WASHINGTON — Right-hander Cade Cavalli and the Washington National avoided salary arbitration Sunday when they agreed to a one-year contract worth $870,000, a deal that includes a 2027 team option.
When the sides exchanged proposed arbitration salaries on Jan. 8, Cavalli asked for $900,000 and the Nationals offered $825,000. The $75,000 gap was the smallest among the 18 players who failed to reach agreements with their clubs on the swap day.
His agreement calls for an $862,500 salary this year, the midpoint between the filing numbers. The team option is for $4 million with a $7,500 buyout.
Cavalli, 27, was eligible for arbitration for the first time after going 3-1 with a 4.25 ERA in 10 starts in his first regular-season big league action since 2022. He had a $760,200 salary while in the major leagues and $370,100 while in the minors, earning $579,832.
Selected by Washington with the 22nd overall pick in the 2020 amateur draft, he made his big league debut on Aug. 26, 2022, his lone appearance that year. He hurt his arm during a spring training game against the Mets on March 14, 2023, and had Tommy John surgery a week later.
He began a minor league injury rehabilitation assignment on May 20, 2024, but made just three outings totaling 8 1/3 innings.
Cavalli started 2025 at Class A Fredericksburg and was promoted to Double-A Harrisburg on April 24 and Triple-A Rochester five days later. He returned to the major leagues on Aug. 6 after going 4-17 with a 5.47 ERA in 17 minor league starts last year. Cavalli pitched 4 1/3 scoreless innings against the Athletics in his return and got his first big league win on Aug. 16 against Philadelphia.
Seventeen players remain scheduled for hearings, to be held from Jan. 26 to Feb. 13 in Scottdale, Arizona.
In the most prominent case, two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal asked for a record $32 million, while the Detroit Tigers offered the left-hander $19 million.
It’s Sunday, and you know what that means — it’s time for our weekly social media roundup! It may be snowing in New York City this weekend, but in the sports world, the hot stove has been boiling. From the New York Giants’ hiring of John Harbaugh as their next head coach to the Dodgers’ signing Kyle Tucker (yawn), this week has been filled with big news. So what have the Yankees been up to in that time? Let’s find out!
Fernando Cruuuuuuuuz
Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz took to Instagram to celebrate his 15th wedding anniversary last week.
Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt posted an album on Instagram, filled with photos and videos from throughout the winter. The big news? Schmidt, who underwent Tommy John surgery over the summer, has already begun throwing! Hopefully, he remains on track for a midsummer return.
Speaking of training, a number of other Yankees players posted videos on their Instagram stories in the gym, on the ballfield, and in Cam Schlittler’s case, in downtown Tampa (so I assume he’s already at the Yankees’ spring training facility).
Professor Rodriguez
Former Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez posted that he returned to Stanford as a guest instructor at the Graduate School of Business, teaching a Strategic Pivoting class. For a guy who has rewritten the story of his career, in both good and bad ways, several times, that’s one class he certainly seems qualified to teach.
Yankees radio voice Dave Simms was in Providence, Rhode Island, this past Tuesday to call Villanova University’s victory over Providence. The Wildcats increased their in-conference record to 5-1 with the win.
Legendary announcer Bob Uecker, the voice of the Milwaukee Brewers for over 50 years, passed away a year ago on Friday. Uecker was widely regarded as one of the greatest sports announcers ever. He also had a knack for sharing — and, through his actions, creating — funny, often self-deprecating stories.
In the spirit of keeping his memory alive, I wanted to compile a few of my favorites. If I missed one of your favorites, drop it in the comments.
The One (and Two) Liners:
On his playing career:
“In 1962, I was named Minor League Player of the Year. It was my second season in the bigs.”
“One time, I got pulled over at 4 a.m. I was fined $75 for being intoxicated and $400 for being with the Phillies.”
“I led the league in go get ’em next time.”
“I led the league in hit-by-pitches one year. That’s because I couldn’t get out of the way.”
“They told me to block the plate. I laid down. That seemed safest.”
“I was so bad, they once traded me for myself.”
“The only way I could make the team was because I knew where the beer was kept.”
“The highlight of my career was getting out of the bullpen without falling down.”
“Career highlights? I had two. I got an intentional walk from Sandy Koufax, and I got out of a rundown against the Mets.”
“If a guy hits .300 every year, what does he have to look forward to? I always tried to stay around .190, with three or four RBI. And I tried to get them all in September. That way I always had something to talk about during the winter.”
On his broadcasting career:
“I thought silence meant I was fired. Then I realized baseball already has enough pauses. I just filled the funny ones.”
On baseball cards:
“My baseball card had my picture on the front and my career statistics on the back. That way you could turn it over and laugh twice.”
“I knew when my career was over. In 1965, my baseball card came out with no picture.”
On his favorite aspect of playing professional baseball:
“It was the free food. I hit .200 but ate like an All-Star.”
On getting older:
“I used to get sore after games. Now I get sore watching them.”
“I have no recollection of what year this was, where the Brewers were playing, or any other context. All I remember is that we’re returning from the commercial break, Uecker is welcoming us back into the booth saying something like ‘Welcome back to [Whatever Stadium we’re in] the score is [Whatever].‘ Then, apropos of nothing, ‘Man! I hope that guy puts his shirt back on.’
To be clear: Uecker had not mentioned this shirtless buffoon before in the broadcast, or brought him up afterward. He just was annoyed by a guy, and he wanted us all to know about it.
So he told us.”
The Uniform Malfunction:
“You know, everybody remembers their first game in the major leagues. For me it was in Milwaukee. My hometown, born and raised there, and I can remember walking out on the field and Birdie Tebbetts was our manager at that time. And my family was there: my mother and dad, and all my relatives. And as I’m standing on the field, everybody’s pointing at me and waving and laughing, and I’m pointing back. And Tebbetts came up and asked me if I was nervous or uptight about the game. And I said, ‘I’m not. I’ve been waiting five years to get here. I’m ready to go.’
He said, ‘Well, we’re gonna start you today. I didn’t want to tell you earlier. I didn’t want you to get too fired up.’
I said, ‘Look, I’m ready to go.’
He said, ‘Well, great, you’re in there. And oh, by the by, the rest of us up here wear that supporter on the inside.’ That was the first game my folks walked out on, too.”
Raspberry Sherbert Bratwurst:
From Brewers broadcaster Lane Grindle:
“Usinger’s Famous Sausage is a big sponsor on the radio and another sponsor is Cedar Crest Ice Cream. A lot of our messaging combines the two of them. They deliver a lot of their products to the booth. One night on the air, Ueck was talking about how we had some sherbet that we had had out, and we were trying it earlier in the day. And then he says, ‘You know, as a matter of fact, I think it’s so good you could put it on a sausage and it would be good.’ It kind of devolved into, like, well, let’s all try this … Let’s actually put sherbet on a brat and eat it tonight, taste test it and then report on air how it is. It was raspberry sherbet, and we used it like it was mustard or ketchup. Honestly, it wasn’t bad. We all kind of liked it.”
