Roberts: “Hard To Imagine” Espinal Not Making Dodgers’ Roster
Veteran infielder Santiago Espinal is in Dodgers camp as a non-roster invitee, but it seems he’s already positioned himself as a favorite to break camp with the club. Manager Dave Roberts said this morning that it’s “hard to imagine [Espinal] not being on the team” (via Jack Harris of the California Post). Plenty can change over the final few weeks of camp, but it’s still notable that Espinal already has caught the attention of his new skipper. Roberts spoke highly of Espinal when players reported to camp, and the veteran infielder has since gone 8-for-14 with a pair of doubles and a stolen base in his first handful of Cactus League plate appearances.
Espinal is a versatile, righty-swinging infielder with considerable experience at both third base (1794 MLB innings) and second base (1621 innings). He’s also logged 343 major league frames at shortstop (most coming back in 2020), chipped in 114 innings in the outfield corners and logged another 16 at first base. It’s the sort of defensive flexibility that the Dodgers tend to prioritize with their bench players.
The 31-year-old Espinal has spent the past two seasons in Cincinnati, struggling at the plate both years. He hit a combined .245/.294/.322 in 719 plate appearances as a Red but provided some solid defensive chops at the hot corner in particular. He’d be more of a second base option with the Dodgers — a potential right-handed complement to lefty-hitting Hyeseong Kim, who’s entering the second season of a three-year contract.
Kim played superlative second base defense last season but was largely shielded from left-handed pitching. He hit well in the 21 left-on-left plate appearances the Dodgers allowed him to take (8-for-21 with a double and a homer), but Kim also fanned at a near-31% clip in 170 plate appearances overall and posted poor batted-ball metrics. Espinal is a career .291/.344/.409 hitter versus left-handed pitching. Back in 2021-22, he slashed a combined .282/.340/.382 in 737 plate appearances for the Blue Jays.
Second base is eventually earmarked for the versatile Tommy Edman, but he’s expected to begin the season on the injured list as he continues recovering from November ankle surgery. Kim’s stellar defense gives him a strong chance to secure regular work at second base in the interim, though veteran Miguel Rojas is on hand as an alternative, as is well-regarded prospect Alex Freeland.
Breaking camp with Espinal on the roster would allow the Dodgers to more easily get Freeland everyday at-bats back in Triple-A. The switch-hitting 24-year-old was L.A.’s third-round pick in 2022 and is a year removed from ranking among baseball’s top-100 prospects at Baseball America and MLB.com. He turned in a nice .263/.384/.451 batting line in Triple-A last season (115 wRC+) but hit .190/.292/.310 with 35 strikeouts in 97 MLB plate appearances.
How Could The Braves Pivot Following Another Profar Suspension?
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.
Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription
- Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
- Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
- Remove ads and support our writers.
- Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker
The Opener: WBC, Peña, Spring Debuts
Here are three things for MLBTR readers to keep an eye on around the baseball world today…
1. WBC play continues:
The 2026 World Baseball Classic is officially underway! The first two games of the tournament saw South Korea topple Czechia by an 11-4 margin and Australia blank Chinese Taipei in a 3-0 victory. Highlights from those games include Guardians top prospect and 2024 No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana clobbering a deep home run to right field as part of a multi-hit day for Team Australia (video link) and Astros utilityman Shay Whitcomb belting a pair of homers (video) for Team Korea.
Tonight, it’ll be Australia taking on Czechia at 10pm ET here in North America. Former Phillies farmhand Josh Hendrickson takes the mound for Australia against Czechia’s Tomas Ondra. That’s the only official game still to come today, though Japan and Chinese Taipei will square off in Tokyo at 5am ET tomorrow morning in North America for those who want to watch some early-morning ball. Dodgers star Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets the ball for Japan and faces against Taiwanese right-hander Hao-Chun Cheng, who actually pitched briefly in the Dodgers’ system in 2021 but has spent the past few seasons with the CTBC Brothers in the Chinese Professional Baseball League. Injuries limited Cheng to 11 starts last year, but he posted a pristine 1.49 ERA in 54 1/3 frames when healthy.
