CINCINNATI, OHIO - JULY 31: Emilio Pagan #15 of the Cincinnati Reds reacts after defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates at Great American Ball Park on July 31, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati defeated Pittsburgh 8-7. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Happy Friday, everyone! It’s been quite the week for awards and we now know the winners of the biggest titles of the past season, with the accolades for Cy Young and MVP getting handed out this past week. Jacob Misiorowski and Cam Schlittler took home the Cy Young glory, no surprises there, while Pete Crow-Armstong and Yordan Alvarez were named the unanimous winners for MVP, dethroning the long-reigning champs, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.
We’ve got more details on those winners below, along with the new Astros manager, Brad Ausmus, who Tigers fans know fairly well. Plus we’ll speculate over whether or not the Emilio Pagan contract is a sign of things to come in free agency. So let’s just jump right into it so you can get in the know on all baseball’s happenings before heading into the weekend.
"A right-handed bat, and a catcher…it's kind of a constellation of talent. It's something that creates a star skill market for players at that position. A lot of teams are kind of going, 'Oh, Ryan is certainly something that will put more championship notches in my belt.'" https://t.co/pnJAmZHfvQ
The way everyone moved like a stampeding herd to like four different locations and two floors to listen to Scott Boras make puns is absolutely hilarious to me pic.twitter.com/ts8csdRGyE
Reliever Evan Phillips and the Atlanta Braves are in agreement on a three-year, $35 million contract. Biggest deal of the winter so far sends the veteran to Atlanta, which already has one of the best bullpens in baseball.
Earlier this week, Bob Nightengale of USA Today mentioned that the Phillies have made Trea Turner available in a trade. Of course, that doesn’t really mean much, as it would be almost impossible to move the underperforming Turner and the remaining seven years and roughly $200M he is still owed, and that is before factoring in his full no-trade clause. We have to acknowledge that reality before we even entertain the idea of any theoretical trade.
With that said, nothing is truly impossible. Bad contract swaps are uncommon in MLB, but they do happen. One such trade occurred just last offseason when the Mets sent Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Marcus Semien. Nimmo at the time was still owed over $100M over five years of an eight year, $162M extension that he signed with New York prior to the 2023 season while Semien was entering the fifth year of a seven year, $175M deal he inked with the Rangers before 2022. Both players were coming off of disappointing seasons and were on the wrong side of 30, with Nimmo being 32 at the time and Semien 34. The early returns after one season favor the Rangers, as Nimmo has fared better in Texas than Semien has in New York. It was a vastly different situation than the one the Phillies face with Turner, but it’s proof of concept that trades like this can happen.
With that in mind, earlier this week Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Rangers may be interested in another similar type of trade, as they are looking to move Corey Seager. The two-time World Series MVP will turn 33 in April and is still owed $155M over the next five seasons. Seager underperformed last season but was still worth 3.1 WAR with a 112 OPS+. However, the major caveat with Seager is that he has missed a chunk of time with injuries in each of the last four seasons, as he’s averaged only 112 games played every year since 2023. Despite this, he’s still averaged 5.4 WAR over the same span, suggesting he is still a productive player in the time he is actually on the field. But he had a career low .736 OPS in 102 games last season, perhaps signifying the beginning of a decline in his bat.
In a world where the Phillies were to work out a Turner for Seager trade, the Rangers would be getting a player who is one year older, less productive, and who is signed for two years longer but has largely remained healthy over the last five years. The Phillies meanwhile would perhaps be getting a better bat and defender at shortstop for a shorter term but with the large risk that said bat along with Seager’s overall health may get much worse in the coming years. It’s not an ideal swap for either team, but it hardly ever is in trades of this type.
Again, it is highly unlikely that a trade for Turner manifests itself. The most likely scenario is that the Phillies are stuck with him and have no choice but to hope he finds a way to improve. But in a world where a trade was possible, would you be willing to do a bad contract for bad contract trade? What other hypothetical trades would you consider?
Sep 30, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. (26) reacts in the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox during game two of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It’s very tempting to want to love Luis García Jr. His lefty swing reminds me so much of Robinson Canó, and indeed my own swing is modeled after the former Yankee All-Star. At the time the Yankees dealt for him, desperate to get some kind of thump in an Aaron Judge-less lineup, he led the National League in slugging. When he came to New York, he clubbed a long home run in his second game, a worthy introduction to the Bronx faithful. After that, he was fine in the regular season, dreadful in October, and now is the source of a bit of a logjam on the roster.
To Brian Cashman’s credit he made more than one deal for bats at the deadline, but neither Heliot Ramos nor García Jr. really had the impact I’m sure he planned. Luis came in in grand style:
That the Yankees went on to lose that game, one of the stupider of the year and what a list that makes, maybe says something about García Jr. as a Yankee. Getting him was the right move, it just never really paid off. I was surprised to see that he actually managed an 87 wRC+ in the postseason, because I genuinely would have thought he posted half of that.
To be fair, he was On One against the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, hitting .500, but then kind of everyone did that against the Red Sox in those two games. Facing the Rays in the ALDS Luis went 1-for-10, a -56 wRC+. The Yankees only who played three games against the Rays, if García Jr. went 1-for-10 in a random series in July we probably wouldn’t even notice, but it happened when the lights were brightest.
I’ve said this a lot about the 2026 Yankees, but Luis didn’t really do himself many favors. Yes, he has that big home run in his second game against the Cardinals, then he went two weeks without another dinger. He slugged .560 in Washington, .434 in New York. His strikeout rate jumped five points.
I do wonder how much the dimensions of Yankee Stadium worked against him. Luis was on pace for 33 doubles across 600 PA while with the Nationals, down to 22 over 600 PA in the Bronx. Yankee Stadium is a tremendous ballpark to hit home runs in, and not very friendly to other kinds of extra-base hits. The short right field wall was absolutely a reason why the club brought Heliot Ramos in, and maybe they believed that smooth lefty swing would turn some of those doubles into dingers for García Jr., but that didn’t happen, at least in 2026.
