VITORIA-GASTEIZ, Spain (AP) — Lucas Boyé scored twice for Alaves to draw with Girona 2-2 in an end-to-end La Liga encounter at Estadio Mendizorroza on Monday.
The second straight draw for Alaves lifted it three points clear of La Liga’s relegation zone.
Girona was three places and three points better off, although only six points separate Girona in 11th and Mallorca in the last of the three relegation spots.
The home side took the initiative after just five minutes when Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga missed Yusi’s low cross, allowing Boyé to side-foot home from close range.
However, Girona came roaring back and 14 minutes before the break it was level, Axel Witsel’s glancing header touched into the net by Vladyslav Vanat.
Girona took the lead in the 73rd minute when Azzedine Ounahi’s superb reverse pass split the Alaves defence. Viktor Tsygankov showed a cool head to round the keeper and slot the ball into the empty net.
But Boyé’s header a minute from time gave Alaves a deserved draw that could be crucial in its fight against the drop.
“We’re at home, and we know that to reach our objective as quickly as possible we have to pick up three points here, especially against direct rivals,” Boyé said. “We’re frustrated by the draw and by not getting all three points.”
Yahoo Sports’ 26-and-under power rankings are a remix on the traditional farm system rankings that assess the strength of MLB organizations’ talent base among rookie-eligible and MiLB players. By evaluating all players in an organization entering their age-26 seasons or younger, this project aims to paint a more complete picture of each team’s young core. Our rankings value productive young major leaguers more heavily than prospects who have yet to prove it at the highest level, and most prospects included in teams’ evaluations have already reached the upper levels of the minors.
To compile these rankings, each MLB organization was given a score in four categories:
Young MLB hitters: scored 0-10; 26-and-under position players and rookie-eligible hitters projected to be on Opening Day rosters
Young MLB pitchers: scored 0-10; 26-and-under pitchers and rookie-eligible pitchers projected to be on Opening Day rosters
Prospect hitters: scored 0-5; prospect-eligible position players projected to reach MLB in the next 1-2 years
Prospect pitchers: scored 0-5; prospect-eligible pitchers projected to reach MLB in the next 1-2 years
We’re counting down all 30 organizations’ 26-and-under talent bases from weakest to strongest, diving into five teams at a time. In addition to the scores for each team in each category, we’ll highlight the key players who fall into each bucket and contributed most to their organization’s place in the rankings. Below, we dig into Nos. 15-11.
15. St. Louis Cardinals (total score: 16/30) | 2025 rank: 16
Young MLB hitters (5/10): DH Iván Herrera, SS Masyn Winn, OF Jordan Walker, CF Victor Scott II, 3B Nolan Gorman, INF Thomas Saggese Young MLB pitchers (3/10): LHP Matthew Liberatore, RHP Michael McGreevy, RHP Gordon Graceffo, RHP Richard Fitts, RHP Hunter Dobbins Prospect hitters (4/5): SS JJ Wetherholt, C Leonardo Bernal, C Jimmy Crooks, 1B Blaze Jordan, OF Nathan Church, OF Chase Davis, OF Joshua Baez, C Rainiel Rodriguez Prospect pitchers (4/5): LHP Liam Doyle, SHP Jurrangelo Cijntje, LHP Quinn Mathews, RHP Tekoah Roby, RHP Tink Hence, LHP Ixan Henderson, LHP Brandon Clarke, RHP Chen-Wei Lin, RHP Tanner Franklin
The Cardinals, long a beacon of small-market sustainability, are officially in rebuild mode. With president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom at the helm, St. Louis dealt away four high-priced veterans over the winter: Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan. The Cardinals ate money in each trade to improve the quality of prospects they acquired. That helped propel St. Louis’ farm system from simply solid to a top-10 or even top-five system in the sport.
Atop that group is JJWetherholt, who should make his MLB debut in the near future. The West Virginia product was tracking like a No. 1 draft pick in 2024 before injury concerns pushed him down to the Cardinals at seven. Less than two years later, that looks like quite the heist. Wetherholt is a special hitter, with a rare power-hit combo for an infielder that should propel him to multiple All-Star Games over the course of his career. While there are doubts about his ability to stick at shortstop, those questions won’t matter in the short term, considering that Gold Glover Masyn Winn is entrenched there in St. Louis. Either way, Wetherholt is a dude’s dude, the next face of this franchise.
The Cards also boast a preponderance of catching talent. JimmyCrooks is the closest to the big leagues, a glove-over-bat type in the Patrick Bailey mold. He won’t win any batting titles, but there’s probably a Gold Glove in his future. RainielRodriguez, Dominican-born and raised in Philly, is further from the show but has a much, much higher ceiling. The 19-year-old absolutely smoked minor-league pitching in 2025 and is tracking like an above-average defender behind the dish. He’s a top-three catching prospect in the sport.
On the mound, St. Louis has assembled a massive arsenal of potential impact arms. LiamDoyle, the fifth pick of last year’s draft, is rawer than the typical college ace but also has one of the best fastballs in the minors. If he can smooth out the edges and refine his secondaries, he’ll be a monster. JurrangeloCijntje is famous because he can throw with both hands, but the Donovan deal headliner has been so good with his right that he might soon need to drop his left. There are still multiple delightful avenues to him switch-pitching in the bigs, but he’s going to make a living off a three-pitch mix that features a mid-90s heater and a slider and changeup that both grade out as plus or better. TekoahRoby, QuinnMathews and TinkHence have all been top-100 prospects at one point or another, but all took steps back in 2025. We like Mathews to bounce back to become, at the very least, a good late-inning arm.
On the big-league side, one question will define this Cardinals season: How many current young big leaguers will make it through the rebuild to be on the next good St. Louis ballclub?
Winn, on the strength of his glove, feels like a lock. The 5-foot-9 Texan is jackrabbit-quick and has a howitzer for an arm. That means he just needs to be competent offensively, like he was in 2025. IvánHerrera is a similarly good bet to survive the sludge, though he and Winn are polar opposites. While Herrera came up and debuted as a catcher, the Panamanian caught only 14 games in 2025 and looks slated to be St. Louis’ regular DH. Thankfully, the 25-year-old absolutely rakes; he had the same wRC+ last season as Vlad Guerrero Jr. And at this point, consistency from any of VictorScott II, Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman or ThomasSaggese would be considered a win.
Things are sparser in the big-league pitching staff, though the Cardinals have cleared spots for a few youngsters. While MatthewLiberatore and MichaelMcGreevy project to be in the Opening Day rotation, both guys look like back-end, kitchen-sink types. The same is true for HunterDobbins and RichardFitts, both acquired over the winter from Boston. — J.M.
Is JJ Wetherholt ready to become the next face of the St. Louis Cardinals?
