Mega Thread 2025-2026 MLB Hot Stove

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Teams interested in acquiring left-handed relievers have been in touch with the Tampa Bay Rays concerning LHP Garrett Cleavinger, according to The Athletic. There is no indication that the Rays are ready to deal Cleavinger, and The Athletic did not specify the clubs interested in acquiring him.

Cleavinger is a six-year veteran of the major leagues, having been acquired by the Rays from the Dodgers at the 2022 trade deadline. He benefited from his time in the Rays pitcher factory, with a combined 2.96 ERA across 152 innings pitched in relief since becoming a Ray. He took his game to a new level last season, with a 2.35 ERA, a 33.7% strikeout rate and a 7.4% walk rate across 61 1/3 innings. All of his advanced metrics profiled as above average or elite, although Cleavinger did have some good luck with a .244 BABIP and a 91.6% strand rate.

Rosenthal: What’s next for D-Backs and Orioles, plus the Boras scoreboard and more notes

Salvador Perez gave his mother a gift, the Rockies are showing signs of life and the Brewers made an interesting choice for their infield.

www.nytimes.com

 

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The Atlanta Braves may need a new starting pitcher with RHP Hurston Waldrep dealing with elbow soreness and seeking an opinion from a surgeon in Dallas on whether surgery might be required, according to the Braves manager Walt Weiss. Waldrep has already completed an MRI that did not reveal structural damage to the ligament, but there were "loose bodies" found in the area.

Waldrep was drafted by the Braves in the first round of the 2023 draft, and sped through the minors, making his MLB debut less than 12 months after being drafted, but was blasted for a 16.71 ERA across his first two starts and seven combined innings. He was put on the 15-day IL due to elbow inflammation and spent six weeks on the injured list before being re-activated and sent to Triple-A to finish the 2024 season. It took until August for Waldrep to pitch in the majors last year, but he was much more effective in his second taste of MLB baseball. In 10 appearances (nine starts), he managed a 2.88 ERA, 49.7% ground ball rate, 24% strikeout rate and a 9.6% walk rate across 56 1/3 innings. Although his command left something to be desired as a starter, he did well to limit hard contact and his sinker and splitter were plus pitches.

It was not necessarily a lock that Waldrep would be part of the Braves rotation to open the season, with LHP Chris Sale, RHP Spencer Strider, RHP Reynaldo Lopez, RHP Grant Holmes and RHP Spencer Schwellenbach all more accomplished pitchers than Waldrep. But the Braves are already down a starter out of that group, with Schwellenbach set for a long stint on the side lines with elbow soreness.

Even if Waldrep has not suffered any serious injury to his elbow, he is likely to be placed on the IL to allow the elbow to settle down and he will then face a delayed pre-season.

Young Braves hurler Waldrep to have sore elbow examined

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Five days after opening Spring Training by revealing Spencer Schwellenbach will miss significant time, Braves manager Walt Weiss said Sunday that Hurston Waldrep is the team’s latest starting pitcher with a potentially significant health concern. Waldrep drew rave reviews...

www.mlb.com

 

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The San Diego Padres and their president of baseball operations A.J. Preller are in agreement on a multi-year extension to keep Preller in San Diego for the long term. The details of the extension are not yet public. Preller was entering the last year of his contract in 2026, but will be under contract for some time. He started his career with San Diego back in the 2014 season. It took some time for the Padres to hit their stride under Preller, but for the past few seasons, they have been one of the more successful teams in terms of pure wins and losses. In the last six seasons, the Padres have gone to the post-season four times, and have a 470-400 record over that period. The Padres only managed to make the NL Championship Series once in that time, but given that the Padres historically have struggled to reach the playoffs, it has been a good stretch.

Preller is widely known for his wheeling and dealing ways. In recent seasons, Preller has acquired RHP Yu Darvish, LHP Blake Snell, LHP Josh Hader, RHP Joe Musgrove, RHP Mason Miller, RHP Dylan Cease and OF Juan Soto to help buttress a lineup built around 3B Manny Machado and SS/OF Fernando Tatis Jr. He also has given out significant contracts to free agents, including SS Xander Bogaerts, Machado, Tatis, Darvish, Musgrove and infielder Jake Cronenworth that have not necessarily paid dividends.

