Category: Baseball

The Milwaukee Brewers dispatched the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night, their 4-1 victory in Game 5 of the World Series giving them their first title in franchise history. Up there in baseball Valhalla, Bob Uecker had the night of his afterlife.

That puts a wrap on the 2026 Major League Baseball season as a whole, meaning the Cincinnati Reds can once again peel themselves off the couch and begin preparations for a 2027 season that, mercifully, cannot possibly be as disappointing as the one that just ended. Baseball wastes little time in sprinting into administrative season, and that began this morning at 9 AM ET when players eligible for free agency were allowed to file.

That includes the likes of Tyler Stephenson of Brock Burke, two names in particular who need a spotlight right here. Though both could have filed for free agency as early as this morning, there’s a five-day window where their former team will be the lone club that can negotiate with them, and since both sure do look like players the Reds would like to have back in 2027 (and beyond), that means the two sides have five days to figure out what a contract would need to look like going forward for that to work. I don’t expect either to sign during this window, but at least there’s a little bit of a heads-up that the Reds will get prior to both getting the opportunity to talk to all 30 clubs beginning next week.

The end of that five-day window will also be the final chance for teams to issue a Qualifying Offer to any of their free agents who were not acquired mid-season. At one point in time that seemed like a discussion the Reds front office was having surrounding Brady Singer, though that has (thank the lord) gone silent amid his season-ending slump. That also marks the day where option decisions must be made, so by then we’ll know if Emilio Pagan has opted into his $10 million salary to remain with the Reds in 2027 or decided to test the free agent waters again. We’ll also have a resolution on the mutual option between the Reds and Eugenio Suarez, though those almost never get picked up by both sides anyway. It’s also the deadline to put players back on the roster from the 60-day IL, so there could be some DFA shuffling (or minor trades) to accommodate the likes of Hunter Greene and Spencer Steer needing 40-man spots once again.

November 1st will see the Gold Glove Awards given out to star defenders across the league. The Reds have no star defenders in the eyes of the powers that be, though – at least, not this year.

November 2nd will see Silver Slugger Award finalists announced, and here’s where we may see the sport’s spotlight swing back to Elly De La Cruz. The 2nd will also see the finalists for all the major BBWAA awards announced, of which Sal Stewart will surely be included in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

November 9th will be the day the Reds find out if Sal won the NL RoY, or not. While the honor itself is a glorious one, keep in mind that the Reds would be in line to get an extra draft pick at the end of the 1st round in 2027 if Sal takes home the prize – and the draft bonus pool boost that goes along with that.

November 9-12 will feature the GM meetings in Las Vegas, ones that will surely be interesting this season given the looming lockout that will be just three weeks later.

November 11th will be the day both the NL and AL Cy Young Award winners will be announced. Chase Burns won’t win the NL award this season despite being firmly in the mix for most of the year, but he’s going to end up with some down-ballot votes.

November 12th is the day the MVPs are announced in both leagues. Elly’s not going to win in the NL this year, but there’s a realistic chance he finishes within the Top 3.

November 16th is the date we’ll see who the BBWAA has included on their ballot for induction in the Hall of Fame, at which point in time social media will become a giant argument over who is worthy of a plaque in the hallway of an old building in an obscure and hard to reach town in upstate New York.

November 17th is the day Silver Slugger Awards are actually announced. It’s also the deadline day for players to accept QOs, if they’d received them. It is also-also the day teams must add players to the 40-man roster to protect them from potential selection in the Rule 5 Draft, which is typically held during the Winter Meetings in December…

…however, the Winter Meetings are currently scheduled for December 7-9th, and that’s after the current Collective Bargaining Agreement is set to expire on December 1st, and there’s zero indication whatsoever that the MLBPA and MLB itself will come to an agreement before that date to postpone an inevitable lockout.

There’s a lot that typically goes on between December 1st and the start of spring training in mid-February, but the dates when those events will occur (or be cancelled) are pretty meaningless at this juncture. Baseball will have to see the arbitration process dealt with in short order at some point, the Draft Lottery to determine the order for next June’s draft will need to take place, and who signs who will all have to fight what figures to be a long, dark transaction freeze until the two sides can figure out how to properly distribute their billions of dollars. It remains to be seen whether teams will make moves in a fury before the expiration date of the current CBA, or if they’ll roll the dice on getting lucky with what’s left after the fact.

It has been well established at this point that the Nationals did not have a good bullpen. They set the record for blown saves and had a rotating cast of characters all season long. Of that group, Orlando Ribalta and Brad Lord were the most reliable. Neither were lights out, but both of them posted sub-4 ERA’s and logged at least 40 appearances.

Ribalta and Lord are unlikely to be star relievers, but they are the type of arms you need to fill out a bullpen. The Nats are trying to build a bullpen filled with unique arms, and these two are an example of that. Despite both being right handed relievers, they have very different pitching styles and roles.

At 6’7 245 pounds, Ribalta is a towering presence on the mound and comes at hitters with an over the top delivery. His 97 MPH 4-seam fastball has a good combination of velocity and ride. Ribalta’s secondary pitches include a slider he often uses to get ahead of hitters and a fluttering changeup to put guys away.

Ribalta’s calm mound presence allowed him to come through in some big spots for the Nats. He played a role in some of the Nats meltdowns, but most of the time, Ribalta was not the one causing the fire. In fact, he was the one putting them out. Ribalta had a knack for getting out of bases loaded situations, and he earned the trust of Blake Butera.

MLB hitters are now 0-11 vs Orlando Ribalta this year with the bases loaded.

— Optimistic DC Sports Fan (AC12 Ring Before Harper) (@JWoodGlazer29) July 25, 2026

Overall, Ribalta had a nice breakthrough season, but there is still room for growth. The 28 year old posted a 3.77 ERA and a 3.91 FIP with 42 strikeouts in 43 innings. His 84.6 MPH average exit velocity against and 36.7% chase rate were both elite metrics. However, his strikeout rate of 23.6% and walk rate of 10.1% are both pretty average for a reliever. Right now, Ribalta is a solid 7th inning guy, but if the strikeouts start matching his stuff, the ceiling is higher.

While Ribalta was a high leverage arm, Brad Lord was in a different role. Lord is your classic multi-inning reliever, a role that is becoming more common across the league. With starters not pitching as deep into games, teams need to get creative with how they use their pitchers.

Most of the time, Lord pitched about 2 or 3 innings in his appearances. In his 40 outings this season, Lord threw 83.1 innings. Until about late June, Lord was an absolute weapon in that role. However, he hit a wall after blowing a game against the Phillies in devastating fashion. Lord had a blow up outing against the Pirates shortly after that, and then he went on the IL.

However, Lord had a rock solid finish to the season. After August 1st, Lord had a 3.55 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 25.1 innings. He is not the flashiest reliever in the world, but he is very helpful and can eat innings effectively. Lord was the only Nats reliever who was on the team from start to finish.

Barring an unforeseen development, the Nationals’ Opening Day bullpen will be:

Clayton Beeter
Cole Henry
Brad Lord
Cionel Pérez (L)
Andre Granillo
PJ Poulin (L)
Gus Varland
Ken Waldichuk (L)

— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) March 23, 2026

We saw this season that Lord is not someone you really want to turn to in save situations. However, he can be a nice piece in a good bullpen. His profile reminds me a lot of Chad Patrick in Milwaukee, who logged 106 innings this year, mostly in a bullpen role.

From a pitch mix standpoint, Lord relies heavily on his 4-seam fastball and sinker. Both pitches have a lot of movement thanks to his sling shot release. His low release point and funky mechanics make him a tricky at bat. Lord is great at doing the dirty work in the bullpen.

Neither Lord nor Ribalta should be your best relievers, but that says more about the state of the rest of the Nats bullpen. Both are useful pieces who should play a role for years to come. Now the priority should be to acquire truly elite arms so those two can pitch in the proper role.