Young MLB hitters (5/10): OF Jakob Marsee, C/DH Agustín Ramírez, SS Xavier Edwards, OF Owen Caissie, INF Connor Norby, INF Graham Pauley, UTIL Javier Sanoja, OF Heriberto Hernández Young MLB pitchers (5/10): RHP Eury Perez, RHP Ronny Henriquez Prospect hitters (2/5): C Joe Mack, INF Starlyn Caba, 1B/3B Deyvison De Los Santos, OF Kemp Alderman, SS Aiva Arquette, OF Dillon Lewis, OF Brendan Jones Prospect pitchers (4/5): LHP Robby Snelling, LHP Thomas White, RHP Karson Milbrandt, LHP Dax Fulton
The 2025 Marlins were far, far better than people expected, thanks in large part to this crop of young hitters. JakobMarsee, dealt from San Diego as part of the package for Luis Arraez, was a revelation in a 55-game sample after debuting Aug. 1. He looks like a cornerstone leadoff man and center fielder for the Fish, a sum-of-the-parts borderline All-Star. XavierEdwards’ defensive numbers — he was a first-percentile defender in 2024 —finally took a leap forward. He profiles best as a bottom-of-the-order, slash-and-dash, catalyst type, but 2025 was an encouraging year for the 26-year-old. AgustínRamírez is an incredibly fun, incredibly flawed slugger with sensational bat speed and a whole lot of chase. Miami gave the cement-handed Dominican a multitude of opportunities behind the plate last year. That’s something only a bad team would’ve done, as heended the season as the game’s worst catcher. He’s almost certainly a full-time DH down the line.
Eury Pérez made 20 starts after returning from Tommy John surgery and looked good, not great. We think that’s attributable to rust and still have him pegged as a future frontline guy. The 6-foot-8 seedling doesn’t turn 23 until April. His heater sat at 98 mph last year, the third-highest mark for any hurler with at least 20 starts. This remains a unicorn talent who should take a huge jump forward if he improves the command and upgrades his secondaries.
Conveniently for Pérez — and all the following arms — Miami has developed a strong reputation over the years for pitching development. The Marlins’ current cache of high-minors arms certainly played a role in compelling president of baseball operations Peter Bendix to deal away Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers over the winter. ThomasWhite is the crown jewel, an imposing, 6-foot-5 southpaw with an overpowering three-pitch mix. Few pitchers in the minors can rival his immense physicality, trio of plus offerings and statistical résumé. He can get a bit too walk-prone, à la Carlos Rodón or MacKenzie Gore, but like those dudes, White’s stuff is so good that he’ll get outs anyway. Expect him in Miami this year.
Robby Snelling, a former Padres comp-rounder sent to Florida in the Tanner Scott deal, had a bounce-back 2025 and looks like a midrotation piece again, thanks to a velocity bump. In his third taste of High-A, KarsonMilbrandt added 10 percentage points to his strikeout rate. He followed that with an eye-catching fall league stint in which he punched out 23 in 13 ⅓ innings. He might end up in the bullpen, but his high-ride heater is the real deal.
Joe Mack — a lefty-hitting catcher with big power, hit tool concerns and a rocket arm — is Miami’s highest rated position-player prospect, but Aiva Arquette is the org’s most important one. Very few shortstops are built like this (6-foot-5, 220 pounds) with this type of power projection (113 mph exit velocities already). Arquette is a freak athlete with superb body control on the defensive side that should let him stick at short despite his height. Like any long-limbed lad, he has hit tool questions, but if he adds strength, stays nimble and develops the bat, he could turn into a Hawaiian version of Elly De La Cruz. — J.M.
Young MLB hitters (4/10): 1B Kyle Manzardo, INF Gabriel Arias, OF/1B C.J. Kayfus, C Bo Naylor, INF Brayan Rocchio, OF George Valera, UTIL Angel Martinez Young MLB pitchers (6/10): RHP Gavin Williams, LHP Joey Cantillo, LHP Parker Messick, RHP Andrew Walters, RHP Peyton Pallette Prospect hitters (4/5): OF Chase DeLauter, 2B Travis Bazzana, INF Juan Brito, 1B Ralphy Velazquez, SS Angel Genao, OF Kahlil Watson, C Cooper Ingle, OF Jace LaViolette Prospect pitchers (2/5): RHP Khal Stephen, RHP Austin Peterson, RHP Daniel Espino, LHP Matt Wilkinson, LHP Josh Hartle, LHP Doug Nikhazy
No team had more key pitchers age out of this year’s rankings than the Guardians: Five of their top seven arms by innings pitched in 2025 (Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen, Slade Cecconi, Luis Ortiz, Cade Smith) were in their age-26 seasons. All except Ortiz remain pivotal members of the pitching staff, but for the purposes of this project, their graduations deal a notable blow to Cleveland’s young MLB pitchers group, which scored a 9/10 last year. Yet the Guardians still rate well in the category, thanks in large part to Gavin Williams’ long-anticipated breakout, as the big right-hander finally put together a complete season in the rotation and got better as the year went on. Command remains a concern — no pitcher walked more batters in 2025 — but the frequency of free passes did not prevent Williams from pitching deep into games. There might be more untapped potential if he can improve the strike-throwing even a little bit.
Cleveland has also done well to develop effective arms with less obvious impact traits. Lefties Joey Cantillo and Parker Messick don’t have blow-you-away velocity but thrive on deception and deft deployment of their arsenals. Top pitching prospect Khal Stephen, acquired at last year’s trade deadline for Shane Bieber, relies on a similar recipe from the right side. Guardians pitchers, regardless of their exact repertoires, usually know how to get outs, which means Cleveland can depend on its run-prevention roots to stay competitive even when the offense lags behind.
About that offense. Quantity is not in question: Outside of veteran face of the franchise José Ramírez and 28-year-old All-Star outfielder Steven Kwan, almost every other position player on the active roster is of the 26-and-under variety. But quality? That’s more murky. Gabriel Arias and Brayan Rocchio remain entrenched in the middle infield, despite roughly 1,000 big-league plate appearances of below-average output from each. Bo Naylor has shown flashes of impact on both sides of the ball but is entering his third season as the primary catcher with a career wRC+ of 88. CJ Kayfus and George Valera both arrived late last season with solid track records of mashing in the upper minors but now need to do it in the big leagues. If there’s one bat to believe in among those we’ve already seen in the majors, it’s Kyle Manzardo. The rare big leaguer born and raised in Idaho, Manzardo’s lefty bat proved potent in his sophomore season, as he swatted 27 homers with a 113 wRC+. He adds minimal value on defense or the basepaths, so he’ll have to keep raking to remain a key piece for Cleveland.
While the progress of the aforementioned hitters is worth monitoring, Cleveland’s offensive outlook is far more dependent on the wave of rookie-eligible hitters expected to make an impact in 2026. That starts with outfielder Chase DeLauter, who joined the exclusive list of players to make their major-league debuts in the postseason in October after yet another injury-marred regular season. Few hitting prospects in recent memory have navigated a wider array of ailments than DeLauter has since being selected in the first round in 2022, but when he has been on the field, he has shined. He’s in a strong position to potentially make the 2026 Opening Day roster, with hopes that his advanced lefty stick can single-handedly elevate the Guardians’ lineup.
