last two seasons, and the hope is Garcia will fix that particular issue.

Over the last two seasons, the No. 4 spot in the lineup has produced 42 home runs, 23rd in MLB. Their .411 slugging percentage ranks 18th. Their .726 OPS is 19th. Alec Bohm has accumulated the most at-bats in the cleanup spot over the last two years, leading the team with 12 dingers in 550 plate appearances. Schwarber has 157 PAs batting cleanup and has 10 homers. Castellanos had the 2nd-most plate appearances hitting fourth, he hit 9 bombs, followed by J.T. Realmuto’s 8 home runs in 259 PAs. Outside of Schwarber, Bohm is the only Phillies player with a wRC+ that is at least league average (wRC+ 100) batting cleanup.

• Bohm: 100
• Realmuto: 85
• Castellanos: 78

Marsh has just 46 PAs hitting cleanup, most of them coming after entering games as a pinch hitter against a left-handed pitcher, hence his 146 wRC+ and .526 slugging percentage in those instances.

Fans have been crying for the Phils to add a legitimate right-handed bat with pop all off-season. Heck, the last two seasons, and they rightfully doubt Garcia is the answer. Given their failed pursuit of Bo Bichette last month, Dombrowski and the front office indicated he thought there was room for improvement as well.

And yet, the Phillies chose not to pursue 3B Eugenio Suarez, who hit 49 home runs a season ago and signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the Reds, $5 million more than Bohm will earn in 2026. Here is how those two players performed last year:

• Suarez: 125 wRC+, 49 HRs, 118 RBIs, 3.8 fWAR
• Bohm: 105 wRC+, 11 HRs, 59 RBIs, 1.7 fWAR

Bohm is the de facto choice to hit cleanup for the Phillies as spring training gets underway due to his ability to hit for average and get on base. Comparing Garcia and Bohm over the last two years, Bohm has been the superior player.

• Bohm: 4.4 bWAR, 1,110 PAs, 288 hits, 26 HRs, 156 RBIs, 7 SB, .283/.332/.430, .762 OPS, 109 OPS+
• Garcia: 3.1 bWAR, 1,184 PAs, 245 hits, 44 HRs, 160 RBIs, 24 SB, .225/.278/.397, .675 OPS, 96 OPS+

Of course, for a cleanup hitter, home runs are a pretty big deal, and Garcia has far outpaced him in that category. Garcia also has a higher ceiling than Bohm, as evidenced by his 2021-23 campaigns.

• Garcia 2021: 3.9 bWAR, 31 HRs, 90 RBIs, .741 OPS, 100 OPS+
• Garcia 2022: 3.7 bWAR, 27 HRs, 101 RBIs, .756 OPS, 108 OPS+
• Garcia 2023: 4.5 bWAR, 39 HRs, 107 RBIs, .836 OPS, 127 OPS+

Dombrowski knows how badly the team needed right-handed power in the middle of the lineup, and yet his ultimate decision was to sign Garcia to a one-year deal early on in free agency. They hope Garcia will resemble something similar to what he was during his three years of glory in Texas.

That ceiling is what makes Garcia the most important part of the Phillies lineup in 2026.

We know what Bohm can and cannot do. We know what Realmuto is at this stage of his career. We know Otto Kemp is not the answer. We know Brandon Marsh and Bryson Stott are decent, if unspectacular offensive performers. And we know that Castellanos didn’t have anything left in the tank, either.

For this offense to work, Garcia will need to hit a bunch of bombs and not be a disaster in terms of getting on base. Most projection models don’t see a return to the type of glory he experienced during his elite three-year run as one of the game’s biggest power threats (stats via Fangraphs).

Even these numbers likely puts Garcia second or third on the team in home runs, although they still show him as a relative average-to-below average offensive players for his position. But, optimistically, if Garcia can perform a bit better than these numbers and provide 30-35 home runs hitting behind Turner, Schwarber and Harper, it could make all the difference.

