RotoFeed

Padres Interested In Seiya Suzuki, Teruaki Sato, Shota Imanaga

Darragh McDonald — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 19:36:44 +0000

The Padres are looking to upgrade their roster this offseason and are interested in a wide variety of free agents. That includes multiple Japanese-born players, as Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports that the Friars have interest in outfielder Seiya Suzuki, left-hander Shota Imanaga and infielder/outfielder Teruaki Sato.

Imanaga would make plenty of sense, as starting pitching is the most glaring need for the Padres. The rotation had been an issue for a while and the club just saw Michael King, Nick Pivetta, Walker Buehler, Casey Mize, Robbie Ray, Griffin Canning and Lucas Giolito become free agents.

Randy Vásquez is still on the roster but he’s a low-strikeout pitcher who would ideally be in a swing role. It’s unclear what to expect from Joe Musgrove after two mostly lost seasons. Yu Darvish missed all of 2026 and is a big unknown going into his age-40 season. JP Sears, Jhony Brito and Kyle Hart are on the roster but don’t profile as much more than depth options.

With that outlook, San Diego should be pursuing any and all avenues for adding starters. They have already been connected to Tarik Skubal, the top free agent available. That is perhaps a pipe dream, as the club should probably be spreading money around to multiple arms as opposed to going for one big strike. Even if they do manage to pull of a Skubal deal, they will need other arms in the mix as well.

Signing Imanaga wouldn’t be as impactful as signing Skubal but would be far cheaper. MLBTR predicted Skubal for a nine-year, $425MM deal and Imanaga for $40MM over two years. Imanaga’s big league career has generally featured good strikeout and walk rates but his biggest issue has been the home run ball. In 492 1/3 innings, Imanaga has allowed 3.45 earned runs per nine. His 23.6% strikeout rate is better than average and his 4.6% walk rate much better than par but he has allowed 93 home runs. 14% of his fly balls have cleared the fence, whereas league average is usually around 11-12%.

Petco Park in San Diego has a pitcher-friendly profile but not necessarily in the home run department. Statcast’s three-year rolling average has Petco tied for 9th/10th/11th, meaning only about a third of ballparks are more homer-prone. Flip to the two-year and one-year data sets and Petco is closer to 20th.

Turning to the lineup, that’s less of a need for the Friars but they could still look to do something there. Ty France is now a free agent, subtracting a big bat. A few other role players have hit the open market as well.

Adding Suzuki would certainly help make up for France’s departure. Suzuki has hit at least 20 home runs and drawn walks at an above-average clip for four straight years now. In 2026, he had 26 long balls, a 12.8% walk rate, a .270/.368/.473 line and 134 wRC+. He also has solid defensive grades in the outfield this year. MLBTR predicted a four-year, $105MM deal for Suzuki as he goes into his age-32 season. The Cubs just gave him a qualifying offer, so any other club signing him would be subject to the associated penalties.

Lin suggests that Suzuki could play right field with Fernando Tatis Jr. moving in to second base, though that seems overly complicated when the Padres don’t have a clear left fielder. Dustin Harris and Samad Taylor played well down the stretch in 2026 but neither is a proven option. Harris hit .322/.364/.422 for the Padres but in just 100 plate appearances and with a .367 batting average on balls in play he won’t sustain.

It would be simpler to just keep Tatis in right and put Suzuki in left. If Harris proves to be a useful player next year, the designated hitter spot is fairly open for them all to get playing time. Taylor is capable of playing the infield if he earns his way into a prominent role next year. Lin has previously suggested Tatis would prefer a full-time move to second but his experience there is fairly limited and his defensive reviews mixed, whereas he is clearly an above-average defender in right. The Padres also have Jake Cronenworth signed for the long term and second base is the best place to put him.

Sato’s future defensive home is more of an unknown. He has mostly played third base in his career in Japan but some scouts question whether he is viable there in the major leagues. It’s possible he ends up getting moved to first base. He also has some right field experience, so an outfield corner is a possibility. The Padres have Manny Machado at third base but first is fairly open while France is still a free agent. As mentioned, left field is also a possibility.

He is expected to be an impact bat regardless, as he hit 39 home runs in NPB play this year and 40 last year. There are some strikeout concerns with Sato but that was also true of Munetaka Murakami a year ago. Those whiffs seemed to tamp down Murakami’s market, as he settled for a two-year deal with the White Sox, but he ended up being fine. He did strike out a lot in his first MLB season but also drew lots of walks and hit 35 home runs.

MLBTR expects a bit of market correction after that, as we predicted Sato to land a five-year deal worth $80MM. The signing club would also owe a posting fee to the Hanshin Tigers, the size of which would depend upon the guarantee on Sato’s contract. It’s highly likely Sato will sign before the lockout as his 45-day posting window will not be paused and will therefore be set to expire in the early days of the lockout.

A major unknown of the Padres’ offseason is the financial picture. Late owner Peter Seidler kept cranking up the payroll through the 2023 season. After his passing, the San Diego front office was seemingly working under tighter financial constraints, which led to the Juan Soto trade and various other swaps. The Padres still signed free agents but often with creative back-loaded structures.

The Seidler family recently sold the club to a group led by José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones. That deal became official in August, so this will be the first offseason under the new regime. Lin suggests the new owners could greenlight some greater spending but it’s unclear the full extent they would be comfortable with.

MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker projects the club for $193MM in payroll next year, both in the LRD (cash) and competitive balance tax departments. Those numbers were $224MM and $269MM in 2026, with the aforementioned back-loaded contracts accounting for the higher CBT number. Time will tell how much wiggle room the Padres have. Being connected to some big-name free agents is encouraging but the Padres have multiple needs are need to consider various paths to upgrading the roster.

Photo courtesy of Patrick Gorski, Imagn Images

Early Thoughts on NFBC ADP and Steamer Auction Values

Jonathan Vander Lugt — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 19:30:29 +0000

In the past couple weeks, Christmas has come early for us fantasy baseball sickos.

Source

Cubs’ Ben Brown Undergoes Neck Surgery

Steve Adams — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 19:15:06 +0000

Cubs right-hander Ben Brown underwent cervical spine surgery yesterday, reports ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. He won’t be cleared to throw until early next year. The organization hopes that he can be ready at some point in the first half of the 2027 season. Cubs GM Carter Hawkins told Marquee Sports’ Elise Menaker that the team was “likely to move forward with the surgical option” for Brown earlier this morning, but it seems the procedure had already taken place at that point.

Brown’s surgery only makes the Cubs’ rotation need more acute. Chicago saw Matthew Boyd, Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Shota Imanaga and Colin Rea all become free agents at season’s end. Top starter Justin Steele hasn’t pitched since April 2025 due to UCL surgery and some setbacks during his 2026 recovery. Cade Horton, the 2025 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up, underwent his own UCL surgery this past April and will likely be sidelined into the ’27 campaign himself.

The Cubs will certainly hope that Steele will be ready to take the ball early next year, nearly two years out from surgery. It’s hard to know what kind of workload to expect from him, however. Edward Cabrera is slated to return to the rotation and will hope for better results than he delivered in an injury-ruined first year with Chicago in 2026. Swingman Javier Assad would be in line for rotation work right now, and the same could be true of deadline pickup Braxton Garrett. The Cubs only gave Garrett five big league innings after acquiring him from Miami, but the former No. 7 overall pick was a quality starter for the Marlins in 2022-23 before missing most of the 2024-25 seasons due to injury.

President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has a pair of corner outfielders to replace (Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki), but those pursuits will presumably take a back seat to refilling a rotation that’s nowhere near close to strong enough to compete — even with a quality lineup and elite defense in place. The Cubs aren’t expected to make a serious run at Tarik Skubal but will scour the remainder of the free agent and trade markets in the three weeks leading up to the likely lockout that’ll freeze all major league transactions until a new collective bargaining agreement between the league the MLB Players Association is in place.

The extent to which Hoyer succeeds in restocking the staff — and keeping said arms healthy — will determine Brown’s role whenever he’s ready to return. He’s worked as both a starter and reliever since coming over from the Phillies in the 2022 David Robertson trade. Brown had a terrific run in the bullpen to begin the 2026 season before utterly laying waste to MLB hitters upon an early-May shift to the rotation. From May 8 through June 19 (when he suffered a season-ending neck injury), Brown pitched 42 1/3 innings with a 1.70 ERA, 25% strikeout rate, 6.7% walk rate and 40.7% ground-ball rate.

Whether in the rotation, a high-leverage/late-inning role, or in a multi-inning bullpen capacity, Brown will have a place on the Cubs’ staff once healthy — likely an important one. He’s controllable for another four seasons, through 2030, and is arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter as a Super Two player. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects a $1.3MM salary for Brown in his first trip through that process.

Blue Jays Among Teams Interested In Brandon Lowe

Steve Adams — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 18:53:11 +0000

Brandon Lowe should be one of the most popular names in free agency this winter, having swatted 35 homers and finished as a Gold Glove finalist at second base in his lone season (to date) with the Pirates. The Blue Jays are among the teams showing early interest in the 32-year-old slugger, per Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. The pair cautions that talks to this point have been preliminary, but it’s still worth noting the early interest.

There’s a clear fit between the two parties. Toronto’s offense flatlined last year, with major steps back from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer (who’s now a free agent), Daulton Varsho (also a free agent), Ernie Clement, Davis Schneider and others. Injuries played a key role, too. Most notably, third baseman/outfielder Addison Barger logged only 28 plate appearances on the year, while catcher Alejandro Kirk was limited to 313 plate appearances.

One year after scoring the fourth-most runs (796) in MLB and tying for the 11th-most homers (191), the 2026 Jays ranked last in the sport with 648 runs scored and 152 long balls. Blue Jays hitters ranked ninth in team batting average (.247) but 25th in on-base percentage (.310) and 26th in slugging percentage (.381). Toronto had baseball’s second-lowest strikeout rate (19.1%) but also the game’s second-worst walk rate (7.6%). With key bats like Guerrero, Springer, Varsho, Barger and Kirk either regressing or missing substantial time with injury — to say nothing of Bo Bichette’s departure — the Jays’ lineup was too often a pushover.

Bringing Lowe into the fold would add a credible 30-homer bat to the mix and do so at a position of need. Clement is the favorite for reps at second base right now, but he’s coming off a middling .259/.285/.364 batting line (80 wRC+) in a career-high 621 plate appearances. Even at his best in 2024-25, Clement was a below-average hitter (.271/.301/.402; 96 wRC+) whose well-rounded skill set hinged on nearly average offense with plus defense and decent baserunning. He took a step back in all those regards this past season.

Signing Lowe would allow the Jays to return Clement to more of a complementary/bench role. He could spell Lowe against lefties on occasion, back up Andrés Giménez and Kazuma Okamoto at shortstop and third base (respectively), and perhaps log some occasional work in left field. He’d give skipper John Schneider a versatile defender on the bench with enough speed to be a pinch-running option and good contact skills for late, situational pinch-hitting needs.

Because Lowe is 32 years old (33 early next July), he’s unlikely to command an especially long-term deal. His power output might give him a chance at four years, but players in this age bracket are most often capped at three years on the open market. There are a few exceptions (e.g. Alex Bregman, Freddie Freeman, Kyle Schwarber, Starling Marte), but history and precedent suggest that a heavy three-year deal is the likelier outcome. Lowe received and is all but sure to reject a $23.15MM qualifying offer from Pittsburgh. He’d therefore cost the Jays their second- and fifth-highest picks in next year’s draft, as well as $1MM of space from their international amateur bonus pool for 2027.

As can be seen in MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker, the Jays finished the 2026 season with a payroll just north of $276MM. Next year’s payroll has $160.625MM guaranteed to nine players — a figure that doesn’t include their eight arbitration-eligible players. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects that octet to for a combined $28.3MM in salary, though certain members of the group are non-tender candidates (e.g. Schneider, Josh Smith and perhaps Clement). There’s room to add a $20MM+ annual salary for Lowe, but the Jays could also use help in the outfield, in the rotation and in the bullpen, which gives GM Ross Atkins a lengthy to-do list as he looks to turn the page on a calamitous 2026 campaign that saw his team fall from Game 7 of the 2025 World Series to a 79-83 record that tied the O’s for last place in the AL East.

Bob Boone Passes Away

Anthony Franco — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 17:50:36 +0000

Longtime MLB catcher/manager Bob Boone passed away yesterday at 78, according to a family announcement. Boone was a baseball lifer who spent over five decades in the game in various capacities. He was also part of a three-generation family of big leaguers, the son of a 13-year MLB veteran and father of two All-Stars.

Bob Boone was born in 1947, at a time when his father Ray Boone was playing in the Cleveland farm system. Ray would reach the majors a year later and had a couple All-Star selections and a few down ballot MVP seasons among a career that spanned until 1960. While Ray Boone was a multi-positional infielder, Bob moved behind the plate after being drafted by the Phillies in the sixth round in 1969.

Boone quickly took to the position and became one of the best defensive catchers of his era. He reached the majors in 1972 and would spend a decade as Philadelphia’s starting catcher. Boone was rarely a huge offensive threat, though he had a trio of decent years at the plate in the late 1970s. He was a standout defender who led MLB with 54 runners caught stealing in his first full season. Boone would do so two more times in his career and earned his first Gold Glove award in 1978. He appeared in three All-Star games over his time in Philadelphia, a run that saw the team earn five playoff berths between 1976-81.

Philadelphia reached the pinnacle in 1980, defeating the Royals in a six-game World Series. Boone was behind the plate for the final out, when Tug McGraw fanned K.C. outfielder Willie Wilson. Boone had an excellent playoff performance that year, batting .314 in 11 games to help the franchise win its first title.

The Phillies would trade Boone to the Angels after the 1981 season. It was a move closer to home for the San Diego native, who’d play seven years with the Halos. Boone earned his fourth and final All-Star nod in 1983, helped the team to two playoff berths, and racked up Gold Glove awards in the back of his career. He won the AL honors four straight times between 1986-89, the latter of which came after he’d signed with the Royals as a free agent. He also was behind the dish for a Mike Witt perfect game in 1984.

Boone played parts of 19 seasons in the big leagues. He was a lifetime .254/.315/.346 hitter with 105 home runs and 826 runs batted in. Only Ivan Rodriguez and Carlton Fisk caught more innings in the big leagues, as Boone logged more than 18,000 frames. He’s one of four catchers in MLB history with seven or more Gold Gloves.

The leadership skills that made Boone so highly respected with pitching staffs carried over in his other endeavors. He took on an integral role with the Players Association during the 1981 strike and jumped into managing not long after his playing days were finished. Boone managed the Royals from 1995-97 and the Reds from 2001-03. His teams never reached the postseason and he recorded a .455 win percentage as a skipper. Boone joined the Nationals’ front office in 2005 and worked in that capacity until resigning at the end of the ’21 season.

Of course, the Boone family’s impact on baseball continues. Bob’s sons Bret Boone and Aaron Boone played more than a decade in the big leagues themselves. Aaron is entering year 10 as manager of the Yankees. Bret worked as a hitting coach in Texas as recently as 2025. His third son, Jake, had a brief minor league playing career and works in the Mets’ baseball operations department. MLBTR joins others around the baseball world in sending condolences to the Boone family and Bob’s friends, former teammates, and loved ones.

Yankees To Promote Aaron Gershenfeld

Charlie Wright — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 17:15:53 +0000

The Yankees are expected to promote Aaron Gershenfeld to a big-league position, per Robert Murray of FanSided. Gershenfeld will join manager Aaron Boone’s coaching staff after the club lost catching coach Tanner Swanson to the Mariners.

Gershenfeld has been the organization’s run prevention and catching coordinator in recent seasons. He’s worked with backstops in both the minors and minors. Gershenfeld has worked in defensive-related roles with New York since 2020.

Seattle hired Swanson to be their bench coach last week. He’s been credited with the strong defensive work of Yankees catchers in recent years. The list includes current players Austin Wells and J.C. Escarra and former catchers Kyle Higashioka and Jose Trevino. Wells has posted a double-digit Fielding Run Value for three straight seasons. He was a Gold Glove Award finalist this year, though Dillon Dingler earned the honor.

It’s unclear what Gershenfeld’s exact title will be, but it’s fair to assume he’ll step into the defensive duties vacated by Swanson. The Yankees ranked 15th in FanGraphs’ Defensive Runs Above Average metric in 2026. The club got tremendous efforts from Wells and Cody Bellinger, who won the Platinum Glove Award as the AL’s top defender. There were holes elsewhere on the diamond. The departure of Jazz Chisholm Jr., who posted -6 Defensive Runs Saved, could be addition by subtraction on the defensive side.

Defense has been a major issue for the Yankees in recent playoff runs. The club famously collapsed in the field during the 2024 World Series against the Dodgers. New York made four errors in an ugly loss against the Rays in Game 2 of the ALDS this year.

Photo courtesy of Wendell Cruz, Imagn Images

Getz: Grant Taylor Moving Into Rotation; Adding Further Starting Pitching Is “Top Priority”

Steve Adams — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 16:24:32 +0000

The White Sox enter the offseason with a clear need in the rotation, and it sounds as though they’ll plan to address it both internally and via some outside additions. General manager Chris Getz said in an appearance with MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (audio link) that hard-throwing reliever Grant Taylor will move from the bullpen into the rotation. The Sox are planning to keep left-hander Hagen Smith in a relief role for now, however. Any further rotation additions will come from free agency or the trade market.

“We’re going to exhaust the starter market, both free agency — we’ll take a look — along with trades,” said Getz. “That is our top priority.”

Starting with the 24-year-old Taylor, a move to the rotation has been an oft-discussed topic in ChiSox circles for years. Taylor, selected with the No. 51 overall pick in 2023, has worked as a starter briefly in the minors but has spent the bulk of his professional career in relief. That’s not due to doubts in his ability but rather his recent health.

Taylor required Tommy John surgery while pitching at Louisiana State University. He was in the process of rehabbing in ’23 when the Sox drafted him, and he didn’t formally make his professional debut until late in the 2024 campaign. He pitched 19 1/3 innings across five starts that season, posting a 2.33 ERA with dominant strikeout and walk rates in the low minors.

In 2025, Taylor posted video game numbers (1.01 ERA) in a small sample of 26 innings between the rotation and bullpen in Double-A before being promoted to the majors, where he worked in relief (plus a couple opener stints). He had a rough stretch in mid-August but finished the year with nine straight scoreless innings and a 16-to-3 K/BB ratio in that time.

Taylor spent the whole 2026 season in the majors and now looks like a core piece in Chicago. The 6’3″, 230-pound righty tossed 84 innings with a 2.25 ERA, 31.5% strikeout rate, 8.9% walk rate, 48% ground-ball rate and 0.75 HR/9. Taylor sat 98.1 mph on his four-seamer and 98.9 mph on his sinker. He saved 10 games, picked up 11 holds, and regularly worked multiple innings. Half of Taylor’s 60 appearances saw him record four or more outs. He topped out at 2 2/3 innings in a single appearance on the year and tossed two-plus innings on 17 separate occasions.

Taylor will now step into a rotation mix that also includes Sean Burke, Davis Martin, Anthony Kay and veteran Luis Castillo. Shane Smith, Drew Thorpe, Noah Schultz, Jonathan Cannon, David Sandlin and Tanner McDougal are all on the 40-man roster as well and could mix in, though some from that bunch will be in Triple-A while others will pitch in relief.

