Category: Baseball

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.

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.

Phillies are trying to fill holes before baseball goes into hibernation originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

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 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.”

Yesterday, I dashed off a post about the bummer news regarding Harrison Bader’s status that had been reported out of the GM Meetings currently being held in Las Vegas. In it, I made mention of the owners’ latest proposal for a salary floor and cap, but I got a crucial figure wrong. After going back and looking at the offer more closely, it would appear that the sport has used the Giants as an example for just how competitive they want the most competitive team(s) in the sport to be. Another reason to be against the owners in this labor dispute.

In their first proposal way back in May, owners pitched a floor of $171.2 million and a cap of $245.3 million, with the Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) figure being the basis. In other words, the cap number would be based on the average annual value of contracts — but not only the AAV.

As with the current CBT calculation, the team’s contribution to the league’s health care plan for players is a part of the bottom line as is the mandatory contribution to the league’s pre-arbitration bonus pool that was negotiated into the most recent CBA. There’s not an exact publicly available figure for the health care contribution, but for 2026, it was an estimated $18 million per team. The mandatory pre-arb contribution is an annual fixed cost over the course of the CBA: $1.667 million.

But the proposal also folds in two line items not currently factored into the CBT figure: amateur bonus pools. A team’s amateur draft figure and its international bonus pool would also become part of the salary cap math. Those figures can fluctuate year to year just based on free agent signings, trades, etc. What does this have to do with the Giants?

By a stroke of luck, the Giants were awarded the fourth pick in the most recent MLB draft. They also traded away Patrick Bailey for Cleveland’s Competitive Balance pick. That increased their 2026 amateur draft bonus pool to $17.35 million. Their international draft figure was $5.44 million. That’s $22.79 million combined.

Using Cot’s MLB Contracts, here i’s how the Giants’ would’ve looked under the May salary cap proposal in 2026:

MLB roster (AAV): $204.53 million
Amateur bonus pools (combined): $22.79 million
Health care contribution: $18 million
Pre-arbitration bonus pool: $1.67 million
… Total: $246.99 million

That’s, what, $10,000 under the first proposed salary cap?

Now, obviously, this proposal made in May wasn’t conjured up in May, and the Giants’ Opening Day payroll by the CBT calculation was $227.9 million (per Cot’s) and didn’t factor in the trades they made during the season or the heaps of players added to the 40-man roster due to injuries.

On the other hand, the Giants have typically run their baseball operation for about $250 million. If every team is being valued at minimum in the $3.9-$4 billion range, then we’re looking at the actual labor expenses being less than 10% of the value of the business — indeed, roughly 6.25%. Obviously, marketing and taxes and expendables are meaningful costs you can tack on and not every team’s revenues are the same (and this is, obviously, the most important figure to compare against a baseball ops budget), but you can see why the vast majority of owners want a cap so badly. Once they can set the ceiling, they can keep shoving it down and down and down as their valuations increase.

And, as the San Francisco Giants have demonstrated over the past decade, spending to the proposed salary cap doesn’t guarantee anything. The loser Pittsburgh Pirates fans who have been a part of the online vanguard for a cap and the Jim Bowdens of the world demand fairness in an unfair game. Even if every team got a fair chance to win the World Series, that’s still once every 30 years.

Now, I said the Giants are the model, but I used the May proposal as my example because of how exactly it matched up with this most recent Giants team. But last week, the league made a new offer, and in it, the pre-arbitration bonus pool increased 30% (let’s call it $2.2 million mandatory team contribution), the minimum salary went to $1 million (currently $780,000), the floor rose to $180.2 million and the cap up to $258.2 million. The league also offered a 154-game schedule with an expanded playoff format (another path for deflating player salaries, natch).

Here’s how the latest proposal still uses the Giants as a model.

The most money the San Francisco Giants have ever spent to field their major league team was in 2024, when they spent $210.9 million in real money against a CBT figure of $251.94 million. Before comparing it against this latest proposal, here’s how those figures total out.

MLB roster (AAV): $233.27 million
Amateur bonus pools (combined): $13.87 million
Health care contribution: $17 million
Pre-arbitration bonus pool: $1.67 million
… Total: $265.81 million

Now, you look at that and probably think, “Hey Bryan, you dumb idiot, $265.81 million is more than the latest proposal!“ and that’s true! What’s also true is that the owners are making proposals in bad faith. The PLANNED lockout is all the evidence one needs of this. The staggering increase in franchise valuations and league revenues evidence that an uncapped system is working great and that the more success the players have the more success teams have. And it’s knowing that they’re making bad faith proposals that makes it easy for me to both cast aspersions and jump to some conclusions.

Rather than focus on the $265.81 million for this latest proposal, I’m instead going to focus on that $233.27 million figure. Adjust that for inflation (using this future inflation predictor calculator) and that’s $256.48 million in 2028 dollars (again, projected). I’m doing this because I think this is the key figure most of the owners want to hone in on year to year. The amateur bonus pools are probably estimated to be fixed around $15 million for each team (on average) and the health care plan contribution seems to be very stable year to year, too, and in 2028 will probably be $20 million, plus then $2.67 million for the proposed bonus pool. That’s around $37-$40 million in fixed(ish) costs annually. Approaching what the Giants paid Blake Snell in 2024, a deal they came to regret almost immediately. Adjusted for inflation, Snell’s $32 million is $34 million today. But… you know what? If you add in the extra $10 million in manager-related costs for this most recent season (BoMel’s paid option + the buyout on Vitello’s Tennessee contract + Vitello’s actual contract), the 2026 Giants get within $700,000 of the latest cap proposal, too.

It’s enough to wonder if Greg Johnson and Larry Baer are consulting on these proposals. Don’t think the league won’t considered imposing a salary cap on front offices in the future. Coaches, scouts, executives, etc. are presently uncapped, and if the player costs become artificially constrained than why not the brain geniuses, too?

But for those fans of bad teams that have programmed you over the years to hate baseball and loathe success, just know that the Giants are not a model of how any firm or any human being should be. Sure, they won three championships in five years, have a lengthy history of world historic sports figures and a degree of unparalleled success in the history of the sport — but the past decade has been nothing but failure, coasting on past wins, going 75% of the way in rather than “all in,” and been largely uninspiring if not outright hopeless.

Over the past decade, the Giants have spent $1.94 billion on their 40-man roster. That outlay has come back as an 823-857 record, four managers, four playoff wins, three top baseball executives, two winnings seasons, and one ticked off fanbase. Oh, and ownership was able to buy another chunk of San Francisco to develop for their real estate portfolio. Indeed, a salary cap wouldn’t really do anything. Don’t believe me?

Here.

Using Cot’s MLB Contracts, I’ve combined all of the payroll data for the 30 teams from 2016-2026 and ranked them. I’ve also included their win-loss ranking and in the last four columns I indicate whether or not the team has (1) appeared in the playoffs (2) won a playoff game (3) appeared in the World Series (4) won the World Series.

The Pirates and Angels are the only teams to not appear in the postseason since 2016. Pittsburgh last appeared in the 2015 NL Wild Card and the Angels were last in the 2014 ALDS.

Yes, it’s true that the Dodgers (1st) and Astros (9th) have won five World Series in this 11-season stretch. The Red Sox (5th) and Cubs (6th) are the other top 10 payroll teams to win it. Milwaukee (25th), Texas (11th), Atlanta (12th) and Washington (15th) round out the list. Although inflation and the pandemic-shortened season of 2020 skew this a bit, you’re still talking about the top 12 teams (combined .528 win%) averaging around $172.5 million in payroll compared to the bottom 18 teams (combined .482 win%): $64.75 million. That’s a 2.66:1 disparity; or, about the upper bound of the K:BB ratio Farhan Zaidi looked at when projecting an MLB hitter. The latest floor-cap proposal lowers that to 1.43:1, a 46% decrease. That 11-year average for the top 12 teams has a projected inflation value of $180.5 million, or just $300,000 more than the latest floor proposal.

But, plainly, the top 12 teams have outspent the remaining 18 teams by about 18% over the past 11 years. Is that a large enough percentage to tank the 2027 season?

To bring it back to the idea that the Giants are the model for the cap proposals: the team’s average payroll since 2016 is $176.1 million. That average has a future projected inflation value for 2028 (when the latest cap proposal would phase in) of $184.29 million. Add in the $20 million in projected player healthcare benefits, average out the amateur bonus pools as $15 million, and call the pre-arb bonus pool contribution $3 million and that gives us a total of $222.29 million — or, 86% of the league’s latest cap proposal. For the past 11 years combined, the Giants’ have been at 92% of the total luxury tax threshold. That 6% gap is easily closed by future projected inflation for the 2028 phase-in.

Anyway, for fans who want the salary cap, just know that the San Francisco Giants might very well be the platonic ideal of an MLB team operating in a capped system. There are few nightmares worse than that.

It does not appear as though the Phillies are going to pull off a major move at the GM Meetings this week in Las Vegas.

It also appears they will not be alone.

With the collective bargaining agreement set to expire on December 2, agents are fussing that teams do not want to make any major financial commitments yet without knowing what the rules in the new CBA are going to look like.

Will there be a salary cap/floor? If not, what happens with the luxury tax? Will draft picks be allowed in trades? What will revenue sharing look like?

But even if the Phils and Dombrowski don’t do anything substantive over the next couple of weeks, one would think he, and the rest of the front office decision makers, have formulated a plan on how to improve the roster and avoid “running it back” for yet another season.

The team has clear needs in the outfield, bullpen, with starting pitching depth and utility infielder. They need to find a right-handed hitter for the middle of the lineup, and they need a late-inning left-handed relief pitcher.

There are some high-end options to help in these areas. Adrian Morejon has been linked to the Phils as the top lefty reliever on the free agent market, and Seiya Suzuki and Randy Arozarena, two right-handed hitting outfielders who would solve their outfield/middle-of-the-order problems in one fell swoop, are obvious fits.

But speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Dombrowski wondered aloud whether it would be in the team’s best interest to sign additional players already in their 30s to expensive, multi-year contracts (quote via Phillies.com).

“We have a lot of high-end salary players, and they’re not young, they’re not old,” Dombrowski said. “But they’re in that age bracket that you have to make a decision. We maybe have enough high-end players, and you mean to complement them with other players overall. That’s a decision we have to make. But I’m not necessarily looking for our club to continue to get older, so you kind of factor all those things in and make a decision.”

Dombrowski’s reluctance to sign another player entering his mid-30s to a deal that will see him earn close to $30 million a season at ages 35-37 is understandable. They’re already on the hook for big cash to Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and J.T. Realmuto, deals unlikely to age all that well in the coming years. Suzuki and Arozarena will be 33 in 2027. And if the Phillies are going to maintain a payroll similar to what they have over the last two years, they only have around $30 million to spend this off-season.

Not only that, signing Morejon, Suzuki and Arozarena would require the Phils to relinquish their 2nd and 5th round draft picks as well as $1 million in international spending cash.

The options for the outfield aren’t all that enticing outside of Suzuki and Arozarena. Japanese star Teruaki Sato would be great, but is a longshot. Taylor Ward, Randall Grichuk, Daulton Varsho, Tyrone Taylor and Ian Happ are among the other right-handed options who would be cheaper. Happ is a switch-hitter who struggled against lefties last year, and the rest are strictly platoon players.