Moving into 2027, the Yankee have once again assembled a roster with so many first base/DH types. Giancarlo Stanton will be on the roster, Ben Rice is not going to be a catcher, Aaron Judge will almost certainly see less time in the outfield than we’re used to, if for no other reason than the game’s best hitter needs to sometimes be saved from himself. Then there’s García Jr., who on paper is possibly a better hitter than Stanton but not better than Rice or Judge, but also probably isn’t good enough at second base to merit uprooting Anthony Volpe.
Maybe that’s the project for this winter, making Luis García Jr. a functional second baseman and stick him in some kind of first base/second base platoon role. This gets complicated if there’s a lockout and teams can’t communicate with players, and is further complicated by the fact that the very bad Washington Nationals gave Luis 0 innings at the keystone last year.
I want to love Luis García Jr. I don’t think his performance in 2026 merits that love. I am hopeful, perhaps foolishly, that it will in 2027.
Sep 16, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) runs home to score a run on a two-RBI single by right fielder Jo Adell (7) during the third inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Orioles outfield was a problem during the 2026 season. Their 3.9 fWAR as a unit ranked 22nd in MLB, and nearly half of that (1.9 fWAR) is attributed to the long-departed Taylor Ward. Some internal solutions may exist, like moving infielders to the outfield, according to team president of baseball operations Mike Elias. But no matter how many deck chairs they move around, the group seems destined to sink again without external help.
The free agent market does have some interesting options. Seiya Suzuki is probably the top fish, coming off a career-best year but now entering his age-32 season. Randy Arozarena bounced back these last two years in Seattle, and he certainly knows the AL East. Ian Happ is another proven, solid player that could fit. However, outside of the Pete Alonso contract signed last year, Elias has avoided giving big money to “older” free agents, though any thing is possible.
The Orioles did a lot of their shopping in the trade market last year. Ward was acquired from the Angels. Shane Baz came over from the Rays. Blaze Alexander was snatched from the Diamondbacks. And they re-acquired Andrew Kittredge from the Cubs. That could be the avenue to find even better outfield help this offseason, and no other trade target fits what the Orioles need better than Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan.
Kwan’s 2026 season was a tale of two halves. He was bad (.225/.332/.282) prior to the all-star break, and then caught fire (.353/.443/.432) in the second half. That helped him to be worth 3.8 fWAR on the year, nearly equaling the value of all 14 players that stepped foot in the outfield for the Orioles last season.
Adding Kwan would finally give the Orioles the lead-off hitter that have seemed to lack for a few years now. Players that batted first for the Orioles in 2026 hit a combined .226/.310/.345 in the role. Finding someone that can more adequately set the table has to be a priority. Kwan played 105 games as the Guardians lead-off hitter this past year. He hit .278/.376/.347 in the role. Over his entire career he owns a .282/.355/.385 slash line atop the order.
What you do not get with Kwan at the plate is power. He hit just three home runs last year, though he had hit 11 and 14 in the two seasons before that, so double-digit dongs are within reach. But that should not be the expectation. Instead, it’s an old school approach that limits strikeouts and gets on base. Kwan struck out just 62 times last season against 85 walks. His 9.7% strikeout rate and 13.3% walk rate are both among the game’s elite.
A quick skim of Kwan’s Baseball Savant page shows exactly what you would expect. This is not a player with eye-popping exit velocities or hard-hit rates. But his success is no fluke. His .282 batting average is only slightly higher than his .277 expected batting average. The same is true for his .334 wOBA and .328 xwOBA. He hits the ball where no one is, and he forces pitchers to throw him strikes. The Orioles could use some of that influence in the lineup.
It should be noted that Kwan has not been the most consistent hitter from season to season. Since his rookie year, his wRC+ has oscillated in this fashion: 125, 99, 130, 98, 114. That can be read as him being at least an average hitter year in and year out, and with some of the other things he does well, he is still a net positive. His impact on the lineup, however, varies.
The other aspect of Kwan’s game that would greatly help the Orioles is his defense. Kwan has already won four Gold Gloves and was a finalist for another in 2026. His six outs above average in 2026 was in the 90th percentile of all fielders, according to Baseball Savant.
The Orioles, as a team, were worth -9 outs above average in the outfield, and that included a really good defensive season from Colton Cowser (10 OAA). The rest of the unit was atrocious. A duo of Kwan and Cowser would be a good starting point for an elite defensive outfield.
One negative of a potential acquisition of Kwan is that he would not be a long-term solution. The 29-year-old is set to become a free agent after the 2027 season. Maybe he would be open to a contract extension, something that the Guardians rarely give out, but oftentimes players this close to free agency would rather test the open market.
The cost to acquire Kwan would likely be quite steep. The Guardians won the AL Central in 2026 and came within one game of going to the World Series. They don’t have to sell. Plus, given the relatively thin outfield free agent class, any other team in need of outfield help is likely to be interested in Kwan too. The Orioles would have to come with a hefty offer.
In order to acquire Ward, a player less valuable overall than Kwan but still on an expiring contract, from the Angels a year ago it cost the Orioles four years of Grayson Rodriguez. The Guardians would want more for Kwan. That type of deal probably includes at least one major league-ready outfielder (maybe Enrique Bradfield Jr.), plus another one or two more intriguing prospects.
The Orioles absolutely have to address their outfield issues this winter. Moving an infielder out there could help to solve part of the problem, but it would lack the certainty that comes with accquiring a known veteran for the role. Maybe the team simply ends up doing both.
Arizona Diamondbacks Garrett Hampson scores on a Randal Grichuk single off Athletics starting pitcher Joey Estes in the second inning during a spring training game at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale on March 20, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
We took a look at available center fielders earlier in the week and it is now time to take a look at available left fielders. This time we will only look at free agent left fielders because there really are no good internal options and the trade market is vast and hard to predict. That being said, we really have two groups of players we can look at. We have players that have been regular players and therefore are likely to be a little more pricey than their platoon counterparts.
As per usual, we will take a look at their career slash statistics, isolated power, isolated patience, real offensive value, and bases per out. Real offensive value is a hybrid stat I invented to encompass both batting average and the majority of secondary average (isolated power + isolated patience) averaged together. It can be interpreted as a comparable stat to batting average. Bases per out simply takes total bases, stolen bases, walks, and hit by pitches and divides that sum by the total number of outs that player accrues. Below we will look at a table that will show what the Astros collectively did in left field last season and what the overall league average is in each of those categories.
SLASH
ISOpow
ISOpat
ROV
BPO
Astros LF
.208/.300/.388
.180
.092
.240
.659
All MLB Hitters
.244/.318/.400
.156
.074
.237
.673
Keep in mind that Yordan Alvarez played some games in left field, so his awesome numbers are driving the overall Astros left field numbers up some. That would account for the superior isolated power and patience. Obviously, none of the Astros left fielders brought any speed to the table, so they fell behind in bases per out as compared to the big league average. So, the charge is the same as in center field. Find at least a league average hitter in addition to Alvarez.
Big Ticket Free Agents
SLASH
ISOpow
ISOpat
ROV
BPO
Randy Arozorena
.255/.350/.442
.187
.095
.269
.806
Ian Happ
.243/.341/.442
.199
.098
.270
.774
Taylor Ward
.243/.333/.417
.174
.090
.255
.717
George Springer
.265/.351/.472
.207
.086
.279
.817
Let’s start with the elephant in the room. There is no way in hell that George Springer is producing these numbers in 2027. He had a 99 OPS+ last season. He got off to a slow start and came on in the end, but he isn’t coming close to these numbers. Could he be a league average bat in left field? Of course he could. However, going that direction would say many things about the Astros and the direction they are going. Getting the band back together would certainly feel good, but it probably wouldn’t add many wins.
There is a universe where the Astros could afford any of these guys. The Astros are sitting at 238 million according to Spotrac.com, but they could conceivably deal Jeremy Pena, Christian Walker, and Josh Hader to free up room for them to spend in other areas. Jim Crane could also loosen some purse strings if the new collective bargaining agreement allows. Just because you can afford something doesn’t mean that you should buy it.
Spotrac estimates Arozorena’s market value at five years and 127 million. That would eat up most of the available budget on one guy. Is he really that much better than the other three? Happ sits at just under 20 million per season according to Spotrac, Ward sits at about 17.5 million a season, and Springer sits at ten million respectively. Is the extra 7.5-17.5 million a season really getting you that much more? That of course spills us into the second tier of free agents that could be classified as platoon bats.
Available Platoon Bats
SLASH
ISOpow
ISOpat
ROV
BPO
Michael Conforto
.245/.342/.444
.199
.097
.271
.762
Ramon Laureano
.250/.320/.440
.190
.070
.255
.734
Randal Grichuk
.253/.299/.470
.217
.046
.258
.697
Austin Hays
.263/.313/.434
.171
.050
.242
.674
By sheer definition, these are all players with some warts. Signing them becomes a large part in choosing which warts you are willing to live with. Laureano comes with a ton of volatility. He had an 83 OPS+ last season, but he seems to alternate great and bad seasons every year. If you are signing a one year contract then you are simply gambling that it will be one of the good seasons.
Conforto is likely a little like Springer in that this career average contains his early seasons when he was an all-star level player. Still, he was very good last season in a part-time role. He also has some defensive limitations that make playing him regularly problematic. Still, he might give you the best production of the group and his production would rival some of the guys above for an average of nine million a year according to Spotrac.
Austin Hays really doesn’t do a whole lot for me, but Grichuk is a guy that is intriguing for a number of reasons. He has played every outfield spot in his career and his power is tantalizing. I hate his hitting profile (low OBP skills) but we aren’t looking for Al Simmons here. We want a league average big league outfielder and he has been that for the better part of a decade. Spotrac thinks he is due about nine million a season just like Conforto.
Final Thoughts
While I think every fan would love to see the Arozorena’s and Happ’s of the world, I just don’t see that as horribly realistic. If you estimate that you could free up 35-40 million through trades and increased spending, spending 20 million or more on one position just doesn’t make financial sense. It would make more sense to spend around ten million in left, maybe something similar on a starter, and then the rest on bench players and/or relief arms. That would seem to point the finger squarely at someone like Springer, Conforto, or Grichuk.
The fan in me would love to see Springer back, but the analyst would hate it. Conforto and Grichuk have more left in the tank and would give you the best opportunity to improve on the Nelson Velasquez’s, Lamont Wade’s, and Taylor Trammel’s of the world. Incremental improvement is the name of the game. Gain a game or two in center and left field each and then hope you gain the rest on the mound.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 07: (L-R) Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18, Tarik Skubal #29, Blake Snell #7, and Tyler Glasnow #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate in the clubhouse after defeating the Atlanta Braves in game four of the National League Division Series at Truist Park on October 07, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The All-MLB teams have been around since 2019, and for the first time since their inception, the Dodgers do not have a single player representing the All-MLB First team.
No offensive players for the Dodgers were named to either the First or Second teams, but two pitchers managed to crack the Second Team, those being left-hander Tarik Skubal and right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto, reports Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
After two consecutive Cy Young award winning seasons, Skubal was limited to 26 starts due to elbow surgery, but he still managed to post a 12-7 record with a 2.72 ERA and 186 strikeouts across 158 2/3 innings between the Detroit Tigers and Dodgers. Yamamoto capped off his second fully healthy season of his big league career, once again finishing in the top-5 for National League Cy Young voting by posting a 14-9 record with a 2.53 ERA while striking out 182 hitters across 185 innings.
Links
For the first time since 2022, Shohei Ohtani was not crowned league MVP, as he placed 2nd behind Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong for the 2026 NL MVP race.
It was a tough task for Ohtani to try to claim a third consecutive NL MVP, and injuries to both his knee and biceps kept him behind Crow-Armstrong, who became the first Cub in team history to register a 40-40 season. Ohtani doesn’t need to pull off another 50-50 season to reclaim the title, and Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times describes what the two-way superstar will have to do in order to add another MVP award to his already vaunted trophy mantle. Should the impending lockout bleed into when the regular season traditionally starts, Lee notes that the additional off time could help him revamp to full health on both sides of the field.
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.
