Rangers Claim Dairon Blanco
The Rangers have claimed outfielder Dairon Blanco off waivers from the Royals, according to Francys Romero of Beisbol FR. Blanco was designated for assignment by the Royals last week to make room for Starling Marte on the club’s 40-man. The Rangers transferred southpaw Jordan Montgomery to the 60-day injured list to make room for Blanco on their own 40-man.
Blanco, 33 next month, played in the Cuban National Series through his age-22 season but didn’t make it to stateside ball until he was 25 years old back in 2018. Then a member of the Athletics, he was traded to the Royals the following year and eventually made his big league debut during the 2022 season with a five game cup of coffee. The following year he got a much larger role with Kansas City, however, and over the next two seasons he slashed a solid .258/.316/.422 in 270 plate appearances across 157 games. That’s slightly above league average production at the plate, though the vast majority of his production comes against left-handed pitching. Blanco sports a 137 wRC+ for his career against southpaws, compared to a 70 wRC+ against right-handers. It’s also worth noting that he gets a lot of value from his work on the base paths, where he went 55-for-67 (82.1%) in stolen base attempts in 2023 and ’24.
That makes Blanco a useful bench or depth option to be sure, but he ultimately found himself squeezed off the Royals’ roster after the team brought in Marte and Isaac Collins during the offseason to shore up an outfield mix that had rated out as among the worst in the majors in recent years. The Royals already had a crowded bench mix, and Blanco has yet to prove he’s capable of handling more than part-time duties at the big league level. That’s unlikely to be as much of a problem with the Rangers, who are relatively thin on outfield depth (especially when looking for players who can play center field capably) and have plenty of lefties in the lineup like Evan Carter, Joc Pederson, and Josh Smith who could benefit from being spelled against fellow southpaws.
Of course, that isn’t to say Blanco is guaranteed a spot on the team’s bench entering the season. He’ll have stiff competition from veteran Andrew McCutchen for a spot as a right-handed bat, while Sam Haggerty, Michael Helman, and Ezequiel Duran all offer more versatility than Blanco. With that being said, Blanco does have options remaining and could simply start the season in the minor leagues before waiting to get an opportunity in the majors at some point this year. At the very least, Blanco’s wheels should give him a strong argument to join the team when rosters expand in September and perhaps into the postseason if Texas manages to make it that far.
Nationals To Sign Zack Littell
Right-hander Zack Littell is in agreement with the Nationals on a contract, according to a report from Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN. Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner adds that the deal is pending a physical, while Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports it’s a major league deal. Kostka adds that it’s a one-year pact that includes a mutual option for 2027. Washington will need to open a 40-man roster spot for the CAA Sports client. The guarantee on Littell’s deal is not yet known.
Littell, 30, is a veteran of eight big league seasons but spent most of that time in a bullpen role. An 11th-round pick by the Mariners in the 2013 draft, Littell made his debut back in 2018 as a member of the Twins. In the first five seasons of his MLB career, Littell posted a 4.08 ERA (104 ERA+) with lackluster peripherals in 169 2/3 innings of work. After the 2022 campaign, Littell rode the DFA and waiver claim carousel throughout the 2022-23 offseason. He eventually wound up with the Red Sox to start the season, but he made just two appearances in the majors before being once again designated for assignment. That led him to the Rays, with whom he managed to transform himself from a fringe member of the 40-man roster into a solid mid to back of the rotation arm.
Upon joining Tampa, Littell moved into a swing role for the remainder of the 2023 campaign. He posted a 3.93 ERA with a nearly matching 3.99 FIP in 87 innings split between 14 starts and 12 relief appearances. His 19.8% strikeout rate in those outings was hardly exciting, but he made up for it with pinpoint command that allowed him to post a 2.5% walk rate and an 8.2% barrel rate. That control and command style was enough to earn him a full-time rotation job headed into the Rays’ 2024 season, and he rewarded the team with a career year. In 29 starts for the Rays in 2024, Littell posted a 21.5% strikeout rate against a 4.7% walk rate while pitching to a 3.63 ERA (110 ERA+) with a 3.81 FIP. His 156 2/3 innings of work made him just one of just 71 pitchers to throw more than 150 innings that year, and only 15 of those pitchers surrendered fewer runs than Littell.
