2029 Season Preview

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The League Has Spent Five Years Looking for an Answer

El Paso is chasing six. Cincinnati is chasing the ending that escaped a 61-win season. Philadelphia has decided patience is over. Across the PBC, contenders enter 2029 with radically different answers to the same question: what does it take to knock a dynasty off its throne?

By the PBC Editorial Desk

There is a point in the life of every dynasty when admiration curdles into irritation.

The El Paso Diablos crossed it some time ago.

Five consecutive PBC Cups will do that. Five springs in which everybody else reshuffles the roster, discovers a prospect, makes a trade, signs a free agent and convinces itself that the balance of power has finally moved — followed by five autumns ending beneath the same celebration in West Texas.

At some point the question changed.

It is no longer Can El Paso do it again?

It is can anybody make the Diablos stop?

The Professional Baseball Circuit opens 2029 with more serious answers to that question than it has had in years, and almost none of those answers look alike.

Cincinnati's answer is trust.

The Regents went 61–27 last season, the best record in the PBC, and resisted the temptation to treat postseason disappointment as evidence that the whole machine needed dismantling. Orion Baker and Jaheim Kinney remain at the front of the rotation. Jose Echevarria, John Weber, Mario Sanchez, Christiaan Linders, Diego Perez and Abe Martuza remain embedded in a lineup that spent last summer grinding opponents down. Cincinnati has changed around the edges because the organization believes the center is already championship caliber.

Philadelphia chose almost the opposite response.

Five consecutive seasons without October finally exhausted whatever patience remained in the Keystones' offices. David Juarez came from Detroit. Then came the seismic move: two-time MVP Felipe Rodriguez from Nashville for a package built around two first-round picks and a second-rounder. Then Philadelphia signed Felipe Gutierrez, fresh off a .372 season and the Western Circuit batting championship.

Add Alfredo Zamarripa, Brandon Beech and Jayden Brown to that collection and the Keystones no longer resemble a club asking whether its window is still open.

They have climbed through it headfirst.

Tampa Bay went shopping too. Yataroh Kobayashi and Antonio Morales each received five-year, $11.5 million commitments, and Jonathan Fabela arrived from Los Angeles as another option. Washington sent premium draft capital to Denver for Mike Ryals and supplemented him with Geoff Becker and Carlos Vargas. St. Louis added Keith Warfield. New York City brought in Mark Brown and Tim Pasquale. Chicago mostly looked at a 53-win roster and decided that restraint had its virtues.

The East has become an argument over how much change a contender actually requires.

The West remains an argument over whether change matters at all if El Paso is still waiting in October.

Los Angeles won 56 games. Las Vegas won 55. Houston won 50 behind a rotation whose first three projected starters carried ERAs of 2.89, 3.32 and 3.37.

All three have plausible championship cases.

All three watched El Paso win again.

The Diablos did lose important players. Gutierrez is gone. Mark Brown is gone. Robbie Bibriesca is gone. The club also made the wrenching decision on the eve of the season to waive Aaron Shelby, the homegrown cornerstone who had started every El Paso game since 2015 and stands as the PBC's all-time RBI leader with 985. Ryan Burton, who came up alongside Shelby, called the move devastating. Shelby himself had expected a reduced role after the additions of Luis Guerrero and Frank Flores but had hoped to remain long enough to chase 1,000 RBIs.

Dynasties acquire their own cruelties. Eventually maintaining the thing means saying goodbye to people who built it.

Yet the competitive structure survives. Zhi-huan Gan remains. Orlando Ortiz remains. Steve Bender remains. Mario Hernandez remains. Adam Seiler has crossed over from Las Vegas. Guerrero is now part of the lineup. Ken Trombley is still waiting at the end of games.

That last name has already inspired its own bit of Western prophecy. Joe from El Paso offered a concise warning as spring wound down:

> "Trombley is about to become a PROBLEM"

Perhaps.

The PBC has 88 games to find out.

That is what gives 2029 its shape. Almost every serious contender is making a different bet.

Cincinnati is betting on continuity.

Philadelphia is betting on concentration of talent.

Washington is betting on breadth.

Tampa Bay is betting that run prevention becomes less urgent if the lineup simply refuses to stop scoring.

Nashville is betting that a step backward can be the beginning of a better leap forward.

Seattle is betting that consecutive 48-win seasons represent a platform rather than a ceiling.

Las Vegas and Los Angeles are betting that if they keep putting excellent teams into October, eventually one of them will be the team that sends El Paso home.

And the Diablos?

They are betting on themselves.

Again.

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EASTERN CIRCUIT

Cincinnati Starts First. Philadelphia Changed Everything Behind It.

The Eastern Circuit begins with Cincinnati because 61 victories leave little room for cleverness.

The Regents return the deepest collection of established answers in the Circuit. Their projected rotation begins with Orion Baker and Jaheim Kinney. Their batting order has production at nearly every stop. Even the club's unsettled outfield discussion is the sort contenders prefer to have: which useful player gets the opportunity rather than where a useful player might be found.

Philadelphia is the editorial pick to make the largest jump. That prediction asks the Keystones to leap from 43–45 into second place, a substantial act of faith in an offense that has been transformed by Rodriguez, Gutierrez and Juarez. The gamble is obvious, but so is the ceiling.

St. Louis remains third in the forecast because 52 wins were not accidental and Keith Warfield improves a lineup already led by Juan Tercero. New York City follows with a deeper rotation and the first full season of David Ibarra.

Chicago is the unusual fifth-place call despite winning 53 games a year ago. There is still plenty to like, particularly John McKinney and Jason Zierer, but the East has become significantly more crowded around the Union.

Nashville, Washington and Tampa Bay make up a volatile middle. Nashville has deliberately traded present certainty for future capital. Washington has done almost the reverse. Tampa Bay appears intent on turning baseball games into contests of offensive endurance.

Miami, Boston, Atlanta and Detroit begin farther down the ladder, though each has a different task. Miami wants its collection of newcomers to become a coherent club. Boston needs returning players to prove continuity was warranted. Atlanta and Detroit need the season to reveal more building blocks than it consumes.

PBC Editorial Forecast — Eastern Circuit

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Atlanta Pilots

A City Waiting for the Next Foundation

Marisol Vega — Atlanta Ledger

2028 finish: 36–52, 11th in the Eastern Circuit Editorial forecast: 11th

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CBrett Davis
• 1BConnor Phillips
• 2BBarthel Hansen
• 3BNate Davidson
• SSCarlos Cortez
• LFRicardo Contreras
• CFJustin Lynn
• RFChris Burgess
• DHArturo Ramos.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Carlos Correa
• Ivan Turcios; two spots unsettled.

Projected bullpen

• Mike Krohn
• John Robles
• Matt Rowan
• Dae-il Kim.

Young player to watch

• RHP Matt Brown, 20, No. 23 pick in the 2026 draft.

Atlanta does not need a slogan for 2029. It needs a direction the city can recognize.

The Pilots won 36 games last season, then watched Bryan Mas leave for Denver and Steve Yates move to Nashville. Sam Pruitt and John Ward are no longer answers at third base either. For a club already near the bottom of the East, that makes spring less about polishing a finished roster than identifying which pieces deserve to remain when Atlanta is ready to contend again.

The rotation shows the problem most clearly. Carlos Correa made 21 starts with a 4.88 ERA and stands as the most established projected option. Ivan Turcios follows despite a difficult 2028. After them, the responsible projection is simply to call the final two places unsettled. Atlanta has innings to distribute and no reason to pretend the competition is already decided.

There is more continuity in the lineup. Connor Phillips brings the strongest projected offensive baseline among the everyday players, while Justin Lynn and Chris Burgess give the outfield some familiarity. Nate Davidson should get another chance at third, and shortstop Carlos Cortez has room to grow into a larger role. The batting order does not need one player to become a superstar as much as it needs several players to stop being question marks simultaneously.

Twenty-year-old Matt Brown belongs to the longer view. The former first-round selection is worth following as a development story, not as a promised rescue from the minors. Atlanta can afford to be patient with him because rushing one prospect would not solve what remains a broader construction job.

