Category: Sports News

The Braves were linked specifically to Chris Bassitt and Lucas Giolito as targets for their starting pitching pursuit, which apparently remains active at this stage in the offseason. While those are by no means sexy options, they likely wouldn’t require eye-watering contracts and would preserve the Braves’ 2026 draft capital, as compared to Framber Valdez or Zac Gallen. Bassitt has been quite durable and consistent in the ~2.5 fWAR per (regular length) season range for seven seasons now, but hasn’t had a peak much higher than that and will be 37 this season. Giolito had a higher peak than Bassitt from 2019-2021, but hasn’t been the same pitcher since, That said, he posted a solid back-end starter year in 2025, albeit with highly diminished strikeout stuff. Either would be solid depth options, but wouldn’t bring much upside with them beyond that, though Giolito is only 31, so perhaps a renaissance could still be in the cards for him.

Braves News

The Braves’ interest in adding starting pitching was reiterated, even at this stage in the offseason, by Jon Heyman, listing Chris Bassitt and Lucas Giolito as potential options.

MLB News

The Twins and Rockies made a minor depth trade involving three players and cash.

The Rockies traded a reliever to the Yankees for a fringe prospect.

Owen Murphy landed on Kiley McDaniel’s 101-200 prospects list over at ESPN.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: After spending most of the offseason re-signing members of the 2025 team, Brian Cashman is pushing back on the narrative that this year’s team will be much the same as last year’s. “I disagree that it’s the same team, running it back,” the Yankees’ GM said. “It’s going to be some differences, and the competition is going to be different, too.”

For Cody Bellinger, whose recent re-signing fed the flames of the “running it back” angle, that doesn’t sound like a problem. “I really do love the group that we had,” Bellinger said. “We had a special, special unit. We had great chemistry that I don’t think can be understood unless you’re inside the clubhouse.”

Another effect of Bellinger’s signing is potentially reduced roles for fellow outfielders Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones. The team’s manager still sees a potential role for both, however. “Belli is that true, versatile player that can go be really successful all over the diamond,” Aaron Boone said. “So we’ll see how everything plays out. The reality is, we have a lot of really good players. And Jasson and Spencer are part of that.”

Daily News | Peter Sblendorio: Aaron Judge is faring well in his recovery from a right elbow flexor strain that impacted him last season, per Boone. “Actually, because he has ramped up his throwing program a little bit more because he’s getting ready for the (World Baseball Classic), he’s ahead of the game more so than he even normally is from a throwing standpoint,” the Yankees manager said Wednesday.

Unlike his captain, the recently re-signed Cody Bellinger has decided to sit out the WBC this year. “Don’t think this year’s going to be the year,” he said Wednesday. “Especially getting the free-agent [deal] and going into spring, you kind of just want to focus on what’s at hand here and the task at hand. I owe it to the Steinbrenner family and the Yankee organization to go and give my best foot forward and try and win a championship.”

Anthony Volpe’s recovery from a partial shoulder labrum tear is going well, too. Though he’s not expected to be ready for Opening Day, Cashman said he expects him back “sooner than later.” Ailing hurlers Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón are on track in their recoveries as well.

MLB Trade Rumors | Steve Adams: The Yankees and Rockies finalized a trade that will send reliever Angel Chivilli to New York, per Jack Curry. Chivilli is a hard-throwing right-hander who’s struggled with the long ball in limited big-league action but has demonstrated the stuff to miss bats. The 23-year-old allowed 49 runs in 58.2 innings last year, though some of that may be attributable to struggles at Denver’s Coors Field. In exchange, the Yankees are shipping off T.J. Rumfield. The 25-year-old was the starting first baseman at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season, slashing .285/.378/.447 with 16 homers.

For more on Chivilli, check out Josh’s post for Pinstripe Alley yesterday shortly after the news was announced.

MLB Trade Rumors | Anthony Franco: Bellinger’s five-year, $162.5 million contract will come with a larger luxury tax hit than the norm. That’s because of an arcane clause in the league’s collective bargaining agreement called the “Valley Charge.” Without getting too in the weeds, because the outfielder’s compact comes with a $20 million signing bonus and includes opt-outs after the second and third seasons, it will be treated as worth $44.75 million in average annual value (instead of $32.5 million) over the first two years of the deal. Should Bellinger choose not to opt out, the added luxury tax hit would essentially be credited back to the Yankees on the back end of the deal. This new wrinkle brings the Yankees’ tax number for 2026 above $330 million after they ended the season at $320 million last year.

