Category: Baseball

Former Royals outfielder Lou Piniella, who was Rookie of the Year with the team in 1969, is up for consideration in Cooperstown. The National Baseball Hall of Fame has announced eight nominees for the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee ballot for potential induction in 2027. The candidates are Sandy Alderson, Dusty Baker, Bruce Bochy, Joe Maddon, Lou Piniella, Brian Sabean, Ted Turner, and Bill White.

Sandy Alderson became the Athletics general manager at age 35 and built the team that won three consecutive American League pennants and a World Series title from 1988-90. Alderson later worked in the Commissioner’s Office as executive vice president for baseball operations before serving in the front offices of the Padres and Mets, where he helped lead both franchises to Postseason appearances.

Dusty Baker managed the Giants, Cubs, Reds, Nationals and Astros over 26 seasons, compiling 13 postseason appearances, 10 first-place finishes and a World Series title in 2022. A three-time Manager of the Year Award winner (1993, 1997, 2000) and three-time runner-up, Baker led his teams to the postseason in each of his final eight seasons as a manager. He was also a two-time All-Star as a player over a 19-year career with the Braves, Dodgers, Giants, and Athletics, and was a champion in 1981 with Los Angeles.

Bruce Bochy managed the Padres, Giants and Rangers over 28 seasons, compiling 2,252 wins while leading his clubs to nine postseason appearances, six first-place finishes and four World Series titles. The 1996 National League Manager of the Year, Bochy finished in the top three of the voting seven times. A former catcher who played nine seasons in the big leagues, Bochy is one of only six managers in history with at least four World Series championships.

Joe Maddon managed the Angels, Rays and Cubs over 19 seasons, winning 1,382 games while leading his teams to the postseason eight times. A three-time Manager of the Year Award winner, Maddon led the Rays to their first American League pennant and first winning season in franchise history in 2008. He later skippered the Cubs to their first World Series championship in 108 years in 2016.

Lou Piniella won Rookie of the Year with the Royals in their inaugural season of 1969. He spent five seasons with the Royals, part of an 18-year career that also included 11 years with the Yankees. He was an All-Star in 1972 with the Royals, and he finished his career with 1,705 career hits. After a stint in the Yankees front office, he got into managing, running the Yankees, Reds, Mariners, Devil Rays and Cubs over 23 seasons, winning 1,835 games and leading his teams to seven Postseason appearances. He won a title in 1990 with the Reds, and led the 2001 Mariners to an American League-record 116 victories. He was named Manager of the Year three times (1995, 2001, 2008).

Brian Sabean joined the Yankees front office and helped sign and develop many of the players who powered New York to four World Series titles from 1996-2000. He joined the Giants in 1997 winning three World Series titles in 2010, 2012, and his 2014 team defeated the Royals. His 18 years as Giants general manager marked the longest tenure in franchise history.

Ted Turner purchased the Atlanta Braves in 1976 and quickly established the team on the national stage by putting their games on his TBS television station, which was distributed to cable providers across the country and helped establish a new model for sports broadcasting. Turner owned the team as the Braves developed into a dynasty, winning 14 consecutive division titles from 1991-2005 in completed seasons, an MLB record.

Bill White spent 13 years in the big leagues as a first baseman and outfielder with the Giants, Cardinals, and Phillies. He was an eight-time All-Star, seven-time Gold Glove Award winner, and a World Series champion with the Cardinals in 1964. After serving as a broadcaster, White served as president of the National League from 1989-94. White presided over the addition of the Marlins and Rockies to the National League and helped consolidate the American and National leagues under one administrative umbrella. He was named the Hall of Fame’s Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award winner in 2026.

Candidates will have to appear on 75 percent of the ballots of the 16 voters, who have not yet been announced. The results of the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee vote will be announced on Sunday, December 6.

This year’s Royals Hall of Fame ballot features several players from the club’s memorable 2014-15 pennant-winning teams. Zack Greinke, Eric Hosmer, Ian Kennedy, and Mike Moustakas join the list as first-time candidates, joining carry over candidates Carlos Beltrán, Billy Butler, Lorenzo Cain, Wade Davis, Alcides Escobar, Kelvin Herrera, Greg Holland, and Joakim Soria.

Here are the credentials for each candidate.

Carlos Beltrán

795 games, .287/.352/.483, 24.8 rWAR

Beltrán played for the Royals from 1998 to 2004, winning American League Rookie of the Year honors in 1999. He became just the eighth rookie in MLB history to score 100 runs and drive in 100 runs in the same season. He was named American League Player of the Week three times with the Royals and earned Player of the Month honors in April 2004. Beltrán finished among the league’s top ten in stolen bases three times during his Royals tenure and ranks eighth among all Royals position players in rWAR. His 164 stolen bases rank eighth in club history, and he converted on an impressive 87 percent of his attempts.

Billy Butler

1,166 games, .295/.359/.449, 12.5 rWAR

Butler was a first-round pick in 2004 who spent several years as the Royals’ designated hitter, including during their pennant-winning 2014 season. His best season came in 2012, when he hit .313/.373/.510 with a career-high 29 home runs, earning Silver Slugger honors. He also made his only All-Star appearance that year, playing in front of his hometown fans at Kauffman Stadium. Butler finished among the league’s top ten in doubles three times and ranked sixth in RBI in 2012. He is tied for tenth in club history in home runs, ninth in hits, and eighth in doubles. His .295 career batting average ranks sixth in franchise history among players with at least 1,000 plate appearances.

Lorenzo Cain

713 games, .289/.342/.421, 24.6 rWAR

Cain is appearing on the ballot for the first time after receiving a retirement ceremony from the club in 2023. Originally acquired from the Brewers in the Zack Greinke trade, Cain quickly developed into one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball. From 2013 to 2017, he ranked third among all outfielders in Defensive Runs Saved with 75. His defensive brilliance was on full display during the Royals’ 2014 postseason run, when he hit .533 against the Orioles to earn ALCS MVP honors.

Cain made his first All-Star team in 2015 and finished third in American League MVP voting. That season, he ranked fifth in the league in runs scored (101), fifth in batting average (.307), third in defensive WAR (2.1), and fourth in overall rWAR (6.9). His dash home from first base on Eric Hosmer’s single in the deciding game of the 2015 ALCS against the Blue Jays remains one of the most iconic moments in franchise history. Cain ranks ninth in club history in career rWAR with 24.6.

Wade Davis

256 games, 3.39 ERA, 3.13 FIP, 6.6 rWAR

Davis was a starting pitcher in 2013, his first season with the Royals after being acquired from the Rays. But a move to the bullpen transformed his career, turning him into arguably the most dominant reliever in baseball. From 2014 to 2016, he appeared in 185 games and posted a remarkable 1.85 ERA while recording 47 saves. He struck out 33 percent of the batters he faced during that stretch. Davis was a two-time All-Star, received Cy Young votes in 2014 and 2015, and earned MVP votes in 2015. He recorded the final out of the 2015 World Series to clinch the championship for Kansas City. His 49 career saves with the Royals rank tenth in club history.

Alcides Escobar

1,245 games, .259/.292/.344, 8.2 rWAR

Escobar is another first-time candidate. A defense-first shortstop, he frequently hit near the top of the lineup for the Royals’ pennant-winning teams. Originally acquired from the Brewers in the Greinke trade, Escobar became an iron man for Kansas City, playing at least 155 games in six of his eight seasons with the club, including three seasons in which he appeared in all 162 games. He was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner in 2015, then hit .478 against the Blue Jays that fall to earn ALCS MVP honors. He also famously opened the bottom of the first inning of Game 1 of the 2015 World Series with an inside-the-park home run, setting the tone for the series. His 160 stolen bases rank ninth in club history, while his 1,208 career hits rank tenth.

