Author: rincon

Expectations are rising on the North Side of Chicago. After breaking a four-year playoff drought, the Cubs know that simply getting a spot in the dance won’t be enough in 2026. 

Not after the breakouts of Pete Crow-Armstrong and Cade Horton. Not after the additions of Alex Bregman and Edward Cabrera. And not after losing in the National League Division Series to a Brewers team that won the NL Central for a third straight year. 

“Everyone had high expectations last year, and I think they’re higher this year,” Cubs owner Tom Ricketts acknowledged to reporters last month. “Obviously, we want to win the division. We should win the division.” 

His players stand by that assessment. 

“I fully expect us to win the division,” new Cubs reliever Hoby Milner echoed this spring. “I would assume everyone else expects us to win the division.”

They do, at least according to most projection systems. 

If the Brewers are going to shock the world again by winning a fourth straight division title, it will require defying the models. 

Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA standings project the Cubs for 90.5 wins and the Brewers for 82.2. BetMGM set the over/under for Cubs wins at 88.5 and the Brewers at 84.5. FanGraphs gives the Cubs a 43.1% chance to win the NL Central this year.

There’s a reason for all of that, beyond the typical Milwaukee neglect. 

The Brewers traded away from their big-league roster, dealing ace Freddy Peralta to the Mets and 2025 standout Caleb Durbin to the Red Sox. The Cubs, meanwhile, continued building this winter in search of their first division title since the shortened 2020 season. 

They needed another difference-maker in the lineup after Kyle Tucker hit free agency, and they added Bregman. They sought another impact arm, and they traded for Cabrera. They watched most of their relievers depart and replaced them with new ones, including a trio of arms in Phil Maton, Jacob Webb and Milner who helped lift a Rangers bullpen that defied expectations in 2025 by producing the fifth-best ERA among all relief units. 

“It’s the biggest market that I’ll have had an opportunity to play in,” said Milner, who played for the Brewers from 2021-24. “I’m looking forward to being on the road and having Cubs fans matching the home fans, that kind of thing. I’ve always been on the opposite end of that. Going to play in Milwaukee and it being a home game, for the most part, that sounds pretty appealing to me. But also being expected to win the division, that’s where I want to be.”

If it’s all going to finally come together for this Cubs core, it may need to happen now.

Nico Hoerner, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon are among the Cubs mainstays entering their final season under contract in Chicago. In addition, 2025 All-Star Matthew Boyd, catcher Carson Kelly and pitchers Hunter Harvey and Caleb Thielbar have mutual options in 2027, which rarely get exercised. Dansby Swanson, Bregman and Crow-Armstrong, who just signed a six-year extension through 2032, are the only players signed beyond 2027. 

“When the group knows each other and knows each other’s expectations — we know we’re going to play great defense, we know the expectation is to be the best baserunning team in baseball — and when you have that standard, it makes it a lot easier to just go out there and focus on winning,” said Happ, who was drafted in 2015 and a top prospect when the Cubs last won the World Series in 2016. “I think the expectations as a whole for the team are a deep playoff run, but that starts with your process every day.” 

Helping with that daily process is a new leader in the clubhouse. When the team reported to camp in February, many of the veteran Cubs players noted a different energy. The presence of a two-time world champion played a part. 

Within days of Bregman leaving Boston for Chicago in a move that shocked many around the sport, the three-time All-Star had already reached out to the Cubs’ front office for reports on all of his new teammates. 

“I feel like you want to know what people are working on because you don’t want to talk about conflicting messages,” Bregman told me last month. “You want to all be pulling on the same end of the rope, get to understand guys and learn what they’re working on. It’s just something I’ve always liked doing and something I’ve always seen my teammates do.”

In past stops, Bregman was renowned and respected for his ability to positively impact teammates. His new ones in Chicago are quickly understanding why. 

“He loves talking baseball, loves being around the field and loves talking about doing little things to help the group win,” Happ said.

– MLB Team-By-Team Season Preview
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The same way Boyd felt he got better as a young pitcher simply by being around Justin Verlander in Detroit, he sees a similar gravitational pull with Bregman, who changed his number from 2 to 3 as he seeks a third championship title. 

