Fountains Up -- A Kansas City Royals Franchise

[3Bplay]

MLB NEWS WIRE
Nats hire youngest manager since 1972; three vacancies remain plus open Rox PBO role

By MLB.com staff
11/02/2025

10/27 -- Orioles to hire Albernaz: Baltimore has finalized a contract with Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz to become their new manager, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. Jon Morosi also reported a bit prior to that, that Albernaz was the front-runner for the position.

A holdover from Terry Francona's staff in Cleveland, Albernaz took over as the team's bench coach in 2024 with newcomer Stephen Vogt's staff, and added the title of 'associate manager' in 2025. He replaces interim Tony Mansolino, who did a respectable job after the team axed Brandon Hyde roughly a quarter of the way into the 2025 season after a 15-28 start.

Mansolino, previously the team's third base coach, is not expected to be retained on the new staff along with hitting coach Cody Asche and assistant Sherman Johnson. President of Baseball Operations/GM Mike Elias put out a statement regarding the hiring of Albernaz.

“We are elated to welcome Craig Albernaz as the next manager of the Orioles and our leader on the field,” Elias’s statement reads. “Craig has built an exemplary career across multiple successful organizations and brings a tremendous amount of experience, knowledge, and talent to our organization and to this new challenge. We believe he is the right person at the right time to elevate our baseball operations and guide our team back to the playoffs and a World Series Championship.”

Albernaz, who is expected to be introduced as the team's manager on November 4th, also put out a statement of his own.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to join the storied Baltimore Orioles organization,” Albernaz’s statement read. “This is a tremendous honor, and I’m grateful to Mike Elias and the entire Orioles team for entrusting me with the responsibility of leading this talented club.”

Where does this leave the other candidates for the Orioles' job? Albert Pujols is looking more and more likely to be named the Padres' new manager in the coming days. Others like Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty, Royals third base coach Vance Wilson, and even a long-shot candidate like former Buck Showalter were reportedly considered, but ultimately passed on.

10/30 -- Twins, Shelton reunite as he returns to Minneapolis: A former assistant in Minnesota before taking the Pirates job prior to the 2020 season, Derek Shelton is back in Minnesota, but this time as the manager.

He's the 15th manager in team history, but only the fifth since 1986. Rocco Baldelli was let go following a 72-90 season that saw them go through a firesale at the deadline and ultimately falling out of the race soon after that.

Shelton has a tough job ahead of him in 2026, but does have a few cornerstones to build around in pitchers Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan, outfielder Byron Buxton, and first baseman Kody Clemens.

“Derek brings a tremendous amount of experience from his many years coaching and managing at the Major League level,” Twins president, baseball & business operations Derek Falvey said in a statement. “He cares deeply about this community and our fans, and he’s genuinely driven to take on the challenge of bringing winning baseball back to Minnesota. We’ve seen firsthand the trust and respect he earns from players and how he helps them reach their best.

"His journey, through both the successes and the tough stretches, has given him real perspective as a leader. That balance and his connection to what this place means to people will serve our players and staff well as we work to build something lasting for our fans and for Minnesota," the statement went on to read.

Shelton, a former bench coach in Minnesota, was a finalist for the job in 2019 prior to the organization turning to Baldelli to take over the role. He then served that one year under Baldelli before going to the Pirates, where he won just 306 games in five-plus seasons.

10/31 -- Nationals raise eyebrows with managerial hire: New Nationals baseball ops chief Paul Toboni is only thirty-five, and is one of the youngest execs in league history. Therefore, it only makes sense that he would bring in a manager with a little more experience to help him out, right? Wrong.

Toboni, the Nats, and relative unknown Blake Butera have all come to an agreement on a contract to bring the latter to D.C. to take over as the team's new manager. He'd be the youngest manager since Frank Quillici managed the Twins at 33 years and 27 days old in 1972.

Butera (no relation to Drew) comes from a baseball family that saw his dad Barry get drafted by the Red Sox in 1977. His brother, Barry Jr., was drafted by Houston in Round 21 back in 2009. Blake himself played a few years in the Rays' system as an infielder out of Boston College before retiring and going into coaching.

He served as a skipper in the minors from 2018 through 2022 in various stops in the Rays' system before being named the head of minor league player development prior to the 2023 season, and was also an assistant on Mike Piazza's staff in the 2023 WBC for Team Italy.

Despite his age, he's well-regarded throughout the league as a bright mind on player development, having managed such players as Junior Caminero, Carson Williams, Chandler Simpson, and Jonathan Aranda; who are all on the cusp of or now in the big leagues.

"I’ve always believed that you win with people, and from our very first conversation, it was clear that Blake is the right person and the right leader for this role,” said Toboni in a statement. “Blake comes into this position with experience in a variety of roles in player development, including as a successful manager, making him uniquely qualified to get the most out of the players in the clubhouse and help us reach the next level.

"He possesses a strong baseball acumen and has a reputation for building strong relationships with players and staff, making him a great fit for us in Washington, D.C. We’re so excited to welcome him to the Nationals family.”

