A little illness is making the rounds with the family, which has kept at least one kiddo at a time out of school for the past week. It then occurred to me that, when you combine sickness, doctor appointments, weather days, and holiday/administrative stuff, there have perhaps been three school days TOTAL since mid-December where all three kids were actually in school. I’m not necessarily complaining, because it’s helpful that I work from home to make this all a lot smoother, but man alive, it’s a challenge to get into a weekday rhythm.
This point from Craig Counsell is about Alex Bregman, but it’s also a broad point about the nature of professional baseball that I’m always trying to articulate. Counsell does a very good job here:Craig Counsell loves the way Alex Bregman thinks about the little things that make a big difference for championship teams"Alex is a master at that stuff…He'll text you late at night thinking about it"More of his sitdown with @Josh_Frydman ⬇️ #Cubs t.co/mxoMDjsbyP pic.twitter.com/vbl0PfRN35
— GNSportsTV (@GNSportsTV) February 17, 2026 The talent differences in baseball, especially when spread across an entire roster, are relatively small, which – combined with the inherent randomness and luck in the sport – means all the little edges you can create could make a substantial difference. If that’s right, and, again, I do think Counsell is right on this, then the guys who are exceptionally good at finding and creating those little edges (for themselves, for teammates, for the coaches, in-game, out-of-game, etc.) could have a disproportionately positive impact on their team in a way you might not otherwise be able to quantify. It’s hard to point to the data and say for certain Alex Bregman is that guy, since he’s always been on good teams. But then again, he’s always been on good teams, you know? More from Craig Counsell on the latest from Cubs camp: It remains to be seen how and when Matt Shaw will ultimately actually be deployed in the outfield – is it going to be an emergency thing only? Or will he be the primary outfield backup? What if there is a long-term injury, does he slot in? All TBD. But what you want is to feel by the end of Spring Training like he could handle it well enough to know you have the option of deploying him in any way:Matt Shaw on playing in the outfield ? t.co/B0LsRsvoAj pic.twitter.com/MqfFsxY7cR
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) February 16, 2026 Albeit not necessarily a monster prospect, there is a significant NL Central infield prospect who could alter the trajectory of his team in 2026, and we haven’t mentioned his name around here once: Sal Stewart. He hit a whopping .309/.383/.524/152 wRC+ between Double-A and Triple-A last year as a 21-year-old (plus 18 games worth of big league success with the Reds), and the peripherals looked quite good. Not sure exactly where he’ll start for the Reds, but it’s another potential impact bat in a lineup that desperately needs one more. If the young players step forward and the offseason acquisitions prove surprisingly wise, the Reds have all the ingredients to be very good. This division is not just about the Cubs and Brewers (and Pirates). Speaking of the Brewers, yeah, this is basically fair at this point:Your annual update on the projections that undervalue the Brewers from Christian Yelich:"Honestly, we just don't care. It's the same story every year … so we kind of ignore it and block it out … So go out and play and we'll see where we're at." @ESPNMilwaukee @620wtmj pic.twitter.com/z8NHKjLZ41
— Dominic Cotroneo (@Dom_Cotroneo) February 16, 2026 New Giants manager Tony Vitello chose an interesting way to begin his time with the San Francisco media:Tony Vitello began his Monday media availability by asking reporters when they heard he was taking the Giants job. He wanted to clear things up about his departure from Tennessee. #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/AanrH7hOIn
— Matt Lively (@mattblively) February 16, 2026 On the one hand, I’m not sure what this portends for Vitello’s relationship with the media, or his ability to manage the inevitable frustrations that come from that part of the job. On the other hand, I’m glad he said all this, because it’s certainly interesting, if nothing else. And on the other-other hand, I do get where he’s coming from, as a human, who feels like the world got out ahead of a story about his own life, which impacted the most important people to him, whom he then had to see and talk to before he had ACTUALLY made a decision (and all while probably trying to negotiate the biggest move and contract of his life). Mike Tauchman has finally signed, a minor league deal with the Mets.Mike Tauchman put up a 1.9 rWAR season with 9 HR and a 112 OPS+ over 93 games in 2025. It’s pretty insane he didn’t land a Major League deal. Good on Stearns and Mets here!
— Sam Fosberg (@discussbaseball) February 17, 2026 Seiya the troll:Cubs OF Seiya Suzuki was asked about facing teammate Pete Crow-Armstrong in the WBC: "I want to see Pete throw a helmet."
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) February 16, 2026 Suzuki may play some center field for Team Japan, by the way, which would be a nice bit of competitive exposure ahead of the 2026 regular season. The Cubs’ primary back-up in center field is still undetermined – it depends a great deal on who makes the roster – but having Suzuki available IF NECESSARY to occasionally play in center field and not kill the Cubs would be pretty huge. It circles back a bit to the Matt Shaw question above – are the Cubs going to give him exposure in center field, too, or just the corners (which are a little easier to learn on the fly)? A what-might-have-been story:On Lance McCullers Jr, a pitcher content with a career that could be nearing its end – t.co/OQLScZBOj7 pic.twitter.com/mVVu75ub7z
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) February 16, 2026 Another potential what-might-have been guy:Padres, Walker Buehler Agree To Minor League Deal t.co/JJWWJmWJAA pic.twitter.com/6VMgrQ6byE
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) February 17, 2026 We’ll see where each goes from here, but the two are reminders that arm injuries for pitchers sometimes do derail the whole thing, as much as we like to assume guys always come back well after surgery. MORE CUBS FROM BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN NewsletterAll-Star Success, No More NBA Draft? Condolences to the Donovans, and Other Bulls Bullets t.co/20BVOmjzdA
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) February 17, 2026Olympics, Rings, When They’re Back in Chicago, Vanacker and Behm Score, and Other Blackhawks Bullets #blackhawks t.co/F5m3pyopbi
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) February 17, 2026Tag Day is Here, Brisker Thoughts, Dolphins Dump, and Other Bears Bullets t.co/NyNDmXzATC
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