Category: Baseball

MLB News Roundup

On the eve of the Detroit Tigers’ arbitration verdict with star pitcher Tarik Skubal, the team decided to go out and make a splash, further bolstering their rotation by picking up the best free agent pitcher on the market.  For three years and $115 million, Framber Valdez is no longer a Houston Astro. He’ll be reuniting with his old manager, AJ Hinch, in Detroit, and joining a Tigers team that was only an inning away from the ALCS last season. History was also made with this deal. According to Jeff Passan, the contract will feature the highest AAV ever given to a lefty handed pitcher. The previous record was held by Blake Snell (or as I like to call him: the American Wei-En Lin) 

So what does this all mean for the Skubal situation? 

Well, the $13 million difference between him and the Tigers has me anxiously anticipating today’s possible verdict. Will Detroit be forced to pay the man what he’s worth? Or will they get away with lowballing him for yet another season? Time will tell, but this Valdez deal really has me fascinated. I can’t be the only one who sees it as a bit of a slap in the face. Yes, they might be thinking of the looming lockout, but consider everything Skubal has done for the squad. This isn’t Doug Fister holding onto his 2011 second half here, this is arguably the best pitcher in baseball. The man’s been impossible to hit for the majority of his career. There’s a reason this arbitration case has been getting so much media coverage.

Oh what I would do to be present for today’s hearing. Do you think the Tigers will bring up Shea Langelier’s go-ahead grand slam? I can send them the youtube link if it’ll add a little drama to the mix. All jokes aside, I do feel for Skubal. I mean, no, I don’t know what it’s like to feel as if you’ve earned $32 million dollars, but I am familiar with the feeling of being undervalued. On top of that, this all complicates an already fractured relationship. Not only are the Tigers downplaying Skubal’s worth, they’re basically pointing to Framber and saying “You’re just not worth THAT much.” 

If this is the domino that eventually leads the Cy Young winner to the Dodgers, I’m going to lose it. I mean, they’ve already picked up Cole Irvin! How many lefties do they need?

Speaking of lefties, I saw this neat little set of spray charts I’d like to share with you all…

The A's are doing something very weird, specifically with their left-handed hitters.

They're very successful but they just… don't pull flyballs.

League Avg PullAir%: 16.7%

Kurtz: 15.8%
Soderstrom: 12.1%
Butler: 11.2%
Cortes: 14.5%

Check out their spray charts 👇 pic.twitter.com/gjxJmBCFT6

— Reds in Four (@RedsInFour) February 3, 2026

Once you get past the user’s hurtful handle, you’ll find that they are highlighting one of the strongest qualities of our young core. The A’s are a team that not only hits, but does so to all parts of the field. Watching where Nick Kurtz put the ball during his 4-HR homer game was a microcosm of this. His spray chart here further drives the point home.

And it’s not like we’re really squeezing the lemon wit this one. 86 home runs and 104 extra base hits were collected between just these four players. Can you imagine the guessing game they must have given other teams when it came to defensive positioning?

As someone who attended a grip of games in West Sac, their tendency for the oppo was a trait I noticed early on. My fantasy out of the gate saw A’s lefties swatting taters into the berm by the inning. But as the season unfolded, it became apparent to me, that the opposite field was the more desired place to mash. I wonder if this is something the coaches have been hammering in them? Good on them if they are, because these players are still in the early stages of their careers. Now is the time to be developing good habits, not giving into the low hanging fruit that comes with playing in a little league ballpark. Chances are Las Vegas won’t be subjected to the Yankee Stadium treatment. When you can’t bank on a short porch, you might as well get used to poking the ball the other way.

Thinking back on last season, there was really only one guy on the opening day roster that came off a little berm-crazy. That player was JJ Bleday, and look where he ended up? Him and his torpedo bat swung their way right off the A’s roster. He’s currently getting ready to suit up for Cincinnati (the team I assume @Redsinfour will be cheering for at the start of the 2026 season).

A’s Coverage:

• A’s Announce 2026 Sacramento Promotional Schedule
• Athletics Sign Jacob Wilson to Extension
• Athletics Community Prospect List: Colome Takes Seventh Spot
• Extensions For Everyone! (Except Kurtz)
• Wilson extension signals shift for A’s ahead of Vegas move
• Managers & Top Front Office Executives On Expiring Contracts
• De Vries (No. 4 overall) leads Athletics trio on Top 100 Prospects list
• A’s Spring Training Report Date, and everything you need to know
• After monster stats as rookie, Nick Kurtz has a new number in mind: 162
• Projecting Nick Kurtz after Rookie of the Year campaign
• Analysts say this A’s outfielder could follow Pete Crow-Armstrong’s breakout path
• A’s Odds of Reaching the Postseason this year
• A’s prospect Mason Barnett has an atypical arm angle and an old school approach
• Blogfather Sabatoges Own Wins Over Replacement Hip (And A’s Stuff)

MLB News and Interest:

• Tigers, Framber Valdez Agree To Three-Year Deal
• Padres adding veteran bat Andujar on 1-year deal
• Red Sox, Kiner-Falefa agree to 1-year deal
• Eugenio rejoins rising Reds at perfect time: ‘It made it easy for me to be back home’
• Detroit Tigers World Series hero, Tigers great Mickey Lolich dead at 85
• Pirates Reportedly Avoided Andrew McCutchen Talks
• Hall of Fame reveals cap picks for incoming Beltrán, Jones, Kent
• Carlos Santana reportedly signs with the Diamondbacks
• Luis Arraez, Giants Reportedly Agree to Contract in MLB Free Agency
• Shohei Ohtani Won’t Pitch at 2026 World Baseball Classic
• NBA, MLB, NHL, WWE, Major Sports Leagues to Join NFL in Wearing ‘USA 250’ Uniform Patches
• Red Sox Trade Jordan Hicks to White Sox
• Why Francisco Lindor, Jose Altuve, More MLB Players Can’t Play in 2026 World Baseball Classic
• Today In Baseball History

