Category: MLB

Something had to give with Brayan Bello in the early days of summer.

After a handful of bad starts throughout the first few months of the year were interspersed with a few strong bulk appearances out of the bullpen, the right-handed pitcher absolutely imploded during a rubber game on Thursday, June 4, at Fenway Park. The Baltimore Orioles immediately jumped on him for a six pack of earned runs in the first inning. Bello eventually coughed up another pair of runs—both earned—to end with a line of seven hits and three walks surrendered across five frames. He hit one guy with a pitch, too, in case you needed any extra convincing as to how bad of a game it was for number 66.

It was the straw (or, I suppose group of eight straws?) that broke the camel’s back. Bello’s ERA on the year had ballooned to 6.34 across 61 innings following that loss to the O’s, which was actually the second instance in the first half where Baltimore charged him for eight earned. He wasn’t working deep enough into games, and he had made his frustrations with that fact clear on at least one public occasion. He was adamant that his struggles as a starter (and his relative successes as a reliever) were not indicative of any trends, per The Athletic.

“First of all, just stop talking about bullpen and starting games. I’ve always been a starter, and when I’ve been successful as a starter, no one asks your question (about) whether I have to be in the bullpen or starting games. So, just starting from there, just stop that talk, because I’m just having a bad season…I know that I can turn it around.”

Not exactly the type of stuff you want to see or hear from the guy who figured to be playing an important role in your pennant aspirations, as evidenced by the eight-figure deal that he was given a few years ago.

CBO Craig Breslow must’ve agreed, because he made a drastic decision soon after the most recent Bello blowup: the 27-year-old was being sent back down to the minors. As he explained via MassLive…

“But one of the things that we messaged to him was, when I first got here, he was a guy who had this big personality. He always had a smile on his face, interacting with his teammates and you could tell loved to compete and loved to pitch. And I think we’ve lost that a little bit where he was putting a ton of pressure on himself go out and perform. So one of the things we asked him to do was to fall in love with baseball all over again—to go down, to compete. But to kind of remember why he loved playing this game.”

As we all know by now, that trip to and from Worcester must’ve ironed something out in Bello’s game. He came back with a vengeance about a month after his early June disaster. After surrendering eight earned runs in five innings on June 4 prior to his demotion, Bello gave up a total of eight earned runs in 33.2 innings across nine appearances between July 12 and August 29 (and half of those eight runs came in that August 29 game against the Yankees). As OTM’s very own Jacob Roy (probably the smartest guy you could read on here—certainly smarter than me, that’s for sure) pointed out a few months back, Bello was able to tweak his pitch mix and deliver with more velocity—which is especially interesting since he’s never been a notable velo guy—en route to cutting his walk rate down and notching his strikeout rate up. It was complete night and day stuff, and it came not a moment too soon.

It’s gotta be easier to fall back in love with the game once you’re cookin’ again, right? It’s an unfair game at times, baseball, but it’s got to be like a drug once you find your groove again. Bello’s a guy who can wear his heart on his sleeve, so it was a pleasure to see him back in his element. Distance makes the heart grow fonder; I wonder if that stint with the WooSox helped Bello appreciate the big moments where he was able to deliver for the big club even more.

After a terrible start to the season, Bello was able to get his ERA down to 4.33 and his ERA+ up to 94. Those aren’t impressive numbers at face value, sure, but they’re more indicative of the strides he was able to make after his stint in AAA. He deserves a ton of credit for bouncing back in the manner that he did; I’m proud that he was able to do that for us. How Bello can build on this rebound in 2027 and beyond remains to be seen, but he was able to salvage something from 2026 at the very least. His attitude changed alongside his performance, too.

I thought it while it happened, and it’s worth repeating now: Maybe that option down to Worcester was the best thing that could’ve happened to Brayan Bello this year.

Good morning, baseball fans!

The 2026 San Francisco Giants season was not the greatest, but that doesn’t mean it was devoid of highlights.

As we begin to fully reflect on the season that was, let’s start today with a highlight montage put together by the team’s social media team showing every walk-off from the season. The video is…not very long. But still! Worth remembering that it wasn’t all doom and gloom in the 2026 season.

What was your favorite walk-off moment from this season?

Bobby Witt Jr was named a finalist for AL MVP.

Witt, 26, joins Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero and Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez as finalists. The AL MVP is voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Witt finished second for the 2024 AL MVP. And in 2025, he was fourth behind eventual winner and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge.

This season, Witt hit .281 with 157 hits, 33 doubles, 18 home runs and 54 RBIs. He also appeared in 143 games while posting a 6.7 WAR (wins above replacement).

Perla Paredes at MLB dot com gave an overview of Witt’s case.

At the plate, Witt led qualified AL shortstops with a .281 batting average, .441 slugging percentage and 33 doubles. He also finished with 18 home runs, 94 runs scored and 157 hits while posting a .359 on-base percentage and an .800 OPS.

Although his offensive numbers were more modest than in previous seasons, Witt showed greater patience at the plate, drawing a career-high 67 walks, surpassing his previous high of 57 in 2024.

While Alvarez and Caminero each showcased their power with 42 home runs this season, Witt strengthened his MVP case with his elite defense at shortstop.

Carson Roccaforte nabbed a minor league gold glove award.

Roccaforte made difficult plays look routine and had a nose for making the spectacular play. The Kansas City Royals’ 2023 Competitive Balance Round B selection logged 320 putouts in the field between two levels, with 13 outfield assists, while posting a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.

Roccaforte, 24, joins Nick Pratto as the only Naturals in club history to claim the honor. Pratto won the award in 2021 with a .998 fielding at first base. Other Naturals who were MiLB Gold Glovers before they reached Northwest Arkansas include INF Michael Massey (2021) and LHP Frank Mozzicato (2024), both of whom achieved the honor with High-A Quad Cities.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Keep had an AFL recap.

Here are the finalists for the other major MLB awards.

The rest of the minor league gold glove winners.

Here are all the players who received a qualifying offer, including NLCS hero Jake Bauers.

The Contemporary Baseball Era committee announced 8 finalists for the Hall of Fame (non-players).

From MLBTR, here are the top 50 free agents with contract predictions.

FanGraphs also has their top 50 free agents with contract predictions.

Japanese free agents must sign by December 1 or skip 2027.

The pitch-rigging trial of Emmanuel Clase has begun with jury selection.

World Series viewership was down compared to last year but way better than 2023’s DBacks-Rangers World Series (I honestly forgot those two teams played in a World Series this decade).

Andy Reid talked about the loss to the Broncos.

Why my guys Brighton are a Premier League title contender.

Which World Cup investments in Kansas City will pay off well beyond the cup ending?

Your song of the day is The Aquabats! with Look at Me (I’m a Winner)!

Grant Wolfram came to the Orioles in April 2025 in a minor trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. He made his Major League debut at that month at the age of 28. He ultimately appeared in 21 games for the Orioles over three separate stints. He ended the year with a 5.40 ERA and mostly seemed like the kind of pitcher we didn’t need to pay much attention to.

Then he made the 2026 Opening Day roster and somehow became a fixture in the team’s bullpen. He spent the entire season with the big league club and made 60 appearances, becoming a go-to lefty with the loss of Keegan Akin to injury. And while his overall numbers (4.30 ERA, 1.318 WHIP) were underwhelming, to say the least, he was a pitcher that had runs of effectiveness over the season.

The funny thing about Wolfram appearing in 60 games, which was the third-most on the team after Rico Garcia and Yennier Cano, is that he was pretty unmemorable. If you asked me to name the guys in the bullpen, I’d probably get to him after Garcia, Cano, Andrew Kittredge, and Albert Suárez. But he was really a big part of the team!

Wolfram made 16 appearances through the team’s first 37 games. His ERA in that span was an unsightly 4.85. It was only 13 innings, so just a blip. But not a good first impression for the season!

The 4.85 ERA wasn’t really fair to him, though, as his FIP was a minuscule 0.95. If you’re not as familiar with FIP, it’s a stat that tries to remove defense from the equation when measuring a pitcher’s effectiveness. As you may recall, the Orioles were really bad on defense this year. And if FIP is to be believed, Wolfram was a major victim in the first part of the season.

Across those 16 games with mismatched ERA and FIP, Wolfram pitched 13 innings, recording 20 strikeouts and just one walk. He gave up no homers, which is good, but nine extra-base hits, which is bad. His BABIP was .500(!) in that span, so he got very unlucky.

I’m singling out his first 16 games because after that, on May 6th, Wolfram went on the Injured List with a lower back strain. Luckily, he needed just the minimum stay to recover and after that was healthy for the rest of the season.

Upon his return, Wolfram continued to pitch well without always getting great results in the ERA column. In June he held opposing batters to a .182/.250/.212 hitting line. In July, it was .154/.303/.308. In July, he allowed his first home run of the season. But still, his ERA stayed above 4.00. In June and July combined, Wolfram had a 4.15 ERA. Nearly all of that came in a stretch of three games when Wolfram allowed six runs. Overall, he appeared in 22 games in June and July and allowed zero runs in 18 of those.

That’s how Wolfram’s season went for the most part. He’d look good for long stretches, then allow two or three runs in one outing to completely skew the stat line. He gave up runs in just 13 of his 60 games pitched, but nine of those were multi-run outings.

So where did Wolfram go right in 2026? He is a lefty pitcher who can dial up the radar gun to over 95 mph. Those sort of pitchers aren’t as rare as they used to be, but still a hot commodity. Especially when that velocity comes with a strikeout per nine of 10.5 and just one home run allowed all season.

