Before we turn our focus to the long season ahead, we asked ESPN MLB reporters who have been all over Arizona and Florida to break down what has stood out most to them during spring training.
From stars in the making to big names raking, here’s what has caught our eyes.
Who is one player who has impressed you most in spring training?
Jorge Castillo: There’s a guy named Juan Soto the New York Yankees acquired over the offseason, and he is smashing baseballs in spring training. We all expect Soto to rake. But he’s made quite the impression on the Yankees in less than a month — on and off the field. Gerrit Cole said he loves watching Soto in the batter’s box. Aaron Boone said he expects Soto to kill the ball every time he’s at the plate. Everyone seems to be raving about him.
Hitting in front of Aaron Judge should, on paper, give Soto plenty of pitches to hit. Playing at Yankee Stadium should provide him the intense environment he covets. It could be the recipe for an MVP performance — and the ideal platform season entering free agency.
Alden Gonzalez: I know he isn’t necessarily lacking in coverage, but still — what Shohei Ohtani is already doing, less than six months removed from another major elbow surgery, is quite impressive. He was wowing Dodgers coaches and teammates with his first few rounds of on-field batting practice in early February, and he has been locked in throughout Cactus League play, with four walks and 11 hits — including two homers, a double and a triple — in 23 plate appearances.
Keep in mind: Ohtani missed the season’s first month coming off his first Tommy John surgery in 2019. Now there is no question he’ll be the Dodgers’ designated hitter when they open up in South Korea, even though they’ll start a week early.
Buster Olney: Reynaldo Lopez threw three hitless innings in our exhibition broadcast against the Red Sox and his stuff was absolutely filthy. Lopez was an under-the-radar signing with the Braves, who moved aggressively in locking him down for $30 million over three years even before Thanksgiving turkeys went into the oven.
Lopez bounced around last year among three teams, from the White Sox to the Angels to the Guardians, and he seemed to get better at every stop; in Cleveland, he didn’t allow any runs in 12 appearances. He seems poised to play a significant role for the Braves, who are expected to ramp up his innings in a hybrid role this year.
Jesse Rogers: Eloy Jimenez has always been a slugger but he hasn’t been able to stay healthy. Now fully ensconced as the Chicago White Sox designated hitter, this is his chance to put together a career year. His timing is in midseason form right now and the only concern is if he can keep it up until the season starts.
Jimenez has been slowed by myriad ailments during his career, some fluky, so keeping him out of the outfield might get him in the lineup often enough to form a dynamic offensive duo with Luis Robert.
David Schoenfield: James Wood was the top prospect acquired by the Nationals in the 2022 Juan Soto trade and he has blasted three home runs this spring — including one mammoth moon shot in first at-bat. The 6-foot-7 outfielder will likely always be strikeout-prone (he fanned 173 times in the minors last season), but he’s drawn as many walks as K’s this spring.
What one team are people sleeping on that they shouldn’t be for the season?
Castillo: Teams coming off a pennant run usually aren’t overlooked, but the Arizona Diamondbacks haven’t been getting much love. Yes, their run to the World Series was improbable — some would even argue fluky — after a 84-win regular season. Yes, the mighty Dodgers are in their division. But the D-backs still have Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly atop the rotation. Franchise cornerstones Corbin Carroll and Gabriel Moreno are back after shining as rookies in 2023. And Arizona is even better than last season with the additions of Eduardo Rodríguez, Joc Pederson and Eugenio Suárez. Put it all together and Diamondbacks could again be a dangerous club in October.
Gonzalez: Perhaps it’s overly optimistic, but one thought seemed to hover over the Padres as they navigated what became a cost-cutting offseason: They’ll definitely be less talented in 2024, but perhaps they’ll actually be better. The Padres missed the playoffs despite a plus-104 run-differential last year, the product of a head-scratching inability to produce in clutch situations and win one-run games. Some of that (a lot of that?) might be luck. If those numbers improve and they get better performances from five-star players who are certainly capable of more — Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts, Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove — they can win more than 82 games. A.J. Preller still needs to make moves, particularly in the outfield, but there’s bounce-back potential here — even without Juan Soto, Blake Snell and Josh Hader.
