Tonight's Coast 2 Coast Tuesday tips off with back-to-back NBA matchups. First, at 8:00 PM ET, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics take on Jaylen Brown and the Philadelphia 76ers in their very first matchup since the blockbuster trade. Later, at 11:00 PM ET, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder go head-to-head with Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers.
See below to find out how to watch both games, as well as additional information on how to live stream NBA games on Peacock.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Portland Trail Blazers Game Preview:
The Thunder are coming off their fourth straight win—a dominant 114-75 victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for Oklahoma City with a game-high 30 points. The two-time MVP is averaging 35.8 points per game over the last four games.
Oklahoma City lost three starters to long-term injuries in a single week in October. Jalen Williams suffered a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle, while Cason Wallace tore the labrum in his left shoulder, both on October 25 against the LA Clippers.
On October 30, the Thunder announced that Chet Holmgren underwent a biological treatment to address a small patellar tendon tear in his right knee and is expected to miss 8-10 weeks.
Looking to add depth to their roster, the Thunder acquired second-year wing Nique Clifford from the Sacramento Kings on Sunday in exchange for two second-round picks.
The Trail Blazers are looking to bounce back after consecutive losses to the LA Lakers last Friday and the San Antonio Spurs the following day.
“It just shows that as good as we’ve been to start the season, we can get a lot better,” Damian Lillard told reporters Monday. “I think where we are, everybody is happy to be experiencing this and trying to figure out how we keep improving, being 6-3 instead of 2-7. So, it’s a good place to be.”
Despite the losses, Portland boasts the NBA’s third-highest scoring offense, averaging 119.3 points per game.
Deni Avdija leads the Trail Blazers in scoring (22.3 ppg) and assists (6.3 apg). Lillard is second on the team, averaging 19.4 ppg.
How to watch Oklahoma City Thunder vs Portland Trail Blazers:
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Portland Trail Blazers - 11:00 PM ET on NBC and Peacock
How to watch 2026-27 NBA games on NBC and Peacock?
The NBA is back on NBC and Peacock for the 2026-27 season with 100 regular-season games across its three marquee nights of the week: Peacock NBA Monday, Coast 2 Coast Tuesday, and Sunday Night Basketball, beginning Jan. 24, 2027.
All NBA games presented by NBC Sports will stream live on Peacock and all Peacock-exclusive games on Monday nights will also be presented on NBCSN. Telemundo, NBCUniversal’s Spanish-language broadcast network, will present 10 Sunday Night Basketballgames as well as the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 21, 2027.
What is the full 2026-27 NBA on NBC and Peacock schedule?
You can see the full schedule of 2026-27 NBA games airing on NBC, Peacock, NBCSN, and Telemundo here.
How do I sign up for Peacock to watch NBA games?
Peacock is available across a variety of devices. To get started, find or download the Peacock application on your device or head directly to PeacockTV.com to create a Peacock account. Then, you’re ready to watch!
Peacock offers one of the most comprehensive live sports streaming lineups available today, bringing together the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, Premier League, NCAA football, NCAA basketball, golf, motorsports, and major global sporting events in a single service.
ATLANTA, GA - NOVEMBER 9: (EDITORS NOTE: This image has been produced using a double exposure.) Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers handles the ball during the game against the Atlanta Hawks on November 9, 2026 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Lakers are the best team in the league. What an incredible sentence to say.
A six-game winning streak has featured two of the best wins of the season in their recent back-to-back in Detroit and Atlanta. Now, the Lakers enter a softer portion of their schedule that could allow them to really pad their record.
So, what questions to you guys have about the Lakers or the NBA or anything else. As always, be sure to keep it all friendly!
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 25: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on during the game against the Detroit Pistons on October 25, 2026 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Sunday wasn’t the finest outing of the 2026-27 season for the Sixers.
They struggled defensively against the one-win Bulls, but came away with a 127-121 win in Chicago, moving their record to a league-best 9-2. An afternoon day game to close out a three-game road trip against a team collecting ping-pong balls is ripe for a letdown, but the Sixers took care of business.
Jaylen Brown was strong throughout, dropping a game-high 29 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists. The five-time All-Star’s numbers have been solid through 10 games with averages of 22.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He’s shooting 47.7% from the field (the exact same percentage he shot last season) with a decent uptick from three at 39.2%.
As the Sixers get set to welcome Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics to South Philly on Tuesday, things remain unsettled between Brown and his former organization. When it comes to Tatum, who Brown spent nine seasons with in Boston, there is no beef, but maybe some lamb chops and gravy, as the 2024 Finals MVP put it.
With all the attention and narratives, it’s hard to know what we’ll see Tuesday night. Will Brown be out for revenge or does he just want to get a win for his team?
There’s a way to do both — keep doing exactly what he’s doing.
While the numbers have been solid, closely resembling the numbers he put up in 2023-24 when he helped the Celtics win a championship, it’s been the little things with Brown.
Sunday’s win was a prime example. As the plucky young Bulls kept coming, Brown provided an offensive boost, nailing a pair of threes in the fourth to thwart multiple Chicago runs. With under a minute left, he made all four of his free throws and also came away with a steal on Josh Giddey while the game remained in doubt.
Earlier last week, he made similar plays against the Pistons. While the Sixers were in control throughout the game — with Brown scoring a game-high 30 — a late comeback attempt by Cade Cunningham in Detroit was enough to make any Sixers fan nervous.
A Cunningham layup cut the lead to 106-102. After a rough offensive possession that ended in a Joel Embiid missed three, the Pistons’ All-Star guard came charging up the floor. He pulled up for three in transition, but was blocked by Brown. If that shot goes in, it’s suddenly a one-point game with 38 seconds left. Instead, Brown’s rejection allowed the Sixers to close the game at the free throw line.
While we heard so much talk about Brown’s advanced analytics and on/off splits this offseason, it’s hard to quantify a guy who simply makes winning plays.
