If there’s one thing you should always expect the best pitcher in the world to do, it’s win. And for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, his win Thursday was arguably the biggest one he has earned in his career. Skubal won his arbitration hearing against the Tigers and was awarded an arbitration-record $32 million contract for 2026 before he becomes a free agent at season’s end. 

Players become arbitration-eligible after accruing three years of MLB service time, and a player is arb-eligible for three seasons before reaching free agency. Before each of those seasons, the team and player each propose a salary figure. The two sides can then negotiate and agree on a one-year or multiyear deal to avoid an arbitration hearing. If they cannot come to terms, they present their cases to an independent panel, which decides the player’s salary. In his final year of arbitration, Skubal, who is represented by baseball mega-agent Scott Boras, filed at $32 million. The Tigers filed at $19 million. 

Skubal’s arbitration win is a massive victory for several reasons. First and foremost, for the player himself, who gets rewarded for being the best pitcher on the planet the past two seasons. The Tigers’ ace is coming off back-to-back Cy Young Awards and a 2025 season that saw him go 13-6 with a 2.21 ERA and 241 strikeouts.

He now becomes the highest-paid player ever through the arbitration system, breaking New York Mets superstar Juan Soto’s record of $31 million with the Yankees in 2024 and David Price’s pitcher record of $19.75 million set in 2015 with the Tigers. Prior to Thursday’s result, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s $19.9 million salary with the Blue Jays in 2024 was the largest ever awarded via arbitration hearing.

Secondly, going into CBA negotiations after the upcoming MLB season, Skubal’s win gives significant momentum to players, especially the upper echelon of young players who have yet to reach free agency. While no one knows the future of the current arbitration system, many in the industry already wonder if the person to shatter Skubal’s new record will be Pirates ace Paul Skenes. Skenes is already on a historic run to begin his career, with a Rookie of the Year Award and NL Cy Young Award in his first two MLB seasons, and his value continues to skyrocket. 

 [Get more Detroit news: Tigers team feed] 

Last but certainly not least, Skubal’s arbitration victory is a huge win for Boras, putting a capper on an impressive offseason that saw the superagent’s clients pull in close to $1 billion dollars in free agency. Boras took a big swing with a $32 million filing that had the potential to break all the arbitration records, and it paid off.

Maybe Thursday’s result will be a lesson for teams under the current system. Just because the system allows you to low-ball some of the best players in the sport — in this case, the best pitcher in baseball — doesn’t mean you should or will get away with it. But as is the case with service-time manipulation, all it takes to change this process is a tweak in the CBA. A lot of topics will be on the table in the upcoming negotiations, but expect the MLB Players Association to be looking to adjust the current arbitration system. 

Now that Skubal vs. the Tigers is settled, where do the two sides go from here? 

While they lost the hearing, this is still a great week for the Tigers, who landed free-agent left-hander Framber Valdez on a three-year, $115 million deal on Wednesday. Valdez, who was the best remaining free agent available, gives Detroit a bona fide No. 2 behind Skubal and one of the best 1-2 punches in the American League. To this point, it had been a very quiet offseason for Detroit, with the roster looking incredibly similar to the one that was knocked out of the ALDS by the Seattle Mariners. But the addition of Valdez is huge for the Tigers, who improved their rotation in a big way and can now go toe-to-toe with any team’s frontline starters. 

For Skubal, he goes into his final season before free agency as a much wealthier man. What’s more, the addition of Valdez is likely a sign that Detroit has no intention of moving its superstar ace this season, unless things go horribly wrong in the first half. With the rotation reinforced and the team’s outlook for 2026 improved, Skubal and Valdez look like a duo that could get Detroit over the hump and back to the ALCS. 

What Skubal has done over the past 24 months is downright remarkable. As he goes into what might be his final season in Motown, the baseball world will be watching to see what else he has up his sleeve. 

If there’s one thing you should always expect the best pitcher in the world to do, it’s win. And for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, his win Thursday was arguably the biggest one he has earned in his career. Skubal won his arbitration hearing against the Tigers and was awarded an arbitration-record $32 million contract for 2026 before he becomes a free agent at season’s end. 

Players become arbitration-eligible after accruing three years of MLB service time, and a player is arb-eligible for three seasons before reaching free agency. Before each of those seasons, the team and player each propose a salary figure. The two sides can then negotiate and agree on a one-year or multiyear deal to avoid an arbitration hearing. If they cannot come to terms, they present their cases to an independent panel, which decides the player’s salary. In his final year of arbitration, Skubal, who is represented by baseball mega-agent Scott Boras, filed at $32 million. The Tigers filed at $19 million. 

Skubal’s arbitration win is a massive victory for several reasons. First and foremost, for the player himself, who gets rewarded for being the best pitcher on the planet the past two seasons. The Tigers’ ace is coming off back-to-back Cy Young Awards and a 2025 season that saw him go 13-6 with a 2.21 ERA and 241 strikeouts.

He now becomes the highest-paid player ever through the arbitration system, breaking New York Mets superstar Juan Soto’s record of $31 million with the Yankees in 2024 and David Price’s pitcher record of $19.75 million set in 2015 with the Tigers. Prior to Thursday’s result, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s $19.9 million salary with the Blue Jays in 2024 was the largest ever awarded via arbitration hearing.

