It’s the fourth time since 2017 that a first-time team won the World Series.
Before 2017, the World Series went 14 seasons without crowning a newcomer as champ, the longest drought among North America’s four major men’s professional leagues since 2000.
The NFL is currently experiencing the longest drought, having gone 12 seasons since the Seattle Seahawks won their first Super Bowl in 2014 (the Philadelphia Eagles won their first Super Bowl in 2018, but had won three NFL championships before that).
The NHL is on a similar trend to MLB by crowning first-time champions; since 2018, four newcomers have won the Stanley Cup. Those champs are the Washington Capitals, the St. Louis Blues, the Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers.
The NBA has had two first-time champions since 2017: the Toronto Raptors and the Denver Nuggets.
How long did Milwaukee wait to win the World Series?
Counting the franchise's inaugural season as the Seattle Pilots and this year's title run, the Brewers took 58 seasons to win the World Series.
The franchise had been to the World Series once before – losing in seven games to St. Louis in 1982 – but had to hold out for the second-longest wait among expansion teams to win it. The Texas Rangers, who took 63 seasons to win it all in 2023, had the longest wait.
The Brewers, Rangers, Houston Astros and Washington Nationals are the only four expansion franchises that have taken over half a century to win the Fall Classic.
The shortest span from expansion to title was the Arizona Diamondbacks, who won the World Series in 2001 after their inaugural season in 1998. The then-Florida Marlins also won quickly, taking the 1997 title in their fifth season.
There is also a wrinkle to the Brewers' first-time claim. While it's the first World Series title in franchise history, the city of Milwaukee has won the Fall Classic once before: the Milwaukee Braves (now Atlanta) won the 1957 crown in seven games over the New York Yankees.
For non-expansion franchises, the longest wait from founding to title belongs to the Philadelphia Phillies, who won their first World Series in 1980, their 98th season. That count includes 20 seasons before the inaugural World Series in 1903.
Their 1980 opponent, the Kansas City Royals, was also title-less, making it the first World Series since 1920 in which neither team had won before. It didn't happen again until this year's Brewers-Rays matchup.
MLB teams that have never won the World Series
With Milwaukee off the board, there are now just four ballclubs without a World Series title: the San Diego Padres, the Seattle Mariners, the Colorado Rockies and the Rays.
Notably, the Padres joined the major leagues with the now-Milwaukee franchise in 1969. If San Diego's drought stretches to 2031, it would match the Rangers' 63-season wait.
Had Tampa Bay won this year, it would’ve ended a 29-season wait for the franchise founded in 1998. The Rays have now lost three World Series, having done so previously in 2008 and 2020.
Of those four teams, only the Mariners have never reached the World Series. The Padres did so twice, in 1984 and 1998, while the Rockies did so in 2007.
Among the teams without a World Series ring, Tampa Bay had the best regular season in 2026 with a 98-64 record. San Diego, however, wasn’t far behind at 91-71.
Seattle and Colorado both finished 2026 with losing records.
The White Sox hope some of Milwaukee’s winning formula follows Matt Roffe to the South Side. | (Elsa/Getty Images)
The White Sox are looking north for their next scouting leader.
Chicago is expected to hire Milwaukee Brewers assistant director of domestic scouting Matt Roffe to oversee its domestic draft operations, according to several league sources. The team has not formally announced the move, and Roffe’s specific title remains undetermined. He would fill the opening created by Mike Shirley’s resignation in September.
The move also continues an encouraging trend under general manager Chris Getz: looking outside the organization for fresh ideas and leadership. Roffe would arrive from the newly crowned World Series champion Brewers, whose ability to identify and develop talent has helped them succeed without a hefty payroll. That makes Milwaukee a sensible place for the White Sox to look as they work to build sustained success of their own.
An executive’s résumé doesn’t guarantee that his former organization’s success will follow him to Chicago. Still, bringing in someone who has worked within Milwaukee’s scouting operation is reason for optimism.
Roffe spent the past five seasons with Milwaukee, working his way through scouting operations before reaching his most recent position. The Brewers’ 2023 media guide listed him as their scouting operations coordinator.
His résumé includes experience across several areas of baseball operations. Before returning to Milwaukee, Roffe worked as an analyst in player personnel and pro scouting for the Arizona Diamondbacks from November 2019 through October 2021. That followed a baseball operations internship with the Brewers in 2019 and a baseball research and development internship with the San Diego Padres in 2018. While attending college, he also interned in MLB’s Statcast and labor relations departments.
Together, those stops give Roffe a background spanning research, technology and player evaluation. How he applies that experience to Chicago’s scouting department will be one of the more interesting parts of the eventual announcement.
Roffe graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2018, majoring in finance and minoring in sports analytics. He also spent time on the Bears’ baseball roster. His freshman season included one appearance and one at-bat, going hitless as a pinch hitter against the University of Chicago on May 9, 2015. WashU won, 13-1.
