TheRotofeed

Phillies To Reduce J.T. Realmuto’s Catching Workload

AJ Eustace — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 01:34:24 +0000

J.T. Realmuto has long been one of the league’s most durable catchers, and that has continued into his mid-30s. He leads the Majors with 613 games started behind the plate since 2022. That includes 122 games started this year, which bests the Brewers’ William Contreras by one game for tops at the position. At the same time, Realmuto will turn 36 in Spring Training, and the Phillies may need to manage his workload more carefully after a down season in 2026. Speaking at the team’s year-end press conference on Thursday, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters, including Cole Weintraub of NBC Sports Philadelphia, that Realmuto will not be catching as frequently in 2027.

“I said, ‘I don’t know if I can accomplish this, but I don’t want you to hear about it from the press conference,” Dombrowski said of his conversation with Realmuto. “’My goal is to try to reduce the number of games you catch.’” Per Dombrowski, Realmuto physically feels fine but is open to having more days off behind the plate, perhaps by slotting in more at first base.

Realmuto re-signed with the Phillies on a three-year, $45MM guarantee back in January. The first year of that pact was a bit of a letdown. Over 467 plate appearances, Realmuto hit just .205/.283/.331 with 11 home runs and a 68 wRC+. The latter stands as a career-worst mark, and it’s well below-average even for catchers, who had a 91 wRC+ in 2026. Realmuto’s 21.4% strikeout rate and 7.9% walk rate were both improvements over his 2025 numbers, but that’s about all that went right for him at the plate. Aside from a 130 wRC+ in July, he was below average in every other month of the year.

Poor batted ball luck may have contributed to that downturn. Realmuto had never hit below .285 on balls in play in a single season, but he had a .239 BABIP this year. Accordingly, his .205 average and .331 SLG lagged far behind his expected figures (.249 xBA and .387 xSLG). Those still would have been below Realmuto’s career norms, but perhaps not as bad as the season he actually had. At the same time, the veteran’s contact quality slipped somewhat compared to 2025. His hard-hit rate fell from 45.4% to 40.0%, which rates just below average, and he also barreled the ball 3.2% less frequently.

Realmuto was still a solid defender behind the plate, if not at the same level as his late 20s/early 30s peak. Defensive Runs Saved valued him at -5, while Fielding Run Value put him at 0. In the eyes of Statcast, Realmuto remained elite at catching baserunners stealing and especially pop time, where he ranked in the 98th percentile. He wasn’t great at blocking, but he acclimated himself well to the ABS challenge system, successfully challenging 70 out of 86 calls – an 81.4% success rate.

Dombrowski’s plan of not having Realmuto catch as frequently is not an indictment of his defense, but rather a proactive move to keep him fresh and help him rebound at the plate. At the moment, Rafael Marchán and Garrett Stubbs are the other catchers on the 40-man roster. Marchán has only taken 334 plate appearances with a 58 wRC+ dating back to 2020. He’s a solid defender, but not enough to mitigate the lack of hitting. Stubbs has a 47 wRC+ in the Majors dating back to 2023. With their offensive limitations, Marchán and Stubbs would both be overmatched if they see more time behind the plate.

Should the Phillies want to upgrade over those two, they’d have limited financial wiggle room to accomplish it. MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker has them at $262.8MM in cash payroll for 2027. That will rise to $298.8MM when you factor in their $36MM arbitration class, as forecasted by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. Non-tenders could lower that amount somewhat, and obviously, a backup catcher is far from an expensive addition in free agency. Nonetheless, the Phillies will probably end up exceeding their 2026 cash payroll of $291.8MM when all is said and done.

Photo courtesy of Kyle Ross, Imagn Images

On The Yankees’ Third Base Dilemma

AJ Eustace — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 00:09:38 +0000

The Yankees had a strong season overall but still clearly need to upgrade following a three-game ALDS sweep at the hands of the Rays. The bullpen is going to see some turnover with the injured Fernando Cruz being a non-tender candidate, as well as Paul Blackburn and closer David Bednar entering free agency. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is also a free agent and may end up elsewhere, as much as he wants to stay in New York. Current reports predict that the Yankees will issue a qualifying offer to Bednar. Meanwhile, they’ve given some thought to playing Luis Garcia Jr. at the keystone in place of Chisholm.

Another spot to upgrade is at the hot corner, where Ryan McMahon is coming off an objectively disappointing year, let alone for a playoff team. In 124 games, the now 31-year-old batted just .213/.279/.357 with a wRC+ of 78, or 22% worse than league average. His 29.4% strikeout rate ranked in the ninth percentile according to Statcast, and unfortunately, it was right in line with his career average of 29.3%.

McMahon’s once strong walk rate dropped to a career-worst 7.8% this year, resulting in a mediocre .279 on-base percentage. He also saw a loss of power. After hitting at least 20 home runs in six of the last seven seasons (the only exception being the pandemic-shortened 2020), McMahon only went yard 11 times this year. His .143 isolated power was below the .156 league average and marked another career low.

As a team, the Yankees’ 74 wRC+ from the third base spot tied with the Marlins for the fifth-worst production in the league. McMahon, who averaged 2.3 fWAR per year from 2021-25 thanks to his defense, instead came in at a replacement-level 0.5 fWAR. After accruing +10 Defensive Runs Saved and +7 Outs Above Average in 2025, he was valued at -3 DRS and 0 OAA at the hot corner this year. Statcast usually likes McMahon’s defense when he ranges to the sides, but that range was much closer to average this season.

For all his faults, McMahon is still quite durable. He played in at least 151 games every season from 2021-25. He played 124 games this season, missing time for a throat infection at the end of June as well as a left thumb sprain at the end of August. Those were his first IL stints in over seven years. At the same time, those specific injuries aren’t lower-body ailments, so they don’t offer much explanation for McMahon’s loss of range. It could be a one-year blip, but it may also be the start of his natural, age-related decline.

Whatever the cause of his defensive downturn, it’s increasingly hard to see McMahon as the Yankees’ everyday third baseman in 2027. At the moment, he is under contract at a $16MM guaranteed salary. That’s “only” the seventh-highest salary on New York’s payroll, but it’s still a lot of money for someone who’s never been a good hitter and whose defensive value is now in question. At the same time, there could be some hesitation on the Yankees’ part to cut ties with McMahon given their other offseason needs.

If they retain Bednar, his salary is going to increase either by accepting the QO or (more likely) signing a lucrative multi-year deal. New York could use a few bullpen arms in addition to Bednar, and while pitching coach Matt Blake has gotten plenty of value from unheralded arms before, the Yankees may still need to spend money on the bullpen in free agency. They could also be in the market for a second baseman if they keep Garcia at first base, as their next-best internal option would be Anthony Volpe, an underwhelming hitter in his own right.

There’s also the matter of Giancarlo Stanton. The 36-year-old (37 in November) is entering the final season of the 13-year, $325MM extension he originally signed with the Marlins in November 2014. Stanton is owed a $25MM salary next year, plus a $10MM buyout on a club option for 2028. The Marlins are set to kick in $20MM, so the Yankees’ share of the guarantee stands at $15MM. After another injury-plagued year for Stanton, and with Ben Rice and Aaron Judge both being candidates for DH time, there’s a chance that the Yankees eat the remaining money and simply release Stanton.

MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker has New York at a $282.1MM luxury tax payroll in 2027. That number will go up when you factor in the team’s arbitration class, which MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects to earn $36.7MM. In all likelihood, the Yankees will be at or near the highest level of luxury tax penalization next year. Alternatively, if the CBA negotiations result in a salary cap, they’ll need to find some way to drastically reduce payroll. In either scenario, eating dead money for one or both of McMahon or Stanton would be a tough pill to swallow, and that’s before finding a viable replacement for McMahon.

From a baseball perspective, though, the Yankees simply need more from the third base spot if they hope to make a deeper playoff run in 2027. Admittedly, it’ll be tough to find a replacement for McMahon in free agency. Teruaki Sato is one of the top bats available at any position, not just third base, so he’ll have plenty of suitors and won’t come cheaply. The other options are either rebound candidates (Alec Bohm) or would be playing out of position at third base (Chisholm and J.P. Crawford).

The options on the trade market include the Astros’ Isaac Paredes, the Twins’ Royce Lewis, and the Cardinals’ Nolan Gorman. Houston holds a $13.35MM club option on Paredes which converts to a mutual option if he finishes in the Top 10 of AL MVP voting. Either way, he’s in his last season of control, so it wouldn’t be surprising for the Astros to trade him and use the savings to address their own roster. Lewis and Gorman are both rebound candidates.

Ultimately, the Yankees have a choice between retaining McMahon, knowing his flaws, or releasing him and going after Sato or Paredes, which might complicate the payroll. Whatever the outcome, New York must take steps to improve their offense, which slumped badly after Judge went down for a rib injury. The Yankees’ 93 wRC+ post-Judge injury was tied for fifth-worst in the Majors. Upgrading over McMahon wouldn’t be easy, but in the end, it may prove necessary to build a more complete lineup.

Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images

Yankees Have Shown Past Interest In Jacob Young

AJ Eustace — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 21:59:22 +0000

The Yankees have shown past interest in Nationals center fielder Jacob Young, writes Joel Sherman of The New York Post. It’s unclear whether the two sides engaged in formal talks or if it was just due diligence on the Yankees’ part, though the Nationals were known to be exploring a trade of Young back in January.

The 27-year-old Young just completed his fourth big league season. Since debuting for the Nats in 2023, he’s taken 1,477 trips to the plate and batted .248/.312/.339 with an 82 wRC+. Young doesn’t hit for power, having just 15 home runs and a .091 isolated slugging percentage in his career. Instead, he’s a speed and defense guy. Young has stolen 79 bases in 104 opportunities, good for a 76% success rate that’s right around league average.

He’s also accrued +22 Defensive Runs Saved and a staggering +49 Outs Above Average as a center fielder. The latter ranks second among center fielders with at least 1,000 innings since the start of 2023. The only player ahead of Young is the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong, who’s been worth +60 OAA.

This year showed a more well-rounded version of Young, albeit one who is still a below average hitter. In 471 plate appearances, he hit .252/.318/.390 with a 7.0% walk rate and a 16.6% strikeout rate. Young’s 95 wRC+ put him five points below league average production, but that’s still the best mark of his career. Statcast also credited him with 96th-percentile range as a center fielder, while DRS (-3) wasn’t as kind as in prior seasons, but still considered him passable.

Young is eligible for arbitration for the first time in 2027. He can be controlled for two more seasons beyond that and shouldn’t cost that much. The Nats wouldn’t get the same return as they would in a hypothetical CJ Abrams or James Wood trade, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that they continue fielding calls on Young. The free agent class is pretty underwhelming in center field, with the best options being rebound candidates like TJ Friedl, Trent Grisham, and Daulton Varsho, or short-side platoon options like Tyrone Taylor and Lane Thomas.

Young would be cheaper than all five of those players and controllable through the 2029 season. He also put up a 115 wRC+ against lefties this year, so he holds value as a platoon option and defensive specialist. The Yankees could show interest in Young again, but they don’t strictly need him at the moment, as they have Cody Bellinger, Spencer Jones, and Aaron Judge lined up from left to right next year. Heliot Ramos and Jasson Dominguez are on hand as a lefty masher and the main depth option, respectively. New York gave Grisham a qualifying offer last year, but they’re more likely to let him walk this time around.

Ramos was a replacement-level hitter for the Yankees after coming over at the trade deadline and only appeared once in their five-game postseason run. Dominguez hit well at Triple-A but not in the Majors, and neither he nor Ramos are good defenders. It would take a trade of at least one of them to open up a spot for Young, though at the very least, he’d provide some insurance defensively if Jones needs more time to develop in that regard.

A number of clubs could use a center fielder this winter, including the Astros, Rangers, Reds, Orioles, and Blue Jays. It would be in the Nationals’ interest to gauge interest from those clubs, regardless of whether they actually intend to trade Young. The team finished at 77-85 (.475) in 2026 and will probably use 2027 as another evaluation year. Selling high on Young after his career-best offensive showing could bring back a small amount of talent for the next Nationals contender.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Le, Imagn Images

Pirates Re-Sign Kyler Fedko To Minors Deal

AJ Eustace — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 20:46:24 +0000

The Pirates have agreed to re-sign outfielder Kyler Fedko to a two-year minor league deal, per Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Fedko underwent knee surgery in August to repair a torn ACL, MCL, and LCL, so he’ll be rehabbing for a good portion of the 2027 season.

The 27-year-old Fedko debuted with the Twins this year after spending parts of six seasons working through the minor leagues. He spent about a month in the Majors starting in mid-June, appearing in 14 games and taking 19 trips to the plate. Fedko walked twice and got his first RBI on a sacrifice fly, though he did not record his first big league hit. The Twins optioned him to Triple-A St. Paul on July 10th. He batted .274/.362/.545 at that level with a 128 wRC+ until the aforementioned triple knee injury ended Fedko’s season in early August. Minnesota released him on September 1st, and the Pirates picked him up three days later.

The two-year deal gives Fedko some continuity as he continues his rehab. Meanwhile, the Pirates get a no-risk depth outfielder to stash in the minors for the 2028 season (late 2027 if Fedko progresses quickly). This year was Fedko’s second at the Triple-A level. In 2025, he took 187 plate appearances for St. Paul after being promoted from Double-A in August. He batted .268/.353/.476 with a 115 wRC+, striking out at around average rates and showing penchants for power, speed, and getting on base. The latter three remained on display this year. Fedko knocked 17 home runs, stole ten bases, and walked at an 11.1% clip in 75 games for St. Paul before the injury.

The fact that Fedko made it to the Majors at all is a nice story considering he was just a 12th-round pick by Minnesota in 2021. For now, he’ll continue rehabbing in the Pirates organization while working toward a big league return some time in 2028. He’s obviously lower on the depth chart than Bryan Reynolds, Oneil Cruz, and Esmerlyn Valdez, all of whom are under contract through at least that year. Fedko’s recent minor league track record gives him some intrigue as a depth option, though.

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

Tigers Sign Nick Raquet To Minors Contract

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 19:37:03 +0000

The Tigers have signed left-hander Nick Raquet to a two-year minor league contract, according to 7 News’ Ari Alexander. Raquet became a free agent after he was released by the Orioles in early September.

The length of the deal reflects Raquet’s health situation, as Alexander reports that the southpaw recently underwent a Tommy John surgery. Raquet will therefore miss all of 2027 rehabbing from the procedure, so this two-year pact gives him some security to recuperate under a team’s umbrella, with the Tigers having an eye towards using Raquet when he’s healthy in 2028.

A third-round pick for the Nationals in the 2017 draft, Raquet stepped away from baseball entirely in 2020 once the minor league season was canceled by the pandemic. Raquet instead went back to college at William & Mary to complete a business degree, and even took a job as an enterprise risk consultant with Ernst & Young. He returned to play independent ball in 2023 and then signed a minors deal with the Cardinals prior to the 2024 season.

His two years in the St. Louis organization led to Raquet making his MLB debut in September 2025, as he tossed two scoreless innings over two appearances. The Cardinals designated Raquet for assignment last April and then dealt him to the Orioles, and the lefty had a 7.36 ERA over four games and 3 2/3 innings in a Baltimore uniform. Amidst the sporadic usage on the big league roster, Raquet spent most of his time at Triple-A Norfolk before his elbow problem both ended his season in August and led to this much longer absence.

A move to full-time relief pitching unlocked some extra strikeout ability for Raquet in 2025, and his overall production at the Triple-A level improved when he posted a 3.68 ERA, 26.9% strikeout rate, and 7.0% walk rate over 44 innings this season with the Cardinals’ and Orioles’ top affiliates. Raquet rarely cracks the 90mph threshold and rarely throws a traditional fastball at all, instead relying heavily on his slider with a good dose of a sinker thrown into the mix.

MLBTR Chat Transcript

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 19:15:14 +0000

Mark P

Welcome to an afternoon edition of the Weekend Chat! We’ll start with the questions in a minute…

Stl fans

the cardinals are looking for a short term answer at 3B and the orioles are looking for help at catcher. Wouldn’t a trade of a catcher for Coby Mayo make sense?

Mark P

Mayo doesn’t even have two years of service time, so he’s not really a “short term” answer. That doesn’t necessarily mean he wouldn’t be on the Cardinals’ radar for an acquisition, but it would mean the Orioles (if they’re open to moving Mayo at all) would be upping their asking price, especially since Mayo’s power was on display for the first time at the MLB level.
It should be noted, the O’s are likely looking for more of a backup catcher type since Basallo is still their top choice.

Tom

Would 4 100 get arozarena to Philly?

Mark P

Arozarena is entering his age-32 season, but I think a four-year deal is reasonable given both his production and the fact that so few difference-making hitters are available in free agency this year. A $25MM AAV also seems like feasible in this market.Spending big on another free agent adds even more money to Philly’s long-term books, but the team is clearly under pressure. Signing Arozarena wouldn’t be a final step since the Phils have multiple needs to address, and it also adds more swing-and-miss to the lineup

Guest

With the lockout looming won’t agents and players want to get their contracts signed before that occurs?

Mark P

The last lockout in 2021-22 saw some (but hardly all) big-name free agents ink their deals before the transactions freeze. The same figures to be true this time around

Guardians of the Galaxy

Who do you think the rainout favors more? The Guardians or the Rays?

Mark P

Cleveland fans are terrified this is an extreme version of the Game 7 rain delay in 2016 that allowed the Cubs to refocus.

Johnny Tom

During a lockout, what happens to players rehabbing from surgeries? Can they not work with team training staff, or even coordinate with them at all?

Mark P

Nope. Which means that the training/medical staff and any rehabbing players will have to work out their training plans well in advance of December 1, and just hope that everything goes smoothly until the lockout ends.

Steve Cohen

Freddie Peralta lost a lot of free agent money with the Mets this year. Has he recouped it with his performance for the Rays?

Mark P

Peralta seems like a good candidate for something like a three-year contract with multiple opt-outs. Teams aren’t just going to forget about his struggles in New York, so Peralta might want some flexibility in rebuilding his stock for another dip into free agency in 2027-28.
Just a one-year pillow deal probably isn’t likely, as Peralta would surely prefer some extra level of security.

Joe M

Nick Martinez and the Rays have a mutual option for 2027. Feels like Martinez declines and becomes a free agent. At 36, can he get three years?

