#prospects

#prospects

There is no shortage of stats and metrics these days that attempt to predict how baseball teams will fare in an upcoming season. But there is one area lacking in all of it: human will, and how certain players can push themselves to be better than even the best analytical models could have foreseen. The foundation is laid over the winter, when pitches are learned and swing mechanics are tweaked and bodies are molded.

The Florida Panthers are idle for the next three weeks. Ten of the club's skaters will be heading to Milan for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Matthew Tkachuk will play for the Unites States; Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart and Brad Marchand wil skate for Canada; Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola will suit up for Finland; Sandis Vilmanis and Uvis Balinksis are part of the Latvian team; and Gustav Forsling will patrol the blue line for Sweden. Group Stage games will begin on Wednesday.

Mesa, 17, signed for $900,000 and was ranked 30th on the MLB Pipeline Top 50 International Prospects list. He has received some high praise from scouts who say he could wind up being the best hitter in the 2026 international free agent class. The left-handed hitter is someone who makes a lot of hard contact and could develop above average power.

There was another prospect who ranked on Baseball America's top 100 IFA prospect list that signed with the Blue Jays: Aneudy Severino. The outfielder signed for $700,000 and ranked as the 71st-best prospect. His scouting report notes that he's just 5'9" but is strong and hits the ball hard. A right-handed batter, he's more of a line-drive hitter than a power hitter.

OH MY, DENNIS HILDEBY!! 😱 He makes a MONSTER in the dying seconds to secure the win for the @MapleLeafs!

It's worth noting, too, that the Mets are deep in both top prospects and young big leaguers that could be marketed to other clubs. Their farm system is generally regarded as one of the ten best in the game. Following this year's draft and trade deadline, Baseball America ranked the Mets' system ninth in the game. MLB.com ranked it seventh.

Kirschner and Rosenthal also reported that the Yankees are keeping talks open with the Brewers on Freddy Peralta, who might not be an alternative to Cabrera. This might just be a negotiating tactic from Brian Cashman, as it's hard to see them ponying up the massive prospect haul it would take to acquire two starters via trade, but it's pretty clear the Yanks are trying to add at least one starter.