Behind DeLauter, there’s a deep and diverse group of hitters at the upper levels who could play their way into the big-league picture. 2024 No. 1 pick Travis Bazzana might not have raced to the majors like a few of the players drafted after him, but he’s still an exciting, all-around talent who should factor into Cleveland’s plans soon. Juan Brito, Kahlil Watson and Cooper Ingle will be waiting in the wings in case of injury or a player ahead of them on the depth chart faltering. Ralphy Velazquez might not be ready until 2027, but his offensive ceiling is arguably higher than that of any other hitter in the system. All told, it’s an enviable collection of hitting prospects on paper, with considerable pressure to perform quickly or risk replicating the underwhelming output of the Guardians’ group of young hitters in the majors. — J.S.
12. Los Angeles Dodgers (total score: 16/30) | 2025 rank: 5
Young MLB hitters (3/10): Andy Pages, Dalton Rushing Young MLB pitchers (7/10): Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki, Justin Wrobleski, Will Klein Prospect hitters (4/5): Alex Freeland, Zyhir Hope, Josue De Paula, Mike Sirota, James Tibbs Prospect pitchers (2/5): Jackson Ferris, Adam Serwinowski, Zach Root, Peter Heubeck
In Los Angeles, amid a galaxy of superstars, the opportunities for youngsters are few and far between. The bar, in Dodger Blue, is that much higher.
Dalton Rushing might be hitting seventh as the primary catcher for many other organizations. In L.A., he’s lucky to don the gear twice a week. AndyPages was unplayably bad in October, but he delivered an underrated regular season. Elsewhere, a .774 OPS with great outfield defense from a 24-year-old would be frontpage material. The signing of Kyle Tucker means Pages could be relegated to the Dodgers’ bench whenever Tommy Edman gets off the IL this year.
The 2025 Dodgers don’t win the World Series without EmmetSheehan and JustinWrobleski, both of whom came up huge in key spots. In many other places, they’d be mid-rotation mainstays. In L.A., they’re either fighting for scraps behind Yamamoto, Ohtani, Glasnow and Snell (Sheehan) or pitching out of the pen (Wrobleski). Then there’s RokiSasaki, baseball’s ultimate mystery box. Hyped more than the original iPhone, the Japanese phenom spent the first third of 2025 acting like a skittish cat before he landed on the IL due to a shoulder issue. But at the 11th hour, he returned as a white knight reliever, posting zeros in eight of his nine October outings to solidify a rickety Dodgers ‘pen. Now he’s headed back to the rotation, armed with an abundance of talent and a dearth of moxie. Anything could happen.
As you surely already know, The Franchise Ruining Baseball is much, much more than a collection of highly paid mercenaries. This organization, despite drafting at the back of the first round or later seemingly every year, has been world-class at identifying and developing talent. Part of that is certainly financial — the Dodgers were early and heavy on game-changing tech — but a lot of it is employing smart people and getting them all on the same page. That’s why this farm system, despite being regularly plundered for trades, remains absolutely stacked with position players.
Josue De Paula has intergalactical offensive upside, with an advanced eye and an orchard of juice. If he optimizes his swing plane for lift, watch out. ZyhirHope is one of the best athletes in the minors, a power-speed dynamo with huge swing-and-miss concerns. He either needs to stick in center or upgrade his hit tool to break onto L.A.’s stacked big-league roster. Still just 21, he has time. AlexFreeland got his doors blown off during a cup of coffee in 2025. That short stint amplified questions about whether he can play short and how much contact he’ll make.
Whether any of these prospects ends up playing for the Dodgers is somewhat beside the point. The position-player depth in this system — we’ve yet to mention guys like Eduardo Quintero, Mike Sirota or Charles Davalan — will allow Friedman and Co. to be aggressive in the trade market if the opportunity presents itself. Los Angeles has the horses on the farm to acquire pretty much anybody in baseball — and yes, that includes Tarik Skubal. — J.M.
11. Boston Red Sox (total score: 16/30) | 2025 rank: 1
Young MLB hitters (8/10): OF Roman Anthony, 1B Triston Casas, INF Marcelo Mayer, OF Ceddanne Rafaela, OF Kristian Campbell, INF Caleb Durbin Young MLB pitchers (4/10): LHP Connelly Early, LHP Payton Tolle Prospect hitters (2/5): SS Franklin Arias, INF Mikey Romero, OF Allan Castro Prospect pitchers (2/5): LHP Jake Bennett, RHP Kyson Witherspoon, RHP Anthony Eyanson, RHP Marcus Phillips, RHP Gage Ziehl, RHP Juan Valera
Our No. 1 team in last year’s rankings, the Red Sox took a tumble in 2026 due to the graduations of Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello and Wilyer Abreu, plus some stagnation among some of their important young bats. But the arrival of Roman Anthony — who looks as advertised — in the big leagues and some pleasant surprises on the mound have ensured that Boston remains in the top half of our list.
Entering 2025, Anthony was the clear headliner among Boston’s trio of elite hitting prospects that also included Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell. While he was not the first of the three to debut — Campbell made the Opening Day roster — Anthony delivered most thoroughly on the hype as a rookie, immediately asserting himself as one of the most dangerous Boston bats before an oblique strain ended his campaign in September. His absence was felt during Boston’s early exit against the Yankees in October, and now Anthony’s role atop the lineup carries all the more weight in the wake of Alex Bregman’s departure. Just 21 years old until May — and currently gearing up to play left field for Team USA in the WBC — Anthony is rapidly establishing himself as one of the premier left-handed hitters in the sport. It’s no surprise the Red Sox already awarded him with a nine-figure extension.
Campbell’s and Mayer’s transitions to the majors weren’t nearly as smooth. Campbell raked for a month before going ice-cold for much longer, necessitating a demotion to Triple-A in June, and he did not appear in the majors the rest of the season. Boston is now focused on developing him as an outfielder, which should simplify a previously uncertain defensive outlook, but most important is getting his bat back on track. While it’s far too early to discard Campbell as a potential core piece, his path to impacting the Red Sox in the near future is cloudy based on his weaknesses and the roster in place around him. Mayer’s glove is big-league ready at multiple infield spots, but late-offseason additions to the infield depth chart — including contact maven Caleb Durbin, who also strengthens Boston’s young MLB hitters group — suggest a hesitance to entrust him with regular at-bats just yet. He’s still wildly talented, but his ramp-up to an every-day role could take time.
Triston Casas, 26,and Ceddanne Rafaela, 25,are more experienced than the aforementioned offensive trio, but both still face crucial developmental hurdles. Rafaela’s sensational center-field glove is irrefutable, but his bottom-of-the-scale plate discipline (.287 career OBP in 1,247 career plate appearances) has hampered any semblance of upside at the plate. Casas’ powerful left-handed bat was on an encouraging trajectory early in his career but is now tasked with bouncing back from a season-ending leg injury while attempting to reintegrate into a lineup without an obvious opening for another 1B/DH type.