It’s a decent collection of depth, but the South Siders are lacking in clear top-end arms. Burke paced the team in 2026 innings and had the best ERA among this past season’s rotation members (3.34), but it was an uneven season. Burke posted pedestrian numbers early, caught fire for most of the summer, then wilted in August and into early September before closing out the year with three strong starts. He’s assured a rotation spot and has clear playoff rotation upside, but both he and the Sox would surely prefer a smoother trajectory in 2027 and beyond.

Martin’s season was somewhat the opposite. He dominated early in the year despite middling strikeout numbers, then began missing bats and looking truly formidable … before faceplanting with a 5.63 ERA from June onward (17 starts). He finished with a 3.95 ERA in a career-high 146 major league innings. Kay started rough, pitched well midseason, then tanked over the final month en route to a 4.44 ERA.

It’s perfectly feasible that the quartet of Burke, Taylor, Martin and Kay could form a solid one through four in a competitive rotation. The wealth of names mentioned previously isn’t without upside, either. Smith was a Rule 5 gem in 2025 and looked like a potential building block before he was hit hard early in ’26 and shelled by Triple-A pitching the rest of the way following an early demotion. Thorpe and Schultz, in particular, have been top-tier prospects in the past but have been hobbled by injuries.

Though there’s some upside, the Sox are lacking in terms of certainty and established front-of-the-rotation presence. They’re not going to be anyone’s pick to sign Tarik Skubal — though as we’ll get into shortly, they have the payroll space for a big splash — but could realistically reel in anyone else on the market. Trevor Rogers, Freddy Peralta, Michael King and Sonny Gray are among the names on the next tier of the free agent market.

The trade market will likely include Angels lefty Reid Detmers. Rays president Erik Neander has already said his intent is to hang onto Drew Rasmussen, but other clubs will be calling and could still try to pry the Tampa Bay ace loose. The Mariners (George Kirby, Emerson Hancock), Yankees (Ryan Weathers, Will Warren) and Rangers (Jacob deGrom, MacKenzie Gore) are among the other teams with starting pitching that could be available.

Payroll-wise, the Sox shouldn’t have any limiting factors. As can be seen in MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker, Ethan Hullihen projects a $108MM payroll for the South Siders next year. The Sox only have five players on guaranteed contracts: Castillo, Kay, Jordan Hicks, Andrew Benintendi and Munetaka Murakami. They’ll all be free agents following the ’27 season (though Castillo has a vesting option that kicks in if he tosses 180 options next year).

The Sox have a blank payroll slate beyond 2027, and most of the roster is made up of controllable players who won’t become pricey via arbitration until the 2030s. Burke and second baseman Chase Meidroth can reach in 2028. Taylor, Colson Montgomery, Kyle Teel, Sam Antonacci and Tristan Peters won’t be arb-eligible until 2029.

That gives the Sox a good bit of runway to win with the current core, but the composition of the roster could necessitate some urgency with regard to next season. Murakami is signed only through 2o27. Getz has spoken about hoping to extend him, but nothing has come together yet. Kay is also a free agent next winter. Slugging third baseman Miguel Vargas is controlled via arbitration through 2029.

The looming departures of Murakami and (to a lesser extent) Vargas, coupled with the wide-open nature of the payroll post-2027, create a compelling case for Getz to make a sizable rotation investment, whether that be a long-term deal for a Rogers/Peralta/King-caliber arm, a trade for someone like Detmers — or possibly even both. Extensions for Vargas and/or Murakami could further legitimize the long-term core but would surely require sizable commitments. The largest contract in franchise history is, somewhat incredibly, Benintendi’s five-year, $75MM deal. Given the heightened expectations in 2027, it would seem there’s a good chance for the Sox to put down a larger commitment this winter.

All of this creates plenty of decisions for Getz and his staff — but these sorts of “problems” are more than welcome for a club that has ramped up from record-setting futility (121 loss in 2024) to genuine contender in far quicker fashion than anyone could have reasonably anticipated.

Adrian Morejon Wants To Remain A Reliever

Charlie Wright — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 15:51:12 +0000

Left-hander Adrian Morejon is one of the top relievers on the free agent market, and he wants to keep it that way. Will Sammon, Ken Rosenthal, and Katie Woo of The Athletic report that Morejon prefers to stay in the bullpen, despite drawing interest as a starter.

The 27-year-old Morejon is coming off a dominant platform year setting up for closer Mason Miller. He posted a 2.83 ERA with a 30.4% strikeout rate across a career-high 86 innings. Morejon finished tied for fifth in the league with 28 holds. He also chipped in three saves.

Morejon has been a crucial part of an elite Padres bullpen for the past three seasons. He’s had a sub-3.00 ERA with solid strikeout numbers and good control while operating in a high-leverage gig. Morejon has piled up 60 holds, 25 wins, and eight saves since the start of 2024.

It’s been quite some time since Morejon operated as a starter. The Padres signed him as an international free agent in 2016. He worked strictly as a starter in the lower levels of the minors, but took on a swingman role when he first debuted with San Diego in 2019. Morejon pitched in parts of three seasons with the Padres, then needed Tommy John surgery in 2021. He’s been almost exclusively a reliever since then. Morejon has made one MLB start over the past five years, and it came as an extended opener in 2023.

Lights-out relievers transitioning into starting roles isn’t uncommon. Clay Holmes saved 30 games for the Yankees in 2024, then left for the Mets in free agency to be a starter. Seth Lugo followed a similar path once he reached the open market. Reid Detmers came up as a starter with the Angels, moved to a relief role, then jumped back into starting last season. He put together easily the best campaign of his career in 2026. As The Athletic notes, these transitions are typically driven by the players. Holmes made it clear in free agency that he wanted to sign as a starting pitcher. Morejon doesn’t seem to have that same desire.

If he made the switch to starting, the arsenal would play. Morejon threw four different pitches at least 14% of the time last season. He leads with a sinker/changeup combo, backed by a slider and a four-seamer. It’s a well-balanced mix that can get both righties and lefties out.

The interesting factor would be the velocity. After sitting 96-97 mph with his four-seamer and sinker the past two seasons, Morejon averaged 99+ mph on both pitches in 2026. The only qualified pitchers with harder sinkers were Miller, Edgardo Henriquez, and Jacob Misiorowski. The uptick in velocity spurred a career-best 16.8% swinging-strike rate and a strikeout rate above 30% for the first time since the shortened 2020 season.

Morejon has shown he can be effective at a lower velocity, but the punchouts would likely come down in a starting role. He’d also be looking at some sort of workload limitations. Morejon has set career highs in innings in each of the past two seasons, though he’s yet to approach even 100 frames as a pro. He also dealt with a shoulder injury that kept him out of the final three games of the NLCS.

The Padres extended the qualifying offer to Morejon. That slightly dims his outlook in free agency, but shouldn’t be a major deterrent. He ranks eighth on our Top 50 Free Agents list. We have him landing a five-year, $80MM deal.

Photo courtesy of David Frerker, Imagn Images

No Jump Scare! Postseason Innings Jumps Are Not Actually That Scary

Jack Dorfman — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 15:30:35 +0000

Or at least, they’re not any scarier than any other career high in innings.

Source

MLB Trade Rumors Free Agent Prediction Contest Closes TONIGHT!

Tim Dierkes — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 14:36:24 +0000

The MLB Trade Rumors Free Agent Prediction Contest is currently open! Click here to make your picks. The contest closes TONIGHT at 11pm central time.

Thousands of people participate in this annual tradition. In the coming weeks, MLBTR will publish a leaderboard for the results. This will make it easy to mock any MLBTR writer who falls below the Mendoza Line.

Further contest info:

After the window to make picks has closed, we’ll post a public leaderboard page so you can see who’s winning the contest as players sign with teams. We’re going to use entrants’ full names on it. So, if that concerns you, please do not enter the contest. Entries with inappropriate names will be deleted.
We are also collecting email addresses, which I will use only to notify winners.
If a player signs between now and the close of the contest, that player will be excluded from the contest.
After you submit your picks, you’ll receive an email from Google Forms. In that email, you’ll see a button that allows you to edit your picks.
The winners of this contest will be declared on the first day of the 2027 MLB regular season, with any players still unsigned at that time excluded from the competition. If the season has not begun by June 30th, 2027, we will instead use June 30th as the contest’s final cutoff date, excluding any players who remain unsigned.
We will award $500 to first place, $300 to second place, and $100 to third place. We will also be giving one-year memberships to Trade Rumors Front Office for everyone who finishes in the top 15. Winners must respond to an email within one week of being notified.
Ties will be broken by adding up the rankings of each entrant’s correctly predicted free agents. The entrant with the lower total wins the tiebreaker. For example: Tim and Steve each get two picks correct. Tim gets Tarik Skubal (#1 ranking) and Shota Imanaga (#21 ranking) for a total of 22 points. Steve gets Michael King (#6) and Tyler Mahle (#14) for a total of 20 points. Steve’s total is lower and he wins the tiebreaker.

Make your picks here! If you have any further questions, ask us in the comment section of this post!

The Opener: GM Meetings, ROYs, Managers

Charlie Wright — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 14:35:59 +0000

Which squad would make sense in a Ketel Marte trade? Great deep dive from MLBTR’s Anthony Franco on the possibilities for 20+ teams.

1. Skubal the focus in Vegas

The GM Meetings kicked off on Monday. Unsurprisingly, the most prized free agent on the market was a popular talking point. Tarik Skubal rumblings began pretty quickly after executives from around the league descended on Las Vegas. The Padres reportedly have interest in landing the two-time Cy Young winner. The Cubs? Not so much. Skubal’s status could hang over the rest of free agency, like it did heading into the trade deadline.

2. Rookie of the Year awards handed out

Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle and Reds first baseman Sal Stewart earned Rookie of the Year honors last night. McGonigle delivered a 129 wRC+ with 18 homers and 12 steals as an everyday option on the left side of the infield. Stewart popped 32 homers and finished third in the league in RBI. The awards voting has resulted in three Prospect Promotion Incentive picks. The Tigers and Reds each got one for their ROY winners. The Guardians also got one after Parker Messick finished top three in AL Cy Young voting.

3. Manager of the Year decided tonight

Awards season will continue with the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announcing the Manager of the Year on Tuesday. The AL candidates are Kevin Cash (Rays), Chad Tracy (Red Sox), and Will Venable (White Sox). On the NL side, it’s Don Mattingly (Phillies), Pat Murphy (Brewers), and Walt Weiss (Braves). It’s an interesting group. Two of the skippers were early-season replacements (Tracy and Mattingly). Cash and Murphy faced off in the World Series. Venable turned around a Chicago squad that had lost 100+ games the past three years.

Photo courtesy of Katie Stratman, Imagn Images

Reviewing Starting Pitcher Fastball Velocity Gainers & Decliners — Apr 6, 2026

Mike Podhorzer — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 13:30:27 +0000

In early April, I took a look at starting pitchers who had enjoyed increased fastball velocities, and those who had suffered declines. Since velocity is highly correlated with both strikeout rate and ERA, velocity is an important metric to track during the season. Identifying early season risers could help pinpoint breakouts, while decliners could help […]

Source

Padres Have Expressed Interest In Tarik Skubal

Anthony Franco — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 05:59:44 +0000

The Padres are among the teams that have shown interest in Tarik Skubal in the early days of the offseason, reports Jon Morosi of The MLB Network. San Diego has been speculated as a dark horse for the two-time Cy Young winner, but this is the first definitive link to the game’s top free agent.

It’s a fascinating offseason for the Friars. They’ve dramatically scaled back free agent spending since the 2023 passing of former owner Peter Seidler. The Seidler family sold the franchise to a group led by José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones over the summer. That’s raised optimism among the fanbase about the Padres diving back into the top end of the market.

The Padres’ series of backloaded contracts left them with a dramatically higher luxury tax number than cash payroll in recent years. MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker (courtesy of contributor Ethan Hullihen) shows they finished the 2026 season with a tax number around $269.43MM and an actual payroll in the $224MM range. They’re projected around $193MM in both figures for the 2027 season, including arbitration estimates. Next year’s cutoffs won’t be established until there’s a new collective bargaining agreement in place as MLB pushes for a cap/floor system. (The cap wouldn’t take effect until at least 2028 even if the league were to get the MLBPA to budge on its longstanding firm opposition.)

Skubal is widely expected to beat the current $43.333MM record annual value for a pitcher. MLBTR predicts he’ll both establish a new AAV record and handily top the $325MM guarantee held by Yoshinobu Yamamoto. We forecasted a nine-year, $425MM contract; San Diego’s franchise record is their $340MM extension for Fernando Tatis Jr. They’ve only given out a $30MM annual value to one player, Manny Machado — though they technically did so on both Machado’s initial free agent deal and his 2023 extension to override his opt-out clause. Machado and Xander Bogaerts are the two players to whom they’ve given a free agent deal exceeding $200MM.

The Padres need to overhaul essentially their entire rotation. Michael King opted out, while the team declined what amounted to a two-year, $32MM option on Nick Pivetta. Deadline acquisitions Casey Mize and Robbie Ray seem unlikely to return as free agents. Walker Buehler, Griffin Canning and Lucas Giolito also all hit the market.

Randy Vásquez is San Diego’s only returning pitcher who started more than six games this year. It’s unclear what they can expect from Joe Musgrove or whether Yu Darvish will continue his MLB career. There’s a chance that not a single member of the team’s season-opening rotation is yet on the roster. Even if they re-sign King or pull off a surprise top-of-the-market strike for Skubal, they’ll need to do a ton of work building the depth.

Skubal is not tied to a qualifying offer, as the midseason trade from Detroit to the Dodgers rendered him ineligible. The Friars issued a QO to Adrian Morejon and would receive a compensatory pick after the fourth round in next year’s draft if he signs elsewhere. Trevor Rogers was the only starting pitcher to receive a QO this year. The Padres would surrender their second- and fifth-highest picks, as well as $1MM in international bonus pool space, if they signed Rogers. No other free agent starter would come attached to draft compensation.

Angels To Begin Preliminary Meetings With GM Candidates

Anthony Franco — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 05:15:37 +0000

Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, the Angels’ incoming ownership group, will conduct informal meetings with candidates for their general manager job at this week’s GM Meetings. Interim GM John Mozeliak relayed the update to Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register on Monday.

While this marks a preliminary start to the GM search, the organization remains in a holding pattern. They’re awaiting approval of the franchise sale from Arte Moreno to KSE from Major League Baseball. Mozeliak said last week that the Angels weren’t likely to hire a full-time GM until MLB approves the sale, which he reiterated this evening.

Mozeliak remains in charge of the front office until December. He could handle the team’s offseason business right up to the inevitable December 2 lockout. It’s an odd spot for the organization, as they’d surely prefer for their new ownership group and permanent front office to handle any significant moves. That could force them to miss out on free agent and trade opportunities over the next few weeks. The market is expected to move more quickly than usual as teams try to get business done before the transaction freeze.

“It’s awkward but my responsibility right now is to explore the trade market, see what that looks like,” Mozeliak acknowledged. “We’ll touch base with a handful of agents, but overall it’s really to allow ourselves to, whenever that vote happens, to ultimately be nimble and be able to react.” While he suggested the Angels would need to “be open-minded to (trade discussions concerning) our entire roster,” he has downplayed the chance that he and his current staff will be the ones actually making big roster decisions.

The Angels should be open to a rebuild. They made one retooling move at the deadline in trading starter José Soriano, who was under arbitration control for two and a half seasons, to the Blue Jays for a package led by shortstop prospect Arjun Nimmala.

Starter Reid Detmers (controllable through 2028) and shortstop Zach Neto (controllable through ’29) are their big potential offseason trade chips. The Angels would presumably be happy to offload part of the $21MM salary owed to Yusei Kikuchi in the final season of his three-year contract. They could listen on first baseman Nolan Schanuel (controllable through ’29) and potentially try to cash in on lefty reliever Samy Natera Jr. after an encouraging rookie season. Other teams are sure to call on Walbert Ureña coming off an excellent debut campaign, but trading a 23-year-old starter is probably a bridge too far even if they embrace a full rebuild.

It seems the short term will mostly be about Mozeliak’s group laying the groundwork for further trade talks down the line. The Halos could make moves around the margins, dangling fringe trade chips like reliever Tayler Saucedo while looking into mid-tier free agents to add veteran experience to the infield or bullpen. They could also bring in an experienced catcher to split time with bat-first Moisés Ballesteros, particularly if they opt not to tender a contract to Tyler Heineman at next Friday’s deadline.

Best Fits For A Ketel Marte Trade

Anthony Franco — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 03:02:29 +0000

Teams are expected to lay the foundation for their offseason trade talks as the GM Meetings get underway. Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte is one of the biggest names available. The Snakes have more or less acknowledged that they’ll listen to offers on the three-time All-Star, who has clearly frustrated many within the organization by failing to show up for certain games over the years.

Marte has full control over his destiny, as he secured no-trade protection by reaching 10 years of service time (the last five of which have come in Arizona). He’s signed for another five years at a total of $87.5MM, covering ages 33-37. Marte is only making a $12MM salary next year, though, and $3MM of that is deferred.

That’s a fine salary even if he only repeats his league average .249/.316/.432 showing this year. If he bounces back some or all of the way to the player he was before, arguably the best second baseman in the sport, it’s a bargain for the on-field production. There’ll surely be teams that have trepidations about Marte’s work habits, and some might take him off their target list altogether, but the D-Backs should get some kind of interest given the star offensive upside he’s shown at his best.

Let’s run through the league to determine which teams should be most motivated to pull Marte from the desert.

Best Fits

Blue Jays

Toronto was the lowest scoring team in MLB in 2026. The middle infield (mostly Andrés Giménez and Ernie Clement) was a big part of that. Only three teams — the Rays, Braves and Cardinals — had a lower OPS from their middle infielders. Clement’s bat wilted in the second half, and he might be better suited for a utility role or a change of scenery trade.

Orioles

Baltimore’s young core has stalled a bit over the past two seasons. They’ve respectively finished last and fourth in the AL East in 2025 and ’26 after consecutive excellent regular seasons from 2023-24. Aside from moving Pete Alonso, they’re reportedly at least open to trade conversations on the rest of the roster.

That could include dealing from an infield that didn’t play up to its pedigree this year. Jackson Holliday is up to more than 1200 career plate appearances with a lifetime .229/.300/.354 slash line. He’s only entering his age-23 season and was weighed down by wrist injuries this year. Maybe the Orioles are willing to write that off as an anomaly, but at some point, they’re going to need better production out of second base. Baltimore has shown more willingness to take on notable contracts under David Rubenstein’s ownership. They could target Marte and either flip Holliday for pitching or bounce him around the diamond in a utility capacity.

Mets

Mets’ second basemen were exactly replacement level this past season, according to FanGraphs. That’s mostly because of a career-worst year from Marcus Semien, who hit .215/.280/.340 and failed to improve the infield defense. Brett Baty remained too inconsistent to seize the everyday job. The Mets probably aren’t finding a taker for Semien, but they also have the designated hitter at-bats to offer Marte if Semien bounces back. They’ll need to weigh this against various needs on the pitching staff and at first base, but this is one of the clearer fits in the league.

