Following a shocking loss in the 2025 Final Four, Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils have reloaded their roster after the departure of several key players.
Starting freshman Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel and Khaman Maluach all declared for the 2025 NBA Draft. The same goes for Sion James and Tyrese Proctor.
But Scheyer was quick to build a team that could be just as competitive in the 2025-26 college basketball season, and it starts with the recruiting class.
The Blue Devils had already landed three five-star recruits (
Playing for FC Barcelona since 2022, Sarr impressed scouts in April’s Nike Hoop Summit, recording 17 points and four rebounds in 25 minutes. The 6-foot-7 five-star prospect (247 Sports) was originally favored to play for Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks, but a recent visit to Durham landed him with Duke.
“Duke was my dream school,” Sarr said to ESPN. “I watched a lot of NCAA games this season, especially Duke. I played with Jabari Parker this season, who went to Duke. When I had the chance to go there, I had to take it.”
April showers bring May free agency rankings updates.
Enough said, you know the drill.
(Note: Whenever you see a number, a slash and another number, that’s a reference to contract years and total earnings. For instance, the shorthand for Bryce Harper’s 11-year, $330 million deal would be “11/330.” Ages listed below are for the 2026 season.)
1. Kyle Tucker, Cubs OF, age 29 (April rank 1)
Following a supersonic start to his Cubs tenure, Tucker has slightly cooled off over the past month. The underlying numbers indicate Tucker’s May swoon is just a small blip. He’s still the runaway top free agent for the upcoming class and a lot would have to happen for that to change. There has been no additional extension chatter over the past month between Tucker and the Cubs, increasing the already high likelihood he reaches free agency this winter.
2. Alex Bregman (opt-out), Red Sox 3B, age 32 (2)
Bregman picked a darn good time to have a career year. The veteran currently has the sixth-highest OPS in MLB. His Red Sox haven’t ventured far beyond the .500 mark this year — they entered Thursday 25-26 — but things would be much bleaker in Beantown if not for Bregman.
Boston recently played a three-game set in Detroit against the Tigers, who Bregman spurned over the offseason. Instead of accepting Detroit’s more traditional long-term offer, Bregman went for Boston’s short-term, high-value, opt-out-laden deal. That’s paid off mightily so far. Tigers fans, despite their team’s sensational 2025, did not forget, booing Bregman upon his arrival in the Motor City. That may be a short-sighted decision, considering Bregman looks like a near lock to activate his opt-out and re-enter the market this winter.
3. Pete Alonso (opt-out), Mets 1B, age 31 (3)
Alonso’s strikeout rate has skyrocketed over the past few weeks, going from 14.6 percent in March/April to 33.7 percent in May, baseball’s sixth-highest punch-out percentage this month. His overall numbers aren’t terrible. The Polar Bear is still cranking the ball with authority, but it’s a notable decrease from his hot start. Lefty hurlers, in particular, are giving Alonso fits as the Mets first baseman is currently 3-for-23 with 12 punchouts against southpaws this month. Some of that is surely small sample size, but Alonso’s chase and in-zone whiff rates vs. lefties have spiked notably in May.
This may seem like picking nits, but with a player like Alonso, whose entire value is so dependent on offensive production, minor trends can become major concerns. We saw as much last winter when he failed to secure the contract he was looking for. Is Pete one of the top five hitters in the game? Top 10? Top 25? The answer matters a great deal as far as his bank account is concerned. We considered dropping Alonso below Kyle Schwarber, but sided with Alonso’s age, positional advantage and our belief that he gets back to elite production.
4. Kyle Schwarber, Phillies DH, age 33 (4)
Schwarber just keeps raking. His 17 homers are currently tied with Shohei Ohtani for the MLB lead. His .963 OPS is tied for fourth, behind only Aaron Judge, Freddie Freeman and Ohtani. And he’s doing it all while striking out at a career-low 21.6 percent clip.
The likeliest scenario still remains a reunion with the Phillies, who desperately need to retain their slugging DH in order to keep their competitive window open. But with every long ball, Schwarber’s price tag keeps on rising.
5. Framber Valdez, Astros SP, age 32 (7) 6. Michael King, Padres SP, age 31 (8) (2026 mutual option) 7. Dylan Cease, Padres SP, age 30 (6)
Valdez had a couple stinkers in April, but he’s been sensational as of late. As long as he continues to conjure an avalanche of ground balls, his trademark, Framber will stay toward the top of the list.
Consistency has been the calling card for King, who has yet to allow more than three runs in a single start this season.
Cease has had a slow start by his standards (ERA), but that’s mostly been about bad luck rather than any notable change to the right-hander’s profile. His peripheral numbers remain strong and he has been better in his past three outings (6 ER in 20 1/3 with 25 Ks). We aren’t too worried.
