Category: MLB

A gaping hole in the Mets outfield got filled Tuesday night.

Luis Robert Jr., a player the team tried to acquire at last year’s trade deadline, is headed to Queens, following a deal with the White Sox that cost the Mets infielder Luisangel Acuña and minor league pitcher Truman Pauley, the team announced.

Robert struggled offensively for a second straight season, producing a .223/.297/.364 slash line with 14 homers and 33 stolen bases last year, but remains an elite defender in center field, where he finished in MLB’s 93rd percentile with seven outs above average, according to Statcast.

The 28-year-old’s addition diminishes the possibility the Mets will look to sign Cody Bellinger, the top outfielder on the free agent market.

Bellinger this week hit a stalemate in negotiations with the Yankees and there previously was thought the Mets could seriously pursue him.

That possibility isn’t completely removed, but has become less likely given that Robert is under contract for $20 million this season.

His deal also includes a club option worth $20 million for 2027.

In need of outfield help last summer, the Mets pursued a deal for Robert, but one never materialized.

The White Sox sought Mark Vientos as part of the deal, and the Mets ultimately settled on a trade with the Orioles for Cedric Mullins, who underwhelmed during his two-month stint in Queens.

The Mets began last season with Jose Siri and Tyrone Taylor in center field, but Siri sustained a fractured tibia in April and missed most of the season.

He was ineffective upon his return and released. Taylor brings elite defense to the position, but has limited offensive upside.

As it stands, the Mets have outfield prospect Carson Benge set to compete for an outfield job in spring training, with Taylor also in the mix.

Juan Soto is the incumbent in right field as he enters the second season of his record $765 million contract.

Last week the Mets missed in their pursuit of the top free agent on the market, Kyle Tucker, who agreed to a four-year contract with the Dodgers worth $240 million.

The Mets had bid $220 million, according to a source, and believed they were in strong position to land the former Astros star. 

The Mets quickly pivoted and signed Bo Bichette to a three-year deal worth $126 million that contains two opt-outs.

Bichette, who played second base and shortstop for the Blue Jays last season, is set to play third for the first time in his career.

His signing became official Tuesday night and the team is scheduled to introduce him during a Wednesday afternoon news conference at Citi Field.

An outfield that includes Robert and potentially Benge, coupled with Marcus Semien at second base, speaks to president of baseball operations David Stearns’ emphasis on improving the club defensively.

The Mets acquired Semien, last year’s American League Gold Glove winner at second base, in a November trade with the Rangers for Brandon Nimmo.

Semien’s arrival allowed the Mets to trade Jeff McNeil, who was shipped to the Athletics for a minor league pitcher.

The Mets last month watched Pete Alonso depart on a five-year contract worth $155 million with the Orioles.

Jorge Polanco arrived days later on a two-year contract worth $40 million and is positioned to be the regular first baseman.

But Polanco has played only one major league game at the position.

Acuña, who shined as a late-inning defensive replacement/pinch runner, was expendable because the Mets had a glut of infielders following the additions of Semien and Bichette.

As it stands, Brett Baty is without a regular position and Ronny Mauricio remains as infield depth who could potentially begin the season at Triple-A Syracuse.

It’s a pretty exciting time for the San Francisco Giants and the Hall of Fame. Sure, Barry Bonds and Duane Kuiper have been passed over more times than I was anytime we picked teams for any sport at the playground. But in December, Jeff Kent was elected to the hall by the Contemporary Baseball Era committee. And next year, Buster Posey, Bruce Bochy, and Dusty Baker will all be on the ballot, and all three will be expected to make it at some point or other.

And on Tuesday, they added another name to the hall: Forever Giant Carlos Beltrán.

Beltrán was one of two players elected to the Hall of Fame this year, joining fellow outfielder Andruw Jones. And while most people remember the nine-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner, and one-time champion for his superstar tenure with the New York Mets, around here we associate him with the Giants.

The switch-hitter played just 44 games for the Giants in the 2011 season, but he was electric in them. As he approached free agency following a seven-season tenure with the Mets, New York — a team that won just 77 games that year – flipped him at the deadline to the Giants, who were hoping to recreate their World Series magic from the year prior … and, most importantly, replace Posey, who had suffered a brutal season-ending injury early in the year.

Beltrán was every bit as good as advertised, hitting .323/.369/.551 with seven home runs. Unfortunately the Giants, who were 60-44 at the time of the trade, went just 26-32 following the trade, and missed the playoffs.

Unfortunately, despite his individual success, the fan opinion of Beltrán has always been fairly cold, as many see the trade as a short-sighted move by Brian Sabean. The Giants traded pitcher Zack Wheeler — their 2009 first-round pick who was, at the time, in High-A — for Beltrán, and Wheeler has gone on to be one of the top pitchers of this generation, with three All-Star appearances, two Cy Young runner-ups, and a few hundred million in earnings. Beltrán, meanwhile, entered free agency and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. And many fans view the move as selling the future for a mild run at the present.

