Category: Baseball

It’s another week here at BCB After Dark: the hippest spot for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re open again for business. We’re so glad you decided to stop by. Come in out of the cold. We can check your coat for you. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.

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

Last week I asked you if, after the trade for Edward Cabrera and the signing of Alex Bregman, the Cubs were now the team to beat in the National League Central. Seventy-two percent of you agreed that the Cubs are now the favorites in the Central. Another 27 percent went with the defending champs, the Brewers. The Reds managed to eke out one percent of the vote, which was more than what the Pirates and Cardinals got.

Here’s the part where we listen to music and talk movies. The BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic is well underway, but you’re still free to join in the fun. But you’re also free to skip that. You won’t hurt my feelings.

Tonight we’re featuring the Charles Mingus Sextet in Norway in 1964 playing the Billy Strayhorn tune made famous by Duke Ellington, “Take the ‘A’ Train.”

Mingus is the bassist, of course, and Eric Dolphy plays bass clarinet. Jake Byard is on piano, Clifford Jordan on tenor sax, Johnny Coles on trumpet and Dannie Richmond is the drummer.

You voted in the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic between Star Wars and Alien and Alien pulled off the upset. A mild upset, to be sure, but an upset nonetheless. I did call it the “Star Wars bracket” afterall. I do wonder if Star Wars’ reputation has suffered because of the uneven quality of all the recent intellectual property spinoffs. I’ve only seen a few of them and I haven’t really considered myself a “Star Wars fan” since I was about 14 years old. But I know that there are millions out there that still revere it. But the same is true of Alien, I guess.

Tonight we have the second semifinal of the “Star Wars” bracket between the number-one seed Blade Runner and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

1. Blade Runner (1982). Directed by Ridley Scott. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer and Sean Young.

Here’s what I wrote last time about Blade Runner.

Blade Runner is the one film that gets mentioned a lot as an alternative to 2001: A Space Odyssey when critics are naming the greatest science fiction film of all time. I guess Stalker and Metropolis might get a few mentions as well, but it’s those two that, it seems to me, get mentioned the most often. It’s not hard to see why. Both of them are science fiction films with ambition. They both are trying to transcend the genre and elevate it at the same time.

Here’s the opening scene of Blade Runner. I considered giving you the famous “tears in rain” speech as a clip, but since that’s a spoiler at the end of the film, I thought it best to avoid giving you that one for those of you who still haven’t seen it. But those of you already familiar with it can click on the link above if you want to relive it.

5. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) Directed by Nicholas Meyer. Starring William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and Ricardo Montalban.

Here’s what I wrote last time about The Wrath of Khan.

It’s entirely possible that I’ve seen The Wrath of Khan more than any other film. I don’t really keep track so I don’t know, but I’ve seen it a lot. If I just want a film for pure entertainment value, there’s not much better than The Wrath of Khan. There’s a saying that these kinds of films are only as good as their villain, and it doesn’t get much better than Montalban playing Khan here. But the film also takes advantage of our familiarity with the crew of the Enterprise and lets them play into their strengths as well. There’s also a video online where director Meyer explained how he made Shatner do take after take in order to tire him out and get a more subdued and world-weary Kirk. That somewhat explains the good job Shatner did here as well.

The scene where Khan reveals himself on Ceti Alpha Five.

Now it’s time to vote.

You have until Wednesday to vote. Coming up next, Brazil (1985) takes on Terminator II: Judgment Day (1991).

Welcome back to everyone who skips the music and the movies.

In the time between the Cubs failing to sign NPB-import Tatsuya Imai and the Cubs trading for Edward Cabrera, there was a lot of talk about the Cubs pivoting to free agent Zac Gallen to bolster their starting rotation. There was also a lot of talk about the Cubs interest in Zac Gallen earlier as Bob Nightengale erroneously reported, as Bob is wont to do, that the Cubs had come to terms with Gallen. Nightengale may have been wrong about the signing, but other writers did confirm that the Cubs were interested in the former Diamondbacks right-hander.

It did seem like the Cubs interest in Gallen was over after the recent moves. For one, trading for Cabrera lessens the need for a starting pitcher on the Cubs. Two, the signing of Alex Bregman puts the Cubs right up against the luxury tax threshold and it is widely assumed that even if the Cubs were willing to go a little above that, they wouldn’t go enough over it sign a major free agent.

But the market for Gallen, 30, has not developed like he and his agent Scott Boras would have liked. There are a few reasons for that. The first is that Gallen, an ace in 2022 and 2023 and not much worse in 2024, had a poor season in 2025. We’ll get into that a bit later. The other reason is that Gallen turned down a qualifying offer from the Diamondbacks and teams are reluctant to give up a draft pick on top paying a lot of money for someone who isn’t elite. If you just base it on his 2025 season, Gallen isn’t an elite pitcher anymore. So it seems that Boras is pivoting to his normal tactic in such situations—have the player sign a short-term deal that would get him back on the market for a big payday while h’e still young.

Thus, Bruce Levine dropped a bit of a bombshell over the weekend when he reported that the Cubs and Boras are still talking about a deal that would bring Gallen to Chicago on a short-term deal. Such a deal would put the Cubs way over the luxury tax threshold that they’ve been reluctant to cross in recent years, but it’s also not something that ownership can’t afford, from everything we know.

So why might the Cubs bust the budget and lose a draft pick for Zac Gallen? The Cubs starting rotation currently looks like this:

Matthew Boyd

Cade Horton

Shōta Imanaga

Jameson Taillon

Edward Cabrera

There’s also Justin Steele, who will return from elbow surgery sometime this year. Let’s pencil him in for June. The Cubs top pitching prospect, Jaxon Wiggins, could also be ready for the majors around mid-season or so.

There’s also Colin Rea and Javier Assad who can join the rotation or pitch out of the bullpen.

So if the Cubs already have 5 starters, two in reserve and two who could join the team midseason, why would they want Gallen so much they’d be willing to break the budget for him?

For one, the Cubs would hope that Gallen would be an improvement over one of the five pitchers currently in the rotation. If you have a chance to improve your team, you should. Yes, Gallen had a poor year last year with an ERA of 4.83. He had a career-low strikeout percentage. But he did improve greatly by the end of the season. In the final two months of the year, Gallen made 11 starts and put up an ERA of 3.32. His strikeout rate also increased back to what it had been from 2021 to 2024, when Gallen was good. If you think that Gallen figured out whatever was wrong from March to July, then Gallen is a near-ace pitcher who can be acquired for the price of a solid middle-of-the-rotation guy and for far fewer years.

But the biggest reason to do so is to just add depth to the rotation. We all know that in the National League Division Series, through an injury to Horton and just general ineffectiveness of Imanaga, the Cubs ran out of starting pitchers. Horton has battled injuries throughout his career. So has Cabrera. Truth be told, Boyd isn’t far removed Tommy John surgery in 2023. While the Cubs hope Steele will be back sooner rather than later, there is no guarantee of that.

On top of that, Boyd, Imanaga, Taillon and Rea are all free agents after this upcoming season. The Cubs are going to have to find more pitchers for 2027 and beyond.

The big reason not to sign Gallen is, if you look at the totality of his 2025 season, that he’s a declining pitcher on who has just passed 30. I don’t think 30 is as old for a pitcher as it is for a position player, but Gallen does have a lot of innings on his arm. If you don’t think Gallen’s last two months truly represent a return to form, then you probably don’t want to sign Gallen for any price, considering the loss of a draft pick attached.

The other reason is that because Gallen rejected a qualifying offer, the Cubs would lose their second-round draft pick for signing him. The good news is that the Cubs are getting a pick after the second-round for losing Tucker. It’s better to have two draft picks than one here, but at least the Cubs would only be moving down a few picks had they just re-signed Tucker and signed no one who’d gotten an offer.

Al wrote a piece earlier this winter on the Cubs interest in Gallen. It’s worth revisiting, even if the circumstances have change.

I’m going to propose that the Cubs offer Gallen a two-year deal worth $40 million, with a mutual option for a third year for another $20 million. If the Cubs decline the option, there’s a $4 million buyout. If Gallen declines it, there’s no penalty. In any case, Gallen can go back on the market in two years and if he pitches well, get one last big deal. If he doesn’t pitch well, at least he’s guaranteed $44 million.

So should the Cubs offer this deal?

Thanks for stopping by tonight. It’s always good to see you. Please get home safely. Stay warm out there. Tell your friends about us. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow evening for more BCB After Dark.

When the San Diego Padres drafted Jackson Merrill in the first round of the 2021 MLB draft there was a great story told about the scouting of Merrill by Padres general manager and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller. That story was retold when Merrill signed his contract extension in 2025. Preller, in an attempt not to give away to other scouts his intent, tried to watch Merrill from the bleachers of a football stadium next to where the baseball game was being played. He got caught and then had to try and keep his true intent secret while gracefully talking his way out of the situation.

In the deal Preller made to bring in superstar outfielder Juan Soto, Merrill was intentionally left out. He seemed to be the one “untouchable” in the San Diego system that would not be part of the package.

When Merrill came to Padres Spring Training in February of 2024 he was a shortstop. He had been a shortstop all through his professional and high school career. The Padres had a shortstop, and Xander Bogaerts had been signed to a huge multi-year deal to play that position. At the start of workouts in Peoria, Preller and the Padres staff approached Merrill about learning to play the outfield, initially left field before he eventually settled in center field. He was willing and learned the position on the fly throughout that spring. At the end of Spring Training, Manny Machado and other Padres veterans approached the Padres coaching staff and Preller to lobby on behalf of Merrill to make the opening day roster…. as the centerfielder.