Now, his next Chicago connection would come with considerably more responsibility: helping the White Sox identify the players who will shape their future.
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Milwaukee Brewers are World Series Champions.
For the first time in franchise history, the Brewers stand atop the baseball world, thanks to a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 of the World Series. And you know somewhere, Bob Uecker is smiling.
But while Milwaukee is known as a small-market team, playing a small-ball brand of baseball, the Brewers just completed one of the most dominant runs in MLB playoff history.
We can start with how Milwaukee rolled through the postseason. After winning a league-best 103 games — three games ahead of the behemoth Los Angeles Dodgers — the Brewers finished the playoffs with a combined 11-2 record. Milwaukee lost just one game in the NLDS to the San Diego Padres, swept those Dodgers in the NLCS, and lost a single game to Tampa Bay in the World Series.
Since MLB expanded to the division series, only two teams posted a better record than these Brewers: The 2005 Chicago White Sox and the 1999 New York Yankees. Both of those teams posted an 11-1 mark, good for a winning percentage of .917.
The Brewers joined the 2022 Houston Astros and the 1998 Yankees with their 11-2 record, good for a winning percentage of .846.
Milwaukee joined another small group with the sweep of the Dodgers. As pointed out by Jayson Stark, the Brewers became just the fifth team in MLB history to win 100 games in the regular season and then knock off the defending World Series champions in the postseason. Also on that list? The 2018 Boston Red Sox, who won 108 games and then beat the Astros in the ALCS; the 2009 Yankees, who won 103 games and defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series; the 1968 Detroit Tigers, who won 103 games and beat the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series; and the 1942 Cardinals, who beat the Yankees in the World Series after winning 106 games.
And Milwaukee rode an impressive closing stretch to the title. The Brewers went 16-2 over their final 18 games, 19-3 over their final 22 games, 21-4 over their final 25, and 40-14 over their final 54 games.
They only lost five games — FIVE — since Labor Day.
That was back on September 7 if you do not have a calendar handy.
Pitching was certainly a key for the Brewers this October. As noted by the incomparable Sarah Langs, Milwaukee did not allow more than four runs in any of their 13 playoff games, joining the 1990 Cincinnati Reds and the 1983 Baltimore Orioles as the only teams to accomplish that feat over a run to a World Series title since the playoffs expanded back in 1969. And Milwaukee’s bullpen stood out as well, as that group threw 118 innings (55.1% of the available innings, fourth most in playoff history) but held opponents to a .173 batting average while posting an ERA of just 1.38. Those are the second-lowest numbers in a single playoffs since the 2022 Astros (0.83 ERA, .126 OBA).
While the Brewers posted a run differential of +26 over their playoff run, many of their games were close contests. (A 10-1 win over the Rays in Game 3 of the World Series skews that number).
But how Milwaukee responded in some of those games is another key indicator of how dominant — or perhaps how resilient — this group is. Stark found that according to STATS, seven times over these 13 games, the Brewers scored in the very next half-inning after allowing the opponent either tied the game, or took the lead against them.
Only three teams — the 2006 Cardinals, the 1997 Florida Marlins, and the 2002 Angels — did that more. But all three of those teams needed 16 games to do so.
However, perhaps the most eye-popping stat?
Four games to none, the sweep of the Dodgers in the NLCS.
After winning Game 1 2-1, Milwaukee dropped 19 runs on the Dodgers over the next three games, outscoring Los Angeles — the second-best team in the majors — by a combined 19-10.
“This group of guys right here, the 2026 team, will be remembered forever — and they deserve that because they were a team,” manager Pat Murphy said after the game. “They’re not worried about their own stats. No one cares about that. They care about coming together and winning tonight.”
The Brewers did not just win Wednesday night.
They have been winning all season, all fall, and all throughout the playoffs.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 23: Jake Lamb #9 of the Sacramento River Cats waits for the pitch against the San Francisco Giants in the third inning at Sutter Health Park on March 23, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Once again we continue to trawl MLB coaching rosters for interesting names who might be available for the Mariners as they reshape their coaching staff. If you missed the methodology/justification/general precis of this series, start here with the setup; you can go on from there to review candidates from the AL Central, and then click here for the next installment, the NL East. Today we’re covering primarily the NL West with the AL West shoehorned in there because I’m skipping most of the AL West, as the Astros and Angels are both involved in their own coaching searches. I’m also skipping the Rangers, because my pick for them – Kyle Moore, who managed the Triple-A Round Rock Express this season, has apparently just taken a job as assistant field coordinator for the Cardinals, per his LinkedIn. Boo. Let’s start then with the lone candidate from the AL West:
Todd Takayoshi (A’s)
Current role: minor league hitting coordinator
Age: 56
Bonus points: Attended Kennedy Catholic in Burien (Go Lancers)
The WAC Player of the Year in 1991 out of University of Hawai’i at Monoa, Takayoshi’s playing career went from the independent leagues to the Angels; he then transitioned to coaching. Takayoshi boasts over 20 years of experience in coaching and player development, the last three of which have come in his current role with the A’s, where he’s overseen the hitting development of prospects like Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer. There are probably some of you reading this who have firsthand experience with “Coach Tak,” who runs off-season camps around the Seattle area.
