Buy or Sell on 8 MLB Spring Training Position Change Experiments

There isn't much at stake in the six weeks or so that MLB holds spring training. For most players, the main edict boils down to, "Please, just don't get hurt."

Yet there are cases where even veterans must prove something, and the 2025 spring season features an unusual number of vets who must do so at new positions.

For instance, Mike Trout is no longer a center fielder, Jose Altuve is no longer a second baseman and Clay Holmes is no longer a relief pitcher. They have new jobs now, and there will be problems if they don't work out.

As for whether these and more changes will work out, well, what's say we play a game of "Buy or Sell?" with the juiciest position changes of the spring?

We have eight to get to, and we'll proceed in alphabetical order by last name.

Why Is This Happening?

The idea of Jose Altuve moving from second base to left field was first raised...[checks notes]...wow, by him in January. At the time, a related story was that the Astros were still hoping to re-sign Alex Bregman.

Though that ship has sailed, Altuve and the team have doubled and tripled down on the concept. The official plan is for the 2017 AL MVP to play mostly in left, with Mauricio Dubón or someone else (i.e., Brendan Rodgers) at the keystone.

Will It Work?

There are headwinds working against Altuve, who'll turn 35 on May 6, as a regular left fielder. Everyday outfielders age-35 or older have become rare, and neither his speed nor his arm strength scream, "Outfielder!"

It should help, though, that Daikin Park has a small left field on the doorstep of the Crawford Boxes. And the early returns, such as they are, on Altuve's handling of his new position could be worse.

Assuming the Astros allow Altuve to take occasional reps at DH, his move will be a net positive if it so much as keeps Yordan Alvarez healthy while improving Houston's infield defense. It's not as if Altuve was an ace defender at second, after all.

Verdict: Buy

Why Is This Happening?

Speaking of Bregman, where the Gold Glove-winning third baseman would play for the Red Sox was a question right off the bat and then again when Rafael Devers staked his claim to the hot corner.

The situation has since become confusing. The Red Sox have not yet forced Bregman to second base in deference to Devers, but they may not have much choice but to do so if the latter refuses to budge on moving to DH.

Will It Work?

As if this situation needed to get more complicated, neither Kristian Campbell (.335 OPS) nor Vaughn Grissom (.449 OPS) is making a strong case to start at second, whereas Masataka Yoshida (1.000 OPS) looks worthy of the DH spot.

The Red Sox may therefore be forced to seriously consider Bregman at second. It may help that he was reportedly willing to move there even before signing, and also that manager Alex Cora has been bullish on his defensive outlook at the keystone.

Yet with Devers being slow to get into game shape while Bregman continues to get reps at third, it seems as if fate has made the Red Sox's choice for them. And if Bregman does open the season at third, it will be hard to get that genie back in the bottle.

Verdict: Sell

Why Is This Happening?

Paul Goldschmidt manned the cold corner for the Cardinals between 2019 and 2024, but they moved on from him as soon as last season was over.

That is part of why Willson Contreras is now out of the crouch and at the first base bag. That he's about to turn 33 on May 13 was surely another part of the equation, with yet another being the gnarly injury he suffered while catching last May.

Will It Work?

It isn't uncommon for veteran catchers to occasionally see action at first base, but Contreras is a true newbie there. He started only four games at first in the first nine seasons of his career.

The defensive aspect of his transition is a "whatever" scenario. Relative to other positions, good defense at first is a mere nice-to-have. The real question is if Contreras will rake like a first baseman, and there's cause for optimism there.

Contreras has been an above-average hitter for his career, and especially lately at 27 percent better than average since 2022. There is swing-and-miss in his profile, but also patience (12.6 BB% in 2024) and pop (46.8 Hard%).

Verdict: Buy

Why Is This Happening?

OK, fine. You got me. This is not a new transition, as the Pirates first moved Oneil Cruz from shortstop to center field last fall.

Cruz, 26, didn't give the Bucs much choice by way of 24 errors in 958.1 innings at short in 2024. He has always had the athleticism and arm strength to play in the middle of the outfield, though he has more offensive upside than the standard center fielder.

Will It Work?