 

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The Pittsburgh Pirates made their signing of DH Marcell Ozuna overnight and to find the roster space, the Pirates designated OF Jake Suwinski for assignment. Suwinski made the opening day active roster last year, but hit only .128 across the first three weeks of the season. As a result, he was sent to Triple-A before the end of April and spent the season bouncing between the majors and Triple-A multiple times. In 59 games for the Pirates in 2025, he hit .147/.281/.253.

 

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The Padres are in discussions with first baseman Ty France on a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. France was with the Twins and Toronto last season, and has previously played for the Padres and Mariners. He made his MLB debut with the Padres back in 2019 after being drafted by San Diego in 2015. He was traded to Seattle in 2020 (along side RHP Andres Munoz) in exchange for catcher Austin Nola.

 

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Veteran infielder Adam Frazier hopes to continue his 10-year MLB career as a member of the Los Angeles Angels, as he has signed a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Frazier has played for five different teams across his career, and spent 2025 with the Pirates and Royals.

 

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The Los Angeles Dodgers are signing infielder Santiago Espinal to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training, according to The Athletic. The Dodgers will be without Tommy Edman for some time as he continues his recovery from ankle surgery. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters at spring training that the Dodgers figure to split the infield work between Miguel Rojas, Alex Freeland and Hyeseong Kim, and Espinal could join that group if he makes the active roster out of Spring Training.

Espinal struggled badly with the Reds in 2025, with a 58 wRC+ while playing all four infield positions and the two corner outfield positions. He went 328 plate appearances without a home run and was sent outright to Triple-A at the end of October, but rejected the assignment and became a free agent.

 

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The Seattle Mariners have added a lefty reliever Josh Simpson

Josh Simpson

Age

32

Ht

184cm

Wt

73kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

13.5

3star

K

7.5

3star

HB

6.0

4star

M

2.5

3star

T

3.0

5star

CL

0.5

2star

No current season stats available

D

13.5

4star

K

7.5

3star

HB

6.0

4star

M

2.5

3star

T

3.0

5star

CL

0.5

3star

from the Miami Marlins in exchange for cash considerations. Simpson was designated for assignment last week. The Mariners placed RHP Logan Evans on the 60-day IL to create the roster space, after he underwent UCL surgery in late January. Simpson missed most of 2024 with an elbow injury, but returned to the mound in 2025 and earned his MLB debut. Although the Braves hit four earned runs off him in his first two MLB innings, he then pitched eight consecutive scoreless innings for the Marlins. However, he finished poorly, giving up 17 earned runs combined over his next 12 appearances and ended the season with a seven-run meltdown at the hands of the Braves in September.

 

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Bit of a scare for RHP Pablo Lopez, who cut short his live batting practice at the Twins spring training with elbow soreness. The Twins played down the seriousness of the issue, but have sent Lopez for an MRI on his elbow.

 

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Mike Trout has signalled to reporters at Angels spring training that he would prefer a move back to centre field in 2026. In the last season under former manager Ron Washington and former interim manager Ray Montgomery, Trout played right field and as designated hitter.

However, it seems that Trout is set to return to his long-time position in centre field, with manager Kurt Suzuki and GM Perry Minassian both giving their blessing to the former phenom patrolling centre field.

According to reports, Trout said: "I talked to [Suzuki]. I definitely want to play centre. I told him I'll play anywhere but obviously prefer centre. It was good communication with him and Perry and they're on board with it".

For his part, Suzuki told reporters that Trout will continue to play some corner outfield innings during spring training, but that he was open to Trout returning to centre field: "We'll keep our options open, but he does prefer centre, so we'll take a look".