CBS Sports | Dayn Perry: In a report that will only stoke the fires of the “running it back” narrative, the Yankees have reportedly expressed interest in a reunion with first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, per YES Network’s Jack Curry. The right-handed Goldschmidt could once again provide insurance for the lefty Ben Rice, who is expected to see the lion’s share of playing time at first base. Re-signing Goldschmidt would theoretically also free Rice up to play some catcher, where Austin Wells struggled at times offensively last year.

Goldschmidt was one of the Yankees’ most consistent hitters in the first half last year but trailed off down the stretch of his age-37 season. And while he had a .981 OPS against southpaws, much of that came during his hot first couple months. As beat writer Gary Phillips noted, that figure fell to .676 from June 1st onward.

The Athletic | Keith Law: ($) The Yankees had two players — George Lombard Jr. and Carlos Lagrange — on Law’s top 100 prospect list published on Monday. They very nearly had a third. Dax Kilby was the last player left off the list, slotting in at 101. The shortstop, who was taken 39th overall in last year’s draft, slashed .353/.457/.441 in 18 games at Low-A, an impressive showing for a player coming straight from high school to pro ball. Looking under the hood, his hard-hit rate and chase rate suggest a player with the tools to rise through the minor-league ranks. Law expects him to move off shortstop due to a below-average arm, but still sees him as a viable enough bat to stick at second base.

Awful Announcing | Sam Neumann: Yankees legend Willie Randolph will be joining YES for the 2026 season, the network has announced. The former team co-captain will join studio coverage alongside Bob Lorenz in a role similar to the one that the departed John Flaherty, Jeff Nelson, and Dave Valle would often tackle at points. It doesn’t sound like he’ll be in color commentary rotation though, as that will remain the primary domain of David Cone and Paul O’Neill, plus some Joe Girardi and Todd Frazier. Randolph was a World Series champion as the second baseman for the 1977-78 Yankees and earned four more rings serving as a coach with the team from 1994-2004.

Yankees GM pushes back on “run it back” narrative; injury updates on several key contributors; righty reliever acquired from Rockies; a bigger tax hit for Belli; Dax Kilby just misses top 100 list; Yankees legend joins the booth.

The New York Rangers’ 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Wednesday night was overshadowed by news that proceeded to come out before the game even starting.

Just about an hour before puck drop at UBS Arena, word came out that Artemi Panarin would be held out of the lineup due to roster management, and he won’t play in any games before the Olympic break, beginning on Feb. 5.

Everybody has known that it was just a matter of time before Panarin gets traded, as Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury reportedly held an individual meeting with Panarin shortly before releasing a letter outlining the team’s intentions to retool, and informed him that the Rangers do not plan to re-sign him past this season and will look to trade him to anywhere he wishes to go. 

However, Panarin had remained in the lineup leading up to Wednesday, and it appears as if the decision to hold him out was made just hours before the game, to the surprise of many of the players.

“Yeah it was a little weird, with how it happened later in the day and he’s not here,” Vincent Trocheck said of Panarin’s absence. “It’s a weird feeling. Obviously, like I said before, we know what a situation like this brings, and for me personally, it being a guy like Bread, who I’ve become extremely close with over the last four years and was lucky enough to play with, it's been a huge blessing for me. I've learned a ton from him. Yeah, it's tough whether it's a game day or not a game day.”

Although Panarin hasn’t officially been traded yet, Wednesday night felt like the closing of a chapter for the Rangers organization, a chapter that started in 2019 when the Rangers signed Panarin to a 7-year, $81 million contract. 

In all likelihood, the 34-year-old has played his last game in a Blueshirts sweater. 

In 482 games with the Rangers, Panarin has recorded 205 goals, 402 assists, and 607 points, while also helping lead the team to the Eastern Conference Final twice.

“Bread is a terrific player and a great teammate,” Mike Sullivan said. “He's one of the best Rangers of his generation. He's not an easy guy to replace when he’s not in the lineup, but everybody understands it, and we're going to control what we can.”

Panarin was not the first and likely won’t be the last player to be yanked out of the lineup due to roster management. 

Just 48 hours ago, Carson Soucy was scratched from Monday’s matchup against the Boston Bruins, and by the end of the night, he was traded to the Islanders. 

Over the past year and a half, we’ve seen the dismantling of the Rangers’ core. Now up until the March 6th NHL Trade Deadline, we’ll see the continuation of this teardown, with players falling like dominoes, getting taken away piece by piece in an effort to go through with the retool plan outlined by Drury in his Jan. 16th letter. 