Best of X:

A sad day to be a West Sac Andujead. San Diego better treat our beautiful prince well

It looks like an Andujar/A's reunion won't be happening after all… https://t.co/mmGOaU57SK

— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) February 5, 2026

This was in reference to Joe Lacob’s interest in buying the Padres :/ Glad to see that “heard it from a friend” rumors can still make some ground in 2026 haha

Don't shoot the messenger bro…it is known and even Lacob said it after he couldn't buy the A's to keep them in Oakland…his goal is to get an MLB team back to Oakland…I didn't write that shit…just saying it is going around Nor Cal…heads up…

— MJ (@MJ64535865) February 5, 2026

Stickman Nick: The Opposite-Field King

Who’s ready for Nick Kurtz’s first full season in the bigs? pic.twitter.com/QV7qEWFLde

— MLB (@MLB) February 5, 2026

This deserves to be posted up again!

Jacob Wilson ✅
Tyler Soderstrom ✅
Lawrence Butler ✅
Brent Rooker ✅

The A’s are locking up their offensive core. pic.twitter.com/lD9buWbp5w

— Baseball Is Dead (@baseballisdead_) February 3, 2026

Came across this gem in the feed. What’s even crazier is we only got to see Yoenis Cespedes in THAT A’s jersey for half a season 🙁

There was something so insanely iconic about Yoenis Céspedes in an Oakland A’s jersey. It’s crazy we only got to see it for two and a half seasons. pic.twitter.com/qmzpKIQhv6

— MLB Hall of Pretty Good (@hallofgoodpod) January 26, 2026

The Dodgers will make a return trip to the White House in recognition of their latest World Series title.

President Trump is planning to host the team but no date has been set for the ceremony, a White House official confirmed Thursday morning.

The Dodgers went to the White House following their two previous World Series championships, being hosted by President Biden in 2021 and President Trump last April.

A Dodgers spokesman declined comment Thursday.

Read more:Shaikin: In these times, Jackie Robinson's team should not grace the White House

Questions swirled around whether players would decline to go ahead of last year's visit. Kiké Hernández said in 2018 he was unsure he would have gone had the Dodgers won the World Series the previous year. Mookie Betts said he was undecided and needed to talk it over with his family first when last year's visit was initially announced. After winning his first World Series with the Red Sox in 2018, Betts skipped their trip to the White House the following year during Trump’s first term.

Both players, along with every returning member of the 2024 team that was with the team during its road trip, participated in the visit. The only notable absence last year was first baseman Freddie Freeman, who remained in Los Angeles to nurse an ankle injury that landed him on the injured list.

Manager Dave Roberts, who indicated in comments to The Times in 2019 he might not go to the White House if Trump was president, also participated in last year's ceremony.

When asked at last weekend's Dodgers' fan festival about the possibility of returning to the White House this year, Roberts told The Times' Bill Shaikin: “For me, I stand by: I’m a baseball manager. That’s my job.

Read more:Dodgers celebrated at White House for 2024 World Series title by Trump

“I was raised — by a man who served our country for 30 years — to respect the highest office in our country. For me, it doesn’t matter who is in the office, I’m going to go to the White House. I’ve never tried to be political. ... For me, I am going to continue to try to do what tradition says and not try to make political statements, because I am not a politician.”

Though no date has been set for this year's White House visit, the Dodgers will play the Nationals in a three-game series April 3-5, with an off day on April 2 following a six-game homestand to open the season.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Spring training officially starts next week, with Dodgers pitchers and catchers holding their first workout at Camelback Ranch in Arizona on Friday, February 13, and the first full-squad workout on February 17.

Backfield workouts are open to fans, though there are some areas that are more out of reach to the public. A more traditional fan experience begins with the Dodgers’ Cactus League schedule starting on Saturday, February 21 in Tempe against the Angels. The Dodgers’ first game at Camelback Ranch is Monday, February 23 against the Mariners.

With no trip overseas to begin the regular season more than a week early, the Dodgers will have a more traditional spring training this season, with the Arizona portion of their camp running for a little more than five weeks, through March 21.

My first trip to spring training was in 2006, when the Dodgers still trained at Vero Beach. At my old job, we had a conference in Miami, and I flew out a day early to drive to see Holman Stadium for the first time, a great way to spend my 30th birthday. My one regret is that I didn’t take more time to roam the grounds at Vero Beach. I didn’t have a ton of time, and after a red-eye flight and two-plus-hour drive to the stadium I was more tired than I expected.

I’ve been to Camelback Ranch quite a bit, as their first year there coincided with my first season writing about the team, and have quite a few fond memories of going to Arizona.

Today’s question is are you going to spring training this year?

It’s been a little over a year since the Mets claimed right-handed relief pitcher Austin Warren off waivers from the Giants, and with today being Warren’s 30th birthday, it seems like as good a time as any to take a look at what might be in store for him in 2026.

Taken by the Angels in the sixth round of the draft in 2018 as a reliever out of UNC Wilmington, Warren has spent the vast majority of his career thus far in the minors. After relatively brief stops in rookie ball, Single-A, and Double-A in the first two years of his career, he found himself in Triple-A to start the 2021 season as minor league baseball returned from the pandemic.

Since then, Warren has thrown 151.0 innings in Triple-A, but he made his major league debut during that 2021 season and now has 58.0 big league innings to his name. The Angels released him ahead of the 2024 season, and the Giants signed him shortly thereafter.

Over the course of his Triple-A career, Warren has a 4.35 ERA with 168 strikeouts and 63 walks, and he’s given up 20 home runs. So his 4.97 ERA with 58 strikeouts, 19 walks, and 9 home runs allowed in 50.2 innings in Syracuse last year mostly check out. The fact that he gave up nearly half of his home runs at the level in just one-third of his innings there is the part that’s the least ideal.