It sounds like Dombrowski is considering quantity over quality. If they keep Brandon Marsh, it’s possible they could run out platoons at all three outfield spots: Marsh and Bryan de la Cruz in left, Derek Hill and Justin Crawford in center, and two lesser free agents in right. In that scenario, you’re counting on six separate players to be productive in some capacity. It’s also awful roster-building, as most teams don’t carry six outfielders.

Dombrowski sounded like a man who realized he needs a guy in one of those outfield positions.

“I will say one thing: We have to have an outfielder,” Dombrowski said. “Right now, we don’t have an outfielder. But is that more important than some other things? I guess it depends upon who that outfielder is.”

On the infield, the plan remains for Trea Turner to start the season at shortstop. Oft-injured veteran Ha Seong-Kim is reportedly a target to take on the super utility role once held by free agent Edmundo Sosa. But he should not be considered an everyday player anymore.

With Alec Bohm unlikely to return, what will the Phillies do at third base? They could re-sign Luis Arraez to play second and shift Bryson Stott to third. But it also sounds as though Dombrowski is looking for Aidan Miller to win the job out of spring training.

“He’s not being anointed the position, but I also think he has a heck of a chance to make our club in the spring,” Dombrowski said. “I think that, as it stands, that would be very helpful for us to have that consideration. And frankly, I’m hoping he does. I’m not giving it to him, but I’m hoping that he does.”

It would be quite a gamble for Dombrowski and the Phils to coordinate their off-season acquisitions with the hope Miller’s back injuries are behind them and that the rookie with 37 career plate appearances at AAA to be their starting third baseman out of training camp, but if they spend big money on a corner outfielder, they may have no other choice, provided the payroll needs to stay where it is.

Make no mistake, it would be great if Miller shows he can hack it in Clearwater to be given that opportunity, and it would certainly give the Phils more payroll flexibility this off-season, too. But Miller missed virtually all of 2025 with his back problems. It’s a major roll of the dice.

It’s clear money isn’t going to solve all the Phillies’ problems. Dombrowski is not a creative trader, so asking him to solve multiple problems through trades is like asking a horse to deal cards. Still, maybe there are some solutions on the trade market that could provide some answers.

As ESPN’s Jeff Passan noted this week when writing about each team’s best offseason “fit,” the Phillies are not going to “run it back” in 2027.

The perfect transaction: Just how much of an overhaul the Phillies undergo this winter remains to be seen, but they recognize that running back last year’s outfit is a nightmare waiting to happen. The Phillies can go toe-to-toe with any team’s best five players. Beyond that is the issue, and it has doomed them long enough that they need to prioritize multiple bats and fix a lineup with far too many holes. That starts in the outfield, and it just so happens that the three best free agent hitters this winter can all play outfield. Any of them would work, but one fits especially well. Sign outfielder Seiya Suzuki.

Things are going to change. The plan on how it will happen remains murky.

As the GM Meetings continue, Will Sammon reports that the Mets are looking to add depth to their bullpen by way of some of the best free-agent relievers currently on the market.

It seems that Devin Williams will continue as the Mets’ closer. David Stearns also has indicated interest in bringing back some of the relievers who ended the season on a high note, including Dedniel Núñez, Daniel Duarte, and Nate Lavender. In addition, Reed Garrett is expected to return at the beginning of the 2027 season.

However, sources have said that the Mets have also expressed interest in Alex Vesia, most recently from the Dodgers, and Tim Hill, who played in 2026 with the Yankees. That being said, Vesia, who did not receive a qualifying offer from the Dodgers, has received interest from many teams. Hill also did not receive a qualifying offer.

Among top relievers, Raisel Iglesias is also available, as are Bryan Abreu and Jason Adam. Despite Adrian Morejon being a strong candidate and a likely good fit, it is less anticipated that the Mets will pursue him due to the fact that he did receive a qualifying offer from the Padres.

LAS VEGAS — Has Shoki Oda visited the Dodgers?

“Potentially,” general manager Brandon Gomes said with a smile.

Over the last week or so, the 18-year-old Japanese right-hander has taken meetings with several major league teams, but the Dodgers continue to be viewed in the industry as the favorites to land him.

“Do we have a chance?” a high-ranking official from another team asked.

The consensus No. 1 high school prospect in his country, Oda has met with the Yankees, Tigers, Rangers, Phillies, Mets, Cardinals and Blue Jays, according to news reports in Japan.

The Tokyo Giants, who selected Oda with their first-round pick in the recent Nippon Professional Baseball draft, visited Yokohama High School this week but were unable to meet with the player.

Following his selection in the NPB draft, Oda said he remained set on starting his career in the United States. Yokohama High baseball coach Hiroaki Murata told reporters in Japan that he didn’t think the appointment of former Yankees star Hideki Matsui as the Tokyo Giants manager would change Oda’s mind.

Oda is represented by the same Japanese management company that facilitated Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s and Roki Sasaki’s move to the major leagues.

“He’s super talented, really projectable, fun to watch him throw,” Gomes said. “I know our international guys have watched him closely, and you know, I’m not sure how that all shakes out exactly. But we think really highly of him.”

The Dodgers’ greatest obstacle in landing Oda could be the upcoming work stoppage.

The international player acquisition system is collectively bargained, and baseball’s current collective-bargaining agreement will expire on Dec. 1, at which point franchise owners will lock out the players.

Oda would not be able to sign until a new CBA is ratified.

Brad Ausmus is coming back to Houston, but is he already fighting an uphill battle before he even manages his first game for the Astros?

The Astros have officially named Ausmus their new manager, and while the former Houston catcher brings plenty of experience and familiarity with the organization, there is one major obstacle that could make his return more difficult than it needs to be. His close friendship and association with Jeff Bagwell.

Fair or unfair, that relationship is going to leave a bad taste in the mouths of a significant portion of the Astros fan base. The problem is that much of the negativity surrounding this hire has very little to do with Ausmus himself, his previous managerial experience or his most recent role as bench coach of the New York Yankees.

Instead, it has everything to do with Bagwell, Jim Crane and the questionable personnel decisions that have been made under their watch as the Astros desperately try to remain relevant, competitive and capable of chasing another World Series championship.

Bagwell has become a lightning rod for criticism among Astros fans, and his continued influence on baseball decisions has raised legitimate questions about the direction of the franchise. Unfortunately for Ausmus, his longstanding friendship with the Hall of Famer makes him an easy target for fans who believe this organization needs fresh voices and a completely different approach.

But here’s the thing: Ausmus deserves to be judged on his ability to manage this baseball team, not simply on the company he keeps.

Let’s not forget that Ausmus has legitimate major league managerial experience, having previously led both the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels. He was also a finalist for the Astros’ general manager position before Dana Brown was hired, so his name has been connected to leadership opportunities within this organization for years.

He understands Houston, knows the expectations of this fan base and has a connection to the franchise that goes well beyond simply wearing the uniform.

More importantly, he should have the credibility necessary to command the respect of a veteran-laden clubhouse.

With established stars like Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Yordan Alvarez still serving as the foundation of this roster, the Astros absolutely had to hire someone capable of walking into that clubhouse and immediately commanding the room.

Ausmus has spent the last three seasons working alongside Aaron Boone in New York, dealing with the expectations, pressure and personalities that come with managing the Yankees. Working with superstar players like Aaron Judge and the other established veterans on that roster should serve him well when it comes to handling the personalities and expectations in Houston.

The ability to communicate, earn respect and hold veteran players accountable will be critical if the Astros expect to remain contenders.

But the biggest question surrounding this hire has very little to do with the players.

It’s about the relationship Ausmus will have with new general manager Randy Flores, owner Jim Crane and, of course, Jeff Bagwell.

During Flores’ introductory press conference, Crane made it a point to emphasize that his new general manager would have full authority over baseball operations decisions.

That sounds great in theory, but this managerial search was already underway before Flores was officially hired. Ausmus had already interviewed and established himself as a legitimate candidate while Crane and Bagwell were heavily involved in the process.

So how much of this decision truly belonged to Flores?

That doesn’t mean Ausmus wasn’t the best candidate or that Flores didn’t ultimately support the hire. But when you’re trying to convince a fan base that the organization is making a fresh start, the optics certainly matter.

If Crane truly intends to give Flores complete control over baseball operations, then fans have every right to question whether this hire represents a new direction or simply more of the same.

And that’s really where the frustration comes from.

The Astros have reached a point where the decisions made by Crane and Bagwell are being scrutinized more closely than ever. The roster has obvious holes, the farm system needs improvement, and the organization is trying to extend a championship window that has already shown signs of closing.

With a new general manager and manager taking over two of the most important baseball positions in the organization, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring in fresh perspectives without any connection to the questionable decisions of the past.

Instead, the Astros have chosen familiarity.

Maybe Ausmus will prove to be exactly what this organization needs. Maybe his experience, relationships and understanding of the clubhouse will help the Astros return to championship contention.

But there’s also a very real possibility that every questionable lineup decision, every losing streak and every frustrating personnel move will immediately lead fans back to the same two names: Crane and Bagwell.

And that would be unfortunate for Ausmus.

He hasn’t managed a single game in his return to Houston, yet he’s already carrying the baggage of decisions he had absolutely nothing to do with.

Ultimately, the success or failure of this hire should come down to wins, losses, clubhouse leadership and whether the Astros can once again compete for a World Series.

But if this organization truly wanted a fresh start, perhaps the better approach would have been hiring someone without longstanding relationships with the very people whose decisions have brought the franchise to this crossroads.

Brad Ausmus may turn out to be the right man for the job. The question is whether the people who hired him will give him the opportunity to prove it, or whether their own reputations have already put him behind the eight ball before he ever fills out his first lineup card.

Welcome to the 2026 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2026. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. The “Ranking” is an organizing principle that’s drawn from Baseball Reference’s WAR (rWAR). It’s not something the staff debated. We’ll begin with the player with the lowest rWAR and end up with the player with the highest. 

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No. 23, Parker Mushinski (0.2 rWAR)

Parker Mushinski was drafted by the Houston Astros back in 2017. After a long climb through their minor-league system, he made his Major League debut in 2022. He spent the next three seasons shuttling between the Astros Triple-A affiliate and the big-league roster before becoming a free agent following the 2024 season.

After spending the entirety of 2025 at Triple-A for the Cleveland Guardians affiliate, Mushinski again tested free agency last offseason.

In one of their first moves after hiring Paul DePodesta to be their president of baseball operations, the Rockies signed the 30 year-old left hander to a minor-league contract.

Mushinski was originally invited to Major League spring training but was released after allowing 10 runs in just 8.2 innings. After failing to find a big-league deal with another club, he returned to the Rockies just two days later on another minor-league contract.

LHP Parker Mushinski showed a nice breaking ball in camp. Orher scouts watched him closely and he was able to consider leaving. However, the #Rockies needed him for depth and signed him. https://t.co/41BtnfulhI

— Thomas Harding (@harding_at_mlb) March 24, 2026

Mushinski found himself starting the season in Triple-A, hoping to earn a spot on the Major League roster mid-season. This was a familiar situation for him, having gone through this exact song and dance in three out of the past four seasons.

In the first four months of the season, Mushinski threw 48 innings for the Albuquerque Isotopes and recorded a stellar (for the offense-forward Pacific Coast League) 3.38 ERA. What’s more, those great results came despite a very fluid role that saw Mushinski open six games as well as sometimes acting as a long reliever.

On August 4, while searching for a fresh arm after a trade deadline that saw their bullpen depth tested by the Antonio Senzatela and Victor Vodnik deals, the Rockies called Mushinski up to the Major League roster.

For his first assignment with the Rockies, Mushinski entered at the start of the seventh inning against the Tampa Bay Rays. He was able get through the frame without allowing a run… but not before allowing some traffic on the basepaths in the form of a single from Ben Williamson and a walk from Yandy Diaz.

Mushinski’s first appearance for the Rockies was an example of his entire tenure with the team.

Over the course of eight games for the Rockies, Mushinski was only the pitcher on record for a total of two runs despite allowing many baserunners. His great 2.70 ERA was not backed up by a 2.10 WHIP and 5.35 FIP. It did not help that Mushinski was not able to record a single strikeout in his 6.2 innings pitched.

As the end of August approached, the Rockies decided to avoid continuing the high-wire act that had been a hallmark of Mushinki’s time with the team.

The Rockies announced today the following transactions:

– Selected the contract of LHP Mark Manfredi (#54) from Triple-A Albuquerque.
– Reinstated RHP Jaden Hill from the 15-day IL.
– Optioned RHP TJ Shook to Triple-A.
– Designated LHP Parker Mushinski for assignment.

The…

— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) August 19, 2026

After clearing waivers, Mushinski went on to finish out the season with an additional 10 appearances for the Albuquerque Isotopes, but did not get another chance with the Major League team.

While it’s possible that he could re-sign with the Rockies for 2027, Mushinski officially elected to test free agency once again after the season concluded.

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This past Sunday was the 20th annual Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game, featuring 63 prospects from across the Fall League. The Arizona Diamondbacks had two Fall Stars – left-handed pitcher Joe Ariola and infielder Demetrio Crisantes. Crisantes started at second base and batted third, while Ariola entered with one out in the eighth inning after Mets’ prospect Ryan Lambert walked Rangers prospect Julian Brock. Ariola ended up earning the win after finishing the inning with a hit and a strikeout. 

“It’s awesome. I feel honored,” Ariola said of his selection before the game. “Honestly, it’s an amazing experience to be here today. I’m really excited for it. I mean, we’ve got a bunch of people from all across the orgs that are considered your top talent, and being able to pick these guys’ brains and just have a day with them is awesome. I’m super excited for it.”

He was especially excited to be able to talk in depth with Atlanta Braves left-hander Briggs McKenzie.

“I’ve had some short interactions with him outside of the field, and I’ve heard a lot about him,” Ariola said. “I’ve seen he’s been doing really well this Fall. He’s a young guy. I’m just interested to be around a guy like that that’s of a young age – maybe in the game as long as some of the other guys that are here, but still a top talent type of guy and just seeing where his head’s at under certain things, so that should be good.”

After only sending Jansel Luis to the Fall Star Game in 2025, it was nice for Ariola to be able to share the roster with Crisantes.

“That’s awesome,” he said. “I mean, he’s an absolute stud. I spent the first half of the year with him in rehab, unfortunately, but got to know him as a person off the field – not just the baseball side of him – and I enjoy hanging out with him all the time, every day. So it’s good, I’m excited for it.”

And Crisantes had high praise for his teammate, as well.

“It’s awesome,” he said after the game. “We got a lot closer this Fall League. He’s been doing really good, and [I’m] hoping the best for him next year, as well.”

Crisantes was also happy to be named a Fall Star after “a lot of hard work.”

“It’s been a long season, but to get recognized and be in the Fall Star game and represent the Diamondbacks, it’s awesome,” he said.

Crisantes had one goal in mind: “Just have fun.”

“Stay healthy, just have fun, enjoy this moment,” he said. “It’s a blessing to be here, and it was awesome.”

Ariola, meanwhile, had a more technical goal in mind.

“Come in, throw strikes, get in and get out, do my job.”

There is just one game left in the Arizona Fall League season before the long, dark offseason officially begins. The Rafters currently are in fourth place, just half a game out of third behind the Scottsdale Scorpions and half a game out of fifth ahead of the Mesa Solar Sox. 

The Championship tournament begins Thursday and runs through Saturday. You can stream all of the remaining games on the AFL website, and the final will be broadcast on MLB Network at 6:00pm MT.

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Hank Wyse made his Cubs debut on September 7, 1942 and it appeared he was on his way to a fine Cubs career — except it was partly derailed when he suffered a back injury when he fell off a welding platform while working in the offseason in a war plant in Miami, Oklahoma. The injury gave him 4-F draft status during the war, so he was one of the few players in the primes of their careers who were not eligible for military service. He also had to wear a corset while he pitched.

Wyse was a part-time starter and part-time reliever (15 starts, 23 relief appearances) in 1943 — that during an era when the roles were different than they are now; many pitchers would spot start and throw out of the bullpen between those starts. Then in 1944 he became a mainstay of the Cubs’ rotation, going 16-15 but with a 3.15 ERA, and in 1945 was one of the best pitchers in the National League, finishing 22-10, ranking fifth in NL ERA at 2.68. He was selected to the All-Star team but no game was played due to wartime travel restrictions; it was his only All-Star selection. He also finished seventh in MVP voting in those pre-Cy Young Award days. On April 28, 1945 he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Pirates; Bill Salkeld broke it up with one out. At the time no Cub had thrown a no-hitter in 28 years and it would be ten more seasons before Sam Jones would break that drought.

