Category: MLB

DAVOS, Switzerland — Global inequality was a central theme at the World Economic Forum this week in Davos, as some of the world’s most powerful people gathered in the Swiss mountain enclave for the annual week-long discussion of global politics, money and technology.

It provided a fitting—if not also ironic—location for Todd Boehly, the co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, to defend his team’s superlative spending. The MLB team ignited baseball fans again last week after it signed Kyle Tucker to a four-year, $240 million deal. Tucker was among the priciest free agents of the offseason, and he joined a franchise that has won the last two World Series and currently has both the sport’s highest revenue and its largest payroll.

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At an event hosted by Sportico adjacent to the forum in Davos, Boehly was asked whether the current economics of baseball were fair, and what it might mean for the sport’s looming labor fight. He started his answer by referencing the free-spending Yankees teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s, and the team’s 27 World Series titles.

“The facts are that ultimately you want really big teams that are pulling the league forward,” Boehly said in an interview.

The Dodgers have become a Rorschach test of sorts for baseball fans who are growing increasingly frustrated with the sport’s slanted economy. Some see the club’s owners as blowing the top off the sport, flexing their deep pockets to price out all but just a few other rivals. Others believe they are doing what all 29 other owners should—spending to win.

Baseball’s growing inequality has also become a central discussion in the sport’s looming labor fight. MLB’s current labor accord is up at the end of the upcoming season, and many in management have used the dominance of the sport’s elite as an argument for a salary cap. The MLB players union has unsurprisingly positioned that as an existential red line.

Boehly, who is the chairman of Eldridge Industries, said baseball was heading into what he called a “healthy” evolution. He also cited “mark-to-market” accounting, an economics principle in which assets and liabilities are re-priced as market conditions change.

“Demand for the sport continues to grow, and I think that there’s just going to have to be a little bit of teeth-gnashing about how it moves forward,” he said. “And I also think that there’s a mark-to-market that’s going to occur. And when those types of situations occur, there’s always a little bit of volatility.”

Boehly wasn’t the only person at the event to reference the Yankees, baseball’s most valuable team, in defense of the Dodgers. Former MLB star Alex Rodriguez, now the owner of the NBA’s Timberwolves and WNBA’s Lynx, threw his support behind the baseball team’s owners.

“It would be so hypocritical for me to dog the Los Angeles Dodgers when I played for the New York Yankees, and we were spending more money than anybody,” Rodriguez said in an interview.

While Boehly and Rodriguez are correct about those dominant Yankees teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s, the scale has changed slightly. In 2000, when the Yankees won their fourth World Series in five years, the team’s opening day payroll was $92.9 million. That was about 65% more than the median salary ($56.2 million) and nearly 6x the sport’s lowest payroll. The Dodgers last season opened the season at about $321 million, roughly equal with the New York Mets. That was more than double the median salary ($152 million) and nearly 5x the lowest-spending team.

The Dodgers last year became the first MLB team—and just the fourth sports team around the globe—to earn $1 billion in revenue. That number directly informs the team’s spending.

Boehly was asked what he considers to be the Dodgers’ budget. His answer: 40% of team revenue.

(Boehly’s Eldridge Industries is an investor in Penske Media Corporation, Sportico’s parent company).

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Nothing quite warms the soul like reading about baseball and spring training on a cold winter’s morn. Now let’s check that weekend forecast!

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• Matt Gelb asks the question following Dave Dombrowski’s comment that the Phillies are “content” with their roster: Are they actually better? ($)
• Aaron Nola will pitch for Team Italy at the World Baseball Classic, according to Rob Thomson.
• The Phillies seem to have big plans for Otto Kemp this season.
• Chase Utley had a very good showing in Hall of Fame voting and is on track for Cooperstown, but what about his other Phillies contemporaries?

MLB news:

• The Yankees and Cody Bellinger finally found some common ground, as the two sides reportedly agreed to a five year, $162.5M contract that includes two opt-outs.
• The Mets struck again on the trade market, reportedly acquiring Brewers ace Freddy Peralta.
• Bo Bichette was also officially introduced as a member of the Mets and spoke publicly for the first time about his decision to choose New York.
• It appears the White Sox are not done after finally trading Luis Robert Jr., as their GM Chris Getz said that the club plans to be “active.”
• Ranger Suárez was officially announced as the newest member of the Boston Red Sox, and it turns out we’ve been pronouncing his name wrong all this time.
• Just when you thought Yadier Molina was finally going away, the former catcher accepted a role in the Cardinals’ front office.
• All of the game times for the regular season, the World Baseball Classic, and the Spring Breakout set of games have been announced.

Hello, friends.

There are now 63 days remaining until Orioles Opening Day. We’re much closer to the assorted milestones of spring training, now less than a month away from even the first spring training game. WBC-participating pitchers and catchers report on February 9, which is only 18 days away.

Everyone’s assumed list of choices for the Orioles again assumed pursuit of a top-end starting pitcher was shortened by one last night. The New York Mets, who’ve been aggressive in the past week or so, went out and acquired starting pitcher Freddy Peralta as well as former Orioles pitching prospect Tobias Myers. The Mets sent prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat to the Brewers.

That’s two top 100 prospects from yesterday’s freshly-released Baseball America top 100 list. Williams, an infield prospect was the #71 prospect on the list, with Sproat, a righty starting pitcher, at #81. There was some extra value coming back from the Brewers in here with the acquisition of Myers, a 27-year-old who’s pitched in 49 games over the past two seasons since debuting and put up a 3.15 ERA in that time. Prospect lists can’t be taken as gospel for considering alternate trades, but with that in mind, that’s pretty close to two Orioles prospects, Trey Gibson (#72) and Nate George (#86).

