The Opener: Winn, Griffin, White Sox
Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball throughout the day:
1. Winn OK after car accident:
Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn hit the first walk-off of his career against the Mets in the 11th inning yesterday, but not long after doing so the shortstop was involved in a single-car accident on the interstate near Busch Stadium. As noted by Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Cardinals thankfully announced that Winn is OK after he was examined at a local hospital.
The Cardinals are off today as they travel to Detroit for their first road series of the year. Whether the star shortstop will play remains to be seen, and Goold notes that the team plans to re-evaluate him prior to tomorrow’s game. Thomas Saggese, José Fermín, and Ramon Urías all have infield experience and could sub in for Winn on the infield if needed. Fermín and Saggese both have shortstop experience, while Urías could plug in at second base if JJ Wetherholt covers short for Winn.
2. Griffin, Pirates working towards extension:
The Pirates have been working to extend the sport’s top prospect, shortstop Konnor Griffin, ahead of his impending MLB debut later this year. ESPN’s Buster Olney characterized the sides as “deep” into extension talks yesterday. The Pirates are seemingly willing to offer Griffin the largest contract in franchise history (surpassing Bryan Reynolds‘ $100MM deal). That would also top Mariners prospect Colt Emerson‘s newly secured $95MM deal for the largest ever to a pre-debut player. Will Griffin join Emerson, Cooper Pratt, and Pete Crow-Armstrong in signing early-career extensions this spring?
3. White Sox home opener postponed:
The White Sox announced that today’s scheduled game against the Blue Jays has been postponed until tomorrow. Today was meant to be Chicago’s home opener, but those festivities will now be moved back a day due to an inclement weather forecast for this afternoon. Perla Paredes of MLB.com writes that the pitching matchup for the game remains unchanged, with righty Sean Burke set to take on former White Sox ace Dylan Cease as he returns to town with the Blue Jays. Gates for tomorrow’s home opener will open at 11:10am local time, with first pitch scheduled for 1:10pm. Paredes goes on to note that all tickets for today’s postponed game will be valid for tomorrow’s home opener without any exchanges being necessary.
MLB Mailbag: Soriano, Ryan, Nats, Extensions, Rays, Cardinals
I'm pinch-hitting for Tim Dierkes one more time on this week's mailbag. In this edition, we'll look at (very) hypothetical trade possibilities surrounding the Angels' Jose Soriano and the Twins' Joe Ryan, some young Nationals, the recent wave of extensions, and some questions on the outlooks for the Rays and Cardinals. Let's begin!
Casey asks...
OK, you're the Angels (sorry). When do you trade Jose Soriano...to whom...and what would be a likely return??
I'll delve into some hypotheticals involving Soriano's trade value and potential suitors shortly, but first and foremost, I'd caution against the idea of the Angels trading him.
That may sound counterintuitive. After all, the Halos obviously aren't expected to contend this season. They're out to a 3-3 start on the year, but the team's bullpen is comprised of rebound candidates, its position player group is littered with strikeout-prone veterans whose best years are behind them, and the rotation has all of two established big league starters: Yusei Kikuchi and Soriano.
FanGraphs projects the Angels to go 71-85 over the rest of the season. Baseball Prospectus/PECOTA is far more bearish, projecting a 66-96 season even after a decent first week of play. Very few expect this team to compete. (Apparently that's OK for owner Arte Moreno, who recently claimed that winning isn't among the top five priorities for Angels fans. Got it, Arte.)
Beyond that grim outlook, the Angels' farm is one of the game's worst. Anaheim's system briefly trended upward several years ago, but that was short-lived. Frequent development misses and prioritization of players who are close to MLB-ready in the draft -- often in place of higher-ceiling talents who are further from the majors -- have left the team without much of a farm. That leads to repeated dice rolls on former top prospects; the current roster includes names like Oswald Peraza, Yoan Moncada, Alek Manoah, Grayson Rodriguez and Vaughn Grissom.
On the surface, all of that would seem to indicate a rebuild is nigh. The Angels haven't reached the playoffs since 2014. They haven't had a winning season since 2015. This is a team in dire need of a rebuild.
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MLBTR Podcast: Lots Of Extensions And Big-Picture Topics
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams and Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Mariners signing an extension with Colt Emerson (1:20)
- The Brewers agreeing to an extension with Cooper Pratt (19:05)
- The Orioles signing an extension with Shane Baz (28:40)
- The Cubs signing extensions with Pete Crow-Armstrong and Nico Hoerner (38:00)
- Free agents coming from Japan getting less than expected this offseason (53:35)
- The Tarik Skubal arbitration decision potentially being a paradigm shift (59:15)
- The economics of the game with the collective bargaining agreement expiring in less than a year (1:05:50)
- Did the short-term deals for Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette signal a new trend? (1:22:45)
- Dealing with high-spending clubs with draft pick penalties instead of financial penalties (1:31:00)
- Can the Brewers continue to win after trading away some valuable guys? (1:38:10)
- The exciting crop of 2026 rookies (1:41:15)
- Can the Pirates push into contention in a crowded NL Central? (1:43:40)
- The excitement around the introduction of the ABS system (1:44:50)
Check out our past episodes!