Olney: The Seattle Mariners, who might have put us to sleep a little this winter because of how they had to find creative ways to generate payroll flexibility. But they have arguably the best rotation in the division — maybe in the whole sport — and if the likes of Mitch Haniger can stay healthy, Seattle could be very dangerous.
Rogers: The Cincinnati Reds. Their confidence is bubbling over and their offseason additions could be sneaky good. At the very least, there’s a ton of new, veteran leadership in the room to help a talented but young roster. Plus, they have more depth than a lot of teams in the division. The end of last season should also help as Cincinnati battled until the final weekend while waking up a sleeping giant in the stands. Great American Ballpark was rocking. If they get off to a good start, watch out.
Schoenfield: I’m not saying they’re going to win the AL East, but don’t write off the Boston Red Sox — even with Lucas Giolito‘s injury. This team will score some runs, especially given what we saw from Triston Casas in the second half and if they get anything from a healthy Trevor Story. Obviously, the pitching is thin: Maybe they go out and sign Jordan Montgomery or Michael Lorenzen.
What is one thing that has surprised you this season?
Castillo: How nobody — absolutely nobody — is talking about the rules implemented last season. A year ago, the topic dominated the spring training discourse. Some people hated them. Others loved them. It was a grand experiment that would surely ruin the game in some eyes. Now the rules are just part of the game, having converted plenty of the haters from a year ago.
Gonzalez: Nothing is more surprising than the amount of free agents who remain unsigned. We’re into the second full week of March and Blake Snell, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, doesn’t have a team. Neither do the likes of Jordan Montgomery, J.D. Martinez, Michael Lorenzen, Brandon Belt and Tommy Pham. Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman didn’t sign until well into spring training.
Several teams have blamed uncertainty over their regional sports networks as a reason for cutting costs; many others have noted that Scott Boras, notorious for his willingness to prolong free agency, represents so many of the aforementioned players. Whatever the reason, players and agents everywhere are concerned.
Olney: I am most surprised by the optimism oozing out of Toronto Blue Jays camp, in the spring after a really frustrating and brief appearance in the playoffs last fall. On paper, they didn’t seem to do that much this winter, beyond teasing with their Shohei Ohtani flirtation, and they really need upgrades to their every-day lineup. But Vladimir Guerrero reported to camp in excellent shape and maybe that is the source of a lot of optimism. Toronto needs the incumbent position players to perform better, and Vlad’s offseason effort fueled a belief that he and Daulton Varsho and others can make this happen.
Rogers: Seeing the hysteria around the Dodgers is actually quite jolting. It’s an all-out party in the Cactus League when L.A. takes the field. If you plan on coming, leave your hotel early: the wait to get into the parking lots is nearly as bad as a Taylor Swift concert. OK, maybe it’s not that bad but hordes of fans are following every move made by Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. They are undoubtedly the show to watch this season.
Schoenfield: It’s not necessarily a surprise, but definitely a “pay attention” situation with the Yankees’ rotation: Gerrit Cole is getting an MRI on his elbow as he’s had discomfort recovering from his outings; Carlos Rodon is still trying to find his form and velocity after a lost 2023 and has served up three home runs in 5⅔ innings; Nestor Cortes, returning from shoulder issues, has allowed 17 hits and nine runs in 10 innings. Is there enough concern here to push the Yankees to sign Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery?
What is one position battle you are watching closely from your time at spring training?
Castillo: It’s not necessarily a position battle, but the Yankees’ backup-infielder situation is something to keep an eye on. On Saturday, manager Aaron Boone said Oswald Peraza will be shut down for at least six weeks because of a shoulder injury. Peraza, once a highly touted prospect, was projected to make the team’s Opening Day roster — but the Yankees were already seeking to improve the spot before Peraza’s injury. Super utlityman Kiké Hernández said he chose to sign with the Dodgers over the Yankees in late February. Amed Rosario, another free agent infielder, picked the Rays over the Yankees. Peraza’s injury could push the Yankees back into the search for a veteran addition, whether via free agency or trade.
