#starting-rotation

#starting-rotation

With Opening Day just around the corner, Brett and I talk about the starting rotation and how each pitcher has looked this last week of camp (heavy focus on Jameson Taillon, as you can imagine).

After a relatively strong season preceding Labor Day(ish), the wheels sorta fell off in the last month or so of 2025. Fast forward to yesterday, where he coughed up four earned runs across four hits and an error in just 1.1 innings against Toronto in Grapefruit League play. Sure, it's only Spring Training. Sure, he wasn't gonna go beyond a few innings anyway. But it's not a great way to start 2026, right?

"It's insane. It just doesn't make a ton of sense,"

That Atlanta Braves have taken another blow to their potential starting rotation with news this afternoon that starting pitcher Hurston Waldrep had an MRI after experiencing discomfort in his elbow while throwing batting practice. The MRI showed "loose bodies" but no ligament damage. Braves manager Walt Weiss met with the media and gave some additional details on Waldrep's status. Weiss said Waldrep will be meeting with doctors on Monday. The assumption is that some type of procedure will be needed.

The Rangers solidified the top of their rotation when they landed left-hander MacKenzie Gore in a trade with the Nationals. Gore, Jacob deGrom, and Nathan Eovaldi will form what should be a dominant trio, as long as everyone stays healthy. Former top prospect Jack Leiter delivered a solid campaign in his first full-time look at the big league level, likely earning him the No. 4 spot. After that, it gets murky.

With their starting rotation problems still unresolved, the Mets are still in on free-agent starting pitcher Framber Valdez, even if more penalties come with it. Will Sammon of The Athletic first reported that New York maintained its interest in the southpaw ace, who rose to stardom with the Houston Astros, even if that means that they would lose their third and sixth-highest selections in the 2026 MLB Draft.

Even with Lucas Giolito departing in free agency, the Red Sox have eight to ten viable options. They'll be anchored at the top end by Garrett Crochet, Suárez and Gray. It's unlikely that Boston would flip Oviedo within a few months of giving up a reasonably well-regarded outfield prospect (Jhostynxon Garcia) to acquire him. Beyond that, the Sox could dangle any of their starters on the trade market.

He appeared in just five regular-season innings in 2024 and then had an All-Star-caliber start to last season destroyed by a hamstring injury that he suffered while leaping to reel in a high Pete Alonso throw while covering first base during a June game against the Colorado Rockies. With a 1.47 ERA through his first 13 starts of the year, Senga was a shell of himself upon his return after a month on the shelf.

The Yankees finally picked up some of the pitching depth they were looking for, acquiring left-hander Ryan Weathers from the Miami Marlins for a package of four prospects. Infielders Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus, and outfielders Dillon Lewis and Brendan Jones are going back Miami's way. Lewis had been at the top of the Marlins' priority list, as they inquired about him in talks regarding fellow starting pitcher Edward Cabrera, who was dealt to the Chicago Cubs last week.

The Rockies are looking for a few veterans to eat innings in their rotation, general manager Josh Byrnes tells Thomas Harding of MLB.com. "We've played out scenarios where we would attempt to bring in two guys who can stabilize that area - who can not only pitch well but know how to give us some bulk innings, which any team needs," Byrnes said.

Mahle is coming off his best season in recent years, posting a 2.18 ERA (3.37 FIP) over 16 starts for the Texas Rangers under then-manager Bruce Bochy, who is now a special advisor to baseball operations. The 31-year-old has only made 24 starts over the last three seasons due to multiple injuries, undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023. When healthy, Mahle has proven himself capable of being a solid middle-of-the-rotation starter.

They struck by signing lefty pitcher Foster Griffin to a 1-year, $5.5 million contract, with the potential to add another $1 million in incentives depending on his performance. In case you are not very familiar with Griffin, as he has only 7 career appearances in the MLB over parts of 2 seasons, he has recently found a ton of success pitching overseas.