8. Marcell Ozuna, Braves DH, age 35 (5)
The Big Bear’s numbers have slid a smidge in May, though he’s still a top 25 hitter by most metrics. It won’t help Ozuna that he’s hitting the open market alongside Schwarber and Alonso, two similarly one-dimensional sluggers who have him beat in age and positional flexibility. Ozuna has not started a game in the outfield since April 2, 2023. He remains a dynamic hitter, but signing Ozuna means clogging up your DH spot for the entirety of his contract, something that not every team will be interested in.
9. Cody Bellinger, Yankees OF, age 30 (NR)
Bellinger has bounced back from a slow start, posting a .983 OPS across his past 25 games entering Thursday while providing great defense in two outfield spots. That hot stretch has pushed the “will-he-opt-out” meter back toward yes, though chances are it will be a borderline call once again for the former NL MVP.
Last winter, Bellinger declined to activate his opt-out while still a member of the Cubs because he, and his representation, weren’t confident enough that Bellinger could garner more than the $27.5 million he was due in 2025. Chicago didn’t want Bellinger on their roster at that price and shipped him off to The Bronx for nothing but salary relief. Bellinger’s salary drops to $25 million next year, the last year of his contract, making it more likely he opts out this go-round.
10. Bo Bichette, Blue Jays SS, age 28 (14)
11. Gleyber Torres, Tigers 2B, age 29 (25)
Bichette is making that subpar 2024 look like a blip instead of a trend. The sweet-swinging shortstop cut his long locks before the season, but in most other respects, he’s playing like the Bo Bichette who ranked as one of the game’s top shortstop from 2021 to 2023. The home runs haven’t fully returned, but if that happens too, Bichette could push himself over the $100 million mark.
Just six qualified hitters have more walks than strikeouts right now: Luis Arraez, Geraldo Perdomo, Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts, Juan Soto and Torres. It’s been a fantastic first two months in Detroit for Gleyber, who has sliced his strikeout rate in half. That’s come alongside big improvements in his batted ball data. He’s still a bad infielder, but the bearded version of Torres is thriving outside The Bronx.
12. Munetaka Murakami, Yakult Swallows 3B, age 26 (9)
The highly-touted Japanese slugger has been sidelined with a vague upper body injury since our most recent free-agent update and sinks on the list as a result. In the 2023 WBC, a 23-year-old Murakami hit fifth for champion Japan, slotted right behind Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida. He and the Swallows have had this upcoming winter circled for some time as the moment Murakami would make the MLB leap. But if his jump-year continues to be so thoroughly derailed by injuries, there’s a chance the NPB’s all-time single season domestic home run leader stays in Japan for one more year.
13. Cedric Mullins, Orioles CF, age 31 (12) 14. Josh Naylor, D-backs 1B, age 29 (13)
Mullins and Naylor have cooled off significantly in May, with OPS point drops of .318 and .249 respectively. They both stay relatively high on our rankings because we think they’ll even out to career norms. Given Baltimore’s catastrophic decline into competitive irrelevance, there’s an increasing chance that Mullins gets traded. That would probably raise the ceiling on his free agency as a midseason trade would make him ineligible to receive a qualifying offer. Teams would then be more inclined to sign him, considering they wouldn’t have to forfeit a draft pick for doing so.
15. Luis Arraez, Padres 1B, age 28 (15)
After a slow start and an injury scare, Arraez is back to his old tricks, well… trick. He really just hits a bunch of singles. Baseball’s batting average merchant is “only” hitting .301 right now, which is a tick below what we’ve come to expect from Arraez. That number should continue trending up, making Arraez a puzzling free agent proposition. He can’t play defense, he doesn’t run the bases well, he’s allergic to hard contact, but boy oh boy can he conjure up a good piece of hitting.
16. Zac Gallen, D-backs SP, age 29 (10) 17. Tyler Mahle, Rangers SP, age 32 (16) 18. Chris Bassitt, Blue Jays SP, age 37 (18)
We’re a little worried about Gallen. His surface-level and peripheral numbers have been in steady decline for a few years now. Gallen is one of only seven qualified starters this year with a HR/9 at 1.5 or over and BB/9 at 4.0 or over. In other words, he’s allowing a lot of base runners and giving up a lot of home runs. That’s a bad combo. Some team with faith in its pitching development group will leap at the chance to try and refurbish a fallen ace, but that’s what Gallen is right now.
Mahle has a 1.47 ERA, the fifth-best starter ERA in baseball, just like everyone predicted. He’s been a huge part of a Rangers rotation that ranks second in starter ERA, just like everyone predicted. Mahle has allowed two runs or fewer in all 10 of his starts this year thanks to a stellar fastball-splitter combo that has kept hitters guessing. The longer he keeps this up, the higher he’ll climb on the list.
