Category: MLB

Some of the top names in the Detroit Tigers’ 2025 draft class may take a while to really get cooking. With the group headed by prep shortstop Jordan Yost and prep catcher Michael Oliveto, the Tigers are unlikely to see one of them rushing the upper levels anytime soon. In the meantime, eighth round pick OF Nick Dumesnil was among the few who got a brief look at Single-A Lakeland last summer. He showed enough to keep an eye on him as the California Baptist University product looks to push his way to West Michigan and beyond this year.

Dumesnil is a 6’2” 210 pound outfielder, and he was drafted at age 21, so he was on the youngish side for a junior in his draft class and won’t turn 22 until March. The Tigers paid him $214,500, just a modest bump over the minimum, so he was another pick to save money for their top targets. His college career was impressive despite his small school background. The center fielder hit 19 home runs in his sophomore year across 61 games and he showed out pretty well swinging wood bats in the Cape Cod League later that season.

By that point his draft stock had rocketed to where he was pretty universally viewed as an early round pick. However, his power output cooled as a junior as he had a little more trouble with breaking stuff. He still cracked 10 bombs in 57 games while stealing 27 bases and drew his walks. The strikeouts were up somewhat but he still made a good deal of hard contact. Even so, the down junior year chilled his draft stock in some quarters, though Baseball America still had him 52nd on their draft board in one of their final mock drafts last spring prior to the July draft.

Dumensil only played 16 games with Single-A Lakeland, so we can’t really take anything from the results, though they were modestly positive, but he showed off some interesting underlying traits. He walked much more than he struck out and his swinging strike rate was a very low 8.7 percent. He averaged 89.5 mph with his average exit velocity, which is really good by MLB standards, though again, this was just a couple weeks worth of games. Still, those are some intriguing numbers for a player who has size and also carries the speed to play a fairly solid center field right now. As a quality college hitter handling Single-A pretty quickly is mandatory, but the amount of hard contact was nice to see.

There are plenty of questions that will need to start being answered in 2026 as Dumesnil makes his full season pro debut. Still, there’s a chance that the Tigers landed a sleeper here with a lot of strong tools. He’s probably not a full-time center fielder in the long-term, but he looks like he’ll be able to capably handle all three outfield spots. His arm is solid, though not a prototypical right fielder’s cannon.

Dumesnil has a tendency to get out in front rather than sitting back to drive pitches to the pull field, but there’s time to work on it. He did produce a lot of ground balls and precious little hard contact in the air in Lakeland. Still, his size and his history say there’s a chance to develop average power, particularly if he can start driving the ball in the air more. He’s not a burner, but he has above average speed as well. Put those tools together with a history of making a lot of hard contact and pretty good zone discipline, and there’s a ton to like considering the price the Tigers paid to draft him.

We’ll just have to see how he handles a better, more consistent brand of breaking stuff and offspeed this season. A good goal would be for Dumesnil to hit his way to West Michigan by this summer and hold his own there.

Jon Heyman tells us that the Jays offer to Kyle Tucker was $350 million for 10 years. He signed a 4-year, $240 million contract with the Dodgers. So I guess the question is will he be able to find a 6-year, $110 million contract at age 33.

I guess it is best to get the money now. And there are likely tax issues that I wouldn’t know about, but I guess the Dodger contact would be the better one. We’ll have to see what happens in four years.

Either way, he won’t have to look for a job after baseball.

Jeff Passan has the information on Tucker’s contract:

Bo getting the three-year, $126 million contract is interesting, too. I’ve long thought he wouldn’t age well, that his impressive batting ability is mostly reflexes and that players who tend to age well are the ones who control the strike zone better. I didn’t expect anyone to offer him $40+ a season. It will take him to his age 31 season and he’ll likely be able to get a pretty good contract after that.

I’m not sure I think that third base is the right spot for him, but he’ll likely be fine there. I think second or left would have been better fit.

It will be strange seeing Vlad without Bo, we’ve had seven seasons with the pair of them. Between the two, they had a 46.9 bWAR and 294 home runs. They’ve made seven All-Star teams. By bWAR they are the 7th (Vlad) and 13th (Bo) best positions players in team history.

Jesse Barfield and George Bell came up the same season (1981, though Bell was back in the minors for the 1982 season). They played together until Barfield was traded in 1989. Thought the 1988 season Barfield had a 29.3 bWAR, Bell 17.1.

Carlos Delgado and Shawn Green came up about the same time, but we traded Green before he built up a lot of WAR.

I’m sure there are other pairings that came up at the same time for the Jays, I just can’t think of them at the moment.