Zack Greinke

266 games, 3.93 ERA, 3.76 FIP, 29.8 rWAR

Greinke was originally drafted by the Royals with the sixth overall pick in 2002 and made his major league debut in 2004. He quickly established himself as one of the team’s best young pitchers, but his breakout season came in 2009, when he won the American League Cy Young Award. Greinke went 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA and 242 strikeouts, leading the league in ERA and finishing sixth in MVP voting. He also earned his first All-Star selection that year. Greinke was traded to Milwaukee after the 2010 season, but returned to Kansas City in 2022 for two more seasons. His 29.8 rWAR ranks fourth among all pitchers in Royals history, and he remains the last Royals pitcher to win the Cy Young Award.

Kelvin Herrera

442 games, 2.75 ERA, 3.16 FIP, 10.6 rWAR

Herrera was a two-time All-Star who recorded four seasons with at least 70 appearances and an ERA below 3.00. He was a key member of the vaunted “HDH” bullpen trio alongside Wade Davis and Greg Holland. Herrera was particularly dominant in the postseason, posting a 1.26 ERA in 22 appearances while striking out 38 batters in 28 2/3 innings. He ranks sixth in club history in saves and third in games pitched.

Eric Hosmer

1,048 games, .284/.342/.439, 15.5 rWAR

Hosmer was the third overall pick in the 2008 draft and quickly became a cornerstone of the Royals’ rebuilding effort. He debuted in 2011 and finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. He developed into one of the best defensive first basemen in baseball, winning four Gold Glove Awards with the Royals. His best season came in 2017, when he hit .318/.385/.498 with 25 home runs and 94 RBI. He earned his first All-Star selection in 2016 and was named All-Star Game MVP after hitting a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning. But Hosmer’s most memorable moment came in the 2015 World Series, when his aggressive dash home on a ground ball to first base tied Game 5 in the ninth inning and helped the Royals eventually clinch the championship. His 127 home runs are tied for tenth in club history, while his 566 RBI rank ninth.

Greg Holland

394 games, 2.72 ERA, 2.61 FIP, 11.3 rWAR

Holland was an elite closer and a key member of one of the best bullpens in baseball. Drafted in the tenth round out of Western Carolina University, he made his Royals debut in 2010 and posted a 1.80 ERA the following season. By 2012, he had taken over as the team’s closer. Holland became an All-Star in both 2013 and 2014, earning Cy Young and MVP votes in each season. He recorded 46 saves in 2013 and 47 in 2014, finishing second in the American League both years. He allowed just one run in 11 postseason innings in 2014.

Holland recorded another 32 saves in 2015 but suffered an elbow injury late in the season that kept him out of the postseason. He eventually returned to Kansas City for another stint in 2020-21, appearing in 85 games. His 159 career saves rank fourth in club history.

Ian Kennedy

163 games, 4.48 ERA, 4.83 FIP, 6.3 rWAR

Kennedy signed a five-year, $70 million contract with the Royals following their 2015 World Series championship, becoming the team’s highest-paid player at the time. He delivered a solid first season in 2016, going 11-11 with a 3.68 ERA and 184 strikeouts in 195 2/3 innings. Kennedy found new life after moving to the bullpen in 2019, when he converted 30 saves with a 3.41 ERA, giving the Royals a reliable closer. He finished his Royals career with 163 appearances, including 86 starts, and was worth 6.3 rWAR.

Mike Moustakas

934 games, .251/.306/.430, 11.4 rWAR

Moustakas was the second overall pick in the 2007 draft and one of the key prospects in the Royals’ rebuilding effort. He debuted in 2011 and endured some early struggles, but developed into a productive power hitter and an important part of the Royals’ championship teams. He hit .284/.348/.470 with 22 home runs in 2015, earning his first All-Star selection. He had his best season in 2017, when he set a Royals single-season record with 38 home runs and earned another All-Star selection. Moustakas also provided one of the defining defensive plays of the 2014 postseason, making a spectacular catch while tumbling over the third-base dugout in the ALCS. He ranks ninth in club history with 139 home runs and 14th with 441 RBI. “Moose” returned to Kansas City for a retirement ceremony in 2025, signing a one-day contract to retire as a Royal.

Joakim Soria

427 games, 2.82 ERA, 3.03 FIP, 14.3 rWAR

Soria had two separate stints with the Royals, pitching for the club from 2007-11 and again from 2016-17. Originally selected from the Padres in the Rule 5 Draft, he developed into a two-time All-Star with Kansas City and received Cy Young and MVP votes in 2010. Soria finished among the league’s top ten in saves four times with the Royals, including a second-place finish in 2010 when he recorded 43 saves. He ranks third in club history in saves and fifth in games pitched.

To be eligible for the Royals Hall of Fame, a candidate must have spent at least three seasons with the club, accumulated a minimum of 1,500 plate appearances or 300 innings pitched, and been retired for at least three years.

Fans can vote here, with the fan vote counting as three electors. Other electors include members of the Royals Hall of Fame, Royals front office staff, Royals Associates with at least 15 years of service, and select members of the media. The online fan ballot will account for three full votes for each of the five candidates receiving the most votes. Any candidate receiving at least 75 percent of the vote will be elected and scheduled for induction during the 2026 Royals season. Eligible alumni who receive at least 10 percent of the vote can remain on the ballot for five regular-phase election cycles.

Last year, John Wathan was elected into the Royals Hall of Fame. Yordano Ventura is the only candidate from last year’s ballot that did not carry over to this years ballot. The Royals Hall of Fame includes Kevin Appier, George Brett, Joe Burke, Steve Busby, Ewing Kauffman, Muriel Kauffman, Mark Gubicza, Alex Gordon, Larry Gura, Dick Howser, Whitey Herzog, Bo Jackson, Dennis Leonard, Denny Matthews, John Mayberry, Hal McRae, Jeff Montgomery, Fred Patek, Dan Quisenberry, Cookie Rojas, Bret Saberhagen, John Schuerholz, Paul Splittorff, Art Stewart, Mike Sweeney, Cedric Tallis, George Toma, Amos Otis, Frank White, Willie Wilson, John Wathan, and Ned Yost.

The Tampa Bay Rays have officially parted ways with two veteran players that were integral to the team’s run to the World Series this past season.

On Friday, October 30th, the Rays announced that they had declined the mutual options for the 2027 season with RHP Nick Martinez and OF Cedric Mullins.

The Rays signed Martinez just prior to Spring Training to a one year, $9M contract with a $20M mutual option for the 2027 season; the Rays paid Martinez a $4M buyout after declining that option. The signing could not have worked out any better for Tampa Bay and Martinez as the veteran hurler delivered one of his best seasons and was named an All-Star for the first time in his career.

Overall the 36 year old compiled a 3.10 ERA | 3.96 FIP with a 15.1 K% and league leading 3.6 BB% over a career high, 180 IP. Off the field, Martinez’s leadership within the clubhouse was invaluable as he helped guide a young Rays team to their first postseasom berth since 2023. When the Rays reached the World Series for the third time in franchise history, Nick Martinez received the honor of starting Game One against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Early last offseason, the Rays signed the veteran Cedric Mullins to a one year, $7M deal with a $10M mutual option for the 2027 season. The Rays have declined that option and instead paid Mullins a $500K buyout.