A year ago we tabbed Boston as having one of the weaker prospect pitching groups. But a pair of enormous breakouts from Payton Tolle and Connelly Early ultimately rendered that assessment inaccurate. Tollehadn’t even thrown a professional pitch at this time last year, but the gargantuan southpaw carved through the minors en route to an August debut. His special fastball paired with elite extension will carry Tolle quite far, but if he can polish his command and improve his secondary offerings, the sky’s the limit. Early’s raw stuff isn’t quite as eye-popping, but his pitchability is a notch above, which could give him the edge as the two jockey for positioning on Boston’s crowded starting pitching depth chart. Neither is guaranteed a rotation spot to open the season, but we’ve included Early and Tolle in the young MLB pitchers category on the basis of their demonstrated importance to the club last season and in October. Both pitchers remain rookie-eligible, but it’s hard to envision either spending the bulk of this season in the minors.
Graduations and a substantial number of trades to upgrade the big-league roster have thinned out this system in recent years. But the developmental leaps made by Early and Tolle lend optimism that the next wave of minor-league arms could chart similarly expedited paths, with last year’s college pitching-heavy draft class providing several candidates to monitor (Kyson Witherspoon, Marcus Phillips, Anthony Eyanson). Franklin Arias should also not be overlooked as a likely shortstop with a plus hit tool who reached Double-A as a 19-year-old last year. If he can access more power, the Red Sox might have another elite hitting prospect to factor into their position-player plans sooner rather than later. — J.S.
Yahoo Sports’ 26-and-under power rankings are a remix on the traditional farm system rankings that assess the strength of MLB organizations’ talent base among rookie-eligible and MiLB players. By evaluating all players in an organization entering their age-26 seasons or younger, this project aims to paint a more complete picture of each team’s young core. Our rankings value productive young major leaguers more heavily than prospects who have yet to prove it at the highest level, and most prospects included in teams’ evaluations have already reached the upper levels of the minors.
To compile these rankings, each MLB organization was given a score in four categories:
Young MLB hitters: scored 0-10; 26-and-under position players and rookie-eligible hitters projected to be on Opening Day rosters
Young MLB pitchers: scored 0-10; 26-and-under pitchers and rookie-eligible pitchers projected to be on Opening Day rosters
Prospect hitters: scored 0-5; prospect-eligible position players projected to reach MLB in the next 1-2 years
Prospect pitchers: scored 0-5; prospect-eligible pitchers projected to reach MLB in the next 1-2 years
We’re counting down all 30 organizations’ 26-and-under talent bases from weakest to strongest, diving into five teams at a time. In addition to the scores for each team in each category, we’ll highlight the key players who fall into each bucket and contributed most to their organization’s place in the rankings. Below, we dig into Nos. 15-11.
15. St. Louis Cardinals (total score: 16/30) | 2025 rank: 16
Young MLB hitters (5/10): DH Iván Herrera, SS Masyn Winn, OF Jordan Walker, CF Victor Scott II, 3B Nolan Gorman, INF Thomas Saggese Young MLB pitchers (3/10): LHP Matthew Liberatore, RHP Michael McGreevy, RHP Gordon Graceffo, RHP Richard Fitts, RHP Hunter Dobbins Prospect hitters (4/5): SS JJ Wetherholt, C Leonardo Bernal, C Jimmy Crooks, 1B Blaze Jordan, OF Nathan Church, OF Chase Davis, OF Joshua Baez, C Rainiel Rodriguez Prospect pitchers (4/5): LHP Liam Doyle, SHP Jurrangelo Cijntje, LHP Quinn Mathews, RHP Tekoah Roby, RHP Tink Hence, LHP Ixan Henderson, LHP Brandon Clarke, RHP Chen-Wei Lin, RHP Tanner Franklin
The Cardinals, long a beacon of small-market sustainability, are officially in rebuild mode. With president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom at the helm, St. Louis dealt away four high-priced veterans over the winter: Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan. The Cardinals ate money in each trade to improve the quality of prospects they acquired. That helped propel St. Louis’ farm system from simply solid to a top-10 or even top-five system in the sport.
Atop that group is JJWetherholt, who should make his MLB debut in the near future. The West Virginia product was tracking like a No. 1 draft pick in 2024 before injury concerns pushed him down to the Cardinals at seven. Less than two years later, that looks like quite the heist. Wetherholt is a special hitter, with a rare power-hit combo for an infielder that should propel him to multiple All-Star Games over the course of his career. While there are doubts about his ability to stick at shortstop, those questions won’t matter in the short term, considering that Gold Glover Masyn Winn is entrenched there in St. Louis. Either way, Wetherholt is a dude’s dude, the next face of this franchise.
The Cards also boast a preponderance of catching talent. JimmyCrooks is the closest to the big leagues, a glove-over-bat type in the Patrick Bailey mold. He won’t win any batting titles, but there’s probably a Gold Glove in his future. RainielRodriguez, Dominican-born and raised in Philly, is further from the show but has a much, much higher ceiling. The 19-year-old absolutely smoked minor-league pitching in 2025 and is tracking like an above-average defender behind the dish. He’s a top-three catching prospect in the sport.
On the mound, St. Louis has assembled a massive arsenal of potential impact arms. LiamDoyle, the fifth pick of last year’s draft, is rawer than the typical college ace but also has one of the best fastballs in the minors. If he can smooth out the edges and refine his secondaries, he’ll be a monster. JurrangeloCijntje is famous because he can throw with both hands, but the Donovan deal headliner has been so good with his right that he might soon need to drop his left. There are still multiple delightful avenues to him switch-pitching in the bigs, but he’s going to make a living off a three-pitch mix that features a mid-90s heater and a slider and changeup that both grade out as plus or better. TekoahRoby, QuinnMathews and TinkHence have all been top-100 prospects at one point or another, but all took steps back in 2025. We like Mathews to bounce back to become, at the very least, a good late-inning arm.
On the big-league side, one question will define this Cardinals season: How many current young big leaguers will make it through the rebuild to be on the next good St. Louis ballclub?
Winn, on the strength of his glove, feels like a lock. The 5-foot-9 Texan is jackrabbit-quick and has a howitzer for an arm. That means he just needs to be competent offensively, like he was in 2025. IvánHerrera is a similarly good bet to survive the sludge, though he and Winn are polar opposites. While Herrera came up and debuted as a catcher, the Panamanian caught only 14 games in 2025 and looks slated to be St. Louis’ regular DH. Thankfully, the 25-year-old absolutely rakes; he had the same wRC+ last season as Vlad Guerrero Jr. And at this point, consistency from any of VictorScott II, Jordan Walker, Nolan Gorman or ThomasSaggese would be considered a win.
Things are sparser in the big-league pitching staff, though the Cardinals have cleared spots for a few youngsters. While MatthewLiberatore and MichaelMcGreevy project to be in the Opening Day rotation, both guys look like back-end, kitchen-sink types. The same is true for HunterDobbins and RichardFitts, both acquired over the winter from Boston. — J.M.
Is JJ Wetherholt ready to become the next face of the St. Louis Cardinals?