Last year, the left fielders for the Los Angeles Dodgers put up a 99 wRC+. That number is actually flattering because Andy Pages managed to do some of his best work (226 wRC+) in his short time away from center field, in 64 plate appearances. Whether Kyle Tucker comes in to play left or we’ll see Teoscar Hernández make the shift to left, as neither one of them has played the position with any sort of regularity in the bigs, that production is what Tucker comes in to replace. Michael Conforto was the primary left fielder for the Dodgers last season, and we all know how well that turned out, given his complete absence on the postseason roster.

While we could have a lengthier conversation about what Tucker’s specific contract represents as MLB gears up for, at the bare minimum, some tense negotiations between owners and the MLBPA in the near future, there’s plenty to unpack on the field. Yet another perennial All-Star added to this collection of great players, Tucker only enhances the bullseye on the Dodgers’ back, if that was even possible.

Tucker is a fascinating example of a baseball player who makes the most out of his natural abilities. Not necessarily the fastest, Tucker has stolen 25-plus bases consistently for the past four seasons, with the exception of a 2024 campaign cut in half due to an injury. Nowhere near the top of the leaderboards when it comes to exit velocity, Tucker gets to enough power to have a .507 slugging percentage in his career, a master of pulling the ball in the air. Reliably, the former Astro and Cub also has outstanding plate discipline, accumulating nearly as many walks (223) as strikeouts (234) over the last three seasons — that particular aspect of his game has been evolving since his early days with Houston.

Over the last two seasons, for large enough samples, Tucker looked on his way to taking steps forward from the established 4.5/5.0 win player he’s been since 2021 into an even higher level as a perennial MVP candidate—only for it to fall short on that endeavor. Twice, injuries could be seen as the culprit in limiting the impact that was still rather impressive.

Back in 2024, his last season with the Astros, Tucker was magnificent in the first half, hitting 19 home runs with a near-1.000 OPS by June 3rd. Sadly, a right shin fracture, which was initially misdiagnosed as a contusion, kept him out until September, much later than initially hoped. What looked to be Tucker’s best season was cut short. This past season, once again, Tucker appeared set to take that step forward in the first half, hitting 17 homers, stealing 20 bags, and posting a .931 OPS through the end of June. From July onwards, though, Tucker started slumping, and while it’s only speculative, there’s a chance a hairline fracture he suffered on his right hand in early June affected his performance in the second half. Tucker played through the issue, arguing it was primarily a pain-tolerance problem, and his struggles in the second half could have nothing to do with it, but the possibility can’t be totally ruled out.

Having said all of this, the positive sign is that, even in a season with such a prolonged slump as he had last year (.378 slugging percentage in the second half), Tucker was able to put up his standard 4.5 fWAR campaign. While it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest to see Tucker produce career-high numbers if he can sustain the evolution he’s shown since 2024 for a full campaign, whichever version of Tucker the Dodgers get, he’s going to provide a massive boost to this lineup. His addition will help take some of the pressure off Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and company. Furthermore, as we touched on it a bit when discussing who the fans preferred between Bo Bichette and Tucker here, on top of everything else, Tucker is as great as it gets when it comes to left-on-left crime — Tucker is the rare left-handed hitter who looks completely unfazed batting against southpaws (career .842 against LHP).

The Dodgers needed help in the outfield, and they signed the top-ranked free agent on the market to fill that need.

A number of former Washington Nationals players have taken coaching roles this offseason. There are two former Nats who have become MLB managers this offseason, and a few more that are in other coaching roles. The most recent Nat to become a coach is Michael A. Taylor, who will be an outfield instructor for the Minnesota Twins.

This role makes a ton of sense for Taylor, who was an elite defensive outfielder throughout his career. He posted 64 outs above average in his career, and was a positive defender every year. Baseball Savant started tracking OAA in 2016, so this number would have been even higher if Taylor’s first two years in the league were taken into account.

Taylor is making a very quick transition into coaching. He retired at the end of this season, playing the last games of his career at Nationals Park as a member of the Chicago White Sox. Even in his mid-30’s, Taylor posted 3 outs above average last year. 

According to reports, Taylor will be working with Minor League outfielders this season. As someone who is fresh in the coaching world, it seems like the Twins will be taking it slow with Taylor. He will not be given a massive role this year, but if he wants to continue coaching, his role is likely to grow.

Taylor actually played one season in Minnesota, and performed well. He played his usual good defense while also slugging 21 home runs. Taylor was his typical boom or bust self at the plate, but the power and defense made him a valuable Twin. Now, he will be heading back to his old stomping grounds.

However, Taylor is far from the only former Nat to get a big coaching role this offseason. Two former Nationals actually became managers this offseason. The first was Kurt Suzuki, who was hired as the manager of the Angels. He only signed a one-year deal, so the pressure is on the former Nats catcher.

Suzuki brought a couple former Nats with him to LA. Mike Maddux and Kurt Suzuki never overlapped in DC, but the rookie manager poached the veteran pitching coach. Maddux is one of the most respected pitching coaches in the game. He was with the Nats in 2016 and 2017.

Interestingly, Suzuki also hired his 2019 teammate Adam Eaton to be the Angels first base coach. Eaton was involved with the Nats after his playing career, making trips to military bases. Now, he is going to the Angels to join Suzuki. Like Suzuki, Eaton finished his career with the Angels.

Suzuki is not the only former Nat to get a managerial gig on the west coast. Craig Stammen was hired as the Padres manager earlier this winter. The reliable reliever spent the first half of his career with the Nats, before having a nice run with the Padres.

Now, Stammen will be managing his former club. The Padres have a lot of star power on their roster and will have big expectations in 2026. Stammen’s familiarity with the team’s star players should help him out though. 

He actually pulled off a bit of a palace coup to get the job. Stammen was the man interviewing managerial candidates, but ended up getting the job himself. This seems like an AJ Preller driven decision rather than true palace intrigue though.

Like Suzuki, Stammen will have some familiar faces on his coaching staff. Randy Knorr was in the Nats organization for many years, but was let go this offseason. Stammen picked him up and made Knorr the Padres bench coach. Nats cult hero Steven Souza Jr. will be the Padres hitting coach. Bob Henley was a staple in the Nats organization, but he is also going to San Diego, to be the third base coach.

Some of these players becoming coaches makes me feel very old. I remember some of these guys on the field like it was yesterday. Now, they are on to the next chapter of their baseball journeys. These are the most notable former Nats in coaching, but there are more.

Aaron Barrett works with the Phillies as the rehab/complex pitching coordinator. We talked to Wilson Ramos last year, and he is very open to being a coach as well. He does not have an official coaching role this year. According to my sources, Ramos will be doing some coaching during Spring Training, but not with the Nats.

It will be interesting to see which other players go into coaching as the years go on. Howie Kendrick is a special assistant to the front office for the Phillies, so he seems like a candidate. I am sure there will be others too. This is always a fun topic to follow, even if it makes me feel really old.

Good morning, LSB.

Very little out there in terms of Rangers stuff today but we do have Day 3 of Dodgers hoarding discourse?

Ken Rosenthal says there will be calls for a salary cap but that baseball has plenty of other problems to work through as well in order to avoid a work stoppage.

And Jacob deGrom popped up on MLB Network’s top 100.

That’s all for this morning. Have a good weekend!

Pete Grathoff writes about the financial disparities between the Dodgers and Royals.

The Dodgers signed a 25-year, $8.35 billion deal with Time Warner Cable in 2013, and the team co-owns the network.

By comparison, the Royals received $45 million in 2024 from their broadcast deal with Bally Sports Kansas City, according to the Kansas City Business Journal.

Following the 2024 season, the parent company of Bally Sports KC voided its deal with the Royals. Bally Sports rebranded as FanDuel Sports KC and agreed to a restructured deal with the Royals, likely for less money.

David Lesky considers a Kris Bubic trade.

So where does that leave the Royals with Bubic? There is absolutely still interest. One source told me the Mets are very interested. They are definitely in on Framber Valdez, but if he goes elsewhere, it sounds like they’d pivot to Bubic. The Orioles, I’m told, had interest at some point. I don’t know how deep it was, but they’ve also traded for Shane Baz and re-signed Zach Eflin. That’s not to say there wouldn’t be starts for Bubic, but it’s a crowded room there. I’ve heard some rumors about the Braves having interest. I wonder if the Phillies would jump in. They have a lot of uncertainty in their rotation. And I’ve been told the Padres are just sort of hanging on the periphery here.

My guess, at this point, is that Bubic isn’t traded, but I’m not terribly confident in that. The teams with interest just don’t match up all that well.

Craig Brown reacts to the Royals’ international signings.

Former Royals GM Dayton Moore won’t run for governor of Kansas.

KCUR discusses how the Royals are running out of stadium options.

Philip Ruo at Royals Keep writes the Royals could continue to struggle against lefties this year.

The Mets sign Bo Bichette to a three-year, $126 million deal.

The Phillies bring back catcher J.T. Realmuto on a three-year, $45 million contract.

The Twins sign catcher Victor Caratini to a two-year, $14 million deal.

How does the Kyle Tucker signing impact the rest of the league?

What’s next for the Mets after signing Bo Bichette?

The Red Sox still need infield help.

The Cardinals are interested in pitcher Griffin Canning.

The White Sox are interested in Michael Conforto.

Who are the top first base prospects in baseball?

Ranking all potential matchups for the Super Bowl.

The NBA teams to watch as the trade deadline approaches.

Weight loss drugs could save airlines money on fuel.

Rams owner Stan Kroenke is now the largest private landowner in the U.S.

Lucasfilm tried to make an animated Indiana Jones show.

Your song of the day is John Mellencamp with Minutes to Memories.

Good morning everyone! The stove is on fire this week with several major remaining dominoes falling. Let’s get you caught up on all of that and more.

In Mariners news…

• In a recent edition of the Baseball America podcast, J.J. Cooper and Jesus Canó took a deep dive into the Mariners farm system.

Around the league…

• The Mets quickly pivoted after losing out on the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes, signing infielder Bo Bichette to a three-year, $126M contract to be their starting third baseman.
• The Phillies are bringing back catcher J.T. Realmuto on a three-year, $45M pact.
• The Twins are in agreement with backstop Victor Caratini on a two-year, $14M deal.
• Phillies reliever Brad Keller has committed to pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
• Former Mariner Willie Bloomquist has agreed to an extension with Arizona State University to remain their head baseball coach through the 2028 season.

The price on Elly De La Cruz only will continue to rise, but the Reds have been unable to get their dynamic young shortstop to agree to a long-term contract extension.

Even before the 2025 season, De La Cruz rejected an offer that would have surpassed Joey Votto’s mark as the richest in team history, according to multiple reports.

The 24-year-old De La Cruz has made the All-Star team in two of his first three seasons with the Reds, finishing last year with 22 home runs, 37 stolen bases and a career-best 86 RBIs.

“We made Elly an offer that would have made him the highest-paid Red ever,” team president Nick Krall told The Athletic on Friday. “That’s not where he is and you respect that. It’s their career. You keep going and you keep working on what you can do today.”

Votto, a six-time All-Star over 17 seasons with the Reds, signed a 10-year deal worth $225 million in 2012.

De La Cruz, who is represented by Scott Boras, is under team control for four more seasons and won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2029 season.

“I let my agent take care of all of that,” De La Cruz told reporters at the team’s fan fest.

Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. inked an 11-year, $288 million extension in 2024 to remain in small-market Kansas City.

Young stars such as Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna and Arizona’s Corbin Carroll also are among those to have signed nine-figure extensions in recent years to bypass arbitration and put off free agency.

Juan Soto, another Boras client, was a high-profile example of a player who turned down multiple extension offers early in his career, and he was traded from Washington to San Diego to the Yankees before landing a record $765 million contract with the Mets in free agency before last season.

The Reds signed pitcher Hunter Greene in 2023 to a six-year extension worth $53 million with a $21 million team option for 2029 to buy out multiple years of free agency.

“We’ve got a lot of guys on this club that are impact players that have a chance to be impact players,” Krall added. “Hunter took a deal and that was great. We love having him and he’s an anchor starter for us. We’ve had a lot of conversation over the years, it’s got to work out for both parties.”

BCB’s Sara Sanchez will have a wrap of some of the key Cubs Convention sessions later today or tomorrow.

For those of you not attending the convention but following the live coverage on Marquee Sports Network (and the channel is streaming all the sessions), this is an open thread for you to discuss what’s happening at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. Here is today’s schedule (all times Central). It begins at 9 a.m.

I did want to mention, briefly, one thing I noticed about Friday night’s Opening Ceremony. During the ceremony the Cubs showed a couple of videos of highlights of the 2025 season. During these videos Kyle Tucker wasn’t shown — not even when the Cubs’ other two All-Stars, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Matthew Boyd, were noted.

Tucker’s not a Cub anymore, as we all know. But he was a significant part of the 2025 Cubs who won 92 games and made the postseason. He shouldn’t have been completely left out of the videos.

Enjoy the day’s festivities.

The San Diego Padres have had a relatively quiet offseason, especially when it comes to addressing the needs on their roster. However, the Padres did make some news Thursday when they hired former club members Bud Black and Wil Myers. Thomas Conroy of Gaslamp Ball sees the hiring of Black as a positive for San Diego and its new manager Craig Stammen. The former reliever who got the job this offseason after former manager Mike Shildt retired, has never managed and will need to lean on coaches and front office personnel who have been in his position, which makes the hiring of Black a solid move by the Padres.

Padres News:

• The Padres signed eight international prospects on Thursday and Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball provides information on each one. The international signing period is open until Dec. 15, and San Diego has money left to spend, so there could be additional signings as the year progresses.
• AJ Cassavell of Padres.com provided some answers to various questions he has received from fans on Redditt. Some of the questions asked of Cassavell were about A.J.  Preller and a potential extension, what players he sees the team adding via free agency and what his thoughts are on the Los Angeles Dodgers adding Kyle Tucker to their lineup. You can read all the Q&A here.
•  JP Sears is a pitcher who may find himself pitching a lot of innings for the Padres this season. He is also the focus of the ongoing Padres roster review by Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Baseball News:

• A day after Kyle Tucker signed with the Dodgers over the New York Mets and others, the Mets signed free agent infielder Bo Bichette on a three-year, $126 million deal. He joins a crowded infield and will play third base in New York, a position he has not played in MLB.
• The Philadelphia Phillies, who were rumored as the frontrunners to sign Bichette and offered a seven-year deal for up to $200 million, re-signed catcher J.T. Realmuto on a three-year, $45 million deal.
• Tucker and Bichette have signed so the top remaining free agent position player is Cody Bellinger. Many of the teams who missed out on Tucker and Bichette will look to sign Bellinger to address their roster needs and his decision could come soon.
• The Minnesota Twins signed free agent catcher, and former Padre, Victor Caratini to a two-year deal, Friday.

• Framber Valdez is the top free agent pitcher on the market, but Justin Verlander is reportedly drawing interest from teams, including the Baltimore Orioles, who were considered to be one of the suitors for Valdez.
• Star shortstop Elly De La Cruz declined an extension from the Cincinnati Reds last spring. The offer would have reportedly topped the 10-year, $225 million deal the team had with former first baseman Joey Votto.
• The Los Angeles Angels who acquired Josh Lowe in a three-team trade Thursday, have said they are open to playing him in center field. In the same trade the Tampa Bay Rays acquired infielder Gavin Lux and the team announced Friday the plan is for Lux to be the team’s second baseman.

Mike Francesa has a message for Steve Cohen after losing out on Kyle Tucker: You’re no Bobby Axelrod.

The popular former WFAN host ripped the Mets’ deep-pocketed owner and the team’s president of baseball operations, David Stearns, after they failed to land the No. 1 free agent in Tucker, who instead chose the Dodgers’ four-year, $240 million offer.

The Mets offered Tucker four years and $220 million.

Francesa’s comments came before the Amazin’s pivoted to shortstop Bo Bichette, stealing him from the Phillies on a massive three-year, $126 million deal.

“He looks like a weak, ineffective billionaire, who doesn’t know what he’s doing and is being led astray by a guy (Stearns) who doesn’t understand what it means to have muscle and be in the biggest city in the world,” Francesa said Friday on his self-named podcast.

He added: “What (Tucker signing with the Dodgers) also does is it completely minimizes the importance and the strength and reputation of one Steve Cohen.”

While no one can question Cohen’s willingness to spend, the Dodgers — not the Mets — have been the team that seemingly signs any player they want in recent years.

In prior offseasons, the Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki and Blake Snell, among others.

This offseason, fresh off two World Series titles, the Dodgers inked Edwin Diaz from the Mets and now prevented Tucker from landing in Flushing.

Cohen had a major win last offseason when he bested the Yankees to land Juan Soto on a 15-year, $765 million deal, the largest contract in North American sports history.

However, many expected after he became owner that he would simply not be denied for players he truly wanted since he could outspend them all.

He would simply be his “Billions” character in Bobby Axelrrod.

MLB even created the so-called “Cohen Tax” to try to prevent him from just winning every bidding war.

Yet, the Mets have now lost multiple bidding wars to the Dodgers for Ohtani, Yamomoto and Tucker.

“If you’ve never watched the character (Axelrod) that this man (Cohen) is supposed to be, he is supposed to be a ruthless, ‘I win every time,’ kind of guy, and he’s getting punched this way and that way and knocked down and humiliated in baseball right now,” Francesa said.

Francesa noted that Stearns may factor into how the team has operated in free agency, saying that it’s “not working” with the former Brewers’ top executive.

The Mets went to the NLCS in 2024 in Stearns’ first season, but endured one of their most disappointing campaigns ever in 2025 by missing the playoffs with an 83-79 record.

Francesa said Stearns seemingly wants to build a small-market team in a big market for Cohen.

“He looks like an ineffective, soft, middle-of-the-road owner who talked big game and doesn’t get the job done, Francesa said, “and puts people in place to do the same thing.”

Cohen responded to losing Tucker by flexing his financial might to land Bichette, a strong hitter who will man third base for the franchise.

The Mets still could use an outfielder and a starting pitcher despite already being in the highest luxury bracket, meaning they will pay 110 percent on any contract.

“He hasn’t been what everybody thought he would be. …The guy who was supposed to be Bobby Axelrod…,” Francesa said of Cohen.

“The bottom line is he was going to be (late Yankees owner) George (Steinbrenner) on steroids. Baseball was so worried about this guy’s Wall Street reputation and his outrageous wealth that they put in a guardian with him in (former Mets president) Sandy Alderson.”

The Yankees weren’t looking for much in December of 1997. After all, they had just won the World Series over the powerhouse Braves in a six-game series a couple of seasons ago, the franchise’s first title since their six-game victory over the Dodgers in 1978, and finished with a 96-66 record in 1997. Their roster wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was still good enough to finish only a couple of games behind the Baltimore Orioles for first place in the division.

Unfortunately, that meant a matchup with Cleveland, which, despite a worse record, could still be a pain at the time. They certainly were a thorn for the Bombers, rallying against young closer Mariano Rivera to send the Yanks packing in the American League Division Series.

Over the offseason, there didn’t need to be many changes, as the roster needed a few small tweaks. And that’s where former outfielder and designated hitter Chili Davis stepped up to the plate — from both sides, to be specific.

Charlie Theodore “Chili” Davis
Born: January 17, 1960 (Kingston, Jamaica)
Yankees Tenure: 1998-99

One of just five players in major-league history to hail from Jamaica, Davis actually moved to the United States with his brother and three sisters at the age of 10. Charlie Davis took to the baseball diamond to fit in with those in his Los Angeles schools. A catcher and a first baseman primarily at that age, he certainly proved his worth and was taken by the San Francisco Giants in the 11th round of the 1977 MLB Amateur Draft.

Davis took some time to develop in the minors before making his MLB debut on April 10, 1981 at the ripe age of 21. And after playing the first game of his career, he only played seven more in 1981, tallying just two hits across those eight games before management and the coaching staff in San Francisco had seen enough to believe the switch-hitter could be a part of the MLB roster full-time.

In 1982, Davis made the majors and didn’t look back for the rest of his career. He played 152 games and slashed .261/.308/.410 with an OPS of .719, which comes out to an OPS+ of just one point better than average at 101. In the grand scheme of things, that’s not bad at all for a 22-year-old on a Giants team that was just slightly above average. He finished fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting, losing out to the Dodgers’ Steve Sax, the Pirates’ Johnny Ray, and the Cardinals’ Willie McGee in a fairly competitive race.

Davis would spend the next five years of his career in San Francisco and earn two All-Star appearances in 1984 and 1986 before signing with the California Angels in the 1987 offseason. From 1988 to 1990, he stayed in California and had a few strong seasons, including 1989, when he grabbed a few down-ballot AL MVP votes. In 1990, Davis became a full-time designated hitter after back issues ailed him and prevented him from meeting the standards required in the outfield.

Davis signed with the Twins and continued to hit in 1991, slashing .277/.385/.507 for an OPS of .892 and the third-highest OPS+ of his entire career at 141, once again earning a smattering of down-ballot MVP support. He also won his first of three World Series rings while homering twice in that epic Fall Classic against Atlanta.

But, following that, he would not get any closer, despite putting up better numbers a few years later down the road when he returned to the Angels and posted almost 1.000 OPS figures in 1994 and 1995, with 1994 being the year he would make his third and final All-Star appearance.

In 1997, after his four-year (second) stint with the Angels ended, Davis made his way to Kansas City for a season. Then it was time for then-Yankees owner George Steinbrenner to make his splash in the 1997 free agent pool. When the Yankees signed Davis to a two-year deal worth $9.8 million with an option for a third season, it was all that Steinbrenner could have wanted, saying to Jack Curry, who at that point was a reporter for the New York Times:

We’re very happy with this guy because he’s a tremendous hitter and a tremendous influence in the clubhouse. We thought one of our problems last year was moving from DH to DH. You look at Davis, and he’s a professional DH. That’s what we lacked last year.

Was he the most flashy player of all-time? No. Did Steinbrenner have to shower him with big money and huge guarantees in order to bring him to The Bronx? Not at all.

Regardless, Davis was a valued member and team leader of the back-to-back World Series titles in 1998 and 1999. He played only 35 games on the record-breaking ‘98 team due to an untimely ankle injury and subsequent surgery, but still posted above-average numbers in those games and notched an .884 OPS across the final two rounds of the postseason, when the team needed him most — especially with primary DH Darryl Strawberry missing the playoffs to fight cancer. His finest hour came in the 1998 ALCS, when, in a crucial Game 5 in Cleveland, Davis came through with three RBI and a home run in a Game 5 that sent the Yankees back to the Bronx with a 3-2 series lead:

And in 1999, his final season in the league before retiring, Davis finished on a high note, appearing in 146 games for the Yankees and finishing the season with an OPS of .812 and an OPS+ of 108. He memorably broke up what could’ve been a 17-strikeout no-hitter by Pedro Martínez at Yankee Stadium on September 10th with a home run, and in one of the more amusing moments of the season, Chili hit a grand slam in the home opener against Detroit, mere moments after team legend Yogi Berra predicted it in the TV booth.

Davis walked away from the game as a three-time World Series champion (and a contributor to all three World Series winners) and a three-time All-Star. He retired at age 39 in December 1999 after the Yankees released him to pursue more flexible options at DH.

At the time of his retirement, Davis ranked third in MLB history with 350 career homers as a switch-hitter, trailing only Hall of Famers Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray (he now ranks seventh). He was part of the Giants’ inaugural “Wall of Fame” class in 2008 and honored with a plaque in San Francisco. Davis has been busy since hanging up his cleats, serving as the big-league hitting coach for the Oakland Athletics (2012-2014), Boston Red Sox (2015-2017), Chicago Cubs (2018), and New York Mets (2019-2021).

Happy birthday, Chili!

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

Welcome back to the 2025-26 edition of Smash or Pass, in which we examine potential free agent and trade targets to determine whether the Red Sox should pursue them and what it would take to land them. Today we look at a Gold Glove infielder.

Who is he and where does he come from?

He’s Nico Hoerner and he’s currently a member of the Chicago Cubs, a team that, as Dan Secatore put it, just handed out a bad contract, a notion I agree with, albeit with sadness for the loss of a clubhouse leader. The 2018 first round draft pick (two picks ahead of Triston Casas) has been on a Major League roster since 2019 (two years longer than Casas, which isn’t an indictment on Triston as Hoerner is almost three years older). He’s primarily played at second base, logging 500 games at the position, though he’s dabbled at short, too, having played 210 games at that position.

Is he any good?

If you lamented Bregman’s departure from the team on account of his defensive ability, then you might like Nico Hoerner. In fact, he is the reigning Gold Glover at second, having also won in 2023, and his 2025 Outs Above Average (15) placed him in the top 98th percentile in the league. If you’re worried about the possibility of Ceddanne “Nuff Cedd” Rafaela covering second base despite being a world class center fielder, the acquisition of Hoerner will make you breathe easier.

Plus, Hoerner, who turns 29 in May, isn’t too bad at the plate either. He does lack power, mashing just seven home runs. But, I’m willing to forgive that since he gets on base to the tune of a .345 OBP and barely ever strikes out, as his career best strikeout percentage of 7.6% in 2025 also ranked in the top 98th percentile. Oh, and he stole twenty nine bags, so he’s quick, too. So, yes, Hoerner is really good. Which is precisely why he’s the valued starter on another team.

TLDR; just give me his 2025 stats.

.297/.345/.394, 7 HR, 61 RBI, 49 K, 39 BB, 29 SB, 4 FE in 156 games

Why would he be a good fit on the 2025 Red Sox?

I need to again state that, on a team that has been in shambles defensively for the better part of a decade and which has a stable infielder departing, Hoerner had ZERO throwing errors and just four fielding errors. He also missed just six games. That’s some stability that the team hasn’t seen in the infield in some time. Hoerner’s fWAR last year was 4.8. I’m in no way comparing Hoerner to Pedroia (unless I am?) but Pedroia’s average fWAR per 162 games played in his career was 5.6. To be that close to a just-shy-of-a-hall-of-famer’s numbers is a very, very good thing. And, at his worst, Hoerner in 2024 still hit .273 while dealing with a hand injury

Why wouldn’t he be a good fit on the Red Sox?

There are a few reasons, the first of which is the question of what the Cubs would want for Hoerner. They would certainly try for a high-end prospect like Tolle or Early, some other considerable names like Arias or Romero, and presumably one or two other lottery ticket prospects. Now, the Red Sox have enough depth enough to absorb dealing these names for a possible All-Star. But, it may scare off the measured Craig Breslow a bit.

Moreover, Hoerner will be a free agent next season. Bo Bichette’s 3 year, $126 million deal with the New York Mets drives up the price tag for all-star caliber infielders. Hoerner avoided arbitration with Chicago in 2024 by signing a 3 year, $35 million deal, but that was a Gold Glove and five points on the strikeout percentage ago. He will command a deal closer to Bichette next offsesaon (humor me with no lockout discussion, please.)