Mullins wasn’t able to recapture the magic that had made him one of the top players in baseball while with the Baltimore Orioles several years ago. The now 32 year old Mullins had one of the worst offensive seasons in baseball in 2026 and also posted the lowest OBP% among qualifying players in a single-season for the Rays. Overall Mullins hit .205/.284/.344 with 15 HR and 21 SB, registering a 76 wRC+ (4th lowest of 135 players). Mullins did accrue 1.1 fWAR despite his lowly offensive production thanks to plus defense in center field, producing 11 Outs Above Average, which ranked 4th among 54 qualifying outfielders.

With the departures of Mullins and Martinez, the Rays will likely be on the hunt for new veteran additions to fill their respective roles on the team.

Against Chris Sale, with two outs in the ninth inning of game three of the National League Wild Card in Atlanta, Otto Kemp ended the Phillies season by swinging right over a slider.

Believe it or not, the Phillies had real hopes for Otto Kemp heading into 2026. He put up a .786 OPS against left-handed pitching in 2025, roughly 20% above league average, believe it or not. Kemp notably played through a fractured left kneecap and he needed surgery on his shoulder after the 2025 season.

He clearly checked the intangible boxes and showed some real ability at the plate. He slugged .411 with a 92 OPS+ as a rookie and did not look incompetent against right-handed pitching most of the time. Dave Dombrowski clearly liked what he saw, insisting he thought Kemp could turn into an everyday player but they settled on the short-side platoon LF spot.

He was never a good defender but he wasn’t completely unathletic and should hit lefties. Sounds like a perfectly acceptable platoon partner for Brandon Marsh, right?

Nope.

It was a disaster.

What went right?

Kemp made the opening day roster and the Phillies came into the season with him in mind so clearly something went fine in spring training, at least enough so the Phillies could maintain the course.

What went wrong?

After going 2 for 20 with nine strikeouts, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch, not to mention he was a disaster in left field, Kemp was optioned in the middle of the Phillies 10 game losing streak. Felix Reyes came in his place, hit a home run off Chris Sale but nothing else and would later get optioned.

Kemp would find himself back in the big leagues a month after his option, with another chance to prove he could platoon with Brandon Marsh in left field. He played in three more games, getting five at bats and didn’t record a hit.

With Marsh on a linsanity run against left handed pitchers, there was no place for Otto Kemp on the roster and he would not play for the Phillies for four months.

Until October, Kemp was put on the Phillies playoff roster after a rash of minor league injuries to end the season. The 2026 Phillies postseason roster for their series against the Atlanta Braves included Kemp, Rafael Marchán and Garrett Stubbs, along with Tanner Banks and Chase Shugart in the bullpen. Not that you would need to find a role for all 26 players in a three game series, but that is an insane amount of dead weight going into October.

Kemp would play when Don Mattingly hit him for Brandon Marsh against Chris Sale. It was supposed to be this way heading into the season and it would be the way the season ended. Kemp had no chance on a backfoot slider and the Phillies went home empty handed.

Final Grade: D-

Does Kemp deserve an F? Yes, but I don’t want to give it to him. He wasn’t supposed to be as miscast as a short-side platoon left fielder as he was and nothing worked but the role does have a level of variance to it that should absolve Kemp from an F.

Yesterday, the baseball world learned of the passing of Jerry Koosman, a member of both the 1969 World Champion and 1973 National League Champion New York Mets, at 83 year old. Koosman, a member of the Mets Hall of Fame and whose number 36 is retired by the Mets, is one of the most identifiable Mets from their first golden era.

Born in Appleton, Minnesota, the left-hander was discovered while in the military, and the Mets signed him one his service was over. He made his big league debut in 1967, but joined the Mets full time in 1968, going 19-12 with a 2.08 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 263.2 innings. Koosman finished second to Johnny Bench in the Rookie of the Year voting.

In 1969, Koosman had another fantastic season, and won two games in the ‘69 World Series, pitching 17 and two-thirds innings over two games, and was awarded the ball Cleon Jones caught for the final out of the game.

Koosman continued to be the Mets’ number two starter behind Tom Seaver, and he had a number of very good seasons as Met, including winning 21 games in 1976 and coming in second in the Cy Young voting in 1976. After the Mets’ terrible 1978 season, Koosman requested a trade and was traded to the Twins in exchange for Greg Field and, as a player to be named later, fellow Mets legend Jesse Orosco.

Over his 12 year Mets career, Koosman put up a 3.07, with a 140-137 record. He was an All-Star in 1968 and 1969.

After a fantastic year in 1979 for the Twins, Koosman’s career never quite hit those high marks again. After two and a half seasons with the Twins, two and a half for the White Sox, and two for the Phillies, Koosman retured after the 1985 season. He ended his career with 53.6 bWAR.

Koosman has the third most pitching wins in Mets history (140), behind teammate Seaver and Dwight Gooden. The Mets inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 1989 and retired his number in 2021. He was just the third Met player to have his number retired.

Koosman is survived by three children and four grandchildren.

Everybody loves the big-name acquisition, but sometimes, the small, unheralded move that pays dividends can be a real difference maker for a ballclub. On February 6, 2016, the Yankees made one such move, signing minor league free agent Jonathan Loáisiga after he was cut by the San Francisco Giants, as they sought to add pitching depth to the farm system during a transitory period in the organization’s history. The man who would come to be known as “Johnny Lasagna” would go on to fill a critical role in the Yankees’ bullpen during the 2021 season, before injuries ultimately robbed him derailed his Yankees career.

Jonathan Stanley Loáisiga Estrada
Born: November 2, 1994 (Managua, Nicaragua)
Yankees Tenure: 2018-2025

Born and raised in Nicaragua, Loáisiga signed as an international amateur free agent with the San Francisco Giants on September 23, 2012. He made his professional debut the following season, going on to make 13 appearances with the DSL Giants. Although his performance was encouraging — he had just a 2.75 ERA and 1.107 WHIP in that span — his Giants career was effectively over after that; injuries robbed him of the entire 2014 and 2015 seasons, and as a result, the Giants cut him loose.

As noted above, Loáisiga signed with the Yankees that winter, and was assigned to Single-A Charleston (the Yankees cut ties with them during the 2020-2021 restructuring, and they are now a member of the Rays family). Immediately, the injury woes followed the young right-hander: just 2.1 innings into his first start he tore his UCL and underwent Tommy John surgery. Unlike the Giants, though, the Yankees were willing to be patient, and added him to the 40-man roster in 2017 in order to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft (something they did not do with Garrett Whitlock a few years later).

When he returned to the mound with the GCL Yankees that summer, Loáisiga rewarded that faith. He flew through the farm system, and by the middle of the 2018 season, when the Yankees needed a spot starter in June, they recalled him straight from Double-A Trenton — bypassing the entire Scranton RailRiders roster.

Making his MLB debut at Yankee Stadium against the Tampa Bay Rays, Loáisiga rose to the challenge, striking out six in five scoreless innings to earn his first major league win. He would make three more starts before being sent down to make his Scranton debut, posting an even 3.00 ERA and allowing just one home run in that span. Arm troubles in the minors, however, prevented him from being an option for the big league roster in July and August, and when he returned as part of September call-ups — this time in a relief role — he struggled to the tune of a 10.80 ERA.

The next three seasons followed the pattern set in Loáisiga’s rookie campaign: flash potential as a starter, miss time with arm injuries, and struggle to gain any real consistency as a swingman. Then, 2021 happened. Finally deciding that Loáisiga’s body could not handle a starter’s workload, the team officially began to develop him as a full-time reliever, and he more than delivered. Taking over Chad Green’s old role as team fireman, he was one of the most reliable bullpen arms not just on the Yankees, but in all of baseball: his 2.4 fWAR ranked behind only Liam Hendriks and Josh Hader, and his 2.18 xERA second to Hendriks among relievers with enough balls in play to qualify for the Statcast leaderboards.