There were, in manager Derek Shelton's words, "bumps in the road" for Cruz in center field last September. Suffice it to say you could tell it was not his natural position.

Despite that, you may be surprised to hear he had more Outs Above Average (two) as a center fielder than he did as a shortstop (minus-three). You can thus see why the Bucs were bullish about the experiment coming into spring training.

As for the bat, well, here's how the bat is looking:

Cruz's power and speed give him at least 20-20 upside offensively. And whereas he was one of eight shortstops to actually hit those figures in 2024, he would have been one of merely six center fielders to do so.

Verdict: Buy

Why Is This Happening?

Clay Holmes is a starter largely because he wanted to be one, as he and his reps reportedly told teams interested in him during free agency.

For the Mets, what was a novel idea now feels like one that has to work. As long as Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas are sidelined with injuries, Holmes looks like their No. 3 starter after Kodai Senga and David Peterson.

Will It Work?

As Holmes was merely a sinker-slider guy as a reliever, some scouts were understandably wary of whether he could hack it as a starter.

Several months later, though, Holmes already looks like a whole new hurler. He's added (h/t Eno Sarris of The Athletic) a four-seamer and a cutter, plus a "kick change" that looks utterly devastating.

Thus his two-pitch arsenal has expanded to five pitches, and Holmes has used it to pitch six scoreless, one-hit innings in spring training. How he'll hold up is the question now, but bear in mind that he's 6'5" and 245 pounds.

Verdict: Buy

Why Is This Happening?

Save for eight starts as a shortstop in the minors, Jonathan India has only ever played second base as a professional. Heck, he says he's "never played outfield in my life."

Left field is nonetheless where the Royals have a need, as the position produced minus-0.7 rWAR in 2024. And between India and incumbent Michael Massey, the latter is the better defensive second baseman.

Will It Work?

You have to hand it to India for being willing to swallow his pride, but this situation is not the same as the one Altuve is facing in Houston.

India, 28, is younger, but he isn't significantly faster or equipped with significantly better arm strength than Altuve. And whereas Daikin Park is tight in left field, Kauffman Stadium has the biggest outfield of any AL park.

Kauffman Stadium also figures to be a rude awakening for India on offense. It's nowhere near as hitter-friendly as Great American Ball Park, where India had a .809 OPS compared to a .722 road OPS as a Cincinnati Red.

Verdict: Sell

Why Is This Happening?

As soon as the Tigers signed Gleyber Torres in December, what that meant for Colt Keith became an immediate question in need of answering.

The Tigers were quick to announce that the 23-year-old erstwhile top prospect would be moving to first base. That Spencer Torkelson, himself a former top prospect, didn't have a hold on the position presumably made the decision easier.

Will It Work?

Keith wasn't much of a second baseman in 2024, posting exactly zero OAA. So if nothing else, this move doesn't figure to hurt Detroit defensively.

As alluded to in the Contreras discussion, the bigger question with first basemen is always whether the bat plays. The standards are high, as only the DH spot (.742 OPS) produced a higher OPS than first base (.736 OPS) in 2024.

Keith only had a .689 OPS last season, with underlying metrics that don't reflect well on his ability to tap into hidden power. To wit, his 87.8 mph average exit velocity was only in the 23rd percentile.

Verdict: Sell

Why Is This Happening?

Some of us still remember that time Mike Trout moved to left field in deference to Peter Bourjos. But until now, the three-time AL MVP has been known to most as a center fielder.

Not anymore, and for good reason. By moving the 33-year-old from center to right field, the Angels hope the result will be a healthier season after Trout missed nearly 60 percent of the team's games between 2021 and 2024.

Will It Work?

This feels more like an "Honestly, it can't hurt" situation than a slam dunk. Especially after two knee surgeries in 2024, nobody can proclaim that Trout is a sure thing for durability.

There is less ground to cover in right field, however, and the change allows for Angels manager Ron Washington to occasionally rotate Trout and Jorge Soler at DH.

The bat, by the way, is just fine. Trout has played in six games this spring and racked up a 1.588 OPS.

Call it wishful thinking if you want, but it is with fingers crossed that I'm going to apply some faith here.

Verdict: Buy

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.