10 MLB spring training distractions that could derail seasons before they begin

With the Super Bowl behind us, it's officially baseball season. Spring training is here, and with it a wave of optimism for MLB fans everywhere. That said, not all the news out of complexes in Florida and Arizona is positive.

Let's dive into the latest round of headlines that could spell trouble for a number of MLB teams, from prospective contenders to those stuck in a rebuild.

Red Sox attempt to spin the Alex Bregman narrative — and fail

Less than a year after trading Rafael Devers for pennies on the dollar, Boston let Alex Bregman leave in free agency. And "let" in the correct terminology, as even a cursory look under the hood reveals that Bregman very clearly wanted to re-sign. He loved Boston. The Red Sox valued him in the clubhouse. And yet, he's with the Chicago Cubs now.

He signed in Chicago on a five-year, $175 million deal. It's one thing for Boston to just not want to spend the money. But the Red Sox put a comparable offer on the table. Chicago was willing to budge on Bregman's no-trade request, however. Boston would not. Losing such a critical piece over such a minute detail, such an infinitesimal bit of leverage, is downright embarrassing.

Red Sox president Sam Kelly, however, is trying to spin this as Bregman wanting a different path.

"Look, if Alex Bregman wanted to be here, ultimately he’d be here," Kennedy said.

That is not true. Rather obviously. Sure, if Bregman made certain concessions, whatever. But these were not equal offers. Chicago gave him security the Red Sox would not. This falls squarely on Boston, not Bregman. Now let's see if newcomer Caleb Durbin can come remotely close to replacing the former World Series champ.

Diamondbacks owner applies immediate pressure

Arizona spent a not-insignificant amount of money to reunite with both Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen, in addition to bringing in outside help like Michael Soroka and Nolan Arenado. Rather than celebrate these additions, Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick — who famously called the Jordan Montgomery signing a “horrible decision” in a radio interview — is talking about how much money he spent, again.

He mentions the injured stars, like Corbin Burnes, whom Arizona hopes to get back midseason, equating them to "reserves" who will come in and aid contention down the stretch. But this idea that Arizona has stretched its budget so thin, to where there's no margin for error, is a bit silly. The Diamondbacks are 15th in total payroll right now, smack in the middle of the pack.

This just feels a little bit like unnecessary pressure on a beat-up roster with a wobbly pitching staff and more of a puncher's chance than an actual clear path to contention in the NL West. When non-LA or New York owners can finally make the conversation about how many quality players their team signs, rather than how much money is on the line, it will be a good day for MLB.

White Sox GM apologizes for hilarious but concerning mistake

The White Sox, to their credit, made some things happen this winter. The Munetaka Murakami signing came as a shock, but it delivers a 26-year-old slugger with All-Star potential and an impressive track record of production overseas to the South Side. Chicago also found a taker for Luis Robert Jr.'s contract, receiving ex-Mets utilityman Luisangel Acuña as the cornerstone of their return package.

Getz has gone out of his way to praise Acuña at every turn, persistently highlighting his versatility, both defensively and at the plate.

"He can play all over the diamond. He's a strong defender, base-runner, switch hitter."

That's all good and well, except... Acuña, the younger brother of switch-hitting Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr., is not actually a switch hitter. He's a lefty, with a career .640 OPS and 82 OPS+ through two MLB seasons. Calling him a switch hitter can be chalked up as a slip. Calling him a switch hitter four times suggests that Getz did not know Acuña's hitting profile.

He has since apologized, but as the GM as a notoriously bad team struggling to shed its reputation, you can't be spouting blatant misinformation into every micophone.

Orioles trade rumors linger into camp

The Orioles could roster both Coby Mayo and Ryan Mountcastle on Opening Day, per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, as Jackson Holliday will miss the beginning of the season with a hand fracture. That said, both names continue to pop up in trade talks, too. It sounds like Baltimore, with a surplus of right-handed infield bats and a deficit in other areas, is still exploring significant tweaks.

Mountcastle is coming off of his worst season to date, but the previous four years he was a dependable pillar of the O's lineup. Mayo began last season as a top-20 prospect and he's not even arbitration eligible yet. Both can help, both short- and long-term, but the O's need to consolidate their core and shift a few assets around. Rumblings of this nature have a tendency to hang over a locker room, not to mention the individual players.

Yankees could demote Jasson Domínguez to Triple-A

Jasson Domínguez, the Yankees' former No. 1 prospect, accrued over a year of MLB service time before his 23rd birthday. He made noteworthy strides in 2025, cranking 10 home runs in 381 at-bats with a .719 OPS, 101 OPS+ and 23 stolen bases. He's a monster athlete with significant raw power, but defensive struggles and poor plate discipline (plus New York's loaded outfield depth chart) has left him without a clear path to everyday reps in MLB.

Domínguez is somehow better than his reputation and too inconsistent for the Yankees to trust him in high-pressure situations. Rather than letting their most gifted young player toil on the bench, it sounds like New York might demote Domínguez to Triple-A, where he can play more consistently.

He does not sound thrilled: “That’s something that’s there definitely but that’s something I can’t control either.”

Spencer Jones, another top Yankees prospect, finds himself in a similar boat. The 24-year-old is overdue for his MLB debut at this point, but the Yankees just don't have space in the lineup with Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Giancarlo Stanton. Both probably start next season in the Minors, unless New York gets extra creative or commits to a more sporadic role.