Leading into 2026, Keegan Akin was a go-to lefty for the team despite how we all felt about him. He lost that position this year due to injury and became a free agent when the World Series ended. Another lefty who made the 2026 Opening Day roster was Dietrich Enns. Enns was pretty bad and spent most of the season at Triple-A. The Orioles had a team option on him for next year, which they unsurprisingly declined.

There is an entire off-season for things to change, but Wolfram isn’t going anywhere except maybe the minors. He’s got two options remaining. He’s cheap and will be for some time. He’s not young; he turns 30 in December. His main competition in the bullpen currently is Josh Walker.

If Wolfram is good next year, great! If he’s bad, it’s really no big whoop as long as the Orioles have enough depth to withstand the blow. That’s the nature of the bullpen. So good luck to Grant Wolfram! He was okay in 2026, maybe he’ll be okay in 2027.

Hello BCBers, another substitute author for Cub Tracks, hoping you’ll bear with me for a handful of days this week! As you might imagine, the first days of November aren’t always flush with news stories, but we’ve got some Cub updates below (some that you might already know from visiting the site this week). Let’s just get right into it!

• Just as expected, Pete Crow-Armstrong is a finalist (and many would argue a frontrunner) for the NL MVP award.

• The Cubs have agreed to a one-year contract with right-handed pitcher Jacob Webb. Webb had a decent season with the Cubs in 2026, with a 3.36 ERA out of the bullpen, and appearing in 68 games.

They’ve also claimed pitcher Eric Orze off of waivers. Orze, who most recently pitched for the Minnesota Twins, is a bit more of a gamble. He had a 5.66 ERA in 2026 with 36 appearances. He only has three years of major league experience, so it should be interesting to see what he brings to the Cubs’ bullpen.

• Seiya Suzuki is one of eight major league players to receive a one-year qualifying offer worth $23.15 million. He joins prominent names like Randy Arozarena and Jake Bauers, but of course an offer is no guarantee of an acceptance. In fact, every year more qualifying offers are rejected than accepted. Last season, of the 13 offers extended, only four were accepted. And with only eight offers extended this season, it will be interesting to see if Seiya or the others accept. Typically, players want to try their luck on the free agent market, and the four offers accepted last season were actually an all-time high since 2012. Usually, very few, or none of the offers are accepted. Time will tell!
• According to Jeff Passan, the Cubs are one of four teams that are openly expressing interest in signing free agent pitching superstar Tarik Skubal. The Cubs badly need starting pitching, and who would be better to bolster their rotation than one of the best pitchers in the entire sport? Sadly, Passan elaborates, saying, “The Chicago Cubs badly want Skubal. They also are skeptical that they will be willing to compete at the sort of dollars Skubal is expected to get — well in excess of $300 million, potentially in the $400 million-plus range.” So don’t get your hopes too high on seeing Skubal in Chicago next season.

Food For Thought:

The end of October marks the end of one of my favorite online trends that has happened every year for the past (I believe) seven years. A content creator named Geo Rutherford, who started out on TikTok but has since branched out to multiple platforms, puts out her yearly “Spooky Lakes Month” video series. For each day of the month of October, she spotlights a different natural phenomenon based around water, or as she puts it, “haunted hydrology.” More than just lakes get the focus, as she teaches viewers about natural disasters, interesting places, and fascinating stories related to nature—or what happens when humans try to control nature.

Rutherford is also an artist and a writer, and has used her Spooky Lakes Month series to release two educational books: Spooky Lakes and Spooky Rivers, as well as coloring books and more. Her videos are fun and informative, and each one begins with her signature greeting of “Um, yes, hello.” It has become something her regular viewers and fans look forward to every year.

If you’ve never had a chance to enjoy Geo’s irreverent videos, I’ll include a couple here, and she has several years worth that can be revisited on her social media pages.

Good morning, Purple Row!

Here’s what’s going on with the Colorado Rockies and the rest of Major League Baseball.

Rockies news & links

Rockies new pitching coach Ethan Katz faces tall task in reviving Colorado’s struggling arms | Denver Post ($)

As we reported yesterday afternoon, the Rockies announced that Ethan Katz will be their new pitching coach. In his article, Newman reviews Katz’s history and notes the challenges he will face in coaching for the Rockies given the team’s history, lack of rotational depth, and challenging environment.

New White Sox pitching coach Ethan Katz is in constant contact with his starters | The Athletic ($ — gift link)

Yesterday, sdcarp shared this in the comments, but I found it instructive even though this article was written in 2021. It provides a sense of how Katz works (or did then) as a coach. Also, he has an impressive list of players he’s coached.

And, FYI

Picking every MLB team’s MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year in 2026 | Bleacher Report

Hunter Goodman, Tomoyuki Sugano, and TJ Rumfield, come on down!

As for me, I’ll have an article up later today on some technology the Rockies are using in addition to Catapult.

Accolades

TJ Rumfield may have been denied the Gold Glove or even playing in the NL Rookie of the Year voting, but let’s take a minute to appreciate the work of Ethan Hedges (No. 29 PuRP).

Around MLB

2026-27 top 50 free agents with predictions | MLB Trade Rumors

If there’s a page I return to (often) in the offseason, it’s this one: MLB Trade Rumors free-agent rankings. They are generally pretty good in their estimates, so this is a go-to resource.

BBWAA Awards finalists are announced | MLB.com

TJ Rumfield was robbed, but here are the finalists.

7 storylines to watch as the Hot Stove ignites | MLB.com

If anyone knows what’a happening with the hot stove, it’s Mark Feinsand. Here he says to watch for (among other things) what happens with Tarik Skubal, who gets a qualifying offer, and which Japanese player will emerge as the next Munetaka Murakami.

Top 10 free agent pitchers for the 2026-27 MLB offseason | Just Baseball

Probably, none of these players are signing with the Rockies, but here are the cream of this year’s pitching free-agent crop. First up? You guessed it, Tarik Skubal. He’s followed by Michael King and Freddy Peralta.

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

R1: Walter Johnson

In the biggest landslide since Ronald Reagan in 1980, Walter Johnson was voted the greatest Washington Senator of all time. Had this been a poll for “greatest pitcher of all time”, he’d still have gotten votes. Truly one of the all-time greats.

Up next: Another fleet-footed, defensive-whiz gamer.

Round 2

• Sam Rice (1915-1933): 2,889 H, 479 2B, 183 3B, 346 SB, .323 BA, .804 OPS, 113 OPS+, 54.1 bWAR. An outfielder who hit left-handed but threw right-handed, Rice was the ultimate speed-and-contact player for the Senators. After a stint in the U.S. Navy and a stop with the Petersburg Goobers of the Virginia League, he twice led the league in hits, once in stolen bases, and once in three-baggers. His career hit total—2,987—remains the closest to 3k of any retired player without reaching that milestone, a fact that may have kept him out of the HOF until the Veteran’s Committee voted him aboard in 1963. Perhaps best known for a controversial catch in the 1925 World Series.

• Goose Goslin (1921-1930, 1933, 1938): 1,659 H, 289 2B, 125 3B, 127 HR, 932 RBI, 117 SB, .323 BA, .888 OPS, 131 OPS+, 43.4 bWAR. A farm kid from New Jersey introduced to the sport via town ball, Leon Allen Goslin was given the nickname “Goose” when his penchant for waving his arms while tracking spheres in LF looked waterfowl-ish. Goose ultimately had the last laugh, winning an AL batting crown in 1928 and taking home the RBI distinction in 1924. His game was a mix of powerful contact and a little speed—twice leading the circuit in dashes to 3B. Four times he finished top-10 in AL MVP voting, and his six consecutive hits in the 1924 World Series helped the Senators nab their first title. The HOF Veteran’s Committee inducted him in 1968. A year later, severe abdominal burns from falling asleep on his couch while smoking a cigar led to Goslin’s larynx being removed and his death in 1971.

• Joe Judge (1915-1932): 2,291 H, 421 2B, 157 3B, 210 SB, .299 BA, .802 OPS, 115 OPS+, 48.3 bWAR. As a batsman, Judge was functional and fleet. But in an era known for shoddy defense with bad baseballs and awkward hand-wear, Judge was a consummate glove-man at the first sack. At retirement, he led the American League in fielding percentage, putouts, assists, total chances, & double plays. The kid from Brooklyn—discovered by his block’s postal worker, who gave young Joe his first glove—preserved Walter Johnson’s only MLB no-hitter with a fantastic snare for the final out in 1920. Ironically, he effectively ended the Big Train’s career in 1927 when he smashed a BP bottle-rocket into the hurler’s shin and broke his ankle. Judge died at the age of 68 in 1963 while shoveling snow outside of his D.C. home.

• Buddy Myer (1925-1927, 1929-1941): 1,828 H, 305 2B, 113 3B, 118 SB, .303 BA, .801 OPS, 109 OPS+, 42.3 bWAR. A college baseball star at Mississippi State, Myer was the Nick Punto of his era—bouncing around multiple infield positions as a proto-utility player. At the plate he was known for a keen eye, with OBPs routinely at .370+ (including five .400+ OBP years). Buddy’s 1935 season was his apex, seeing him take home a batting title (.349), score & drive in 100 runs, and finish 4th in MVP voting to slugger Hank Greenberg. Never one to back down from a challenge, the diminutive (5’10”) Myer once brawled with Ben Chapman (surprise, surprise) when Chapman spiked Myer and hurled antisemitic insults at him—leading to fans charging the field and multiple disorderly conduct arrests.

• Clyde Milan (1907-1922): 2,100 H, 1,004 R, 495 SB, .285 BA, .706 OPS, 109 OPS+, 40.8 bWAR. Before Ty Cobb re-wrote the record books for speed on the base paths, Clyde “Deerfoot” Milan was the gold standard of stolen bases. Twice leading the American League in bags swiped (88 in 1912; 75 in 1913), Milan averaged 40 steals per season over his 16-year MLB career. What Clyde lacked in Dead Ball Era power numbers (17 career round-trippers) he made up for by choking up on the lumber and compiling a .353 career on-base percentage. In 1911-1913 he garnered three consecutive top-9 AL MVP finishes. Milan could man all three OF stations and often led the league in assists, double plays & Range Factor. A high error total speaks as much to Clyde’s ability to even have a chance at suppressing more flying spheres than his contemporaries.

Matt Blake was perhaps the Yankees’ highest-profile free agent this year. Consistently considered one of the best pitching coaches in baseball, his tenure since 2020 has seen the development of a star in Cam Schlittler, solid major-league starters like Will Warren and Clarke Schmidt, and perennially delivered a nails bullpen that is markedly cheaper than some of the big-money, volatile closers the club has featured since Mariano Rivera retired.

Blake is great and all reports are that he’s coming back on a new deal to continue his work on Aaron Boone’s staff. Boone himself will manage through the final year of his deal; indeed, as of now, the entire coaching staff* will be in the dugout for whatever the 2027 season looks like. And this makes me ponder.

*Contracts are up on bench coach Brad Ausmus and catching instructor Tanner Swanson, but there are no announcements yet on their departures, though Ausmus is interviewing for jobs in Houston.

I was taken aback by how sternly Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman laid the season at the feet of the players in their offseason Zoom conference. Praise was passed down from Hal to Cashman and further to Boone, with the company line that the players were responsible for what ended up being a pretty disappointing campaign. Perhaps that conference more than any other single event best sums up Cashman’s iron rule over the organization — he and those he selects can do no wrong, and can only be failed by the mercenaries wearing pinstripes.

Don’t overlook Hal’s personal interests as an owner, headed into labor trouble. Steinbrenner confirmed how much of a priority a salary cap is for ownership in the very same presser, and any opportunity to blame players instead of The Yankee Organization is one more lock added to the vault that ownership is trying to put even more money into. Cashman is less directly incentivized to see a salary cap in the league but he’s very incentivized not to publicly cross the only man in the organization that can actually punish him.

There are actual good cases to let some of the coaching staff go though. The Yankees scored 739 runs last year, on the back of a 101 wRC+. That’s 110 runs and 17 points of wRC+ worse than in 2025, and while Aaron Judge only played in half the season, the absence of Judge alone doesn’t explain near teamwide regression:

There are logical answers for some of these — it was always unlikely, even without a broken rib, that Aaron Judge would have another 200 wRC+ season, and José Caballero is just not a 135 true talent. The top-to-bottom decimation of offense still has to be systemic, Ben Rice was the only hitter to take any kind of step forward and we spent all of 2025 screaming that his underlying metrics would yield a better 2026. Everyone else either stalled or got worse.

And there is not a single question about James Rowson apparently coming back as hitting coach. Despite not having scored on the contact play since 1947, Luis Rojas will be back at third base. There has not been a murmur about any changes in coaching, and we’re getting too close to the expiry of the CBA to go through the normal hiring process.

The club was adamant that they were not “running it back” in 2026, despite more or less returning the same roster that saw two guys take steps forward and everyone else step back. It’s difficult to imagine, given the free agency market and labor uncertainty, the team making a big splash in the winter, so while they may not be “running it back” in 2027, we probably see a lot of the same faces on the roster. We’ll also see the same faces directing the action on the field.

1903
The drama surrounding the fate of future Hall of Fame shortstop George Davis finally appeared at an end, as the New York Giants left Davis off of their reserve list, essentially ceding the fight over his services to the White Sox.

The White Sox had convinced Davis to jump from his longtime New York environs for the 1902 season, in which Davis 5.9 WAR over 132 games. However, the battle between the National and American Leagues was still broiling, and the Giants coaxed Davis into breaking his Chicago contract and playing again for New York in 1904. The battle over the player became one of the hardest-fought of the early 1900s, with court injunctions limiting Davis to just four games in New York for the year.

After the season, Giants owner John Brush threw in the towel, and on this November 3 AL president Ban Johnson spoke out in assurance that Davis would play for the White Sox in 1905.

That turned out to be true, as Davis would finish his career with the White Sox, playing until 1909. His 1905 and 1906 seasons were good for 7.2 WAR apiece, the best of his career; in 1906, in fact, Davis led the AL in WAR with that mark.

The Veterans Committee made Davis a Hall-of-Famer in 1998.

1959
The White Sox sent first baseman Ron Jackson to the Boston Red Sox for southpaw swingman Frank Baumann. The southpaw swingman had a terrific, if uneven, White Sox career in the early 1960s, beginning by leading the American League with a 2.67 ERA in 1960. But that 3.4 WAR season was followed by Baumann leading the AL with 117 earned runs in 1961, ending in an astoundingly bad -2.1 WAR. But in 1962, Baumann bounced back with a solid 2.3 WAR season that saw him start (10) nearly as many games as he finished (12, with four saves). He was a more marginal pitcher for the Sox for two more seasons, before being traded to the Cubs in a rare Crosstown swap to finish up his career in 1965.

Jackson, a giant of the time at 6´7´´, 225, never really panned out as a major leaguer, toiling for six years on the South Side but seeing action in only 186 games. He’d see scant time in Boston (10 games) in 1960, ending his MLB career.

1983
Tony La Russa, who guided the White Sox to a 99-win season and their first playoff appearance in 24 years, was named the Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. It was the first year the BBWAA handed out that award. 

La Russa received 17 of a possible 28 votes to take the honor. He beat out Baltimore’s Joe Altobelli, who picked up seven first-place votes. La Russa would also take Manager of the Year honors from The Sporting News and the Associated Press.

1988
The White Sox named Jeff Torborg as the team’s new manager. The former major league catcher, and Cleveland manager, would go on to gain notable success with the White Sox.

His “team and family” philosophy took hold, and a young group of players stunned the baseball world by winning 94 games in 1990. Torborg was named Manager of the Year that season. He followed that up by winning 87 games in 1991 before being forced out by White Sox GM Ron Schueler, who wanted to hire his own man.

Torborg, by the way, is the only man in baseball history to have caught a perfect game from Sandy Koufax and a no-hitter from Nolan Ryan, as he played for the Dodgers and Angels from 1964-73. Torborg also caught a third no-hitter, courtesy of L.A.’s Bill Singer.

2003
Former White Sox All-Star shortstop Ozzie Guillén was named the team’s manager, replacing Jerry Manuel. Guillén was granted an interview late, intended as a courtesy from Ken Williams, as Guillén was busy coaching third base for the World Champion Florida Marlins; in fact, Williams had decided on Cito Gaston as his hire — at least until sitting down with Ozzie.

The “Wizard of Oz” immediately set about changing the fortunes of the franchise.

His “Ozzie-Ball” philosophy of pitching, smart/aggressive base-running, defense and doing the little things instead of just waiting for the home run would help lead to a World Series title in 2005, the season he would be named Manager of the Year.

He’d return to the playoffs with the club in 2008. 

Before being allowed to leave in late September 2011, Guillén appeared to be headed for a very long career on the South Side, but his relationship changed with GM Ken Williams, and after Guillén forced owner Jerry Reinsdorf to essentially choose between his two “kids,” a parting of the ways was best for all concerned. 

2020
Though the season was just 60 games due to the pandemic, the Glove was still made of Gold: Luis Robert Jr. was named the AL’s Gold Glove winner in center field.

First baseman Evan White joined Robert as Gold Glove winners who had never played a single MLB game before 2020.

2022
Royals coach Pedro Grifol was hired as manager to replace Tony La Russa, who officially retired in October due to health concerns.

Grifolplayed college baseball at Florida State and got as close to the majors as Triple-A, spent 10 years in the Royals organization and before that had a lengthy stay in the Mariners ranks. His hiring as an “outsider,” someone who had no connection to either Jerry Reinsdorf or the White Sox organization, marked the first time that had happened in the managerial search since Jerry Manuel got the position before the start of the 1998 season.

Through his first season, 2023, Grifol’s 61-101 record places him as the worst skipper in White Sox history among those who lasted at least one full season.

2023
The White Sox were willing to stand by Liam Hendriks through cancer but not Tommy John surgery, as the club released the closer and team leader rather than pay him to mentor a young pitching staff and possibly return in time to be a trade deadline asset.

Of course, by cutting Hendriks the White Sox saved an immediate $13.5 million, as rather than a full $15 million salary for 2024 the club would pay that figure out over 10 years, in $1.5 million installments.

The following February, Boston inked Hendriks to a two-year, $10 million deal worth up to $30 million over three years.

As imagined back in 2021 when Hendriks signed a four-year, $54 million deal, the contract did not pan out as a good value, especially considering the closer’s surgeries for lymphoma and TJS. His first two (healthy) seasons, Hendriks was an All-Star and earned an overall 4.3 WAR. However, even had that pace kept up in 2023-24, there’s almost no way for a closer to bring in necessary value.

Hendriks ended his White Sox career with impeccable numbers, including a 14-7 record, 2.76 ERA/2.59 FIP, 0.875 WHIP and 76 saves.