2. Astros dealing with Peña injury scare:
Star Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña was lifted from yesterday’s WBC exhibition after a taking a hard grounder off his finger. Peña’s Dominican club has pushed back on early speculation of a fracture, stating that he is undergoing X-rays and meeting with a hand specialist, per Evan Drellich of The Athletic. The Astros provided a few more details this morning, explaining that Peña took a hard shot off his right ring finger and cracked his fingernail (via MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart). He wanted to remain in the game despite his bloodied hand but was sent for testing. They’ll have a further update this afternoon.
Peña’s injury scare is a reminder that Houston’s infield “logjam” could be cleared up with just one injury, whether it occurs in WBC play or back in Grapefruit League play. If Peña were to require any sort of absence, Carlos Correa would slide over to shortstop, freeing up third base for Isaac Paredes. Jose Altuve and Christian Walker would then handle second and first base, with Yordan Alvarez manning the DH spot on a regular basis.
3. Spring debuts for several players:
Thursday will also see a handful of notable pitchers make their 2026 spring debuts. Cardinals fans can get their first official look at righty Dustin May when they host the Pirates and Mitch Keller in a game slated for a 1:05pm ET first pitch. May became a free agent for the first time this winter and signed a one-year, $12MM deal with St. Louis in hopes of putting together a healthy season in a new environment after an injury-marred run in Los Angeles and (briefly) Boston.
Over in the Cactus League, another former Dodgers mainstay will be taking the mound for a division rival. Walker Buehler‘s Padres debut is set for 3:10pm ET, when he and the Friars will host the Mariners and right-hander Luis Castillo. Buehler hasn’t been the same since missing the 2023 season with his second career UCL reconstruction. His memorable 2024 World Series performance notwithstanding, Buehler has been tagged for a 5.10 ERA with sub-par strikeout and walk rates in 40 starts since returning in 2024. After consecutive poor showings in 2024-25, he settled for a minor league deal with San Diego this winter.
One more outing worth watching with a particularly careful eye will be today’s Orioles-Rays tilt, where Baltimore righty Zach Eflin will be pitching in an official game setting for the first time since undergoing back surgery (a lumber discectomy) last August. Eflin was a free agent at season’s end but re-upped with the O’s on a one-year, $10MM contract in hopes of rebounding from a disastrous 2025 performance (5.93 ERA in 71 1/3 innings). Eflin’s poor results were obviously impacted by his health (or lack thereof). As recently as 2023-24, he rattled off 343 innings of 3.54 ERA ball with a sharp 23.1% strikeout rate and an elite 3.5% walk rate between Tampa Bay and Baltimore.
Orioles Notes: Kittredge, Wells, Bautista, Holliday
Orioles righty Andrew Kittredge has been slowed by shoulder inflammation and is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day, manager Craig Albernaz announced to the team’s beat this morning (via Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com). A season-opening IL stint for the veteran setup man seems likely.
Kittredge, 36 later this month, spent the bulk of the 2025 season with Baltimore after signing a one-year, $10MM contract in free agency. The O’s flipped him to the Cubs in July, netting teenage shortstop Wilfri De La Cruz in that deadline swap. Chicago then traded Kittredge back to Baltimore following the season, before the decision on his 2026 club option was due. The O’s sent cash back to the Cubs in that second swap and promptly exercised Kittredge’s $9MM option.
The hope at the time of that reacquisition was that Kittredge could reprise his role as a key late-inning arm at Camden Yards. His 2025 season was delayed by a debridement procedure in his knee during spring training, but Kittredge was sharp when on the mound. In 53 innings (31 1/3 in Baltmore, 21 2/3 in Chicago) he pitched to a combined 3.40 earned run average with a big 30.8% strikeout rate and tidy 5.3% walk rate. He kept 49.2% of the batted balls against him on the ground and recorded an excellent 14.7% swinging-strike rate. Kittredge tallied 15 holds and five saves; he was only charged with one blown save on the season.