Young MLB hitters (5/10): OF Jakob Marsee, C/DH Agustín Ramírez, SS Xavier Edwards, OF Owen Caissie, INF Connor Norby, INF Graham Pauley, UTIL Javier Sanoja, OF Heriberto Hernández Young MLB pitchers (5/10): RHP Eury Perez, RHP Ronny Henriquez Prospect hitters (2/5): C Joe Mack, INF Starlyn Caba, 1B/3B Deyvison De Los Santos, OF Kemp Alderman, SS Aiva Arquette, OF Dillon Lewis, OF Brendan Jones Prospect pitchers (4/5): LHP Robby Snelling, LHP Thomas White, RHP Karson Milbrandt, LHP Dax Fulton
The 2025 Marlins were far, far better than people expected, thanks in large part to this crop of young hitters. JakobMarsee, dealt from San Diego as part of the package for Luis Arraez, was a revelation in a 55-game sample after debuting Aug. 1. He looks like a cornerstone leadoff man and center fielder for the Fish, a sum-of-the-parts borderline All-Star. XavierEdwards’ defensive numbers — he was a first-percentile defender in 2024 —finally took a leap forward. He profiles best as a bottom-of-the-order, slash-and-dash, catalyst type, but 2025 was an encouraging year for the 26-year-old. AgustínRamírez is an incredibly fun, incredibly flawed slugger with sensational bat speed and a whole lot of chase. Miami gave the cement-handed Dominican a multitude of opportunities behind the plate last year. That’s something only a bad team would’ve done, as heended the season as the game’s worst catcher. He’s almost certainly a full-time DH down the line.
Eury Pérez made 20 starts after returning from Tommy John surgery and looked good, not great. We think that’s attributable to rust and still have him pegged as a future frontline guy. The 6-foot-8 seedling doesn’t turn 23 until April. His heater sat at 98 mph last year, the third-highest mark for any hurler with at least 20 starts. This remains a unicorn talent who should take a huge jump forward if he improves the command and upgrades his secondaries.
Conveniently for Pérez — and all the following arms — Miami has developed a strong reputation over the years for pitching development. The Marlins’ current cache of high-minors arms certainly played a role in compelling president of baseball operations Peter Bendix to deal away Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers over the winter. ThomasWhite is the crown jewel, an imposing, 6-foot-5 southpaw with an overpowering three-pitch mix. Few pitchers in the minors can rival his immense physicality, trio of plus offerings and statistical résumé. He can get a bit too walk-prone, à la Carlos Rodón or MacKenzie Gore, but like those dudes, White’s stuff is so good that he’ll get outs anyway. Expect him in Miami this year.
Robby Snelling, a former Padres comp-rounder sent to Florida in the Tanner Scott deal, had a bounce-back 2025 and looks like a midrotation piece again, thanks to a velocity bump. In his third taste of High-A, KarsonMilbrandt added 10 percentage points to his strikeout rate. He followed that with an eye-catching fall league stint in which he punched out 23 in 13 ⅓ innings. He might end up in the bullpen, but his high-ride heater is the real deal.
Joe Mack — a lefty-hitting catcher with big power, hit tool concerns and a rocket arm — is Miami’s highest rated position-player prospect, but Aiva Arquette is the org’s most important one. Very few shortstops are built like this (6-foot-5, 220 pounds) with this type of power projection (113 mph exit velocities already). Arquette is a freak athlete with superb body control on the defensive side that should let him stick at short despite his height. Like any long-limbed lad, he has hit tool questions, but if he adds strength, stays nimble and develops the bat, he could turn into a Hawaiian version of Elly De La Cruz. — J.M.
Young MLB hitters (4/10): 1B Kyle Manzardo, INF Gabriel Arias, OF/1B C.J. Kayfus, C Bo Naylor, INF Brayan Rocchio, OF George Valera, UTIL Angel Martinez Young MLB pitchers (6/10): RHP Gavin Williams, LHP Joey Cantillo, LHP Parker Messick, RHP Andrew Walters, RHP Peyton Pallette Prospect hitters (4/5): OF Chase DeLauter, 2B Travis Bazzana, INF Juan Brito, 1B Ralphy Velazquez, SS Angel Genao, OF Kahlil Watson, C Cooper Ingle, OF Jace LaViolette Prospect pitchers (2/5): RHP Khal Stephen, RHP Austin Peterson, RHP Daniel Espino, LHP Matt Wilkinson, LHP Josh Hartle, LHP Doug Nikhazy
No team had more key pitchers age out of this year’s rankings than the Guardians: Five of their top seven arms by innings pitched in 2025 (Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen, Slade Cecconi, Luis Ortiz, Cade Smith) were in their age-26 seasons. All except Ortiz remain pivotal members of the pitching staff, but for the purposes of this project, their graduations deal a notable blow to Cleveland’s young MLB pitchers group, which scored a 9/10 last year. Yet the Guardians still rate well in the category, thanks in large part to Gavin Williams’ long-anticipated breakout, as the big right-hander finally put together a complete season in the rotation and got better as the year went on. Command remains a concern — no pitcher walked more batters in 2025 — but the frequency of free passes did not prevent Williams from pitching deep into games. There might be more untapped potential if he can improve the strike-throwing even a little bit.
Cleveland has also done well to develop effective arms with less obvious impact traits. Lefties Joey Cantillo and Parker Messick don’t have blow-you-away velocity but thrive on deception and deft deployment of their arsenals. Top pitching prospect Khal Stephen, acquired at last year’s trade deadline for Shane Bieber, relies on a similar recipe from the right side. Guardians pitchers, regardless of their exact repertoires, usually know how to get outs, which means Cleveland can depend on its run-prevention roots to stay competitive even when the offense lags behind.
About that offense. Quantity is not in question: Outside of veteran face of the franchise José Ramírez and 28-year-old All-Star outfielder Steven Kwan, almost every other position player on the active roster is of the 26-and-under variety. But quality? That’s more murky. Gabriel Arias and Brayan Rocchio remain entrenched in the middle infield, despite roughly 1,000 big-league plate appearances of below-average output from each. Bo Naylor has shown flashes of impact on both sides of the ball but is entering his third season as the primary catcher with a career wRC+ of 88. CJ Kayfus and George Valera both arrived late last season with solid track records of mashing in the upper minors but now need to do it in the big leagues. If there’s one bat to believe in among those we’ve already seen in the majors, it’s Kyle Manzardo. The rare big leaguer born and raised in Idaho, Manzardo’s lefty bat proved potent in his sophomore season, as he swatted 27 homers with a 113 wRC+. He adds minimal value on defense or the basepaths, so he’ll have to keep raking to remain a key piece for Cleveland.
While the progress of the aforementioned hitters is worth monitoring, Cleveland’s offensive outlook is far more dependent on the wave of rookie-eligible hitters expected to make an impact in 2026. That starts with outfielder Chase DeLauter, who joined the exclusive list of players to make their major-league debuts in the postseason in October after yet another injury-marred regular season. Few hitting prospects in recent memory have navigated a wider array of ailments than DeLauter has since being selected in the first round in 2022, but when he has been on the field, he has shined. He’s in a strong position to potentially make the 2026 Opening Day roster, with hopes that his advanced lefty stick can single-handedly elevate the Guardians’ lineup.