Mark P

Can’t rule out a team stretching to a third year to seal the deal. Two years feels much more likely, but maybe two guaranteed years with a vesting option is a good compromise.For both Peralta and Martinez, btw, teams might be evaluating how much of their success is based on them, and how much is based on the Rays’ pitching development team being magicians

Acuna

Am I on the move this season? Where makes the most sense for me and the braves

Mark P

The place that makes the most sense is in right field in Atlanta. I covered this in the Braves outlook post the other day, noting that simply retaining Acuna is by far the likeliest outcome. The Braves also have a need in LF, Acuna had solid numbers even in a relative down year for him, and maybe some increase in his DH days will keep him healthy and get him fully back on track.

Guest

If the Brewers win the world series, do you see Christian Yelich as a hall of famer? Or just high up in the hall of very good?

Mark P

Hall of Very Good. Those two spectacular years did a lot for Yelich’s legacy, and capturing a ring will cement him as a Milwaukee legend. A fine career by any measure, but not a HOFer in my book.

Sonny Gray

My likeliest 2027 team?

Mark P

The Braves make a ton of sense given their SP needs and their geographical advantage to Gray’s home. A return to Boston isn’t out of the question either.

Masyn

Should I be looking over my shoulder after this disaster of a season? Or am I relatively safe in St. Louis? Should I be shopped?

Mark P

Winn is such an excellent fielder that the Cardinals only “need” him to provide average-ish offense.

I want a contact hitted

Will Warren, Ryan McMahon and cash considerations for Josh Jung. What more do the Yankees need to do to complete that trade

Mark P

Add some hitting to the mix, since Texas is looking to add offense this winter. For this very reason, there is basically zero chance Jung is getting dealt.

John

Do team protect all their typical Rule 5 eligible prospects, or do they take a risk with the borderline ones hoping the draft gets cancelled and they can then continue working with them?

Mark P

It makes for an interesting dilemma for teams, but I suspect they’ll proceed more or less as usual with the R5 protections.

Bruce

Thoughts on if Seager and/or degrom get moved this offseason?

Mark P

Both have full no-trade protection, so they’d have to okay any move. DeGrom vetoed going anywhere at last summer’s trade deadline, but it’s possible he might have a change of heart if he doesn’t think the Rangers can be real contenders next year.The same logic is true of Seager, but he’s much trickier of a trade candidate. Much bigger salary, and he didn’t hit well in 2026 while dealing with multiple injuries. Since it seems like some level of IL time is just baked into Seager’s production, if he isn’t producing while healthy, that only further lowers his trade value
Texas could try to get creative by taking on another team’s unfavorable contract to try and make the money line up a bit more evenly in a Seager trade, but that adds another layer of difficulty

Brewers

Is this our year?

Mark P

Really feels that way, eh?But, the same could be said for the Rays and Guardians as well. As fun as it will be to see one of these teams win it all, there will be an equal amount of heartbreak on the other side. Probably most of all in Cleveland, given their long drought.

Joey Joe Joe Joe

Best potential landing spot if the M’s decide to trade Kirby this winter?

Mark P

Kirby still has plenty of trade value, so several teams will be (or could be) in on him even despite his so-so performance in 2026. It’s simplistic to just say “any team in need of pitching,” but the Padres, Giants, Cubs, Reds, Mets, Braves, Orioles, Blue Jays, White Sox (maybe not after the Castillo deal), or Tigers could all work
Dunno if the Mariners would prefer to send him to an NL team over an AL rival, but Seattle probably would still a swing a move if an AL team make a particularly enticing offer

Jays fan

Do the jays consider moving Alejandro Kirk to upgrade in the outfielder?

Mark P

Kirk is one of the last guys the Jays would trade. They could get a nice return in a trade, but it’s a lot harder to fill a hole at catcher than it is to fill a hole in the outfield.

Baseballisthebest

Would Peralta be a good fit in San Diego? They are a team that often signs players to deals with multiple opt outs.

Mark P

Most definitely. It’d be surprising if San Diego wasn’t in on Peralta

Motor City Beach Bum

Love the idea of Kirby to Detroit. Is this type of move more likely for Detroit than Skubal? It seems like this would leave them more flexibility to address other needs like RH hitter and bullpen. I can see Ryan in the bullpen if they sign or trade for a top 3 starter.

Mark P

I’m not sure how likely it is that the Mariners trade Kirby at all, or that Detroit would be the team that swings such a notable move. Since the Tigers technically have a full rotation already if everyone is healthy, I can see them playing it conservatively again by signing another veteran to a one-year deal in the $10MM-$15MM range and hoping to strike paydirt.

Under a Rock

Been under a rock, any Brewers news?

Mark P

Let’s just say their Offseason Outlook post won’t be published for a couple of weeks.

Tigers and Skubal

If the Tigers cut Veirling, McKinstry, Jansen, Vest and free up the 40 mill for both Flaherty and Torre’s expiring contracts, there is the 50 mill a year salary for Skubal, without increasing payroll, not counting the 30mill they spent on Skubal’s contract last year. Thats how they bring Skubal back. Make sense Mark?

Mark P

I forgot to mention the Skubal aspect of that previous Tigers question. Money off the books notwithstanding, I doubt there’s any chance of a reunion with Skubal. His long-term asking price will simply be too far out of Detroit’s comfort zone, based on how the team has operated under Chris Ilitch

Would Teoscar Hernandez being traded to the Phillies make sense?

Mark P

Another strikeout-prone hitter in his 30’s who already seems to be in decline mode? Doesn’t seem like a player the Phillies should be targeting.

Gunnar Henderson

25yr with two years of control remaining, I think Baltimore should consider moving him this off season, any thoughts?

Mark P

Far moreso than the Adley trade, moving Henderson would certainly signal a step-back for the O’s. This is only one reason why I doubt such a trade would happen, as the bigger issue would be that Baltimore might not find an acceptably huge return on offer.If this was 2024 Henderson, the O’s could ask for the moon and stars. The Henderson coming off two okay-ish years and some lingering injuries, less so.

Freddie

Ketel Marte to the Red Sox for Arias & Duran, who says no?

Mark P

Boston. Arias is arguably the best prospect in baseball, and he’ll be making his MLB debut maybe as early as Opening Day if he has a big camp. He’s a player that can conceivably make a huge impact on Boston’s lineup right away, perhaps at least coming close to what Marte might provide
And that’s not even considering the off-the-field questions the Red Sox would have about Marte, especially if he’s now in the more pressurized environment of Boston.

My name is Clown Face

Do you buy in to Big Sam as Baltimore’s everyday catcher or should they chase a Ryan Jeffers?

Mark P

The O’s have enough invested in Basallo that spending another pile of money on Jeffers locks up the catcher/DH spot for multiple years. So Baltimore will be looking for a backup, not the top catcher on the market. Plus, if you’re Jeffers, why not just sign with a team that has a clear-cut catcher’s job available without any awkward timeshare questions?

Matt Chapman

Would there be a market for my services coming off two injury prone seasons and 100M left on my contract? The Giants have my replacement in Casey Schmitt already on the roster.

Mark P

Not without eating some money, plus Chapman also has a no-trade clause

Puck

In 2004-05, the NHL lost a whole season to labor trouble over a salary cap. It doesn’t seem to have done much damage to the NHL. Could MLB lose a whole season over the same issue and how much harm do you think it would do?

Mark P

MLB and the NHL carry a much different level of importance in the world of North American sports.

Stewart

If I’m the boss in Cincinnati I’m moving Elly De La Cruz for a prospect haul and I’m rebuilding and I’m even shopping Sal Stewart for a haul as well. What about you?

Mark P

Stewart no, and Elly not yet. I question the Reds’ ability to sign EDLC to the kind of long-term mega-extension he’d certainly want, especially since Scott Boras is Elly’s agent. But, trading him when he still has three years of arb control remaining would be too drastic a move.

Charlie Sheen

Is Ricky Vaughn the greatest closer in Cleveland history?

Mark P

First off, Cade Smith and any Cleveland closer should be contractually obligated to use “Wild Thing” as walk-in music.Secondly, the all-time franchise leader in saves is…Click here to submit questions and follow along with today’s live baseball chat

NL West Notes: Giants, Itoh, Taira, Vesia, Hernandez, R-Rod, Rockies

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 16:14:17 +0000

The Giants are among the big league teams who have scouted Hiromi Itoh and Kaima Taira, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The Japanese right-handers are expected to be posted for MLB clubs this offseason, even though the impending lockout will sure interrupt their 45-day posting window unless a deal is reached between the time of posting (potentially early November) and the lockout-induced transactions freeze on December 1.

At least 15 MLB teams were thought to be scouting Taira and Itoh is also drawing plenty of interest, so it isn’t surprising to see the Giants on this list. Either righty would make a good fit on a Giants team in need of rotation help, and while Taira doesn’t have a long track record as a starter, he could conceivably transition to a role in San Francisco’s leaky bullpen if things didn’t work out as a starting pitcher. Despite the team’s increased NPB scouting presence, Slusser notes that “the Giants haven’t fared well in their pursuit of Japanese players in recent years,” with such targets as Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki ending up with the arch-rival Dodgers.

More from around the NL West…

Alex Vesia and Enrique Hernandez are both open to returning to the Dodgers, the two impending free agents told the Los Angeles Times’ Maddie Lee and other reporters. Vesia has been a durable and effective staple of the L.A. bullpen over his six years with the team, and his 2.64 ERA and 31.2% strikeout rate over 58 innings in 2026 are pretty close to his average numbers from 2021-26. The southpaw figures to be in line for a solid multi-year contract on the open market, whereas Hernandez might (for the fourth straight offseason) be more likely to sign a one-year pact to play with the Dodgers. Hernandez has been a key member of the Dodgers’ bench and clubhouse mix, and while his regular-season numbers have rarely impressed, he has a reputation for big postseason performances (though Hernandez had only one hit in 15 playoff plate appearances this October.)

Giants right-hander Randy Rodriguez is pitching in the Arizona Fall League, as MLB.com’s Maria Guardado writes that Rodriguez asked for the AFL assignment in order to log some game action before 2026 was over. Rodriguez underwent Tommy John surgery in late September 2025, and the year-long rehab prevented the reliever from any sort of minor league rehab assignment. Between his AFL work and presumably a full and healthy Spring Training, Rodriguez is on pace to be part of San Francisco’s Opening Day roster. Rodriguez emerged as an elite reliever in 2025, earning an All-Star nod and taking over closer duties before his UCL injury ended his season. The Giants will prioritize bullpen upgrades this offseason, and Guardado writes that the team is expected to seek out at least one more pitcher capable of handling the ninth inning, rather than entrust everything to Rodriguez after his long layoff.

The Rockies may add to their coaching staff in the form of “a position to help with advance reports and produce quicker in-game adjustments,” the Denver Post’s Troy Renck writes. Such roles exist (under various names) across several coaching staffs across baseball, and the addition of such a job would be the latest example of how president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta is trying to modernize and revamp how the Rockies operate. One early change has already been walked back, as pitching coach Alon Leichman has already been fired after only one season on the job.

Five Players Elect Free Agency

Anthony Franco — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 14:09:13 +0000

Five more players who played in MLB this year have elected minor league free agency, according to the transaction tracker at MiLB.com. These players were all outrighted off teams’ 40-man rosters and have played seven-plus seasons in the minors, so the elections are mostly formalities.

Infielders

Vidal Bruján (Mets)

The Mets acquired Bruján from Minnesota in a cash trade over the offseason. The out-of-options infielder failed to break camp and cleared waivers on Opening Day. New York called him up in early May while Francisco Lindor was injured. Bruján spent six weeks on the active roster but only started three games, going 1-11 in 13 plate appearances. The former top prospect batted .278/.385/.421 over 258 plate appearances with Triple-A Syracuse.

Miles Mastrobuoni (Mariners)

Mastrobuoni missed the first two months of the season due to a right calf strain. The Mariners waived him in June, called him up briefly in July, then sent him through waivers again. He batted .192 in 13 MLB games and hit .245/.338/.375 over 222 trips to the plate with Triple-A Tacoma.

Luis Vázquez (Orioles)

Vázquez, a 27-year-old shortstop, spent virtually the entire season with Triple-A Norfolk. He had a mediocre .226/.271/.371 batting line in 52 games around a few injuries. Vázquez got a two-day stint on Baltimore’s big league roster in late August, making a lone appearance as a pinch-runner and scoring the game-winning run against the Cardinals.

Outfielders

Tyler Freeman (Rockies)

Freeman spent the majority of the season on Colorado’s big league roster. He played in nearly half their games and hit .247/.317/.314 with three homers over 288 trips to the plate. Freeman came up as an infielder and has posted well below-average defensive grades since the Rox moved him mostly to right field. Freeman has elite contact skills and a big arm but rarely walks and hits a lot of ground-balls, limiting the offensive ceiling. Colorado waived him in early September.

MJ Melendez (Mets)

The Mets signed Melendez, who’d previously spent a few seasons in Kansas City, to a split contract on the eve of Spring Training. He came up in mid-April and had a couple big hits, including a walk-off homer to beat the Marlins on May 29. His longstanding strikeout woes persisted, however, and he batted .192/.315/.350 over 144 plate appearances. New York designated him for assignment around the trade deadline.

Melendez had a huge year in Triple-A, hitting 22 homers in a half-season while batting .264/.361/.604 in 75 games. Speculatively speaking, he could be a target for a KBO or NPB team rather than settling for a minor league deal.

The Opener: Game 4, Woodruff, Mariners

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 13:16:33 +0000

October 17 is a banner day in Pirates history, as the Bucs’ last two World Series titles were clinched on this day in 1971 and 1979, both in the form of Game 7 victories over the Orioles. Pittsburgh’s 2-1 triumph in 1971 came on the strength of Steve Blass’ gem of a complete game, plus Series MVP Roberto Clemente hit a solo home run in the fourth inning and Jose Pagan’s RBI double in the eighth drove in the winning run. Eight years later, the Pirates won the Game 7 rematch by a 4-1 score, with Willie Stargell putting Pittsburgh ahead for good with a two-run homer in the sixth. Stargell had four hits in Game 7 and had a 1.208 OPS over 30 plate appearances in Fall Classic, earning “Pops” the Series MVP trophy.

1. Game 4 (finally) set to take place

Yesterday’s rainout pushed Game 4 of the ALCS to tonight at 7pm CT in Cleveland, as the Rays will start Nick Martinez against Guardians opener Shawn Armstrong. This was already the intended pitching matchup if the game had take place yesterday, though one of the series’ key stories may now be how the rearranged schedule will impact the two teams’ future pitching plans. Should the Guards win today to gain a 3-1 edge in the series, obviously the Rays might be going into all-hands-on-deck mode for Game 5 and (what Tampa hopes is) beyond in order to stay alive. The postponement eliminates the planned off-day for Sunday, as Game 5 will take place at 4pm CT on that day, and (if necessary) Game 6 and Game 7 will take place Monday and Tuesday night in St. Petersburg.

2. Could Woodruff make the Brewers’ World Series roster?

It seemed like an impending shoulder surgery was going to end Brandon Woodruff’s season in July, but a set of better-than-expected follow-up exams took surgery off the table entirely, and thus Woodruff started a lengthy throwing program in the hopes of pitching again in 2026. The timing meant that the right-hander’s only real chance of a return would come if the Brewers made it as far as the World Series, but that scenario has now come to pass. Woodruff still has to face live batters and naturally the Brewers may have reservations about rostering a pitcher who hasn’t appeared in any sort of game environment since July 4. However, Woodruff’s numbers have remained strong despite his array of injuries over the last four seasons, so both baseball reasons as well as sentiment might line Woodruff up for a relief role in the Series.

3. Baldelli on the Mariners’ radar

Another name has now surfaced in the Mariners’ managerial search, as the club reportedly has interest in Rocco Baldelli. The former Twins manager led Minnesota to three AL Central titles and a .527-505 record from 2019-25, and Baldelli has been working as a special assistant in the Dodgers’ front office after being fired as the Twins’ skipper. Baldelli, Joe Espada, and (before he signed a new deal with the Diamondbacks) Torey Lovullo are the only names known to be on Seattle’s radar thus far, which tracks with Jerry Dipoto’s preference to hire a manager with past MLB experience.

Poll: What’s Next For Tarik Skubal?

Connor Byrne — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 03:51:03 +0000

As the two-time defending World Series champions, the Dodgers were already considered juggernauts before they acquired superstar left-hander Tarik Skubal from the Tigers ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline. Although Skubal is unsigned past this season, the Dodgers parted with three prospects for the the back-to-back American League Cy Young winner in hopes he would make them borderline unbeatable in the playoffs.

With Skubal in tow, the Dodgers went on to finish with 100 wins, take the NL West for the fifth straight year and clinch a first-round bye in the postseason. Skubal helped the Dodgers dispatch the Braves in the NLDS, but their season and their bid to become the first National League team to win three World Series in a row came crashing down in the NLCS.

The small-market Brewers, whose cash payroll is almost $200MM lower than the deep-pocketed Dodgers’, outscored L.A. 21-11 en route to a four-game sweep. It wasn’t necessarily surprising that the Brewers won the series, as they entered the postseason off a major league-best 103-win campaign. In a pre-series poll, 59% of MLBTR readers picked the Brew Crew to prevail. However, it came as a shock that a Dodgers team with a star-studded lineup and rotation (Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow) didn’t put up a better fight.

The Dodgers’ offseason is underway much earlier than they expected when president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman executed the Skubal trade two and a half months ago. Their biggest question now is whether they will re-sign the soon-to-be 30-year-old Skubal, a Scott Boras client who looks poised to score the richest contract ever for a pitcher. That honor currently belongs to Yamamoto, whom the Dodgers signed out of Japan for 12 years and $325MM in December 2023.

The Dodgers, who haven’t shown much hesitance to dole out enormous contracts in recent years, can’t be disappointed with how the hard-throwing Skubal performed down the stretch. In 10 regular-season starts as a Dodger, he pitched to a 2.61 ERA with 70 strikeouts and 13 walks in 62 innings. Skubal was also plenty effective in two playoff outings, a Game 1 win over the Braves and a Game 1 loss to the Brewers. He recorded a 2.45 ERA with 14 punchouts against four walks in that 11-inning span.

While Skubal clearly adjusted well to the pressure-packed L.A. environment, he was unwilling to discuss his long-term outlook on Thursday night, saying (link via Sonja Chen of MLB.com): “I’m not going to comment on my future really at all. Today sucks, you know, and that’s kind of where my head’s at.”

