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Tarik Skubal was the prize of the trade deadline, and will be a highly sought-after belle of the ball during free agency. He won American League Cy Young Awards in both 2024 and 2025 with the Detroit Tigers, then won a record $30 million decision in salary arbitration last winter.

After a strong season for both the Tigers and Dodgers, Skubal’s next salary will almost certainly exceed that $30 million. But what kind of contract might the left-hander receive this offseason?

Let’s look at some recent starting pitcher contracts at the top end of the market by average annual value (Cot’s Baseball Contracts has a great list of such things, if you’re interested).

Max Scherzer during the last lockout was one of eight executive-board members of the MLB Players Association, and signed his three-year, $130 million with the New York Mets on November 30, 2021, the day before the collective bargaining agreement expired. He took an active public role during the lockout.

Skubal now is one of eight executive-board members of the MLBPA as the alternate pension committee representative, and like Scherzer has Scott Boras as his agent.

The first three players on this list were at the team at least five years older than Skubal, who turns 30 on November 22. Framber Valdez last winter was two years older than Skubal is now but also didn’t have Skubal’s track record or hardware, plus Skubal has never had to fight off allegations that he hit his catcher with a pitch on purpose.

But Skubal is likely looking for a contract longer than three years, so let’s look at a few more recent longer deals on the high end of the market.

Two Cy Young Awards were already on the mantel for Jacob deGrom by the time he was a free agent, but injuries cut into his final two years with the Mets before reaching free agency. Skubal missed six weeks this past season after arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, and has pitched six full seasons in the majors. Here are the final six years before free agency for Skubal and deGrom

• deGrom: 133 games, 846 2/3 IP, 2.40 ERA, 2.58 xERA, 1,115 K, 29.4 bWAR, 29.9 fWAR
• Skubal: 155 games, 893 1/3 IP, 2.92 ERA, 3.19 xERA, 1,038 K, 22.8 bWAR, 24.8 fWAR

It looks like deGrom has the edge in production, though was hurt by making only 26 starts over his final two years with the Mets. Plus, deGrom was five years older than Skubal is now, so it would be reasonable for him to seek a contract larger than the five years, $185 million deGrom got four offseasons ago.

The real question might be how much will Skubal’s 2026 surgery impact his free agency. He missed six weeks but was also quite productive in his 26 starts. He also had flexor tendon surgery that limited him to 36 total starts between 2022-23 with Detroit.

Blake Snell has an extensive injury history, and like deGrom and Skubal, also has two Cy Young Awards to his credit. When he first free agency, after the 2023 season he was coming directly off the second of his Cy Young seasons. Snell then was one year older than Skubal is now, so let’s look at their previous six seasons before free agency, which also includes both Snell Cy Young years (2018, 2023):

• Snell: 148 games, 774 1/3 IP, 3.02 ERA, 3.60 xERA, 1,006 K, 19.6 bWAR, 17.9 fWAR
• Skubal: 155 games, 893 1/3 IP, 2.92 ERA, 3.19 xERA, 1,038 K, 22.8 bWAR, 24.8 fWAR

Snell still had almost no market to speak of two offseasons ago, and he settled for a two-year, $62 million deal with the Giants and opted out after one season in San Francisco.

It’s Snell’s five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers that is more of a thing for Skubal to shoot for than anything, but a market will have to develop. And the pending lockout adds a layer of uncertainty that at the very least might make Skubal have to wait a while before he finds his next deal.

Today’s question is how many years and guaranteed dollars do you think Tarik Skubal will sign for as a free agent this offseason?

There is nothing like a first-time winner.

Earlier this week the Milwaukee Brewers won the World Series and in the process earned the franchise’s first-ever championship. The Brewers are winners forever now and have the 2026 team to thank for that.

But just because it was this year’s club that crossed that threshold hardly means that elite baseball hasn’t been played in Milwaukee before. We are talking about one of Major League Baseball’s most prolific franchises that simply did not have the thing that many people believe you have to have.

Once upon a time Milwaukee boasted the thing in the big leagues at the time in Prince Fielder. Watching Brewers legends like Fielder live through this team’s experience from their perspective was interesting for baseball fans everywhere, and on Friday morning I was able to talk to him about that and a host of other things (including his once-upon-a-time commitment to play college baseball for Pat Murphy’s Arizona State Sun Devils).

