Fantasy Baseball Today: Biggest Spring Training questions for every NL team ahead of Opening Day

34 days until Opening Day ... 

Will Konnor Griffin make the Opening Day roster? Is Chase Burns actually battling for a rotation spot? Is Andrew Painter ready to make an impact?

If you've been scrolling through social media looking for Fantasy Baseball discussions and analysis, you've surely seen those questions and much more floating around. And the truth is: Nobody knows! The period between when pitchers and catchers report and games actually start, is peak speculative season around these parts, after all.

Oh sure, we've gotten answers to some questions, though, unfortunately, those were to questions we didn't even know to be asking, such as: "Is Pablo Lopez's elbow intact?" As we learned this week, the answer to that one, unfortunately, is no. 

But those first three questions, and a bunch more, don't have any answers yet. And they won't at least until those games start. The good news is, we're about to start getting answers. The first games kick off Friday, and over the weekend, every team will get into action for the first time. We're going to start seeing who is in the lead for position battles and which hoped-for breakouts are going to have to wait. 

We'll spend the next month making sure you have all the answers you need. Today, we're just starting to ask the questions. I've got the biggest question for every National League team in today's newsletter, and we'll commemorate the start of spring action Friday by looking at the biggest question for every American League team. 

Here's what we'll be watching in the NL this spring:

The biggest question for each NL team

Pittsburgh Pirates - Is Konnor Griffin up on Opening Day?

Nothing is assured, but I think his future is in his own hands. The drumbeat in the early part of camp around the shows Griffin is putting on during batting practice has been loud, and the Pirates probably can't afford to play service time games with another top prospect after the backlash they generated (including in their own clubhouse, reportedly) from doing that with Bubba Chandler last year. If Griffin falls on his face this spring, he won't make the team. But if he holds his own, I think we're looking at our first age-19 MLB debut by a position player since Juan Soto. And Griffin will be a top-150 pick (at least) if that happens. 

Cincinnati Reds - Is Chase Burns really fighting for a rotation spot? 

Burns tore through the minors and made it to the big league rotation in his very first professional season, so it was a surprise to see an MLB.com headline recently note that Burns is in for a "rotation battle." That certainly raised a lot of eyebrows around the Fantasy community, with the story noting Burns is in a competition with Rhett Lowder, Brandon Williamson, and Julian Aguilar. Beyond the fact that attrition could create multiple rotation spots before the end of the spring, I feel pretty confident that Burns would have to completely flop this spring to lose this battle. With all due respect to the Reds' other options – which include a former first-rounder who has MLB experience in Lowder – Burns already established himself as a potential difference maker as a rookie, putting together four double-digit strikeout efforts in a five-start span. Nothing is guaranteed in this life, but I suspect this is a competition in name only. 

Atlanta Braves - Do they have enough pitching? 

No. Next question. 

Okay, technically, the Braves have a full rotation right now, even with Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep on the IL to open the season after elbow surgery. But there are no sure things about Chris Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lopez, and Grant Holmes, all of whom have missed significant time in the past two seasons. There is young depth here and plenty of upside, to be sure, but this is a team that pretty obviously needs a Lucas Giolito type, if for nothing else than to sop up some innings. I don't expect Atlanta's Opening Day rotation to look like it does right now, and for their sake, I hope that isn't because they suffer another significant injury. 

Arizona Diamondbacks - Do they still have faith in Jordan Lawlar?

It sure doesn't seem like it after they went out and traded for the husk of Nolan Arenado. Lawlar has played the infield almost exclusively in his career, but his only path to playing time (barring injury) right now looks to be through a transition to center field. He has the athleticism to handle it, but asking a player who has proven everything he can at Triple-A to try to make the leap to the majors while also learning a new position can hardly be said to be putting them in position to succeed. I remain hopeful about Lawlar's skill set translating, but I'd like to see some signs this spring that the Diamondbacks share that hope. 

St. Louis Cardinals - How much will Ivan Herrera catch?

Herrera dealt with elbow injuries that limited him to just 14 games behind the plate in 2025, and nobody really thinks he's going to be the team's long-term answer behind the plate. But he's going to be part of the team's answers somewhere, and for Fantasy purposes at least, we'd like him to at least get five (or 10, even) appearances behind the plate so he can gain eligibility there. So it was interesting to see a picture from Cardinals camp the other day that showed Herrera working out with the outfielders (while wearing a first baseman's mitt, natch). The Cardinals toyed with playing Herrera in the outfield last season, and first base would seem to be a natural landing spot eventually, ala Willson Contreras. 

The good news is, it's clear the Cardinals are aware of how impactful his bat can be and are doing what they can to get it in the lineup. But his Fantasy value will take a hit if it doesn't look like he's going to play behind the plate at all. The good news is that Herrera might just be a viable starting Fantasy option anywhere, including if he remains Util-only – he had 19 homers in just 452 plate appearances last season and is a .286/.370/.426 hitter across 203 career MLB games. That bat will play anywhere. 

Miami Marlins - Do the prospects have a path to the rotation? 