Butera also put out a statement of his own. He'll be introduced to the D.C. media on November 5th, flanked by Toboni and the Lerner family ownership group.

“I am incredibly honored to be named the manager of the Washington Nationals,” said Butera. “I’d like to thank the Lerner, Cohen and Tanenbaum families, as well as Paul Toboni, for the opportunity and for the trust they are placing in me. This franchise has a proud history, a passionate fanbase and a standard of excellence that I deeply respect. My family and I are fortunate to be part of it. I’m excited to get to work alongside our players, coaches and staff to build something special -- a team that is rooted in trust, connection and competitiveness. We want to represent this city and our fans in a way they can be proud of, and we’re ready to get started.”

Three managerial positions now remain unfilled -- San Diego, Atlanta, and Colorado. Of the three, the Dodgers appear to the closest as the overwhelming favorite for the role is Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann. Albert Pujols was thought as the big favorite for the Padres' job, but others like Ryan Flaherty (Cubs bench coach) and current pitching coach Ruben Niebla are gaining some steam.

10/31 -- Rox, Ottavino have had discussions about open PBO role: Former Rockies pitcher and recently-retired Adam Ottavino has reportedly spoken with Dick Monfort about the open baseball operations post in Colorado, per Tim Healey at the Boston Globe. Ottavino, who will turn 40 in late November, pitched as recently as this season with the Yankees before being released by the team after a handful of outings.

Ottavino spent the bulk of his career with the Rockies, although he was originally drafted by the Cardinals back in 2006 in the first round. He was acquired via waivers in 2012 by the Rockies, and from there transitioned into being a full-time reliever upon joining their organization.

He was 17-18 with seventeen saves and a 3.42 career ERA with Colorado, and would go on to pitch for the Red Sox and Mets as well as the Yankees after his time in Denver. It would be an unprecedented kind of move, especially for someone who just called it a career and has pitched this season.

Diamondbacks assistant Amiel Sawdaye and Guardians assistant Matt Forman were under consideration and interviewed for the role, but the organization has decided to move on from those two options, leaving Ottavino as the only current known candidate for the role. James Click and Thad Levine, currently in Toronto as special assistants/advisors to Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins, and Royals assistant general manager Scott Sharp were previously linked to the job, but there hasn't been any news in that regard recently.

The next PBO is stepping into one of the toughest MLB jobs, with having to hire a new manager/coaching staff and repair a farm system that has consistently ranked in the bottom-third of the league and struggles to develop quality pitching, considering the conditions pitchers have to pitch in at Coors Field.

[3Bplay]

TOP REMAINING FREE AGENTS/TRADE TARGETS
Tucker, Valdez, Suarez among remaining standouts

By MLB.com staff
02/15/2026

1. Kyle Tucker

Tucker is just one of three remaining players with a qualifying offer attached to them, joining pitchers Ranger Suarez and Framber Valdez who are only a little further down this list. With the Blue Jays now signing Alex Bregman to man third base, there likely isn't room for Tucker unless the Blue Jays and the star right fielder can come to an agreement that would be below market value. That leaves the Mets as the most likely destination, with the Orioles, Dodgers, and Tigers also on the periphery. Tucker is a much superior defender in right field over Juan Soto, so Soto would likely slide over to the other corner or take most of the AB's as the DH.

2. Framber Valdez

It's been a strange offseason for Valdez, who was a top-10 free agent to begin the offseason, but his market didn't really pick up until pitchers such as Michael King, Tatsuya Imai, and Zac Gallen went off the board to the Padres, Astros, and Rangers, respectively. Since then, the Mets, Braves, and Tigers have all been the main suitors for Valdez. A return to the Astros wasn't ruled out up until recently, when Dana Brown said that talks between the two sides were 'completely cut off', and then a few days later announced the signing of Aaron Civale, followed closely by the trade for righty Mike Burrows in the three-team deal with the Pirates and Rays that also saw Brandon Lowe switch jerseys. Also, the September incident with catcher Cesar Salazar is still presumably fresh in the minds of the Astros' front office, along with most of the players and coaching staff.

3. Ranger Suarez

Much like Valdez, Suarez has had a relatively slow market, but he has never thrown a full slate of starts in a season since becoming a full-time starter in 2022, and doesn't have the swing-and-miss stuff you'd like out of a frontline or number-two kind of starter that is going to likely command an AAV of $25 million or more. A reunion with the Phillies is in the cards, but I think if the Mets weren't in the picture as well, they'd likely be less aggressive in retaining him to get the draft pick compensation. Atlanta, Detroit, and Baltimore are also considered solid fits for the lefty, although it remains to be seen how much capital that Mike Elias and the Orioles have left to spend. Houston could also be a destination, but they have a pretty messy salary situation that isn't likely to be resolved soon.

4. Reynaldo Lopez/Joe Jimenez

These are both listed here as it is likely that they both will be moved, especially if they manage to land one of Suarez or Valdez. Lopez made just one start before going down with an ____ injury, while Jimenez didn't even pitch at all in 2025. Both have relatively friendly contracts, with Lopez being paid $14 million for 2026 with an attractive team option for 2027 valued at just $8 million. Jimenez on the other hand has a $9 million salary hit for 2026, but given that pitchers like Brad Keller, Robert Suarez, and Kyle Finnegan have landed high seven-figure to low eight-figure salaries for the upcoming season, if healthy, Jimenez could be a bargain for a team looking for late-innings help without a long-term commitment.

5. Nolan Arenado

With the aforementioned Bregman now off the market to the Blue Jays, third base-needy teams will likely have to pivot to the trade market. After missing out on Eugenio Suarez, Kazuma Okamoto, and Munetaka Murakami in addition to Bregman, Detroit seems like a good fit for the future HOF-er in Arenado, but the Tigers getting either of Valdez or Suarez could complicate matters money-wise. If the Tigers don't want to give up what would likely be heavy prospect capital, other cheaper free agent options could be Yoan Moncada, Luis Urias, or a potential reunion with Jeimer Candelario on a one-year 'prove-it' deal. He spent the bulk of his career with the Tigers, but had a poor 2022 prior to the team letting him walk into free agency. They could also link up with the Blue Jays on players such as Addison Barger or Davis Schneider (more on them later), with Bregman now in the fold there.

6. Luis Severino

It will likely take eating some cash, which John Fisher isn't keen on doing, but Severino has been quite open on his disdain for pitching in such a poor environment for pitching success. His underlying numbers mostly support that, with xFIP and SIERA numbers of 4.06 and 4.22, respectively, over his inflated 4.98 ERA. When healthy, Severino at this stage of his career is a number-three type of pitcher, but his $25 million 2026 salary, plus a $22 million player option for 2027 that will be prohibitive for most teams that could otherwise use him in their rotation.

7. Most of the Astros' roster

It's not quite a fire sale, but Astros GM Dana Brown hasn't been shy in saying they're looking to shop some of the poor contracts they currently have on the books. They have several highly-paid, struggling pitchers in Lance McCullers Jr and Cristian Javier, along with first baseman Christian Walker and outfielder Chas McCormick that could still garner some interest at this stage. But the players that would get the most interest would be infielder Isaac Paredes, outfielder Taylor Trammell, and shortstop Jeremy Pena, given they are cheaper and under team control for multiple seasons. It has also been floated by multiple reporters that cash-richer franchises like the Mets or Dodgers would be willing to eat bad money for a prospect or controllable player payoff. The Dodgers have done this a few times, most notably in 2018 when they acquired Homer Bailey from the Reds, who had a $23 million salary for that upcoming season, plus a $5 million buyout. Los Angeles basically paid him not to pitch for them, releasing him and paying him the full $28 million while also getting Josiah Gray and Jeter Downs, both Top 100 prospects at the time.

8. Teoscar Hernandez

Much of Hernandez's value is tied up in his bat, and with the Dodgers wanting to give more opportunities in the outfield to younger players like Andy Pages and Alex Call (along with Shohei being the primary DH), Teo could be on the outside looking in. With a shade over $30 million still owed to him over the next two seasons, the Dodgers could actually be in a position to shed payroll. At one point, Kansas City was thought to be interested in the aging slugger, but then trades for Brendan Donovan and Isaac Collins filled a few holes in their lineup, so they moved on. Another AL Central team, however, could be in the mix for him as the White Sox currently have guys like Corey Julks, Jason Martin, Angels castoff Gustavo Campero, and former Giants Rule 5 pick Blake Sabol as a few that could fill the RF slot. Hernandez would be pricey, but with a young core of players like Kyle Teel, Luis Robert Jr., Colson Montgomery, Miguel Vargas, and Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami, the Southsiders' lineup is fairly potent even without Hernandez.

9. Addison Barger/Davis Schneider

In full disclosure -- it's pretty unlikely that either Barger or Schneider are moved due to their ample years of team control and ability to play multiple positions, but that's also what makes them attractive to other teams. Even before losing out on the Bregman sweepstakes, the Tigers showed interest in Barger since he would also upgrade the outfield depth as well as third or second base, but Toronto may be more amenable to moving him now with Bregman on board. Schneider has a few more holes in his offensive game, but gives the same positional versatility that Barger does, only from the right side of the plate. Detroit could even pivot to Ernie Clement, who doesn't have the extra-base power that the other two do, but consistently makes hard, line-drive contact and is leaps-and-bounds better as a defender at multiple positions, being named a Gold Glove finalist as a utility player the last two years running. Clement also has multiple years of control remaining, but he's now firmly in arbitration territory for the next three seasons.

10. Luis Robert Jr

Robert has battled injuries the past few seasons, but an August and September surge are giving teams hope that he could return to his 2023 form in which he hit thirty-eight bombs and was an All-Star that season. Unless there was another team willing to swap bad contract-for-bad contract, Jerry Reinsdorf is probably going to have to swallow a pretty sizeable chunk of his $20 million salary for this season. Robert also holds a 2027 team option for $20 million that is unlikely to be exercised, so it's at most a one-year commitment for any trade partner. He still plays a solid center defensively, but could so fit on a team that has a bigger need in the corners. The Dodgers could be a match as a team that is currently slated to start Tommy Edman in center, and have the financial wherewithal to take on even the full $20 million. The Mets could also be a player here with their outfield need; especially if they don't land Kyle Tucker, which appears to be the linchpin to much of what's still at stake this offseason.

HONORABLE MENTIONS (PITCHERS): Chris Paddack, Jakob Junis, Michael Lorenzen, Joey Lucchesi, Max Kranick, Colin Rea, Ariel Jurado
HONORABLE MENTIONS (HITTERS): Ryan Jeffers (trade), Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Victor Caratini, Wilmer Flores, Luis Urias, Yoan Moncada, Miguel Andujar, Jonah Heim

[3Bplay]

Team Roster/Records | Statistics | Standings

2026 SPRING PREVIEW
K.C. enters 2026 with re-newed sense of optimism

By 3BPlay
02/15/2026

After one of the busiest offseasons in recent memory, Kansas City enters the 2026 season with as much optimism as I can remember, at least since the mid-2010's. They overhauled their lineup, adding Brendan Donovan as the headlining piece in a three-team trade between them, the Cardinals, and Mariners that saw some other big names get moved, including Kris Bubic and Jonathan India. Both went to Seattle, with the Cardinals getting righty pitcher Bryce Miller from the Mariners, and outfielder Lars Nootbaar going to Seattle from the Cardinals.

They lengthened their bullpen, trading away lefty reliever Angel Zerpa to Milwaukee for righty Nick Mears, with young outfielder Isaac Collins coming over as well in that deal. Matt Strahm returned to the Royals for this season via trade with Philadelphia, and in a twist, signed Japanese pitcher Kona Takahashi to a major-league deal. That wasn't all, as they also signed free agent outfielders Lane Thomas and Harrison Bader to short-term contracts, with Bader potentially returning for 2027 via a team option.

"We checked all of the boxes that we had in front of us," JJ Picollo said from Surprise last week as the Royals' pitchers and catchers reported. "You know, we targeted Brendan very, very early as a possibility, and made every effort to try to bring him in just one-on-one with St. Louis, but both sides felt it necessary to bring in a third team, and Seattle jumped in and helped grease the skids, so to speak."

Long thought to be the Royals' top trade target, Boston outfielder Jarren Duran and a player-to-be-named-later were eventually dealt to the Nationals in a blockbuster, with MacKenzie Gore and first baseman Trey Lipscomb going back to the Red Sox.

"We started off pretty far apart, and managed to close the gap a little bit, but couldn't get anything done," Picollo said of their negotiations. "Washington's getting a heck of a player, but we feel really good about what we accomplished the past few months."

The Royals will enter camp with seventy-eight players on the spring roster, thirty-nine of them on the 40-man roster and equally split between pitchers and position players at thirty-nine apiece. Picollo noted that they are largely done with trying to improve the roster aside from potentially looking for veteran catching help, but noted that they always have 'ears to the ground' when it comes to improving their situation.

"I mean, right now we have four catchers in camp, and we could potentially have a need for a fifth guy," said Picollo. "There are some potential targets we're looking at, but nothing has been finalized. Other than that, we'll keep our eyes and ears to the ground for anything that might come up, especially as it pertains to injuries, either on our end or other teams."

Salvador Perez, Carter Jensen, and Luca Tresh are the three main catchers currently in camp with youngster Blake Mitchell also getting some reps with the veteran pitchers, as well as the pitchers he's much more likely to be working with this year. Luke Maile was the Royals' third catcher for most of last season, and took on a bigger role after dealing away Freddy Fermin at the deadline last season. He would certainly be welcomed back, but at thirty-four, doesn't offer a ton of upside offensively or defensively at this point. Tresh, 26, is the closest to being ready for MLB duty, but has missed time the last few years with injuries, and Mitchell is at best a few years away.

"We're pretty happy with how Blake is coming along," said manager Matt Quatraro. "Just working with him up close for the past week or so, you get a pretty good idea of what he's all about. He's worked hard to get back to where he can contribute this spring, and I think his time in the Arizona Fall League last year was an eye-opener for him."

The majority of the positions for the upcoming season are set, with perhaps the exception of a bullpen slot or two. There also figure to be some battles for bench roles, with a lot of uncertainty behind the starting nine. Nick Loftin, Michael Massey, and Dairon Blanco figure to be the main contenders for reserve roles, with Kyle Isbel potentially getting displaced due to the Bader acquisition.

