Category: MLB

The general rule of thumb I have always heard when it comes to evaluating MLB general managers is that you should give them five years before you make any firm decisions. Picollo is now entering his fifth offseason, and his team has reached the playoffs once, finished over .500 twice, and finished with 90+ losses twice. If we were to evaluate only on record, this fifth season would seem to be a tipping point for a GM who has had one season where the team greatly outperformed expectations, another where they pretty badly underperformed expectations, and a pair of seasons where they were pretty close to expectations. Can he get one more overperformance? Or will he be searching for a new job this time next year?

While perhaps it makes little sense to spend a lot of time evaluating the four drafts the team has overseen since Picollo took charge – those also take a long time to truly shake out – it does seem worth noting that the Royals at least got Jac Caglianone from the 2024 draft, with David Shields and L.P. Langevin making waves and earning organizational awards. The 2025 draft also has an award winner in Josh Hammond, while Nolan Sailors and Kamden Edge have flashed. Justin Lamkin was looking really good before an injury shortened his AA season, and now he will pitch in the AFL against some of the best prospects in baseball. This year’s first-overall draftee, Zion Rose, has already debuted in A+. He and this year’s big international signing, Angeibel Gomez, will join Lamkin in the AFL.

That leaves the 2023 draft as a real dud. Blake Mitchell had a decent minor league season, but no one else from that draft has shown much to get excited about. I’m willing to forgive Picollo for that, because it might have just taken that long to get his preferred people and systems into place. Regardless, the drafting and international signings appear to have been overall positives for KC since Picollo took the reins.

With that shallow evaluation completed, I wanted to dig a fair bit deeper into his major league free agent signings and trades. You could argue that the players he has allowed to leave, non-tendered, or signed to minor league deals are nearly as important, but I think the thought processes that go into those kinds of decisions can be quite a bit more nebulous. Whereas, with MLB FA signings, it comes down to definitely wanting that guy to be on your team for sure, and trades show a desire to improve one area and a willingness to sacrifice another.

I have listed out all the MLB signings since Picollo took over, as well as all of the trades, plus extensions that added time to a player’s contract. The idea is to go through and evaluate each trade as a win, loss, or wash.

My methodology for trades will be thus: If the Royals have gotten good play from the player(s) they acquired, that’s a win regardless of what they gave up. If the Royals have not gotten good play, but the guy they traded hasn’t been particularly good either, that’s a neutral result. And if the Royals traded away someone they wish they had now and got someone who hasn’t really helped, that’s a loss.

I will be evaluating signings based on whether the player was a reasonable value for the money spent, with a starting point (though not an ending point) of 1 WAR being roughly equivalent to $8 million.

The goal is to get to the end, count the wins, losses, and ties, and hopefully have a better idea of whether Picollo is more often successful for the value given up when acquiring players or more often unsuccessful. This will then, ideally, allow us to state with some level of certainty whether Picollo has been hampered by an inability to acquire good players or if he simply hasn’t had the resources (money and inherited prospects) to put together a better team. This should give us some idea of whether to have much hope for next season.

If the results of this exercise do not appear particularly clear-cut, I may do this exercise again with another GM (or, baseball gods help me, two) who is generally considered to have been good at his job over the last 3+ years. Off the top of my head, I’m thinking Chris Getz’s White Sox could be a good example. Matt Arnold’s Brewers might be even better. I’m open to suggestions here, so feel free to drop your thoughts in the comments below.

We are very specifically not evaluating whether any of these deals made sense when they were done. Nor whether Matt Quatraro used them as best he could. Those are mostly irrelevant to whether Picollo actually got the job done. It’s a bit like the distinction between a barrelled ball that was an out, except in reverse because when evaluating on this scale, the results matter as much or more than the process. If you have a perfect process for four years but no results, you still gotta change something.

Without further ado, let’s begin the evaluation.

2023

Signed Aroldis Chapman

Setting aside the moral issues, Chapman was worth 1.3 fWAR in 29.1 innings even before the Royals traded him, so I don’t even have to cheese my gimmick to make this one an absolute win for the $3.9 million the Royals paid him.

1-0-0

Signed Ryan Yarbrough

The Royals gave Ryan $3 million. He was worth 0.7 fWAR before he was traded. Which means he was worth double his contract, the Royals didn’t even pay it all, and they got trade him later.

2-0-0

Signed Jordan Lyles

Lyles was given $17 million for two years. He was bad the first year and barely pitched the second year. This was a deal that always looked questionable, and it didn’t age well.

2-1-0

Signed Zack Greinke

Greinke got $8.5 million when Picollo signed him back. Unfortunately, he was significantly worse in his final season. He earned 1.1 fWAR, so I guess that means the Royals broke even on the deal, but boy, it didn’t feel like it. Still, someone had to pitch the innings and he didn’t otherwise hurt the team or preclude other pitchers from developing.

3-1-0

Traded Michael A Taylor for Evan Sisk and Steven Cruz

I’ll warn you now, it’s nearly impossible to lose a trade when the team is in a non-competitive year. Even so, while Sisk likewise didn’t contribute to the club, Cruz has proven to be at least a useful middle relief piece. So that’s a win.

4-1-0

Traded Adalberto Mondesi for Josh Taylor

Taylor was replacement level for the Royals and Mondesi never played in the bigs again. This one is a wash.

4-1-1

Traded Junior Marin for James McArthur

Marin never made it out of the Complex Leagues. McArthur has been worth 0.6 fWAR for the Royals and might yet provide more value if he sticks around. Still, I’ll try to play things a bit conservatively, and we’ll call it a wash leaning towards a win.

4-1-2

Traded Aroldis Chapman for Cole Ragans and Roni Cabrera

It doesn’t matter if Ragans never throws another pitch for KC and Cabrera doesn’t get to the big leagues; this was a win for the Royals all day based on what Ragans did in 2024 alone.

5-1-2

Traded Jose Cuas for Nelson Velázquez

Cuas was bad for everyone he pitched for in between Royals stints. Velázquez was very good for half a season and quite bad for half a season. It’s a wash.

5-1-3

Traded Ryan Yarbrough for Derlin Figueroa and Devin Mann

The Royals didn’t miss Yarbrough for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, Mann is out of affiliated ball, and while Derlin Figueroa had a hot start as a 22-year-old in A+ this season, it didn’t end well. So we’ll call it a wash – but it could still be a win someday.

5-1-4

Traded Scott Barlow for Henry Williams and Jesus Rios

Rios is out of the org; Henry Williams has pitched poorly. Barlow pitched better for the Padres, but he couldn’t have helped the Royals anyway.

2023 Total: 5-1-5

2024

Signed Garrett Hampson

The Royals gave Garrett Hampson $2 million and got half a win from him. We wanted more from him, especially as he ended up involved in 113 games throughout the course of the season. By pure WAR per dollar, it would be a win, but the Royals needed him to be an elite runner and adequate defensive replacement. He wasn’t really those things.

0-0-1

Signed Will Smith

Will Smith was worth -0.3 fWAR. That makes this a loss no matter how much they paid him, but they gave him $5 million. Ouch.

0-1-1

Signed Chris Stratton

Same as above, but Stratton got $8 million. And a second year. Double ouch.

0-2-1

Signed Seth Lugo

We’ll get into the extension later, but the initial deal worked out amazingly well for the Royals. There is no one on earth who can claim to have believed he could finish second in Cy Young voting in 2024 after the Royals signed him.

1-2-1

Signed Michael Wacha

Wacha might not have gotten Cy Young votes, but he was still worth every penny the Royals paid him in 2024.

2-2-1

Signed Hunter Renfroe

The Royals gave Renfroe $12 million for two seasons, a pretty reasonable salary if he’d been a positive contributor at all. He was worth a total of -0.8 fWAR, so he wasn’t. It’s worth noting that he didn’t hurt the team in his first season, but that player option really hurt the team.

2-3-1

Signed Adam Frazier

-0.5 fWAR in 2024. Nope.

2-4-1

Traded Taylor Clarke for Ryan Brady and Cam Devanney

Clarke didn’t pitch in the big leagues in 2024, so the Royals didn’t lose anything on this trade. Brady is a minor league free agent; Devanney went to Japan and was awful. It’s good that Clarke didn’t contribute because…woof.

2-4-2

Traded David Sandlin for John Schreiber

If you evaluate this just by 2024, this is a clear-cut win. It gets a bit murkier if you add in the final two years of Schreiber’s time with Kansas City, but Sandlin hasn’t been much and there’s no guarantee he’ll ever be more. Schreiber was a key reliever for one season and an almost-competent one for two others. Sandlin may end up providing more value during his rookie contract than Schreiber did in his time playing for KC, but the criteria wasn’t that the player(s) acquired be worth more than the one(s) given up, but that they were successful in Kansas City. Schreiber was successful enough.

3-4-2

Traded Cayden Wallace for Hunter Harvey

Wallace was tearing up AA for Washington this season and did well enough in AAA that he is looking like a potentially good player. Harvey barely pitched for Kansas City. I’m afraid I have to count this as a loss.

