Mining the News (1/20/26)

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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.
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“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?

Rangers

• Cody Bradford will return in May.

Cody Bradford is expected to return from elbow surgery somewhere around May.

Rays

• Gavin Lux will play second base.

“In our opinion, second base is his best position, and he plays it at his best when the entirety of his time is focused there,” Neander told Topkin. “The way things played out in Cincinnati last year, there was more opportunity in left field, more DH, more pinch-hit, a little bit of second base, but his work was not focused at second base. I think Gavin is someone that we can give him some clarity that, ‘Hey, second base, put your work in there, build your routines there, prepare for that, and basically that only.’ And I think that’s how we’re going to get the best out of him.”

Red Sox

• Kristian Campbell only played outfield this winter so he could work on his batting.

This was one of several Campbell questions given his uncertain status with the club. Campbell did indeed play only outfield in winter ball, mainly because the Red Sox had him make some swing adjustments to quiet things down at the plate. The idea was to have him focus on getting his swing right rather than worry about shifting positions. A team source noted the long-term plan is still for Campbell to maintain his defensive versatility in the future at second and in the outfield, but they want him to get right offensively first. At the moment, he’s focused on the outfield, and it seems likely he’ll stick there in the spring as he continues to build up reps at the plate with his new swing.

Over 62 PA in the Puerto Rican Winter League, he hit .245/.403/.367 with 0 HR and 2 SB.

• Marcelo Mayer added 10 pounds, and the team will let him face lefties to start the season.

Mayer has added strength this offseason, gaining 10 pounds in the hope of avoiding further injury. He’s worked out at second and third base throughout the winter, but for now, third base appears to be his to lose. At Fenway Fest last weekend, manager Alex Cora said he plans to let Mayer face more lefties this spring, heaping praise on the infielder and giving a hint toward Mayer’s increased playing time.

Last season, Mayer posted a .416 OPS against lefties and a .739 OPS against righties.

Tigers

• Rotation option, Drew Anderson 앤더슨, added a kick change in the KBO to take a major step forward.

Anderson hit the mound in Korea and settled in quickly, going 11-3 with a 3.89 ERA and 158 strikeouts over 115 2/3 innings for SSG Landers. He returned last year and topped that, posting a 12-7 record, 2.25 ERA and 245 strikeouts over 171 2/3 innings. A kick change that he added to his arsenal proved to be a nasty pitch.

“Messed around with it a little bit [in 2024], just because it was the new trendy pitch and I’m sure everybody has tried it,” Anderson said. “Threw it sometimes [in 2024], nothing crazy. But it was like my second or third game where I was just like, ‘Screw it, I’m just going to throw it as much as I can.’ And I got a lot of good outcomes with it and started to get more comfortable with it.”

Anderson was neck and neck with fellow American Cody Ponce 폰세 for the KBO single-season strikeout record. Anderson fell seven strikeouts short, but finished with a better strikeout rate (12.8 per nine innings) than Ponce (12.6 K/9). They could meet in the big leagues this season; Ponce signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Blue Jays last month.

Anderson’s Davenport Translation (how his KBO results would compare to MLB) to the majors is a 3.31 ERA and 7.7 K/9.

Twins

• Josh Bell worked on lifting sinkers last year and gave up golf to hit lefties better this year.

Bell made some changes in his pregame routine during the season and feels that the late-season surge was at least partially a result of that.

“I started hitting a lot more sinkers off the [pitching] machine,” Bell said. “Started using a heavy bat with that. So, just trying to stay underneath the ball, get balls in the air as best I can. Because I hit the ball hard enough, and I have pretty good pitch recognition and don’t chase too much. So when I do make contact, just try to get it in the air. And that’s what worked for me at the end of the year.”

As for his struggles against lefties, he feels that his right-handed swing suffered from playing golf the previous winter, so he cut that out this year.

