The San Diego Padres have a long history of signing top international prospects. Catcher Ethan Salas signed in 2023, and shortstop Leo De Vries signed in 2024. Top reliever Adrian Morejon was a 2016 signee, part of the biggest and most expensive Padres amateur class.
The 2026 signing window opened Jan. 15 and closes on Dec. 15. The Padres have $5.94 million available to them for signing players. The total amount spent so far is not currently publicly known but their two biggest bonuses, $1.4 million to Cuban shortstop Joniel Hernandez and $1 million to Mexican LHP Diego Serna, was a good start.
Both players are ranked in the top 100, per Baseball America, and were joined by Curacao shortstop Timothy Mogen, who signed for $600,00. All three had prior agreements with the organization and the announcements came soon after the opening of the official window.
#31 Hernandez, 16, is a plus-runner with a plus-arm and athleticism. He has good bat speed and could develop above average power. If he doesn’t stick at shortstop, he has the skills to also profile in center field.
#45 Serna, 16, could be the best lefty pitcher in the class. He has a starter profile and is already 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds. He throws a mid-90s fastball, a plus-slider and a changeup with an advanced development due to his extensive experience in Mexico.
#76 Mogen, 17, is a shortstop from Aruba with plus-speed and a plus-arm and could develop power as he fills out his 6-foot-4, 170-pound frame. He has good contact skills and a high baseball IQ.
The other players signed in the first 24 hours include:
RHP Joel Duarte, 17, ($150,000) from Venezuela was training as a shortstop but converted to pitching recently with a plus-arm. At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, started with a mid-90s fastball and has topped at 98 mph.
Catcher Jhoneiker Leon is from Venezuela with a strong arm and plus-power as a hitter.
RHP Jordan Perez ($300,000) is a Cuban that has starter tools. He currently shows a low-90s fastball and a good curveball.
LHP Joel Gonzalez is out of Panama and shortstop Osmy Osorio is from Venezuela. There are no current scouting reports for either of these players.
Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported the above signings as well, but they are not confirmed by the team.
Expect more players to sign over the next year. All international players must be 16 before they sign and turn 17 by Sept. 1 of the following year. They must all be registered with MLB before signing. All players signed before summer will be part of a group who will start their professional careers as part of the Padres international group that lives and trains at their complex in the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican Summer League is home to several of the Padres top prospects and last year featured No. 9 prospect Deivid Coronil, an infielder who spent his rookie season as part of the DSL Padres Gold team, and No. 17 prospect Jhoan De La Cruz. Cruz, a shortstop and second baseman, spent his rookie season playing alongside Coronil in the Gold team infield.
Some DSL players play more than just their rookie season in the Dominican, but the more advanced players transfer stateside to begin their US careers with Lake Elsinore.
Jamie Lynch and Tyler Zulli of PHLY Sports were filming their podcast — and analyzing Bichette’s potential suitors in free agency — when one of their staffers interrupted them with the news of the infielder’s three-year, $126 million contract with the Mets, leaving the two in absolute shock.
After some screaming followed by a brief silence, Lynch then asked where Bichette would play in the Mets’ infield.
“Why, they have [Marcus] Semien, [Francisco] Lindor, and [Mark] Vientos,” Lynch said, referring to the Mets’ rather full infield for next year.
Lynch and Zulli then broke some more silence by simultaneously yelling out, “what” into the cameras.
Zulli then speculated on where the Mets could place Bichette come next season, saying that he could play “a little bit of everywhere.”
“He’s not going to DH,” Zulli said. “I imagine he will play a little bit of everywhere?”
Toronto Blue Jays’ Bo Bichette celebrates his three run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning in Game 7 of baseball’s World Series, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Toronto. AP
According to The Post’s Jon Heyman, Bichette, 27, is expected to play third base in Queens — despite never playing the position in professional baseball.
The PHLY Sports podcasters were also likely shellshocked by the deal, as the Phillies were initially one of the favorites to land Bichette in free agency.
Heyman reported earlier in January that it “feels like there’s strong mutual interest” between the two parties after they met to discuss a potential contract.
