Brett Davis-Imagn Images

• Aaron Sanchez is attempting a comeback…

After sitting out last season, Aaron Sanchez won the Dominican Winter League’s Pitcher of the Year award this winter and is attracting interest from clubs, league sources said. In eight starts (46 1/3 innings) over the winter, Sanchez had a 1.55 ERA.

Sanchez, 33, has not pitched in the major leagues since 2022. Formerly a top prospect, Sanchez is best known for time with the Toronto Blue Jays. He was an All-Star in 2016, going 15-2 with a 3.00 ERA.

From 2017-22, however, Sanchez experienced injuries and produced a 5.29 ERA. In 2024, he had a 7.92 ERA in 61 1/3 innings while pitching for the Blue Jays’ Triple-A team.

… while averaging 92 mph on his fastball with a slider, curve, and change.

Aarón Sánchez abre hoy en el Micheli vs. @aguilascibaenas

En 2025-: 7 GS, 7 QS, 39.1 IP, 1.37 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 31 K, 8 BB, 1 HR.
En casa: 17.1 IP, 2.08 ERA, .234 BAA, wOBA .301.
Vs AC : 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 3.38 ERA, .222 BAA.

Su stuff 2025-(Trackman):
– Sinker 92.2 mph (40.4% uso):… pic.twitter.com/7qEpsYtNDL

— Abraham Abreu P. (@abrahamabreup) November 30, 2025

The only time Sanchez averaged 92 mph was in 2022. That season, he posted a 6.60 ERA (4.18 xFIP), 1.55 WHIP, and 6.2 K/9. He’s never thrown a slider in the majors, so it’s a new pitch.

American League

Angels

• Josh Lowe will get a chance to prove he can hit lefties.

The Angels do lack left-handed bats in their lineup, so Lowe could be part a platoon with Teodosio, which could keep Trout and Adell as regulars in the lineup, with Trout sharing time at designated hitter with Soler. But Minasian wouldn’t rule out Lowe getting a chance against lefties.

“When evaluating the player, there were some things that stood out,” Minasian said. “He hasn’t been great against left-handed pitching. He hasn’t had a ton of opportunities either. So again, that’ll be a question for the staff and ‘Zuk’ when we get our hands on him. But with talented players, sometimes it just takes experience and playing time to learn to defend yourself against the same side.”

Astros

• Spencer Arrighetti avoided elbow surgery and plans to be ready for the start of Spring Training.

Arrighetti was able to avoid surgery and has already thrown seven times in the bullpen this winter. He will report to West Palm Beach, Fla., in two weeks healthy and ready to compete.

“I feel ahead of schedule right now instead of behind,” Arrighetti said on Saturday at FanFest at Daikin Park. “So I’m just really optimistic going into camp that I’ll be able to hit the ground running, be on par with the rest of the group and just still be in that competition fighting for my spot.”

• The team hopes Zach Cole can be an outfield regular.

The potential for a full season from Alvarez could help. So would contributions from rookie outfielder Zach Cole. Without being prompted, team officials have praised Cole all offseason and hope he can carve out a regular role in Houston’s unsettled outfield.

I have my doubts. Last season in 52 PA, he posted a 61% Contact%. In the most recent edition of The Process, I found that best case outcome for someone with so much swing-and-miss is about 250 PA.

Athletics

• Nick Kurtz is preparing his body for a full 162-game schedule.

In preparing for Year 2, Kurtz is focused on getting his body ready for the grind of a 162-game season. He has tried to balance his offseason workouts between getting stronger in the weight room while also dropping a few pounds for better mobility and to, hopefully, avoid the tired legs he felt toward the end of 2025.

“I know what needs to be done to stay healthy for 162 [games],” Kurtz said, “what I need to do with my body in the weight room and eating-wise to kind of not hit that wall at some point throughout the year. I know 162 is a lot of games. I want to do the best I can to play every single one of them.”

Orioles

• Heston Kjerstad will be ready for Spring Training …

Orioles manager Craig Albernaz says outfielder Heston Kjerstad (undisclosed) is expected to be a “full participant” in spring training.

— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) January 23, 2026

… after dealing with fatigue last season.

