Latest blog entries about MLB
For the second straight preseason, Dan Szymborski’s ZiPS projections – now available at Fangraphs – see the Kansas City Royals as a club with strong pitching that can compete for the division. Szymborski projects the Royals to “finish with somewhere between 82-86 wins or so, depending on the assumptions”, and this is before the Royals […]
Thirteen years have passed since Larry Biittner’s turn on the mound for the Cubs. Position player pitching was still pretty rare in Major League Baseball. And then came the spring of 1990. You have to remember the context here: The Cubs had come off a division title year in 1989 in which they won 93 […]
After sorting through and writing about the Fangraphs prospect update in recent weeks, I got to wondering about some players who weren’t on this list of prospects and who might find themselves on it after the next update. Who in the system is not on a prospect list NOW but could well be by this […]
The Royals had a quiet Winter Meetings, but have been pretty active in the days since, signing outfielder Lane Thomas to a one-year deal, and inking All-Star third baseman Maikel Garcia to a long-term deal. In his write-up of the Garcia deal, ESPN reporter Jeff Passan notes the Royals continue to be active on the […]
Christopher Morel is staying in Florida, just switching sides of the peninsula. The Miami Marlins are inking Morel to a one-year deal, and perhaps the most interesting part is where they plan to play him. Versatile by necessity more than by skill, Morel, who’d moved to the outfield from the left side of the infield, is now moving over to the right side of the infield: Source confirms: Free agent Christopher Morel in agreement with Marlins on one-year contract, pending physical. Expec...
The latest news and rumors for the Astros and from around the league: it’s all in here. Today’s off-season edition of The Crawfish Boil: You can get the whole podcast here: You can read the whole story here:
The Royals have locked down the left side of their infield. Having already signed shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. to a long-term deal, they have now signed third baseman Maikel Garcia to a five-year contract with a club option on a sixth year, according to ESPN reporter Jeff Passan. Update at 1:54 p.m.: The deal is […]
With the Atlanta Braves draft position being settled in as of Tuesday evening, it is now time to start taking a look at some of the potential targets for the team in the 2026 MLB Draft. This series will take a look at 10 players who will have some chance to be available for the […]
The team was in need of an arm once Jose Alvarado went down to injury. So they picked up Tim Mayza. That was something, wasn’t it? 2025 stats (w/ Phillies) 8 G, 7 1/3 IP, 20.6 K%, 11.8 BB%, 1.23 HR/9, 4.91 ERA (5.04 FIP), 0.0 fWAR What went right Mayza was perfectly cromulent while […]
Happy Friday one and all. The Arizona Cardinals play a nearly impossible game on Sunday, against the best defense in the NFL, with an offense that doesn’t score very much, and can’t win games. And now they are doing so without two of their best players in Marvin Harrison Jr. and Paris Johnson Jr. who […]
Álex Rodríguez is on the Hall of Fame ballot for the fifth time. Last year, he was on 37.1% of the ballots (his high mark in the first four times). He’s been in the mid-30s each time. He doesn’t seem to be gaining much traction. By the numbers, he is easily a Hall of Famer. […]
1925 The first championship ever secured on the grounds of Comiskey Park came with a 13-0 Chicago Cardinals win over the Hammond Pros. It was sweet revenge for the Cardinals, who had given Hammond its only win of 1925 with a season-opening upset in Indiana, 10-6. But this “title” was not without controversy. Six days […]
Because most of it came in the heat of a playoff race, when the focus is necessarily less about individual player achievement or development, and more about where the Cubs are in the standings, I think I probably didn’t praise Moises Ballesteros enough down the stretch. The sample was small in 2025 in the big leagues for Ballesteros, but that’s because the playing time was sporadic. And that, in turn, is part of what makes his ultimate success so impressive. It’s hard enough to be a 21-ye...
With quarterback desperation fueling aggressive trade movement and a deep defensive class reshaping the board. In this NFL mock draft , the Cardinals make a franchise-altering swing, several contenders reload premium positions, and a handful of rookies project as instant starters. With the 2026 landscape shifting fast, here’s how Round 1 could unfold. 2026 NFL Mock Draft 1. TRADE — Arizona Cardinals (via NYG): QB Fernando Mendoza – Indiana The Cardinals are going to move on from...
Not a surprise, after the Jays came within a couple of inches of winning the World Series, but the Jays (or I guess Rogers signed) signed Mark Shapiro for five more years, which would have him in the job for 15 years. Mark has overseen improvements to Rogers Centre and the Jays’ Spring Training facilities. […]
The two biggest power bats in free agency are off the board. So where do Craig Breslow and the Red Sox go next given that they entered the offseson intent on landing a bat? If this report is to believed, they have opened up trade talks with the Cardinals for Willson “Don’t Forget Second L” […]
This week, the Kansas City Royals signed outfielder Lane Thomas to a one-year, $5.25 million contract. Thomas joins the Royals after spending the last year and a half with the Cleveland Guardians. The Royals are hoping the right-handed hitting outfielder who hit 28 home runs in a season as recently as 2023, can bounce back […]
With 2025 marking his first season as largely a full-timestarter, Grant Holmes emerged as one of the top arms in the Atlanta Braves’ pitching rotation. His season debut against the Padres during opening week hinted at something special, but in truth, the signs were there long before. Unfortunately an elevated amount of homers allowed, and […]
Every year during our annual Report Card series here at Pinstripe Alley, we’re generally pretty thorough with who we grade. Obviously, we do full reports on the Aaron Judges and Max Frieds of the roster, but we all will take in depth looks at the likes of J.C Escarra and Ryan Yarbrough. However, there are […]
The Royals announced they have signed utility infielder Kevin Newman to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. Newman is a 32-year-old right-handed hitter, and an eight-year MLB veteran, mostly with the Pirates. He played in 56 games with the Angels last year, hitting .202/.209/.272. Newman was originally a first-round pick by […]
On Wednesday, Major League Baseball held its annual Rule 5 Draft, an event that allows teams to select eligible players from other organizations’ rosters, with a few exceptions. Players can be chosen in either the major league or minor league phases, and while Rule 5 picks don’t always make a significant impact, the Astros have […]
Are we in an Obsessive Alex Bregman Watch at this point? It’s been hard for me to get there, given that the budget likely accommodates one impact starting pitcher acquired via free agency *OR* one impact bat acquired via free agency. But I think there is broad-based, reasonable speculation at this point that if the Cubs were to trade for a starting pitcher, their efforts to spend the unused funds on a big bat would accelerate. But since no starting pitchers have been traded anywhere, and ...
LIVERPOOL VS. BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION | Saturday, December 13th |Premier League | Anfield3PM GMT/10AM EST Fabian Hürzeler is under some pressure, with Brighton’s form a bit inexplicable this season: wins against Chelsea and Manchester City matched with draws with West Ham United, Wolves, Fulham, and Tottenham. Brighton look less imaginative than they have in […]
The National League Central is consistently one of the more exciting divisions in baseball, and even though the Brewers have found themselves on top each of the last three and four of the last five seasons, there are still plenty of doubters. While the Brewers have mostly stood pat this offseason, their NL Central foes […]
There is a lot of buzz coming from the “Show Me State” as Missouri sports betting apps are live! Last week, on December 1, the state joined the sports betting market! Let’s look at the best Missouri sports betting apps. Best Missouri Sports Betting Apps in December 2025 The legislation passed in Missouri in 2024 will allow for up to 14 sportsbooks. Six of those sports belong to casinos, six to professional sports teams, and there are two untethered licenses. DraftKings and Circa...