- The PCA and Sanchez Extensions, And Prospect Promotions And Reassignments – listen here
- Banged-Up Reds And Braves, Kevin McGonigle, And Spring Breakouts – listen here
- Jesús Luzardo’s Extension, Atlanta’s Depth, And Zack Littell – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images
Rockies Sign Andrew Knizner To Minor League Deal
The Rockies signed catcher Andrew Knizner to a minor league contract on Wednesday. Although the team didn’t announce the move, the 31-year-old jumped right into action tonight with Triple-A Albuquerque.
Knizner hit the market at the end of camp when he was released by the Mariners. He had signed a one-year, $1MM free agent deal with Seattle in December. Knizner surely felt he was the favorite to back up Cal Raleigh at the time, as he was the only other catcher on the M’s 40-man roster. They re-signed Mitch Garver on a minor league contract at the beginning of Spring Training.
Seattle opted to run it back with a Raleigh/Garver pairing. They also swung a trade for an optionable third catcher, Jhonny Pereda, in the interim. Knizner has over five years of service time, meaning he could refuse a minor league assignment while collecting his full salary. Rather than report to Triple-A Tacoma, he tested the market for a clearer path back to the big leagues.
That won’t come immediately, but there’s a decent chance he can play his way into an MLB look with Colorado. The Rox opted for light-hitting minor league signee Brett Sullivan as their backup catcher to begin the season. Third catcher Braxton Fulford still has a couple options remaining and has hit .221/.272/.354 in 41 big league contests. Hunter Goodman is going to be in the lineup almost every day, but no one has a firm hold on the backup job.
Knizner hasn’t provided much offensively at the MLB level either. He’s a career .211/.281/.316 hitter in just under 1000 plate appearances. The former seventh-round pick owns a much stronger .292/.387/.443 line over parts of four Triple-A campaigns. He’ll pair with Fulford behind the dish in Albuquerque with Kyle McCann on the injured list.
Braves Outright Brett Wisely
Braves infielder Brett Wisely cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Gwinnett, according to the MLB.com transaction tracker. He’ll remain in the organization in a non-roster capacity, as he doesn’t have the previous career outright or three years of service time to elect free agency.
Wisely was designated for assignment as part of Atlanta’s Opening Day roster shuffle. He’s out of minor league options and needed to win a spot on the season-opening bench or go on waivers. Atlanta carried Kyle Farmer as their final bench piece to squeeze Wisely off the roster. The Braves had already designated him for assignment once over the offseason. They traded him to Tampa Bay, then reacquired him a month later for cash.
The 26-year-old Wisely has appeared at the big league level in each of the past three seasons. He spent the majority of that time with the Giants, who lost him on waivers to Atlanta in the waning days of the 2025 campaign. Wisely is a .214/.265/.319 hitter in a little under 500 trips to the plate at the MLB level. He has been a much more productive offensive player in the minors, batting .275/.372/.433 over 835 Triple-A plate appearances.
Wisely joins Nacho Alvarez Jr., Rowdy Tellez, Luke Williams and Aaron Schunk among depth infielders with Gwinnett. Alvarez is the only one of that group who occupies a 40-man spot. He’s their only healthy rostered position player below the MLB level, though the Braves have three or four players who could go on the 60-day injured list if they need to create 40-man space following any injuries.
Giants Re-Sign Eric Haase To Minor League Deal
The Giants have apparently re-signed catcher Eric Haase to a minor league contract. The Warner Sports Management client is in the lineup tonight for Triple-A Sacramento. Haase had been released from his previous minor league deal at the end of Spring Training.
He was competing with Rule 5 pick Daniel Susac and prospect Jesús Rodríguez for the backup job behind Patrick Bailey. The 33-year-old Haase hit .286 with a couple home runs while striking out 14 times in 32 plate appearances this spring. San Francisco stuck with Susac in the backup role. They optioned Rodríguez while granting Haase his release.
After a few days on the open market, Haase returns to the club. He’ll work alongside Rodríguez and Logan Porter as part of the Triple-A catching group. Haase has easily the most MLB experience of any catcher in the organization aside from Bailey. He has just over four years of service time and has taken more than 1200 plate appearances in a little under 400 games.
Haase is a lifetime .228/.278/.396 hitter at the big league level. He has plus power from the right side that comes with a lot of swing and miss. Haase has always been a bat-first option who probably profiles best in the third catcher role he’ll play now that he’s back with San Francisco.
Dodgers Claim Grant Holman From D-Backs
The Dodgers announced they’ve claimed reliever Grant Holman off waivers from the Diamondbacks. Arizona designated the righty for assignment on Opening Day when they needed a roster spot for a trio of minor league signees who broke camp. Los Angeles moved Gavin Stone from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.
Holman spent six weeks in the Arizona organization. The D-Backs had claimed him off waivers from the A’s at the beginning of camp. The UC Berkeley product has pitched parts of two seasons in green and gold. Holman combined for 40 appearances from 2024-25, turning in a 4.66 earned run average over 38 2/3 innings. He struck out 18.8% of opponents against a 10.2% walk percentage.
The 25-year-old Holman has missed more bats in the minors, fanning 27.3% of batters faced while allowing exactly three earned runs per nine over five seasons. That includes a 0.70 ERA over 38 2/3 frames at the Triple-A level despite pitching in the Pacific Coast League. Holman has a 94-95 mph fastball and leans mostly on a split as his best secondary offering. He also occasionally mixes in a slider against right-handed hitters.
It’s the second depth acquisition of the day for the Dodgers. They brought in lefty Jake Eder in a cash trade this morning. Both pitchers have a minor league option year and can head to Triple-A Oklahoma City for the time being.
Stone opened the season on the 15-day injured list after experiencing shoulder inflammation at the start of camp. He has avoided any structural damage but didn’t pitch again during Spring Training. Stone missed the entire 2025 season following a labrum and rotator cuff repair on that shoulder in October ’24. The Dodgers will approach the situation with caution.
Manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Stone recently restarted his throwing program (via the MLB.com injury tracker). He’s essentially beginning a new Spring Training build from scratch and is weeks away from a minor league rehab assignment. Stone’s 60-day clock backdates to Opening Day. He’ll be eligible for reinstatement on May 24.
Poll: What Can The Dodgers Expect From Roki Sasaki This Year?
Entering 2025, no addition to the Dodgers was more hyped than young right-hander Roki Sasaki, who signed with the club in international free agency after a protracted recruitment process that involved nearly every team in baseball making an effort to land the talented righty after he was posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines.
If you had told baseball fans ahead of the 2025 campaign that the Dodgers would win the World Series, nearly all of them would’ve thought Sasaki would play a much bigger role in that success than he ended up with in reality. That’s not to say Sasaki didn’t contribute, of course. He was a key piece of the Dodgers bullpen during the postseason and pitched to a lights-out 0.84 ERA while collecting three saves in nine appearances during October. Before that, though, he had spent most of the season on the injured list after struggling badly early in the year with a 4.72 ERA and a 6.19 FIP across eight starts where he walked (22) nearly as many batters as he struck out (24).
Given Sasaki’s deep struggles in the rotation last year and his success when pitching out of the bullpen, it would’ve been understandable for fans to expect Sasaki to stay in the bullpen for 2026 while leaving the work in the rotation to more proven starters. That’s not the route the Dodgers ended up going, however, and Sasaki has been installed in the L.A. rotation even after a brutal Spring Training where he was tagged for 15 runs in four starts while walking 28.8% of his opponents and striking out just 23.1%. Spring Training results must be taken with a grain of salt, of course, but results that disastrous brought on by severe control issues can’t be ignored entirely.
It would’ve been easy to expect Sasaki’s rough stint in the rotation last year and his struggles during Spring Training to leave him floundering at the start of the season, but he only added to the enigma surrounding himself when he turned in a strong outing against the Guardians. Sasaki’s first MLB start this year saw him throw four innings of one-run ball with four strikeouts against two walks. An 11.1% walk rate and just four innings of work isn’t exactly what one would hope for from an arm as talented as Sasaki, but it’s undoubtedly a big step in the right direction. If he can keep the walks to a minimum and pitch a bit deeper into games, it’s not hard to imagine the right-hander proving to be a valuable asset to the Dodgers’ rotation mix this year.
Of course, this has all been under the assumption that he’ll stay healthy. That’s never been a safe bet for Sasaki. Prior to spending most of his rookie season in the majors on the injured list, he threw more than 100 innings just twice and topped out at just 129 1/3 frames during his time in Japan. That lack of durability raises some questions about Sasaki’s ability to make 25 to 30 starts at the big league level, even with lower pitch counts than is typically expected for MLB starters. On the other hand, one need look no further than Red Sox lefty Garrett Crochet for an example of a pitcher who struggled to stay on the field in his early years but now is coming off a season where he led the AL in innings pitched.
Even if he can stay healthy, a crowded Dodgers rotation could force him out of the starting group if he doesn’t perform. Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Blake Snell are all locked into rotation spots when healthy. That leaves just two spots in a six-man rotation for a group of young starting-capable arms that includes Emmet Sheehan, Landon Knack, Gavin Stone, Ben Casparius, Justin Wrobleski, River Ryan, and Kyle Hurt in addition to Sasaki. Not all of these players are healthy now and there figure to be injuries on the Dodgers’ pitching staff all throughout the year, but if Sasaki’s results wind up in a similar range as 2025, it might be hard for the front office to view him as one of their six best starters without a significant rash of injuries.
