Category: MLB

There are few things that a contending team needs more than a good closer. The downfall of many playoff teams over the years has been because of shoddy bullpen play, so if you can find a guy who can not only get the ball with the lead in the ninth and shut it down, but also be able to potentially pitch two innings in high leverage, you need to keep him.

The Yankees had that for two decades with Mariano Rivera, and for a time, they had it again with prime Aroldis Chapman, but they’ve struggled to have a consistently dominant closer since Chapman began to unravel after Jose Altuve’s pennant-winning home run broke his psyche in 2019. From Chapman to Clay Holmes to Luke Weaver to Devin Williams, it’s been a roller coaster for the Yankees in their quest for a closer who shines bright in the city that never sleeps.

Enter David Bednar, who, since his acquisition at the 2025 deadline, has been that consistent presence for the Yankees. On a team with not much consistency outside the starting rotation, he was a rock all season long, closing out close game after close game for the Yankees. When they went out the way they did, he was the least of their concerns. It should set him up for a big payday this offseason.

Grade: A

2026 Statistics: 69.1 IP, 2.47 ERA (171 ERA+), 2.87 FIP, 20 K-BB%, 35 saves (39 opportunities), 1.9 fWAR

2027 Contract Status: Free agent

Things didn’t start that well for Bednar, who was coming off some high-stress innings at the World Baseball Classic for Team USA when the team started. It was a weird year in which a lot of WBC players struggled, especially early, so that might explain why it seemed to take him a while to get going.

He allowed four runs in his first six outings, taking a loss against the Athletics before a buntapalooza in the Trop against the Rays saw him blow a save in the 10th inning on April 8th. Aside from that, into mid-May, he was at least converting every save opportunity in front of him, which is all you can ask from your closer.

Those struggles did bleed into May, however. He allowed a walk-off home run to Brice Turang on May 10th, narrowly survived a late scare against the Mets on May 15th, and conceded a disastrous three-run home run to Tyrone Taylor two days later in what would be a definitive low point of his season.

After blowing that save, he would convert his next 17 saves in a row. He struggled the following day against Toronto, but held on for dear life. After that, he would toss 24 consecutive scoreless innings into late July, nailing down games of all types. He had a five-out save against Cleveland, a six-out win against Washington right before the All-Star break, and a clutch five-out save against the Dodgers at Yankee Stadium in one of the best moments of the season.

His scoreless streak ended with a Chase Meidroth home run in Chicago, but he would continue his dominance after the deadline by not blowing a save until August 16th, when a Ben Rice error led to the tying run scoring, which obviously deserves an asterisk. In fact, in three of his four blown saves, he allowed at least one unearned run. His other one in Minnesota in September was in that 13-inning marathon, where he blew a pair of one-run leads.

What was also extraordinary about Bednar’s season was just how little traffic he conceded. In that 24-inning scoreless streak, he permitted just eight hits, five walks, and one hit-by-pitch. In the 11 outings after the Meidroth home run, he allowed just four hits and four walks in 12.2 innings. He finished the season with a 1.04 WHIP, but that is inflated by his start to the season. In his last 43 appearances, it was just 0.786.

In the playoffs, he didn’t allow a run in three shutout innings. It’s unfortunate that Bednar wasn’t handed any leverage situations in the playoffs due to the Boston blowouts and the Yankees never leading against Tampa, but I think many of us would be confident if he came in a big spot. The only run he’s allowed in 10 postseason games as a Yankee came while trailing against Boston in Game 1 of last year’s Wild Card Series.

It sets up an interesting offseason decision for Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman to make. They found a top-shelf closer who came from a small-market team in Pittsburgh and didn’t wilt as Williams did. The team, while confident in its pitching development, has very little bullpen depth under contract. Yet, the Yankees have not handed a reliever more than $10 million since Zack Britton in 2019, and have generally avoided paying relievers at all costs since the Super Bullpen flamed out in 2020.

Jon Heyman reported last week that the team plans to extend a $23 million qualifying offer to the recently turned 32-year-old, which would be a great move in my eyes. If he accepted, it would make him the highest-paid reliever in baseball next year, but he has the track record to be compensated like that. It’s not even a Trent Grisham situation, where although the process was sound, many fans disliked the decision due to worries that his 2025 was a fluke.

That qualifying offer should unequivocally be used to start multi-year contract extension talks. Without Bednar, the Yankees would have to turn to Brent Headrick or a mid-level signing or trade (which would deplete an already shallow farm system) to close next year, while also putting more pressure on Blake to churn out more development gems and internal options like Carlos Lagrange to grow up fast and be leverage options right out of the gate.

Paying relievers without an infinite budget usually isn’t wise, but if we assume that a salary cap won’t come from the upcoming lockout, the Yankees should be bringing back Bednar to try and replicate his brilliant 2026 season.

Today marks Jose Bautista’s 46th birthday.

From 2008 to 2017, the Blue Jays’ seasons would have looked very different without Jose. He delivered countless unforgettable moments, none more iconic than his legendary home run and bat flip in Game 5.

When Jose was acquired in August 2008, the trade barely registered enough attention for a post on our site. In hindsight, it became the best trade of JP Ricciardi’s tenure as manager. Bautista went six games before recording his first hit as a Blue Jay and didn’t make an immediate splash. His first home run came on September 2nd.