Suddenly, there would be a real power threat in the middle of the lineup, allowing Bohm, Realmuto, Marsh and Stott to slide into more comfortable positions. It would also relieve pressure on Justin Crawford to produce right away.

For the Phillies offense to hum in 2026, Garcia must be better in 2026 than he has been the last two years. It could make all the difference as the Phils try to win a third-straight division title.

The Detroit Tigers have had some great pitchers in their long history, but few made their mark the way left-hander Mickey Lolich did. The hero of the 1968 World Series passed away at age 85 on Wednesday.

Lolich was the ultimate combination of workhorse and ace. He pitched 16 seasons, covering 3638 1/3 innings with a career 3.44 ERA. He struck out 2832 hitters in that span, putting him 23rd all-time, putting him right between Mike Mussina and Jim Bunning, only three behind Clayton Kershaw and three ahead of Frank Tanana. Lolich remains fifth all-time in strikeouts among left-handed pitchers.

Michael Stephen Lolich was born on September 12, 1940 in Portland, Oregon. Right-handed in everything else, a childhood accident broke his left collarbone, and the rehabilitation efforts strengthened his left arm and eventually was credited with him throwing southpaw. He was a dominant pitcher in high school, setting numerous state records before the Tigers signed him as an amateur free agent in 1958. He played with the Knoxville Smokies and the Durham Bulls in the minor leagues, reaching the Triple-A level with the old Denver Bears in 1962.

He struggled in Triple-A and ended up fighting with the Tigers over his status and getting suspended after he refused a reassignment to Double-A. He then proceeded to get on track and was reclaimed in 1963. The rest was history as the lefty started 18 games in ‘63 with a 3.55 ERA and a 5-9 record. Some good seasons followed, but it really wasn’t until the 1968 World Series run that Lolich really came into his own as one of the more dominant arms of his era.

Denny McLain was the star of the regular season with one of the great years of any pitcher all-time. Meanwhile, Lolich struggled late in the season and was briefly relegated to the bullpen. He emerged instead as the hero of the 1968 World Series, spinning three complete games in Games 1, 5, and 7. He added a solo shot of his own in Game 1, and allowed just five runs total across those 27 innings of work. His Game 7 complete game in which he allowed one run came on just two days rest. Manager Mayo Smith asked for five innings, but because Lolich was going toe-to-toe with Bob Gibson and pitching great, Smith left him in and eventually Lolich returned to the dugout after a frame and told Smith he was going to finish this out for him. The rest was history.

That triumphant postseason set Lolich off into the best stretch of his career from 1969 to 1975, all with the Tigers. Noted for his sinker and impressive velocity when he wanted extra, Lolich developed a cutter in 1971 that really propelled him even higher. His career started winding down after he and Billy Baldwin were traded to the Mets in December 1975 for Rusty Staub and Bill Laxton. He had a solid season with the Mets but then sat out the 1977 season before returning for two years as a reliever with the Padres for two seasons. His final appearance was September 23, 1979, when he was 39 years old.

Lolich is a member of the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, and also the Croatian-American Sports Hall of Fame, but he never got that much support for his National Baseball Hall of Fame candidacy. In 2003, he was on the final ballot for the Veteran’s Committee along with 26 other players, but wasn’t elected. He topped out on the regular ballot at 25.5 percent of the vote in 1988.

Based on his 64.6 fWAR, career ERA, legendary capstone performance in the ‘68 World Series, and the fact that he remains 23rd all-time in strikeouts, he deserves another look. Lolich was a bridge between the workhorses of the era and the higher strikeout arms that rule the game today.

Lolich is survived by his wife of 61 years, Joyce, his daughters Kimberly, Stacy, and Jody, as well as three grandsons.

Mickey Lolich’s legacy, on and off the field, will forever be cherished. 💙🧡 pic.twitter.com/0imKYd4O91

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) February 4, 2026

A statement from Willie Horton on the passing of his teammate Mickey Lolich: pic.twitter.com/EpKDwjfQs9

— Detroit Tigers (@tigers) February 4, 2026

When it comes to pitching, top-end talent is crucial. So, too, is depth. The ability to find pitchers to “eat innings” — entering in lower-leverage situations or filling in the back end of rotations and pitching competitively — can help reduce wear on the rest of the staff. Sometimes, those supposed innings eaters end up transcending the moniker, ascending to a higher-leverage role with more prominence and consequence.

