NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 29: A New York Yankees hat sits during batting practice prior to Game One of the American League Wild Card Series against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on September 29, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Sports Hochi: The Yankees are reportedly setting their sights on 21-year-old Japanese right-hander Hironari Hiroike, who pitched at Keio University in Tokyo. The site called the Bombers ‘the most likely destination’ for the young and talented hurler, who had a 2.88 ERA and a strikeout rate of 11.52 in six games in the Tokyo Big6 Baseball League. With a mid-90s fastball that can reach 97 mph and multiple promising breaking balls, Hiroike wasn’t drafted in the NPB and is expected to sign a minor league deal with an MLB squad.
FOX Sports | Rowan Kavner and Deesha Thosar: The offseason, or at least the first portion of it, is already underway. Kavner and Thosar went through each team’s biggest need and identified an infield bat as the Yankees’ most pressing one. “Outside of first base, there are a lot of questions about the offensive production of this infield. They need another reliable bat,” they said.
Roundtable | Matthew Schmidt: Around the deadline, reports suggested the Yankees were interested in upgrading the catcher position. Ultimately, they chose to stick with Austin Wells as the primary guy behind the plate, but Schmidt wonders if they will revisit trade talks for Colorado Rockies backstop Hunter Goodman, who finished the 2026 campaign with 41 home runs and a 112 wRC+. He also explains why New York would be better off with Wells as the backup and Goodman or Ryan Jeffers starting.
New York Yankees on SI | Jonna Perlinger The Yankees extended a qualifying offer to closer David Bednar, so there’s a good chance he takes it and stays on a one-year deal. He could also reject it and hit the free agent market, and Perlinger identified four potential landing spots for the big righty if he leaves the Bronx.
Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) reacts after a dunk during a game against the Brooklyn Nets in Dallas, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026.
DALLAS — The Nets let go of the rope Sunday. There was a disconnect, bad body language and even worse defense.
And the result was as horrible as it sounds, a 130-93 beating at the hands of the Mavericks before a crowd of 19,184 at American Airlines Center.
Looking sluggish and spent, the Nets got shredded on defense, never led, fell behind by 37 and were noncompetitive the whole night.
Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) reacts after a dunk during a game against the Brooklyn Nets in Dallas, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“Yeah, obviously defensively we were not connected, and we made a lot of mistakes. And then a team like this, when they’re in rhythm with the players that they have, it’s when you can get hurt,” head coach Jordi Fernández said. “They made some tough ones, and we also allowed some. I thought offensively, we created good shots, but we again turned it over too much — and the nature of the turnovers, 17 turnovers for 24 points. That’s just not acceptable.
“And a lot of them were like we’re trying to run in transition and we give it to the other team, and those are tough. We still created 21 turnovers with 25 points, and I think that that’s the pressure and who we want to be. But overall, a poor defensive game.”
That’s an understatement.
The Nets (2-8) saw Cooper Flagg dominate with 25 points, 12 assists and five rebounds while Kyrie Irving scored 21 against his former team.
Michael Porter Jr. led the Nets with 19 points and nine boards, but Julius Randle struggled with just 13 and finished a minus-33. This team isn’t capable of winning with that sort of performance from Randle.
The Nets allowed 57.1 percent shooting, including 61.9 percent in a first half that saw them trail 66-46, and unlike the Hawks a day earlier, they never rallied.
Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving (11) drives to the basket against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026, at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Getty Images
The Nets had caught Atlanta on the tail end of a back-to-back and built a 17-point cushion. They even led by four with 1:45 to play before coughing up 10 unanswered points, letting the Hawks close the game on a 14-7 run.
Fernández had hoped they could replicate their energy from the night before, but actually sustain it. Instead, apparently they had exhausted it.
“The second quarter, we didn’t make shots, didn’t play defense,” Randle said. “They were giving a lot of stuff off of switching. But credit to them, they executed really well.”
The Nets shot 38.8 percent and 11-for-39 from deep.
Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr., center, tries to score against Dallas Mavericks defenders Daniel Gafford, left, and Cooper Flagg on Nov. 8, 2026. AP Photo/LM Otero
Brooklyn fell behind by 13 in the first quarter, and that deficit doubled to 26 in the even sloppier second.
When Randle threw the ball behind Porter coming upcourt, it was a turnover on the sideline with 1:48 left in the half. The latter banged the ball on his head in frustration.
But the sequence that really typified the evening for Brooklyn?
Noah Clowney got whistled for a foul on Morez Johnson Jr., and the two had to be separated with 3:51 left in the third quarter as the officials went to replay to see whether the Net forward had committed a flagrant. The replay showed that Johnson had actually brazenly knocked Clowney to the court on the other end of the floor moments earlier, so he was assessed a technical.
Then Moritz Wagner clanked the ensuing free throw with the Nets trailing 92-62.
Clowney promptly fouled out to salt the wound.
“We couldn’t make shots, they made a lot of them. And then once adversity hits, it seems to be really difficult for us to kind of get our head out of … whatever it is,” Wagner admitted.
“It’s never all bad, and it’s not all good, you know. It never is as bad as it looks, but our body language does drop. We lack a little maturity there as a group. It’s nobody’s fault; it’s just everybody kind of in new roles, everybody getting used to it, which is an excuse. It’s something we have to look in the mirror for, everybody for himself and kind of figure it out.”
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Seiya Suzuki #27 of the Chicago Cubs bats against the San Diego Padres during the fourth inning in game one of the National League Wild Card Series at Petco Park on September 29, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We have been doing this for a few years now: looking at the top free agents, using the contract Ben Clemens suggests he’ll get, and asking whether you would like the Jays to give him that contract. This year, the lockout makes it a little more complicated. Keith Law’s list is here. Ben Clemens’ is here.
Number two on Ben Clemens’ list and number four on Keith Law’s list is Seiya Suzuki. Suzuki is 32, he turns 33 next August. He’s played five seasons with the Cubs, with a .269/.351/.472 line in 675 games. He has 113 home runs, 316 walks and 719 strikeouts.
This past season, he put up 5.1 bWAR (the best of his career) with a .270/.368/.473 line, with 26 home runs, 81 walks and 155 strikeouts.
I guess the question is do you think he can keep up this level of performance into his mid-30s.
Among the thing Law said:
He’s a solidly above-average hitter, probably on the downswing, and at least a solid-average defender in right field as well who’s improved his jumps enough to mitigate his declining speed. His 4.5 fWAR was a career high and I think there’s some walk-year inflation in it; he’s probably a 3-4 WAR player for the next few years, trending down by the end of a five-year contract, and I’d be inclined to come in under $30 million a year because of his age and the warning signs in his hard-hit rates.
Clemens:
Teams have mostly gotten out of the business of giving long-term contracts to hitters over 30, but when they do, it’s for bat-first types who have few holes in their game, and that describes Suzuki perfectly. He checks the three boxes of good eye, good contact, and good power, which gives him room to have a down year in one area and still be viable. I think that the uncertainty around the economic structure of the game will keep him from getting five-plus years, but that shouldn’t stop him from getting the second-biggest AAV in the class.
Ben figures him to get a four-year, $108 million dollar contract, averaging $27 million a year. Not Skubal money, but he won’t be going hungry.
It was a squeaker, but William Bergolla Jr. took an immediate lead and held Jaden Fauske off for the Round 5 win. Bergolla earned 21 of 77 votes (27%). Bergolla’s vote total was the same as Round 3 winner Billy Carlson, only with many more votes cast.
Bergolla, acquired from Philadelphia at the 2024 trade deadline for Tanner Banks, was our No. 15-voted prospect in last year’s Vote.
As you might have imagined in a shortstop-heavy system, we now have three shortstops among our first five picks:
Past No. 5s in the SSS Top Prospect Vote 2026 Sam Antonacci (41%) 2025 Colson Montgomery (29%) 2024 Nick Nastrini (27%) 2023 José Rodríguez (38%) 2022 Colson Montgomery (41%) 2021 Jared Kelley (47%) 2020 Dane Dunning (48%) 2019 Nick Madrigal (66%) 2018 Dylan Cease (70%)
Plum prep Kyle Casteel, a sweet-looking 11th-rounder in the 2026 draft, joins the ballot this round.
South Side Sox Top-Voted White Sox Prospects for 2027
Billy Carlson — 38% (Bergolla Jr. 27%, Fauske 13%, McDougal/Prosek 7%, Thome 4%, Lodise/Mogollón/Wolkow 2%, Volchko 0%)
William Bergolla Jr. — 27% (Fauske 25%, McDougal 21%, Prosek/Thome 10%, Lodise 4%, Mogollón/Wolkow 1%, Volchko/Weingartner 0%)
Kyle Casteel Right-Handed Starting Pitcher Age 19 2026 high level Butler Area (H.S.) Overall 2026 stats (H.S) 10-0 ▪️ 13 games ▪️ 65 ⅔ IP ▪️ 0.64 ERA ▪️ 103 K ▪️ 11 BB ▪️ 0.685 WHIP
Casteel is the sort of player you dream of getting to start off the $150,000 round of 10 picks: A player who the White Sox had been talking to regularly that, based on how the first round fell, now was draftable knowing the club could meet the prep’s demands. It’s undoubtable that Casteel is far better than the 315th pick (MLB had him ranked at No. 162 overall), and thus the White Sox pocketed a player who should have been selected in the fifth round. Casteel has power and control, and while the White Sox will bring him along with care, he has a rare profile in a pitching-starved White Sox system.
Jaden Fauske Center Fielder Age 20 2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 11 2026 high level Kannapolis (Low-A) Age relative to high level -1.3 years Overall 2026 stats 118 games ▪️ 4 HR ▪️ 48 RBI ▪️ .250/.388/.360 ▪️ 46-of-56 (82.1%) SB ▪️ 94 BB ▪️ 125 K ▪️ .948 FLD%▪️ 2.8 WAR
A year ago, we were not certain where Fauske would play, as a high school catcher announced at the draft as an outfielder-only. That proved to be the case in his first professional season, but what ho, Fauske saw more time in center than right field. And with quicks that saw Jaden snatch 46 bags in 118 games, the youngster might well stick in center.
Kyle Lodise Shortstop Age 22 2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 24 2026 high level Winston-Salem (High-A) Age relative to high level 0.0 years Overall 2026 stats 111 games ▪️ 20 HR ▪️ 77 RBI ▪️ .230/.380/.440 ▪️ 42-of-51 (82.4%) SB ▪️ 92 BB ▪️ 141 K ▪️ .957 FLD%▪️ 3.6 WAR
Lodise made a return visit to Winston-Salem in 2026, and his first full professional season went extremely well. With a low average and slug to burn, the shortstop fits right in with the org profile of swinging hard, damn the contact. Thankfully, Lodise is selective enough at the plate to produce astronomical OBPs. And his power bat is showing better than advertised at this point.
Tanner McDougal Right-Handed Starting Pitcher Age 23 2024 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 33 2025 SSS Prospect Poll ranking N/R 2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 6 2026 high level Chicago (MLB) Age relative to high level -6.2 years Overall 2026 stats (High-A/AAA/MLB) 2-3 ▪️ 27 games (7 starts, 3 finishes) ▪️ 50 IP ▪️ 4.86 ERA ▪️ 53 K ▪️ 34 BB ▪️ 1.480 WHIP ▪️0.2 WAR
The good news is that McDougal was enough of a core piece to be promoted to Chicago in the second half of 2026. The bad news … well, where to start. McDougal’s presumptive march to the South Side rotation was stopped dead early in the season, when he was sidelined for weeks with forearm tightness. While the injury was thankfully not severe enough to necessitate a second TJS, Tanner was a relief arm for the rest of the season and not a stable one at that. His brief cameo in Chicago saw him rack up one out along with three walks.
Javier Mogollón Second Baseman Age 21 2026 high level Winston-Salem (AA) Age relative to high level -2.0 years Overall 2026 stats (Low-A/High-A) 91 games ▪️ 14 HR ▪️ 57 RBI ▪️ .262/.368/.448 ▪️ 36-of-44 (81.8%) SB ▪️ 53 BB ▪️ 123 K ▪️ .965 FLD%▪️ 2.5 WAR
The diminutive (5´8´´, 160) infielder wowed in rookie ball and though his climb has slowed, Mogollón has steadily risen up our ranks, from No.62 in our 2024 Top 100 to the cusp of the Top 10 today. That said, he’s seen two straight seasons shortened by hamstring issues. At least in 2026, Mogollón was able to return before season’s end, providing a clutch bat coming that provided a .313/.389/.813 slash and eight RBIs en route to sweeping to a SALLY title.
Cole Prosek Third Baseman Age 19 2026 High Level Magnolia Heights (H.S.) Overall 2026 stats (H.S) 41 games ▪️ 18 HR ▪️ 79 RBI ▪️ .545/.678/1.177 ▪️ 62 R ▪️ 7 SB ▪️ 31 BB ▪️ 12 K
Coming to Chicago as a second-rounder, Prosek seems more highly-regarded by evaluators than the guy picked ahead of him by the White Sox, low first round choice Landon Thome. That’s a curious thing, but Prosek dominated his prep competition even more thoroughly than Thome. Plus, while the White Sox regard Prosek as a second baseman, his prep time was spent significantly at the hot corner, and he has experience behind the plate as well.
Landon Thome Shortstop Age 19 2026 High Level Nazareth Academy (H.S.) Overall 2026 stats (H.S) 7 HR ▪️ 29 RBI ▪️ .545 AVG ▪️ 49-of-50 (98.0%) SB
How crazy is it to have two high school teammates (Thome and Jaden Fauske) on our first ballot of the voting year … or any ballot, ever? The White Sox were so hot to dip back into Nazareth’s roster that they dealt promising 2023 first-rounder Jacob Gonzalez to Pittsburgh to acquire the draft pick to snag him; clearly the club was not confident Thome would drop into the second round. Unlike his father, Hall-of-Famer and White Sox adviser Jim, Landon is better regarded for his speed and defense than his ability to put the ball over the fence. Slugging will come in time for junior, however.
Joey Volchko Right-handed starting pitcher Age 21 2026 high level University of Georgia (NCAA) Age relative to high level +0.1 years Overall 2026 stats 11-2 ▪️ 18 starts ▪️ 1 CG ▪️ 95 1/3 IP ▪️ 3.68 ERA ▪️ 119 K ▪️ 46 BB ▪️ 1.343 WHIP ▪️ 2.1 WAR
This big-armed righty can touch 100 mph with his fastball, but wildness concerns might have precipitated Volchko’s drop to the White Sox in the third round in spite of MLB ranking him as a second round (68th-best) talent. He’s a big-game pitcher who dragged the Bulldogs to their first College World Series win in 18 years with a complete-game effort over the University of Texas. There’s a chance Volchko ends up as a high-leverage bullpen arm, but he will get every chance to stick as a starter.
Alex Weingartner Right Fielder Age 19 2026 high level St. Augustine College Prep (H.S.) Overall 2026 stats 30 games ▪️ 7 HR ▪️ 36 RBI ▪️ .495 AVG ▪️ .817 SLG ▪️ 33 SB ▪️ 21 BB
Oddly enough, Weingartner may be a doppelganger for the player listed right below; both he and George Wolkow were prep plums selected lower than their skill and scout rankings indicated, and both players scored sweet bonuses from the White Sox to lure them from potential college commitments. Both have rocket arms (Weingartner, in fact, pitched for his St. Augustine Hermits in 2026) as well.
George Wolkow Right Fielder Age 21 2024 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 14 2025 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 13 2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 16 2026 high level Winston-Salem (High-A) Age relative to high level -2.0 years Overall 2026 stats 123 games ▪️ 22 HR ▪️ 100 RBI ▪️ .239/.317/.446 ▪️ 15-of-22 (68.2%) SB ▪️ 50 BB ▪️ 179 K ▪️ .971 FLD%▪️ 1.6 WAR
Wolkow sacrificed speed and what batting eye he had for power in 2026, and while that made for some impressive counting stats (22-100 plays on the back of any baseball card) the hole in his swing hasn’t been sewn. If the White Sox brass is having Wolkow bet on his best tool, power, at all others’ expense, he’s slipping into the Colson Category.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 25: Casey Mize #32 of the San Diego Padres walks to the dugout after pitching the second inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park on September 25, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to our series grading every member of the San Diego Padres’ 40-man roster. The roster being evaluated is current as of Oct. 18, prior to the end of the World Series. Because of that, it will include players who will be free agents once the postseason concludes. Each player will be graded on their performance in the 2026 season, including the playoffs. That performance will be weighted based on how much time the player spent with the team (availability is the best ability).
Casey Mize
While with the Detroit Tigers, Mize was one of the best pitchers in the American League. He was a solid No. 2 option behind ace Tarik Skubal, pitching to a 3.87 ERA across 149 innings of work in 2025. When the Tigers signed Framber Valdez to a three-year deal this offseason, Mize became the No. 3 starter behind the co-aces. He ended up being better than Valdez, though Detroit floundered overall and Mize was shipped off to San Diego.
Overall Grade: F
Once he arrived in San Diego, Mize struggled immensely (and that’s putting it kindly). In 10 starts (44.2 IP), Mize pitched to a 7.46 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and a .306 opponent batting average. It was pitiful outing after pitiful outing. The righty recorded just two quality starts with an average of 4 1/3 innings per start.
It likely wasn’t his fault. There was a prevailing belief from scouts that Mize was pitching through a groin injury, which impacted his overall delivery. He also suffered an ankle injury after twisting it on the dugout steps during a start. Still, Mize’s struggles can’t just be dismissed as the byproduct of bad luck. He allowed more homers in just 10 starts with the Padres than he did in the entire 2024 season.
At the time, it was a solid trade that bolstered the Padres’ starting rotation in a big way. Instead, it didn’t pan out. The Friars gave up Kash Mayfield (SD No. 2 prospect) and Jackson Wolf to acquire Mize’s services. They also got infield prospect Gage Workman in the deal, so not all is lost. However, Mize was a rental, meaning that he’s now a free agent. With that in mind, it’s hard to say that Mize’s time with the Padres was anything but a failure.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 07: A general view of signage on the scoreboard prior to the 2026 Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Saturday, November 7, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Jill Weisleder/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Tonight, the (Fall) Stars align in the desert. 63 players were voted upon by a combination of scouts, AFL staff, and national baseball reporters to represent their teams in the annual showcase. It will feature a lineup of National League Fall Stars against American League Fall Stars.
The Colorado Rockies have four representatives in the 2026 Fall Stars Game: Jack O’Dowd (HM PuRP), Jared Thomas (No. 8 PuRP), Andy Perez (No. 25 PuRP) and Fidel Ulloa.
O’Dowd lit the Rockies farm system on fire in 2026, rocketing up from Low-A to Double-A in his first season in affiliated baseball. And he hasn’t stopped in the AFL. In 20 games with the Salt River Rafters, O’Dowd is slashing .312/.346/.649 with eight doubles, six homers, 21 RBI and a stolen base. He ranks among AFL leaders in doubles (1st), homers (T-1st), RBI (2nd) and SLG (3rd). And last night, he competed in the Home Run Derby, falling short in the semi finals to eventual runner-up Tai Peete of the Peoria Javelinas/St. Louis Cardinals.
Thomas is making up for lost time after a hamate injury and bone spurs kept him out for most of 2025. In 24 games with the Rafters, Thomas is hitting .305/.406/.573 with four doubles, six triples, two homers, 23 RBI and eight stolen bases in nine attempts. He ranks among AFL leaders in doubles (T-5th), triples (1st) and RBI (2nd).
Perez continues to showcase why he is one of the best defensive shortstops in the Rockies system. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t put up some offensive numbers, as well. In 18 games, Perez is hitting 257/.337/.419 with four doubles, four triples, 15 RBI and nine stolen bases in 11 attempts. He ranks among AFL leaders in doubles (T-5th), triples (T-3rd) and RBI (T-7th).
Ulloa continues to impress out of the bullpen. He is one of only two remaining Rafters to have a 0.00 ERA, and he’s done it across eight appearances and 8.2 innings (Connor Foley has a 0.00 ERA in five appearances/4.0 IP). Ulloa has given up only four hits and three walks, and racked up 11 strikeouts. That’s good for a 0.81 WHIP (fourth in the AFL).
Royals No. 6 prospect Zion Rose leads off for the American League Fall Stars tonight! Catch the action at 6PM live on @MLBNetworkpic.twitter.com/VgKb9aKvAa
An All-Rafters battery for the National League! Jarlin Susana gets the nod and Rockies prospect Jack O’Dowd will be behind the dish pic.twitter.com/R0x75fSpTb
Jonathan Clark was really good for the Birmingham Barons in 2026 — but he’s been simply brilliant this fall with the AZFL’s Glendale Desert Dogs. | (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)
Jonathan Clark Right-Handed Relief Pitcher 6´1´´ 190 pounds Age: 26 2026 South Side Sox Top 100 ranking52 2026 High Level Birmingham (AA) Age relative to high level +1.4 years SSS rank among all right-handed relievers in the system 16 Overall 2026 stats (High-A/AA/AZFL) 9-3 ⚾️ 57 games (34 finishes) ⚾️ 9 SV ⚾️ 3.99 ERA ⚾️ 1.404 WHIP ⚾️ 70 K ⚾️ 33 BB ⚾️ 1.0 WAR
Jonathan Clark is one of the odder success stories in the White Sox system.
The San Jose State product was signed as an undrafted free agent not in July after the draft … but more than two years after Clark’s draft class matriculated. So when the White Sox inked Clark on Feb. 12, 2025, there was little in his history as a five-year starter for the Spartans that would indicate real success in anything more than semipro ball. And frankly, pitching for the Glacier Range Riders and Missoula PaddleHeads in 2023 and 2024 (independent Pioneer League ball) didn’t move the needle at all, either (8.68 ERA over 25 games over the two seasons).
Clark opted to work with Tread Athletics in order to retool his arm motion. The trainers put together a series of exercises on and off of the mound intending to create more flexibility and overall range of motion in his shoulder. His drills, including weighted balls and even larger-sized softballs, eased Clark away from pulling up short in his motion, which tightened his command and control.
The White Sox put season statistics aside and liked what they saw, and boy did Clark pay back the faith with a phenomenal 2025. While pitching significantly old for his A-ball levels, Clark mowed down batters like he hadn’t done since … ever (OK, maybe high school). He filled a closer/high-leverage role in Kannapolis to start the season, and his 2.48 ERA and overall mature approach on the mound earned him a post-draft July call-up to Winston-Salem. And once there, Clark got even better, starving High-A batters to the tune of one earned run and seven hits over 14 ⅓ innings.
Clark had a strong follow-up to his pro debut, starting 2026 in Winston-Salem but vacating for Double-A ball as May dawned. He spent the rest of 2026 as Birmingham’s primary closer, sharing the gig with Jackson Kelley but getting more high-leverage opportunities. And Clark, despite a bit of an elevated ERA and WHIP, passed with flying colors. An end-of-season gig in the Arizona Fall League only bolstered his final season numbers, as the righty has been immaculate in the thin air, named to the Fall Stars team and edging his ERA below 4.00.
So why is Clark ranked so low, especially given his middle placement a year ago? I can’t tell you, other than to say ranking is a fickle game. I’ll go on record saying Clark places much too low on our list this year.
One tug against Jonathan is his “advanced age,” as he’s yet to pitch a single inning in the White Sox system where he wasn’t older than his competition — and to that end, significantly older. Given he will assuredly start 2027 in Charlotte, Clark’s streak as a graybeard will end, one step from the South Side.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 27: Ketel Marte #4 of the Arizona Diamondbacks walks to the dugout during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on September 27, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Tis’ the season for mock trades! Dbacks fans are no stranger to Ketel Marte rumors as we have been living them pretty much for the past 2+ years, however this season it really felt like Ketel finally wore out his welcome. No sense in rehashing all of that in this article. His off-field issues are well documented, and every team knows Arizona is motivated, so they likely only are able to get 75 to 80 cents on the dollar. The question isn’t whether he goes. It’s who gives the most back, and what Arizona wants is likely starting pitching.
That’s the right ask. The rotation was the biggest hole in 2026 as I previously wrote about, and a team that won 86 games should be trying to win in 2027 and build for later at the same time. A young starter under team control for years does both.
So with all of the Ketel Marte trade speculation floating around out there, I decided to try my hand at a Ketel Marte mock trade. My focus was simple, acquire as much controllable big league starting pitching upside as possible. Here was my favorite target:
Arizona Trades Ketel Marte to the New York Mets for Christian Scott
What Ketel Marte brings: 1 thing is for certain. When Marte is healthy, he has one of the most impactful bats in the game. Marte was a top-15 bat in baseball over the last three years, and no free agent this winter matches what he has done over that span. Over 2024–26, his 133 wRC+ ranks 13th of 176 hitters with 1,200+ PA, and his 13.5 fWAR ranks 14th. Now some people could push back and point at 2026 being a bit of a down year for him, however his 2026 contact was still good. His .349 xwOBA was 81st percentile, so his results trailed the quality of his contact.
Why the Mets The Mets won 74 games in 2026 and scored 699 runs, 20th in baseball. The offense failed them, and Marte is one of the best bats teams can get this winter. Steamer projects a 126 wRC+ for 2027, 22nd of 225 hitters with 400+ PA, and 3.8 WAR. His 2026 line looks worse (103 wRC+), but his .349 xwOBA says he hit better than the results showed.
I cant imagine the Mets sitting around wasting Juan Soto’s prime years and not being aggressive to get back to the postseason. Second base is also an easy upgrade for them. Marcus Semien hit for a 74 wRC+ in 2026 with −0.5 fWAR and −9 OAA. He’s owed $26M in 2027 and $20M in 2028, but the Mets owe that money whether he plays or not. That shouldn’t stop a team built to win during Juan Soto’s prime. Marte is worth about 2 wins over Steamer’s Semien projection, and closer to 3.5 if Semien repeats his 2026.
What Arizona gets: Christian Scott
Scott struck out hitters like a top-quarter starter in his first season back from surgery. His FIP was better than his ERA, which suggests some bad luck. He’s under team control through 2030, and our my trade model puts his surplus value around $28M. That’s at the top of the 75–80 cent range on Marte, so Arizona wouldn’t need to send money or ask for another prospect.
The risk: Innings Scott moved fast. He was drafted in 2021 at 22 and debuted in May 2024. Then he hurt his UCL after 47 MLB innings, had hybrid Tommy John surgery that September and missed all of 2025. He turns 28 in June with only 157 career MLB innings and has never thrown more than about 125 in a season, counting the minors. His walk rate also rose to 9.9%, well above his 3–7% in most minor-league stops, which can be common in the first year back from a major surgery like that. Arizona needs innings, and Scott hasn’t shown he can provide 160 of them. That’s the main reason this deal could be a risky bet for Arizona, but it is also the main reason why the Mets may be willing to give up such upside.
The 2027 Cost This trade costs Arizona wins next year. Losing Marte is worth about −4 wins, and Scott gets back roughly 1, so the swap is about −3 before spending the money. Moving Marte frees about $12.75M for 2027, which buys about 1.3 wins at market prices. Net, Arizona is about 1.5 to 2 wins worse in 2027 unless they find second-base help.
The Upside
In my humble opinion, an arm like Christian Scott is exactly the kind of gamble this team needs to take. A controllable starter whose stuff really plays. His Stuff+ was 116 in 2026 was in the 93rd percentile and his K% of 28.3 was in the 90th percentile. He likely has the ceiling of a real No. 2 starter (4-5 WAR) if he cuts back his walk rate and finds a better 3rd pitch for lefties. His stuff is already near the top of the league, walks and innings are what is holding him back. From a projections standpoint: Steamer 2027: 145 IP, 3.86 FIP (45th of 176 projected starters), K% 24th, 2.3 WAR (54th). From a player comps standpoint: 25 starter-seasons from 2022–25 closest to his Stuff+, K% and BB% at ages 25–29 include Dylan Cease, Cole Ragans, Blake Snell, Freddy Peralta and MacKenzie Gore. That’s exactly the high-strikeout, high-walk profile we are talking about here. The next season for that group: median 2.2 fWAR in 168 IP; 40% reached 3+ WAR, 20% reached 4+, and the 90th percentile was 4.7; 28% threw fewer than 80 innings.
The Verdict
I like this move for both teams. The Dbacks get worse in 2027, but get a solid upside starter and get Ketel off the team and free up some cash. The Mets get to make the big splash and get the best bat of the offseason for a starter with little track record and immediately run out one of the top offenses in baseball with Ketel, Soto, Lindor, and Bichette. They also are in a good position to sign one of the big offseason starting pitching arms out there as Jon Heyman of the NY Post said last week that the Mets are in on Skubal.
Overall, it ultimately depends on whether or not the Mets believe they can work with Ketel Marte and whether or not they are already planning on bolstering their rotation in free agency.
What do you guys think?
Bonus Content! Runner-Up Mock Trades for Ketel:
If you’ve made it this far and want to keep mock trading for Ketel, I figured I may as well share my runner up mocks as well:
PHI for Andrew Painter- PHI also bad need for offense (2027 Steamer 95 wRC+ ranks 28th), and has a surplus of pitching but Painter not as proven as Scott, bigger risk for ARI. But Painter throws hard: 96.6 mph, held all season, at age 23, and more than 150 total innings in 2026 between MLB and AAA. His secondaries were very good. Hitters managed a .177 wOBA against the changeup as lefties and .241 as righties, with whiff rates of 35–38%. His sweeper held righties to .205. However his 4 seamer got hit hard in 2026. .544 wOBA against righties, and only an 11.4% whiff rate against lefties.
DET for Jackson Jobe- DET has a big hole at 2B and is reportedly in on some big FA as it appears they have a real shot to contend in 2027 and beyond in a weak AL Central. They also have a wealth of young arms. Young pitchers like Jobe usually aren’t available, however he has some real durability issues. Jobe threw about 61 innings in 2026 with rehab, 49 in 2025, and has never topped about 96 in a season. But real top of the rotation potential here.
NYY for Will Warren- Much lower ceiling than Jobe, Scott, or Painter, but more of a steady innings presence at the backend of a rotation. Take a swing for an upside arm IMO. NYY need a 2nd basemen.
PHI for Gage Wood- If PHI wont do Painter, Wood is near MLB ready but gave up a lot of HR in 2026 and only threw 95 innings in 2026 so a full starters workload in 2027 would be a stretch. High upside though.
NYM for Jonathan Santucci and Jack Wenninger- If the Mets wont do Scott, and the Dbacks are willing to settle for unproven MLB talent, this is a good blend of upside and innings. For Santucci, the swing-and-miss is real: his swinging-strike rate was 95th percentile at both AA and AAA. His slider got 39.8% whiffs per swing and his curve 47.5%, on 610 tracked pitches. But has a real walks problem. However, Wenninger threw 115 AAA innings last year so provides some more proven floor to the deal.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 04: Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Kris Bubic (40) delivers a pitch during the fifth inning of game two of NLDS between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026 in Los Angeles, United States. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The Nationals have an opportunity to add some interesting arms this offseason, and one pitcher I want to see them take a look at is Kris Bubic. The 29-year-old left-hander has struggled to stay healthy, but when he’s been on the mound over the last few years, the results have been encouraging. Depending on how the Nats want to use him, Bubic could be a high-risk, high-reward starter or a valuable long man out of the bullpen.
Bubic’s best stretch came in 2025 with the Royals, as he posted a 2.55 ERA with 116 strikeouts in 116⅓ innings across 20 starts, earning his first All-Star selection. Unfortunately, a rotator cuff strain ended his season in July, cutting short what was looking like a huge breakout for the lefty. That season showed what Bubic can do in a rotation when healthy, and it’s why he’s worth paying attention to this winter.
In 2026, Bubic wasn’t quite as sharp, but his numbers were still solid. According to FanGraphs, he posted a 3.76 ERA, 3.54 FIP and 3.99 xFIP in 55 innings between Kansas City and Los Angeles. His 9.16 K/9 and 46.8% ground-ball rate were encouraging as well, although his 4.25 BB/9 was higher than you’d like to see. His FIP, which focuses on strikeouts, walks and home runs, supports the idea that Bubic was still pitching well despite another injury-filled season.
LHP Kris Bubic [29 y.o.]
2026 stats: 14 games (9 starts) 3.76 ERA 3.54 FIP 25% K%/12% BB% 49% GB%
Given the nature of his injury history, he is due for a 1+1 (club option) contract as high as $10-15M for 2027. His versatility in both a rotation and bullpen role could excite… pic.twitter.com/5oOilu3JHy
The numbers on Baseball Savant give some reasons to believe in his stuff as well, particularly his changeup. Hitters posted just a .119 AVG and .119 SLG against the pitch in 2026, with a 32.1% whiff rate (the percentage of swings that result in a miss, for reference). His slider also generated a 33.3% whiff rate, while his sweeper had a 29% whiff rate. The sample size wasn’t huge, but Bubic still has the pitches to make big league hitters uncomfortable.
The biggest concern is whether he can stay on the mound long enough to put everything together. Bubic underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023, had the shoulder injury in 2025, and missed most of 2026 with elbow trouble. There’s plenty to like about his potential as a starter, but the Nats would need other options available if injuries became an issue again. He’s someone I’d like to see compete for a rotation spot, with the Nats keeping a close eye on his workload.
If starting doesn’t work out, Bubic has already shown he can pitch out of the bullpen. In 2024, he posted a 2.67 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 30⅓ innings, and he finished the 2026 regular season with 4⅔ scoreless innings for the Dodgers. A long-relief role could allow the Nats to use him for multiple innings after a short start, or potentially give him a spot start when needed. That would depend on his health, but his experience in both roles gives the Nats some flexibility.
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel projects Bubic to sign for two years and $18 million, a reasonable price if the Nats are comfortable with his medicals. That’s still a meaningful commitment for a pitcher with his injury history, but the upside makes him worth considering. If Bubic can get back to his 2025 form, the Nats could find itself with a bargain in the rotation. If he ends up as a productive multi-inning reliever, he could still be a useful addition to the staff.
Last year, this was more of a procession than a contest. It was basically over by the start of April, due to Eugenio Suarez swatting four home-runs in one game on April 26. Everything thereafter was window-dressing, though Brandon Pfaadt’s September outing, tossing nine innings of one-hit ball, at least made the category something of a contest. This year promises to be a little more competitive – though it still might be over by the end of April. Typically, we will have five nominees, and these usually include one relief pitcher, two starting pitchers, and two position players. But I am prepared to hear arguments to the contrary, because there are two very credible relief outings this year, I think.
Here’s how this will work.
Go to the comments section.
If your choice is already mentioned there, give it a “rec”.
If your choice is NOT mentioned, put in a brief summary of the performance in question and leave that as a new comment.
The MLB Video Search tool might be very helpful in bolstering your case.
Duplicate nominations will get deleted.
On Wednesday, I’ll tally up the recs, and use those as a guide towards a list of five or so nominees.
Position player
3/31, Jose Fernandez: 3-for-4 with two home-runs in his debut
4/26, Ildemaro Vargas: a single short of the cycle
5/24, Corbin Carroll: 4-for-4, two triples, two RBI
8/15, Nolan Arenado: two HR, three R, four RBI, BB
9/14, Corbin Carroll: 2-for-5, three RBI, R, +70.7 WP
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 27: Will Dion 376 of the Washington Nationals pitches against the New York Mets at Nationals Park on September 27, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When the Nationals traded Foster Griffin to the Guardians, I thought the return was underwhelming. Paul Toboni went for a quantity heavy package that was short on big name prospects. However, the deal has aged well mostly due to the emergence of Will Dion, who was excellent after joining the Nats.
Multi-inning relievers are becoming increasingly common across Major League Baseball. We saw how important they can be this postseason. The Brewers leaned heavily on their bullpen, and it resulted in a championship. Aaron Ashby and DL Hall were tasked with throwing multiple innings throughout the playoffs.
It is not the flashiest profile in the world, but the multi-inning reliever is becoming very important. That is exactly the role Will Dion filled for the Nats down the stretch. He made 15 appearances for the Nats, and threw 30 innings. There were times when Dion was only asked to get one out, but other outings he gave the Nats as many as 4.1 innings.
In a Nationals bullpen that desperately needed help, Dion pitched to a 3.00 ERA for the Nats. He also struck out 30 batters in 30 innings. Those strikeout numbers are impressive given his lack of velocity. Dion’s fastball only averaged 91.1 MPH this season. However, batters only hit .198 against the pitch and Dion got 31 of his 55 strikeouts on the heater.
Dion has no ordinary 91 MPH fastball though. He releases the ball from an extreme over the top delivery and generates a ton of carry on his fastball. Dion averages 20 inches of induced vertical break on his fastball, which is one of the best marks in the league. That IVB means hitters misjudge his fastball and often swing underneath it.
Four pitchers in MLB are averaging 20.0” IVB on four-seam fastballs (min. 200 fastballs thrown):
1. Alex Vesia (21.2”) 2. Tobias Myers (20.1”) 3. Will Dion (20.1”) 4. Dylan Lee (20.0”)
Dion starts for Washington tomorrow. Also second highest arm angle (67°) in MLB (Vesia 70°).
It is impossible for a fastball to actually rise, but Dion’s heater resists gravity much more than most heaters, which gives hitters the illusion that it is rising. This unique fastball is Dion’s calling card, and it sets up the rest of his arsenal.
Speaking of the rest of his arsenal, the Nats actually made a tweak that really unlocked Dion. Before coming to DC, Dion’s changeup was on the periphery of his arsenal. He would throw it, but only around 15% of the time. When he joined the Nats, he started throwing the changeup way more. In August, he threw it a crazy 37.6% of the time. That came down to 24.4% in September, but that is still more usage than before.
Dion’s changeup pairs very well with his rising fastball. It is a true bugs bunny changeup that looks like the fastball before dying while it comes to the plate. At 78 MPH, the changeup is 13 MPH slower than his fastball. That velocity difference really kept hitters off balance. Batters hit just .119 with a 33% whiff rate against that changeup.
It was a pitch he mostly used against right handed hitters, but by the end of the season, he was throwing more left on left changeups. Those two pitches are the centerpieces of his arsenal, but Dion also throws his curve 20% of the time. His curveball is mainly used to steal strikes early in the count. It does not get many whiffs, but he can land it in the zone often.
Dion’s lack of velocity puts a cap on his ceiling, but he has shown to be a capable multi-inning relief arm. He and Brad Lord will be asked to do the dirty work in the bullpen next season. It is not a flashy role, but it is one that teams need now more than ever.
If Dion can replicate the success he had down the stretch, that Foster Griffin trade should age fairly well. Dion has proven to be useful, and I think Josh Hartle has the ability to fill a similar role at some point. For half a season of Foster Griffin, that is not too bad. Paul Toboni did not shoot for the stars in this trade, but it looks like he has found at least one piece that will be a functional bullpen arm for years to come.
There was some hope that JR Ritchie could serve as a key member of the rotation for the Atlanta Braves this season. While many thought the rotation was going to be a problem area for the Braves, it turned out that the Braves did okay in that regard. Unfortunately, JR Ritchie didn’t really have much to do with that, as he largely struggled across 17 appearances (11 starts), with the team going 7-10 in those games.
How Acquired
JR Ritchie a homegrown prospect, drafted thirty-fifth overall in the 2022 draft. (He’s from Bainbridge Island, Washington, but development-wise, he’s Braves all the way.) He spent parts of five seasons in the minors before he made his MLB debut in April this year. He peaked as the 84th ranked prospect by Baseball America and 69th by FanGraphs.
What were the expectations?
Ritchie was somewhere around a 45-50 FV in the run-up to the season, and had pitched well before hitting Triple-A in 2025, though he stumbled a bit at the highest level of the minors. After a poor first start in Triple-A in 2026, Ritchie reeled off a dominant four-start stretch where it looked like he had nothing left to learn at Gwinnett, leading to his promotion.
Even before all that, though, Ritchie was getting the standard prospect projection of a fourth starter (somewhere between 1.5 and 2.0 WAR on a rate basis). As with every pitcher getting similar projections (which is most prospect pitchers), it was up to Ritchie to prove he could do better (or worse) than that.
2026 Results
Unfortunately for Ritchie and the Braves, he mostly proved the latter. At the top line, Ritchie made 11 starts and six relief appearances, earning -0.3 fWAR with a 117 ERA-, 134 FIP-, and 112 xFIP-. His value was depressed by a high HR/FB (above 18 percent), but even without that, he pitched like a not particularly effective fifth starter.
Ritchie’s season was one of repeated chances and not doing much with them. His first rotation stint was five starts, in which things were a mixed bag at best. After another month in the minors, he then became one of the Braves’ yo-yo guys, making three starts and six relief appearances across four different call-ups in the span of about two months. The performance wasn’t much better. He made three starts to close out the season, and to the extent he had improved at all over the course of the year, it was hard to tell because teams blasted him for four homers in 15 1/3 innings in those final appearances.
Ritchie was not rostered for the Wild Card round; he made the NLDS roster, but did not appear.
What went right?
It’s not that Ritchie didn’t have success. It’s just that that success was limited to individual outings.
His MLB debut was exciting, as he went seven frames with a 7/2 K/BB ratio against a high-powered Nationals offense, giving up two solo homers in what was a very close game until the Braves pulled away before his final inning of work. It wasn’t entirely downhill from there, but his poor performances did dampen the excitement a bit. Still, plenty of stuff went right, just… intermittently.
For example, he had a couple of successful relief appearances against the Mets, totaling eight innings with a 9/3 K/BB ratio. He also had a nice innings-eating stint relief appearance against the Cardinals where he pitched 4 1/3 innings in a close game and was charged with a single run with a 2/2 K/BB ratio — it was his highest WPA game over the year and set up the Braves prevailing by scoring a run in the top of the ninth. He followed that up with a crisp one-inning relief appearance against the Rangers, giving some credence to the idea that he could be an effective relief pitcher. (It didn’t really last, though, as his xFIP was only slightly better as a reliever, though he did allow way fewer homers in shorter stints.) He also had one nice start against the Reds as the Braves ran down the clock on the season, with an 8/3 K/BB ratio — but this too was marred by a homer, as well as the fact that his other two starts around this one were horrible.
All in all, across his 17 appearances, Ritchie had five (two starts and three relief appearances) with an FIP- of 80 or lower, and four (two starts and two relief appearances) with an xFIP- of 80 or below. So, it wasn’t entirely hopeless… just mostly a bummer.
Pitch-wise, his curve was effective with an xwOBA-against under .300 and a whiff rate of nearly 30 percent. Its success wasn’t surprising, as it has many of the makings of a great pitch: he throws it harder than a normal curve, but is able to keep a reasonable depth on it while also adding some horizontal break, giving it two-plane movement of the sort batters don’t tend to expect, while mirroring its spin against his other offerings.
What went wrong?
At the top line, none of his results or metrics suggested any degree of effectiveness, which means he had a bunch of problematic outings. Even his xERA was really bad, which suggests a lack of contact management beyond problems in the “traditional” pitching assessments. He struck out fewer batters than league average, had an egregiously high walk rate (especially considering his lack of strikeouts), suffered from harder-than-average contact, and made it easy for batters to pull the ball in the air. Really, he pretty much struggled across the board in terms of his pitching approach: he didn’t pound the zone, he didn’t get whiffs in the zone, he didn’t get chase, he didn’t put pitches on the corner, he didn’t get ahead with strike one, and he didn’t avoid meatballs.
On a game level, he was a disaster for the team’s win expectancy in six of his 11 starts. The worst was him getting shelled for three homers in two innings against the Giants: the Braves were down 5-0 after he faced 11 batters, and lost 7-5. But, he also struggled at times in relief, like an outing where he had a 1/2 K/BB ratio while on the mound for four outs with a slim lead against the Pirates, though the Braves gutted that one out. And, it’s not like all of this meant he didn’t just get BABIPed among shoddy pitching in other outings, like his start in September against the Cubs (5/2 K/BB ratio but two homers and six runs charged in 4 2/3 innings) or his final start of his first stint against the Marlins, where he had a 5/3 K/BB ratio and didn’t get tagged for a homer, but got BABIPed for six runs charged anyway. And then there was the outing where he put together a pathetic 2/6 K/BB ratio against the Mariners in Seattle, which was one of those “Braves decided to stop managing aggressively” disasters that stuck with them through the season.
If you look at his actual pitch metrics, the high degree of struggle wasn’t surprising. Ritchie lacked command of any of his pitches, working more like a junkballer attempting to get by on the element of surprise. Unfortunately, the lack of command meant that many of his pitches missed badly in the zone where they were hittable (especially his curve and four-seamer), while he also had a tendency for bad, nowhere-near misses with those pitches and his changeup. On top of that, only his curve had good shape — the natural sink on his four-seamer made it somewhat problematic that he tried to execute it at the top of the zone; meanwhile, his sinker, which he threw more than his four-seamer, had a lot of drop but was thrown “high” and ended up letter high way too often.
There are things to work with in Ritchie’s profile, but the lack of command and the fact that he tries to go fastball up, changeup down when all of those pitches have a downward movement profile is a disaster. He needs to clean up his mechanics to allow his curve to eviscerate hitters, but in concert with that, he needs to actually have a pitching plan that takes advantage of his pitch shape, instead of working against it.
2027 Outlook
JR Ritchie was a rookie in 2026 and unless something drastic happens, he is still in the plans to develop into a starter for the Braves for now and the future. Odds are that the Front Office has not given up on him and depending on which players the Braves acquire in the offseason, we could see him in both the rotation and the bullpen at the MLB level in 2027. It may not be the most exciting news based on his 2026 results, but the odds lean that way for the moment.
Given that his types of struggles aren’t unusual for rookie arms, Ritchie’s projections haven’t taken a big hit. Steamer’s early release has him as an 0.8 WAR guy in 99 innings as a swingman, which is still in that fourth starter tier. Once again, it’s up to Ritchie to prove he can do better… and avoid doing the opposite, like he did in 2026.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 11: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the second inning in game one of the National League Championship Series at American Family Field on October 11, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We have been doing this for a few years now: looking at the top free agents, using the contract Ben Clemens suggests he’ll get, and asking whether you would like the Jays to give him that contract. This year, the lockout makes it a little more complicated.
Number one on both Keith Law and Ben Clemens’ list of top free agents is, of course, Tarik Skubal. Skubal turns 30 on the 20th of this month. He won the AL Cy Young in 2024 and 2025 (this year he split time between the AL and NL). He had a terrific 2026 season: a 2.72 ERA in 26 starts, a 12-7 record, 186 strikeouts in 158.2 innings, and just 27 walks.
Career, he is 66-44 with a 3.02 ERA and a 22.7 bWAR.
The only downside is his injury history. Three elbow surgeries since college, one this past season. But then, he’s made 88 starts in the last three seasons.
Keith Law said:
Skubal is the obvious star of this free-agent class, a No. 1 starter on any club when he’s healthy, although we didn’t see that version of Skubal as much in 2026 as we did in 2024 and 2025, when he won back-to-back Cy Young Awards and was worth 6+ WAR each season (using either version of WAR). He can show three plus pitches — his upper-90s four-seamer, wipeout changeup with excellent arm speed and some fading action, and a slider that plays above its “shape,” due in part to its velocity, up to 92-93. He’s posted walk rates below 5 percent in four straight seasons, consistently limits hard contact, and doesn’t let hitters pull the ball in the air that much, so his BABIPs have come in better than league average in every year of his career — he’s at .281 overall and has never allowed a BABIP of .300 in any season, which is Clayton Kershaw-level pitching.
Clemens:
There are no bad free agent markets for players as good as Skubal, which made his contract easier to forecast. Teams pursuing his services want Skubal specifically, not Skubal or someone like him. He’s the best free agent in the class by such a wide margin that his market is more or less separate from the rest. If you’re looking for a good pitcher who might turn in an ace-level season, there are a few options. If you’re looking for an ace, it’s just Skubal. Thus, the question is how much he’ll eclipse the old record contract for a pitcher, not whether he will.
Clements figures he will get a 10-year contract at $38 million a year, for a total of $380 million, taking him to his age 39 season.
This is not only a blast from the Cubs past, but the view of bleacher fans shows hairstyles and dress styles for what could be said to be “average” fans in the mid-1980s.
Honestly, the fans you see don’t look that much different from what you’d see in the bleachers today. It is sobering for me, personally, to realize that everyone you see in this photo is at least in their 60s now, possibly older.
Anyway.
The photo is a little bit washed out, so the numbers on the board aren’t that easy to read. I put it through Photoshop, did a little bit of adjustment on the brightness and contrast and got this closeup view of the scoreboard:
It’s 3:45 and we’re in the top of the third inning, so this is a game that likely began at 3:05. There are no NITE GAME indicators on any of the other games, so this would at first glance appear to be a Sunday afternoon, possibly in the Cubs’ NL East title year of 1984.
This is where you go wrong with assumptions. The batter is Garry Templeton, so the Cubs are playing the Padres. (Yes, the city names are still a bit blurry, but Templeton was a Padre from 1982-91, so it’s got to be the Padres. We also know it has to be in the 1983-85 time frame, because that’s when those beer ads were on the board.
But I looked through all the Cubs/Padres 1984 games — including the two NLCS games — and nothing matched the Cubs having a 4-0 lead in the top of the third, having scored two runs in each of the first two innings.
Instead, this game was played Tuesday, July 9, 1985, in front of 33,085 on what’s clearly a gorgeous summer day at Wrigley. The pair of two-run innings were both courtesy of Ryne Sandberg — he hit two-run homers in each of the first two innings. Not an easy thing to do, incidentally! The Cubs got a couple more runners on base in the first after Sandberg homered with Billy Hatcher on base. Then in the second, a groundout was followed by a single by Steve Trout and a fly ball by Hatcher before Sandberg homered again.
In the top of the third, Bruce Bochy, then the Padres catcher, grounded out. That brought up Templeton, which is what we see on the board. There’s one out and one strike on Templeton. He eventually grounded to third base in this at-bat.
The Cubs won the game 7-3. Sandberg went 3-for-5 with three runs scored, including the pair of two-run homers. Hatcher, who later went on to have good years in Houston and Cincinnati after the Cubs ill-advisedly traded him for Jerry Mumphrey, went 3-for-4. Trout threw seven strong innings and got the win.
There were some night games on this day so I’m not sure why NITE GAME was not shown on the board. After this win the Cubs were 43-38, in fourth place but just 5.5 games behind the first-place Cardinals, theoretically still in the NL East race. But pitching injuries killed that team and they went just 34-46 the rest of the way and finished fourth at 77-84, 23.5 games out of first place.
Just another little slice of life from Wrigley Field, more than 40 years ago.
TORONTO, ON - JUNE 08: Adolis García #53 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits a 2-run home run in the second inning during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 8, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I recently came across this post on X which listed the players the Phillies have signed to one-year contracts over the past few seasons.
Every one-year MLB Free Agent Contract given out by the Phillies since Dave Dombrowski took over as President of Baseball Options:
Craig Kimbrel 1 Year, $10 Million Corey Knebel 1 Year, $10 Million Max Kepler 1 Year, $10 Million Adolis Garcia 1 Year, $10 Million Jordan Romano 1… pic.twitter.com/3SjioOfa0i
There’s a saying that “there’s no such thing as a bad one-year contract,” but that list seems to work against that belief. To be fair, most of those guys weren’t signed to be major contributors, and they did find some usable bench players (Brad Miller, Johan Camargo) over the years. But there were some players – particularly relievers – who they expected to be at least semi-major contributors. Sadly, the best season out of any of them was Craig Kimbrel. (Kimbrel was actually very good for much of the year before he collapsed late in the season and the playoffs.)
As it turns out, there’s usually a reason why players sign for one-year deals. If there was a lot of optimism regarding how good these players were going to be, they would likely be attracting multi-year offers.
Looking ahead to the 2027 season, the Phillies once again have some holes to fill, and they only have so much money to fill them. Many fans are dreaming of filling one of the outfield spots with a free agent like Seiya Suzuki or Randy Arozarena.
The Phillies are prioritizing the outfield this offseason, with free agents Seiya Suzuki and Randy Arozarena both on their radar, per @JimBowdenGMpic.twitter.com/jJu3v6Gwds
I expect the Phillies to be in the mix for those players, but so will a lot of teams, and it isn’t clear if the Phillies can make the best offer. Unless you’re the Dodgers, teams generally can’t have high priced players at every position. While the pending player lockout might change the financial outlook for the Phillies, it doesn’t seem likely that they’ll be able to simply outspend themselves out of their current fringe of contention status.
The Phillies also might not want to lock themselves into yet another multi-year contract for a player’s decline phase. Sometimes those deals work out, but it isn’t hard to imagine one of them turning into Nick Castellanos 2.0.
The best alternative, of course, is to start developing young players to fill those holes. Wouldn’t it be nice if the Phillies could emulate the World Champion Brewers and call up a Cooper Pratt or Jackson Chourio? But based on the state of the minor leagues, the Phillies do not have many players who they can project to be regular contributors next year. (They REALLY need Aidan Miller to hit!)
Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise if the Phillies have to once again turn to a few one-year contracts to fill out their starting lineup, bench, and bullpen. Maybe they get lucky this time around and can find players who actually provide good value. But it seems like more often than not, what they’ll end up with is the next Adolis Garcia or Jordan Romano.