Former Dodgers reliever Michael Kopech did not toss a single pitch during the 2026 season, but he’s not ready to hang up his spikes. Ken Rosenthal, Will Sammon, and Katie Woo of The Athletic note that Kopech is eyeing a comeback for the 2027 season, and is scheduled to throw for teams on Saturday.
LAS VEGAS, NV - NOVEMBER 11: Bobby Witt Jr. talks with Mark DeRosa after being named to first team All MLB during the 2026 MLB Awards presented by MGM Rewards at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Wednesday, November 11, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Matt Aguirre/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Houston’s Yordan Alvarez won the award unanimously, while Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero finished second. Witt received 188 points, including two second-place votes and 11 third-place votes. He finished ahead of New York’s Cam Schlittler (181), who won the AL Cy Young Award on Wednesday night…
Witt’s latest MVP finish follows his third consecutive All-MLB First Team selection at shortstop and his third MLBPAA’s Heart & Hustle Award — he’s the first player to earn the latter honor three times.
Unless I’m mistaken, Witt finished 4th in Rookie of the Year voting in his first season. He has followed that up with 7th, 2nd, 4th, and 3rd in MVP voting. Not a bad start to a career.
Speaking of the Royals, Matt Snyder dropped this nugget in his CBS Sports article about the AL MVP:
The only players in MLB history to lead the majors in all three triple slash categories:
[Yordan] Alvarez, 2026 Aaron Judge, 2025 Miguel Cabrera, 2013 Barry Bonds, 2002 Larry Walker, 1999 George Brett, 1980
I find it fascinating that in an era where award voting purportedly boils down to a single statistic, Yordan Alvarez was the unanimous AL MVP despite NOT leading the league in either Baseball Reference WAR (Kevin McGonigle) or Fangraphs WAR (Bobby Witt Jr.) https://t.co/35SbFENgaB
Remember last week, when we talked about Teruaki Sato? C’mon! It wasn’t that long ago! At MLB.com, Mark Feinsand had an article about him. Tucked into that article were some comments by JJ about the Royals:
“We’ve got a pretty good core here, so we don’t look at ‘27 as a rebuild,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “We don’t have time to rebuild; we went through that. We need to figure out how to get our pitching better right now so we can capitalize on the years that Bobby’s with us. We’re definitely very aware of that…”
“We are very aware of the years with Bobby – and it’s not just Bobby,” Picollo said. “You’ve got Maikel Garcia, [Jac] Caglianone, [Carter] Jensen; there are some talented players on our roster that we’re excited about. It’s the collective nature of those guys that creates that urgency for us.”
Congrats to Tyler Tolbert!
To finish off our official stories, we have a pair from Fox 4.
The Kansas City Royals announced a multi-year partnership on Thursday with entertainment company Elevate to help shape the fan experience at the Royals new downtown ballpark.
Elevate will be involved in the planning and development of the premium seating design, signage, ticket pricing, as well as food and beverage pricing.
“Our first priority is to see if we can keep the teams from leaving Truman Sports Complex,” Lake said in a statement to FOX4 Thursday. “If that is not a possibility, we must have a study done on the best use of Truman Sports Complex and significant community outreach completed before any decisions on demolition of the Complex is made.”
I think that ship has sailed. The very next line in the article:
“The teams are not staying at the Truman Sports Complex,” Current Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota said in response to Lake’s statement Thursday.
Not a lot of blogginess going on today, but we’ll highlight what’s out there!
This starting point seems interesting to me: Steamer projects Mahle for 154 innings, a 4.10 ERA, a 4.11 FIP, and 2.1 WAR for 2027. It is an estimate that seems to represent a midpoint between his two versions of 2026. First, he had a terrible stint with the San Francisco Giants, where he recorded a 5.13 ERA with a 4.38 FIP, but then he managed to leave some doubts behind by recording a 1.99 ERA and a 3.32 FIP after recovering and moving to the Atlanta Braves at the trade deadline. The expectation with Mahle is that he can remain a mid-value starter, not that he necessarily reproduces the level of his best stretch with Atlanta.
That said, it would also be worth analyzing his injury history, since Mahle underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023 and has had other physical problems since then. If he is healthy, he could provide the ability to get strikeouts and a repertoire combination that can work better when he attacks the strike zone. So, for the Royals, a good deal could also be in the range of $30-32 million over a couple of seasons.
I know this isn’t your traditional blog post entry, but I’ll give Patrick Glancy a plug as he often writes about the Royals at Powder Blue Nostalgia. A while ago, he opened up a companion site called Powder Blue Pulp, where he writes about non-baseball topics. I enjoyed his most recent entry about a castaway Lego minifigure.
Wait? Create an entirely new blog to write about off-topic things? That sounds like a lot of needless work. Speaking of which…
For last week’s OT (link above in the part about Sato), we started on the Asia Baseball Recaps with the NPB. This week we’re onto the KBO.
Here was part of the midseason update:
For those who don’t remember, the top 5 teams in the 10-team KBO qualify for the playoffs. However, it’s a ladder playoff, so the higher you finish, the more byes you get. Currently, the powerhouse Samsung Lions are in 1st at 55-42-2, but the KT Wiz are charging fast with 7 wins in a row and are only 2.5 GB. Meanwhile, the 3rd-place LG Twins have lost(!) 7 in a row and are 4 GB (part of that is that the Wiz swept a 4-game series from the Twins). The Kia Tigers and Doosan Bears are the other teams above .500 and occupy the last two playoff spots.
Those were the teams that qualified for the playoffs. The Wiz were the big story here. They started out a respectable 44-35-1. From that point on, they went 46-14-4 and took the regular-season crown by 8 games. Their final record was 90-49-5, basically a 105-win MLB team. The Samsung Lions were definitively the second-best team in the league at 83-58-3, a 95-win MLB team. The Kia Tigers (79-63-2), LG Twins (78-65-1), and Doosan Bears (73-66-5) were the other teams above .500 and they all made the playoffs.
The following teams were out of the players and are listed in order of finish: SSG Landers, Lotte Giants, NC Dinos, Hanwha Eagles, and Kiwoom Heroes. I had this note about our rooting interest, the 9th place Eagles, back in July:
We didn’t mention this back in the spring, but “Eagles slugger Roh Si-hwan signs most lucrative deal in KBO history”. He’s only 25 and signed an 11-year contract worth just north of $21M. It goes into effect starting in 2027, however, he has an opt-out to post to MLB this offseason.
Well, Si Hwan Roh opted out and posted to MLB. Michael Clair at MLB.com wrote an article about current and future KBO players who could make their way to MLB. Roh is probably the only player who will move the needle this year, but others could be coming in the next couple of years.
With Roh officially being made available via the posting process as of Sunday, our scout likes the power, calling him “a big power bat from third base,” that should play at the MLB level. However, while he has the arm strength to stay at the position, “he’s a little bit weak defensively.”
A member of the national team at the World Baseball Classic this spring, his potential trip to the Majors may depend on if teams value his bat enough to consider him as a DH and if they can match the value of his KBO contract valued at approximately $21.3 million. The negotiating window for Roh will expire on Dec. 1 at 5 p.m. ET.
The only thing hotter than the Wiz was the weather. In August, some fans collapsed from heat-related illness and the league cancelled 15 games as part of a “heat wave break”.
For the Wild Card game, the Doosan Bears met the LG Twins at Jamsil Baseball Stadium. This is notable for two reasons. First, the two teams share Jamsil during the regular season, so it’s a derby. Second, Seoul Sports Complex Baseball Stadium, as it’s also known, is scheduled to be demolished after the 2026 season.
By virtue of their better regular-season record, the Twins get a 1-0 lead in their best-of-three series. However, they only needed one game to advance. In the regular season, former MLB player and current LG Twins 1B Austin Dean hit .331/.427/.635 with 41 HR, 127 RBI, and 114 R. He’s in the running for league MVP. Here’s the first inning play-by-play courtesy of MyKBOStats:
Batter #1: Hong Chang-ki Hit by pitch Batter #2: Park Hae-min Reached base on a fielder’s choice (ground ball to first baseman) – First base runner Hong Chang-ki: Force out at second base Batter #3: Austin Dean Pitcher disengaged Pitcher disengaged Pitcher disengaged Pitcher disengaged Pitcher disengaged Home run to left field (Distance: 120m / 395ft)
That was more than enough for 39-year-old Carlos Carrasco, who scattered 4 hits and a walk across 6 innings in the Twins 4-1 win. Gwak Been was the hard-luck loser. Those were the only 2 runs he gave up in 6 innings, allowing just 3 hits, and striking out 10. He was only 11-7 on the season, but led the league in ERA (2.24) and Ks (197). He’s listed in the KBO-to-MLB article above, potentially in 2028.
They advanced to the semi-playoff to face the 3rd place Kia Tigers and another MVP candidate, Kim Do-yeong. He hit .308/.413/.647 with 45 HR, 118 RBI, and 120 R. Dean and Kim were two of three players with an OPS over 1.000 for the season. The third was Koo Ja-wook of the Samsung Lions. He didn’t have the prodigious power numbers of the two sluggers, though his 15 HR and 31 2B weren’t too shabby, particularly as he only played in 114 games due to injuries. He got his OPS over 1.000 the “old-fashioned” way: with a .371 average to go along with .458 OBP and .581 SLG. But we’ll get to him later
Kim got the best of Dean in the semi-playoff, winning MVP in the 3-game sweep. He hit 3 home runs and reached base another 3 times in the short series. The Tigers won 5-1, 6-3, and 13-1 with strong pitching performances from starters James Naile, Adam Oller, and Shirakawa Keisho. Naile and Oller both had cups of MLB coffee and finished in the top 5 in KBO ERA, while “Shirakawa was the first Japanese player without NPB experience to pitch in KBO” (per b-r). Game 3 was the final game in Jamsil Stadium’s history.
In the Playoff, the Tigers faced the Samsung Lions. It was a series that went the maximum five games, but none were particularly close or dramatic. There was only 1 game with a run scored after the 7th, and it was a meaningless insurance run in the Tigers 5-1 win in Game 1. In Game 2, Ariel Jurado locked down the Tigers and the Lions roughed up Oller in an 8-3 equalizer. Games 3 and 4 were 2-run games, one won by each team. Game 3 was a 6-4 Lions win and Game 4 was a 4-2 Tigers win. Oller got roughed up again in Game 5, giving up 4 in the first two innings. Meanwhile, Jurado threw 7 innings and gave up only 1 unearned run. He was named the Playoff MVP. And this set up the highly anticipated #1 vs #2 matchup in the Korean Series.
The Wiz attack was led by former MLB’er Sam Hilliard (.304/.374/.593 with 44 HR, 116 R, league-leading 139 RBI) and Choi Won-jun’s .356 average. On the pitching side, Ko Young-pyo will challenge Gwak as KBO’s best pitcher, going 15-7 with a 3.28 ERA, and 183 K and only 22BB in 172.2 IP.
In Game 1, the Wiz jumped out to a big lead with 3 in the 1st, 2 in the 3rd, 1 in the 5th, and 2 in the 6th. But the Lions plated 5 in the 7th and 2 more in the 8th to make it a one-run game. Wiz closer Park Yeong-hyun shut the door with a 4-out save.
Game 2 was a pitcher’s duel as former MLB’er Chris Paddack dueled Ko to a draw, each giving up a single run in seven innings. In the 10th, both teams had the bases loaded and each only came away with one run. The Lions picked up an unearned run with 2 outs in the 11th and the Wiz could not answer. The series was even at 1 game apiece.
That loss seemed to deflate the Wiz. Well, that and the Samsung offense. The Wiz scored in the top of the 1st each of the next two games. But the Lions matched them. In Game 3, they got 1 in the 1st and 3 in the second and, in Game 4, they played 6. Game 5 saw the Wiz score 1st with a run in the 3rd, but the Lions once again answered: 3 in the bottom of the 3rd and then an 8-spot in the 5th basically ended the series.
The Lions won their 9th Korean Series title and Koo was named MVP. Heck, this was an easy-ish one to write. A lot of the players with big regular seasons played major roles in the postseason so it made the storytelling easy. Next week, we’re onto the CPBL.
Somehow my wife was one of only 14 parents in the United States who hadn’t seen KPop Demon Hunters. Well, that changed this week. This would even be topical as we were just talking about the KBO. And Lord knows I’m not getting those songs out of my head for another couple of days. So we’re just going to cheat and claim anime is video game adjacent, especially since it’s Sony-animated.
Spoiler alert: If you somehow haven’t seen the movie, “What is Sounds Like” is the finale. Did you know that being yourself is good and that love and friendship can help conquer evil, especially with the help of super catchy hooks? Cool. I’m glad we had this talk.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - SEPTEMBER 27: Shota Imanaga #18 of the Chicago Cubs pitches in the first inning during the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field on Sunday, September 27, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Detroit Tigers have already made two moves to address the bullpen this offseason. They inked veteran right-hander Jacob Waguespack to a one-year deal worth $1.3 million after a solid showing in middle relief for the Tigers in 2026. They quickly proceeded to bigger fish, signing veteran setup man and closer RHP Emilio Pagán to a one-year, $11.5 million deal. Now it looks like they may pivot to starting pitching. Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports from the GM Meetings in Las Vegas that the Tigers have shown interest in free agent southpaw, Shota Imanaga. The Tigers have rarely landed talent from Japan, but they’ve been making a more concerted effort in recent years, and are even scouting top prep Japanese pitcher Shoki Oda. The Tigers may not be the favorite to land him, but Imanága is an interesting idea to explore.
The 33-year-old left-hander was a two-time All-Star in the NPB for the Yokohama DeNE BayStars from 2016-2023. He was posted during the 2023-2024 offseason and signed a three-year deal with the Chicago Cubs. He went on to be an MLB All-Star for the Cubs in 2024 before putting up a pair of mediocre seasons for them in 2025-2026. Still, he holds a 3.45 ERA/4.32 FIP combination over 492.1 innings of work and has been very durable in his early 30’s.
The Tigers are showing interest in LHP Shōta Imanaga, among other free-agent starting pitchers. @MLBNetwork
The Tigers big focus this offseason is pitching according to POBO Scott Harris, and while the emphasis needs to be on rebuilding a bullpen that was a hot mess in high leverage situations in 2026, there are only a handful of really good, trustworthy relievers available in free agency. Pagán was a solid enough acquisition in that context. There is a whole league’s worth of teams in varying degrees of need in their bullpens, and so competition for top names like RHP David Bednar and LHP Adrian Morejon will be fierce and expensive.
The Tigers need to take a broader approach and just collect the best arms they can. A trade would be nice, but trading for young major league caliber pitching is always hard, and will be particularly so in this very uncertain offseason. If that means adding a starting pitcher and flexing one of their current rotation options to the bullpen, so be it. Apart from just needing some better arms in the pen, the Tigers also have a real flexibility problem. Most of their optionable young pitchers are already working as starters. Not a single one of their current right-handed relief options, Will Vest, Pagán, Drew Anderson, Kyle Finnegan, Waguespack, nor Beau Brieske, can be optioned to the minor leagues. They also don’t have much in the way of big arms in the upper levels of the farm system on which to hope for relief help next season.
So the theory goes that by signing a starting pitcher instead, and possibly using Drew Anderson in the rotation as well, the Tigers can move one or two pitchers like Keider Montero, Troy Melton, Reese Olson, or River Ryan into the pen. They all have options remaining as well, and of course each has their own case for holding down a rotation spot instead. Adding Imanaga or another solid starter would open up some flexibility throughout the whole major league pitching staff.
Imanága really is the direct opposite to Framber Valdez, presenting a completely different look as an extreme fly ball pitcher, just like Pagán. Fly ball pitchers used to make a ton of sense in Comerica Park. Nowadays, with the fences moved in significantly in all directions since the early days of the park, the soon-to-be renamed Fifth Third Ballpark is far more neutral. Even so, with the right pitchers, the theory of mixing extreme ground ball and fly ball pitchers together to give opponents different looks in a series makes some sense.
Imanága has several traits that fit the Harris and AJ Hinch philosophy of controlling the strike zone. He pounds the zone relentlessly with a very north-south approach and runs one of the lowest walk rates in the game. He also generally strikes out an above average share of hitters. He gets plenty of routine outs. The flaw is that he allows a ton of homers.
The same is true with Pagán, and the theory here is interesting. In the wake of the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays emphasis on contact and speed from their hitters, more teams are likely to copycat that approach, and fly ball pitchers who strike out good amounts of hitters, don’t give out free passes, and rack up tons of weak outs in the air may be the ideal countermove. Of course, there aren’t many teams like the Brewers and Rays around, so we’ll see how this holds up against teams built more to take their hacks.
Imanága fits this bill because most high fly balls and pop-ups are relatively easy outs. Balls in the air negate hitters’ speed, taking pressure off the infield and forcing teams to play station-to-station baseball. Like Pagán, the result is low WHIP marks and minimal traffic on the basepaths. You just have to hope fortune is on your side when the home runs come and the bases are clear, because home runs are inevitable with this approach.
Imanága has posted a WHIP of 1.02, 0.99, and 1.10 in his three seasons with the Cubs. Those are excellent marks. The lefty backs that up with good strikeout rates as well, and saw a nice resurgence in strikeout rate in 2026 after a down year in that regard in 2025.
League average K% last year for starters was 21.9 percent, while the BB% was 8.3 percent, for reference.
Season
IP
ERA
FIP
K%
BB%
HR/9
fWAR
2024
173.1
2.91
3.72
25.1
4.0
1.40
3.1
2025
144.2
3.73
4.86
20.6
4.6
1.93
0.9
2026
174.1
3.77
4.47
24.6
5.2
1.81
1.8
Imanága theoretically has a six-pitch mix he can deploy, but he generally leans on his riding fourseam fastball and his splitter, with a sweeper as his main breaking ball. That fourseamers up and splitters down approach is what I mean by a north-south approach. He doesn’t move the ball horizontally much, though he’ll occasionally mix in a sinker to try and jam a lefty in certain situations.
