Cease on Earth

 

So let's ignore for a moment...that the Blue Jays got the snot beaten out of them yesterday by the Colorado Rockies, and let's ignore that it happened because Cody Ponce immediately got hurt in his return to US pitching and handed it to a bullpen that completely collapsed given the opportunity to leg out the rest of the game, and let's also ignore that the Rockies went 0-3 against the Marlins and took it out on the Jays in a very similar manner to the 2024 Astros after getting swept by the Yankees, and while we're at it let's also blind ourselves to the fact that the starting pitcher that kept this team down was Tomoyuki Sugano, who 2025 Jays batters had a .291 average against with 16 hits and 2 homers in 3 games. 

Let's...ignore all that. The Jays began the 2026 season against the Oakland Athletics, a team that was actually expected to improve this year, and who are currently the only 0-4 team remaining. The Jays were able to diminish the output of Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker, Jacob Wilson and Lawrence Butler. Regardless of how the A's are able to even out, that still takes a fair amount of skill.

I am still of the belief that the scrappy play that got the Jays to a World Series last year is only gonna work that once. Both Addison Barger and Nathan Lukes are still hitless, Alejandro Kirk's sole hit so far has been a homer, and even with Andres Gimenez hitting up a storm, the absence of Bo Bichette still casts a large shadow on this team. I think they're just gonna have to alter their approach a bit this year, and actually shift to a more traditional lineup rather than the army of fill-ins that led them to compete. The additions of both Jesus Sanchez and Kazuma Okamoto lead me to believe that while contact is still possible, it may just need to be a bit more balanced now, and a bit less unpolished. Okamoto can hit home runs and help out with contact, and Sanchez's OPS is telling me he's branched out as well. We'll just see how sustainable it is.

Currently unquestionable though is the degree of excellence in that rotation. Gausman and Cease both had terrific opening starts, with Gausman proving he can still be dominant even in his mid-30s, and Cease proving the K rate isn't the only takeaway, regardless of how things go the third time through the lineup. I do think Cease and the Jays are ideal for each other, and he's better off someplace like Toronto than weighing out San Diego. While I do think the team will really appreciate it when Yesavage and Bieber come back, Eric Lauer is still a perfectly fine starting option, Max Scherzer came back for a reason, and I'm guessing either Ricky Tiedemann or Jake Bloss will fill in sufficiently in Ponce's stead. 

Right now, even with the Rockies loss in their rearview, the Jays look like the team to beat in the AL East. Yes, I'm aware that the Yankees also had a nice start. I'm just waiting to see how long it takes for their offense to come back after last night. 

Coming Tomorrow- Speaking of the Rockies, a trusty infield bat for the team that made them start 0-3.

18 and Life

 

The Dodgers, this week, are gonna become the first team in history to start 3 Japanese pitchers in a row. Roki Sasaki tonight, Shohei tomorrow, and Yamamoto Wednesday. It's genuinely amazing to see a team go all-in on Japanese pitching, and it's cool that it's the Dodgers, who technically re-started the trend in '95 by bringing over Hideo Nomo, and later Kasuhisa Ishii, doing it. This, in combination with the use of Hyeseong Kim as an infield piece, have made the Dodgers one of the most internationally-friendly teams out there.

And it might be an exciting narrative if the Dodgers weren't already the far-and-away favorite to win the World Series. 

Look, as it's the third year of this, I've tried to get my feelings on this to atrophy a bit, because I feel bad. I don't HATE the Dodgers, they develop great teams and their heroes are hard to hate. It's the wealth disparity thing I dislike. This offseason the Mets spent a great deal to try and catch LA, and other teams like the Cubs and Yankees still put the money up for things like this. But the Dodgers still have one of the best teams, and used the offseason to get Edwin Diaz, one of the best closers in the bigs, and Kyle Tucker, one of the best outfield bats out there. All the things that are leaving the Dodgers are things they no longer have a use for, all the main pieces are still in their prime, and all the people joining the team are excellent. Generally, if the best team wins it all, it's not the most exciting outcome, especially when they're already spending more than anyone else. 

Now again, it's not just spending, it's the rubber hitting the road. And so far, the Dodgers, given a series against an easy team like Arizona, are undefeated. They've done this, strangely, without much offensive production from Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez. That's...the bulk of the power. And they're still winning games, just off contact and some of the other stars. Alex Freeland's already making waves coming in on Miguel Rojas's position, the bullpen has yet to give up an earned run, and Will Smith leads the team in RBIs with 5. 

And they've held it down with some great starting performances so far. Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have held up the top of the rotation well, both going 6 with 6 Ks. Yoshi is gonna be relied upon as the ace this year, and I think he's fully able to take that on. Honestly, Blake Snell might settle into that 3 spot when he come back, and Emmet Sheehan, unless he recovers, might be relegated to a swingman role. There's much worse guys to hand the ball to in a big game than Yamamoto, and I'm so glad he's become a great MLB option after a strong Japanese career. 

I think the Dodgers are already proving that they can build a competitor even if it's not the ways you're thinking they will. I think they can afford some slow starts provided everything comes together by September. I think it'll be great for history if they can win a third. Maybe not for me specifically, or for people that like interesting developments, but it's been years since the Yankees dynasty, or the Giants', and maybe it's just needed now. 

Coming Tomorrow- He throws smoke, he gets the job done, and he leaves teams right at the moment they stop winning games.

Dom Voyage

 

Everything I saw about the Italian national team in the WBC just made me happy. Cause it was always tinged with 'LOOK AT THESE FUN DUDES'. You've got Jac Caglianone, Dominic Canzone, Michael Lorenzen, Vinnie Pasquantino, Aaron Nola and Jakob Marsee, they're all hangin out and upsetting games and you can't not love that. It's also illegal to not enjoy a team coached by Sal Fasano and Jorge Posada and managed by Francisco Cervelli. I'm not Italian but I was rooting for those guys after a while. And when I couldn't love them enough, Pasquantino brings out the espresso machine, which all the money from went towards local autism charities. Like, COME ON. 

And it was so welcome compared to the US team, which was devoutly serious. They did that tournament like they were preparing for war. Country music blaring, no joking around, 'this is a job to do'. And the 2017 team was so much fun. Granted, there were a few more non-white people on that team, so uh...draw your own conclusions. Like, there's a reason Cal Raleigh got absolutely clowned on for refusing a handshake from Randy Arozarena. Randy understands that this tournament is for bragging rights, and it's mostly just a fun time with your contemporaries from the same country, it's about national pride. It's not a frigging land operation. 

I just think it's really cool that Dominic Canzone goes from the feel good team of the WBC to a truly exciting Mariners team. You know, ya whetted your appetite, you got your reps in, and then you go and play outfield for the guys looking to win the AL West. Keep in mind, the Arozarena-Raleigh thing is still dying down, and Raleigh's been struggling to find his 2025 swing, but there in the corner is Dominic Canzone just doing his thing, he's got 2 hits so far, both of them homers, and 3 RBIs. Sometimes you need a fun vibes guy like that when everything's fraught. Canzone is sharing right with Luke Raley pretty much but both guys are off to nice starts. The idea, I'm guessing is for Canzone to take the majority of starts at RF, Raley to platoon at DH with Rob Refsnyder, and the younger infield to keep things cool. Even without J.P. Crawford I'm confident this team has the pieces to hold things down, with Rivas and Young and all.

Right now there's the slightest bit of concern with the Mariners, as even if they've stayed toe-to-toe with Cleveland they've dropped 2 very close games, both thanks in part to Chase De Lauter coming alive late. The bullpen is not as strong as last year, and Eduard Bazardo, Gabe Speier and Andres Munoz have struggled putting games away. Josh Naylor has yet to register a hit, and Cal Raleigh only just got started. Julio Rodriguez is also off to a slow start, but...that's kinda normal for him honestly. Midway through May he springs to life and takes off, that's his thing. 

I'm still very confident the Mariners can get something done this year, but they need to clean up some of these early stumbling points, including the usually-strong pitching. I'd love for them to repeat as AL West champs, but this year they have competition, and the Astros probably want revenge or something silly like that. So we'll see how things end up.

Coming Tomorrow- Speaking of Italy, someone recently asked me if Mario is canonically a Dodgers fan. Which confused me. And then he showed me an official Dodgers promotion for a bobblehead of Yoshi, from the Mario games, in a Dodgers uniform, wearing #18. And I had to go 'oh, nonononono. Y'see, there's this guy on the Dodgers...'