Red Sox

While Boston’s offense is solid on paper, they folded down the stretch. The Red Sox only scored 71 runs in September, 18 fewer than any other team. They couldn’t generate anything against the Yankees in the Wild Card Series, only scoring two runs (both on solo homers) in as many games.

Manager Chad Tracy suggested the Sox are likely to use Curtis Mead as their primary second baseman in 2027. They liked Mead enough to give up touted young southpaw Connelly Early for him, only to immediately lose him to a hand fracture that essentially ended his season. Second base isn’t a glaring need, especially with top prospect Franklin Arias looming as an option to push Trevor Story off shortstop, but the keystone and left field are the two positions where the Sox can most easily accommodate a bat if they want to upgrade the offense and sort out the playing time later.

Tigers

Detroit is potentially losing Gleyber Torres to free agency. They could stay internal at second base with a platoon of Max Anderson and Hao-Yu Lee. Anderson has zero MLB experience, though, and Lee’s decent offensive rookie season was offset to an extent by his poor glove. Marte would stabilize the position and allow Detroit to move Lee, Anderson and Colt Keith around the dirt. Detroit has Framber Valdez signed on a player option for 2028 and Kevin McGonigle on a nine-figure extension, but the long-term books are manageable enough to accommodate this contract.

Other Possibilities

Phillies

Philadelphia is probably at the top of this second tier. They’re likely losing Luis Arraez and Alec Bohm (plus righty-hitting utilityman Edmundo Sosa) to free agency. Philadelphia could move Bryson Stott back to second base and leave third base open for prospect Aidan Miller, but that’d be an uncertain left side infield for a contender. They’re already facing questions about how much longer Trea Turner can stick at shortstop, while Miller missed the bulk of the ’26 season to a back injury. Stott is one year from free agency.

Maybe they’d rather leave second base open for when Turner needs to move off the position, but he’s fast enough to play the outfield instead. The bigger concern would be adding another long-term contract for a mid-30s player. Philadelphia is as firmly in win-now mode as any team, so there’s a case for just rostering the best 2027 team possible and worrying about the future when it arrives.

Rangers

Texas doesn’t seem inclined to spend much this offseason, but president of baseball operations Chris Young has downplayed the chance of a full rebuild. This probably only works if they find a taker for Corey Seager, which would alleviate some of their short-term payroll constraints while opening a middle infield spot for top shortstop prospect Sebastian Walcott. Marte’s 2027 salary is cheap enough that Texas would probably be in a better spot if they managed to pair this with a Seager trade, but it’s much easier said than done considering Seager also has 10-and-5 rights and a more onerous contract to offload.

Rays

Tampa Bay typically isn’t a team that trades for late-career stars on significant contracts. They’ve had previous interest in Marte, though, and the structure of his contract might make this more attainable than it initially seems. It’s cheap enough short term, especially with the $3MM deferral, that any team can accommodate his 2027 salary. He’ll make upwards of $20MM for the following three years, but Tampa Bay doesn’t have any guaranteed commitments that stretch beyond next season.

The Rays also expect to move to a new stadium in the City of Tampa by 2029 — a move that owner Patrick Zalupski claims can support a player payroll in the top half to third of the league. It remains to be seen if the organization will back up those statements with action, but this would be one way to lay the foundation. The short-term positional need is certainly there, as the back half of Tampa Bay’s lineup was exposed by Milwaukee’s pitching staff in the World Series. They’re currently slated to run a Richie Palacios – Ben Williamson platoon at the position.

Yankees

The Yankees are almost certainly going to let Jazz Chisholm Jr. walk. That opens a second base vacancy in addition to the possibility that they upgrade over Ryan McMahon at third. The Yankees could use Anthony Volpe and José Caballero to split second base, but neither has proven to be even an average big league hitter. Marte is a better offensive player even in a down year. New York could plug him in at second and cut bait on McMahon even if they want to open the door for Volpe or Caballero to play a regular role somewhere on the dirt.

Long Shots

Angels

The Angels have arguably the worst second base group in MLB. Mike Trout is their only long-term contract on the books. They certainly could make this work, but they’re midway through an ownership change and operating with an interim GM (John Mozeliak) who has already downplayed the likelihood that he makes any big moves. If Marte is still a Diamondback after the lockout, maybe the Angels’ new front office will look into this, but this team should be retooling regardless. Trading for a 33-year-old second baseman whose work habits frustrated his previous organization doesn’t make much sense.

Braves

Ozzie Albies is in the final year of his contract and has been up and down for the last few seasons. Atlanta would probably be a better team with Marte, but it’d be a risk from a clubhouse perspective and add another long-term commitment to one of the league’s oldest position player groups. 2025 first-round pick Tate Southisene has hit his way to Double-A and might fit best long term at second base.

Dodgers

Second base is the one lineup spot at which the Dodgers could look for an external upgrade. A combination of Tommy Edman and Alex Freeland is serviceable, though, and the Diamondbacks probably don’t want to move Marte to the best team in the division.

Giants

The Giants would’ve been a stronger fit had they not acquired Marcelo Mayer from the Red Sox at the deadline for reliever Erik Miller. They’ll also have Casey Schmitt back in the mix and don’t have the designated hitter at-bats to offer. They could trade Schmitt for starting pitching or plug him back into left field, but the more direct scenario would be to sign a starter and/or corner outfielder. They’d also need the Diamondbacks to be on board moving Marte within the NL West.

Mariners

Marte is a known quantity to the Seattle front office, as he spent the first two seasons of his career in the Pacific Northwest. The Mariners need offense generally but already have a quality second baseman in

Sal Stewart Wins NL Rookie Of The Year, Earns PPI Pick For Reds

Anthony Franco — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 01:39:35 +0000

The Baseball Writers Association of America announced Monday evening that Reds first baseman Sal Stewart has won the National League Rookie of the Year award. The win earns Cincinnati a pick after the first round of the 2027 draft via the Prospect Promotion Incentive.

Stewart received 20 of 30 first-place votes and was the only player in the NL field to land in the top five on every ballot. He beat out Mets outfielder Carson Benge and Cardinals middle infielder JJ Wetherholt for the honors. Benge received seven first-place votes and was on all but two ballots overall, leading to the runner-up finish. Wetherholt, who finished in third, received the three other first-place votes.

Nolan McLean, TJ Rumfield, and Logan Henderson were the other players to receive one or more votes in the top three. They respectively finished fourth, fifth and sixth in the voting. Bryce Eldridge, Didier Fuentes, and A.J. Ewing were the only other players to appear on ballots (no higher than fifth in their cases).

Stewart debuted last September but remained rookie eligible going into 2026. He was Cincinnati’s Opening Day first baseman. Stewart started 110 games there, 33 at third base, 11 as a designated hitter, and seven at second base. He led NL rookies with 700 plate appearances and hit .263/.330/.457 with 32 home runs, 12 more than any other rookie in the league. Stewart blew away the rest of the field by driving in 112 runs, nearly 40 RBI clear of any other first-year player. Only Cardinals first baseman Alec Burleson kept Stewart from leading all NL hitters in that category, while he finished eighth in the league in home runs.

The volume and Stewart’s gaudy counting stats probably would’ve made this a runaway in previous eras of baseball. It was more of a borderline case in today’s game, as park adjustments for Cincinnati’s hitter-friendly stadium and Stewart’s lack of defensive value weighed him down in the eyes of WAR models. Both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference graded Stewart at two wins above replacement, about half the WAR totals for Benge and Wetherholt. The majority of voters placed a premium on Stewart’s power production in the middle of Terry Francona’s lineup, keeping him at the top of their ballots.

Wetherholt and Benge were Gold Glove finalists at second base and in right field, respectively. Wetherholt seemed to be Stewart’s top competition for the bulk of the season, but his bat wilted in the second half around a two-week absence to right wrist tendinitis. Benge, who was one of the best hitters in the NL after the All-Star Break, ended up being Stewart’s biggest challenger behind a 20-20 season with a .282/.346/.430 showing.

All three finalists met the criteria for the Prospect Promotion Incentive and opened the year on their respective teams’ MLB rosters. That meant whoever won the award was guaranteed to net their team a PPI pick. Stewart’s win secures that pick for Cincinnati — one of three that’ll be awarded next year. Kevin McGonigle earned one for Detroit by winning the AL Rookie of the Year, while Parker Messick secured one for Cleveland with a top three finish in AL Cy Young voting.

Stewart is the Reds’ second Rookie of the Year winner this decade and the ninth honoree in club history. Frank Robinson (1956), Pete Rose (1963), Tommy Helms (1966), Johnny Bench (1968), Pat Zachry (1976), Chris Sabo (1988), Scott Williamson (1999) and Jonathan India (2021) are the franchise’s previous winners. They’re tied with the Athletics for fourth-most ROY winners overall, trailing only the Dodgers, Yankees and Braves.

Image courtesy of David Banks, Imagn Images.

Kevin McGonigle Wins AL Rookie Of The Year, Earns PPI Pick For Tigers

Anthony Franco — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 01:07:53 +0000

The Baseball Writers Association of America announced Monday evening that Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle has won the AL Rookie of the Year award. McGonigle’s win earns Detroit a pick after the first round of the 2027 draft via the Prospect Promotion Incentive.

McGonigle received 28 of 30 first-place votes. Guardians left-hander Parker Messick earned the other two first-place votes en route to the runner-up finish. Messick is also a top three finisher for the Cy Young award, which means he earned Cleveland a PPI pick in 2027. McGonigle finished second for the two voters who had Messick in the top spot. Messick received 25 second-place votes, placed third on two ballots, and landed fourth for one voter.

Red Sox southpaw Payton Tolle led a crowded field for the third-place finish. Munetaka Murakami, Carter Jensen, Chase DeLauter, Kazuma Okamoto, Tristan Peters, Sam Antonacci, Travis Bazzana, Walbert Ureña, Dylan Beavers and Henry Bolte all appeared in the top five on at least one ballot.

McGonigle’s runaway win doesn’t come as much surprise even in a very strong field. The 22-year-old infielder, who entered the season as the consensus #2 prospect in baseball behind Pittsburgh’s Konnor Griffin, hit the ground running. He had a four-hit performance in his debut and never really looked back. McGonigle batted .278/.376/.430 across 707 plate appearances, entrenching himself in the top third of A.J. Hinch’s lineup by the second week of the season. He walked at an excellent 13.4% clip against a modest 14.1% strikeout rate.

The 2023 supplemental first-rounder connected on 18 home runs and drove in 72. He scored 97 runs and led AL rookies (min. 200 plate appearances) in on-base percentage. McGonigle divided his defensive work evenly between shortstop and third base. He graded as a neutral shortstop defender by both Defensive Runs Saved and Statcast’s Outs Above Average. Statcast had him right around average at third base as well, though DRS (+8) was more favorable on his work at the hot corner.

McGonigle was unquestionably the best rookie position player in the American League. One could’ve made a reasonable case for Messick, who worked to a 2.56 ERA with a 26% strikeout rate across 186 1/3 innings. The Wins Above Replacement models at both FanGraphs (5.4 to 4.9) and Baseball Reference (7.1 to 6.3) had the race between McGonigle and Messick within a rounding error, but most voters understandably opted for the everyday shortstop. McGonigle also earned his first of what’ll probably be a number of All-Star nods and has a chance to finish in the top five in MVP balloting when that’s revealed on Thursday.

The Tigers carried McGonigle on their Opening Day roster, ensuring he’d be eligible for the PPI pick. They signed him to an eight-year, $150MM contract extension in the middle of April. Detroit waited to finalize that agreement until after McGonigle’s debut, which preserved his PPI eligibility. It’s one of three PPI picks for 2027. Messick earned one for the Guardians with the aforementioned Cy Young finalist honors, while Sal Stewart’s NL Rookie of the Year win secured one for Cincinnati.

McGonigle is the sixth player in team history to win ROY honors. Harvey Kuenn (1953), Mark Fidrych (1976), Lou Whitaker (1978), Justin Verlander (2006), and Michael Fulmer (2016) are the franchise’s previous honorees.

Image courtesy of Josh Boland, USA TODAY Network.

Cardinals, JoJo Romero Have Mutual Interest In Reunion

Charlie Wright — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 00:17:42 +0000

6:17pm: Jeff Jones of The Belleville News-Democrat reports that there’s interest on both sides in a reunion.

11:13am: After shipping him to Milwaukee at the trade deadline, the Cardinals have interest in bringing back left-hander JoJo Romero, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Romero was a crucial cog in a Brewers’ bullpen that dominated en route to a title.

St. Louis closed the 2025 season with an unsettled relief corps after Ryan Helsley and Phil Maton were traded away. Romero filled in at closer at times to close the year and seemed to have a shot to take the job in 2026. Instead, Riley O’Brien emerged as an All-Star stopper. That allowed Romero to stay in his high-leverage lefty role. He racked up 20 holds in 44 appearances.

With free agency looming, the Cardinals sent Romero and Dustin May to the Brewers for outfield prospects Alexander Frias and Josiah Ragsdale. The swap worked out well for both sides. The addition of Romero gave manager Pat Murphy another southpaw alongside Aaron Ashby in the later innings. Romero was scored upon in just one of seven playoff outings. He picked up wins over the Dodgers in Games 2 and 4 of the NLCS.

St. Louis recouped a pair of young outfielders who immediately ranked among their better hitting prospects. MLB Pipeline slotted Frias at No. 5 and Ragsdale at No. 11 in the system. Eric Longenhagen and Brendan Gawlowski of FanGraphs ranked Frias as the third-best prospect moved at the deadline.

The 30-year-old Romero has been one of the steadiest lefty relievers since joining the Cardinals. He came over in the deal that sent Edmundo Sosa to Philadelphia in 2022. Romero posted a low-to-mid 3.00s ERA in every season from 2023 through 2026. The one outlier was 2025, when he recorded a 2.07 ERA over a career-high 61 innings. Romero ran hot on home run luck that year.

Romero came in at No. 46 on our Top 50 Free Agents list. He’s the fourth lefty reliever on the board, behind Adrian Morejon, Alex Vesia, and Steven Okert. Morejon is in a class by himself, but Romero certainly deserves to be in the mix with the rest of the group. We predict a two-year, $13MM deal for him. He should draw solid interest from teams looking to bolster their bullpen, which tends to be an ample bunch.

The Cardinals head into 2027 without many proven options behind O’Brien. Luis Gastelum showed some strikeout upside in his debut campaign. George Soriano had a decent season after coming over in a minor trade. The left-handed choices right now are journeyman Justin Bruihl and long relievers Brycen Mautz, Eduardo Rivera, and Josh Fleming. Bruihl had a good year, but he’s more of a middle relief candidate. The others are best-deployed as multi-inning guys.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images

Latest On Ben Brown

Darragh McDonald — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 23:43:19 +0000

The health of Cubs right-hander Ben Brown is still up in the air. Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports that Brown, who battled a neck injury in 2026, still hasn’t been cleared to throw and a future surgery still hasn’t been ruled out.

It’s a frustrating situation for Brown, who appeared to be breaking out this year. He started 2026 in the bullpen but pitched well enough to get a rotation spot by early May. He made his eighth start of the year on June 19. After that, he had thrown 68 innings on the season across those eight starts and his 12 relief appearances. He allowed just 1.88 earned runs per nine.

Brown got a bit of help, as his .243 batting average on balls in play and 79.1% strand rate were both to the fortunate side. But his 24.5% strikeout rate, 7.2% walk rate and 44.6% ground ball rate were all better than league average. ERA estimators like his 2.50 FIP and 3.55 SIERA suggest he would have fared well even with more neutral favor from the baseball gods.

That breakout season was interrupted by the aforementioned neck problems. Brown was placed on the IL June 24, retroactive to June 21, with what was initially described as a neck strain. A few days later, manager Craig Counsell added more info, revealing that Brown had been diagnosed with a stress reaction in his neck. Brown tried ramping up a throwing program in August but experienced a recurrence of symptoms and never made it back to the club.

Ideally, Brown would be able to use the offseason to get healthy for the 2027 campaign but it sounds like that won’t necessarily be the case. He and the Cubs are apparently still searching for answers, a process that could be complicated by the upcoming lockout.

The current collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association expires at 11:59 pm Eastern on December 1. The two sides are negotiating a new deal but don’t appear close to getting anything done, as the league continues to push for a salary cap and floor system, a framework the players oppose. It is widely expected that no deal will be reached by December 2 and the league will lock out the players at that time.

In a lockout, players are not allowed to communicate with team personnel. That includes trainers and other medical support staff. That makes things awkward for any player recovering from an injury this winter.

In Brown’s case, that might be particularly tricky. He and the club might be pressured to make a decision about surgery before the lockout. Otherwise, he may be on his own through the winter. Even if he does go under the knife in the next few weeks, he would have to fly solo on his rehab, perhaps for several months. The 2021-22 lockout wasn’t resolved until March 10. It’s unknown if the next lockout will be longer or shorter.

The ongoing uncertainty with Brown only adds to rotation need for the Cubs. The rotation group they had at the end of the 2026 was entirely lost to free agency, and even some depth as well. Matthew Boyd, Clay Holmes, Kevin Gausman, Shota Imanaga, David Peterson and Colin Rea are all now on the open market.

There are plenty of questions with the guys who are still on the roster. Justin Steele hasn’t pitched since April of 2025 because of elbow surgery. Edward Cabrera missed time with various injuries in 2026, getting bumped to the bullpen and finishing the year with a 5.96 ERA. Javier Assad has had some decent results but without a lot of strikeouts. Injuries and command issues have prevented Braxton Garrett from getting a lengthy run in the big leagues since 2023. Cade Horton had Tommy John surgery earlier this year and will still be recovering into next summer. Jaxon Wiggins and other prospects are knocking on the door but aren’t established yet.

It’s no secret that the Cubs will be looking to add multiple arms into the mix this offseason. That could happen via free agency but it doesn’t seem the Cubs will make a strong run at the top of the market by pursuing Tarik Skubal. Free agency also features Trevor Rogers, Freddy Peralta and plenty of others. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Cubs tried to re-sign any of their departing free agents. The trade market could feature Reid Detmers, Emerson Hancock and plenty of others.

Photo courtesy of Patrick Gorski, Imagn Images

Mets Outright Kyren Paris

Darragh McDonald — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 22:36:38 +0000

The Mets have sent infielder Kyren Paris outright to Triple-A Syracuse after he cleared waivers, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Paris had been designated for assignment last week. This is the first career outright for Paris and he has less than three years of big league service time, so he will have to accept the assignment.

It’s a strange birthday present for Paris, who will turn 25 on Wednesday. The Mets claimed him off waivers from the Angels towards the end of October. Paris has not yet qualified for arbitration. In spite of that, a few days after the waiver claim, the Mets announced that they had signed Paris to a deal for 2027 and then designated him for assignment. The financial details of that contract have not been reported.

It might seem odd for a club to sign a player and then immediately bump him from the roster but it was by design. Teams do this with the hope that the player’s salary is high enough for other clubs to pass on claiming him from waivers, thus allowing him to stick around as non-roster depth. The player, meanwhile, usually gets paid a minor league salary much higher than the minimum for that level.

In this case, it had worked. The Mets can keep Paris without him taking up a spot on the 40-man. He will probably receive a non-roster invite to big league camp in spring training and will try to earn his way back on.