Jean Jacques Smythe:
From former Brewers broadcaster Jim Powell:
“This would never happen with any other partner that I would ever have.
We would just get on the bus to go to the stadium, you know, 3:30 in the afternoon, for a 7 p.m. game. We were in Montreal to play the Expos. I don’t know why he saw that as like a clean palette on which he could go to town, but he did. So on the bus ride, he would start reading the billboards, you know as the bus was passing along, and he sort of developed a character, just goofing off on the bus rides. This happened over multiple years. After a while, it became pretty refined. Like, he was really funny with this character. So I had to do a pregame interview for every game. And I asked him, ‘Hey, what do you think about if I interview you on the pregame show, and you’re in that character? ’And he’s like, ‘No, no, no, I’m not doing it for that.’ I said, ‘That’s fine; it doesn’t have to go on the air. What if we just do an interview just for us to laugh at?’ Under that circumstance, he was fine with it.
So we did this interview, and out of nowhere, I just plucked what I thought was a French Canadian type of name, Jean Jacques Smythe. So I do this interview with Jean Jacques Smythe, who was, as I labeled him in the interview, a renowned French Canadian journalist, highly esteemed, blah, blah, blah. When we start, he did something he had never done on the bus. He became completely hostile. He started ripping me. He was ripping the commissioner of baseball, (former Brewers owner) Bud Selig. Anybody he could think of. He was anti-everything. For whatever reason, that’s the way he took the character in this interview. Of course, the best part was he began to rip himself. And it was absolutely hysterical.”
You can find (one of) the Jean Jacques Smythe interviews here.
“OK, See You Tomorrow!”
From broadcaster Pat Hughes:
“After each game, I would be doing the postgame show on radio. He would be packing up his suitcase and preparing to leave the booth. His big goal was to try to get me to laugh out loud, on the air, while I am doing out-of-town scores or recapping, playing highlights from the Brewers game we just did. And it was absolutely hysterical the things he would do. He would, for example, stand right behind me, and make a sound. Like a wounded seal or a wounded dog. He would bark. Ar roof. Ar roof. Ar roof.
Sometimes he would use props. I’m live on the air broadcasting, and I’m trying to maintain my composure and be a professional. One time, he said, ‘Hey, Pat, look over here.’ And I knew it was going to be something bizarre. I turned around and there’s pretzels sticking out of both of his ears.
That was his big goal, to try to get me to laugh out loud. Once I laughed, then he’d say, ‘OK, see you tomorrow.’”
The Furry Convention
From former Brewers catcher and current announcer Bill Schroeder:
“This is an example of how Ueck can relate to just about anybody, I mean, presidents and pillars of industry and just a guy on the street. We would go to dinner in Pittsburgh and people would come up to him, and it was not easy being Ueck. Everybody expected him to be on his game, right? He had to be funny. But this one time after a game in Pittsburgh, Ueck was in the Fish Market, which was the bar at the hotel where we were staying at. It just so happened that the furries were in town. You know, the people that dressed up in these animal outfits? So I walk into the Fish Market and I see Bob Uecker sitting at the bar, and he’s having a conversation with a guy dressed up in a horse head. And the person next to him was in a cat suit. Ueck was like, talking to Trigger, and, you know, Felix the Cat is right next to him. He’s having a conversation with these guys like no big deal.
And that, it’s an image that I’ll never forget. It’s just an example of how Ueck could just take a situation and make it fun and not make it uncomfortable. And he did that for thousands and thousands of people, and that’s one thing I’m really going to miss about Ueck.”
The Jays spend some money on international signings:
Juan Caricote is a Venezuelan catcher who signed for $1.96 million. He’s 17 and said to be a good defensive catcher. Baseball America has him as the 17th-best international FA. He’s a left-handed hitter. BA says he could develop into a 15-home run type. He joins Edward Duran as their top catching prospects right away.
Juan Sanchez is a shortstop from the Dominican Republic. He’s 18 and signed for $997,500 MLB Pipeline has put him at #18 on their top Jays prospect list. Baseball America #7. He’s played SS in the Dominican but will likely move to third in the Jays system. He’s 6’3” listed at 180 pounds but will likely add muscle to that as he moves up the ladder. Juan hit .341/.439/.565 with 8 home runs in the Dominican Summer Leagues. Baseball America tells us he hit a ball at 115.8 MPH this summer. BA also called him the number 5 prospect in the DSL. He isn’t fast and doesn’t have a lot of range at short, but will like be fine at third and has a strong arm. He’s a power hitter who strikes out a bit more than average.
Michael Mesa is a left-handed hitting outfielder from the Dominican Republic, who the Jays signed for $900,000. He’s 6’1”, 190, and he plays all three outfield spots, but likely will be a corner outfielder in the majors (presuming he gets there). The phrase ‘whippy” appears a lot with people talking about his swing. He should have decent power as he moves up the minors.
Aneudy Severino is a 5’9” outfielder from the Dominican. Baseball America mentions his ‘high-end exit velocity’. He’ll likely end up a corner outfielder. He’s 17. Listed as an above-average runner and muscular. He signed for $700,000.
Sebastian Casanova is a shortstop from Venezuela. His main tool is speed, and he would be expected to play up the middle, short or center or second. Right-handed, line drive hitter. His signing bonus wasn’t listed but is likely around $100,000.
Gabriel Porras is a 5’7” Venezuelan SS, just 5’7”, 160 pounds. BA says line drive hitter with gap power. He’d likely end up in the middle infield. He’s 16. Signed for $75,000.
In the fallout of the Dodgers signing Kyle Tucker to a huge free agency deal, there has been much discussion around the spending disparity in this sport. This is a complicated issue that is sure to take center stage when CBA negotiations take place next offseason in what seems assured to be another work stoppage. There is undisputedly a huge gap between the largest and smallest payrolls in MLB, with the Dodgers currently holding contract commitments worth more than the bottom five payrolls combined for 2026. Money is merely one of the factors that set teams apart, however, as organizational competence makes a huge difference. The Rays, Guardians, and Brewers stand as examples of consistently successful franchises in recent history that are perennially low spenders.
Baseball is a notoriously high variance sport in small samples, so it is difficult for a truly enduring competitive imbalance to exist for seasons on end beyond normal differences in team quality. The Dodgers are a unique beast, combining a unique capacity to sustainably spend more than any other team with elite organizational competence, with the added bonus of a desirable location for players to live that seems particularly appealing to players coming from East Asia due to relative proximity. An often-proposed solution is a salary cap and floor system, mirroring the other major sports in North America, but there are a host of reasons to doubt that such a system could be agreed upon between the owners and players such that it would create meaningful financial parity to solve the issue of both the extreme highs and lows of payrolls in MLB. It will be fascinating to see what path the sport moves forward with, as it seems like this issue may be coming to a head, particularly if the Dodgers are able to win yet another World Series this upcoming season.