• Some team officials see often-injured, top pitching prospect, Connor Prielipp, transitioning to the bullpen to keep him healthy.

Durability concerns could lead to Prielipp shifting to the bullpen, where he would profile as a potential late-inning reliever and would likely be placed on a faster track to the majors. Twins officials talk openly about Prielipp as a possible 2026 bullpen option, perhaps as soon as Opening Day.

Yankees

• Ryan Weathers is training to be healthy …

Weathers has worked to “lengthen” his lat muscle and back through training, which were problem areas for him in 2025, and he’s excited about the progress he’s made.

… while working on throwing his sinker more.

Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake has already touched base with Weathers about potential tweaks to his arsenal. Weathers’ fastball averages 96.9 mph, and he relied heavily on it last season (44.5 percent). But Blake suggested perhaps using it less and throwing more sinkers, which he used just 3.9 percent of the time last year. The Yankees believe it could particularly help him against lefties.

National League

Cubs

• Matt Shaw will have a utility role while seeing time in the outfield.

Right now, with Alex Bregman locked in at third and Hoerner at second, Shaw is the odd man out in terms of playing time. The young infielder appears to be headed for a super-utility role.

“I think Matt’s going to see time in the outfield,” manager Craig Counsell said at Cubs Convention over the weekend. “I’ve talked about that with Matt. I think that’s going to be part of spring training.”

Diamondbacks

• Sounds like the team wants A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez to take over the closing duties once healthy.

“Would I like to have somebody that has a clear pedigree of pitching in the eighth and ninth inning? That’s an easier answer. I’m not sure what we’ll have access to in that way,” Hazen told Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. He acknowledged they need to continue adding to the bullpen this offseason but suggested the biggest impact would probably come from internal improvements and hopefully getting Martinez and Puk healthy. Arizona prioritized upper minors pitching in last summer’s deadline activity. Brandyn Garcia, Juan Burgos and Andrew Hoffmann all came over as inexperienced but essentially MLB-ready bullpen pieces.

Of the injury returnees, it seems Puk is further along. Piecoro writes that the D-Backs hope to get the southpaw back within the first few months of the season, while Martinez is targeting a second half return. Puk underwent internal brace surgery in late June. Martinez required a full Tommy John reconstruction, which comes with a longer recovery timeline. It was the second elbow ligament procedure of each pitcher’s career, as they’d both had Tommy John surgeries during their prospect days.

Since this article was published, Puk started getting drafted on a regular basis at the NFBC.

Mets

• Brett Baty could see time at first base or in the outfield.

A left-handed batter like McNeil (whom the Mets dealt to the Athletics last month), Baty split time last season between third base (87 appearances) and second base (57 appearances). The Mets like his improved bat in the major leagues; he hit 18 home runs with a 111 OPS+. They also appreciate his defense. Metrics like outs above average suggest he was playable at second base and good at third base, his primary position. In 2021 and 2022, while in the minor leagues, he made a combined 29 starts in left field. Mets officials believe he can also handle some first base.
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The Mets still view Baty as a valuable piece of their roster. Of course, if the Mets are looking for a more established outfielder or a starting pitcher, Baty would represent a helpful trade chip. But between the designated hitter spot and Baty’s ability to play multiple positions, there could be a path for plenty of at-bats.

Pirates

• Jared Triolo improved his production with a new hand placement. Also, he could end up playing shortstop or third base.

Last year was an up-and-down campaign for Triolo, but he definitely finished on a high note. He adjusted his hand placement after being demoted to Triple-A Indianapolis in July, going back to something more comfortable that just felt right. Once he was recalled at the start of August, he was one of the team’s best hitters down the stretch, slashing .276/.353/.422 with four home runs over 216 plate appearances.

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“Exactly what role that is, I don’t think we know yet. We’re confident with him at shortstop. We’re confident in him at third base. We’re also confident with him being on the team and playing six spots and moving around. It could be any of those. We’ll have time in Spring Training to sort that out.”