I actually think the Nats have a decent amount of interesting bullpen arms. The depth is in a much better spot than it was a year ago. However, they need to find a true anchor in the back end to tie everything together. If they do that, we will also see the best of guys like Lord and Ribalta.

Welcome to the 2026 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2026. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. The “Ranking” is an organizing principle that’s drawn from Baseball Reference’s WAR (rWAR). It’s not something the staff debated. We’ll begin with the player with the lowest rWAR and end up with the player with the highest.

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No. 32, Zach Agnos (0.1 rWAR)

No Rockies pitcher had a more unusual collection of assignments in 2026 than Zach Agnos.

He made three starts, earned two saves, regularly worked multiple innings out of the bullpen and pitched in just about every game situation imaginable. By season’s end, he’d logged 91 innings, nearly 39 more than his previous professional high.

He also finished with a 5.93 ERA.

Agnos was more useful than good, but there were stretches of effective pitching and some encouraging developments in his arsenal that suggest he might have more to offer.

2026 statistics

G (GS)	W-L	IP	ERA	FIP	WHIP	K	BB	SV	rWAR
41 (3)	0-2	91.0	5.93	4.57	1.51	58	35	2	0.1

Source: Baseball Reference.

A little bit of everything

Agnos entered 26 of his 38 relief appearances with Colorado trailing, including 13 when the Rockies were behind by at least four runs. For a team that lost 104 games, pitching from behind was hardly unusual.

The Rockies generally weren’t asking him to escape inherited jams, either. He began 31 of his relief appearances with a clean inning and was often left to cover two or three.

There were opportunities to finish victories, too. On April 8 against Houston, Agnos worked 3.1 innings to earn his first save of the season. He added another on April 26 against the Mets.

On May 21 against Arizona, Agnos made his first start since high school.

He retired the first six Diamondbacks he faced. He ran into trouble in the third, walking Adrian Del Castillo and allowing a single to Ketel Marte, but got Corbin Carroll to line out to center to end the inning.

He then retired all six hitters he faced in the fourth and fifth, finishing with five scoreless innings, one hit, one walk and four strikeouts.

Colorado lost 2-1, but Agnos had done his part.

Five days later, he allowed seven earned runs in two innings against the Dodgers, including a home run by Mookie Betts.

Five days after that, the Giants scored seven earned runs against him in one inning.

Fourteen earned runs in three innings, immediately following five scoreless innings against Arizona.

Two months of genuinely good pitching

In July and August, Agnos allowed just six earned runs over 27.1 innings, posting a 1.98 ERA. He walked four batters, struck out 17 and continued working primarily in multi-inning appearances.

All six earned runs came in two appearances.

On July 22 against Washington, Agnos entered with two outs in the seventh and the Rockies trailing 5-0. He allowed three consecutive singles and two earned runs before recording the third out. He stayed in the game long enough to cover 2.1 innings, allowing seven hits and three total runs.

On August 21 against Cleveland, Patrick Bailey hit a three-run homer off Agnos, who eventually allowed four earned runs in 2.1 innings.

Those were the only two appearances in July and August in which Agnos allowed an earned run.

Every other outing was scoreless.

On July 6 against the Dodgers, he threw three scoreless innings, allowing one hit. On August 5 against Tampa Bay, he worked two hitless innings.

For two months, Agnos wasn’t just effective. He was excellent. But that performance was a dramatic departure from his struggles earlier in the season, and he couldn’t sustain it through September.

The difference between those three stretches is striking:

Period	IP	ERA	BB	K
May – June	34.0	8.21	15	19
July – August	27.1	1.98	4	17
September	12.1	8.76	8	6

Source: Baseball Reference.

Agnos allowed multiple earned runs in each of his final five appearances.

It’s fair to wonder whether the workload caught up with him. His 91 innings were well beyond the 52.1 he’d previously thrown in a professional season. His velocity was also down across all six pitches in his final appearance on September 22, although it had remained largely normal earlier in the month.

Something different in the arsenal

Agnos didn’t just take on different assignments in 2026. He also changed what he was throwing.

After relying on four pitches in 2025, Agnos added a slider and sinker to his repertoire. The slider was particularly interesting against left-handed hitters, producing a positive five-run value. Overall, opponents hit just .161 against it.

Agnos threw his splitter less frequently than he had in 2025, but opponents hit just .194 against it in 2026. It also generated a 41.9% whiff rate, easily the highest of his six pitches.

His sweeper also showed promise, holding opponents to a .220 average while generating a 34.6% whiff rate.

The results weren’t nearly as encouraging across his entire arsenal. Baseball Savant’s run value data highlights some significant differences depending on which side of the plate hitters stood:

Pitch	vs. LHH	vs. RHH
Four-seam fastball	-2	-8
Cutter	-6	+2
Sweeper	-1	+2
Sinker	-2	0
Slider	+5	-3
Splitter	0	-1

2026 pitch run value by batter handedness. Positive values favor the pitcher; negative values favor the hitter. Source: Baseball Savant.

Agnos threw his four-seam fastball and cutter more than any other offerings, accounting for nearly half his pitches. Opponents hit .306 against the four-seamer and .359 against the cutter.

Agnos struck out just 14.3% of opposing hitters, placing him in the second percentile among major-league pitchers. He did lower his walk rate from 12.3% in 2025 to 8.6% in 2026, while also improving his hard-hit and barrel rates.

The individual results from his secondary pitches suggest Agnos has something to work with. The challenge is finding a way to turn those pitches into more strikeouts and better overall results, particularly when his most frequently used offerings have been so hittable.

Where does Agnos stand heading into 2027?

Agnos made three starts, posting a 1.69 ERA over 10.2 innings, compared to a 6.50 ERA in 80.1 innings as a reliever. That’s a considerable difference, although three starts are not enough to establish him as a rotation candidate. His more likely role remains that of a multi-inning reliever, something the Rockies leaned on him heavily for in 2026.

But he’s hardly the only pitcher capable of filling that role. Colorado has other young pitchers who could benefit from those opportunities, and as the organization works to improve its pitching staff, there should be more competition for those innings.

At 26, Agnos is still under team control and won’t be arbitration-eligible until 2028. He also has minor-league options remaining, giving Colorado some flexibility to keep him around without committing to a permanent spot in the major-league bullpen.

That works in his favor, but only to a point. His versatility helped him accumulate 91 innings in 2026, but a 5.93 ERA isn’t going to do much to protect his opportunities as better pitching becomes available.

Whether Agnos can turn the promise of his secondary pitches into more consistent results may determine how much longer that versatility remains valuable to Colorado.

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The World Series is over. The Brewers are the champions of the 2026 season. Now that that’s settled, the baseball offseason calendar takes over. The month of November is more important than usual this year with the expected coming lockout, which will freeze roster movement until a labor agreement is reached.

What’s happened so far

Free agency begins

At 9am on the day after the World Series ends, players who are free agents after the season officially become free agents. Their current teams have an exclusive negotiating window for five days.

These are the Orioles free agents: Keegan Akin, Chris Bassitt, Andrew Kittredge, Trevor Rogers

Still to come

November1

Gold Glove award winners announced (already known there will be no Orioles winners)

November 2

Deadline to decide on team and player contract options

Orioles players with options: Zach Eflin (mutual), Luis Robert Jr. (team), Ryan Mountcastle (team), Ryan Helsley (player – already exercised)

Deadline to extend qualifying offers to free agents

Orioles likely to receive one: Trevor Rogers

60-day injured list players return to 40-man roster

Orioles who must return to roster: Kyle Bradish, Ryan Helsley, Colin Selby, Jordan Westburg, Tyler O’Neill

Free agency opens – any team can sign any player starting at 5pm

Contemporary Baseball Era HOF ballot (players, managers, executives) announced

Silver Slugger top 3 finishers announced

BBWAA award (MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year) top 3 finishers announced

November 9-12

General manager meetings (Las Vegas)

BBWAA awards announced (nightly in this order: ROY, Manager of the Year, Cy Young, MVP)

November 16

Hall of Fame 2027 BBWAA ballot announced

November 17

Deadline for players to accept or decline Qualifying Offer at 4pm Eastern

Deadline for Rule 5 Draft-eligible players to be placed on 40-man roster

Orioles to think about include: Creed Willems, Aron Estrada, Enrique Bradfield Jr., Michael Forret, Nestor German, Braxton Bragg, Patrick Reilly

November 20

Deadline for “non-tender” – where arbitration-eligible players are released instead of being offered a 2027 contract

December 1

Owner lockout of players likely to begin when Collective Bargaining Agreement begins at 11:59pm

December 6

Contemporary Baseball Era inductees announced, if any

December 7-9

MLB Winter Meetings (San Diego), specific scheduled events including draft lottery and Rule 5 draft likely to be postponed or cancelled due to lockout

January 8, 2027

Deadline for arbitration-eligible players to settle on 2027 contracts or exchange salary figures for a hearing (postponed if lockout ongoing)

January 15, 2027

International amateur signing period opens

January 19, 2027

BBWAA Hall of Fame Class of 2027 results announced

Mid-February, 2027

Spring training begins (major league portion postponed if lockout goes long enough)

March 25, 2027

Orioles Opening Day at Tampa Bay Rays (likely postponed if lockout goes long enough)

The offseason is officially here and considering that there might be a mad dash for teams to get a lot of their business done before the (what feels like an) inevitable lockout starts on December 2. As such, the trade rumors are going to be hot and heavy and while this is less of a trade rumor and more of a “it would make sense if it happened” type deal, it’s still something to discuss as the offseason gets underway.

MLB Trade Rumors has released their Top 40 Trade Candidates for the upcoming offseason and while Atlanta didn’t have any players who made it into the Top 40, they were still linked with a handful of players when it came to potential trade options.

One position that needs to be addressed is shortstop. The Braves had hoped that this would’ve been solved with Ha-Seong Kim having a successful season and giving them a reason to keep the relationship going but, um, that absolutely did not happen so the Braves are going back to the drawing board. They could bring back Mauricio Dubón to help out with their shortstop situation as they try to find a bridge to the future but again, Dubón’s defense would be better off deployed in the outfield and as a super utility guy instead of being stuck at one position (which probably isn’t his best position defensively). So I’d imagine that the Braves are probably going to figure out a way to solve that problem going forward.

The Braves were linked with two shortstops in this piece: Otto Lopez of the Marlins and Jeremy Peña of the Astros. I’m going to go right ahead and pour cold water on any idea of the Marlins trading within the division and especially to the Braves. Jeremy Peña seems like a more intriguing option, though. Here’s more from MLBTR on Peña:

Given his excellence, it’s fair to ask why the Astros would consider trading him at all. They’re not entering any sort of rebuild, after all. However, this is the exact same situation the Astros encountered with Kyle Tucker. Peña, like his former right field teammate was in the 2024-25 offseason, is an All-Star with Gold Glove defensive talent and high-end offensive contributions. Both are represented by agencies that rarely consider extensions for star players, however — Excel Sports Management for Tucker and the Boras Corporation for Peña.

The Braves are a perfect match on paper, but the Blue Jays, Red Sox, Tigers, Phillies and Rays all make varying degrees of sense. Even teams with a set option at shortstop could consider jumping into the fray, as Peña is one of the most talented players in the game at his position. A deal isn’t a slam-dunk, but teams will try and the Astros will likely hear them out.

Needless to say, Peña would solve a lot of problems for the Braves at their shortstop position. It’s also safe to assume that any trade for Peña would require a hefty return since the Astros still have team control and they’re not exactly in “rebuild” mode at the moment. Still, if the Braves do end up getting involved then I’d imagine that would mean that the price would be worth it to potentially have peace of mind at the shortstop position with a chance to give him a contract extension down the road.

Atlanta was also linked to Jo Adell and MacKenzie Gore in this article as well, so if you want to get a closer look at where the rumor mill may be heading during this offseason, I highly recommend checking out the article.

The re-signing of Caleb Thielbar by Jed Hoyer for 2026 is a perfect example of recency bias.

Thielbar had a very good year for the Cubs in 2025, in some ways the best year of his career. He posted a 2.64 ERA and 0.879 WHIP in 67 games covering 58 innings, and allowed just five home runs. He was a key part of a very good bullpen that helped the Cubs get to the division series round against the Brewers.

But Thielbar had produced a poor year in 2024 with the Twins, who were more than happy to let him go at age 37. So he has a miraculously good year at age 38, and that prompted Hoyer to offer Thielbar a $4 million deal with a $6 million mutual option for 2027 (or a $500,000 buyout).

At age 39 and with that history, it seemed quite likely that Thielbar would regress in 2026, and that’s exactly what happened. He wasn’t doing too badly until April 23, when he allowed a home run to the Phillies’ Adolis Garcia and then left the game during the next at-bat with an injury [VIDEO].

The hamstring injury kept him out about four weeks, and he wasn’t very effective after that. The long ball was a problem for Thielbar in 2026; he allowed 11 of them in 50 innings, more than double his home run rate from the previous year (or indeed, from any previous season in his career). Again, at age 39 and with an injury that probably rehabbed more slowly than it would when he was younger, this might have been predicted.

The Cubs should have just thanked Thielbar for his good 2025 and tried someone else. That was $4 million wasted. Under no circumstances should they exercise the mutual option. Pay him the buyout and let him walk. His career is probably over.

With the Milwaukee Brewers’ 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, MLB crowned a first-time champion on Oct. 28.

It’s the fourth time since 2017 that a first-time team won the World Series.

Before 2017, the World Series went 14 seasons without crowning a newcomer as champ, the longest drought among North America’s four major men’s professional leagues since 2000.

The NFL is currently experiencing the longest drought, having gone 12 seasons since the Seattle Seahawks won their first Super Bowl in 2014 (the Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl in 2018, but had won three NFL championships before that).

The NHL is on a similar trend to MLB by crowning first-time champions; since 2018, four newcomers have won the Stanley Cup. Those champs are the Washington Capitals, the St. Louis Blues, the Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers.

The NBA has had two first-time champions since 2017: the Toronto Raptors and the Denver Nuggets.

How long did Milwaukee wait to win the World Series?

Counting the franchise's inaugural season as the Seattle Pilots and this year's title run, the Brewers took 58 seasons to win the World Series.

The franchise had been to the World Series once before – losing in seven games to St. Louis in 1982 – but had to hold out for the second-longest wait among expansion teams to win it. The Texas Rangers, who took 63 seasons to win it all in 2023, had the longest wait.

The Brewers, Rangers, Houston Astros and Washington Nationals are the only four expansion franchises that have taken over half a century to win the Fall Classic.

The shortest span from expansion to title was the Arizona Diamondbacks, who won the World Series in 2001 after their inaugural season in 1998. The then-Florida Marlins also won quickly, taking the 1997 title in their fifth season.

There is also a wrinkle to the Brewers' first-time claim. While it's the first World Series title in franchise history, the city of Milwaukee has won the Fall Classic once before: the Milwaukee Braves (now Atlanta) won the 1957 crown in seven games over the New York Yankees.

For non-expansion franchises, the longest wait from founding to title belongs to the Philadelphia Phillies, who won their first World Series in 1980, their 98th season. That count includes 20 seasons before the inaugural World Series in 1903.