Bassitt on the other hand, feels nice and comfy here in the late teens as a reliable, but unspectacular veteran arm. It’s a delightful profile; Bassit doesn’t walk dudes, throws a ton of different pitches and hoovers up outs with his sinker. Do you want him working through a lineup three times in a playoff game? No, but tons of contenders will be looking at Bassitt to round out their rotations.
19. Trent Grisham, Yankees OF, age 29 (36)
The biggest riser on the list, Grisham just continues to rake. After three straight seasons of mediocre results (two in San Diego, one in The Bronx) the mustachioed outfielder is finally capitalizing on his elite plate discipline and impressive power. His .274 season batting average feels due for some regression, but Grisham is always going to run a strong OBP. This is a center fielder on the good side of 30 having a career year as he reaches free agency. That should put Grisham in line for a surprising payday.
20. Griffin Canning, Mets SP, age 29 (24)
With each strong start, Canning’s out-of-nowhere 2025 feels realer and realer. At this point, for the Mets right-hander, it’s all about showing he can do it over a full season. He’ll definitely get the opportunity to prove that. Entering spring training, Canning felt like the prime candidate to be the Mets’ long man, but injuries to Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas pushed him into the rotation. That’s been a massive win so far, for all parties.
21. Ryan Helsley, Cardinals RP, age 31 (20) 22. Luke Weaver, Yankees RP, age 32 (27) 23. Devin Williams, Yankees RP, age 31 (21)
Helsley has never been a control artist, but his walk rate has nearly doubled this season. He’s still effective because, well, he throws 99, but if the walks continue and the batted ball luck gets worse, he could be in some trouble. We still like his overall profile — track record, age, stuff — more than the other free-agent relievers to-be.
Williams’ early-season struggles pushed him out of New York’s closer role and Weaver into it. That’s paid off for the Yankees so far. Weaver has allowed just one earned run this season in 21 2/3 innings, while Williams has rediscovered his form as the setup guy. Both should end up with multi-year contracts this winter.
24. Jack Flaherty (opt-out), Tigers SP, age 29 (11)
Flaherty’s fastball velocity is down to 92.9, the lowest of his career. His numbers are more meh than disastrous, but if his heat doesn’t resurface it will almost certainly make clubs wary of offering Flaherty a long-term deal. To become a free agent, he’d have to opt out of a $20 million contract for next year, something that looks less and less likely with each underwhelming outing.
25. J.T. Realmuto, Phillies C, age 35 (19)
He’s hitting the ball harder and walking more, but everything else about Realmuto’s offensive profile has continued to decline. He’s currently 21st in OPS among catchers with at least 100 plate appearances. Realmuto is still an elite thrower behind the dish and has a magnificent game-calling reputation, but he hasn’t graded out as an above average framer since 2021. Because he’ll essentially be the only catcher on the open market, Realmuto should get a two-year contract, but the offensive dip is hard to avoid.
The next 25
Zach Eflin, Orioles SP, age 31 (17)
Robert Suarez, Padres RP, age 35 (22)
Ranger Suarez, Phillies SP, age 30 (25)
Dustin May, Dodgers SP, age 28 (26)
Brandon Woodruff (mutual option), Brewers SP, age 33 (30)
April showers bring May free agency rankings updates.
Enough said, you know the drill.
(Note: Whenever you see a number, a slash and another number, that’s a reference to contract years and total earnings. For instance, the shorthand for Bryce Harper’s 11-year, $330 million deal would be “11/330.” Ages listed below are for the 2026 season.)
1. Kyle Tucker, Cubs OF, age 29 (April rank 1)
Following a supersonic start to his Cubs tenure, Tucker has slightly cooled off over the past month. The underlying numbers indicate Tucker’s May swoon is just a small blip. He’s still the runaway top free agent for the upcoming class and a lot would have to happen for that to change. There has been no additional extension chatter over the past month between Tucker and the Cubs, increasing the already high likelihood he reaches free agency this winter.
2. Alex Bregman (opt-out), Red Sox 3B, age 32 (2)
Bregman picked a darn good time to have a career year. The veteran currently has the sixth-highest OPS in MLB. His Red Sox haven’t ventured far beyond the .500 mark this year — they entered Thursday 25-26 — but things would be much bleaker in Beantown if not for Bregman.
Boston recently played a three-game set in Detroit against the Tigers, who Bregman spurned over the offseason. Instead of accepting Detroit’s more traditional long-term offer, Bregman went for Boston’s short-term, high-value, opt-out-laden deal. That’s paid off mightily so far. Tigers fans, despite their team’s sensational 2025, did not forget, booing Bregman upon his arrival in the Motor City. That may be a short-sighted decision, considering Bregman looks like a near lock to activate his opt-out and re-enter the market this winter.
