NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 17: Jonathan Bowlan #52 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts on the mound with teammate Alec Bohm #28 prior to leaving a game against the New York Mets in the eighth inning at Citi Field on September 17, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Dave Dombrowski has done a lot of good things with the Phillies, the best being the ability to convince John Middleton to open his wallet for free agents. Some of his signings have stunk, but some have been quietly solid. Where he has struggled though is building a consistently good bullpen that will get the team from quality starts to victories. Once he traded for Jhoan Duran, he got himself a top notch end of game piece that locks down games for them, but he still needed some bridges to get to Duran. He had some, like Jose Alvarado and Matt Strahm, but once Strahm was up for arbitration, they moved on from him in a trade. The player he acquired, Jonathan Bowlan, had a strong season in his first for the Phillies.
Bowlan was quite the find this year for the Phillies, eventually becoming their second most trusted reliever as the season wore on. That title belonged to Brad Keller at the beginning of the year, but the combination of the injury to Keller and effective pitching by Bowlan elevated him in the pecking order.
He used a hard, riding fastball to establish himself at the top of the zone quite well. Compared to league average, it had more “ride” than the rest of the league, which was surprising. He used that ride with velocity that hit triple digits a few times to get on top of hitters, complementing it with a slider that was a hard breaker down and away to righties, sent to the backfoot on lefties. He did all the things one wants a reliever to do: induce swing and miss, keep the ball on the ground (mostly) and be able to get outs on his own without relying on a leaky defense.
What went wrong
The biggest obstacle for Bowlan looked to be himself. He just wore down at the end of the year. Consider that on September 2, after his outing the night before, Bowlan had a nice ERA of 2.82 with peripherals and back of the baseball card numbers that looked just as good. Then, in his next five outings, he allowed a home run and was sent to the injured list for a breather.
When you struggled to earn the trust of a manager like Mattingly, gaining that trust back is difficult if there is an injury holding him back, but the playoff inning he threw looked like that trust was basically evaporated.
Final grade: B+
One of the major criticisms of Don Mattingly was his usage of the bullpen. Towards, the end of the season, there were only two relievers that he actually trusted, Bowlan being one of them, Jhoan Duran being the other. With Duran, there was not much of a time where he was warmed up without the intention of bringing him into the game. With Bowlan (and others), this was not the same case. The term that most use for this is “dry humping”, where relievers are warmed up, only to not be used in the game at all. Even if they aren’t used, getting them heated is still using them and wearing them down.
Bowlan probably led the league in this at the end of the year. It felt like each game where the Phillies at least sniffed a lead, Bowlan got heated, which likely caused some of his issues.
The team needs more bullpen arms to make sure this doesn’t happen yet again.
But some of the onus of improvement for Bowlan falls back into his own lap. Is there another gear he can kick into where he can take a leap into a different tier of reliever? The homer prone-ness he showed was concerning, but you do have to wonder if that was a combination of tired and/or hurt at the end of a long season of high leverage usage. Now that he has done it, he may be better prepared and can avoid or at the least improve on it. He’s an important part of this bullpen as currently constructed. He’s got to get better at the end of seasons.
A number of teams have expressed interest in Crews, according to multiple people around the sport who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the conversations are internal and ongoing. The Nationals have not taken the former No. 2 pick off the table in trade talks, as they have with James Wood, Cade Cavalli and now Young.
Several teams have also expressed interest in Nationals outfielder Daylen Lile, though one rival executive said they got the impression that to actually move him, the Nationals would “need to be blown away.” Multiple rival evaluators believe Crews, 24, is more likely to be dealt than Lile this winter.
So. If the Cubs aren’t going to re-sign Ian Happ and/or Seiya Suzuki, could Dylan Crews be a potential replacement? Crews was the Nats’ first-round pick (second overall) in 2023 out of LSU. He immediately jumped into Top 10 overall MLB prospect lists the following year (Baseball America, MLB Pipeline and Baseball Prospectus) after batting .292/.377/.467 with five home runs in just 35 games in the Nats system.
But Crews’ MLB career has been, to put it mildly, a disappointment. In 225 MLB games covering 897 plate appearances, he has batted .217/.285/.363 with 26 home runs and 209 strikeouts, mostly playing right field for Washington.
Crews is the same age as Pete Crow-Armstrong. Both will turn 25 early next year. At that age, there’s certainly time for Crews to turn his career around. As D98 pointed out, this would be a change of scenery deal, so perhaps including Kevin Alcántara in such a trade would work for both teams. I would guess the Cubs would have to include a pitching prospect as well, since Crews has a lot more MLB experience than Alcántara, who has played in just 37 MLB games with 50 plate appearances.
I think I’d do this deal. It certainly couldn’t hurt. If nothing else, even if the Cubs did re-sign Suzuki after trading for Crews, he could be a decent bench player and spare-part outfielder.
(Original Caption) Carl Mays, New York Yankees Pitcher in action.
Carl Mays probably would’ve enjoyed one single entry in the annals of baseball lore that doesn’t mention the most regrettable of the thousands of pitches that he threw across a 15-year career that saw him capture four World Series titles. Alas, even on his 135th birthday, we cannot grant that wish. No matter how great he was on the mound, his story will always be tied to that of Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman. That’s just how it is.
Carl William Mays Born: November 12, 1891 (Liberty, KY) Died: April 4, 1971 (El Cajon, CA) Yankees Tenure: 1919-23
Mays was born in Kentucky to a Methodist minister named William Mays (ah, baseball coincidences), who died when Carl was just 12 years old. The family had moved to Missouri by then, but they packed up again after William’s death, en route to Kingfisher, Oklahoma. It was a sad time for Mays’ family, but he did get the opportunity to meet his cousin, John Long. He was a catcher, and he introduced Mays to the game. Pitching to Long, Mays developed the raw skills to attract the notice of traveling teams.
At the age of 20, Mays signed with the Class D Western Tri-State League’s Boise Irrigators, who offered him $90 per month. Mays was certainly worth the deal, as he pitched to a 2.08 ERA, 0.930 WHIP, and a 22-9 record in 280.2 innings. He moved up to the Class B team in Portland and again had a fine season, though won/loss record (10-15) deceived his true performance (2.45 ERA, 1.024 WHIP in 250 innings), and it was enough to get a new contract for 1914 with the Providence Grays, a Rhode Island team owned by the Detroit Tigers.
The Boston Red Sox purchased the Grays from the Tigers during the season, and Mays attracted Boston’s interested with a fantastic season: 24-8 and a 2.57 ERA in 273.1 innings. Another young pitcher joined him down the stretch named Babe Ruth, and their pitching helped Providence win the pennant. By the beginning of next season, Mays was a major-league pitcher.
The submariner worked mostly out of the bullpen in his rookie season, appearing in 38 games but 131.2 innings overall of 90 ERA- and 69 FIP- ball. He threw hard and was not at all afraid to throw high and inside to back hitters off the plate. Even as a rookie, he made an enemy of Ty Cobb, whose own nasty attitude clashed with Mays. On one occasion, Cobb was knocked down and then dragged a bunt up the first base line, where he spiked Mays with his sharp cleats and cut his leg. Boston and Detroit fought hard for the pennant in 1915; a 100-win season was not good enough to win the title for Detroit. Boston beat the Phillies in five games for the 1915 World Series title, but while he was a champion in his first season, Mays did not appear in any of the games.
The next couple seasons saw Mays slowly transition from splitting time more evenly between the ‘pen and rotation to becoming an established rotation presence and the ace of a championship staff. Although he was a bit of a loner, there was no denying his competitiveness on the mound. The Red Sox repeated as champions in 1916, and Mays had his best year in Boston in 1917, pitching to a 1.74 ERA (69 ERA-) in 289 innings while also unsurprisingly leading the league in hit by pitches. Only two pitchers in baseball had a better ERA than Mays that year and despite the HBPs, he had a 1.052 WHIP. His pitches simply sank, and many batters could not do any better than hitting it on the ground while hoping it found a hole in the infield:
Yankees infielder Roger Peckinpaugh said Mays threw “a very ‘heavy’ ball. It sinks and when you catch it, it feels heavy enough to almost go through your glove.” Horace Ford, who batted against Mays in the National League, said that hitting Mays’s fastball “was like hitting a chuck of lead. It would go clunk and you’d beat it into the ground.” – Allan Wood, SABR
Boston finished nine games behind the White Sox for the AL pennant that year, but another fine season by Mays in 1918 brought them back on top. While his ERA and ERA- jumped a bit to 2.21 and 84, respectively, his WHIP was almost identical and he led the league in both shutouts (8) and complete games (30). Those marks were made more impressive by the fact that the season ended early after 126 games on September 2nd due to World War I. The Red Sox played the Cubs in the Fall Classic, and Mays received the ball in Game 3 with the series tied at one game apiece. He beat the Cubs 2-1, going the distance with just one walk allowed, scattering seven hits. Boston and Chicago split the next two games, so Mays got the start in Game 6 to close out the Cubbies, and he did just that by spinning a three-hitter in another 2-1 victory. Mays was the last man to throw a pitch for a championship Red Sox team in the next 86 years.
Although his teammates were not fond of Mays for his somewhat antisocial personality and irritance on the mound when they committed errors, it seemed as though Boston and Mays had a fine relationship. It all came to a sudden halt in 1919. Boston struggled to give him much run support, and Mays became highly frustrated with the offense. From a personal standpoint, his Missouri home had burned down, and he grew so annoyed with the Philadelphia fans during one series that he hurled a baseball from the dugout at a fan. Finally, in a July 13th game against the White Sox, catcher Wally Schang clocked him in the head with a throw on a stolen base by Eddie Collins.
Soon afterward, manager and future Yankees GM Ed Barrow removed him from the game, and he stormed off the field, chucking the ball against the backstop. Mays was suspended by the Red Sox and told sportswriters that he demanded a trade. Soon, owner Harry Frazee obliged, sending Mays to the Yankees on July 29th in exchange for two unremarkable pitchers and $40,000.
“Carl, this is [co-owner] Cap Huston of the Yankees. I called to find out if you would be interested in pitching for the Yankees. If you are, there’s a good chance of my swinging a deal for you tonight, but I didn’t want to get all tangled up in negotiations if you wouldn’t pitch for us.” “Well, how about the money?” “We’ll have no problems there. Just pack your bag, and by the time you get here, we’ll be ready to talk contract.” – excerpted from Marty Appel’s “Pinstripe Empire”
AL president Ban Johnson was furious about the trade since a suspended player was dealt and essentially controlled his own fate over the authority of the Red Sox owner. The reserve clause was supposed to bind a player to his team without much control over it, but Mays worked around the system. He demanded that the trade be voided and that Mays be returned to Boston, but Yankee owners Jacob Ruppert and Cap Huston flat-out refused and told Johnson that if necessary, they would go to court to keep Mays on the Yankees. New York State Supreme Court Justice Robert F. Wagner granted a temporary injunction allowing Mays to pitch for the Yankees.
Johnson’s decision was rendered meaningless, and Mays made 13 starts for the Yankees down the stretch as the team bid to pass the infamous “Black Sox” in the AL pennant race. Although the White Sox ended up running away with the pennant as the Yankees finished in third place with an 80-59 record, it was not Mays’ fault by any means. He was outstanding, pitching to a 1.65 ERA and 51 ERA-, winning nine of his starts, completing all but one of them, and throwing a shutout as well. In just 13 starts, he was worth 2.6 rWAR and 2.2 fWAR for a rising Yankees team. They had their ace, and now they needed a hitting star. They enlisted Mays’ former rotationmate Ruth, who was a pretty fair hitter.
With Mays and Ruth in tow, the Yankees had a superb team ready for the 1920 campaign. They finished the year with a then-franchise record 95 wins and a .617 winning percentage, though they ended up behind pennant-winning Cleveland by two games. The race between the two teams was sadly marred by tragedy in a game on August 16th at the Yankees’ home, the Polo Grounds.
Mays was in the midst of another fine season, wherein he led the league with six shutouts, pitched 312 innings, and ended with a 3.06 ERA (81 ERA-). The unpopular Mays faced perhaps his polar opposite at the plate leading off the fifth inning in beloved Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman, a perennially fantastic player who had already amassed a 28.9 fWAR career in just nine years and 1,051 games with Cleveland. He was only 29, a potential Hall of Famer in the making. Even Cobb liked him. However, Chapman had a tendency to lean over the plate, and Mays threw an inside fastball toward him to start this at-bat. What happened next was unclear: either Chapman ducked unfortunately right into the ball’s path attempting a drag bunt, or he never moved at all. Either way, it got him square in the temple with a sickeningly loud crack.
It struck Chapman so hard that the ball caromed back toward the mound, and Mays’ immediate action was to throw the ball to first base in case it hit Chapman’s bat. Chapman’s teammates helped him off the field, as he was still conscious. They brought him to St. Lawrence Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a fractured skull and died the next day, the only player to ever die as the result of a pitch in an MLB game.
“It was the most regrettable incident of my career, and I would give anything if I could undo what has happened.“ – Carl Mays
The whole incident was a horrible experience for everyone involved; Mays was contrite but overall did not handle it particularly well, noting that there was scuff on the ball (which he always normally liked to do anyway), and that he didn’t expect Chapman to duck into the ball. He insisted to his dying day that he did not throw at Chapman. Regardless, the tragedy only emphasized the reason why baseball banned the spitball at the beginning of the year, with only those who already threw it allowed to use it via grandfather clause. Strangely, it still took over 35 years before players started wearing helmets in the batter’s box.
Mays became synonymous with Chapman’s death, and while he pitched another nine years in The Show, most people only remember Mays for that tragic pitch. Mays’ best season in New York actually occurred the very next year. He did what he could to put the incident behind him and paced the league with 27 wins, 49 games (38 starts), and a career-high 336.2 innings pitched. He was brilliant in a 4.5-fWAR campaign, and the Bombers outlasted Cleveland to win their first pennant in franchise history. Mays completed nine of his ten starts down the stretch and even tossed in a relief appearance; the Yankees won all but one of those games.
In the first game of the unusual best-of-nine, all-Polo Grounds World Series against John McGraw’s Giants, Mays put the Yankees ahead with a dominant five-hit shutout. He didn’t walk anyone, and only two batters made it past first base. The teams split the next two games, and Mays had the chance to give the Yankees a 3-1 series lead in Game 4, but Phil Douglas outpitched him. Mays held a slim 1-0 lead into the top of the eighth, but an Irish Meusel triple, singles by Johnny Rawlings and Fred Snyder, and a two-run double by George Burns gave the Giants three runs. The Yankees lost 4-2 to even the series.
Manager Miller Huggins turned back to Mays on just two days’ rest in Game 7 with the series even at 3-3. The only other starter in the pitching well was Waite Hoyt, so the Yankees were desperate. Mays did just about all he could do, allowing just six hits to the Giants, but a two-out double by Snyder in the seventh scored Rawlings, who reached on an error by second baseman Aaron Ward. Again, the Yankees were unable to do much against Douglas, and they lost 2-1. The Giants finished off the series five games to three on the strength of a 1-0 four-hit shutout by Art Nehf against Hoyt. There was some talk that Mays fixed the game in the two losses, but that was never proven and seems highly risky and unlikely given the then-recent lifetime bans suffered by the “Black Sox” players who threw the 1919 World Series. The Giants were just a damn good team, and they beat one of the best pitchers in baseball during the tiring late innings of two games.
With almost 2,000 regular season and playoff innings on Mays’ arm in seven seasons, he began to decline somewhat at age 30 in 1922. He was still a solid pitcher with a 3.60 ERA and a 90 ERA-, but he was never as dominant as he was in ‘21 ever again. The Yankees won their second straight pennant in ’22 and again faced McGraw’s Giants in the World Series. This time, it was not nearly as close. The series returned to a best-of-seven and the Giants won Games 1 and 3 to take a 2-0 lead (Game 2 ended in a 3-3 tie called on account of darkness). Mays got the nod in Game 4, but despite getting staked to an early two-run advantage, a four-run fifth led to a 4-3 loss. The Giants finished off their undefeated series with a 5-3 victory in Game 5, as Nehf finished off the Yankees for the second straight year.
The Yankees had grown weary of Mays by 1923, and they reportedly sought to trade him before the season. Nothing happened though, so Huggins just barely used him throughout the Yankees’ pennant three-peat. Mays pitched poorly when he did appear, so it was not as though the Yankees were squandering anyone valuable. He did not appear in the Fall Classic of the Yankees’ first championship, as they finally beat the Giants.
The Cincinnati Reds bought Mays from the Yankees after the ’23 campaign, and he managed to stick around with them for five more years, alternating between healthy and injury-plagued seasons. He had a comeback season at age 34 in ’26, leading the NL with 24 complete games and pitching to a 3.14 ERA (85 ERA-) in 281 innings, a 4.7 fWAR season. The Reds finished just two games behind the Cardinals for the NL pennant. Exhausted, Mays pitched just 144.2 innings over his next two years with the Reds, and finished his MLB career with one mediocre season on McGraw’s Giants as the decade came to a close.
Mays pitched two years in the minor league American Association and Pacific Coast League, then officially ended his playing career at age 40. His baseball career did not fully conclude though; he had made amends with the Cleveland organization and scouted for them, Milwaukee, and Kansas City over the next 20 years. He lived until he was 79 years old, passing away in ‘71 with the game a whole lot different than it was when he began. Mays was a crucial member of the first Yankee teams of any sustained success, and his contributions to those teams should not be forgotten.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 11: Joc Pederson #3 of the Texas Rangers gets ready in the batters box against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 11, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Let’s do another free agent poll!
The Rangers are looking to improve their offense this offseason. They currently don’t have a definitive option at DH, and may have other holes, depending on if they decide to stab me in the heart with a pencil and trade Corey Seager.
The good news is that there’s a veteran DH on the market who is coming off a very solid season at the plate, slashing .235/.329/.487. He also has a reputation as a good clubhouse guy, and likely will command just a one year deal at a not-too-expensive number. You may have heard of him before — his name is Joc Pederson.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 19: Bryan Baker #47 of the Tampa Bay Rays prepares to pitch during the ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians in game six of the American League Championship Series at Tropicana Field on October 19, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
A career year results in more accolades for Bryan Baker as the 31-year old hurler has been named the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year.
This award, which debuted in 2014, is given out by Major League Baseball honoring the top relief pitcher in the American League. The National League honor is named after Trevor Hoffman and was awarded to Mason Miller of the San Diego Padres.
Baker came very close to receiving another award as he finished third for the BBWAA American League reliever of the year; that award went to Louis Varland of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Baker was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 11th round of the 2016 draft. At the 2018 trade deadline, Baker was sent as the Player to be Named Later to the Toronto Blue Jays along with Chad Spanberger and Forrest Wall for Seunghwan Oh. Baker toiled away in Toronto’s system for several years before making his MLB debut in 2021.
That November, Baker was designated for assignment and then picked up off of waivers by the Baltimore Orioles. For the next few years, the Orioles turned to Baker frequently but he was never the type to be used in the highest leverage situations.
During the 2025 season, Baker’s K% soared and he caught the interest of the Tampa Bay Rays. On July 10th, the Rays pulled the trigger on a deal that brought Baker to Tampa Bay in exchange for the 37th overall selection in the upcoming draft; the Rays would actually acquire the player drafted, Slater de Brun, back in December in the Shane Baz trade.
Baker pitched well but the on field results didn’t fully show it. But there was reason to believe in Baker for the 2026 season.
With the new season, Baker took over as the Rays closer with a devastating fastball-change-up combo. Baker utilized this arsenal to become one of the elite relief pitchers of the game, appearing in 65 games during the regular season and compiling a 1.44 ERA | 3.07 FIP with a 25.5 K% and 9.0 BB% over 62.1 IP. Baker converted 41 of 44 save opportunities, and set a new franchise record with 29 consecutive saves.
During the postseason, Baker was incredible as he didn’t allow a run over 9 appearances, securing saves in 5 of the Rays 8 playoff victories.
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 20: Tim Hill #54 of the New York Yankees pitches during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on June 20, 2024, in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Guardians, according to Jon Heyman, are in the mix for free agent, left-handed reliever Tim Hill.
I, for one, am tired of watching 65 year-old Tim Hill dominate the Guardians with his 85 mph fastball, so, I say, sign him.
MLB believes that MLBPA is floating the possibility of dissolving the union and then filing anti-trust lawsuits to take CBA negotiations to federal court once the lockout goes into effect. I do wonder if this is potentially a negotiating tactic to see if the league will back off early from its demand for a salary cap. And, again, I don’t want to think about the nightmare of ridiculous negotiating tactics ahead of all of us baseball fans for the next 5-12 months.
Cade Smith finished second in AL Reliever of the Year honors, Parker Messick finished third in AL Cy Young voting (give us ANOTHER draft pick, you cowards!), and Smith also made MLB’s Second All-Star team.
In case you missed it, Zack Meisel of the Athletic provided updates from Guardians POBO Chris Antonetti at the GM Meetings. Antonetti was apparently busy meeting with free agents as the Guardians seem intent on adding a starting pitcher via free agency or trade. Interestingly, Antonetti noted the need isn’t as dire as when they swung deals for Luis Ortiz and Slade Cecconi, so I’d expect only one move in that way. He mentioned looking for a “complementary player” for the offense, which could be a righty-masher or a lefty-masher depending on whom they believe in more among David Fry, Jo Adell, Kyle Manzardo and Cooper Ingle, in my humble opinion.
Emmanuel Clase owed $700K in back taxes which the government is trying to say provides a reason for his exploring gambling.
Winter/Fall Ball Updates:
The Surprise Sagauros won yesterday with Tyreese Turner going 1 for 3, Luke Hill going 0-2 with 2 walks, Cam Schuelke and Kyle Scott each throwing a scoreless inning, and Angel Perez giving up a run in an inning of work.
Jaison Chourio went 3-5 with a stolen base and Alfonsin Rosario went 2-4 in Venezuela Winter League action, and Jose Tena went 1-5 in Dominican Winter Ball.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 26: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals looks on during a baseball game against the New York Mets at Nationals Park on September 26, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
At the GM Meetings, Spencer Nusbaum came out with a big report that the Nationals are likely to keep CJ Abrams. Given the fact that Abrams has been in trade rumors for a year now, this is major news. In his video, Nusbaum said that the Nats want to be competitive in 2027, and obviously keeping Abrams would be pivotal in accomplishing that goal.
Plans can always change, but at the moment, people around MLB and those familiar with the Nationals’ line of thinking all feel it is likely that CJ Abrams remains with the team through the winter. From the GM meetings: pic.twitter.com/BLniSxLElg
The Nats shortstop/second baseman is coming off a career year in 2026. He hit .261 with 33 homers, 34 steals, 106 RBI and an .833 OPS. Those are extremely impressive numbers for a middle infielder. Sure, Abrams hit a bit of a wall in August and early September. However, he finished strong with a .913 OPS in his last 13 games.
It felt like Abrams had a tough time with all the trade rumors and a position switch he did not want to happen. However, seeing him rally and produce well over the last couple weeks of the season was important to see. Heading into 2027, Abrams will need to be a leader for this group.
The 26 year old is now truly one of the veterans on this Nats team. He is entering his 5th full season as a National. Abrams has now made two All-Star teams and posted career bests in most categories last year. That status in the league comes with new responsibilities. We will have to see if Abrams is up for the challenge.
By making it clear that they are not trading him, the Nats are putting a lot of faith into Abrams. I am sure their analytical models are saying this would be the time to sell high on Abrams. However, Paul Toboni is making it clear that he wants to build a winner with Abrams on the team.
Don’t get it twisted, this is a risky move from a value perspective. We could be looking back at this in July and wondering why we didn’t sell high on CJ Abrams. If the team does not take real steps forward next season, moving Abrams would be the smart thing. By keeping Abrams, the Nats are betting that they could at least compete for the Wild Card.
Hopefully this bet comes with increased spending, but I would not be so sure. In his video, Nusbaum said that keeping Abrams and wanting to push for the playoffs does not necessarily mean the Nats will go on some massive spending spree. He also wrote another article where he said the Nats are unlikely to throw massive multi-year contracts at relievers.
Those kinds of reliever contracts do often blow up in your face, but the bullpen is such a big need. The Nats need to secure the back end of the bullpen somehow. We will see if that comes from a trade or a one-year deal on a veteran like Raisel Iglesias. If you don’t want to sell high on Abrams, you need to build the right team around him.
From a fan’s perspective, it is really nice to see them come out and say Abrams is likely to stay. When he is rolling, Abrams is a wonderful player to watch. His combination of power and athleticism is mesmerizing to watch. There are not many players who can truly carry a lineup for weeks, but Abrams is one of those guys.
— Baseball Performances (@MLBPerformances) July 26, 2026
This decision not to trade Abrams is one of the biggest decisions this regime has made so far. In these big decisions, I think the front office has done a good job so far. They sold high on MacKenzie Gore, made a good managerial hire in Blake Butera and brought in a great staff. Now, they need to be right again because Abrams has plenty of value on the market.
It is important to note that Nusbaum did say that Abrams could go if a “godfather offer” came in. However, his reporting makes me think Abrams is pretty much off the market. Toboni comes from a school of thought where anybody could go for the right price, but I think the price he has on Abrams has basically taken him off the market.
The news that Abrams is likely to stay makes the 2027 Nationals a lot more fun. It also makes me very curious to see what the Nats do in these next few weeks before the lockout. This team still needs pitching help if they want to compete. The bullpen and rotation need reinforcements.
I also think the Nats could use another piece or two on offense. While the offense was elite last year, they will no longer have Curtis Mead or Luis Garcia Jr. in 2027. Those guys were key supporting characters last season. The hitting development has been stellar, but another corner infielder would be helpful.
For Abrams, a 2027 storyline to watch will be his position. He and his representation have made it clear that he wants to be a shortstop. However, his defense at the position has not been good enough. Paul Toboni said on the Nats Chat podcast that Abrams will play short and second, but probably more of the latter. With Seaver King coming up soon and Eli Willits on the horizon, the Nats have an infield puzzle to solve.
As a fan of the team, it is good to hear that Abrams will be part of that puzzle. Without his production, the offense would just not be the same. It is nearly impossible to replace a 30-30 middle infielder. That is probably why Paul Toboni decided to hold on to CJ Abrams. He wants to win more games in 2027, and you cannot do that without Abrams’ production.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 05: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees reacts during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays in game two of the American League Division Series at Tropicana Field on October 05, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello everyone!
Today is the final day of the GM Meetings, so hopefully we see another move or two before festivities conclude. Let’s get you all of the latest news as you get your day started.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 16: Jacob Wilson #5 of the Athletics bunts into a force out during the third inning against the Texas Rangers at Sutter Health Park on August 16, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to Thursday A’s fans!
There has been a report making the rounds online that young shortstop Jacob Wilson could be on the trade block this offseason thanks to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale:
Athletics infielder Jacob Wilson is a potential trade chip as the club searches for starting pitching, per @BNightengale
While the A’s have “zero urgency to trade him,” Nightengale notes they’re desperate for starting pitching and Wilson could be a valuable trade chip
That’s begun a larger-than-expected debate about Wilson’s trade value and whether or not the Athletics would really consider trading him. On it’s face it seems like a far-fetched idea for the A’s to even consider moving Wilson, let alone pulling the trigger on a trade to eject their starting shortstop. The A’s are one year away from making the move to Las Vegas. Don’t we want some core players around when the new stadium opens?
Wilson will be turning 25 at the beginning of next season. That’s around the time a lot of players even makeit to the big leagues, let alone establish themselves. Establishing himself is an understatement for Wilson after he started the All-Star Game in 2025 as a rookie. That earned him a nice contract extension, getting $70 million early to tie him to the A’s for the next seven years. Granted, his sophomore campaign wasn’t as thrilling as his rookie season but a lot of that can probably be chalked up to fluke injuries. Wilson was having a fine campaign before the All-Star break, and dumping him now would be at a sell-low point for a young player locked into a long-term deal.
On the other hand, there are obvious reasons to consider a swap if it makes sense. Wilson did after all have a tough second half, and then to cap his year off he underwent major shoulder surgery. While the expectation is that he’ll be fully healed and good to go come Spring Training, shoulders have been known to be tricky sometimes. If the club believes that his shoulder could become a recurring problem that they don’t want to deal with regularly, they could be more amenable to moving him we think.
While it sounds far fetched, it really does make sense to at least consider it on paper. The contract isn’t especially onerous, even for small-market teams. He’s affordable for even the lowest-payroll teams and that broadens the potential market if the A’s really wanted to make Wilson available. New President Taylor Smith isn’t connected to Wilson at all and might not be as enamored with him as other teams may be. Wilson’s contact-oriented approach would make lots of slugging teams more balanced.
And then you have the roster fit. The A’s best prospect and one of the best in the entire sport, Leo De Vries, is on the cusp of making his big league debut, which will almost certainly come in 2026 (if there is a season). And he happens to be a shortstop. There’s been some debate over whether Wilson moves off to second base or De Vries to third to fit them both in the lineup, but a trade of Wilson would free up De Vries to take his natural spot.
Overall the chances of a swap coming together are probably small. The A’s would need pitching, pitching, and more pitching in exchange, and that’s not really a debate. This organization is starving for quality arms and Wilson could be the one that’s dangled to get them, but it just doesn’t seem likely at this point. Not with the move to Vegas almost here, Wilson coming off a down season and already signed to the team long-term. What do you guys think? Would/should the A’s consider making Wilson available?
The MLBPA could have a potential nuclear option in its upcoming labor battle with MLB.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, players could pursue a disclaimer of interest, a strategy previously used by the NFL and NBA players' unions to challenge league restrictions through…
Great point. Where has the spending been these last two years? And when will the wallet open up?
With the obvious caveat that I'm NOT surprised, it's hilarious that Rosenthal lays out how #athletics have fallen far short of their reported payroll "ramp up" in Sacramento (creative math mentioned within, notwithstanding). https://t.co/gWmsa9I1IO
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 29: Bo Bichette #19 of the New York Mets reacts after being called out against the Houston Astros during the game at Citi Field on August 29, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Caean Couto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Bo Bichette, a former second round draft pick of the Blue Jays and son of four-time All-Star Dante Bichette, authored one of the biggest plays of the iconic Game 7 of the 2025 World Series when he cracked a three-run home run off Shohei Ohtani in the third inning. At the time, it was impossible to imagine Bichette, a two-time All-Star with Toronto, as anything other than a Blue Jay for life, despite his impending free agency. It seemed like he and the Jays were inextricably linked, and his return that winter was a mere formality.
Then, a series of unforeseen events happened along the way, as they often do in the MLB offseason. The Mets let their own homegrown star Pete Alonso, sign elsewhere, and they traded another, Brandon Nimmo, to the Rangers. In an effort to beef up their offense, they made an aggressive play for Kyle Tucker, who ended up with the Dodgers on a short-term, high-AAV deal. Needing something to appease the fanbase and looking to plug a hole in their lineup, they landed Bichette within 24 hours of losing out on Tucker, much to the surprise of the entire league. The deal was for $126 million over three years ($42 million AAV), with opts out strategically offered after each year.
The deal seemed, at the time, like a win for both sides. Given his age, the high AAV, and the ability to re-enter the market in search of that elusive long-term contract, it seemed like the marriage would be convenient for both parties. Thomas Henderson, in his Bichette season preview, went so far as to predict the following:
The Mets and Bichette agreed to the three-year deal, but in all actuality it is likely a one-year contract…In all likelihood, Bichette will perform well enough to forgo the $84 million left on his contract to chase long-term stability, which is part of the reason why the Mets were into him in the first place.
To Thomas’ credit, this was an extremely rational and level-headed prediction, and one that I’d guess 99% of Mets fans envisioned when the deal was announced. However, a not-so-funny thing happened along the way: Bichette performed well below his career norms, becoming one of the most disappointing Mets during the course of an overly-frustrating 2026 season. As a result, the near-certainty of his opt out has reversed, and Bichette exercised his player option for 2027. Given his overall numbers and the uncertainty associated with the looming lockout, it’s hard to blame him.
Bichette fell victim to one of the most common occurrences of star players coming to New York—the slow start. And oh boy, was it ever slow. Bichette gave fans immediate buyer’s remorse with a 2-for-22 start over his first five games. He strung together hits in 10 of his next 11 games and raised his slash line to .250/.300/.328 while also finally contributing his first home run in his 15th game in orange and blue, but he hit another dry spell that saw him go 13-for-62 (.210) to close out the month.
At the end of April, he had posted a paltry .590 OPS and 64 wRC+, not just well below his career norms but also below his career-worst 2024 season, one that was marred by injuries. To that point, he only had two home runs and seven total extra base hits, while driving in just 14 runs as the Mets continued to slide out of contention before the calendar even turned to May. His May was even worse, as he hit .207/.279/.297 across the calendar month, his worst month as a Met. He finished the month with a 64 wRC+ and a .576 OPS, well below what you’d expect from Bichette. During this span, he suffered through a career-worst 71 at-bat stretch in which he failed to pick up an extra base hit, a streak that mercifully ended with a home run on May 18 against the Nationals. It was at this point that fans really began to wonder if we’d ever see the elite version of Bichette at Citi Field.
After two consecutive goose eggs to begin June, Bichette turned a corner on June 3. The third baseman picked up his first four-hit game as a Met while driving him three runs to help New York beat the Mariners 7-1. It seemed like a positive development, and Bichette ran with it as he finally started to resemble the guy who owned a career 122 wRC+ and an .806 OPS. From June 3 through the All-Star break, he raised his batting average by 42 points and his OPS by 107 points, as he hit .331/.354/.515 with five homers and a 137 wRC+ across 35 games. This was, undoubtably, his best stretch as a Met, as Bichette finally seemed to be entering his comfort zone.
Bichette was demonstrably better than he was in April and May throughout the remainder of the season, but he was still far from what the team was hoping he’d be, which is an impact bat in the lineup. He hit .289/.337/.447 with 13 home runs and a 117 wRC+ in his final 99 games of the year after hitting .213/.271/.229 with five homers and a 61 wRC+ in his first 61 games. Despite that, and this is not something that can be quantified well with statistics, but it never felt like Bichette ever had a defining moment with the club. I even searched Google for his biggest moments as a Met in 2026 to refresh my memory, and not much really came up. The best I could unearth was his six-RBI game in a 7-5 win against the Braves on June 12, his five-hit game against the Pirates in an 11-1 victory on August 9 and his go-ahead, three-run home run in the eighth inning of the team’s 7-5 win over the Giants on September 6. Perhaps it’s due to the team’s place in the standings, but none of these really stood out as particularly impactful or meaningful, except maybe his home run against San Francisco.
He finished the year with a 96 wRC+ and a .702 OPS, his second-worst output in both categories behind only his 2024 campaign. After posting at least 3.8 fWAR in four of his previous five seasons, he managed just 1.9 fWAR in 160 games. On the bright side, he avoided injury and managed to play in a career-high 160 games while falling one plate appearance short of matching his career-high from 2022. He also walked at a career-best 7% clip in 2026, so that’s something.
Nearly 1,100 words into this review and I have not touched upon his defense, which was the one thing fans couldn’t accurately gauge heading into 2026. Bichette had spent his entire career at shortstop, but as a consequence of signing here, had to shift to third base—shortstop is, after all, occupied by Francisco Lindor, and Marcus Semien was penciled in at second. Having never played an inning in the field outside of shortstop in the majors, it stood to reason that this change could be a disaster, especially given the uncertainty of how his arm would play making those long-range throws. After some early-season growing pains, his defense was pretty much a non-factor, which isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Perhaps it’s because his offensive shortcomings took center stage, but you basically forgot he was playing a new position. He posted a 1 OAA but -8 DRS at third in 943 2/3 innings at the position. Because of Lindor’s injuries, he saw more time at short than we would have otherwise liked, and he posted -2 OAA and -2 DRS in 391 1/3 innings there. He also played one inning at second, his first and only inning at the position in the majors to date. He had already started showing decline at short in 2025, finishing his final year in Toronto with -13 OAA and -12 DRS, which is not ideal. Given his defensive output in 2026, you’d take those numbers going forward.
So that brings us to Bichette exercising his player option for 2027. Bichette took the safest option, which was a guaranteed $42 million coming off the worst fully-healthy season of his career and with the chance that offseason will be completely chaotic given the truncated free agency period leading up to the lockout. Bichette gave himself security and can still opt out after 2027, but even that seems unlikely. More realistically, he’ll take the guaranteed $84 million in front of him and re-enter the market at 30 years old and get the long-term deal he’s been seeking. That’s not a bad deal for Bichette, and it makes too much sense.
How you view that mostly depends on how you gauge his 2026 season. The best-case scenario is that Bichette has an incredible bounce-back performance, which means the Mets get a bona fide stud in the middle of their lineup next year to give Lindor and Juan Soto the support they were hoping for this year. If you’re more of a cynic, another year like last year at a $42 million tag would not be ideal for the Mets’ plans.
All that is to say that fans should get comfortable seeing Bichette manning third and batting in the middle of the team’s lineup. Bichette, despite what he showed for parts of this year, is a professional hitter and an All-Star talent, so there are worse problems to have than worrying about Bichette returning to your team for another season.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 08: Zion Rose #8 of the American League fields the ball in the fourth inning during the 2026 Arizona Fall League Fall Stars game between the American League Fall Stars and the National League Fall Stars at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Sunday, November 8, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Jill Weisleder/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Arizona Fall League is an opportunity for prospects to get some extra work in against high-level competition after the minor league season has ended. For some, it’s a chance to make up for lost development time after an injury. For others, it’s an opportunity to get noticed, work on specific parts of their game, or make a strong impression heading into the offseason.
The Royals have nine prospects participating this fall, including several familiar names and a few who could be on the radar of more fans in the coming years. Some have put together impressive performances, while others have struggled to find their footing. Let’s take a look at how each of them has performed so far.
Felix Arronde
The 23-year-old right hander from Cuba has made three starts in the AFL this season. In those three starts, he has totaled 6.1 innings, allowing 3 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks while striking out 8 hitters. Arronde holds a 2-1 record. He is coming off his first year in Northwest Arkansas. This past season he threw 105.1 innings, with a 6.49 ERA. He walked 54 and struck out 91. He had a 1.66 WHIP. He has been with the Royals since he was 18 and coming through the DSL.
Josh Hansell
Josh Hansell is a 24-year-old right hander. The Royals drafted him in the 16th round in 2023 out of Arizona State. He has never made it past Quad Cities. So far in the AFL, he has made 9 appearances, all out of the bullpen. He has totaled 8.2 innings, allowing 7 hits, 2 runs, walking 6 and striking out 12. His WHIP is at 1.50. This past season in Quad Cities, he made 16 appearances and 6 starts, posting a 4.87 ERA over 40.2 innings. He walked 25 and struck out 41, with a 1.40 WHIP. He missed the last month plus of the season due to injury.
Justin Lamkin
Justin Lamkin was the most talked about prospect early in the season (at least by me). Before the 22-year-old lefty went down with an injury that cost him the rest of the season, he made eight starts, totaling 39.2 innings, striking out 53 batters between Quad Cities and Northwest Arkansas. He was drafted in the second round of the 2025 draft by the Royals out of Texas A&M. So far in the AFL, he has made five starts, totaling 16.1 innings, allowing 10 hits, 8 runs (7 earned), walking 5 and striking out 14.
Dealin' in the desert.@Royals' No. 8 prospect Justin Lamkin spins 4 1/3 perfect frames in Arizona Fall League play: pic.twitter.com/8dzxOSQq35
I expect him to start next year in Double-A but wouldn’t be surprised if he made a quick jump to Omaha. He is one name to keep an eye on as a prospect.
Frank Mozzicato
The 23-year-old is coming off a rough 2026 campaign in Northwest Arkansas. The lefty hasn’t fared a whole lot better in the AFL. In his seven relief appearances, he’s totaled 5.2 innings, 4 hits, 4 runs, 7 walks while striking out 9 batters, and a WHIP of 1.94. This season in Double-A, he posted 71.2 innings with an 8.04 ERA, walking 72 batters. I don’t know how much time he has left in the KC organization. It’s getting to now-or-never territory.
Hiro Wyatt
Hiro Wyatt is a 22-year-old right hander, who the Royals took in the third round of the 2023 draft out of high school and has yet to make it past Columbia. In the AFL, he has four relief appearances, totaling 8.2 innings, allowing 9 hits, 8 runs (7 earned), walking 6 and striking out 6. This past season in Columbia, he made 7 starts, totaling 28 innings, walking 16 and striking out 24. He got hurt in late May and never made it back during the season.
Brooks Bryan
Brooks Bryan is a 22-year-old catcher, who the Royals drafted in the eighth round of the 2025 draft out of Troy. Bryan is a left-handed hitter. In 33 games in Columbia this past season, he slashed .319/.406/.496. He hit 12 doubles and 3 homers. He walked 16 times and struck out 27 times. He got hurt on June 1 and missed the rest of the season. So far in the AFL, he is slashing .317/.397/.583. He has hit 4 doubles and 4 homers in 60 at bats. He has walked 8 times, to 13 strikeouts.
Austin Charles
Austin Charles is a soon to be 23-year-old infielder. The Royals took him in the 20th round of the 2022 draft out of high school. He has never made it above Quad Cities. Last year with the title winning team, he slashed .285/.353/.491 in 165 at bats. He missed almost three months due to an injury. So far in the AFL, he is slashing .146/.143/.292 in 48 at bats, with two doubles, a triple. and a homer. He has yet to walk and has 17 strikeouts.
Angeibel Gomez
Angeibel Gomez is arguably the Royals top prospect, and if not, soon to be. The 17-year-old outfielder exploded onto the scene in the DSL this season. He slashed .361/.467/.653 in 144 at bats. He clubbed 13 doubles, a triple and 9 homers. He walked 28 times to just 19 strikeouts. He stole 15 bases and played exceptional defense in centerfield. So far, after coming stateside, in the AFL, he is slashing .286/.388/.405 with 3 doubles and a triple. He has stolen 4 bases and walked 6 times to 10 strikeouts. Mighty impressive for just 17.
Zion Rose
Rose was drafted sixth overall in the 2026 draft by the Royals out of Louisville. The 21-year-old outfielder went straight to Quad Cities where in 19 games and 71 at bats, slashed .268/.389/.338. He hit 2 doubles and a homer, while stealing 14 bases. So far in the AFL, he is slashing .322/.494/.508 in 16 games and 59 at bats. He has hit a double, 2 triples and 2 homers.
Zion Rose mashes his second Fall League roundtripper!
The @Royals' No. 6 prospect — one of two 2026 draftees in the desert — has slashed .311/.475/.489 through 12 games. pic.twitter.com/ocWGwvss2q
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 15: Agent Scott Boras speaks to the media during a press conference to introduce Alex Bregman (not pictured) at Wrigley Field on January 15, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Morning, all!
The Rangers have hired Tommy Joseph as a hitting instructor, who previously played two seasons with the Phillies and had coaching stints with the Mariners and Orioles.
Joseph has received positive reviews from players that have played under him, and is the first Ranger hitting coach who played during the Statcast era.
Scott Boras is not inclined to be very forthcoming about Corey Seager’s future with Texas
A one-time Yankee and former World Series champion is hanging up his spikes.
Chris Martin, a right-handed reliever who pitched parts of 11 seasons in MLB, has retired at age 40, FanSided reported Wednesday.
Injuries derailed Martin’s big-league dream early in his career, to the point that he left baseball.
Chris Martin pitches for the Yankees in 2015. Getty Images
He had jobs unloading trucks for UPS, moving refrigerators for Lowe’s and stocking washers and dryers at a Texas appliance store, per Milb.com.
He returned to independent ball in 2010 and parlayed that into a minor-league deal with the Red Sox.
He reached the big leagues for the first time with the Rockies in 2014 and then spent 2015 with the Yankees, pitching to a 5.66 ERA in 24 appearances while splitting time with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Martin then pitched in Japan for the Nippon-Ham Fighters for two years, where he learned how to throw a splitter from none other than Shohei Ohtani.
He returned to MLB with the Rangers in 2018 and had varying degrees of success over the ensuing eight seasons.
Chris Martin celebrating the Braves’ World Series win in 2021. Staff photographer
The Braves acquired Martin at the 2019 trade deadline, and he ended up being a key piece of their bullpen during their 2021 World Series championship run.
During that postseason, Martin allowed one run in 4 ⅓ innings with three strikeouts across five appearances, including Games 4 and 5 of the World Series against the Astros.
After splitting 2022 with the Cubs and Dodgers, his career peaked with the Red Sox in 2023, when he recorded a 1.05 ERA in 51 ⅓ innings across 55 appearances.
His performance earned him a Cy Young vote that put him 12th in the voting.
Martin finishes his career with a 3.53 ERA and 409 strikeouts in 434 regular-season appearances.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 07: Mason Miller #22 of the San Diego Padres delivers the pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the seventh inning in game four of the National League Division Series at Petco Park on October 07, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller was named the National League Reliever of the Year by the Baseball Writers of America Association and his was named Reliever of the Year as part of the MLB Awards for his efforts during the 2026 season. Miller was a unanimous selection and is the first recipient of the BWAA award which recognizes him as the best reliever in the NL. He beat out the other nominees for the award Johan Duran of the Philadelphia Phillies and Trevor Megill of the Milwaukee Brewers. It should also be noted that Adrian Morejon finished fourth in the voting, providing further proof of how dominant the back of the San Diego rotation was in the 2026 season.
Miller appeared in 66 games and threw 70 innings for the Padres last year. He finished with a record of 5-2 with 38 saves in 41 opportunities and an ERA of 1.67. Perhaps the most impressive numbers on his stat line from 2026 was his strikeout to walk ratio. The right-hander finished with 129 strikeouts to just 25 walks, illustrating just how dominant he was throughout much of the season.
Miller and his teammate Fernando Tatis Jr. were also named to the All-MLB First Team. With that being the case, it is still hard to imagine that Tatis was not nominated for a Gold Glove Award either as a right fielder or utility player, but the recognition for both players as two of the best in the sport is well deserved.
Padres News:
David Morgan was unable to replicate the success he had in his rookie season last year. How did that affect his grade from Lincoln Zdunich of Gaslamp Ball? Find out here.
There were limited details available about the Ryan Weiss signing initially, but Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball tracked down all the information you need to know about the new addition to the San Diego roster.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 25: Jarren Duran #16 of the Boston Red Sox ion action against the Chicago Cubs at Fenway Park on September 25, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by CJ Gunther/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s two years too late, but Craig Breslow is finally trying to trade Jarren Duran — like trying really, really hard, apparently. According to one executive from a National League team, Duran is “very available” — and not just in a “we’re listening” kind of way, but in a “they’re looking to move him” kind of way. But trading Duran may be easier said than done, as his roller coaster production and contract status make it hard to determine his true value. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
When he does enter trade negotiations for Duran, Breslow will be doing so with a new title, as he’s now the President of Baseball Operations, as opposed to his former title of Chief Baseball Officer. “I don’t know,” Breslow said when asked why the change was made. “Perhaps there was, like, unnecessary confusion.” (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
A Jarren Duran trade may or may not return a significant piece for Breslow and the Red Sox. But whatever they might get could pale in comparison to the production bump that might arise from two players already in the organization. “We need to have a more consistent offense. We need to score more runs,” Breslow said. “There’s a bunch of different ways to do that and we saw this postseason that there’s a bunch of different ways to do that. I also don’t want to discount what another full season of Willson (Contreras), a full season of (Curtis) Mead and a full season of Adley (Rutschman) can bring. When you talk about power, outside of Willson, we anticipate Mead, Roman (Anthony) and Adley — none of whom was healthy and with us for a full season — those could be the sources of some real power. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)
Do we dare to dream about adding a healthy and productive Triston Casas to the 2027 lineup as well? Casas plans to play for the Tigres de Licey in the Dominican winter league this offseason, though he is still not quite ready to step on the field. “[He] still needs to ramp up in terms of game speed and intensity,” said Breslow. “but he is feeling good, so we’re optimistic he’s gonna be able to compete in Winter League games.” (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
Is it possible that Casas’ incredibly lengthy absence was caused in part by mismanagement from the medical staff? That’s an impossible question to answer from the outside, but the Red Sox front office apparently has enough questions about how recent injuries have been handled that they’re conducting a “sweeping” review of their medical processes. “I think it’s important to try and decouple — are we getting the diagnosis or the rehab wrong, or do we need to make sure that communication with our players, with our staff internally, with the media externally is tightened up,” Breslow said. (Conor Ryan, Boston.com)
