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Slugger Eugenio Suárez is fresh off a season that saw him thwack 49 home runs and be valued at 3.8 fWAR (3.6 bWAR). He reached free agency at season’s end and signed a one-year deal to return to the Cincinnati Reds, the club that traded for him prior to the 2015 season – and the club for whom he thwacked 189 homers across 7 years previously in his career.

Despite the successes at the plate Suárez saw for the bulk of the 2025 season, the Reds managed to land him for just a $15 million guarantee for 2026, well below the three-year, $63 million predicted by the fine folks at MLB Trade Rumors earlier in the offseason. Perhaps it was the high strikeout rate, or the suppressed offensive numbers Suárez put up in the tough hitting environment in Seattle, but it’s pretty clear something suppressed the now 34 year old slugger’s value enough that he landed in Cincinnati’s lap for a year.

It certainly could have had something to do with the nature of this particular free agent class, one that featured a number of high-caliber sluggers. Kyle Schwarber and Kyle Tucker, for instance, were out there on the open market, as were each of Pete Alonso, Josh Naylor, Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman, and Cody Bellinger for every team looking to add thump to their lineup. Suárez, it seems, got overlooked just enough by other teams for the Reds to be able to pounce for cheap, and there’s every chance that Geno gets to hit free agency next year – when there’s expected to be a much lighter supply of sluggers – with a bit more leverage.

But, what if the Reds have already positioned themselves to have a little leverage here, too?

Suárez, who’ll turn 35 years old in July, has somehow managed to make it to this point in a career that’s seen him hit 325 homers and accrue 33.1 fWAR without ever having been issued a Qualifying Offer. That’s largely due to the long-term contract extension he signed with the Reds the first time he was in town, one that kept him signed despite trades from Cincinnati to Seattle, Seattle to Arizona, and from Arizona back to Seattle along the way. Somehow, this past winter – at age 34 – Geno was a free agent for the first time, but since he’d been traded mid-season the Mariners were not able to issue him a QO at season’s end.

If he stays with Cincinnati for the duration of the 2026 season, though, the Reds could issue him a QO at season’s end, much the same way they did with Nick Martinez one winter ago. And given that Geno only found a one-year, $15 million market for his age-34 season after swatting 49 homers and posting 3.8 fWAR, it’s hard to see there being a significantly bigger market for him entering an age-35 season even if he completely replicates the production in 2026 that he did last year.

(By default, that fWAR mark it going to be much more difficult to get to since he’ll be asked to DH much, much more than he ever has, and therefore won’t get granted any value at all from his glove.)

Granted, next winter could see a free agent slugger class devoid of the franchise-altering names that were available this winter. For all their talents, Randy Arozarena, Seiya Suzuki, and George Springer entering his age-37 season don’t quite move the needle the way the previously mentioned group did. So, if Suárez does manage to go nuclear while playing another season in Great American Ball Park, there’s always the chance he finds richer pastures than what he’d get by simply accepting a QO from the Reds – something that’ll be akin to $23 million for the 2027 season. But even then, the Reds would get a draft pick out of the deal if Geno turned down the QO and found a better deal elsewhere.

So, there’s a chance Suárez could already be on a two-year, ~$38 million deal with the Reds, effectively, though there’s still a number of scenarios that let the Reds off that hook if they so desire.

Obviously, a poor year by Geno could allow the Reds to eschew even issuing him the QO at season’s end and allow him to simply reach free agency with no strings attached. That would effectively make it as if the Reds had a team option for him for 2026 that the declined with no buyout.

Things could very well go sideways for the Reds during the 2026 season, too, at which point they could trade Geno to someone else in July and escape even having to make these decisions. They could even decide to do that if things in town are going well, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Sal Stewart and Spencer Steer all hit well, and the fit simply doesn’t seem as obvious as it did this winter.

However, if the guy they turned to for his ability to sock baseballs over the fence continues to excel at that again in 2026 and they determine they want his gum-bubble ability back for a second year, well, that decision may well have already been made for them.

When evaluating a farm system, it always starts with the top-level prospects, and the Mets have some top-level ones in Nolan McLean and Carson Benge, both of whom should make a significant impact on the 2026 Mets. That means those two names are going to be graduating off prospect lists in the coming months.

The true sign of a functioning, quality farm system is its depth, and prospects who are not spoken about much, breaking out. Things can change quickly in the prospect landscape. An example: A.J. Ewing was not ranked in my Top 30 list this time last year, and he now is ranked No. 3 in the 2026 iteration and is considered a consensus Top 100 prospect.

Here are four under-the-radar prospects to keep an eye on heading into 2026.

1B/OF Randy Guzman

Guzman is teetering on no longer being “under the radar,” but he is a new name that is beginning to crack Top 30 lists for the first time.

The No. 19 prospect in the Mets system was signed as an international free agent in 2022 out of the Dominican Republic as a smaller-scale signing for $10,000. He is the younger brother of former Top 100 prospect Ronald Guzman.

After struggling in two stints in the Dominican Summer League, Guzman had a breakout 2025 in his first season stateside. In 75 games between the Complex League and Low-A St. Lucie, he hit .302 with a .898 OPS. He also added 22 doubles, 10 home runs and drove in 57 runs.

Guzman possesses the second-best power tool in the system, behind only Ryan Clifford. He has plus bat speed and his batted ball data was elite in the Florida State League. He consistently was able to barrel the ball and hit the ball hard. His 108.8mph 90th percentile exit velocity was at the top of the FSL, and he had a max EV of 112 mph.