“It’s not some magic equation or mythical thing,” Boyd told me. “It’s someone that shows up every day ready to win and trying to find wins in every single margin…Rising tide raises all ships. It raises the water level.”

As Bregman works to create new relationships and offer bits of advice, he’s just trying to play his part for a team that’s finally returning to relevance after a decade of disappointment. In the nine seasons since the Cubs won the 2016 World Series, they’ve only won the division twice. The last time was in 2020.

Since then, it’s been a slow rise back to prominence: 71 wins in 2021, 74 in 2022, 83 in 2023 and 2024 and 92 in 2025. They ended the four-year playoff drought last season, but another jump forward would likely mean finally knocking the Brewers off the NL Central pedestal. 

The Cubs believe that’s about to happen. 

“We’re a better version of what we were last year, and we’re hungry in that sense,” Boyd said. “We know where we’ve got to go.” 

In Touching Base, we check on which are the biggest topics in baseball and what comes next for the players and teams involved.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Paul Skenes‘ first start of the 2026 season might not have even lasted a New York minute. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates‘ ace surrendered five runs in his Opening Day start against the New York Mets, and was pulled after pitching just ⅔ of an inning. All five runs were earned, with the Mets logging four hits and two walks off Skenes before he drilled catcher Francisco Alvarez. Skenes also recorded a strikeout.

Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor began the inning with a walk before star outfielder Juan Soto moved him to third on a single in the following at-bat. Third baseman Bo Bichette scored Lindor on a sacrifice fly in his first at-bat with the Mets. A single by first baseman Jorge Polanco and a walk from outfielder Luis Robert Jr. allowed the Mets to load the bases with just one out against Skenes.

That’s where Skenes’ day quickly unraveled, with Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz making a pair of mistakes to make matters worse for the reigning NL Cy Young winner. Designated hitter Brett Baty hit a bases-clearing triple that might have been caught by Cruz had he not misplayed the ball off the bat. On the very next pitch, second baseman Marcus Semien hit a pop fly that should’ve been caught by Cruz, but dropped in the gap. 

New York took a 5-2 lead by that point, negating the early lead Pittsburgh took off a two-run homer from Brandon Lowe in his first at-bat with the Pirates. While Skenes was able to strike out right fielder Carson Benge in the following at-bat, his day ended after he plunked Alvarez.

Skenes threw 37 pitches in the first inning before getting pulled. Thursday marked the shortest outing of Skenes’ young career, and just the second time he allowed five earned runs in an outing. It’s also the first time that the Mets have scored more than three runs in the first inning on Opening Day in franchise history. 

Skenes’ outing came on the heels of his impressive showing for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic. The righty allowed just one run in 8 ⅓ innings over two outings during the tournament. 

But Pirates manager Don Kelly expressed that he wanted to limit Skenes’ usage after things went south in the first inning. 

“It was all pitch count related, really, for him,” Kelly told the NBC broadcast. “We didn’t want to put him in harms way, up in the 40-pitch count mark. If we get in a foul ball battle there, we don’t want to push him in the mid-40s [in the first inning].”

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

After an incredible finish to 2025, culminating with one of the best World Series in baseball history, it’s exciting to see what the 2026 Major League Baseball season has in store for us. 

Will the Dodgers become the first team in over two decades to win three consecutive World Series? 

Will the Yankees win their first championship since 2009? 

In a long season that will take us until midway through the NFL regular season, let’s take a look at some bets to keep us company along the way.

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

Trevor Rogers wins leader 

The Orioles’ lefty was brilliant last year, posting a 1.81 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP, and striking out 103 batters to only 29 walks. Rogers was an All-Star early in his career with the Marlins, so his 2025 breakout can’t be dismissed, even if it was unexpected. He will serve as the ace for an Orioles team that is loaded with prolific bats and that also added Pete Alonso this winter. This means he should get plenty of run support. Staying healthy is a concern with any of these league-leader bets, but at 50-1, Rogers has the talent and the supporting cast to pile up a ton of wins.

PICK: Trevor Rogers (+5000) wins leader

St. Louis Cardinals Over/Under 69.5 wins

The Cardinals are like the Pittsburgh Steelers in football — they’re always competitive, and always have a respectable team that’s in the mix for postseason play at the very least. That might change this year, as the Cardinals’ brass seems to be embracing a full rebuild. Matthew Liberatore is a solid pitcher, but he will start on Opening Day for the Red Birds and is followed in the rotation by a whole lot of question marks, such as Dustin May and Andre Pallante. The Cardinals don’t have much starting pitching and don’t look like they will score many runs, with a lineup that lacks any difference-makers at the plate. It’s weird to see them near the bottom of the standings, but that’s where I expect they will be by late summer. 

PICK: Cardinals Under 69.5 wins

Shohei Ohtani NL MVP 

I admit, this isn’t very fun. But at this point, what does Ohtani have to do to not win MVP? He’s projected to hit around 50 home runs and is in the starting rotation for what’s expected to be the best team in baseball. Even during an off year, Ohtani hits, let’s say, 38 homers and wins 10 games on the mound. He’s one of the best hitters in baseball and one of the best pitchers, too, while playing for a first-place team. It’s going to be a season that is hard to top. Ohtani has won this award four times already, and, barring a serious injury, this year will be No. 5.

PICK: Shohei Ohtani (-145) to win NL MVP

Orioles-Mets World Series matchup

The Dodgers are the rightful favorite to repeat in 2026, but they could have easily lost to the Blue Jays in the World Series. Back in 2024, they were facing elimination in the NLDS, down 2-1 to the Padres before winning that series. This is not a mere formality for the Dodgers, so let’s look elsewhere. The Mets have a loaded roster in a division where the other contenders, like the Phillies and Braves, might have missed their championship windows. They also have an owner that is ultra aggressive and won’t be shy about adding before the trade deadline. The Orioles, as I mentioned earlier, have a ton of talent and were a playoff team in 2023 and 2024 before injuries ravaged their 2025 season. It’s extremely difficult to predict in March what will happen in a short series come October. But at 86-1, the Mets and Orioles both have teams talented enough to make deep runs in the postseason.

PICK: Orioles vs. Mets (+8600) World Series Matchup 

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

The Yankees‘ Jose Caballero lost the first challenge taken to Major League Baseball’s so-called robot umpire, unsuccessfully appealing a strike by San Francisco Giants right-hander Logan Webb in Wednesday night’s season opener won 7-0 by New York.

Webb started the fourth inning with a 90.7 mph sinker on the upper, inner corner that was called a strike by Bill Miller, a major league umpire since 1997. Caballero tapped his helmet, and the 12 Hawk-Eye cameras of the Automated Ball-Strike System upheld Miller’s decision in a graphic shown on the Oracle Park scoreboard.

New York was ahead 5-0 at the time. Caballero drove in the first run with an RBI single in a five-run second inning against Webb, who recorded his 1,000th career strikeout in the fourth.

The automated system had been tested in the minor leagues since 2019 and was used during major league spring training in 2025 and ’26. Some managers have said they will still find ways to argue and get ejected.

Before Wednesday’s game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone spoke in support of the new system and the importance of discussing decisions on challenges with his team ahead of time.

“I hope so,” Boone said when asked if he was excited. “We’ve had a lot of dialogue at it, it’s something that we’ve poured a lot into, I’ve certainly. It’s become one of the things I’ve kind of tried to lead the charge on a little bit. Another kind of end-of-spring meeting with all the position players and catchers at the end just kind of running through different ones that came up and give my feedback on it. I’ve been very direct with them during spring as far as after the fact if I thought one was really good or conversely if one was terrible.”

Boone stressed this will be a learning process for everybody involved.

“I’ve tried to be real direct with them and why,” he said. “I feel like we’re going to be good at it, that’s the expectation. I’m sure we’ll continue to evolve with it.”

New San Francisco skipper Tony Vitello, who came to the Giants from the University of Tennessee with no professional experience as a player or coach, said he had to remind himself earlier Wednesday that the robots might take over at times.

“‘I’ve got to be honest with you, one thing I was looking at is who are the umpires tonight?” he said. “You get on google the first thing you see is there’s going to be a robot umpire. And it was only for a millisecond but I kind of freaked out.”

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Up-and-coming youngsters, players reaching their potential, or on-the-cusp stars who are about to hit their stride. 

Who is poised to make some headlines in MLB this season? Our picks for one breakout player for all 30 teams.

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Baltimore Orioles: Shane Baz, RHP

One of the many former first-round picks in this list, Baz has yet to reach his full, true-ace potential after being limited by injuries. Finally, last year the right-hander stayed healthy and delivered a career-best 31 starts for the Rays, who traded him to Baltimore in December. Now entering his age-27 season, Baz looks primed to use his excellent stuff and control to emerge as a breakout candidate this year.  – Deesha Thosar

Boston Red Sox: Wilyer Abreu, RF

With Alex Cora saying a 30-plus homer season is incoming, this is the year Abreu is expected to make the jump into an All-Star caliber everyday outfielder. He turned heads in the World Baseball Classic for Venezuela, slugging a pair of clutch home runs against Japan and USA. Abreu only played in 115 games last year, but he hit 22 home runs and drove in 69. His offensive metrics indicate he’ll show off additional power this season. – Thosar

New York Yankees: Cam Schlittler, RHP

Schlittler is a fast-rising top-20 pitcher with grit and elite fastball velocity. This will be his second season in the majors after recording a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts for the Yankees last year. His breakout moment came against the Red Sox, the Walpole, Massachusetts native’s favorite childhood team, in the Wild Card series. Schlitter, in his first career postseason start, held Boston to eight shutout innings with 12 strikeouts, sending the Yankees to the Division Series. The Yankees are counting on Schlittler to be a key arm of the rotation, and his elite stuff points to a bright future in the league. – Thosar

Tampa Bay Rays: Chandler Simpson, OF

Simpson stole 44 bases and in 109 games in his first major-league stint, while slashing .295/.326/.345. He’s projected to steal 50-60 bags this season while leading off for the Rays. Simpson’s 2025 batting average is for real; the 25-year-old has elite contact ability and is considered the fastest player in baseball. He’s poised for a major breakout year in what should be his first full-season in the bigs. – Thosar

Toronto Blue Jays: Cody Ponce, RHP

Ponce returns to MLB for the first time since 2021 after pitching the best season ever in the KBO. He went 17-1, recorded a 1.89 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 252 strikeouts in 29 starts and 180.2 starts. Sure, a lot of pitchers come back from overseas and struggle in the big leagues, but the Blue Jays felt so strongly about Ponce’s redefined arsenal and uptick in velocity that they gave him a three-year contract worth $30 million, which will be an enormous value if all goes as expected. – Thosar

Chicago White Sox: Miguel Vargas, 3B

The 26-year-old third baseman produced his best season yet last year, hitting 16 home runs while slashing .234/.316/.401 in 138 games. He hovered around league average, and this year Vargas is expected to take a big step forward in a White Sox lineup that will give him every opportunity to start at the hot corner everyday. – Thosar

Cleveland Guardians: Chase DeLauter, OF

DeLauter is a former first-round pick who’s been held back by injuries since his 2022 draft. The 24-year-old outfielder is finally fully healthy and projected to spend the entire year in the big leagues. Though his injury history is concerning, there’s also a lot to like. DeLauter is considered a candidate to have a high average and 20-homer potential. – Thosar

Detroit Tigers: Kevin McGonigle, SS

McGonigle is ranked by MLB Pipeline as Detroit’s top prospect and No. 2 overall. He improved his defense in spring training and the Tigers can deploy him on the left side of the infield, opening up playing time and allowing him to show off his high-contact rate and lengthen the Tigers lineup. McGonigle’s patient plate approach and impressive power is a boon in Detroit. – Thosar

Kansas City Royals: Jac Caglianone, RF

Caglianone mightily struggled to adjust to major-league pitching in his 62-game debut last year. But the power that led to him being a first-round pick and a highly-touted prospect is all still there. He’s projected for 20-plus home runs this season and his droolworthy hard-hit rate has made Caglianone everyone’s top breakout candidate of the year. – Thosar

Minnesota Twins: Mick Abel, RHP

Abel joined the Twins last summer as part of the trade that sent closer Jhoan Duran to the Phillies. He recorded a 2.00 ERA, 23 strikeouts and only three walks in five starts and 18 innings in spring training. The right-hander not only earned a spot in Minnesota’s rotation, but he could ascend to become a top-of-the-rotation arm. Abel refined his repertoire over the winter and looks primed to be the Twins’ second-best starter behind Joe Ryan. – Thosar

Athletics: Denzel Clarke, CF 

Clarke is one of the best defenders in the major leagues, if not the best. He put on a show last season with multiple defensive gems in center field, but his bat wasn’t good enough for the starting lineup. This year, he’s projected to improve his offense to at least league-average, or close to it. If he can put more balls in play, Clarke’s speed will be a lethal asset, and he could end up having a three-win season. – Thosar

Houston Astros: Tatsuya Imai, RHP

The Astros have a ton of confidence in Imai’s ability to succeed after giving him a three-year, $54 million contract with opt-outs. His mid-90s velocity and four-pitch mix will play in Houston, even if the team will have to accommodate his routine with five days rest. If Imai can work on his control issues and develop more movement on his fastball, he could make the jump from a mid-rotation arm to a front-end starter. – Thosar

Los Angeles Angels: Jose Soriano, RHP

The Angels’ 2026 Opening Day starter, Soriano is the best in baseball at inducing ground balls thanks to a heavy sinker and potent knuckle curve. The 27-year-old right-hander showed flashes of dominance last season, allowing one run or fewer in 14 of his 31 starts. If he can limit his meltdowns, Soriano’s triple-digit velocity, five-pitch mix and still-increasing strikeout rate points to his future as a true front-end starter. – Thosar

Seattle Mariners: Colt Emerson, INF

It might take a little longer for Emerson to make his major-league debut, but he’ll likely join the Mariners at some point this year, and when he does, he’s expected to make a lot of noise. Emerson, a top-10 overall prospect, crushed 16 home runs across three minor-league levels last year. He should be a significant factor in the M’s postseason push in the second half. – Thosar

Texas Rangers: MacKenzie Gore, LHP

Gore showed elite swing-and-miss stuff for the Nationals last year, putting up a career-best three-win season before Texas traded for him in January. The Nats received five players from the Rangers for Gore, indicating how high the expectations are for him in Arlington. Gore, 27, will pitch behind Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom and is expected to excel under the guidance of the pitching staff. – Thosar

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Atlanta Braves: Michael Harris II, OF 

Four years ago, Harris looked like the game’s next star when he won Rookie of the Year honors with a 5.1-WAR season while producing an .853 OPS as a 21-year-old. Instead, every year since then, he has seen his OPS trend the wrong direction. The first half of last season — he had a .551 OPS at the break — might have been rock bottom. Harris still finished the year as a below league-average hitter, but he had an .845 OPS in the second half and wrapped up 2025 with his first 20-20 season. That could provide a jumping-off point for Harris to realize his 30-30 potential. – Rowan Kavner

Miami Marlins: Eury Perez, SP 

Two years ago at just 20 years old, the top pitching prospect started his big-league career with a 3.15 ERA and a 28.9% strikeout rate in 91.1 innings, but then he needed Tommy John surgery. Pérez returned last season with the same high velocity and swing-and-miss stuff, and now he enters 2026 ready to pick up where he left off. If he can limit hard contact and keep the ball in the park, the 6-foot-8 righty has the upside to be one of the best pitchers in the sport. – Kavner

New York Mets: Francisco Alvarez, C 

Alvarez has yet to fully take off since his first call up four years ago, and injuries have limited him to 176 games the last two seasons, but it’s worth remembering that he’s still just 24 years old. And after a hamate fracture early last season, Alvarez starred in the second half — he had an OPS over 1.000 in July and August — before a thumb sprain halted his progress. With a healthy season, the breakout we expected to already happen could finally be ahead. – Kavner

Philadelphia Phillies: Justin Crawford, OF 

The opportunity is there for Crawford, as the Phillies have demonstrated their faith in the 2022 first-round pick by handing him the keys in center field following Harrison Bader’s departure. Crawford won the International League batting title last year with a .334 batting average and posted a .411 on-base percentage with 46 steals. He has stolen at least 40 bases in all three of his minor-league seasons. His tendency to put the ball on the ground limits his ceiling, but his bat-to-ball skills and elite speed could make him one of the game’s top base-stealers in 2026. – Kavner

Washington Nationals: Cade Cavalli, SP 

Six years after the Nationals took him in the first round, after a long Tommy John recovery and setbacks that followed, Cavalli is about to be the Nationals’ Opening Day starter. Cavalli pitched one game in the big leagues in August 2022 and then waited three years before his next appearance in August 2025. Cavalli had a pedestrian 4.25 ERA in 10 starts last year, but the hard-throwing righty averaged a 97 mph fastball, got a lot of chase and missed barrels. This spring, he didn’t allow an earned run in four starts. – Kavner

Chicago Cubs: Daniel Palencia, RP 

Palencia’s sensational start to the 2025 season was followed by an uneven second half that ultimately saw him lose his ninth-inning role. Now, Palencia is back as the Cubs’ primary closer coming off an electric World Baseball Classic that ended with him firing a 99.7 mph fastball by Roman Anthony to win the tournament for Venezuela. He struck out nine of the 17 batters he faced in the competition and didn’t allow a hit or a run, and he didn’t allow a run in four spring outings, either. Last year provided a taste of what Palencia could bring, but this year could be the star breakout as one of the sport’s top closers. – Kavner

Cincinnati Reds: Sal Stewart, 1B

The 2022 first-round pick has hit at every level, including in the big leagues after his September call-up last season, when Stewart hit 21% above league average in 18 games before knocking in four runs in two games as a middle-of-the-order bat against the Dodgers in the National League wild-card series. Stewart can knock the cover off the ball, and he does it while maintaining strong bat-to-ball skills. He could quickly put up big numbers in his first full season, especially while playing his home games at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park. – Kavner

Milwaukee Brewers: Jackson Chourio, OF 

Chourio’s second season in the big leagues looked almost identical to his first, as he followed up a 21-homer, 22-steal rookie season in 2024 with 21 homers and 21 steals in 2025. It was a productive year, though not the superstar jump many expected. His slash-line numbers dipped slightly as his chase rate increased and walk rate decreased, and a nagging hamstring injury in the second half didn’t help his cause. In 2026, the full breakout could be ahead for the talented 22-year-old. – Kavner

Pittsburgh Pirates: Bubba Chandler, SP

Konnor Griffin will be the flashy pick here, and his arrival is on the horizon. But he’s starting the year in the minor leagues and, as this spring demonstrated, might need some time before he’s the superstar he is capable of being. In terms of 2026, give me Chandler, another top MLB prospect on the Pirates who made seven appearances last year (and should have made more) with a fastball that sat in the high-90s and a whiff rate over 30%. His 98.4 mph four-seamer this spring was the hardest on average of any Pirates pitcher, starter or reliever. – Kavner

St. Louis Cardinals: JJ Wetherholt, 2B 

One of the top prospects in baseball, Wetherholt is set to break camp with the Cardinals and will be among the favorites to contend for Rookie of the Year. Wetherholt, the No. 7 overall pick in 2024, slashed .306/.421/.510 with 17 homers and 23 steals and nearly an equal number of walks and steals between Double-A and Triple-A last year. His keen eye and advanced approach at the plate could allow him to handle the jump to the majors better than most 23-year-old rookies. – Kavner

Arizona Diamondbacks: Jordan Lawlar, OF 

The former top shortstop prospect’s first couple tastes of the majors didn’t go to plan, but now Lawlar is healthy and has a clearer path to regular playing time after moving to the outfield. When he’s on the field, Lawlar has consistently produced at the plate in the minor leagues, amassing a .990 OPS over the past three seasons. Those results haven’t translated to his 42 career big-league games (.478 OPS), but he has excelled at the plate this spring, and this could be the year it all comes together for the 23-year-old former first-round pick. – Kavner

Colorado Rockies: Ezequiel Tovar, SS 

Tovar has established himself as one of the most important young building blocks in Colorado primarily for his defense, but the Gold Glove Award winner starred for champion Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic (.471/.500/.647) and hit two home runs for the Rockies this spring. He was limited by multiple injuries last year, and his underlying numbers were better than his .694 OPS demonstrated. A below league average hitter to this point of his career, don’t be surprised if his best offensive season is ahead. – Kavner

Los Angeles Dodgers: River Ryan, SP 

If it were only based on merit this spring, Ryan would already be in the Dodgers’ rotation. His four-seamer averaged over 97 mph. His slider generated 13 whiffs on 24 swings. He looks all the way back from Tommy John surgery, which cut a promising rookie season short in 2024 after he excelled in four big-league appearances. There are questions about opportunity and workload here — he’s starting the season at Triple-A, and the Dodgers will want to be careful with his innings coming back from injury — but his arm is too talented to stay in the minors for long, especially if Roki Sasaki struggles. – Kavner

San Diego Padres: Jackson Merrill, OF 

After finishing as the runner-up to Paul Skenes for NL Rookie of the Year in 2024, last season represented a step back for Merrill. His strikeout and whiff rates jumped, he only stole one base, and he ended the year hitting just 12% better than league average. But injuries were a significant part of his 2025 story and help explain the regression. He started heating up again late in the year, registering a .946 OPS in September before recording three extra-base hits in the Padres’ wild-card series. For the Padres to do anything of note in 2026, they need Merrill to be a star. And as long as he’s healthy, I expect that jump to happen. – Kavner

San Francisco Giants: Jung Hoo Lee, OF 

Lee looked like he was transforming into a star for the Giants early last year, producing an OPS over .900 through April before crashing back down to earth. He had a .612 OPS in June and a .551 OPS in July before settling back in late in the year, producing a .306/.351/.439 slash line from the start of August through season’s end. He finished the year hitting 10% better than league-average hitter, but his tremendous bat-to-ball skills could make him much more than that. He’ll just need to avoid another prolonged summer slump. – Kavner

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Shohei Ohtani admitted in a recent interview with NBC that he doesn’t think about being compared to the likes of Tom Brady and Michael Jordan, but FOX Sports’ Chris Broussard thinks that the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ superstar might join that echelon of great athletes soon.

Broussard proclaimed that it’s “indisputable” that Ohtani is the best baseball player of all time on Wednesday’s episode of “First Things First.” However, Broussard said that you can’t call Ohtani the greatest of all time quite yet. 

“He’s the best we’ve ever seen,” Broussard said of Ohtani. “Babe Ruth was obviously a great pitcher, as well as a hitter. But he didn’t do them at the same time at that level. The most home runs he ever hit when he pitched full-time was 29. But when he was hinting 40, 50, 60 [home runs], he wasn’t pitching. He only pitched four games in the rest of his career during that time. Barry Bonds was the best I’ve seen prior to Ohtani. … Bonds only had, for all his greatness, one season where he hit 50 or more homers. Ohtani’s already had two 50-plus home run seasons.

“Not to mention the pitching. He has the all-time high in strikeouts per nine innings at 11.4. He just isn’t eligible yet. I think he’s clearly the BOAT (Best of All Time).”

As Broussard mentioned, Ohtani has certainly accomplished enough to put himself on a trajectory to become the greatest of all time. His four MVPs are already the second-most ever, trailing only Bonds’ seven. In 2024, he became the first player in MLB history to log 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season. He’s also the only player to win multiple MVPs in a unanimous fashion, and last season, he became the first player to ever win multiple MVPs in both the American and National Leagues. 

However, Broussard believes that Ohtani doesn’t have the longevity yet to be considered baseball’s greatest player ever. 