3. Pete Alonso (opt-out), Mets 1B, age 31 (3)
Alonso’s strikeout rate has skyrocketed over the past few weeks, going from 14.6 percent in March/April to 33.7 percent in May, baseball’s sixth-highest punch-out percentage this month. His overall numbers aren’t terrible. The Polar Bear is still cranking the ball with authority, but it’s a notable decrease from his hot start. Lefty hurlers, in particular, are giving Alonso fits as the Mets first baseman is currently 3-for-23 with 12 punchouts against southpaws this month. Some of that is surely small sample size, but Alonso’s chase and in-zone whiff rates vs. lefties have spiked notably in May.
This may seem like picking nits, but with a player like Alonso, whose entire value is so dependent on offensive production, minor trends can become major concerns. We saw as much last winter when he failed to secure the contract he was looking for. Is Pete one of the top five hitters in the game? Top 10? Top 25? The answer matters a great deal as far as his bank account is concerned. We considered dropping Alonso below Kyle Schwarber, but sided with Alonso’s age, positional advantage and our belief that he gets back to elite production.
4. Kyle Schwarber, Phillies DH, age 33 (4)
Schwarber just keeps raking. His 17 homers are currently tied with Shohei Ohtani for the MLB lead. His .963 OPS is tied for fourth, behind only Aaron Judge, Freddie Freeman and Ohtani. And he’s doing it all while striking out at a career-low 21.6 percent clip.
The likeliest scenario still remains a reunion with the Phillies, who desperately need to retain their slugging DH in order to keep their competitive window open. But with every long ball, Schwarber’s price tag keeps on rising.
5. Framber Valdez, Astros SP, age 32 (7) 6. Michael King, Padres SP, age 31 (8) (2026 mutual option) 7. Dylan Cease, Padres SP, age 30 (6)
Valdez had a couple stinkers in April, but he’s been sensational as of late. As long as he continues to conjure an avalanche of ground balls, his trademark, Framber will stay toward the top of the list.
Consistency has been the calling card for King, who has yet to allow more than three runs in a single start this season.
Cease has had a slow start by his standards (ERA), but that’s mostly been about bad luck rather than any notable change to the right-hander’s profile. His peripheral numbers remain strong and he has been better in his past three outings (6 ER in 20 1/3 with 25 Ks). We aren’t too worried.
8. Marcell Ozuna, Braves DH, age 35 (5)
The Big Bear’s numbers have slid a smidge in May, though he’s still a top 25 hitter by most metrics. It won’t help Ozuna that he’s hitting the open market alongside Schwarber and Alonso, two similarly one-dimensional sluggers who have him beat in age and positional flexibility. Ozuna has not started a game in the outfield since April 2, 2023. He remains a dynamic hitter, but signing Ozuna means clogging up your DH spot for the entirety of his contract, something that not every team will be interested in.
9. Cody Bellinger, Yankees OF, age 30 (NR)
Bellinger has bounced back from a slow start, posting a .983 OPS across his past 25 games entering Thursday while providing great defense in two outfield spots. That hot stretch has pushed the “will-he-opt-out” meter back toward yes, though chances are it will be a borderline call once again for the former NL MVP.
Last winter, Bellinger declined to activate his opt-out while still a member of the Cubs because he, and his representation, weren’t confident enough that Bellinger could garner more than the $27.5 million he was due in 2025. Chicago didn’t want Bellinger on their roster at that price and shipped him off to The Bronx for nothing but salary relief. Bellinger’s salary drops to $25 million next year, the last year of his contract, making it more likely he opts out this go-round.
10. Bo Bichette, Blue Jays SS, age 28 (14)
11. Gleyber Torres, Tigers 2B, age 29 (25)
Bichette is making that subpar 2024 look like a blip instead of a trend. The sweet-swinging shortstop cut his long locks before the season, but in most other respects, he’s playing like the Bo Bichette who ranked as one of the game’s top shortstop from 2021 to 2023. The home runs haven’t fully returned, but if that happens too, Bichette could push himself over the $100 million mark.
Just six qualified hitters have more walks than strikeouts right now: Luis Arraez, Geraldo Perdomo, Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts, Juan Soto and Torres. It’s been a fantastic first two months in Detroit for Gleyber, who has sliced his strikeout rate in half. That’s come alongside big improvements in his batted ball data. He’s still a bad infielder, but the bearded version of Torres is thriving outside The Bronx.
