LAS VEGAS –– Amid the many scripted (and strained) puns that Scott Boras came equipped with on Wednesday at MLB’s annual General Managers’ Meetings, the sport’s most prominent player agent got his biggest laugh from reporters with a little bit of improv.
Fifteen minutes into his press conference at the Aria Resort and Casino, Boras was briefly interrupted when his cellphone unexpectedly rang.
“Just another owner,” Boras quipped, “begging to meet with Skubal.”
Scott Boras speaks at a news conference during Major League Baseball’s general manager meetings in Las Vegas, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. AP Photo/John Locher
The line was the most succinct summation of the larger point Boras conveyed on Wednesday.
“It’s very clear that there is a dominant and strong Sku-bull market,” Boras boasted. “It’s pretty clear teams are not devoid of pursuing their championship fortunes, and they understand there’s only one Tar-ot card, no doubt.”
Indeed, Boras will have no lack of suitors when it comes to his two-time Cy Young Award-winning client. As the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported, the left-handed ace is scheduled to meet with six teams –– the Dodgers, Mets, Padres and Blue Jays among them –– at the Boras Corporation’s California headquarters next week.
“In the deep waters of talent treasure, there’s no time to come up for air,” Boras said. “So teams have filled their tanks, and they’re all clearly ready for the Skubal dive, no doubt.”
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals in Los Angeles, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026. Wally Skalij for CA Post
The real question at this point is how aggressively clubs will bid for the 30-year-old superstar, especially with the league pushing for a salary cap (or other stricter spending limitations) in its fraught labor negotiations with the players’ union over a new collective bargaining agreement.
Whether other teams are willing to go to such lengths, however, could be the biggest determinant in the Dodgers’ chances of re-signing their marquee trade deadline acquisition from this past season.
“I know he enjoyed his time here and we loved having him,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Tuesday. “So I think that’s certainly helpful as far as those conversations go.”
But the club is also wary of adding another long-term mega-contract to their already bloated future payroll picture. While all options remain open, their preference is believed to be for a shorter-term, higher annual-average-value structure –– similar to the deal they struck with last year’s top free agent, Kyle Tucker.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes and manager Dave Roberts posed with Kyle Tucker after his contract signing last offseason. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Boras declined to comment when asked if Skubal would be receptive to such an offer.
“I don’t discuss contract negotiations with anything but the teams,” he said.
Still, it’s unlikely Skubal would settle for such an agreement if other bidders come in with the kind of offers he has been projected to receive.
Whether or not that happens before the lockout –– which, as of now, is when Skubal is expected to try and sign by –– is where the true intrigue lies for both him and the Dodgers.
The Mets have the resources to swing such a deal, thanks to deep-pocketed owner Steve Cohen. But they have also typically been averse to long-term commitments for pitchers in their 30s, and will likely be trying to sign multiple impact starters this winter to restock their thin rotation.
The Blue Jays and Padres have not been afraid of expensive splash moves in recent years. But as a result, they are already spending at historic levels relative to their franchises’ histories, leaving their willingness to add another significant contract to their books unclear.
The spectre of a potential salary cap, meanwhile, could give any of them added pause until the new CBA rules are clear.
Los Angeles Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten, left, chats with president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Los Angeles. Wally Skalij for CA Post
It all explains why the Dodgers are content to monitor how Skubal’s market develops over the next couple weeks, before deciding if they are willing to step out of their own comfort zone in their efforts to re-sign him.
They know the benefits that would come with bringing Skubal back, and keeping him atop a stacked rotation that also features Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani.
But they are also conscious of the risks they could incur with a longer-term deal, especially given Skubal’s history of three elbow procedures (including an arthroscopic surgery this past season to remove loose bodies from his arm, a flexor tendon operation in 2022, and Tommy John in 2017).
Thus, if any team blows Skubal away with a massive offer, it’s unlikely (though not impossible) the Dodgers would decide to match it.
Until that happens, however, the club will be lying in wait, ready to pounce if his market doesn’t develop quite as strongly as anticipated.
Scott Boras speaks at a news conference during Major League Baseball's general manager meetings Wednesday in Las Vegas. (John Locher / Associated Press)
The Dodgers’ early offseason to-do list includes a meeting with top free agent Tarik Skubal, the two-time Cy Young winner who they acquired at the trade deadline this year.
Other than the Dodgers’ National League Championship Series exit, the three-month fling was as happy of a partnership as either side could have hoped.
Skubal jelled with the group immediately, becoming especially close friends with fellow lefty Blake Snell, who promised that he’d worked to recruit Skubal back this offseason. And after posting a 2.61 ERA in 10 starts, Skubal, the Dodgers’ Game 1 starter in both playoff series, limited postseason opponents to a total of three runs.
“I know that he enjoyed his time here, we loved having him, so I think that’s certainly helpful as far as these conversations go,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said Tuesday at General Managers meetings. “And outside of that, he’s earned the right to be in this position and figure out what’s best for him and his family.”
That position, while it guarantees him a highly lucrative contract, is complicated by the impending lockout. Skubal’s agent, Scott Boras, when asked during his media availability Wednesday whether he’d consider a shorter deal with a higher average annual value, said he wouldn’t discuss contract negotiations. But creativity around the structure of a deal could help counter teams’ anxieties over a possible salary cap in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement.
It’s clear already that CBA uncertainty won’t fully freeze the market in November. But executives and agents alike have expressed skepticism that the expected lockout will inspire the same kind of spending flurry that arose in 2021, the end of the last CBA cycle.
Boras, however, argued against the notion that salary cap talk could put a damper on the superstar market before Dec. 1, when the lockout is expected to go into effect.
“Much like 2021, there’s a clear intent on a group of players, and we have no reservations by any teams that they’re going to operate within their abilities and freedoms because they want they don’t want to lose to their competitors,” Boras told reporters. “They want the market to be what it is for them, and they’re utilizing their rights to compete. I think they’re very concerned about losing the opportunity to sign select, key players, and they’re pursuing it aggressively.”
The Dodgers are among the teams planning to meet with Skubal, a group that reportedly includes the Mets, Padres and others.
The Dodgers certainly have a track record of splashy offseason deals with eye-popping numbers. Look no further than last offseason, when they broke records with their signings of closer Edwin Díaz (three years, $69 million, highest AAV for a relief pitcher) and right fielder Kyle Tucker (four years, $240 million, highest present-day AAV).
Even the Dodgers’ trade-deadline acquisition of Skubal appeared to be superfluous at the time. Once two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani’s health forced him to give up on pitching for the rest of the season, however, Skubal’s addition maintained the Dodgers rotation’s status as one of the most talented in MLB history.
They were not, however, among the most aggressive teams before the last lockout. And their approach to Skubal’s free agency will hinge, in part, on how they evaluate their starting pitching needs.
That picture isn’t clear, either.
“We’ve talked about the different paths that you can go down, and what does that look like,” Gomes said. “Do you need it? I don’t know. Do you want it? Maybe. You may not know that you need it until it’s too late. So I think it’s balancing all of this, as different scenarios play out. … The floor right now is really high. We do have a good amount of depth in our pitching. So now it’s just taking into account, what makes sense for us based on different avenues of how things shake out.”
As the Dodgers project out the potential of their rotation, they can reasonably expect improvement from some of their younger pitchers. They were pleased with the step forward that right-hander Roki Sasaki took this year.
“Expect him to take another big step forward,” Gomes said, “and really become the front-line-type guy that he knows that he can be and we know he can be.”
Regardless of lefty Justin Wrobleski’s second-half regression, he earned his first All-Star nod with a dominant first half. Though right-hander Emmet Sheehan had an up-and-down season, the Dodgers continue to believe in his upside. And they expect Gavin Stone, who last pitched in the majors in 2024, to be part of the equation, after a long road back from shoulder surgery.
They still have the star power of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a two-time All-Star and 2025 World Series MVP, Snell, a two-time Cy Young winner, and Tyler Glasnow.
Ohtani’s return to the mound, however, raises the most questions. The Dodgers expect him to return to two-way duties, that much is clear. But they have yet to lay out a plan for how to keep him healthy for the season while doing so.
“I think it’s just making sure that we are taking all of the information into account and trying to set up a system that allows him to pitch and be successful and be healthy towards the end,” Gomes said. “Because we know how dominant he can be on the mound.”
Two young flamethrowers are being honored for their dominant seasons.
Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees and Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers were unanimously named the AL and NL Cy Young award winners on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old Schlittler and 24-year-old Misiorowski took their respective leagues by storm in 2026, both posting an ERA under 2.00 in their first full MLB seasons.
Dylan Cease of the Toronto Blue Jays and Parker Messick of the Cleveland Guardians were second and third, respectively, in the AL voting. Christopher Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies finished second in the NL behind Misiorowski, who received all 30 first-place votes, and Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves finished third.
With ace Gerrit Cole out for part of the season, Schlittler stepped in for the Yankees and became their clear No. 1 starter. He went 14-6 with a 1.95 ERA and 239 strikeouts over 33 starts, leading the AL in ERA.
Schlittler’s dominance carried over to AL Wild Card Round, where he shut down the Boston Red Sox in 6.1 shutout innings with 10 strikeouts. He wasn’t as sharp against the eventual AL champion Tampa Bay Rays in the Division Series, taking the loss in Game 2 of the Yankees’ three-game sweep.
Schlitter is the seventh Yankee to win the Cy Young, joining Bob Turley (1958), Whitey Ford (1961), Sparky Lyle (1977), Ron Guidry (1978), Roger Clemens (2001) and Cole (2023).
Misiorowski, meanwhile, was the story of the season with his velocity. He was the first player in MLB history to throw at least 1,000 pitches above 100 mph in a season — something no team had ever done before. Misiorowski recorded the third-fastest pitch in MLB history in June at 105.5 mph, and he set the World Series record at 103.5 mph in Game 1.
In the regular season, Misiorowski had a 16-5 record and MLB-best 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts over 30 starts. He also topped MLB in the advanced stats of ERA+, WHIP and FIP. In four postseason starts for the World Series champions, Misiorowski went 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA and 16 strikeouts.
Misiorowski joins Rollie Fingers (1981), Pete Vuckovich (1982) and Corbin Burnes (2021) as the fourth Brewer to win the award.
Four Phillies finished among the top three for major National League awards this week, and one came home with a trophy.
Zack Wheeler was named MLB’s NL Comeback Player of the Year on Wednesday, while Cristopher Sánchez and Jhoan Duran finished second in BBWAA voting for the Cy Young and Reliever of the Year awards. Jesús Luzardo placed fifth in the Cy Young race.
Sánchez was also named to the All-MLB First Team, while Luzardo earned Second Team honors.
Don Mattingly finished third for NL Manager of the Year when those results were announced Tuesday.
Wheeler’s honor completed a sweep of the two comeback awards. He was previously voted NL Comeback Player by his peers as part of the MLBPA’s Players Choice Awards. MLB’s separate award is determined by a vote of the league’s 30 MLB.com club beat reporters.
Wheeler’s 2025 season ended in August after doctors discovered a blood clot near his right shoulder. He underwent thoracic outlet decompression surgery the following month, a procedure that required the removal of his first rib.
The 36-year-old returned to the Phillies’ rotation April 25 and went 14-5 with a 3.00 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 193 strikeouts over 162 innings. He made 28 starts and averaged 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings.
Wheeler joins Brad Lidge, who received the honor in 2008, as the second Phillies player to win MLB’s Comeback Player of the Year award.
Sánchez came significantly closer to winning the first Cy Young of his career than his lack of first-place votes would suggest.
Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski received all 30 first-place votes. Sánchez accumulated 99 points to finish one ahead of Atlanta’s Chris Sale for second. He appeared on every ballot, receiving 17 second-place votes, six thirds, six fourths and one fifth.
Sánchez went 18-7 with a 2.91 ERA and 231 strikeouts over 207 innings. He led the majors in wins and Baseball-Reference WAR, becoming the fifth pitcher in Cy Young history to finish as the runner-up in consecutive seasons.
He received all 30 second-place votes behind Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes last year.
The Phillies have now had a pitcher finish second in NL Cy Young voting six times. Jim Bunning was the runner-up in 1967, followed by Roy Halladay in 2011, Wheeler in 2021 and 2024, and Sánchez in each of the last two seasons.
Philadelphia has produced the runner-up in three consecutive years and four of the last six. Halladay remains the franchise’s most recent winner, taking the award unanimously in 2010.
Luzardo gave the Phillies two pitchers among the top five.
The left-hander finished fifth with 34 points after going 14-5 with a 2.86 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and a career-high 221 strikeouts over 179⅔ innings. Luzardo placed seventh in 2025, making this his first top-five Cy Young finish.
Duran was the runner-up to Padres closer Mason Miller for the BBWAA’s inaugural NL Reliever of the Year award.
Miller was the unanimous winner, receiving all 30 first-place votes. Duran collected 24 second-place votes, four thirds and one fourth for 110 points.
In his first full season with the Phillies, Duran posted a 1.82 ERA and converted 33 of 35 save opportunities. He struck out 84 batters over 59⅓ innings and finished with a 0.99 WHIP.
Mattingly received one first-place vote, three second-place votes and 11 thirds in the Manager of the Year race. His 25 points placed him behind Milwaukee’s Pat Murphy and Atlanta’s Walt Weiss.
Murphy won the award for the third consecutive year.
Mattingly took over a Phillies team that was 9-19 and had lost 10 straight games. Philadelphia went 79-55 under him, reaching the postseason on the final day of the regular season. Mattingly previously won NL Manager of the Year with Miami in 2020.
LAS VEGAS — There is probably one arm in the Giants’ organization with the trust and the track record to handle the ninth inning. Buster Posey doesn’t want him closing games.
If not Randy Rodriguez, the flame-throwing 2025 All-Star who missed this past season rehabbing from elbow surgery, then who could wind up closing games for the Giants?
Randy Rodriguez (73) of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, Wednesday, April 9, 2025. Getty Images
“In a perfect world,” Posey said, their ninth-inning man will come from outside the organization.
That would allow the Giants to ease Rodriguez into his first season back from Tommy John surgery. He posted a 1.78 ERA in 50 appearances in 2025, including 15 games he finished, but was shut down in August and had his ulnar collateral ligament surgically repaired in September.
Posey said he expects Rodriguez to be ready for Opening Day, even if it’s in a reduced role. The Giants are scheduled to open their season about 18 months after Rodriguez’s operation, but the looming lockout could give him even more time to ramp up.
Rodriguez took a major step in his recovery last month, appearing in three Arizona Fall League games in his first time facing batters in game action since before the surgery. His velocity touched 98 mph, but the Giants shut him down after experiencing some elbow pain.
Posey said the team was “just being careful … just being cautious.”
Still, he wasn’t comfortable penciling in Rodriguez as their Opening Day closer just yet.
“Really [to] be able to monitor his workload the best we can as he continues to get back to where he was before the injury,” Posey said. “But things can change.”
Camilo Doval, who saved 107 games for the Giants from 2021 until he was traded to the Yankees in 2025, is back in the organization after being designated for assignment by the Pirates in September, but he is projected to make $6.6 million in salary arbitration.
Camilo Doval of the San Francisco Giants pitches during a game against Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. Getty Images
Posey’s desire to bring in an external candidate — or two — to take down the highest-leverage innings in San Francisco’s bullpen may be a hard square to circle with his stated reticence to part with the draft pick compensation. Arguably the top two relief options on the free agent market, David Bednar and Adrian Morejon, both received qualifying offers.
Further down the big board of available arms, though, there are still plenty of free agents with experience in the ninth inning. Raisel Iglesias (287 career saves), Jordan Romano (128), Pete Fairbanks (109), Emilio Pagan (90), Gregory Soto (72), Jose Alvarado (53) and Evan Phillips (47) are all known commodities and closed games within the past year or two.
The Giants went most of last season under manager Tony Vitello with a closer-by-committee approach. Their 5.74 ERA in the ninth inning ranked 28th of 30 teams.
“I do think that some of these arms that were kind of thrust into situations that they were probably not quite ready for,” Posey said, “hopefully we can push them down a little bit and just lengthen the ‘pen and be in a better place to use some of those guys that were throwing later innings.
“Maybe now they’re pitching the fifth, sixth, seventh innings instead of seventh, eighth and ninth.”
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jacob Young agreed to terms on a long-term contract with the Washington Nationals, president of baseball operations Paul Toboni announced Wednesday.
It’s a four-year deal through the 2030 season with a club option for 2031 for the defense-first outfielder whose hitting appears to be improving.
“Already one of the top defenders in Major League Baseball, we all saw the significant step forward Jacob took offensively in 2026 and we anticipate continued development in the years to come,” Toboni said in a statement. “He is a tremendous representative of the organization and we are excited to have him in the fold for the next several years.”
Young, who turned 27 in late July, set a career high with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs this year while batting .252. He entered the season with five home runs in 1,006 plate appearances in the majors.
He finished third among NL center fielders in outs above average and runs prevented. He was a Gold Glove Award finalist in 2024 and ’25.
The contract comes weeks before owners are expected to lock out players when the current collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, putting next season in jeopardy.
Somehow this round had the same number of votes cast as in Round 6, and unsurprisingly there was not a lot of wild movement in the order of results. Jaden Fauske broke a late deadlock to push ahead of Tanner McDougal, giving us our first outfielder to advance. Fauske prevailed with 26 of 77 votes (34%), five more than prior victor William Bergolla Jr.:
Fauske, a second-round choice in 2025, finished as our No. 11-voted prospect last year.
Past No. 6s in the SSS Top Prospect Vote 2026 Tanner McDougal (39%) 2025 Aldrin Batista (22%) 2024 Cristian Mena (17%) 2023 Noah Schultz (34%) 2022 Yoelqui Céspedes (55%) 2021 Yoelqui Céspedes (59%) 2020 Zack Collins (42%) 2019 Dane Dunning (52%) 2018 Dane Dunning (68%)
A round of huzzahs for pitcher Joely Volchko, who earned his first votes of the year, six ballots in. Righthander Mathias LaCombe, yes he is from France, joins our ballot this round.
South Side Sox Top-Voted White Sox Prospects for 2027
Kyle Casteel Right-Handed Starting Pitcher Age 19 2026 high level Butler Area (H.S.) Overall 2026 stats (H.S) 10-0 ▪️ 13 games ▪️ 65 ⅔ IP ▪️ 0.64 ERA ▪️ 103 K ▪️ 11 BB ▪️ 0.685 WHIP
Casteel is the sort of player you dream of getting to start off the $150,000 round of 10 picks: A player who the White Sox had been talking to regularly that, based on how the first round fell, now was draftable knowing the club could meet the prep’s demands. It’s undoubtable that Casteel is far better than the 315th pick (MLB had him ranked at No. 162 overall), and thus the White Sox pocketed a player who should have been selected in the fifth round. Casteel has power and control, and while the White Sox will bring him along with care, he has a rare profile in a pitching-starved White Sox system.
Mathias LaCombe Right-Handed Relief Pitcher Age 24 2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 14 2026 high level Charlotte (AAA) Age relative to high level -3.2 years Overall 2026 stats (ACL/High-A/AA/AAA/AZFL) 3-1 ▪️ 42 games (2 starts, 7 finishes) ▪️ 57 2/3 IP ▪️ 4.84 ERA ▪️ 74 K ▪️ 34 BB ▪️ 1.353 WHIP ▪️1.1 WAR
LaCombe saw more levels than any White Sox prospect in 2026, and more than any since we’ve been using this format, going back at least a few years. That speaks to how modestly he started the season (with just 53 ⅓ pro innings entering the campaign) and how well he did once he got his feet under him. The promotion to Charlotte at season’s end was more Rule 5 maneuvering than merit, but any jump of multiple levels in a season is worth some applause.
Kyle Lodise Shortstop Age 22 2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 24 2026 high level Winston-Salem (High-A) Age relative to high level 0.0 years Overall 2026 stats 111 games ▪️ 20 HR ▪️ 77 RBI ▪️ .230/.380/.440 ▪️ 42-of-51 (82.4%) SB ▪️ 92 BB ▪️ 141 K ▪️ .957 FLD%▪️ 3.6 WAR
Lodise made a return visit to Winston-Salem in 2026, and his first full professional season went extremely well. With a low average and slug to burn, the shortstop fits right in with the org profile of swinging hard, damn the contact. Thankfully, Lodise is selective enough at the plate to produce astronomical OBPs. And his power bat is showing better than advertised at this point.
Tanner McDougal Right-Handed Starting Pitcher Age 23 2024 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 33 2025 SSS Prospect Poll ranking N/R 2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 6 2026 high level Chicago (MLB) Age relative to high level -6.2 years Overall 2026 stats (High-A/AAA/MLB) 2-3 ▪️ 27 games (7 starts, 3 finishes) ▪️ 50 IP ▪️ 4.86 ERA ▪️ 53 K ▪️ 34 BB ▪️ 1.480 WHIP ▪️0.2 WAR
The good news is that McDougal was enough of a core piece to be promoted to Chicago in the second half of 2026. The bad news … well, where to start. McDougal’s presumptive march to the South Side rotation was stopped dead early in the season, when he was sidelined for weeks with forearm tightness. While the injury was thankfully not severe enough to necessitate a second TJS, Tanner was a relief arm for the rest of the season and not a stable one at that. His brief cameo in Chicago saw him rack up one out along with three walks.
Javier Mogollón Second Baseman Age 21 2026 high level Winston-Salem (AA) Age relative to high level -2.0 years Overall 2026 stats (Low-A/High-A) 91 games ▪️ 14 HR ▪️ 57 RBI ▪️ .262/.368/.448 ▪️ 36-of-44 (81.8%) SB ▪️ 53 BB ▪️ 123 K ▪️ .965 FLD%▪️ 2.5 WAR
The diminutive (5´8´´, 160) infielder wowed in rookie ball and though his climb has slowed, Mogollón has steadily risen up our ranks, from No.62 in our 2024 Top 100 to the cusp of the Top 10 today. That said, he’s seen two straight seasons shortened by hamstring issues. At least in 2026, Mogollón was able to return before season’s end, providing a clutch bat coming that provided a .313/.389/.813 slash and eight RBIs en route to sweeping to a SALLY title.
Cole Prosek Third Baseman Age 19 2026 High Level Magnolia Heights (H.S.) Overall 2026 stats (H.S) 41 games ▪️ 18 HR ▪️ 79 RBI ▪️ .545/.678/1.177 ▪️ 62 R ▪️ 7 SB ▪️ 31 BB ▪️ 12 K
Coming to Chicago as a second-rounder, Prosek seems more highly-regarded by evaluators than the guy picked ahead of him by the White Sox, low first round choice Landon Thome. That’s a curious thing, but Prosek dominated his prep competition even more thoroughly than Thome. Plus, while the White Sox regard Prosek as a second baseman, his prep time was spent significantly at the hot corner, and he has experience behind the plate as well.
Landon Thome Shortstop Age 19 2026 High Level Nazareth Academy (H.S.) Overall 2026 stats (H.S) 7 HR ▪️ 29 RBI ▪️ .545 AVG ▪️ 49-of-50 (98.0%) SB
How crazy is it to have two high school teammates (Thome and Jaden Fauske) on our first ballot of the voting year … or any ballot, ever? The White Sox were so hot to dip back into Nazareth’s roster that they dealt promising 2023 first-rounder Jacob Gonzalez to Pittsburgh to acquire the draft pick to snag him; clearly the club was not confident Thome would drop into the second round. Unlike his father, Hall-of-Famer and White Sox adviser Jim, Landon is better regarded for his speed and defense than his ability to put the ball over the fence. Slugging will come in time for junior, however.
Joey Volchko Right-handed starting pitcher Age 21 2026 high level University of Georgia (NCAA) Age relative to high level +0.1 years Overall 2026 stats 11-2 ▪️ 18 starts ▪️ 1 CG ▪️ 95 1/3 IP ▪️ 3.68 ERA ▪️ 119 K ▪️ 46 BB ▪️ 1.343 WHIP ▪️ 2.1 WAR
This big-armed righty can touch 100 mph with his fastball, but wildness concerns might have precipitated Volchko’s drop to the White Sox in the third round in spite of MLB ranking him as a second round (68th-best) talent. He’s a big-game pitcher who dragged the Bulldogs to their first College World Series win in 18 years with a complete-game effort over the University of Texas. There’s a chance Volchko ends up as a high-leverage bullpen arm, but he will get every chance to stick as a starter.
Alex Weingartner Right Fielder Age 19 2026 high level St. Augustine College Prep (H.S.) Overall 2026 stats 30 games ▪️ 7 HR ▪️ 36 RBI ▪️ .495 AVG ▪️ .817 SLG ▪️ 33 SB ▪️ 21 BB
Oddly enough, Weingartner may be a doppelganger for the player listed right below; both he and George Wolkow were prep plums selected lower than their skill and scout rankings indicated, and both players scored sweet bonuses from the White Sox to lure them from potential college commitments. Both have rocket arms (Weingartner, in fact, pitched for his St. Augustine Hermits in 2026) as well.
George Wolkow Right Fielder Age 21 2024 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 14 2025 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 13 2026 SSS Prospect Poll ranking 16 2026 high level Winston-Salem (High-A) Age relative to high level -2.0 years Overall 2026 stats 123 games ▪️ 22 HR ▪️ 100 RBI ▪️ .239/.317/.446 ▪️ 15-of-22 (68.2%) SB ▪️ 50 BB ▪️ 179 K ▪️ .971 FLD%▪️ 1.6 WAR
Wolkow sacrificed speed and what batting eye he had for power in 2026, and while that made for some impressive counting stats (22-100 plays on the back of any baseball card) the hole in his swing hasn’t been sewn. If the White Sox brass is having Wolkow bet on his best tool, power, at all others’ expense, he’s slipping into the Colson Category.
ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 03: Connor Chris Martin #31 of the Texas Rangerspitches against the Los Angeles Angels at Globe Life Park in Arlington on September 3, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers pitcher Chris Martin officially announced his retirement today.
Martin, who turned 40 this past June, had a long and unusual career. Drafted in the 18th round of the 2004 draft out of Arlington High School by the Detroit Tigers, he passed on signing and enrolled at McLennan Community College. The following year, he was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 21st round as a draft-and-follow, but ended up needing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder and thus didn’t sign then, either.
Martin signed with the Fort Worth Cats for 2007, but ongoing shoulder issues sidelined him again, and he never pitched for them. He spent the next three years working a variety of jobs outside of baseball before trying the indy league route again in 2010. 36 innings over 13 games for Grand Prairie in the American Association that year led to him signing with Boston in March of 2011, at the age of 24.
Martin spent the 2011-13 seasons in the Boston system before being traded in the 2013-14 offseason to the Rockies. He bounced up and down between the majors and the minors in 2014, was acquired by the Yankees in the 2014-15 offseason, and spent another year going between AAA and the majors.
Following the 2015 season, Martin signed with the Nippon Ham Fighters of the NPB, and had two very successful seasons working in relief for them. Returning to the United States after that, Martin signed with the Texas Rangers, and pitched for them until the 2019 trade deadline, when he was sent to Atlanta for Kolby Allard.
Martin pitched for the Braves, Cubs, Dodgers and Red Sox before returning to Texas in 2025 for what he expected to be his final season. Though he had injury issues, he put up a 2.98 ERA in 49 games, and felt good enough to put his retirement plans on hold and sign another one year deal with Texas. Unfortunately, 2026 did not go as well, as he had multiple stints on the i.l. and managed just 14 innings in 16 games with a 9.00 ERA before being released in August.
Despite ending on a down note, Martin has had an impressive career, particularly given the issues he had to overcome to even get a contract with a major league team. Best of luck to him in his post-playing days.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 28: Brad Ausmus of the New York Yankees looks on before a game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on March 28, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brandon Vallance/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today, the Houston Astros named former catcher Brad Ausmus as the 21st manager in franchise history.
Forgive me if I’m less than enthused.
That isn’t to say I don’t want Ausmus to be successful, of course I do. It’s just that there is nothing exciting about hiring a retread manager simply because he used to play for your team. There is no sizzle. No pizazz. No excitement. No……anything.
That doesn’t mean it can’t work. It worked for the Yankees before the 1996 season when they hired Joe Torre. Torre was a journeyman manager who never won anywhere. The media called him “Clueless Joe”. Fans lit up the phone lines on WFAN in NY lamenting the move, questioning if owner George Steinbrenner had lost his mind. Some wanted him to sell the team. Torre then went on to lead baseball’s biggest dynasty since the 1950s and become a Hall of Fame manager.
So it’s possible. It’s just hard to envision.
It’s hard to envision because the Astros major league roster needs a lot of work. It’s hard to envision because Brad Ausmus hasn’t had much success as a manager in the past. Ausmus’ Tigers drastic underperformance in 2017 led to the Astros being able to acquire Justin Verlander and win their first World Series title. Ausmus was one and done with the Angels in 2019, a season which saw the tragic death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs and a horrifying scandal of team employees running a drug ring, with tainted drugs leading to the young pitcher’s death.
Understand I’m not blaming Ausmus for Skaggs’ death, but pointing out it happened under his watch. It’s the kind of thing that haunts someone. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
What does Ausmus really bring to the table? He’s not the “big splash” hire that Jim Crane was reported to have wanted. He’s not a name that excites the fan base. No player in baseball just saw Ausmus sign in Houston and decided this is their new destination city. He certainly doesn’t have some sort of ‘winning pedigree’.
So what separated Ausmus from the field? What made him better than a future Hall of Famer in Albert Pujols? Pujols, who was known for being another manager on the field, whose baseball IQ is off the charts, who was known as an intense competitor. Pujols, who would be going into the Hall of Fame while managing your team. A man who any player would actually want to play for. A man who is desperately seeking an opportunity to manage. What made Ausmus better than Pujols?
What made Ausmus better than another former Astros player in Morgan Ensberg? Ensberg has had significant success managing in the Tampa Bay Rays system, one of the best systems in baseball. The Astros view the Rays’ system as the type of system they want to replicate, and Ensberg has shown he can relate to young players and get the most out of them, as well as be a part of a system that highly values analytics. The Astros team philosophy seems to be heading back towards a more analytical background and cycling more young players.
It all keeps coming back to one thing. Ausmus has a great relationship with Astros Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell, who has earned the ear of Crane. It seems the Astros passed up Big Splash for Controllable. Ausmus’ friendship with Bagwell would lead us to believe he’s willing to be another brick in the wall. Another cog in the machine. Do what he’s told, or at least put up minimal resistance.
While perhaps getting the job because he has the right friends and seems like he would be easier to control by management/ownership won’t excite anyone, he still has the chance to make the most of it.
His success is still tied to the construction of the roster, and he doesn’t have control over that.
LAS VEGAS – The general managers’ meetings wrap up on Thursday morning. Dave Dombrowski and his lieutenants will leave knowing they have just 20 days to add to their roster before the game goes into a wintertime hibernation as the owners and players battle over a new labor agreement.
Dombrowski and his staff spent significant time meeting with agents and other clubs during their stay in Las Vegas.
“I can’t tell you we’re closer to anything, but it’s been productive in that we have more information,” the Phillies’ president of baseball operations said late Wednesday afternoon, adding that sometimes a deal can come together quickly.
Shortly before Dombrowski spoke to reporters, super-agent Scott Boras held an hour-long session with reporters. Boras mostly talked about the sport’s labor situation, saying the game is in excellent financial shape and that players are “emboldened” with facts as they remain firmly against the salary cap that owners want.
When Boras did talk about players, one of the names that came up was his client Randy Arozarena, a right-handed hitting, run-producing outfielder who profiles as just what the Phillies are looking for. According to sources, the Phils have checked in on Arozarena, but play on him is significant and the cost will be steep, $22 million to $25 million per year over four or five years, by some estimates. The Phillies’ payroll is already tight. With arbitration estimates, it projects to be in the neighborhood of $290 million. It landed at roughly $322 million in 2026. Dombrowski said he has a “generous” budget, but he would not say if the 2027 payroll would equal the 2026 payroll.
Arozarena received a $23.15 million qualifying offer from the Seattle Mariners so the Phils would surrender their second- and fifth-round draft picks if they signed him. Ditto for Seiya Suzuki, another right-handed hitting, run-producing corner outfielder who would fit what the Phillies are looking for. Suzuki projects to get a deal similar to Arozarena. Suzuki will turn 33 in August. Arozarena will turn 32 in February.
Speaking in general about free agents, Dombrowski said the consequences of a qualifying offer would not prevent him from signing a player.
“You prefer not to (give up draft picks) and it does weigh into what you’re doing, but I’m not reluctant to do that if we think it’s the right deal to make,” he said.
If the Phillies are looking for a run producer who does not come with a qualifying offer, they could turn to Teruaki Sato, the 27-year-old Japanese slugger. Sato plays third base and corner outfield. The Phils are interested, but have questions about his defense at third base, a position that could be rookie Aidan Miller’s in 2027. If Sato were to come to Philadelphia, it would be as a corner outfielder.
Sato won the Triple Crown in his home country when he hit .306 with 39 homers and 106 RBIs for the Hanshin Tigers last season. The Phils would love that kind of offense. However, Sato does register high strikeout totals (327 the last two years) and he hits left-handed. The Phils are already a lefty-heavy team and they would like to improve their contact skills while cutting down on strikeouts.
General manager Preston Mattingly and assistant general manager Jorge Velandia have both scouted Sato, who is likely to sign before the lockout.
As far as trading for a bat – or any player for that matter – Dombrowski said the threat of a short season in 2027 would not prevent him from acquiring a player who might only have a year of contractual control remaining.
“I think everyone feels at some point we’re going to have a season,” Dombrowski said. “So even if you have a shortened season, if you got a guy that helps you win a championship, you’re happy with it.”
In addition to landing a bat, Dombrowski needs to come out of this offseason with a left-handed reliever. The Phillies like lefty Adrian Morejon – who doesn’t? – but there are others on the market, such as JoJo Romero and Steve Okert.
“I believe we’ll find someone we like,” Dombrowski said.
The Phillies will continue to develop top pitching prospect Gage Wood as a starter, Dombrowski said, but the bullpen could be a possibility down the road.
“A lot of people might say we should put him in the bullpen,” Dombrowski said. “I never say no to anything, but, for me, I think it’s important that he continues to develop as a starter. We think he can be a starter. We need starting pitching depth, so we think it’s more important to use him there.”
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 26: Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants adjusts his hat after giving up a double to Elly de la Cruz #44 of the Cincinnati Reds in the third inning at Oracle Park on August 26, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Yesterday, I dashed off a post about the bummer news regarding Harrison Bader’s status that had been reported out of the GM Meetings currently being held in Las Vegas. In it, I made mention of the owners’ latest proposal for a salary floor and cap, but I got a crucial figure wrong. After going back and looking at the offer more closely, it would appear that the sport has used the Giants as an example for just how competitive they want the most competitive team(s) in the sport to be. Another reason to be against the owners in this labor dispute.
In their first proposal way back in May, owners pitched a floor of $171.2 million and a cap of $245.3 million, with the Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) figure being the basis. In other words, the cap number would be based on the average annual value of contracts — but not only the AAV.
As with the current CBT calculation, the team’s contribution to the league’s health care plan for players is a part of the bottom line as is the mandatory contribution to the league’s pre-arbitration bonus pool that was negotiated into the most recent CBA. There’s not an exact publicly available figure for the health care contribution, but for 2026, it was an estimated $18 million per team. The mandatory pre-arb contribution is an annual fixed cost over the course of the CBA: $1.667 million.
But the proposal also folds in two line items not currently factored into the CBT figure: amateur bonus pools. A team’s amateur draft figure and its international bonus pool would also become part of the salary cap math. Those figures can fluctuate year to year just based on free agent signings, trades, etc. What does this have to do with the Giants?
By a stroke of luck, the Giants were awarded the fourth pick in the most recent MLB draft. They also traded away Patrick Bailey for Cleveland’s Competitive Balance pick. That increased their 2026 amateur draft bonus pool to $17.35 million. Their international draft figure was $5.44 million. That’s $22.79 million combined.
Using Cot’s MLB Contracts, here i’s how the Giants’ would’ve looked under the May salary cap proposal in 2026:
MLB roster (AAV): $204.53 million Amateur bonus pools (combined): $22.79 million Health care contribution: $18 million Pre-arbitration bonus pool: $1.67 million … Total: $246.99 million
That’s, what, $10,000 under the first proposed salary cap?
Now, obviously, this proposal made in May wasn’t conjured up in May, and the Giants’ Opening Day payroll by the CBT calculation was $227.9 million (per Cot’s) and didn’t factor in the trades they made during the season or the heaps of players added to the 40-man roster due to injuries.
On the other hand, the Giants have typically run their baseball operation for about $250 million. If every team is being valued at minimum in the $3.9-$4 billion range, then we’re looking at the actual labor expenses being less than 10% of the value of the business — indeed, roughly 6.25%. Obviously, marketing and taxes and expendables are meaningful costs you can tack on and not every team’s revenues are the same (and this is, obviously, the most important figure to compare against a baseball ops budget), but you can see why the vast majority of owners want a cap so badly. Once they can set the ceiling, they can keep shoving it down and down and down as their valuations increase.
And, as the San Francisco Giants have demonstrated over the past decade, spending to the proposed salary cap doesn’t guarantee anything. The loser Pittsburgh Pirates fans who have been a part of the online vanguard for a cap and the Jim Bowdens of the world demand fairness in an unfair game. Even if every team got a fair chance to win the World Series, that’s still once every 30 years.
Now, I said the Giants are the model, but I used the May proposal as my example because of how exactly it matched up with this most recent Giants team. But last week, the league made a new offer, and in it, the pre-arbitration bonus pool increased 30% (let’s call it $2.2 million mandatory team contribution), the minimum salary went to $1 million (currently $780,000), the floor rose to $180.2 million and the cap up to $258.2 million. The league also offered a 154-game schedule with an expanded playoff format (another path for deflating player salaries, natch).
Here’s how the latest proposal still uses the Giants as a model.
The most money the San Francisco Giants have ever spent to field their major league team was in 2024, when they spent $210.9 million in real money against a CBT figure of $251.94 million. Before comparing it against this latest proposal, here’s how those figures total out.
MLB roster (AAV): $233.27 million Amateur bonus pools (combined): $13.87 million Health care contribution: $17 million Pre-arbitration bonus pool: $1.67 million … Total: $265.81 million
Now, you look at that and probably think, “Hey Bryan, you dumb idiot, $265.81 million is more than the latest proposal!“ and that’s true! What’s also true is that the owners are making proposals in bad faith. The PLANNED lockout is all the evidence one needs of this. The staggering increase in franchise valuations and league revenues evidence that an uncapped system is working great and that the more success the players have the more success teams have. And it’s knowing that they’re making bad faith proposals that makes it easy for me to both cast aspersions and jump to some conclusions.
Rather than focus on the $265.81 million for this latest proposal, I’m instead going to focus on that $233.27 million figure. Adjust that for inflation (using this future inflation predictor calculator) and that’s $256.48 million in 2028 dollars (again, projected). I’m doing this because I think this is the key figure most of the owners want to hone in on year to year. The amateur bonus pools are probably estimated to be fixed around $15 million for each team (on average) and the health care plan contribution seems to be very stable year to year, too, and in 2028 will probably be $20 million, plus then $2.67 million for the proposed bonus pool. That’s around $37-$40 million in fixed(ish) costs annually. Approaching what the Giants paid Blake Snell in 2024, a deal they came to regret almost immediately. Adjusted for inflation, Snell’s $32 million is $34 million today. But… you know what? If you add in the extra $10 million in manager-related costs for this most recent season (BoMel’s paid option + the buyout on Vitello’s Tennessee contract + Vitello’s actual contract), the 2026 Giants get within $700,000 of the latest cap proposal, too.
It’s enough to wonder if Greg Johnson and Larry Baer are consulting on these proposals. Don’t think the league won’t considered imposing a salary cap on front offices in the future. Coaches, scouts, executives, etc. are presently uncapped, and if the player costs become artificially constrained than why not the brain geniuses, too?
But for those fans of bad teams that have programmed you over the years to hate baseball and loathe success, just know that the Giants are not a model of how any firm or any human being should be. Sure, they won three championships in five years, have a lengthy history of world historic sports figures and a degree of unparalleled success in the history of the sport — but the past decade has been nothing but failure, coasting on past wins, going 75% of the way in rather than “all in,” and been largely uninspiring if not outright hopeless.
Over the past decade, the Giants have spent $1.94 billion on their 40-man roster. That outlay has come back as an 823-857 record, four managers, four playoff wins, three top baseball executives, two winnings seasons, and one ticked off fanbase. Oh, and ownership was able to buy another chunk of San Francisco to develop for their real estate portfolio. Indeed, a salary cap wouldn’t really do anything. Don’t believe me?
Here.
Using Cot’s MLB Contracts, I’ve combined all of the payroll data for the 30 teams from 2016-2026 and ranked them. I’ve also included their win-loss ranking and in the last four columns I indicate whether or not the team has (1) appeared in the playoffs (2) won a playoff game (3) appeared in the World Series (4) won the World Series.
The Pirates and Angels are the only teams to not appear in the postseason since 2016. Pittsburgh last appeared in the 2015 NL Wild Card and the Angels were last in the 2014 ALDS.
Yes, it’s true that the Dodgers (1st) and Astros (9th) have won five World Series in this 11-season stretch. The Red Sox (5th) and Cubs (6th) are the other top 10 payroll teams to win it. Milwaukee (25th), Texas (11th), Atlanta (12th) and Washington (15th) round out the list. Although inflation and the pandemic-shortened season of 2020 skew this a bit, you’re still talking about the top 12 teams (combined .528 win%) averaging around $172.5 million in payroll compared to the bottom 18 teams (combined .482 win%): $64.75 million. That’s a 2.66:1 disparity; or, about the upper bound of the K:BB ratio Farhan Zaidi looked at when projecting an MLB hitter. The latest floor-cap proposal lowers that to 1.43:1, a 46% decrease. That 11-year average for the top 12 teams has a projected inflation value of $180.5 million, or just $300,000 more than the latest floor proposal.
But, plainly, the top 12 teams have outspent the remaining 18 teams by about 18% over the past 11 years. Is that a large enough percentage to tank the 2027 season?
To bring it back to the idea that the Giants are the model for the cap proposals: the team’s average payroll since 2016 is $176.1 million. That average has a future projected inflation value for 2028 (when the latest cap proposal would phase in) of $184.29 million. Add in the $20 million in projected player healthcare benefits, average out the amateur bonus pools as $15 million, and call the pre-arb bonus pool contribution $3 million and that gives us a total of $222.29 million — or, 86% of the league’s latest cap proposal. For the past 11 years combined, the Giants’ have been at 92% of the total luxury tax threshold. That 6% gap is easily closed by future projected inflation for the 2028 phase-in.
Anyway, for fans who want the salary cap, just know that the San Francisco Giants might very well be the platonic ideal of an MLB team operating in a capped system. There are few nightmares worse than that.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Seiya Suzuki #27 of the Chicago Cubs bats against the San Diego Padres during the fourth inning in game one of the National League Wild Card Series at Petco Park on September 29, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It does not appear as though the Phillies are going to pull off a major move at the GM Meetings this week in Las Vegas.
It also appears they will not be alone.
With the collective bargaining agreement set to expire on December 2, agents are fussing that teams do not want to make any major financial commitments yet without knowing what the rules in the new CBA are going to look like.
Will there be a salary cap/floor? If not, what happens with the luxury tax? Will draft picks be allowed in trades? What will revenue sharing look like?
But even if the Phils and Dombrowski don’t do anything substantive over the next couple of weeks, one would think he, and the rest of the front office decision makers, have formulated a plan on how to improve the roster and avoid “running it back” for yet another season.
The team has clear needs in the outfield, bullpen, with starting pitching depth and utility infielder. They need to find a right-handed hitter for the middle of the lineup, and they need a late-inning left-handed relief pitcher.
There are some high-end options to help in these areas. Adrian Morejon has been linked to the Phils as the top lefty reliever on the free agent market, and Seiya Suzuki and Randy Arozarena, two right-handed hitting outfielders who would solve their outfield/middle-of-the-order problems in one fell swoop, are obvious fits.
But speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Dombrowski wondered aloud whether it would be in the team’s best interest to sign additional players already in their 30s to expensive, multi-year contracts (quote via Phillies.com).
“We have a lot of high-end salary players, and they’re not young, they’re not old,” Dombrowski said. “But they’re in that age bracket that you have to make a decision. We maybe have enough high-end players, and you mean to complement them with other players overall. That’s a decision we have to make. But I’m not necessarily looking for our club to continue to get older, so you kind of factor all those things in and make a decision.”
Dombrowski’s reluctance to sign another player entering his mid-30s to a deal that will see him earn close to $30 million a season at ages 35-37 is understandable. They’re already on the hook for big cash to Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and J.T. Realmuto, deals unlikely to age all that well in the coming years. Suzuki and Arozarena will be 33 in 2027. And if the Phillies are going to maintain a payroll similar to what they have over the last two years, they only have around $30 million to spend this off-season.
Not only that, signing Morejon, Suzuki and Arozarena would require the Phils to relinquish their 2nd and 5th round draft picks as well as $1 million in international spending cash.
The options for the outfield aren’t all that enticing outside of Suzuki and Arozarena. Japanese star Teruaki Sato would be great, but is a longshot. Taylor Ward, Randall Grichuk, Daulton Varsho, Tyrone Taylor and Ian Happ are among the other right-handed options who would be cheaper. Happ is a switch-hitter who struggled against lefties last year, and the rest are strictly platoon players.
It sounds like Dombrowski is considering quantity over quality. If they keep Brandon Marsh, it’s possible they could run out platoons at all three outfield spots: Marsh and Bryan de la Cruz in left, Derek Hill and Justin Crawford in center, and two lesser free agents in right. In that scenario, you’re counting on six separate players to be productive in some capacity. It’s also awful roster-building, as most teams don’t carry six outfielders.
Dombrowski sounded like a man who realized he needs a guy in one of those outfield positions.
“I will say one thing: We have to have an outfielder,” Dombrowski said. “Right now, we don’t have an outfielder. But is that more important than some other things? I guess it depends upon who that outfielder is.”
On the infield, the plan remains for Trea Turner to start the season at shortstop. Oft-injured veteran Ha Seong-Kim is reportedly a target to take on the super utility role once held by free agent Edmundo Sosa. But he should not be considered an everyday player anymore.
With Alec Bohm unlikely to return, what will the Phillies do at third base? They could re-sign Luis Arraez to play second and shift Bryson Stott to third. But it also sounds as though Dombrowski is looking for Aidan Miller to win the job out of spring training.
“He’s not being anointed the position, but I also think he has a heck of a chance to make our club in the spring,” Dombrowski said. “I think that, as it stands, that would be very helpful for us to have that consideration. And frankly, I’m hoping he does. I’m not giving it to him, but I’m hoping that he does.”
It would be quite a gamble for Dombrowski and the Phils to coordinate their off-season acquisitions with the hope Miller’s back injuries are behind them and that the rookie with 37 career plate appearances at AAA to be their starting third baseman out of training camp, but if they spend big money on a corner outfielder, they may have no other choice, provided the payroll needs to stay where it is.
Make no mistake, it would be great if Miller shows he can hack it in Clearwater to be given that opportunity, and it would certainly give the Phils more payroll flexibility this off-season, too. But Miller missed virtually all of 2025 with his back problems. It’s a major roll of the dice.
It’s clear money isn’t going to solve all the Phillies’ problems. Dombrowski is not a creative trader, so asking him to solve multiple problems through trades is like asking a horse to deal cards. Still, maybe there are some solutions on the trade market that could provide some answers.
As ESPN’s Jeff Passan noted this week when writing about each team’s best offseason “fit,” the Phillies are not going to “run it back” in 2027.
The perfect transaction: Just how much of an overhaul the Phillies undergo this winter remains to be seen, but they recognize that running back last year’s outfit is a nightmare waiting to happen. The Phillies can go toe-to-toe with any team’s best five players. Beyond that is the issue, and it has doomed them long enough that they need to prioritize multiple bats and fix a lineup with far too many holes. That starts in the outfield, and it just so happens that the three best free agent hitters this winter can all play outfield. Any of them would work, but one fits especially well. Sign outfielder Seiya Suzuki.
Things are going to change. The plan on how it will happen remains murky.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Alex Vesia (51) delivers a pitch during a Major League Baseball game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on September 7, 2026. (Photo by Peter Zhan/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images
As the GM Meetings continue, Will Sammon reports that the Mets are looking to add depth to their bullpen by way of some of the best free-agent relievers currently on the market.
It seems that Devin Williams will continue as the Mets’ closer. David Stearns also has indicated interest in bringing back some of the relievers who ended the season on a high note, including Dedniel Núñez, Daniel Duarte, and Nate Lavender. In addition, Reed Garrett is expected to return at the beginning of the 2027 season.
However, sources have said that the Mets have also expressed interest in Alex Vesia, most recently from the Dodgers, and Tim Hill, who played in 2026 with the Yankees. That being said, Vesia, who did not receive a qualifying offer from the Dodgers, has received interest from many teams. Hill also did not receive a qualifying offer.
Among top relievers, Raisel Iglesias is also available, as are Bryan Abreu and Jason Adam. Despite Adrian Morejon being a strong candidate and a likely good fit, it is less anticipated that the Mets will pursue him due to the fact that he did receive a qualifying offer from the Padres.
Shoki Oda of Japan throws in the second inning during a BFA U18 Asian Baseball Championship game against Chinese Taipei in Taipei, Taiwan, Sept. 12, 2026. Getty Images
“Do we have a chance?” a high-ranking official from another team asked.
The consensus No. 1 high school prospect in his country, Oda has met with the Yankees, Tigers, Rangers, Phillies, Mets, Cardinals and Blue Jays, according to news reports in Japan.
The Tokyo Giants, who selected Oda with their first-round pick in the recent Nippon Professional Baseball draft, visited Yokohama High School this week but were unable to meet with the player.
Following his selection in the NPB draft, Oda said he remained set on starting his career in the United States. Yokohama High baseball coach Hiroaki Murata told reporters in Japan that he didn’t think the appointment of former Yankees star Hideki Matsui as the Tokyo Giants manager would change Oda’s mind.
Oda is represented by the same Japanese management company that facilitated Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s and Roki Sasaki’s move to the major leagues.
Shoki Oda #11 of Japan interacts with Ritora Yamada #2 in the first inning of a game against Chinese Taipei in Taipei, Taiwan, Sept. 12, 2026. Getty Images
“He’s super talented, really projectable, fun to watch him throw,” Gomes said. “I know our international guys have watched him closely, and you know, I’m not sure how that all shakes out exactly. But we think really highly of him.”
The Dodgers’ greatest obstacle in landing Oda could be the upcoming work stoppage.
The international player acquisition system is collectively bargained, and baseball’s current collective-bargaining agreement will expire on Dec. 1, at which point franchise owners will lock out the players.
Oda would not be able to sign until a new CBA is ratified.
HOUSTON - FEBRUARY 8: Craig Biggio, Brad Ausmus, and Jeff Bagwell of the Houston Astros sit courtside during the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets on February 8, 2006 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER:User expressly acknowleges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2006 NBAE (Photo by Bill Baptist/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Brad Ausmus is coming back to Houston, but is he already fighting an uphill battle before he even manages his first game for the Astros?
The Astros have officially named Ausmus their new manager, and while the former Houston catcher brings plenty of experience and familiarity with the organization, there is one major obstacle that could make his return more difficult than it needs to be. His close friendship and association with Jeff Bagwell.
Fair or unfair, that relationship is going to leave a bad taste in the mouths of a significant portion of the Astros fan base. The problem is that much of the negativity surrounding this hire has very little to do with Ausmus himself, his previous managerial experience or his most recent role as bench coach of the New York Yankees.
Instead, it has everything to do with Bagwell, Jim Crane and the questionable personnel decisions that have been made under their watch as the Astros desperately try to remain relevant, competitive and capable of chasing another World Series championship.
Bagwell has become a lightning rod for criticism among Astros fans, and his continued influence on baseball decisions has raised legitimate questions about the direction of the franchise. Unfortunately for Ausmus, his longstanding friendship with the Hall of Famer makes him an easy target for fans who believe this organization needs fresh voices and a completely different approach.
But here’s the thing: Ausmus deserves to be judged on his ability to manage this baseball team, not simply on the company he keeps.
Let’s not forget that Ausmus has legitimate major league managerial experience, having previously led both the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels. He was also a finalist for the Astros’ general manager position before Dana Brown was hired, so his name has been connected to leadership opportunities within this organization for years.
He understands Houston, knows the expectations of this fan base and has a connection to the franchise that goes well beyond simply wearing the uniform.
More importantly, he should have the credibility necessary to command the respect of a veteran-laden clubhouse.
With established stars like Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Yordan Alvarez still serving as the foundation of this roster, the Astros absolutely had to hire someone capable of walking into that clubhouse and immediately commanding the room.
Ausmus has spent the last three seasons working alongside Aaron Boone in New York, dealing with the expectations, pressure and personalities that come with managing the Yankees. Working with superstar players like Aaron Judge and the other established veterans on that roster should serve him well when it comes to handling the personalities and expectations in Houston.
The ability to communicate, earn respect and hold veteran players accountable will be critical if the Astros expect to remain contenders.
But the biggest question surrounding this hire has very little to do with the players.
It’s about the relationship Ausmus will have with new general manager Randy Flores, owner Jim Crane and, of course, Jeff Bagwell.
During Flores’ introductory press conference, Crane made it a point to emphasize that his new general manager would have full authority over baseball operations decisions.
That sounds great in theory, but this managerial search was already underway before Flores was officially hired. Ausmus had already interviewed and established himself as a legitimate candidate while Crane and Bagwell were heavily involved in the process.
So how much of this decision truly belonged to Flores?
That doesn’t mean Ausmus wasn’t the best candidate or that Flores didn’t ultimately support the hire. But when you’re trying to convince a fan base that the organization is making a fresh start, the optics certainly matter.
If Crane truly intends to give Flores complete control over baseball operations, then fans have every right to question whether this hire represents a new direction or simply more of the same.
And that’s really where the frustration comes from.
The Astros have reached a point where the decisions made by Crane and Bagwell are being scrutinized more closely than ever. The roster has obvious holes, the farm system needs improvement, and the organization is trying to extend a championship window that has already shown signs of closing.
With a new general manager and manager taking over two of the most important baseball positions in the organization, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to bring in fresh perspectives without any connection to the questionable decisions of the past.
Instead, the Astros have chosen familiarity.
Maybe Ausmus will prove to be exactly what this organization needs. Maybe his experience, relationships and understanding of the clubhouse will help the Astros return to championship contention.
But there’s also a very real possibility that every questionable lineup decision, every losing streak and every frustrating personnel move will immediately lead fans back to the same two names: Crane and Bagwell.
And that would be unfortunate for Ausmus.
He hasn’t managed a single game in his return to Houston, yet he’s already carrying the baggage of decisions he had absolutely nothing to do with.
Ultimately, the success or failure of this hire should come down to wins, losses, clubhouse leadership and whether the Astros can once again compete for a World Series.
But if this organization truly wanted a fresh start, perhaps the better approach would have been hiring someone without longstanding relationships with the very people whose decisions have brought the franchise to this crossroads.
Brad Ausmus may turn out to be the right man for the job. The question is whether the people who hired him will give him the opportunity to prove it, or whether their own reputations have already put him behind the eight ball before he ever fills out his first lineup card.