“I’ve got to be honest, as much as I think he’ll get there, this will only be his eighth complete season,” Broussard said. “I don’t think that’s enough to say ‘GOAT.’ Even though he has four MVPs, which is second-most to Bonds already, baseball is a sport about magic numbers — 3,000 hits, 500 homers, 300 wins — and he can’t hit any of those in eight seasons.”

To Broussard’s point, Ohtani’s volume stats would pale in comparison to many all-time greats. Even though he already has four seasons with at least 40 home runs, Ohtani has only hit 280 home runs in his career. That’s tied for 202nd all-time as he still needs 73 homers to crack the top 100 list.

This season presents a unique opportunity for Ohtani to add to his greatness, though. This will mark the first time since 2023 that Ohtani will begin a season as a hitter and a starting pitcher. If all goes well, it’ll be the first time since 2022 that Ohtani has spent a full season playing both sides. In the last season that Ohtani was a dual star, he hit 34 home runs and had a 2.33 ERA on the mound. He finished second in AL MVP voting and fourth in AL Cy Young voting that season. 

Normally, Broussard said he would use “10 or 11 years as a threshold” before considering someone as an all-time great. But he thinks Ohtani could be considered the greatest of all-time this year if he helps the Dodgers three-peat and has some pretty high individual success. 

“If they win the World Series, and he’s World Series MVP, regular season MVP and Cy Young winner, or if they win the World Series and he’s Cy Young or MVP, [he’s the GOAT,]” Broussard said. 

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

On the heels of a thrilling World Baseball Classic that captivated the nation, FOX Sports returns to the 2026 Major League Baseball season with a deep and dynamic roster of broadcasters — bringing its signature presentation of championship-level insight and industry-leading production to one of the most anticipated seasons in the sport.

FOX Sports has assembled top-tier talent both in the booth and studio, to provide compelling pre-game, in-game and post-game coverage. 

Entering their fifth season together, first-ballot Hall of Famer John Smoltz and Emmy Award-winning play-by-play announcer Joe Davis will call FOX Sports’ top regular season and playoff games. Veteran field reporters Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci will provide key information and additional reporting in the heat of the action. Together, FOX MLB’s lead team is comprised entirely of Emmy Award winners recognized for excellence in each of their respective roles.

Throughout the regular season, announcers Adam Amin, Eric Collins, Davis, Kevin Kugler and Connor Onion will team up with analysts Eric Karros, AJ Pierzynski, Smoltz, Verducci, Dontrelle Willis and Adam Wainwright in the booth.

FOX Sports’ coverage leads off Saturday, March 28, with a day-night doubleheader as action starts at 4:00 p.m. ET on FS1, with the Minnesota Twins facing the Baltimore Orioles (Onion, Verducci), followed by primetime regionalized matchups at 7:00 p.m. ET on FOX, featuring the New York Yankees at San Francisco Giants (Davis, Smoltz, Rosenthal); and Kansas City Royals at Atlanta Braves (Amin, Wainwright, Pierzynski).

Away from the field, FOX Sports will bring captivating studio coverage. 

A-Rod, Big Papi and The Captain – FOX MLB’s Emmy Award-winning desk features names that are synonymous with some of baseball’s biggest moments. Hall of Famers Derek Jeter and David Ortiz and World Series champion Alex Rodriguez, alongside host Kevin Burkhardt, bring credentialed analysis and seamless chemistry to the network’s studio coverage of marquee events.

Over the course of the season, Burkhardt, Chris Myers and Mike Hill host pregame and postgame coverage from the FOX Sports studio alongside a rotation of high-caliber analysts including former big-league stars Dontrelle Willis and Karros.

FOX Sports will also bring MLB coverage on FOX Deportes.

The leader in Spanish-language MLB coverage for more than two decades, FOX Deportes’ roster is led by veteran play-by-play announcer Adrian Garcia-Marquez, analyst and former MLB infielder Edgar Gonzalez, announcer/reporter Carlos Alvarez and veteran reporter, analyst Jaime Motta. Also joining the team are reporter Michelle Liendo and play-by-play announcer Rolando Nichols.

In addition to live broadcasts of each game, the network’s new daily program, TOTAL SPORTS 360, offers highlights, interviews and live reports throughout the postseason.
 

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports