Category: MLB

MLB Trade Rumors | Darragh McDonald: The Yankees are seeking upgrades in several spots this offseason, and McDonald provides a useful overview of the latest rumblings of what they might do. Perhaps the most eye-catching name mentioned is Corey Seager, who Jon Heyman claims that the Yankees have talked to the Rangers about. Color me skeptical for a variety of reasons: Seager has full no-trade protection, and as an oft-injured middle infielder on the wrong side of 30, I’m not sure he’s worth taking on the remainder of his contract, or shelling out prospect capital to get the Rangers to eat some of it. Elsewhere, the Yankees have been connected to Luis Arraez and Brandon Lowe at second base, and Carson Kelly at catcher. Of course, the CBA negotiations cast a pall of uncertainty over everything, and it’s possible that the Yankees will stay put until a deal is within sight.

NJ.com | Randy Miller: The narrative around how Anthony Volpe turned his season around following his second minor-league stint in 2026 is a bit overblown – he had a 95 wRC+ from September 10 onwards, which is above his career average but still nothing to write home about – but it was nice to see him hit for a respectable average and regain his mojo defensively over the stretch run. Apparently, a talk with Scott Boras might have been the catalyst for Volpe’s bounceback. Volpe reportedly reached out to Boras sometime this year to collect feedback about his game. Although it’s not clear what advice was given, there’s reason to believe Boras knows what he’s talking about; before he became the game’s premier agent, Boras was a second baseman in the St. Louis Cardinals’ system. Evidently, Volpe must have appreciated the feedback, as he dropped his former agency, WME Sports, to sign with Boras Corp. just before the playoffs. One can only hope that Boras’ Volpe-whispering powers will lead to an even better 2027 campaign from the embattled infielder.

MLB.com | Jim Callis: Finally, another story from the AFL; after stalling as a catching prospect, 24-year-old Antonio Gomez is now trying to make it as a flamethrowing reliever. The Yankees signed Gomez out of Venezuela in 2018 based on his arm strength, but while his defense progressed throughout the minors, his bat couldn’t keep up. In 2025, the Yankees approached him about giving pitching a chance, and while the results haven’t quite been there yet, the raw stuff is impressive – triple digits on his heater, with a mid-90s cutter, an upper-90s sinker, and a mid-80s slider. I have a soft spot for prospects with unusual development paths, so I’ll be rooting for Gomez to harness his stuff.

San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller was voted the National League Reliever of the Year for 2026. He received all 30 first-place votes from the members of the BBWAA. This is the first time the award has been given out. He also won the Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Award, which is voted on by the relievers in baseball. That honor was also announced on Wednesday.

Miller led all NL relievers with a 1.67 ERA in 66 appearances and 70 innings pitched. He also had the highest strikeout rate among NL relievers at 47.3%. Miller set new highs for workload in his first full season with the Padres and had one of the most dominant starts to a season ever seen in baseball. He didn’t allow a run until his tenth appearance, and it was unearned. His first earned run didn’t occur until his 14th appearance. During that stretch, he had a 61% strikeout rate.

Miller was somewhat less effective at the end of the season and in the playoffs, probably due to the unprecedented workload. He expressed a desire to be better going forward, stating, “I saw my consistency falter toward the end of the year… just find a way to be even more consistent and put together a complete season.”

Miller overcame significant obstacles during his remarkable season. He missed time with a family illness and bereavement, as well as leaving to attend the birth of his first child during the playoffs.

Padres named to All-MLB First Team 

Padres closer Mason Miller and RF/2B Fernando Tatis Jr. were named to the All-MLB First Team on Wednesday. Major League Baseball presents the All-MLB First Team as part of their MLB Awards in Las Vegas. The award recognizes the best player at every position, including five starting pitchers and two relievers.

Miller and Louis Varland of the Toronto Blue Jays were the two relievers honored.

Tatis was named for his work in the outfield, along with Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs and Jackson Chourio of the Brewers.

HOUSTON, TX – Tonight on MLB Network, the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) named DH/LF Yordan Alvarez the 2026 American League Most Valuable Player. Alvarez won the award over the Rays 3B Junior Caminero and the Royals SS Bobby Witt Jr. in the voting.

Alvarez, 29, won his first career MVP award and became the third player in franchise history to earn the honor, joining 2B Jose Altuve in 2017 and 1B Jeff Bagwell in 1994. Alvarez batted .316 (179×567) with 105 runs, 34 doubles, one triple, 42 home runs, 106 RBI, 109 walks and a 1.033 OPS in 158 games. He led the AL in batting average, OPS, slugging percentage (.601), on-base percentage (.432), total bases (341), walks (109), intentional walks (33), wRC+ (181), OPS+ (190) and extra-base hits (77), while also ranking tied for second in home runs, second in RBI, second in hits, fourth in doubles and fourth in runs scored. Additionally, Alvarez was the only player in the Majors this season to post an OPS over 1.000.