While his middling strikeout rate and a 34.0% ground ball rate stuck out as potential concerns, it was easy to see why the Rays once again had Littell penciled into the middle of their rotation come 2025. Littell remained generally effective in terms of run prevention last year as he posted a 3.81 ERA (111 ERA+) in a career-high 186 2/3 innings of work across 32 starts for the Rays and Reds. Unfortunately, those solid results were not paired with similar peripherals. A look under the hood reveals Littell’s strikeout rate plummeted to just 17.1%, while his barrel rate jumped to 9.8% as he allowed the second most homers in all of baseball last season. Perhaps some of that can be explained by Littell pitching his home games at the hitter-friendly Steinbrenner Field and Great American Ballpark, but a 4.88 FIP with a 4.40 SIERA suggested that Littell was more of a back-end starter than his results may have indicated.
That led to Littell facing a soft market this past offseason, with minimal interest in his services being reported. A reunion with the Rays once seemed to be on the table, but that connection seemed to diminish once the club brought in Steven Matz, and last month’s Nick Martinez signing was likely the final nail in the coffin for any hopes of Littell returning to Tampa. No other clubs were publicly connected to the right-hander’s services for most of the winter, though plenty of pitching-needy teams like the Braves and Athletics emerged as speculative fits.
Ultimately, the Nationals will be the team to take advantage of Littell’s soft market and bring him into the fold. In Washington, the right-hander joins a rotation deep in interesting options but lacking in much stability. The club signed 37-year-old innings eater Miles Mikolas last month, so Littell won’t be alone in terms of veteran presence in the Nats rotation. With that being said, Mikolas has a 4.98 ERA over the past three seasons and offers little more than reliable, unspectacular innings. Littell can take on plenty of innings himself, but his previous work with the Rays indicates that there could be a bit more upside in this signing than there was with the Mikolas deal for the Nationals.
D.C. is unlikely to compete for a playoff start this year as they reboot their efforts to rebuild under newly-minted president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, but that could allow Littell to be moved to a contender at the deadline if he’s pitching well, as was the case when he was dealt from Tampa to Cincinnati last season. In the meantime, he’ll join Mikolas in providing stability in what’s suddenly become a crowded rotation mix for Toboni and new manager Blake Butera. Foster Griffin seems likely to join the duo in the rotation after signing with the club out of Japan this winter, and the last two spots in the rotation figure to go to some combination of Cade Cavalli, Brad Lord, Josiah Gray, Jake Irvin, and Mitchell Parker.
Mariners Re-Sign Jacob Nottingham To Minor League Deal
The Mariners have re-signed catcher Jacob Nottingham to a minor league deal, as noted in the transactions tracker on Nottingham’s MLB.com profile page. It’s unclear if the deal includes an invite to big league camp for the 30-year-old.
Nottingham is a veteran of four MLB seasons but hasn’t appeared in the majors since the 2021 season. A one-time top-100 prospect who was initially drafted by the Astros, he was involved in the 2015 Scott Kazmir swap between the Astros and A’s before being flipped to the Brewers in the Khris Davis deal ahead of the 2016 season. Nottingham lost his prospect shine during his time in Milwaukee and served mostly as an up-and-down catcher for the Brewers from the time of his MLB debut in 2018 until 2021, when he was claimed off waivers by the Mariners. He returned to the Brewers via trade shortly thereafter but was eventually DFA’d by Milwaukee and plucked off waivers by Seattle for a second time later in the year.
