Author: rincon

Jen Pawol will umpire during spring training for the third straight year but the major leagues’ first woman umpire did not get one of the permanent staff openings.

Tom Hanahan and Brian Walsh were promoted Friday to replace Mark Carlson and Phil Cuzzi, who are retiring. Carlson will become an umpire supervisor.

Jordan Baker, who worked the plate in Game 7 of last year’s World Series, will replace Carlson as a crew chief.

Pawol, 49, became the first woman major league umpire Aug. 9 and worked a total of five big league games last year. In 2024, she became the first woman to umpire big league spring training games since Ria Cortesio in 2007. Pawol has been a minor league ump since 2016 and has worked at Triple-A since 2023.

Walsh, 41, has worked 339 major league games as a call-up umpire and Hanahan, who is 35, has worked 329. Both made their major league debuts in 2023.

The 56-year-old Carlson made his major league debut in 1999 and has been a crew chief since 2021. He worked the World Series in 2015, 2020 and 2024, and he was behind the plate for a no-hitter by the Los Angeles Angels‘ Jered Weaver on May 2, 2012.

Cuzzi, 70, worked his first major league game in 1991 and worked the World Series in 2017. He was the plate umpire for no-hitters by St. Louis’ Bud Smith on Sept. 3, 2001, and by Philadelphia’s Cole Hamels on July 25, 2015.

Reporting by The Associated Press

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

Francisco Lindor, the longest-tenured New York Mets player, says he appreciates Steve Cohen’s declaration this that there will never be a team captain under his ownership.

“I respect it. This is definitely a Steve, front-office type decision. At the end of the day, being named captain or not, I’m still going to act the same,” Lindor told MLB.com in a story published Thursday. “This isn’t something that will make me different. I’m glad he put everything to bed, so that way we can stop talking about this. And move on.”

The 32-year-old shortstop and five-time All-Star is going into his sixth season with the Mets and is signed through 2031.

New York is entering its third season under manager Carlos Mendoza. The Mets allowed popular slugger Pete Alonso and star closer Edwin Díaz to leave as free agents and traded two homegrown Mets: outfielder Brandon Nimmo and versatile veteran Jeff McNeil.

In his first meeting with reporters at spring training this week, Cohen said not having a captain was his decision. He characterized the clubhouse as being unique, and that he prefers to let it sort itself out each year.

“Just my own views on how I want a locker room to be,” Cohen said. “My view is every year the team’s different and let the team kind of figure it out in the locker room rather than having a designation. Having a captain in baseball doesn’t happen often. It’s actually unusual.”

The only captains in Mets history have been Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, John Franco and David Wright, whose playing career ended in 2018.

“It’s not where they want to go,” Lindor told MLB.com. “I respect it, I understand it and I’m on board. It’s just one of those where it’s like, I’m going to focus on baseball. I feel like we’ve got leaders (without) captains and all that stuff. The clubhouse is the clubhouse. Let’s just play baseball, and let’s focus on winning.”

Lindor, long considered one of the team leaders, is rehabbing after surgery Feb. 11 to repair a broken hamate bone in his left hand, which could threaten his status for the start of this season. The surgery followed an evaluation by a hand specialist after he experienced soreness in the area around his hand and wrist.

In 160 games last season, Lindor had an MLB-high 762 plate appearances while hitting .267 with 31 homers, 86 RBIs and 31 steals. He was left off Puerto Rico’s roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic over insurance coverage.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

The two-time defending champions again made the ultimate splash(es) this offseason, while some other top teams kept us guessing for the majority of the cold season. Meanwhile, a surprising number of would-be contenders appear content with mediocrity.

 Outside any last-minute developments, the time for your favorite team to make vital moves is in the rearview mirror. Now that rosters are complete, there are players and clubs that stood out, for better or worse, this winter.

Before spring training games get underway, let’s look back and evaluate the winners and losers of this MLB offseason.

Winner: Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers, winners of the last two championships and every offseason of late, delivered again this winter when they snagged shutdown closer Edwin Diaz on a three-year, $69 million pact. Nobody saw that one coming, least of all his former team, the Mets.

