This will be the last weekend without baseball, potentially until November, with Game 7 of the 2026 World Series scheduled for October 31. The Super Bowl is tomorrow (though we’re going to the RenFair), and football will then be done – mercifully, if you’re a Cardinals fan. The off-season is, effectively, over. So, before players start to show up at Salt River Fields next week, this is your change to say whatever you want. Be that about the Diamondbacks, baseball in general, or even random off-topicness. Though not too off-topic: the usual SnakePit prohibitions still remain in effect!

Open vent thread: Get it all out before pitchers and catchers report!

Have the Diamondbacks done enough? How thin ice are Torey Lovullo and Mike Hazen skating on this season? What is your go-to ballpark food and drink? Is the NL West a pointless procession to another Dodgers title? Why is Zac Gallen still unsigned? Has the way you watch baseball changed over the years? What’s your favorite baseball movie? Feel free answer absolutely none of these questions, and go your own way instead.

Terrance Gore, Royals postseason legend and three-time World Series champion, died last night. He was 34 years old. Gore is survived by his wife, Britney, and three children.

Gore leaves behind an incredible baseball legacy as one of the greatest baserunning specialists of recent memory. Despite rarely coming to the plate, Gore stole 48 bases across the regular season and playoffs at an 82.7% success rate across his eight-year MLB career. But when playing for the Royals across their 2014 and 2015 campaigns, Gore was otherworldly: during those two years, he stole 12 bases and was only thrown out once. One of those stolen bases came in the best Royals game of all-time: the 2014 AL Wild Card Game.

Gore went on to become a postseason fixture with multiple other teams, lending his legs to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 2020 World Series campaign as well as the Atlanta Braves’ 2021 World Series season.

But Gore is equally well known within the game for being a kind and wonderful human. Gore’s wife shared a post on Facebook about Gore, who passed away from complications after a routine surgery.

This post is extremely tough to write. Last night, I lost my best friend/husband from complications after what was supposed to have been a simple procedure. Our hearts are shattered, my babies are shattered. Our whole family is lost. This was so unexpected. Everything Zane does is centered around his dad. Baseball, hunting, fishing. Skylyn said, “I don’t have a daddy anymore, he’s up in heaven in the stars.” I don’t know where to go from here. I feel like I’m living my biggest nightmare and feel so lost. He loved his children with everything in him. He loved coaching the youth and those boys absolutely loved him. Please keep our family in your prayers for the coming days and for the strength to get through this. Life is precious and is too short. What I would do to give you one more hug or kiss. We had so many more memories to make. I love you forever Terrance Gore and I’ll continue to watch over our babies.

Rest in peace, Terrance. Thank you.

Our latest roster preview heading into spring training looks at the Dodgers bullpen, which like the outfield was bolstered by signing the best free agent available.

40-man roster relievers

• Edwin Díaz
• Tanner Scott LHP
• Blake Treinen
• Alex Vesia LHP
• Brusdar Graterol
• Brock Stewart
• Jack Dreyer LHP
• Will Klein
• Edgardo Henriquez
• Kyle Hurt
• Bobby Miller
• Paul Gervase
• Ronan Kopp LHP

Things to watch

Swimming in the deep end: For the second offseason in a row, the Dodgers spent big on a reliever, signing Edwin Díaz for three years and $69 million, breaking his own record for highest average annual value for a reliever. Much like signing Kyle Tucker to improve the outfield, the Dodgers saw a weakness and plugged the hole with the best-possible (and most expensive) option on this year’s free agent market. Díaz’s ERA started with a one in four of his last seven seasons, and his xERA has been above 2.66 only once in his nine-season career. Díaz over the last two seasons is second among MLB relievers in both strikeout rate (38.4 percent) and strikeout-minus-walk rate (29.7 percent). That’ll play.

Turnaround Tanner? Last year was a nightmare for Tanner Scott, who led the majors with 10 blown saves and allowed nearly double the home runs (11) than he gave up during the previous two seasons combined (6). Leaving the ball in the middle of the plate doomed him, but he expressed confidence at Dodgers Fest last weekend that he’ll be able to improve this season. Dustin Nosler at Dodgers Digest looked at some ways to make it happen.

Bazooka loading: Since joining the Dodgers in 2020, Brusdar Graterol has been one of the team’s best relievers, with a 2.69 ERA and 3.06 xERA, thanks to a 61.9-percent groundball rate that ranks eighth in MLB in that time among pitchers with at least 150 innings. The problem is Graterol has only pitched 204 innings over the last six seasons, including the postseason. He only pitched 9 2/3 innings in 2024, and didn’t pitch at all in 2025 after shoulder surgery. Graterol is back and healthy now, so expect him to pitch important innings if he’s showing anything near his career norms.