Then 26 years old, Nottingham ended the 2021 season with a career .184/.277/.421 slash line across 130 plate appearances in 54 MLB games, which remains his career slash line in the big leagues to this day. Since being outrighted off the Mariners’ roster in 2021, he’s bounced between the Mariners’, Giants’ and Nationals’ minor league systems and also enjoyed a 44-game stint in the independent Mexican League back in 2024. In 293 career minor league games, Nottingham owns a .235/.321/.415 slash line line that’s generally solid by the standards of a catcher. Those numbers are somewhat inflated by years spent in the Pacific Coast League, however, and Nottingham’s 2025 campaign left much to be desired. He appeared in just 17 games in Tacoma for the Mariners organization last year, and in those limited opportunities he struggled to the tune of a .193/.277/.298 slash line.
Given Nottingham’s limited playing time last year and struggles when he did take the field, it’s hard to imagine him being a significant part of the backup catcher conversation for Seattle. Cal Raleigh is, of course, the undisputed top catcher in not only the organization but all of baseball. The Mariners are planning on having Andrew Knizner back Raleigh up this year, although Jhonny Pereda is also on the 40-man roster while Mitch Garver, Brian O’Keefe, and Jakson Reetz are all in camp as non-roster invitees. Some of those depth options figure to have opt-outs in their contracts and could look for greener pastures elsewhere in the likely event they don’t make the MLB club. That’s where Nottingham could come into the picture as a depth piece who is familiar with the organization and can serve as a veteran mentor for pitchers at Triple-A.
Robert Stock Recommended For Thoracic Outlet Syndrome Surgery
Mets right-hander Robert Stock has been recommended for surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome, Stock told reporters (including Jon Heyman of the New York Post) this morning. Heyman adds that Stock indicated he’s suffering from the arterial TOS, and that he could potentially pitch before the end of the year. Stock was in camp with the Mets on a non-roster invite but is now facing a lengthy absence.
Stock, 36, has appeared in parts of five MLB seasons to this point in his career. A second-round pick by the Cardinals back in 2009, he made a strong impression with the Padres in 2018, his first season as a big leaguer. He posted a 2.50 ERA in 39 2/3 innings of work that year, but unfortunately he’s struggled at the big league level since then. In just 35 2/3 major league frames since, Stock sports a 7.57 ERA with nearly as many walks (31) as strikeouts (39). Stock did not appear in the majors from 2022-2024, instead bouncing between the KBO, the minor leagues, and independent leagues in both the United States and Mexico. In 2025, he returned to affiliated ball with the Red Sox. While he made just two abbreviated appearance in the majors, he pitched decently at Triple-A Worcester with a 3.92 ERA in 85 innings as a swing man.
That led Stock to sign a minor league deal with the Mets headed into 2026, and he figured to be a versatile depth option for the club’s pitching staff headed into the year. He’s pitched well so far this spring, including a strong three-inning appearance against the Marlins while preparing to pitch for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic. Unfortunately, that outing ended with him reporting discomfort in his shoulder. That led to the MRI which ultimately revealed he was suffering from TOS. The specific kind of TOS Stock is suffering from is arterial TOS, the rarest form of the disorder. While baseball fans have become increasingly familiar with TOS in recent years, they’re likely to be more familiar with neurogenic TOS (the form of the disorder that players such as Stephen Strasburg and Chris Archer suffered from) and venous TOS, which Phillies star Zack Wheeler is currently working his way back from after being sidelined late last year by the disorder.
Arterial TOS is far less common than the other two versions, and its impacts on baseball players are far less widely understood; a 2024 study published in the American journal of sports medicine (link via NIH.gov) that looked at all 52 players who underwent surgical treatment for TOS between 2010 and 2017 notes that just one of those 52 players was suffering from arterial TOS. An article from Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com last month notes that arterial TOS can cause a feeling of coldness in the hand or even finger gangrene. Castrovince’s article notes that a return to play timeline of between nine and ten months is typical for pitchers who undergo surgery to correct TOS, though that can depend on the severity and form of TOS the player is facing. Stock’s hopes for his timeline are significantly more optimistic than that, as even a September return would be a turnaround of just six months.
