We open today’s MLBits with roubling news out of Twins camp: Pablo López’s 2026 season may be over before it begins.
Pablo López Facing Possible Tommy John, Twins Rotation Suddenly in Flux
Minnesota GM Jeremy Zoll confirmed that López has a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament after the right-hander cut short a bullpen session Monday due to elbow soreness. According to Twins beat reporter Dan Hayes, imaging revealed significant UCL damage, and López is now seeking a second opinion. As things stand, surgery appears to be the most probable outcome.
For Minnesota, that’s a massive blow. López posted a 2.74 ERA last season but was limited to 14 starts because of a right shoulder strain in June and a forearm strain that ended his year in September. Durability has been part of his story before; he dealt with injuries early in his career in Miami, but he’d stabilized over the last three seasons, making 32 starts in both 2023 and 2024 after arriving in the Luis Arraez trade.
If López misses significant time, the Twins will lean on 2025 All-Star Joe Ryan to front the rotation, with Bailey Ober, Taj Bradley, Mick Abel, Simeon Woods Richardson, and Zebby Matthews filling out the mix. For a club with postseason aspirations, losing its staff ace in March would be about as rough a start to the year as possible.
© Nick Wosika-Imagn ImagesRockies Try Something New: Signing Starters Who Actually Want Coors
The Colorado Rockies didn’t just sign three starting pitchers this winter — they made a philosophical shift.
Colorado added José Quintana, Tomoyuki Sugano, and Michael Lorenzen in free agency. On the surface, that might not sound groundbreaking. But consider this: since 2015, the Rockies have signed just two free-agent starters — Chad Kuhl in 2022 and Dakota Hudson in 2024. That’s it. For a decade, Colorado relied on homegrown arms, waiver claims, and patchwork depth to survive Coors Field.
Under new team president Paul DePodesta, the approach is different. The Rockies actively targeted pitchers who want the Coors challenge, not guys landing there as a last resort. Lorenzen summed it up: “I want the challenge.” According to The Athletic’s Sam Blum, Colorado refused to convince anyone. If a pitcher hesitated about altitude, they moved on.
(Open use, via Unsplash)None of Quintana, Sugano, or Lorenzen are headline-grabbers. But they are established big leaguers, something the 2025 Rockies sorely lacked. Last season, Colorado’s rotation posted a 6.65 ERA, averaged fewer than five innings per start, and helped fuel a 43–119 campaign, one of the worst in modern MLB history.
The Rockies aren’t suddenly contenders. Projection systems still see a 60-ish win team. But after years of seeming aimless, there’s at least structure now. DePodesta and the new staff are rethinking how to pitch at altitude, attacking the zone rather than avoiding contact, and embracing Coors Field as something to leverage rather than fear.
It’s not a full turnaround. But it is, finally, a plan.
The Athletic’s Sam Blum has more on the Rockies’ plan with commentary from Lorenzen, DePodesta, and manager Warren Schaeffer:
2026 MLB Mock Draft 1.0: The Early Big Board Takes Shape
The first weekend of college baseball is officially in the books, MLB Spring Training is underway, and draft season has quietly begun. That makes this the perfect time to roll out the first installment of our 2026 MLB Mock Draft.
This is version 1.0 — a snapshot of where things stand right now. There’s a long way to go between today and draft night in July. We’ll revisit this board at multiple checkpoints throughout the spring and summer as breakout performances, injury news, draft-eligible sophomores, and shifting industry intel reshape the landscape. For now, this is the early read on Round 1 — and there’s already plenty to unpack.
Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn ImagesYou can check out my full first-round MLB Mock Draft, which dropped today (and stay tuned for a weekly big board series every week to keep you updated on all of the top draft prospects and bridge the gaps between future installments of my 2026 MLB Mock Draft).
2026 MLB Mock Draft 1.0: The Early Big Board Takes Shape t.co/jJBOWNTvSk
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) February 17, 2026Extra Innings
Walker Buehler is heading to Padres camp on a minor-league deal with an invite to Spring Training. Buehler, at one time, was viewed as a premium starting pitcher, but has been bogged down by injuries in recent years. He’ll join Miguel Andujar, Nick Castellanos, Griffin Canning, and Germán Márquez as veteran acquisitions by A.J. Preller in the last week. Speaking of Preller, he signed a multiyear extension with the Padres on Monday. Preller is now under contract as the President of Baseball Operations through at least 2028, even with the Padres up for sale. John Seidler announced in November, two years after the death of his brother and late Padres owner Peter Seidler, that he and his family had begun exploring a potential sale. Seidler said on Monday: “We’ve had tremendous interest,” regarding the family’s efforts to find a buyer. ICYMI: Tony Clark is resigning as the MLB Players Association executive director. Brett wrote up the emerging details this morning.BREAKING: Tony Clark is Resigning as the MLB Players Association Chief t.co/MfwNG1MPlo
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) February 17, 2026 Jayson Stark uses intel from his annual spring preview survey to forecast the market for a potential blockbuster trade this spring. Among the names considered to be potential movers before Opening Day are CJ Abrams, Sandy Alcantara (shocker), Isaac Paredes, Tarik Skubal, and Joe Ryan (although I would imagine the Pablo López news today impacts Minnesota’s desire to move Ryan before this summer’s trade deadline). The New York Mets signed outfielder Mike Tauchman to a minor-league deal with a non-roster invite to camp. Are the Mets trying to recreate the 2025 White Sox outfield? Get to know the name Caden Sorrell:Caden Sorrell – Home Run – Texas A&MA top vote to win the Golden Spikes Award, you can see why pic.twitter.com/M7RYQHMIAo
— Trey Hannam (@TJHannam10) February 16, 2026 Pirates shortstop prospect Konnor Griffin was showing off his pop this morning:Konnor Griffin just put one over the 410 sign in center, then this one atop the clubhouse area in left-center. pic.twitter.com/zNHH8ac30S
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) February 17, 2026 I’ll leave you with some aesthetically pleasing Leo De Vries swings from this morning:Leo De Vries swings ?The Athletics top prospect has one of the highest ceilings of any prospect in baseball thanks to his two-way impact and all-star potential ?Check out his full scouting report here: t.co/PAdtHdeDcD pic.twitter.com/piNlFaaIpn
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) February 17, 2026Hence then, the article about mlbits pablo lopez facing possible tommy john rockies try something new more was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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