Their 1980 opponent, the Kansas City Royals, was also title-less, making it the first World Series since 1920 in which neither team had won before. It didn't happen again until this year's Brewers-Rays matchup.

MLB teams that have never won the World Series

With Milwaukee off the board, there are now just four ballclubs without a World Series title: the San Diego Padres, the Seattle Mariners, the Colorado Rockies and the Rays.

Notably, the Padres joined the major leagues with the now-Milwaukee franchise in 1969. If San Diego's drought stretches to 2031, it would match the Rangers' 63-season wait.

Had Tampa Bay won this year, it would’ve ended a 29-season wait for the franchise founded in 1998. The Rays have now lost three World Series, having done so previously in 2008 and 2020.

Of those four teams, only the Mariners have never reached the World Series. The Padres did so twice, in 1984 and 1998, while the Rockies did so in 2007.

Among the teams without a World Series ring, Tampa Bay had the best regular season in 2026 with a 98-64 record. San Diego, however, wasn’t far behind at 91-71.

Seattle and Colorado both finished 2026 with losing records.

Methodology: USA TODAY compared first-time champions using lists from MLB, NBA, NHL and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. For details on franchise expansion waits to win the World Series and current droughts, franchise pages on Baseball-Reference were used.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brewers win first World Series, ending 58-season wait. Who's left?

The White Sox are looking north for their next scouting leader.

Chicago is expected to hire Milwaukee Brewers assistant director of domestic scouting Matt Roffe to oversee its domestic draft operations, according to several league sources. The team has not formally announced the move, and Roffe’s specific title remains undetermined. He would fill the opening created by Mike Shirley’s resignation in September.

The move also continues an encouraging trend under general manager Chris Getz: looking outside the organization for fresh ideas and leadership. Roffe would arrive from the newly crowned World Series champion Brewers, whose ability to identify and develop talent has helped them succeed without a hefty payroll. That makes Milwaukee a sensible place for the White Sox to look as they work to build sustained success of their own.

An executive’s résumé doesn’t guarantee that his former organization’s success will follow him to Chicago. Still, bringing in someone who has worked within Milwaukee’s scouting operation is reason for optimism.

Roffe spent the past five seasons with Milwaukee, working his way through scouting operations before reaching his most recent position. The Brewers’ 2023 media guide listed him as their scouting operations coordinator.

His résumé includes experience across several areas of baseball operations. Before returning to Milwaukee, Roffe worked as an analyst in player personnel and pro scouting for the Arizona Diamondbacks from November 2019 through October 2021. That followed a baseball operations internship with the Brewers in 2019 and a baseball research and development internship with the San Diego Padres in 2018. While attending college, he also interned in MLB’s Statcast and labor relations departments.

Together, those stops give Roffe a background spanning research, technology and player evaluation. How he applies that experience to Chicago’s scouting department will be one of the more interesting parts of the eventual announcement.

Roffe graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2018, majoring in finance and minoring in sports analytics. He also spent time on the Bears’ baseball roster. His freshman season included one appearance and one at-bat, going hitless as a pinch hitter against the University of Chicago on May 9, 2015. WashU won, 13-1.

Now, his next Chicago connection would come with considerably more responsibility: helping the White Sox identify the players who will shape their future.

The Milwaukee Brewers are World Series Champions.

For the first time in franchise history, the Brewers stand atop the baseball world, thanks to a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 of the World Series. And you know somewhere, Bob Uecker is smiling.

But while Milwaukee is known as a small-market team, playing a small-ball brand of baseball, the Brewers just completed one of the most dominant runs in MLB playoff history.

We can start with how Milwaukee rolled through the postseason. After winning a league-best 103 games — three games ahead of the behemoth Los Angeles Dodgers — the Brewers finished the playoffs with a combined 11-2 record. Milwaukee lost just one game in the NLDS to the San Diego Padres, swept those Dodgers in the NLCS, and lost a single game to Tampa Bay in the World Series.

Since MLB expanded to the division series, only two teams posted a better record than these Brewers: The 2005 Chicago White Sox and the 1999 New York Yankees. Both of those teams posted an 11-1 mark, good for a winning percentage of .917.

The Brewers joined the 2022 Houston Astros and the 1998 Yankees with their 11-2 record, good for a winning percentage of .846.

Milwaukee joined another small group with the sweep of the Dodgers. As pointed out by Jayson Stark, the Brewers became just the fifth team in MLB history to win 100 games in the regular season and then knock off the defending World Series champions in the postseason. Also on that list? The 2018 Boston Red Sox, who won 108 games and then beat the Astros in the ALCS; the 2009 Yankees, who won 103 games and defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series; the 1968 Detroit Tigers, who won 103 games and beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series; and the 1942 Cardinals, who beat the Yankees in the World Series after winning 106 games.

And Milwaukee rode an impressive closing stretch to the title. The Brewers went 16-2 over their final 18 games, 19-3 over their final 22 games, 21-4 over their final 25, and 40-14 over their final 54 games.

They only lost five games — FIVE — since Labor Day.

That was back on September 7 if you do not have a calendar handy.

Pitching was certainly a key for the Brewers this October. As noted by the incomparable Sarah Langs, Milwaukee did not allow more than four runs in any of their 13 playoff games, joining the 1990 Cincinnati Reds and the 1983 Baltimore Orioles as the only teams to accomplish that feat over a run to a World Series title since the playoffs expanded back in 1969. And Milwaukee’s bullpen stood out as well, as that group threw 118 innings (55.1% of the available innings, fourth most in playoff history) but held opponents to a .173 batting average while posting an ERA of just 1.38. Those are the second-lowest numbers in a single playoffs since the 2022 Astros (0.83 ERA, .126 OBA).

While the Brewers posted a run differential of +26 over their playoff run, many of their games were close contests. (A 10-1 win over the Rays in Game 3 of the World Series skews that number).

But how Milwaukee responded in some of those games is another key indicator of how dominant — or perhaps how resilient — this group is. Stark found that according to STATS, seven times over these 13 games, the Brewers scored in the very next half-inning after allowing the opponent either tied the game, or took the lead against them.

Only three teams — the 2006 Cardinals, the 1997 Florida Marlins, and the 2002 Angels — did that more. But all three of those teams needed 16 games to do so.

However, perhaps the most eye-popping stat?

Four games to none, the sweep of the Dodgers in the NLCS.

After winning Game 1 2-1, Milwaukee dropped 19 runs on the Dodgers over the next three games, outscoring Los Angeles — the second-best team in the majors — by a combined 19-10.

“This group of guys right here, the 2026 team, will be remembered forever — and they deserve that because they were a team,” manager Pat Murphy said after the game. “They’re not worried about their own stats. No one cares about that. They care about coming together and winning tonight.”

The Brewers did not just win Wednesday night.

They have been winning all season, all fall, and all throughout the playoffs.

And now they are World Series Champions.

Once again we continue to trawl MLB coaching rosters for interesting names who might be available for the Mariners as they reshape their coaching staff. If you missed the methodology/justification/general precis of this series, start here with the setup; you can go on from there to review candidates from the AL Central, and then click here for the next installment, the NL East. Today we’re covering primarily the NL West with the AL West shoehorned in there because I’m skipping most of the AL West, as the Astros and Angels are both involved in their own coaching searches. I’m also skipping the Rangers, because my pick for them – Kyle Moore, who managed the Triple-A Round Rock Express this season, has apparently just taken a job as assistant field coordinator for the Cardinals, per his LinkedIn. Boo. Let’s start then with the lone candidate from the AL West:

Todd Takayoshi (A’s)

Current role: minor league hitting coordinator

Age: 56

Bonus points: Attended Kennedy Catholic in Burien (Go Lancers)

The WAC Player of the Year in 1991 out of University of Hawai’i at Monoa, Takayoshi’s playing career went from the independent leagues to the Angels; he then transitioned to coaching. Takayoshi boasts over 20 years of experience in coaching and player development, the last three of which have come in his current role with the A’s, where he’s overseen the hitting development of prospects like Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer. There are probably some of you reading this who have firsthand experience with “Coach Tak,” who runs off-season camps around the Seattle area.

On to the NL West!

First I must say I’m actually skipping the Dodgers. Current bench coach Danny Lehmann is a name I’ve actually seen connected to the Mariners – and before that the Braves – and I get it, because the 41-year old has been around for a bit after getting his start as a video scout with the Dodgers, so has a reputation for being all about data and analytics. As for on-the-field experience, he has a background as a strong defensive catcher in college at Rice before becoming a Twins farmhand. Also, his uncle is Dog the Bounty Hunter? Unsure if that’s a plus or not. But I don’t think anyone from the Dodgers is actually an under-the-radar candidate for any job, and nothing I could turn up about Lehmann made me particularly excited about him to add to that, so I’m utilizing my skip power in order to talk about people I’m more excited about, like…

Nic Wilson (Rockies)

Current role: Assistant hitting coach (MLB)

Age: 33

Bonus points: Grandmother Elizabeth Wilson was the first Black and female mayor of his hometown in Decatur, Georgia; once dreamed of being the governor of Georgia; values education and lifelong learning.

Wilson is the youngest candidate we’ll profile in this series but he is a rising star who the Mariners should get their hands on before his hometown Braves do. Go read this Medium post from the Rockies or the linked MLB dot com article above, I think you’ll be sold.

Relevant quote: “In a nutshell, his ability to communicate with everybody is over the top good. He’s just over the top really good with people.” – Mark Brewer, former Rockies pitching coach

“Man, I love baseball.” – Nic Wilson

Ryley Westman (Padres)

Current role: Director, player development

Age: 42

Bonus points: N/A

Despite having a solidly Gen Z name, Westman has almost two decades of coaching experience, the bulk of it coming with the Rangers and Padres, and at a variety of positions, from manager to bench coach to hitting coach to catching coordinator to player development.

Relevant quote: “If we’re truly going to impact these guys, the better that you can relate with them and understand how they’re going to receive your message and know who they are, because they’re all different…really spend time with them, know them, invest yourself in them, and when it’s time to deliver that message or ask something from them or motivate them to another level, the the relationship you have with them is really going to carry a lot of weight.”

I should note here that commenter OlyFan was hopeful for a Nick Punto shoutout; I also debated Triple-A manager Pete Zamora for this slot, but Westman won out mostly because there’s a lot of interview footage of him due to his long tenure with the Padres and I was very compelled by him; however, I am willing to hear arguments in the comments.

Ed Lucas (Giants)

Current role: Director of Player Development

Age: 44

Bonus points: former Mariner; Ivy League Player of the Year (Dartmouth, 2004); kickass wife who has built an empire so that Ed can coach For The Love of the Game (ask me more about Holly and how she took on Hugo Boss over their attempt to trademark the word “boss” and how awesome she is, please, I beg you). Also would he be the first Mariners coach to have tweeted at Jon Bois? Maybe!

Jake Lamb (Diamondbacks)

Current role: Assistant, Player Development

Age: 36

Bonus points: Former Mariner, UW alum, Seattle-born (shoutout Bishop Blanchet), actual big-league playing experience, also it’s JAKE LAMB

Do I know anything about Jake Lamb other than that he’s Seattle baseball royalty? I do not. Do I care? Also no. Bring him home.

As has been foreshadowed all year, the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) is set to expire on December 1, 2026.

Initial negotiations throughout the 2026 season have failed to result in a framework that both sides can agree to. This means that, unless something very unexpected occurs over the next month, MLB will be initiating a lockout when the current deal expires.

Now that the offseason is imminent and the lockout still seems inevitable, it’s time to set expectations for how this all works and what will differ about this offseason from a standard one.

What is a lockout?

A lockout is, essentially, the league forbidding teams from engaging with players in any way until a new CBA is agreed to.

Importantly, a lockout is distinct from a strike. In the latter, the players would be the party initiating the work stoppage whereas it is the league’s decision whether or not to enact a lockout.

News: MLB sent a 34-page memo to owners and high-ranking officials across the league detailing what to expect — and how to act — during the lockout.

MLB’s official website and club websites will again be scrubbed of player images and videos.

And holiday cards? MLB says clubs…

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) October 8, 2026

A lockout is not required. The two sides could continue to operate normally while negotiating if they chose to. In 1994, the league did not enact a lockout, and the offseason operated normally as did the start of the season. It was not until mid-season that the players’ union authorized a strike after having seen no willingness from the owners to budge from their position about a salary cap. That mid-season strike and subsequent loss of the 1994 World Series was devastating for the owners and ultimately led to them dropping their demands for a salary cap.

Since then, the owners have not been willing to risk repeating a mid-season work stoppage.

Instead, if initial negotiations do not look like they will be easily resolved, MLB initiates a lockout the day the CBA expires. When that occurs, the following happens:

• Major League games can not be played.
• Teams are not allowed to contact players on their 40-man rosters.
• Teams are not allowed to make any transactions (signings, trades, etc.) involving Major League players.
• Players will not be paid their standard base salaries. The only money moving between teams and players during a lockout is from deferred contracts or signing bonuses that happen to be due during the lockout.
  • It is important to note, however, that the base salary of MLB players is only paid during the season even under normal circumstances. The players’ union will not feel the effect of a lockout on their wallet unless it drags into the start of the season.
• Players are not allowed to use any team-affiliated facilities regardless of the purpose.
• Any normal offseason activities that involve Major League players (notably the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft and spring raining games) will be delayed or cancelled depending on the length of the lockout.
• MLB.com and all official team websites will have all references to specific active players removed.

Essentially, MLB as a whole must stop operating during a lockout for as long as it lasts.

Minor Leagues

The restrictions above only apply to active members of the MLBPA.

Players that are either not on a team’s 40-man roster or a Major League free agent are not subject to the same CBA as the others are. This means that a lockout does not apply to minor league players unless they are on their organization’s 40-man roster.

Teams will be able to continue communicating with their minor league players throughout the offseason as well as signing minor league free agents. Should the lockout extend into spring training, minor leaguers will be able to participate in team workouts. Should the lockout extend into the regular season, the minor league season will begin as normal, with the exception of any players on their organization’s 40-man roster being barred from participating.

Timeline

December 1 is the most important date to remember as it is the final day of the current CBA. At midnight EST, the league is expected to initiate a lockout, just as they did in 2021.

Major League Baseball has officially implemented a lockout, sources tell ESPN. The ninth work stoppage in the sport’s history has begun.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 2, 2021

This means that, just like in 2021, once the mandatory five-day waiting period following the end of the World Series concludes on November 2, teams will be able to make normal offseason transactions for roughly a month. They will be able to sign free agents, make trades, designate players from their 40-man roster for assignment, etc. until the lockout begins on December 1.

This dynamic led to an extremely busy November in 2021. Teams rushed to get as much certainty about their rosters as they could before the lockout officially went into effect. It is very possible that a similar frenzied month of transactions will occur again this November.

The lockout will almost certainly last until both sides agree to a new CBA. There is no strict timeline on this process completing. It could happen before the end of the 2026 calendar year (unlikely) or continue well beyond March 24, the currently scheduled Opening Day.

During the last CBA negotiations, the lockout lasted until March 10. At that time, the two sides were able to agree to a deal that included a delay to Opening Day to allow for three weeks of spring training, but salvaged a full 162 game regular season by rescheduling the opening week games for later in the season in addition to some double-headers.

How does it end?

Essentially, once a lockout is initiated, everything MLB related comes to a halt until either the two sides agree to a new CBA.

The only other way that the lockout would end is if the league decides to end it without a new contract agreed to. In that unlikely scenario, the MLBPA would have the option of formally striking or returning to normal operations under the old agreement while negotiating the next one.

For a new CBA to be ratified requires the approval of both the MLB team owners as well as the MLBPA.

• The league must pass a majority vote among the 30 team owners on a proposed CBA. With 30 total teams, the owners need a minimum of 16 yes votes on any proposal to ratify it.
• The Players’ Association must pass a majority vote between the player representatives for each of the 30 teams and the eight-player Executive Subcommittee. This means that the total voting body for the MLBPA is 38 and requires 20 yes votes for a majority.
  • It is worth noting that while the current CBA was ratified by the MLBPA with a 26-12 margin, the entire Executive Subcommittee at the time voted no on the proposal.

Until both sides vote to accept a CBA proposal, the lockout is expected to continue.

What it means for the Rockies

The above context about the impending lockout is equally relevant for all 30 teams in MLB. For the Rockies specifically, the lockout brings with it some interesting wrinkles and context.

• Rockies owner Dick Monfort is on the negotiating committee for the owners and has been a vocal advocate for a salary cap. Whether he gets his wish or not, it will be very telling to see how the team operates in the wake of whatever eventual agreement is made.
  • Monfort was also on the negotiating committee during the last round of CBA negotiations in 2021-2022. The Rockies were not particularly active during the initial transaction frenzy in November before the lockout but after the deal was struck Monfort gave the green light to the largest free agent contract in franchise history. There is no guarantee a similar thing will occur this time around, however, it would be an understandable for Monfort to want to make a show of confidence in whatever deal is eventually agreed to.
• In his post-season press conference, Rockies President of Baseball Operations Paul DePodesta said that in terms of a lockout the team just needs to be “prepared for any eventuality.” He mentioned specifically being ready to act aggressively in a way that the team was not in a position to early last offseason. Perhaps that portends to the Rockies being busy in November before the lockout is initiated.
• For his part, team President Walker Monfort stated that while losing games due to an extended lockout “would have a negative impact” that the team would operate as if they were planning for a standard regular season. It is possible that the impact of losing games, while large for all teams, would be less dire for a team deep in a rebuild like the Rockies than for those teams that have pushed their chips in for 2027.
• There was speculation all of last season that the Rockies were attempting to keep Charlie Condon (No. 2 PuRP) off the 40-man roster, despite a strong season at Triple-A, specifically so that he would not be subject to a lockout this offseason. Regardless of whether Condon was kept down in Albuquerque with this in mind or not, the net effect is that the third overall pick from the 2024 draft will be able to communicate with team personnel and participate in minor league games no matter how long the lockout lasts.

When all is said and done, the Rockies (and the rest of the league) are in for an unpredictable winter.

The basic framework of what’s coming is in place, but the specifics of how things play out will entirely depend on how negotiations progress once the threat of losing games becomes more immediate. Now we simply need to wait and see whether the two sides are able to find a compromise that both find acceptable.

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The Pittsburgh Pirates and the rest of Major League Baseball is officially in the offseason after the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 of the World Series to clinch their first title in franchise history.

After two years of the Los Angeles Dodgers winning it all with a top-three payroll in the league, this was a stark difference. Both the Brewers and Rays finished in the bottom half of the league in terms of payroll, yet they were the two most successful teams in the league all season long.

Milwaukee finished the season with a payroll of $146.2 million, which ranked 19th in the league, while the Rays were at $95.6 million. Only the Miami Marlins and Cleveland Guardians, who lost in the American League Championship Series, had cheaper payrolls than the Rays.

The Pirates hovered right in the middle of the Brewers and Rays, with a payroll of $106.7 million, which ranked 23rd in the league. They finished the year with an 82-80 record, their best mark since the 2018 season. They snapped an eight-year streak of losing seasons this year, proving that they are making some strong decisions within the organization.

Last offseason, the Pirates made an effort to spend a little bit more than they have in the past. In 2025, the team had an $84.4 million payroll, which ranked 27th in the league, and that resulted in just 71 wins for the club. By signing players like Ryan O’Hearn and trading for Brandon Lowe in free agency, the Pirates were able to improve their win total by 11 games, which could be a sign of what’s to come.

If the Pirates spend a little bit more money this offseason to improve some of their weaker spots in the lineup, it could result in another jump in the record books. That could lead to their first playoff appearance since 2015, when they were in the National League Wild Card game.

A lot needs to go the right way for the Pirates, but the Brewers’ success in scouting and development, along with just a smidge more spending, could go a long way for them.

In my last installment of “Playing Picollo,” I made a series of trades to reshape the Royals’ roster, leaving me with about $40 million to spend in free agency. The bullpen remains the biggest need, but there are still holes to fill in the outfield and rotation, and a couple of high-profile free agents have caught my eye. Unfortunately, I can’t have everyone, so I’ll have to make some tough choices. And before I’m done, I may have one more trade up my sleeve.

If you’ve listened to the Royals Rundown podcast much since the season ended, you know I desperately want to sign both Seiya Suzuki and Adrián Morejon. Unfortunately, they’re probably the two best players at their positions in free agency, so the bidding is going to be high on them. The Athletic predicts them at 5 years/$120 million and 3 years/$42 million, respectively. Technically, I could fit those two contracts into my roster, as their combined AAV comes to $40 million. But, realistically, I would guess that The Athletic is a bit low on at least one of them, and that would give me no wiggle room to do anything else. So I’m going to have to choose.

It’s a difficult choice. The bullpen needs help even more than the lineup does, but Suzuki would represent possible inroads into the Asian market that the Royals have thus far been unable to penetrate. It’s such a difficult choice that, instead of making it, I’m going to make one more trade first. I actually got both Jacob Milham and Max Rieper to sign off on this one.

Trade: Seth Lugo to Astros for Tatsuya Imai

This is a classic swap of dud contracts in the hopes that the players do better with a change of scenery. My favorite example will always be the time the Royals sent Jonathan Sanchez to the Rockies for Jeremy Guthrie. Imai is the clearly better pitcher, but he still wasn’t very good. And the real problem is that if he rebounds, he’s gone, because his contract is a series of player options. However, if he’s bad, you’ve got to pay him another $19 million in 2028. But I’m going to bet on Brian Sweeney getting him pitching well enough that he’ll decline to exercise that option.

Another benefit from the Royals’ perspective is that Imai has more recent bullpen experience. He finished the season in the Astros’ pen, so we can probably start him there and feel more comfortable about it than we would have with Lugo.

OK, time to make that choice.

Free agent signings

LHP Adrián Morejón, 3 years/$45 million

The Royals need depth more than they need a star, so I’m going to take the cheaper of my two preferred free agents and use the savings to bring in more guys. In case you’re unaware of how good Morejón was last year, he accrued almost 3 fWAR as a reliever. That’s nearly impossible to do. He had a 2.83 ERA and a 22.4% K-BB%. He’s going to be an exciting new closer and allow us to shift everyone else in the bullpen back a step, strengthening the whole unit.

I gave him a bit more than the projection because I think that’s what it would take to outbid everyone else. I’d probably even be willing to go as high as $50 million, but I’d want to start deferring some of that if possible.

LHP Steven Okert, 2 years/$16 million with a mutual option

I’m giving Okert a mutual option here with a $4 million buyout to push some of that money down the road. Okert doesn’t have a prediction on The Athletic’s article, so I looked at the reliever deals they have on there and knocked a couple million off because he’s comparable to at least some of those guys. Okert wasn’t great until two years ago, when he joined the Astros, but he’s been lights-out ever since, with good K-BB% figures and ERAs to match. I traded Daniel Lynch IV and baseball is chock full of left-handed hitters now, so I want to make sure my bullpen is stocked with them.

OF Taylor Ward, 1 year/$10 million

That’s the projected offer from The Athletic, and based on how poorly his season ended, I’ll do it. I think it’s worth the risk to see if he can rebound a bit. He can also platoon in left field with John Rave while Dylan Crews and Carson Roccaforte handle center field. I don’t plan for either position to be a strict platoon, of course. We need to play the hot hand regardless of the pitcher, but having the option to flip handedness and pinch-hit should give Matt Quatraro the flexibility to get the most out of his lineup.

RHP Hiromi Itoh, 3 years/$30 million

Since I didn’t get Suzuki but I did trade for Imai, and Kansas City isn’t known for its huge Asian population, I’d like to add Itoh here – coming from the Nippon Ham Fighters of the NPB – to give us a strong foothold in the Japanese market and hopefully to help both pitchers adjust to MLB. I don’t think Itoh is going to be in high demand because of his slight frame and lack of velocity despite his real NPB success, but that might mean he’s ripe to take a chance on a team that’s willing to take a chance on him.

As I’ve repeatedly written and spoken about, I simply don’t believe free agency is a good way to build a roster these days. So I did most of my work through the trade market, but I feel pretty good about these free agent signings to fill the remaining gaps. There are a number of relievers I’d offer minor league deals to for depth, including A.J. Minter, Evan Phillips, Derek Law, and Craig Kimbrel. They might get major league deals elsewhere, and good for them. I don’t think it’s smart to spend a ton of money on the bullpen, especially past the top guy or two. Guys surprise in both good and bad ways all the time and you don’t want to be locked in.

Final roster

Before I give you the 26-man roster, here are the guys I’m cutting from the 40-man to fit the four new free agents:

• Alec Marsh
• James McArthur
• Steven Zobac
• Ben Kudrna

I could have chosen Carlos Duran instead of any of them. And I really like McArthur, so actually, yeah, let’s make that switch.

• Alec Marsh
• Carlos Duran
• Steven Zobac
• Ben Kudrna

Anyway, here’s the new 26-man roster, first the position players (all new players in bold):

• C Salvador Perez
• C Carter Jensen
• 1B Vinnie Pasquantino
• 2B Michael Massey
• 3B Maikel Garcia
• SS Bobby Witt Jr.
• OF Jac Caglianone
• OF Carson Roccaforte
• OF Dylan Crews
• OF Taylor Ward
• OF John Rave
• UT Nick Loftin
• UT Tyler Tolbert

And the pitchers:

• SP Reid Detmers
• SP Noah Cameron
• SP Michael Wacha
• SP George Kirby
• SP Hiromi Itoh
• RHP Ryan Feltner
• RHP Lucas Erceg
• RHP Nate Pearson
• RHP Tatsuya Imai
• LHP Adrián Morejón
• LHP Anthony Gose
• LHP Steven Okert
• RHP Tony Gonsolin

Isaac Collins, Connor Thomas, Steven Cruz, and Nolan Hoffman all have options, so I can safely demote them to the minors. The relievers will all be up at some point. Collins probably will, too, assuming the entire outfield doesn’t stay healthy for the entire season.

While we’re at it, let’s imagine the lineups against left-handed and right-handed pitching.

Against right-handers:

• C Carter Jensen
• SS Bobby Witt Jr.
• RF Jac Caglianone
• 3B Maikel Garcia
• 1B Vinnie Pasquantino
• 2B Michael Massey
• DH Salvador Perez
• LF John Rave
• CF Carson Roccaforte

Against left-handers:

• 3B Maikel Garcia
• SS Bobby Witt Jr.
• RF Jac Caglianone
• DH Carter Jensen
• LF Taylor Ward
• 1B Vinnie Pasquantino
• 2B Nick Loftin
• C Salvador Perez
• CF Dylan Crews

Again, you don’t have to do it strictly by handedness. If Crews is hot and Rocc isn’t, then let Crews hit righties for a bit, etc.

Overall, I think this is a pretty decent roster considering how much work there was to do to get it where it needed to be. That’s not a perfect lineup, but I think it would be better than last year’s. And my new starting rotation has a much better history of health than the one the Royals started 2026 with. The silver lining with all those guys going down with TJ surgery last year is that some of them should return in midseason to help fill in the gaps as this team accrues its own injuries.

I even came in under budget! I added $43 million in salary obligations, but dropped around $3 million by demoting players and saved myself $4 million in the Lugo/Imai swap. That brings me to approximately $162 million spent.

The 2028 season is a completely different problem, and maybe I should be more concerned about that. But as a GM who is focused on building my roster through trades as opposed to just promoting from within or signing a lot of free agents, I think if we need to make adjustments downward in spending for 2028, I’ll be able to find takers for some of my expensive players as the prospects I still have rise through the ranks to fill those gaps.

What do you think of this roster? Would you be excited if this is what the Royals actually did?

After a relatively topsy-turvy offseason, José Suárez somehow ended up back with the Atlanta Braves after getting DFA’d twice during the offseason by two different teams. He ended up doing well enough in Spring Training to make the Opening Day roster and even made a start for the Braves while he was here.

I think the fact that I am mentioning that he “made a start” for the Braves is an indicator that this wasn’t exactly a rip-roaring success for Suárez during his second go-around with Atlanta. Let’s talk about it, though.

How Acquired

After the Braves initially picked up Suárez in a trade with the Angels for Ian Anderson, he was DFA’d by Atlanta in January 2026 and subsequently claimed by the Baltimore Orioles. A few days later, the Braves claimed him back after the Orioles DFA’d him not long after claiming him. Ah, the life of being a fringe player in Major League Baseball, man.

What were the expectations?

Considering the offseason that he had with the Braves that I just described to you, it sure didn’t seem like Atlanta had many big plans for José Suárez in 2026. Sure, he was pretty good at accumulating whiffs, avoiding barrels and keeping the ball on the ground, but he wasn’t too successful with anything else — outside of a spot start in September where he absolutely dominated the Nationals (and then added on three more shutout innings against Washington a few days after that). He also didn’t really get much of an opportunity, as he only made seven appearances for the Braves in 2025.

With that said, Suárez did have some success as a starter and swingman in 2021-2022, though he fell apart afterwards. Projection systems didn’t seem to fully abandon that: Steamer saw him as a decent long man and fifth starter type, while ZiPS was a lot more optimistic with its central estimate of Suarez serving as a pretty bulky, 1 WAR-ish swing guy.

2026 Results

This time, José Suárez made eight appearances for the Braves in 2026. He ended up making the Opening Day roster out of Spring Training as a long relief pitcher and made his debut on March 31 in a start against the Athletics. It was, um, inauspicious to say the least; that was basically the end of any ideas of Suárez potentially being a starter for the Braves in 2026.

He then went on to pitch mostly low-leverage innings for the handful of appearances that he made from that point forward. Outside of his usual dominance against the Nationals, there wasn’t much to write home about for Suarez as the valleys ended up being deeper than his peaks. While his FIP- of 66 (2.73 FIP) suggests that he may have suffered from a little bit of bad luck compared to his lofty ERA- of 158 (6.60 ERA), he also benefited from a low HR/FB rate (93 xFIP-). The problem was that the José Suárez Experience made that FIP and xFIP nigh-unlivable, because he was walking batters at a 15.2 percent rate, and usually you’re asking for trouble with that much self-inflicted traffic on the basepaths. Sure, he struck out enough guys to not totally fall apart, and kept the ball on the ground-ish, but no one wants to insert the pitching equivalent of a rain delay into a game and hope he doesn’t blow up.

Either way, his appearance on April 30 (in the ninth inning, no less!) against the Tigers wound up being his final one for the Braves, as Atlanta DFA’d him on May 1 and the Mariners claimed him soon after that. He only made one appearance for Seattle before being DFA’d once again, but he ended up getting moved to the A’s for cash considerations. He actually got to spend a decent amount of time with the Athletics and made 36 total appearances before the A’s eventually DFA’d and released him in early-September.

His seasonal line was actually pretty good and right in line with projections: 0.6 fWAR on the back of a 134 ERA-, 89 FIP-, and 100 xFIP-. It was simultaneously a pretty good season for Suárez, but also kind of a miserable one in terms of the experience for the teams that employed him.

What went right?

Well, he ended up finishing the season with a Barrel percentage of 2.7 percent (99th percentile according to StatCast) and a Hard-Hit percentage of 32.3 percent (91st percentile) so he was pretty good at not getting hit hard. While he was with the Braves, he managed to deliver another strong performance against the Washington Nationals on April 21. He came in while the Braves were trailing 4-1 after a rough start from Reynaldo López and he proceeded to eat up nine outs while striking out four batters. He did give up four walks but none of them came around to score, so this was a solid effort for Suárez. (The Braves were blown out in the game… but not while Suarez was pitching.)

This was right after he pitched three scoreless innings against the Phillies on April 17 (and got credited with a save!), so there was a brief period where Suárez was looking pretty successful on the mound.

What went wrong?

Well, Suárez got a chance in high leverage on April 30 against the Tigers, where he got the ball in the ninth inning with the Braves down 3-2. Suárez struck out the first two batters and then it all went to pot from there, as he ended up going walk-single (with error)-walk-double to end up putting the Braves in a three-run hole in the bottom of the ninth.

Now granted, that single (and the subsequent error from Mike Yastrzemski) was comical and had to be seen to be believed but still, those two walks and that double basically put the Braves in a really tough position to bounce back and it ended up being Suárez’s swan song in the South. It absolutely wasn’t encouraging to see Suárez struggle with a particularly weak portion of Detroit’s lineup and it probably didn’t seem like things would get any better from there, so the DFA made sense.

It was also the second time he was present for an implosion in about a week: on April 25, he came into a tie game in the tenth against the Phillies, after Tyler Kinley had walked the first batter. Asked to face Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and company, Suárez also issued a walk to load the bases with none out, and a couple of two-run singles doomed the Braves from there. He actually struck out the side in the inning, but as is the theme here: he did okay, the team did not have a good time.

It also didn’t help that he got dinged for four runs on five hits and three walks during his only start of the season (back on March 31 against the A’s) for Atlanta. First impressions are a real thing, y’all.

2027 Outlook

Suárez is currently a free agent but he’s also 28 and a lefty, so it’s not hard to imagine him finding work somewhere in the bigs next season. Plus, all in all, he was pretty much fine in 2026, just in a really painful, unpleasant to watch way. It probably won’t be for a contender but if there’s a rebuilding team that needs some depth and someone to eat some innings when needed, Suárez will certainly be an option for that. I do think it’s safe to say that his time with the Braves is over after two seasons of minimal production with few chances. He probably projects as a generic reliever/swingman going forward… it just depends on how much a team is willing to tolerate his walk-laden profile.

Celebrating Jesse Barfield’s 67th Birthday

Jesse Barfield has always been one of my favorite players.

Barfield was selected in the 9th round of the 1977 amateur draft, the inaugural year for the Blue Jays and Mariners. MLB granted them the final two picks of each round, showcasing their generosity.

Barfield debuted in the majors in 1981 and spent nine seasons with the Blue Jays. He ranks near the top of several franchise leaderboards:

• 4th in bWAR among position players, 29.5
• 2nd in defensive WAR, 9.5 (behind Tony Fernandez)
• 11th in slugging average, .483
• 11th in games played, 1032
• 7th in home runs, 179
• 9th in RBI, 527

Barfield was known for his powerful bat and exceptional defense, especially his strong, accurate arm in right field and remarkable range. Some even believed he could have excelled as a center fielder. There are countless legendary stories about his arm—like throwing a ball over the center-field fence from home plate. I remember watching him snare a line drive on a bounce and fire to first for the out. Barfield led the American League in outfield assists for three straight years (1985–87), largely because teams rarely risked running on his arm. In 1985 alone, he had eight outfield double plays, and from 1985–1987, he recorded 21—more than many teams tally in an entire season.

Barfield, Lloyd Moseby, and George Bell formed an outfield trio that remains the best in Blue Jays history. During his time in Toronto, Barfield won two Gold Gloves, one Silver Slugger, and earned an All-Star selection.

Many people contributed to my love of baseball, but the outfield of Bell, Moseby, and Barfield stands out. Watching them develop into the best outfield in baseball deepened my appreciation for the game. I often compared them to other legendary outfields—while not the greatest ever (the Tigers’ trio of Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford, and Bobby Veach likely holds that honor), I believe Bell, Moseby, and Barfield deserve a spot among the top ten outfields of all time.

In 1989, the Blue Jays traded Barfield to the Yankees for Al Leiter—a heartbreaking deal that ultimately did not work out in Toronto’s favor.

I once received a signed ball from Barfield in Cooperstown during Roy Halladay’s induction. Remarkably, he looked just as he did during his playing days. He was very friendly, but the thing i noticed most was his hands were twice the size of mine.

Barfield remains active on social media: @JesseBarfield29.

Happy birthday, Jesse! Wishing you a wonderful day.

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Celebrating R.A. Dickey’s 52nd Birthday

R.A. Dickey joined the Blue Jays via trade from the Mets, along with catchers Mike Nickeas and Josh Thole. In exchange, Toronto sent Wuilmer Becerra, John Buck, Travis d’Arnaud, and Noah Syndergaard to New York.

General manager Alex Anthopoulos sought an ace to guide the Blue Jays to the playoffs, but things didn’t go as planned. Dickey spent four seasons in Toronto, posting a 49–52 record and a 4.03 ERA over 131 games (130 starts).

Dickey often started seasons slowly with the Jays. For example, in 2013 he posted a 4.80 ERA before the All-Star break and a 3.57 ERA afterward. In 2014, his ERA was 3.82 in the first half and 3.57 in the second. In 2016, he went from 5.28 in the first half to 3.56 in the second. The exception was 2015, when his ERA was 3.11 early and 4.83 after the break.

The Blue Jays reached the playoffs in 2015 and 2016. Dickey made two postseason starts in 2015: one was strong, pitching 4.2 innings and allowing just one run before being replaced by David Price; the other was rough, lasting only 1.2 innings and surrendering five runs in a loss to the Royals.

Dickey appears on several franchise pitching leaderboards:

• Tied for 15th in wins.
• 13th in innings pitched.
• 18th in strikeouts
• 13th in starts.

Many fans were disappointed by Dickey’s performance, largely because expectations were set so high after his Cy Young-winning season with the Mets. We believed he would be the ace to take us to the World Series, but it was unfair to place all those hopes on him.

Dickey came across as a genuinely good person who appeared to enjoy his time in Toronto. He was far from the typical baseball player—he took pleasure in playful media interviews, using big words to keep reporters on their toes. For us fans who appreciated his intellect, it was refreshing to see a fellow ‘nerd’ on the team.

In 2017, Dickey pitched for the Braves, finishing 10–10 with a 4.26 ERA in 31 starts.

Over his 15-season career, Dickey posted a 120–118 record with a 4.04 ERA in 300 starts and 100 relief appearances. His best year was 2012, when he went 20–6 with a 2.73 ERA.

Happy birthday, R.A.! Hope you have a fantastic day.

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It’s also Dana Eveland’s 43rd birthday. In 2010, Eveland made nine starts for the Blue Jays, posting a 6.45 ERA.

Eveland pitched in 11 MLB seasons, appearing in 187 games and making 61 starts. He compiled a 20–28 record with a 5.46 ERA.

Happy birthday, Dana!