The 2024 season was a massive success for Jackson Merrill, the centerfielder. He played in 156 games with a .292/.326/.500 batting line and a .826 OPS. He hit 24 homers with 90 RBI and finished the season with a 4.4 WAR, a Silver Slugger Award, an All-Star selection and a second place finish to Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes for Rookie the Year.

Preller began trying to sign Merrill to a long-term contract before his breakout rookie season. Although unsuccessful at first, he kept trying. In April of 2025, barely into the new season, the Padres announced a nine-year, $135 million contract extension for Merrill. It included a $10 million signing bonus spread out over four years with $1 million in 2025 and $3 million in 2026, 2027 and 2028 as well as escalators over time and with plate appearances and top five MVP finishes. The Padres have a team option for 2035, and Merrill can play that into a player option. All-in-all, it could be a 10-year deal for $204 million.

Although the 2025 season was frustrating and injury-filled for Merrill, there is little doubt in most corners of MLB that he will bounce back this season. Going into his age 23 season, Merrill can work to carry the momentum he built at the end of 2025 when he was finally healthy. In his final 158 plate appearances, Merrill hit nine homers and 11 doubles and had a max exit velocity of 110.4 mph. Over his last 30 games, he hit .289/.325/.623 with a .948 OPS.

With just a little bit of luck and a normal Spring Training, Merrill could be the face of this franchise by the end of this season. When MLB Network ranked their best centerfielders for 2025, Merrill ranked second by their analytic assessment and was chosen first by program host, Brian Kenney.

While fans watch the massive contracts being awarded in free agency this offseason, Padres fans need to recognize that we have a one-in-a-million player in Merrill. Carrying five tools and a desire to win as well as leadership qualities and loyalty to his teammates and the city, Merrill can evoke memories of Tony Gwynn for fans.

Gwynn turned down bigger money in free agency, despite the urging of his father, and accepted a below-market deal to stay in San Diego and be a Padre (six-year, $4.6 million contract in 1985 and three-year, $12.25 million contract in 1991). It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out that Merrill could have waited until later in his career to sign an extension and gotten significantly more. Or he could have played out his arbitration years and signed a huge free agent contract. He chose to sign early, stating his desire to play in San Diego for the rest of his career and stating how grateful he was for the faith that Preller and the Padres had in him.

Merrill is a unicorn in modern baseball. While playing for one team for an entire career is rare, there is a chance Padres fans could see that with Merrill. He will be 33 if he plays out the entire contract. There could definitely be much more for him to do after that, but let’s hope that he has great success as a Padre for many years to come and finishes here, in San Diego, as he wishes.

I think Tony Gwynn would approve.

Last night, the D-backs Dispatch crew had a long broadcast to chew over all the recent activity on the team front, and in baseball generally. As well as whether The Lord of the Rings is the best movie trilogy of all time [Jim: in addition to the Godfather trilogy mentioned on the show, I’d say Leone’s Dollars or the Edgar Wright Cornetto trilogies are probably also deserving of consideration there]

D-backs bring back Taylor Clarke

A return to Arizona for Clarke, after a very good season in 2025. He was drafted and reached the majors by the D-backs, but has been with the Kansas City Royals since 2021. Clarke has been using his sinker effectively of late, and could end up being a useful piece to add into the bullpen. But with the team still lacking a closer, until the return of A.J. Puk, it may not move the needle very much at this point. “Buying a DVD in the era of Blu-ray”. However, hopefully the bullpen will be better, and there is still time for further signings.

Dodgers Sign Kyle Tucker

Los Angeles are in a unique situation, thanks in part to the incredible amount they get from their TV deal, in addition their private equity ownership. It seems increasingly obvious that the team is in need of a salary cap and floor, in addition to limits on deferments. But it may well take a lockout at the end of this season before that gets agreed to by the players’ union. It still won’t necessary offer any immediate relief, with existing contracts likely grandfathered in. However, it’s necessary for the long term survival of the game.

D-backs International Player Signings

Ruben Gallego – and, yeah, everyone has made that joke already! – leads the class of eighteen players signed by Arizona in the international signing period. It’s still something of a lottery ticket, like a draft pick, and it’s a long-term situation: we probably won’t get to hear much about them for at least two or three seasons. But as a mid-tier organization, the D-backs have to find ways to get talent outside of the standard MLB draft, and you can never have too much pitching.

Chase Field Stadium Improvements

It looks like the team has started work on updating the scoreboard – hopefully the first step of significant updates to the ballpark. Beyond the obvious situation with the air-conditioning, the wi-fi needs to get seriously upgraded, as it basically useless when there’s a decent crowd. Beyond that, possible suggestions include the out-of-town scoreboards, and bringing back the clock and the keyhole between the mound and home-plate. We also have suggestions in regard to the food options available at Chase…

Check out the discussions in full below, and don’t forget to do all those like, share and subscribe things!

The San Diego Padres received disheartening news about their top free agent signee, Sung-Mun Song, who suffered an oblique injury that could sideline him for approximately four weeks. The injury occurred during a recent offseason batting practice session.

Oblique muscles are essential to excel in baseball 

Oblique injuries are quite serious, as they impair a player’s ability to swing a bat or throw a baseball. The abdominal muscle is crucial for a hitter to generate maximum bat speed through the strike zone. It allows them to create power between the upper and lower parts of their body.

Healthy, strong internal and external obliques are essential for core functionality. A baseball player needs to be able to rotate their trunk when swinging and throwing. Any level of an oblique strain will impact their ability to make the most basic baseball-related move.

Often, most oblique injuries occur on the dominant side of the player’s body. 

Time missed = severity of injury

The amount of time sidelined is dependent on the severity of the injury. Mild oblique strains will keep a player out of the lineup for two to three weeks. A more severe oblique injury will sideline them for up to eight weeks. The average major leaguer needs between 22 to 27 days to recover from an abdominal injury.

Rehabbing an oblique strain is very challenging, as the injured region cannot be immobilized for too long. Your core muscles, specifically the diaphragm, are essential for breathing. Most athletic trainers will implement a three-stage rehab program to get the player back on the field.

Detailed rehabilitation program

The rehab program begins with isometric abdominal exercises, which restore core stability while avoiding trunk rotation. Other suggestive activities include side bending, which slowly increases flexibility. Gradually, a player will be able to walk or cycle for short distances. 

The next stage is performing basic baseball movements without any discomfort. The rehab exercises become more challenging in stabilizing the abdominal region. Typically, it involves trunk rotations using resistance bands or cables.

The final stage before returning to the club involves mimicking all movements that occur in a game. The workout drills begin with light swings with a fungo bat, advance to hitting off a tee, and conclude with live batting practice sessions.

A throwing program begins with building arm strength with a weighted ball. Before progressing to the next phase, the trainers must determine that there is no discomfort in the abdominal region. If the player comes away with no limitations, they will become eligible to be activated from the injury list.

Not completing their rehabilitation program significantly increases a player’s risk of reinjuring themselves. Rushing back to the lineup does raise the likelihood of aggravating their oblique injury on a check swing or an extended throw. 

What is next for Song?

Establishing a timeline for Song’s recovery from an oblique injury can be tricky until he arrives in Peoria. Song is expected to report to the complex for full squad workouts on Feb. 15. His availability for the World Baseball Classic is unknown at this time. The tournament takes place between March 5 and 17.

The Friars’ training staff will take a cautious approach to what Song can do at the start of Spring Training workouts. The goal is not to re-aggravate his injury. 

Do not be surprised if the Padres place Song on the injured list to begin the regular season. It is all about protecting their investment.

Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza are the only players in the Hall of Fame enshrined as Mets, but that list could be expanding.

Carlos Beltrán, who told The Post last summer that he plans to wear a Mets cap on his plaque if he’s elected to the Hall of Fame, will know his fate Tuesday evening when the Baseball Writers’ Association of America vote is revealed for the Class of 2026.

Beltrán last year appeared on 70.3 percent of the ballots cast. A candidate needs to reach the 75 percent threshold for induction.

Another player with New York ties, Andruw Jones, is a strong possibility to receive the call after last year appearing on 66.2 percent of the ballots. Jones played the final two seasons of his career with the Yankees. Beltrán also had a stint in The Bronx, where he spent 2 ½ seasons.

Over a 20-year major league career, Beltrán hit 435 homers and was selected to nine All-Star teams. He won three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers. Beltrán played for the Mets from 2005-11 after beginning his career with the Royals and Astros.

“When he was on the field, he was always one of the best — if not the best — that was out there,” Hall of Fame closer Billy Wagner, a former teammate of Beltrán’s with the Mets, told The Post. “He was always in the thick of everything. He had a tremendous ability to stay calm at the plate a very high level.”

Beltrán, now in his fourth year of eligibility, might have seen his candidacy stalled following his involvement in the Astros sign-stealing scheme. Beltrán resigned as Mets manager — before he had even managed a game — as part of the fallout, but has since returned to the organization as a special assistant.

Among the disappointments of Beltrán’s tenure in Queens was the called third strike he took with the bases loaded against Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright that ended Game 7 of the NLCS in 2006.

Largely forgotten is the fact Beltrán hit three homers in the series.

“We all had our moments in 2006 where we could have done something,” Wagner said. “But that was a heck of a series, and he played very well the whole series. It’s unfair to put that specifically on any one person. He had just been good the whole time.”

If Beltrán isn’t fully appreciated by the Mets fan base, it might be because the team failed to reach the World Series during his tenure.

“It’s not like when you are playing with the Mets that you aren’t dealing with the team next door,” Wagner said. “That’s always going to be your battle as a Met — the team next door has that many championships, so you are battling their championships.”

Jones won 10 Gold Gloves as the premier defensive center fielder of his era and hit 434 homers over a 17-year major league career. Jones was selected to five All-Star teams. He spent most of his career with the Braves and appeared in two World Series.

“He could change a game in so many ways,” Wagner said. “I don’t think [Tom] Glavine or [Greg] Maddux have the same numbers if Andruw Jones is not there.”

Others to watch on the ballot include Chase Utley, Andy Pettitte and Félix Hernández. Alex Rodriguez remains a long shot following his admission to using performance-enhancing drugs and a lengthy suspension for his association with a PED lab during his Yankees tenure.

David Wright received 8.1 percent of the vote last winter in his second year on the ballot. Candidates remain on the ballot for 10 years provided they secure at least five percent of the vote in a given cycle.

Cam Collier came off the board with the #6 ranking in this year’s Community Prospect Rankings of the top prospects in the Cincinnati Reds system, and is quite well deserving of the honor. Very excited to see what he can do in 2026 in what hopes to be a full, healthy season again.

Now, we turn our sights to the prospect who’ll claim spot #7.

Per usual, there will be a poll embedded at the bottom of the post where you can cast your vote, but if that’s stripped out you can also find the link to the ballot by clicking here (up until voting ends and I remove both access points).

Also, if there’s someone you think worthy of consideration at this point who has not yet been listed, let us know in the comment section below.

On to the candidates for spot #7!

Chase Petty, RHP (23 years old)

2025 at a glance: 6.39 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 102/58 K/BB in 112.2 IP with AAA Louisville Bats (International League); 13 ER in 6.0 IP with Cincinnati Reds

Pros: Three plus pitches, including a fastball that flirts with 100 mph and 60-grade slider and cutter

Cons: Lit up in first cups of MLB coffee, and struggled in AAA after being sent back down

Petty has long been on the radar of every scout in the game, a former 1st round pick of the Minnesota Twins out of high school (whom the Reds had eyes on drafting back then, too). He was the centerpiece of the deal that sent Sonny Gray the other way, and he’s pitched his way onto multiple Top 100 overall prospect lists since.

Of course, he’s also pitched his way back off those same lists, with much of his work in 2025 doing just that. He was shelled at the big league level, though that’s with the caveat that he’d just turned 22 years old when that went down. The stuff’s still there, he’s just struggled to blend it all together for long enough stretches to show he can be an effective big league starter. The hope is that the lumps he took in 2025 paired with a mostly healthy offseason for the first time in a while will send him into 2026 both ready and with something to prove.

Tyson Lewis, SS (20 years old)

2025 at a glance: .340/.396/.532 (.928 OPS) in 207 PA with ACL Reds (Arizona Complex League); .268/.347/.417 (.765 OPS) in 144 PA with Class-A Daytona Tortugas (Florida State League)

Pros: Statcast darling with elite exit velocity and power with his left-handed swing; elite athleticism and plus speed gives him a chance to stick at SS long term, though a move off the position seems likely

Cons: Struck out at an alarming 35.4% rate with Daytona (and at an alarming 29.1% rate overall last year); .432 BABIP across all leagues last year screams ‘regression’

Tools. Tyson Lewis has just about every tool there is. He hit a ball over 119 mph in his pro debut, was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Nebraska prior to being a 2nd round pick (with an overslot bonus) by the Reds, and was originally committed to the University of Arkansas.

The upside here is obvious, as he’s got one of the loudest bats at any level. The swing and miss stuff, though, is something he’ll have to completely overhaul as he moves up the ladder, though getting out of the extremely pitcher-friendly confines of the FSL will perhaps help that some.

Steele Hall, SS (18 years old)

2025 at a glance: Drafted 9th overall in the 1st round of the 2025 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds out of Hewitt-Trussville HS (AL); 2025 Mr. Baseball in the state of Alabama, once committed to powerhouse University of Tennessee before signing with the Reds for $5.75 million

Pros: Speed, and plenty of it; projectable power and potential five-tool player whose defense and arm look like they’ll play plenty well at short; just 17 years old when drafted after reclassifying a year early

Cons: It’s all still ‘projectable’ as, again, he just turned 18 after the draft and has zero professional PA to show for it

Hall reclassified to the class of 2025 despite originally being part of the class of 2026, and the Reds – who’d been scouting him already – thought he had the talent to eventually mature into a player who’d be in the mix for the #1 overall pick in 2026. So, when he was there at pick #9 in 2025, they jumped at the chance to sign him, knowing full well there was no rush for his development.

He’s drawn comparisons to the likes of Trea Turner and Dansby Swanson, which is pretty damn lofty. Despite not having played a pro game and still being just 18, he’s ranked 79th in MLB Pipeline’s list of the Top 100 overall prospects in the game. How quickly he can physically mature and adapt to breaking balls at the top levels remains to be seen, but the speed, glove, and arm all look like they’ll be big-league caliber in very short order.

Aaron Watson, RHP (19 years old)

2025 at a glance: Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2nd round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Trinity Christian Academy (FL); signed overslot $2.7 million bonus to forego commitment to the University of Florida

Pros: 6’5” frame; potential 60-grade slider; fastball that runs up to 96 mph from a three-quarter arm slot and already has a solid three-pitch mix with his change rotated in

Cons: Did not pitch professionally after being drafted, so he’s a complete unknown

One glimpse of Watson on the mound and you immediately think yep, I bet that guy can turn into a pretty dang good pitcher. He’s got an ideal frame to produce downhill offerings, and his fastball/slider mix is already something on which he can hang his hat.

However, command of all three of his pitches – specifically a very developmental changeup – will be what he needs to work on to begin to move quickly through the ranks. He possesses a good ‘feel’ at the moment in terms of what pitches to throw, which part of the zone to attack vs. which hitters, etc., but how well he can build in more deception with his offerings will be vital.

Jose Franco, RHP (25 years old)

2025 at a glance: 3.11 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 118/54 K/BB in 110.0 IP split between AA Chattanooga Lookouts (Southern League) and AAA Louisville Bats (International League)

Pros: Fastball that flirts with triple digits with ease

Cons: Secondary pitches need work, and that’s impacting his overall command (and ability to limit walks)

Franco turned 25 years old in November and earned a promotion to the 40-man roster of the Reds shortly thereafter due to his consistent performance across the upper levels of their farm system.

The Reds have a few hulks they’ve put on the mound in recent years, and Franco thoroughly qualifies. He’s listed at 6’2” and an oddly specific 257 lbs, and his size and frame allows him to tap into his excellent fastball velocity with ease. It’s the pitch he misses bats with the most, but how well he can differentiate his breaking pitches (and improve his changeup command) will determine whether or not he can a) get left-handed hitter out with aplomb and b) avoid ending up in the bullpen.

He’s been a late bloomer, in part due to injuries that cost him his entire 2023 season, and if he continues the path he’s been on since getting healthy there could be a whole lot more from him as early as 2026 for Cincinnati.

Carlos Jorge, OF (22 years old)

2025 at a glance: .251/.342/.355 with 6 HR, 40 SB in 469 PA with High-A Dayton Dragons (Midwest League)

Pros: Plus speed; former infielder moved to CF in 2023 and in 2025 looked like a natural there; plus speed; shaved 12.5% off K-rate from down 2024 season; 60-grade arm strength a weapon in CF

Cons: ISO declined for third straight year, this time precipitously; prone to extreme streakiness

If you threw out every other stop of Carlos Jorge’s pro career and just focused on the good ones, he’d already be ranked by now. The good parts of the best of his years have been quite tremendous, all told. He’s flashed great speed (40 steals in 2025), good pop for a small-ish CF (12 HR in 2023 and 2024; .483 SLG in the cavernous Florida State League in 2023), and the ability to play pretty elite CF defense (as recently as 2025).

However, he’s added some real clunkers in there, too. He hit just .220/.291/.394 with a K-rate over 31% at Dayton in 2024, and that came on the heels of hitting just .239/.277/.398 in 23 games once he reached Dayton at the end of 2023.

Maybe it’s just Dayton, where he was again in 2025 in a much better all-around year, even though his power dried up again. He’ll surely begin with AA Chattanooga of the Southern League in 2026, and at 22 (with his position in CF now settled) the former 2B might finally have a one-track shot to focus on his all around game in a new locale. After acing his move on defense, shaving off a ton of strikeouts, and bumping his walk rate back up over 11.1% (where it’s been for most of his career), perhaps 2026 will have a lot more in store for him.

Zach Maxwell, RHP (25 years old)

2025 at a glance: 4.50 ERA, 5.64 FIP, 13/4 K/BB in 10.0 IP with Cincinnati Reds; 4.17 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 59/32 K/BB in 49.2 IP with AAA Louisville Bats (International League)

Pros: Huge. Literally gigantic (6’6”, 275-ish lbs). Throws gas (100 mph+) with a devastating slider (70-grade). And he’s titanic.

Cons: Struggles with control (6.1 BB/9 across 172.1 IP in his minors career)

Maxwell, a former 6th round pick out of Georgia Tech, throws the ball up to 102 mph with his heater, and it’s clear that hitters have just about as little idea where it’s actually going to be as Maxwell himself. That’s the rub here, really, in that Big Sugar has the pure stuff to turn even the best hitters into guessers, and it comes down to whether they’ll guess wrong more often than Maxwell misses the zone in each and every PA.