The rest of the squad will arrive tomorrow to begin full-squad workouts, with games slated to start on the 20th. Below are the seventy-eight players (and potentially counting) players that will be in camp to begin work tomorrow:

CATCHERS (4): 13 Salvador Perez, 22 Carter Jensen, 76 Luca Tresh, 90 Blake Mitchell

INFIELDERS (19): 1 Tyler Tolbert, 7 Bobby Witt Jr., 9 Vinnie Pasquantino, 11 Maikel Garcia, 12 Nick Loftin, 19 Michael Massey, 31 Abraham Toro, 34 Brendan Donovan, 37 Kevin Newman, 48 Connor Kaiser, 50 Brett Squires, 51 Javier Vaz, 57 Peyton Wilson, 58 Chris Brito, 59 Austin Charles, 61 Jack Pineda, 83 Dustin Dickerson, 98 Sam Ruta, 99 Trevor Werner

OUTFIELDERS (16): 2 Harrison Bader, 6 Drew Waters, 8 Lane Thomas, 14 Jac Caglianone, 15 John Rave, 16 Isaac Collins, 17 Kameron Misner, 28 Kyle Isbel, 44 Dairon Blanco, 69 Tyler Gentry, 71 Gavin Cross, 76 Spencer Nivens, 80 Carson Roccaforte, 81 Bryan Gonzalez, 82 Alberto Rodriguez, 84 Carter Frederick

PITCHERS (39): 21 Luinder Avila, 23 Michael McGreevy, 25 Nick Mears, 27 Matt Strahm, 32 Stephen Kolek, 36 Bailey Falter, 41 Daniel Lynch IV, 46 John Schreiber, 47 Mason Black, 52 Michael Wacha, 53 Carlos Estevez, 54 Alex Lange, 55 Cole Ragans, 60 Lucas Erceg, 62 Henry Williams, 63 Steven Zobac, 64 Steven Cruz, 65 Noah Cameron, 66 James McArthur, 67 Seth Lugo, 68 AJ Causey, 70 Asa Lacy, 72 Beck Way, 73 Hunter Patteson, 74 Jose Cuas, 75 Frank Mozzicato, 77 Hunter Owen, 78 Oscar Rayo, 85 Ben Sears, 86 Kona Takahashi, 87 Eric Cerantola, 88 AJ Block, 89 Chandler Champlain, 91 Christian Chamberlain, 92 Ethan Bosacker, 94 Drew Beam, 95 Felix Arronde, 96 Luis German, 97 Anthony Simonelli

[3Bplay]

RED SOX, TUCKER AGREE TO TERMS
MLB's top free agent off the board

By MLB.com staff
02/16/2026

MLB.com's top free agent target is finally off the board to an AL East team -- although not the one you originally thought. Kyle Tucker has signed a five-year, $252 million deal with the Boxton Red SOx that also includes $42 million in deferred money that will be paid out beginning in 2035. His luxury tax hit will be just over $50 million per year ($50.4 million to be exact), but in terms of real dollars, he'll be paid $210 million over the next five seasons.

As a result of the signing, the Red Sox as a first-time CBT payor in 2025 will forfeit their second-highest and fifth-highest picks, and will also forfeit $1M in international bonus pool money for the 2027 class. The Cubs will also receive the highest form of draft compensation with a Competitive Balance Round A selection after the first round of the draft.

Red Sox PBO Craig Breslow will hold a press conference tomorrow announcing the signing, with Tucker expected to attend and take questions. In recent weeks, the Red Sox had picked up some steam in regards to potentially be a landing spot, but most had put their chances far below others like the Mets or Blue Jays.

It's a big surprise, as it was thought that the Red Sox had too many outfielders at the outset of the offseason, which is what led them to eventually trade Jarren Duran to the Nationals to get MacKenzie Gore. Now that they have signed the biggest free agent on the market, they'll likely need to facilitate another trade as there is a new logjam.

Who would that involve? Roman Anthony for sure isn't getting traded and it's pretty unlikely they move Wilyer Abreu, who is probably going to move over to left field to accommodate Tucker. That leaves Ceddanne Rafaela or Masataka Yoshida, who is a DH-only bat at this point.

Rafaela is coming off a Gold Glove-season in which he also put up a .732 OPS (98 OPS+, 99 wRC+), making him basically a league-average offensive player with a ton of defensive upside at multiple high-value positions. A team like Detroit, who still isn't really settled at either center field or shortstop, would be a good fit for Rafaela with his arbitration years already cheaply bought out, but would likely cost them someone like Kevin McGonigle, Bryce Rainer, or Max Clark; or mulitple B-level prospects.

Yoshida is nearly unmovable at this point as he's limited to just the aforementioned DH duty at this point in his career, and doesn't really provide enough power to make the juice worth the squeeze. He's fine as a lefty bench bat with his bat-to-ball skill, but is still owed nearly $37 million over the next two seasons, which is a bitter pill to swallow for even some well-off franchises. Boston would have to eat a significant portion of the money in order to get any sort of decent return for him, so it's likely they hang on to him at least through 2026, when he's owed only a bit over $18 million.

Tucker opted for a shorter-term commitment with no opt-outs and a higher AAV over the longer-term, lower-AAV contracts that others like the Blue Jays were reportedly offering. The deferred money also will allow them to stay flexible to continue to add talent later in the season. Tucker will earn $40 million over the next three seasons before that figure jumps to $45 million in 2029 and 2030, allowing him to hit free agency again for his age-34 season for perhaps one final big contract.