Secondly, going into CBA negotiations after the upcoming MLB season, Skubal’s win gives significant momentum to players, especially the upper echelon of young players who have yet to reach free agency. While no one knows the future of the current arbitration system, many in the industry already wonder if the person to shatter Skubal’s new record will be Pirates ace Paul Skenes. Skenes is already on a historic run to begin his career, with a Rookie of the Year Award and NL Cy Young Award in his first two MLB seasons, and his value continues to skyrocket. 

 [Get more Detroit news: Tigers team feed] 

Last but certainly not least, Skubal’s arbitration victory is a huge win for Boras, putting a capper on an impressive offseason that saw the superagent’s clients pull in close to $1 billion dollars in free agency. Boras took a big swing with a $32 million filing that had the potential to break all the arbitration records, and it paid off.

Maybe Thursday’s result will be a lesson for teams under the current system. Just because the system allows you to low-ball some of the best players in the sport — in this case, the best pitcher in baseball — doesn’t mean you should or will get away with it. But as is the case with service-time manipulation, all it takes to change this process is a tweak in the CBA. A lot of topics will be on the table in the upcoming negotiations, but expect the MLB Players Association to be looking to adjust the current arbitration system. 

Now that Skubal vs. the Tigers is settled, where do the two sides go from here? 

While they lost the hearing, this is still a great week for the Tigers, who landed free-agent left-hander Framber Valdez on a three-year, $115 million deal on Wednesday. Valdez, who was the best remaining free agent available, gives Detroit a bona fide No. 2 behind Skubal and one of the best 1-2 punches in the American League. To this point, it had been a very quiet offseason for Detroit, with the roster looking incredibly similar to the one that was knocked out of the ALDS by the Seattle Mariners. But the addition of Valdez is huge for the Tigers, who improved their rotation in a big way and can now go toe-to-toe with any team’s frontline starters. 

For Skubal, he goes into his final season before free agency as a much wealthier man. What’s more, the addition of Valdez is likely a sign that Detroit has no intention of moving its superstar ace this season, unless things go horribly wrong in the first half. With the rotation reinforced and the team’s outlook for 2026 improved, Skubal and Valdez look like a duo that could get Detroit over the hump and back to the ALCS. 

What Skubal has done over the past 24 months is downright remarkable. As he goes into what might be his final season in Motown, the baseball world will be watching to see what else he has up his sleeve. 

Repetition is the root of commonality, but there was actually a time when the Dodgers weren’t seen as the prohibitive favorites heading into every playoff series. The stage was quite different back in 2013. Largely propelled by first-year impactful performances from Yasiel Puig and Zack Greinke, a Dodgers squad without the depth we’ve grown accustomed to returned to the postseason for the first time in four years to play a 96-win Braves team. After a playoff hiatus towards the end of the Brian Cox tenure, Atlanta was making the postseason for the third time in the last four years and was the more experienced team.

One big advantage the Dodgers had over the Braves in that particular series was in the form of high-end starting pitching. While Atlanta had a very successful campaign with the likes of Julio Teheran, Mike Minor, and Kris Medlen — the latter faced Clayton Kershaw in Game 1. Los Angeles had two established aces and a number three in Hyun Jin-Ryu that rivaled any team in that period. Now, the depth after those three was very shaky, which led Kershaw to start Game 4 on short rest even though Los Angeles had the lead in the series, but that’s getting ahead of ourselves.

Back then, when pitchers still hit, the Braves only trailed the Rockies in slugging percentage among National League teams, finishing the year at .402. Those numbers were a bit worse against southpaws, which made sense given how lefty-heavy that Braves team was at the top, with the likes of Freddie Freeman, Jason Heyward, and Brian McCann.

On the road, against a tough opponent, and at the height of his powers, coming off what would be crowned his second Cy Young win in the last three years, Kershaw dominated in a manner that we don’t even see from the aces these days, pushed well beyond the currently acceptable levels, finishing his outing with a whopping 124 pitches.

Setting the tone early, Kershaw finished the opening frame with bookend strikeouts against Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman, utilizing that patented down-and-away slider to lefties to punch out Heyward and then blowing a heater by Freeman. Back then, the Kershaw had an easy 95-mph heater he could turn to, something he had to adapt to being without for the second half of his career.

Scoring in every inning between the second and fourth, the Dodgers took a commanding 5-0 lead that felt insurmountable with Kershaw on the mound, particularly with a couple of shutdown frames in the second and third. Trailing 5-1, the Braves had an opportunity to get back into things with Andrelton Simmons up, two on and two out, but once again, that slider bailed him out. Kershaw threw a down-and-in breaking ball to the Braves’ shortstop, who couldn’t help but swing on top of it, thus ending the threat.

Kershaw would leave that game with 12 punchouts, which would remain his career high in the postseason for many years until a marvelous eight-inning performance against the Brewers in 2020, in which he recorded 13 Ks, eventually helping the Dodgers win their first championship that year.

Starting a trend that would remain for the better part of Kershaw’s prime, the Dodgers’ ace was called upon to pitch on three days rest in Game 4 of this series, as the Dodgers hoped to avoid having to go back to Atlanta for a Game 5. Holding his own as he would routinely do in such instances, Kershaw tossed six strong with two unearned runs in a game ultimately decided in the late innings by a Juan Uribe go-ahead homer.