Artemi Panarin Will Be Held Out Of Lineup As Rangers Seek Trade According to multiple reports, Artemi Panarin will be held out of the lineup on Wednesday night for the New York Rangers’ matchup against the New York Islanders due to roster management. 

Drury’s warning to fans that they may have to say “goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years”  is being put into action. 

The reality of the situation is staring every player directly in the face and looming over the team like a dark cloud. 

“You can't look at it like that,” Trocheck said about whether he’s trying to savor every moment with this team before being broken up. “You can't go about your day being scared of what's going to happen next. You got to, like you said, embrace every moment that you have together, and love everybody in this locker room and cherish every second that we have together, every time we're on the ice together.”

The Colorado Rockies made a number of roster moves on Wednesday within the span of two hours, and Skyler Timmins did a marvelous job of keeping up with them:

• First, they traded RHP Angel Chivilli to the Yankees for 1B T.J. Rumfield
• Then, they designated OF Yanquiel Fernández for assignment
• Finally, they traded RHP Jace Kaminska and cash considerations to the Twins for INF Edouard Julien and RHP Pierson Ohl

At 2pm, Paul DePodesta hopped on Zoom with the media to answer questions about the moves and what they mean for the future of the organization.

On the decision to trade Angel Chivilli

I wouldn’t say we necessarily wanted to [trade Chivilli], because he obviously has a terrific arm, he’s still very young, he did miss a lot of bats. I think there are a lot of things about Angel that are really attractive. We weren’t anxious to move him, but we did feel like our bullpen is a real area of depth, and there have been clubs asking about a number of our bullpen arms throughout the course of the last couple months. And ultimately, this was a deal that seemed to fit and seemed to come together for us. It wasn’t a situation where we were looking to move him by any stretch, there was just enough interest, and I found a deal that ultimately made sense. But we were dealing from an area of strength where we could then bolster our position player club going forward.

On TJ Rumfield

We think he’s a solid defender at first base to go along with the bat. He’s been a very productive hitter the last two years in Triple-A as a 24 and 25-year-old. I think he’s got really good bat-to-ball skills. He has some emerging power. But he’s a guy that can manipulate the barrel pretty well, and as a consequence, has hit for average along with some of that juice. So we think he’s a nice combination of skills and is very capable at first base.

On the decision to DFA Yanquiel Fernández

It’s hard, to be honest with you. We’re now certainly at a point where we feel like every time we make a move, we’re losing someone we like or potentially losing someone we like. And that was certainly the case with Yanquiel. He’s been a good prospect and got a chance to get his feet we at the major league level last year. He has some power, so it’s hard.

I think at this point we felt like we did have some depth outfield-wise, especially with the left-hand hitting outfielders. We now have a group in the big leagues that we feel pretty good about. We also have a handful of guys on the 40-man who maybe haven’t yet gotten a lot of time in the big leagues, or even any time at all with, like, Sterlin Thompson. So it really came do to that where, if we lose someone, in what part of the roster can we afford that? And right now, I think that left hand-hitting outfielder spot was where we were just a little heavy.

On Edouard Julien

I think we’re certainly intrigued by the bat. I think he had a really, really good track record, even going back to the time when he was in High-A, Double-A, Triple-A into his rookie season. He’s produced at the major league level at different times. The last couple of years, he hasn’t had as consistent of opportunities that he had that rookie year, but we like the versatility. He can play first, he can play second, and we like that left-handed bat against right-handed pitching. So we think there are probably some different ways that we can use it.

On Pierson Ohl

I think he could do a little bit of both (opening and relieving). He’s also started in the minor league, and his mix is a little different, depending on whether or not he was starting or relieving. But he’s a very, very good strike thrower. He does have some good pitches in his arsenal to keep hitters off balance. Principally, he has the changeup but he also has a feel for a handful of other pitches. So I think philosophically, he fits with us really well and could pitch in a multitude of roles for us.

On the left-handedness of the recent trades

I think there were some struggles last year against right-handed pitching in general. And obviously, you’re going to see more right-handers than left-handers, so I think it certainly was a focus for us as we went through the offseason to make sure we had a few more weapons from the left side, if possible.

On creating roster competition and positional flexibility

I think what we’re really trying to do is create, I think, really healthy competition on our roster [with these moves]. Now, most of the players we have acquired do have a good amount of versatility. I think there are lots of different ways that the pieces can fit, and I think that’s really what we’re looking for.

And I think we’re also going into the idea that the roster is going to be fluid through the course of the year. We all know that we’ll have injuries, we’ll have players that maybe don’t perform the way you expected them to, etc. and I think these players having versatility just makes our roster a little bit more robust. So we may not be done adding — we’ll see — but we did want to make sure that we had healthy competition at a handful of these different spots and then different ways to put the puzzle together.

I don’t think we’re going to be taking positions away from any guys who are capable of playing. In fact, it may actually be the opposite. This spring, you may see some guys playing some positions that maybe they haven’t played as much in the past, just to see if we can’t increase their versatility.”

On a common thread

There are certain things we want to be able to do as a team. I think we know it’s really hard to get all of those attributes in a single player. But as a team collectively, we want to be able to do a lot of different things. We know we need to get on base more; we know we need to chase less; we’d like to hit for some more power; we want to be able to run the bases more effectively and have that be more of a weapon on our team.

So trying to accomplish all these things at once, again, is really hard to do with just one player. But I think each of the players that we’ve acquired have pieces that have elements of those goals, and we’ll bring those to our team as a whole.

On continued player development

Last week, we had our summit in Denver with all of our baseball personnel. And one of the real themes of that was that development never stops, and I think Schaeff and his entire staff at the major-league level are committed to continue to develop guys, even at the major-league level. That’s something that we’re going to be focused on, not just this year, but I think going forward in the organization and really sort of bring that into the development that the players have already had in the minor leagues. But there’s not doubt we think that there are heights yet to be reached for all these players, not just the ones we’ve just acquired, but even for the players we’ve already had on our roster.

On acquiring another starting pitcher

We continue to engage on finding even more pitching, largely starters, because we feel like we’ve got pretty good depth in our bullpen, but we’re looking at all different avenues. So far this offseason, we’ve traded for folks, we’ve claimed players, we’ve signed free agents, and I think we’re still actively looking through all of those avenues for additional starting pitching.

On Charlie Condon and the future

We love Charlie, and I think we’re very excited to have him. With all these moves, I think back to probably 25 years ago or so when I was with Oakland and we were in spring training and we were adding one more player, and there was some concern about how he was going to fit. And I remember Billy [Beane] at one point saying, ‘Do we finally have too many good players? Is that the point we’ve reached? We have too many?’

Obviously, we’re not there yet. We’re going to keep adding talent to this roster, but in no way are we not believing in the young guys we have. We have a lot of really good young players that are in Double-A and Triple-A, and there’s no doubt in my mind that they’re going to earn their opportunities on this team. And once they do, they’ll have long runways with us.

As we keep saying, the Rockies have a vision. They seem to have a clear idea of how they want to construct their roster and the things they’re looking for in players.

It’s also a breath of fresh air to hear from Paul DePodesta as often as he’s been available.

What are your thoughts on the Rockies’ roster moves? Do you think they’ll make more? Let us know in the comments!

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

It’s Wednesday night here at BCB After Dark: the most happening hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad you decided to stop by. Come in out of the cold. We can check your coat for you. We’ve got a fire going and the show will start soon. There’s no cover charge tonight. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night, I asked you where the Cubs were most vulnerable heading into the season. Thirty-five percent of you thought the biggest issue was the bullpen, and that makes a lot of sense. Another 31 percent of you said “outfield depth,” and that makes a lot of sense too. I wonder about the two percent of you who said “infield depth.” I guess if you don’t believe in Matt Shaw that could be a problem, but is that the biggest potential problem on the team?

Here’s the part where we listen to music and talk movies. The BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic starts the third round tonight. But you’re free to skip all that. You won’t hurt my feelings.

My adage when I can’t think of anything to play is to just play the hits. So tonight, we have a classic from Count Basie and his Orchestra on the BBC in 1965. This is “April in Paris,” which you’ve probably heard many times, even if only in Blazing Saddles.

You voted in the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic and you decided to send Back to the Future to the final eight over The Matrix. A lot of you noted that I probably would have voted for The Matrix (I don’t vote except to break ties) but were it up to me, this round would have been Gattaca against 12 Monkeys, so I’m not going to get too worked up.

With that, we close out the second round and move on to the third. We also move back to the “Classic” period where we have a battle of two heavyweights: The Day the Earth Stood Still and Godzilla (Gojira). I put the Japanese title in the matchup to make clear that were voting on the Japanese original. The English-language version is called Godzilla: King of the Monsters. I’ve mentioned that version with Raymond Burr is a lot of fun but it is definitely the inferior version.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951). Directed by Robert Wise. Starring Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal and Hugh Marlowe.

Here’s what I wrote last time about The Day the Earth Stood Still.

The key clip from The Day the Earth Stood Still is Patricia Neal saying “Klaatu Barada Nikto” to Gort, but I used that one last time. But it’s just a magnificent piece of filmmaking from director Wise. You can see how he would go on to win two Oscars for directing.