12. Munetaka Murakami, Yakult Swallows 3B, age 26 (9)
The highly-touted Japanese slugger has been sidelined with a vague upper body injury since our most recent free-agent update and sinks on the list as a result. In the 2023 WBC, a 23-year-old Murakami hit fifth for champion Japan, slotted right behind Shohei Ohtani and Masataka Yoshida. He and the Swallows have had this upcoming winter circled for some time as the moment Murakami would make the MLB leap. But if his jump-year continues to be so thoroughly derailed by injuries, there’s a chance the NPB’s all-time single season domestic home run leader stays in Japan for one more year.
13. Cedric Mullins, Orioles CF, age 31 (12) 14. Josh Naylor, D-backs 1B, age 29 (13)
Mullins and Naylor have cooled off significantly in May, with OPS point drops of .318 and .249 respectively. They both stay relatively high on our rankings because we think they’ll even out to career norms. Given Baltimore’s catastrophic decline into competitive irrelevance, there’s an increasing chance that Mullins gets traded. That would probably raise the ceiling on his free agency as a midseason trade would make him ineligible to receive a qualifying offer. Teams would then be more inclined to sign him, considering they wouldn’t have to forfeit a draft pick for doing so.
15. Luis Arraez, Padres 1B, age 28 (15)
After a slow start and an injury scare, Arraez is back to his old tricks, well… trick. He really just hits a bunch of singles. Baseball’s batting average merchant is “only” hitting .301 right now, which is a tick below what we’ve come to expect from Arraez. That number should continue trending up, making Arraez a puzzling free agent proposition. He can’t play defense, he doesn’t run the bases well, he’s allergic to hard contact, but boy oh boy can he conjure up a good piece of hitting.
16. Zac Gallen, D-backs SP, age 29 (10) 17. Tyler Mahle, Rangers SP, age 32 (16) 18. Chris Bassitt, Blue Jays SP, age 37 (18)
We’re a little worried about Gallen. His surface-level and peripheral numbers have been in steady decline for a few years now. Gallen is one of only seven qualified starters this year with a HR/9 at 1.5 or over and BB/9 at 4.0 or over. In other words, he’s allowing a lot of base runners and giving up a lot of home runs. That’s a bad combo. Some team with faith in its pitching development group will leap at the chance to try and refurbish a fallen ace, but that’s what Gallen is right now.
Mahle has a 1.47 ERA, the fifth-best starter ERA in baseball, just like everyone predicted. He’s been a huge part of a Rangers rotation that ranks second in starter ERA, just like everyone predicted. Mahle has allowed two runs or fewer in all 10 of his starts this year thanks to a stellar fastball-splitter combo that has kept hitters guessing. The longer he keeps this up, the higher he’ll climb on the list.
Bassitt on the other hand, feels nice and comfy here in the late teens as a reliable, but unspectacular veteran arm. It’s a delightful profile; Bassit doesn’t walk dudes, throws a ton of different pitches and hoovers up outs with his sinker. Do you want him working through a lineup three times in a playoff game? No, but tons of contenders will be looking at Bassitt to round out their rotations.
19. Trent Grisham, Yankees OF, age 29 (36)
The biggest riser on the list, Grisham just continues to rake. After three straight seasons of mediocre results (two in San Diego, one in The Bronx) the mustachioed outfielder is finally capitalizing on his elite plate discipline and impressive power. His .274 season batting average feels due for some regression, but Grisham is always going to run a strong OBP. This is a center fielder on the good side of 30 having a career year as he reaches free agency. That should put Grisham in line for a surprising payday.
20. Griffin Canning, Mets SP, age 29 (24)
With each strong start, Canning’s out-of-nowhere 2025 feels realer and realer. At this point, for the Mets right-hander, it’s all about showing he can do it over a full season. He’ll definitely get the opportunity to prove that. Entering spring training, Canning felt like the prime candidate to be the Mets’ long man, but injuries to Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas pushed him into the rotation. That’s been a massive win so far, for all parties.
21. Ryan Helsley, Cardinals RP, age 31 (20) 22. Luke Weaver, Yankees RP, age 32 (27) 23. Devin Williams, Yankees RP, age 31 (21)
Helsley has never been a control artist, but his walk rate has nearly doubled this season. He’s still effective because, well, he throws 99, but if the walks continue and the batted ball luck gets worse, he could be in some trouble. We still like his overall profile — track record, age, stuff — more than the other free-agent relievers to-be.
Williams’ early-season struggles pushed him out of New York’s closer role and Weaver into it. That’s paid off for the Yankees so far. Weaver has allowed just one earned run this season in 21 2/3 innings, while Williams has rediscovered his form as the setup guy. Both should end up with multi-year contracts this winter.
