Mining the News (1/29/26)

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

American League

Astros

• Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve won’t be able to play in the World Baseball Classic because they can’t get contract insurance.

Correa, who is set to make $31 million next season, has an extensive injury history that ostensibly made his contract more difficult to insure.

“I’m definitely upset because I’ve been preparing really hard this offseason to get better this year and be ready early so I can be ready for the WBC,” said Correa, who added he had already begun facing live pitching in preparation to play for Team Puerto Rico.

“I also understand the business side of things and that’s too big of a risk to take, to play with no insurance.”

All World Baseball Classic participants on MLB 40-man rosters are evaluated by an insurer who was agreed upon by MLB and the players union. As the Los Angeles Times noted in 2023, if the insurer finds a player to be uninsurable due to their injury history, the player’s contract would not be guaranteed for any missed time due to injuries sustained during the WBC unless a team specifically agrees to do so.

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Altuve’s absence is also due to insurance issues, according to a league source. During the Astros annual FanFest on Saturday, Team Venezuela manager Omar López acknowledged it has been more difficult to get players insured for the upcoming tournament.

“Unfortunately, a lot of players were hurt or for some reason went to the IL in the previous season and automatically, they’re getting into what they call ‘chronic’ injuries,” said López, who is also the Astros bench coach.

I wonder how many other players won’t play because of insurance issues … or if the information will be made public.

• The team still plans to go with a six-man rotation to start the season. Also, it’s likely that the arms who don’t make the rotation will move to the bullpen as long relievers.

Houston opens the season with 26 games in 28 days, signaling the Astros would deploy a six-man rotation out of spring training. Signing Imai — who pitched every fifth day in NPB — made it mandatory.

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Six-man rotations shorten the bullpen. Because Houston will deploy one at the beginning of the season, when starting pitchers are sometimes still building up their pitch counts, it would behoove the club to carry long relievers.

That could be the fate for whoever loses the rotation competition — be it Weiss, Pearson, Arrighetti or McCullers. Weiss does have minor-league option years remaining, according to FanGraphs, which is why he is the odd man out of this roster projection.

Athletics

• Jacob Wilson윌슨 is trying to put on more muscle at the team’s facility.

“It’s definitely been the main focus for the last couple of offseasons now. Being able to grow into my body a little bit more and put on more muscle. I’ve been at the A’s facility for the entire offseason now, working with the strength staff to get stronger and prepare my body for the long season ahead.”

Blue Jays

• Trey Yesavage is trying to add a curveball.

To that end, Yesavage continues experimenting with a curveball, a pitch he threw in college but essentially dropped last year, riding his fastball, splitter, slider and unusually high release point that became one of the post-season’s prime talking points.

Though remarkably effective in 2025, his repertoire features an all arm-side movement profile, which is why Yesavage said, “I would love something that moves glove side.”

The curveball could very well turn out to be that pitch, offering him a potential extra option to augment the way he predominantly attacks righties (fastball/slider) and lefties (fastball/splitter).

“I’m just playing around with the grip, seeing what feels the most comfortable and seeing how I can most naturally throw my curveball,” he explained. “I have a funky arm angle, so I’ve just got to play around with it.”

Orioles

• Samuel Basallo lost 15 pounds and is emphasizing hitting this offseason.

Listed at 6-foot-4, Basallo showed up to the Birdland Caravan a bit slimmer, having said he’s lost about 15 pounds this offseason. However, that’s unlikely to reduce his massive power — a tool that drew plenty of attention to the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native when he was a non-roster invitee to big league Spring Training the past two years.
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As Basallo focused on conditioning this offseason, he put a large emphasis on hitting as well, though he didn’t divulge any specific changes or tweaks he’s made. But he’s confident his winter work will put him in a position to have big league success during the upcoming season.

Rangers

• Josh Jung is getting back to being “gritty and grindy in the box”.

“It’s truly just getting back to being gritty and grindy in the box,” Jung said at a Winter Warm-Up event. “Just being a gritty, grindy player in the box again. That’s part of just becoming a threat. Last year, there were times where I was not that. I was not being consistent. I need to get back to consistently hitting balls hard. That’s truly it. That and hitting the pitches I like and being more careful. That’s where the consistent approach comes in.”