That Dodgers team faltered in the NLCS, but for where it was in its contention window, it had a decent run, and if it even got as far as the NLCS, it owed a lot of it to Kershaw, who played a humongous role in this series against an equally strong Braves team.

While most MLB teams spend the offseason attempting to address the most glaring needs on their rosters, many still arrive at spring training with a few unsettled spots. Competitions for these roles in camp — whether on the backfields under the watchful eyes of front-office officials and coaches or in front of fans in Cactus and Grapefruit League action — are often some of the most compelling storylines in the weeks leading up to Opening Day. 

Here’s a look at eight position groups that promise to be highly scrutinized as they’re sorted out in spring training:

Boston Red Sox: Second base and third base

Last year’s Opening Day Red Sox lineup featured marquee free-agent signing Alex Bregman at third base, the major-league debut of top prospect Kristian Campbell at second base and the beginning of Rafael Devers’ short-lived tenure as Boston’s designated hitter. In the chaotic year since, Campbell flourished then floundered, Devers was traded in stunning fashion, and Bregman helped lead Boston to the postseason before departing in free agency. Whew.

With Bregman and Devers gone, trade acquisition Willson Contreras at first and Campbell looking to restore his value while focusing on playing the outfield, second and third base are in flux for the Red Sox. Recent reported signing Isiah Kiner-Falefa provides some versatile infield depth, but his lackluster bat leaves him better suited for a bench role. Among the candidates for the starting infield jobs, 23-year-old Marcelo Mayer is the most exciting, having been among the hyped trio of hitting prospects who debuted last season, along with Campbell and budding superstar Roman Anthony. Wrist surgery ended Mayer’s rookie campaign prematurely; is he ready to take on an every-day role, or would Boston prefer to platoon him if his struggles against southpaws persist? 

The most straightforward alignment would seem to be Mayer at third and the right-handed Romy Gonzalez — who crushes southpaws — at second. But if Boston prioritizes favorable matchups and/or defense, Kiner-Falefa (RHH), speedy second baseman David Hamilton (LHH), Nate Eaton (RHH) and Nick Sogard (switch-hitter) could factor into these two spots on a rotating basis. There won’t be room for all of them on the roster, so how camp unfolds — and if another addition is made before Opening Day — will play a big role in determining Alex Cora’s infield strategy.

Houston Astros: Corner outfield

Manager Joe Espada wants Yordan Alvarez to DH as much as possible, a reasonable preference but also one that exacerbates the current logjam of corner infielders; Houston is still trying to solve how to give regular at-bats to Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker with Carlos Correa entrenched at third base. Meanwhile, uncertainty abounds in the outfield. 

The Jose Altuve outfield experiment appears to be over. Alvarez’s days in the grass will be limited moving forward. Several others who have appeared in Houston’s outfield recently — Mauricio Dubón, Chas McCormick, Jacob Melton, Cooper Hummel — are no longer in the organization. Jake Meyers, an elite defender in center field, is still in the fold, despite trade rumors swirling around him. But who will flank Meyers in the corners?

Lefty slugger Jesús Sánchez arrived from Miami via trade in July but didn’t do much slugging with Houston; can he redeem his acquisition after a lackluster introductory stint? Cam Smith was the prize in the trade return for Kyle Tucker, but he faded hard in the second half of his rookie season and has a lot to prove this spring. Two homegrown hitters named Zach — Cole (LHH) and Dezenzo (RHH) — have tantalizing power but big swing-and-miss issues. Former top prospect Taylor Trammell remains on the depth chart as a more seasoned, if still unproven option. Each corner outfield candidate offers hints of optimism and a healthy dose of concerns. If the Astros want to return to October, at least one of these hitters will need to step up.

San Diego Padres: First base and second base

The Padres made one of the more interesting additions of the winter when they gave 29-year-old Korean infielder Sung-Mun Song a four-year, $15 million deal. An unremarkable role player for the first eight years of his career with the Kiwoom Heroes, Song’s 144 wRC+ ranked seventh in the KBO over the past two seasons, and his defensive acumen at multiple infield spots helped fuel his market as a major-league free agent. That versatility appealed to San Diego as it sought to backfill the void in the lineup and infield left by Luis Arraez and Ryan O’Hearn, who both departed in free agency. But Song’s exact fit remains unclear.

Primarily a third baseman in Korea, Song also has experience at first and second. And with Manny Machado still manning the hot corner in San Diego, Song’s primary role will come on the right side of the infield. The other main character in that dynamic is Jake Cronenworth, who also can handle first and second base and is coming off a sneaky stellar season. Defensively, that gives new manager Craig Stammen flexibility to deploy Song and Cronenworth however he sees fit on the right side. 

But Song’s bat is a much bigger question as he adjusts to major-league pitching. If struggles at the plate demote him to more of a bench role, the Padres don’t have any proven internal options to pick up the slack; other infielders pushing for roster spots include Will Wagner, Mason McCoy, Samad Taylor and Pablo Reyes. That puts real pressure on Song to make an impact right away if San Diego’s position-player group is going to stack up in the ultra-competitive NL West.

