Category: MLB

Seaver King is not knocking on the door of the big leagues, he is banging down the door. King is on the type of heater that should be impossible for Paul Toboni to ignore. At this point, there are no baseball related reasons for Seaver King to be in Rochester. 

In King’s last 11 games, he has 8 home runs, tearing the International League to shreds. After a very difficult first pro season, the former 10th overall pick has emerged as a top 50 prospect in the sport. The combination of power, speed and contact skills are just undeniable.

For the season, King is hitting .325 with a .970 OPS between Double-A and Triple-A. The 23 year old has 18 homers and 13 steals on the season, showcasing his dynamic traits. Honestly, his profile reminds me of a right handed CJ Abrams. With the Nationals offense sputtering badly thanks to trades and injuries, the Nats desperately need a spark.

When the offense was rolling, the Nats could afford to have Nasim Nunez in the lineup because things were fine even with a weak bat. However, Nunez just sticks out like a sore thumb when the offense is slowing down. Nunez has just not been an MLB caliber hitter for most of the season, and things are reaching a boiling point now.

In August, Nunez is 7 for 56 with a .335 OPS. That would be bad even for a pitcher back when they hit. Nunez has played 16 games in August and has not scored a single run. That is just not sustainable and not something you can have in your lineup. For the second half as a whole, Nunez is hitting just .178 with a .435 OPS. 

Even if King does not completely hit the ground running, it would be tough for him not to be a massive offensive upgrade over Nunez. With James Wood and now CJ Abrams out, this team needs all the offense it can get. We are also at the point where King can retain his rookie status heading into next season. There is genuinely no baseball related reason for King not being the starting shortstop.

The only possible explanation for the Nats not calling up Seaver King this season is fear of a lockout. If King does get added to a 40-man roster, he will not be able to play in minor league games. The calculation here is how long do the Nats think the lockout will last? Unless it cuts into multiple months of the season, I think the right move is to call up King.

With how he is hitting right now at AAA, I honestly don’t think he would gain that much from bullying the opposition there for a month or so. However, if the Nats really think this could be a season ending lockout, maybe the right move would be to keep King down.

One thing that should absolutely not be an explanation though is anything to do with Nunez. Sure, King probably won’t be as good defensively at shortstop, though Nunez has struggled in his small sample size at short this season. However, the offensive gap is going to be so big that it will make up for any defensive drawbacks. 

For context, in Nunez’s only stint in AAA, which was last season, he hit .254 with a .652 OPS. King is just blowing those numbers out of the water with a .318 average and .956 OPS. These players are just on a different planet offensively. King may not be the defender Nunez is, but he does provide speed on the bases and improving defense.

Funnily enough, Spencer Nusbaum put out a sourced column about how King should not be expected anytime soon on August 16th. Since that article came out, King has gone nuclear. In the 4 games since then, King has a homer in every game and hit two last night. He has also racked up 10 RBIs and 26 total bases. I don’t know about you, but I think the kid is ready.

This has been a step forward season for the Nats so far, but it is really teetering. The team has been leaking oil badly this month. I wrote about how King is a guy who can provide a spark a couple days ago. The former Wake Forest star has only made that case stronger in the last few days.

For the first time all season, the Nats need a spark offensively. There is a very easy solution to their woes and that would be to call up Seaver King for Nasim Nunez. Whether or not the Nats do it is a different story though. If they do not call up Seaver King, the reason will not be baseball related because the numbers are just slapping us in the face.

There is no sugar coating it, the Atlanta Braves have sputtered on offense this month. Only eight teams have scored fewer runs in MLB. They are facing the best pitcher on the planet right now in Jacob Misiorowski, in dire need of a win as the Phillies are creeping up the standings.

The Braves have only had three players with a wRC+ over league average for the month of August, and those players are Matt Olson, Mike Yastrzemski, and Austin Riley. Because of this, it has been interesting to see what the lineup will be everyday.

Dominic Smith was great to start the season, but has struggled mightily for some time now. One of the biggest head scratchers that fans point out is why he keeps getting at-bats. He has a wRC+ 36.0 percent below league average this month better than only Albies, Murphy, and Jarvis.

This trend continued today, but fortunately Dubón is at SS instead of Jarvis.

No player in today’s lineup has faced Misiorowski in more than three ABs, and none of them have an OPS higher than .666. Maybe one of the reasons Smith got the start is he is one of the four Braves to hit a single of The Miz. The other three players to hit a single are Albies, Dubón, and Riley. Interestingly, two of the three hottest hitters this month for the Braves are hitting eighth and ninth.

The Brewers are bringing a solid lineup against Sale.

Chourio has a .917 OPS against Sale in his career in twelve ABs. We also need to keep an eye on Contreras, Ortiz, and Vaughn. All three of these hitters have an OPS north of .803 in seven or more ABs.