Additionally, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the “Phillies are the overwhelming favorites to sign” the two-time All-Star, while also mentioning that the “Yankees and Mets will now be in a bidding war for outfielder Cody Bellinger.”
CBS Sports | Dayn Perry: Thursday night’s bombshell that Kyle Tucker would be heading to Los Angeles seemed to set up another potential Yankees vs. Mets showdown for a free agent outfielder. The Mets were heavily involved in the Tucker bidding, which would lead one to believe that they could turn their atention to Cody Bellinger. But now, the Mets have made their own major move, grabbing Bo Bichette on a three-year, $126-million deal with two opt outs. Have the Mets removed themselves from the Bellinger sweepstakes? Or will they challenge the Yankees once again?
New York Post | Jon Heyman: We’ve gotten a lot of detail about the Yankees’ reported offer to Bellinger lately, as it’s widely assumed that New York has something like five years and $155 million on the table for the outfielder. Heyman reports further, suggesting that the Yankees are also comfortable offering not one but two opt-outs in the deal. That would be a pretty favorable contract from the player’s perspective, and it’s worth wondering whether Bellinger can expect to extract much more favorable terms than what’s already out there.
MLB.com | David Adler: Ryan Weathers, breakout candidate? The Yankees sure hope so, and there is reason to believe. Weathers’ arsenal last year comps well to Jesús Luzardo, Tarik Skubal, and Garrett Crochet, per Statcast, a pretty tantalizing group to be associated with. There’s clear potential for huge strikeout stuff, but the whiffs haven’t all the way come yet for Weathers, his 8.5 K/9 rate with the Marlins solid but far from elite, and staying on the field has always been a problem for the lefty. The Yankees have a promising project on their hands, but a project nonetheless.
FanGraphs | Jay Jaffe: If you’re in the mood, here’s more analysis of the fateful Tucker deal. Jaffe writes that it sets a new standard for short-term, high-AAV deals, with Tucker’s $57 million annual luxury tax hit (after accounting for deferrals), making him the highest-paid player on an annual basis in MLB history, outstripping Juan Soto’s $51 million number and Shohei Ohtani’s $46 million figure. If you’re coming away from this feeling like this is all a bit much for a player of Tucker’s caliber (read: very, very good, but perhaps not great), then you’d probably be justified, with FanGraphs’ ZiPS projections suggesting about $150 million as an appropriate median offer for Tucker over a four-year term.
Though a quiet day for the Atlanta Braves, it was a pretty active day for other clubs in the NL East. The Braves may not have made any blockbuster moves on Friday, but the slow day did give us a chance to look at Austin Riley’s 2025 season and gear up for a (hopefully) successful 2026.
MLB News:
The New York Mets and infielder Bo Bichette have agreed to a three-year, $126M deal. The contract does not contain any deferred money. The Philadelphia Phillies reportedly made a seven-year offer to Bichette.
Catcher J.T. Realmuto is off the board after the Philadelphia Phillies re-signed him to a three-year contract worth $45M.
The Minnesota Twins agreed to a two-year, $14M deal with catcher Victor Caratini. Minnesota’s 40-man roster is full, so a corresponding move is required.
With team president and general manager Chris Drury waving the white flag on the Rangers season with a letter talking of a retooling of the roster, here’s a look at who could be on the move before the Olympic break and March 6 trade deadline:
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In a meeting with Drury on Friday, Panarin was informed that the Rangers would not be extending him. As one of the last remaining big names on the impending free agent board, Panarin naturally has been in the middle of trade chatter all season. He is also one of the highest-valued assets the Rangers have in their lineup and should be able to fetch a mini haul. His full no-move clause, however, puts Panarin in the driver’s seat. Drury will have to work closely with Panarin and his camp to arrange a deal that the star Russian wing is on board with.
2. Brennan Othmann
Another player who has been in the rumor mill nearly all season, Othmann has been tabbed as needing a fresh start. The No. 16 overall pick in 2021 has struggled to translate his game to the NHL level over 33 career games. It simply has not been a fit in New York.
Rangers Rookie Brennan Othmann (78) when the New York Rangers held their training camp Wednesday, September 10, 2025 at Madison Square Garden Training Center in Greenburgh, NY. Robert Sabo for NY Post
3. Carson Soucy
In the final year of his deal, Soucy, and his $3.25 million cap, hit is easily moveable. There are plenty of teams that could use a stay-at-home defenseman who can play on either side.
Compared to last season, Soucy has been much more effective in his role for the Rangers through his 41 games. The Rangers, who gave up the 2025 third-round pick they received from the Golden Knights for Reilly Smith to acquire Soucy, should be able to find a team in need of defensive depth for the playoffs.
4. Alexis Lafrenière
If the Rangers wanted to make a splash and partially change up the team’s DNA, dealing Lafrenière before his modified no-trade clause — with an eight-team no-trade list — kicks in for the 2027-28 season would be a way. Nights like his three-assist effort in the Winter Classic are too few and far between.
The 2020 first overall pick was the consensus top selection at the time the Rangers won the draft lottery, but he never has been able to produce or lead like one. Lafreniere’s track record in the NHL hasn’t done much for his trade value, which means Drury should want to pounce on the first legitimate offer.
Rangers left wing Alexis Lafrenière juggles the puck in the first period at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, New York, Monday, January 5, 2026. JASON SZENES/ NY POST
5. Vincent Trocheck
The market for centers right now is one the Rangers will want to explore. There is a high demand for quality centers, which makes Trocheck another valuable trade chip for the Rangers. Since J.T. Miller was just named captain and Mika Zibanejad has a no-move clause until it becomes modified in 2029-30, Trocheck’s 12-team no-trade list that kicked in this season makes him one of the Rangers’ easiest centers to trade. The Rangers are already thin down the middle, but Trocheck may be the player who could fetch the kind of deal that Drury is looking for.
6. Braden Schneider
Primarily a third-pair defenseman over his five seasons in New York, Schneider hasn’t had the strongest season as he’s taken on a bigger role in the absence of Adam Fox. The Rangers never quite gave him an extended top-four opportunity unless it came on the heels of an injury, but the 24-year-old also hasn’t seized the role either. The Rangers would likely be willing to move on from Schneider as he heads toward restricted free agency — with arbitration rights — at the end of this season. Schneider would be a beneficial addition to any contender’s defensive depth.
The team also announced it claimed lefty-hitting Tsung-Che Cheng off waivers from the Rays.
The 24-year-old Cheng appeared in three games with the Pirates last season, going 0-for-7 with three strikeouts,
He was selected off waivers by Tampa Bay earlier this month before the Mets snagged him Friday.
The native of Taiwan has primarily been a shortstop in the minors and also spent time at second and third base.
He signed with the Pirates as an international free agent in 2019 and was designated for assignment by the team in December and figures to provide minor league depth at Triple-A Syracuse, since the Mets appear set in the infield after they agreed to a three-year, $126 million deal with Bichette, who will shift over from shortstop to third.
Tsung-Che Cheng appeared in three games for the Pirates last season. Getty Images
Bichette will join Francisco Lindor at short and newly-acquired Marcus Semien at second, while Brett Baty may have a utility role and another recent acquisition, Jorge Polanco could see time at first with Mark Vientos.
Chicago Cubs Executive Chairman Tom Ricketts announced at Friday night’s Cubs Convention Opening Ceremony that former Cubs catcher Jody Davis and pitcher Jon Lester will be inducted into the Cubs Hall of Fame this year.
Also, former broadcaster Vince Lloyd will be inducted into the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame and given a “Lifetime Achievement Award,” a new award honoring individuals who made a significant contribution to the Cubs organization over their lifetime. The 2026 Cubs Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at Wrigley Field at a date to be announced later.
Ricketts said, “The Cubs Hall of Fame Committee selected three people representing three eras of Cubs baseball—fitting as the team celebrates its 150th anniversary. Jody Davis was a part of the legendary 1984 Cubs team that helped create a generation of fans across the country—legions of whom can still sing Harry Caray’s theme song for this durable catcher who made the All-Star Game that year. He rarely took a day off from catching and was a tough out who hit 129 homers as a Cub.
“Jon Lester was perhaps the greatest free agent signing in team history. He already had two World Series rings and when we announced his signing in December of 2014 as we headed into the 2015 season, it was an inflection point for this team. His leadership helped power our team to the NLCS that seasons. In 20216, in Game 5 of the World Series, with our backs against the wall, he earned the win with a six-inning performance that saved the series for us.
“For over 34 seasons, Vince Lloyd was the ‘Voice of Summer’ for Cubs fans. From the earliest days of Cubs baseball on television in the 50s all the way through the 80s on radio, Lloyd brought Cubs games into people’s homes. The former U.S. Marine brought the ‘Holy Mackerel’ to Jack Brickhouse’s “Hey Hey.’ For 23 years on the radio, he was the play-by-play voice alongside Hall-of-Famer Lou Boudreau, including the great runs of 1969 and 1984. Vince’s dedication to his craft on the radio made him like family to generations of Cubs fans.”
Davis was a Cubs catcher for eight seasons (1981-1988) and a two-time all-star (1984, 1986) during his tenure. He was a key member of the 1984 National League Eastern Division Champions team hitting .256 with 19 home runs and 94 RBI that season.
Lester played six of his 16 major league seasons with the Cubs, including the 2016 World Series championship team. A fierce competitor and big-game pitcher, he was Co-MVP of the 2016 National League Championship series and a two-time All-Star (2016, 2018). He played on four Cubs postseason teams and will go down in history as one of the greatest free agent signings in Chicago sports history.
Lloyd was a beloved and versatile broadcaster of Chicago sports for almost four decades and served 34 seasons (1950, 1954-1986) as a Cubs broadcaster. He called over 6,000 major league games in his career, including 5,000 for the Cubs. He started his Cubs broadcasting career on WGN-TV in 1950, broadcasting home Cubs games with Jack Brickhouse. In 1965, he moved to the radio booth to serve as play-by-play on WGN-AM where he spent the next twenty years. He was especially known for his trademark call, “Holy Mackerel!” and for ringing a bell after every Cubs home run. Lloyd passed away in 2003 and is receiving this honor posthumously.
The Cubs Hall of Fame will now include 68 plaques which represent individuals who dedicated their time to Cubs baseball, both on and off the field. Baseball legends, former players and managers, beloved broadcasters and announcers, team owners and front office executives grace the walls of the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame, immortalized at Wrigley Field since 2021 in the bleacher concourse under left field, open to all fans. The plaques included in the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame represent individuals previously enshrined in the original Cubs Hall of Fame (1982-86) and in the Cubs Walk of Fame (1992-98).
The statement issued to fans from New York Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury on Friday will have major ramifications on the future of the franchise.
Drury wrote about his plan to “retool” the team in a letter awfully similar to the one former Rangers president Glen Sather and general manager Jeff Gorton released in 2018 when the Rangers planned to embark on a plan they described as a “reshaping” of the team.
There’s a lot to dissect regarding Drury’s message, so let's dive into it.
The first notable thing of substance is Drury’s words to describe where the Rangers are right now in the standings (last place in the Eastern Conference) and how the team will not accept the status quo.
“With our position in the standings and injuries to key players this season, we must be honest and realistic about our situation,” Drury emphasized. “We are not going to stand pat - a shift will give us the ability to be smart and opportunistic as we retool the team.”
To state the obvious, Drury, along with owner James Dolan have accepted the reality that the Rangers will, in all likelihood not make the playoffs this season, let alone compete for a Stanley Cup, so they are essentially punting on this season with their sights set on the future.
That leads to the next order of business: who will Drury look to trade, and how will he approach this retool as he phrases it?
“This will not be a rebuild,” Drury wrote. “This will be a retool built around our core players and prospects. We will target players that bring tenacity, skill, speed, and a winning pedigree with a focus on obtaining young players, draft picks, and cap space to allow us flexibility moving forward. That may mean saying goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years. These players represented the Rangers with pride and class and will always be a part of our family.”
Which players is Drury hinting at trading when he says that fans may have to say “goodbye to players that have brought us and our fans great moments over the years”?
