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Offseason In Review: Cleveland Guardians

By | at March 5, 2026 5:44pm CDT

Spring training is here, but it’s not clear the Guardians ever got the memo that the offseason began. Despite winning the AL Central in 2025, they made practically no additions and will enter the year with one of their lowest team payrolls — if not the lowest — in more than a decade.

Major League Free Agent Signings

Total spend: $11.9MM

Option Decisions

Trades and Waiver Claims

Extensions

  • José Ramirez, 3B: Four years, $106MM (on top of preexisting three years, $69MM; contract includes $70MM in deferred money which actually lowers the amount Cleveland owes Ramirez in 2026)

Notable Minor League Signings

Notable Losses

Cleveland went on an improbable run to its third AL Central title in four seasons in 2025, rattling off a blistering 20-7 record in September to edge out Detroit, who’d led the division for much of the summer. Strong play from the Guardians alone wouldn’t have gotten the job done; they needed the Tigers to also collapse in epic fashion. Detroit obliged, going 7-17 in September to squander what been an 11-game division lead as deep into the season as Sept. 4.

Entering the offseason, it was easy to presume that a Cinderella run of this nature, coupled with practically no long-term commitments and one of the lightest slates of 2026 financial obligations of any team in the sport would have emboldened the Guardians to add to what was an anemic offense. Any such presumptions have been proven incorrect.

The Guardians hit .226/.296/.373 as a team last season. The resulting 87 wRC+ (indicating their offense as a whole was 13% worse than average) ranked 28th in the majors. Cleveland ranked 28th in baseball with 643 runs scored and 29th in each of batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Superstar third baseman José Ramirez and and slugging first baseman Kyle Manzardo (who was heavily platooned) were the only members of the roster to manage even a league-average offensive line, by measure of wRC+. Left fielder Steven Kwan was short by the narrowest of margins, at 99. Outfield prospect George Valera hit fairly well but did so in a sample of 48 plate appearances.

Not only was no one else on Cleveland’s roster even a league-average hitter — virtually no one else was even close. First baseman/outfielder C.J. Kayfus hit .220/.292/.415 — good for a 96 wRC+ in 138 plate appearances. No one else on the roster was even within 10% of average. Cleveland gave a total of 2757 plate appearances to Angel Martinez, Gabriel Arias, Daniel Schneemann, Bo Naylor, Nolan Jones, Brayan Rocchio and Hedges. That’s 46% of their team-wide plate appearances. Those seven players combined for a .212/.280/.346 batting line (76 wRC+). They’re all back in 2026.

Cleveland does have some hope for better offense in 2026. They could receive a full year of outfield prospects Valera and Chase DeLauter, but betting on them to this extent is an immense risk. DeLauter was a first-round pick in 2022 and has been a top prospect since. He’s also been regularly injured. Since being taken in the draft three and a half years ago, he’s played all of 138 minor league games. His two playoff games with Cleveland in 2025 marked his big league debut. It’s a similar story with Valera, a former top prospect out of the Dominican Republic who has only once played 100 games in a season despite signing back in 2017. He played 60 regular-season games in 2025 between the big leagues and the minors.

The Guardians also have 2024’s No. 1 overall pick, second baseman Travis Bazzana, very likely to make his big league debut early in the 2026 season. Twenty-four-year-old infielder Juan Brito could also get a look, though he got into only 31 minor league games last season due to injury. Catching prospect Cooper Ingle could make his debut in 2026 as well, and he’d have only the lowest of bars to clear with the bat in order to be an upgrade over the current Naylor/Hedges tandem.

That group unequivocally gives Cleveland some near-term upside, but banking on them as the sole means of offensive improvement is the type of strategy one might see from a rebuilding club or a cost-conscious team whose payroll is already pushing franchise-record territory. Neither is the case in Cleveland. The Guardians are aiming to contend, despite their lack of investment in the club. And while projections will peg their payroll around $80MM or so, that doesn’t include the $10MM of deferred money for Ramirez or the $6MM they won’t be paying to closer Emmanuel Clase while he faces trial for rigging pitches in a gambling scandal that rocked the franchise (and also included starting pitcher Luis Ortiz).

Cleveland’s payroll is going to clock in around $65MM. Their franchise-record mark for Opening Day was about $70MM higher than that, back in 2018. They’ve been between $90-100MM in each of the past three seasons. The last time they trotted out a payroll this low was in 2021, the first year coming off the pandemic-shortened season when they’d just absorbed substantial losses. If we’re willing to set that aside due to unique circumstances, Cleveland hasn’t been this thrifty since 2011-12.

For a team coming off a division title and that type of late-season surge, it’s hard to reconcile. President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said in a recent appearance on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM that the Guardians need to leave space for young players to step up and that their clearest path to contending involves young hitters like Bazzana, DeLauter and Valera helping to carry the offense. There’s some truth behind those comments, but Antonetti surely didn’t want his priciest offensive addition of the winter to be a reunion with Hedges, either. It’s abundantly clear that this front office had little to no money to work with this winter, and that’s borne out when digging deeper into their slate of moves.

Hedges’ $4MM deal to return to the Guardians was surprising at the time and looks all the more confounding in the wake of an offseason devoid of activity. Cleveland seems to place a higher premium on catcher defense than just about any team in the game. In Naylor and Hedges, they’ll have one of the sport’s top defensive duos but also perhaps the least-productive catching tandem in baseball from an offensive standpoint. That pair is generally keeping the seat warm for the aforementioned Ingle, who slashed .260/.389/.419 with more walks than strikeouts as a 24-year-old in Double-A and Triple-A last season. Ingle should make his debut at some point in 2026.

The only other move to address the lineup was a late non-roster deal with first baseman Rhys Hoskins. The former Phillies standout had two pretty pedestrian seasons in Milwaukee in 2024-25 after returning from an ACL tear that cost him the 2023 season. He hit .223/.314/.418 with 38 homers in 221 games while calling the hitter-friendly American Family Field home. Hoskins was a perennial 30-homer threat in Philadelphia from 2018-22, hitting .241/.350/.483 with 130 round-trippers in 2665 plate appearances. He hasn’t approached that level of output since, which is why the market largely checked out on him this winter. He’ll make just $1.5MM if he cracks Cleveland’s roster. There’s obvious bargain potential there, but the 2024-25 version of Hoskins is more of a league-average bat than the difference-maker sorely lacked by Cleveland.

Whether ownership-driven or a conscientious decision by the baseball operations staff — the former seems much likelier — improvements in the lineup will have to come down to the Guardians’ young players. Beyond Ingle, names to watch include:

  • Travis Bazzana, 2B (No. 1 pick in 2024): .245/.389/.424, 17.6% walk rate, nine homers, 17 doubles, five triples, 12 steals in 84 games between Double-A and Triple-A
  • George Valera, OF (international free agent out of the Dominican): .220/.333/.415 in 48 MLB plate appearances, plus .318/.388/.550 in 170 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A
  • Chase DeLauter, OF (2023 first-rounder): .264/.379/.473 with a matching walk and strikeout rates of 15.8% in 177 minor league plate appearances (mostly in Triple-A)
  • Juan Brito, INF (acquired from Rockies in 2022 Nolan Jones trade): .243/.355/.437, 12.8% walk rate, 23.1% strikeout rate in 125 minor league plate appearances (mostly Triple-A)
  • C.J. Kayfus, 1B/OF (2023 third-rounder): .220/.292/.415 in 138 MLB plate appearances, plus .300/.390/.539 with 14 homers, an 11.9% walk rate and 25.2% strikeout rate in 369 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A

In addition to the lack of big league experience, one thing that stands out among that group is a lack of games played in 2025 — at any level. Valera (60 games in 2025) and DeLauter (42 games) have been consistently hurt throughout their minor league tenures. A pair of oblique strains limited Bazzana to 84 games in his first full season. Brito played 31 games due to thumb and hamstring surgeries. Kayfus logged 130 games — the only one of the bunch close to a full season.

