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SCOTTSDALE — Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo announced his starting rotation entering the 2026 season on Saturday beyond Zac Gallen getting the Opening Day nod.
The rotation goes as follows:
Merrill Kelly will open the year on the 15-day injured list, which he hopes will be a minimum stint.
The D-backs can backdate his IL designation by three days to start the year, so he could return after the first 10 games of the campaign. What happens in the rotation when Kelly returns is to be determined.
“It’s gonna be Gallen, Nelson, E-Rod, Soroka and Pfaadt. … Merrill will start on the IL.”
Torey Lovullo announces the Diamondbacks’ starting rotation to start the 2026 season. pic.twitter.com/fDntaMVl0R
— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) March 21, 2026
“It’s clear that Merrill Kelly just doesn’t have enough time to build up and start the season on the active roster,” Lovullo said. “Whatever his buildup is, it will continue. I don’t know what the timeline is on that.”
Soroka, who signed with the D-backs this offseason, will get the nod in Arizona’s home opener against Detroit. He will make his final spring start on Tuesday in Arizona’s exhibition game against the Cleveland Guardians at Chase Field.
Pfaadt will hang back in Arizona when the team travels to Los Angeles to make a backfields start in preparation for Game 2 against the Tigers.
Rodriguez will throw a backfields start on Monday.
The Diamondbacks opted for continuity in the rotation this offseason by bringing back Kelly and Gallen as free agents. Soroka is the sole newcomer — excluding Kelly, who was traded to Texas before free agency — and staff ace Corbin Burnes hopes to return in July.
“We feel really good about the five guys that we have there,” Lovullo said. “We know there’s a sixth with Merrill. Thank goodness we have that depth. … I love the experience that group has. They’re going to go out there and they’re going to be ready to compete.”
The club is counting on internal improvements to avoid another lackluster season on the mound. Gallen and Rodriguez were much better over the final two months of last season, while Pfaadt had some stellar outings but struggled with consistency. The three finished bottom 12 in ERA among 70 pitchers with 150 innings.
Gallen found some answers with his delivery late last year and has been throwing harder this spring, although he allowed three home runs in his final start Friday.
Rodriguez is coming off the performance of his life, tossing 4.1 shutout innings in the World Baseball Classic title game against the U.S., as Venezuela won the championship. Pfaadt has allowed one run in 10 Cactus League innings this spring, as he is working on tightening his slider, a strength in 2024 that turned into a weakness last year.
Nelson was excellent last season after moving into the rotation from an early long relief role, and Kelly remained a consistent presence in the rotation before getting traded last year. Nelson and Kelly were both top 25 pitchers in ERA among those with 150 innings.
The Diamondbacks will face World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Opening Day at Dodger Stadium. Yamamoto has a 1.93 ERA in six starts against Arizona.
The Tigers will start Justin Verlander on March 30, Opening Day at Chase Field. It will be Verlander’s first start for Detroit since the summer of 2017 when he was dealt to Houston. The 43-year-old made two starts against the D-backs last year for San Francisco, allowing two runs in 13 innings.
Casey Mize will get the second game at Chase Field with two-time Cy Young winner and Arizona native Tarik Skubal in line for the series finale.
Arizona Wildcats guard Brayden Burries looked right at home at the NCAA Tournament early on in Friday’s first-round matchup against Long Island.
The guard caught fire in a hurry, connecting on four of his first five three-pointers on his way to a game-leading 14 first-half points.
Brayden Burries is a PROBLEM 😤#MarchMadness @ArizonaMBB pic.twitter.com/WDNdwAO8LB
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2026
His only non-3-pointer? A rim-rocking dunk. Burries also added three rebounds, two assists and a block as the Wildcats took at 53-29 lead into halftime.
Burries continues to be a problem for opposing defenses in his first season as a Wildcat.
Heading into Friday’s game, the guard was averaging 15.9 points on 49.2% shooting and 36.7% from long range. He’s added 4.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals across 29.5 minutes per game.
He paced the Wildcats with 13 games of at least 20 points and is on his way to a 14th.
Burries’ efforts this season earned him All-American honorable mentions from the USBWA and Associated Press.
He’s also worked himself into the NBA Draft Lottery conversation. Earlier this month, The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie had Burries going 10th overall to the Chicago Bulls in his mock draft.
Royce O’Neale has been ruled out with left knee soreness for the Phoenix Suns’ matchup against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.
Additionally, Grayson Allen (left knee soreness) and Haywood Highsmith (right knee injury management) are questionable.
Mark Williams (left foot third metatarsal stress reaction) and Dillon Brooks (left hand fracture) remain out.
O’Neale, who is missing his first game of the season on Thursday, is 9.9 points on 41.6% shooting and 40.3% from 3-point range, while registering 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. O’Neale scored nine points while registering two rebounds, two assists and three steals in Tuesday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Allen, who missed Tuesday’s game due to left knee soreness, has missed 24 games this season due to various ailments, including a right quad contusion, illness and knee soreness. In 44 games, Allen is averaging 17.2 points on 40.7% shooting and 35.3% from 3-point range, while registering with 4.1 assists and three rebounds per game.
Suns-Spurs tips off from Frost Bank Center in San Antonio at 5 p.m. MST. Listen to the game on 98.7, ArizonaSports.com or the Arizona Sports app.
Following the legal tampering period and start to the new league year, we’re onto the next phase of the NFL offseason.
Roster construction continues but at a slower pace after the free agency frenzy last week and with the 2026 NFL Draft on the horizon.
The Arizona Cardinals brought in some key additions and rounded out a few position groups, headlined by running back and wide receiver. But they could still use upgrades at multiple positions ahead of the season.
A look at the biggest areas left to address — using both with an immediate and future scope — this offseason:
The Cardinals made sure to beef up the interior offensive line with the addition of Isaac Seumalo on a three-year deal.