For starters, Drury reportedly had an individual meeting with Artemi Panarin, who is expected to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and informed him that he will not be offered a contract extension, while the team is prepared to work with him and agent Paul Theofanous to trade him anywhere he wishes to go.
Panarin will almost certainly be dealt before the March 6 NHL Trade Deadline.
According to Vince Mercogliano of The Athletic, other players who holds a no-move clause in their contract have been asked about how they feel about the retool plan and whether they'd be open to sticking around for it or would rather go elsewhere, which includes Adam Fox, Vladislav Gavrikov, J.T. Miller, and Igor Shesterkin, who all sound like they're on board with the retool plan and expressed that they want to stay in New York, per Mercogliano.
Meanwhile, Vincent Trocheck has a partial no-trade clause and is under contract until 2029 at a manageable cap hit of $5.6 million per year, making him a more desirable player to trade for the Rangers, as he could garner a high return from contending teams looking to make a Stanley Cup push.
There are also other veteran players set to become unrestricted free agents this upcoming offseason, headlined by Carson Soucy, Jonny Brodzinski, Conor Sheary, and Jonathan Quick. All of these players could be viewed as easy trade assets given Drury’s selling approach, but how much value could they really fetch on the open market?
There’s a grey area when it comes to Alexis Lafrenière and Braden Schneider’s trade availability because while both of these players are young and fit the team’s current window, they have failed to live up to original expectations placed upon them as prospects, and their value is quickly diminishing.
It’s unclear who Drury considers to be the Rangers’ “core players and prospects” he wants to build around, which is why it is difficult to predict which players are actually on the trade block outside of Panarin.
On top of draft picks, Drury mentions the team’s desire to clear up cap space to allow flexibility moving forward.
The Rangers are looking to get younger and accumulate more draft picks, but Drury was very specific in mentioning that this process is a “retool” and not a “rebuild”, meaning if they are able to build enough assets and clear up a sufficient amount of cap space, a trade or signing of a superstar caliber player in the near future is not entirely out of the picture.
Remember, the Rangers took this same approach in 2019 when, despite still going through a rebuilding process, the Blueshirts went out and signed Panarin to a 7-year, $81.5 million contract.
Drury ends the letter by letting fans know that his plan will begin to take shape within the “coming weeks and months” and with the trade deadline just a few weeks ago, Drury will likely spend the remaining time until the trade deadline fielding offers for some of his most prominent veteran players.
This is what is in the pipeline for the Rangers in what will be a franchise-altering few months.
Marcus Semien #10 and Bo Bichette #11 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrate defeating the Minnesota Twins in their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on September 18, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Bo Bichette has a friend waiting for him in Queens.
The newest Mets star will reunite with Marcus Semien, with whom he previously spent a season in Toronto.
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During a postgame press conference at the end of that 2021 season, Bichette showed his immense respect for the veteran second baseman, which could indicate that he’s pumped to be reunited with Semien.
“Everything,” Bichette said when asked what took away from playing with Semien. “He’s meant a lot to me.”
The pair shared the middle infield in Toronto during Semien’s first and only season with the Blue Jays after leaving in free agency that winter for a seven-year, $175 million deal with the Rangers.
Semien had signed a one-year, $18 million contract with the Blue Jays before that campaign.
Both players enjoyed some of the best seasons of their careers in ’21.
"Everything… He's meant a lot to me."
An emotional Bo Bichette reflects on what he learned from his teammate Marcus Semien this season. pic.twitter.com/GYSuCd3R06
Bichette, playing in his third big league season, made his first All-Star team, hitting 29 home runs with 102 RBIs while leading the American League with 191 hits.
Semien’s year was even better.
After slashing .265/.334/.538 with a career-high 45 homers and 102 RBIs, Semien finished third in the AL MVP voting.
He also had a trio of firsts, making his first All-Star team and winning the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards at second base.
Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrate defeating the Minnesota Twins in their MLB game at the Rogers Centre on September 18, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Getty Images
The Blue Jays went 91-71, but finished outside the playoff picture in a tough AL East.
Bichette and Semien both joined the Mets from the junior circuit this offseason.
Not only are they adding a two-time All-Star to their lineup, but the Amazin’s seemingly stole him right from under the hands of a bitter division rival.