For today’s birthday boy, we have ourselves an interesting, injury-riddled, and often controversial character to dive into. Michael Pineda, once acquired by the Yankees in a fairly high-profile deal, looked to be a major part of the New York rotation through the early-mid 2010s.
It didn’t quite work out that way, as injuries and trouble both on and off the field got in the way more often than not for the big right-hander. He still had his moments in pinstripes and elsewhere, but his career certainly didn’t pan out the way he or his clubs likely hoped it would.
Michael Francisco Pineda Born: January 18, 1989 (Yaguate, Dominican Republic) Yankees Tenure: 2012-17
Born in the Dominican Republic and signing for $35,000 with the Seattle Mariners at just 16 years old, Pineda was an intimidating presence on the mound from the get-go. At 6-foot-7 and 280 pounds, the hurler signed his first contract late in 2005 and was loaded full of potential coming up through the ranks.
The man known as “Big Mike” made his MLB debut with Seattle in April 2011. He had just placed 16th on Baseball America’s preseason Top 100 Prospects list, with the outlet noting:
Pineda has the size, stuff and control to pitch at the top of a rotation. He throws a crisp fastball that sits at 93-97 mph and gets as high as 101 with explosive life and occasional heavy sink. He tightened and added more tilt to his quality slider this year, though he can still get under it occasionally, causing it to flatten out. He also did a better job of selling his upper-80s changeup with the same arm speed as his fastball, keeping it down and getting hitters to chase it. Pineda throws all three pitches from the same three-quarter arm slot. With his velocity, high-effort delivery and unusual arm action, it’s surprising how well he throws strikes.
Pineda pitched six frames of solid ball in his first outing, kicking off what was a very solid rookie campaign. That year, he tossed 171 innings across 28 starts with a more than respectable 3.74 ERA and 3.42 FIP. His first half was even better, as he completed at least six innings in 15 of his first 17 starts, managing a 2.58 ERA along the way. He was rewarded with an All-Star selection in his inaugural campaign, and received some down-ballot love with Rookie of the Year Award votes.
Expectations were high, and Pineda delivered a rookie season to warrant it.
While Pineda was doing his thing, the Yankees had a young catcher looking the part of a budding star as well. Jesús Montero was considered among MLB’s very best prospects, just behind the likes of Mike Trout and Bryce. Then in 18 games at the end of 2011, he notched a 163 OPS+, hit some big homers, and seemed to be a part of the team’s future. In the offseason following the 2011 campagin, the Yankees sent Montero and pitcher Hector Noesí to Seattle, with the primary return being Pineda. It was a potential-for-potential and youth-for-youth deal, a type of deal that isn’t all that common. It is safe to say that neither side played out the way the clubs likely anticipated in the end, but Pineda was officially a Yankee.
Unfortunately for the pitcher and his new club, the trouble started almost immediately. At the end of his first spring training with New York, Pineda complained of shoulder tightness, beginning what was a long road back to a big league mound. What began as a tendinitis diagnosis turned into a torn labrum and season-ending surgery for the Yankees’ new hurler.
Pineda wasn’t ready for the beginning of the 2013 season, but the Yankees were optimistic he’d be a part of their season. After an extensive rehab assignment in the minors, Pineda seemed close, before being pulled from a game with more shoulder tightness. Once again, it turned into another completely lost season for the big righty.
Finally, after spending two entire years on the shelf, Pineda appeared ready to go to begin the 2014 campaign. He won a spot in the rotation, and actually turned in some excellent work across 76.1 innings. He posted a 1.89 ERA (204 ERA+) in some of the best baseball of his career, but he couldn’t help but find himself in injury (and other) trouble. The drama began in a start against the Red Sox in April, his second against the storied rival. After suspicion in the first, Boston manager John Farrell alerted the umpiring crew of potential pine tar on Pineda. It was smeared on his neck — not the most subtle smudge in the world — and Pineda was promptly ejected from that game.
Over the next two seasons, Pineda was able to maintain his health to a much greater degree and remain in the rotation for longer stretches.
Between the 2015 and ‘16 seasons, the righty made 59 starts and worked over 330 total innings. He was far from a game-changing starter, but he was generally out there every fifth day as a roughly league-average arm — and at the very least, one who didn’t aggravate fans by walking the ballpark (his command might’ve been uneven at times, but his control never really wavered given his career 2.0 BB/9). And Pineda could still show flashes of his raw talent, like his May 2015 start against the Orioles, when he struck out 16 batters across seven innings of work. That tied a Yankees franchise record for the most in a single game by a righty pitcher, matching none other than ’90s ace David Cone:
Despite the high expectations Pineda established for himself headed into New York, there is still something to be said for someone who can pitch fine innings when it’s their turn. Pineda was able to do that for stretches at least, though the injuries and occasional trouble were clearly difficult for him to overcome throughout his career.
Pineda continued on roughly the same track in the 2017 season, providing solid value for the Yankees. But, in mid-July, it was discovered that the righty had a torn ligament in his elbow, and would require Tommy John surgery, as he’d once again be hitting the shelf for an extended period. This marked the end of his time in New York, but not for his MLB career.
After returning from elbow surgery in 2019, Pineda pitched some solid innings over the course of three seasons with the Twins (once interrupted by a PED suspension) though never pitching more than 146 frames in any of them. His final season came in 2022, when he tossed 46.2 underwhelming innings for the Tigers.
It was a rocky road at times for Pineda with the Yankees and elsewhere, in what was ultimately a disappointing career given how it started. That being said, he did have his moments of displaying tremendous talent, he just had plenty of trouble staying on the field one way or another.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
Randy Vasquez has seen a steady increase of work since he started his career with the New York Yankees in 2023. He appeared in 11 games as a rookie and made five starts for the Yankees and finished the season with a record of 2-2. Vasquez closed the season with a 2.87 ERA and allowed 18 walks to 33 strikeouts. The future appeared bright for the right-hander.
The numbers produced by Vasquez caught the eye of San Diego Padres President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller and he was acquired via the Juan Soto trade along with pitchers Michael King, Jhony Brito and Drew Thorpe and catcher Kyle Higashioka.
Vasquez was given an opportunity to start for the Padres in 2024 and had mixed results. He appeared and started in 20 games and finished with a 4-7 record. His innings pitched increased from 37.2 to 98.0 which also led to an increased ERA of 4.87. Vasquez gave up 56 runs with 53 of those being earned and recorded 62 strikeouts and allowed 29 walks.
