MLB Player News

McGuire wound up with just a .245 OBP for the Cubs last season, but he hit nine homers in 140 plate appearances and played quality defense behind the plate while filling in for Miguel Amaya. The Cubs weren’t going to keep him around as an out-of-options third catcher, but he might be able to land a backup gig somewhere. That said, if any team was especially interested, it could have sent the Cubs a minor prospect for him before he hit free agency.

The 22-year-old slugger delivered a run-scoring single in the second inning that gave the Rockies an early 2-1 lead they would never relinquish. He then clubbed a 359-foot (102.8 mph EV) solo shot off of Reiver Sanmartin in the third that made it a 3-1 ballgame. Following up a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League, Condon is off to a terrific start in Cactus League play, hitting .600 (3-for-5) with a pair of homers. With no one standing in his way at first base, he could push for inclusion on the Opening Day roster if he keeps up this torrid pace.

The 32-year-old backstop singled in the third inning, but the Rockies were unable to cash him in. He then smacked a one-out double in the fifth and raced around to score on an RBI knock by Cole Carrigg. Sullivan also singled in the sixth, swiped second base and scored on an RBI single off the bat of Nic Kent. If he keeps this up, he could beat out Braxton Fulford to be Hunter Goodman’s understudy to open the season.

Bellozo punched out one and didn’t allow a base on balls in the ballgame. The only blemish on his day came as Matt Chapman pulverized a first pitch cutter for a titanic 460-foot blast in the opening inning. Aside from that, Bellozo was in complete command. He got just three whiffs on 36 pitches on the day, posting an underwhelming CSW of 22 percent. With a strong showing in the spring, he could crack the Rockies’ Opening Day rotation though there’s no reason fantasy managers to be looking here.

Ramos smacked a sharp single (107.7 mph EV) off of Valente Bellozo in his first trip to the plate. He then walloped a 2-0 fastball from Victor Vodnik for a 400-foot (105.4 mph) bomb in the fifth inning that pulled the Giants to within four runs at 6-2. In a lineup that featured many of the Giants’ regulars, Ramos found himself batting fifth in this one behind Willy Adames.

Chapman ambushed a first pitch cutter from Valente Bellozo in the opening inning, crushing a majestic 460-foot (108.4 mph EV) solo shot to center that gave the Giants an early 1-0 advantage. That would be his lone hit in three at-bats on the day. The 32-year-old third baseman is off to a strong start to the spring, hitting .429 (3-for-7) with a homer and two doubles in the early going.

On the plus side, the 24-year-old right-hander struck out two in the contest and didn’t issue a free pass. He retired the side in order in the first inning, but ran into trouble in the second as Jordan Beck drew a leadoff walk, Kyle Karros followed with an RBI triple and Charlie Condon plated him with an RBI single. Tidwell regained his composure to retire the next three in order, but the damage had been done. He’s competing with Landen Roupp, Carson Whisenhunt and Hayden Birdsong for the final spot in the Giants’ Opening Day rotation.

Lopez’s best contact, a 103-mph liner to center, went unrewarded, but a groundball single and a bloop single made up for it. Lopez figures to hit somewhere in the middle of the order for the Marlins after a fine 2025 in which he managed 15 homers and 15 steals, and he could rate as a solid MI option in deeper mixed leagues.

The good news is that Garrett, who is coming off elbow surgery, averaged 93.0 mph with his fastball today. That’s 2.8 mph better than when he was last seen in 2024 and 1.8 mph ahead of his career-best average from 2022. He was unfortunately wild in his 23-pitch inning, but he’d be quite a bit more interesting for fantasy purposes if that velocity sticks around.

Gusto is probably the Marlins’ sixth starter at the moment, but there are more talented arms coming up behind him if he fails to get an opportunity early on. He didn’t impress today with his velocity down about one mph from last season. His CSW was just 15 percent, as he got two missed swings and four called strikes over 39 pitches.

Gausman did allow a hit and a walk in the process, but we can pay those no mind. Gausman figures to be the Jays’ Opening Day starter this year, which would actually be a first. The team gave José Berríos the nod over him last year.