Category: MLB

Good morning Birdland,

The GM Meetings are underway in Las Vegas, which gave reporters a chance to chat with the Orioles front office duo of president of baseball operations Mike Elias and brand new general manager Jared Banner. Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Banner provide a wrap up of the answers that Elias and Banner provided.

First, Banner confirmed that Mike Shildt will return as upper-level coordinator of instruction. That’s noteworthy since that sort of thing falls directly under Banner’s defined purview. Seems like he was satisfied to maintain some continuity there. On top of that, the entire major league coaching staff is expected to return unless they are poached. That is somewhat surprising, at least on the offensive side of things.

Elias said that he has already told a few current infielders that they may see time in the outfield during the spring. He stopped short of naming those players. It has long been speculated that Coby Mayo would fit better in a corner outfield spot than he does at third base, and some have suggested that Jackson Holliday’s speed would be useful out on the grass.

Jordan Westburg is on track to be a “normal citizen” to begin spring training, which seems to be Elias-speak for being 100% recovered from his elbow surgery. The same is true for Holliday and his wrist. Let’s see if that ends up being true come February.

The back of the bullpen is a question mark, and the Orioles are being honest about it. Ryan Helsley and Félix Bautista will factor in but, as Elias says “With both having injured 2026s, I don’t know if that’s entirely what we can rely on. We’ll see what moves we make over this winter.” That is good to hear.

And finally, Elias essentially confirmed the report from earlier this offseason that everyone on the roster is available, but provided additional clarity. “A lot of our key, core players are very unlikely to go anywhere…We’re talking to everybody about everything right now. … It’s part of our job, especially if a guy is not on a big, long-term contract, we’ve got to listen. But it doesn’t mean we’re motivated to trade players.”

All of this sounds perfectly reasonable on November 11. Elias is admitting to the team’s flaws in the bullpen and outfield. He also talked about how they want Trevor Rogers back but will have other avenues if he signs elsewhere, so the rotation is supposed to get some love as well. The guy understands where the weaknesses are.

Addressing those weaknesses and bringing in the correct players to fill those holes is where the struggles have been in recent years. The outfield will be a particularly tough problem to solve since the free agent market is thin, and the internal solutions are all huge variables. But they have to do something because it is probably the team’s most glaring need.

Links

Elias on trade buzz: O’s core players ‘very unlikely’ to be dealt | MLB.com
More on the press gaggle with Elias and Banner. Some fans will be relieved that the big names are likely to stay, others will wish the plan was to shake things up more.

Mountcastle feels good and is waiting to find out which team might benefit from it | Roch Kubatko
It was a bummer to see Ryan Mountcastle’s time with the Orioles come to such an unceremonious end. He was a fun personality and had been quite productive prior to 2025. He will get a job somewhere this offseason, likely a one-year, prove-it deal, where he can get back to hitting home runs somewhere other than the now-cavernous left field at Camden Yards.

Orioles takeaways: Front office looking to start revamp at GM meetings | The Baltimore Banner
This is a re-post of the link I provided in the opening diatribe. Kostka’s Bluesky account also has some nuggets that aren’t included in their entirety in the article.

Orioles retain ex-MLB manager to lead on-field education | The Baltimore Banner
This is a deeper dive in Shildt’s role and how he is sticking around. It makes sense for Banner to keep things somewhat steady. It’s so early in his tenure that he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know. Might as well learn how things function before you start poking too many holes.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Vinny Nittoli turns 30 today. He pitched in two games for the Orioles during the 2024 season.
• J.R. House is 47 years old. During the 2007 season he played in 19 games as a reserve catcher for the O’s.
• The late Ike Delock (b. 1929, d. 2022) was born on this day. The right-handed pitcher wrapped up his 11-season career with a seven-game stint on the Orioles in 1963. He had spent the prior decade with the Red Sox.

This day in O’s history

1953 – Jimmy Dykes is named manager of the Baltimore Orioles, succeeding Marty Marion in the role.

1970 – Boog Powell is named AL MVP. Although he did not lead the league in any one statistic, his entire stat-line of a .297 batting average, 35 home runs, and 114 RBI was impressive enough to beat out Tony Oliva, Harmon Killebrew, and Carl Yastrzemski beneath him.

1982 – The Orioles name a new manager for the first time since 1968. Joe Altobelli is tapped to replace legendary skipper Earl Weaver.

