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In my latest Mining the News, I referenced MLB.com’s Rookie of the Year Poll. MLB.com polled team executives to find who they think will win each league’s Rookie of the Year award. I figured it would be a prospect list for fantasy managers to become familiar with. The narrative would be that these inside sources would know the players who would be productive and play enough to win the award. Production and playing time are the two traits needed to be a solid fantasy option. Since this is the poll’s fourth year, I examined previous editions to determine how these executives performed.

The information in the polls is scarce, so all the small sample caveats apply. The results have been collected over the past three seasons (2023, 2024, 2025). In each one, a percentage of executive votes is included. The full list of previous players is at the end of the article.

To each player, I included our Fantasy Player Rater 12-team end-of-season dollar value. Then, I began grouping away. First, here is a plot of all the values.

Besides the four players polled at 50% or higher, the values seem to be fairly random. I grouped the values into four groups based on their polled percentage. Also, I combined the three low-polled groups.

That top group (n=4) seems to be productive, with the rest of the values being a complete crap shoot. The final line is the most useful. There is a 25% chance of these players contributing more than $5 and a 40% chance of being positive.

With the historical results, here are this year’s lists.

None of the players meet the 50% threshold, so no one is on the must-target list.

Fantasy managers should spend a few minutes on each of those players and track their results. Who knows which one will stand out? Nick Kurtz received just one vote last year and was a league winner.

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• MLB.com surveyed several front office personnel for rookie of the year candidates. I’d recommend going through the picks since these are likely to be solid options to be productive with an early promotion.

Cardinals infielder JJ Wetherholt (MLB No. 5) had an outstanding first full season of pro ball after being the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 Draft, splitting the year between Double-A and Triple-A and posting a combined .306/.421/.510 slash line with 17 homers and 23 steals. Some were surprised he didn’t get a late-season audition in St. Louis, but you have to figure his bat will work its way into that lineup sooner rather than later. He’s played three infield positions, which should help give the big league staff options for him to make the Opening Day roster.

American League

Guardians

• A reminder that Bo Naylor tweaked his swing towards the end of last season.

Manager Stephen Vogt has insisted the tweaks Naylor made to his swing started to bear fruit by September. That month, he posted a .290/.324/.548 slash line. Hedges, who signed a $4 million deal for the third straight winter, is in line to be the club’s fifth-highest-paid player.

Rangers

• Jacob Latz will get stretched out as a starter.

GM Ross Fenstermaker said at the Winter Meetings that [Latz is] building up to be a starter, but potentially continue to be used in a swingman type role by the time Opening Day rolls around. I think he’ll be one of the more interesting players to watch in Spring Training as the staff figures out the best way to use him.

Red Sox

• Wilyer Abreu will get a chance to face lefties to start the season.

“I truly believe that this year … and I probably said it before … with Willy and some of the lefties, we have to see if they can do it,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

By “do it,” Cora means getting the job done against left-handed pitchers. Refsnyder was a security blanket of sorts for the Sox.

Though Romy Gonzalez has become almost as effective as a platoon lefty masher, he gets most of his reps in the infield. Refsnyder’s departure clearly leaves an opportunity in the outfield.

“It’s about that time, especially with Abreu,” said Cora. “And if he can hit lefties and hit for power and play defense the way he’s done the last few years, he can be the guy.”
…
“We need to have Wilyer figure out lefties. We’re going to push him to do that and I truly believe he can do that,” Cora told the Section 10 podcast earlier this offseason.

Twins

• Eric Wagaman will be a short-side platoon bat.

There are a few things that likely drew the Twins to Wagaman, not the least of which is that he’d be minimum-salaried in the majors and still has minor-league options, meaning he can be stashed at Triple-A St. Paul as in-season depth if he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster.

And within last year’s poor overall production, Wagaman hit .283/.321/.462 against left-handed pitching. It was a similar story in the minors, where he hit .328/.379/.541 off lefties in 2024. For a lineup that’s always long on lefty corner bats, the righty-swinging Wagaman could fit in a platoon role.

Wagaman is 6-foot-4 with below-average speed, so he’s limited defensively, but he does have experience playing all four corner spots. He could platoon at first base with Kody Clemens, pushing the weak-gloved Bell to DH, and he could be paired with Matt Wallner or Trevor Larnach in the outfield.

White Sox

• Sean Newcomb will get a shot to make the rotation.

To take that idea one step further, Newcomb will have the Spring Training chance to feature that same unofficial position as part of the White Sox rotation.

“He’s going to come in and compete for a starting job, a job in the rotation I should say, which we are really excited about,” said manager Will Venable during a Wednesday Zoom. “We know he had some success in both the starting role and the reliever role, so he is capable of doing both, but he’s going to be in that mix for a starting-rotation job, and we are excited to help support him.”

“I’ve always been a starter, starter mentality,” said Newcomb on the Zoom call. “Over the past few years up in the big leagues, I’ve done a lot out of the ‘pen, but even those outings I’ve had a lot of three-, four-plus innings outings. So, it’s kind of the same mentality for me, just be ready to attack a lineup once or twice, three times through if it gets to that point with five or six innings.”

National League

Cubs

• Jordan Wicks is working on a curveball.

"It's strike to ball. It's late!"

Cubs lefty Jordan Wicks has been working on dialing in a new curveball this offseason. 🔨@jordan_wicks99 only threw the pitch 1% of the time in the big leagues in 2025. 📈

Coach: @TurnerGivens pic.twitter.com/klkMMq6f6G

— Tread Athletics (@TreadHQ) January 7, 2026

Giants

• Tyler Mahle has been dealing with shoulder issues since 2021 …

Mahle missed three months with right shoulder fatigue last year, but he returned to make two starts in September and said he hasn’t felt this healthy since 2021, when he recorded a 3.75 ERA over a career-high 33 starts for the Reds.

“It was big to make those last two starts and show that I was healthy going into the offseason,” Mahle said during a Zoom call with reporters. “I took a few weeks off after the season and then started throwing again, and it’s felt amazing since. I honestly haven’t felt this good — knock on wood — since probably that 2021 season.”

… and is working on a new breaking ball.

Mahle has a four-pitch mix that includes a four-seam fastball and a splitter, though he said he’s working on developing a new breaking ball that will help him become even tougher on right-handed hitters.

“We’ve been working on that,” Mahle said. “It’s looking good. I definitely think I can pick up where I left off [from 2025].”

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Changelog

• 12/19/2025 – First Release
• 1/7/2026 – Update with summaries written for Harris, Pages, Anthony, Lile, Burleson, Trout, Wood, Rooker, Langford, and Chourio.

Ranking Methodology

• ADP is based on 30-day rolling NFBC Draft Champions Leagues.
• $ Values are based on a standard 5×5 12-team league using the FanGraphs Depth Charts and these Auction Calculator settings. They default to a player’s most valuable position, so if the first base list includes a catcher, it will show that player’s value at catcher.
• ADP and $ Values are updated as of the last update date on this post.
• 5-game eligibility was used for these lists to cast the widest net.

Full Rankings Without Tiers

Overview

As usual, my rankings have a heavy projection base and, for now, will closely mirror the auction calculator.  I suspect more changes as I receive feedback and dive into the player pool more (been finalizing The Process).

Two items. The rank is not specific to the tier order. For the tiers, I grouped batters by their skill type (e.g., power, speed, etc). Also, the placement of the catchers in the overall ranks will be league-specific, especially between one and two-catcher leagues. I need to dive into the current market on them. I’ll write a full analysis in a future update or separate article.

Changelog

• 12/5/2025 – First release
• 1/5/2026 – Post-holiday update.  A few movers.

Ranking Methodology

• ADP is based on 30-day rolling NFBC Draft Champions Leagues.
• $ Values are based on a standard 5×5 12-team league using the FanGraphs Depth Charts and these Auction Calculator settings. They default to a player’s most valuable position, so if the first base list includes a catcher, it will show that player’s value at catcher.
• ADP and $ Values are updated as of the last update date on this post.
• 5-game eligibility was used for these lists to cast the widest net.

Full Rankings Without Tiers

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• At MLB.com, there was an article on each team’s breakout candidate. It’s a solid read for fantasy managers looking for upside. Here is the blurb about Jasson Domínguez working on his defense and right-handed swing.

YANKEES: OF Jasson Domínguez

“The Martian” could finally be ready to live up to the immense potential the Yankees have touted for years. Still just 22, the switch-hitting Domínguez lost critical development time to the pandemic and Tommy John surgery, spending most of the second half on the bench in 2025. He went to winter ball to focus on sharpening his defense in left field and his swing from the right side of the plate, which is his natural side. It would be no surprise if Domínguez’s touted blend of speed and strength all comes together in a big way. — Bryan Hoch

Read the rest of this entry »

The 2026 edition of The Process is now available in PDF form. The appendix edition includes 148 pages and over 25 new studies from Jeff and other contributors! The research covers NFBC draft theory and strategy, hitter evaluation, and pitcher evaluation.

Considering the historic turnaround times (all out of our hands), the paper copy will be available on Amazon in about a month. Read the rest of this entry »

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American League

Astros

• Ryan Weiss 와이스 will get a shot at the rotation.

Weiss, who spent the last two seasons pitching in Korea, will slot into the rotation with Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier, Spencer Arrighetti, Lance McCullers Jr. and others. Nate Pearson, who signed a one-year deal in October, will be built up as a starter, but he could wind up in the bullpen.

“What I like about [Weiss] is this guy is dedicated to his craft,” Dana Brown said. “He went over to Korea and turned his career around and got to the point where he’s back up to 97 [mph], sitting 94 [with] pretty good secondary stuff. The guy’s got a journey and he’s got a story, so we’re fired up about him. We’re hoping that he comes into camp and competes for a job at the back end of the rotation.”

• Jake Meyers is the team’s centerfielder.

Speaking of Meyers specifically, Brown said “it’s a really good deal, we may consider it. But right now, Meyers is going to be a guy for us that’s going to play center field and it looks like he’s the frontline guy as of today.”

• Brice Matthews will get take outfield reps.

“[Brice Matthews is] going to get some run in the outfield, but second base is still going to be his main position,” Brown said. “We project he’ll turn the corner with the bat and get maybe some run in the outfield a little bit, as well.”

Athletics

• Max Muncy, Darell Hernaiz, and Brett Harris will get a shot at the third base job.

General manager David Forst told Martín Gallegos of MLB.com that the A’s view McNeil as their primary second baseman. They’re planning to leave the third base job open for a Spring Training competition among a few players already on the roster.

“We’ll probably look internally at third base,” Forst told Gallegos. “Max Muncy did a really nice job there in his limited time. Darell Hernaiz has shown he can play the position. Brett Harris has a lot of experience at third base. So I like our internal options.”

Orioles

• Coby Mayo could see some time in the outfield.

Elias said on Saturday that the Orioles had use for Mayo, who spent last year working on his first base skills.

“He had, I think, a very successful stretch run last year, he looked really good and is in a really good spot,” he said. “And there is still a lot of playing time available for him on a team that has Pete Alonso now. We have first base reps, we have designated hitter reps, as you mentioned, and the exploration of other positions — whether it’s third or something in the corner outfield — has been something we’ve always talked about with him. So the path remains open for him.”

Rays

• The team’s management said that Richie Palacios is now the team’s second baseman.

Trading Lowe creates a clear opening at second base, where the Rays don’t have an obvious replacement. Neander mentioned Richie Palacios as an internal candidate, although Palacios has been limited by injuries each of the past two years and has bounced around the field during his time with Tampa Bay.

The Rays like a lot about Palacios, from his on-base skills and speed to his quality defense at second base, so he could be an option there. But they’re not giving the job to anyone yet.

• Steven Matz will get a shot at the rotation.

Matz’s selfless success earned him the respect of his former clubs, caught the Rays’ attention and ultimately led to another opportunity to start. Tampa Bay signed Matz to a two-year, $15 million contract on Tuesday with the intent to slot him into its rotation next season.

“We’re going to give him the opportunity to prepare as a starter, to come in and try to lock down a day. The investment was made with that in mind,” Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. “Believe that’s something that he’s going to be able to do, and we believe he’s going to be able to do it well.”

Red Sox

• The team’s goal for Payton Tolle is to improve his secondaries.

“This offseason will be essential for [Tolle’s] developmentally,” said Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. “There is no secret he put on quite a bit of velocity last offseason, and there will be a focus this offseason on developing some of those secondaries. So, we’ll see what that looks like when we get to Spring Training.”

White Sox

• Catchers Kyle Teel, Edgar Quero, and Korey Lee are not working on other positions.

The switch-hitting Quero has also been mentioned in offseason trade inquiries, while Lee offers the option of the White Sox keeping three catchers as they did at the end of the 2025 regular season. In that scenario, manager Will Venable could play Teel or Quero behind the plate, use the other player as designated hitter and still be covered by a third catcher.

None of the three is presently working at other positions, according to Venable.

• Top prospect, Braden Montgomery, will not be a part of the MLB team once Spring Training is over, according to their GM.

“We’re always open-minded,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz said. “I see Braden getting into the mix for being on the Major League club [in 2026], but I don’t anticipate that happening out of Spring Training.

“I don’t want anyone to get ahead of themselves. I want them to just have a dominant offseason, taking care of their bodies, going through a proper throwing program. Once you get to Spring Training and baseball action really picks up, you get a real idea of where these players and pitchers are.”

National League

Brewers

• Logan Henderson wants to add a curveball.

Henderson is focused on his secondary pitches beyond his bread-and-butter fastball and changeup, including a curveball he’s carefully reintroducing this winter. Henderson threw more cutters last year and intends to continue that progress. And his slider is a usable fifth pitch.

“I want a full arsenal instead of just using two pitches,” Henderson said. “I know there’s still a lot of ways for me to grow.”

Cardinals

• Dustin May’s elbow is healthy, and he’s bulking up.

May said he doesn’t expect the elbow neuritis to be an issue in 2026.

“Arm feels great, back to normal,” May said on Thursday. “As I’ve reiterated to a lot of people, I was going to be ready for the [Division Series] if [Boston] had advanced. My arm was in a better spot toward that time. … I took some time off and got the body right.”

…

“[The sweeper] was kind of the only thing working, and my fastball was getting hit kind of hard, so I had to shy away from that,” said May, who has gone from 202 pounds in 2025 to 220 pounds now, with a target goal of 225 pounds. “Hopefully, bouncing back and re-tweaking my arsenal, I won’t be so reliant on that [sweeper] and so predictable.”

Diamondbacks

• Mike Soroka cleared up a health issue causing inflammation …

Soroka is a different pitcher than he was in 2019, and he recently made changes to his delivery and arsenal. Pairing these changes with solutions to undisclosed, underlying health issues that have impacted his ability to stay on the field he believes will set him up for a resurgence.

“There were some things as far as internal health that I think we’d kind of figured out that I’d rather not completely dive into, but we’d had some things I’ve been dealing with for a long time that I didn’t really understand until this past year,” Soroka said.

“I think that’s gonna be one really big key is just being able to actually recover and not deal with a ton of inflammation at all times. Ultimately that’s where injuries have added up for me is just chronic inflammation and the ability to clear that. … Obviously working on delivery, you change things, you work on new ways to do things efficiently. I think that all kind of started to come into place and this was kind of the last key. Moving forward, I really feel confident.”

… and will add a cutter, sweeper, and a gyro slider.

Soroka credited Cubs vice president of pitching Tyler Zombro with some of the adjustments.

“It’s gonna be traditional cutter,” Soroka said. “I’d already at times tended to cut the ball a little bit just naturally being a little bit supinated* through release. … Tyler Zombro was able to kind of show me some things with just the way I was able to stay supinated with certain pitches and throw the cutter, as well as a sweeper. It’s thrown the same way as my slurve or curveball, just with a different grip and it kind of stays on that straight horizontal axis. It’s gonna be useful for giving guys a different look.

“Then the last one’s a traditional gyro slider.** It is basically the curveball grip thrown like a fastball. So, that was the key with all three of these, is that I really didn’t need to do too much. I didn’t need to manipulate anything. I was already set up right to throw it. Tyler was able to show me exactly how all that worked.”

Giants

• Rule 5 pick, Daniel Susac, will get a chance to be the team’s backup catcher.

The Giants had a clear need for more catching depth after non-tendering Andrew Knizner last month. They quickly identified the 24-year-old Susac as someone who could plug a hole on their roster.

“Plus defender behind the plate, power,” general manager Zack Minasian said of Susac, who is now ranked as the Giants’ No. 15 prospect by MLB Pipeline. “History with him back to high school through the Draft. Bay Area ties. It’s a position of need. We’re always looking to build depth. Still young, still upside. So a lot of positives, a lot of boxes checked. We’re excited to give him this opportunity.”

While Susac was acquired via trade, he’ll still be subject to the usual Rule 5 stipulations, which means the Giants will have to keep him on their 26-man roster for the entire 2026 season or offer him back to the A’s. That should make the right-handed-hitting Susac the clear frontrunner to serve as Patrick Bailey’s backup next year.

“I think he’s a candidate,” Minasian said. “Obviously he’s going to have to come in and earn it, but obviously to take him shows what we think of him. We definitely see him as a really strong candidate. We’re excited about where our catching depth is with him.”
…
“We’re very excited about Jesus Rodriguez but also understand that the amount of games that he’s caught is somewhat limited,” president of baseball operations Buster Posey said. “But we’re really excited about his future. I think what excites me is when I hear our manager or a coach on the staff in Triple-A just talk about his makeup and how well he’s worked with the pitchers and his desire to get better defensively.”

Mets

• Jorge Polanco will play first base.

Jorge Polanco has never logged a major-league inning at first base, where the New York Mets are expecting to play him, but the position isn’t entirely unfamiliar to him.
…

However, over two months starting in the middle of June, Polanco worked out at first base several times before games. He spent time with Mariners infield coach Perry Hill and bench coach Manny Acta, among others, learning the intricacies of the position. The lessons included how to hold a runner on, how to get to the base without getting stepped on, how to position himself, how to throw to second base on a grounder using his backhand and how to get back to the bag in case a catcher made a snap throw.

“He knows how to do all that stuff,” Hill said in a recent phone interview.

Padres

• Miguel Mendez, the team’s top starting pitcher prospect, will not be competing for a rotation spot during Spring Training.

“[Miguel Mendez is] going to continue to start and come in and build innings,” Preller said. “Again, a lot of guys have broken into the big leagues coming into the bullpen. We’ll see. Right now, he’s more a prospect coming in to continue his development than he is competing for the team coming into Spring Training. But the player is going to tell us. Those things can change.”

Pirates

• Carmen Mlodzinski will transition back to being a starter.

Right now, Cherington says they have a lot of confidence in a group that still has some depth, which includes Carmen Mlodzinski preparing for a starter’s workload again. Cherington says they’re open to adding a backend starter, but as far as trading another starting pitcher, a deal would have to clear a high bar.

• Brandon Lowe is preparing to play second base …

The key when it comes to what positions the Pirates can target lies with Lowe. If he can play his position, the Pirates could add a third baseman, designated hitter or even any other position to provide depth. Injuries have limited Lowe’s ability to stay on the field in the past, but he is preparing this offseason to play second.

“The fact that he can play second, we believe, also keeps options open for us to add another bat in another spot,” Cherington said.

… so Nick Gonzales will need to find another position.

Adding Lowe doesn’t mean the Pirates are giving up on Gonzales — Cherington referred to him as “an important player for us” — but it’s probably going to be in a different role. We’ve seen him play on the left side of the infield before, and with third base currently open and shortstop up in the air until Pittsburgh’s No. 1 prospect Konnor Griffin arrives, perhaps that could be explored again.

“The biggest thing about Nick, we can go back to his amateur days in the Draft, he’s just always met the challenge in front of him,” Cherington said. “So we acquired a player who we believe in, who we expect to play some second base, in Brandon Lowe. This is an opportunity for Nick to continue to push for an opportunity on the Major League team.

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The following are excerpts from the managers’ press conferences from the Winter Meetings.

Braves

• Ronald Acuña Jr. could lead off again.

Q. I know you haven’t necessarily got to the point of making lineup cards, but he moved down a bit in the order. Do you anticipate [Acuna] moving back up?

WALT WEISS: That’s a good conversation. I’m looking forward to that with him. I want to pick his brain with that. It’s enticing to have him at the top of the order because I’m I really like when a lineup turns over that there’s teeth right away. Your pitcher — you’ve got to run through a gauntlet as soon as that lineup turns over.

So there’s some incentive to — he was prolific in that position. The other argument is, you could put him in a more RBI position in the lineup and hit him third.

Those are conversations we’re going to have, we’re going to talk about. Like you said, we’re a ways away from the lineup, talking about lineups and that type of thing. But it’s on my radar.

• Reynaldo López and Grant Holmes will get a shot at making the rotation.

Q. As healthy as Reynaldo López stayed as a reliever, and then last year, even though two years ago even though he pitched so well, he hasn’t stayed healthy as a starter. Are you tempted to move him back to relief since you have some other guys?

WALT WEISS: Not so much tempted but it’s a nice fallback plan. These guys are going to be built up. I know I get those questions about Grant Holmes and this and that. These guys are going to be built up as starters in Spring Training, but it’s really nice to know that, whatever, because of acquisitions, because of health, whatever, somebody all of a sudden steps up and opens your eyes, it’s nice to know those guys can do that. They’ve done it before and they’ve been really good at it. But sitting here today, those guys are, we’re looking at them as starters.

• Bryce Elder and Hurston Waldrep are being considered for the rotation.

Q. You’ve got some options questions, too, obviously, right, this year complicates some things with a couple of the starters?

WALT WEISS: Yeah, look, Bryce, I was really encouraged by the way Bryce finished. I mean, the stuff ticked up. He was good against some really good teams, playoff teams in September. And he had another run, I think, early, I want to say May, maybe, where he had a nice run. Then he had some hiccups. That’s the thing about Bryce, he’s pretty unflappable. If he has a tough one or a clunker or two, demeanor doesn’t change, confidence doesn’t change, and here he is showing up and posting again and righting the ship. A lot to be said about that.

I’m excited about Bryce. I’m excited about Waldrep. I think the ceiling for Waldrep is pretty high, man. He’s got a wipeout pitch. And it’s hard to find where it’s a legitimate wipeout pitch at the Major League level. He’s got that. There’s some things to be excited about. We talked about Grant already.

Brewers

• No usable fantasy information.

Cardinals

• No usable fantasy information.

Cubs

• Sounds like Moisés Ballesteros will not catch many games.

Q. With Moises, how were you thinking about balancing the need for continued development at the catching position versus his Major League-ready bat?

CRAIG COUNSELL: I think he’s at the point where if he can help the Major League team, he’s going to be in the Major Leagues. There’s not an every day catching job in the Major Leagues for him. But as constructed right now, we’ve got room for at-bats, and I think — I would prioritize the Major Leagues right now. But that can change with roster stuff.

Q. You mentioned Ballesteros not having an opportunity to catch a lot. If the opportunity did pop up, if he was forced into action, how comfortable are you with that?

CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, then he’ll catch. Yeah. Simple as that. I think he’s absolutely going to catch games.

Q. Do you feel like he’s made real progress there and you’re comfortable with him as a semi-regular catcher?

CRAIG COUNSELL: Yeah, he’s got to be better than the other two guys. But yeah, I’m comfortable with that.

Diamondbacks

• Lourdes Gurriel Jr. should be back around mid-season.

Q. Do you have any sense on Gurriel with the —

TOREY LOVULLO: The timing?

Q. The window, yes.

TOREY LOVULLO: I haven’t been in touch with him in probably three weeks. I don’t know how he’s doing right now. Last time I talked to him he’s really, really encouraged about how he’s feeling. He’s in a good routine. Timing-wise, I’ve been generically told midseason, something along those lines. Like, head’s up, it could be that long, a little bit longer.

We want to be patient with him, make sure he heals right. He’s in a good space. That’s the most important thing. He’s back in Miami doing his rehab there. He’s in good hands and taking care of himself the best that he possibly can.

Dodgers

• Tommy Edman expects to be healthy to start the season and the injury will not limit the position he plays.

Q. Do you have any more details like Tommy, the timetable for him to be back on the field?

DAVE ROBERTS: Talking to the training staff, feeling like he should be with some limitations once we start Spring Training, but talking to Tommy, he’s expecting to be ready at the outset of the season.

Q. Do you see him as infield/outfield type or is that ankle going to limit him?

DAVE ROBERTS: I don’t think the ankle will limit him. I think that’s going to be contingent more on the roster and where guys are at.

• Tanner Scott was never really healthy last season.

Q. What [is] your confidence in Tanner [Scott]?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think there were just some things he kept under wraps about his body, and I think the transition to LA, and he just kind of — anything that could go wrong went wrong. I just feel — he works his tail off. He’s too talented. And his track record was nothing like last year. So I just think it was an outlier of a season.

Q. [Scott] after he came back after the forearm?

DAVE ROBERTS: There was some stuff that he just, honestly, he never felt right all year. And there were moments where it looked right, he felt okay, but he just never felt comfortable. But he’s never going to use that as an excuse, though. To have a regular offseason to kind of prepare for ’26, he’s going to be on a mission next year.

• Shohei Ohtani will get extra rest but the rest of the rotation will try to remain five-man as much as possible.

Q. You expect Shohei to be used like in a normal rotation starting the season, what ways are you guys going to be creative with him?

DAVE ROBERTS: I think the thought is to have Shohei being used as a regular starter, but it’s not going to be a regular five-man rotation. I just think that — I don’t want to go down the six-man rotation road, but I do feel that giving him six, seven, eight days off to kind of allow him to continue to stay rested and build up, I think that’s in our process. But again we have a long way to go but we’ve got some viable candidates seriously.

• Dalton Rushing will back up Will Smith and maybe play a little first base or DH.

Q. What role do you envision for Dalton Rushing next season? Do you think he could play any other positions possibly?

DAVE ROBERTS: We ran him out there a little bit at first base, but Freddie is a guy that wants to be out there every day. But if there’s an opportunity to get Freddie off his feet, I can see Dalton playing a little bit of first base to spell Freddie.

I also see with Will Smith last year — I think last year you saw — we cut back a little bit on his playing time, and I felt that he stayed strong throughout the entire season. I think there could be some more of that to give Dalton a little bit of runway and some opportunity. I thought he did a great job with the pitching staff. Dalton did. And I think that there’s a lot more bat in there that he’ll show in 2026.

Giants

• What a waste of an interview, not a single question about the players, it was all questions about Vitello and his staff.

Marlins

• Agustín Ramírez will start the season as the team’s main catcher

Q. [Agustin] and (indiscernible) working the academy, what do you see from him and expectation?

CLAYTON MCCULLOUGH: Our expectation for Gus is he comes in and Gus is going to be a catcher. Still believe in that. Saw Gus for a couple of days down in the Dominican. He was working hard.

And it wasn’t just the work that he was doing. I think speaking with Gus and talking to him, how he was able to reflect on that season. It’s hard to get a breath during the season. So I think Gus had a chance to self-reflect some on the year, take a breath.

One thing that he mentioned physically he felt okay, but mentally, it’s quite the grind. And I asked him to hit in the top of the lineup almost every day. Having to go back there and catch, probably played more than he ever has.

Gus was saying all the right things. He was embracing and taking on this offseason different than he did the last season, which is fair. He has a different perspective on what’s ahead and what’s expected.

Gus knows the narrative. Gus is smart. He knows what’s said and he’s not backing away from it and we’re right behind him because we believe in the person, number one, and believe in the ability that Gus has a real shot to catch the big leagues.

• Some prospects the manager is “looking forward to seeing” are Joe Mack (C), Josh White (RP), Robby Snelling (SP), Thomas White (SP), and (Riley) Kemp Alderman (OF).

Q. What’s the prospect you’re most looking forward to seeing in the Spring Training and why?

CLAYTON MCCULLOUGH: The most exciting part is we have a lot of very talented players in our system coming up. Much has been written about Joe Mack and should be. He’s a young catcher at a premium position that I feel like eventually can impact on both sides of the ball.

I think the year that Josh White had last year in Triple-A from a performance standpoint was spectacular. So excited to get to see Josh more this year. And certainly Robby Snelling, Thomas White, with the type of seasons they have, their youth, the ceiling they have.

Pitching is always going to be what drives this thing. Excited to see them as well, as Kemp Alderman, Minor League Player of the Year. Kemp had a really big year. Our group in Petey loves him. The tenacity, the toughness, the edge he brings, which is something I value as well. Excited to see Kemp get a chance to come to camp and get comfortable around our group.

Mets

• Brett Baty will be the team’s third baseman.

Q. When Semien now occupying second base, how do you view third base? Obviously second base you could use that to get some of the other guys playing time, but now you don’t have that much of a luxury.

CARLOS MENDOZA: I think Brett Baty took that step forward last year. We had tryouts there between Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio at times. I think Brett Baty got comfortable and played really well on both sides of the field, defensively, offensively.

Going into camp, I think as we sit here right now, you can say that Brett will get the majority of the playing time.

That doesn’t mean that Mark Vientos won’t get any reps there. He’s preparing for everything. We know how much he means to the team, and we’ll see what happens. But as of right now, Brett Baty will get a lot of the opportunities.

Nationals

• Nothing fantasy relevant.

Padres

• Nothing fantasy relevant.

Phillies

• Nothing fantasy relevant. All Schwarber talk.

Pirates

• Jhostynxon Garcia could play any outfield position, and the manager seems excited to play him.

Q. You mentioned Garcia. What do you kind of like about just the possibility of him adding some power to the lineup in ’26 and just the impact that he could potentially make?

DON KELLY: Yeah. Some big-time power that he brings and just the ability to play all three outfield positions. Looks like he’s an above average outfielder. Just the way — I saw that double that he hit in his first at-bat down there in winter ball, and the way that he hustled and ran into second. All the reports we’ve gotten back and the video we’ve gotten to watch, we’re really excited to add a young project of his caliber to this team.

Q. Do you think he could handle center if needed?

DON KELLY: I think so. He definitely could go to center field.

• Spencer Horwitz is now the team’s first baseman, nothing more.

Q. We saw Horwitz bounce around a little bit at the end of the year. You guys have been connected to a couple of first basemen. Is second base or another position an option for him, or would you like to keep him at first?

DON KELLY: I think ideally we’d like to keep him at first base. He’s such a good defensive first baseman. But totally open to other ways. We played him at second last year at the end of the season. He’s played second for Toronto.

Just looking at any way to impact the team. Ideally he’ll be at first.

• Sounds like a small chance Joey Bart will get any reps at first base.

Q. With your catchers right now, will you explore another option with Joey Bart? Is first base an option for him to get both bats in the lineup? How do you view the delineation of duties?

DON KELLY: Last year in practice Joey’s taken some ground balls at first. Really see Joey as a catcher, but as it goes, we were able to get him in last year at DH a little at the end. I think that first base, if he continues to take some ground balls, something that we could explore down the line.

• The manager still says they are undecided on Konnor Griffin.

Q. Do you anticipate seeing Konnor in the mix for the shortstop position in Spring Training?

DON KELLY: Konnor’s going to get — yeah, we’re still talking about a lot of that. It’s too early to say exactly what’s going to happen there. But as far as a 19-year-old guy that just came out of high school, the year that he had to go through three levels and play the way that he played, the sky’s the limit for him. The talent that you see, the wiring, the way he goes about it, he’s really, really impressive.

Reds

• Sal Stewart still doesn’t have a place on an MLB team.

Q. How does someone like Sal Stewart fit in your plans? Knowing obviously you have more roster choices coming up, but how do you see him fitting and growing within the month?

TERRY FRANCONA: I think Freddie went down to visit with him for a couple of days in Miami, just to help him defensively at first base. It’s going to be interesting because we love, love the hitter. I remember all the way back last year in Spring Training — I think I told you guys I thought he was one of the most advanced young hitters I’d seen, and I believe that. Rarely do you see guys come to the Big Leagues like that late in the year, and he wasn’t overwhelmed.

Where his game goes defensively, we’re still trying to figure that out. I talked to him at length — it’s been a while now — but about being agile. People talk about his weight. I said, I don’t want to talk about your weight. I want you to be athletic. Because he’s a baseball player. Where that fits, we’ll see.

Rockies

• Blaine Crim was the only person mentioned for the first base job.

Q. A lot of turnover at first base so far this off-season. Where do you kind of see the position? A lot of time still before Spring Training, but where do you see it right now?

WARREN SCHAEFFER: We’ve got Crim coming in to battle for that job. I feel like guys are going to come out here in competition for that spot. Just like a lot of spots in the diamond and the pitching, we’re going to have a lot of competition.

• Hunter Goodman will continue to get DH at-bats.

Q. Following up on that, you did this quite a bit the second half last year. Could [Goodman] be your full-time DH when he’s not behind the plate?

WARREN SCHAEFFER: Yeah, that’s something we’re going to talk about big time, because I personally think that’s a yes, that he can. We pushed him last year at the end. We tried to get him through that knee injury, had a little bit going on there. I think there was something else, hamstring was barking. So we wanted to keep him healthy.

I do believe that he’s got the makeup and the physical toughness and ability and durability to be able to do that. We’ll see where that goes, but I think that’s maybe the initial plan.

Matt Marton-Imagn Images

The following are excerpts from the managers’ press conferences from the Winter Meetings.

• With the new automated strike zone, the exact height of hitters will be needed.

Q. Do you have any other early team-wide strategies you’re thinking about when it comes to using it?

A.J. HINCH: I’ve spent some time talking to our P.D. group and even some of the players who have gone up and down. Right now we’re locked in on measurements and making sure that we have everybody in camp at the time in which they’re going to make those measurements get done. And we’ll adapt accordingly.

I think, similar to the replay, the subtle little adjustments that everybody’s had to make around some new rules. It will fall into a good rhythm and a good understanding of the — I think the first month will probably be the hardest month.

I wonder which hitters will shrink the most.

Read the rest of this entry »

John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

American League

Angels

• The team is considering using Christian Moore, Kyren Paris, or Denzer Guzman at third base.

But with Rendon not expected to play due to injury again in 2026, the Angels are in the market for a third baseman. Minasian also said they could be open to moving youngster Christian Moore to third base from second if they find a better fit for a second baseman. Kyren Paris and Denzer Guzman (Angels’ No. 8 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) also have been getting in work at third this offseason.

Astros

• The team is backing off from previous comments about Yordan Alvarez playing more outfield. The manager now wants him to DH as much as possible.

The Astros’ latest solution, according to Espada, is for Alvarez to “spend most of his season” at designated hitter. The manager did not divulge a specific division of playing time, but it stands to reason that Alvarez won’t match the 57 games he started in left field in 2022 or the 53 games he played there in 2024.
…
Last month, general manager Dana Brown attempted to squash any idea of trading Walker or Paredes, saying that both would “hit somewhere between one and six” in Houston’s lineup. Brown added that Alvarez could “get a lot more games in left field” to free the DH spot for either of the two infielders to occupy.

Monday’s about-face makes this setup impossible. Declarations made in December aren’t final, but if Alvarez is indeed the Astros’ full-time designated hitter, the flexibility to juggle Paredes and Walker will decrease. It also means Jose Altuve will be asked to play defense full-time during his age-36 season, making it even more difficult to find regular at-bats for both Paredes and Walker.

Blue Jays

• Shane Bieber dealt with forearm fatigue to end the season, and he might not be ready for Opening Day.

Bieber dealt with forearm fatigue at the end of the season, a person briefed on the matter said, but has since begun offseason recovery and rehab work. It’s not entirely clear if the forearm ailment entirely caused Bieber to pick up his player option and avoid the unknowns of free agency, but it likely factored into his decision.

When asked about Bieber’s status at the Winter Meetings, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said “he’s in a strong position,” though he noted the Jays are taking things week to week with Bieber and could stagger his workload in early spring. Atkins said Bieber being ready for Opening Day is “a very realistic outcome,” but reiterated the team is taking things week to week.

Though Atkins didn’t explicitly state Bieber’s injury in Orlando, his answers didn’t indicate the righty was entirely healthy after a return from surgery and long postseason push.

• Anthony Santander is back to normal.

Anthony Santander is “finally feeling normal,” Schneider said, after back and shoulder injuries sidetracked his first season with the Blue Jays.

Guardians

• Brayan Rocchio will play shortstop while Gabriel Arias will maintain more of a utility role.

One potential nugget of interest on the position player side: Vogt mentioned Brayan Rocchio will patrol shortstop with regularity this spring, while Gabriel Arias will bounce around defensively, “just to be ready for it.” What is “it,” you ask? Well, it’s the eventual presence of Brito and, especially, Bazzana, or even an external addition, a placeholder at the position until the 2024 No. 1 draft pick is ready for the big leagues.

• Since the end of the season, Kyle Manzardo added 14 pounds of muscle.

Kyle Manzardo has gained 14 pounds of muscle since the end of the season. The Guardians want him to hold up better physically and be a candidate for more reps at first base.

Rangers

• The team might move Wyatt Langford to center field in the hope that Evan Carter will stay healthier playing in a corner spot.

