Mining the News (2/6/26)

by
February 9, 2026


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• MLB.com published an article on each team’s prospect most likely to be on the Opening Day roster. Here is the blurb on the Pirates’ Konnor Griffin.

Pirates: Konnor Griffin, SS (MLB No. 1)
Is this one more wish list than realistic possibility? We shall see. Griffin had an otherworldly first full season of pro ball, reaching Double-A at age 19. He’s played just 21 games above A ball in his career, so it’s understandable that the Pirates’ brass might hedge a little bit when it comes to handing Griffin the shortstop job in Pittsburgh. But sometimes a player comes along to defy expectations and push his way up ahead of schedule. If Griffin continues to do what he did last year all spring, can the Pirates, who feel they’re putting together a playoff-caliber team, afford not to have Griffin on board from Day 1?

American League

Astros

• Lance McCullers Jr. will stretch out to be in the rotation.

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Tigers

• The manager implies that Kenley Jansen is the favorite to be the closer.

• Reese Olson might not be ready to go by Opening Day.

Twins

• Bailey Ober has been working on his hip mobility and improving his pitching mechanics.

Following last season, there are bound to be questions about what Ober can deliver, and rightfully so. Ober hopes to answer those queries by rebounding from a dreadful 2025 campaign — a quest he began in October (and resumed in January) by traveling to Florida to improve the mobility of his hip and rid himself of the bad pitching mechanics he picked up when pitching through discomfort a season ago.

White Sox

• The plan is for Grant Taylor to accumulate 100 IP in the bullpen.

“In the back end of the bullpen, it’s hard to get over 100 innings. The goal would be to get as close to that as possible,” Taylor said. “Shoot for that and come up short, still have a lot of innings. … It will be a little bit of bob and weave on what my role exactly looks like.”

• Mike Vasil will stretch out to be a starter.

Yankees

• Jasson Domínguez could start the season in AAA.

The New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported Thursday that “barring something unforeseen,” Domínguez — who turns 23 on Saturday — looks to be ticketed for Triple-A.

• Giancarlo Stanton’s tennis elbow has not healed, and his playing time will be managed.

Giancarlo Stanton missed a significant portion of last season with severe tennis elbow in both arms, an issue that has not healed and will be managed again this coming year. That could open more turns in the designated hitter spot.

National League

Cardinals

• Lars Nootbaar might not be ready to play by Opening Day.

[Nootbaar] underwent surgery on both heels after the season, and it’s uncertain if he will be ready to go for Opening Day. He should be the Cardinals’ starting left fielder when healthy, but if various ailments continue to hinder Nootbaar, the Cardinals might give powerful outfield prospect Joshua Baez a chance later in the year.

Dodgers

• Ben Casparius will stretch out as a starter.

When the conversation turned toward what he’s preparing for this spring — starter build-up or bullpen track — Casparius made it sound like the Dodgers are keeping some flexibility, but that his offseason structure is leaning a certain direction. “I think… loosely, yes,” he said when asked if he’s building up like a starter. “Just in terms of the buildup and what the throwing structures look like for the offseason. So I’m assuming it’s going to be something for all the year.”

• Roki Sasaki is working on adding a cutter and two-seamer (sinker). Note the article mentions his four-seam/sinker combo. It should be a four-seam/SPLITTER combo.

Sasaki used his time on the IL to work on his mechanics and continue to develop his arsenal, but he relied only on his four-seam/sinker combo upon returning to the Dodgers. He told Japanese media at DodgerFest that he has been working on a cutter and a two-seamer this offseason, which could help him stick in the rotation moving forward.

Marlins

• Griffin Conine is taking reps at first base.

Conine could come into play at first base, a position he was learning over the offseason, should free-agent signing Christopher Morel struggle at his new position.

Padres

• MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell projects the team’s platoon lineups with Gavin Sheets in against both lefties and righties, and newly signed Miguel Andujar facing only lefties.

Projected lineup vs. RHP:

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
2. Jackson Merrill, CF
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Gavin Sheets, 1B
5. Ramón Laureano, LF
6. Jake Cronenworth, 2B
7. Xander Bogaerts, SS
8. Sung-Mun Song 송성문, DH (or playing elsewhere while someone else gets a DH day)
9. Freddy Fermin, C

…

Projected lineup vs. LHP:

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
2. Manny Machado, 3B
3. Jackson Merrill, CF
4. Ramón Laureano, LF
5. Miguel Andujar, DH
6. Gavin Sheets, 1B
7. Xander Bogaerts, SS
8. Jake Cronenworth, 2B
9. Freddy Fermin, C

Pirates

• The team’s humidor was broken last season.





 

Jeff, one of the authors of the fantasy baseball guide,The Process, writes for RotoGraphs, The Hardball Times, Rotowire, Baseball America, and BaseballHQ. He has been nominated for two SABR Analytics Research Award for Contemporary Analysis and won it in 2013 in tandem with Bill Petti. He has won four FSWA Awards including on for his Mining the News series. He's won Tout Wars three times, LABR twice, and got his first NFBC Main Event win in 2021. Follow him on Twitter @jeffwzimmerman.

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sloejoeMember since 2025
6 hours ago

Ooh! Another add to Phamgraphs!

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