The thought was that Vasquez would take another step forward in 2025, and he did in terms of overall numbers, but the win/loss record remained relatively the same as he finished 6-7. Vasquez appeared in 28 games and made 26 starts. He threw 133.2 innings and worked to a respectable 3.84 ERA. However, his runs and earned runs shot up and finished at 127 and 122 respectively. Unfortunately for the right-hander, and the Padres, he finished with 78 strikeouts and 52 walks.
Vasquez currently stands as the No. 4 starter in the Padres’ rotation. If he remains in that position as San Diego enters the season, he will be asked to take on a greater role and will have to find greater success. Wins and losses are not solely on the pitcher so it’s tough to judge how well Vasquez is performing on record alone, but walks are solely on the pitcher and Vasquez has complete control over throwing strikes. His fastball velocity increased at the end of last season and there is hope that his increased velocity will increase his confidence and he will challenge more hitters.
With growing numbers in games started and innings pitched, Vasquez has been able to steadily acclimate himself to pitching through a major league season over the past three years. Reports are that Vasquez has been working throughout the offseason and is in better shape at this point in the offseason than he was at this time a year ago. Maybe that is maturity and Vasquez becoming more of a professional or maybe he understands he will be leaned on heavily in 2026 and he is trying to show Preller, manager Craig Stammen and the Padres he is up to the challenge.
Welp, this is attempt number three at writing this post. The first version was written on Thursday before the Dodgers had agreed to terms with Kyle Tucker. And the second version was written on Friday morning before Bo Bichette agree to terms with the Mets. Hopefully, I can get this version published before somebody signs Cody Bellinger or the Dodgers trade for Ketel Marte.
Phillies fans spent Friday afternoon in an absolute tizzy because Bo Bichette signed a free agent deal with the Mets.
Bo Bichette basically used #Phillies like Bobby Bonilla did back in the day as FA before signing with Mets to get what finally amounted to his famous $1M a year for 25 years every July 1st contract.
The Phillies missing out on Bichette to the Mets of all people is literally worst case scenario…
Not only that, but we’re going to run it back with the exact same team with worse pitching now that Ranger is in Boston. Just awesome. Really great offseason. Super happy about it.
When the offseason began, Bichette wasn’t really on the radar for most Phillies fans. Yes, he’s a good player, but seemed like an imperfect fit for the Phillies, and it felt much more likely that he would go elsewhere.
But then, the rumors started: The Phillies and Bichette were talking! The talks went well! The Phillies were the prohibitive favorites to sign him!
The Phillies are the overwhelming favorites to sign infielder Bo Bichette while the Yankees and Mets will now be in a bidding war for outfielder Cody Bellinger.
Bichette suddenly became a must have for Phillies fans. We were already penciling him into the lineup and figuring out where Alec Bohm could be shipped off to.
It seemed as if the Phillies had agreed to everything Bichette was asking for. And then…
The Phillies had agreed to Bo Bichette’s request for a 7-year, $200 million deal last night and believed they would sign him until the Mets swooped in with their 3-year, $126 million offer after losing out in in the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes.
If they had basically agreed on everything, why wasn’t the contract signed? It’s possible that the Phillies dragged their feet. Or it’s possible that Bichette’s camp always wanted to see how the Tucker situation played out.
It didn’t play out well for the Phillies. The Dodgers decided they needed another stone for their gauntlet, and Kyle Tucker decided he’d be fine being the sixth best player on a super team. The Mets seemed to think they were going to be the one to sign Tucker, and when they lost him, they pivoted to Bichette, giving him a contract that even Mets fans are a little unsure about.
Mets agree to pay Bichette $40M+ per they lose International Pool Money + Draft Pick(s) and he's playing out of position. Simply put Bichette wasn't/isn't worth. Signing Bichette was an over reaction to losing out on Tucker.
Almost immediately after, the Phillies announce that they’re bringing back J.T. Realmuto, and let’s just say, the fan reaction has been a little different than when they re-signed him five years ago.
Most fans are unhappy that the team is basically “running it back” with mostly the same group that has fallen short the past four postseasons. The Phillies haven’t signed a big-name player in free agency since Trea Turner after 2022, so, I understand why people are unenthused about another season of the “same old” Phillies.
I do push back on this narrative that the past four years have been “failures.” Yes, they’ve seemingly had good opportunities to win the World Series, and they’ve disappointingly failed in that regard. But after watching the team miss the playoffs for a decade straight, I find it hard to turn my nose up at 95+ win division title-winning teams.
Since the ‘22 season, the Philadelphia Phillies (under the direction of Dave Dombrowski) have been one of the most disappointing and underwhelming teams in Philadelphia sports.
The ‘26 season isn’t worth investing a dime in or an ounce of our interest.
There are complaints that the team isn’t trying or were too cheap to match the Mets’ deal. (In reality, the offers were so different that it was almost like they were playing a different sport. Even though the Phillies offered more guaranteed money, the Mets are paying Bichette $42 in 2026, and he’ll have a chance to get a new deal next year when he might be the best free agent available.)
Looking beyond the disappointment at the Phillies not getting their shiny new toy, here’s the reality of the situation:
If the Phillies had signed Bichette, they would have been very likely to make the playoffs but still wouldn’t be the favorites because the Dodgers have an absolutely stacked roster.
Without Bichette, they are still likely to make the playoffs, but they won’t be the favorites because the Dodgers have an absolutely stacked roster.
It’s possible that the Phillies had a chance to match the Mets’ offer but simply refused because they did that calculus. Why spend a fortune in luxury tax money – as well as major penalties in amateur player acquisition – if you’re still going to be dependent on the Dodgers suffering some bad injury luck or having a bad week or so in October?
The Phillies could still make some moves to improve the team, and sadly it might not even matter. Because the way the baseball landscape currently exists, this is the Dodgers world, and the Phillies and 28 other teams are simply living in it.
Go Hawks baby. I hope everyone enjoys the most relaxing football watching day of the year today.
The 49ers couldn’t score one touchdown, meanwhile Rashid Shaheed was scoring before the first play from scrimmage and causing seismic activity. Game was over immediately.
In the past, the Cubs Convention used to have a session with President of Business Operations Crane Kenney. That, along with a session with Executive Chairman Tom Ricketts, have been eliminated from the convention agenda.
Kenney did have a wide-ranging conversation with Meghan Montemurro of the Tribune, and in her article she wrote that the Cubs have a plan for a permanent monument to their World Series champions — not just the 2016 team, but all three Cubs World Series winners:
To honor the franchise’s three World Series championship teams, the Cubs are creating an archway monument at the Clark Street entrance of Gallagher Way, slated to be unveiled the weekend of July 17, president of business operations Crane Kenney told the Tribune on Saturday. The unveiling will coincide with an in-season celebration of the 2016 squad.
The Cubs are still in the early stages of the design phase, but the organization opted for a more inclusive creation rather than a singular statue representing the 2016 team. The installation construction will start about six weeks before its reveal with one of the most iconic features, the piece revealing the name of the champions gate, being put in place shortly beforehand.
Thus, I don’t have any renderings to show you, but the location would be approximately where the Christmas tree stands in this EarthCam image of Wrigley Field, shown from SportsWorld Chicago at the southeast corner of Clark and Addison.
Here’s what Kenney said about the decision to make this monument to honor all three Cubs championship teams:
“We could never get comfortable that there was a way, and especially because that team and Game 7, you think about Game 7 and the contributions were from everyone in the entire roster, so how in the world can we ever pay tribute to the roster and coaches?” Kenney told the Tribune during the Cubs Convention at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. “So we went back and said, OK, let’s do something to honor all of them — a gate into Gallagher Way, where all the statues are where we celebrate our heroes.
“We treasure our history and heritage. It allows us to share the story, the history, and, importantly, would not leave any out.”
I agree with Kenney that no part of Cubs history should be left out. Now retire some of the numbers of the men who played for the team before 1960, as I wrote in this article a few years ago.
In Montemurro’s article, Kenney also said that Marquee Sports Network is likely going to reduce the number of Spring Training broadcasts:
Although they are still finalizing the total, Kenney indicated the number will “probably” be less than double digits for the 32-game spring slate and definitely fewer than the volume of Cactus League games they had been broadcasting annually. Last spring, 17 of the Cubs’ 29 exhibition games aired on Marquee while in 2024 the network broadcast 28 of their 35 games.
“A really hard decision, but it seemed like it made the most sense to us in terms of, like any budget, where do you want to cut and what do you want to emphasize?” Kenney said. “So we’re going to emphasize the pre, the post and the games with the same technology, same talent, to give our fans the very best games. And we made that decision on spring training, we’re going to do fewer.”
It should be noted that the 17 games carried last spring were all games played at Sloan Park. So if the total is “less than double digits” for games this spring, that’s probably around half of the 18 home games scheduled for Sloan Park this year. Away games might be available on the opponent’s TV channel. When a spring TV schedule comes out I’ll post it here. What I am hoping is that the Cubs might revive the internet audio broadcasts of spring games that they had about a decade ago. If they could do that, at least there would be some broadcast coverage of the games not televised.
Kenney also addressed the idea, which I have written about here previously, that MLB might want to get all 30 teams’ local rights in one package they could sell to TV networks along with national rights — and said the Cubs might not want want to be part of that:
If MLB wants to bring all the teams’ broadcasts under one umbrella run by the league, there currently isn’t a big appetite on the Cubs’ end to go in that direction.
“If the league comes and says, ‘What if we put all 30 teams together?’ our bias typically is we like to do things ourselves, but we would listen,” Kenney said. “But it’s hard for me to see a world where Marquee’s not predominant. It just allows us to do things, like, we want to spend more on (TV) talent, and if you’re in with the league and they’re like, ‘OK, here’s your budget for your on-air,’ we want the best on-air, and so it’s kind of like Jed (Hoyer) on a trade: We’re always listening, but I can’t see a world where we’re not doing it ourselves.”
That’s a lot of information for a Sunday morning, I grant you. I like the idea of the World Series monument very much. Maybe they could make a replica of this 1908 World Series flag and display it near the monument.
When the Detroit Tigers traded left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin to the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline in 2024, it was never likely to be an impactful deal. The Tigers got sidearmer Chase Lee in the deal, but it was the second piece, right-handed starter Joseph Montalvo, who was expected to be the modest centerpiece. Unfortunately, another injury plagued season for a Tigers pitcher made 2025 a lost season for him.
The Rangers drafted the Puerto Rican product back in 2021 out of Central Pointe Christian Academy in Kissimee, Florida. Montalvo had moved to Florida for high school with the ambition to pitch, and he was willing to take the minimum bonus to forego college and start a pro career as a 20th round pick.
At the time of the trade, Montalvo was injured with a torn ligament in his foot, which may have helped the Tigers pry him away from the Rangers for a two months of a solid reliever. Prior to that injury, Montalvo was on a great run in his first look at the High-A level. A distinct fly ball pitcher, he was racking up tons of quick outs in the air and striking out 29.9 percent of hitters faced. His stuff wasn’t overpowering, but he was mature in his ability to vary his approach and spot his fastball and slider.
Unfortunately the hoped for bump in his stuff didn’t come to frution as Montalvo moved up to the Double-A level in 2025. His reesults were really mixed from one start to another and his strikeout rate plunged. That isn’t too unusual as a young pitcher adapts to the upper levels, but he didn’t show much improvement over his 2024 work early on. Finally in late May and early June, Montalvo seemed to be settling in, but after ripping off several good starts in a row he suffered an unspecified arm injury in early June that ended his season.
About the only thing we can say is that it didn’t appear to bea major surgery involved as the Tigers often announce those, but don’t provide any details about injuries otherwise. However, Montalvo did post one picture on social media showing a full arm brace on his extended right arm in September, three months after the initial injury. So we can at least assume it was a significant injury. This makes it difficult to project him in 2026. Is he going to start the season on time? We’ll assume so since it apparently wasn’t a UCL surgery, but his status remains a little bit up in the air.
Montalvo has the size at 6’2” 185 pounds to develop more velocity, and his flexibility and athleticism say that may come with a little more time, but the injury short-circuited progress in that regard last year. One of his key selling points when the Tigers traded for him was his ability to command three pitches, but he still needed a bump in terms of his stuff to carry him into the upper levels of the farm system as a legitimate starting pitching prospect.
Montalvo’s athleticism helped him command everything despite a lot of subtle variants in his approach. He gets down the mound pretty well and smoothly works into a low three-quarters release that seems to throw hitters off a bit. He also has pretty good feel for varying his angles and shapes to suit the hitter. He would jam left-handers with more of a true riding fourseamer to his gloveside, and then shift to get a better angle to his armside and throw the same fourseamer with more run. In short, he has quite a bit of what scouts will sum up as pitchability.
Montalvo is often able to get a lot of weak fly balls, pop-ups, and some whiffs just by never letting a hitter see anything quite the same way twice. On the other hand, without overpowering stuff, his mistakes get hit over the fences a fair amount and he’s had some bouts of giving up homers in bunches. So instead of hoping a harder throwing pitcher develops some command, the upside with Montalvo is that a little boost in stuff will take advantage of his pitching ability and get him to the majors in relatively short order.
Here’s a look from after the trade in 2024.
He backs the fourseamer with an above average sweeping slider at 83 mph and a decent circle change that is still a little firm but does run a good amount. At his best with the Rangers, his ability to spot both of those pitches consistently helped them play up and made him a pretty decent starting pitching prospect. The hope was that he’d add a little more strength to his lanky frame and get to sitting more consistently in the mid-90’s. As things stand he’s usually around 93 mph, and with the Tigers he’s had some off days where the velo is down a little bit. Steadier mid-90’s velocity anda minor breakthrough with his changeup are the keys for him going forward.
