RotoFeed

Charles Cook, Gavin Dickey Interview For Astros GM Job

Darragh McDonald — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:21:05 +0000

The Astros have a front office vacancy and are considering a number of options. That apparently includes some internal candidates. Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports that assistant general managers Gavin Dickey and Charles Cook interviewed for the vacancy. The report also lists Rays assistant general manager Kevin Ibach as a candidate, though it doesn’t specify whether Ibach has been interviewed. McTaggart suggests that Brewers assistant general manager Matt Kleine may be the favorite. Kleine was identified as a candidate earlier this week.

General manager Dana Brown and the Astros parted ways in August. At that time, the club’s announcement indicated that owner Jim Crane would oversee the baseball operations department, with Brown’s duties to be split between the AGM trio of Dickey, Cook and Connor Huff, as well as senior advisor Jeff Bagwell.

Dickey was hired by the Astros as a scout in 2011. He got promoted to assistant general manager in November of 2023. Cook was hired as a baseball operations apprentice in 2016 and got his assistant general manager title from the Astros four years ago.

Ibach was hired by the Rays as a scout in 2012, after previously working for the Marlins and Orioles. He later got promotions to director of pro scouting, director of pro personnel, then player personnel vice president. He was bumped to assistant general manager with the Rays in 2024.

It’s unclear if Dickey and Cook are serious candidates or if they were given courtesy interviews. Previous reporting has suggested the Astros might try to poach an executive from a small-market club. That was the case in 2020, when the Astros hired James Click away from the Rays to replace Jeff Luhnow, who was fired in the wake of the sign-stealing revelations.

Click and Crane reportedly didn’t get along. Even though the Astros won the 2022 World Series, Click was offered just a one-year extension that he turned down. Crane ran the front office for a few months before hiring Brown away from the Braves.

If Crane indeed wants to get a new front office leader from a club accustomed to succeeding with low payrolls, both Ibach and Kleine would fit the bill. Other candidates who have been connected to the job include White Sox assistant general manager Josh Barfield, Cardinals assistant general manager Randy Flores, Royals senior vice president Scott Sharp and Braves assistant general manager Ben Sestanovich. Some reporting has suggested a hire could be made before the World Series is done.

Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images

Mitch Garver Retires

Darragh McDonald — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 22:05:37 +0000

Catcher Mitch Garver has retired from playing, reports Ted Schwerzler of minnesotasportsfan.com. Garver played parts of ten major league seasons, suiting up for the Twins, Rangers and Mariners.

The Twins selected Garver in the ninth round of the 2013 draft out of the University of New Mexico. He hit well in the minors but there was skepticism about whether or not he had the defensive chops to stick at catcher. By the end of 2016, the Twins were optimistic enough that they gave him a 40-man roster spot to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft.

He made his debut in 2017 but didn’t hit much, slashing .196/.288/.348 with no home runs in 52 plate appearances. He showed more life the following season, hitting seven home runs and putting up a solid .268/.335/.414 line.

A true breakout arrived in 2019. Garver only played in 93 games and stepped to the plate just 359 times but that was still enough for him to launch 31 home runs as part of Minnesota’s “Bomba Squad”. That 2019 campaign is now famous for its juiced balls, with many home run records set across the league, but Garver’s huge .273/.365/.630 line was still 55% better than league average by measure of wRC+. Garver’s defense wasn’t lauded as highly as his offense, but considering catchers usually have lesser offensive production than other hitters, his big bat was a clear asset.

2020 was a struggle. Garver missed time due to an intercostal strain and only played 23 of the club’s 60 games in that shortened season, hitting poorly along the way. In 2021, he was again limited by injuries but at least performed well when on the field. He hit 13 home runs in 243 plate appearances, leading to a .256/.358/.517 line and 139 wRC+.

The emergence of Ryan Jeffers allowed the Twins to put Mitch Garver on the trade block before the 2022 season. He was flipped to the Rangers for Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ronny Henriquez. The next day, Kiner-Falefa was traded to the Yankees alongside Josh Donaldson and Ben Rortvedt in exchange for Gary Sánchez and Gio Urshela.

Garver’s first year in Texas wasn’t a huge success. He was on and off the injured list and required flexor tendon surgery in July after only playing 54 games. He got back on track in 2023, despite a lengthy absence for a knee sprain, which was excellent timing. He hit 19 home runs over 344 plate appearances and drew walks at a 12.8% clip. His .270/.370/.500 line translated to a 142 wRC+. Texas made the playoffs and Garver hit another three home runs in the postseason, helping the Rangers win their first title in franchise history.

He went into free agency on the heels of that championship. The Mariners gave him a two-year, $24MM to serve as a bat-first backup to Cal Raleigh and part-time designated hitter. That pact didn’t work out, as Garver hit .187/.290/.341 over those two seasons. Considering his subpar defense, that decreased offensive production sapped his value. Seattle brought him back on a minor league deal and he cracked the Opening Day roster in 2026 but he was released in August after hitting .175/.302/.294 in 149 plate appearances. He was briefly with the Yankees on a minor league deal after that.

After three straight tough years, Garver has decided to hang up his spikes. He retires with 702 games played and 2,498 plate appearances. He collected 497 hits, 110 of those being home runs. He scored 301 runs and drove in 324. He hit a combined .229/.325/.432. FanGraphs credited him with eight wins above replacement and Baseball Reference 10.1. B-Ref pegs his total earnings just under $35MM. MLBTR salutes Garver on his career and wishes him the best with whatever comes next.

Photos courtesy of Jordan Johnson, Jesse Johnson, Jerome Miron, Imagn Images

Dalton Rushing To Undergo Elbow Surgery

Steve Adams — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 21:30:54 +0000

Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing will undergo elbow surgery today, reports Maddie Lee of the L.A. Times. He’s expected to undergo an internal brace procedure to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. That surgery would come with an approximate nine-month recovery window before Rushing can return to catching, though he’d be cleared to resume hitting well before that.

A nine-month window would see Rushing unable to catch until next July. Given Shohei Ohtani’s presence as the team’s designated hitter on days when he’s not pitching, that doesn’t leave Rushing with much of a path to playing time in the interim. Rushing has experience at first base and in left field, but it’s doubtful he’d be cleared to play either spot when he’s first given the green light to resume hitting.

Rushing, 26 in February, is the backup to Will Smith and also saw occasional time at first base and designated hitter in 2026. He first landed on the injured list due to a ligament tear in his elbow on the day of the trade deadline. He spent a month on the shelf before briefly returning, but he logged only eight hitless plate appearances through the remainder of the season and wasn’t on L.A.’s roster for either the National League Division Series or the National League Championship Series.

Prior to his injury, Rushing had a strong year at the plate. The former top prospect stepped into the batter’s box on 253 occasions and slashed .246/.328/.460 with a dozen homers. His 29.2% strikeout rate was far too high, but Rushing did walk in 9.1% of his plate appearances, which helped him maintain a solid on-base percentage despite that proclivity to swing and miss.

Specifics on a return will be up in the air until Rushing has the surgery and the Dodgers see how his rehab progresses. It’s possible he’ll rejoin the club sooner than he’s cleared to return to catching work (or work at any other position) if injuries create an opportunity. In the meantime, Hunter Feduccia and Eliezer Alfonzo are the only two backup options to Smith on the 40-man roster. Neither (Alfonso in particular) is a lock to hold his 40-man roster spot throughout the season. Los Angeles outrighted fellow backup catching option Ben Rortvedt in September, and he elected minor league free agency a few days ago.

Smith, 31, is entering the fourth season of a 10-year, $140MM contract. He missed three months this summer due to a neck issue. He looked sharp in 75 plate regular season plate appearances following his activation, batting .295/.400/.548, but he went just 3-for-31 with nine strikeouts in 32 postseason plate appearances.

Examining Five Breakout Pitchers Being Drafted Past Pick 150: Part 1

Corbin Young — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 21:30:49 +0000

Corbin Young examines five starting pitchers who broke out in 2026, earning significantly more value than their projected dollars.

Source

Mariners Interested In Jason Kanzler For Managerial Vacancy

Darragh McDonald — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 21:02:16 +0000

The Mariners are looking for a new manager after parting ways with Dan Wilson last month. A report from Patrick Mooney, Chandler Rome and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic says that Jason Kanzler, Joe Espada and Rocco Baldelli are three of the candidates. Those aren’t the only three candidates in the mix but the report characterizes the search as being in an advanced stage. Espada and Baldelli have been connected to the job in previous reporting.

Kanzler, now 36, was drafted by the Twins in 2013. He topped out at the High-A level in 2015. He then became a teacher but also did some coaching in the Cape Cod League. Prior to the 2019 season, he got a job in the minor league system of the Astros as hitting coordinator. He got promoted to the big league staff for the 2022 campaign with the vague title of major league coach. He was made assistant hitting coach for the 2023 season. In January of 2024, the Cubs hired Kanzler as director of player development.

It would be a bit of an unorthodox move for the Mariners to pick Kanzler. He is quite young and doesn’t have a ton of experience, whereas Espada and Baldelli have both been managers before. Espada just wrapped up a three-year run in the Astros dugout. Baldelli managed the Twins from 2019 to 2025. The Dodgers hired him in December as a special assistant to president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.

The Mariners also had Torey Lovullo on their radar, though Lovullo subsequently signed a new deal to stay with the Diamondbacks. Around the time of the Lovullo reporting, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said the club was leaning towards a manager with experience but also expressed a desire to shake things up with fresh ideas.

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images

MLBTR Podcast: Brewers vs. Rays, Dodgers and Guardians Post-Mortem, And The A’s New Front Office Boss

Darragh McDonald — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 20:00:03 +0000

The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

The Brewers going to the World Series (2:00)
The Dodgers coming up short of a three-peat (6:30)
The Rays going to the World Series (14:40)
The Guardians going into offseason mode (18:10)
Three of the four LCS teams generally being defense-oriented (26:40)
Three of the four LCS teams being low-payroll clubs and whether that impacts the CBA negotiations (35:25)
The Athletics hiring Taylor Smith as president of baseball operations (48:05)
The Phillies keeping Don Mattingly as manager while the Astros let Joe Espada depart (53:40)

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

Will the Marlins be open to trading Otto Lopez this winter? (58:50)
Will teams want to wait until a new collective bargaining agreement is finalized to sign large contracts? (1:03:25)

Check out our past episodes!

Playoff Storylines And The State Of The White Sox, Yankees, Padres, And Braves – listen here
Diamondbacks Stories, Offseason Previews For Eliminated Playoff Teams, And Creative Pitching Usage – listen here
Wild Card Rosters And What’s Next For The Rangers, Diamondbacks, and Pirates – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Kiyoshi Mio, Imagn Images

Angels Decline 2027 Option On Manager Kurt Suzuki

Steve Adams — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 18:35:58 +0000

Kurt Suzuki’s tenure as Angels’ skipper will last only one season. The team announced Wednesday that it has declined a 2027 club option on Suzuki and will commence a search for a new manager and coaching staff. Suzuki has been offered a role to remain with the organization as a special assistant, interim general manager John Mozeliak announced in a prepared statement.

More to come.

Red Sox Notes: Kelly, Coaching Changes

Charlie Wright — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 17:56:33 +0000

Red Sox reliever Zack Kelly hit the 60-day IL with what was initially described as right elbow inflammation in July. Follow-up testing revealed an elbow fracture, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Kelly is set to resume throwing in a few weeks.

The 31-year-old Kelly has been a part of Boston’s bullpen in each of the past five seasons. He’s contributed decent results, pitching to a 4.04 ERA with nearly a strikeout per inning across 115 big-league appearances. The righty was up and down multiple times with the Red Sox this year. After a shaky start to the season, he was scored upon just twice in his final 12 outings before being optioned in May.

Kelly was at Triple-A Worcester when he went down with the elbow injury. He was recalled to the big-league roster and shifted to the 60-day IL just after the All-Star Break. It’s unclear how soon he’ll be able to return to the majors. Kelly is now out of minor league options, so the Red Sox won’t have the same flexibility with him in 2027.

Cotillo also reported a couple of changes on the coaching side. Third base coach Chad Epperson is taking over as manager of the WooSox. He was promoted to the big-league staff from the minor league ranks after the club made a big coaching shakeup in April. Manager Alex Cora was fired, along with five other coaches. One of the departures was third base/outfield coach Kyle Hudson. Epperson replaced Hudson as the third base coach for the remainder of the season.

Epperson has been in the organization for more than two decades. He has 10 years of experience as a minor league manager at the Single-A and Double-A levels. Chad Tracy opened the 2026 season as Worcester’s skipper. He was elevated to the big-league gig in place of Cora. Boston installed Tracy as the full-time manager shortly before the end of the regular season. Epperson will replace Iggy Suarez, who finished the year as the interim manager of the WooSox.

Boston also shifted first base coach Pablo Cabrera back to the minors. He took over at first base after the April firings. José David Flores, who opened the season in the role, was moved to bench coach after Ramón Vázquez was let go. Cabrera will slide back to his gig as minor league defensive coordinator.

Cabrera has been in the organization since 2023. He held multiple positions in the minors before being promoted to interim first base coach. Cabrera was elevated to defensive coordinator heading into the 2026 campaign.

Photo courtesy of Eric Canha, Imagn Images

Cubs To Make International Scouting Hire

Charlie Wright — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 16:42:50 +0000

The Cubs are expected to bring in longtime Rays international scouting director Steve Miller, as first reported by Francys Romero of BeisbolFR. Miller will serve as vice president of Chicago’s international scouting department.

Miller graduated from the college coaching ranks in 2006 when he joined the Blue Jays as an area scout. He spent seven years with Toronto. Tampa Bay hired Miller in 2013. He’s been in the organization for more than a dozen seasons. The Rays promoted Miller to their top international scouting role in 2019.

The addition of Miller is part of some shuffling that’s already happened in the department. The Cubs moved former VP of international scouting Louie Eljaua to a different role at the beginning of this season, reports Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. Chicago also shifted veteran player development and amateur scouting official Alex Suarez to a new position. Suarez is now a special assistant to president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, per Mooney and Sharma.

As the duo from The Athletic pointed out, the Cubs’ international scouts produced a pair of major trade chips at this year’s deadline. Infield prospect Jefferson Rojas was shipped to the Mets for right-hander Clay Holmes. Rojas was signed as a 17-year-old out of the Dominican Republic. He’s now one of the top prospects in the Mets’ system. Catcher Moisés Ballesteros was sent to the Angels for reliever Ryan Zeferjahn. Chicago signed him out of Venezuela in 2021.

Photo courtesy of Eric Hartline, Imagn Images

Yankees To Extend GM Brian Cashman

Charlie Wright — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 15:07:45 +0000

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters this morning that he’s agreed to a contract extension. The final details aren’t official, but Cashman said the deal is in place.

More to come…

The Opener: Peralta/Brewers, Bauers/Rays, G1 Starter

Charlie Wright — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 13:45:06 +0000

No matter who triumphs in the World Series, Jake Woodford is already a winner. His nomadic 2026 campaign included stops with both the Brewers and the Rays.

1. Peralta faces old team

One of the biggest trades of the offseason was Milwaukee sending Freddy Peralta to the Mets for prospects Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams. It didn’t pan out for either side. Peralta struggled in the first half. Sproat couldn’t hold onto a rotation spot and was eventually demoted. Peralta landed in Tampa Bay at the trade deadline. He’s become the team’s co-ace alongside Drew Rasmussen. Peralta faced the Brewers in July while still with the Mets. He was pounded for seven earned runs over 5 1/3 innings.

2. Bauers faces old team

Did you remember that Jake Bauers was in the Wil Myers trade? He came to the Rays via the Padres in December 2014. Bauers worked his way up Tampa Bay’s system and made his MLB debut in 2018. He popped 11 homers and stole six bases in 388 plate appearances with the club. The Rays shipped him to Cleveland that summer in a three-team deal that brought back Yandy Diaz. Bauers spent time with the Guardians, Mariners, and Yankees before finding a steady gig in Milwaukee.

3. The Miz gets Game 1

No surprise here. Brewers righty Jacob Misiorowski will start the first game of the World Series, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The Fall Classic kicks off on Friday at 7 pm CT. Misiorowski wasn’t his normal untouchable self in the previous two rounds. He allowed a couple of runs over four innings against the Padres in the NLDS. The Dodgers made him throw 94 pitches in 4 1/3 innings, forcing manager Pat Murphy to lean on his bullpen in Game 1 of the NLCS. That worked out just fine for Milwaukee. Despite the shorter outings, the Brewers won both of Misiorowski’s starts.

Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee, Imagn Images

Offseason Outlook: San Diego Padres

Darragh McDonald — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 04:50:32 +0000

The Padres find themselves in a familiar spot. They just wrapped another season that was good but not good enough. They have a decent roster but a huge chunk of the payroll is tied up in the core while the rotation has a number of holes.

Guaranteed Contracts

Manny Machado, 3B: $280MM through 2033 (including $35MM of signing bonus still owed)
Fernando Tatis Jr., IF/OF: $266MM through 2034
Xander Bogaerts, SS: $175MM through 2033
Jackson Merrill, OF: $135MM through 2034 (including $6MM of signing bonus still owed)
Michael King, RHP: $66MM through 2028 (including $8MM of signing bonus still owed)
Jake Cronenworth, IF/OF: $48MM through 2030
Joe Musgrove, RHP: $20MM through 2027
Yuki Matsui, LHP: $13.5MM through 2028 (Matsui may opt out after 2026 or 2027)
Sung-Mun Song, IF: $12MM through 2029 (including remaining signing bonus and buyout on 2030 mutual option; can opt out after 2028)
Wandy Peralta, LHP: $4.45MM player option for 2027

Option Decisions

Michael King, RHP: $28MM player option with $5MM buyout; deal also has $30MM player option for 2028
Nick Pivetta, RHP: $14MM club option (deal also includes $18MM player option for 2028)
Yuki Matsui, LHP: may opt out of remaining two years and $13.5MM; can also opt out after 2027
Miguel Andujar, IF/OF: $8MM mutual option with $2.9MM buyout
Lucas Giolito, RHP: $8MM mutual option with $1.5MM buyout
Griffin Canning, RHP: $5MM mutual option with $1.8MM buyout
Wandy Peralta, LHP: $4.45MM player option for 2027
Kyle Hart, LHP: $2.5MM club option with $200K buyout

Additional Commitments

$750K buyout on 2027 mutual option for RHP Germán Márquez

2027 financial commitments: $180.1MM
Total future commitments: $1.0271 billion

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

Gavin Sheets (5.076): $6.5MM
Luis Campusano (4.003): $1.7MM
Mason Miller (3.166): $8.1MM
Freddy Fermin (3.165): $2.6MM
Bryan Hoeing (3.133): $800K
JP Sears (3.108): $2.8MM
Jeremiah Estrada (3.069): $1.3MM
Jhony Brito (2.138): $800K

Non-tender candidates: Hoeing, Sears

Free Agents

Robbie Ray, Ramon Laureano, Walker Buehler, Ty France, Luis Rengifo, Austin Hays, Jason Adam, Casey Mize, Adrián Morejón, Miguel Andujar, Lucas Giolito, Griffin Canning

The Padres had a flat 48-48 record in the first half. They got hot at a good time, going 43-23 in the second half. That got them the top Wild Card spot in the National League. They quickly ran through the Cubs but then got flattened by the Brewers.

For 2027, the goal will be to get back to the postseason once again. There’s some turnover on the position player side but a lot of the lineup will be returning. The bullpen could lose a few guys to free agency but still should be in decent shape. The primary focus will be on the rotation, which has been the case for a few years now.

Walker Buehler, Robbie Ray and Casey Mize are headed to free agency. Griffin Canning and Lucas Giolito should be considered impending free agents as well, even though their deals contain mutual options. It’s been over a decade since a mutual option was picked up by both sides. They are just accounting measures to kick some of the payment to the end of the season as a de facto deferral. Michael King has an opt-out he will surely take. The Padres will have to decide on a club option for Nick Pivetta.

That leaves them with an on-paper rotation of Joe Musgrove, Randy Vásquez, JP Sears and Jhony Brito. Musgrove isn’t even a guarantee to be a starter next year after missing both the 2025 and 2026 seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He did log three postseason innings this year but jumping back up to a full workload next year is probably expecting too much, something that president of baseball operations A.J. Preller recently admitted.

Vásquez had a decent earned run average this year but worked around a 14.8% strikeout rate. Among pitchers with at least 140 innings pitched this year, only Tomoyuki Sugano of the Rockies was lower. Sears spent most of 2026 in Triple-A, where he posted a 7.49 ERA. Brito also spent most of the year in the minors and his 2.97 ERA was good but he worked around a low 16.2% strikeout rate. The Padres will need to add multiple arms.

The major unknown right now is what kind of resources the front office will have to work with. Under Peter Seidler, payroll kept going up but peaked in 2023. After his passing, the club scaled back a bit. That had various knock-on effects.

Juan Soto was traded to the Yankees, both to cut costs and also bring in some extra rotation depth. Various other trades have depleted the farm system. The Padres have continued to sign free agents but often with creative accounting measures. The Nick Pivetta and King deals both featured backloaded salaries and opt-outs. The deals for Germán Márquez, Canning and Giolito had mutual option buyouts to delay some of the payments.

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Latest On Brandon Woodruff

Anthony Franco — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 04:30:04 +0000

The biggest roster question for the World Series: will the Brewers carry Brandon Woodruff ? The two-time All-Star said during the NLCS celebration that he wanted to secure a spot on Milwaukee’s pitching staff for the Fall Classic.

Adam McCalvy of MLB.com writes that Woodruff’s fastball sat in the 90-92 mph range during a 23-pitch live batting practice session this afternoon. It’s the first time he’s thrown to hitters since he suffered the shoulder injury that was initially expected to end his season.

“I know where I’m at. I’ve only faced live hitters once and the World Series starts in three days,” Woodruff told McCalvy after the BP session. “As far as a decision, I haven’t heard anything. I’m sure they are discussing it.” President of baseball operations Matt Arnold indicated no decision has been made, telling McCalvy the team is “still working through our meetings” on the roster.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote that Milwaukee is concerned about the possibility that they may not be able to replace Woodruff if he suffers a setback. The concern is evidently that MLB rules allow players who suffer a non-chronic injury during the postseason to be replaced on the roster. With Woodruff’s shoulder issue being a long-term concern, Rosenthal writes that the Milwaukee front office reached out to MLB for clarification.

Teams are permitted to carry 13 pitchers on a postseason series roster. They can ordinarily replace injured players, though they’d need to replace an injured pitcher with another pitcher. The Brewers carried 13 pitchers on their roster for the NLCS.

None of Kyle Harrison, Chad Patrick or Antonio Senzatela made it into an NLCS game. Senzatela made two low-leverage appearances during the NLDS; neither Patrick nor Harrison got into a game in either series. Harrison is probably the 13th pitcher on the depth chart after a tough second half, though the Brewers might not want to risk losing him as a mop-up option if they’re concerned about Woodruff’s ability to throw multiple innings. The Rays have a left-handed heavy lineup and were far better against righty pitching (.751 OPS) than southpaws (.678 OPS). Harrison is one of six lefties whom Milwaukee carried on the first two rosters.

Ben Sestanovich, Scott Sharp Candidates For Astros’ GM Job

Anthony Franco — Wed, 21 Oct 2026 01:59:44 +0000

Royals senior vice president Scott Sharp and Braves assistant general manager Ben Sestanovich are candidates for the Astros’ general manager position, reports Chandler Rome of The Athletic. They join a trio of known candidates whom Bob Nightengale of USA Today and Rome reported to be on the radar this afternoon: Matt Kleine, Josh Barfield and Randy Flores.

Sharp, 54, has spent the last two decades with Kansas City. He climbed to assistant general manager and eventually a senior vice president role under baseball operations president J.J. Picollo. He has worked in various facets of baseball operations with the Royals and frequently garnered attention from other teams for a role running a front office. Sharp has interviewed with at least the Mets, Giants and Rockies in recent years.

Sestanovich is a Harvard product who pitched for the Crimson in 2011. He worked in the Padres’ player development after graduation, then took an assistant GM role under Alex Anthopoulos with Atlanta in 2019. He’s one of five AGMs in the Braves’ front office.

Rome reported this afternoon that the Astros could have their GM hire in place before the end of the World Series. They’ll also need to settle on a new manager after moving on from Joe Espada at the end of the season.

In other hiring news, Rome reported that Houston is hiring Spencer Medick as their director of pitching. He’ll work in a non-uniform capacity to oversee the team’s pitching development. Medick had been the pitching coach for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Mets Interested In John Mallee For Coaching Job

Darragh McDonald — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 22:51:07 +0000

The Mets are looking to add a hitting coach of some kind. It was reported yesterday that Kevin Long would be interviewed for a job. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports today that John Mallee is also on the list.

In 2026, the Mets had Troy Snitker as hitting coach, Rafael Fernandez as assistant hitting coach and Jeff Albert as director of hitting. Snitker and Fernandez are expected back next year but Albert is not. DiComo’s reporting today indicates the Mets aren’t sure if they are going to hire a director of hitting to work above Snitker, effectively replacing Albert, or add another assistant beneath Snitker.

Mallee played in the minors but never cracked the majors. He pivoted to coaching and has been on big league staffs for well over a decade now. He has worked as a hitting coordinator, hitting coach or assistant hitting coach for the Marlins, Astros, Cubs, Phillies and Angels.