Carter has struggled with back issues throughout his professional career, and he missed the last month of the 2025 season with a broken right wrist. Langford, on the other hand, has experienced a number of soft tissue injuries over his two years in the big leagues, including three oblique strains this past season.

“Trying to get these guys healthy, on the field and productive for 150-plus is the most ideal situation for us,” Schumaker added. “Trying to figure out how we can do that with Carter is a big thing for us. I don’t know if everyone has the answers right now to keep him healthy the entire year, but I know he’s absolutely trying to do everything he can this offseason to prove that he [can get] back to where he was in 2023.”

Rays

• MLB.com reporter said that Cedric Mullins will be the team’s primary center fielder.

Mullins will be their primary center fielder.

Tigers

• Max Anderson lines up to be part of a third base platoon.

Anderson could get a chance to compete for a platoon role at third base, complementing Colt Keith or Zach McKinstry.

Yankees

• Cam Schlittler is working on adding a splitter or changeup.

The right-hander isn’t satisfied. After showcasing triple-digit heat and emerging as a second-half force in the Bronx, Schlittler is working to add a sixth pitch to his repertoire this winter — either a changeup or a splitter, as he said during an appearance Wednesday on the YES Network.

“I’m probably more leaning toward a changeup, which might be easier for me,” Schlittler said on Yankees Hot Stove. “I think that’s an important pitch to include, just because I didn’t have that option down to lefties, or even to righties as well.”

National League

Braves

• Reynaldo López will be stretched out as a starter in Spring Training.

Is Weiss tempted to move Reynaldo López back to a relief role?

“Not so much tempted, but it’s a nice fallback plan,” Weiss said. “I get these same questions about Grant Holmes. These guys will be built up as starters in Spring Training. But it’s really nice to know that whatever – because of acquisitions, because of health or somebody all of a sudden steps up and opens your eyes – it’s nice to know those guys can [be relievers]. They’ve done it before, and they’ve been really good at it. But sitting here today, we’re looking at them as starters.”
…
Chris Sale, Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach are targeted to fill the rotation’s first three spots. López is currently slotted into the fourth spot. Holmes, Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz and Hurston Waldrep are fifth starter candidates. Holmes, Elder and Wentz are out of options. So if there’s a need to preserve depth, Waldrep could begin the season with Triple-A Gwinnett.

• Ronald Acuña Jr. could go back to leading off, according to the guy who writes the lineup cards.

Now that Ronald Acuña Jr. is further distanced from his latest knee surgery, Braves manager Walt Weiss is open to the possibility of moving the 2023 National League Most Valuable Player back to the leadoff spot.

“It’s enticing to have him at the top of the order,” Weiss said. “I really like when a lineup turns over and there’s teeth right away. If you’re a pitcher, you’ve got to run through a gauntlet as soon as the lineup turns over.”

…

But the six stolen bases he has recorded through his first eight games in the Venezuelan Winter League are an indication he’s feeling more confident about his two surgically repaired knees.

• Joe Jiménez might not be healthy by Opening Day.

With Anthopoulos saying Joe Jiménez’s left knee issue prevents the team from relying on him to be a setup man next year, adding a high-leverage reliever now seems to possibly be an even greater necessity.

Cubs

• The organization sees Ben Brown as a starter.

Brown had 121 strikeouts overall last season, including 40 against nine walks in 30 2/3 innings as a reliever.

“For me, I 100% see him as a starter,” Hottovy said. “He’s got the upside to be a really good power pitcher in the back end of the bullpen, but you don’t want to just crown that. You want that to kind of happen. Sometimes it happens, because it’s what the team needs. Sometimes it happens because the player shows you that’s his best role.”

Giants

• Casey Schmitt might not be healed for the season’s start after having wrist surgery.

The Giants announced that infielder Casey Schmitt underwent surgery on Tuesday to remove the carpal boss in his left wrist. The procedure was performed by Dr. Steven Shin in Los Angeles and will require an eight-to-10-week recovery process.
…
The 26-year-old landed on the 10-day injured list with left wrist inflammation after he was drilled by a 95 mph sinker from the Marlins’ Calvin Faucher on June 25, which made it difficult for him to swing without pain.

Schmitt batted .276 with a .799 OPS and four homers over his first 34 games of the year, but his production dipped after he returned from the IL on July 7. He hit .220 with a .663 OPS and eight homers over his final 61 games, though he still ended the season as the Giants’ primary second baseman after Tyler Fitzgerald lost his grip on the starting spot at the position.

Padres

• The GM guy sees Miguel Mendez as a rookie who will contribute to the major league team.

Meanwhile, 23-year-old righty Miguel Mendez was recently added to the team’s 40-man roster to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft. At the GM Meetings, Preller named him as a prospect who could make an impact with the big league club this season. That won’t stop the Padres from adding multiple starting pitchers. But after the season Mendez had in 2025 — a 3.22 ERA with 118 strikeouts over 95 innings — he’s a name to watch.

Phillies

• Gabriel Rincones Jr. could contribute this year, but only as a platoon bat.

Dombrowski has mentioned outfielder Gabriel Rincones Jr. as a potential 2026 contributor. But he’s a strict platoon player, struggling mightily in the Minor Leagues against left-handed pitching.

Reds

• The manager plans on giving Elly De La Cruz more off days.

Manager Terry Francona wants to give De La Cruz more days off next season after the All-Star shortstop played all 162 regular-season games.

“I need to find ways to get him off his feet from time to time, and I didn’t do a very good job of that, and I own up to that,” Francona said.