The lack of progress since he was acquired, combined with the recent injury history, have the risk meter pretty high on Montalvo now. At his best he shows a lot of nice feel for pitching and can move his stuff around the zone, set hitters up, and get them off balance. He needs to stay healthy and develop a little boost in the stuff department. Hopefully he’s able to take advantage of the rehabilitation process and the offseason to get stronger. If he’s able to start getting traction in Double-A this spring he’ll move right back up the rankings by midseason.
After a massive leap from the bottom of the poll to a tie for runner-up, it seemed like either catcher Landon Hodge or righthander Reudis Diaz was poised to win the next Vote. Indeed, on his 21st ballot, Hodge prevailed, with 12 of 62 (19%) votes:
Hodge’s win was not decisive, however, as his 19.35% share of the ballot is the lowest winning amount for this entire voting season. As a 2025 draft choice by the White Sox, this is Hodge’s first time in our Prospect Vote — and he’s also the first catcher to advance in our Vote.
Past No. 30s in the SSS Top Prospect Vote 2025 Blake Larson (21%) 2024 Mario Camilletti (33%) 2023 Voting lasted only 24 rounds 2022 Voting lasted only 17 rounds 2021 Andrew Pérez (30%) 2020 Will Kincanon (46%) 2019 Jonathan Stiever (39%) 2018 Kade McClure (51%)
Newcomer Yobal Rodriguez garnered just one vote this round, finishing in 10th place. This time around, slugger Ryan Galanie joins the mix.
South Side Sox Top-Voted White Sox Prospects for 2026
Alexander Albertus Third Baseman Age 21 2025 high level Arizona Complex League (Rookie) Age relative to high level +0.4 years Overall 2025 stats 8 games ▪️ 0 HR ▪️ 2 RBI ▪️ .333/.520/.444 ▪️ 3-of-3 (100.0%) SB ▪️ 6 BB ▪️ 3 K ▪️ 1.000 FLD%▪️ 0.3 WAR
What can you say further about Albertus? He seems to have great tools but an uncanny ability to stay off of the field (just eight games in a season-plus in the White Sox system). In 2025, he was assigned to Kannapolis but was … wait for it … injured. He lasted just eight games of ACL rehab before hitting the IL-60 again.
Marcelo Alcala Center Fielder Age 20 2025 high level ACL (Rookie) Age relative to high level -0.6 years Overall 2025 stats 42 games ▪️ 7 HR ▪️ 19 RBI ▪️ .233/.325/.479 ▪️ 14-of-15 (93.3%) SB ▪️ 14 BB ▪️ 63 K ▪️ .935 FLD%▪️ 1.2 WAR
Alcala is a talent to dream on. Though still raw, he flashed power that we simply do not see in the White Sox system, especially when combined with the raw speed that can swipe bases at a 90%+ rate. Defense and bat discipline are issues to be sure, but imagine what additional outfield reps, AZ batting cage time, and even some training on the bases could do.
Aldrin Batista Right-Handed Starting Pitcher Age 22 2025 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 6 2025 high level Winston-Salem (High-A) Age relative to high level -1.2 years Overall 2025 stats 2-0 ▪️ 7 games (2 starts) ▪️ 14 IP ▪️ 5.79 ERA ▪️ 17 K ▪️ 7 BB ▪️ 1.429 WHIP ▪️-1.2 WAR
Batista was our No. 6-voted player in last year’s poll and top righthander — and then disaster struck, as he started the third Dash game of the season on April 6 and then was out more than four months with a stress fracture in his right (pitching) elbow. His return in late August was iffy, with three poor relief appearances of five. But he ended the season with a scoreless (two-inning) “opener” start, which hopefully reverses the curse for 2026.
Reudis Diaz Right-handed relief pitcher Age 20 2025 high level ACL (Rookie) Age relative to high level -2.1 years Overall 2025 stats 1-1 ▪️ 1 SV▪️ 21 games (4 finishes) ▪️ 27 2/3 IP ▪️ 2.28.ERA ▪️ 18 K ▪️ 8 BB ▪️ 1.084 WHIP ▪️1.2 WAR
Who? You’re forgiven for being unfamiliar with an extremely young arm who hasn’t yet gotten out of rookie ball, but our No. 77 prospect a year ago (then a starter, repeating the DSL and killing it) made a successful adjustment Stateside. He’ll return to starting in 2026, likely getting his feet wet in Arizona and getting a promotion to Low-A in the second half of the season.
Ryan Galanie First Baseman Age 25 2025 high level Birmingham (AA) Age relative to high level +1.3 years Overall 2025 stats (High-A/AA) 119 games ▪️ 11 HR ▪️ 94 RBI ▪️ .276/.327/.422 ▪️ 14-of-17 (82.4%) SB ▪️ 35 BB ▪️ 79 K ▪️ .995 FLD%▪️ 1.1 WAR
It’s been a slow but steady climb for this 13th-rounder in 2023. The good news here is, with the caveat that Galanie has always competed older than his level, Galanie has found some footing. While his power/slugging numbers are merely OK, he drove in 94 runs in 2025. He disappeared a bit in the playoffs for Birmingham (just four hits in six games, with five walks as well) but started every game in the march to a second consecutive Southern League title for the Barons.
Jairo Iriarte Right-Handed Relief Pitcher Age 24 2025 SSS Top Prospect Vote Ranking 19 2025 high level Charlotte (AAA) Age relative to high level -4.3 years Overall 2025 stats (Rookie/AAA) 3-3▪️ 1 SV ▪️ 37 games (5 starts, 9 finishes) ▪️ 48 IP ▪️ 7.13 ERA ▪️ 50 K ▪️ 37 BB ▪️ 1.917 WHIP ▪️ -0.8 WAR
The 2025 season was an utter disaster for Iriarte, who went from prospective South Side rotation member to lost in space. The righty, who made his brief debut in the majors in 2024, both lost the plate and misplaced his strikeout power. The Brian Bannister Pitching Lab has its work cut out here, for sure.
Javier Mogollón Shortstop Age 20 2025 high level Kannapolis (Low-A) Age relative to high level -1.4 years Overall 2025 stats 51 games ▪️ 5 HR ▪️ 19 RBI ▪️ .220/.347/.387 ▪️ 15-of-21 (71.4%) SB ▪️ 30 BB ▪️ 56 K ▪️ .971 FLD%▪️ 1.0 WAR
An ascending star just one year ago, we have to tap the breaks a bit on Mogollón after a lackluster first full season of minors ball. While still young for his level and managing to keep his head above water in a new league every season of his career, Mogollón’s undeniable hitting in Rookie ball fell off significantly with the Cannon Ballers. However, how much of that was due to battling injury is undetermined, as Mogollón was shelved for what turned out to be the season on July 2.