In his short stints with the Mets at the major league level, however, Warren fared well. He had a 0.96 ERA and a 3.89 FIP in 9.1 innings over five appearances. That’s extremely small sample size stuff, but it was nice to see him pitch better than anyone might’ve expected in those outings.

Per FanGraphs, Warren has an option remaining going into the 2026 season, which means it’s incredibly likely that he’ll spend at least some time in Syracuse again this year. Roster Resource currently has him penciled in to the team’s Opening Day bullpen, but there figures to be quite a bit of competition for at least one or two spots in the bullpen in spring training.

Warren throws five pitches, per Statcast: a sinker, a sweeper, a cutter, a four-seam fastball, and a changeup. By modern standards, he doesn’t throw particularly hard, as his fastball averaged just shy of 94 miles per hour in 2025. Assuming he survives any potential 40-man roster crunch between now and the start of the season, it’ll be interesting to see if the Mets work with him to tweak that approach or have him keep doing what he was doing last year. And if he starts the year in Syracuse, cutting down on that home run rate seems like it would be the best potential path back to Queens.

Almost a century before Derek Jeter manned shortstop and held the captaincy for the New York Yankees, another athletic young player did the same. Roger Peckinpaugh, who came to the Yankees at the age of 20, never experienced the level of team success that Jeter did, nor could he boast a similar offensive profile.

But Peck was the Yankees’ starting shortstop for the better part of a decade, heralded for his outstanding glovework. And when he briefly stepped in as the Yankees’ manager at the tender age of 23, he not only did something the greatest shortstop in Yankee history never did. He became one of the youngest managers in major league history, and the youngest since the turn of the 20th century.

Roger Thorpe Peckinpaugh
Born: February 5, 1891 (Wooster, OH)
Died: November 17, 1977 (Cleveland, OH)
Yankees Tenure: 1913-21

Future Hall of Famer Nap Lajoie approached Peckinpaugh shortly after the latter graduated high school with an offer to play pro ball. After consulting his father and his high school principal, Peck accepted, and signed with the Cleveland Naps – I wonder who they were named after…

Peckinpaugh debuted with Cleveland in 1910 at the age of 19. He was, to put it simply, overwhelmed by big league pitching in his initial taste of the bigs. Cleveland perhaps recognized this and left him in the minor leagues in 1911 before bringing him back to The Show in 1912. He was slightly better at the dish that season but through his first 85 career games there was no reason to think he’d ever be able to hit big league pitching.

In May 1913, Peck’s career trajectory drastically changed. One game into the season for Cleveland, he found himself dealt to the Yankees, where he settled in at shortstop. If not for that trade, he’d have been in no position for what came next.

Yankee manager Frank Chance saw leadership potential and abilities in his young shortstop and, in 1914, named Peck the club’s captain. 23 years old, young Peckinpaugh was now responsible for leading a major league locker room. In his first full season, he led with more than just words. An excellent defensive shortstop, he also swiped 38 bags that year for the Yankees, leading to a 23rd-place finish in AL MVP voting.

Moreover, in mid-September the Yankees parted ways with Chance, after paying off the remainder of his contract. In need of someone to manage the club for the rest of the season, they appointed Peckinpaugh. Still only 23 years old, Peck was now the manager of the New York Yankees. Peck is not the youngest manager in major league history, as a pair of 20-year-olds managed in the 19th century. But not until Lou Boudreau played for and managed Cleveland in 1942 at the age of 24 did anyone come close to matching Peckinpaugh’s young age while managing in the 20th century.

A pair of Federal League teams tried to poach Peckinpaugh from New York after the 1914 season. “FEDS AFTER PECKINPAUGH” has to be one of the greatest, and most misleading, headlines in the history of the New York Times. Declining their overtures, Peck stayed in New York and played some of the best ball of his career.

In 1916, he was an above-average offensive player for the first time in his career, with a 102 OPS+. Then, in 1919, he set career bests in runs scored (89), home runs (7), batting average (.305), on-base percentage (.390), slugging percentage (.404), on-base-plus-slugging percentage (.794), and bWAR (6.3).

His timing could not have been better, considering the Yankees acquired that Babe Ruth fellow prior to the 1920 season. With Peckinpaugh’s newfound ability to get on base, it made sense to have him at the top of the lineup. And he held up his end of the bargain with a .356 OBP in 1920 and a .380 OBP in 1921 leading to back-to-back seasons with at least 100 runs scored. Being on base in front of Ruth was a nice way to pad some stats.

1921 was also the only time Peck played playoff baseball in pinstripes. Unfortunately for him, he struggled at the plate against the crosstown Giants in the World Series. Worse, his glove, the calling card for which he was and is still best known, abandoned him when he needed it.

New York entered Game 8 (the Fall Classic was a best-of-nine that season) down 4 games to 3. In the first inning, the Giants put men on first and second with one out for High Pockets Kelly, who hit a routine ground ball to Peck. The Yankee shortstop booted it, with the ball ending up in left field. The runner on second came around to score the first, last, and only run of Game 8 as the Yankees fell 5 games to 3.

In the offseason, the Yanks dealt Peckinpaugh to Boston, ending his tenure with the club. It was not an amiable exit. Peckinpaugh was stunned and took a shot at the Yankees’ lack of loyalty. “The deal is entirely news to me,” he said, “but it seems that no matter how good a player one is or how loyal service he gives the New York team his position is never safe.”

Happily, there is a playoff redemption arc for Peck. In 1924, playing for the Washington Nationals, Peck returned to the World Series. In his way, again, were the New York Giants. This time, he emerged on the winning end. He mustered five hits in 12 at-bats as the Nationals won 4 games to 3, getting Peck his first and only World Series championship. He was in excellent company as “The Big Train” Walter Johnson, a venerable 36 years of age, also won the only championship of his Hall of Fame career that season.