3-5-2

Traded Walter Pennington for Michael Lorenzen

Pennington hasn’t pitched in the bigs since 2024. Michael Lorenzen was a key piece of the 2024 team down the stretch.

4-5-2

Traded Will Klein, Mason Barnett, and Jared Dickey for Lucas Erceg

This one is rough. On the one hand, Erceg was lights out in 2024, successful with flaws in 2025, and a tire fire in 2026. Dickey stopped hitting after he left the Royals organization; Will Klein didn’t stick in Oakland but has found a home as a useful middle reliever in Los Angeles; and Mason Barnett has a 6.97 ERA as a big league pitcher. The Royals probably miss Klein right now, but they needed Erceg in 2024. He looked good enough at the end of this year that I’m willing to believe he’ll be at least as good as Klein next year. I’m going to call it a controversial win for the Royals.

5-5-2

Traded Jarold Rosado for Paul DeJong

Rosado struggled badly after getting promoted to AA this year at age 23. DeJong wasn’t worth much to the Royals, but I can’t say they really miss Rosado. We’ll call it a draw.

2024 total: 5-5-3

Two-year total: 10-6-8

2025

Signed Michael Wacha again

Wacha has been worth 6.3 fWAR since signing back with KC. The WAR value of $51 million is 6.4. I think we can give J.J. the win on this one.

1-0-0

Signed Michael Lorenzenagain

The Royals gave him $7 million, including the buyout, for 1.4 fWAR. Another win.

2-0-0

Signed Carlos Estévez

The Royals gave him $22.2 million, and he provided 0.9 fWAR. He was a win after the first year of the deal, but he accrued -0.3 fWAR this season in a single appearance. I’m afraid we have to call this a loss. That’s the third time J. J. would have done OK if he hadn’t given an extra year.

2-1-0

Traded Brady Singer for Jonathan India and Joey Wiemer

The Royals didn’t miss Singer this year, but they missed him a lot last year. Meanwhile, India was below replacement level. We can argue all day about whether the process of the trade made sense (I think it did). But the results weren’t there.

2-2-0

Traded Cam Devanney for Adam Frazier

We already discussed how Devanney has been doing; Frazier was really good in his second tour with KC.

3-2-0

TradedAndrew Hoffmann for Randal Grichuk

Grichuk didn’t add anything to the Royals. Fortunately for Picollo, Hoffmann has an ERA over 7.00 since being traded to the Diamondbacks.

3-2-1

Traded Evan Sisk and Callan Moss for Bailey Falter

Sisk hasn’t been great, but he’s been pitchable – something that couldn’t be said for either Falter or the Royals’ 2026 bullpen. Callan Moss doesn’t look like he’s going to develop, but it doesn’t matter.

3-3-1

Traded Freddy Fermin for Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert

This trade was so good for the Royals that I almost want to give it two wins. Getting either of those pitchers for Fermin would have been a steal. Getting both is one of the most lopsided trades any team has consummated over the past few seasons.

4-3-1

Traded Yunior Marte for Mike Yastrzemski

Yaz was great for KC; Yunior has been nothing useful in the bigs.

5-3-1

Extended Seth Lugo

Rather than trade the veteran, the Royals doubled down with him. Up until that point, Lugo had a 2.95 ERA in 2025 and had, as noted earlier, been runner-up for the Cy Young Award in 2024. Since this extension was inked, he has a 5.69 ERA. You could try to argue that the process made sense, though I’m not sure I’d join you on that. Regardless, it didn’t work out.

Given the way Lugo finished the 2025 campaign, he very possibly could have opted into his player option after all. The Royals could have paid him less this season and been able to walk away after the repeat performance. Instead, they paid the premium, they’re on the hook for 2027, and they need to navigate around his innings totals to prevent his club option from vesting and forcing them to pay him in 2028, too.

For those of you keeping score at home, that’s the fourth time Picollo hung on to a vet too long.

2025 Total: 5-4-1

Three-Year Total: 15-10-9

2026

Extended Maikel Garcia

Maikel was hurt this year, so he didn’t play much or particularly well. But FanGraphs still has him at 1.8 fWAR, and he was paid $4.2 million for this one. I expect him to rebound next year. It’s a win.

1-0-0

Extended Salvador Perez

This one is kind of interesting because the extension basically took his existing team option and spread it over two years in terms of true value because of all the deferrals. (See, teams other than the Dodgers can do that, too!) That means it’s tempting to say the extension is a win because, depending on how you look at it, they either paid him less for this season or got a second season for free. But Salvy was -1.1 fWAR and could easily make that number go further down next year, which means the Royals would have been better off paying him the full amount this year and moving on. Or just declining the player option. I know that would have upset a lot of people who wanted to see Salvy break the franchise home run record, so maybe Picollo was trapped here. But the raw numbers say this was a poor choice.

You could argue this was the fifth time Picollo hung on to someone past the expiration date of their career.

1-1-0

Signed Alex Lange

At a lower cost, he had the same value as Salvy; since that value was negative, it’s still bad.

1-2-0

Signed Lane Thomas

0.8 fWAR for something less than $5.25 million and accomplished what the team needed from him (hitting lefties) at a level commensurate with what could have reasonably been expected. That’s a win.

2-2-0

Signed Starling Marte

Even $1 million is too much to pay for -0.5 fWAR.

2-3-0

Signed Craig Kimbrel

The Royals paid him the prorated amount of the major league minimum for his time in KC, he gave them 0.1 fWAR, and he helped stabilize a bullpen that was in freefall. It’s the tiniest of wins, but a win.

3-3-0

Traded Matthew Hoskins for Kam Misner

Hoskins put up a mediocre ERA in the ACL as a 22-year-old. Misner contributed nothing to the Royals. It’s a wash.

3-3-1

Traded Logan Martin for Mason Black

Martin lost his ability to control his pitches this year; Black was worth -0.5 fWAR. No value gained for either side.

3-3-2

Traded Angel Zerpa for Nick Mears and Isaac Collins

Zerpa was terrible for the Brewers before he got hurt; Mears and Collins combined for 0.1 fWAR.

3-3-3

Traded Jonathan Bowlan for Matt Strahm

This one still hurts because I still think it made all the sense in the world. Also, Strahm was a perfectly adequate pitcher before he got hurt, and I don’t think he ever got healthy. But Picollo was in charge of the training staff that oversaw that disaster, too.

3-4-3

Traded A.J. Causey for Mitch Spence

Spence was bad, but Causey does not appear to be progressing.

3-4-4

Traded Denis Samudio for Connor Seabold

Seabold was bad; Samudio gets strikeouts but lacks control in A-Ball.

3-4-5

Traded cash for Randy Dobnak

Dobnak was better than he had any right to be. Dobnak Time may or may not be completely finished, but this was a stellar trade result, regardless.

4-4-5

Traded Max Martin for Nate Pearson

I’ve said basically the same thing so many times. You give up nothing, you get nothing. Still, Pearson was slightly more than nothing, and I’d rather have him for 2027 than Martin.

5-4-5

Traded Lane Thomas and Bailey Falter for Lucas Braun and Carter Holton

This can only be a wash at worst because Lane Thomas couldn’t do anything positive for the Royals by the time they traded him. Picollo is lucky we aren’t grading the processes here because tacking Falter onto this deal almost certainly lowered the value he got in return. Braun started getting strikeouts when he got to Omaha, but also started giving up line drives and runs. Holton does not appear to have pitched in affiliated ball after being acquired by KC. Sure seems like Moore should have been able to get more for someone who was one of the most coveted types of player available at the deadline.

5-4-6

Traded Kris Bubic for Carlos Duran

Would I rather have Bubic than Duran for 2027? Yes. But the Royals can still have Bubic in 2027 if they want; he’s a free agent.

5-4-7

Traded Manuel Colon for Nolan Hoffman

Hoffman actually showed a little something for the Royals.

6-4-7

Claimed Matthew Lugo

I don’t see it for this Lugo, either.

6-4-8

Claimed Connor Thomas

Thomas showed as much or more than Hoffman at a lower cost

7-4-8

Claimed Spencer Bivens

The Royals might have something in Bivens, but they don’t yet.

7-4-9

Claimed Luke Little

The not-so-little Little spends very little time in the strike zone.

2026 total: 7-4-10

Picollo’s total: 22-14-19

Well, that total isn’t as definitive as I would have liked, but it seems to me that Picollo has actually done pretty well with the deals he’s made, even within the moderately strict analysis I performed. In a total of 55 transactions, he screwed up something less than a third of the time. I am leaning towards believing that this shows his limitations are not his own abilities or the abilities of the front office he has assembled, but rather the resources he has had available to him.