24. Jack Flaherty (opt-out), Tigers SP, age 29 (11)
Flaherty’s fastball velocity is down to 92.9, the lowest of his career. His numbers are more meh than disastrous, but if his heat doesn’t resurface it will almost certainly make clubs wary of offering Flaherty a long-term deal. To become a free agent, he’d have to opt out of a $20 million contract for next year, something that looks less and less likely with each underwhelming outing.
25. J.T. Realmuto, Phillies C, age 35 (19)
He’s hitting the ball harder and walking more, but everything else about Realmuto’s offensive profile has continued to decline. He’s currently 21st in OPS among catchers with at least 100 plate appearances. Realmuto is still an elite thrower behind the dish and has a magnificent game-calling reputation, but he hasn’t graded out as an above average framer since 2021. Because he’ll essentially be the only catcher on the open market, Realmuto should get a two-year contract, but the offensive dip is hard to avoid.
The next 25
Zach Eflin, Orioles SP, age 31 (17)
Robert Suarez, Padres RP, age 35 (22)
Ranger Suarez, Phillies SP, age 30 (25)
Dustin May, Dodgers SP, age 28 (26)
Brandon Woodruff (mutual option), Brewers SP, age 33 (30)
The Chicago White Sox became the losingest team in MLB history last season. The Colorado Rockies are on pace to blow that achievement in futility out of the water.
With a 2-0 home loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, the Rockies saw their record fall to 8-42. It is the worst 50-game start in MLB history, breaking the mark previously held by the 2023 Oakland Athletics, who went 10-40.
Let’s just rattle off how bad the Rockies have been through nearly two months, beyond their record:
They have not won a single series and have now been swept seven times, with the Phillies taking all four games in this week’s series.
They have won consecutive games only once this season.
Their minus-159 run differential is not just the worst in MLB (nearly double the second-worst Baltimore Orioles, who are minus-85). They are on pace for a minus-515 run differential, which would be the worst mark in MLB history by more than 100 runs.
They lost a game 21-0 to the San Diego Padres, a margin worse than any loss the White Sox took last year. They were shut out by a Rule 5 draft pick making his second career start in that game.
They are the worst offense in MLB by wRC+, which weighs park factors, at 66. Even granting them the advantage of Coors Field sees them post a .646 team OPS, third-worst in MLB.
Their pitching staff is fifth-worst in MLB by ERA- at 125, which again weighs Coors Field. Without that consideration, their 5.82 team ERA is easily worst in MLB.
Their starting pitchers have a 6.86 ERA. All eight Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers with multiple starts this season have a better number.
They are the worst fielding team in MLB by some metrics as well, such as -33 defensive runs saved.
They are 3-13 against the NL West, a division with no other clubs below .500.
Despite three straight last-place finishes and no winning records since 2018, their minor-league system came in as only the 18th-best on MLB Pipeline’s preseason rankings. The Dodgers, who have not picked higher than 20th since 2013, were fourth.
At this point, baseball fans are used to rebuilding cycles. They’re used to bad teams not trying to get better anytime soon, so they can rack up draft picks and pick up free money from the league’s revenue-sharing system. We’ve gone from 100-loss teams being something of a rarity to having multiple teams reach that mark each season.
These Rockies are shaping up to be something new, the opposite of an apex predator. They are on pace to finish the season 26-136 in a sport where a team just received a torrent of mockery while setting an MLB record with 121 losses.
There is some reason to expect improvement, from sheer regression (by Pythagorean record, their run differential implies they should have won two more games) to some injured players returning. Unfortunately, even mild improvement would still leave this team as the worst baseball has ever seen.
The Chicago White Sox became the losingest team in MLB history last season. The Colorado Rockies are on pace to blow that achievement in futility out of the water.
With a 2-0 home loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, the Rockies saw their record fall to 8-42. It is the worst 50-game start in MLB history, breaking the mark previously held by the 2023 Oakland Athletics, who went 10-40.
Let’s just rattle off how bad the Rockies have been through nearly two months, beyond their record:
They have not won a single series and have now been swept seven times, with the Phillies taking all four games in this week’s series.
They have won consecutive games only once this season.
Their minus-159 run differential is not just the worst in MLB (nearly double the second-worst Baltimore Orioles, who are minus-85). They are on pace for a minus-515 run differential, which would be the worst mark in MLB history by more than 100 runs.
They lost a game 21-0 to the San Diego Padres, a margin worse than any loss the White Sox took last year. They were shut out by a Rule 5 draft pick making his second career start in that game.
They are the worst offense in MLB by wRC+, which weighs park factors, at 66. Even granting them the advantage of Coors Field sees them post a .646 team OPS, third-worst in MLB.