Cleveland needs so much to go right that it’s hard to see this club being even an average MLB offense. DeLauter and Valera seem ticketed for Opening Day outfield roles but need to prove they can both stay healthy and hit big league pitching. The options behind them (Angel Martinez, Nolan Jones, Johnathan Rodriguez, Petey Halpin) don’t inspire much confidence. Bazzana is probably starting the year in Triple-A, meaning the Guardians will go with a combination of Gabriel Arias (.220/.274/.363 in 2025) and Brayan Rocchio (.233/.290/.340) in the middle infield.

The entire Guardians offense hinges on superstar third baseman José Ramirez, so perhaps it’s fitting that he was at the center of the only truly notable transaction Cleveland made this winter. Ramirez signed an extension that guaranteed him four years and $106MM in new money (on top of his preexisting three years). He’s now locked up through age 39. It’s fair to wonder whether this was really necessary. He was already under club control through his age-35 season. If Ramirez slows down and this turns into a Miguel Cabrera/Tigers situation, the Guardians could live to regret the deal.

In the short term, it seemed to pay some dividends. Ramirez agreed to defer $10MM annually over the seven years of his contract. He has a $25MM salary for the upcoming season, but only $15MM will be paid out this year. In theory, that should’ve given Cleveland more room to add to the roster, but that didn’t pan out. As such, the most consequential deal of their offseason actually subtracted from the 2026 payroll.

Ramirez might be the most singularly important player to his roster of any team in Major League Baseball. An injury to him would decimate Cleveland’s entire offense, but there’s no real fallback plan if he gets hurt. They’ve been fortunate to keep him as healthy as they have. Ramirez has missed only four games in each of the past two seasons. Dating back to 2020, he’s played in an incredible 96.5% of Cleveland’s games. He’s a true iron man, but he’s now 33 years old. If he were to incur an injury, the infield would likely include a combination of Brito, Rocchio, Arias and Bazzana to the left of Manzardo.

The Guardians’ pitching staff is in better shape, as is frequently the case, but it’s not as dominant as it was when the Guards were habitually churning out borderline Cy Young candidates. The sextet of Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen, Parker Messick, Slade Cecconi and Joey Cantillo gives manager Stephen Vogt six solid options, but no one from the group feels like a true No. 1 starter. Williams’ 3.06 ERA gives him that look on the surface, but he walked more hitters than any qualified pitcher in baseball last year. Metrics like SIERA (4.35) and FIP (4.39) are far more bearish.

There’s some depth, primarily in the form of righty Austin Peterson and lefty Doug Nikhazy. Both are on the 40-man roster. Peterson had a strong showing in the upper minors but has yet to debut at 26 and isn’t an especially touted prospect. Nikhazy struggled in the upper minors and in the majors last year. Non-roster options include Kolby Allard and old friend Pedro Avila. Former top prospect Daniel Espino is finally healthy again, but he’s pitched a total of 19 innings since the 2021 season ended. Anything he contributes will be a bonus, but it’s hard to rely on him given that injury track record.

The one area Cleveland made some small additions is in the bullpen. Veteran Shawn Armstrong is coming off a big year in Texas. His overall body of work since 2020 is strong, but it’s been a roller coaster in terms of year-to-year ERA marks; he’s ranged everywhere from 1.38 in 52 innings with the ’23 Rays to 6.75 in 36 frames with the O’s and Rays in ’21. On a cheap one-year deal, he’s a nice addition — particularly for a club that has a good track record of coaxing strong performances out of unheralded pitchers.

That ability will be pivotal with the Guardians’ other big league signing in the ‘pen, too. Connor Brogdon had a nice run with the Phillies from 2020-23 (3.55 ERA in 142 innings) but has struggled since. He still sat better than 95 mph with his heater and notched an impressive 13.2% swinging-strike rate in 47 innings with the Angels last year, even while limping to a 5.55 earned run average. If the Guardians can help to curb his susceptibility to home runs (2.11 HR/9 with Anaheim), he could be a nice bullpen piece both in 2026 and 2027, as he’d be arbitration-eligible next winter.

Antonetti & Co. also rolled the dice on a $1.5MM guarantee for hard-throwing former Pirates righty Colin Holderman. He can be optioned, so he’s not a clear lock to make the roster, however. The 30-year-old righty, who sits 97.4 mph with his sinker, notched a 3.52 ERA while fanning nearly one-quarter of his opponents in 2023-24. His strikeout rate plummeted in 2025, however, as he was rocked for a 7.01 ERA in 25 2/3 big league frames.

There’s no sugarcoating the fact that this was an immensely disappointing offseason for Cleveland fans. Their 2026 chances rest entirely on Ramirez continuing his iron-man ways and several oft-injured prospects simultaneously staying healthy and breaking out in their first extended looks of major league action. The pitching staff should be solid or better once again, but the depth beyond the top six rotation arms isn’t great.

Cleveland’s blank-slate payroll (aside from Ramirez and Bibee) seemed to set the stage for at least a modest addition or two in the lineup. Instead, their offseason will be remembered more for its inactivity than anything else. It’s a huge bet on in-house improvements, and there’s little to no safety net if those prospects fall to injuries or struggle to adjust to major league pitching.

How do MLBTR readers grade Cleveland’s offseason?

How would you grade the Guardians' offseason?

  • D 37% (646)
  • F 37% (642)
  • C 19% (325)
  • B 5% (78)
  • A 2% (42)

Total votes: 1,733

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2025-26 Offseason In Review Cleveland Guardians MLBTR Originals

Offseason In Review: San Francisco Giants

By | at March 5, 2026 3:10pm CDT

The Giants checked a few boxes this offseason, adding a pair of back-end starting pitchers and everyday players at second base and in the outfield. Their biggest splash might be in the manager’s office, as they stayed away from the top of the free agent market.

Major League Signings

2026 spending: $44.95MM
Total spending: $68.78MM

Trades and Claims

Option Decisions

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

  • None

Notable Losses

Before the offseason got underway, president of baseball operations Buster Posey identified the priority. “Our focus is going to be on pitching, to try to fortify our starting staff. The same goes with the bullpen,” he told Alex Pavlovic and Laura Britt of NBC Sports Bay Area in early October.

Posey had acted decisively in pursuing star players during his first year running baseball operations. He’d signed Willy Adames to a franchise-record contract the previous offseason and made the biggest trade of the 2025 season when he took on the Rafael Devers contract from the Red Sox in June. The Giants were naturally a popular pick to land one of free agency’s top arms — ranging from Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez and Ranger Suárez in the rotation to Edwin Díaz at the back of the bullpen.

That was not to be. Not long after Posey’s comments, high-ranking team personnel began to downplay expectations. General manager Zack Minasian told John Shea of The San Francisco Standard they’d focus more on depth arms. CEO Greg Johnson made similar comments to Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle, noting that they were wary of making extended free agent commitments. None of that contradicted Posey’s identification of the focus, but it pointed to the more quiet offseason that would follow.

Indeed, one could argue the Giants’ biggest move didn’t involve the roster at all. San Francisco fired manager Bob Melvin at the end of the season. That was at least moderately surprising, as the Giants had exercised their 2026 option on Melvin’s services just three months earlier. The team’s 29-36 record in the second half was apparently the impetus for the change, but the Giants played at the same .500 level they had for most of the season after August despite selling multiple pieces (e.g. Mike Yastrzemski, Trevor Rogers, Camilo Doval) at the deadline.

In any case, the front office felt a change was necessary enough that they ate Melvin’s reported $4MM salary. They’d go on to make one of the boldest managerial hires in recent memory. After considering more traditional candidates like Kurt Suzuki, Nick Hundley, and Vance Wilson, the Giants wooed college baseball’s best coach.

They hired Tony Vitello away from the University of Tennessee, paying a premium to do so. Vitello is reportedly making $3.5MM annually on a three-year contract. The Giants also paid a $3MM buyout to the university. They’re committing $10.5MM to the managerial position this year all told, which is probably the most in MLB. Teams don’t publicly disclose managerial salaries, but Dave Roberts’ extension with the Dodgers pays an $8.1MM average annual value that is believed to be the most in the league.