They also brought back Elijah Wilkinson, who played guard for the franchise in 2023 but started every game at right tackle for Atlanta last year, on a one-year deal.
He’s bound to be in the mix for the starting role this year given the room’s makeup but is far from a long-term answer at the position.
That person has yet to walk through the doors at the team’s training facility. And that fact is a big reason why Arizona has been linked to Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa and to a lesser extent Utah’s Spencer Fano this offseason.
The 6-foot-5, 329-pound Mauigoa was a consistent presence along the Miami offensive line the past three seasons and allowed just one sack in his final year with the program.
For a team looking for a bookend opposite Paris Johnson Jr., Mauigoa fits the bill.
Landing the big man is going to cost the Cardinals a pretty penny in the form of the No. 3 overall pick, but the reward could be well worth its high price.
Josh Sweat was in his bag last year, posting a career-high 12 sacks and four forced fumbles to go along with 13 tackles for loss and 17 QB hits.
The rest of the outside linebackers accounted for just 5.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss and 19 QB hits. Baron Browning was second in the room with two sacks, followed by Zaven Collins (1.5), Jordan Burch (one) and BJ Ojulari (one).
The drop-off from Sweat to the other pass rushers on the team was substantial, with new blood needed in 2026.
Landing a premium free-agent pass rusher seems out of the question just a year removed from the Sweat signing. Getting his next running mate in the draft is very much a possibility, though.
Texas Tech’s David Bailey and Miami’s Rueben Bain Jr. present two realistic options for Arizona to consider with the No. 3 overall pick. Ohio State’s Arvell Reese is in the mix, too, but presents more of a hybrid option at the position.
The pair of All-Americans, who both met with the Cardinals at the NFL Draft Combine, showed out in their final respective seasons in college, with Bailey posting high marks of 14.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss. He added to his draft resume with a strong combine showing.
The Cardinals could very well get their pick of the two when they’re on the clock at No. 3.
Adding either should give Arizona a much-needed boost off the edge.
There was no way I was going to leave this exercise without at least mentioning Arizona’s quarterback situation.
Sure, Arizona’s quarterbacks room looks about filled up with Jacoby Brissett expected to start this year, followed by recent signing Gardner Minshew and 2025 holdover Kedon Slovis.
In terms of 2026, the need is low for the position given the addition of Minshew. They could theoretically get through the year with that trio, though based on the fan reaction, that won’t sit well for many.
But from a long-term lens, quarterback still looms large.
The one known fact about the position? It’s not going to include former franchise quarterback Kyler Murray, who recently signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings as the second act of his career begins.
After that, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will take over as Arizona’s next franchise arm.
One way to potentially clear that up sooner rather than later is looking to this year’s draft for a possible solution.
Alabama’s Ty Simpson represents the top quarterback prospect not named Fernando Mendoza. He’s also not going to cost a No. 1 overall pick to get.
The quarterback is trending toward going late in the first round of the draft if not early in the second. If it’s the latter scenario, the Cardinals have the draft capital to nab the signal caller with the No. 34 overall pick (the second selection of the second round).
But even if Arizona has to maneuver its way back into the first round, the trade package likely won’t hurt the wallet. Pair the No. 34 pick with another piece of later-round draft capital and keep it moving. That is unless Simpson is being eyed more in the middle of the first round as ESPN’s Mel Kiper predicted in his most recent mock draft.
If the Cardinals are going to take a flier on a rookie quarterback this year without completely selling the farm, Simpson is atop the list.
Arizona could also take a look later in the draft at the Carson Becks, Drew Allars and Garrett Nussmeiers of the world and likely wouldn’t have to give up extra assets in landing either of them. Simpson, however, has more upside.
“I would love to be a Cardinal. I think that they’re a great organization,” Simpson told reporters during the NFL Draft Combine. “They got a young team and I would be super blessed to play for them.”
Arizona’s defensive line was anchored by Calais Campbell and his 6.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss and 16 QB hits last year.
The only problem? He’s currently a free agent with retirement very much an option.
2025 first-round pick Walter Nolen III flashed why he was taken on Day 1 of the draft but failed to stay healthy for a full season, headlined by a season-ending knee injury he’s still recovering from.
Nolen is squarely on the roster, but will he be good to go by Week 1? It’s unclear at this point.
Take those two out of the equation — even with the moves made this free agency — and more depth is needed.
Darius Robinson must take a step forward in Year 3. Dante Stills and L.J. Collier provided good rotation pieces, Roy Lopez could slide right back into his starting role along the inside and Jonah Williams brings some new flavor to the room.
But after those players, there isn’t much to work with for a defensive coordinator who loves to rotate defensive linemen regularly.
Mack Wilson Sr. and Cody Simon make up the top two options at inside linebacker this year. It’s also Wilson’s final year on his current contract. And while Simon got a lot of reps last season, he’s still got plenty to learn about the position at the NFL level.
Owen Pappoe is one of the more athletic players the Cardinals have on the roster but has struggled to carve out a bigger defensive role since coming aboard in 2023.
Jack Gibbens is coming off eight starts in 17 games played last year.
The need for another young addition is clearly there.
Ohio State’s Sonny Styles is getting a lot of love (and rightfully so) as the top inside linebacker prospect this NFL Draft. He, however, will not be there the next time Arizona is on the clock in the second round.
He’s an option to go No. 3 overall, though Francis Mauigoa and David Bailey are higher on the priorities list.
The Arizona Cardinals signed tight end Teagan Quitoriano to a one-year contract on Wednesday.
Quitoriano appeared in 17 games (one start) for the Atlanta Falcons last year. He did not record a catch but did have two tackles on special teams, where he spent most of his time playing.
The tight end entered the league as a 2022 fifth-round pick with the Houston Texans. He spent three seasons in Houston (2022-24) before heading to Atlanta.