Early in the offseason, Los Angeles addressed its only real flaw by bolstering the bullpen with one of the game’s best closers. The Dodgers didn’t even need to execute the blockbuster signing of Kyle Tucker to have a winning offseason. (See: their star-studded, back-to-back championship roster.)

Tucker and Diaz became the latest top free-agent players of the offseason to land in Hollywood, joining Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell as the Dodgers’ recent winter splashes. Rocking a $400 million-plus payroll, they are the overwhelming favorites to win the World Series in 2026. 

Loser: Houston Astros

The Astros missed the postseason last year for the first time since 2016, and they enter 2026 having failed to significantly improve that roster. Houston finished last season with 87 wins, and FanGraphs projects it to take a step back this year with 81.

The ‘Stros entered spring training with an awkward position-player group that has forced Isaac Paredes to be the odd man out. Carlos Correa is back at third base, Jose Altuve is manning second, Jeremy Pena is in the dirt at short, Christian Walker is at first, and Yordan Alvarez is DH. Either Paredes or Walker could be traded before Opening Day, but even if a deal materializes, Houston will need an All-Star caliber outfielder to significantly change its outlook for the season.

At the very least, the Astros reinforced their starting rotation by winning the Tatsuya Imai sweepstakes, one of the top international pitchers on the market. But that’s likely not enough to fill the hole Framber Valdez left behind. It was a strange and flat offseason for an Astros club trying to get back into the October dance.

Winner: Tigers ace Tarik Skubal

Baseball’s best pitcher, Skubal found himself in a unique position in his final year of arbitration with the Tigers. With over five years of service time and back-to-back Cy Young awards under his belt, Skubal was able to compare himself to any major-league pitcher in his prime rather than limit his field to arbitration-only players. He walked away from his hearings with a $32 million salary for 2026, breaking the salary record for a player in the arbitration system.

Skubal and his agent, Scott Boras, pushed the boundaries of the system and, in a way, set the market for everyone else. Few players, if any, will come close to matching Skubal’s talent and service time to use his case as precedent in future hearings. But it was a huge victory for Skubal, who dramatically raised his ceiling ahead of his free agency. 

Loser: San Diego Padres

Sure, the Padres’ spending is handcuffed due to large player salaries and a potential franchise sale, but we were expecting something to address the losses of All-Stars Dylan Cease, Robert Suarez, Luis Arraez and Ryan O’Hearn. Even though right-hander Michael King returned to San Diego’s rotation, its starting pitching staff without Cease and Yu Darvish is projected by FanGraphs to be in the league’s basement.

The Padres didn’t add elite talent or pitching depth this offseason, weakening their previously strong bullpen. And for a lineup that ranked 28th in home runs last year, no top-tier slugging additions were made to try and improve that position. Their current stars are aging and declining, and without real upgrades and reinforcements, this Padres season could very well be a car crash in slow motion.

Winner: Chicago Cubs

The Cubs responded aggressively in the wake of Tucker’s departure, signing third baseman Alex Bregman to the third-largest contract in the organization’s history. Bregman’s five-year, $175 million deal was a game changer in Wrigleyville. The big-market Cubs finally flexed their financial might in free agency, and it has boosted their chances of having one of the most successful seasons in the league this year. PECOTA has the Cubs, Braves and Mets essentially tied for the second-best record in the National League.

FanGraphs is not as high on Chicago’s rotation, which is projected to rank 19th in MLB with a group consisting of Shota Imanaga, Edward Cabrera, Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon and Cade Horton. The Cubs are hoping their strong lineup can outweigh any concerns about whether they did enough to upgrade the pitching staff. 

Winner(ish): Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays looked like an early winner of the winter when they jumped the market and signed right-hander Dylan Cease, the top starter available, to a massive seven-year, $210 million contract that marked the largest free-agent deal in franchise history. Cease, Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Cody Ponce and Shane Bieber (when he returns from a forearm injury) will give the Jays one of the best rotations in baseball.