Vitello built what had been a floundering Tennessee program into a national powerhouse during his eight years in Knoxville. It’s nevertheless a virtually unheard of hire for an MLB team. Vitello made the jump directly to major league managing without any previous experience in pro ball.

That has some precedent in other sports but hasn’t really been done in MLB, where college staffers making the move have usually begun their careers as coaches or in player development roles. He’ll have the advice of some experienced voices. The Giants added Ron Washington to the coaching staff while bringing Bruce Bochy back to the organization as a special advisor (joining Dusty Baker in that regard)

Fascinating as the hire is, Vitello will have more constraints as an MLB manager than he did as a college coach. College coaches are also primarily responsible for putting their rosters together via recruiting and the transfer portal. That’s obviously not the case in MLB, where the front office was tasked with addressing the pitching staff and fixing two obvious holes in the lineup.

As the aforementioned comments from Johnson and Minasian suggested, the front office seemingly didn’t have much long-term payroll flexibility. They’d signed three nine-figure contracts (Jung Hoo Lee, Matt Chapman and Adames) in the previous two offseasons. They took on close to $215MM in future commitments on the Devers deal — including the money saved by attaching Jordan Hicks as a salary offset. They also paid $17MM to division rival Blake Snell in January as a deferred signing bonus from his 2024 free agent deal.

Although the Giants would take aim at a few high-impact trade targets, they limited themselves to the third and fourth tiers in free agency. That began with a two-year, $22MM deal for right-hander Adrian Houser. It’s a hefty price for a pitcher who was playing on a minor league pact as recently as last May. Houser pitched very well in 11 starts for the White Sox but struggled to a near-5.00 ERA over 10 outings following a deadline trade to Tampa Bay. He slots into the back half of the rotation as an innings eating grounder specialist.

The Giants made a similar move with a one-year, $10MM flier for Tyler Mahle. There’s maybe a little more upside with Mahle, who is coming off a 2.18 ERA across 16 starts for the Rangers. That’s driven largely by an elevated strand rate and minimal batting average on balls in play that covered for a mediocre 19.1% strikeout rate.

Mahle missed bats early in his career with the Reds but hasn’t had the same caliber of stuff since then due to injury. He pitched a total of 107 MLB innings from 2023-25. A May ’23 Tommy John surgery was the most significant injury, but he also lost chunks of time in each of the past two seasons to shoulder problems. His average fastball speed has dropped two ticks from a 94 mph high back in 2021. Mahle still has excellent command and enters camp healthy, but he has back-of-the-rotation stuff despite last year’s impressive earned run average.

Signing Houser and Mahle all but ensured the Giants wouldn’t re-sign Justin Verlander, who’d been their only free agent of much note. Verlander pitched well down the stretch, but the Giants evidently preferred the other veteran arms to betting on a player entering his age-43 season. San Francisco also traded away depth arms Mason Black and Kai-Wei Teng in minor deals.

The free agent pickups slot behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray. Having one of the 10 best pitchers in MLB anchor the group is an excellent start. Ray shows the ability to pitch at a legitimate #2 level at times but can also battle his command and had a rough second half. Landen Roupp is the in-house favorite to round out the starting five. He’s a quality back-end arm.

It’s not a bad group, though it’s lacking the ceiling behind Webb that’d compete with the upper tier of rotations in MLB. That might need to come from an unexpected step forward from an internal arm. The Giants have some intriguing depth pieces on the 40-man roster. Hayden Birdsong, Trevor McDonald, Carson Whisenhunt, Blade Tidwell, and Carson Seymour are all optionable starters with modest big league experience.

Individually, no one from that group projects as a high-end starter. There’s enough volume the Giants can hope someone takes an unexpected step forward with a velocity jump or new pitch. Birdsong has the best raw stuff but disappointed when given a rotation opportunity a year ago. He simply didn’t throw enough strikes.

Although Birdsong enters camp as a starter, the Giants should probably focus him on a relief role this year. They’re likely to need more than one of the rotation depth pieces in the bullpen — which they did puzzlingly little to address over the offseason. They not only stayed away from the Díaz/Devin Williams price range but also opted not to bring in any middle-tier relievers (e.g. Kyle Finnegan, Kenley Jansen).

Free agent bullpen prices were high. The Giants may have simply thought that playing in that area was bad value. However, it leaves them with one of the thinner bullpens of any team that expects to contend. In addition to the Rogers and Doval trades, they lost breakout closer Randy Rodríguez to Tommy John surgery as they were playing out the string.

San Francisco’s only acquisitions were reclamation projects. They signed Jason Foley and Sam Hentges to cheap one-year deals. Both pitchers are coming off shoulder surgery and headed for season-opening injured list stints. Rowan Wick is essentially a 2027 version of the same idea. San Francisco brought him back from Japan for barely more than the league minimum. He’ll miss the entire season after recently undergoing Tommy John surgery but could be kept around via minimal club option next year if he’s recovering smoothly.

An already thin group has taken a couple more hits in camp. Waiver pickup Reiver Sanmartin tweaked his right hip in an exhibition game for Colombia in the World Baseball Classic. Hard-throwing righty Joel Peguero was diagnosed with a Grade 2 hamstring strain just last night.

Ryan Walker feels like the closer by default despite an up-and-down 2025 season. Righties JT Brubaker and José Buttó can’t be optioned and will make the team. Erik Miller and the out-of-options Matt Gage lead an uninspiring group of left-handers. Minor league signees Gregory Santos and Michael Fulmer have a clear path to middle relief spots. Aside from the general difficulty in predicting relief pitching, there’s not much reason for excitement unless someone like Birdsong or McDonald gets a bullpen job and runs with it.

Can the Giants outhit their pitching concerns? This was a league average lineup a year ago, a disappointing result for one that should be better than that on talent. They entered the offseason with two obvious potential problem areas: second base and right field. Tyler Fitzgerald floundered at the former position, leaving Casey Schmitt to hold the job in the second half. He’s a low-end regular who profiles better as a utilityman. Right field was an even bigger issue, as they got nothing out of the position after the Yastrzemski trade.

San Francisco addressed both positions via free agency. They added Harrison Bader on a two-year, $20.5MM contract in their second-biggest investment of the winter. The front office successfully waited out Bader’s push for a third year to add an impact defender coming off a career-best .277/.347/.449 showing. They’ll expect some regression offensively — Bader dramatically outperformed his batted ball metrics thanks to an inflated .359 BABIP — but he’s an ideal fit for the spacious Oracle Park outfield.

Bader will play every day in center field, pushing Lee to right. Lee is coming off a .266/.327/.407 season that’d be fine even with the higher offensive bar to clear in a corner outfield spot. Despite above-average speed and an excellent arm, Lee occasionally had some trouble tracking balls in center field. Bader will be a notable upgrade, while Lee’s athleticism should remain an asset with the amount of ground to cover in the right-center gap.

They’ll be joined in the outfield by Heliot Ramos, a 2024 All-Star who underwhelmed last season. Ramos had a huge May (.347/.407/.600) but had a sub-.720 OPS in every other month. He batted .248/.316/.358 in the second half. Ramos still topped 20 homers with slightly above-average offensive numbers overall, but left field could be a position to monitor at the deadline if his late-season form carries into 2026. Former Guardian Will Brennan could factor in there as a left-handed complement but seems likelier to begin the season in Triple-A after an offseason split deal.

The Giants’ biggest pursuits came at second base. Bay Area native Nico Hoerner would have been an ideal fit, but the Cubs never had much motivation to trade him. The Giants made a run at landing Brendan Donovan from the Cardinals; he wound up traded to Seattle instead. Talks with the Nationals about CJ Abrams reportedly stalled when Washington balked at a prospect package built around shortstop Josuar Gonzalez.

They ended up turning back to free agency. In a weak middle infield class beyond Bo Bichette, they opted to give Luis Arraez another opportunity at second base. It’s difficult to quibble with the price, as the three-time batting champion settled for one year and $12MM. The risk is that comes with the promise of moving Arraez back to the keystone after two years working mostly as a first baseman in San Diego.