A summer in eleventh place will not satisfy anyone. But if September arrives with a clearer rotation, two or three everyday players who have established themselves and Brown another step closer, the Pilots will at least have given Atlanta something a rebuilding city understands: a foundation visible above ground.

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Boston Shamrocks

Continuity Comes With a Bill

Nora O'Connell — Harbor Journal

2028 finish: 37–51, 10th in the Eastern Circuit Editorial forecast: 10th

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CLuis Martinez
• 1BChris Mauro
• 2BDevin Gorman
• 3BPedro Alicea
• SSJeremy Barnes
• LFEric Janes
• CFEric Stevens
• RFEric Eriksen
• DHCarl Turnbull.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Joe Baker
• Paul Reid
• Fernando Sanchez
• Scott Underhill.

Projected bullpen

• Jaiden Swinton
• John Kelso
• Drew Harbaugh
• Elias Infanzon
• Jim Feldstein.

Young player to watch

• 3B Stone Connolly, 24, No. 2 pick in the 2028 draft.

Boston has always been a place where returning the same team means accepting the same expectations.

The Shamrocks did not remake a 37-win club over the winter. That can be read as confidence in a core that underperformed, but only for so long. Once Opening Day arrives, familiarity becomes accountability.

Jeremy Barnes produced an .809 OPS last season, Eric Eriksen .816 and Carl Turnbull .812. Devin Gorman gives the middle infield another useful bat. The lineup contains enough competent PBC hitters that a repeat of tenth place cannot simply be excused as a lack of offensive material. Boston needs the pieces to produce together rather than in isolated stretches.

The pitching staff tells a similar story. Joe Baker and Paul Reid each made 23 starts. Fernando Sanchez made 16. Scott Underhill supplied another six. There is no great spring mystery about who is expected to take the ball; there is a very real question about whether familiar innings can become better innings. Baker's 4.49 ERA was the best of the two workhorses. Improvement has to begin there.

Jaiden Swinton offers something more intriguing at the back of the bullpen after a 1.47 ERA in limited work. If that survives a larger role, Boston may finally have the sort of late-game certainty that turns close losses into something else. Stone Connolly, the second overall pick in 2028, supplies the longer-range fascination at third.

The Shamrocks have too much history to market continuity as progress on its own. By midsummer, the distinction should be obvious. Either this group will prove last season exaggerated its weaknesses, or Boston will have learned that standing still was itself the winter's biggest decision.

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Chicago Union

The Margin Is in the Details

Darnell Price — Chicago Evening Post

2028 finish: 53–35, 2nd in the Eastern Circuit Editorial forecast: 5th

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CTroy Blackwell
• 1BBernie Valdez
• 2BAdam West
• 3BJacob Lewis
• SSPat Houle
• LFJohn McKinney
• CFDavid Crawford
• RFJay Clinkscales
• DHJordan Blackwell.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Jason Zierer
• Henrik Kuehnemund
• Juan Marquez
• Jon Naugle.

Projected bullpen

• Jason McNeal
• Kuranosuke Boulanger
• Nicholas Fox
• Justin Mims
• Jason Vetor.

Young player to watch

• 2B Marc Everett, 20, No. 18 pick in the 2027 draft.

Chicago won 53 games, and the forecast still drops the Union to fifth.

That sounds harsher than the roster deserves. It is also what happens when the clubs around you spend the winter getting louder.

John McKinney remains the sort of problem that renders broad pessimism foolish. His 1.053 OPS was elite, and Pat Houle's .870 prevents opponents from treating McKinney as the only serious point in the order. Jordan Blackwell was even more dangerous in a smaller sample. Chicago can hit enough to punish anyone who assumes the winter moved the Union aside.

The concern is not the headline talent. It is the accumulation underneath it. Adam West, Jay Clinkscales and portions of the lower order have to create enough traffic that Chicago does not become too dependent on its best two or three hitters. Over 88 games, a contender's fifth hitter and eighth hitter can matter almost as much as its star if the race is decided by two victories.

Jason Zierer gives the rotation a trustworthy first name after a 3.30 ERA. Henrik Kuehnemund, Juan Marquez and Jon Naugle all made 22 starts last year, so durability is not the mystery. The Union needs sharper run prevention behind Zierer. Jason Vetor's arrival from Nashville adds another relief option to an already useful bullpen headed by Jason McNeal.

The fifth-place projection is not an obituary. It is a challenge. Philadelphia bought a new offense, St. Louis added another bat, New York deepened its pitching and Cincinnati remains Cincinnati. Chicago's way back toward the top is less theatrical: win the little matchups, improve the middle innings and make the East remember that 53 victories were not a fluke.

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Cincinnati Regents

Sixty-One Wins Changed What Counts as Success

Lila Hart — Cincinnati Enquirer

2028 finish: 61–27, 1st in the Eastern Circuit Editorial forecast: 1st

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CMatthew Howard
• 1BDiego Perez
• 2BAbe Martuza
• 3BChristiaan Linders
• SSMario Sanchez
• LFAbraham Murillo
• CFJesus Medina
• RFJose Echevarria
• DHJohn Weber.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Orion Baker
• Jaheim Kinney
• Mark Black
• Danny Baker.

Projected bullpen

• Jay Clanton
• Won-keun Baek
• Joe Beasley
• Josh Taylor.

Young player to watch

• CF Gabe Lopez, 23, No. 23 pick in the 2027 draft.

Cincinnati spent its first years in the PBC creating an identity. Last season settled the matter.

The Regents are not the interesting new club anymore. They are the team everybody in the Eastern Circuit measures itself against.

That is why the winter's restraint makes sense. Harbor Conrad's departure created a right-field question, but management did not interpret one vacancy as a reason to disturb a roster that won 61 times. Jesus Medina came from Chicago and now projects in center. Brian Fisher was a priority addition after a lengthy pursuit, valued for the contact-and-power combination he can bring and for the flexibility to handle outfield or corner-infield work.

Israel Sanchez made the roster discussion more complicated in the best possible way. His strong spring pushed him onto the bubble before a late injury threatened to delay the opportunity. The important part for Cincinnati is that the system has supplied another credible option rather than forcing the club to manufacture one. Gabe Lopez remains another center-field development name beyond the immediate roster.

The proven core is why Cincinnati starts first. Orion Baker comes off a 2.51 ERA, Jaheim Kinney a 3.44 and Danny Baker a 3.33. Jose Echevarria produced a .927 OPS, John Weber .890 and Mario Sanchez .855. Christiaan Linders, Diego Perez and captain Abe Martuza stretch the lineup beyond the headline hitters. Jay Clanton and Won-keun Baek give Cincinnati multiple ways to close games.

There was even a little league-wide shorthand for what the Regents saw happening down in Tampa Bay. Chris from Cincinnati looked at that collection of Thunder bats and proposed an alternate nickname:

> `We've dubbed them the "Threat Quintet".`

Cincinnati can afford the joke because its own identity is less exotic and more complete. The Regents already know they can dominate from spring through summer. The question awaiting this club cannot be answered by another 60-win pace. Experience and determination are supposed to get Cincinnati over the postseason hump now.

A year ago, 61 wins announced the franchise's arrival.

In 2029, they have made anything short of an October breakthrough feel unfinished.

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Detroit Motors

The Next Good Team Has to Start Somewhere

Jonah Ellis — Motor City Journal

2028 finish: 32–56, 12th in the Eastern Circuit Editorial forecast: 12th

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CRyan Dickey
• 1BDan Hinchcliffe
• 2BAntonio Castro
• 3BJohn Toto
• SSBob Gibbons
• LFMike Partain
• CFHuibert Zwiers
• RFJim Wrathall
• DHJose Godina.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Nick Van Deventer
• Felix Fernandez
• Jerry Freeman
• Jeff Paull.

Projected bullpen

• Jaiden LeFlore
• Nick Wharton
• Brad Lambert
• Mark Lubic
• James Peltier.

Young player to watch

• C Manfredi Papasogli, 19, No. 10 pick in the 2028 draft.