That’s quite a haul for a one-year rental of the headliner of Peralta. The Mets could afford to give up a pitching prospect like that because they’ve got two even higher-ranked in Jonah Tong (#44) and former Orioles draft pick Nolan McLean (#8). They should have just signed that guy instead of worrying about whatever medical concerns.

This deal simultaneously takes Peralta off the board for the Orioles or anyone else and presumably removes the Mets as a possible destination for free agent starting pitcher Framber Valdez. If so, what teams are even still on the hunt for Valdez? We have no idea what Mike Elias thinks of the dude or what kind of price point he might be comfortable with in the more aggressive mode he’s operating this offseason. All we know is nobody’s signed Valdez yet.

The Orioles need a dude. If they believe Valdez can be a dude, they’ve got to pay what it takes. I don’t know what will happen here, but it feels like at long last, this is the only possible option left to the Orioles.

Some AL East news broke yesterday with the news that the Yankees are re-signing their own free agent, Cody Bellinger, to a five-year, $162.5 million deal that Bellinger can opt out of after two or three years, unless labor unrest wipes out the 2027 season, then he can only opt out after three or four years. This reunion felt pretty much inevitable, as my counterpart Andrew Mearns at the Yankees site Pinstripe Alley wrote in his reaction to the signing:

As soon as outfielder Cody Bellinger decided to exercise his opt-out in early November and hit free agency again this offseason, it seemed like he and the Yankees would find their way back to each other.

Orioles fans can now hope that this fails spectacularly and hilariously as soon as possible. That may not be a realistic hope because Bellinger was pretty good last year, putting up 5.1 bWAR as he hit 29 homers and OPSed .813 over 152 games. No full-season Oriole had as many home runs or an OPS so high as that, and only Gunnar Hendersong among O’s position players had a greater WAR. This year will be the age 30 season for Bellinger. Even the Chris Davis contract, miserable failure that it was, saw Davis post 3.0 bWAR in his age 30 season.

Are you ready for the evolving snow event and extreme freaking cold that are starting this weekend? It’s a good thing the Birdland Caravan is starting today, because maybe the Thursday and Friday events will be able to go off without a hitch. Saturday events, I guess that depends on when the snow is really supposed to start. Don’t put off the emergency grocery shopping until it’s too late.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

Shane Baz’s refined training approach could help turn potential into results with the Orioles (The Baltimore Banner)
Every now and again I think about how, after Jake Arrieta was traded to the Cubs, he started doing pilates, and he credited this with part of his improvement. Maybe Baz’s workout regimen is a difference-maker for him.

Remaining questions before Orioles spring training begins (Baltimore Baseball)
“Are they going to get a number one starter?” is the first question, same as it has been since the offseason began. It is only even more a question now that Peralta has been dealt and the choices are even more slim.

Buster Posey takes center stage amid the newcomers for next year’s Hall of Fame ballot (The Baltimore Sun)
It’s weird that Buster Posey became a president of baseball operations before he was even eligible to be included on a Hall of Fame ballot.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

Today in 2006, the Orioles traded Jorge Julio and John Maine to the Mets for Kris Benson. Although they acquired two years of Benson, he only pitched one season with the team, posting a 4.82 ERA (94 ERA+) in 30 starts. Sadly, this made him that team’s effective #2 starter.

There are a few former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 2014-17 pitcher Ubaldo Jiménez, 2004-05 pitcher Aaron Rakers, 1967-72 pitcher Dave Leonhard, and 1954-54 infielder Bobby Young.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: philosopher Francis Bacon (1561), poet Lord Byron (1788), pepper spice categorizer Wilbur Scoville (1865), DJ Jazzy Jeff (1965), actress Diane Lane (1965), and Maryland-born rapper Logic (1990).

On this day in history…

In 1901, England’s Queen Victoria died after reigning for 63 years. Her son, who took the regnant name Edward VII, became king at the age of 59.

In 1905, a revolution sparked in Russia following the massacre of hundreds who were attempting to deliver a petition to the tsar seeking better conditions for workers.

In 1973, heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier was resoundingly beaten by challenger George Foreman, being knocked down six times before the Kingston, Jamaica fight was stopped in the second round. This fight produced the famous sportscasting exclamation: “Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!”

A random Orioles trivia question

I received a random book of Orioles trivia for Christmas. I’ll ask a question in this space each time I write until I run out of questions or forget. The book has multiple choice answers, which I’m ignoring because that would just be too easy. Today’s question:

The 1971 Orioles had four pitchers with 20+ win seasons. These were Mike Cuellar, Dave McNally, Jim Palmer, and which other pitcher?

**

And that’s the way it is in Birdland on January 22. Have a safe Thursday.

We’re less than 30 days out from the start of NC State’s 2026 baseball season, so now’s as good a time as any to get to know the team before they hit the diamond. The Wolfpack will be looking for their third trip to Omaha in the last six seasons, so let’s figure out how they’ll get there (keep your “on a plane” jokes at home where they belong). We’ll try and tackle this in a few parts:

• Part I looked back at the 2025 season and the players who are no longer with the program.
• Part II will look at the returnees from 2025’s Auburn Regional squad
• Part III will look at the newcomers, both transfers and freshmen
• Part IV will look at the non-conference opponents
• Part V will tackle the ACC slate facing the Pack

Let’s get to it!

Who’s Back

If you read Part I of this series and saw the 22 players exiting the program, you might be a little apprehensive to dive into this one. Hey, I don’t blame you – that’s a reasonable reaction at a surface level. Fear not, though, there’s plenty of reason for optimism for the 2026 Wolfpack, and it starts with who’s back from last year’s team.

• Heath Andrews – JR – RHP
• Preston Bonn – rFR – C
• Landon Carr – rJR – RHP
• Cooper Consiglio – JR – LHP
• Jacob Dudan – JR – RHP
• Brayden Fraasman – SR – OF
• Ty Head – SO – CF
• Drew Lanphere – rJR – C
• Truitt Manuel – rFR – RHP
• Ryan Marohn – JR – LHP
• Chris McHugh – JR – 1B
• Kaden Morris – rFR – RHP
• Anderson Nance – SO – RHP
• Luke Nixon – JR – INF
• Brandon Novy – SO – 1B/3B
• Julien Peissel – rJR – RHP
• Tristan Potts – SO – LHP

(Starters and key contributors in bold)

By a quick count, that’s four starters plus a key contributor returning to the lineup plus two-thirds of the weekend rotation and three of the top four relievers by innings pitched in 2025. That’s a solid basis to start a club with, especially in today’s current transfer portal climate. Let’s take a closer look at those coming back, starting with the players who didn’t play as crucial a role last season.

Preston Bonn was a late addition to the Wolfpack’s freshman class of 2025 and spent the year redshirting while Alex Sosa started 40 games behind the dish and Drew Lanphere accounting for the other 16 starts at catcher. With Sosa now gone, the 6’0, 187 lbs Bonn has a chance for playing time.

Landon Carr redshirted last year after notching a single appearance in February with a scoreless inning against Ohio State. The redshirt wasn’t planned, as Carr ended up needing elbow surgery to repair his UCL (internal brace, not Tommy John). The first year back from elbow surgery can be a crapshoot, so we’ll see what Carr can contribute in 2026, but his a very talented arm with experience from his time in the JUCO ranks. Pre-surgery, he featured a mid-90’s fastball complimented by a changeup and breaking ball.

Like Carr, Truitt Manuel redshirted the 2025 season after elbow surgery. Unlike Carr, Manuel’s surgery occurred in fall 2024 so he’s had more time to recover and his chances to be back to form will be higher. A super athletic righty, Manuel can pitch in the mid-90’s with a changeup and a breaking ball. He got high reviews for his work in the fall, so he’s a player to watch for this spring.

Kaden Morris is a 6’8, 220 lbs righty from Clayton who is flying under the radar after redshirting last year. He’s a former Top 300 national recruit with a low-90’s heater that plays up due to his size and delivery. Morris is a true project arm, so it will be interesting to see what he has to offer after a year a change of working with Chrysler and crew.

Like Carr and Manuel, Julien Peissel missed all of the 2025 season due to injury, but his was a torn ACL in his knee rather than an elbow injury. Unlike Carr and Manuel, Peissel has experience at the D1 level after playing his first two collegiate seasons at UNCG where the 6’1, 186 lbs righty went 6-6 with a 4.65 ERA over 129.2 IP with a 7.9 BB% and 16.3 K%. He has a low-to-mid-90’s fastball, a breaking ball, and a splitter. Peissel should be back to full strength by the start of the season and will feature into a bullpen role, or possibly the Wolfpack’s midweek starter once he works back into multiple-inning stamina.

Two rising sophomores who emerged late in the 2025 season and figure to play more prominent roles in 2026 are Brandon Novy and Tristan Potts. Novy is a big body corner infielder with power to match his size. He hit .271/.462/.500, 2 2B, 3 HR, 24.6 BB%, 12.3 K%, 0-0 SB over 65 plate appearances across 24 games with 11 starts. Novy started the last eight games of the year during which he hit .355 with all three of his home runs coming during that stretch. More than just a masher with an ability to hit to all fields, Novy should see plenty more PAs this year, whether that’s in the field or at DH.

On a team with just four southpaws, Potts should see plenty of opportunities to make an impact as a reliever this year. After a pair of February appearances, the Waxhaw native didn’t see the mound again until April but impressed down the stretch. For the year, Potts posted a 2.35 ERA over 7.2 IP spanning 11 appearances with a 5.4 BB% and 18.9 K%. The numbers are more impressive when you consider the competition he toed the rubber against (Coastal Carolina, Richmond, Virginia, Louisville, UNCW, Miami, Stetson, CCSU).

Despite losing Dominic Fritton to the draft, the returning pieces of the pitching staff is one of the primary reasons for optimism for NC State heading into 2026. That starts with Heath Andrews and Ryan Marohn returning to their weekend rotation roles, as well as stud 2025 relievers Jacob Dudan and Anderson Nance, and what should be a bounce-back season from Cooper Consiglio.

Andrews had an up-and-down sophomore season in 2025, showing glimpses of dominance but also struggling at times with command, which often resulted in his pitching from behind in counts and ultimately getting hurt because of it (15 2B, 13 HR surrendered in 2025). Built like a strong safety, the physical righty posted a line of the season of 4-3, 6.02 ERA, 64.1 IP, 7.5 BB%, 18.0 K%. Andrews features a low-to-mid-90’s fastball that pairs with a slider that can be devastating when ahead in the count. He also has a changeup and added a cutter in the fall.

A 2025 3rd Team All-ACC selection, Marohn is more than just a crafty lefty although he’ll occasionally get tagged with that moniker because of his ability to throw four pitches for strikes. He sits in the low-90’s with his fastball but can run it up to 95, and the pitch plays up thanks to his ability to control his changeup, curveball, and slider. Marohn’s final 2025 line was 8-3, 3.38 ERA, 85.1 IP, 5.4 BB%, 26.0 K% over 14 starts, including two complete games and three outings of 10+ strikeouts. The two-year starter spent time with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team last summer and holds career marks with the Wolfpack of 12-5, 1 SV, 3.62 ERA, 144.1 IP, 7.2 BB%, 22.5 K% across 30 appearances, including 24 starts.

Getting first crack at the third spot in the weekend rotation will be Dudan, a shutdown reliever over his first two seasons with NC State who received some starting experience in the Cape Cod League last summer. The Dude went 2-2, 5 SV, 3.90 ERA, 30.0 IP, 12.7 BB%, 30.6 K% over 22 games last season, including one start. He struggled out of the gate last year with a 20.25 ERA through his first four appearances, but settled in with scoreless efforts in 14 of his last 18 outings, allowing multiple runs in just one of those appearances. Dudan has a career line at State of 6-4, 11 SV, 4.27 ERA, 78.0 IP, 14.6 BB%, 27.8 K%. The 2024 Freshman All-American and USA Baseball Collegiate National Team member is looking to change his arsenal heading into his first year as a starter, leaning less on his devastating slider and high-90’s four-seam fastball combo, and mixing in a changeup and sinker to keep hitters off-balance. Putting it all together as a starter will put him in line to be a 1st round pick in this year’s MLB Draft. The fallback is to return to his role as one of college baseball’s most dominant closers.

Nance took the mound last spring with the quiet confidence of a 6th year senior stone cold killer. On his way to All-ACC Freshman and Freshman All-American honors, Nance pitched to an 8-2 record with 1 save and a 3.50 ERA over 18 appearances (1 start) covering 54.0 IP. He posted a 4.9 BB% and 23.7 K% while getting stronger in every start, with his fastball gaining velocity as the season progressed. He was at his best in mid-April, going 14.0 IP of scoreless ball with 19 K in outings against East Carolina, California, and Clemson. Nance would seem like the more obvious choice to slide into the weekend rotation, but he’ll play the swingman role for the Pack in 2026 with his mid-90’s fastball – that can reach the upper 90’s – complimented by his breaking ball and changeup.

Consiglio burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2024, going 5-4 with a 4.97 ERA over 15 appearances, including 5 starts, and 41.2 IP with a 13.5 BB% and 21.3 K%. After spending time with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team that summer, he struggled out of the gate but appeared to right the ship come early March going 7.0 combined innings of scoreless ball with 1 BB and 9 K against UNCG and NC A&T. Unfortunately, those were the last two scoreless outings of his season as his control waned. That wasn’t a lack of control just in finding the strike zone, but missing the outer third of the plate by leaving the ball out over the heart of the plate and hitters doing damage with it. The end result was a 1-4, 10.59 ERA, 34.0 IP, 13.9 BB%, 21.1 K% line. The good news is that Consiglio had a great summer up on the Cape Cod League and followed up with an impressive fall for the Pack. He should jump right into the top lefty bullpen arm for State, eating a bunch of meaningful innings.

Getting to the lineup, and speaking of players with a bit of hype coming from their fall camp performance, Brayden Fraasman returns after posting a .279/.329/.498, 12 2B, 11 HR, 6.8 BB%, 16.2 K%, 3-5 SB campaign a year ago. The former JUCO transfer from Lincoln Trail CC in Illinois played in the MLB Draft League last summer, but went undrafted thereafter. Fraasman popped at times last year, including winning ACC Player of the Week honors in late April after torching Clemson (.692, 2 HR, 7 RBI), but he faded in May as strikeouts and a lack of walks took their toll on his effectiveness at the dish. He did finish 5-for-17 in the NCAA Regional with 2 2B and a HR, and the toolsy outfielder should have an even stronger 2026 in his second year of ACC play.

Ty Head was NC State’s highest rated player in the 2025 freshman class, and he lived up to it by earning All-ACC Freshman honors with a .274/.433/.402, 11 2B, 4 HR, 19.8 BB%, 11.5 K%, 6-6 SB effort. That’s not to say anything of his defense, which featured a slew of magnificent highlights throughout the season. After playing up in the Cape Cod League last summer and being back on campus for fall work, Head is primed for a breakout 2026 season, even if that walk rate isn’t replicated. With all his tools and ability to play all three OF positions, he’ll be a name to watch as a draft-eligible sophomore in this year’s MLB Draft.

Following three seasons in Raleigh, slowly working his way up from bullpen catcher to parttime backup catcher to fulltime backup catcher and parttime starter, Drew Lanphere hit the transfer portal in look of an opportunity to be a fulltime starter. When Alex Sosa hit the transfer portal himself, it made a ton of sense for the Wendell native to return to Raleigh for a fourth season. He’ll face competition from a pair of freshman, but neither have what Lanphere does: experience. Lanphere has played in 68 games over the last two years with the Wolfpack, posting a line of .244/.376/.331, 5 2B, 3 HR, 16.7 BB%, 17.7 K%, 0-0 SB. In 2025, he hit .217/.383/.289, 3 2B, 1 HR, 20.6 BB%, 12.1 K%, 0-0 SB. While the triple slash won’t wow you, the underlying numbers (that BB%, K%, and his .250 BABIP) are clear indicators that a breakout season could be in store. Not to mention that he’s was the best defensive catcher on the field for State last year.

In what turned out to be a way underrated transfer signing before the 2025 season, Chris McHugh quickly acquitted himself at the ACC level, posting a line of .365/.462/.533, 12 2B, 7 HR, 9.7 BB%, 16.9 K%, 1-3 SB on his way to 2nd Team All-ACC honors. He then went on to a successful season in the Cape Cod League, hitting .250/.347/.462, 7 2B, 5 HR, 10.7 BB%, 13.2 K%, 3-3 SB on the same Wareham team as Consiglio. The stocky righty has more power to tap into than his 2025 numbers indicated, but even without, he’s a professional hitter who is a tough out every time steps to the plate. He’s also worked some in left field this year to help provide the Wolfpack with more flexibility in the lineup. Regardless of where he’s positioned, he should again put up an All-ACC type season.

Luke Nixon, the son of Trot Nixon – gah! Sorry, it’s just a reflex at this point – returns for his third year in Raleigh already having 108 starts under his belt. In 2025, he hit .295/.386/.459, 15 2B, 5 HR, 8.3 BB%, 14.6 K%, 14-16 SB and has a career line of .270/.390/.411, 20 2B, 9 HR, 11.5 BB%, 14.9 K%, 28-34 SB over 111 career games. Nixon, too, spent last summer in the Cape Cod League, and that experience should help him in 2026. With the defensive versatility to play pretty much any position, Nixon will again be expected to man second base while also providing a top-of-the-order level bat. He’s an All-ACC caliber player.

There’s no doubting that one of the main strengths of the Pittsburgh Pirates is their starting pitching. It looks like that unit will be even stronger this season with the impending return of Jared Jones.

In 2024, Jones went 6-8 with a 4.19 ERA, 1.192 WHIP and 132 strikeouts in 121 innings and looked one of Pittsburgh’s best young pitchers. Jones then went down with elbow surgery on his right throwing arm and missed all of 2025. But he’ll be back in 2026 and is targeting a timeline of sometime between March and May.

Jones started throwing in December, did a bullpen session in January, and remains on track for the the original injury timeline of 10-12 months after having surgery in May of 2025.

Jones had this to say to MLB Network Radio:

“I’m feeling pretty good right now, haven’t had a pretty big hiccup yet, and I’m very grateful for that. It’s been pretty smooth. Just getting back into everything and starting to throw again and getting off the mound, everything feels great, and like how it’s coming out the hand and getting ready to pitch again is what I’m looking forward to most here.”

When healthy, the now 24-year-old Jones will join 23-year-old Paul Skenes, 23-year-old Bubb Chandler, 26-year-old Braxton Ashcraftt, and the old man of the group, 29-year-old Mitch Keller in a young and talented rotation this season. And with the Bucs making some moves to brighten up the offense, including adding Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn, and Jake Mangum, the Pirates should be offering their rotation some better run support this season.

If the Bucs get that offense and Jones can come back healthy and back into the rotation, the Bucs are strong enough on the mound that even league average run support would make a huge difference. The Pirates scored a worst-in-the-league 583 runs last season. Is adding around 100 runs to get to league average possible? That remains to be seen, but with a healthy Jones back in the fold to tighten up the rotation, the Bucs would certainly be making some noise in the division if they can get there.

The Dodgers made the signing of free-agent outfielder Kyle Tucker official Wednesday, capped off with an introductory news conference at Dodger Stadium.

Tucker's four-year, $240-million deal included a $64-million signing bonus, and the $60-million average annual value is the second-highest in baseball history, without factoring in deferred money, behind Shohei Ohtani’s $70 million in his 10-year deal with the Dodgers that runs through 2033.

Despite lucrative offers from the New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays, Tucker went with the two-time defending World Series champions, who made room on their 40-man roster by designating outfielder Michael Siani for assignment.

“It’s a big decision, so you still got to weigh out everything,” Tucker told reporters, “but this team and this city and the fan base kind of makes it a little bit easier to make some decisions. That is just ultimately what we wanted to do, is come here and be part of that and try to win another World Series.”

Read more:Shaikin: Kyle Tucker is really going to trigger a lockout? Come on now

With Tucker firmly in place, here are three takeaways from Wednesday:

Where does Tucker slot in the lineup?

Manager Dave Roberts said Tucker will play right field, with Teoscar Hernández sliding back to left field, the position he held down in his first season with the team in 2024.

It was not a surprising announcement, coming on the heels of Mookie Betts establishing himself as Gold Glove finalist at shortstop and Hernández struggling in right field last season.

As far as where Tucker will bat in the lineup, Roberts indicated he'd likely bat second or third.

"I don't want you guys to hold me to it right now," Roberts said jokingly, "but second or third seems to make sense."

What about Tucker's demeanor?

Tucker was asked about his perceived casual playing style, which he acknowledged is a reputation that's lingered because of "a little bit of my demeanor."

“I try to do my best out there regardless of how I feel or what the situation is,” he told reporters.

The Dodgers said they sought out clubhouse personnel, training staff, teammates and coaches to find out about Tucker’s competitive makeup and work ethic.

“His demeanor is such that it’s not an outward exuberant personality and so I think that can be misconstrued,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters. “For us, it’s about how does he compete, how does he work? For that we got very comfortable that when he’s in the box, when he’s in the outfield, he competes as well as anybody.”

Roberts, who said he did his own vetting of Tucker with other managers and coaches, believes the 29-year-old is a potential most valuable player candidate with the ability to win another Gold Glove.

“There’s an inner fire that I’ve seen,” Roberts said.

Are the Dodgers done dealing?

After addressing their two biggest needs this offseason, the bullpen and outfield, via free agency, the Dodgers appear to be relatively set with their roster a little more than three weeks before pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Arizona.

"There's still some things we're kicking around and some conversations that have been ongoing for a little bit that we're going to continue to enhance and build up depth," Friedman told reporters.

Asked if the Dodgers still are in the market for starting pitching, Friedman said: "We are not."

That appeared to play out Wednesday night when the Mets acquired starting pitcher Freddy Peralta in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers.

The 29-year-old right-hander had been someone the Dodgers were interested in, the Athletic reported this week. Considering their rotation already projected to feature Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki, the reported interest in Peralta was surprising.

Read more:Plaschke: Dodgers' ruination of baseball continues with Kyle Tucker, and it’s a beautiful thing

But coming off a grueling postseason in which the starters, Yamamoto in particular, carried a heavy load, the Dodgers already were thinking about ways to navigate next season — especially with the World Baseball Classic in March.

Last month during winter meetings, Roberts hinted at a six-man rotation as a way to give starters extra rest over a long season. Among the Dodgers' four starting pitchers during the postseason — Yamamoto, Snell, Glasnow and Ohtani — only Yamamoto pitched the entire season. Snell and Glasnow spent significant time on the injured list, and Ohtani didn't make his pitching debut until June.

The Dodgers have plenty of young pitchers who could step in, from ascendant minor-league prospect Jackson Ferris, to returning 2024 breakout rookies River Ryan and Gavin Stone, to the more-established Justin Wrobleski and Emmet Sheehan.

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

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Welcome to Thursday. Cody Bellinger is Yankee. Freddy Peralta is a Met. Yoán Moncada is an Angel again for some reason. Hurrah.

Today on the site, Josh will offer his thoughts on Cody Bellinger’s new contract, Peter will spotlight the late Brian Dayett for our Yankees Birthdays series, and Matt will open an unfortunate page from franchise history by remembering the ill-fated Kei Igawa signing. Michael will also delve into Hall of Fame voting trends and determine if this year’s boost in balloting means that Andy Pettitte could make it to Cooperstown before his BBWAA eligibility expires in two years.

Questions/Prompts:

1. Acknowledging up front that it’s possible that Milwaukee just preferred the Mets’ system to the Yankees’, would you have wanted the Yankees to trade someone like George Lombard Jr. to get Peralta?

2. There was plenty of discussion yesterday on the site, but do you have any further thoughts on Cody Bellinger returning now that you’ve had a chance to think about it some more?

The 2026 MLB season begins on March 25. That's little more than two months away, and while everyone assumes the Los Angeles Dodgers are destined to three-peat, the bright side is that everyone is already looking to 2027 and beyond.

Looking so far ahead is difficult though. We don't know how players will age. We don't know what trades or free agent acquisitions will be made. We don't even know whether or not there will be a lockout when the current CBA expires on Dec. 1 this year.

The only decent indication we have of each team's future is their farm system. The teams with the best farm systems often become the best teams in the league soon after. The Chicago Cubs had one of the best in the league prior to their World Series title in 2016. The Tampa Bay Rays were near the top for much of the transition between the 2010's and 2020's. The Baltimore Orioles had the best for several years before finally breaking through in 2024, even if they fell apart just one year later.

So, looking ahead to the second half of the decade, which teams are set for contention? Here's every MLB team's farm system ranked from worst to best entering the 2026 season.

Phillies remain intent on parting ways with Nick Castellanos originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

“Change of scenery” has been the phrase used by Phillies officials when discussing Nick Castellanos this offseason.

On Tuesday, Dave Dombrowski reaffirmed that direction, confirming the organization remains committed to moving on from the veteran outfielder before the season begins.

“Yes, we do. We still plan on doing that,” Dombrowski said. “And we did designate Weston Wilson for assignment today. But yes, that would be the plan.”

Castellanos, 33, is entering the final season of his five-year, $100 million contract and is owed $20 million in 2026. A trade remains the preferred outcome, but the remaining salary complicates the market.

If Philadelphia is going to move him in a deal, it would require eating a great majority of what he is owed.

Assuming the club is unable to find a trade partner, designating Castellanos for assignment would be the procedural step required to remove him from the 40-man roster and formally move on.

Castellanos’ performance dipped again in 2025. He finished the season with a .250/.294/.400 slash line and 17 home runs, producing a -0.6 WAR, one of the lowest marks in the Majors.

A DFA would give the Phillies seven days to trade Castellanos or place him on waivers. Given the $20 million remaining on his deal, a waiver claim would be unlikely.

If he cleared waivers and was released, Philadelphia would remain responsible for roughly $19.25 million of the contract, while any new club would owe only the prorated league minimum. The roster spot would open, but the salary would remain on the Phillies’ books.

Still, it would be surprising if a team that misses out on its preferred outfield or DH options doesn’t at least explore Castellanos as a lower-cost add, especially if the Phillies are willing to cover a large portion of the deal.

He has not yet been designated for assignment, but Dombrowski’s comments left little ambiguity about the club’s intentions.

From the depths of December to the jolt of activity over the last five days here in January, David Stearns turned a disappointing offseason into one that offers reason for even the most disgruntled fans to believe 2026 could be a good year, after all.

With the trade for top starter Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night, Stearns made what is likely to be his last high-impact acquisition of the winter, and in doing so obtained the top-of-the-rotation starter the Mets desperately need to be considered genuine contenders again.

On the heels of the signing of Bo Bichette and the trade for Luis Robert Jr., the Peralta deal completes a whirlwind week for Stearns that changes the perception of the offseason and presumably makes it safe for him to go out for dinner in the big city without being heckled by Mets fans.

Noticed I said presumably.

Hey, I get it, there are still going to be fans out there who aren’t happy with Stearns, and to some degree Steve Cohen, for essentially cleaning house and allowing Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz to walk away while also trading Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil.

In the case of Alonso, especially, it will be fascinating to see whether Stearns was right in choosing not to offer him more than a three-year deal, as well as how much the Mets will miss his power bat in trying to win a championship over the next few years.