Bryce Harper is still mad at Phillies GM for 'not elite' comment

Bryce Harper is still upset with the Phillies front office, it would seem, after president Dave Dombrowski questioned whether the two-time MVP is still "elite" in comments made earlier this offseason. Months later, Harper feels no less jaded, encouraging Phils management to come to his locker and hash things out.

"For me, it was wild — the whole situation happening," Harper told reporters. "The big thing for me was, when we first met with this organization, it was, ‘Hey, we’re always going to keep things in-house, and we expect you to do the same thing.’ So, when that didn’t happen, it kind of took me for a run a little bit."

This are pointed words from Harper. He knows the sort of discourse that will follow, and it's not the sort of noise Philadelphia needs after an unproductive offseason. The Phillies are in danger of falling behind in the National League arms race. Harper, 33, still has juice left in the tank. His .844 OPS and 129 OPS+ last season is still considered "elite" for 99 percent of the league; Dombrowski was simply referencing his two superhuman MVP seasons, back when Harper was still in his 20s.

The actual comments from Dombrowski are totally logical and accurate; it just seems like he unintentionally struck a nerve with his franchise cornerstone. Philly needs to put out this fire sooner than later.

Manny Machado, others praise Dodgers ahead of potential lockout

With MLB facing a potential lockout in 2027, all eyes are on the Dodgers' boundless spending. The Kyle Tucker signing was the cherry on top of our greatest modern dynasty. Many fans want to put a lid on big-market spenders like L.A. For a lot of MLB stars, however, the Dodgers' business model is admirable, even if their teams would never dare put so much money on the line.

Padres star Manny Machado was especially animated when asked about the Dodgers' infinite payroll:

“I (expletive) love it," he said. “I think every team should be doing it. They've figured out a way to do it, and the (stuff) is (expletive) great for the game honestly. I think every team has the ability to do it. So, I hope all 30 teams could learn from it."

Given San Diego's standing as one of the few actual threats to L.A. in the National League, these comments struck a chord among fans. The Padres, of course, will not "learn from it," even if A.J. Preller has plenty of ambition to spare. Whether other teams could follow suit really does not matter. They won't. Most owners are stingy by nature. Whether it's a cap ceiling or a cap floor (not happenin'), something has to change if the Dodgers are to be held in check any time soon.

Bryon Buxton is upset that Twins didn't deny trade rumors

Byron Buxton has given everything to Minnesota over the years, including his commitment to spend his entire career in a Twins uniform. And yet, when his name popped up in trade rumors this winter, no public denouncement came from the front office. Buxton, apparently, found that disrespectful.

"All it takes is for somebody at the top to go to the media, ‘We’re not trading you,’” Buxton told reporters (h/t Star Tribune). “Trade rumors stop, and now we don’t have those conversations. That’s how simple this could get.”

He went on: “The offseason was different. It’s a lot of guys in here that were pulling for each other and then to have your name blasted, and you know where we want to be, you know what we’re trying to work towards, you know what we’re doing, it’s different. I will say that. It’s different.”

Not great, Bob! This is not a trade request — it's basically the opposite — but Minnesota's all-encompassing rebuild is clearly starting to rub those on top of the organizational pyramid the wrong way. Buxton is easily the best player on the Twins roster. He hit .264 with an .878 OPS and 136 OPS+ last season. If the Twins ever did float him in trade talks… well, let's just say the Twins could get a nice haul.

Paul Skenes still really wants to win

Paul Skenes wants to compete, man. That is all he proclaims to care about. Pittsburgh brought in ex-Pirates ace A.J. Burnett to offer some expertise in spring training. When asked about the 2009 World Series champ's presence, Skenes hammered home is favor talking point.

"If you wanna win, you gotta surround yourself with winners."

This is generally a good attitude, but Pittsburgh is clearly approaching do-or-die territory with Skenes — even at 23 years old. The man will not take another disappointing season lightly. The Buccos made an earnest attempt to improve this offseason, adding Brandon Lowe, Ryan O'Hearn and Marcell Ozuna, among others. That is a good first step.

Just bookmark this, though. It's another sign. If Pittsburgh bottoms out and spends another season toiling in noncompetitive mediocrity, we inch ever closer to Skenes requesting a trade — or at least to Pittsburgh being forced to consider one, as it's hard to keep such a superhuman performer happy in a hopeless situation.

Braves take one step forward, two steps back on injury front

The Braves received a positive update on injured shortstop Ha-Seong Kim this weekend. Once expected to miss four-to-five months with a torn tendon in his finger, the Gold Glove shortstop is now on track to return in early May. For a team that has dealt with so much bad injury luck over the past couple seasons, Atlanta fans deserved such a pleasant surprise.

Unfortunately, the Braves just can't seem to stay on track when it comes to health. On top of the Kim update, it was revealed that Jurickson Profar underwent offseason surgery for a sports hernia. This should not impact his availability much, but it's another past ailment to reckon with — and it could mean Profar spends even more time at DH than initially expected.

Worse yet, however, is the news that 23-year-old hurler Hurston Waldrep is dealing with "elbow discomfort," per MLB.com's Mark Bowman.

Waldrep broke out last season when the Braves desperately needed production on the mound, posting a 2.88 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 10 appearances (nine starts). We don't know the extent of this discomfort or the ultimate ramifications yet, but he's hard not to feel a little bit queasy whenever a pitcher's elbow starts flaring up.

The Braves just need a break, man. Here's to hoping Waldrep is not dealing with anything serious.