After Peckinpaugh’s playing career ended, he returned to Cleveland where he managed several seasons. Once he was done with baseball for good, he went to work for the Cleveland Oak Belting Company, where he worked until he was 85 years old.

Roger Peckinpaugh died in 1977 at the age of 86. Shortstop, captain, and manager for the Yankees, his playing career earned him a spot as one of Pinstripe Alley’s Top 100 Yankees of All-Time. Happy birthday, Peck.

References

Winterhalt, Kevin. “Pinstripe Alley Top 100 Yankees: #57 Roger Peckinpaugh.” Pinstripe Alley. December 8, 2023.

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See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

Good morning everyone! We’ve got plenty of news to unpack with the biggest remaining free agent now off the board — and much more. It’s time to dive into it.

In Mariners news…

• In case you missed it, the Mariners signed yet another Driveline darling, agreeing to a minor league deal with right-hander Ray Cebulski.

Congrats to @PLNUBaseball alum Ray Cebulski on signing with the @Mariners 🔱👏

Ray turned heads at Pro Day with a five-pitch mix — featuring a heater up to 93.0, 92+ sinker, and a high-80s cutter — showing real intent across his arsenal. pic.twitter.com/SZt0Bezrez

— Driveline Baseball (@DrivelineBB) January 29, 2026

• The Mariners’ planned home double-header in June against the Red Sox is no more. The unusual scheduling quirk was originally set up to avoid a conflict with the FIFA World Cup game happening across the street on the same day, but instead they will in fact have a game that day and will welcome a potential traffic and parking Armageddon.

Around the league…

• In one of the winter’s most shocking moves, the Tigers agreed to a three-year, $115M deal with lefty Framber Valdez, the largest AAV for left-hander in MLB history. This coming the same winter that Detroit is pinching pennies over the contract of homegrown ace Tarik Skubal. Speaking of…
• Skubal and the Tigers officially went to an arbitration hearing yesterday over the star left-hander’s 2026 contract. We are expected to hear the arbitrators’ much-anticipated decision later today.
• The Red Sox found their Alex Bregman replacement, signing utilityman Isiah Kiner-Falefa to a one-year, $6M contract.
• Infielder Miguel Andújar inked a one-year, $4M pact with the Padres.
• Veteran outfielder David Peralta announced his retirement after an 11-year career that saw him earn both a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger.
• Baseball Prospectus unveiled their list of the top 101 prospects in baseball — perhaps the most bullish list yet on the Mariners’ farmhands. ($)

Anders’ picks…

• With a Seahawks Super Bowl appearance on the horizon, Lookout Landing alum Matthew Roberson spoke to Jeopardy host (and Seattle native) Ken Jennings about Ken’s Seattle sports fandom.
• Relatedly, Christopher Crawford at Seattle Met thinks this might be the best year ever for Seattle sports fandom.

This article was prompted by discussion in the various articles I’ve posted recently about position players pitching.

Basically, if you have put a position player in to pitch, you have essentially given up playing baseball and are just filling the time until nine innings have been completed. Often, the position player gives up multiple runs and the final score is worse than it otherwise would have been.

By MLB rules adopted in 2023, one of these three criteria must be met before a position player can pitch:

• Game is in extra innings

• Team trailing by at least eight runs at any point

• Team winning by at least 10 runs in ninth inning

This is an update to an article I wrote on this topic here three years ago, suggesting the concept of a mercy rule in MLB games. It’s got some updated statistics since that time.

I believe that if a team is hopelessly trailing late in the game, that team’s manager should have the option to simply say, “We’re done here,” and the game would end. My suggestion: If a team is trailing by 10 or more runs after seven innings, they should be permitted this option. This is done by rule in international play — you might very well see it in the early rounds of this spring’s World Baseball Classic.

Last year, there were 106 games that were decided by 10 or more runs. That’s about 4.4 percent of all games played in 2025. So we’re talking about a fairly small sample size here. Of those 106 games, 53 — exactly half — had a 10-run (or larger) deficit after seven innings, broken down this way:

17 games with a 10 run deficit
11 games with an 11 run deficit
5 games with a 12 run deficit
8 games with a 13 run deficit
12 games with a 14+ run deficit

Three of the 12 games with a 14+ run deficit had deficits of 17 or more runs after seven innings.

And in some of the games decided by 10 or more runs, the deficit was less than 10 after seven innings, but became larger after… because position players were giving up runs.

Back to the 2025 numbers: 53 games is about 2.2 percent of all games. So if you’re concerned about fans missing out on a couple of innings in a blowout — when many such fans would have left anyway — or advertisers losing out on TV money for a game many would have turned off, we’re not talking about a large number of games here.

Further, the chance that a team is going to come back and win after being down by 10 or more runs is vanishingly small. The major-league record for biggest comeback is from 12 runs down. It’s been done three times since 1901, most recently August 5, 2001 by the Mariners (and before that, in 1925 and 1911). This article lists 15 other games where a deficit of 10 or more runs was overcome, so that’s 18 such games in the last 125 seasons.

There have been 211,995 Major League games played since 1901 (including the Federal League). Eighteen is about one eight-thousandth of one percent of all games.

Point: If a mercy rule were introduced, the idea that you’d be taking away a team’s chance to come back from a 10-run (or larger) deficit is pretty much meaningless, given how many times it’s happened.

In modern baseball, pitching staffs often get overworked. A mercy rule would help lessen that overwork, and it wouldn’t happen very often, either. I’m not going to go into the “how many of these teams were leading by 10+ after seven innings” thing for all these years, but here are the number of games decided by 10+ runs every year since 2010 (excluding the shortened pandemic season of 2020):

2025: 106
2024: 92
2023: 106
2022: 93
2021: 101
2019: 110
2018: 90
2017: 113
2016: 85
2015: 83
2014: 63
2013: 74
2012: 61
2011: 72
2010: 84

The average number of such games since 2010 is 89. The number has edged up slightly over the last few years, and without checking I’d guess the number of games in which a team was ahead by 10+ runs after seven innings is probably close to the same, about half of the total, so we’re likely talking somewhere around two percent of all games, which would amount to maybe three games per team per year.

