Poll: Will Six-Man Rotations Be More Common This Year?
In MLB, the five-man rotation has been the standard for more than 50 years. Things have slowly begun to shift in that regard, however. Several teams have experimented with a six-man rotation over the years, and it’s virtually a requirement for the Dodgers thanks to the presence of Shohei Ohtani and his unique needs as a two-way player. It’s become increasingly common for teams aside from the one that employs Ohtani, however. MLB.com’s Mike Petriello wrote prior to the 2025 campaign that starts on five days of rest have become more common than the traditional four days of rest associated with a standard five-man rotation.
Of course, a start can happen on five days of rest for more reasons than the use of a six-man rotation. A team’s off-days, the deployment of bullpen games, and even something like a starter returning from the IL or being promoted from the minors can push a pitcher’s regularly scheduled start back organically without there being a long-term plan to use a six-man rotation. Regardless of how it’s done, extra rest for pitchers can generally only be a good thing.
The vast majority of pitchers perform better and have an easier time pitching deeper into games when they get extra rest. For teams carrying pitchers used to the schedule used in Nippon Professional Baseball, a six-man rotation comes with the added benefit of keeping those players on a schedule they’re familiar with. That extra rest could also help prevent against injury and late-season fatigue, helping teams confident in their chances of making it to October enter the playoffs in tip-top shape.
The main arguments against using a six-man rotation in the past have mainly been about volume. The greater the size of the rotation, the less often your best pitchers are out there. It’s difficult for some teams to find even five quality starters, much less six. Even those that do have six decent starters would have to be willing to cut into their bullpen, due to the 13-pitcher roster limit. Despite the drawbacks, the tide may be turning regardless.
The 2025 campaign saw teams like the Red Sox and Mets enter the season with more starters than they could fit into the rotation on paper, though injuries left those teams to use six-man rotations only sparingly throughout the year. They have just as much (if not more) starting depth this year, however, and other teams have begun to follow suit. Looking at the depth charts of certain teams, some would struggle not to use a six-man rotation if everyone is healthy concurrently. The Cubs and Orioles both added more starters to their roster this offseason than will fit into a fully-healthy rotation, while the aforementioned Red Sox have an on-paper starting five that fails to include two consensus top-50 prospects in the sport (Payton Tolle and Connelly Early) plus two starters expected to return from injuries early in the year (Patrick Sandoval and Kutter Crawford).
These aren’t the only teams facing a potential surplus of arms. Even with Shane Bieber set to start the year on the injured list, the Blue Jays will be pushing one of Jose Berrios or Eric Lauer to the bullpen—and that’s before considering longtime top prospect Ricky Tiedemann. Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon could push impressive young arms like Will Warren and Luis Gil out of the Yankees’ rotation before the end of the first half if the injury bug doesn’t do so before then. The Mets currently figure to use a six-man rotation even with Tobias Myers in a relief role and Jonah Tong at Triple-A. Even a team like the Astros that struggled to field a healthy rotation at all last year currently has upwards of ten arms in the conversation for starts headed into Opening Day, with reinforcements from the injured list likely at some point.
Of course, it should be remembered that pitching injuries have always been inevitable and have only become increasingly common over the years. Some of these teams will struggle to field even a five-man rotation at one point or another this year, and a few will likely never have enough healthy starting depth that a six-man rotation becomes a realistic possibility for more than a couple of weeks at a time. With so many clubs loaded in pitching depth, however, it becomes easier and easier to see rival front offices looking towards the example of the reigning back-to-back World Series champions and adopting some of their tactics.
If the Dodgers open the season with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Ohtani, Emmet Sheehan, and Roki Sasaki all ready to start games, that group of six will be backed up by an incredibly deep group that also includes Ben Casparius, River Ryan, Kyle Hurt, Justin Wrobleski, Gavin Stone, Landon Knack, and Bobby Miller (not to mention non-roster invitees like Cole Irvin and Nick Frasso). That’s the sort of depth that would make it easy to field a six-man rotation all throughout the year even in spite of injuries, and while no team quite matches that level of depth, teams like those in Boston, Queens, and on the north side of Chicago do come close.
For those clubs, the biggest hangup might end up being the risk of wearing out their bullpens. While the Dodgers have three spots available in their projected bullpen for optionable relievers, the Mets and Cubs both only have two (one of which, in the case of Chicago, belongs to closer Daniel Palencia). Teams with such minimal flexibility in the bullpen can struggle to keep their relief corps fresh throughout the season, and that would surely only get harder with seven spots instead of eight.
How do MLBTR readers think the six-man rotation will fare around the league in 2026? Will we see more teams than just the Dodgers utilize one for most or all of the season? Or will it be more of the same where teams prefer to find other ways to get their starters extra rest, such as occasional spot starts and bullpen games? Have your say in the poll below:
Will more teams use six-man rotations this year?