Bautista hit 288 home runs as a Blue Jay, second only to Carlos Delgado’s 336. He also ranks second in franchise bWAR among batters (37.3), just behind Tony Fernandez (37.5). Additionally, he sits seventh in OBP (.372), fifth in slugging percentage (.506), second in runs scored (790, again trailing Delgado by 99), third in RBI (766, behind Vernon Wells and Delgado), second in walks (803, 24 behind Delgado), and fifth in games played (1,235).

Beyond the numbers, Bautista was the face of the Blue Jays for several years, giving the team a distinct personality. The Jays developed an edge and swagger that made them polarizing—other teams’ fans loved to hate them. As Reggie Jackson once said, ‘They don’t boo nobodies.’

Jose’s intensity was unmatched—he desperately wanted to win. Sometimes, his drive rubbed people the wrong way. I never expected to see another player match that intensity until Josh Donaldson joined the team. I recall Jose quietly stepping in between Josh and the umpires when it looked like Donaldson might get ejected, and I thought Jose could have used someone to do the same for him in the past.

I appreciate players who want to win, and I especially enjoyed the moments when Jose revealed his sense of humor.

Some critics claimed Jose wasn’t a leader or a good teammate—a common accusation leveled at star players on teams that fall short. These complaints usually came from outsiders. Jose’s actions spoke louder than words, like when he quietly stood up forDevon Travis after Sportsnet had him pay for a suit during a feature with Hazel Mae. Without fanfare, Jose refused to speak to Sportsnet until they corrected the situation.

Videos of Jose working withChris Colabello in the outfield, or helping teammates with their swings, show he was indeed a supportive teammate.

It’s hard to imagine those years without Jose—they simply wouldn’t have been as enjoyable. The team honoured him by putting his name on the Level of Excellence in 2023.

Watching him play in the Olympics was a treat—it was great to see that familiar batting stance once more.

Happy Birthday, Jose. Hope it’s a great one.

Today, J.A. Happ celebrates his 44th birthday.

Happ had two separate stints with the Blue Jays. The first was less than stellar. In July 2012, the Jays traded Francisco Cordero, Ben Francisco, Joe Musgrove, Carlos Perez, David Rollins, Asher Wojciechowski, and Devin Comer to Houston in exchange for Happ, David Carpenter, and Brandon Lyon.

During his initial run in Toronto, Happ went 19-20 with a 4.48 ERA over 58 games (44 starts) across two and a half seasons. His time was interrupted by injuries, including a frightening line drive to the head that also caused a knee injury and sidelined him for an extended period.

Before the 2015 season, the Jays traded Happ to the Mariners for Michael Saunders. His stint in Seattle was disappointing (4-6, 4.64 ERA), leading to a deadline trade to Pittsburgh. With the Pirates and pitching coach Ray Searage, Happ found his form, going 7-2 with a 1.85 ERA over 11 starts.

Following that season, Happ returned to Toronto and in 2016 enjoyed his only 20-win season (20-4, 3.18 ERA), finishing sixth in Cy Young voting.

He made two playoff starts that year: earning a win against the Rangers in the ALDS (5 innings, 1 earned run) and taking a loss against Cleveland in the ALCS (5 innings, 2 earned runs).

2017 proved more challenging, as he went 10- 6 with a 3.53 ERA in 25 starts, hindered by injuries.

In 2018, Happ went 10-6 with a 4.18 ERA in 20 starts before being traded to the Yankees at the deadline. He excelled in New York, posting a 7-0 record with a 2.69 ERA and helping them reach the playoffs. In 2019, he was 12-8 with a 4.91 ERA in 31 games (30 starts).

In 2021, Happ signed with the Twins and struggled through 19 starts before being traded to the Cardinals, where he performed significantly better over 11 starts.

Overall, as a Blue Jay, Happ recorded a 59-41 record with a 3.88 ERA in 135 games (127 starts). He ranks ninth all-time in franchise wins and is one of only six Jays pitchers to achieve a 20-win season.

Happy Birthday, J.A.!

Rajai Davis is celebrating his 46th birthday today. He spent three of his 14 major league seasons with the Blue Jays.

With Toronto, Davis batted .252/.299/.369 and stole 125 bases (seventh all-time in franchise history) over 345 games. According to Baseball Reference, he contributed 1.6 WAR as a Blue Jay.

Personally, I wasn’t a big fan—he struggled with plate discipline and often chased pitches outside the zone.

Over his career, Davis played 1,448 games with eight teams, posting a .262/.311/.379 line and stealing 415 bases.

Happy Birthday, Rajai!

Randy Ruiz turns 49 today.

Ruiz was a career minor leaguer but had a standout season for Triple-A Las Vegas in 2009 at age 31, hitting .320/.392/.584—especially notable given the Jays were relying on Kevin Millar that year.

He was called up in mid-August, hitting .313/.385/.635 in 33 games, while Millar managed just .223/.311/.363 in 78 games.

Unfortunately, that was the peak of his MLB career. He played 13 games for the Jays in 2010, hitting .150/.150/.275 before being released.

Ruiz continued playing after his MLB stint, including a season in Japan and time in Mexico and the Puerto Rican Winter Leagues.

Happy Birthday, Randy!

Anthony Santander turns 32 today.

Injuries have limited Santander to just 54 games in his first two years with the Jays. Here’s hoping next year goes better.

Happy Birthday, Anthony!

Good morning.

Shawn McFarland checks out the options for the Texas Rangers this offseason if they want to turn to free agency to improve their lineup.

MLB dot com’s Ben Weinrib places Sebastian Walcott among the top performers during the second week of Arizona Fall League action.

And, at The Athletic, Keith Law writes up the American League prospects at the AFL which presumably includes the Rangers.