He doesn’t throw hard, averaging just 91.9 mph last year, but the fourseamer typically has around 18 inches of induced vertical break from a lower than average release point. That gives it a solid angle with ride at the top of the zone, but what really makes this work is Imanága’s ability to spot it to both sides along the top rail of the strike zone. His command really ties the whole profile together. The fastball gets a pretty pedestrian whiff rate, but he does generate quite a lot of easy fly ball outs. He also gives up plenty of barrels, and you just have to hope it works out that the big hits come with the bases empty. Through three years with the Cubs, that’s usually but not always been the case.
His best pitch is the splitter, which generated a whopping 41.4 percent whiff rate in 2026. Hitters batted just .195 against it, and while the occasional hanger gets whacked—Imanága gave up 9 of his 35 homers allowed on it last year—hitters only slugged .335 against it. Again, this is the embodiment of the approach. The homers are going to arrive, but most of the time hitters are making a lot of easy outs.
The sweeper gets plenty of whiffs as well, and interestingly he doesn’t just use it against lefties. It has good depth and gives hitters another look though he only used it 14.6 percent of the time last year.
Imanága is an interesting if imperfect fit for the Tigers
Most contract estimates for Shota Imanága come in at two years and something like $30-40M. That should be comfortably within the Tigers budget, even if they go on to target a position player and another reliever elsewhere.
The theory of adding a lefty who gives up a lot of homers but is good in all other respects is an interesting one. He’s not such an extreme fly ball pitcher as Pagán, but again he keeps traffic off the bases. Forcing teams to play station-to-station baseball is an interesting antidote to the growing emphasis on contact and speed from teams like the Brewers and Rays. Particularly in the cooler parts of the season in March through early May, he would probably thrive, assuming the season starts on time. The summer months would be a little more dicey and require a shorter leash. Still, a team having to deal with one of the tougher sinkerballers in the game in Valdez, then the velocity and overall nastiness of Jackson Jobe, followed up by a pitcher that keeps traffic off the basepaths, would be an interesting group leading off the starting rotation.
Of course, we do have to keep in mind that Imanága had a really good defensive team around him in Chicago, and the Tigers are not that right now. In that sense they aren’t such a good fit, but with Max Clark in center field and potentially mixing Ben Malgeri and Zach McKinstry into the outfield, the Tigers can at least put a really good defensive group in the outfield should they choose to play it that way. And with good strikeout numbers, Imanága is generally doing his part to limit contact.
Signing Imanága to go along with Valdez and Jobe gives the Tigers depth, and leaves an open competition in the spring, and probably throughout the year between Montero, Melton, Olson, Anderson, and Ryan, and makes the Tigers bullpen a lot better at the same time. It’s a solid enough idea. Now we’ll see if the Tigers follow through and actually land the veteran left-hander or perhaps pivot to another starter or reliever instead.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 30: Yordan Alvarez #44 of the Houston Astros smiles during the fourth inning of game two of the American League Wild Card Series against the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park on September 30, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Houston Astros/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Happy Friday, everyone! We now know our winners for most of the big MLB offseason awards, with the accolades for Cy Young and MVP getting handed out this past week. Jacob Misiorowski and Cam Schlittler took home the Cy Young glory, while of course Pete Crow-Armstong and Yordan Alvarez were the unanimous winners for MVP, dethroning the long reigning champs, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.
We’ll get into that below, along with the new Astros manager, Brad Ausmus, and even more. So let’s just jump right into it so you can get in the know on all baseball’s happenings before heading into the weekend.
"A right-handed bat, and a catcher…it's kind of a constellation of talent. It's something that creates a star skill market for players at that position. A lot of teams are kind of going, 'Oh, Ryan is certainly something that will put more championship notches in my belt.'" https://t.co/pnJAmZHfvQ
Reliever Evan Phillips and the Atlanta Braves are in agreement on a three-year, $35 million contract. Biggest deal of the winter so far sends the veteran to Atlanta, which already has one of the best bullpens in baseball.
For what it’s worth, Bob Nightengale writes that the Mets are downplaying their chances of signing Skubal, but rivals think they have as good a chance as any team of signing him.
It feels like ages ago that the Mets were making their incredibly fun postseason run in 2024, and over at MLB.com, Francisco Lindor walks us through his iconic grand slam from the NLDS.
The Braves signed right-handed reliever Evan Phillips, who’s thrown a total of just 31.2 major league innings over the past two seasons, to a three-year, $35 million deal.
Vas Drimalitis took a look at Bo Bichette’s disappointing debut season in Queens.
This Date in Mets History
On this date in 1958, New York City Mayor Robert Wagner announced a plan to launch a third major baseball league, one that laid the groundwork for Major League Baseball’s expansion that included the creation of the Mets.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN- APRIL 3: Minnesota Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine prior to the game against the Kansas City Royals on April 3, 2017 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Royals 7-1. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2016 Minnesota Twins were a tough nut to crack in terms of how to move forward after Total System Failure (TM). Clearly something needed to be done, yet the club also looked pretty well-set with a talented young core. So, instead of shaking up the on-field product all that much, the Pohlad ownership group turned their attention to the business-suit class.
Derek Falvey (Executive Vice President): Elevated from Assistant General Manager in Cleveland
Thad Levine (General Manager): Elevated from Assistant GM in Texas
The hope: that Falvey could bring with him Cleveland’s vaunted pitching pipeline with the more experienced Levine around to make sure the operation ran smoothly.
There were, of course, still some notable roster refinements.
For all intents and purposes, that was the extent of the 2016-2017 offseason. At the time, I distinctly remember The Falvine (as the Derek/Thad pairing would come to be known) professing a desire to learn the ins and outs of the organization before making drastic alterations.
As such, it would be a more-uneventful-than-anticipated break coming off a franchise-worst 103-loss season.
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 23: Hunter Goodman #15 of the Colorado Rockies looks on during the game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Casey Paul/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning, Purple Row!
Here’s what’s going on with the Colorado Rockies and the rest of Major League Baseball.