Phillies News:

• Phillies Ball Girlshosted a Halloween Party!
• An offseason roundtable on Phillies trade candidates
• Some think an Orion Kerkering trade seems inevitable
• It will be important this offseason for the Phillies to add starting pitching depth

MLB News:

• Posting Season! Pitchers Kaima Taira and Hiromi Itoh and infielders Teruaki Sato and Si-Hwan Roh must sign before the CBA expires
• Exploring the Top Free Agents for the 2026-27 offseason ($$)
• Mets and Dodgers look to be favorites to add SP Tarik Skubal in free agency
• Remember that betting scandal with players like Emmanuel Clase? Yeah that’s finally going to trial

The 2026-2027 offseason for the sport of Major League Baseball has finally arrived after the St. Louis Cardinals were officially eliminated a little over 6 weeks ago. While the floodgates of the sport have yet to be opened with the beginning of Free Agency, that hasn’t stopped the fanbase and their clamoring for change and investment on the roster. After the conclusion of the World Series, Andrew Wang of the “Dealin’ the Cards” podcast created an interactive roster tool that allows fans to be the GM of their favorite team across all 3o major league franchises. With this tool, fans everywhere tipped their hand at some of the adjustments they’d like to see brought to fruition.

A notable number of fans included a veteran starter, some of whom are well beyond their prime or who just aren’t the same pitchers after experiencing their fair share of injuries and are on the wrong side of 30. The assumption being made is that “If they can do it with Dustin May, they can do it with this guy.” Which isn’t true. Dustin May was still under the age of 30 and needed a healthy offseason and a new extended opportunity to reclaim his career, which he seemingly did so between St. Louis and Milwaukee this season, and by winning a World Series (Congrats, Dustin; sorry again about Winter Warm Up).

So, I wanted to write about WHY I think the Cardinals should steer clear of some very notable names that fans have visions of seeing in the Show Me state in 2027. This list isn’t about the very top guys. Tarik Skubal, Freddy Peralta, or Trevor Rogers don’t quite fit into this bucket that I’m talking about, though the Cardinals signing those guys to deals this offseason, I’ve been informed by various sources in and around the team, is unlikely to pursue seriously.

If I’m Chaim Bloom, I’m staying far away from these guys this offseason.

RHP Zac Gallen

2026 was a true bottoming-out season for former Cardinals farmhand Zac Gallen. It’s been back-to-back disappointing years for Gallen. After posting a 4.83 ERA in 192 IP in 2025, it was an “okay-ish” season despite the tough ERA, but it was followed up by a 6.07 ERA in 105.1 IP in 2026. Not to mention he was in the bottom 1% of baseball in xBA, xSLG, xwOBA, xwOBACON, xERA, and K%. Those are all big red flashing light indicators screaming this guy doesn’t belong at this level any longer! He also produced a “Pitching Run Value” of -19, which put him in the bottom 5% of all of baseball in terms of how his stuff performed this season. This isn’t a guy who is in need of a “change of scenery”; this is a guy who might need to consider what a knuckleball could do for his career, because he already does the kitchen sink thing and it’s not working for him either. Those of you who understand that reference, hopefully that puts into context just how far away from success he is at this juncture of his career.

RHP Shane Bieber

Let’s start with the obvious with Bieber, his health is failing him and he hasn’t made more than 20 starts in a season since 2023. He hasn’t been the Cy Young caliber arm that everyone knew him as since 2022, which, by the way, was the last time the Cardinals were in the playoffs, so in that context, it’s been a little bit. In 2026, Bieber mustered 11 starts in the regular season, and they were “meh,” to be quite honest with you. Posting a 4.37 ERA with a 5.99 xERA… bad news! Remember all those fun expected stats that I referenced with Gallen? They’re not all that much better with Bieber. Bottom 4% in xBA, Bottom 2% in xSLG, Bottom 2% in wOBA, xwOBA, and xwOBACON. Which for those non-advanced numbers readers at home, this means he was getting hit hard early and often in his starts and they weren’t particularly fluky occurrences either.

RHP Max Scherzer

Personally, I think it’s more likely that Scherzer retires than he attempts to make one last run at another ring. At 42 years old, father time has finally caught up with Mad Max. The time and place for a Scherzer to St. Louis merger was back in the mid 2010’s when Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. vetoed the opportunity to bring the Gateway City native in to pitch for his hometown Cardinals. I really don’t want to make this argument against one of my favorite pitchers to watch and all-time competitors to watch taking the bump. But it doesn’t make sense for St. Louis given that they’re not in an “All-in” position going into 2027.

Scherzer posted a 5.74 ERA and 4.24 xERA in 2026; his average 4-seam FB velo has been down each of the last 4 seasons, and his slider isn’t what it used to be, posting a -7 PRV. I really don’t want to go any further than that other than to say it was one hell of a career for Max, and his legacy as an inner-circle Hall of Fame pitcher is unquestioned.

As I stated earlier this offseason, my view is to allow guys like Richard Fitts, Cooper Hjerpe, Tekoah Roby, Mason Molina, Jurrangelo Cintje, Liam Doyle, and Tanner Franklin the opportunity to compete for that 5th spot and allow for continued upward mobility for guys who have big stuff and such significant upside in their profile over guys who might be “reclamation projects.” I don’t think a true Dustin May type exists in this free agent class as it currently stands. Now, if a guy like Shane McClanahan is non-tendered by the Rays, that becomes a different conversation, though, even then, I’d be 50-50 on the proposition. It might be unsexy and generate very little excitement for non-prospect-watching fans to go with the “internal options” route. But it provides greater upside than shelling out unnecessary dollars to guys like Gallen, Bieber, or Scherzer who are either well past their prime, suffering under the toll injuries have taken, or are unable to deceive hitters in a meaningful way to find success.

-Thanks for reading

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

It’s just a few weeks now until the MLB lockout is expected to begin, essentially freezing all baseball roster moves for however many months it may last. Folks, it’s going to suck.

But until that happens, the Orioles have been staying busy. That was especially true yesterday, when they made a slew of transactions to bring in some organizational filler and clear some spots on the 40-man roster, which included parting ways with a pair of former first-round picks.

The most notable departure is that of the longest tenured Oriole, Ryan Mountcastle, whose $7.5 million option was declined. Mountcastle had spent more than a decade with the organization, pre-dating the Mike Elias era, as the Dan Duquette-led Orioles drafted him 36th overall in the 2015 draft. He had an eventful rise through the Orioles’ minor league system as the O’s could never seem to figure out a position for him, initially playing him at shortstop and third base before his porous defense forced them to move him to the outfield and, finally, first base. But his bat was his calling card, and he won International League MVP honors in 2019 after hitting 25 homers and posting an .871 OPS for Triple-A Norfolk.

Mountcastle made his major league debut for the O’s during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and he burst onto the scene with a .333 average and an .878 OPS in 35 games, then had a strong 2021 campaign with 33 homers and a .796 OPS. Mountcastle received AL Rookie of the Year votes in both those years, one of only three players in MLB history to get ROY votes in multiple seasons.

But it was all downhill from there. Mountcastle never really emerged as the middle-of-the-order thumper the Orioles hoped he’d become, and their decision to move back the left-field wall at Camden Yards did the righty swinger no favors. His homer total dropped every season since 2021, from 33 to 22 to 18 to 13 to 7 to, this year, zero, as his 2026 campaign ended with a left foot fracture after just eight games. He finished his O’s tenure with a .263/.312/.438 line and 98 homers in 660 games, amassing 7.7 WAR. It was a disappointing end to a once-promising Orioles career.

Still, Mountcastle shined in comparison to Kjerstad, who is also now a free agent after the O’s outrighted him off the 40-man roster yesterday. The Orioles took a gamble in 2020 when they selected Kjerstad as the second overall pick, which was considered a bit of an overdraft for a player ranked as about a mid-first rounder. The O’s saved a bit of money on the pick which allowed them to draft Coby Mayo in a later round, so in that sense it may have worked out, but Kjerstad ultimately didn’t deliver the prodigious left-handed power he’d displayed at Arkansas.

His O’s stint was riddled with health issues that were often beyond his control, including the myocarditis that almost ended his career before it began, and the horrific beanball from Yankees pitcher Clay Holmes in 2024 that gave him a concussion from which Kjerstad never seemed to fully recover. The writing was on the wall when the Orioles kept Kjerstad mired at Triple-A for nearly the entire 2026 season, only calling him up in September and then never letting him play. It’s telling that no other team claimed Kjerstad on waivers when the O’s outrighted him, though he’ll probably land a minor league deal somewhere. Mountcastle, too, should be able to find a new home. Good luck to both of them, wherever they end up.

Meanwhile, the Orioles also cut loose Leody Taveras, Yohel Pozo, and Dietrich Enns, three players who probably won’t be missed. Taveras was a fifth-outfielder type who was badly overexposed by having to get regular playing time this season, and the third catcher Pozo seemed like a good vibes guy on the bench but hardly ever got into the lineup. Enns was a member of the Opening Day bullpen after a solid stint for the Orioles in 2025, but flamed out quickly and was banished to the minors for the rest of the year.

And finally, the O’s extended a qualifying offer to Trevor Rogers, a no-brainer of a decision. That assures that the O’s will receive a compensatory draft pick if Rogers signs as a free agent with another team. Technically Rogers has the option to accept the QO and return to the Orioles for a one-year deal, but there’s almost no chance he’ll do so when he’s certain to receive a hefty multi-year contract in free agency. It would be nice if the Orioles were the team to give him that contract, but I’m not holding my breath.

Links

Sources: Orioles open to trading almost anyone in search for rotation and outfield help – The Baltimore Banner

I’ve gone on record saying I’d be in favor of the Orioles trading everyone except Pete Alonso. Apparently I’m not too far off.

Top MLB free agents for the 2026-27 offseason: Tarik Skubal leads a shallow class – The Athletic

Keith Law isn’t a big fan of Trevor Rogers, saying he wouldn’t go past a three-year, $75 million deal for him. If that’s all it would take, sign me up.

Should Orioles try Mayo or Encarnacion-Strand in outfield? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com

It seems like the Orioles have Coby Mayo learn a new position every season, but for some reason they haven’t tried him in the outfield yet. As Rich Dubroff points out, a likely-truncated spring training might not be the best time for it.

Here are the finalists for MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, more – MLB.com

If you can imagine, the Orioles have no finalists for any of the major end-of-season awards. What, no Craig Albernaz??

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Five former Orioles were born on this day: right-hander Armando Benítez (54), outfielders Mark Corey (71) and Dwight Evans (75), and the late lefty Ken Holtzman (b. 1945, d. 2024) and outfielder Earl Robinson (b. 1936, d. 2014).

On this date in 1982, Hall of Fame Orioles ace Jim Palmer fell short of his fourth career AL Cy Young Award, finishing second to the Brewers’ Pete Vuckovich. Palmer had better stats than Vuckovich nearly across the board, except for wins, which was the be-all and end-all for voters back in those days. The fact that the Brewers edged out the Orioles in the AL East standings probably was a factor, too. But both probably should have lost to Toronto’s Dave Stieb, who logged 288.1 innings and threw an MLB-best 19 complete games and five shutouts, but finished fourth in the voting.

It’s tempting to call this a free agency period like Major League Baseball has never seen.

Alas, we did this exact same exercise five years ago.

Once again, the hot stove will almost certainly be cooled by an industry-shuttering lockout Dec. 1, as commissioner Rob Manfred pulls the plug on the offseason as collective bargaining talks with the players’ association lurch on. Until then, it will be a moderate scramble for teams to sign players – with another feverish trade and free agency sprint once the CBA is settled.

Whenever that is.

Until then, though, there are dozens of players to dream on, some who will sign quickly, others who will beat the buzzer at the end of November and still more that will have to wait until 2027. With that, USA TODAY Sports presents its top 112 free agents, from the most desired to those reasonably expected to sign a major league contract. Rankings based on projected future performance and perceived market value:

Ages on April 1, 2027

1. Tarik Skubal (LHP, 30, Dodgers)

Still the one. Skubal’s elbow procedure in May and his decent but not indomitable playoff stint after a trade to the Dodgers might cool his market a tad, but he’ll easily sail past the $325 million record for a free agent pitcher. Expect him to sign shortly before the lockout plug is pulled.

2. Michael King (RHP, 31, Padres)

Yeah, this free agent class is a little short on star power. King will make someone happy, though: In 77 starts over three seasons in San Diego, he pitched to a 3.15 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP and struck out 436 in 432 innings. A solid No. 1, an excellent No. 2 for a team with playoff aspirations.

3. Freddy Peralta (RHP, 30, Rays)

What a roller-coaster for ol’ Fastball Freddy, who seemed to jeopardize eight seasons of greatness with one half of terrible with the Mets. Yet Peralta reignited his value with an increasingly electric three-month stint in Tampa Bay, capped by a postseason in which the Rays won the first four games he pitched in before running into the Brewers. That run likely brought him back into the nine-figure contract club.

4. Sonny Gray (RHP, 37, Red Sox)

Yeah, we’re a little heavy on veteran arms, here. Such is the game today, though: A paucity of starters, a slew of fungible offensive options. Gray won 18 games and posted a 2.72 ERA and while some below him on this list will outshine him in total value, he should make a very nice killing in average annual value after opting out of a $30 million player option.

5. Clay Holmes (RHP, 34, Cubs)

Again with the reliable if not dominant right-handed starters. Holmes re-made himself very nicely with the Mets, stretching out to become a starter again and he was bound for an All-Star bid before a comebacker resulted in a freak broken bone in his leg. Still, he posted a 3.26 ERA over 40 starts there and has a knack for suppressing the home run.

6. Trevor Rogers (LHP, 28, Orioles)

Rogers’ up-and-down stint in Baltimore after a 2024 trade ended on a very high note, as he pitched to a 2.89 ERA and 2.90 FIP in his final 20 starts. His age and apparent remaining upside make him a nice fit for a club that fancies itself pitching savants.

7. Seiya Suzuki (OF/DH, 32, Cubs)

He’s likely just a future DH and we’re not altogether convinced he’s the best position player on this market, but: It’s tough to argue with four consecutive seasons with an OPS between .804 and .841. Get him out of Wrigley Field – which ranks 22 ND for batters in park factor and 26 TH for right-handed swingers – and it could be a very smooth transition into his mid-30s.

8. Randy Arozarena (OF, 32, Mariners)

Did someone mention park factors and right-handed hitters? Well, Seattle T-Mobile Park is the worst for righty swingers, per Statcast, yet Arozarena put up a 26-homer, 26-steal season and career bests in OPS (.865) and WAR (5.7). Given his age and that speed is a fairly big part of his game, there’s a little buyer beware here. But he can be instant offense for a team in need.

9. Teruaki Sato (INF, 28, Hanshin Tigers)

All hail the Central League Triple Crown winner, who hit 39 homers and drove in 106. Sato did strike out 27% of the time the past two seasons, but his market will no doubt benefit from Munetaka Murakami’s success, hitting 35 homers his rookie year after similar whispers about contact issues.

10. Nick Pivetta (RHP, 34, Padres)

A flexor strain cost him five months of this season, but he looked crisp in his return and brings to the market a nice two-year sample in San Diego: A 2.87 ERA over 216 1/3 innings and a 0.99 WHIP. Durability concerns might force him to accept a deal laced with some incentives, but Pivetta and his signing club will feel pretty good betting on each other.

11. Foster Griffin (LHP, 31, Guardians)

Talk about a winning bet on yourself: Griffin came back from Japan and posted a 15-6 record and 3.60 ERA with the Nationals and Guardians, appearing in three playoff games for Cleveland. Griffin’s eight-ish pitch mix makes him tough to square up, even if his 8.2 strikeouts per nine innings may give pause to clubs obsessed with swing-and-miss.

Brewers World Series book

12. Nick Martinez (RHP, 36, Rays)

Speaking of first-time All-Stars who induce weak contact, Martinez had an extremely precise season with the Rays: A 1.09 WHIP despite just 109 strikeouts in 180 innings. But Martinez was extremely valuable in the rotation and clubhouse for Tampa Bay and, like many pitchers on this list, might not be a bona fide No. 1 but can make a decent rotation playoff-caliber.

13. Matthew Boyd (LHP, 36, Cubs)

Boyd backslid a fair amount from his 2025 All-Star campaign, his ERA bumping from 3.21 to 3.91 and his FIP from 3.65 to 4.21. Boyd required surgery on his meniscus after a mishap playing with his children and also had a biceps issue, but in 61 starts over three seasons has a 3.41 ERA. Quality you can rely on.

14. Shota Imanaga (LHP, 33, Cubs)

He pitched last year after accepting the qualifying offer and had a Shota-esque year, dominating in six April starts before blowing up in May and August, landing on a 3.77 ERA overall. His three major league seasons have had similar roller coasters, and the Cubs have lost both playoff games he’s appeared in before staying away from him in the 2026 wild card series. Still, the stuff is good and he’s posted a 1.04 career WHIP.  

15. David Bednar (RHP, 32, Yankees)

Who knew how valuable this dude would be when the Yankees acquired him in July 2025? He saved 45 games in 52 chances across 1 ½ seasons, plus two more in the postseason, giving up one earned over nine innings of playoff ball. The Yankees extended him the qualifying offer, so perhaps a reunion could be worked out before he fully hits the market.

16. Evan Phillips (RHP, 32, Dodgers)

Injuries limited Phillips to just 38 appearances the past two seasons, but he was 42-for-49 in save opportunities in 2023 and ’24 and has given up zero runs in 18 1/3 career playoff innings. Yes, that’s an Aaron Ashby-like run across five postseasons, including two World Series championships and an NLCS run this year.

17. Kaima Taira (RHP, 27, Seibu Lions)

An intriguing posting, to be sure, as Taira posted a 1.36 ERA in 23 starts this year – and saved 36 games as a reliever the year before. He has a career 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings, generating mid-90s velocity despite a 5-foot-8 frame.

18. Raisel Iglesias (RHP, 36, Braves)

Is this guy getting better with age? Iglesias saved 34 games for Atlanta last season, capping a five-year run in which he posted a 0.97 WHIP and saved 131 games. Gave up just 48 hits in 60 innings.

19. Adrian Morejon (LHP, 28, Padres)

Morejon suffered shoulder inflammation at the finish line this year, the Padres opting to stay away from him in their last two NL Division Series games against Milwaukee, but then extending him the qualifying offer, which may ensure his return. He was one of the game’s greatest relievers the past two seasons, making the 2025 All-Star Game and striking out 177 in 159 2/3 innings. Pitched in 75 and 76 games, so you can call him Every-Other-Day Adrian.

20. Brandon Lowe (2B, 32, Pirates)

The Pirates extended him the qualifying offer after he ripped 35 home runs and produced 5.4 WAR in his lone season in Pittsburgh. Lowe also struck out 189 times – 28.8% of his plate appearances – yet his OPS of .824 was in line with his .810 career mark. An interesting market for a guy entering his mid-30s.

21. Jazz Chisholm Jr. (INF, 29, Yankees)

After a 31-homer, 31-steal season, Chisholm’s homers dropped to 19 and his OBP from .332 to .312. Still, he’s the youngest position player on the market and a dynamic talent in an offensively uninspiring class; might be best served if a club made him a multi-positional everyday option.

22. Bryan Abreu (RHP, 29, Astros)

Had an amazing two-year run in 2022 and ’23, posting a 1.84 ERA and striking out 12.8 batters per nine innings as the Astros won the World Series and reached Game 7 of the ’23 ALCS. Now, he’s still pretty good but not quite as dominant – his home runs per nine innings have leaped from 0.3 in 2022 to 1.3 this past season.

23. Luis Arráez (INF, 29, Phillies)

His marketability took a big leap under the tutelage of infield wizard Ron Washington, who helped Arráez become a serviceable second baseman. Banged out 185 hits between San Francisco and Philadelphia and his .765 slug was his highest since 2023.

24. Hiromi Itoh (RHP, 29, Nippon Ham Fighters)

Teams who obsess over strike zone control will love Itoh, who struck out 159 but walked just 34 in 172 innings this past season. The winner of the NPB’s Cy Young equivalent in 2025, Itoh figures to slot as a mid-rotation option in the major leagues.

25. Ian Happ (OF, 32, Cubs)

Happ’s 10-year run at Wrigley Field concluded with a career-low .218 batting average yet 24 homers that were just one off his career high. His streak of four consectuvie Gold Gloves in left field came to an end, but Happ is still a significant all-around add for a contending team.

26. Tyler Mahle (RHP, 32, Braves)

Mahle might want to send a Christmas bonus along to the Braves’ pitching department after his ERA dropped from 5.13 in 18 starts with San Francisco to 1.99 in nine starts with Atlanta. His overall 3.99 mark was probably what was expected all along but Mahle’s strong finish and overall healthy campaign – his 27 starts were his most since 2021 – will ensure a nice payday this winter.

27. Gleyber Torres (2B, 30, Tigers)

Not the All-Star offensive force he was a year ago, Torres nonetheless got on base at a .364 clip, while his eight home runs helped suppress his OPS to .727, just above league average. After accepting the $22 million qualifying offer for 2025, he’s unencumbered this season and should land a multiyear pact following two seasons as a Tiger.

28. Jake Bauers (1B, 31, Brewers)

Pat Murphy’s hot mic private moment with Bauers wasn’t totally accurate – the Yankees are pretty well covered at first base – but Bauers does figure to cash in after reviving his career with two solid seasons in Milwaukee. He hit 26 homers and turned around pivotal Game 3 of the NLCS with another longball at Dodger Stadium. Will the power of friendship compel him to accept the $23.15 million qualifying offer and try to go back-to-back with the Brewers?

29. Mauricio Dubon (INF/OF, 32, Braves)

That’s three-time Gold Glove winner Maurico Dubón, for the record. Simply, the man does anything a team could ask, this past season holding down shortstop for 51 starts and then making 89 more in the outfield, mostly after Ha-Seong Kim was healthy. Not the guy to center a rebuild around, but a perfect add for a club with championship aspirations.

30. Dustin May (RHP, 29, Brewers)

What happens when you debut at 21, suffer a litany of injuries yet bounce back with the World Series champs? You hit the free agent market at 29, youngest pitcher in the class, and in far better shape than imagined. May put it together nicely with the Cardinals, nearly throwing a perfect game, and aimed to fit into the Brewers’ pitching equation. He landed on “multi-inning fireballing option,” starting one playoff game and contributing a handful of relief efforts. An acquiring team could use him any number of ways, but his 8.9 strikeouts per nine innings in 2026 ensures he’ll be nicely compensated for it.

31. Trent Grisham (CF, 30, Yankees)

Will suitors weigh Grisham’s 34-homer, .811 OPS 2025 season more heavily than his injury-interrupted 18-homer, .703 OPS ’26 campaign? Grisham played through the qualifying offer to emerge unencumbered this winter, but now must convince teams he can maintain solid center field play and decent power into his 30s.

32. Daulton Varsho (OF, 30, Astros)

This is Grisham Part II. Varsho averaged 3.7 WAR and 19 homers his first three seasons in Toronto but fell off with the rest of the roster in 2026, hitting just 12 homers and compiling 0.9 WAR between the Blue Jays and Astros.

33. Kevin Gausman (RHP, 36, Cubs)

Gausman was weighing retirement this season and then saw his ERA balloon to 4.83 in nine starts after a trade to Chicago. Still, he struck out 10.2 batters per nine for the Cubs and in the right hands can make his fastball-splitter combo bite. If he doesn’t sign before the lockout kicks in, it might be tougher to get out of Dad Mode.

34. J.P. Crawford (INF, 32, Mariners)

Gradually made himself into a solid offensive player with the Mariners and eventually an indispensable cog, until injuries and the emergence of young infielders Colt Emerson and Cole Young infringed on his production. Crawford has signaled he’d like to come back, perhaps as a third baseman or super utility sort, but either way he still has plenty to give on the field and in the clubhouse.

35. Shane Bieber (RHP, 31, Blue Jays)

Still might not be fully ready to hit the market after opting into his $16 million player option for 2026. Lingering effects from a World Series run that followed Tommy John recovery limited Bieber to 11 starts, so perhaps one more short-term deal is in his future. He’s young enough and good enough to cash in once he’s able to go to the post 25 to 30 times.

36. Casey Mize (RHP, 29, Padres)

He looked primed to cash in in a big way after posting a 2.70 ERA in 16 starts with Detroit and then getting swept out of town along with Tarik Skubal, landing in San Diego. But it all went south, so to speak, with the Padres, as he was hammered for 56 hits in 44 2/3 innings and a 7.46 ERA in 10 starts. Given his uneven health history, a make-good situation might be best for Mize, too.

37. Ryan Jeffers (C, 29, Twins)

Seems like the guy’s been around forever but he doesn’t turn 30 until June 3. Jeffers averages 22 homers per 162 games, but was limited to 92 last season, a year the Yankees hoped to acquire him. Still, right-handed power is hard to come by, especially from a catcher.

38. Zac Gallen (RHP, 31, Diamondbacks)

He’s been backsliding since 2022, when he led the NL with a 0.91 WHIP and just 5.9 hits per nine innings. Yet his ERA has gone straight up since: From 2.54 to 3.47 to 3.65, 4.83 and finally 6.07 last year, when he yielded 10.9 hits per nine. It’s clear a change of scenery is necessary; the question is how much someone’s willing to pay who believes they can bring back the old Zac.

39. David Peterson (LHP, 31, Cubs)

An All-Star in 2025, when he pitched a career-high 168 2/3 innings, he was more swingman with the Mets in 2026, starting eight games and relieving in eight others before a trade to Chicago, where the Cubs put him back in the rotation. Still, a lefty who can start or go multiple innings retains significant value.

40. Tyler Stephenson (C, 30, Reds)

A 30-year-old catcher with pop is not a bad profile to bring to free agency. Stephenson has been a largely league average hitter over his career (lifetime 104 OPS-plus) with a career-best 19 homers and 112 OPS-plus in 2024. Solid change-of-scenery upside here.

41. Alec Bohm (INF, 30, Phillies)

Just a wild seven seasons in Philly for Bohm, who was an All-Star and Rookie of the Year runner-up, a defensive liability turned playable third baseman and a target of boos only to be relatively appreciated by the end of his tenure. After all that, he landed on almost exactly league average (career 101 OPS-plus). Yet if Bohm can survive that he can certainly help in a less-demanding situation, particularly with his family financial flap behind him.

42. Robbie Ray (LHP, 35, Padres)

Like Casey Mize, Ray backslid after a trade from an also-ran to San Diego. Still, there aren’t many more reliable inning-consuming lefties than Ray, who posted a 3.54 ERA over 60 starts for a couple bad teams in San Francisco.

43. Erick Fedde (RHP, 34, White Sox)

Almost the platonic ideal of Modern Pitcher, Fedde can start, open, serve as a bulk guy and get out of the way when needed. His second go-round on the South Side went just fine, even if his 5.01 FIP didn’t reflect it – he was worth 2.0 WAR and posted a 3.83 ERA.

44. Paul Blackburn (RHP, 33, Yankees)

The Yankee bullpen was their secret weapon and Blackburn was just about as big a piece of this as the closer Bednar was. Blackburn took down 85 innings with a 1.69 ERA. His K rate of 7.3 per nine innings isn’t necessarily what you want to see in the late innings but Blackburn is nonetheless reliable.

45. Martin Perez (LHP, 35, Braves)

The Braves sneaked him through waivers, dropped him back in the rotation and watched him take down 142 innings for a division-winning team – with a 139 ERA-plus, to boot. Probably not the guy for your playoff rotation, but one who can certainly help you get there.

46. Walker Buehler (RHP, 32, Padres)

It’s been a few years of baby steps for Buehler, and he quietly reached some nice plateaus last year: Thirty-two starts, most since he made 33 and finished fourth in 2021 NL Cy Young voting. His 153 2/3 innings were also highest since he took down 207 2/3 that year. And his 4.63 ERA nearly equaled a quality start, while his strikeouts per nine perked up from 5.3 to 7.7. He’s getting there.

47. Gregory Soto (LHP, 32, Pirates)

Not exactly a True Closer, but Soto did strike out 79 in 16 innings and saved 16 games. About as good as it gets for lefty heat these days.

48. Luis Robert Jr. (OF, 29, Orioles)

He doesn’t turn 30 until August and still possesses one of the finest skill sets in the game. But oh, those injuries. And oh, the miniscule production. Since his All-Star, 5.3-WAR campaign of 2023, Robert has a .223/.290/.379 slash line.

49. Carson Kelly (C, 32, Cubs)

Eleven years in and Kelly is aging gracefully, his two years in Chicago highlighted by a 15-homer, 3.5 WAR campaign in 2025. Can likely hold down two-thirds of a catching timeshare productively.

50. Jack Flaherty (RHP, 31, Tigers)

Injuries – most notably right flexor inflammation - limited Flaherty to 19 starts, though he was more or less a quality outing (4.48 ERA) every time. He threw his four-seam fastball 49% of the time, second only to 2021 in frequency, even as it averaged a career-low 92.7 mph.

51. Ty France (1B, 32, Padres)

From minor league deal to one of the top right-handed bats on the market – yes, it’s been quite a year for France, who ripped 21 homers with an .865 OPS even after waiting until Feb. 15 to get a spot in anyone’s spring training camp. Actually had a higher OPS vs. right-handers (.869) than lefties (.853).

52. Max Scherzer (RHP, 42, Blue Jays)

We’ll always leave the light on for Maxie if the old boy wants to find his way home. The consenting parties would know what they’re getting: An incentive-laden deal with no guarantee of health, but a Hall of Fame presence that can certainly still spin a gem.

53. Jonathan Loáisiga (RHP, 32, Diamondbacks)

Two years removed from Tommy John surgery, Loáisiga flourished in his lone season in the desert, with a 1.03 WHIP and 2.42 ERA across 67 appearances. Perhaps his K rate – 6.4 per nine – will perk up next.

54. Alex Vesia (LHP, 30, Dodgers)

Still a left-on-left king, he held them to a .138 average and two homers in 106 plate appearances while pitching in a career-high 72 games.

55. Chris Bassitt (RHP, 38, Orioles)

Like his pal Scherzer, Bassitt might take it to the house in 2027, but not until fulfilling union duties as an executive council member. Bassitt posted a 3.74 ERA and FIP over his last eight starts in Baltimore after undergoing a mild back procedure.

56. Jason Adam (RHP, 35, Padres)

An All-Star in 2025, injuries limited Adam to 38 appearances, but his recent work can only overshadow his four-year dossier so much: He struck out 295 over 256 2/3 innings and posted a 2.95 ERA from 2022-25 with the Padres and Rays.

57. Ha-Seong Kim (INF, 31, Braves)

The man has not played in more than 51 games since 2024. Perhaps next year will be the charm. Kim started his Atlanta stint 5 for 76 (.066) but contributed some key hits down the stretch and started four of their seven playoff games. There’s still a good player in there.

58. George Springer (DH, 37, Blue Jays)

What a six years in Toronto for Springer, who took his Playoff George persona up north and nearly helped them win a World Series. Now, he’s a full-time DH but, if he opts to come back in 2027, can at the least be a strong part-time DH option for a contending team.

59. Steven Okert (LHP, 35, Astros)

Sheesh, what a good year for Okert, finest of his career in the run-up to free agency: A 2.13 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 68 strikeouts in 67 2/3 innings. Held lefties to a .186 average and .301 slug.

60. Emilio Pagan (RHP, 35, Reds)

Fifty-seven saves over two seasons has to be worth something, even if Pagan’s 1.5 homers per nine was his highest since 2019.

61. Adolis Garcia (OF, 34, Phillies)

A tough stint for Garcia in Philly, as lat surgery ended his season after 231 at-bats. But he should be full go for spring training and might fit best in a right field time share.

62. Brandon Woodruff (RHP, 34, Brewers)

Run it back in Milwaukee? The Brewers know Woodruff better than anybody and perhaps nobody was more deserving to earn a ring with them than Woodruff. A moderate base salary and significant incentives will likely be the move, be it in Wisconsin or elsewhere.

63. Michael Soroka (RHP, 29, Diamondbacks)

He really did it: Soroka made it through 21 starts and 116 innings, most since he covered 174 2/3 innings over 29 starts for Atlanta in 2019. Incessant health issues followed, but Soroka posted a 3.19 FIP and 1.08 WHIP for the Diamondbacks and suddenly is a free agent before hitting 30.

64. Taylor Ward (OF, 33, Mariners)

Strange, strange year: Ward went from 36 homes and 75 walks to seven homers and 99 walks. Hey, walks are great, especially if you’re starring in Moneyball, but the power outage was a really odd set-up to free agency. Still boasts a .750 career OPS, 109 adjusted.

65. Sean Newcomb (LHP, 33, White Sox)

Newcomb might have unlocked the finest version of himself within the White Sox’s “pitching chaos” ethos, opening six games and pitching in 60 of them with a 3.05 ERA. He provided six scoreless innings in three ALDS appearances against Cleveland, including one start. The way folks run their pitching staffs these days, Newcomb will have plenty of suitors.

66. Paul Goldschmidt (1B, 39, Yankees)

Seems like he’s approaching Yankee For Life status, hitting 18 homers in a part-time role and strafing lefties for a .299 average and .967 OPS.

67. Eugenio Suarez (1B/DH, 35, Reds)

You can go home again, but it might not be the same. Suarez followed up his stirring second act in Seattle with a less-than-overwhelming Cincy encore, with a .212 average, .704 OPS and 34% strikeout rate. Still hit 26 homers, though, and can still inflict significant damage against lefties.

68. Patrick Sandoval (LHP, 30, Red Sox)

Provided 13 starts to the Red Sox in the back half of a two-year deal, the first spent recovering from Tommy John surgery. A year removed from that, he can certainly help someone’s rotation.

69. Isiah Kiner-Falefa (INF, 32, Red Sox)

IKF is eternal. Worth 1.6 WAR despite an 81 adjusted OPS. Every team can use an IKF, but there’s just one.

70. Jose Quintana (LHP, 38, Rockies)

 Quintana suffered a left elbow sprain, opted for a PRP injection and lived to tell about it. An injury-plagued year at Coors Field is no great selling point, but the man did pitch to a 3.96 ERA for Milwaukee a year ago.

71. Joc Pederson (DH, 34, Rangers)

Kind of wild to think he hasn’t been back on the postseason stage since 2021, when he donned pearls and won a second consecutive World Series title. Rebounded nicely from an ugly first year in Arlington (.181, nine homers in 96 games) to rip 26 homers with an .816 OPS.

72. Brock Burke (LHP, 30, Reds)

A lefty who took the ball 77 times and responded with a 2.30 ERA and a strikeout per inning.

73. Aaron Civale (RHP, 31, Cubs)

He started 16 games and finished seven others between Yolo County and Wrigleyville, his ERA dropping to 1.72 in 18 relief outings with the Cubs, who rostered him in the wild-card series.

74. Michael Conforto (OF, 34, Cubs)

His home run percentage of 4.8 – 15 in 314 plate appearances – was his highest since 2019, when he hit a career-high 33 in the juiced-ball year. At the least, reestablished himself as a viable platoon or bench bat.

75. Cal Quantrill (RHP, 32, Rangers)

Limited to 110 innings but made the most of them, making 15 starts and producing a 2.86 ERA. A 135 adjusted ERA yet a 4.01 FIP – he averaged less than a strikeout per inning – makes Quantrill an interesting case.

76. Colin Rea (RHP, 36, Cubs)

He’s been either a Cub or Brewer since 2020 and grew into a valued swing man in Chicago the past two seasons, starting 46 games and finishing 13 others with a 4.13 ERA.

77. Brent Suter (LHP, 37, Braves)

The 6-4, 213-pounder is a flexible dude, largely used in situations yet able to stretch out and give a few innings as an opener on occasion. Perked up significantly after a trade from Anaheim to Atlanta, posting a 1.62 ERA in 13 appearances and adding three scoreless playoff innings.

78. Edmundo Sosa (INF, 31, Phillies)

Hard to imagine the Phillies without Sosa, who filled in anywhere and everywhere when a health or other issue flared up with one of their veterans. More valuable than his career 97 adjusted OPS would suggest.

79. Ramon Laureano (OF, 32, Padres)

Not a bad injury bounceback bet, Laureano accrued 3.8 WAR and an .855 OPS in 2025 but tried playing through a hip injury that required season-ending labrum surgery in June. Still an elite defender with pop.

80. JoJo Romero (LHP, 30, Brewers)

Romero ate a couple of crucial October innings for the World Series champs and had an overall fine season between St. Louis and Milwaukee.

81. Tomoyuki Sugano (RHP, 37, Rockies)

Sugano and Coors Field looked like a nightmare but the right-hander simply maintained his near-quality start production. Oh, his 5.37 ERA won’t wow anyone, but he still made 29 starts with a 93 adjusted ERA.

82. Brady Singer (RHP, 30, Reds)

One of those rare deals where a guy posts a 5.85 ERA yet is allowed to make 31 starts because, as a Reds exec once suggested, “Where else you gonna go?” Singer led the majors by giving up 102 earned runs yet still got through 157 innings. Can likely benefit from a new environment.

83. Tyler Kinley (RHP, 35, Tigers)

Durable guy – appeared in 67, 73 and 64 games the past three seasons – and had a nice 15-game finish after a trade from Atlanta to Detroit, posting a 1.79 ERA.