[3Bplay]

Team Roster/Records | Statistics | Standings

ROYALS AGREE TO TERMS WITH VETERAN BACKSTOP
Signing brings Royals to seventy-seven in camp

By 3Bplay
02/19/2026

Kansas City added to their veteran catching depth on Wednesday, signing catcher Ali Sanchez to a minor league deal. Sanchez caught on with the Royals' organization at the tail end of last season, and was solid both offensively and defensively for the Triple-A Storm Chasers.

However, it was reported over the offseason he was looking for a big-league deal before the Royals offered him a split deal in which he could opt for free agency by May 1st if not already on the major league roster.

He received positive marks for his defense (mainly framing metrics); and while he didn't throw out a high percentage of the runners that tried to run on him (2-for-13, 15.4%), teams still were reluctant to do so as the opposition attempted to steal at .85 SBA/9.

Despite a very poor 15 OPS+ as a major league hitter in 140 MLB trips to the plate with three different teams, he still commands work due to not only his defense, but he also manages to put up at least slightly below-average to above-average offensive seasons in Triple-A. His 102 OPS+ in 2025 was the second-best of his career, second only to his 115 OPS+ mark in 2023.

With the Royals' organization specifically in 2025, he slashed .322/.375/.458 (113 wRC+), with a homerun and five doubles in sixty-four plate appearances with Omaha.

My guess is that he could fill the Freddy Fermin role from last season, but that's only if 1) Carter Jensen gets injured or really struggles to begin the season, or 2) Salvador Perez is injured for any significant length of time. Freddy Fermin wasn't a great offensive player, but he looks like Salvy compared to him, at least at the MLB level.

[3Bplay]

CUBS, MARLINS AGREE TO TRADE
Cubs add 2025 breakout arm to their rotation

By MLB.com staff
02/21/2026

With Justin Steele (elbow) already on the 60-day injured list; and lefty Matthew Boyd now heading to the injured list with what has been termed a shoulder injury, putting his probable Opening Day start in doubt, the Cubs have swung a trade for Miami right-hander Edward Cabrera for outfielder Owen Caissie, along with infielders Cristian Hernandez and Edgardo De Leon. The two teams have officially announced the deal, likely meaning that all parties involved have cleared a physical and are ready to go for the spring.

Cabrera, entering his age-28 season in April, is a former Top-100 prospect who has shown flashes in past year, but couldn't stay on the mound enough to deliver on that promise until this season. Though he still logged some brief time on the injured list this past season, he turned in a career-high 153 innings (twenty-nine starts) with a strong 3.71 ERA and encouraging underlying numbers.

Cabrera punched out just over 25% of opponents while logging a career-low 8.3% walk rate; a far better rate than the 13.3% clip he carried into the season. Even better, he recorded a 49% ground-ball rate and kept his heater at a consistent 97-98 MPH, while his sinker averaged 96.4 MPH in 2025.

His short IL stint was due to elbow soreness late in the season, which caused some worry on the Marlins' side, but upon his return in August he picked up where he left off velocity-wise, still hitting the upper 90's with his fastball and sinker. He also throws three other pitches with a slider, changeup, and curveball amongst his offerings.

[3Bplay]

METS AGREE TO TERMS WITH VALDEZ
Four-year deal includes opt-out after 2026

By MLB.com staff
02/22/2026

With Spring Training games now officially underway, lefty Framber Valdez and the Mets have agreed to a four-year, $125 million deal that contains an opt-out after this season; and could also pay out up to $2.5 million per season in incentives. He'll make $28 million in 2026, but those figures go up to $32 million in 2027, $33 million in 2028, and then back down to $32 million in 2029 if he opts in.

That leaves Ranger Suarez as the last remaining 'big-name' free agent on the board, with the Phillies, Red Sox, and Orioles to be considered the front-runners for his services. Valdez joins a rotation that's already packed with big names, with Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes, and Sean Manaea. The Mets recently traded away David Peterson to the Angels for a couple of prospects, which fueled speculation at the time that the Mets were closing in on a starting pitcher.

The two-time All-Star with the Astros carries a lifetime 3.16 ERA into the 2026 season, and that's even factoring in his rough rookie season in which he was smacked around for a 5.86 ERA in 70 2/3 innings back in 2019. SInce then, he's been one of the consistently great pitchers of the 2020's.

"I'd put the Mets' rotation up against anyone else's right now, and I'd feel good about winning any series," said MLB Network analyst Greg Amsinger after the signing was announced. "One through five, they can all go out there and put on a show. Kodai Senga struggled a bit towards the end of the season, but I like him to come back and be the driving force behind a Mets team that returns to the postsesaon in 2026."