But the reason Toronto isn’t a clear-cut winner is due to its lineup, which is objectively worse today than it was during Game 7 of the World Series. The Jays hoped to land Tucker, but were bridesmaids again for the top free agent of the class, and they were bizarrely not interested in bringing back homegrown second baseman Bo Bichette. Without a replacement for Bichette, the Blue Jays offense will be weaker than it has been in previous years, putting a damper on an otherwise solid offseason.

Loser: Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers’ complete refusal to even dabble in free agency, let alone be players, was disappointing. They enter the year representing the only team in MLB that distributed zero — none, zilch! — major-league deals this offseason.

Right-hander Brandon Woodruff agreeing to a one-year, qualifying offer was the only money Milwaukee spent in free agency on major-league acquisitions. Woodruff is now the team ace, but he’s not a replacement for Peralta.

The Brewers did make some trades that could be beneficial as soon as this year, with former Mets right-hander Brandon Sproat and infielder/outfielder Jett Williams headlining that list. The Brew Crew is far from doomed in the NL Central, but it was unfortunate to see Milwaukee refrain from spending when other smaller-market teams at least dipped their toes in free agency.

Winner: Pete Alonso and the Baltimore Orioles

At long last, the Orioles remembered they can spend money on top-tier free agents. Adding first baseman Pete Alonso to stabilize a young lineup was smart, and the O’s were overdue on bringing a right-handed slugger with elite power to Camden Yards. More than Baltimore, which goes into the season without a true ace in the rotation, Alonso is the real winner here.

New York’s former Polar Bear achieved his goal of landing a long-term deal (five years, $155 million) and playing for a contender. The Mets have remained steadfast in saying the market was thin for Alonso, and the first baseman still managed to secure a lucrative contract that takes him through his age-35 season. The O’s are immediately projected into the realm of World Series contenders, even if they likely didn’t do enough to bolster their rotation. 

Loser: Corner infielder Munetaka Murakami

The Japanese star signed extremely far below expectations when he agreed to a two-year, $34 million deal with the White Sox this offseason. Murakami, 26, was considered the best international talent available, with his contract projected to be north of $150 million on a long-term deal.

Instead, any team could’ve signed Murakami at that annual salary of $17 million, even the Angels or — gasp — the Rays. But it was particularly perplexing why top contenders didn’t get involved in Murakami’s prove-it deal, given that he was being hailed as the next Japanese phenom to take his incredible power bat to the States. 

Murakami possesses elite power (he broke the NPB record by hitting 56 home runs in 2022), but he also has a concerning swing-and-miss rate. His high strikeout clip against NPB arms was obviously concerning enough that no contender wanted to make the splash. It all amounted to a disappointing pay day for Murakami — unless he can reset his market with a couple of strong years on the South Side.

Maybe a Winner: New York Mets

This was a stunning execution of a complete roster turnover from Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns. After cutting ties with four longtime players (Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, Diaz and Jeff McNeil), it’s astonishing that the Mets are now right up there with the Braves and Cubs, projected to finish the season with the second-best NL record behind the Dodgers.

The splashy additions of Bichette and infielder Jorge Polanco add average and power to a lineup that parted ways with its franchise home-run leader in Alonso. Right-hander Freddy Peralta, acquired via trade with the Brewers, gives the Mets their first ace since Jacob deGrom. But replacing Diaz with closer Devin Williams is a downgrade, and concerns persist regarding the new-look infield.

Second baseman Marcus Semien is a defensive upgrade over McNeil, but at 35, his offensive production is not expected to be noteworthy. Former White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. is a low-risk, high-reward acquisition if he’s able to stay healthy.

There’s a lot of potential on this Mets roster, and they could be winners, but their question marks carry weight going into 2026. 

Loser(ish): New York Yankees

“Man, we’re the New York Yankees,” Aaron Judge thought as his front office sat on its hands and watched top free agents fly off the board earlier in the offseason. Judge was eager for the Yankees to re-sign outfielder Cody Bellinger, which they eventually did in January. That was their biggest and most significant move of the winter.