Paris was once a prospect of note with the Angels, as that club took him with a second-round pick in 2019. Baseball America ranked him as one of the top prospects in the Halos’ system for much of this decade. His speed and defense are both considered assets. He has frequently racked up double-digit stolen base totals in the minors, including 44 in 2023. With the glove, he has spent most of his time in the middle infield but has also dabbled at all three outfield spots.

There are pros and cons with his offense. He can draw walks and do damage with the bat but also strikes out a lot. Over the past four seasons, he stepped to the plate 1,317 times on the farm. His 30.2% strikeout rate in that time was very high but he also drew walks at a strong 14.8% clip and hit 37 home runs. He had a combined .240/.360/.407 line and 103 wRC+. He also made 263 big league plate appearances with a 9.1% walk rate, 38.4% strikeout rate and .147/.238/.272 line.

Paris exhausted his final option season in 2026 and is now out of options. He got nudged off the Angels’ roster but the Mets grabbed him and have now put him through waivers unclaimed. Going into 2027, the Mets have Francisco Lindor projected as their shortstop. Second base could go to Brett Baty, Marcus Semien or Ronny Mauricio. Middle infield prospects Jefferson Rojas, Émilien Pitre and Mitch Voit are knocking on the door. Paris will now be in that mix as well.

Photo courtesy of Joe Camporeale, Imagn Images

Dipoto: Mariners Eyeing Bullpen Upgrades, At Least One Bat

Steve Adams — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 22:07:15 +0000

With Jason Kanzler installed as the new skipper out in Seattle, the Mariners have one piece of offseason business checked off the list. There will still be a handful of coaching hires to sort out, but with the GM Meetings underway in Las Vegas, the focus will also turn to upgrading roster. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto chatted with Teren Kowatsch of Mariners Roundtable following last week’s Kanzler introduction and gave a relatively candid assessment of his group’s targets.

“This year’s bullpen market is pretty appealing,” said Dipoto. “There’s a lot of guys out there we feel like could help us. We’ve already identified who they might be. Whether we can land them or not is a different story. But, we’re looking to add to our bullpen. We’re looking for one, maybe two more bats. And we’d like to add a veteran infield presence. Whether that is part of the bats or just a presence is something entirely different.”

The areas of focus listed by Dipoto are all fairly natural ones. Seattle relievers were dominant in 2025 but took steps back across the board in 2026 — particularly closer Andrés Muñoz, whose ERA jumped from 1.73 to 4.24. Muñoz actually threw harder, missed more bats and lowered his walk rate in 2026, but he was astonishingly homer-prone (relative to his typical standards). From 2022-25, Muñoz saw only 9.9% of his fly-balls leave the yard; he averaged only 0.57 homers per nine innings pitched in that time. In ’26, he saw a staggering 23.6% of the fly-balls he yielded become home runs. Muñoz averaged 1.41 HR/9 — about 2.5 times as many homers as he yielded previously.

On the whole, Seattle relievers combined for a 4.46 ERA that ranked 22nd in baseball. Mariners relievers were 14th in strikeout rate and had the seventh-best walk rate in baseball, but they combined for an average of 1.12 HR/9 — tenth-highest in the sport (despite playing home games in an overwhelmingly pitcher-friendly park). Josh Simpson, Eduard Bazardo, Hoby Milner and Muñoz were the most egregious offenders in that regard. Meanwhile, top setup man Matt Brash missed most of the season due to a lat strain, which limited him to only 16 1/3 innings. Gabe Speier, their other top setup option, was down nearly a month early on due to shoulder inflammation.

The Mariners tend to prefer trades to free agency, and Dipoto again acknowledged that reality when chatting with Kowatsch. That said, he also noted that this year’s group of free agent pitchers is more appealing than the position players. It’d still be a shock to see Seattle put down the big multi-year commitments they’d need to sign Adrian Morejon or David Bednar — to say nothing of the associated draft compensation after both received qualifying offers — but there’s a nice group of relievers in the next tier. Any of Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips, Bryan Abreu, Emilio Pagán or Steven Okert could be a difference-maker without extending beyond three years; most or all seem likely to be in the two-year range. If the aim is for a big one-year deal, Raisel Iglesias stands as an option.

On the trade front, the M’s could go any number of ways. No one was expecting them to trade for Jose A. Ferrer or Gregory Santos in recent offseasons, but that’s the sort of controllable arm Dipoto has pried loose when dealing for relief help.

As for the lineup needs, it’s only natural to covet multiple bats. The Mariners ranked 28th in the majors in runs scored, 16th in home runs, 29th in batting average, 21st in on-base percentage and 28th in slugging percentage. They were tied for the tenth-best walk rate in MLB but also the seventh-worst strikeout rate. All of that was with Randy Arozarena producing one of the best seasons of his career. He’s a free agent now, as is J.P. Crawford and his 13.1% walk rate.

Beyond Arozarena, corner bats on the open market include Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ and NPB star Teruaki Sato. Rebound candidates include Adolis Garcia, Trent Grisham, Cedric Mullins and Daulton Varsho. The trade market features names like Trevor Larnach, Jarren Duran and Teoscar Hernández, among others — at least, on the outfield side of things.

In the infield, there are ample questions. The organization hopes that top prospect Colt Emerson can be the shortstop of the future after signing an eight-year contract, but injuries didn’t give him a full chance to do so. He was placed on the IL mid-August and underwent season-ending wrist surgery not long after. Cole Young had a solid all-around season at second base but still has room to grow. Josh Naylor rebounded from a slow start to hit well over the final four-plus months. Brendan Donovan was injured more than he was healthy, leaving some doubts at the hot corner.

Dipoto’s mention of adding to the infield is likely both a nod to uncertainty at various positions and the flexibility provided by the versatile Donovan. If the opportunity to acquire a notable third baseman presents itself, Dipoto and his staff could pounce at that and push Donovan into left field work. He and Dominic Canzone would be in line to flank center fielder Julio Rodríguez. The third base market is thin — at least barring a run at international free agents like Sato and the KBO’s Si Hwan Roh. Again, the trade market presents innumerable opportunities, particularly since the Mariners may finally be amenable to dealing from their perennially enviable stock of rotation arms.

As can be seen in MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker, the Mariners have about $67MM committed to six players (Cal Raleigh, Seranthony Dominguez, Naylor, Emerson, Rodriguez, Muñoz). Their massive 14 arbitration-eligible players are projected for about $57MM, though there are some non-tender candidates in the group. Rounding out the roster with pre-arb players and accounting for some money on deferred signing bonuses and 2027 option buyouts bumps them to about $142.5MM in 2027 payroll projections — around $28MM shy of the point at which they ended the 2026 season. That leaves Dipoto some room, especially if he’s open to trading George Kirby (projected $9.8MM salary) or Logan Gilbert (projected $15.4MM), though their openness on either isn’t known.

Dodgers Claim Christian Cairo

Darragh McDonald — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 22:00:08 +0000

The Dodgers announced that they have claimed infielder Christian Cairo off waivers from the Mets. New York designated him for assignment last week. The Dodgers had three vacancies on their 40-man roster and don’t need to make a corresponding move.

The Mets claimed Cairo off waivers from the Phillies in September. He has not yet qualified for arbitration. Regardless, the Mets signed him to a split deal last week and then designated him for assignment later that day. The salary details of the contract have not been publicly reported.

It might seem strange to sign a player and then immediately cut him from the roster but it’s a strategy that has become somewhat common in recent years, with the Orioles being the club most frequently deploying it. The hope is that the player’s salary is high enough that other clubs will pass on putting in a waiver claim. The player will then stick around as non-roster depth. Even if he has the right to elect free agency, the guaranteed money on his deal will hopefully prevent him from doing so.

The best-case scenario for a move like this would be something like Ryan O’Hearn. The O’s sent him through waivers unclaimed in January of 2023. Baltimore got to keep him as depth while using that roster spot to pick up other players. O’Hearn eventually earned his way back onto the roster and was an above-average hitter for the 2023 to 2025 seasons. The O’s traded him and Ramón Laureano to the Padres at the 2025 deadline for six prospects.

Most cases like this won’t play out that way but clubs keep trying because the down payment is usually minimal, by baseball standards, while the payoff is potentially huge. The Mets have recently taken up the mantle of the club most aggressive in this area. They have given pre-arb deals to Cairo, Kyren Paris and Robert Stock this month. Stock is still on the roster but Cairo and Paris were designated for assignment last week.

In the case of Cairo, the Dodgers have swooped in to prevent the Mets from accomplishing their goal. Cairo hasn’t yet made his major league debut but teams are clearly intrigued by his work in the minors. Atlanta took him from Cleveland in the 2024 Rule 5 draft but he didn’t make the Opening Day roster in 2025 and was returned to the Guardians. He then got a minor league deal with an upward mobility clause with the Phillies going into 2026. The Phils gave him a roster spot at the end of spring training but kept him in the minors. He was put on waivers in September, which is when the Mets grabbed him.

Cairo’s offensive numbers on the farm don’t jump off the page. Over the past three years, he has a .236/.360/.318 line and 93 wRC+, but his 14.5% walk rate and 19.9% strikeout rate are both strong figures. If he could do a bit more damage when putting the ball in play, there is perhaps an extra gear in there. Defensively, Cairo is considered strong at shortstop. He also has experience at every other position on the diamond outside of the battery. He doesn’t need to hit much to be a useful utility piece.

He still has two options and could be kept in the minors. It also wouldn’t be a surprise if the Dodgers tried to put him back on waivers later in the winter. For now, he profiles as a depth infielder for Los Angeles. They have Mookie Betts at shortstop, Max Muncy at third and Freddie Freeman at first. Second base is a bit more open but the Dodgers have Tommy Edman, Alex Freeland and Hyeseong Kim as options there. If Cairo is still on the roster come spring, he could compete for a bench spot.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images

Latest On Emilio Pagán

Darragh McDonald — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 20:57:33 +0000

Right-hander Emilio Pagán recently turned down a $10MM player option with the Reds, thus becoming a free agent. Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Pagán already has a busy market and would prefer to sign before the lockout, so perhaps he will have a deal in place in the next few weeks.

Pagán turns 36 in May but it’s not surprising that he has a robust market. His 2026 season was okay if you look at the whole thing but he finished on quite a heater. On the whole, he tossed 42 2/3 innings with a 3.38 earned run average. He posted a 6.43 ERA through 14 innings before a hamstring strain put him on the injured list in May. He came off the IL in June and shoved through the rest of the season with a 1.88 ERA in 28 2/3 innings. He struck out 30.4% of opponents and only gave out walks at a 4.5% clip, both excellent figures.

After that showing, Pagán left $10MM on the table in search of more. His earning power is limited by his age but beating that number should be doable. MLBTR predicted Pagán to secure a two-year, $20MM deal this winter.

It wouldn’t be a shock if Pagán’s next deal was with the Reds, as his last two deals were with Cincinnati. Going into the 2024 season, the Reds gave him a two-year, $16MM deal, with the second year being a player option. It was a bit of a surprising pairing, as Pagán’s main issue in his career has been the long ball and Great American Ball Park is fairly hitter-friendly in that regard.

The first season didn’t go especially well, as Pagán made a couple of trips to the IL due to arm-related injuries and had a 4.50 ERA in 38 innings. He bounced back in 2025, with a 2.88 ERA in 68 2/3 innings. He returned to free agency but the Reds brought him back on another two-year deal with the second year being a player option. This time, the guarantee was bumped slightly to $20MM. As mentioned, Pagán pitched well enough to turn down the 2027 option.

Manager Terry Francona would clearly be pleased if a Pagán reunion could be worked out. “I’m not giving up on him coming back,” Francona said. “He has a right to test the market. But I don’t think it’s any secret how much I’ve enjoyed him, how much I respect him, how much I love him.”

The Reds and Pagán clearly like each other but a return to Cincinnati shouldn’t be considered a lock. Pagán’s numbers will surely get him interest from other clubs. The Reds, meanwhile, have needs beyond the bullpen. The rotation has Chase Burns up top but the rest of the group looks to be light with Hunter Greene likely to miss all of 2027 because of Tommy John surgery. The lineup has two really strong guys in Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart but the rest of the group is questionable.

MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker projects the Reds to spend about $89MM on next year’s club. That’s roughly $30MM shy of the $129MM they spent on the 2026 team. As Wittenmyer notes, the Reds already had $10MM budgeted for Pagán before knowing his decision on his contract. They could circle back to him on a deal with a similar salary and end up even. But they could also redirect some of that freed-up cash to other areas of the roster.

The bullpen certainly looks better with Pagán in it. At the moment, Tejay Antone and Graham Ashcraft are the only two somewhat established arms in the projected relief group. Antone just had a good season in 2026 but he hardly pitched from 2022 to 2025 due to a number of arm injuries and he turns 33 in December. Ashcraft is younger but a sprain of his UCL put him on the shelf for several months this year. He came off the IL before the season was done but walked 15.9% of the batters he faced in the innings he pitched around that IL stint. Upgrading the relief group should be on the agenda for the Reds this winter but they will have to decide which areas are top priorities with so many spots needing upgrades.

Some players might prefer to sign before that frosty winter arrives. Since Pagán appears to be one of them, it should be known in the next few weeks if he will return to Cincinnati or pitch somewhere else on his next deal.

Photo courtesy of Dale Zanine, Imagn Images

Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat, Today 2pm CT

Steve Adams — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 19:59:40 +0000

MLBTR’s Steve Adams is hosting a live chat today at 2pm CT, exclusively for Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers.

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

BENEFITS

Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
Remove ads and support our writers.
Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker

Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript

Steve Adams — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 19:59:40 +0000

Steve Adams

Good afternoon! I’ll get going at 2pm CT, but feel free to begin submitting questions at any point.
Hello! Let’s get underway

Arise, Sir Loin of Beef

Is Alec Bohm (other than being Alec Bohm) a fit for the Ments?

Steve Adams

I see Bohm being more a fit for them than vice versa … if that makes sense.Which is to say, I can absolutely see why they’d be interested in a righty-hitting corner infielder who beats up lefties. He’d pair with Jared Young nicely at 1B. Alternatively, they could use him in a de facto platoon with Brett Baty … Baty starts at 2B vs RHP, whereas it’s Bo Bichette at 2B against lefties with Bohm at third base.
From Bohm’s perspective though, he’s going to want to sign somewhere with a team that’ll just give him the 3B or 1B job outright. I don’t see the Mets doing that

cmac1973

Are you surprised we haven’t seen any major moves yet? The lockout is breathing down everyone’s neck.

RCAM

When do you think the dam will break on actual signings of significant players pre-lockout (or will it)?

Kevin

Will the GM meetings be a take off for trades of players who have multiple years of control remaining or will most teams scramble when a new agreement is in place? Also what are the chances a new deal is struck by March?

Steve Adams

Lots of “nothing happening yet” questions. I will say, broadly, this is par for the course. It’s easy to forget how glacial the first week-plus of free agency is. Everyone’s still talking with their own guys, feeling out the demands of QO free agents, etc. Even with the lockout looming, this was always going to be the case.I do think that with no Winter Meetings this year and the typically duller/more procedural GM Meetings kicking off today in Vegas, we could see some extra movement at the GM Meetings this week.
GM Meetings are often used as groundwork the lay the foundation for future deals — both trade and free agency. That’ll still be the case here, but I think the timelines across the board are going to be a bit accelerated, and gathering so many key front office personnel and player representatives in one place should shake out a few deals in the next couple days.

What are the chances of Bauers and B. Lowe returning to their 2026 teams?

Steve Adams

I think they can both trounce the QO value if they turn it down. I would say Bauers is likelier to accept his QO, just as a guy who was contemplating retirement not long ago and suddenly has more than 5x his to-date career earnings now dangled in front of him as a one-year deal to return to the club that saved his career/just won a World Series.
Personally, I still think both reject and sign elsewhere, but Bauers on just a human level feels like he’d have a better case to accept.Lowe already has more than $45MM banked and already signed one club-friendly deal.

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

BENEFITS

Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
Remove ads and support our writers.
Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker

Phillies Interested In Ha-Seong Kim

Darragh McDonald — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 19:50:32 +0000

The Phillies have some work to do with their infield and are interested in free agent Ha-Seong Kim, reports Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Salisbury mentions Mauricio Dubón as another free agent who would fit into Philadelphia’s plans but says Dubón is looking for a multi-year deal. The Phils are targeting a one-year bounceback candidate, making Kim a more likely fit.

There are many moving pieces on the dirt in Philly. In the first months of 2026, the club mostly had Alec Bohm at third base, Trea Turner at shortstop, Bryson Stott at second and Bryce Harper at first. They acquired Luis Arraez at the deadline and shuffled things around because Arraez wanted to stay at the keystone. Stott moved to third, Bohm to first and Harper to right field. But at the end of the season, Arraez, Bohm and utility player Edmundo Sosa all became free agents.

On top of that, Turner’s future is up in the air. He is still under contract but president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has said that Turner needs to improve defensively in order to stay at that position. Advanced defensive metrics were not kind to him in 2026. Outs Above Average had him eight below par, Fielding Run Value nine below and Defensive Runs Saved 17 under. The latter number was the worst in the majors for the position. Turner is now 33 years old and will turn 34 in June, so it will be a challenge for him to reverse course with those numbers.

Ideally, prospect Aidan Miller would be pushing Turner off the position by now, but that’s not the case. Back problems almost entirely wiped out Miller’s 2026. He did get into four games in September and he has added 15 more contests in the Arizona Fall League so far. After a mostly lost season, the Phillies will probably want to send him to Triple-A for more reps in 2027. At this point, his track record at the top minor league level consists of just eight games in 2025.

The Phillies don’t yet know if Miller is the long-term answer. They also have short-term questions with Turner’s struggles and Sosa’s departure. That’s where Kim could fit in. Kim has lots of shortstop experience and has generally been graded well there. He also has extensive experience at second or third base, meaning he could move around, if necessary.

The issue with Kim is that he is a few years removed from his best form. From 2022 to 2024, he got into 423 games for the Padres, hitting 39 home runs and stealing 72 bases. He slashed .250/.336/.385 for a 106 wRC+. FanGraphs credited him with 10.5 wins above replacement for that stretch, an average of more than three per year.

But that 2024 season was cut short when Kim tore the labrum in his right shoulder and required surgery. He hasn’t been able to bounce back in subsequent campaigns. In addition to his surgery rehab, he also missed time in 2025 due to calf and back problems. He only got into 48 games, split between Tampa and Atlanta, and hit .234/.304/.345 for and 83 wRC+.

Atlanta re-signed him for 2026, hoping that Kim could produce better results as he moved further away from his surgery. But even before the 2026 campaign began, Kim slipped on some ice in his native South Korea and tore a tendon in his right middle finger. That injury limited him to 51 games and an awful .116/.219/.140 line when he was able to take the field.

In theory, a healthy Kim could return to his 2022 to 2024 form but it’s a risk after two challenging years. He should be affordable. Last winter, he was able to get a one-year, $20MM contract. Now that he’s 31 years old and coming off a brutal 2026 season, he won’t get anywhere near that.

For Dubón, it makes sense that he would be looking to cash in by targeting a multi-year deal. He is now 32 years old and coming off a good season, so this is almost certainly his best chance to get the bag. MLBTR predicted he could secure a two-year pact worth $18MM this winter while noting that a three-year deal is also a possibility.

