RosterResource Chat – 1/22/26

Jason Martinez: Welcome to the RosterResource Chat! What a fun week so far. If it seems like we’re answering a lot of Mets questions, it’s because there are a lot of Mets-related questions in the queue.

Here we go …

Jon Becker: Before I grab this first question, I wanted to point out that we now have contract incentives data live on both the payroll pages and a separate table, the first of many payroll improvements I’m hoping to make! https://blogs.fangraphs.com/instagraphs/rosterresource-now-has-contrac…

Eric G.: What’s the optimal plan for the Mets in LF now? Some combination of Benge, Taylor, and Baty? Another acquisition? If an acquisition, who’d be a good fit from either the FA or trade markets?

Jon Becker: My best guess is that the plan is to give Benge as good an opportunity as anyone to win that spot out of camp, though he still has to earn it, of course. Taylor should play a lot of the time against lefties as the roster is currently constructed, though another option is to have Vientos DH and put Baty in LF against LHP if they think he can handle lefties sometimes. Baty’s versatility will help him stay in the lineup so while you’ll see him on RosterResource as the DH, the playing time breakdown has him playing all over, including significant time in left: https://www.fangraphs.com/depthcharts.aspx?position=ALL&teamid=25

drplantwrench: do you think this is the angels opening day lineup?

Nolan 1B
Neto SS
Trout LF
Jo RF
Soler DH
Yoan 3B
Lowe CF
Logan C
CMo 2B

am i deluding myself for not holding my nose looking at it?

Jason Martinez: I have Neto-Schanuel-Trout-Moncada-Adell-Lowe-Soler-O’Hoppe-Moore … https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/depth-charts/angels

I’m sure Suzuki might have his own ideas on how those 1st 3 spots should line up but Neto and Trout will be somewhere in that top third. Moncada was great vs RHP last season and they probably don’t want Trout and Adell (RHHs who swing and miss a lot) back-to-back.

2B is up for grabs. Moore is the young prospect with upside and it would be ideal to let him figure things out with regular playing time. A few things going against him are Grissom/Peraza being out of options and depth being extremely important because of Moncada’s injury history. So they might want to roster both of those guys and give Moore regular at-bats in AAA.

BigO: Giants’ OF Heliot Ramos for Reds 2b Matt McLain. Fair deal that makes sense in theory? Getting Donovan or Hoerner seems increasingly unlikely, given that their teams don’t HAVE to deal them (and the competition for Hoerner in particular)

Jon Becker: I think I’d rather the four years of McLain than four of Ramos, but it’s not so far off that I can see some sort of basic framework around those two with the Giants sending more. For as much as McLain struggled at the plate last year he was still worth 1.4 WAR to Ramos’ 1.1 (again, not so far off, WAR has error bars around it) because he’s a good second baseman who can run, and Ramos was only 6% better than league average by wRC+ while playing a good-not-great LF. He’d almost surely hit better in Cincinnati, though.

Ozzie: Is Bryce Eldridge going to start the season in the majors? Is he projected as the starting 1B?

Jason Martinez: Sounds like Devers will get the majority of time at 1B so Eldridge is penciled in as the DH … https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/depth-charts/giants

I’m sure he’ll get occasional starts at 1B but mostly DH. Still a chance the Giants add another bat and he starts the season in AAA. But they’re running out of options so looking more likely that they give Eldridge a legitimate chance to stick around all season.

Ham Fighter: Brewers could use a backup catcher so Quero can get regular reps in AAA, Nationals have somewhat intriguing Drew Millas as their 4th catcher on the 40 Man. What kind of prospect would MIL need to send to pique the Nats interest?

Jon Becker: Probably a non-prospect neither you nor I have heard of, or maybe we recognize the name but don’t have much an opinion on him. He’s a 28-year-old without much MLB time and he struggled in AAA last year, he’s a lot closer to a DFA than being a guy who requires any type of prospect.

Owen: Jasson Dominguez. Spencer Jones. What’s their role? Bench? Trade bait? Asking as a Yankees fan who wants to trade them both for, I dunno, Skenes and a full body massage?

Jason Martinez: Jones will be in AAA, where his trade value could rise or fall based on whether he can improve his K rate. 35% K rate in the upper minors is not going to give a potential trade partner much confidence.

If Dominguez could hit LHP (he’s been awful against them), I’d feel better about his chances of sticking on the MLB roster. As things stand, he’s still useful enough because they won’t play Stanton every day and Dominguez could still get 3-4 starts per week. But Yankees probably need a RHH OF because they have 6 lefties in their projected lineup. Aside from McMahon, they can all hold their own vs LHP but still would be useful to have someone like Randal Grichuk or Austin Hays as their 4th OF while Dominguez plays every day in AAA.

Darryl B.: What do the Mets do with their rotation now?  Do they go with a permanent six-man (Peralta, McLean, Holmes, Peterson, Senga, Manaea) with the kids as depth, do they make Manaea a long-man, or do they shop one of Peterson, Senga, or Manaea?