Toronto Blue Jays: Corner outfield 

The Blue Jays were plenty busy making moves this offseason, but their highest profile pursuit — of outfielder Kyle Tucker — fell short. Chasing Tucker wasn’t about a pressing present need as much as it was seeking a long-term anchor in the outfield, as George Springer and Daulton Varsho are both slated to hit free agency after this season. And even with Varsho and Springer still in the fold, the Blue Jays have some things to sort out in the outfield in the short-term. Varsho’s big power and fantastic glove provide a strong starting point in center, but what happens at the two corner spots will depend on myriad factors.

First and foremost: Can Anthony Santander — owed nearly $70 million over the next four seasons — bounce back after an injury-riddled first season as a Blue Jay? Restoring his bat is paramount, but his ability to play competent defense in left or right field will also be important if Toronto wants to keep the 36-year-old Springer at DH. Addison Barger flashed legitimate star power on both sides of the ball during Toronto’s pennant run, but both he and the late-blooming Nathan Lukes — another key cog in October — have a lot to prove against left-handed pitching if they’re going to sustain regular roles. Davis Schneider and Myles Straw also remain as useful right-handed complements. There aren’t any top prospects on the doorstep of the majors, but keep an eye on Yohendrick Pinango and RJ Schreck, upper-level bats who could make some noise in camp.

Can this group of familiar faces — plus new Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto, who projects to primarily handle third base but could factor into the left field mix — backfill the void left in the lineup by departed mainstay Bo Bichette? That’s the biggest question facing Toronto’s position-player group. A lot is clearly riding on Okamoto, but there’s ample pressure on the holdovers to step up, too, especially in the outfield.

Milwaukee Brewers: Fourth and fifth starting pitchers

Milwaukee executed its traditional gambit of trading away a franchise favorite before he reached free agency, dealing Freddy Peralta to the Mets in exchange for top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat. Brandon Woodruff, the longest-tenured Brewer, remains atop the rotation after accepting the qualifying offer, but the rest of Milwaukee’s starting staff is filled with relatively new names. Two of those pitchers — breakout fireballer Jacob Misiorowski and effective trade acquisition Quinn Priester — should have firm grips on rotation roles behind Woodruff. But the two other spots look to be up for grabs, setting up a competition in camp to determine the Opening Day rotation.

Three arms will be at the forefront of the conversation. The most experienced is Chad Patrick, who emerged as an unlikely rookie contributor in the rotation during the regular season but transitioned to the bullpen for the stretch run and shined as a reliever in October. It’s tempting to watch Patrick in relief — throwing markedly harder than he did as a starter — and wonder if the bullpen is where he could make the greatest impact. But Milwaukee is flush with bullpen options, making it more likely that Patrick stays stretched out and vies for a rotation job. 

He’ll be competing with two rookie-eligible right-handers, Brandon Sproat and Logan Henderson. Both pitchers showed flashes of potential in their brief major-league stints last season, and each appears in the back half of most of the recently released Top 100 prospect lists. How Sproat adjusts to his new organization and how Henderson returns from the flexor strain that ended his 2025 campaign in August will help clarify who is prepared to seize a rotation spot to open the season.

Another name worth mentioning is Robert Gasser, who had a strong initial cameo in 2024 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He returned to the mound at the end of 2025 and will be looking to rediscover his pre-surgery form in 2026. He could provide a lefty alternative for a rotation depth chart loaded with right-handers.

L.A. Dodgers: Fifth, sixth (and seventh?) starting pitchers

It’s no secret that the reigning champs have amassed a spectacular amount of starting pitching talent. That was already true a year ago, and since then, the unit has only elevated further, with Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound and Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s legendary October heroics. Clayton Kershaw’s retirement removed one accomplished arm from the rotation, but Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow remain as unquestioned frontline pitchers. 

But while that quartet is as formidable as any starting staff in the world, the depth chart beyond it is also crucial. If we’ve learned anything in recent years, it’s that it takes a whole lot more than five starters to make it through a 162-game season, plus a deep playoff run, and the Dodgers know that as well as any team. Fortunately, there’s a huge group of talented hurlers beyond Los Angeles’ top four who will be jockeying for roles as big-league starters at Camelback Ranch.

Roki Sasaki begins an utterly fascinating sophomore campaign after faltering badly as a rookie in the regular season before shining in relief in October. The Dodgers are intent on returning him to the rotation, but can he make the adjustments to succeed as a starter and stay healthy while doing so? Conversely, Emmet Sheehan looked terrific as a starter in the regular season before a more uneven showing in relief during the postseason. He looks to have surpassed Sasaki on the depth chart, but he’ll need to reinforce that this spring. Several others with big-league experience — Justin Wrobleski, Ben Casparius, Kyle Hurt, Landon Knack — continue to straddle the starter/reliever line. Then there’s a couple of key injury returners in right-handers Gavin Stone and River Ryan, each looking to regain their impressive pre-surgery form. Bobby Miller is still around, too.

On paper, it’s an embarrassment of riches, but these arms also represent pivotal depth for when injuries inevitably happen. Some portion of these pitchers are bound to contribute to Los Angeles’ effort to three-peat; exactly which ones remains to be seen.