What are MLBTR readers expecting the Dodgers will get out of Roki Sasaki this year? Will he be able to provide 100 innings or more to the pitching staff? And how effective will the innings he does provide wind up being? Have your say in the polls below:
How many innings will Roki Sasaki throw in MLB's regular season this year?
How effective will Roki Sasaki be for the Dodgers in 2026?
Rawlings to Release Book Chronicling the Evolution of Ball Gloves (Sponsored)
Since its founding in 1887, Rawlings has remained the industry standard for baseball gloves and equipment. From becoming the official baseball glove of Major League Baseball to the creation of the distinguished Rawlings Gold Glove Award, the Rawlings brand has become synonymous with quality in the baseball world. This storied relationship between equipment and the game that defines it is set to be chronicled in ‘The Finest in the Field®: a History of Baseball Through 50 Iconic Gloves.’
Authored by award-winning writer and filmmaker Ed Wheatley, with a foreword by Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench, ‘The Finest in the Field®: a History of Baseball Through 50 Iconic Gloves’ details not only Rawlings’ heritage in the baseball world, but also decades of the history of baseball itself. “This book reflects Rawlings’ deep connection to the history of the game and celebrates the gloves that have epitomized defensive excellence through the years,” said Mike Thompson, Chief Marketing Officer for Rawlings.
The story is told through rich illustrations and photographs of 50 gloves, paired with immersive essays that place the artifacts within their historical context.“ Within each glove is a unique story – some more dramatic and some where the glove’s role is more subtle, always remaining by each player’s side,” said Johnny Bench, Hall of Fame catcher.
The book highlights iconic moments, famous plays, and the defensive greats that have defined America’s pastime. It’s a journey through baseball history guided by the game’s most important tool, accompanied by imagery, period advertisements, and further baseball memorabilia certain to fascinate baseball fans of all ages.
‘The Finest in the Field®: a History of Baseball Through 50 Iconic Gloves’ is currently available for preorder, and is set for release at your favorite/preferred book retailer and Rawlings.com on March 24, 2026.
About Rawlings:
Established in 1887, Rawlings is an innovative leading global brand and manufacturer of premium baseball and softball equipment, including gloves, balls, and protective headwear. Rawlings unparalleled quality, innovative engineering and expert craftsmanship are the fundamental reasons why professional athletes, national governing bodies and sports leagues choose Rawlings. Rawlings the official baseball, glove, helmet, face guard and base of Major League Baseball®, the official baseball of Minor League Baseball® and the official baseball and softball of the NCAA® and the NAIA®. Rawlings acquired Easton Diamond Sports®, the official equipment supplier of Little League® Baseball and Softball, Team USA Softball®, and USSSA® Softball, in 2020. The company is headquartered in St. Louis.
For more information, please visit www.Rawlings.com.
This is a sponsored post from Rawlings.
Royals Place Carlos Estévez On Injured List
The Royals announced that right-hander Carlos Estévez has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to March 29th, with a left foot contusion. Right-hander Steven Cruz has been recalled as the corresponding move.
Estévez has made one appearance in the season so far and it was painful, in more ways than one. He was hit by a comebacker off the bat of Michael Harris II, as seen in this video from MLB.com. He stayed in the game and then gave up a walk-off grand slam to Dominic Smith. The next day, the righty had his foot in a boot, per Anne Rogers of MLB.com.
After a few days of evaluating the injury, the Royals have decided to put him on the shelf. They have backdated the IL move by the three-day maximum, which is allowed since Estévez didn’t pitch in the interim.
The IL placement might be about giving Estévez a reset, as much as anything. In the wake of that unfortunate outing against Atlanta, the Royals were considering moving Estévez out of the closer’s role. His velocity has been worryingly low this year. As of 2024, he was averaging almost 97 miles per hour with his four-seamer. That dropped below 96 mph last year as his strikeout rate also dipped by a few points. During spring training, he was below 90 mph. He ticked up in the game against Atlanta but only to 91.2.
Now that he’s on the IL, Estévez can heal up his foot and then spend some time trying to figure out a solution to his diminished stuff. A benefit of the IL placement is that he could do some tinkering in the minors. As a veteran with at least five years of service time, he can’t be optioned without his consent. But he can be sent on a minor league rehab assignment, which can last as long as 30 days. While Estévez is out, the Royals will likely give the save opportunities to Lucas Erceg, while guys like Matt Strahm and John Schreiber pitch in setup situations.
Photo courtesy of Bruce Kluckhohn, Imagn Images