Wyse’s 20-win season in 1945 made him the only Cubs pitcher with a 20-win season between 1940 (Claude Passeau, 20) and 1963 (Dick Ellsworth, 22).

In the 1945 World Series Wyse started and lost Game 2, 4-1; that loss tied the series 1-1. For some inexplicable reason, manager Charlie Grimm wouldn’t go back to his second-best starting pitcher behind Hank Borowy to start the rest of the series. Borowy had started Game 1 (and won), and Claude Passeau, at 36 still solid but aging, started and shut out the Tigers in Game 3 on one hit. Ray Prim, who at 38 had led the NL in ERA, started and lost Game 4; the Series was now tied at two games each.

It made sense to start Borowy in Game 5, but when he lost and the Cubs needed a win in Game 6, Grimm turned back to Passeau instead of Wyse. The game went into extra innings and Borowy was used in relief, as were Wyse and Prim. The latter two pitched poorly and allowed the game to be tied; Borowy heroically threw four relief innings only a day after starting Game 5.

The Cubs won the game in the 12th inning, tying the Series again. Wyse would have been the logical choice to start Game 7, but Grimm, apparently not trusting him after his poor outing in Game 6, went with Borowy. You know what happened next. To his dying day, Wyse always claimed that the Cubs would have won the 1945 World Series if Grimm had started him instead of Borowy.

Wyse pitched well in 1946 but declined in 1947, possibly suffering the effects of the back injury. The Cubs sold him to an independent minor league team in Shreveport, Louisiana on May 10, 1949. Later he pitched a couple of mediocre years for the Philadelphia Athletics and Washington Senators and retired from the major leagues after 1951. He posted 14.6 bWAR in six years with the Cubs, peaking with 4.9 in the pennant year of 1945.

He pitched three more years in the minor leagues before retiring to private life in Oklahoma. Wyse died in Pryor, Oklahoma, aged 82, on October 22, 2000.

I suspect that from here on out, most of the elections in the 2027 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List, which will see us rank the top 44 prospects in the San Francisco Giants organization, will be tight. But the last one? Not so much.

Giants fans, it seems, see a line of delineation between the top six prospects and the next batch. That was apparent on Monday’s ballot, as the result was a blowout. With an overwhelming majority of the vote, outfielder Bo Davidson has been voted as the No. 6 prospect in the system, it what will almost certainly be his final year of eligibility. It’s a drop of two spots for Davidson, who was No. 4 a year ago, and that says much more about the names ahead of him than it does about him, because it was an absolutely exceptional season for the left-handed slugger.

Davidson, who was an undrafted free agent in 2023 and has been one of the best success stories in all of Minor League Baseball the last few years, kicked off the 2026 season with AA Richmond, where he had ended 2025. He had hit well there during his stint the season prior, but he took it up a notch this year … but not before spinning his tires a little.

It was a slow start to the year for Davidson, who missed time early in the season with an injury, and also to welcome the birth of his first kid. Those absences seemed to throw him off rhythm a bit, and he ended May with just a .664 OPS through the first two months of the season.

And then came June. And with it, all of Davidson’s potential materialized. After hitting just one home run in May, Davidson went 29-94 with 11 dingers in June alone, while also drawing 14 walks. By the time the All-Star break rolled around, his slow start was a distant memory, he had an .861 OPS and a 122 wRC+, and it was time to test his talents in AAA.

A similar thing happened when Davidson joined the Sacramento River Cats. As is the case with most players, there was an adjustment period to the highest level of the Minors, and he was struggling a bit on offense early on. And then everything clicked, and it clicked in a huge way. In the middle of August, Davidson rattled off a 10-game hitting streak that saw him go 23-43 with six home runs and seven doubles.

At that point it was off to the races for Davidson, who ended up being one of the top hitters in the Pacific Coast League: in 53 games, he hit .309/.389/.534 for a .923 OPS and a 138 wRC+. Perhaps best of all, though, were the underlying metrics: Davidson’s AAA Statcast page is a sea of red (which is a good thing), and the hard-hit data jumps off the page. He was 94th percentile in average exit velocity, 95th percentile in 50th percentile exit velocity, 82nd percentile in 90th percentile exit velocity, and 94th percentile in hard hit rate.

There’s been a refrain among the organization that Davidson, who turned 24 in July, should have more untapped potential than one might expect of a player his age. That’s understandable given that he was a Junior College player, and really entered the Minors having never seen serious velocity or spin from pitchers. That belief is backed up by arguably the most promising thing to come out of Davidson’s season: he got better.

In 2025, Davidson hit 18 home runs; in 2026, in a nearly identical amount of at-bats, he pushed that number all the way to 29, tops in the system. His strikeout rate, of 22.8% against High-A and AA pitchers a year ago, dropped to 21.5% against more advanced pitching in AA and AAA, with his swinging strike rate decreasing as well. He even made mild gains on the basepaths, stealing 20 bags in 23 attempts, after needing 25 attempts to swipe 19 bases the year prior.

The only downsides in an otherwise brilliant year were that Davidson was moved off of center field upon his AAA arrival (though he proved to be a very strong defensive corner outfielder), and he didn’t make many gains in hitting same-handed pitching. Should he stick at the Major League level, there’s a high chance of being a platoon bat.