[3Bplay]

Team Roster/Records | Statistics | Standings

ROYALS SPRING REPORT #1
Former first-round picks impress

By 3Bplay
02/25/2026

Mozzicato impresses in spring debut: In the Royals' spring opener against their Surprise 'roommates' in the Rangers, 2021 first-round pick Frank Mozzicato was given the honors of taking the hill, impressing with five strikeouts to just one walk and no hits over 2 2/3 innings as the Royals won 2-1 to open the spring. It was a chance to see Mozzicato in live action for the first time since last season, showing off the work he had put in Driveline Baseball over the offseason, which was well-documented over the winter.

With the help of Driveline (and the support of the Royals' coaching staff), some adjustments to his mechanics unlocked a different level of velocity on his fastball as he's now sitting from 92-94, getting as high as 96 on the gun on a few occasions. The jump in velocity also makes his off-speed stuff more dangerous, as the added velo has sharpened his curveball and added some additional bite to his changeup. He also added ten pounds over the winter, something that was a goal of the minor league development team with him.

"He looks like a completely different pitcher," said JJ Picollo, who was one of the driving forces behind the Royals taking Mozzicato when they did back in 2021. "When he first started out, he was a skinny kid from Connecticut who had a legitimate curveball and changeup, but needed a lot of work with his strength and conditioning. To see where he's at now is remarkable."

Royals deal Blanco to New York: The Royals have made another trade, this time sending reserve outfielder Dairon Blanco to the Yankees for minor league outfielder Jace Avina. Blanco, who will be entering his age-33 season, didn't make any appearances through the first three games of Spring Training before getting shipped off. It's a likely signal that the Yankees plan on keeping top prospect Spencer Jones in Triple-A to begin the 2026 campaign, and also gives the Bombers some additional speed and defense off the bench.

In Avina, the Royals are getting a pretty good young prospect -- while not in the top group of their prospects, Avina should move up after a solid 2025 season in which he hit a combined twenty-six homeruns over three different levels. Since being drafted in the 14th round back in 2021, he's only posted one season with a OPS below .800, and even that season he was still a slightly above-average player in the South Atlantic League for the Yankees' High-A affiliate Hudson Valley in 2024 (.716 OPS, 102 OPS+).

Every other stop, however, he's posted absurd minor league numbers with a career minor league OPS+ of 140 (wRC+ 134) through the 2025 season. His Achilles heel so far has been strikeouts, as he's fanned nearly 30% of the time since breaking into pro ball. However, it's not necessarily only due to poor swing decisions as his chase rate is about 28%; not a great rate in the minors, but combined with an 11% walk rate, suggests that some more aggression earlier in counts may help as he has tended to hit more than half of his plate appearances in either an 0-2 or 1-2 hole.

For example, he hit six homeruns in just sixty-one plate appearances in a cup of coffee with Triple-A Scranton last season, but struck out twenty-three times with seven walks before getting sent back down to finish the season in Double-A. JJ Picollo mentioned that he'd likely start out with Double-A NW Arkansas to begin the season.

"The power is definitely there, and we feel there's a lot of room to improve in other facets of his game still," Picollo said. "He's reported to spring camp, but it's likely that he'll be sent to minor league camp in a few weeks to get more consistent at-bats as the regular season here ramps up."

Former top pick returns to the mound: He hasn't seen a professional mound in a live game since 2022. He hasn't even been on a mound in any capacity since late last season, when he was returning from an injury in his lower back suffered a year prior to that. But Asa Lacy, the fourth-overall pick in the 2020 draft by the Royals, continues to persevere.

He made his first Spring Training appearance on Monday, a 1-0 loss to the Cubs. While he largely wasn't facing guys who are locks to make their Opening Day rosters, to see him back on the mound and pitching well has to be encouraging to the team that he could eventually see his way back to finding some kind of role in the majors, even if it's not with the Royals as he's down to his final year of eligibility until free agency.

Pitching the eighth and ninth innings, Lacy allowed just one hit, no walks, and fanned three in a tidy two-dozen pitches. Talking with reporters after the game, he said that "he's pain-free", and that he's ready to "get back to doing what he loves".

"It's pretty remarkable the road that he's traveled," said GM JJ Picollo. "He just started throwing again late last season, and he's managed to stay injury-free since then, so we're hopeful that the worst is behind him and we can really get a good, long look at him going forward. What we saw on Monday is very, very heartening."

Manager Matt Quatraro mentioned that he'll continue to get regular work in the spring, but it's unlikely that he'll break camp with the Royals even if he continues to pitch well.

"We're encouraged by what we've seen so far of him, but there's still work to do," he said. "It's now about building him back up, and bringing him along slowly and not trying to push him too much too early. You can still tell, despite all of the struggles he's been through with his health, the stuff is still just jumping out at you."

[3Bplay]

REDS' GREENE OUT 3-TO-4 MONTHS
Expressed discomfort after the game

By MLB.com staff
02/28/2026

It looks like another year where Hunter Greene will miss a significant portion of the season, as the Reds' ace righty was placed on the 60-day injured list with a triceps injury. While he pitched four perfect innings yesterday in a 4-2 win over the Angels; striking out six with no walks or hits allowed, manager Terry Francona noted to reporters after the game that Greene expressed 'discomfort' in his right arm to the coaching staff upon leaving the mound after the fourth inning.