Skubal would have taken the ball for Game 5 of the NLCS had the Dodgers forced it, but his time in their uniform may now be up. The impending lockout, which will begin on Dec. 1, plays a key role in his uncertain future. If the owners somehow convince the players to accept a salary cap in the next collective bargaining agreement, or if harsher penalties for teams that pay the competitive balance tax are implemented, it would seemingly decrease the Dodgers’ chances of keeping him. As shown on MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker (via contributor Ethan Hullihen), the Dodgers already have $368MM-plus in cash commitments and over $387MM in CBT commitments for next year. Those figures check in significantly higher than the $245.3MM hard cap the owners proposed in May.

If the Dodgers are unwilling or unable to retain Skubal, their rotation would still be in better shape than most teams’. Yamamoto, Snell and Glasnow will be back. Shohei Ohtani went through an injury-marred second half and was never healthy enough to pitch in the same rotation as Skubal, but he’s not planning to give up his two-way role. Justin Wrobleski, Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan and Gavin Stone (who missed the last two seasons with shoulder problems) are among other in-house rotation possibilities for next year. Those four pale in comparison to Skubal (most pitchers do), but the mega-talented club should go into 2027 on the shortlist of championship favorites even if he leaves. Do you think he will?

Will Tarik Skubal re-sign with the Dodgers?

Yes

No

Vote to see results

Photos courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea and Katie Stratman, Imagn Images

The National League Rawlings Gold Glove Award Finalists! (Sponsored)

Tim Dierkes — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 03:37:06 +0000

All NL finalists have been revealed, with winners set to be announced on Sunday, November 1.

Three players at each position in the American League and National League are in contention, with an added utility player category for the first time since 2022.

Managers and up to six coaches from each MLB team vote on the list of finalists in their league, excluding players from their own team. Those votes make up 75% of the total, with the remaining 25% coming from the SABR Defensive Index.

Utility players are determined based on a defensive formula that was co-developed with Rawlings and SABR.

Here are your position-by-position 2026 National League Gold Glove Finalists:

National League

Pitcher:
Michael McGreevy, St. Louis Cardinals
Nolan McLean, New York Mets
Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves

In his first full season in the St. Louis Rotation, Michael McGreevy posted 5 Defensive Runs Saved, tied for best among all pitchers. Nolan McLean posted 4 Defensive Runs Saved for the Mets, and Sale posted 3 as he looks to win his second Rawlings Gold Glove of his career.

Catcher:
Freddy Fermin, San Diego Padres
Gabriel Moreno, Arizona Diamondbacks
Luis Torrens, New York Mets

Freddy Fermin posted elite metrics in blocking, pop time, and caught stealing rates for the Padres. Moreno is looking to take home his second Gold Glove after winning in 2023. With his 14 Defensive Runs Saved ranking second among catchers, he is well positioned to do so. Torrens posted a similarly strong 12 Defensive Runs Saved and was in the 90th percentile in Fielding Run Value.

First Base:
Ty France, San Diego Padres
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves
TJ Rumfield, Colorado Rockies

Ty France posted 15 Defensive Runs Saved, the best at the position, to push for his second Rawlings Gold Glove of his career after winning one in the American League last season. Matt Olson is a mainstay on the ballot, having already won three Gold Gloves in his career and led first basemen in Fielding Run Value. Rumfield posted a breakout season for the Rockies and 6 Defensive Runs Saved.

Second Base:
Brandon Lowe, Pittsburgh Pirates
Brice Turang, Milwaukee Brewers
JJ Wetherholt, St. Louis Cardinals

JJ Wetherholt impressed in all facets as a rookie in 2026, but his defense was particularly stellar. His 25 Outs Above Average was third best among all players at any position and makes him a strong candidate to take home the hardware in his rookie season. Brice Turang led all second basemen with 23 Defensive Runs Saved and is well-positioned to win his second Gold Glove after winning his first in 2024. Lowe showed a new level of range at second base in 2026 and posted 15 Outs Above Average, the second-highest mark among second basemen.

Third Base:
Alex Bregman, Chicago Cubs
Max Muncy, Los Angeles Dodgers
Javier Sanoja, Miami Marlins

Alex Bregman has long been an above-average defender at third base, and showed no different in 2026 with 9 Outs Above Average, good for second at the position. Max Muncy’s 0 Fielding Run Value was his best mark at third base since 2021. Sanoja won the award for NL utility players in 2025, but qualified for third base in 2026 and posted 6 Outs Above Average and a +5 Fielding Run Value.

Shortstop:
Geraldo Perdomo, Arizona Diamondbacks
Dansby Swanson, Chicago Cubs
Masyn Winn, St. Louis Cardinals

Geraldo Perdomo had a career year defensively, with a +13 Fielding Run Value and 16 Outs Above Average, and, as a result, is a Gold Glove finalist for the first time in his career. Dansby Swanson had a defensive resurgence after taking home the award in 2022 and 2023, posting 16 Outs Above Average, which was fourth-best among shortstops. Masyn Winn again boasted a 100th-percentile arm and near-identical defensive metrics to his 2025 season, in which he won his first Rawlings Gold Glove.

Left Field:
Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers
Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs
Daylen Lile, Washington Nationals

Jackson Chourio had a defensive breakout in 2026, leading NL left fielders in both Fielding Run Value (+9) and Outs Above Average (7). Ian Happ had another strong defensive season as he looks to win his fifth consecutive Gold Glove Award. His nine outfield assists were tied for the 8th-most in MLB. Lile settled into left field in 2026 after bouncing around the outfield in 2025, and posted above-average metrics in Outs Above Average and fielding arm value.

Center Field:
Pete Crow-Armstrong, Chicago Cubs
Michael Harris II, Atlanta Braves
Andy Pages, Los Angeles Dodgers

Crow-Armstrong remained arguably the best defensive player in baseball in 2026, with 23 Defensive Runs Saved, +26 Fielding Run Value, and 26 Outs Above Average, all MLB-best marks. Michael Harris II posted career bests in Outs Above Average (14) and Fielding Run Value (12). Andy Pages posted a +13 Fielding Run Value as well as double-digit outfield assists for the second consecutive season.

Right Field:
Carson Benge, New York Mets
Corbin Caroll, Arizona Diamondbacks
Seiya Suzuki, Chicago Cubs

Carson Benge was one of seven outfielders to post 10+ outfield assists in 2026, showing elite arm strength as a rookie. Seiya Suzuki posted a +8 Fielding Run Value in 2026, the best of his career, while leading all right fielders with 14 Defensive Runs Saved. Corbin Carroll again showed elite range in 2026, posting 10 Outs Above Average, making him a Gold Glove Finalist for the third season in a row.

Utility:
Mauricio Dubón, Atlanta Braves
Jared Triolo, Pittsburgh Pirates
Ildemaro Vargas, Arizona Diamondbacks

Mauricio Dubón already has two Gold Gloves to his name as a utilityman, and he again showed off his above-average range while bouncing between the infield and outfield. Triolo won the award in 2024 as a utilityman and spent much of 2026 at shortstop and third base. Also moonlighting in the outfield, he finished 2026 with 5 total Defensive Runs Saved. Vargas played mostly first and second base, but also saw time at shortstop, third base, and left field, with a total of +4 Fielding Run Value. He is a Gold Glove finalist for the first time in 2026.

This is a sponsored post from Rawlings.

The Phillies’ Many Infield Questions

Anthony Franco — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 03:07:22 +0000

The Phillies reshuffled their infield at the trade deadline, moving three players to new positions to accommodate Luis Arraez. They kicked Bryson Stott over to third base, Alec Bohm across the diamond to first, and Bryce Harper to right field. Shortstop Trea Turner was the only constant on the dirt.

It was an overhaul for a two-month rental that unfortunately didn’t work out. Arraez’s numbers dropped in Philly and he suffered a left ankle sprain that kept him off the Wild Card Series roster. Philadelphia ended up moving Stott back to the keystone and playing Edmundo Sosa at third base in their first-round loss in Atlanta.

The group could look a lot different in 2027. Arraez, Bohm and Sosa will all hit free agency. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said on Thursday he expected Harper to move back to the primary first base role, though he could see occasional outfield work (link via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com). Dombrowski added that the team hopes to use Kyle Schwarber a little more frequently at first base as well, which would allow skipper Don Mattingly to give Harper more semi-rest days at designated hitter.

Turner will remain the starting shortstop to start 2027 — though the Phils made it clear that’s not guaranteed to remain the case all season (link via The Associated Press). “From a defensive perspective, we were very clear. He knows he has to be better at shortstop,” Dombrowski said. “I told him it’s really mandatory that it’s like that. … You cannot play shortstop like you did defensively in ’26 going to ’27.”

The 33-year-old Turner is coming off the worst season of his career. He performed poorly on both sides of the ball. Turner’s .242/.297/.378 slash line represented personal lows across the board (aside from his 2015 rookie season in which he barely played). Although he still hit 19 home runs and topped 100 runs scored, a lot of that was opportunity driven with the Phils keeping him in the top two spots in the order. Turner started 156 games and was one of 14 players to tally 700+ plate appearances.

It seems the Phillies were even more concerned about how defensive performance. Turner tied Miami’s Otto Lopez for the MLB lead with 21 errors. He ranked dead last among shortstops with -17 Defensive Runs Saved and was fifth from the bottom at the position with a -8 grade from Outs Above Average. Turner did clean things up later in the season, to his credit, only committing one error in September. Still, the overall performance was enough to raise questions about how long he might remain at the position.

Turner’s defense began to trend down in 2023-24. He rebounded with a strong season in ’25 before this year’s drop-off. Turner graded well on tracking down balls hit to his right but had far too many mistakes when coming in and/or covering up the middle. He hasn’t lost any kind of foot speed and has never had a huge arm, so it’s not as if his athleticism has disappeared. The Phils will need more consistency out of the position, though, and it’s fair to consider the possibility of moving him to the outfield midseason if he remains error prone.

Sosa was the only player other than Turner to start games at shortstop this year. Top prospect Aidan Miller battled back issues and missed virtually the entire season. He’s healthy now and playing in the Arizona Fall League to make up a fraction of the lost reps. Miller has been at third base in the AFL so far. 22-year-old Bryan Rincon had a huge year in Double-A and will be selected onto the 40-man roster this winter. The Phils will presumably want to first expose him to Triple-A pitching but could bring him up midseason.

Assuming they don’t retain Bohm or Arraez, the Phillies will need to add at least one infielder from outside the organization. Stott is entering his final year under arbitration control and is a plus defender at second base. He can play either position on the left side of the infield as well but fits best at second. Miller could play his way into the everyday third base job out of camp, but they’d still need a better utility option than Otto Kemp.

A multi-positional type like Mauricio Dubón would be an ideal fit. Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ha-Seong Kim are lower end utility types available in free agency, or the Phils could target someone like Willi Castro or Jared Triolo via trade.

Philadelphia’s overall team defense has been an issue for years. They finished 22nd in Outs Above Average and tied the A’s for last in DRS this past season. Mattingly identified that as a priority for improvement immediately after being hired as the full-time skipper. “Defense is just a premium. It’s an area that I really would like to push,” he told reporters in a Zoom session this week. That’s going to need to start this offseason.

Taylor Smith In Lead For A’s GM Job?

Connor Byrne — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:41:14 +0000

The Athletics have been in the market for a new front office leader since they parted with longtime general manager David Forst on Aug. 7. The A’s have since identified several candidates to succeed Forst, but if they had their way, Phillies president of business operations Sam Fuld would have taken the reins. Fuld, a former A’s outfielder, rejected an offer to become their president of baseball operations last week.

While the Athletics haven’t hired anyone since Fuld turned them down, Red Sox senior vice president and assistant general manager Taylor Smith may be emerging as the frontrunner for the A’s GM position. The team is seemingly “focused on” Smith, Jon Heyman of the New York Post writes.

Smith, who interviewed with the A’s nearly a month ago, began his career as an analyst in the Rays’ research and development department in 2018. He rose to director of predictive modeling before the Red Sox poached him from their AL East rivals two years ago. Smith is now one of four AGMs in Boston, which also has Raquel Ferreira, Eddie Romero and Michael Groopman underneath chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.

The A’s also spoke with Groopman regarding the GM gig, though it appears his colleague Smith has the inside track. Smith and Cardinals assistant GM Rob Cerfolio were reported as the finalists last week, but the latter is expected to stay in St. Louis. A’s assistant GM Billy Owens, former Astros GM James Click, ex-Nationals president of baseball ops Mike Rizzo, Cubs AGM Jared Banner and Brewers AGM Matt Kleine are the other known candidates. Dan Feinstein, another of the A’s assistant GMs, took over on an interim basis upon Forst’s ouster. However, Feinstein is not in the running for the full-time role.

Photo courtesy of Peter Aiken, Imagn Images

Orioles Could Pursue Catching Help

Connor Byrne — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 20:59:03 +0000

The Orioles already have experienced catchers Samuel Basallo, Carlos Narváez and Yohel Pozo on their 40-man roster, but they may not settle on that trio in 2027. The O’s are “likely” to look for someone with higher offensive upside than Narváez and Pozo, according to Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.

[RELATED: Orioles Offseason Outlook]

Baltimore started seven different catchers, including Adley Rutschman, this season. Although Rutschman earned his third All-Star selection, the Orioles dealt the 2019 No. 1 overall pick to the AL East rival Red Sox for a package that included a four-prospect haul and Narváez at the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

With Rutschman set to enter his last year of team control in 2027, the Orioles clearly didn’t believe he would be around for the long haul. Conversely, they have Basallo under wraps through 2033 (with an option for 2034) on the eight-year, $67MM pact they gave him in August 2025. Then considered one of the game’s best prospects, Basallo inked his deal just a few days after he made his major league debut. Basallo went on to record a woeful 56 wRC+ over 118 plate appearances last year, but the number jumped to 95 (four points better than the average catcher) with a .222/.291/.406 line and 18 home runs in 399 trips to the plate this season.

The Orioles surely expect Basallo, who is just 22 years old, to continue taking steps forward offensively. At the time of his promotion, there were questions as to whether the 6-foot-4, 250-pound Basallo would eventually shift to first base. That probably isn’t going to happen any time soon, though, considering the Orioles paid a high price for first baseman Pete Alonso last winter. The star slugger excelled during the first season of a five-year, $155MM deal. Meanwhile, Basallo – who made 63 appearances at catcher, 34 at DH and 12 at first – was a mixed bag behind the plate. He threw out 26.1% of would-be base thieves, easily clearing the league-average mark of 22.7. Basallo was also credited with 1 Defensive Run Saved, and he held his own in terms of pop time (67th percentile) and blocking (73rd percentile). On the other hand, he finished in the ninth percentile as a framer, was worth minus-3 Fielding Run Value, and ranked 101st among 107 catchers with minus-1.9 Runs Above Average in ABS challenges.

Like Basallo, both Narváez and Pozo are controllable for a while. Neither player is on track to become eligible for arbitration until after next season, but it’s possible neither will make the Orioles’ Opening Day roster. Both Narváez and Pozo have minor league options left, meaning the Orioles could send them down without having to run them through waivers.

Narváez put together a surprisingly decent offensive season as a 26-year-old rookie with Boston in 2025, when he hit .241/.306/.419 (99 wRC+) and swatted 15 long balls in 446 plate appearances. But he nosedived to .161/.241/.226 with three homers in 285 PA this season, and his output was especially poor after the trade (.104/.198/.117). That added up to a 33 wRC+, which ranked last among 318 hitters who amassed at least 250 PA in 2026.

Pozo, whom the Orioles claimed off waivers from the Cardinals in late July, only totaled 62 trips to the plate this year. Between the two teams, he batted .250/.258/.317 with one HR and a lackluster wRC+ of 58. The 29-year-old has a nonthreatening 76 wRC+ in 205 career PA at the game’s highest level. While Pozo has hit a far superior .316/.338/.536 over 1,450 PA in Triple-A ball, that production is juiced to some extent from his time in the offensively charged Pacific Coast League with the Rangers and Athletics organizations.

If Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias wants a better hitter to pair with Basallo next year, he will have some options in free agency. Ryan Jeffers will be the top catcher on the open market, though he’s going to be expensive on a multiyear deal and will likely come with a qualifying offer attached. Signing a player who rejects a qualifying offer would cost the Orioles their third-highest selection in next year’s draft. Cheaper and more realistic free agent possibilities with offensive credibility could include Tyler Stephenson, Carson Kelly, Kyle Higashioka, and former Orioles James McCann and Gary Sánchez. The Rockies’ Hunter Goodman and the A’s Shea Langeliers are big-hitting backstops who are sure to come up in trade rumors, but their teams are going to hold out for significant returns if other clubs come calling.

Ottoneu Arbitration Omnibus VII

Chad Young — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 20:30:47 +0000
An updated collection of some of the most useful Ottoneu arbitration content.
Source

Tigers To Hire Martín Maldonado As Quality Control Coach

Connor Byrne — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 19:49:01 +0000

Former major league catcher Martín Maldonado has lined up his next job in baseball. Maldonado will serve as the Tigers’ quality control coach, Chandler Rome and Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic report.

This will reunite Maldonado with Tigers manager A.J. Hinch and former teammate Framber Valdez. Maldonado played for the Hinch-led Astros for parts of the 2018 and ’19 seasons, and he was with Valdez in Houston through 2023. As Rome and Stavenhagen note, Valdez has thrown more innings to Maldonado than any other backstop. Maldonado caught the left-hander for the Astros’ World Series-clinching victory over the Phillies in 2022 and was behind the plate for Valdez’s no-hitter in 2023. The Tigers brought in Valdez on a three-year, $115MM contract in free agency last winter, but he fell short of expectations with a 4.03 ERA and similar underlying numbers over 174 innings.

Maldonado, a defensive specialist who suited up for seven MLB teams and won a Gold Glove during his 15-year career, announced his retirement last October. The 40-year-old did not spend any time away from the game, though, as he served as a special assistant with the Braves this season. Maldonado will now take over a position that Billy Boyer previously held in Detroit. The Tigers created the opening last July when they shifted Boyer to third base coach to replace Joey Cora.

Teams have “coveted” Maldonado since he hung up his cleats, per Rome and Stavenhagen. Astros senior adviser Jeff Bagwell even led an unsuccessful attempt to hire Maldonado to their coaching staff last season, according to The Athletic scribes. Regarded as a future major league skipper, Maldonado will manage Indios de Mayaguez of the Puerto Rican Winter League this year.