Unfortunately, that campaign would turn out to be the highlight of Lasagna’s Yankees career. He was absolutely terrible to start the 2022 season, with an ERA upwards of seven across the season’s first two months, and he battled shoulder injuries during that time as well. For his part, though, he rebounded well, with a 1.76 ERA after July 17th, and he allowed just one earned run in the postseason. Bone spurs in his elbow limited him to just 17 appearances in 2023, however, all but three of which came after the trade deadline (i.e., after we had already discounted it as a lost season). A right flexor strain and a torn UCL then ended his 2024 before it could begin, and although the Yankees did bring him back for 2025, he struggled with consistency and injuries once again. To nobody’s surprise, the team opted to decline his team option for 2026, making him a free agent.

Loáisiga signed a minor league deal last January with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and to his credit, he made the most of it. Not only did he make the team out of spring training, he put together his best season since 2021, posting a 2.42 ERA and a 1.030 WHIP, recording the lowest strikeout rate of his career but surrendering just three homers all year long. Loáisiga stayed healthy with a personal-best 67 appearances for the Wild Card contender.

Now a free agent once again, he represents an intriguing, if risky, option for teams looking to bolster the middle part of their bullpen; for his sake, hopefully he is able to parlay his bounceback into a nice contract for himself. It may not be in New York, but we wish Loáisiga the best and a happy 32nd birthday to boot!

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

Major League Baseball has angered the Major League Baseball Players Association and agents by informing them that will they not amend the posting agreement with Nippon Professional Baseball, requiring Japanese free agents to sign by the expected Dec. 1 lockout or they would be ineligible to sign with an MLB team in 2027.

The union sent a memo to agents last week, obtained by USA TODAY Sports, that said MLB on Tuesday denied their request, which was made in August, to extend the tolling period in the NPB posting agreement allowing posted players to sign after the lockout ended. This is in direct contrast to the 99-day lockout in 2021 when MLB amended the 45-day negotiating window, and allowed Japanese free agents to sign after the lockout.

MLB confirmed Monday it is not amending its posting agreement.

The MLBPA said it is exploring its options, but informed agents last week to be prepared for a strict deadline for posted players.

This means that the three Japanese players who were posted Sunday, featuring prized infielder Teruaki Sato of the Hanshin Tigers, must sign by Dec. 1 if there’s a lockout, instead of the traditional 45-day window. The other two posted players are pitchers Kaima Taira of the Seibu Lions and Hiromi Itoh of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.

The extended window in 2021 for posted players allowed outfielder Seiya Suzuki to sign a five-year, $85 million contract with the Chicago Cubs eight days after the March 10 lockout ended.

Now, Japanese posted players will have less than 30 days to work out a deal.

While all free agents will be permitted to negotiate with all 30 teams beginning at 5 p.m. ET on Monday, MLB players who are unsigned before the collective bargaining agreement ends on Dec. 1, still are eligible to sign once the lockout ends.

Follow Bob Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB sets Dec. 1 deadline for Japanese stars to sign before potential lockout

After signing infielder/outfielder Christian Cairo to a one-year split contract earlier Monday, the Mets have designated him for assignment.

New York also designated Kyren Paris for assignment after signing him to a one-year deal, too, the team announced.

Cairo, 25, had been claimed off waivers by the Mets from the Phillies in September.

In 130 games this past season in Triple-A for the Phillies and Mets, Cairo slashed .230/.381/.300 with 25 stolen bases.

Cairo, the son of former MLB player Miguel Cairo, played shortstop, second base, third base, center field, and left field in 2026.

Paris, who turns 25 later in November, was claimed off waivers by the Mets from the Angels on Oct. 29.

He was hitless over 15 at-bats across eight games during the 2026 season after slashing .190/.266/.381 over 44 games (126 ABs) in 2025.

The moves get the Mets' 40-man roster to 40 players.

At least one member of Aaron Boone’s staff could be on the move.

Bench coach Brad Ausmus is interviewing for the Astros’ open manager job, The Post’s Jon Heyman reported on Monday, putting him in play once again to lead the team he spent 10 seasons with as their catcher.

The Astros recently hired Randy Flores to become their new general manager but still need to find a replacement for former manager Joe Espada, who took over for the World Series winning Dusty Baker.

Ausmus had been a finalist for the Astros job before it went to Baker in 2020 and was also a runner-up for the GM job back in 2023 before they hired Dana Brown. The 57-year-old is known to be close with Jeff Bagwell, who serves as a senior advisor for Astros owner Jim Crane.

According to MLB.com., Ausmus was in the offices at Daikin Park on Thursday, a day before the Astros hired Flores.

Before becoming Boone’s bench coach ahead of the 2024 season when the Mets hired away Carlos Mendoza, Ausmus had previously managed the Tigers (four seasons) and Angels (one season). He had a combined 386-422 record.

Whether or not the Astros ultimately hire Ausmus this time around, it remains to be seen whether there will be changes to Boone’s staff after the Yankees decided to keep him entering the final year of his contract. They have signed pitching coach Matt Blake to an extension while hoping to do the same with director of catching Tanner Swanson.

But there could be changes to the hitting staff after Hal Steinbrenner pinned the disappointing season and playoff exit on the offensive failure.

Here's the latest buzz on free agent left-hander Tarik Skubal...

Nov. 3, 9:49 a.m.

The Mets and Dodgers are viewed as "the primary bidders" for Skubal, reports Kiley McDaniel of ESPN, who spoke with 27 industry insiders about Skubal's market and potential contract. 

Along with the Mets and Dodgers, McDaniel notes that the Tigers are "monitoring for a discount," the Yankees are "thinking about it," and that the Angels, White Sox, and Padres are all sleepers in the Skubal sweepstakes. 

When it comes to long-term obligations, the Mets have about $281 million committed to the payroll for 2027, but just $192 million on the books for 2028, per Cot's Contracts. In 2029, that number dips to $106 million.

As far as the Dodgers, they already have roughly $388 million committed to the payroll for next season, $302 million committed for 2028, and $238 million on the books for 2029. 

Nov. 2, 10:18 a.m.

The "expectation" is that Skubal will sign before the CBA expires on Dec. 1, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. 

Passan lists the Mets and Dodgers as the "most obvious" suitors for Skubal, adding that the Cubs "badly" want him. However, Skubal notes that there is skepticism within the Cubs organization about their ability to win a bidding war. 

Skubal, who turns 30 on Nov. 20, is not attached to a qualifying offer after being traded from the Tigers to the Dodgers during the season.

After winning back-to-back Cy Young awards in 2024 and 2025, Skubal had a 2.72 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with 186 strikeouts in 158.2 innings this past season. 

Oct. 28, 11:25 a.m.

SNY MLB Insider Chelsea Janes reports that while David Stearns will be "reluctant" to give Skubal a long-term deal, they anticipate that owner Steve Cohen will push for it anyway.

Aside from a serious run at Yoshinobu Yamamoto before the 2024 season, Stearns' free agent pitching pursuits have been measured and looked like this.

Sean Manaea: Three years, $75 million
Clay Holmes: Three years, $38 million
Frankie Montas: Two years, $34 million
Luis Severino: One year, $13 million
Griffin Canning: One year, $4.25 million  

The MLB offseason is officially here, and November 2nd is one of the first big days on the calendar. Due to how the rules work, we could see a lot of minor moves today, and we know how much Paul Toboni loves that. Players are not allowed to be stashed on the 60-day IL for the offseason, so all 40-man rosters actually have to be cut to 40 today by 5 PM.