Alvarez won the American League and Major League batting titles, becoming the third player in franchise history to win a batting title, joining 1B Yuli Gurriel (2021) and 2B Jose Altuve (2014, 2016-17). He also became just the third player since 1970 to win the AL batting title while hitting 40-or-more home runs, joining NYY OF Aaron Judge (2025) and DET 1B Miguel Cabrera (2012-13). Alvarez set the Astros franchise record with 33 intentional walks, which was just three shy of the all-time AL record, set by Judge in 2025 (36).

This season, Alvarez won three AL Player of the Week honors along with two AL Player of the Month honors. He was also selected to his fourth career All-Star Game, and it was the second time that he was voted as a starter (also, 2024).

Last night, Alvarez received the AL Hank Aaron Award, the AL Comeback Player of the Year, the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award and was an All-MLB First Team selection.

Evan Phillips is on the move. The 32-year-old right-handed relief pitcher signed a three-year, $35 million deal with the Atlanta Braves on the Thursday, Nov. 12, putting an end to his six-year run with the Los Angeles Dodgers that began when they claimed him off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays in August 2021.

In that time, Phillips became one of manager Dave Roberts' most trusted high-leverage arms, posting a 2.37 ERA over 224 innings pitched with 256 strikeouts compared to just 58 walks and a 0.95 WHIP. Phillips finished in the top 10 in the NL in saves in both 2023 and 2024.

His best work, however, came in October.

He has not allowed a run over 18⅓ innings in 17 career postseason outings with 24 strikeouts and was a key member of the "Dawgs" bullpen that carried the Dodgers to the 2024 World Series. Phillips missed most of 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery that May, but returned to form in July, posting a 1.08 WHIP with a 3.46 ERA and 33 strikeouts over 26 innings in 31 appearances.

Phillips' fastball looked better than ever in 2026, averaging a career-high 96.9 mph and topping out at triple digits for the first time in his career. His sweeper, however, is where he does the most damage, drawing a 39.5% strikeout rate and a 34.3% whiff rate while holding batters to just .059 against it.

Evan Phillips, K'ing the Side in the 7th pic.twitter.com/f9SNROIBj2

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 12, 2026

But more than any stat that can be quantified, the Dodgers are losing a clubhouse leader in Phillips, and they could soon lose even more than that considering Alex Vesia's robust free-agent market. There are free agents out there for the Dodgers to pursue, though top-end names such as Adrian Morejon and Raisel Iglesias seem unlikely. Brusdar Graterol hasn't pitched in a game since 2024, but he could be a candidate to return.

The Dodgers do have other high-leverage arms already in-house that they trust as well. Jack Dreyer and Edgardo Henriquez, in particular, could both be in line for more responsibilities.

Though losing Phillips is a blow to LA's pen, they do have other avenues to explore at the position.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How big of a loss is Evan Phillips for the Los Angeles Dodgers?

LAS VEGAS — They dined, rolled the dice, pulled the slots, and did a whole lot of talking before departing Thursday from the Major League Baseball General Manager meetings at the Aria Resort & Casino.

GMs and executives said they talked to every single team and dozens of agents, but the only major move was Atlanta signing veteran free-agent reliever Evan Phillips to a three-year, $35 million contract.

While the Milwaukee Brewers have become the gold standard, as Erik Neander, Tampa Bay Rays president of baseball operations said on his way out of town, the World Series championship serves as a subtle reminder that minor moves, or even gambling by trading away proven veterans for prospects, can pay massive dividends.

Executives have no idea whether there will be a salary cap, a modified economic system or the status quo, but they know they need to be ready to act, and can’t afford to just sit back and wait.

There will be a flurry of signings beginning Thanksgiving weekend right up until 11:59 p.m. Dec. 1, and potential trades waiting for those who miss out on their desired free agents.

“In terms of evaluating players, talking to agents and individual players,’’ A.J. Preller, Padres president of baseball operations said, “we’ve been doing what we do every offseason. It’s hard to predict what’s going to happen, or what the exact system is going to be, but if we see something that makes sense, wer’e going to be prepared to act on it.’’

Here’s what we’re hearing as the executives traveled home dreaming of Tarik Skubal anchoring their rotation for what could be an awfully long winter:

MLB rumors from GM Meetings

– The New York Mets are downplaying their chances of signing Skubal to everyone who’ll listen, but their rivals believe that they could be the Los Angeles Dodgers' stiffest competition for his services. The Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays joining the Mets with scheduled meetings with Skubal before Thanksgiving.

– Skubal and agent Scott Boras is making it clear to teams they have no interest in a short-term deal, and yes, you better come in with an offer exceeding $325 million if you want a seat at the high-stakes table.

– The Toronto Blue Jays, who signed Dylan Cease to a six-year, $210 million contract last winter, are poised to be in the running for Skubal, and if they don’t land him, will pivot to the likes of Michael King, Trevor Rogers and Sonny Gray and Tyler Mahle. And yes, if Kevin Gausman and Max Scherzer want to return, they’ll talk to them too.