Fans are familiar with Arraez’s skillset. He’s the most difficult player in MLB to strike out and one of a handful of hitters who can reasonably be expected to bat .300. The all-contact approach doesn’t leave much room for walks or any kind of power. Last season’s .292/.327/.392 batting line came out to roughly league average overall, by measure of wRC+.

Arraez’s career numbers are better than that (.317/.363/.413), and he should certainly be an offensive upgrade over Schmitt. They’ll probably need to live with well below-average defense in the process despite expressing hope that working with Washington can turn things around. Arraez doesn’t move especially well and has been a below-average defender from the time he reached the majors.

Schmitt is a much better defensive player and should stick around as a utility piece and potential late-game substitute. Schmitt’s name has been floated in trade rumors, but there probably aren’t many teams that view him as a clear everyday player. If most other clubs also see him as a utility piece, he’s more valuable to the Giants as an Arraez complement than netting a fairly modest trade return. Fitzgerald was a non-factor in the second half and doesn’t have much of a path back to playing time in San Francisco. A change of scenery trade for a low-level prospect could make sense.

Chapman and Adames will play almost every game on the left side of the infield. Devers will divide his work between first base and designated hitter. Top first base prospect Bryce Eldridge is trying to break camp after a brief 2025 debut. He’d play regularly alongside Devers if he’s on the roster. If the Giants have him open the season in the minors, that’d increase the odds of an out-of-options Luis Matos or Jerar Encarnación sticking around.

There’s also a camp battle for the backup catcher job. Patrick Bailey is such a good defender that he’ll remain the primary catcher despite providing very little at the plate. Prospect Jesus Rodriguez is competing with Rule 5 selection Daniel Susac and minor league signee Eric Haase for a bench spot.

The Giants hit most of the obvious needs they had entering the offseason — though the bullpen stands as a curious exception. They did so mostly with moves to raise the floor rather than upside plays, seemingly because of payroll restrictions. Did they do enough to jump the Padres and Diamondbacks as the second-best team in the NL West and at least snag a Wild Card berth?

How would you grade the Giants' offseason?

  • C 48% (983)
  • B 27% (556)
  • D 18% (373)
  • F 4% (90)
  • A 3% (59)

Total votes: 2,061

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2025-26 Offseason In Review MLBTR Originals San Francisco Giants

How Could The Braves Pivot Following Another Profar Suspension?

By | at March 5, 2026 9:53am CDT

The Braves opened camp in 2026 hoping for a full season from outfielder/designated hitter Jurickson Profar. He'd missed 80 games in 2025 following a PED suspension but was productive upon returning. With designated hitter Marcell Ozuna out the door, Profar and newly signed outfielder Mike Yastrzemski had plenty of runway to frequent playing time.

Of course, we now know that Profar isn't likely to play a single game in 2026. He's staring down yet another PED-related suspension, and the punishment for second-time offenders jumps from 80 games to 162 games. Profar and the MLBPA appear intent on appealing the ban, but there's no precedent for a suspension being completely overturned.

At best, Profar can probably hope for a slight reduction, and even instances like that are rare. Right-hander Michael Pineda saw a 2019 suspension reduced from 80 to 60 games, but only after providing sufficient evidence that the banned diuretic he took was not used as a masking agent for PEDs. Profar didn't test positive for a masking agent but rather exogenous testosterone.

Assuming Profar's season-long ban is upheld, Atlanta will have some decisions to make. The Braves are already down their shortstop and two rotation arms this spring. Ha-Seong Kim required surgery to repair a tendon in his hand after slipping on some ice in the offseason. Righties Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep both underwent elbow surgery to remove loose bodies and/or bone spurs.

The Braves are now also without Profar, who'd been in line for regular at-bats and was hoping to build off the sound .248/.358/.446 batting line (126 wRC+) he logged in 355 plate appearances upon returning from last year's suspension. The veteran switch-hitter walked at a huge 13.2% clip and only struck out in 15.8% of his plate appearances. He connected on 14 home runs, 16 doubles and a triple while contributing nine steals (in 11 tries) on the bases.

Losing Schwellenbach, Profar, Kim and Waldrep before the halfway point in spring training is a rough way to begin the season for an Atlanta club hoping for better health than in an injury-decimated 2025 campaign. If there's a silver lining for Braves fans, however, it's that Profar's suspension sends him to the restricted list and mandates that he will not be paid his $15MM salary. The Braves are not only off the hook for that $15MM -- they're also spared $3MM of associated luxury taxes they'd have paid to the league.

There's obviously no guarantee that Atlanta reinvests the full freight of the money they're now spared. The Braves could opt to lean on in-house solutions to plug their newfound roster gaps, then readdress when the trade deadline rolls around. That's a defensible strategy, though  the counterpoint would be that spending some of those funds on immediate additions would bolster the team's chances of making it to late July as a contender.

Much of free agency and the trade market has been picked over, but there are some options for president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos to explore with his unexpected $15MM of payroll flexibility late in the winter. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes more briefly touched on this topic in yesterday's mailbag, but let's take a look at some more possibilities.

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Offseason In Review: Arizona Diamondbacks

By | at March 4, 2026 4:57pm CDT

Arizona brought a lot of familiar faces back to the pitching staff, and brought Nolan Arenado back to the NL West.

Major League Signings

2026 spending: $56.325MM ($14.025MM deferred)
Total spending: $77.325MM

Trades And Claims

Option Decisions

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

  • None to date

Notable Losses

Last August’s reports about some clubhouse friction with Ketel Marte led to speculation that the Diamondbacks could potentially be looking to move on from the star second baseman.  These trade rumors dominated the first half of Arizona’s offseason, with nine teams (the Tigers, Reds, Red Sox, Rays, Mariners, Pirates, Phillies, Giants, and Blue Jays) all publicly known to have some interest in Marte’s services.

Despite all of this interest, a swap never came together.  In November, GM Mike Hazen said a Marte deal was “mostly unlikely” to happen, and the D’Backs took the step of placing a seemingly hard deadline on the Marte trade talks in early January.  Hazen and his front office were seemingly willing to listen to offers just out of due diligence, but weren’t going to let the situation linger all winter.

All of this drama came less than a year after Marte signed a new extension that could keep him in Arizona through the 2031 season.  Trading Marte would have gotten the $102.5MM remaining on the contract off of the Diamondbacks’ books, perhaps allowing the team to re-direct that money towards other roster needs.  But, of course, another need would’ve then been created, since it wouldn’t have been easy for the Snakes to replace Marte’s All-Star level of production.

Another interesting wrinkle is that Marte will reach 10 full years of MLB service time about two weeks into the 2026 season, thus giving him full no-trade protection as a 10-and-5 player (10 years in the majors, at least five consecutive years with one team).  There was some thought that the D’Backs might be inclined to move Marte while they still had leverage, but assuming that Hazen indeed sticks to his deadline, it would seem like the former NLCS MVP will indeed be wearing a Diamondbacks uniform on Opening Day.

Ironically, Arizona’s biggest infield-related move of the offseason involved acquiring another player with a full no-trade clause.  The veto power written into the extension Nolan Arenado initially signed with the Rockies back in February 2019 allowed the third baseman to control his fate over two completed trades (his move to Arizona this winter and the February 2021 trade that sent him from the Rockies to the Cardinals), and at least one non-deal (Arenado rejected a proposed trade last offseason that would’ve sent him to the Astros). He reportedly also preferred a move to Arizona than a potential trade that would have sent him to the Athletics over the winter.

The scuttled deal with Houston left Arenado playing on a 78-84 St. Louis team that seemed to be aching to fully start a rebuild, and moving Arenado’s contract was a key element of the Cardinals’ plans.  Heading into this winter, Arenado was more open about expanding his list of approved destinations, reflecting the reality of both the Cards’ situation and his own lowered trade stock.  Arenado’s age-34 season was one of the worst of his career, as he hit .237/.289/.377 with 12 homers over 436 plate appearances, and missed about a month and half of action due to a shoulder strain.

St. Louis was willing to eat a big chunk of Arenado’s remaining salary to accommodate the trade, so the Diamondbacks are covering only $11MM of the $42MM owed to the third baseman over the last two seasons on his contract.  Spending $11MM and giving up an unspectacular pitching prospect (Jack Martinez) to see if Arenado can benefit from a change of scenery seems like a reasonable gambit on Hazen’s part.  Arenado is still a plus defender if nothing else, and while his hitting numbers have been in decline for the last three seasons, the move to Chase Field could perhaps help bump him back up to at least a league-average level of offense.

The Arenado trade was finalized after the Diamondbacks missed out on an even more prominent third base target in Alex Bregman.  Arizona’s reported interest in Bregman surprised many, as such a signing was thought to be out of the spending range for a team that was likely to be reducing payroll, as per statements from team chairman Ken Kendrick back in September.  Like last winter’s blockbuster signing of Scottsdale resident Corbin Burnes, the D’Backs may have been willing to stretch the budget for another star from the Southwest — Bregman is from New Mexico, and grew up cheering for the Diamondbacks.

Bregman ended up signing with the Cubs for five years and $175MM ($70MM of which is deferred), so the Snakes’ interest ended up going for naught.  It isn’t known how fervent Arizona’s pursuit was, and the Marte trade market also certainly impacted the team’s free agent pursuits as well as the broader infield free agent market as a whole.  A team swinging a deal for Marte would probably have less interest in signing Bregman, for instance.  As well, if the D’Backs had to trade Marte to free up money for a Bregman signing, Bregman might have then been less interested in joining an Arizona team that didn’t have a proven star like Marte in the lineup.

Pete Fairbanks, Pierce Johnson, Munetaka Murakami, and old friend Paul Goldschmidt were some of the other free agents besides Bregman who were on Arizona’s radar.  Players linked to the Diamondbacks in trade talks (mostly in Marte-related deals) included Cole Young, Ryan Pepiot, Shane Baz, Brandon Lowe, and Brendan Donovan, plus surely plenty of other names were bandied about in the Diamondbacks’ many negotiations.

If Marte was going to be traded, multiple reports stated that the Diamondbacks were prioritizing controllable pitching in any return.  This ask related both to the natural value of both pitchers, and Arizona’s need for rotation help.  With Merrill Kelly traded to the Rangers at last summer’s deadline and Zac Gallen entering free agency, the D’Backs were seemingly headed into a new era without those two stalwarts atop the rotation….

…except both pitchers are now returning to the desert.  Kelly’s new two-year, $40MM contract wasn’t a huge surprise, as the right-hander expressed an openness about re-signing with the Diamondbacks in the aftermath of the Texas deal.  Gallen’s return on a one-year, $22.025MM deal was a little more of an eye-opener, yet it isn’t a total shock that his market failed to catch fire in the wake of only a so-so 2025 season.  Gallen posted a 4.83 ERA over 192 innings last year, with a 21.5% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate and were both a little below league average.

Between this down year and a 2024 season that was also pretty ordinary, it has now been two years since Gallen has looked like a true frontline ace.  Rejecting Arizona’s qualifying offer also attached draft pick compensation to Gallen’s availability, creating another obstacle for teams wary about signing the right-hander in free agency.  With the market failing to yield an acceptable long-term offer, Gallen re-signed for what is technically the exact price of the qualifying offer, except $14.025MM of his $22.025MM salary is deferred.  This means some short-term savings for the D’Backs and less immediate money for Gallen than if he’d just accepted the QO.

Reuniting Gallen and Kelly filled two big holes in the rotation, even if it means the Diamondbacks are more or less standing pat with the same starting group that posted middling numbers in 2025.  The D’Backs are counting on Gallen to rebound, Eduardo Rodriguez to finally get on track in his third season in Arizona, Brandon Pfaadt to take a step forward in his fourth MLB campaign, and Ryne Nelson to continue his solid work from last season.

Health is also a must, and there are already some injury concerns early in camp — Kelly is battling a bad back and Pfaadt has some side discomfort.  Burnes underwent Tommy John surgery last June and won’t be available until at least late July or early August.  Depth starter Blake Walston is out until May or June due to a TJ surgery of his own, and Cristian Mena is still dealing with the teres major strain that cost him a big chunk of the 2025 campaign.

Michael Soroka has his own checkered injury history, but he’ll provide depth as a swingman after joining the D’Backs on a one-year, $7.5MM contract.  A biceps strain and two shoulder strains limited Soroka to 169 1/3 innings over the last two seasons, but when healthy he delivered fairly okay numbers as both a starter and reliever with the White Sox, Nationals, and Cubs.  Soroka’s 4.06 SIERA outpaced his 4.62 ERA over the last two seasons, his strikeout rates were above average, and his walk rate was much improved in 2025 after he displayed very shaky control in 2024.

The rotation’s health status will be the biggest factor in Soroka’s role, and if he isn’t starting, some long relief innings would be a big help to the bullpen.  Like how the rotation is in some ways waiting on Burnes, the pen is missing two top high-leverage arms in Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk, who both underwent major arm surgeries last June.  Martinez had a Tommy John surgery and won’t be back until the second half, while Puk is projected to return this June after undergoing an internal brace procedure.

Reinforcing the relief corps was therefore a major goal of Arizona’s offseason, and if the team makes another prominent transaction before Opening Day, it would probably be a bullpen add.  As to the moves they’ve already made, the D’Backs didn’t invest much in new relievers, certainly not at the level that the Marlins spent on Fairbanks ($13MM) or the Reds on Johnson ($6.5MM).

Though Soroka’s salary could certainly be counted as spending on the bullpen, Paul Sewald and Taylor Clarke’s combined deals barely topped $3MM in guaranteed money.  Formerly the Diamondbacks’ closer in 2023 and early 2024, Sewald returns to Arizona looking to bounce back after a pair of injury-marred seasons.  Clarke is another former Diamondback who has been pretty inconsistent for much of his career, but he was good last season in posting a 3.25 ERA over 55 1/3 innings out of the Royals’ bullpen.

These signings could turn into big bargains if Clarke repeats his 2025 performance and Sewald can regain some of his past form.  The D’Backs are also hoping to strike on one of their flier-type acquisitions, like their waiver claim of Grant Holman (injured for most of 2025) or minor league deals with such pitchers as Jonathan Loaisiga or Derek Law.  Every team heads into Spring Training hoping to hit paydirt on a non-roster invite, but having a reliever emerge would be of particular import for the D’Backs considering their needs in the pen.

Arizona also added a reliever via trade, as Kade Strowd was brought aboard in the deal that sent utilityman Blaze Alexander to the Orioles.  Strowd is a 28-year-old righty who just made his MLB debut last season, and delivered a sparkling 1.71 ERA over 26 1/3 innings in his first taste of the majors.  His 4.02 SIERA reflects Strowd’s less-than-stellar peripherals and his .227 BABIP, but he is a controllable grounder specialist with minor league options remaining, making him an intriguing new face for the Diamondbacks’ relief mix.

Trading Alexander and Jake McCarthy represented a minor shake-up to the Diamondbacks’ collection of position players.  Tim Tawa is expected to take Alexander’s place as the top utility option, while McCarthy’s outfield role could be filled by Jorge Barrosa or (most interestingly) projected center fielder Jordan Lawlar.  With Arenado now at third base, Marte staying put, and Geraldo Perdomo locked into the shortstop role, Lawlar is moving from the infield to the new position of center field.

The position switch adds another degree of difficulty to Lawlar’s attempts to stick in the majors, as he is now playing the outfield for the first time in pro ball as well as still figuring out big league pitching (Lawlar has hit only .165/.241/.237 in the small sample size of 108 PA in the Show).  While some D’Backs fans may feel they’ve been waiting for Lawlar’s breakout forever, Lawlar is still only 23, and only now seems to be ticketed for regular playing time on Arizona’s active roster.

Depending on how the experiment pans out, Lawlar could end up playing more in left field than in center, with Alek Thomas moving into the middle outfield role.  Or, Thomas and Lawlar could form a lefty-righty platoon in center if Lawlar isn’t quite ready for a starting job, though this would leave left field to Tawa, Barrosa, or rookie Ryan Waldschmidt until Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is back from a torn ACL.  As optimistic as Gurriel is feeling about an early return, chances are he’ll still be out of action until at least June.  Corbin Carroll remains the anchor of stability within the unsettled outfield picture, but even Carroll’s availability for Opening Day has now been clouded by hamate surgery during Spring Training.

Utilityman Ildemaro Vargas has mostly bounced around the infield during his career, but he could also provide some outfield help as he returns on a minors contract for yet another stint with the D’Backs.  Also on the depth front, James McCann was re-signed as the backup catcher, and a spring calf injury to Adrian del Castillo clinched McCann’s spot as Gabriel Moreno‘s chief understudy.

Finally, one more prominent veteran was brought aboard in February when Carlos Santana inked a one-year, $2MM contract.  Santana and Pavin Smith are expected to share time at first base, though given Santana’s strong glovework, he might get more time in the field while Smith is used as a DH against right-handed pitching.  Santana is turning 40 in April and is entering his 17th MLB season, plus his offense took a sharp downturn to an 82 wRC+ over 474 PA with the Guardians and Cubs last year.

With Santana at first base and Arenado at third, the Diamondbacks should enjoy a defensive upgrade, which was one of Hazen’s offseason goals.  What Santana (or Arenado, for that matter) can still provide at the plate is an open question, though Santana may be limited to just part-time at-bats depending on how Arizona approaches the first base/DH situation.  Tyler Locklear is also expected to factor into the picture in May or June, when he returns from shoulder and elbow surgeries.

After all the offseason comings and goings, the Diamondbacks are projected (as per RosterResource) for an approximate $195.2MM payroll.  This is a touch above their $191.3MM payroll from 2025, running counter to Kendrick’s pre-offseason statements about a spending cut.  As Kendrick explained a few weeks ago, “I want our fans to feel that we are committed to investing every dollar possible and putting the best team we can put together on the field….We’re in a partnership with our fans. They generate revenue by buying tickets and coming to ball games and supporting us.  And as a good partner, we need to take the money they spend and invest it wisely, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

It feels like every team should operate under this basic premise, though that is hardly the case given how so many clubs operate under stricter payroll limits or refuse to spend at all.  As commendable as it is that the D’Backs are continuing to try and compete, the effort hasn’t been rewarded by a playoff berth in either of the last two seasons.  The Diamondbacks had enough belief in their core that they retained or re-signed a lot of it this winter, but the question is now whether or not they finally have the right roster composition to return to the postseason.

How would you grade the Diamondbacks' offseason?

  • C 45% (546)
  • B 37% (451)
  • D 11% (130)
  • A 4% (54)
  • F 4% (45)

Total votes: 1,226

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2025-26 Offseason In Review Arizona Diamondbacks MLBTR Originals

Poll: Who Will Win The 2026 World Baseball Classic?

By | at March 4, 2026 4:04pm CDT

The 2026 edition of the World Baseball Classic kicks off tonight, technically Thursday locally in Japan but the time difference will make it late Wednesday night for those watching in the Western Hemisphere. Australia will face off against Chinese Taipei in the opening contest.

The 2023 version had memorable moments, both exhilarating and heartbreaking. The Dominican Republic squad was stunningly knocked out by Puerto Rico in the group stage, but the celebration for the latter club quickly turned sour when Edwin Díaz suffered a knee injury that ultimately wiped out his major league season. Puerto Rico was then knocked out in the quarterfinals when Mexico put up a three spot in the seventh inning, giving them a 5-4 win. Mexico then seemed on the verge of knocking out Japan in the semis but Munetaka Murakami hit a two-run double to walk it off.

The final then led to an exciting and memorable climax, with Japan leading the United States 3-2 going into the ninth. Japan sent Shohei Ohtani, their designated hitter, to the mound to get the final three outs. Ohtani walked Jeff McNeil but then got Mookie Betts to ground into a double play. Ohtani’s then-teammate with the Angels Mike Trout stepped to the plate with the title on the line. Trout worked a full count but was ultimately punched out by Ohtani, giving Japan the crown.

Japan has been the most successful club in WBC history, with that being their third title. They also won in 2006 and 2009. The Dominican Republic emerged victorious in 2013, followed by the United States in 2017. There was then a bigger gap than usual due to the pandemic, with the 2021 version getting pushed to 2023.

This year’s version will again feature a whole bunch of big names. Japan has Ohtani, Murakami, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Kazuma Okamoto, Seiya Suzuki and more. The Americans are loaded with stars like Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal, Bryce Harper and more. The Dominicans have Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Manny Machado, Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr. The Venezuelans have brothers Willson Contreras and William Contreras. The Canadians have brothers Josh Naylor and Bo Naylor. Puerto Rico has Nolan Arenado, the Great Britain team has Jazz Chisholm Jr., Mexico has Jarren Duran, Italy has Vinnie Pasquantino and on and on. Full rosters can be viewed here.

Who do you think will take it all? Cast your vote in MLBTR’s poll.

Who will win the 2026 World Baseball Classic?

Vote to see results

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images

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Poll: Will Kevin McGonigle Break Camp With The Tigers?

By | at March 4, 2026 1:27pm CDT

All around the league this spring, teams are giving their top prospects opportunities to impress this spring. In many cases around the game this year, teams have left a wide open path for their top prospects to make a run at a roster spot with minimal established competition standing in their way. That’s true of everyone from Justin Crawford and Andrew Painter of the Phillies to JJ Wetherholt of the Cardinals and Carson Benge of the Mets. Top Tigers prospect Kevin McGonigle has been afforded no such luxury.

While the Tigers didn’t add anyone who explicitly blocks McGonigle at shortstop this past winter (despite a run at signing Ha-Seong Kim before he re-signed in Atlanta), they haven’t exactly made the 21-year-old’s path to the big league shortstop job an easy one. By bringing Gleyber Torres back into the fold on the qualifying offer, they added an everyday player back to their infield who would push other potential second base options like Colt Keith and Zach McKinstry elsewhere on the diamond. Keith is expected to primarily handle third base for the Tigers this year after getting a look at the position last season.

That leaves shortstop to the platoon tandem of McKinstry and Javier Baez. Both were All-Stars for the Tigers last year, with McKinstry in particular putting forward a strong season where he posted a 114 wRC+ in 144 games with 3.1 fWAR. Baez saw his numbers fall off in the second half but still served as a strong option against lefties with a .318/.336/.434 slash line in 134 trips to the plate against them. With all that said, however, it’s worth remembering that both actually made the All-Star game at other positions last year; McKinstry primarily worked at the hot corner for the Tigers last year while Baez was used as a center fielder in the first half of the season.

So, where does that leave McGonigle? It would be fair to say that he has the smoothest path to the majors possible for a player blocked by multiple All-Stars thanks to the versatility of both McKinstry and Baez. Baez could just as easily be turned to as a platoon option in center field with Parker Meadows as he could be at shortstop. McKinstry played every position on the diamond except for center field and catcher last year. He could easily get regular playing time without being the team’s everyday shortstop by simply moving back into that super utility capacity he was used in last season.

Even so, if the Tigers are going to push McKinstry out of his expected everyday role (and a valuable bench piece like Matt Vierling off the roster) they’ll surely need a compelling reason to make that call. McGonigle is doing everything he can to make that argument. The consensus #2 prospect in the sport behind Konnor Griffin not only tore up Double-A last year to the tune of a 162 wRC+ despite getting unlucky on batted ball luck with a .230 BABIP, he’s come into camp on fire. In 17 plate appearances during Spring Training so far, McGonigle has slashed .400/471/.667 with two doubles and a triple.

That’s an eye-opening performance to be sure, even in a sample size that small. With that being said, however, it would be understandable if the Tigers decided that McGonigle was best served starting the season at Triple-A instead. He’s never made an appearance at the level in his career, and in fact has just 46 games at Double-A. While Griffin has gotten the most attention for his meteoric rise, knocking on the door of the majors after just 122 MiLB games (21 at Double-A), McGonigle’s 183 games played in the minors isn’t too much higher. Another factor for the Tigers is surely the consideration of both service time and the prospect promotion incentive. If McGonigle is held down in Triple-A for even a few weeks, Detroit would have the opportunity to gain an extra year of team control over the youngster. With that said, that could backfire if McGonigle were to break out as a Rookie of the Year contender. A top-two finish in AL Rookie of the Year voting this year would guarantee him a full year of service time even if he starts the year in the minors, and winning the award would net the Tigers a draft pick if he did earn a full year of service time the old-fashioned way.

How do MLBTR readers think the Tigers will handle the shortstop position to open the year? Will they give the keys to the position to McKinstry and Baez, or will McGonigle get the opportunity to establish himself as the franchise’s future at shortstop? Have your say in the poll below:

Will Kevin McGonigle make the Tigers' Opening Day roster this year?

  • Yes 54% (1,827)
  • No 46% (1,573)

Total votes: 3,400

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Out Of Options 2026

By | at March 3, 2026 11:50pm CDT

Every spring at MLBTR, we publish a list of players who are out of minor league options and cannot be sent to the minor leagues without first clearing outright waivers. Option status is particularly relevant as teams set their rosters prior to Opening Day. A lack of minor league options is often a key reason a certain player will make the roster over another who had a superior spring performance, and it’s a frequent factor in March trades.

The following is a list of all 40-man players throughout the league with fewer than five years of service time — players with more than five years of service can refuse an optional assignment — and no minor league options remaining. We’ve included players who have signed extensions or multi-year deals, even though they’re often less likely to be optioned.

Angels

Astros

Athletics

Blue Jays

Braves

Brewers

Cardinals

Cubs

Diamondbacks

Dodgers

Giants

Guardians

Mariners

Marlins

Mets

Nationals

Orioles

Padres

Phillies

Pirates

Rangers

Rays

Red Sox

Reds

Rockies

Royals

Tigers

Twins

White Sox

Yankees

Photo courtesy of Brad Mills, Imagn Images

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MLBTR Originals Newsstand Out Of Options 2026

Poll: Will Carson Benge Break Camp With The Mets?

By | at March 3, 2026 8:35pm CDT

The Mets overhauled their offense this past winter, and most of the players they shipped out have been swapped out for new faces. They weren’t traded for one another, but Marcus Semien is taking Jeff McNeil‘s spot at second base. Pete Alonso is an Oriole, and Jorge Polanco will take up plenty of the first base reps in his absence (although new third baseman Bo Bichette is arguably more of a direct replacement for Alonso’s big right-handed bat). One player who wasn’t directly replaced, however, is left fielder Brandon Nimmo.

After Nimmo was dealt to the Rangers to land Semien, the Mets seemed like the most logical landing spot for star outfielder Kyle Tucker. The Mets pursued him, but Tucker ended up going to the Dodgers. The Mets quickly pivoted to signing Bichette to fill out the middle of their lineup. A trade for Luis Robert Jr. patched up the existing hole the club had in center following Cedric Mullins‘ departure, but that still left a vacancy in an outfield corner. That position has more or less remained unfilled. Mike Tauchman (minor league deal) and MJ Melendez (split big league deal) signed as free agents, but the Mets are planning to give top prospect Carson Benge an opportunity to earn the big league job.

After Tucker and Cody Bellinger came off the market, there weren’t many surefire impact outfielders available. Benge could wind up being more productive than someone like Harrison Bader or Mike Yastrzemski, so it made little sense to block him by signing a player of that caliber to a multi-year deal. Benge is a consensus top-20 prospect in the sport who reached Triple-A near the end of his 2025 campaign. Plenty of other top prospects, including Konnor Griffin of the Pirates, JJ Wetherholt of the Cardinals, Justin Crawford of the Phillies, and Bryce Eldridge of the Giants stand a strong chance of making their organization’s big league roster out of Spring Training despite little to no MLB experience.

Does Benge fall into that category as well? There’s little doubt that the team views him as a long-term option, but he hasn’t exactly forced the issue with his minor league output. Benge played in 24 Triple-A games late last year but slashed only .178/.272/.311. It’s a sample of just 103 plate appearances, of course, and his work at both High-A (.302/.417/.480 in 271 plate appearances) and Double-A (.317/.407/.571 in 145 plate appearances) earlier in the year showed how electric his bat could be. Benge is out to a 4-for-14 start this spring.

There’s some competition in camp. The aforementioned Melendez never found his footing in the majors with Kansas City but long ranked as a top prospect. He’s a career .257/.340/.496 hitter with 35 home runs in 173 Triple-A games. He’s homered twice and added a double in 11 spring plate appearances.

Tauchman, a 35-year-old veteran, provides a low-cost alternative with a steady big league track record. He split time between right field and DH for the White Sox last year after spending two seasons as a part-time outfielder for the Cubs. Over the past three seasons, he’s slashed .255/.359/.381 with a wRC+ of 111, balancing a 21.3% strikeout rate against a strong 13.0% walk rate. Tauchman’s first nine plate appearances this spring have produced a double and a homer.

We’re still about three weeks out from Opening Day, which provides Benge with plenty of time to show himself to be MLB capable, or for Tauchman to cool off. There are plenty of aspects to consider with the Benge decision. Sending him to Triple-A could allow him more seasoning after struggling there late last year and could buy the Mets an extra year of club control. Breaking camp with Benge on the roster could open the Mets up to some future draft considerations via MLB’s prospect promotion incentives.

What do MLBTR readers think? Will the Mets commit to Benge as their opening day right fielder, or will they go for another option like Tauchman or Melendez? Have your say in the poll below:

Who will start in right field for the Mets on Opening Day 2026?

Vote to see results
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Offseason In Review: Cincinnati Reds

By | at March 3, 2026 10:06am CDT

Eugenio Suarez‘s power bat is returning to the Queen City, but is that enough to bolster an inconsistent lineup?

Major League Signings

2026 spending: $37.4MM
Total spending: $47.4MM

Trades And Claims

Option Decisions

Notable Minor League Signings

Extensions

  • None to date

Notable Losses

Kyle Schwarber grew up in Middletown, an Ohio city just a short drive away from Cincinnati.  The idea of adding both a local product and a top-tier bat in Schwarber inspired the Reds to go beyond their usual financial zone in free agency, as the team reportedly made Schwarber an offer in the range of five years and $125MM.  As was widely expected going into the offseason, however, Schwarber ended up re-signing with the Phillies (for five years and $150MM), leaving the Reds and Schwarber’s many other suitors looking for a backup plan.

Instead of adding a 56-homer slugger in Schwarber, the Reds brought in a 49-homer slugger who also had some ties to Cincinnati, as Suarez returned for his second stint with the organization.  After bashing 189 homers for the Reds from 2015-21, Suarez went yard 132 more times in four subsequent seasons with the Mariners and Diamondbacks, including 49 home runs in 2025.

Though there were plenty of similarities between Schwarber and Suarez’s 2025 campaigns, there’s a reason Suarez was available at the relative bargain price of one year and $15MM.  Schwarber is entering his age-33 seasons while Suarez turns 35 in July, Suarez’s walk rates over the last two seasons have been below average while Schwarber’s have been elite, and Suarez’s overall production has been inconsistent.

From the start of July 2024 to the end of July 2025, Suarez was arguably the hottest hitter in baseball in batting .276/.336/.593 with 60 homers over 766 PA with Arizona.  He struggled badly in the first half of the 2024 season, however, and then his bat drastically cooled again this past summer after the D-Backs sent Suarez to the Mariners at the trade deadline.

Between the up-and-down numbers, Suarez’s age, and his defensive drop at third base, it seemed like Suarez wasn’t getting the types of offers he was expecting after a 49-homer campaign.  Suarez’s alternate strategy was a one-year deal in a familiar (and hitter-friendly) environment at Great American Ball Park, with the idea that he’ll have a better chance of landing a pricey multi-year deal after another big platform year.  It’s not out of the question that the Reds could again reunite with Suarez next winter if the price is right, but for now, the club is happy to add some much-needed power to the lineup for at least 2026.

Hitting was the Reds’ chief need this winter, as Cincinnati’s run to a wild card berth came despite middling offensive numbers almost across the board.  Bringing Suarez into the lineup (primarily as a DH, since Ke’Bryan Hayes has third base covered) should alone provide a lot of pop, though the Reds will again be relying on a lot of the same faces from 2025.

