The Opener: Full Squad Workouts, Braves, Marlins

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Full Squad Workouts:

Spring Training is kicking into full gear, and yesterday saw the first handful of teams have full squad workouts yesterday. That continues today with additional teams. In Arizona’s Cactus League, the A’s, Cubs, Reds, Royals, and Angels all have their position players reporting today. Meanwhile, the Grapefruit League in Florida will host full squad workouts for the Orioles, Astros, Marlins, Twins, Mets, Yankees, Phillies, Pirates, Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Nationals today. Alex Bregman (Cubs), Pete Alonso (Orioles), Bo Bichette (Mets), Kazuma Okamoto (Blue Jays), Eugenio Suarez (Reds), Jeff McNeil (A’s), Isaac Collins (Royals), and Ryan O’Hearn (Pirates) are among a large number of players suiting up for new teams for the first time today.

2. Will the Braves add a starter?

The latest news out of Atlanta is not exactly encouraging, as right-hander Hurston Waldrep is battling elbow soreness and is scheduled to meet with surgeon Dr. Keith Meister later today. It’s unclear exactly how long Waldrep will be sidelined, and an MRI revealed no structural damage, but with Spencer Schwellenbach already on the 60-day injured list there’s a great deal of urgency for the Braves to put together some depth for their rotation, lest they enter the season already leaning on depth pieces like Bryce Elder and Martin Perez. Fortunately for them, players like Lucas Giolito, Zack Littell, and Max Scherzer remain available in free agency who could potentially help stabilize things in the team’s rotation. Of course, Alex Anthopoulos and his front office have long been known to buck expectations, and it’s certainly possible they could instead look to pivot to the trade market or find another creative solution to their rotation conundrum.

3. Bendix, Sherman to speak at Marlins camp:

As Spring Training kicks off, Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix and club owner Bruce Sherman are both expected to speak to the media this morning, as noted by Isaac Azout of Fish On First. Those comments from Bendix and Sherman will come on the heels of a busy offseason for the Marlins where they traded away Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers while also adding Pete Fairbanks to the bullpen, Chris Paddack to the rotation, and Owen Caissie to the lineup. It’s not hard to see why fans might view that as more subtraction than addition, at least when it comes to the big league club, though a rotation of Sandy Alcantara, Eury Perez, Braxton Garrett, Max Meyer, and Paddack still figures to be a very impressive one headed into the 2026 campaign, Fairbanks is a proven and decorated closer for the bullpen, and Caissie could certainly develop into a middle of the order, impact bat for the club. Bendix and Sherman could offer additional insight into the team’s internal expectations and plans for the remainder of the spring this morning.