“If you saw Scherzer’s last game," Boras said, “you’ll understand he’s far from Max’d out."

– The Milwaukee Brewers are telling teams that All-Star catcher William Contreras is staying put, and that they’d love to sign him to a contract extension. They are listening to offers, however, for closer Trevor Megill.

– The San Francisco Giants will not trade ace Logan Webb, no matter how many teams continue to ask for the ace. The Giants want to add starters, but subtract, and are interested in seeking at least two free-agent starters, but that the Skubal’s price-tag is too high for their liking.

– Alex Anthopoulos, Atlanta president of baseball operations, made it loud and clear that Ronald Acuña Jr. is staying put, saying there have been zero conversations about trading him, and there will be none.

– The Phillies may not be interested in bringing him back, but infielder Alec Bohm has become a big attraction with the Yankees and Mets, meeting with each team in Las Vegas. Bohm hit .248 with 15 homers and 88 RBIs, and had a terrific second half hitting .298 with 41 RBIs.

– The Padres, with the new ownership of Kwanza Jones and Jose E. Feliciano declaring they're "all in" are interested in virtually every single starting pitcher in hopes of remaking their rotation.

“I think the biggest thing with Kwanza and Jose is they got a taste of it," Preller said of last season, “seeing a team go back to the playoffs, playing a super competitive series in the Division Series. They have an appetite to put a really good team on the field, understanding that it takes resources and it takes people to do that.’’

– Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato is the position player everyone wants, and he’s the top position player choice for the Phillies, Yankees, Mets and Padres. He likely will wind up playing the outfield, scouts insist.

– Rival teams say they would be stunned if the Boston Red Sox don’t trade Jarren Duran this winter after hitting a career-low .207 with a .266 on-base percentage and .361 slugging percentage. If they move Duran, it could put them in line for free-agent outfielder Randy Arozarena.

“He’s a model of consistency and he’s done it in a market where right-handed hitters go to die," Boras said of Arozarena. “He’s 20-20 every year, multiple All-Star teams… This rose has no thorns, and all the teams, frankly, they’re feeling really Randy."

– The Chicago Cubs, who have five free-agent starters, would love to bring back Clay Holmes and David Peterson.

– The Phillies informed several agents they don’t believe prized infield prospect Aidan Miller will be ready to be an everyday player at the outset of next season, and will need more time in the minor leagues.

– The Minnesota Twins told agents that they plan to spend money this winter, and that includes bringing back free-agent catcher Ryan Jeffers, who plans to reject their $23.15 million qualifying offer.

“We have made it clear that we’d love to have him back,’’ GM Jeremy Zoll said.

– The Tampa Bay Rays plan to keep ace Drew Rasmussen, who’s one year away from free agency, but could trade Shane McClanahan or Ryan Pepiot to fit in the return of free agent starter Nick Martinez.

– Free agent left fielder Ian Happ, the four-time Gold Glove winner with the Chicago Cubs, is drawing serious interest from the Seattle Mariners, who badly want to improve their defense.

“The left side of our infield, the left side of our outfield," Jerry Dipoto, Mariners president of baseball operations said, “are both areas of need. ... A priority for us is to get better offensively, but the max priority is to button up our defense.’’

– Teams have inquired about veteran infielder Ernie Clement from the Blue Jays and Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson, while free-agent shortstop J.P. Crawford is drawing interest with the Mariners having no interest in bringing him back.

– Teams may be reticent trading for a player with only one year remaining on the contract considering that the pending lockout could shorten the 2027 season, but then again, if you win a World Series title, it still counts the same.

“I’m not saying it’s not in the back of people’s minds,’’ Dave Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations, “but I think everybody feels at some point you’re going to have a season. So even if you have a shortened season, if you got a guy that helps you win a championship, you’re happy with it.’’

– The Padres are considering returning Fernando Tatis Jr. to the infield if they land a free-agent outfielder, moving him to second base. While he has been a Gold Glove outfielder, he had a .769 OPS playing in right field last season but a .974 OPS at second base.

– While the Seattle Mariners are expected to trade one of their starting pitchers for position player help, such as George Kirby or Emerson Hancock, Dipoto declared at the GM meetings that prized pitching prospect Ryan Sloan is off limits.

– Veteran reliever Jonathan Loaisiga was left having to sign a minor-league contract last spring with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but after his stellar season, yielding a 2.42 ERA in 67 innings, he now may receive a multi-year big-league deal.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What I'm hearing on Tarik Skubal and the biggest MLB rumors at GM Meetings

The Yankees are looking to take a page out of the Dodgers’ book.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, former Dodgers hitting coach Aaron Bates is among the candidates for the Yankees’ vacant hitting coach job.

Last Friday, the Dodgers had an unexpected coaching staff shakeup when Bates and the Dodgers parted ways after they couldn’t come to terms on a multiyear contract extension.

Bates had been in the Dodgers’ organization for 12 years, spending his first four as a minor-league hitting coach and then his final eight (2019-2026) as an assistant hitting coach. He eventually was co-hitting coach with Robert Van Scoyoc.