Swing and miss is a part of his game, but the issue is more with chasing offspeed out of the zone. His in-zone contact rate of 82.7 is slightly above average. With some approach adjustments and continuing his special batted ball data, Guzman could take a big leap in 2026.

RHP Camden Lohman

The Mets drafted Lohman in the eighth round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Fort Zumwalt North HS in Missouri. He received the third biggest signing bonus in the class at $797,500 to lure him away from a Missouri commitment. His bonus equated to roughly the value of the 96th overall selection, a third-round pick.

He was drafted as a projectable 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds. The Mets put him on a strength and nutrition program, and he is already up nearly 20 pounds, reporting to camp around 212 pounds.

The No. 26 ranked prospect in the system was a late bloomer as a pitcher, but is up to 95-96 mph on his fastball and shows the natural ability to spin a slider and curveball. The Mets are also working with him on adding a changeup to his arsenal.

With the Mets' recent history of developing pitchers whom they drafted in the middle rounds, Lohman stands out as a high upside arm that will get his first taste of pro ball in 2026.

INF/OF Yunior Amparo

Amparo was another value international signing as a bit of a later sign. He signed in August of 2024 as an 18-year-old for $10,000.

He had a strong pro debut in 50 games in the Dominican Summer League, hitting .312 with a .903 OPS. He hit four home runs, stole 16 bases and had more walks (26) than strikeouts (24).

Mets people laud his bat-to-ball skills and he flashed some good exit velocity numbers despite a 6-foot, 170-pound frame. As he physically matures, there is belief that there is more impact in the bat to come.

Amparo is a hyper-versatile player, having played every single position on the diamond except catcher and pitcher in 2025.

He is following a trend where the Mets are going to focus on promoting the bat-to-ball type prospects stateside quicker. Amparo will likely start 2026 in the Complex League. While he did not crack the Top 30 prospects list, it should not be surprising if he makes it in there next year.

OF Yonatan Henriquez

The Mets signed Henriquez as an international free agent in 2022 out of the Dominican Republic.

He had a very strong second half with Low-A St. Lucie, posting a .916 OPS and carrying that over to his small sample size at High-A Brooklyn at the end of the season. He began to impact the baseball more as the season went on, averaging 89.5 mph exit velocities, which is a borderline plus number. His max EV of 108 mph was an average number, but he is working on his bat speed, so there could be more in the tank.

He is an above-average athlete with speed. In 2025, he played all over the diamond defensively, but the Mets will focus primarily on center field with him while keeping some versatility in the dirt, likely at second and third. He should start the 2026 season back with Brooklyn and is another name to keep an eye on that did not crack the top 30 prospect list this run, but could within the calendar year.

The Good Phight will be previewing the 2026 season by going over each position on the field. We’ll talk about the players that will occupy them, the players behind them, their strengths and weaknesses and give a few takes about how we think the season will shake out.

It’s no secret that the backbone of the Phillies success in recent seasons has been their pitching, specifically their starting pitching. Since 2023, the Phillies rotation ranks first in innings pitched (2,731.2), third in ERA (3.88), fourth in WHIP (1.21), and first in FIP (3.78). That dominance continued in 2025, as the Phillies starters led by Cy Young runner up Cristopher Sánchez were first in innings pitched, (929.2), second in ERA (3.53), and fifth in WHIP (1.18).

But entering 2026, there are some legitimate questions in the rotation for the first time in a long time.

The rotation: Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Zack Wheeler*, Aaron Nola, Andrew Painter

Sánchez continued his ascension in 2025 and cemented his status as the best left-handed starting pitcher in baseball not named Tarik Skubal and one of the best starters overall. He was first among pitchers in bWAR (8.0), third in fWAR (6.4) and fifth in ERA (2.50) while throwing a career-high 202 innings and collecting a career-best 202 strikeouts. Sánchez’ signature changeup graded out in the 100th percentile among all offspeed pitches in baseball, giving him one of the very best pitches overall in the game. He will look to continue his dominance in 2026.

Luzardo came to the Phillies in a preseason trade and turned in the best all-around season of his career. He set career highs in games started (32), innings pitched (183.2), and strikeouts (216). The lefty was one of the best strikeout artists among starters in 2025, ranking fourth in K/9 (10.6) and sixth in strikeout rate (28.5%). Luzardo wasn’t far behind Sánchez in fWAR either, with his 5.3 mark the sixth best in baseball. His first season in Philadelphia surpassed most expectations and earned him a new contract extension. With that contract comes raised expectations. The Phillies are counting on Luzardo to continue to improve and, most importantly, put together another healthy season, as he has never had back-to-back 20 start seasons in his seven-year career.

Perhaps the biggest question mark in the rotation is the health and status of Zack Wheeler. It’s an odd thing to say, as Wheeler has been both an ace of aces and a workhorse since arriving in Philadelphia, but he is still working his way back from thoracic outlet surgery. He will not be ready by Opening Day, but it appears he may not be far behind as he is back to throwing bullpen sessions. No matter when Wheeler comes back however, no one knows exactly how the now 36-year-old Wheeler will perform after undergoing such surgery.