Behind DeLauter, there’s a deep and diverse group of hitters at the upper levels who could play their way into the big-league picture. 2024 No. 1 pick Travis Bazzana might not have raced to the majors like a few of the players drafted after him, but he’s still an exciting, all-around talent who should factor into Cleveland’s plans soon. Juan Brito, Kahlil Watson and Cooper Ingle will be waiting in the wings in case of injury or a player ahead of them on the depth chart faltering. Ralphy Velazquez might not be ready until 2027, but his offensive ceiling is arguably higher than that of any other hitter in the system. All told, it’s an enviable collection of hitting prospects on paper, with considerable pressure to perform quickly or risk replicating the underwhelming output of the Guardians’ group of young hitters in the majors. — J.S.
12. Los Angeles Dodgers (total score: 16/30) | 2025 rank: 5
Young MLB hitters (3/10): Andy Pages, Dalton Rushing Young MLB pitchers (7/10): Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki, Justin Wrobleski, Will Klein Prospect hitters (4/5): Alex Freeland, Zyhir Hope, Josue De Paula, Mike Sirota, James Tibbs Prospect pitchers (2/5): Jackson Ferris, Adam Serwinowski, Zach Root, Peter Heubeck
In Los Angeles, amid a galaxy of superstars, the opportunities for youngsters are few and far between. The bar, in Dodger Blue, is that much higher.
Dalton Rushing might be hitting seventh as the primary catcher for many other organizations. In L.A., he’s lucky to don the gear twice a week. AndyPages was unplayably bad in October, but he delivered an underrated regular season. Elsewhere, a .774 OPS with great outfield defense from a 24-year-old would be frontpage material. The signing of Kyle Tucker means Pages could be relegated to the Dodgers’ bench whenever Tommy Edman gets off the IL this year.
The 2025 Dodgers don’t win the World Series without EmmetSheehan and JustinWrobleski, both of whom came up huge in key spots. In many other places, they’d be mid-rotation mainstays. In L.A., they’re either fighting for scraps behind Yamamoto, Ohtani, Glasnow and Snell (Sheehan) or pitching out of the pen (Wrobleski). Then there’s RokiSasaki, baseball’s ultimate mystery box. Hyped more than the original iPhone, the Japanese phenom spent the first third of 2025 acting like a skittish cat before he landed on the IL due to a shoulder issue. But at the 11th hour, he returned as a white knight reliever, posting zeros in eight of his nine October outings to solidify a rickety Dodgers ‘pen. Now he’s headed back to the rotation, armed with an abundance of talent and a dearth of moxie. Anything could happen.
As you surely already know, The Franchise Ruining Baseball is much, much more than a collection of highly paid mercenaries. This organization, despite drafting at the back of the first round or later seemingly every year, has been world-class at identifying and developing talent. Part of that is certainly financial — the Dodgers were early and heavy on game-changing tech — but a lot of it is employing smart people and getting them all on the same page. That’s why this farm system, despite being regularly plundered for trades, remains absolutely stacked with position players.
Josue De Paula has intergalactical offensive upside, with an advanced eye and an orchard of juice. If he optimizes his swing plane for lift, watch out. ZyhirHope is one of the best athletes in the minors, a power-speed dynamo with huge swing-and-miss concerns. He either needs to stick in center or upgrade his hit tool to break onto L.A.’s stacked big-league roster. Still just 21, he has time. AlexFreeland got his doors blown off during a cup of coffee in 2025. That short stint amplified questions about whether he can play short and how much contact he’ll make.
Whether any of these prospects ends up playing for the Dodgers is somewhat beside the point. The position-player depth in this system — we’ve yet to mention guys like Eduardo Quintero, Mike Sirota or Charles Davalan — will allow Friedman and Co. to be aggressive in the trade market if the opportunity presents itself. Los Angeles has the horses on the farm to acquire pretty much anybody in baseball — and yes, that includes Tarik Skubal. — J.M.
11. Boston Red Sox (total score: 16/30) | 2025 rank: 1
Young MLB hitters (8/10): OF Roman Anthony, 1B Triston Casas, INF Marcelo Mayer, OF Ceddanne Rafaela, OF Kristian Campbell, INF Caleb Durbin Young MLB pitchers (4/10): LHP Connelly Early, LHP Payton Tolle Prospect hitters (2/5): SS Franklin Arias, INF Mikey Romero, OF Allan Castro Prospect pitchers (2/5): LHP Jake Bennett, RHP Kyson Witherspoon, RHP Anthony Eyanson, RHP Marcus Phillips, RHP Gage Ziehl, RHP Juan Valera
Our No. 1 team in last year’s rankings, the Red Sox took a tumble in 2026 due to the graduations of Garrett Crochet, Brayan Bello and Wilyer Abreu, plus some stagnation among some of their important young bats. But the arrival of Roman Anthony — who looks as advertised — in the big leagues and some pleasant surprises on the mound have ensured that Boston remains in the top half of our list.
Entering 2025, Anthony was the clear headliner among Boston’s trio of elite hitting prospects that also included Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell. While he was not the first of the three to debut — Campbell made the Opening Day roster — Anthony delivered most thoroughly on the hype as a rookie, immediately asserting himself as one of the most dangerous Boston bats before an oblique strain ended his campaign in September. His absence was felt during Boston’s early exit against the Yankees in October, and now Anthony’s role atop the lineup carries all the more weight in the wake of Alex Bregman’s departure. Just 21 years old until May — and currently gearing up to play left field for Team USA in the WBC — Anthony is rapidly establishing himself as one of the premier left-handed hitters in the sport. It’s no surprise the Red Sox already awarded him with a nine-figure extension.
Campbell’s and Mayer’s transitions to the majors weren’t nearly as smooth. Campbell raked for a month before going ice-cold for much longer, necessitating a demotion to Triple-A in June, and he did not appear in the majors the rest of the season. Boston is now focused on developing him as an outfielder, which should simplify a previously uncertain defensive outlook, but most important is getting his bat back on track. While it’s far too early to discard Campbell as a potential core piece, his path to impacting the Red Sox in the near future is cloudy based on his weaknesses and the roster in place around him. Mayer’s glove is big-league ready at multiple infield spots, but late-offseason additions to the infield depth chart — including contact maven Caleb Durbin, who also strengthens Boston’s young MLB hitters group — suggest a hesitance to entrust him with regular at-bats just yet. He’s still wildly talented, but his ramp-up to an every-day role could take time.
Triston Casas, 26,and Ceddanne Rafaela, 25,are more experienced than the aforementioned offensive trio, but both still face crucial developmental hurdles. Rafaela’s sensational center-field glove is irrefutable, but his bottom-of-the-scale plate discipline (.287 career OBP in 1,247 career plate appearances) has hampered any semblance of upside at the plate. Casas’ powerful left-handed bat was on an encouraging trajectory early in his career but is now tasked with bouncing back from a season-ending leg injury while attempting to reintegrate into a lineup without an obvious opening for another 1B/DH type.