The Braves need to score early if they want to win. The Brewers’ bullpen has been the best in MLB since the start of the month in terms of ERA, and it is not even close.

First pitch is at 4:10 EDT.

Despite that heartbreaking loss to the Astros last weekend and the enormous loss to the Brewers on Monday, that nine-game road trip wasn’t a complete disaster for the Mariners. A 4-5 record against two of the best teams in baseball plus a series win against the division leader kept Seattle on the fringe of the playoff picture. And now they’re calling up Kade Anderson to start Saturday’s game. Even if the team doesn’t get its act together to make a run over the last few weeks of the season, at least we get the excitement of the debut of the team’s top prospect to enjoy.

The Cubs started off this year extremely hot and cold — they famously had two separate 10-game win streaks within a four week period followed by a 10-game losing streak a week later. A ton of injuries to their pitching staff prevented them from finding much consistency, but they’ve finally found some reinforcements and have settled in as one of the better teams in the National League. They have the best record in the NL since the All-Star break, and are making a late season push for the NL Central lead.

The Cubs have assembled one of the best lineups in baseball and a lot of that is thanks to MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong. In addition to his gold-glove defense in center field, he’s taken an enormous step forward at the plate this year. He’s currently 1.3 fWAR ahead of Shohei Ohtani’s combined 7.0 fWAR batting and pitching total and 2.3 fWAR ahead of Bobby Witt Jr., the AL’s WAR leader. Behind him, Seiya Suzuki, Alex Bregman, and Michael Busch combine fantastic approaches at the plate with enough pop to make them each extremely dangerous to pitch to. Even though the bottom of Chicago’s lineup doesn’t look so formidable, they excel at getting on base; the Cubs are tied with the Brewers for the major league lead in walk rate but hit for so much more power that the team’s wRC+ is seven point higher than Milwaukee’s.

Probable Pitchers 

Updated Stuff+ Explainer 

• Stuff+ scores for Mariners starters

Matthew Boyd finally put together a healthy season last year, making more than 30 starts in a season for the first time since 2019. It also happened to be the best season of his career; he set full-season bests in ERA, FIP, and fWAR. His strikeout rate wasn’t as high as it had been earlier in his career, but his walk rate was the lowest it’s ever been, leading to the second highest strikeout-to-walk ratio of his career. A couple of minor injuries have forced him to miss a couple of months of this season and they’ve prevented him from finding his groove. He’s been much less effective across the board with his strikeout rate falling to the lowest it’s been since 2017.

David Peterson had carved out a nice role for himself as a back-end starter and sometimes long reliever on the Mets over the last few years. Unfortunately, like the Mets’ season, everything unraveled this year. His ERA ballooned over six, though his peripherals painted a much nicer picture. The runs kept flowing no matter how good his FIP was, and he was shipped to the Cubs in late June. A groundball specialist, he relies heavily on a sinker to get batters to pound the ball into the dirt. He’s also got a pretty good pair of breaking balls and a decent changeup to round out his arsenal.

An extreme fly ball pitcher, Shota Imanaga’s success is directly tied to his home run rate. Last year, he was tied for the fourth most home runs allowed and he’s already just two homers behind 2025’s total this season. He pitches up in the zone with a fastball with tons of carry and then changes a batter’s eye level with splitters and sweepers down in the zone. The approach works well when he’s inducing swings and misses, but as soon as balls start flying over the fence, he starts to really struggle.

The Big Picture:

The Angels did the Rangers and Mariners a favor by taking two of three from the Astros this week. Los Angeles will get another chance to disrupt the division standings with a series against the Rangers this weekend. The Athletics will get a shot at playing spoiler, too; they’re playing in Houston this weekend.

The Wild Card standings are far too messy to parse clearly right now, suffice to say that the Orioles, who had been holding the final Wild Card spot to start this week, are now two games back and the Twins and Rangers have clambered to the top of the pile for now.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Orioles fans and fans across the country.

When I asked the question for this week’s poll of Orioles fans, it looked like the team might be on the verge of going somewhere, and it might actually matter when their injured players returned and how soon. They have spent the days since heading in the wrong direction. Oops.

Whether it ends up mattering or not, it seems like all of these four injured Orioles are going to make their way back this season. Samuel Basallo has already returned, with Blaze Alexander and Félix Bautista not far behind. Ryan Helsley is also out there somewhere. Whose return will help the most? Here’s what you said:

Basallo was the overwhelming choice, and when you’ve seen what the catchers have been doing in the time after the Adley Rutschman trade where Basallo was still on the injured list, it’s no surprise why. Carlos Narváez has three hits in 38 at-bats as an Oriole, none of which have gone for extra bases. That’s rough. This is going to have to improve somehow for the Orioles to yet again turn the operation around in a good direction.

We’ll have to see how that catching situation shakes out for the short term, though, since the Orioles did have Basallo play first base on Thursday. Maybe that’s about being cautious with Pete Alonso’s calf or maybe it’s about being cautious with Basallo’s shoulder.