Whether Stock is able to make it back to the mound this year or not, the Mets are fairly well equipped to handle losing him as a depth piece. Justin Hagenman, Christian Scott, and Jonathan Pintaro are all depth options for the rotation already on the 40-man roster, and that’s before considering top prospect Jonah Tong. As for the bullpen, the Mets have a deep group of non-roster invitees headlined by Craig Kimbrel, Adbert Alzolay, and Kevin Herget among others.
Poll: Will Munetaka Murakami Or Tatsuya Imai Have The Better Rookie Year?
All around the baseball world, the offseason started with a great deal of hype for the two top talents coming over from Japan to play in MLB: slugger Munetaka Murakami and starter Tatsuya Imai. Both players seemed likely to follow in the footsteps of other recent stars to make the jump from NPB to the majors, including Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Seiya Suzuki, and be among the most coveted free agents on the market. Things did not pan out that way, however, as both players found surprisingly soft markets and wound up taking short-term deals with the hope of returning to the open market after establishing themselves as quality big leaguers.
As they prepare for their respective rookie seasons, Murakami as a member of the White Sox and Imai with the Astros, who is better positioned to do just that? When looking at the contracts the pair got, it’s easy to argue that Imai’s more lucrative deal indicates a greater level of confidence in his ability to succeed. He landed a three-year, $54MM contract with Houston back in January that provides him the opportunity to opt out after either the 2026 or ’27 season. That’s an extra year and $20MM relative to Murakami’s deal in Chicago, not to mention that Murakami doesn’t have an opt-out clause in his deal.
It’s easy to see why teams would’ve had a bit more confidence in Imai than Murakami. Murakami comes with multiple unique questions, including whether his defense will hold up in the majors at either first or third base and whether there’s room for improvement on his extremely low contact rates from his time overseas. Imai doesn’t really come with comparable concerns; his mid-90s velocity and four-pitch mix are strong bets to play in the majors in terms of floor, leaving the Astros less likely to come up completely empty on their investment than the White Sox.
What Murakami lacks in terms of floor, however, it can be argued that he makes up for with exceptional upside. Murakami’s contact rates might be among the lowest in the majors if translated over, but players like Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Kyle Schwarber, and Nick Kurtz are among the most productive hitters in the entire sport despite high strikeout rates and a proclivity for racking up whiffs. It’s easy to see why Murakami’s sensational exit velocities could allow him to compare to those elite sluggers, particularly given that he only just celebrated his 26th birthday.
It’s fair to wonder if Imai has that sort of elite upside to offer. While his velocity is impressive, scouts have suggested that his fastball lacks the movement necessary to be a high-end pitch. That in conjunction with the control issues he’s flashed at various points in his MLB career might cap his ceiling at something closer to the middle of a big league rotation. Murakami, by contrast, could find himself battling with the likes of Judge and Cal Raleigh at the top of the home run leaderboards if he manages to make enough contact to be productive and continues to grow as a player.
If Murakami breaks out the way some both in Japan and the United States have believed he’s capable of doing, it’s hard to imagine Imai being able to hold a candle to that production no matter how close to his own ceiling he gets. With that said, it could be difficult for either to make much noise in Rookie of the Year conversations. The AL figures to feature a stacked class including players like Kevin McGonigle, Samuel Basallo, Dylan Beavers, Trey Yesavage, and Carter Jensen. Even if Murakami or Imai outproduces those players, their status as foreign professionals already in their mid-20s could still hurt them in Rookie of the Year voting, especially against younger players like McGonigle and Basallo.
How to MLBTR readers view the pair headed into their rookie seasons? Who will have the more productive year? Will either one manage to force themselves into conversations for the AL Rookie of the Year award? Have your say in the polls below:
Who will have the better 2026 season?
