"Olson and Harris seem like locks. The others all have stuff a bit up in the air - Baldwin may be more of a DH if the team holds on to and prioritizes catcher defense, Albies might lose his job if his performance doesn't improve, Riley keeps getting hurt, and maybe Profar/Acuña get rotated through the DH slot such that they aren't a nominal starter in an outfield corner."
"Allen and Ozuna are the biggest questions, one because he's not starter quality and the other because he's going to be a free agent pending a late-breaking extension. For bonus difficulty, consider that the five starters with the most starts this past year were Bryce Elder, Spencer Strider, Grant Holmes, Chris Sale, and Spencer Schwellenbach. If you had to add five starts to the nine positions, i.e., 14 "opportunities" for a changeover in total, how would your guess change?"
Nine nominal starters are identified across positions. Olson and Harris appear likely to remain starters through 2026. Several positions face uncertainty due to defensive prioritization, poor or uncertain performance, injuries, and potential DH rotation for corner outfielders. Baldwin could shift to DH if catcher defense is prioritized. Albies faces losing his job if performance does not improve. Riley's frequent injuries threaten his starter status. Profar and Acuña may split DH duties and lose consistent outfield starts. Allen and Ozuna represent major questions because of starter quality and impending free agency or contract status. Starting rotation depth adds further turnover opportunities.
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