Again, this is a vanishingly small number of games.

There are forfeit rules on the books now. From the official MLB rules (pdf), specifically Rule 7.03 (b):

A game shall be forfeited to the opposing team when a team is unable or refuses to place nine players on the field.

So, theoretically, under that rule the manager of a team trailing by 10+ runs could simply refuse to take the field and the game would be forfeited. But there are better ways to specifically codify the mercy rule and publicize it so that fans and TV viewers would understand that the game could possibly be called after seven if it got to be a 10+ run blowout.

MLB would also have to decide whether the same courtesy could be given a team if they were down by fewer than 10 after seven innings, but gave up runs and trailed by 10 or more after the eighth. (I’d say yes to this.) I’d also say that the manager of a team leading by 10+ runs shouldn’t be permitted to just say “We’re done here” after seven, just declaring victory. It should be up to the manager of the team that’s trailing.

If MLB is serious about reducing wear and tear on pitching staffs and limiting the number of position players pitching, they really ought to institute a mercy rule like this. Of course, they don’t do it in the WBC championship game and this wouldn’t be in effect during MLB’s postseason, just like the placed runner rule isn’t in effect for playoff games.

Get it done, Rob Manfred and the Competition Committee.

Morning, all!

Evan Grant had a video Q&A at the DMN where, among other things, he opined that Corey Seager and Marcus Semien didn’t have much of a relationship as teammates.

The Rangers have four players that will be participating in the World Baseball Classic, with Robert Garcia probably being the most significant.

It looks like the competition for the fifth starter spot will boil down to Kumar Rocker and Jacob Latz.

If the Rangers are going to have a better offense there are a bunch of guys who are going to need to return to prior form.

One year ago, the New York Islanders found themselves at an inflection point. They were not going to make the playoffs, and had been dumped out in round one two straight seasons prior by the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Islanders' then-General Manager Lou Lamoriello needed to chart a new path forward. Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri were pending unrestricted free agents, with no extensions in place.

After an appearance for Team USA at the 4 Nations' Face-Off, three straight seasons of 30+ goals and steady two-way play, Nelson's trade value would never be higher.

After attempting to re-sign Nelson, Lamoriello pulled the trigger on a franchise-altering trade, shipping Nelson and William Dufour to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Calum Ritchie, a 2026 first-round pick, a conditional 2028 third-round pick (conditions not met [COL needed to win the Stanley Cup in 2025]), and defenseman Oliver Kylington.

Ritchie immediately became the Islanders' top prospect, while the first-round pick added to the magnitude of the return. At the time, Ritchie was a consensus top-50 prospect in the NHL, and by far Colorado's top prospect.

Nelson possessed just a 16-team no-trade clause, so he did not control his destination, nor did the receiving team. What's more, publicly, nobody knew what Lamoriello would do up until about an hour prior to the deal, when word finally leaked out that Lamoriello intended to deal Nelson.

Lamoriello displayed a masterclass in controlling the situation, thereby giving him all the leverage over the situation. It helped that Nelson only held a 16-team no-trade clause, too.

Nelson's reported destinations were always out west, but it remains unclear how much of a factor his 16-team no-trade clause was. 

Fast-forward one year. The New York Rangers are stuck in reverse. They publicly declared they'll be shipping out just about anyone not named Adam Fox, J.T. Miller, or Igor Shesterkin. 

Immediately, questions turned to the pending UFA Artemi Panarin, the Rangers' best forward since signing in free agency in July 2019. Reportedly, the Rangers told Panarin they wouldn't be re-signing him, and told the forward to prepare for a trade.

Panarin, however, holds a full no-movement clause. That clause gives him all the control and leverage privately, as he can hand-pick his destination.

In years past, similar versions of this have gone down, such as Taylor Hall hand-picking the Boston Bruins at the 2021 Trade Deadline, with the Buffalo Sabres only receiving a minimal package for the forward. 

Rangers' General Manager Chris Drury lost public control of the narrative the second the letter hit the world. Panarin and his agent privately were granted permission to talk extension with multiple potential trade suitors.

The Rangers decided to healthy-scratch Panarin until a trade, setting an internal deadline by the Olympic Roster Freeze. 

Panarin decided on his future the day of that deadline, reportedly telling the Rangers he'd only waive for the Los Angeles Kings.

So the deal was made shortly thereafter. In return, the Rangers received the Kings' top prospect, Liam Greentree, and a conditional third-round pick.

While Greentree is the Kings' top prospect, he is not viewed as a top-100 prospect in the league. The third-round pick becomes a second if the Kings win a playoff series, something they've failed to do with four straight losses in round one to the Edmonton Oilers.

Two franchises in one city publicly needed a new direction. One maintained discipline and control over the situation, the other had no control and no leverage.

That's why, despite both teams retaining 50% of the cap hit, Panarin being considered a tier (or three) above Nelson as a player, the Islanders did so much better than the Rangers did at a retool-starting trade.

The day started with news about the bulk of the lawsuit between Sheel Seidler and Matt and Bob Seidler being settled and it ended with reports the San Diego Padres signed free agent outfielder Miguel Andujar to a one-year, $4 million contract. He is expected to be the right-handed bat with pop the Padres were looking to add this offseason. San Diego president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller recently stated he wanted to add a bat or two and wanted to make additions to the rotation. Could Preller bring in a free agent pitcher or two prior to the start of Spring Training? It would generate some excitement as the Padres open camp Feb. 12.

Padres News:

• Following the reported addition of Andujar, Lincoln Zdunich of Gaslamp Ball set his sights on projecting ideal lineups for the Padres and their rotation.
• Fernando Tatis Jr. is a two-time Platinum Glove award-winning right fielder, and he is entering the 2026 season with an idea of winning an MVP award. Tatis Jr. has not shown the offensive production he displayed prior to his PED suspension, but he thinks some mechanical adjustments to his swing could unlock an extended run of success.
• AJ Cassavell of Padres.com believes there are three players from the Padres Spring Training non-roster invitees who have potential to impact the major league roster and he identifies pitcher Triston McKenzie as the top candidate. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune lists catcher Ethan Salas as the headliner of the non-roster invitees.
• Sanders focused on the San Diego outfielders for his latest spring training primer. There are high expectations when the starters are Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Ramon Laureano. He also put the spotlight on Merrill as the subject of his ongoing Padres roster review.

Baseball News:

• The top free agent pitcher on the market, Framber Valdez, agreed to a three-year, $115 million deal with the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday. The top remaining free agent pitchers after the Valdez deal are Zac Gallen, Chris Bassitt and Lucas Giolito.
• The Boston Red Sox added to their infield agreeing to a one-year deal with Isiah Kiner-Falefa.
• Former Padres outfielder David Peralta announced his retirement, Wednesday.

Good morning! The Red Sox have a new infielder. And, uh, he’s not exactly one to get all that excited about.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa is a perfectly good backup to have on your team. He plays three positions in the infield and plays them all well — possibly better than anyone else currently on the Red Sox if you’re not yet convinced of Marcelo Mayer’s glove (though I am). He makes contact and doesn’t strike out much. He’s right-handed, which is important for this Red Sox team. He’s a perfectly cromulent backup, is what I’m saying.

But where the worry creeps in is in the possibility that he doesn’t end up being a backup on the Red Sox. Six million dollars is in no way a lot of money for the Boston Red Sox, a team that finds all kinds of ways (both benign and not so benign) to print money — but it’s a curious amount to give to a backup who is only a marginal upgrade over the backups that are currently in-house. Are the Sox envisaging something of an everday role for IKF? And even if they’re not, will he end up playing essentially every day anyway, given the injury risks on the left side of the Red Sox infield?

How do you see this infield situation shaking out this year?

Talk about that, whatever else you want, and, as always, be good to one another.

THIS IS A GUEST ROCKPILE BY ZEKE PEREZ JR

Since the departure of Charlie Blackmon, the Colorado Rockies have been without a face of the franchise. Sadly, the team also lacks a face for just about every position on the field.

Looking at the most common players by game at each position over the last decade, six different positions have had six different starters across that span. In recent history, the revolving door has continued across four of those positions (catcher, second base, left field, and right field), where the team has utilized three different starters over as many years.

Paul DePodesta has made it clear that developing a team identity is a priority for the 2026 season. Barring injuries or trades, core pieces like Brenton Doyle and Ezequiel Tovar will continue to anchor their respective positions and make life a little easier for the new president. Across the rest of the lineup, he’ll look to evaluate solutions to the perpetual thorns in the Rockies’ side, both for 2026 and beyond.

Where They’re Set

Aside from center field and shortstop (the only two positions returning the same starter for a fourth consecutive year), the Rox might be closest to crossing catcher off their list of needs.

• Things are feeling a little steadier behind the plate with Hunter Goodman taking on the role, starting 97 games as catcher last year. He made some big strides, especially offensively, pacing the team in hits, doubles, homers, batting average and RBI on his way to securing his first Silver Slugger. His 3.7 rWAR is also the highest the Rockies have seen at the position since Iannetta’s 3.1 in 2011.

Where They’re Shaky

Michael Toglia and Ryan McMahon had first base and third base, respectively, covered in recent years, albeit with varying success. With Toglia being designated for assignment this winter and McMahon traded to the Bronx last July, the Rockies will have to look elsewhere.

• Toglia was a solid power contributor in 2024 (25 HR, 2.2 rWAR) but had a fall from grace after struggling in 2025 with a negative rWAR, a .190 batting average and a top 5 finish in strikeouts. The Rockies recently claimed Troy Johnston off of waivers and could use him as a bridge while top prospect Charlie Condon grows into the role at first.

• Kyle Karros will look to pick up where he left off after the McMahon deal and get the bulk of the reps at third. In 43 games in the bigs last year, Karros had a slash line of .226/.308/.277. McMahon left big shoes to fill, and Karros will need to continue to grow into them offensively to be the long-term option.

Where They’re Desperate

Left and right field are where things devolve into a very unfunny version of “Who’s on First?”

The organization was stockpiling a surplus of outfielders across drafts, but some of these promising prospects have floundered and are no longer in the pipeline (or with the organization). Luckily, there’s a good bit of potential waiting in the wings to be explored, as Jordan Beck continues to develop, and Zac Veen (No. 7 mid-season PuRP) and Cole Carrigg (No. 6 mid-season PuRP) look to climb into the platoon.

• Right field has been tough to crack. Beyond the Kris Bryant problem, the spot has seen prospects stall and veterans dip in production. It felt like Veen might finally get the bulk of playing time in 2025, but he struggled in his time in the majors, batting just .118 over 12 games. As he tries to rebound, Mickey Moniak is set to be the frontrunner for 2026. Moniak didn’t quite live up to his ceiling last year but still had a better on-base percentage (.270) than most of the roster. The team was impressed enough to bring him back on a one-year contract. Even as other prospects climb the ranks, Moniak should command a share of the games and could flourish as a fourth outfielder in the rotation as things move on, at the very least.

What’s Ahead

The Rockies’ future obviously won’t come to fruition in the 2026 season alone. There are too many holes to fill after years of roster churn and failed prospects.

After clearing house of several early round draft picks, the new leadership has made it clear that they are looking to identify which players are worth building around.