T.R. Sullivan: A Retrospective On The Harold Baines-Sammy Sosa Trade
T.R. Sullivan was a legend on the Rangers beat. He retired in December 2020 after 32 years writing for the Denison Herald, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and MLB.com. T.R. is also a friend to MLBTR. A couple of months ago, he kindly offered up a retrospective on the Frank Robinson for Milt Pappas trade. “I just felt like writing it,” T.R. explained. More recently, Texas got shut down by a snowstorm, which T.R. took as an opportunity to explore the 1989 trade involving Harold Baines, Sammy Sosa and others. We’re proud to publish it!
Texas Gov. George W. Bush was in the middle of an ultimately successful run for the White House in 2000 when he made a guest appearance on Late Night with David Letterman.
At one point, they started talking about Bush’s biggest mistakes, the ones he really regretted.
“Well,” Bush said with a sly smile. “I once traded away Sammy Sosa.”
The line got big laughs from the audience – coming at the height of Sosa’s career as a power-hitting outfielder – but probably not as much from Rangers fans watching at home in Texas. Bush’s twin daughters Jenna and Barbara probably weren’t amused either considering the same trade also involved Rangers shortstop Scott Fletcher.
The veteran infielder just happened to be their favorite player. They named their dog “Spot” in his honor.
The reality is Bush did not make that trade. True, he was the Rangers co-managing general partner in 1989 when Sosa, Fletcher and pitcher Wilson Álvarez were traded to the White Sox for outfielder Harold Baines and infielder Fred Manrique.
But the guy who made the trade was general manager Tom Grieve, who many years later would confess, “The minute I made that trade I knew it was a mistake. We made the deal for all the wrong reasons.”
The guy on the other end of the deal was White Sox GM Larry Himes, who would later hold the same position with the Cubs. In both jobs, Himes pulled off a trade that involved acquiring Sosa for a veteran All-Star designated hitter.
The first trade was not a popular one with White Sox fans at the time.
“It’s an unpopular decision as far as the fans are concerned…it doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good decision,” Himes said in the Chicago Tribune.
The Rangers-White Sox trade came down on July 29, 1989. At the time, the Rangers were trying to stay alive in the A.L West race and the White Sox were in a rebuilding mode. It was a classic mid-season trade, just like hundreds of others that are made or at least talked about at the trade deadline down through the years.
But this trade turned out different. This is the trade that wouldn’t go away. Instead, as the years passed, it really did take on a life of its own with a bewildering number of twists and turns involving implications felt from the White House and halls of Congress to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
In short, the trade involved a future member of the Hall of Fame, but not the one everybody expected, the one who ended up having to testify in front of Congress on national television at the height of baseball’s steroids scandal.
Examining Jordan Hicks’ Future With The White Sox
The White Sox acquired right-hander Jordan Hicks as little more than a financial chip, allowing the Red Sox to trim payroll for the price of an intriguing prospect. Boston escaped from $16MM of the $24MM they owed the veteran through 2027. To facilitate the maneuver, the Red Sox sent over right-hander David Sandlin, who immediately slotted in as a top 10 prospect in Chicago’s system, per FanGraphs.
It’s a solid piece of business for an organization with ample payroll flexibility. Even after adding Hicks, Austin Hays, and Seranthony Dominguez, the White Sox project to have the fourth-lowest payroll in the league. FanGraphs’ RosterResource tool has the club at $86MM, right in line with the $85MM it spent last season.
So where does that leave Hicks? He struggled with the Giants last season and was even worse when he came to the Red Sox as part of the Rafael Devers trade. The starter experience went well with San Francisco early in 2024, but has since looked like an ill-advised path. Hicks is now two years and three franchises removed from being a dominant reliever. He joins a Chicago roster with little in the way of talent and experience in the bullpen.
Hicks debuted with the Cardinals in 2018. He quickly gained notoriety for a 100-mph sinker that generated just as many cool GIFs as it did broken bats. Harnessing the pitch was an issue, as Hicks recorded a bloated 13.3% walk rate in his first MLB stint. He opened the 2019 campaign as the primary closer, but a UCL tear ended his season in June. The injury would kick off a lengthy stretch marred by health concerns. Hicks missed time over the next four years with elbow, forearm, neck, and arm fatigue issues.
St. Louis got a healthy first half out of Hicks in 2023 and used the opportunity to deal him to Toronto. He was solid with the Blue Jays, mostly setting up for incumbent closer Jordan Romano. Hicks landed a decent four-year, $44MM commitment from the Giants that offseason. He earned a spot in the rotation, and the transition initially went swimmingly. Hicks allowed two earned runs or fewer in his first seven starts with San Francisco. He expanded the usage of his secondaries while trimming his velocity to a more sustainable level.