For the Phillies, it seems they would prefer to make a shorter commitment. Signing Kim would allow them to have a backup for shortstop, giving them some protection for continued struggles from Turner and/or Miller not stepping up to take the job. In theory, if all three of those players are going well, things could be moved around to make it work. Stott could play either second or third, depending on how the offseason goes for the Phils. Turner, Miller or Kim could cover shortstop or move to second or third, if needed. It’s also possible Turner ends up getting some outfield work.

The club could then reassess their options going into 2028. By then, Miller’s long-term status might have more clarity, while prospects such as Bryan Rincon or Aroon Escobar might have debuted. Stott will be heading into free agency after 2027. If Kim or someone else were signed to a one-year deal, that would be another departure. Turner is signed through 2033 but it’s unclear where his long-term defensive home is. If it’s not Kim, re-signing Sosa or someone like Isiah Kiner-Falefa could fill a similar role.

A bolder shortstop move doesn’t really exist in free agency if the Phils don’t want to commit to Dubón. The trade market could feature Jeremy Peña or Zach Neto but it’s unclear if those players are even available and the Phillies might not want to commit huge resources to the position when they already have Turner signed and Miller waiting in the wings. Going for a budget option here could leave them more powder dry to address the outfield and bullpen.

Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images

Marlins Interested In Adrian Morejon, Alex Vesia, Sean Newcomb

Mark Polishuk — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 18:20:55 +0000

A recent report from the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson indicated that the Marlins were looking for upgrades to the rotation, bullpen, and at least one of the corner infield or outfield situations. Adding some further context, Kevin Barral of Fish On First writes that the team would prefer to bring in a right-handed bat and left-handed pitchers. This makes sense given that the Marlins already have a good number of lefty hitters, and an overload of right-handed pitching. Cade Gibson and prospect Dax Fulton are the only healthy southpaws on the 40-man roster, as Robby Snelling and Andrew Nardi (a non-tender candidate) are recovering from internal brace surgeries.

To this end, Barral lists Adrian Morejon, Alex Vesia, and Sean Newcomb as left-handed bullpen targets on Miami’s wishlist. The trio in general covers a broad range of possibilities for the Marlins’ winter shopping, and while Morejon is in a tier by himself, Barral notes that Vesia is favored over Newcomb.

Morejon landing with the Marlins would count as a big surprise, as it would surely require owner Bruce Sherman to make his biggest free agent expenditure since buying the team over nine years ago. Avisail Garcia’s four-year, $53MM contract represents the biggest free agent deal of the Sherman era. Over the three seasons Peter Bendix has been Miami’s president of baseball operations, Pete Fairbanks’ one-year, $13MM deal from last winter represents the club’s high-water mark in free agent spending.

By contrast, MLB Trade Rumors predicted Morejon to land a five-year, $80MM deal, with the southpaw landing eighth on our ranking of the offseason’s top 50 free agents. Morejon and David Bednar are universally seen as the best relievers in this year’s free agent class, and while Morejon lacks Bednar’s track record as a closer, Morejon is more than four years younger and has been an elite setup man out of the Padres’ bullpen over the last three years.

Even if Morejon is more of a due-diligence exploration for the Marlins, the fact that he is on the radar at all is an interesting sign that the Fish could be ready to stretch their payroll. “Stretch” is a relative term here, as Miami’s approximate $83.2MM payroll (as can be seen in MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker) in 2026 was the second-lowest in baseball, and only around $79.25MM is on the books for 2027. Not a single player is under contract beyond 2027, so the Marlins have tons of room for a big contract if Sherman is ready to open the checkbook.

Ongoing collective bargaining talks play a role here. If the owners get their wish of a salary cap and a related salary floor, the Marlins would have to more than double their payroll to reach the floor projection in the league’s most recent proposal. Sherman and Bendix could be considering a Morejon pursuit in advance of a possible floor, though that would hinge on the MLBPA backing down from their decades-long hard stance against any sort of salary ceiling.

In a more direct baseball sense, the Marlins might also want to spend for the simpler reason that their roster might be ready to break out as a legitimate contender for a playoff spot. Despite the reduced budget in Miami’s latest rebuild, the team has been respectable over the last two seasons, winning 79 games in 2025 and 80 games in 2026.

As opposed to Morejon’s price tag, Barral notes that Vesia and Newcomb “more comfortably fit within Miami’s price range.” Vesia ranked 27th on the top 50 list and was predicted to sign a two-year, $26MM contract on the heels of six seasons as a reliable set-up man for the Dodgers. As noted earlier, even this projected deal would count as a major splurge by the Marlins’ standards.

Though Bendix has greatly overhauled the Marlins’ front office during his tenure, there might still be some institutional familiarity with Vesia, who was a 17th-round pick for Miami in 2018. Vesia made his MLB debut in the form of 4 1/3 innings over five games for the 2020 Marlins, and was then traded along with Kyle Hurt to Los Angeles in February 2021 for reliever Dylan Floro, who posted decent results over parts of the next three seasons for Miami. Manager Clayton McCullough should be plenty familiar with Vesia after his time on the Dodgers’ coaching staff.

Newcomb’s production has been up and down over his 10 MLB seasons, but his solid work with the Red Sox and Athletics in 2025 paid off with a one-year, $4.5MM contract with the White Sox last winter. The left-hander performed well again in 2026, posting a 3.09 ERA, 22.6% strikeout rate, 44.4% grounder rate, and 9.1% walk rate over 90 1/3 innings for Chicago. He chipped in a 2.57 ERA over seven postseason innings. Newcomb frequently worked as a multi-inning reliever, with six pseudo-starts as an opener or the front end of a piggyback situation.

The Marlins’ closer position is wide open. Any of Michael Petersen, Calvin Faucher, Ronny Henriquez, Anthony Bender, or others could battle for the job in spring training. Bringing another pitcher with closing experience is certainly another possibility, and presumably Miami would install Morejon in that role if he signed, even though Morejon has only eight career saves. Vesia likewise could get a look at closer but seems like more of a setup type, while Newcomb would likely be used again as a swingman or in a multi-inning capacity.

In terms of the rotation, Barral writes that the Marlins have “cast a wide net” in their explorations to date. He mentions Dustin May and Patrick Sandoval as names for Marlins fans to monitor. It’s unclear if there have been firm talks with either pitcher to date, but their mention suggests an interest in starters who can be had on short-term commitments.

Cardinals Interested In Reunion With JoJo Romero

Charlie Wright — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 17:13:42 +0000

After shipping him to Milwaukee at the trade deadline, the Cardinals have interest in bringing back left-hander JoJo Romero, reports Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Romero was a crucial cog in a Brewers’ bullpen that dominated en route to a title.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images

Guardians Sign Antoine Kelly To Minor League Deal

Steve Adams — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 16:40:51 +0000

The Guardians announced Monday that they’ve signed left-hander Antoine Kelly to a minor league contract and invited him to major league spring training. The Bledsoe Agency client made his big league debut with the Cubs this past season.

Kelly, not to be confused with Pirates left-handed pitching prospect Antwone Kelly, pitched just 1 1/3 innings in his first call the majors. The 26-year-old (27 in December) held the Yankees scoreless in that one-off appearance. Kelly spent the remainder of the 2026 season pitching with the Triple-A affiliates for the Cubs and Dodgers, combining for 50 2/3 innings with a 4.62 ERA, 23.7% strikeout rate and sky-high 16.7% walk rate.

That gives Kelly parts of four seasons at the Triple-A level. He hasn’t fared well there, logging a 5.82 ERA in 120 2/3 innings. Kelly’s 23.5% strikeout rate in that time is respectable, but he’s been his own worst enemy far too often, evidenced by a bloated 16.6% walk rate.

It’s not the most alluring track record, but Kelly is a former second-round pick (No. 65 overall to the Brewers in 2019) who has previously drawn praise for a dominant fastball/slider pairing that could make him an elite reliever if he could even get his command up from its currently dismal levels to merely below-average.

Kelly has pitched for five organizations already. Cleveland will be his sixth. None of the Brewers, Rangers, Rockies, Dodgers or Cubs have been unable to fully unlock the 6’5″ southpaw’s latent potential. Some of those clubs — Milwaukee and L.A., in particular — have a notable track record of helping coax new levels of performance out of talented but flawed pitchers. It hasn’t come together for Kelly just yet, but the Guards themselves have a pretty good track record on this front. Kelly has a minor league option remaining, so if he’s added to the Guardians’ 40-man roster at any point, he can be shuttled between Cleveland and Columbus for one more season before he’d have to stick in the majors for good.

Cubs Unlikely To Pursue Tarik Skubal

Steve Adams — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 16:02:05 +0000

The Cubs have the biggest rotation need of any ostensible contender as we enter the 2026-27 offseason, but having the biggest need apparently doesn’t entail pursuing the biggest name on the market. Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports that the Cubs will surely check in but aren’t planning to be real bidders for two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal.

While Chicago, in theory, should be able to spend with the top teams in the league, that’s never been the playbook for the Ricketts family ownership group. The Cubs have never given out a contract larger than Jason Heyward’s $184MM deal, which is now nearly 11 years old. The team is particularly cautious when it comes to pitching contracts. Jon Lester’s six-year, $155MM deal from the 2014-15 offseason is the largest in franchise history, and Yu Darvish’s six-year, $126MM is the only other $100MM+ contract the Cubs have given to a pitcher.

Skubal, of course, is going to breeze well beyond all of those contracts. It’s all but assumed he’ll break Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s $325MM record for a pitcher — the primary question is one of “by how much” he’ll do so and not one of whether he’ll reach those heights at all.

Beyond the fact that Skubal is going to be way north of the Cubs’ typical comfort zone, Chicago has such a wide-ranging need that dedicating so many of their resources to one arm could be limiting. The Cubs could saw all of Matthew Boyd, Clay Holmes, Kevin Gausman, Shota Imanaga, David Peterson and Colin Rea reach free agency following the season. Justin Steele hasn’t pitched since April 2025 due to UCL surgery and some slower-than-expected progress on his rehab. Cade Horton had UCL surgery this past April. Ben Brown and Edward Cabrera had injury troubles throughout the season.

With so many arms needed to round out the rotation, it seems the Cubs will look to diversify their investment over several arms rather than make a run at one premier starter who’d leave them top-heavy. Of course, the Cubs could certainly afford to add Skubal and bring in another free agent and/or some help from the trade market. Young infielders Matt Shaw and Pedro Ramirez have both been frequently speculated trade candidates, and either could help the Cubs land a controllable, pre-arbitration arm.

The Cubs have $110.25MM on next year’s books in terms of guaranteed contracts and option buyouts (as you can see in MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker). That doesn’t include a 11-player arbitration class, which MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects to cost a combined $28.3MM. Add in a handful of pre-arbitration players to round out the roster, and the Cubs are still shy of $150MM in their projected payroll for next year. Considering that they finished the 2026 campaign just under $250MM in actual cash payroll, there’s a lot of room with which to work.

Looking longer-term, the books aren’t too crowded but do have some hefty commitments. Alex Bregman is owed $140MM across the next four seasons, although $55MM of that sum is deferred. Nico Hoerner’s six-year, $141MM extension ($10MM of which is deferred) begins next season. Dansby Swanson still has three years and $78MM on his contract, and likely NL MVP Pete Crow-Armstrong’s six-year, $115MM extension goes into effect in 2027. That quartet gives the Cubs $92.5MM on in guaranteed money already on the 2029 books (albeit with $17.5MM deferred). Adding a $40MM+ salary for Skubal would ramp that up quickly and still leave the Cubs with several holes to fill.

Exactly what form the Cubs’ pitching pursuit takes can’t yet be known, but it sounds like a volume-based approach is in order. Sharma writes that names like Michael King and Adrian Morejon could wind up exceeding the team’s comfort level from a pricing standpoint, but whoever they target, the Cubs will be in on grounder- and/or strikeout-heavy pitchers of that profile in order to maximize the team’s dominant infield defense while ideally scaling back on home runs allowed.

Two of the Cubs’ own free agents — Holmes and Peterson — have the top two grounder rates among this year’s class of free agent starters. In the bullpen, lefty Tim Hill and Morejon lead the way, though veterans like Jonathan Loaisiga, JoJo Romero and Ryan Thompson all have ground-ball rates north of 50%. David Bednar, like Morejon, would check both the grounder and strikeout boxes. He’s also expected to be nearly as expensive as Morejon — likely something valued in the range of $15-18MM annually over three to four years. The Cubs typically haven’t been willing to commit multiple years to free agent relievers, though they reportedly made a big bid for Tanner Scott a couple offseasons back and did sign Phil Maton for two years last winter. That Maton contract was the first multi-year deal they’d given to a reliever since Craig Kimbrel in 2019, however.

Skubal, 30 later this month, carries a 2.47 ERA, 31.1% strikeout rate, 4.5% walk rate and 44.3% grounder rate across his past 626 1/3 big league innings. He won the American League Cy Young Award in both 2024 and 2025. MLBTR predicted a nine-year, $425MM contract for him last week as part of our annual Top 50 Free Agent rankings.

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

Darragh McDonald — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 15:06:58 +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 offseason is here. Do you have a question about a team’s approach this winter? A notable free agent? 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: GM Meetings, Offseason Outlooks, Tigers

Charlie Wright — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 14:51:41 +0000

Our This Day in Baseball tool is a handy resource for finding the biggest stories from previous years. During the week of the GM Meetings in 2024, for example, it was revealed that Mets owner Steve Cohen had a sit-down lined up with Juan Soto and agent Scott Boras. That conversation ended up going pretty well for the Mets.

1. GM Meetings kick off

Executives from around the league are heading to Las Vegas today for the GM Meetings. The discussions will run through Thursday. The event typically skews more toward information gathering and rubbing elbows, but the potential loss of the Winter Meetings with a possible lockout in December could spur more actual activity. The meetings mark the debuts of Randy Flores and Taylor Smith as lead executives. Flores and Smith are running the Astros and Athletics, respectively.

2. Offseason Outlook series is complete

As we head into the GM Meetings, it’s a good time to brush up on your team’s needs this winter. Our massive Offseason Outlook series just finished. Entries for each team can be found on this landing page. The Offseason Outlooks include payroll considerations, roster needs, front office tendencies, and more factors that will shape the plans for every club heading into the 2027 campaign. This content is exclusive to Trade Rumors Front Office subscribers.

3. Tigers have scouted multiple NPB players

Evan Petzold reported on Sunday that the Tigers have scouted Teruaki Sato and Kaima Taira. The pair is coming over from Japan along with Hiromi Itoh. All three are expected to garner significant interest on the free agent market. Taira makes sense for a Detroit rotation that limped to the finish line in 2026. The club traded away Tarik Skubal and got minimal contributions from Jack Flaherty and Justin Verlander. Framber Valdez is the only experienced starter on the roster right now. Sato would likely be an offensive upgrade over Colt Keith at third base, though he’d add another left-handed bat to a lineup that already leans that way.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images

Reviewing Fun With Tiny Sample Sizes — Pitcher Edition 2026

Mike Podhorzer — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 13:30:55 +0000

How'd these pitchers perform the rest of the season?

Source

Looking For A Match In A Steven Kwan Trade

Mark Polishuk — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 05:26:31 +0000

“As we sit here today, we’re expecting Steven Kwan to be a big part of a contending team next year,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti told reporters during the team’s season wrap-up press conference after the ALCS. This was something less than a confirmation that Kwan will be back with the Guards in 2027, and it could indeed be that Kwan’s “contending team” plays somewhere other than Cleveland.

The Guardians have made a habit of winning without much offense in recent years, and the club’s collective 97 wRC+ (ranking 22nd in baseball) in 2026 was no exception. Trading one of their most dependable hitters therefore doesn’t make too much sense on paper for the Guardians, especially when the outfield in particular has been a weak link, and Kwan adds a ton of defensive value beyond his contributions at the plate.

That said, trading an increasingly expensive veteran a year or two prior to free agency has long been a favored tactic of the Guardians’ front office (not to mention other consistently small-market teams like the Brewers or Rays). Kwan is projected to earn $11.3MM in his final season of arbitration eligibility, before he is slated to hit the open market next winter. Unless Kwan is open to a very team-friendly extension a la Jose Ramirez, chances are Kwan will be playing for another team by 2028 anyway, so trading him now would allow Cleveland to again restock the roster for both 2027 and the future.

Even as the Guardians have been in playoff contention, there has already been a lot of trade buzz surrounding Kwan in the past couple of years. The Phillies, Padres, Dodgers, Blue Jays, and Reds were all reportedly interested in Kwan at the 2025 trade deadline, so Antonetti and company might already have an idea of what suitors are willing to offer for the two-time All-Star. MLB Trade Rumors ranked Kwan 11th on our list of the offseason’s top 40 candidates.

It is also worth noting that Kwan’s bat has been somewhat inconsistent. Kwan posted a 122 wRC+ in his 2022 rookie season, but subsequently delivered a 99 wRC+ in 2023, a 130 wRC+ in 2024, a 98 wRC+ in 2025, and then a 114 wRC+ this year. Even in 2026, Kwan had a Jekyll-and-Hyde season — he had an ugly .614 OPS over his first 354 plate appearances, but then rebounded for an .875 OPS in his 283 PA after the All-Star break.

This streaky hitting is perhaps par for the course for a player who makes very little hard contact and hits for very little power. Kwan’s game is built around taking walks (and his 13.3% walk rate in 2026 was a career high) and putting the ball in play almost as often as any player in baseball. Apart from the offensive skillset, Kwan won four Gold Gloves for his elite work in left field from 2022-25, and he delivered more strong glovework in both left and center field in 2026 when the Guards basically split Kwan’s time between the two positions.

The looming lockout adds another wrinkle to Cleveland’s plans, and perhaps adds to the possibility that Kwan might not be dealt at all. According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, rival teams could be “unlikely” to trade prospects prior to December 1 for players with only one year of team control, simply because a lengthy lockout could cut into the 2027 season itself.

One work-around for clubs like the Guardians would be to offer Kwan for another player with one year of control, in more of a classic need-for-need baseball trade than as a way of amassing younger talent. Since this doesn’t meet the Guardians’ preferred model of deals, the Guards could prefer to just keep Kwan at least through a lockout, and see how things stand once the offseason eventually gets back underway.

With all of this in mind, let’s break down the other 29 teams to see who lines up best as a possible Kwan suitor…

Not Likely

The Rockies and Angels are rebuilding. The Cardinals and Nationals performed better than expected in what was expected to be a rebuilding year in 2026, but acquiring Kwan doesn’t really fit what either team is planning for 2027. The Guardians probably wouldn’t automatically hang up the phone if the Royals, Twins, Tigers, or White Sox came calling on Kwan, but barring a real knockout offer, it’s hard to imagine Cleveland moving Kwan to a division rival.

The Brewers have Jackson Chourio and Garrett Mitchell in left and center, so the World Series champs have no real need for Kwan. The A’s have Tyler Soderstrom in left field and Henry Bolte and Denzel Clarke in center field, plus the Athletics have a much bigger need for pitching help. The Red Sox also have a loaded outfield in Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu, and if anything, will be looking to trade from their outfield mix by moving Jarren Duran. The Mets have Juan Soto, Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing as their starting outfield, and moving Soto into a full-time DH role to accommodate Kwan probably isn’t happening.