Thirty-two wins do not need interpretation. They need improvement.

Detroit lost Geoff Becker to Washington and Cesar Cerros to Miami, and Manny Vega is no longer in the catching picture. The Motors answered the rotation loss with Nick Van Deventer, whose 3.66 ERA immediately makes him the most credible projected starter on the staff.

The rest is harder. Felix Fernandez, Jerry Freeman and Jeff Paull all return with ERAs north of 5.00. A club can tolerate one reclamation project in a rotation. Three at once starts to look less like optimism and more like necessity. Jaiden LeFlore at least gives Detroit a reliable-looking late-game piece after a 2.37 ERA.

The larger organizational move came in the deal with Philadelphia. Detroit sent David Juarez to the Keystones and received veteran shortstop Bob Gibbons plus 21-year-old pitching prospect Ashley Reynolds. Gibbons provides the immediate everyday presence. Reynolds is the part that could still matter when Detroit is ready to contend again.

That is also why 19-year-old catcher Manfredi Papasogli deserves attention without impatience. The Motors are not one prospect away from fixing 32–56. They need several young players to arrive across the next few seasons and enough current major leaguers to show they belong beside them.

Detroit is a city that understands machinery. Rebuilding an engine is tedious work when you cannot hide the vehicle in the garage.

The Motors have to play the season while doing it.

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Miami Sun Sox

Plenty of New Voices — Now Find the Rhythm

Valentina Cruz — Biscayne Bulletin

2028 finish: 38–50, 9th in the Eastern Circuit Editorial forecast: 9th

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CJun-ho Kim
• 1BWilliam Meza
• 2BBrad Bettinger
• 3BCesar Cerros
• SSDave Reeser
• LFMike Garcia
• CFRoberto Cruz
• RFTony Alva
• DHJulian Branscomb.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Julian Branscomb
• Mike Kendrick
• Jake Reichel; fourth spot unsettled.

Projected bullpen

• Andrew Chatman
• Josh Kingsbury
• J.R. Gapinski
• Mike Pierce
• Matt Jacobs.

Young player to watch

• RHP Javon Moffett, 21, No. 5 pick in the 2026 draft.

Miami has changed enough lockers that the first weeks of 2029 may feel like introductions.

George Spence moved to Nashville. Alejandro Garcia went to Dallas. Mike Heckethorn is in San Francisco, Cesar Rodriguez in Denver, and the catching and right-field groups have changed as well. In response, the Sun Sox brought in Aaron Branch, Matt Jacobs, Mike Garcia, Robbie Bibriesca and Cesar Cerros.

That is not cosmetic turnover. It changes how a clubhouse sounds and how a lineup can be assembled.

Cerros projects into third after a .763 OPS last season, while Mike Garcia gives the outfield another experienced option. Aaron Branch adds further first-base depth even though William Meza currently leads the projection there. Miami now has more ways to mix and match around Dave Reeser and Brad Bettinger than it did at the end of 2028.

Pitching remains the more delicate conversation. Jake Reichel's 3.47 ERA gives the Sun Sox one especially encouraging starter, with Julian Branscomb and Mike Kendrick also established in the projected group. The fourth rotation spot remains open. Matt Jacobs joins the bullpen from Nashville, where Andrew Chatman, Mike Pierce and the rest will have to sort themselves into reliable roles.

The Sun Sox were 12 games below .500. Five newcomers do not erase that number, but they can change the energy of a club that had begun to feel stuck in the lower middle of the East.

Miami's most important task is not deciding who won the winter transaction count.

It is discovering whether all those new pieces can begin moving at the same tempo.

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Nashville Bluebirds

New Band, New Tune, Plenty of Auditions

Artie "The Scoop" McGovern — Music City Herald

2028 finish: 45–43, 5th in the Eastern Circuit Editorial forecast: 6th

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CBrent Cooper
• 1BTyler Davis
• 2BCody Barber
• 3BElton Clifford
• SSSteve Kim
• LFOscar Aspetia
• CFJason Somers
• RFDana Uthoff
• DHJustin Slight.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• George Spence
• Josh Hunt
• Steve Yates
• D.J. Lea.

Projected bullpen

• Mike Tamblyn
• Caleb Curran
• Danny Moreno
• Raquel Lobato
• Chad Pryor.

Young player to watch

• RHP Jose Pedroso Jr., 20, No. 5 pick in the 2027 draft.

Well, shut the front gate and tell the brass band to learn a new number. The Bluebirds have changed the marquee.

Felipe Rodriguez is gone.

You could stop there and still explain most of Nashville's winter, but the front office certainly did not. The two-time MVP went to Philadelphia for two first-round picks and a second-rounder. Tim Pasquale went to New York City. Luis Guerrero moved on and eventually wound up, of all places, in El Paso. Nashville looked at a 45-win club, saw too much mediocrity in too many categories and decided that pretending one more season would magically fix it was not a plan.

GM Anthony Hort put the winter's thinking into unusually plain terms. The Bluebirds had finished in the lower half of too many pitching and hitting categories, several players counted on to develop had instead regressed, and depth had become almost nonexistent. He conceded that changing course could prove to be a mistake, but called it the better long-term choice.

So cue Cody Barber. The youngster is being asked to turn a strong winter into something much larger at the plate, with Nashville hoping he can become one of the offense's driving forces. Oscar Aspetia has been the surprise of the offseason and has played himself directly into the projected left-field job. Dana Uthoff remains the proven bat on the other side.

The pitching staff has changed significantly too. George Spence arrives from Miami, Steve Yates from Atlanta, and both project into a rotation still led in quality by Josh Hunt and his 2.82 ERA. D.J. Lea rounds out the current four-man projection. Caleb Curran comes over from Arizona to reinforce a bullpen with Mike Tamblyn, Danny Moreno and Raquel Lobato.

No one should confuse a purposeful reset with surrender. Nashville can defend and has enough young offensive upside to make unsuspecting clubs miserable.

But the Bluebirds have chosen the future as part of their present now.

Somebody has to take the stage.

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New York City Gothams

David Ibarra's Future Is Now an Everyday Job

Tony Carbonara — Gotham Gazette

2028 finish: 49–39, 4th in the Eastern Circuit Editorial forecast: 4th

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CSean Rader
• 1BConor Kirk
• 2BChristian DeJesus
• 3BDennis Hill
• SSTom Shelton
• LFDavid Ibarra
• CFCarlos Rice
• RFJuan Amarante
• DHJavier Blanco.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Mike Smith
• Tim Pasquale
• Guillermo Flores
• Mark Brown.

Projected bullpen

• Mikael Öunap
• Quincy Brooks
• Pearce Eager
• Nelson Castro
• Tetsuhiro Kawakami.

Young player to watch

• SS Brian Reese, 22, No. 15 pick in the 2028 draft.

New York loves prospects because prospects can still be imagined as perfect.

Everyday players are subjected to box scores.

David Ibarra enters the useful part of that transition. Last year's No. 2 PBC prospect now gets his first full season, and the Gothams will discover whether the tools that made him such an anticipated young player begin translating into the production expected from a club trying to stay in October.

The lineup has another important adjustment in Conor Kirk. His 1.178 OPS in 184 plate appearances made the value of his bat obvious. New York intends to use more first base and designated-hitter work to lighten the physical burden and keep that bat available. It is a sensible bit of restraint from a franchise and city that occasionally treat restraint as an admission of weakness.

The rotation received more expensive attention. Tim Pasquale arrived from Nashville. Mark Brown came from El Paso on a two-year, $2.8 million deal. Brown's 4.52 ERA gives Gotham a perfectly legitimate reason to wonder how much remains in the tank. Mike Smith and Guillermo Flores offer steadier baselines, and the bullpen has enough late-game competence to make the rotation's middle innings matter.

One spring depth experiment ended before it had a chance to become anything more. Jacob from the Gothams reported that New York selected Nate Michaels from Cincinnati in the Rule 5 Draft as protection against pitching injuries. Michaels then posted a 1.80 ERA over six spring starts before partially tearing his labrum, ending whatever possibility existed of him making this year's roster.

That is baseball's reminder that depth plans can disappear in one pitch.

The larger plan remains. Ibarra becomes an everyday player. Kirk's workload becomes smarter. Pasquale and Brown try to deepen the rotation.

New York won 49 games without all of that working at once.

The Gothams are betting that 2029 is the year it does.

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Philadelphia Keystones

The Bill Has Arrived — So Has the Lineup

Renee Bell — Liberty Bell Journal

2028 finish: 43–45, 6th in the Eastern Circuit Editorial forecast: 2nd

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CBilly Farrell
• 1BAlfredo Zamarripa
• 2BNate Johnson
• 3BOnel Avelino
• SSJosh Gilstrap
• LFDavid Juarez
• CFFelipe Rodriguez
• RFRon Hernandez
• DHFelipe Gutierrez.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Brandon Beech
• Ki-tae Jung
• Jim DiDonato
• Justin Mortensen.

Projected bullpen

• Jayden Brown
• Tristan Thompson.

Young player to watch

• RHP Jordan Bustamente, 25, No. 35 pick in the 2027 draft.

Philadelphia has spent five consecutive Octobers watching everybody else.

Do not call this winter patience.

The Keystones had already tried moderation. Brandon Beech kept pitching at an elite level into his late thirties. Jayden Brown became the gold standard for PBC relievers. The club fielded well, prevented runs and remained respectable. Then the offense disappeared at exactly the rate required to turn quality pitching into another season around .500.

Alfredo Zamarripa's return a year ago did not fix it alone.

So Corey Anderson stopped shopping for one answer.

First Philadelphia moved Bob Gibbons and premier pitching prospect Ashley Reynolds to Detroit for David Juarez, opening salary space while adding a proven switch-hitting threat. Then came the move that rearranged the league: Felipe Rodriguez from Nashville for two first-round picks and a second-rounder, with Nashville retaining part of the superstar's salary.

That would have been enough to define most offseasons.

Philadelphia then signed Felipe Gutierrez.

He hit .372 last season.

Now Gutierrez joins Rodriguez, whose 1.029 OPS remains superstar territory, and Zamarripa in an order that suddenly has the opposite problem from the old Keystones. Instead of wondering where the runs will come from, opponents must decide which dangerous hitter they prefer to face.

And Beech is still here. Jim DiDonato is still here. Brown comes out of the bullpen after a 1.17 ERA.

That is what makes this winter so consequential. Philadelphia did not trade away the pitching to acquire offense. It traded future flexibility, prospects, draft capital and enormous amounts of payroll.

There is no easy explanation available anymore.

The Keystones have decided their championship window is open right now.

They have spent accordingly.

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St. Louis Lions

Fifty-Two Wins Earn Respect. October Earns the Rest.

Ryan Lunsford — Gateway Dispatch

2028 finish: 52–36, 3rd in the Eastern Circuit Editorial forecast: 3rd

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CDan Crowl
• 1BVictor Ocejo
• 2BAdrian Logan
• 3BWade Brett
• SSJuan Chaves
• LFJuan Tercero
• CFCharlie Spence
• RFKeith Warfield
• DHJosh Kelly.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Hector Reynoso
• Joe Cream
• Benno de Smit
• Ashton Gray.

Projected bullpen

• Jack Reynolds
• Marcos Arriaga
• Jackson Vaive
• Fernando Espinoza.

Young player to watch

• RHP Joko Sartika, 22, No. 18 pick in the 2028 draft.

When you have played enough baseball in St. Louis, you learn not to confuse a good summer with a complete season.

The Lions had a good summer. Fifty-two wins proved they belonged near the top of the East. What they still need is the October credibility that changes a good club's reputation permanently.

Keith Warfield helps. The former Gotham arrives on a five-year deal after an .871 OPS and joins Juan Tercero, whose .964 mark gives St. Louis one of the Circuit's most dangerous established bats. Charlie Spence sits between them in the projected outfield, and Victor Ocejo and Adrian Logan bring additional competence into the order.

The pitching is built more on depth than one overpowering ace. Joe Cream's 3.35 ERA is the most reassuring number among the projected starters. Hector Reynoso and Benno de Smit bring experience, while Ashton Gray has a smaller starting sample and more to prove. Jack Reynolds remains the most established projected late-game reliever.

There was turnover. Ryan Williams left for Arizona, Mike Garcia went to Miami and Bob Luallen is no longer the first-base answer. Warfield's arrival should compensate for some of that, but the Lions cannot assume last year's 52 wins simply carry forward.

The East got richer and louder.

St. Louis does not need to imitate it.

A former player learns to respect what survives every winter headline: take the extra base, execute the pitch, win the series.

Then do it in October.

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Tampa Bay Thunder

If You Cannot Stop Them, Try Outscoring Them

Keisha Morgan — Gulf Coast Ledger

2028 finish: 41–47, tied for 7th in the Eastern Circuit Editorial forecast: 8th

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CRicky Boccardi
• 1BTom Higgins
• 2BOscar Guardado
• 3BDavid Madrid
• SSJesse Keys
• LFIvan Villalva
• CFJohn Rodriguez
• RFCody Smith
• DHJesse Reynolds.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Roger Casarez
• Peter Auman
• Mike Currier
• Jose Torres.

Projected bullpen

• Tim Powell
• Ricardo Alvarez
• Jeff Watts
• Kymani Williams
• Jim Larkman.

Young player to watch

• SS Kiyoto Yasuda, 20, No. 9 pick in the 2027 draft.

Tampa Bay appears to have examined its pitching problem and reached the conclusion that the solution might be violence.

Offensive violence.

The Thunder committed five years and $11.5 million apiece to Yataroh Kobayashi and Antonio Morales, then added former Los Angeles second baseman Jonathan Fabela on a one-year deal. Whatever the final nightly alignment, those additions join Jesse Reynolds, John Rodriguez and Jesse Keys in a collection with enough potential damage to make opposing managers think about the fifth inning during batting practice.

The reaction around the league bordered on giddiness. David from Portland saw the moves and immediately offered, "Just saw what TB did. Well done!" Joe from El Paso went a little farther: "i cant wait to see TB beat up on the east."

The tactical appeal is obvious. Joe also pointed out that pitching around one dangerous Thunder hitter simply creates the possibility that the next hitter has enough power to take the ball out anyway. That is what lineup depth does: it turns the intentional avoidance of one problem into the voluntary selection of another.

Tampa Bay's own Ray understands the other side. He hopes the three big offensive forces can overpower teams enough to compensate for what he described as terrible pitching and defense, while conceding that time will determine whether the spending was excessive. The projected rotation explains the anxiety. Roger Casarez, Peter Auman, Mike Currier and Jose Torres carried ERAs of 5.68, 4.50, 5.89 and 6.22.

Cincinnati GM Chris Barrett provided the winter's neatest summary:

> `"Thunder" is an apt team name.`

It should be loud.

It may be frightening.

The unresolved issue is whether Tampa Bay has constructed a baseball team or the world's most entertaining nightly argument about how many runs are enough.

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Washington Warriors

The Playoff Mandate Is No Longer Implicit

Tommy Tanner — Capitol City Record

2028 finish: 41–47, tied for 7th in the Eastern Circuit Editorial forecast: 7th

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CDoug Rodriquez
• 1BBill Rodriguez
• 2BKi-hyeon Lee
• 3BEddy Martinez
• SSMiguel Perez
• LFMiles Eifler
• CFJayden Miller
• RFStuart Wagner
• DHAndrew Marko.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Mike Ryals
• Brandon Dinkins
• Geoff Becker
• Tim McGlothin.

Projected bullpen

• Bill Martin
• Justin Griffy
• Mark Burd
• Carlos Vargas.

Young player to watch

• C Bill Johnson, 19, No. 7 pick in the 2028 draft.

Washington entered the winter with an institutional objective rather than a vague hope.

Make the playoffs.