Yobal Rodriguez Right-Handed Starting Pitcher Age18 2025 high levelDSL White Sox (Rookie) Age relative to high level -1.5 years Overall 2025 stats0-3 ▪️ 13 games (10 starts) ▪️ 30 1/3 IP ▪️2.97 ERA ▪️ 33 K ▪️ 13 BB ▪️ 1.022 WHIP ▪️ 1.2 WAR
Rodriguez is a rare DSL pitcher, not for his relatively light innings load, but as a primary starter — and at just 17 years old (Yobal turns 18 on February 9). Inasmuch as it’s tough to project anyone out of the DSL, especially pitchers, you could hardly have hoped for more from him in his pro debut.
Tyler Schweitzer Left-Handed Starting Pitcher Age25 2025 high levelCharlotte (AAA) Age relative to high level -3.3 years Overall 2025 stats (AA/AAA) 8-2 ▪️ 27 games (10 starts) ▪️ 99 2/3 IP ▪️4.61 ERA ▪️ 81 K ▪️ 41 BB ▪️ 1.344 WHIP ▪️ 0.8 WAR
Schweitzer relieved in most of his games in 2025, but he remains a starter in our eyes given he was consistently paired with Tanner McDougal in Birmingham Barons starts. And in Birmingham, Schweitzer was divine: 1.27 ERA that included a long scoreless streak leading to a Charlotte promotion, 0.946 WHIP. However, everything the southpaw did as a Baron, he undid as a Knight (7.92 ERA, 1.740 ERA). While other gilded arms (Drew Thorpe, Grant Taylor) get to skip Charlotte entirely, Schweitzer was not so lucky. And that luck could prevent him from ever seeing the majors.
Gage Ziehl Right-Handed Starting Pitcher Age22 2025 high levelSomerset (Yankees AA) Age relative to high level -2.7 years Overall 2025 stats (Low-A/High-A/AA) 7-6 ▪️ 22 games (21 starts, 1 finish) ▪️ 107 IP ▪️4.12 ERA ▪️ 90 K ▪️ 19 BB ▪️ 1.262 WHIP ▪️ 1.4 WAR
Ziehl was the return from the Yankees in the trade deadline swap of Austin Slater, and based on the nothing value of Slater this trade can’t possibly be a loss for the White Sox. The righty was a busy arm even before the trade, pitching at three levels for New York and settling at High-A for the White Sox. Pitching young for his level, Ziehl held his own pretty well.
Round 24 of voting was the last of 2023 (we did not do an actual wrap for the voting, but Jordan Sprinkle ended up being our final pick), and the full archive.
The San Diego Padres have not made many additions to their big league roster this offseason and now one of the additions they did make will miss four weeks with an injury. Korean infielder Sung-Mun Song was signed by the Padres and was expected to compete for an infield utility role that would allow him to move around the infield to spell other infielders. Song was also expected to provide manager Craig Stammen with some roster flexibility and he still might. First, Song will have to recover from an oblique injury that will cause him to miss four weeks. Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball also believes this injury will cause him to miss the World Baseball Classic and added that he is already planning on rehabbing with the San Diego medical staff in Arizona.
Padres News:
The injury to Song underscored the slow offseason the Padres have had. There have been five players added to the major league roster with one of those being Song. The other major addition was Michael King, but the Friar Faithful have been disappointed in the lack of activity from San Diego.
The most notable teams that missed out on signing free agents Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette were the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Blue Jays. One of those teams may pivot to free agent Cody Bellinger or will the New York Mets still try to add Bellinger even after adding Bichette?
There was speculation that the Arizona Diamondbacks may reverse course and consider trades for second baseman Ketel Marte after saying he was no longer available, but Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen announced that is not the case.
After the Los Angeles Dodgers signed Tucker there was speculation they may be interested in trading outfielder Teoscar Hernandez. Reports state that it is unlikely.
This week’s Club Sportico essay focuses on a recent announcement by the Kansas City Royals, who revealed a potential competitive advantage that’s largely untapped across Major League Baseball.
The Royals on Tuesday announced a new change that the club believes will result in an extra 1.5 wins next season. It wasn’t a free agent signing, a new manager or a new piece of equipment (remember torpedo bats?). Instead it was a shift in engineering. The club is moving in the outfield walls at Kauffman Stadium and lowering the fences by 18” in most places.
In their explanation of the change, Royals executives showed just how much detail went into the planning. Kauffman Stadium is notoriously unfriendly to home run hitters—a product of its cavernous outfield and prevailing wind patterns—and the team recently deputized assistant GM Daniel Mack to study what an adjustment might look like.
Mack assigned a run value to every fly ball hit in Kauffman, then layered on the team’s current roster of hitters and pitchers, its opponents, the wind patterns and even the stadium’s altitude. He then played with distances and fence heights that would not only play around the league average, but also give this current Royals team a statistical advantage.
The result is a layout the team thinks will benefit its hitters—including generational star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.—a lot more than it will harm its pitchers, who had among the lowest fly ball rates of any staff in the majors last season. Welcome to the “Moneywall Era.”
Is this a new trend coming for MLB parks across the U.S.? That’s explored in the back half of the essay. Here is an excerpt ✍️:
So what’s to stop a team from looking at its roster every offseason and making tweaks to its fences? Or more dramatically, what’s to stop a team from putting its outfield wall on tracks and moving it based on who’s in town, which way the wind is blowing, or who’s starting on the mound?
The answer, technically, is nothing (!). MLB’s 191-page rule book is light on guidelines for the dimensions of the outfield. The centerfield wall must be at least 400 feet from the plate, and the rest of the outfield wall must be at least 325 feet. That’s for venues built after 1958, which allows stadiums like Fenway Park to get away with its 302-foot right field fence.
According to someone familiar with the broader league bylaws, MLB has no limit on the number of times you can make changes (more on that later). That said, there are a few reasons you might not see a rush of alterations at ballparks across America. The biggest one—of course—involves money. Construction isn’t cheap, of course, but neither are the tickets that sit right up against the outfield walls.
In addition to helping the team on the field, the Royals’ move will add about 230 seats in Kaufman’s left and right field seating areas. If we assume for a moment that those tickets cost $80 each, that’s an additional $1.5 million in sales annually for the team (before accounting for the extra beer volume). For reference, Royals revenue in 2024 was $320 million.
If there’s any team for whom cost would be irrelevant, it’s the Mets. And billionaire owner Steve Cohen moved Citi Field’s fences in three years ago, but that move wasn’t about on-field play. It allowed the team to build out a new club area with living room-style seats and personal TVs.
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Prior to getting into the meat of this week’s post, I wanted to add two disclaimers that many of you will probably deem unnecessary but for my own psyche, I am going to do it anyway.
