Category: Sports News

This year’s Royals Hall of Fame ballot features several players from the club’s memorable 2014-15 pennant-winning teams. Zack Greinke, Eric Hosmer, Ian Kennedy, and Mike Moustakas join the list as first-time candidates, joining carry over candidates Carlos Beltrán, Billy Butler, Lorenzo Cain, Wade Davis, Alcides Escobar, Kelvin Herrera, Greg Holland, and Joakim Soria.

Fan voting is now open for the Royals Hall of Fame Class of 2027!

Cast your vote now: https://t.co/7PX8YHHS7Cpic.twitter.com/97PIbJeCbv

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) November 2, 2026

Here are the credentials for each candidate.

Carlos Beltrán

795 games, .287/.352/.483, 24.8 rWAR

Beltrán played for the Royals from 1998 to 2004, winning American League Rookie of the Year honors in 1999. He became just the eighth rookie in MLB history to score 100 runs and drive in 100 runs in the same season. He was named American League Player of the Week three times with the Royals and earned Player of the Month honors in April 2004. Beltrán finished among the league’s top ten in stolen bases three times during his Royals tenure and ranks eighth among all Royals position players in rWAR. His 164 stolen bases rank eighth in club history, and he converted on an impressive 87 percent of his attempts.

Billy Butler

1,166 games, .295/.359/.449, 12.5 rWAR

Butler was a first-round pick in 2004 who spent several years as the Royals’ designated hitter, including during their pennant-winning 2014 season. His best season came in 2012, when he hit .313/.373/.510 with a career-high 29 home runs, earning Silver Slugger honors. He also made his only All-Star appearance that year, playing in front of his hometown fans at Kauffman Stadium. Butler finished among the league’s top ten in doubles three times and ranked sixth in RBI in 2012. He is tied for tenth in club history in home runs, ninth in hits, and eighth in doubles. His .295 career batting average ranks sixth in franchise history among players with at least 1,000 plate appearances.

Lorenzo Cain

713 games, .289/.342/.421, 24.6 rWAR

Cain is appearing on the ballot for the first time after receiving a retirement ceremony from the club in 2023. Originally acquired from the Brewers in the Zack Greinke trade, Cain quickly developed into one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball. From 2013 to 2017, he ranked third among all outfielders in Defensive Runs Saved with 75. His defensive brilliance was on full display during the Royals’ 2014 postseason run, when he hit .533 against the Orioles to earn ALCS MVP honors.

Cain made his first All-Star team in 2015 and finished third in American League MVP voting. That season, he ranked fifth in the league in runs scored (101), fifth in batting average (.307), third in defensive WAR (2.1), and fourth in overall rWAR (6.9). His dash home from first base on Eric Hosmer’s single in the deciding game of the 2015 ALCS against the Blue Jays remains one of the most iconic moments in franchise history. Cain ranks ninth in club history in career rWAR with 24.6.

Wade Davis

256 games, 3.39 ERA, 3.13 FIP, 6.6 rWAR

Davis was a starting pitcher in 2013, his first season with the Royals after being acquired from the Rays. But a move to the bullpen transformed his career, turning him into arguably the most dominant reliever in baseball. From 2014 to 2016, he appeared in 185 games and posted a remarkable 1.85 ERA while recording 47 saves. He struck out 33 percent of the batters he faced during that stretch. Davis was a two-time All-Star, received Cy Young votes in 2014 and 2015, and earned MVP votes in 2015. He recorded the final out of the 2015 World Series to clinch the championship for Kansas City. His 49 career saves with the Royals rank tenth in club history.

Alcides Escobar

1,245 games, .259/.292/.344, 8.2 rWAR

Escobar is another first-time candidate. A defense-first shortstop, he frequently hit near the top of the lineup for the Royals’ pennant-winning teams. Originally acquired from the Brewers in the Greinke trade, Escobar became an iron man for Kansas City, playing at least 155 games in six of his eight seasons with the club, including three seasons in which he appeared in all 162 games. He was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner in 2015, then hit .478 against the Blue Jays that fall to earn ALCS MVP honors. He also famously opened the bottom of the first inning of Game 1 of the 2015 World Series with an inside-the-park home run, setting the tone for the series. His 160 stolen bases rank ninth in club history, while his 1,208 career hits rank tenth.

Zack Greinke

266 games, 3.93 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 29.8 rWAR

Greinke was originally drafted by the Royals with the sixth overall pick in 2002 and made his major league debut in 2004. He quickly established himself as one of the team’s best young pitchers, but his breakout season came in 2009, when he won the American League Cy Young Award. Greinke went 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA and 242 strikeouts, leading the league in ERA and finishing sixth in MVP voting. He also earned his first All-Star selection that year. Greinke was traded to Milwaukee after the 2010 season, but returned to Kansas City in 2022 for two more seasons. His 29.8 rWAR ranks fourth among all pitchers in Royals history, and he remains the last Royals pitcher to win the Cy Young Award.

Kelvin Herrera

442 games, 2.75 ERA, 3.16 FIP, 10.6 rWAR

Herrera was a two-time All-Star who recorded four seasons with at least 70 appearances and an ERA below 3.00. He was a key member of the vaunted “HDH” bullpen trio alongside Wade Davis and Greg Holland. Herrera was particularly dominant in the postseason, posting a 1.26 ERA in 22 appearances while striking out 38 batters in 28 2/3 innings. He ranks sixth in club history in saves and third in games pitched.

Eric Hosmer

1,048 games, .284/.342/.439, 15.5 rWAR

Hosmer was the third overall pick in the 2008 draft and quickly became a cornerstone of the Royals’ rebuilding effort. He debuted in 2011 and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. He developed into one of the best defensive first basemen in baseball, winning four Gold Glove Awards with the Royals. His best season came in 2017, when he hit .318/.385/.498 with 25 home runs and 94 RBI. He earned his first All-Star selection in 2016 and was named All-Star Game MVP after hitting a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning. But Hosmer’s most memorable moment came in the 2015 World Series, when his aggressive dash home on a ground ball to first base tied Game 5 in the ninth inning and helped the Royals eventually clinch the championship. His 127 home runs are tied for tenth in club history, while his 566 RBI rank ninth.

Greg Holland

394 games, 2.72 ERA, 2.61 FIP, 11.3 rWAR

Holland was an elite closer and a key member of one of the best bullpens in baseball. Drafted in the tenth round out of Western Carolina University, he made his Royals debut in 2010 and posted a 1.80 ERA the following season. By 2012, he had taken over as the team’s closer. Holland became an All-Star in both 2013 and 2014, earning Cy Young and MVP votes in each season. He recorded 46 saves in 2013 and 47 in 2014, finishing second in the American League both years. He allowed just one run in 11 postseason innings in 2014.

Holland recorded another 32 saves in 2015 but suffered an elbow injury late in the season that kept him out of the postseason. He eventually returned to Kansas City for another stint in 2020-21, appearing in 85 games. His 159 career saves rank fourth in club history.

Ian Kennedy

163 games, 4.48 ERA, 4.83 FIP, 6.3 rWAR

Kennedy signed a five-year, $70 million contract with the Royals following their 2015 World Series championship, becoming the team’s highest-paid player at the time. He delivered a solid first season in 2016, going 11-11 with a 3.68 ERA and 184 strikeouts in 195 2/3 innings. Kennedy found new life after moving to the bullpen in 2019, when he converted 30 saves with a 3.41 ERA, giving the Royals a reliable closer. He finished his Royals career with 163 appearances, including 86 starts, and was worth 6.3 rWAR.

Mike Moustakas

934 games, .251/.306/.430, 11.4 rWAR

Moustakas was the second overall pick in the 2007 draft and one of the key prospects in the Royals’ rebuilding effort. He debuted in 2011 and endured some early struggles, but developed into a productive power hitter and an important part of the Royals’ championship teams. He hit .284/.348/.470 with 22 home runs in 2015, earning his first All-Star selection. He had his best season in 2017, when he set a Royals single-season record with 38 home runs and earned another All-Star selection. Moustakas also provided one of the defining defensive plays of the 2014 postseason, making a spectacular catch while tumbling over the third-base dugout in the ALCS. He ranks ninth in club history with 139 home runs and 14th with 441 RBI. “Moose” returned to Kansas City for a retirement ceremony in 2025, signing a one-day contract to retire as a Royal.

Joakim Soria

427 games, 2.82 ERA, 3.03 FIP, 14.3 rWAR

Soria had two separate stints with the Royals, pitching for the club from 2007-11 and again from 2016-17. Originally selected from the Padres in the Rule 5 Draft, he developed into a two-time All-Star with Kansas City and received Cy Young and MVP votes in 2010. Soria finished among the league’s top ten in saves four times with the Royals, including a second-place finish in 2010 when he recorded 43 saves. He ranks third in club history in saves and fifth in games pitched.

To be eligible for the Royals Hall of Fame, a candidate must have spent at least three seasons with the club, accumulated a minimum of 1,500 plate appearances or 300 innings pitched, and been retired for at least three years.

Fans can vote here, with the fan vote counting as three electors. Other electors include members of the Royals Hall of Fame, Royals front office staff, Royals Associates with at least 15 years of service, and select members of the media. The online fan ballot will account for three full votes for each of the five candidates receiving the most votes. Any candidate receiving at least 75 percent of the vote will be elected and scheduled for induction during the 2026 Royals season. Eligible alumni who receive at least 10 percent of the vote can remain on the ballot for five regular-phase election cycles.

Last year, John Wathan was elected into the Royals Hall of Fame. Yordano Ventura is the only candidate from last year’s ballot that did not carry over to this years ballot. The Royals Hall of Fame includes Kevin Appier, George Brett, Joe Burke, Steve Busby, Ewing Kauffman, Muriel Kauffman, Mark Gubicza, Alex Gordon, Larry Gura, Dick Howser, Whitey Herzog, Bo Jackson, Dennis Leonard, Denny Matthews, John Mayberry, Hal McRae, Jeff Montgomery, Fred Patek, Dan Quisenberry, Cookie Rojas, Bret Saberhagen, John Schuerholz, Paul Splittorff, Art Stewart, Mike Sweeney, Cedric Tallis, George Toma, Amos Otis, Frank White, Willie Wilson, John Wathan, and Ned Yost.

Against Chris Sale, with two outs in the ninth inning of game three of the National League Wild Card in Atlanta, Otto Kemp ended the Phillies season by swinging right over a slider.

Believe it or not, the Phillies had real hopes for Otto Kemp heading into 2026. He put up a .786 OPS against left-handed pitching in 2025, roughly 20% above league average, believe it or not. Kemp notably played through a fractured left kneecap and he needed surgery on his shoulder after the 2025 season.

He clearly checked the intangible boxes and showed some real ability at the plate. He slugged .411 with a 92 OPS+ as a rookie and did not look incompetent against right-handed pitching most of the time. Dave Dombrowski clearly liked what he saw, insisting he thought Kemp could turn into an everyday player but they settled on the short-side platoon LF spot.

He was never a good defender but he wasn’t completely unathletic and should hit lefties. Sounds like a perfectly acceptable platoon partner for Brandon Marsh, right?

Nope.

It was a disaster.

What went right?

Kemp made the opening day roster and the Phillies came into the season with him in mind so clearly something went fine in spring training, at least enough so the Phillies could maintain the course.

What went wrong?

After going 2 for 20 with nine strikeouts, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch, not to mention he was a disaster in left field, Kemp was optioned in the middle of the Phillies 10 game losing streak. Felix Reyes came in his place, hit a home run off Chris Sale but nothing else and would later get optioned.

Kemp would find himself back in the big leagues a month after his option, with another chance to prove he could platoon with Brandon Marsh in left field. He played in three more games, getting five at bats and didn’t record a hit.

With Marsh on a linsanity run against left handed pitchers, there was no place for Otto Kemp on the roster and he would not play for the Phillies for four months.

Until October, Kemp was put on the Phillies playoff roster after a rash of minor league injuries to end the season. The 2026 Phillies postseason roster for their series against the Atlanta Braves included Kemp, Rafael Marchán and Garrett Stubbs, along with Tanner Banks and Chase Shugart in the bullpen. Not that you would need to find a role for all 26 players in a three game series, but that is an insane amount of dead weight going into October.

Kemp would play when Don Mattingly hit him for Brandon Marsh against Chris Sale. It was supposed to be this way heading into the season and it would be the way the season ended. Kemp had no chance on a backfoot slider and the Phillies went home empty handed.

Final Grade: D-

Does Kemp deserve an F? Yes, but I don’t want to give it to him. He wasn’t supposed to be as miscast as a short-side platoon left fielder as he was and nothing worked but the role does have a level of variance to it that should absolve Kemp from an F.

Yesterday, the baseball world learned of the passing of Jerry Koosman, a member of both the 1969 World Champion and 1973 National League Champion New York Mets, at 83 year old. Koosman, a member of the Mets Hall of Fame and whose number 36 is retired by the Mets, is one of the most identifiable Mets from their first golden era.

Born in Appleton, Minnesota, the left-hander was discovered while in the military, and the Mets signed him one his service was over. He made his big league debut in 1967, but joined the Mets full time in 1968, going 19-12 with a 2.08 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 263.2 innings. Koosman finished second to Johnny Bench in the Rookie of the Year voting.

In 1969, Koosman had another fantastic season, and won two games in the ‘69 World Series, pitching 17 and two-thirds innings over two games, and was awarded the ball Cleon Jones caught for the final out of the game.

Koosman continued to be the Mets’ number two starter behind Tom Seaver, and he had a number of very good seasons as Met, including winning 21 games in 1976 and coming in second in the Cy Young voting in 1976. After the Mets’ terrible 1978 season, Koosman requested a trade and was traded to the Twins in exchange for Greg Field and, as a player to be named later, fellow Mets legend Jesse Orosco.

Over his 12 year Mets career, Koosman put up a 3.07, with a 140-137 record. He was an All-Star in 1968 and 1969.

After a fantastic year in 1979 for the Twins, Koosman’s career never quite hit those high marks again. After two and a half seasons with the Twins, two and a half for the White Sox, and two for the Phillies, Koosman retured after the 1985 season. He ended his career with 53.6 bWAR.

Koosman has the third most pitching wins in Mets history (140), behind teammate Seaver and Dwight Gooden. The Mets inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 1989 and retired his number in 2021. He was just the third Met player to have his number retired.

Koosman is survived by three children and four grandchildren.

Everybody loves the big-name acquisition, but sometimes, the small, unheralded move that pays dividends can be a real difference maker for a ballclub. On February 6, 2016, the Yankees made one such move, signing minor league free agent Jonathan Loáisiga after he was cut by the San Francisco Giants, as they sought to add pitching depth to the farm system during a transitory period in the organization’s history. The man who would come to be known as “Johnny Lasagna” would go on to fill a critical role in the Yankees’ bullpen during the 2021 season, before injuries ultimately robbed him derailed his Yankees career.

Jonathan Stanley Loáisiga Estrada
Born: November 2, 1994 (Managua, Nicaragua)
Yankees Tenure: 2018-2025

Born and raised in Nicaragua, Loáisiga signed as an international amateur free agent with the San Francisco Giants on September 23, 2012. He made his professional debut the following season, going on to make 13 appearances with the DSL Giants. Although his performance was encouraging — he had just a 2.75 ERA and 1.107 WHIP in that span — his Giants career was effectively over after that; injuries robbed him of the entire 2014 and 2015 seasons, and as a result, the Giants cut him loose.

As noted above, Loáisiga signed with the Yankees that winter, and was assigned to Single-A Charleston (the Yankees cut ties with them during the 2020-2021 restructuring, and they are now a member of the Rays family). Immediately, the injury woes followed the young right-hander: just 2.1 innings into his first start he tore his UCL and underwent Tommy John surgery. Unlike the Giants, though, the Yankees were willing to be patient, and added him to the 40-man roster in 2017 in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft (something they did not do with Garrett Whitlock a few years later).

When he returned to the mound with the GCL Yankees that summer, Loáisiga rewarded that faith. He flew through the farm system, and by the middle of the 2018 season, when the Yankees needed a spot starter in June, they recalled him straight from Double-A Trenton — bypassing the entire Scranton RailRiders roster.

Making his MLB debut at Yankee Stadium against the Tampa Bay Rays, Loáisiga rose to the challenge, striking out six in five scoreless innings to earn his first major league win. He would make three more starts before being sent down to make his Scranton debut, posting an even 3.00 ERA and allowing just one home run in that span. Arm troubles in the minors, however, prevented him from being an option for the big league roster in July and August, and when he returned as part of September call-ups — this time in a relief role — he struggled to the tune of a 10.80 ERA.

The next three seasons followed the pattern set in Loáisiga’s rookie campaign: flash potential as a starter, miss time with arm injuries, and struggle to gain any real consistency as a swingman. Then, 2021 happened. Finally deciding that Loáisiga’s body could not handle a starter’s workload, the team officially began to develop him as a full-time reliever, and he more than delivered. Taking over Chad Green’s old role as team fireman, he was one of the most reliable bullpen arms not just on the Yankees, but in all of baseball: his 2.4 fWAR ranked behind only Liam Hendriks and Josh Hader, and his 2.18 xERA second to Hendriks among relievers with enough balls in play to qualify for the Statcast leaderboards.

Unfortunately, that campaign would turn out to be the highlight of Lasagna’s Yankees career. He was absolutely terrible to start the 2022 season, with an ERA upwards of seven across the season’s first two months, and he battled shoulder injuries during that time as well. For his part, though, he rebounded well, with a 1.76 ERA after July 17th, and he allowed just one earned run in the postseason. Bone spurs in his elbow limited him to just 17 appearances in 2023, however, all but three of which came after the trade deadline (i.e., after we had already discounted it as a lost season). A right flexor strain and a torn UCL then ended his 2024 before it could begin, and although the Yankees did bring him back for 2025, he struggled with consistency and injuries once again. To nobody’s surprise, the team opted to decline his team option for 2026, making him a free agent.

Loáisiga signed a minor league deal last January with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and to his credit, he made the most of it. Not only did he make the team out of spring training, he put together his best season since 2021, posting a 2.42 ERA and a 1.030 WHIP, recording the lowest strikeout rate of his career but surrendering just three homers all year long. Loáisiga stayed healthy with a personal-best 67 appearances for the Wild Card contender.

Now a free agent once again, he represents an intriguing, if risky, option for teams looking to bolster the middle part of their bullpen; for his sake, hopefully he is able to parlay his bounceback into a nice contract for himself. It may not be in New York, but we wish Loáisiga the best and a happy 32nd birthday to boot!

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See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

The Tampa Bay Rays have officially parted ways with two veteran players that were integral to the team’s run to the World Series this past season.

On Friday, October 30th, the Rays announced that they had declined the mutual options for the 2027 season with RHP Nick Martinez and OF Cedric Mullins.

The Rays signed Martinez just prior to Spring Training to a one year, $9M contract with a $20M mutual option for the 2027 season; the Rays paid Martinez a $4M buyout after declining that option. The signing could not have worked out any better for Tampa Bay and Martinez as the veteran hurler delivered one of his best seasons and was named an All-Star for the first time in his career.

Overall the 36 year old compiled a 3.10 ERA | 3.96 FIP with a 15.1 K% and league leading 3.6 BB% over a career high, 180 IP. Off the field, Martinez’s leadership within the clubhouse was invaluable as he helped guide a young Rays team to their first postseasom berth since 2023. When the Rays reached the World Series for the third time in franchise history, Nick Martinez received the honor of starting Game One against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Early last offseason, the Rays signed the veteran Cedric Mullins to a one year, $7M deal with a $10M mutual option for the 2027 season. The Rays have declined that option and instead paid Mullins a $500K buyout.

Mullins wasn’t able to recapture the magic that had made him one of the top players in baseball while with the Baltimore Orioles several years ago. The now 32 year old Mullins had one of the worst offensive seasons in baseball in 2026 and also posted the lowest OBP% among qualifying players in a single-season for the Rays. Overall Mullins hit .205/.284/.344 with 15 HR and 21 SB, registering a 76 wRC+ (4th lowest of 135 players). Mullins did accrue 1.1 fWAR despite his lowly offensive production thanks to plus defense in center field, producing 11 Outs Above Average, which ranked 4th among 54 qualifying outfielders.

With the departures of Mullins and Martinez, the Rays will likely be on the hunt for new veteran additions to fill their respective roles on the team.

Major League Baseball has angered the Major League Baseball Players Association and agents by informing them that will they not amend the posting agreement with Nippon Professional Baseball, requiring Japanese free agents to sign by the expected Dec. 1 lockout or they would be ineligible to sign with an MLB team in 2027.

The union sent a memo to agents last week, obtained by USA TODAY Sports, that said MLB on Tuesday denied their request, which was made in August, to extend the tolling period in the NPB posting agreement allowing posted players to sign after the lockout ended. This is in direct contrast to the 99-day lockout in 2021 when MLB amended the 45-day negotiating window, and allowed Japanese free agents to sign after the lockout.

MLB confirmed Monday it is not amending its posting agreement.

The MLBPA said it is exploring its options, but informed agents last week to be prepared for a strict deadline for posted players.

This means that the three Japanese players who were posted Sunday, featuring prized infielder Teruaki Sato of the Hanshin Tigers, must sign by Dec. 1 if there’s a lockout, instead of the traditional 45-day window. The other two posted players are pitchers Kaima Taira of the Seibu Lions and Hiromi Itoh of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.

The extended window in 2021 for posted players allowed outfielder Seiya Suzuki to sign a five-year, $85 million contract with the Chicago Cubs eight days after the March 10 lockout ended.

Now, Japanese posted players will have less than 30 days to work out a deal.

While all free agents will be permitted to negotiate with all 30 teams beginning at 5 p.m. ET on Monday, MLB players who are unsigned before the collective bargaining agreement ends on Dec. 1, still are eligible to sign once the lockout ends.

Follow Bob Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB sets Dec. 1 deadline for Japanese stars to sign before potential lockout

The Mets are signing infielder/outfielder Christian Cairo to a one-year split contract, per multiple reports.

Cairo, 25, had been claimed off waivers by the Mets from the Phillies in September.

In 130 games this past season in Triple-A for the Phillies and Mets, Cairo slashed .230/.381/.300 with 25 stolen bases.

Cairo, the son of former MLB player Miguel Cairo, played shortstop, second base, third base, center field, and left field in 2026.