It’s an unfair way of viewing it, of course. The Giants were in position to make a run, and you can’t blame them for chasing one of the top hitters in baseball and giving themselves a chance. And while Wheeler has gone on to have a fabulous career, it didn’t fully materialize until after he, himself, had reached free agency and left the Mets; he made his first All-Star team and earned his first top-10 Cy Young finish a full 10 years after the trade.

Congratulations, Carlos. You played more games with the Mets and the Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals and the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers than you played with the Giants. But you still played for the Giants.

Now that we’re going closer to spring training, let’s get serious about projecting what the Colorado Rockies outfield will look like.

Since I first asked this question, the Rockies have reached arbitration agreements with their players (including three outfielders) and traded for Jake McCarthy. We also know that Willi Castro and Troy Johnston have outfield experience.

Their abundance of outfielders is well documented, but we’re also getting a better sense of Paul DePodesta’s plans.

So here’s tonight’s question: When the season starts, who will be playing outfield for the Rockies, and who do you see starting in ABQ or being moved?

---

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

2025 stats: 8 G (7 GS), 29.2 IP, 6.37 ERA / 4.00 xERA, 11.8 K/9, 5.2 BB/9, 1.55 WHIP, +0.3 fWAR

It’s down to Kai-Wei Teng and Tristan Beck as the players left in the organization following the flurry of trades former President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi made at the 2019 trade deadline. Both were pitched as starters, but it turns out that both might wind up as relievers.

In Teng’s case, that is a very positive development, as despite his terrible performance as a starter, he showed aptitude in shorter bursts — or in the bulk innings role following an opener. But since the Giants are organizationally resistant to that strategy over the course of a season, let’s zero in on Teng’s likely role going forward.

The trendy-because-it’s-really-effective pitch these days is the sweeper. Kai-Wei Teng threw his 38.7% of the time duromg his MLB service in 2025. Batters hit .191 off of it with an expected slugging percentage of just .256. In a very limited sample size, it was about as effective as Shohei Ohtani’s sweeper, Chris Bassitt’s, Trevor Roger’s, Mitch Keller’s, and Dylan Cease’s. Remarkably, based on the quality of contact, it had the same expected batting average (.167) as Paul Skenes’s. But that’s hardly the point!

The point is that relief pitchers are usually 1 or 2 pitch pitchers. As a starter, his fastball velocity sat more in the 92-93 range, but as a reliever he’s more in the 94-95 range. That’s really effective paired with that sweeper. 21 of his strikeouts came off that best pitch while 10 more off that fastball, meaning 31 of his 39 strikeouts (79.5%) came on just those two pitches… which really does cement his best role being that of a relief pitcher.

It was an unusual route he took to getting to this position, though. For many, he was an afterthought, and the Buster Posey-led organization’s behavior only supported that. They designated him for assignment after the 2024 season, an action that was among the first taken by the Posey administration. Just 10 days later, they signed him to a minor league contract to bring him back into the organization.

Why make that move? They almost certainly had his stuff pegged and had the opportunity to bring him back into the organization presumably because they knew he’d clear waivers. Because they didn’t outright him, they still maintain that flexibility down the road if they need to shove him off the 40-man roster for whatever reason. But more immediately, he still has 2 major league options remaining; so, there’s plenty of time to sort out a proper role for him.

It’s worth noting that on the day of his callup (August 1st), Eno Sarris posted this analysis regarding Teng’s Triple-A measurements:

Giants SP Kai-Wei Teng has interesting arsenal. Wide, no standout pitch.

[Four seam] / 241 thrown / 90 AAA Stuff+
[Sinker] / 107 / 95 Stuff+
[Sweeper] / 324 / 106 Stuff+
[Cutter] / 107 / 102 Stuff+
[Changeup] / 49 / 102 Stuff+
[Slider] / 30 / 101 Stuff +

Only Sweeper has above-ave locations —> fits his command grades.

The Giants rolled the dice to clear a roster spot but knew they had something to work with if they could retain him. I’d hope that the number-based discussion to this point would prove sufficient evidence for those who are skeptical, but at the end of the day, the analytics, the results, and the Giants actions demonstrate that the organization is glad to have him on the 40-man roster heading into Spring Training.

Teng pitched his way into being the next in a line of perfectly serviceable back of the bullpen arms. Maybe close to already improving upon Spencer Bivens and Tristan Beck — just from a stuff standpoint — and, at worst, even with Carson Seymour in the upside reliever role — if they had to establish the depth chart today. His strikeout totals are impressive. In September, he K’d 27 in 16.1 IP and had this tidy little highlight against the Dodgers:

He struckout out Shohei Ohtani with his four-seamer in the 1st inning and then with the sweeper in the 3rd. He got Mookie Betts, Andy Pages, and Freddie Freeman with that sweeper, too. Michael Conforto struck out on Teng’s changeup.