Colorado won’t be securing its first divisional crown anytime soon, but if the Rox can leave the season with fewer positional question marks, clearer pathways for prospects and their development, and a few emerging everyday players, it will feel like the franchise’s prolonged rebuild will have a meaningful direction.

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Colorado Rockies News

Yankees claim OF Yanquiel Fernandez off waivers from Rockies | Yahoo! Sports

Continuing a trend of bringing in former Rockies, New York claimed Fernandez off waivers. The 23-year-old Fernandez will look to turn the page in a new setting after slashing .225/.265/.348 in 52 game appearances with Colorado. The Yankees designated pitcher Dom Hamel for assignment to clear space for Fernandez on the 40-man roster.

Former MLB catcher Cancel to manage Double-A Hartford | MLB.com  

Down on the farm, the Yard Goats are getting a new skipper. Former New York Mets catcher Robinson Cancel was announced as the team’s manager, taking over for Bobby Meacham (2024-2025). Cancel has been a coach within the Rockies system for almost a decade, including as manager for the High-A Spokane Indians (2023-2025) and for the Single-A Fresno Grizzlies (2021-2022).

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On Wednesday, the Detroit Tigers made the biggest addition of the Scott Harris era. After a pretty quiet offseason that drew a ton of frustration from the fanbase, they made one of the biggest moves of the offseason by signing left-handed free agent starter to a three year deal worth $115 million. Valdez will have the ability to opt out after the second year, giving him some freedom to pursue his next deal in the 2027-2028 offseason, after the next CBA is completed.

This is a huge move for the Tigers and it came right out of the blue on Wednesday evening. Valdez elevates the Tigers from a slightly above average team into a good one with a much more durable pitching staff, whose playoff odds will skyrocket after this move. The Tigers are instantly two wins better, and possibly more as the cascading effect of pushing starters into the bullpen adds up over the course of the season. Maybe more to the point, this is a move designed to make the Tigers better in October and beyond as well.

For four years straight, Valdez has ranked as one of the top 15 pitchers in baseball. His durability, command, and high ground ball rates enable him to eat up innings, prevent home runs, and generally make it very difficult for teams to drop a big number on him. Not only is he rocking a clean 3.21 ERA and 3.29 FIP combination in that timespan, he’s also averaging over six innings per start, which isn’t so easy to find these days. Valdez is going to be a godsend to A.J. Hinch as he can deploy his bullpen aggressively knowing he’s got Skubal and Valdez to keep them more rested on their start days.

Season	IP	ERA	FIP	K%	BB%	HR/9	fWAR
2022	201.1	2.82	3.06	23.5	8.1	0.49	4.4
2023	198.0	3.45	3.5	24.8	7.1	0.86	4.4
2024	176.1	2.91	3.25	24.0	7.8	0.66	3.7
2025	192.0	3.66	3.37	23.3	8.5	0.70	4.0

Valdez has averaged roughly 60 percent ground balls over that four year span. Typically he keeps opponents’ line drive rates low as well, making it very tough for them to do any major damage. Beyond the batted ball table, his walk rates are average, so even when he does give up homers or extra base hits, he isn’t hurting himself much by putting people on base to be driven in either.

Valdez hasn’t been too victimized by the Crawford Boxes in Houston. It’s possible Comerica Park would have held a couple of home runs in 2025, but the difference isn’t that significant. Below is a chart of all Valdez’s fly balls allowed, with Comerica Park’s dimensions overlaid. One or two balls may heve left Comerica that Minute Maid Park held in play. So it probably balances out. Valdez only allowed 15 home runs across 31 starts in 2025 anyway.

Valdez’s strikeout rates need to hold up

If there’s a question mark with Valdez, it’s whether he can continue to strike out an above average amount of hitters. His strikeout rates have dipped a little bit each year since his peak in 2023. His command and the consistency of his sinker say that walks and homers aren’t going to be an issue and he should be able to sustain his performance into his mid-30’s in both respects. The question is whether the whiffs will hold up or whether hitters will start putting the ball in play a little more in the years ahead. He doesn’t feature the nasty slider or splitter, nor the high 90’s gas that typically leads to huge whiff rates.

Bolstering the strikeout argument is the steadiness of his whiff rates over the past four years. He’s posted whiff rates of 11.3, 11.6, 11.4, and 11.5 percent over those seasons. So there’s no sign of a falloff. More importantly, his whiffs come from the curveball and the changeup. So the moderate decline in fastball velocity since his peak isn’t really involved there too much. The curveball drew a whopping 43.7 percent whiff rate in 2025, while the changeup was at 28.7 percent, which is solid. He will mix in the odd slider as well, but while that pitch has at times been effective, he’s really relegated it to a rarely thrown fourth pitch over the last two seasons.

Valdez leads with his sinker, which he typically used 45 percent of the time. He averaged 93.7 mph with it in 2025, which is still pretty good gas for a lefty starter, but pedestrian compared to the league’s starters overall. His second most used offering is his curveball, which he threw 33 percent of the time in 2025. The 79-80 mph breaker has good depth and can add tilt to it and vary the break against hitters of either hand, but it’s his main secondary weapon against lefties. He’ll mix in the more average changeup against right-handed hitters.

His peak sinker velocity was 95.7 mph in 2023. The past two seasons that’s dipped to 94.5 mph in 2024 and 93.7 mph in 2025. That’s not an ideal trend, but again, it hasn’t impacted his underlying performance. He gives up plenty of hard contact against it, but hardly any of it is in the air and it’s not the pitch he racks up his whiffs against in the first place. The sinker only accounts for 12-14 percent of his whiffs in recent years, so as long as he’s keeping the ball on the ground with it and surpressing home runs, the whole package looks very sustainable.

The movement profiles on the sinker, curveball, and changeup have all remained steady over the past few years as well. So short of an injury or some real disaster in terms of his stuff, the results should continue to be very good.

