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EspañolEagles face tough decision on Moro Ojomo's future
As the 2023 offseason wore on and the Eagles navigated their offseason, there was a name floating around the aggressive Philadelphia media. The NFL's most loyal fan base chimed in, leading to some added buzz. Bijan Robinson was the subject of constant discussion.
A 2022 Unanimous All-American and the Doak Walker Award winner, an honor given to the top running back in college football, Robinson had closed a great career with the Texas Longhorns. He was a former Freshman All-American (2020) and a two-time First-Team All-Big 12 nod (2021-2022). He was expected to be among the first ten players taken in the 2023 NFL Draft.
That began a debate, mostly among Birds fans and on-air personalities on Philadelphia Sports radio channels. Why draft an offensive lineman or a defender when the Eagles had a shot at taking this guy?
The selection meeting arrived, and the Eagles indeed drafted a Longhorn. It just wasn't Robinson, and it came two days and 241 selections later.
The Eagles may be nearing a tough decision as Moro Ojomo has carved out a name for himself.
So, as it turns out, those Eagles scouts did indeed have their eyes on Texas football, and in the process, they found an undersized but extremely talented defensive lineman. The Atlanta Falcons wound up drafting Robinson with the eighth overall selection, eliminating any temptation that Philadelphia may have had. The Birds grabbed Jalen Carter two spots later at ten. They added another defensive lineman in Round 7.
Ojomo was the 249th player taken in the 2023 NFL Draft. That decision has turned out to be a great one. Some thought he might turn out to be a steal. He has been all of that and more.
He has appeared in 47 career games, including five postseason contests. He has notched ten starts, leading to 61 tackles, six sacks, and a pass breakup during the regular season. He has added another nine tackles and a sack during the playoffs. Philadelphia's 2025-26 campaign was his best to date. Stepping into a void left by some departed veterans, all of those afore-mentioned six sacks came last season.
That was the second-highest total posted by an Eagles defender. Only Jalyx Hunt (6.5) had more. It was recently announced that he hired a new agency to represent him, which raises an interesting conversation.
Ojomo is extension-eligible this offseason. He's signed through 2026, making him eligible for free agency in 2027. Another massive season could pose a conundrum for the Eagles.
Yes, they have two other defensive linemen whose extensions they need to discuss: Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis. Ojom, however, is becoming more important to this defense as time passes, and if you haven't learned anything else from the 2025 Eagles, you should have learned that finding good help, especially at defensive end, can be a difficult ask.
Howie Roseman and company won't bet against themselves. The Eagles never do, but it's becoming increasingly obvious that Moro Ojomo is someone may need to be considered for an extended stay on this roster.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Eagles' Moro Ojomo: Extension talks loom after breakout
'Evolution, not revolution' required before 'season-defining' Chelsea game
Aston Villa have only won two of their past seven games. This is not the form of a team looking to secure Champions League football, nor one sitting third in the league for several months.
The team are looking sluggish, lacking in creativity and struggling to keep a clean sheet. Performances have been underwhelming, which has perhaps been more of a concern than the dwindling points tally.
The fixture against Chelsea at Villa Park on Wednesday is season-defining. A Champions League 'six-pointer' in which Villa could build a nine-point gap on the visitors, or the deficit between fourth and sixth could shrink to three points.
How can Unai Emery turn things around in a period of decline? It's time for something different - a fresh approach that will inject energy into a weary side creaking under the pressure.
The boss will never rip up his tactics sheet and start afresh, particularly in the final run-in of the season. But his team needs an evolution, not a revolution.
The easiest way for Villa to evolve is a change in starting personnel. Tammy Abraham has looked lively since his arrival, but has struggled to seize the shirt from Ollie Watkins. As Villa's record Premier League goalscorer struggles to net, the ex-Chelsea forward should be eyeing a start against his former club as an opportunity to stake his claim.
Meanwhile, youngster Alysson, who has had a stop-start beginning to his journey in claret and blue, has shown promise in his brief cameos so far. An energetic and physical attacker looking to impose himself on the Premier League feels exactly the type of player to fire Villa's frontline.