Teng is a wild arm that’s still a work in progress. He’s still best known for getting shelled and putting too many runners on base. In that strikeout-laden September (28 K%), he still walked too many (12.2 BB%) and hit too many batters with stray pitches (4 — with 7 on the season). But, he allowed just 1 home run in the final month and just 2 across his innings.

His results are far from great but they were clearly good enough to thrust him into a meaningful conversation the organization has held all offseason. He’s definitely “pitching depth” that should be confidently mentioned in a conversation about that very subject — not quite on the level of the outlandish statement made by last season’s pitching coach, J.P. Martinez, but certainly as a factor in the team covering innings in 2026. While I don’t personally believe he pitched his way into a backup starting pitcher role, he’s certainly an option if they need to do some bullpen games or as an injury or blowout replacement to give the team multiple innings.

He’s a big guy (6’4”, 241 lbs), so, I like the durability potential here, and I suspect the Giants do, too. Most starters wind up sustaining their careers as relievers, and it looks like that’s the course Kai-Wei Teng managed to chart for himself in 2025.

Will Carlos Beltrán don a Mets cap on his Cooperstown plaque? 

That’s the million-dollar question at the moment after the former Mets star, who also spent time with the Royals, Yankees, Cardinals, Astros, Rangers and Giants, was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday. 

Beltrán previously told The Post last year that he would go into the Hall wearing a Mets cap, but he didn’t commit to doing so while appearing on MLB Network on Tuesday night. 

“There’s no doubt that my best years in baseball are with two teams, the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets,” Beltrán said. “That’s a decision I would love to sit down with my family, with Jessica, with my kids and make a decision on that. I did really enjoy my time in New York. Now I work as an advisor for the Mets, so there’s a lot of weight wearing the New York [Mets] cap.”

Now that Carlos Beltrán is elected to the Hall of Fame, which hat will he wear on his plaque?

He explains his excitement to decide between the Mets and Royals https://t.co/awZYOGR5UPpic.twitter.com/74FE8QkHum

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) January 21, 2026

The 2026 Hall of Fame inductee did admit he had thought about the idea of playing for the Royals his entire career and how “great” it would have been. 

However, that idea changed after he was traded by the Royals to Houston in 2004 and then ended up with the Mets on a seven-year deal before the 2005 season. 

“New York really invested in my career big time,” Beltrán said. 

Beltrán, in his fourth year on the ballot, was elected to the Hall of Fame after receiving 84.2 percent from the Baseball Writers Association of America. 

He played seven seasons in Queens, where he hit .280 with 149 home runs and 559 RBIs. He was a five-time All-Star and won three Gold Gloves in center field. With Kansas City, he won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1999 and hit 123 homers over 795 games.

Mets owner Steve Cohen and his wife Alex congratulated Beltrán in a statement released Tuesday night. 

“On behalf of the entire organization, we are thrilled to congratulate Carlos on receiving the highest honor in baseball,” they wrote in a statement. “One of the most dynamic players ever to wear a Mets uniform, Carlos combined rare power and speed with elite defense, setting a standard of excellence that endures today. Beyond his achievements on the field, his leadership, insight, and presence continue to shape our organization. It is a proud moment for Carlos, his family, and Mets fans everywhere.”

It’s Tuesday night here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Thanks for stopping by. Come on in out of the cold. We’ve got a fire going on inside and the music is hot. We can take your coat for you. The hostess will seat you now. Bring your own beverage.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night I asked you about the possibility of the Cubs signing free agent right-hander Zac Gallen. You were mostly in favor of the idea, with 46 percent of you thinking the terms I proposed were a solid offer. Another 24 percent of you thought the Cubs should pass on Gallen with the rest of you quibbling with the contract terms I put forth, with most of you thinking that you’d sign Gallen if the price were really low.

On Tuesdays I don’t normally do any movie stuff, but you still have time to vote in the BCB Winter Science Fiction Classic between Blade Runner and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. But I always have time for that, so you know the drill by now if you don’t care for the tunes.

---

Tonight we have Steve Turre and Group playing the Miles Davis classic “All Blues” in Brazil back in 2001. The first thing that you’ll notice from this video is that Turre plays a collection of seashells in this performance. It sounds like a gimmick, but it actually works quite well.

Javon Jackson plays tenor sax, George Cables is the pianist, Buster Williams is on bass and Victor Lewis is the drummer.

---

Welcome back to all of you who skip the seashell music.

The Cubs insist that they’re not done making moves this winter, and Jon Heyman dropped this note yesterday.