All offseason, the Phillies were seen as one of the favorites — if not the favorite — to land Bichette in free agency.
Bo Bichette of the Toronto Blue Jays hits an RBI single during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 5 of the 2025 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images
Earlier this month, The Post’s Jon Heyman reported that it “feels like there’s strong mutual interest” between the Phillies and Bichette as the two sides met to discuss a potential deal.
As recently as late Thursday night, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the “Phillies are the overwhelming favorites to sign” Bichette, adding that the “Yankees and Mets will now be in a bidding war for outfielder Cody Bellinger.”
Less than 12 hours later, the Mets proved otherwise, landing Bichette on a three-year, $126 million deal with opt-outs after the first two years.
Philadelphia was reportedly caught off guard by the shock signing.
Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) looks on during warmups before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers during Game 3 of the NLDS. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
“The Phillies had agreed to Bo Bichette’s request for a 7-year, $200 million deal last night and believed they would sign him until the Mets swooped in with their 3-year, $126 million offer after losing out in the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes,” Nightengale wrote on X after news of the deal broke on Friday.
After missing out on Bichette, the Phillies quickly pivoted, re-signing catcher J.T. Realmuto to a three-year, $45 million contract.
The Mets offered a four-year deal worth $220 million, which included no deferrals and was worth $60 million for each of the first two seasons and $50 million for the final two on the table for Tucker, per Heyman.
With Christian Vazquez’s contract finally off the books, the Twins have been searching for a new catcher behind starter Ryan Jeffers. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, Minnesota got their man in Caratini who agreed to a two year, $14M deal.
Caratini, 32, has spent the past two season with the Astros backing up Yainer Diaz where he managed slightly above-average offensive production, hitting .263/.329/.406 with 20 total home runs, 76 RBI, and a 108 wRC+. He appeared in 114 games for Houston in 2025, though just 49 of those came behind the plate. Injuries to Yordan Alvarez and Isaac Paredes left them in need of coverage at 1B and DH, where Caratini was a mainstay down the stretch as the Astros fought to stay in the playoff race. Caratini actually hasn’t caught more than 55 games since 2022, meaning he should firmly slot in behind Jeffers while providing some coverage for 2027 should they lose their starting backstop in free agency.
With the 40 man roster full, the Twins will need to make a roster move before the signing can be made official. There’s several fringe candidates who could be designated for assignment to make room, but fellow catcher Alex Jackson will likely need to be moved either now or during Spring Training. Jackson is out of minor league options and the Twins are very unlikely to carry three catchers on their active roster with how they like to manage playing time and platoon their lefties.
Veteran catcher J.T. Realmuto agreed to a $45 million, three-year contract to stay with the Philadelphia Phillies, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Friday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.
Realmuto can earn an additional $5 million annually in bonuses, the person said.
A three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner, Realmuto made his decision a month after designated hitter Kyle Schwarber also chose to remain with the Phillies, agreeing to a $150 million, five-year deal.
Realmuto, who turns 35 in March, hit .257 with 12 homers and 52 RBIs in 134 games last year, when he tied for the major league lead with 132 games at catcher. He was in the final season of a $115.5 million, five-year contract.
Realmuto has a .270 career batting average with 180 homers and 677 RBIs in 12 seasons with the Miami Marlins (2014-18) and Phillies.
Philadelphia also reached deals this offseason with right-hander Brad Keller ($22 million for two years) and outfielder Adolis García ($10 million for one year).
Edwin Arroyo returned to the playing field for the 2025 season with AA Chattanooga after his 2024 season was lost to a shoulder injury (and subsequent surgery), and the results were more or less what you’d expect to see from a talented player with that kind of rust. On the whole, he hit .284/.345/.371 with only a trio dingers on the season, but it wasn’t until the 44th game he played (on June 11th) when he finally launched one.
From that point until season’s end, he hit .296/.356/.402 with an 8.0% walk rate and minuscule 13.0% strikeout rate, and all that came from a guy whose work defensively has long been lauded as MLB-ready at the most important spot on the diamond. That’s precisely the kind of player who found himself all over Top 100 overall prospect lists prior to his injury, and it’s worth pointing out that he just did all that in his age-21 season at the AA level.