National League

Brewers

• The manager plans to use Aaron Ashby in the bullpen.

Left-handers Aaron Ashby and DL Hall each have history as starters, but suffered injuries last spring while ramping up to compete for the rotation. If he had his choice, Murphy prefers Ashby in the bullpen, where he’s had stints as an electric, multi-inning, high-leverage relief arm.

“They’re both capable,” Murphy said. “Now with trading Freddy and Tobias, I think there might be more of a need for at least one of them to step in that role. Ashby has kind of separated himself, and he’s done a great job in that relief role. He can handle that and he’s really resilient.”

Ashby and Hall are among the many multi-inning bullpen options available to the Brewers, who have a long history of blurring the lines between “starter” and “reliever.” That strategy is likely to continue into 2026 whether the front office adds a starter or not, and remember, it’s never too late to add.

Giants

• Hayden Birdsong is working on his mechanics.

“There’s some little things, just like mechanical stuff that we’ve looked at,” Birdsong said Saturday during the Giants’ FanFest Tour stop at City Center Bishop Ranch. “The new crew that came in, obviously, they’re big-time looking at it. I kind of made little changes with not my slot, per se, but how I move and certain things. It’s probably not going to look any different to the naked eye. But to me, it’s quite a bit different. It’s been working for me. Now I’ve got to get a hitter in the box and see what happens.”

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“I think I was over-bending, which caused my arm slot to raise almost, and then everything just didn’t move the same,” Birdsong said. “I’d cut fastball, run fastballs. It was just not what you’re looking for. But I just try to stay more upright. Don’t reach so much overhead, be more athletic.”

Padres

• Joe Musgrove has had a normal offseason after Tommy John surgery.

RHP Joe Musgrove
Injury: Tommy John surgery (torn right UCL)
Expected return: Spring Training 2026
Status: Musgrove said he has had a “normal offseason” progression after missing the 2025 season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. He resumed throwing bullpen sessions in late December and has been on the mound regularly while throwing all his pitches. (Last updated: Jan. 27)

Phillies

• Justin Crawford is trying to lift the ball more …

Still, the takeaway from Crawford’s most notable offensive concern is clear: there is a concerted effort to lift the ball more. Given how frequently he puts the ball in play, even modest gains in launch angle could unlock gap-to-gap power and elevate his overall impact.

This offseason, those swing-path adjustments have continued. Crawford has appeared taller in his stance — something that surfaced on social media — as he continues refining his approach.

… and here is the video of said swing.

Fans will like the look of this.

Here’s another video of Justin Crawford’s swing. The ballpark simulator is set for Citizens Bank Park and that’s a home run into the right center field seats. #Phillies

🎥: Justincarlcrawford I/G pic.twitter.com/tW07bZrsgw

— Cory Nidoh (@Cory_Nidoh) January 7, 2026

Pirates

• Spencer Horwitz is preparing to play first and second base after making some mechanical changes last year.

[Horwitz is] aiming for more this year. Defensively, he’s preparing to play both first and second base. Offensively, he’s done bat speed training and tried to build general strength. Both could yield more pop.

Even if he just replicates his 2025 results, he should fit in nicely into a lineup that looks more promising than a year ago. That early-season slump he had last year should also be a thing of the past.
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Some of those struggles were health related, getting back his timing after missing the start of the season. Some of it was mechanical, excelling in the second half of the season once he opened up his stance and focused on making sure his direction took him toward the center of the field.

And some of it, he will admit, was mental. It’s why that late-season push, where he had a .916 OPS after the All-Star break, was a “weight off my shoulders.”

Rockies

• Tyler Freeman could play all over the diamond, including first base.

“We really value his versatility and think that he can play in multiple spots,” Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta said of Freeman. “We still see him as an outfielder. He’s a right-handed hitter, but he complements Jake and Mickey [Moniak], but we also see him as the guy who can play in the infield. He’s played second, third and some short in the big leagues. He maybe even snuck in a game or two at first base at some point along the way.”