Bellinger is a perfect fit in the Bronx after he finished second in team WAR behind only Judge last year. Making sure he stayed in pinstripes was important. The Yankees were excellent last season even after losing Juan Soto to the Mets and Gerrit Cole to Tommy John surgery. Getting Cole back around May-June will be huge, but it’s fair to question whether running back the same roster will be enough to win their first championship since 2009. It’s not that the Yankees aren’t strong. In fact, FanGraphs has them projected to win the division with around 87 wins.

But since we’re strictly grading offseason moves, their inactivity with so much top talent available was underwhelming. There’s an argument that the front office should be doing more while Judge, 34, is in the final years of his prime.

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That won’t necessarily be Bobby Valentine behind the sunglasses and fake mustache at Citi Field this summer.

Among several promotions the New York Mets announced Thursday is a Bobby Valentine Disguise Night on May 29, inspired by what the former manager donned to return to the dugout after being ejected from a game in 1999. The giveaway for the first 15,000 fans will be a mustache-glasses getup similar to what was worn by Valentine.

“I love it!,” Valentine wrote in a text to The Associated Press about the planned giveaway.

While Valentine went 536-467 as the Mets manager from 1996-2002, and helped guide them to the 2000 World Series, he is perhaps best remembered for his dugout disguise. The now 75-year-old former manager has even played into that over the years.

When Valentine was introduced during the Mets’ Old-Timers’ Day in 2022, he came out donning a fake mustache, drawing a loud chuckle from the crowd at Citi Field.

During a television broadcast of a Mets game at the Los Angeles Angels in 2024, Valentine did an in-game interview in the Angels’ booth wearing a disguise.

It was on June 9, 1999, that the excitable Valentine was ejected from a game against the Toronto Blue Jays. He was tossed in the 12th inning but returned to the dugout with a fake mustache fashioned from eye black and sunglasses for the rest of the 4-and-a-half-hour game that the Mets won in 14 innings.

Valentine was later suspended for two games and fined $5,000 for the stunt.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

One might mistake the list of pitchers participating in the 2026 World Baseball Classic for an MLB All-Star Game roster — but this isn’t a prank. 

The 2026 WBC is bringing out MLB’s best position players and pitchers across the board. After ranking the top-10 hitters that will star in the tournament, we’re taking a look at the top-10 pitchers in the 2026 WBC.

Note: Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is playing for Japan, but won’t be pitching. Minnesota Twins RHP Pablo Lopez (Venezuela) has an elbow injury that threatens his 2026 availability, hence his exclusion from this list.

[2026 WBC: Full World Baseball Classic Broadcast Schedule]

Following an injury-shortened 2024 campaign, Luzardo, who posted a 3.48 ERA with the Miami Marlins from 2022-23, got back on track in his debut season with the Phillies last year. Recording a 3.92 ERA, 3.9 wins above replacement and a career-high 216 strikeouts, the southpaw was a rock in Philadelphia’s 2025 starting staff. Luzardo posts strikeouts at a high clip and consistently deploys five pitches: four-seamer, sweeper, changeup, sinker and slider.

Ryan has become an ace. Last year, the Twins’ right-hander posted a career-best 3.42 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 4.5 wins above replacement and 194 strikeouts across 171 innings pitched in 31 appearances (30 starts), helping Ryan earn his first career All-Star nod. He primarily relies on his four-seamer, while mixing in a sweeper and sinker, among other pitches. Over the past two seasons (2024-25), Ryan has recorded a combined 3.50 ERA and 1.01 WHIP.

The only reason why Alcántara, a two-time All-Star, isn’t higher on this list is because of an elbow injury that forced him to miss 2024 and a bumpy start to the 2025 season. When healthy and at his best, Alcántara is one of the best pitchers in the sport. Alcántara, who won the 2022 National League Cy Young Award, pitches deep into games and has a consistent five-pitch arsenal: sinker, changeup, curveball, four-seamer and slider. Over Alcántara’s past 12 starts in 2025, he looked more like his stellar self, posting a combined 3.13 ERA over 77 2/3 innings pitched.

