Ok, Star Wars gif guy, let’s not get too dramatic here. But for what it’s worth, it works – and at least we didn’t use AI for this one because I don’t know if I can survive that kind of roast again.

Let’s not allow this to get in the way of the important stuff because it’s time for another…

Happy Monday, Razzball Nation!

Oh man, (and five-ish WOmans), you don’t know how long I’ve waited to type that one up again.

If you guessed sometime around 5 minutes after the final out of the World Series, you’re probably pretty close.

Honestly, and truly, I’m so GEE DEE excited to be back!

Allow me to welcome you ALL back for another exciting season of baseball coverage here at Razzball. Grey’s rankings are launching TODAY, our preseason writers are chomping at the bit to get some excellent writeups out to you, our dear readers, and I am SO PUMPED to get rolling on another year of Starting Pitcher content that will hopefully help you scratch the off-season itch and allow you to “Get Your Fix For ‘26”!

The preseason format seemed to work well last year, so I’m taking a bit of an “if it ain’t broke” approach to 2026. This should get some news and notes out that will help you prepare for your fantasy baseball drafts this Spring.

Today, it’s going to be a full listing of all the free agent starting pitcher moves that warrant a mention. There aren’t as many names as I thought there would be at this time of the offseason, but I’ll give you the goods with some Mamo-Input nonetheless.

After today’s list and write-up, I’m going to take the Top 100 from the final week of 2025 and put it up beside Rudy’s shiny new 2026 player rater.

THEN we’ll get into the bones of the preseason 2026 list itself. That’s when I’ll look a bit more closely at some names, both from my list and from each 100-ish section of the preseason player rater.

I’ll do an ADP analysis, a deep dive of the 101-200 Player Rater names, and a 200+ piece too (for all of you deep leaguers that are searching for some under-the-radar names).

But before I forget, and speaking of Rudy, our Razzball tools are up and running for your perusal. If you’re looking for that difference-making edge over your competition, this is it. The Streamonator alone makes it worthwhile, but you’ll also get access to Rudy’s War Room software AND an invite to RazzSlam 7, where you can compete against all of us from the Writers group and some other big names in the industry.

But for NOW…let’s get to those aforementioned offseason goods.

AL EAST

TEAM	NEW SIGNING/TRADE	NOTES
Baltimore	Shane Baz Zach Eflin (re-signed) Albert Suarez (re-signed – MiLB)	The O’s rotation is a heck of a lot different than the one they rolled out in March 2025. Charlie Morton is donezo, and there’s no Sugano tonight in your coffee, no Sugano tonight in your tea (if you’re in Maryland). Grayson Rodriguez is off to the sunshine of LAA, too. The two horses in this rotation are now Kyle Bradish and Trevor Rogers. Baz should be an OK SP3 in Baltimore, but I don’t know how much I trust that walk rate to make him much more than a later round dice roll in mixed leagues. FWIW, Zach Eflin still isn’t walking anyone (1.64 BB/9) if that’s your kind of thing.
Boston	Sonny Gray Johan Oviedo Ranger Suarez	More below.
New York (Yankees)	Ryan Yarbrough Paul Blackburn Ryan Weathers	The Ryan Weathers deal brings in a nice arm for Yankee fans to cheer for, and Ryan Yarbrough is nothing if not serviceable. At the end of the day, it’s an upgrade from last year’s Marcus Stroman and Carlos Carrasco filling out the back end of the rotation. As always, health drives the Yankees’ pitching bus, and it’s a complicated doctor report to sift through. Gerrit Cole isn’t due back until early June, and Carlos Rodon is “hoping” to throw in late May. Luis Gil started just 11 games after missing a bunch of time with a lat strain, and Max Fried isn’t exactly the Cal Ripken of starting pitchers. If you’re a Yankees fan, put all your chips on Cam Schlittler and pray.
Tampa Bay	Steven Matz	Um…this is the big name signing? Maybe Gavin Lux will be an opener. Come on, man.
Toronto	Dylan Cease Cody Ponce (KBO)	More below.

Boston Red Sox – Similar to what I said in the Baltimore notes, this group also has an almost entirely different rotation from a year ago. Garret Crochet is a bona fide stud, and I’m still feeling a bit of shame for not believing that his left wing would hold up under a full season of work. Everyone else? Gone or broken. Ugh. Tanner Houck is shelved for what will likely be the entire season (hybrid UCL repair surgery), Richard Fitts and his top-tier nickname is now in St. Louis, Sean Newcomb is with the White Sox, and Walker Buehler was last seen on the side of a milk carton somewhere in a grocery store in Philly. Lucas Giolito is a free agent and claims his injury “is gone” (ok, my man, good luck with that). 

The good news? Brayan Bello is back. And it’s looking like he’ll be a lot better to slot in as an SP4 than the 2nd or 3rd arm in the rotation that the depth charts had him down as in November.

The Red Sox did some shopping and landed Ranger Suarez last week. That’s a solid #2 behind Crochet.

And their SP3? None other than Razzball darling, Mr. Sonny Gray.

If you’re wondering if the Fenway Faithful will welcome the former Yankee to town…this should clear up any doubt.

Toronto Blue Jays – Ok, can we just get this out of the way now?

Yes, the Toronto Blue Jays captured the hearts of a country for the first time since 1993 (2015 excluded), and came within two outs of their first title in over 30 years. 

Losing to The Avengers was something that I assumed would happen a lot more quickly than it did, but for the Blue Jays’ management, it signalled just how close this team was to winning it all.

Shane Bieber picked up his own option for 2026, despite leaving what was sure to be a chunk of money on the table if he had just declined, then reworked a new deal with the club.

Kevin Gausman led the team in playoff innings pitched and recaptured some of his old magic.

Trey Yesavage? There isn’t much more to say about this kid that hasn’t already been said by me or by anyone else.

But the Jays didn’t rest on their runner-up laurels. They jumped out in front of everyone and signed (arguably) the best available starter to the largest free agent contract in team history, with a 7-year, $210 million deal for Dylan Cease.

The walks have always been the bane of Cease’s existence, but the strikeouts have been there to balance the “oof” with the “ah”. I’ll go into it a lot more in depth later in the preseason, but Dylan Cease and his 4.55 ERA are going to scare a lot of managers away at the draft table this year. Don’t be one of the ones who gets spooked.

(And don’t worry, bluebird fans, I’ll get into Cody Ponce news at a later date)

AL CENTRAL

TEAM	NEW SIGNING/TRADE	NOTES
Chicago (White Sox)	Anthony Kay (KBO) Sean Newcomb	A recycled starter who has bounced around with 4 different teams since 2022? A guy who hasn’t pitched more than 15 innings in MLB since 2021? And a Japanese 3B who might hit 20 homers but might not have a higher batting average than his weight? Yep. Sounds like the White Sox! Let’s hope Hagen Smith and Noah Schultz are ready sooner than later.
Cleveland	none	Gavin Williams was a guy that I checked in on quite a bit last season. He was also a direct contributing factor to the amount of hair that I pulled out in the middle of the summer. Frustration aside, he, Tanner Bibee, and Slade Cecconi should hold down the fort in Cleveland. Logan Allen and Joey Cantillo are more than ready to fill out the last two spots. BONUS! If you can name where Triston McKenzie is rostered now, you win an over-the-internet high five!
Detroit	Drew Anderson (KBO)	Oh cool. Did the Dodgers send Detroit Gavin Stone, Dalton Rushing, and Emmett Sheehan to the Tigers for Skubal yet? No? How about now? Other than mentioning that stashing Jackson Jobe is not a good move in redraft (out until 2027), the Skubal-watch is the biggest news when it comes to Detroit’s rotation in 2026.
Kansas City	none	Dear Cole Ragans: You owe me about 100 innings and an early-round draft pick from last year. Please send when/if you have some time. Seriously, though, this rotation is a lot better than it gets credit for, and if Noah Cameron takes another step forward, they could be even better.
Minnesota	none	The “Where’s Joe Ryan Going?” story is the second most intriguing rotation-trade question from the AL Central in 2026. More below. Kind of.

Everyone in the division – Seriously? The ENTIRE AL Central has brought in just THREE starting pitchers over the offseason via trades or free agent signings, and two of them are guys who didn’t even pitch in North America last year? Oh boy. Well, we know where the river of cash is not flowing these days. That dark cloud looming over the AL Central pitching staffs isn’t the mind-flayer waiting to pounce on Taj Bradley and turn him into a broken mess. It’s the cloud that hangs over a certain Michigan guy who is considered the “best pitcher in baseball”.

AL WEST

TEAM	NEW SIGNING/TRADE	NOTES
Athletics	none	Holy Luises. You can throw a dart when pitchers and catchers report and have a good chance of hitting one. Severino? Medina? Morales? Yep. 60% of the starting rotation is Luis. And they all have a lower K/9 than Jacob Lopez.
Houston	Tatsuya Imai (NPB) Mike Burrows Ryan Weiss (KBO)	More below.
Los Angeles (Angels)	Grayson Rodriguez Alek Manoah	More below.
Seattle	none	If the Dodgers accidentally take the team bus to a different galaxy, the M’s rotation becomes the best in baseball. You can read my Xmas piece from December if you need to see any more Bryan Woo love, too.
Texas	none	Poor Texas. I was so revved up to write the Alek Manoah note that I almost missed Texas entirely. Jacob DeGrom bit his thumb at the naysayers last year to the tune of 172 IP, Nathan Eovaldi’s groin is supposed to be ready for Spring Training, and Jack Leiter has already netted a preseason sleeper post from the boss. If Kumar Rocker has things figured out, the Top 4 are looking pretty solid. Razzball favorite Cody Bradford is slated to throw in Spring, too.

Houston – Finally, a team that made some pitching moves! The Astros knew they were likely losing Framber Valdez to free agency, and they’d need to replace their ace. I’m sure backup catcher Cesar Salazar probably isn’t too upset about subbing Tatsuya Imai and Mike Burrows in for the former #1 SP, who has a tough time locating his pitches after serving up grand slams.

But how good is Imai? I’m sure you’ve seen some clips of him and his NPB dominance, but I wanted to share this short Imai clip since it comes from a “friend of Razzball”.

Los Angeles Angels – Let’s ask the Angels fan in the chat what their thoughts are about the Angels’ offseason ‘beef up the rotation’ moves. “Grayson Rodriguez? Oh, his elbow is still attached, and he’s slated to be ready to go in Spring Training? Yes! AND we got Alek Manoah too?! Wasn’t he a Cy Young finalist like…3 years ago? Oh man, it’s GO TIME!” I think it was Whip who said it best. This group is like the Island of Misfit Toys. Here’s hoping Jo Adell can keep hitting homers like he’s Bumble the Yeti. 

NL EAST

TEAM	NEW SIGNING/TRADE	NOTES
Atlanta	none	More below.
Miami	none	Ryan Weathers and Edward Cabrera’s exits create some room for guys like Robby Snelling, Ryan Gusto, and Max Meyer. Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez are still there, too. This Marlins rotation should at least be fun to watch. I’ll be drafting a couple from this group for sure.
New York (Mets)	none	More below.
Philadelphia	none	Cris Sanchez is a legit #1 starter and should continue to build on an already impressive resume from last year. Jesus Luzardo is sucking up all the helium from early drafts, too. Add in Aaron Nola as an SP3, and things are looking solid. If Zack Wheeler can return early enough, and Andrew Painter hits the ground running…look out.
Washington	Foster Griffin (NPB)	It might not be on the same level as Tarik Skubal or Joe Ryan trade rumors, but a MacKenzie Gore deal should net the Nats a decent return.

Atlanta Braves – This rotation lives and dies with the Spencers. Schwellenbach was playing catch before the end of the season and reported that his broken elbow was now “pain-free” in early November. That’s a great sign. Strider was able to return from elbow and hamstring injuries last year, too, albeit with less-than-exceptional results. If both of these guys can recapture their ace form from before the arm injuries, it’ll be difficult to guess which Spencer will be in the driver’s seat for the NL Cy Young award.

New York Mets – The LOLMets are at it again. After letting Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz escape Queens, it looked like the Mets were going to have to work some magic to fill in holes. Signing and trading for a bunch of infielders isn’t exactly a big boost to the rotation, but there are some special pieces in Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong, along with some solid and reliable arms in David Peterson and Clay Holmes. I like Kodai Senga more than a lot of others do, and Sean Manaea can’t be as bad as that 5.64 ERA…can he?

All I know is they’re going to have to incorporate some relay drills when the pitchers and catchers report if the Mets are planning on using Bo Bichette at third base. Jonah Tong? Get ready to be a cutoff man, so your hot corner arm can get his throws to first base!

NL CENTRAL

TEAM	NEW SIGNING/TRADE	NOTES
Chicago (Cubs)	Edward Cabrera Shota Imanaga (re-signed)	More below.
Cincinnati	none	Y’all can fight over Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, and Chase Burns. Give me all the Lodolo I can get, please.
Milwaukee	Brandon Woodruff (re-signed)	There are whispers about Freddy KBB heading out of town, but even if he goes, the MLW rotation is looking solid. Quinn Priester finally found a home, Jacob Misiorowski is living up to the hype, and Brandon Woodruff has the stuff to take over as an ace. Add in pending returns from Robert Gasser and Logan Henderson, along with guys like Tobias Myers and Bishop Letson waiting in the wings, and the Brew Crew arm chart is looking solid.
Pittsburgh	none	More below.
St. Louis	Dustin May Brandon Clarke Richard Fitts Hunter Dobbins	Oh boy. Well, here’s the team with the biggest offseason movement, at least from a ‘quantity’ standpoint. If there’s one positive, the kids are going to get some long leashes, and it’ll be fun watching the next steps of Michael McGreevy and Quinn Mathews.