The Past Trade Suitors

Of the five teams previously linked to Kwan, two seem less likely to keep exploring a trade. Josue De Paula’s emergence is only further crowding the Dodgers’ outfield, to the point that Teoscar Hernandez is another plausible outfield trade chip as the team looks to create lineup space for De Paula. The Reds could badly use Kwan to help stabilize their shaky outfield, but giving up a significant trade package for a player with one year of control might not align with Cincinnati’s own approach as a lower-spending team.

The Blue Jays could use Kwan in either left or center field, if Anthony Santander is kept as a primary DH or Brett Bateman is used more in a part-time role than as an everyday outfielder. Toronto figures to be exploring the outfield market but might prefer a slugger, given how the Jays lacked in the power department last year. The Phillies have power but need more contact from their lineup, and Kwan is a big defensive upgrade to Philadelphia’s outfield, so Brandon Marsh or Justin Crawford could be moved over to right field to accommodate Kwan. The Padres have a big hole to fill in left field and Kwan would be an ideal fit.

Swinging a deal for Kwan is absolutely within the purview for any of these latter three teams, who are in clear win-now mode. For what it’s worth, Antonetti has completed multiple trades with both Padres president of baseball ops A.J. Preller and Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins over the years.

Other Candidates

Astros: The Astros are badly in need of both outfielders and left-handed hitters. Yordan Alvarez is provisionally projected for left field duty given Houston’s infield surplus, but it is way more likely that the slugger is more or less an everyday DH. Of the Astros’ infielders, Jeremy Pena is also a free agent after 2027 but the Astros have no obvious way of replacing Pena at shortstop unless Carlos Correa is moved back to the position. That means a fun Pena-for-Kwan deal probably isn’t realistic, but could a trade involving Kwan and Isaac Paredes be a possibility?

Braves: Mike Yastrzemski and Jurickson Profar are lined up for platoon duty in left field, except Yaz struggled in 2026 and Profar missed the entire season on a PED suspension. Since it’s possible Profar could be released entirely, acquiring Kwan makes sense for the Braves as a way to stabilize left field, as Yastrzemski could then be used in right field whenever Ronald Acuna Jr. needs a DH day.

Cubs: Pete Crow-Armstrong has center field locked up in Wrigleyville, but the left field spot is wide open since Ian Happ is a free agent. With Seiya Suzuki also hitting the open market, Chicago is expected to use Matt Shaw for one corner outfield vacancy, but if both Happ and Suzuki leave, bringing a veteran like Kwan on board is a logical move that will keep the Cubs’ elite defense in place.

Diamondbacks: Arizona has a stated need for left-handed hitting. Lars Nootbaar is lined up as the regular left fielder but could be moved to DH, or Kwan could play center field. The D’Backs want to find at-bats for Jordan Lawlar and Ryan Waldschmidt, but the open DH spot gives the team some flexibility in pursuing someone like Kwan, if a trade can be worked out with Cleveland.

Giants: Casey Schmitt and Drew Gilbert project as the regulars in left and center field, assuming Marcelo Mayer plays well enough at second base to keep Schmitt in a corner outfield role. It’s not the greatest of combinations and Kwan would certainly be a big upgrade, but the Giants may be more apt to spend their trade capital to address larger needs on the pitching staff. San Francisco has been unwilling to invest heavily in pitching, so if the team prefers to acquire arms via trade, the Giants could spend on a bigger free agent bat in the outfield.

Mariners: Returning to Morosi’s report, would something like a Kwan-for-Logan Gilbert deal make sense? Gilbert’s projected arb salary of $15.4MM is higher than Kwan’s, but he’d be a high-end way for the Guardians to bolster an already-strong rotation. Realistically, Gilbert is less of a fit for Cleveland than Kwan would be for Seattle, as left fielder Randy Arozarena is expected to leave in free agency.

Marlins: Kwan would be a nice add for a club looking for corner outfield options, plus Kwan can fill in as a center fielder since Jakob Marsee is expected to miss some time early in the season while he recovers from internal brace surgery. The Marlins have been a borderline contender in each of the last two seasons but making a trade for an All-Star player with one year of team control might not be something the club is ready or willing to do just yet.

Orioles: Baltimore is in the awkward position of being a little crowded in terms of position players, but with a lot of uncertainty about basically the entire group save for Pete Alonso. To this end, the O’s are reportedly open to at least discussing everyone but Alonso, which opens the door for the Guardians and other teams to explore all manner of interesting trade possibilities. Acquiring Kwan would make for a first-choice outfield entirely comprised of left-handed hitters (with Kwan joining Colton Cowser and Dylan Beavers), but that might be a secondary concern for the Orioles behind the bigger-picture desire to improve their average

MLBTR Chat Transcript

Mark Polishuk — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 03:50:09 +0000

Mark P

Welcome to the Weekend Chat! We’ll get to it in a minute, once a few questions start piling up…

CASHMAN

How fast do I sign Bednar and Morejan?

Mark P

You’d think the Yankees would have a strong interest in a reunion with Bednar, first and foremost. So he might be the priority over any other major bullpen additions, but Morejon will certainly also be on NY’s radar.Heavily investing in two top-tier relievers makes sense given the team’s needs, though I think it’s likelier that the Yankees spend big on one reliever and then make lower-level spends or swings trades to fill out the rest of the pen

Chev Chelios

Harrison Bader for Danny Jansen, who says no?

Mark P

Texas. Bader is a bigger question mark health-wise, and catcher is a harder position to fill if Jansen is moved.

Grizzled Righthander

Are there “confidence-building” items that MLB and MLBPA could agree on, or is the first stage of this all muscle?

Mark P

This isn’t really publicized much, but the two sides are regularly meeting, and will continue negotiating right up until the CBA expires. None of the big-picture details will be settled, of course, but some lower-level items that aren’t directly related to the idea of a salary cap, player movement, etc. might’ve already been agreed upon, for all we know.

Florida Braves fan

assuming that he was in the trade market, would you consider a trade for Ketel Marte of Gunner Henderson for the Braves? I know especially with Marte, there would have to be talks about salary the dbacks would have to take on and all, but assuming itx

Mark P

From a pure baseball standpoint, I’d want Marte because he’s a more proven talent. But overall, I’d prefer Henderson because he’s younger, cheaper, doesn’t have a no-trade clause, and lacks the off-the-field controversy that Marte brings.

Bernie Brewer

Do the Brewers go against past precedent and extend Contreras? Do they have unexpected additional funds further their extended playoff / WS run?

Mark P

At the very least, I suspect there’s very little chance Contreras is dealt this offseason. Whether that means the Brewers are open to an extension or they’ll just keep him for another run in 2027 and let him walk next winter remains to be seen.
The extra money from the playoff run certainly helps, but the Brewers might prefer to use that bonus revenue towards extending their next young cornerstone (i.e. Jesus Made) rather than investing in a veteran catcher, even one as important to the organization as Contreras

Atkins

Do I have the money to sign two outfielders? I’m thinking Seiya and Sato. Japan north so to speak

Mark P

Broadly speaking, I think the Jays “have the money” for all sorts of bold moves. Ownership is willing to spend, the team is desperate to win, and some extra reinforcements might be viewed as necessary in the wake of 2026’s disappointment

Zach

Will Evan Carter be moved uf the Rangers get a good enough offer?

Mark P

Depends on what “good enough” means, but if Texas gets a decent offer for an oft-injured player who has just had a hip surgery, I don’t think they’d say no.
Not to say that Carter still can’t break out, but the Rangers know his medicals better than anyone. If the Rangers have doubts about his long-term viability, trading him now while he still has some value or sell-high buzz makes sense.But, given that hip surgery, Carter’s trade value is very low right now

Ryan

What’s in store for the Phillies? They have an aging roster and needs at 3B, OF, and RP. Do they go after the bigger names or stick with internal promotions and lower level additions?

Mark P

The minor league system is pretty bare in terms of guys who can provide immediate help. Miller is closest but he’s a question mark after missing so much of 2026 on the injured list.Just lower-level additions doesn’t feel like it would be enough to patch over an increasing number of glaring holes. The Phillies are still a good team as currently comprised, but short of being a real World Series contender due to the needs you mentioned. Making more big moves and spending more money is a little dangerous if this team has already missed its window, but Dombrowski may have no other choice

Stan Musial

Will the Cardinals sign a free agent pitcher

Mark P

Yep! Nobody big, but another version of last year’s Dustin May signing. Maybe even literally Dustin May himself again.

Guest

Would G Kirby net Acuna?

Mark P

Not in a one-for-one swap. This would be an intriguing starting point for some kind of a multi-player deal, but moving Acuna would leave Atlanta even thinner in the outfield.

David Stearns

Would it make any sense for the A’s and Mets to swap Luis Severino and Jorge Polanco in a change-of-scenery deal? Severino is two seasons removed from a workhorse season with the Mets, Polanco is one season removed from a strong showing in the AL West, and salary is a wash…

Mark P

The A’s need pitching a lot more than they need a veteran stopgap at second base. An infielder can be found on the cheap.
Severino is an imperfect answer in Sacramento, but who isn’t?

Harley

Who do you think ends up being the Red sox starting shortstop Franklin Arias or someone outside of the team such as Elly or C J Abrams.

Mark P

“Am I a joke to you?” — Trevor StoryArias being the Opening Day starter wouldn’t shock me, but don’t forget about Story still being under contract. Either of these options seem more likely than a blockbuster deal for Elly (which would have to involve Arias anyway, surely) or going with a real defensive question mark in Abrams.

Romaine Lettuce

The Cardinals have plenty of payroll flexibility. Would they consider taking on Ryan McMahon’s salary for a stop-gap platoon role at 3rd if the Yankees threw in a low-level pitching prospect?

Mark P

McMahon is owed $16MM next year. The Cardinals will want a better prospect than just a lower-level arm if they’re agreeing to eat all that money.

JDB

Brent Rooker for Bello who says no?

Mark P

As the guy who wrote the A’s offseason outlook, I noted Bello and other Red Sox pitchers as potential trade candidates, just because of the Taylor Smith connection and how new GMs often swing deals with their old organizations. Bello would make a lot of sense for the A’s in particular since he’s a groundball pitcher.Moving Rooker is a pretty interesting idea, but if you’re the Red Sox, Rooker’s last two seasons are a big red flag.

Guest

Will Kanzler be a good hire?

Mark P

Maybe? Impossible to say right now.The online buzz from Mariners fans hasn’t been positive, perhaps because they expected an experienced manager (or because they’re just so disgruntled about the front office in the wake of the 2026 season). But for all we know, Kanzler is the next great manager who is just now getting his first chance.

I understand that there are a lot of unknowns with the Angels this off-season. But why are the Angels not really being mentioned to any of the top relievers? When building a Bullpen should be their top priority?

Mark P

I mean, their “top priority” is finding a GM and manager once the sale is approved. Even then, they’ve got bigger roster needs than the pen, which figures to be more of a back-burner issue for a non-contender.

Mehts

Kwan seems like a perfect fit for the Rays.

Mark P

Wouldn’t surprise me at all if Tampa swung a deal for him, definitely

Have NYY ever considered Stanton at 1b?

Mark P

Hey, it’s a Stanton question on his birthday!Stanton just turned 37, has a litany of lower-body injuries over his career, and he has never played even a single game at first base in his pro career. I don’t want to use the “tell ’em, Wash….” line here, but…

Ryan S

Better fit for STL, Bohm or Crawford?

Mark P

Crawford, as I just think he’s a better player

Mike

Loaded veterans ballot. Who gets in?

Mark P

My assumption is that Baker and Bochy are locks. Piniella, Maddon, Sabean, Alderson, and Bill White will get a lot of votes. Ted Turner is the least-likeliest to get in, in my view, but he won’t get shut out on the ballot.Beyond the top two, the sheer number of other good candidates might create enough of a logjam and it’s just Baker and Bochy getting 75 percent of the ballot
Jayson Stark pointed out in a recent column that voters might take a strategic element to their ballot. If someone thinks Bochy/Baker are locks, they could use their three votes elsewhere, so other candidates can either get over the line, or at least amass enough votes for consideration on the next veterans’ committee ballot for execs and managers

Mahle and Gray to ATL?

Mark P

Distinct possibility. Braves are a very popular pick for Gray’s next team due to proximity to his Nashville home, and Mahle has stated he’d love to return.
The ripple effect of signing these two is that the Braves would then perhaps feel safer in dangling a depth arm or two in trade talks.

OriolesFanHere

What do you think the off-season has in store for Baltimore

Mark P

The O’s might be an underrated choice as busiest team of the offseason. I wouldn’t be shocked if they swung some huge blockbuster like moving Henderson or something, and a big signing can’t be ruled out in a world where the team has shown they’re willing to invest in a name free agent (i.e. Alonso)

Tony

Would the Red Sox be ill advised to package Arias in a deal for a slugger and further deplete their farm system?

Mark P

I don’t think there’s any chance Arias is dealt unless it’s for an absolutely premium star like Elly. As noted earlier, Arias could viably be in Boston’s Opening Day lineup.

Kanzler

Will I successfully lobby for the M’s to add familiar pieces from the Astros or Cubs?

Mark P

I’d be stunned if the pitching-needy Cubs weren’t already in touch with the M’s about their starters well before Kanzler’s hiring. Trades between the Astros and Mariners will be tougher to swing due to the division rivalry alone.

Gary Templeton

Any chance we’ll ever compare the 27′ Yankees to the 27′ Yankees?

Mark P

(mind blown)Is it just me, or is it going to be very weird to one day refer to this decade as “the 20’s”?

RoxTalks

Re: Mahle and Gray. Braves can’t be dangling arms after the amount of their rotation injuries in recent years right?

Mark P

The “you can never have too much pitching” argument is totally valid. And the surplus that the Braves would technically have could be mitigated by putting guys into the bullpen, or keeping Fuentes in the pen.

Challengeinthe4th

Padres-Rockies-Rays whose the first to win their first WS?

Mark P

Mariners fans just irate at this comment, haha
Who will be the next first-time World Series winner?

Mariners (18.1% | 99 votes)

Padres (35.7% | 195 votes)

Rays (42.3% | 231 votes)

Rockies (3.6% | 20 votes)

Total Votes: 545

Gregg

Paul Toboni has already made a bunch of minor moves this offseason, do you believe t

MLBTR Live Chat

Mark Polishuk — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 01:33:09 +0000

Click here to submit questions and follow along with tonight’s live baseball chat

Tigers Scouted Teruaki Sato, Kaima Taira; Showed Past Interest In Shota Imanaga

Mark Polishuk — Sun, 08 Nov 2026 22:42:11 +0000

The Tigers are among the many MLB teams who have scouted Teruaki Sato and Kaima Taira, Evan Petzold reports in a YouTube video exploring several potential targets for the Tigers this winter. Petzold notes Shota Imanaga as a possible rotation addition, with the added detail that Imanaga drew interest from Detroit when the left-hander made his own jump from Japan to the majors during the 2023-24 offseason.

Framber Valdez’s three-year, $115MM contract (which has an opt-out after the 2027 season) is far and away the largest free agent deal the Tigers have completed under president of baseball operations Scott Harris. Detroit’s two-year, $35MM deal with Jack Flaherty from the 2024-25 offseason is second on that list, and while the Tigers have explored larger splurges on such players as Alex Bregman, Harris has been pretty steadfast in his approach of limiting the club’s forays into the open market.

MLB Trade Rumors projects Sato for a five-year, $80MM deal this winter, Taira for a four-year, $72MM deal (with at least one opt-out), and Imanaga for two years and $40MM. Estimates for players coming from NPB to MLB are sometimes particularly difficult to predict, but if these projections hold, Imanaga might be the cleanest financial fit for a Detroit club that is wary of free agent spending. If Imanaga is still on the Tigers’ radar as a potential add as he enters his age-33 season, the Tigers have more data on what to expect based on the southpaw’s three years in the Show.

Imanaga’s spectacular rookie year remains the best of his three MLB seasons, though his 2026 campaign saw him come close to replicating his 2024 numbers in terms of strikeout rate. Imanaga posted a 3.77 ERA, above-average 24.6% strikeout rate, and an elite 5.2% walk rate over 174 1/3 innings for the Cubs last year, but his inability to keep the ball in the yard (35 homers allowed) remains his greatest flaw.

Perhaps the simplest answer to this problem is to change yards, as Petzold points out that Fifth Third Park is much more pitcher-friendly than Wrigley Field. Signing Imanaga would bring some experience to a projected rotation that is pretty short on veteran know-how, apart from Valdez.

Taira obviously lacks any MLB track record, and he doesn’t have much of a resume as a starting pitcher, as 2023 and 2026 were his only seasons as a full-time starter with the Seibu Lions. Still, he was excellent in those two seasons, and is coming to the majors at 27 years old. Some evaluators have questioned if Taira’s 5’8″ frame will hold up as a starting pitcher over the long term, but Petzold observes that this might not be as big a problem for a Tigers team that could also use a lot of bullpen help.

The questions about Sato’s defensive future might also not be much of an issue in Detroit. He could be installed at third base (with Colt Keith then shifted over to first or second base), or right field might be the cleaner fit since the Tigers’ current plan is a platoon of Kerry Carpenter and Ben Malgeri. Speaking of platoons, the fact that Sato is a left-handed hitter might make him less of a match in a Tigers lineup that is already tilted to the left side.

There’s also the aforementioned factor of Fifth Third Park as something of a natural deterrent for home runs, but on paper, Sato brings plenty of power. He has 79 homers over the last two NPB seasons, and Sato won the league’s Triple Crown this year with his 39 homers, 106 RBI, and .306 average (plus a .383 OBP and .609 slugging percentage over 614 PA).

Detroit and any other clubs looking at Sato, Taira, or Hiromi Itoh are operating on a ticking clock. The impending lockout on December 1 will freeze all transactions around the league but it won’t interrupt the 45-day signing window for Nippon Professional Baseball players posted to MLB. This means that if any of Sato, Taira, or Itoh aren’t signed by the time the lockout begins, they won’t find a big league deal at all, and will then return to their Japanese teams for the 2027 season.

Poll: Which Team Will Sign Luis Arraez?

AJ Eustace — Sun, 08 Nov 2026 20:59:53 +0000

Infielder Luis Arraez has long been baseball’s best contact hitter, as well as one of the most difficult players to value. In 4,188 career plate appearances, he has an excellent .316 batting average and an impressive total of 1,213 hits, including two seasons with at least 200 hits. He’s also the rare player to walk more often than he strikes out. Arraez has a career walk rate of 6.3% compared to a strikeout rate of 5.8%. All told, he has a career slash line of .316/.360/.414 with a 116 wRC+, indicating he’s been 16% better than average.

The downsides to Arraez’ contact-focused approach are just as apparent. He offers no power, having just 42 career home runs and peaking at ten in 2023 with the Marlins. His career .098 isolated power is well below league average, which usually sits around .150 to .165. He doesn’t walk much, so his offense depends almost exclusively on the hit tool. Before this season, Arraez was also regarded as a poor defender. From 2019-25, he was worth -55 Outs Above Average across all four infield spots, with second base and first base being his most-played positions.

This season was more of the same at the plate, though it came with substantial improvements in the field. Having signed a one-year, $12MM deal with the Giants with the promise of staying at second base, Arraez came through with +12 OAA and a +10 rating from Fielding Run Value. His -4 rating from Defensive Runs Saved still wasn’t great, but it was without question the most defensive value Arraez had provided in a single season. When you factor in his 110 wRC+ in 655 plate appearances between the Giants and Phillies, Arraez was worth 4.1 wins above replacement according to FanGraphs.