Philadelphia Phillies: Outfield

It’s rare to see a team be blatantly transparent about its intention to put a yet-to-debut prospect on the Opening Day roster. But the Phillies have not been shy whatsoever about how much they are counting on 22-year-old Justin Crawford to be their center fielder in 2026. The son of four-time All-Star outfielder Carl, Justin spent all of 2025 at Triple-A and showed an exciting blend of speed and contact resembling that of his father’s prime. Now Philadelphia appears ready to lean on him to add a youthful component to a lineup loaded with grizzled veterans.

The Phillies’ willingness to hand Crawford the starting center-field job is refreshing in an era when so many teams are overly cautious and/or prioritizing service-time considerations. But Crawford isn’t a consensus top prospect whom evaluators regard as a slam-dunk to contribute right away, let alone blossom into an impact player. That puts some pressure on Philadelphia’s confidence in Crawford to be validated quickly, especially within the context of an outfield that features uncertainty in the corners, with Brandon Marsh’s ongoing platoon challenges and the addition of Adolis Garcia coming off two wretched campaigns. 

Starting a rookie in center field on Opening Day would be one thing if he were flanked by two rock-solid contributors, but that’s not the case here. There’s upside with this unit, but Crawford and Garcia will need to perform well in a hurry as the only two new faces in a lineup that has otherwise stayed the same.

New York Mets: Starting rotation

As Peralta leaves behind a Brewers rotation filled with younger pitchers, he joins a Mets staff with a wealth of veteran rotation candidates, all of whom come with major questions. While Peralta and budding ace Nolan McLean are locks to occupy the top two rotation spots in Queens, you can make a case for about six other pitchers to fill out the remaining three jobs as things stand.

Clay Holmes looks like the safest bet of this group — an unexpected sentiment, given his career trajectory — but also the one with the lowest demonstrated upside. Lefty David Peterson was fantastic in the first half of 2025, earning an All-Star nod, but awful down the stretch, posting a 6.34 ERA after the break. Sean Manaea is by far the highest-paid of the bunch, but his second season in Queens was marred by injuries, making it difficult to forecast his contributions. Kodai Senga is enigmatic from both durability and performance standpoints, and his name has floated in trade rumors all winter. If that quartet of veterans fails to produce enough reliable starters, 22-year-old Jonah Tong looms as an exciting rookie candidate. There’s also 26-year-old Christian Scott, who will be looking to make a mark in camp after missing all of 2025 following Tommy John surgery.

New York’s dramatic offseason makeover of its offense has been astonishing to watch, but recall that the team’s second-half collapse last year was largely fueled by disarray on the mound. Peralta will help, but a lot will depend on the rest of the pitchers in-house to up their games if the Mets are going to get back on track, and that should be a big focus in Port St. Lucie this spring.

While most MLB teams spend the offseason attempting to address the most glaring needs on their rosters, many still arrive at spring training with a few unsettled spots. Competitions for these roles in camp — whether on the backfields under the watchful eyes of front-office officials and coaches or in front of fans in Cactus and Grapefruit League action — are often some of the most compelling storylines in the weeks leading up to Opening Day. 

Here’s a look at eight position groups that promise to be highly scrutinized as they’re sorted out in spring training:

Boston Red Sox: Second base and third base

Last year’s Opening Day Red Sox lineup featured marquee free-agent signing Alex Bregman at third base, the major-league debut of top prospect Kristian Campbell at second base and the beginning of Rafael Devers’ short-lived tenure as Boston’s designated hitter. In the chaotic year since, Campbell flourished then floundered, Devers was traded in stunning fashion, and Bregman helped lead Boston to the postseason before departing in free agency. Whew.

With Bregman and Devers gone, trade acquisition Willson Contreras at first and Campbell looking to restore his value while focusing on playing the outfield, second and third base are in flux for the Red Sox. Recent reported signing Isiah Kiner-Falefa provides some versatile infield depth, but his lackluster bat leaves him better suited for a bench role. Among the candidates for the starting infield jobs, 23-year-old Marcelo Mayer is the most exciting, having been among the hyped trio of hitting prospects who debuted last season, along with Campbell and budding superstar Roman Anthony. Wrist surgery ended Mayer’s rookie campaign prematurely; is he ready to take on an every-day role, or would Boston prefer to platoon him if his struggles against southpaws persist? 

The most straightforward alignment would seem to be Mayer at third and the right-handed Romy Gonzalez — who crushes southpaws — at second. But if Boston prioritizes favorable matchups and/or defense, Kiner-Falefa (RHH), speedy second baseman David Hamilton (LHH), Nate Eaton (RHH) and Nick Sogard (switch-hitter) could factor into these two spots on a rotating basis. There won’t be room for all of them on the roster, so how camp unfolds — and if another addition is made before Opening Day — will play a big role in determining Alex Cora’s infield strategy.

Houston Astros: Corner outfield

Manager Joe Espada wants Yordan Alvarez to DH as much as possible, a reasonable preference but also one that exacerbates the current logjam of corner infielders; Houston is still trying to solve how to give regular at-bats to Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker with Carlos Correa entrenched at third base. Meanwhile, uncertainty abounds in the outfield. 

The Jose Altuve outfield experiment appears to be over. Alvarez’s days in the grass will be limited moving forward. Several others who have appeared in Houston’s outfield recently — Mauricio Dubón, Chas McCormick, Jacob Melton, Cooper Hummel — are no longer in the organization. Jake Meyers, an elite defender in center field, is still in the fold, despite trade rumors swirling around him. But who will flank Meyers in the corners?