Photo courtesy of David Frerker, Imagn Images

Jake Mailhot’s 2026 Ottoneu Bold Predictions In Review

Jake Mailhot — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 19:30:40 +0000
A look back at some pre-season predictions.
Source

Front Office Subscriber Chat With Anthony Franco

Anthony Franco — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 19:00:59 +0000

MLBTR’s Anthony Franco is holding a live chat, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers!

Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

BENEFITS

Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.

Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.

Remove ads and support our writers.

Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker

Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

Anthony Franco — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 19:00:59 +0000

Anthony Franco

Good afternoon, hope all is well!

Exciting time on the baseball calendar, let’s get rolling

$

That’s such a great result for talent and tenacity over payroll. Let keep all appendages crossed that the momentum doesn’t get lost with a lockout that affects 2027! Were the Dodgers simply outplayed,was it injuries at the wrong time of is it just baseball over 4 games?

Brewer Fan

Should Jesus Made be the opening day starter at 3rd in 2027?PSYCH WHO CARES ABOUT 2027 THE BREWERS ARE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anthony Franco

Handily outplayed. This Brewers team is just really good

Obviously the Dodgers would’ve put forth a better showing if Ohtani were fully healthy but Milwaukee was the better team all year and has a lot more juice top to bottom in the lineup — plus the developments of Misiorowski and Henderson — than they did in 2025

JeffyM82

What does a Freddy Peralta’s next contract look like? How much will the next couple days or weeks impact the years and AAV compared to his Mets numbers

Is Michael King’s contract a decent comp for Freddy Peralta this winter? 3/75 with opt outs after each year?

Anthony Franco

I think he’d beat 3/75 if he wanted the opt out route — probably mid-high 80s — but it seemed like he prioritized long-term security with the Mets and I think he’s back to having five or six years out there if he wants it

I still wouldn’t want to be the team that makes that deal, but he’s a 30-year-old starter with premium durability who at least looks like a strong #3 after the pitch adjustments with the Rays and has the borderline ace track record. I think someone’s going to pay him

Ghost of Ebbits Field

“Hope all is well” Not for the Dodgers. So what do they do.

Anthony Franco

Don’t think there’s much to be done with the lineup beyond finding someone to take a little bit of the Teoscar money off their hands and turning LF to De Paula

Need Ohtani to be healthier next postseason. A little concerned about Freddie’s lack of power becoming a legitimate issue at this point but he’s down to the final year on his deal anyway

TBD on Skubal since they’re being very cagey about Walter’s financial situation. Not like they’d necessarily need to bring in another starter this offseason if he walks. Re-sign one of Phillips or Vesia

Greg

With a good young core of hitting in place, can you see the Rockies making any meaningful splashes in the FA pitching market? They have not much on the payroll moving forward.

Anthony Franco

No I think it’ll look pretty similar to last winter. They’re still not there yet and this is a bad FA class to start throwing money around too early

RCAM

What does a Reed Detmers deal look like this offseason? Asking for the Orioles, but also in general.

Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

BENEFITS

Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.

Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.

Remove ads and support our writers.

Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker

Mariners Interested In Rocco Baldelli For Managerial Job

Connor Byrne — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 17:57:29 +0000

The Mariners have been on the hunt for a new manager since they relieved Dan Wilson of his duties after a bitterly disappointing season. Seattle has been granted permission to interview former Astros manager Joe Espada for the job, but he isn’t the only experienced candidate on the team’s radar. The Mariners are also interested in Dodgers special assistant and ex-Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

Baldelli, a major league outfielder from 2003-10, went into coaching in 2012. He worked in various positions with the Rays, with whom he played all but one season of his career, and impressed enough to became a managerial candidate for multiple teams in 2018. The Twins, Reds and Angels all interviewed Baldelli that fall, and Minnesota wound up hiring him to replace the fired Paul Molitor.

The Twins won the AL Central in each of Baldelli’s first two seasons, including the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, and he took home AL Manager of the Year honors as a rookie skipper. However, Minnesota didn’t win a playoff game in either of those years. The Yankees swept the Twins in a three-game ALDS in 2019, and the Astros dismissed them in two in the Wild Card round the next season. Baldelli’s Twins only made the postseason one more time (in 2023), and though they knocked out the Blue Jays with a two-game Wild Card sweep, they couldn’t get past the Astros in the ALDS.

Last September, on the heels of a 70-92 season, the Twins fired Baldelli. It didn’t help his cause that they cut payroll and shipped out third baseman/shortstop Carlos Correa and hurlers Jhoan Duran, Louis Varland and Griffin Jax at the July 31 trade deadline. The Twins were already six games below .500 on deadline day, but they went an abysmal 19-35 after the fire sale. That dented Baldelli’s record, though he still finished over .500 (527-505) with three division titles in Minnesota.

After the Twins moved on last year, Baldelli quickly expressed interest in managing again. The Nationals at least considered him for the role, but they hired Blake Butera instead. That led Baldelli to Los Angeles, where he already had familiarity with president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman from their time together in Tampa Bay.

The Dodgers’ season is now over after the Brewers swept them out of the NLCS on Thursday, and Baldelli’s desire to manage again could lead him to Seattle if the team is serious about pursuing him. Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, who has been at the helm since 2015, previously hired first-time managers in Scott Servais and then Wilson. Now looking for the third manager of his tenure, Dipoto would reportedly prefer to hire a candidate with experience. As someone whose managerial resume includes 1,043 games between the regular season and playoffs, the 45-year-old Baldelli checks that box.

Photo courtesy of Jesse Johnson, Imagn Images

Front Office Subscriber Chat With Anthony Franco: TODAY At 2:00pm Central

Anthony Franco — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 17:27:59 +0000

MLBTR’s Anthony Franco will be holding a live chat today at 2:00 pm Central, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers!

Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

BENEFITS

Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.

Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.

Remove ads and support our writers.

Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker

KBO’s SSG Landers Extend Pedro Avila

AJ Eustace — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 17:06:22 +0000

Right-hander Pedro Avila joined the SSG Landers of the Korea Baseball Organization in July after opting out of his minor-league contract with the Guardians. That could have set him up for a return to stateside ball this offseason. Instead, he’ll be sticking around in the KBO. Avila has signed a two-year contract extension with the Landers, according to Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. The terms of the new deal have not been reported yet.

Avila, who will turn 30 in January, is no stranger to pitching overseas. He spent the 2025 season with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, delivering a 4.04 earned run average in 15 appearances (14 starts) with a 17.8% strikeout rate. Avila’s ERA was higher than the NPB average, although his 3.09 FIP was more favorable. He then signed a non-roster deal with the Guardians for 2026 but failed to make the team out of spring training. Avila re-upped on a new minor league deal and stuck around at Triple-A Columbus, struggling badly with run prevention (7.50 ERA) and free passes (11.5% walk rate) in a 60-inning sample.

To his credit, Avila fared much better with the Landers. In 93 2/3 innings over 14 starts, he posted a dominant 1.44 ERA and 63.1% ground ball rate. Among KBO pitchers with at least 80 innings, Avila had the lowest ERA, lowest HR/9 rate (0.10), and eighth-best strikeout rate (25.5%). With his still-recent poor production in affiliated ball, he may have had to settle for a minor league deal this offseason even with the strong showing for the Landers. Thus, it makes sense for Avila to continue re-establishing himself in the KBO while locking in a higher salary than he would have been able to earn stateside.

It’s not uncommon for fringe MLB arms to pitch overseas for a few years, then return to affiliated ball on a guaranteed deal. The Landers experienced that pretty recently with right-hander Drew Anderson. He pitched a scattered 44 1/3 big league innings from 2017-21 before going to NPB from 2022-23 and then the Landers in the KBO from 2024-25. Anderson had a serviceable 3.89 ERA in his first year with the Landers before lowering it to 2.25 in 30 starts in 2025. He parlayed that into a one-year, $7MM deal with Detroit this offseason and delivered a 3.67 ERA in 108 innings as a swingman. At present, Anderson stands a good chance of sticking with the Tigers on a $10MM club option.

Compared to Anderson, Avila has more of a big league track record. He pitched 146 1/3 innings with the Padres and Guardians from 2019-24, mostly in the latter two years. In that time, Avila had a 3.51 ERA, a 23.8% strikeout rate, and an above-average 49.2% ground ball rate. If he remains effective as a starter over the next two years, he could feasibly parlay that into a $7-10MM guarantee in the Majors for the 2029 season, when he will be 32 years old.

Photo courtesy of Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images

Shohei Ohtani Plans To Pitch Next Year, “Hard To Tell” On Offseason Surgery

AJ Eustace — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 16:00:13 +0000

Two-way star Shohei Ohtani had a shaky end to the season, both at the plate and on (or rather off) the mound. He batted just .160/.284/.253 with a 58 wRC+ in 88 plate appearances from August 18th onward. A left knee injury kept him from pitching since early July, and right biceps inflammation cropped up later on which forced him to the 15-day IL in September. With the Dodgers now eliminated from the postseason, the focus will shift to getting Ohtani healthy for 2027, and the 32-year-old tells Katie Woo of The Athletic that it’s “hard to tell” whether he’ll need knee or bicep surgery this offseason. Either way, he plans to pitch next season.

It’s entirely unsurprising given Ohtani’s continued dominance on the mound when healthy. He started 14 games this year and held opponents to a 1.79 ERA over 85 2/3 innings, posting a 27.9% strikeout rate, 7.6% walk rate, and 51.2% ground ball rate. The strikeout and walk metrics in particular were well above average. FanGraphs valued his pitching contributions at 2.9 wins above replacement, placing Ohtani in the top 20% of all pitchers with at least 80 innings. Almost everyone ahead of him threw 60-100 more innings.

As expected, Ohtani also dominated at the plate, even including the mid-August drop-off. He batted .275/.377/.512 overall with 30 home runs and tied for fifth-best in the Senior Circuit with a 139 wRC+. He was worth 3.7 fWAR for his hitting and 6.6 fWAR when you factor in his pitching. That won’t be enough to win the NL MVP, as that honor likely belongs to Pete Crow-Armstrong. Nonetheless, Ohtani was unquestionably still a Top 10 player in the game.

Unfortunately, Ohtani’s postseason performance was a continuation of his late-season slide. He came up to the plate 32 times between the Division and Championship Series and went 5-for-26 with ten strikeouts. Ohtani’s only extra base hit was a three-run homer yesterday which gave the Dodgers a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the second. He struck out in his other three at-bats. Having the four-time MVP at less than full strength didn’t help the team’s postseason performance. L.A. finished with a 63 wRC+ across both rounds.

Any serious injury to Ohtani is doubly impactful for the Dodgers, let alone two of them. Some portion of the fanbase might insist that he should eventually give up pitching to focus on hitting. That may happen one day, but there’s virtually no chance of it happening when Ohtani is still in the first half of his contract in L.A.

For their part, the Dodgers have always kept a close eye on Ohtani’s workload and are fully aware of the challenges of keeping a two-way player healthy. As president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said before the postseason, “What he’s doing is unprecedented, and it takes a real toll. It’s unprecedented for all of us, and we’re kind of feeling our way through it together” (link via Woo).

For now, the Dodgers will continue to monitor Ohtani’s health. If surgery becomes necessary, they will make every effort to ensure it doesn’t interfere with Ohtani’s readiness for 2027. In any case, the Dodgers put up a 111 wRC+ during the regular season (second-best in the Majors) and would be capable of withstanding an absence. Besides Ohtani, all five of L.A.’s other qualified hitters were average or better by wRC+ this year. They’ll all be back in 2027. The rotation, which may see Tarik Skubal depart in free agency, could arguably use Ohtani more. Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell were both effective on a rate basis but combined for just 116 2/3 regular-season innings. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was the Dodgers’ sole qualified starter.

Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee, Imagn Images

Offseason Outlook: Atlanta Braves

Mark Polishuk — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 14:56:28 +0000

The Braves won the NL East and defeated the Phillies in the wild card round before falling to the Dodgers in the NLDS. It was a nice return to form for the Braves after their injury-marred 76-86 season in 2025, but Atlanta will need to fill some roster holes and perhaps address some broader concerns in order to be championship contenders next year.

Guaranteed Contracts

Austin Riley, 3B: $132MM through 2029 ($20MM club option for 2030)

Matt Olson, 1B: $66MM through 2029 ($20MM club option for 2030)

Spencer Strider, SP: $49MM through 2028 (includes $5MM buyout of $22MM club option for 2029)

Michael Harris II, CF: $46MM through 2030 (includes $5MM buyout of $15MM club option for 2031; Braves also have $20MM club option for 2032 with $5MM buyout)

Robert Suarez, RP: $32MM through 2028

Sean Murphy, C: $30MM through 2028 ($15MM club option for 2029)

Chris Sale, SP: $27MM through 2027 ($30MM club option for 2028)

Jurickson Profar, LF: $15MM through 2027

Mike Yastrzemski, OF: $10MM through 2027 ($7MM club option for 2028 with $4MM buyout)

Reynaldo Lopez, SP/RP: $8MM through 2027

Option Decisions

Ronald Acuna Jr., OF: $17MM club option for 2027, $10MM buyout (Braves also have $17MM club option for 2028)

Ozzie Albies, 2B: $7MM club option for 2027

2027 guarantees: $190MM (assuming the Acuna/Albies options are exercised)
Total future commitments: $439MM (assuming the Acuna/Albies options are exercised)

Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projected salaries courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)

Dylan Lee (4.150): $4.2MM

James Karinchak (4.130): $1.1MM

Joey Wentz (3.166): $900K

Michael Grove (3.122): $1MM

Bryce Elder (3.069): $4MM

Non-tender candidates: Karinchak, Wentz, Grove

Free Agents

Raisel Iglesias, Tyler Mahle, Martin Perez, Mauricio Dubon, Dominic Smith, Brent Suter, Ha-Seong Kim, Lane Thomas, Kyle Farmer, Joe Jimenez, Luke Williams

Most of Atlanta’s everyday lineup should remain intact. Drake Baldwin, Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, Michael Harris II, and Ronald Acuna Jr. are all on track to return to their regular positions in 2027, plus Mike Yastrzemski will probably be part of the corner outfield picture in a platoon capacity. The Braves are surely going to exercise Acuna’s $17MM option and seem likely to pick up the affordable $7MM sum on Albies despite his third straight middling offensive season.

Acuna was excellent in 2025 after his return from a torn ACL, but the 2026 campaign saw the former NL MVP’s numbers dip to .255/.345/.451 with 20 homers over 469 plate appearances. Most players would happily take this kind of 120 wRC+ “down year” any day, and Acuna’s production might’ve been better if he weren’t limited to 107 games by a pair of left hamstring strains. He also battled a sore right knee during the playoffs, which partially explains his lackluster postseason performance.

Even if Acuna replicates this modest season by (his high standards) in 2027, that is still well worth the $7MM difference between his option price and the $10MM buyout, not to mention the remaining club option Atlanta holds on his services for 2028. There have been a few whispers that the Braves might consider trading Acuna while his value is still so relatively high, but as Acuna’s 2025 production indicates, he still has All-Star level upside even after tears of both ACLs. Even if Acuna’s health might have to be maintained by a few more DH days in 2027, the Braves would surely prefer that if Acuna is able to return to anything close to peak form, it happens in their uniform.

Albies is a bit of a trickier case. He has an 89 wRC+ and a .242/.300/.385 slash line over 1785 PA since Opening Day 2024, with this uninspiring offense combining with so-so glovework to give him a total of 3.8 fWAR over the last three seasons.

This recent track record notwithstanding, Albies’ salary is small enough that multiple teams would be interested if the Braves shopped him, and some suitors might feel he’d benefit from a change of scenery. Albies is slated for free agency next winter so the Braves could be interested in getting something before Albies leaves. On the flip side, Atlanta might just prefer sticking with a familiar face at second base for one more year, especially given the more glaring hole on the other side of the middle infield picture.

Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

BENEFITS

Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.

Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.

Remove ads and support our writers.

Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker

The Value of Followers in Fantasy Leagues: Part III

Chad Young — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 14:30:32 +0000
Our follower journey ends with a look at Ottoneu leagues.
Source

Brandon Woodruff Hopes To Pitch In World Series

AJ Eustace — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 14:24:23 +0000

The Brewers are going to the World Series for the first time since 1982 after coming back from a four-run deficit to finish off their sweep of the Dodgers. Milwaukee’s pitching staff handled the Dodgers quite capably in the NLCS, holding them to just 11 runs combined over four games. Right-hander Brandon Woodruff, who hasn’t pitched since July 4th due to shoulder inflammation, hopes to join the party in time for the World Series.

“It’s gonna be hard to keep me off that roster,” Woodruff told Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel after the Brewers’ win. “We’ll have this conversation especially in the next few days. … I need to get to the point where I can face some live hitters, and now that we’ve got some time here, it’s good. I’ve always believed in myself. It doesn’t matter if I’m throwing one pitch in two months or ten rehab outings. I don’t care. I feel like I can go out there and do it. I hope I get that opportunity.”

Woodruff was healthy to start this season and made six starts through the end of April before going on the injured list for the inflamed shoulder. He returned on June 22nd and made three more starts. That lowered his season ERA to 2.98 in 45 1/3 innings, aided by an unsustainably low .207 opponents’ average on balls in play. The shoulder inflammation continued to be an issue, however, as Woodruff went back on the IL on July 5th. He managed to avoid another shoulder surgery (having previously undergone one in October 2023), though the righty didn’t appear in any rehab games before the minor league season ended and was only throwing off of flat ground as of two weeks ago.

Given that progression, Woodruff obviously wouldn’t be looking to start any World Series games. The Brewers wouldn’t need him to anyway. Jacob Misiorowski, Logan Henderson, and Robert Gasser allowed five runs combined over 14 1/3 innings in Games 1 through 3. Only three of those runs were earned. Milwaukee turned to Shane Drohan as the opener yesterday, and while he and Dustin May allowed four earned runs total, they got five shutout innings from JoJo Romero and Aaron Ashby to close things out. Ashby was excellent all series, firing 6 2/3 scoreless frames.

If he makes it back, Woodruff would be used as a reliever in low-leverage spots. Still, it would be a nice feel-good story for the longest-tenured Brewer to overcome his injuries and appear in the World Series. Woodruff’s last playoff appearance came in the 2021 Division Series. He did not appear in the Wild Card Series in 2023 or 2024 thanks to the shoulder surgery. He ended 2025 on the IL for a right lat strain and missed the Brewers’ run to the NLCS, where they were swept by the Dodgers.