I did see a concerning pattern develop as I went through the exercise, unfortunately, where Picollo has given players an extra year or signed them to extensions to keep them in Kansas City longer than they’re good to keep around. You could argue in the case of Stratton and Renfroe that the team was paying a premium for having been so bad just to get the guys in the door. But that’s not the case with re-signing Lugo or adding an extra year to Salvy. It’s hard to know if the Royals would have been able to get Estévez without the second year; it’s easy to believe they were actually bidding against someone for his services. And I’d be happy to cut him some slack on that if it wasn’t part of the pattern. India’s final arbitration year getting picked up wasn’t evaluated above because, as I said earlier, the reasons for doing that can be a bit nebulous. But it would seem to go into this pattern as well, even if we disregarded how poorly India played before that.

Still, signing Lane Thomas for $5 million is smart baseball. Sure, it would be better for the team to sign a Kyle Schwarber or Cody Bellinger, but Sherman can’t or won’t give him the money to do that. You’d like to see more trades that worked out for the Royals, but they also have only three times in four years given up a player who has contributed positively at the big league level at a time when the Royals could have benefited from it in a trade. And two of those trades still seem to have favored the Royals.

Picollo inherited a farm system bereft of talent and an owner who was unable or unwilling to outlay for a truly impactful free agent after the team added Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha (at mid-low tier SP prices, no less). I’m not going to stand here and tell you he’s the Stephen Hawking of MLB front offices, but it looks to me like he’s doing at least as much as could be expected from a GM in his position. No GM is going to get every move right, and every GM must work within the constraints of his team’s ownership.

That said, I think I’m willing to do this one more time (it’s hugely time-consuming; I don’t think I have it in me to do it more than that without getting paid a lot more than I currently get). So let me know in the comments which GM you’d like me to compare him to, and we’ll see what there is to see.

The Rockies are done. The postseason is rolling, and until the World Series is over, the hot stove remains pretty cold.

It is the kind of baseball lull that lets the mind of a Rockies fan start to wander.

Mine has landed on one incredibly important question: If you could have one Rockies shortstop at his peak for one game, who are you taking?

There are really only two choices:

Troy Tulowitzki or Trevor Story.

And it is harder to answer than it should be.

Maybe part of the reason is how high they set the bar — and how little daylight there was between them. Tulo was traded in July 2015, José Reyes finished out the year at shortstop, and by Opening Day 2016, Story had taken over.

One star shortstop essentially gave way to another.

After watching Tulowitzki and Story for so long, I started to expect elite shortstop play in Colorado. There were stretches in 2024 when Ezequiel Tovar made me wonder whether the Rockies might have another special one.

The past two seasons have been a reminder of just how rare Tulo and Story were.

Since I am simply an objective observer and am in no way emotionally attached, this should be easy.

Tulo felt inevitable

What I remember most about Tulowitzki is the way he moved.

He was long through the arms and legs, sturdy through the middle, but fluid enough to make it work. On a backhand deep in the hole, he could stretch nearly sideways to the ground, gather and uncork that side-sling howitzer across the diamond.

You noticed Tulo playing shortstop.

There were other versions of it — a ball up the middle, the spin, the pirouette, the throw. His body could get into strange positions and somehow everything still finished under control.

At the plate, it was much the same.

He stood tall, his head tucked behind his shoulder and the bat twitching up and down off his shoulder. Then his hips and hands fired, the bat screaming through the zone with both hands staying on the handle as the barrel finished against the No. 2 on his back.

When Tulowitzki came to the plate in a big spot, I expected something to happen.

He felt inevitable.

His 5-for-5 cycle against the Cubs felt like a perfect Tulo game: a great player imposing himself on everything around him.

And in 2010, he somehow got even better.

Tulowitzki hit .315/.381/.568 with 27 home runs and a 138 OPS+, producing 6.7 rWAR despite playing only 122 games.

September of that year was otherworldly.

Tulo hit .322 with 15 home runs and 40 RBI that month, setting Rockies single-month records in both categories.

That is probably the purest statistical version of peak Tulo.

Story was different

Trevor Story has always looked different from Tulowitzki.

More compact, thicker through the shoulders and chest, with strong arms and football-player quads.

A calm ball of force.

His defensive brilliance was less obvious than Tulo’s, and more uneven from year to year. Story was sturdy. The ball did not seem to get by him. The plays got finished. And over time, you realized how good he could be over at short.

Story is quieter in the batter’s box, too.

Upright like Tulo, but more open. His hands sit high near his ears, the bat angled sharply downward behind him. As the pitcher delivers, Story coils while his front foot seems to float until the ball comes out.

Then — BAM.

Explosive. Damaging. Powerful.

The three home runs were initially measured at a combined 1,380 feet, and each seemed more ridiculous than the last. The second one was originally measured at 505 feet, as if Story were trying to eighty-six the baseball from Coors Field altogether. Unfortunately, Statcast recalculated it down to a mere 487 feet.

Of course, the power announced itself almost immediately.

Story introduced himself to the majors by homering twice off Zack Greinke on Opening Day.

Subtle.

By 2019, all of it had come together. Story played 145 games, hit 35 home runs, stole 23 bases, scored 111 runs and produced 6.9 rWAR.

The power was obvious, but the speed was part of what made him different. Story stole 100 bases in six Rockies seasons and, at his peak, could pressure a defense with his legs in a way Tulo rarely did.

That 2019 version of Story is what makes this question considerably harder than it has any right to be.

It is too close to make the call on memory alone. So, let’s check the numbers.

The numbers

Raw career totals favor Tulo partly because he spent four more seasons in Colorado.

Rockies career	Seasons	G	rWAR	AVG/OBP/SLG	HR	SB	OPS+
Troy Tulowitzki	10	1,048	39.6	.299/.371/.513	188	55	123
Trevor Story	6	745	27.0	.272/.340/.523	158	100	112

On a per-season basis, though, the comparison gets a little more interesting.

Per Rockies season	G	R	HR	RBI	SB	rWAR
Troy Tulowitzki	105	66	19	66	5	4.0
Trevor Story	124	77	26	75	17	4.5

Those numbers need some context.

Story’s six seasons include the 60-game 2020 season, so this is not a perfect apples-to-apples measure of availability. But injuries were an undeniable part of Tulowitzki’s time in Colorado. He played 150 games just twice and topped 140 only three times.

Story had his own injury trouble. His rookie season ended after 97 games because of a torn ligament in his left thumb. But over the rest of his Rockies tenure, he was generally the more available player.

Tulo was the better overall hitter by rate. Story brought more speed, more raw power and more consistent availability.

At their peaks, it gets even tighter.

Story’s 2019 season edged Tulo’s abbreviated 2010 in total rWAR, while Tulo produced value at a faster rate and showed in 2009 that he could sustain superstar production across a full schedule.

The hardware followed.

Tulowitzki was a five-time All-Star with Colorado, won two Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers, and finished fifth in MVP voting twice. Story made two All-Star teams and won two Silver Sluggers as a Rockie.

Both also got Colorado to October twice.

Tulo in 2007 and 2009. Story in 2017 and 2018.

The rest of the picture

The numbers make the choice close. The way they occupied the position — and the franchise — is where they start to separate.

Tulowitzki felt like the face of the franchise. He seemed cut from the same baseball cloth as Derek Jeter and Nomar Garciaparra.

Outside of his rookie season, when Matt Holliday was clearly Batman, Tulo was never Robin.

Story always was.

That was hardly Story’s fault. Nolan Arenado occupied the center of the Rockies universe during Story’s prime, and Story never quite received the national attention that followed Tulowitzki.

Their exits were different, too.

When Tulowitzki was traded in 2015, I was at work when I saw the update.

I just stood there.

Shock, then anger, sadness, and that miserable feeling that follows a breakup.

Story leaving felt completely different.

By then I was older, the Rockies had become a dumpster fire, and when he reached free agency, part of me was happy for him.

He got out.

I have rooted for him ever since, even as things in Boston have not gone the way I hoped they would for him.

Filling out the lineup card

At this point, I know the answer.

The numbers lean Tulo. If you give me the peak version of either player and tell me I need to win one baseball game, I am taking Troy Tulowitzki.

And I have a Tulo jersey hanging in my closet. It was a wedding present from my best man.

So, really, this should be easy.

Except it doesn’t feel quite right.

My five-year-old son’s name is Trevor.

And I know there is no way I could look Trevor Story in the eyes and tell him he is riding the bench.

Fortunately, this question exists only in my head, which means I am allowed to create a technicality.

Neifi Pérez has seniority.

He was the first shortstop who made me love the position, hit the second cycle in Rockies history and won a Gold Glove in 2000.

He gets the nod.

Tulo and Story can both take a seat on a technicality, I can abandon the whole “pick the best player and win at all costs” thing, and maybe — finally — this question will stop keeping me up at night.

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One of the things we have always loved about baseball is how the players can come in all shapes, sizes, and corners of the map. Aaron Guiel was born north of the United States border in Vancouver, BC, Canada. So far north of the border, his high school did not have a formal team. It took a long and grinding road, but Guiel eventually broke through to the big leagues and finished his big league journey in the Bronx.

Aaron Colin Guiel

Born: October 5, 1972 (Vancouver, BC, Canada)

Yankees Tenure: 2006

Growing up playing as many club ball games as he could, Guiel eventually found himself playing organized baseball at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia, Canada. In June 1992, the California Angels drafted Guiel in the 21st round of the amateur draft. Guiel did not sign until May 1993, a move that added more waiting to a career that would experience its fair share.

Guiel made his professional debut in 1993, playing second base and the outfield for the Boise Hawks in Low-A, and impressed by putting up strong numbers, batting .298 with a .455 on-base percentage across 35 games. This kicked off a three-year streak of him impressing enough to move up a level each season before he finally hit a stalled period. During the 1997 season, the Angels traded Guiel to the San Diego Padres for Angelo Encarnación.

The following season, in 1998, at 25, Guiel finally reached Triple-A. He stayed parked at that level in 1999 and was released by the Padres following the season. Guiel signed and spent a brief amount of time in spring training with the Athletics in 2000. After being cut, it seemed his career might be over, but Guiel found an opportunity playing for the Guerreros de Oaxaca in the Mexican League. South of the border, Guiel batted .365 with 22 home runs in 56 games, which caught the attention of the Kansas City Royals.

The Royals bought his contract, and Guiel found himself back in Triple-A for the rest of the 2000 and 2001 seasons. Guiel returned to Triple-A at the start of the 2002 season, but that would be the year he finally broke through and reached the big leagues. It took almost a decade from when he was drafted and over 900 minor league games, but on June 22, 2002, Guiel finally became a Major Leaguer. Across 70 games at the major league level in 2002, Guiel slashed .233/.296/.338 with four home runs.

Guiel then bounced up and down over the next several seasons. His best season was in 2003 when he slashed .277/.346/.489 with 15 home runs while platooning in right field and getting run batting from the leadoff spot. Following that performance, Guiel’s career momentum was then derailed in 2004 by blurred vision in his left eye that required multiple surgeries, the first coming in May. Guiel battled back and kept shuffling between different levels in the Royals organization in both 2004 and 2005.

In 2006, Guiel was waived by the Royals, and the Yankees claimed him. These Yankees were desperate for outfield help as Hideki Matsui had broken his wrist and Gary Sheffield was also battling his own wrist injury. The Yankees used the lefty-swinging outfielder in a platoon role.

Guiel ended up appearing in 44 games for the Bombers, splitting time between right field and first base. He hit .256 with four home runs and 11 RBI. Guiel played his final Major League game on October 1, 2006, against the Toronto Blue Jays as he was left off the postseason roster, and with that, his MLB story ended for the time being.

Seeking a larger role and hoping to play more, Guiel moved overseas to play in Japan. He played for five more seasons with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. Guiel enjoyed a successful few years in Japan, even earning the nickname The Angel from fans, until injuries eventually shut him down in 2011. Following his playing days, Guiel quickly transitioned into coaching and scouting roles back with the Royals.

Happy birthday, Aaron!

The Dodgers needed one win to send the Atlanta Braves to the brink of elimination on Sunday. Instead, the Braves lineup forced an early exit from Blake Snell and scored two defining runs against the bullpen in a 3-2 win over the Dodgers, forcing the series back to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4.

It wasn’t the first rocky outing for Snell against Atlanta this season, as he only managed to toss three innings while allowing four runs in his 2026 debut back on May 8 before being placed on the injured list. The southpaw had looked like his usual dominant stretch once he returned in August, but the ultimate test was to see how he would perform against the lone team that roughed him up.

Snell made quick work of Drake Baldwin for the first out, but after allowing a one-out single to Ronald Acuña Jr., he walked both Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies to load the bases. Snell managed to get Michael Harris II to fly out in foul territory for a crucial second out, but Mauricio Dubón tacked on the game’s first run with an infield single. Snell faced seven hitters in the first inning, needing 27 pitches to give the Dodgers a chance to hit.

Snell’s biggest flaw on Sunday was his inability to get quick innings, unlike Tarik Skubal on Saturday. Snell needed four pitches to get two quick outs in the second inning, but allowed a six-pitch walk to Baldwin and needed another eight to strike out Acuña. Snell allowed another two-out baserunner in the third inning, this time a single from Harris, needing 19 pitches after tossing 18 the inning prior.

Snell’s hopes at a clean inning were dashed in the fourth inning, as he walked a pair of hitters and tossed 26 pitches before the plug was pulled on his night. The Dodgers got him off the hook in the bottom of the fourth inning with a Freddie Freeman home run, but the Dodgers employed six relievers out of the bullpen over their final 5 1/3 innings on the mound.

Snell had a postseason to remember last year, as his defining moment came in Game 1 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers, facing the minimum over eight shutout innings. Sunday’s outing was the first time he failed to log four innings in a postseason start since he began the 2022 Wild Card series against the New York Mets back when he was a San Diego Padre. Out of the 90 pitches he tossed against Atlanta, 47 of them went for strikes.

Snell’s final start of the regular season was limited to just one inning after he dealt with left groin inflammation. Dave Roberts was quick to deny any concern over Snell’s groin issue, noting that he was battling himself on the mound.

“No, it wasn’t that. He was fighting himself in his delivery all game. Today, I just think the fastball was really good, the changeup was good at times, but I think, in total, didn’t have fastball command, didn’t have slider command, and the changeup wasn’t there. He was pulling it. I think overall it wasn’t the groin, and he wasn’t sharp tonight.”

Roberts felt optimistic about his chances of Snell on the mound while Atlanta went with their own bullpen game, beginning with left-hander Ray Kerr. The pieces just couldn’t fall into place on Sunday.

“Felt great. Anytime I feel I have Blake Snell lined up against any pitcher felt good. Going to getting Kerr out of the game and then getting [Grant] Holmes out of the game, I felt really good where we were at. I really did. We just couldn’t execute as the game progressed.”

Now the Dodgers will face the only pitcher to shut them out in the regular season, left-hander Chris Sale, in a crucial Game 3 at Truist Park on Tuesday. Yoshinobu Yamamoto will take the mound for the first time in the playoffs since his Herculean performance in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series.

Florida Complex League Mets Record: 24-33 (3/5 FCL East)

Dominican Summer League Mets Team Orange Record: 29-27 (5/7 DSL South)

Dominican Summer League Mets Team Blue Record: 20-36 (6/6 DSL Southeast)

It wasn’t a marquee year for any of the three complex teams. The FCL Mets ended the season nine games below .500, the DSL Mets Blue ended the season sixteen games below .500, and while the DSL Mets Orange managed a positive record, they were a mere two games over .500. The FCL Mets found themselves near the bottom in most offensive categories and in the bottom 33rd percentile in most pitching-related categories. The DSL Mets Blue were around the middle of the back in most offensive categories and near the bottom in most pitching categories, while the DSL Mets Orange were near the bottom in most offensive categories but were near the top in most pitching categories.

FCL MVP

Vladi Gomez: 48 G, 116 AB, .328/.432/.440, 38 H, 6 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 15 BB, 21 K, 33/38 SB, .389 BABIP

(Runner Up: Yovanny Rodriguez)

Vladi Gomez was signed out of the Dominican Republic on January 15, 2023. Far from a name who scouts and evaluators gushed about, Gomez received a minimal signing bonus and was assigned to the Dominican Summer League, where he appeared in 43 games with the DSL Mets Blue. The 17-year-old infielder/outfielder didn’t exactly impress, hitting .181/.335/.303 with 3 home runs, 14 stolen bases, and 33 walks to 44 strikeouts, and remained in the Dominican Summer League when the 2024 season began. He split his playing time with the DSL Mets Blue and the DSL Mets Orange in his second professional season and had a better season in virtually every regard, hitting .264/.399/.368 in 43 combined games, hitting 1 home run, stealing 28 bases, and drawing 29 walks to 32 strikeouts.

Gomez was sent stateside in 2025, appearing in 46 games with the FCL Mets. The 19-year-old struggled, hitting .172/.325/.221 with 1 home run, 19 stolen bases, and 26 walks to 333 strikeouts. He began the 2026 season with the St. Lucie Mets but only appeared in a handful of games with them, going 5-18 with a pair of doubles and a stolen base before the organization opted to send him back down to the Florida Complex League when the FCL season began. Appearing in 48 games for the FCL Mets, he hit .328/.432/.440 with 1 home run, 33 stolen bases, and 15 walks to 21 strikeouts, good for a 127 wRC+. After the Florida Complex League season ended, he was promoted back up to Single-A St. Lucie in late July, where he appeared in in 27 games and hit .198/.282/.253 with 0 home runs, 11 stolen bases, and 11 walks to 24 strikeouts.

Gomez is listed at 5’11”, 150-pounds, and while he is still a bit skinny and lanky, he has certainly no longer 150-pounds. At the plate, the left-handed Gomez stands slightly open, holding his hands high at the eyes, wrapping his bat behind his head angled at 10:00. He swings with a moderate leg kick and has a long-levered swing best is suited for golfing low balls or poking them to the opposite field. While he is able to use the entire field with this approach, he struggles to hit the ball with authority. Despite the fact that he has filled in a bit, Gomez does not have much power, nor does he project to add much. Quick and athletic, speed is his most noteworthy tool and legging out base hits and stretching singles into doubles is his primary way of producing offensive value.

Defensively, Gomez spent most of 2026 playing second base and third base, but he also saw a substantial amount of playing time in left field. In the infield, his quick-twitch athleticism is his best attribute, while in the outfield, that athleticism allows him to cover a lot of ground once he gets going.

FCL CY YOUNG

Jean Brito: 13 G (4 GS), 32.0 IP, 19 H, 25 R, 17 ER (4.78 ERA), 20 BB, 31 K, .214 BABIP

(Runner Up: Cam Lohman)

It was a tough year for Florida Complex League pitching. The league average ERA was 5.76, with an average of 5.7 runs being allowed per game. The FCL Rays led the league with a cumulative 4.46 team ERA, while the FCL Marlins were worst in the league with a 7.57 team ERA. The FCL Mets found themselves 10th out of 15 teams, with a 6.26 cumulative team ERA. Of the pitchers to toe the rubber for the FCL Mets, Jean Brito is our FCL Mets Cy Young. The 20-year-old Venezuelan right-hander posted a 4.78 ERA in 32.0 innings, allowing 19 hits, walking 20, and striking out 31. While other players may have pitched more innings than Brito, or struck out more batters, or issued fewer walks, the right-hander had himself a balanced season looking at all pitching metrics.

Brito was signed by the Mets on January 15, 2023, but he missed the entire 2023 season due to an injury. He made his professional debut a year later, appearing in 3 games for the DSL Mets Blue and allowing two hits in three scoreless innings, walking two and striking out five. He remained in the Dominican Summer League for the 2025 season, pitching considerably more innings. In 44.1 innings with the DSL Mets Blue and DSL Mets Orange split between 7 starts and 6 relief outings, he posted a 2.84 ERA, allowing 31 hits, walking 21, and striking out 36. The 20-year-old right-hander was sent stateside in 2026 and appeared in 13 games for the FCL Mets, making 4 starts. Brito posted a 4.78 ERA with 19 hits, allowed, 20 walks, and 31 strikeouts, his H/9 lowest among any pitcher with 20+ IP, while his ERA was third, his strikeout and walk total fourth. After the Florida Complex League season ended, he was promoted to Single-A St. Lucie, where he appeared in 4 games and allowed 8 earned runs in 6.0 innings, giving up 10 hits, walking 6, and striking out 6.

The 6’3”, 180-pound Brito throws from a three-quarters arm slot and utilizes a long arm action through the back. He does not push off or extend much off the mound and as such, his whippy arm still has a comparatively high release point. His repertoire consists of a four-seam fastball, cutter, changeup and sweeping slider. Brito throws all of his pitches at about equal ratios, using his sweeping slider slightly more than his other pitches.

His slider sits in the mid-70s-to-mid-80s, averaging roughly 80 MPH. The pitch has below-average horizontal movement for a sweeping slider but slightly above-average vertical drop, almost giving it the appearance of a curveball.

His four-seam fastball sits in the high-80s-to-low-90s. With a low spin rate, the pitch has some natural sink to it. His cut fastball, which sits low-to-high-80s, features a bit more spin and roughly 5 inches of glove-side movement, making it much more effective of the two fastballs he utilizes.

His changeup sits in the low-to-high-80s, though these may be two separate changeups, as opposed to one pitch with such a large velocity gulf. When he throws his changeup harder, the pitch averages roughly 2,000 RPM and has the typical fade and sink of a changeup. When he throws the pitch slower, it loses roughly half of its RPM and acts more like a forkball.

DSL MVP

Cesar Acosta: 44 G, 144 AB, .271/.398/.458, 39 H, 11 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 30 BB, 47 K, 5/6 SB, .385 BABIP

(Runner Up: Adrian La Rosa)

If Wandy Asigen hadn’t missed so much time at the beginning of the 2026 season due to a hamstring injury, he would have won handily, as his 149 wRC+ led the team among DSL players with at least 75 plate appearances. But because so many other players on the DSL teams appeared in double, and in some cases, almost triple the amount of games that Asigen appeared in, I could not in good conscious say that he was the best DSL player this past season. Instead, with a combination of age, performance, and projected upside, Cesar Acosta

Acosta was signed a few days into the 2025-2026 international signing period, a secondary signing who received a $50,000 bonus. The Venezuelan backstop packed his bags and made his professional debut a few months later, appearing in 33 games for the DSL Mets Blue. In total, he hit .206/.317/.343 in his first year as a professional, swatting 2 home runs, stealing 1 base, and drawing 15 walks to 34 strikeouts as the youngest player in the entire Mets system. He remained in the Dominican Summer League for the 2026, this time getting rostered on the DSL Mets Orange, and the 17-year-old highlighted why scouts and evaluators began taking a notice of him despite his low signing bonus, hitting .271/.398/.458 with 11 doubles, 5 triples, and 2 home runs, stealing 5 bases, and drawing 30 walks to 47 strikeouts, good for a 114 wRC+.

Acosta is listed at 6’2”, 180-pounds and has a sturdy, athletic frame. At the plate, he stands square, holding his hands high and angling his bat head at 11:00 with a lot of pre-swing up-and-down waggle. He swings with a toe tap and very little load and weight transfer, but is able to do damage with above-average bat speed and natural strength when he barrels the ball, registering exit velocities well over 100 MPH. Acosta has shown some very concerning contact, swinging strike, and strikeout rates, posting 60.5% Contact%, 18.0% SwStr%, and 26.7% K% rates this past season, but as a 17-year-old, there is plenty of room and plenty of time to rebuild parts of his swing to improve these flaws.

Behind the dish, Acosta only has an average arm, but scouts and evaluators like his athleticism and mobility.

DSL CY YOUNG

Abner Meza: 11 G (11 GS), 49.2 IP, 38 H, 13 R, 10 ER (1.81 ERA), 10 BB, 50 K, .276 BABIP

(Runner Up: Maxgregori Harvey)Harve

A native of Los Mochis, a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, Abner Alejandro Meza signed with the Mets a few days into the 2025-2026 international signing period, an older secondary signing who received a $10,000 bonus after showing a late velocity boost from the mid-80s to the mid-90s. The 18-year-old began his professional career in the Dominican Summer League a few months later and posted a cumulative 2.79 ERA in 38.2 innings thrown with both the DSL Mets Blue and Orange over 12 games and 8 starts, allowing 34 hits, walking 10, and striking out 32. The Mets had the right-hander remain in the Dominican Summer League for the 2026 season and Meza was even more successful, posting a 1.81 ERA in 49.2 innings with the DSL Mets Orange, allowing 38 hits, walking 10, and striking out 50.

The right-hander throws from a high-three-quarters arm slot with a long arm action through the back. His 6’0”, 175-pound frame is athletic and well-proportioned, his long legs and mid-section suggesting some further growth and muscle gain. He has a quick, lively arm, throwing darts. His repertoire currently consists of a low-spin four-seam fastball that sits in the mid-90s and features above-average arm-side life and induced vertical break, a high-70s curveball, and a high-spin changeup with arm-side fade and late tumble.

Every year, the great folks at MLB Trade Rumors does a masterful job at trying to predict what players who are eligible for arbitration will make for the following season. This year’s version has quite a few numbers for the Phillies that are going to raise an eyebrow.

• Garrett Stubbs: $1MM
• Brandon Marsh: $8.3MM
• Jhoan Duran: $10.9MM
• Bryson Stott: $9.2MM
• Tanner Banks: $1.4MM
• Derek Hill: $1.5MM
• Rafael Marchán: $1MM
• Bryan De La Cruz: $1.2MM
• Orion Kerkering: $1.5MM

For the first time in a while, the Phillies don’t have anyone projected to make less than $1 million in arbitration. Maybe it’s just me that finds that interesting. However, there are some pretty easy and pretty complicated decisions to make here.

The easiest is that they’re going to pick one of those catchers to retain. Maybe it’ll be through arbitration, maybe it’ll be through the split contract that Stubbs had last year where he was paid a decent amount of money to spend time in the minor leagues. However, neither are actually good at hitting the baseball, so hopefully the team looks to upgrade that position a bit better somehow.

de la Cruz is likely someone that is sent on his way. He was a good bench bat, but even that paltry amount could be spent better elsewhere on the roster. Banks might be an interesting choice, but when he came back from his injury, he was better so they’ll probably keep him around as a left handed option in the bullpen. Derek Hill is definitely a maybe, if not a probably when it comes to retaining his rights. He was a very good option for them off the bench and has the ability to play center field, something the team values in its outfield bench bats. That’s a good amount that could be settled for, meaning he’ll probably return in 2027.

The names at the top are a little more obvious. Stott and Duran are guarantees to return, if not gain extensions once the new financial landscape of the game is settled in CBA negotiations.

It’s the final two that will be discussed heavily in the coming weeks.

Brandon Marsh was an All-Star in the first half before cratering in the final two months. There was nothing redeemable about his game that we could pick out. He was just bad at everything he did at the plate once the players returned from their mid-July break. Any ideas he had about being something other than a platoon bat have evaporated; this is what he is. He was so bad that his spot on the roster feels tenuous. $8 million is nothing to sneeze at for a platoon bat, making it more of a question mark that he returns. My guess is that the team works the trade phones heavily for Marsh, trying to see if there is a team that is willing to work with him to get him back to where he was in the first half of the season, maybe even a bit more. The Phillies’ hitting program isn’t exactly one of national import, so there could be another team interested in seeing what they can do. In the end, I’ll bet he is wearing another uniform once 2027 begins.

Orion Kerkering is another case where we want the endgame to be obvious, but it may not be. He is such an obvious case of needing a change of scenery, yet the stuff he has is enough that the Phillies may still think they can do something with him. The amount of money he is projected to make should not be an issue and may actually make him enticing to another team in a trade, should the Phillies decided to shop him around. That’s more or less where I believe this one ends up, with another team taking the Phillies up on their offer and acquiring him to try and see if he can turn things around in a different environment. I’d be wary if someone like the Dodgers or Brewers or Rays sniffs around him, but if that’s what it would take, the team really should be moving on from him.

Good morning! It’s Monday, which sucks. And it’s the first Monday without Red Sox baseball since March, which sucks even more. But one thing I’m fond of reminding people is that baseball exists beyond the confines of the Major Leagues.

The Yomiuri Giants finished the NPB regular season just 2 games behind their bitter rivals, the Hanshin Tigers, for the Central League pennant. The Giants are the most successful club in Japanese history, based in the country’s biggest city, Tokyo. The Tigers hail from Japan’s “second city” of Osaka, have a rabid fanbase that fills a historic and ancient old ballpark, and suffered through the “Curse of Colonel Sanders” — a championship drought that lasted from 1985 through 2003 and was said to be the result of Tigers fans throwing a statue of the KFC brand ambassador into a canal while celebrating the ‘85 win. For these reasons, the Giants-Tigers rivalry is often compared to Red Sox-Yankees and, frankly, I would like to see Sox fans take this comparison even further by jumping into Fort Point Channel after big wins, the way the Tigers fans do:

Scenes from Dotonbori, Osaka 🇯🇵 after the Hanshin Tigers clinched the Central League pennant for the second straight year. pic.twitter.com/UZJFq9vNys

— Yakyu Cosmopolitan (@yakyucosmo) October 3, 2026

But despite the parallels between the Sox and Tigers, Sox fans may want to pull for the Giants as the playoffs get under way. That’s because the Giants are charging into the postseason behind the bat of Bobby Dalbec.

At the age of 31, Bobby Bombs finally turned back to the clock to his rookie year. Look how close these stat lines are:

2021: 133 G, .240/.298/.494, 25 HR, 21 doubles, 156 strikeouts

2026: 135 G, .252/.315/.457, 25 HR, 24 doubles, 181 strikeouts

The man can absolutely still clobber a baseball:

BOBBY DALBEC HIT A 3 RUN HOMERUN LAST NIGHT

(This is the only video i could find) pic.twitter.com/FjnRQ82Xft

— Bobby Dalbec’s #1 Fan (ダルベック) (@bobbbydmvp) April 16, 2026

Use this space to talk about former slugging first baseman, foreign playoffs, and whatever else you want and, as always, be good to one another.

To finish the season, the Washington Nationals went 39-42 at home and 38-43 on the road. Those are similar numbers and on the surface, there does not seem like much to talk about here. However, when you dive deeper, these splits actually become quite fascinating. It was a tale of two halves for the Nationals.

At the start of the season, the Nationals were a very bad home team. Since the Nats were in the Wild Card mix and above .500, we tend to look back at the first 4 months of the season with rose tinted glasses. However, the Nats really struggled at home during that time.

On July 24th, the Nats fell to 20-32 at Nationals Park, the worst home record in all of baseball at the time. Yet, they were still a .500 team because of what they did on the road. For a large portion of the season, the Nationals were road warriors.

Nats have the worst home record in baseball at 20-32

— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) July 25, 2026

The start of the season was even more brutal. In April, it felt like they could not buy a win at home. On May 2nd, they dropped to 3-12 at Nationals Park. Whenever the Nats got momentum from a strong road trip, it felt like that would all be squandered with flat performances at home.

However, at the end of the season, the Nats finished with a better record at home than on the road. So what on earth happened here? That is what I want to explore. I am going to look at the data and come up with some potential reasons.

Before the All-Star break, the Nats were 28-18 on the road and 20-31 at home. That totally flipped in the second half, where the Nats went 19-11 at home and a miserable 10-25 away from Nationals Park. 

The most obvious explanation for me is just variance. In a 162 game season, there is a lot of noise, but at the end of the day, things tend to even out. Whenever I asked Blake Butera about the poor home record at the beginning of the season, he was not happy about it, but he did not think there was some major underlying issue. Now that the season is over, it looks like things just balanced out.

However, the huge swings were very strange to watch. There was a stretch in the second half where the Nats went 2-21 on the road. We can talk about variance all we want, but something like that cannot happen again. In August and early September, the team just looked totally lifeless away from home.

Nats fell to 52-52 after dropping G1 vs ARI.

32-20 on the road vs 20-32 at home.

Now they have a better record at home.

14-8 at home vs 2-21 on the road since. Bizarre. pic.twitter.com/6bqywPqQ1X

— Hater (@erom_mo) September 12, 2026

It should be mentioned that they did face a lot of tough road competition in that stretch. That west coast trip against the Dodgers and Padres was brutal. The Nats lost 7 straight, and it felt like rock bottom. However, I did not think the Nats were playing awful baseball in most of those games.

Those were just two of the hottest teams in baseball playing at home. They took advantage of the Nats weak bullpen and staged a lot of comebacks. It did not look like August where the team was totally lifeless. At the end of the day, it was 7 L’s though. In the first half, the Nats found a way to win road games, but not so much after the break.

On the flip side, the Nationals really found their footing in front of the home crowd down the stretch. In my opinion, the biggest reason for that was improved clutch hitting. One of the major storylines for most of the season was the Nats inability to get a walkoff.

For such a potent offense, the Nats were weirdly feeble late in the game at home. There were a lot of times where the Nats just rolled over after a lead was blown. They did not get the first walk-off of the season until August 29th when Dylan Crews smacked a single into right to send the fans home happy.

Dylan Crews walks it off for the @Nationals! pic.twitter.com/7HJC5kicZR

— MLB (@MLB) August 29, 2026

After that moment, it felt like the Nats had a lot of big hits late in games at home. Harry Ford got a walk-off hit of his own a couple weeks later. However, it was more than just walk-offs. When the Nats fell behind, the offense was ready to answer.

Even though the Nats actually did not score a ton of runs in September, they were able to get the big hit. That series against the Angels saw the Nats answer over and over. Blake Butera talked a lot about how resilient his team was, and that was an example.

For most of the season, the Nats were resilient, but usually not within games. The way Butera’s team showed resilience was coming back from brutal losses like nothing happened the next day. However, for a lot of the season, they were shellshocked while the blown lead was happening, especially at home.

Heading into next season, I hope the Nats show that in game resilience we saw in September. If they are able to do that, it will go a long way. Winning on the margins is how the Nats will be able to take that next step. We saw that on the road in the first half and at home in the second. 

The goal for 2027 should be to string that together and find true consistency. I think this rollercoaster season will be a good learning experience for the guys. They are now battle tested and ready to become a more stable team moving forward. There were a lot of volatile swings this year. In order to take the next step, we will need to see less volatility and more consistency.

Good morning A’s fans and welcome to another week!

Our second without A’s games. It’s starting to set in and I already miss our boys in Green & Gold. At least we still have the playoffs to get us by during these early days of the offseason.

Meanwhile the Arizona Fall League has gotten underway and the A’s have a few interesting names getting in some extra work right now. These are the guys that need as many reps as possible to help themselves rise the ranks and reach the majors.

One of those names is catching prospect Davis Diaz. An eighth round pick back in 2024, Diaz has steadily ascended the minor league ladder and topped out at Triple-A last year. Considered a top-20 prospect in the system, Diaz got off to a good start in his AFL debut, hitting a two-run home run:

Athletics No. 19 prospect Davis Diaz clears the fence in Mesa with a go-ahead, two-run shot! pic.twitter.com/P0MIMp7oeg

— MLB's Arizona Fall League (@MLBazFallLeague) October 5, 2026

The catcher wasn’t the only big name that had a strong start to his AFL season. Left-handed pitcher Grant Richardson took the mound last night and looked fantastic, firing off two strong innings that featured five punch outs. It wasn’t without its warts as he gave up a run but the strikeouts are always a positive sign to see.

A’s LHP Grant Richardson had a stellar outing tonight in his AFL debut. Went 2 IP with 5K, 2 hits and 1 run

FB sat 93-95, topped 96. Generated a ton of whiffs with his slider(8 whiffs/11 swings)

2025 6th-rndr out of GCU. Former teammate of Jacob Wilson pic.twitter.com/jZztW72vTI

— BK (@athleticBsK) October 5, 2026

The A’s prospects playing in the AFL overall had a great day yesterday as all of them had successful outings. Outfielder Breyson Guedez, considered a top prospect in the system in his own right, had a quiet 2-for-3 day with a walk. And another lefty in Tucker Novotny had a scoreless appearance that saw him pitch three shutout frames with just one hit allowed.

A’S IN THE AFL TODAY (10/4)
C Davis Diaz: 2-2, HR, 2 BB, 2 RBI
RF Breyson Guedez: 2-3, BB
LHP Grant Richardson: 2 IP/2 H/1 ER/2 BB/5 K
LHP Tucker Novotny: 3 IP/1 H/0 ER/0 BB/4 K
Mesa Solar Sox win 4-3

— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) October 5, 2026

None of these guys are expected to play any sort of role next year but all of them could become options a bit further down the line. Guedez in particular is a highly-rated prospect, topping out at #9 on MLB.com’s rankings of the A’s top prospects. So far the 19-year-old is 2-for-8 and likely ticketed to start next year at Double-A.

Meanwhile it’s been all quiet on the GM front. Presumably the team has conducted at least the first round of interviews and whittled the initial list, but they’ve done a good job of keeping any news or rumors from leaking out. The end-of-season deadline is long past but surely the club won’t wait another month and let the World Series end. We’re all waiting to hear any tidbit of news regarding who is next in line to lead the A’s. Could drop at any moment.

First game is in a few hours. Have a great start to your week everyone!

A’s Coverage:

• Zack Of All Trades Tries To Get One More Win: In Court
• Important Dates For The Athletics This Offseason
• A’s part ways with assistant hitting, quality control coaches
• After an outfield collision left him paralyzed, every gain in rehab is a big win for A’s Ryan Lasko
• Athletics’ Zack Gelof sues Tigers after hitting metal fence
• A’s Las Vegas ballpark cost rises to $2.1B, public funding delayed
• 2026: Year Of The “Didn’t See That Coming!”
• A’s Hoping Luis Severino Chooses to Stay
• Where the A’s Plan to Use Zack Gelof in 2027
• A’S OPEN TO MOVING LUIS MEDIA BACK INTO ROTATION 
• Last MLB game in West Sacramento? Why A’s 2026 season deserves a eulogy
• Perkins finishes intriguing season with another flash of potential
• ‘Road Trip Mike’ on the move to wherever his beloved A’s go
• Wheat/Chaff Updates As Season Winds Down
• Paralyzed A’s prospect Lasko released from rehab facility to ovation from staff
• Devin Taylor: Athletics 2026 Minor League Player Of The Year
• Henry Bolte Is the A’s Next Budding Star
• Determining Athletics’ Offensive MVP for the 2026 Season
• Notes From Star-Studded Rockies-A’s Instructional League
• Injuries Out Of Control, But Why?
• 2027 Infield Landscape Ever Changing
• “Fast Movers” Might Be Key To Contention
• Billy Beane comments on the job Mark Kotsay has done this season.
• Should Mark Kotsay return in 2027? A’s Players Weigh In
• What the A’s Hiring Mike Rizzo would Signal and the Questions it Would Raise
• Athletics Considering James Click For GM Vacancy
• Get the best of Athletics Nation on the new SB Nation app

MLB News & Interest:

• Braves turning to Chris Sale for Game Three start
• Cubs’ Jed Hoyer makes ‘pitching acquisition’ top offseason priority
• Rasmussen — the ‘definition of ace’ — takes no-no into 8th as Rays 1-hit Yankees
• Taylor Rogers Plans To Pitch In 2027
• Aroldis Chapman Passes Physical, 2027 Option Vests
• Where Does Jordan Westburg Fit For The Orioles?
• If you can believe it, Crew coach predicted that ball off the roof before the game
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

What would you change here?

Your 2027 Athletics:

C: Shea Langeliers (if he survives the offseason)
1B: Nick Kurtz
2B: Joshua Kuroda-Grauer / Leo De Vries (if he comes up)
3B: Zack Gelof
SS: Jacob Wilson
LF: Tyler Soderstrom
CF: Henry Bolte
RF: Lawrence Butler
DH: Brent Rooker

Bench:
CF Denzel Clarke
3B…

— ButlerIsKing (@ButlerIsKing) October 2, 2026

Anyone surprised to see Burress already above Arnold?

3 A's prospects made MLB Pipeline's post-season top 100 prospects list…
#3 – SS Leo De Vries
#37 – OF Drew Burress
#55 – LHP Jamie Arnold

— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) October 3, 2026

That’s why baseball is the best:

The Atlanta Braves got 19 outs from a former 7-Eleven employee and a 21 year old rookie to beat the billion dollar Dodgers.

Baseball is a beautiful sport.

— Trent (@Trenciarte) October 5, 2026

The Guardians will try to beat the White Sox again in game two of the ALDS this afternoon at 5PM.

In doing so, they will need to solve Sean Burke who has a 1.04 ERA against them this year. And, Gavin Williams will have to handle a tough Chicago lineup.

Zack Meisel of the Athletic wrote about the Guardians’ mindset entering game two.

Around MLB:

The Braves beat the Dodgers to tie up their NLDS and the Brewers walked off the Padres to go up 2 game to none in their NLDS.

Two games from being eliminated in the MLB playoffs, the Atlanta Braves had a difficult decision to make.

Do they bring back ace Chris Sale on short rest to start Game 2 of the National League division series? Or do they go back to the well with a bullpen game and hope a 32-year-old journeyman can pitch the game of his life … again?

Manager Walt Weiss decided to roll the dice. And left-hander Ray Kerr delivered.

As he did just three days earlier in the deciding game of Atlanta's wild-card series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Kerr came through with a masterful performance. He shut out the powerful Los Angeles Dodgers for 2 ⅔ innings, setting the tone for a 3-2 Braves win that evened the series at one game apiece.

"He did it again for us. Just amazing," Weiss gushed afterward. "There always seems to be some unsung heroes in the postseason. Yeah, Ray's definitely one of them."

For Kerr, it brought confirmation that his hard work to make it all the way back to the majors was worth it.

MORE: Blake Snell's sluggish Game 2 start was worst-case scenario for Dodgers

Ray Kerr's postseason heroics

Before he took the mound in Game 3 of the NL wild-card series against the Phillies, even the most diehard baseball fans knew very little about Kerr.

He missed the entire 2025 season and didn't even appear in a game this season until mid-August due to his recovery from Tommy John surgery. After toiling on the back fields of the Braves' spring training facility in Florida for two full years, he made it back to the majors as one of the last arms in the bullpen.

Kerr appeared in nine regular-season games down the stretch, compiling an impressive 1.47 ERA in 18 ⅓ innings – good enough to be included on the postseason roster. And after not pitching in the first two games of the wild-card series, he got the call to open Game 3 with the Braves' season on the line.

Kerr was brilliant, shutting out the Phillies on one hit for 3 ⅓ innings as the Braves prevailed. With Sale needed to get the final four outs in the 6-2 win, Weiss made the decision to give his ace two extra days of rest and have him start NLDS Game 3 against the Dodgers.

That made Kerr the logical choice to serve as the opener on Sunday.

"Ray Kerr is amazing, man. He did it again and again," Weiss said. "I thought it would be a shorter leash tonight because 47 pitches, two days off, we hadn't done anything like that. But same thing, he was throwing well. So I went as long as I felt like we could with Ray because he's throwing the ball so well."

The lefty blanked the Dodgers on two hits and a walk in his 2 ⅔ innings. Five more Braves pitchers followed to close out the 3-2 win.

"It was kind of similar to what he did in the wild card series," catcher Drake Baldwin said of Kerr. "He goes out there, and he just kind of does what he does. It says a lot about him. He's very poised out there, confident in what he does."

Who is Ray Kerr?

The idea that Kerr would be on a major league baseball mound, pitching against the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers would have been an impossible dream back in high school.

As a profile in the Athletic describes, Kerr grew up in foster care with his mother absent and his father in and out of prison. He spent a good part of his teenage years in Reno, Nevada, working at a convenience store while he continued to hone his pitching skills.

He pitched at two different community colleges in California, played in the Alaska Baseball League, and eventually caught the eye of a minor league scout with the Seattle Mariners. After signing with the Mariners and making it all the way to Class AAA, Kerr was traded to the San Diego Padres after the 2021 season.

Finally reaching the majors the following season at age 27, he was traded again in 2024 to the Braves.

Then came the elbow problems. After just 10 appearances with Atlanta, Kerr underwent Tommy John surgery that June.

He didn't make it back to the majors until Aug. 17, 2026.

That long road back paid off with stellar performances in his first two playoff appearances. Now, his heroics could help the Braves knock off the two-time defending World Series champions.

"I think just kind of how our bullpen showed out says a lot about us," Baldwin said, "and especially when we have some starters lined up for the next two games back in Atlanta. I think it kind of instills some confidence in us and gives us some momentum going back to Atlanta as well."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Ray Kerr? Lefty reliever might have saved Braves' season

Yes, the Yankees trail in the ALDS against the Rays. But in Game 2, they have the best possible path to getting even in the best-of-five series, at least when their guy is on the mound. 

Presumptive AL Cy Young Award winner Cam Schlittler is starting for the Yanks at Tropicana Field and he’s in the process of authoring a postseason resume for the ages -- so, obviously, the ace is one of our three things to watch as the series resumes Monday night.

Cam on cam

Schlittler is in a big spot, since dropping the first two games to the Rays would put the Yanks on the precipice of elimination. He seems equipped to handle such circumstances, however, considering his domination of the Red Sox in a win-or-go-home game in last year’s Wild Card Series, his obliteration of them in Game 1 this year, and his postseason resume as a whole -- 0.87 ERA, 24-1 K/BB ratio in 20.2 innings pitched. 

For whatever it’s worth, Schlittler has been even better on the road this season than at Yankee Stadium, fashioning a 1.16 ERA in away games versus 2.98 at home -- at the Trop, it was 2.77 in two starts. Opponents had an OPS nearly 200 points lower against Schlittler in road games (.456 vs. .649). 

Junior Caminero is the only Rays player with a home run off Schlittler -- in the righty's third career start. Taylor Walls and Richie Palacios each have three hits against him. But Schlittler has been tough on Yandy Díaz (2-for-13, five strikeouts) and Jonathan Aranda (1-for-8, six strikeouts).

As Rays manager Kevin Cash noted in a news conference Sunday, the Rays laid off Schlittler’s top-of-the-zone four-seamer during the pitcher’s final start of the season, a brief playoff tuneup. “If you’re going to swing at that, you’re likely not going to hit it or have much success with it,” Cash said. 

Clearly, the Rays will try that again if Schlittler approaches them in a similar way. But the ace also came at the Red Sox with some variety, throwing his curveball nearly three times more than his usage all season. The Red Sox swung at it 16 times and missed eight of those. He finished off four of his 10 strikeouts with the pitch. 

How will he use it against the Rays? 

Fanfare for Fastball Freddy

There will be a lot of eyeballs in Tampa Bay on Rays starter Freddy Peralta, as well. Queens, too. Peralta was brought to the Mets last winter in hopes he’d be starting in the playoffs for them, but he did not pitch well, they didn’t play well, and the Mets traded him to the Rays at the deadline. 

He’s been much better in his new stop, though this season overall he did not get strikeouts at his usual high rate.

Peralta had a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts with Tampa, including a 0.79 ERA over his last six starts, and a 1.69 ERA across his final four home starts. Expect him to pitch well at the Trop, though, six different Yankees have homered against him during his career. Cody Bellinger is 6-for-14 lifetime (.429) with a 1.270 OPS. 

Aaron Boone said there were players who worked out Sunday at the Yankees’ spring training facility in Tampa and he mentioned they have a Trajekt machine there, a detailed hitting machine with video. That would let hitters get repeated looks at Peralta’s release point, pitch shapes, and other eyeball data. 

Maybe that impacts their success against Peralta, who has a 4.32 ERA in nine postseason games.

Decision at third? 

In two playoff games in which their opponent has started a right-hander, the Yanks have used eight lefty hitters in their lineup, with shortstop George Lombard Jr. as the only right-handed bat. Might matchups at least make them ponder a change at third base? Ryan McMahon is 1-for-14 with four strikeouts lifetime against Peralta. 

In much smaller sample sizes, here’s what other potential third-base options have done: Anthony Volpe is 2-for-4 with a homer, a double, and two strikeouts, and José Caballero has fanned in both of his at-bats. 

After an offensive splurge in the Boston series, the Yankees did not score and were just 1-for-27 in the opener against Drew Rasmussen and Bryan Baker. Do they need a lineup move or was that mostly about an ace and a closer dealing? 

Volpe has exactly one game of experience at third in the major leagues. McMahon, who is 1-for-6 this postseason, is a quality defender there and hit all 11 of his home runs this year against righties. 

LOS ANGELES — Josue De Paula popped out as a pinch-hitter for the final out of Game 2, in his major league postseason debut. The comeback attempt fell short, but just by getting into a game at his age was notable.

De Paula on Sunday was 21 years, 133 days old, and became only the fourth Dodgers position player that young to appear in a postseason game, and the first since 19-year-old outfielder Willie Crawford appeared in Game 6 of the 1965 World Series. The other Dodgers position players younger than De Paula to play in the postseason were both 21-year-old outfielders — Eddie Miskis in the 1947 World Series and Ron Fairly in the 1959 World Series.

The other Dodgers as young or younger than De Paula to play in the postseason were pitchers — Johnny Podres (1955) and Don Drysdale (1956) for Brooklyn, followed by Fernando Valenzuela (1981), Clayton Kershaw (2008), and Julio Urías (2016).

Of these nine players all no older than 21 years, 133 days old, only De Paula, Valenzuela (0 for 7, walk, sacrifice), and Urías (0 for 1) batted in the postseason at Dodger Stadium. So it can be said that Josue De Paula is the youngest Dodgers position player to bat in the postseason in the 65-year history of Dodger Stadium.

If we count players from other teams, six position players were younger than De Paula playing in the postseason at Chavez Ravine:

• Claudell Washington, A’s, 1974 World Series — 20 years, 42 days in first game
• Gregg Jefferies, Mets, 1988 NLCS — 21 years, 64 days
• Andruw Jones, Braves, 1996 NLDS — 19 years, 162 days
• Ronald Acuña Jr., Braves, 2018 NLDS — 20 years, 290 days
• Juan Soto, Nationals, 2019 NLDS — 20 years, 343 days
• Jordan Lawlar, Diamondbacks, 2023 NLDS — 21 years, 84 days

De Paula’s postseason debut followed a busy day for the rookie, who was also honored along with pitcher Christian Zazueta as the Dodgers minor league player and pitcher of the year for 2026.

During a pregame session in the media room at Dodger Stadium, De Paula was asked if he was more nervous talking to media or being in the batter’s box.

“I don’t feel like it’s nerve-racking, you know what I’m saying? I’m just talking with people. We’re all people at the end of the day,” De Paula said. “I love being in the batter’s box. I love competing. It’s not really nerve-racking. It’s normal.”

The Royals have a lot of work to do this offseason to get back to contention. One of the first things they will need to do when the offseason officially begins after the World Series is determine which arbitration-eligible players should be tendered a contract.

MLB Trade Rumors has released its annual arbitration salary projections for this offseason, providing a bit of a clue as to what teams should expect. The Royals have 11 arbitration-eligible players.

Dobnak has a $6 million club option, but if the Royals decline it and pay the $1 million buyout, he would become subject to the arbitration process. He had previously signed a long-term deal with the Twins that paid him $3 million in 2026 before they let him go, which may not be properly factored by MLB Trade Rumors’ model.

The Royals will certainly tender Lynch and Massey after their career-best seasons. Erceg is a decent bet to be tendered after he finished the season strong following some adjustments in the minors. Pearson showed flashes of brilliance, albeit inconsistently, but J.J. Picollo spoke as though they had him in their plans for next year. Anthony Gose gave up just one run in 13.2 innings after the Royals signed him, but he will be 36 years old next year.

The Royals will have an interesting decision on Kyle Isbel. His defense has carried his below-average bat in past seasons. But his offensive numbers really dropped this year, and his salary is enough that the Royals will have to at least consider if he is still worth rostering. Alex Lange had a 6.75 ERA, highest among all qualified relievers. Alec Marsh and James McArthur both missed the entire season with injuries, and Mears missed most of the season with an injury as well.

Under the current system, players are eligible for arbitration once they accrue at least three or more years of service time (plus certain “Super Two” players) but are not yet eligible for free agency. Clubs have to decide whether or not to “tender” the player a contract. If a player is “non-tendered”, they become free agents who can sign with any team.

If the player is tendered, the two sides negotiate on a salary, and if they are unable to come to an agreement by February, each side submits a figure to an independent arbitrator. The arbitrator will pick a side to win, and cannot split the difference. Salaries depend largely on service time. Players cannot receive more than a 20 percent pay cut.

Contracts for arbitration-eligible players used to be non-guaranteed, meaning they could still be cut in spring training without teams obligated to pay the entire salary, but now those contracts are fully guaranteed. Of course, all of this could change under the next collective bargaining agreement, to be worked out in negotiations this offseason.

The Royals currently have seven players under contract for just under $90 million, and are expected to pick up the $2.5 million club option on Tony Gonsolin. The team will likely have around $30 million freed up from the payroll to spend this offseason, according to owner John Sherman.

The deadline to tender or non-tender players is typically near the end of November.