Category: Sports News

And you’re saying, “Who?”

The Cubs signed Tyler Austin last December. He had played parts of four seasons for the Yankees, Twins, Giants and Brewers from 2016-19, then played six years for Yokohama in NPB, batting .293/.377/.568 with 85 home runs in 403 games.

The idea was for him to be a right-handed hitting backup first baseman to Michael Busch. And it might have worked: Austin hit .253/.345/.539 with 18 home runs in 217 MLB at-bats vs. LHP in those four seasons.

Unfortunately, Austin suffered some sort of knee injury and was ruled out before he played a single game for the team:

Cubs manager Craig Counsell announced that Austin underwent right knee surgery on Tuesday and would be out “months” as he recovers. The 34-year-old Austin required a right patellar tendon debridement procedure after his knee “didn’t respond well” in early camp workouts.

And “months” turned into “the entire season.” The Cubs paid Austin $1.2 million for this lost season.

Austin turned 35 during his season on the 60-day injured list. He did at least get to meet some of his teammates did participate in at least one team workout, as shown at the top of this post. And he also posed for photos in a Cubs uniform on Photo Day last Feb. 17:

Those, however, are likely the only times you will ever see Tyler Austin in a Cubs uniform. The team can certainly find a healthier, younger option to be a backup first baseman for Busch for 2027. I’m writing about him only because I decided I’d write an article about all 17 Cubs who are free agents this offseason or have a team or player option, and he is certainly one of those players. (See this StoryStream for the rest of the articles.)

Thanks, Tyler, and we wish you well.

The Yankees have agreed on a three-year contract extension with pitching coach Matt Blake, per multiple reports.

Blake, 41, was hired as the team's pitching coach ahead of the 2020 MLB season.

He will now remain in that role until at least the conclusion of the 2029 MLB season.

Since 2020, the Yankees trail just the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers in with a stellar 3.69 team ERA, are tied with the Seattle Mariners for third best in team WHIP (1.21), and rank fifth-best in K/9 (9.18).

While Blake has been able to rely on acquired stars in his pitching staff, such as Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Max Fried, he has also played a significant role in the farm system graduates both making the jump to and establishing themselves in the big leagues.

This includes most notably presumptive 2026 AL Cy Young winner Cam Schlittler, but also Will Warren, who continues to improve as a underappreciated back-end rotation arm. And while Luis Gil has had two straight seasons riddled with injuries and inconsistency, he did earn the 2024 AL Rookie of the Year award as a standout starter.

Additionally, Nestor Cortes Jr. bloomed under Blake. "Nasty Nestor" broke out in his third stint as a Yankee as a 26-year-old on a minor-league contract, earning a promotion to become a fan favorite starting pitcher in 2021, then earning All-Star honors and an eighth place finish in AL Cy Young voting during a career-best 2022 campaign.

Most recently, in 2026, Blake oversaw the transformation of Paul Blackburn from run-of-the-mill starting pitcher into lethal multi-inning bullpen arm, the emergence of southpaw Brent Headrick as a premier setup man, and the successful post-trade-deadline free agent additions of John Schreiber and Michael Fulmer to aid a thin bullpen at a crucial time in the regular season.

Of course kids love baseball. Everybody loves baseball. But the lost games, canceled World Series and changed landscape left behind by the 1994–95 players’ strike remind us that the business side of the game we love is anything but child’s play.

More than 30 years later, Major League Baseball is once again approaching a potential work stoppage that could leave the Colorado Rockies with less than a month to conduct much of their offseason business.

MLB’s free-agent market opens shortly after the World Series, with players permitted to sign with new teams five days after the final out. But the current collective bargaining agreement expires December 1, and another lockout is widely anticipated.

Meanwhile, MLB’s owners have proposed a salary floor and cap that could eventually change how much teams are required to spend.

For Colorado, that raises a few questions: How much money might the Rockies have to spend, how quickly should they act, and where should they invest it?

A salary floor? Not so fast

Under MLB’s initial proposal, teams would operate between a $171.2 million salary floor and a $245.3 million cap in 2027.

Before looking ahead, it helps to understand where Colorado stood financially in 2026. The Rockies’ estimated 2026 cash payroll was $120 million, with a competitive balance tax (CBT) payroll of $138 million, ranking them 21st in MLB by cash payroll.

2026 MLB payroll comparison

Source: FanGraphs RosterResource. Estimated 2026 payroll figures, rounded to the nearest million. Rankings based on cash payroll.

Looking ahead to 2027, Colorado’s projected CBT payroll is in the neighborhood of $110 million, potentially leaving the Rockies roughly $60 million below the proposed minimum.

That’s not exactly pocket change.

Now, an offseason where the Rockies suddenly have to spend another $60 million would be tremendously entertaining. I’d happily spend November dreaming up ways to convince Tarik Skubal to pitch at Coors Field on a one-year deal.

Unfortunately, that’s probably not where these negotiations are headed.

For starters, CBT payroll isn’t the same as cash payroll. It uses the average annual value of contracts and includes arbitration estimates, benefits and other obligations. The precise gap also depends on how those costs are calculated under a new agreement.

More importantly, the MLB Players Association has opposed the owners’ proposed salary cap, and neither the cap nor the accompanying salary floor has been agreed upon.

As Andy McCullough reported for The Athletic, the proposal includes a negotiated transition period, with one executive suggesting implementation could take years.

So the proposed floor might mean bupkis for Colorado’s immediate offseason. There’s no established requirement for the Rockies to add $60 million to their 2027 payroll.

But another deadline is approaching much faster.

November could get busy

Predicting what Paul DePodesta and Josh Byrnes might do is difficult. Their first offseason in Colorado was already abbreviated by their late arrival, and a potential lockout could make their second one unusual for entirely different reasons.

But they were hardly inactive. Despite limited time, the new front office made substantial changes to the roster, including bringing in several players on major-league contracts.

They’ve already shown they’re willing to make moves.

As McCullough reported, executives and agents anticipate an accelerated free-agent market ahead of a potential December 1 lockout. Players and teams alike could look to complete deals before a work stoppage disrupts normal business. The middle tier of free agency could be particularly active.

For Colorado, that’s an opportunity worth taking seriously.

The Rockies should enter November with their targets identified, evaluations completed and financial parameters established. Acting quickly doesn’t mean signing players out of desperation. It means being prepared to move when an opportunity presents itself.

The answer is pitching

Looking back at the Rockies’ free-agent activity under previous front offices offers a pretty good blueprint for what not to do.

The results have ranged from expensive disasters like Kris Bryant’s seven-year, $182 million contract to bargain finds like C.J. Cron, who initially joined Colorado on a minor-league deal.

And the Rockies haven’t been unwilling to spend money on pitching. Ahead of the 2018 season, they committed a combined $106 million to relievers Wade Davis, Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee.

But when it came to adding outside starting pitching, Colorado’s approach was considerably more conservative.

Rockies MLB free-agent starting pitcher signings from outside the organization

Outside starting pitchers signed to major-league free-agent contracts. Excludes minor-league deals, extensions, re-signings, trades and waiver claims.

Seven offseasons. Two outside starters.

DePodesta and Byrnes signed three in their first winter alone. Not every move worked, but the change in approach is hard to miss.

And with Colorado’s rotation finishing 2026 with a 6.28 ERA, the worst in baseball, that approach needs to continue.

So, what comes next?

The Rockies could use a right-handed corner outfielder and a defense-first backup catcher. But the biggest need is obvious.

Pitching. And lots of it.

That doesn’t mean bringing back every familiar veteran or signing another pitcher because he was good three years ago.

Colorado needs new arms, different arms, and as many legitimate options as possible.

Beyond traditional major-league free agency, that means exploring the Japanese and Korean markets, pursuing trades and aggressively adding minor-league pitching depth.

The minor-league market could be particularly interesting with a lockout looming. Minor leaguers have a separate CBA extending through December 2027, meaning players outside the major-league bargaining unit can generally continue developing even if MLB shuts down.

And the opportunities for organizational improvement could extend beyond the field.

Ryan Spilborghs raised an interesting possibility on a recent podcast: If other organizations make staffing cuts during a lockout, Colorado could have an opportunity to bring in experienced talent to the analytics department.

The Rockies are already working to strengthen their scouting and analytical departments. They reportedly added veteran scout Steve Barningham, and the organization is actively recruiting a senior or lead baseball analytics analyst.

For those interested in applying, applications are open through October 30.

The Rockies have the money. They have obvious needs. And whether it’s acquiring players before a shutdown or improving the organization during one, they have opportunities to make progress.

They don’t have to win the offseason. But they have every reason to be involved in it.

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

Before the Yankees were the Babe Ruth-led behemoth that took the baseball world by storm in the ‘20s, they were the laughingstock of the American League. Between 1913, their last year as the Highlanders, and 1914, their first as the Yankees, the team went 107-196. Things got bad enough that there were rumors the team might flip to the upstart Federal League, a nascent third major league that threatened the AL and NL.

Determined not to lose his New York franchise, AL president Ban Johnson worked behind the scenes during the 1914-15 offseason to strengthen the team’s roster, making it more attractive for a prospective new ownership group. He did so by encouraging the rest of the league’s teams to sell the Yankees useful players at a reasonable price. The first team to heed his call was the Tigers, who sold New York two players: a first-base prospect named Wally Pipp and a 27-year-old outfielder named Hugh High.

Hugh Jenkins High
Born: October 24, 1887 (Pottstown, PA)
Died: November 16, 1962 (St. Louis, MO)
Yankees Tenure: 1915-18

High grew up in a family of 13 kids, three of whom would eventually play in the big leagues. The Highs were an itinerant bunch, living first in Pennsylvania, then New Jersey, then Illinois, and finally St. Louis in Hugh’s youth. He played semi-pro ball while serving as a plumber’s apprentice, making the jump to pro ball only after completing his obligation. He played well enough at Class-B Hartford of the Connecticut State League to draw the attention of several teams, including the Giants, who purchased his contract for $2,500 but ended up selling him back to Hartford for the same amount before he was able to join New York. High kept performing the next season and was once again a sought-after commodity, with the Tigers securing his services for the 1913 season.

High joined a crowded outfield picture in Detroit, with future Hall of Famers Ty Cobb and Sam Crawford as well as Bobby Veach, who’d finish a 14-year career with 2,063 hits and a .310 lifetime average. Still, he cracked the roster as a reserve outfielder and saw an expanded role early on with Cobb holding out due to a contract dispute and Veach on the shelf with an ankle injury. High played well enough that, when the roster returned to full strength, both Cobb and Crawford were briefly moved to the infield in separate stints to keep the rookie in the everyday lineup. While his raw stats never wowed, High was valued for his situational hitting and defense and developed a close relationship with the team’s manager, another future Hall of Famer named Hughie Jennings.

High improved in his second campaign, getting on base at a .363 clip while continuing to impress with his glove. The following offseason, the Tigers sold the talented youngster to New York to assuage Johnson’s concerns. His first season in pinstripes would be a career year. Finally given a full-time opportunity, he played in a career-high 119 games and showed some more pop, notching 27 extra-base hits after hitting 15 in the previous two years combined. High also swiped 22 bags, showcasing an all-around skill set that was an asset to a Yankees team still searching for an identity.

Prior to the start of the 1916 campaign, the Yankees continued to beef up their roster, headlined by the addition of future Hall of Famer Frank “Home Run” Baker. They put up their first winning season since their days as the Highlanders with High firmly entrenched in left, continuing to get on base consistently and play fundamentally sound baseball. He dealt with an ankle injury for much of the year, though, a harbinger for what was ahead.

The next offseason, High dealt with blood poisoning from an infected blister in his foot that set him back in spring training. He missed more time during the year as he dealt with boils on his neck. He ended up getting replaced in the lineup in September and would never regain his starting role. After the ‘17 season, the Yankees shopped High extensively, nearly reaching deals with the Senators, Dodgers, Red Sox, and Cardinals. They finally reached an accord with the Athletics a few weeks into the season but High refused to report to his new club. The Yankees suspended the outfielder and he walked away from the game, taking a job at a Maryland shipyard rather than shipping off to Philadelphia.

It was the start of an odyssey for High. The Red Sox tried again to trade for him; when High demanded back pay for the time he was suspended, the Yankees balked and he instead returned to the shipyard. The league reinstated High in 1919, but when the Yankees attempted to option him to the minors, he once again chose his job in Maryland. In May of that year, he finally accepted his sale, this time to the Vernon Tigers of the Double-A Pacific Coast League. High spent five seasons there, followed by another with Double-A Columbus and a final season with the International League’s Reading Keystones at the age of 37. Throughout this seven-year wilderness period, he showcased the consistent bat and slick fielding which had made him a valuable big leaguer in his youth.

After his baseball career, High returned to St. Louis, resuming the plumbing career he had put on hold in his early 20s. He died on November 16, 1962 at the age of 75. While never a star, Hugh High was a ballplayer’s ballplayer who helped shore up the Yankees franchise in its early, uncertain days and, through his long journey in minor-league baseball, demonstrated a love of the game few can match.

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

There was a lot of anticipation and intrigue when it came to AJ Smith-Shawver and his return from Tommy John Surgery for the Atlanta Braves in 2026. Considering how much flux the backend of Atlanta’s rotation went through in the previous season, there was a clear opportunity for anybody who wanted to grab onto that role.

AJ Smith-Shawver got that opportunity once he eventually returned in July. So how did that go for him? It’s time to find out.

How Acquired

The Braves selected Smith-Shawver with the 217th overall pick as their seventh-round draft choice in 2021. He skyrocketed through the system in 2023, speedrunning three minor league levels and eventually making his debut in June. Despite, or perhaps because of, his rapid ascent, Smith-Shawver has yet to throw over 45 big league innings in any given season.

What were the expectations?

One of the reasons why Smith-Shawver was unable to clear that 50-inning threshold was because he had Tommy John Surgery in June of 2025, which meant that he’d have to wait a full calendar year before even getting ready to make his return to the mound. As such, the hope was that Smith-Shawver could simply get healthy and hopefully improve upon a 2025 campaign where he showed some flashes of brilliance while still having the typical rollercoaster experience that most rookies and young pitchers experience upon breaking through to the big leagues.

We all know that recovery from this type of thing isn’t exactly a linear or easy process — just ask Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach about the elbow issues that they’ve both been dealing with for the past couple of seasons. Still, it wasn’t crazy to hope that AJ Smith-Shawver could eventually make a bounce back and become a valuable part of Atlanta’s rotation.

Performance-wise, Smith-Shawver had an 88/115/115 line in 74 career innings before the 2026 season. His 2023 and 2024 were comparatively rougher, but 2025 looked much better at 92/96/105. It was hard to know exactly what to expect given the long layoff and rehab from major surgery, but ZiPS saw him as an above-average-but-very-short-stint starter (about four innings a start, but 1.1 WAR in 80 innings) as its point estimate — basically a slight improvement over his small-sample 2025.

2026 Results

Smith-Shawver made about a month’s worth of official rehab starts, but once July 29 rolled around, he returned to the big league roster for a day as the Braves called him up as the 27th man for a doubleheader against the Mets. He turned in the sort of start that had folks across Braves Country clamoring for him to stick around — even though he was always bound to return to Gwinnett due to the 27th-man rule. Despite a somewhat underwhelming line of just 4 1/3 innings pitched with a 4/2 K/BB ratio, Shawver’s velocity (on his four-seamer, especially his four-seamer) looked impressive, his stuff was lively and he had also added a sinker and a cutter to his arsenal — giving him a very interesting tool box of six pitches to work with.

Smith-Shawver eventually got his chance to join the rotation for real once he got called up ahead of a start on August 19 against the Twins and while his stuff looked lively as usual, this time he was once again unable to make it through the fifth inning in an efficient manner. In fact, Smith-Shawver only ended up making two appearances where he pitched at least five complete innings — and one of those appearances was in long relief after Reynaldo López made (what turned out to be) his final start of the season.

That five-inning relief appearance on September 14 was Smith-Shawver’s first apperance out of the ‘pen and he proceeded to make three more appearances in relief during the final month of the season and eventually made an appearance in the NLDS. That NLDS appearance didn’t go well, as he wound up giving up a two-run dinger to Kyle Tucker and a solo shot to Max Muncy (both in the same inning) that basically gave the Dodgers enough breathing room to take the game on home.

Ultimately, Smith-Shawver finished with a 6.61 ERA (157 ERA-), a 6.00 FIP (145 FIP-), and a 5.17 xFIP (123 xFIP-) with a drop in strikeout rate (18.8 percent compared to 21.9 percent in 2025) and an increase in walk rate (from 10.9 percent in 2025 to 11.1 percent in 2026). He didn’t qualify for a bunch of the usual MLB Percentile Rankings that Baseball Savant provides but if he did, a lot of his categories would’ve been in the blue instead of the red. Needless to say, Smith-Shawver didn’t exactly hit the ground running upon his return to the bigs from Tommy John surgery, and “earned” -0.2 fWAR for his efforts.

What went right?

Well, his velocity is still good after returning from Tommy John surgery and that’s always a positive. His four-seam velocity was back at 96 mph and his sinker was clocked at an average of 95.1 mph. Again, the stuff that he had on display during his 2026 debut against the Mets was encouraging to see and it sure seemed like AJSS had something to really build upon as a starter based on that first impression back.

Also, if that five-inning relief appearance against the Cubs qualified as a start then this would’ve been Smith-Shawver’s best “start” of the season. The Braves were definitely in need of having any starter who could give them innings while only giving up around a couple of runs and the Braves gladly would’ve taken that had it been a start.

Meanwhile, his most encouraging appearance as a reliever came on September 20 against the Astros, which is when he faced seven batters over two innings and only gave up a hit while striking out four batters. It was a very solid appearance during the divisional-clinching win for the Braves in Houston and it was the type of outing that makes you think “Hey, maybe there’s something here with this guy as a reliever.” The Braves certainly thought so, but it was kind of a mixed bag in the end — his next relief outing was pretty bad, and he gave up a homer while striking out three of the five batters he faced in his final tune-up. And then, well, the one in the playoffs didn’t go very wellk.

His splitter was a pretty effective pitch, as he racked up a whiff rate of 31.3 percent and a Put Away percentage of 15.8 percent and 16 of his 27 strikeouts on the season came from that pitch alone. It was clearly his best pitch and it’s clearly the one that he should throw a bit more of going forward.

What went wrong?

AJ Smith-Shawver was just unable to get really deep into games as a starter. In every one of his six long appearances this season, he walked at least two batters and walked at least three in four of those appearances as well. If he walked a batter then that guy usually came around to score. It was either that or his propensity to give up the long ball. While his four-seamer only had a .209 Batting Average against it (along with a .216 xBA), whenever hitters did catch up to his heater, they usually didn’t make a mistake with it. He gave up seven homers all season and four of them were against his heater. Opposing batters slugged .512 against his four-seamer (with an xSLG of .500). He was unable to get a lot of whiffs with it, either. When the pitch you lean on that much is getting hit that hard, it’s difficult to have a lot of success.

Smith-Shawver’s start on September 8 against the Rays was the end of the road (at least in 2026) as a starter and it was basically a single-game example of everything that’s been ailing Smith-Shawver at the big league level right now. He was charged with five hits, he walked two batters, two of those five hits were dingers (against a Rays team that, while excellent on offense, didn’t hit for a ton of power in 2026) and he only lasted 3 1/3 innings. He was unable to get deep into a game, it was his shortest start of the season, and Smith-Shawver found himself heading to the clubhouse after having a largely inefficient night on the mound.

Overall, Smith-Shawver found it hard to rack up strikeouts, he walked a lot of batters, he got hit decently-hard when batters did catch up with his stuff and he got barreled-up on a semi-regular basis. Fundamentally, he posted an xFIP- north of 100 in four of his five starts (well north of 100 in three) — or five of six if you include the five-inning relief appearance. It wasn’t a case of being unlucky or anything, he just wasn’t doing the fundamental business of striking guys out and not walking them well at all. That’s not a recipe for success as a starter, which explains why the Braves decided that the best place for Smith-Shawver going forward towards the Postseason was the bullpen. They just couldn’t afford to have him try to figure it out as a starter while they were holding on to the lead in the NL East and against playoff-caliber lineups in the Postseason.

One additional cruel twist of fate: above, it was listed that his xFIP was below average in every longer-stint outing but one. That one where it wasn’t? It was his worst start by WPA of the year, as, despite the better pitching quality, the Nationals dumped four runs on him and the defense thanks to walks and seeing-eye singles in the second, and then added a homer in the third. Welp.

2027 Outlook

AJ Smith-Shawver will be 24 heading into next season and when you combine his young age with the lack of mileage (when it comes to innings, at least) on his arm, it sure feels like he could get another shot at starting for the Braves once Spring Training rolls around (whenever that may be). He’s got the velocity on his four-seamer that can play but he still has yet to develop it into a truly effective pitch. His splitter is there but everything else still needs a bit of work, as evidenced by the high walk rate and the lack of strikeouts that he was able to get on a consistent basis. Something kind of amusing is that Smith-Shawver didn’t directly struggle with either pitch shape or command — he largely threw his four-seamer and splitter to the same spots over and over. But, those spots just weren’t very good in practice, largely because his splitter tended to miss the zone on the low armside corner. If he fixes that and has that splitter actually fall in for a strike, and things get a lot more annoying for batters, but it was easy to wait him out in 2026.

Early projections aren’t quite so sanguine about Smith-Shawver as they were before he made his return. He’s now targeted as a below-average bulk guy or swingman, even falling short of the “assume everyone is a fourth starter until they show otherwise” heuristic. He’s got some work to do, basically.

Assuming the Braves don’t add to their rotation outside of the organization heading into next season, Smith-Shawver should get an opportunity to make the Opening Day roster as a starter. Maybe with a full (and potentially extended) offseason to figure things out, Smith-Shawver can come back and finally really get rolling with his career. Again, he’s young and it still feels like he’s a bit of a rookie since he hasn’t really had an extended stint in the bigs quite yet. Maybe we’ll see him get that chance and embrace it in 2027. We’ll see what happens.

The Yankees have a third base problem.

It wasn't long ago that they had Jazz Chisholm Jr. learn the position on the fly when they acquired him at the 2024 trade deadline. And since then, they've acquired Ryan McMahon, Amed Rosario and Jose Caballero over the years to help fill the hot corner, without any of them able to capture it.

McMahon has been the biggest disappointment. While his defense has still been above-average, his offensive struggles have helped create the black hole in the bottom part of the Yankees' lineup.

Rosario was a nice bench piece who can give a few starts at third, here and there, but he's now a free agent. And Caballero was exposed as a bench piece who occasionally starts, not an everyday player.

Here's a breakdown of the internal and external candidates to be the Yankees' 2027 third baseman. 

Platoon between McMahon and Caballero

There's no use separating McMahon and Caballero into talking points because, in reality, if the Yankees don't add someone from outside the organization, a platoon between the two is likely what we'll see when the 2027 season begins.

McMahon and Caballero complement each other, hitting from opposite sides, with neither having the track record as a Yankee to be that everyday player.

Caballero, while showing flashes in 2026 when Anthony Volpe was on the shelf, returned to his career mean, slashing .231/.290/.365 with an OPS of .655. While his 14 homers were a career high, it's unlikely he'll reach that power level again. This past season was the only one in which he reached double-digit long balls. 

And McMahon's offensive struggles are well-documented. Despite tinkering in the box, the third baseman hit offensive career lows -- in non-shortened seasons -- in home runs (11), doubles (14), hits (70) and average (.213). 

McMahon's defense also saw a slight regression. He was a zero in OAA, his lowest in a non-shortened season since 2019. With one more guaranteed season on McMahon's deal, the glove-first third baseman will likely be used in 2026, even if it's for late-game defensive purposes. 

Anthony Volpe

If Volpe is used at third base, there must have been a drastic change in the Yankees' roster. Whether it's an injury to McMahon or Caballero, or the Yankees make a deal to bring in an everyday second baseman. 

Since those are possibilities, we should dig into what Volpe at third base could look like in 2027.

First off, if McMahon is healthy, this would be a platoon -- at least to start. When Volpe was demoted in the middle of the season, he used his time in the minors to learn second base and a bit of third. When Aaron Boone and the Yankees were looking to adjust their lineup/roster to produce more offense and to give more flexibility, they actually had Volpe play a couple of major league games at the hot corner.

He made one start and didn't have any balls hit his way. If not for a rained out game that was never made up, Volpe would have had another try at third base before the postseason. Volpe did make an appearance at third in the postseason (for two innings) and converted on his single chance. 

The Yankees will likely have Volpe start his offseason program playing second and some third. While second base is the natural fit for Volpe, if his bat warrants him in the lineup, he could be an option at third.

Alec Bohm

It's crazy to think that Bohm might be the biggest free agent in the third base market this offseason, but that's where we are.

The 30-year-old is coming off an uneven 2026, where he bounced back from hitting below the Mendoza line through May 15 to ultimately slash .249/.315/.383 with an OPS of .735. His off-the-field issues -- filing a lawsuit against his own parents -- could have played a role in his slow start, and perhaps he's closer to the .274/.340/.433 player he was in the 120 games since May 9. 

While his career offensive numbers never jumped off the page, he posts every day, playing in at least 140 games in four of his last five seasons. He's also just one of only seven right-handed bats to drive in at least 85 runs in three of the past four seasons, including this past season. 

You would have to overlook the defense, however. 

Bohm had a -11 OAA playing both third base (-8) and first base (-3) in 2026. It was a big step back from 2025 (-2 OAA) and 2024 (5), so that's a red flag, especially for a Yankees team that seemingly falters on the defensive end in October. But Hal Steinbrenner blamed the offense for the team's lack of postseason success the last two seasons, so perhaps the organization will overlook it for Bohm.

And with McMahon on the roster, he can replace Bohm at third base in late-game situations when the Yankees are preserving a lead.

Bohm could also be a right-handed option at first base as a Paul Goldschmidt -- who is a free agent -- replacement. Again, the Yankees would have to overlook the defense, especially with Luis Garcia Jr. and Ben Rice as below-average defenders at the position -- though Garcia Jr. proved to be much better at the position than once thought. 

Eugenio Suarez

Another option where offense trumps defense, Suarez would, admittedly, be a reach for the Yankees.

Suarez only played 50 games at third base in 2026 and had a -7 OAA. His arm strength is also in the bottom 25 percent in the league, so if the Yankees do scoop up Suarez, it would have to be a pseudo-platoon with McMahon. 

There's more offensive upside for Suarez, but his 2026 was far from the 49-homer 2025 he enjoyed. Suarez still hit 26 bombs, but slashed .212/.307/.433 with an OPS of .740. But is 2026 an outlier for Suarez? It's worth the risk for the Yankees if the money is right to inject the position with some much-needed power. 

The Reds and Suarez have a mutual option for 2027, which Cincinnati would certainly decline. The market for Suarez could be sparse, as no team wanted the right-handed slugger when the Reds placed him on waivers late this past season. 

He signed with the Reds on a one-year, $15 million deal before the start of the season, so another one-year deal is likely for the 35-year-old. 

Longshot candidates

Let's talk about some candidates who are unlikely to be available. 

Bo Bichette has an option to return to the Mets, and while he bounced back from a slow start to the 2026 season, he would be leaving $42 million on the table if he opts out, a risk considering the upcoming labor negotiations. 

If he were to test free agency, the Yankees could take a flyer on the former Blue Jay.

There's also the Astros' Isaac Paredes. 

Houston has a club option to retain the 27-year-old for just $13.35 million, which they certainly will. Paredes slashed .262/.360/.447 with an OPS of .807 to go along with his 25 home runs on an objectively subpar Astros team. 

If the Yankees could figure out a trade package to Houston's liking, Paredes would be a great choice.

Make a move

The Yankees' third base situation is similar to second base in that the prudent decision would be to start the season with in-house options. A platoon of McMahon and Caballero is the likely outcome, but if there's a splash to be made, it's at third.

Of the free agent options, Bohm is the ideal candidate as he can be the everyday third baseman for years to come, especially once McMahon is off the books following the 2027 season. 

But spinning a trade for Paredes could potentially raise the ceiling of what the 2027 Yankees could be offensively. It would take a willing partner, but of all the potential trades Brian Cashman could make, he's the one I would eye. 

Game one is in the books and what a game it was.

One of those games where a matter of inches was the difference between victory and defeat and you just have to tip your cap and move on to the next one.

So tonight the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers will move on to game two of the 2026 World Series with Milwaukee holding a 1-0 lead in the best of seven series.

Tampa Bay will be sending its ace to the hill with 31-year old Drew Rasmussen taking the mound as he faced the team that made him a 6th round pick in the 2018 draft. Rasmussen was among the best pitchers in all of baseball over the second half of the 2026 season and thus far has been the top pitcher of the postseason. Over three starts in the playoffs, Rasmussen has compiled a 1.29 ERA | 2.58 FIP with a 30.3 K% and 3.9 BB% over 21 innings pitched. Rasmussen’s last outing came on the 18th in game five against Cleveland where he allowed 1 run on 4 hits over 7 innings pitched en route to a 3-1 victory.

Opposing Rasmussen on the mound is 24-year old Logan Henderson, whom the Brewers selected in the 4th round of the 2021 draft out of McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas. Henderson has soldified his place in the Brewers rotation despite injury woes the past two years. When Henderson does the take the mound, he has proven himself a capable strikethrower, capable of racking up strikeouts thanks to a plus change-up while limiting walks. Among 155 pitchers with at least 90 innings pitched, Henderson ranked 6th in K-BB%.

Overall over the course of the 2026 season, Henderson compiled a 2.47 ERA | 3.32 FIP with a 29.6 K% & 5.1 BB% over 98.1 IP. Thus far in the postseason, Henderson has a 3.00 ERA | 3.77 FIP with a 15.0 K% and 12.5 BB%. It has been nearly two weeks since Henderson last pitched, when he took the mound on the 12th for game two against the Los Angeles Dodgers; Henderson allowed four runs — two earned — on three hits while he walked two and struck out two over four innings of work.

Henderson and the Rays present an interesting matchup as the Rays make more contact than any other team in baseball, while Henderson ranks 2nd among pitchers with at least 90 IP in Zone%. Despite being in the zone 47.4% of the time, opponents make contact on those pitches just 81.2% of the time, which is in the 97th percentile.

The game is tonight at 8:00pm