But what’s more relevant at the moment is that, after a seemingly endless wait this offseason, at least Stearns made the big-splash moves that should ensure the Mets of being contenders next season. Actually, they should be talented enough to battle the Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves for the NL East title if they get some key turnarounds from veteran pitchers to go with Peralta and Nolan McLean.

So why now? Why the sudden flurry of activity? Was it simply the market moving to an inevitable conclusion for the likes of Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger that led to the signing of Bichette and the trade of Robert Jr.?

Or, to put it another way, was this always the plan, waiting to mid-January to throw huge money at the likes of Tucker and Bichette, or did the outrage of Mets fans over losing Alonso and Diaz reach such a crescendo that Cohen, in particular, decided he needed to react and flex his financial muscle to stem the tide?

“Steve can certainly be reactive to situations like that,” said one person who knows Cohen on a personal level, more as the hedge-fund billionaire. “He’s very aware of public perception in everything he does.”

So it’s possible he ordered the Code Red, if you will, that finally jump-started the Mets’ offseason. Yet, to be fair, it’s also possible that the timing of the big moves coincided with Stearns’ plan to wait for the prices on both free agents and trades to fall enough to warrant sudden activity.

“The offseason has a life of its own,” was the way an executive from another team put it Wednesday night. “I’d lean toward believing the Mets waited until they felt the time was right, and then one move leads to another move and so forth.”

Whatever the impetus, the additions of Bichette, Robert Jr., and Peralta all filled important needs for the Mets and are impactful enough to make the case that the Mets now have a better team than they did before this offseason began.

For that matter, with Bichette being introduced at Citi Field on Wednesday, some 12 hours after Stearns swung the deal to gamble on Robert Jr.’s high ceiling in center field, Stearns decided to have a Michael Corleone kind of day and settle all family business of sorts by making the trade for Peralta on Wednesday night.

Again, why now? Was it because he decided Framber Valdez wasn’t going to settle for a high-AAV, three-year deal?

Were the Brewers running out of suitors and thus lowered their asking price on Peralta?

“The Mets weren’t giving up (Brett) Baty, I can tell you that,” one person close to the deal said. “That may have been a sticking point at least for a while.”

Whatever, in giving up Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams, the Mets still paid a high price, considering they’re only guaranteed one year of Peralta, who can be a free agent next winter -- though they also received Tobias Myers, who should be a useful bullpen arm.

And while it could give the Mets a chance to lock up Peralta to a long-term deal if he adapts to New York and is pitching well next season, he could also be something of an afterthought in that regard if the Mets decide they’re going all-in on Tarik Skubal.

Still, I think Stearns made the right move. Jonah Tong has a higher upside than Sproat and was likely more desired by the Brewers, and while Williams is a blue-chip prospect, he doesn’t have anywhere to play in the Mets’ infield, where he is considered best-suited. Especially since the Mets see Baty as a valuable utility man, having proven athletic enough to play second base last season, even while blossoming into a very good third baseman.

And finally, while Stearns surely was all business in making the trade, you couldn’t blame him if he has a soft spot for Peralta. In his first trade as Brewers GM, in December of 2015, Stearns dealt veteran first baseman Adam Lind to the Seattle Mariners for a package of young players, including Peralta, then a 19-year-old in rookie ball.

He was a lottery ticket then who paid big dividends for the Brewers, and now Stearns brings him to the Mets with high expectations. At age 29, turning 30 next June, Peralta is coming off the best season of his career, as he pitched to a 2.70 ERA and threw a career-high 176.2 innings over 33 starts.

That averages out to 5.1 innings a start, which is the only knock against him, according to one scout I spoke to.

“His fastball is electric and he can dominate any lineup when he’s commanding his off-speed stuff to go with it,” the scout said. “But he needs to go deeper into games to really be an ace. He tends to be a little too fine at times and because of that, his pitch count elevates. But he’s also a guy you feel good about putting out to start a postseason game.”

Playoffs? Did he say playoffs?

A week ago, many Mets fans were bracing for the worst next season, convinced Stearns’ value-driven approach would doom them to fourth place in the NL East.

And there are still plenty of questions about the ’26 Mets, to be sure. But I have to believe most fans are now willing to give Stearns -- and Cohen -- credit for turning the offseason of dismay into at least some level of success.

Begrudgingly or otherwise.

The Milwaukee Brewers have traded pitcher Freddy Peralta to the New York Mets for a pair of top prospects.

The addition of Peralta adds an ace to the Mets' pitching rotation and the move is expected to help keep New York competitive in the National League East, after finishing 13 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the top spot in the division in 2025.

The Mets' pitching staff showed early signs of dominance in 2025, leading the league with a 2.32 ERA ... before the team collapsed in the second half and missed the postseason with an 83-79 record.

The team finished out the final 92 games with a 38-54 record. Kodai Senga dealt with injuries, which limited his availability. Clay Holmes made the transition to a starter after spending time coming out of the bullpen.

Well options are beginning to dwindle for the Braves to add another impact player this offseason. They have a stated desire to add to their starting rotation and Framber Valdez is still out there on the market (though would cost a draft pick to sign), but the market has been moving for the last couple weeks and Spring Training is rapidly approaching. There are still options on the trade market and that has perhaps felt like the area that Anthopoulos would make his move. Freddy Peralta is no longer available, as he was sent to the Mets, but there are a number of other options of varying qualities that could be had on the trade market.

Braves News

We heard from Andruw Jones after he reached the voting threshold to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

MLB News

The Mets traded two top 100 prospects for one year of Freddy Peralta from the Brewers. While this should meaningfully help the Mets this year, that’s a pretty wild package for one year of a good but not elite pitcher, even on an incredibly cheap contract.

The Yankees re-signed Cody Bellinger to a large 5 year deal with opt-outs.

The Angels re-signed Yoan Moncada to a 1 year, $4 million deal.

The MLB owners will reportedly make a very strong push for a salary cap this upcoming CBA negotiation, but there is substantial skepticism that they will get it or that games will be missed.

FanGraphs | Ben Clemens: By now I’m sure you know that Cody Bellinger is staying in the Bronx, with a cool five-year, $162.5 million deal. The reunion with the Yankees felt near-inevitable with, with such a glaring hole in the club’s construction and Bellinger unable to get someone to stretch his deal out to six or seven years. The Yankees retain a strong floor for 2026, even if the ceiling of the team is up for debate.

New York Daily News | Peter Sblendorio: For more details on the Bellinger deal, look no further. It’s far from a standard MLB deal, with a pair of opt outs and a $20 million signing bonus that works as essentially an insurance policy should we see baseball games lost to 2027 labor strife. Bellinger’s now the third-highest paid Yankee, and the appropriate pressure will no doubt be felt. For the team, the estimated total payroll for 2026 is now $317 million, the third-highest in baseball after the Dodgers and Mets (whose payroll rose again at least a bit after trading for Freddy Peralta), or about $10 million more adjusted for inflation than the 2009 championship team’s player expenses.

New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: In other news, Andy Pettitte saw his Hall of Fame vote share jump significantly this time around, his eighth time on the ballot. The longtime Yankee lefty received votes on 48.5 percent of submissions, the fourth-highest vote total behind inductees Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones, as well as Chase Utley. This represents a 20-point jump over Andy’s 2024 vote count, and with two more years of eligibility remaining, there’s still a real chance the five-time World Series champion sees himself in Cooperstown.

Baseball America: BA is out with their top 100 prospect list, considered by many to be the most reliable compendium of future MLB stars. Four Yankees find themselves in the rankings, with George Lombard Jr. atop the team’s table at No. 46 overall. Elmer Rodriguez, who we will likely see with the big league club at some point in 2026, is ranked 59th, with 2025 first-rounder Dax Kilby at 61st, and right-hander Carlos Lagrange just making the cut at 96.

Where there was smoke came fire. It just took a few extra days for the Mets.

Six days after Steve Cohen took to X to make a joke about the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes — invoking a papal conclave joke that set social media ablaze — before the Dodgers ultimately beat out New York for his services, the Mets owner took to the platform again on Wednesday night to show his excitement over the game-changing events that transpired over the last 24 hours.

After making the Bo Bichette signing official and trading for White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. on Tuesday night, the Mets continued a huge week on Wednesday by agreeing to a deal with hard-throwing reliever Luis Garcia and then trading for Brewers right-handers Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers.

“What an incredible week. Let’s go Mets !” Cohen wrote on X in the moments after the team made the trade with Milwaukee official.

Last Thursday, Cohen gave social media plenty of fodder when he posted “Let me know when you see smoke,” as the Tucker proceedings came to a head shortly before he signed a four-year, $240 million contract with Los Angeles.

About 12 hours after the Mets’ $220 million bid fell short, they poached infielder Bo Bichette on a three-year pact — right as it looked like the Phillies were going to land him on a long-term commitment.

The trades have come fast and furious this week, with the team getting Roberts — a 2023 All-Star outfielder — along with Peralta and Myers in deals one day apart.

Peralta, 29, gives the Mets a bona fide ace and is coming off a career year with a 2.70 ERA and National League-leading 17 wins. He has thrown at least 165 innings in each of the last three seasons and over 173 in the past two.

With the two trades, the Mets have sent away four young players, three of whom are still prospects.

Utilityman Luisangel Acuña and minor league pitcher Truman Pauley went to the White Sox, while pitcher Brandon Sproat and infielder/outfielder Jett Williams got dealt to Milwaukee.

Freddy Peralta will have some new digs to get used to pitching in and some teams that he will be seeing more often of following a late-night trade to the Mets on Wednesday. 

The right-hander was dealt from the Brewers to the Amazin’s in a deal that also sent Tobias Myers to Queens, in exchange for prospects Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams. 

The move means the two-time All-Star will be toeing the slab much more at Citi Field this year compared to how often he’s pitched there previously in his eight years in the major leagues. 

The righty has only taken the mound in Flushing twice in his career, both of which have come in the past two seasons. 

In all, Peralta has a 2-0 record with a 2.25 ERA and 14 strikeouts at Citi Field. 

His first appearance in Queens came in a 3-1 win by the Brewers on March 29, 2024. He went six innings and allowed just one run. Peralta’s second start came on on July 2, 2025, in a 7-2 drubbing of the Mets. 

The move to the Mets also means Peralta is going to become quite familiar with the National League East. 

He already has some familiarity with the division, having faced the Braves, Marlins, Nationals and Phillies a combined 36 times.

The starter has five wins against the Braves over eight starts while posting a 4.26 ERA.

Peralta’s 3.12 ERA against the Phillies is the best mark he holds against an NL East team, though he has an 0-2 record in seven starts. 

He has a 3-4 record against the Marlins with a 4.03 ERA and 58 strikeouts and a 5.82 ERA against the Nationals with 41 strikeouts. 

The acquisition added to a busy week for the Mets, which included signing  Bo Bichette and adding Luis Robert Jr. in a trade with the White Sox. 

“What an incredible week. Let’s go Mets!” owner Steve Cohen posted on at Citi Field on Wednesday night following the Peralta deal.