A year ago we tabbed Boston as having one of the weaker prospect pitching groups. But a pair of enormous breakouts from Payton Tolle and Connelly Early ultimately rendered that assessment inaccurate. Tollehadn’t even thrown a professional pitch at this time last year, but the gargantuan southpaw carved through the minors en route to an August debut. His special fastball paired with elite extension will carry Tolle quite far, but if he can polish his command and improve his secondary offerings, the sky’s the limit. Early’s raw stuff isn’t quite as eye-popping, but his pitchability is a notch above, which could give him the edge as the two jockey for positioning on Boston’s crowded starting pitching depth chart. Neither is guaranteed a rotation spot to open the season, but we’ve included Early and Tolle in the young MLB pitchers category on the basis of their demonstrated importance to the club last season and in October. Both pitchers remain rookie-eligible, but it’s hard to envision either spending the bulk of this season in the minors.
Graduations and a substantial number of trades to upgrade the big-league roster have thinned out this system in recent years. But the developmental leaps made by Early and Tolle lend optimism that the next wave of minor-league arms could chart similarly expedited paths, with last year’s college pitching-heavy draft class providing several candidates to monitor (Kyson Witherspoon, Marcus Phillips, Anthony Eyanson). Franklin Arias should also not be overlooked as a likely shortstop with a plus hit tool who reached Double-A as a 19-year-old last year. If he can access more power, the Red Sox might have another elite hitting prospect to factor into their position-player plans sooner rather than later. — J.S.
The Houston Rockets are massive home favorites against the Utah Jazz tonight, but Houston has a problem getting buckets these days.
It seems a little odd considering the roster, but that’s exactly what’s happening to Kevin Durant & Co., and a matchup against Utah may not be as easy as it appears.
My Jazz vs. Rockets predictions and NBA picks explain why points will be hard to come by for the home team in this Western Conference matchup set to tip off at 9:30 pm ET on Monday, February 23.
Jazz vs Rockets prediction
Jazz vs Rockets best bet: Rockets team total Under 120.5 (-115)
The Rockets rank 26th in offensive rating over their last 12 games. That’s worse than the Wizards. And their 104.9 points per game during that stretch are next-to-last.
Now, you’d think a matchup with the Utah Jazz would be the cure for what ails them. But hold on.
The Jazz were playing horrific defense for most of the first half, but they have ranked 10th in defensive rating since February 1.
Houston’s team total of 120.5 is inflated. The Rockets haven’t topped this number in 12 games.
Jazz vs Rockets same-game parlay
What’s one way the Rockets can get more buckets? By moving the ball more. And that’s exactly what Reed Sheppard has been trying to do.
The second-year guard is averaging 4.0 assists over his last five games, topping 3.5 three times over that stretch. And while Utah has been playing better defense, the Jazz still rank dead last in opponent assists per possession.
The other thing that a struggling offense means is rebounds, and Lauri Markkanen has gone Over his number in five of his last six games.
Jazz vs Rockets SGP
Rockets team total Under 120.5
Reed Sheppard Over 3.5 assists
Lauri Markkanen Over 4.5 rebounds
Our “from downtown” SGP: Rebound Town
The Rockets can’t shoot. The Jazz can’t rebound. Rebounds for all!
Jazz vs Rockets SGP
Lauri Markkanen Over 4.5 rebounds
Ace Bailey Over 3.5 rebounds
Kevin Durant Over 5.5 rebounds
Amen Thompson Over 7.5 rebounds
Jazz vs Rockets odds
Spread: Jazz +13 (-110) | Rockets -13 (-110)
Moneyline: Jazz +575 | Rockets -850
Over/Under: Over 228.5 (-110) | Under 228.5 (-110)
Jazz vs Rockets betting trend to know
The Rockets have hit the Game Total Under in 21 of their last 25 games for +16.60 Units and a 60% ROI. Find more NBA betting trends for Jazz vs. Rockets.
How to watch Jazz vs Rockets
Location
Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Date
Monday, February 23, 2026
Tip-off
9:30 p.m. ET
TV
Peacock
Jazz vs Rockets latest injuries
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Feb 23, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Seattle Mariners infielder Cole Young against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Well, that was more spring baseball.
The Mariners fourth Spring Training game on Monday was more of the same: weak at bats, sloppy play, and a bunch of names so unremarkable they didn’t even bother printing them on the jerseys. I still enjoyed it, though. These games might be meaningless, but they are still baseball, still something to pass the time, still a chance to see your favorite players, however briefly. Only four more weeks until the real thing. We’re getting there.
The Mariners lost to the Dodgers 3-0. They collected just four hits and one walk. Here’s what I thought was notable.
Cole Young and Colt Emerson
Mariners’ brass got another chance to see Cole Young and Colt Emerson in direct competition for an infield spot. Young hit seventh in the lineup and played second base; Emerson hit eighth and played shortstop. Neither’s day at the plate was all that notable. Young struck out in both his plate appearances, both times against a lefty. Emerson drew a nice walk against a righty in his first at bat, then popped out against a lefty in his second.
Both made nice plays in the field. With a runner on first, Emerson got a line drive right to him at short. He dropped it intentionally and tried to turn the double play. The umpires didn’t buy it and called it a catch, but it was a nice display of awareness regardless. The game doesn’t look too big for him so far.
Young was especially impressive. In the third, he backed up first base on a ball that squirted out of Patrick Wisdom’s glove, adjusted his momentum to get to the ball, and made a nice short throw to first. Later in the inning he made a strong throw across the infield while turning a double play. In the fifth, he ranged to his right and snagged a grounder with a dive, then popped up and fired to first. These are the specific plays that really sunk Young’s value last year in the field—going to his right and making quick, unconventional throws—and its encouraging to see some improvement right out of the gate. This is the type of thing I can get excited about in Spring Training.
Logan Gilbert
Logan Gilbert made his first start of Spring Training. Like all Mariners starting pitchers, I’m interested in whether we might spy any arsenal tweaks, like new pitch types or shapes. FanGraphs’ Michael Rosen noted Gilbert was throwing what looked like a redesigned cutter. The rest of his stuff looked pretty sharp, too. His velocity was up from last year at 96+ mph, and he picked up a few strikeouts.
Gilbert’s 2025 is tough to summarize. He took a notable step forward in “stuff,” generating whiffs and strikeouts at an elite level. But it seemed to come at the expense of efficiency, as he struggled to work deeper into games. We don’t know much about how he might resolve that issue in 2026 after Monday’s outing, but we’ll see what adjustments he makes as he stretches out.
Jose Ferrer
Jose Ferrer’s time with the Mariners started out great. He got a three pitch strikeout on Andy Pages and celebrated with a little spin. It was nasty a pitch—an 85 mph changeup below the zone off back-to-back heaters up. Pages looked fooled.
Ferrer then gave up three consecutive hits and a walk and was removed from the game before recording another out. The contact he allowed wasn’t especially good and one of the hits really should have been caught by Victor Robles in right field. But Ferrer will take solace in that his performance with the Mariners can only improve from here.