His best season statistically as a pro came in 2022 behind seven catches for 113 yards and two touchdowns, as he has been used more as a blocking tight end offensively across his four-year career.
Quitoriano now helps fill out a tight ends room that is headlined by Trey McBride. Elijah Higgins marks another top option in the room, with Tip Reiman Arizona’s unquestioned blocking tight end.
More depth at the position doesn’t hurt, especially after seeing Reiman go down early on in 2025 and greatly impacting the team’s offensive approach after the fact.
There’s also the fact that Mike LaFleur, Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams offense ran 13 personnel (one running back and three tight ends) more than anyone else in the league last year at a rate of 30.4%, according to Sumer Sports.
Some of that is bound to transfer over to the LaFleur-led offense in Arizona.
Arizona State women’s basketball is preparing for its first NCAA Tournament game since 2019, but head coach Molly Miller is not yet with the team ahead of its First Four game.
According to Sun Devil athletics, Miller “didn’t travel with the team due to illness, but we are hopeful she will be in Iowa soon.”
ASU went 24-10 in its first season under Miller, taking one of the last remaining at-large spots for the tournament. The Sun Devils need to beat Virginia on Thursday at 6 p.m. on ESPN2 to reach the First Round.
Associate head coach Stephanie Norman, filling in for Miller, called it a “precarious situation.”
“Obviously, our leader is not here. And we’re hoping for the best, so she can recover and be with our team,” Norman told reporters Wednesday. “That’s kind of the status, it’s hour to hour. I’m hoping she’s taking care of all of the things that she can in her power.
“We miss her dearly, but at the same time we have a job to do, so we’re focused on that.”
Norman, who played at ASU (1984-88), spent the previous 18 seasons on the Louisville staff, reaching the Sweet 16 or better 12 times.
TEMPE — When Arizona State football begins its session of spring practices on Thursday, there will be a markedly different feel from the previous one.
This will be coach Kenny Dillingham’s fourth season at ASU, and the pendulum is swinging dramatically from when he entered his third spring with a roster packed with veterans — many of whom did not participate for much of the spring because the coach already knew what they brought to the table. There was no need to risk injury.
This year will be a bit of a return to syllabus day for the coaches as well as the players.
“A lot of guys don’t know how we operate. Us as a staff, we’re going to try to become more efficient,” Dillingham said Tuesday. “Our goal is to be 20% more efficient this spring by cutting down some periods, changing a little bit how we structure some things … a little bit different to get the same amount of work done in 20% less of the time.
“I’m excited to see these guys work. I’m excited to see our staff work with a new group.”
As far as who won’t be participating, several players are dealing with injuries: defensive linemen Zac Swanson and My’Keil Gardner, defensive back Boogie Wilson, wide receivers Derek Eusebio and Harry Hassmann, running back Marquis Gillis (out for only the first few days) and defensive end Ramar Williams.
Defensive tackle C.J. Fite, who Dillingham highlighted as one of the group’s most valuable leaders in the early stages, will miss at least the first half of the spring and “maybe even more … especially for team periods.” It was not immediately clear if his situation was injury-related or due to his veteran status.
Dillingham did not indicate an impact on the fall season beyond being “hopeful” that Swanson and Gardner can get right in time to be in shape for the fall. The two may have challenged for regular defensive tackle snaps in 2025, but injuries limited Swanson to 28 snaps and Gardner to none.
The priors on how Boley ended up at ASU were intriguing enough: the signal caller stayed in his home state at Kentucky, committing in 2023 to offensive coordinator Liam Coen — who would then go 13-4 as an NFL head coach about 18 months later — and was recruited by Dillingham while the now-ASU coach was at Oregon.
Boley has 11 more games under his belt with eight SEC starts than Sam Leavitt’s limited Big Ten action at the time of his own transfer. Boley has nearly 20 times as many passing yards as Leavitt did coming in (2,498 to 139) with about the same touchdown-to-interception ratio (17-16 to 2-2).
And according to Dillingham, everything he saw when evaluating the film that led him to believe in a very high ceiling has shown up in cognitive testing that ASU uses, known as the S2 Cognition test. It’s one of the tools NFL teams use when evaluating draft prospects.
“I’m not going to release his score, but his score was really, really, really, really good,” Dillingham said. “You, like, have to touch buttons and it has a whole bunch of things that are way above my knowledge, but it correlates basically processing on the field, your ability to learn, how you learn.
“So that just kind of affirmed what I saw on tape.”
He’ll have a seasoned veteran — and Valley local — in Mikey Keene competing with and supporting him, boasting nearly 800 completions over his college career and having led the Mountain West in completion percentage twice (67.1% and 70.5%).
A lot was made about Dillingham’s more active role in playcalling during the 39-point effort in the Sun Bowl where ASU came three points shy of a season high.
The coach said that it will continue into this season, and that it’s something he gets a lot of joy out of.
“I’ve always been involved in both sides of the ball … but my teeth were cut on offense and I like it,” Dillingham said. “I like to coach, like believe it or not, like it’s fun. I enjoy it and I want to do it again, actually coach, so I am going to get back involved.”
It will be his third season working with offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo, whose role won’t change, Dillingham said.
“Marcus and I already have worked together at a high rate. It just means I’m going to be obviously running around a little more. … It’s a positive when the guy in the meetings next to you and that you’re talking to about scheme was the runner-up for the Broyles (Award) 15 months ago,” he added.
One of the players who flashed real potential in that Sun Bowl performance was then-redshirt freshman Jason Brown Jr. He had 134 yards on 13 carries, nearly double the seven career carries he had before the postseason matchup.
He would be most fans’ answers for who should start in 2026, but there’s another player back who appeared to be the starter entering 2025: Kyson Brown. Cam Skattebo’s backup in 2024, he missed the back half of 2025 with a nagging ankle injury, but Dillingham said he’s healthy now.
