Mining the News (2/11/25)

• MLB.com ran an article with all the projected starting lineups. For example, the author sees the Marlins starting Matt Mervis at first base.

MARLINS

Lineup
1. Xavier Edwards, SS
2. Connor Norby, 3B
3. Jonah Bride, DH
4. Jesús Sánchez, RF
5. Dane Myers, CF
6. Matt Mervis, 1B
7. Otto Lopez, 2B
8. Kyle Stowers, LF
9. Nick Fortes, C

• Another series at all the MLB.com team sites attempt to project the Opening Day roster. For example, here is one for the Mets with Griffin Canning starting in the rotation.

Starting pitchers (6): Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Griffin Canning

The Mets figure to use a six-man rotation more often than not, especially with continued uncertainty surrounding Senga’s health. The first four names here are rotation locks. Also in the mix are Paul Blackburn and Tylor Megill, creating some potentially difficult camp decisions. While Megill and Peterson have Minor League options remaining, Blackburn and Canning have enough service time to decline such an assignment. It’s a situation to monitor throughout March.

American League

Astros

• Jeremy Peña is overall hauling his swing to get more power.

Jeremy Peña, SS: Peña hit 22 home runs during his breakout rookie season. He’s managed 25 in the two years since, forcing an overhaul in his batting stance and swing in an effort to generate more power. Finding a more efficient way to lift the baseball could be a crucial part of his spring.

Blue Jays

• Yariel Rodríguez will be stretched out as a starter in Spring Training …

The depth is impressive, too, which we haven’t been able to say in years. The Scherzer signing likely bumps Yariel Rodríguez into a swingman role, but this is a good problem for the Blue Jays to have.

“Yariel will come in stretched out and compete for that fifth spot,” GM Ross Atkins said. “He’ll remain depth for us, and we’ll make a decision about halfway or three-quarters of the way through Spring Training to try to put our pieces in the best positions to be successful.”

… while Jake Bloss will be the team’s seventh starter.

Atkins was quick to mention Jake Bloss, who would be the No. 7 starter if you wrote out a list today, along with left-handed pitching prospect Adam Macko, who should start in Triple-A. Then there’s Eric Lauer 라우어, Adam Kloffenstein and the potential that one of Alek Manoah or Ricky Tiedemann return from their elbow surgeries later this summer.

Red Sox

• Connor Wong looks stronger.

Wong looked noticeably stronger at Fenway Fest after a winter spent “eating a lot,” as he put it, in order to be more durable behind the plate.

Royals

• Nelson Velázquez is out of options so he’d have to stick on the MLB team or could sign elsewhere.

Velázquez, who is out of options, brings power, but he only hit .200/.274/.366 in 205 Major League at-bats last season before he was optioned at the end of June.

Tigers

• The team could go with a third base platoon with Jace Jung and Matt Vierling

Third baseman (2): Jace Jung, Matt Vierling

Until Alex Bregman signs somewhere, speculation on his potential fit in this spot will continue. If Bregman signs elsewhere, however, the Tigers are expected to stay in-house with a platoon. Jung still qualifies as a rookie and had flashes of impact in an overall mundane late-season audition, hampered in part by a right wrist injury that required surgery at season’s end. There’s curiosity about what he can do against big league pitching with full power in his swing. Vierling handled the role well in his opportunities last year.

Name: Career OPS vs LHP, vs RHP
Jung: .717, .658
Vierling: .720, .740

Or Vierling could take the job.

National League

Cubs

• Shota Imanaga will pitch in one of the games in Japan.

Craig Counsell cracked a smile on Sunday when a reporter from a Japanese outlet asked if lefty Shota Imanaga would pitch one of the games against the Dodgers in the Tokyo Series from March 18-19. Since the event was announced last year, the Cubs’ manager has quipped that he was probably obligated to hand the ball to Imanaga in the opener.

“Shota’s going to pitch in Japan,” Counsell said. “I think that’s mandated, kind of. I don’t think I have a choice, actually.”

Diamondbacks

• Randal Grichuk (vs LHP) and Pavin Smith (vs RHP) will form a DH platoon.

Grichuk was the right-handed-hitting part of Arizona’s designated-hitter position last year, teaming with Joc Pederson to form a potent duo. Grichuk slashed .291/.348/.528 with 12 home runs in 279 plate appearances last season while producing 2.2 bWAR, his highest mark since 2018, when he was with the Blue Jays.

Pederson signed a free-agent deal with the Rangers, and Pavin Smith seems to be the player who will get the first looks at DH against right-handers. Grichuk will face lefties again as DH and could also get some at-bats in the outfield.