Jon Becker: I think there could be someone headed out the door with Peralta in the fold. Senga’s name came up earlier in the offseason as someone they were open to move if not outright shopping, and I’m just not sure the Mets want to continue to accommodate him by going with a six-man when that limits the bullpen to seven arms — it’s a tough thing to do long term when you don’t get the free extra spot like the Dodgers get with Ohtani. Peterson’s another possibility since he’s going to be a free agent after this year and faded hard in the second half.

Ozzie: What is the plan for Kristian Campbell? The Red Sox gave him a ML contract, but I haven’t seen much talk about him potentially starting the season with the big league team. Does he have a position?

Jason Martinez: Best-case, barring any other additions, he gets a long look at 2B in Spring Training and he looks comfortable enough to win the starting job. I do think the Red Sox will add a 2B or 3B before camp, though, so this is not likely. And it’s also not likely that he’s improved enough defensively. Sounds like he’s been focused more on OF.

A more likely scenario is that he takes on the Refsnyder role (always plays vs LHP with an occasional start vs RHP). Might not be a good fit early on because Alex Cora said he wants to give Abreu a chance to play vs LHP. I’m sure they want the guy with the MLB contract on the MLB roster, but the most likely scenario is that he begins in AAA.

Shandy Koufax: Seems like the peralta trade was a bit of an overpay? Package was similar in value to the Burnes deal and Burnes was a much better pitcher than peralta

Jon Becker: Somewhat more than Burnes cost for sure (don’t forget, Burnes’ deal also came with the 34th overall pick in the upcoming draft) but there are other factors here that don’t make the two trades exact comps. For one, the Mets are also getting five years of Tobias Myers in the deal while Burnes was straight-up, and Peralta is making less than Burnes did in his walk year. Most importantly, Peralta could well have a willingness to extend that Burnes didn’t as a Boras client. I’m already seeing articles speculating what it would cost to extend Peralta, whereas we got none of that with Burnes because he was never going to extend.

Padres: padres depth in lineup and rotation seems sorely lacking. Even waivers players would help. What moves do you think remain? Still have multiple 40 man spots and darvish can be moved to the 60 in a couple weeks

Jason Martinez: I’ve assumed they were going to wait out the market to fill their 2 biggest voids (SP, 1B/DH) and I think they’re in a pretty good position to get one of the remaining starters at around $5-$8MM (Nick Martinez, Aaron Civale, German Marquez, etc.). Full list of free agent SP is here … https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/free-agent-tracker?pos=sp&si…

… and one of the remaining 1B/DH (Hoskins, Andujar, Turner, Lowe, Arraez) at anywhere between $3-$8MM. Full list is here … https://www.fangraphs.com/roster-resource/free-agent-tracker?pos=1b&po…

They always have depth issues. Seems a lot worse heading into this season but the good news is that there is still a lot they can do without spending much more.

War2D2: Sorry, accidentally hit send before finishing my question—the question was, should the Cubs hold Matt Shaw and try to use him as a super utility guy, or does he still have enough trade value (even after an uneven 2025) to headline a trade for another starter like Makenzie Gore or Joe Ryan? (obviously not a 1-for-1, more a question of if those teams would even want him)

Jon Becker: I think if they’re going to move him it would be as headliner/part of a deal for someone who’s a clear roster upgrade, not just trading him for the sake of it. They should still be able to find him plenty of playing time, especially against lefties, and depth is always a good thing.

Eddie J: Who has the most saves for the A’s in 2026?

Jason Martinez: Probably someone that is on nobody’s radar at the moment. That’s just how these things usually go. But that’s a big reason why baseball is so much fun.

On paper, they have a decent chance at a mix-and-match committee. Hogan Harris and Michael Kelly seemed like the 9th inning guys late in the season. Justin Sterner was really good. Mark Leiter Jr. has late-inning experience. Elvis Alvarado, Eduarniel Nunez, and Grant Holman all have closer potential but not trustworthy at this point of their careers. That can change quickly, though. And they have so many starting pitchers in the upper minors. They can surely try a few of them out of the bullpen.

If I had to guess, I’d go with Sterner but it won’t be a high total. Not sure if there is a 20+ save guy on the roster and I don’t know if they’d sign Seranthony Dominguez.

Go O’s: Is Cowser really the answer in CF for the Orioles?  Could Enrique Bradfield Jr. get a look early in the season if Cowser continues to struggle?

Jon Becker: He’s definitely the best option on the roster right now, though we’ll certainly see a lot of Leody Taveras if they have a tight lead late in games. Cowser’s graded out as basically average in CF in his career, so like you I think I would be more concerned with the offseason struggles, but it’s also very plausible the hand injury sapped a lot from him and he’ll come to camp looking a lot better. As for Bradfield, he’s only got 15 (very bad) games in AAA so I don’t see him as an early-season option.

