Here are three things worth keeping an eye on for MLBTR readers today:
1. Skenes prepares for World Baseball Classic:
Reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes is poised to make his first start of Spring Training today at 1:05pm ET. His opponent will be Braves right-hander Bryce Elder, who struggled to a 5.38 ERA in 28 starts for Atlanta last year. Any opportunity to watch one of the league’s most dominant pitchers is noteworthy, but Skenes’s spring debut is especially relevant because it will be his first and final tune-up start before joining Team USA for the World Baseball Classic next month. Skenes is expected to pitch in two WBC games for Team USA, as first reported by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, and additionally figures to get an extra exhibition start in when Team USA faces the Giants and Rockies ahead of the tournament’s official start.
2. Weathers to make Yankees debut:
The Yankees are running back most of their 2025 roster, as they reunited with Trent Grisham, Cody Bellinger, Amed Rosario, and Paul Goldschmidt after each reached free agency this winter. Their most notable external addition was southpaw Ryan Weathers, whom they acquired in a trade with the Marlins last month. The lefty is slated to make his Yankees debut today at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, where they’ll be facing off against the Nationals at 6:35pm ET. Weathers’ opponent will be southpaw Andrew Alvarez, who made the first five starts of his big league career with the Nationals last year and posted a solid 2.31 ERA in those outings. Spring Training is especially important for Weathers this year given that he was limited to only eight starts last year thanks to flexor and lat strains.
3. Offseason in Review series is underway:
Every spring, MLB Trade Rumors does a series looking back at each of the league’s 30 teams and what they’ve accomplished during the offseason. Yesterday saw MLBTR kick off the 2026 edition of that series with a look at the Rockies from Anthony Franco and a look at the Marlins from Steve Adams. Whether you’re a fan of those teams or just looking for a refresher on any moves around the league you might have missed this winter, this series (and the 28 other installments yet to come) has you covered as we head into the 2026 campaign. You can vote in the poll at the end of each team’s review to grade their overall offseason performance.