Gonzalez: I’m wondering what the Baltimore Orioles are going to do with their wealth of position-player talent, much of which seems ready to matriculate to the major leagues. It has been fascinating to see whether Jackson Holliday — the 20-year-old infielder who is the team’s third consecutive No. 1 prospect in the sport — can win the everyday second base job out of spring training. But Baltimore’s outfield picture is interesting too. Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins and Anthony Santander are locked into starting roles, but Heston Kjerstad, Colton Cowser and Kyle Stowers — all young, talented outfielders who bat left-handed — are gunning for one or two potential open backup spots.
Rogers: I’m interested in seeing how the Reds’ infield depth chart shakes out. This feels like a situation where how they start the season isn’t likely to be how they finish it, especially with a few early injuries and now a suspension for highly touted prospect Noelvi Marte. At full strength, the Reds might have an enviable problem: too many talented players with too few spots for them all. Cincinnati stressed a need for depth during the offseason, and they are already needing it.
Schoenfield: Dodgers shortstop. Gavin Lux booted the first two grounders hit to him and he had some throwing-accuracy issues even when he played second base — so now L.A.’s shortstop apparently is … former right fielder/second baseman Mookie Betts (with Lux sliding over to second). As if we need further testament to Mookie’s greatness. Still, this feels like a question in progress and it wouldn’t surprise if Miguel Rojas, a better defender, ends up playing the most innings at shortstop.
Olney: I agree with Dave — we are all on Dodgers shortstop watch after Lux’s long absence last year and the questions of whether he can hold down a crucial position on this dynamic team. At the very least, the Dodgers need someone who catches the ball and makes routine plays, and so it’ll be interesting to see how Lux progresses this spring. Rojas is a good fallback for a team with a massive payroll, but there is already speculation in other front offices that the Dodgers could make a move for Willy Adames if the Brewers punt on 2024, as some evaluators expect.
Jeff Legwold covers the Denver Broncos at ESPN. He has covered the Broncos for more than 20 years and also assists with NFL draft coverage, joining ESPN in 2013. He has been a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors since 1999, too. Jeff previously covered the Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills and Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans at previous stops prior to ESPN.
BOULDER, Colo. — For the horde of NFL talent evaluators and some bleachers full of fans, Colorado coach Deion Sanders said Friday that they all got to see the top two players available in this year’s NFL draft.
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter were among the 16 Colorado players who took part in the school’s showcase event for scouts, coaches and personnel executives from every NFL team. And Deion Sanders said the two marquee players confirmed what he has known for a long time.
“It’s tremendous,” Sanders said. “… They should be going 1-2 [in the draft], that’s the way I feel about it. They are the two best players in this draft. … The surest bets in this draft are those two young men, and I didn’t stutter or stammer when I said that.”
Neither Shedeur Sanders nor Hunter took part in most of the position drills or physical testing, but Sanders had a throwing session for just under an hour and Hunter was one of the wide receivers who participated. Neither player worked out at the scouting combine earlier this year, so it was the first time Sanders had thrown in such a setting since the end of the season. He showed some full seven-step drops and play-action from the shotgun and under center.
“I think I did pretty good, to my expectations,” said Sanders, who set the career FBS accuracy mark in his two years at Colorado (71.8%) to go with his 4,134 passing yards and 37 touchdowns last season. “I know I did the best in college football right now, for sure.”
Asked after the throwing session whether he believed he was the best quarterback in the draft, Sanders said: “I feel like I’m the No. 1 quarterback, and that’s what I know. But at the end of the day, I’m not stuck on that because it’s about the situation, so whatever situation, whatever franchise believes in me, I’m excited to go. … I’m comfortable in any situation.”
Players Hunter, who did not speak to the media after the workout, and Sanders met with the Cleveland Browns contingent, including team co-owner Jimmy Haslam, on Thursday night in Boulder.
“They got me really full,” Sanders said. “I definitely needed to go to the sauna after that. … It was a good vibe.”