Lefty slugger Jesús Sánchez arrived from Miami via trade in July but didn’t do much slugging with Houston; can he redeem his acquisition after a lackluster introductory stint? Cam Smith was the prize in the trade return for Kyle Tucker, but he faded hard in the second half of his rookie season and has a lot to prove this spring. Two homegrown hitters named Zach — Cole (LHH) and Dezenzo (RHH) — have tantalizing power but big swing-and-miss issues. Former top prospect Taylor Trammell remains on the depth chart as a more seasoned, if still unproven option. Each corner outfield candidate offers hints of optimism and a healthy dose of concerns. If the Astros want to return to October, at least one of these hitters will need to step up.

San Diego Padres: First base and second base

The Padres made one of the more interesting additions of the winter when they gave 29-year-old Korean infielder Sung-Mun Song a four-year, $15 million deal. An unremarkable role player for the first eight years of his career with the Kiwoom Heroes, Song’s 144 wRC+ ranked seventh in the KBO over the past two seasons, and his defensive acumen at multiple infield spots helped fuel his market as a major-league free agent. That versatility appealed to San Diego as it sought to backfill the void in the lineup and infield left by Luis Arraez and Ryan O’Hearn, who both departed in free agency. But Song’s exact fit remains unclear.

Primarily a third baseman in Korea, Song also has experience at first and second. And with Manny Machado still manning the hot corner in San Diego, Song’s primary role will come on the right side of the infield. The other main character in that dynamic is Jake Cronenworth, who also can handle first and second base and is coming off a sneaky stellar season. Defensively, that gives new manager Craig Stammen flexibility to deploy Song and Cronenworth however he sees fit on the right side. 

But Song’s bat is a much bigger question as he adjusts to major-league pitching. If struggles at the plate demote him to more of a bench role, the Padres don’t have any proven internal options to pick up the slack; other infielders pushing for roster spots include Will Wagner, Mason McCoy, Samad Taylor and Pablo Reyes. That puts real pressure on Song to make an impact right away if San Diego’s position-player group is going to stack up in the ultra-competitive NL West.

Toronto Blue Jays: Corner outfield 

The Blue Jays were plenty busy making moves this offseason, but their highest profile pursuit — of outfielder Kyle Tucker — fell short. Chasing Tucker wasn’t about a pressing present need as much as it was seeking a long-term anchor in the outfield, as George Springer and Daulton Varsho are both slated to hit free agency after this season. And even with Varsho and Springer still in the fold, the Blue Jays have some things to sort out in the outfield in the short-term. Varsho’s big power and fantastic glove provide a strong starting point in center, but what happens at the two corner spots will depend on myriad factors.

First and foremost: Can Anthony Santander — owed nearly $70 million over the next four seasons — bounce back after an injury-riddled first season as a Blue Jay? Restoring his bat is paramount, but his ability to play competent defense in left or right field will also be important if Toronto wants to keep the 36-year-old Springer at DH. Addison Barger flashed legitimate star power on both sides of the ball during Toronto’s pennant run, but both he and the late-blooming Nathan Lukes — another key cog in October — have a lot to prove against left-handed pitching if they’re going to sustain regular roles. Davis Schneider and Myles Straw also remain as useful right-handed complements. There aren’t any top prospects on the doorstep of the majors, but keep an eye on Yohendrick Pinango and RJ Schreck, upper-level bats who could make some noise in camp.

Can this group of familiar faces — plus new Japanese slugger Kazuma Okamoto, who projects to primarily handle third base but could factor into the left field mix — backfill the void left in the lineup by departed mainstay Bo Bichette? That’s the biggest question facing Toronto’s position-player group. A lot is clearly riding on Okamoto, but there’s ample pressure on the holdovers to step up, too, especially in the outfield.

Milwaukee Brewers: Fourth and fifth starting pitchers

Milwaukee executed its traditional gambit of trading away a franchise favorite before he reached free agency, dealing Freddy Peralta to the Mets in exchange for top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat. Brandon Woodruff, the longest-tenured Brewer, remains atop the rotation after accepting the qualifying offer, but the rest of Milwaukee’s starting staff is filled with relatively new names. Two of those pitchers — breakout fireballer Jacob Misiorowski and effective trade acquisition Quinn Priester — should have firm grips on rotation roles behind Woodruff. But the two other spots look to be up for grabs, setting up a competition in camp to determine the Opening Day rotation.

Three arms will be at the forefront of the conversation. The most experienced is Chad Patrick, who emerged as an unlikely rookie contributor in the rotation during the regular season but transitioned to the bullpen for the stretch run and shined as a reliever in October. It’s tempting to watch Patrick in relief — throwing markedly harder than he did as a starter — and wonder if the bullpen is where he could make the greatest impact. But Milwaukee is flush with bullpen options, making it more likely that Patrick stays stretched out and vies for a rotation job. 

He’ll be competing with two rookie-eligible right-handers, Brandon Sproat and Logan Henderson. Both pitchers showed flashes of potential in their brief major-league stints last season, and each appears in the back half of most of the recently released Top 100 prospect lists. How Sproat adjusts to his new organization and how Henderson returns from the flexor strain that ended his 2025 campaign in August will help clarify who is prepared to seize a rotation spot to open the season.

