Talking Baseball: Vol. 27

The 2026 Major League Baseball season starts this week. Let's talk about that, and a lot more baseball stuff.

1. Before we dig into the 2026 Major League Baseball season let’s talk for a minute about the World Baseball Classic.

I really want to like this thing.

I like the concept of it.

But it is only going to matter as much as people make it matter. Events like that, and the NHL and NBA players in the Olympics (or any other international event), are only going to be important if it has meaning to the people participating and the people watching. If the players care and are passionate, the fans are probably going to follow. When that happens, you’ve got a big event.

As Grandpa Simpson once said, “I’m trying to watch the Super Bowl, if people don’t support this thing it’s won’t last.”

I think for a lot of people the WBC did, in fact, matter. Those crowds that followed the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Japan were amazing. The players on most of the teams clearly gave a shit and were both happy and proud to be playing for their flag and country.

I did not get the same feeling from the United States team. I did not get the same vibe from them. Or the fans. I believe they wanted to win, and I believe they tried to have passion and excitement over it, but a lot of it seemed …. forced.

It is also hard for me to take it seriously from the U.S. perspective when they hired Mark DeRosa to manage the team, a TV host that did not even know the tiebreaking procedure in the round-robin portion of the tournament.

It is hard to take it seriously when Nolan McLean (who is a very good pitcher; this is not a knock on Nolan McLean) is starting the winner-take-all championship game, largely because guys like Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochett did not want to pitch in the tournament.

You had Bryce Harper opening the tournament by saying, “well, it’s not the Olympics” and DeRosa making bullpen decisions based on what each pitcher’s Major League team wants them to do with their workload. I at least understand the latter point, but it is also what makes it so hard to treat it like it is a meaningful, real tournament.

I enjoyed watching the baseball. I enjoyed the games. I want it to matter. But there needs to be more buy-in from the players on the U.S. side to get more fans to fully buy-in and make it truly matter here.

2. I have a new baseball hobby, and it is collecting T206 cards. At least a few of them.

If you are not familiar, the T206 set is the early 1900s set that was sold in cigarette packs and produced the famous Honus Wagner card that is one of the most sought after and valuable cards ever made.

I just always thought the T206 cards were cool, especially when you take into account the age of them and how rare they are.

When I collected baseball cards as a kid it was during the “Junk Wax” era where everything was mass produced and has zero value now.

My goal with the T206 cards is to get enough to put together a team, one card for each position, and frame it with a baseball diamond background. Think Mr. Burns displaying his team to Mr. Smithers when he was trying to hire his ringers for the Nuclear Power Plant softball team.

I have four cards so far. I am excited for this project. I am going for either the best names or just good backstories on players. I will go into more detail as the team comes together.

The card I need/want to get is a Rube Waddell.

But his cards are all extremely expensive, and usually north of $400. I am trying to keep these to under $50 per card because I am not made of money.

3. Let’s talk some Pittsburgh Pirates baseball, and the biggest story of spring training: Konnor Griffin and his demotion to Triple-A to start the season.

I am not overly upset about this.

I get it.

He is 19 years old, has played less than 20 games above A-Ball and while he did club four impressive home runs during exhibition games, he also struggled at times, especially when it came to handling fastballs. It is okay if a 19-year-old is not quite ready for the big leagues. Most of them are not. There has not been one that started a season in the Major Leagues since Ken Griffey Jr.

I am more disappointed in the fact they did nothing to the left side of the infield that it left them in a position where the 19-year-old phenom is the only legitimate Major League option to play on that side of the field.

I like the offseason the Pirates had, and I like the fact they actually added a few Major League caliber bats to help what could be one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. But I find it hard to take this team seriously as anything close to a contender when the left side of the infield is Nick Gonzales at third base and Jared Triolo at shortstop, neither of which is playing at their natural position.

Triolo’s glove might play at shortstop, but neither bat will play. Combined with the offensive black hole that is the catching position and you still have three empty spots in your lineup.

The good news with Triolo is that he is obviously just a placeholder and keeping the spot warm until Griffin arrives in a month or two. I can live with that a little more. The third base and catching holes are a little harder to accept. Especially when they knew they had no real option at third base, and given how many resources and assets they have sunk into the catching position without ever being able to find a solution.

Henry Davis was a No. 1 overall pick and might as well walk up to the plate carrying an umbrella. Endy Rodriguez was a key piece of the Joe Musgrove trade, but injuries and general ineffectiveness have limited his upside. They added Joey Bart in a trade, and while he had a good half season his 2025 season was a mess. And he can not actually play the position. Rafael Flores was the key piece in the David Bednar trade, is already 25 years old, and does not even seem to be anything close to a realistic option. He also had an awful spring training performance. Nobody has taken the spot and run with it.

4. The minor league demotion I actually dislike is outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia going down to Triple-A. He came over from the Boston Red Sox in the Johan Oviedo trade and was intriguing from the very beginning. He was a top-100 prospect in all of baseball a year ago, and it was the type of baseball trade the Pirates needed to make: Pitching depth for hitting. Then he showed up in Bradenton and proceeded to hit the absolute shit out of the ball. I just can not believe there was not a spot for him on this roster at the start of the season and no situation where he couldn’t get regular at-bats. He is talented. He earned it.

Now, let’s talk some predictions, why the Pirates can make the playoffs (and why they can not) and a quick look around the rest of the league.