The entirety of the article is assuming that JoJo Romero is going to be traded before the regular season. Yes, I know what assuming can do, but I believe at this point Chaim Bloom has shown his understanding of the current situation and is doing his due diligence before accepting a deal. After “panicking” for the inactivity, I am back on solid ground and ready for Chaim Time to continue.
Like Chaim, I also understand this is a rebuild. There have been a few comments in a couple previous articles pointing out that my desires for the team are not realistic during a rebuild. I am a fan first and still believe in the current talent, although it is lacking, of the majority of the roster, new decision makers, and Oli Marmol (insert jeers). While I know winning is not priority, I still crave competitive baseball with players getting their opportunity for proving themselves. I cannot support what the White Sox and Rockies had done, losing 100+ games on purpose, but if the Cardinals can hover 15 or less games under .500, I still anticipate plenty of fun and exciting games.
And with that, the main attraction.
The St. Louis Cardinals and Chaim Bloom are officially full speed ahead in the rebuild after trading Nolan Arenado to the Arizona Diamondbacks. With that necessary deal being done, it sounds like things are heating up around Brendan Donovan, but I will put his future in St. Louis at a true toss up. Even with the major league team having talent stripped from the roster, I believe there is still plenty to be excited about or storylines to follow.
The bullpen of any team is always one for conversation, but those talks differ depending on the contending status of each team. For the Cardinals, their current reliever set up would be cause for concern for teams with playoff hopes, but in St. Louis, this alignment means opportunity abound across the board. Assuming JoJo Romero is dealt to one of those postseason hopefuls, reliever Matt Svanson’s role is one that will be one to keep an eye on this season.
Matt Svanson could be the closer of the future or Kyle Leahy 2.0
Matt Svanson was acquired by John Mozeliak at the 2023 trade deadline for Paul DeJong, which surely Cardinals Twitter took kindly to and would never once call it “another dumpster dive by Mo.” Svanson had put together a nice season at the time of the trade, but did so as a 24-year-old in High-A. He demonstrated quality strikeout and walk abilities while allowing less than a base runner per inning, leading to the Cardinals to push him right to Double-A Springfield when he arrived to his new organization.
Svanson took well to his new team and level over 15 games, putting up a 3.00 ERA while still keeping his command and punchout stuff in his small sample. That momentum pushed into the 2024 season when Svanson really took off and became an interesting name to focus on for the future. Over 53 games, spanning 63.2 innings, Svanson took over the closer role for Springfield, closing 27 games with a 2.69 ERA. His peripherals took a hit, though, with his K/BB rate heading in the wrong direction, leading to a 3.93 FIP. That led to Svanson heading to the Arizona Fall League, where he was able to get his command back in order while playing in a lower stress environment against younger hitters.
Moving then to 2025, Svanson received an invite to major league Spring Training, but only received three innings of work before spending the rest of camp on the minor league side of things. He started the regular season in Memphis, but received his first promotion to the big league on April 16. Despite fine results in a mediocre bullpen, Svanson rode the Memphis shuttle multiple times during the season’s first half, totaling 26 innings over 17 games with a 3.12 ERA and showcasing his previous quality command and strikeout stuff.
The second half unlocked an even better version of the reliever with Svanson becoming a trusted part of the bullpen. After the All-Star break, Svanson pitched in 22 games and covered 34.1 innings of relief work while pitching in different situations. In those games, he put up a 1.05 ERA and a near 33% strikeout rate with opposing hitters totaling a .227 slugging percentage against him. For the year, the nearly-27-year-old went 4-0 with a 1.94 ERA (2.72 FIP) and a 29.1% K-rate.
Manager Oli Marmol was tasked with figuring out the best way to use a bullpen full of untested youngsters and that created opportunity to pitch in every inning except for the first two this season. As the Cardinals look into their best set up to win them however many games they do, the bullpen alignment figures to be a major part of whatever team success occurs this year. While he was called upon in any situation, Svanson’s strong first half made him a go-to guy later in the game. In his last 15 appearances, 13 of them came in the 6th inning or later. Over Svanson’s 39 games, 11 of them came when he had 0 or 1 day of rest, while 23 of his appearances were two days’ rest or less.
That usage did not hurt Svanson’s overall efficiency, as he had a stronger second half than first. After the All-Star Break, he had a minuscule 1.05 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 34.1 innings of work. Svanson grabbed his second win of the season with two innings of scoreless work and then followed it up one day later with his first career hold. The fact that Svanson was able to maintain his workload while also increase his strikeout stuff after the break, ramping it up to a 32.1% K-rate after July.
When determining what Svanson’s best role is for the future, I looked at FanGraphs’ split that breaks appearances down into low-, medium-, and high-leverage situations. In his 60.1 innings, 42.1 were what were considered low-leverage spots, and that is where Svanson thrived (as to be expected when this was the bulk of his work). He held hitters to a .132 batting average, compared to a .217 average in 13.2 medium-leverage innings, and a .250 average in a small 4.1 frame sample size in high-leverage spots.
For next season, the Cardinals figure to have an opening in every meaningful role, with Romero being the player with the most closing experience and Kyle Leahy being moved to the rotation. For the 2026 Cardinals, winning is unfortunately not priority number one, so that closer role may be one that the team is not as eager to fill at this moment. Ryne Stanek could be someone that the Cardinals turn to for a temporary option in the ninth inning, but they could also turn to Svanson after he has shown the ability to handle the role in Springfield. That could provide long-term stability for the backend of the Cardinals’ bullpen, but betting on extended effectiveness for relievers is always a tough gamble.
Another factor that the coaching staff will have to take into account is how often Svanson would throw if he were to be a closer. The Cardinals are currently projected to win around 73.5 games next year, meaning there may not be a lot of save opportunities for whoever the Cardinals deem the ninth inning guy. Because of that, Svanson may best be utilized in the vacant Kyle Leahy role and be that guy who can pitch at any spot in the game. Leahy did that last season, making at least one appearance in every inning, including his spot start at the end of the year. In term’s of FanGraphs’ leverage meter, Leahy threw 52.1 of his 88 innings in medium- or high-leverage spots. He became the guy that Marmol could call on most everyday (36 of his 62 appearances came with two days of rest of less) when the team need to get out of a jam.
In order to maximize Svanson’s value for this season, I would like to see him be that firefighter that Leahy turned into last year. Working against him, though, would be his groundball rate, which came in at 43% last season right around league average. If the Cardinals want to find a guy who can get a double play in a big spot, Svanson may have to use his sinker in a different way in order to get those grounders.
Regardless of where Svanson ends up out of Spring Training, the Cardinals have to be thrilled with what he has shown thus far. With a 97mph fastball and above-average breaking stuff, Svanson could stabilize that relief corps until a more solidified role for his future comes up.