If they swing, though, they’re likely going to miss, and that’s why he’s right in the mix for a spot in Cincinnati’s bullpen again in 2026 after making his debut there in 2025. He can be a bit wild if it’s effectively wild, and that’s a tightrope he’s been walking since his days back at North Paulding HS in Dallas, Georgia. When he’s locked in, though, the heater is backed up by an absolutely devastating slide piece, and that two-pitch mix – again, when he’s locked in – is good enough to be closer material. He’s just got to continue to refine his delivery.

I had the great privilege of chatting with Baseball America National Writer Carlos Collazo. We had a very fun discussion about his background, the Nationals’ new regime, the state of the Nats farm system and the 2026 draft. He provided great insights, as you would expect from one of the best prospect evaluators and writers in the space.

How He Got Started:

Ever since he was a kid, Carlos Collazo has been in love with baseball. His dad taught Carlos and his brothers to play the game at a very young age. By the time he was four, a young Carlos Collazo was all-in on baseball. Like most kids, Collazo dreamed of being a big league player.

He played through high school, and even had a D3 offer. However, he had realized that his playing career was not going to progress beyond that. Collazo, who already had a growing passion for writing, decided to go to the University of North Carolina to pursue a career in journalism.

This led him to Baseball America, which was headquartered in that area back then. He landed an internship at BA before turning that into a full-time job. Collazo has been working for BA since 2017.

Along the way, Collazo has met plenty of  interesting people in the baseball industry. One of the people he formed a connection with over the years is new Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni. He told me that, “Paul Toboni is one of the few POBO’s I have gotten to know prior to him becoming a the top guy”. 

Collazo said that he has a lot of respect for what Toboni did in Boston and holds the people he has hired in high regard. As a younger writer who has spent a lot of time in the scouting world, Collazo has a unique insight into Toboni, as well as the baseball world as a whole.

Nationals BA Connection:

There is one hire Toboni made that Collazo has an extra special connection to though. Just over a week ago, the Nationals hired Peter Flaherty to be the Northeast area scouting supervisor. Flaherty worked with Collazo on draft content for Baseball America over the last few years.

The two had a special relationship, with Collazo calling him “my side-kick”. Unlike Collazo, who arrived at BA straight out of college, Flaherty had scouting experience. He worked with the Yankees for a year and spent his summers working in the Cape Cod League. Collazo said that, “Peter has a natural feel for evaluating and scouting players”.

While he is excited for his friend, Collazo told me he was going to miss his pal. He noted that he is “very sad to see him leave from a selfish perspective because he’s done an awesome job helping us elevate our draft coverage”. Collazo’s loss is the Nationals gain, as it seems like the organization is getting a great scout and someone Collazo described as an A+ human.

Thoughts on Washington Nationals Prospects:

Flaherty will help rebuild a Nationals farm system that Collazo sees as solid, but underwhelming. While he is high on some of the prospects, Collazo does not think the system is where it needs to be considering how much the Nats have been losing in recent years. 

None of the Nats prospects are going to appear in the top 15 of BA’s next update. For a team that has not had a winning season since 2019, you would like to see more blue chip talent in the system. That is not to say the Nats have a bad system according to Collazo.

One guy he really likes is 2025 first overall pick Eli Willits. The high school shortstop got overshadowed by the more famous Ethan Holliday, but Collazo is very high on Willits. He did not appreciate some of the rhetoric about Willits being the cheap option, saying, “There were a lot of narratives that kind of got out of control that I did not appreciate”.

Collazo did not think that selecting Willits first overall was a reach, and noted that Willits was a top 3 player on their board in a draft without a clear top player. According to him, Willits was the most well rounded offensive player in the class and had less swing and miss questions than Ethan Holliday.

One move that really excited Collazo was the Harry Ford trade. He called it, “the exact kind of deal you want to make if you are a team like the Nationals”. While he sees Jose A. Ferrer as a good reliever, Collazo noted that quality relievers are a luxury rather than a necessity for rebuilding teams like the Nats. If you can move a reliever for a quality prospect like Ford, you should do it, at least according to him.

This logic makes plenty of sense. It is much harder to find a legitimate starting catcher than it is to find a reliever. Bullpen arms emerge all the time, but starting catchers are not something that you can find for cheap. 

As a player, Collazo likes Ford’s offensive game. He noted that Ford has been productive for multiple seasons in the minors now. With his success in AAA last year, Collazo noted that Ford is, “ready for a chance to prove what he can do in the big leagues”. Given the presence of Cal Raleigh, he was never going to get that chance in Seattle.

Collazo, and those around the game are more skeptical about Ford’s defense though. He said that there are split opinions around the game as to whether Ford can stick behind the plate. The Nationals are going to give him a shot, but this is something worth monitoring. Fortunately, Ford does have the athleticism to play the outfield.

2026 Draft Deep Dive:

One thing Collazo was excited about is the upcoming 2026 draft. He called it, “one of the deeper, more impactful classes I have covered in a few years”. Unfortunately for the Nats, they are not able to pick at the top of this year’s class due to the lottery rules.

Collazo sees UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky as the clear cut number 1 overall pick heading into the season. If he was in the 2025 class, Collazo said the Nats would have had no debates about who to take. He sees Cholowsky as someone who is close to being a generational talent, though he did not fully commit to using the G word.

While it is a bummer that the Nats will not be able to take Cholowsky, Collazo is still very bullish on this class. He mentioned a group of college hitters, including Sawyer Strosnider, Derek Curiel and Chris Hacopian as potential options for the Nats. On the high school hitting side, he shouted out Jacob Lomard, Tyler Spangler and Blake Bowen.

Collazo is also excited by the three best college arms, which he sees as Liam Peterson, Cameron Flukey and Jackson Flora. Even though the Nats are not picking until 11, Collazo is confident that they can come out of this draft with a great haul.

He also seems more confident that these players will get the development they need. Under the old regime, Collazo said that the team “really struggled to make the players they are getting into their system better”. He added that he is curious to see if that can change under this new regime.

Some players he thinks the new regime could help include Alex Clemmey and Seaver King. When it comes to Clemmey, he just needs to throw more strikes. Collazo said he loves Clemmey’s stuff but projects him as a reliever right now due to his control issues.

Collazo really liked King coming out of college due to his athleticism and sneaky power. Despite a rough year, Collazo is still confident in King because of those attributes. He was encouraged by King’s showing in the AFL and is intrigued to see if he can keep that momentum going.

Overall, Collazo appeared cautiously optimistic about the state of the Nats. He loved the hires the new regime has made, but still seems to believe the team is not that close yet. It was really fun to talk to Carlos and our conversation was fascinating. If you want to see his work, subscribe to Baseball America, or watch some of his content on the BA Youtube channel. He is one of the best in the business, and it was a real pleasure to chat with him.

Eight Years Ago

The Blue Jays traded pitchers Conner Greene and Dominic Leone to the Cardinals for Randal Grichuk.

Greene had been a good prospect. He was #100 on Baseball Prospectus’ Top 100 Prospect List in 2016. Then, in 2017, Conner played in New Hampshire and had a 5.29 ERA in 132.2 innings. He had trouble finding the strike zone; he walked 86 batters (with 92 strikeouts). Conner didn’t have a great time with the Cardinals and was DFAed after the season. After that, he went to the Royals, Dodgers, and Orioles and has played in Mexico for the last couple of years.

He had 25.1 innings in the majors, with a 7.11 ERA.

Leone was a waiver pickup for the Jays from the Diamondbacks before the 2017 season. He did an excellent job in our bullpen, putting up a 2.56 ERA in 65 relief appearances, 23 walks, and 81 strikeouts in 70 innings. Dominic wasn’t as good with the Cardinals. He had a 5.15 ERA in 64.2 innings in two seasons, with 30 walks and 72 strikeouts. They released him in November 2019. He pitched for Cleveland in 2020 and the Giants for two years. In 2023, he pitched for the Mets, Angels and Mariners with a 4.67 ERA in 51 games.

Grichuk? He was a Blue Jay for four seasons, hitting .243/.289/.461 with 90 home runs. Hot and cold would be a way to describe him. He had his moments but didn’t become the star we envisioned. His bWAR was 4.4 for those four years.

We won the trade, but the Jays also gave Randal a five-year, $52 million contract. He was traded to the Rockies just before the 2022 season, with the team sending $9.7 million along with him in exchange for Raimel Tapia and prospect Adrian Pinto. Tapia was released. Pinto is still in the Jays system, he played 19 games for Vancouver last year, hitting .284/.376/.608

I thought Denver might be a good spot for Grichuk, but he didn’t hit any better there, with a .275/.321/.448 batting line and 27 home runs in 204 games over two seasons. In July, he was traded to the Angels. Since then, he’s played for the Diamonbacks and the Royals. He is a free agent at the moment.

Five Years Ago

The Jays signed George Springer to a six-year, $150 million contract.

Five years into it, Springer has a .263/.343/.461 with 119 home runs and a 14.4 bWAR. 2025 was his best season with the team, hitting .309/.399/.560 with a 4.8 bWAR. By FanGraphs’ numbers, he’s been worth $118.2 million for the Jays, so a good season will bring his value up to the value of the contract (which is pretty unusual for a player who signs a long-term free agent contract).

The staredown of a lifetime continues, as the Yankees continue to stand behind their line in the sand with Cody Bellinger. In the meantime, however, the rest of the free agent board has been active: Kyle Tucker caused an uproar by signing a four-year, $240 million deal with the Dodgers while Bo Bichette pivoted to a short-term deal of his own with the Mets at three years and $126 million. Bellinger’s now the last of the top-tier free agents waiting on a team for 2026, but with the Yankees not budging the floor is open for one of the teams that missed out on those other guys to outbid them for Bellinger. At this point, it sounds like the team is pretty content with either outcome.

We’ve had a lot of time to sit with this scenario, and much like the state of the team the questions haven’t changed much. Are the Yankees making a mistake by not pushing for Bellinger, or is the deal they’ve offered him already an overpay? Is the league in trouble with the Dodgers adding yet another star on a big money deal? If you have questions like these, or anything else on your mind, send ‘em in for a chance to be featured in our Yankees mailbag.

Answers will run on Friday afternoon. All questions received by the night of January 22nd will be considered. You can leave your submissions in the comment section below or by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

It was a strange feeling walking into the New York Rangers’ locker room after their 6-3 win against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon. 

Normally, after any ordinary win, the mood around the team is joyful and light, but that wasn’t the case on Saturday. 

To paint the scene, it had been just over 24 hours since Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury issued a letter to fans emphasizing the team’s intentions to retool the roster and essentially punt on the remainder of the season with the Blueshirts sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference. 

It felt odd addressing the players after the game, because while there are still over 30 games remaining this season, walking into the locker room almost had the feel of an exit interview, given Drury’s letter and the implications that are shortly to come from it.

It is the beginning of the end for this version of the Rangers’ core, who could see the writing on the wall. 

First, it was Mika Zibanejad, who dove deep into his emotions regarding Drury’s message. Zibanejad was there eight years ago when former Rangers president Glen Sather and general manager Jeff Gorton released a letter, revealing the team’s plan to embark on a plan they described as a “reshaping” of the team. 

The Letter 2.0 hit closer to home for Zibanejad since he was with the organization for its first retool/rebuild, whatever you want to call it, and now, he’ll potentially be forced to sit through another one at 32 years old. 

He spoke with a disappointed tone, sentimental about the fact that this group will inevitably be broken up. 

“I think, overwhelmed with a lot of emotions, like I said, and a lot of feelings and thoughts about it,” Zibanejad said, describing his emotions. “If changes are coming, just try to make the most of the time we have as a group.”

The focus then shifted to recently appointed captain J.T. Miller. Coming from a drama-filled situation with the Vancouver Canucks that was falling apart behind the scenes, the Rangers traded for J.T. Miller last season, to help change the team’s identity and salvage its competing window. 

It hasn’t quite worked out for both the Rangers and Miller, who finds himself in yet another crumbling situation.

Shortly following the first letter, Miller was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but now as the captain of the Rangers, so it’s his responsibility to put on a strong face during difficult times and help guide the franchise through this retool. 

“The emotions have been going on for longer than the last two days,” Miller said. “It's unfortunately part of the game. It's disappointing, for sure. I don't think four or five months ago this is where we thought we'd be, but we’ve got a job to do, and we need to start moving forward towards the next chapter.”

Upon entering the locker room, Artemi Panarin knew what was coming. It was reported on Friday that Drury had an individual meeting with Panarin and informed him that he will not be offered a contract extension, while the team is prepared to work with him and agent Paul Theofanous to trade him anywhere he wishes to go. 

Panarin, with his voice as somber as I’ve ever seen in my year and a half on the Rangers beat, accepted the reality that his time with the Blueshirts will be coming to an end in the coming weeks, if not even days. 

Artemi Panarin ‘Confused’ But ‘Ok’ With Rangers' Decision Not To Give Him Contract ExtensionThe mood was somber and frankly sad when speaking with Artemi Panarin after the Rangers’ 6-3 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon to discuss his future. 

“It's hard to say how I feel, still confused, but yeah, (the) team decided to go in a different direction,” Panarin said. “I'm ok with that. I'm a Rangers player right now so I gotta play every game 100%.”

The Rangers’ intentions to retool the team’s core are now out in the open, which should make for an awkward and strange end to the season, the same feelings prevalent in the locker room on Saturday afternoon.

The Yankees continue to stockpile depth while holding out for their top offseason target.

The club and outfielder/first baseman Seth Brown agreed to a minor league deal on Monday, bringing the former Athletics slugger into the organization to potentially serve as insurance at Triple-A.

Brown, 33, was released by the Athletics last year after he spent parts of seven seasons in the big leagues with them, batting .226 with a .712 OPS and 74 home runs in 568 games. The left-handed hitter’s best year came in 2022, when he hit .230 with 25 home runs with a .749 OPS, but in three years since he has hit .223 with 29 home runs and a .667 OPS.

The signing was first reported by Just Baseball.

As they try to re-sign Cody Bellinger as the central move of their offseason, the Yankees have replenished some depth with minor league signings, a group that includes former big leaguers in Brown, Paul DeJong and Zack Short.

Many of the outfielders that spent time at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season are no longer in the organization, including Everson Pereira (traded for José Caballero), Dominic Smith, Ismael Munguia, Bryan De La Cruz, José Rojas and Brennen Davis.

He is a member of a very select fraternity. It’s a fraternity that goes beyond the usual small fraternity of former major league baseball players. It’s so small that you can count the members on both hands, if that.

That fraternity is composed of former pitchers who excelled as both starter and relievers.

Think about it. How many pitchers can you name who did well in both roles? A few immediately come to mind: Dennis Eckersley, Jim “Mudcat” Grant, John Smoltz and Hoyt Wilhelm, but many fans don’t know that Wilbur Wood was both aleague-leading relief pitcher AND a league-leading starter in his days with the Sox.

Wood’s White Sox career spanned from 1967-78, and during it he was a key part of three of the most memorable White Sox teams in club history:

1967 Wood was a part of the deep bullpen the Sox had, as the “Near-Miss” White Sox had the World Series squarely in their sights until a disastrous final week.

1972 Wood was the lead starter on the 1972 “Outhouse or Penthouse” White Sox [Note: That phrase was authored by Sox outfielder Rick Reichardt when talking about the surprising season.] Those Sox battled the Oakland A’s down to the final week for the Western Division championship. If not for the back injury to third baseman Bill Melton, the A’s dynasty of the 70’s might never have gotten started.

1977 Wood was also a spot starter on the 1977 “South Side Hit Men” Sox club that smashed all existing team hitting records and has carried on as the baseball version of the 1985 Chicago Bears.

Wilbur was one of the most popular Chicago athletes in the 70’s in part because he wasn’t 6´5´´ with a body by Adonis. Wilbur looked like your Uncle Butch or Cousin George. He was an everyman. And all Sox fans could relate to a guy who didn’t look like a sculpted god yet somehow found a way to consistently get major league hitters out again and again.

Wilbur was a three-time All-Star, a four-time 20-game winner, and recorded 57 saves and 163 wins in his career with the White Sox. He was named the 1968 American League Fireman of the Year, and in 1972 was both the American League Pitcher of the Year and the left-handed starting pitcher on The Sporting News American League All-Star team.

Wood led the American League in 33 different categories during his playing days, most of them in the good column. Among them were leading the league in appearances, games started, games finished, innings pitched (including a mind-blowing 376 innings pitched in 1972!), batters faced, wins and getting hitters to ground into double plays.

He had consecutive scoreless inning streaks of 29 in 1973 and 27 ⅔ in 1972. He tossed three complete-game two-hitters, with two of those taking 11 innings. He also added nine complete-game three-hitters. Wood started both ends of a doubleheader twice [Note: Once, on May 28, 1973, because of rain that allowed an off-day, as Wilbur finished the suspended game against Cleveland that began on May 26, then after a 30-minute break, began the regularly-scheduled game.] and was named to the White Sox All-Century team.

There will never be another pitcher like Wilbur Wood.

When I spoke with Wilbur in 2005 the topics were varied: How and why he learned to throw the knuckleball, becoming a starting pitcher and his initial reluctance to do so, the pennant races of 1967, 1972 and 1977, his relationship with Eddie Stanky and Chuck Tanner, pitching so many innings, and stories of his teammates during those great days.

He was a unique man, with a unique story.

Mark Liptak: Wilbur, you came to the Sox on Oct. 12, 1966. Juan Pizarro was the player eventually sent to the Pirates for you. Why don’t we start about how you found out about the deal and your reaction to it?

Wibur Wood: I actually found out about it from a friend. I was at home and got a call from someone saying they heard it over the radio! I guess it was later in the day that I got a call from the White Sox letting me know about it.

Your career was floundering with both the Red Sox and the Pirates, but then in 1967 (51 games, four wins, four saves and an ERA of 2.45) suddenly it all turned around. How did that happen? 

I had spent parts of seven years in the big leagues, and as my record showed things weren’t going that well. I was signed as a fastball/curve ball pitcher and did very well with those in the minor leagues, but they just weren’t good enough for the majors. I’d be fine for three or four innings, but after I went through the batting order once I’d start to get hit. I just decided to junk my curve and everything else and go 100% with the knuckleball. I actually had thrown that pitch a long time; I started using it back in high school and semipro ball. Sometimes I’d still throw a fastball to get the hitter’s timing off, but that was only once in a while.

Hoyt Wilhelm and Eddie Fisher were already on the Sox at that time and they threw the knuckleball a lot. Did they teach you anything about it that you didn’t know?

We’d talk more about the finer points of the pitch. It’s funny, but all knuckleballers tend to throw the pitch the same way. I recently spoke with Tim Wakefield at a charity golf tournament, and he held the pitch the same way I did, which is the same way Hoyt and Eddie did.

How was your knuckleball different from Hoyt’s and Eddie’s?

My pitch had a tendency to break down and away from right-handed hitters. Eddie’s had a tendency to break down and in to them. Hoyt’s was unpredictable: When he threw it, it could go all over the strike zone.

The wind could change how the pitch was moving as well. The area around home plate in most of the stadiums that I pitched was where the wind would blow after it bounced off the stands, or in some parks like the old Metropolitan Stadium in Minnesota, just come right in and bounce the pitch around. A knuckleball acts by having the wind push against the seams.

I always used to feel sorry for White Sox catchers, guys like J.C. Martin, Gerry McNertney, Ed Herrmann. It had to be rough trying to catch not one, not two, but three different knuckleball pitchers.

Well, remember that the guys who caught us on the Sox — and I’d mention Pete Varney as well — they came up through the Sox system and in Spring Training they’d catch us. In the spring, because you have so many pitchers in camp, you’d bring in just about every catcher in the organization. So these guys had a chance to see [knuckleballs] for three years or so. Then when they made the Sox, they were used to it. Now if guys came in from somewhere else like in a trade, and never saw that pitch before, it would be tough.

Hawk Harrelson has commented on the fact that he didn’t understand why more pitchers don’t try learning that pitch. He mentioned it might really help guys who are struggling, or coming off an arm injury. In your era many others threw the knuckler, including Wilhelm, Fisher, Phil and Joe Niekro and Jim Bouton. Any thoughts on why the knuckleball has become a lost art? 

See, if you are trying to learn the pitch because you’ve had an injury, it’s too late. I used to get a lot of calls when I was playing from pitchers who got hurt, and they’d ask about throwing it. The knuckleball isn’t something that’s learned overnight. I threw it for years, from when I was in high school. It takes that long to get used to it. What major league organization is going to give a pitcher three or four years to master the pitch?

That 1967 season was the season the Sox almost won the pennant. It’s been a long time, but I imagine the disappointment of that final week (where the Sox lost all five games to the lowly A’s and Senators) still remains.

That was my first good year in the major leagues, and I remember getting caught up in all of it. We were right there until the last week.

[The Sox closed the 1967 season with two games in Kansas City and three at home to Washington — the two worst teams in the league. After sweeping Cleveland that weekend, the Sox flew to Kansas City where they were off Monday. Tuesday’s game was rained out, and they played a doubleheader Wednesday night. The Sox were actually off for three days, because they last played Sunday afternoon — unheard of in a pennant race. Chicago lost both games, and then were off again Thursday before hosting the Senators. The White Sox were beat 1-0, eliminated from the four-team pennant race, then played flat and lost both weekend games to finish the season.]

One thing I particularly remember from 1967 was after manager Eddie Stanky made those comments about Carl Yastrzemski. [On June 5 before a series in Chicago, Stanky commented that Yastrzemski “may be an All-Star from the neck down, but in my book he’s a moody ballplayer. And I don’t like moody ballplayers.”] We went into Boston and played them in a big series. Every tomato in the city of Boston was in Fenway Park, and when Eddie went out to change pitchers the fans let him have it … and he couldn’t dodge them all! I was sitting in the bullpen laughing my ass off watching it.

You were a quick study with the knuckleball, because by 1970 you were one of the top relief pitchers in all of baseball, including your stellar season in 1968. [In 1968, Wood led the league with 88 appearances, with 13 wins, 16 saves and an ERA of 1.87 for a team that won just 67 games. Wood also saved 15 games in 1969 and 21 games in 1970, both for terrible teams.] Why do you think you were able to pick up the nuances of that pitch the way you did where others couldn’t?

I was fortunate because I was always able to throw strikes with the knuckleball. That was my biggest asset. I was always around the plate. Eddie [Herrmann] never even had to put down a sign, he knew what I was going to throw, I knew what I was going to throw, and the fans knew what I was going to throw.

In the 1970s when Carlton Fisk was with the Red Sox and we’d play them, I’d scream at him from the mound because he’d waste so much time. I’d yell, “Get in the box; I’m throwing a god damn knuckleball, not a fastball. You know it!” I mean why prolong the agony, right? [laughing]

The White Sox fell on miserable times in the late 1960s and 1970, losing more games in that three-year period than at any other time in franchise history. The Sox lost 106 games in 1970 alone. It had to be agony going to the park every day. I don’t know how you guys kept your sanity!

It was awful. I’ll tell you how bad it was. The only games that I ever wanted to come into were games where I could pick up a save. I never wanted to go into games where the score was tied, because I knew, and everybody on the team knew, that we’d find some way to lose the game. We had no chance. The pitchers knew it and the position players knew it.

Joe Horlen told me about his 1971 Spring Training injury, which caused him to miss most of the season. But that’s only half of the story, because as a direct result of his injury Chuck Tanner began considering the option of making you a starting pitcher. I have heard you were against the move, but for the sake of the team decided to give it a try. Why the initial opposition?

That was a strange situation, because even before the injury I was almost traded. It’s true; the Sox had a deal in place with Washington. I was going to be traded for Darold Knowles. But I was holding out that year. I was fighting for more money, and I never signed a contract. So the trade was null and void. It was pretty apparent that Chuck didn’t want me in the bullpen. He wanted hard-throwing guys. We had players like Terry Forster and Goose Gossage coming up, so I became a starter. Roland Hemond said this one time, and it’s true: “Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make.”

As a pitcher, can you talk a little about the differences in preparation between starting and coming in to finish games?

I enjoyed pitching in relief, because I knew when I went to the park that there was a chance I’d get in the game. When you are a starting pitcher, you pitch — then sit for three or four days. I used to take ground balls in the infield on days when I wasn’t pitching just to keep busy, and I’d run a little bit, but sitting around just wasn’t for me.

The 1971 season was the start of an incredible run of success for you. (42 starts, seven shutouts, a save, 334 innings pitched, 210 strikeouts, 22 wins and an amazing ERA of 1.91.) A lot of folks felt that you should have won the Cy Young because you threw a very unpredictable pitch, a knuckleball, whereas Cy Young winner Vida Blue had a conventional arsenal of pitches. Did you think you had a chance to win, and how did you feel about that season? (Wood never faced Blue head-to-head that season. Wood finished third in the voting, behind Blue and Mickey Lolich.)

Honestly, I didn’t think about the Cy Young back in those days. At the time, it wasn’t that important to me. Looking back, would I have liked to have won it? Sure.

I’d imagine that by the end of the year, you were comfortable starting games.

I was a little apprehensive at first, it was just like before any game you’re always a little nervous. But when you start having success you get comfortable, and I had success starting right away. I was tickled pink that things turned out the way they did.

The Sox made great strides from the disaster of 1970 to 1971, but heading into the 1972 season did you expect the team to be as good as it was, even with Dick Allen on board?

I thought in the spring that we’d have a pretty good team because the guys weren’t selfish. They did what they had to do to win games. I knew that we’d win games, but I didn’t know how many. As far as Dick, he made all the difference in the world. He was a tremendous hitter. [Strike-shortened 1972 saw the Sox win 87 games and finish 5 ½ games behind the eventual World Champion A’s. Allen would win the AL MVP and narrowly miss winning the Triple Crown. He finished with a .308 batting average, 37 home runs and 113 RBIs.]

By June 4, 1972, the date of the famous “Dick Allen Chili-Dog Game” against the Yankees (in a doubleheader nightcap with New York the White Sox trailed 4-2 with two on and two out in the ninth. Tanner wanted Allen to pinch-hit, but the slugger was eating a chili dog. Allen wolfed down his snack, getting chili all over his jersey. On the third pitch from Sparky Lyle, Allen blasted a three-run, game-winning home run.), the Sox were an amazing 18-2 at home. As a guy who occasionally gave up some long fly balls, I’d imagine you enjoyed playing in a pitcher’s park. 

Oh, absolutely. I loved pitching in Comiskey Park. It had a big outfield, and gave you room for a mistake. I’d spin one and a guy would hit it, yet most of the time our outfielders were able to run it down because they had the room to get to balls in the gaps.

You were selected for your second All-Star Game, and in this one you actually pitched. How was that experience for you? (In the 1971 game at Detroit, neither Wood nor teammate Melton appeared. In the 1972 game in Atlanta, Wilbur pitched two innings, allowing one run on two hits with a strikeout, as the National League won, 4-3, in 10 innings.)

It was a great experience for me. Just a lot of fun. I’d gone the year before, but it was a great thrill to actually be able to participate.

Wilbur, you pitched a lot of great games, but to me this was your best with the Sox. On Sunday, Aug. 12, 1972 in Oakland, the Sox had cut a seemingly safe A’s lead of 8 ½ games down to one. The White Sox had split the first two games of this huge series, and you took the mound against Blue Moon Odom. Two hours and forty five minutes later, you walked off the mound a 3-1 winner in 11 innings, having fired a two-hitter. The Sox were now tied for first place in the division. What do you remember from that afternoon? (The complete game was Wilbur’s 20th win of the year.)

I don’t remember any more details [besides] when Ed Spiezio hit the [game-winning] home run. To me, even though it meant going into a tie for first place, it was just another day. Like I said, I’d get a little nervous before the game, but once you go to the bullpen and start throwing you get into the flow of the day and forget about everything else.

When I spoke with your catcher and teammate Ed Herrmann, he told me that he felt whoever won that series would win the division, but that it took so much out of you guys just to get that split that it drained you and Oakland was able to pull away.

Ed’s right. It was draining, especially on the position players. In a big series like we had with Oakland, a lot is expected of players. Plus, we had kept knocking on the door that season trying to catch those guys [and] that becomes draining, too. Because we were in a pennant race, we had to play our guys every day. That race was so close, you just couldn’t give guys time off.

If Bill Melton wasn’t lost for the season with the herniated disc on June 28 of that year, do the Sox win the West? (Melton, the 1971 American League home run champion, fell off his garage roof the previous November getting down his son who somehow wandered up on it. He fell on his back, which damaged a disc. Bill went to Spring Training and played through it the first few months of the year, but the condition got worse, with pain shooting down his legs because of pressure on a nerve.)

I don’t know if we would have won, but I know our chances would have been a hell of a lot better.

You pitched almost 377 innings in 1972, an astonishing total, with eight shutouts, 24 wins, and an ERA of 2.51. Even though the knuckleball was your primary pitch, were you ever concerned about throwing that many innings?

I didn’t think about it that much. I was throwing the ball well; I had been in a groove the entire season. I wanted to give it a shot, I enjoyed it. I also didn’t like down time, just sitting around. So when they said, “Do you want to pitch every second day or third day?” I said “sure.”

People said I didn’t get sore because all I threw was the knuckleball, but that’s not true. I’d get stiff and sore, and in those days pitchers never used ice. I didn’t get as sore as if I was throwing, say, a slider, because I wasn’t putting the pressure on my elbow and shoulder, but I did get sore.

Hopes were never higher than in 1973. The Sox were the favorites according to the press, Melton was back and the team got off to a roaring start. By late May, the Sox were 26-14, with a 3 ½-game lead over the Angels. But even before injuries tore up the team (the team used the disabled list 38 times), the Sox weren’t very happy. GM Stu Holcomb’s hard line salary policy alienated many guys. Players like Richardt, Mike Andrews, Jay Johnstone and Spiezio were released when they couldn’t come to terms, and that decimated the depth of the club. What was the mood in the locker room that season?

I don’t remember exact instances in the locker room where players got mad, but I’m shocked about the number of times we used the disabled list. I didn’t realize we used it that often.

As for you personally, an oddity took place on May 28, 1973, when you started the completion of a suspended game against Cleveland and then after you won that one, went out and beat them again in the regularly-slated game. What was that experience like? (Wood’s line for the night: 14 innings, one run, seven hits, nine strikeouts, for a 13-3 record — and it wasn’t even June yet!)

When a game goes that long, everybody figures that basically it would be over in an inning or two. It was my night to start anyway, so I figured I can give them an inning or two. It turned out the [suspended] game went five innings. I felt fine [and] knew I could throw a few more innings at least, so I started the second game. Everything was going well, so I just kept going and was able to finish it off.

I don’t know if both of these are related or not, perhaps you can shed some light on it. The 1973 Sox were ruined by injuries. It seemed everybody from Brian Downing to Allen to Ken Henderson to Carlos May were hurt. On July 20, 1973 in New York you started both ends of a doubleheader against the Yankees. Was that because of the injuries to the team, perhaps the pitching staff, or did you and Tanner have something else in mind? (Wood wasn’t sharp that day, losing 12-2 and 7-0. He became the first pitcher to start both ends of a regularly-scheduled doubleheader since Cincinnati’s Fred Toney on June 23, 1918.)

No, that wasn’t planned. Chuck was going to start someone else in game two, but I got knocked out early in the first game. I told Chuck I didn’t pitch much; I can go back out if you need me. Maybe I shouldn’t have, because they beat me up in the second game too! [laughing] That was strange, because I always had good success against the Yankees. (Wilbur failed to record an out in the opener, giving up four hits and five earned runs. In the nightcap he lasted 4 ⅓ innings, again allowing five earned runs.)

Despite the Sox being mediocre in 1973 and 1974 you still won 20 games, running that 20-win streak to four straight seasons. You made the All-Star Game again in 1973, but there was something missing from the Sox in those years. It wasn’t like in 1971 and 1972. Any idea what went wrong?

Well the injuries played a big part, and overall we were getting older. The team wasn’t as young as in 1971 and 1972.

When Bill Veeck took control of the Sox again in December 1975, he let Tanner go as manager. What was it like to play for Chuck? He seemed to be the exact opposite of your first Sox manager, Eddie Stanky.

Chuck was a player’s manager. I enjoyed playing for Chuck, we all did. Chuck was the most positive guy I’ve ever been around. No matter how bad things were going Chuck would always find something to be positive about, something to try to keep you going.

In fact, Chuck spent more time with guys who were having trouble or in a slump then with guys who were going well. I thought that was really smart. Remember in baseball you only have 25 guys. If two or three guys are down or having a hard time suddenly your roster is really short. Chuck tried to keep everybody ready to play because that gave us a better chance of winning.

In 1976, the Sox arguably weren’t any better than the versions from 1974 and 1975 but you personally were off to a great start. Opening Day for example, you shut out the Royals, 4-0. By early May of that year you were pitching brilliantly again: five complete games in seven starts, ERA less than 2.50 and a winning record. It all came apart in Detroit, courtesy of a line drive off the bat of Ron LeFlore. What do you remember about the play?

Ron hit me in the kneecap with a line drive, and it just blew it apart. He swung at a ball using an inside-out swing. That’s always the toughest for a pitcher to pick up, because it looks like he’s pulling the ball. Instead, he hit it right back up the middle. I never saw it. I wasn’t trying to catch it, I was just trying to get out of the way.

Originally, the kneecap was wired together to hold it in place, without a cast. The doctors felt this way it would heal quicker, and maybe I could be out there in September. That September, I was working out at home trying to get ready to come back when I slipped on the grass and the kneecap went out again. This time, they had to put some pins in it to hold it together and I had a cast on, so I was done for the season.

My father had the same type of injury, a broken kneecap, and I saw how tough it was for him. He was older then you when he got hurt, but given that you were 35 at the time, was there any question about coming back for the next season?

No, because I had another year on my contract. I had signed a two-year deal with the Sox in 1976, so I was going to come back.

The 1977 season turned out to be magical for the Sox, one that is still cherished by Sox fans. Was there any indication in the spring that this club would be as good as it turned out to be?

No, not in Spring Training, but looking back we did have a lot of guys who wanted to play. We had guys like Eric Soderholm coming back from injury, and we had a lot of fighters.

You started 18 games that season and pitched some good ones, including what I call the Lamar Johnson game on June 19, 1977. (The Sox played the A’s in a doubleheader, winning 2-1 and 5-1 behind Wood and Francisco Barrios. Wood started the first game, going eight innings on six hits. It’s called the Lamar Johnson game, though, because the first baseman/DH sang the National Anthem, then went out and got the only three White Sox hits, two of them solo home runs.) You still had that magic.

Well, maybe, but to tell you the truth, I was gun shy. I’ll admit it. LeFlore’s shot got to me. I pitched everybody inside, I wasn’t going to let them get out on the ball and maybe hit another one back up the middle. It’s hard to pitch that way.

This team electrified Sox fans because of their ability to pound the baseball and win games in dramatic fashion. Sox fans demanded something that wasn’t seen in baseball until then, the curtain call. Adding to it was Nancy Faust’s rendition of “Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)” that would send the crowd into a frenzy. Some of your teammates have told me that wasn’t a big deal; others have said they were uncomfortable with it because they felt opponents were being shown up. What were your feelings on all this?

You would have to put me in with the group that was uncomfortable with all that. I always had a saying, “Don’t wake up sleeping dogs.” Let ’em stay quiet, and leave town with a 5-4 loss. They’d say, “Well we played a good game, and if we made one play, we would have won it.” Don’t wake them up; let them go home happy. Of course you see [curtain calls] more now, but back then it was a different story.

The season ended too quickly for Sox fans, as the team couldn’t keep up with an unbelievable Kansas City surge (the Royals went 35-4 from August 17 and September 25). When the Sox lost both Richie Zisk and Oscar Gamble to free agency after the season, everyone knew the magic was gone. The team was pretty bad in 1978, but you still had a respectable season going 10-10 for a team that only won 71 games. When did you decide it was time to retire?

In September 1978, the Sox traded me to Milwaukee, but I didn’t want to go. I’m sure that bothered the folks in Milwaukee, but I figured that I’d try the free-agent market that offseason and see what happened. Well, I wasn’t offered a uniform by anybody! That was the end of it. It was time. I wasn’t myself. I was gun-shy since the LeFlore hit.

You were named by the fans as a member of the White Sox All-Century Team. How did you get the news, and what was your reaction?

Roland Hemond gave me a call to let me know about it. Then that summer, we made the trip to Chicago. It was a great honor. Thanks be to the knuckleball that made it all possible! [laughing]

You spent 12 years in a Sox uniform. This is going to be hard, but how about summing up your time for me on the South Side and those fantastic years?

I was fortunate. I spent 12 very pleasurable years in Chicago. We had some decent years. Granted, we never won a championship, but more often than not we were in the hunt for it. Those are the seasons where you start playing in April and you look around and realize it’s September already. You ask yourself, ‘Where did it all go?’ Those are the years that I had the most fun and that I’ll remember.

A slightly-different version of this interview previously appeared in 2019 at South Side Hit Pen at Sports Illustrated.

We’re less than a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting, which means that in about 10 weeks, we’ll have real baseball to cover. Until such time, we’ll be covering something called hypothetical baseball, where the headlines feature player-team combinations that may never come to fruition, proposed storylines that bear absolutely no fruit, and rumors so sensationalized they could have been offered up by a dimly-lit Jonathan Frakes. Aren’t you excited? Then get reading, bubba! (New catchphrase.)

• There haven’t been many strong acquisition-based rumors around the Central this offseason; by and large, transactions have been sudden and low-profile, and the gossip has largely centered on which Central stars might be off their current teams by Opening Day. This weekend, however, Jon Heyman reported that the White Sox are kicking the tires on Michael Conforto, who is coming off a very poor year with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but carries with him a track record and some name recognition.
• Remember everything that I was just saying, one bullet point ago? Well, I bring tidings on that front, too. Jon Heyman — no relation — also reported that the New York Yankees have expressed interest in a pair of Chicagoan acquisitions; one is Nico Hoerner, who bears absolutely no relevance to a linkdump about the American League Central. The other is Luis Robert, Jr., who bears grizzly-level relevance.
• The Cleveland Guardians picked up Carter Kieboom on a minor-league deal. The former top prospect will receive a non-roster invite to spring training and could find himself working an infield/depth role for the big-league club.
• Most of our rivals this offseason have been focused on on-field moves. The Kansas City Royals appear to have been focused on field moves. And I don’t mean their proposed migration into a stadium downtown, or elsewhere, either. No, this meandering, poorly-constructed sentence is referring specifically to a change in dimensions at Kauffman Stadium. This week, the Royals announced a plan to bring in most of their outfield by 10 feet, as well as lowering the height of the fences. The size of the outfield has historically made Kauffman a good hitters’ park in general, but has restricted home run totals as a result.
• Royals Review takes us through some updates on Kansas City’s minor league coaching staffs for 2026.

Okay, that line is slightly tongue-in-cheek. But only slightly. To be fair, it’s not particularly the Dodgers that broke baseball. Jesse Friedman made a salient post on Twitter, which I largely agree with.

All of these statements can be true at once:
1) Dodgers are doing precisely what they should be doing.
2) They probably won’t win the 2026 World Series.
3) Some owners need to spend more.
4) MLB’s competitive balance mechanisms are flawed and in need of fixing.

My major disagreement with the above is point #2. I think the Dodgers probably will win the 2026 World Series, and if they don’t, it will only be due to the randomness of the playoffs. Perhaps the Yankees or the Blue Jays might be able to edge them over the relative sprint of seven games. But my concern is more to do with the 2026 regular season, which occupies the great bulk of the year, even if MLB probably makes most of its money over the month of the postseason. After the arrival of Kyle Tucker on the Los Angeles Dodgers, the over/under on their win tally is the best by eleven games.

Not the best in the NL West. Or even the best in the NL. It’s eleven games better than any other team in the major leagues. They are projected to win the NL West by seventeen games over the Padres. The division is shaping up to be an absolute procession, of the same kind seen in 2019. Remember that year? No, you don’t. Because the Dodgers’ divisional lead hit double-digits by the first week in June, and fans of every other team tuned out on the race the rest of the way. The projection for 2026 isn’t too much of a surprise, considering the current projected payrolls in the NL West.

Yes, the Dodgers this year, between salary and luxury tax, will be spending more than twice as much as any other team in the NL West. There’s no other division which will have such a dramatic imbalance. Sure, the Mets are spending, but the Phillies are right there with them. The same goes in the AL East, where the Yankees, Blue Jays and Red Sox are within $62 million of each other. The next most top-heavy would be the NL Central, but there, the Cubs’ spending difference over the next team, the Brewers, is only about $104 million: barely a third of the almost $300 million advantage enjoyed by the Dodgers in the West.

“Your team could do this too.”

Ah, the frequent bleat of the Dodgers fan, to which I succinctly reply: bullshit. I refer you to Forbes’ Business of Baseball report, which is as good a resource as we have in regard to the finances of the thirty MLB franchises. Looking at the revenue column in the most recent report, there are precisely two other teams whose entire income would allow them to match the Dodgers’ salary bill for their major-league roster in 2026. The Dodgers’ TV deal alone ($334 million per year) is more than every penny the Diamondbacks make. Yes: if nobody at all ever went to Dodger Stadium or bought an Ohtani jersey, they’d still be richer than Arizona.

So the “Doing this too” approach would be a speed-run to insolvency, or require some benevolent billionaire owner to treat the franchise as a money pit, and hurl their own personal fortune into the coffers. Neither solutions are credible in the slightest. Even if we could, I’m severely unconvinced Kyle Tucker should be the recipient of such largesse. While the Dodgers were racking up most of the $2.11 billion they now have on the books in guaranteed salaries, most of the moves made sense.

But in what universe is Kyle Tucker worth $60 million a year? I mean, he is certainly a good player. But his 4.6 bWAR last year ranked him 33rd-best among position players. He did miss time with a calf injury, but had Tucker matched his career high, 5.5 bWAR would still have barely crept into the top twenty. Even using the increased $11 million per WAR figure, he’ll need that career high every year to justify the contract. In isolation, this would seem like a significant overpay for Tucker. If the D-backs has paid that much for Tucker, I’d not have been happy.

But this is the way the Dodgers now operate, with eight contracts on the books in excess of a hundred million dollars. The Diamondbacks have…. one. To steal a quote from Heathers:
Veronica Sawyer: Why do you have to be such a mega-bitch?
Heather Duke: Because I can be.
Make no mistake: this is all perfectly legal under the current rules. But Manfred has sat on his hands and watched as the only tool they can apply against luxury tax has been proven completely useless. It has become part of the cost of the Los Angeles Dodgers doing business, and MLB rakes in its share. The other teams and fans? Fuck ‘em.

Bring on the lockout

The game needs a hard salary cap, and I certainly agree, a salary floor. Though it’s probably going to be too late: there will likely be some kind of grandfather clause going on, allowing the Dodgers to keep running out a $400 million team until their current deferred salaries expire. That will be 2047, when Edwin Diaz – then in his mid-fifties – is scheduled to receive his final check from LA. But it’ll be better than nothing, which is in effect the restriction currently in place on spending. Looking at my current complete lack of interest in the 2026 regular season as a competitive endeavor, the sooner the better.

Because right now, the best hope the D-backs have of ever winning the division is probably… realignment. Unfortunately, most of the proposals I’ve seen involve Arizona remaining in the same division as Los Angeles. More games with Dodgers’ fans invading Chase Field is clearly sub-optimal. There ain’t enough Raid available for that. But there was this one, in which we end up with the Angels, Padres and Athletics. That would work. Of course, the ideal scenario would be to put the Dodgers in their own division, by themselves, so nobody has to play them until the post-season.

But while we’re thinking radically, why not realign things by payroll? These days, with jet travel the norm, geography is far less significant than it was. So why not get each club to submit their total payroll budget at the start of the year, rank them, and organize divisions that way? For example, the Super-Platinum Division right now would be the Dodgers, Mets, Phillies and Blue Jays; the Balsa Division would be the Marlins, Rays, Indians and White Sox. That way, teams would compete against others with similar payrolls and it would be a much more equitable test of skill. Or do it fantasy baseball style: every team gets exactly the same budget.

There are options, for sure. Though getting the player’s union to agree might be a different matter. But it is worth noting that, while the average baseball salary passed five million dollars this season for the first time, the median salary – the point where half the players earn more and half earn less – dropped to $1.35 million. It’s $300K lower than it was a decade ago, and that’s not including inflation. Just as with team totals, individual salaries are become increasingly more top-heavy, and indicates the record-setting level of money in the game is not floating all boats equally.

The Phillies were confident Bo Bichette was Philadelphia-bound — until he wasn’t.

Bichette passed on the Phillies’ reported seven-year, $200 million offer to join the NL East rival Mets on a three-year, $126 million deal with a higher average annual value and multiple opt-outs.

Philadelphia’s front office had been planning for Bichette to man third base for the foreseeable future, and the outcome reportedly left a sour taste.

“The word livid was used in terms of the reaction to the news that Bo did not end up coming to the Phillies and went to the Mets,” MLB.com Phillies reporter Todd Zolecki said Saturday on “The Phillies Show” alongside reporter Jim Salisbury and former general manager Rubén Amaro Jr.

“It’s kind of a rug-pulled-from-under-them situation.”

Philadelphia met with Bichette last Monday, and was the consensus favorite to land the two-time All-Star.

Salisbury added that the team had “legit, real confidence” last Thursday that Bichette would sign with them.

The longtime Phillies scribe compared the Mets’ late swoop for Bichette to one of the most famous heists in history.

“It feels like the Lufthansa heist at LaGuardia from ‘Goodfellas’,” Salisbury said with a chuckle — blending the infamous real-life December 1978 robbery at JFK Airport later depicted in the film with the Mets operating just across the street from LaGuardia in Queens.

Amaro, who spent parts of seven seasons as the Phillies GM before joining the Mets as a coach and advisor from 2018-19, said the high-profile signings of Kyle Tucker and Ranger Suárez put the Mets in “panic” mode.

Tucker inked a historic four-year, $240 million deal with the Dodgers, while Suarez joined the Red Sox on a five-year, $130 million pact.

“As if the Phillies fans needed to have another reason to be pissed off at the Los Angeles Dodgers, they are the wild cards here,” Amaro said.

“The Dodgers signed Tucker, that was a target for the Mets and a target possibly for the Red Sox. Ranger goes to the Red Sox on a panic sign, and I believe in my heart of hearts, it was another panic sign by the Mets to sign Bo Bichette and to do what they did.”

The career shortstop did not seem to have an obvious fit in Queens — where Francisco Lindor is locked in as the starter — but he had expressed to teams a willingness to change positions.

Bichette, who turns 28 in March, will now man the hot corner in Queens while bolstering a Mets lineup that has lost Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil this offseason.

He led the American League in hits in back-to-back seasons from 2021-22 and finished second to Aaron Judge for the batting crown in 2025.

Despite battling a serious knee injury sustained in early September, Bichette slashed .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs and 94 RBIs over 139 games.