As the team look to spark the atmosphere at Villa Park, a refreshed performance will be the thing that really reignites belief and excitement among fans, who are longing to see the tide turn in a lengthy history of Villa falling at the final hurdle.
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MLB News Updates, March 2: Andrew Painter makes 2026 debut, and more from spring training to note for fantasy baseball
Every week, we will update fantasy baseball managers with all the MLB news they may have missed as we make our way through spring training and get closer to Opening Day.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2026 MLB season]
Andrew Painter has brief, quiet outing in 2026 spring training debut
It seems like forever that fantasy baseball managers have been waiting for Andrew Painter to make noise in the majors. After all, three years ago, the then-19-year-old made his spring training debut, only to find himself undergoing Tommy John surgery, ending any hopes of an expedited career in MLB.
But Painter, MLB’s 28th-ranked prospect and long considered one of the Phillies’ best prospects overall, is healthy now and ready to make his mark in Philadelphia’s rotation this season.
Painter made his 2026 spring training debut against the Yankees on March 1. He pitched two scoreless innings and collected one strikeout, to Jasson Domínguez (another former highly-touted prospect who’s already gotten a lot of MLB action).
Painter will likely be eased along, but it seems like a given that he’ll get a chance to stick in the Phillies’ rotation to start the season. He’s currently carrying a 205 ADP in Yahoo leagues; that won’t last.
Stanton makes startling injury claim
In what ended up being one of the more bizarre-sounding news stories of the past few days, Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton claimed that the pain in his elbows is so bad that he “can’t open bottles, can’t open a bag of chips.”
As someone who has opened a lot of bags of chips in his day, that is a wild statement. Injuries, of course, are no strangers to Stanton — the last time he played more than 140 games was in 2018.
Highlights of Stanton running have been making the rounds on social media; that’s a low bar. But nonetheless, Stanton has remained one of the most feared, powerful hitters in baseball, despite his litany of injury woes. Last season was even a resurgence for him, posting a .944 OPS in 77 games (after returning from, yes, an injury) while hitting 24 home runs. Stanton currently has an ADP of 193, but this elbow news will probably lower that even further. At that point in drafts, you could do worse than taking a chance on someone who has 40+ homer upside.
Baseball’s No. 1 prospect makes his presence felt
The Pittsburgh Pirates are not a good team, but that doesn’t mean they don’t offer reasons for excitement. Oneil Cruz is an exciting hitter with a yet-untapped ceiling, Paul Skenes is already one of the five best starting pitchers in baseball and Bubba Chandler could reach that position at some point.
And there’s a chance another one of Pittsburgh’s prospects could take the field in the majors this season — and he might be the best of the bunch.
Konnor Griffin — who will turn a mere 20 years old when the season reaches its one-month mark — has already made waves across social media with his first spring training homers:
No. 1 Prospect Konnor Griffin hits his first #SpringTraining home run! 💪 pic.twitter.com/YllOJIHZLw
— MLB (@MLB) February 24, 2026
Not only did he launch that blast against Boston’s prized free-agent pickup, Ranger Suárez, but Griffin would go on and hit a second home run later in the game. Then, he hit a third spring training homer on March 1. At 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, Griffin is the Pirates’ top prospect — and the top prospect in baseball overall.
But again, Griffin is just 19 years old at the time of this writing. He’s only played in A-A+-AA (in which he made mincemeat of opposing pitching to the tune of a .333/.415/.527 slash line with a .941 OPS) in the minors. The chances of him making the big league roster before the summer — much less right out of spring training — are not high. And we know Pittsburgh isn’t exactly the place where prospects get rushed, no matter how good they are.
Griffin has a Yahoo ADP of 195.6 — apt for someone who is just a hopeful bench stash right now; Yahoo managers aren’t too hyped yet. But if he continues the highlight reel and fan pressure continues to build, the Pirates’ hand may be forced at some point in May or June. He’s a must-watch player during spring training.
Lindor on track for Opening Day; Carroll aiming for the same
Mets SS Francisco Lindor was one of a group of high-profile players who announced a need for surgery after injury to the hamate bone; for him, the surgery was performed on his left hand.
No one wants to hear about a star player needing surgery right before spring training, but thankfully, Lindor recently had his stitches removed and is reportedly still on track to start for the Mets on Opening Day.
Lindor is currently just on the cusp of being a second-round pick in Yahoo Fantasy leagues. If he falls to the third round, he’s a snap-selection, especially when you consider he’s gone nearly 30-30 (he stole 29 bases in 2024) for three straight seasons.
Diamondbacks OF Corbin Carroll (who currently holds a Yahoo ADP of 16.6) had surgery on Feb. 11 on his right hamate bone, and as he continues his rehab, he has stated that he’s “pushing” to be ready for Opening Day against the Dodgers on March 26.
At just 25 years old, we likely still haven’t seen Carroll’s best season; he has a .258/.341/.491 slash line with an .832 OPS in his career. His ADP could shoot up if his timeline does the same during spring training.
Hope for a resurgent Mike Trout season?
Once considered the clear best player in baseball, it’s been a rough couple of seasons for Mike Trout on the injury front. Trout last played more than 130 games in 2019 (134). He played just 29 and 82 games in 2024 and 2023, respectively. He did play 130 games in 2025, but the results were pretty subpar, by his standards: .232/.359/.439 with a .797 OPS, 26 home runs and just two stolen bases.
But maybe there’s a chance things turn around this season. On Saturday, Trout flew down the line in an attempt to beat out an infield single versus the D-backs. He was recorded as reaching a sprint speed of 29.9 feet per second — his highest sprint speed since a meniscus tear in 2024. Trout himself revealed that his goal for this season is 30 feet per second.
Now, this is not to say that Trout will suddenly return to his glory days of stealing 30+ bases, but a return to elite speed would certainly help in that regard. At the very least, a healthy Trout will undoubtedly steal more than the measly two bags he’s averaged the last six seasons.
For context, Trea Turner had the highest sprint speed in the league in 2025 at 30.3 feet per second, per Statcast. Trout was down at 223 with 27.9 feet per second.
Trout is coming off the board as OF58 in Yahoo leagues, a far cry from his previous elite years. Two years removed from his meniscus tear and with an eye on redemption, Trout could end up being a draft-day steal.
Yankee youth shining early in spring training
The Yankees aren’t exactly the Pirates in terms of exciting prospects, but they do have some young players who have been turning heads so far in exhibition play.
George Lombard Jr., baseball’s 32nd-ranked prospect, has been making defensive highlight after defensive highlight so far in spring training, and the Yankees expect his bat to catch up with his glove. Defense can get players onto the field sooner than later; Lombard’s ascension is one to watch.
Carlos Lagrange is another of New York’s top prospects, a potentially front-line starter with triple-digit stuff. His arm is already making waves on social media. In Double-A last season, Lagrange put together a 7-6 record with a 3.22 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 78.1 innings pitched. At 22 years old, Lagrange has the chance to not only begin the season in Triple-A, but could see himself in the big-league club sooner rather than later, whether as a starter or in the bullpen.
Finally, we have Ryan Weathers, the Yankees’ offseason trade acquisition from the Marlins. At just 26 years old, Weathers hasn’t even reached his prime yet; once upon a time, Weathers was a Padres first-round pick. He flamed out with San Diego, but delivered moments of promise with the Marlins. The Yankees traded for that promise, and it may have already shown itself in spring training:
Ryan Weathers with a 99.8 MPH strikeout. He has never thrown a pitch that fast in his MLB career pic.twitter.com/0gN2GGUdB5
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) February 25, 2026
Weathers ended his exhibition outing with the following line: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 5 K, 0 BB. Not bad for a debut. He currently holds a Yahoo ADP of 207.6; expect that to rise in the coming weeks, barring injury or a blow-up outing, as Weathers is projected to be the Yankees’ third or fourth starter to open the season.