Mike Ryals is the most visible evidence that the Warriors mean it. Washington traded a first-round pick and a fourth-rounder to Denver for the right-hander after a 9–7 season, 3.67 ERA, 173 strikeouts in 154⅔ innings and 4.3 WAR. His 3.36 FIP supports the organization's belief that an All-Star-level season is not an unreasonable ambition.

The rotation behind him is more convincing than Washington's seventh-place finish suggests. Brandon Dinkins quietly posted a 3.10 ERA, and Geoff Becker arrives from Detroit after a 4.07. Tim McGlothin provides the fourth projected starter. Carlos Vargas strengthens a bullpen that already contains Bill Martin's considerable strikeout ability.

Jayden Miller may be the most exciting position-player addition after batting .311 with an .819 OPS, eight home runs and 25 steals. Doug Rodriquez already sits at the center of the club's larger ambitions after a .933 OPS and 4.7 WAR, with Washington hopeful that he can force himself into the MVP conversation. Bill Rodriguez posted a .987 OPS at first.

There are other pieces worth following. Luke McLean offers another potential table setter after hitting .310 with a .365 on-base percentage. Andrew Marko's greatest immediate value may come on defense, though his offensive baseline leaves room to grow.

A formal assessment of Washington's offseason produces an annoyingly optimistic conclusion: the Warriors have enough pitching, athleticism and middle-order production to imagine a real postseason push.

Now the institution has to deliver on its own mandate.

---

WESTERN CIRCUIT

The Throne Still Sits in El Paso

There are sophisticated methods for forecasting a baseball circuit.

Then there is the West.

Pick El Paso until somebody beats El Paso.

The Diablos have earned that shortcut through five straight championships, and the editorial forecast again puts them first despite the departure of Felipe Gutierrez, Mark Brown and other familiar pieces. Their strongest argument remains the rotation: Orlando Ortiz, Steve Bender and Mario Hernandez still form a front three built for both the long season and the short series.

Los Angeles follows after 56 wins, powered by Braden Deming, Sergio Serrano and Corey Martin. Las Vegas is third with perhaps the deepest projected four-man rotation in the Circuit and a fascinating offensive transition around Camden Redmond, Kevin Smith and Roman Aviles.

Houston remains fourth and looks as balanced as anybody. Seattle occupies fifth after two consecutive 48–40 seasons. Minnesota follows with a solid top of the rotation and enough offense to linger around the edges.

Dallas is volatile. Portland can hit but cannot escape the pitching discussion. San Diego has upgraded center field and owns three credible starters. Denver's tenth-place standing forecast reflects the cost of trading Mike Ryals and losing other pitching, even though Yeong-kil Koo makes the lineup more dangerous.

San Francisco is sorting. Arizona is developing.

The standings forecast below is one editorial view of the 88-game race. The separate playoff ballot later in the issue is its own prediction — and, as ever in spring, certainty is not required for either.

PBC Editorial Forecast — Western Circuit

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Arizona Suns

Development Before Destination

Caleb Ortiz — Desert Standard

2028 finish: 26–62, 12th in the Western Circuit Editorial forecast: 12th

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CJuan Sigala
• 1BManny Flores
• 2BNate Etzwiler
• 3BSergio Garcia
• SSAustin Brantley
• LFJonathan Walker
• CFScott Poppe
• RFButch Kontz
• DHJuan Torres.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Ryan Williams
• Josiah Sanders
• Joon-ho Choi
• Jon Webb.

Projected bullpen

• John Johnson
• Gideon Bertagnolli
• Greg Dzuris.

Young player to watch

• CF Blake Shannon, 20, No. 3 pick in the 2026 draft.

Twenty-six victories simplify priorities.

Arizona is not one tactical adjustment away from the Western pennant. That does not make the season meaningless. It makes the proper measurements more obvious.

Ryan Williams arrives from St. Louis and immediately gives the Suns a credible first starter after a 3.06 ERA. There is development value in that beyond his own innings. Young staffs need somebody capable of ending a losing streak before it becomes a week and showing less experienced pitchers what six useful innings actually look like.

The rotation behind him is much less settled in quality. Josiah Sanders, Joon-ho Choi and Jon Webb all have something substantial to prove. The bullpen is similarly light on established high-end performance, which makes length from Williams and any improvement from the other starters particularly important.

Jonathan Walker gives the offense its clearest returning strength after an .872 OPS. Scott Poppe and Butch Kontz bring more established work around him, while Juan Sigala projects at catcher without a major-league batting baseline from last year.

Blake Shannon remains the development story that matters most over the longer horizon. The No. 3 pick from 2026 is only 20. Arizona does not need to turn him into an artificial Opening Day storyline.

It needs him to become part of a real winning one someday.

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Dallas Texans

The Activity Was Real. So Is the Risk.

Mateo Rios — Metroplex Ledger

2028 finish: 43–45, 6th in the Western Circuit Editorial forecast: 7th

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CTony McLaughlin
• 1BJason Youngsma
• 2BJeremy Hines
• 3BBrian Pratt
• SSJon Piotraschke
• LFJesus Mendieta
• CFFelix van Aken
• RFEddie Cortez
• DHChris Jordan.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Leonardo Basora
• Sandy Figeroa
• Cory Rynda
• Joe Edwards.

Projected bullpen

• Gavin West
• Jim Parker
• Clint Labonte
• Andy Allen.

Young player to watch

• 2B Josh Grommesh, 19, No. 1 pick in the 2028 draft.

Dallas changed enough pieces to make simple year-over-year comparison almost useless.

Carlos Vargas left for Washington. Yeong-kil Koo went to Denver. Jon Witt and Bill Rivera are gone from the projected everyday group. In came Leonardo Basora, Jim Parker, Alejandro Garcia and returning PBC center fielder Ben Poort.

That is volume.

Now comes value.

The lineup has real leverage points. Brian Pratt posted a .914 OPS, Jeremy Hines .868 and Felix van Aken provides another established everyday bat. Eddie Cortez and Jesus Mendieta give Dallas enough competent offense that a climb above .500 is hardly impossible.

The risk is concentrated on the mound. Basora becomes the projected No. 1 after a 5.34 ERA. Sandy Figeroa follows at 4.55, with Cory Rynda and Joe Edwards carrying ERAs above 5.50. Jim Parker is currently listed among the projected bullpen candidates, giving Dallas another experienced arm but not erasing the questions at the front.

Nineteen-year-old Josh Grommesh exists on a completely different timeline. The first overall pick in last year's draft should not be burdened with repairing the 2029 rotation or lineup. His development matters because Dallas is trying to contend without losing sight of what should eventually become a more talented core.

The Texans have enough offense to be troublesome.

Whether they can become important depends on how much the pitching makes everyone else pay for that trouble.

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Denver Cutthroats

The New First Baseman Cannot Pitch Every Fourth Day

Erin Calloway — Mile High Dispatch

2028 finish: 38–50, 8th in the Western Circuit Editorial forecast: 10th

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CDanny Briz
• 1BYeong-kil Koo
• 2BMark Benson
• 3BDavid Waters
• SSJayden Williams
• LFChris Elliott
• CFAntonio Plascencia
• RFMark Pettus
• DHArturo Ceron.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Bryan Mas
• Chris Woodford
• Jian-gun Fou
• Chris Berry.

Projected bullpen

• Chris Cunningham
• Tyler Morrison
• Jeff Jackson
• Tim Friedrich
• Cesar Rodriguez.

Young player to watch

• 2B Wesley Powell, 21, No. 19 pick in the 2026 draft.

Denver improved the offense and removed the pitcher best positioned to protect a lead produced by it.

Baseball can be inconvenient that way.

Mike Ryals went to Washington for first- and fourth-round draft picks, a perfectly defensible long-range exchange for a 38-win club. Leonardo Basora then left for Dallas, and Jordan Boney remains out of the projected rotation. Bryan Mas came from Atlanta and now fronts the four-man group despite a 5.32 ERA.

Chris Woodford is the most reassuring returning starter at 4.59. Jian-gun Fou and Chris Berry complete a rotation that has not offered much reason to feel comfortable. Cesar Rodriguez arrives from Miami as another bullpen arm, joining Chris Cunningham and the rest of a relief corps that may be asked to carry more responsibility than ideal.