Their pitching staff is fifth-worst in MLB by ERA- at 125, which again weighs Coors Field. Without that consideration, their 5.82 team ERA is easily worst in MLB.
Their starting pitchers have a 6.86 ERA. All eight Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers with multiple starts this season have a better number.
They are the worst fielding team in MLB by some metrics as well, such as -33 defensive runs saved.
They are 3-13 against the NL West, a division with no other clubs below .500.
Despite three straight last-place finishes and no winning records since 2018, their minor-league system came in as only the 18th-best on MLB Pipeline’s preseason rankings. The Dodgers, who have not picked higher than 20th since 2013, were fourth.
At this point, baseball fans are used to rebuilding cycles. They’re used to bad teams not trying to get better anytime soon, so they can rack up draft picks and pick up free money from the league’s revenue-sharing system. We’ve gone from 100-loss teams being something of a rarity to having multiple teams reach that mark each season.
These Rockies are shaping up to be something new, the opposite of an apex predator. They are on pace to finish the season 26-136 in a sport where a team just received a torrent of mockery while setting an MLB record with 121 losses.
There is some reason to expect improvement, from sheer regression (by Pythagorean record, their run differential implies they should have won two more games) to some injured players returning. Unfortunately, even mild improvement would still leave this team as the worst baseball has ever seen.
Yankees rookie Jorbit Vivas had played in 16 big league games heading into Thursday’s contest against the Texas Rangers, but was still searching for his first career home run.
“Pretty cool to get your first in a 1-0 game and be the difference, huge,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s capable of that. Really good swing, jumped on that first-pitch heater and didn’t miss it. He’s had a couple big at-bats in this homestand for us and that one was obviously big for us and the difference in the game today.”
Vivas’ homer came off the bat at 101 mph and traveled 360 feet into the right field stands.
Luckily, the team was able to retrieve the ball for him — and he plans on bringing it back home to Venezuela for his family, he told reporters via an interpreter. After the win, Vivas spoke about what he was thinking about during the special moment.
“Everything is kind of like a flash, so many things in my mind running the bases,” Vivas told YES Network’s Meredith Marakovits via translator after the game. “Thinking about my family back home in Venezuela, I know they’re watching. Like so many things, the road to get here, so many.”
He added, “I’m sure they’re going to be proud. They’re gonna be proud. I’m just very thankful for all the support they’ve given me.”
The 24-year-old wasn’t a huge power threat in the minor leagues prior to his May call-up following Jazz Chisholm Jr.‘s injury — he slashed .319/.426/.436 with an .862 OPS, two homers, and five doubles over 26 games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Although Boone and the Yankees coaching staff believed he was ready for times like this.
“So many things are going through my head in that moment,” Vivas said via a translator. “Finally said like, ‘My first one, finally.’ I’m very excited and happy about finally connecting there.”
Here are five things to watch and predictions as the Yankees hit the road to take on the Colorado Rockies in a three-game series starting on Friday…
Preview
Going up against MLB’s worst
The Rockies are having a historically bad start to the 2025 season. Entering Friday, they are 8-42 and are on pace for just 25 wins. The Yankees can continue their winning ways with a series win this weekend, but they could get out of the gate slowly. They had an early game on Thursday before flying out to Colorado for Friday’s series opener. Don’t be too surprised by the slow start on Friday. They will have Clarke Schmidt on the mound in the opener, and the right-hander has been the weakest arm in the rotation of late.
While the Yankees should win this series, it’s hard to sweep a series no matter how poorly a team is playing.
Can Will Warren keep it going?
Warren has been the biggest surprise for the Yankees this season. After a slow start, the young right-hander has been dominant over his last three starts. In that span, he has allowed just three runs while striking out 26 batters across 18 innings. If you extend that to the start before, he’s struck out 34 batters.
If Warren wants to cement his spot in the rotation, taking care of the lowly Rockies will go a long way. He’s set to pitch in the series finale on Sunday.
Can Max Fried stay perfect?
Fried has been everything the Yankees needed him to be when ace Gerrit Cole went down after season-ending elbow surgery but he can’t continue his perfect start to the season, right?
Fried enters his start on Saturday a perfect 6-0 in his 10 starts — the Yankees are 10-0 in Fried starts this season — and has been dominant with a 1.29 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. However, Fried has had to grind a bit over his last couple of starts. He allowed two runs over six innings against the Mets in his last start, and really had control issues against the Mariners the start before. In Seattle, Fried allowed one run but could only go five innings before he told his manager he was done.
The Yankees don’t need Fried to be perfect to win against the Rockies, but heading to the thin air of Coors Field could prove tricky. Fried has pitched four games (three starts) in Denver, where he’s amassed a 1-0 record with a 2.91 ERA.