“He’s a really good player,” Nick Nurse said last week. “He just wins. He defends. He’ll rebound. Obviously, he can score from a bunch of different levels, and I’ll take all that any day. It’s been phenomenal to coach him.
“What does he bring? He brings an intangible of confidence to your team. Even maybe he’s not pouring in points or doing anything that you’re [seeing in the box score], but there’s a level of fight and competitive drive and winning spirit.”
Brown has flaws like any other player. Last season, he turned the ball over more than any player in the NBA. This season, he’s averaging 2.1 giveaways a game, on pace for his best season in that category since 2018-19.
There were concerns Brown wanted his own team, which supposedly led to the rift with Tatum. Thus far, there have been no issues there. In fact, Brown even openly said last week this was Tyrese Maxey’s team and they’re all following the second-longest-tenured Sixer’s lead.
When Brown is on the floor, the Sixers’ net rating is +5.4, per DataBallr. It’s -3.1 when he’s off. So, it’s cut and dry, the Sixers are a better team when Jaylen Brown is on the court.
And just like his time with the Celtics, his current team has an excellent record.
His best path to revenge against his former team is to do what he does — win.
“Listen, the dude is tough and he wins. I’ll take that all day long,” Nurse said. “Makes a lot of winning plays, man. He’s a winner.”
Let’s switch gears for a moment from the pitchers I’ve been looking at and instead check out one of the top outfield free agents, former Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena.
No question, Arozarena has talent. He’s a solid 3 or 4 WAR outfielder, generally good for 20+ home runs and 20+ stolen bases every year.
The red flag here is that 2026 was his best season. He batted .281/.381/.484 and led the American League in runs scored with 113, which was by far a career best (95 was his previous best). The .381 OBP was also a career high (except for .382 in only 76 PA in 2020).
Why a red flag? Because Arozarena’s going to turn 32 in February. Would you give a guy like this a four-year deal coming off his best overall season? MLB Trade Rumors has him projected for four years and $100 million and The Athletic has Arozarena at essentially the same, four years and $108 million. Interestingly, the article in The Athletic has Seiya Suzuki projected at the same figures. Suzuki is a few months older than Arozarena, as is Ian Happ.
Both Happ and Suzuki are better defenders than Arozarena, and at those figures I’d certainly rather have either of the two departing Cubs back than Arozarena, despite Arozarena’s base-stealing ability. Regarding that, here’s an interesting note from the MLBTR article:
Arozarena runs quite a bit more than Suzuki but is actually a good bit slower in terms of average sprint speed; Statcast measures Suzuki with a sprint speed of 28 feet per second, in the 63rd percentile of big leaguers. Arozarena is at 27.1 ft/sec, down in the 40th percentile. He’s an aggressive baserunner, however, and that’s manifested in the form of six consecutive 20-steal seasons.
I imagine Jed Hoyer and his baseball ops staff will have a look at Arozarena, who’s been a fan favorite everywhere he’s been. Ultimately I think they’ll probably pass on him, and that’s what I would do as well.
ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 17: Anthony Molina #61 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the eighth inning during the continuation of a game from June 16 against the San Francisco Giants at Truist Park on June 17, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Sometimes in baseball, you get a rare trade that’s a win-win for both clubs. Anthony Molina’s 2026 consisted, in large part, of appearing to be part of one of those trades, as the Atlanta Braves only got a few innings out of him before eventually shipping him off to San Francisco so that they could get Tyler Mahle at the Trade Deadline.
Now it’s time to figure out what the Giants saw in Molina during his time in Atlanta that convinced them to send Mahle down South.
How Acquired
The Braves claimed Molina off of waivers back in December of 2025. They then outrighted him to Triple-A Gwinnett, which is where he started the season before eventually getting added to the big league roster to begin the month of May.
What were the expectations?
Simply stated: to provide a right-handed, low-leverage option out of the bullpen for a short period of time. Things didn’t go particularly well for Molina during his two-season stint with the Rockies (a combined -0.4 fWAR in a long relief role), so it wasn’t as if he was expected to come in and be lights out coming out of the ‘pen for Atlanta. As long as he could come in and eat an inning or two, everything would be A-OK for Molina and the Braves.
More broadly, Molina had two different-yet-similar seasons in Colorado before getting the boot. In 2024, he had a low strikeout rate, a not-so-good walk rate, but managed to avoid getting bricked by homers despite the whole Coors Field thing, leading to a bad-but-not-abominable 146 ERA-, 97 FIP-, and 110 xFIP-. In 2025, it looked like he made huge strides in avoiding walks… but it was really just because guy were blasting moonshots off him before he could walk them. His strikeout rate didn’t budge, and his pitching line was a 153 ERA-, 160 FIP-, and the same 110 xFIP-.
While there was the hope that the Braves could somehow fix him, there was little reason to expect him to serve as more than organizational depth.
2026 Results
Molina made a grand total of four (4) appearances for the Braves. He only made two appearances at Truist Park and one of those two appearances was actually a start — for the San Francisco Giants, after the Braves ended up trading him out West in order to acquire Tyler Mahle in what wound up being a very good trade for the Braves.
Anyways, the Giants figured out something with Molina (and the Braves did not) when it came to him being a starter as he actually finished the season having made a few really good starts for them, so this wound up being a bit of a win-win deal. Our old friend from McCovey Chronicles, Grant Brisbee, wrote a piece on how well Molina was doing for the Giants, in case you’re interested. It’s a gift link, so enjoy.
Anyways, as far as his stint in Atlanta went, it wasn’t exactly spectacular. He did pitch two scoreless innings against his old mates, the Rockies, on May 1, but he got dinged for two runs on three hits against both the Mets on June 14 and those very same Giants on June 16. Perhaps San Francisco saw something during that appearance that they liked because two weeks later, he was on the mound in Cobb County against the Braves.
All in all, Molina put together a 129 ERA-, 133 FIP-, and 97 xFIP- for the Braves in those three outings. Replacement level? Sure. But it was also better than the very low bar he’d set for himself in 2024-2025. The Braves had him substantially increase his curveball and changeup usage, and perhaps it helped a little.
The big thing, though, was that Molina went to the Giants and looked like a legitimate major leaguer. His fastball got tweaked, and he threw it a bunch more. He made five starts and one long relief appearance for the Giants, and four of those outings were fantastic. His line with his new team was a sparkling 91 ERA-, 64 FIP-, and 87 xFIP-, and he collected 0.9 fWAR in 29 innings. Wow.
Despite it being just 29 innings, Molina kind of had it all. He was throwing 96 mph as a starter, not walking guys, getting whiffs on his curveball, and even managing contact. It’s all certainly fascinating, and the Giants get to enjoy whatever Molina may turn into going forward, instead of Atlanta.
What went right?
Well, those two innings that Molina pitched in his Braves debut against his old friends from Colorado ended up being sneakily crucial, as Molina’s appearance bought the Braves some time and kept the deficit at 6-1 in the sixth inning and 6-2 in the seventh before the Braves turned it around late and ended up winning 8-6 in dramatic fashion. It’s the little things, sometimes.
Also, again, the Braves got Tyler Mahle for him in a trade, so that was cool for the Braves. And, Molina’s turnaround was very cool for him and the Giants.
What went wrong?
Molina ended up getting plenty of strikeouts for the Giants but that certainly wasn’t the case for Atlanta. Molina struck out two Mets batters during his appearance on June 14 and those wound up being the only two strikeouts that he would rack up during his time as a Braves pitcher. He was charged with more runs than he tallied strikeouts while a Brave, which isn’t exactly something that warms the heart.
His last outing with the Braves, which came against the Giants, was somewhat bizarre in that he somehow faced nine batters in two innings and avoided walking any of them while also not striking out any of them. He did get tagged for a homer by eventual teammate Willy Adames, so that probably wasn’t fun.
It’s possible to view the change of scenery as a sour grapes thing — why couldn’t the Braves have sent over someone but Molina, or figured out how to unlock Molina the way the Giants did — but we probably need to see him keep it up over longer than 29 frames before we can really get salty about it.
2027 outlook
While Molina pitched well down the stretch for San Francisco, he’s still going to be fighting for a rotation spot when (maybe if) Spring Training rolls around. It’ll be highly unlikely that the Braves get him back for a reunion, so that’s about it!
29 innings isn’t much, but he was so good that his early Steamer projection has bumped him into the generic “everyone’s a fourth-starter quality swingman until proven otherwise” tier. That’s quite a jump from organizational depth / replacement level arm, so hats off to him and the Giants. We’ll see if he can keep it up.
After a couple of years of sharing backup catcher duties with Garrett Stubbs, the Phillies hoped that in 2026 Rafael Marchan would be able to handle the job full time. Perhaps he could even help ease the burden on overworked, aging starter J.T. Realmuto.
That did not happen. Marchan was completely inept at the plate, got injured, and eventually supplanted once again by Stubbs.
The stats: .099/.137/.165 AVG/OBP/SLG, 2 HRs, 6 RBI, -0.7 WAR
That turned out to be in no way predictive of the season he would have. He was incapable of reaching base the rest of the year, recording just nine hits (with zero doubles or triples) and two walks.
He did hit one more home run, which oddly landed right next to someone who was wearing a replica of his jersey. (Why?)
As he often does, Marchan spent time on the Injured List, suffering from tendinitis in his knee. By the time he returned in September, Stubbs had established a role as Aaron Nola’s personal catcher. Despite Marchan providing little value at that point, the Phillies kept him on the major league roster for the rest of the season which serves as a damning statement at the quality of reserves the Phillies had to choose from.
The future
The team will wisely look at alternatives for the backup catcher spot in the offseason. Marchan is still under team control, so he’ll likely be back with the Phillies in camp, though it is possible he gets dropped from the 40-man roster and winds up elsewhere. His defense is good enough to stick at the major league level, but even the best defender needs to have an OPS higher than .302.
Final grade: F
When the bar to clear is Garrett Stubbs, and you can’t clear it, you have failed.
Philadelphia, PA - April 26: Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and guard Jaylen Brown chest bump in the third quarter. The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers played in the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena on April 26, 2026. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Tonight marks the first regular season game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics since the offseason trade sending Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia took place. Understandably, we’re receiving a fresh wave of reports and rehashing of events surrounding the purported fallout between Brown and Celtics star Jayson Tatum. I feel compelled to ask, do you find this narrative interesting?
I’ll start here: I totally understand why this is a thing. The NBA has become a 24-hour, 365-day entertainment vehicle that many of us consume obsessively. That reality is driven as much by drama between personalities, both real and manufactured, as by what actually takes place on the court. Brown and Tatum played together for nine seasons, their entire careers overlapping for all but one year, for a club perennially in contention which won one NBA title. If there was a fallout between them, and there seems like there’s definitely at least something there, that’s a story. If Brown had a disagreement with how he was treated by Celtics management, that’s a topic worth exploring. We’ve hit on those points on this very website (thanks for reading, tell your friends!). If you have lamb chops baking in the oven today and popcorn ready for your viewing experience tonight, cool. I get it.
Still, I can’t find myself really caring about it. Whatever happened, it all happened behind the scenes. There was no public infighting or drawn-out trade demand. The Jaylen Brown trade came completely out of left field like a flash of lightning. What Brown said the other day almost exactly aligns with my thinking on the matter:
Jaylen Brown said today that he and Jayson Tatum still haven't talked: "There's nothing to talk about. He's on his side, I'm on my side. We're playing basketball. Both of us are trying to win. So there's nothing to talk about. Check the ball up." @CLNSMedia | Q: @krisrhim1pic.twitter.com/oBvmEwZ2nc
In today’s NBA, guys change teams all the time. Plenty of breakups have been a lot messier than this one, including in Philadelphia. I’ll chuckle when someone makes a clever joke about everything, but beyond that, I can’t find myself getting invested in the whole thing. It’s Philadelphia vs. Boston. That’s more than enough for me.
How about you? Are you still finding this drama interesting or is it entirely in the rear view mirror for you as well? Vote and let us know how you feel in the comments.
Aug 20, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Parker Messick (77) reacts against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Tigers’ Kevin McGonigle and the Reds’ Sal Stewart won the AL and NL Rookie of the Year awards yesterday, respectively.
Chase DeLauter finished sixth and Travis Bazzana finished 11th. A good year for Guardians’ rookies, to be sure! You can view the vote totals here.
The Guardians will receive a compensatory pick at the end of the first round because Messick was on the Opening Day Roster and ranked in top 100 lists prior to the season.
Tonight is the Manager of the Year Awards, then Cy Young Awards Wednesday night (as well as Reliever of the Year), then MVP awards Thursday night.
The loss once again featured a ridiculous performance from Matthew Schaefer, playing over 30 minutes again while registering another point.
That extends his new points streak to three games, and gives him points in 9 of the Islanders' last 10.
He's up to 5 goals and 17 points in 17 games.
As ridiculously good as he is, his ice time deployment should ring some alarm bells.
It's not realistic to call on the 19-year-old to continually play over 30 minutes. Through 17 games, Schaefer's average time on ice is over 27 minutes.
Thus far, Schaefer has shown he can handle it, but the question of burnout and fatiguing the defenseman should be at the forefront of any conversation.
Right now, the Islanders have played 17 games. They've won 7 and lost 10. In the games where Schaefer has played 27 minutes or more, the Islanders are 2-3-3.
They've yet to win in regulation when Schaefer's above 27 minutes of ice time.
It's not proven to be a winning formula. Below 27 minutes the Islanders are 5-3-1, a better record.
It's not just about Schaefer, either.
Entering this season, Schaefer's partner Logan Stanley never averaged above 17 minutes per game.
Over 17 games with the Islanders, he's averaged more than 21 minutes. While Stanley's been a complete and total resounding success for the Islanders, the question quickly becomes whether or not this is sustainable over the course of a full season.
The Islanders are also leaning heavily on Adam Pelech, especially during penalty kills with no other defenseman having the trust he's got on the backend in those situations.
While Pelech's ice time is in line with his career averages, he needs help on the kill.
Tony DeAngelo, who has played in the top four all year, has also wound up overextended especially since the Ryan Pulock injury.
Pulock left early in the first period against the Minnesota Wild. The Islanders won that night in overtime.
Since then, the team is 0-2-2 in his absence.
When DeAngelo played 18+ minutes, the team is 1-3-3 on the year.
No one stat can be a catch-all for something like that, but it's showing where New York's weaknesses lie.
Overextending their defensemen, on the whole, is hurting more than it's helping.
The team needs to add a defenseman the team and Head Coach Peter DeBoer trusts.
Ben Hutton could be that. He scored last night, and played over 14 minutes in a game. In his season debut Saturday, he topped 16 minutes.
Still, Hutton's last topped 15 minutes per night in 2023-24, where he played just 41 games.
Matthew Kessel's done that twice in his 11 games, while Scott Mayfield has not done it in his six games. He came close once, playing 15:51, but has four of six games below 13 minutes in ice time.
It's very easy to spout off that the Islanders need to make an addition and acquire a defenseman.
However, it's become more necessary.
Alexander Romanov's season-ending injury has once again left the Islanders in a spot where they now lean heavily on their top four, while the bottom pairing becomes relatively untrusted.
If Pelech, Stanley, or Schaefer ever have to miss time, the Islanders would have significant trouble filling those voids.
This isn't an article where it says the Islanders should go out and land Simon Edvinsson, though he'd be a significant help.
This is just as simple as finding a blueliner the team can trust to handle minutes, and in case of an injury, play an even larger role.
Maybe Hutton is that, but he hasn't played a top-four role since the 2020-21 season, which he split with the Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
It's easier said than done, for sure, but the Islanders could desperately use some blue line insurance.
Pulock's return will help restore some balance. The question then becomes whether or not it brings enough.
MILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 03: Adrian Morejon #50 of the San Diego Padres pitches during Game One of the National League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the San Diego Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Saturday, October 3, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
One way that a team like the Orioles that’s in need of starting rotation help could address their problem is to just sign a pretty good starting pitcher who is, as much as can be believed about any pitcher, a decent bet to continue being pretty good. Mike Elias has steadfastly refused to do this even when it seemed absolutely necessary to the Orioles fortunes, attempting a variety of other schemes. There’s one that he hasn’t pulled off yet: Signing a reliever and turning that guy into a starting pitcher. This winter affords the opportunity to do that in the form of recent Padres pitcher Adrián Morejón.
If old rumors were to be believed, the Orioles had some interest in trying to pull off this caper after the 2024 season. That winter, then-Yankees closer Clay Holmes became a free agent and ended up signing a two-year, $26 million contract with the Mets, who turned him into a starting pitcher. The results went well for the Mets, with Holmes going on to a 3.44 ERA in 51 games; they traded him for a prospect when they were out of the race at the deadline this year.
Morejón enters this winter as one of the game’s potentially elite relief free agents. He’s on a three-year heater in terms of his results with the Padres, dropping a 2.58 ERA and 1.088 WHIP over the past three seasons combined. In 2026, this included a number of multi-inning relief stints – he threw 86 innings, which isn’t exactly a starting pitcher’s workload but is closer to the way there than a lot of relievers. He had been a starting pitcher in the past, before early 2021 Tommy John surgery.
In contrast to most of the high-end pitchers on the free agent market this offseason, Morejón is still fairly young. He’ll only be heading into his age 28 season next year, so the fear of decline in the back years of a contract will be less than it might be for some others. He should be able to keep up what he’s got for a few more years.
The Statcast page for this player is a thing of beauty. Look at all that red! He throws the ball hard. He’s got a great changeup. He gets batters to chase, he gets them to whiff, he gets a lot of ground balls, he doesn’t give up hard contact. Atypically for a reliever, he has a four-pitch mix – which is another part of why there are those who imagine him as a starting pitcher. Morejón has done it before. He might have the ability to do it again.
A willingness to convert Morejón into a starter could be something that will give a bidding team an edge over others, assuming that’s something that he wants to do. (I don’t know if it is.) It’s unlikely the Orioles will really outbid the field – but they do have opportunity in their rotation that other bidding teams may not. They don’t have an ace, they didn’t have a #2 caliber starting pitcher in 2026, and they don’t have a major league-caliber lefty ready to step into the rotation in any capacity.
There are varying opinions about just how much Morejón will cost. At MLB Trade Rumors, the projection is a five-year contract worth $80 million. That’s between Kyle Bradish and Shane Baz money. Those are big bucks for a reliever, especially one who isn’t even racking up saves. Not bad at all to get a good starting pitcher. FanGraphs projected three years and $72 million – a shorter deal with a much higher AAV. That makes him either a cheaper AAV than guys like Trevor Rogers, Michael King, and Freddy Peralta, or a much shorter contract term, lessening the back end risk.
On top of the money, there will be a draft pick penalty tied to signing Morejón. The Padres extended him a qualifying offer, one of two relievers to receive one heading into this offseason. That means that if the Orioles sign Morejón, they’d also give up their third-highest pick in next year’s draft, which would most likely be a mid-second round selection. The likely departure of Rogers will give the Orioles a compensation pick at the end of the first round.
I’d rather see the Orioles just get Rogers. The thing about that is, as we are all well aware in Birdland, that Elias hasn’t spent at the high end of the free agency market for pitching before. Even after making the big splash for Pete Alonso last offseason and making a couple of modest splashes with those Baz and Bradish extensions, it’s tough to imagine him ponying up for the Rogers level.
It’s not as hard to imagine Elias trying one of his galaxy brain ideas – signing Morejón because he’ll be cheaper or take fewer years than Rogers or Peralta or King – and turning him into a starting pitcher. If he doesn’t want to pay up for a proven starter, if he doesn’t want to bundle a bunch of prospects for a speculative upside play that doesn’t hit the upside while one of the prospects dashes from Low-A to Triple-A in one year, Morejón is there.
This wouldn’t be some completely out-of-nowhere idea on Elias’s; Morejón is bandied about as a possible starter conversion in basically any article about this year’s free agent class. There are also analysts out there, such as FG’s Michael Baumann, who think Morejón retains more value as a multi-inning reliever. Whether the Orioles need one of those is debatable, but I don’t think they’ll be spending $16-20 million per year for one in any case. Getting a discount off the market rate for a roll of the dice where if it doesn’t work out, any idiot could have told him ahead of time that this would be a bad idea? Now that’s speaking Elias’s language.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 14: Hiromi Itoh #14 of Team Japan pitches in the sixth inning during the game between Venezuela and Japan at loanDepot park on March 14, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Gene Wang - Capture At Media/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The son of a fisherman, Iromi Itoh was born on August 31, 1997 in Shikabe, a town in southern Hokkaido. As a young boy, he got his introduction to baseball from Koki Morita, a former relief pitcher in the NPB who happened to be a childhood friend of his fathers and gave him personalized baseball instruction from a young age as a result. He grew up idolizing Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters ace Yu Darvish and focused on pitching as a result. He attended Tomakomai High School, the alma mater of Masahiro Tanaka, but the school did not qualify for the Spring or Summer Koshien tournaments at any point while he attended.
After graduating in 2016, Itoh attended Komazawa University, but he dropped out after his first semester there, citing an inability to see himself remaining in school for another four years. After reevaluating his decision with friends and family, he enrolled at Tomakomai Komazawa University but because of college baseball rules, he could not participate in baseball games until a full calendar year passed between when he dropped out of Komazawa University. When he became eligible in his second year, he joined the Komazawa University baseball team and pitched for them for the remainder of his college career.
In October 2020, following his graduation, he was selected by the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, his local hometown club, with their first-round selection in the 2020 NPB Draft; he was actually the first first-round pick from Hokkaido to be selected by the Fighters since the team moved to the island from Tokyo. The 23-year-old right-hander agreed to terms with the team and made his professional debut a few months later, when the 2021 season began.
The rookie right-hander made his first professional start on March 31 against the Saitama Seibu Lions. He would go on to make 23 more in 2021 and would end the year posting a 2.90 ERA in 146.0 innings, allowing 125 hits, walking 53, and striking out 141. Though he certainly pitched well enough to deserve it, Itoh lost out on the Pacific League Rookie of the Year Award to Orix Buffaloes left-hander Hiroya Miyagi, who posted a 2.51 ERA in 147.0 innings, allowing 118 hits, walking 39, and striking out 131.
His 2022 began inauspiciously, as he contracted COVID-19, but he did not miss any time on the mound and ended up having an all-star season. Making 26 starts, Itoh posted a 2.95 ERA in 155.2 innings, allowing 140 hits, walking 49, and striking out 112.
Following the conclusion of the 2022 NPB season, he was selected to play with the Japanese National Team in an exhibition against Australia, and then a few months later, in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The right-hander appeared in 3 games for Samurai Japan, all out of the bullpen, and was perfect, not allowing a single baserunner in 2.1 innings, striking out 3 batters. When he returned to Japan for the start of the 2024 season, he struggled and underperformed to the point that manager Tsuyoshi Shinjo considered having him removed from the starting rotation altogether. By May, he started turning things around, and while he ended up remaining in the Fighters rotation all season, it was a definite down year for the right-hander. He made 24 starts in total and posted a 3.46 ERA in 153.1 innings, allowing 147 hits, walking 41, and striking out 134.
Itoh recovered in 2024. He won a pair of Player of the Month Awards, one at the beginning of the season and one at the end, and posted a cumulative 2.65 ERA in 176.1 innings over 26 starts, allowing 150 hits, walking 39, and striking out 161. The Fighters made the postseason, going 75-60 and ending the year in second place in the Pacific League. They faced and beat the Chiba Lotte Marines in the best-of-three first stage of the Pacific League Climax Series, but lost against the league champion Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the best-of-six final stage of the Climax Series.
Itoh had been steadily improving, but everything came together for him in 2025. The 27-year-old appeared in 27 games and posted a 2.52 ERA in 196.2 innings, allowing 179 hits, walking 29, and striking out 195, his workload, BB/9 rate, and strikeout total all leading the league. The Fighters once again made the postseason, facing and beating the Orix Buffaloes, but as was the case in 2024, they once again lost to the SoftBank Hawks in the final stage of the Climax Series. While that would be the end of the line for the team, Itoh would still win one more thing. The right-hander won Eiji Sawamura Award by the award selection committee, meeting enough of their benchmarks for it to be awarded to him, unlike the 2024 season, when the committee determined that no single pitcher met enough of their qualifications and did not name an Eiji Sawamura Award as a result.
In spring, the 28-year-old right-hander participated in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. He appeared in two games for Samurai Japan and allowed 5 earned runs in 4.0 innings, allowing 4 hits, a pair of home runs, not walking a batter, and striking out 7. When he returned to Japan for the 2026 Fighters season, appeared in 26 games and posted a 3.18 ERA in 172.2 innings, allowing 184 hits, walking 34, and striking out 159.
The right-hander stands 5’9” and weighs 180-pounds, which is well below the average height for a pitcher (6’2”) and would make him the shortest starting pitcher in Major League Baseball. He would not be the shortest pitcher playing for a Major League Baseball club, as San Diego Padres reliever Yuki Matsui stands 5’8”. While there certainly may be some surface-level concern that his smaller frame might not be able to handle the rigors of the 162-game MLB season, Itoh has been an iron man in Japan, leading the league in innings pitched in 2025 and finding himself in the top 10 in innings pitched in five of the six years he has been pitching for the Fighters- and in 2021, the year he was not in the top 10, he was 11.
Itoh throws from a three-quarters arm slot, dropping and driving off the mound with a fairly small extension and a long arm action through the back. As many Japanese pitchers do, the right-hander features a hitch in his leg lift when the bases are empty, and wraps his wrist during the full extension of his arm circle. His delivery is smooth and balanced, allowing him to repeat his release point well and partially how he has maintained an extremely small walk rate throughout the course of his career.
Itoh’s arsenal of pitches is quite large, consisting of a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, cutter, splitter, slider, curveball, and changeup. In 2026, he threw his four-seam fastball 36.6% of the time, his slider 23.7% of the time, his splitter 13.4% of the time, his two-seam fastball 10.4% of the time, his cutter 6.2% of the time, his curveball 5.5% of the time, and his changeup 4.2 of the time. Going back to 2024, he used his cutter and splitter a bit more, but his pitch usage has otherwise broadly remained consistent over the last few seasons. All in all, Itoh is most effective in the shadow of the zone, getting batters to get themselves out by confusing them with his wide assortment of pitches that he is able to spot all over the strike zone.
Itoh’s four-seam fastball averaged 92 MPH in 2026, topping out at 94 MPH. It features above-average arm-side movement and regularly posted above-average 15”+ induced vertical break readings, making it most effective in the upper quadrants of the strike zone. Itoh’s two-seam fastball has similar characteristics, exchanging some velocity for additional arm-side movement.
His slider averaged 83 MPH in 2026, and when the pitch is at its best, it features sharp sweeping horizontal movement in addition to hard vertical break. Itoh either does not always get a good horizontal tilt on the pitch or liberally mixes in a harder gyro slider that minimizes horizontal movement. In 2026, his slider was actually an ineffective pitch, with a slightly negative weighted runs above average per 100, but in 2025 and prior seasons, the pitch was slightly positive.
His splitter averaged 87 MPH in 2026. The pitch tunnels well with his fastball and features late downward drop. Like his slider, the pitch resulted in a slightly negative weighted runs above average per 100, but in past seasons has fluctuated between being slightly above-average and slightly below-average.
His cutter is thrown hard, averaging 90 MPH last season. Last season, it resulted in the highest weighted runs above average per 100 of all of his pitches and has consistently been one of Itoh’s most effective offerings thanks to its combination of velocity and late darting movement.
Itoh’s curveball averaged 76 MPH last season. The big bender features loopy 12-6 drop and is more of a change-of-pace offering than a real swing-and-miss pitch due to its lack of bite. His changeup, which averaged 84 MPH, is similar. Because it lacks dynamic fade or tumble, the pitch is more of a strike stealer or set up to begin a sequence rather than an effective pitch in and of itself.
On the whole, Itoh does a good job of keeping the ball in the stadium, posting a 22.3% line drive rate, 41.0% groundball rate, and 36.8% flyball rate in 2026, with slight variations in those trends over the course of his career. In particular, his sinker, splitter, and changeup have been effective worm killers.
All in all, nothing in particular stands out as being decidedly above-average in pitching repertoire, but the right-hander has a high amount of pitchability. He knows when to throw what pitches, all of his offerings have synergy with each other, and he is able able to command them all.
Itoh has the nickname “Mr. White Smoke” stemming from an incident that took place during the 2021 Summer Olympics. Members of the South Korean National Team complained that the amount of rosin that Itoh was using was distracting, and that he was intentionally using so much powder in order to confuse hitters by leaving a lingering cloud of rosin in the air around the mound. Itoh’s response was that he was not intentionally trying to gain an advantage over hitters by making it harder for them to see, but that he simply is a sweaty individual.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 15: Charles Davalan #6 of the Los Angeles Dodgers swings the bat during a game between the Surprise Saguaros and Glendale Desert Dogs at Camelback Ranch on October 15, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We began this review series of minor league standouts for the Dodgers by highlighting the Ontario Tower Buzzers’ most impactful player in 2026, one Easton Shelton here. From one MVP to another, we have Charles Davalan next on the list, elected the Most Valuable Player in the Midwest League for the 2026 season—the first Dodger to win this award since Andy Pages did it back in 2021.
While perhaps not the highest-rated outfield prospect in the Dodgers farm system, Davalan finished the year inside MLB’s top 100 prospects, landing at 79th overall after a marvelous campaign—sixth among Dodgers prospects.
The Dodgers’ second of back-to-back selections in the Competitive Balance Round portion of the 2025 MLB Draft—picked just outside the top 40 with a competitive balance pick they acquired alongside Mike Sirota in the Gavin Lux trade—Davalan’s first full season in the minors was a glaring success. Advanced enough to be thrown straight into High-A ball after a dominant showing in a mere handful of games in Low-A to wrap up the 2025 campaign, going 17 for 34. Davalan established himself as a staple of the Loons offense.
To claim Davalan hit the ground running in High-A might be an understatement, considering in his third game, the former Arkansas Razorback secured his first multihomer performance as a pro, setting up an opening month in which he batted over .300. The biggest challenge, though, came in the following two months, with a .755 OPS between May and June, but from that moment forward, Davalan became the top hitter in the league—including a .790 OPS in July with 16 extra-base hits in just 20 games, which helped fuel his MVP candidacy.
With the way Davalan wrapped up the season, the Dodgers felt confident enough to promote him to Double-A for the playoffs. While the Drillers were swept in two by the Cardinals, Davalan did his part, securing a hit in both games, including a key home run, his 25th this season.
Having a refined hit tool as one of his calling cards, Davalan had no problems handling left-handed pitchers in his first year as a pro, finishing the year with a .337 batting average across 86 at-bats against same-handed pitchers.
Still on the impressiveness of Davalan’s hit tool, the 22-year-old not only had more walks (63) than strikeouts (57), but he also nearly matched his impressive college feat of more extra-base hits than punchouts, falling one short of it with 56 XBH. He was one of three players to score 100 runs or more in the Midwest League, joined by teammate Eduardo Quintero, and his 128 hits and 29 doubles both led the league.
Heading into the Arizona Fall League, Davalan, alongside Quintero, was probably the most exciting Dodger to feature in the competition. And although his production at the plate has been disappointing (.683 OPS), one key aspect of his development has piqued the interest of those following him closely. After moving between left and center in 2026, Davalan has worked as a second baseman in the AFL, reverting to his early days as a baseball player.
If Davalan can continue to take steps forward at second, the flexibility he would bring to the table will be invaluable to this organization—especially so given all the outfield depth it currently has, both in the minors and majors.
That two-homer game in his third appearance of the season was one of four multi-homer games for Davalan with the Loons. Although it didn’t represent anywhere near his season-high mark in RBI, the one multi-homer game we’ll highlight here came in mid-August—Davalan added a double and a walk to help propel the Loons to an 8-6 victory at home against the South Bend Cubs.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 25: Henry Bolte #33 of the Athletics reacts after hitting a two-run triple in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Houston Astros at Sutter Health Park on September 25, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning everyone!
The Rookies of the Year were announced yesterday and predictably standout first year center fielder Henry Bolte did not win the annual award. That honor went to Detroit shortstop Kevin McGonigle, who more than deserved it this year.
That said, Bolte ended up getting just one fifth-place vote, which puts him in a tie for 12th place among AL rookies. It was a strong year all around from the rookies in both leagues so the competition was stiff for Bolte, but it still feels low for him to finish there. Bolte provided solid defense in center field while slashing .277/.359/.405 while getting double digit home runs (11) and stolen bases (21). He was a spark plug atop the lineup that got plenty of rallies going and the energy he brought everyday kept this team from truly bottoming out.
And that’s with not beginning the year in the big leagues. It wasn’t until a few weeks after Denzel Clarke suffered an injury did Bolte finally get his shot and he made the most of it. One can’t help but wonder if Bolte were on a contender if he’d have gotten more points in the overall voting for Rookie of the Year. Not saying he should have won, but A’s fans know how important he was for the 2026 A’s as a rookie.
He’ll be just as important this coming season as he’ll presumably be the starting center fielder beginning his sophomore season. The jury is still out on what the club is planning to do with Clarke heading into next year. Some assumption has been that a change of scenery would be best for both sides with Bolte now the long-term option in center. It’s going to be fun watching Bolte become more confident as a major leaguer and get comfortable. And to think, he’s still just 23 years old.
The GM meetings continue today in Las Vegas. As does award season. Today the Manager of the Year awards will be dished out to the best skippers in each league. Pat Murphy is a strong contender after leading the Brewers to the #1 seed (and eventually the World Series, but postseason doesn’t count for awards). And in the American League old friend Stephen Vogt could be looking at his third straight award after leading the Guardians to the AL Central title, though Rays manager Kevin Cash could give him a run for his money. We’ll find out tonight!
The Las Vegas A’s ballpark looked huge in the renderings. Now that the roof is taking shape, a lot of people in the comments are saying it looks smaller than they pictured. Some are already wondering how deep the outfield will be and whether this’ll be a home run park.
KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 25: Kansas City Royals manager Matt Quatraro as seen before a MLB game between the Cleveland Guardians and the Kansas City Royals on September 25, 2026, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
I was recently thinking about an article on my favorite non-Royals Review website, FanGraphs. In it, Ben Clemens goes to great lengths to analyze the old adage – one I’ve often repeated – that if you keep putting new guys in the game, you are eventually going to run into one who doesn’t have it. You really should read the whole thing, but this part has stuck with me:
Second, relievers are more likely to be in good form, too. Six arms means six chances to draw someone who turns in a clunker, but it also means six chances to draw someone who’s red-hot. And while we think of blowups as largely driven by pitchers not having it, the converse is true too. A pitcher who’s really locked in on a given day is less likely to allow a blowup.
He went on the Effectively Wild podcast to discuss his findings, and elaborating that there seems to be an assumption that a reliever will put up zeroes unless they don’t have it. But that’s simply not the case. Reliever ERA in 2026 was 3.48 across all of MLB. That means that you’d expect a run to score in approximately one out of every three innings. The lowest individual ERA among pitchers who threw at least 50 innings in relief was Louis Varland at 1.27. So no pitcher who is perfect – even the best pitchers occasionally allow runs.
And I got to thinking: that applies to managers, too. There is an expectation that managers will never make mistakes. But every manager is going to make a mistake. They’re human. And we have learned over the past few years that even computers can’t be perfect. So why would we expect that from humans?
This is the flowchart too many fans use:
This is the one they should be using.
And even that’s far too simplified, but it’s light-years closer to how we should actually be thinking about things.
One year of ABS challenges is complete
Earlier this year, I engaged in a bit of a debate with Matthew LaMar over whether the Automated Ball Strike System (ABS) was improving the sport of baseball. At the time, I thought it was accomplishing the goal, and I was content to leave it where it was. As the year continued and teams began to figure out how they wanted to implement it, however, a few patterns emerged.
The first was that while some teams, though not all, could be quite aggressive when they had both challenges remaining, the moment they lost their first challenge, the last one would be held in reserve for only the most egregious of calls. This led to a lot of calls still being wrong because teams were afraid of having no challenges in the biggest moments to counter the worst calls. The second thing that changed is that we saw fewer and fewer batters challenging pitches. It turns out that catchers have a much better view of whether a pitch is a ball or strike and could be correct more often, so teams decided that mostly saving challenges for the guys most likely to get it right was the correct way to do things.
This means there is a new advantage for pitchers in a league that’s already so dominated by defense that MLB is testing increasing infield alignment restrictions, adding outfield alignment restrictions, and implementing automated check swing evaluations that are far more lenient than umpires currently allow.* But it also made me think about “the human element.” I came to the conclusion that the human element is important when the thing they are doing is the point. Computers are terrific for filling in the gaps and supporting that. When it comes to baseball, the point is the entertainment of the athletic competition on the field. The only reason umpires ever got involved in the first place was to remove bias and add perspective to facilitate the playing of a fair game. In the case where a computer can perform that sort of facilitation better than a human, we should let the computers handle it.
*I spoke about this on the linked podcast, so I won’t go into too much depth here, but I also think a sport that is dominated by strikeouts should be more lenient with check swings.People complain that swings aren’t properly defined in the rulebook, but the rulebook says that if the umpire determines the player attempted to strike the ball, it’s a swing. Most check swings are decidedly the batter attempting to not strike the ball.We’ve just grown used to it being called differently from what the rulebook says, much like how there was always a length of time allowed between pitches that wasn’t enforced, just in the opposite direction.
There is a reason that we use timers for the pitch clock rather than have the umpires do a countdown themselves. The computers are better at it. Similarly, computers are better at knowing whether a pitch is a strike or a ball, so they should do it. Another similarity between these two things is that the pitch clock timer doesn’t call the penalty on the batter or pitcher; that’s still the umpire’s job. And it should still be the umpire’s job to announce the balls and strikes. He or she should just be getting the answer from the computer instead of making the decision based on a more limited perception. Games should not be turning on whether a team used their challenges at the wrong moments; that’s not what we’re here to see. We’re here to see if a pitcher can paint the black in a key moment or if a hitter can squeeze one through the infield.* The sport should be leaning into the latter thing more.
*That, by the way, is why I’m in favor of extremely limited shifting. I want players to be getting outs because they’re athletic, not because their front office can crunch numbers the best to ensure they’re already standing in the correct place.Players should want that, too. Defensive skill would become much more valuable if it couldn’t be replaced by equations performed in the front office.
Royals Hall of Fame, Part 2
Last week, I wrote a bit about how crowded this year’s Royals Hall of Fame ballot is. I also posted a ranked-choice ballot to allow everyone to rank the case for each player rather than trying to select five. 59 of you responded, so here are some results.
The top five candidates, in order, were Zack Greinke, Carlos Beltrán, Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, and Wade Davis. I can’t find exceptional fault with those results even though I voted differently. Here’s the full order:
Zack Greinke
Carlos Beltran
Lorenzo Cain
Eric Hosmer
Wade Davis
Mike Moustakas
Greg Holland
Billy Butler
Joakim Soria
Kelvin Herrera
Alcides Escobar
Ian Kennedy
A handful of you figured out that you didn’t have to vote for everyone and could remove candidates from the ballot if you didn’t want them to even receive partial credit. One of you who figured that out voted only for Zack Greinke. Seems like a sad life to me, but as long as you’re satisfied, I guess that’s fine.
Zack Greinke was the runaway favorite, though, and I will be shocked if he isn’t actually elected. After him, Lorenzo Cain actually got the most first-place votes, but Beltrán had so many more second-place votes that he edged him out – I think there’s absolutely a world where both of them get in, too. From there, it was a big jump down in support to Hosmer and Davis, then another big jump down to Moustakas, another to Holland and Butler, and then big leaps down the rest of the way.
Based on this, I kind of expect everyone under Holland, at least, to fall off the ballot this year. That sucks for Herrera and Butler especially, to me. But that’s what the Veterans Committee is for. I expect both would get in eventually via that committee; I just don’t know how long it will be before that happens.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - SEPTEMBER 27, 2026: Kevin McGonigle #7 of the Detroit Tigers hits a solo home run during the seventh inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Comerica Park on September 27, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by George Kubas/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Hello everyone!
It’s a Tuesday and the GM Meetings have kicked off in Las Vegas, so hopefully we begin to see some real offseason traction this week.
Let’s get to all of the latest news as you get your day started.
Red Sox legend Pedro Martinez made his plea to the players and the owners to resolve their issues before we lose games in 2027 — remembering how the 1994 strike caused severe damage to the sport.
Kurt Helin
Raphielle Johnson