The O’s are already without closer Félix Bautista for most or all of the 2026 season after he underwent shoulder surgery in late August. (He threw for the first time since surgery yesterday, Kubatko notes, but still has a long rehab process ahead of him.) The Orioles signed Ryan Helsley two a two-year deal (the second season being a player option) to fill Bautista’s role. Kittredge would’ve been one of the primary setup options to begin the season, but those opportunities will now fall to a combination of Yennier Cano, Keegan Akin and perhaps some other in-house arms who step up.
One such possibility is right-hander Tyler Wells, who has been officially informed that he’ll pitch in relief this coming season (via MLB.com’s Jake Rill). Albernaz referred to Wells as a “Swiss army knife” who can pitch in virtually any role, be it in the rotation, long relief or more pressure-packed, late-inning settings. “He can pitch leverage,” Albernaz said of Wells. “He has the stuff for it, he has the makeup.”
Wells, 31, came to the Orioles from the Twins in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft. He was solid in a low-leverage relief role as a rookie in 2021, then gave Baltimore 222 1/3 innings of respectable 3.93 ERA ball while working primarily as a starter in 2022-23. Injuries have derailed him since. He’s pitched only seven times in the majors across the past two seasons, thanks to a UCL tear that necessitated surgery.
Fifty of Wells’ past 55 major league appearances have been starts, but he’ll move back to a relief role and hope to emerge as a contributor in a bullpen that needs a few things to break its way this coming season. The O’s are banking on a rebound from Helsley, who had a dreadful finish to the 2025 season after being traded to the Mets. They’re also hoping the aforementioned Cano can rebound — if not all the way to his 2023 All-Star form then at least to something closer to his 2024 output (3.15 ERA) than his 2025 results (5.12 ERA).
A healthy and productive Wells could be a boon in a short relief role. Wells sat 92-93 mph with his heater as a starter but averaged better than 95 mph on the pitch back in 2021. His career 11.6% swinging-strike rate is a slight bit better than average, but he was at 13.3% during that lone bullpen season. Wells has shown good command throughout his major league career (6.2 BB%), but his 29% strikeout rate as a rookie reliever sits well above his career 22.8% mark.
Injured second baseman Jackson Holliday also provided reporters with an update, revealing that he’ll begin swinging a bat tomorrow (link via the Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka). He also began throwing last week.
Holliday suffered a fractured hamate bone in his right hand/wrist early in camp and underwent surgery to address the issue (removing the fractured “hook” from the bone in question). It’s a common injury and procedure for position players and tends to come with a recovery period between four and eight weeks. The expectation is that Holliday will be sidelined to begin the season, but his return shouldn’t come too far into the regular season. With Holliday and Jordan Westburg down to begin the season, the O’s will turn to a combination of Coby Mayo, Blaze Alexander, Jeremiah Jackson, Bryan Ramos and non-roster veteran Thairo Estrada at second base and third base early in the year.
Hunter Greene To Undergo MRI On Right Elbow
Reds ace Hunter Greene is heading for an MRI after experiencing stiffness in his right elbow, manager Terry Francona tells reporters at Reds camp this morning. Greene himself says the injury dates back to late last season (link via Charlie Goldsmith). He was recommended for an injection and had a normal offseason but tells the Reds beat that the discomfort has crept back up recently. Greene will be examined by longtime team physician Timothy Kremchek and have a second opinion from Dr. Neal ElAttrache. He says his ulnar collateral ligament was intact at a recent check, but news of a new round of imaging will inherently lead to some concern until the results are known.
Greene acknowledged in his comments that, like many big league pitchers, he’s aware of some bone spurs in his elbow. He’s navigated that issue in the past, it seems, and surgery has not been recommended as an option to this point. The right-hander wouldn’t commit to whether he’ll be able to make his first start of the season.
“If something has to be done, it’s early and we’ll get it out of the way quick and can have the big chunk of the season,” Greene said this morning. “If we have a playoff push, I’ll be ready to go.”