If Wheeler is the biggest question, the second biggest question has to be Andrew Painter. The Phillies top pitching prospect finally looks primed to make his MLB debut after missing almost two full years with a torn UCL and then recovery from Tommy John surgery. Still just shy of 23, Painter will be asked with holding down the fifth spot in the Phillies rotation. His return to the mound at Triple-A last season did not go well and there are legitimate concerns over whether he can regain his pre-injury fastball shape.

Painter has pitched well enough so far this spring, but his velocity dropped significantly in his most recent start, another issue he suffered in Lehigh last year, and he was chased from the start in the third inning. The Phillies don’t need Painter to be a star right away, but they do need him to provide some sort of meaningful production in a back of the rotation role.

Aaron Nola meanwhile is looking to rebound from a truly disastrous, injury-filled 2025 that saw him make 17 starts while saddled with an unsightly 6.01 ERA and a 5-10 record. Simply put, 2025 Aaron Nola was one of the worst starting pitchers in baseball. Now healthy, Nola has looked sharp this spring, crediting his participation in the World Baseball Classic with Team Italy for helping him get into shape sooner. His velocity is way up from this time last year and is much closer to his career average.

Nola has averaged 205 innings pitched a season in his career. The Phillies need him to be a steady, middle of the rotation innings eater with the status of Wheeler and Painter up in the air. It would be hard to be much worse than 2026, but is a rebound to form closer to 2023 Nola (4.46 ERA) or 2024 Nola (3.57 ERA)?

The backup: Taijuan Walker

Walker will actually start the season in the rotation with Wheeler’s absence, but we’ll put him here because he occupies much more of a traditional swing-man role on this team. In that role last year, Walker appeared in 34 games including 21 starts and finished with an ERA of 4.08 in 123.2 IP that was right around the league average. Walker adopted something of a kitchen sink junkballer profile, as he threw six types of pitches in 2025. The most notable change was a plummeting of his fastball rate to a career-low 9.5% while raising his cutter usage to a career-high 30.1%, making it his most used pitch. Opponents hit .244 off of that cutter with a slugging percentage of .480 though, meaning it wasn’t some magical elixir that cured all of Walker’s previous struggles in 2024.

Nevertheless, the approach worked in 2025 and allowed Walker to give the Phillies much needed quality innings as injuries hit their rotation. Will it work again or will Walker’s still poor contact rate spell a harsh regression to the mean?

The depth: Jean Cabrera, Yoniel Curet, Alan Rangel, ???

A general lack of starting pitching depth is a bit of a leaguewide epidemic, but the Phillies in particular are razor thin in the department. The impending promotion of Painter and the mid-season trade of Mick Abel has depleted the Phillies of their upper-minors rotation depth, so much so that 24-year-old Cabrera, who has yet to pitch above Double-A, is possibly their best option in the event of a long-term injury.

Curet appeared in 16 total games in the Rays system last year and had a 6.07 ERA in eight games at Triple-A. Rangel has allowed 9 runs in 7.2 innings pitched this spring. Philadelphia brought in Bryse Wilson and Tucker Davidson as non-roster invitees to spring training, with Wilson possibly being in line for a spot on the 40-man roster after a decent spring.

Strengths: The ability to pitch deep into gameswhile keeping pitchers (mostly) healthy

The Phillies are a bit of an outlier in that they allow their starters to pitch deep into games, as they are one of just five teams to have had multiple pitchers (2) throw at least 180 innings in 2025. In 2024, they had three pitchers accomplish the feat, one of only two teams along with the Seattle Mariners to have at least three starters cross that innings threshold. Manager Rob Thomson and the Phillies have been able to accomplish this while mostly avoiding major injuries, with Wheeler and Nola being exceptions in 2025.

Weaknesses: Lack of depth

As we’ve already touched on, the Phillies have next to nothing in the way of starting pitching depth outside of the Majors. It is nigh impossible to keep all five starters healthy and on schedule all season, despite the Phillies relatively good track record of starter health. You will need players to make spot starts here and there to get through a long season. That’s not even counting that the Phillies are already down Wheeler to start and Painter is likely on some sort of total innings limit. Outside of Walker, the Phillies really don’t have anything even remotely close to reliable rotation depth. They simply cannot afford to suffer a major injury to this position.

Hottest take: Cristopher Sánchezstarts the 2026 All-Star Game

It’s no secret that Sánchez deserved to be named an All-Star last season, but instead he was snubbed in a series of events that led to Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski being named to the All-Star team despite only having five career starts at the time. This year the All-Star game will be held in Philadelphia and the wrongs will be righted, as Sánchez will be the one toeing the rubber for the National League when the game begins.

Realistic take: The rotation takes a step back, but is still among the league best

The Phillies will go as far as their rotation takes them. They should reasonably feel good about Sánchez and Luzardo heading into 2026, but everything else has varying degrees of uncertainty surrounding it. It’s because of that uncertainty that it’s reasonable to expect a step back. At a minimum, a rookie is taking the place of Ranger Suárez and Wheeler is coming off of major surgery at 36 years old.

With that being said, having Sánchez and Luzardo is a great start to a very good rotation. If the rest of the rotation can even perform to modest expectations, the Phillies will once again have a very good rotation, albeit maybe one in the top ten rather than the top five.

With the 2025 Texas Rangers season having come to an end, we shall be, over the course of the offseason, taking a look at every player who appeared in a major league game for the Texas Rangers in 2025.

Today we are looking at reliever Robert Garcia.