Rob: If Megill isn’t traded, do you still think Uribe is the closer to open the season? Why does Megill lose his job but Palencia gets his back given similar injury timing and playoff usage last year?

Jason Martinez: Interesting question that I just asked myself while updating the Peralta trade last night. They haven’t done hardly anything this offseason so I hadn’t looked at their roster much and so I was surprised that I had listed Uribe as the closer and Megill as SU8 instead of having them as co-closers. Just had to re-think why I projected it this way after the season. My reasoning was simply that Uribe had the opportunity to take hold of the job with Megill out late in the season and he did just that. He was amazing.

Still a decent chance that they use a committee but I think Uribe did enough to win the job outright.

In regards to Palencia and the Cubs, it’s a different situation because the Cubs brought in 5-6 relievers this offseason and none are really a closer. So the thinking is that they believe in Palencia to close out games and used their resources to fortify the rest of the bullpen.

jose luis: The Mariners are an infielder short, true or false?

Jon Becker: True. I totally get wanting to make sure there’s a spot open for Emerson early on during the year, but I think Young and Williamson having starting spots is asking too much of them. I can get thinking Suárez just isn’t a great fit in that ballpark and/or too expensive but maybe they think Andujar can fake it well enough at 3B or believe in a Rengifo bounce back. Either of those guys have the added benefit of versatility so they’d still have playing time when Emerson is up if Young or Williamson do in fact prove they ought to be starting.

Frank: Any playing time or splits concerns with Jakob Marsee or do you see him getting full run? What’s your confidence that he leads off?

Jason Martinez: No concerns on him getting every opportunity to play every day and hit at the top of the lineup. And he should get a chance to hit his way out of any early-season slump if he struggles at all. He earned that with his late-season performance.

But I think the sample was small enough that it shouldn’t be a surprise if he struggles. Still need to know how quickly he adjusts once his weaknesses are exposed. That will be the true test of whether he ends up being a solid big league regular (or more) or a 4th OF.

ThatsNotMyName: Biggest surprise this offseason (so far)?

Jon Becker: I feel like there have been more surprises this offseason than usual. Just a few that pop into my head are Bregman to the Cubs on a longer-term deal (I thought maybe they’d make a play for him at three years with opt outs, not a straight-up five-year deal), Suárez to the Red Sox, Bichette to the Mets after I (and apparently the Phillies!) really thought he was going to Philadelphia. On the trade front, I don’t think anything can (or will for the rest of the offseason) beat Nimmo for Semien.

Jackson: Even with the Garcia signing, the Phillies still need another outfielder. Please don’t try to sell me on another year of a Marsh/Kemp platoon or I will jump off a bridge. Will they get one?

Jason Martinez: Sounds like Castellanos is going to be traded or relased. Sounds like they’re good with a Marsh/Kemp platoon in LF. And even if they really believe in Crawford’s ability to hold his own at the bottom of the lineup, I don’t think they have a great backup plan in place if he proves that he’s not ready.

At the least, adding a right-handed batter who can play CF would be ideal. Chas McCormick could fit that role. Harrison Bader would be the starting CF if they brought him back but that would block Crawford. It’s possible they’d be fine with that if Bader’s price comes down. But, yeah, I think they’ll add an OF.

Mike (Toronto): I wondered what your thoughts/instincts were about Anthony Santander possibly returning to form this season in Toronto?

Jon Becker: I’m glad you used “instincts” as one of your words because it lets me just go off vibes rather than cobbling together analysis really quickly! My gut says he can’t be worse than he was last year and I certainly buy that he could be above-average if healthy, but I wouldn’t expect him to pop 40 homers again, either. They have the depth this year to once again paper over him being bad but he has to figure it out soon with Varsho and Springer set to hit FA, and they won’t have endless patience with him.

Mayer: Marcelo Mayer hasn’t exactly excelled in either AAA or MLB last year. What kind of major leaguer will he end up being: a regular, bench guy, or Quad-A?

Jason Martinez: Maybe some ups and downs in 2026 and won’t ever be as good as Roman Anthony. But I’d expect him to be a solid regular by 2027 with All-Star potential. He’s only had 193 PA in AAA and he was good (.818 OPS, 9 HR, 20% K rate). He struggled as a 22-year-old in the majors but he played mostly 3B and 2B and he’s been mostly a SS (probably his entire life). Needs consistent at-bats and position (ideally, he can just stay at 3B).

OaktownSteve: Who closes for the Twins?  Could Taj get in the mix?

Jon Becker: He’s a fun closing option because he throws hard and has a pretty limited repertoire (fastball, cutter, sinker, curve), but I don’t see that as something that happens this year, at least not early on. He’ll be in his age-25 season and still has another option year so I think he’ll be starting in MLB or AAA all year.

Jason Martinez: We were gonna keep going for another 15 minutes but we’re actually going to stop now because MacKenzie Gore was just traded to the Rangers. And that means we’ll have some work to do very shortly. Thanks for joining us! Have a great rest of the week.