He was the hitting coach of the Cubs from 2015 to 2017. After bouncing to a couple of other teams, he returned to the Cubs as Triple-A hitting coach in 2023. He was promoted to the big league staff as assistant hitting coach for the 2024 campaign. He has been working in that role under hitting coach Dustin Kelly for the past three seasons.

DiComo’s report suggests that Mallee developed a good relationship with Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who just had a massive season. He improved his walk rate from 4.5% in 2025 to 11.4% this year. He did that while adding more power, going from 10 homers in 2024 to 31 homers last year to 45 in 2026. His wRC+ jumped from 86 to 109 to 157 over those three seasons. The Cubs as a team hit .251/.339/.428 in 2026. Their 114 wRC+ was at least three points clear of every other club in the majors.

It’s always tough to parse out the contributions of a coach from the performance of the players but the Mets are intrigued by Mallee’s track record and his work in Chicago. It’s possible there are other candidates beyond Long and Mallee.

Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images

Astros Have Spoken To Josh Barfield, Randy Flores About GM Vacancy

Steve Adams — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 21:25:08 +0000

The Astros’ general manager search has been underway for two months but could soon draw to a close. Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports that Houston could hire a new general manager before the completion of the World Series. Rome lists White Sox assistant general manager Josh Barfield, Cardinals assistant general manager Randy Flores and (as already reported earlier today) Brewers assistant general manager Matt Kleine as three candidates still in the running. That’s not necessarily an exhaustive list; Rome notes that in-house assistant GM Connor Huff has a particularly good relationship with owner Jim Crane, for instance.

Both Barfield, 43, and Flores, 51, are former big leaguers. Barfield was an infielder and fourth-round pick of the Padres. He debuted with San Diego in 2006 and had a big rookie showing but was unable to replicate that in parts of three subsequent seasons. He concluded his major league playing career with a .264/.295/.375 batting line in 1075 plate appearances.

Upon retiring, Barfield hooked on as a scout in the Diamondbacks organization. He held that role for several years before being elevated to Arizona’s assistant director of player development and, eventually, director of player development in 2019.

The White Sox hired Barfield as an assistant general manager in 2023, and he’s been in their front office since, helping to oversee the remarkable turnaround enjoyed by the South Siders in 2026. He’s had a hand in every facet of their baseball operations, ranging from player acquisition to scouting to player development and roster management.

Flores played in parts of eight major league seasons from 2002-10. The former ninth-round pick had a few strong seasons as a left-handed reliever, primarily for the same Cardinals that now employ him as an executive. He also suited up for the Rangers, Rockies and Twins. In 250 major league innings, he logged a 4.61 ERA with 76 holds and four saves. Flores was a member of the Cardinals’ bullpen in 2006 and won a World Series ring that year, contributing to the postseason cause with 5 2/3 shutout innings that October.

Flores retired as a player in 2013. He first went back to school and completed a master’s degree in education at USC while serving as their assistant baseball coach. He founded his own company, OnDeck Digital, not long after. It focused on video reports on amateur players and was used by as much as one-third of the league in the mid-2010s.

The Cardinals hired Flores to run their amateur scouting department late in the 2015 season. He was promoted to assistant general manager a few years later and has held that title for nine years. Flores previously drew some interest in the Mets’ GM search and has been linked to the Angels since they named his former St. Louis boss, John Mozeliak, their interim general manager.

Crane fired previous general manager Dana Brown in August after three-plus years on the job. Brown had been hired in place of James Click, whose Astros won the 2022 World Series. Click was a free agent at the end of that season and was offered only a one-year extension despite the World Series win. He declined and took a prominent role in the Blue Jays’ front office instead. He’d been hired away from the Rays to take over for fired president of baseball Jeff Luhnow, who was ousted in the wake of the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scandal.

Orioles Sign Jayvien Sandridge To Minor League Deal

Darragh McDonald — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 19:30:32 +0000

The Orioles announced that they have signed left-hander Jayvien Sandridge to a minor league deal for the 2027 season. He was already in the Baltimore system but was eligible for minor league free agency.

Sandridge, 28 in February, began 2026 on the Yankees’ roster. He was designated for assignment in January and then flipped to the Angels for cash. The Halos designated him for assignment at the end of spring training. That led to another cash deal, this one sending him to Baltimore.

The O’s kept him in the minors and then passed him through waivers in mid-April. That allowed them to keep him in a non-roster capacity but he ended up spending most of 2026 on the minor league injured list. His final appearance of the year was on May 1. It’s unclear if he’ll be healthy to begin 2027.

Despite a mostly lost season, the Orioles want to keep the relationship going. Sandridge’s major league track record is tiny, consisting of one game for the 2025 Yankees. He tossed two thirds of an inning and allowed two earned runs. In the minors, he has flashed big strikeout stuff but with subpar control. From 2022 to 2025, he logged 201 1/3 innings on the farm with a 3.93 earned run average. He had a massive 17% walk rate but struck out 33.8% of batters who came to the plate.

The Orioles were intrigued enough to pick up Sandridge earlier this year. He was only able to make six Triple-A appearances with a 10.13 ERA before hitting the IL but the O’s weren’t dissuaded. They liked what they saw enough to bring him back as non-roster depth for next year.

Josh Walker and Grant Wolfram currently project as the top two lefty relievers in Baltimore. Neither is super established, as they each have under 80 big league innings. The O’s will probably add some more arms in the offseason, so the path back to the big leagues for Sandridge will likely change, but it’s currently not too steep.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images

Matt Kleine Among The Candidates For Astros’ GM Job

Charlie Wright — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 17:38:10 +0000

The Astros are in the market for a general manager after moving on from Dana Brown in late August. Brewers assistant general manager Matt Kleine has emerged as a candidate, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Owner Jim Crane said after Brown’s departure that the team wouldn’t dive into the search for a replacement until after the season. Minimal info about the process has trickled out so far. Nightengale suggested at the time of Brown’s firing that assistant GM Charles Cook and senior advisor Jeff Bagwell could be among the internal candidates in the mix. Robert Murray of FanSided noted the possibility of Houston considering options in Milwaukee’s front office, including Kleine.

Kleine has been in the Brewers organization for nearly 20 years. He got his start as an associate scout in 2007. He steadily worked his way up the ladder, reaching vice president of baseball operations at the end of the 2019 season. Milwaukee promoted Kleine to assistant GM in 2023. Will Hudgins and Karl Mueller also received AGM promotions. The trio has served in their roles under GM Matt Arnold for the past three seasons.

Houston is currently looking to fill leadership vacancies at the team level and the executive level. The club parted with manager Joe Espada last week. Espada finished the season on an expiring contract and wasn’t expected to be back with the team. It’s unclear how much of a say the new GM will have in the coaching hire, but that figures to be part of the interview discussions as Crane and company look for a new top exec.

The Astros snuck into the playoffs on the final day of the regular season with an 81-81 record. They narrowly edged the Rangers to win the AL West. Houston was promptly swept by the White Sox in the Wild Card round. The club has reached the postseason in three of the past four seasons, but has failed to win a series in that stretch.

Photo courtesy of Shanna Lockwood, Imagn Images

Do Catchers Age Differently?

Jonathan Vander Lugt — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 17:30:48 +0000

Betteridge's Law of Headlines takes an L! Sort of!

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Cubs To Retain Both Pitching Coaches

Charlie Wright — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 15:38:35 +0000

The Cubs had to navigate a litany of injuries in the rotation and bullpen this season. A handful of trade deadline acquisitions added an extra wrinkle to managing the staff. Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy and assistant pitching coach Casey Jacobson were tasked with handling an ever-changing group. They’ll get another chance to do it in 2027, as both are expected to be retained by the team, reports Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic.

Hottovy has been with the organization since the 2015 season. He became the pitching coach for the 2019 campaign. The team has gone through multiple managers during his tenure, but he’s remained on staff for each change. Joe Maddon was the skipper when Hottovy was first elevated to his current position. David Ross took over in 2020. Craig Counsell has been at the helm for the past three seasons.

Jacobson has been in his role for the past two seasons. He took over for Daniel Moskos, who became the Marlins’ pitching coach in 2025. Jacobson previously worked as a minor league instructor in the Cubs’ system. He joined the organization after working at Driveline Baseball.

Chicago’s rotation was snakebitten from the jump. Justin Steele’s recovery from elbow surgery never got off the ground. Cade Horton needed Tommy John after two starts. Matthew Boyd hit the IL after two starts, came back for three games, then got hurt again. Offseason trade acquisition Edward Cabrera came down with a blister in May that would plague him throughout the season. Just as Ben Brown was emerging as a capable starter, a neck injury ended his year.

The bullpen didn’t fare much better in the health department. Hunter Harvey was available for four games. Porter Hodge needed TJ before the end of April. Daniel Palencia didn’t make it through April either. He wasn’t the same after coming back from oblique and elbow injuries. Phil Maton had three separate IL stints for a knee injury.

The Cubs tried to bolster the unit by adding Clay Holmes, Kevin Gausman, and Ryan Zeferjahn at the trade deadline. None of the pickups paid off. Zeferjahn will be back next season, but Holmes and Gausman were pure rentals.

It’s hard to pin any of the blame on Hottovy and Jacobson, given the mountain of injuries. Better health will be key for Chicago’s pitching staff in 2027.

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

The Opener: Rays Advance, Guardians Go Home, World Series Set

Charlie Wright — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 13:52:31 +0000

The No. 1 seeds in both leagues will face off in the World Series. Aside from the records, it’s also an elite jersey matchup. The Rays brought back the gray “Tampa Bay” rainbow gradient threads recently. The Brewers leaned into the powder blue this year. They still have the classic cream/navy jersey at home. You can’t go wrong with either team’s fit.

1. Rays win electric Game 6

Tropicana Field was absolutely rocking on Monday night. The only sound louder than the crowd was Junior Caminero’s two-run homer clanging off the left field foul pole. Tampa Bay punched its ticket to the World Series with a familiar formula. Freddy Peralta delivered another strong outing, the premier bats at the top of the order had big swings, and a role player made an impact (Richie Palacios in this case). “This is unbelievable,” Peralta said (h/t Keegan Matheson of MLB.com). “I think I have to see it when I go home tonight and start thinking about it, because I am still in shock. I don’t believe it.”

2. Guardians come up short

Cleveland jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the series. Strong pitching held Tampa Bay’s offense in check through three games. The Guardians’ arms wavered in Game 4 and never got back on track. They also failed to put up much of a fight at the plate. Cleveland has reached the ALCS in two of the past three seasons, but has been unable to advance to the World Series either time. The franchise hasn’t won a championship since 1948. “They played defense better than us, they hit better than us, they pitched better than us,” outfielder Steven Kwan said. “We didn’t beat ourselves, we got beat. As a competitor, you can live with that. I’m disappointed, but that’s a great team over there.”

3. First-time World Series winner guaranteed

The Brewers and Rays are two of five teams that have never won the World Series. The Mariners, Padres, and Rockies round out the list. The group will shrink to four after this Fall Classic. The Brewers have one World Series appearance, a 1982 loss to the Cardinals. Tampa Bay made it in 2008 and 2020, losing to the Phillies and Dodgers, respectively. The Dodgers matchup came during the pandemic-shortened season with no fans in the stands. It’ll be a different vibe this time around. “2020 was as special as any season I’ve been a part of,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “But saying that, we didn’t have 40,000 people behind us. I’m excited to see what those 40,000 people can bring on Games 3, 4 and 5, for sure.”

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Dyer, Imagn Images

Reviewing 2026 Projection Showdown: THE BAT X vs Steamer wOBA Forecasts

Mike Podhorzer — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:30:39 +0000

How'd the projection systems do?

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Aaron Boone To Return As Yankees’ Manager In 2027

Mark Polishuk — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 04:57:41 +0000

The Yankees will be standing pat in the dugout, as the Bergen Record’s Pete Caldera reports that Aaron Boone will be returning for his tenth season as the team’s manager. Boone was already under contract for 2027, which will be the final season of the two-year, $10.5MM extension he signed in February 2025.

There wasn’t too much suspense about Boone’s job security, and it wouldn’t even be a surprise if the Yankees extended him again this offseason so he could avoid “lame-duck status” as a manager in the final year of his contract. Boone’s first contract with the team was a three-year deal with a club option for the 2021 season, and the Yankees let that deal fully run out before a new three-year pact with another club option year (for 2025) was signed in October 2021. New York exercised that 2025 option in the aftermath of the Yankees’ trip to the 2024 World Series, with Boone’s current deal coming soon afterwards.

Boone has a 790-565 record during his managerial tenure, with winning records in all nine seasons. The Bronx Bombers have won three AL East titles and made the playoffs eight times under Boone, with that 2024 pennant marking their deepest postseason run. Boone ranks seventh all-time in both wins and total games amongst Yankees managers.

Of course, the biggest knock against Boone is that the first six managers on that list all won at least one World Series title. The Yankees’ lack of championships since 2009 counts as a major drought by their franchise standards, and New York’s lone pennant under Boone saw the Dodgers summarily dispatch the Yankees in five games. The team is 1-2 in three trips to the ALCS under Boone, and the last two seasons have seen the Yankees eliminate the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series before falling to the AL East champs in the ALDS (a four-game loss to the Blue Jays in 2025, and a three-game sweep to the Rays this October).

Some of those postseason losses have been marked by sloppy defensive play, which Boone’s detractors have used as proof that the manager is lax in teaching basic fundamentals. As good as the Yankees have generally been over the regular season, critics have noted that the team has beaten up on lesser competition, only to struggle against stronger teams.

On the flip side, many teams would love to have a manager with Boone’s track record, and his players have praised Boone’s work in the dugout. In the aftermath of the ALDS loss to the Rays, Cam Schlittler and Aaron Judge were among the Yankees who supported Boone, and Judge has been the most prominent clubhouse voice in Boone’s corner over the years.

As much as New York fans may be clamoring for a change from Boone and longtime GM Brian Cashman, it appears both will be back in 2027 and possibly beyond, as owner Hal Steinbrenner hasn’t given any indication he is unhappy with either man’s work. Cashman’s own contract is up once the 2026 season ends, but he is expected to reach a new pact and return for a 30th season as general manager.

The Rangers’ Roster Bind

Anthony Franco — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 03:57:45 +0000

The Rangers should be at a crossroads offseason. Texas failed to take advantage of an historically weak division, finishing 80-82 to come up two wins short of a playoff berth. They missed the postseason for a third consecutive year and have been a league average team since their 2023 World Series. That’s a clear letdown for a team that has a lot of money tied up on players in their mid-late 30s.

According to Baseball Reference, Texas had the fifth-highest average age in MLB on both the position player (29.3) and pitching (30.3) sides. The Braves were the only other team in the top five in both areas. It’s an aging roster that hasn’t been good enough for three seasons, mostly struggling with the same inability to score enough runs.

Ownership has also hamstrung the front office recently. They’ve pulled back spending in the wake of the team’s collapsed local TV contract. Texas should’ve been motivated to add at the 2026 trade deadline with the AL West wide open. They instead declined to take on payroll and traded for a middle reliever (Chase Silseth) and a change of scenery third catcher (Logan O’Hoppe).

Where do the Rangers go from here? At his end of season press conference, president of baseball operations Chris Young suggested they’d look to shake up the roster to an extent (link via Kennedi Landry of MLB.com). “If anything, we need to reshuffle our cards to some degree. I mentioned some of the goals that we have in terms of becoming more athletic, more dynamic,” Young said. He added that the focus is “to make this a playoff-caliber team next year,” so it doesn’t appear a complete teardown is coming.

At the same time, Young said the front office would “be open-minded to any way to improve this roster.” They contemplated a massive move at the deadline, reportedly talking with the Braves about a deal that would’ve sent Jacob deGrom to Atlanta (and potentially acquiring Spencer Strider back as part of a salary offset). It’s unclear how far talks between the teams progressed, as the two-time Cy Young winner informed the team he wasn’t interested in waiving his no-trade clause.

deGrom is entering the final guaranteed season of his five-year, $185MM free agent deal. He’ll make a $37MM salary. There’s a club option for 2028 that comes with a $20MM base value as a result of the Tommy John surgery which deGrom underwent earlier during the contract term. He spoke generally about the trade rumors after the deadline. “I signed here to help this team win a World Series. In ’23, the team was able to do that, and I want to be a part of that in the future. … That was the reason I wanted to be there,” deGrom said on deadline day (Associated Press link). “So, I want to stay here and help this team compete.”

Some players are more comfortable waiving no-trade rights during an offseason when they’d have time to get settled. deGrom didn’t directly address whether he’d reconsider if the Rangers approached him during the winter. Still, if he takes the same approach as he did over the summer, Texas wouldn’t have any choice but to hold onto him.

Nathan Eovaldi has the same control over his destiny. He’s entering the final season of a three-year, $75MM contract that also includes a full no-trade clause. The two-time All-Star will make $20MM. While there weren’t public rumors about Eovaldi’s deadline trade candidacy to the same extent as deGrom, it stands to reason other teams would have interest if he were willing to move.

Eovaldi is coming off a fine but unexceptional season. He worked to a 4.20 earned run average with a 23.5% strikeout rate across 145 2/3 innings. Eovaldi now sits in the 94-95 mph range after pushing the upper 90s earlier in his career. He has compensated by throwing more secondary stuff, particularly the splitter that remains an excellent pitch. Eovaldi missed a month late in the season with elbow soreness but returned without a rehab stint and generally pitched well in a multi-inning relief stint over the final few weeks.

A $20MM salary feels about right for Eovaldi’s age 37 season. He’s fairly similar to Kevin Gausman, who still had positive trade value at the deadline on a $23MM salary. Merrill Kelly and Chris Bassitt commanded salaries in that range as free agents last winter. Teams like the Cubs, Braves, Padres or White Sox have the short-term payroll flexibility to accommodate that kind of salary for one year and need a #2 or #3 caliber starter. Eovaldi’s strong postseason track record is a nice bonus in that regard.

The Rangers probably wouldn’t command a huge prospect return but could look to offload Eovaldi’s salary if the budget is tight. They have needs in center field, behind the plate, at the back of the bullpen, and potentially at second base (depending on their plans for top shortstop prospect Sebastian Walcott). As with deGrom, however, that’s contingent on Eovaldi being open to moving.

deGrom and Eovaldi are two of four players on the Texas roster making upwards of $20MM. The others, Corey Seager and Brandon Nimmo, also control their destinies. Seager has completed five seasons in Texas, giving him full no-trade protection under the CBA as a 10-and-5 player (ten years of service, last five with one team). Nimmo’s eight-year deal with the Mets came with a full no-trade clause. He waived to facilitate the move to Texas but would need to do so again if the Rangers wanted to trade him.

Both Seager and Nimmo would be difficult to trade even if they didn’t have a say in the matter. Seager is signed for five more years at $31MM annually, covering ages 33-37. Nimmo has four more seasons (age 34-37) at $20.25MM per year. Neither player would match that if they were free agents this winter.

Seager battled back issues and had a league average batting line on the year. A strong second half demonstrated that he’s still capable of driving a lineup when healthy, but the age and injuries are concerning enough that Texas would need to eat a decent chunk of money. Nimmo had an excellent April but hit at a league average level (.252/.313/.390 with 10 homers) after May 1. He posted some of the worst defensive grades of his career in right field. Nimmo still provides some value as a reasonable on-base threat with double digit homer power, yet it’s no longer commensurate with the salary.

Those are four of the five players on guaranteed contracts for next year. (The other is part-time catcher Danny Jansen, who’s signed for $9.5MM.) All four have deals that’d make them difficult or impossible to trade, depending on the players’ individual motivations. For the Rangers to actually make meaningful roster changes, they may need to look to their arbitration and pre-arbitration group.

Dealing any of Wyatt Langford, Josh Jung or Ezequiel Duran would only further concerns about their lack of offense and the age of their core players. Evan Carter no longer holds anywhere close to the trade value he had when he broke in as a key contributor to the World Series team at 21. Jake Burger hits homers but doesn’t provide much else and is getting expensive in arbitration. He’d have minimal trade appeal, though Texas could non-tender him to drop a projected $6.9MM salary from the books.

That could leave MacKenzie Gore as the team’s most realistic trade candidate. That’s surely not what the Rangers had in mind when they traded five prospects to the Nationals last offseason. Gore had a pedestrian first season with Texas, tossing 173 innings of 4.58 ERA ball. His strikeout rate dipped four points to a slightly above-average 23.2% clip.

Gore still has pedigree as a former third overall pick with a mid-90s fastball, but he’s down to one year of team control with a projected arbitration salary approaching $9MM. He’s certainly less appealing from a trade perspective than Freddy Peralta was entering his walk year last offseason. The Brewers landed two borderline Top 100 caliber prospects (Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams) for Peralta. Texas would probably be looking at one player in that range and perhaps some controllable bullpen help if they put Gore on the market. It’s probably not Plan A for Young and company, but the bigger moves to reallocate salary might be out of the front office’s hands.

Mets To Interview Kevin Long About Coaching Job

Mark Polishuk — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:58:48 +0000

The Mets and Kevin Long will meet tomorrow to discuss a possible role on the coaching staff, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post. Long is a familiar face in Queens, as he previously worked as the Mets’ hitting coach during the 2015-17 seasons.

It’s logical to assume that Long is a candidate for the Mets’ director of hitting role, as Jeff Albert is moving on after four years in the job. The director of hitting position oversees the offensive approach for both the big league club and the organization as a whole, though there seemed to be a bit more focus on the active roster last year since Albert was a uniformed member of the 2026 coaching staff.

Troy Snitker is expected to return for his second year as New York’s hitting coach, so unless those plans have changed, Long probably isn’t being viewed as a replacement. That said, Long only just came onto the market less than a week ago, after the Phillies parted ways with the 59-year-old with two years remaining on his contract. The director of hitting vacancy provides an easy way for the Mets to have both Long and Snitker on board, if that is the club’s preference.

Long has spent the last 20 seasons as a Major League hitting coach, splitting that time between the Yankees (2007-14), Mets (2015-17), Nationals (2018-21), and Phillies (2022-26). Several of those years saw Long’s teams post some of the best offensive numbers in baseball, and his career highlights include World Series rings with the 2009 Yankees and the 2019 Nationals.

None of the hitters from the 2017 Mets remain on New York’s roster, but a very prominent member of Washington’s 2018-21 squads is on hand in Juan Soto. Puma writes that Long and Soto are “close,” which is another selling point in favor of Long making a return to New York.

Trade Candidate: Ketel Marte

Mark Polishuk — Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:17:25 +0000

Only Ketel Marte knows if he’s a truly a trade candidate or not, as the ball is in the second baseman’s court when it comes to approving a deal. Marte gained 10-and-5 status back in April, so after accumulating 10 years of MLB service time and spending the last five years with one team, the Diamondbacks second baseman now has full no-trade protection. Marte’s veto power over any potential trade adds yet another wrinkle to what has become an increasingly strained relationship between the D’Backs and the three-time All-Star.

The tension stems from Marte’s tendency to miss games without informing the team, which manager Torey Lovullo said in August has happened in each of the last four seasons. Reports of this situation first surfaced in August 2025, about a month after Marte was briefly placed on Arizona’s restricted list after the All-Star break, ostensibly to spend time dealing with the aftermath of a burglary at his home in the Dominican Republic. John Gambadoro of 98.7 Arizona Sports reported that Marte was actually on vacation in the D.R. and was willing to miss a couple of games after the break.

This absence reportedly didn’t sit well with teammates, nor did Marte’s reported ask of a day off in the final week of the 2024 season (as per Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic) when the Diamondbacks were battling for a wild card slot. Headlines were generated again this August when Marte didn’t show up for a game at Fenway Park and was again placed on the restricted list, before being moved to the 10-day injured list a few days later with an official diagnosis of knee inflammation. He was activated from the IL 14 days after his initial placement on the restricted list, and proceeded to hit only .244/.317/.367 over his final 101 plate appearances of the season.

After returning from the IL, Marte apologized to Lovullo and teammates, and told reporters that his no-show on August 17 in Boston was “a moment of frustration. I’m the type of person that when something is going on in my life, I don’t like to talk about it. That morning I woke up, my body was in pain and I couldn’t react. No one made the decision for me, I’m the one that made the decision not to show up.”

It would be one thing if Marte was missing games just due to injury, as while fans (or even other players) can be critical when someone isn’t “playing through pain,” only that player knows how his body feels. If Marte played hurt and either struggled or sustained a more serious injury, that doesn’t help anyone. However, the unusual nature of Marte’s absences and his lack of candor with even his own team inevitably creates speculation that Marte simply isn’t hurt at all, or at least not as hurt as he claims.

Lovullo told reporters in August that Marte is “definitely a retreater when things are on his mind, some things I cause when I crash down on him. I know [media] want me to sometimes bury him and make him feel even worse than he already does. He doesn’t respond to that….When I do it, he retreats. When something doesn’t go well, he retreats.” However, Lovullo indicated a few weeks ago that he would be changing this strategy, saying “the decisions you make are going to be on you now. I am going to eliminate protecting you the way I have. I can’t do that anymore. At a certain point, I have to allow them [players] to advocate for themselves.”

D’Backs managing general partner Ken Kendrick took an even more blunt stance on Marte during a recent radio interview, saying “Ketel, if he is a Diamondback, I hope he will be the player that he has the talent to be. I hope he will overcome his consistent acts of immaturity.”