Bates won three World Series with Los Angeles and played a key role in the club’s back-to-back World Series championships in 2024 and 2025.

Last season, the Dodgers’ lineup finished as the third best in MLB, having a .257 batting average, 204 home runs, 756 RBIs and 801 runs.

New York’s hitting coach opening came after James Rowson, who had an expiring contract, left to join the San Francisco Giants coaching staff on Wednesday.

During Rowson’s tenure, he helped the Yankees reach the World Series in 2024, but they were eliminated in the ALDS the last two years.

Last season, the Yankees’ lineup was tough to figure out. They finished in the bottom five for team average (.235) but also finished second in home runs (223), tied for 10th in RBIs (706) and ninth in runs (739).

Yankees assistant hitting coaches Casey Dykes and Jake Hirst’s futures with the club remain unclear, according to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic.

Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros and Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs have been named the A.L. and N.L. Most Valuable Players, respectively. Each was a unanimous winner.

Finishing in second place in the American League was Junior Caminero of the Rays, who got 27 second place votes and three third place votes. Bobby Witt, Jr., narrowly edged out Cam Schlittler for third place, while Pete Alonso finished in fifth place.

Ezequiel Duran of the Texas Rangers appeared on two ballots — Sam Blum had him in 10th place on his ballot, and Evan Grant put him 9th.

As far as the more idiosyncratic votes go, Dillon Dingler of the Tigers appeared on two ballots, but one of those, by Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, had him fifth. Judge was one of two voters who omitted Schlittler altogether. Munetaka Murakami appeared on one ballot, and was sixth on that ballot. That ballot, by Paul Hoynes, was the other ballot that didn’t include Schlittler.

The complete A.L. results can be found here.

On the National League side, Shohei Ohtani finished in second place, getting 26 second place votes, two third place votes and two fourth place votes. Brice Turant, Elly de la Cruz and Jacob Misiorowski rounded out the top five.

Kyle Schwarber finished 11th, appearing on just 10 ballots, but did get a second place vote, from Ricke Cerrone of Baseball Digest. He also was the lone voter to have the Braves’ Ozzie Albies on his ballot — he put Albies sixth, Alec Burleson 9th, and Brandon Lowe 10th. Andy Pages and Jordan Walker each appeared on one ballot apiece, and on each they got a 6th place vote. Sal Stewart got one seventh place vote. Matt Olson got exactly one vote in every spot on the ballot except first and second, where he didn’t get any votes, and 9th, where he got three votes.

The full National League results can be found here.

On Thursday evening, the BBWAA announced the two MVP’s. It comes as no surprise that Yordan Álvarez took home the American League crown while Pete Crow-Armstrong took it home for the National League. Both awards were unanimous.

That said, Gabriel Moreno — fresh off his All-MLB First Team selection yesterday and Gold Glove win a few weeks ago — finished sixth in the NL race. He received three third place votes, beating out Fernando Tatís of the San Diego Padres and finishing just behind NL Cy Young winner Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers. He was the only Diamondback to earn votes.

Here are the full results:

Here are the full NL MVP voting results: pic.twitter.com/Y1APtA8JvB

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) November 13, 2026

Across a career-high 130 games in 2026, Moreno slashed .311/.388/.488 with 33 doubles, one triple and 16 home runs. He also plated 83 runs and scored 72 times. He struck out 14.6% of the time and walked 11.1% — all good for a wRC+ of 141 and 6.7 rWAR. He also won the batting title with that .311 average, and is awaiting the results of the Silver Slugger race.

The Diamondbacks have never had an MVP in their 28-year history, but have gotten close a number of times:

• Geraldo Perdomo — fourth in 2025
• Ketel Marte — fourth in 2019; third in 2024
• Corbin Carroll — fifth in 2023 (also won Rookie of the Year)
• Paul Goldschmidt — second in 2013; second in 2015; sixth in 2017
• Luis Gonzalez — third in 2001
• Matt Williams — third in 1999

This marks the fourth-straight season that the Diamondbacks have had a Top 6 MVP finisher.

---

For the first time since 2022, Shohei Ohtani did not win an MVP award. But the Dodgers superstar designated hitter and starting pitcher did finish second in voting for the 2026 National League Most Valuable Player, finishing behind Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Crow-Armstrong won the award unanimously, receiving all 30 first-place votes. Ohtani got 26 second-place votes, two third-place votes, and three fourth-place votes.

Ohtani is the first player in major league history to finish in the top three in MVP voting in six years in a row, along with his wins in 2021 and 2023 with the Angels then in 2024and 2025 with the Dodgers, and a second-place finish in 2022. Hall of Famer Ted Williams finished in the top three in American League MVP voting in six consecutive seasons in which he played, finishing second in 1941 and 1942 followed by an MVP wins in 1946 and 1949, sandwiching a second-place finish in 1947 and third place in 1948, interrupted only by three years of military service in the Marines during World War II.

Ohtani is the only player to finish in the top two in MVP voting for six straight years.

Through he was hampered by injuries to his left knee and right biceps that kept him from pitching after July 3 and helped fuel a 155-plate-appearance homerless skid after August 18, Ohtani still managed to hit .275/.377/.512 with a 139 wRC+, and 30 home runs, along with a 1.79 ERA and 2.73 xERA in 14 starts and 85 2/3 innings. Though his total 6.5 bWAR was his lowest total in the last six years, it still tied for the 72nd-best seasonin Dodgers history.

Coupled with his two MVP wins in 2024 and 2025, Ohtani is the third Dodger with three top-three MVP finishes. Catcher Roy Campanella won three MVPs, in 1951, 1953, and 1955 with Brooklyn, and pitcher Sandy Koufax won NL MVP in 1963 for Los Angeles, then finished second in both 1965and 1966.

Nine Dodgers have finished in the top three of NL MVP voting in multiple years.

Player	Win(s)	2nd place	3rd place
Roy Campanella	1951, 1953, 1955
Shohei Ohtani	2024, 2025	2026
Sandy Koufax	1963	1965, 1966
Duke Snider		1955	1953
Steve Garvey	1974	1978
Maury Wills	1962		1965
Mike Piazza		1996, 1997
Mookie Betts		2020, 2023
Pedro Guerrero			1982, 1985

The only other Dodgers player to receive an NL MVP vote was center fielder Andy Pages, who got a single sixth-place vote (from Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle) for five total points, trying for 18th place.

For the first time in four years, Shohei Ohtani will not add an MVP trophy to his collection, and for the first time in six years, neither Ohtani nor Aaron Judge is an MVP. Instead, the Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong and the Astros’ Yordan Alvarez both became first-time MVPs, as both players were unanimously elected.

Crow-Armstrong, 24, was easily the best player in baseball by several stats, finishing with 10.6 fWAR and 9.8 bWAR as he hit .280/.372/.570 with a major-league-best 45 homers and 119 runs scored, plus 107 RBIs, 31 doubles, eight triples, and 41 steals.

His 45 homers and 41 steals made him the seventh player in MLB history to have a 40-40 season, and only the third to hit 45 homers, swipe 40 bags, and collect 30 doubles in one year, joining Ohtani (2024) and Alfonso Soriano (2006).

Defensively, he also earned his second consecutive Gold Glove Award and won the NL’s Platinum Glove for the first time. He posted a +26 fielding run value, setting a Statcast-era record for an outfielder, and his +26 outs above average tied Byron Buxton (2017) for the most by an outfielder.

Crow-Armstrong received all 30 first-place votes for the award, while Ohtani received 26 second-place votes, two third-place votes, and two fourth-place votes to finish second overall. The Brewers’ Brice Turang came in third, receiving one third-place vote and plenty of votes for third, fourth, and fifth, while NL Cy Young winner Jacob Misiorowski finished fifth. Jake Bauers and Jackson Chourio also received down-ballot votes. To view the full NL balloting, click here.

Turang has only gotten better each season since debuting in 2023, making his World Baseball Classic debut back in the spring and setting career highs this year with 21 homers, 100 RBIs, a .366 OBP, and a .450 slugging percentage, adding 19 steals and his second Gold Glove Award at second base. He also turned things on down the stretch, leading the majors in average (.361) and on-base percentage (.475) in the month of September before leading the World Series-winning Crew with 11 walks across 13 playoff games.

Turang becomes the first Brewers infielder to finish in the top three in MVP voting since Prince Fielder finished third back in 2011, the same year Ryan Braun won the award. He’s also the first Brewers middle infielder to finish top three since Robin Yount won the AL MVP in 1982.

Alvarez himself had a fantastic year to take home the AL honors, winning the AL batting title by hitting .316 and leading the league in on-base percentage (.432), slugging (.601), OPS (1.033), total bases (341), walks (109), intentional walks (33), extra-base hits (77), and offensive bWAR (7.2). He also finished second in RBIs (106) and tied for second with 42 homers, both of which set career highs.

While he didn’t quite win the Triple Crown, he did become just the fourth player this century to lead the majors in batting average, OBP, and slugging, joining Aaron Judge (2025), Miguel Cabrera (2013), and Barry Bonds (2002).

Alvarez received all 30 first-place votes, while Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero came in second, receiving 27 second-place votes and three third-place votes. Kansas City’s Bobby Witt Jr. finished third, receiving scattered votes to edge the Yankees’ Cam Schlittler, 188 points to 181. Witt will have to wait at least one more year for that elusive AL MVP, as he’s now finished in the top four in each of the last three seasons despite being just 26 years old. To view the full AL balloting, click here.

When the Dodgers and Cubs met at the beginning of August, it was notable that Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was even challenging Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani for National League most valuable player.

Ohtani was on a streak of three straight MVP seasons and working to return to the mound after what was expected to be a temporary shutdown around the All-Star break. So even as Ohtani and Crow-Armstrong traded leadoff home runs, it felt like a peak in a race that could tilt in Ohtani’s favor in the final months of the season.