I'm talking about Robby Snelling and Thomas White, specifically, and I think both guys will get a chance. White is arguably the top left-handed pitching prospect in baseball (and he isn't far from being the top one of any handedness), while Snelling was nothing less than one of the best pitchers at the Triple-A level last season, so both are talents worth getting excited about. And both have accomplished enough in the high minors to think there isn't a ton left for them to learn down there.

But as things stand, both look to be on the outside looking in. The obstacles in their place aren't insurmountable, by any means – Chris Paddack, Max Meyer, and Janson Junk could all be relatively expendable – but between service time considerations and the knowledge that you always need more than five starters to get through the season might tilt the Marlins' thinking toward keeping the two talented young lefties down, at least to start the season. But we'll see both before long, I suspect.

Side note: I didn't mention Braxton Garrett as one of the "relatively expendable" pitchers, though he could certainly fit there, too. But I'm intrigued by reports that he is hitting 95 mph in his early-spring mound work as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. Garrett has only ever even hit 94 mph in the big leagues one time, so if we're looking at a couple of ticks of improvement from a guy who was already pretty solid (sub-3.70 ERA in both 2022 and 2023), that's moderately exciting. I'm putting him on my deep sleeper watchlist, at least. 

New York Mets - How much do they trust the youth movement?

The Mets figure to have one locked in member of their vaunted prospect group on the Opening Day roster, with pitcher Nolan McLean looking to build off a truly excellent MLB debut in 2025. They used a few other prized pieces to acquire Freddy Peralta, but still have a pretty stacked farm system, including plenty of guys who look ready for the majors, like Carson Benge and Jonah Tong. 

Those are the two likeliest contenders to crack the roster, but I think Benge's chances are much better than Tong's. The Mets don't have a great rotation, but they do have depth, and I imagine they'd like to see if they can squeeze the best versions of guys like Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga out before turning to a guy who didn't exactly set the world on fire when he got the call late last season. It might only take one or two injuries to give Tong an opportunity, but I'd bet against it at least at first.

But Benge? I'd be disappointed if he wasn't the starting right fielder for the Mets. It is by no means a fait accompli, but the alternative seems to be turning to Brett Baty, who has played just a few weeks' worth of games in the outfield in his life. Benge was a below-average hitter in his 24 games at Triple-A late last season, but that was mostly because of a .188 BABIP – he struck out at a below-average rate, showed patience, and had an average exit velocity of 92.1 mph, so I don't have too much concern about the mediocre surface-level numbers. He's primarily been a pretty good center fielder, so he should be a much better option defensively than Baty, and I don't think Baty is more talented as a hitter, even if he's certainly more proven. 

Benge needs to go out there and win the job, but if he proves worthy, I think the job is his. 

Los Angeles Dodgers - Is Emmett Sheehan assured of a rotation spot?

With Blake Snell potentially out of the picture for Opening Day, any six-man permutation of the Dodgers rotation should include Sheehan. But when Snell is back, I do think Sheehan might be sixth in the pecking order, which could mean he's first in line to be skipped if the schedule demands it. That happened a few times last year, and the Dodgers never quite embraced Sheehan the way Fantasy players would like, which is the only reason I have my concerns about his usage. He's an extremely talented pitcher, but hasn't earned his team's trust, which could become an issue if he falters. I don't expect him to – he has wicked swing-and-miss stuff and huge upside – but he has been delayed in the early part of spring due to an illness, and the presence of Ben Casparius, Justin Wrobleski, Gavin Stone, and River Ryan could give the Dodgers alternatives. 

Chicago Cubs - Is there room for the prospects to play right away?

The Owen Caissie trade cleared up one roadblock, but others remain. Matt Shaw isn't a prospect anymore, but he looks pretty blocked after the signing of Alex Bregman, putting his development on hold for a role as a utility player. And then we have interesting names like Kevin Alcantara and Moises Ballesteros, who have had a taste of the majors but not much more than that. Alcantara looks set to be the fourth outfielder, while Ballesteros looks set for a part-time DH role. Getting Ballesteros some reps behind the plate this spring might be a sign that they still view him as an option for catcher, and that's vital to his long-term value – the bar for a Util-only player in Fantasy remains a lot higher than for a catcher. If Ballesteros isn't playing in the field this spring, it'll be a lot harder to justify him as a sleeper. 

Milwaukee Brewers -Is Andrew Vaughn just the everyday first baseman? 

There are certainly bigger questions here, though they aren't the kind we'll actually get answers to this spring – Jacob Misiorowski, Brandon Woodruff, and Logan Henderson just have to go out and stay healthy before we'll know whether they can, you know? So we'll pivot to a less pressing question that nonetheless could matter very much for Fantasy. 

Vaughn opened a lot of eyes with his play after joining the Brewers last summer, and while he slowed down eventually, he still managed a .308/.375/.493 line in 64 games, including the best underlying numbers of his career. Despite that, there is very little hype or interest in him for Fantasy entering 2026, which makes me wonder if I've missed something about his role. Looking at the depth chart, I'm not sure what the alternative would be to Vaughn – maybe he platoons with Jake Bauers, but I don't see Bauers as an everyday player at this point, and I can't imagine the Brewers do. There are reasons to buy into Vaughn's second-half breakout, and if he truly is the everyday 1B in this lineup and ballpark, he could be a great value with an ADP outside of the top 300. 