While the Reds were willing to go above and beyond spending-wise for a special case like Schwarber, their free agent spending was (as usual) limited for much of the winter.  President of baseball operations Nick Krall said in early November that the team’s payroll would be largely unchanged from 2025, and that has proven to be the case.  As per RosterResource‘s calculations, Cincinnati finished 2025 with a payroll of roughly $118.7MM, and they currently have around $126MM on the books for the coming season.

Uncertainty over the Reds’ broadcast contract with Main Street Sports contributed to the team’s modest spending.  The Reds were one of the nine teams who walked away from their deals with MSS due to the company’s continued financial issues, and Cincinnati then joined five of those teams in signing on with Major League Baseball to handle its broadcasts for at least 2026.  Staying with MLB will bring some short-term stability to the situation, though the lesser broadcast rights represents a significant hit to the Reds’ revenues.

With money at a premium, it isn’t surprising that most of the Reds’ offseason pursuits (particularly on the batting front) came on the trade market.  Schwarber and old friend Miguel Andujar drew the team’s interest in free agency, but the Reds were linked to such names as Ketel Marte, Luis Robert Jr., Brandon Lowe, and Jake Meyers.  Robert has long been on Cincinnati’s radar, but the White Sox ended up dealing the outfielder to the Mets.  Lowe, meanwhile, landed on an NL Central rival, as the Rays dealt their longtime infielder to the Pirates.

Only Krall and his front office lieutenants know exactly why any of these trade pursuits didn’t materialize, but it is fair to guess that the roadblock might’ve been the Reds’ reluctance to deal from their rotation depth.  There was plenty of speculation that the Reds could dangle one of their starters for a prominent bat, except there was never much chance that any of Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, or Chase Burns were heading anywhere.  If teams kept asking about that group (and not more palatable trade chips like Brady Singer, or maybe Chase Petty or Rhett Lowder), it isn’t surprising that the Reds couldn’t line up on a trade fit.

Since the rotation powered the Reds’ playoff chase, it is understandable that Krall wasn’t keen on moving any arms from his club’s biggest strength.  Both the team’s rotation (and bullpen) took a hit via a free agent departure, when swingman Nick Martinez left to sign with the Rays.  Deadline acquisition Zack Littell is also a free agent, and while he remains unsigned at the time of this post, Cincinnati is probably deep enough in starters that a reunion isn’t likely.

Between Martinez leaving, and the Reds’ decision to decline their club options on Brent Suter and Scott Barlow, some big holes needed to be filled in the relief corps.  The Reds’ biggest free agent expenditure addressed the bullpen, as Emilio Pagan was brought back on a two-year, $20MM deal.

This new contract is pretty similar to the two-year, $16MM pact he signed with Cincinnati back in November 2023, as this new deal also allows the right-hander to opt out after the first season.  Pagan passed on his previous opt-out chance in the wake of an injury-marred down year in 2024, but he rebounded in very impressive fashion to post a 2.88 ERA, 30% strikeout rate, and 8.1% walk rate across 68 2/3 innings last season, while converting 32 of 38 save opportunities.

Pagan’s extreme fly-ball tendencies always run the risk of variance in his performance, depending on how many of those fly balls stay in the park or sail over the outfield wall.  He is also entering his age-35 season, so a decline simply based on age isn’t out of the question.  Still, in somewhat similar fashion to the Suarez deal, the Reds were willing to invest on a player they already know and like, and who has a track record of success in the organization.

Barlow and Suter could’ve been retained for a total of $9.5MM via their club options.  The Reds instead spent a bit more on another righty and lefty relief duo in Pierce Johnson (one year, $6.5MM) and Caleb Ferguson (one year, $4.5MM).  The four pitchers are pretty comparable overall, though the newcomers perhaps bring a bit more upside and a bit more postseason experience to the pen.

Cincinnati’s most prominent swap of the winter saw the team part ways with a bat in order to land some more bullpen help.  Gavin Lux delivered barely replacement-level production in his only season in southwest Ohio, so the Reds sent him to the Rays as part of a three-team trade with the Angels that brought Brock Burke into the relief corps.  Burke is a solid left-hander who doesn’t miss many bats, but he has developed a knack for inducing grounders.

The Reds had some interest in re-signing Austin Hays after declining their club option, but Hays went to the White Sox in part because Chicago could offer him the type of regular playing time that wasn’t available in Cincinnati’s outfield mix.  With Hays and Lux gone, a Reds outfield that was already something of a question mark heading into the offseason needed some more reinforcement, though the acquisitions of JJ Bleday and Dane Myers don’t really provide a clear answer to the outfield questions.

Bleday (the fourth overall pick of the 2019 draft) had a strong year with the A’s in 2024, but has posted exactly 0.0 fWAR over his other three Major League seasons.  After Bleday followed up his seeming breakout year with more struggles in 2025, the A’s parted ways with the outfielder at the non-tender deadline.  Myers is more of a glove-first fourth outfielder type, as he has batted only .245/.299/.354 over 511 career PA with the Marlins.  The righty-hitting Myers has hit well with the platoon advantage and should get a decent amount of run against lefty pitching.  Bleday wasn’t a huge expenditure at the cost of $1.4MM, and he is arbitration-controlled through 2028 while Myers is controlled through 2029.

Cincinnati’s most regular outfield alignment on paper will probably be Bleday in left, TJ Friedl in center field, and Noelvi Marte in right, with Spencer Steer or Myers likely starting over Bleday when a southpaw is on the mound.  Will Benson provides added depth off the bench or in Triple-A.

How exactly the Reds will juggle their position players remains a topic of debate, though Terry Francona is as good as any manager at finding at-bats for everyone and riding the hot hand.  The situation underlines the curious dichotomy about the Reds heading into 2026 — this is a team aiming to return to the playoffs and make a deeper run, yet the club is also not exactly sure of what it has with the majority of its position players.

Assuming Suarez is more like the version of himself who tore up pitching for the bulk of his D-Backs tenure, he’ll be a source of stability.  Elly De La Cruz is already an All-Star with an even higher ceiling of greater potential.  Hayes is a mediocre hitter but also perhaps the sport’s best defensive third baseman, so he at least brings huge value with his glove.  Friedl is a decent hitter who is probably better suited as a platoon corner outfielder, rather than as a defensively-challenged center fielder slated to get the majority of the work up the middle.

Those players are, at it stands, the surer things.  Marte’s midseason move to right field seemed to work just fine from a defensive perspective, but can he take the next step as a hitter to truly establish himself as a big league regular?  Can Sal Stewart be a Rookie of the Year contender after his very promising numbers over 58 PA in 2025?  Can any or all of Steer, Matt McLain, and Tyler Stephenson return to the form they showed at the plate earlier in their careers?  In Steer’s case, can he also adjust in what might be a utility role, as Cincinnati intends to toggle Steer around between first and second base, the corner outfield slots, and the DH position?

Obtaining another true everyday player to insert into the lineup might’ve solved at least one of these questions, but Suarez was the one splash permitted for a front office working under budget constraints.  The Reds’ swath of minor league signings provides some interesting depth possibilities, with Nathaniel Lowe standing out as the most intriguing bounce-back candidate, even if he’d add to an already crowded first-base picture.

Francona, Krall and company would happily welcome a problem of having multiple productive hitters for too few positions, given how the 2025 Reds often had trouble providing their excellent starters with suitable run support.  The wild card berth represented great progress, and it’s easy to see how the Reds can contend again in 2026 since they still project to have one of the game’s better rotations.  With the NL Central (let alone the NL wild card picture as a whole) becoming more competitive, the Reds are counting on Suarez and at least a couple of internal breakouts to allow the team to take another step forward.

How would you grade the Reds' offseason?

  • C 41% (831)
  • B 40% (804)
  • D 10% (193)
  • A 6% (113)
  • F 3% (69)

Total votes: 2,010

 

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2025-26 Offseason In Review Cincinnati Reds MLBTR Originals

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By | at March 2, 2026 12:59pm CDT

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