Prediction: Holmes and a late-signing veteran, such as José Quintana, Kyle Gibson or Ross Stripling, make the team out of camp. The level of financial investment in said veteran will determine whether he or Holmes is moved to the pen upon Strider’s return.Prediction: The Mets do bring Alonso back, Vientos cements himself at third, and […]
Prediction: Holmes and a late-signing veteran, such as José Quintana, Kyle Gibson or Ross Stripling, make the team out of camp. The level of financial investment in said veteran will determine whether he or Holmes is moved to the pen upon Strider’s return.Prediction: The Mets do bring Alonso back, Vientos cements himself at third, and Baty gets dealt. Also, Jeff McNeil gets hurt again, and Acuña becomes the every-day second baseman.BenCaspariusSS – NYM – #2
Yankees: Third base
Contenders: DJ LeMahieu, Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza
Prediction: It’s Gonsolin and May on Opening Day. Miller has minor-league options and could use the Triple-A time. Also, don’t forget about Clayton Kershaw, who is expected to re-sign with the team at some point during the season. This, my friends, is quite the first-world problem.SP – LAD – #78LeMahieu has the most experience but also comes with the biggest questions. Injuries limited the 36-year-old in 2024, and there’s skepticism about whether the lanky infielder can rediscover his bat-to-ball prowess as he approaches 40. That said, the vet is under contract through 2026, so the Yankees are incentivized to give him every shot to bounce back.DJLeMahieu
Anderson, too, was once the next big thing. As a 23-year-old, he threw the third-most regular-season innings for the World Series-winning 2021 Braves. But his career has been bumps and potholes ever since, and he hasn’t tossed a big-league pitch since Aug. 13, 2022.
3B – NYM – #7
Holmes is an awesome story. A well-regarded starting prospect with the Athletics and Dodgers before his career was sidetracked by injuries, the long-locked righty reemerged last season as an effective reliever in Atlanta’s bullpen. He made a handful of spot starts, including an appearance in Game 162 against the Mets after Sale was a dramatic late scratch. Atlanta brass believe he can handle a move back to the rotation, and he’s currently the most likely of this bunch to win a job.Astros LF: Kyle Tucker’s departure leaves Houston with an underwhelming mix in the grass. Right field and center field should belong to Chas McCormick and Jake Myers, but left looks like a toss-up. Mauricio Dubón is considered the front-runner, but he’s best deployed as a utilityman. Shay Whitcomb, waiver-wire god Taylor Trammell and Triple-A stalwart Pedro León are other names to know. This feels like a good spot for a low-risk free-agent outfielder on a one-year deal. Alex Verdugo, Mark Canha, Tommy Pham, Enrique Hernández and Harrison Bader come to mind.
Braves: Starting pitcher(s)
Contenders: Grant Holmes, Ian Anderson, Bryce Elder, AJ Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep
For established big leaguers, spring training is a time of leisure, preparation and reacclimation. February and March are all about getting reacquainted with the sport’s rhythms and routines while avoiding injury at all costs.OswaldoCabreraSP – LAD – #78But for some, spring training is a hidden war, a battle for professional survival. Those on the edges of a roster and those fighting for an every-day spot wake up each morning with a sense of quiet determination. And despite all the planning, prognosticating and projecting that happens over the winter, there are a number of contending teams that will enter camp with uncertainty at key positions.DJLeMahieu
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Dodgers: Starting pitcher(s)
Contenders: Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, Bobby Miller, Ben Casparius, Landon Knack, Nick Frasso, Justin Wrobleski
3B – NYY – #26SP – LAD – #28
New York’s winter has been dominated by Juan Soto’s departure and the team’s ensuing pivot, but the unsettled infield mix has existed somewhat separately from that hullabaloo. With longtime second baseman Gleyber Torres departing in free agency, as predicted, and presumptive replacement Caleb Durbin dealt to Milwaukee in the Devin Williams deal, the Yankees are left with an opening on the dirt.
Elder was a surprise 2023 All-Star, but that breakout proved to be smoke and mirrors. He was tattooed across 10 starts in 2024 to the tune of a 6.52 ERA. Smith-Shawver and Waldrep are talented prospects with MLB cameos, but both could use more minor-league marinating.
Gonsolin, a Dodgers rotation stalwart before he suffered a derailing elbow injury, is the likeliest No. 5 starter. The last spot should come down to May, another longtime Dodger clawing back from injuries, Miller, who shined in ‘23 but stunk in ‘24, and a gaggle of unproven youngsters including Casparius, Knack, Frasso and Wrobleski.
Not even a 0 million payroll can buy you certainty. L.A. is almost definitely rolling with a six-man rotation in 2025. That means there are two open spots until Shohei Ohtani is a full (pitching) go, which is expected to happen at some point in May. Right now, four spots are locks: Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki.LuisangelAcuña
