Prospect-palooza continues with A's-Padres showdown (5:40 ET)
Spring Breakout has returned for the second season after debuting last year to much fanfare. The weekend began with a bang as the Rays edged the Red Sox on Thursday night with home runs coming from Boston's top three prospects and Tampa Bay's No. 1. Like last year, all 30
Ranking the top 10 pitching staffs in the game
Hate to go all Grampa Simpson on you, but back in my day, children, we had something called “rotations” and “bullpens,” and I would use this space to rank them separately. Ah, but baseball has changed. And knowing what we know about the attrition rate and how pitchers are utilized,
Who is the best defender in baseball? Let's ask the players
During Spring Training, MLB.com beat writers surveyed their clubhouses, asking players for their opinions on a range of topics. Well over 100 players participated, in exchange for anonymity. In the leadup to Opening Day, MLB.com is publishing a series of stories based on the results of that survey. Today’s topic:
Pair of exciting pitching matchups slated for Tokyo Series
TOKYO -- The list of Japanese stars currently in the Majors is deep and the Dodgers and Cubs are leading the charge. Look no further than the mound at the legendary Tokyo Dome for next week’s Tokyo Series to open the 2025 season. Three of the four starters for the
Chandler adds mix to upper-90s heat in stellar Spring Breakout start
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- In the inaugural Spring Breakout game a year ago, as he was coming out to pitch the ninth inning, Bubba Chandler slammed a Red Bull and declared “let’s do this” before pumping upper-90s heat.
'He's pretty special': Andrew Salas makes pro debut in Spring Breakout
This story was excerpted from Christina De Nicola’s Marlins Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Cards' young fireballer draws ... Kershaw comps?
JUPITER, Fla. -- Dating back to the first time Cardinals roving instructor Ryan Ludwick saw left-hander Quinn Mathews flash his fiery competitiveness and overpowering stuff in a 2024 live batting practice session, one very favorable comparison kept coming to mind. Clayton Kershaw -- a career 212-game winner, two-time World Series
Cubs' trip to Tokyo for clash with Dodgers already a memorable experience
TOKYO – As the cameras went off, Shota Imanaga wrapped an arm around the shoulders of his Cubs teammate Seiya Suzuki. After they posed with stoic expressions, a few photographers asked the duo to smile. Imanaga broke into a wide grin, while Suzuki offered a sheepish smile that elicited some
Converted reliever Clay Holmes gets Mets' Opening Day nod
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The Mets’ Opening Day starter will be a pitcher with all of four career starts to his name. Right-hander Clay Holmes will start March 27 in Houston, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza announced Friday, coronating a career reliever who has spent the past few months stretching
Stephenson expected to miss start of season with oblique strain
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Reds’ lineup was dealt a blow on Friday when the club learned that primary catcher Tyler Stephenson will be sidelined with a low grade internal left oblique strain. Manager Terry Francona did not know how long Stephenson would be out, but acknowledged a return was unlikely
Rodón gets Opening Day nod for Yankees
Carlos Rodón will start the Yankees' season opener against the Brewers on March 27 at Yankee Stadium, manager Aaron Boone announced on Friday.
Riley avoids serious injury after another HBP on right hand
NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Austin Riley and the Braves breathed a sigh of relief on Friday, when a CT scan confirmed he didn’t suffer yet another right hand fracture. X-rays and the CT scan showed no structural damage after Riley’s right hand was hit by a Jackson Rutledge fastball in
Anthony, Campbell, Mayer -- Red Sox Big 3 -- go yard in Spring Breakout
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Under the lights of Charlotte Sports Park, all three members of Boston’s vaunted “Big 3” prospects went deep, announcing their presence in a Spring Breakout contest against the Rays’ prospects. Thursday’s primetime contest was the first of the many games that will take place in the
Pitching with both arms, Mariners' Cijntje poised for Spring Breakout spotlight
PEORIA, Ariz. -- For an organization that’s had as strong of a track record as any in developing homegrown pitchers over the past half-decade, the Mariners have arguably their most interesting case study yet. And that arm -- actually, those arms -- will be on display for the first true
Mets' infield is in flux. Here's where it stands
This story was excerpted from Anthony DiComo’s Mets Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Who's the 'Better Man'? Mariners, Padres make Vedder Cup official
PEORIA, Ariz. -- It’s still the Vedder Cup -- only now, it’s official. For years, games between the Padres and Mariners have been informally known as “The Vedder Cup” -- a reference to Pearl Jam front man and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Eddie Vedder, a one-time resident of
Eflin gets call as Orioles' Opening Day starter
SARASOTA, Fla. -- For the second consecutive year, Zach Eflin will be making an Opening Day start vs. the Blue Jays. Only this time, the 30-year-old right-hander will be doing so for a different team. The Orioles announced on Friday that Eflin will start on Opening Day on March 27
Dodgers' star Japanese trio ready for Tokyo Series spotlight
TOKYO -- Shohei Ohtani took the field at the Tokyo Dome to the roar of applause as a brief snippet of his walk-up song, "The Show Goes On" by Lupe Fiasco, played in the background. Never mind that Friday was just a workout day -- the excitement was real, and
Which teams have changed the most heading into ’25?
So many teams have made moves toward contending in 2025. But which clubs have done the most? Let’s take a look at the teams that have changed the most since last season -- whether for better or for worse. Using FanGraphs depth charts projections through March 5, we calculated what
Top prospects' speed keys Rays' Spring Breakout win
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- With two of the fastest prospects in baseball batting back to back in Spring Breakout, it might come as no surprise that a track meet broke out. Rays outfielders Chandler Simpson and Homer Bush Jr. put on a display of pure speed in the Rays’ 7-5
Everything you need to know about the Tokyo Series
The MLB season will get underway when the Dodgers and Cubs square off in the 2025 Tokyo Series in Japan on March 18-19.
Fried shines again while prepping to take larger load for Yanks in '25
LAKELAND, Fla. -- This is right around the time of spring when the topic of who will be named Opening Day starter bubbles up around camps. For some teams who have an established ace, the answer as to who gets the ball that day is obvious. For others who might
Crew middle infield one for the thesaurus: 'Reconnoitering it'
PHOENIX -- As Brewers manager Pat Murphy is so fond of saying: The plot thickens. As recently as last week, it looked as if the Brewers were solving their hole at shortstop by leaving decorated second baseman Brice Turang where he was, and shifting Joey Ortiz from third base to
Here's everything you need to know for Year 2 of Spring Breakout
Spring Breakout is here! The second edition of the four-day prospect showcase kicks off Thursday. Last year, we had moments like Paul Skenes and Jackson Holliday going head-to-head (Skenes came out on top), Rays first baseman Xavier Isaac (MLB No. 50) and Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones slugging two homers apiece
Devers ready to 'help the team win' -- even at DH
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Red Sox star slugger Rafael Devers has re-positioned his stance on the possibility of moving to designated hitter to make way for free-agent acquisition Alex Bregman to play third base. Devers indicated he had a conversation two to three weeks ago with chief baseball officer Craig