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Buying Or Selling MLB's 2026 Spring Training Camp Buzz
For something that doesn't technically matter, it's amazing how there's never a dull moment during MLB spring training.
So, what the heck. Let's play a game of "Buy or Sell?" with eight spring training storylines that are particularly compelling.
These run the gamut from injury concerns to breakout prospects to a surprising position change and even a contract offer. In all cases, the idea is to suss out whether what is being implied is actually believable.
Let's get to it, starting with a development concerning last year's AL Rookie of the Year winner.
Will the Athletics Extend Nick Kurtz?
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What's Happening
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Athletics have made a long-term contract extension offer to Nick Kurtz. Sherman added that he has "received no word on the likelihood of getting it to the finish line."
After making his MLB debut on April 23, 2025, Kurtz ran away with the AL Rookie of the Year race by racking up a 1.002 OPS and 36 home runs in 117 games.
The Case for Buy
This is a guy the A's should want to lock up. Kurtz's rookie season was a borderline GOAT affair, as he joined Aaron Judge and José Abreu as the only rookie hitters to top a 170 OPS+ and 36 home runs.
It's also not a bad time to make a play for him to be a franchise cornerstone. The 22-year-old might value getting financial security now, and the A's are ostensibly only two years out from ditching Sacramento for Las Vegas.
The Case for Sell
True, the A's have already done pre-arbitration extensions with Lawrence Butler, Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson. But Kurtz likely has much more long-term earning power than the three of them if he forgoes an extension and aims for arbitration and free agency.
Beyond simply being really good, he was the No. 4 pick in the 2024 draft and is now just five years from the open market. He could be a fool not to be on himself.
Verdict: Sell
Will Konnor Griffin Make the Pirates' Opening Day Roster?
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What's Happening
Konnor Griffin is the consensus No. 1 prospect in MLB, and it's not a well-kept secret that he's in camp with a real chance to open 2026 as the Pirates' starting shortstop.
He's already showed why the hype is so strong. He only has two hits this spring, but those two hits were monstrous home runs.
The Case for Buy
If it's not going to be Griffin, then the Pirates' starting shortstop is going to be Nick Gonzales. That alone is reason enough to take the idea seriously, and it really is hard to overstate just how high Griffin's upside goes.
Imagine peak Mike Trout as a shortstop, and you get the idea. And with Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporting that Griffin and the Bucs are open to an extension, there would seem to be mutual interest in getting on with his MLB career.
The Case for Sell
Griffin is still only 19 years old and he's only played 21 games above the High-A level in the minors. Even in an era of fast-moving prospects, putting him in the big leagues in a few weeks might be a little too fast.
The Bucs also have his arbitration timeline to consider. They stand to gain an extra year of club control by waiting to promote him, which they should consider to be potentially much more valuable than a PPI draft pick.
Verdict: Buy
Will Kevin McGonigle Make the Tigers' Opening Day Roster?
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What's Happening
Just behind Konnor Griffin on most prospect lists is Kevin McGonigle, and his profile is similar: uber-talented shortstop trying to make an Opening Day roster.
In McGonigle's case, it's the Tigers' shortstop job in his sights. He hasn't made quite the same impression that Griffin has, but he has edges when it comes to age (21) and experience.
The Case for Buy
As to that experience edge, McGonigle has played in three minor league seasons to Griffin's one. He also has 46 games above the High-A level, which isn't a lot but is at least more than Griffin.
McGonigle has hit over .300 with an OBP over .400 in all three of his minor league seasons, and last year saw him also slug .583. As such, he's the clear upside play for a shortstop spot that was a revolving door in 2025.
The Case for Sell
If there's another major difference between Griffin and McGonigle, it's that the latter isn't as well regarded as a shortstop. Per MLB Pipeline, his best defensive fit might be at second base.
That's one good excuse for the Tigers to be patient. Otherwise, there's the standard arbitration clock concern and the reality that Detroit can survive with some combo of Trey Sweeney, Zach McKinstry and Javier Báez at short.
Verdict: Sell
Have the Dodgers Still Not Solved Roki Sasaki?
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What's Happening
Roki Sasaki had a weird rookie season in 2025. The Dodgers won in the regular season in spite of him as a starter, but then won the World Series largely because of him as a closer.
Either way, his ongoing quest to hack it as an MLB starter hit another snag in his spring training debut on Wednesday. He struck out three in 1.1 innings, but also gave up three runs on three hits and two walks.
The Case for Buy
The Dodgers know that Sasaki's splitter is unhittable. And on Wednesday, his four-seam fastball beat its average velocity from last season by 0.8 mph.
If that's the good news, the bad is twofold: his command is still shaky, and the Dodgers don't sound convinced that he has developed a workable third pitch. Confidence may be another issue, with one scout telling Bob Nightengale of USA Today that Sasaki looked "scared to death" on Wednesday.
