Category: Baseball

This year, the Dodgers watched the World Series from home, with the Milwaukee Brewers’ World Series victory over the Tampa Bay Rays officially ushering in a fresh slate for the Dodgers to plan their 2027 championship pursuit.

“When you take the experience and the talent of our core guys, and you look at what is coming [up through the farm system], that is what gives us a high degree of confidence about being able to sustain this,” said Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, in his end-of-season news conference, “not just in 2027, but as we look out.”

As the Dodgers attempt to strengthen their roster to climb back to the top, however, they’ll have to navigate a disjointed winter transaction window.

Read more:Shaikin: Tensions between MLB and players' union continue to escalate amid salary-cap battle

MLB owners are expected to impose a lockout when the collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1. If that happens, the offseason will grind to a halt, suspended indefinitely until the two sides sign a new agreement.

Will that expected shutdown spur early action in free agency?

Will the threat of a salary cap freeze the player market?

It’s unclear, but teams are readying themselves to jump into action whenever the market does move.

“There’ve been a number of things that we’ve done over the last couple of years that, in October, early-November planning we didn’t think was likely or that possible,” Friedman said. “An opportunity popped up, and we were at least prepared enough to act in the time to get something done — there’ve been trades, there’s been free-agent signings.

“So for us, it’s just about our internal meetings, getting as prepared as we can be. Because things are going to play out in ways and timing and things that we can’t anticipate, so be as prepared as we can be.”

Amid those unique circumstances, here’s a guide to the Dodgers’ offseason:

Which Dodgers are entering free agency?

Nine Dodgers became free agents at the conclusion of the postseason — although veteran infielder Miguel Rojas announced his intention to retire.

The other eight are utility player Kiké Hernández, and pitchers Tarik Skubal, Eric Lauer, Kris Bubic, Brusdar Graterol, Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia. So, bullpen help and all-around pitching depth have become areas of need.

“Obviously we’ve got some key free agents,” Friedman said. “That being said, if we started the season tomorrow, we feel really good about the roster and team that we have. But that’s never our mindset to say, ‘OK, we’re good enough.’ We’re going to work hard to try to figure out where we can improve, and in different areas.”

Could the Dodgers make a trade?

For the last two years, the Dodgers have had a hot offensive first half (115 WRC+) before a second-half dip (109 in 2025, 105 in 2026). Friedman said the team would work to diagnose the problems that plagued the Dodgers in July and August — and reemerged in the postseason.

“A lot of the rules are designed for the run-prevention side to have a real advantage,” Friedman said. “So much of our focus has been, how do we try to combat that on the run-creation side. And I think there are ways that we can get better. And even if we were coming off a consistent great year, our minds would be, how do we get better? But we’ll definitely spend a lot of time trying to wrap our arms around it and figuring out what is actionable and what things we can improve going forward.”

Friedman pushed back on the notion that age was to blame, saying that explanation was painting with too broad of a stroke.

If the solution involves personnel changes, however, a trade might be necessary to shake up the Dodgers’ veteran position-player group. Whether the Dodgers would want to part with one of their clubhouse leaders, and whether another team would be interested in taking on (or the Dodgers would pay down) any of those contracts, remains to be seen.

Read more:After NLCS exit, Dodgers face big questions about their aging lineup and future

The Dodgers have pointed to their farm system, ranked No. 1 by MLB Pipeline as of mid-August, as a reason for optimism. But their position-player prospects, including three outfielders at the top of the list, are blocked by veterans already on the Dodgers’ roster.

“Things work themselves out,” Friedman said. “There are times where you wake up one day and you’re too left-handed. You start to address it, wake up another day and say, “Wow, we’re too right-handed now. Things happen.

“Like right now, we have a really talented group of outfielders coming through our minor-league system. There have been times where we haven’t. We also have a lot of really talented infielders coming as well. But for us, it’s just about having as many talented players as we can.”

What are the recovery timelines for injured Dodgers?

Shohei Ohtani is expected to return to two-way duties next season and be ready in time for spring training, according to Friedman. Though Ohtani battled lingering left knee and recurring right biceps injuries through much of the season, surgery is “not on the table.”

Backup catcher Dalton Rushing underwent elbow surgery last week. His nine-month estimated recovery would have him back to catching around late July and hitting before then.

Right-handed reliever Will Klein underwent a procedure to remove bone chips from his right elbow last week, and the Dodgers said he was expected to be ready in time for spring training.

What are key early-offseason dates?

Nov. 2: The first five days after the conclusion of the World Series are a “quiet period,” when teams have exclusive rights to negotiate with their free agents, before free agency opens in earnest. By the Monday deadline, teams must also decide whether to extend one-year qualifying offers to eligible players (Graterol, Hernández, Phillips, Treinen, Vesia), and it’s the deadline for contract option decisions.

Nov. 10-12: General managers meetings in Las Vegas. With the winter meetings in December expected to be canceled because of a lockout, GM meetings likely will be the one time for baseball operations leaders to all gather under the same roof this offseason.

Nov. 17: Players must accept or decline qualifying offers by the 1 p.m. PDT deadline.

Nov. 20: By the deadline, teams must tender contracts to 40-man roster players under team control who have not yet signed deals for the upcoming season. Non-tendered players become free agents.

Dec. 1: The current CBA expires.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Happy Friday, everyone! Well, the World Series title has been decided, and the Milwaukee Brewers are the new MLB champions. The team won their first-ever World Series (though, to be fair, no matter which team won they would have been first-time winners, which was pretty cool). It was an incredible series, with some amazing performances, some of which we’ll get into in the links below. William Contreras could probably teach an offseason seminar in ABS challenges, because he was unreal.

Now that the World Series is over, contract opt-outs are picking up, free agency is going to start heating up, and the looming MLB lockout might be the biggest topic of conversation. So let’s just jump right into it.

Detroit Tigers News

• In case you’re keeping track:

• Remembering a vital part of the crew.

• If you ever wanted to be lectured about recycling by a giant tiger, today is a good day for you.

MLB News

• The Brewers lost only two games in their entire postseason run. Take a look at other teams that dominated in the postseason.
• What the heck was going on with the pitcher’s mound on Wednesday night?
• So it begins. Michael King has declined his player option and opted to become a free agent.
• Looking at the path that got the Brewers their first World Series victory.
• 2026 was an incredible year for the Contreras brothers.
• Which Blue Jays players could be under consideration for the major awards coming out soon?
• Why did William Contreras win the World Series MVP?
• Just how dominant were the Brewers this October?
• A look at some of the items from the Brewers’ historic run that are heading to the Hall of Fame.
• Spotlighting a trio of Venezuelan players on the Brewers who are now two-time champions this year.
• What’s next for the Brewers?
• The Brewers proved that there’s more than one way to win a World Series.
• What comes next for the Rays?
• How the Brewers’ stars came through when the team needed them the most.
• The Rays are still proud of what they accomplished, even if they didn’t win the Series.
• The Dodgers are still the odds-on favorites for the World Series next year.
• How Christian Yelich honored the late Bob Uecker after the Brewers’ big win.
• How much did this World Series mean for long-suffering Brewers fans? ($)
• A handy guide for surviving the upcoming baseball lockout. ($)
• Possibly THE World Series photo.

• Incredible quote.

• Congrats to the Brewers.

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Roe Skidmore, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 2016 – The Cubs remain alive in the World Series with a 3-2 win over Cleveland in Game 5. The Indians score first, on a solo homer by Jose Ramirez off Jon Lester in the second but Chicago scores three against Trevor Bauer in the fourth. Aroldis Chapman* gets the final eight outs to record the save, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1963 – Sandy Koufax wins again. The Dodgers pitcher, who finished with 25 victories and 11 shutouts, outpolls Cardinals shortstop Dick Groat, 237 to 190, for the National League MVP Award. Six days ago, Koufax unanimously won the Cy Young Award.
• 1974 – Catfish Hunter of the Oakland Athletics is named the American League Cy Young Award winner. He led the league with 25 wins and a 2.49 ERA.
• 1975 – San Francisco Giants pitcher John Montefusco (15-9, 215 strikeouts, 2.88 ERA) outpoints Montreal Expos catcher Gary Carter for National League Rookie of the Year honors.
• 2001 – George W. Bush becomes the eighth President of the United States to attend a World Series game, and the first since Dwight D. Eisenhower to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Wearing a New York Fire Department windbreaker in honor of the heroes of the September 11th attacks, the President walks to the mound by himself, gives a thumbs up, and throws a perfect strike much to the delight of the stadium faithful. In Game 3 of the 2001 World Series, the Yankees win, 2-1, over the Diamondbacks, behind strong pitching by Roger Clemens and Mariano Rivera.
• 2010 – In Game 3 of the 2010 World Series, Colby Lewis throws six shutout innings before fading and rookie Mitch Moreland hits a three-run homer as the Rangers beat San Francisco, 4-2. It is the first World Series win by a Texas-based team in seven tries. Neftali Feliz, at age 22, surpasses Rangers owner Nolan Ryan as the second-youngest man to save a game in the Series – Bob Welch set the record at age 21 in 1978.
• 2013 – The Red Sox win the World Series with a 6-1 victory over the Cardinals in Game 6. Shane Victorino hits a three-run double off Michael Wacha as the Sox take a 6-0 lead after four innings. David Ortiz collects four walks – three of them intentional – on his way to winning the Series MVP Award.
• 2015 – The Mets win Game 3 of the World Series, 9-3 over the Royals, behind the pitching of Noah Syndergaard and two-run homers by David Wright and Curtis Granderson off Yordano Ventura. 20-year-old Raul Adalberto Mondesi becomes the first player of the modern era to make his major league debut in a World Series game when he strikes out as a pinch-hitter.
• 2019 – The Nationals win their first-ever World Series, defeating the Astros, 6-2, in Game 7. Zack Greinke is masterful for Houston, facing only one batter over the minimum through the first six innings, while Max Scherzer has to work hard to limit the Astros to two runs in his five innings, as he strands a boatful of baserunners. Things turn around in the seventh when Anthony Rendon hits a solo homer off Greinke, and Howie Kendrick hits a two-run shot off the right foul pole against Will Harris to give Washington the lead they will never relinquish. In an unprecedented development, the visiting team wins all seven games of the series. Stephen Strasburg is honored with the Willie Mays Award as the Series’ MVP after winning both of his starts, in Games 2 and 6.
• 2021 – The Braves take a three-games-to-one lead in the World Series by winning Game 4 at home, 3-2, over Houston. The Astros take an early 2-0 lead, scoring a run against unlikely openerDylan Lee in the 1st and another on a solo homer by Jose Altuve in the fourth, but they also strand ten baserunners through the first six innings. The Braves score once in the sixth before leaving the bases loaded, and then strike with back-to-back homers by Dansby Swanson and pinch-hitter Jorge Soler to take the lead in the seventh.
• 2023 – The Rangers win Game 3 of the World Series by scoring all three of their runs in the third inning against Brandon Pfaadt, on a single by Marcus Semien and a two-run homer by Corey Seager. After having a runner thrown out at home in the second, the Diamondbacks can only reply with a single run in the eighth. Rangers starter Max Scherzer has to leave the game after three innings with back tightness, but Jon Gray steps in ably to earn the victory.

Cubs Birthdays:Roe Skidmore, John Burrows, Roy Joiner, Kettle Wirts, Charlie Deal, Rudy Sommers, Tom Nagle. Also notable, Leon Day HOF. Leon Day HOF. Ed Delahanty HOF.

Today in history:

• 1866 – Jesse James‘ gang robs bank in Lexington, Missouri ($2000).
• 1873 – P. T. Barnum‘s circus, “Greatest Show on Earth,” debuts in New York City.
• 1938 – A radio broadcast of H. G. Wells‘ “The War of the Worlds,” narrated by Orson Welles, allegedly causes mass panic.
• 1960 – Michael Woodruff performs the first successful kidney transplant at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary in the United Kingdom.
• 1970 – English metal band Black Sabbath make US concert debut at Glassboro State College in Glassboro, New Jersey; show interrupted twice when they blow out the power.
• 1973 – The Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, is completed, connecting the continents of Europe and Asia over the Bosphorus for the first time.
• 1974 – Muhammad Ali KOs George Foreman in the eighth round in “The Rumble in the Jungle” in Kinshasa, Zaire, regaining the world heavyweight boxing title using the famous “rope-a-dope” tactic.
• 1987 – “Faith,” the debut album by George Michael, is released.
• 1988 – Brazilian McLaren driver Ayrton Senna wins the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, his record 8th Grand Prix win of the season, and clinches his first Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship.
• 1990 – Britain and France complete the “Chunnel” under the English Channel.
• 1990 – George Michael releases his single “Freedom 90” with a music video starring supermodels Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz, Christy Turlington, and Cindy Crawford.
• 1997 – Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona announces his retirement from football on his 37th birthday.
• 2022 – Dutch Red Bull driver Max Verstappen wins the Mexican F1 Grand Prix in Mexico City for his record-breaking 14th GP win of the season, surpassing Michael Schumacher and fellow German Sebastian Vettel

*pictured.

One day to Halloween. An unknown, but certainly much greater, number of days until baseball returns.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

Garrett Stubbs will be DFA’d. ($)

The Phillies need depth in the rotation.

And they’ll try to play every month of their next season like it was August 26. ($)

MLB news

Free agents, ranked.

The Red Sox and Athletics made a trade.

Tatsuya Imai will be staying with his current club.

And the same goes for Bo Bichette.

With the Brewers’ first World Series title now in the rearview, it’s time to enter the baseball hibernation months. Here are some of the key dates to remember as the offseason begins. Remember, this will be one of the weirder offseasons we’ve seen in some time, with a lockout expected to begin in December.

Free Agency & Options

Free agency officially began on Thursday for any players with six or more years of MLB service time who are not under contract for 2027. Negotiations begin immediately, but players cannot sign with a new team until Monday, November 2 at 4 p.m. CT (five days after the conclusion of the World Series).

Likewise, contract options are exercised (or not) within five days of the end of the World Series.

For the Brewers, impending free agents and options include:

• 1B Jake Bauers (free agent; top qualifying offer candidate)
• C William Contreras ($15.5 million club option, but also arbitration-eligible for 2027 even if option isn’t exercised)
• RHP Dustin May (already declined $20 million mutual option; $500,000 buyout)
• LHP JoJo Romero (free agent)
• C Gary Sánchez ($1.75 million mutual option with $250,000 buyout)
• RHP Antonio Senzatela ($14 million club option, no buyout)
• RHP Brandon Woodruff (free agent)

60-Day Injured List Activations

As it stands now, the Brewers’ 40-man roster sits at 39 players, with three on the 60-day injured list — Brian Fitzpatrick, Quinn Priester, and Angel Zerpa. With at least three free agents departing in May, Romero, and Woodruff, the Crew will have no problem activating those three. Senzatela and Sánchez may not have their options picked up, meaning they would join that free agency group, and if Bauers is offered and declines a QO, he would also be a free agent. If the Brewers opt to make some more space on their roster, non-tender candidates may include Grant Anderson, Jared Koenig, Bryse Wilson, Akil Baddoo, and Tyler Black.

Minor League Free Agency

This is the point where the Brewers could add any players eligible for minor league free agency to the 40-man roster and/or to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft. This year’s Rule 5 protection deadline is Tuesday, November 17. Players who have been released from their original pro contracts or with six full years of minor league service can opt for free agency if they aren’t on the 40-man roster. They can also opt to sign a new minor league deal to remain in the organization.

It should be noted that the Rule 5 Draft, which is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, December 9, during the Winter Meetings, won’t take place if there is a lockout.

Last season, the Brewers opted to protect right-handed pitcher Coleman Crow, who had a cup of coffee in the majors in 2026, appearing in five games (18 2/3 innings).

As a reminder, to prevent players from becoming eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, organizations must add players who signed at age 18 or younger to their club’s 40-man roster within five seasons and players who signed at age 19 or older to their club’s 40-man roster within four seasons.

Qualifying Offers

After Brandon Woodruff was offered and accepted a qualifying offer last season, the only real candidate for Milwaukee this year is first baseman Jake Bauers. While he made just $2.7 million in 2026, Bauers became a key player for the Crew in 2026, putting up 3.7 fWAR as he hit .266/.389/.484 with 26 homers over 144 games, earning NLCS MVP honors and helping the Brewers win it all.

This year’s top candidates for qualifying offers ($23.15 million for 2027) include Bauers, Randy Arozarena, Brandon Lowe, Seiya Suzuki, Trevor Rogers, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Adrian Morejon, Ian Happ, Ryan Jeffers, David Bednar, and Matthew Boyd.

If a team gives a qualifying offer to a player who then signs elsewhere, the club that lost the player is eligible for Draft pick compensation the following year. A team’s highest first-round pick is exempt from forfeiture.

Last season, 13 players received qualifying offers ($22.025 million) and four accepted (Woodruff, Trent Grisham of the Yankees, Shota Imanaga of the Cubs, and Gleyber Torres of the Tigers). Bo Bichette, Dylan Cease, Edwin Díaz, Ranger Suárez, Kyle Tucker, Framber Valdez, Zac Gallen, Michael King, and Kyle Schwarber all declined their offers, though each of the last three re-signed with their original team.

Award Dates

• November 1: Gold Glove Awards (8 p.m. CT on ESPN)
• November 2: National Baseball Hall of Fame announces its eight-person Contemporary Baseball Era Players ballot
• November 2: BBWAA award finalists (5 p.m. CT on MLB Network)
• November 5: Silver Slugger finalists (10 a.m. CT)
• November 6: MLBPA Heart & Hustle Award (MLB Network)
• November 6: Rawlings Gold Glove dinner and announcement of Platinum Glove winners
• November 9: Rookie of the Year Award (6 p.m. CT on MLB Network)
• November 10: Manager of the Year Award (6 p.m. CT on MLB Network)
• November 11: Cy Young Award (6 p.m. CT on MLB Network)
• November 11: Hank Aaron Award, Comeback Players of the Year, Relievers of the Year, Outstanding Designated Hitter of the Year, MLB Executive of the Year, and selections for All-MLB First and Second Teams (8 p.m. CT on MLB Network)
• November 12: MVP Awards (6 p.m. CT on MLB Network)
• November 16: BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot released, with voting taking place through December 31
• November 17: Silver Slugger Awards
• December 6: Contemporary Baseball Era Committee of the Hall of Fame will meet and announce results (7 p.m. CT on MLB Network)
• December 9: Winner of Hall of Fame’s Frick Award (for broadcasters)
• January 19: Hall of Fame announces 2027 class (5 p.m. CT on MLB Network)

Other Key Offseason Dates

• November 9-12: General managers meetings (Las Vegas, Nevada)
• November 17-19: Owners meetings (New York)
• November 17: Qualifying offer deadline (3 p.m. CT)
• November 17: Rule 5 protection deadline (5 p.m. CT; see more details above).
• November 20: Last day for teams to offer 2027 contracts to arbitration-eligible unsigned players on their 40-man rosters. More commonly known as the “non-tender deadline.” Last year, the Brewers tendered contracts to all arbitration-eligible players.
• December 1: Likely lockout; some of the events listed below might not happen or be rescheduled.
• December 7-9: Winter meetings (San Diego, California)
  • December 8: MLB Draft lottery, determining the first 18 picks of the 2027 draft. As World Series winners, the Brewers hold the No. 30 pick in 2027.
  • December 9: Rule 5 Draft (1 p.m. CT)
• December 15: 2026 international signing period closes (4 p.m. CT)
• January 8: Salary arbitration exchanges take place between players and teams
• January 15: 2026 international signing period opens (8 a.m. CT)
• Late January/early February TBA: Salary arbitration hearings

2027 Season Dates

• February 10: Pitchers and catchers report to spring training
• February 14: Remainder of players report to spring training
• February 19: Spring Training schedule begins
• March 25: The Brewers begin the defense of their title with a series against the Los Angeles Angels at American Family Field

Frequent board commenter Solanus tracks an enormous amount of pitcher and catcher data, tabulating each game result by hand. Last year, he gave me enough insight into his spreadsheets where I was able to re-create much of the data he hand tabulates (I’m way too lazy for that!) and I wanted to peak at some of those data points and see what we could learn about the defensive side of their catching corps.

The data itself comes from a mix of sources. Statcast data for actual line-ups and game events (who pitched, who caught, which innings, etc.). Baseball reference.com for overall pitching lines for each game, and with Fangraphs because of course there has to be differences in how the data is constructed that doesn’t make it easy. Team ids between sites are different. Player Ids are different. Even game Ids are different, and all three have to be brewed together to knit the data into one consistent result.

I wrote the code. The methods are all Solanus. I simply copied his logic into R code and ran it. So he gets all the credit.

I chose to query both the 2025 and 2026 seasons (you will likely understand why when I go through it). Here is the raw data, and following that some of the interesting morsels I discovered and thought about some.

What do you see?

Here is what I picked up…

1. Take a look at the line marked Reliever WPA. This is “Win Probability Added” (or subtracted) by relievers across the two seasons, distributed by which catcher they were throwing to. This is calculated by accumulating the WPA (added or subtracted) that came with each pitch said relievers threw. What I noticed is that Pedro Pages, in both years, ends up with a significantly larger gain of WPA than the other catchers combined. It would appear that across two seasons and two largely different reliever staffs, Pages is better able to coax out winning performance among the reliever set. Interesting?
2. In what may be a companion stat, take a look at the rows marked RelieverMD and RelieverSD. SD and MD stand for Shutdown and Meltdown and are Fangraph proprietary calculations of reliever performance, where a relief appearance that nets > .06 WPA (ie. increases win chances by 6% or more) is an SD (Shutdown) and a Meltdown is the opposite, which is a relief appearance that decreases win chances by 6% or more. Pages has, by far, the highest ratio of SD:MD among the catchers across both years.
3. Take a look at the line CatcherRApergame. RA is runs allowed. Note that the only catcher to exceed 5 RA in both seasons is Jimmy Crooks. This is a wee bit different than catcher ERA, as this stat just counts runs, not just earned runs.
4. Here is an unexpected twist. Across two seasons, only one catcher was able to coax positive StarterWPA. The 2026 version of Ivan Herrera. Who had that on their pre-season predictions?
5. Having nothing to do with individual catchers, but look and the StarterWPA and RelieverWPA totals across 2025 and 2026 and see how much they shifted. Reversed is really what happened. The 2025 bullpen with the 2026 rotation produces a WPA of 4.6 (instead of just below 0). That is ~85 wins right there. Wow. And I knew the bullpen was bad, but holy cow!
6. Again, having nothing to do with catchers, but notice how evenly distributed the games are in both years. Almost 1/3 of the games were games where the Cardinals scored 6 or more runs and another 1/3 were games where the Cardinals scored 2 or less runs. Presumably, if my math skills persist, the remaining third falls in the range of 3 to 5 runs scored. While much ado can be made about all the close games the Cardinals played, the reality for most teams, most years is that the 3-to-5 runs cohort is going to be crapshoot, 50-50 on wins and losses, unless they have a lights out bullpen. Two major areas of improvement for the Cardinals are going to be 1) reduce the number of games they score 2 runs or less (they only won 16% of these) and 2) reduce the number of games they score 6 runs or more AND lose (they only won 73% of these games). That number needs to be nearer or above 80%.
7. Here is one that probably needs a methodology tweak, but it looks to be on the right path. Solanus calcs starter WPA and assigns as SD (shutdown) or MD (meltdown) grade similar to relievers. If you look at the totals for each season, the number of starter SD and MD outcomes flipped between 2025 and 2026) in a good way. What I need to figure out is … is the .06 WPA threshold correct for starters. They pitch more innings, but lower leverage, so not sure the actual threshold is where I’d want it. More to chew on this winter.

I’m not sure if there is more to decipher from this or not. Although I think that over long periods of time Catcher ERA can be an indicator, it is pretty volatile over small samples. While I gathered two seasons of data, realize that this is only 60 starts for a guy like Herrera and only Pages exceeded 100 starts across both seasons combined. Probably too small to make definitive conclusions, but some trends (as noted above) emerge and can be hard to ignore. Some caveats include: Most of Ivan’s data set in based on 2026, and was mostly restricted to two starters – Pallante, McGreevy. Crook’s and Bernal’s sample sizes are too small to read much into.

Comparing to the Brewer’s catchers in 2026

One of the beneifts of having code instead of hand-tabulating is I can run this for any season, any team. For fun, I ran the same queries against MIL pitchers and catchers for the 2026 season. Some things I noted:

For fun, I ran the same queries against MIL pitchers and catchers for the 2026. Some things I noted:

• Want to know the difference between Milwaukee and St. Louis? Look at the Starter and Reliever WPA numbers. In 2026, the Cardinals starters accumulated .7 WPA and -2.5 for relievers. Milwaukee? 5.3 and 9.5 respectively. The reliever gap alone is 12.12!! Using really rough math, I figure most games started out in the area of 50-50 win probability, with a little bit more to the home team and better team. A .5 increase in WPA takes a 50-50 game and turns it into a win. 12 WPA turns into 24 wins. Right?
• Then, take a look at Catcher starts. Last I checked, William Contreras was a pretty good hitter. If Milwaukee can catch their pretty good hitter 120 games+, why are Cardinal fans in such a hurry to move Rainel Rodriguez off C?
• Another thing to gander at. The Cardinal relievers had a few more Shutdown performances, but overran the Brewers with like 40 more Meltdowns. Hmmm. That could leave scars.
• Last, look at the Brewers win PCT when the score 6 or more, or allow 2 or less. They are up around 90%. That is where the Cardinals should be, not in the mid 70’s.

Have a happy and safe Halloween, or Dia de los Muertos, whichever you prefer.

We’re fully in offseason mode now, as the Brewers’ celebration continues and the rest of the league prepares what moves they can make before the CBA expires. There were a couple of minor trades completed, both involving the Red Sox, and there were a couple of player options decided on — expect plenty more to come as teams whittle down their 40-man rosters and the free agent pool gets finalized. We’ll at least get to determine who gets qualifying offers and who elects free agency before transactions freeze, and it will be interesting to see if any extensions come in during this time period as the game’s salary structure is under the microscope.

We’ve got a couple things on the docket for you here, starting with Andres giving out the latest report card to Cody Bellinger (spoiler, he got a passing grade). Then Andrew will wish a happy birthday to Mickey Rivers, and in the afternoon Josh will reminisce on Gary Sanchez as the Kraken is now a World Series champion… well after his days in pinstripes.

Questions/Prompts:

1. With no more MLB games the rest of the year, what’s your interest level in following any of the other sports over the winter?

2. Any fun plans for Halloween weekend? Got a costume ready?

The Milwaukee Brewers have been a better organization than the Pittsburgh Pirates for a long time. 

They’ve reached the MLB postseason 10 times in the 19 seasons since 2008, something the Pirates have achieved just three times in the same span. They’ve posted 14 winning records compared to the Pirates’ five. It’s not close. 

Still, Milwaukee’s lack of postseason success before this year allowed the Pirates front office the luxury of excusing the gap to a team that plays in a television market two thirds the size of Pittsburgh by casting both organizations as ultimately two unfortunate peas in the same small market pod. 

Required reading: For Pittsburgh Pirates, 2026 was playoffs or bust. Then the season started | Opinion

Not anymore. The Brewers’ dominant, 103-win 2026 capped with a World Series victory this week shreds the narrative that Pittsburgh cannot afford to succeed in MLB’s current economic system. 

One could also argue Kansas City’s 2015 World Series win did that, too. Or that Tampa Bay’s consistent competitiveness in the American League East division that’s loaded with high payroll teams demonstrated a clear path to competitiveness. Or that Cleveland’s eight playoff appearances in nine seasons in a similar market a mere two hours from Pittsburgh undercut the Pirates’ bellyaching about their economic disadvantages. 

Those arguments would all be correct. 

Pirates fans don’t see those American League teams up close very often, though. The Brewers amount to a much more intimate look in the proverbial mirror because of their status as a National League Central division rival. 

It’s the offseason so it’s time to check the latest roster-building websites out.

Everyone, please check out www.dealinthecards.com/gm

Here, I have made an opening salvo at what would be an aggressive, yet realistic, offseason for the Guardians.

-They trade for Alec Burleson from the Cardinals (trading Welbyn Francisca, Ryan Cesarini and Slade Cecconi) and Gabriel Hughes (trading Kyle Manzardo, Franco Aleman and Braylon Doughty) from the Rockies.

-They sign Alex Vesia in free agency at 2 years/$16M.

-They add Justin Campbell, Franklin Gomez, Jacob Zibin, Jaison Chourio and Tommy Hawke to the 40-man.

-They keep David Fry for depth (he still has 2 options).

-They let Matt Festa, Blake Perkins and Shawn Armstrong go.

-The starting lineup is very left-hander heavy, but the bench features guy who can all swing it from the right side. I see Genao getting starts at short, second and third, and maybe getting reps in center. Adell and Burleson platoon, essentially, and Burleson can play first. Angel platoons with Ingle in left, and Ingle can continue to get some reps at catcher, also.

Payroll is a very sustainable $110M.

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The Brewers kept the World Series celebration going on Thursday, taking the Commissioner’s Trophy to Lambeau Field in Green Bay for Thursday night’s Packers-Panthers game. 

Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff led the Brewers onto the field during the first half of the “Thursday Night Football” game to thunderous cheers from the fans at Lambeau as a number of Milwaukee players followed him out of the tunnel, clapping and pumping up the crowd.

One Brewers player even partook in a time-honored Lambeau Field tradition. 

Right fielder Sal Frelick performed a Lambeau Leap to the delight of the crowd, throwing up his hand in the air as the fans mobbed him in jubilant celebration. 

The Milwaukee players were later shown on the video board with the trophy while they appeared to be seated in a suite, wearing cheesehead hats that had the word champion written on the side.

Frelick began pumping up the crowd once again when he noticed the camera was stationed on him. 

The Brewers’ presence seemed to rub off on the Packers as they went into halftime with a 20-10 lead over the Panthers. 

Milwaukee is celebrating the franchise’s first World Series title, which it captured on Wednesday night in a 5-1 win over the Rays in Game 5 in Tampa. 

The festivities will continue on Friday when the city of Milwaukee hosts a championship parade for the Brewers. 

The MLB offseason is officially underway with the Brewers crowned as World Series champions.

The Dodgers, who stood behind Milwaukee and the Fall Classic, lost a number of players to free agency Thursday morning.

Dodgers free agents

A total of nine Dodgers players have hit the open market:

1. Tarik Skubal (starting pitcher)
2. Alex Vesia (relief pitcher)
3. Kris Bubic (starting pitcher)
4. Eric Lauer (starting pitcher)
5. Kiké Hernandez (utilityman)
6. Evan Phillips (relief pitcher)
7. Blake Treinen (relief pitcher)
8. Brusdar Graterol (relief pitcher)
9. Miguel Rojas (infielder)

While Rojas is technically listed as a free agent, he announced his retirement after the Dodgers were eliminated from the National League Championship Series.

Padres free agents

The Padres, who also faced the Brewers in the postseason amid their unsuccessful World Series run, lost nine players to free agency.

1. Adrian Morejon (relief pitcher)
2. Ty France (first baseman)
3. Casey Mize (starting pitcher)
4. Robbie Ray (starting pitcher)
5. Jason Adam (relief pitcher)
6. Walker Buehler (starting pitcher)
7. Ramon Laureano (outfielder)
8. Luis Rengifo (utlityman)
9. Austin Hays (outfielder)

San Diego has also multiple players with player options, team options and mutual options this winter. Michael King, who had a $28 million option for 2027, opted out of his deal with the Padres likely in hopes of finding a long-term deal on the market.

Relievers Yuki Matsui and Wandy Peralta also have player options for next season. The deadline for player options is Monday, Nov. 2.

Starting pitcher Nick Pivetta and relief pitcher Kyle Hart both have team options for the 2027 season. The Padres are expected to negotiate a new contract with Pivetta, who has a $14 million option for next season.

Team options have to be decided by Monday, Nov. 2.

Three Padres have mutual options this offseason: Miguel Andujar (infielder), Griffin Canning (starting pitcher), and Lucas Giolito (starting pitcher). All mutual options are expected to be declined by Monday, Nov. 2.

Giants Free Agents

As for San Francisco, the Giants had only one player become a free agent at the start of the offseason — JT Brubaker (relief pitcher).

Well look at that, the Detroit Tigers have already made a trade. Andrew Parker of Sox Prospects reports, and Chris Cotillo confirms, that the Tigers have acquired infielder Tsung-Che Cheng from the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations. Cheng will join fellow Taiwanese infielder Hao-Yu Lee in Detroit. The 25-year-old left-handed hitter is a solid shortstop with a little bit of major league experience.

The Red Sox 40-man roster was getting a bit crowded, so this clears a spot for them. Of course, the Tigers 40-man roster is also a little crowded with eight players due to be added back to the 40-man roster off the 60-day injured list. The point here appears to be developing some other options at the shortstop position beyond Kevin McGonigle. John Peck gives them a right-handed bat, and Cheng a left-handed one. If this spells trouble for anyone on the Tigers it’s probably Trey Sweeney.

Cheng signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a 19-year-old international free agent for $380,000 back in 2019. The Pirates finally released him last offseason and he was picked up by the Washington Nationals and then placed on waivers, where the Red Sox acquired him.

Cheng has some tools. He’s fast, he can play an average major league shortstop, and he has experience at second base, and a little at third as well. The problem is that he strikes out quite a bit, and his power is just fringe average. He struck out 23.8 percent of the time in Triple-A last year, though he does walk a good amount, 13.5 percent in 2026 at Triple-A, and posts solid chase rates. Still, he does swing a miss more than you’d like, and needs to trim that down to be a regular platoon player. More likely the Tigers want to work with him and stash him in Toledo with Trei Cruz gone, Sweeney lost and not recovering from a major shoulder surgery, and few other shortstop options beyond McGonigle and Peck.

Obviously the offseason just began, and for all we know, Cheng will end up getting waived by the Tigers before the offseason finally ends. He’s out of options and not a particularly notable player. For now this is a depth pickup. Perhaps they see something to unlock in his bat, and it doesn’t hurt that Hao-Yu Lee and Cheng are familar with one another as former teammates for Chinese Taipei’s 2019 U-18 World Champion team. Sometimes a little more comfort factor for international players can help.

Bo Bichette’s decision to opt into a second year with the Mets was not a surprise to anyone in the organization. He had one of the worst statistical seasons of his career offensively – not exactly the kind of year players try to ride into free agency. He spoke glowingly of new manager Andy Green. And he seemed to find comfort in the clubhouse and on the New York stage – as if he had arrived with something to prove and finally remembered he was capable of proving it.

But while the Mets have expected for several weeks now that Bichette would be back, his return nevertheless qualifies as crucial to their offseason. With Bichette, the Mets lineup in 2027 will include all the key components of a group that posted the fifth-best OPS in the majors after August 1… even with Juan Soto injured for part of that time.

The top of the order looked versatile and energetic when Francisco Lindor was healthy and leading off and Soto was healthy and hitting second and Bichette was behind them, putting the ball in play with Carson Benge there to drive everyone in. Bichette’s return means the Mets can build on the offense they unearthed late last year, rather than having to reconfigure it.

But because Bichette’s decision was not a surprise, expectations for the Mets season should not pivot because of it. They still need, and plan to pursue, starting pitching. They will still explore options to upgrade offensively at first base, though exactly how high they will aim – and how much money or prospect capital they are willing to spend there – remains unclear.

And they still seem likely to give one of their infield prospects a chance somewhere in the majors next season. With Bichette back, the most obvious place for a prospect to elbow in would be second, though because Bichette has also played second base, the Mets could make room for a prospect at third.

Still, Stearns’s affinity for defensive versatility does not necessarily mean the Mets could not acquire a third baseman not yet imagined. The surest thing for the Mets next year would be to pencil Bichette in at third, then find a proven offensive producer at second base instead of relying on some combination of Marcus Semien, Brett Baty, and/or a prospect. But if the market yielded a proven third baseman, the Mets could theoretically also acquire one of those, move Bichette to second and figure out what to do with Semien and Baty later. Internally, the Mets felt their defense did improve last year, even with Bichette, Baty, and others at new positions.

At this moment, however, the Mets seem perfectly willing to believe in their in-house options at second base: After watching what Benge and A.J. Ewing did after being called up last year, one can forgive the Mets' optimism about what Jefferson Rojas, Emilien Petre, or Mitch Voit could do upon arrival.

Speaking of Benge and Ewing, Bichette’s return will impact the Mets’ lineup through them as well: Bichette, their de facto older brother and alleged batting practice fashion inspiration, will be back to help them navigate the toughest thing they have had to navigate so far: Year two.

A lot happened with the 2026 Colorado Rockies.

They were certainly less bad than they were in 2025. (Let us never speak of that wretched year again.) But they were still pretty bad.

Back on Opening Day when we were so much younger, we all made predictions, which you may read here and here.

But the 2026 MLB season is over with the Milwaukee Brewers winning the World Series, “Ranking the Rockies” continuing apace, and the offseason beginning in earnest.

So as we sum up the year that was and look to the one that will come, here’s tonight’s question for all you Purple Row Night Owls: What did you get wrong about 2026?

Me, I thought Michael Lorenzen would be a positive addition to the rotation, and if you’d told me in March that he would be DFA’d I wouldn’t have believed you.

But here we are.

Let us know yours in the comments.

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