Even a brief absence for Greene is a bitter pill for the Reds to swallow. The former No. 2 overall draft pick has been one of the game’s best pitchers on a rate basis over the past two seasons but has missed considerable time due to a pair of groin strains in 2025 and some elbow discomfort in 2024. He’s started 45 games across the past two seasons and worked to a 2.76 ERA with a 29.2% strikeout rate, 8.1% walk rate and 33.5% ground-ball rate. Last season’s 15.4% swinging-strike rate was fourth-best in MLB (min. 100 innings pitched), trailing only Tarik Skubal, Dylan Cease and Logan Gilbert.
Greene is entering the fourth season of a six-year, $53MM extension. The 26-year-old is being paid $8MM this season before making $15MM and $16MM in 2027-28. The Reds hold a $21MM club option (with a $2MM buyout) over his 2029 season.
With Greene’s status up in the air, one of the stronger-looking rotations in the sport takes a big hit. Cincinnati can still trot out Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, Brady Singer and top prospects Chase Burns (the No. 2 pick in 2024) and Rhett Lowder (the No. 7 pick in 2023), but neither Burns nor Lowder has fully established himself in the majors yet. Lowder pitched only 9 1/3 minor league frames last year due to forearm, oblique and shoulder issues.
Depth options on Cincinnati’s 40-man roster include another former first-rounder, Chase Petty, and a pair of formerly touted prospects returning from injury: righty Julian Aguiar and lefty Brandon Williamson. The Reds also selected righty Jose Franco to the 40-man roster this past November to protect him from the 2025 Rule 5 Draft; he tossed 110 innings of 3.11 ERA ball between Double-A (2.76 ERA) and Triple-A (3.51 ERA) last season.
There are, of course, some notable starters remaining in free agency. Lucas Giolito and fellow righty Zack Littell — the latter of whom finished the 2026 season with Cincinnati — remain unsigned. Veterans like Tyler Anderson, Patrick Corbin and old friend Anthony DeSclafani would be more affordable depth pursuits.
However, president of baseball operations Nick Krall told Goldsmith that even if Greene misses time, he doesn’t anticipate engaging with any free agents to fill that void. That perhaps leaves the door cracked for waiver and trade activity to replenish some depth, but the Reds’ 2026 payroll is already expected to be higher than in 2025, so the team may not have much budget space with which to tinker after spending more than $47MM in free agency already.
MLB Issues 162-Game PED Suspension To Jurickson Profar
Major League Baseball announced that Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar has been suspended for 162 games after testing positive for exogenous testosterone, a performance-enhancing substance. The ban goes into effect on Friday and will cost him the entire 2026 season, including the playoffs. It’s the second career PED suspension for Profar, who missed 80 games last year after testing positive for Chorionic Gonadotropin.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Players Association plans to file a grievance challenging this suspension. MLB generally does not announce violations of the drug policy until after the appeal process plays out, as the player is usually allowed to continue playing pending that appeal. Rosenthal writes that Profar’s suspension, by contrast, is not stayed because it’s his second career PED ban. However, the process will be expedited to quickly reach a final resolution.
It’s rare for a player’s PED suspension to be overturned on appeal. Assuming the suspension stands, Profar will not be paid his $15MM salary this season. The Curacao native is also barred from representing the Netherlands in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
“We were incredibly disappointed to learn that Jurickson tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance and is in violation of MLB’s Drug Prevention and Treatment Program,” the Braves said in a press release. “Our players are consistently educated about the Program and the consequences if they are found to be in violation.”
Profar, who turned 33 a couple weeks ago, was entering the second season of a three-year, $42MM contract. Last year’s suspension cost him just under $6MM of his $12MM salary in year one of that free agent deal. He’s signed through the 2027 season and is owed a $15MM salary again in the contract’s final year. If he incurs a third positive test in his career, he would receive a lifetime ban.
As a teenager, Profar was ranked as the top prospect in the entire sport. A switch-hitting shortstop with a tantalizing blend of power, speed and defensive aptitude, he was hailed as a future star but saw his career derailed by multiple shoulder injuries. He missed nearly the entire 2014 and 2015 campaigns due to shoulder surgery.
The version of Profar that returned looked far different. He hit .227/.316/.315 in 377 MLB plate appearances from 2016-17 before turning in a solid offensive season in 2018. His defense at shortstop had become untenable following the shoulder troubles. Profar spent time at second base and first base before being traded to the A’s, who had him for only one disappointing year before trading him to the Padres.
Profar had an up-and-down run in San Diego. He had an awful start in the shortened 2020 season before a torrid three-week finish to the 60-game season salvaged his batting line. A clear favorite of Padres GM A.J. Preller — who signed him as an international amateur during his days as a Rangers assistant GM — Profar inked a three-year deal following that season but flopped with a .227/.329/.320 slash in year one of the contract. He chose to forgo an opt-out opportunity, returned to San Diego for the 2022 season, turned in a better offensive performance opted out of a net $6.5MM to again test the open market.
Free agency was cold to Profar that winter. He wound up signing with the Rockies just prior to Opening Day 2023 on a $7.75MM deal. Colorado released Profar after he hit just .236/.316/.364 in 111 games. He re-signed in San Diego for the remainder of the season and hit well in 14 games late that year. Profar spent the entire offseason twisting in the winds of free agency before the Padres brought him aboard on a one-year, $1MM deal that looked like the steal of the offseason when he erupted with a .280/.380/.459 batting line in a career-best showing.
That performance prompted the Braves’ three-year, $42MM deal, but it will now forever be met with a healthy dose of skepticism. Profar missed 80 games last year, hit .248/.358/.446 in 355 plate appearances upon returning, and now won’t take another plate appearance until at least 2027. Of course, it remains to be seen whether the Braves will welcome him back or look to move on entirely.
That question doesn’t need to be answered for the time being. Profar can and will be placed on the restricted list, where he won’t be paid or count against Atlanta’s 40-man roster. The Braves will not only save on Profar’s $15MM salary — they’ll also dodge the 20% tax they’d been paying for him as a team that was over the luxury threshold. It amounts to an overall $18MM in savings for Atlanta, which gives the Braves some intriguing possibilities late in the offseason.
Atlanta has incurred a pair of notable injuries in the rotation. Righties Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep both underwent elbow surgery to remove loose bodies/bone spurs. It’s not yet clear when they’ll return, but Schwellenbach is already on the 60-day IL and Waldrep will surely follow.
That’s left the Braves with Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez (who made just one start last year due to shoulder surgery) and Grant Holmes (who had a UCL tear last summer and rehabbed without surgery) in the top four spots of the rotation. Bryce Elder, Joey Wentz, Didier Fuentes and Jose Suarez are the fifth starter options on the 40-man roster. Non-roster invitees include veterans Martin Perez, Carlos Carrasco and Elieser Hernandez, as well as top prospect JR Ritchie.
Notable veterans like Lucas Giolito, Zack Littell and Tyler Anderson remain unsigned in free agency. Atlanta’s outfield group, of course, takes a hit following the Profar suspension, although the team’s November signing of Mike Yastrzemski means the Braves won’t necessarily need to add another outfielder. Yastrzemski, Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuña Jr. can start on most days, though Acuña has had his share of recent injury troubles and Yastrzemski has long-running platoon issues. Righty hitters Eli White and Jorge Mateo are already on the roster as potential complements, but neither has even average career numbers against left-handed pitching.
Atlanta still projects to be just north of the $244MM luxury threshold, but the front office suddenly has an influx of cash that could be used to acquire additional help, be it another starting pitcher or a veteran right-handed bat to plug into the lineup. Time will tell whether those funds are put to immediate use or saved for in-season additions to the roster, but the Braves immediately become a team to watch with regard to a potential late-offseason addition.
Jeff Passan of ESPN first reported Profar was facing a 162-game PED ban. Image courtesy of Jonathan Dyer, Imagn Images.
Brendan Rodgers Likely To Require Shoulder Surgery
Brendan Rodgers is in big league camp with the Red Sox this spring, hoping to win a spot in Boston’s infield alongside former Rockies teammate Trevor Story. A right shoulder injury suffered in late February put any such hopes on hold, and the latest update from skipper Alex Cora may have dashed them entirely. Via the Boston Herald’s Mac Cerullo, Cora said Tuesday that Rodgers is “most likely” going to require shoulder surgery. Rodgers already underwent a CT scan and MRI on his shoulder, and Cora has previously stated that the results from those tests “didn’t look great.” Rodgers is headed for another opinion from renowned surgeon Dr. Neal ElAttrache to confirm his outlook.