At both the beginning and end of our conversation I asked Prince about this year’s team and about something he specifically said about them throughout the run. Prince was on local news and was asked about his contributions to the Brewers and how he was a part of the group who helped lay the foundation for what they just became. He, respectfully, told the interviewer that he had nothing to do with this year’s team. He said he obviously played a role with the franchise, but that he had his time and this time belonged to this year’s group.

It isn’t often that you see such powerful perspective like that in sports. It takes a high level of humility to be able to reach that point and I was really impressed with Prince’s thoughts for that reason. Near the end of our interview I wanted to know what he would take away from this whole run given his unique mindset and he said that he’ll recall how nice it was to be regarded by everyone as it unfolded. He said he appreciated the sentiment from Brewers fans, baseball fans at large really, and how they connected what he did during his time with the franchise to what Pat Murphy’s group just accomplished.

Memories are a powerful thing in sports and Prince helped a lot of fans create some new ones on Friday as the Brewers celebrated their title. He teamed up with Budweiser to help distribute some truly one-of-one pieces of memorabilia… this stuff is unreal.

Budweiser is launching MemoraBEERlia, an exclusive limited-edition collection of exactly 150 collectibles crafted from MLB authenticated 2026 World Series items, celebrating the brand’s 150th anniversary and the crowning of a first-time champion.

Budweiser will also host a celebratory “First Taste of Victory” event on parade day in Milwaukee. Legendary player Prince Fielder will join Milwaukee fans 21+ to celebrate the historic moment by raising a Budweiser to the newly crowned champions.

For fans 21+, to celebrate Milwaukee’s victory, Budweiser is creating Championship Tap Handles, featuring MLB-authenticated pieces of 2026 World Series baseballs woven into the tap handle, World Series Base Coasters, featuring MLB-authenticated pieces of game-used 2026 World Series bases, and Celebration Pint Glasses, created with MLB-authenticated pieces of Budweiser championship bottles used in the 2026 MLB World Series locker room celebration. Fans 21+ will have a chance to enter on Instagram, Facebook, X or TikTok using #BudMemoraBEERlia #Sweepstakes now through November 5.

Fans 21+ can enter now through November 5 on Instagram, Facebook, X or TikTok using #BudMemoraBEERlia #Sweepstakes. 

Imagine being a part of that and grabbing something from Prince Fielder himself. You would never forget it.

Thankfully Prince knows that nobody will ever forget him either.

With eight Jays who have declared free agency (I wonder how many do it like Michael Scott declared bankruptcy?), I thought we would take a look at the 40-man roster as it is.

Pitchers (21)

• Spencer Arrighetti
• José Berríos (60-day IL)
• Jake Bloss (60-day IL)
• Dylan Cease
• Brendan Cellucci
• Chad Dallas
• Braydon Fisher
• Mason Fluharty
• Bowden Francis (60-day IL)
• John Klein
• Chase Lee
• Brendon Little
• Spencer Miles
• Cody Ponce
• José Rodríguez
• Tyler Rogers
• José Soriano
• Ricky Tiedemann
• CJ Van Eyk
• Louis Varland
• Trey Yesavage

Catchers (3)

• Alejandro Kirk
• Shawn Ross
• Brandon Valenzuela

Infielders (6)

• Ernie Whitt
• Andrés Giménez
• Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
• Charles McAdoo
• Kazuma Okamoto
• Josh Smith

Outfielders (8)

• Addison Barger (60-day IL)
• Brett Bateman
• Jonatan Clase (60-day IL)
• Nathan Lukes
• Yohendrick Piñango
• Anthony Santander (60-day IL)
• Davis Schneider
• Myles Straw

DH (1)

Sean Keys

That adds up to 39.

The players on the 60-day IL aren’t on the 40-man roster yet, but will have to be added in a couple of days.

And they have a club option to decide on with Myles Straw. My guess is they will decline it, but try to sign him to a cheaper deal.

And, of course, some will be DFAed when they need roster space. And some minor leaguers will have to be added to protect them from the Rule 5 draft (if there is one).

