The instructional and developmental nature of the Arizona Fall League allows minor league players to supplement their regular season or add needed experience beyond injury-shortened seasons.
The third week of the six-week AFL season resulted in the Peoria Javelinas, the AFL team employing eight Padres prospects, playing five games with a 4-1 record. They currently are in third place in the six-team league with a 9-7 record and 1.5 games back of the Scottsdale Scorpions.
Padres in the lineup
Outfielder Alex McCoy, the Padres No. 26 prospect, played in three games and got his first start as a first baseman in the AFL. Predominantly a corner outfielder, McCoy played some first base in college and in two games this past season with the Single-A Fort Wayne TinCaps.
He is being exposed to some upper-level pitching in an effort to improve his swing and miss against better pitchers and their offspeed and breaking pitches. So far, McCoy has adjusted well in his climb through the first two minor league levels but cutting down his strikeouts and whiffs will be his biggest challenge.
He is hitting .256 for the Javelinas with a .989 OPS. He leads the team with four home runs and 11 RBI. He also leads the Javelinas with 17 strikeouts.
His 345-foot, 118.2 mph home run had the highest exit velocity on a home run this AFL season. Fourth highest in AFL play since the Statcast era began in 2015.
Infielder Justin DeCriscio is struggling so far with the Javelinas. In his nine games played, he is hitting .167 with a .624 OPS, has a double, a home run, and eight RBI.
Catcher/DH Ty Harvey is also working to improve his average and his slug, sitting at .182 for both; he has no extra-base hits in 11 games played with five RBI but is 9-for-9 in stolen bases.
Padres pitchers
RHP Kannon Kemp has started three games and pitched 8.2 innings with a 5.19 ERA. He has three walks and 11 strikeouts.
RHP Winyer Chourio continues to struggle with his control, throwing 8.2 innings over three starts with seven walks and six strikeouts, and a 5.19 ERA.
Righty reliever Francis Peña has appeared in five games and 5.1 innings pitched with a 0.00 ERA. He has two walks and four strikeouts.
Lefty reliever Igor Gil has appeared in three games and 3.1 innings pitched with a 5.40 ERA, with three walks and four strikeouts.
Righty reliever Jordan Valenzuela has four innings across four games with a 6.75 ERA, allowing a walk with three strikeouts.
Padres News:
Outfielder Jase Bowen did not do much at the plate in his inaugural season in San Diego, but he was a threat on the base paths and a solid defender. Lincoln Zdunich of Gaslamp Ballgives Bowen his grade for the 2026 season.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 27: JJ Wetherholt #26, Masyn Winn #0 and Jordan Walker #18 of the St. Louis Cardinals celebrate the team's 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on April 27, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The World Series is making its way South with the midwest avian population but my sports focus somehow still centers around the St. Louis Cardinals and football, both fantasy and NFL. Nothing against the Brewers, Rays, or the game of baseball, since I do think this Fall Classic is going to be as fun as it gets without having a team in the race.
Even without much happening around the Cardinals, you are all here with us and ready to jump in with your thoughts and feelings around the organization. Chaim Bloom does not tip his hand too often, so trying to predict the actual path he will take this offseason is difficult. He does do well to taper our expectations, saying things in a way that keeps us from hoping for big spending in free agency. I do think this allows us to pencil in much of the 26-man roster, outside of speculating a couple trades here and there.
Assuming that Bloom will leave much of the offense and starting rotation untouched, I wanted to take a look at how these guys should be expected to perform next season. In the most recent VEB and articles pods, I stated a couple times how 77 wins is now the baseline for success in my mind while also understanding the win column does not tell the whole story. Because I expect minimal changes, unfortunately, I could see next season’s record sitting near what we saw in 2026 since the team outperformed most preseason win totals.
Cardinals key contributors have to take another step forward in 2027 season
To get in front of it, I do not expect the Cardinals to trade Ivan Herrera or Leo Bernal this winter, or move on from Masyn Winn for someone who can provide more offense. I foresee Joshua Baez getting I have more than 50% confidence that Nathan Church will be starting in center on Opening Day and I will give a slight edge to Blaze Jordan over Thomas Saggese at third. I think Saggese can (and should?) take Jose Fermin’s role of “super utility guy who somehow starts too many games” to take advantage of his full skillset. However, my confidence in either of those spots being locked up already is low, so I will not figure them into my 2027 thoughts just yet.
This leaves me providing my way too early expectations for JJ Wetherholt, Jordan Walker, Alec Burleson, Ivan Herrera, Leo Bernal, Joshua Baez, and Masyn Winn.
Tier 1: Trustworthy
Wetherholt, Burleson, Herrera
The first two names probably come as no surprise but adding Herrera to the trustworthy list may be a slight shock. The 2025 season was supposed to be a stepping stone for Herrera, but too much time behind the plate and a huge workload may have prevented that leap forward. Even with a slightly disappointing campaign, the hopefully full-time DH was still an above-average bat who can produce runs in different ways.
Assuming that Wetherholt and Herrera bounce back into full health for 2027, this past year may actually be the baseline for both of these players. I am hopeful that the Cardinals staff limits the amount of times a player is in the lineup despite injury, even if they are not at risk for additional damage. Any discomfort can cause a change in mechanics, limiting consistency and potentially creating bad habits. That could have been the case for these two in the dog days of the season, but I think this duo and Burleson will create a scary top of the lineup.
Burly has improved every season of his career and after leading all of MLB in RBIs last year, I am still hopeful for another jump. As he continues to prove his value with the glove at first base, I am holding out for multiple seasons of 30+ homers and a .270 or better batting average before his time in St. Louis is up. The first baseman is a proven clubhouse veteran who still has plenty of time left in his prime to continue to make his mark on the organization and be the grizzled voice for the next contending Cardinals team.
Tier 2: Do it again
Walker and Bernal
A lot was said about Walker’s second half and I hate to use it as an excuse, but he was another player who was playing through discomfort for little or no reason. With the Cardinals out of it, Walker continued playing near everyday as he looked to end his breakout campaign with a 30 homer season and a 3.0 fWAR or better. The injury was said to not have long-term effect on the outfielder, but we saw him fall back into bad habits in September. The All-Star actually hit .305 in August, despite participating in the Home Run Derby, but his final month average dipped to .172, which made his overall second-half stat line look worse than it truly was.
Walker was able to continue to have success on the bases in the final few months of the year, still swiping nine bases to get him into the 20/20 club. Assuming the time off from the daily grind will allow Walker’s hip to get back to full health, the 2027 season will be another big one for him. Baseball card numbers aside, if Walker could put up another 20% or better than league-average season, he will slide into Tier 1 before next season ends.
Moving to Bernal, he could have fit into either of the final two tiers but his debut was so impressive I had to keep him above the last one. My hope is that the switch-hitter plays in 130 games at the big league level next season, which would mean the Cardinals made a catching decision elsewhere on the roster and Bernal was able to stick around for a full major league season. In just 24 games, Bernal hit .284 with a 124 wRC+ but he also saw regression in his plate discipline and defense.
The second part would have been enough to put him into Tier 3, but he looked so darn good at the plate that asking for more from a rookie catcher felt unfair. I believe that the glove will be just fine for the two year fielding award winner in the minors as he gets more comfortable with major league hitters in the box and adjusts to the pitching staff’s stuff. Bernal will play most of the season as a 23-year-old in 2027 and I believe he could be an early leader for Rookie of the Year if he can repeat his offense over a full year while playing a premium position.
Tier 3: Show me more
Winn and Baez
Jumping to Baez first, he showed plenty at the plate in a handful more games that Bernal but falls a tier below the catcher. The left fielder’s .510 slugging percentage was a welcomed addition to the lineup, especially after finally putting an end to the revolving door of players at that spot before his debut. Before going down with an oblique injury that coincidentally ended his season without the Cardinals having to make a playing time decision, Baez hit seven homers, seven doubles, and stole two bags to put his season totals to 41, 29, and 23 respectively. If Joshua Baez could just do it again while at the major league level, we would be in a great spot in St. Louis.
While the 17 homer jump from 2025 is an amazing feat, Baez also saw his K-rate jump back towards the concerning numbers that made him tumble down prospect lists before his resurgence. He also saw his overall average drop about 40 points from his prior year, but that could be easily explained by the outfielder playing at two higher levels than he did in 2025. The main reasons I threw Baez into Tier 3 are his plate discipline, both with contact and patience, and his fielding. I am not asking him to change his overall approach in the box, but a little more bat on ball is a decent sacrifice if it means 35 homers instead of 40. In the grass, he put up a -2 Statcast run value in 24 games on defense and looked awkward tracking down the ball. I will hope his route running improves as he spends more time in just one outfield spot.
Speaking of defense, Masyn Winn does not have anything else to prove at shortstop to make me believe he is a major league capable defender. In order to get me back in on him as an everyday player for at least the next five seasons, though, I have to see a big jump with the bat. Another player that ends up in the lineup despite being nicked up on an annual basis, there has always been something to point to for why the shortstop’s bat has not progressed to the levels we saw in the minors. Even with the injuries, Winn’s metrics have not changed much since his rookie season, so I have started to become more pessimistic on his offensive future.
Chaim Bloom recently spoke to Jesus Baez being more than capable of handling shortstop and the prospect’s offensive skillset is more intriguing than Winn’s was in the minors. The title of this tier was originally Last Chance and only had Winn in it, but he is still just 24-years-old and I cannot let myself be all the way out on a player I had so much positivity around. I am officially out on my 20/20 prediction, but I am not out on his ability to be a .270 or better hitter since he was able do that in the upper levels of the minors and nearly reached that number as a rookie. If Winn does not hit to a 90 wRC+ or higher, I am not saying it is time to send him packing, but I would definitely be more hesitant to loosen the pursestrings to keep him in St. Louis beyond his rookie deal.
Let me know if you would place any of these guys in other spots, although these are my own tiers that are titled in a way to fit my storylines. Feel free to also predict what you think will happen with Nathan Church or third base. Lastly, in case you missed it, I had an interview with Cardinals pitching prospect Michael Watson that was tons of fun. Kareem was also on the pod and it was a ton of fun to dig into the year at Springfield at the talent on that roster. I linked that below for your viewing and/or listening pleasure. Thanks as always!
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 14, 1980: Philadelphia Phillies mascot, the Phillie Phanatic, congratulates pitcher Ron Reed (#42, center) for striking out a Kansas City Royal batter for the final out of Game 1 of the 1980 World Series on October 14 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies defeated the Royals 4 games to 2 to win their first World Series in club history. (Photo by James Drake/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Since there is an off day today for the World Series as everything picks up and heads to Tampa Bay, it’s a good time to think about the Phillies and their own World Series history.
Playing in eight different versions, the Phillies have a 2-6 record in them, famously winning in 1980 and 2008, losing in 1915, 1950, 1983, 1993, 2009 and 2022. The guess here is that many of you don’t really remember much of what happened in the 1915 or 1950 versions, but the other five have had several different things happen that were memorable.
What is your favorite memory from any of the World Series that the Phillies were participants in? Obviously the last out of the ones that won are going to stick out, but for me, I’ll always remember 2009 Game 3 version. I was sitting in the 200 level of Citizens Bank Park, about even with the right field wall. I will never forget that Alex Rodriguez’s “home run” hit that camera and should have been ruled a double.
MILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 22: Manager Pat Murphy #49 of the Milwaukee Brewers speaks to the media during the 2026 World Series workout day and media availability at American Family Field on Thursday, October 22, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Aaron Gash/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Milwaukee is cooking, y’all. After winning 103 regular season games, they blew through the Padres in the Division Series, swept the Dodgers in 4 games in the Championship Series and currently have a 2-0 lead in the World Series. They’re 5-1 in one-run games, so they’re not exactly blowing teams out. But with their bullpen sporting a 1.41 / 2.79 / 3.62 line in 44 and 2/3 innings through Friday’s game, they are extinguishing any late game challenges.
So will the Brewers ever lose again this year? Fangraphs have the Rays slightly favored for the next two games. A Robert Gasser – Freddy Peralta matchup has the Rays with a 53% win probability. The Shane Drohan – Griffin Jax matchup has a similar 52.2% Rays win probability? So Tampa Bay isn’t cooked just yet. Only the 2005 White Sox and the 1999 Yankees have won the World Series with only one loss in the Divisional Era. But to avoid adding a third, the Rays do need to get started soon.
He follows one major league team on Instagram: The Dodgers.
And while people familiar with his situation insist he hasn’t made a decision, the widespread expectation around the industry is that 18-year-old Shoki Oda of Japan will end up with the Dodgers.
If Oda sticks to the plan he unveiled earlier this month, the hard-throwing right-hander will do something no Japanese superstar before him has ever done by moving to the United States without first playing in Nippon Professional Baseball.
The Japanese establishment is viewing the potential development as an existential threat to its domestic league, as no prospect of Oda’s caliber has ever signed with a major league organization as an amateur.
Shoki Oda of Team Japan throws in the second inning during the BFA U18 Asian Baseball Championship Super Round game. Getty Images
What would NPB be without such players?
Daisuke Matsuzaka played in the league.
So did Yu Darvish.
And Shohei Ohtani.
And Roki Sasaki.
In the case of Ohtani, he was close to signing with the Dodgers out of high school as a pitcher, only to be drafted by the Nippon-Ham Fighters, who talked him into signing with them by offering him a chance to be a two-way player.
The Yomiuri Giants used their first-round selection in the recent NPB draft on Oda, perhaps thinking they could similarly change the mind of the Yokohama High product.
With 22 Japan Series titles, the Giants are the most successful team in NPB history. Their new manager is Hideki Matsui, one of the most popular players in Japanese baseball history.
But in reality, their efforts to convince Oda to stay in the country have the feel of a symbolic last stand.
Something like this was bound to happen.
Shoki Oda of Team Japan throws in the first inning during the BFA U18 Asian Baseball Championship Super Round game. Getty Images
The Dodgers have achieved their goal of “painting Japan blue,” as the triumphs of Ohtani, Sasaki and Yoshinobu Yamamoto have made them the country’s favorite major league team.
But this goes beyond that.
Over the last three decades, Japan has gone from treating Hideo Nomo as if he was a traitor for joining the Dodgers to wanting to see its best players compete in the world’s top league.
“I want to play in the No. 1 (league) in the world,” Oda told reporters. “I want to be No. 1 in the world.”
He isn’t alone.
Last month, the San Diego Padres signed right-hander Tatsuya Nogami directly out of Osaka Sangyo University.
This summer, Rintaro Sasaki chose to sign with the Miami Marlins instead of the SoftBank Hawks. The decision marked Sasaki’s second time rejecting NPB’s overtures. When Sasaki graduated from Hanamaki Higashi High – also the alma mater of Ohtani and the Angels’ Yusei Kikuchi – he skipped the NPB draft and enrolled at Stanford.
What distinguished Oda’s situation from theirs was that Oda was considered an entirely different class of prospect. Oda was part of the same powerhouse program that developed Matsuzaka. He threw a 97-mph fastball that was the fastest pitch ever recorded at Japan’s national high school baseball tournament, which earned him comparisons to Sasaki.
Shoki Oda after finishing the third inning during the BFA U18 Asian Baseball Championship Super Round game. Getty Images
There are clear benefits to signing with a major league organization as an amateur.
In NPB, nine years of service time is required to become an international free agent. Players who aren’t international free agents have to be posted by their NPB teams to move to the major leagues. The SoftBank Hawks have a policy against posting their players. Other organizations, such as the Giants, very rarely make their players available to major league teams.
Finances are also a factor. Bonuses for NPB draft picks are capped at 100 million yen, or about $640,000.
Major league teams are assigned bonus pools to sign international amateurs, and they are free to allocate as much of that as they want to any one player. The Dodgers’ bonus pool was $7.2 million last year. One major league talent scout estimated that Oda could receive a signing bonus of anywhere from $3 million to $5 million.
Shoki Oda after finishing the third inning during the BFA U18 Asian Baseball Championship Super Round game. Getty Images
Oda’s anticipated move to the U.S. will be complicated by baseball’s upcoming labor stoppage.
The international player acquisition system is collectively bargained, and baseball’s current collective-bargaining agreement will expire on Dec. 1, at which point franchise owners will lock out the players.
Oda would not be able to sign until a new CBA is ratified.
Perhaps that’s what the Yomiuri Giants are counting on. Perhaps they think an extended lockout will wear on Oda.
Long term, it won’t make a difference.
Because if Oda doesn’t sign with the Dodgers or some other major league team, the next Oda will.
MILWAUKEE, WI - OCTOBER 24: Freddy Peralta #51 of the Tampa Bay Rays looks on from the dugout during Game Two of the 2026 World Series presented by Capital One between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Saturday, October 24, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Speaking of one such pending free agent, Freddy Peralta was once again asked about the approach both the Mets and Rays took with him and pushed back against the notion that the teams tried to get him to make the same fixes, calling their strategies “a little different.” When (again) asked why things didn’t work out with the Mets, Peralta said, “Sometimes, I ask the same question myself.”
Mets prospect Boston Baro connected for a home run on Thursday in the Arizona Fall League for the first time in a game environment since July 27, 2025, as he tries to come back from his various injuries stronger and with more pop in his bat.
Around the National League East
MLB Trade Rumors compiled notes from around the NL East, including Joel Sherman’s reporting that Pat Murphy was a finalist for the Mets’ managerial search in 2019, the Marlins’ philosophy if they have to spend more money to reach a hypothetical salary floor, the progress of Phillies’ infield prospect Aidan Miller, and more.
The Brewers rallied from behind after going down four runs in the first inning to complete a thrilling 5-4 Game 2 comeback win against the Rays last night to go ahead 2-0 in the World Series. Sal Frelick hit a game-tying homer in the sixth and rookie Cooper Pratt laced an opposite-field RBI single in the seventh to put the Brewers ahead.
William Contreras is becoming a superstar this October, writes Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Brewers closer Trevor Megill spoke to Tyler Kepner of The Athletic about having to grind out an extra out after replay review overturned what would have been a game-inning double play in the ninth inning of Game 1.
October 25 is perhaps the single most important date in Mets history because it was on this date in 1986 that the Mets played the most famous game in franchise history, where a ball dribbled between Bill Buckner’s legs to complete a miraculous victory and set the table for Game 7.
ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 17: Jarren Duran #16 of the Boston Red Sox looks on in the dugout during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on Thursday, September 17, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Courtney Kramer/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Yet another piece of corroborating evidence for the “everything is about us all the time even when it’s not” theory! The biggest play in last night’s World Series game was so Massachusetts coded that it could’ve been settled via a fist fight over a space-saver in Southie rather than in the batters box, as Lexington’s Sal Frelick homered off of Westborough’s Ian Seymour to tie the game in the sixth. Things could get awkward when they reunite for offseason training back home in Waltham in a few weeks time. Hopefully Frelick does the gentlemanly thing and brings Seymour a peace offering in the form of a Dunkin iced. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)
And if that’s not enough of a local connection for you, how about this? Both Andy Freed and Jeff Levering, the principal radio play-by-play voices for the Rays and Brewers respectively, worked in the Pawtucket Red Sox broadcast booth before getting the call to the bigs. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
Of course there’s another broadcasting newbie working the World Series this year: Payton Tolle, who has been serving as a correspondent covering the important issues, like what’s on the menu in the parking lot at Brewers’ tailgate parties. He also took some time out to answer fan questions online. Here are some of the highlights, including further confirmation of my “all mustaches lead back to Tom Selleck” theory. It’s been a good World Series for my theories. (Max Ralph, MLB.com)
If we really want a World Series with local connections, though, nothing would be better than the Red Sox actually making it back to the World Series. So what lessons can the Sox take from the Rays and Brewers? (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
Thankfully, one lesson the Sox don’t need to learn is how to put together a stellar defensive outfield. Both Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu took home the Fielding Bible Award for their respective positions. This is particularly notable because these awards combine the American and National Leagues, meaning Ceddy took down Platinum Glove favorite Pete Crowe-Armstrong for the center field nod — though he needed a tiebreaker to do so as they actually tied mathematically. (Shanthi Sepe-Chupuru, MLB.com)
Will Jarren Duran be a part of that outfield in 2027? Duran is still arbitration eligible. And while his 2026 production was so poor that many are wondering whether he’ll be non-tendered, that’s unlikely. However, “it’s widely expected that the Red Sox will look to deal him this winter,” writes one insider. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 04: Josue De Paula #95 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in action at bat against the Atlanta Braves in game two of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 04, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Nothing beats Father Time, and that includes an aging Dodgers core.
Seven out of the nine regulars within the Dodgers lineup are on the wrong side of 30, with Andy Pages being the only regular under the age of 27. Players such as Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy are both entering the twilight of their careers, and Mookie Betts will turn 35 years of age during the 2027 season.
The Dodgers have plenty of prospects waiting for their chance to shine at the game’s highest level, and outfielder Josue De Paula is the cream of the crop of young talent. The team is hoping to increase his playing time in the outfield as opposed to his fill-in at designated hitter this past season, and that could mean a change of scenery for an aging player such as Teoscar Hernández, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
If De Paula can turn himself into a viable everyday left fielder, it could bring about some of the greatest change in what could be a transitional offseason for a Dodgers roster looking to get younger. De Paula’s rise would at the very least reduce Teoscar Hernández to a more limited role, and at most prompt the team to find a trade partner for the veteran outfielder.
Dodgers owner Mark Walter is a controversial name within the Los Angeles sports world, and Major League Baseball is now monitoring him amid a federal probe, notes Valentina Martinez of the California Post. Walter briefly became owner of the Los Angeles Lakers until he sold the team to both Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for a record $12.5 billion.
“As always when we have an investigation, external law enforcement, whatever, we monitor that and that’s where we are right now,” Manfred told reporters.
Larry Holder of The Athletic writes about pro wrestler Arik Cannon, who was lucky to find a one-of-one Shohei Ohtani “Game for the Ages” card. Cannon hopes to sell the card in the hopes of paying off his father’s debts.
“In August 2023, we lost my mom to cancer, and it’s been really, really rough on my dad,” Cannon said. “So the first thing I’m going to do is I’m going pay off all his debt. And then I don’t know what my other options are at, but it’ll be more than enough to take care of him. Whatever’s left over for me, I’m probably just going to put it away and make sure that I don’t become one of those cliché Powerball winners that had money and now it’s gone.”
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 19: Jose Quintana #62 of the Colorado Rockies pitches during the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Saturday, September 19, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Ray Bahner/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Colorado Rockies are dormant as two teams they may look to model their game off of—the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Devil Rays—do battle on the grandest stage Major League Baseball has to offer. The World Series is underway and two teams with smaller payrolls that excel in pitching, small ball, and analytics are both aiming to walk away with their first championship in franchise history.
While the team itself may be dormant—as fans wait for next steps in the rebuild following the firing of Alon Leichman and a looming lockout—that doesn’t mean the players are.
Down in Scottsdale, Arizona, eight Rockies prospects and farm hands are taking part in the Arizona Fall League as part of the Salt River Rafters team. The Rockies’ standout star in Scottsdale isn’t one of their top prospects, though. It’s Jack O’Dowd, a 25-year-old undrafted catcher and infielder who played college ball at the University of Texas. O’Dowd (HM PuRP) was playing independent baseball in the Pioneer League a year ago, but joined the Rockies as a minor league free agent this year and quickly rocketed up the system after starting in Low-A Fresno and ending the season with Double-A Hartford.
Meanwhile, although it’s only October, Winter League baseball has already started in other parts of the World. The Mexican, Venezuelan, and Dominican Winter Leagues have already been playing for a week, while Puerto Rico’s Winter League will start in November.
There are surprisingly few players coming out of the Rockies’ 2026 season playing ball this winter so far, though three prospects are working on building their résumés. Infielder Roynier Hernanzes (no. 29 PuRP) and catcher Bryant Betancourt (HM PuRP) are both playing in Venezuela, while top prospect second baseman and center fielder Roldy Brito (no. 3 PuRP) is playing in his native Dominican Republic.
Farmhands in outfielder Drew Avans and right-handed reliever Patrick Weigel—both of whom spent their 2026 season with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes—are playing international baseball as well. Avans is playing in Mexico while Weigel is playing in the Dominican Republic.
Also playing in the Dominican Winter League is left-handed veteran José Quintana. Having missed most of the 2026 season due to an elbow injury after signing with the Rockies as a free agent, Quintana is working to build himself back up in order to get back to Major League Baseball in 2027.
With that being said, here’s what our staff here at Purple Row had to say this week:
A little disappointed that Drew Rasmussen was given an extra day instead of facing the Miz, but Nick Martinez did a very good job and led to an enjoyable pitchers duel Friday night.
It’s just hard to imagine the Cubs closing the gap between them and the Brewers in one off-season. Just hope it’s not another trip through mediocrity. Think positive — or pray for Jed Hoyer to have the best off-season in the league.
I appreciate your reading.
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Tyler Courtney (LastWordOnSports): Revisiting the 2026 Cubs Trade Deadline. “It’s easy to hate on moves after they happen, but it’s necessary to review how they will affect the team’s future.”
Koko Taylor (born Cora Ann Walton, September 28, 1928 – June 3, 2009) was an American singer whose style encompassed Chicago blues, electric blues, rhythm and blues, and soul blues. Sometimes called “The Queen of the Blues”, she was known for her rough, powerful vocals. Born on a farm near Memphis, Tennessee, Taylor was the daughter of a sharecropper. She left Tennessee for Chicago in 1952 with her husband, Robert “Pops” Taylor, a truck driver. In the late 1950s, she began singing in blues clubs in Chicago. She was spotted by Willie Dixon in 1962, and this led to more opportunities for performing and her first recordings. In 1964 Dixon brought Taylor to Checker Records, a subsidiary label of Chess Records, for which she recorded “Wang Dang Doodle“, a song written by Dixon and recorded by Howlin’ Wolf five years earlier. The record became a hit, reaching number four on the R&B chart and number 58 on the pop chart in 1966, and selling a million copies.
She recorded several versions of the song over the years, including a live rendition at the 1967 American Folk Blues Festival, with the harmonica player Little Walter and the guitarist Hound Dog Taylor. Taylor became better known by touring in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and she became accessible to a wider record-buying public when she signed a recording contract with Alligator Records in 1975. She recorded nine albums for Alligator, eight of which were nominated for Grammy awards, and came to dominate ranks of female blues singers, winning twenty-nine W. C. Handy/Blues Music Awards. Bonnie Raitt, Shemekia Copeland, Janis Joplin, Shannon Curfman, and Susan Tedeschi cite Taylor as an influence on their styles.
In her later years, Taylor performed over 70 concerts a year and resided just south of Chicago, in Country Club Hills, Illinois. Taylor’s final performance was at the Blues Music Awards, on May 7, 2009. She suffered complications from surgery for gastrointestinal bleeding on May 19 and died on June 3.
Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Freddy Peralta works out before Game 2 of the World Series in Milwaukee on Saturday. Peralta is set to pitch in Game 3 on Monday. (Kayla Wolf / Associated Press)
In retrospect, conventional wisdom might not be all that wise. Just check out this postseason.
The Atlanta Braves should have started Chris Sale in Game 2 of the division series against the Dodgers. They didn’t. They won.
The Braves then had an edge with Sale starting Game 3. They didn’t. They lost that game, and they were eliminated in the next game.
The Milwaukee Brewers should have considered trading rookie pitcher Logan Henderson in a package for Tarik Skubal, a win-now proposition for a team that has dominated the regular season but had not appeared in the World Series in 44 years. They didn’t. Skubal and the Dodgers missed the World Series, and Henderson started Game 2 for the Brewers on Saturday, helping them move within two victories from their first championship.
That brings us to Freddy Peralta, who starts Game 3 for the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday. Peralta was one of the top pitchers in the majors for the Brewers last year, and he has been one of the top pitchers in the majors since the Rays acquired him from the New York Mets three months ago, but in between he performed so poorly for the Mets that he cannot really explain why.
“Sometimes I ask the same question myself,” Peralta said.
So poorly that, when the league’s website ranked the most impactful trades at the deadline, the Peralta deal did not make the top 10, behind trades for six other starting pitchers: Skubal, Casey Mize and Robbie Ray to the San Diego Padres, Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes to the Chicago Cubs, and Jose Soriano to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Conventional wisdom? No big deal.
For the Mets, Peralta put up a 4.99 ERA and a negative WAR. For the Rays, he put up an 0.79 ERA in his last six starts of the regular season and a 1.07 ERA so far in the postseason, honored as American League Championship Series MVP.
“I feel like he’s kind of come back to being Freddy Peralta with us,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.
Peralta went 17-6 with a 2.70 earned-run average for Milwaukee last year, leading the National League in victories and posting 5.5 WAR, third behind Cristopher Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies and Cy Young winner Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
If you wonder why the Brewers would trade Peralta, well, you don’t know the Brewers.
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Freddy Peralta throws against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 6 of the ALCS on Oct. 19. (Phelan M. Ebenhack / Associated Press)
Peralta was approaching free agency, and the Brewers routinely trade All-Star pitchers like that for prospects: Corbin Burnes, Josh Hader, Devin Williams.
This is how the Brewers restock: The Burnes trade brought two pieces of this World Series team, pitcher DL Hall and infielder Joey Ortiz. The Hader trade brought Game 3 starter Robert Gasser and journeyman outfielder Estuery Ruiz, and within a subsequent three-team trade, the Brewers swiped All-Star catcher William Contreras for Ruiz.
The Mets wanted Peralta for what they considered an inevitable playoff run, with the largest Opening Day payroll of any major league team, the Dodgers included. The Mets finished in last place, and Peralta’s ERA exceeded 6.00 in each of the two months preceding the trade deadline.
“I was feeling bad,” Peralta said, “because I couldn’t do anything.”
The adjustments the Mets asked him to make, he said, were “a little different” than the ones that reversed the course of his season with the Rays.
The Rays let him pitch from the stretch, as he had in Milwaukee. They modified his delivery, including having him start it from the third-base side of the pitching rubber. His fastball got faster: 94 mph with the Mets, hitting 97 mph in the playoffs.
“We see that he’s in his element, man,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “That’s Fastball Freddy.”
In Milwaukee, it’s all love for Peralta. The fans even cheered his bullpen session there before Game 1.
He’ll start Game 3 in Tampa Bay and, after that, who knows, but he would be lined up to start a potential Game 7 in Milwaukee.
“I know how special it is to pitch on this mound here in Milwaukee,” Peralta said. “I would like to pitch here during the postseason.”
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Freddy Peralta celebrates during Game 2 of the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians on Oct. 13. (David J. Phillip / Associated Press)
He would have liked to pitch in New York during the postseason too.
“They had a lot of big expectations for me, the fans too, in New York,” he said. “They were waiting for something great from me.”
Conventional wisdom can boomerang. The conventional wisdom on Peralta’s free agency in the spring: he should make more in free agency than any pitcher besides Skubal; in the summer: this is a bad year to take into free agency; in the fall: he should make more in free agency than any pitcher besides Skubal.
But, given what happened in New York, what were the realistic expectations in Tampa Bay?
“I was able to go to a new team that probably needed me for …” Peralta said, his voice trailing off.
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 01: Justin Crawford #2 of the Philadelphia Phillies enters the dugout prior to Game Three of the National League Wild Card Series presented by AbbVie between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Thursday, October 1, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
I find myself becoming a crotchety old man watching baseball these days, so seeing these two teams in the World Series makes me happy. I am especially enamored with watching Chandler Simpson….yet I can’t really stand Justin Crawford, a Simpson lite type of player.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 23: Gunnar Henderson #2 of the Baltimore Orioles prepares to catch a pop up during game one of a baseball doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 23, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello, friends.
There are 150 days remaining until the next scheduled Orioles game. There are probably something like 110 days before we will actually know whether an Orioles game or any other game will be played on that day.
They won’t be playing a World Series game today. It’s an off day as the series travels from Milwaukee to Tampa, or more accurately St. Petersburg. Game 3 will be played tomorrow. If you were watching Game 2 last night, you certainly got your fill of the excitement from the get-go, with the Rays taking a 4-0 lead in the first inning that they gradually squandered by the sixth inning. Former Oriole Tyler Wells was involved in the Rays falling behind in the seventh.
I had to put the Bird Droppings to bed before the game ended, so maybe there was even more excitement and the Rays came back and tied up the series, or maybe the Brewers held on to take a 2-0 lead. You probably already knew before looking in here. Either way, do you think that this series will end in Florida, or will it end up going back to Wisconsin?
One thing is certain: The World Series will be over within a week, and after that, there will be a race to the end of November before the lockout hits. Will teams be looking to strike early, thinking that it will be better to head into the lockout with more certainty, or will they generally think that it’s better to try to pounce in whatever chaotic period occurs between a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and the start of the 2027 season?
Up until last season, Mike Elias had been a “wait until later” kind of guy. He did some early strikes last offseason, including the trade for Taylor Ward and the signing of Ryan Helsley. Pete Alonso getting signed was also fairly early in the offseason, though since it was in December, that same date this year will be lockout central. The only thing that I feel confident in predicting about Elias is that he’s going to do something weird. This doesn’t always equate to failure.
The Orioles definitely have a shopping list to get through this offseason, but they’ve got some stuff to figure out internally too. One of the bigger projects that they are going to need to accomplish is going to be to get Gunnar Henderson looking like his MVP-caliber self from 2024 again. Pairing that level of player with Pete Alonso would be a huge! I don’t know whether new general manager Jared Banner is going to have any better ideas than anyone who was around last year did. As you’ll see below, Henderson still has his believers with the Orioles – not like they have much choice.
Orioles stuff you might have missed
We are into the time of year where there aren’t many new stories, so if you have been diligently reading Bird Droppings, you may have already seen these.
Can Jared Banner fix the Orioles? Here’s what his mentors said. (The Baltimore Banner) We’ve all been burned with similar-sounding praise for manager Craig Albernaz a year ago, so I get it if you don’t put much stock in this. People who would know are nonetheless quite positive about the new GM hire.
Rising prospect Ethan Anderson wrapped strong season with stellar homecoming (Orioles.com) The catching prospect, who went to high school in Virginia Beach, played the final week of the season with Triple-A Norfolk. His results at Double-A offered a nice sign that maybe not everyone from the top of the Orioles 2024 draft class is cursed.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
Nothing of particular import has happened to the Orioles on October 25. It is unlikely to change until some day that they actually make the World Series again.
There are a pair of former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 1983/1988 outfielder Tito Landrum, and 1960 three-gamer Bobby Thomson.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: composer Johann Strauss (1825), composer Georges Bizet (1838), baseball Hall of Famer Pedro Martínez (1971), author Zadie Smith (1975), singer-songwriter Katy Perry (1984), singer-songwriter Ciara (1985), and gold medal figure skater Victor Zhou (2000).
On this day in history…
In 1415, England’s Henry V scored a victory in the Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Years’ War, utilizing his longbows to defeat a numerically superior French force. Shakespeare wrote a famous speech set before the battle.
In 1812, notable Marylander Stephen Decatur – born on the Eastern Shore – led the USS United States in capturing a British warship, HMS Macedonian. Decatur eventually returned the prize to American waters, the first time an American naval vessel had brought a British warship back to an American harbor.
In 1917, according to the Old Style calendar then used in Russia, today marked the start of the October Revolution, the coup that brought the Bolsheviks to power in the country.
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And that’s the way it is in Birdland on October 25. Have a safe Sunday.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 23: A general view inside the stadium prior to game one of the 2026 World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on October 23, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Game 2 of the World Series started off with a bang, the Rays jumping out to a 4-0 lead and threatening to tie this thing back up with their ace Drew Rasmussen on the mound. The Brewers had other plans though, and did what they’ve done all postseason long — chip away at any deficit, flip it into a lead and shut down the opposition’s chances to get anything else going. Lo and behold, it worked again and Milwaukee is heading out of town with a 2-0 lead hoping that their next flight back home will be with a trophy in tow. The Rays have certainly threatened in this Fall Classic so it won’t be a cakewalk, especially going into Tropicana Field where they’ve had the best home record in baseball, but the Brew Crew have to like their odds.
It’ll be a busy day here as we close out the weekend, and Matt has contributed heavily to the cause today: he’ll lead off with an extended look at how Game 2 went down last night before covering his own exploits avenging the Yankees’ dismal results by wrecking havoc in some MLB The Show sims, and then rounding it all out with a look at Bobby Brown’s incredible career as a baseball player and a cardiologist. Estevao takes a look at which contract the Yankees would blip out of existence from their current roster if they could, and John ends the day with the weekly social media spotlight.
Today’s Playoff Matchup:
Off-day
Questions/Prompts:
1. Was stealing Game 2 back after falling behind 4-0 in the Rasmussen start a dagger for Milwaukee, or do you expect the Rays to claw their way back into this series?
2. How will Fastball Freddy fare in his World Series debut against his former team?
St. Petersburg, FL: New York Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake watches as New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole warm-ups in the bullpen session as the New York Yankees practice before the ALDS at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida on Oct 2, 2026. (Photo by William Perlman/Newsday RM via Getty Images) | Newsday via Getty Images
MLB Trade Rumors | Charlie Wright: As my colleague Madison covered in detail yesterday, the Yankees finalized a three-year extension for pitching coach Matt Blake, keeping probably the most important member of their coaching staff in the fold. The Yankees pitching staff boasted the best ERA in the league (3.23), and that has as much to do with Blake’s work with star and presumptive AL Cy Young Cam Schlittler as it has to do with his well-known talent for converting pitchers they acquire into impact relievers, Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn the foremost examples this season. With Blake continuing in his role and last year’s reunion with assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel, the Yankees’ pitching development factory looks to be in good hands for the near future.
The Big Lead | J.P Hoornstra: The Yankees may have succeeded in retaining Blake, but they lost another influential voice in their pitching room. Spencer Medick, pitching coach for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, has agreed to join the Astros as their new major league director of pitching. It’s a huge promotion for a minor league pitching coach and one that is well deserved given how well Yankees prospects at that level pitched in 2026. Medick helped implement the organization-wide pitching philosophy at the level closest to the majors, and it is no surprise that the Yankees minor league affiliates lapped the field when it came to K-BB%, one of the best publicly available predictive stats for future performance.
SNY | Phillip Martinez: The Yankees’ infield is in need of a major revamp this offseason, though it remains to be seen whether that renovation is forthcoming. We’ve spent the last few days wondering about second base and Jazz Chisholm Jr.‘s future, and today we shift our attention to third. The Yankees have been among the worst teams in the league at third base over the last decade, the platoon of Ryan McMahon and Amed Rosario the latest to disappoint at the hot corner. The most likely course in 2027 would be a platoon between McMahon and Caballero given they are both still under contract, though they could consider shifting Anthony Volpe after he took reps there leading into the postseason. Looking outside the organization, the author considers trade proposals for Eugenio Suárez and Isaac Paredes while also examining the free agent cases of Alec Bohm and Bo Bichette should he opt out of his deal with the Mets.
MLB.com | Sweeny Murti: Almost 70 years after attending the last World Series win in Milwaukee, Joe Torre is back in the city that gave him his shot in baseball watching another Fall Classic. Torre was just a teenager when the Milwaukee Braves defeated the Yankees in seven games in 1957, his older brother a backup first baseman on the winning team. Torre played the first six seasons of his career in Milwaukee for the Braves before the franchise moved to Atlanta, and you can bet the Hall of Fame player and manager is rooting for the home team.