Another name worth mentioning is Robert Gasser, who had a strong initial cameo in 2024 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He returned to the mound at the end of 2025 and will be looking to rediscover his pre-surgery form in 2026. He could provide a lefty alternative for a rotation depth chart loaded with right-handers.

L.A. Dodgers: Fifth, sixth (and seventh?) starting pitchers

It’s no secret that the reigning champs have amassed a spectacular amount of starting pitching talent. That was already true a year ago, and since then, the unit has only elevated further, with Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound and Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s legendary October heroics. Clayton Kershaw’s retirement removed one accomplished arm from the rotation, but Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow remain as unquestioned frontline pitchers. 

But while that quartet is as formidable as any starting staff in the world, the depth chart beyond it is also crucial. If we’ve learned anything in recent years, it’s that it takes a whole lot more than five starters to make it through a 162-game season, plus a deep playoff run, and the Dodgers know that as well as any team. Fortunately, there’s a huge group of talented hurlers beyond Los Angeles’ top four who will be jockeying for roles as big-league starters at Camelback Ranch.

Roki Sasaki begins an utterly fascinating sophomore campaign after faltering badly as a rookie in the regular season before shining in relief in October. The Dodgers are intent on returning him to the rotation, but can he make the adjustments to succeed as a starter and stay healthy while doing so? Conversely, Emmet Sheehan looked terrific as a starter in the regular season before a more uneven showing in relief during the postseason. He looks to have surpassed Sasaki on the depth chart, but he’ll need to reinforce that this spring. Several others with big-league experience — Justin Wrobleski, Ben Casparius, Kyle Hurt, Landon Knack — continue to straddle the starter/reliever line. Then there’s a couple of key injury returners in right-handers Gavin Stone and River Ryan, each looking to regain their impressive pre-surgery form. Bobby Miller is still around, too.

On paper, it’s an embarrassment of riches, but these arms also represent pivotal depth for when injuries inevitably happen. Some portion of these pitchers are bound to contribute to Los Angeles’ effort to three-peat; exactly which ones remains to be seen.

Philadelphia Phillies: Outfield

It’s rare to see a team be blatantly transparent about its intention to put a yet-to-debut prospect on the Opening Day roster. But the Phillies have not been shy whatsoever about how much they are counting on 22-year-old Justin Crawford to be their center fielder in 2026. The son of four-time All-Star outfielder Carl, Justin spent all of 2025 at Triple-A and showed an exciting blend of speed and contact resembling that of his father’s prime. Now Philadelphia appears ready to lean on him to add a youthful component to a lineup loaded with grizzled veterans.

The Phillies’ willingness to hand Crawford the starting center-field job is refreshing in an era when so many teams are overly cautious and/or prioritizing service-time considerations. But Crawford isn’t a consensus top prospect whom evaluators regard as a slam-dunk to contribute right away, let alone blossom into an impact player. That puts some pressure on Philadelphia’s confidence in Crawford to be validated quickly, especially within the context of an outfield that features uncertainty in the corners, with Brandon Marsh’s ongoing platoon challenges and the addition of Adolis Garcia coming off two wretched campaigns. 

Starting a rookie in center field on Opening Day would be one thing if he were flanked by two rock-solid contributors, but that’s not the case here. There’s upside with this unit, but Crawford and Garcia will need to perform well in a hurry as the only two new faces in a lineup that has otherwise stayed the same.

New York Mets: Starting rotation

As Peralta leaves behind a Brewers rotation filled with younger pitchers, he joins a Mets staff with a wealth of veteran rotation candidates, all of whom come with major questions. While Peralta and budding ace Nolan McLean are locks to occupy the top two rotation spots in Queens, you can make a case for about six other pitchers to fill out the remaining three jobs as things stand.

Clay Holmes looks like the safest bet of this group — an unexpected sentiment, given his career trajectory — but also the one with the lowest demonstrated upside. Lefty David Peterson was fantastic in the first half of 2025, earning an All-Star nod, but awful down the stretch, posting a 6.34 ERA after the break. Sean Manaea is by far the highest-paid of the bunch, but his second season in Queens was marred by injuries, making it difficult to forecast his contributions. Kodai Senga is enigmatic from both durability and performance standpoints, and his name has floated in trade rumors all winter. If that quartet of veterans fails to produce enough reliable starters, 22-year-old Jonah Tong looms as an exciting rookie candidate. There’s also 26-year-old Christian Scott, who will be looking to make a mark in camp after missing all of 2025 following Tommy John surgery.

New York’s dramatic offseason makeover of its offense has been astonishing to watch, but recall that the team’s second-half collapse last year was largely fueled by disarray on the mound. Peralta will help, but a lot will depend on the rest of the pitchers in-house to up their games if the Mets are going to get back on track, and that should be a big focus in Port St. Lucie this spring.

When the 2025 MLB Draft was approaching, Texas Longhorns head coach Jim Schlossnagle was hopeful to keep his standout catcher, Rylan Galvan, on the Forty Acres for another season.

Instead, the Buster Posey Award finalist signed with the Chicago White Sox after he was selected in the 13th round, sending Schlossnagle and his staff into the NCAA transfer portal to find an impact replacement.