Speaking of the Major Leagues, Davidson got a cup of coffee to end the year, and hit 7-20 with a walk and seven strikeouts in his MLB debut. He’ll come to Spring Training (if there is a Spring Training) with every opportunity to win a job on the Opening Day roster … and even if he opens the year back in AAA (not the worst thing given that he only has played 52 games there), you can be sure that he’ll get ample opportunity in 2027 to prove that he can be a core part of the Giants going forward. The sky’s the limit when you have that much power, backed up with a strong hit tool, quality defense, and exceptional size and athleticism!

Now let’s add to the list, and a reminder that voting takes place in the comment section now.

The list so far

1. Josuar González — SS
2. Jackson Flora — RHP
3. Luis Hernández — SS
4. Jhonny Level — SS
5. Ramon Marquez — RHP
6. Bo Davidson — OF

Note: Clicking on the above names will link to the CPL where they were voted onto the list.

No. 7 prospect nominees

Carson Bolemon — 19.7-year old LHP — yet to debut

JacobBresnahan — 21.4-year old LHP — 2.92 ERA/4.32 FIP in High-A (98.2 IP); 5.06 ERA/3.60 FIP in AA (16 IP)

ArgenisCayama — 20.1-year old RHP — 4.87 ERA/4.27 FIP in Low-A (57.1 IP)

DakotaJordan — 23.5-year old OF — .879 OPS/125 wRC+ in High-A (355 PA); .697 OPS/87 wRC+ in AA (88 PA)

GavinKilen — 22.7-year old SS — .811 OPS/112 wRC+ in High-A (349 PA); .811 OPS/112 wRC+ in AA (143 PA)

Note: Each player’s first name links to their Baseball-Reference page, and their last name links to their Fangraphs page.All stats are from the 2026 season.

We have been doing this for a few years now: looking at the top free agents, using the contract Ben Clemens suggests he’ll get, and asking whether you would like the Jays to give him that contract. This year, the lockout makes it a little more complicated. Keith Law’s list is here. Ben Clemens’ is here.

Number three on Clemens’ list is Trevor Rogers, which seems higher up than I’d put him, and higher than Keith Law has him (13th), but lets consider him now.

Trevor Rogers (whose Baseball Reference page doesn’t list him as Tyler’s brother, but Tyler’s does list him as Trevor’s brother) turns 29 Friday. A lefty, he’s pitched seven seasons in the MLB, making 132 starts, with a 34-48 record and a 3.88 ERA.

But he is coming in free agency off his best two seasons, with a 7.5 bWAR in 48 games. Most of that is from his 18 starts in 2025. In 2026, he was 10-11, with a 4.03 ERA in 30 starts. FanGraphs, on the other hand, has him at a 4.0 WAR in 2026 and a 3.3 in 2025.

He’s really only been effective in the last couple of seasons, and he has a worrying injury history. I don’t think he’d be the first guy I’d be offering a contract to, but the Jays have some pitchers in the upper minors who could fill in if he misses time.

Clemens writes:

Rogers has what teams want in a free agent starter. He’s currently effective – by fWAR, he was the second-best pitcher in this class in 2026, and a whole alphabet full of advanced ERA estimators agree. He has plus stuff and plus command, and he’s currently doing it with a ton of four-seamers, which means that any number of pitch design teams will think they can kick things up a notch. And he’ll be entering his age-29 season next year, which makes him one of the youngest free agents on the board in addition to being one of the best.

Law:

He still doesn’t have a clear identity as a pitcher; his changeup, once his best offspeed pitch and still effective in 2025, was awful this past year, worth minus-12 runs by Statcast’s pitch metrics, enough to make it one of the 20 worst pitches in MLB. As a result, right-handers smoked him for 18 homers in 169 2/3 innings, versus just one allowed to lefties. He’s had big platoon splits before, but in bad years, not good ones. Can a new team help him regain the tumble on that changeup to make him a real three-pitch starter who has plus control? And maybe mix in more sinkers and fewer four-seamers to make him less of the flyball-oriented pitcher he was in 2026? There’s a lot of potential here, and he can at least offer some reliability after three years without any arm injuries.

Clemens figures him to get 4 years at $26 million per, for a $104 million total. Free agent pitchers are risky, and Rogers seems riskier than most.

Jon Heyman (careful! Facebook!), Chris Kirschner, and Fansided’s Robert Murray have reported that the Giants are expected to hire Yankees hitting coach James Rowson to join their hitting group. The wrinkle is that it will be for the role of “offensive coordinator.” What is an offensive coordinator in MLB terms?

There are about five of these positions in the sport right now, and the general job description is to scheme a baseball offense: hitting, baserunning, and situations. This is the job that Donnie Ecker held when he left the Giants for the Rangers. Grady Sizemore assumed this role for the White Sox in 2025. Hunter Mense, who left the Giants to live closer to his family, is joining a Kansas City staff where Connor Dawson is the offensive coordinator.

So, it’s a catch-all offensive coaching position for the major league team. You can figure there’s a degree of instruction involved, too, and that fits Rowson’s skill set. Before serving as the Yankees’ hitting coach from 2024-2026, he was their minor league hitting coordinator for six total seasons, with stints as an MLB hitting coach for the Cubs (2012-2013), Twins (2017-2019), and Detroit (2023). From 2020-2022, he was the Marlins’ bench coach.

Hal Steinbrenner was pretty critical of the Yankees’ hitting group this past season, when — notably — Aaron Judge was unavailable for a good chunk of it. In their end of the year presser, he and Aaron Boone spotlighted this:

Steinbrenner said he would look at the coaching staff, and that he’s “definitely focused on the offense and hitting,” noting, “It was certainly a significant part of why we didn’t achieve what we wanted to.” Asked about hitting coach James Rowson, Boone said he has “been really impressed with the culture that he’s created.”

Steinbrenner said he would look at the coaching staff, and that he’s “definitely focused on the offense and hitting,” noting, “It was certainly a significant part of why we didn’t achieve what we wanted to.” Asked about hitting coach James Rowson, Boone said he has “been really impressed with the culture that he’s created.”

This new position seems to parallel what’s going on with the pitching group, where Buster Posey and Zack Minasian have mentioned that a lack of coordination and clean lines of communication probably worked against pitcher development at the MLB level. I don’t think it’s as valuable going through what happened to teams when Rowson was a hitting coach, because I think those results are, largely, personnel-based. But, the Yankees were 2nd in MLB in OPS (.757) and wRC+ (112), and over his three years they led the majors in walk rate (10.2%) and ISO (.187) while ranking just 15th in batting average. Again, that’s probably got a lot to do with Aaron Judge, and his absence this season hurt the team enough that the owner decided to weigh in on the coaching staff, barely acknowledging that Ben Rice had a great, breakout season for the Yankees. It wasn’t Rowson’s decision to re-sign Trent Grisham or count on Ryan McMahon or Giancarlo Stanton to provide offense.

Anyway, the Giants ranked 23rd in wRC+ (97), 26th in runs scored (669), 29th in on base percentage (.306), 15th in batting average (.245), 16th in Isolated Power (.155), 18th in slug (.400), 18th in strikeout rate (22.1%), 27th in baserunning (-5.6 Baserunning Runs Above Average), and 30th in walk rate (7.4%). There’s nowhere to go but up.

James Rowson has a lot of work ahead of him. It’s entirely possible that outgoing senior Yankees advisor Brian Sabean put in a good word for him with his former team knowing that he was the man for the job.

LAS VEGAS –– The Dodgers have made a habit over the years of capitalizing on market inefficiencies during MLB’s offseason.

And this winter, they have the kind of commodity that could be in short supply elsewhere.

Just like last year, there is high demand around the league for cost-effective right-handed-hitting outfielders, but precious few impact options available in free agency.

Thus, just like last year, the team is expected to field trade interest in veteran slugger Teoscar Hernández, who is entering the final guaranteed season of his contract with just over $20 million left due on his deal.

Trade speculation, of course, is nothing new for the two-time All-Star and three-time Silver Slugger. After the 2022 season, he was dealt from Toronto to Seattle ahead of his final year before free agency. Last winter, he was shopped again by the Dodgers during another offseason in which right-handed outfield bats were hard to find.

The Dodgers ultimately retained Hernández for the 2026 season, sticking with the 34-year-old fan favorite and clubhouse leader following his clutch contributions to their back-to-back World Series titles.

But now, the chances of a trade materializing feel much more legitimate –– thanks to Hernández’s contract status (which includes only a $15 million club option beyond 2027), the emergence of rookie sensation Josue De Paula (who could possibly succeed him as the Dodgers’ left fielder of the future), and the Dodgers’ general need to begin turning over an aging core.

“As far as due diligence, we’ll always listen,” general manager Brandon Gomes said during the league’s annual GM Meetings on Tuesday, when asked if the Dodgers would explore trading in-demand pieces from their current MLB roster (that group could also include Alex Call, another right-handed-hitting outfielder who was squeezed out of playing time in the second half last year).

However, Gomes also made clear that a trade is no fait accompli.

“We feel really good about our team as is,” he insisted, “and certainly don’t feel compelled to do anything along those lines.”

Indeed, for all the speculation that has already begun to swirl around Hernández this winter, it’s far from a guarantee he will be playing elsewhere in 2027.

While he remains an intriguing trade chip for the Dodgers to consider, there are also plenty of reasons to bring him back for a fourth season with the club.

The main one has to do with De Paula. For all the potential the uber-talented 21-year-old prospect flashed at the plate in his late-season call-up with the Dodgers, his ability to man the outfield defensively remains a serious question mark.

That’s why the Dodgers haven’t committed to playing De Paula regularly in left field next year.

Long term, they are still bullish on his ability to eventually develop into at least a passable option at the big-league level (so much so, Gomes said there hasn’t been any consideration of moving him to another position, such as first base, up to this point). 

But unless he makes drastic strides this offseason –– when he is expected to work with former MLB outfielders Alex Ochoa and Jackie Bradley Jr. during MLB’s lockout –– the Dodgers are unlikely to feel comfortable entering the campaign with him as their primary left field option.

That wouldn’t necessarily stop the Dodgers from still trading Hernández, especially if they found a team willing to take on his remaining salary (which could free up some payroll for other offseason pursuits, such as Tarik Skubal) or send back young prospects in return (in a move that could further strengthen their already highly-ranked farm system).

They could always redistribute more of utilityman Tommy Edman’s playing time from second base to the outfield, and find other ways this winter to bolster their depth on the infield dirt (where they are already looking to replace the newly retired Miguel Rojas).

Still, Hernández provides value in other ways too. Over the last three postseasons, he has led the club in playoff RBIs (28) and trails only Shohei Ohtani for October home runs (nine). Last year, he overcame a midseason slump following a hamstring injury to finish the campaign as one of the club’s hottest hitters over the final month (posting an above-league-average .267/.334/.425 slash line on the year overall).

Behind the scenes, he also remains an important mentor to some of the roster’s younger talent, most notably Andy Pages, but also De Paula himself late last year.

Thus, while it would be no surprise to see the Dodgers trade Hernández this winter, it might not be a shock if they kept him around for the final guaranteed season of his contract either.

“We feel really good about the core of this team, what our guys have done, and even looking forward coming in, knowing guys are hungry after the way things ended [last year],” Gomes reiterated. “So, as far as due diligence, sure. But actively looking to do anything, we feel really good about this group.”