Category: MLB

With the 2025 Texas Rangers season having come to an end, we shall be, over the course of the offseason, taking a look at every player who appeared in a major league game for the Texas Rangers in 2025.

Today we are looking at outfielder Michael Helman.

Michael Helman was one of the good, fun stories of the maddening 2025 Texas Rangers season. If the Rangers had been able to pull off that improbable September comeback and make the playoffs, he would have entered the pantheon of unexpected sports heroes.

Shades of Francisco Cabrera, whose two out pinch hit single in the bottom of the ninth of Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS off of Pirates closer Stan Belinda, with the Braves down one, sending the Braves to the World Series, after having just 11 major league plate appearances in the 1992 regular season.

Or Tom Lawless, who hit a three run homer off of Twins starter Frank Viola in Game 4 of the 1987 World Series, giving the Cardinals a lead in the game they wouldn’t relinquish. Lawless was on the Cardinals’ roster all season, rarely played (this was back in the days of 10 man pitching staffs, when National League teams had seven bench guys), and had two hits all season — the first not coming until August 12, in Game 113, and the second not coming until the final regular season game of the year.

Can you imagine what it would be like, in 2026, if a position player was on a team’s roster all year and didn’t have a hit until mid-August? Social media would be all over it. He would become a meme. Late in blowouts, fans would be chanting for him to be put into the game, like college basketball fans calling for Olivier Roux late in a Florida Gator blowout, or Mavs fans in the late 80s chanting for Dennis Nutt.

Drafted in the 11th round in 2018 out of Texas A&M by the Twins, Helman finally made it to the bigs in 2024 with Minnesota, getting 10 plate appearances in 9 games and somehow managing to play four different positions in that small stretch. He was acquired by the Cardinals right before spring training started last year for the always popular cash considerations, was claimed on waivers by the Pirates in May, followed by the Rangers claiming him on waivers less than a week later.

Helman was AAA depth for the Rangers, and as such, got summoned a couple of times to the bigs during the summer for short stints, and was fine, didn’t embarrass himself, did what you hoped a depth guy called up to patch a hole for a short time would do.

When half the team was struck down by the injury gods in August, Helman was brought back up once again, and asked to play a more regular role. It doing so, it is fair to say, he exceeded expectations.

For about a month, Helman was spectacular. He hit. He played great defense. He was dynamic. In a particularly memorable pair of games, he drove in all five Rangers runs in a 5-0 win against the Milwaukee Brewers, blowing the game open in the fifth with a grand slam off of Jose Quintana, then hit a game tying homer the next day to help the Rangers to what would be a 5-4 win against the Brew Crew.

From the time he was called up on August 23 through September 13, when the Rangers won their second straight game against the Mets, putting them just two games back in the A.L. West and for Wild Card spots 2 and 3, Helman slashed .294/.345/.627 in 56 plate appearances, while making some dazzling catches in center field. The Rangers’ unexpected surge while missing so many key players was driven by unexpected guys, including Helman.

Alas, we know how things turned out. After that September 13 win in New York, the Rangers wouldn’t win again for 11 days, losing eight straight and crashing out of the playoff race. And after September 13, Cinderella Helman turned into a pumpkin, slashing .162/.205/.216.

For the season, Helman put up a .232/.290/.455 slash line in 110 plate appearances, giving him an impressive 1.0 bWAR. Very good results from him, and part of why the Rangers were playing meaningful games in the final month of the year. It led to some talk that he should be penciled into the Rangers 2026 plans, part of the Opening Day roster, getting a platoon role in the outfield, with possibly the opportunity to do even more.

Looking under the hood, though, the underlying metrics for Helman were not as good as the raw numbers would suggest. They were, in fact, kind of awful.

Helman didn’t walk much, and struck out at an average rate. Combined with his middling batting average, it means that he had a sub-.300 OBP. His offensive value was primarily derived by his hitting for a surprising amount of power — five home runs in 110 plate appearances, a rate higher than he had shown even in the minors.

The batted ball data isn’t encouraging about how sustainable that would appear to be. Helman’s average exit velocity was near the bottom of the league, as was his hard hit rate. His stint with the Rangers resulted in a .250 xwOBA and a .323 xSLG.

Michael Helman provides value to this team on the 40 man roster as depth, a guy you can stash in AAA and bring up if someone is hurt and you need a fill in on the active roster for a week or two. He’s fast and can play good defense in center, which has value.

But he does not appear to be someone who is going to hit enough to have a meaningful role on a major league team. He turns 30 in May, and his OPS for Round Rock last year was 744, the same as it was in the big leagues, weirdly enough. He has a career .255/.327/.446 slash line in 266 games in AAA. He’s the 39th or 40th guy on a 40 man roster, someone you like to have available, but also someone who is going to be a waiver wire candidate when you need a 40 man spot at some point.

Previously:

Gerson Garabito

Tyler Mahle

Kyle Higashioka

Adolis Garcia

Luis Curvelo

Alejandro Osuna

Blaine Crim

Jake Burger

Jacob Webb

Nick Ahmed

Jon Gray

Carl Edwards Jr.

Josh Jung

Leody Taveras

Dustin Harris

Marc Church

Luke Jackson

Danny Coulombe

Wyatt Langford

Dylan Moore

Ah prospects. Sometimes they really hurt you. After watching the Detroit Tigers pass on Zach Neto and instead select Jace Jung in the first round of the 2022 amateur draft, there was some hope of redemption in the second round. The Tigers picked up an athletic shortstop with power out of the University of Oklahoma named Peyton Graham, and for a while I expected he’d add muscle to his reedy 6’2” frame and take advantage of his power and plate discipline to reach the majors as at least a platoon player who could handle the shortstop position effectively.

Things have not worked out that way. Graham spent much of the 2023 and 2024 seasons battling injuries. He missed half a season in 2023 after getting hit in the face by a pitch. In 2024 he was hit by another that broke two fingers. Beyond those injuries he’s had various minor sprains and strains that he’s had to work through. And after three full seasons of A-ball, he still hasn’t made the strength gains required to reduce the need for his long, high effort swing and all out approach to playing the infield.

Graham was never going to be a quick mover to the big leagues, but the progress required to keep his higher end projections hasn’t materialized. It was easy to be patient after all the injuries coming into 2025, but he needed a a strong move to the Double-A level in 2025 to keep a platoon player future on the board. Instead, he had a good year with the West Michigan Whitecaps without any real breakthroughs and didn’t make the leap to the upper levels.

Graham hit seven homers, 23 doubles, and three triples in 100 games in 2026. He also stole 20 bases for the Whitecaps, slashing .283/.366/.423. He did manage to trim his strikeouts down to a reasonable 20.8 percent, walking in 9.8 percent of his at-bats. Zone discipline has never been the issue for him, but ultimately those numbers don’t matter much without more progress in his overall quality of contact.

Despite his slender frame, Graham will still show you above average juice on occasion, but he just hasn’t developed the physicality to simplify his swing and still relies on a lot of moving parts to generate his quality batspeed. He starts early and is often caught a little off balance or just plain late, leading to a lot of pop-ups on pitches up in the zone. There’s plenty of hard line drive contact and stretches where he’s catching the ball out front and driving more pitches, but it just hasn’t sustained it well enough. In 2025, he finally caught fire for a while from mid-May to mid-July hitting all seven of his home runs on the year in that stretch. For a while things were looking pretty interesting. But then he cooled down after the All-Star break before finishing strong in the Whitecaps postseason run to the Midwest League championship.

As a shortstop, Graham’s main flaw was just generally being too busy. He has good reactions and a solid glove, but his all out style led to too many errant throws. He has the arm strength to play third base, and enough speed to play the outfield corners well, and the Tigers started getting him more work in all those positions in 2025 while Kevin McGonigle took the reps at shortstop. Graham did improve as a defender this season and played much more within himself, looking like an above average second baseman who is solid at third as well. He can handle shortstop too, but he’s fringy there and fits a lot better at second base in particular. He didn’t get that much work in the outfield, but should be able to handle the corners reasonably well with more reps.

There would be a little more optimism if Graham hit left-handed, but the path for a right-handed hitting utilityman is exceedingly narrow. His development was short-circuited early on by the injuries, and I’ve always thought he would be a late bloomer, but it’s getting pretty late indeed. His raw power is still a lot better than most utility types, and his improved defense helps his case to a degree, but raw power doesn’t help unless you’re getting to plenty of it. It was at least a positive sign that he was finally looking more like the player the Tigers were hoping for in the middle of the season. Graham will be in Erie this season, and we’ll see if he can build on the modest progress he made in 2025.

Writing a primer on a player who it feels like Mets fans simultaneously don’t know very well but also know intimately well in Luis Robert Jr. is an interesting position to be in. The 28-year-old Cuban-born center fielder defected in 2016 and signed with the White Sox the following year, spending his entire career until this point with an American League club the Mets rarely face off against. But the Mets have also been connected to Robert in trade for nearly two full calendar years at this point and his name has been brought up at least a handful of times every trade deadline and offseason since 2024 as the Mets searched for answers to their center field problem.

If there is an overarching pair of themes that tell the story of Robert’s career, it’s injuries and sky-high potential. Robert made his spring training debut for the White Sox in 2018 and hit a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning, but then landed on the injured list for two months because he sprained a ligament in his thumb while sliding into second base in the game. That spring debut ended up being a microcosm for Robert’s White Sox career.

Robert’s major league debut came in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, before which he signed a six-year, $50 million contract with the White Sox before appearing in a single big league game. That contract included team options for 2026 and 2027; the White Sox picked up Robert’s 2026 option in November prior to the trade and the Mets will now be responsible for Robert’s entire $20 million salary this season. The 2027 option is also for $20 million with a $2 million buyout. Robert won a Gold Glove in his first major league season and came in second in the American League Rookie of the Year balloting. Robert also helped carry the White Sox to their first postseason berth in over a decade—shortened season wackiness notwithstanding—and hit the longest postseason home run in White Sox history in the Wild Card round against the A’s. Things were off to a promising start for the young outfielder.

He carried that momentum right into the 2021 season, in which he hit over .300 in his first 25 games before suffering a complete tear of his right hip flexor on May 2—the first of a string of devastating injuries Robert would have to deal with in his young career. That hip flexor tear cost him three months, but in only 68 games and just shy of 300 plate appearances in 2021, Robert still amassed 3.4 fWAR. Robert’s production fell the following season, as he put up a 111 wRC+ in 2022. Though he played more games (98) than in 2021, he still suffered multiple more minor injuries that year, including a sprained wrist in September that prematurely ended his season.

Robert’s best year of his career by far was his age 25 season in 2023 when he played nearly a full season (145 games), over which he put up 5 WAR, hit 38 home runs, drove in 80 runs, and stole 20 bases—all while playing elite center field defense (12 OAA). He earned All-Star honors that year, won the Silver Slugger, and came in 12th in the AL MVP voting. Though Robert still has potentially a lot of years left to play at age 28, that 2023 season unfortunately represents the zenith of his professional career so far. Perhaps most notably, Robert has not sniffed 38 home runs before 2023 or since.

In all, according to data from FOX Sports, Robert has had over thirty—that’s right 30, as in, three-zero—IL stints in six big league seasons. That’s, well, a lot of injuries. And they are not all bumps and bruises either. Some of these are significant soft tissue injuries that led to lengthy absences. Robert played in just 53% of possible games from 2021 to 2023 and has failed to reach the 145-game high-water mark from 2023 in either of his past two seasons, which have been injury-riddled and mediocre. His 2024 and 2025 seasons were basically carbon copies of each other with an 86 and 85 OPS+ respectively, worth 1.4 bWAR each, and 210 games played across both seasons.

That all seems pretty grim, but there is plenty of reason for optimism here. Even with his history of lower body injuries, Robert maintains excellent—and flashes of brilliant—center field defense with 7 OAA in 2025, landing him in the 93rd percentile. This is certainly in keeping with David Stearns’ vision for improving the team defensively. Robert also maintains elite sprint speed and stole 33 bases last season—a career high. On the offensive side of things, his bat is as speedy as his legs; the inimitable Sarah Langs pointed out that only Robert, Julio Rodríguez, and Oneil Cruz had both sprint and bat speeds in the 90th percentile or better in 2025. That is encouraging company to keep. If you take a gander at xwOBA, Luis Robert’s was the same in 2025 as one Cody Bellinger—he who put up a well above average offensive season last year, was one of the most anticipated and coveted free agent bats this offseason, and was connected to the Mets for many weeks before signing with the Yankees yesterday.

To phrase it charitably, the White Sox are not known as one of the more forward-thinking or advanced organizations in the sport. Of course, when it comes to injuries and realizing the potential evident in the underlying hitting metrics, there is some luck involved. But there is also good injury prevention strategy and hitting instruction involved too and the Mets are likely better positioned than the White Sox in these arenas to help tip the odds of 2023 Robert reappearing in their favor. And while I do think people often wave “change of scenery” around like a wand, hoping that a new team will magically fix all of a player’s woes, lifting the fog of the heinous vibes that come with three consecutive 100+ loss seasons from Robert’s view probably can’t hurt.

It’s easy to see the appeal of this trade on both sides. The Mets have traded a blocked infield prospect with no options remaining and a starting pitching prospect from a farm full of excellent young arms for a player still in his twenties who they have been targeting for years, fits the roster perfectly, and whose potential they think they can maximize. Luisangel Acuña will now have the privilege of everyday playing time to hopefully be the best version of himself. For the White Sox, Robert is the talented, but oft-injured last bastion of a core that fell spectacularly short of expectations and was slowly jettisoned, piece by piece. And Robert also committed the greatest sin of all: making money without providing the bang for that buck consistently enough. For Mets fans still aching over the scattering of our own core of the first half of the 2020s, take comfort in the fact that unlike the team from whence Robert came, this is not a teardown. Unlike Robert was in Chicago by the end of his tenure, Pete Alonso was not the only bright spot in the abyss. At best, Mets fans can dream on Robert putting up a dynamic and fun to watch 5 WAR season, solving (at least in the short-term) the team’s longstanding center field quandary, and being a part of the beginning of the Mets’ next era of success. At worst, if Robert is injured and/or underperforms, as has been the case of late, the Mets have overpaid—something they can afford to do—for one mediocre season that still has a decent chance of exceeding the production the Mets got from center field in 2025.

The quest of the Cincinnati Reds to never again be last while feigning interest in actually being first continued over the last week whether they liked it, or not.

Off the board came Kyle Tucker, first, whose signature with the Los Angeles Dodgers further solidified their modern Evil Empire status. The New York Mets, meanwhile, had been heavy on Tucker all winter, and losing out on him caused a domino effect where they pivoted to Bo Bichette on a big AAV deal to further crowd their infield mix. That threw the Philadelphia Phillies into flux, as they’d been big on Bichette all winter, and they subsequently pivoted back to their old friend JT Realmuto, inking the backstop to another deal to once again solidify that part of their roster.

Bichette, an infielder, caused a bit of a logjam on the Mets roster, and they responded by unloading former top prospect Luisangel Acuña to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for mercurial outfielder Luis Robert, Jr., in whom the very Reds once reportedly had kicked tires.

During this flurry, the New York Yankees finally struck terms with Cody Bellinger for a long-term return, while the Los Angeles Angels chimed in with their own rendition of ‘reunion’ by signing Yoan Moncada to a 1-year, $4 million contract that, in theory, would’ve suited the Reds perfectly had they not chosen to take on the some $30 million due to Ke’Bryan Hayes at the hot corner. Then, last night, the Mets struck again by landing Freddy Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers, who themselves seem committed to attempts at winning in 2026 with one hand tied behind their back.

(They’ll probably still find a way.)

The flurry of moves gives two clear indications. First, obviously, is that pitchers and catchers begin to report to spring camps in only three-ish weeks and rosters need to be finalized. Second, though, is that the Cincinnati Reds are once again going to play the patience card and wait around to see which remaining free agents are left in the bargain bin.

They still need middle infield help. They could still really use an established outfielder given that TJ Friedl – who missed a ton of time in 2024 – is the only guy they’ve got on-roster who’s recently filed away a full year of good production out there. They likely could use someone who can play all over the place and hit left-handed after the trade of Gavin Lux, who was going to make $5 million, hit left-handed, and not really be able to play anywhere.

The Reds were never going to be in on any of these players because each of these players actually requires being paid market rate for their services. But, now that they’re flying off the board quickly, the rosters of the competition of the Reds are beginning to be solidified, reducing the number of places the remaining names on the market might otherwise have sought out – and that gives us a bit clearer picture of who is realistically on their radar.

Old friend Eugenio Suarez is out there and would be incredibly fun to have back…if the Reds were willing to use Spencer Steer a lot in LF and if Geno’s real with the idea of not ever really playing 3B again. Austin Hays and Harrison Bader are still out there looking for work, too, though it doesn’t appear the Reds have a ton of interest in retaining either of their services for a second time. The same seemingly goes for Miguel Andujar, though the Reds have at least had their name pop up a time or three in connection with him during his otherwise slow winter.

There’s also the curious case of Luis Arraez, who can hit whenever and play nowhere despite his batted-ball profile being more or less exactly what this current iteration of Reds front office slash managerial staff wants out of each of their players. I’m not saying I love the fit, I’m just saying he’s exactly what the Reds seem to want from a bat and at this juncture his dried-up market might well push him into we’ll spend it territory for an otherwise frugal Reds ownership group.

It’s been a pretty rapidly developing free agent tumble the last week even if the Reds themselves haven’t yet dived in.

The Mets' ZiPS projections for the 2026 season -- via Dan Szymborski -- are out at FanGraphs.

Here are the key highlights...

OFFENSE

First, the newcomers.

Bo Bichette is projected to slash .294/.339/.445 (121 OPS+), while Jorge Polanco is projected to hit .253/.327/.446 (118 OPS+).

As far as Marcus Semien, who is coming off two down seasons, he is projected to bounce back a bit and be literally a league average hitter (100 OPS+).

The projections are bullish on Juan Soto, with him slashing .271/.408/.524 (163 OPS+) with 37 home runs, 103 RBI, and 109 runs scored.

Francisco Lindor (123 OPS+) and Francisco Alvarez (112 OPS+) are also projected to have strong offensive campaigns. 

STARTING ROTATION

Traditionally, the ZiPS projections for innings totals and ERA for starting pitchers can skew conservative, and that's reflected a bit in the Mets' numbers.

Freddy Peralta (3.87 ERA/9.7 K/9), Clay Holmes (3.90 ERA), and Nolan McLean (3.94 ERA) are all projected to have sub-4 ERAs.

A bounce back is projected for Kodai Senga (3.82 ERA) but not Sean Manaea (4.51 ERA).

Top prospect Jonah Tong is projected to have a 4.07 ERA while striking out 10.1 per nine. 

BULLPEN

A big season is projected for closer Devin Williams, with a 3.14 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 57.1 innings (a rate of 12.4 per nine).

Luke Weaver is projected to have a 4.30 ERA, with solid seasons in the cards for A.J. Minter (3.53 ERA) and Brooks Raley (3.79 ERA).

We will keep track of every Brewers roster move here.

Last updated 1/22/25

If you are on a mobile device, this table is best viewed in landscape mode.

Jersey #	Pitchers (20)	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
56	Grant Anderson	R/R	6’0″	204	6/21/1997
26	Aaron Ashby	R/L	6’0″	188	5/24/1998
	Coleman Crow	R/R	6’0”	175	12/30/2000
54	Robert Gasser	L/L	6’0″	192	5/31/1999
37	DL Hall	L/L	6’1″	204	9/19/1998
43	Logan Henderson	R/R	6’0″	209	3/2/2002
47	Jared Koenig	R/L	6’5″	248	1/24/1994
50	Easton McGee	R/R	6’7″	217	12/26/1997
29	Trevor Megill	L/R	6’8″	249	12/5/1993
32	Jacob Misiorowski	R/R	6’7″	197	4/3/2002
39	Chad Patrick	R/R	6’1″	217	8/14/1998
	Sammy Peralta	L/L	6’2”	215	5/10/1998
46	Quinn Priester	R/R	6’3″	210	9/16/2000
27	Carlos Rodriguez	R/R	5’11″	205	11/27/2001
	Brandon Sproat	R/R	6’3”	215	09/17/2000
45	Abner Uribe	R/R	6’3″	210	6/20/2000
53	Brandon Woodruff	L/R	6’4”	242	2/10/1993
48	Craig Yoho	R/R	6’2″	235	10/23/1999
58	Rob Zastryzny	R/L	6’3″	205	3/26/1992
61	Ángel Zerpa	L/L	6’0”	220	9/27/1999
Jersey #	Catchers (2)	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
24	William Contreras	R/R	5’10”	218	12/24/1997
76	Jeferson Quero	R/R	5’11”	203	10/8/2002
Jersey #	Infielders (8)	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
9	Jake Bauers	L/L	6’0″	203	10/6/1995
7	Tyler Black	L/R	6’1″	199	7/26/2000
21	Caleb Durbin	R/R	5’7″	183	2/22/2000
14	Andruw Monasterio	R/R	5’11”	195	5/30/1997
3	Joey Ortiz	R/R	5’10”	183	7/14/1998
18	Anthony Seigler	L/S	5’10”	192	6/20/1999
2	Brice Turang	L/R	5’11″	190	11/21/1999
28	Andrew Vaughn	R/R	5’10”	215	4/3/1998
Jersey #	Outfielders (8)	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
25	Akil Baddoo	L/L	5’11”	214	8/16/1998
35	Steward Berroa	S/R	5’9″	178	6/5/1999
11	Jackson Chourio	R/R	6’0″	204	3/11/2004
10	Sal Frelick	L/R	5’8″	188	4/19/2000
20	Brandon Lockridge	R/R	5’11”	185	3/14/1997
5	Garrett Mitchell	L/R	6’2″	228	9/4/1998
16	Blake Perkins	S/R	6’0″	187	9/10/1996
22	Christian Yelich	L/R	6’3″	203	12/5/1991

*Denotes player not on active roster

**Denotes player on non-60-day IL

***Players on 60-day IL are not counted toward 40-man roster but are included in this table

Transactions

1/21/26 – Brewers traded RHP Freddy Peralta and RHP Tobias Myers to the New York Mets for RHP Brandon Sproat and SS/2B/OF Jett Williams

12/13/25 – Brewers traded RHP Nick Mears and OF Isaac Collins to the Kansas City Royals for LHP Ángel Zerpa

12/11/25 – Brewers signed free agent OF Akil Baddoo

11/18/25 – RHP Brandon Woodruff accepts qualifying offer

11/4/25 – Brewers decline mutual options on 1B Rhys Hoskins and LHP Jose Quintana; both players become free agents; Brewers decline club option for C William Contreras; Contreras remains with team as he enters his second arbitration year this offseason

11/3/25 – C Danny Jansen’s mutual option declined by Brewers, RHP Brandon Woodruff’s mutual option declined by Woodruff; both players become free agents; RHP Freddy Peralta’s club option for 2026 picked up by Brewers; RHP Coleman Crow added to 40-man roster

11/2/25 – RHP Shelby Miller, LHP Jordan Montgomery, and RHP Erick Fedde elected free agency

9/28/25 – Brewers activated LHP DL Hall and RHP Trevor Megill from 15-day injured list; RHP Erick Fedde designated for assignment; RHP Carlos Rodriguez optioned to ACL Brewers

9/24/25 – Brewers recalled RHP Carlos Rodriguez from Triple-A Nashville; LHP Bruce Zimmermann designated for assignment

9/21/25 – Brewers recalled LHP Robert Gasser from Triple-A Nashville; RHP Brandon Woodruff placed on 15-day injured list (right lat strain)

9/20/25 – Brewers selected LHP Bruce Zimmermann from Triple-A Nashville; RHP Joel Payamps designated for assignment

9/17/25 – Brewers activated RHP Nick Mears from 15-day injured list; LHP Jose Quintana placed on 15-day injured list (calf strain)

9/9/25 – Brewers activated 1B Rhys Hoskins from 10-day injured list; RHP Chad Patrick recalled from Triple-A Nashville; RHP Carlos Rodriguez and IF Anthony Seigler optioned to Triple-A Nashville

9/8/25 – Brewers activated RHP Grant Anderson from 15-day injured list; RHP Craig Yoho optioned to Triple-A Nashville

9/5/25 – Brewers recalled RHP Carlos Rodriguez from Triple-A Nashville; RHP Nick Mears placed on 15-day injured list (back tightness)

9/3/25 – Brewers selected the contract of RHP Joel Payamps from Triple-A Nashville; RHP Shelby Miller placed on 60-day injured list (right elbow UCL sprain)

9/1/25 – Brewers recalled RHP Craig Yoho from Triple-A Nashville; IF Joey Ortiz activated from 10-day injured list

8/30/25 – Brewers activated LHP Robert Gasser from the 60-day injured list; activated OF Jackson Chourio from the 10-day injured list; optioned LHP Robert Gasser and OF Brandon Lockridge to Triple-A Nashville; IF Oliver Dunn designated for assignment

8/29/25 – Brewers activated LHP Rob Zastryzny from the 15-day injured list; RHP Easton McGee optioned to Triple-A Nashville

8/27/25 – Brewers transferred RHP Logan Henderson from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list; RHP Erick Fedde signed as a free agent; RHP Trevor Megill placed on the 15-day injured list (right flexor strain)

8/25/25 – Brewers placed RHP Grant Anderson on the 15-day injured list (right ankle tendonitis); RHP Chad Patrick optioned, RHPs Tobias Myers and Easton McGee recalled from Triple-A Nashville

8/24/25 – Brewers optioned RHP Carlos Rodriguez, RHP Chad Patrick recalled from Triple-A Nashville

8/22/25 – Brewers placed SS Joey Ortiz on the 10-day injured list (strained left hamstring); 1B/OF Jake Bauers activated from the 10-day injured list

8/20/25 – Brewers recalled RHP Carlos Rodriguez from Triple-A Nashville; RHP Tobias Myers optioned to Triple-A Nashville; RHP Chad Patrick returned to Triple-A Nashville after doubleheader

8/18/25 – Brewers reinstated OF Isaac Collins from the paternity list; IF Tyler Black optioned to Triple-A Nashville; RHP Chad Patrick designated as 27th man for doubleheader

8/17/25 – Brewers reinstated OF Blake Perkins from the bereavement list; OF Steward Berroa optioned to Triple-A Nashville

8/16/25 – Brewers placed LHP DL Hall on the 15-day injured list (oblique strain); RHP Grant Anderson recalled from Triple-A Nashville

8/15/25 – Brewers placed OF Isaac Collins on the paternity list, OF Blake Perkins on the bereavement list, and optioned RHP Grant Anderson to Triple-A Nashville; RHP Jacob Misiorowski activated from the 15-day injured list, OF Steward Berroa and UTIL Tyler Black recalled from Triple-A Nashville

8/8/25 – Brewers placed RHP Logan Henderson on the 15-day injured list (right elbow inflammation); RHP Shelby Miller activated from the 15-day injured list; RHP Tobias Myers recalled from Triple-A Nashville

8/7/25 – RHP Easton McGee optioned to Triple-A Nashville

8/3/25 – Brewers placed RHP Jacob Misiorowski on the 15-day injured list (left tibia contusion); RHP Logan Henderson recalled from Triple-A Nashville

8/1/25 – Brewers placed OF Jackson Chourio on the 10-day injured list (hamstring strain); OF Brandon Lockridge activated

7/31/25 – Brewers designated RHP Elvis Peguero and LHP Bryan Hudson for assignment

7/31/25 – Brewers traded a PTBNL and cash considerations to the Arizona Diamondbacks for RHP Shelby Miller and LHP Jordan Montgomery

7/31/25 – Brewers traded LHP Nestor Cortes, SS prospect Jorge Quintana, and cash to the San Diego Padres for OF Brandon Lockridge

7/29/25 – Brewers recalled RHP Easton McGee, optioned RHP Craig Yoho to Triple-A Nashville

7/28/25 – Brewers traded IF prospect Jadher Areinamo to the Tampa Bay Rays for C Danny Jansen; Jansen added to active roster and C Eric Haase designated for assignment

7/28/25 – Brewers recalled RHP Craig Yoho, optioned RHP Tobias Myers to Triple-A Nashville; LHP Rob Zastryzny returned from rehab assignment at Triple-A Nashville (remains on IL)

7/26/25 – Brewers activated OF Sal Frelick from the 10-day injured list, optioned 1B/3B Tyler Black to Triple-A Nashville.

7/20/25 – Brewers placed 1B/OF Jake Bauers on the 10-day injured list (left shoulder impingement), retroactive to July 19; UTIL Tyler Black recalled from Triple-A Nashville

7/18/25 – Brewers activated LHP Aaron Ashby from the paternity list, recalled OF Blake Perkins from Triple-A Nashville; OF Sal Frelick placed on the 10-day injured list (left hamstring strain), retroactive to July 15

7/13/25 – Brewers optioned RHP Easton McGee to Triple-A Nashville, reinstated OF Blake Perkins from 60-day IL and optioned to Triple-A Nashville; OF Drew Avans designated for assignment

7/11/25 – Brewers placed LHP Aaron Ashby on the paternity list, recalled RHP Tobias Myers from Triple-A Nashville

7/9/25 – Brewers traded cash to the Los Angeles Dodgers for OF Steward Berroa; Berroa optioned to Triple-A Nashville and RHP Elvin Rodriguez designated for assignment

7/7/25 – Brewers placed 1B Rhys Hoskins on the 10-day injured list (sprained left thumb), recalled 1B Andrew Vaughn from Triple-A Nashville

7/6/25 – Brewers activated RHP Brandon Woodruff from the 60-day injured list, optioned RHP Chad Patrick to Triple-A Nashville, and moved OF Garrett Mitchell to the 60-day injured list (left shoulder surgery)

7/1/25 – Brewers designated OF Daz Cameron for assignment, placed LHP Rob Zastryzny on the 15-day injured list (rib stress reaction); 2B Anthony Seigler selected, RHP Easton McGee recalled from Triple-A Nashville

6/16/25 – Brewers activated OF Daz Cameron from the paternity list, optioned OF Drew Avans to Triple-A Nashville

6/13/25 – Brewers placed OF Daz Cameron on the paternity list, recalled OF Drew Avans and RHP Grant Anderson from Triple-A Nashville

6/13/25 – Brewers traded RHP Aaron Civale to the Chicago White Sox for 1B/OF Andrew Vaughn; Vaughn optioned to Triple-A Nashville

6/12/25 – Brewers selected RHP Jacob Misiorowski, optioned RHP Easton McGee to Triple-A Nashville, and moved RHP Brandon Woodruff to the 60-day injured list (right shoulder surgery)

6/10/25 – Brewers recalled RHP Easton McGee, optioned RHP Grant Anderson to Triple-A Nashville

6/8/25 – Brewers claimed OF Drew Avans off waivers from Athletics, optioned Avans to Triple-A Nashville

6/1/25 – Brewers reinstated LHP Jose Quintana from 15-day IL, designated LHP Tyler Alexander for assignment

5/26/25 – Brewers reinstated LHP DL Hall from 60-day IL, optioned RHP Logan Henderson to Triple-A Nashville

5/23/25 – Brewers reinstated LHP Aaron Ashby from 15-day IL, optioned RHP Carlos Rodriguez to Triple-A Nashville

5/22/25 – Brewers reinstated RHP Aaron Civale from 15-day IL, recalled RHP Carlos Rodriguez from Triple-A Nashville; RHP Joel Payamps designated for assignment, RHP Easton McGee optioned to Triple-A Nashville

5/18/25 – Brewers selected RHP Easton McGee, optioned RHP Tobias Myers to Triple-A Nashville; LHP Connor Thomas moved to the 60-day injured list (left elbow arthritis)

5/16/25 – Brewers traded cash to the New York Yankees for LHP Rob Zastryzny, optioned RHP Elvis Peguero to Triple-A Nashville

5/14/25 – Brewers recalled RHP Tobias Myers & RHP Logan Henderson, optioned LHP Bryan Hudson to Triple-A Nashville; placed LHP Jose Quintana on 15-day injured list, retroactive to 5/11 (left shoulder impingement).

5/11/25 – Brewers recalled RHP Elvis Peguero, optioned RHP Tobias Myers to Triple-A Nashville

5/9/25 – Brewers recalled LHP Bryan Hudson and 3B Andruw Monasterio from Triple-A Nashville; 3B Vinny Capra designated for assignment

5/8/25 – Brewers optioned RHP Elvin Rodriguez to Triple-A Nashville

5/3/25 – Brewers recalled RHP Elvin Rodriguez, optioned RHP Craig Yoho to Triple-A Nashville

4/26/25 – Brewers selected the contract of OF Daz Cameron, placed OF Garrett Mitchell on the 10-day IL (left oblique strain); OF Blake Perkins moved to the 60-day injured list (right shin)

4/24/25 – Brewers reinstated RHP Tobias Myers from IL, optioned LHP Bryan Hudson to Triple-A Nashville

4/21/25 – Brewers selected RHP Craig Yoho, optioned RHP Logan Henderson to Triple-A Nashville; LHP Nestor Cortes moved to the 60-day injured list (left elbow strain)

4/17/25 – Brewers recalled 3B Caleb Durbin, optioned 3B Oliver Dunn to Triple-A Nashville

4/15/25 – Brewers recalled RHP Logan Henderson, optioned RHP Elvin Rodriguez to Triple-A Nashville

4/11/25 – Brewers recalled LHP Jose Quintana, optioned RHP Elvis Peguero to Triple-A Nashville

4/8/25 – Brewers reinstated RHP Nick Mears from IL, added RHP Quinn Priester to active roster; LHP Connor Thomas placed on 15-day injured list (left elbow arthritis)

4/7/25 – Brewers traded LHP Grant Wolfram to the Baltimore Orioles for OF Daz Cameron and cash considerations

4/7/25 – Brewers traded OF Yophery Rodriguez, draft pick, and PTBNL to Boston Red Sox for RHP Quinn Priester; LHP Grant Wolfram designated for assignment

4/6/25 – Brewers placed LHP Nestor Cortes on the 15-day injured list (left elbow flexor strain); LHP Grant Wolfram recalled from Triple-A Nashville

3/31/25 – Brewers placed RHP Aaron Civale on 15-day IL (strained left hamstring); RHP Grant Anderson recalled from Triple-A Nashville

3/28/25 – Brewers traded OF Brewer Hicklen to the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations

3/27/25 – Brewers announced Opening Day roster: Place seven players on IL, DFA OF Brewer Hicklen, and select RHP Chad Patrick

3/10/25 – Brewers optioned RHP Grant Anderson, RHP Logan Henderson, RHP Carlos Rodriguez, RHP Chad Patrick, LHP Grant Wolfram, and C Jeferson Quero to Triple-A Nashville

3/5/25 – Brewers signed free agent LHP Jose Quintana; LHP DL Hall moved to the 60-day injured list (left lat strain) to open a 40-man roster spot

2/12/25 – Brewers signed free agent LHP Tyler Alexander; LHP Robert Gasser moved to the 60-day injured list (Tommy John surgery) to open a 40-man roster spot

1/17/25 – Brewers signed free agent RHP Elvin Rodríguez; RHP J.B. Bukauskas DFA’d to open a 40-man roster spot

1/2/25 – Brewers traded LHP Mason Molina to the Texas Rangers for RHP Grant Anderson; LHP Tyler Jay DFA’d to open a 40-man roster spot

12/13/24 – Brewers traded RHP Devin Williams to New York Yankees for LHP Nestor Cortes and IF Caleb Durbin

12/12/24 – Brewers signed free agent LHP Grant Wolfram

12/11/24 – Brewers purchased contract of LHP Connor Thomas from St. Louis Cardinals in the Rule 5 Draft

11/22/24 – LHP Hoby Milner non-tendered, elected free agency

11/19/24 – RHP Logan Henderson and RHP Chad Patrick selected from Triple-A Nashville, added to 40-man roster

11/4/24 – 1B Jake Bauers and RHP Bryse Wilson cleared waivers and were outrighted to Triple-A Nashville; they both elected free agency

11/4/24 – RHP Frankie Montas declined his mutual option, electing free agency

11/4/24 – C Gary Sánchez’s mutual option declined by the Brewers, making him a free agent

11/4/24 – RHP Colin Rea cleared waivers and the team declined their club option on his contract, making him a free agent

11/4/24 – Chicago Cubs claimed LHP Rob Zastryzny off waivers

11/4/24 – New York Mets claimed RHP Kevin Herget off waivers

10/31/24 – RHP Joe Ross, LHP Wade Miley, and SS Willy Adames elected free agency

It feels increasingly likely that MacKenzie Gore will be on the Nationals Opening Day roster. Those odds only went up when the Mets swung a trade for Brewers ace Freddy Peralta. The teams desperate to make a move for a starting pitcher are decreasing by the day. With that in mind, it really feels like MacKenzie Gore will be getting the ball on Opening Day.

BREAKING: The New York Mets have acquired All-Star right-hander Freddy Peralta in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, sources tell ESPN. Deal is done. Top prospects Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat are headed to Milwaukee. One more big league pitcher will head to the Mets.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 22, 2026

This offseason I have been mostly operating under the assumption that Gore would be dealt. The southpaw only has two years of team control remaining, and the Nats seem unlikely to be true contenders in the next two years. Gore is also a Scott Boras client, making an extension unlikely. 

When you consider these factors, not trading Gore feels like a risk. Pitchers come with more injury risk than ever these days. Tommy John Surgery looms like a dark cloud for pitchers. If Gore suffers a major injury, his value would be gone. However, Paul Toboni appears willing to run that risk.

There is some payoff to keeping Gore. If he has a strong first half, his trade value could increase at the deadline. It is also possible that the Nats surprise some folks, though I do not think Toboni is counting on that. For me, holding on to Gore just feels like a big risk.

Teams have had a clear appetite for starting pitchers on the trade market this offseason. Shane Baz, Edward Cabrera and Freddy Peralta have all gotten impressive returns. Peralta is the best pitcher of the group, but only has one year of control. That did not stop the Mets from giving up multiple top 100 prospects.

One of my favorite analysts Lance Brozdowski wondered if that package would have been enough to get Gore. A package of Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat certainly would have excited me. Sproat is a high floor arm that should be a middle of the rotation piece. Williams is a potential spark plug at the top of a lineup.

Ok, hear me out, but how far off was a Jett Williams + Brandon Sproat package from getting MacKenzie Gore? 🤔

— Lance Brozdowski (@LanceBroz) January 22, 2026

Most baseball fans, including myself, see Peralta as a much better pitcher than Gore. He is certainly more proven, with multiple All-Star appearances and a top 5 finish in NL Cy Young voting last year. Brozdowski actually said he thinks they project similarly in 2026, which really surprised me. 

If you look at some of the advanced numbers, you start to see his point though. Over the last two seasons, Gore has a FIP of 3.64, while Peralta’s FIP sits at 3.90. Peralta had a 2.70 ERA with a 3.64 FIP last year, while Gore had a 4.17 ERA with a 3.74 FIP. It sure seems like Peralta is a regression candidate. I would take Peralta next year, but it is closer than I first thought.

With the Mets out of the Gore sweepstakes and February approaching, it sure feels like MacKenzie Gore will remain a Nat. There have been multiple reports that the asking price for Gore is sky high. Yankees reporter Jack Curry said the Bronx Bombers have discussed Gore, but have been turned off by the asking price.

The Yankees have spoken with the Brewers and Nationals regarding Freddy Peralta and MacKenzie Gore, but the prices remain extremely high, according to @JackCurryYES. pic.twitter.com/aYyHSEHa9K

— The Yankee Report (@YankeeReport_) January 21, 2026

This report came out a couple days ago, which is interesting. The Yankees traded for Marlins lefty Ryan Weathers about a week ago. I thought that trade would take them out of the mix for Gore. However, this does not appear to be true. Gore has proven to be much more durable than Weathers, so it seems like the Yankees want more of a sure thing.

The Yankees were also rumored to be in on Peralta, so Gore could be the fallback option. However, they don’t have that much incentive to move off their demands, given the fact they have Weathers already.

Other potential suitors include teams like the Giants and the A’s. Prying first baseman Bryce Eldridge away from the Giants would be a dream scenario. The Nats desperately need first base help and Eldridge is a local product. It does not seem like the Giants have put him on the table though because that deal would have probably happened already if he was.

The A’s are a team that has intrigued me for a while. They have a playoff caliber lineup, but a weak rotation. Gore would give them an arm with top of the rotation upside, something they do not currently have. He also fits within their budget as well. They have plenty of young talent for the Nats to choose from as well.

However, I don’t think we will see a Gore trade this winter anymore. I was confident it would happen, but as we get closer to Spring Training without a deal, it feels less likely. Personally, I think the Nats should trade him, but I understand not wanting to settle. Paul Toboni is taking a risk here, but it is one that could pay off.

Hopefully David Stearns and his wife had an early anniversary dinner Wednesday night.

Brewers president Matt Arnold claimed the two pals completed their blockbuster Freddy Peralta trade on the day of the Mets president of baseball operations’ wedding anniversary to his wife, Whitney Ann Lee.

“He knows the players well. He and I have worked very well together for many years. Obviously care about him a lot,” Arnold said, according to the Journal Sentinel. “(Wednesday)’s his anniversary and I was at his wedding. We go back a long way. I think I might have ruined his anniversary dinner. He’s a dear friend and hopefully these are the types of trades that work out for both sides.”

The life of a baseball partner can be difficult due to the long hours and the never-ending season and offseason, with holidays, anniversaries and birthdays sometimes coming second.

Stearns and Lee married in 2017, when he was the Brewers’ general manager, and they have at least one child together, daughter Nora, born in 2018.

We assume that Arnold and Stearns had made plenty of progress before finally pushing this trade past the finish line Wednesday night.

The Mets needed a frontline pitcher and acquired Peralta, who posted a career-best 2.70 ERA spanning 33 starts last year.

#Brewers GM David Stearns traded in the single life this weekend. Congrats, David & Whitney! pic.twitter.com/PzZfLTJmah

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) January 23, 2017

Peralta has one year left on his contract, and the Mets capitalized on Milwaukee’s small-market operation that largely prevents them from signing star players to nine-figure contract extensions.

That’s not to say Peralta came cheap.

The Mets parted ways with MLB.com’s No. 30 prospect in infielder Jett Williams and starter Brandon Sproat, whom Baseball America ranked No. 81.

Milwaukee also sent swingman Tobias Meyers to the Mets.

“The reality is we have one year left with Freddy Peralta. He’s a free agent at the end of the season. That’s always going to be a challenge for us,” Arnold said. “We’ve had to make these tough decisions. To add two players that we like and have them as a part of this group this season and well beyond that is something that we felt is very good for the Milwaukee Brewers.”

For the Mets, this move likely puts a bow on their offseason after a January flurry including Bo Bichette, Luis Robert Jr. and now Peralta.

“Acquiring Freddy adds another established starter to help lead our rotation,” Stearns said in a statement. “Throughout the off season, we sought to complement our rotation with another front-end pitcher, and we’re thrilled we are able to bring Freddy to the Mets.”

Just five days ago, one of the hottest rumors making the rounds involved the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox having discussions involving Astros 3B Isaac Paredes and Red Sox OF Jarren Duran.

As typical to baseball offseason talks, however, that could all be a thing of the past just as fast as it was the hot rumor.

In her article today at The Athletic, Red Sox reporter Jen McCaffrey laid out a different path forward for the Red Sox this offseason:

Though Breslow wouldn’t commit to (Marcelo) Mayer at second or third base, a source with the team recently noted a preference for Mayer at third. After Bregman’s injury last season, Mayer played well at the position, but there’s also an idea of keeping him on the same side of the field as his natural shortstop position. He’s likely the heir to the shortstop spot after Story’s contract is up following the 2027 season.

With that in mind, it appears the Red Sox are seeking a strong defensive second baseman.

“It’s really important that we improve our defense, particularly our infield defense,” Breslow said. “Any additions that we may make, we’ll be very mindful of the defensive skillset.”

That would seem to rule out Houston’s Isaac Paredes, who has struggled defensively at third base.

You can see the whole article here (subscription required):

Inside the pivot that led the Red Sox to double down on pitching and add Ranger Suárez.

Also notes in here about the Red Sox looking to add a defense-first infielder https://t.co/gC2QquaHxV

— Jen McCaffrey (@jcmccaffrey) January 21, 2026

While this doesn’t mean a deal between the two teams doesn’t eventually happen anyway, as trade talks ebb and flow all offseason and pivots/re-pivots happen all the time, it does change the outlook and perception of a deal that could possibly involve Isaac Paredes and the Red Sox to a less likely scenario.

The Yankees teams of the 1980s were a relative wasteland in the context of the franchise’s history. They made the playoffs just twice right at the beginning of the decade before falling into an extended stretch of inconsequentiality (though they did have a tough 97-win situation in 1985 that was only good for second). However, those opening years of the decade offered a glimmer of hope with a promising crop of prospects emerging on the farm, one of whom was Brian Dayett.

Brian Kelly Dayett
Born: January 22, 1957 (New London, CT)
Died: September 7, 2025 (Winchester, TN)
Yankees Tenure: 1983-84

Dayett was born in January 1957 in New London, CT, and grew up in nearby Deep River. Despite his underwhelming size in high school, Dayett was an accomplished multi-sport athlete, but it was clear that baseball was his future. In the span of two weeks in 1975, Dayett hit for the cycle before tossing a 16-strikeout no-hitter. Following his graduation, he went to play third base for coach Norm Kaye at St. Leo University in Florida. A year later, the Yankees selected him in the 16th round of that June’s 1978 MLB Draft.

He was assigned to the Oneonta Yankees of the short-season New York-Penn League, where he batted .309 with 11 home runs and 22 stolen bases in 68 games in 1978. That year, Dayett played third, first, and even caught 26 games as the organization initially had trouble finding a spot for him defensively. He was called up to the Double-A Nashville Sounds in 1980 where he joined an exciting core of prospects that included Don Mattingly, Steve Balboni, Buck Showalter, Willie McGee, Max Winters, Otis Nixon and Rex Hudler, all playing under the management of Stump Merrill.

Willie McGee was so quick and had such a strong arm. Otis Nixon was a speedster. You knew his speed was going to get him to the big leagues. Mattingly was a self-made player who got himself stronger and a better hitter. He worked very hard everyday with a great work ethic.

In 1981, Dayett was the starting third baseman for Nashville, but found that his hitting was suffering. At the suggestion of coach Ed Napoleon, Dayett began to learn left field, and by 1982 he was a full-time left fielder for Nashville. That season, Dayett earned the Southern League MVP after tying with Balboni for the most home runs in the league with 34, and won the Southern League championship with a two-out, 13th-inning walk-off home run with Showalter on base. The following season, he was called up to Triple-A Columbus, where he again won the league’s MVP after smashing an International League-leading 35 home runs. Because of the surprising power generated from his smaller frame, Dayett earned the nickname “Bam-Bam” around this time.

That September when rosters expanded, Dayett got his first call-up to the big leagues. He made his MLB debut on September 11, 1983, pinch-hitting for Omar Moreno against the Orioles, and got a hit in his first big league AB.

Mike Flanagan of the Orioles had an 0-2 count on me. I battled back and got a hit up the middle past Cal Ripken, Jr.

He would go 6-for-29 in 11 games in that cup of coffee. Dayett was poised to break camp with the big-league squad in 1984 but suffered a hip-flexor injury at the start of the campaign. Lou Piniella was supposed to retire around that time, but he stuck around for a few months in 1984 until Dayett returned from injury. Piniella was then able to retire and became the Yankees’ hitting coach with Dayett crediting him as a mentor.

Dayett found opportunities hard to come by that season given the outfield logjam of Dave Winfield, Omar Moreno, Steve Kemp, Ken Griffey, Don Baylor and Oscar Gamble. However, he did manage to appear in 64 games and hit his first big league home run on June 22, 1984, again off of Orioles pitcher Mike Flanagan. He finished the year batting .244/.295/.402 with four home runs and 23 RBIs.

During that December’s winter meetings, Dayett and pitcher Ray Fontenot were traded to the Cubs for for Henry Cotto, Ron Hassey, Rich Bordi, and Porfi Altamirano. Injuries again hampered the start of his season, bone spurs in both ankles limiting him to a bench role for the first three months. He hit a pinch-hit grand slam off 20-game winner Tom Browning in May of 1985. He was slated to take over as the Cubs’ starting left fielder in 1987, but they then signed Andre Dawson in free agency, and Dayett was relegated to splitting time with Rafael Palmeiro, Jerry Mumphrey, Bob Dernier and Dave Martinez. All the same, he appeared in a career-high 97 games, slashing .277/.348/.452 with five home runs, three of which came off of Astros pitcher Bob Knepper.

That winter, the Cubs sold Dayett’s contract to the Nippon Ham Fighters of NPB, where he signed a four-year, $3.75 million contract. He knew the general manager of the team, Tak Kojima, from their shared time with the Yankees. Injuries cropped up again in Japan, causing Kojima to lose his job as Dayett was his second American signing to get injured.

Dayett retired from professional baseball following the 1991 season and took several management jobs in Independent baseball. Between 2002 and 2014, he served as a minor-league hitting coach in the Astros’ and Rangers’ systems, before Parkinson’s disease forced him to retire. He passed away from the disease at the age of 68 in Winchester, TN, just before the beginning of autumn last year on September 7, 2025.

Dayett was a promising minor league player whose power tantalized. However, a string of unfortunate injuries in combination with competition for playing time prevented him from ever putting together a consistent stretch of starts, and you wonder if he could have reached his full potential with some better luck.

---

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

Morning everyone!

Recently we’ve been hearing more and more whispers about the A’s looking to add some more certainty to the lineup. First we got the news that the front office was kicking the tires on a potential Miguel Andujar reunion, followed by a scuttled trade for future Hall of Famer Nolan Arenado. After being left at the altar by Nolan, the team was a speculative candidate to dip their toes back into the free agent pool of remaining third basemen. The two specific names mentioned in Ken Rosenthal’s report were former Mariner Eugenio Suarez and former Angel YoanMoncada. Both fit the A’s need at third base and with the season creeping closer both teams and players will soon need to make decisions.

Well you can cross one of those speculative fits off the board. Moncada yesterday evening re-upped with the Angels, agreeing to a modest one year, $4 million contract for the upcoming campaign:

BREAKING: Third baseman Yoan Moncada and the Los Angeles Angels are in agreement on a free agent contract, per sources.

— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) January 22, 2026

That’s a contract that the A’s easily could have outbid if they really wanted Moncada, especially after the Arenado report indicated the Athletics were prepared to take on a substantial amount of money in the scuttled deal. That can really only mean three things:

1. The A’s believe that Moncada, who has been repeatedly injured throughout his career, is simply not worth that “large” of an investment. The front office truly believes that their in-house options (Max Muncy, DarellHernaiz, Brett Harris) will perform as well or better than Moncada at a fraction of the rate.
2. There could perhaps be other negotiations going on right now that we aren’t aware of, and Moncada simply took the offer in hand. That could mean either trade talks or contract negotiations for the A’s but they waited around too long for him.
3. Moncada just didn’t want to come here, no matter what we offered and playing time be damned.

Any of those could be true, but I’d lean towards Option 2. The A’s are still looking for upgrades if the Arenado deal was indeed about to happen. Adding him wouldn’t have changed the heart of the batting order, but it certainly would have elevated the floor of the production coming out of the hot corner. Add in the positive influence a guy like him could have had on Jacob Wilson and Nick Kurtz, and the appeal is obvious.

Moncada never really felt like the type of player that really changes the outlook at third base though. While he could have another fine season at the plate his overall production probably won’t be the difference between the A’s and a chance at the playoffs. The most likely outcome is that he’s a solid batter when healthy, but just can’t stay healthy. If the A’s do end up running out of options for an upgrade over the guys here, then they might as well roll the dice and see if a Muncy or Hernaiz or Harris can break out. It’s not worth blocking that chance for a minimal upgrade in Moncada.

This could all be sour grapes but he was truly at the bottom of the list in terms of potential additions. The team is running out of legitimate upgrade options though and the past few days have made it much more likely our starter at third base on Opening Day is already on the roster. The trade market seems like the only path now for an upgrade at third base.

Have another great day everyone. And don’t forget to vote in today’s Round 2 of our CPL!

A’s Coverage:

• A’s 2026 Community Prospect List: Here We Go!
• A’s prospect Mason Barnett has an atypical arm angle and an old school approach
• A’s spend weekend embracing Sacramento supporters
• Former A’s great Eric Chavez says Dodgers “might be the best team ever constructed”
• A’s had deal in place for Nolan Arenado prior to D-Backs trade
• Happy 104th, Betty White!
• Polarizing Prospects: #2, Junior Perez
• A’s land 3 of MLB Pipeline’s Top 50 international prospects
• Athletics hire former Rockies GM Bill Schmidt as Special Assistant
• Party Like It’s 1981! Why A “Split Season” Is The Way To Go
• A’s excited by lefty prospect Lin, a ‘Taiwanese Snellzilla”

MLB News and Interest:

• Mets acquire starting pitcher Freddy Peralta in trade with Brewers
• Yankees, Cody Bellinger agree to five year, $162.5 million contract
• Mets trade for White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr.
• Angels re-sign third baseman Yoan Moncada
• Mets add to bullpen depth, sign Luis Garcia to one-year deal
• Is MLB parity possible without a salary cap?
• Today in baseball history

Best of X:

Three top-100’s!

The A's have 3 players on Baseball America's new 2026 Top 100 Prospects list…
#12 – SS Leo De Vries
#39 – LHP Jamie Arnold
#40 – LHP Gage Jump

— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) January 21, 2026

Considering how deep shortstop is right now, #4 ain’t too bad, Leo:

Athletics top prospect Leo De Vries ranks as the #4 SS in a loaded 2026 class per @MLBPipeline

The A’s now have four top-10 position prospects in their system (De Vries, Arnold LHP, Jump LHP, Tanks 3B) #Athleticspic.twitter.com/ycEgxaYnwI

— SleeperAthletics (@SleeperAth) January 21, 2026

Amazing how far we’ve come…

I don’t think people grasp how bad of a spot the A’s were in 3 years ago after their fire sale netted very little, and how insane it is that they are on the brink of drafting their way out of that hole. That’s something that rarely happens in football, let alone baseball.

— Straight A’s (@StraightAs123) January 22, 2026

#2 prospect in the system?

Jamie Arnold vs LHH is an absolute nightmare ⚔️

Chris Sale-like Slider
Nick Lodolo-style Curve
49% whiff rate vs. LHH (Slider)@DrivelineBB#Athleticspic.twitter.com/Bri0TspQBX

— SleeperAthletics (@SleeperAth) January 22, 2026

Tough to see but more progress is being made on the new stadium:

Main concourse concrete poured ✅
Foul pole foundations set ✅
The Ballpark is starting to take shape. pic.twitter.com/xgKxnrR6rn

— Athletics (@Athletics) January 21, 2026

Hello folks! It’s been a busy few days in the baseball world. Let’s recap all of the latest happenings as you get your day started.

In Mariners news…

• David Adler outlined what makes Gabe Speier such an important piece of the Team USA roster.

Around the league…

• The Mets made their second major move in a 24-hour span, acquiring right-hander Freddy Peralta from the Brewers for infielder Jett Williams and righties Brandon Sproat and Tobias Myers.
• Cody Bellinger re-signed with the Yankees on a five-year, $162.5M deal that includes a pair of opt-outs.
• The Angels re-upped with third baseman Yoán Moncada on a one-year, $4M deal.
• In a minor swap, the Twins acquired infielder Tristan Gray from the Red Sox for catching prospect Nate Baez.
• The Cardinals hired franchise legend Yadier Molina as a special assistant to the president of baseball operations.
• Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee was held in (and released from) detainment at Los Angeles International Airport due to an immigration issue.
• Baseball America unveiled its ranking of the top 100 prospects in the sport heading into the 2026 season. ($)
• Zach Crizer gave his very measured take on the state of labor in baseball right now with a lockout looming next winter.

26. Cole Messina (86 points, 14 ballots)

Cole Messina is the only catcher we’ve got on this Purple Row Prospects list, so it’s a good thing the Rockies have All-Star Hunter Goodman manning the position right now. As a prospect, Messina combines decent plate discipline with good power potential and leadership qualities behind the dish.

The 22-year-old 6’0”, 230-pound righty, who signed for a slot bonus of just over $1 million after getting picked 77th overall in 2024, came to the Rockies after two-straight successful years in the toughest conference in NCAA baseball at South Carolina. He wasn’t the only Messina selected in the 2024 draft — his brother Carson, a pitcher, was picked in the 12th round by the Toronto Blue Jays.

After barely playing as a freshman in 2022, Messina was impressive in the college wood bat Northwoods summer league (.893 OPS). He came back to Columbia his sophomore year and took hold of the starting catcher job. In 2023 he had 17 HR among his 36 XBH in 285 PA with a .307/.428/.615 line for the Gamecocks to earn first team All-SEC honors. Though he had to settle for second team All-SEC in 2024, Messina’s .326/.465/.701 line with 21 HR in 286 PA was an improvement across the board offensively.

The Rockies assigned Messina to High-A Spokane, where he was 1.5 years younger than league average. There he formed a battery with Colorado’s 2023 third rounder (and HM PuRP) Jack Mahoney, who was also drafted from South Carolina. Messina had a mess of a debut season offensively, hitting just .140/.232/.220 with a homer and a double in 56 plate appearances, which is an anemic 33 wRC+.

In 2025, Messina was sent back to Spokane as a league average aged player. He had more success offensively a second time around, hitting .259/.358/.382 with seven homers among his 31 extra-base hits in 374 plate appearances while walking in 12% of PA, good for a near league average 96 wRC+. He caught 83 games, committing 11 errors with 12 passed balls while throwing out 39% of would-be base thieves. In the final week of the year, Messina moved up to Double-A Hartford for a three game cameo, adding two singles in ten plate appearances.

There isn’t a whole lot of recent video on Messina out there, so enjoy this game-tying ninth-inning homer in the 2024 NCAA regionals:

MLB.com ranks Messina 25th in the system as a 40 FV prospect (he was 100th overall on their draft board):

Messina is a strong right-handed hitter who put up those good power numbers despite struggling with his approach during his junior season. There was a lot more swing-and-miss overall compared to his 2023 campaign, with higher whiff rates against fastballs than previously, and he’s always had a hard time with softer stuff. There’s plenty of power for him to tap into, especially to the pull side, and he may always have a power-over-hit approach with some walks thrown in.

With a take-charge attitude behind the plate, Messina has the right mentality to catch at the next level. He’s a solid receiver with an average arm and shows enough agility to block well even though he’s not fleet afoot.

Keith Law of the Athletic ranked Messina 19th in the system last February:

Colorado’s third-round pick in 2024 has plus power and a big body already, so catching is going to require some body maintenance going forward. I don’t love the setup at the plate, as his hands are high and his bat is behind his body, so his path to the ball is longer and uses up too much time; he could benefit from dropping his hands the way Condon and Thomas did in their draft years. His defense behind the plate is already fringy, and if he gets any bigger he’ll have to move to first.

Baseball Prospectus listed Messina as a “person of interest” last January:

A bat-first college catcher who mashed for the Gamecocks the last two seasons, Messina made some defensive improvements last season, but the setup and swing is very reminiscent of Kevin Parada’s and Messina has struggled against non-fastballs at times. His poor post-draft showing in the Northwest League didn’t assuage the offensive concerns, but as third-round college catchers go, he was a reasonable pick.

Messina was listed as a prospect of note by Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs last January:

Messina got a shade over $1 million as Colorado’s third rounder in 2024. He has above-average power, but I was bearish on his hit tool and defensive fit prior to the draft, and Messina didn’t do anything in pro ball to dissuade me from that notion.

First of all, if this isn’t Messina’s MLB walk-up song, I’m going to be disappointed. Messina has a path to a big league role ahead of him given the dearth of catching prospects in the upper minors for the Rockies (though I prefer Bryant Betancourt).

Messina could be a strong offensive player given his plate discipline and power potential, though because he hasn’t gotten that power into games it won’t work as a profile if Messina can’t stay behind the plate. The scouts seem to think the work ethic is there to do it though and the other intangibles are lauded as well. I’m not yet a believer and he wasn’t particularly close to making my list as a 35 FV player. If Messina can hit well against Double-A pitching in 2026, I’ll re-evaluate.

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In true Chris Getz fashion, the White Sox are once again in a position that warrants more questions than answers. On a cold and random late January night, the Sox dealt Luis Robert Jr. to the Mets for prospects Luisangel Acuña and Truman Pauley. This trade is anything but straightforward, so let’s dive into it.

Financials

The Sox set themselves up for plenty of economic flexibility. With New York footing the bill for Robert’s $20 million option exercised in November, Chicago won’t risk overpaying a player who slashed .223/.288/.372 in 210 games over the last two seasons. In most circumstances, this financial relief would be welcome. But the Sox aren’t like most teams. 

Although Getz hinted that the Sox will spend their freed-up $20 million on players, fans know better than to set their expectations too high. Realistically, rather than pursuing qualified free agents, Jerry Reinsdorf will put roughly $17 million toward Munetaka Murakami’s contract this year — one that required a hard sell from Getz and Brooks Boyer — and likely spend the remaining $3 million on a pair of one-year relievers.

Signing Munetaka Murakami was an excellent move for the White Sox, but why did Jerry Reinsdorf have to be talked into it? pic.twitter.com/2p64uT7eQ7

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) January 6, 2026

While dealing Robert makes economic sense, money shouldn’t be the sole driver of trades.

Return

Acuña headlines a lackluster trade package that doesn’t immediately remedy the South Siders’ needs. Acuña, MLB’s No. 66 overall prospect in 2024, is best known for his glove and quickness on the base paths. He paired 60-grade speed with impact defense, generating four baserunning runs in 2025 and posting a +2 fielding run value and three Outs Above Average in 2024. For him to stay in The Show, Chicago must help Acuña improve the quality of his contact, which dropped significantly last season to under 5% for solid and barrel events. Though he didn’t blow anyone out of the water in 2025 with his production (.234/.293/.274 in 95 games), Acuña has proven he can be a faster version of Brooks Baldwin. 

Pauley has more unknowns but leaves fans with plenty of wishful thinking. His stats shouldn’t be heavily weighed in his evaluation, as he has tallied fewer than 50 games between two years of summer and college ball, plus half a season in Single-A. However, the 20 inches of vertical break on his fastball puts the pitch’s dominance in the conversation with hurlers like Chris Sale and Logan Webb, which may be a strong sign of future success if he can keep it in the zone.

12th-rounder Truman Pauley signs w/@Mets for $400k ($250k counts vs bonus pool). @HarvardBaseball RHP, crazy ride on a fastball that reaches 96 mph, low-80s gyro slider as well. First over-slot bonus I've seen after the 10th rd in this year's @MLBDraft.

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisMLB) July 18, 2025

Acuña and Pauley both bring plenty of unlocked potential to a team that still needs to prove it can successfully develop players.

Short-Term

It’s hard to see how the Sox took a strong step in their rebuild with this trade. Although no one expected them to get an All-Star after Robert’s career-low production, they also didn’t acquire a dependable player that can slot in right field for over 100 games. Another concern with bringing in an inexperienced utility player like Acuña is that it will be hard to guarantee him enough playing time to justify trading away a starter. While Robert’s various injuries sidelined him for 62 games, it will be much harder to carve out a spot for Acuña with several other qualified bench players chomping at the bit for a starting job. In terms of immediate impact, Acuña and Pauley won’t increase the win total dramatically if at all.

Long-Term

The best way to spin this trade is that the Sox are preparing to be in their prime by 2028, which is earlier than many expected. Chicago added depth to a team whose shallow end of the pool is overcrowded, but they’re starting to push their young guys closer to the deep end with every at-bat. With a surplus of prospects and an abundance of infielders, the Sox can quickly make a few trades to propel them from a fringe playoff contender to a dominant division threat in the next two years, especially if the Chicago takes Roch Cholowsky 1/1 in the 2026 draft.

Overall

For the first time in nearly a decade, the White Sox are straddling the immediate and long-term future rather than past and present. While this is refreshing, patience is still key for a team whose payroll always sits in the bottom third of the league. 

Grade: B

When discussion about a Freddy Peralta trade came up during the offseason, there was one consistent message sent with any rumor: If the Brewers decide to trade Peralta, they were not just looking at prospects. They wanted MLB-ready talent that would be under team control for several years. In their trade with the Mets for Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat, they got what they wanted (even if it meant trading Tobias Myers as well). Both players are top talents who are ready to impact the major-league team immediately.

Let’s start with Williams. His natural position is shortstop, but because he was behind Francisco Lindor in the Mets organizational depth chart, he likely wasn’t going to break into the majors there. As a result, he had been splitting time between second base, shortstop, and center field in the minors. In Milwaukee, he will have a better chance to grab the shortstop job competing against Joey Ortiz. The problem is that there’s also competition behind Williams. In the Brewers’ list of MLB Pipeline prospects for 2025 (which now includes Williams), the top four prospects (Jesús Made, Luis Peña, Williams, and Cooper Pratt) all can play shortstop. Even if Williams grabs the shortstop job in 2026, he could quickly lose it as soon as Made is ready to come to the majors. Not only that, but Brice Turang has a solid grip on second base, taking a potential spot away there as well.

However, this is where his flexibility can help in the Brewers’ system. The Brewers’ outfield could use a boost as well. While Jackson Chourio and Sal Frelick are both locked in to starting jobs in the outfield, neither is a strong center fielder. Both can cover center well, but would benefit more from remaining in the corners. Blake Perkins and Garrett Mitchell are the current leaders to start in center. Perkins is an excellent defender but doesn’t offer much for offense. Meanwhile, Mitchell hasn’t shown that he can stay healthy for a full season yet. As for Christian Yelich, he’s basically a full-time designated hitter who might get a few corner outfield starts — and that’s not the ideal alignment. Jake Bauers will get more starts in the outfield than Yelich does. Outfield prospects for the Brewers are thinner, with their top two prospects being Braylon Payne and Luis Lara — both outside the Brewers’ top 10. If the Brewers need coverage in the outfield, Williams has a chance to earn playing time there.

Since Williams hasn’t debuted in the majors yet, a minor league start to the season is likely for him, if only for service-time manipulation. Once Williams debuts, his role will be dependent on what the Brewers need. If Ortiz is struggling at the plate, Williams could be a shortstop. If neither Perkins nor Mitchell step up in the outfield, he could spend time out there. Even in a worst-case scenario, we could see Williams take a role similar to Andruw Monasterio as a utility player for his first season. He could rotate between second, shortstop, and center field, racking up starts as other players get days off. The only concern in that scenario would be a backup for third base, since Williams has not spent any time there.

Meanwhile, Sproat will factor in to the Brewers’ rotation plans almost immediately. His service time is a little tougher to handle, since he recorded 22 days of major league service in 2025. That won’t matter much for the Brewers, though. Rotating through starters with options was a regular occurrence for them, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him on the shuttle between the majors and minors for at least part of the season. Where he starts will depend on what happens during spring training.

Following the departure of Peralta and Myers, here are the potential starters for the Brewers in 2026:

• Brandon Woodruff
• Jacob Misiorowski
• Quinn Priester
• Chad Patrick
• Logan Henderson
• Aaron Ashby
• DL Hall
• Brandon Sproat
• Robert Gasser
• Coleman Crow
• Carlos Rodriguez
• Angel Zerpa

Of those starters, only the top three are locked into starting rotation jobs in 2026. Patrick and Henderson have the early inside track for the other two but aren’t a lock yet. Ashby and Hall are wild cards who could stick to the long-relief role or get a chance to make the rotation. Sproat, Gasser, Crow, and Rodriguez all will fight for jobs, and one or more could force their way into the rotation. I also included Zerpa, who was mentioned as a potential starter when he was acquired.

Here’s one of the most interesting parts of that list. Other than Woodruff, every player on that list has at least one minor league option remaining. Misiorowski and Priester likely won’t be optioned and will be on the team. It’s likely the same with Ashby, who has established himself as a dependable reliever at a minimum. Hall, Rodriguez, and Zerpa each have just one option left. Gasser, Henderson, and Patrick each have two options. Sproat and Crow have a full three options available. If battles are close in camp, those options will play a factor. Players with one option may have a stronger chance to make the team to avoid burning that option right away. On the other side, players with a full three options have significantly more flexibility, and using the option would not hurt it in future seasons.

What that also means is the Brewers can rotate through starters with less concern during the season. Even though that’s a deep list, it may not stay that way. Coming out of camp in 2025, the Brewers’ rotation was decimated by early injuries. Ashby, Myers, and Woodruff all opened the season on the injured list. Aaron Civale joined them a few days into the season, and Nestor Cortes a few days after that. The injuries were so deep that they had to sign Jose Quintana late in camp and then trade for Priester just a week and a half into the season. In total, 18 different pitchers started at least one game for the Brewers in 2025 (including the playoffs). That number is inflated because some were openers — at least four regular relievers (Ashby, Hall, Trevor Megill, and Rob Zastryzny) made a start. Of those 18 pitchers, 10 of them made at least four starts, and that doesn’t include Cortes, who entered the season in the rotation but only made two starts before being traded. The opportunity will be there for Sproat in 2026. Whether he earns a job in camp or starts the season in the minors and comes up to provide midseason depth, he will have a chance to prove himself.

The Brewers did what they wanted in the trade of Peralta and brought in young, MLB-ready talent. Both Williams and Sproat are already ranked high in the Brewers system and ready to play in the majors. We won’t have to wait long to see what they have to offer. They will be a part of the 2026 team, even if it doesn’t happen right away.