Said Deion Sanders said: “[I] spoke to the owner, truly delightful. He was engaging. … I think one of those guys is going to be there [at No. 2].”
Hunter, the No. 1 player on Mel Kiper Jr.’s Big Board, did not do any defensive drills Friday, but he ran a full assortment of routes.
Colorado safety Shilo Sanders, Shedeur’s brother, offered plenty of encouragement, shouting commentary and clapping after each throw, including “not a lot of quarterbacks can make that throw” after one deep completion.
The highly attended event — by NFL representatives as well as fans packing small bleachers — had a festive atmosphere. Deion Sanders named it the “We Ain’t Hard 2 Find Showcase,” complete with a large lighted “The Showcase” sign next to the drills.
Hunter, who has said he wants to play offense and defense in the NFL, won the Chuck Bednarik (top defensive player) and Fred Biletnikoff (top receiver) awards in addition to the Heisman. He said whether he will primarily be a wide receiver or a cornerback in the NFL depends “on the team that picks me.”
On Friday, Deion Sanders said “ain’t nobody like Travis.”
Hunter had 96 catches for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns as a receiver last season to go with 35 tackles, 11 pass breakups and 4 interceptions at cornerback. In the Buffaloes’ regular-season finale against Oklahoma State, he became the only FBS player in the past 25 years with three scrimmage touchdowns on offense and an interception in the same game, according to ESPN Research.
He played 1,380 total snaps in Colorado’s 12 regular-season games: 670 on offense, 686 on defense and 24 on special teams. He played 1,007 total snaps in 2023.
Shilo Sanders, who hoped to show teams more speed than expected, ran a 4.52 40-yard dash after he measured in at 5-foot-11⅞, 196 pounds. He did not participate in the jumps or bench press that opened the workout, citing a right shoulder injury.
With all NFL eyes on the Colorado campus to see Shedeur Sanders throw, one player who made the most of it was wide receiver Will Sheppard. Sheppard, who measured 6-2¼, 196 pounds, ran the 40 in 4.56 and 4.54 to go with a 40½-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-11 broad jump.
Henderson has been sidelined with a right intercostal strain and missed the first seven games of the big league campaign.
The 23-year-old Henderson will lead off and play shortstop against the host Royals.
Henderson was injured during a spring training game Feb. 27. He was fourth in American League MVP voting last season when he batted .281 and racked up career bests of 37 homers and 92 RBIs.
Henderson completed a five-game rehab stint at Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday. He batted .263 (5-for-19) with two homers and four RBIs and played four games at shortstop and one as the designated hitter. He did commit three errors.
“I think everybody’s looking forward to having Gunnar back on the team,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said Thursday. “The rehab went really, really well. I talked to him a couple days ago, he feels great swinging the bat. The timing came, especially the last few days. He just had to get out there and get some reps defensively and get some games in, and it all went well.”
Baltimore optioned outfielder Dylan Carlson to Triple-A Norfolk to open up a roster spot. The 26-year-old was 0-for-4 with a run and RBI in two games this season.
ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.
When New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns attempted to assemble the best possible roster for the 2025 season this winter, the top priority was signing outfielder Juan Soto. Next was the need to replenish the starting rotation and bolster the bullpen. Then, days before pitchers and catchers reported for spring training, the lineup received one final significant reinforcement when first baseman Pete Alonso re-signed.
Acquiring a player with a singing career on the side didn’t make the cut.
“No, that is not on the list,” Stearns said with a smile.
Stearns’ decision not to re-sign Jose Iglesias, the infielder behind the mic for the viral 2024 Mets anthem “OMG,” was attributed to creating more roster flexibility. But it also hammered home a reality: The scrappy 2024 Mets, authors of a magical summer in Queens, are a thing of the past. The 2025 Mets, who will report to Citi Field for their home opener Friday, have much of the same core but also some prominent new faces — and the new, outsized expectations that come with falling two wins short of the World Series, then signing Soto to the richest contract in professional sports history.
