Next week, we will reach one month from Opening Day and unsurprisingly, movement is slowing down with MLB spring training now in the rear-view mirror and American Association rosters full (or close to it) for most teams.

Nonetheless, there is still movement to monitor:

Chicago Dogs

The Spin: It was a quiet week for the Dogs, who had no moves. The previous week, the Dogs executed a trade with Washington for infielder Ethan Wilder, so his signing status is something to monitor. I mentioned as well that RHP Andres Diaz was acquired from Gary SouthShore over a month ago, but the Dogs announced that move on April 3, though no official notification of his signing has hit the wire.

Cleburne Railroaders

Signed: C Oscar Hernandez, INF Blake Robertson

The Spin: Cleburne swung a deal for Hernandez the prior week, but now officially have pen to paper for the former MLB backstop. However, Hernandez has only played 22 games since seeing the start of 2022 (all in the Frontier League in 2023), so who knows how much the 32-year-old has left? Considering their only other catcher has never played outside the Pioneer League, Hernandez might be in line to start despite the long layoff.

Robertson had a good 2023 in High-A, but an injury derailed his 2024 campaign and he just never hit after that. The 25-year-old does have solid plate discipline, so that could lead to a resurgence for him in his first Indy ball season.

Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks

Signed: RHP Mason Pelio

The Spin: Fargo-Moorhead has a pretty deep staff signed up, so the signing of Pelio feels like a flyer. The 25-year-old has a 5.41 ERA and nearly as many walks as strikeouts in his three professional seasons, while also missing most of 2025 due to injury. All that came was after he finished his college career with two very difficult seasons. It’s another arm to bring to camp, but I’d be hard-pressed to expect much more from him.

Gary SouthShore RailCats

The Spin: It was a quiet week on the shores of Northwest Indiana after the RailCats signed a pair of pitchers last week. Even with those additions, pitching is still the primary item on the to-do list for Gary SouthShore right now.

Kane County Cougars

Signed: RHP Graham Firoved, RHP Justin Lange

The Spin: Kane County has been a few arms shy all winter and still need a few more, but they did scoop up a pair of hurlers this week. Lange is possibly the most notable name to put ink to paper this week, as the 34th overall selection in the 2020 MLB Draft. Still just 24, Lange averaged 12.1 K/9 in 153.2 professional innings, but he missed all of 2024 and much of ’25 due to injuries, never rose above High-A, and logged a 5.51 ERA with elevated walk rates in his career. The talent is there, but there’s a lot to figure out for him.

Firoved posted even higher ERAs in three seasons in the low minors before pitching ineffectively in two outings for Gastonia (Atlantic League) last season. He racked up a lot of swings and misses in college, but has walked nearly a batter per inning as a pro, which is the area that will need to change for him to stick around long.

Kansas City Monarchs

Signed: RHP Dylan Heid

The Spin: Over the past few weeks, the Monarchs have scooped up some relievers I’m really intrigued about and they did it again this week with Heid. He pitched only 20.1 innings last year, but pitched well (3.54 ERA) following up a 2024 season in which he tallied a 1.69 ERA in 41 outings at Double-A. Heid has a 2.79 ERA over 171.0 career innings over four professional seasons, which makes me think the 27-year-old is ticketed for an important role in the Kansas City bullpen.

Lake Country DockHounds

Signed: RHP Rodrigo Benoit, INF Jack Blomgren, C Ryan Lee

The Spin: Lake Country brought in the most familiar face of the week for AA fans, bringing Benoit back to the States. The 32-year-old right-hander was a critical bullpen piece for Milwaukee’s near-championship team in 2022, but struggled when he returned to the Milkmen in 2024. Last year he pitched for three Mexican League teams with very different results across those clubs, though he walked more batters than he struck out for the year. It’s fair to wonder how much is left in the tank.

Blomgren was signed by the DockHounds earlier this winter, then purchased by the Texas Rangers…and promptly cut after one game in Double-AA. A five-year veteran of the Rockies and Astros systems, the 27-year-old is seeing his first Indy ball experience. He’s posted a robust .396 OBP and 11 home runs in 166 career games, so there’s legitimate top-of-the-order upside based on that profile.

Lee is the clear-cut third catcher who will certainly be a longshot to break camp with the club. He posted a decent final college season in 2025, but even then he turns 25 the day after Opening Day and is just beginning his pro career after an okay college career.

Lincoln Saltdogs

The Spin: For the second time in three weeks, the Saltdogs were silent. Last week, they signed a pair of pitchers late, though a few more arms are still needed on the Lincoln staff.

Milwaukee Milkmen

The Spin: The Milkmen were quiet this week. With an absurd 19 pitchers signed among their 30 currently inked, Milwaukee will probably be swapping out some arms for a couple more bats, though otherwise I’d say this roster is probably pretty close to complete before spring training.

Sioux City Explorers

The Spin: Three weeks have passed since the last move for Sioux City. The X’s only have 21 signees, so there’s still work to be done, with another outfielder probably being needed and several more spots on the pitching staff to be filled, with only nine hurlers in the fold. The Explorers still have more infielders than spots for them, so we’ll see if they use that to address other needs.

Sioux Falls Canaries

Signed: INF Chase Engelhard

The Spin: Engelhard was signed by Cleburne earlier this winter, but the Railroaders cut him last month, particularly with several proven professional options on the infield. The 24-year-old did not play at all in 2025 after finishing a solid, if unspectacular, college career (and playing in the MLB Draft League) in ’24. He will have a better shot at playing in Sioux Falls than he would in Cleburne, though how well that works out for the Canaries is more ambiguous.

Winnipeg Goldeyes

Signed: C Raphael Pelletier

The Spin: The Goldeyes now have a second catcher in the fold, bringing in a native of Quebec as Winnipeg’s seventh native Canadian on the roster. In three years at Kansas State, Pelletier (who has no apparent relation to fellow Quebecois and Frontier League star L.P. Pelletier) showed some pop and plate discipline, but showed shaky contact throughout, then greatly struggled after a move to the SEC last year. This is the first professional stop for the 24-year-old.

—

Thanks for reading! Please give me a follow on Twitter/X at @AABaseballFan1 and Instagram at @aabaseballfan