Miz-ery Business

 

Here's a fun fact about the Milwaukee Brewers, looking to defend their momentous NL Central championship from last year: only one person who's played in a game for the team so far is over 30. Christian Yelich. Obviously there are a couple others on the pitching staff who haven't appeared yet, Jared Koenig and Trevor Megill and Brandon Woodruff, but this is a very young team. The Cardinals are similarly young, but there's not a single all-star to be found on that team, whereas the Brewers have Contreras and Yelich and Sanchez and the Miz. And that's the thing: this may be a young team, but there's still infrastructure. I genuinely believe that they've built enough to get them far.

Now, again, after the trades this team made to get the payroll down, that may seem ambitious. Not only is Freddy Peralta, the staff ace, gone, but so are Caleb Durbin and Isaac Collins, two guys that could have been young stars going forward. But the idea I'm getting is that they have so many young pieces that they want to build properly and not trap guys that could be MLB options under perennial stars, or the Jasson Dominguez tract as it's known in the biz. Therefore, Collins gets dealt so Frelick, Mitchell and Lockridge can play, Durbin gets dealt so there's eventually room for Jett Williams and Jesus Made, and Peralta's dealt so Henderson, Miz and even Carlos Rodriguez can see starting time. So even without those pieces, the Brewers can still stand a chance, as they have so far.

The Miz start on Thursday was the stuff legends are made of. He gives up a home run early, fine, but he locks in, K's 11 and cements his place at the top of the rotation. There was some hesitation putting Miz out there Game 1, as the Brewers have Brandon Woodruff, and could have leaned on veteran presence rather than putting the kids out there immediately. But Misiorowski does have the stuff, and the controlled innings last year gave him enough juice to power through a full year this year. The optimal idea would be for Henderson, Chad Patrick and potentially Robert Gasser and Quinn Priester to line up behind Miz for a formidable rotation going forward. It's really just a matter of if all these guys are durable. 

I also look at somebody like Joey Ortiz, who's very much a placeholder til Williams and Made are here. Ortiz put in the work to improve at the plate during the spring, and he's already got 3 hits and 2 RBI as I write this to begin the season. Even if he knows he's cannon fodder once the prospects are ready, he's performing better than he has to date, and he wants to make this team great. Same with David Hamilton, he's clearly filling third for the time being, but he's got even more perks than he did in Boston, and has the needed contact prowess to fit in with this team. I put Lockridge into that category as well- like last year, he's filling in for Jackson Chourio, but he's excellent in the outfield and he gets on base. He's gotta be valuable while he can.

The big indication that the rebuild will happen as the team's competing was the news today that Jeferson Quero's joining the team, filling in for Andrew Vaughn. What this allows for, I'm guessing is for Gary Sanchez to DH more often, Jake Bauers to cover 1st more often, and Quero to become the go-to backup catcher. Quero was this team's big prospect before Made came along, and I'd love to see Quero cash in the second he gets the chance and give this team even more stability at a position that previously seemed a non-issue. 

So yeah, even if some of the exclamation point has dissipated, this is still a very strong Brewers team, and I still see them accomplishing great things this year, despite the competition. 

Coming Tomorrow- Fresh off surprising a lot of people in the WBC, he settles in as a reliable depth option for another reigning champ.

Why Wait?

 

I think we can all agree that Opening Day of 2026 was a net loss for the Pittsburgh Pirates on more levels than anyone previously thought.

Not only does Paul Skenes get chased, not only does Oneil Cruz crap out, not only is the bullpen not there yet, but by the end of that first day you see universally that the only team to not give a big rookie prospect a day 1 shot may have been the Pittsburgh Pirates. Who held Konnor Griffin back for the service perks, like usual. Looking around at the rest of the league, you're seeing immediate success from rookie call-ups, or rookie leave-ups, and while the Pirates did bring Hunter Barco with them to the bigs, Griffin is still trapped behind Nick Gonzales and probably won't make the bigs til mid-to-late April, or whenever Topps' Update cutoff is. 