Woodruff is an impending free agent. He played this season on a $22.025MM salary after accepting the Brewers’ qualifying offer, but he won’t come close to that after another injury-shortened year. He pitched 153 1/3 innings in 2022 but has thrown just 177 innings since the start of 2023. A one-year deal at a lower AAV seems the most likely outcome. Woodruff should get plenty of interest because of his track record when healthy, and he might have the highest upside in the “rebound hopefuls” tier of the free agent class of starters.

The Opener: Brewers Advance, Three-Peat, Halpin

Charlie Wright — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 13:58:53 +0000

The Rays and Guardians are facing weather concerns again tonight. Yesterday’s matchup was moved up five hours to avoid the rain. Tonight’s game is currently scheduled for 7 pm CT.

1. Brewers complete NLCS sweep

It seemed like the Dodgers were going to salvage a game in the series. Shohei Ohtani capped a four-run second inning with a long-awaited home run over the right-center wall. Tyler Glasnow put three zeroes on the board, but ran into trouble in the fourth inning. Jake Bauers cut the Dodgers’ lead in half with a two-RBI double. Glasnow and two relievers then walked four Brewers in the fifth inning. Bauers drew a four-pitch walk against lefty Alex Vesia to push across the tying run. Garrett Mitchell took Tanner Scott deep to lead off the sixth inning, giving Milwaukee the lead for good. The Brewers are headed to the World Series for the first time since 1982.

2. Dodgers come up short in three-peat quest

The late-90s Yankees are safe for now. The Dodgers’ attempt to win a third straight World Series came crashing to an end in the NLCS. Los Angeles had a lead in all four games of the series, but didn’t hold on to any of them. “At the end of the day, we got beat,” manager Dave Roberts said (h/t Alden Gonzalez of ESPN). “We got outplayed in all facets.” The Dodgers will bring back most of their core next season. One player who won’t be with the club is two-time champ Miguel Rojas, who retired last night.

3. Halpin delivers epic blast

The Guardians/Rays matchup might lack the star power of Brewers/Dodgers, but it’s certainly provided plenty of incredible moments. The hero on Thursday was reserve outfielder Petey Halpin, who has stepped into the lineup in place of a struggling Angel Martinez. Halpin connected with a middle-middle sinker from Griffin Jax and drove it into the right field seats (video link via MLB) to give Cleveland the lead in the fifth inning. Halpin came into the game with just four career homers, though you couldn’t tell by his elite bat flip. The bullpen fired four scoreless innings behind ace Gavin Williams to seal the win. The Guardians are now up 2-1 in the series.

Photo courtesy of Kiyoshi Mio, Imagn Images

Offseason Outlook: Chicago White Sox

Anthony Franco — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 04:59:06 +0000

The White Sox became the first team ever to follow three consecutive 100-loss seasons with a playoff berth. They knocked out the Astros for their first series win in two decades in the Wild Card Series. It was an excellent season relative to expectations, though they surely feel they squandered an opportunity by failing to close out the Guardians after taking a 2-0 lead in the ALDS. How aggressive are ownership and the front office going to be to supplement a talented position player core?

Guaranteed Contracts

Luis Castillo, RHP: $22.75MM through 2027 (deal includes ’28 vesting option at 180 innings)

Munetaka Murakami, 1B: $17MM through 2027

Andrew Benintendi, DH/LF: $14.5MM through 2027

Jordan Hicks, RHP: $12MM through 2027

Anthony Kay, LHP: $7MM through 2027 (including buyout of ’28 mutual option)

Option Decisions

None

2027 financial commitments: $71.25MM
Total future commitments: $73.25MM

Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projected salaries courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)

Joey Bart (5.020): $2.9MM

Huascar Brazobán (3.170): $1.6MM

Brenton Doyle (3.161): $3.6MM

Miguel Vargas (3.101): $5.4MM

Chris Murphy (3.055): $900K

Jordan Leasure (2.161): $1MM

Non-tender candidates: Bart, Murphy, Leasure

Free Agents

Erick Fedde, Sean Newcomb, Trevor Richards, Randal Grichuk, Jake Rogers, Tommy Pham

The White Sox entered the 2026 season in a rebuild. Despite a sour finish to the ALDS, in which they set an all-time record by striking out 21 times in a nine-inning shutout at the hands of Gavin Williams and three relievers, they’ve arrived. Now comes the hard part — elevating from talented upstarts to legitimate contenders.

Most of the work will be on the pitching staff. General manager Chris Getz acknowledged as much in his end-of-season press conference on Wednesday, not that Sox fans wouldn’t have known that either way. Chicago’s rotation was their weakest link all year and found itself in shambles by the playoffs. Sean Burke was their only reliable starter by season’s end. Everything else was a ‘Johnny Wholestaff’ game.

Even Burke tailed off a little bit down the stretch, but he was one of the better pitchers in the American League for most of the summer. He took the mantle of 2026 White Sox’ breakout starter, one which initially seemed would fall to Davis Martin. The Texas Tech product had a dominant 11 start run through May, then fell apart with a 5.63 ERA over his final 18 appearances.

Getz said that Martin was bothered by a right calf issue that probably had an adverse impact on his performance. His rotation spot still seems secure, but he’s hardly a sure thing to produce. The Sox need only look to their 2026 Opening Day starter, Shane Smith, as an example of how quickly things can go off the rails. Smith went from an All-Star rookie season to starting three MLB games this year, allowing 12 runs in 8 1/3 innings. He spent the remainder of the year in Triple-A, posting a 5.57 ERA with a 16% walk rate to plummet down the depth chart.

The rotation need was obvious enough that the Sox made what they believed was a stabilizing trade at the deadline. Chicago assumed Luis Castillo’s $22.75MM salary for next season in a trade that sent minor league catcher Boston Smith to Seattle. They offset some of the money by dumping the immediately ill-advised Seranthony Domínguez contract on the Mariners.

It was a buy-low move at the time, as Castillo carried a 5.06 ERA across 20 appearances. It nevertheless made a decent amount of sense. Castillo was clearly the odd man out with the M’s but should’ve provided some reliability for a pitching staff that desperately needed it. By eating next year’s salary, the Sox were able to make the move without paying much of a prospect cost. (Smith has good minor league numbers but hasn’t garnered much favor from scouts.)

Unfortunately, the early returns couldn’t have gone much worse. Castillo not only didn’t bounce back, he actively regressed. His velocity plummeted and he moved to the bullpen before being shut down with a shoulder impingement. Next year’s salary suddenly looks pretty far underwater, as it’s tough to imagine Castillo would command more than $8-10MM on a one-year deal if he were a free agent this winter. There’s also a vesting option for 2028, but the Sox presumably aren’t going to let him approach the necessary 180 innings next season unless his performance markedly improves.

Chicago would surely like a mulligan and should have Castillo’s name out there on the offseason trade market. It’s unlikely they’d find interest outside of another bad contract swap, so he’ll probably remain with the team into Spring Training. Castillo is penciled into a rotation spot for now but may not be among their top five arms come Opening Day.

Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

BENEFITS

Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.

Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.

Remove ads and support our writers.

Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker

Miguel Rojas Announces Retirement

Anthony Franco — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 04:05:19 +0000

Tonight marked the final game of Miguel Rojas’ career. The two-time World Series winner and 2025 postseason hero told reporters that he’s retiring after the Dodgers were eliminated by the Brewers on Thursday evening (link via Alden González of ESPN).

More to come.

Kona Takahashi Could Explore MLB Opportunities This Offseason

Anthony Franco — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 03:30:49 +0000

Right-hander Kona Takahashi might be back on the major league radar this offseason, writes Michael Clair of MLB.com. Clair notes that the 29-year-old is eligible for international free agency this winter.

A Japanese-language report from Nikkan Sports earlier this week suggested that Takahashi was inclined to explore MLB opportunities. It’d be the righty’s second straight year doing so. A career-long member of the Seibu Lions in his home country, Takahashi requested and was granted the right to speak with MLB teams last offseason via the posting system. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported that Takahashi declined major league offers from three teams to remain with Seibu for another season.

NPB players need to surpass nine years of service time to be eligible for international free agency. That allows them to make the jump to MLB without any kind of compensation to their former team. Most NPB clubs are willing to make star players who want to play stateside available via posting after their eighth year. That’d entitle them to a fee from the MLB signing team, which is proportional to the size of the contract value.

Takahashi, who’ll be entering his age-30 season, isn’t likely to command a huge contract. He has a strong track record in Japan but has never had high-octane stuff. Takahashi has a career 17.5% strikeout rate in NPB, roughly five points below the major league average. He ticked that up to a personal-best 20.7% across 22 starts this season, pitching to a 2.54 ERA over 138 1/3 frames. It also came with a slight increase in walks, though Takahashi’s 8.5% walk percentage is fine for a back-end starter or swingman. He induced ground-balls at a career-high 58.5% clip, with Clair writing that he pushed up his sinker usage this season at the expense of his curveball.

At this time last year, James Fegan and Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs wrote that Takahashi projected as a potential fifth starter at the MLB level. They grouped him with Foster Griffin and Anthony Kay, two former big leaguers who did indeed return to the majors. Griffin outperformed that projection and pitched at a mid-rotation level between the Nationals and Guardians. Kay was essentially a fifth starter for the White Sox. Clair’s report cites a scout who feels Takahashi projects better in the bullpen.

Takahashi is one of a few players who could make the move from NPB this winter. Third baseman Teruaki Sato and pitchers Kaima Taira and Hiromi Itoh are expected to be posted.

Braves Select Brett Wisely

Anthony Franco — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 02:11:24 +0000

The Braves added infielder Brett Wisely to their 40-man roster, according to the MLB.com transaction tracker. Atlanta sent outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. outright off the roster in a corresponding move, suggesting they quietly placed him on waivers this week. The tracker also indicates that Luke Williams officially elected free agency, a formality after he cleared outright waivers yesterday.

This is the second minor 40-man move that Atlanta has made since being eliminated from the postseason. As with last week’s decision to select reliever Danny Young, this is motivated by minor league free agency. Wisely is a 2019 draftee who has played parts of eight minor league seasons. Players with seven-plus years of minor league experience can elect free agency at the beginning of the offseason if they’re not on the 40-man.

Atlanta isn’t committing to carrying Wisely on the roster all winter. There’s a decent chance he’ll be pushed out by a bigger move at some point during the offseason. If he clears waivers, he’d have the right to elect free agency in that scenario. The Braves delay that by putting him on the 40-man for now, as they’d apparently rather let Keirsey hit the market to start the offseason.

Wisely, 27, spent the entire season with Triple-A Gwinnett. The Braves snuck him through waivers at the end of Spring Training and never brought him back up. The lefty-hitting infielder had a big year for the Stripers, batting .281/.399/.436 with 11 homers and 29 steals. He walked in 15% of his plate appearances against a 20% strikeout rate. Wisely has reliably hit minor league pitching but hasn’t carried that over against MLB arms, as he’s a career .214/.265/.319 hitter with Atlanta and the Giants from 2023-25.

Keirsey signed an offseason minor league deal. The Braves added him to the 40-man in early June to prevent him from opting out but barely played him at the MLB level. He went 1-5 over five games, drawing the start in center field for the last game of the regular season when they rested their starters. Keirsey was active for the Wild Card Series as a designated pinch-runner but didn’t make an appearance.

The speedster stole 40 bases this year with Gwinnett but limped to a .247/.303/.346 slash line. He’s a quality baserunner who strikes out too often to provide much at the plate. Keirsey will qualify for free agency and look for another minor league contract with a non-roster invite to camp.

Yankees Only Expected To Issue Qualifying Offer To David Bednar

Anthony Franco — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 00:31:33 +0000

The Yankees are leaning toward issuing a qualifying offer to closer David Bednar, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. Heyman writes that the Yanks are less likely to issue the QO to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and are inclined to let him walk as a free agent.

The qualifying offer is a one-year offer that teams can make to impending free agents who spent the entire preceding season on their roster and haven’t previously received one in their careers. It’s calculated as the average of the 125 highest salaries in the league. This year’s QO price will check in at $23.15MM. If the player declines and signs elsewhere, their former team receives a compensatory draft choice.

Neither of the Yankees’ decisions would come as much of a surprise. Bednar increasingly pitched his way to QO consideration with a dominant final four months of the season. He’s the top right-handed reliever in the free agent class and arguably the best bullpen arm overall, depending on the shoulder issue that bothered Padres southpaw Adrian Morejon in the NLDS.

[Related Posts: Which Hitters/Pitchers Will Receive The QO?]

Acquired from Pittsburgh at the 2025 deadline, Bednar has turned in a 2.39 earned run average across 94 regular season innings in pinstripes. (He’s added nine frames of one-run ball with 12 strikeouts in the postseason.) That includes an excellent 2026 campaign in which he pitched to a 2.47 ERA and went 35-39 in save opportunities. Bednar fanned 27.1% of opposing hitters against a 7% walk rate over 69 1/3 innings. He ran into a bit of a speed bump in the middle of May but was one of the best relievers in the game after that, firing 45 1/3 frames of 1.39 ERA ball from the beginning of June.

It’s rare but not unheard of for teams to issue the qualifying offer to closers. Edwin Díaz, Josh Hader, Raisel Iglesias, Will Smith, Craig Kimbrel, Greg Holland, Wade Davis and Kenley Jansen are the pure relievers who have received the qualifying offer over the last decade. The Reds also issued a QO to Nick Martinez off a season in which he started 16 games and made 26 relief appearances. Martinez is the only one who accepted. Holland wound up settling for a one-year deal below the QO price, but the other closers all commanded three-plus year deals despite being attached to draft compensation.

Bednar is at the lower end of that group in terms of strikeout ability, but he’s posted a sub-3.00 ERA in five of his six MLB seasons. He sits around 96 mph with his fastball and found plenty of success with a dramatic uptick in splitter usage this year. Bednar, who turned 32 last week, still seems likely to decline the QO in search of what’ll almost certainly be the biggest multi-year contract of his career. Iglesias commanded a four-year, $58MM deal from the Angels with the QO attached back in the 2021-22 offseason. Bednar’s camp will probably take aim at beating that.

The Yankees would presumably be happy to welcome Bednar back for a one-year term if he accepted the offer. They’d be on the hook for the largest salary ever for a reliever, marginally above the $23MM annual value of Díaz’s three-year term with the Dodgers. That’s manageable for a team running a payroll north of $250MM to feel they’re set in the ninth inning for another year.

New York also faces the impending free agency of Paul Blackburn, who’s not a realistic QO candidate despite his excellent ’26 season. They’ll need to retain or replace those players to have right-handers they trust alongside southpaw Brent Headrick at the back of the bullpen. If Bednar declines the QO and walks, the Yankees would receive a pick after the fourth round — roughly #130-135 overall — in next summer’s draft.

Chisholm seems more likely to accept the QO if offered, explaining why the Yankees wouldn’t want to risk that for a chance at a mid-round pick (as they did with Trent Grisham last year). He’s coming off a down year and young enough (29 in February) that he could jump at a higher salary and a chance to retest free agency after the ’27 season. The lefty-swinging Chisholm batted a league average .231/.312/.399 across 532 plate appearances. He hit 19 homers and went 41-50 in stolen base opportunities.

It certainly wasn’t a disastrous year, yet it comes as a step back from Chisholm’s 30-30 showing in 2025 (and well below his ambitious preseason statistical targets). His batted ball metrics also took a step back while his strikeout rate ticked up slightly for a second straight season. Chisholm has the tools to be a dynamic player on both sides of the ball and has shown All-Star upside, but this was his least productive season since 2023. Manager Aaron Boone started Anthony Volpe over Chisholm against the righty Martinez in their elimination game in the Division Series.

Brandon Lowe, Luis Arraez and Gleyber Torres are also part of an intriguing second base class. Lowe should receive and decline a qualifying offer from the Pirates. Arraez was traded midseason, making him ineligible for a QO. Torres is also ineligible and coming off a middling season, so the Tigers wouldn’t have issued one either way. Ketel Marte, Xavier Edwards and Ozzie Albies could be on the trade market. The Yankees should be in the mix for at least one addition between second and third base (where Ryan McMahon underwhelmed). Texas, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Minnesota, Cincinnati, the Mets, Angels, and Athletics are among the clubs that could look for help at the position.

AL Central Notes: Caminero, Melton, White Sox, Holderman

Mark Polishuk — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 22:58:55 +0000

The ALCS matchup between the Guardians and Rays has put the spotlight back on one of the most infamous trades in Cleveland baseball history — the November 2021 swap that sent Junior Caminero to Tampa Bay in exchange for right-hander Tobias Myers, who never threw a big league pitch in a Guards uniform. Myers was dealt to the Giants in July 2022, and Myers’ emergence as a quality reliever with the Brewers in 2024 was an added blow for the Guards, who “couldn’t believe they lost the trade twice,” according to The Athletic’s Zack Meisel and Will Sammon.

In their look back at how the seemingly minor Caminero-for-Myers swap developed, Meisel/Sammon noted that the Rays discussed Xzavion Curry and three other prospects (none of whom are still with the Guardians) before finally settling on Caminero. The future All-Star was then a lightly-regarded 18-year-old prospect who had signed with Cleveland out of the Dominican Republic in 2019. Rays scout Eduardo Sanchez was given particular credit for being high on Caminero’s attitude and maturity, and other Tampa evaluators liked what they saw in Caminero’s swing and hitting potential. The end result was a steal for the Rays, and the Guardians can only hope that this trade doesn’t continue to haunt them by swinging a pennant in Tampa’s direction.

As the Guardians take a 2-1 lead in the ALCS, here’s more from around the AL Central…

Troy Melton was placed on the Tigers’ 15-day injured list on September 21 due to right forearm tightness, but the team announced to media today that Melton isn’t dealing with any structural damage, and will be able to have a normal offseason. Between this forearm issue and some elbow inflammation that cost him the first two months of the season, Melton was limited to 114 1/3 innings in 2026, but he was still effective in posting a 2.76 ERA over 20 starts (albeit with a low 20% strikeout rate and the benefit of a .248 BABIP). Melton projects to be part of Detroit’s rotation next year.

The White Sox expect to bring back their coaching staff in 2027, GM Chris Getz told the Chicago Sun-Times’ James Fegan and other reporters at yesterday’s season wrap-up press conference. “I think about the last offseason and the amount of interviewing and hires that we made, and that certainly has paid off,” Getz said. “Now to have really talented coaches…in our locker room is something that is perhaps a separator for us. And now to really stabilize that, to have that going forward, I think is going to benefit us.” (MLBTR covered more from Getz’s press conference in a post yesterday.)

We’ll begin and end the post with Guardians items, as right-hander Colin Holderman underwent his right wrist surgery today. Holderman revealed the upcoming procedure two weeks ago, and MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins confirmed today that the procedure isn’t expected to impact Holderman’s regular offseason throwing progression or his availability for the start of Spring Training. This positive news likely ends any chance that Cleveland would non-tender Holderman, who is arbitration-eligible and projected to earn $2.3MM in 2027. Holderman was non-tendered by the Pirates last offseason and then signed by the Guardians to a one-year, $1.5MM contract. The deal proved to be a bargain when Holderman delivered a 2.73 ERA over 52 2/3 regular-season innings, though his longstanding wrist problems sent him to the IL on September 4 and kept him from participating in Cleveland’s postseason run.

Sal Stewart, Alec Burleson and the Mid-Round CI Breakouts

Vlad Sedler — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 21:31:54 +0000
Revisiting the class of middle-round corner infielders who splendidly broke out
Source

Preller, Stammen Discuss Padres’ Offseason, Rotation, Injuries

Mark Polishuk — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 21:31:53 +0000

Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller and manager Craig Stammen held an end-of-season wrap-up session yesterday, with the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee, MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell, and The Athletic’s Dennis Lin among the reporters on the video call. As has been the case during most of Preller’s tenure, he reiterated that the organization is committed to delivering “a championship product to the city of San Diego,” and taking the “few more steps we need to take” in winning the Padres’ first World Series.

Beyond adding the final touches to the 91-win roster, however, the Padres first need to figure out how to keep some of that core intact, given how many key contributors are slated for free agency. In particular, most of the starting rotation — Michael King (if he opts out as expected), Robbie Ray, Casey Mize, Walker Buehler — is hitting the open market, plus Nick Pivetta could join this group if the Padres decline their $14MM club option on Pivetta’s services.

Exercising that option would be a logical move for a team in such need of starting pitching, though Pivetta logged only 42 1/3 total innings in the 2026 regular season and playoffs due to a flexor strain that sidelined him for the majority of the year. The extended nature of the injury altered Pivetta’s contract, turning his $14MM player option for 2027 into a club option for the Padres.

The four-year, $55MM deal Pivetta signed in February 2025 runs through the 2028 season, though Pivetta can opt out of the final year of that contract. Cassavell notes that Pivetta’s opt-out after next season will remain intact if the Padres pick up their option this fall, adding another layer to the team’s decision-making process.

Preller implied that the Padres could discuss some type of reworked deal with Pivetta or a contract extension that would streamline things for both sides. “Obviously, the straightforward option is picking up the club option…The next couple weeks, we’ll get together with our coaches, our staff, our evaluators and start trying to figure out what this puzzle looks like,” the PBO said. “We’re hoping that Nick wants to be part of that puzzle. We’re hoping that we can figure something out that makes him a part of this thing going forward.”

Yu Darvish remains the x-factor in the rotation picture, as the veteran right-hander underwent an internal brace procedure in November 2025 and spent all of last season rehabbing. There were also reports that Darvish was considering retirement and walking away from at least some of money remaining on his contract. The unusual situation took another step last March when Darvish was placed on San Diego’s restricted list, which removed his $15MM salary from the Padres’ books.

Darvish has kept throwing as part of his recovery process, but Preller didn’t give any indication about whether or not Darvish might be returning in 2027. “We have so much respect for [Darvish]. We’ll sit down and kind of see where his head is at, but he’s been putting the work in to at least give himself an option,” Preller said.

Given how the rotation is in flux, Joe Musgrove’s availability carries even greater importance heading into 2027, but Preller didn’t even commit to Musgrove working in a starting role. “We’re not starting the offseason like he’s definitely our Opening Day starter next year, our No. 3 starter, our eighth-inning guy,” Preller said. “That will be one of the questions for the offseason, what’s the best spot for Joe Musgrove?”

The uncertainty stems from the injury problems that have cost Musgrove essentially two full seasons. He underwent a Tommy John surgery and flexor tendon repair in October 2024, and some setbacks during the recovery process kept Musgrove off the mound in both the 2025 and 2026 regular seasons. Musgrove did make it back to be part of San Diego’s postseason roster this fall, and he tossed three innings of shutout ball in two appearances out of the Padres bullpen.

Moving Musgrove to the pen would create an even larger need for rotation help, yet a relief role wouldn’t necessarily be permanent. Musgrove would likely be on some kind of innings cap anyway as he continues to rebuild his arm strength, so having him gradually build up as a reliever with an eye towards using him as a starter later in 2027 could be one of the many options under consideration for Preller and the organization. If Musgrove is able to become a high-leverage reliever, that would also address another need for San Diego since Adrian Morejon and Jason Adam could both depart in free agency.

How much money the Padres are willing to spend on roster upgrades is an open question, given how many big contracts continue to take up space on the team’s books. Neither Preller or the team’s new ownership has been specific (as one might expect) about payroll size, though Acee writes that the expectation is that the Padres should be able to keep spending at least at their present levels, if not the level of their peak spending under former owner Peter Seidler.

Also from Acee, he hears from organizational sources that “the Padres will be more proactive” in their shopping this winter, rather than their more recent trend of waiting until later in the offseason to strike. The impending lockout is likely a factor in this decision, given how the transactions freeze will begin when the collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1.

Acting earlier would represent a change in tactics from the 2021-22 lockout, as Lin notes that San Diego saved its larger pursuits until after the lockout ended in early March. Preller himself discussed that offseason during the video call, and revealed that he “was getting on a plane to go talk to Kyle Schwarber and got told to get off the plane because he was going to finish up a deal with the Phillies.” Schwarber indeed inked a four-year, $79MM deal with Philadelphia in March 2022, beginning a relationship that continued last winter when Schwarber re-signed with the Phillies on a five-year, $150MM pact.

In terms of returning personnel, Stammen expects “a majority, if not all of” his coaching staff to return in 2027. The skipper also had injury updates on Jeremiah Estrada and Gavin Sheets, saying that both players should be ready for the start of Spring Training.

Estrada may be carrying more responsibility next year given the potential bullpen departures, but the right-hander was limited to 33 games and 31 innings in 2026 due to three separate IL stints for elbow tendinitis, knee inflammation, and a shoulder impingement. The last of these issues kept Estrada from pitching after August 24, but Stammen said Estrada was working on his pitching progression throughout the playoffs and might have been available if the Padres had reached the NLCS.

Sheets missed about a month of action late in the season due to what was described as a left foot sprain, before returning for the playoffs. Stammen revealed that Sheets had actually been playing through a left plantar plate tear over the last few months of the season, and it doesn’t appear as though Sheets will get surgery to fix the problem. Whether Sheets opts for surgery or just rest, Stammen doesn’t expect the first baseman/outfielder to be limited in the spring.

Rockies Fire Pitching Coach Alon Leichman

Mark Polishuk — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 19:54:44 +0000

The Rockies have parted ways with pitching coach Alon Leichman, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Keith Law. Leichman held the position for just one season, as the Rox only hired the 37-year-old last December.

On paper, the quick hook isn’t necessarily a surprise given that Colorado’s pitching staff finished last in baseball in ERA (5.59), SIERA (4.58), strikeout rate (17.5%), WHIP (1.52), and opponents’ batting average (.283), plus last or close to last in multiple other categories. As is the case with any coaching firing, however, it is fair to wonder how much of the blame can be played on a coach for the shortcomings of a roster that was clearly lacking in pitching talent. In the Rockies’ case specifically, the team has spent its entire history trying to figure out how to develop and maintain quality pitching in the thin air of Coors Field.

Nobody expected Leichman to turn this around in a single year, but president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta may have planted some hints about the firing when speaking to reporters last week. The starters’ pre-game preparation under Leichman may have been an issue, as DePodesta pointed specifically to the fact that Colorado’s “run differential was worse in innings one and two than innings three and beyond combined. There were way too many games where we just got into a hole within the first two innings.”

With Leichman now gone, it is worth wondering if assistant pitching coach Gabe Ribas, bullpen coach Matt Buschmann, or director of pitching Matt Daniels may be in jeopardy. This trio were also hired just last winter as part of a broader shake-up of the coaching staff in DePodesta’s first winter in charge of the Rockies’ front office.

DePodesta (likely with some input from manager Warren Schaeffer) will now add another pitching coach search to the offseason to-do list. Colorado is still deep into rebuild mode, and revamping the team’s pitching process on an analytical and development is more important than getting a big uptick in Major League results in 2027, though obviously improvement would be welcome. Even a short-term boost in starter or bullpen ERA would help the Rox perhaps flip some pitchers elsewhere at the trade deadline in exchange of prospects.

This was the first time Leichman had worked as a big league team’s lead pitching coach. He had previously been an assistant pitching coach with the Marlins in 2025 and the Reds in 2023-24, and spent four seasons as a pitching coach in the Mariners’ farm system.

Offseason Outlook: Baltimore Orioles

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 19:38:29 +0000

The Orioles fell short of expectations in 2026. They sold at the deadline but it doesn’t appear they are kicking off any kind of rebuild. Assuming they plan to return to contention in 2027, there are many questions to be answered.

Guaranteed Contracts

Pete Alonso, 1B: $124MM through 2030

Kyle Bradish, RHP: $90MM through 2031

Shane Baz, RHP: $63MM through 2030

Samuel Basallo, C/1B: $61MM through 2033 (includes buyout of 2034 club option)

Tyler O’Neill, OF: $16.5MM through 2027

Ryan Helsley, RHP: $14MM player option for 2027

Yennier Cano, RHP: $7.5MM through 2028 (includes 2029 club option)

Option Decisions

Zach Eflin, RHP: $25MM mutual option with $2MM buyout

Luis Robert Jr., OF: $20MM club option with $2MM buyout

Ryan Helsley, RHP: $14MM player option for 2027

Ryan Mountcastle, 1B: $7.5MM club option with no buyout

Dietrich Enns, LHP: $3.5MM club option with $125K buyout

2027 financial commitments: $86.375MM
Total future commitments: $380.125MM

Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projected salaries courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)

Leody Taveras (5.031): $3.7MM

Félix Bautista (5.000): $2.4MM

Codi Heuer (4.059): $1.1MM

Gunnar Henderson (4.036): $14.1MM

Albert Suárez (3.159): $1.1MM

Jordan Westburg (3.098): $1.5MM

Colton Cowser (3.043): $2.2MM

Non-tender candidates: Taveras, Heuer, Suárez

Free Agents

Trevor Rogers, Chris Bassitt, Zach Eflin, Andrew Kittredge, Keegan Akin

The Orioles underwent a true tank job a few years ago. This was before the draft lottery, when a team could guarantee itself consecutive strong picks if they shamelessly committed to putting an atrocious product on the field. The Orioles did just that. They lost at least 108 games in each full season from 2018 to 2021. The hope with such a strategy is that all that losing can allow a team to stockpile enough young talent to slingshot them to future success.

It is surely not a coincidence that Mike Elias, who has been running the Baltimore front office since 2018, was previously with the Astros. Houston deployed this strategy very well. They lost at least 106 games from 2011 to 2013. They built up the farm, eventually put together a good major league team and have been consistently competitive from 2015 to the present.

Elias tried to bring that script to Baltimore and it appeared to be working not so long ago. The Orioles won 101 games in 2023 with a core consisting of Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Kyle Bradish, Grayson Rodriguez, Colton Cowser, Joey Ortiz, DL Hall, Kyle Stowers, Heston Kjerstad and others. Prospects Jackson Holliday, Samuel Basallo and Connor Norby were looming in the minors. The Angelos family was in the process of selling the team to David Rubenstein. An optimist could have seen the foundation for a dynasty in place.

Things have been crumbling since then. The 2023 club was quickly swept out of the ALDS by the Rangers. The 2024 team regressed to 91 wins. That was enough for a Wild Card spot but the O’s were again swept out of the postseason, this time by the Royals. Baltimore has slid even farther lately, finishing below .500 in both 2025 and 2026.

Where are they now? Rutschman was traded to the division-rival Red Sox at the deadline. Basallo inherited the catcher-of-the-future mantle but hasn’t done much with it yet. Rodriguez was traded last winter for Taylor Ward, who was himself traded at the deadline. Hall and Ortiz were traded for Corbin Burnes, who left after one year. Stowers and Norby were traded for Trevor Rogers, who is now slated for free agency. Henderson has been more good than great lately. Westburg has been held back by injuries, missing the entire 2026 season. Bradish is fine but not too exciting. Cowser is a serviceable but flawed center fielder. Holliday is too young to be completely written off but hasn’t yet clicked in the majors. Kjerstad has mostly been injured and hasn’t performed when on the field.

Add it all up and the Orioles are in a tough spot. Elias can’t really justify a total teardown. There’s too much theoretical talent in place and the club has made notable financial commitments to Pete Alonso, Shane Baz, Bradish and Basallo. But just about every spot on the roster looks questionable or underwhelming. To be good again in 2027, they need a lot of things to go right internally, or a huge shake-up, or perhaps some combination.

Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

BENEFITS

Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.

Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.

Remove ads and support our writers.

Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker

Reds Avoid Arbitration With Oswaldo Cabrera

Mark Polishuk — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 18:38:06 +0000

The Reds announced that they have agreed to a one-year, Major League contract with utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera. The signing allows the two sides to avoid salary arbitration, and MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon reports that Cabrera will earn $1MM in guaranteed salary plus up to $200K in bonuses related to plate appearances.

There was some thought that Cabrera could be a non-tender candidate given his lack of career production at the big league level. However, the Reds only added Cabrera to the organization on a waiver claim on September 18, so Cincinnati might’ve always had an eye towards retaining the 27-year-old heading into the offseason. Cabrera’s modest salary is an easy fit even in the Reds’ limited budget, and the team now has some experienced depth in place.

As a rookie with the Yankees in 2022, Cabrera hit .247/.312/.429 in his first 171 plate appearances as a big leaguer, good for a 110 wRC+. This remains the high point of his offensive production, as Cabrera has since batted .230/.289/.326 over 803 PA with New York and Cincinnati. Working as a part-time bench piece in the Bronx, Cabrera’s career was interrupted in May 2025 by an ugly ankle injury that required a season-ending surgery. He made it back for the start of the 2026 minor league season and hit .288/.345/.444 over 524 PA for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and Cabrera also made it into seven total MLB games with the Yankees and Reds.

Moreso than his switch-hitting bat, Cabrera’s real calling card is his defensive versatility. He has seen time at every position except catcher, with the majority of his playing time coming at third base and in the corner outfield positions. The Reds have no set answer at any of these three positions, so Cabrera projects as at least a platoon bat with Ke’Bryan Hayes at third base, or as part of the outfield mix. If the Reds add some more everyday-type players to fill these holes, Cabrera will be a super-utility piece who can fill in all over the diamond.

Two Players Elect Minor League Free Agency

Mark Polishuk — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 18:01:33 +0000

A pair of players from NL East teams have elected minor league free agency, according to the MiLB.com transactions page. The details…

Payton Henry (Phillies)

Henry played in 20 games with the Marlins in 2021-22, which remains the catcher’s only on-field action in the majors. The 2026 season saw Henry return to a big league roster but without any in-game action, as the Phillies selected his minor league contract in July but then optioned him back to Triple-A four days later. The 29-year-old backstop is a journeyman who has played for five different organizations during his pro career, with two separate stints for the Brewers (his original club) and the Phillies. Henry has a respectable .253/.324/.402 slash line over 1121 career plate appearances at the Triple-A level, and he hit .186/.314/.209 over his 51 Major League PA for Miami.

Joel Payamps (Braves)

Payamps first came to Atlanta on a waiver claim in September 2025, and he re-signed with the team on a one-year, $2.25MM deal after he was outrighted and elected free agency last winter. The right-hander struggled to an 8.22 ERA over 7 2/3 innings, and while his 4.18 SIERA was much more favorable, Payamps was designated for assignment and outrighted again in May. Accepting the outright meant that Payamps could retain the rest of his guaranteed salary, and thus Payamps spent most of the year at Triple-A Gwinnett, posting a 3.89 ERA, 28.3% strikeout rate, and 10.2% walk rate over 39 1/3 innings with the Braves’ top affiliate. Though Payamps has a 7.15 ERA in 34 MLB innings in 2025-26, he’ll likely land another minor league contract on the strength of his track record as a strong bullpen arm for the Blue Jays, Royals, A’s, and (particularly) the Brewers from 2021-24.

Orioles’ Cade Povich Undergoes Elbow Surgery

Connor Byrne — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 16:41:05 +0000

Orioles left-hander Cade Povich underwent surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow on Wednesday, Matt Weyrich of the Baltimore Sun reports. He is expected to be ready for Spring Training.

Povich, who divided the season between Baltimore and Triple-A Norfolk, went on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation on May 8 and did not return until June 27. While that was Povich’s lone IL stint of 2026, he dealt with “significant pain down the stretch,” according to Weyrich. That helps explain Povich’s September woes in Baltimore and Norfolk, where he combined for three starts in the final month and yielded 14 earned runs on 16 hits (four HRs) and eight walks in 14 2/3 innings.

Povich ended the season with an ugly 6.28 ERA in 61 2/3 Triple-A frames, but he had more success preventing runs in the majors. Over eight appearances (seven starts) and 37 innings, the soft-tossing 26-year-old pitched to a 4.38 ERA with a solidly below-average 17.5% strikeout rate and a slightly below-average 9.4% walk rate. Metrics such as xERA (4.69), SIERA (4.80), xFIP (4.88) and FIP (4.99) all indicate Povich was fortunate to log an ERA closer to 4.00 than 5.o0, and he benefited from a 79.8% strand rate that was 7.5% higher than the mean.

The Orioles acquired Povich (and reliever Yennier Cano) from the Twins in 2022 in a trade for former closer Jorge López. Povich was a notable prospect when he debuted in the majors two years later, though the results have been underwhelming so far. Across 46 appearances (43 stars) and 229 innings, Povich has put up a 5.07 ERA with below-average peripherals. But with the Orioles at risk of losing Trevor Rogers and Chris Bassitt to free agency in the coming months, Povich could compete for a starting job during the spring. Kyle Bradish, Shane Baz and Brandon Young look like the only locks for Baltimore’s 2027 rotation right now, making it an area president of baseball operations Mike Elias will surely address in the offseason.

Photo courtesy of Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images

Phillies Re-Sign Tim Mayza, Hire Carlos Mendoza As Third Base Coach

Connor Byrne — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 15:50:18 +0000

10:50am: Mayza will earn $2.75MM next season, according to Gelb. That’s a raise over the $1.75MM salary he collected this year.

9:38am: The Phillies made a couple of notable moves on Thursday morning, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced. In addition to re-signing left-handed reliever Tim Mayza to a one-year deal, the Phillies hired former Mets manager Carlos Mendoza as their third base and infield coach (via Matt Gelb of The Athletic).

Mayza debuted with the Blue Jays in 2017 and was a regular in their bullpen until they released him in July 2024. After brief runs with the Yankees and Pirates, he joined the Phillies off waivers from Pittsburgh August 2025. Mayza only threw 7 1/3 innings with the Phillies last year, but they brought him back on a minor league pact. The 34-year-old ended up earning a spot in their Opening Day relief corps and enjoying one of the most productive seasons of his career.

Over a personal-best 67 1/3 frames, Mayza recorded a 3.48 ERA with above-average strikeout, walk and ground-ball numbers. He fanned hitters at a 23.6% clip, posted a 6.6% walk rate and induced grounders 48.1% of the time. Mayza was effective against both left-handed and righty-swinging hitters along the way, as he held the former to a .271 weighted on-base average and the latter to a .302 wOBA. Righties have typically given Mayza a much harder time, evidenced by the .340 wOBA he has surrendered against them during his career. Nevertheless, he has managed a useful 3.80 ERA with even stronger peripherals (3.35 SIERA, 3.48 xFIP, 3.63 FIP) over 385 2/3 innings in the majors.

Mayza, who had just two holds in 2026, figures to continue in a middle relief role in 2026. The Phillies are otherwise light on left-handed options at the moment. Tanner Banks is also still in the mix, but he dealt with a forearm strain this year and registered a bloated 6.19 ERA in 36 1/3 innings. Meanwhile, José Alvarado and trade deadline pickup Brooks Raley are on their way to free agency.

Alvarado’s stock is down after he pitched to a 5.86 ERA in 58 1/3 innings this year. The soft-tossing Raley had a much better 3.25 mark in 52 2/3 frames, but the majority of his success came with the Mets. While Raley pitched well in August, the wheels came off during six September appearances. He logged 3 2/3 innings of 10-hit, seven-run ball and totaled more walks (four) than strikeouts (three) during the final month of the season. Consequently, the Phillies left Raley off their roster for their Wild Card series loss to the Braves.

Thanks in part to Raley’s struggles, Phillies relievers ranked 21st in the majors in ERA this season. Dombrowski will likely do more to address the unit in the coming months, but we now know Mayza is in line to occupy a season-opening spot.

Mendoza, 46, had gone without a job since the Mets fired him amid a 34-47 start on June 26. In two-plus seasons in New York’s dugout, Mendoza went 206-199 with one playoff appearance. He guided the Mets to the NLCS in 2024, but they lost to the Dodgers and have not returned to the playoffs since. Before his Mets tenure, the longtime minor league infielder spent 2009-23 in various coaching positions with the Yankees organization. Mendoza topped out with the Yankees as Aaron Boone’s bench coach from 2020-23.

Now that he is joining Don Mattingly’s staff in Philadelphia, Mendoza will replace Anthony Contreras as the team’s third base coach and Bobby Dickerson as its infield coach. Contreras is staying with the organization in a different capacity, but the Phillies parted with Dickerson on Wednesday after their infield had a rough year defensively. Shortstop Trea Turner, corner infielder Alec Bohm and second baseman/third baseman Bryson Stott were the worst offenders, according to Defensive Runs Saved, as the trio combined for minus-36 DRS. Bohm looks likely to leave in free agency, but Turner and Stott will be among the Phillies’ returning position players.

There had been speculation that Turner could move to the outfield, where the 12-year veteran last saw action with the Nationals in 2016. However, Dombrowski told Todd Zolecki of MLB.com and other reporters that Turner will open next season at shortstop. That is Turner’s preference, Gelb notes, though Dombrowski said it’s“mandatory” for the 33-year-old to perform better if he wants to stay there. Mendoza may be able to help in that regard.

Although Turner was a plus defender as recently as 2025, he has otherwise drawn poor reviews in the past few years. The three-time All-Star still has seven years and $190.9MM left on the 11-year, $300MM contract he signed with the Phillies in December 2022.

Photos courtesy of Bill Streicher and Wendell Cruz, Imagn Images (via Reuters Connect)

Phillies Reached Out To Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez In Managerial Search

Connor Byrne — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 14:18:18 +0000

The Phillies put an end to their managerial search when they promoted interim skipper Don Mattingly to the full-time role on Wednesday. They showed interest in ex-Red Sox manager Alex Cora during the process, but he wasn’t the only outside candidate on their radar. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski formally requested permission to contact Dodgers employees Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez about the job, Jayson Stark of The Athletic reports. The two former Phillies “politely declined,” according to Stark.

Utley, who is in his first year as a special assistant to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, ranks as one of the greatest Phillies of all-time. During a run that lasted from 2003-15, the former second baseman racked up 62.0 bWAR – trailing only legendary third baseman Mike Schmidt among Phillies hitters – and earned six All-Star nods. Utley also helped lead the Phillies to a pair of National League pennants and a World Series title (2008). He spent the last three-plus years of his career with the Dodgers, who acquired him in 2015 swap, and became a Phillies Wall of Fame member this August.

Asked about the Phillies’ interest in reuniting with him as a manager, the 47-year-old Utley told Stark: “Regardless if that (Phillies report) is true or not … considering where I’m currently at with my family, that commitment (to a job like managing) is not really realistic at the moment.”

Ibanez seemed more open to returning to Philadelphia than Utley, as the longtime outfielder took a couple of days to think it over before calling Dombrowski to inform him he was staying with Los Angeles, per Stark. A member of the Phillies from 2009-11, Ibanez retired after the 2014 campaign and immediately began drawing managerial interest. He was one of the finalists for the Rays’ job that fall, but they hired Kevin Cash instead. Cash is still in place in Tampa Bay, while the 54-year-old Ibanez has held positions with the Dodgers, ESPN and Major League Baseball over the past decade-plus. He has worked as the Dodgers’ vice president of baseball development and special projects since 2024.

With Cora planning a year off and Utley and Ibanez remaining with the Dodgers, the Phillies will continue to roll with Mattingly. After taking over for the fired Rob Thomson on April 28, Mattingly guided the Phillies to a 79-55 mark. Philadelphia finished 88-74 and earned a fifth straight playoff berth, but the team could not get past NL East rival Atlanta in a three-game Wild Card series that went the distance.

The Opener: Brewers Up 3-0, Bauers/Mitchell, Williams

Charlie Wright — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 13:29:29 +0000

Due to weather concerns in Cleveland, Game 3 of the ALCS has been moved up to noon CT. Plan accordingly!

1. Brewers take commanding lead

Milwaukee set the tone immediately in Game 3 of the NLCS, with Jackson Chourio taking Blake Snell deep on the first pitch. Snell and Robert Gasser dueled over the first five innings. The Dodgers finally got on the board with two in the sixth inning, only for the Brewers to immediately put up three runs in the top of the seventh. The two-time defending champs will have to pull a 2024 Red Sox to keep their three-peat hopes alive. “At the beginning of this year, we set out to do something historic,” Max Muncy said (h/t Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register). “It looks like we’re going to have to make a little more history along the way if we want to accomplish that.”

2. Bauers and Mitchell go back-to-back

Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers put together another epic at-bat in a crucial spot. After working a 12-pitch walk against Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 2, he saw 11 pitches from Snell in the seventh inning last night. This time, the battle ended with a go-ahead two-run homer (video link via MLB on X). Garrett Mitchell then doubled the Brewers’ lead with a solo homer to chase Snell from the game. “I mean three home runs in a game – I didn’t give up one the whole year,” Snell told reporters (h/t again to Plunkett). “To have three in a game is pretty frustrating.”

3. Williams to start Game 3

The Guardians will hand the ball to ace Gavin Williams with the ALCS heading to Cleveland. The big right-hander was virtually untouchable in the ALDS, piling up 24 strikeouts over 11 2/3 innings. Williams earned the win in the deciding game of the series with 5 2/3 scoreless frames and a dozen punchouts. The Rays will counter with righty Griffin Jax. It’ll likely be a bullpen-heavy game for Tampa Bay, as Jax hasn’t covered more than five innings since July.

Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee, Imagn Images

Phillies Sign Don Mattingly To Two-Year Deal

Charlie Wright — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 04:00:58 +0000

Don Mattingly is the Phillies “interim” manager no more, as the team announced today that he’ll shed that interim label and be named the new full-time skipper. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in a press release that Mattingly has signed a two-year deal covering the 2027-28 seasons.

Mattingly relieved former manager Rob Thomson near the end of April. Philadelphia was 10 games under .500 when the club parted with Thomson. Mattingly led the team to a Wild Card berth. The Phillies went 79-55 after he took over.

There were rumblings last week that Mattingly could stick as manager after the Phillies were denied again by Alex Cora. He’d been their first choice to replace Thomson after being fired by the Red Sox in April. Cora said no at the time and maintained that he didn’t want the gig when pursued after the season ended. He’s reportedly not interested in managing at all next season and instead plans to take the downtime with his family.

Mattingly was going to be with the Phillies in some fashion for 2027. He signed a two-year deal to be the bench coach heading into this season. The Athletic’s Matt Gelb and Jayson Stark had previously reported that Mattingly could move to a front-office advisor position if he wasn’t given the manager gig. He’d be working closely with his son, Preston, who has been the Phillies’ general manager since 2024.

Handing Mattingly the full-time job seemed like a layup heading into the final week of the regular season. The Phillies weren’t going to catch the Braves in the NL East, but they were cruising to a Wild Card spot. It was just a matter of how the seeding would shake out with the Cubs and Padres. Then things got interesting. With the clinch in reach, Philly lost four straight games. A hot streak from the Diamondbacks forced the Phillies into a must-win situation in the final game of the season. They were able to beat the Rays and earn the final Wild Card spot in the National League.

However, while the Phillies avoided a major collapse, their rotation was affected in the playoffs. Zack Wheeler was forced to start Game 162, which meant he wasn’t available in the first game of the Wild Card round. Wheeler didn’t start any of the three games against the Braves. He came in relief in Game 3 with Philly already losing 3-0 after Aaron Nola was tagged for an early three-run homer.

The early playoff exit ultimately didn’t cost Mattingly a shot at the head job. With changes likely coming for the roster, some stability at the top makes sense. Mattingly has a dozen seasons of managerial experience on his resume. He was at the helm for the Dodgers from 2011 through 2015. Mattingly spent seven seasons leading the Marlins, a stint that included NL Manager of the Year honors in 2020. The 65-year-old Mattingly has a career 968-1005 record as a manager, though much of that losing record is attributable to the Marlins’ basement-level payrolls and frequent rebuilding status during his time in Miami.

Charlotte Varnes and Matt Gelb of The Athletic first reported that the Phillies would retain Mattingly as their permanent skipper.

Braves Outright Luke Williams

Anthony Franco — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 02:42:57 +0000

The Braves sent utility player Luke Williams through outright waivers, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Atlanta designated him for assignment last week when they added Danny Young to the roster to keep him out of minor league free agency this offseason.

Williams hasn’t technically elected free agency, according to the tracker, but it’s a formality that he’ll do so. He has played more than seven seasons in the minors and would hit the market as a minor league free agent either way. There’s a decent chance it’s a precursor to another non-roster contract with Atlanta, with whom Williams has spent the past three seasons.

The Braves kept the 30-year-old in the minors for virtually the entire season. He was on the big league roster for two days in April while Michael Harris II was on paternity leave. Williams hit just .218/.311/.367 across 363 plate appearances with Triple-A Gwinnett. He stole 37 bases in 40 tries, however, so the Braves added him to their Wild Card Series roster in case they needed a pinch-runner. The situation never came up against the Phillies, and Atlanta swapped him out for the five-game Division Series when they went from 11 to 13 pitchers.

White Sox To Pursue Starting Pitching

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 02:01:44 +0000

White Sox general manager Chris Getz spoke with members of the media today, including James Fegan of the Chicago Sun Times, after the club was recently eliminated by the Guardians. Looking ahead to 2027, Getz said the Sox will pursue starting pitching this offseason.

It’s not a surprising declaration. Though the Sox had a good season, the rotation was not a strength. The club’s starters logged a total of 674 2/3 innings, the fewest of the 30 teams in the league. Their 4.60 earned run average was better than just four other clubs. Chicago deployed a pitching chaos strategy in the postseason, with few traditional starts.

The use of openers clouds those splits a bit but the general overview lines up with a deeper dive. Sean Burke, Davis Martin, Anthony Kay and Erick Fedde were the club’s biggest innings eaters this year. Fedde is headed to free agency. Kay had a serviceable 4.44 ERA with a subpar 18.2% strikeout rate. Martin had a 3.95 ERA but in uneven fashion. His ERA was at 2.00 through the end of May but was 5.63 after that. Burke was similar but less extreme. He had a 2.99 ERA through his start on August 11 but a 4.66 ERA in his final seven outings.

The Sox tried to bolster the rotation by adding Luis Castillo at the deadline but that was a disaster. He had an 8.42 ERA after the trade and got moved to the bullpen. A shoulder impingement put him on the injured list in September. Getz today suggested that both Castillo and Martin were hampered by injuries late in the season, Martin due to a right calf issue that didn’t put him on the IL. “Look forward to seeing what both of those players can do for us come spring training,” Getz said.

Castillo has a long track record of success, with a career ERA of 3.75 in 272 games. However, he will soon turn 34 and has been trending down lately. His strikeout rate was at 27.3% in 2023 but dropped to 24.3%, 21.7% and 18.9% in the three subsequent campaigns. His contract still has one more guaranteed year at a $22.75MM salary. His trade value will be way down with that contract, his recent performance and injury. The Sox will be motivated to get him back on track next year.

Castillo, Martin, Burke and Kay should be in the mix for roles on next year’s team. Getz also mentioned Noah Schultz and David Sandlin as possibilities. Both pitchers have potential but haven’t locked anything in yet. Schultz posted a 5.57 ERA in 74 1/3 innings this year. Sandlin had a 5.58 ERA in 40 1/3. They both have options and could be sent to Triple-A if the Sox make some external additions. Burke and Martin also have options but are more established at the big league level.

Getz added that he expects Grant Taylor and Hagen Smith to be starters in the future but didn’t make any firm commitments about 2027. Taylor had a great year out of the bullpen, posting a 2.25 ERA in 84 innings over 60 appearances. His 8.9% walk rate was around average while his 31.5% strikeout rate and 48% ground ball rate were both well north of par. He added another 8 2/3 innings over five playoff appearances.

Taylor had Tommy John surgery in college and has been gradually increasing his workload as a professional. He logged 19 1/3 minor league innings in 2024. Last year, he got up to 63 1/3, majors and minors combined. He pushed that to 92 2/3 this year, regular season and playoffs combined. The Sox will likely try to push that number even further next year but getting to a full starter’s workload of 150-200 innings might be too much.

Smith was the fifth overall pick in the 2024 draft. He has huge strikeout stuff but also huge control issues. In 141 2/3 minor league innings, he has struck out 33.4% of batters faced while giving out walks at a 16.4% pace. He made his major league debut this year and the results were largely the same, with a 37.4% strikeout rate and 14.5% walk rate. He only tossed 86 1/3 innings this year, so there’s an argument for him staying in the minors to continue honing his command and building his workload in a less competitive setting.

Adding to the rotation via free agency would be sensible and should be possible. The Sox came into the year in rebuilding mode and had spent little on the roster. Per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the Sox spent $86MM on this year’s club. They were at $193MM as recently as 2022. A few players are signed through 2027 but there’s nothing on the books for 2028, apart from a $2MM option buyout for Kay. Getz says he hasn’t yet talked to owner Jerry Reinsdorf about next year’s payroll.

It would be stunning if the Sox made a run at Tarik Skubal but there’s room on the books for it. Even if they don’t chase that pipe dream, free agency features Trevor Rogers, Freddy Peralta, Tyler Mahle and many other arms.

It’s also possible the club looks to trade from its position player group. Their primary infield in 2026 consisted of Miguel Vargas at third, Colson Montgomery at shortstop, Chase Meidroth at second base and Munetaka Murakami at first base. Per Baseball America, the club’s top three prospects are shortstops. Roch Cholowsky is number one, Caleb Bonemer second and Billy Carlson third.

That could put some pressure on Montgomery. He hit 31 home runs this year but also set a new single-season record with 227 strikeouts. His defensive reviews were mixed. He was credited with 10 Outs Above Average but got a minus-four grade from Defensive Runs Saved. “He’s well aware of adjustments that need to be made,” Getz said.

For now, he should be safe. Carlson is only 20 years old and hasn’t even reached High-A. Cholowsky is 21 and hasn’t reached Double-A. Bonemer is also 21, hasn’t reached Triple-A and the Sox have also been moving him to third base and center field. In time, the Sox may have to make some tough decisions. Murakami is only signed through 2027 and Vargas is a poor defender at third. Perhaps Vargas will move over to first for 2028, opening third base for Bonemer or someone else. But if Montgomery keeps striking out at this rate as other shortstops emerge, perhaps a shake-up will come.

Getz also mentioned the possibility of the Sox adding to the outfield with Randal Grichuk and Tommy Pham slated for free agency. However, Fegan points out that the club has already been pushing infielders to the grass. Sam Antonacci came up as an infielder but became the regular left fielder this year. He and Tristan Peters should be back next year and perhaps Bonemer can push his way in as well. Braden Montgomery, Brenton Doyle and others are also in the mix. The Sox could add here but the rotation is a much more glaring need.

Photo courtesy of Jamie Sabau, Imagn Images

Offseason Outlook: Detroit Tigers

Anthony Franco — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 00:56:36 +0000

The Tigers never recovered from an atrocious May. They wound up dealing the two-time defending Cy Young winner at the deadline but didn’t orchestrate any kind of rebuild. They’ll look to reload this offseason and improve upon a 76-86 finish, yet it’s going to take a lot of work on the pitching staff and some shuffling in the bottom half of the lineup.

Guaranteed Contracts

SS/3B Kevin McGonigle: $136MM through 2034

LHP Framber Valdez: $77.5MM through 2028 (including buyout of ’29 mutual option; Valdez can opt out after ’27)

SS/CF Javier Báez: $24MM through 2027

3B/1B Colt Keith: $16.6425MM through 2029 (including buyout of ’30 club option; deal also includes club options for ’31-32)

RHP Kyle Finnegan: $10.25MM through 2027 (including buyout of ’28 mutual option)

Option Decisions

Team holds $12MM option ($2MM buyout) on RHP Kenley Jansen

Team holds $10MM option (no buyout) on RHP Drew Anderson

Additional future commitments: Owe $31MM in deferred payments to Framber Valdez and Justin Verlander between 2030-39

2027 guarantees: $76.5MM
Total future commitments: $297.3925MM

Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projected salaries courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)

Will Vest (5.100): $4.4MM

Zach McKinstry (5.099): $5MM

Matt Vierling (5.026): $3.7MM

Riley Greene (4.110): $9.3MM

Spencer Torkelson (4.076): $7.7MM

Kerry Carpenter (4.057): $4.1MM

Tyler Holton (4.047): $2.4MM

Beau Brieske (4.007): $1.5MM

Reese Olson (3.123): $1.5MM

Wenceel Pérez (3.000): $1.4MM

Parker Meadows (2.169): $1MM

Non-tender candidates: Vest, McKinstry, Vierling, Brieske, Pérez

Free Agents

Gleyber Torres, Jack Flaherty, Justin Verlander (retired), Jacob Waguespack, Burch Smith, Tyler Kinley, Tanner Rainey, James Outman (eligible for minor league free agency)

The Tigers never recovered from a 6-22 performance in May, making it all but inevitable they’d listen on Tarik Skubal at the deadline. Detroit played well in June and July to make that a little more interesting, yet a blown 7-0 lead in what proved to be Skubal’s final start sealed their fate. He’d be shipped off to the Dodgers three days later for outfielder Zyhir Hope and right-hander River Ryan. The Tigers followed by dealing their other big impending free agent, Casey Mize, to San Diego for 2024 first-round pick Kash Mayfield.

Detroit stopped short of any kind of full teardown. They didn’t move anyone whom they had under club control beyond this season (aside from including depth infielder Gage Workman in the Mize deal). Other impending free agents Gleyber Torres, Jack Flaherty and Kenley Jansen were expensive enough to have minimal trade value. Detroit hung around for a little while in a poor American League playoff race, but a 2-11 stretch in late August extinguished any hopes of a miracle run.

The American League Central has improved but remains one of the two weakest divisions in MLB. The Tigers should expect to compete for a division title in 2027. How do they get there?

Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription

BENEFITS

Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.

Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.

Remove ads and support our writers.

Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker

Phillies Not Retaining Kevin Long, Bobby Dickerson

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:18 +0000

7:00pm: Matt Gelb of The Athletic confirmed the coaching decisions. His report notes that Long was signed through 2028 as part of an extension he signed after 2025. Gelb reports that Long is expected to get interest from several other clubs. He floats the Mets as a possibility, noting that Long has a good relationship with Juan Soto from their time together with the Nationals.

There will also be a change at third base coach. When Mattingly took over for Thomson, third base coach Dusty Wathan replaced Mattingly as bench coach. Anthony Contreras was called up from his role as Triple-A manager to be the new third base coach. Contreras will stay with the team but in a different role, per Gelb.

6:30pm: The Phillies will be moving on from hitting coach Kevin Long and infield coach Bobby Dickerson, reports Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Long, 59, was hired as the club’s hitting coach going into the 2022 season. He previously held that title with the Yankees, Mets and Nationals. His first season in Washington, 2018, was Bryce Harper’s last before hitting free agency and signing with Philadelphia. The Phils were rebuilding at that time, missing the playoffs in each season from 2012 to 2021. In that latter campaign, the team-wide batting line was .240/.318/.408, leading to a 94 wRC+.

The first season under Long was a success. The Phils hit .253/.317/.422 in 2022 for a wRC+ of 107. They made a run to the World Series, though they lost to the Astros. After that one year in Philadelphia, Long was signed to an extension of unknown length.

For the next three seasons, things largely held steady. From 2023 to 2025, the club had a combined .257/.327/.431 line and 106 wRC+. The Phils made the playoffs in all three of those years, though they lost in the NLCS in 2023 and the NLDS in the two following years.

2026 was a step back. As a team, they hit .240/.312/.395. That led to a wRC+ of 92, which was better than only the Reds and Rockies. 11 players made at least 130 plate appearances for the Phillies this year. Only Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Bryson Stott produced a wRC+ greater than 90. Lineup staples like Trea Turner and J.T. Realmuto had down years. Luis Arraez saw his numbers dip after being acquired from the Giants at the deadline.

It’s always hard to pin a club’s success or failure on one coach but the Phillies are making decisions about next year’s staff and have opted for change here. Earlier today, interim manager Don Mattingly had the interim tag removed as he was signed to a two-year deal to skipper the club in 2027 and 2028. Mattingly took over in April when Rob Thomson was fired and perhaps had some ideas about how to shake up a staff that he inherited midseason.

Dickerson has over a decade as a big league coach. Since 2011, he has worked for the Orioles, Padres and Phillies, variously holding the titles of bullpen coach, third base coach, bench coach and infield coach. He was hired as infield coach for the Phillies in October of 2021.

The Phillies have had poor defensive metrics for years, though blaming that on any staff member would be difficult. The club has clearly prioritized offense over defense in its roster construction. They have signed bat-first players like Schwarber and Nick Castellanos. They have given lots of playing time to Alec Bohm at third base, despite his awful numbers there. At the deadline, they shook up their alignment in order to put Arraez at second base, moving Stott to third, Bohm to first and Harper to right field.

For what it’s worth, the Phillies had a collective mark of minus-51 from Defensive Runs Saved this year, tied with the Athletics for last in the league. Outs Above Average had them at minus-21, in the bottom third of MLB teams. Bohm and Turner were graded poorly by both metrics. Stott did well with OAA but not DRS. Harper’s first base work was neutral in the eyes of DRS but subpar according to OAA.

Photo courtesy of Morgan Tencza, Imagn Images

Previewing The Righty Relief Class

Darragh McDonald — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 21:51:15 +0000

With the regular season in the books, MLBTR is taking a position-by-position look at the 2026-27 free agent market. For the final entry in the series, we head to the right-handed relief market.

Player ages are for the 2027 season, and names within each tier are listed alphabetically, not “ranked.” Only players who appeared in MLB (or on major league 60-day injured lists) this year are included.

Previous entries in this series: Catcher, First Base, Second Base, Third Base, Shortstop, Center Field, Corner Outfield, Designated Hitter, Starting Pitcher, Lefty Relief

Proven Closers

David Bednar (32)

Bednar has had some ups and downs but has been a lockdown closer for most of the past five years. He racked up 19 saves for the Pirates in 2022 with a 2.61 earned run average. The following year, he posted a flat ERA of 2.00 and notched 39 more saves.

A big setback came in 2024. Bednar’s strikeout rate had been hovering around 30% in previous seasons but dipped to 22.1% while his ERA shot up to 5.77. He got out to a slow start in 2025 and was optioned to the minors in April. He was back less than three weeks later and has been quite consistent since then. He has thrown 131 innings since being recalled from that brief optional assignment with a 2.20 ERA, a 30.8% strikeout rate, 7.1% walk rate, 48.1% ground ball rate and 61 saves.

The big ERA spike in 2024 isn’t likely to be a huge issue for Bednar, as there’s some precedent working in his favor. Josh Hader had a 5.22 ERA in 2022 but bounced back with a 1.28 ERA in 2023. He then signed a five-year, $95MM deal with the Astros. Edwin Díaz had a 5.59 ERA in 2019. He corrected in subsequent years and eventually nabbed a five-year, $102MM deal with the Mets, with an opt-out after three.

The Yankees will first have to decide whether or not to give Bednar a qualifying offer. It’s somewhat rare for a reliever to receive a QO but the top closers usually do. In the past decade, Díaz, Hader, Raisel Iglesias, Will Smith, Craig Kimbrel, Greg Holland, Wade Davis and Kenley Jansen have received QOs. They all declined. Holland eventually settled for a one-year, $14MM deal but everyone else in that group landed a deal of at least three years and $40MM.

Bednar could accept the QO, stick in the Bronx for another year and return to free agency after the lockout but he’s already 32 years old and will probably look to cash in. He shouldn’t be able to get to the Hader/Díaz level of guarantee since he’s older than those guys and has never flashed the same kind of 40-50% strikeout rate upside, but a strong three- or four-year deal with an eight-figure salary should be attainable.

Raisel Iglesias (37)

Iglesias keeps putting up numbers as he pushes towards his late 30s. He just tossed 60 innings with a 2.55 ERA. That’s actually a slight improvement from 2025, when he had a 3.21 ERA. Under the hood, some things trended in the wrong direction, though only slightly. The velocity on his four-seamer and sinker dropped by about half a mile per hour. His 26.8% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate were both slightly worse than last year’s 27.4% and 6% clips. On the other hand, he increased his ground ball rate from 30.5% to 37.6%.

It has now been six straight full seasons of posting an ERA of 3.21 or lower for Iglesias. He racked up at least 29 saves in five of those six. Despite the consistency, his age will prevent him from getting a long-term offer. He was a free agent last offseason and signed a one-year, $16MM deal with Atlanta.

He has a case for two years, even at this age. In the past five years, Mark Melancon, Adam Ottavino, Chris Martin and Blake Treinen all signed two-year deals beginning in their age-37 seasons. But since Iglesias just returned to Atlanta on a one-year deal last time, it wouldn’t be a shock for that to happen again.

Solid Setup Arms

Bryan Abreu (30)

Abreu has been one of the better setup arms in baseball for a few years. Unfortunately, he is coming off his worst season since he became established. From 2022 to 2025, he logged 281 2/3 innings with a 2.30 ERA, 34.3% strikeout rate, 10.4% walk rate and 39.9% ground ball rate. In 2026, he had a 3.73 ERA. His 39.9% grounder rate was in line with expectations. His 29.9% strikeout rate was down for him but still well above average. Most concerningly, his walk rate shot up to 15.3%.

He at least finished with some positive momentum, as his worst stretch of the year was right out of the gate. After 7 1/3 innings, he had a 14.73 ERA and horrendous 30.2% walk rate. In his final 55 1/3 innings, he had a 2.28 ERA. His 12.4% walk rate in that time was still concerning but much closer to season-opening expectations.

His velocity was down a bit for the year but was lowest in May and bounced back after that. He was mostly around 97 mph with his four-seamer from 2022 to 2025. He was at 95.7 in 2026 but with a nadir of 94.4 in May and then 96.4 from July to September.

Based on his track record, it’s possible he secures a multi-year deal with an eight-figure salary. If teams are scared off by this year’s control woes and slight velo drop, perhaps he will be limited to one-year offers or he could try to get two years with an opt-out halfway through.

Jason Adam (35)

It’s been quite a journey for Adam but he has finally made it to six years of service time. A late bloomer, he didn’t really break out until he his age-30 season, but he then went on to have several great campaigns.

Unfortunately, he is hitting the market at an unfortunate time. From 2022 to 2025, he threw 256 2/3 innings with a 2.07 ERA, 29.2% strikeout rate, 8.4% walk rate and 43.1% ground ball rate. This year, he missed almost three months with a shoulder strain and was limited to 34 1/3 innings. His 2.62 ERA doesn’t look bad but was mostly due to a fortunate .245 batting average on balls in play and 91.7% strand rate. His 15.5% strikeout rate was well shy of his previous benchmark and the 22.1% league average. He tossed 3 1/3 innings in the postseason without notching a strikeout.

Adam’s track record is strong but he will likely be limited to one-year offers because of his age, his recent injury and lack of punchouts this year.

Paul Blackburn (33)

Blackburn has been a starter for most of his career. He opened the 2026 season in a long relief role for the Yankees. He may have earned a rotation role if some injuries popped up but the Yanks were relatively healthy for most of the year. Blackburn was kept in the bullpen, apart from two starts as an opener.

He slid from long relief to a more typical setup role as the season went along. In total, he tossed 85 innings with a 1.59 ERA. His 20.5% strikeout rate and 9.8% walk rate weren’t too impressive but he induced grounders on 54.7% of balls in play. He racked up a save and 11 holds before the season was done. He added another six innings in the postseason without allowing a run.

It wasn’t quite as dominant as the ERA would suggest. As mentioned, the strikeout and walk profile was middling. Blackburn also got help from a .230 BABIP and 88.9% strand rate. His 3.75 FIP and 3.92 SIERA don’t provide confidence for him keeping the ERA down. Even when he was pitching shorter stints in the second half, his 22.4% strikeout rate was only modestly better than his season-long rate. Even that slight uptick was offset by a 12.6% walk rate after the break. In his six scoreless playoff innings, he didn’t strike anyone out.

Caveats aside, an ERA under 2.00 is hard to ignore and Blackburn did well at limiting damage. Statcast pegged his average exit velocity, barrel rate and hard hit rate in the 74th percentile or better. He could get a setup job somewhere but it’s also possible his past experience as a starter helps him. Steven Matz had a somewhat similar 2025 season and parlayed that into a two-year, $15MM deal with the Rays for 2026.

Kevin Ginkel (33)

Ginkel just wrapped up a nice bounceback season. Over 2023 and 2024, he posted a 2.86 ERA in 135 1/3 innings. He struck out 27% of batters faced, limited walks to a 7% clip and induced grounders on 46.7% of balls in play. In the first of those two seasons, he added 11 2/3 scoreless innings as part of Arizona’s World Series run.

Last year was a step back. Right shoulder issues limited him to 25 2/3 innings with an awful 7.36 ERA, 24% strikeout rate and 10.7% walk rate. In 2026, he was mostly back in his previous form, tossing 67 2/3 innings. His 4.12 ERA doesn’t look too impressive but his 66.8% strand rate was to the unfortunate side. His 26.2% strikeout rate and 6.2% walk rate were back to his previous range. His 39.8% ground ball rate was his lowest since his 2019 debut but this year’s 3.50 FIP and 3.13 SIERA suggest he was pretty close to his 2023-24 performance.

Ginkel may be limited to one-year deals on account of his age and 2025 struggles. His 2026 was a nice return to form but more with the underlying numbers than the surface-level stats. His trajectory is somewhat similar to Andrew Kittredge. For Kittredge, injuries wiped out most of his 2023. He had a solid 2024 in his age-34 season and then secured a one-year, $10MM deal with a club option from the Orioles. Ginkel is younger than Kittredge was, but his walk-year ERA is higher than the 2.80 mark that Kittredge put up.

Evan Phillips (32)

Speaking of bounceback years, Phillips is having a great one. From 2022 to 2024, he gave the Dodgers 179 frames with a 2.21 ERA, 29.6% strikeout rate, 6.5% walk rate and 42.6% ground ball rate. Tommy John surgery in May of 2025 wiped out most of that season. He hit free agency and signed a one-year, $6.5MM deal with the Dodgers while still recovering. He came off the IL in July and has essentially returned to form. He tossed 26 innings this year with a 3.46 ERA, 31.1% strikeout rate, 5.7% walk rate and 31.8% ground ball rate. He has made three scoreless appearances in the postseason so far.

Phillips isn’t closing for the Dodgers now because he’s behind Edwin Díaz and Tanner Scott on the bullpen chart but he does have previous experience. He saved 24 games for the Dodgers in 2023 and 18 more in 2024. He should be able to fit on almost any club, whether they need a closer or just an extra setup arm. A strong multi-year deal with an eight-figure salary feels attainable.

Specialists/Middle Relief

Shawn Armstrong (36)

Armstrong was a free agent last winter and netted a one-year, $5.5MM deal with the Guardians. He missed a couple of months with a calf strain but threw 35 1/3 innings with a 4.58 ERA. His 22.1% strikeout rate and 42.7% ground ball rate were around average but he walked 12.3% of batters faced. It wasn’t a great season but he did notch eight holds and cracked Cleveland’s postseason roster. He has thrown 5 1/3 scoreless innings in the playoffs so far.

Taylor Clarke (34)

The Diamondbacks gave Clarke a one-year deal with a $1.5MM guarantee last offseason. That was a nice investment, as he gave them 73 innings with a 2.96 ERA. His 15.6% strikeout rate was well below average but he filled up the strike zone and limited damage. He only walked 4.9% of batters faced. He induced grounders on 45% of balls in play. Statcast put his average exit velocity and hard hit rate in the 73rd and 78th percentile of qualified pitchers, respectively. He was credited with 14 holds for the Snakes. The low strikeout rate won’t help him with modern front offices but his overall performance should net him another major league deal and maybe even a bit of a raise.

Enyel De Los Santos (31)

De Los Santos has bounced around the league in recent years, generally posting passable numbers. Dating back to the start of 2022, he has pitched for six different clubs, logging 320 1/3 innings in the process with a 4.19 ERA. His 23.8% strikeout rate and 8.3% walk rate in that time are around average. He was scooped up by Houston in August of last year after Atlanta let him go. The Astros then kept him around for 2026 with a $1.6MM salary. He posted a 4.79 ERA while earning five saves and ten holds. He should be able to get another major league deal with a similar salary to what he made this year.

Pierce Johnson (36)

Johnson has a strong track record but is trending down. After a stint in Japan in 2019, he returned to North America and posted a strikeout rate above 30% from 2020 to 2023. That ticked down to 28.4% in 2024, 24.8% last year and 19.9% this year. He finished 2026 with a 4.62 ERA, his highest since his return from Japan, apart from his injury-marred 2022. He secured a $6.5MM deal last winter. He should have less earning power this time but his velocity mostly held steady and his reputation is good, so perhaps he can get another big league deal.

Jakob Junis (34)

Junis has worked as a starter and long reliever in his career but his more of a traditional reliever lately. He just tossed 54 1/3 innings for the Rangers with a solid 3.64 ERA. His 16.2% strikeout rate was below par but his 7.7% walk rate and 41.6% ground ball rate were close to average. He did a good job limiting damage, as Statcast pegged his average exit velocity, barrel rate and hard hit rate in the 72nd percentile or better among qualified pitchers. He continues to be effective but the low-strikeout, low-velo profile isn’t en vogue and his age doesn’t help him. Junis got a $4MM deal last winter and his earning power should be fairly comparable going into 2027.

Andrew Kittredge (37)

Kittredge posted a 3.54 ERA this year, just