The injury occurred early in camp. Playing second base, Rodgers dove to his left for a hard line drive off the bat of Twins shortstop Brooks Lee (video link via MLB.com). He briefly snow-coned the liner, but the ball popped out of his glove upon a hard impact with the ground. Rodgers was in clear, immediate pain and left the field with the Red Sox training staff.
Rodgers, 29, has already undergone one surgery on each of his shoulders. He suffered a torn labrum during his rookie season back in 2019 and underwent surgery that July. In 2023, he suffered what was originally termed a dislocated left shoulder during spring training. Additional testing revealed some tearing in his left shoulder’s labrum, requiring surgery, though Rodgers was able to make it back to the field for the final couple months of that season.
Formerly the No. 3 overall pick in the draft and a consensus top prospect, Rodgers’ career hasn’t played out as hoped. He’s a lifetime .261/.313/.401 hitter and has only thrice played 100 games in a season. He’s never topped 137 games played or 581 plate appearances and only has two big league seasons with 500-plus trips to the plate. After spending the 2019-24 seasons in Denver, Rodgers signed with Houston on a minor league pact last winter and made the roster. However, he went on to bat just .191/.266/.278 (55 wRC+) in 128 plate appearances as an Astro.
The infield mix in Boston is relatively unsettled. The Sox traded Rafael Devers to the Giants last June and watched Alex Bregman sign with the Cubs in free agency. They’ve traded for the Cardinals Willson Contreras and the Brewers’ Caleb Durbin this winter. Contreras slots in at first base, while Durbin will fill either second base or third base alongside the aforementioned Story.
Top prospect Marcelo Mayer is the favorite to hold down whichever spot isn’t occupied by Durbin, but the Red Sox also have Andruw Monasterio (acquired alongside Durbin), Isiah Kiner-Falefa (signed in free agency), Tsung-Che Cheng (claimed off waivers) and holdovers Nick Sogard and Nate Eaton on the 40-man roster. Former top prospect Kristian Campbell, who signed an eight-year extension early last year, is being viewed primarily as an outfielder moving forward.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Steve Adams
- Good morning! We’ll get started at 1pm CT, but feel free to send me questions ahead of time, as always.
- Let’s get underway!
All By Metself
- What kind of contract can Skubal be expected to get? Will he clear 10/400?
Steve Adams
- The years depend on who’s signing him, I suppose. Some clubs prefer to spread the money over a longer term (Phillies), others are more comfortable with mammoth AAVs on shorter terms (Dodgers, Mets).I’m going to take the over on 400 right now (probably over a long term, but if the Mets want to offer like some insane $50MM AAV to keep the term down a couple years, not much shocks me at this point)
Jimmy Chop
- Huge O’s fan here. I don’t know how the Orioles can go into the season with Alonso, Mountcastle, and Mayo — all right-handed hitters and 1B/DH only types — on the roster. (Mayo is not a third baseman; I wish he was, but umm, no.) What gives? Send Mayo down to AAA (last option year), trade Mayo, cut Mountcastle (no real trade value)? I suppose, the path of least resistance is to send Mayo down, but goodness the club hasn’t been very good to him. Your thoughts good sir. Thank you.
Steve Adams
- I’m still surprised they tendered a contract to Mountcastle. Something feels like it has to give there eventually, but perhaps not immediately. Mayo’s going to get a real look at 3B. I know he hasn’t looked great there in the past, but it’s been a recent focus for him and he’ll spend all spring working on it. They don’t have great alternatives — at least not if you want a 3B that can also hit some. If it’s a bust, they can try to address it midseason.For now, I’d assume you’ve got Alonso and Mayo in the lineup every day. Mayo at 3B regularly, Alonso playing primarily 1B with some occasional DH reps. Mountcastle will get some 1B reps those days. Samuel Basallo will get DH/1B/C reps. It’ll be matchup dependent, and I doubt either Basallo or Mountcastle gets true everyday ABs. Blaze Alexander can play some 3B, too, when the O’s want to get Jeremiah Jackson into the lineup.