Hicks trended down after the solid first month as a starter. His fastball steadily lost ticks as the innings piled up. After allowing 12 runs across 13 innings to open July, Hicks was booted from the rotation. He was given another shot as a starter this past season, but it went even worse. Hicks was strictly a reliever once he joined the Red Sox.
It seems pretty clear from the past two years of results that Hicks’ lone path to big-league viability is as a reliever. That’s where the Chicago front office landed after bringing him in.
“At its floor, we have a guy who can really help us in the bullpen, get him back on track, being that he’s been kind of back and forth on different roles, a couple of different stops along the way,” general manager Chris Getz told reporters, including Scott Merkin of MLB.com. “I think the White Sox are at [their] best if he’s at his best in the bullpen.”
The run prevention results were bad (8.20 ERA), but Hicks posted a strong 111 Stuff+ in 18 2/3 innings out of the Boston bullpen. His sinker and slider were at 115 and 117, respectively. Hicks’ four-seamer and splitter graded out poorly, though he used them infrequently.
“Our stuff grades, both metrically and our scouting evaluations, are still really strong,” Getz said. “There’s likely some tweaking that can go with his arsenal … It sounds like it’s in a really good spot … We think he’s a guy that is not too far off from being the guy he once was.”
Chicago has gone three straight seasons without a reliever securing double-digit saves. Liam Hendriks was the last to do it, with 37 in 2022. Jordan Leasure paced the team with seven saves in 2025. Grant Taylor and Mike Vasil combined to close out 10 games. Leasure, Taylor, and Vasil should remain in the late-inning mix. Dominguez will likely be the closer to start the year, but he’s a candidate to get moved at the trade deadline if he performs well.
Hicks should get the chance to work his way into high-leverage spots. A Dominguez trade would open the door for a two-month trial as the closer. Hicks will be under contract for $12MM in 2027. He could serve as an affordable stopper next season. There are several “ifs” and “coulds” in that scenario, but for his part, Hicks sounds ready to return to a prominent role. He told reporters that he hit 99.5 mph in a recent bullpen session. The reliever added that he wasn’t sore the next day after sitting in the upper 90s during the outing.
“That’s telling me that my body’s in a good place,” Hicks said.
Poll: How Will The Yankees’ Rotation Fare In 2026?
Much has been made of the Yankees’ apparent offseason strategy of “running it back.” While retaining Trent Grisham and especially Cody Bellinger surely count as successes, some fans were hoping for more tangible improvements. Aaron Judge will be 34 in April, and there are only so many years left in his prime (at least as a perennial MVP candidate). The Blue Jays, Orioles, and Red Sox have all upgraded their rosters, meaning the Yankees will have their work cut out for them in 2026.
One area with a range of potential outcomes is the rotation. The group performed quite well in 2025, placing eighth in the league with a combined 13.5 fWAR. Max Fried and Carlos Rodón were the biggest reasons for that success. Fried excelled in a career-high 195 1/3 innings, showcasing his signature control and groundball tendencies en route to a fourth-place finish in AL Cy Young voting. Rodón matched Fried’s innings total in his best season as a Yankee, posting a 3.09 ERA with an above-average 25.7% strikeout rate and cutting down on home runs. Rookie Will Warren made 33 starts and showed promise, as did Cam Schlittler in a second-half callup.
The ceiling is clearly high, especially if Warren and Schlittler do well in their sophomore campaigns. Still, there are downside risks related to injuries, underperformance, and depth. Starting with injuries, Gerrit Cole will be back at some point after missing last year due to Tommy John surgery. Prior to that, he only pitched half a season in 2024 due to elbow inflammation. He is now 35 years old with his last full-season workload coming in 2023, when he won the AL Cy Young award.
Manager Aaron Boone said last week that Cole has “had a good rehab” with “no hiccups” (link via Manny Randhawa of MLB.com). It’s not a matter of whether he will perform well when he returns. The question is whether he will sustain his ace-level, pre-injury performance now that he is in his mid-30s and coming off of injury. There is also the matter of volume, as even a June return from Cole would leave several months’ worth of innings for other starters to cover.
Rodón is in a similar spot after undergoing surgery in October to remove loose bodies in his elbow. He is more likely to avoid starting 2026 on the 60-day injured list than Cole, with Rodón aiming to return in late April or early May. He is two years younger than Cole, so he’s less of a risk to suddenly decline. The question with Rodón is whether he can repeat his 2025 performance. A look at his Statcast page offers reason for optimism, with his fastball, breaking, and offspeed run values all grading in the 91st percentile or better. That said, he was more of a mid-rotation starter in 2024, when he posted a 3.95 ERA and allowed 1.59 home runs per nine innings. Both he and Cole are under contract through 2028.