That’s an impressive platform season, and it should enable Arraez to earn a multi-year deal at a higher average annual value this time around. We at MLBTR rank him at No. 15 on our Top 50 Free Agents list and project him for a three-year contract worth $48MM. The question is where Arraez will sign. The total guarantee is light enough that the majority of teams can theoretically afford him. The Giants have more pressing needs and will be fringe contenders at best in the next couple of years, so a multi-year reunion won’t be in the cards. Still, a number of contenders could use some help at the keystone.

Phillies

A deadline trade to the Phillies helped Arraez by rendering him ineligible for a qualifying offer. However, he also fell into a slump with his new club, batting .278/.309/.369 with an 82 wRC+ in 191 plate appearances after the trade. Arraez suffered a right ankle sprain on September 24th and had to be helped off the field. He was left off the Phillies’ roster for the Wild Card Series, which they lost in three games to the Braves.

Philadelphia is deep in win-now mode and has a star-powered, but aging and strikeout-prone lineup. Arraez would be a steady, less strikeout-prone complement to the heavy hitters. Third baseman Alec Bohm is now a free agent, and fellow infielder Bryson Stott, who moved to the hot corner after Arraez was acquired, is down to his last year of club control. Stott was a serviceable defender in 367 2/3 innings at third base, so perhaps the Phillies can keep him there and re-sign Arraez for the keystone. That might be a better alignment than Stott at second and the light-hitting Otto Kemp at third, whom RosterResource currently projects as the starter.

The team already has a lot of long-term contracts on the books, though Arraez would stand alongside Cristopher Sánchez as two of the cheaper ones, according to MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker. You could argue the outfield is a more pressing need, but at the very least, Arraez is a familiar quantity and a dependable middle-of-the-order bat.

Tigers

Detroit stumbled to a 76-86 record and fourth place in the AL Central after two straight seasons of reaching the Division Series. The Tigers got a 98 wRC+ out of the second base spot, which was somehow good enough for tenth-best in the league. Gleyber Torres had a 111 wRC+ in a half-season, missing the remainder with a left oblique strain. He’s now a free agent. Hao-Yu Lee and Zach McKinstry combined for over 300 plate appearances as second basemen. Lee underwhelmed defensively and is best used as a utility player. McKinstry was awful at the plate and is a non-tender candidate.

The keystone is a clear spot for the Tigers to upgrade as they hope to reinforce their lineup for a return to the playoffs. They probably won’t re-sign Torres, who was about on par with Arraez at the plate without the same defensive value. Detroit’s long-term books are pretty clear outside of Kevin McGonigle, Colt Keith, and Framber Valdez. Adding Arraez at a $16MM AAV would address an area of need and still leave the Tigers with $36.9MM to spend before they match last year’s $202MM cash payroll.

Yankees

New York is more of a dark horse landing spot. On the one hand, the Yankees got just an 89 wRC+ out of their second basemen this year. That was thanks to an underwhelming effort from Jazz Chisholm Jr. and even worse numbers from fill-ins José Caballero and Anthony Volpe. They declined to make a qualifying offer to Chisholm, so he figures to sign elsewhere on a short-term, opt out-laden deal. As far as the Yankees’ incumbent options go, playing Volpe full-time at second would be a detriment to the offense. Luis Garcia Jr. would be a defensive liability if manager Aaron Boone tries him out at second, as he’s hinted before.

The team’s financial situation makes an Arraez signing a bit less likely. The team has a lot of long-term money committed to Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and others. No one doubts that they can afford Arraez, but the bullpen and third base are arguably bigger areas of need than the keystone. From a baseball perspective, though, Arraez makes a lot of sense. His contact-oriented style is the antithesis of the Yankees’ high-strikeout, home run-focused lineup, so he’d provide some badly needed diversification. He’d also form a solid defensive tandem with incumbent shortstop George Lombard Jr., provided Arraez can keep up this year’s defensive improvement.

Who will sign Luis Arraez? Cast your vote in the poll below.

Who will sign Luis Arraez?

Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images

Luis Robert Jr. And The Risk Of Chasing Upside

AJ Eustace — Sun, 08 Nov 2026 18:52:42 +0000

Three years ago, Luis Robert Jr. had just wrapped up quite the breakout season for the White Sox. After showing flashes of his five-tool potential from 2020-22, Robert proceeded to bat .264/.315/.542 with a 129 wRC+ in 145 games for the Pale Hose. He contributed 38 home runs, which still stands a career best, and he also added 20 stolen bases along with +12 Outs Above Average in center field. FanGraphs valued his total contributions at 5.0 wins above replacement.

Robert had signed a six-year, $55MM contract in January 2020, before he’d even debuted in the Majors. The 2023 breakout left the remaining $27.5MM in salary for 2024-25 looking like a bargain. Unfortunately, as is well-known by now, Robert would regress badly at the plate while dealing with significant injuries. A right hip flexor strain limited him to 100 games in 2024. A pair of IL stints for left hamstring strains kept him to 110 games in 2025.

When he was healthy, Robert failed to match the heights he’d set in 2023. In 856 plate appearances from 2024-25, he batted .223 while posting an OPS of just .660 and an 85 wRC+, making him 15% worse than the average hitter. Robert did manage to hit 28 home runs and steal 56 bases in that stretch, but his low contact and on-base percentages kept him from achieving his full potential on the field. The 2025 season brought some improvement in his strikeout and walk numbers, though he was still worth only 1.3 fWAR.

While it may have once been viewed as a bargain, Chicago instead faced a tricky decision of whether to pick up Robert’s $20MM club option for 2026. They ultimately picked it up, but they opted not to give Robert another go themselves, instead trading him to the Mets in January for Luisangel Acuña and minor league right-hander Truman Pauley. Robert once again missed significant time due to injury. A lumbar spine disc herniation kept him out for three months with the Mets, while left hamstring discomfort shelved him for three weeks with the Orioles, who took on roughly $5MM of Robert’s remaining salary in an August 31st waiver claim.

Robert only tallied 230 plate appearances between New York and Baltimore. He slashed just .221/.300/.407 in that sample, still hitting 11 home runs but only stealing two bases. On the plus side, Robert’s 23.9% strikeout rate and 10.4% walk rate were his best numbers in years (the latter was actually a career-best). His 89.8 mph average exit velocity was solidly above average, while his .186 isolated power was his best mark since the 2023 breakout. Robert’s overall production was still below league average, but his 97 wRC+ and .707 OPS were much more respectable than his 2024-25 production.

Of course, respectability is not enough to warrant a $20MM salary, especially for a player with Robert’s extensive injury history. The Orioles agreed, as they paid him a $2MM buyout rather than pick up that option for 2027. We at MLBTR have Robert at No. 43 on our Top 50 Free Agents list and project him for a one-year, $14MM deal. The Padres, Reds, and Royals are among the speculative destinations in his first trip through free agency.

Going back to the White Sox’ $20MM option decision for 2026, it’s the second straight offseason in which Robert will be viewed as an upside play. The question is how much longer he can get paid for that upside the further he gets from actually fulfilling his five-tool potential. His 145-game total from 2023 is still a career high, and in the time since, the hip flexor, hamstring, and back issues have kept Robert out of action for nearly half of his team’s games.

One point of comparison for talented, oft-injured center fielders is Byron Buxton. He and the Twins inked a seven-year, $100MM extension in November 2021. Buxton had posted wRC+ values of 112, 121, and 171 from 2019-21, playing in 187 out of 384 possible games (48.7%). His defensive grades had also remained stellar despite a myriad of injuries. Between that and his track record at the plate, the $100MM guarantee seemed more than fair even accounting for the likelihood of future injuries.

Since the start of 2022, Buxton has been worth 15.2 fWAR for the Twins. He’s earned a total of $71MM on the extension so far, including $69MM in salary, a $1MM signing bonus, and $1MM in incentives for exceeding 533 plate appearances last year. That amounts to $4.67MM per WAR, well below the going rate on the market. In contrast, Robert has earned a total of $49.5MM since the start of 2024 while putting up just 2.4 fWAR – a rate of $20.6MM per WAR.

The Robert vs. Buxton comparison is a useful exercise in valuing a five-tool player. Both have missed plenty of time, but Buxton has remained more or less an elite hitter when healthy. It’s now been three years since Robert could say the same, hence the question of how much longer he can get paid for upside over actual performance. Our $14MM projection for 2027 speaks to his tremendous upside, though it’s also a reflection of the weak free agent market for center fielders, as opposed to Robert’s bottom-line results.

Robert won’t turn 30 until August of next year, so he still has youth on his side. He’s no longer the elite fielder he was in 2023, but he was worth +7 OAA just last year. Further hamstring issues could potentially limit his range in the field, so they will be something to watch going forward. For what it’s worth, Statcast still saw Robert as an elite runner in 2026. His 28.9 feet/second sprint speed ranked in the 88th percentile.

Assuming he only gets a one-year deal for 2027, Robert may benefit from another weak center field class in the 2027-28 offseason. Steven Kwan currently projects as the top free agent there, and from a pure talent perspective, Robert has the edge over Harrison Bader, Kyle Isbel, and Matt Vierling. At the end of the day, though, 2027 may be Robert’s last chance to realize the potential he flashed in 2023. If injuries and underperformance befall him once again, he’ll be far less likely to score an eight-figure salary in 2028.

Photo courtesy of Gregory Fisher, Imagn Images

Emilio Pagán Keeps Getting It Done

AJ Eustace — Sun, 08 Nov 2026 16:53:42 +0000

Right-handed reliever Emilio Pagán is a free agent after declining his $10MM player option with the Reds. We ranked him at No. 35 on our list of the Top 50 Free Agents, and two of MLBTR’s three full-time writers expect him to rejoin the Reds on a new deal. As noted in that article, Pagán’s extreme fly ball tendencies have made him a curious fit at the hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park, but he somehow keeps getting it done.

Since the 2024 season, 190 pitchers have thrown at least 100 innings out of the bullpen. Pagán carries a 28.4% strikeout rate and 7.4% walk rate in that time, tying the recently retired Kirby Yates for 23rd with a 21.0% K-BB rate. The league average in that three-year span is just under 14%. From a strikeout and walk perspective, Pagán is right there in the second-tier of quality relievers, even though his run prevention numbers keep him from elite status.

The biggest drawback is Pagán’s propensity for giving up home runs. In the last three years, he’s given up 23 homers in 147 1/3 innings (not counting a two-inning opener appearance in 2024). He’s allowed 1.40 home runs per nine innings, ranking 17th-worst in the 190-reliever group. Unsurprisingly, Pagán is also one of the worst in the group at keeping the ball on the ground. Only six relievers on that list have a worse ground ball rate since 2024 than Pagán’s 28.3%. For comparison, the league average ground ball rate in 2026 was 41.6%.

It’s especially fascinating that the Reds have used Pagán as their closer even with his fly ball tendencies. The 35-year-old compiled 57 saves from 2025-26, a higher total than all but seven closers around the Majors. Out of those seven, only Raisel Iglesias (33.8%) and Trevor Megill (36.6%) posted below-average ground ball rates. None of them allowed more than one home run per nine innings. Pagán allowed 1.37 HR/9.

As for the run prevention numbers, Pagán posted a 3.44 earned run average in just under 150 innings with the Reds. The bulk of the damage came in 2024, when he had a 4.50 ERA in 38 innings and missed time with right triceps and lat injuries. One could argue that Pagán was unlucky that year. Opposing hitters batted .351 on balls in play, the highest mark of Pagán’s career and well above league norms. Meanwhile, the righty’s 3.77 FIP and 3.19 SIERA were significantly lower than his actual ERA.

Pagán posted ERAs of 2.88 in 2025 and 3.38 in 2026, respectively. Compared to 2024, he was actually on the lucky side. Opponents batted just .218 in that two-year stretch, while Pagán also benefitted from a high 79.6% strand rate. Accordingly, he posted SIERAs of 3.18 and 3.54, suggesting he was a bit fortunate from a run prevention standpoint, but still a decently effective reliever.

The Reds were fully aware of Pagán’s high strikeout, fly-ball, and low-ground ball tendencies when they first signed him in December 2023. After two years of first-hand experience with him, they brought Pagán back at two years and $20MM (with the opt-out after this year), a slightly higher average annual value than the prior two-year, $16MM pact. Clearly, the Reds could stomach the occasional long ball and lack of grounders as long as Pagán kept up the strikeouts and control. He did exactly that, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Cincy brought him back again for that reason.

We at MLBTR project Pagán for another two-year, $20MM deal. For comparison, he earned $26MM over 2024-26 while producing 2.0 fWAR in total, a slightly above-market rate of $13MM per WAR. A $10MM annual salary going forward seems reasonable if Pagán keeps striking hitters out. His two-month absence for a left hamstring strain this year might give teams some pause, but he also had a dominant 1.88 ERA and 25.9% K-BB rate in 28 1/3 innings post-injury (albeit with a strand rate close to 100%). At worst, Pagán will secure a one-year deal with an eight-figure or high seven-figure salary.

One key to Pagán’s future success will be recapturing his feel for the splitter. It’s Pagán’s sole offspeed pitch, and it was worth +6 Run Value as recently as 2025. The splitter’s effectiveness fell off dramatically in 2026. Whereas Pagán got a +2 Run Value on both his four-seamer and cutter, the splitter fell to just -4 RV. Opposing hitters saw increases of .183 in batting average (from .121 to .304), .315 in slugging (from .207 to .522), and 18.1% in hard-hit rate (from 17.6% to 35.7%). Without the splitter as an effective secondary pitch, hitters might have an easier time figuring Pagán out if they just need to focus on the two fastballs, which were solid but hardly dominant offerings.

Ultimately, Pagán has strikeouts, control, and good fastball velocity on his side, while the home runs, recent injury, and less effective offspeed pitch remain points of concern. He won’t be a dominant reliever, but he could perhaps be an underrated pickup for the Reds or a different team with a more spacious home ballpark.

Photo courtesy of Dale Zanine, Imagn Images

Eric Wagaman Elects Free Agency

AJ Eustace — Sun, 08 Nov 2026 15:01:55 +0000

Infielder Eric Wagaman has elected free agency, according to his transactions log at MLB.com. That was the expected outcome after the Mets outrighted him off the 40-man roster a week ago. He’s now on the market as a low-cost, minor league depth option.

Wagaman debuted with the Angels in 2024 and elected free agency at the end of that year following a DFA. He signed with the Marlins for the 2025 season and went on to take 514 plate appearances in 2025, his largest big league sample to date. Unfortunately, Wagaman struggled mightily at the plate en route to replacement-level numbers.

While he struck out less than 20% of the time, Wagaman only batted .250/.296/.378 with an 85 wRC+ for Miami. An above-average 46.5% hard-hit rate was about the only positive on his profile, as his bottom-line numbers lagged far behind the league average output at his primary position of first base. Defensive Runs Saved and other metrics saw Wagaman’s glovework as passable, but he would have had to be a premium defender to make up for the lack of value at the plate. FanGraphs valued Wagaman at -0.4 wins above replacement in 2025.

This year was more of the same. Wagaman posted a 67 wRC+ in just 52 plate appearances with the Mets and played a handful of innings at the infield and outfield corners. He did have a 108 wRC+ for the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse, though that production came in just 148 plate appearances. Wagaman had struggled badly with the Twins’ top affiliate before the Mets claimed him off waivers at the end of April.

The 29-year-old Wagaman figures to sign somewhere as a depth piece. He swings from the right side and fared much better against southpaws (115 wRC+) than righties (69 wRC+) last year, so perhaps there’s a path forward as a short-side platoon bat. The first base market is on the lighter side. Jake Bauers and Ty France are the top two (and perhaps only) everyday options. France is projected for a two-year, $32MM deal following his breakout with the Padres. Bauers received the $23.15MM qualifying offer from the Brewers, and 75% of MLBTR readers believe he will accept it.

Photo courtesy of Colin Hubbard, Imagn Images

The Opener: France, Scherzer, Free Agent Prediction Contest

AJ Eustace — Sun, 08 Nov 2026 14:02:36 +0000

On this day in 1954, the then-Philadelphia Athletics were set to relocate to Kansas City through a 6-2 vote of the American League owners. The A’s had won five World Series titles in their 54-year run in Philadelphia, the last one coming in 1930, but they mostly struggled from 1931-54. A 13-year stretch as the Kansas City Athletics yielded no World Series appearances, but the team found more success upon moving to Oakland in 1968, winning three straight World Series titles from 1972-74.

1. France drawing interest, could sign soon

Ty France is drawing interest from multiple teams and could sign quickly, as MLBTR reported yesterday. After signing a minor league deal with the Padres last offseason, France went on to bat .295/.363/.502 with a team-best 141 wRC+ (among Padres with 500 plate appearances or more). Now, France ranks 23rd on our Top 50 Free Agents list and is projected for a two-year, $32MM deal that would roughly triple his career earnings.

2. Scherzer to pitch in “lockout games,” then decide on 2027

With three Cy Young Awards and the ninth-most strikeouts of any pitcher in MLB history, Max Scherzer will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he retires. The question is when that will happen. Scherzer will pitch in “lockout games” over the offseason before deciding whether to return for his 20th big league season. The recent results haven’t been there, as the righty owns a 5.46 ERA since first signing with the Blue Jays for the 2025 season. That said, Scherzer is no ordinary competitor, and he’s only three strikeouts away from passing longtime teammate Justin Verlander on the all-time list.

3. Free Agent Prediction Contest closes on Tuesday

There’s still time to participate in MLBTR’s Free Agent Prediction Contest! Using this link, you can take your best guess at which team will sign each of our Top 50 Free Agents. The winners will be determined once the 2027 regular season starts, and the top 15 competitors will each win one-year memberships to Trade Rumors Front Office. The rules are explained in more detail here. The contest closes on Tuesday, November 10th at 11:00pm CT.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Sousa, Imagn Images

“Multiple Teams” Showing Interest In Ty France

Mark Polishuk — Sun, 08 Nov 2026 04:59:25 +0000

Coming off an unexpectedly productive season with the Padres, it isn’t a surprise that Ty France is a hot commodity on the free agent market. “Multiple teams are already expressing interest in the 32-year-old France,” The Athletic’s Will Sammon writes, and “the first baseman could find a deal quickly.”

It is fair to assume that France would be open to signing a contract in relatively short order. The lockout will begin once the collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1, adding some urgency to the proceedings for many teams and free agents over the next 24 days. France didn’t sign his last two contracts until February in each of the last two offseasons (joining the Padres in 2026 and the Twins in 2025), so while he is used to long waits, it’s quite another matter to head into the uncertainty of a lockout without a contract already in hand.

The Padres’ minor league deal with France ended up being one of the best value signings of the 2026 season. France made San Diego’s Opening Day roster and never looked back, hitting .295/.363/.502 with 21 homers over an even 500 plate appearances. France’s 141 wRC+, 3.6 fWAR, 47.4% hard-hit ball rate, and 7.4% walk rate were all career highs, and he followed up his AL Gold Glove in 2025 with another excellent defensive performance (+15 Defensive Runs Saved, +7 Outs Above Average) at first base.