For the Nats, that means moves will have to be made. Right now, there are five players on the 60-day IL who either need to be DFA’d or re-added to the 40-man. Those players are Mitchell Parker, PJ Poulin, Ken Waldichuk, Matt Waldron and Drew Millas. Several of those guys are likely to be DFA’d, but we won’t know for sure until later in the day.

The Nats are not the only team dealing with this situation. In San Francisco, Buster Posey has a busy day on his hands. As of October 29th, the Giants had 56 players on their 40-man roster. They had a lot of players go on the 60-day IL, but now they will have to trim that roster back down.

Paul Toboni is clearly monitoring that situation. In fact, he has already acquired two players from the Giants. First, he claimed RHP Braxton Roxby off waivers a few days ago. Then, he made a minor trade for second baseman Nate Furman, a speedy, contact oriented infielder. In that deal, the Nats gave up Tony Neubeck, who was an undrafted free agent in 2026. To clear space on the 40-man roster, the Nats DFA’d Richard Lovelady.

I could see Toboni and Ani Kilambi making more moves like this in the coming hours. They clearly like to churn through the back end of the 40-man roster in an attempt to find hidden gems. The results have been mixed so far, but Curtis Mead was a notable success story. There are going to be a lot of players DFA’d today, and I think the Nats will be keeping a close eye on the waiver wire.

The next month should be a hectic one across the league. Unless a deal is miraculously made, the CBA will expire in a month. Once that happens, teams will not be allowed to make any moves. That could mean we see a lot of blockbuster moves made in November. I also think we will see a ton of smaller moves as well. Executives will want as optimal of a 40-man roster as possible.

There are a number of key dates that are coming up. The GM and owner meetings are in the next couple of weeks. After that, the non-tender deadline is on November 20th. Paul Toboni is going to have quite a busy month.

Overall, this will be a busy day around the league. However, I think the Nats will be one of the busier teams. We could see a couple surprise DFA’s or some minor deals like the Furman one. This new regime loves optimizing the back of the 40-man roster, so today probably feels like a holiday for Paul Toboni, Ani Kilambi and the rest of the front office. Let’s see what goes down in the coming hours.

A pair of Japanese pitchers will be posted to Major League Baseball, their NPB clubs announced over the weekend.

The Seibu Lions announced on Saturday they plan to post Japanese pitcher Kaima Taira. On Sunday, the Nippon-Ham Fighters announced they will post ace right-hander Hiromi Itoh.

Players from NPB can be posted any time from November 1 to December 5, and once posted they have 45 days to sign. But expect any Japanese players to be posted on the early end this offseason, with a lockout coming on December 1 at 8:59 p.m. PT.

Players at least 25 years old with at least six years of professional experience in a foreign league can be signed as a major league free agent, rather than be subject to international amateur signing bonus limits like Roki Sasaki was before the 2025 season.

Taira turns 27 years old on November 15 and has pitched nine seasons for Seibu, mostly in relief but some starting. He had a 1.36 ERA with 141 strikeouts and 45 walks in 146 innings in his 23 games in 2026, after a 1.71 ERA and 31 games in 52 2/3 innings in 2025.

From Associated Press:

“As a pitcher, my goal is to win a Cy Young award,” the Japanese news agency Kyodo quoted him as saying. “And I’d like to pitch in the World Series as well.”

In his nine seasons with Seibu, the right-hander has a 1.85 ERA with 676 strikeouts and 252 walks in 633 2/3 innings over 351 games.

Itoh had a 3.18 ERA in 26 games last year for the Fighters, with 159 strikeouts and 34 walks in 172 2/3 innings. The 29-year-old right-hander in six years in NPB had a 2.91 ERA with 914 strikeouts and 247 walks in 1008 2/3 innings.

Michael Clair at MLB.com talked to a Pacific Rim scout about Itoh, Taira, and two other Japanese players expected to be posted to MLB this offseason. On Itoh:

“He could be an up and down starter,” our scout said, “but maybe in relief he might show some more velocity. In the previous WBC, he came out of the bullpen and he was 94-96 with some nasty stuff.” However, what Itoh lacks in size, he makes up for with a deep pitch mix consisting of “10+ unique grips and shapes” as noted by Yakyu Cosmopolitan.

Should he come to the Majors next year, there is one thing Itoh would like to share: “I would like the fans in the U.S. and everywhere else to know that I am not just pitching, but that I enjoy myself on the mound,” Itoh told me this spring. “I like to express my excitement and joy.”

Three Japanese players were posted last offseason. First baseman Munetaka Murakami signed with the Chicago White Sox for two years, $34 million. Third baseman Kazuma Okamoto signed for four years, $60 million with the Toronto Blue Jays. Pitcher Tatsua Imai signed with the Houston Astros for three years, $54 million.

Ten years ago today — well, early Nov. 3, 2016 in Eastern time, where the game was played, but Nov. 2 to most Cubs fans — the Cubs won the World Series, breaking their 108-year championship drought.

It’s certainly an anniversary worth celebrating, and certainly 10 years without a title isn’t great, but… better than 108, right?

I thought about what to write on this anniversary and I didn’t think I could come up with anything better than simply to repost my game recap of 2016 World Series Game 7. So here it is, all 3,500+ words of it. Re-live that night, and 10 years later it still brings back all the emotions of Nov. 2, 2016.

In all the years I’ve been writing recaps of Cubs games, this, I knew, would be the most important one of my life, win or lose.

I had long planned something special for a victory recap, something that I knew every single one of you would enjoy, and you are, in fact, going to read it. I had originally planned for it to be the lede of this article, but all of it has to take second place to one of the most incredible games in the long history of baseball — and I do not think that’s hyperbole, not given the stakes at hand in this game, with a long World Series drought that was going to end no matter who won.

11:47 p.m. Central time, November 2, 2016 is a time and date that every Cubs fan will remember forever. That’s when Kris Bryant’s throw on a dribbler by Michael Martinez nestled snugly in Anthony Rizzo’s glove to complete the Cubs’ 8-7 win over the Indians in 10 innings, making them World Series champions and ending the longest drought in sports history, in so doing becoming the first team to come from a 3-1 deficit in 31 years, as if just breaking the drought wasn’t in and of itself enough.

I can’t think of anyone more appropriate than Rizzo to handle that last out (and he put it securely in his pocket after the play), Rizzo, the heart and soul and emotional leader of this team, a man who suffered (with many of the rest of us) a 101-loss season just four years ago. That turned into 103 regular-season wins and 11 more leading to ecstasy this autumn, and I do have something special to end this recap, but first I am going to tell you the story of this game for which you cannot have too many superlatives, before I wrap this wonderful gift in a neat little bow for you.

Dexter Fowler led off the game with a home run. That’s the sort of thing I thought they needed to do early on in this game, take the lead off Corey Kluber, who’d been tough before but appeared, on this night, that throwing on short rest twice in eight days took its toll on him. It looked at first as if Rajai Davis had a chance to catch Fowler’s ball, but it actually landed well out of his reach:

Davis would come to play a more important role in this game later on.

Javier Baez made a throwing error in the bottom of the first. It didn’t result in a run, but an extra hitter came to the plate as a result, and that also might have been important later on.

In the third inning, a Cleveland double, sacrifice bunt and single tied the game off Kyle Hendricks. Then the Cubs hustled their way into a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Bryant singled and Rizzo was hit by a pitch. A force play moved Bryant to third, and Addison Russell hit a fly ball to short center, caught by Davis. It seemed far too short for anyone to score, but Bryant took off right away. Davis isn’t known for having a good arm, and his throw came in high to Roberto Perez, and Bryant slid under it, safe. That’s not only good, solid baseball play, but good advance scouting. Willson Contreras followed with a double scoring Ben Zobrist and the Cubs had a 3-1 lead.

That became 4-1 thanks to Baez:

Two errors by Baez, one home run: I think that’s a fair trade, don’t you?

Bryant scored in the fifth inning on a smartly-executed hit-and-run; he took off and Rizzo smacked a ball into the right-field corner, and Kris never stopped running:

You felt pretty confident at that point, didn’t you?

In the bottom of the fifth, Hendricks walked Carlos Santana with two out. That brought Joe Maddon out, and this is where, I think, Joe started overmanaging. He’d said before the game that he didn’t want to use Jon Lester in relief except in a “clean” inning, but here came Jon with a runner on base. Hendricks was rolling pretty well and I thought he could have finished the inning, despite the walk. And Hendricks could have, and probably should have, been upset about that walk:

We all wished Joe had indeed left Kyle in the game, because Jason Kipnis hit a little roller that you just knew Lester wouldn’t touch. David Ross, who’d come into the game when Lester did, fielded it off-balance and his throw to first went awry. Runners wound up on second and third, but didn’t stay there long, because Lester wild-pitched them both home.

That’s pretty rare, especially in a World Series. How rare?

Like the length of the Cubs’ previous World Series title to now, over 100 years’ time rare:

Since this was a game for the ages, have a look at it, because it might be another century before you see it again:

So it’s 5-3. That didn’t last long, thanks to Grandpa Rossy:

That ball: Crushed!

Just how cool is all that? Here’s a guy you know is playing in his last major-league game, someone all his teammates look up to for leadership and, as Zobs said in postgame interviews, someone every single player on the team wanted to win it for so badly, and he hits a home run in that game, and not only that, but a long, long home run — and off the previously nearly-unhittable Andrew Miller? Awesome, totally awesome. I couldn’t be happier for Ross, who was a revelation in his two years in a Cubs uniform and who became a popular fan favorite. We will, and the players will, miss him next year. I hope he returns as a coach, soon.

It’s 6-3 Cubs and Lester, after that wild pitch, is dealing.

Then Joe decided to overmanage again in the eighth. With two out, Russell and Baez couldn’t handle a grounder that bounced off the lip of the infield grass. Lester could easily have faced Brandon Guyer, but Joe decided to call on Aroldis Chapman. Chapman appeared gassed not long after he entered the game, and, like Lester, he came in with a runner on base, a situation not always best for him. Of seven pitches Chapman threw to Guyer, only one touched triple digits. Guyer doubled, making it 6-4. Davis was next and Chapman never hit triple digits to him either. Davis homered, the ball smashing off a TV camera in the left-field seats, tying the game.

Are you kidding me? Four outs to go for a World Series championship, and the closer Theo & Co. spent a high cost in prospects to get blows the lead?

Ugh. This did not make me happy, nor any of you, I’m sure, nor any of the thousands of fans at bars in Wrigleyville or in the streets surrounding the ballpark. At one point so many people were in that area that the CTA announced that trains wouldn’t stop at the Addison station, and buses in the area were being re-routed.

Still, the Cubs had the top of the ninth to try to re-take the lead. Ross walked and was replaced by Chris Coghlan on base, ending his career with a fine performance. Cogs was forced at second by Jason Heyward, who stole second and took third on a throwing error. Now we’re talking! Baez, as the TV announcers noted, might be given the safety squeeze sign, and he did — but he promptly bounced it foul for strike three.

Miguel Montero entered the game at catcher, replacing Ross, and Chapman came out for the bottom of the ninth, still gassed, but with enough to retire the side 1-2-3.

Extra innings? In a game like this? Were the baseball gods just messing with us?

Before the game could go to the 10th inning, they messed with everyone in a non-baseball way: It started raining. It rained hard enough for the field to be covered and play delayed. This was actually good for the Cubs, I thought. They could slow the game down and reset things a bit. They hadn’t been able to do much with Bryan Shaw in the ninth, but Kyle Schwarber led off the 10th with a single. Albert Almora Jr. ran for Schwarber and alertly tagged up and took second on a long fly to center by Bryant. Rizzo was intentionally walked, bringing up Zobrist.

Zobrist, who had signed specifically with the Cubs because he knew Joe Maddon and Dave Martinez from their Tampa Bay days and, after winning the World Series last year with the Royals, wanted to be part of what was being built in Chicago.

Zobs doubled down the left-field line and the Cubs had a 7-6 lead. The look on his face was the same look he had when he doubled in the Cubs’ first run in the eventual game-winning rally in Game 4 of the division series in San Francisco. The look of winning — a look we have never really seen before this year on the North Side of Chicago. I think I could get used to it. Zobs’ key hit, and his .357 BA in the World Series, got him the Series MVP award.

Another intentional walk loaded the bases, and brought up Montero, who’d lost his starting job and had thought, during the summer, that he might be released.

Miggy singled in a run, which would turn out to be very, very, very important.

Carl Edwards Jr., who might be a closer someday, came in to close the most important game of his life. Two easy outs came and we were all one win away from joy.

Guyer, again, was next. Think about this for a moment: Guyer, once a Cubs farmhand, had been traded to the Rays by Jim Hendry as part of his deal to get Matt Garza. Edwards had been acquired from the Rangers when Theo shipped Garza there two years later. And there they were, facing each other for the possible last out of the World Series.

That would have been poetic. The baseball gods decided poetry was out, at least for this moment. The pesky Guyer walked and took second on defensive indifference.

Then, Davis again. He singled, scoring Guyer and it was 8-7 with the tying run on base.

Nothing like this is ever easy, and after 108 years, you didn’t think this would be, did you? It’s almost as if history itself was saying, “You can have this… but you are going to have to work very, very hard for it.”

Michael Martinez, who’d been placed in the game by the Indians an inning earlier for defense, was the hitter. Mike Montgomery, who’d never saved a big-league game, was summoned.

I’ll let Pat Hughes tell the end of this story:

Congratulations to Pat, too — he’s the first man ever to say the words “The Chicago Cubs have won the World Series!” on radio.

The Chicago Cubs have won the World Series. This is something we’ve all wished for, dreamed of, wanted so badly for so many years.

And now, it is reality.

How does this all feel? Surreal, a bit, and it surely will take a while to sink in and for us to really understand the meaning of what we’ve seen. I celebrated quietly at home, unable to make it to Cleveland, as a huge contingent of Cubs fans did — and clearly, everyone who went represented every single one of us. So did the thousands who crowded Wrigleyville. I live about 2½ miles from Wrigley Field, and not long after the game ended I went out on my deck and I could hear the cheering from there, as well as cars honking in celebration, a party literally more than a century in the making.

This title, this party, this amazing night and victory… this is for Ernie. Rest now, Mr. Cub. Rest. They won it for you. “The Cubs were the team in 2016.”

It’s for Ron, too. Oh, how he would have loved this team, this World Series, this night of glory. Can’t you just hear him yelling “Yes, yes, YES!” over and over and over, the happiest man on the planet?

It is almost ineffably sad that those two men are not here to share this with us. We celebrate in their stead. Do not fail to do that, know how much these men would have loved all we have just witnessed, keep them in your thoughts, not that I really even have to ask that.

It’s for Billy and Fergie, and how wonderful it is that those two Hall of Famers who dazzled us with their play but could never win it all, are here to celebrate with us.