So...let's rub it in some more and talk about the guys that did super well yesterday on call-ups:

-Kevin McGonigle, Tigers. The big one. In game one, the Delaware County native went 4-for-5 with 2 RBIs, 2 doubles and 2 runs. Right from the start of spring training basically, all anyone heard about was how this guy was on the way to greatness, even on a squad that still has Max Clark coming soon. Giving McGonigle shortstop out of camp, even with Jace Jung still on the team, seems to be the way forward, and if the rest of this season is as good as that game was, the Tigers might be alright.

-J.J. Wetherholt, Cardinals. Another young infielder, this one the prized Cardinals prospect, a former 7th overall pick, and a rare Cardinals farmhand not netted in a firesale. Wetherholt took over from Brendan Donovan's run at 2nd with a bang, hitting a homer in his first at-bat, and finishing the day with 2 RBIs. The Cardinals' eventual comeback victory over Tampa doesn't happen without Wetherholt being the forerunner. Already fans are excited about this guy, and in a season without any clear veteran presence, what's not to be excited about?

Chase de Lauter, Guardians. The outfield bat made his debut during the 2025 postseason, so yesterday's opener against Seattle was technically de Lauter's regular season debut. He made it count, with a TWO-HOMER GAME, the second of which coming late enough to be the difference-maker. 

Justin Crawford, Phillies. For about a year now it's been clear that Crawford, the slap-hitting CF speedster son of Carl, was on the way, and the hope was that we wouldn't deal him before he got to the bigs. Lo and behold, a spot was paved directly for him to start the season, and his debut against Texas came with 2 hits and a run. Dude did exactly what he came to do, and was part of an excellent Opening Day win.

Sal Stewart, Reds. Crucially, this corner infield phenom for Cincinnati is a bench bat for my fantasy team this year, and I wanted him to get off to a decent start for that reason, in addition to reestablishing the full-team stronghold for the Reds. Even against a dominant Red Sox team, Stewart still had a very productive day, going three for four with 2 doubles. The Reds had only 4 hits in that game, and Stewart alone was responsible for 3 of them.

Carson Benge, Mets. If Mike Tauchman doesn't get injured, I'm not certain Benge, the well-hyped outfield bat for the Mets, gets this opportunity, but given a starting spot in a crowded Mets lineup yesterday he still had time for his first ever career homer, making Lindor and Bichette the only hitless Mets v. Pittsburgh.

So that tells you everything you need to know. If all those guys can allow for young players to start day 1 and be the hero, the Pirates have absolutely no excuse. As usual.

Coming Tomorrow- I got very worried when he gave up a home run immediately yesterday, but 10 strikeouts later I was a lot more at ease.

2026: Nothing is Immovable

 

The first game of the day I was able to watch was Mets-Pirates. I think stagnating the day as they did was a little odd, as they could have just done a bunch at 1 and a bunch at 7. Doing one game at 1, and it being Mets-Pirates...I mean, I get that it's a cool matchup, but don't you want to do some other ones as well? A little variety on the first real day of the season? I dunno, they seem to want to do it this way, and...fine. At least they put a game on NBC so people could actually watch it. 

But I did end up watching Mets-Pirates, because it felt like however way it went would be cool. I was of the opinion that Skenes would shut down the Mets' offense and the bullpen would blow it, and Peralta would be strong but not be ironclad against the improved Pirates offense. I was half right. Peralta gave up 2 homers to Brandon Lowe, and a solo shot to Ryan O'Hearn. The new guys did exactly what they were brought there to do, and that makes me feel better overall about the Pirates.

But...Paul Skenes could not get out of inning one. Against the Mets. Not that the Mets are bad, it's just the sort of older, high-risk/high-reward team he could do well against. But the combination of Skenes giving up easy ones and Oneil Cruz not being in position to cast them cost the Pirates 5 runs, and the bullpen cost the Pirates even more. 

The telling stat is this one- without that first inning, the Pirates win the game. If either Skenes doesn't struggle or Yohan Ramirez starts the game, that's 5 runs erased. And even if the Pirates bullpen, mostly Isaac Mattson, gives up even more runs, including the first career homer for Carson Benge, they still outscore the Mets. Freddy Peralta, strong as he was [comparatively], gave up 4 runs, Tobias Myers gave up 1 and Luis Garcia gave up 2 more. If there isn't a lead they need to be padding, they lose a game 7-6 to the Pirates on Opening Day. 

The moral, thereby, other than to always keep fighting, is that even the idea of putting Paul Skenes and Freddy Peralta in a position to succeed doesn't guarantee an outcome. Skenes can still struggle, Peralta can still struggle, and the offenses can still come alive. Nothing is guaranteed, not even Paul Skenes. 

It'll be interesting to see how both teams learn from today. For the Pirates, the game they could rely upon wasn't even a gimme, and they couldn't get it done, despite the continued offensive support. For the Mets, they outdueled a titan and found success with Bichette and Polanco at new positions...but they still allowed 7 runs, even with their best starter on the mound. If the wins are gonna be this close, they need to solve the problem before it ruins them, like last year. 

Regardless, this game was an excellent pacesetter for the season. The rest of the day was full of epic rookie debuts, huge HR moments and incredible pitching [especially in Milwaukee]. And it gives an idea of just how exciting this season's about to be. I'm here for it, for sure. 

As the Curtain Arraezes...

 

It's the autism in me that makes this as obvious as it is, but to all of the people with the belief of 'the real Opening Day isn't until tomorrow', the first game of the season is being played tonight. Thereby...it opens the season. So today is Opening Day. I'm sorry I've avoided the nuance, but that's just how I see it.

Starting the season with Yankees-Giants is odd but somewhat understandable. These two teams did, in fact, used to play just down the road from each other. I've said that I come from a long line of Yankee fans, but the truth is my grandfather came from a long line of New York Giants fans. The last time the Yankees began the season playing the Giants was, if you'll recall, 2023, and the rumor going into the offseason was that this was planned with the knowledge that San Francisco was where then-free-agent Aaron Judge was favoring [given it's near home and all]. Henceforth, the Giants-Yanks series on a yearly basis has been dubbed, by me at least, the Arson Judge Classic. Because the Giants thought they'd be starting the season with Judge, and they started the season, instead, with Blake Sabol.

Now, 3 years later...not a ton has changed. The Giants have a new manager, Tony Vitello, trying to establish more of a college-coach-to-MLB-coach pipeline, and he's hoping to be more of a Jim Harbaugh and less of a Chip Kelly. But aside from that, it's two teams with similar strategies and different luck. Both teams are using money and roster building to stick themselves into an already crowded divisional setup- the Yankees have had more success, and look to be a major contender this year, while the Giants still haven't made the playoffs since Posey retired. If he gets in the Hall of Fame next year it'll be even more damning. 

It's not like the Giants don't try, they've brought genuine talent to the bay, and have Matt Chapman, Willy Adames, Jung Ho Lee and now Willy Adames in prime position. It's the development that's been really an issue. Joey Bart was a slam dunk, now he's a DH in Pittsburgh. Marco Luciano was supposed to be the next OF star, he's now swimming around the Yankees minor league system. Hayden Birdsong and Kyle Harrison were primed for starring roles, now Birdsong is out til next May and Harrison is hoping to get playing time in Milwaukee. When Drew Gilbert, another big time prospect, struggled upon a 2025 call-up, I saw the trend very plainly. I get that the new Posey regime is trying to jumpstart things, but none of these prospects have taken to the bigs as they should have. Even Heliot Ramos took like 3 extra years to craft major league success, and even still he's faded into the background more than one would hope for. 

And so here we are, starting 2026 with no real prospect guys having any part in the 26-man roster. Drew Gilbert did not make it. Bryce Eldridge did not make it. Carson Whisenhunt, despite being 3rd in the depth chart, did not make it. The only person making a debut this series is Daniel Susac, and he's their Rule 5 guy. I get the idea that so many more trustworthy MLB options are in front of them for positions, but need I remind you that this team is hoping to contend for 2nd or 3rd. We're already at 'IF this works' territory, and this is a team with Rafael Devers, Luis Arraez and Matt Chapman on it. 

So I'm really intrigued by how the Giants are gonna look against this Yankee team, who also have something to prove, but far less. All the Yankees are trying to do is prove their bullpen's better, the four-man rotation is a working concept and keeping Dominguez and Jones down is a good idea. Both teams are gonna learn right away just how much work they're gonna need to do from now til September. And hopefully the Giants can get closer than they've been in a while to actual legitimacy. 

That said, may it be a fun Opening series, and may everybody stay healthy and play their best.