Mar 29, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) hits an RBI single in the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Cody Bellinger heat check
On the offensive side, Bellinger has arguably been the Yankees’ best hitter over the last week or so. His 15-game hitting streak — snapped on Thursday — lifted his average from .198 to .257, his OBP from .270 to .326 and his slugging from .343 to .461.
It’ll be interesting to see if he can keep it going in Colorado after finally going hitless. Bellinger has plenty of experience in Coors Field from his time with the Dodgers. In 52 games, Bellinger is slashing .286/.370/.526 with an OPS of .896 to go along with eight home runs, 16 doubles and three triples.
Seeing more of the Young Yankees
The youth in the Yankees lineup has come up big for the team of late. Jasson Dominguez‘s walked off the Rangers on Wednesday, and Jorbit Vivas‘ first career homer was enough to sweep Texas on Thursday. That’s not to mention Oswald Peraza‘s stellar defense at third base. That’s all coming after the Yankees have suffered injuries to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Oswaldo Cabrera.
It’s unclear how much time each of them will play this weekend, but all three have contributed to this team of late and seeing more of them will go a long way toward their development for this season.
Predictions
Who will the MVP of the series be?
Cody Bellinger
The slugger has picked it up the last few weeks, and although his 15-game hitting streak was snapped on Thursday, his time with the Dodgers in the NL West will prove helpful this weekend.
Which Yankees pitcher will have the best start?
Max Fried
Warren is a candidate for this, but since this weekend will be the right-hander’s first game at Coors Field, I’ll say Fried gets the job done this weekend.
Which Rockies player will be a thorn in the Yankees’ side?
Hunter Goodman
The young catcher has had a great start to his sophomore season. He’s batting .282 with seven home runs and 31 RBI, and with the lefty facing two right-handed pitchers this weekend, Goodman could do some damage.
According to TNT, Wednesday’s game at Madison Square Garden averaged 6.6 million viewers and peaked at 8.5 million viewers at 11 p.m. ET, when the game was in its final minutes.
The Knicks are in their first Eastern Conference Finals series since 2000, when they lost to Indiana in six games. In a rematch of last year’s second-round matchup, the Knicks kept a close lead for much of Game 1.
.@NBAonTNT‘s instant classic between @Pacers & @nyknicks averaged 6.6 million viewers, the most watched ECF, Game 1 since 2018. Viewership peaked with 8.5 million viewers at 11 p.m. ET.
New York’s lead would swell to 17 at one point before Indiana came surging back in the fourth quarter as Jalen Brunson got into foul trouble. Then, the lead began to dissolve as Aaron Nesmith made six 3-pointers in the last five minutes of regulation.
In the final seconds of regulation, Tyrese Haliburton sank a buzzer-beating 2-pointer (with his toe on the line) to force overtime. Indiana capitalized in the extra period and completed the shocking comeback with a 138-135 win.
While the Knicks-Pacers game notched the most eyes for an Eastern Conference Finals series opener, the most-viewed ECF game remains Game 7 between the Celtics and Heat in 2023. Jimmy Butler’s heroics in Miami’s win over Boston notched 11.9 million viewers, surpassing Game 7 between the Heat and Pacers in 2013, which averaged 11.6 million.
Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals will tip off at 8 p.m. ET on Friday.
According to TNT, Wednesday’s game at Madison Square Garden averaged 6.6 million viewers and peaked at 8.5 million viewers at 11 p.m. ET, when the game was in its final minutes.
The Knicks are in their first Eastern Conference Finals series since 2000, when they lost to Indiana in six games. In a rematch of last year’s second-round matchup, the Knicks kept a close lead for much of Game 1.
.@NBAonTNT‘s instant classic between @Pacers & @nyknicks averaged 6.6 million viewers, the most watched ECF, Game 1 since 2018. Viewership peaked with 8.5 million viewers at 11 p.m. ET.
New York’s lead would swell to 17 at one point before Indiana came surging back in the fourth quarter as Jalen Brunson got into foul trouble. Then, the lead began to dissolve as Aaron Nesmith made six 3-pointers in the last five minutes of regulation.
In the final seconds of regulation, Tyrese Haliburton sank a buzzer-beating 2-pointer (with his toe on the line) to force overtime. Indiana capitalized in the extra period and completed the shocking comeback with a 138-135 win.
While the Knicks-Pacers game notched the most eyes for an Eastern Conference Finals series opener, the most-viewed ECF game remains Game 7 between the Celtics and Heat in 2023. Jimmy Butler’s heroics in Miami’s win over Boston notched 11.9 million viewers, surpassing Game 7 between the Heat and Pacers in 2013, which averaged 11.6 million.
Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals will tip off at 8 p.m. ET on Friday.