The batting order has a much more attractive middle. Yeong-kil Koo arrives from Dallas after a .971 OPS and joins Chris Elliott, who posted .989. Jayden Williams produced an .810 mark at short. That is enough firepower to make a bad pitching night entertaining rather than hopeless.

Manny Parra's move to San Francisco leaves another everyday hole, however, with Antonio Plascencia projected in center. Mark Pettus currently leads the right-field projection.

In the long view, Denver may congratulate itself for converting Ryals into premium draft capital.

The 2029 Cutthroats have to survive the short view first.

---

El Paso Diablos

Six — and the Cost of Chasing It

Sofia Marquez — El Paso Times

2028 finish: 59–29, 1st in the Western Circuit Editorial forecast: 1st

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CGabe Espinoza
• 1BFrank Flores
• 2BTristan Bonner
• 3BZhi-huan Gan
• SSSkylar Cole
• LFAlex Cerna
• CFAdam Seiler
• RFRyan Burton
• DHLuis Guerrero.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Orlando Ortiz
• Steve Bender
• Mario Hernandez
• Bernie Loyola.

Projected bullpen

• Ken Trombley
• Phil Pepper
• Jonathan Nolan
• Evan McRae.

Young player to watch

• LF Corey Patterson, 21, No. 22 pick in the 2026 draft.

The desert has heard every challenge.

Five years later, the answer is still hanging from the same trophy case.

El Paso's goal needs only one syllable now: six.

That pursuit has already required a painful piece of championship maintenance. Aaron Shelby, an El Paso starter in every game since 2015 and the league's all-time RBI leader, was waived on the eve of Opening Day. He had expected the arrivals of Luis Guerrero and Frank Flores to push him toward the bench, but the ending still came abruptly. Ryan Burton — his longtime teammate, contemporary and family friend — described the decision as devastating.

That is the part of dynasties the banners do not show. Eventually maintaining an elite roster means cutting into the history that created it.

The competitive replacements are obvious. Guerrero projects at designated hitter after a .916 OPS. Flores takes over at first. Adam Seiler comes directly from Las Vegas after .857. Zhi-huan Gan remains the lineup's most established middle-order force, with Skylar Cole and Tristan Bonner giving the Diablos more competence through the infield.

Then the rotation explains why the forecast still begins here. Orlando Ortiz posted a 3.24 ERA, Steve Bender 3.52 and Mario Hernandez 3.38. Bernie Loyola enters as the projected fourth starter with substantially more to prove, but El Paso's top three can shape almost any series before that vulnerability arrives. Ken Trombley remains the first projected bullpen name.

No long conversation with management was required to establish expectations. The organizational position is the same as it has been: win the championship and do everything possible to six-peat.

Shelby's departure is a reminder that the pursuit is not sentimental.

Nothing about six will be.

---

Houston Mavericks

Balance Has Its Own Kind of Power

Andre Wallace — Bayou City Chronicle

2028 finish: 50–38, 4th in the Western Circuit Editorial forecast: 4th

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CChris Diaz
• 1BRandy Lusk
• 2BAlfonso Soler
• 3BFernando Chavez
• SSMike Doyle
• LFJonathan Cruce
• CFRich Przybylski
• RFJulio Gonzales
• DHWillie Marquez.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Leo Canales
• Yasusaburo Kunishige
• Clodio Corsino
• Victor Oliva.

Projected bullpen

• Caleb Fleming
• Ben Hankins
• Mo Stewart
• Brian Crafton
• Jacob Alderfer.

Young player to watch

• 3B Mi-yuan Guan, 23, No. 9 pick in the 2028 draft.

Houston lacks the offseason theatrics of Philadelphia and the trophy weight of El Paso.

It may have something just as useful: leverage almost everywhere.

Leo Canales posted a 2.89 ERA. Yasusaburo Kunishige finished at 3.32. Clodio Corsino, 3.37. A three-man front like that changes the economics of a series. Houston does not need to score six every night because its best starters regularly make four feel extravagant.

The offense is similarly distributed. Randy Lusk carried a .954 OPS, Alfonso Soler .937 and Fernando Chavez .885. Mike Doyle and Julio Gonzales provide more competence around them, which keeps opposing pitchers from solving Houston simply by neutralizing one star.

The Mavericks also inserted themselves into Philadelphia's blockbuster winter by acquiring Willie Marquez and young third baseman Mi-yuan Guan in exchange for a first-round pick. Marquez projects into the designated-hitter role now; Guan represents another piece of long-term value.

Caleb Fleming arrives from San Francisco after a 3.06 ERA and strengthens a bullpen already deep enough to make Houston less dependent on any single reliever.

The Mavericks won 50 games and still finished fourth.

That says less about Houston than it does about the neighborhood.

The roster does not need reinvention.

It needs enough of its balance to become dominance that the West is forced to rearrange itself around Houston.

---

Las Vegas Aces

The House Is Still Hunting El Paso

Danny Ocean — Strip City Ledger

2028 finish: 55–33, 3rd in the Western Circuit Editorial forecast: 3rd

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CRuben Hernandez
• 1BCamden Redmond
• 2BRich Perez
• 3BGui-fan Xiong
• SSAlfredo Montero
• LFStephen Barker
• CFJohn Brown
• RFMatt Tacheny
• DHMorgan Rhodes.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Dustin Eisenberg
• Troy Degenstein
• Eric Dixon
• Brian Fistler.

Projected bullpen

• Ben Alvarez
• Danny Rojas
• Gary Ayala.

Young player to watch

• C Juan Rivera, 22, No. 20 pick in the 2028 draft.

Las Vegas understands spectacle better than most cities.

It also understands that 55 wins followed by another El Paso championship is not the spectacle anybody here ordered.

The Aces enter with a significant offensive transition. Luis Guerrero left Vegas, went to Nashville and somehow wound up with the Diablos. The clubhouse was not universally heartbroken to see him depart, but the bat was a significant part of last year's success. Camden Redmond is being given the opportunity to fill the hole, and his projected first-base role arrives without a major-league batting baseline.

That is a large assignment.

Kevin Smith has a different opportunity after playing well in his late-season look last year. Vegas expects him to get chances at shortstop and right field as it decides whether he belongs permanently in the major-league picture. Roman Aviles remains another player the Aces believe could break out after showing improvement in consecutive seasons.

None of those offensive bets feels reckless because of the pitching staff behind them. Dustin Eisenberg, Troy Degenstein, Eric Dixon and Brian Fistler all finished last year with ERAs below 4.00. Ben Alvarez was even better at the back with a 1.62 ERA and 15 saves, while Danny Rojas returns to the PBC as another bullpen option.

Vegas already knows it can produce a postseason team.

The club is after a different proof now.

At some point, somebody has to knock El Paso off the Western throne.

The Aces would very much prefer to stop waiting for somebody else to do it.

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Los Angeles Knights

All the Star Power, One Missing Ending

Evan Cho — Pacific Standard

2028 finish: 56–32, 2nd in the Western Circuit Editorial forecast: 2nd

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CDustin Guilarte
• 1BYaichiro Nagamine
• 2BArturo Boera
• 3BMarco Camacho
• SSIzzy Pinilla
• LFMarco Rodriguez
• CFSergio Serrano
• RFBraden Deming
• DHManny Silva.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Corey Martin
• Edwin Gomez
• Kevin Keeth
• Jason Warner.

Projected bullpen

• John Mathias
• Steve Lock
• Dan Williamson
• Brett Nelson
• Eric Crandall.

Young player to watch

• RHP Alex Morris, 19, No. 21 pick in the 2028 draft.

Los Angeles does not need anyone to discover its stars.

Braden Deming produced a 1.076 OPS. Sergio Serrano finished at .970. Manny Silva reached .880. Marco Camacho added .834. The Knights have the kind of middle-order credibility most front offices spend years trying to construct.

Corey Martin provides the equivalent on the mound. His 2.81 ERA gives Los Angeles an ace and a legitimate individual-award candidate. Kevin Keeth adds another strong starter, with Edwin Gomez and Jason Warner completing the current four-man projection.

The winter's clearest subtraction was Jonathan Fabela, who ultimately signed in Tampa Bay. Arturo Boera leads the second-base projection after an .848 OPS in limited work, which gives the Knights a plausible internal answer rather than an obvious hole.

John Mathias and Steve Lock offer quality relief at the back, and there are enough established contributors everywhere else that Los Angeles enters spring without needing a miracle from any one inexperienced player. Nineteen-year-old Alex Morris can remain what he should be: a development watch instead of an emergency solution.

That leaves the uncomfortable part.

Los Angeles was already excellent.

Fifty-six wins proved it.

The Knights' 2029 task is not to become impressive. It is to make all that star power produce the only ending that has eluded the entire Western Circuit for five seasons.

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Minnesota Loons

Start With the Innings You Can Trust

Rhett Bollinger — North Star Ledger

2028 finish: 42–46, 7th in the Western Circuit Editorial forecast: 6th

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CAndrew Guerin
• 1BAdolfo Milagres
• 2BJake Force
• 3BSung-jin Jang
• SSKevin Mendenhall
• LFRoger Pugh
• CFFrancisco Rodriguez
• RFJavier Rodriguez
• DHChris Khaled.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Ernesto Calderon
• Alex Soto
• Arturo Garcia
• Kyle Fox.

Projected bullpen

• Ed Hill
• Carlos Chavez
• Jon Hussey.

Young player to watch

• RHP Mike Durbin, 19, No. 8 pick in the 2027 draft.

Minnesota's sixth-place forecast does not require a fantasy.

It requires a few more good innings.

Ernesto Calderon gives the Loons the clearest reason for optimism after a 2.60 ERA. Alex Soto, Arturo Garcia and Kyle Fox form the current projected group behind him. None carries Calderon's profile, but Minnesota does not need three additional aces. It needs enough stability to keep the offense playing games that remain manageable after the fifth inning.

The lineup provides a decent base. Adolfo Milagres posted an .856 OPS, Kevin Mendenhall .836 and Sung-jin Jang .800. Chris Khaled gives the designated-hitter role another useful bat. The Loons do not have the concentrated star power of the top Western clubs, but their order is capable of scoring enough behind quality starting pitching.

The bullpen is thin by contender standards, with Ed Hill the most experienced projected late-game option. That places even more emphasis on the starters providing length rather than simply avoiding disaster.

Minnesota's young-player watch belongs to 19-year-old Mike Durbin, another pitching piece for the longer horizon. He is not being asked to solve the immediate staff. His development simply matters to a club that cannot build every future rotation through outside additions.

The Loons finished four games below .500.

There is no enormous chasm to cross.

A little more pitching, a little more offense and a few fewer wasted close games could make sixth place merely the beginning of the conversation.

---

Portland Pioneers

The Relievers Cannot Begin the Game for You

Owen Mercer — Rose City Dispatch

2028 finish: 38–50, 8th in the Western Circuit Editorial forecast: 8th

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CYoung-jin Kim
• 1BJoel Peterson
• 2BAntonio Gonzalez
• 3BNick Morrison
• SSAlex Flores
• LFChris Platt
• CFCristiano Sperafico
• RFPerry Pfeifer
• DHCameron Adams.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Marshall Metta
• Joaquin Gonzalez
• Dustin Gauci
• Josh Bartoli.

Projected bullpen

• Evan Rich
• Danny Torres
• Steve Alexander
• Armando Hernandez.

Young player to watch

• 3B Francisco Cordova, 22, No. 3 pick in the 2028 draft.

Portland had a process for fixing the rotation.

The process got mugged by reality.

Willie Rojas arrived as an attempt to provide another starting option and then tore his UCL, taking him out of the immediate picture for at least 13 months. Josh Bartoli went through development training and returned with diminished control and velocity. Marshall Metta tried to make one of his weaker pitches more useful and did not receive the hoped-for result.

The Pioneers therefore arrive at Opening Day staring at essentially the same central problem. Metta and Joaquin Gonzalez both posted 5.27 ERAs. Dustin Gauci finished at 5.60. Bartoli's mark was 7.05.

There is more encouragement later in games. Rookie reliever Joe Apple has been one of the organization's brightest developmental stories, giving Portland genuine optimism even though the current projected bullpen is led by Evan Rich, Danny Torres, Steve Alexander and Armando Hernandez. The relief group has a chance to become considerably more reliable than the rotation in front of it.

The offense can create leads worth protecting. Joel Peterson, Antonio Gonzalez and Nick Morrison all bring solid production, with Chris Platt and Cristiano Sperafico offering additional competence. Portland does not require its pitchers to win 2–1 every night.

David from Portland had enough spare attention to admire Tampa Bay's winter. His own club's arithmetic is considerably less glamorous.

Can a decent bullpen support a subpar rotation often enough to keep Portland alive?

The relievers can help.

They cannot record the first 18 outs before entering the game.

---

San Diego Roadrunners

A Better Center Field, a Respectable Rotation, a Chance to Move

Isla Bennett — Coastal Times

2028 finish: 37–51, 10th in the Western Circuit Editorial forecast: 9th

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CAndres Rodriguez
• 1BAbel Smith
• 2BMatt Jackson
• 3BJosh Ball
• SSLuis Lopez
• LFKevin Mitchell
• CFTaiga Takashima
• RFGeno Trader
• DHJohn Thomas.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• David Ciarlo
• Jonathan Woods
• Randy Olague
• Chris Miller.

Projected bullpen

• Aaron Craven
• Joel Ibarra
• Andy Gillespie
• Ray Escamilla.

Young player to watch

• 2B Corey Johnson, 23, No. 6 pick in the 2028 draft.

San Diego does not need to pretend tenth place is one transaction away from contention.

It does have enough pieces to imagine ninth as a waypoint rather than a destination.

Taiga Takashima is the most visible new one. The Roadrunners sent three minor leaguers to San Francisco for the 25-year-old center fielder, giving themselves a player with 264 career PBC games and a .769 OPS on last year's ranking baseline. He slots neatly into a position where San Diego can use both experience and stability.

Jamie Napieralski also returns to the PBC after an 11-season earlier career, adding veteran catching depth. Jim Parker went the other direction during the winter, signing with Dallas.

The rotation survives Parker's departure better than one might expect. Jonathan Woods posted a 3.67 ERA, Randy Olague 3.48 and David Ciarlo 4.04. Chris Miller completes the projected group. That is not El Paso's staff, but it is a credible foundation for a team trying to stop giving away whole series.

Kevin Mitchell remains the lineup's most established returning offensive threat. Takashima should help around him, but San Diego still needs more development from the rest of the everyday group if the pitching improvement is going to translate fully into wins.

Second baseman Corey Johnson, last year's No. 6 overall selection, belongs to that longer development arc.

The Roadrunners do not need a dramatic leap.

They need enough small ones that opponents stop circling San Diego on the schedule as relief.

---

San Francisco Peanuts

The Strange Freedom of the Great Sorting

Booger McScuttlebutt — Bay City Ledger

2028 finish: 36–52, 11th in the Western Circuit Editorial forecast: 11th

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CParker Vasquez
• 1BJose Moreno
• 2BYoung-jin Kim
• 3BTim Platt
• SSSandro Cencio
• LFLuis Luna
• CFManny Parra
• RFTravis DeZarn
• DHJack Hyde.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• John O'Connor
• Heinz Brown
• Greg Shields; fourth spot unsettled.

Projected bullpen

• Mike Heckethorn
• Ricky Medina
• Evan Walko
• Mike Loverde
• Frank Vertiz.

Young player to watch

• LF Javier Zepeda, 20, No. 13 pick in the 2026 draft.

There are springs when a club tries to conceal uncertainty.

San Francisco has decided to invite it into the room and give it a locker.

The Peanuts have roster battles everywhere and no particular desire to pretend they do not. The philosophy is simple enough: allow the cream to rise. That may not be an elegant strategic document, but for a club that won 36 games it is at least honest.

John O'Connor remains the ace and, through the peculiar churn of baseball, is now the longest-tenured Nut. Heinz Brown follows in the projected rotation, with Greg Shields another current candidate and the fourth spot unresolved. Caleb Fleming left for Houston and Sergio Hernandez is no longer part of the pitching picture, so Mike Heckethorn's arrival from Miami matters to a bullpen with roles to distribute.

Manny Parra comes from Denver and projects directly into center field. Nate Larson returns to the PBC. The more interesting young or recently acquired names around the organization include first baseman Mike Schulze, outfielder/designated hitter Ricky Wolf and reliever Bill Murray Jr. Their purpose is not merely depth. San Francisco wants to learn who might be worth carrying into the next competitive roster.

Veterans face a different kind of audition. Larson, Tim Platt, Travis DeZarn and Kevin Ball all have reason to establish or restore value. A strong first half can alter a career even when it does not alter the standings.

Taiga Takashima's late move to San Diego for three minor leaguers fits the season's mood perfectly.

The Peanuts are collecting possibilities and selling certainty when it makes sense.

It may be a strange summer.

Those are sometimes the most revealing ones.

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Seattle Gulls

Forty-Eight and Forty Is Beginning to Look Like an Address

Priya Desai — Sounder Journal

2028 finish: 48–40, 5th in the Western Circuit Editorial forecast: 5th

Opening Day projection

Projected Opening Day lineup

• CJosh Johnson
• 1BRogelio Miramon
• 2BFrank Covarrubiois
• 3BJulian Lampkins
• SSZachary Bridges
• LFSam Cahoon
• CFRuben Silva
• RFNate Garner
• DHJon Kaplansky.

Projected four-man regular-season rotation

• Wilson Benitez
• Manny Lopez
• Danny de la Rosa; fourth spot unsettled.

Projected bullpen

• Justin Goldman
• Junro Yano
• Bryan Brown
• Danny Matthews
• Xavier Cardona.

Young player to watch

• 3B Chase Shyne, 21, No. 5 pick in the 2028 draft.

Seattle has gone 48–40 for two consecutive seasons.

At first that looks like consistency.

Eventually it begins to resemble a ceiling.

The new front office inherits obvious strengths. Sam Cahoon and Ruben Silva remain the offensive leaders in the outfield, while Jon Kaplansky gives the lineup a .939-OPS designated hitter. Rogelio Miramon supplies another solid bat at first. The defensive arrangement should be dependable through the infield and respectable outside when Cahoon and Silva are involved.

The thinner places are just as clear. The outfield lacks depth beyond its two established names, and the catching group carries questions. Frank Covarrubiois is particularly important after a rookie half-season at second. Seattle needs a meaningful step forward from him both offensively and defensively if the club is going to squeeze improvement out of a mostly familiar structure.

Wilson Benitez again anchors the rotation after a 3.75 ERA, with Manny Lopez expected to build on his sophomore opportunity. Danny de la Rosa is the third projected starter. Management also intends to move rookie Gary Pippy from a minor-league relief role into the major-league starting conversation, hoping he can regularly get Seattle into the sixth inning with a lead; the final projected rotation spot remains unsettled rather than assigned prematurely.

That strategy makes sense because the bullpen might be the club's best hidden advantage. Junro Yano posted a 1.66 ERA, Bryan Brown 2.68 and Danny Matthews 2.56, with Justin Goldman another experienced late-game arm.

If Seattle's starters can deliver leads into the middle innings, the relief corps can do something with them.

The Gulls do not need to become a different franchise overnight.

They need four or five more wins.

After two years at exactly 48–40, that may be the longest short distance in baseball.

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THE WAY-TOO-EARLY PBC BALLOT

Editorial predictions — not league announcements, simulations or odds

Spring is the only time of year when everybody can be confidently wrong without consequences.

The PBC Editorial Desk has made its choices.

Eastern Circuit champion: Cincinnati Regents

The combination of a 61-win foundation, Orion Baker and Jaheim Kinney at the front of the rotation, and an offense without an obvious easy inning keeps Cincinnati at the top.

Western Circuit champion: El Paso Diablos

Five consecutive Cups have earned the Diablos the benefit of every remaining doubt.

Projected Eastern playoff field: Philadelphia, Cincinnati, New York City, St. Louis

Philadelphia's inclusion is the bold part and Chicago's omission the difficult one. The ballot bets that the Keystones' massive offensive reconstruction translates quickly.

Projected Western playoff field: El Paso, Denver, Los Angeles, Houston

That is a separate editorial playoff call from the full Circuit standings forecast and one of the ballot's most aggressive selections.

Pro Circuit Cup winner: Cincinnati Regents

The editorial ballot finally calls for the dynasty to end. Cincinnati's combination of depth, rotation strength and last year's bitter experience makes the Regents the pick to finish the climb this time.

Batting title: Alfredo Zamarripa, Philadelphia

The Keystones' suddenly ferocious lineup may give Zamarripa more favorable situations than he has seen in years.

Home run leader: Jesse Reynolds, Tampa Bay

If the Thunder's great offensive experiment works, Reynolds should have runners, protection and opportunities all summer.

Best ERA: Orion Baker, Cincinnati

A 2.51 ERA established the baseline. The club around him gives Baker every chance to remain near the front of the race.

Pitcher of the Year: Tim Pasquale, New York City

The Gothams' new right-hander is the editorial choice for the league's top pitching honor despite entering after a difficult 2028. It is one of the ballot's most ambitious projections.

Breakout player: No editorial selection has been entered.

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OPENING DAY

For months, the PBC has existed as an argument.

Cincinnati says experience matters.

Philadelphia says stars matter.

Washington says depth matters.

Tampa Bay appears prepared to test whether anything matters if you hit enough home runs.

Nashville has decided the future is worth sacrificing some of the present. Detroit, Atlanta and Arizona are trying to identify who will matter when their next good teams arrive. San Francisco has turned spring into an open audition.

Seattle wants proof that 48 wins is not its permanent address.

Minnesota wants its pitching to pull the rest of the club upward.

Houston wants the league to notice how few weaknesses it carries.

Las Vegas and Los Angeles are tired of being excellent during El Paso's historic years.

And Cincinnati has reached the strangest place a young franchise can occupy: winning the regular season is no longer an accomplishment anyone will accept as the ending.

Then there are the Diablos.

Their pursuit of six has already cost them one of the defining players in franchise history. Aaron Shelby expected 2029 to bring a reduced role. Instead, his uninterrupted run in an El Paso uniform ended on the eve of Opening Day, 15 RBIs short of a milestone no PBC player has ever reached.

That is the pressure of a dynasty in its most concentrated form.

Even history can become expendable when another championship is the standard.

Twenty-three other clubs have spent the winter building rebuttals.

Soon those rebuttals stop being contracts and trades.

Felipe Rodriguez becomes an actual Philadelphia at-bat. Mike Ryals becomes an actual Washington start. Camden Redmond gets an actual chance to replace the production Vegas lost. Cody Barber and Oscar Aspetia carry actual responsibility in Nashville. David Ibarra has to become an everyday Gotham rather than an idea. Gary Pippy gets his opportunity to turn an organizational plan into innings.

Some forecast printed here will look ridiculous by May.

Some player barely discussed will be indispensable by July.

A favorite will stumble. A rebuilding club will wreck somebody's pennant race. A reliever nobody trusted in March will become automatic in August. A veteran everyone believed finished will produce one more summer.

That is not the failure of prediction.

That is the point of playing.

For one final moment, Cincinnati is still a 61-win powerhouse without a new loss. Philadelphia's superteam has not stranded a runner. Washington's playoff push has not encountered a three-game losing streak. Tampa Bay's lineup has not yet learned whether six runs is enough on a night its starter allows seven.

Los Angeles and Las Vegas have not yet looked across an October field and seen El Paso waiting again.

And the Diablos do not have six.

Not yet.

Opening Day gives every club the same temporary gift.

The standings remember nothing.

The league remembers everything.

Now 2029 gets to decide whether it finally ends differently.