Category: MLB

Aaron Boone will return as Yankees manager for the 2027 season, SNY MLB insider Chelsea Janes confirmed Monday evening.

The 53-year-old skipper has one year remaining on a $10.5 million contract extension he signed in February 2025. The Yankees did not announce a second extension along with the news of Boone's return.

"We have learned that not only is [Aaron] Boone back as manager for 2027, no extension" On Baseball Night in New York, @sal_licata breaks the news that Aaron Boone did not receive an extension for his contract as Yankees manager https://t.co/rxwknzqzXb

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) October 19, 2026

The Yankees have won at least 92 games in every season since Boone took the helm in December 2017, minus the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign and an 82-80 finish in 2023, the only season New York hasn't made the postseason during his tenure. His .583 regular-season winning percentage (790-565) is 13th-best in MLB history for those who have managed at least 400 games, tied with Hall of Famer Earl Weaver.

Boone's Yankees have won the AL East thrice and placed second in four other seasons, but they've struggled in the postseason. In nine years, New York has reached the ALCS three times and won just one AL Pennant. In their lone World Series appearance under Boone, the Yankees fell flat in a five-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, losing Game 1 in 10 innings after leading in the top of the 10th and dropping a 5-0 lead in the series-decider.

Their last two campaigns ended with a divisional-round collapse, falling to the Toronto Blue Jays in four games last year (where they were outscored 34-19) and getting swept by the Tampa Bay Rays this October. The latter extended their World Series drought to 17 years.

Despite the second-straight early exit, general manager Brian Cashman gave Boone a vote of confidence after the season ended.

"I think Boone's a really good manager," Cashman said. "We're here for a reason. There are a lot of reasons behind that, and certainly he's part of that."

Many players spoke out in his favor as well, including Aaron Judge, who was one of several key players to miss significant time due to injury this season.

“He’s our manager. He’s running this ship," Judge said. "Especially a season like this -- I’m banged up, missing 100 games. You miss [Giancarlo Stanton], [Gerrit Cole], [Carlos Rodón]. Miss a lot of guys. Trent Grisham for a little bit, Cody Bellinger, who was an MVP for us. For him to manage it the way he did and put us in the best position in the playoffs and give us an opportunity to win a World Series -- he’s definitely had our back, and is our guy."

Austin Wells reportedly faced some health issues this season that set back his performance offensively. The question is, will the Yankees explore options to replace him?

Wells is eligible for arbitration, under club control through the 2029 season. The most likely scenario has him remaining behind the plate for the Yankees next year. To explain his early struggles in the regular season, a recent report from The Athletic’s Brendan Kuty revealed that Wells suffered multiple blows to the head that affected his focus.

According to Kuty’s reporting, Wells recalled specific instances where he was hit off deflections from Cam Schlittler’s pitches. During the Yankees’ first meeting against the Red Sox this season, Wells got clocked after Wilyer Abreu got a piece of Schlittler’s 98 mph fastball. The Yankees’ catcher shared that he suffered the same fate two weeks later, when William Contreras fouled back another of Schlittler’s 99 mph fastballs. Wells also shared with Kuty that he was suffering from headaches and found it difficult to track pitches during his at-bats, which led to his brief stint on the injured list in early June.

The Yankees’ catcher finished the first half of the season batting .155 with a .258 slugging percentage and six homers in 220 plate appearances. Following the All-Star break, Wells turned it around and seemed to find his groove in the second half of July. He built on his momentum in August and finished the final two months with 11 extra-base hits and a .784 OPS in 140 plate appearances. Despite his inconsistent offensive performance this season, the 27-year-old continued to shine behind the plate and was named a Gold Glove Award finalist.

Wells continued to perform well in the postseason and racked up three hits and scored two runs in the Wild Card Series against Boston. Much like the majority of the Yankees’ offense, excluding Ben Rice, he struggled against the Rays and got only two hits in a combined nine plate appearances, including an ignominious baserunning blunder during the 1-0 loss in the ALDS opener.

It’s also worth noting that Wells probably wouldn’t have felt more pressure to get back behind the plate as quickly as possible if the Yankees’ backup catcher options weren’t so mediocre. J.C. Escarra had the understudy role for the first half of the season and posted a .188 average with a .239 OBP and .510 OPS. Ali Sánchez finished the regular season with similar numbers, and though he was a good framer, he struggled at other parts of catching, including a 42-percent success rate on challenges.

An earlier report from MLB Trade Rumors projected Wells’ salary to be approximately $2.6 million, and the best move for the Yankees would likely be to settle on a figure that will give them enough flexibility to fill more pressing positions, including third base, second base, and center field.

Last week, I wrote an article breaking down NLCS MVP Jake Bauers’ 12-pitch walk against Yoshinobu Yamamoto. At the time, I called it “the best at-bat of the NLCS.”

That turned out to be incredibly presumptuous: just two days later, he worked an 11-pitch at-bat against Blake Snell that ended not with a walk, but with a go-ahead two-run home run.

Since the first at-bat earned a breakdown, this one deserves one too.

Blake Snell’s Arsenal

Snell doesn’t have quite the pitch variety Yamamoto does, but the two-time Cy Young Award winner is still incredibly nasty. He throws four pitches: a four-seam fastball, changeup, slider, and curveball. His fastball and changeup break in toward a left-handed hitter, while his slider and curveball break away. His fastball has elite “ride,” staying up as it reaches the plate, while his curveball drops off the table.

His arsenal is pretty standard; he doesn’t throw anything exotic like Yamamoto’s splitter. Still, he remains one of the best pitchers in the game for a few reasons:

1. All of his pitches are swing-and-miss pitches: Most starters have one or two put-away pitches, but all four of Snell’s miss bats. His curveball is probably his best pitch and one of the best breaking balls in the game.

Snell has missed chunks of the last three seasons due to injury, so he hasn’t qualified for year-end leaderboards since 2023, his second Cy Young season. That year, all three of his secondary pitches (slider, changeup, and curveball) had whiff rates around 50%, and his overall whiff rate ranked in the 98th percentile.

2. His fastball-curveball combination is brutal: In Game 3, his four-seamer sat around 97-98 mph with about 18-20 inches of induced vertical break, meaning it rode higher than hitters expected. His curveball came in around 83 mph and dropped roughly four feet. Both come from the same arm slot, so hitters have to guess between a fastball riding up at the letters and a curveball that falls off the table and out of the bottom of the zone. On top of that, the curveball arrives about 15 mph slower, so even a hitter who guesses right on location can be way out in front.

3. He works the edges of the zone: Snell rarely gives in with something over the middle. He lives on the corners and just above and below the zone, which leads to lots of chases and weak contact when hitters do swing.

The tradeoff is that he’s more prone to walks and high pitch counts than your average ace. His approach would rather put a hitter on base than give him something to drive. A few more stats from his 2023 season:

• Only 44.7% of his fastballs were in the strike zone, the 14th-lowest rate among starters.
• His slider had the lowest zone rate of any qualifying starter, at 25%.
• He led MLB with 99 walks.

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In short, Snell has some of the best stuff in baseball, and he doesn’t like giving hitters anything to hit. That makes what Bauers did all the more impressive:

Every pitch from Jake Bauers’ masterful 11 pitch at-bat vs. Blake Snell…

And it ended with a bang 💥 pic.twitter.com/ibGscZwK6R

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) October 15, 2026

Pitchers tend to attack Bauers up and in. He’s a patient hitter, but like many power hitters, he’ll hunt inside fastballs and try to drive them, which means he can sometimes be jammed or beaten by velocity. Because of that, opponents often pair high, inside fastballs with breaking balls and changeups away, trying to keep him off balance and induce weak contact. Snell was no exception.

Jake Bauers vs. Blake Snell: The Breakdown

Pitch 1: 89.4-mph slider (0-1): Snell’s first pitch, a slider, starts up and in. It comes in looking like a fastball, but instead of riding up like his four-seamer, it drops late. Unlike a typical slider, though, this one has almost no horizontal break, so it doesn’t sweep away from the left-handed Bauers. He initially looks like he wants it but checks his swing, presumably because he recognizes the late drop and knows he can’t drive it. The slider stays in the zone for strike one.

Pitch 2: 83.8-mph changeup (1-1): Snell follows with a changeup, about 14 mph slower than his fastball, that dives 34 inches and runs in toward Bauers. Lefties don’t often throw changeups to left-handed hitters (in particular, Snell’s changeup performs better against righties), so it’s a sign Snell is willing to show Bauers everything. The goal is to stop him from sitting on the fastball, but the pitch bounces in the dirt for ball one.

Pitch 3: 96.3-mph fastball (2-1): Snell throws a fastball low and away, likely hoping Bauers will take it for strike two so he can go for the put-away pitch. He misses, though, and the count goes to 2-1.

Pitch 4: 87.0-mph changeup (2-2): Snell comes back with another changeup, this one starting high and inside before dropping. Bauers is out in front and just barely ticks the top of the ball for a foul tip that ends up in the glove of catcher Will Smith. Strike two.

Pitch 5: 90.6-mph slider (2-2): Snell goes back to the slider for the first time since the opening pitch. Like that first one, it has almost no horizontal break, so out of the hand it looks like a fastball, and Bauers appears to be sitting on one. His front foot comes down well before the pitch arrives, but he does a great job keeping his weight back and waiting on the slider before fouling it off to stay alive.

Pitch 6: 82.3-mph curveball (2-2): Bauers is still a little out in front, since he’s clearly not expecting a curveball, but he manages to chop it foul.

Pitch 7: 97.6-mph fastball (3-2): Snell follows the slow curveball with the hardest fastball he’s thrown Bauers all at-bat, a jump of 15 mph. Bauers wants it and starts to swing, but he recognizes it’s a few inches off the inside corner and checks his swing to run the count full.

Pitch 8: 98.2-mph fastball (3-2): Snell comes back with another fastball, this one even harder than the last one. It starts up in the zone before riding up and out of it. Bauers is already committed and can’t check his swing, but he gets enough of it to foul it back and stay alive.

Pitch 9: 86.3-mph changeup (3-2): Snell changes speeds again, coming back with a changeup that’s about 12 mph slower than the fastball. Once again, Bauers isn’t sitting on the changeup, so he’s out in front, but he manages to keep his weight back and just gets a piece of it.

Pitch 10: 90.9-mph slider (3-2): Snell comes back with a third slider. Bauers is out in front again, so his swing is still awkward, but now that he’s seen it a couple of times, he’s able to do more than just foul it off. He lines it down the right field line, but it goes just foul.

Pitch 11: 97.8-mph fastball (home run): After two straight secondary pitches, Snell goes back to the fastball, presumably trying to blow it by Bauers high and inside. Instead, it runs out over the middle of the plate, and Bauers — who’s been sitting fastball all at-bat — doesn’t miss it: 109.4 mph off the bat, 412 feet to right field. The two-run homer scores Christian Yelich and gives the Brewers a lead they never relinquish.

JAKE BAUERS PUTS THE BREWERS BACK IN FRONT! pic.twitter.com/KK8xCFd7j1

— MLB (@MLB) October 15, 2026

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So, to correct myself: Bauers’ walk against Yamamoto was the best at-bat of the NLCS for exactly one game. I’m done making predictions. At this rate, he might top this one too.

The biggest complaint many Nationals fans have about the organization right now is the lack of spending and questionable commitment from ownership. Since winning the World Series back in 2019, the organization fell into a malaise. Payroll was slashed, stars were traded and last place finishes piled up. Now, after the team took a step forward under Paul Toboni and Blake Butera, the time to show commitment is now.

If the Nats do not spend serious money this offseason, it is very hard to believe that it will happen ever again. The team enters the offseason with the smallest payroll in the sport by $25 million. Spencer Nusbaum wrote a great story about this and took a look at some offseason possibilities.

The Nationals will enter the winter with the smallest payroll in MLB by about $25 million, per @EthanHullihen. That is a wide margin.

So which players are at their disposal at different spending limits? Free to read: https://t.co/GL2uNhm88W

— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) October 15, 2026

After an 11 win improvement and so little money on the books, it feels like the perfect time to spend. The Nats could spend around $70 million this offseason and still only have the 20th ranked payroll in the sport. That sort of spending would give the Nats the ability to sign a big fish in the rotation and the bullpen while still having money to play with. 

We have written about some of the possibilities including Kevin Gausman, Michael King and Tyler Mahle. The Nats could realistically sign two of those guys and still be a bottom 10 payroll. This is about as financially flexible as a team can be. The only question is whether the Lerner family wants to spend any money at all. Or is having the lowest payroll in the league the whole point?

Since the 2020-21 offseason, the Nats have been one of the least active teams in free agency, at least when it comes to handing out real money. They have not spent more than $15 million since that offseason. The Nats have not given out a free agent contract worth over $10 million per year since 2022.

(Updated)
Nelson Cruz: 1 yr, $15MM (2022)
Trevor Williams: 2 yr, 14MM (2025)
Trevor Williams: 2 yr, 13MM (2023)
Brad Hand: 1 yr, $10.5MM (2021)
Kyle Schwarber: 1 yr, $10MM (2021)
Michael Soroka: 1 yr, $9MM (2025) https://t.co/VNTsPj63Dr

— Spencer Nusbaum (@spencernusbaum_) December 30, 2024

Even the Rays, a notoriously small market club, gave Nick Martinez 1-year $13 million. Martinez rewarded the Rays for that investment with a 3.10 ERA in 180 innings. At the very least, the Nats need to be making deals like that. If the Nats shopped in that aisle of free agency instead of settling for Miles Mikolas and Cionel Perez, this season could have been a lot different.

Of course, spending money for the sake of it is not wise. The teams remaining are all smaller market clubs, but they pick their spots to spend as well. Milwaukee has locked up Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio and Cooper Pratt among others. The Rays have extended Yandy Diaz and made the Martinez move. Meanwhile, the Guardians extended Jose Ramirez and Tanner Bibee. 

Another factor that could loom large here is the lockout. In any world where a salary floor is implemented, the Nats will be well below it. That will force them to spend money, and agents will exploit that. Why not get ahead of it and spend like you should anyways. This is not a small market club!

Coming soon to FanGraphs 👀 pic.twitter.com/Um3cxguA6u

— Jon Becker (@jonbecker_) October 19, 2026

This post is a good guide to where teams sit financially and what they would need to spend to get to a floor. As you see, the Nats would need to spend some serious money. If a floor is implemented, the Nats will sign players to reach it and take on contracts other teams do not want.

Whether the Nats spend will be the ultimate question this offseason, along with the lockout. Sure, you can have success with a smaller market, but the Nats are just limiting themselves by being so cheap. You are closing the door to talented players.

I also think the sales pitch to free agents will be easier this offseason. After the new regime’s first season, the arrow is pointing up for the first time in a while. This team is not 5 years away anymore. Nats fans have been waiting for a good team for a long time. Now that is finally within shouting distance. It is time to strike and aggressively push to make this team better. The money is there, now spend it and spend it wisely.

It’s time to start looking at the decisions to be made with regard to the Diamondbacks for next year. Normally, I’d be starting off with a look at the team, player and mutual options to be exercised. But there’s only really one of note, and it is easily the least interesting kind (we’ll get to it later in this article). I suppose technically, we could include the Corbin Burnes opt-out option. When he signed the six year, $210 million contract, it included the ability to opt out after 2026. But he has made only fourteen starts over the two years so far, and barely came back from injury this season. On that basis, here’s the SnakePit’s carefully considered opinion on whether Burnes will exercise the opt-out.

No.

Want a second opinion?

No, but in italics.

There. That’s all sorted, so moving on. There will be a fair amount of money coming off the books for the team, with many players from the final roster (or injured list) becoming free agents at the end of the season. However, a significant chunk of that will be earmarked, either for pre-contracted obligations, or for increases to our arbitration eligible players – we’ll be covering those in a future article. And, of course, players may be worth more or less money than they received in 2026, depending on their performance. Here are the men, in descending order of salary, mostly taken from the Baseball Reference contract page for the team. Might they be back in 2027?

Zac Gallen ($16.2m)

I am very tempted to go with “No, but in bold“, and leave it at that. The disaster which was the re-signing of Zac Gallen will hang around until the last of his deferred payment is sent in the middle of the 2034 season. Not many one-year deals include eight years’ worth of deferrals. Mind you, the Tigers will be paying Justin Verlander for his one-year deal through 2039, so Gallen’s not the record holder there. And while not one-year deals, the Dodgers will be writing checks to Edwin Diaz until 2047, and the Guardians to José Ramírez through 2051. That’s getting up ito Bobby Bonilla territory. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah: No, but in bold.

Michael Soroka ($7.5m)

This is the one mentioned above where there is a “mutual option” for next year, at $10 million, with a $1 million buyout. These are exercised incredibly rarely, because a player either does well and wants to test free-agency, or does badly, and the team goes in another direction. The last mutual option exercised which I could find was more than a decade ago, when Aramis Ramirez and the Brewers did so for 2015. And that was because Ramirez knew it would be his last season. Soroka will hit the free market, and get more than $10 million. But the team could certainly use a starter. Whether they pursue Soroka probably depends on how much Mike Hazen spends on a left-handed power bat.

Ryan Thompson ($3.95m)

Became something of a forgotten man, though of all the relievers used by Arizona in 2026, only Kevin Ginkel has made more appearances for the D-backs. Thompson had a solid start, with a 2.76 ERA and FIP through July 1st. But the subsequent month was a disaster, before going on the injured list in early September with a strained lower back. If those struggles were a result of the back problem, I’d certainly kick the tires on a return, regardless of what Reddit might think. Over his 174 appearances here, Thompson has an ERA+ of 120, and age 34, there’s probably still some gas left in the tank. However, Gambo has suggested it probably won’t be in Arizona.

Dennis Santana ($3.5m)

Santana had a dire start to the season in Pittsburgh, posting an ERA north of six across 44 appearances. After being released by the Pirates in late July, he was picked up by the D-backs and was significantly improved. He had a 4.20 ERA, much in line with his FIP (4.23). While that is still basically only league average, a similar price to the above is probably about the going rate for a middle reliever. His poor start might depress the market for the pitcher to a helpful degree. But he certainly would not be the worst free-agent signing called Santana, made by the Diamondbacks in recent seasons.

James McCann ($3.25m)

With hindsight, I could perhaps have included the signing of McCann as one of Mike Hazen’s best moves of last season. By pure WAR he didn’t move the needle much – 0.3 bWAR and 0.5 fWAR. But a backup catcher with an 111 OPS+ across 51 games is pretty good, and Torey Lovullo often spoke of McCann in glowing terms, especially in regard to his handling of the pitching staff. The salary figure above is an estimate, including playing time bonuses. I think McCann did max out, despite missing seven weeks with a strained quad. That’s never a good thing for a catcher, and he is now aged 36. But we’ve spent more on worse catchers previously, e.g. Carson Kelly in 2023.

A.J. Puk ($3.1m)

Almost exactly at this point last year, we were speculating whether the team might non-tender Puk, as he recovered from Tommy John. Turns out, they should have done so. Instead, he spent the entire year on the IL, his return proving elusive. If life was fair, after getting paid without pitching in 2026, A.J. should pitch without getting paid in 2027. However, life is not fair, so he’ll still get a check. By Opening Day, it will be close to two years since his last major-league appearance, and I’d not be surprised if he has to settle for a minor-league deal, to prove his health. That might be the only way Arizona takes him back.

Kevin Ginkel ($2.75m)

Safe to say Kevin has done pretty well for a 22nd-round draft pick. No pitcher has appeared in more seasons for the D-backs than Ginkel (and only two – Brad Ziegler and Andrew Chafin – have played more games). But he might lose that honor next year, when Merrill Kelly takes the field for his ninth campaign, because Ginkel may well be in pastures new. I do think Kevin took more fanbase flak than deserved, given an ERA+ of 101 this year, over a team-leading 74 appearances, and a better FIP than Taylor Clarke. Finally hitting free agency at the age of 32, this will likely be his best chance at a decent contract, and I expect him to get a nice payday elsewhere.

Taylor Clarke ($1.55m)

I might be cautious about resigning Clarke, despite a very impressive 2.96 ERA. His K-rate was flat-out terrible: just 5.5 per nine innings, ranking him 196th of the 200 pitchers with as many innings pitched [still ahead of Zac Gallen though…] Outside of a low walk-rate, his Baseball Savant page has a concerning amount of blue, including an xERA of a considerably less impressive 4.42. This year and last, he has benefited from a low BABIP of .228, compared to the MLB average of .293. While he did a good job of avoiding hard contact this season, I’m not sure he would be worth a market price perhaps 2-3 times what he earned this year.

Jonathan Loaisiga ($1.5m)

It’s always nice to put one over on the Yankees, and after they let him go last winter, the D-backs got a real bargain in Loaisiga. He was worth 1.7 bWAR, compared to 0.5 bWAR from 2022-25 combined in New York, courtesy of an ERA and FIP both below three. Johnny Lasagna is going to get paid, potentially a multiyear deal somewhere in eight figures. With the team’s limited resources, needs elsewhere, and Mike Hazen’s (understandable) aversion to paying big for relief help, I don’t see Arizona being in the competition. Hazen is more likely to be looking for Loaisiga v2.0 elsewhere than re-signing the original.

Ildemaro Vargas ($1.25m)

Vargas’s fifth go-around with the Diamondbacks was easily his most successful. He appeared in 142 games, far more than a previous career high of 95 (with the Nationals in 2024). That’s almost one-quarter of his entire career total since he first reached the major in June 2017. Ildemaro started at all four infield positions plus DH, was NL Player of the Month in April after batting .378, and is a Gold Glove nominee. On the other hand, after May 1 he had a .557 OPS, so that month was more fluke (.384 BABIP) than breakout. There may not be room for him on the Opening Day roster, with Tim Tawa having more upside as a utility infielder, though Vargas would be a nice depth piece.

What do you reckon? Who do you think will be back in 2027?

The Dodgers 2026 season ended last week, a few weeks shorter than they hoped. This was a shorter season than the last two championship runs because of not only playing in the World Series, but also starting spring training early and starting the regular season early with trips to Asia in both 2024 and 2025.

In that respect, 2026 felt more like a normal year. But seven months is a lot of baseball and there were a lot of moments that stood out, good and bad.

The Dodgers had eight walk-off victories:

• April 10 vs. Rangers
• April 27 vs. Marlins
• June 5 vs. Angels
• June 19 vs. Orioles
• July 6 vs. Rockies
• August 11 vs. Royals
• August 21 vs. Pirates
• September 3 vs. Cardinals

The Dodgers had a nine-run first inning against the Angels.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched the team’s only complete game of the season at Yankee Stadium.

Max Muncy hit three home runs in a game against the Rangers, and later in the season passed Eric Karros for most home runs ever at Dodger Stadium.

Freddie Freeman got his 2,500th career hit on June 9 in Pittsburgh.

Top prospect Josue De Paula made his major league debut in September and impressed at the plate. In October he was the youngest Dodgers position player to bat in the postseason since Willie Crawford in 1965.

Andy Pages started the All-Star Game and after a nightmarish postseason at the plate in 2025, came through this October, including the game-winning two-run single to close out the Braves in the Division Series.

There were plenty of other moments I’m sure I have forgotten, but that’s why I’m turning to you. Let us know in the comments below what was your favorite moment of the 2026 Dodgers season.

A hitter whose menacing presence in the batter’s box was unlike any other, Giancarlo Stanton now sees what once seemed like a likely historic accomplishment looking further away than ever. Nearing 37 years of age and coming off a season in which he only accumulated 90 at-bats, Stanton looks bound for a retirement falling short of the 500-HR club. Currently sitting at 456 home runs, Stanton would need a significant turnaround to reach the mark that has been a benchmark for the Hall of Fame historically.

Prior to this season, Stanton’s many injury problems had limited his regular season exposure, but he had, ever since the 2020 campaign, found a way to muster up enough playing time to gain significant ground on this chase for 500 bombs. Bringing a specific number to the table, between the 2021 and 2025 seasons, Stanton averaged 28.2 home runs per year. Maybe that doesn’t sound like a whole lot given what we know of Stanton’s capabilities, but it’s more than Bryce Harper over the same period (26.2).

That level of production and availability kept the spark alive for him joining the 500-HR club, maybe even as a Yankee, but then 2026 rolled around and, by all indications, his calves gave out. Twenty-three games scattered between March and April were all that Stanton could provide in a season so worrisome that it has put his future with the Yankees in doubt.

Assuming Stanton had been able to carry on the pace he had between 2021 and 2025 for just a couple more seasons, so this one and in 2027, there was a realistic shot he might get to this number wearing pinstripes. Now, the Yankees are left to calculate if it’s worth it to dedicate their DH spot to a hitter who has spent more time off the field than on it in the past two seasons.

The specifics of Stanton’s contract show he is owed $25 million for the 2027 season, out of which only $15 million is covered by the Yankees, with the other $10 million coming from the Marlins. For 2028, Stanton has a team option worth the same amount, with a $10 million buyout. Overall, the Yankees still owe Stanton $25 million.

Although it isn’t the specific point we must address here, any Stanton-related cut has to take other factors into account—such as the flexibility the DH slot could provide if a more reliable hitter was slotted in but also keeping it available for other players to spend time rotating into the role. When it comes to the figure owed to him—although it’d represent a significant hit—we’re at a point where it’s well within reason for the club to cut the cord should it deem it is too unlikely he can play regularly in the near future.

Technically, if Stanton can get back to the availability of even 2025, he could still fight for this immense achievement, not to mention other team-oriented goals such as winning his first championship. That being said, the likelihood of this happening puts him more distant than close to the Yankees’ long-term plans. An accomplished star in this game and one whose continuous hamstring injuries have taken their toll, it’s worth pondering how much Stanton is willing to push this.

For the first time in three years, the Dodgers’ winter has begun with a quiet period.

They didn’t reach the World Series this fall. Which means they have some time to sit back and take stock of their roster before the offseason kicks into gear.

This year, of course, uncertainty surrounds the future of the sport. A lockout is almost certain to commence at the beginning of December. When a new CBA is struck, and what changes to the league’s financial structure it could possibly entail, is still anyone’s guess.

Because of that, forecasting the Dodgers’ moves this winter also remains a guessing game. At what will be a potential point of transition for the franchise, there are any number of routes that president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and Co. could take.

For now, though, they do begin the offseason with a few obvious questions that will need to be answered.

Here are the five most pressing, as the two-time defending champions try to move on from their failed three-peat bid:

Tarik Skubal a Dodger again?

This year’s free agent class is as thin as any in recent memory. But Skubal represents the one, superstar-caliber, potential record-setting exception.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner is expected to break Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s high mark of $325 million guaranteed for a pitcher. He could get upward of $400 million –– if not even closer to $500 million –– if the right combination of suitors emerges.

The Dodgers, of course, will be in the mix.

Their admiration for Skubal was clear at the trade deadline. Their appreciation for his talent and work ethic only grew during his three months with the club. The relationships he built in the clubhouse –– including, first and foremost, with Blake Snell –– figure to only strengthen their case, as well.

However…

The Dodgers already have ample future financial commitments. How comfortable they are adding another, especially before knowing what changes will come with MLB’s new CBA, could be the defining question of their winter.

Entering the offseason, their 2027 payroll (for luxury tax purposes) is at $388.4 million, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Even for 2028, there is over $300 million on their books at this point.

If the league were to enact a salary cap, or harsher luxury tax rules (this year’s first tax threshold was at $244 million), those totals could prove problematic.

And even if not, that would still be a lot of long-term money tied up in 30-something-year-old players (Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Will Smith, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are all under contract for at least half-a-decade more).

That isn’t to say the Dodgers can’t afford, or won’t be comfortable with, a mega-signing for Skubal. If they feel he maximizes their World Series odds for even the next couple seasons –– in the way they thought he did this past year –– they will make an effort to sign him.

At this point, though, too many uncertainties surround his market, the sport’s larger landscape, and the Dodgers’ preferred economic plan, to know exactly where they stand in his sweepstakes.

Re-sign Kiké Hernández?

Each of the last three offseasons, Kiké Hernández has been a free agent.

Each of the last three winters, his ultimate re-signing felt like a fait accompli.

This time, however, even Hernández seemed more uncertain about his chances of staying in Los Angeles in 2027. 

After the team’s NLCS elimination, he said he “would love to be back” but didn’t “really know what’s going to happen” –– so much so, he added, that “if I’m not, I hope that I get to play for a winning team [somewhere else].”

In an Instagram post a few days later, he expressed his gratitude to the organization and its fan base with a foreboding “If this is it for us…” caveat.

What makes Hernández’s situation interesting this year is what it could reveal about the front office’s bigger-picture roster-building philosophy. In re-signing the October hero and veteran utilityman the last few seasons, the club was making an effort to keep its core –– even including part-time fringe players like him –– together.

But now, it’s possible a large shake-up could be in order. If so, the 35-year-old Hernández would figure to be a potential casualty. 

“We had a good run, but here we are,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with me personally, moving forward for next year. But this team is well-positioned to keep winning.”

Trade Teoscar Hernández?

Last winter, the Dodgers at least entertained potential trade discussions involving outfielder Teoscar Hernández.

This winter, it would be no surprise if they were even more open to shopping the veteran outfielder.

For all Hernández has done in his three years as a Dodger, after all, he could be the first core piece squeezed out in their transition to the future.

The club has a wave of corner outfield depth at the top of their farm system, starting with rookie sensation Josue De Paula. They have few other veteran pieces who would make sense to explore moving. And if the team was looking for ways to get younger, and open up opportunities for its top prospects, Hernández (who is entering the final year of his contract anyway) would be the logical place to start.

That doesn’t mean the Dodgers are determined to move him. When fully healthy, he has still looked like an impact player. And given De Paula’s massive defensive question marks in the outfield, it’s not as if they have a risk-free replacement waiting in the wings.

But, Hernández could nonetheless be in a tenuous place this offseason. 

Whether or not the Dodgers stick with him will be another illustration of their larger priorities entering 2027.

Bring back “Bullpen Dawgs?”

Another key decision for the Dodgers will come in the bullpen, where their three (actually, four) longest-tenured arms are all out of contract.

Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia and Evan Phillips are all entering free agency, after playing key roles in the team’s back-to-back World Series titles. So too is Brusdar Graterol, who hasn’t pitched since the 2024 Fall Classic because of shoulder and back injuries.

It all raises a familiar question: Will the Dodgers try to maintain some level of continuity, specifically by attempting to re-sign Vesia and/or Phillips? (Treinen’s future is less clear, at 38 years old and coming off a season-ending shoulder injury, as is Graterol’s given his daunting injury history).

Or, will they see this as another chance to cycle some fresh faces onto the roster, while potentially opening up a couple relief roles for some of their younger arms?

Strike an extension?

There are two primary contract extension candidates for the Dodgers this offseason –– one on either side of the age spectrum, and representing different possibilities for the club’s future.

Andy Pages is the first, coming off an All-Star campaign in 2026 and entering his first season of arbitration eligibility in 2027. Both sides are likely to at least be open to exploring a potential longer-term commitment this offseason. Doing so would lock down the one young core member of the Dodgers’ lineup –– Pages is currently on track to be the only sub-30 member of the starting lineup next year –– and give them one future pillar to build around.

Then there is Freddie Freeman, whose contract situation will come to a head over the next 12 months.

The 2027 season is the final one of Freeman’s current deal. However, the 37-year-old has indicated a desire to potentially play at least two more seasons beyond it, putting the onus on the Dodgers to make a decision on his future in Los Angeles.

To this point, the future Hall of Fame first baseman has repeatedly sidestepped any contract talk publicly. But it’s unlikely next year begins without him and the team at least discussing his long-term status in the organization at some point.

It could be yet another barometer of how the Dodgers view their own long-term plans overall. 

This season felt like the beginning of the end for their dynasty core. And while many of their most familiar faces will still be back in 2027, this winter should offer indications of how quickly the club plans to transition into a new era, and how aggressively they will begin maneuvering to get there.

With the start of another week, it’s time for an update on the Cubs’ Boys of Autumn playing in the Arizona Fall League.

If you haven’t been following along or if you just need a refresher on what is going on in Arizona, check out the introduction and the recap of the first full week.

The Mesa Solar Sox, the Cubs affiliate in the AFL along with the A’s, Blue Jays, Angels and Red Sox, had an abbreviated week with only four games. Monday’s home game was rained out and made up on Wednesday, but Tuesday’s game at Surprise was postponed because of a power failure. I’m not sure if that game will be made up. In any case, the Solar Sox didn’t take the field until Wednesday.

The Solar Sox went 2-2 over the week, putting their overall record at 4-6. Here’s how they did in those four games. The home team is listed second.

Wednesday, October 14: Salt River Rafters 3, SOLAR SOX 7

Thursday, October 15: SOLAR SOX 14, Rafters 9 in ten innings.

Friday, October 16: SOLAR SOX 5, Surprise Saguaros 12

Saturday, October 17: Rafters 5, SOLAR SOX 0

Here’s how the eight Cubs prospects on the Solar Sox did.

Infielder Juan Cabada: The second-youngest player in the AFL this year played two games this past week. He was the third baseman for Mesa on Thursday and the second baseman on Friday.

Cabada went 2 for 6 on Thursday with an RBI single in the first inning and an RBI single in Mesa’s five-run top of the tenth. In Friday’s loss, Cabada went 0 for 3 with a walk.

For the season, Cabada has played seven games and is hitting .167/.286/.167 with one stolen base. He has scored twice and has driven in three.

Outfielder Harrison Feinberg: Feinberg only played in Thursday’s extra-inning win over Salt River. He was the left fielder in that game and went 2 for 4 wth a walk.

In four games for the Solar Sox, Feinberg is hitting .385/.529/.385 with two steals. He has scored twice and has one run batted in.

Outfielder Kade Snell: There were some high hopes for Snell coming into the AFL and this past week, he played like the sleeper prospect he is. Snell played left field on Wednesday and went 2 for 3 with a walk. On Thursday Snell played right field and he was 1 for 3 with three walks and a stolen base. After an off-day on Friday, Snell returned to DH on Saturday and was 1 for 3 as the Solar Sox were shut out. That’s 4 for 9 with four walks and a steal on the week.

For the AFL campaign, Snell is hitting .286/.459/.321 wth two steals over eight games. He has four runs batted in and has scored six times.

Right-hander Jhon Cabral: Cabral pitched the ninth inning on Wednesday in a non-save situation. He walked the first batter he faced, but then retired the next three in order. Cabral struck out one.

Over 2.1 innings and three appearances, Cabral has yet to allow a run or a hit in the AFL. He has walked three while striking out two.

Right-hander Anhuar Garcia: Garcia has had a rough AFL campaign because he’s had trouble throwing strikes. That continued this week after he threw 1.2 innings of relief on Friday. Garcia allowed three runs on one it and four walks. He also balked twice. In his defense only one of the three runs was earned. Garcia struck out two.

In three appearances, Garcia has an ERA of 6.75 over 6.2 innings. However, he’s allowed five unearned runs on top of the five he’s given up that were earned. Garcia has walked eight and has struck out four.

Right-hander Yohendris Gonzalez: Gonzalez did not pitch this past week. He has a 40.50 ERA after allowing six runs over just 1.1 innings in two appearances so far.

Right-hander Dominick Reid: With the shortened week and Reid having pitched on Saturday the previous week, Reid did not get a start this week. Reid is still 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA over two starts.

Right-hander Luis Rujano: Rujano threw 1.1 innings in Saturday’s shutout loss. He allowed one run on one hit, but the run was unearned. Rujano walked two and struck out one.

For the season, Rujano has pitched four innings in three relief appearances. He has an ERA of 2.25 with four walks and four strikeouts.

Welcome to the 2026 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2026. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. The “Ranking” is an organizing principle that’s drawn from Baseball Reference’s WAR (rWAR). It’s not something the staff debated. We’ll begin with the player with the lowest rWAR and end up with the player with the highest.

No. 40, Tanner Gordon (-0.2 rWAR)

Tanner Gordon appeared in 24 games for the Colorado Rockies in 2026, making 12 starts and finishing with a 1-6 record, 6.68 ERA, and 1.66 WHIP across 103.2 innings. His season was worth -0.2 rWAR.

For the second consecutive season, Gordon struggled to find consistent success at the major-league level. In fact, his 2026 numbers looked remarkably similar to those from 2025.

Statistic	2025	2026
G/GS	15/15	24/12
IP	75.1	103.2
ERA	6.33	6.68
WHIP	1.50	1.66
xERA	5.88	5.16
K%	18.4%	18.0%
BB%	5.0%	5.1%
Barrel%	11.5%	11.0%
Hard-hit%	41.2%	43.1%
Groundball%	35.3%	33.1%

Despite the similar results, Gordon did make some adjustments.

Gordon reduced his four-seam usage from 52.8% to 43.1%, incorporated his curveball more frequently, and added 2.6 mph to his slider. His chase rate climbed from 27.1% to 31.3%, while his whiff rate improved from 18.0% to 21.7%. His expected ERA also dropped from 5.88 to 5.16.

Those numbers moved in the right direction, but the improvements weren’t enough to substantially change Gordon’s overall effectiveness. Gordon continued to struggle with strikeouts, hard contact, and keeping the ball on the ground. Despite the adjustments, his actual ERA increased.

One thing that hadn’t changed was Gordon’s ability to avoid walks. Unfortunately, getting the baseball into the strike zone and keeping hitters from doing damage against it proved to be two very different things.

A season of changing roles

Gordon opened the season in long relief.

His April 15 debut against Houston was encouraging: four scoreless innings, two hits, one walk, and four strikeouts.

Five days later, against the Dodgers, Gordon surrendered six earned runs over four innings, including three home runs. He also committed a fielding error, threw a wild pitch, and walked three hitters in a 12-3 loss.

On May 19 against Texas, Gordon replaced starter Sammy Peralta with two outs and the bases loaded in the first inning. With help from Willi Castro’s defense, he escaped the jam without allowing another run.

That reprieve didn’t last long. Texas scored three runs against Gordon in the second inning, all with two outs, as Brandon Nimmo, Ezequiel Duran, and Jake Burger delivered RBI singles. Nimmo added a two-run homer in the fourth, and Gordon eventually worked 6.1 innings, allowing seven earned runs on 12 hits while walking just one batter.

Six days later, Gordon joined the rotation, making his first start of the year against the Dodgers. He allowed just one run over five innings, although it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing.

The Dodgers put their leadoff hitter aboard in four of Gordon’s five innings. In the third, he allowed the first three hitters to reach, including an RBI double by Kiké Hernández and a walk to Shohei Ohtani.

With runners at first and second, nobody out, and Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman coming to the plate, Gordon was in serious trouble.

Instead, he retired Betts on a flyout and induced an inning-ending double play from Freeman.

Gordon escaped another jam in the fourth and retired the final five hitters he faced. The Rockies eventually lost 5-3, but Gordon had given them a chance to win.

He remained in the rotation until a right hip impingement interrupted his season in early June. Gordon returned June 30 and continued starting through July 10.

His July 5 outing against San Francisco was particularly ugly. Gordon allowed four home runs and five earned runs in five innings despite striking out seven hitters. Rafael Devers accounted for two of those home runs, both against Gordon’s four-seamer, including a 463-foot blast.

Five days later, Gordon faced the Giants again, this time in San Francisco. Devers homered off him for the third time in less than a week, but Gordon escaped with just one run allowed over five innings despite surrendering eight hits.

Gordon then returned to long relief, providing 5.2 innings of one-run baseball against Cincinnati on July 19. After a rougher appearance against Tampa Bay on August 3, he tossed four scoreless innings against San Francisco on August 15.

The Rockies returned him to the rotation on August 21, but his first outing back wasn’t encouraging. Cleveland collected nine hits and five earned runs over 5.1 innings, with Gordon issuing two walks.

Five days later, Gordon delivered his best start of the season against Washington. Dylan Crews tripled with two outs in the first, but Gordon retired Daylen Lile to strand him. Andrés Chaparro led off the second with a solo homer, and the Nationals threatened again in the fourth.

With runners at second and third and two outs, Gordon got Harry Ford to ground out, escaping without another run.

He settled in from there, retiring 10 of his final 12 hitters and completing seven innings with six hits, one earned run, five strikeouts, and no walks.

Gordon followed that performance with another strong outing, holding Baltimore to one run over five innings on August 31.

He finished August with a 3.82 ERA and 1.17 WHIP across 30.2 innings, walking just three batters. It was his most productive month, although his struggles against Tampa Bay and Cleveland showed that the improvement wasn’t entirely consistent.

September was a different story. Gordon allowed 26 earned runs on 40 hits in just 15.0 innings, producing a 15.60 ERA and 3.20 WHIP. His final two starts were particularly brutal, beginning with seven earned runs on 10 hits over three innings against San Diego on September 17.

A week later, Arizona opened the game with seven consecutive baserunners, scoring six runs before Gordon recorded an out. Gabriel Moreno launched a three-run homer, Geraldo Perdomo tripled, and Nolan Arenado capped the barrage with a two-run shot.

Arizona added two runs in the second and two more charged to Gordon in the fourth. He finished with 10 earned runs on 12 hits and four walks in just 3.1 innings.

After allowing two earned runs over 12 innings in his final two August starts, Gordon surrendered 17 in 6.1 innings to close the season.

Command is more than avoiding walks

Gordon was exceptionally good at one thing in 2026: avoiding walks. His 5.1% walk rate ranked in the 96th percentile among MLB pitchers.

When the walks did come, however, so did the damage.

He issued multiple walks in just five of his 24 appearances. Every one of those outings resulted in at least five earned runs, and together they accounted for 33 of his 77 earned runs, nearly 43% of his season total.

Limiting walks didn’t guarantee a good outing. Gordon was knocked around several times while issuing one or fewer free passes, including May 19 against Texas.

Of course, command involves more than avoiding walks. Getting the baseball into the strike zone is one thing. Consistently locating pitches where hitters have difficulty doing damage is another.

Gordon’s results illustrate that distinction. His 18.0% strikeout rate ranked in the 18th percentile, while his 21.7% whiff rate placed him in the 22nd. His 43.1% hard-hit rate ranked in the 14th percentile, and his 11.0% barrel rate fell in the fourth.

Opponents hit .368 and slugged .637 against his four-seamer, which accounted for 10 of the 21 home runs he allowed. His Baseball Savant zone chart shows where hitters were particularly productive.

Opponents produced a .600 wOBA against pitches in the middle-middle portion of the strike zone and .546 against those in the upper-middle portion.

Gordon’s September 24 start against Arizona showed just how quickly poor fastball location could become a problem.

Facing Arenado in the first inning, Gordon opened with a 90.2 mph four-seamer that missed above the strike zone.

His second four-seamer missed even higher, putting Gordon behind 2-0 without challenging Arenado in the strike zone.

Now behind in the count, Gordon threw a third consecutive four-seamer, this one at 93.7 mph in the upper half of the zone. Arenado turned on it for a 419-foot, two-run home run.

Compare that sequence with Gordon’s August 26 start against Washington, when he faced Jacob Young in the third inning. Once again, Gordon threw three consecutive four-seam fastballs. This time, however, he consistently located them down and toward the edges of the strike zone.

His first fastball, at 90.9 mph, caught the lower portion of the zone for strike one.

The second was even lower, a 91.0 mph four-seamer featuring 19.2 inches of induced vertical break that put Gordon ahead 0-2.

Gordon finished with a 93.4 mph four-seamer toward the outer edge. Initially called a ball, the pitch became strike three after catcher Hunter Goodman successfully challenged the ruling.

All three fastballs against Young featured greater induced vertical break and horizontal movement than Gordon’s season averages. But the most noticeable difference between the two sequences was location.

Against Arenado, Gordon missed the zone with his first two fastballs, fell behind, and watched his third leave the ballpark. Against Young, he established the strike zone immediately, stayed around its edges, and recorded a three-pitch strikeout without the batter taking a swing.

These are just two plate appearances, but they highlight a larger issue that followed Gordon throughout the season.

Gordon could throw strikes. Too often, he threw strikes hitters could punish.

A better fit in the bullpen?

Gordon’s results varied considerably depending on his role.

Statistic	Starter	Reliever
Appearances	12	12
IP	55.1	48.1
ERA	7.97	5.21
WHIP	1.97	1.30

He was more effective in relief, although his 5.21 ERA was hardly outstanding.

Gordon also wasn’t working as a conventional one-inning reliever. He averaged roughly four innings per relief appearance, and his average start wasn’t much longer.

The relief appearances came under different circumstances, often with Colorado already trailing, so the split doesn’t establish that he would succeed in a permanent bullpen role. It does, however, suggest that bulk relief may be a more practical role than a regular rotation assignment.

His performance also differed dramatically by ballpark.

Gordon posted a 9.25 ERA at Coors Field, allowing 17 home runs in 59.1 innings. On the road, his ERA fell to 3.25, with four home runs allowed in 44.1 innings.

Even away from Colorado, however, opponents hit .302 against him.

Final thoughts

Gordon enters his age-29 season in 2027 with three years of major-league experience and many of the same limitations that have defined his career.

His ability to limit walks and cover multiple innings provides some utility, but his results have remained largely unchanged despite adjustments to his repertoire. His performance in relief was better than as a starter, although neither role produced particularly encouraging results.

At No. 40 in our rankings, Gordon sits on the fringes of two areas the Rockies desperately need to improve: their starting rotation and bullpen.

How many innings Gordon pitches in 2027, and in which role, might ultimately say as much about Colorado’s progress in addressing those weaknesses as it does about Gordon himself.

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This week, Jake and Scott are joined by MLB.com writer and host of the Dealin’ The Cards Podcast, Josh Jacobs! In this episode, we talk about several topics, including how Josh was able to grind his way to a writing role with MLB.com, and how he, along with Sandy and Andrew, built the Dealin’ The Cards podcast up into the juggernaut competitor that it is today. We also hit on everyone’s favorite areas of the roster to debate this offseason: third base, center field, and the pitching staff.

Tomorrow, I will be posting my conversation with Cardinals Assistant General Manager and Head of International Scouting Moises Rodriguez and special guest host Tyler Gettinger, AKA Redbird Farmhands, to discuss all the exciting things that are happening from an international scouting perspective in the organization! We will also be joined by Cardinals Pitching Prospect Jacob Odle and Kyle Reis, Bernie Miklasz the following week, and then we’re kicking off the offseason in November with Cardinals beat writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Derrick Goold! It may be the offseason, but I’m committed to bringing you guys mid-season form content!

Chapters List:
00:23 Introduction and Guest Introduction
01:41 Josh’s Journey to MLB.com
04:15 Building a Successful Podcast
10:11 Cardinals Offseason Strategies
10:48 Balancing Short-Term and Long-Term Goals
15:26 Fan Expectations and Team Performance
20:07 Addressing the Bullpen Concerns
26:18 Exploring Center Field Options
37:19 Trade Talks: Evaluating Jimmy Crooks’ Value
39:50 Prospects vs. Rentals: The Case for Brandon Marsh
43:07 Long-Term Planning: The Future of the Cardinals’ Roster
46:58 Pitching Depth: Exploring Trade Opportunities
52:19 Building a Competitive Bullpen: Free Agent Strategies

YouTube:

Spotify:

No Transcript today; there will be one tomorrow for Moises Rodriguez to serve as my “Tuesday Article.”

-Thanks for listening

The Detroit Tigers bullpen destroyed their 2026 season. That much is clear. It was clear in May when, racked with injuries and badly needing to win some games without having to put up 5-6 runs, the bullpen coughed up lead after lead. Things were a little better in June and July, but by mid-August, just as they’d fought their way back into the divisional race, the offense sputtered again and the bullpen just could not win even an average amount of games in which they held slim leads in the eighth and ninth innings. Losing the majority of close games is a pretty terrible recipe for success.

The Tigers held the second worst record in baseball in one-run games. They had 31 blown saves, second most in the major leagues behind the Washington Nationals. Their Jekyll and Hyde offensive nature is another issue to be confronted, but at the same time streakiness is natural for all but a truly elite offense. Top teams still manage to win their share of those low scoring games with clutch relief work and some timely run scoring. Will the Tigers start to bunt and run more next year as they showed in September? We’ll see. At least they finally are starting to build up the type of players who can successfully play multiple styles of offense. A more versatile offense would certainly help as well, but it’s the disastrous high leverage relief work that really did them in this season.

So while yes, the Tigers have needed another good, low strikeout bat the past two seasons (hey Alex Bregman), and have got to a better job putting the ball in play in high leverage spots, the overwhelming issue this season is the lack of good high leverage relievers. Somewhat ironically considering the, AJ Hinch as slave to analytics, complaints, this is the least sabermetric-minded roster construction possible. A terrible bullpen mocks WAR numbers and run differential, and yet the Tigers have seemed much more focused on their starting rotation rather than emphasizing winning the high leverage battles that generally go to the team with the better pen.

How the plan went awry

Will Vest should have been the guy again this year, but he was pretty clearly never right and eventually succumbed to his injuries. That’s par for the course for relievers even more so than starting pitchers. It’s hard to get elite production out of any reliever year after year, and that’s why consistently great closers are so pricey in free agency in WAR terms. Drew Sommers could be a guy like that next year, but he’s only recently figured out how to command his fastball-slider combination and is just getting his first exposure to high leverage situations over the past six weeks.

Beyond those two it’s just been a mix of low strikeout middle relievers, veteran Swiss Army knife Tyler Holton, and another group of Scott Harris and Jeff Greenberg failures in free agency like Kenley Jansen, Kyle Finnegan, and Drew Anderson, who were downright terrible at holding leads. Anderson at least redeemed himself by performing better as a starter when he had the opportunity, but in relief he was a mess in a setup role when tasked with holding leads, and never really worked his way into the circle of trust for high leverage work late in games.

One of the strangest moments of Harris and Hinch’s end of the season presser was hearing Harris say that they used Kenley Jansen in high leverage situations too often. This seemed a bit rich, and by the look on his face Hinch agreed, considering that Harris signed him to close games and didn’t really provide any other options beyond Vest. The problem wasn’t using Jensen too often. The problem was doing a poor job at developing relief options over his first three years here, leaving Harris little choice but to try and sign a bunch of free agent relievers last offseason just to hold things together. And, instead of prioritizing a top arm to go with Vest, they took the bulk approach, hoping someone in the group would solve the problem. Just like their grab bag of arms including Chris Paddack, Charlie Morton, Rafael Montero, and Kyle Finnegan at the 2025 trade deadline, they never did.

The question is how to fix this. With Harris showing minimal interest in the trade market, and unlikely to pursue top relievers in free agency, most of this is going to have to be accomplished internally. The lockout and CBA fight coming this offseason make it very hard to see the Tigers doing much until we see how everything shakes out. Even then there are only a few high end relievers headed to free agency, and competition will be fierce for them.

The problem is that they still don’t have that much to offer internally either. Drew Sommers has shown he’s good enough to handle high leverage work. He posted one of the highest strikeout rates in baseball in the second half, and we can hope that in year two he’ll settle in and play a major role in the late innings. The Tigers might get a healthy Will Vest back next year, which would help. Beyond that there isn’t much of note in the upper levels in the system to help them. We’re not just talking about triple digit flamethrowers here either. Just guys that by whatever means, strike out a lot of hitters and can smother a lineup for an inning when the pressure is at its highest.

Harris opined in that press conference that eventually the Tigers will have so much starting pitching that they’ll spill over good arms into the bullpen. That’s certainly part of how successful teams build their bullpens, but that’s pretty cold comfort considering Harris has had four years to address the issue already and still doesn’t have a top 100 pitching prospect of his own in the upper minor leagues.

Down on the Farm

The flaw in the program is partly tied to the emphasis on high school arms. Just about all the Tigers big pitching draft picks from 2023-2025 were high schoolers, with a smattering of college/JUCO arms in the mix. Every single one of these guys has seen the beginning of their pro careers seriously derailed by injury. If we play the long game here this might all work out with a huge flow of pitching talent to the major leagues eventually, but it certainly isn’t imminent in 2027.

We finally saw progress on this front in the summer months as former top picks like Owen Hall, Michael Massey, Cale Wetwiska, and Paul Wilson returned to action over the course of the season. They were rusty, but the velocity and raw stuff was pretty much as advertised. Massey in particular looks like an ideal relief prospect with a really impressive riding fastball and breaking stuff. Wetwiska is another sleeper pick with a really good heater and quality breaking pitches. 20-year-old Australian RHP Alistair Tanner might be another in time, although he’s further away and ended the season on the injured list. If the Tigers choose to move Massey and Wetwiska pretty quickly into the Double-A Erie SeaWolves bullpen next year, they might move very quickly to the Show despite limited experience in pro ball so far. Both are college arms, in contrast to Hall and Wilson, but for now they’re still some distance from the major leagues.

At this point, the Tigers actually do have a really nice crop of pitching prospects developing, but top arms like 2026 breakout LHP Ben Jacobs, 2026 RHP first rounder Cameron Flukey, and nasty young right-hander Kelvis Salcedo, and I can name several more, will just be looking to break into the Double-A level next year with Jacobs leading the way and probably starting the season there. He has a chance to reach the major leagues sometime later in the 2027 season if all goes well, though the Tigers are fairly flush in southpaws already and Jacobs isn’t really an obvious comversion candidate.

In the upper minors, things come down to lefty Andrew Sears, who we saw briefly late in the season, and right-hander Lucas Elissalt, who reached Double-A this year. Neither profiles as a high leverage, closer type of arm. Still, those two starters may end up converted to relief if the Tigers don’t need them stashed in Triple-A Toledo as starting depth. We’re still waiting on a sustained velocity bump from Elissalt.

In terms of pure relievers in the upper minors? The only homegrown name of interest is Moises Rodriguez, who does feature a great sinker that touches 100 mph. He’s 24 now, and didn’t really make any tangible progress with his breaking stuff and command in 2026, but he does have potential at least. Beyond him, the Tigers have tried to take advantage of other teams’ 40-man roster crunches, which sometimes force international pitching prospects off rosters prematurely.

They claimed 26-year-old RHP Yilber Diaz, who we saw in Detroit, from the Diamondbacks back in July. They claimed 23-year-old right-hander Yoniel Curet from the Phillies back in April. They signed 30-year-old RHP Wandisson Charles to a minor league deal last offseason as well. All three have the stuff to be late innings relievers, but have not been able to refine their control enough to be reliable at the major league level. Charles at least finally cut his walks this year, but again, he’s 30 and has been stalled just short of the major league level for years. There’s nothing at all to count on here, just some lottery ticket arms to hope on. The unfortunate truth is that relief prospects are a complete crapshoot outside of the rare high end pure relief talent. The Tigers have been waiting on RHP Tyler Mattison, for example, for years now.

There are some issues in player development that need work to build their own killer bullpen eventually. The Tigers went the whole year without a dedicated director of pitching in the farm system after Gabe Ribas left to join the Colorado Rockies last offseason. They continue to struggle to develop velocity, while other teams’ bullpens are stacked up with guys throwing 98+, and their track record at keeping pitchers healthy has been pretty abysmal, though some of that may be related to the heavily prep oriented draft classes they’ve produced.

The point is, the arm talent is present in the system now beyond the names already mentioned. Kash Mayfield, Brady Smith, Charlie Christensen, Jhonan Coba, Carlos Rodriguez…we could go on, but they’re all still in A-ball. The Tigers may have a lot of talent to draw on in 2028-2029, but there still just isn’t much coming down the pipeline next year.

How to build a better bullpen in 2027

First of all let’s hope the owners don’t tank the season trying to force a salary cap in the next CBA. Assuming we have a normal season, there are things the Tigers can do to get a better relief corp together in 2027.

Harris is correct that a surplus of starting pitchers is one of the fastest ways to build up a bullpen. With Framber Valdez, Jackson Jobe, Keider Montero, Troy Melton, River Ryan, Reese Olson, Drew Anderson, and Andrew Sears all as options for the 2027 starting rotation, they may be able to draw on an arm or two to help out. Of course, we’re talking pitching here so assuming that we aren’t going to lose 1-3 of these guys to injury for a significant part of the 2027 season would be unwise.

Were the Tigers to add another starter, particularly a right-hander like Anderson with the stuff to get strikeouts, that would certainly help by allowing them to use one of their hard-throwing starters, like Troy Melton or River Ryan, in the bullpen. The issue is that the Tigers have shown no sign of prioritizing the bullpen in the Harris years. It’s always been an afterthought, and they seem dead set on using both of those pitchers in the rotation. That’s understandable, they have the deep pitch mix to be top shelf starting pitchers, but the argument for getting “more WAR value” out of a guy because he’s racking up a big volume of innings, is undercut by the crucial importance of having dominant arms who can get the last nine outs of a game with a lead. Having two Drew Anderson caliber guys in the bullpen instead just doesn’t move the needle the same way at all, even if it allows you to have a somewhat better rotation.

Another option, which is hard to discuss in any depth right now because of impending lockout and CBA fight, is to hunt for teams with a need to trim payroll, or who have top relievers whose team control is down to one year and try to trade for them. Are the Phillies staying all in next year or do they finally have to take a step back? Jhoan Duran is a free agent after the 2027 season. Could the Tigers go trade for him? Not until the Phillies see how the CBA shakes out first, if even then. Dombrowski, Harper, and company aren’t very likely to throw in the towel just yet. And of course this would require Harris to part with precious prospects and aggressively trade for upgrades, which he’s shown zero willingness to do.

Finally, there’s free agency. Padres hard-throwing lefty Adrian Morejon and Yankees closer RHP David Bednar lead the list of free agent relievers. Morejon was banged up to end the year, and the Yankees are rumored to be considering making Bednar the qualifying offer, so it’s possible neither are appealing for those reasons, but there are some other talented arms available.

It would be nice to see the Tigers not settle for the trick pitch types like Tommy Kahnle and Kenley Jansen, and really go get a killer arm in free agency. They’ll have money to work with, but it’s certainly fair to be skeptical of free agent relievers, and of the Tigers ability to do what the Rays, Brewers, and others routinely do, which is find an undervalued, underperforming pitcher that they have solutions for. That’s the way this is best accomplished, and it doesn’t bode well for Scott Harris and the Tigers long-term that his front office has shown minimal ability to compete with smarter teams in acquiring and fixing up flawed pitchers from less skilled teams. Hopefully, Sommers is the start of a trend and they figure this out.

Hope for 2027

I’m sure none of this sounds terribly promising. The Tigers will be bringing back a pretty good roster in all other regards but the bullpen. They should be right back in the thick of contention in the AL Central. If the bullpen costs them a ton of games again, then heads are going to have to roll in the organization.

From year to year, bullpens are pretty fungible. It’s very likely the Tigers could run it back with the same guys and still blow a lot fewer leads. Outside of Vest, they really haven’t had much in the way of top high leverage relievers the past three years, and yet the bullpens in 2024 and 2025 did a far better job avoiding blown saves. They only blew 21 in 2025, and in 2024 they blew 26. Neither mark is good, but blowing 31 games is hard to do without bad luck playing a role. By ERA and FIP, the Tigers had a middle of the pack bullpen this season, and they shouldn’t have much trouble doing that again. Better high leverage work should follow, but there’s no guarantee and they need to aim a lot higher than than just hoping to put an average bullpen out there.

Even those happy thoughts and statistical norms only get the Tigers back to having a middle to low tier bullpen. That might be enough to get back to the postseason, but you just don’t see many teams go deep in the postseason without a crew of pretty talented relief arms.

The Detroit Tigers really need to make this their number one priority. Sure, we’d love a good right-handed bat added to the mix, but the offense scored plenty of runs as they are in 2026. From player development and pro scouting, to the analysts, to the training staff, coaches, manager, and front office, they’ve got to take a very cold, sober assessment as to why they aren’t developing pitching as well as top teams, nor landing the right free agent targets in free agency or trades.

They should be able to do better than they did in 2026 with relative ease, but they have to set their sights a lot higher if they’re going to avoid wasting more seasons. Tarik Skubal is gone, and players like Riley Greene and Dillon Dingler aren’t going to be around, or at least playing at this caliber, forever. They need to stop shooting themselves in the foot through bullpen neglect, and get it together now, not a year or two down the road when hopefully they’ll start producing a steady supply of good homegrown arms.