Last year, the Angels chose to put Trout in the corner outfield (mainly right field) in order to reduce the physical stress on his body, since the Angels thought that he was more susceptible to injury by playing centre field. Trout did not play a single inning in centre field in 2025. He started 22 games in right field before suffering a bone bruise in his left knee, that cost him most of May and reduced him to being a full-time designated hitter for the rest of the season.

Trout told reporters at spring training that he did not think the move to right field lightened the load on him. He indicated that he felt that playing centre field actually reduced the amount of running he needed to complete, and that he felt more confident in centre field.

Even though Trout is diminished through the load on his body thanks to over 11,000 innings in centre field, he is still likely to be an upgrade on the Angels' 2025 centre field, Jo Adell, who was one of the worst full-time centre fielders by defensive metrics in the MLB and should only play in right field.

Trout has five seasons left on his 12-year, $426.5 million contract extension he signed ahead of the 2019 season.

Fully healthy, Trout wants to play CF again in 2026

TEMPE, Ariz. -- The Mike Trout in right field experiment appears over. Trout, a three-time American League MVP and 11-time All-Star, told general manager Perry Minasian and manager Kurt Suzuki that he prefers to return to center field this season after moving to right last year. Trout, 34, said he’s

www.mlb.com

Angels’ Mike Trout plans on moving back to center field this season

Trout, 34, moved from his normal position in center to right last season because the Angels wanted to try to keep him healthy, but he says he’s more comfortable in center.

www.ocregister.com

 

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Former major league player, Robinson Chirinos, has been hired as a special assistant in the baseball operations and player development department of the Baltimore Orioles. Chirinos played in the majors from 2011 to 2022, and announced his retirement as an active player in May 2023. He was hired to work as the bench coach with the Orioles under former manager Brandon Hyde in November 2024. After a disappointing start to the season, Hyde was fired; typically, the bench coach becomes the interim manager when the incumbent is fired, but since Chirinos was new to coaching, the Orioles promoted third base coach Tony Mansolino to interim manager, keeping Chirinos in his position as bench coach.

The Orioles cleaned house after the season, hiring Craig Albernaz to be their new permanent manager, and confirmed that Chirinos would not return as bench coach for 2026, with the Orioles hiring Donnie Ecker to fill that position a few weeks later. Chirinos evidently explored other options but decided to return to the Orioles in a player development role.

 

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Big news ahead of the last season under the current collective bargaining agreement, as ESPN reports that Tony Clark, the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, has resigned from his role, following an internal investigation discovering that Clark had an "inappropriate" relationship with his sister-in-law, who was hired to work for the MLBPA back in 2023.

The players' union is likely to name Bruce Meyer as the interim executive director for 2026.

Clark's resignation follows an investigation that revealed a relationship between Clark and the woman. After ESPN reported on an investigation by the Eastern District of New York in May 2025, the Players Association hired former assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman to serve as external legal counsel to advise the eight-man executive subcommittee of potential legal liabilities to the union. The EDNY investigation concerns questions regarding the use of funds derived from profits from OneTeam Partners, a group-licensing company partly owned by the MLBPA, and Players Way, a youth baseball initiative. Prosecutors are also investigating allegations of obstruction.

The process for naming Clark's replacement is unsettled, since the Association's constitution does not outline a succession plan. LHP Brent Suter, a veteran relief pitcher and member of the subcommittee, told reporters that the Association will "have an interim [executive director] and keep everything as stable as we can this year".

Meyer was responsible for representing the Players Association during negotiations through the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic back in 2020, and led the negotiations when the MLB locked out players in 2021. Despite the subcommittee voting unanimously in March 2022 to reject the MLB's final offer, the player members voted 26-4 in favour of the deal.

Sources: Tony Clark resigns as MLBPA executive director

MLBPA executive director Tony Clark resigned Tuesday after an internal investigation revealed an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, who was hired by the union in 2023, sources told ESPN.

www.espn.com

 

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The San Diego Padres formally announced their signing of RHP Griffin Canning to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2027. Mutual options are very rarely exercised by both club and player, and generally function as a means of spreading salary into the future. The full details of Canning's contract are yet to be released. The Padres designated OF Tirso Ornelas for assignment to open the 40-man roster spot.