It’s for Don and Glenn and Randy and Jim and Bill and Paul and Kenny and all those men who played so hard and thrilled me when I was young, never won anything, and they are like old friends, because I don’t even have to write anything more than their first names and all the memories of their play come flooding back.

It’s for Ryne and Leon and Ron and Keith and Steve and Lee and Rick and Jody and Bobby and Gary, the men who came achingly close to winning it all for themselves and us, only to fall short. I salute you, and am thrilled you can share this victory with us.

It’s for Greg and Mike and Shawon and Mark and Joe and Jerome and Dwight and Mitch and the rest of the “Boys of Zimmer,” whose charmed life ended once the calendar turned to October.

It’s for Sammy and Oh! Henry! and Mike and Mickey and Lance and Kerry and Rod and Terry and the team that left it all on the field in one incredible game against the Giants, thrilling us but getting dispatched in the first round.

It’s for Aramis and Eric and Damian and Alex and Mark and Moises and Carlos and Joe and Sammy, again… the pain’s gone, my friends, celebrate with us, you didn’t make it, but you’re all part of this family.

It’s for Derrek and Mark and Reed and Ryan and Jacque and Geo and Kosuke and Ryan and Ted… the men who we just knew would end this drought after exactly a century, only to see them, too, flop in the division series, not once but twice.

It’s for Lennie, God bless him and his wonderful family, who I am proud to call my friends. Rest now, too, Lennie. Until this past week you were the last living Cub to play in a World Series. Now there are 25 men who proudly hold that title, but I know they’ll never forget you. I know I won’t.

It’s for the Cubs of 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938 and 1945, too many to mention here, who got to the World Series but couldn’t bring victory home to Chicago. I salute you, long-ago members of the Cubs family, not one of those men living today (except for Lennie), but I know you’re all celebrating with us.

It’s for Harry and Jack and Steve and Vince and Lou and Jack Q. and Lloyd and all the men who broadcast games never seeing what we’ve seen. They brought such pleasure to us anyway, describing the spring and summer and fall days of baseball, and I salute them. Here’s Harry’s broadcast of the final game of 1991 and his prediction that the Cubs would someday get to exactly where they are on this day:

Most of all, this triumph is for you. And for me. And for every single person who’s ever cheered for the Chicago Cubs for the last 108 years, so many of whom aren’t with us anymore. No doubt, you know someone like this in your own life. Your parents, or grandparents, or great-grandparents, generation after generation who went to Wrigley Field and hoped, year after year, that things would be better, that things would change, but they never did.

And now they have. I pause here to remember and pay my respects to all those who wanted to see this as much as we, the living, did. They deserve to be a part of this celebration, and are, in our hearts and minds. If you feel the presence of someone important to you who loved the Cubs smiling on you this morning, savor that feeling for the rest of your life. Those who have lived and died without ever seeing what we witnessed Wednesday night, but who loved this team as much as any of us, are forever part of this, too.

The late New York Times sports columnist Red Smith once paid tribute “to absent friends,” and I want to do the same here, for absent bleacher friends, men and women I knew well over the nearly four decades I’ve spent out there who are no longer living, and they deserve to be part of this, too. Stephanie, Fred, Elsie, Al B., Connie, Mark, Maureen, Chet, Irving, Paul, Marv, Les, Carmella and Papa Carl (and others I might have forgotten): you’re in my thoughts this celebratory morning, and you’re as much a part of this as those of us who saw and experienced it for ourselves. You’ll always be remembered by me and by other longtime bleacherites.

To the Cleveland Indians and their fans: Thank you. You are passionate, dedicated fans, and the team was a tough and worthy adversary in one of the most memorable World Series of all time, and perhaps the best Game 7 ever. Our drought is over. Yours continues. Trust me, we know how this feels. But you know what? Persevere, stick with your team, don’t ever give up. We didn’t, and now we are at the top of the baseball world. You’ll get there, someday. I know this because for years, decades, a century, it felt hopeless to us — and now we’re at the top of the baseball world. Next time the Indians are in the World Series, I’ll be your biggest fan — unless you’re playing the Cubs again, of course.

And now, thanks are in order for the people who brought this championship that many of us never thought we’d see on the North Side of Chicago.

Thank you, Willson, Miguel, David, Anthony, Kris, Addison, Javier, Ben, Dexter, Albert, Jason, Chris, Kyle S., Jorge, Jake, Jon, Kyle H., Carl, Aroldis, Justin, John, Mike, Hector, Travis and Pedro, the 25 men who brought the ultimate elation to us, as well as the 20 other men who played for the Cubs this year. You’ve made all our dreams come true.

Thank you to all the Cubs personnel I’ve had the pleasure to have contact with in whatever form for all your kindnesses, as well as the countless gameday employees who worked hard to make sure everyone had fun at the ballpark: You’re all part of this celebration, too. We’re all one family, now and forevermore.

Thank you, Tom Ricketts, for never wavering from your stated goal seven years ago of winning the World Series. Thank you for investing in the team and in our beautiful ballpark, made much better by the ongoing renovations; when they are done Wrigley Field will be the best ballpark in baseball — not that it isn’t already, but with new and modern amenities for fans and players, it will be second to none.

Thank you, Crane Kenney, for your leadership of a business operations department that often had to navigate a city of Chicago minefield to accomplish things with the ballpark and team, but also is now second to none.

Thank you, Joe Maddon, for bringing your unique perspective on baseball and life to Chicago. When you were hired you paid tribute to Wrigley Field and the Cubs fanbase and, though you never played or coached in Chicago before you came here, you “got it” better than any manager I’ve seen in Chicago in my lifetime. Your in-game management and lineups and bullpen use were unorthodox at times, but I surely can’t complain — it worked!

And thank you, Theo Epstein. Yes, there were times when I doubted your plan. I’ve said here before that I was wrong, totally wrong about that, and today I’ll say it again, gladly: I was wrong, Theo was right all along. His plan was put in place beginning five years ago and it worked perfectly, exactly as it should have. Three years of bad major-league seasons? Worth it, totally, to enjoy the fruits of the championship just won. I have never been so happy to have been wrong. Thank you to Jed and Jason and every single member of the baseball operations staff, all of whom contributed to this ultimate victory.

And at last, all the talk surrounding this franchise of curses and jinxes and goats and black cats and all that other nonsense can be laid to rest forever, never to be spoken of again. The simple truth is that for 108 years, the Cubs didn’t win because they weren’t good enough. In 2016, at last, they were.

A parade and celebration in Chicago are still to come, but here’s my final thought to wrap this all up this morning: Let’s do it again next year!

It’s somewhat of a miracle to still be writing about a Salvador Perez season in 2026. I really thought he was done after his 2023 season, when he was a below-average hitter with a negative fWAR. Remarkably, Perez bounced back with a great 2024, followed by a fine 2025 campaign. It was easy to believe that Perez could maintain at least his 2025 production and be a more than positive contributor to a playoff-bound Royals team. Instead, 2026 would be the season Father Time would finally catch up with the Royals legend.

Salvy agreed to a two-year, $25 million extension last offseason, keeping the captain in Kansas City. The highlight of his 2026 baseball season came before MLB play began. He was the captain of Team Venezuela, which won the World Baseball Classic in a thrilling and charged 3-2 game against the United States. I was cheering for the USA in the game, but was extremely happy for Perez and Maikel Garcia to get the chance to win that tournament and celebrate with their countrymen. The WBC remains awesome, and I hope it continues to grow in popularity.

