Interesting couple weeks in the Acuña family chat. Ronald got to dance the halftime away with Bad Bunny at the Super Bowl, which probably made him feel young again a few days before Pirates SS Konnor Griffin probably made him feel old by saying he grew up watching him. On the other end of the professional development spectrum, Luisangel’s new boss very publicly thinks he’s somebody he’s not. White Sox Senior Vice President and General Manager Chris Getz couldn’t stop referring to the younger brother as a switch-hitter when discussing the Luis Robert trade during media hits. Rumors suggest he thought he was trading for Ronny Maurcio and got crossed up in the process. Gotta be just rumors, right? That’s way too big a mistake to make with that job title. Although, alternatively, that’s exactly the kind of job title you might have if you find yourself getting away with such a mistake. And Mauricio would make a lot more sense to me as a trade target for a team in Chicago’s spot. Hard to see how Getz could’ve handled the whole Luis Robert Jr. saga any worse.
Speaking of Mets SS Ronny Mauricio, he should have a long runway to get going in training camp with Francisco Lindor recovering from hamate surgery. If he hits, perhaps he could play some outfield after Lindor returns.
Rangers SS Sebastian Walcott will have surgery to determine what sort of elbow surgery he needs next. Not great. Here’s a link to a story by Evan Grant in the Dallas News in which Walcott discusses the issue. Sounds to me like he was playing through pain last season, which helps explain why the power dried up as the season wore on. It’s encouraging that he still put in good at bats and posted a 110 wRC+ on the season. It could be a buying opportunity for the patient dynasty player. I wouldn’t jump in with an offer right now, but keep it on the radar and send something that could help in the categories after the season has begun.
Tigers RHP Troy Melton entered the off-season with a good chance to break camp in the starting rotation. Since then, the club signed Drew Anderson, Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander in that order. He probably had hope after the Anderson signing. Maybe even held a candle’s flicker after Framber. With Verlander in town, well, who knows. Maybe I’m just describing my own emotional roller coaster as a Melton shareholder in dynasty leagues. No need to cut him or anything. He’s a good pitcher. Just has to wait a while for his big chance.
Diamondbacks OF Corbin Carroll’s hamate injury props open the door for Jordan Lawlar to play every day early in the season, which he was probably going to do anyway given that the club has Jorge Barrosa penciled into left field even with Carroll in right. If Lawlar hits, he’ll stick. Life finds a way. I’ll be keeping an eye out for OF Kristian Robinson, who could come out of the gate hot after warming up in the World Baseball Classic as Britain’s center fielder.
Orioles 2B Jackson Holliday will miss the start of the season with a hamate issue, too. Baltimore’s trade for Blaze Alexander makes a little more sense in light of the news. Don’t sleep on Jeremiah Jackson, who posted a 117 wRC+ across 183 MLB plate appearances in 2025 after popping off for .377/.400/.673 with 11 homers and nine stolen bases in 40 Triple-A games.
Toronto traded OF Joey Loperfido back to Houston, where he might start right away in a corner outfield spot. Arrows up for him, and maybe an arrow down for Cam Smith. Roster Resource dropped him into the six spot between Carlos Correa and Yanier Diaz, and while his ultimate context might not be so cushy, it’s logical to consider the possibilities. A 20/20 season with 80 runs and 80 RBI wouldn’t surprise me.
Blue Jays OF Jesus Sanchez heading north catches my eye. Toronto is teaching contact as well as anyone, and I see little harm in betting that they see something they could do to help. He was 11 percent better than league average as a 23-year-old and eight percent better as a 25-year-old. Last year, he posted a 93 wRC+ while swinging among the fastest bats in the game at 75.9 miles per hour. His stagnation and decline is a little puzzling. It’s a smart use of money by Toronto, too, as Sanchez will be arbitration eligible next season, making him perhaps a little cheaper in trade compared to Loperfido’s one year of service time.
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