The fact that Kendrick floated the idea of Marte not being in Arizona is evidence enough that the D’Backs will consider trade possibilities for the second straight offseason, and this time possibly with more intensity. Last winter, GM Mike Hazen said he was open to offers for Marte out of due diligence, but only until a self-imposed deadline (which ended up being around January 9). The Blue Jays, Giants, Mariners, Phillies, Pirates, Rays, Red Sox, and Tigers all reportedly had some interest in Marte, but nobody met what was known to be a very high asking price for the second baseman’s services.

Looking beyond Marte’s no-trade clause and his off-the-field issues, there are other significant reasons why a deal might be hard to arrange. For one, Marte is coming off a down year by his standards — he hit only .249/.316/.432 with 22 home runs over 624 plate appearances, translating to a modest 103 wRC+. A .257 BABIP and a sizeable gap between his .323 wOBA and .349 xwOBA indicate that Marte was unlucky to some extent, though his walk and hard-hit ball rates each declined from 2025. Most of Marte’s production came during one red-hot 42-game stretch from mid-May to the first week of July, and his otherwise shaky performance contributed to the overall inconsistency of Arizona’s lineup.

Marte’s absences in 2023 and 2024 didn’t stop the D’Backs from signing him a new contract extension in April 2025. This new deal overwrote the final three years and a 2028 club option on Marte’s previous contract, and the extension locked him up through the 2031 season and added $64MM in new money.

While a big chunk of that salary is deferred, Marte is owed $87.5MM over the final five seasons of his contract. A deal that once seemed like a relative bargain based on Marte’s steady production now seems more onerous in the wake of his so-so 2026 campaign, not to mention the well-publicized controversy over his absences. Marte also just turned 33 last week, so interested teams will have to consider whether or not Marte’s numbers might rebound with a change of scenery, or if he simply starting to decline.

Considering all of this baggage attached to Marte’s services, any team looking to swing a trade isn’t likely to be too keen on paying full freight on Hazen’s asking price. A suitor willing to give up prospects or MLB-ready talent for Marte will probably want the Diamondbacks to eat a healthy portion of Marte’s salary for such a trade package….or, teams willing to cover most or all of Marte’s salary might only be willing to do so if the D’Backs take back a low-level prospect or two in return.

Neither of those scenarios are too appealing for Hazen and company, leaving the D’Backs in a tight spot even if Marte is willing to waive his no-trade protection. Marte’s leverage perhaps further narrows Arizona’s options, if he is only open to being dealt to one or a few particular teams.

Moving Marte would be easier if the Diamondbacks were rebuilding, or at least coming off an unsuccessful season. While the Snakes haven’t reached the playoffs since 2023, Arizona had had winning records in two of the last three seasons, and finished within three games of a wild berth in all three years.

Marte’s extension was just one of many significant payroll investments approved by Kendrick in the team’s quest to win, and while payroll is coming down next year, the D’Backs are intent on winning. This means if Marte is moved, his salary will probably (to some extent) be reinvested into adding some win-now talent. Or, the D’Backs might try to bring on another established veteran playing on an unfavorable contract.

Hindsight being 20-20, it is fair to wonder if the Diamondbacks regret not moving Marte last winter when they had freer reign, as Marte’s previous contract had only a five-team no-trade list (the A’s, Cardinals, Giants, Pirates, and Yankees were the clubs on Marte’s list last winter). Or, if the D’Backs hadn’t signed Marte to that last contract extension, 2027 would’ve been the final guaranteed year of Marte’s old deal, with a $14MM salary for 2027 and a $3MM buyout of a $13MM club option for 2028.

This wouldn’t have necessarily made a trade this offseason any easier, as Marte still would’ve had his 10-and-5 trade protection and might’ve insisted on an extension from a new team or at least a guarantee of the 2028 option as a condition for approving a swap. The discord from August 2025 also surely had impact on Marte’s trade market last winter, and only Hazen knows if any team offered anything even remotely worth consideration. It would’ve been a big risk in selling low on Marte last winter, as he was coming off an excellent 2025 campaign that included All-Star and Silver Slugger honors.

With all these factors in mind, it’s probably likelier than not that Marte will be the Snakes’ starting second baseman come Opening Day. Again, Marte himself holds the key to his future depending on his willingness to approve a trade, and Marte hasn’t given any public indication that he wants out of Arizona. However, one never knows how things may shake out when a player with an All-Star ceiling is on the trade market, as it takes only one rival team to step up with an offer that appeals to both Marte and the Diamondbacks alike.

2026-27 Offseason Outlook Series

Mark Polishuk — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 23:53:44 +0000

MLB Trade Rumors’ annual Offseason Outlook series is back, as we’re breaking down how all 30 teams may address their roster needs over the coming winter. The Offseason Outlooks are exclusive to Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers, and that link provides details on how to sign up for an annual membership.

This is the series’ official landing page, continually updated with new links once each OO post is published over the next few weeks.

NL East

Atlanta Braves
Miami Marlins
New York Mets
Philadelphia Phillies
Washington Nationals

NL Central

NL West

Arizona Diamondbacks
Colorado Rockies
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Diego Padres
San Francisco Giants

AL East

Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays

AL Central

AL West

The Athletics
Houston Astros
Los Angeles Angels
Seattle Mariners
Texas Rangers

Hanshin Tigers Agree To Post Teruaki Sato

Mark Polishuk — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 20:23:17 +0000

The Hanshin Tigers made it official today, announcing that Teruaki Sato will be posted for Major League teams this offseason. The posting has been rumored to be in the works for months, and at least five (and likely many more) MLB clubs have already shown interest in the reigning Central League MVP.

Sato’s stock is high enough that MLBTR’s Steve Adams placed him second among all free agents in the September edition of the free agent power rankings, which rank players based on earning potential. Sato is relatively young (turning 28 in March), can play both third base and right field, and he has been arguably the best hitter in Nippon Professional Baseball over the last two seasons. That said, Sato isn’t considered a strong defender at either position, his strikeout and contact rates leave something to be desired, and there is the standard uncertainty over how star NPB players will adjust to Major League Baseball.

These concerns notwithstanding, Sato figures to benefit within a free agent class that is pretty thin on premium hitters. While Sato posted good power numbers over his first four seasons with the Tigers, he kicked things up a notch in 2025-26, winning MVP honors last season and very likely a repeat this year. The 2026 campaign saw Sato win the Central League triple crown by recording 39 homers and 106 RBI to go along with a .306/.383/.609 slash line in 614 plate appearances.

It should be noted that Sato won’t officially be posted until some time after the NPB season is over. (The Japan Series is set to begin on Saturday, when the Yokohama DeNA BayStars face the defending champion Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.) Once posted, Sato will have 45 days to sign a contract with an MLB, and the Tigers would then receive a posting fee determined by the size of Sato’s deal. The fee would equal 20% of the first $25MM of Sato’s guaranteed big league contract, 17.5% of the next $25MM, and 15% of anything beyond the $50MM mark. If Sato doesn’t sign within that 45-day window, he’d return to the Tigers for the 2027 season.

The impending lockout and transactions freeze beginning December 1 will add some uncertainty to his situation. The timing of the lockout essentially cuts Sato’s window in half, so if he doesn’t have a contract finalized before December 1, he’d have to wait out the lockout before resuming talks with Major League teams in the remaining three or so weeks of his posting period. While it’s much more likely than not that Sato will indeed be with an MLB team next year, if he doesn’t sign before December 1, it’s at least possible that a lengthy lockout could result in Sato simply returning to the Tigers and waiting until next winter (and more labor stability) to make the jump to North American baseball.

Josh Bell Keeps Getting It Done

Charlie Wright — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 18:41:03 +0000

After spending his first five seasons in Pittsburgh, Josh Bell has played for six teams over the last half-dozen years. He’s been a frequent trade deadline mover since leaving the Pirates. He’ll never rank at the top of any free agent lists, but he’s come through with each new team.

The Twins signed Bell to a one-year, $7MM deal last winter. He was coming off a solid 22-homer season as the primary DH for the Nationals. Bell stepped into a similar role in Minnesota. He slashed .255/.319/.419 across 631 plate appearances. The switch-hitter drove in 96 runs, his highest mark since 2019. He ranked fifth in the American League in RBI.

Bell finished the 2026 campaign with a 106 wRC+. That’s exactly what he posted in 2025. He’s had a wRC+ between 102 and 106 in each of the past four seasons. The highs were certainly higher earlier in his career. Bell hit 37 homers and earned an All-Star nod in 2019. He won a Silver Slugger award at DH in 2022. But the consistency is admirable, especially in a market that hasn’t offered much reliability recently.

Aside from the offensive output, Bell has also been remarkably durable. He’s played 140+ games in every year of his career, excluding his 2016 rookie campaign (when he was promoted in July) and the shortened 2020 season. Bell hasn’t been on the injured list since 2021.

Sure, a slightly above-league-average bat isn’t the goal at first base/DH. Those positions come with more expectations on offense. But the alternatives last offseason ended up much worse. In Bell’s range of the market were guys like Marcell Ozuna, Rhys Hoskins, and Carlos Santana, who also signed one-year MLB deals. Nathaniel Lowe, Andrew McCutchen, and Eloy Jimenez settled for minor league contracts but did see time in the majors. Lowe was an asset for the Reds and is contributing for the Guardians in the postseason. The rest were disasters. Ty France is the lone option from the group who was clearly a standout addition over Bell.

Assuming Bell doesn’t return to the Twins on his $10MM mutual option, he’ll be back on the open market this winter. Ozuna, Hoskins, and Lowe will join him. Other first base/DH options include George Springer, Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, and Miguel Andujar. Not great.

Whenever Bell signs this offseason, it won’t light up any group chats. It’ll garner little more than a shrug from whichever fanbase lands him. And he’ll just have another solid season as a bankable middle-of-the-order bat.

Photos courtesy of Matt Marton and Ed Szczepanski, Imagn Images

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

Tim Dierkes — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 17:52:00 +0000

All AL 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 American League Gold Glove Finalists:

American League

Pitcher:
Tanner Bibee, Cleveland Guardians
Jacob deGrom, Texas Rangers
José Soriano, Los Angeles Angels/Toronto Blue Jays

Statcast gives Tanner Bibee the edge in the AL pitchers field. His Outs Above Average (+6) and Defensive Runs Saved (+5) both exceed these measures for deGrom and Soriano. Whoever is selected from this group of candidates will take home their first Rawlings Gold Glove Award.

Catcher:
Dillon Dingler, Detroit Tigers
Brandon Valenzuela, Toronto Blue Jays
Austin Wells, New York Yankees

After taking home the award in 2025, Dillon Dingler looks like a favorite to do so again in 2026. He was in the 90th+ percentile in blocking, framing, and pop time per Statcast, and led all catchers with a +17 Fielding Run Value. Brandon Valenzuela ranked among the top five catchers in several defensive categories as a rookie, and Austin Wells has continued his strong all-around defensive run since the start of 2024.

First Base:
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
Vinnie Pasquantino, Kansas City Royals
Christian Walker, Houston Astros

Walker is the favorite among this group in Defensive Run Value, which is no surprise after taking home the Rawlings Gold Glove Award in three straight seasons from 2022-2024. Guerrero had his best defensive season by several defensive metrics in 2026 and did take home the award in 2022. Pasquantino had a solid defensive season and is one of several finalists the Royals have on the ballot.

Second Base:
Michael Massey, Kansas City Royals
Chase Meidroth, Chicago White Sox
Cole Young, Seattle Mariners

The AL second base field is wide open, with Massey having an edge in Outs Above Average (+11), while Meidroth holds the advantage in Fielding Run Value (+10). Cole Young has conflicting views depending on the metric, with Defensive Runs Saved (+16) liking him considerably more than Outs Above Average (-5).

Third Base:
Caleb Durbin, Boston Red Sox
Brooks Lee, Minnesota Twins
Nick Loftin, Kansas City Royals

Caleb Durbin led all AL third basemen in Defensive Runs Saved (+13). Brooks Lee made the most of his limited action at the hot corner, posting a +6 Outs Above Average there after switching from shortstop partway through the season. Loftin also spent time at other positions in 2026 but accumulated 6 Defensive Runs Saved in his limited time at third base.

Shortstop:
Andrés Giménez, Toronto Blue Jays
Taylor Walls, Tampa Bay Rays
Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City Royals

Andrés Giménez was a frequent recipient of the Rawlings Gold Glove award at second base, taking home the hardware from 2022-2024. He showed the same defensive prowess after a move to shortstop in 2026, posting 19 Outs Above Average. Walls’ +21 Defensive Runs Saved was tied for third among all players at any position, and is a finalist for the second straight season. Bobby Witt Jr. has taken home the last two Gold Glove Awards for the AL and may be positioned to do so again with an Outs Above Average tied for third among all defensive players and a Fielding Run Value tied for best amongst all shortstops.