2014 – O’s boss Buck Showalter wins his third career Manager of the Year award

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Scott May, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1987 – Jim Frey*, who managed the Chicago Cubs to the 1984 NL Eastdivision title, and spent last season as a broadcaster for the Cubs, is named the club’s director of baseball operations. His first major move will be to hire longtime friend Don Zimmer as manager on November 20th, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1891 – The National League meets and dismisses the charges of collusion and game throwing against the eastern clubs brought by the Chicago Colts, thereby formally giving the Boston Beaneaters the pennant. The league also plans its strategy for conquering the American Association by consolidating the four strongest Association clubs into a 12-team league for next year.
• 1899 – Chicago Orphans star outfielder Bill Lange returns to San Francisco, CA and vows he will never appear on the diamond again. He is only 28 and hit .325 this season.
• 1943 – The Most Valuable Player Awards for both leagues are named. Yankees pitcher Spud Chandler wins it in the American League and Cardinals outfielder Stan Musial in the National League.
• 1948 – Joe DiMaggio of the New York Yankees undergoes surgery for bone spurs on his right heel. DiMaggio will miss 65 games in 1949 because of continuing problems with his heel.
• 1970 – Baltimore Orioles first baseman Boog Powell, who batted .297 with 35 home runs and 114 RBI, is named American League Most Valuable Player, beating Tony Oliva of the Minnesota Twins by a 234-157 margin.
• 1981 – Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Fernando Valenzuela becomes the first rookie ever to win a Cy Young Award, edging Tom Seaver of the Cincinnati Reds by a 70-67 margin for National League honors. Valenzuela was the first rookie since Herb Score in 1955 to lead his league in strikeouts with 180.
• 1986 – Mike Scott of the Astros beats Fernando Valenzuela of the Dodgers for the National League Cy Young Award, garnering 15 first-place votes to Valenzuela’s nine.
• 1987 – Roger Clemens becomes the first pitcher since Jim Palmer in 1975–1976 to win consecutive Cy Young Awards, collecting 21 of 28 first-place votes to easily beat runner-up Jimmy Key, for 1987 Cy Young honors.
• 1996 – John Smoltz, who won a major league-high 24 games for the Atlanta Braves, wins the 1996 National League Cy Young Award in a runaway. Smoltz, the NL leader in strikeouts (276), innings pitched (253.2), and winning percentage (.750), receives 26 of 28 first-place votes. Kevin Brown of the Florida Marlins, the major-league ERA leader (1.89), receives the other two first-place votes. Since 1991, five of the six Cy Young winners have been Braves.
• 1997 – Pedro Martinez of the Montreal Expos breaks the stranglehold the veteran Greg Maddux and the Atlanta Braves have on the National LeagueCy Young Award. Since 1991, either Maddux or a Braves pitcher has captured the award every year. Martinez posted a 17-8 record with 305 strikeouts, a 1.90 ERA, and 13 complete games, giving Canada a clean sweep of the Cy Young this year. Roger Clemens of the Toronto Blue Jays won the American League award a day earlier. It’s a bittersweet moment for Montreal, as Martinez will be traded away a week later.
• 2008 – Tim Lincecum wins the Cy Young Award in his first full season in the majors. Lincecum led the league in strikeouts and was second in both wins and ERA. Brandon Webb finishes second for the second consecutive season. The NL Western Division has now produced eight of the last ten NL Cy Young Award winners.
• 2013 – Pitcher Jose Fernandez of the Marlins is voted the National League Rookie of the Year, while OF Wil Myers of the Tampa Bay Rays, who was obtained in a big off-season trade, is the winner in the American League.
• 2019 – Winners of the Rookie of the Year Award are announced, with Mets 1B Pete Alonso, who led the majors with 53 homers, receiving the honor in the NL and Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez doing so in the AL. Alonso receives 29 of 30 first-place votes, while Alvarez is a unanimous choice.
• 2020 – After winning the Pitcher’s Triple Crown in the American League, Shane Bieber of the Indians is an unsurprising unanimous selection as the winner of the Cy Young Award, while Trevor Bauer, who led the National League in ERA, is the first Reds pitcher to ever win the National League Award.

Cubs Birthdays:Scott May, Bert Abbey. Also notable: Rabbit Maranville HOF. Pie Traynor HOF.

Today in history:

• 1620 – Mayflower Compact is signed by Pilgrims at Cape Cod, establishing the first framework of government in the territory that is now the USA.
• 1675 – German mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz demonstrates integral calculus for the first time to find the area under the graph of the function y = f(x).
• 1714 – A highway in Bronx is laid out, later renamed East 233rd Street.
• 1807 – Washington Irving‘s Salmagundi periodical, the first to associate the name “Gotham” with New York City, is published.
• 1918 – World War I Armistice signed by the Allies and Germany comes into effect, with hostilities ending at 11 a.m., “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month”.
• 1921 – US President Warren G. Harding dedicates the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
• 1925 – American scientist Robert A. Millikan announces discovery of cosmic rays.
• 1926 – U.S. Route 66 is established from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, spanning 2,448 miles.
• 1940 – Willys unveiled its General Purpose vehicle (“Jeep”).
• 1999 – Last upside-down date until January 1, 6000.

Today in music history:

• 1925 – Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five begin their first recording session at Okeh Records in Chicago.
• 1957 – Sun Record’s release single “Great Balls of Fire” by Jerry Lee Lewis; sells a million copies in first ten days.
• 1963 – Brian Epstein and Ed Sullivan sign a three-show contract for appearances by The Beatles.
• 1969 – Apple Records releases single “Get Back” by ‘The Beatles with Billy Preston‘ in UK.
• 1974 – Operatic soprano Maria Callas makes her final public appearance in Sapporo, Japan.
• 2003 – Reprise Records releases “Closer,” the second studio album by pop-opera singer Josh Groban; featuring his signature song “You Raise Me Up,” it goes to No. 1 on US charts and becomes his biggest seller.
• 2008 – Taylor Swift releases her second studio album “Fearless” (Billboard Album of the Year, 2009; Grammy Album of the Year, 2010, American Music Awards, 2009).
• 2022 – Columbia Records releases Bruce Springsteen‘s 21st studio album “Only The Strong Survive”, his covers of American 60s and 70s R&B and soul songs.

*pictured.

The Phillies lost a franchise icon yesterday, so that will probably dominate the local headlines with nothing much else going on.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• As previously stated, Bob Boone passed away at the age of 78. He was a part of the Boone dynasty in baseball.
• Another report out there that the team has placed Trea Turner in the “available” column on their roster.
• In a surprise to virtually no one, Don Mattingly did not win the NL Manager of the Year award, finishing third instead.

MLB news:

• Speaking of the Manager of the Year awards, they were won by Pat Murphy (again) and Will Venable.
• Tarik Skubal is going to meet the Mets next week as he prepares to enter the free agency fray with reckless abandon.
• This is a pretty interesting way to look at the player’s side of the CBA negotiations: they can’t just walk away from the table.

LAS VEGAS — This time, there is more urgency.

This time, the price tag is lower.

This time, rival teams believe there’s a better chance of it happening, even though the divorce could be messy.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have placed All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte on the trade block again, still upset that he refused to show up a weekend series last year Aug. 17-19 against the Boston Red Sox, one that could have been the difference between the D-backs making the postseason or sitting home.

Marte missed three games while on the restricted list, and 10 games for being on the injured list at his request. And the Diamondbacks missed the postseason by two games.

Marte apologized to his teammates and to the organization after the incident, but the acrimony continues to linger.

And as of April 2026, Marte has 10-and-5 rights – meaning he can veto any trade.

“I think my stance with on all of the guys has been the same," Mike Hazen, D-backs president of baseball operations, said Tuesday afternoon after his GM availability with reporters. “I don't think we're in a position to just like run back what we did. We haven't made the playoffs in three years. …

“If you don’t make the playoffs, I think just making some small tweaks at the edges of the roster is necessarily going to get bigger change. I think we have to just be open-minded that there might be some other things, other ways out there, and explore those things.

“I don't feel like we're in a position in the market, I don't feel like we're in a position as a team, I don't feel like we're in a position of what we've accomplished over the last couple of years, to just say that we're good."

So, does that require another conversation with Marte to let him know that he’s on the trade block again?

“No, I don’t think so," Hazen said. “I think it is what it is at this point. I mean, the expectation at this point is that we’re going to be active, we’ll see. I don’t know where it’s going to take us yet, but I don’t think we have wrapped our heads around, “Are we good enough as currently constructed, and just run it back out there and hope that we get two more wins this next year?’

“I think that’s the problem we need to solve."

When the season ended last year, everyone from Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick to president Derrick Hall to manager Torey Lovullo insisted that they would no longer put up with any further unexcused absences. It has now happened in four consecutive seasons. It won’t happen a fifth year.

“The decisions you make are going to be on you now,” Lovullo said after the season. “I’m going to eliminate protecting you the way I have. And I will allow you to go out there and answer the questions on your own behalf instead of me protecting you.’’

Kendrick told Arizona Sports 98.7 FM: “That is what his manager should be doing, not me. I don’t mean it to come out as if I don’t have any responsibility in all of this. I do. But the primary responsibility for the ballplayers is the field manager, once they’re selected by the general manager. We’ve had a lot of good results from Ketel, and we’ve had some unfortunate acts of immaturity, and that needs to end.”

Marte, 32, who hit .249 last season with 22 homers, 76 RBIs and a .748 OPS in 141 games, still has five years and $89.25 million remaining on his contract. While he could veto any trade, the D-back have yet to ask him what teams he’d be willing to accept a trade.

“For me it's hard to go to players and have conversations that don't end up happening," Hazen said. “You know what gets put out there publicly a lot of times isn’t even remotely true. So, I don't know how to even defend against that. I can't go out and deny everything that gets sent out there.

“I know guys don't like having their name in the paper in the offseason. No player does. I respect that, and I try not to talk about that, but I feel like talking about things that don't end up happening end up creating more issue.

“That's just my personal stance on it. I know everybody's different. Everybody wants to be communicated to differently. Everybody appreciates different levels of communication. Some don't want to know anything. Some want to know everything. It's just hard to understand all that.’’

If someone makes an offer that appeals to the D-backs, then they’ll approach Marte, but only then, knowing it’s still quite possible he’s back with the team next spring.

“Look, he’s an incredible player," Hazen said. “We’re focused on trying to build the team the best way we can, and then we’ll tackle whatever we need to tackle next year when we get to spring training."

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can D-Backs trade All-Star who keeps going AWOL? Ketel Marte has veto power

Yesterday morning, the Boone family announced that their beloved patriarch, Bob, had passed away. The son of a former All-Star himself, Bob became an incredibly long-lasting catcher in 19 seasons, earning seven Gold Gloves, four All-Star appearances, and a 1980 World Series ring with the Phillies. Seven years before that, his son Aaron was born; he and his brother Bret became the third generation of Boone All-Stars. Bob followed his father Ray into the great cornfield in the sky on Monday at the age of 78. Our thoughts are with Aaron and his family this week; it almost goes without saying, but speaking from personal experience, it’s such a tough time.

Today on the site, it’s a mix of our current rolling series and breaking news. Jonathan will provide the grade and writeup for erstwhile backup catcher J.C. Escarra’s 2026 campaign, and Peter will celebrate the 124th birthday of a New Jersey native who became a nine-year big leaguer and forgotten Yankee: Ownie Carroll. Also keep an eye out tonight for Michael on the AL Cy Young Award announcement and Jeremy on the reveal of which Yankees made the 2026 All-MLB Team.

Questions/Prompts:

1. Will Cam Schlittler be the unanimous AL Cy Young Award winner tonight, or will someone else get a first-place vote?

2. Same question, but with the Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski over in the National League.

Will Venable was nameD AL Manager of the Year. Stephen Vogt finished 4th.

Pat Murphy was named NL Manager of the Year for the third year in a row./

The Dodgers hired Pedro Guerrero to be their hitting coach. Which means the Guardians should have hired Pedro Guerrero to be their hitting coach.

The Mets are going to meet with FA LHP Tarik Skubal next week.

The ChiSox are planning to move Grant Taylor, but not hagen Smith, into their rotation.

After midnight on Tuesday, Jon Heyman reported that the Detroit Tigers have agreed to a one-year contract worth $11.5 million with veteran closer Emilio Pagán. The 35-year-old has been with the Cincinnati Reds for the last three seasons, but declined a $10 million player option to come to Detroit instead for an extra million and a half. That assumes there are no potential bonuses available. We’ll wait for the full details to emerge and the physical to be completed before we’re sure on all the details.

The theory here is reasonably sound. Pagán consistently posts good strikeout and walk numbers, and he has a reputation as a bullpen leader. His one fatal weakness is his vulnerability to home runs. Obviously the Tigers are banking on getting him out of Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati to drive down the home run rates. That’s a predictable bit of reasoning, but after watching the Tigers high leverage relievers perform well in the overall stats columns in 2026, but blow a ton of games by giving up a homer at the worst possible time, it’s hard to love trying another older veteran reliever with home run issues next year.

Pagán racked up 25 saves in 45 appearances last year for the Reds. He posted a reasonably solid 3.38 ERA with a 4.18 FIP. His 25.9 percent strikeout rate is pretty good, and we like his low 6.3 percent walk rate. The fly in the ointment is a home run rate of 1.48 per nine innings.

The profile here is extremely fly ball heavy. He had a 59.3 fly ball rate in 2026. If he can keep the ball in the park a little more the Tigers outfield will collect a ton of routine outs, but it’s certainly a very volatile profile. His HR/9 for each of the last three seasons is 1.42, 1.31, and 1.48 in 2026. Pagán has always had home run problems everywhere he’s been, including San Diego, Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Oakland, and Seattle earlier in his career. It’s not just a Great American Ballpark issue. Here’s hoping the Tigers are right about Comerica suppressing home runs much more than the Reds fairly notorious ballpark.

Pagán relies heavily on his fourseam fastball, throwing it 62.8 percent of the time in 2026. He has a cutter and a splitter and uses them equally, deploying the splitter mainly to deal with lefties. He generally keeps balanced splits with those two secondary offerings, and that flexibility appeals to the Tigers and was one of the features Scott Harris mentioned looking for at the GM Meetings on Tuesday.

Pagán has plus extension, which helps as the fastball averaged 94.9 mph last year, down a tick from 2025. It does have some hop to it however, averaging 18 inches of induced vertical break. His whiff rates are generally average across the three pitches, but he does manage to minimize hard contact. It’s just that when the hard contact arrives, it tends to leave the park. He helps himself there by posting better than average walk rates, at least.

This is a perfectly fine acquisition, but it feels very Kenley Jansen 2.0 to be honest. Pagán is a little younger at 35, so we’ll hope the little downtick in velocity last season was just a blip. He also is much better than Jansen at locating the zone even when not at his best, so at least walks shouldn’t be an issue. Pagán is only a part-time closer as well, so the Tigers won’t be guaranteeing him save chances, which helps in terms of flexibility. If the Tigers go add a better reliever elsewhere, we’ll be thrilled. If not, we’ll cross our fingers again and hope for the best in terms of home runs allowed in unfortunate moments.

To no one’s surprise, Scott Harris identified high leverage relief help as his primary focus this offseason during interviews with the media at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas on Tuesday. This was always going to be a priority for a Tigers club that woefully underperformed in 2026, largely due to the bullpen’s performance in high leverage situations holding leads or ties in the late innings. The simplest way to improve the situation is to go out and add a really good reliever who generates a lot of whiffs. Longtime Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips may fit the bill perfectly.

The 32-year-old Phillips is a free agent for the first time this season. He was the 17th round pick of the Atlanta Braves back in 2015, and broke into the big leagues with them in 2018. Phillips was traded that year to Baltimore, and spent the next few years bouncing back and forth between the minor and major leagues. He struck out a ton of hitters, but his control was still a work in progress and the walks got him returned to Triple-A again and again. After a brief stop as a waiver claim with the Tampa Bay Rays, he was DFA’d again and claimed by the Dodgers in 2021. For the next three seasons he was one of the better setup men in the game as the Dodgers got him throwing strikes with a lot more consistency.

In June of 2025, Phillips blew out his UCL and didn’t return to action until July of 2026. When he got back on the mound, his velocity returned to peak form and he was throwing plenty of strikes. He was bit by too many home runs, but the strikeout and walk rates were outstanding. Phillips is a prime target for me this offseason, but he’ll be aggressively pursued as teams love a stuff guy who returns from Tommy John looking strong.

The 31.1 percent K-rate and 5.7 percent BB-rate stand out as the primary appeal here, but the stuff under the hood is really good to back up the numbers. Phillips will mix in a cutter or sinker here and there, but he’s primarily a fourseam-sweeper pitcher. He averaged 96.9 mph on the fourseamer in 2026 with a very good 26.3 percent whiff rate. The pitch has pretty pedestrian movement, but the velocity and command help it to play up. His 86.2 mph sweeper racked up a 34.3 percent whiff rate and remains an outstanding weapon. Hitters batted .059 against it in 2026, and while it will get smacked if he hangs one occasionally, that was a rare occurrence in 2026 and even more rare from 2023-2025.

The one problem appears somewhat glaring but was really more of a fluke. Phillips has never had notable home run trouble, but his 1.73 HR/9 mark this season is a bit grizzly. This doesn’t bother me. He’s never had home run trouble before, and the stuff was better after the surgery than in the two years prior. He only threw 26 innings, and he gave up five homers. Four of them came in a two week span in July right as he returned, and he only allowed one more home run from late July until the end of the season. This is a very small sample of work and shouldn’t be an issue next year.

Ben Clemens at FanGraphs estimates Phillips will get two years, $20 million total on a free agent deal. I tend to think the number will be a little higher than that, but he’s worth it. Add Phillips to a group including Drew Sommers, Will Vest, and one of the Tigers current starters, and you have a pretty strong backend of a bullpen.

It’s Tuesday night here at BCB After Dark: the hippest hangout for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in out of the fall air. The vibe is warm in here. There’s no cover charge. The dress code is casual. We still have a few tables available. Bring your own beverage.

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

Last night I asked you if the Cubs should try to sign free agent left-hander Adrián Morejón as a starting pitcher? Now earlier today, The Athletic reported that contrary to some earlier reports, Morejón wants to stay a relief pitcher. So maybe I asked a dumb question. (Did you know that “dumb” is spelled with a “b”? Most people don’t know that.) But in any case, 56 percent of you thought it was worth it to offer Morejón a role as a starting pitcher to get him to sign with the Cubs.

On Tuesday nights, I don’t normally do any movie stuff. But I always have time for music, so please join us around the piano.

Tonight we have a performance from guitarist John Scofield, backed up by the Danish Radio Big Band. This is “Boogie Stupid” from 2019. This performance should appeal to those who like blues and funk as much as jazz heads.

Welcome back from the piano. And the guitar and the brass section.

Sahadev Sharma in The Athletic has reported a lot of things that have gotten people upset, but I want to focus on things that won’t raise everyone’s blood pressure around here. One thing Sharma wrote in his most recent piece is that the Cubs haven’t ruled out a return of Carson Kelly, but are prepared to go into 2027 with Miguel Amaya and rookie Owen Ayers as their catching team. (shared link)

That’s a lot of faith in Ayers, who still has yet to make his major league debut. The Cubs did bring him to Chicago after Iowa’s season concluded, but that was because they wanted him to get a feel for what the job of a major league catcher is like first hand. They wanted Ayers to sit in on the meetings with the coaching staff, Kelly and Amaya and pick their brains. I suppose that Ayers would have been activated if Kelly or Amaya had gotten hurt, but the primary reason he was with the Cubs for the end of the season and the playoffs was to prepare him to take over major league catching duties sometime next year.

Now I agree that Ayers is a fine prospect. Baseball America just ranked him as the Cubs’ number-two prospect (behind Josiah Hartshorn) and I happen to agree with that ranking. He’s got a great arm and made huge strides in the rest of his defensive game last season. He’s got some power as he hit 25 home runs last year and he has a good eye at the plate with a .403 on-base percentage.

However, there are some caveats to those numbers. (Not the arm. The arm is plus anywhere.) For one, most of those huge offensive numbers were put up in High-A South Bend and Double-A Knoxville. Last year, the minor league baseball was a rabbit ball, with offensive totals up everywhere. When Ayers got to Triple-A Iowa, where they use the less-lively major league baseball, Ayers’ offensive totals were more ordinary. Over 49 games in Triple-A, Ayers only hit .247/.365/.356 with only three home runs. That doesn’t translate into great major league numbers. Looking at the early Steamer projections from Fangraphs, Ayers is only projected to hit a below-average .224/.299/.370 at the major league level, although they do project a plus Wins Above Replacement because of Ayers’ defensive chops.

So tonight I’m going to give you three options on what to do behind the plate. One, the Cubs could stick with the status quo and go with Amaya and Ayers sharing the catching duties.

Option two would be re-signing Kelly, which would probably keep Ayers down in Iowa until one of the two major league catchers got hurt or Ayers simply forced his way onto the roster with a strong season in Triple-A. Or, less desirably, that Kelly or Amaya played their ways off the roster.

Finally, the third option is to get a disposable veteran catcher in free agency or trade such as Austin Hedges or Kyle Higashioka and go with the new guy and Amaya until Ayers has proven that he’s too good for Iowa.

Which route would you choose?

Thanks for everyone who stopped by tonight. We enjoyed hosting you. Get home safely. Stay warm. Recycle any cans and bottles. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow evening for more BCB After Dark.

The Big Lead | Lou Landers: It was always going to be a long shot the other way, but Brian Cashman confirmed yesterday that the team will not be releasing DH Giancarlo Stanton ahead of his final year under contract. The Yankees are on the hook for another $15 million, while the Marlins will pay the remaining $10 million for 2027 (as well as the $10 million owed for the 2028 buy-out). While Cashman did leave room for himself to make a move midseason, the expectation is for Stanton to be in Tampa for spring training…whenever that is.

Some other rapid-fire notes from Cashman’s session with the media at the GM meetings:

• As Jake wrote yesterday, Max Fried had surgery to remove a bone spur in his throwing elbow. He is expected to recover in time for spring training (again, whenever that is).
• Coaching staff news: infield coaches Luis Rojas and Dan Fiorito will be back, as will the already-confirmed-to-return Matt Blake’s assistants, Desi Druschel and Preston Claiborne. James Rowson is considered a free agent and the Yankees have not yet decided how they’ll handle the hitting coach staff in 2027. They need to figure out a bench coach too, as Brad Ausmus’ deal is over and he might take a job with the Astros anyway.
• Cashman said that they will aim to give Aaron Judge more DH time in 2027, even if Judge himself is not particularly enthusiastic about that. That doesn’t mean he’ll be the primary DH, just that they know they can’t expect to put him in the outfield every day at this point and keep him healthy for a full 162.

New York Post | Mark W. Sanchez: The AL Cy Young Award will be handed out tonight, and the odds on favorite is of course Cam Schlittler. The Yankee right-hander led the Junior Circuit in fWAR, ERA, xERA, and placed second in both FIP and xFIP, and only Michael Wacha threw more innings. Dylan Cease had an excellent year for himself but it really should be Cam atop most of the voters’ ballots, and indeed his best contemporaries in Yankee history are among the best hurlers to ever put on pinstripes. It was a disappointing 2026 for many reasons, but Schlittler sure wasn’t one of them.

Baseball Prospectus | Smith Brickner ($): It’s prospect time, as BP updates their organizational lists now that the season is complete. Former PSAer Smith is on the assignment, noting that the Yankees boast a pitching rich system, and while they don’t seem to have much in terms of high-ceiling future stars, but there are plenty of high-floor future contributors. The team also has a habit of turning prospects into trade deadline acquisitions, which is itself a form of value.

FanGraphs | Matthew Roberson: Speaking of the successes of the past season, Brent Headrick. The Yankees found yet another stellar reliever from a pile of stuff, with the reliever and his devastating splitter one of Aaron Boone’s best weapons in a strong bullpen. Headrick was ridden hard for 81 appearances, and relievers are never to be counted on season over season, but if can come close to repeating 2026 he’ll be one of the most valuable relievers in the sport.

BBWAA: Will Venable of the White Sox was named the AL Manager of the Year last night, joining three-peat NL Manager of the Year Pat Murphy of the Brewers in the honors. Yankees manager Aaron Boone finished fifth, garnering one second-place vote and one third-place vote.

Sports Illustrated | JP Hoornstra: A melancholy happy trails to Bob Boone, the middle man in the Boone family baseball dynasty, who passed away Monday night at the age of 78. Boone played more than 2,200 games in the majors, winning seven Gold Gloves for his work behind the plate and capturing a World Series ring with the 1980 Phillies. He remains the Angels’ all-time leader in postseason average. He later managed for the Royals and Reds, where he got to be his son’s skipper, and won a second ring in the front office for the 2019 Nationals. Bob is of course the father of Aaron Boone and former MLBer Bret Boone (as well as the son of All-Star Ray Boone). Our best goes out to the Boone family and loved ones.

Carson Jacobs
Right-Handed Relief Pitcher
6´9´´
215 pounds
Age: 26
2025 South Side Sox Top 100 Prospect Ranking71
2026 South Side Sox Top Prospect Ranking 86
2026 High Level Birmingham (AA)
Age relative to high level -0.6 years
SSS rank among all right-handed relievers in the system 15
Overall 2026 season stats 2-2 ⚾️ 32 games (7 finishes) ⚾️ 43 2/3 IP ⚾️ 3.71.ERA ⚾️ 62 K ⚾️ 43 BB ⚾️ 1.695 WHIP ⚾️ 0.7 WAR

If you’re jumping center against 6´9´´behemoth Carson Jacobs, you know what you’re in for. Facing him in the batter’s box, against a reach that releases the ball close enough to tickle your chin, is another matter entirely.

Jacobs has used his height to great advantage in his year-and-change in the White Sox system. The White Sox ignored his stats at the baseball hotbed of North Dakota State University in 2023 (2-5, 34 innings, 6.62 ERA) and snapped him up immediately after the draft as a UDFA. With no inhibitions, the club put the tall righty right to work, and its confidence paid off handsomely, as Jacobs busted out 6 1⁄3 innings while allowing just one earned run.

Despite that small sample size greatness, it’s only fair the White Sox packed Jacobs back up for a repeat ACL tour to start 2024 — and it was only fair Jacobs murdered ACL batters once more (3.22 ERA in 22 1⁄3 innings, plus his first pro save). From there, Jacobs did time in both Kannapolis and Winston-Salem, ending the year with a sparkling 2.37 ERA over 31 games. With 19 of those games being finishes, it’s clear the White Sox want to slot Jacobs in as a setup/closer short man.

While Jacobs had been killing it through his first two summers with the Sox, 2025 turned out to be another matter entirely. The righty’s peripherals held steady, except for one key spot: Hitters caught up to him, with a dramatic increase in hits per nine (5.7 H/9 in 2024, up to 8.4). That’s a worrying sign, as Jacobs was age-appropriate for High-A, where he pitched all but two of his games.

One bright spot for the reliever is that the White Sox thought highly enough of him in spite of a rough 2025 to send him on an audition to the Arizona Fall League. There, Jacobs saw action in eight games to a 4.50 ERA — and he was lucky to get away with just that, having walked 11 batters for a 16.5 BB/9.

Jacobs tasted Double-A for two games in 2025, and jumped right back to Double-A for 2026. And, back with the Barons, he was used somewhat sparingly. He never spent time on the IL, at least officially, but didn’t even make his season debut until the end of April. And in spite of relieving all year, his rest between appearances often more closely resembled a rotation arm, sitting for upwards of a week between games.

When he was on the mound, Jacobs was stingier with contact, but offset that with a wild streak that raised his overall WHIP. Bottom line, though, Jacobs improved his ERA, with run prevention that should see him get time in Charlotte in 2027, if not when camp breaks then soon after.

Full 2027 South Side Sox Top 100 White Sox ProspectsStorystream

LAS VEGAS — Marcus Semien’s self-motivation is his biggest asset in trying to improve on his underwhelming first season in Queens.