 

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The Minnesota Twins told reporters at spring training that RHP starting pitcher Pablo Lopez has been diagnosed with a torn UCL. He will go for a second opinion on the injury, but it seems all but certain that Lopez's 2026 season is over before it began. Lopez reported some elbow discomfort during a recent bullpen session at spring training. The Twins sent him for an MRI but told reporters at the time that this was a precautionary measure.

Lopez was hoping for a more productive season in 2026 than in 2025. Last year, he only pitched in 14 games and 75 2/3 innings. He suffered a grade 2 strain of his teres major muscle, but finished the season on the IL thanks to a forearm strain. When he was available, he was an excellent performer for the Twins, with a 2.74 ERA, a 23.4% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate.

Assuming that the torn UCL is confirmed by the second opinion, the Twins will need to rely on RHP Joe Ryan to be their opening day starter, with Bailey Ober and Simeon WoodsRichardson as their second and third pitchers. The Twins do have some options to help fill out the rest of the starting rotation, including RHP David Festa, RHP Zebby Matthews, RHP Taj Bradley and RHP Mick Abel. LHP Connor Prielipp is drawing some attention as a top-100 prospect, while RHP Andrew Morris and LHP Kendry Rojas are also relatively well regarded pitching prospects in the Twins system who might be called upon to pitch in the majors at some point this season.

 

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The Atlanta Braves have added former top prospect first baseman Dominic Smith on a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. Smith burst onto the scene back in 2019 and 2020, when he hit a combined .299/.366/.571 with 21 home runs in 396 plate appearances for the New York Mets. He tried to play through a small tear in the labrum in his right shoulder. Unsurprisingly, it did not work out well for him, and his production went backwards. He broke the hamate bone in his right hand in 2024, which required surgery to repair, and the surgeons suggested that Smith may have had a stress fracture in the bone for several seasons that had gone undiagnosed.

Between 2021 and 2024, Smith accumulated 1,538 major league plate appearances but hit just .241/.311/.360. In 2025, he had 225 plate appearances with the San Francisco Giants for a .284/.333/.417 batting line (111 wRC+). The Giants used him primarily against right-handed pitching (Smith bats from the left side), and he hit .296/.343/.436 against right-handed pitching but a much less effective .200/.259/.280 (albeit in only 27 plate appearances) against lefties.

Smith faces an uphill battle to win playing time in Atlanta. The Braves have Matt Olson well-established at first base and will roll up to four veteran players through their outfield (Jurickson Profar, Ronald Acuna Jr, Mike Yastrzemski and Michael Harris II). Smith would serve as depth in the event of an Olson injury, and he could play as designated hitter if required.

 

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The MLBPA announced that Bruce Meyer has been unanimously elected the interim executive director of the union. Formerly the deputy director, Meyer will take over from Tony Clark who resigned following news that he had an "inappropriate" relationship with his sister-in-law, who was working for MLBPA. Matt Nussbaum fills in as the interim deputy director.

Becoming the interim executive director empowers Meyer to continue negotiating on behalf of the MLBPA through the upcoming collective bargaining agreement discussions. The current agreement expires on 1 December. If a new agreement is not in place by the expiration date, it is expected that the owners will lock out the players. Last time the players were locked out, it continued until March.

 

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The Seattle Mariners are in agreement with catcher Mitch Garver on a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. If Garver makes the opening day active roster, he will be paid at a $2.25 million rate. Garver spent the 2024-2025 seasons with the Mariners on a $24 million contract.

At the time he signed the free agent contract, he had a reputation of being an injury-prone but productive catcher. Between 2018 and 2023, he played 428 games over those six seasons, but hit .254/.343/.488 for a 126 wRC+. The Mariners had hoped that Garver could reproduce his production at T-Mobile Park while serving as Cal Raleigh's backup. However, in 720 plate appearances over 2024-2025, he hit 24 home runs and walked 11.5% of the time, but struck out 29.6% of the time, leading to a .187/.290/.341 batting line (88 wRC+).