Chicago Cubs – EdCub For Cutie was my first thought, but Grey and Itch ran that out already. At least it’s not as common as our Jonah Tong songs. Lolz. Cabrera has some serious upside, but that walk rate could use some help. What’s that? Oh, Hai, Matt Boyd, Cade Horton, Shota Imanaga, and billion-year-old Jameson “Irish Whiskey” Taillon! What’s that? All four of you had a sub-2.53 BB/9? Built-in mentorship. And while we’re on the topic of helping the kids along, let’s not forget about Ben Brown and Jordan Wicks. AND Justin Steele is due back sometime in May.

Pittsburgh Pirates – Paul Skenes and…? That’s the easy way to put it. But Pittsburgh isn’t in bad shape at all. Even when Mitch Keller goes from frustrating to stellar in every other start, the Pirates have some goodies in the mix. Bubba Chandler is ready to break out. Braxton Ashcraft brings a 9.17 K/9 with him (in 60 IP last year). Heck, even Carmen Mlodzinski is good enough that I’ll likely have to spell check his name another dozen times this preseason before finally locking it down.

“But what about the Marmo-darling Jared Jones? How is our favorite JJ, Mr Marmos?”

I thought you’d never ask…

(click the InstaGrammy Linky thingy there)

I don’t know where that fine line between optimism and stupidity lies here, but Jones’ timeline was 10-12 months when he had his surgery last May. An SI article last week said that he was throwing and touching 91 MPH on the gun. In other words, yes, I’m ready to be hurt again.

NL WEST

TEAM	NEW SIGNING/TRADE	NOTES
Arizona	Merrill Kelly (kind of) Michael Soroka Josh Grosz	More below.
Los Angeles (Dodgers)	Prime Nolan Ryan Jesus H. Christ A cyborg that throws 122 MPH The Rights to Paul Skenes’ unborn son	Jokes. All the jokes. Until they trade three of their top-tier pitching prospects for Tarik Skubal, and it crushes the hopes and dreams of fans of the 29 other teams even further into the ground. At least my youngest (who is a Dodger fan living in Canada) will be happy.
San Francisco	Tyler Mahle Adrian Houser	It’s still Logan Webb and Robbie Ray’s group to lead, but sliding these two in the middle before the Landen “Roupp-dogg” should give the Giants a solid 5 AND some time to marinate the top-tier kid prospects at the same time (Wisenhunt, Winn, Birdsong, etc.)
San Diego	Michael King (re-signed) Kyle Hart (re-signed) Triston McKenzie (MiLB deal)	More below.
Colorado	Michael Lorenzen	Please let him be the second coming of Shohei Ohtani. Please, please, please, please, baseball Gods. All I ask is for a modest 10-10 record, 150 pitching strikeouts, and 25 home runs as a DH. And if there’s any goodwill left, please make Chase Dollander not suck too. Thanks.

Arizona Diamondbacks – I say “kind of” with Kelly because it’s not so much a new signing, but a return home. He’s underrated, especially by me, but I’m working on removing that bias. Soroka could be a nice add if he can follow up on last year’s success. Grosz is the return from the Rockies in the Jake McCarthy deal, and the pun is likely obvious. He can’t be any more “Grosz” than watching Zac Gallen and Brandon Pfaadt get hammered for a dozen earned runs in every start! (Nailed it!) In other news, Corbin Burnes’ “goal” is a midseason return. 

San Diego Padres – Ok, so the jig is up. “Sticks” McKenzie has landed in San Diego. King’s return is a big deal. He and Pivetta should be a solid SP1/2 for the Dads. Joe Musgrove is healthy, too, and the Padres announced last week that he wouldn’t have any limit on his innings. Noice. Yu Darvish is out for the year, and Matt Waldron’s knuckleball is all that they’ve got in the upper minors as reinforcements? Not so noice.

 

That’s it for this week! Regular readers know the drill here. If you have anything to share or comment on, feel free to drop it in the comments here, and I’ll get back at you as soon as I can!

As I said above, I’ll be back next week to compare last year’s final list with Rudy’s preseason rankings for 2026.

See you next Monday!

Follow me @marmosdad on Twitter/X and Bluesky @marmosdad.bsky.social