Left Field:
Cody Bellinger, New York Yankees
Wyatt Langford, Texas Rangers
Chandler Simpson, Tampa Bay Rays

Bellinger last won a Rawlings Gold Glove in 2019 as a right fielder, and is well positioned to take home the award for left field in 2026 with a Defensive Runs Saved that was best among all left fielders in baseball. Wyatt Langford showed elite range, racking up 5 Outs Above Average in brief playing time in between injuries. Simpson showed his blazing speed and outfield range by posting 8 Outs Above Average in 2026.

Center Field:
Evan Carter, Texas Rangers
Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians
Ceddanne Rafaela, Boston Red Sox

Evan Carter posted 11 Outs Above Average due to his elite speed, the fourth best mark among center fielders last season. Steven Kwan is eligible at center field for the first time in 2026 after years of spending more time in left field. He had 11 outfield assists, tied for third most in the MLB. Ceddanne Rafaela appears to have a strong chance to win his first Gold Glove, with Fielding Run Value and Outs Above Average measures second only to Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Right Field:
Wilyer Abreu, Boston Red Sox
Nathan Lukes, Toronto Blue Jays
Cam Smith, Houston Astros

Wilyer Abreu’s 28 Defensive Runs Saved were the best at any position in baseball, due in large part to arm strength that led to the second-most outfield assists in baseball. Nathan Lukes posted 10 outfield assists with an elite arm for throwing out runners himself. Cam Smith is a converted infielder appearing as a right-field finalist for the second season in a row, largely due to his 7 Outs Above Average mark.

Utility:
José Caballero, New York Yankees
Ezequiel Duran, Texas Rangers
Zach McKinstry, Detroit Tigers

Caballero played every defensive position aside from pitcher and catcher and is making his first finalist appearance after posting 12 Defensive Runs Saved in 2026.Ezequiel Duran bounced all around the infield and outfield himself, and posted the sixth most Outs Above Average in baseball (17). McKinstry mostly appeared between right field and second base, but posted a strong 15 Defensive Runs Saved and +12 Fielding Run Value.

This is a sponsored post from Rawlings.

The Parker Messick Lesson and Potential 2027 Dupes

Jack Dorfman — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 17:30:09 +0000

Park ‘er behind down and stay awhile. Let’s talk about drafting skills versus drafting roles, with some early looks at 2027 draft options.

Source

Submit Your Questions For This Week’s Episode Of The MLBTR Podcast

Darragh McDonald — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 17:21:20 +0000

On the MLB Trade Rumors podcast, we regularly answer questions from our readers and listeners. With the next episode set for Wednesday, we’re looking for MLBTR’s audience to submit their questions and we’ll pick a few to answer.

The World Series is almost upon us. Do you have a question about the ongoing playoffs? A look ahead to the offseason? The looming lockout? If you have a question on those topics or anything else baseball-related, we’d love to hear from you! You can email your questions to mlbtrpod@gmail.com.

Also, if you want to hear your voice on the podcast, send us your question in audio form and we might play it. iPhone users can find instructions on how to do so here.

In the meantime, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The Opener: Rasmussen, Messick, Peralta

Charlie Wright — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 15:50:10 +0000

The Guardians’ Game 6 starter is TBD no longer. It’ll be right-hander Shawn Armstrong serving as the opener tonight. Armstrong has tossed four scoreless innings in the series.

1. Rasmussen dominates again

Rays righty Drew Rasmussen continued his tremendous postseason with another strong start on Sunday. He held the Guardians to one run over seven innings en route to a Game 5 victory. Rasmussen has a crisp 1.29 ERA across three playoff starts. In an era where managers are quick to go to the bullpen, Rasmussen has been a workhorse. He’s covered at least six innings in all three appearances. “I feel like I say it every time that he pitches, but I mean, he’s a dog,” outfielder Chandler Simpson told reporters, including Jorge Castillo of ESPN. “And every time he’s out there, we know we got the best chance to win.”

2. Messick labors through two innings

On the other side of the workload coin was Guardians lefty Parker Messick. The rookie needed 57 pitches to get six outs in the shortest start of his big-league career. Messick was fortunate to give up just two earned runs given the traffic on the bases. The Rays had five hits and two walks against him, but managed just a single run in each of the first and second innings. Messick is probably not available tonight, though the abbreviated outing could put him in play out of the bullpen for Game 7, if the series goes that far.

3. Peralta to start Game 6

Cleveland will have a tough task to extend the series with Freddy Peralta getting the ball for Tampa Bay. The trade deadline acquisition fired six scoreless innings to even the series in Game 2. He chipped in a couple of outs in Game 4 behind starter Nick Martinez. Peralta has allowed just four earned runs over 39 1/3 innings since the beginning of September. He completely turned around his season in Tampa Bay after a rough first half with the Mets. “When I got traded here, I just felt different,” Peralta said last week (h/t Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). “For some reason I got here, and I felt like myself again.”

Photo courtesy of Ken Blaze, Imagn Images

Making Ottoneu Arbitration Work for You

Chad Young — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 14:30:47 +0000

Your arbitration allocations should be focused on helping your team, first and foremost.

Source

Athletics Hire Taylor Smith As President Of Baseball Ops

Charlie Wright — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 14:12:16 +0000

The Athletics have a new lead executive. Taylor Smith is taking over as president of baseball operations, per a team announcement. Smith most recently served as an assistant general manager with the Red Sox.

After a wide-ranging search, the A’s have found a replacement for longtime general manager David Forst. The club moved on from Forst in August. Phillies exec Sam Fuld and Cubs assistant GM Jared Banner were in the running for the role. Fuld ended up staying in Philly, while Banner just took the Orioles’ general manager job. The A’s were also connected to former Astros GM James Click and former Nationals POBO Mike Rizzo. Smith’s colleague, fellow Boston AGM Mike Groopman, also received an interview.

Smith emerged as the favorite for the gig late last week. Cardinals assistant GM Rob Cerfolio was also one of the finalists. A’s assistant GM Dan Feinstein finished out the season in place of Forst, but was not among the candidates for the full-time position.

More to come…

Orioles Hire Jared Banner As General Manager

Charlie Wright — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 13:30:16 +0000

8:30 am: The Orioles have officially announced the hiring. The club said in a release that Banner will be in charge of player development, coaching, and performance. He’ll work with Elias on staffing and acquisitions.

7:54 am: The Orioles are hiring Jared Banner as their general manager, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. Banner was most recently an assistant general manager with the Cubs. He’s also worked for the Mets and Red Sox.

Banner has been with Chicago since 2020. He was bumped up to assistant GM in 2023. He’d previously worked in Boston and New York in a player development role. Banner played a key role in the trade that sent Pete Crow-Armstrong from the Mets to the Cubs. He was familiar with PCA’s development from his time in the Mets’ organization. Banner was also in the mix for the A’s general manager opening, but ultimately landed in Baltimore.

“When I first heard Mike’s vision, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of,” Banner said in a team press release. “The Orioles are a storied franchise with a passionate fanbase, a historic ballpark, and an organization full of talent. I look forward to building upon the foundation laid by Mike and his team to construct a world-class organization and bring Championships back to Baltimore.”

The 41-year-old Banner has been in baseball for nearly 20 years. He got his start with the Red Sox in a low-level player development position in 2007. Banner spent 11 years in the organization, rising to vice president of player personnel by the end of his tenure. He moved on to the Mets at the end of the 2018 season, where he served as executive director of player development for two years. Banner was hired by the Cubs at the end of the shortened 2020 campaign.

Mike Elias became Baltimore’s general manager in 2018. He was handed the title of president of baseball operations heading into the 2025 season. He’s mentioned building out the front office this offseason, and now has his second-in-command in place.

“Jared has been one of the rising talents in our league for some time, now,” Elias said in a press release. “He has demonstrated success running multiple different departments and has worked alongside some of the best people and front office talent in the league across multiple stops. He is a perfect fit to grow, evolve and improve the Orioles’ baseball operations, and I look forward to working with him very closely as we build for 2027 and beyond.”

The Orioles went 79-82 this past season. They remained in the AL Wild Card race for most of September before fading in the final weeks of the year. The club has now missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.

Elias guided the Orioles through a lengthy rebuild when he first took over. The team lost 100+ games in three of his first four years, with the lone reprieve being the shortened 2020 season. Baltimore finished above .500 in 2022 for the first time since 2016. The following year saw the organization’s first 100-win season in more than 30 years. The Orioles made the playoffs in both 2023 and 2024, but didn’t win a series in either year.

Photo courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images

Orioles To Hire Jared Banner As General Manager

Charlie Wright — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 12:54:16 +0000

The Orioles are hiring Jared Banner as their general manager, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. Banner was most recently an assistant general manager with the Cubs. He’s also worked for the Mets and Red Sox.

More to come…

Reviewing My Potential 2026 HR/FB Surgers & Decliners Using League-Relative Statcast Power Metrics

Mike Podhorzer — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 12:30:22 +0000

How'd they end up doing?

Source

How Paul Blackburn Became An Elite Reliever

Charlie Wright — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 03:38:30 +0000

The Yankees didn’t do much to upgrade their bullpen last winter. They brought in veteran Ryan Yarbrough on a small deal. Angel Chivilli came over in a trade with the Rockies. David Bednar was back as closer after coming over at the 2025 trade deadline, but the club was losing Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, and Jonathan Loáisiga, to name a few.

New York also added former starter Paul Blackburn on a modest $2MM pact. It might’ve been the best $2MM the club spent this season.

The 32-year-old Blackburn had spent the majority of his career as a backend starter with the Athletics. He was a mediocre innings eater and not much else. Blackburn was dealt to the Mets at the 2024 trade deadline. After a dozen unremarkable appearances, he was cut in August of last season. The Yankees picked him up as a long reliever to close the year.

Despite underwhelming results, the Yankees brought Blackburn back on a major league deal. The move paid off handsomely. Blackburn delivered 85 innings of a 1.59 ERA as a key member of manager Aaron Boone’s bullpen. He led the league in ERA among pitchers who threw at least 80 innings. The rest of the top five is a star-studded list (Shohei Ohtani, Cam Schlittler, Jacob Misiorowski, Chris Sale). Blackburn picked up 11 holds and a save.

Blackburn got the typical velocity bump that comes with a starter transitioning to the bullpen. All three fastballs (four-seamer, sinker, cutter) were up 1-2 mph this year. Blackburn leads with the sinker. It had a different shape in 2026. The pitch had three less inches of vertical break and a bit more horizontal movement.

The biggest pitch mix change was increased changeup usage. Blackburn threw the pitch less than 10% of the time in 2025. That jumped to 21.4% this season, his highest rate since the shortened 2020 campaign. Blackburn’s changeup held opponents to a meager .090 batting average. They slugged just .154 against it. The pitch had a 12 Run Value, making it one of the more effective offspeed pitches in the game. Only Walbert Urena, Cristopher Sanchez, and Bradgley Rodriguez had better changeups by Run Value this year.

Unlike a lot of dominant late-inning options, Blackburn didn’t miss many bats. His 20.5% strikeout rate was a bit higher than his career mark, but not by much. Instead, he did it with groundballs and soft contact. Blackburn got grounders at a hefty 54.9% clip. He ranked in the 86th percentile in average exit velocity. The changeup and curveball both generated average exit velocities below 84 mph.

It’s an interesting approach. The arsenal is close to Nick Martinez, with an elite sinker/changeup combo supported by a cutter and curveball. The difference would be that Martinez hardly gets any groundballs. He gets a similar amount of soft contact, but it’s often in the air.

Detractors can point to a 3.68 xERA and a 3.92 xFIP. And then there’s the 5.85 SIERA, one of the biggest differences between that stat and an ERA that you’ll see. A .230 BABIP and an 88.9% left-on-base rate are unsustainable. But the home run suppression seems real, and the sample size was larger than most relievers. There’s at least enough here to not completely dismiss this as one magical season. Blackburn certainly earned himself another big-league deal in 2027.

Photo courtesy of Arianna Grainey, Imagn Images

Mariners Had Interest In Carlos Mendoza For Managerial Opening

Charlie Wright — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 01:53:08 +0000

Former Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was hired by the Phillies to be their third base coach earlier this week. Philadelphia wasn’t the only team pursuing him, though. Jorge Castillo of ESPN reports that Mendoza was in the mix for the Mariners’ managerial vacancy. He withdrew his name to take the job with the Phillies.

New York fired Mendoza in late June. The club was 13 games under .500 at the time. He remained a coaching free agent through the end of the season. Mendoza is stepping in for Anthony Contreras as Philly’s third base coach. He’ll also serve as the team’s infield coach.

Seattle is the only team without a skipper right now. Philadelphia was briefly on the list, but the organization signed Don Mattingly to a two-year deal. Mattingly had been promoted from bench coach to interim manager in April after Rob Thomson was fired.

Dan Wilson has helmed the Mariners for the past two and a half seasons. He led the club to a 90-win campaign in his first full year in 2025. Seattle won the AL West and reached the postseason for just the second time since 2001. The 2026 season didn’t go as smoothly. The Mariners were 10 games under .500 and finished third in an underwhelming division. Wilson told reporters on the final day of the regular season that he wouldn’t be returning in 2027.

After Wilson’s departure, reports emerged that the Mariners wanted an experienced manager. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo was cited as a potential candidate, though he’s since re-upped with Arizona. Mendoza isn’t a grizzled coaching veteran, but he would’ve at least had more manager reps than Seattle’s previous options. Wilson hadn’t managed in the big leagues before getting the gig. Neither had Scott Servais, who spent eight years in the role ahead of Wilson.

With Mendoza and Lovullo off the market, the only known candidate for Seattle’s vacancy is former Astros manager Joe Espada. The team received permission to interview Espada on Tuesday, a day before the official announcement that his contract with Houston wouldn’t be renewed. Espada led the Astros to two division titles in three seasons. They were ousted in the Wild Card round both times.

Photo courtesy of Eric Hartline, Imagn Images

What Went Wrong For Framber Valdez?

Charlie Wright — Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:27:16 +0000

The Tigers handed Framber Valdez the third-largest deal among free-agent starters last winter. The lefty received a three-year, $115MM commitment. He was brought in to form an elite southpaw tandem with two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.

Valdez’s debut campaign in Detroit didn’t go so well. His 4.03 ERA was his worst mark since becoming a full-time starter in 2020. Valdez had a career-low 17.8% strikeout rate, while his walk rate ticked up to its highest point since 2021. He was far from the only reason the Tigers fell short of the postseason, but he failed to provide much-needed stability to a rotation that needed another reliable workhorse.

The first red flag for Valdez is a 56.3% groundball rate. It’s more of a beige flag. That’s a tremendous number for just about anyone (league average was 44.1% in 2026), but it’s not what we’ve come to expect from the lefty. Valdez has coaxed grounders at a 61.5% clip for his career. The 56.3% mark in 2026 was his second-lowest as a big leaguer, behind only 2023. Valdez saw a bump in strikeouts that season, which adjusted his profile a bit.

Getting groundballs at a league-leading clip helps Valdez balance out his hard contact issues. He routinely ranks in the bottom 10th percentile in hard-hit rate and average exit velocity. Well-struck grounders aren’t going to do damage at nearly the level of line drives and fly balls. Valdez’s WHIP is typically higher than other aces, but his ERA tends to land in the low-to-mid 3.00s range with this approach.

Fewer groundballs obviously meant more balls in the air. Notably, it also meant more contact in the air to the pull side. Valdez had a career-high 16.4% pulled air rate. That’s right around league average, but it’s well above Valdez’s career mark of 10.7%. He’d been below 10% in five of the past six years heading into this season. The new batted ball profile resulted in a .258 batting average and a .370 slugging percentage. Again, not a glaring red flag, just a step back for him. Valdez hasn’t had numbers that high since his reliever days.

Valdez has never been a big strikeout guy, though he’s usually close to a punchout per inning. His 17.8% mark in 2026 was the first time he’d been below 21% as a full-time starter. It came with a brutal 8.7% swinging-strike rate that ranked 42nd among 46 qualified starters.

The curveball was the main culprit. Valdez’s primary breaking ball had a 31.8% whiff rate, well below its normal performance. The pitch had a whiff rate of 39.8% or higher in every season since his rookie year in 2018. Valdez threw the curveball about 1 mph slower in 2026 compared to the previous season. It had a bit more vertical drop and less horizontal break. It wasn’t a huge difference, but it’s enough to raise an eyebrow.

On a less tangible level, Valdez never had one of his patented heaters. He usually puts together a dominant stretch at some point each season. One of those runs where the curveball is on point and he’s on no-hitter watch each time out. In 2025, it was June through July (1.93 ERA, 28.9% strikeout rate). He gave up just 11 earned runs over his final nine starts of 2024. This season just didn’t have the vintage Valdez hot streak, outside of a 1.93 ERA in four September starts.

None of these 2026 issues are irreparable problems. It was more that a bunch of different things were a little off this year. It could also be chalked up to the pressures of a player heading to a new team on a big deal for the first time. With Skubal and Casey Mize traded away, plus Jack Flaherty and Justin Verlander moving on, Detroit will need the Astros version of Valdez to show up in 2027.

Photos courtesy of Junfu Han of USA TODAY and Charles LeClaire, via Imagn Images

The Astros Face An Isaac Paredes Decision

Charlie Wright — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 22:15:29 +0000

The Astros’ infield was a hot topic last winter. It seemed like the club had five players for four spots, leading to speculation that a trade would be necessary. Former general manager Dana Brown decided not to make a move in the offseason. Houston rolled into the regular season with all of Christian Walker, Jose Altuve, Jeremy Pena, Carlos Correa, and Isaac Paredes on the roster.

The choice to keep all five guys turned out to be pretty important. Pena went down with a hamstring issue in mid-April. Correa’s season ended in early May due to a severe ankle injury. The Astros’ infield logjam lasted all of two weeks.

The big winner was Paredes. He was the odd man out to begin the year. Paredes bounced around each infield spot (except shortstop) until a more permanent opportunity opened up. He took over as the everyday third baseman when Pena got hurt, with Correa sliding to short. Correa went down before Pena was ready to return, so Paredes stayed at the hot corner with no competition.

Paredes slashed a strong .262/.360/.447 in a career-high 659 plate appearances. He ranked 11th in the American League with a 130 wRC+. His 94 RBI were good for sixth in the AL. Paredes formed an imposing duo near the top of the lineup with likely AL MVP Yordan Alvarez.

The glove was a problem. Paredes posted -7 Defensive Runs Saved in 138 games at third base. After a couple of positive seasons in Tampa Bay, he’s been an underwhelming defender for three straight years. Paredes is probably more of a DH who occasionally plays the infield, instead of the other way around. The Astros don’t have that option with Alvarez taking up the DH spot the majority of the time.

Houston holds a $13.35MM club option on Paredes. That’s an easy call. The real decision will come this winter when the phone starts ringing. Paredes will have suitors once again given his cost and recent production. The Astros have holes to fill at other spots, plus some financial considerations.

Trading Paredes could be the best route to finding some help in the outfield. Outside of a few Cam Smith hot streaks and the sporadic start in left field for Alvarez, Houston struggled mightily to find consistent production on the grass. The free agent market is relatively thin at the position. It’s Randy Arozarena, the two Cubs (Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ), and not much else.

The pool is particularly lacking in center field options. Houston cycled through 10 different players there. The group combined for a .654 OPS. A reunion with Daulton Varsho might be Houston’s best hope in finding a decent center fielder through free agency.

Moving a different infielder is an option, but it won’t be easy. Walker is owed $20MM in 2027 and didn’t receive much trade interest last time around. Altuve is on the books for $50MM over the next three seasons. Correa’s deal is even more cumbersome. Pena would be the most desirable player for other teams, but dealing him would leave the Astros with 32-year-old Correa coming off ankle surgery as their only shortstop.

The club could also keep everyone again. Holding on to the infield depth proved prudent last season. There are a few shaky health bets in the mix, and that won’t change as Correa, Altuve, and company are another year older. Money might be the deciding factor.

Houston will be paying $80.5MM to Altuve, Walker, and Correa next season. MLBTR’s arbitration projections have Pena at $13.1MM for 2027. Paredes will be among the cheapest of the bunch, but his salary could be spent on a more pressing need.

Photos courtesy of Joe Nicholson and Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images

Yankees Had Past Interest In Jeremiah Estrada

Mark Polishuk — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 20:19:13 +0000

As part of a piece about how the Yankees could rebuild their bullpen this offseason, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman writes that “the Yankees have long eyed” Padres right-hander Jeremiah Estrada. It isn’t specified when or even if the Yankees might’ve engaged San Diego in any trade talks about the reliever, though Estrada was reportedly discussed by the Big Apple’s other team when the Mets tried to line up a deal with the Padres last winter.

Estrada celebrates his 28th birthday in a couple of weeks, and the right-hander has now completed his third successful season out of the Friars’ bullpen. The 2026 campaign came with a lot of health issues, however, as Estrada was limited to 31 regular-season innings due to three trips to the injured list. Estrada missed time with elbow tendinitis, knee inflammation, and a shoulder impingement, and the last of those injuries ended his season in late August and kept him out of the Padres’ playoff run.

The impact of all these injuries could be measured in a bit of a dropoff in performance from Estrada’s 2024-25 seasons. The reliever had a 3.22 ERA/2.47 SIERA over 134 innings in those seasons, as well as a shaky nine percent walk rate but an elite 36.3% strikeout rate. In 2026, Estrada’s ERA and SIERA were both 3.48 ERA, his K% dropped to a still-excellent 30.2%, and his walks spiked upward to a 12.7% rate. His average fastball velocity also lost two miles, going from 97.9mph in 2025 to 95.9mph this year.

While none of his injuries appear to be particularly serious, there’s some natural concern given that Estrada has battled some health woes in the past, including a Tommy John surgery during his minor league days with the Cubs. Estrada tossed only 16 1/3 innings for Chicago in 2022-23 before the Padres claimed him off waivers in November 2023, in what has turned out to be a very canny pickup for San Diego president of baseball operations A.J. Preller.

Estrada is heading into arbitration eligibility for the first time this offseason, with a projected salary of $1.3MM. Since the arb process favors traditional counting stats like saves, closers tend to receive larger year-to-year salary bumps in arbitration while other high-leverage relievers (no matter how effective) get relatively low sums like Estrada’s projected $1.3MM, though all his missed time in 2026 also didn’t help his case.

This kind of bargain price plus three years of team control make Estrada a valuable trade chip, health issues notwithstanding. If the Padres have any concerns that Estrada might’ve already passed his peak effectiveness, the team could bring back a nice return in a sell-high move. Three years of a high-leverage reliever who records a lot of strikeouts could help San Diego address its needs in left field or in the rotation.

On the flip side, the Padres might not want to trade away a reliever when any or all of Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam, or (if he opts out) Yuki Matsui could depart in free agency. Between this group and almost a whole rotation’s worth of Padres starters also hitting the open market, Preller might prefer to stand pat with his remaining core of pitchers. Then again, Preller is forever exploring creative deals, and if moving Estrada could fill two other roster holes, shopping the righty could certainly be on the radar.

New York is facing a similar situation to San Diego’s possible bullpen exodus. David Bednar, Paul Blackburn, Tim Hill, Ryan Yarbrough, and John Schreiber are all slated for free agency, and Fernando Cruz is a possible non-tender as the right-hander is dealing with partially torn UCL and might eventually opt for Tommy John surgery or an internal brace procedure. As Sherman notes, the Yankees figure to consider any number of pitchers to restock the pen, whether in trades, signings, or looking to re-sign some of their own free agents.

Trade Candidate: Shea Langeliers

Mark Polishuk — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 18:55:24 +0000

It’s a little difficult to gauge what the Athletics will do this winter since the team has yet to hire a full-time president of baseball operations or general manager since David Forst was let go back on August 7. Beyond this front office uncertainty, the expectation that the A’s will continue to trading players as they get too expensive shouldn’t be written in stone, given how the team has been (in the last two years) been spending money to extend core players and splurge on Luis Severino’s free agent deal.

With all of this in mind, it wouldn’t be a shock to see Shea Langeliers in another team’s uniform on Opening Day. Langeliers is projected to earn an $8.7MM salary in his second of three arbitration years, and he is on pace to hit free agency after the 2028 campaign. The Athletics discussed an extension with Langeliers last spring but talks didn’t appear to go anywhere, and it’s also worth wondering if a Scott Boras client like Langeliers is simply more likely than not to forego an extension and test the open market.

The two remaining years of control over Langeliers gives the A’s plenty of potential time to work out a new deal, and decreases the urgency to trade Langeliers now (rather than next winter or even at next summer’s trade deadline). Langeliers missed a little under seven weeks of the 2026 season due to a torn right meniscus and was used only as a DH once he returned in September, so this might not be the sell-high peak of Langeliers’ trade value if some teams prefer to see him catch again before committing to a big trade package.

Of course, any club in need of a catcher is bound to have interest in Langeliers’ services. Now in his fourth year as a Major League regular, Langeliers has become one of baseball’s more solid backstops, with a 117 wRC+ since Opening Day 2024. The 2026 season saw Langeliers hit .262/.328/.474 with 23 homers over 467 plate appearances, and he earned his first All-Star nod.

Langeliers doesn’t walk too often, and there’s a lot of swing-and-miss in his offensive profile in the form of below-average strikeout, whiff, and chase rates over his career. On the plus side, he hits the ball hard when he does make contact, and he has plenty of power. The Athletics’ move to Sutter Health Park hasn’t skewed Langeliers’ offensive numbers to any great extent, as he has actually performed better (127 wRC+ in 493 PA) on the road over the last two seasons than at home (116 wRC+ in 497 PA).