There hasn’t been a clear explanation for the outfielder’s absence to end last season, but it appears to be in the rearview. Kjerstad was shut down in late July while dealing with fatigue. Reports in September were that he was seeing doctors about an unspecified medical condition.

Royals

• Isaac Collins could get reps at second base.

We’ll see Collins in left field the majority of the time, while Thomas will move among all three spots. The Royals touted Collins’ ability to play second base when they acquired him, giving them flexibility, so it’ll be interesting to see whether he gets reps there this spring.

Twins

• The plan is for Ryan Jeffers to be the starting catcher for 100 games.

At first glance, the Caratini signing would seem to make Jeffers, a free agent next winter, a possible trade candidate. Jeffers suggests that management indicated otherwise to him.

“Before all that happened, I had conversations [with management telling me] ’Hey, this might happen,’ and just reassuring me that my role as the guy who’s going to catch 100-plus games is not going to change,” Jeffers told host John Vittas. I’m excited to go back there and really get a full season in. Throughout my career, I’ve split time with a lot of guys, and I’m excited to catch a full workload and also be joined by a guy (Caratini) who’s been in the game for eight-plus years and has a lot of experience, has won a lot of games and has been with some organizations that have played really good baseball.”

• David Festa is almost going through a normal offseason.

Right-hander David Festa has been encouraged by his offseason progress. He made only one appearance, in Triple-A, after July 21 due to a mild form of thoracic outlet syndrome. That diagnosis is often scary for pitchers, and it was initially for Festa. But he said on Saturday that he’s going through something very close to a normal offseason, and he expects to be ready to compete for a rotation spot when camp opens next month.

• Pablo López went through a normal offseason.

Pablo López said his health has not been a concern and that he has had a “normal” offseason following a late-season right forearm injury.

• Bailey Ober admitted that his hip bothered him all of last season.

Ober explained that the main trouble that bothered him was discomfort in the hip of his landing leg. That led to inconsistency in his delivery, since he never knew whether he’d fully have his leg under him when he landed.

He pitched through it, effectively at times, early in the year. But all the while he was falling into bad habits. So although he was mostly feeling OK physically when he returned from the injured list, his mechanics remained out of whack.

“I just never felt like I had a stable base throwing,” Ober said. “It felt like my release was off almost every single throw. Sometimes I’d have 10 throws in a row where it felt great, and the next 10 are like, ‘I don’t know where this is going.’ It was a sharp pain, and I didn’t feel strong in my front leg to block.”

The challenge was knowing when to try to pitch through it and when to pack it in. With some hindsight, Ober acknowledges he might handle things differently if he had another opportunity.

National League

Cubs

• Matt Shaw is taking reps in the outfield.

After batting practice, Matt Shaw took outfield reps. Good reaction time from crack of bat, one depth judgment misread on a fly ball at him, but great acceleration going back and forward. Lots of torque and horsepower in his running. VIDEO. pic.twitter.com/qP6NQ2XWon

— John Antonoff (@baseballinfocus) January 21, 2026

• Justin Steele won’t be ready for the start of the season, but he feels he’s ahead of schedule.

“There hasn’t really been any hiccups at all through this process,” Steele said. “It’s felt good the entire time. If anything, we’re ahead of schedule. I’ve kind of been pushing the envelope the entire time, wanting to get off the mound.”

While Steele added that “it’s full steam ahead,” that does not mean there are any firm dates circled for a potential comeback yet. Opening Day has already been ruled out publicly by manager Craig Counsell, who said during the Winter Meetings that the first half was possible for the lefty’s return, barring any setbacks.

Diamondbacks

• Ryne Nelson is preparing to make 30 starts while working on his slider and curve.

Nelson made getting physically stronger a priority this offseason so he can handle the rigors of making 30 or more starts in 2026.

With that in mind, he’s added some muscle and reduced some body fat. He worked on continuing to develop his slider — which he thought he made big strides with in 2025 — and his curveball.

The goal is that when he throws those pitches, he’s not just throwing them because he needs to, but because he believes and trusts in them.

Last season, he threw his slider 12% of the time and curve 11% of the time. Our STUPH models have the slider (14% SwStr%) as an average pitch and the curve (12% SwStr%) as below average.

Dodgers

• Odds are that Tommy Edman will not be ready for Opening Day.

