Spring training is here and there will be plenty of starting jobs on the line, some of which will have significant fantasy implications. I'll be covering the American League as we break down some of those battles, while Erik Siegrist will take on the National League. We'll go division-by-division, and first up is the AL East.
Editor's note: the number in parenthesis is the player's NFBC ADP since 2/1
AL EAST BATTLES
Baltimore Orioles
Right Fielder/Designated Hitter: Samuel Basallo (174), Dylan Beavers (354), Tyler O'Neill (539), Coby Mayo (588), Ryan Mountcastle (612)
Basallo should be locked in at designated hitter, at least against right-handed pitching. However, since he will also do some catching, play some first base and will probably sit against some lefties, there are still at-bats to be had at DH that don't go to Basallo.
I lumped these two positions together mostly because of O'Neill, because he is the only one in the above group competing for reps at both spots. The 30-year-old is in the second year of a three-year, $49.5 million contract, which is not the kind of deal you give to a guy you plan to use merely in a short-side platoon. O'Neill was dreadful in his first season in Baltimore, though – both from a performance and health perspective – and has always been much better against lefties (career .894 OPS) than righties (career .747 OPS). It's possible the Orioles give him one last chance to be an everyday guy in right field,
Spring training is here and there will be plenty of starting jobs on the line, some of which will have significant fantasy implications. I'll be covering the American League as we break down some of those battles, while Erik Siegrist will take on the National League. We'll go division-by-division, and first up is the AL East.
Editor's note: the number in parenthesis is the player's NFBC ADP since 2/1
AL EAST BATTLES
Baltimore Orioles
Right Fielder/Designated Hitter: Samuel Basallo (174), Dylan Beavers (354), Tyler O'Neill (539), Coby Mayo (588), Ryan Mountcastle (612)
Basallo should be locked in at designated hitter, at least against right-handed pitching. However, since he will also do some catching, play some first base and will probably sit against some lefties, there are still at-bats to be had at DH that don't go to Basallo.
I lumped these two positions together mostly because of O'Neill, because he is the only one in the above group competing for reps at both spots. The 30-year-old is in the second year of a three-year, $49.5 million contract, which is not the kind of deal you give to a guy you plan to use merely in a short-side platoon. O'Neill was dreadful in his first season in Baltimore, though – both from a performance and health perspective – and has always been much better against lefties (career .894 OPS) than righties (career .747 OPS). It's possible the Orioles give him one last chance to be an everyday guy in right field, but the smart money is on Beavers taking on that role versus right-handers.
I still expect (hope?) the Orioles to trade at least one of Mayo or Mountcastle, because they kind of have to, right? The club had seemed to be done with trying Mayo at third base, but he's been getting reps there early on in camp and could, theoretically, play there if Jordan Westburg (oblique) moves to second base to cover for Jackson Holliday (hand). It seems more likely though that Blaze Alexander slots into the lineup while Holliday is out and Mayo is left twisting in the wind. Mountcastle's best path to playing time outside of a trade is either at first base or DH against lefties, whichever spot Pete Alonso isn't at that day.
Fifth Starter: Zach Eflin (532), Dean Kremer (566), Tyler Wells (597), Cade Povich (664)
The addition of Chris Bassitt last week means there's only one rotation spot available for this group, if the Orioles go with a traditional five-man rotation. They have discussed using a six-man setup, however, at least at the beginning of the season. If he's healthy, Eflin would seem to have a leg up for the fifth spot after Baltimore re-signed him to a one-year, $10 million contract. However, while he's participating fully in camp following last August's back surgery, he could be stashed on the injured list for a while if things don't go smoothly this spring. If that were to happen, Kremer could fill the fifth slot. Kremer has made 85 starts for Baltimore over the last three seasons and has been consistently mediocre with an ERA in the 4.10-4.19 range each of those years. Wells was excellent in his last full season in 2023 and pitched well down the stretch in 2025 after returning from UCL surgery. He is deserving of another opportunity in the rotation, but with his experience as a reliever and the other bodies the Orioles have, he would be pretty easy to slot into the bullpen.
Boston Red Sox
Left Fielder/Designated Hitter: Roman Anthony (57), Jarren Duran (71), Triston Casas (548), Kristian Campbell (572), Masataka Yoshida (697), Nate Eaton (NR)
Heading into the offseason, seemingly one of the safest notable transaction bets was that the Red Sox would trade an outfielder in order to free up their logjam. It hasn't happened though, at least not yet, so the team still has four starting-caliber outfielders for three slots.