Functional depth: With the out-of-options Brock Stewart likely to miss at least most of the first half after shoulder surgery in October, the Dodgers have five healthy relievers who can’t be sent to the minors on the 40-man roster. There were six such relievers before left-hander Anthony Banda was designated for assignment on Friday after two solid seasons in Los Angeles.

That still leaves three bullpen spots for the inevitable revolving door to fill innings as needed, a must in this current era of pitcher churning. The Dodgers used 39 pitchers in 2023, then set franchise records with 40 pitchers in each of the last two seasons. Expect something near that again this year. But to have seven pitchers listed above all with minor league options, plus starting pitching depth Ben Casparius, Justin Wrobleski, and Landon Knack (before even considering River Ryan and Gavin Stone, each coming off surgery) in the same boat, the cupboard is well-stocked.

Strikeouts by the bushel: Díaz and his eye-popping numbers are the main addition this year, after the Dodgers bullpen went from 19th in MLB in strikeout rate (23.3 percent) and 16th in strikeout-minus-walk rate (14.6 percent) in 2024 to seventh (24.3 percent) and eighth (14.8 percent), respectively, in 2025. But a few other arms to watch are Paul Gervase, the 6’10 right-hander acquired at the trade deadline from the Rays, and 6’7 left-hander Ronan Kopp, who was added to the 40-man roster in November. Over the last two minor league seasons, Gervase had the eighth-best strikeout rate (35.9 percent) among pitchers with at least 100 innings, while Kopp was 18th at 33.5 percent. There’s still some honing to do to translate to major league success, but the stuff for both is definitely there.

Terrance Gore, who played in two World Series with the Kansas City Royals (and was a member of their 2015 championship team), has died at the age of 34. The Royals announced the news Saturday. 

Gore played eight MLB seasons, five of them with Kansas City. Primarily utilized as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement due to his speed, he batted .216/.310/.270 with 43 stolen bases in 112 career games. 

His best season was in 2019, batting .275/.362/.373 with 13 stolen bases, two doubles and a triple in 58 plate appearances. Gore also recorded double-digit steals in 2016, when he swiped 11 bags. 

During his career, Gore also played for the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and New York Mets. He also won World Series titles with the Dodgers and Braves. For the 2021 season, Gore only appeared in the postseason with Atlanta, entering Game 2 of the National League Division Series as a pinch-runner. 

[Get more Royals news: Kansas City team feed]

In the postseason, Gore appeared in 11 games, compiling five stolen bases and scoring two runs. He did not record a hit and only made two plate appearances. 

Gore died due to complications from a medical procedure, according to the Kansas City Star. His wife, Britney, posted a message regarding her husband’s death on social media. The couple had two sons together. 

Born in Macon, Georgia, Gore was a 20th-round selection in the 2011 MLB Draft out of Gulf Coast State College. He reached the major leagues in 2014 after advancing from high Single-A to Triple-A in the Royals’ minor league system. 

Former Athletics first baseman Mark McGwire is returning to the franchise as a special assistant to player development. McGwire spent 12 seasons with the Athletics from 1986-97.

McGwire got off to a fast start with the Athletics. He won the AL Rookie of the Year award in 1987 after hitting 49 home runs, which was a rookie record at the time. He also helped lead the A’s to three straight World Series appearances from 1988-90, winning it all in 1989. That was the last year the Athletics won the World Series.

Big Mac finished with 363 home runs, 941 RBI and 1,1157 hits during his time with the A’s. McGwire was traded to St. Louis during the 1997 season. In his time there, he broke Roger Maris’ single-season home run record with 70 home runs, which was later topped by Barry Bonds’ 73 in 2001.

Despite being inducted into the A’s Hall of Fame in 2019, McGwire has been kept out of the MLB Hall of Fame after being tied to a steroid scandal.

After McGwire’s playing days ended, he had multiple stints on MLB staffs. He served as a bench coach for San Diego (2017-18) and as a hitting coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2013-15) and Cardinals (2010-12).

McGwire’s time with the Athletics in player development will look a lot different than his playing days. The A’s are about to play the second of at least three seasons at a Triple-A ballpark in West Sacramento, California. It’s the Athletics’ temporary home until their scheduled move to Vegas in 2028.

The Athletics went 76-86 and have promising young players such as Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler. The Athletics also acquired Jeff McNeil from the New York Mets in a trade this offseason.