While France made the most of his contact, he didn’t make a lot of it, as his strikeout, chase, and whiff rates were all below the league average. Some good fortune also factored into France’s numbers, as he had a .342 BABIP as well as a .327 xwOBA that was well below his .373 wOBA. These factors plus France’s age and shakier numbers in the previous three seasons will limit his market to some extent — MLB Trade Rumors placed France 23rd on our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents, and predicted the first baseman to land a two-year, $32MM contract.

That’s still a very nice step up from the non-guaranteed contracts France got in the last two winters, and if he replicates his 2026 performance, a $16MM average annual value will still be a bargain. For his part, France naturally feels he can keep hitting, as he felt a more simplified approach helped him find success at the plate. France also credits Blue Jays hitting coach David Popkins for pointing out a small issue with France’s hand placement that helped the first baseman start to figure things out late in the 2025 season.

Playing in a familiar environment probably also helped France, a Southern California native who began his MLB career with the Padres in 2019. France’s wife was pregnant with twins last winter, which is why France was particularly keen on signing with the Padres to stay close to home. While re-signing with the Padres would be France’s first choice, he tells Sammon that he is “open to hearing everybody out” as he tests the market.

“It’s not like I need to be in one place. We had the babies; we have a little more freedom now to be able to move around the country,” France said. “I love San Diego, and I really enjoyed my time there, but I also understand the business side of it.”

Ryan O’Hearn’s Adjustments In Pittsburgh

Charlie Wright — Sun, 08 Nov 2026 04:51:33 +0000

The Pirates overhauled their offense last season. Brandon Lowe arrived via trade. Ryan O’Hearn and Marcell Ozuna came aboard through free agency. Konnor Griffin was promoted a week into the season.

The moves came with varying degrees of success, but the end result was an offense that ranked sixth in scoring, sixth in OPS, and ninth in SLG. Those numbers looked a lot better until injuries thinned out the lineup in the summer.

O’Hearn was a key cog in the middle of the order. He signed a modest two-year, $29 million deal after a strong season split between the Orioles and Padres. O’Hearn was an above-average bat for the fourth straight season, finishing with a 109 wRC+. He slashed .265/.330/.440 over 451 plate appearances. A severe quad injury derailed his season in August.

After five unremarkable seasons in Kansas City, O’Hearn broke through as a viable big-league bat in 2023 with Baltimore. He cut down the strikeouts, improved his barrel rate, and hit the ball hard at an elite rate. O’Hearn continued to produce even as he was given more opportunities against same-handed pitching. He settled in as a reliable contributor who didn’t have the typical power of a first baseman/corner outfielder but had a higher batting average ceiling.

The 2026 campaign looked different for O’Hearn. His strikeout rate ticked back up to 22%. He didn’t barrel the ball as frequently, but hit a career-high 18 home runs. O’Hearn hit .265 and posted a .247 expected batting average. It’s not a bad profile, but it wasn’t what we’ve seen in recent seasons.

The move to PNC Park presented O’Hearn with new dimensions to tackle. It’s a poor park for power in general, ranking 27th in Statcast’s Park Factor for home runs. Righties are more adversely affected than lefties. It’s actually a neutral venue for left-handed power, ranking 14th for homers. It’s fourth in overall Park Factor for lefties.

The Clemente Wall is 21 feet tall in right field, but it’s only 320 feet down the line. The setup makes the park a great spot for doubles. It’s second in Park Factor for two-baggers, behind only Fenway Park. O’Hearn made changes that would seem to be suited for his new home.

O’Hearn pulled the ball at a 40.2% clip in 2026, the second-highest rate of his career. He pulled it in the air 19% of the time, his highest mark since his rookie season and well above his career norm of 15.5%. He raised his average launch angle to 13.6 degrees, again the highest since his debut.

The change is evident in his intercept point. He contacted the ball 2.3 inches in front of the plate on average. That’s a pretty typical mark league-wide, but it’s a big jump for O’Hearn. He’s been under 1 inch since Statcast began tracking that stat. He had a negative intercept point during his 2023 breakout.

It wasn’t just the batted-ball distribution and contact. O’Hearn had a career-low 70.7 mph average swing speed. He had an 8.7% fast swing rate, basically half of his number in 2025 and well below the league average of 24.4%. It was a committed approach that seemed more intent on lifting to the pull side instead of driving the ball where it was pitched.

O’Hearn set a career mark in homers for the second straight year, but did it in nearly 100 fewer plate appearances in 2026. He also chipped in 17 doubles and recorded some of his best SLG and ISO numbers as a big leaguer. The adjustments bring more strikeout and batting average downside into what was an extremely safe bat-to-ball outlook. It also adds more punch, which could be important for a Pittsburgh offense that probably won’t have Lowe next season.

Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images

Bryan Abreu’s Place In The Reliever Market

Charlie Wright — Sun, 08 Nov 2026 03:47:05 +0000

The 2026 preseason played out perfectly for Bryan Abreu. Teammate Josh Hader was dealing with a shoulder injury that was going to cost him the first two months of the season. Abreu would have a clear runway as the Astros’ closer, the ideal audition as he neared free agency.

And … he faceplanted. Abreu gave up 13 earned runs over his first 11 appearances and tumbled out of the closer gig before the end of April. He was banished to low-leverage work and didn’t climb back into a late-inning role until it was too late. Hader returned in June and put together a tremendous season.

Abreu had been an elite setup man for the past three seasons. From 2023 through 2025, he ranked second among all pitchers with 87 holds. Only Tyler Rogers had more in that stretch. Abreu led the league with 38 holds in 2024. It was the most for any reliever since Addison Reed put up 40 in 2016.

Houston has always had a trusted closer since Abreu emerged as a big leaguer. Ryan Pressly had a firm hold on the job in 2022 and 2023. The Astros signed Hader in 2024. Abreu has filled in at times, but he’s maxed out at nine saves in a season. He’s never had an extended look as the ninth-inning guy.

Abreu’s brutal start to 2026 obscured what ended up being another strong season. From May through the end of the regular season, he compiled a 2.19 ERA with a strikeout rate up near 30%. Abreu was one of the lone bright spots in Houston’s quick departure from the postseason. He tossed a clean inning in Game 1 of the Wild Card round. In Game 2, he covered 2 2/3 innings with the Astros fighting for their playoff lives. Abreu racked up six strikeouts in the longest outing of his career.

While it’s easy to brush away Abreu’s early struggles given his track record, there were concerning signs. He sat at 95.1 mph through the first month of the season, down more than 2 mph from 2025. That number slowly ticked up as the year went on. He was consistently 96-97 mph with the heater down the stretch. Abreu’s swinging-strike rate was at 11.6% through April. It’s 15.5% for his career, and was 17.8% in 2025. Like the fastball velocity, his bat missing also improved later in the season.

The final line for Abreu was a 3.73 ERA supported by a 4.11 xERA and a 4.15 xFIP. His 29.9% strikeout rate was his worst since 2022. His 15.3% walk rate was his highest since the shortened 2020 season. The performance almost certainly will cost him in free agency. But just how much?

Abreu ranked 32nd in our Top 50 Free Agents list. We have him down for a two-year, $22MM deal with an opt-out. It’s maybe half the value he was looking at before 2026, but the opt-out gives him the flexibility to test the market again. Abreu could be the steal of the market at that price. He could also be a misallocation of funds in a player pool that isn’t short on choices.

Photo courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images

CPBL’s Fubon Guardians To Post Jyun-Yue Tseng

Charlie Wright — Sun, 08 Nov 2026 02:01:02 +0000

The Fubon Guardians of Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League are expected to post right-hander Jyun-Yue Tseng for MLB clubs, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Tseng’s negotiating window will begin tomorrow morning.

The news is a nice birthday gift for Tseng, who turns 25 today. Despite his youth, he’s already logged six seasons in CPBL. He’s been used exclusively as a reliever in his half-dozen years with the Guardians. Tseng has a pristine 2.36 ERA with 91 saves over 287 career appearances. He’s been a solid strikeout pitcher, with a double-digit K/9 in all but one season and a 12.8 K/9 for his career.

Tseng is on the smaller side at 5’8″ and 149 pounds, but he’s flashed big velocity at times. His heater has touched 99 mph in the past, per FanGraphs’ scouting report. Tseng’s fastball has good shape given its lower release height. He has a slurve to go with it.

This isn’t Tseng’s first foray into international waters. He filed for free agency in 2023, as noted by FanGraphs, but ultimately stayed with Fubon. Tseng was limited by a shoulder injury the following season and has struggled to regain his arm strength in recent years. He’s been more like mid-90s than upper-90s with his fastball lately.

Tseng has been on Chinese Taipei’s roster in each of the past two World Baseball Classics. The club didn’t make it out of pool play in this year’s edition of the event, but Tseng pitched well. He retired all six batters he faced across two appearances. He closed out Chinese Taipei’s final game of pool play, a one-run win in extra innings against Korea.

MLB teams that sign a CPBL player have to pay a posting fee related to the value of the contract. It’s 20% of the first $25MM, 17.5% of the next $25MM, and 15% of anything beyond $50MM. The fee is 25% of the player’s signing bonus for minor league deals.

If he doesn’t land with an MLB team, Tseng could also head to NPB to continue his development. He’s young enough that he could spend a couple of seasons in Japan and still be a desirable asset to MLB squads, particularly if he can bounce back from a velocity perspective.

Photo courtesy of Eric Canha, Imagn Images

Red Sox Notes: Front Office, LeVangie, Kelly

Charlie Wright — Sun, 08 Nov 2026 00:17:21 +0000

The Red Sox front office has thinned out in recent seasons. Multiple executives have found bigger roles with other teams. President of baseball operations Craig Breslow has yet to backfill some of those positions, but that could change this offseason.

“It is pretty clear that that executive leadership circle is down not just bodies, but down really talented people,” Breslow told Tim Healey of the Boston Globe. “And we’ve got to find the right people to emerge and to put into place there.”

Former assistant general manager Paul Toboni got the top gig with the Nationals last offseason. Boston didn’t make any additions at the time. This winter, it was AGM Taylor Smith heading out the door. Smith took over as the Athletics’ POBO in mid-October.

Breslow said there haven’t been any hires yet, but bringing in reinforcements in the front office is “near or at the top of my list.”

Healey relays that there has been some movement in the ranks after Smith departed. Senior director of baseball analytics Dan Meyer was promoted to vice president of baseball research. Senior director of baseball systems Patrick Coglianese is now vice president of baseball systems.

It’s unclear whether Breslow would hire/promote a direct No. 2 or just expand the present group. Raquel Ferreira, Michael Groopman, and Eddie Romero are currently in AGM roles. Groopman interviewed for the A’s job that ultimately went to Smith.

In other staffing news, Dana LeVangie is departing for another job, reports Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. LeVangie is expected to become a scout with the Royals. It’ll end a 35-year run in the organization. LeVangie was drafted by Boston in 1991. After his playing career ended, he became a bullpen catcher for the Red Sox. He’s been working in the organization ever since, with roles including scout, bullpen coach, and pitching coach.
Another departure this week was reliever Zack Kelly. It was reported on Friday that the right-hander had cleared waivers and was expected to become a free agent. His transaction tracker on MLB.com now confirms he’s been released. Kelly is recovering from an elbow fracture. He’s expected to start throwing soon. Boston designated him for assignment as part of roster cutdowns in early November.

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images

Max Scherzer Shares Offseason Plans

Charlie Wright — Sat, 07 Nov 2026 22:33:38 +0000

Veteran right-hander Max Scherzer isn’t done just yet. The future Hall of Famer will pitch in “lockout games” this offseason to gauge whether he’ll pitch in 2027, he told Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Scherzer was noncommittal about his future before his final start with the Blue Jays. With his family in attendance, he fired seven innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts against the Reds. It certainly had the feel of a sendoff performance, with an electric Toronto crowd backing Scherzer throughout the game.

That last outing came on short rest in a meaningless game for the standings. Part of the motivation for Scherzer seemed to be chasing down longtime rival Justin Verlander on the all-time strikeout leaderboard. He came up a bit short, with the seven punchouts getting him to 3,557, three behind Verlander. Moving from ninth to eighth on the list might not be enough to convince a normal player to keep pitching. Scherzer has proved to be a different level of competitor. It’s not out of the question that the idea of catching Verlander pushes him to play next season.

It won’t come as a shock that Scherzer dealt with several health issues in his age-41 season. He missed time with forearm, ankle, and back injuries. Scherzer ended up tossing 84 2/3 innings around the IL stints, nearly identical to his 2025 campaign with the Blue Jays.

The injuries make it hard to gauge Scherzer’s production. A 5.74 ERA across 18 starts doesn’t inspire much confidence. Neither do a 5.19 xFIP and a 5.01 SIERA. But the final stretch of the season was respectable. Scherzer returned from back spasms in late July. He closed the year with a dozen starts of a 4.16 ERA. That came with a strong 3.56 xERA, though his xFIP (4.81) and SIERA (4.69) weren’t as favorable. It’s enough to suggest that Scherzer might have something left in the tank for his age-42 campaign.

Scherzer didn’t sign until March last time around. He joined a Blue Jays squad facing uncertainty in the rotation due to injury concerns. It ended up being a disastrous year for Toronto’s rotation from a health perspective. A potential lockout could shake up the timing, but Scherzer is probably looking at a similar setup if he indeed pitches next year. Linking up with a starter-needy team near the end of the offseason would make sense.

Photo courtesy of Jamie LeBlanc, Imagn Images

Blue Jays Re-Sign Lazaro Estrada To Minor League Contract

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 07 Nov 2026 18:46:16 +0000

The Blue Jays have re-signed right-hander Lazaro Estrada to a new minor league deal, according to Baseball America’s Matt Eddy. Estrada opted for minor league free agency at season’s end, as he was designated for assignment and then outrighted off Toronto’s 40-man roster back in August, and then never added back to the 40-man.

The 27-year-old Estrada has spent his entire pro career in Toronto’s organization, ever since he first signed with the team out of Cuba in 2018. Estrada’s long stint in the minors finally paid off with two MLB games (7 1/3 IP) in 2025, and then a slightly longer look of 13 innings over eight appearances this year. A right shoulder impingement sent Estrada to the injured list for about two and a half months this season, which extended his stay in the majors for service-time purposes even if he wasn’t able to pitch.

Over his 20 1/3 career frames in the Show, Estrada has a 6.64 ERA, 20.7% strikeout rate, and 12% walk rate. His Triple-A resume consists of a 5.06 ERA, 23.25K%, and 7.88BB% in 133 1/3 innings for Buffalo, with 24 of Estrada’s 44 appearances coming as a starting pitcher.

The Blue Jays have used him only as a reliever (occasionally in a bulk pitcher role) during his limited time in the majors, and it would appear as though Estrada will again be used as a depth option to be called up when the Jays are in need of a fresh arm. Estrada has one minor league option year remaining, so the Jays will be able to shuttle him back and forth from Triple-A up to five more times in 2026, assuming the minor league transaction rules aren’t changed in the next collective bargaining agreement.

Details On Braves’ Rotation Search

Mark Polishuk — Sat, 07 Nov 2026 17:33:27 +0000

The Braves’ rotation overcame several injuries to post very solid numbers for most of the season, though a lack of depth caught up to the team in the playoffs, as Chris Sale and deadline pickup Tyler Mahle were the only pitchers trusted to operate as true starters. With Mahle and Martin Perez now free agents and questions about health and consistency still swirling over several other Atlanta starters, it’s no surprise that the Braves are widely expected to seek out rotation help this winter.

Gabriel Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution looks at the free agent market to see how many starters are plausible fits for the Braves, and adds a couple of interesting details about two potential targets. Nick Pivetta has drawn interest from the team “in [the] past, but there are currently concerns about his elbow,” Burns writes. The club is also wary of Casey Mize’s injury, which is part of the reason Atlanta held off making a full-fledged push for Mize this past summer. As Burns puts it, “the Braves were prominently linked to Mize at the trade deadline, though that interest was overstated.”

Mize hit the 15-day injured list three times in 2026, and twice before the Tigers dealt the right-hander to the Padres at the deadline. Mize missed a little over five weeks due to a pair of adductor-related injuries last season, and a sprained ankle in late September sidelined him again and kept him from participating in San Diego’s postseason run. Hamstring injuries cost Mize some time in both 2024 and 2025, but his biggest chapter of his medical history was the Tommy John surgery that cost him almost all of the 2022-23 seasons.

Beyond these injuries, there’s also the fact that Mize is entering free agency on the down note of his rough two months in a Padres uniform. After beginning 2026 with a 2.70 ERA over 86 2/3 innings with Detroit, Mize’s production went south after the trade, as he struggled to a 7.46 ERA in 44 2/3 frames with his new team. Mize’s strikeout and walks both went in the wrong direction post-trade, and he suddenly became very homer-prone — the righty was taken yard 13 times by Padres opponents, after giving up only five homers in his 86 2/3 IP for the Tigers.

With this tough finish in mind, MLB Trade Rumors ranked Mize 25th on our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents, and projected him for a two-year, $28MM deal with an opt-out after the first year. The thinking was that since Mize isn’t likely to land a long-term offer at his desired asking price, he’ll take a shorter-term contract with the plan of posting strong numbers in 2027 and then returning to free agency next winter.

It’s a similar story with Pivetta, ranked 28th on our list with a projection of two years and $26MM. Pivetta was limited to eight starts and 34 2/3 innings for the Padres in 2026, as a flexor strain sent him to the injured list for almost five full months. Because he spent over 130 consecutive days on the IL with an arm-related injury, Pivetta’s $14MM player option for 2027 became a club option for the Padres. The team then chose to decline that option, freeing up $32MM in salary since Pivetta was also owed $18MM in 2028.

While the season obviously didn’t go as Pivetta expected, he still pitched well when healthy, delivering a 2.86 ERA, 30K% and 5.7BB% over his 34 2/3 regular-season innings (plus a 3.52 ERA in 7 2/3 playoff frames). Pivetta is entering his age-34 season so that’s another question in regards to his durability, but he figures to draw plenty of attention as a bounce-back candidate.

It should be noted that Burns wasn’t ruling out Pivetta or Mize as potential Atlanta targets this winter, but merely stating the concerns that the Braves and other teams will naturally have when considering the two right-handers. Plus, vying for Mize at the trade deadline and trying to sign him as a free agent are two different things — Mize will just cost the Braves money now, whereas the Tigers’ asking price may have certainly played a part in Atlanta’s hesitations about a trade.

If anything, the fact that Mize and Pivetta could be seeking shorter-term contracts might increase the Braves’ interest. Alex Anthopoulos has generally eschewed major free agent signings over his nine years in change of the club’s front office, as Marcell Ozuna’s four-year, $65MM deal remains the largest free agent contract of the Anthopoulos era. Robert Suarez’s three-year, $45MM pact from last winter is the second-largest deal on the list, and the largest deal ever given to a pitcher.

Beyond Mize and Pivetta, any number of other pitchers could be on the Braves’ radar either as free agents or trade candidates. Anthopoulos is known for swinging unexpected trades, with the Sale deal standing out as one of the biggest steals in recent years. The Braves usually move quicker than other teams in getting some significant moves completed by early November, but with the lockout looming on December 1, Anthopoulos’ early-bird tactics might be curbed by many other teams similarly trying to get things done before the transactions freeze.