“I think there’s probably a healthy amount of DHing vs. lefties,” Hazen said. “He can certainly spell [Lourdes Gurriel Jr.] vs. lefties and go in the outfield if Gurriel has a day at DH or two. We’ll probably mix and match that around and certainly we know how much of a weapon he was as a pinch-hitter, so there’s going to be plenty of opportunity for that, too.”

• Ryne Nelson is projected to NOT be part of the team’s rotation.

Starting pitchers (5): Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly 켈리, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt

Ryne Nelson was the team’s best pitcher over the final two months of 2024, so being left out of the rotation would seem unfair.

Dodgers

• Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen will get the team’s most critical outs.

Tanner Scott, LHRP: There might not have been a more imposing reliever in the 2024 postseason, which partly explains why the Dodgers made the out-of-character decision to give Scott a four-year deal. He won’t be the set closer, but will often get the most critical outs along with Blake Treinen.

• Another report puts Tanner Scott getting the bulk of the team’s Saves.

Dave Roberts #Dodgers MGR just told us that Tanner Scott will get the brunt of the saves to start the season

— Jim Bowden⚾️ (@JimBowdenGM) February 9, 2025

• MLB.com’s Sonja Chen projects Andy Pages to start in the outfield with Tommy Edman on the bench.

Outfielders (3): Michael Conforto, Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages

Pages showed promise in his rookie season, especially against left-handers, and he has earned a longer look in 2025. While he’s capable of playing center field, he profiles better in a corner, where he might spell Conforto in left or Hernández in right. James Outman should also be in the mix for what is essentially the fourth outfielder spot, with Tommy Edman expected to see a fair amount of time in center.

Bench/Utility (3): Tommy Edman, Miguel Rojas, Chris Taylor

Edman has been preparing to play both the infield and outfield, as usual, but will probably be needed more in center field. Rojas could potentially platoon with Kim at second base or spell other infielders as needed, and Taylor will slot back in as the team’s superutility man.

I’m not surprised with Pages projected for a .703 OPS and Edman a .358 OPS. Also, Edman struggles against righties with a career .689 OPS against them but a .831 OPS against lefties.

Marlins

• MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola thinks Matt Mervis will start at first base.

First baseman (1): Matt Mervis

The 26-year-old Mervis, who was acquired from the Cubs in a trade, is a change-of-scenery candidate. The former top prospect dominated Minor League competition but couldn’t find his footing or consistent playing time at the MLB level (.481 OPS in 36 games). According to MLB Pipeline’s 2023 scouting report, Mervis “moves well enough to play an adequate first base.”

Mets

• Sean Manaea is working on his changeup.

Sean Manaea, LHP: Each spring, dozens of pitchers talk about working on their changeup. Manaea already mentioned it, doing so in a video call with reporters last month after he re-signed with the Mets. But the changeup is actually an interesting pitch to monitor in Manaea’s case. He throws it exclusively to right-handed batters and it improved during his second-half metamorphosis, becoming a put-away offering in September.

Nationals

• MLB.com’s Jessica Camerato thinks DJ Herz and Shinnosuke Ogasawar will start the season in AAA.

Starting pitchers (5): RHP Jake Irvin, LHP MacKenzie Gore, RHP Michael Soroka, LHP Mitchell Parker, RHP Trevor Williams

The Nationals have an abundance of starting pitching depth heading into Spring Training, and this list is likely to change throughout camp. For now, this projection would have DJ Herz and Shinnosuke Ogasawara beginning the season in Triple-A.

It’s crazy that a team would think of not starting their second-best projected starter.

Reds

• Graham Ashcraft might move to the bullpen.

Graham Ashcraft, RHP — All 60 of Ashcraft’s appearances over his three seasons in the big leagues have been as a starter and he’s coming into a camp to compete for one of the rotation spots. If the Reds’ starters are healthy, the team has considered moving Ashcraft to the bullpen this season.

• This is the first I’ve ever seen of Spencer Steer getting platooned.

If Friedl is back to form, that would leave the corner spots left for platoon players, with the right-handed hitting Steer, Austin Hays and Stuart Fairchild along with the left-handed hitting Jake Fraley and Will Benson. Righty bats Blake Dunn and Rece Hinds, and left-hander Jacob Hurtubise should get plenty of playing time in Cactus League games but are likely bound for Louisville.

I think the author is just making shit up here. While Steer hits lefties (.822 OPS) better than righties (.739 OPS) over his career, he’s at least league average against righties (99 wRC+). The team didn’t platoon him last year as seen by him playing in 158 games and accumulating 656 PA.