Given the amount of salary committed to Garver, that was an anaemic return for Seattle. However, they did trade away their catching prospect Harry Ford to the Washington Nationals to acquire left-handed reliever Jose A. Ferrer. The Mariners signed catcher Andrew Knizner in December, but he does not have the same ceiling as Garver. Jhonny Pereda is also on the 40-man roster but has only played in 50 big league games and can be optioned to the minors.

Garver back with the Mariners on Minor League contract (source)

PEORIA, Ariz. -- A familiar face is entering the backup catcher mix for the Mariners this spring, as Mitch Garver has agreed to terms on a Minor League contract, a source told MLB.com on Wednesday. The deal is worth $2.25 million if he makes the club's 26-man Major League roster

www.mlb.com

 

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Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt told reporters at spring training overnight that All-Star and Gold Glove left fielder Steven Kwan will play some innings in centre field this spring training as the club looks to find its best outfield alignment. Kwan has played 4,873 2/3 innings in the outfield in his major league career, with 4,689 2/3 innings coming in left field. He has played just 31 innings in centre field, with 30 of those coming back in 2022 (his debut season).

Kwan has been an elite defender in left field, with a cumulative +68 Defensive Runs Saved and a +25 Outs Above Average in left field. The DRS tally is more than double the next best left fielder, Ian Happ (+33 DRS). In four seasons in the majors, Kwan has won the Gold Glove all four times and has three Fielding Bible awards for his work in left field.

The Guardians have decided to keep Kwan in left field for the time being, with Myles Straw used as their every-day centre fielder in 2022-2023, but Straw was bumped off the roster due to his poor offence. He spent most of 2024 in the minors and was traded to the Blue Jays last year. Since Straw lost his job, the Guardians have tried Angel Martinez, Tyler Freeman, Lane Thomas, Daniel Schneeman and Nolan Jones in centre field, and none of those have grabbed the opportunity.

If Kwan moves to centre field on a permanent basis, that would obviously leave a hole in left field that the Guardians would need to fill. The top options for the corner outfield roles could be George Valera and Chase DeLauter, who both received promotions late in 2025. Valera played in 16 regular season games at the back end of 2025, and three postseason games, playing as designated hitter and right fielder. DeLauter is yet to make his MLB regular season debut, since he was called up for the postseason last year.

The Guardians have been extremely miserly in the off-season, spending a total of $7 million guaranteed on two relievers (Shawn Armstrong and Colin Holderman). This is despite the fact that the Guardians restructured the contract of superstar third baseman Jose Ramirez to defer part of his guaranteed salary, while the Guardians will likely have salary relief with respect to the suspended RHP Emmanuel Clase.

 

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The Tampa Bay Rays have sent RHP reliever Edwin Uceta for testing on his pitching shoulder after Uceta experienced discomfort early in spring training, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Uceta had planned to pitch for the Dominican Republic in next month's World Baseball Classic but he has had to withdraw due to issues with his right shoulder. He had been resting the shoulder and attempted to play catch but did not feel good when doing so, according to Rays manager, Kevin Cash.

Uceta broke out with the Rays in 2024 after spending time with the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Mets and Cubs in the early stages of his career. In 2024, Uceta managed a 1.51 ERA across 41 2/3 innings, with a 35.8% strikeout rate and a 5% walk rate. He wasn't quite as effective last year, but he still managed 76 innings in relief for a 3.79 ERA.

Since the Rays decided to part ways with their former closer, RHP Pete Fairbanks, over the off-season, Uceta was among the leading candidates to become the Rays closer for this year, but that might need to be reconsidered, depending on the severity of the shoulder concern.

 

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The Athletics announced that they have agreed to terms on a contract to bring back their former manager Bob Melvin in a new role. Melvin will return as a special assistant in the baseball operations department. Although the role is somewhat fluid, it is likely that Melvin will spend his time working with young players in spring training, scouting prospects in the minor leagues and acting as a sounding board for both the front office and coaching staff.