It’s messy, but there are probably enough at-bats to go around. Alonso is really the only one who’s proven he merits everyday work anyhow
Ruh Roh Renfroe
- Can I take Profar’s spot in the Atlanta OF for 2026?
BravesFan
- What options do the Braves have now that Profar has yet again failed a PED test? I’m sure trades at this point are few and far between.
Cards
- Nootbaar to the Braves?
To ATL
- How ’bout that Profar? Oof.
6 Teams Dealing With Option Crunches
Spring training is in full swing, and various non-roster veterans and top prospects jostling for space on major league rosters. MLBTR's Anthony Franco took a look yesterday at some players who are out of minor league options and could find themselves squeezed off their current roster, depending on spring plays out.
There's another angle with which one can view minor league options, of course: the team side of things. Clubs generally try to avoid stacking too many veteran players who either lack minor league options or have the five-plus years of service needed in order to have say over a potential optional assignment to the minors. Having too many players who can't be optioned can set a club back when there's a player or two who needs a couple days off but does not need a full IL stint.
It's also common in today's game for clubs to aggressively shuffle their bullpens over the course of a season, too; a lack of optionable players can create a headache for clubs after a blowout or marathon extra-inning game that taxes the majority of the pitching staff. Being able to summon a fresh arm or two from Triple-A without needing to pass someone else through waivers is crucial to preserving depth and keeping a team's best arms healthy.
Most clubs have plenty of flexibility when it comes to these situations, but that's not universally true. Around 20% of the league has a very limited number of players who can be sent down without needing to clear waivers, and that could lead to some tough decisions for those clubs as Opening Day draws near. Let's take a run through some of the game's least-flexible rosters and see what sort of decisions they'll be facing as the spring winds down.
Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription
- Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
- Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
- Remove ads and support our writers.
- Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker
Dodgers Sign Keynan Middleton To Minor League Deal
The Dodgers have signed veteran reliever Keynan Middleton to a minor league contract, per Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. The ACES client will add an experienced bullpen arm to the depth chart for Los Angeles.
Middleton didn’t pitch in the majors in either of the past two seasons and only tossed four minor league frames in 2024. He signed a one-year deal with the Cardinals following a nice 2023 season split between the White Sox and Yankees, but a spring flexor injury eventually required surgery over the summer. That sidelined him for the remainder of 2024 and nearly all of 2025, although Middleton did toss 3 2/3 scoreless innings for the Atlantic League’s Long Island Ducks late last season.
Injuries have repeatedly derailed an otherwise promising career trajectory for Middleton. He posted a 3.43 ERA with big strikeout numbers in 76 innings across his first two partial MLB seasons with the Angels in 2017-18 before requiring Tommy John surgery in 2019. He’s since dealt with biceps, ankle, foot and shoulder troubles, all leading to 2024’s flexor surgery.
Now 32 years old, Middleton has pitched in parts of seven major league seasons and compiled a 3.84 earned run average through 194 1/3 innings. He’s fanned an above-average 24.2% of his opponents but also issued walks at a 10.3% clip that’s a couple percentage points worse than average. Middleton averaged 97 mph with his fastball early in his big league career but was down to a 95.5 mph average in his most recent healthy season in 2023.
Even with that slightly diminished velocity, Middleton had no problem missing bats. From 2022-23, he posted an outrageous 17.1% swinging-strike rate, induced chases on 32.5% of pitches off the plate and struck out just over 28% of his opponents.
There’s not a lot of room in what’s currently a crowded Dodgers bullpen scene. Edwin Diaz will close games after signing as a free agent in the offseason. Tanner Scott, Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia are locked in as veteran setup pieces. Los Angeles has a deep collection of optionable young arms on the 40-man roster to help round the group out, including Will Klein, Justin Wrobleski, Ben Casparius, Edgardo Henriquez, Jack Dreyer, Paul Gervase, Bobby Miller and Ronan Kopp.