Tilt it did — the other way.

Read more:Dodgers will be involved in Tarik Skubal's free agency, but will they sign him?

Ohtani never did return to the mound, and his offense suffered as injuries mounted down the stretch. Crow-Armstrong never cooled off and ran away with the MVP, officially claiming the award Thursday in a unanimous vote. He was the 11th unanimous NL MVP in the history of the award. Ohtani finished second.

Ohtani’s two-way skillset is so unique that any time he pitches and hits for an entire season, he’s practically guaranteed the MVP — he won the award twice with the Angels in 2021 and 2023 before winning two with the Dodgers in 2024 and 2025. But the Dodgers’ first attempt at guiding him though a full two-way season crashed and burned in the wake of a lingering left knee injury and recurring right biceps issue.

The Dodgers are set on having Ohtani return to two-way duties in 2027. But now they’re left to diagnose what went wrong this year and figure out how to avoid the same pitfalls moving forward.

“The good thing is, it’s going to be a normal offseason,” general manager Brandon Gomes said, referring to Ohtani’s health status. “And as we get deeper into the offseason, understanding what our roster looks like, and then having those conversations of, ‘How do we best lay this out to set everybody up to be as good as they can come October?’

“And that’s always the goal. I know it’s so boring and we pound it into the ground. But I think for Sho in particular, it’s like, ‘Hey, let’s get back to feeling 100%, have the normal offseason, like you’re going to have, and then have that conversation based on what our team looks like and rotation and all of that.”

The Dodgers have made clear that plotting Ohtani’s pitching plan will be a collaborative effort that will involve conversations throughout the year. But they have plenty of options for how they could manage his workload.

They could pull him from the batting order on days he pitches, and/or build in more full recovery days after his starts on the mound. They add more days in between his pitching starts. They could have him lighten his pitching load midseason and then ramp up again for the postseason. They could delay his return to the mound.

“I think Shohei’s open to putting the team in the best position to win,” Gomes said. “And I think that is the number one thing that he’s shown over and over again, is that he cares deeply about the Dodgers winning and puts that at the forefront. So I think that’s why these conversations are really important.”

The Dodgers are missing one major piece of information that will affect their path forward: the length of the 2027 season.

Read more:Dodgers' Brandon Gomes shares updates on Tarik Skubal, Shoki Oda, Josue De Paula and more

Privately, baseball agents and executives’ estimates span a wide range of possibilities, from a sub-100-game season, to a late start but no games lost. It will remain ambiguous well into the lockout, which owners are expected to impose when the current collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1.

So, pitchers across MLB will have the unenviable task of planning their offseason buildup without the clarity of an opening-day target.

In that kind of environment, it could be in Ohtani’s best interest to put off a pitching ramp-up at least until the lockout ends and the season schedule is set. But he and the Dodgers have a little over two weeks to talk through those decisions. Once the lockout begins, teams will be restricted from communicating with the players on their 40-man rosters.

Said Gomes: “I feel strongly that Sho will have himself prepared in the way that he feels is best to go out and dominate next year.”

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Welcome to our series grading every member of the San Diego Padres’ 40-man roster. The roster being evaluated is current as of Oct. 18, prior to the end of the World Series. Because of that, it will include players who will be free agents once the postseason concludes. Each player will be graded on their performance in the 2026 season, including the playoffs. That performance will be weighted based on how much time the player spent with the team (availability is the best ability). 

Will Wagner

The son of Hall-of-Famer Billy Wagner, Will Wagner was drafted by the Houston Astros in 2021 as a passable infielder with solid offensive marks. He’s been solid throughout his minor-league career, with a .287/.390/.429 slash line. Wagner came to the Padres in an under-the-radar deal with the Toronto Blue Jays at the 2025 Trade Deadline. He’s produced modest results despite his lack of time at the big-league level.

Overall Grade: B-

Wagner started off the season on the injured list with an oblique strain that he suffered in early March. That caused him to play in just 86 games between the minors and majors. Sixteen of those came with the big-league club. Wagner joined the Padres in June, slashing .257/.422/.286 (35 at-bats).

The on-base percentage is the shocking number in that grouping. Wagner walked 10 times with nine hits in 45 plate appearances, resulting in him reaching base at a .422 clip. His stats in the minors followed a similar trend, with a .254/.368/.377 slash line in 70 minor-league games. Among all players with less than 260 at-bats in the Pacific Coast League, Wagner ranked fourth in walks (42).

The infielder is capable of playing first, second and third base, but has more capability at the keystone position. With Jake Cronenworth potentially departing via a trade this offseason, it’s possible that Wagner could fill out second base sooner rather than later. If not, Wagner will likely spend time on the big-league roster as bench depth for the Friars.

Barry Bonds is the only player in MLB history to have won MVP Awards in four consecutive seasons.

On Thursday, Shohei Ohtani officially saw his chances of replicating that accomplishment dashed.