In the 2024-25 offseason, one of the Rangers moves that immediately looked like a coup was sending first baseman Nathaniel Lowe to the Washington Nationals in exchange for relief pitcher Robert Garcia.

Lowe wasn’t a bad player for the Rangers, by any means. Acquired from the Rays by the Rangers in the 2020-21 offseason, in a deal that was viewed in these parts with a fair amount of skepticism, there seemed to be an inherent bias against Nathaniel Lowe in these parts. After all, if Tampa Bay was giving him up, there must be something wrong with him. And the Rangers were in full-fledged rebuild mode at the time, so trading three prospects — Heriberto Hernandez, Osleivis Basabe, and Alexander Ovalles — for a current major leaguer without a huge ceiling seemed counterintuitive, even if the major leaguer in question had not yet accumulated even a year’s worth of service time.

That deal worked out great for Texas, as Lowe put up 11.2 bWAR over four seasons for Texas, while Tampa got 94 unproductive plate appearances from Basabe and nothing from Hernandez and Ovalles. None of the three are with Tampa anymore. The Giants purchased Basabe from the Rays a year ago. Ovalles was released after 2023, played Indy ball in 2024, and now appears to be out of baseball. Hernandez became a minor league free agent after 2024 and signed with Miami, for whom he had a nice 2025 season as a COF/DH, though in just 87 games.

By the end of the 2024 season, however, it was becoming clear that Lowe’s time with the Rangers was likely coming to an end. Texas had gotten two pre-arbitration years out of him and two relatively cheap arbitration years after that, but Lowe was now getting more expensive, especially given that he had seemingly plateaued as a good-OBP, middling power, decent starting first baseman. Projected to make $10-12 million in arbitration in 2025, Lowe still had some value, but the delta between open market value and arbitration value was shrinking, and he was only under team control through 2027.

There was talk that Lowe was a non-tender candidate, though that always seemed misguided, since it seemed clear that there would be some market for him at his still less than market value 2025 salary and the potential team control for 2026. It wouldn’t necessarily be a big return, but you’d get something of value for Lowe, it seemed, from a contender (or wanna-be contender) needing a short-term fix at first base.

So the Rangers trading Lowe wasn’t a surprise.

What was a surprise, however, was that Nathaniel Lowe was traded to the Washington Nationals, a bad team that seemed to be in the latter stages of a lengthy rebuild, but was still in rebuild mode.

And not only did Lowe get traded to Washington — the Rangers got in return what appeared to be a pretty good young reliever, one with five years of team control and a full compliment of options remaining.

Yes, at first glance, Robert Garcia wasn’t anything to get excited about, having put up a 4.03 ERA in 91 innings over 97 games for the Marlins and Nationals (well, mainly the Nationals, who claimed him off waivers in 2023 after Garcia had pitched in one game for Miami) in a season plus two months. But Garcia had a 2.78 FIP and a sub-3 xERA in that span. His 4.22 ERA in 2024 belied an impressive K rate of 11.3 per 9, a 2.38 FIP, and a 2.52 xERA, with a .329 BABIP and 57.2% strand rate driving the high ERA and seemingly owing to bad luck and bad defense.

The Rangers appeared to have got themselves a really good reliever, at a relatively low price.

Garcia ended up being a significant part of the Rangers’ no-name bullpen in 2025, and was, I think, a mixed bag. In a reverse of 2024, his xERA (3.81) and FIP (3.71) were significantly worse than his 2.95 ERA. Garcia saw his K rate drop and his walk rate and home run rate jump up.

To be clear, Garcia’s peripherals weren’t bad in 2025 — his K rate was above average and his walk rate about average. He generated a lot of swings and misses, and he avoided hard contact, with a hard-hit rate of 91%. He went from being a ground ball pitcher in 2024, however, to being a fly ball pitcher in 2025, and ended up getting victimized more often by the long ball.

It seemed as well like fans lost trust in him as the season went on. Garcia got a reputation for being someone who would perform well in low pressure situations, but cratered when the game was on the line.

Garcia ended up getting tagged with 8 losses on the season, which seems like a lot. He tied for third in losses for the Rangers in 2025, with Jacob deGrom. Among pitchers who had at least 90% of their appearances coming out of the bullpen in 2025, the only other guys with at least that many losses were his new teammate, Tyler Alexander (14 losses, 12 in relief) and Brandon Eisert (8 losses, all in relief). Garcia’s 8 losses in relief were tied for the second most in the 21st century for a Ranger pitcher, behind Neal Cotts, who picked up 9 L’s in 2014, and tied with Francisco Cordero, who had 8 L’s in 2003.

Exacerbating that perception was that Garcia had an especially bad stretch in the first half of August, when the Rangers were fighting to stay in the playoff race. From August 1 to August 15, Garcia appeared in eight games. He only recorded 15 outs in those eight games and allowed 8 runs (7 earned), including 4 home runs. He blew three saves and picked up a pair of losses in that stretch, as the Rangers went 1-7 in those eight games.

It was really a remarkably awful stretch. Eight of the 26 runs Garcia allowed in 2025, seven of the 21 earned runs he allowed, and four of the eight homers he gave up came in that 15 day period in August. And it was a period when the pressure was definitely on, when the stakes were high, and the Rangers were collapsing.

Through the end of July, Garcia had a 2.61 ERA and a 3.01 FIP. After August 15, he had a 1.02 ERA and 3.02 FIP. Its a great example of how a bad stretch of games can wreck a reliever’s overall season line.

I tend to be dismissive of claims that a player — particularly a reliever — can only pitch well in low pressure situations, that he can’t handle the stress and the pressure of the big moments. You look at Garcia’s splits, and he gave up a 695 OPS with RISP compared to a 683 OPS with no one on and you figure its not a “melting down” issue.

That said…in late and close situations, Garcia allowed an 814 OPS, including 7 of his 8 home runs, in 181 plate appearances. Given he only faced 269 batters in 2025, and allowed an OPS of 676 overall, that would indicate a pretty big split in late and close situations compared to not late and close. And in what B-R defines as high, medium and low leverage situations, Garcia allowed OPSs of 779, 846, and 451, respectively, in 2025. In 2024, with the Nats, it was 752, 786, and 434.

Does that mean Garcia can’t handle high-pressure situations? Not necessarily, but it does give one pause. Especially when one reads the quotes from Garcia about his experience in the WBC pitching for Team Mexico and what he learned from veteran Mariners closer Andrew Munoz. The first two games of that horrid August stretch, Garcia blew saves in back-to-back games in Seattle, which Garcia talked to Munoz about:

“He said ‘I felt for you there’,” Garcia said. “He knew exactly what I was talking about on failure. He said he’s seen it, done it and experienced it. It’s the worst. And sometimes you think: ‘Oh my God; like I can’t do it again. I can’t do this.’ And you stray from the right mindset. So it was about keeping it one day at a time and understanding that very day is a new day.

“He was like ‘Dude, there’s not one guy that I’ve talked to that pitched in the ninth and didn’t have a little bit of nerves going in there. That’s normal.’ Just understand that all you have to do is execute pitches; that’s your job. Once I heard that from him, from a guy who has had a lot of success there, I think that calmed any anxieties I had going into the WBC and about pitching in leverage situations. It was a huge weight off my shoulders.”

If there were issues in regards to pressure, nerves, whathaveyou for Garcia in the past, one can at least hope that working with Munoz, the experience in the WBC, will help in that regard going forward.

Garcia has a strong two-pitch mix with his fastball and his changeup, and misses bats with pitches. His change is his best pitch, a legitimate out pitch that has above average vertical and horizontal break. It neutralizes righthanded hitters and results in him having almost no platoon splits.

Garcia’s third pitch — his slider — is where he has issues. While he goes with roughly 40% fastballs, 40% changeups, and 20% sliders to righthanders, he throws mostly fastballs and sliders to lefties, as one would expect. His slider is rather mediocre, and he too often left it in the heart of the plate in 2025, resulting in it getting hit hard, especially by lefty hitters.

Garcia could end up as the Rangers’ closer in 2026. Even if he doesn’t, he’s going to be counted on to pitch meaningful, high-leverage innings. His ability to handle those situations better in 2026 than he did in 2025 will have a big impact on the team’s 2026 campaign.

Previously:

Gerson Garabito

Tyler Mahle

Kyle Higashioka

Adolis Garcia

Luis Curvelo

Alejandro Osuna

Blaine Crim

Jake Burger

Jacob Webb

Nick Ahmed

Jon Gray

Carl Edwards Jr.

Josh Jung

Leody Taveras

Dustin Harris

Marc Church

Luke Jackson

Danny Coulombe

Wyatt Langford

Dylan Moore

Michael Helman

Evan Carter

Cole Winn

Rowdy Tellez

Dane Dunning

Marcus Semien

Billy McKinney

Jose Corniell

Jonah Heim

Cody Freeman

Sam Haggerty

Jacob deGrom

Merrill Kelly

Caleb Boushley

Justin Foscue

Nathan Eovaldi

Chris Martin

Patrick Corbin

Joc Pederson

Phil Maton

Corey Seager

Tucker Barnhart

Jack Leiter

Ezequiel Duran

The World Baseball Classic is over, and it ended with a thrilling 3-2 Venezuelan win over the United States on Tuesday night. Lots of Yankees were involved in the exciting and ever-growing tournament, and it’s a good time to take a look at how they did.

Aaron Judge, United States

Statistically, Judge didn’t have a bad WBC. He finished with a .845 OPS, a pair of home runs, five runs, and five RBI. Unfortunately, he came up empty-handed in most high-leverage at-bats, including a 1-for-4 game with two strikeouts in the semifinal vs. the Dominican Republic and a 0-for-4, three-strikeout performance in the final against Venezuela.

It’s important and fair to add that without his brilliant outfield assist in that semifinal (and in earlier pool play against Mexico), the outcome of that game could have been different. It was a perfect throw, and if we count the ugly at-bats, we have to include the impactful defensive plays, too.

Paul Goldschmidt, United States

Goldschmidt became the symbol of the bench players manager Mark DeRosa sent to the field in that fateful Pool B game vs. Italy, when he seemingly believed they had already punched their ticket for the quarterfinals. That was the only game Goldy started, and he went 1-for-3 with a run and a strikeout as the U.S. fell, 8-6.

David Bednar, United States

Bednar pitched four innings in the Classic, and while he surrendered six hits and even hit a batter, he didn’t walk anyone and struck out eight to round out a solid tournament. His 0.00 ERA carries more weight than any of the other stats. It wasn’t always a smooth ride, but Bednar gave Team USA a solid late-inning reliever. They trusted him in close games, and he delivered, especially against the imposing Dominican bats in the semifinal.

Ryan Yarbrough, United States

Speaking of that clash against Italy, it was the only one in which Yarbrough pitched. He threw 2.1 innings and allowed three runs, even though only two were earned. Two of those runs came on a Jac Caglianone home run in the fourth inning that gave Italy a 5-0 advantage at the time, and the other one came due to a throwing error by Brad Keller a couple of innings later. The insurance runs definitely helped the Italians. After that game, Yarbrough returned to Yankees camp and gave way to teammate Tim Hill.

Tim Hill, United States

Called upon to join Team USA before the quarterfinals, Hill was in the bullpen for the entire knockout phase but did not play (much like Toronto’s Jeff Hoffman).

Austin Wells, Dominican Republic

Wells actually had a very good tournament, which he played because of his Dominican heritage on his mother’s side. He was a force at the plate with a .267/.353/.733 line, two homers, and a 1.086 OPS. Wells reportedly loved the experience and his teammates, who embraced him like one of their own. He was the only Yankee named to the All-WBC Team after the tourney’s conclusion.

Camilo Doval, Dominican Republic

The World Baseball Classic was smooth sailing for Doval, expected to be a key cog of the Yankees’ bullpen this year. Three games, three innings, no baserunners, and three strikeouts: a perfect ERA and a perfect WHIP for the righty fireballer. The Yankees couldn’t have asked for a better showing from him on the bright stage.

Amed Rosario, Dominican Republic

Rosario was a reserve for the Dominicans, playing two games and taking just one at-bat, in which he couldn’t produce anything.

Yerry De Los Santos, Dominican Republic

De Los Santos was part of the Dominican Republic’s Designated Pitcher Pool (DPP), which is basically the reserve pool for teams to call up after the first round. He didn’t get the call.

Fernando Cruz, Puerto Rico

Cruz reached the quarterfinals with Team Puerto Rico, falling to Italy. The splitter maestro played three games in which he contributed 2.2 scoreless innings, with no hits, a walk, and four strikeouts. As with Doval, the Yankees had to be encouraged.

Elmer Rodríguez, Puerto Rico

One of the most promising pitchers in the Yankees’ farm system, Rodríguez helped his country with one start in which he covered three scoreless innings against Cuba. He walked three and surrendered a hit, but his three punchouts helped him avoid any scares.

Jazz Chisholm Jr., Great Britain

The dynamic infielder did drive in four runs in four games, but didn’t really have a good WBC with a .222 batting average, a .485 OPS, one walk, and six strikeouts. He also stole a base and scored a couple of runs as the British bowed out in the first round.

Brendan Beck, Great Britain

Beck, a top-30 Yankees prospect, hurled four hitless, scoreless frames against Brazil in which he walked two, hit a batter, and struck out four. Not bad.

José Caballero, Panamá

The Yankees’ Opening Day shortstop was busy, logging four hits, including a double and a home run in the Classic. He added two runs, two RBI, three walks, and a couple of stolen bases to his totals, hitting a solid .267/.421/.533 with a .954 OPS.

Harrison Cohen, Israel

Cohen, reassigned to minor-league camp by the Yankees on Wednesday, had a very impressive relief appearance against the Netherlands in pool play, completing two perfect innings with five strikeouts.

Astros fans know the numbers by heart. 106, 107 and 111. 

In a three-year span from 2011-2013, they’d amass 324 losses.  I can vividly recall attending a four game home series verses the Tigers in May of 2013 in which they were outscored by a margin of 37-8 in four straight defeats.  These were the early origins of Jim Crane’s team ownership. Things were beyond bleak. 

To appreciate what they became, you must appreciate where the humble beginnings. Now that the Astros payroll has dipped out of the top 10 amongst clubs, ironically thanks in large measure to the Tigers absorbing the salary of Framber Valdez, many are wondering if Crane and the top brass are still committed to delivering a winner to the Bayou City.     

While Mark Walter in LA and Steve Cohen in NY are in a competition to see who will ultimately one day surpass 400-million-dollar payrolls in MLB, the Astros have been measured and calculated, waiting to see who ultimately wins positional battles in spring training.     

Former MLB pitcher Steve Sparks has served as the Astros color analyst on radio since that referenced 2013 campaign, sat down with me for Four Big Questions.    

Q:  How determined is this organization to return to playing meaningful games in October?  

I think the Astros are very hungry to get back to the playoffs, and beyond, this year. During this 11-year stretch, they’ve barely played any games that didn’t mean anything. So, with that, those expectations permeate the organization in every facet. They haven’t won a playoff game in a couple of years, so that empty feeling has been motivating the players to do everything in their power to stay on the field. 

Q:  Let’s talk about Hunter. How imposing is his knuckle curve on opposing hitters?   

Hunter Brown is one of the few true aces in baseball now. Finishing 3^rd in the AL Cy Young voting last year was just scratching the surface. With the addition of the sinker two years ago, he’s able to keep righties from diving, and that makes all his pitches more effective. And by all pitches, I especially mean the nasty curve. Because of its shape, it’s equally as devastating to both righties and lefties. I think there are a few pitches in the major leagues that can induce swing-and-miss in the strike zone. Brown’s hook is one of them.

Q:  How crucial is it for Cristian Javier to return to his form of 2022 for this rotation?     

Cristian Javier is finally far enough away from Tommy John surgery to mentally take the next step as a rotation stalwart. There seemed to be some trepidation last season when he returned, but this spring we’ve seen hop and life back in his four-seamer. I expect a bounce back to his former self.

Q: With Josh Hader still in the process of returning to 100%, can the Astros do it bullpen by committee?    

I guess if there’s a silver lining to a setback to one of the best closers in the game, the Astros have one. With Hader down to start the season, they turn to one of the best setup men in the last three years. Bryan Abreu has punched out triple-digit batters in each year, and sometimes overpowers the game’s best hitters. Not all the fans know a whole lot about him, but every hitter does. He’s in a select class of baseball’s best relievers who aren’t closers YET.

Major League Baseball dove headfirst into the prediction market business on Thursday, announcing a multi-year deal with Polymarket after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding information-sharing with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

The deal, first reported by Front Office Sports, is for three years and worth between $150 million-300 million to MLB, according to the site. Polymarket will gain exclusive access to MLB licensed logos and branding.

MLB joins the NHL, MLS, and UFC in taking on official prediction market partners. Commissioner Rob Manfred began laying groundwork for a deal with discussions with the players’ union this summer and last month suggested that such partnerships would be a boon for integrity. Polymarket will have access to official league data to resolve markets.

Manfred told ESPN that federal oversight simplified integrity procedures.

“The fact that you have a federal regulatory scheme makes our life a lot easier as opposed to … for example, sports betting, where you’re going state by state,” he said.

Prediction markets: more big-name pals

Prediction markets keep adding high-leverage partners, even as the legality of controversial sports event contracts is litigated in multiple states. The sites assert federal oversight by the CFTC and states deem them unlicensed sports betting. But with CFTC leadership allowing prediction markets to swing for the fences in terms of expansion, and legal resolution perhaps years away, deals are forming and the market keeps growing.

Kalshi is reportedly negotiating a content-integration deal with Fox Corp., after making the same pacts earlier with CNN and CNBC. Massive sportsbook brands like DraftKings and FanDuel have launched prediction market platforms to harness national interest in the upstart mode of sports betting.

We’re honored to announce MLB has named Polymarket as their Exclusive Prediction Market Exchange Partner.

Polymarket 🤝 MLB pic.twitter.com/o192gdhpZm

— Polymarket (@Polymarket) March 19, 2026

Integrity a focus of MLB-CFTC pitch

The MOU with MLB is the first the CFTC has entered with a professional sports league. According to a CFTC release, it “establishes a framework for the CFTC and MLB to discuss, cooperate, and exchange information concerning issues of common interest, including protecting the integrity of professional baseball and the relating prediction markets.” 

While the pact is partly designed, according to the release, to “better anticipate emerging trends,” it emphasizes that it will allow “both parties to more swiftly respond to incidents,” at a time when regulatory structure and insider-trading concerns have dogged the prediction market industry. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman noted after signing deals with Kalshi and Polymarket that fans can be assured league markets on those platforms are “based on real data.”

That said, the first-pitch markets allegedly manipulated by suspended Cleveland pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were based on real data, too. But the new information cooperative should, in theory, allow similar episodes to be discovered more easily between MLB and Polymarket.

Today the @CFTC and @MLB made history by signing the first-ever MOU between a sports league and federal agency.

We’ve committed to work together to protect the integrity and resilience of prediction markets relating to professional baseball.

Through this partnership, the… pic.twitter.com/SNfym65t0N

— Mike Selig (@ChairmanSelig) March 19, 2026

“The MOU is a collaborative step toward promoting the integrity and resilience of the prediction markets relating to professional baseball. Through this MOU, the CFTC is well-positioned to add additional tools to protect these markets and its participants from fraud, manipulation, and other abuses,” CFTC Chairman Michael Selig said in a release. “I thank MLB and Commissioner Rob Manfred for partnering with the CFTC and taking a leading role in protecting the integrity of these growing markets.”

Sportradar in 2025 extended its decade-long partnership with MLB as exclusive data-distributor and integrity partner. A Sportradar spokesperson said the company envisions a “significant opportunity to monetize our products and services in prediction markets.”

“Similar to our approach with [online sportsbooks],” a statement continues, “our commercial agreements will be varied and structured to optimize value. Our arrangement with MLB reflects this approach, providing Polymarket with MLB data and the opportunity to provide our broad suite of products and services, as well as an ability to provide these to other participants in the prediction markets.”  

Royals fans may be underwhelmed with what the club has done to address its outfield offensive needs, but even with Opening Day just over a week away, it’s not too late for the Royals to make a move. Teams around baseball are still sorting through roster crunches, injuries, and late-camp competitions, which can create opportunities for trades right up until the end of spring training. It would not be unprecedented for the Royals to make a trade in camp. Throughout their history the Royals have pulled off a number of spring training deals, some minor and some quite significant, that reshaped the roster just days or weeks before the season began.

Here are some notable trades the Royals made while players were tuning up for the season in camp.

April 1, 1969 – Acquired Lou Piniella

Piniella was originally signed by the Cleveland Indians, but bounced around to the Senators and Orioles organizations before the Indians reacquired him. But they left him unprotected for the expansion draft in 1968, and the new Seattle franchise selected him. Piniella had a fiery attitude that rubbed manager Joe Schultz the wrong way, so near the end of spring training, the Pilots traded him to the other expansion team, the Royals for outfielder Steve Whitaker and pitcher John Gelnar. Piniella would be the starting left fielder and collect the first hit in Royals history, on his way to hitting .282 and winning Rookie of the Year.