84. Lane Thomas (OF, 31, Braves)

Ever-reliable extra or short-side platoon outfielder who has found his way into a playoff start two of the past three seasons.

85. Jordan Montgomery (LHP, 34, Rangers)

His three-year nightmare after leading Texas to the 2023 World Series is finally over. A cool free agent period, poor performance and then Tommy John surgery in Arizona sidetracked the big lefty but he did return for 13 relief appearances after sitting out 2025. Intriguing flyer.

86. Josh Bell (1B/DH, 34, Twins)

Switch-hitter, eternal masher, he crushed 21 homers for Minnesota this season.

87. Cedric Mullins (OF, 32, Rays)

An extra outfielder at this point in his career, Mullins hit 15 homers and stole 21 bases in 137 games while providing significant defensive value.

88. Ryne Stanek (RHP, 35, Cardinals)

Throws gas, will travel: Stanek has pitched for six teams the past eight seasons, collecting a World Series ring along the way. Still punches out more than a batter an inning, his career strikeout per nine rate 10.3 over 10 seasons.

89. Randal Grichuk (OF, 35, White Sox)

So long as there’s a dearth of right-handed power bats, Grichuk will probably be on your screen in October. Fifteen homers and a 141 adjusted OPS played just fine on the South Side.

90. Victor Robles (OF, 29, Mariners)

The Mariners revived Robles’ career but he struggled to continue his offensive renaissance after a shoulder injury derailed his 2025 season. Elite defense and speed still his calling card.

91. Tyrone Taylor (OF, 33, Cubs)

Useful extra outfielder who produced a 128 adjusted OPS and appeared in his fifth postseason in the past seven years.

92. Kris Bubic (LHP, 29, Dodgers)

You just knew when the Dodgers acquired this dude from Kansas City that he’d be some kind of high upside reclamation project. Sure enough, Bubic needed just five games with L.A. and 14 overall to work his way into their playoff bullpen trust tree. Not sure what this might mean for 2027 but an endorsement from the Chavez Ravine brain trust shouldn’t hurt his cause.

93. Nathaniel Lowe (1B, 31, Guardians)

Lowe continues his human victory cigar act, a trade from Cincinnati to Cleveland creating his third key playoff role in the past four postseasons. Hit 17 homers overall, and Lowe could go high a few more times with a more consistent role.

94. Jakob Junis (RHP, 34, Rangers)

Every team could use a Junis. He has a 4.31 career ERA yet it’s 3.31 since 2023 as clubs deploy him properly as opener, innings-eater, occasional leverage guy.

95. Kyle Freeland (LHP, 33, Rockies)

Freeland made generational money in Colorado, grossing $73 million in salary. You gotta figure he’s wondering how his ERA might look getting out of the altitude. It’s been a rough go since 2022 – a 5.23 ERA in 138 starts – yet Freeland continues taking the ball.

96. James McCann (C, 36, Diamondbacks)

McCann’s reputation – hard-nosed, great clubhouse guy – precedes him. Perhaps he’d be a nice fit in Philadelphia, bringing some edge to the role of J.T. Realmuto’s backup.

97. Tyler Alexander (LHP, 32, Rangers)

Seventy-five games, 73 innings pitched, a career-best 3.70 ERA. Alexander is approaching situational lefty nirvana.

98. Andrew Kittredge (RHP, 37, Orioles)

Re-upped in Baltimore after a 2025 trade to the Cubs and saved 11 games, posting a 3.54 ERA.

99. Jordan Romano (RHP, 33, Rockies)

Got peppered in Anaheim and strangely found stability in Denver, where he saved 11 games and posted a 119 adjusted ERA in 27 games. Plenty of high-leverage experience and still has a big arm for anyone willing to give him a shot.

100. Eric Lauer (LHP, 31, Dodgers)

A postseason hero in Toronto in 2025, things went sour this past year and he fared a little better in L.A. Consummate lefty swingman whose league average career adjusted ERA belies the wild swings he’s had over an eight-year career.

101. Kyle Higashioka (C, 34, Rangers)

Proverbial reliable timeshare catcher, though he may not approach his career-best 17 homers in 2024.

102. A.J. Minter (LHP, 33, Twins)

Minter was hurt most of his 1 1/2 -year stint in New York but put together a strong 48-game sample between Queens and Minneapolis, with a 1.05 WHIP and 164 adjusted ERA over 45 2/3 innings.

103. Austin Hedges (C, 34, Guardians)

Not just a glue guy anymore, Hedges had a breakout offensive season (.247, .702 OPS). His adjusted OPS in 2024 was 21. This year, it was 99. Hard to imagine a reunion won’t happen.

104. Christian Vazquez (C, 36, Astros)

In case you didn’t notice, we’ve entered Backup Catchers Estates. Vazquez could be head of the HOA, clawing out positive WAR in 86 games despite batting .207.

105. Ildemaro Vargas (INF/OF, 35, Diamondbacks)

Put together a fine season (1.3 WAR) as a utilityman, a fine example of a veteran knowing what he does best.

106. Dominic Smith (1B/DH, 31, Braves)

Smith has had to fight for roster spots the past few springs, including this year, but stuck all year with Atlanta, even notching a pair of hits in five postseason at-bats. A reliable DH platoon option and consummate clubhouse guy.

107. Trent Thornton (RHP, 33, Cubs)

At 32, had the best season of his career, with a 127 adjusted ERA over 48 games.

108. Jeff McNeil (INF/OF, 34, Athletics)

Not exactly an inspiring 144 games in West Sacramento, but McNeil played five positions with some competence and didn’t hurt the squad. Someone can probably use that.

109. Trevor Williams (RHP, 34, Rangers)

Has had endless health woes in recent years but looked decent (3.14 ERA) over 28 2/3 innings with Washington and Texas after his July 29 season debut.

110. Jonah Heim (C, 31, Athletics)

An All-Star and World Series champion in 2023, Heim did not impress with Atlanta and the Athletics (-1.1 WAR), but a backup catcher who can consistently reach double-digits in homers will always have some value.

111. Taylor Clarke (RHP, 33, Diamondbacks)

A 2.96 ERA and 1.00 WHIP always look good, though Clarke’s 45 strikeouts in 73 innings will likely relegate him to fighting for a lower-leverage role.

112. Ryan Yarbrough (LHP, 35, Yankees)      

Rubber-armed and willing to open, eat innings or pitch whenever needed, “Yarbs” is a relatively deluxe option at the end of a pitching staff, with a 3.66 ERA over 226 innings since 2024.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ranking MLB's top 112 free agents: Will Tarik Skubal sign before lockout?

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We’re three days into November, and the Yankees have made their first major roster decision of the offseason by issuing a qualifying offer to David Bednar… while declining to do the same for Jazz Chisholm Jr. It was expected, but it’s still a bit sad to see what is likely the end of Chisholm’s time in New York as he’ll become a free agent with no draft pick compensation attached to his case — in a relatively weak free agent class, that should draw him some decent attention even if his 2026 left a lot to be desired.

We’ve got plenty in store for you to start your day, beginning with Josh opining on the Yankees’ decision to not shake things up with Aaron Boone’s coaching staff despite a well-known underperformance offensively across the board. Matt hands out a grade to José Caballero for his 2026 season, Jonathan remembers Paul Quantrill’s time as a Yankee on his birthday, Estevao discusses the decision to not extend the QO to Jazz and why he thinks it’s the correct move, and Nick has a primer on the Hall of Fame Era Committee vote with some heavyweight names on the managerial/executive ballot.

Questions/Prompts:

1. Did the Yankees make the right call in not offering Jazz the qualifying offer?

2. Now that we know Cam Schlittler didn’t make the top three in MVP voting, where do you think he’ll ultimately end up finishing?

The Pittsburgh Pirates sent nine of their prospects to the Arizona Fall League, but there’s been two that have stood out above the rest of their counterparts.

Wyatt Sanford has returned to form with the Glendale Desert Dogs, and has picked up where he left off after his season with Greensboro was cut short due to injury. Sanford ended up playing in 72 games for the Grasshoppers, and had a great second season of professional baseball. The 20-year old shortstop bulked up a little bit from last year and in the process nearly quadrupled his home run totals.

With Glendale Sanford continues to show that the power he brought to Greensboro was not a fluke. He has left no doubt in the eyes of viewers and scouts that he’s currently the best Pirates hitter in the AFL. The Frisco native currently has a slash line of .291/.400/.436 with two homers, nine RBIs and one stolen base. On October 22, Sanford smashed a 454 foot home run.

On the pitching side of things, the surprise star of this group has been Bryan Mena. The 22-year old righty is not currently listed in the Pirates’ top 30 prospects list, but he has far in a way been the best pitching prospect from Pittsburgh’s system in the AFL. Although he had an average season with Greensboro, he’s playing some of his best baseball with the Desert Dogs as of late.

In his stint in Arizona, Mena has not given up a single earned run in four contests with the Desert Dogs. Mena’s most recent outing saw him appear for 2.2 of relief for Glendale. He gave up three hits and a walk, while striking out five batters in the 1-0 win over Salt River on Oct. Overall Mena has pitched 27.7⅔ scoreless innings (two starts) and has recorded 11 strikeouts, allowed just 3 walks, has a 1.57 WHIP and has limited opposing hitters to a .273 opponent batting average. Time will tell if this kind of showcase makes him a prime candidate for Pittsburgh’s bullpen in the future.

The AFL regular season concludes on November 11, and although Glendale has the worst record, the Pirates’ prospects represented on the team will have several more opportunities to showcase their abilities amongst the best minor league players in the league.