As for the younger arms, a lot of the rotation’s success depends on improvement from Warren and Schlittler maintaining his performance over a larger sample. For Warren, that comes down to improving his secondary offerings. While his fastball graded out in the 95th percentile by run value, his breaking and offspeed pitches were points of struggle. His slider was his main breaking pitch, but Statcast considered it 10.6 runs below average. His curveball and changeup were both at least 4.6 runs below average. His 24.1% strikeout rate was impressive, but he’ll need to sharpen his secondary offerings and cut back on hard contact if he wants to become a true mid-rotation starter.
Schlittler was a revelation in 14 starts last year. He had a 2.96 ERA and a 27.3% strikeout rate in 73 innings during the regular season and turned in an all-time rookie performance in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series against the Red Sox. His ceiling is arguably higher than Warren’s, although there are similar questions regarding his secondary offerings and control. Statcast took a negative view of his curveball and slider, which he only used a combined 17.3% of the time. Meanwhile, his 10.2% walk rate could use some improvement. None of that diminishes the value of his plus fastball, of course. Still, he’ll need to make adjustments in order to sustain last year’s performance.
Outside of those arms, the club has Luis Gil and newly-acquired Ryan Weathers on hand. Gil won the AL Rookie of the Year award in 2024 but only threw 57 innings over 11 starts last year due to a right lat strain. His 3.32 ERA was good on the surface, but his peripheral numbers – 4.94 xERA and 4.63 FIP – painted him about a run and a half higher. His struggles with control are well-known at this point, and he also suffered a 10.0% drop in strikeout rate in 2025.
Weathers has 86th-percentile fastball velocity, but he has only thrown 281 big-league innings since debuting in 2021. Last year, he was limited to eight starts and 38 1/3 innings due to left flexor and lat strains. The Yankees shelled out four prospects to acquire him, so they’ll give him a chance to harness his fastball while betting on better health. Otherwise, the team has Ryan Yarbrough and Paul Blackburn as depth options. Yarbrough did well enough last year, but neither option inspires much confidence if they need to cover significant innings. Meanwhile, Clarke Schmidt underwent UCL surgery in July, so he won’t be an option until the second half, if at all.
How do you think the Yankees’ rotation will fare in 2026? Be sure to let us know in the poll.
How Will The Yankees' Rotation Fare In 2026?
Photo courtesy of Rafael Suanes, Imagn Images
Looking At The Angels’ Internal Infield Options
The Angels have had a quiet offseason. It can be argued their biggest move was restructuring Anthony Rendon‘s final year under contract, with the two parties deferring his $38MM salary over five years. In terms of adding to the roster, the club signed Jordan Romano, Drew Pomeranz, Kirby Yates, and recently Brent Suter for the bullpen. They’ve also bought low on Alek Manoah, Grayson Rodriguez, and Josh Lowe (the latter two by trade) and re-signed Yoan Moncada to play third base.
With Moncada being a returning player, the Angels’ infield hasn’t seen much of an upgrade. Perhaps that’s due to financial uncertainty. The club recently terminated its contract with Main Street Sports and may consider turning over their broadcasts to MLB – generally a less-lucrative arrangement. Whatever the reason, the team’s infield still has some question marks, especially at second base. What options do the Angels have at present? Let’s take a look at the possibilities:
Moore is the incumbent at the keystone after Luis Rengifo, who led Angels second basemen with 260 plate appearances last year, became a free agent. He was the club’s first-round draft pick in 2024 and will get plenty of opportunities on that basis alone. That said, Moore struggled mightily at the plate in his debut season in 2025. In 184 PA across 53 games, he batted .198/.284/.370 and graded out 18% below average by wRC+. His 10.3% walk rate was a positive, but that was outweighed by a 33.7% strikeout rate. Moore also has room for improvement on defense, with Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average both taking a negative view of his work at the keystone. The key for him in 2026 will be making more consistent contact and getting on base so he can take advantage of his 78th-percentile speed.
Grissom was acquired from the Red Sox two months ago. He owns a career line of .255/.309/.346 with an 82 wRC+ in 350 PA for the Braves and Red Sox from 2022-24. Unfortunately, he didn’t play at all in the majors in 2025, instead spending the year at Triple-A. While he was above-average there and posted good strikeout and walk numbers, time is running out for him to prove himself at the big-league level. Grissom’s defense at second base is on par with Moore’s (-3 DRS and -8 OAA in 613 innings), so he’ll need to outhit Moore to compete with the recent draftee for playing time. Grissom is out of options and comes with five additional years of team control.