In a short period of time, Sanchez has become an indispensable member of Philadelphia’s starting rotation. Last season, the left-hander posted a 2.50 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, an NL-high eight wins above replacement and 212 strikeouts across 202 innings pitched (32 starts). The year prior (2024), Sanchez recorded a 3.32 ERA in 31 starts. Sanchez leans on his sinker and changeup, while mixing in a slider. He has also answered the bell for the Phillies in the postseason, posting a combined 2.79 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across four career postseason starts.

Suarez is a stud. The veteran left-hander, who signed a five-year deal with the Red Sox this offseason after spending the first eight seasons of his career with the Phillies (2018-25), throws five pitches with frequency: sinker, changeup, cutter, curveball and four-seamer. He owns a career 3.38 ERA, has habitually evaded damage and established himself as one of the best left-handers in the sport. It’s all about his health, as Suarez hasn’t made 30 starts in a single season in his MLB career due to a slew of back, hamstring and elbow injuries, among others.

Castillo has consistently been one of the best starting pitchers in the sport. Over his three-plus seasons with the Mariners (Castillo was acquired by the Mariners during the 2022 season and previously spent five-plus seasons with the Cincinnati Reds), Castillo sports a combined 3.46 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. Moreover, he owns a combined 2.38 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with the Mariners across four postseason starts/five postseason appearances. Castillo, a three-time All-Star, continues to find success by relying on his four-seamer and mixing in a sinker, slider and changeup.

Webb is one of the West Coast’s best-kept secrets, as the career-long Giants’ right-hander is among MLB’s elite starting pitchers. He led the NL in innings pitched and finished top-six in NL Cy Young voting in each of the past three seasons, while totaling a career- and NL-best 224 strikeouts in 2025. Webb’s go-to pitch is his sinker, with a sweeper and changeup on standby. Webb, a two-time All-Star who owns a career 3.38 ERA, was sensational for the Giants in his two starts during the 2021 playoffs, recording a mere 0.61 ERA and 0.68 WHIP across 14 2/3 innings.

Yamamoto has been exceptional for the Dodgers across his first two seasons in the sport (2024-25). Last season, he recorded a 2.49 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 4.9 wins above replacement and 201 strikeouts in 173 2/3 innings pitched (30 starts). Yamamoto brings the heat with his four-seamer and makes hitters look silly with his split-finger fastball and curveball. Then, the right-hander put on a show for the ages in the postseason, which saw him throw two complete games and later appear in three games for the Dodgers in the 2025 World Series — including 2 2/3 scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Game 7 — and ultimately win MVP honors for the series.

What has Skenes done in his first two seasons in the show? The better question is, what hasn’t he done? The hard-throwing right-hander followed up winning 2024 NL Rookie of the Year honors by winning the 2025 NL Cy Young Award in a season that saw Skenes post a 1.97 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 216 strikeouts, a 217 ERA+ and 7.7 wins above replacement across 32 starts. He overwhelms hitters with his four-seamer, and they bite at his off-speed offerings. Skenes is already among the elite of the elite and sports a career 1.96 ERA. One could argue that no pitcher in the 21st century has emerged on the big-league scene and been this great this quickly.

Skubal is the man. He’s won each of the past two American League Cy Young Awards, while leading the AL in ERA, ERA+ and wins above replacement among pitchers in both seasons, as well. Skubal, who totaled a career-high 241 strikeouts in the 2025 regular season, was a menace for the Tigers in his three postseason starts last year, recording a 1.74 ERA, 0.68 WHIP and 36 strikeouts across 20 2/3 innings. The southpaw logs strikeouts at a high rate, seldom surrenders baserunners and finds success by primarily leaning on his changeup and four-seamer. He’s MLB’s best pitcher.

Honorable mentions:

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Bruce Meyer has been elected as the new executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association in a unanimous vote, according to a report from ESPN on Wednesday.

Meyer succeeds Tony Clark, who stepped down from his position as the MLBPA’s executive director on Tuesday, after an internal investigation reportedly revealed an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, who was hired as a union employee in 2023. Clark is also the subject of an ongoing federal investigation surrounding the union’s handling of finances.

Meyer has held the title of MLBPA deputy executive director since 2022, but he has been with the union since 2018 and served as the lead negotiator in the last CBA negotiations, a role he said he on Wednesday that he planned on resuming in the wake of Clark’s resignation. 

“Everything’s up to the players, but I don’t anticipate that anybody’s going to be leading negotiations other than me,” Meyer said.

Meyer is the sixth director in the MLBPA’s history.

This is a developing story.

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports

SURPRISE, Ariz. — The morning after Tony Clark’s abrupt resignation, the Major League Baseball Players Association was still without an acting executive director. But that could change as soon as Wednesday afternoon. 

The union’s executive board of player representatives met Tuesday afternoon with MLBPA staff and outside counsel to discuss next steps following Clark’s ouster but did not come to a vote on a successor. That vote, however, could take place before the end of the day Wednesday, when MLBPA’s executive board is expected to reconvene to determine future leadership. 

Union officials began their annual spring training camp visits by meeting with Royals players on Wednesday morning. Following that visit, Royals player rep John Schreiber said he thinks the MLBPA could have a new executive director by day’s end. 

“We’ll see how the meeting goes today,” Schreiber said. “We’re going on the right path. I think we’ll have a decision shortly.” 

Clark, who had led the MLB players union since 2013, resigned from his role on Tuesday after an internal investigation reportedly revealed an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, who was hired as a union employee in 2023. Separately, a federal investigation into Clark and the union’s handling of finances remains ongoing. 

Clark was scheduled to join union officials on Tuesday to begin the MLBPA’s first camp visits with the Guardians before that meeting was canceled. 

MLBPA deputy executive director Bruce Meyer said the information that led to Clark’s resignation did not come to light until the last “72 hours or so.” 

“Just on a personal level, I think we were all fairly devastated by things that have happened in the last 48 to 72 hours,” Meyer said. “I’m not going to go beyond that in terms of personal feelings, but it’s fair to say we were all personally upset, concerned about Tony. But I think this was something players determined had to happen at this particular point in time, and we’ll move forward and again be strong as we always are.”

What’s next in the search for a new union leader

Meyer is perhaps the most logical option to replace Clark, however that decision had not been made as of Wednesday morning. Meyer offered no comment when asked if he wanted to be the next executive director or if there were other internal candidates. 

“We want the union to be in a good place,” Meyer said. “We want the union to remain strong. That’s all any of us care about.” 

Whether or not Meyer ends up being voted in as Clark’s successor, he expects to continue his role as the union’s lead negotiator ahead of what is likely to be a contentious labor battle. 

“Everything’s up to the players, but I don’t anticipate that anybody’s going to be leading negotiations other than me,” Meyer said. 

The new executive director will be voted on by the 72-member executive board, which includes the eight-member executive subcommittee, 30 player representatives and 34 minor league positions. 

“Players, I think, are aware there’s a need in terms of stability both internally and otherwise for ideally a quick decision,” Meyer said. “But on the other hand, it’s more important for players to make the right decision. They recognize that, and they’ll take as much time as they feel they need.” 

What’s next for the unity and strength of the MLBPA 

The current MLB collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, after which the owners could decide to lock out the players if a deal hasn’t been reached. 

That makes the timing of the director vacancy particularly troubling, though Meyer remained adamant that it won’t impact negotiations with the league. 

“We don’t expect anything to change in terms of bargaining,” Meyer said. “We’ve been preparing for bargaining for years. Players have been preparing. Players know what’s coming. At the end of the day, leadership is important, and leadership comes and goes, but what remains is the players. At the end of the day, it’s the players who determine the direction of the union. At the end of the day, it’s the players who determine our priorities in bargaining. Those priorities obviously have not changed and will not change.”

Meyer also went on to say he doesn’t think Clark’s resignation will weaken the union. 

“Anybody who’s going to assume that and act on that is really making a mistake,” Meyer said. “I’m not going to say this is a great thing. This is unforeseen. There have been some issues hanging over, as you know, and in some respects it’s good to get them out of the way sooner than later. 

“I’m not going to say this is like a nothing and that there’s not going to be some disruptions, but at the end of the day, bargaining is the most important thing, it’s always been the most important thing, and our team that’s been preparing for that for years remains in place.”