Defensively, Langeliers is very good at throwing out baserunners but Statcast grades him as a below-average catcher due to poor framing and blocking metrics. The 2024 season was Langeliers’ low point as a defensive catcher but he has since rebounded to be about an average blocker and only a slightly below-average framer. It’s worth noting that catchers also have a rough time working in hitter-friendly ballparks, so Langeliers’ improvement over two seasons at Sutter Health Park may be more pronounced than indicated by Statcast’s numbers.

In comparison to another prominent catcher, Langeliers has solidly outperformed Adley Rutschman over the last three seasons from an offensive perspective. Rutschman has the big edge on defense, but his 7.0 fWAR in 1413 PA from 2024-26 is still less than Langeliers’ 7.9 fWAR in 1524 PA. This comp is noteworthy given the haul of a trade return that the Orioles received from the Red Sox for Rutschman at the last trade deadline.

Rutschman’s excellent numbers in 2022-23 and his past status as a first overall pick naturally had some impact on Boston’s willingness to swing such a trade, plus it’s fair to guess that the Orioles may have wanted a premium to move Rutschman to a division rival in particular. Still, the executive who ends up running the A’s baseball ops department will surely have the Rutschman deal in mind when considering any Langeliers offers, as a team obtaining Langeliers now will have him for two full seasons, rather than the Red Sox having Rutschman just through the 2027 campaign.

Not that the A’s weren’t already hoping to be back to winning baseball by now, but the team’s plan for its three-year stint in Sacramento was to build the core of a good team that would be ready to contend when the Athletics officially move to Las Vegas in 2028. The A’s have some quality bats, though just about all of them spend significant time on the injured list in 2026. Between the depleted lineup and the continued poor pitching, the Athletics went 64-98, in a step back from their 76 wins in 2025 and even their 69-93 season in 2024 (their last year in Oakland).

The incoming PBO/GM might think the club’s pitching simply has too many holes to patch up this winter, or that it’s impossible for any rotation to post passable numbers in Sacramento. If 2027 is another rebuilding season, then that eats up one of Langeliers’ remaining two years of control. By that logic, trading Langeliers for some younger talent (particularly pitchers) who could be ready for the majors as early as 2028 would be the better long-term play for the organization.

A Langeliers trade package could also include a stopgap veteran catcher who could both fill the A’s new need behind the plate, and act as a bridge to another wave of Athletics catching prospects. Davis Diaz and Cole Conn each made their Triple-A debuts this year and might be cracking the big league roster at some point in 2027. There’s also the possibility that a trade suitor with a promising catching prospect could offer that player as part of a Langeliers deal, with this team wanting a backstop who could provide more immediate help.

Such teams as the Twins, Reds, Rangers, Angels, Giants, Yankees, Phillies, Mets, Orioles, or Pirates should all be looking for catching help of some kind this offseason, though some of this group are more in the market for backups or part-timers than a clear-cut starter like Langeliers. The free agent catching class doesn’t offer a ton of answers, and the Cardinals might be the only team with enough of a true catching surplus to be open to a wide range of trade talks. There’s a chance the Brewers shop William Contreras before his final year of team control, but Milwaukee’s run to the World Series might increase the chance that the Crew keep Contreras around to make another run at a ring (or a repeat) in 2027.

The impending lockout and the Athletics’ lengthy front office search also factors into any trade considerations. Once a hire is finally made, the new PBO/GM won’t have that much time to evaluate their new roster before the current collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1. Arranging and completing a Langeliers trade in that compressed window of time will be tricky, and waiting until after the lockout (however long that might take) will be even trickier, as those trade talks would be happening amidst a frenzy of roster-building moves all around the league.

Ben Rortvedt Elects Free Agency

Mark Polishuk — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 16:46:43 +0000

Catcher Ben Rortvedt has chosen to become a minor league free agent, according to his MLB.com profile page. This was the expected outcome after Rortvedt was outrighted off the Dodgers’ 40-man roster in September, as that outright assignment (without being selected again to the active roster) plus Rortvedt’s three-plus years of career MLB service time qualified him for minor league free agency.

Rortvedt earned a World Series ring for his 18 regular-season games and four playoff games with the 2025 Dodgers, and a rather circuitous route took him back to Los Angeles at this year’s trade deadline. A series waiver claims saw Rortvedt go from the Dodgers to the Reds in November, back to the Dodgers in early February, then to the Mets in mid-February. New York designated Rortvedt for assignment prior to Opening Day and he accepted the outright to Triple-A, where the catcher played until the Dodgers re-acquired Rortvedt yet again on deadline day.

Injuries to both Will Smith and Dalton Rushing prompted L.A. to trade for both Rortvedt and another ex-Dodger in Hunter Feduccia at the deadline, in order to bolster the catching depth chart. Rortvedt ended up playing in 16 games for Los Angeles in August, posting the easy-to-remember batting line of .185/.185/.185 over 28 plate appearances.

Over 243 games and 661 PA with the Twins, Yankees, Rays, and Dodgers, Rortvedt has hit .189/.275/.266 with nine home runs as a big leaguer. A journeyman at age 29, Rortvedt is likely to sign a minor league deal and head to Spring Training to compete for a backup job, though a Triple-A depth role might be the likelier outcome. Given how the Dodgers clearly like Rortvedt in such a role, a new contract with Los Angeles certainly seems possible.

The Blue Jays’ Unexpected Deadline Sparkplug

Mark Polishuk — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 15:15:53 +0000

The Blue Jays’ 5-1 loss to the Cardinals on August 2 dropped Toronto to 52-60, the kind of record that usually would’ve made a team a clear seller heading into the next day’s trade deadline. For the Jays, however, the situation wasn’t quite so simple. The Blue Jays came within two outs of winning the 2025 World Series and headed into 2026 still in full win-now mode, so the front office was loath to wave the white flag on the playoff race. And, despite their mediocre record, the Jays were still in the wild card hunt, 4.5 games back of the Guardians for the final AL wild card slot.

Toronto’s response was to both buy and sell at the deadline. Some controllable players (i.e. Jose Soriano, Spencer Arrighetti, Josh Smith) were added to help the team both make a push this season and for the future. Arrighetti was acquired from the Astros in a one-for-one swap for Daulton Varsho, who was one of several impending free agents the Jays sent elsewhere. Besides Varsho, the Blue Jays also parted ways with Jeff Hoffman and Kevin Gausman, with the latter sent to the Cubs for prospects Brett Bateman and Ty Southisene.

The wild card pursuit fell short, as the Blue Jays ended up 79-83 and in last place in the AL East. None of Soriano, Arrighetti, Smith, or rental pickup Jameson Taillon played well, but instead it was a much less-established name who ended up boosting the Jays’ lineup. Bateman had never played in a big league game prior to the trade, yet the rookie ended up hitting .329/.402/.424 with two homers in his first 181 plate appearances in a Blue Jays uniform.

Between this 138 wRC+ and some excellent outfield defense (mostly in center field) and baserunning, Bateman generated 1.9 fWAR over his first 41 MLB games. From Bateman’s debut date of August 7 until the end of the season, only 16 players in all of baseball did better than a 1.9 fWAR.

While Bateman posted similar numbers at the Triple-A level this season, his ability to replicate this production in the Show caught many by surprise. Southisene (who has yet to reach Double-A ball) was the higher-regarded prospect of the two, and Bateman wasn’t even on Baseball America’s list of the top 30 Cubs prospects. An eighth-round pick for Chicago in the 2023 draft, Bateman’s first three years in the Cubs’ farm system saw him deliver good batting averages and on-base numbers, but a near-total lack of power limited his prospect value.

Bateman added almost 100 points to his career slugging percentage in 2026, and after hitting three total homers in his first three pro seasons, he hit three Triple-A homers this year and also went yard twice for the Blue Jays. While even a double-digit homer total might be a stretch, adding just a bit more pop in combination with Bateman’s speed increases his chances of turning singles into extra-base hits, and makes him tougher to defend.

The elephant in the room is Bateman’s .410 BABIP, so there’s not much chance that Bateman will be able to sustain his 2026 production over a full Major League season. Still, Bateman’s skillset lends itself to better batted-ball luck, and he never posted a BABIP lower than .337 in any of his minor league seasons. The Blue Jays obviously wouldn’t mind if Bateman keeps up a 138 wRC+ pace, but even if he just posts above-average offense, that level of hitting plus his speed and defense will make him a valuable piece of the outfield picture.

If Bateman hadn’t broken out, center field would’ve been yet another problem position for Toronto to address this offseason. Addison Barger and Anthony Santander are tentatively penciled into the corner outfield slots, but the injury-riddled duo combined for just nine MLB games in 2026. Nathan Lukes is maybe best suited for a part-time role, and Myles Straw’s $8MM club option (with a $1.75MM buyout) is a little pricey for someone who might at most be a platoon partner with Bateman. It’s no surprise that the Blue Jays are expected to look for outfield help, but given the slim pickings of the free agent center field class, Bateman’s emergence means the Jays can probably steer clear of center field and instead focus on the corners.

Time will tell if Bateman can become a big league regular or if perhaps his 2026 campaign will go down as his peak. His early results are very promising, however, and there’s some real steal potential if the Blue Jays can turn the last two months of Gausman’s contract into a regular center fielder.

The Opener: ALCS, Game 5, Athletics

Mark Polishuk — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 13:26:40 +0000

Happy birthday to former All-Star and three-time Gold Glover Bobby Knopp, who turns 88 years old today. Knopp spent six of his nine MLB seasons (from 1964-72) with the Angels, and his lengthy post-playing career as a coach included 18 more seasons on the Angels’ coaching staff. Prior to an Angels/Blue Jays game in Toronto in 1991, Knopp happened to toss a couple of baseballs to a pair of young fans watching batting practice. Those young fans were my brother and I, thus earning Knopp a special place in my baseball memory bank.

1. Rays even the ALCS

The bad weather that pushed Game 4 from Friday to Saturday ended up working in the Rays’ favor, as Tampa picked up a 7-3 win over the Guardians. Richie Palacios and Jonathan Aranda each had three hits, and Aranda’s two-run single in the top of the seventh ended up being the game’s deciding hit. Guards right fielder Chase DeLauter made an error on the play that allowed Aranda to reach third base, and Aranda later scored on a Chandler Simpson sac fly. Tampa Bay starter Nick Martinez tossed 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball, and earned his first win in 10 career postseason outings.

2. Rasmussen, Messick set to start Game 5

Today was supposed to be an off-day on the ALCS schedule, but due to Game 4 being pushed back, Game 5 will now get underway today at 4:08pm CT in Cleveland. Drew Rasmussen takes the hill for the second time this series, as Rasmussen tossed a quality start (6 IP, 2 ER on eight hits and zero walks, 7 K) in Game 1 but it wasn’t enough as the Guardians got to the Rays’ bullpen for a 7-3 win. Parker Messick starts for Cleveland, and Messick didn’t allow any earned runs in his five innings in Game 2, but a costly Jose Ramirez error led to three unearned runs in Tampa’s 3-1 victory.

3. Do the A’s have a favorite in their front office search?

“Are the Athletics nearing a GM hire?” was a category in the October 10 edition of The Opener, and eight days later, the A’s are still looking for a new front office boss. Not to jump the gun again, but it seems like Red Sox assistant GM Taylor Smith might be the new frontrunner, based on recent reports. Former GM David Forst was fired back on August 7, so the A’s have had plenty of time to access candidates, and perhaps already had a top choice in mind, except Phillies president of business ops Sam Fuld turned down the Athletics’ offer. The league prefers that teams wait until postseason off-days to make any major announcements, so it could be that if the A’s have made a decision, it might not come until the conclusion of the ALCS.

Poll: Does Paul Skenes Just Need To Fix His Changeup?

AJ Eustace — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 04:22:17 +0000

It’s obvious that Paul Skenes did not have the follow-up campaign one would have expected of a Cy Young winner. After holding opponents to a 1.97 ERA last year, that figure nearly doubled to 3.82 in 2026. Skenes still came out above average by strikeout rate (28.1%) and walk rate (6.9%), and ERA estimators like xERA (3.28) and SIERA (3.34) were a bit kinder to him than the surface-level ERA. For what it’s worth, FanGraphs valued Skenes at 4.2 wins above replacement, ranking 12th-highest among qualified starters this year. Nonetheless, it was a clear drop-off for Skenes by his lofty standards.

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?

Does Paul Skenes just need to fix his changeup?

Preller Discusses Ethan Salas, Padres’ Catchers

AJ Eustace — Sun, 18 Oct 2026 02:50:49 +0000

Highly touted prospect Ethan Salas made his major league debut for the Padres last month, batting .256/.275/.462 in a limited sample of 40 plate appearances. He remains a consensus Top 100 prospect in the sport and figures to play a prominent role behind the dish in 2027. Understandably, the 20-year-old Salas will still need to earn his playing time, as president of baseball operations A.J. Preller implied during the team’s end-of-season presser that Salas will be competing with Luis Campusano and Freddy Fermin.

“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

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