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Tatsuya Imai 51% (557)
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Munetaka Murakami 49% (538)
Total votes: 1,095
Will Murakami and/or Imai receive Rookie of the Year votes?
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Both will receive Rookie of the Year votes. 57% (641)
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Neither will receive Rookie of the Year votes. 17% (193)
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Only Imai will receive Rookie of the Year votes. 16% (176)
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Only Murakami will receive Rookie of the Year votes. 10% (116)
Total votes: 1,126
The Opener: WBC, Blanco, Song
Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world heading into the weekend:
1. World Baseball Classic continues:
Coming off the heels of right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Samurai Japan’s dominant 13-0 victory over Chinese Taipei overnight (featuring Shohei Ohtani going 3-for-4 with a grand slam), we’re headed into a busy day in WBC pool play. Seven more games are on the schedule today, with highlights including Team USA’s first game (featuring a start from righty Logan Webb) against Team Brazil and a strong pitching matchup between Puerto Rico (Seth Lugo) and Colombia (Jose Quintana). Ranger Suarez (Venezuela), Javier Assad (Mexico), and Cristopher Sanchez (Dominican Republic) are all set to take the mound as well. Pool games will continue throughout the weekend, and fans awaiting ace southpaw Tarik Skubal‘s start for Team USA should tune in at 8pm ET tomorrow when he takes on Great Britain.
2. Blanco DFA resolution incoming:
Royals outfielder Dairon Blanco was designated for assignment this week week when the club added Starling Marte into their outfield mix. Blanco, a right-handed hitter capable of handling all three outfield spots, made his big league debut in 2022 and put up decent numbers for the Royals in a part-time role during the 2023 and ’24 seasons. He slashed .258/.316/.422 across 157 games in that time, and while he only appeared in nine MLB games last year, he’s stolen 59 bases in 73 attempts during his career (80.8%). Blanco would be an intriguing fourth outfielder for a number of teams, and he has options remaining that could boost his value in that sort of bench role. If Blanco is claimed off waivers when his DFA window expires, he’ll join his new team in the coming days. The Royals will have the opportunity to outright him to Triple-A as non-roster depth in the event that he goes unclaimed.
3. Song facing oblique injury:
New Padres utilityman Sung Mun Song exited yesterday’s Spring Training game due to what was described as “tightness” in his right oblique. Manager Craig Stammen told reporters after the game that Song’s removal was precautionary, but as Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune notes, Song was sidelined by a similar oblique issue in January while working out back home in South Korea. Given that, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Padres exercise caution in the coming days. Oblique injuries are notoriously easy to aggravate if a player returns to baseball activities too soon, and San Diego is surely hoping to have Song healthy and ready to go in time for Opening Day, which is now less than three weeks away.
Poll: Will Kevin McGonigle Break Camp With The Tigers?
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?
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Yes 54% (1,827)
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No 46% (1,573)
Total votes: 3,400
The Opener: World Baseball Classic, Suspensions, Braves
Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye out for around the baseball world throughout the day:
1. World Baseball Classic kicks off:
The World Baseball Classic is officially kicking off in Tokyo later today. At 10pm ET, Australia will face off against Chinese Taipei. Team Australia features White Sox infielder Curtis Mead and Guardians top prospect Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 overall pick from the 2024 draft. Outfielder Stuart Fairchild, righty Chih-Wei Hu, and infielders Tsung-Che Cheng, Yu Chang and Tzu-Wei Lin are all current or former big leaguers representing Taiwan. Prospects Hao-Yu Lee (Tigers) and Yu-Min Lin (D-backs) are on the roster as well, and fans surely recognize bullpen coach Chien-Ming Wang.
