MLB Baseball 24-Hour Briefing
×Last updated: March 20, 2026, 3:30 PM ET
Transaction & Roster Moves
The Minnesota Twins released veteran righty Liam Hendriks from his minor league contract on Friday, marking a surprising end to his comeback attempt in the organization. Separately, the Cleveland Guardians moved pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz to unpaid non-disciplinary leave as both await trial proceedings related to an alleged pitch-rigging scheme, a significant internal disruption for the club heading into the season. Adding to the injury woes around the league, Giants prospect Hayden Birdsong is scheduled for Tommy John surgery, effectively wiping him out for the entire 2024 campaign, while Astros manager Joe Espada confirmed that left-hander Bennett Sousa will begin the season on the injured list due to an oblique strain suffered late in camp.
Spring Training & Future Outlooks
While teams finalize rosters, notable developments emerged from spring training experimentation, including the New York Mets testing dugout pitch calls in exhibition games, following the lead of division rival Miami. Beyond immediate concerns, the market for top baseball collectibles saw a major transaction as a 2025 Topps Chrome dual MVP gold Logoman card featuring game-worn patches from both Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani fetched a final sales price of $2.16 million. Looking further ahead, despite a recent dip in buzz, some analysts believe Texas Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford remains an MVP sleeper, suggesting his true breakout potential might materialize closer to the 2026 season rather than this year.
Media & Industry Trends
The international appeal of the sport continues to grow, evidenced by the television ratings for the recent global tournament, where the championship game between Venezuela and the United States drew nearly 10.8 million viewers across Fox platforms, almost doubling the audience from the previous iteration. Concurrently, evaluators wrapping up their reviews of major league camps noted several key takeaways regarding team preparedness and player form, offering insights into what stood out across Florida and Arizona facilities during the spring training period while the World Baseball Classic dominated the early schedule.