SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 27: Michael Soroka #34 of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitches against the San Diego Padres during the first inning at Petco Park on September 27, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Two potential starting pitcher free agents who could be targeted by the Guardians in the coming month (or beyond) in Michael Soroka and Nick Pivetta. Let’s talk about these hurlers.
You can find my previous articles about potential Guardians’ free agent targets here and here. Matt Seese also provided one here. I did not include Soroka and Pivetta because I felt the prices reflected on FanGraphs and MLBTrade Rumors for both were a little too high, but with Zack Meisel emphasizing today from the GM Meetings that the team is trying to find starting pitching depth and spending a lot of time talking to agents, accordingly, I think I should expand our net of pitchers to evaluate just a little.
First, Nick Pivetta… the right-hander is 33 years old, put up a 2.86 ERA and a 2.21 FIP with a 11/2 K/BB/9… in only 34 innings for the Padres because he dealt with an elbow strain in his pitching arm. ELBOW! ELBOW! ELBOW! the warning signs blare. MLB Trade Rumors has Pivetta at 2 years and $26M which would be an absolute steal if it weren’t for the ELBOW, ELBOW, ELBOW. The primary reason that Pivetta might be a decent fit for the Guardians is that (knock on wood) the organization has done very well helping pitchers manage their health and rebuild free agent value. Is it possible that Pivetta would be interested in a two-year deal with a player opt out for something similar to what MLBTrade Rumors suggests? If so, wow, I’d love for the Guardians to make that kind of move. Over the past two seasons, Pivetta has a 2.86 ERA. He is a front-of-the-rotation arm… if that arm has a functioning ELBOW, ELBOW, ELBOW. The Padres declining to pick up his option may be another red flag for teams.
Second, right-hander Michael Soroka has dealt with a lot of injuries in his career but he managed to throw 116 innings last season for the Braves with a 3.41 ERA/3.19 FIP and an 8.84/2.25 K/BB/9, and didn’t have any arm issues. He’s 29 years old and has thrown over 150 innings just once in his career, in 2019. MLB Trade Rumors projects Soroka for 2/$26M and FanGraphs says 2/$34. Again, if the Guardians can sell themselves as an organization that can help pitchers stay healthy, Soroka is a great mid-rotation-arm when healthy. Maybe there’s a similar two-year deal with a player opt-out that would make sense for both sides.
In summary, add Pivetta and Soroka to the list of potential Guardians’ starting pitcher targets in free agency, joining the linkes of Brandon Woodruff, Foster Griffin, David Peterson, Tyler Mahle, Nick Martinez, Dustin May, Kris Bubic, Shane Bieber, and Pablo Sandoval. Will the Guardians make a move before December 1st? Who knows? Which one of these eleven pitchers are of the most interest to you? Let us know in the comments below
LAS VEGAS (AP) — With a lockout looming and team executives vowing to take a business-as-usual approach to the offseason, the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are among six teams set to meet with top free-agent pitcher Tarik Skubal.
Skubal’s planned meetings were disclosed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because those details had not been announced. The person did not disclose the other teams.
Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement is scheduled to expire at 11:59 p.m. EST on Dec. 1, and management is expected to immediately initiate the sport’s 10th work stoppage since 1972.
“From my perspective, I look at this as a business-as-usual offseason until they tell us otherwise,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “So we’re going through this as though we’re going to have a full, complete offseason, and I think that’s the best way to operate.”
Major League Baseball has proposed a hard cap of $258.2 million for 2028 and a floor of $180.2 million, using luxury tax payrolls with average annual values. A team would be allowed to remain as low as 90% of the floor in 2028, which would be $162.18 million, but would have to spend the entire amount of the floor over a three-year period.
Eight teams would have to reduce current payroll by a combined $528 million to get under the proposed 2028 cap, according to MLB: Boston, the Chicago Cubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Yankees and Mets, Philadelphia, San Diego and Toronto.
Players have vowed never to accept a cap and say they are prepared to fight one for as long as it takes, as they did during a 7 1/2-month strike in 1994 and ’95 that led to the first cancellation of the World Series in 90 years.
Agents have expressed worry that anticipation of a cap might cool the free-agent market. Trades and signings will be frozen during a stoppage, as they were during a 99-day lockout in 2021-22.
“In terms of our process of evaluating players, valuing players, talking to agents and individual players, we’ve been kind of doing what we do every offseason and put ourselves in position to make decisions,” Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller said. “The possibility of having a different economic system, you take that into consideration, but it’s really hard to predict what’s going to happen, what the exact system is going to be, so I think ultimately if we see something that we think makes sense for us both in the short and long term, then I think we’re going to be prepared to act on it.”
“As you look at the construction of your roster,” Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes said, the front office is “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 — what we want is a very long window and making sure that stays open.”
Skubal heads a relatively weak free-agent class that also includes Freddy Peralta, Michael King, Seiya Suzuki and Randy Arozarena.
“I’m approaching business as usual here until told otherwise,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “I’ve been given a budget by Hal (Steinbrenner) and we’re trying to now connect with teams and agents as the winter has just started to see what is feasible and what isn’t feasible and try to game plan off of that information that we’re gathering now.”
“We’re positioning new leadership (so) that they can be nimble for whatever direction they want to go,” interim GM John Mozeliak said. “And so over the next few days really it’s my responsibility just to get an understanding of what teams have, who they have interest in and maybe what they’re willing to do in a trade type of discussion. In terms of free agency, still just trying to understand what that looks like in terms of who we think we might target and when new leadership gets in place.”
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 24: Bench Coach Brad Ausmus #65 of the New York Yankees smiles before the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on September 24, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Houston Astros have hired Brad Ausmus as their new manager, per reports.
Ausmus had an 18 year major league career that included two stints with the Astros, for whom he played the majority of his career. He was the manager for the Detroit Tigers from 2014-17, and then managed the Angels in the 2019 season. His first year with the Tigers, Detroit won the division, but got swept in the division series. The Tigers then had a pair of last place finishes sandwiched around a second place finish, but didn’t make the playoffs again. The year with the Angels…well, they are the Angels. Most recently, he was bench coach for the Oakland A’s in 2022, and for the New York Yankees for 2024-26.
The Astros are an interesting franchise right now. The selection of Ausmus, who is reportedly close with former teammate Jeff Bagwell, an advisor to owner Jim Crane, leads one to wonder how much power new general manager Randy Flores has. The Houston decision-making dynamic has not been clear for a while, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out going forward.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Chicago Cubs pitcher Ben Brown had neck surgery and will likely be sidelined until midseason.
General manager Carter Hawkins said the 27-year-old right-hander was operated on Monday in New York because of a stress fracture in his neck. Hawkins said a screw was implanted to improve healing.
“He’s walking around the streets of New York. He’ll start throwing the ball after the new year (and be back) most likely midseason,” Hawkins said Tuesday. “We’ve got to figure out where he is weeks from now to really understand how much we’re going to be able to stick to that plan.”
Brown didn’t pitch after June 19 because of what the team said was a neck strain. He was 4-2 with a 1.85 ERA in eight starts and 12 relief appearances, striking out 65 and walking 19 in 68 innings.
Brown is 10-13 with a 4.15 ERA and two saves in 31 starts and 29 relief appearances over three major league seasons.
Chicago said the same condition bothered Brown in 2024.
Brad Ausmus, who served as the Yankees’ bench coach under Aaron Boone from 2024 through 2026, is reportedly headed to the Astros, for whom he played from 1997-98 and then again from 2001 through 2008. He will become their next manager after the recent announcement that Joe Espada won’t be returning for the 2027 campaign.
Astros insider Brian McTaggart had the report; Ausmus will be the first big hire under new GM Randy Flores, who succeeded the dismissed Dana Brown under oft-meddling owner Jim Crane.
Source: Brad Ausmus is flying to Houston tomorrow in anticipation he will be named the next Astros manager, confirming @johngranato report.
Ausmus, a former defensive-minded catcher, has some managerial experience in the majors, having led the Detroit Tigers from 2014 to 2017 and then the Los Angeles Angels in 2019. Before succeeding Carlos Mendoza as the Yankees’ bench coach, he had a stint with the Athletics in 2022, filling the same position.
The Yankees will now have to find a new bench coach. They had already lost Tanner Swanson, who was their major league quality control coach and catching coordinator, to the Seattle Mariners, to become their new bench coach. Matt Blake was extended as pitching coach and both Luis Rojas and Dan Fiorito will remain the base coaches, but James Rowson’s contract as the hitting coach has expired and news just broke that he will become the Giants’ “offensive coordinator.”
That, according to head of baseball Brian Cashman, creates a “fluid” situation about who might fill the position.
As for Ausmus, he gets another chance to be a manager in an organization he is very much familiar with from his playing days. He has a combined 386-422 managerial record with the Tigers (2014-17) and Angels (2019), including a division title with Detroit in 2014.
The next few days will be crucial for the Yankees, as they work to fill a coaching staff that has been somewhat raided after recent hires around the league.
Dru Baker remains far from becoming a factor in the South Side outfield. | (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images)
Dru Baker Center Fielder 5´10´´ 205 pounds Age 27 2026 South Side Sox Top Prospect Ranking 53 2026 High Level Charlotte (AAA) Age relative to high level -0.1 years SSS rank among all center fielders in the system 8 Overall 2025 stats 94 games ⚾️ 8 HR ⚾️ 44 RBI ⚾️ .266/.322/.504 ⚾️ 20 BB ⚾️ 88 K ⚾️ 19-of-23 (82.6%) SB ⚾️ .970 % FLD ⚾️ 0.9 WAR
Dru Baker brings contact hitting and strong defense to a White Sox organization that could always use bench depth, especially in the outfield. Drafted in the fourth round in 2021 by the Rays, scouts clocked Baker as a utility player with fourth-outfielder upside, but his time to play that role never came in 2026. 2027 could be the year.
Baker slowly progressed through Tampa Bay’s minor league system before arriving in Chicago in the Matt Thaiss exchange in May. Baker got out to a fast start in 2022, slashing .297/.399/.467 while driving in 32 runs and drawing 29 walks in 47 games, which were nearly evenly split between Low- and High-A. His shortcoming, however, was 48 strikeouts, and contact continues to be an ongoing concern.
Baker’s productivity remained high in 2023 and 2024 in High- and Double-A, regressed slightly in 2025 while facing Triple-A pitchers, but bounced back in 2026. He’s a bit more patient at the plate, and he more than doubled his RBIs from 2025 while breaking the .700 OPS benchmark. Truist Field helps pad his stats, but Baker needs to sustain his power and keep his whiffs down if he’s going to break through the 40-man roster.
One way Baker can shoehorn his way onto the squad is with his defensive versatility. Having played every outfield position while also getting a few reps in at DH and second base, Baker is a healthier version of Brooks Baldwin, with a slightly better arm. Baker’s speed gives him a slight edge, but he’s coming up on 27, and his age and major league inexperience will work against him in the Sox’s already young and defensive platoon outfield.
A healthy and improved 2026 steers Baker on the right path to make his debut in 2027 when Chicago’s down an outfielder, but he needs to step it up if he wants to stand out among the several Charlotte prospects who have shown more big league potential.
It's not exactly an in-house hire, but the Houston Astros opted for familiarity in settling on Brad Ausmus as their next manager, the club announced Wednesday, Nov. 11.
Ausmus, 57, will take his third crack at managing a major league team, having led the Detroit Tigers from 2014 through 2017 and managing the Los Angeles Angels for the 2019 season. He's spent the past three seasons as the New York Yankees' bench coach.
Ausmus was a catcher for the Astros from 2001 through 2008, growing into a core player for a franchise that reached the World Series in 2005. Hall of Fame first baseman Jeff Bagwell remains a trusted advisor to owner Jim Crane, who recently hired former Cardinals executive Randy Flores as the club's new general manager.
Ausmus will replace Joe Espada, who managed the club for three seasons and led them to the AL West title this season, though the club had a .500 record. Espada led the Astros to the playoffs in two of his three seasons and was the bench coach under World Series-winning manager Dusty Baker before that. Crane opted not to extend his contract.
"I am very excited to be back in Houston,” Ausmus said in a statement released by the club. "The Astros and the City of Houston have been a huge part of my life, and I’m thrilled to create a new chapter as the team’s manager. I’d like to thank Randy and the entire Astros organization for this opportunity, and I can’t wait to get to work."
Ausmus was an All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner as a player and posted a 386-422 record managing the Tigers and Angels. In his first year managing, Ausmus inherited a club that reached the 2013 ALCS under retiring manager Jim Leyland but got bounced in the 2014 ALDS. His final three Tigers clubs did not reach the playoffs.
CINCINNATI, OHIO - AUGUST 19: Emilio Pagan #15 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches during the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Great American Ball Park on August 19, 2026 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati defeated St. Louis 5-4. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There was consistently a positive relationship between Cincinnati Reds closer Emilio Pagán and manager Terry Francona during their three-year run in the Queen City. The future Hall of Fame manager trusted Pagán with the closer’s job early in 2025 with Alexis Diaz fell completely apart, and the move paid off in spades both for the Reds and Pagán, who turned his 2025 success into a new 2-year, $20 million contract after the Reds made the playoffs.
That deal, though, included an opt-out at the end of the 2026 season, an opt-out that Pagán exercised just days after the Milwaukee Brewers won the World Series.
In the wake of that decision, Tito clearly maintained contact with his former closer, even revealing to MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon last week that he’d recently been texting him.
I texted him last night and he was at dinner. I said, “Do I need to come over there and kick your [butt]?” The reason I said that is I love the guy. He’s such a phenomenal teammate. He bailed us out. When we made him the closer, it allows you to work from back to front, when you know there’s an end in sight. I’m not giving up on him coming back. He has the right to test the market. But I don’t think it’s any secret how much I enjoyed him and how much I respect him and how much I love him.
Just a week after turning down the chance to pitch for the Reds again at a $10 million rate, Pagán agreed to an $11 million deal to pitch for the Detroit Tigers for the 2027 season.
Tigers signing top reliever Emilio Pagán. About $11M, 1 year , via sources
I am not one to put words into another person’s mouth. I will merely point out that it’s a little bit curious that Pagán opted out in a ‘bet on yourself after a couple good years’ kind of move and ended up signing elsewhere at almost exactly the same rate that was already guaranteed to you from an organization that, per Francona, still had a lot of love for you – all after testing the market for roughly one whole week.
There are a million different ways to interpret this, quite literally. The Reds sure do look like a mis-managed sinking ship, and for Pagán to recognize that while having an opportunity to bail deserves neither fault nor scorn. Frankly, I wouldn’t blame him one single bit if that was all he was looking to do. Detroit’s home park offers a fly-ball pitcher like him a whole lot more room to succeed with his own methods than do the cozy confines of Great American Ball Park.
Perhaps he simply wanted to get a guarantee on the books before the looming December 1st lockout, and did so with a team in whom he has more confidence than he has in the Reds.
Cincinnati did change pitching coaches from Derek Johnson to Joe Torres, too. There could very well be a philosophy clash behind the scenes we’ve not yet seen play out publicly.
One thing is cut and dry, though, and that’s that Pagán is not going to be back on the Reds in 2027 in any capacity, and the search for a new closer amid a bullpen that needs an entire overhaul is firmly front and center on Nick Krall’s to-do list this winter…along with about thirty other things that, if accomplished, would’ve made this club a lot more attractive to a closer on the open market in the first place.
Pitcher with the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team, Owen 'Ownie' Carroll, circa 1934. (Photo by FPG/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For every legendary name recognizable across generations of Yankees fans, there are dozens others who fade from memory after leaving the organization. Thousands of players have come and gone through the doors of Yankee Stadium in the team’s 123-year history, the vast majority leaving just a faint mark in the annals of the franchise. Even during their most storied era in the Murderers’ Row years, far from every player ascended to the status of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig
Owen Thomas “Ownie” Carroll Born: November 11, 1902 (Kearney, NJ) Died: June 8, 1975 (Orange, NJ) Yankees Tenure: 1930
Born just months before the inception of the New York Highlanders (who would become the Yankees a decade later), not much is known about Carroll’s family and early life aside from a few facts about his New Jersey upbringing. He emerged as one of the top high school pitchers of the early 1920s in his four years at Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School in Newark, compiling a 49-2 record.
His legend grew during his four years on the varsity squad at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, the 1920s sometimes considered the heyday of college baseball. He was widely regarded as the best college pitcher in the country, amassing a 50-2 record, his only losses coming against Princeton and Boston College in his sophomore season. Games in which he pitched would often draw 30,000 or more fans at Braves Field in Boston, his most memorable performances including a 15-inning complete game against Harvard and a 17-strikeout one-hitter against Princeton.
Following his senior year, Carroll signed with the Tigers for $25,000 in 1925 and made his MLB debut later that season, going six innings and allowing eight runs (four earned) on nine hits and four walks in an 11-9 win over the Red Sox on June 20th. Carroll would make ten appearances (four starts) in his rookie season, going 2-2 with a 3.76 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 40.2 innings. Arm issues that would plague his professional career began to appear following that season, causing Carroll to spend the entirety of the 1926 season in the minor leagues with the Toronto Maple Leads.
Carroll returned to the majors in 1927, firmly establishing himself as a big leaguer. That year, he made 31 appearances (15 starts), going 10-6 with a 3.98 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 172 innings. His best season came in 1928, Carroll going 16-12 in 34 appearances (28 starts) totaling 231 innings while finishing in the top-10 in the AL in ERA (3.27) and complete games (19). He followed that with a less impressive 1929 campaign, compiling a 9-17 record in 34 appearances (26 starts), with a 4.63 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 202 innings.
1930 was a year of upheaval for Carroll, the righty pitching six games for the Tigers before being traded to the Yankees for rotation stalwart Waite Hoyt. That swap proved to be disastrous for the Bronx outfit, as Carroll made just 10 appearances in pinstripes. He allowed four runs on six hits and three walks in his team debut — a four-inning start that ended in a 13-7 loss to his former team on June 11th. Carroll was immediately removed from the rotation and would make nine further relief appearances, only one of those games ending in a Yankees win.
Despite stratospheric seasons from Ruth and Gehrig, the Yankees were seriously light in the rotation following Hoyt’s departure and missed the playoffs after finishing third. Carroll would not be allowed to see out the end of the season in New York. The Yankees sold him to the Reds at the end of the summer. In total, Carroll went 0-1 in those ten appearances, with a 6.61 ERA and eight strikeouts in 32.2 innings. His -0.3 fWAR and -0.7 rWAR were among the worst for anyone who pitched for the Yankees that season, Ruth himself accruing more value by spinning a two-run complete game against the Red Sox on the final day of the season — the Bambino’s first pitching appearance in nine years.
Carroll regained his starting pitching role in Cincinnati, going 3-9 in 12 starts with a 5.53 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 107.1 innings in 1931. 1932 saw him make 32 appearances (26 starts), Carroll improving to a 4.50 ERA, though he led the NL in losses (19) and hit batsmen (nine). That precipitated a trade to the Cardinals following the completion of the season, Jim Bottomley heading to Cincy to complete the deal. However, St. Louis flipped him just a few weeks later to the Dodgers for Dazzy Vance. With this trade, Carroll earned the distinction as the only player in MLB history to be traded for three future Hall of Famers in Hoyte, Bottomley, and Vance, a record that still stands to this day.
The now-30-year-old Carroll experienced something of a renewal in his first season in Brooklyn, making a career-high 31 starts and finishing with a 13-15 record, 3.78 ERA, and 45 strikeouts in 226.1 innings. However, that came to an abrupt end, injuries limiting Carroll to 26 appearances (five starts) in 1934 with a 1-3 record, 6.42 ERA, and 17 strikeouts in 74.1 innings. After spending 1935 with the Buffalo Bisons of the International League, Carroll called curtains on a nine-year big league career, finishing with a 64-90 record, 4.43 ERA, and considerably more walks (486) than strikeouts (311) in 1,330.2 innings.
Following his retirement, Carroll went on to become the head coach of the Seton Hall University baseball team for 25 years. He leaned on advice learned while playing under future Yankees Hall of Fame manager Casey Stengel, back then the manager of the Toledo Mud Hens of the American Association in 1930. He finished with a 341‐186‐3 record, leading the Pirates to four Metropolitan Conference championships and two College World Series appearances.
On April 25, 1973, the university honored their long-time coach by renaming their stadium the Owen T. Carroll Field. Carroll himself passed away on June 8, 1975, at the age of 72.
Carroll’s Yankees career may be a minor footnote in history of the franchise, but there is no doubting the impact he had on the lives and careers of the many young ballplayers who came under his leadership at Seton Hall.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
Let’s switch gears for a moment from the series I’ve been writing about potential free agent signings for the Cubs to a potential trade target, Angels left-hander Reid Detmers.
The Cubs came close enough to dealing for Detmers at the deadline last summer:
#Cubs acquire LHP Reid Detmers in a trade with the #Angels.
Owen Ayers or Moises Ballesteros likely part of the return.
Well, you all know that didn’t happen. Instead, the Cubs sent Moisés Ballesteros and minor leaguer Mason McGwire to the Angels for Ryan Zeferjahn. This could eventually turn out to be a useful deal; Zeferjahn clearly has talent, is not arb-eligible until 2028, and is under team control for four more seasons.
Here, per one report, is what the Cubs would have given up for Detmers (with Zeferjahn also included):
Very interesting 🤔
So full trade would've been…#Angels acquire: INF Jefferson Rojas (No. 68) RHP Jaxon Wiggins C Moisés Ballesteros RHP Mason McGwire#Cubs receive: LHP Reid Detmers RHP Ryan Zeferjahn
As you know, Jefferson Rojas wound up going to the Mets in the deal that brought Clay Holmes to the Cubs. That could still be worth doing if the Cubs re-sign Holmes, which is certainly possible.
Apparently the reason this deal fell through was that the Angels didn’t like the medical reports they received on Jaxon Wiggins. You likely also know this too, as Wiggins has been injured much of the time he’s been in the Cubs system. He made 22 appearances (11 starts) in 2026 and posted a 6.75 ERA and 1.781 WHIP in only 42.2 innings, with 50 strikeouts (which is good!) and 34 walks (which is not good!).
Wiggins, the Cubs’ second-round pick out of the University of Arkansas in 2023, turned 25 in October. To count on him in 2027 is not something the Cubs should do. Detmers is only two years older and has already thrown 634.2 major league innings, and is under team control for two more years.
So with Ballesteros, Rojas and McGwire already gone, and Wiggins probably not tradeable, who could the Cubs send to Anaheim to acquire Detmers?
For one thing, I would put the Cubs’ top three prospects (per MLB Pipeline) off limits — no trading Josiah Hartshorn, Owen Ayers or Ethan Conrad. Perhaps the Angels could be enticed to take Javier Assad as part of a deal like this — he has significant MLB starting experience. You might have to throw in Brooks Caple or someone like him. Would the Angels be interested in Matt Shaw?
I’m just spitballing here — given that the Angels have new ownership and management since the Detmers deal fell through in August, maybe they don’t want to trade him at all.
Jun 22, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki (27) returns to the dugout during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Seattle Mariners were rumored by Ryan Divish and Adam Jude of the Seattle Times to be pursuing free agent OF Seiya Suzuki in their coverage of MLB’s GM meetings on Tuesday. Jerry Dipoto danced around the subject in the report, but reiterated the truth of Seattle’s history and capacity for appeal to players hailing from Japan. And yet, the top of the position player market is water Dipoto’s Mariners have not sailed in, and Suzuki is himself a rarity as a position playing free agent to reach true free agency, having completed his first contract signed in 2022 with the Chicago Cubs. Suzuki, much like Randy Arozarena, has a corner outfield profile with a history of big offensive production and some suspect glovework, and both will enter 2027 as their age 32 season.
So why Suzuki and not, as reported by Divish and Jude, a reunification effort with Arozarena? Seemingly, Arozarena is interested in other markets, and fair enough. Randy also will yield Seattle an extra draft pick when he signs, all but certainly in Competitive Balance Round A due to Seattle’s revenue-sharing recipient status in recent years, meaning a top-40 selection in the 2027 draft. The cost of signing Suzuki, beyond the financial which might push into nine figures, would be Seattle’s third-highest selection in the draft in kind. This would mean most likely for Seattle to sacrifice their third round pick, as compensation picks are (possibly?) immune from the calculus for this effort, however it could be the club would sacrifice their second round pick if the comp pick they receive is eligible.
And that cost is not necessarily going to be cheaper than what Randy would demand for retainer. Both Suzuki and Arozarena have been steady, right-handed bats, performing to a genuinely remarkable degree of synchronicity. For Randy in 4029 PA across 955 MLB games, and 2899 PAs over 675 games for Suzuki, they’ve both maintained a 128 wRC+ exactly. They’re within decimals on career walk and strikeout rates, and while Arozarena is more of an iron man, they’ve each amassed an average of over 140 games played per season over the last four campaigns.
Suzuki has benefitted from a ballpark less vicious to right-handed hitters than Arozarena in recent years (which is literally every other park, bless you Randy), good for a .269/.351/.472 mark for his career, and while he runs reasonably, he’s put a halt on his base stealing in the past few seasons, while Arozarena has notched six straight 20-20 campaigns. But what Suzuki managed in 2026 may be setting him above Seattle’s estimation of their erstwhile left fielder. Seiya’s skill with the glove took a major step forward in 2026. After a season spent in the corners and at DH, Suzuki was expected to handle center field duties in the World Baseball Classic for Team Japan this past spring. The Tokyo native still runs at an above-average level, and has a strong enough arm for any outfield position, but where he shone was in his improved tracking of the ball and range in Wrigley’s corner spots. Of course, Suzuki benefitted from the best defensive center fielder in baseball with Pete Crow-Armstrong ranging in Andruw Jones-esque capacities this past summer, but in Seattle the longer trend of Julio Rodríguez still suggests a fielder far above average to flank his compatriots.
The counters here are curious. For one, defensive metrics have a taller task of capturing process and cause/effect than hitting or baserunning, in many ways. Can one count on Suzuki’s glovework maintaining any more than they could on Julio’s failing to bounce back? And on the other side, many of Suzuki’s offensive peripherals took some hits. Though still a strong performer when it comes to maximizing contact, Suzuki’s hard hit rates and expected outcomes took a step downward from the past three seasons. Given his numbers didn’t dip, and in fact took a positive step on the back of an elevated walk rate, this may not be troubling the M’s.
But Suzuki is likely to get four or five years on his contract, something this front office has only ever offered hitters in their 20s. MLB Trade Rumors estimated 4/$105m for Suzuki, while FanGraphs writer Ben Clemens suggested a similar 4/$108m, and the crowdsourced rankings from the site came in with a median 4/$96m. All are plausible ranges, and all would be surprising to see the low-investment Mariners ownership group commit to. To give them credit, however, the club did re-sign Josh Naylor swiftly a winter ago and seems at least to hover around a league median (though not mean) payroll in recent years. There should be at least $20 million to re-invest in the club purely working off the club’s past trend line of spending, and Jerry Dipoto’s successful deal of Luis Castillo at the deadline may have created wiggle room for himself to improve the 2027 squad and beyond.
And yet, filling the hole of Arozarena is a real challenge. As Ryan Blake noted at the end of the season, Seattle faces a gap between 2025 and 2026 that can largely be made up in 2027 by positive regression from existing players. But what they cannot expect to replicate is the greatest season by a Mariners left fielder in franchise history that Arozarena put up, with his 5.5 fWAR, .281/.381/.484 line and 151 wRC+ from a guy who could be relied upon to be healthy enough to play at a high level daily for 2.5 years.
Suzuki is the only player in this free agent class likely to meet the M’s desire to improve defensively and have a strong shot at holding serve offensively in Arozarena’s stead. He’s right-handed, something nobody but Julio from the expected Opening Day lineup can claim. His offensive profile has power, but is not purely reliant upon it, and he’s got what continues to be above-average athleticism that may age more gracefully than his contemporaries already starting from a lesser point of ability.
If Seattle were to invest in a new free agent this winter, Suzuki would be the most likely to have a positive and fitting impact, with his track record as a corner outfielder and hitter. Seattle should be in on this type of player at this stage, particularly with a balance sheet recently glutted by the 7th-best attendance in MLB this year, the most attendees since 2004 for the franchise. To maintain and reclaim the enthusiasm and the justifiable expectations following their lost 2026 season, would be a very appropriate player to bring into the fold for the franchise’s 51st season.
Apr 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Felix Reyes (29) runs the bases after hitting a home run in his first major league at bat during the second inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Phillies entered the 2026 season with Otto Kemp penciled in for a big role on the MLB roster. He was supposed to be Brandon Marsh’s right-handed platoon partner in the outfield, as the team finally acknowledged that Marsh should be prevented from facing lefties. Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies took every opportunity to talk up Kemp over the offseason and cited a knee injury as reason to believe he would improve upon his rookie season.
Felix Reyes was the first attempt to correct that colossal mistake of putting all the eggs in the Otto Kemp basket, as Reyes was promoted in mid-April when Kemp was demoted following a dreadful start to the season. Reyes, despite mostly playing first base in his minor league career and hardly having played above Double-A, was selected to be Marsh’s new platoon partner in left field.
2026 stats: 12 games, .158/.158/.263, 1 home run, 11 OPS+, -0.6 WAR
What went right
Reyes was not someone particularly on the radar for an MLB job, but a strong spring training no doubt helped get his name into some consideration despite only having played six career games above Double-A. The 25-year-old hit .303 with a .930 OPS and three home runs in 18 Grapefruit League games this year. He was sent to Triple-A to begin the season but unexpectedly found himself on the Phillies roster on April 18th thanks to the aforementioned struggles of Kemp. The Phillies were throwing a dart to see if they could get some production out of an unexpected source because they had no real backup plan in the rather likely possibility of Kemp’s position being untenable.
They appeared to have gotten lucky in Reyes’ first game, as he launched a home run off of Chris Sale in his first career at-bat in the Majors while batting cleanup behind Bryce Harper.
It became very apparent, very fast that Reyes was simply overmatched in the major leagues. The tendency for chasing Reyes showed in the minors was easily exploited by MLB pitching, as he swung at 53% of the pitches he saw outside of the zone in his short time with the Phillies. He also racked up nine strikeouts in 38 plate appearances and did not walk once, as Reyes collected just five more hits after that debut home run. His brief time on the MLB roster ended exactly a month after it began when the Phillies optioned him to Triple-A on May 18th.
Reyes remained with Lehigh Valley the rest of the year, hitting .287 with an .830 OPS and 21 home runs before a broken wrist ended his season on August 15th.
Final Grade: F
This isn’t as much of a grade for Reyes as it is for the circumstances that led to him being on the Phillies roster. Reyes is the exact type of player that teams with poor depth are forced to rely on, and that’s exactly what the Phillies are. A 25-year-old career minor leaguer who had barely played above Double-A should not be plan B for a significant role on an MLB roster. The Phillies dramatically overvalued Kemp, and his predictable struggles and the team’s utter lack of upper minor league depth led to the Phillies thrusting Reyes into a role he frankly was not suited for. That included batting him cleanup for almost half of his plate appearances because the Phillies didn’t have any other real options for right-handed production behind Harper and Kyle Schwarber.
It was also head-scratching at the time that the Phillies went to Reyes over Bryan De La Cruz, who also had a strong camp but had vastly more MLB experience and was an actual outfielder. That decision looks even worse in hindsight as once the Phillies finally did add De La Cruz to their roster on July 21st, he hit .280 with a .762 OPS in 34 games. Regardless, the whole saga involving Reyes is just an exacerbation of the Phillies failure to develop even the smallest of contributors from within.
Brad Ausmus is leaving Aaron Boone’s staff to become the new Astros manager, The Post confirmed on Wednesday, creating a vacancy they will now have to fill.
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Ausmus, who served as Boone’s right-hand man for the last three seasons, interviewed with the Astros this offseason for both their GM and manager job, Brian Cashman acknowledged Tuesday. The GM job ultimately went to Randy Flores before the Astros landed on Ausmus as their next manager.
The 57-year-old spent 10 seasons as the Astros’ catcher during his 18-year playing career and remained close with former teammate Jeff Bagwell, who is now a senior advisor to owner Jim Crane.
Before joining the Yankees, Ausmus had managed the Tigers from 2014-2017 and the Angels in 2019, posting a combined record of 386-422.
Brad Ausmus (l.), who has been the bench coach for Yankees manager Aaron Boone (r.) for three seasons, is set to become the Astros’ new manager. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostBrad Ausmus with the Astros in 2008. Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty
Ausmus marks the second departure from Boone’s staff, after major league field coordinator and director of catching Tanner Swanson left to become the Mariners’ bench coach. Ausmus and Swanson ran spring training together each of the last three years.
The Yankees are still working through their hitting staff, after hitting coach James Rowson’s contract expired, with the club “engaged in the marketplace and also internally,” Cashman said Tuesday.
Pitching coach Matt Blake, assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel, bullpen coach Preston Claiborne, third base coach Luis Rojas and first base coach Dan Fiorito are all set to return.
The Rangers will be exploring the potential trade market for Corey Seager at the GM meetings, and Evan Grant suggests that the only realistic trade partners are limited to Boston, Philadelphia,
The team also needs another catcher, and while Logan O’Hoppe is another catcher he has not, historically, been that great at the catching part of the job.
The question for the offseason will be ““do the Rangers offload some or all of their big contracts or do they keep doing what they’ve been doing?”
Chris You g says the team is ““open monded” about what other teams may have on offer for Seager, deGrom, and Eovaldi.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 27: Dylan Crews #3 of the Washington Nationals celebrates after scoring a run in the third inning during the game between the New York Mets and the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on Sunday, September 27, 2026 in Washington, District of Columbia. (Photo by Alyssa McDaniel/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Last night we got our first big piece of Nats related news from the GM Meetings. Spencer Nusbaum reported that Dylan Crews has emerged as a popular trade target around the league. The Nats also seem open to the idea, which makes sense after extending Jacob Young. With that in mind, I came up with three trade proposals that would make sense for the Nats.
With a slim supply of right-handed hitting outfielders, Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews has emerged as a popular trade target around the league, per sources.
One team that is on the hunt for outfielders is the Toronto Blue Jays. After reaching the World Series in 2025, the Jays took a big step back last season. A big reason for that was poor production from the outfield. For that reason, they make a lot of sense as a Crews suitor.
My proposal would send Crews to the Blue Jays in exchange for Sean Keys and Ricky Tiedemann. I think this is a trade that makes sense for both sides. For the Jays, they get a high upside outfielder who could platoon with Brett Bateman in center field, while also getting opportunities in the corners. It would also be a fresh start for Crews, who has not lived up to the hype in DC.
Meanwhile, the Nats get two players who could help the club in 2027. Keys is the headlining piece of the package in my opinion. He is a high upside bat who would battle with Abimelec Ortiz for the first base position. In the end, I think Keys would win out.
Ortiz and Keys share a lot of similarities, but Keys is younger and was more productive. Last season, Keys hit .294 with 28 homers and a 1.019 OPS in AA and AAA. The 23 year old was one of the most productive hitters in all of minor league baseball. It was a true breakout for a guy who posted good but not great numbers in High-A last year.
Sean Keys (TOR) wants another chance in the Majors!
The Blue Jays slugger has been nearly unstoppable in August, posting a 1.190 OPS at AAA while registering phenomenal batted ball metrics and tacking on 6 HR. With Toronto strapped for power, Keys could help ignite their offense https://t.co/J8HYmcaCkUpic.twitter.com/opcyck9oI7
These insane numbers led to Keys seeing some big league action. He appeared in 25 games last year, but hit just .197 with a .570 OPS. Keys has tremendous raw power, and is great at translating it into games. His air pull percentage was over 25% in AAA, which is an elite number. Keys also made contact at an above average clip in the minors, though he did have some strikeout issues in the big leagues.
Like Ortiz, he is a fairly aggressive hitter, and that got exposed in the big leagues. However, it is important to point out that Keys was only in High-A last year. It is not a huge shock that a player so inexperienced had growing pains in the MLB. A Keys and Ortiz competition would be interesting to watch heading into 2027.
The second piece of the package is a pitcher with a lot of pedigree. There was a time where Ricky Tiedemann was easily a top 100 prospect. However, he has suffered a ton of injuries. At this point, he is a reliever, but I think he has the talent to be a good lefty reliever.
He throws from a low slot and has a nasty sweeper, which are traits the Nats covet. However, he also averaged 96 MPH in the big leagues. Tiedemann will never be the front line starter some expected before the injuries, but I think he could be a great lefty reliever. A package of Keys and Tiedemann would be a win-win for the Nats and Jays.
A One for One NL East Swap:
One idea that has been floating around is the Dylan Crews for Andrew Painter swap. This would be the classic case of two teams exchanging former mega-prospects who have not put it all together yet. We all know about the Dylan Crews hype train, but there was also a time where Painter was seen as the Phillies next ace.
After being drafted out of high school, Painter’s first pro season was one for the ages. He posted a 1.56 ERA with 155 strikeouts to just 25 walks in 103.2 innings. The youngster went from Low-A all the way to Double-A, and dominated every step of the way. However, his road has been bumpy since then.
Painter had to undergo Tommy John in 2023, and did not return to the mound until 2025. When he came back, his fastball shape had degraded and hitters punished him. He posted an ERA over 5 in AAA last year. Painter was still throwing hard, but things did not look the same.
Despite those struggles, Painter was given a spot in the Phillies rotation, where his woes continued. He posted an ERA over 7 before getting sent down in June. However, Painter made some adjustments in the minors and came back looking much better. In the second half, Painter pitched to a 3.65 ERA.
The biggest change he made was swapping his splitter for a changeup. That changeup became a dominant pitch for Painter. Batters hit just .153 with a 35.4% whiff rate against the change. His fastball shape also slowly improved in the second half. He was beginning to look like the old Painter.
Andrew Painter has done a complete 180 and looks like a brand new pitcher!
Honestly, the fact he improved so much makes a trade less likely. Out of all the packages, this is the one I find most unrealistic. While the Phillies need outfield help and the Nats need pitching, I don’t think Dave Dombrowski moves off Painter. They have always loved Painter, and he is finally starting to reward their faith.
A Crews for Painter swap is an interesting idea in theory, and makes some sense for both teams. However, I do not think the Phillies pull the trigger, especially to a team within the division. It is worth making a call though.
Crews Goes to the City of Angels:
As we all know, the Nats need bullpen help and this last swap would be a creative way to do that. My proposal here is to send Dylan Crews to the Angels in exchange for Samy Natera Jr. and Talon Haley. The main prize of this package would be Natera though.
Natera made his MLB debut last season as a 26 year old and excelled. In 28 outings, Natera posted a 3.13 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 31.2 innings. That is a 36.6% strikeout rate, which is insane. Natera does this mostly with one pitch.
Samy Natera Jr. has a special fastball. He throws his heater 80% of the time, but hitters still can’t do anything with it. The fastball has a ton of IVB while averaging 95 MPH. That combination of velocity and movement led to a .209 average against and a 31.3% whiff rate. Those are extraordinary numbers for a pitch with such high usage.
Samy Natera Jr. is one of the funkiest RPs I've seen: A thread 🧵
When he did mix in his slider, hitters had no answers. They hit just .148 with a 56.3% whiff rate. Even MLB hitters had to cheat in order to catch up to his fastball. That meant that his slider totally threw hitters into a loop. Natera does not have pinpoint command, but a sub-10% walk rate is more than good enough for a pitcher with such nasty stuff.
If Natera became a National, he would be the closer and the team’s best reliever. While trading Dylan Crews for a reliever would be risky, I think Natera is the right kind of arm to make it work. He did end the season on the IL with forearm tightness, but there was no structural damage.
Due to that injury and the fact he is a reliever, I decided to throw in Talon Haley as a sweetener. Haley is a 20 year old lefty, who is the Angels 15th ranked prospect. He struck out 121 batters in 87.2 innings, but also had 51 walks. With a low to mid-90’s fastball and a strong feel to spin, Haley has some intriguing traits, but he is many years away.
I think all of these packages would get Paul Toboni’s attention. After the Jacob Young extension and this report, I think there is a strong possibility we see a Dylan Crews trade. What do you think the Nats should target in a return and which team would be the best fit?