Advantages and disadvantages in moving to Detroit

While I don’t think the change in ballparks is going to have much of an effect based on the spray charts up above, pitching in a little cold weather in the spring is probably to his advantage. Hitters hate a nasty sinkerballer in cold weather and Valdez is outstanding in terms of setting hitters up and jamming them with sinkers that numb hands and get beaten into the ground. The rare one that gets lifted may be smothered a bit by the cold weather early in the year. So, I wouldn’t expect Valdez to be better in Comerica Park, but it is a factor that could help him early on as long as he’s as comfortable throwing in colder weather as hitters are uncomfortable hitting in it.

While we’re big fans of the Tigers’ coaching staff, Houston is typically well coached on the pitching side. It’s doubtful that Chris Fetter and Robin Lund are going to squeeze much extra out of Valdez that the Astros didn’t get to. However, he will get a major upgrade in catchers going from Victor Caratini and a cast of depth catchers to Dillon Dingler and Jake Rogers. Valdez thrives by pounding the bottom edges of the zone for strikes and weak contact, and Dingler in particular got a lot better at getting low strikes over the past two years. The catching upgrade in Detroit is going to be good for Framber Valdez.

The big fly in the ointment is that the Tigers infield isn’t as good as defensively. DRS says the difference isn’t that great, but per Outs Above Average via Statcast, the Astros infield collected 38 more OAA than the Tigers did last year. There really are no signs of a defensive upgrade coming for the Tigers either. Until some of the kids arrive, they’re basically running back the same infield. Gleyber Torres played through a hernia for two months, so perhaps his defensive numbers will rebound somewhat, but they also played Zach McKinstry a lot at third base. If Colt Keith plays a lot more third base and McKinstry is at shortstop, things could look worse rather than better. The imminent arrival of Kevin McGonigle isn’t going to change that equation a whole lot unless he’s playing second base. Either way, Valdez is probably going to give up a few more hits over the course of the season than he did with the Astros infield behind him.

All around, there are advantages in pitching for the Tigers for Valdez, but most of them may be negated by worse infield play. The Tigers are really just looking for the same results for two or three years, however, and on that front things look pretty positive. He should have no trouble giving the Tigers 3.0-4.0 fWAR seasons unless a real physical breakdown occurs. Valdez keeps himself in shape and is pretty ferociously competitive and hard-working by reputation, with some chip on his shoulder, but it’s all the luck of the draw where pitcher injuries are concerned.

Putting Valdez into the Tigers rotation alongside Tarik Skubal gives them a case to have the best 1-2 punch and perhaps the best starting rotation in all of baseball. It improves their bullpen and their pitching depth for 2025 by pushing guys like Troy Melton, Drew Anderson, and Keider Montero to the pen until they’re needed to fill in a rotation spot. Valdez also offers the Tigers a good starting pitcher to keep leading the way beyond 2026 once Tarik Skubal presumably departs in free agency.

The 2026 Detroit Tigers now look like more of a force to be reckoned with in the American League and hopefully deep into October. They aren’t a powerhouse yet but they project like a good team and perhaps the class of the AL If they get some help from their top prospects by season’s end, and have a successful trade deadline, they may even be a problem for the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers. For now, it’s just great to see more serious commitment from ownership and the front office to try to win right now, while developing post-Skubal contingencies at the same time.

Spring training is approaching fast, and with it the storylines for the 2026 Philadelphia Phillies season are starting to form. One of the predominant ones so far is the impending influx of youth that is due to make its way to the Major League roster from the farm. It’s something the Phillies haven’t seen in quite some time, so it will no doubt be one of the biggest themes of the spring.

One of those youths to be leading the movement is Justin Crawford. It is widely expected, and the team has almost confirmed as much by their words and their actions, that Crawford will be the team’s everyday starting center fielder when camp breaks in late March. It will likely be a highly anticipated debut, as calls for Crawford’s promotion reached a fever pitch last year before the team acquired Harrison Bader in a deadline trade with the Minnesota Twins.

Recent prospect rankings all have Crawford sitting somewhere among the top 50 to 60 prospects in baseball and among the top for outfielders. He has performed well at every level in the Minor Leagues, capped off with his 2025 season at Triple-A where he hit .334 with an .863 OPS across 112 games. But as you’re no doubt aware by now, he has some flaws that include a high groundball rate and a very “work-in-progress” look in center field.

Nevertheless, Crawford figures to get plenty of chances to prove himself at the Major League level in 2026. As mentioned before, he projects to start in center field and likely bat ninth in the Phillies lineup. If he can get on base with any sort of consistency, he could be a major run scoring factor with his speed on the bases ahead of the top of the order.

FanGraphs’ ZIPS projection for Crawford in 2026 is a .286/.337/.390 batting line with 1.5 WAR. If we use that as a baseline, what are your realistic expectations for Justin Crawford in 2026? Will he outperform those projections or underperform? Will he take the starting CF job and run with it, or will he struggle out of the gate? What’s your prediction for a final batting line?

We are launching a new daily article here at South Side Sox, more prominently than our items that pop up on The Feed. It falls under the category of White Sox Discussions, which you’ll see in a few weeks will also be our new branding for Game Threads.

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Our Discussion series continues by addressing those individuals we refuse to let go of. Numbers are supposed to be the final word in baseball — the cold, hard truth of a player’s worth. But any Sox fan knows that a stat sheet can’t measure the way a player carries himself in the dugout or the way a coach stands up for his guys in a postgame presser. We all have that one name: The player whose batting average we ignore, or the manager whose questionable bullpen moves we excuse, simply because of the grit, heart, or swagger they brought to 35th and Shields. They might be “washed” to the national media or “overrated” by the analytics crowd, but in our eyes, they can do no wrong. It’s a stubborn, irrational loyalty that defines what it means to be a South Sider.

Who is that one person on the field or in the dugout you’ve always backed, even when the logic is stacked against them?