That was the assessment of president of baseball operations David Stearns on Tuesday when asked about the Mets’ plans at second base for next season.

The 36-year-old Semien will have an opportunity to play “a lot of” second base next season, according to Stearns.

“This is an extremely motivated player,” Stearns said at the general managers meetings. “This is someone who works as hard as anyone, who believes in his own ability, and who I know is going to get everything out of what he has.”

Brett Baty remains an option at the position, but the Mets also have prospects such as Jefferson Rojas, Émilien Pitre and Mitch Voit who could be ready at some point next season.

Semien posted a .620 OPS and struggled defensively, finishing at minus-9 outs above average, according to Statcast, which ranked in MLB’s fifth percentile.

He still has $46 million remaining on his contract over the next two seasons.

“[Semien] didn’t have the type of year that he wanted to last year,” Stearns said. “He didn’t have the type of year we believe he’s capable of. We also think we have got a lot of options, both guys who played in the big leagues last year for us and guys who are knocking on the door of the big leagues that we feel good about that position.”

Though Bo Bichette has flexibility to play other infield positions, Stearns said the plan is to keep him at third base. Bichette switched to the position from shortstop last season upon joining the Mets.

Bichette is returning after opting in to a contract that will pay him $42 million next season.

“I was happy about it,” Stearns said. “We expect Bo to have a really good year next year. We saw what he’s capable of doing over the last three or four months of the season, and I think he is excited to come back. He’s comfortable with our group, he’s emerging as a leader in our clubhouse. I am very excited to have him back.”

Last year at the general managers meetings, Stearns placed Carson Benge in the conversation for a starting job by saying the top prospect would head to spring training with an opportunity to win a major league job.

Stearns isn’t prepared this offseason to make such a pronouncement on a prospect.

“That could change by the time we get to spring training or Opening Day,” Stearns said. “But sitting here right now there’s not a name that I am going to put out there like that.”

LAS VEGAS — After a season plagued by elbow issues, Max Fried has gotten an offseason cleanup.

The left-hander underwent surgery to remove a bone spur from his left elbow, Brian Cashman said Tuesday, though it should not affect his readiness for the 2027 season — whenever it actually begins, with a lockout looming.

The procedure — which was not originally on the docket when Cashman and Aaron Boone last spoke to reporters in late October — comes with six weeks of rest and rehab before Fried can begin a throwing program around the second week of December.

“He should be ready for spring training,” Cashman said during the general managers meetings at the Aria Resort and Casino.

In the second year of an eight-year, $218 million contract, Fried missed two-plus months with a left elbow bone bruise and then went back on the injured list for two weeks in August with the same issue.

In the 20 starts he did make, he was mostly terrific, pitching to a 2.80 ERA across 112 ²/₃ innings.

Aaron Judge recently had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Gregory Pearl — the specialist with whom the Yankees consulted on theircaptain’s broken rib last season — which essentially cleared him moving forward.

“He’s currently in a good place,” Cashman said. “So no new added features to his circumstance outside of, take the winter to continue to rest up and he’ll be ready to go. But there’s no new procedures or anything there with Aaron Judge.”

While pitching coach Matt Blake’s contract extension was previously reported, Cashman revealed that assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel and bullpen coach Preston Claiborne are also coming back, as are third base coach Luis Rojas and first base coach Dan Fiorito.

Bench coach Brad Ausmus, meanwhile, is still waiting to hear back from the Astros after he interviewed for both their GM job (which went to Randy Flores) and manager job (which remains open).

Cashman on the Yankees not renewing the contracts of special advisers and former GMs Brian Sabean and Omar Minaya: “I was thankful that ownership allowed me to onboard those guys four years ago. As costs continue to stretch here, I had to make some tough decisions. We’re not going to replace or not going to duplicate those positions or replace them as we move forward. Unfortunately, there was some give that had to take place. They’re really excellent baseball people that I think will add value somewhere if somebody’s got an opportunity.”

LAS VEGAS — During an offseason in which many former players and coaches have beaten up on the Yankees, Brian Cashman has tried to speak with all of them to hear them out. 

That now includes Jorge Posada, who recently said on The Post’s baseball podcast, “The Show with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman,” that he does not believe the Yankees want him around and he does not “feel welcome.” 

Cashman said Tuesday he was surprised to hear those comments but that he has since spoken with Posada, the four-time World Series-winning catcher. 

“He is welcome,” Cashman said during the general managers meetings at the Aria Resort and Casino. “I did obviously have those conversations with him. But I think also in the world we live in today, which is a different world than obviously when Jorge played, everybody’s got a platform. There’s a lot more podcasts, social media, a lot of things are existing now in this world that didn’t exist then. So, a lot more opinions can be projected. That comes with the territory. 

“Jorge wants us to be great. We want us to be great. Unfortunately, we have been good but we haven’t been great, and that’s the trick of trying to figure out how to get from good to great.” 

Posada was the latest ex-Yankee to pile on in the aftermath of the club’s ALDS loss to the Rays, marking another year gone by since its last championship in 2009 (which Posada was a part of). The criticism also came from CC Sabathia, Anthony Rizzo and Joe Girardi, ranging from citing a lack of accountability to the current players no longer understanding what the standard of the Yankees is. 

Cashman previously indicated that none of the issues Sabathia, Rizzo or Girardi brought up were the main reason for their early playoff exit. 

“Winning is hard,” Cashman said. “I try to also remind people how difficult it is. There are a lot of great teams we have put together that we were all a part of that fell short. I remind any of the former players who are looking at when we are letting our fans down by not playing up to our capabilities or falling short of our dream or our hopes, it might not look good or it might look like we’re not checking all the boxes. That’s what losing looks like. It’s as simple as that. It’s not because the care factor isn’t there or because the work’s not going on behind the scenes.” 

“If somebody has got some good, constructive suggestions of how to get there, then I’m open minded. I’m not shy.” 

Aaron Boone has consistently invited Posada and other former players to camp every spring, but when the former catcher was asked about potentially helping the Yankees, that is when he brought up not feeling wanted. 

“We value our present, but we also value our past,” Cashman said. “That’s why, in Jorge’s case, he’s invited every spring. He’s invited to Old-Timers’ Day. He did my daughter’s show … ‘Story of My Number,’ which I appreciated him doing.”

LAS VEGAS – The Los Angeles Dodgers shrug their shoulders hearing that the New York Mets have a meeting scheduled next week in California with prized free-agent starter Tarik Skubal.

They are amused that the San Diego Padres are flirting with the idea of adding Skubal to give them three players earning in excess of $300 million.

They smirk when mystery teams are floated in the air for Skubal at the GM meetings.

They also know the bottom line: If the Dodgers want Skubal, they can have him, providing no one absolutely blows them out of the water with an offer they don’t want to match.

And, let’s face it, nobody has done that in nearly a decade.

The Dodgers wanted Shohei Ohtani three years ago, they got him at the same 10-year, $700 million price offered to the Los Angeles Angels, Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants.

The Dodgers wanted Yoshiobu Yamamoto, they got him at $325 million, even though the Mets and Philadelphia Phillies were willing to go higher.

They got closer Edwin Diaz with a three-year, $69 million contract last winter, not even giving the Mets a chance to counter.

They signed first baseman Freddie Freeman away from Atlanta in 2022 with a six-year, $162 million contract.

They made sure Mookie Betts wasn’t returning to Boston in 2020 with a 12-year, $365 million extension.

Whatever the Dodgers want, they always get.

Now, despite the federal investigation into owner Mark Walter’s insurance empire, there is zero indication the Dodgers don’t want him back.

Oh sure, they’d love to dump a salary or two to make it more feasible.

They’ve got outfielder Teoscar Hernandez and his remaining $21 million salary on the trade block. If someone asks, Tyler Glasnow can be theirs, too, freeing up the $30 million he’s owed in 2027 with a $21.5 million player option in 2028. Just like that, $72.5 million could be coming off the books, plenty to squeeze in the two-time Cy Young winner who’ll command at least $350 million in the free-agent market.

So, when Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes was asked Tuesday if they had a meeting set up with Skubal, too, he said, “at some point soon.’’

“We know we love the player, we love the human,’’ Gomes said. “And you kind of have to let things play out to understand what that looks like, and if it’s something that we’re going to ultimately execute.”

Why wouldn’t they?

Skubal fit in perfectly after joining the Dodgers in August after being acquired from the Detroit Tigers. He was their co-ace with Yamamoto. He went 5-2 with a 2.61 ERA, and was exactly the pitcher they envisioned, and more.

“He was awesome to get to know,’’ Gomes said. “He fit in great into the clubhouse. Obviously, we know what kind of pitcher he is.

“So, for us, it’s understanding what this all looks like, as far as what does our team need? What does the contract look like? Where does he end up? I don’t know.’’

Well, considering Skubal is a native of Kingman, Arizona, a 318-mile drive to Dodger Stadium, with his parents and entire family living in Arizona, his wife’s family living in Arizona, and the Dodgers’ spring training complex a 25-minute drive from their Scottsdale, Arizona, home, there’s no reason in the world he won’t end up back in Los Angeles.

Money hasn’t stopped the Dodgers from getting everything they’ve desired since their championship run in 2020.

Why let a little investigation into finances stop them now?

“It is always easy to say, at this point in time, what is best for the team,” Gomes said. “But then as you look at the construction of your roster, it’s about making sure you’re balancing and not setting yourself up to potentially hit a slow point, or making sure you’re not doing things that disrupt what could potentially be.

“We want a very long window, and making sure that stays open.”

The Dodgers, with or without Skubal, still have a rotation featuring Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Shohei Ohtani, Glasnow and depth in Roki Sasaki, Justin Wrobleski, Emmet Sheehan and Gavin Stone.

“We do,’’ Gomes said, “have a good amount of depth in our pitching.’’

Why not make it unstoppable, making sure that the Dodgers’ early postseason departure, being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS, never happens again in the near future? It made no difference to them that they were eliminated by the eventual World Series champions. The pain was so unbearable that Gomes couldn’t even watch the entire World Series with the Brewers beating the Tampa Bay Rays in five games.

“No, it doesn’t take any sting away,’’ Gomes said. “You just don’t feel good if you don’t win. So, you’re in this stage of like, 'Man, that kind of stinks.'

“I tried to watch the first couple of games, and then after that, I was like, 'This is painful. It’s too painful. I think I’ll just check the box score for it.'"

The Dodgers haven’t endured the pain of losing a free agent they coveted since making a last-ditch bid for Bryce Harper in 2019. They offered a four-year, $180 million contract before being out-bid by the Phillies with a 13-year, $330 million deal.

There’s no reason to believe it will happen again.

The Dodgers want the man.

Skubal wants to return to the Dodgers.

When the flirting ends, and the bids stop, Skubal should be in a Dodgers uniform.

Right where he belongs.

Follow Bob Nightengale on X @Bnightengale.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dodgers want Tarik Skubal. Skubal wants the Dodgers. So why won't it happen?