Because of the talent between those two, along with two productive FCS backs who joined the fold in Gillis (Delaware State) and David Avit (Villanova), Dillingham said the talent may warrant more multiple-back sets.
“I think that room’s probably one of the most up-in-air rooms we have,” Dillingham said. “We’re going to be a little more 20, 21 personnel [two running backs and zero or one tight end] this year. That room’s got to have a more versatile role because we have so many backs.”
Smith, who has accumulated 13 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss across all three Dillingham-led ASU seasons to this point, will get a shot at being an offensive weapon this spring, mainly in tight end-types of roles.
His extra year of eligibility stemmed from a year at Oklahoma where injuries limited him to four games played as a redshirt freshman.
The 6-foot-4, 255-pound athlete had a one-off rep where he caught a touchdown over wide receiver Jalen Moss last spring, but that was just a fun moment to break up monotony and didn’t have real intent behind it.
“He already knows our defensive system, he already knows what we want to get accomplished, the techniques,” Dillingham said. “He was a really good wideout in high school. He’s shown that a few times in practice when we’ve had fun with it.
“But I really think this is an opportunity for us to see can he actually become a weapon on that side of the ball and can he be a guy who … does both?”
Dillingham said the rest of the defensive end room gives him the comfort to try the switch, with new transfers such as Jalen Thompson (Michigan State) and Emar’rion Winston (Baylor) added to the fold. Kirtland Vakalahi could have an immediate impact as a JUCO transfer as well.
Albert Smith III is another year older after getting his first career sack, tackle for loss and pass defensed as a redshirt freshman in 2025.
Jack Nudo is the full-time special teams coordinator now after taking on the role midseason when Charlie Ragle took a medical leave of absence. Nudo has his own assistant, with former NFL punter Mike Scifres joining the fold as a specialists coach.
Nudo will handle more of the schematic details of special teams while Scifres can work with the kickers and punters on technical, fundamental tweaks. Dillingham said recent rule changes allowed for the expanded role that Scifres is taking on.
“(Nudo has) done a great job at places he’s been in the past, got a great energy, great passion. The guys really liked him,” Dillingham said. “I thought he did a really good job at the end of the eyar and I’m excited about that.”
While some of the personnel will be the same — with Kanyon Floyd back at punter flanked by Ohio State transfer Nick McLarty — there are other areas with big shoes that need filling, like at kicker.
Jesus Gomez turned the kicking game around for ASU in 2025, and Carson Smith was picked as this year’s newcomer. Smith worked with Nudo at previous stops at Austin Peay and East Carolina.
SCOTTSDALE — The National League West has not sent more than two teams to the postseason since the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies put on an epic show in the 2017 Wild Card Game.
Even with expanded playoffs increasing the number of postseason spots to six per league since 2022, the NL West has consistently sent two clubs to October: the Los Angeles Dodgers and someone else.
The Dodgers are the favorites to accomplish the rare three-peat, which has only been done twice in MLB history, both by the New York Yankees.
The Rockies, meanwhile, are expected to be in the doldrums once again, although the organization has made substantive changes with new president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta and general manager Josh Byrnes.
That leaves a middle class of three teams that might be pretty good but have plenty of flaws entering the season: Arizona, the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants. If history repeats itself — and given depth of the National League — it is unlikely that two of these teams make the postseason, ramping up the competition level between them.
The Padres earned a playoff spot in each of the previous two years, while the D-backs last reached October in 2023 and the Giants in 2021.
The D-backs, Padres and Giants are similar in the sense that they each have star players but also roster depth questions that add a level of variance to their potential outcomes.
The Padres and Giants are also rolling out first-time MLB managers, while the Diamondbacks are sticking with continuity in skipper Torey Lovullo for a 10th season.
FanGraphs projects the Giants to win 82 games, the D-backs 81 and the Padres 79. Baseball Prospectus has the Padres and Giants tied with 81.4 wins and the D-backs trailing at 78.5. FanGraphs gives the D-backs a 33.8% chance to make the playoffs.
Neither outlet has more than one NL West team in the postseason field, signaling that someone in this trio will have to create some separation.
Let’s dive into the strengths and weaknesses of these clubs to figure out who has the best chance to crack the postseason bracket in a critical year for each party involved.
(AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Notable additions: INF Sung-Mun Song, OF Miguel Andujar, RHP German Marquez, RHP Griffin Canning, OF Nick Castellanos, 1B Ty France, RHP Walker Buehler
Notable losses: RHP Dylan Cease, RHP Robert Suarez, 1B Ryan O’Hearn, 2B Luis Arraez
The Padres were a mediocre offense last season, even with Fernando Tatis Jr. finishing eighth for NL MVP and Manny Machado making another All-Star Game. They ranked 18th in runs, 28th in home runs and 16th in OPS.
Not much has changed in the lineup. The most notable addition was Miguel Andujar to supply power while three-time batting champion Luis Arraez is now playing for the Giants.
San Diego thrived in run prevention, finishing third in team ERA, first in bullpen ERA and first in save percentage.
That bullpen should remain the strength of the team with Mason Miller — and his 104 mph heater — stepping into the closer role after a dominant finish to his 2025 campaign. San Diego lost closer Robert Suarez to Atlanta, but the back end of the bullpen remains deep with Jason Adam, Adrian Morejon and Jeremiah Estrada all pitching to an All-Star level last year.
The rotation is not on the same solid ground with Dylan Cease having left in free agency and Yu Darvish out for the year. The Padres re-signed 2024 breakout Michael King and will get All-Star Joe Musgrove back from Tommy John surgery — he is being slow-played to start the year. They make up a talented top three with Nick Pivetta.
But there is a lot riding on that trio with a group of fliers and breakout hopefuls vying for rotation spots behind it.
The Padres entered the offseason in an unsure spot as a franchise. The Seidler family announced it would be exploring a sale of the team, and manager Mike Shildt unexpectedly retired after San Diego’s elimination in the Wild Card Series against the Chicago Cubs.
Former Padres reliever Craig Stammen was picked to manage the club after one year in an executive role, a surprising move within the industry given his lack of experience and little smoke surrounding the hire. General manager A.J. Preller signed an extension to maintain stability in the front office with uncertainty elsewhere.
Player to watch: Jackson Merrill
Merrill had an uneven sophomore season after he challenged Paul Skenes for NL Rookie of the Year in 2024. His hot start was cut off by a hamstring injury, and his numbers over the next 81 games played were substandard (.687 OPS). Merrill heated up in September with seven home runs and .946 OPS as the Padres applied pressure on the Dodgers for the division title, and he was their best hitter in the postseason.
The 22-year-old “bouncing back” to an All-Star level would do wonders for a relatively top-heavy lineup next to Tatis and Machado.
(AP Photo/Benjamin Fanjoy, File)
Notable additions: RHP Tyler Mahle, RHP Adrian Houser, OF Harrison Bader, 2B Luis Arraez, LHP Sam Hentges
Notable subtractions: RHP Justin Verlander, 1B Wilmer Flores, 1B Dominic Smith
The Giants have won between 79-81 games in four straight seasons, as mediocre a stretch as it gets after they won 107 games in 2021.
The club has made significant changes over the past couple years, with Buster Posey starting his second season as president of baseball operations, third baseman Matt Chapman and outfielder Jung-Hoo Lee entering Year 3 with the club, shortstop Willy Adames in Year 2 and first baseman Rafael Devers having come over in a trade last season.
Adames was way better in the second half after a slow start and became the first Giants batter to hit 30 home runs since Barry Bonds in 2004. Devers should see his share of splash hits with an average of 32 home runs per year over the last four seasons. Top prospect Bryce Eldridge is projected to take on the DH role, giving the lineup a young, 6-foot-7 masher who struck out a lot in his cup of coffee last year.
Like the Padres, the Giants were better at preventing runs than scoring in 2025, ranking 17th in runs and bottom 10 in OPS, hard-hit rate and stolen bases.
Adding Harrison Bader brought a dynamic defender in center field and moved Lee — the worst defender in MLB last year with -18 defensive runs saved — over to right field, and catcher Patrick Bailey is the best in the business behind the plate.
The pitching, however, has a lot more questions than last year when it ranked 10th in ERA, especially in the bullpen.
All-Star Randy Rodriguez is out for the year after Tommy John surgery, while the Giants sold several back-end relievers at the deadline. If closer Ryan Walker does not find his 2024 form after a 4.11 ERA last year, this team could run into issues finishing games.
Logan Webb is a stud atop the rotation. The two-time All-Star has thrown more innings than anyone else in MLB over the past four years by a mile with 820 frames. The next highest mark is Framber Valdez at 767.2 innings.
Behind him, the Giants filled the rotation with a couple one-year deals for veterans Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser, while Robbie Ray figures to be the No. 2 starter at 34 years old after a tough second half.
Even with the uncertainties on the mound, arguably the biggest question for the Giants is whether their bold maneuver to hire manager Tony Vitello from the college ranks at Tennessee pans out.
There have been managers who previously coached in college like Pat Murphy, but he spent years in a major league dugout between Arizona State and the Brewers. Vitello going straight from college to managing a big league team is unprecedented.
Player to watch: Ryan Walker
Walker worked a 1.91 ERA in 2024 to take over the closer role from the since-traded Camilo Doval. Last year, Walker had an up-and-down campaign with dominant a July and August before a rough September pushed his ERA into the 4s for the year.
One pitcher won’t make-or-break a suspect bullpen, but having a closer do his job consistently takes a lot of stress off a baseball team — just ask the Diamondbacks — particularly one with a new manager.
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)
Notable additions: RHP Merrill Kelly, RHP Paul Sewald, RHP Michael Soroka, 3B Nolan Arenado, 1B Carlos Santana, RHP Jonathan Loaisiga, RHP Kade Strowd, RHP Taylor Clarke
Notable subtractions: INF Blaze Alexander, LHP Jalen Beeks, OF Jake McCarthy
The Diamondbacks are an even 39-39 over the past three seasons against the Padres and Giants.
After an offseason filled with headlines of potential change, including Ketel Marte trade rumors and Zac Gallen on the free agent market, the Diamondbacks enter the 2026 season with a familiar bunch looking to get over the hump after a pair of near misses.
Marte is back as the consensus best second baseman in baseball, making up a killer top three in the lineup with shortstop Geraldo Perdomo and outfielder Corbin Carroll. Perdomo (4th), Carroll (7th) and Marte (22nd) were all on MVP ballots in 2025, and the D-backs finished sixth in scoring.
Behind the trio, Arizona expects to get Lourdes Gurriel Jr. back from a torn ACL as early as a month into the season, while youngsters Jordan Lawlar and Alek Thomas have a lot to prove. If they can take steps and get on base for the top of the order, Arizona could use its speed as a more pronounced weapon like in 2023 when the club finished second in stolen bases.
Former superstar Nolan Arenado catching another wind after his down season in St. Louis would help, as well.
Arizona assembled its rotation by bringing Merrill Kelly back and retaining Gallen, which was not expected to be possible. Ryne Nelson took another step forward as the club’s most effective starter for most of last year, while Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez will look for bounce-back seasons after producing ERAs over 5. Staff ace Corbin Burnes expects to be back in July from Tommy John surgery.
The D-backs ranked 19th in starter ERA last year at 4.29, although that statistic improved to 4.10 over the final two months, even after trading Kelly, as Gallen and Rodriguez found answers late. The club hopes a philosophy shift to focusing on pitcher strengths more than opposing weaknesses will hammer the right message.
The bullpen has gone through a makeover in the past eight months from trades and one-year signings. This team blew more saves (29) than anyone in the NL a year ago. The D-backs lead the NL in blown saves over the past five years and lead MLB in blown saves over the past decade.
The lineup and rotation have their faults, but perennially it is the bullpen that draws the most questions.
Player to watch: Jordan Lawlar
Lawlar has the speed-power combination potential to become a core member of this team and is having a standout spring training. He is working on a new position in center field, which has gone well so far.
After mostly poor results in irregular major league reps to this point, here is his opportunity to hold onto a daily role.
It was not long ago when he put up 20 home runs and 39 steals in the minor leagues in 2023, and that potential to flip the lineup for the top three would make the D-backs’ offense difficult to handle.
Catcher Gabriel Moreno is another strong option for a player to watch if he can remain healthy.
D-backs: SS Geraldo Perdomo, 2B Ketel Marte, RF Corbin Carroll
Padres: RF Fernando Tatis Jr., CF Jackson Merrill, 3B Manny Machado
Giants: SS Willy Adames, 1B Rafael Devers, 3B Matt Chapman, Jung-Hoo Lee
Verdict: Padres, barely
It’s pretty close between the D-backs and Padres given their strong top of the lineup and questionable depth. The Padres have more established veteran role players behind the top three, but the D-backs have the potential growth of Carroll and Perdomo being in their mid-20s and Lawlar if he puts it all together.
San Diego has the higher floor, but the D-backs have the higher ceiling. The Giants are in the middle on both fronts.
Diamondbacks: Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Ryne Nelson, Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodriguez, Corbin Burnes (IL)
Padres: Michael King, Nick Pivetta, JP Sears, German Marquez, Griffin Canning, Joe Musgrove (IL)
Giants: Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Adrian Houser, Tyler Mahle, Landen Roupp
Verdict: Diamondbacks?
Last year felt about as poor as this Diamondbacks’ rotation could have pitched collectively. The pitching has underachieved over the past two seasons.
At the same time, Gallen (3.32 ERA) and Rodriguez (4.09 ERA) continuing to throw like they had over the final two months, Kelly and Nelson staying consistent and Pfaadt finding more solid ground would set up a pretty workable starting unit, even before Burnes gets back.
Not everything is going to go right, of course, but getting a motivated Gallen back in the mix was a huge move to improve the potential of this group.
The other two teams don’t have a ringer that looms as large as Burnes while facing depth questions themselves, especially with Musgrove “most likely” starting the year on the IL in his build-up for San Diego.
Diamondbacks: Paul Sewald, Kevin Ginkel, Ryan Thompson
Padres: Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam
Giants: Ryan Walker, Jose Butto, Erik Miller
Verdict: Padres by the lot
This gap is more pronounced than the differences between these three lineups, rotations or defenses, as the bullpen is San Diego’s strength and the other two’s potential weaknesses.
How valuable is that for the Padres? Being able to shut down games after the sixth inning is a huge boost, and it takes some stress off a rocky rotation.
Miller allowed two earned runs over his final 34 innings last year with 58 strikeouts and has continued to be untouchable in the World Baseball Classic.
Notable additions: RHP Edwin Diaz, OF Kyle Tucker
Notable subtractions: LHP Clayton Kershaw, OF Michael Conforto, RHP Kirby Yates, LHP Anthony Banda
Are the Dodgers invinceable?
Well, the Padres nearly had them beat in the 2024 NLDS and the Toronto Blue Jays were a blown save and later a cleat away from dethroning them in Game 7 of the World Series, so teams have had their chances to take them down.
The Dodgers continued to push their laughably extravagant payroll by signing the top closer on the market in Diaz and the best hitter available in Tucker to extend their payroll (after taxes) to $412 million.
With Tucker joining Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Max Muncy the lineup is loaded with power, as Tucker adds another prime bat to a group that has some stars getting into their mid 30s (Betts, Freeman and Muncy).
The rotation is stacked with World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell (when healthy), Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow, along with young Roki Sasaki sliding back into the starting unit.
And now Diaz spearheads a bullpen that struggled last year.
Baseball is not a sport that breeds unbeatable teams very often. There were no repeat World Series winners from 2000-24.
This Dodgers team is going to press that narrative, doing so before the collective bargaining agreement runs out at the end of the year and payroll discrepancy will be the main topic, no less.
At the end of the day, though, all it takes is a 3-2 record in an NLDS to stop a dynasty in its tracks, but catching the Dodgers in the division looks like an impossible task for three flawed clubs behind them.
Notable additions: OF Jake McCarthy, INF Willi Castro, RHP Tomoyuki Sugano, LHP Jose Quintana, RHP Michael Lorenzen
Notable subtractions: RHP German Marquez, INF Thairo Estrada
The Rockies took a lot of short-term fliers to stabilize a roster that lost 119 games last year, one off from the National League record. They scored the second-fewest runs and worked a major league-worst 5.97 ERA, which is bad even by Coors Field standards.
Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, starting pitcher Chase Dollander and reliever Victor Vodnik are younger players to keep an eye on in terms of raising this team’s ceiling, along with Charlie Condon, a top prospect who could add a spark to the lineup at some point.
At the end of the day, this team has a ways to go before competing for a playoff spot, but with some of the veteran additions, there is a chance they can steal a few more games.
The Dodgers are -650 to win the NL West, way ahead of any other division favorite in the league on FanDuel Sportsbook.
The Padres have the highest win total over-under among the three Wild Card contenders at 83.5 wins. San Francisco is next at 80.5 wins, with the Diamondbacks trailing at 79.5 wins.
San Diego is tied with Milwaukee in sixth among National League teams with +110 odds to make the postseason.
The Diamondbacks went a month before facing an NL West team last year, but this time they will open the season with three games against the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine.
Arizona’s next divisional matchup will be in Mexico City against the Padres on April 25-26. The D-backs will first see the Giants and Rockies for two series apiece in May.
As has been the case over the past two seasons, the Diamondbacks will end the 2026 campaign against the Padres, who have effectively eliminated Arizona both times. Arizona went 5-8 against San Diego last year, although the final two losses were after the D-backs were out of contention and started resting regulars.
If the Giants are hanging around, they will finish the year with six of their final nine games against the Dodgers.
ESPN’s Jay Bilas has correctly picked the NCAA Tournament winner the past three years. Can he make it four in a row with some help from the Arizona Wildcats?
In his annual NCAA Tournament prediction, Bilas has the Wildcats knocking off the Michigan State Spartans in this year’s national championship.
Bilas forsees the Wildcats cruising past No. 16 seed Long Island University on Friday and taking down No. 9 seed and Mountain West Tournament champion Utah State on Sunday to reach a third consecutive Sweet Sixteen.
Despite starting out the following weekend with a matchup against No. 4 seed and SEC Tournament champion Arkansas, the analyst sticks with Arizona to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2015.
Bilas’ prediction of a mostly chalk West Region results in the Wildcats taking on No. 2 seed and Big Ten Tournament champion Purdue where they officially punch to their ticket to the program’s first Final Four in 25 years.
Once in Indianapolis, he has Arizona defeating Midwest Region No. 2 seed Iowa State in a rematch of Friday’s electric Big 12 Tournament semifinal before winning the national championship against East Regional No. 3 seed Michigan State.
Sunday’s NCAA Selection Show placed Arizona (32-2, 16-2) as the No. 2 overall seed and the top seed in the West Region after winning the Big 12 Tournament on Saturday.
Bilas’ road to the Wildcats’ second national title and first since 1997 includes three conference tournament champions and four consecutive top four seeds. Furthermore, this path would force Arizona to take on five teams currently ranked inside the top 30 of KenPom out of the six featured in the West Region.
Arizona taking home the national title would cap off a spectacular season that saw senior guard Jaden Bradley win Big 12 Player of the Year, head coach Tommy Lloyd win Big 12 Coach of the Year and the program win its first Big 12 regular season and tournament championship since joining the conference in 2024.
However, the quest to winning six games in 16 days starts with the Wildcats’ first-round game against LIU at 10:35 a.m. MST on Friday in San Diego.
The Arizona Diamondbacks optioned right-handed pitcher Drey Jameson and reassigned right-handed pitcher John Curtiss and infielder Luken Baker to minor league camp, the team announced Sunday.
The roster moves leave 37 players left in camp with 11 days until opening day.
Jameson has played three seasons with the D-backs, pitching to a 2.65 ERA across 68 innings.
He threw a career-high 40.2 innings in 2023 before missing the entire 2024 season due to injury. The 28-year-old played in only three major league games last season as he dealt with elbow issues.
Curtiss has eight years of MLB experience, with a career 4.03 ERA. He pitched 36.2 innings for Arizona last season with a 3.93 ERA and earned one save.
Baker has spent nine years between the minor and majors. The infielder has done three stints in MLB with the St. Louis Cardinals, with 73 total games under his belt.
The D-backs signed him to a minor league deal in January. He had hit .273 with a .961 OPS in 13 spring training games.
The moves come a week after Arizona optioned five players to the Reno Aces.
Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno will be shut down for a couple of days after an MRI revealed right elbow inflammation, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters Saturday.
Lovullo added that the Diamondbacks anticipate Moreno to be ready for the start of the regular season.
“We felt we are in a really good spot. He’s gonna have a couple of days down, and we are just going to continue to treat him up and make sure that when we initiate the baseball activity, that he is pain-free and pushing forward to get ready for the season,” Lovullo said. “We want to give him the proper rest right now.”
Moreno was previously scratched from the D-backs’ lineup on Friday against the Kansas City Royals with right forearm tightness and underwent imaging that evening.
Moreno has missed time in each of his first three seasons with the Diamondbacks due to various injuries (shoulder, groin, thumb, wrist). Moreno’s latest ailment comes as backup catcher Adrian Del Castillo is out with a left calf issue.
Lovullo said Smith, who was scratched from Friday’s lineup with left forearm tightness, will be shut down for the next couple of days. Lovullo added that Smith will not undergo any imaging and expects him to be ready for Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Cubs.
Corbin Carroll, who made his 2026 Cactus League debut Wednesday after hand surgery last month, was in the lineup as a designated hitter against the San Francisco Giants on Saturday. Lovullo said before Saturday’s game that Carroll will likely DH against the San Diego Padres on Sunday.
Special teamer and wide receiver Simi Fehoko re-signed with the Arizona Cardinals on a one-year deal Friday.
The sixth-year pro appeared in eight games for Arizona in 2025 before he was sent to the injured reserve with an arm injury.
Fehoko made light of his IR placement on social media when a fan asked if an apparent ankle tweak put him on the injury list. The receiver said he taped up his ankle and on the very next play broke his arm.
I taped this up and played with this, I’m on IR cause I broke my arm the next kickoff making a tackle lol
— Simi Fehoko (@Simi_Fehoko) November 13, 2025
Fehoko played 116 special teams snaps in 2025 and recorded seven tackles there, adding 37 snaps as a receiver. Twenty-one of the offensive snaps came in his last appearance of the season, a Week 8 loss against the Seattle Seahawks.
Fehoko spent 2021-22 with the Dallas Cowboys and 2023-24 with the Los Angeles Chargers before joining the Cardinals last season.
He returns to a room led by Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson and free-agent signee Kendrick Bourne.
It’s Friday. The National Basketball Association (NBA) has a total of eight games on the schedule, including a doubleheader streaming on Prime Video. The Cleveland Cavaliers travel to meet the Dallas Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. ET, while the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors battle at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Here are our top NBA DFS picks and advice for tonight’s slate.
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet>>
Cade Cunningham heads into this game averaging 50.7 fantasy points per game (fantasy points per game), which is nearly five points per contest more than any other option available on the board. While you’ll have to pay up for that difference, the price isn’t terribly steep.
Facing the Memphis Grizzlies, who have an opponent rank of 25, should ensure that Cunningham has a huge evening. He has posted 10+ assists in five of his past six games, while hitting the mark in nine of the past 11 outings.
Cunningham also has at least five rebounds in seven of those 11 games. He is averaging 20.0 points, 11.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds with 2.7 three-pointers per game in six March outings.
Also at the guard spot, Donovan Mitchell is a decent play, especially if you want to watch your player on TV. Mitchell has a very favorable matchup against the Mavericks, who have an opponent rank of 29th. He is averaging 45.3 fantasy points per game.
Mitchell recently missed about two weeks due to a groin injury, but he is averaging 24 points, 5.3 assists, five rebounds, 2.3 three-pointers and 1.3 steals per game in three games since returning from his injury. He is averaging 29 points, seven assists, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 steals and two three-pointers in his past four games against Western Conference teams.
Jalen Brunson isn’t quite S-tier, but he is a good alternative if you have a salary crunch, and if you can’t make the math work to afford Cade Cunningham at the top of your lineup. I was hoping to find a forward worthy of the top spot here, but nobody is worth paying a huge price for tonight.
Brunson has rolled up 24+ points in three consecutive outings, and he is working on a streak with at least seven assists. He is averaging a double-double in March, posting 22.1 points and 10 assists while hitting 2.6 three-pointers per game.
The forward with the best matchup on the evening is Kevin Durant. He has racked up 41.7 fantasy points per game, and he faces a New Orleans defense that ranks 19th in opponent rank. He should be able to go off, and he won’t break the bank in terms of DFS salary.
There are some better frontcourt alternatives, but they’re either questionable due to injuries, coming back from a recent ailment or facing a tougher matchup than Durant. In his two meetings with the Pelicans this season, Durant is averaging 25 points, 6.5 rebounds and five assists with five total three-pointers, four total blocks and a steal.
If you want to build a Cavaliers stack, Evan Mobley is an essential part of your DFS lineup. The Mavericks have an opponent rank of 26, while Mobley is good for 39.7 fantasy points per game. At a minimum, he should record a double-double.
Mobley went for 18 points and 13 rebounds in Orlando on Wednesday, while adding four assists and two blocks. That’s a good night. He is averaging 18.4 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 blocks in five games this month. Mobley has at least two blocks in three straight outings, too.
If you don’t want to pay close to five figures for the top backcourt options, Amen Thompson could be the answer to your pra… OK, we won’t make that stupid joke again. I bet he has never heard that one, either.
Thompson is averaging 21.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in six March contests, while hitting a rather efficient 63% from the field. He has really grown into quite the player, and he also uses his quick hands to rack up plenty of steals.
Thompson has 10 steals in six games this month, and at least one steal in 26 of his past 27 outings.
There are so many solid backcourt options at different tiers on Friday night, so choose wisely. Reed Sheppard has averaged 26.4 fantasy points per game, and he faces a Pelicans team with an opponent rank of 28. It’s a solid spot, and he comes with a mid-tier price.
After a 13-game run with double-digit point totals, including 30 against Golden State on March 5th, Sheppard is just 6-of-22 for eight points in his past two games.
Expect Sheppard to break out against a leaky New Orleans defense, but don’t expect a gigantic line. He is averaging 11 points, four assists and 3.5 rebounds in two matchups versus New Orleans this season, while also averaging three three-pointers per game.
Swingman Naji Marshall should be a tremendous play against the Cavaliers on Friday night. He missed a little bit of time to kick off March, but he is back in the starting lineup and is worth rostering against Cleveland.
Marshall has been a little shaky since making his way back, and that’s a big reason his cost has dropped. But, he showed during a six-game span from February 10-26 what he can do when he is 100%. During that span, he scored 15+ points in every game, including a pair of 30-point outings, while also chipping in with a smattering of assists and a steal or two.
Jaylon Tyson is a strong alternative in the frontcourt, and he won’t cost you a ton. Jarrett Allen (knee) is out for a fourth consecutive game, so Tyson and Thomas Bryant (see below) will be the beneficiaries of more playing time.
Tyson is facing a team with an opponent rank of 29. He has averaged 25.9 fantasy points per game, including a few bangers when he has played a full allotment of minutes. Roll the dice here.
Thomas Bryant is a low-cost option in the middle who should exceed DFS salary expectations, as he gets considerable time alongside Jaylon Tyson, with Jarrett Allen (knee) on the shelf.
Even if you punt the spot, allowing you to load up at other positions, Bryant will provide value.
Ryan Dunn is a tremendous option at a low cost, especially if things break right. Dillon Brooks (hand) is sidelined, and that’s for certain. But swingman Grayson Allen (knee) is also questionable.
Dunn could be in line for a ton of minutes. While facing Toronto isn’t a very favorable matchup, he could see a huge amount of minutes at a very low cost.
If you’re not quite feeling the logic on Ryan Dunn, or you are scared off if Grayson Allen is active for Phoenix, Keon Ellis is a good alternative. Or, you could potentially use both and really save a ton of cap space to use elsewhere.
Ellis went off for 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting in Orlando on Wednesday, while adding four boards, an assist, a block and a steal. He is averaging 19.5 points with 4.5 three-pointers per game in the past two games, too. Strike while the iron is hot.