Andrew Knizner
Andrew Knizner made three challenges. The first two he called correctly from behind the plate, stealing strikes for his pitchers and even ending a fourth inning jam with a challenge K. He also challenged a high strike as a batter and lost. It’s interesting to see the Mariners’ catchers testing out the new system early on.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao have agreed to a rematch of their landmark 2015 bout.
Their second fight will be held Sept. 19 in Las Vegas, the boxing icons announced Monday. The rematch, which will be streamed on Netflix, will be the first boxing event to be held at Sphere, the immersive event venue east of the Strip.
Mayweather, who turns 49 years old on Tuesday, announced his intention last week to end his nine-year retirement from competitive boxing. The 47-year-old Pacquiao ended his own four-year retirement last year, and he is scheduled to meet Ruslan Provodnikov on April 18 in the second bout of his comeback.
Mayweather and Pacquiao didn’t announce a weight class or length for their second bout.
The two most prominent boxers of their generation will meet again 11 years after Mayweather beat Pacquiao by decision in a fight that didn’t live up to the decade of hype preceding it. The bout’s promoters claimed it was still the most profitable fight in history, setting pay-per-view records and attracting worldwide attention.
“I already fought and beat Manny once,” Mayweather said in a statement. “This time will be the same result.”
Pacquiao later revealed he fought with a shoulder injury because he didn’t want to postpone such an important event. He was unable to apply his usual offensive pressure to Mayweather, who employed his usual defense-first strategy while easing to victory.
“The fans have waited long enough — they deserve this rematch,” Pacquiao said. “I want Floyd to live with the one loss on his professional record and always remember who gave it to him.”
The fighters’ first meeting happened more than a half-decade after fans first began to clamor for an obvious matchup between two similarly-sized greats. Both sides blamed the other for the delay at times, but Mayweather always asserted he would fight whoever he wanted, whenever he wanted — leading many fans to believe Mayweather waited to accept the bout until he felt age had taken a bit of sting out of Pacquiao’s famously vicious punches.
Both fighters are now much more than a decade removed from their primes, but Mayweather and Pacquiao remain two of the biggest names in boxing.
After Mayweather beat Conor McGregor in 2017 and retired with a 50-0 record, he spent much of his 40s competing in lucrative boxing “exhibitions” against YouTubers and fringe competitors while largely maintaining his lavish lifestyle outside the ring. He is currently in legal disputes with multiple alleged creditors over issues ranging from unpaid rent on a Manhattan apartment to outstanding jewelry bills.
Mayweather has announced another exhibition against 59-year-old Mike Tyson this spring, although the bout still doesn’t have a location or date.
Pacquiao ran unsuccessfully for the presidency of his native Philippines and then lost in the Philippine Senate election last May. He returned to the ring two months after that political setback, fighting WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios to a majority draw while trying to become the oldest 147-pound champion.
The rematch is the latest bout to land on Netflix as the platform continues to scoop up top fights for its live sports programming. The streamer showcased Terence Crawford’s victory over Canelo Álvarez last year, and it will present heavyweight champ Tyson Fury’s comeback bout in April.
The Sphere venue, which opened in 2023, hosted a UFC show in 2024. UFC President Dana White said the promotion had to pay roughly $20 million to produce that show — about 10 times more than a normal UFC pay-per-view event — because of the venue’s unusual capabilities and requirements.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 23: Pitcher Landon Knack #96 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws against the Seattle Mariners during the first inning of a spring training game at Camelback Ranch on February 23, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers are on a roll to begin the spring as they notched their third consecutive victory with a 3-0 shutout win over the Seattle Mariners on Monday.
Landon Knack was given the start for Monday’s contest, making quick work of the Mariners by facing the minimum in the first inning while tossing just nine pitches.
Jack Dreyer made his first appearance of the spring, giving up a two-out single to Andrew Knizner but managing to escape the second inning unscathed. Ben Casparius, Kyle Hurt and Alex Vesia all made their first appearances of the spring, each notching a scoreless inning in relief.
Andy Pages added another two hits with a pair of singles in his second game of the spring, giving him four hits and a .667 batting average.
Scoring was hard to come by on Monday, even more than Sunday, but the Dodgers took advantage with runners in scoring position as Alex Freeland roped an opposite field double off of Jose A. Ferrer to plate Dalton Rushing and Santiago Espinal to give the Dodgers a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Zach Ehrhard reached on a fielding error from Rhylan Thomas to plate a run and make it a three run Dodger lead in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Nick Robertson made his first appearance as a Dodger since the 2023 regular season, notching the save with a scoreless ninth inning to give the Dodgers a 3-0 start to the spring.
The Dodgers are now averaging 7.7 runs per game this spring, but they have yet to hit a home run as a team so far.
Up next
The Dodgers are back at Camelback Ranch on Tuesday as they host the Cleveland Guardians (12:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Gavin Stone makes his spring debut against right-hander Gavin Williams.
So you’ll have to deal with descriptions, and a few MLB Gameday graphics.
Ben Brown threw the first two innings for the Cubs. It was a good outing. He allowed two hits, no runs and struck out three.
Here is one of the strikeouts, of Salvador Perez. Brown stuck with his fastball and curve, and check out some of the velocity:
Hopefully, Brown will begin to mix in some of the other pitches he says he’s been working on. He threw 30 pitches (20 strikes).
Javier Assad threw 1.1 innings and didn’t allow a run, throwing 20 strikes among his 29 pitches, a good first outing of the spring.
In the fourth, Jefferson Rojas gave the Cubs a 1-0 lead with his first home run of the spring. This is an excellent location for a pitch to hit and Rojas did not miss:
The Cubs scored two more runs in the fifth off former Cubs No. 1 draft pick (2017) Alex Lange, thanks in part to an error from the usually sure-handed Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. James Triantos singled in both runs. Triantos and Scott Kingery also stole bases in that inning.
There were a number of ABS challenges in this game and here’s one made by Royals center fielder Kyle Isbel. The call on the field was strike three and it was confirmed. As you can see, it was close, but a strike:
For the Cubs, Ariel Armas and Justin Dean both challenged and the calls were confirmed, so by the sixth inning the Cubs had no challenges left. That’s fine for a spring game where guys are testing out the system, but in a regular season game you probably won’t see two challenges like that, that early.
Porter Hodge had a much better outing this time than his first time out, striking out a pair in a scoreless inning, with just one walk. I’d think Hodge still has a chance at the Opening Day roster, if he can put together more innings like this.
Ryan Rolison and Collin Snider, both of whom could wind up on the Iowa Shuttle this year, threw scoreless innings against mostly Royals minor leaguers. Josh Rojas homered off Cubs minor leaguer Tyler Ras for KC’s only run.
That’s about all I’ve got from this one, without any video to show you.
The Cubs will return to Sloan Park Tuesday afternoon to face the Padres. Shōta Imanaga will start for the Cubs and Marco Gonzales will go for San Diego. Game time Tuesday is again 2:05 p.m. CT. No TV again Tuesday, and there will be a radio broadcast online via SD Audio.