But there’s a question surrounding this year’s team that you can’t put a price tag on: Can these Mets rekindle the magic — the vibes, the memes, the feel-good underdog story — that seemed to come out of nowhere to help carry them to Game 6 of the National League Championship Series last season?
“Last year the culture was created,” Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor said. “It’s a matter of continuing it.”
For all the success Stearns has engineered — his small-market Milwaukee Brewers teams reached the postseason five times in eight seasons after he became the youngest general manager in history in 2015 — the 40-year-old Harvard grad, like the rest of his front office peers knows there’s no precise recipe for clubhouse chemistry. There is no culture projection system. No Vibes Above Replacement.
“Culture is very important,” Stearns said last weekend in the visiting dugout at Daikin Park before his club completed an opening-weekend series against the Houston Astros. “Culture is also very difficult to predict.”
Still, it seems the Mets’ 2024 season will be all but impossible to recreate.
There was Grimace, the purple McDonald’s blob who spontaneously became the franchise’s unofficial mascot after throwing out a first pitch in June. “OMG,” performed under Iglesias’ stage name, Candelita, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Latin Digital Songs chart, before a remix featuring Pitbull was released in October. Citi Field became a karaoke bar whenever Lindor stepped into the batter’s box with The Temptations’ “My Girl” as his walk-up song. Alonso unveiled a lucky pumpkin in October. They were gimmicks that might have felt forced if they hadn’t felt so right.
“I don’t know if what we did last year could be replicated because it was such a chaos-filled group,” Mets reliever Ryne Stanek said. “I don’t know if that’s replicable because there’s just too many things going on. I don’t know if that’s a sustainable model. But I think the expectation of winning is really important. I think establishing what we did last year and coming into this year where people are like, ‘Oh, no, that’s what we’re expecting to do,’ makes it different. It’s always a different vibe whenever you feel like you’re the hunter versus being the hunted.”
For the first two months last season, the Mets were terrible hunters. Lindor was relentlessly booed at Citi Field during another slow start. The bullpen got crushed. The losses piled up. The Mets began the season 0-5 and sunk to rock bottom on May 29 when reliever Jorge Lopez threw his glove into the stands during a 10-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers that dropped the team to 22-33.
That night, the Mets held a players-only meeting. From there, perhaps coincidentally, everything changed. The Mets won the next day, and 67 of their final 107 games.
This year, to avoid an early malaise and to better incorporate new faces like Soto and Opening Day starter Clay Holmes, players made it a point to hold meetings during spring training to lay a strong foundation.
“At the end of the day, we know who we are and that’s the beauty of our club,” Alonso said. “Not just who we are talent-wise, but who each individual is as a man and a personality. For us, our major, major strength is our collective identity as a unit.”
Organizationally, the Mets are attempting a dual-track makeover: Becoming perennial World Series contenders while not taking themselves too seriously.
The commemorative purple Grimace seat installed at Citi Field in September — Section 302, Row 6, Seat 12 in right field — remains there as part of a two-year contract. Last week, the franchise announced it will feature a New York-city themed “Five Borough” race at every home game — with a different mascot competing to represent each borough. For a third straight season, USA Today readers voted Citi Field — home of the rainbow cookie egg roll, among many other innovative treats — as having the best ballpark food in baseball.
In the clubhouse, their identity is evolving.
“I’m very much in the camp that you can’t force things,” Mets starter Sean Manaea said. “I mean, you can, but you don’t really end up with good results. And if you wait for things to happen organically, then sometimes it can take too long. So, there’s like a nudging of sorts. It’s like, ‘Let’s kind of come up with something, but not force it.’ So there’s a fine balance there and you just got to wait and see what happens.”
Stearns believes it starts with what the Mets can control: bringing positive energy every day and fostering a family atmosphere. It’s hard to quantify, but vibes undoubtedly helped fuel the Mets’ 2024 success. It’ll be a tough act to follow.
“It’s fluid,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “I like where guys are at as far as the team chemistry goes and things like that and the connections and the relationships. But it’ll continue to take some time. And winning helps, clearly.”