As MLBTR’s Charlie Wright wrote in August, Skenes’ stuff looked mostly the same this year. Apart from ditching his cutter, the righty’s four-seam fastball, splitter, sinker, slider, and changeup usage were all within 3.5% of their 2025 levels. The four-seamer remained his most common offering and averaged 96.8 mph – a 1.4 mph decrease from last year, but still well above league average. Curiously, the most drastic change in Skenes’ pitch mix was a sharp decline in the effectiveness of his changeup.

Skenes’ offspeed pitches ranked in the 100th percentile of Run Value in 2024, then the 98th percentile in 2025. This year, they plummeted to just the ninth percentile with a Run Value of -4. The changeup was the worst offender, falling all the way from +9 RV to -6. After hitting just .103 with a .126 slugging percentage against that offering in 2025, opponents batted .233 with a .384 SLG while striking out 15.6% less against it in 2026. In terms of movement, Skenes lost 1.8 inches of vertical drop and 0.5 inches of horizontal break on the changeup, making it a flatter, straighter offering.

Skenes notably threw his pitches from a two to four-degree higher arm slot than in the past. Perhaps that change in delivery made the changeup easier for batters to pick up and led to the increased contact and slugging. The pitch dropped by 15 points in FanGraphs’ Stuff+ rating, and there may have been spillover effects from the loss of the changeup as an effective secondary pitch. Skenes’ four-seamer, sinker, splitter, and slider experienced 10-19 point drops in Stuff+. Their run values remained above average, if a step down from their 2025 levels.

While it’s hard to pin much of the blame on a single pitch, it is interesting that Skenes’ strikeout numbers fell off against left-handed hitters, against whom he uses the changeup more often. He struck out 31.5% of lefties in 2025, but that declined to 26.7% in 2026. He continued to dominate right-handed hitters, going from 27.1% to 30.0% in strikeout rate. Meanwhile, lefties had an 83-point increase in OPS against Skenes. They also saw a 4.2% increase in ideal angle attack rate, suggesting lefties had less trouble tracking Skenes’ pitches and making competitive swings.

Of course, there are other explanations for Skenes’ relative downturn besides the changeup. He pitched for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, later noting it as the potential root of his decreased fastball velocity as the season went on. “There are a lot of other factors, so I don’t want to put everything on that. But I feel like that was kind of the root of it a little bit,” he told Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last month. It could also be a broader workload concern, as Skenes has thrown 522 1/3 innings between the Majors and minors since the start of 2024, and he’s not even 25 years old yet. Having a normal Spring Training could help ease that concern for 2027.

What do MLBTR readers think? Does Skenes need to refine his changeup, or does he just need a normal, non-WBC offseason to get on track?

“I don’t think anybody’s going to be guaranteed anything,” Preller told reporters, including the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Jeff Sanders. “I think it’s going to be, for Ethan, for example, a competition-type situation for him.” It’s unsurprising that Salas will still need to prove himself given Preller’s other remarks from the presser, in which he reiterated the Padres’ goal of competing for a championship in 2027.

Salas batted .296/.374/.448 in 404 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A this year. He managed the strike zone well, walking at an 11.6% clip and only striking out 14.3% of the time. It remains to be seen how those will translate in a longer run against major league pitching, but the hope is obviously that Salas can be an above-average hitter for years to come. The same is true of his defense, which MLB Pipeline and other evaluators consider advanced beyond Salas’ years.

Talented as he is, there’s a lot of risk in trusting a young catcher with managing a big league pitching staff for a full season, let alone a catcher with only 16 big league games under his belt. That’s where Campusano and Fermin come into play. Campusano played 71 games this year and put up a 127 wRC+ in 248 plate appearances. That’s well above average production, especially for a catcher, and crucially, Campusano was equally effective against left-handed (133 wRC+) and right-handed pitching (126 wRC+). He earned $900K in 2026 and is projected for a $1.7MM salary in arbitration, according to MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz.

Fermin is the defensive specialist of the trio. In 660 2/3 innings behind the plate, he accrued +8 Defensive Runs Saved and a +8 Fielding Run Value, tying for sixth-best and eighth-best at the position, respectively. Statcast rates Fermin in the 72nd percentile or better in all four of framing, pop time, blocks above average, and caught stealing above average. Despite running only a 68 wRC+ this year, his stellar defense brought him up to 1.0 fWAR and has him projected to earn $2.6MM in arbitration, per Swartz.

The combination of Campusano and Fermin is essentially a $4.3MM insurance policy while Salas continues to develop. With how many spots the Padres need to address this offseason, especially in the rotation, $4.3MM isn’t an insignificant amount for a pair of backup catchers. That said, given how well Campusano and Fermin did in their respective roles, other teams might poach them away if the Padres tried to non-tender and re-sign them at lower salaries.

Preller’s comment on wanting Salas to compete suggests Campusano and Fermin will remain in the organization. If nothing else, having all three on hand preserves the team’s depth in the event of an injury. Then, if Salas establishes himself over a larger sample, Campusano or Fermin could be dealt to a catching-needy team at the 2027 deadline.

Photo courtesy of Denis Poroy, Imagn Images

“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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Read more

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.

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.

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.

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?

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

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.

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 his 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.

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