As expected, Ohtani finished as a runner-up in National League MVP voting following his injury-plagued –– yet still overall productive –– 2026 campaign, falling to breakout Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong in a balloting process that saw the 24-year-old center fielder win the award unanimously.

Ohtani had previously won back-to-back NL MVPs the past two seasons with the Dodgers, as well as the 2023 AL MVP in his final season with the Angels.

During the first couple months of the year, it seemed unthinkable that Ohtani wouldn’t equal Bonds’ four-in-a-row achievement –– accomplished, amid later steroid controversy, from 2001 to 2004 –– and claim MVP honors for the fifth time in his historic career.

Through play June 7, he was hitting .300 while leading the NL with a .939 OPS. More impressively, he had dominated in his return to full-time pitching duties, going 6-2 in his first 10 starts on the mound with an MLB-best 0.74 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 61 innings.

After spending the previous two years recovering from a second-career Tommy John surgery, the 32-year-old seemed to be back at the peak of his two-way powers.

Days later, however, Ohtani’s season took a turn, beginning with a series in Pittsburgh in which he gave up a season-high four runs to the Pirates one night, then was removed early as designated hitter the next because of inflammation in his left knee.

That would mark the beginning of a summer-long injury crisis that steadily diminished Ohtani’s form in his hitting and pitching roles.

In early July, he developed a right arm injury to go along with his left knee problems. During the All-Star break, he was taken out of the Dodgers’ starting rotation to get a lubricant injection in his knee and didn’t return to the mound the rest of the year.

Instead, Ohtani’s repeated efforts to ramp back up as a pitcher only seemed to take an added toll on his body, allowing Crow-Armstrong –– who began his 2026 campaign slowly before making a midseason change in his batting stance and going on a second-half tear at the plate to complement his league-best defense in center field –– to eventually pull away.

The pair were neck-and-neck in the MVP race through August. They put on an epic head-to-head duel during a series at Wrigley Field the week after the trade deadline. They boasted nearly identical numbers entering the stretch run of the season.

But by the start of September, a clearly hampered Ohtani had slipped into a career-worst slump, ultimately landing him on the injured list for his first time with the Dodgers and settling whatever debate remained in the MVP race.

In the end, Crow-Armstrong finished well ahead of Ohtani in batting average (.280 to .275), OPS (.943 to .889), home runs (45 to 30), RBIs (107 to 81) and stolen bases (41 to 11). Even with Ohtani’s pitching production (he went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 total starts), Crow-Armstrong nearly recorded twice as many wins above replacement (10.6 to 6.6, according to FanGraphs) thanks to his highly graded defense in the outfield.

Thursday’s announcement will only serve as the latest source of frustration for Ohtani, whose injury problems continued into the playoffs and have raised questions about his ability to remain a full-time two-way player into the future.

And while he will almost certainly vie for more MVP Awards in the future –– already ranking second all time with his four previous triumphs, three behind Bonds’ record mark –– he saw his bid for a four-peat dashed as expected, in a race that ended up being none too close.

Just before spring training began last January, Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was part of a group of former Harvard-Westlake High players who returned to O’Malley Field to have their jersey numbers painted on the outfield wall. This was before PCA mania had erupted, before any MVP talk had surfaced, before anyone could have predicted the breakthrough season he would deliver in 2026.

Crow-Armstrong signed autographs for kids, met with varsity players and humbly talked about what he had learned from his high school days that abruptly ended in the spring of 2020 because of the pandemic.

Before the PCA mania, before the MVP season that will be finalized on Thursday, Pete Crow-Armstrong returned to Harvard-Westlake’s O’Malley field last January humble and ready to get to work. He deserves it. pic.twitter.com/oZkiA24mDM

— eric sondheimer (@latsondheimer) November 11, 2026

“It’s been a nice, steady progression for the first five years of my career,” he said. “I’m definitely learning a good set of patience that I didn’t have before that. It’s a slow burning sport. It takes a lot of time to try and perfect your craft. I’m going out every day and making the most of it.”

On Thursday, Crow-Armstrong ended the two-year reign of Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani as National League MVP with the announcement that he had won MVP honors during a season in which he hit 45 home runs, stole 41 bases, had 107 RBIs and batted .280.

IT’S UNANIMOUS

Pete Crow-Armstrong is your 2026 National League Most Valuable Player! pic.twitter.com/WrD7cMLaXV

— MLB (@MLB) November 13, 2026

His coach at Harvard-Westlake, Jared Halpert, left Los Angeles on Wednesday night to fly to Chicago for the celebration.

“You combine the talent and commitment of what he has and you get what we just saw this year,” Halpert said. “It was remarkable.”

Crow-Armstrong, 24, is the first Southern California product to be named NL MVP since Christian Yelich (Westlake) received the honor for the Brewers in 2018, with Giancarlo Stanton (Sherman Oaks Notre Dame) winning in 2017 for the Marlins. Jordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros was selected the American League MVP.