Miguel Andujar, off big 2025 season (.318 BA, .822 OPS), is drawing significant interest. Rangers, Padres, Cardinals, Reds, Cubs, A’s among many in play.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 19, 2026

Miguel Andujar came up with the Yankees in 2018 and quickly established themselves as their starting third baseman. He hit .297 that year with 27 home runs and finished second to Shohei Ohtani in Rookie of the Year balloting.

Unfortunately for Andujar, he missed almost the entire 2019 season with a torn labrum and struggled to come back in 2020. By the time he was healthy, Gio Urshela had established himself as the Yankees third baseman and Andujar got moved to left field. He didn’t hit much and spent the next few seasons bouncing around the majors as a utility player.

Over the past two seasons, however, Andujar has rediscovered his bat. In 75 games with the Athletics in 2024, Andujar hit .285/.320/.377. The A’s traded him to the Reds at the deadline last year and between the two teams, Andujar hit a strong .318/.352/.470 with ten home runs in 94 games.

So let’s posit that Andujar is a good bench player. At least he has been the past two years. On top of that, he probably won’t cost much. Andujar earned $3 million last season. I’d say the Cubs could get him on a one-year, $5.5 million deal. Yes, that would put the Cubs over the luxury tax threshold, but we’re all assuming they will go over at some point anyways. The tax on Andujar’s contract would amount to petty change for the Cubs.

But is signing Andujar a good idea? In the sense that adding more good players to the team is always a good idea, then yes. But I do have some problems with the concept.

The Cubs current roster is pretty much set, at least on the position player side. There’s some give and take with the pitching staff, but the 13 position players they’d start the season with, should it start today, is pretty clear.

There are nine starters:

Carson Kelly

Michael Busch

Nico Hoerner

Dansby Swanson

Alex Bregman

Ian Happ

Pete Crow-Armstrong

Seiya Suzuki

Moisés Ballesteros

That leaves room for four bench players:

Miguel Amaya

Matt Shaw

Kevin Alcántara

Tyler Austin

So if the Cubs add Andujar, one of those four players is going to get squeezed off the roster. It’s not going to be Amaya, as the Cubs will not go with Ballesteros as their second catcher. It won’t be Austin, as they just signed him from Japan on a major league deal and he doesn’t have any options left from his first stint in the majors. It probably won’t be Alcántara either. There are conflicting reports as to whether Alcántara has an option left, but I believe he does. But Andujar has only played third, first and left field in the majors. (He’s played right field in the minors.) Without Alcántara, the Cubs really don’t have anyone backing up PCA in center. Alcántara may yet start the season in Iowa, but it probably won’t be for Andujar.

So there are only two options (well, maybe two and a half) options to get Andujar on the roster. One is that if they want Mo Baller to get more work in catching, then the Cubs could send him to Iowa and that would open up a spot for Andujar. Andujar could DH or he could take the field to give Bregman or Happ a half a day off as they served as the designated hitter. But Ballesteros looked pretty impressive at the plate in his late-season call-up. Maybe he can’t catch, but it looks like he would be a big asset in the lineup in 2026, even if it does hurt his development as a catcher.

The other option is Matt Shaw. Now Shaw does have options, so the Cubs could send him down to Iowa to play everyday while Andujar serves as a backup in the infield. Andujar has never played second base or shortstop, but Alex Bregman has, so Andujar could move in to third base and Bregman could shift over to a middle infield position to cover all the bases, so to speak, were Shaw in the minors.

The other option with Shaw is to trade him. We’ve been down this road before, but Shaw would probably bring a lot back in trade. He’s a young player with six years of control left. His bat in the second half was very good. The defensive metrics on Shaw at third base were all over the place last year (some very positive, some less so), but people thought enough of him there to make him a Gold Glove finalist. In any case, most teams would play Shaw at second base where he probably would be a pretty good defender.

Of course, the things that make Shaw valuable to other teams also makes him valuable to the Cubs. And if Nico Hoerner leaves as a free agent after this year, the Cubs need Shaw to fill in at second base.

There is another options which is to trade Nico Hoerner, but the Cubs have made it clear that they would have to get the equivalent to what they gave up for Kyle Tucker to deal Hoerner. I don’t see that happening. I guess it’s possible but unlikely.

So with all that in mind, should the Cubs sign Miguel Andjuar?

Thanks for stopping in tonight. We’ve enjoyed seeing your smiling faces. Please get home safely. Call a ride if you need to. Stay warm out there. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.

It doesn’t appear Rich Hill will pitch in 2026.

But the aging southpaw stopped short of calling it a retirement.

“I don’t have any plans on playing next year,” Hill said during an appearance on the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” show earlier this week.

Hill, who turns 46 years old in March and was the oldest pitcher in baseball last season, said he was willing to stay in baseball, although that might not mean he’ll take the mound this season. 