There’s still a ton to love about Arroyo, and clearly you all thought the same. He takes home the #5 spot in this year’s Community Prospect Rankings because of it, as you voted him there with nearly 35% of the vote despite a crowded six-person ballot.
I doubt Arroyo ever morphs into a 20 homer kind of offensive player, but if he keeps that K-rate so tiny you can barely see it, he’s got a hit tool and patience at the plate that could see him hit .280 with a .340 OBP at the big league level. That paired with pretty elite defense at shortstop is a very, very valuable player.
It’s hard not to look at the current state of the big league Reds roster and not think they’ve got Arroyo firmly in mind in the near term, too. He’s got the glove to rotate in at both 2B and SS, and his ability to switch-hit means he can provide another lefty bat in the lineup when needed. Given that they a) cut Santiago Espinal to leave the short a middle-infield defender and b) traded away Gavin Lux to remove a lefty bat from the 2B mix, Arroyo hitting his way from AAA Louisville into the regular Reds rotation at some point in early 2026 sure does sound like a feasible proposition.
President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom has said that he wants to add a veteran arm to the St. Louis Cardinals pitching staff. According to a new report, that might be free agent pitcher Griffin Canning who the Cardinals have been in contact with.
MLB Trade Rumors just dropped the word that the St. Louis Cardinals, the Chicago White Sox and the New York Mets are interested in Griffin Canning. That’s apparently based on a report by John Heyman of the New York Post. He spent several seasons in the Los Angeles Angels organization before signing a one-year deal with the New York Mets last season. He suffered a a torn Achilles tendon which cut his season short. Before that setback, he had greater than 55% groundball rate and decent strikeout and walk rates, too.
Griffin Canning was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 38th round of the 2014 MLB June Amateur Draft from Santa Margarita Catholic High School and later by the Los Angeles Angels in the 2nd round of the 2017 MLB June Amateur Draft from University of California, Los Angeles. He has a major league record of 32-37 for his career with an ERA of 4.65.
Assuming that Griffin is fully recovered from his Achilles injury, you’d have to think he would be a prime bounce-back candidate and/or trade deadline arm. He might just be the affordable veteran arm that Chaim Bloom said he would welcome.
Kyle Tucker hits a home run for the Chicago Cubs last year. He's joining the Dodgers on a $240-million contract. (Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press)
Using a playbook familiar to their front office, the Dodgers waited until the market for slugging outfielder Kyle Tucker dwindled before making him an offer short on duration but generous in dollars.
The result is the defending two-time World Series champion plugged the only hole in its lineup with another superstar — one regarded by many analysts as the prize of this free agency class. The contract Tucker agreed to Thursday night is for $240 million over four years, with a $64-million signing bonus and $30 million deferred. He also will be able to opt out of the deal after the 2027 and 2028 seasons.
It's a major development that caused immediate consternation throughout baseball. The Dodgers are in a league of their own when it comes to spending on payroll.
Or as ESPN analyst Jeff Passan put it: "Fans feel like this game is unfair."
To which Times columnist Bill Plaschke wrote, "So what? Who cares? If three consecutive titles blows up the game, so be it. The Dodgers’ only responsibility is to their fans, and they have more than fulfilled their civic duty, and that’s all that matters."
Kyle Tucker rounds the bases after homering for the Cubs during Game 4 of National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers. (Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press)
Projections early in the offseason put offers for Tucker at around $400 million over 10 years, but the only team that reportedly entertained a deal that long was the Toronto Blue Jays. The New York Mets made an offer close to that of the Dodgers, but Tucker opted for L.A.
The Dodgers employed similar strategy in snaring first baseman Freddie Freeman and starting pitcher Blake Snell in recent years and closer Edwin Díaz last month, patiently allowing media hype to dissipate and waiting out the market before pouncing with short-term offers at astronomical yearly salaries.
The average annual value (AAV) of Tucker's contract as calculated by Major League Baseball will be a record $57.1 million, blowing past the previous highs set by the Mets' Juan Soto ($51 million) and the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani ($46.06 million) the last two offseasons.