They will also have some decisions on players without options: Jonatan Clase, Brendon Little, and Jake Bloss. Well, Ernie Clements as well. And, the veterans, of course, Vlad, Kirk, Santander, Giménez, Cease, Berríos, Straw, and Rogers can’t be optioned.

By the time baseball rolls around again, presuming it does start again, the roster will look a fair bit different. It would be fun to guess how many of these 39 will still be on the 40-man opening day.

How the players were acquired:

• Homegrown: 10
• Free Agent: 7
• Trade: 18
• Waivers: 2
• Rule 5: 1

Where they are from:

• US: 27
• Mexico: 3
• Venezuela 3
• Dominican Republic: 2
• Puerto Rico: 2
• Canada: 1
• Japan: 1

In his exclusive interview with the California Post this week, Dodgers owner Mark Walter came armed with an alliterative saying.

“You’ve heard about the three strikes. But what about the 3 Ps?” the billionaire businessman quipped. “Our people, our passion and our practice.”

When it comes to the future of the franchise, that’s what he cited as the Dodgers’ guiding light.

In his chat with the Post this week, Walter tried to quash speculation about potentially selling the team (saying he would remain owner “no matter what”) and drew a distinction between the Dodgers and the Lakers (a club he ultimately did sell this summer, amid a federal investigation into his business empire, after receiving a staggering offer in a phone call from venture capitalist Josh Kushner).

However, those aren’t the only questions he faces as Major League Baseball enters an uncertain offseason.

This winter could represent a profound period of change for both the Dodgers and the sport.

For the former, an aging roster needs to be retooled after a failed bid for a third-straight World Series title. For the latter, a fraught labor negotiation is threatening an extended work stoppage, as owners and players fight over the league’s push for a salary cap.

Both dynamics could mark an inflection point for Walter’s baseball club. 

After a decade-and-a-half-long run of unprecedented success, the Dodgers are now trying to resurrect their dynasty after this year’s sweep to the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series.

And, after raising their already gaudy payroll totals to record-setting levels over the last couple seasons, they might face stricter spending rules as they begin turning over the league’s oldest roster.

So, how does Walter –– who declined to state his stance on the salary cap issue –– feel about the team’s ability to remain an annual, legitimate championship contender?

“I think on any playing field, we’ll still be among the elite teams,” he said, while harkening back to his three Ps motto.

“I think our people and our passion and our practice really does matter,” he insisted.

That doesn’t mean the Dodgers are going to stop spending, either this winter (when Tarik Skubal will be the top free agent on the market) or beyond (when they’ll have to navigate the back end of long-term deals for gradually aging stars like Mookie Betts, Will Smith and even Shohei Ohtani). 

Walter said his Guggenheim group’s financial commitment “will be just like it has been in the past.”

On multiple occasions, he referenced his vision for at least another decade of dominance under his ownership.

“We’re just trying to win consistently,” he said. “And do so for not just next season, but for the next decade and decades beyond that.”

However, both Walter and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman –– who joined the team’s chairman in this week’s interview with The Post –– referred to other ways the Dodgers will have to adapt amid the sport’s ever-changing landscape.

They pointed to a crop of promising young prospects they hope to further integrate into the majors leagues next season. They highlighted the importance of maintaining a strong player development pipeline and highly-ranked farm system.

“Everything in the current system is designed for us to have a bottom-three farm system in baseball,” Friedman said, citing the draft pick penalties and limited signing bonus pools the Dodgers have incurred from their heavy roster spending in recent years. “[And instead], we’re top two.”

That, Friedman argued, “speaks to the people we have.”

“From our perspective, whatever the rules are, we don’t decide them, but we will do everything in our power to achieve the most success that we possibly can within those rules,” he added. “And I think, obviously, our spending in the last few years has been aggressive and also very fruitful in a lot of ways, but I think it diminishes a little bit from the great work by so many people on the scouting, player-development side, our baseball operations group, our coaches with the onboarding. 

“Just for us to have the farm system that we have, I think is something that gives all of us confidence in our ability to work together within whatever rules exist to be as good as we can possibly be.”

In the short term, that could signal something of a youth movement.

Walter specifically praised the performances of recent big-league breakthroughs such as All-Star center fielder Andy Pages, slugging catcher Dalton Rushing and rookie sensation Josue De Paula. He noted how “we have a wealth of talent coming up behind them, too.” 