Building on John Paul Morosi’s tweets on Wednesday, Hunter Goodman is now fully part of the trade rumor mill. He’s one of many in the catcher category, but definitely the one with the most value given his power at the plate and controllable contract through 2029. He’s one of many notable players whose names are being thrown around as possible trade pieces, including fellow catchers Shea Langeliers and World Series MVP William Contreras.
As soon as the rumors get you worried, Kevin Henry comes in to turn the burners off. Henry had an exclusive chat with Rockies GM Josh Byrnes and president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta. Henry paraphrased that Byrnes said, “any kind of extension for Goodman is on the back burner until the Rockies know what kind of financial implications lie ahead with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.” DePodesta said that the Rockies will likely be more cautious in trading position players, while remaining open-minded. Henry also touches on the front office’s urgency to improve the starting rotation.
Tyler Freeman will play for a new team in 2027 after signing a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves. The utilityman with a knack for putting the ball in play only suited up for 79 games for the Rockies in 2026 due to a back injury that required surgery. The Rockies acquired Freeman in a trade for Nolan Jones prior to the 2025 season. After hitting .267/.339/.342 with a .681 OPS in 189 games over the last season with a combined -3.3 rWAR, Freeman opted for free agency after the 2026 season.
Following the unanimous Cy Young voting for Jacob Misiorowski and Cam Schlittler, Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and Houston Astros slugger DH Yordan Alvarez were no-doubters for NL and AL MVP, respectively. After his first All-Star season in 2025, PCA had the breakout season his projections always expected as he became the five-tool player to lead the Cubs to the postseason. He tied Kyle Schwarber for the National League home run crown with 45, while leading the league in slugging percentage (.570) and OPS (.942). He also stole 41 bases. Alvarez, following a DH MVP trail blazed by Shohei Ohtani, led the AL with his .316 batting average, .432 OBP, .601 slugging and 1.033 OPS and helped the Astros reach the postseason. He also hit 42 homers and drove in 106 RBIs.
The reliever market is seeing some action. On Thursday, the Atlanta Braves signed former Los Angeles Dodger Evan Phillips. The Braves originally drafted Phillips in 2015. He was a solid arm in the Dodgers bullpen until injuries, including one that forced Tommy John surgery, struck in 2025 and caused him to miss large parts of the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
Agents are teaming up to fight Rob Manfred & Co. This breaks down both sides’ arguments and the massive gulf between them. While informative, this doesn’t inspire much hope for avoiding a lockout on Dec. 1. With a possible delay to the season, a freeze on trades and signings and an uncertain future, the lockout threats can’t be good for the sport, for ticket sales and certainly not for fans. As much as agents are often portrayed as the bad guys, they make a compelling argument.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 27: A general view of Oracle Park as the San Francisco Giants play the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 27, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
As the proud new owner of tickets to a Fall Out Boy concert at Oracle Park next year, I thought today we could take a walk down memory lane and remember some of our other favorite events that have taken place at the ballpark that aren’t Giants-related.
For me, it would probably be a concert featuring Green Day, Flogging Molly and Jimmy Eat World back in the early 2000s, sometime around when the American Idiot album came out. Aside from nearly getting trampled when Green Day took the stage (which is why I’m never doing general admission ever again), it was an incredibly fun night and cemented Flogging Molly as one of my favorite bands of all time. It was only my second time actually being on the field too, so getting to see that view with a full park was really cool, because it gave me a little perspective of what it must be like for the players.
What are some of your favorite non-Giants events that you’ve attended at Oracle Park?
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Evan Phillips #59 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the fifth inning in game four of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves made their first notable move this offseason and signed reliever Evan Phillips to a three-year, $35M contract. He is set to earn $11M in 2027 and 2028, followed by $13M in 2029.
The 32-year-old right-hander spent the 2026 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he appeared in 36 games. During the regular season, he owned a 3.46 ERA and had a perfect postseason, striking out three in three innings of work.
Phillips was drafted by the Braves in 2015 and debuted with the club in 2018.
More Braves News:
Our 2026 player review series continues with Lane Thomas.
Happy birthday to Arodys Vizcaino*, and a mighty host of others.
Today in baseball history, in 1984 – Ryne Sandberg wins the National League MVP Award, becoming the first Chicago Cubs player to do so since Ernie Banks in 1959. Sandberg hit .314 with 19 home runs and 32 stolen bases and led the NL in runs (114) and triples (19), and other stories as well.
1989 – After 16 years with the same team, outfielder Jim Rice is released by the Boston Red Sox. Rice retires from the game with 382 home runs and a .298 average. He will eventually be elected to the Hall of Fame in 2009.
2000 – Pedro Martinez of the Boston Red Sox becomes the first pitcher to win the American League Cy Young Award unanimously in consecutive years. Martinez, who posted an 18-6 mark with a 1.74 ERA, has copped the “top pitcher” honor three of the last four seasons.
2001 – Pitcher Randy Johnson, who posted a 21-6 record with a 2.49 ERA and 372 strikeouts, wins his fourth Cy Young Award, his third straight as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Previously, Johnson also won the honor in 1995 with Seattle, and is the second pitcher to win three consecutive Cy Young awards, joining Greg Maddux who won four in a row from 1992–1995.
1789 – In a letter to Jean-Baptiste Le Roy, Benjamin Franklin writes “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
1980 – US spacecraft Voyager 1 sends back first close-up pictures of Saturn during its fly-by.
1982 – Vietnam Veterans Memorial opens in Washington, D.C., featuring the names of over 58,000 US soldiers killed or missing in the Vietnam War.
1992 – Riddick Bowe wins the undisputed world heavyweight boxing crown with a unanimous points decision over Evander Holyfield in Las Vegas; first of their three meetings.
2001 – Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira‘s fifth studio album and first English language album, “Laundry Service”, is released.
2002 – Eminem releases the single ‘Lose Yourself’ from the soundtrack of “8 Mile,” the first rap song to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
2015 – Terror attacks in Paris at bars, restaurants, the national football stadium and Bataclan music venue leave 130 dead. Isis claim responsibility.
2020 – Kylie Minogue becomes the first woman to top the UK album chart over five consecutive decades with “Disco”