Concern over Tommy Edman’s surgery recovery might have given the Dodgers more incentive to land Tucker. Edman will be delayed in starting the spring as he recovers from a right ankle operation. There is a growing likelihood he will not be ready for Opening Day.

Giants

• Bryce Eldridge is about done with the rehab on his wrist.

Eldridge underwent postseason surgery to address a bone spur in his left wrist. He said he’s essentially at full strength, noting that he’s in the final stages of his hitting program. Eldridge should enter camp healthy as he battles for the starting first base/designated hitter job in what would be a split between the two positions with Rafael Devers.

• Casey Schmitt played through wrist pain in the second half.

The 26-year-old hurt his wrist when he was hit by a pitch on June 25, and he played through persistent discomfort in the second half. When the pain didn’t subside during the offseason, Schmitt decided to opt for the same surgery that top prospect Bryce Eldridge had in October.

“I kind of dealt with it probably since June or July when I got hit against Miami that first time,” Schmitt said. “I was kind of dealing with it since then. Just masking it and just getting through the season. I thought it would go away. So I gave it a month off. It didn’t go away. Then we went the surgery route to get it taken care of so I don’t have to deal with it for this year.”

Phillies

• Otto Kemp will mostly play in the outfield.

Otto Kemp, though, got his feet wet in the outfield last season — and it sounds as if getting him some extra reps will be the focus in Spring Training.

“I think some corner outfield,” manager Rob Thomson said this week when asked how he plans to deploy Kemp this spring. “A little bit of infield work — third base, second base, maybe a little bit of first base, too. But, really, focus on the outfield more than anything else.”

Could Thomson envision Kemp playing enough outfield to form a full platoon?

“Yes,” Thomson said. “Yeah, I could.”

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

American League

Guardians

• Kyle Manzardo has added 14 pounds this offseason, along with some baseball “work”.

Kyle Manzardo has been working. Manager Stephen Vogt has noted on several occasions over the past month-plus that the 25-year-old has gained 14 pounds of muscle since the end of the 2025 season. It’s been part of Manzardo’s offseason regimen that appears pointed toward a specific goal that could prove key to Cleveland this coming season.
…
“He’s putting in the work both offensively, defensively — and most importantly, with his body — to be able to do that.”

Did he not put in any work in previous seasons? Read the rest of this entry »

Syndication: The Enquirer

Previous Outfield Reviews

• Marsee, Caglianone, Carpenter, & Crews
• Marte, Doyle, Stowers, & Butler
• Nimmo, Ward, Profar, Happ
• Simpson, Adell, Rafaela, & Kwan

Read the rest of this entry »

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

American League

Astros

• The GM mentioned Joseph Sullivan and Lucas Spence as potential outfield options.

In the spirit of Cole’s ascension, two other young, left-handed-hitting outfielders come to mind for this question: Lucas Spence and Joseph Sullivan.

Brown has mentioned both Spence and Sullivan at points this winter as outfield depth in the upper minor leagues. Sullivan acquitted himself well in the Arizona Fall League while Spence, an undrafted free agent, reached Double-A Corpus Christi in his first full professional season.

Neither has the best overall projection, but they stole a decent number of bases last season (Spence: 27 SB, Sullivan: 43 SB).

Orioles

• Gunnar Henderson played through a shoulder injury last year.

Henderson was a call-in guest last night on the “Orioles Hot Stove Show” on WBAL Radio and said he had a shoulder impingement “pretty much for three-quarters of the year.”

“I’m sure that didn’t help, either,” he said.

“I could never get to the spot that I wanted to get to with my swing, but no excuse. Just had to play through it and felt like I still with all those circumstances put up a decent year. Looking forward to being healthy this year and getting back to my normal self.”

The shoulder issue was kept quiet, buried among the litany of Orioles injuries that led to a franchise-record 70 players used.

“I just wasn’t able to hold the plane and my body was adjusting to it, not feeling great, so that didn’t really set up me in the right spot to leverage the ball like I normally do,” Henderson said. “So getting over that and ready to roll this season.”

Rangers

• The team doesn’t have a set closer yet.

Martin and Díaz both have closing experience, as does Robert Garcia — one of few holdovers from last season.