“One area we’re focused on is integrating our best young players into the major league team,” he said, before later adding: “It’s not just spending. Our farm system is pretty strong, and that and our player development are really big things for us.”

Friedman acknowledged the difficulties that still lie ahead for the club, describing the need to balance their expensive core of current veteran players with an infusion of younger talent as “way more art than science” –– especially given the uncertainties of what a new CBA will bring.

“We know the backside of these [long-term] deals oftentimes can be challenging,” he said. “So now the tricky part … is incorporating these young talented players onto our roster with our core, that we feel like will help contribute to us maintaining a very high level of play.”

One thing Friedman expressed confidence in was that, even amid the ongoing federal investigation into Walter’s non-sports businesses, the owner would continue to green-light bigger expenditures when the front office believes they are warranted.

“The financial backing has always been there,” Friedman said. “But Mark also follows it up with a thoughtful question of, ‘What does this mean for the future?’ And I think all of us being in lockstep on that has contributed to the success we’ve had looking back, and I think keeps us well-positioned for future success.”

Exactly what that will look like, either this winter or in the future, is still unknown.

But, after reaffirming his commitment to the club, Walter was adamant about his belief in the organization’s ability to sustain what they have already built.

“We’re going to be winning for 10 years or more,” he declared. “And, you know, we don’t win every year, but we’re going to try to.”

The culling has begun.

As Matt Gross pointed out yesterday, a weird quirk of the Red Sox 40-man roster is forcing Craig Breslow’s hand as the offseason gets underway: he has to cut four players loose before free agency even begins. With a couple of minor trades yesterday, he’s at two down with two to go, as utility man and speed demon Nate Eaton was sent to the Athletics, while Tsung-Che Cheng will head to Detroit.

It goes without saying that these are two players the Red Sox can afford to lose. Eaton is a useful player whose speed and versatility gives him the type of profile that often leads to becoming something of a fan favorite. And I wouldn’t be shocked if he finds a way to contribute to the A’s in the next year or two. But with limited-to-no power to go with otherwise meh contact/on-base abilities, he’s never going to be a starter on a 95-win team (which, of course, should the Red Sox’ target). He was out of options and likely be to released for nothing, so getting anything in return for him is nice. He’ll get a real shot at sticking on a big league roster with the A’s and I’m sure most Sox fans would be thrilled if he does.

It’s going to be hard to say goodbye to Cheng, too. That’s kind of a crazy thing to say about a player who only got 39 at-bats with the big league club but, improbably, Cheng was the starting shortstop during most of the team’s historic 15-game win streak. He even made arguably the biggest defensive play of the season: a leaping catch to end the game when the Orioles had runners on second and third in the 9th, sealing the 14th win a row:

As for the return, Cheng only brought back cash, while Eaton brought back the definition of a lottery ticket: an 18-year-old Nicaraguan pitcher named Jareth Rayo who put up an ERA in the mid-5s and walked 20 batters in 36 innings in the Dominican Summer League last year. There probably is something that the research fellows in Craig Breslow’s pitching lab like about him, but there’s a good chance that this is the last time you ever read his name.

Major League Baseball faces a precarious position as a potential lockout looms on Dec. 1 when the sport's collective bargaining agreement is set to expire.

Before that happens, some business still needs to be taken care of, as dozens of players have options on their 2027 contracts and will need to get those situations squared away for whenever the union and the owners decide that next season can be salvaged.

Teams face big decisions, and players must decide where they want to play the 2027 season by Nov. 2. Those include team, player and mutual options, as well as opt-outs for players who want to test the market and become free agents.

Some players who want to maximize their contracts can also accept a team's qualifying offer, which can be extended starting Nov. 2. The value of a 2027 one-year qualifying offer is $23.15 million, and free agents who decline a qualifying offer and sign with a new team will do so, as their old team will receive draft pick compensation as a result of their departure.

Here are the contract options that have been exercised and declined for the 2027 season:

A familiar smile made a somewhat unlikely return to the big leagues with the Atlanta Braves behind the plate, as a spate of injuries caused the Braves to reach deep into their catcher depth chart before Memorial Day.