[MLB Spring Training Buzz: Dodgers RHP Brusdar Graterol Not Yet Ready for 2026]

What’s next for the timeline of negotiations

Meyer doesn’t anticipate Clark’s ouster to impact the timing of negotiations, which are expected to begin at some point after Opening Day, likely in April. 

“For reference, I checked, last time we started on April 20,” Meyer said. “There’s no hard and fast rule, but we’ll be ready, and I anticipate that it will operate on a normal schedule starting sometime in the spring.” 

The question looming over the upcoming negotiations is how far owners will go to enforce a salary cap, which is a concept the players have always strongly rejected. 

“We have a duty to the players and otherwise to listen to anything the league offers,” Meyer said. “We will evaluate, analyze anything that’s offered. We will report to our players and give them our recommendations. Our position, and the historic position of this union for decades on a salary cap, is well-known. It’s the ultimate restriction. It’s something that owners in all the sports have wanted more than anything, and in baseball in particular there’s a reason for that — because it’s good for them and not good for players.”

Last spring, MLBPA officials met with teams to discuss bargaining and the upcoming 2026 negotiations. They then went on a summer tour with teams, something they hadn’t done before, meeting with each team individually on the road to continue discussing bargaining. 

“We got great participation in that, great engagement,” Meyer said. “We had a fantastic board meeting in December. In between, talking to players, not just me but our former players on staff. So, guys are engaged. Guys are locked in. Guys appreciate the importance and significance of what’s coming.”

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.

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The snow is slowly melting, and the days are getting longer and warmer. Yes, Major League Baseball is back. 

Well, almost back. 

Spring training games begin this week, and we are a little more than a month away from the return of the MLB regular season. 

We are coming off the high of one of the greatest World Series in baseball history and an epic Game 7 that crowned the Dodgers as the first back-to-back champions since the Yankees of the early 2000s. 

Now, 2026 promises to be another exciting year. 

With the season fast approaching, let’s take a look at the American League East and a wager that I believe offers tremendous value regarding the potential division champion.

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Last year, the team with the longest division odds and lowest win total in the East, the Toronto Blue Jays, outperformed their last-place projection and won the division on their way to the World Series. Will 2026 see another long shot pay off in the ultra-competitive AL East? 

I’m looking at the Baltimore Orioles at +475. 

In 2023, the Orioles won 101 games and won the AL East. In 2024, the Orioles and Yankees had a season-long battle for the division, with the Yankees eventually pulling away and coming out on top. That young and promising Orioles team won 91 games but got swept in the wild-card round by the Royals. 

The Orioles’ disappointing postseason exit was a sign of things to come, and 2025 was a season derailed by a cluster of injuries to the pitching staff and regression by some of their talented young position players. This year, however, could look more like the ’23 and ‘24 seasons in what I expect to be a bounce-back year in Baltimore. 

The pitching rotation — at least for now — is healthy. Righty Kyle Bradish returned at the tail end of last year and is generating some buzz as a Cy Young sleeper. Lefty Trevor Rogers emerged as one of the best arms in baseball last year and, despite only throwing 109 innings, he found his way onto the Cy Young ballot with a 1.81 era.  

Shane Baz was once a highly touted pitching prospect and will likely see his stats improve after leaving the hitter-friendly Steinbrenner Field following his trade from the Tampa Bay Rays. Veteran Chris Bassitt was signed recently. He is a solid innings-eater who won 15 games in 2022 and led the AL in wins in 2023 with 16, consistently logging 27 or more starts every year since 2019 (outside the 2020 shortened season).

The pitching is infinitely better than it was last year, and the offense should get a bump as well. All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso and outfielder Taylor Ward were both added in the offseason, supplementing what looks to be a dynamic lineup. Those two players combined for 74 home runs in 2025. 

It’s a competitive division, perhaps the best in baseball, but the Yankees and Red Sox did very little over the offseason to improve their teams and the Blue Jays will have to prove they were not a one-year wonder. 

The value here is on the Orioles at a juicy number to rebound and win the AL East crown.

PICK: Orioles (+475) to win AL East

Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports