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Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
American League<\/p>\n
Astros<\/p>\n
\u2022 Ryan Weiss \uc640\uc774\uc2a4<\/a> will get a shot at the rotation<\/a>.<\/p>\n Weiss, who spent the last two seasons pitching in Korea, will slot into the rotation with Hunter Brown<\/a>, Cristian Javier<\/a>, Spencer Arrighetti<\/a>, Lance McCullers Jr.<\/a> and others. Nate Pearson<\/a>, who signed a one-year deal in October, will be built up as a starter, but he could wind up in the bullpen.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I like about [Weiss] is this guy is dedicated to his craft,\u201d Dana Brown said. \u201cHe went over to Korea and turned his career around and got to the point where he\u2019s back up to 97 [mph], sitting 94 [with] pretty good secondary stuff. The guy\u2019s got a journey and he\u2019s got a story, so we\u2019re fired up about him. We\u2019re hoping that he comes into camp and competes for a job at the back end of the rotation.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 Jake Meyer<\/a>s is the team\u2019s centerfielder<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n You Aren’t a FanGraphs Member\n <\/p>\n \n It looks like you aren’t yet a FanGraphs Member (or aren’t logged in). We aren’t mad, just disappointed.\n <\/p>\n \n We get it. You want to read this article. But before we let you get back to it, we’d like to point out a few of the good reasons why you should become a Member.\n <\/p>\n 1. Ad Free viewing! We won’t bug you with this ad, or any other.<\/p>\n 2. Unlimited articles! Non-Members only get to read 10 free articles a month. Members never get cut off.<\/p>\n 3. Dark mode and Classic mode!<\/p>\n 4. Custom player page dashboards! Choose the player cards you want, in the order you want them.<\/p>\n 5. One-click data exports! Export our projections and leaderboards for your personal projects.<\/p>\n 6. Remove the photos on the home page! (Honestly, this doesn’t sound so great to us, but some people wanted it, and we like to give our Members what they want.)<\/p>\n 7. Even more Steamer projections! We have handedness, percentile, and context neutral projections available for Members only.<\/p>\n 8. Get FanGraphs Walk-Off, a customized year end review! Find out exactly how you used FanGraphs this year, and how that compares to other Members. Don’t be a victim of FOMO.<\/p>\n 9. A weekly mailbag column, exclusively for Members.<\/p>\n 10. Help support FanGraphs and our entire staff! Our Members provide us with critical resources to improve the site and deliver new features!<\/p>\n \n We hope you’ll consider a Membership today, for yourself or as a gift! And we realize this has been an awfully long sales pitch, so we’ve also removed all the other ads in this article. We didn’t want to overdo it.\n <\/p>\n Speaking of Meyers specifically, Brown said \u201cit\u2019s a really good deal, we may consider it. But right now, Meyers is going to be a guy for us that\u2019s going to play center field and it looks like he\u2019s the frontline guy as of today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 Brice Matthews<\/a> will get take outfield reps<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201c[Brice Matthews is] going to get some run in the outfield, but second base is still going to be his main position,\u201d Brown said. \u201cWe project he\u2019ll turn the corner with the bat and get maybe some run in the outfield a little bit, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Athletics<\/p>\n \u2022 Max Muncy<\/a>, Darell Hernaiz<\/a>, and Brett Harris<\/a> will get a shot at the third base job<\/a>.<\/p>\n General manager David Forst told Mart\u00edn Gallegos of MLB.com that the A\u2019s view McNeil as their primary second baseman. They\u2019re planning to leave the third base job open for a Spring Training competition among a few players already on the roster.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ll probably look internally at third base,\u201d Forst told Gallegos. \u201cMax Muncy did a really nice job there in his limited time. Darell Hernaiz has shown he can play the position. Brett Harris has a lot of experience at third base. So I like our internal options.\u201d<\/p>\n Orioles<\/p>\n \u2022 Coby Mayo<\/a> could see some time in the outfield<\/a>.<\/p>\n Elias said on Saturday that the Orioles had use for Mayo, who spent last year working on his first base skills.