Ohtani is now Tucker’s teammate, as are amply paid stars Mookie Betts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Will Smith, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, Freeman and Snell. And on and on. The Dodgers' estimated competitive tax payroll of $402.5 million is more than the combined spending of the A’s, Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians and Miami Marlins.
Who do the Dodgers have to thank for such largess?
Start with Ohtani. When the two-way star signed a record 10-year, $700-million deal two years ago, he agreed to take home a paltry $2 million a year and defer the remaining $68 million. That covers Tucker's salary and then some.
Don't forget the $8.35-billion, 25-year TV deal with Time Warner Cable (now Spectrum) in 2013 that created the Dodgers' SportsNet LA channel. Meanwhile, many teams have seen their TV revenue drastically reduced.
The settlement also approved the sale of the Dodgers from Frank McCourt to Guggenheim Baseball Management, the group fronted by Magic Johnson and run by Mark Walter that has greenlighted the lavish payroll spending.
The Dodgers celebrate after winning Game 7 of the World Series over the Blue Jays in Toronto last fall. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
And be sure to thank the fans who pack Dodger Stadium at each of the 81 home games, spending on parking, concessions and merchandise in addition to increasingly expensive tickets. Attendance last year was 4,012,470, a Dodgers record, the highest in MLB and nearly 600,000 more than the next-highest attendance, that of the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers averaged 49,537 fans per home game.
The response around baseball to Tucker's contract was as shrill as it was predictable. Cries for a salary cap when negotiations begin for a new collective bargaining agreement at season's end peppered social media. Some even advocated owners locking out the players if they don't agree to level the hot-stove playing field.
Anything to stem the spending of a franchise enjoying a revenue model that enables it to spend on salaries unchecked while breaking no rules.
"The Dodgers theoretically aren't doing anything wrong," ESPN analyst Chris "Mad Dog" Russo said Friday on "The Dan Patrick Show". "But the rules have to change. This is getting to be a joke."
Russo then proceeded to list the reasons players gravitate to Chavez Ravine: "Play in L.A. Winning team. Great organization. Good weather. Have a chance to be in the World Series every year."
Under baseball's rules, the Dodgers are punished financially for their gleeful spending. Competitive balance taxes — also known as luxury taxes — are imposed when payrolls reach certain thresholds. The Dodgers have blown past the highest level and must pay 110% of every dollar they spend above $304 million, meaning their commitment to Tucker will cost them $500 million — $240 million to the player and roughly $264 million to MLB in taxes.
By any measure that is a lot to pay a player who batted a ho-hum .266 with 22 home runs, 73 runs batted in and 25 stolen bases in an injury-marred 2025, his lone season with the Chicago Cubs. Tucker was a three-time All-Star during seven seasons with the Houston Astros.
What does MLB do with the luxury tax revenue? Half is distributed to small-market teams, ostensibly to increase their spending on salaries.
Tony Clark, executive director of the players union, concedes that the system might need tinkering but is adamantly opposed to a salary cap.
"We just completed one of the greatest seasons in MLB history, with unprecedented fan interest and revenues," he told The Times' Bill Shaikin. "While the free agent market is far from over, it is gratifying to see players at all levels being rewarded for their incredible accomplishments by those clubs that are trying to win without excuses."
Commissioner Rob Manfred, who will sit across the negotiating table from Clark when a new CBA is hammered out a year from now, is careful not to cast blame on the Dodgers while acknowledging that other teams and their fans are frustrated.
“The Dodgers are a really well-run, successful organization,” Manfred said during the team's spending frenzy a year ago. “Everything that they do and have done is consistent with our rules. They’re trying to give their fans the best possible product. Those are all positives.
“I recognize, however — and my email certainly reflects it — there are fans in other markets concerned about their team’s ability to compete. We always have to be concerned when our fans are concerned about something. But pinning it on the Dodgers? I’m not in that camp.”
And if CBA negotiations reach an impasse and players indeed are locked out and go unpaid until they return, Tucker's contract provides a hedge for that as well — $54 million of his signing bonus is payable now.