Philadelphia Phillies - Have they lost faith in Andrew Painter?

I'll say this for Painter: The Phillies sure didn't approach this offseason like they've lost faith in the one-time top pitching prospect in baseball. Despite letting Ranger Suarez walk and having Zack Wheeler coming off serious shoulder surgery, the Phillies didn't really make any additions to their rotation, likely leaving Taijuan Walker and Painter to open the season in the final two spots. Painter will have to perform well to remain in the rotation if and when Wheeler is healthy enough to pitch, and that's no sure thing coming off a season where he put up a 5.26 ERA in the minors while pitching with altered mechanics coming off Tommy John surgery. The raw stuff remains very impressive, and if Painter shines this spring, I suspect we'll start to see his price rise. With an ADP as the 306th player off the board in February drafts, it's not hard to see the upside. 

San Diego Padres - How much of Jackson Merrill's struggles were health-related?

He was hitting .304 with an OPS north of .800 when he suffered a concussion in mid-June, and then floundered for the next couple of months while also battling hamstring and ankle injuries. I'm inclined to give Merrill the benefit of the doubt that we'll see at least a return to what he did as a rookie, when he finished with 24 homers and 16 RBI while hitting .292. In fact, I'm pretty open to even better than that, seeing as he was just 21 as a rookie. But I'm kind of on an island in ranking Merrill as a top-12 outfielder, and Scott White made the case against him during our outfield preview earlier this week, which is worth checking out. What I want to see from Merrill this spring: How about a willingness to run after he dropped from 16 to just one steal in his second season?

San Francisco Giants - Is Bryce Eldridge ready to make an impact?

Eldridge is currently just the 391st player off the board in February drafts, and I think this is one of those situations where his 10-game cup of coffee late in the season is affecting folks' perception of him, even if we all know a 10-game sample size is effectively meaningless. Part of that is because Eldridge primarily played DH in those 10 appearances, leaving him with Util-only eligibility entering drafts. But we are talking about a hitter who will be 21 all season long and has 70-grade power; this time a year ago, you could ask most prospect analysts to pick him or Nick Kurtz, and it might have been a coin flip's call. Eldridge did have wrist surgery this offseason, so I'd like to see him hitting the ball with authority this spring and winning a job splitting time between DH and 1B with Rafael Devers, rather than being awarded it by default.  

Colorado Rockies - Is there anyone worth getting excited about? 

I'll admit, I can't work up much excitement over the likes of Mickey Moniak or Ezequiel Tovar, even as relatively cheap fliers – in Moniak's case, I don't have any faith he can hit lefties or hit away from Coors Field, which makes him useful about 37% of the time, roughly. Hunter Goodman is excellent, but there's little in the way of exciting youth on this team.

But I'll give you three names from the Rockies I'm definitely keeping an eye on this spring: Jake McCarthy, Edouard Julien, and Zac Veen. For both McCarthy and Julien, we're talking about pretty established players who just haven't been particularly good previously in their careers, so the hope is that Coors Field can inflate their production enough to make both of them relevant for Fantasy. I'm a bit more optimistic about that coming to fruition for McCarthy, who could be a batting average and stolen base standout, but I did keep Julien in my 24-team Dynasty league at the last minute after seeing him shipped to Colorado. Yeah, that's damming with faint praise, but such are the meager joys in Colorado.

Veen, on the other hand, now there might just be something here. The former top prospect was productive at Triple-A in 2025, hitting .289/.359/.464 in 90 games, but he got just a brief stint with the Rockies and looked overwhelmed when he was in the lineup. We learned this week that Veen has been dealing with substance abuse issues in recent years that threatened to derail his career, but he says he is "completely clean and sober" after this offseason and is in much better shape, both physically and mentally. That could help get Veen back on track in his career, too, and a big spring could put him back in the Rockies' immediate plans. I'll be rooting for it. 

Washington Nationals - Can the new brain trust turn things around?

Looking for something more concrete? I suppose I could have focused on Harry Ford's attempts to usurp Keibert Ruiz as the primary catcher, or James Wood's chances of bouncing back from his legitimately terrifying second-half slump; heck, I could focus on Dylan Crews and the hope he finally gives us a reason to buy into the hype he once showed.

But ultimately, I want to see some signs of the Nationals growing up as an organization. They installed a new, conspicuously young front office and coaching staff group this offseason, and I want to see some sign that they're becoming a bit more forward-thinking than the group that put up signs last spring saying, "I don't care how fast you throw ball four." 

The Nationals don't lack for talent, but it seems like their most intriguing young players have largely stalled out in the majors, leaving us actively rooting for Mackenzie Gore to be traded to a more competent developmental team. I want to see some sign from this group that they have a better idea of how to help guys like Wood, Crews, and C.J. Abrams sand down the rough edges to their games and blossom into actual superstars. They have the potential. Let's put them in the right position to succeed, now.