Peraza is a former Yankees prospect who has yet to make an impression in the majors outside of a late-season callup in 2022. In 524 PA from 2022-25, Peraza has batted just .189/.260/.282 with a 54 wRC+. He has also struck out at a 27.1% clip in his career, including 34.7% of the time in 95 PA with the Angels in 2025. He has only played 205 career innings at second base, although DRS and OAA both see him as slightly above average. Apart from his range, Peraza also has 81st-percentile arm strength, so the Angels might take advantage by playing him across the infield. Of course, he’ll need to cut back on the strikeouts and get on base more frequently to justify a bigger role than “defensive replacement.”
Guzman was an international signing in 2021 and made his big-league debut at the end of last year, albeit for just 43 PA. He batted .247/.343/.426 with a 119 wRC+ across Double-A and Triple-A in 2025, showing decent power with 17 home runs. Paris was the Angels’ second-round draft pick in 2019 and has made 245 PA in the majors from 2023-25. He is a steady defender but hasn’t shown anything with the bat, with a career wRC+ of 50 and an extremely high 42.1% strikeout rate in 140 PA last year. Even as depth pieces, Guzman and Paris are lower on the pecking order than Grissom and Peraza. Both have at least one option remaining, so they’re likely ticketed for Triple-A.
Minor-League Signings
Trey Mancini and Jeimer Candelario are in the organization on minor-league deals and will likely attend big-league Spring Training. Both are veterans with minimal track records in recent years. Mancini was out of baseball entirely in 2024 and spent 2025 with the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A affiliate, hitting 10% better than average by wRC+ in 335 PA. His last productive big-league season was in 2022 (105 wRC+). Candelario was released by the Reds mid-way through last year after seeing his offense crater compared to the heights of his 2023 campaign. In 554 PA since the start of 2024, he owns a wRC+ of just 76 and has struggled badly to get on base. Candelario is limited to the infield corners and Mancini to just first base, so their ceilings are essentially as backups if Moncada or Nolan Schanuel get injured.
Photo courtesy of Gary A. Vasquez, Imagn Images
Searching For A Fifth Starter In Texas
The Rangers solidified the top of their rotation when they landed left-hander MacKenzie Gore in a trade with the Nationals. Gore, Jacob deGrom, and Nathan Eovaldi will form what should be a dominant trio, as long as everyone stays healthy. Former top prospect Jack Leiter delivered a solid campaign in his first full-time look at the big league level, likely earning him the No. 4 spot. After that, it gets murky.
Texas’ starting pitchers led the league with a 3.41 ERA last season, but the club will have to replace a lot of reliable innings in 2026. Veteran Patrick Corbin matched deGrom for the most starts on the team at 30. He’s now a free agent. Tyler Mahle and trade deadline acquisition Merrill Kelly both departed in free agency.
Here’s a look at the remaining mix of options to round out the rotation.
By pedigree, Rocker would be the favorite for the fifth starter job. The 26-year-old was the third overall pick in the 2022 draft. Eric Longenhagen and James Fegan of FanGraphs had Rocker behind only Sebastian Walcott among Rangers prospects midway through last season. That was even after the highly-touted righty was destroyed for 18 earned runs in 20 innings to open the year. He landed on the IL with a shoulder issue in late April.
Rocker made it back to the big leagues for nine starts across June and July. He posted a 4.67 ERA, though a 4.14 xFIP and a 4.34 SIERA suggest he was a bit better than that mark. Rocker found himself back in Triple-A by August. He’s yet to impress for an extended stretch at the highest level, but will likely get the chance to stick in the rotation this spring.
Texas used Latz in a Swiss Army Knife role last year, and he pitched well whenever called upon. The 29-year-old lefty made eight starts and 25 relief appearances this past season. Latz’s versatile gig included a quality start and a three-inning save in the span of a week. He compiled a 2.84 ERA in 85 2/3 innings. It came with an xERA and a SIERA above 4.00, so expectations should be tempered, but there might be enough here for Latz to be a full-fledged starter.
Latz relied on a three-pitch mix that featured a fastball, changeup, and slider. He also mixed in a curveball to right-handed hitters. Latz used each of his three main pitches more than 20% of the time, so the repertoire is deeper than that of a typical reliever. The fastball was dominant, holding hitters to a .193 batting average while recording a +11 Run Value. The changeup got whiffs at a more than 40% clip. Latz will have a role on this team one way or another.
Cal Quantrill, Austin Gomber, Nabil Crismatt
The Rangers brought in this group of veterans on minor league deals. They’ll serve as depth pieces if injuries pop up. One of them could find their way into the rotation if Rocker flops in the spring and the club prefers Latz out of the bullpen.