How Acquired

The Atlanta Braves first acquired Chadwick Tromp off waivers from the San Francisco Giants on September 21, 2021. In the seasons since, Tromp has been on the fringes of the big league roster as the proverbial fourth catcher on the depth chart. Seriously, the roster moves involving him have been legendary in length: DFAed in 2022 (and re-added), minor league free agency and a re-signing after the 2023 season, a DFA in early 2025, a stint with the Orioles, a stint with the Red Sox, re-added by the Braves in November 2025… you get the idea. All in all, Tromp had been a depth mainstay, spent part of the 2025 season elsewhere, but the affable Aruban played with the Braves for a fifth consecutive season in 2026. (And was part of the organization for a sixth consecutive season.)

What were the expectations?

Coming into 2026, Tromp had appeared with the Braves in every season since 2022 – beginning the the legendary “Chadwick Tromp Game” when he went 3-for-4 against the Tampa Bay Rays – but had only 28 games of action across four seasons to show for his Atlanta Braves tenure.

With catcher Sean Murphy recovering from surgery coming into 2026, Tromp’s addition made him one of two veteran options, with Sandy León, to back-up Drake Baldwin to start the season should Murphy not be ready. But, with the organization bringing in Jonah Heim in February 2026 to be Baldwin’s back-up, Tromp was relegated to the third or fourth option in the organization’s depth chart until Murphy’s return, which would have pushed him back further.

Performance-wise, Tromp has had the career of a quintessential third catcher: he can’t hit at all (career 63 wRC+, which is the result of substantially outhitting an unplayable .234 xwOBA), but he provides solid catcher defense (career +3 Statcast-based catcher runs above average in under 460 innings). That actually adds up to over 1 WAR per 600 PAs given how valuable catcher defense is, but Tromp came into 2026 with just 0.4 fWAR in 67 career games, given that no one really wants to give a bunch of playing time to a guy that can’t hit.

All of that is to say that Tromp was expected to be a staple in Gwinnett and an emergency option should something go unexpectedly wrong in Atlanta.

2026 results

Like 2021, something did go wrong, as the Braves dealt with a cacophony of injuries, leading to Tromp sharing time with León as the catcher tandem for several weeks in May.

He made 12 appearances for the Braves, including six starts, after the team traded Heim to the Athletics. Of course, that trade only happened because the Braves activated Murphy, but Murphy went right back on the shelf after a bat broke his hand on a catcher’s interference snafu… and Baldwin followed suit a week later with an injury of his own.

With the Braves, Tromp slashed a paltry .200/.192/.240 with Atlanta (11 wRC+), with surprisingly poor tiny-sample, no-meaning defense, leading to -0.1 fWAR in 27 PAs.

Tromp also had a similar lack of playing time with the Orioles, totaling 24 PAs and -0.3 fWAR; his defense “rebounded” but his bat was even worse (-39 wRC+). It was not a banner year for Tromp.

What went right?

Tromp picked-up a hit in his first 2026 at-bat with the Braves, and followed that up with another hit in his first start of the season a couple of days later. But, the highlight of his time with the Braves came on May 22, 2026 against the Washington Nationals — in what is now the new Chadwick Tromp Game. He went 2-for-3 after entering the game in the seventh inning, had a run-scoring hit in extra innings after the Braves fell behind 4-2 in the top of the tenth, and then proceeded to get the game-winning, walk-off hit for Atlanta in the 11th inning.

This performance earned him 0.46 WPA, and the walkoff hit alone was worth .392 WPA given that it came with two out. The WPA was the seventh-highest by a Braves hitter this season for a single game, and the walkoff hit itself was 12th.

Also, after he departed the Braves, he gave us this hilarious sequence with Matt Olson, featuring multiple ABS challenges and smiles all around.

What went wrong?

After his heartwarming effort against the Nats, Tromp only managed one hit — a double in a shutout loss against Boston — in his final nine games with Atlanta. Sadly, his heroics were short-lived: two days after his huge game, the Braves had the bases loaded with one out while trailing the Nationals by a run. With no other options, Tromp was up to face new pitcher Orlando Ribalta… but he struck out on four pitches.

Atlanta designated Tromp for assignment on June 4, and the veteran inked a deal with the Baltimore Orioles, just as he did in an identical situation in 2025. After nine games with the Orioles, and an IL stint, Tromp was let go by Baltimore and landed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he ended the season at Triple-A.

2027 outlook

If the 2027 season starts on time, Tromp will turn 32 days before the regular season starts. As a veteran option who would likely play at Triple-A and give an organization depth as a third or fourth catcher, he seems likely to continue to have options for at least another five seasons.

Could that include Atlanta? Possibly. Perhaps even probably.

With Baldwin and Murphy expected to be on the big league roster in 2027, the Braves will likley need one or two veteran options in the system. Maverick Handley and Chuckie Robinson, both of whom have had cups of coffee in the big leagues, along with 2021 13th round draft choice Adam Zebrowski, are all catching options as well. That shouldn’t close the door to Tromp in ‘27, should both parties want to be dance partners again. Maybe there’ll even be a new Chadwick Tromp Game eventually.

We are roughly two-thirds of the way through the 2026 Arizona Fall League schedule, with the regular season having begun on October 3, and ending on November 11. The Surprise Saguaros, for whom the Rangers prospects play, is currently 12-8, a half-game back of the Peoria Javelinas for first place.

Let’s take a look at how the Rangers prospects have been faring.

Sebastian Walcott, #1 prospect in the Rangers system and consensus top prospect in the AFL, has been solid. Walcott has slashed .300/.362/.460 in 56 plate appearances over 12 games, striking out 13 times and walking 6 times. Walcott has just one homer, but does have five doubles. Also, notably, he is tied for the team lead in stolen bases, with nine, having been thrown out just once.

Paxton Kling, the Rangers’ 2025 7th rounder who spent most of the season at Hub City before moving up to Frisco for the last week of the season and the playoffs, has also performed well for Surprise. He’s slashing .326/.446/.413 in 56 plate appearances over 12 games, with 10 walks and 10 strikeouts. And remember how I said Walcott was tied for the team lead in stolen bases? Kling, who is also 9 for 10 in stolen base attempts, is the guy he is tied with.

Catcher Julian Brock has an interesting .212/.400/.273 slash line in 43 plate appearances, with 10 walks against 11 Ks. An even more fascinating slash line has been generated by second baseman Casey Cook, who is slashing .136/.457/.136 in 33 plate appearances, with 11 walks against 6 Ks.

The Rangers pitchers have had a rougher go of it. Mason McConnaughey has allowed 7 runs in 11.1 innings over four appearances, although with 18 Ks against 5 walks. The 2025 4th rounder only threw 20 innings during the minor league season in 2026, as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Jacob Johnson, a 20 year old righthander who split the 2026 season between the complex league and low-A, logging 43 innings in all, has also made four appearances. He’s allowed 10 runs in nine innings of work, walking nine and striking out nine. Its kind of an ugly line, but this was a challenging assignment for Johnson, given his limited pro experience and the fact he’s never faced players of this caliber.

J’Briell Easley has thrown 5.2 innings over five appearances, allowing six runs, walking five and striking out six. Jesus Gamez has allowed eight runs in 3.2 innings over five appearances, walking five and strking out four.

Early Friday morning, Clint Hurdle announced that he is leaving the Colorado Rockies organization after more than 20 years of service.

Hurdle, 69, first joined the organization in 1994 as a minor league hitting instructor and was promoted to major league hitting coach in 1997, where he served until his promotion to manager in 2002.

Hurdle is perhaps best known as the manager of the 2007 Rocktober run that saw the Rockies win 13 of their last 14 games to force Game 163 (and definitely saw Matt Holliday touch home plate) on their way to eventually making their first, and so far only, World Series appearance in franchise history.

After a poor start to the 2009 season, Hurdle was fired in May and went on to join MLB Network as a studio analyst before joining the Texas Rangers organization as a hitting coach for the 2010 season. He got back into managing the following season, and served as the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2011-2019.

After retiring from coaching, Hurdle came out of retirement to rejoin the Rockies as a special assistant to the general manager in 2021, where he served until he was named interim hitting coach on April 17, 2025 and then was subsequently named bench coach on May 11 after Bud Black and Mike Redmond were fired.

Hurdle said, “With my last day being October 31, 2026….just know that I am not retiring…but rather recalculating my journey personally and professionally.”

Shortly after Hurdle’s announcement, the Rockies thanked Hurdle for his work:

When reached for comment, a Rockies spokesperson said Hurdle and the team had “mutually parted ways.”

We at Purple Row wish Clint all the best in his next chapter!

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

New Phillies' hitting coach Pete Fatse looks to lift a sagging offense originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Before Pete Fatse can try to improve the Phillies’ offense, he has to understand it.

The team’s new hitting coach has been on the job less than a week. There’s a lot to take in.

“I’m kind of drinking through a fire hose right now with information,” he said during an introductory Zoom session with reporters Friday.

Fatse was Boston’s hitting coach from 2022 until being let go in April as part of a major staff purge that included manager Alex Cora. He won’t have to dig too deep to see some of the Phillies’ issues.

The team’s offense declined across the board in 2026. It went from eighth in the majors in runs per game (4.80) in 2025 to 19^th (4.40), from third in batting average (.258) to 21^st (.240) and fourth in on-base percentage (.328) to 23^rd (.312). The Phils plummeted from fourth in OPS (.759) to 22^nd (.707).

There are many ways to evaluate an offense and Fatse can dig deep into the granular. In the big picture, he’ll work toward raising that OPS.

“It’s a simple concept,” he said. “Teams that are putting themselves on base will be in position to score more.”

Poor plate discipline was at the root of many of the Phillies’ offensive woes in 2026. Phillies hitters ranked 27^th in the majors with a 32.6 chase percentage. They got themselves out a lot.

Hitting coaches are positive thinkers.

Where most people see a problem with the Phillies’ plate discipline, Fatse sees …

“An opportunity, for sure,” he said. “It’s one of the things throughout my career that I’ve always paid attention to.

“Every offense is subject to what you swing at, especially before two strikes. How do you prioritize what parts of the zone you want to attack and having a game plan for that while ultimately being agile when the game tells you something else is needed.

“So, it’s working through that thought process. We work through different ways to practice it and train it. Sometimes, it’s a mindset, an execution thing. Ultimately, you start to figure out where different players are because it is so individual at times. You (learn) what messaging is best suited for each guy.”

Fatse, 39, replaces Kevin Long.

Trea Turner will be one of Fatse’s biggest projects. On the night the Phillies’ short postseason run ended in Atlanta, Turner raised his hand and said he was the reason for the team’s overall decline in offense.

Turner won the National League batting title at .304 in 2025. He hit .242 in 2026 and led the majors in outs made. His chase rate was 34.6 percent. His OPS plummeted from .812 to .675. His strikeout rate went from 16.7 percent to 21 percent.

Turner’s defense at shortstop was also poor in 2026 and he must improve it – quickly – or face a position change in 2027. In addition to changing hitting coaches for 2027, the Phillies will have a new infield coach as Carlos Mendoza replaces Bobby Dickerson.

Fatse has already communicated with Turner via text. A personal meeting could come in November, before baseball’s expected lockout.

“Trea is a tremendous, dynamic talent,” Fatse said. “Getting to understand his priorities and building off his strengths is important to me.”

Relationships in general are important to Fatse. They are to all coaches. Without a strong two-way relationship between a player and a coach, messages and lessons go undelivered. Before becoming Boston’s top hitting coach, Fatse was an assistant with the Red Sox. He overlapped with Kyle Schwarber when the slugger was in Boston in 2021. Fatse plans to communicate with all Phillies hitters in the weeks to come.

“You have to earn trust,” he said. “You have to understand why players do what they do. You can study video. You can dive into advanced analytical information and paint a picture, but ‘the why’ is most important to me as a coach. You have to understand and appreciate why someone does things before you can jump in and make an assumption. Hitting is always a collaboration with the player.”

Fatse played minor-league ball in the Milwaukee organization. Like most hitting coaches of this era, he has a strong understanding of analytics and the use of data. Before hiring Fatse, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said he was looking for someone who could use contemporary analytics and communicate the information efficiently to players.

After being let go by Boston in April, Fatse worked as a consultant with Tampa Bay’s analytics/hitting group. The Rays lost to Milwaukee in the World Series. As an opponent, Fatse was quite impressed with the Brewers’ offensive “tenacity and the way they grinded at-bats.”

The goal is to bring some of that to the Phillies. Time will tell if it happens.