Plus, the Red Sox may simply want to see what they have in Marcelo Mayer at another position, and the outfield is already backlogged enough that we may see Rafaela or even Kristian Campbell (left field chatter aside) in the middle of the diamond at some point (or maybe both if, heaven forbid, the infield has any health issues). And, if you’re looking for a specific reason why trading assets would be tricky, it’s that Hoerner lacks power; Savant consistently has him in the lowest tenth percentile in barrel percentage and hard hit percentage. If you’re looking for more power after the Bregman departure, you may not want to bring in a guy who only hit 36 home runs in a six (or 6.014) year career.

Show me a cool highlight.

Here he is outsmarting the White Sox twice in about five seconds on an infield fly rule to turn two by letting a baseball drop to the ground. There’s also the fact that he has super quick reflexes with that arm.

Smash or pass?

I’m smashing, but I think he’ll start the season as a Chicago Cub rather than get dealt to a team that saddles up the assets to acquire him and is prepared to extend Hoerner in short order. The Cubs are in “win now” mode and so they may see how the season goes with a stacked infield full of studs. This Red Sox offseason, the Ranger Suarez signing aside, has seen a return to the “interest kings” mode of operations, as the team has been tied to a plethora of notable names, only to see them sign with someone else. But the 2026 second base position largely remains a question mark, as it would have even with Alex Bregman returning. For this reason, it’d suit the Red Sox well to throw a little bit of caution to the wind and get a proven All-Star caliber player to join their ranks. Whether they will? Well, that’s a different story… no pun intended.

Bo Bichette headed to the Mets on a 3-year, $126 million deal and J.T. Realmuto to the Phillies yesterday on a 3-year $45 million deal as the MLB free agent market continued to move. Cody Bellinger remains the last big free agent available.

Joel Hammond, former contributor here, had a great thread explaining why it’s not particularly reasonable to think the Guardians are pocketing a bunch of revenue and, again, debunking the idea that Paul has access to the entire Dolan fortune. Yes, he still thinks the Guardians should spend more. It’s worth reading:

For the mouth breathing DOLANZ people, this is a great explainer.

In baseball, LOCAL revenue is much more a factor than in NFL. Local revenue: TV deal, tickets.

Dodgers: $320M PER YEAR in TV revenue.
Braves: $160M PER YEAR in TV revenue.

Guards get a fraction of that. https://t.co/Qo5VbSZ33V

— Joel Hammond (@joelhammond) January 16, 2026

The Athletic asked 100 people in sports whom they admire as leaders and Stephen Vogt showed up at 31st on a list of 40:

We asked over 100 people in sports which leaders they most admire.

For this list, leaders had to be an active coach, player or executive in 2025. pic.twitter.com/6QSxXfdiDf

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) January 16, 2026

Paul Hoynes pointed out that Stephen Vogt didn’t sound super confident that Steven Kwan would be a Guardian come Spring Training. It is curious to me that Vogt said “I really hope he is in left field leading off for us” rather than “I expect he will be in left field leading off for us.”

Never underestimate how little the Guardians care about fan reactions and feelings, but I shudder to think what the backlash would be if they don’t add anyone significant AND trade Kwan before the season.

Mason Horodyski of WEWS/News 5 Cleveland posted a bunch of clips of Austin Hedges, Hunter Gaddis and Stephen Vogt talking about the upcoming season on his Twitter if you’re interested in viewing more:

"He's just the rock"#Guardians Hunter Gaddis on the importance of having pitching coach Carl Willis return in 2026#GuardsBall@WEWSpic.twitter.com/HJja3rxrKc

— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) January 15, 2026

Nick Robertson, a right-handed reliever drafted by the Dodgers in 2019 and who made his major league debut with Los Angeles in 2023 before getting traded for Kiké Hernández, signed a minor league contract with the Dodgers, per Ari Alexander of 7News in Boston.

Robertson last season had a 4.30 ERA with 52 strikeouts and 30 walks in 52 1/3 innings in 43 games in Triple-A between the Astros and Royals systems. The 27-year-old right-hander pitched in the majors for the Dodgers, Red Sox, Cardinals, and Blue Jays in 2023-24.

The addition of Kyle Tucker to the Dodgers definitely bolsters the outfield production and the lineup as well. Anthony Castrovince at MLB.com looked specifically at the combo of Tucker, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Will Smith, all of whom posted at least a 140 OPS+ last season, and the rarity of such a quartet.

David Roth at Defector looked at the last few days, and how the Tucker signing spurred more action and reaction among some top-spending teams. The Mets, who were in on Tucker, pivoted to Bo Bichette, whom they plan to play at a new position. That left the Bichette-pursuing Phillies left empty-handed, and they re-signed catcher JT Realmuto.

Max Muncy’s wife Kellie gave birth to the couple’s third child on Tuesday, a daughter named Macie Grace, which was shared on Instagram: