The Toronto Blue Jays' Louis Varland and San Diego Padres' Mason Miller were named Major League Baseball's 2026 Reliever of the Year winners on Wednesday, Nov. 11, the first edition of the reliever award being handed out by the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Varland posted a 1.27 ERA with 35 saves in the regular season, setting a career high with 78 innings pitched and 97 strikeouts and received 16 of 30 first-place votes for the award. The right-hander built on his strong 2025 postseason, appearing in 15 games as the Blue Jays lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. He beat out AL finalists Cade Smith of the Cleveland Guardians and Bryan Baker of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Miller had a 1.67 ERA with 129 strikeouts in 70 innings for the Padres, one of the most dominant regular seasons ever assembled by a relief pitcher. He received all 30 first-place votes to win over finalists Trevor Megill of the Milwaukee Brewers and the Philadelphia Phillies' Jhoan Duran.
An award for baseball's top relievers is anything but new. The Rolaids Relief Man Award was issued from 1976-2012 and starting in 2012, MLB began handing out its own honor – now named the Mariano Rivera AL and Trevor Hoffman NL Relievers of the Year. The Boston Red Sox's Aroldis Chapman and New York Mets' Edwin Diaz received the MLB awards in 2025.
Reliever of the Year voting results
Voting on 5-3-1 scoring basis
American League
Louis Varland, Blue Jays: 146 points (16 first place votes, 4 second place votes, 5 third place votes, 1 fourth place vote, 1 fifth place vote)
490 days ago, a lanky, 6’7” rookie from Walpole, Massachusetts, by way of Northeastern University, set foot on a major league mound for the first time at Yankee Stadium. It came just over three years after he was unceremoniously drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 MLB Draft with a very inefficient delivery and a fastball sitting in the high-80s.
By the time he debuted in the major leagues, he was throwing 100 mph. Three months after his debut, he shoved his childhood team into a locker in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series with one of the best playoff starts in franchise history. And as an encore in 2026? He proceeded to put up one of the greatest pitching seasons in franchise history.
Cam Schlittler’s incredible rise as the Yankees’ ace of the present and future has been completed, as he was named the 2026 AL Cy Young Award winner on Wednesday night, doing so unanimously.
Schlittler was engaged in a heated race with Toronto’s Dylan Cease for much of the season, but the veteran faded with injury and ineffectiveness down the stretch, while the 25-year-old Schlittler wound up leading the American League in pretty much everything that mattered.
He finished the season with a 14-6 record, a 1.95 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 239 strikeouts in 196 innings, a 215 ERA+, 2.56 FIP, and 7.0 rWAR. His numbers are historic. He is the first pitcher in the Junior Circuit to have a sub-2 ERA in over 190 innings since 2000 Pedro Martinez. His ERA+ is a franchise record, surpassing the standard-bearer, 1978 Ron Guidry (208).
He is the seventh Cy Young Award winner in franchise history, joining the likes of Sparky Lyle, Whitey Ford, Ron Guidry, Bob Turley, Roger Clemens, and Gerrit Cole, as well as the third unanimous winner, joining 1978 Guidry and 2023 Cole.
In the final voting total, he blew Cease out of the water, 210 to 110, by virtue of the Blue Jays’ ace receiving only 22 second-place votes. Parker Messick of the Guardians came in third, followed by the Rays’ Drew Rasmussen and Boston’s Sonny Gray.
Congrats, Cam!
"My teammates, my coaches, they've really helped my development this year… the job isn't done yet."@Yankees star Cam Schlittler discusses his AL Cy Young Award-winning season and who inspired him throughout his journey! pic.twitter.com/yIk861sQll
In voting revealed Wednesday night, Schlittler was the unanimous selection for the top arm in the American League for his first and the Yankees’ seventh Cy Young Award.
“This season was great,” Schlittler said on a conference call before displaying the kind of never-satisfied mentality that Yankees fans adore. “But you look at how it finished — things could have definitely been better.”
The flame-throwing righty earned all 30 first-place votes to beat Toronto’s Dylan Cease (second) and Cleveland’s Parker Messick (third). This marks the 13th time an AL pitcher has won the award unanimously and third time a Yankee has done so, joining Gerrit Cole in 2023 and Ron Guidry in 1978.
The other Yankees to take home the honor were Roger Clemens (2001) — who announced Schlittler’s victory on MLB Network — Sparky Lyle (1977), Whitey Ford (1961) and Bob Turley (1958).
In his first full major league season, Schlittler posted the third-lowest ERA in franchise history (1.95, which led the AL), allowed one or zero runs in an MLB-best 21 starts and pitched the second-most innings (193 ²/₃) in the league.
New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler walks back to the dugout after ending the sixth inning against the Boston Red Sox, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“I definitely could have had a better season. Obviously had a few hiccups along the road,” Schlittler said after one of the greatest pitching seasons in Yankees history. “So realistically, I think there’s things I can get better at, and that’s not going to be particularly in one area of the game, but just being out there on the mound and making certain adjustments in the game.”
A rotation that included the $324 million Cole, the $218 million Max Fried and $162 million Carlos Rodón was anchored by a 25-year-old who signed for $205,000 as a seventh-round pick and who seems to always find ways to improve.
Schlittler was plucked out of Red Sox country in 2022 as a lanky Northeastern starter whose fastball hovered in the low 90s. He put on weight and muscle, watched his velocity not just tick up but soar and ascended into one of the game’s brightest talents who relies on three types of fastballs that can touch triple digits.
“He bought into everything that we were selling from strength and conditioning to pitch profile, and he just turned himself into a beast with his work ethic and desire to be great,” Cashman said this week. “And obviously he added velocity that exceeded probably any of our expectations. So he’s been a godsend.”
Since debuting July 9, 2025, Schlittler has essentially been the best pitcher in baseball, pitching to the majors’ top ERA (2.23) while tying with Sandy Alcantara and Cristopher Sánchez for the majors’ most starts (47) and posting the third-best strikeout rate (30.3 percent).
In his first brief season, in which he was a revelation but human (2.96 ERA), Schlittler primarily used a four-seamer that he threw past opposing hitters.
In his more godly follow-up campaign, Schlittler developed a cutter, relied more on his sinker and had a curveball in his back pocket, which he notably used to shut down the Red Sox in Game 1 of the wild-card series.
New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler throws a pitch during the second inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, July 19, 2026. Bill Kostroun/New York Post
It was the type of outing that has defined who Schlittler has been as a pro: Regardless of his degree of dominance, he is able to unlock a new level (or pitch) nearly at will.
Having reached the top of the mountain for pitchers, Schlittler is determined to keep climbing.
“You hope you can replicate a season like this,” he said from his home in Walpole, Mass., while surrounded by family. “Or even improve on it — multiple times.”
David Bednar finished sixth and Brent Headrick eighth in AL Reliever of the Year voting, an award won by Toronto’s Louis Varland.
Cam Schlittler completed a stunning four-year rise from seventh-round pick to New York Yankees ace to best pitcher in the American League when he was unanimously voted the Cy Young Award winner in balloting released Wednesday, Nov. 11.
Schlittler, 25, led the AL in both earned-run average (1.95) and pitching WAR (7.0) and struck out 239 batters over 193⅔ innings. He’s the seventh Cy Young winner in Yankees history but just the third since 1977.
Schlittler outpointed Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Dylan Cease, who notched his second career second-place finish, as he was runner-up for the Chicago White Sox in 2022. Cleveland Guardians rookie left-hander Parker Messick finished third.
Gerrit Cole was the most recent Yankees player to take home the top pitching honor, in 2023. A year earlier, the Yankees used a seventh-round pick to select Schlittler out of Northeastern, believing he could add strength and ultimately velocity to his 88-mph fastball.
Cole succumbed to Tommy John surgery in March 2025 but Schlittler arrived for his major league debut in July, turning in 14 excellent starts before announcing his arrival on a grander stage in a dominant wild-card series clincher against the Boston Red Sox.
Schlittler channeled the momentum from that breakout into 2026, posting 11 starts in which he pitched into at least the seventh inning and gave up two or fewer runs. The Yankees won 21 of his 33 starts in his first full major league season.
All just a few years after Schlittler arrived needing a mechanical revamp and physical maturity to justify what the Yankees saw in him.
“They’re not going to baby you. This is professional baseball,” Schlitter told USA TODAY Sports earlier this year. “I took advantage of the resources I had, the coaches and teammates I had along the way and that’s why I’m in the position I’m in.”
Schlittler has emerged as the ace in a Yankees rotation that includes Cole and left-handers Max Fried and Carlos Rodón, a trio that arrived as free agents on nine-figure contracts. Schlittler still has two seasons before he's even arbitration-eligible and would be under team control through the 2031 season.
He's the first home-grown Yankees Cy Young winner since Ron Guidry in 1978.
"Cam had as dominant a season as a starting pitcher can have from start to finish," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in a statement released by the club. "He’s shown an astonishing amount of growth since we drafted him, and his success is no accident.
"Cam has a tireless appetite for hard work and refinement that has allowed his talents to truly flourish. This Cy Young is richly deserved."
Happy Veterans Day to those who have served and are currently serving. Thank you for your service.
There will be a slew of awards handing out tonight, to include potentially some players from the Atlanta Braves. At 7 p.m. ET the Cy Young awards will be announced. Chris Sale is a finalist for Cy Young, although he is not the favorite to win.
There is also the MLB Awards Show at 9 p.m. ET where the Hank Aaron Award, Reliever of the Year Award, Outstanding DH Award, and All-MLB teams will all be anounced.
Follow along in the comments below with your predictions on who on the Braves will be named to the All-MLB team, and how many votes Chris Sale will receive for Cy Young. It will also be interesting to see if Fuentes, eighth place in ROTY votes, gets mentioned in the Reliever of the Year conversation on the MLB show at all.
LAS VEGAS –– Amid the many scripted (and strained) puns that Scott Boras came equipped with on Wednesday at MLB’s annual General Managers’ Meetings, the sport’s most prominent player agent got his biggest laugh from reporters with a little bit of improv.
Fifteen minutes into his press conference at the Aria Resort and Casino, Boras was briefly interrupted when his cellphone unexpectedly rang.
“Just another owner,” Boras quipped, “begging to meet with Skubal.”
Scott Boras speaks at a news conference during Major League Baseball’s general manager meetings in Las Vegas, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. AP Photo/John Locher
The line was the most succinct summation of the larger point Boras conveyed on Wednesday.
“It’s very clear that there is a dominant and strong Sku-bull market,” Boras boasted. “It’s pretty clear teams are not devoid of pursuing their championship fortunes, and they understand there’s only one Tar-ot card, no doubt.”
Indeed, Boras will have no lack of suitors when it comes to his two-time Cy Young Award-winning client. As the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported, the left-handed ace is scheduled to meet with six teams –– the Dodgers, Mets, Padres and Blue Jays among them –– at the Boras Corporation’s California headquarters next week.
“In the deep waters of talent treasure, there’s no time to come up for air,” Boras said. “So teams have filled their tanks, and they’re all clearly ready for the Skubal dive, no doubt.”
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals in Los Angeles, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. Wally Skalij for CA Post
The real question at this point is how aggressively clubs will bid for the 30-year-old superstar, especially with the league pushing for a salary cap (or other stricter spending limitations) in its fraught labor negotiations with the players’ union over a new collective bargaining agreement.
Whether other teams are willing to go to such lengths, however, could be the biggest determinant in the Dodgers’ chances of re-signing their marquee trade deadline acquisition from this past season.
“I know he enjoyed his time here and we loved having him,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Tuesday. “So I think that’s certainly helpful as far as those conversations go.”
But the club is also wary of adding another long-term mega-contract to their already bloated future payroll picture. While all options remain open, their preference is believed to be for a shorter-term, higher annual-average-value structure –– similar to the deal they struck with last year’s top free agent, Kyle Tucker.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes and manager Dave Roberts posed with Kyle Tucker after his contract signing last offseason. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Boras declined to comment when asked if Skubal would be receptive to such an offer.
“I don’t discuss contract negotiations with anything but the teams,” he said.
Still, it’s unlikely Skubal would settle for such an agreement if other bidders come in with the kind of offers he has been projected to receive.
Whether or not that happens before the lockout –– which, as of now, is when Skubal is expected to try and sign by –– is where the true intrigue lies for both him and the Dodgers.
The Mets have the resources to swing such a deal, thanks to deep-pocketed owner Steve Cohen. But they have also typically been averse to long-term commitments for pitchers in their 30s, and will likely be trying to sign multiple impact starters this winter to restock their thin rotation.
The Blue Jays and Padres have not been afraid of expensive splash moves in recent years. But as a result, they are already spending at historic levels relative to their franchises’ histories, leaving their willingness to add another significant contract to their books unclear.
The spectre of a potential salary cap, meanwhile, could give any of them added pause until the new CBA rules are clear.
Los Angeles Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten, left, chats with president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Los Angeles. Wally Skalij for CA Post
It all explains why the Dodgers are content to monitor how Skubal’s market develops over the next couple weeks, before deciding if they are willing to step out of their own comfort zone in their efforts to re-sign him.
They know the benefits that would come with bringing Skubal back, and keeping him atop a stacked rotation that also features Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani.
But they are also conscious of the risks they could incur with a longer-term deal, especially given Skubal’s history of three elbow procedures (including an arthroscopic surgery this past season to remove loose bodies from his arm, a flexor tendon operation in 2022, and Tommy John in 2017).
Thus, if any team blows Skubal away with a massive offer, it’s unlikely (though not impossible) the Dodgers would decide to match it.
Until that happens, however, the club will be lying in wait, ready to pounce if his market doesn’t develop quite as strongly as anticipated.
Scott Boras speaks at a news conference during Major League Baseball's general manager meetings Wednesday in Las Vegas. (John Locher / Associated Press)
The Dodgers’ early offseason to-do list includes a meeting with top free agent Tarik Skubal, the two-time Cy Young winner who they acquired at the trade deadline this year.
Other than the Dodgers’ National League Championship Series exit, the three-month fling was as happy of a partnership as either side could have hoped.
Skubal jelled with the group immediately, becoming especially close friends with fellow lefty Blake Snell, who promised that he’d worked to recruit Skubal back this offseason. And after posting a 2.61 ERA in 10 starts, Skubal, the Dodgers’ Game 1 starter in both playoff series, limited postseason opponents to a total of three runs.
“I know that he enjoyed his time here, we loved having him, so I think that’s certainly helpful as far as these conversations go,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Tuesday at General Managers meetings. “And outside of that, he’s earned the right to be in this position and figure out what’s best for him and his family.”
That position, while it guarantees him a highly lucrative contract, is complicated by the impending lockout. Skubal’s agent, Scott Boras, when asked during his media availability Wednesday whether he’d consider a shorter deal with a higher average annual value, said he wouldn’t discuss contract negotiations. But creativity around the structure of a deal could help counter teams’ anxieties over a possible salary cap in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.
It’s clear already that CBA uncertainty won’t fully freeze the market in November. But executives and agents alike have expressed skepticism that the expected lockout will inspire the same kind of spending flurry that arose in 2021, the end of the last CBA cycle.
Boras, however, argued against the notion that salary cap talk could put a damper on the superstar market before Dec. 1, when the lockout is expected to go into effect.
“Much like 2021, there’s a clear intent on a group of players, and we have no reservations by any teams that they’re going to operate within their abilities and freedoms because they want they don’t want to lose to their competitors,” Boras told reporters. “They want the market to be what it is for them, and they’re utilizing their rights to compete. I think they’re very concerned about losing the opportunity to sign select, key players, and they’re pursuing it aggressively.”
The Dodgers are among the teams planning to meet with Skubal, a group that reportedly includes the Mets, Padres and others.
The Dodgers certainly have a track record of splashy offseason deals with eye-popping numbers. Look no further than last offseason, when they broke records with their signings of closer Edwin Díaz (three years, $69 million, highest AAV for a relief pitcher) and right fielder Kyle Tucker (four years, $240 million, highest present-day AAV).
Even the Dodgers’ trade-deadline acquisition of Skubal appeared to be superfluous at the time. Once two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani’s health forced him to give up on pitching for the rest of the season, however, Skubal’s addition maintained the Dodgers rotation’s status as one of the most talented in MLB history.
They were not, however, among the most aggressive teams before the last lockout. And their approach to Skubal’s free agency will hinge, in part, on how they evaluate their starting pitching needs.
That picture isn’t clear, either.
“We’ve talked about the different paths that you can go down, and what does that look like,” Gomes said. “Do you need it? I don’t know. Do you want it? Maybe. You may not know that you need it until it’s too late. So I think it’s balancing all of this, as different scenarios play out. … The floor right now is really high. We do have a good amount of depth in our pitching. So now it’s just taking into account, what makes sense for us based on different avenues of how things shake out.”
As the Dodgers project out the potential of their rotation, they can reasonably expect improvement from some of their younger pitchers. They were pleased with the step forward that right-hander Roki Sasaki took this year.
“Expect him to take another big step forward,” Gomes said, “and really become the front-line-type guy that he knows that he can be and we know he can be.”
Regardless of lefty Justin Wrobleski’s second-half regression, he earned his first All-Star nod with a dominant first half. Though right-hander Emmet Sheehan had an up-and-down season, the Dodgers continue to believe in his upside. And they expect Gavin Stone, who last pitched in the majors in 2024, to be part of the equation, after a long road back from shoulder surgery.
They still have the star power of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a two-time All-Star and 2025 World Series MVP, Snell, a two-time Cy Young winner, and Tyler Glasnow.
Ohtani’s return to the mound, however, raises the most questions. The Dodgers expect him to return to two-way duties, that much is clear. But they have yet to lay out a plan for how to keep him healthy for the season while doing so.
“I think it’s just making sure that we are taking all of the information into account and trying to set up a system that allows him to pitch and be successful and be healthy towards the end,” Gomes said. “Because we know how dominant he can be on the mound.”
Two young flamethrowers are being honored for their dominant seasons.
Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees and Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers were unanimously named the AL and NL Cy Young award winners on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old Schlittler and 24-year-old Misiorowski took their respective leagues by storm in 2026, both posting an ERA under 2.00 in their first full MLB seasons.
Dylan Cease of the Toronto Blue Jays and Parker Messick of the Cleveland Guardians were second and third, respectively, in the AL voting. Christopher Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies finished second in the NL behind Misiorowski, who received all 30 first-place votes, and Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves finished third.
With ace Gerrit Cole out for part of the season, Schlittler stepped in for the Yankees and became their clear No. 1 starter. He went 14-6 with a 1.95 ERA and 239 strikeouts over 33 starts, leading the AL in ERA.
Schlittler’s dominance carried over to AL Wild Card Round, where he shut down the Boston Red Sox in 6.1 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts. He wasn’t as sharp against the eventual AL champion Tampa Bay Rays in the Division Series, taking the loss in Game 2 of the Yankees’ three-game sweep.
Schlitter is the seventh Yankee to win the Cy Young, joining Bob Turley (1958), Whitey Ford (1961), Sparky Lyle (1977), Ron Guidry (1978), Roger Clemens (2001) and Cole (2023).
Misiorowski, meanwhile, was the story of the season with his velocity. He was the first player in MLB history to throw at least 1,000 pitches above 100 mph in a season — something no team had ever done before. Misiorowski recorded the third-fastest pitch in MLB history in June at 105.5 mph, and he set the World Series record at 103.5 mph in Game 1.
In the regular season, Misiorowski had a 16-5 record and MLB-best 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts over 30 starts. He also topped MLB in the advanced stats of ERA+, WHIP and FIP. In four postseason starts for the World Series champions, Misiorowski went 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA and 16 strikeouts.
Misiorowski joins Rollie Fingers (1981), Pete Vuckovich (1982) and Corbin Burnes (2021) as the fourth Brewer to win the award.
Four Phillies finished among the top three for major National League awards this week, and one came home with a trophy.
Zack Wheeler was named MLB’s NL Comeback Player of the Year on Wednesday, while Cristopher Sánchez and Jhoan Duran finished second in BBWAA voting for the Cy Young and Reliever of the Year awards. Jesús Luzardo placed fifth in the Cy Young race.
Sánchez was also named to the All-MLB First Team, while Luzardo earned Second Team honors.
Don Mattingly finished third for NL Manager of the Year when those results were announced Tuesday.
Wheeler’s honor completed a sweep of the two comeback awards. He was previously voted NL Comeback Player by his peers as part of the MLBPA’s Players Choice Awards. MLB’s separate award is determined by a vote of the league’s 30 MLB.com club beat reporters.
Wheeler’s 2025 season ended in August after doctors discovered a blood clot near his right shoulder. He underwent thoracic outlet decompression surgery the following month, a procedure that required the removal of his first rib.
The 36-year-old returned to the Phillies’ rotation April 25 and went 14-5 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 193 strikeouts over 162 innings. He made 28 starts and averaged 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings.
Wheeler joins Brad Lidge, who received the honor in 2008, as the second Phillies player to win MLB’s Comeback Player of the Year award.
Sánchez came significantly closer to winning the first Cy Young of his career than his lack of first-place votes would suggest.
Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski received all 30 first-place votes. Sánchez accumulated 99 points to finish one ahead of Atlanta’s Chris Sale for second. He appeared on every ballot, receiving 17 second-place votes, six thirds, six fourths and one fifth.
Sánchez went 18-7 with a 2.91 ERA and 231 strikeouts over 207 innings. He led the majors in wins and Baseball-Reference WAR, becoming the fifth pitcher in Cy Young history to finish as the runner-up in consecutive seasons.
He received all 30 second-place votes behind Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes last year.
The Phillies have now had a pitcher finish second in NL Cy Young voting six times. Jim Bunning was the runner-up in 1967, followed by Roy Halladay in 2011, Wheeler in 2021 and 2024, and Sánchez in each of the last two seasons.
Philadelphia has produced the runner-up in three consecutive years and four of the last six. Halladay remains the franchise’s most recent winner, taking the award unanimously in 2010.
Luzardo gave the Phillies two pitchers among the top five.
The left-hander finished fifth with 34 points after going 14-5 with a 2.86 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and a career-high 221 strikeouts over 179⅔ innings. Luzardo placed seventh in 2025, making this his first top-five Cy Young finish.
Duran was the runner-up to Padres closer Mason Miller for the BBWAA’s inaugural NL Reliever of the Year award.
Miller was the unanimous winner, receiving all 30 first-place votes. Duran collected 24 second-place votes, four thirds and one fourth for 110 points.
In his first full season with the Phillies, Duran posted a 1.82 ERA and converted 33 of 35 save opportunities. He struck out 84 batters over 59⅓ innings and finished with a 0.99 WHIP.
Mattingly received one first-place vote, three second-place votes and 11 thirds in the Manager of the Year race. His 25 points placed him behind Milwaukee’s Pat Murphy and Atlanta’s Walt Weiss.
Murphy won the award for the third consecutive year.
Mattingly took over a Phillies team that was 9-19 and had lost 10 straight games. Philadelphia went 79-55 under him, reaching the postseason on the final day of the regular season. Mattingly previously won NL Manager of the Year with Miami in 2020.
LAS VEGAS — There is probably one arm in the Giants’ organization with the trust and the track record to handle the ninth inning. Buster Posey doesn’t want him closing games.
If not Randy Rodriguez, the flame-throwing 2025 All-Star who missed this past season rehabbing from elbow surgery, then who could wind up closing games for the Giants?
Randy Rodriguez (73) of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. Getty Images
“In a perfect world,” Posey said, their ninth-inning man will come from outside the organization.
That would allow the Giants to ease Rodriguez into his first season back from Tommy John surgery. He posted a 1.78 ERA in 50 appearances in 2025, including 15 games he finished, but was shut down in August and had his ulnar collateral ligament surgically repaired in September.
Posey said he expects Rodriguez to be ready for Opening Day, even if it’s in a reduced role. The Giants are scheduled to open their season about 18 months after Rodriguez’s operation, but the looming lockout could give him even more time to ramp up.
Rodriguez took a major step in his recovery last month, appearing in three Arizona Fall League games in his first time facing batters in game action since before the surgery. His velocity touched 98 mph, but the Giants shut him down after experiencing some elbow pain.
Posey said the team was “just being careful … just being cautious.”
Still, he wasn’t comfortable penciling in Rodriguez as their Opening Day closer just yet.
“Really [to] be able to monitor his workload the best we can as he continues to get back to where he was before the injury,” Posey said. “But things can change.”
Camilo Doval, who saved 107 games for the Giants from 2021 until he was traded to the Yankees in 2025, is back in the organization after being designated for assignment by the Pirates in September, but he is projected to make $6.6 million in salary arbitration.
Camilo Doval of the San Francisco Giants pitches during a game against Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. Getty Images
Posey’s desire to bring in an external candidate — or two — to take down the highest-leverage innings in San Francisco’s bullpen may be a hard square to circle with his stated reticence to part with the draft pick compensation. Arguably the top two relief options on the free agent market, David Bednar and Adrian Morejon, both received qualifying offers.
Further down the big board of available arms, though, there are still plenty of free agents with experience in the ninth inning. Raisel Iglesias (287 career saves), Jordan Romano (128), Pete Fairbanks (109), Emilio Pagan (90), Gregory Soto (72), Jose Alvarado (53) and Evan Phillips (47) are all known commodities and closed games within the past year or two.
The Giants went most of last season under manager Tony Vitello with a closer-by-committee approach. Their 5.74 ERA in the ninth inning ranked 28th of 30 teams.
“I do think that some of these arms that were kind of thrust into situations that they were probably not quite ready for,” Posey said, “hopefully we can push them down a little bit and just lengthen the ‘pen and be in a better place to use some of those guys that were throwing later innings.
“Maybe now they’re pitching the fifth, sixth, seventh innings instead of seventh, eighth and ninth.”
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jacob Young agreed to terms on a long-term contract with the Washington Nationals, president of baseball operations Paul Toboni announced Wednesday.
It’s a four-year deal through the 2030 season with a club option for 2031 for the defense-first outfielder whose hitting appears to be improving.
“Already one of the top defenders in Major League Baseball, we all saw the significant step forward Jacob took offensively in 2026 and we anticipate continued development in the years to come,” Toboni said in a statement. “He is a tremendous representative of the organization and we are excited to have him in the fold for the next several years.”
Young, who turned 27 in late July, set a career high with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs this year while batting .252. He entered the season with five home runs in 1,006 plate appearances in the majors.
He finished third among NL center fielders in outs above average and runs prevented. He was a Gold Glove Award finalist in 2024 and ’25.
The contract comes weeks before owners are expected to lock out players when the current collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, putting next season in jeopardy.
Somehow this round had the same number of votes cast as in Round 6, and unsurprisingly there was not a lot of wild movement in the order of results. Jaden Fauske broke a late deadlock to push ahead of Tanner McDougal, giving us our first outfielder to advance. Fauske prevailed with 26 of 77 votes (34%), five more than prior victor William Bergolla Jr.:
Fauske, a second-round choice in 2025, finished as our No. 11-voted prospect last year.
Past No. 6s in the SSS Top Prospect Vote 2026 Tanner McDougal (39%) 2025 Aldrin Batista (22%) 2024 Cristian Mena (17%) 2023 Noah Schultz (34%) 2022 Yoelqui Céspedes (55%) 2021 Yoelqui Céspedes (59%) 2020 Zack Collins (42%) 2019 Dane Dunning (52%) 2018 Dane Dunning (68%)
A round of huzzahs for pitcher Joely Volchko, who earned his first votes of the year, six ballots in. Righthander Mathias LaCombe, yes he is from France, joins our ballot this round.
South Side Sox Top-Voted White Sox Prospects for 2027
Kyle Casteel Right-Handed Starting Pitcher Age 19 2026 high level Butler Area (H.S.) Overall 2026 stats (H.S) 10-0 ▪️ 13 games ▪️ 65 ⅔ IP ▪️ 0.64 ERA ▪️ 103 K ▪️ 11 BB ▪️ 0.685 WHIP
Casteel is the sort of player you dream of getting to start off the $150,000 round of 10 picks: A player who the White Sox had been talking to regularly that, based on how the first round fell, now was draftable knowing the club could meet the prep’s demands. It’s undoubtable that Casteel is far better than the 315th pick (MLB had him ranked at No. 162 overall), and thus the White Sox pocketed a player who should have been selected in the fifth round. Casteel has power and control, and while the White Sox will bring him along with care, he has a rare profile in a pitching-starved White Sox system.
Mathias LaCombe Right-Handed Relief Pitcher Age 24 2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 14 2026 high level Charlotte (AAA) Age relative to high level -3.2 years Overall 2026 stats (ACL/High-A/AA/AAA/AZFL) 3-1 ▪️ 42 games (2 starts, 7 finishes) ▪️ 57 2/3 IP ▪️ 4.84 ERA ▪️ 74 K ▪️ 34 BB ▪️ 1.353 WHIP ▪️1.1 WAR
LaCombe saw more levels than any White Sox prospect in 2026, and more than any since we’ve been using this format, going back at least a few years. That speaks to how modestly he started the season (with just 53 ⅓ pro innings entering the campaign) and how well he did once he got his feet under him. The promotion to Charlotte at season’s end was more Rule 5 maneuvering than merit, but any jump of multiple levels in a season is worth some applause.
Kyle Lodise Shortstop Age 22 2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 24 2026 high level Winston-Salem (High-A) Age relative to high level 0.0 years Overall 2026 stats 111 games ▪️ 20 HR ▪️ 77 RBI ▪️ .230/.380/.440 ▪️ 42-of-51 (82.4%) SB ▪️ 92 BB ▪️ 141 K ▪️ .957 FLD%▪️ 3.6 WAR
Lodise made a return visit to Winston-Salem in 2026, and his first full professional season went extremely well. With a low average and slug to burn, the shortstop fits right in with the org profile of swinging hard, damn the contact. Thankfully, Lodise is selective enough at the plate to produce astronomical OBPs. And his power bat is showing better than advertised at this point.
Tanner McDougal Right-Handed Starting Pitcher Age 23 2024 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 33 2025 SSS Prospect Poll ranking N/R 2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 6 2026 high level Chicago (MLB) Age relative to high level -6.2 years Overall 2026 stats (High-A/AAA/MLB) 2-3 ▪️ 27 games (7 starts, 3 finishes) ▪️ 50 IP ▪️ 4.86 ERA ▪️ 53 K ▪️ 34 BB ▪️ 1.480 WHIP ▪️0.2 WAR
The good news is that McDougal was enough of a core piece to be promoted to Chicago in the second half of 2026. The bad news … well, where to start. McDougal’s presumptive march to the South Side rotation was stopped dead early in the season, when he was sidelined for weeks with forearm tightness. While the injury was thankfully not severe enough to necessitate a second TJS, Tanner was a relief arm for the rest of the season and not a stable one at that. His brief cameo in Chicago saw him rack up one out along with three walks.
Javier Mogollón Second Baseman Age 21 2026 high level Winston-Salem (AA) Age relative to high level -2.0 years Overall 2026 stats (Low-A/High-A) 91 games ▪️ 14 HR ▪️ 57 RBI ▪️ .262/.368/.448 ▪️ 36-of-44 (81.8%) SB ▪️ 53 BB ▪️ 123 K ▪️ .965 FLD%▪️ 2.5 WAR
The diminutive (5´8´´, 160) infielder wowed in rookie ball and though his climb has slowed, Mogollón has steadily risen up our ranks, from No.62 in our 2024 Top 100 to the cusp of the Top 10 today. That said, he’s seen two straight seasons shortened by hamstring issues. At least in 2026, Mogollón was able to return before season’s end, providing a clutch bat coming that provided a .313/.389/.813 slash and eight RBIs en route to sweeping to a SALLY title.
Cole Prosek Third Baseman Age 19 2026 High Level Magnolia Heights (H.S.) Overall 2026 stats (H.S) 41 games ▪️ 18 HR ▪️ 79 RBI ▪️ .545/.678/1.177 ▪️ 62 R ▪️ 7 SB ▪️ 31 BB ▪️ 12 K
Coming to Chicago as a second-rounder, Prosek seems more highly-regarded by evaluators than the guy picked ahead of him by the White Sox, low first round choice Landon Thome. That’s a curious thing, but Prosek dominated his prep competition even more thoroughly than Thome. Plus, while the White Sox regard Prosek as a second baseman, his prep time was spent significantly at the hot corner, and he has experience behind the plate as well.
Landon Thome Shortstop Age 19 2026 High Level Nazareth Academy (H.S.) Overall 2026 stats (H.S) 7 HR ▪️ 29 RBI ▪️ .545 AVG ▪️ 49-of-50 (98.0%) SB
How crazy is it to have two high school teammates (Thome and Jaden Fauske) on our first ballot of the voting year … or any ballot, ever? The White Sox were so hot to dip back into Nazareth’s roster that they dealt promising 2023 first-rounder Jacob Gonzalez to Pittsburgh to acquire the draft pick to snag him; clearly the club was not confident Thome would drop into the second round. Unlike his father, Hall-of-Famer and White Sox adviser Jim, Landon is better regarded for his speed and defense than his ability to put the ball over the fence. Slugging will come in time for junior, however.
Joey Volchko Right-handed starting pitcher Age 21 2026 high level University of Georgia (NCAA) Age relative to high level +0.1 years Overall 2026 stats 11-2 ▪️ 18 starts ▪️ 1 CG ▪️ 95 1/3 IP ▪️ 3.68 ERA ▪️ 119 K ▪️ 46 BB ▪️ 1.343 WHIP ▪️ 2.1 WAR
This big-armed righty can touch 100 mph with his fastball, but wildness concerns might have precipitated Volchko’s drop to the White Sox in the third round in spite of MLB ranking him as a second round (68th-best) talent. He’s a big-game pitcher who dragged the Bulldogs to their first College World Series win in 18 years with a complete-game effort over the University of Texas. There’s a chance Volchko ends up as a high-leverage bullpen arm, but he will get every chance to stick as a starter.
Alex Weingartner Right Fielder Age 19 2026 high level St. Augustine College Prep (H.S.) Overall 2026 stats 30 games ▪️ 7 HR ▪️ 36 RBI ▪️ .495 AVG ▪️ .817 SLG ▪️ 33 SB ▪️ 21 BB
Oddly enough, Weingartner may be a doppelganger for the player listed right below; both he and George Wolkow were prep plums selected lower than their skill and scout rankings indicated, and both players scored sweet bonuses from the White Sox to lure them from potential college commitments. Both have rocket arms (Weingartner, in fact, pitched for his St. Augustine Hermits in 2026) as well.
George Wolkow Right Fielder Age 21 2024 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 14 2025 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 13 2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 16 2026 high level Winston-Salem (High-A) Age relative to high level -2.0 years Overall 2026 stats 123 games ▪️ 22 HR ▪️ 100 RBI ▪️ .239/.317/.446 ▪️ 15-of-22 (68.2%) SB ▪️ 50 BB ▪️ 179 K ▪️ .971 FLD%▪️ 1.6 WAR
Wolkow sacrificed speed and what batting eye he had for power in 2026, and while that made for some impressive counting stats (22-100 plays on the back of any baseball card) the hole in his swing hasn’t been sewn. If the White Sox brass is having Wolkow bet on his best tool, power, at all others’ expense, he’s slipping into the Colson Category.
ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 03: Connor Chris Martin #31 of the Texas Rangerspitches against the Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Park in Arlington on September 3, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers pitcher Chris Martin officially announced his retirement today.
Martin, who turned 40 this past June, had a long and unusual career. Drafted in the 18th round of the 2004 draft out of Arlington High School by the Detroit Tigers, he passed on signing and enrolled at McLennan Community College. The following year, he was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 21st round as a draft-and-follow, but ended up needing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder and thus didn’t sign then, either.
Martin signed with the Fort Worth Cats for 2007, but ongoing shoulder issues sidelined him again, and he never pitched for them. He spent the next three years working a variety of jobs outside of baseball before trying the indy league route again in 2010. 36 innings over 13 games for Grand Prairie in the American Association that year led to him signing with Boston in March of 2011, at the age of 24.
Martin spent the 2011-13 seasons in the Boston system before being traded in the 2013-14 offseason to the Rockies. He bounced up and down between the majors and the minors in 2014, was acquired by the Yankees in the 2014-15 offseason, and spent another year going between AAA and the majors.
Following the 2015 season, Martin signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters of the NPB, and had two very successful seasons working in relief for them. Returning to the United States after that, Martin signed with the Texas Rangers, and pitched for them until the 2019 trade deadline, when he was sent to Atlanta for Kolby Allard.
Martin pitched for the Braves, Cubs, Dodgers and Red Sox before returning to Texas in 2025 for what he expected to be his final season. Though he had injury issues, he put up a 2.98 ERA in 49 games, and felt good enough to put his retirement plans on hold and sign another one year deal with Texas. Unfortunately, 2026 did not go as well, as he had multiple stints on the i.l. and managed just 14 innings in 16 games with a 9.00 ERA before being released in August.
Despite ending on a down note, Martin has had an impressive career, particularly given the issues he had to overcome to even get a contract with a major league team. Best of luck to him in his post-playing days.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 28: Brad Ausmus of the New York Yankees looks on before a game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on March 28, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brandon Vallance/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today, the Houston Astros named former catcher Brad Ausmus as the 21st manager in franchise history.
Forgive me if I’m less than enthused.
That isn’t to say I don’t want Ausmus to be successful, of course I do. It’s just that there is nothing exciting about hiring a retread manager simply because he used to play for your team. There is no sizzle. No pizazz. No excitement. No……anything.
That doesn’t mean it can’t work. It worked for the Yankees before the 1996 season when they hired Joe Torre. Torre was a journeyman manager who never won anywhere. The media called him “Clueless Joe”. Fans lit up the phone lines on WFAN in NY lamenting the move, questioning if owner George Steinbrenner had lost his mind. Some wanted him to sell the team. Torre then went on to lead baseball’s biggest dynasty since the 1950s and become a Hall of Fame manager.
So it’s possible. It’s just hard to envision.
It’s hard to envision because the Astros major league roster needs a lot of work. It’s hard to envision because Brad Ausmus hasn’t had much success as a manager in the past. Ausmus’ Tigers drastic underperformance in 2017 led to the Astros being able to acquire Justin Verlander and win their first World Series title. Ausmus was one and done with the Angels in 2019, a season which saw the tragic death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs and a horrifying scandal of team employees running a drug ring, with tainted drugs leading to the young pitcher’s death.
Understand I’m not blaming Ausmus for Skaggs’ death, but pointing out it happened under his watch. It’s the kind of thing that haunts someone. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
What does Ausmus really bring to the table? He’s not the “big splash” hire that Jim Crane was reported to have wanted. He’s not a name that excites the fan base. No player in baseball just saw Ausmus sign in Houston and decided this is their new destination city. He certainly doesn’t have some sort of ‘winning pedigree’.
So what separated Ausmus from the field? What made him better than a future Hall of Famer in Albert Pujols? Pujols, who was known for being another manager on the field, whose baseball IQ is off the charts, who was known as an intense competitor. Pujols, who would be going into the Hall of Fame while managing your team. A man who any player would actually want to play for. A man who is desperately seeking an opportunity to manage. What made Ausmus better than Pujols?
What made Ausmus better than another former Astros player in Morgan Ensberg? Ensberg has had significant success managing in the Tampa Bay Rays system, one of the best systems in baseball. The Astros view the Rays’ system as the type of system they want to replicate, and Ensberg has shown he can relate to young players and get the most out of them, as well as be a part of a system that highly values analytics. The Astros team philosophy seems to be heading back towards a more analytical background and cycling more young players.
It all keeps coming back to one thing. Ausmus has a great relationship with Astros Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell, who has earned the ear of Crane. It seems the Astros passed up Big Splash for Controllable. Ausmus’ friendship with Bagwell would lead us to believe he’s willing to be another brick in the wall. Another cog in the machine. Do what he’s told, or at least put up minimal resistance.
While perhaps getting the job because he has the right friends and seems like he would be easier to control by management/ownership won’t excite anyone, he still has the chance to make the most of it.
His success is still tied to the construction of the roster, and he doesn’t have control over that.
LAS VEGAS – The general managers’ meetings wrap up on Thursday morning. Dave Dombrowski and his lieutenants will leave knowing they have just 20 days to add to their roster before the game goes into a wintertime hibernation as the owners and players battle over a new labor agreement.
Dombrowski and his staff spent significant time meeting with agents and other clubs during their stay in Las Vegas.
“I can’t tell you we’re closer to anything, but it’s been productive in that we have more information,” the Phillies’ president of baseball operations said late Wednesday afternoon, adding that sometimes a deal can come together quickly.
Shortly before Dombrowski spoke to reporters, super-agent Scott Boras held an hour-long session with reporters. Boras mostly talked about the sport’s labor situation, saying the game is in excellent financial shape and that players are “emboldened” with facts as they remain firmly against the salary cap that owners want.
When Boras did talk about players, one of the names that came up was his client Randy Arozarena, a right-handed hitting, run-producing outfielder who profiles as just what the Phillies are looking for. According to sources, the Phils have checked in on Arozarena, but play on him is significant and the cost will be steep, $22 million to $25 million per year over four or five years, by some estimates. The Phillies’ payroll is already tight. With arbitration estimates, it projects to be in the neighborhood of $290 million. It landed at roughly $322 million in 2026. Dombrowski said he has a “generous” budget, but he would not say if the 2027 payroll would equal the 2026 payroll.
Arozarena received a $23.15 million qualifying offer from the Seattle Mariners so the Phils would surrender their second- and fifth-round draft picks if they signed him. Ditto for Seiya Suzuki, another right-handed hitting, run-producing corner outfielder who would fit what the Phillies are looking for. Suzuki projects to get a deal similar to Arozarena. Suzuki will turn 33 in August. Arozarena will turn 32 in February.
Speaking in general about free agents, Dombrowski said the consequences of a qualifying offer would not prevent him from signing a player.
“You prefer not to (give up draft picks) and it does weigh into what you’re doing, but I’m not reluctant to do that if we think it’s the right deal to make,” he said.
If the Phillies are looking for a run producer who does not come with a qualifying offer, they could turn to Teruaki Sato, the 27-year-old Japanese slugger. Sato plays third base and corner outfield. The Phils are interested, but have questions about his defense at third base, a position that could be rookie Aidan Miller’s in 2027. If Sato were to come to Philadelphia, it would be as a corner outfielder.
Sato won the Triple Crown in his home country when he hit .306 with 39 homers and 106 RBIs for the Hanshin Tigers last season. The Phils would love that kind of offense. However, Sato does register high strikeout totals (327 the last two years) and he hits left-handed. The Phils are already a lefty-heavy team and they would like to improve their contact skills while cutting down on strikeouts.
General manager Preston Mattingly and assistant general manager Jorge Velandia have both scouted Sato, who is likely to sign before the lockout.
As far as trading for a bat – or any player for that matter – Dombrowski said the threat of a short season in 2027 would not prevent him from acquiring a player who might only have a year of contractual control remaining.
“I think everyone feels at some point we’re going to have a season,” Dombrowski said. “So even if you have a shortened season, if you got a guy that helps you win a championship, you’re happy with it.”
In addition to landing a bat, Dombrowski needs to come out of this offseason with a left-handed reliever. The Phillies like lefty Adrian Morejon – who doesn’t? – but there are others on the market, such as JoJo Romero and Steve Okert.
“I believe we’ll find someone we like,” Dombrowski said.
The Phillies will continue to develop top pitching prospect Gage Wood as a starter, Dombrowski said, but the bullpen could be a possibility down the road.
“A lot of people might say we should put him in the bullpen,” Dombrowski said. “I never say no to anything, but, for me, I think it’s important that he continues to develop as a starter. We think he can be a starter. We need starting pitching depth, so we think it’s more important to use him there.”