March 30, 1982 – Acquired Vida Blue

The Royals were quite active in the weeks leading up to the 1982 season, trading infielder Rance Mullinks to the Blue Jays in a trade for minor leaguer Phil Huffman, and sending infielder Manny Castillo to the Mariners for a player to be named later, a shrewd deal that would net them left-hander Bud Black.

The Giants were looking to get younger in their rotation, and the Royals considered a deal for veteran Doyle Alexander. But he refused to report unless he got a new contract, and the Royals were unable to meet his high demands. Instead, near the end of spring training, they acquired former Cy Young winner and six-time All-Star Vida Blue from the Giants in a six-player trade that included pitcher Atlee Hammaker and outfielder Renie Martin. Blue was just 32 years old and coming off a season in which he posted a 2.45 ERA, and gave the Royals an ace to pair with Dennis Leonard, Larry Gura, and an aging Paul Splittorff. Blue would win 13 games that year, but would soon be embroiled in a drug scandal that would rock the Royals’ clubhouse.

March 27, 1987 – Traded David Cone and Jim Sundberg

The Royals decided to go young behind the plate, having lost confidence in veteran Gold Glove catcher Jim Sundberg in 1987. Ed Hearn was a young Mets catcher who impressed many when he filled in for Gary Carter when the All-Star was injured. The Royals acquired him late in spring training in a five-player trade for a young pitcher named David Cone, a Kansas City native who had some control issues and posted an impressive 5.56 ERA in 11 games the previous season.

Just a few days later, the team sent Sundberg to the Cubs in a deal that saved the Royals some money and gave them sorely needed outfield depth in Thad Bosley. The deal stunned players in camp, and gave the Royals an unproven catching tandem of Hearn and Larry Owen. But the overlooked part of the move was Cone, who went on to New York and became a 20-game winner and All-Star pitcher.

March 10, 1992 – Traded Kirk Gibson

The Royals had long coveted Kirk Gibson and his fiery attitude, nearly signing him after the 1987 season before owners decided collectively not to sign free agents. But he instead went to Los Angeles and won MVP and a World Series with the Dodgers. He didn’t join the Royals until 1991, after his knees were banged up and he missed half the prior season with a hamstring injury.

He signed a two-year, $3.3 million deal, but slumped badly in September. He also clashed with new manager Hal McRae, who told him the next spring he would not be a starter. The Royals shipped him to the Pirates for high-priced lefty reliever Neal Heaton. Gibson spent just 16 games in Pittsburgh before they released him in March, but he would rebound the next year back in Detroit.

March 27, 1997 – Traded Michael Tucker for Jermaine Dye

The Royals had a young, up-and-coming, but very left-handed-heavy outfield in 1996 with phenom Johnny Damon, speedster Tom Goodwin, and former first-round pick Michael Tucker. They sought a right-handed bat to balance things out, and found a match with the Braves. Atlanta was fresh off a National League pennant, but GM John Schuerholz was making bold moves to revamp the outfield, sending David Justice and Marquis Grissom to Cleveland for Kenny Lofton. He needed another outfielder to platoon with rookie Andruw Jones, and acquired Tucker from the Royals for young right-handed bat Jermaine Dye.

Dye had impressed in his rookie season in 1996, but many observers felt the Braves had gotten the better of the deal. Star columnist Jeffrey Flanagan wrote “the Royals have lost their minds” while the usually optimistic Joe Posnanski slammed the deal.

“This was just one of those moves that hurts a team, even if Dye turns out to be good, which is no guarantee by the way. Dye had a reasonably good half-season for the Braves, but they were not sold on him. It’s hard to be sold on a guy who walks less than Marlon Brando.

This guy chases bad pitches like Tommy Lee Jones going after the Fugitive.”

-Joe Posnanski

Dye would struggle for a few seasons, but he hit 27 home runs in 1999, and started the All-Star Game the next year.

March 16, 2022 – Traded Mike Minor for Amir Garrett

Minor was a valuable reliever for the Royals in 2017, as he recovered from shoulder surgery. He went on to have a great stint in Texas, but returned to the Royals before the 2021 season on a two-year, $18 million deal. He struggled with a 5.05 ERA, and with young pitchers like Brady Singer, Kris Bubic, and Daniel Lynch IV coming up, the team no longer needed his innings. The Royals were able to free up some money by sending him to the Reds for animated lefty reliever Amir Garrett. He struggled with his command and had mixed results in two seasons with the Royals, while Minor made just 19 starts with the Reds with an ERA over six.

February 17, 2024 – Acquired John Schreiber

After losing 106 games in 2023, the Royals sought to revamp the bullpen, adding Will Smith, Chris Stratton, and Nick Anderson in the offseason. Just after pitchers reported to camp, they brought in another reliever, acquiring sidearmer John Schrieber from the Red Sox for pitching prospect David Sandlin. Schrieber was a late bloomer, having a terrific 2022 season, with mixed results in 2023. He posted a 3.66 ERA in 59 games, and had five scoreless outings in the postseason that fall.

Other notable spring training trades:

February 18, 2000 – Traded Jeremy Giambi to the Oakland Athletics for Brett Laxton.

March 23, 2007 – Traded Erik Cordier to the Atlanta Braves for Tony Pena Jr.

March 26, 2008 – Traded Jorge de la Rosa to the Colorado Rockies for Ramon Ramirez.