“I’m looking for open possibilities to stay in the game of baseball and be a contributory factor … I enjoy the work aspect of whatever it might be that’s next,” Hill said. “I think that’s one thing that might be why athletes get hired in other positions, outside of sports, is that they’re highly driven people that want to succeed. That’s something that I’m looking forward to.”

Last season, Hill appeared in two games for the Royals, allowing five earned runs over nine innings. 

When he debuted for the club, Kansas City became the 14th different franchise Hill played for, tying Edwin Jackson for the most a player has joined in a career.

In the 21 years since he broke into the big leagues with the Cubs in 2005, Hill has been on a roller-coaster ride, but he managed to remain a major leaguer into his mid-40s.

A fourth-round pick by Chicago back in 2002, Hill struggled mightily through the first decade in the majors.  

In the second half of his career, Hill turned things around, posting several particularly strong seasons in the 2010s, including a terrific 2016 campaign, when he held a 2.12 ERA across 110 1/3 innings with the Athletics and Dodgers.

From 2017-19, Hill thrived in LA, posting a sub-4.00 ERA in each of those three seasons.

One Mets legend is going into the Hall of Fame.

But a different Amazin’s All-Star is now off the ballot — without receiving a single vote.

Daniel Murphy, in his first year with a chance at Cooperstown, did not receive a single checkmark next to his name and will fall off the ballot because he did not gain the requisite 5 percent to remain eligible to gain entry through the Baseball Writers Association of America voting.

Murphy, a three-time selection to the Midsummer Classic, finished his career with a .296/.341/.455 slash line.

He was one of 11 players — all of in their first year — to fall off the ballot in 2026.

Only two players made it into the Hall’s 2026 class through the BBWAA voting — center fielders Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones.

Former National League MVP and six-time All-Star Ryan Braun is among the most notable to become a one-and-done candidate, as he received just 15 votes (3.5 percent). Braun was suspended for the second half of the 2013 season after he admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs during that MVP campaign.

Edwin Encarnación, Shin-Soo Choo, Matt Kemp, Hunter Pence, Rick Porcello, Alex Gordon, Nick Markakis, Gio González and Howie Kendrick all also fell off the ballot after one chance.

González and Kendrick, who had three All-Star appearances between them, failed to garner a vote.

Porcello, another ex-Met who surprisingly won the 2016 American League Cy Young Award with the Red Sox over future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander, did get two votes.

Chase Utley received the highest voting percentage (59.1) of candidates who did not gain entry.

Among former notable Yankees, Andy Pettitte got 48.5 percent while Alex Rodriguez landed at 40 percent. Ex-Mets David Wright and Francisco Rodriguez received 14.8 and 11.8 percent, respectively.

The players who did not get elected Tuesday could get other cracks at making the Hall through the museum’s Era Committees that look at players no longer eligible in the BBWAA voting. Jeff Kent gained entry this year through the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.

Now that Mets legend Carlos Beltran was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday, the next decision is which cap he plans to don on his plaque.

Beltran played for seven different teams through his 20-year career, but the switch-hitting slugger pinpointed the Mets and the Royals as the two teams he must choose between.

“There’s no doubt there are two teams: the Kansas City Royals and the New York Mets,” Beltran said in an interview with MLB Network. “That’s a decision that I would love to sit down with my wife, kids and make that decision. I do really enjoy my time in New York. Now I work as an advisor for the Mets, so there’s a lot of weight wearing the New York cap.”

Beltran was drafted by the Royals in the 1995 draft and spent parts of the first seven seasons in Kansas City, winning Rookie of the Year honors in 1999. During that time, Beltran amassed a .287 batting average, 123 home runs, and 516 RBI, while stealing 164 bases and earning one All-Star selection.

If Beltran is inducted as a Royal, he'll be just the second in franchise history (George Brett). 

The 48-year-old said he enjoyed his time in Kansas City and envisioned being there his whole career, but that wasn’t to be.

He was traded to the Astros during the 2004 season and helped Houston make a deep run with one of the best postseason performances in MLB history.

That offseason, Beltran signed with the Mets on a seven-year, $119 million deal, where he had his best years as a pro.

From 2005-2011, Beltran hit 149 home runs, drove in 559 RBI -- both career highs with any team -- and stole 100 bases while hitting .280 across 839 games. He made five All-Star appearances as a Met while winning three Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger awards.

But New York’s ties to Beltran go further than his playing career.

The Mets actually hired Beltran to manage the team in November 2019, but reversed the decision a couple of months later after the slugger was suspended due to his role in the Astros' sign-stealing scandal.

New York brought Beltran back in February 2023, hiring him as a special assistant to president of baseball operations David Stearns.

Beltran was asked the cap question again in a Zoom call with assembled media, and the newly-minted Hall of Famer reiterated many of the same points. He’ll take time to decide with his family and even consult the Hall of Fame on how the process works.

But echoed how much the Mets meant to his career.

“The Mets are a big part of my identity as a player,” Beltran said. “Almost seven years in that organization, I got there with a big contract and to be able to stay with the team as an advisor… there’s no doubt the Mets have a lot of weight in that decision.”

If he is inducted as a Met, Beltran will join Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza.

Beltran will receive his plaque in Cooperstown on July 26.

A pair of very good baseball players earned election to the sport’s Hall of Fame Jan. 20, when Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones became just the seventh and eighth center fielders to win a spot in Cooperstown.

While neither are generational and the lone title won by either man in their collective 37 seasons was Beltrán’s 2017 title when he was a part-time 40-year-old DH and full-time illegal sign-stealing mastermind for the Houston Astros, their July inductions will be proof that gains can be made and early deficits overcome in voting.

Perhaps that will offer solace to those lurking a little further down the 2026 ballot. With that, a look at the winners and losers from 2026 Hall of Fame balloting:

Winners

Carlos Beltrán

Any notion that his role in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal might ding his Hall candidacy was ludicrous, given the widespread Wild West atmosphere of high-tech cheating across the major leagues at that time.

No, Beltrán got in on his fourth try, a nice reward for a guy who broke in playing for some overmatched Kansas City Royals teams and finished it as a highly productive veteran bat in places like New York, St. Louis and Texas. Hopefully the Hall call will reopen the door to the manager’s office for a great baseball mind (and yes, one of its elite sign-stealers, legal or otherwise).

Andruw Jones

Proof that professional life can end at 30 and everything turns out all right.

A phenom in the truest sense of the word, Jones remains the lone two-time winner of USA TODAY Sports’ Minor League Player of the Year Award. At first glance, it might seem like the kind of honor you wouldn’t want to win twice, like a return invite to the Futures Game. Then you realize he was 18 and 19 years old when he got those nods, then hit two World Series Game 1 home runs in the latter year, and it makes a lot more sense.

He never really lost that glow throughout his 20s, but after an anomalous 51-homer year in 2005, it all went south for the lad, as he drifted from Atlanta to Los Angeles (the Dodgers eating the second year of his contract) to Texas, the White Sox and finally the Yankees, and he was out of the game by 35.

Perhaps that bad taste in the mouth lingered early on for voters as he was named on just 7.3% of ballots in his first year, narrowly clearing the 5% necessary to stick around. Eventually, the vision of the otherworldly kid prevailed in voters’ minds.

Andy Pettitte

The admitted user of PEDs has upped his vote share to 48.5%, which would be remarkable on its own. Then you realize his 3.85 career ERA would be the highest among pitchers elected by the BBWAA and second highest of any, better only than Jack Morris’s 3.90 mark.

Adjusted ERA treats Pettitte a little better, as his 117 mark puts him behind 87% of electees, in the Gaylord Perry-Phil Niekro compiler rent district.

Sometimes, timing is everything. Pettitte has stuck around long enough that younger voters were likely in their teens when the Mitchell Report was released, and grammar school when Pettitte was admittedly doping. Yet even older heads such as Bob Costas are succumbing to Pettitte lust, as he said during the Jan. 20 Hall broadcast, “He says he only took HGH, and for an injury, and I believe him.”

Goodness, never heard that line before.

Losers

Manny Ramírez

Speaking of steroid guys, Manny is now off the writers’ ballot after eliciting votes from 38.8% of electors. There’s a credible case to be made that Ramírez put together something of a Hall-worthy career before he was connected in any fashion to PEDs, but running afoul of MLB’s secret police tends to sour voters further.

If Barry Bonds is any indication, Ramírez – a man with 555 home runs, two World Series titles and a dozen All-Star nods – won’t fare any better with the Eras Committee codgers.

Batting average

The stat was probably always overrated and then took perhaps a harsher beating than it deserved, not unlike the public perception of Leonardo DiCaprio’s filmography, say.

And Jones’ election is another blow to the measure of whether a player can, you know, actually hit.

Jones’ career average was .254, placing him 217^th among Hall of Famers and closer to many pitchers than the .302 mark for the average batting electee.

You say that’s not so bad, huh? Well, consider that Jones’ peak years played out in one of baseball’s most offensively aroused eras. In 2001, as Barry Bonds was hitting 73 home runs, Jones was batting .251 – or, 13 points below the .264 league average. That’d be like an All-Star ostensibly in his prime today hitting .231.

Sure, Jones’ power and defense and WAR and all the rest makes him plenty valuable and, as a narrow margin of voters determined, worthy of Hall of Fame induction. Eras evolve, standards vary and admission prices will change.

Still, it’d be nice to think that a Hall of Fame position player can, you know, hit a little.

Ryan Braun

A former MVP whose 47.7 WAR puts him in a Hall of Fame rent district with Jim Rice and Orlando Cepeda, Braun dropped off the ballot entirely, getting just 15 votes and 3.5%, shy of the 5% needed to stick around.

Alas, while Braun beat the rap when he tested positive during the 2011-12 off-season, his hectoring of a urine sample collector in his defense and ultimate ensaring in the Biogenesis game caught up to him. Once again, how voters will interpret the “integrity, sportsmanship and character” elements in balloting can be unpredictable.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hall of Fame 2026 winners and losers: Andy Pettitte strange voting trend

The Brewers announced two Hall of Famers, CC Sabathia and Dave Parker, will join the team’s Wall of Honor this season after both were inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame last year.

Sabathia, 45, pitched for Milwaukee for only 17 games down the stretch in 2008, but a memorable tenure it was.

Over those 17 games, Sabathia went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA, 2.44 FIP, and 128 strikeouts across 130 2/3 innings, accumulating 4.9 bWAR as he tossed a league-best seven complete games, including three shutouts. He even finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting and sixth in NL MVP voting despite only playing in the league for roughly half the season.

Parker, who passed away last summer just before his induction into the Hall, played for the Brewers for just one season toward the tail end of his career. In 1990 with Milwaukee, Parker appeared in 157 games, hitting a solid .289/.330/.451 with 21 homers, 92 RBIs, 71 runs, and four steals. He was named an All-Star for the seventh and final time while also picking up his third Silver Slugger and earning MLB’s Designated Hitter of the Year award. He then finished his career in 1991, splitting the year between the Angels and Blue Jays.

Both players will be honored on Friday, May 8 prior to the Brewers’ game against the New York Yankees. The event will include appearances from both Sabathia and Parker family members, including ceremonial first pitches and videos on the scoreboard.

Per the Brewers’ press release, “[T]he Brewers Wall of Honor is a distinction awarded to players, coaches, and executives who meet a set of criteria based on service to the organization and career accomplishments. Sabathia and Parker will join the permanent exhibit with a bronze plaque affixed to the exterior of the ballpark commemorating their contributions to the franchise.”

To view the full list of players, coaches, and executives included on the Brewers Wall of Honor, click here.

Centerfielders Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America, it was announced today.

This was Beltran’s fourth year on the ballot, and he received 358 votes out of 425 ballots cast, giving him 84.2%, comfortably above the 75% threshold required for election. Jones, in his ninth year on the ballot, got 78.4% of the vote, with 333 total votes.

The only other candidate to receive over 50% of the vote was second baseman Chase Utley, who received 59.1% of the vote in his third year on the ballot. Andy Pettitte received 48.5% in his eighth year on the ballot. Felix Hernandez, in his second year on the ballot, had the largest year-over-year jump in BBWAA voting history, going from 20.6% last year to 46.1% this year. Alex Rodriguez received 40% of the vote in this, his fifth year on the ballot. This was Manny Ramirez’s tenth and final year on the ballot, and he received 38.8% of the vote.

Beltran and Jones each had brief stints with the Rangers, and are the 10th and 11th players to have played for the Rangers and be elected to the Hall.

The only newcomer to this year’s ballot to get more than 5% of the vote was Cole Hamels, who received 23.8%.

The other former Rangers on the ballot were Omar Vizquel, who got 18.4% of the vote in his 9th year on the ballot, and one-and-dones Edwin Encarnacion (6 votes), Shin-Soo Choo (3 votes), and Hunter Pence (2 votes).

Congratulations to Beltran and Jones, who are both very worthy selections. Hopefully, Chase Utley, another guy who should have already have been voted in, will join them next year.

You can see the full results here.

Former outfielders Carlos Beltrán and Andruw Jones have been elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as part of the 2026 class, as both players reached the 75% threshold for induction as voted on by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).

The duo will join second baseman Jeff Kent in the 2026 class, as Kent was selected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee back in December.

Both Beltrán and Jones finished just shy of making the Hall a year ago, as Beltrán received 70.3% of the vote and Jones hit 66.2%. Beltrán, now in his fourth year on the ballot, received 84.2% of the 425 ballots cast, while Jones, in his ninth year on the ballot, reached 78.4%.

Beltrán, 48, seemed like a first-ballot lock near the end of his career, but after he reportedly took a key role in the 2017 Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, he lost his managerial job with the Mets before coaching a game, and his reputation was tarnished.

Still, Beltrán finished his career with 70.0 bWAR, batting .279/.350/.486 with 435 homers, 2,725 hits, 1,587 RBIs, 1,582 runs, and 312 steals over 2,586 games during his 20-year career. He was also named AL Rookie of the Year with the Royals in 1999, and he was selected as an All-Star nine times, won a pair of Silver Sluggers, and three Gold Gloves.

Jones, also 48, had a slightly shorter career than Beltrán, playing 17 seasons from 1996 to 2012, though he still accumulated 62.7 bWAR. One of the greatest outfield gloves in baseball history, Jones won 10 Gold Gloves, a Silver Slugger, and was named an All-Star five times. For his career, he hit .254/.337/.486 with 434 homers, 2,196 hits, 1,289 RBIs, 1,204 runs, and 152 steals over 2,196 games.

Beltrán will likely enter the Hall as either a Kansas City Royal or a New York Met. He spent seven years with both clubs, starting his career in Kansas City and accumulating 24.8 bWAR there before spending 2005-2011 in New York, totaling 31.1 bWAR with the Mets. Jones will almost certainly go in as an Atlanta Brave, having spent 12 of his 17 MLB seasons in Atlanta and totaling 61.0 of his 62.7 bWAR with the Braves.

Beyond Beltrán and Jones, the only other player to break the 50% threshold was former second baseman Chase Utley, who garnered 251 votes, good for 59.1%. Andy Pettitte and Félix Hernández both fell just shy of 50%, as Pettitte received 48.5% of the vote on his eighth ballot and Hernández got 46.1% of the vote in his second year on the ballot.

Of the 12 first-year candidates, Cole Hamels is the only name to remain on the ballot entering next year, as the left-handed starter received 23.8% of the vote. Ryan Braun led the group of players who won’t return to the ballot, as he picked up 15 votes (3.5%). Former Brewer Gio González received no votes, while former closer Francisco Rodríguez received 50 votes (11.8%) and will remain on the ballot for a fifth year next time around.

Congratulations to Beltrán and Jones on joining Kent and the other 354 elected members (281 players) in the Hall this summer! The full voting results of this year’s ballot are below.

BBWAA elects Carlos Beltran, Andruw Jones to Hall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/NpBXWv9Q2S

— BBWAA (@officialBBWAA) January 20, 2026

Carlos Beltran will soon have a permanent place in Cooperstown, as the former Mets outfielder earned Hall of Fame enshrinement on Tuesday by receiving 84.2 percent of the vote (425 total ballots).

Moments after the nine-time All-Star heard the news, Mets ownership and franchise icons joined the celebration, sharing statements on Beltran's stellar career and achievements.

"One of the most dynamic players ever to wear a Mets uniform, Carlos combined rare power and speed with elite defense, setting a standard of excellence that endures today," said Mets owner Steve Cohen. Beyond his achievements on the field, his leadership, insight, and presence continue to shape our organization. It is a proud moment for Carlos, his family, and Mets fans everywhere."

Beltran, who slashed .279/.350/.486 with 435 home runs, 565 doubles, and 1,587 RBI across 20 seasons, became just the sixth Puerto Rican to reach the Hall of Fame. His roots were emphasized by fellow countryman and Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, who grew up idolizing Beltran.

"Growing up in Puerto Rico, Carlos was an important role model to so many of us. After getting to know him personally, I saw firsthand what an exceptional father, leader, and role model he truly is," Lindor said of Beltran. "He paved the way for future generations of Puerto Rican baseball players and set them on a path to success. For that, he truly deserves this moment."

During his two decades in the majors, Beltran spent most of the 2000s in Queens, playing alongside David Wright, Carlos Delgado, and José Reyes for several seasons. While the Hall of Fame remains a long shot for Wright, whose career was cut short due to injury, he credited Beltran for his leadership as a veteran teammate.

"I remember being a young player in Port St. Lucie in my first Spring Training and looking at you and trying to emulate your game as best as I could," Wright said of Beltran. "When I think of five-tool players, you are one of the first faces that come to mind. And to top it off with your work ethic."

Beltran also received congratulations from former Mets infielder Jeff Kent, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in December via the Contemporary Baseball Era committee ballot. The 2026 class includes Beltran, Kent, and former Braves slugger Andruw Jones.

"I know your family is proud of you, and I can’t wait until you and I meet up again in Cooperstown, where we’ll be inducted into the most prestigious class in all of sports -- the Baseball Hall of Fame," Kent said. "Good luck my brother. I look forward to seeing you in July."

This summer, Beltran could become the third player to don a Mets cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. He played for seven teams from 1998-2017, but collected more homers, doubles, RBI, and runs scored with the Mets than anywhere else. 

His seven seasons (839 total games) with the Mets also produced a career-best 31.1 WAR, and his three Gold Glove awards were won while wearing orange and blue.

The Mets also posted a video to X/Twitter that featured former managers Willie Randolph and Jerry Manuel, among other icons, lauding Beltran.

A special message from some of Carlos’ former teammates and managers! 🧡💙 pic.twitter.com/zB4QyUVdvb

— New York Mets (@Mets) January 20, 2026