Once the MLB season started, things were much less exciting for Perez and the Royals. Just like last season, Perez got off to a very slow start at the plate. Unlike last season, his Statcast peripherals supported his poor results. Through the All-Star break, the veteran had a .595 OPS, which was 41% below league average. Despite his struggles, Salvy was in the lineup nearly every day. He didn’t catch for a while because his hip was bothering him, but he continued to play most days despite his terrible numbers.

To his credit, he was much more successful in the second half of the season. On the strength of improved contact at the plate, which led to a higher average and more power, Salvy posted a 105 wRC+ in the second half of the year. Even with his marked improvement, Perez finished the season with a 77 wRC+ and -1.1 fWAR. Both of those numbers are the worst of Salvy’s career.

Perez did not catch very much this season. He was behind the dish for 44 games, compared to 80 at DH and 25 at first base. When he was catching, he showed a real penchant for knowing when to use the ABS system. He challenged 65 times, winning 46 of them, good for the sixth-highest win percentage among catchers making challenges. He didn’t get enough reps for this to really matter, and his framing remains poor. Still, it was legitimately cool to see his knowledge of the strike zone (behind the plate at least) put to good use.

Salvy continues to play a lot, which could have been a much bigger issue this season if the Royals had been near contention. The Royals are planning on competing next season, and one way for them to show that they are serious about that would be to downshift Perez to a more part-time role. If Salvy wasn’t a Royals legend, I would be willing to make the argument that they just need to walk away from him regardless of the money they owe him. That seems extremely unlikely to happen, and I don’t think they should.

However, Perez should really be a part-time platoon player at this point, helping out against lefties and catching every now and then. Nothing in Salvy’s history as a player suggests to me that he would be amenable to this, but I have no special insight other than observing that he really likes to play every day. It’s up to Matt Quatraro and his staff to figure out how to balance personalities while giving the team the best chance to succeed next year.

It seems likely that 2027 will be Perez’s last season on the Royals, and I want a storybook ending for him. It’s been a joy and a privilege watching Salvy play baseball all these years. What 2026 reminds us is that time catches up to everyone, and we witnessed that happen in a real way to Perez this year.

Tarik Skubal is probably the best pitcher in baseball. Since July of 2023, the lefty has posted a 2.47 ERA over 626.1 IP, backed by a 2.70 xERA, a 2.42 FIP, and a K-BB% of 26.7%, good for 21.3 fWAR. All of those metrics rank as the best in baseball over the time period in question, most by a not insignificant amount. He’s won two Cy Youngs (2024 and 2025), a pitcher Triple Crown (2024), and a record breaking $32M in his final arbitration-eligible season (2026). Skubal remains in his prime at 29 and he now enters free agency free of the burden of draft pick compensation after being traded at midseason from Detroit to LA.

That resumé arguably makes Skubal one of the most valuable free agent pitchers of the 2000s, if not all time. Gerrit Cole had a better platform year in 2019, but had not been as dominant over a multi-year period. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was younger but completely unproven in the majors. David Price had a longer track record of being very good but a shorter track record of being elite when he signed with Boston in 2016. Max Scherzer had a similar shape of production but hadn’t reached the highs Skubal had. Clayton Kershaw and Stephen Strasburg never reached free agency. CC Sabathia might have the most credible case, but pitching has changed so much in the last 10-15 years that any direct comparison to a free agent from more than 15 years ago is difficult to make. It’s unsurprising then that Skubal is expected to break all free agent contract records for pitchers, likely signing for something in the $350M-500M range.

Despite those bona fides, I do not think this is a free agent the Mets should seriously pursue. Three primary concerns loom large; Skubal’s injury risk, the general performance of this class of player, and the Mets’ position amidst a changing CBA.

You may have noted as we lauded Skubal’s performance over the past couple years that we set a pretty arbitrary start date. That’s because Skubal missed the first half of 2023 recovering from flexor tendon surgery, which he underwent in August of 2022. Then in 2026, Skubal had another procedure, this time to remove loose bodies from his left elbow. Now, to his (and his surgeons’) credit, Skubal made a remarkably fast recovery from that procedure. But that’s two operations on his left elbow in the last four years, on top of the Tommy John surgery he underwent in college in 2016. Recall that the average shelf life of a TJS is somewhere between 5 and 10 years, a range that Skubal is now on the back end of. There are a bunch of at least orange and possible outright red injury warning signs here, even more so than for the typical pitcher.

Even beyond the Skubal-specific injury risk, this class of pitchers—high-end starters entering their 30s—are a much less successful cohort than you’d expect. Here’s a view of post age-30 fWAR, segmented by the fWAR accrued prior to age 30:

^{Only includes pitchers who appeared in a game from 2000-2026}

To put this into words, even if you’re a very good pitcher who has posted more than 20 fWAR prior to your age-30 season (Tarik Skubal has 24.7 career fWAR), the mean expectation of your age-30 and above career is 10.8 fWAR. It’s only a little better if we narrow things to even better players who posted more than 30, 40, or 50 fWAR prior to their age 30 season.

Sure, Justin Verlander has had an incredible run in his 30s (and 40s). So did Max Scherzer for much of the last decade. Chris Sale is still going. Zack Greinke posted nearly as many wins after 30 as he did before, and Roy Halladay in fact surpassed his pre-age-30 production. But Felix Hernandez was basically done at 30. So was Ben Sheets, and Madison Bumgarner, and Stephen Strasburg, and Brandon Webb, and Matt Cain, and Tim Lincecum. Roy Oswalt, Jake Peavy, Johnny Cueto, and David Price were just okay (<15 fWAR after age 30), and they’re roughly average outcomes for this cohort. Time and pitcher injury risk are undefeated, and the bell tolls for many pitcher’s career—or at least their time as a top-level ace—well before you’d like.

Now, we should caveat this analysis. This is an extraordinarily rudimentary look at things; more granular age cohorts or use of deeper metrics beyond surface level fWAR would surely provide a more accurate picture. This class of players also has the benefit of typically being good or injured; it’s rare that such a player is plodding along with middling but healthy production, clogging a roster spot and confounding attempts to improve the team. It’s more likely they’re either pitching like an ace or simply unavailable, and that sort of downside is preferable to the alternative.

Still, is guaranteeing a player who, by the median / mean performance of comparable players, is likely to give you ~15 wins over the remainder of their career, more than $350M a good idea? That’s more than $20M per win (again, an extraordinarily rudimentary way to look at this, but an acceptable heuristic) with significant additional downside risk, a steep price even by modern free agency standards.

Zooming out one more level, the potential changes to the CBA must be considered as well. The league’s proposals to date have included a cap-and-floor system, with a proposed cap of $245.3M. For reference, the Mets’ payroll in 2026 was more than $100M higher than that ($346.7M), and with Bo Bichette opting in none of the big money is falling off the books until next offseason.

A hard cap system is basically a non-starter for the players and it’s highly unlikely one gets adopted. There’s also a chance big spenders would be grandfathered in in some way, perhaps given a period of a few years to get below the cap. However, the current course of negotiations is headed towards harsher penalties—likely draft pick based—on the highest spending teams. If you’re the Mets, and you’re guaranteeing nearly $100M per year to Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor for the next 5 years and have other gaps in the roster that still need to be filled, cramming in yet another top-of-the-market deal seems foolhardy, if not downright impossible.

So yes, Tarik Skubal is quite possibly the best starter in baseball, and having him on the 2027 Mets would be both very fun and beneficial to the Mets’ World Series chances. But the combination of injury risk, cohort performance, and broader roster construction implications makes this one opportunity the Mets should probably pass on.