Harvard-Westlake had become known as the school for pitchers after producing first-round draft picks Jack Flaherty, Lucas Giolito and Max Fried. Now come the hitters. Crow-Armstrong, a center fielder, was taken in the first round in 2020 by the New York Mets before being traded to the Cubs in 2021. Infielder Bryce Rainer is working his way up the Detroit Tigers organization after being a first-round pick in 2024.

Crow-Armstrong was always known for his speed, defensive prowess and hitting skills, but this year saw Crow-Armstrong unleash a power surge as the Cubs’ leadoff hitter that energized baseball fans in Chicago and elsewhere. His speed running the bases, leaping skills in the outfield, arm strength and patience at the plate after a slow start created the perfect storm to produce an MVP season.

“I’m always willing to do whatever it takes,” he said on the MLB Network. “My coaching staff was very patient with me through my struggles early in the season.”

Earlier this week, some of the Harvard-Westlake players who met Crow-Armstrong last January offered their opinions of his MVP season.

Ira Rootman, a center fielder committed to Texas, said, “I’ve gotten to interact with him multiple times. Seeing what he did, it means it’s possible for anyone. It’s a real inspiration. He talks a lot about the mental side. I think that’s something incredibly important.”

Louis Lappe, a sophomore infielder who gained national fame with his grand slam in the 2023 Little League World Series for El Segundo, said, “He’s very good inspiration for all the Harvard-Westake people. He showed we can all do it.”

Jake Kim, an outfielder committed to UCLA, said, “It shows that our program and the standard of how we do it and the standard to win and be great speaks volumes about our coaches and how we work around here.”

Being the son of two actors, Crow-Armstrong understood what being in the spotlight looked like and even though he angered Dodger fans with comments last spring in a magazine, he’s always been known as a competitor and shown respect and appreciation for those supporting the game of baseball.

He and his parents have moved out of Los Angeles to be closer to Chicago, but the former Sherman Oaks Little Leaguer won’t forget how the talent level growing up in sunny Southern California helped give him the opportunity to be a major leaguer and reach a level few ever attain.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

This was one of the most expected award results of the 2026 MLB season.

Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong put together not only an MVP-caliber season, but one of the greatest single seasons in Cubs franchise history.

To review the numbers: .280/.372/.570 (175-for-626) with 31 doubles, eight triples, 45 home runs and 41 stolen bases, becoming the first Cub to join the 40/40 club. He also walked 83 times, nearly tripling the 29 he had in 2026. He led the NL in SLG, OPS and OPS+ and led all of MLB in runs (119), home runs and total bases (357). He is just the fourth Cub position player ever to have a 9.8 bWAR season or better (also Ron Santo, 9.8 in 1967; Ernie Banks, 10.2 in 1959; Sammy Sosa, 10.3 in 2001; and Rogers Hornsby, 10.6 in 1929). Fangraphs had PCA at 10.6 fWAR.

For all of this and more, PCA was today named, unanimously, National League Most Valuable Player. He’s the first Cub to win the award since Kris Bryant in 2016. In addition to those two, here are the other Cubs who have been named NL MVP:

1911: Frank Schulte
1929: Rogers Hornsby
1930: Hack Wilson
1935: Gabby Hartnett
1945: Phil Cavarretta
1952: Hank Sauer
1958: Ernie Banks
1959: Ernie Banks
1984: Ryne Sandberg
1987: Andre Dawson
1998: Sammy Sosa

What’s most remarkable about PCA’s season is that he got off to a mediocre start. After going 0-for-3 against the Brewers May 20, he was batting .225/.302/.357 with five home runs in 50 games. Over his final 112 games, he batted .302/.400/.658 (134-for-444) with 26 doubles, six triples, 40 home runs, 87 RBI, 29 stolen bases, 93 runs scored and 68 walks. Those numbers alone might have won him MVP — and that’s only two-thirds of a season.

PCA doesn’t turn 25 until March. He’s hit 86 home runs, good for 35th on the Cubs career list. If he hits 40 in 2027, that would put him in the top 20. He has 105 stolen bases, which ranks 32nd. Another 40-steal year would move him up to 22nd. A healthy and productive PCA over the next few years would likely make him one of the greatest Cubs ever.

There are so many highlights to PCA’s season that it’s hard to pick just one that sums him up, but I’d like to nominate what he did in the 3-2, 10-inning win over the Blue Jays Aug. 6. After Alex Bregman tied that game up 2-2 with two out in the bottom of the ninth and no one scored in the 10th, PCA led off the 11th with a single, but placed runner Carson Kelly was thrown out at the plate. PCA took second on the throw and immediately took off for third. You know what happened next [VIDEO].

That, I think, sums up everything PCA is. He read the situation, didn’t hesitate, drew a wild throw and won the game.

There is, obviously, a lot more to his game than that — power and defense in particular. Here are 25 minutes worth of highlights from his MVP season.

Congratulations to Pete Crow-Armstrong. May this MVP award be the first of many. Here’s the BBWAA vote for NL MVP. Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman finished ninth.