“I think every team would love to have a bona fide lockdown ninth-inning, sure-thing closer that’s never going to give up a run,” Young said. “But the reality is, most teams don’t have that, and teams that go into the season that do have that, oftentimes don’t have it by about halfway through the season. It’s not as ubiquitous as maybe it’s perceived to be in terms of the role.

“I think what we do have are good options we feel like and it’s our job as an organization to put our players in the best positions to succeed. Our hope is that somebody really steps up and establishes themselves and wins that role and takes it.”

Red Sox

• There is a good chance Triston Casas will not be healthy by Opening Day.

Meanwhile, Triston Casas, recovering from a ruptured patellar tendon, admitted that being ready for Opening Day would be tough. He hopes to begin playing games in spring training and praised the Red Sox for signing Contreras to play first.

• Willson Contreras will bat fourth.

On Saturday, manager Alex Cora said Contreras will most likely hit fourth.

Tigers

• The team plans to use a closer-by-committee with …

Yes, manager A.J. Hinch now has no shortage of options for the ninth inning. But he’s just as likely to place priority on those arms for the most dangerous part of the opposing lineup, whether it’s due up in the ninth or not.

“I wouldn’t say the specific [save] stat itself was something we were targeting,” general manager Jeff Greenberg said a couple weeks ago. “We were targeting impact arms that we felt could help this team win games in different situations. … And we have a manager in A.J. who is so good at finding ways to get the most out of these guys, putting those pieces together, using our guys in the right situations to get those wins.”

… Kyle Finnegan and …

[Finnegan said], “We have lots of different guys that can do lots of different things, and anytime you can get more options to throw in leverage, it’s a huge advantage. And you look at a lot of the teams in the postseason, their bullpens are built with multiple guys that you can throw out there in the eighth, ninth inning and have confidence that they can get it done. So I think the more closers you have on your team, the better.

“I think whoever it is, is going to have the mindset of: Tell me when to pitch and I’ll go out there and do my best.”

… Kenley Jansen buying in.

Jansen said. “To me, yes, it’s unbelievable numbers to get this close. But like I told A.J., I didn’t do this to get 500 saves or 400 saves, whatever. You know, I was on a pretty good team, the Dodgers. I’ve had great opportunities, and all our focus is to try to help a team win, and all those things came with it. So at the end of the day, it will be a great accomplishment, but I think the greater accomplishment will be to try to get deep in the postseason and win the World Series with the Tigers. That’s my accomplishment at the end of the day. That’s why I’m here.”

This is a tough situation to believe, but don’t be surprised if a committee does form.

White Sox

• Sean Burke will prepare to be a starter.

During a recent interview with MLB.com, Burke provided his usual in-depth answers to questions asked of the right-hander about himself and the team. But when the inquiry turned to preparing as a starter for the ’26 season, his reply was far more succinct.

“Yes, 100 percent,” said Burke of his targeted offseason work.

National League

Cubs

• Ben Brown, Javier Assad, and Jordan Wicks will stretch out as starters.

The current plan calls for Brown to prepare as a starter (same for Assad and Wicks), but all three could also be contenders for bullpen roles. Each pitcher in that latter trio also has at least one Minor League option, giving the Cubs the flexibility to send any one to Triple-A Iowa to keep starting, if so desired.

Dodgers

• There were reports Freddie Freeman wanted to play for Team Canada in the WBC, but he’s now declined for personal reasons.

Some tough WBC news for Canada as Freddie Freeman withdraws for personal reasons. Dodgers star played in past two tourneys.

Jordan Romano is out too, but on flip side, big boost for Canadian rotation as Jameson Taillon is in. Also now in are C Liam Hicks and INF Tyler Black.

— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) January 10, 2026

Pirates

• The GM mentioned Jared Triolo as a starter.

Cherington continued. “We’ve traded a little bit of pitching, so would like to add back to that. We’d still like to add to the position-player group. You look at the left side of the infield; obviously there are guys we like. [Jared] Triolo emerged [in] the second half of the year. He’s earned opportunity there. But if we could add someone on the left side of the infield, that’s something we’ll keep an eye out for.[“]

Rich Storry-Imagn Images

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.

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

• 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].”

John Jones-Imagn Images

• 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 »

Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

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.

Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

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.