Have a nice day!

For about three weeks this spring, Jeremiah Jackson was the best story on the Orioles. Through 18 games he was hitting .317 with five home runs, a team-leading 17 RBI, and a .923 OPS. On April 13 against Arizona he hit two homers, one of them the first grand slam of his career. A few days later his three-run homer in the eighth gave the O’s a 6-4 comeback win over Cleveland. “Right now, I don’t think there”s anyone in baseball feeling better than him,” Coby Mayo said. Craig Albernaz called him “a great example of a player putting in the work.”

Alas, I guess working hard is no guarantee of success in the Big Leagues. Jackson’s final line this season looked nothing like April. In 102 games and 293 plate appearances he hit .217/.247/.365, with 10 homers and 45 RBI. Baseball-Reference puts his OPS+ at 72 and his WAR at 0.1. FanGraphs is harsher: a 67 wRC+ and -0.3 WAR. With Jackson still in pre-arbitration, he wouldn’t be a costly retention on next year’s roster, but with lots of promising infielders around yet, it’s not clear the value is still there.

Jackson came to the Orioles in the way many players (too many?) come to the Orioles: as another team’s castoff. In 2018, the Angels took the infielder in the second round out of Mobile, Alabama. The next season, he tied the Pioneer League record with 23 home runs, but then he stalled. Injuries cost him time, and after languishing several season in the Angels organization, he was traded to the Mets in 2023. He’d hit a paltry .205 at Double-A Binghamton in 2024 before reaching free agency, where the Orioles signed him to a minor-league deal that November.

Last season, hopefully you’ll recall, Jeremiah Jackson exploded as a hitter, posting numbers in Triple-A Norfolk that forced the big-league front office to take notice—a .377 average with 11 homers in 40 games—and a successful stint in the big leagues after his debut at Chicago’s Wrigley Field on August 1, hitting .276/.328/.447 over 48 games.

None of this meant Jackson was guaranteed a roster spot again this spring. But he earned it once more, hitting .314 in Grapefruit League play to beat out a crowded field—Luis Vázquez, Bryan Ramos, Weston Wilson, and Thairo Estrada—for the last bench spot. Soon after that, Jackson Holliday’s hamate fracture and Jordan Westburg’s multiple injuries made Jeremiah Jackson the O’s everyday second baseman.

Alas, the experiment didn’t work. After April, Jackson’s offensive numbers cratered. He’d hit .209 in 17 games in May, then see his playing time dry up by early June. Jackson was optioned to Norfolk on June 28 and called back up five days later. He went 1-for-29 after the All-Star break, and on August 19 he went back down to make room for Samuel Basallo. He returned when rosters expanded on September 9, but he hit just .163 in 10 games.

What went wrong? Well, being a free swinger was one issue. Jackson’s season-long walk rate of 3.4%, down from 6% last season, proved a real liability, as pitchers stopped giving him hittable pitches early in counts.

To be fair, he had some bad luck. As of late in the season, Statcast had his expected wOBA (.284) a good deal above his actual wOBA (.265), and his 38 percent hard-hit rate is respectable. Plus his expected average (.236) was actually higher than last season’s (.222). And his strikeout rates didn’t skyrocket, either (in fact, his K% dropped a couple points from last season).

But this is still average to below-average output from even a bench bat, and Jeremiah Jackson was supposed to have the thump to do a lot more. Not to mention that the glove was just average. Most of his time came at second base (80 games), with a handful in left field and single games at third and right. He looked good there early, with some diving plays and a +2 DRS in April. Over the full season, though, the defensive numbers settled at around average. That’d be fine but for the .611 OPS. A utility man should either hit or be a defensive plus, and in 2026 Jackson wasn’t consistently either.

In sharp contrast, Blaze Alexander, another typical Orioles diamond in the rough, added obvious value in his 93 games, hitting .303/.358/.414 while flashing the wheels and plugging in all over the field. I mention this because if the Orioles are looking for “bench bat who can play all over,” it’s not clear there will be room for Jeremiah Jackson on the roster come next season, especially not with hitters like Alexander, or even the slugging Christian Encarnacion-Strand, both of whom did it far better in 2026.

Because Jackson is pre-arbitration, the Orioles don’t face a big salary decision with him. If he stays on the 40-man roster, he’ll make close to the league minimum. But the question still remains: amidst a crowded infield that includes a returning Jordan Westburg, a slugging Coby Mayo, a surprising Encarnacion-Strand, a versatile Blaze Alexander, Gunnar Henderson and Jackson Holiday, is there still a spot on the roster for Jeremiah Jackson?

The needs the Phillies have entering the 2027 season are plenty. The expiration of the CBA clouds many things about the future of the game, but we know that at some point, baseball will be played. When it is played, the Phillies will need to improve their roster if they want to be competitive again.

Those needs include:

• a new third baseman
• at least one bullpen arm, preferable one that is left handed
• at least one outfielder
• more depth to help the stated desire to get the veterans more rest

This list could keep going and going.

Let’s rank what is their top priority heading into the offseason. Use this list or create one for your own.

As I stumble towards maybe actually doing something about all the preseason production predictions we put in, one question stands out, because it was quickly resolved: I asked folks to prognosticate on the Braves’ next manager, and while I didn’t think anyone would’ve actually guessed Walt Weiss, turns out that a fair bit of people did. And lo and behold, Weiss it was.

Well, his first Braves managerial season is now in the books, and… what did you think of it, relative to expectations? I find this a hard question to answer, because tactics were subservient to strategy for what felt like large parts of the season. Where tactics didn’t intersect or get pre-empted by strategy, it was kind of a weird season in this respect, too: there were many games where Weiss pulled what seemed to be strange levers, and everything worked out. But at the same time, there were also a lot of games where a move failed pretty spectacularly. Usage of Victor Mederos is one of these cases: Mederos finished the season with a 112 xFIP- and was never out there posting great K/BB ratios. He was just having a bunch of medium-depth fly balls deliver WPA unto him and the Braves. The two times he didn’t get HR/FB magic, the Braves paid the price (once in the postseason), but all the other times, it made Weiss look brilliant in retrospect for stealing an inning without using one of his premier bullpen arms.

All in all, I suppose that someone who made considerably worse tactical moves probably wouldn’t have enjoyed the massive BaseRuns overperformance since their bullpen management would be worse… but I’m also not sure that said BaseRuns overperformance is actually emblematic of good managerial process, either.

I could go on, but eh, this is really your chance to expound.

The Orioles had a bottom 10 outfield by public defensive metrics. Even worse, they had the lowest slugging percentage of all 30 MLB teams for their outfielders. Mike Elias’s plan of getting power out of his outfield with his free agent signing Tyler O’Neill, his trade acquisition Taylor Ward, and his draft picks Colton Cowser and Dylan Beavers, was a total bust. Between injuries and poor performances, there was a rotating cast of players, some of whom were just… so bad.

In contrast to last week’s episode, where the Orioles relievers were better than expected, this outfield group was just so much worse than expected. Anybody could have guessed there were going to be defensive liabilities from the group going into the season. Even so, the magnitude was so much greater, and they sure didn’t get the power trade-off that Elias was probably imagining.

Check out this week’s episode where I run through all of the outfielders, who was good (was anyone?) and who wasn’t:

If the above player isn’t displaying, view this article in Incognito Mode or check it out on the show’s page.

This is my weekly podcast about whatever is going on lately with the Orioles. If you enjoyed this episode, please make sure to subscribe. You can get the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you prefer to access your podcasts.

How are you feeling about the way things are going with the Orioles as we head towards the beginning of the offseason? Answers could make it into the mailbag section of a future episode of the podcast.

After the Mets traded Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien last offseason, it was immediately apparent that a big reason why the deal was made was because it allowed New York to extricate itself from the final two years of Nimmo's contract.

Nimmo's deal runs through 2030, with Semien's ending after the 2028 season.

While Nimmo was still an above average offensive player at the time of the trade, his defense had regressed in a big way. It continued to trend down in 2026, with Nimmo in the 12th percentile in OAA, via Baseball Savant. 

Meanwhile, trading Nimmo allowed the Mets to shift Juan Soto to left field, use Carson Benge in right field, and promote prospect A.J. Ewing from Triple-A on May 12 -- with Ewing quickly becoming the regular center fielder and key contributor on both sides of the ball.

The hope with Semien, who had just won a Gold Glove award at second base for the Rangers in 2025, was that he would provide stellar up-the-middle defense while possibly rebounding at the plate.

Neither of those things happened, and the Mets are now facing an early crossroads with Semien, who is owed $26 million in 2027 and $20 million in 2028 (with a payroll hit of $24 million annually for luxury tax purposes).

Given the developing situation with Semien, who should New York's second baseman be in 2027? Let's break down the likely options...

Marcus Semien

Semien's offensive struggles worsened in 2026, as he went from being a bit below average (93 OPS+ in 2025) to one of the least productive everyday players in the sport (74 OPS+).

His last average or better season with the bat came in 2024, when he had 23 homers and a 103 OPS+ in his age-33 season. 

More alarming than Semien's offensive futility were his difficulties defensively.

A hip issue he played through early in the season might have impacted things, but the overall numbers were ugly, with Semien in the fifth percentile in OAA (worth -9).

Given Semien's prowess as an elite defensive second baseman from 2021 through 2025, there should be at least some hope he can recapture that form. But even if he does, the offensive issues could do him in.

Asked during his end-of-season news conference at Citi Field whether he was ready to declare Semien the Mets' starting second baseman in 2027, president of baseball operations David Stearns was non-committal, potentially foreshadowing a quick changing of the guard.

Brett Baty

In the same news conference where he addressed Semien's shaky hold on the position, Stearns talked up Baty.

"I think Brett showed us for the last four-to-six weeks of the season what his ceiling looks like," Stearns noted. "And as I said, we need him to get to that ceiling more consistently."

About that hot finish Stearns was referencing: Baty slashed .352/.427/.592 (1.018 OPS) in 82 plate appearances over his final 30 games of the season. Overall in 2026, Baty hit just .236/.309/.371 (.681 OPS) in 143 games, which was a step back from the career-best .748 OPS he put up in 2025.

While Baty has upside with the bat and provides versatility defensively, he has a career .671 OPS (.91 OPS+) in parts of five big league seasons. So the time to find consistency would be now.

If Baty can't turn the corner offensively as a starter, his best fit could be as a super utility player who can handle third base, second base, first base, and both corner outfield spots.

Jefferson Rojas

The Mets were able to pry Rojas from the Cubs in the trade deadline deal that sent Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor to Chicago, and the 21-year-old shot straight to the top of SNY's top 30 Mets prospects list.

After joining the Mets organization, Rojas caught fire, smacking nine homers and posting a .929 OPS in 29 games for Double-A Binghamton before a late-season promotion to Triple-A Syracuse. In 29 plate appearances over six games with Syracuse, Rojas hit .308/.345/.692 -- homering in his first three games at the level.

Rojas can play third base in addition to second base, so he could be an answer for the Mets at the hot corner in the unlikely event Bo Bichette doesn't opt in to his contract for 2027, which would pay him $42 million.

If Bichette opts in as expected, Rojas should be in pole position to take over as the starting second baseman sooner rather than later.

Mitch Voit

Rojas isn't the only top Mets infield prospect who is getting close to the majors.

Voit, who put up a very respectable .745 OPS in 76 games for A-level Brooklyn while playing his home games in a really tough environment for hitters, erupted after being promoted to Binghamton, hitting .347/.430/.517 in 29 games.

Entering his age-22 season in 2027, Voit will likely start the year back with the Rumble Ponies. But he should be knocking on the door soon enough.

Along with Rojas and Voit, Émilien Pitre -- whom the Mets acquired from the Rays in the Freddy Peralta trade -- could be another second base option in the near future.

The 24-year-old Pitre doesn't hit for much power, but he has gotten on base at a prolific rate in three minor league seasons, with a .389 OBP. Pitre's OBP across three levels for the Rays and Mets in 2026 (he finished the season with Syracuse) was .420.

***

Using spring training (whenever that is, given the uncertainty surrounding the CBA) to see how Semien looks makes sense. And it wouldn't be illogical to give Semien a shot when the bell rings to show his 2026 was an aberration.

But if Semien looks similar to the player he was this past season, the Mets should be quickly prepared to turn to Rojas as the starter at second base. And given Stearns' comments about the situation at the end of the season, that seems to be a likely scenario.

Huascar Brazobán’s Mets tenure was undeniably a highly successful one. Acquired for a pittance at the 2024 deadline from the Marlins ($10 for you if you can name the prospect the Mets gave up in that deal without looking it up), the 36-year-old posted 135.2 innings of 3.45 ERA ball in Queens. He was a good soldier, too, functioning as a setup guy, an opener, a multi-inning fireman, and even an up-and-down option at times as the Mets’ bullpen went through several iterations during his tenure.

The first half of Brazobán’s 2026 was arguably the best performance of his major league career, with 52.2 innings of 2.56 ERA ball. There was even a shiny 2.75 xERA underlying that performance, which might suggest that this was somewhat sustainable. That mark could even an argument to hold Brazobán beyond the deadline given that he remains under team control until 2030the trade deadline.

In reality, this was a mirage. Brazobán, like countless relievers before him and countess after him, was succeeding on a unsustainable stretch of favorable contact suppression numbers. His K-BB% remained below average at 12.6%, his stuff pedestrian, and the top-line figures more dependent on a .206 BABIP in New York than an actual breakout at age 36. With this information in mind, the Mets made the prudent decision to sell high at the deadline, shipping Brazobán out to the south side of Chicago.

Brazobán then posted a 4.40 ERA (7.24 xERA) down the stretch, missing time with a lat injury. Yes, the White Sox will have him under control for multiple seasons, but that’s hardly the help they were looking for as they looked to make a deep playoff push. Meanwhile, the prospects the Mets got back are already paying dividends. Gabe Davis was widely regarded as a promising-but-poorly-optimized arm in the Chicago system (he had an ERA over 8 this season), then posted a 2.53 ERA in Binghamton while doing stuff like this every time he took the ball. Zach Franklin probably has better present stuff than Brazobán right now, and the odds he’s the better major league arm in 2027 are much closer to even than you’d think. Both Davis and Franklin are likely to be 2027 contributors.

If this story sounds nearly identical to that of Brooks Raley, you’d be right. The Mets did quite a good job of maximizing their veteran bullpen arms in the first half, then did an even better job of selling high and picking up solid prospects in return. We should all have some doubts about the Mets’ front office at this point, but this particular maneuver is one they’re executing better than just about anyone else right now. Hang your hat on what you can.

Meet the Mets

Mets relief prospect Ryan Lambert is off to a strong start in the Arizona Fall League.

Around the National League East

Washington Nationals CFO Ted Towne is leaving the organization to become CFO of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, per a report from the Washington Business Journal. Chief Revenue Office Chris Zaber and vice president of events at Nationals Park Jonathan Stahl are also departing the Nationals’ front office.

Around Major League Baseball

The Rays defeated the Guardians 3-1 in Cleveland in Game 5 of the ALCS to go ahead in the series three games to two. Rays ace Drew Rasmussen held Cleveland to just one run on four hits in seven innings with strong defense behind him helping him out. Freddy Peralta will now take the mound for the Rays in Game 6 with a chance to help punch their ticket to the World Series.

Rays leadoff hitter Yandy Díaz, who got three hits in support of last night’s victory, certainly thinks the Rays are going to do just that. “We’re going to win tomorrow,” he said.

If the Rays do advance to the World Series, they will match up against the Brewers, guaranteeing that whoever wins will be a first-time champion. Brewers owner Mark Attanasio wants it very badly for a fanbase and a community that has been waiting a long time.

The league’s stance on the salary cap took a big hit when the Brewers swept the Dodgers in the NLCS, writes David Lennon of Newsday.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Lukas Vlahos took a look back at Brooks Raley’s 2026 season, in which he was part of a bullpen that was one of the few bright spots of the 2026 Mets, but struggled after being traded to the Phillies despite being the same pitcher, indicating a regression the Mets perhaps saw coming.

This Date in Mets History

October 19 is not a good day in Mets history. It marked the end of the line in the NLCS for both the 1999 Mets and the 2006 Mets. Even the eventual World Champion 1986 Mets lost on this date in Game 2 of the World Series.

While the offseason has started for 27 of 30 MLB teams, not much news is out there as teams can only currently focus on business with players on their roster. And though he is under contract, one player the Braves will need to focus on is Jurickson Profar. As reported over the past few days, Profar will play winter ball in Venezuela in the coming months. This is important as it is the first baseball Profar will have played since before the 2026 season started. It will be interesting to see what the team decides to do with Profar before the 2027 arrives.

MLB News

The Rays were able to win in their usual small ball fashion on Sunday, and now are one win away from the World Series as they lead the Guardians 3-2 in the ALCS.

Former Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was reportedly a candidate for the Mariners managerial position. However, Mendoza joined the Phillies as their new third base coach over the weekend.

Waking up on a Monday morning knowing we’ll know the full World Series matchup. The Tampa Bay Rays return home up three games to two on the Cleveland Guardians, with Game 6 on Monday night at Tropicana Field. Game 1 of the World Series is Friday night in Milwaukee.

Here are a few Dodgers-related and Dodgers-adjacent stories to start your morning.

Brent Maguire at MLB.com wrote about a few statistics from the last two National League Championship Series, in which the 2025 Dodgers and 2026 Brewers matched a few numbers exactly beyond just winning all four games.

A jersey worn by Shohei Ohtani during the Dodgers’ season-opening Tokyo Series against the Chicago Cubs in 2025 was sold at auction on Saturday for just over $2 million. Larry Holder at The Athletic has more.

The Savannah Bananas last week announced their 2027 schedule, which includes a game on Saturday, April 24 at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers are scheduled that day to be on the road, facing the Washington Nationals.

Then again, with the lockout coming on December 1, the actual start of the 2027 season is still in many ways to be determined, depending on how long it takes for major league owners and players to hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement.

That uncertainty was reminded to me when reading the Dodgers’ offseason primer from Beth Harris at Associated Press, which included, “A work stoppage would give Ohtani extra time to heal, although during such time the Dodgers would be cut off from communicating with any player, leaving Ohtani to rehab either from possible surgery or from his injuries on his own.” Emphasis mine.

Happy Monday, everyone! We could know as soon as tonight who will be heading to the World Series against the Brewers, or whether we’ll get a nail-biter Game 7 in the ALCS. Today we’ll check in on how the Rays have managed to turn things around when they needed it the most, and how pitcher Drew Rasmussen came in clutch precisely when his team needed him. We round things up with some postseason chatter as well as some offseason and free agency overview. Plus, the Tigers have added a new member to their coaching staff, and it’s a reunion of sorts for A.J. Hinch from his Astros days.

Let’s get right into it.

Detroit Tigers News

• Happy Willie Horton Day!

• Bros supporting bros.

• A new addition to the Tigers coaching staff.

MLB News

• Looking at how the Brewers swept the Dodgers to stamp their ticket to the World Series.
• A look at a fairly weak free agent class this offseason.
• Checking in on how the Rays managed to dig their way back in the ALCS.
• The Rays are heading home, one game away from heading to the World Series.
• How Drew Rasmussen helped carry his team to another essential win.
• Three storylines to watch in ALCS Game 6 tonight.
• Assessing Bo Bichette’s opt-in option for the coming season.
• The Rays figured out their winning formula just in the nick of time.
• What comes next for the Dodgers after being swept in the NLCS?
• Trea Turner is on notice to improve at shortstop or get moved.
• Notes from Arizona Fall League. ($)
• How Guardians fans lost out thanks to Mother Nature. ($)
• Comparing collapsing dynasties from the Yankees to the Dodgers. ($)
• This is very cool now, but who the heck would have spent $1000 on this back in 2014?

• Ah yes, those philanthropic billionaires.

• An old friend came to visit the Guardians.

• I’m not crying, you’re crying.

If the Cardinals want to compete next season, it would be wise to shore up their positions of weakness. The bullpen is a clear weakness, but it’s also the part of the team I would probably focus on last personally. An argument for the best closer in baseball is Bryan Baker of the Tampa Bay Rays, a 31-year-old with 3 career saves entering this season. Baker was drafted by the Rockies, traded as the player to be named later in a package for a year and a month of Seung Hwan Oh, selected off waivers by the Orioles a few years later, and finally traded for a draft pick last deadline. Meanwhile, Edwin Diaz got paid $17 million to allow nearly a run per inning in his 21 appearances for the Dodgers. Neither of these are unusual stories for relievers.

So most of my offseason talk will be focused on finding someone for either third base, center field, or starting pitcher. There is a very big, unfortunate issue with this however: the free agent market at those positions kind of suck. It’s why my very first free agent profile was focused on someone who has barely played 3B (JP Crawford). Any true 3B upgrade will either have to come via trade or someone at a different position. Which brings me to today’s post.

In theory, anybody who plays second base can play third base. And while that is literally true, the two positions require different strengths so they are likely not going provide the same quality of defense. But the truth of the matter is that the 2B market is significantly stronger than the 3B market. At the very least entertaining the better second basemen on the market is worth exploring to improve 3B. You could also move JJ Wetherholt to 3B, but I am opposed to that, so I would make it clear to these free agents that they would have to play 3B. It’d be an easier argument because Wetherholt is indeed better defensively than every other 2B. So if for no other reason than to eliminate them as real targets, let’s look at the 2B who might make sense at 3B.

Brandon Lowe

2026 Stats: .260/.331/.493, 9.5 BB%, 28.8 K%, .233 ISO, .319 BABIP, 121 wRC+, 4.9 fWAR

Expected Deal: 4 years, $70 million

The Tampa Bay Rays are one win away from the World Series. They also, at least as of now, made an extremely bad trade involving Brandon Lowe. They traded one season of Lowe, getting paid $11.5 million, 5 seasons of Mason Montgomery (2.2 fWAR out of the bullpen), and Jake Magnum (who isn’t very good) for 25-year-old Jacob Melton (who missed most of 2026 to injury and never saw the majors) and Anderson Brito, a mediocre prospect who only pitched in 8 games in 2026 at a level he had already pitched before (and he was worse at that level in 2026).

With all that said, Brandon Lowe has more warning signs than a radiation plant. He will most likely receive a qualified offer, and that is not a good start. In his previous four seasons prior to 2026, he averaged under 2 WAR per season. He was randomly great at defense after a career of not being very good defensively. The first year of his deal will be at 32-years-old. And he has never played an inning of 3B at pro ball. Also his arm is 11th percentile according to Statcast, though 2B hold back more than 3B as we will soon see.

The arm is the big one because frankly, a career of being not great defensively is actually a very good argument for someone to move to 3B. But I wanted to take a one-year game on Crawford defensively, and you would likely be taking a 3-4 year gamble on Lowe (his QO could very much hurt his market to an extreme degree though). On the positive side, his power wouldn’t be that terribly affected by Busch. He hit 35 homers for the Pirates. It would have been 32 at Busch.

But unfortunately, I have even more warning signs. For as good of a season as he had, there are so many reasons to not sign this guy. My last warning sign is that his offense looked to be on the luckier side. He had his highest K% since 2019 and he had his highest BABIP also since 2019. That’s not a great combo. His xwOBA was .331, which was his lowest since 2022 in his injury-shortened season. His actual wOBA was .354.

I’m going to be completely honest. I think I would avoid Lowe even if the Cardinals had a hole at 2B. A 32-year-old who probably didn’t actually get better last season but saw a career year saddled with a QO? And we have to move him to 3B, a position he hasn’t played professionally, and he has a weak arm?

Conclusion: Avoid

Luis Arraez

2026: .310/.345/.419, 5.2 BB%, 4.3 K%, .109 ISO, .311 BABIP, 110 wRC+, 4.1 fWAR

Expected Contract: I don’t think I can even guess, I have no idea

The great big mystery of Arraez is how does the league value Arraez? Coming off a 0.9 fWAR season, Arraez signed for $1 year, $12 million. That is honestly more than most 0.9 WAR players will get, maybe all of them, so I’m not necessarily taking it as a given that the league doesn’t value Arraez like anti-stats people like to say. He will be 30-years-old and will likely get a multi-year deal.

With that said, his offense did not really get that much better, he was a significantly better player because he was suddenly great at defense. I have not looked into why, but unlike Lowe who was generally below average before 2026, Arraez was straight up awful defensively. Even with genuine improvements, it’s very hard to buy into his 2026 level of defense. You just don’t really see that kind of jump defensively, ever, and if it was hitting that did it, everyone would be similarly skeptical. When a sudden jump happens, you don’t assume the same level, you go somewhere in between where he used to be and his career year.

Arraez has played 3B, although very little, and like 2B and like 1B, he was awful defensively. I don’t think his arm is an issue. It’s 25th percentile, but I think he has more in the tank. When he last played significant innings at 3B, he threw it four miles per hour harder at 3B than when he played at 2B. And his arm at 2B this past season was very similar to how hard he threw at 2B in the year he also played 3B. He was actually dead average the year he played 400 innings at 3B, for some reason he was -7 OAA in 40 innings the very next season and nobody’s tried him at 3B since.

His bat is more reliable, although not near as good as the batting average people think. He doesn’t walk and he has no power, so he’s an above average hitter, but definitely not elite. He also hits into a lot of double plays. He hit into 15 double plays last season and has averaged just about that in the last four seasons. He somehow hit into 18 double plays when he batted .354.

As I said in the beginning, I don’t really know how the league values him. My interest in him is entirely dependent on his next contract. Is he valued like an All-Star, because I’d definitely avoid that contract. Like the 1 WAR player he was in 2024 and 2025? That means short-term and that’s more interesting.

Conclusion: Probably not

Jazz Chisholm

2026: .231/.321/.399, 10.5 BB%, 29.5 K%, .168 ISO, .301 BABIP, 98 wRC+, 3.5 fWAR

Expected Contract: 4 years, $80 million

Chisholm is kind of the opposite of our first two choices. His 2026 season stats are him coming off a down season and he’s very likely good on defense, despite his blunders. His numbers at 3B are a bit of a mixed bag – he was very good in 2024 and not good in 2025, and then the Yankees stopped playing him at 3B. He’s similar to Arraez in that he threw it harder at 3B than he does at 2B and most of his 9th percentile arm is related to that fact. He threw it 85.6 mph at 3B last year, 78.5 mph at 2B. So he must be really having his fair share of lobbing it over at 2B. It’s not really possible to lob it over at 3B (despite it looking like that’s what Matt Carpenter did).

We also saw in the 2026 playoffs that he likes to play hero ball and will likely continue to do so given his postgame comments, and I can see how that could potentially affect you more at 3B than 2B when you simply have more opportunities to make errors from trying to land on a top ten list. Couple that with the high standard he sets at 2B and the 3B version of Chisholm is probably a worse player than the 2B version.

On top of that, he had a down year with the bat. His xwOBA was a career low .294 and his 98 wRC+ was only a little bit better than his career low his rookie season. His power took a huge dip despite the bandbox he got to play in. Like his offensive stats are concerning.

Of course he’ll be 29 and the reporting is indicating he will not receive a qualified offer. They didn’t actually want Trent Grisham and he accepted, and I don’t think they want to repeat that risk. And Chisholm is firmly in his prime years so a bounceback offensively wouldn’t be the craziest thing. Chisholm would be a bit of a swing and it doesn’t seem like he’d be a fan favorite, but at least by value…. I mean he makes sense.

Conclusion: If you can get him for a good deal, frankly, I might take that swing

Gleyber Torres

2026: .260/.364/.363, 13.6 BB%, 19.3 K%, .103 ISO, .314 BABIP, 109 wRC+, 1 fWAR

Expected Contract: 3 years, $50 million

Torres is an interesting case, because he has not played 3B since 2018 and he has a grand total of less than 200 innings there in his entire pro career. But he’s also a former SS who has spent his fair share of time on the left side of the infield. Of course, he was bad defensively there and had to move to 2B. He has also been bad there. It’s clear range is not his thing which means there’s some theoretical upside to him defensively at 3B. Like he sets a low enough standard at 2B that I’m not real sure his defense would actually be worse at 3B. And like the others, once he moved from SS to 2B, his arm strength magically got weak. So I feel like his arm wouldn’t be an issue.

He also will 100 percent not have the qualified offer saddled on him. He already accepted it for the 2026 season and can’t get it again. He’ll be 30. He is fairly consistent as an above average hitter. And his batting profile is walk-heavy, not a ton of strikeouts, not reliant on power at all, so a move to Busch shouldn’t really hurt him. I’d actually be very curious on what kind of deal he would get, coming off a down year.

Conclusion: I’d be very tempted if less than my proposed contract

I could talk myself into Jazz Chisholm or Gleybar Torres. I assume the Cardinals have a much better way of figuring out how each player’s defense would translate at 3B. It’s entirely possible them at 3B is just a nonstarter. Kind of an important part of this whole process. So the estimates would have to work out, the contract would have to work out, they’d have to be willing to play 3B, I wouldn’t say any of these are likely.

Good morning.

• The Rays beat the Guardians yesterday to take a three-games-to-two lead in the American League Championship Series. Here are some takeaways from Game 5.
• Mike Axisa has some winners and losers from Game 5.
• Jake Rill looks at how Nick Martinez has served as the Rays ace this October.
• Rays slugger Yandy Díaz announced that the Rays will win tonight’s Game 6 and advance to the World Series.
• Assuming Díaz is correct, the Rays will take on the National League Champions Milwaukee Brewers. Eric Longenhagen has a review of the NL Championship Series.
• Jack Bauers has ten things you should know about the Brewers.
• Bradford Doolittle goes inside the night the Brewers clinched their first World Series since 1982.
• Sarah Langs has seven “feats” that defined their October success.
• Jayson Stark writes that with the Brewers win, the “gamers” beat the Hall of Famers. (The Athletic sub. req.) Stark also tries to put the Brewers win in historic context and has the kinds of obscure facts that we’ve come to expect out of Stark.

• Mike Petriello examines if any of the current Brewers have a chance at being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
• Michael Baumann profiles Brewers catcher William Contreras.
• Adam McCalvy profiles the “believers” who saw the Brewers through from worst to first.
• Steve Megargee examines how the Brewers built a pennant winner.
• McCavly also reports on the customized champagne bottles that bore the names of former Brewers from previous playoff teams.
• Zach Sweet asks if the Brewers should want to play the Rays or the Guardians in the World Series. (Hint: It’s the Guardians.)
• The NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks have moved up the time of their home opener so as not to conflict with Game 1 of the World Series.
• Paul Casella and Brian Murphy examine whether or not the extra rest is good or bad for the Brewers going into the World Series.
• In 2015, the Brewers sold “Timeless Tickets” for $1,000 for any future game. Brewers fans are now trying to cash them in for World Series tickets.
• Paul Casella has four takeaways from the Brewers sweep of the Dodgers.
• Buster Olney details how the Dodgers reacted to the end of their dynasty.
• The Dodgers just admitted that they were outplayed by Milwaukee.
• Mike Axisa has some thoughts about what’s next for the Dodgers.
• Sonja Chen has some roster questions for the Dodgers this winter.
• The Dodgers Shohei Ohtani says he plans to pitch again next season. Jack Baer is skeptical that that is a good idea.
• Dayn Perry asks is the Dodgers’ Dynasty over?
• Tyler Kepner covered the end of the Yankees dynasty. He has some thoughts about what the Dodgers can expect if it’s really over. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Jared Bailey looks at the end of “three-peats” in North American sports.
• Mike Axisa has some candidates to be the next MLB superteam.
• Dodgers veteran utility player Miguel Rojas announced his retirement after 13 seasons. Courtney Hollmon reports.
• Sam Blum profiles retired pitcher Jamey Wright, who is the only player to play for all four of the Dodgers, Brewers, Rays and Cleveland. (The Athletic sub. req.)
• Bryan Hoch has five burning questions for the Yankees.
• Phillies team president Dave Dombrowski told shortstop Trea Turner that he needs to improve his defense or he’ll be moved off of shortstop next year.
• And finally, Nate Hudson does a deep investigative dive into the story behind some mostly-overlooked concrete murals at Dodger Stadium.