At 5am ET tomorrow morning, Czechia will face off against Korea. Of the four teams kicking off the WBC in these first two games, South Korea’s roster carries the most familiar names to the average MLB fan. Former All-Star Hyun Jin Ryu, now 38 years old, is one of the leaders of the pitching staff. Right-handers Dane Dunning and Riley O’Brien have considerable big league experience as well. Position players with major league experience include Hyeseong Kim, Jung Hoo Lee, Jahmai Jones, and Shay Whitcomb. Czechia’s most recognizable player for MLB fans is former Orioles infielder Terrin Vavra.
2. Suspensions impacting the NL East:
Yesterday, it was announced that Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar is facing a 162-game suspension for performance-enhancing drug use. Phillies center fielder Johan Rojas reportedly faces an 80-game suspension for failing a PED test of his own. Profar served an 80-game suspension for PED use last year. This is the first offense for Rojas. Both suspensions are expected to be appealed.
The pair of suspensions leaves both Atlanta and Philadelphia somewhat in limbo regarding their outfield plans. For the Braves, Profar’s likely suspension opens up DH at-bats for a non-roster invitee like Dominic Smith, Ben Gamel, or Tristin English. The Phillies will now lean even more heavily on top prospect Justin Crawford ahead of his likely big league debut on Opening Day, with Pedro León and non-roster invitee Bryan De La Cruz among the possible fourth outfield options.
3. Could Profar’s suspension change things for Atlanta?
The Profar suspension could have significant ramifications in Atlanta. Profar wouldn’t be paid his $15MM salary, and the Braves would also be spared another $3MM in luxury taxes as a result. With early injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep, Atlanta is running low on starting pitching. They haven’t been inclined to pursue right-handers Lucas Giolito and Zack Littell yet, but perhaps the sudden influx in cash would change that approach. Both seem like a better bet to provide stability in the rotation than current fifth rotation candidates like Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz and José Suarez. It’s also possible the Braves could look to bring in another bat to help with the DH and corner outfield mix in the wake of Profar’s likely removal from the roster.
Poll: Will Carson Benge Break Camp With The Mets?
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?
The Opener: World Baseball Classic, Marlins, MLBTR Chat
Here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye out for throughout the day today:
1. WBC scrimmages begin:
The World Baseball Classic is about the begin, but before it does the teams in US-based pools will be facing off against MLB clubs in exhibition games. Team USA’s game against the Giants (scheduled for 1:08pm local time in Arizona) will be broadcast on ESPN, where fans will get to see reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes take on 24-year-old righty Blade Tidwell. Meanwhile, fans in Canada can watch their national team face off against the Blue Jays (scheduled for 1:07pm local time in Florida) on either Sportsnet or MLB Network. MLB Network will also broadcast the first game of the Tigers’ exhibition series against the Dominican Republic’s team in Santo Domingo. That game is scheduled to begin at 6:05pm local time. A full list of WBC exhibitions can be found here courtesy of MLB.com.
2. Marlins legend enters his final season:
Longtime Marlins analyst Tommy Hutton is saying goodbye this year, as the Associated Press reports that he will retire after the 2026 season. Hutton played in the majors for parts of 12 MLB seasons between 1966 and 1981. It wasn’t long after that he began his career in broadcasting, and he covered the Expos (for whom he played in four of his MLB seasons), Yankees, and Blue Jays before eventually settling in with Miami back in 1997. Hutton briefly left the Marlins in 2015 before returning to the organization during the 2018 season, where he’s remained ever since. MLBTR congratulates Hutton on a storied career in baseball that’s spanned more than 60 years and wishes him all the best ahead of his final season before retirement.
3. MLBTR Chat today:
Spring Training is well underway, and the World Baseball Classic is just around the corner. A handful of interesting free agents such as Lucas Giolito and Zack Littell remain available, but most of the heavy lifting for clubs is complete. If you’re wondering where your club stands, how their offseason went, or if there might be any other moves for your club to make before the season begins, you can get MLBTR’s Steve Adams thoughts in a chat that’s scheduled for 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, follow along once it goes live, and read the transcript after it’s complete.