That search turned into a resounding success story when Texas landed a commitment from star Notre Dame transfer Carson Tinney, also a finalist for the Buster Posey Award as the nation’s best catcher, and the only D1 Baseball All-American to enter the NCAA transfer portal last offseason.

“There’s never been a good baseball team with a bad catcher, ever,” Texas head coach Jim Schlossnagle said this week on the On Second Thought podcast. “We had to go get a great one and, luckily, Carson was out there and he had a real great interest in Texas.”

The program’s history of producing elite catchers was appealing for the 6’4, 240-pound Colorado product as he battles to place his name among the top players at the position in the 2026 MLB Draft — Just Baseball ranks Tinney as the No. 3 college catcher heading into the season.

“They proved to develop guys. They proved, obviously, to develop catchers,” Tinney said of his commitment. “I got along with the coaches very well. The area is great. And I was on campus, and it felt like the right place for me, so I pulled the trigger.”

A first-team All-American in 2025 by the NCBWA and Baseball American, Tinney elevated his stock with a breakout season, leading the Fighting Irish in batting average (.348), runs (52), homers (17), RBI (53), total bases (119), walks (34), on-base percentage (.498), slugging (.753), and multi-RBI performances (17) after battling injuries as a freshman that limited him to 15 starts in 28 appearances during which he batted .268 with three home runs and nine RBI.

In the batter’s box, Tinney’s prodigious pull-side power is elite, producing a top-10 average exit velocity in college baseball last season. This offseason, Tinney’s exit velocity has reached 112 to 114 miles per hour at Texas and up to nearly 120 miles per hour in training.

“He has that big, big power — when he comes to the plate, the crowd is going to pay attention because you never know what you’re going to see,” Schlossnagle said.

“He gets ahold of that ball, it’s going a long way,” Texas sophomore left-hander Dylan Volantis said.

At Notre Dame, Tinney combined that power with the command of the strike zone expected from a catcher in drawing 34 walks for an on-base percentage of .498 and a solid strikeout rate of 25 percent. In comparison, Galvan had a strikeout rate of 35.5 percent, as he was more prone to take close pitches late in the count and swing and miss.

“He’s improved as an overall hitter, which is what he has to continue to do to be the draft pick that he wants to be and to be the hitter that we want him to be,” Schlossnagle said.

Since arriving on the Forty Acres, Schlossnagle praised the development of Tinney’s leadership ability and his improvement behind the plate after throwing out 17-of-25 attempted base stealers in 2025.

“He’s a really good catcher. He’s got unique receiving abilities. He throws well,” Schlossnagle said.

Longhorns pitchers like Volantis appreciate the big target that Tinney presents behind the plate and his coach in the Cape Cod league last summer praised the way that Tinney is able to frame pitches.

“He makes our pitchers better,” Jamie Shevchik said. “He steals strikes. There’s pitches that are probably two, three balls off the plate that he’s pulling back in and getting calls on.”

Despite adding 40 pounds since high school, when he reached 87 miles per hour throwing from behind the plate with a pop time of 1.80 seconds, Tinney has maintained his athleticism.

But no matter how much athleticism and toughness Tinney has, one certainty for the 2026 season is that he’ll suffer some knocks playing catcher and need some games off or at designated hitter to stay fresh, so he wasn’t the only important addition at the position.

With the departures of Oliver Service and Cole Chamberlain, backup options for Schlossnagle last season, landing a catcher with experience was paramount to allow some development time for signee Presley Courville.

Texas looked to the junior-college ranks to fill that need by signing San Antonio product Andrew Ermis, who made big strides as a hitter last season at Temple, improving his batting average from .255 to .338 with 10 home runs and 41 RBI. According to Schlossnagle, that offensive improvement has continued in Austin, but his floor is set by his advanced catching ability.

“He’s a really good catch-and-throw guy. I mean, really good,” said the Texas head coach.

The other certainty for the 2026 season is that if the Horns are going to make a run to Omaha, Tinney’s power in the middle of the lineup and play behind the plate will play crucial roles.

The Diamondbacks traded infielder Blaze Alexander to the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday, Feb. 5, in exchange for right-handed reliever Kade Strowd and a pair of minor leaguers, a deal that represents the club’s biggest addition to its bullpen yet this winter.

Strowd, 28, enjoyed a strong debut in the big leagues last season, posting a 1.71 ERA in 25 games, allowing only one homer, walking 13 and striking out 24 in 26⅓ innings. He arrives in Arizona with six full years of club control.

Strowd, who averages 96 mph with his fastball, pitches predominantly off his cutter, a pitch he threw 41.1 percent of the time. He also throws a sinker, curveball and sweeper.

The Diamondbacks are also getting two prospects: right-hander Wellington Aracena and infielder Jose Mejia.

In exchange, the Diamondbacks had to part with Alexander, who had a breakout second half after taking over at third base following the trade deadline. He hit .230/.323/.383 with seven homers while playing excellent defense at third base.

Alexander became somewhat expendable after the Diamondbacks acquired third baseman Nolan Arenado in a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals last month. The Diamondbacks still have infield depth in the form of Jordan Lawlar.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Diamondbacks trade Blaze Alexander for reliever in deal with Orioles