On to the NL West!
First I must say I’m actually skipping the Dodgers. Current bench coach Danny Lehmann is a name I’ve actually seen connected to the Mariners – and before that the Braves – and I get it, because the 41-year old has been around for a bit after getting his start as a video scout with the Dodgers, so has a reputation for being all about data and analytics. As for on-the-field experience, he has a background as a strong defensive catcher in college at Rice before becoming a Twins farmhand. Also, his uncle is Dog the Bounty Hunter? Unsure if that’s a plus or not. But I don’t think anyone from the Dodgers is actually an under-the-radar candidate for any job, and nothing I could turn up about Lehmann made me particularly excited about him to add to that, so I’m utilizing my skip power in order to talk about people I’m more excited about, like…
Nic Wilson (Rockies)
Current role: Assistant hitting coach (MLB)
Age: 33
Bonus points: Grandmother Elizabeth Wilson was the first Black and female mayor of his hometown in Decatur, Georgia; once dreamed of being the governor of Georgia; values education and lifelong learning.
Wilson is the youngest candidate we’ll profile in this series but he is a rising star who the Mariners should get their hands on before his hometown Braves do. Go read this Medium post from the Rockies or the linked MLB dot com article above, I think you’ll be sold.
Relevant quote: “In a nutshell, his ability to communicate with everybody is over the top good. He’s just over the top really good with people.” – Mark Brewer, former Rockies pitching coach
“Man, I love baseball.” – Nic Wilson
Ryley Westman (Padres)
Current role: Director, player development
Age: 42
Bonus points: N/A
Despite having a solidly Gen Z name, Westman has almost two decades of coaching experience, the bulk of it coming with the Rangers and Padres, and at a variety of positions, from manager to bench coach to hitting coach to catching coordinator to player development.
Relevant quote: “If we’re truly going to impact these guys, the better that you can relate with them and understand how they’re going to receive your message and know who they are, because they’re all different…really spend time with them, know them, invest yourself in them, and when it’s time to deliver that message or ask something from them or motivate them to another level, the the relationship you have with them is really going to carry a lot of weight.”
I should note here that commenter OlyFan was hopeful for a Nick Punto shoutout; I also debated Triple-A manager Pete Zamora for this slot, but Westman won out mostly because there’s a lot of interview footage of him due to his long tenure with the Padres and I was very compelled by him; however, I am willing to hear arguments in the comments.
Ed Lucas (Giants)
Current role: Director of Player Development
Age: 44
Bonus points: former Mariner; Ivy League Player of the Year (Dartmouth, 2004); kickass wife who has built an empire so that Ed can coach For The Love of the Game (ask me more about Holly and how she took on Hugo Boss over their attempt to trademark the word “boss” and how awesome she is, please, I beg you). Also would he be the first Mariners coach to have tweeted at Jon Bois? Maybe!
Jake Lamb (Diamondbacks)
Current role: Assistant, Player Development
Age: 36
Bonus points: Former Mariner, UW alum, Seattle-born (shoutout Bishop Blanchet), actual big-league playing experience, also it’s JAKE LAMB
Do I know anything about Jake Lamb other than that he’s Seattle baseball royalty? I do not. Do I care? Also no. Bring him home.
DENVER, CO - APRIL 04: Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort, left, during batting practice before the opening day game against the Athletics at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado on Friday, April 04, 2025. (Photo by Andy Cross/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images) | Denver Post via Getty Images
As has been foreshadowed all year, the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) is set to expire on December 1, 2026.
Now that the offseason is imminent and the lockout still seems inevitable, it’s time to set expectations for how this all works and what will differ about this offseason from a standard one.
What is a lockout?
A lockout is, essentially, the league forbidding teams from engaging with players in any way until a new CBA is agreed to.
Importantly, a lockout is distinct from a strike. In the latter, the players would be the party initiating the work stoppage whereas it is the league’s decision whether or not to enact a lockout.
News: MLB sent a 34-page memo to owners and high-ranking officials across the league detailing what to expect — and how to act — during the lockout.
MLB’s official website and club websites will again be scrubbed of player images and videos.
A lockout is not required. The two sides could continue to operate normally while negotiating if they chose to. In 1994, the league did not enact a lockout, and the offseason operated normally as did the start of the season. It was not until mid-season that the players’ union authorized a strike after having seen no willingness from the owners to budge from their position about a salary cap. That mid-season strike and subsequent loss of the 1994 World Series was devastating for the owners and ultimately led to them dropping their demands for a salary cap.
Since then, the owners have not been willing to risk repeating a mid-season work stoppage.
Instead, if initial negotiations do not look like they will be easily resolved, MLB initiates a lockout the day the CBA expires. When that occurs, the following happens:
Major League games can not be played.
Teams are not allowed to contact players on their 40-man rosters.
Teams are not allowed to make any transactions (signings, trades, etc.) involving Major League players.
Players will not be paid their standard base salaries. The only money moving between teams and players during a lockout is from deferred contracts or signing bonuses that happen to be due during the lockout.
It is important to note, however, that the base salary of MLB players is only paid during the season even under normal circumstances. The players’ union will not feel the effect of a lockout on their wallet unless it drags into the start of the season.
Players are not allowed to use any team-affiliated facilities regardless of the purpose.
Any normal offseason activities that involve Major League players (notably the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft and spring raining games) will be delayed or cancelled depending on the length of the lockout.
MLB.com and all official team websites will have all references to specific active players removed.
Essentially, MLB as a whole must stop operating during a lockout for as long as it lasts.
Minor Leagues
The restrictions above only apply to active members of the MLBPA.
Players that are either not on a team’s 40-man roster or a Major League free agent are not subject to the same CBA as the others are. This means that a lockout does not apply to minor league players unless they are on their organization’s 40-man roster.
Teams will be able to continue communicating with their minor league players throughout the offseason as well as signing minor league free agents. Should the lockout extend into spring training, minor leaguers will be able to participate in team workouts. Should the lockout extend into the regular season, the minor league season will begin as normal, with the exception of any players on their organization’s 40-man roster being barred from participating.
Timeline
December 1 is the most important date to remember as it is the final day of the current CBA. At midnight EST, the league is expected to initiate a lockout, just as they did in 2021.
Major League Baseball has officially implemented a lockout, sources tell ESPN. The ninth work stoppage in the sport’s history has begun.
This means that, just like in 2021, once the mandatory five-day waiting period following the end of the World Series concludes on November 2, teams will be able to make normal offseason transactions for roughly a month. They will be able to sign free agents, make trades, designate players from their 40-man roster for assignment, etc. until the lockout begins on December 1.
This dynamic led to an extremely busy November in 2021. Teams rushed to get as much certainty about their rosters as they could before the lockout officially went into effect. It is very possible that a similar frenzied month of transactions will occur again this November.
The lockout will almost certainly last until both sides agree to a new CBA. There is no strict timeline on this process completing. It could happen before the end of the 2026 calendar year (unlikely) or continue well beyond March 24, the currently scheduled Opening Day.
During the last CBA negotiations, the lockout lasted until March 10. At that time, the two sides were able to agree to a deal that included a delay to Opening Day to allow for three weeks of spring training, but salvaged a full 162 game regular season by rescheduling the opening week games for later in the season in addition to some double-headers.
How does it end?
Essentially, once a lockout is initiated, everything MLB related comes to a halt until either the two sides agree to a new CBA.
The only other way that the lockout would end is if the league decides to end it without a new contract agreed to. In that unlikely scenario, the MLBPA would have the option of formally striking or returning to normal operations under the old agreement while negotiating the next one.
For a new CBA to be ratified requires the approval of both the MLB team owners as well as the MLBPA.
The league must pass a majority vote among the 30 team owners on a proposed CBA. With 30 total teams, the owners need a minimum of 16 yes votes on any proposal to ratify it.
The Players’ Association must pass a majority vote between the player representatives for each of the 30 teams and the eight-player Executive Subcommittee. This means that the total voting body for the MLBPA is 38 and requires 20 yes votes for a majority.
Until both sides vote to accept a CBA proposal, the lockout is expected to continue.
What it means for the Rockies
The above context about the impending lockout is equally relevant for all 30 teams in MLB. For the Rockies specifically, the lockout brings with it some interesting wrinkles and context.
Rockies owner Dick Monfort is on the negotiating committee for the owners and has been a vocal advocate for a salary cap. Whether he gets his wish or not, it will be very telling to see how the team operates in the wake of whatever eventual agreement is made.
Monfort was also on the negotiating committee during the last round of CBA negotiations in 2021-2022. The Rockies were not particularly active during the initial transaction frenzy in November before the lockout but after the deal was struck Monfort gave the green light to the largest free agent contract in franchise history. There is no guarantee a similar thing will occur this time around, however, it would be an understandable for Monfort to want to make a show of confidence in whatever deal is eventually agreed to.
In his post-season press conference, Rockies President of Baseball Operations Paul DePodesta said that in terms of a lockout the team just needs to be “prepared for any eventuality.” He mentioned specifically being ready to act aggressively in a way that the team was not in a position to early last offseason. Perhaps that portends to the Rockies being busy in November before the lockout is initiated.
For his part, team President Walker Monfort stated that while losing games due to an extended lockout “would have a negative impact” that the team would operate as if they were planning for a standard regular season. It is possible that the impact of losing games, while large for all teams, would be less dire for a team deep in a rebuild like the Rockies than for those teams that have pushed their chips in for 2027.
There was speculation all of last season that the Rockies were attempting to keep Charlie Condon (No. 2 PuRP) off the 40-man roster, despite a strong season at Triple-A, specifically so that he would not be subject to a lockout this offseason. Regardless of whether Condon was kept down in Albuquerque with this in mind or not, the net effect is that the third overall pick from the 2024 draft will be able to communicate with team personnel and participate in minor league games no matter how long the lockout lasts.
When all is said and done, the Rockies (and the rest of the league) are in for an unpredictable winter.
The basic framework of what’s coming is in place, but the specifics of how things play out will entirely depend on how negotiations progress once the threat of losing games becomes more immediate. Now we simply need to wait and see whether the two sides are able to find a compromise that both find acceptable.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 17: Garrett Mitchell #5 of the Milwaukee Brewers slides in safely to score a run past Henry Davis #32 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the eighth inning during the game at PNC Park on September 17, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates and the rest of Major League Baseball is officially in the offseason after the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 of the World Series to clinch their first title in franchise history.
After two years of the Los Angeles Dodgers winning it all with a top-three payroll in the league, this was a stark difference. Both the Brewers and Rays finished in the bottom half of the league in terms of payroll, yet they were the two most successful teams in the league all season long.
Milwaukee finished the season with a payroll of $146.2 million, which ranked 19th in the league, while the Rays were at $95.6 million. Only the Miami Marlins and Cleveland Guardians, who lost in the American League Championship Series, had cheaper payrolls than the Rays.
The Pirates hovered right in the middle of the Brewers and Rays, with a payroll of $106.7 million, which ranked 23rd in the league. They finished the year with an 82-80 record, their best mark since the 2018 season. They snapped an eight-year streak of losing seasons this year, proving that they are making some strong decisions within the organization.
Last offseason, the Pirates made an effort to spend a little bit more than they have in the past. In 2025, the team had an $84.4 million payroll, which ranked 27th in the league, and that resulted in just 71 wins for the club. By signing players like Ryan O’Hearn and trading for Brandon Lowe in free agency, the Pirates were able to improve their win total by 11 games, which could be a sign of what’s to come.
If the Pirates spend a little bit more money this offseason to improve some of their weaker spots in the lineup, it could result in another jump in the record books. That could lead to their first playoff appearance since 2015, when they were in the National League Wild Card game.
A lot needs to go the right way for the Pirates, but the Brewers’ success in scouting and development, along with just a smidge more spending, could go a long way for them.
MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 14: Hiromi Itoh #14 of Team Japan pitches in the sixth inning during the game between Venezuela and Japan at loanDepot park on March 14, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Gene Wang - Capture At Media/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In my last installment of “Playing Picollo,” I made a series of trades to reshape the Royals’ roster, leaving me with about $40 million to spend in free agency. The bullpen remains the biggest need, but there are still holes to fill in the outfield and rotation, and a couple of high-profile free agents have caught my eye. Unfortunately, I can’t have everyone, so I’ll have to make some tough choices. And before I’m done, I may have one more trade up my sleeve.
If you’ve listened to the Royals Rundown podcast much since the season ended, you know I desperately want to sign both Seiya Suzuki and Adrián Morejon. Unfortunately, they’re probably the two best players at their positions in free agency, so the bidding is going to be high on them. The Athletic predicts them at 5 years/$120 million and 3 years/$42 million, respectively. Technically, I could fit those two contracts into my roster, as their combined AAV comes to $40 million. But, realistically, I would guess that The Athletic is a bit low on at least one of them, and that would give me no wiggle room to do anything else. So I’m going to have to choose.
It’s a difficult choice. The bullpen needs help even more than the lineup does, but Suzuki would represent possible inroads into the Asian market that the Royals have thus far been unable to penetrate. It’s such a difficult choice that, instead of making it, I’m going to make one more trade first. I actually got both Jacob Milham and Max Rieper to sign off on this one.
Trade: Seth Lugo to Astros for Tatsuya Imai
This is a classic swap of dud contracts in the hopes that the players do better with a change of scenery. My favorite example will always be the time the Royals sent Jonathan Sanchez to the Rockies for Jeremy Guthrie. Imai is the clearly better pitcher, but he still wasn’t very good. And the real problem is that if he rebounds, he’s gone, because his contract is a series of player options. However, if he’s bad, you’ve got to pay him another $19 million in 2028. But I’m going to bet on Brian Sweeney getting him pitching well enough that he’ll decline to exercise that option.
Another benefit from the Royals’ perspective is that Imai has more recent bullpen experience. He finished the season in the Astros’ pen, so we can probably start him there and feel more comfortable about it than we would have with Lugo.
OK, time to make that choice.
Free agent signings
LHP Adrián Morejón, 3 years/$45 million
The Royals need depth more than they need a star, so I’m going to take the cheaper of my two preferred free agents and use the savings to bring in more guys. In case you’re unaware of how good Morejón was last year, he accrued almost 3 fWAR as a reliever. That’s nearly impossible to do. He had a 2.83 ERA and a 22.4% K-BB%. He’s going to be an exciting new closer and allow us to shift everyone else in the bullpen back a step, strengthening the whole unit.
I gave him a bit more than the projection because I think that’s what it would take to outbid everyone else. I’d probably even be willing to go as high as $50 million, but I’d want to start deferring some of that if possible.
LHP Steven Okert, 2 years/$16 million with a mutual option
I’m giving Okert a mutual option here with a $4 million buyout to push some of that money down the road. Okert doesn’t have a prediction on The Athletic’s article, so I looked at the reliever deals they have on there and knocked a couple million off because he’s comparable to at least some of those guys. Okert wasn’t great until two years ago, when he joined the Astros, but he’s been lights-out ever since, with good K-BB% figures and ERAs to match. I traded Daniel Lynch IV and baseball is chock full of left-handed hitters now, so I want to make sure my bullpen is stocked with them.
OF Taylor Ward, 1 year/$10 million
That’s the projected offer from The Athletic, and based on how poorly his season ended, I’ll do it. I think it’s worth the risk to see if he can rebound a bit. He can also platoon in left field with John Rave while Dylan Crews and Carson Roccaforte handle center field. I don’t plan for either position to be a strict platoon, of course. We need to play the hot hand regardless of the pitcher, but having the option to flip handedness and pinch-hit should give Matt Quatraro the flexibility to get the most out of his lineup.
RHP Hiromi Itoh, 3 years/$30 million
Since I didn’t get Suzuki but I did trade for Imai, and Kansas City isn’t known for its huge Asian population, I’d like to add Itoh here – coming from the Nippon Ham Fighters of the NPB – to give us a strong foothold in the Japanese market and hopefully to help both pitchers adjust to MLB. I don’t think Itoh is going to be in high demand because of his slight frame and lack of velocity despite his real NPB success, but that might mean he’s ripe to take a chance on a team that’s willing to take a chance on him.
As I’ve repeatedly written and spoken about, I simply don’t believe free agency is a good way to build a roster these days. So I did most of my work through the trade market, but I feel pretty good about these free agent signings to fill the remaining gaps. There are a number of relievers I’d offer minor league deals to for depth, including A.J. Minter, Evan Phillips, Derek Law, and Craig Kimbrel. They might get major league deals elsewhere, and good for them. I don’t think it’s smart to spend a ton of money on the bullpen, especially past the top guy or two. Guys surprise in both good and bad ways all the time and you don’t want to be locked in.
Final roster
Before I give you the 26-man roster, here are the guys I’m cutting from the 40-man to fit the four new free agents:
Alec Marsh
James McArthur
Steven Zobac
Ben Kudrna
I could have chosen Carlos Duran instead of any of them. And I really like McArthur, so actually, yeah, let’s make that switch.
Alec Marsh
Carlos Duran
Steven Zobac
Ben Kudrna
Anyway, here’s the new 26-man roster, first the position players (all new players in bold):
C Salvador Perez
C Carter Jensen
1B Vinnie Pasquantino
2B Michael Massey
3B Maikel Garcia
SS Bobby Witt Jr.
OF Jac Caglianone
OF Carson Roccaforte
OF Dylan Crews
OF Taylor Ward
OF John Rave
UT Nick Loftin
UT Tyler Tolbert
And the pitchers:
SP Reid Detmers
SP Noah Cameron
SP Michael Wacha
SP George Kirby
SP Hiromi Itoh
RHP Ryan Feltner
RHP Lucas Erceg
RHP Nate Pearson
RHP Tatsuya Imai
LHP Adrián Morejón
LHP Anthony Gose
LHP Steven Okert
RHP Tony Gonsolin
Isaac Collins, Connor Thomas, Steven Cruz, and Nolan Hoffman all have options, so I can safely demote them to the minors. The relievers will all be up at some point. Collins probably will, too, assuming the entire outfield doesn’t stay healthy for the entire season.
While we’re at it, let’s imagine the lineups against left-handed and right-handed pitching.
Against right-handers:
C Carter Jensen
SS Bobby Witt Jr.
RF Jac Caglianone
3B Maikel Garcia
1B Vinnie Pasquantino
2B Michael Massey
DH Salvador Perez
LF John Rave
CF Carson Roccaforte
Against left-handers:
3B Maikel Garcia
SS Bobby Witt Jr.
RF Jac Caglianone
DH Carter Jensen
LF Taylor Ward
1B Vinnie Pasquantino
2B Nick Loftin
C Salvador Perez
CF Dylan Crews
Again, you don’t have to do it strictly by handedness. If Crews is hot and Rocc isn’t, then let Crews hit righties for a bit, etc.
Overall, I think this is a pretty decent roster considering how much work there was to do to get it where it needed to be. That’s not a perfect lineup, but I think it would be better than last year’s. And my new starting rotation has a much better history of health than the one the Royals started 2026 with. The silver lining with all those guys going down with TJ surgery last year is that some of them should return in midseason to help fill in the gaps as this team accrues its own injuries.
I even came in under budget! I added $43 million in salary obligations, but dropped around $3 million by demoting players and saved myself $4 million in the Lugo/Imai swap. That brings me to approximately $162 million spent.
The 2028 season is a completely different problem, and maybe I should be more concerned about that. But as a GM who is focused on building my roster through trades as opposed to just promoting from within or signing a lot of free agents, I think if we need to make adjustments downward in spending for 2028, I’ll be able to find takers for some of my expensive players as the prospects I still have rise through the ranks to fill those gaps.
What do you think of this roster? Would you be excited if this is what the Royals actually did?
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 30: Jose Suarez #54 of the Atlanta Braves pitches during the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Truist Park on April 30, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After a relatively topsy-turvy offseason, José Suárez somehow ended up back with the Atlanta Braves after getting DFA’d twice during the offseason by two different teams. He ended up doing well enough in Spring Training to make the Opening Day roster and even made a start for the Braves while he was here.
I think the fact that I am mentioning that he “made a start” for the Braves is an indicator that this wasn’t exactly a rip-roaring success for Suárez during his second go-around with Atlanta. Let’s talk about it, though.
How Acquired
After the Braves initially picked up Suárez in a trade with the Angels for Ian Anderson, he was DFA’d by Atlanta in January 2026 and subsequently claimed by the Baltimore Orioles. A few days later, the Braves claimed him back after the Orioles DFA’d him not long after claiming him. Ah, the life of being a fringe player in Major League Baseball, man.
What were the expectations?
Considering the offseason that he had with the Braves that I just described to you, it sure didn’t seem like Atlanta had many big plans for José Suárez in 2026. Sure, he was pretty good at accumulating whiffs, avoiding barrels and keeping the ball on the ground, but he wasn’t too successful with anything else — outside of a spot start in September where he absolutely dominated the Nationals (and then added on three more shutout innings against Washington a few days after that). He also didn’t really get much of an opportunity, as he only made seven appearances for the Braves in 2025.
With that said, Suárez did have some success as a starter and swingman in 2021-2022, though he fell apart afterwards. Projection systems didn’t seem to fully abandon that: Steamer saw him as a decent long man and fifth starter type, while ZiPS was a lot more optimistic with its central estimate of Suarez serving as a pretty bulky, 1 WAR-ish swing guy.
2026 Results
This time, José Suárez made eight appearances for the Braves in 2026. He ended up making the Opening Day roster out of Spring Training as a long relief pitcher and made his debut on March 31 in a start against the Athletics. It was, um, inauspicious to say the least; that was basically the end of any ideas of Suárez potentially being a starter for the Braves in 2026.
He then went on to pitch mostly low-leverage innings for the handful of appearances that he made from that point forward. Outside of his usual dominance against the Nationals, there wasn’t much to write home about for Suarez as the valleys ended up being deeper than his peaks. While his FIP- of 66 (2.73 FIP) suggests that he may have suffered from a little bit of bad luck compared to his lofty ERA- of 158 (6.60 ERA), he also benefited from a low HR/FB rate (93 xFIP-). The problem was that the José Suárez Experience made that FIP and xFIP nigh-unlivable, because he was walking batters at a 15.2 percent rate, and usually you’re asking for trouble with that much self-inflicted traffic on the basepaths. Sure, he struck out enough guys to not totally fall apart, and kept the ball on the ground-ish, but no one wants to insert the pitching equivalent of a rain delay into a game and hope he doesn’t blow up.
Either way, his appearance on April 30 (in the ninth inning, no less!) against the Tigers wound up being his final one for the Braves, as Atlanta DFA’d him on May 1 and the Mariners claimed him soon after that. He only made one appearance for Seattle before being DFA’d once again, but he ended up getting moved to the A’s for cash considerations. He actually got to spend a decent amount of time with the Athletics and made 36 total appearances before the A’s eventually DFA’d and released him in early-September.