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had, I think, a very successful stretch run last year, he looked really good and is in a really good spot,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd there is still a lot of playing time available for him on a team that has Pete Alonso<\/a> now. We have first base reps, we have designated hitter reps, as you mentioned, and the exploration of other positions \u2014 whether it\u2019s third or something in the corner outfield \u2014 has been something we\u2019ve always talked about with him. So the path remains open for him.\u201d<\/p>\n Rays<\/p>\n \u2022 The team\u2019s management said that Richie Palacios<\/a> is now the team\u2019s second baseman<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trading Lowe creates a clear opening at second base, where the Rays don\u2019t have an obvious replacement. Neander mentioned Richie Palacios as an internal candidate, although Palacios has been limited by injuries each of the past two years and has bounced around the field during his time with Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n The Rays like a lot about Palacios, from his on-base skills and speed to his quality defense at second base, so he could be an option there. But they\u2019re not giving the job to anyone yet.<\/p>\n \u2022 Steven Matz<\/a> will get a shot at the rotation<\/a>.<\/p>\n Matz\u2019s selfless success earned him the respect of his former clubs, caught the Rays\u2019 attention and ultimately led to another opportunity to start. Tampa Bay signed Matz to a two-year, $15 million contract on Tuesday with the intent to slot him into its rotation next season.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re going to give him the opportunity to prepare as a starter, to come in and try to lock down a day. The investment was made with that in mind,\u201d Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. \u201cBelieve that\u2019s something that he\u2019s going to be able to do, and we believe he\u2019s going to be able to do it well.\u201d<\/p>\n Red Sox<\/p>\n \u2022 The team\u2019s goal for Payton Tolle<\/a> is to improve his secondaries<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThis offseason will be essential for [Tolle\u2019s] developmentally,\u201d said Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. \u201cThere is no secret he put on quite a bit of velocity last offseason, and there will be a focus this offseason on developing some of those secondaries. So, we\u2019ll see what that looks like when we get to Spring Training.\u201d<\/p>\n White Sox<\/p>\n \u2022 Catchers Kyle Teel<\/a>, Edgar Quero<\/a>, and Korey Lee<\/a> are not working on other positions<\/a>.<\/p>\n The switch-hitting Quero has also been mentioned in offseason trade inquiries, while Lee offers the option of the White Sox keeping three catchers as they did at the end of the 2025 regular season. In that scenario, manager Will Venable could play Teel or Quero behind the plate, use the other player as designated hitter and still be covered by a third catcher.<\/p>\n None of the three is presently working at other positions, according to Venable.<\/p>\n \u2022 Top prospect, Braden Montgomery<\/a>, will not be a part of the MLB team<\/a> once Spring Training is over, according to their GM.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re always open-minded,\u201d White Sox general manager Chris Getz said. \u201cI see Braden getting into the mix for being on the Major League club [in 2026], but I don\u2019t anticipate that happening out of Spring Training.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want anyone to get ahead of themselves. I want them to just have a dominant offseason, taking care of their bodies, going through a proper throwing program. Once you get to Spring Training and baseball action really picks up, you get a real idea of where these players and pitchers are.\u201d<\/p>\n National League<\/p>\n Brewers<\/p>\n \u2022 Logan Henderson<\/a> wants to add a curveball<\/a>.<\/p>\n Henderson is focused on his secondary pitches beyond his bread-and-butter fastball and changeup, including a curveball he\u2019s carefully reintroducing this winter. Henderson threw more cutters last year and intends to continue that progress. And his slider is a usable fifth pitch.<\/p>\n \u201cI want a full arsenal instead of just using two pitches,\u201d Henderson said. \u201cI know there\u2019s still a lot of ways for me to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n Cardinals<\/p>\n \u2022 Dustin May<\/a>\u2019s elbow is healthy, and he\u2019s bulking up<\/a>.