The Case for Sell
Just in general, it feels way too soon to slam the door on Sasaki's outlook as a star in MLB. He left Japan with a career 2.10 ERA, and he's still only 24 years old.
To boot, even his Wednesday outing was hiding a positive development. Most of his hard times came as he was calling his own game. Once he let Dalton Rushing take over from behind the plate, he struck out three in a row.
Verdict: Buy
Will Mike Trout Survive in Center Field for the Angels?
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What's Happening
Mike Trout is one of the greatest center fielders of all time, yet he spent the entire 2025 season playing elsewhere. He logged 22 starts in right field and 106 at designated hitter.
Now, he's getting his wish to go back to center field. And it's not just a confidence thing, as he says playing center isn't as hard on his body as the corner outfield spots.
The Case for Buy
The confidence part is easy to buy. Trout has started over 1,600 games in center field as a professional, compared to fewer than 100 apiece in left and right field.
As for whether center field requires less movement, there could be something to that. In 2025, 10.6 percent of all batted balls were hit to the center fielder. That's less than left field (11.0) and as many as right field (10.6). And remember, the right fielder also has to back up first base.
The Case for Sell
Trout is entitled to his opinion, but anyone else might see a correlation at work in his 2025 season. The 130 games he played were his most since 2019, and 82 percent of those were as a DH.
Age is his real enemy. If he thinks he's going to survive in center field as a 34-year-old this season, here's a news flash: only two players this decade have played even 80 games out there at that age.
Verdict: Sell
Do the Braves Need to Sign a Starting Pitcher?
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What's Happening
The Braves entered the offseason with a need for a starter, and they were even connected to some of the bigger names on the market. But they got nobody, and that looms large after elbow injuries to Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep.
Meanwhile, Lucas Giolito and Zack Littell are among the free agents who remain available. You can connect the dots from there.
The Case for Buy
As things stand now, the Braves' rotation is led by Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo López and Grant Holmes. Sale is 37, and all four have major injuries in their recent histories.
The Braves are nonetheless projected by FanGraphs as the second-favorite to win the NL pennant after the Dodgers. But if anything is going to send the mission off the rails, it'll be the house-of-cards rotation.
The Case for Sell
Setting aside need for a moment, there is a question of practicality at play here. Atlanta is projected to open 2026 with a $264 million payroll, $50 million north of where the club's expenses ended last year.
Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Braves also "like" Bryce Elder and Joey Wentz, both of whom are out of options. Perhaps they can roll the dice with them and pivot to Giolito or Littell later if it doesn't work out.
Verdict: Buy
Will Giancarlo Stanton Play a Full Season for the Yankees?
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What's Happening
Giancarlo Stanton got a late start to 2025 because of tennis elbow in both arms. As he told Randy Miller of NJ.com, the problem not only persists, but is so painful that he can't open a bottle or a bag of chips.
And yet, the Yankees slugger still says he's eyeing a full season in 2026. Albeit counting the shortened 2020 season, he's averaged 83 games per year since 2019.
The Case for Buy
Let's give Stanton some grace and assume he's not talking about 162 games when he refers to playing a "full" season. Given his recent history, anything over 100 would be good enough.
To this end, he should have a better idea for how to manage the pain in his elbows after going through it last year. And unlike in 2025, the Yankees can hope that he can avoid being pressed into outfield duty and stay at DH all season.
The Case for Sell
Well… isn't it straightforward? This is the same set of injuries that limited Stanton to 77 games in 2025. And he's only another year older at 36.
If the elbows don't get Stanton, something else might. Injuries have been a running theme throughout his career, especially during his Yankees days. And as much as he prefers to trot, he can't not run (go ahead and make your "if you can call it that" jokes) from time to time.
Verdict: Sell
Will Juan Soto Have an MVP Season for the Mets?
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What's Happening
Juan Soto wants to win the NL MVP. This is according to no greater source than Juan Soto himself, who has his eyes on two-time defending NL MVP Shohei Ohtani.
"He's really good. He's really good," Soto said, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. "I've just got to beat him. Definitely, it's not going to be easy, but I've got to find a way to beat him."
The Case for Buy
Soto checks all the boxes as a guy who should run into an MVP eventually. He's in his prime. He's finished in the top three of the voting three times. And recently, he's been pushing the limits of his superstardom.
Formerly a .400 OBP guy with good power, now he's a .400 OBP guy with great power and speed, to boot. He hit a career-high 41 homers in 2024, and then upped the ante by threatening a 40-40 season with 43 homers and 38 stolen bases in 2025.
The Case for Sell
As long as Soto keeps his OBP/HR/SB combination around where it was last year, he'll remain an S-tier offensive threat. But his defense is famously bad and getting worse, and a move to left field is unlikely to reverse the trend.
That's a big check on his overall value, whereas Ohtani doesn't have a big one on his. His new offensive standard is a 1.000 OPS and 50 home runs, and he's looking at having his best pitching season since 2023.
Verdict: Sell
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