Melvin managed the Oakland Athletics from 2011 to 2021, leading them to the postseason in six seasons and accumulating a winning record despite working with one of the lowest payrolls in the sport (853-764). He won the American League Manager of the Year award in both 2012 and 2018, and was also Manager of the Year in the National League back in 2007 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Athletics permitted Melvin to interview with and take the manager job at San Diego back in 2022, and the Athletics promoted Mark Kotsay from bench coach to skipper following Melvin's departure. Melvin took the Padres to the National League Championship Series in 2022, but the Padres missed the playoffs altogether in Melvin's second season in charge. He reportedly clashed with president of baseball operations A.J. Preller on multiple occasions and the Padres allowed him to interview with and take the role at the Giants after the 2023 season. However, the Giants' front office underwent a reorganisation following Melvin's first year in charge of the Giants, and new president of baseball operations, Buster Posey, decided to replace Melvin after the 2025 season despite exercising a club option for 2026 over Melvin earlier in the year, with former Tennessee manager Tony Vitelli.

 

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The Milwaukee Brewers have signed manager Pat Murphy to a new contract. Under the terms of the new deal, Murphy will be under contract to the Brewers for the 2026-2028 seasons, with a club option for 2029. Before the new deal was hammered out, Murphy was entering into the last season of a three-year deal he signed before the 2024 season when he took over from Craig Counsell, who jumped ship to NL Central rivals, the Chicago Cubs.

Murphy has managed to keep the small-market Brewers in the midst of the postseason, despite operating under a shoestring budget. In 2024, the Brewers went 93-69 and won the National League Central division, while Murphy was rewarded with the N.L. Manager of the Year. The Brewers lost in the Wild Card round.

The Brewers went further in 2025, winning 97 games and repeating as division champions. It was also the best record in the majors, outshining the juggernaut Dodgers, Mets and Yankees. The Brewers progressed to the NLCS, but were swept aside by the Dodgers.

Given the financial constraints under which the Brewers operate, Murphy will manage a much different team in 2026 than he did last season. The Brewers traded RHP Freddy Peralta and pitcher Tobias Myers to the Mets in exchange for Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat. The Brewers also traded 3B Caleb Durbin to the Red Sox as part of a trade involving six players and a draft pick. While the Brewers have seen players leave via trade, their division rivals have been busy. The Chicago Cubs traded for Edward Cabrera and signed Alex Bregman in free agency. The Reds reunited with 3B Eugenio Suarez, while the Pirates have acquired Brandon Lowe, Ryan O'Hearn and Marcell Ozuna to strengthen their offence (albeit at the expense of their defence).

 

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Spring training games started over the weekend, so the off-season is nearly over and we're heading towards opening day in the MLB (after the upcoming WBC). All of the big free agents are now signed, so teams are looking to add depth where they can. Like many teams, the Boston Red Sox would like to add some depth to their bullpen, and are specifically targeting left handed relievers. The Red Sox really only have three-left handed relievers in their bullpen, including closer LHP Aroldis Chapman, as well as LHP Jovani Moran and LHP Tyler Samaniego. Chapman is a veteran MLB pitcher, but Moran has just four innings of MLB work under his belt and Samaniego is yet to make his MLB debut.

There remain some options on the free agent market, such as LHP Danny Coulombe and LHP Jalen Beeks, but they may command big league deals which the Red Sox are reluctant to provide at this stage. The Cardinals are known to have been shopping LHP JoJo Romero during the offseason without success, and he appears locked in to be the Cardinals' closer, at least for the time being.

