Left-handed pitcher Adam Macko has been optioned to the Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons, whereas right-handers Fernando Perez and Gage Stanifer have been assigned to their Minor League camp. All three pitching prospects currently rank among the top 21 prospects within the Blue Jays organization as per MLB Pipeline.
The Rangers solidified the top of their rotation when they landed left-hander MacKenzie Gore in a trade with the Nationals. Gore, Jacob deGrom, and Nathan Eovaldi will form what should be a dominant trio, as long as everyone stays healthy. Former top prospect Jack Leiter delivered a solid campaign in his first full-time look at the big league level, likely earning him the No. 4 spot. After that, it gets murky.
What isn't there to like about Roch Cholowsky? He was the National Player of the Year as a sophomore, as he smashed 23 homers for UCLA while leading the team to the College World Series. He is above average when it comes to hitting for average, hitting for power, arm strength, and defense. Some scouts are calling him the best college shortstop prospect since Troy Tulowitzki. As of now, it looks like it will be tough for anyone else to challenge for number 1.
Episode 47 of the Bleacher Nation Cubs Podcast is officially live! In this week's episode, Brett and I go through the entire crop of Cubs starting pitchers, from Cade Horton to the depth arms, to really dive into the potential risks and rewards in 2026 specifically. And, more specifically, we do that all while wondering if there's actually room for another free agent like Zac Gallen. Spoiler alert: I think there is.
Or maybe it's a magic arm, whether that's newly-acquired pitching prospect Brandon Sproat or Tread lefty Drew Rom. I fully expect both to shove, especially against the Cubs. MLB Pipeline has the 25-year-old Sproat at No. 6 in Milwaukee's system, and he should break camp with the big club after logging just under 21 innings over four starts for the Mets last year.
In his last scouting report for Baseball America, entering the 2022 season, Sweet's fastball sat at 92-94 MPH but his changeup was considered a plus-plus pitch, one that "dies late to get foolish swings and misses out front even when batters are looking for it." In fact, it was featured by BA as one of the best changeups in the minor leagues for prospects beyond the Top-100. If the nWo were still relevant, they'd call his changeup " Just too Sweet!"
Joey Wentz might be the most interesting man on the roster going into 2026 Spring Training. Well, that's not really true. It's probably the new free agent acquisitions. But, with a Braves rotation returning from injury, and a potential cure for his location worries accounted for, he could put himself right in the mix as a swingman. As one of the prospects that the mid-2010s Braves fans pinned their hopes upon, it's good to see him back and performing well for once.
The Royals picked up both arms in a trade sending backup catcher Freddy Fermin to the Padres. It was a nice bit of business for Picollo and his staff. Bergert combined for a 3.66 earned run average with a solid 22.6% strikeout rate over his first 19 MLB appearances. He sits in the 93-94 MPH range and has an above-average slider. If he can develop a better changeup or add a cutter against left-handed hitters, he could be a mid-rotation arm.
Amaya joins the system after spending the 2025 season with the White Sox. He appeared in a career-high 36 games but only batted .106 with one extra-base hit (a double) in 73 trips to the plate. The 27-year-old spent the rest of the season with Triple-A Charlotte. He hit .250/.352/.420 with nine homers across 219 plate appearances. He posted decent batted ball metrics but struck out in 29% of his trips to the dish.
Joining Cease in the starting five are Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, and Jose Berrios, a formidable group that each brings something a little bit different to the table in how they get the job done. It's a good mix of youth and veteran status that should be pretty strikeout-heavy while beating you with offspeed pitches, whether it's a fastball, splitter, changeup, or slider.
One of three pitchers on the 40-man roster in this list, the left-handed pitcher began the 2025 season on the injury list, but returned in May and joined the Buffalo Bisons in early June. In 64 innings pitched with the Bisons, Macko had a 5.06 ERA and 4.56 FIP in 64 innings of work, with a 22.6 K% and 12.5 BB%.
With this week being the last we'll see of several of this year's minor league mainstays, it's understandable to hear me say "five scoreless, great final showing" a few times and think it redundant. But this is a team - nay, a farm - stocked with rotation arms who have all raised their stock over the course of the season.
As Payton Tolle prepares to make his debut at Fenway Park against Paul Skenes and an ailing Pirates team, much can be made by comparing Opening Day rosters and current day rosters, and specifically, how much longer the lower-level relief guys go in games. It's not uncommon at all to see Greenville and Salem use just two pitchers in games to the point of them getting torched, which seems counterproductive to the idea of letting guys develop naturally.
"When you go down to the minor leagues," pitching coach Ethan Katz said Sunday, "it gives you and opportunity to try some things that you maybe talk about up here that in the moment it's harder to accomplish, because you're trying to get through an inning and you're going to stick to what you feel is best, [as opposed to] trying to open up some other avenues.
Bob Melvin announced that top pitching prospect Carson Whisenhunt will make his major-league debut after the Giants' rotation was impacted by injuries and demotions. Whisenhunt is highly regarded, having recently competed in the All-Star Futures Game and owning a 4.42 ERA in the Pacific Coast League. His changeup, rated an elite 80 on the 20-80 scale, is considered his best pitch. Whisenhunt's performance against the Pirates will dictate his outing length, and he's likely to be followed by Carson Seymour from the bullpen.