Alexander came in second, which is fitting since he’ll probably be back next. If he can come back hitting like he was before he got hit on the hand, that will make a positive impact on the Orioles lineup. They don’t have a high batting average guy without him.

This week’s survey is sponsored by FanDuel.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Pirates fans and fans across the country.

This week’s question dealt with Pittsburgh Pirates injuries. The Bucs have a lot of them. Oneil Cruz, Konnor Griffin, Ryan O’Hearn, Endy Rodriguez, Spencer Horwitz, Jered Triolo and more have all spent significant time out of the lineup this season. The Bucs have certainly had multiple issues this season, but injuries have absolutely been one of them.

What we asked this week was, if the Pirates were mostly healthy, do you think they are a Wild Card team? Here’s what you said:

A slim majority of you feel the Bucs would make it if they were healthy. I tend to agree, but you never know what might happen if the injury bug did something different.

Our friends at FanDuel are not super optimistic about the Bucs’ playoff chances. The Pirates are +2200 odds, meaning a $100 bet will get you $2200 back if they make it. You feeling postive? That’s a big payout.

Thanks for voting. We’ll be back soon with more.

Through June, the 2026 Red Sox were 37-47 and 13 games out of first place in the AL East. They’d fired their long-time manager Alex Cora after a 10-17 start and “Chief Baseball Officer” Craig Breslow seemed destined for the fate of all the team’s top baseball execs after Theo Epstein broke the franchise’s championship drought: fired before the end of the season.

Instead, it’s sort of worked itself out in that the elevation of triple-A manager (and former Diamondback) Chad Tracy has helped reinvigorate the team (they’re 58-42 with him as the manager) and the underperforming talent — their lineup was projected to be a fair bit better than league average — really stepped up. They went 21-4 in July (+54 Run diff.) and are 10-8 in August (+40). So, the losing Giants roll in to town less for a “revenge” series with Rafael Devers (and possibly Marcelo Mayer) in tow and more like a proper spanking by a playoff-bound team. Boston is +5.5 in the AL Wild Card.

What has been the Giants’ biggest lead in the 3-Wild Card era?

Eh, who cares.

The 2026 Giants are maybe playing to avoid 100 losses, but then again maybe not. Do a search for “Buster Posey 100 losses” and the tone of the results is that the team is resigned to this being the case. I guess I should’ve figured as much given how little people seemed to care before the season about the Giants needing to have a winning season to avoid having five consecutive non-winning seasons for the first time in franchise history.

I guess the standards are lower now?

That makes sense. The Dodgers are so much better, and so is most of the league. The Giants won their three championships. Most living fans just think 100 losses or several years of losing are just the norm after a run of success. Call it the tankification of fandom. Or the NFL infantilization of all sports.

For what it’s worth, the Red Sox last had a 100-loss season in 1965. In 2012 they lost 93 games and 91 in 2014. These are just 3 instances of 17 where the Red Sox have lost at least 90 games. That’s 17 seasons out of 126.

This year will be just the 13th time the Giants have lost at least 90 games, and that’s out of 144 seasons. Only the three teams from the New York era make this list: 1943 (55-98), 1946 (61-93), and 1899 (60-90). Otherwise, San Francisco can boast that some of the losingest teams in franchise history belong to the city:

1985: 62-100
2017: 64-98
1984: 66-96
1996: 68-94
2007: 71-91
1979: 71-91
2008: 72-90
1992: 72-90
1974: 72-90

Anyway, Boston has had the second-best lineup in the sport (118 wRC+) since July 1st (trailing only the Nationals), but have actually scored the most runs in that span by far: 240 to #2 Cubs’ 231. The Giants have scored 170 (23rd) and have hit 9% worse than the league average (.233/.303/.378 — 91 wRC+). Boston has also had the most valuable pitching (+7.9 fWAR) compared to the Giants’ 12th-most valuable (+4.5).

A couple of highlights from both teams: Bryan Bello went from the worst starter in the sport (10.35 ERA in 7 GS and 31 IP) to one of the best relievers (0.85 ERA in 57.1 IP). Boston, whose pitching coach is former Giants’ pitching coach Andrew Bailey, has used him as more of a bulk starter pairing him with an opener in all but one of his appearances since mid-July.

The Giants seemed like they had done the same thing with Adrian Houser, who had a 5.73 ERA through his first 14 games this season (all starts), but since being pushed to a long reliever he’s posted a 1.50 ERA in 42 IP (11 G). He did get a start in an outing 10 days ago and it worked, but the Giants resumed the follower/bulk role in their sole win against Cleveland the other day. So, you know, as much as Giants fans have hated it, openers work.

Rafael Devers has faced his former team just once since the big trade, and it was that Oracle Park series that took place soone after. So, is his 2-for-12 indicative of what’s going to happen in this series, or will his career .884 OPS at Fenway assert itself?

Erik Miller has appeared in 7 games for Boston since the Giants traded him, and in 7.1 IP he’s struck out 12 and walked only 3. Walks and health are the biggest issues with his game, but otherwise, he can be a dominant reliever. The Giants don’t figure to be much competition against the Red Sox in general, but seeing Miler mow down Devers and Jung Hoo Lee will certainly be tough to watch.

With two lefties starters in the series, maybe this will be a great opportunity for Victor Bericoto. That Green Monster has to seem awfully tempting.

Series Overview

Who: San Francisco Giants (52-75) at Boston Red Sox (68-59)
Where: Fenway Park | Boston, Massachusetts
When: Friday at 4:10pm PT, Saturday at 4:15pm PT, Sunday at 12:15pm PT
National broadcasts: FOX TV (Saturday), NBC/Peacock (Sunday)

Projected starters
Friday: Logan Webb (RHP 8-7, 3.50 ERA) vs. Sonny Gray (RHP 15-3, 2.65 ERA)
Saturday: Blade Tidwell (RHP 0-0, 4.33 ERA) vs. Patrick Sandoval (LHP 1-2, 4.76 ERA)
Sunday: TBD vs. Jake Bennett (LHP 7-6, 3.46 ERA)

Prediction time

Logan Webb has yet to beat the Red Sox in his career and although his start in game one would seem like the best chance to win a game in this series, I’ll predict that the Giants will instead win a game in spite of Webb’s start. Maybe he’s bad and they win anyway or he’s great (he has a 0.90 ERA in 20 IP this month) and they lose but then pick up a win in some other game. Predicting sweeps is such a bummer. I kinda like this .333 run they’re on. It really turns the screws on how the front office thought it had built a good team but all they’re being shown is that they’re a different kind of losing one. Too good to totally tank, not good enough for literally anything else.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in Kansas City Royals fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Earlier this week, we asked you how much money you’d be comfortable giving Jac Caglianone in a theoretical contract extension:

I promised you when I asked the question that I had done the math and come to my own conclusion. I’ll share that here first. So, first I estimated how much he might get through arbitration, if he keeps playing as well as he has this year. I used multiple similar players to come up with these numbers:

2027 (pre-arb): $1 million

2o28 (pre-arb): $1 million

2029 (arb 1): $5 million

2030 (arb 2): $13 million

2031 (arb 3): $18 million (this could be a bit lower if he is 1B/DH only by now)

That would pay him about $38 million over the next five seasons. Round it up to $40 for simplicity’s sake. He would hit free agency ahead of his age-29 season in 2032. I suspect by that point, regardless of where he has played for his career up until then, he will be considered a 1B/DH and not an outfielder. Still, on the open market at 29, he could make a lot of money if he even consistently hits as well as he has this year, to say nothing of how much better he could still get.

So, I think to buy out a couple of those free agent years, you’re probably looking at at least $20 million. That would give you 7 years/$80 million. I think if the Royals can lock him into that, they should do it yesterday. I’d go to 7/$90 million without blinking, especially if a chunk of that could be shifted into playing time and/or All-Star Appearance incentives. This is why these early extension deals always look so club-friendly compared to free agent contracts. The early money for these guys is just so low compared to what they can command on the open market.

Royals fans, you surprised me, because more than one-third of y’all are willing to give him $140 million for those seven years. Even if we were talking eight years, I don’t think the Royals should necessarily have to top $120 million. The comparison of Kevin McGonigle is important here because Kevin has been an equal hitter to Jac while playing better defense (higher up the defensive spectrum, too) and running the bases better. This is similar to the reason Jac is never going to get paid as much as Bobby Witt Jr. He and Bobby have hit about as well as each other this year, but Bobby does everything else so much better.

Another quarter of you were willing to give him $15 million a year, and that seems closer. Though even that would be 7/$105. I wouldn’t complain if the Royals did that deal, but it’s also not my money. Though they do need to consider what the salary floor or Competitive Integrity Tax might force them to do starting next season.

I think the 19% of you who believe the Royals should just wait and see are going to be disappointed, unless you’re hoping to wait and see Jac leave after the 2031 season. These extensions are a give-and-take of offering security to players in order to pay less later. There comes a point where the security is not worth the losses incurred by not just going to free agency. The Royals got to Bobby just before it was too late, and they still had to pay an incredible sum to get it done. If they had waited until even partway through that third season (his MVP-runner-up 2024) they wouldn’t have been able to keep him for even the amount they gave him.

If the Royals intend to extend Caglianone, this is the time to get it done. Here’s hoping they celebrate the completion of the next step of their stadium deal by keeping our large Italian little brother in town for the long term.

These survey results are sponsored by FanDuel.

It feels like multiple times during the offseason and into spring training, whether it be in relation to an acquisition or for a player’s season preview, I remark that “they say you can never have enough pitching.” The Yankees, who boast one of the sport’s more productive pitching staffs, are living proof of that exact concept. While they have a top-notch front end of the rotation, the injury bug has not shied away in 2026. With all but Cam Schlittler seeing time on the shelf, including Max Fried’s most recent stint, the Yankees have benefitted greatly from a relatively strong back end of the rotation.

While it may not be the flashiest aspect of the roster in 2026, the production from Ryan Weathers and Will Warren in 2026 has been vital. Weathers has been a legitimately good pitcher in his first season with the Yankees, and Warren, while up-and-down, has been good at times, and is generally reliable every fifth day. Either way, with the number of injuries this rotation has seen, the level of reliability on the back end has been an unsung and significant value to this club.

We’ll start with Weathers, who has simply been a very good pitcher in his first year in New York. At 134 innings pitched to this point in the season, the lefty has worked nearly 50 more frames than he has in any other year of his career, and is pitching better than ever. With a 3.56 ERA and 3.66 FIP that both represent career-bests, Weathers is setting high-water marks across the board, and has been a stalwart for the Yankees in his 24 starts so far. His efforts have been particularly strong over his last five outings, in which he’s tossed 31.2 innings to the tune of a sparkling 0.85 ERA, while striking out 25 batters compared to nine walks. Throughout the various injury troubles this team has seen, Weathers’ consistent production in pinstripes has been a blessing.

Tossing from the right side, Will Warren has not been quite as good as Weathers, but his availability and still-solid production has been a huge asset. He too has made 24 starts in 2026, and while his numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, he has held his own as the fifth starter. While having that isn’t necessarily the top priority in roster construction, when top line starters start going on the shelf, it becomes indispensable. His 4.43 ERA and encouraging 4.27 FIP is good enough for 1.3 fWAR in his 122 innings of work. When every starter is healthy, Warren is probably the first guy bumped out of this group, but his production as far as fifth starters go is more than acceptable.

The beginning of the 2026 season carried plenty of question marks, with both Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón starting the season on the shelf. Along with Cam Schlittler’s ascension to stardom, the general dependability of Weathers and Warren was a significant safety blanket. With Max Fried having already missed over a month earlier in the season, and now hitting the shelf once again with elbow trouble, the presence of these two back end starters carries even greater weight.

Although Cole and Rodón have since returned to the rotation, we are brought back to the idea that a team can never have too much good pitching. It is a volatile line of work, and someone on the staff will always be banged up. It is situations like that, like the one the Yankees are in right now and have been for much of the season, that the need for a Weathers and a Warren in the rotation becomes a real luxury.

With the Cubs/Mariners game not happening until 9:10 p.m. CT tonight, I thought I’d take a bit of time today to address something that’s bothered me recently.

To wit: The claims by many fans that “Tom Ricketts is cheap!”

Yes, it is true that the Cubs have not spent as much money as, say, the Dodgers or Mets. I’ll show later how the Dodgers have financial advantages that the Cubs do not. The Mets — how’s all that spending working out for them?

In fact, in recent years the Cubs have, in fact, spent money to improve the team, and you can see that improvement in the 2026 edition.

Dansby Swanson was part of the four-shortstop class in the 2022-23 offseason that included Carlos Correa, Trea Turner and Xander Bogaerts. Swanson signed a deal for the least total money of those four — seven years, $177 million. Correa’s deal was for six years and $200 million with the Twins, and now he’s back with his original team, the Astros. Turner’s with the Phillies was for 11 years and $300 million. Bogaert signed with the Padres for 11 years and $280 million.

You can make an argument — and I am now going to make that argument — that the Swanson deal is the best of the four. Swanson has posted 16.9 bWAR in his four years with the Cubs, and of course he’s injured now and likely won’t add much (if anything) to that the rest of this year. That’s an average of 4.2 bWAR per season.

Since Correa signed that deal, he’s been worth 7.7 bWAR and been injured a lot more than Swanson.

Turner has posted 12.3 bWAR for the Phillies, which included a fifth-place MVP finish in 2025 and a batting title.

And Bogaerts has just 8.8 bWAR in San Diego and his power numbers are way down from his Boston days.

So yeah. I’m making the argument that Swanson’s deal was the best of the four, getting more value for less money.

And that’s part of my point here — you don’t have to just spend the most money to get the best performance.

Further, the Cubs did sign someone who was arguably the top free agent last offseason, Alex Bregman, for five years and $175 million, the highest AAV in team history. After a very, very, VERY slow start, Bregman has hit extremely well for the last few weeks — .306/.380/.582 (41-for-134) over his last 33 games with 10 doubles, nine home runs, 26 RBI and 27 runs scored. He’s at 3.8 bWAR and might have a 5 WAR season in him yet, and I’d bet by the end of the year his OPS will be around .800 (it’s currently .749). And he’s got a good chance to win his second Gold Glove.

So that’s not “cheap.” Right?

Further, the Cubs signed two cornerstones of the franchise to long-term extensions earlier this year. Nico Hoerner likely retires having never played a game for another team with his six-year, $141 million deal. Pete Crow-Armstrong’s six-year, $115 million extension sure looks like money well spent.

Think back a few years. What if Jed Hoyer had signed Anthony Rizzo, Javier Báez and Kris Bryant to extensions instead of breaking up the World Series core group, as many wanted the team to do at the time? What a disaster that would have been. Bryant’s Rockies deal is one of the worst free-agent signings ever, Báez has been mediocre in Detroit and Rizzo played one full year and two partial years in New York before having to retire, likely due to multiple concussions.

There is one player from that core that the Cubs should have kept around. Yes, of course Hoyer and Ricketts should have extended Kyle Schwarber instead of non-tendering him, one of the worst player personnel decisions in franchise history. Granted and stipulated.

But apart from that, if you’re calling Tom Ricketts “cheap,” why? The words “intelligent spending” have been mocked after Hoyer said them a few years back, but what’s wrong with doing that?

Here’s what I think, and I could be wrong, and please feel free to correct me if my perception is not right: It seems to me that many of the folks yelling “Ricketts is cheap” are likely saying that because they think the Cubs should just sign the most expensive free agent on the market with no regard to how that player fits the team, or budgets, or anything. Just spend the most! How’d that work out for the Dodgers with Kyle Tucker?

The example for next offseason, of course, is Tarik Skubal, generally recognized as the top free agent for 2026-27. Would YOU pay Skubal the $400 million deal he’s been rumored to be worth? I, personally, would not. Skubal’s a very good pitcher, no doubt, but I don’t see him as a generational talent like Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander are. And Skubal has an injury history. Yes, he’ll likely sign with the Dodgers, and while his three starts to date in L.A. have been good, I don’t see them as the overwhelmingly dominant thing that, say, Jacob Misiorowski is doing in Milwaukee. Just wait until Miz becomes a free agent — if the Brewers let him get that far. Milwaukee doesn’t spend much, as you know, but for Misiorowski, perhaps they will.

I mentioned above the Dodgers’ financial advantage. Of course, that comes not only from their 25-year, $8 billion TV deal, but from this:

The Dodgers have that from the bankruptcy filed by previous ownership 15 years ago — and yet they keep that advantage for another 13 years beyond now! An extra $66 million per year would certainly help the Cubs, no?

In any case, the Cubs’ luxury tax payroll, per Spotrac, currently ranks eighth in MLB, just a couple million dollars behind the Padres in seventh and $9 million behind the Red Sox in sixth. That doesn’t say “cheap” to me.

Tom Ricketts, Crane Kenney and Jed Hoyer have put together a strong, winning team and they all know how great the postseason atmosphere was at Wrigley Field last year. Here’s hoping for a longer postseason run from the not-cheap Cubs in 2026.

Things were looking dicey after the Phillies visited St. Louis earlier this month. The bloom seemed to be off the Luis Arraez rose as the trade deadline acquisition had a rough series and the Phillies scored a total of one run over the final two games.

The struggles were a bit misleading, as the Phillies were getting runners on base. But they went a combined 1-15 with runners in scoring position and hit into four double plays across the two games.

Things could have gone sideways after that. The Phillies’ veteran hitters could have decided to scrap their newfound patient approach at the plate. Instead, they’ve stuck with it, and the offense has largely thrived. Since that series, the Phillies have averaged 6.5 runs per game, and not coincidentally, have won every one of them.

They’ll now welcome the Cardinals to Philadelphia, and hope that their offense can continue to get runners on base. And maybe this time around, they can avoid hitting into too many of those pesky double plays.

Opposition research: Jordan Walker

Before the season, most Phillies fans were probably unfamiliar with Jordan Walker. Despite being rated as a top five prospect, Walker had a rough first three years in the major. He put up negative WAR in each season for a grand total of -2.6 wins, and it looked like he might be a bust.

While he’s still not regarded as a good fielder, Walker’s bat has lived up to expectations this season. He’s got an OPS of .854 with 26 home runs and was named to the National League’s All-Star team. As Phillies fans know, he was part of the Home Run Derby field as well.

In one of the best Derbies ever – thanks in large part to the enthusiastic Citizens Bank Park crowd – Walker put on an amazing late run to steal the title from hometown hero Kyle Schwarber.

As expected, he was booed by the partisan crowd, but this wasn’t the type of boos that true villains like Orlando Arcia. or Francisco Lindor receive from the Philly faithful. These were more like the boos that Joe Carter always received in Philadelphia post-1993: Boos of respect. Yes, you beat us, and we’re not happy about it, but we can appreciate what you did. It didn’t hurt that his father was being delightful, and Walker seems to understand exactly why the crowd was booing him.

If Walker wants to become a true Philadelphia villain, he’ll have to do better against them than he has thus far in this career. He has a lifetime OPS of .543, although to be fair, he struggled against a lot of teams before this season. But it’s not like he hurt them badly when they faced off in St. Louis, going just 3-11.

He’s assuredly going to hear some booing from the crowd every time he steps to the plate this weekend. Let’s see if he can show that he truly deserves it.

Hating on the Cardinals

The Cardinals are hanging on in the NL Wild Card race, sitting three games out of the final spot. I guess that’s what you get when you have a slightly below average offense and a slightly above average pitching staff. This feels like one of the most .500 rosters in baseball, but being around .500 gets you right in the mix for the final playoff spot this year.

Do we really need this type of mediocre team in the playoffs? Do we really need the national television announcers raving about how wonderful the St. Louis fans are as the team gets promptly eliminated in the Wild Card series?

No, we do not.

Non-Phillies thought

WARNING: MILD SPOILERS FOR EPISODE ONE OF LANTERS

I watched the first episode of Lanterns and thought it was great. That said, I do have some concerns for the series going forward:

• The series might run into the problem where the more interesting story seemed to happen off screen. (Jupiter’s Legacy was the worst offender of this if anyone even remembers that show.) I know that this show isn’t about the adventures of Hal Jordan before he became jaded, but it feels like that might have been cool to see.
• They might Surf Dracula John Stewart as Green Lantern. He’s supposed to be a main character in the DCU going forward, but this entire series might just be set up for that.

Honestly, television kind of sucks anymore. We used to get 22-episode seasons of shows that would start promptly in September every year. Now, we get six-to-ten-episode seasons that are somehow less condensed in their storytelling, and we often have to wait a few years before the next season arrives.

Trivia

Last week’s answer: The final RBI of the 2025 regular season was a game-winning sacrifice fly by Nick Castellanos. SLDH was correct.

This week’s question: Since Citizens Bank Park opened in 2004, two Cardinals players have had two multi-home run games at the stadium. Who were they?

Additional thought about the series

I’ll be at the game on Saturday. I tried to get tickets for Friday, but because of the Kyle Schwarber bobblehead giveaway, the secondary market was extremely expensive.

Speaking of Schwarber, it would be nice if he started hitting consistently well again. He only has five home runs since the All-Star Game, and four of them came in two games. And no, this is not because the Home Run Derby “ruined his swing.” He goes through stretches like this every season where he’ll have a lot of empty plate appearances broken up by a multi-home run game.

Since I’ll be there on Saturday, I wouldn’t hate it if that multi-home run night happened then.

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It'll be a pitcher's duel today, and we're riding the Under in my Angels vs. Rangers predictions as a result.

Yes, Reid Detmers of the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers' MacKenzie Gore both have outstanding numbers in this matchup, leading me to believe runs will be hard to come by.

Let’s dive into my MLB picks for August 21, and fatten that wallet before the weekend.

Who will win Angels vs Rangers today: Angels Moneyline (+124)

This is all about the value we're seeing for an even matchup.

I'd price this closer to +105 after the Los Angeles Angels took two of three against the Houston Astros and two of three against these Texas Rangers the week before. Yes, the Angels are on a run - especially after scoring 18 runs last night against the Astros' staff. 

Reid Detmers has also has the Rangers' number, striking them out at a 36% clip while limiting them to a .197 xBA across 107 plate appearances. That will play tonight.

COVERS INTEL: While MacKenzie Gore has pitched extremely well against the Angels, Vaughan Grissom has had tremendous success against him, going 5-for-12 with a .314 xBA against the lefty.

Angels vs Rangers Over/Under pick: Under 7.5 (-121)

Not only is this a fantastic pitching matchup, but the trends are on our side here, too. The Under is 9-2 in the Rangers' last 11 home games against a team with a losing record, which bodes extremely well for a low-scoring affair in this spot.

We know about Detmers, but Gore is still punching this Angels lineup out at a 27% rate while limiting them to a .257 xwOBA. Runs will be difficult to come by tonight in Texas.

Angels vs Rangers home run prediction: Mike Trout (+414)

Mike Trout is only 2-for-9 versus Gore in his career, but has hit a homer against him and owns a .465 xSLG in this specific matchup.

Trout has been in a power drought as of late, but his last homer came on August 10 - against Gore. Let's fire him up at this price to do it again.

Angels vs Rangers weather

Globe Life Field has a retractable roof, so the weather will not be impacting game conditions tonight.

Angels vs Rangers odds

• Moneyline: Angels (+124) | Rangers (-133)
• Run line: Angels +1.5 (-170) | Rangers -1.5 (+163)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (+113) | Under 7.5 (-117)

Angels vs Rangers trend

The Under is 5-0 in the Angels' last five road games vs. a team with a losing record. Find more MLB betting trends for Angels vs Rangers.

How to watch Angels vs Rangers and game info

Angels vs Rangers latest injuries

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Two years after Jackson County voters resoundingly rejected a ballot measure that would have increased sales taxes to fund a new stadium for the Royals, Kansas City's city council approved $600 million in tax-free bonds for a baseball stadium project that's expected to receive $1.14 billion in public funds from the city and state of Missouri.

The agreement passed by the city's finance committee and approved by an 11-2 council vote also stipulates that the Royals "have no obligation to repay or otherwise support payment of” city-backed bonds, leaving the city to cover shortfalls. That's a key stipulation given the risk involved to the city and the potential for bonds to create a "debt bomb" for municipalities.

The proposed 30-year lease also allows the Royals to seek more public funding for major stadium renovations in the future while paying $1 annually in rent.

Royals owner John Sherman hailed the deal as a landmark public-private investment for Kansas City, saying a stadium "will bring Royals baseball to the center of the city, creating jobs, housing and year-round economic activity, advancing Kansas City's terrific momentum," according to KCUR.

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The Seattle Mariners continue to fight for a spot in the AL Wild Card race, but they’ll need to go through a tough Chicago Cubs team this weekend to make up ground.

The Cubs enter the contest as the +104 road dog, but I believe that their electric offense will give them the edge in my Cubs vs. Mariners predictions and free MLB picks for Friday, Aug. 21.

Who will win Cubs vs Mariners today: Cubs (+101)

The Seattle Mariners are banking on Emerson Hancock to have a big night on the mound, but the Chicago Cubs won’t make it easy on him.

Hancock relies heavily on his four-seamer, which he throws nearly 40% of the time. Chicago ranks eighth in SLG (.481) against that pitch from righties this month, and third in BB/K (0.90).

Matthew Boyd has not been quite as good as Hancock, but his matchup is preferable. The Mariners rank last in team average (.215) and SLG (.339) against left-handed pitching, and 29th in wOBA (.286).

Chicago is great value up to -105 tonight.

COVERS INTEL: Boyd throws his changeup more than a quarter of the time, and that’ll be the key vs. Seattle. The Mariners own a .190 average (29th) and .237 wOBA (26th) vs. left-handed changeups.

Cubs vs Mariners Over/Under pick:  Over 7.5 (-117)

Hancock is having a great season, but the Cubs own the second-best offense in MLB (5.13 runs per game), and they could be his kryptonite.

Hancock sits in the 31st percentile in hard-hit%, but has managed to hold a respectable 1.1 HR/9. However, the ball might not stay in the yard against the Cubs, who are one of the best home run-hitting clubs in baseball (164 HR; 8th).

Boyd will also be susceptible to Seattle’s bats – he has a 6.16 ERA over his last three starts, and Chicago has cashed the Over in each of those outings.

I’m taking the Over up to -125.

Cubs vs Mariners home run prediction: Pete Crow-Armstrong (+309)

Pete Crow-Armstrong is having another fantastic season with 31 dingers, already equal to last year’s output, while ranking in the 99th percentile in batting run value and 89th percentile in barrel %.

PCA has gone yard four times in his last four contests, and he matches up well against Hancock. The Cubs slugger has nine dingers against right-handed four-seamers this season, tied for the ninth most in the majors.

Cubs vs Mariners weather

T-Mobile Park is expected to see overcast skies, with temperatures dropping as low as 71 degrees. Wind will not be a factor tonight.

Cubs vs Mariners odds

• Moneyline: Cubs +104 | Mariners -108
• Run line: Cubs -1.5 (+163) | Mariners -1.5 (-170)
• Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-117) | Under 7.5 (+113)

Cubs vs Mariners trend

The Cubs have hit the moneyline in 22 of their last 30 away games (+13.65 Units / 38% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs Mariners.

How to watch Cubs vs Mariners and game info

Cubs vs Mariners latest injuries

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Heading into the second Crosstown series of the season — and this one with much more anticipation of success for the White Sox than the one back in May — it seemed a good time to review our very favorite moments of interleague play between the two Chicago teams.

Understanding that there are multitudes of such moments, we tried to curate the five best:

Unsurprisingly, it was “The Punch” — incorporating a brawl, a catcher getting plowed over at home plate, ejections, and ultimately a White Sox rout — that still resonates most with us. Brett was at the game, and lost his voice completely from screaming through the brawl. What a game.

The national question this week involved the case for run differential correlating to team success. This year’s Detroit Tigers are the poster team for laughing away the power of run diff:

Of course, there are reasons for a team underperforming its run differential, including one or two big routs for wins, consistently playing close in losses, bad luck … or even managerial underperformance. Here’s to you, A.J. Hinch, and the eventual firing of your cheating self!

Did you miss out on this round of questions? No worry, sign up here to participate in our weekly emailed surveys, and have your White Sox voice be heard!

This week’s Reacts is brought to you by FanDuel.