<\/p>\n May said he doesn\u2019t expect the elbow neuritis to be an issue in 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cArm feels great, back to normal,\u201d May said on Thursday. \u201cAs I\u2019ve reiterated to a lot of people, I was going to be ready for the [Division Series] if [Boston] had advanced. My arm was in a better spot toward that time. \u2026 I took some time off and got the body right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026<\/p>\n \u201c[The sweeper] was kind of the only thing working, and my fastball was getting hit kind of hard, so I had to shy away from that,\u201d said May, who has gone from 202 pounds in 2025 to 220 pounds now, with a target goal of 225 pounds. \u201cHopefully, bouncing back and re-tweaking my arsenal, I won\u2019t be so reliant on that [sweeper] and so predictable.\u201d<\/p>\n Diamondbacks<\/p>\n \u2022 Mike Soroka cleared up a health issue causing\u00a0<\/a>inflammation<\/a> \u2026<\/p>\n Soroka is a different pitcher than he was in 2019, and he recently made changes to his delivery and arsenal. Pairing these changes with solutions to undisclosed, underlying health issues that have impacted his ability to stay on the field he believes will set him up for a resurgence.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were some things as far as internal health that I think we\u2019d kind of figured out that I\u2019d rather not completely dive into, but we\u2019d had some things I\u2019ve been dealing with for a long time that I didn\u2019t really understand until this past year,\u201d Soroka said.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s gonna be one really big key is just being able to actually recover and not deal with a ton of inflammation at all times. Ultimately that\u2019s where injuries have added up for me is just chronic inflammation and the ability to clear that. \u2026 Obviously working on delivery, you change things, you work on new ways to do things efficiently. I think that all kind of started to come into place and this was kind of the last key. Moving forward, I really feel confident.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026 and will add a cutter, sweeper, and a gyro slider<\/a>.<\/p>\n Soroka credited Cubs vice president of pitching Tyler Zombro<\/a> with some of the adjustments.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s gonna be traditional cutter,\u201d Soroka said. \u201cI\u2019d already at times tended to cut the ball a little bit just naturally being a little bit supinated* through release. \u2026 Tyler Zombro was able to kind of show me some things with just the way I was able to stay supinated with certain pitches and throw the cutter, as well as a sweeper. It\u2019s thrown the same way as my slurve or curveball, just with a different grip and it kind of stays on that straight horizontal axis. It\u2019s gonna be useful for giving guys a different look.<\/p>\n \u201cThen the last one\u2019s a traditional gyro slider.** It is basically the curveball grip thrown like a fastball. So, that was the key with all three of these, is that I really didn\u2019t need to do too much. I didn\u2019t need to manipulate anything. I was already set up right to throw it. Tyler was able to show me exactly how all that worked.\u201d<\/p>\n Giants<\/p>\n \u2022 Rule 5 pick, Daniel Susac<\/a>, will get a chance to be the team\u2019s backup catche<\/a>r.<\/p>\n The Giants had a clear need for more catching depth after non-tendering Andrew Knizner<\/a> last month. They quickly identified the 24-year-old Susac as someone who could plug a hole on their roster.<\/p>\n \u201cPlus defender behind the plate, power,\u201d general manager Zack Minasian said of Susac, who is now ranked as the Giants\u2019 No. 15 prospect by MLB Pipeline. \u201cHistory with him back to high school through the Draft. Bay Area ties. It\u2019s a position of need. We\u2019re always looking to build depth. Still young, still upside. So a lot of positives, a lot of boxes checked. We\u2019re excited to give him this opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n While Susac was acquired via trade, he\u2019ll still be subject to the usual Rule 5 stipulations, which means the Giants will have to keep him on their 26-man roster for the entire 2026 season or offer him back to the A\u2019s. That should make the right-handed-hitting Susac the clear frontrunner to serve as Patrick Bailey<\/a>\u2019s backup next year.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019s a candidate,\u201d Minasian said. \u201cObviously he\u2019s going to have to come in and earn it, but obviously to take him shows what we think of him. We definitely see him as a really strong candidate. We\u2019re excited about where our catching depth is with him.\u201d Mets<\/p>\n \u2022 Jorge Polanco<\/a> will play first base<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jorge Polanco has never logged a major-league inning at first base, where the New York Mets are expecting to play him, but the position isn\u2019t entirely unfamiliar to him. However, over two months starting in the middle of June, Polanco worked out at first base several times before games. He spent time with Mariners infield coach Perry Hill and bench coach Manny Acta, among others, learning the intricacies of the position. The lessons included how to hold a runner on, how to get to the base without getting stepped on, how to position himself, how to throw to second base on a grounder using his backhand and how to get back to the bag in case a catcher made a snap throw.<\/p>\n \u201cHe knows how to do all that stuff,\u201d Hill said in a recent phone interview.<\/p>\n Padres<\/p>\n \u2022 Miguel Mendez<\/a>, the team\u2019s top starting pitcher prospect, will not be competing for a rotation spot during Spring Training<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201c[Miguel Mendez is] going to continue to start and come in and build innings,\u201d Preller said. \u201cAgain, a lot of guys have broken into the big leagues coming into the bullpen. We\u2019ll see. Right now, he\u2019s more a prospect coming in to continue his development than he is competing for the team coming into Spring Training. But the player is going to tell us. Those things can change.\u201d<\/p>\n Pirates<\/p>\n \u2022 Carmen Mlodzinski<\/a> will transition back to being a starter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Right now, Cherington says they have a lot of confidence in a group that still has some depth, which includes Carmen Mlodzinski preparing for a starter\u2019s workload again. Cherington says they\u2019re open to adding a backend starter, but as far as trading another starting pitcher, a deal would have to clear a high bar.<\/p>\n \u2022 Brandon Lowe<\/a> is preparing to play second base<\/a> \u2026<\/p>\n The key when it comes to what positions the Pirates can target lies with Lowe. If he can play his position, the Pirates could add a third baseman, designated hitter or even any other position to provide depth. Injuries have limited Lowe\u2019s ability to stay on the field in the past, but he is preparing this offseason to play second.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that he can play second, we believe, also keeps options open for us to add another bat in another spot,\u201d Cherington said.<\/p>\n \u2026 so Nick Gonzales<\/a> will need to find another position<\/a>.<\/p>\n Adding Lowe doesn\u2019t mean the Pirates are giving up on Gonzales \u2014 Cherington referred to him as \u201can important player for us\u201d \u2014 but it\u2019s probably going to be in a different role. We\u2019ve seen him play on the left side of the infield before, and with third base currently open and shortstop up in the air until Pittsburgh\u2019s No. 1 prospect Konnor Griffin<\/a> arrives, perhaps that could be explored again.<\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest thing about Nick, we can go back to his amateur days in the Draft, he\u2019s just always met the challenge in front of him,\u201d Cherington said. \u201cSo we acquired a player who we believe in, who we expect to play some second base, in Brandon Lowe. This is an opportunity for Nick to continue to push for an opportunity on the Major League team.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images American League Astros \u2022 Ryan Weiss \uc640\uc774\uc2a4 will get a shot at the rotation. Weiss,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":368700,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[363,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-368699","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-mlb","9":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=368699"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/368699\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/368700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=368699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=368699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=368699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u2026
\u201cWe\u2019re very excited about Jesus Rodriguez<\/a> but also understand that the amount of games that he\u2019s caught is somewhat limited,\u201d president of baseball operations Buster Posey<\/a> said. \u201cBut we\u2019re really excited about his future. I think what excites me is when I hear our manager or a coach on the staff in Triple-A just talk about his makeup and how well he\u2019s worked with the pitchers and his desire to get better defensively.\u201d<\/p>\n
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