Quantrill spent 2025 with the Marlins and Braves, posting an ERA over 6.00 across 26 starts. He finished last season in the Rangers’ minor league system. Gomber was cut by the Rockies in August after scuffling through a dozen starts. He latched on with the Cubs on a minor league pact, but didn’t make it to the big-league club. Crismatt actually pitched decently last year, putting together a 2.70 ERA in his first six games with the Diamondbacks. He was crushed out of the bullpen in his final outing of the year, which sullies the final line.
Bring back Corbin
The veteran lefty revived his career in his lone season as a Ranger. After four brutal years to close his time in Washington, Corbin was one of the brightest surprises in the first half of 2025. He notched an ERA under 4.00 through July with the underlying metrics to back it up. Corbin’s performance fell off in the final two months of the season, but he still put up a respectable overall line. Whatever the Rangers did with him, it seemed to work, and he could likely be brought back for a minimal commitment.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images
A Look At Three Starters Facing 2026 Adjustments
Pitchers and catchers report in a few days. Spring Training games are less than two weeks away. Actual baseball is right around the corner, which means it’s officially “best shape of his life” season. There will be countless stories around the league about offseason improvements for virtually every player.
These days, those anecdotes are typically punctuated by a reference to Driveline or another facility of its ilk. And they almost always pertain to a flaw from the previous year. A hitter who struggled to make hard contact did swing speed training in the winter. A pitcher who faded in the second half changed his diet to improve endurance.
A trio of starters stand out as needing to make drastic changes heading into the 2026 season. Two of them are well on their way, while the third is more of a question mark. Here’s a quick rundown of each pitcher through the lens of the challenge they face in the upcoming year.
Michael Lorenzen vs. Coors Field
The veteran righty encounters this obstacle of his own volition. It’s one of the most imposing impediments in all of sports. Lorenzen signed a one-year, $8 million deal with the Rockies, which means he’ll call Coors Field home. The venue trumps all others in terms of offensive production. Coors easily tops Statcast’s Park Factors leaderboard, scoring a 113 over the past three seasons. Fenway Park is a distant second at 104. Coors Field is No. 1 in park effect for hits, runs, singles, and OBP from 2023 to 2025.
Fortunately, Lorenzen already has a plan. He intends to lean on an eight-pitch mix to conquer Coors Field. “I feel like I own the shapes (of my pitches) … I just know what I’m trying to do, I know what the feel is I’m looking for and the shape I’m trying to create,” Lorenzen told reporters, including Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. “But, obviously, being in Colorado is going to have its challenges, so I’ll be making my way up there soon to throw a few bullpens and just see exactly how these shapes are going to move.”
Lorenzen threw seven pitches last season, per Baseball Savant. He only used the sweeper 8.2% of the time, but every other offering was above 10%. Lorenzen’s most common pitch was his four-seamer, though he still only threw it at a 22% clip. The 34-year-old righty scuffled to a 4.64 ERA with Kansas City. He was likely looking at a depth starter/swingman role at other destinations, but signing with Colorado will give him a good chance to slot into a rotation.
“We didn’t have to convince him of anything; he ran toward this challenge,” head of baseball operations Paul DePodesta said. “Michael definitely wanted to pitch here. … I don’t think he’s afraid of anything. This is a challenge that he was actually (eager) to take on.”
Roki Sasaki vs. A Starter’s Arsenal
Maybe Lorenzen can loan Sasaki a couple of pitches. He’ll need them as he transitions back to the rotation. The NPB import struggled in his first taste of the big leagues, posting a 4.46 ERA with 28 strikeouts to 22 walks across eight starts. Sasaki hit the IL in May with a shoulder injury. He returned at the tail end of the season and emerged as the best reliever in the Dodgers’ bullpen. Sasaki allowed just one earned run across 10 2/3 innings in the postseason. He racked up three saves and two holds.
Sasaki’s splitter was as advertised, recording a strong 37.2% whiff rate as his go-to punchout pitch. The rest of the repertoire left much to be desired. Sasaki threw his fastball about half the time. It rarely missed bats (11.1% whiff rate) and was clobbered for a .500 SLG. Sasaki threw a slider 16.3% of the time, but it had a zone rate below 40%.
The plan is for Sasaki to return to the rotation in 2026. Blake Snell‘s slow buildup this offseason could make it easier to fit Sasaki. Relying on a fastball/splitter combo isn’t normally a viable approach for a starter, and manager Dave Roberts agrees. “He needs to develop a third pitch,” Roberts told Dylan Hernandez for the New York Post.“It’s going to need to be something that goes left.”
Sasaki is working on a cutter and a two-seamer, per Hernandez. The former would fit the bill as something that moves away from a right-handed hitter. Both pitches could help Sasaki find the zone more frequently. He had a 59.3% strike rate last year, nearly 5% below league average.
Shota Imanaga vs. His Floundering Fastball
Imanaga’s “rising” fastball was the primary driver behind his success in 2024. The pitch, coupled with an elite splitter and a smattering of breaking balls, carried the left-hander to a sub-3.00 ERA with standout control in his rookie season. Imanaga got off to a strong start in 2025, but the wheels came off following a hamstring strain in early May. The veteran scuffled to a 4.14 ERA after returning from the IL. He gave up 24 home runs in 17 starts. The struggles continued in the playoffs, as Imanaga was tagged for six earned runs in 6 2/3 postseason innings, including three more homers.
The fastball was clearly different after the injury. Imanaga’s heater slipped by half a tick in velocity and by 1.6 inches in induced vertical break. The pitch’s Stuff+ went from a strong 112 to an underwhelming 98. (h/t to Carson Wolf on X for digging up those splits)
If Imanaga’s fastball doesn’t have its elite characteristics, the home runs will keep coming. Hitters have put the ball in the air against Imanaga at a hefty 66.1% clip in his two MLB seasons. Those balls were finding the gloves of outfielders when his arsenal was most effective, but they were getting squared up and leaving the yard last year.
Maybe an offseason of rest for the hamstring will be the relief Imanaga needs to get back on track. A tweak here or there could also alleviate the concerns with his primary pitch. Either way, Imanaga will be one to watch closely this spring.
Photo courtesy of William Liang, Imagn Images
Poll: Do The Cardinals Have Another Trade In Them This Offseason?
The Cardinals have been one of the winter’s busiest teams. Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, and Nolan Arenado were all shipped elsewhere to clear salary and add some young talent. The crown jewel on the team’s offseason was the three-team trade that sent Brendan Donovan to Seattle in exchange for two Competitive Balance draft picks and a package of prospects headlined by top pitching prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje.
It wouldn’t be a shock if all that activity was the end of their involvement in the trade market. At this point, the majority of their roster is controlled for multiple seasons, and the team has generally cleared the deck to give its up-and-coming youngsters more playing time.
Even so, additional trades can’t be ruled out. There is still one more rental player on the team’s roster who has garnered interest from teams: southpaw JoJo Romero. Romero has been connected to several teams this winter, including the Mariners, Orioles, and Yankees. Given how quickly the bullpen market moved in free agency this offseason, Romero could have particular value to a team like the Yankees or Twins that was known to be in the market for relief help but didn’t end up landing a coveted high leverage arm. The lefty is coming off a nice 2025 campaign where he posted a 2.07 ERA in 61 innings. He’d surely net some prospect value if dealt.
The Cardinals could prefer to put Romero in the ninth inning throughout the first half, let him accumulate experience in the closer role, and market him as such at the trade deadline, when virtually every contender will be on the prowl for bullpen help. There’s certainly some merit to that option, but it’s possible a bullpen-needy team would pay more for a full year of Romero now than over the summer. That figures to be especially true if his run prevention regresses towards his solid but unspectacular peripherals from 2025. Romero pitched to a 4.10 SIERA with a hefty 11.4% walk rate against a 21.6% strikeout rate last year.
Romero is the most likely player left on the Cardinals roster to move before Opening Day, but there are other options. Lars Nootbaar and Nolan Gorman were among the players who had their names floated as possible trade chips this winter. Nootbaar, in particular, would make sense given that he has just two years of team control remaining, but any attempts at trade talks have surely been complicated by him undergoing surgery that could land him on the injured list when the 2026 campaign begins.
Gorman, 25, is coming off back-to-back down seasons that saw him strike out more than 35% of the time, but in 2023 he flashed an impressive 118 wRC+ with 27 homers in just 119 games. That kind of power is enticing, and with a dearth of infield talent currently available, teams still looking for help on the dirt might be willing to offer a decent return despite the warts. While Gorman would surely have a lot more value if he turns in a big season in 2026, another lackluster campaign would likely leave him with little to no trade value. His departure would also create a path for the Cardinals to get both Thomas Saggese and top prospect JJ Wetherholt regular at-bats. Wetherholt figures to have an everyday job once he’s ready to debut regardless of Gorman’s presence, but Saggese might be relegated to a platoon or bench role without a trade.
How do MLBTR readers view the Cardinals’ situation? With a handful of theoretical trade candidates still on the roster, will they get another deal done before the regular season begins? Or will the players currently on the roster stick around until trade talks pick back up closer to the trade deadline? Have your say in the poll below:
Will the Cardinals make another trade before Opening Day?
Poll: Who Will Sign Zac Gallen?
The impact position players are off the market for the most part at this point, and yesterday the top starter remaining followed suit as Framber Valdez landed with the Tigers on a three-year, $115MM deal. That leaves right-hander Zac Gallen as both the final remaining qualified free agent and the best starting pitcher still available. Gallen’s market has been a bit deflated coming off the weakest season of his career, though with a lifetime 3.58 ERA and 3.65 FIP across 1007 1/3 big league innings there’s no doubt that he could still impact a rotation-needy team if he can get back on track. Which teams would the right-hander be the best fit for, and where will he ultimately land? A few of the most likely options:
Arizona Diamondbacks
For a qualified free agent who lingers on the market, sometimes a homecoming simply makes the most sense. The Diamondbacks are the only team in the majors that wouldn’t forfeit a draft pick in order to bring Gallen into the fold, and that alone makes them a sensible fit. Beyond that, the Arizona pitching staff is in serious need of help. Adding Gallen would be prudent, given the team’s lack of experienced rotation depth and a fifth starter (Michael Soroka) who has had durability concerns. His addition could push some of those depth starters into the mix for a bullpen that lacks impact options with Justin Martinez and A.J. Puk both set to open the season on the injured list. The biggest obstacle for a reunion between Arizona and Gallen is money; ownership hasn’t been shy about their desire to bring down a payroll that has sat in the $190MM range over the past two years, and unless ownership makes an exception for a beloved longtime D-back, the Snakes are more or less at their limit.
Baltimore Orioles
The O’s entered the season with a need to upgrade the rotation. They’ve acquired Shane Baz and re-upped with Zach Eflin, but neither is a surefire front-of-the-rotation arm. That’s also true of Gallen after that shaky 2025 showing, but at his peak he’s been the type of arm Baltimore seeks. Adding Gallen to a rotation including Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Baz, Eflin and Dean Kremer would be a more aggressive approach than the O’s took last winter when signing back-end veterans like Tomoyuki Sugano and Charlie Morton to one-year deals. Baltimore’s payroll is still nearly $20MM shy of last year’s Opening Day mark, so there shouldn’t be any major financial hurdles.
Chicago Cubs
The Cubs have already had a big offseason, headlined by their Alex Bregman signing and a trade for Marlins righty Edward Cabrera. The Cabrera trade has given the Cubs a deep cache of starting pitching options that’s pushed Colin Rea and Javier Assad into depth roles, and even more help figures to be on the way when rehabbing southpaw Justin Steele returns at some point in the first half. Even so, the team’s starting pitching options all have worrisome injury histories. That includes Cabrera, who briefly went on the IL with an elbow issue back in September. Adding a healthy workhorse like Gallen could make plenty of sense to raise the floor, and with talented arms like Steele, Cabrera, and Cade Horton in the mix Gallen might be under less pressure to deliver the ace-level results he’s flashed in the past.
San Diego Padres
The Padres have been clear about their desire to add another starter, and Gallen could be just the sort of high-upside arm the team needs to credibly replace Dylan Cease. It wouldn’t be the first time president of baseball operations A.J. Preller pulled off a major move in the final months before Opening Day. Cease was acquired in March of 2024, while righty Nick Pivetta signed with San Diego last February. The biggest obstacle to Gallen following in their footsteps could be financial, as it’s unclear just how much wiggle room the Padres have left. Perhaps the team working out the details of veteran righty Yu Darvish‘s possible exit from the club could create the budget space necessary to land Gallen.
Other Options
While the aforementioned quartet of clubs are perhaps the most likely destinations for Gallen, they aren’t the only ones. Detroit could have made sense as a Gallen suitor, but their agreement with Valdez surely takes them out of the starting pitching market at this point. The Angels have been connected to the right-hander recently, but they’re viewed as a bit of a long-shot and are by far the least competitive team among this group. Atlanta is known to be shopping for a veteran starter, but it’s unclear if the team has the stomach for the sort of $20MM+ annual salary for which Gallen figures to be searching. The Blue Jays were connected to Valdez shortly before he signed, suggesting a willingness to continue adding to their rotation, but Gallen might not be viewed as impactful enough to justify pushing Cody Ponce and Jose Berrios out of the fifth starter job. The Giants were also connected to Gallen earlier in the winter but have since signed Adrian Houser and Tyler Mahle. President of baseball ops Buster Posey downplayed the idea of adding another starter last week, but the San Francisco rotation has both injury and workload concerns behind ace Logan Webb.
Where do MLBTR readers think Gallen will ultimately land? Have your say in the poll below:
Who will sign Zac Gallen?
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Arizona Diamondbacks 24% (3,339)
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Baltimore Orioles 22% (3,053)
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Chicago Cubs 17% (2,315)
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San Diego Padres 9% (1,221)
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Other (Specify In Comments) 7% (990)
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San Francisco Giants 6% (862)
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Atlanta Braves 6% (808)
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Los Angeles Angels 5% (716)
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Toronto Blue Jays 3% (463)
Total votes: 13,767
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