Notice I didn't include Ceddanne Rafaela or Wilyer Abreu in the group of players above, because the expectation is that they will be everyday guys in center field and right field, respectively. Anthony is going to be an everyday guy, as well, but he could rotate between left field and DH. Duran has been an everyday guy the past two seasons for the Red Sox, but he has yet to solve left-handed pitching and might sit against them in 2026. If that happens, Campbell and Eaton could enter the mix. Eaton is the likelier of the two to fill the role if it's strictly a short-side platoon, but the possibility exists that Campbell looks so good in spring training (again) that Boston feels it has to slot him in somewhere. They'll want him playing every day, though, and a super-utility role seems unlikely since he's expected to devote most of his attention to the outfield.
Casas' impending return from a knee injury will present an additional complication. He is not expected to be ready in time for Opening Day, and by the time he's ready it's possible this situation will have sorted itself out. As things currently stand, however, he doesn't have a clear path to playing time, as the Red Sox will have Willson Contreras at first base and one of their four outfielders at DH most of the time. Casas certainly has the ability to force his way into the lineup at some point, having slugged 24 homers with an .857 OPS during his last healthy season in 2023. There's also Yoshida, who is still owed $37.2 million. He was an above-average hitter from 2023-24, but the 32-year-old struggled with performance and health in 2025 and the Red Sox have been trying unsuccessfully to dump his contract on someone.
Fifth Starter: Connelly Early (261), Johan Oviedo (478), Payton Tolle (519), Kutter Crawford (663), Patrick Sandoval (738)
Unable or unwilling to spend or trade for a big bat, the Red Sox instead chose to add to an already deep rotation when they signed Ranger Suarez to a five-year, $130 million contract. If Boston sticks with a five-man rotation, just one of the hurlers above will be part of it. Like the Orioles, they're also mulling a six-man setup, but that would still leave three of these viable arms on the outside looking in.
Crawford (wrist) is throwing off a mound in Red Sox camp but is a bit behind other pitchers. That makes him a pretty easy IL stash to begin the season. Sandoval (elbow) appears to have a better shot at being ready for Opening Day, but he's also a candidate for an IL stint. Neither pitcher threw a single inning last season.
The Red Sox have two highly regarded young lefties in Early and Tolle, and Early had more success of the two during their late-season auditions last year. That seemingly would put him a tick higher in the pecking order, though Tolle could easily change that perception if he has a big spring. Oviedo could be the favorite for the No. 5 spot after the Red Sox traded for him over the offseason, though he does have a minor-league option remaining.
New York Yankees
Shortstop: Jose Caballero (205), Anthony Volpe (498)
The Yankees are essentially running it back with the same team they had last year, which means there's not really any competition for jobs this spring and I'm left stretching the definition of "battle" to find someone to talk about.
The real competition between Caballero and Volpe may not occur until Volpe makes it back from surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder. That's expected to happen approximately a month or so into the season, though the Yankees have been vague so far about a timeline. While Volpe is shelved, Caballero will be the shortstop. He was terrific after landing in the Bronx via trade last season, slashing .266/.372/.456 with three homers and 15 stolen bases in 40 regular-season games. Caballero also rated very well defensively at shortstop in 2025, as he has in all three of his big-league seasons. Volpe, meanwhile, was a disaster at the plate and in the field last season, though it's fair to assume the shoulder injury he played with for most of the year was a factor.
I have no doubt New York wants Volpe to reclaim the shortstop job, which would allow manager Aaron Boone to utilize Caballero in a super-utility role. However, if Caballero gets off to a good start, it's going to be difficult for Boone to justify turning back to Volpe after the season he just had.
Third Starter/Fourth Starter/Fifth Starter: Ryan Weathers (272), Will Warren (380), Luis Gil (426), Ryan Yarbrough (740), Paul Blackburn (NR), Osvaldo Bido (NR)
This is another one that doesn't really seem like much of a competition, but let's review the situation nonetheless.
Gerrit Cole's season debut is expected to come in late May or early June as he returns from Tommy John surgery with an internal brace, while Carlos Rodon (elbow) is expected back in late April or early May. That means the Yankees need some arms to fill out a rotation that has Max Fried and Cam Schlittler locked into spots. Weathers, Warren and Gil are almost surely going to slide into those final three slots, but the Yanks did re-sign Yarbrough and Blackburn and claimed Bido off waivers to supplement their depth.
Warren tied for the team lead with 33 starts in 2025 and flashed plenty of promise in his rookie season with more than a strikeout per inning. He'll look for better results with his offspeed pitches and also more length in 2026 after he went six-plus frames in just six of his starts. Length has been an issue for Weathers and Gil as well, in part due to injuries. Weathers was an intriguing upside play for the Yankees, but he has yet to reach 100 innings in a season at the major-league level.
Tampa Bay Rays
Closer: Griffin Jax (203), Edwin Uceta (269), Garrett Cleavinger (540)
The Rays created a hole in the ninth inning when they chose in November to decline Pete Fairbanks' $11 million option for 2026. Unfortunately, the team's closer picture is no clearer now than it was then.
After mulling the possibility of shifting Jax to the rotation, the Rays will keep the righty in the bullpen. The 31-year-old certainly has closer qualities, boasting a 34.7 percent strikeout rate and 6.4 percent walk rate over the last two seasons. Jax did have notable splits in 2025, with lefty bats producing a .347 wOBA against him, but he didn't have a major issue with them previously. Uceta had to pull out of the World Baseball Classic due to a shoulder problem, though the Rays insist it's precautionary and he will be ready to go for Opening Day. Cleavinger has the lefty bias working against him, but he hasn't had splits issues in his career so I'm not sure that will be a factor in manager Kevin Cash's ninth-inning decisions.
The Rays have other talented bullpen arms like Bryan Baker and Hunter Bigge, among others, and it wouldn't surprise anyone if Cash doesn't settle on one guy. Fairbanks was pretty clearly the closer the last couple years when available, however, so Cash's reputation for wanting to mix and match might be outdated.
Right Fielder: Jacob Melton (589), Jake Fraley (672), Jonny DeLuca (725), Justyn-Henry Malloy (NR)
The Rays traded presumed right fielder Josh Lowe to the Angels in January and have not added an outfielder of significance since then (with apologies to Victor Mesa), leaving the position up for grabs.
This certainly seems set up for Cash to go platoon-crazy, not only in right field but possibly in all three outfield spots. Chandler Simpson and Cedric Mullins should be locked in as the left fielder and center fielder, respectively, and I suspect another left-handed bat, Fraley, will get the first crack in right field against right-handers. Utility player Richie Palacios is also a candidate from the left side for reps in right field. If anyone could run away with the job, it would probably be Melton, who was acquired from the Astros via trade this offseason. The 25-year-old could also be stashed at Triple-A Durham for a while if the Rays have things they want him to work on, however.
From the right side, the Rays have DeLuca, Malloy and Ryan Vilade as candidates for a short-side platoon role. DeLuca seems likely to handle center field versus lefties, with Mullins heading to the bench. Malloy doesn't have a good outfield glove, but he does have a career 124 wRC+ against left-handed pitching and the Rays sought him out via trade this offseason.
Toronto Blue Jays
Left Fielder: Jesus Sanchez (443), Nathan Lukes (630), Davis Schneider (684)
A few months ago, I'd have probably guessed the Blue Jays' left fielder would be Kyle Tucker (or Addison Barger, with Tucker playing right field). However, Tucker opted to join the juggernaut that is the Dodgers. A couple weeks ago, I'd have told you it would be Anthony Santander. Instead, Santander might not play at all this season after labrum surgery on his left shoulder.
Spurned by Tucker and without Santander indefinitely, the Blue Jays traded for Sanchez last week, sending Joey Loperfido back to the Astros. Sanchez has a clearer path to the left field job than Loperfido would have had and has been a perpetual tease, consistently hitting the ball very hard but failing to break out. That could change under new hitting coach David Popkins, who drew raves last season as he helped the Blue Jays increase their bat speed nearly across the board. Of course, bat speed has never been Sanchez's problem, as he's never ranked lower than the 81st percentile since the stat has been tracked and was in the 93rd percentile in 2025.
Many seem ready to hand Sanchez the left-field job against right-handed pitching, and as a noted Sanchez stan, I'm here for it. I'm not convinced it will be that simple, though. Lukes had a 104 wRC+ against righties last season (matching Sanchez), is the better defender of the two and was the regular two-hole hitter during the Blue Jays' AL pennant run.
Regardless of who winds up receiving the lion's share of playing time in left field against righties, Schneider is a safe bet to be the guy versus southpaws. The 27-year-old was actually much better against righties than lefties last season, but he was the platoon mate for Lukes during last year's postseason.
Fifth Starter: Jose Berrios (589), Eric Lauer (693)
Shane Bieber will be brought along slowly this spring after he pitched through forearm fatigue down the stretch last season. He will begin the season on the injured list, and while the team seems optimistic that it will be a short-term absence, that's not a foregone conclusion given his history. Bieber's surprising decision to exercise his player option this offseason rather than seek a long-term deal in free agency also generated speculation his medicals might not have withstood the scrutiny they would have gotten from another team.
Even if Bieber's absence is brief, the Blue Jays will need a fifth starter for a bit. Berrios is the logical candidate, as long as he's not injured himself. The veteran right-hander was demoted to the bullpen late last season, then went on the IL with elbow inflammation and abruptly left the team during the World Series. Berrios has since apologized for his exit, and the elbow issue appears to be behind him. Lauer outpitched Berrios by a wide margin last season, but he's already shown he can handle a swingman role effectively, while Berrios has made just two relief appearances in his 10-year career.