An MRI was performed at a local facility that came back inconclusive, but a second opinion back at the Reds' main facility in Cincinnati revealed a torn triceps that will require surgery to repair. He's expected to have the procedure done on March 3rd, and will likely miss the first half of 2026.

The Reds have some appreciable pitching depth, with four other pitchers who logged at least twenty-nine starts last season, including trade acquisition Drew Rasmussen in the three-team trade deal between them, the Rays, and Angels back in January. They also have top draft picks Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder as depth, although one or both may be called upon for bullpen duty if they don't make the rotation.

"It's a shame, as he really pitched well in the game and looks like he was in midseason form," said Francona, "But we feel pretty good about what the rest of the rotation can do to pick us up."

Since breaking into the majors in 2022, Greene has yet to pitch a full, healthy season. Shoulder, hip, and groin injuries have led to multiple injured list stints in the past four years, and now a torn tricep threatens to derail at least half of his 2026 campaign.

[3Bplay]

MARINERS' RODRIGUEZ OPENING DAY IN DOUBT
All-Star struck in ribs by thrown ball

By MLB.com staff
03/01/2026

Back on Tuesday, the Mariners' All-Star center fielder Julio Rodriguez was struck by a thrown ball in a play at second base; a play that resulted in a double but forced him from the game as Mike Tauchman's short-hop throw was missed by shortstop Brayan Rocchio and struck him on the right side as he slid into second. Rodriguez hit a soft single over the infield to right-center in the first inning, and decided to try and leg out a double on the play as Tauchman didn't get to the ball in a timely manner.

They took him out of the game as a precaution, and it wasn't until the next day that Rodriguez felt more than just discomfort from the site of the injury.

"It was just an unfortunate play," said manager Dan Wilson after the game. "Julio saw an opportunity to take an extra base; and while I think it might have been unnecessary given in the moment, we always want to be aggressive on the basepaths and take the extra base when we can. His intuition just kicked in, and unfortunately it knocked him from the game."

After being listed day-to-day, the Mariners decided to place him on the injured list as an MRI revealed on the following day that one of his ribs was broken, and has not played since. It throws his status into doubt for Opening Day, as he could end up missing up to a month with the injury per Wilson.

[3Bplay]

Team Roster/Records | Statistics | Standings

ROYALS SPRING REPORT #2
Outfield roster battles, Takahashi impresses

By 3Bplay
03/02/2026

Waters continues push for roster spot: With the additions to the outfield group over the offseason, Drew Waters is one of a handful of contributors that could be on their way out as the numbers game begins to tighten.

However, he's been one of the best hitters the Royals have had to date, going .750 (6-for-8) with a walk, two doubles, and a stolen base through six games played. With an option remaining, he's unlikely to make the Opening Day roster, but with other roster possibilities like John Rave and Michael Massey struggling a bit out of the gate, he could factor in.

"Connor (Dawson) has already had a pretty profound effect on a few of our guys," said manager Matt Quatraro of one of his new assistant hitting coaches. "He and Marcus (assistant coach) Thames have really hit the ground running in getting acquainted with the players, and we're already seeing some dividends of that paying off."

Avila on injured list: The Royals placed pitcher Luinder Avila (oblique) on the 15-day injured list, putting his status for the season's opening in doubt. He has been day-to-day, but was shut down for the remainder of the spring.

The right-hander had a 4.34 ERA in 66 1/3 innings with the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers a season ago, striking out seventy-six and walking just twenty-six. He made a couple of appearances with the Royals as well, allowing three earned runs in three innings, striking out four with six hits and a couple of walks.

In the 1-0 loss to the Cubs back on Monday the 23rd, Avila pitched just two-thirds of an inning, allowing one hit before leaving with 'side discomfort', as termed by Matt Quatraro after that game.

Japanese media in Royals' camp: With the signing of a Japanese player in free agency, journalists from the country have been reporting from Surprise on Kona Takahashi, who signed a big-league deal with the team back in January. He hasn't pitched much, only making his second appearance of the spring yesterday.

But when he's pitched, he's looked really, really good -- he's allowed just two hits and no runs in 2 2/3 innings, striking out four with no walks.

"There are very, very few pitchers out there with the kind of stuff he has," said pitching coach Brian Sweeney. "His fastball is good, good velocity and spin, but the splitter he throws is just a hammer of a pitch."

The splitter hasn't been a common pitch that Royals' pitchers have thrown in recent years. The most notable examples were Danny Duffy and Brady Singer, although they threw it less than 4% of the time. Josh Staumont also threw one, but was mainly a fastball-curve guy with the occasional off-speed pitch.

"Even when he's not striking guys out, that pitch is going to induce a ton of weak contact," Sweeney went on to say. "He can get it into the high 80's or low 90's, but it looks like his fastball for the first 90% of the pitch before it just falls off."