After parts of eight seasons with the Athletics, Paul Blackburn was dealt to the Mets at the 2024 Trade Deadline. His career had been marked by flashes of talent — headlined by a strong rookie campaign at the age of 23 when he posted a 3.22 ERA in 10 starts — but waylaid repeatedly by injury. The move to Queens gave the veteran an opportunity to demonstrate his ability to contribute to a competitor. Instead, in a little over a calendar year, he struggled mightily, allowing 35 runs in 48 innings and 11.6 hits per nine. The Mets cut their losses last August; that’s when he moved across town.

2025 Stats (with Mets and Yankees): 39 IP, 6.23 ERA, 4.39 FIP, 1.51 WHIP, 7.8 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 1.4 HR/9, 0.2 fWAR

2026 ZiPS Projections: 81.2 IP, 4.96 ERA, 4.65 FIP, 1.40 WHIP, 7.1 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 1.3 HR/9, 0.8 fWAR

Blackburn caught on with the Yankees shortly after the Mets released him. His new team was in dire need of a warm body in their bullpen amidst a rash of injuries. The right-hander’s first appearance in pinstripes was a disaster, a seven-run implosion to spare the rest of the relief corps that raised his season ERA above 8.00. From that point onwards, though, Blackburn was a pleasant surprise for the Bombers, allowing just two more earned runs in 12 innings across seven appearances. He was used mostly in blowouts, finishing off five Yankees victories out of the ‘pen.

This late-season surge and ability to throw multiple innings made him a somewhat surprising addition to the team’s playoff roster. He made one appearance against Toronto in the ALDS, allowing four runs in 1.1 innings to exacerbate what was already a Game 1 blowout.

A free agent after the season, Blackburn was re-signed by the Yankees in mid-January to a one-year, $2 million deal. With the team expected to begin the season without starters Gerrit Cole, Clarke Schmidt, and Carlos Rodón and having lost back-end relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver to free agency, the 32-year-old provides some depth at a low price. The big question is where he is likely to be used. His new contract could offer a clue. Blackburn’s deal has incentives built in that would award him a $100,000 bonus if he reaches 80 innings and another $100,000 for each additional 10 innings he pitches up to 120. Only five pitchers threw at least 80 innings in relief last season in all of baseball, with only one reaching 90, meaning he would realistically need an extended opportunity as a starter to reach any of those inning plateaus.

Conversely, Blackburn’s early Yankees trajectory bears an intriguing similarity to a recent success story. Weaver joined New York in September of 2023, making three appearances down the stretch. When he re-signed to a one-year, $2.5 million contract the following season, however, the former starter was moved to the bullpen full-time where he excelled, emerging as the Yankees’ closer during their 2024 pennant run.

Does Blackburn’s stuff project to the bullpen? After featuring his cutter as a primary pitch during much of his time with the Mets, the right-hander reverted to using his sinker more late last season. He employed it particularly often against his fellow righties, though they hit .333 against the pitch. Against lefties, his top pitch remained the cutter, though lefties hit .417 against it. Across the board, Blackburn’s breaking pitches were more effective, with opponents batting .250 against his sweeper and curveball.

ZiPS projects Blackburn to appear in 21 games, 15 of them starts, in what amounts to a swingman role (though that would presently appear to be filled by Ryan Yarbrough). And, while they expect some positive regression from his dreadful 6.23 ERA last year, the projection tool still has him pushing a 5.00 ERA. Realistically, re-signing Blackburn is a low-risk, low-reward play for the Yankees. Whether in the rotation or the bullpen, the veteran should get some opportunities early to show what he can contribute as the team works around injuries to several starters and a bullpen in flux.

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