Red Sox roster: Boston searching free agent, trade markets for left-handed relief help

There's not much available in the way of lefty relievers, but the Red Sox are trying to improve their depth at the position.

www.masslive.com

 

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The Cleveland Guardians have added 1B Rhys Hoskins on a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. Hoskins will be paid $1.5 million if he makes the active roster. Hoskins spent six years in Philadelphia as one of the more consistent corner bats in the game. Despite low batting average, Hoskins routinely hit 30 or more home runs a season and walked at a rate above 10%. After he hit .246/.332/.462 with 30 home runs in 156 games in 2022, he was expected to be a key figure in the Phillies line up heading into 2023. However, Hoskins tore his ACL and missed all of the 2023 season. He found his position taken by Bryce Harper, who had completed a move from the outfield to first base following elbow surgery. He hit free agency and signed a two-year contract with the Brewers that gave him opt-out rights after 2024. He played in 131 games for the Brewers in 2024, hitting .214/.303/.419 with a 101 wRC+. While he hit 26 home runs, he also struck out at a career-high 28.8% strikeout rate. Naturally, he opted against opting out of his contract with the Brewers, but only managed 90 games in 2025, thanks to a sprained thumb that kept him off the field for a considerable period of the season.

 

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The Pittsburgh Pirates are mourning the loss of franchise legend and Hall of Fame player Bill Mazeroski, who passed away over the weekend, aged 89. Mazeroski played all 17 MLB seasons with the Pirates, from 1956 to 1972, and is best known for his walk-off home run in game 7 of the 1960 World Series to give the World Series to the Pirates 4-3 over the New York Yankees that boasted Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Whitey Ford and others.

Mazeroski was signed by the Pirates out of high school in 1954 and made his MLB debut in 1956 at the age of 19. He played his first full season in 1957 and established himself as a contact-oriented second baseman, batting .283 with 149 hits and 59 runs scored. He hit .275/.308/.439 in 607 plate appearances in 1958 and earned his first All-Star nod and Gold Glove. Mazeroski was a defensive wizard at second base, winning eight Gold Gloves in total, including five straight from 1963-1967. His defence alone was worth 24.0 bWAR, tied for 23rd all time, and he holds the record for most double plays turned (1709) as a second baseman.

 

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The San Francisco Giants have signed RHP Brent Honeywell Jr to a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Honeywell missed the 2025 season after the Dodgers non-tendered him at the end of 2024 and he did not sign with a team. Accordingly, there's some mystery on how well Honeywell can pitch after sitting on the sidelines for a season, but the minor league nature of the deal means that there is little downside for the Giants in giving him a look in Spring Training.

Honeywell's career is one of what might have been. He was a top 100 prospect about a decade ago, but a series of injuries knocked him off-course. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018, suffered an elbow fracture in 2019, had nerve decompression surgery in 2020 and then had an olecranon stress reaction in his elbow in 2022. Unsurprisingly, by the end of 2022, Honeywell had only appeared in the majors three times, but was healthy enough in 2023 to pitch 52 1/3 innings for the Padres and White Sox, for a 4.82 ERA. However, he went through unclaimed on waivers in August 2023 and signed a minor league deal with the Pirates heading into the 2024 season. He was on their roster for a few days around mid-season before being claimed off waivers by the Dodgers. He went through waivers again later in the season, but he was brought back by the Dodgers little over a week later, and remained on their roster for most of the second half of 2024.

Honeywell finished the year with a 2.63 ERA, though he was helped by a .252 BABIP and a 80% strand rate. His 4.28 FIP and 5.00 SIERA suggested that he was more lucky than good in 2024. He pitched three times in the 2024 postseason for the Dodgers as their mop-up guy when they were losing. He allowed nine earned runs in 8 2/3 innings. Honeywell earned a world series championship ring for his efforts with the Dodgers but found himself without a job after the Dodgers non-tendered him at the end of the year.

The Giants are in the process of remaking their bullpen. Buster Posey traded away Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers at the trade deadline last year, and the Giants also lost Randy Rodriguez to Tommy John surgery at the end of 2025. Posey has signed low-cost veterans as reclamation projects, adding Jason Foley, Rowan Wick and Sam Hentges to the group, with all three likely to start the season on the IL. Gregory Santos and Michael Fulmer were signed to minor league deals.