This clip of Klaatu (Rennie) emerging from the saucer is also good.

Godzilla (1954). Directed by Ishirō Honda. Starring Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata and Takashi Shimura.

Here’s what I wrote last time about Godzilla.

Here’s Godzilla emerging out of Tokyo Bay.

Both of these films are dealing with the anxieties of the nuclear age from different sides of the Pacific. For Americans, the destruction of nuclear weapons was only theoretical and in The Day the Earth Stood Still, Klaatu comes as a Christ-like savior to lead us to the path of peace. No one gets hurt other than Klaatu. Even he (sort of, thanks the Production Code) comes back to life.

Of course for the Japanese, the terror of nuclear weapons was all too real and Godzilla wrecks major havoc to the country. Tens or hundreds of thousands are likely dead in Godzilla’s wake. The message isn’t so much “live in peace with nuclear weapons” as it is “get rid of them because someone is going to use one again eventually.”

Both films are fantastic. Tough choice tonight. But now is your time to make it.

You have until Monday to make your vote. Next up is the finals in our “New Hollywood” bracket between 2001: A Space Odyssey and Planet of the Apes (1968).

Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and movies.

Earlier this decade, the Cubs were lining up all of their big contracts to run out at the end of this year. That’s gone a bit by the wayside with the signings of Dansby Swanson, Alex Bregman and Phil Maton, but for the most part, the Cubs are going to have a few free agents at the end of 2026 if they don’t sign them to extensions before that.

Both Cubs starting corner outfielders, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki, are going to be free agents at the end of the season unless they agree to extensions or accept a qualifying offer. Both of them are very good players, but neither one is a superstar. It’s hard to tell what Suzuki is thinking with the language barrier and all, but I’ve got no reason to think he isn’t happy in Chicago. There was a little grumbling from his camp last year when he was moved to DH after the trade for Kyle Tucker, but Tucker is gone now and Suzuki is penciled back in right field for 2026.

Happ has made it clear that he loves Chicago and the Cubs and would like to be a Cub for life.

So should the Cubs make a move now to sign either outfielder to an extension? Or both?

Al wrote an article earlier this winter arguing for Happ to be signed to a three-year extension. I actually think that his contract proposal was a little low on money. I think Happ can get significantly more than three years, $48 million on the open market. Jorge Polanco is a year older than Happ, is a bad defender who is moving to first base and is a similar hitter. He got two years and $40 million from the Mets on the open market.

So I’m going to propose a three-year extension for Happ for $60 million. That’s basically what he signed in his last extension. Yes, Happ is older now than he was then, but salaries have gone up since then too.

Suzuki is a better hitter than Happ but a much worse fielder. The two were born six days apart from each other, so age isn’t a factor. I think Suzuki’s defense is going to be a bigger problem as he ages, so he may be destined to be a full-time DH with only an occasional game as a corner outfielder. So I’m going to put Suzuki’s extension at a slight discount from Happ at three years and $54 million.

So would you sign either of these outfielders to an extension before Opening Day? Or both of them? The Cubs are definitely going to need two corner outfielders in 2027. Even if you think that Kevin Alcántara is ready to take over one of those spots, there really isn’t another reasonable candidate in the minor leagues to fill the other one. The free agent market for outfielders next winter isn’t great. There’s George Springer, who is going to be 37 years old and then there are guys who I’d argue aren’t as good as Happ and Suzuki—Randy Arozarena, Adolis García and Trent Grisham. That may make signing either one to an extension harder because they know that teams looking for outfielders next winter aren’t going to have a ton of options.

There is one wildcard in the Cubs minor league system that would argue against signing both is last year’s first-round pick Ethan Conrad. Conrad hasn’t made his professional debut yet because of injuries and it seems highly unlikely that he’d be ready to start the 2027 season in the majors. However, if he’s as good as the Cubs think he is, Conrad will definitely be ready by 2028, if not sooner. But can you really count on a player who hasn’t taken a professional at-bat yet?

You can make your own estimates on what the extension would go for, but make it realistic. Neither one is signing for two years and $20 million. You don’t have to give either one no-trade options, although Happ wouldn’t need one because he would become a 10-5 player some time in the 2027 season.

So what would you do? Would you lock up one of these outfielders by Opening Day? Both? Neither?

Thank you for stopping in tonight. We know you have a lot of fake online baseball and jazz-themed nightclubs to choose from, so we’re happy you chose us. Please get home safely. Stay warm out there. Don’t forget anything. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again next week for more BCB After Dark.