His seasonal line was actually pretty good and right in line with projections: 0.6 fWAR on the back of a 134 ERA-, 89 FIP-, and 100 xFIP-. It was simultaneously a pretty good season for Suárez, but also kind of a miserable one in terms of the experience for the teams that employed him.
What went right?
Well, he ended up finishing the season with a Barrel percentage of 2.7 percent (99th percentile according to StatCast) and a Hard-Hit percentage of 32.3 percent (91st percentile) so he was pretty good at not getting hit hard. While he was with the Braves, he managed to deliver another strong performance against the Washington Nationals on April 21. He came in while the Braves were trailing 4-1 after a rough start from Reynaldo López and he proceeded to eat up nine outs while striking out four batters. He did give up four walks but none of them came around to score, so this was a solid effort for Suárez. (The Braves were blown out in the game… but not while Suarez was pitching.)
This was right after he pitched three scoreless innings against the Phillies on April 17 (and got credited with a save!), so there was a brief period where Suárez was looking pretty successful on the mound.
What went wrong?
Well, Suárez got a chance in high leverage on April 30 against the Tigers, where he got the ball in the ninth inning with the Braves down 3-2. Suárez struck out the first two batters and then it all went to pot from there, as he ended up going walk-single (with error)-walk-double to end up putting the Braves in a three-run hole in the bottom of the ninth.
Now granted, that single (and the subsequent error from Mike Yastrzemski) was comical and had to be seen to be believed but still, those two walks and that double basically put the Braves in a really tough position to bounce back and it ended up being Suárez’s swan song in the South. It absolutely wasn’t encouraging to see Suárez struggle with a particularly weak portion of Detroit’s lineup and it probably didn’t seem like things would get any better from there, so the DFA made sense.
It was also the second time he was present for an implosion in about a week: on April 25, he came into a tie game in the tenth against the Phillies, after Tyler Kinley had walked the first batter. Asked to face Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and company, Suárez also issued a walk to load the bases with none out, and a couple of two-run singles doomed the Braves from there. He actually struck out the side in the inning, but as is the theme here: he did okay, the team did not have a good time.
It also didn’t help that he got dinged for four runs on five hits and three walks during his only start of the season (back on March 31 against the A’s) for Atlanta. First impressions are a real thing, y’all.
2027 Outlook
Suárez is currently a free agent but he’s also 28 and a lefty, so it’s not hard to imagine him finding work somewhere in the bigs next season. Plus, all in all, he was pretty much fine in 2026, just in a really painful, unpleasant to watch way. It probably won’t be for a contender but if there’s a rebuilding team that needs some depth and someone to eat some innings when needed, Suárez will certainly be an option for that. I do think it’s safe to say that his time with the Braves is over after two seasons of minimal production with few chances. He probably projects as a generic reliever/swingman going forward… it just depends on how much a team is willing to tolerate his walk-laden profile.
CANADA - MARCH 01: Unlike previous Blue Jay spring camps, this one was much more relaxed, as demonstrated by right fielder Jesse Barfield below left, who turns the tables on news photographers. (Photo by Bernard Weil/Toronto Star via Getty Images) | Toronto Star via Getty Images
Celebrating Jesse Barfield’s 67th Birthday
Jesse Barfield has always been one of my favorite players.
Barfield was selected in the 9th round of the 1977 amateur draft, the inaugural year for the Blue Jays and Mariners. MLB granted them the final two picks of each round, showcasing their generosity.
Barfield debuted in the majors in 1981 and spent nine seasons with the Blue Jays. He ranks near the top of several franchise leaderboards:
4th in bWAR among position players, 29.5
2nd in defensive WAR, 9.5 (behind Tony Fernandez)
11th in slugging average, .483
11th in games played, 1032
7th in home runs, 179
9th in RBI, 527
Barfield was known for his powerful bat and exceptional defense, especially his strong, accurate arm in right field and remarkable range. Some even believed he could have excelled as a center fielder. There are countless legendary stories about his arm—like throwing a ball over the center-field fence from home plate. I remember watching him snare a line drive on a bounce and fire to first for the out. Barfield led the American League in outfield assists for three straight years (1985–87), largely because teams rarely risked running on his arm. In 1985 alone, he had eight outfield double plays, and from 1985–1987, he recorded 21—more than many teams tally in an entire season.
Barfield, Lloyd Moseby, and George Bell formed an outfield trio that remains the best in Blue Jays history. During his time in Toronto, Barfield won two Gold Gloves, one Silver Slugger, and earned an All-Star selection.
Many people contributed to my love of baseball, but the outfield of Bell, Moseby, and Barfield stands out. Watching them develop into the best outfield in baseball deepened my appreciation for the game. I often compared them to other legendary outfields—while not the greatest ever (the Tigers’ trio of Ty Cobb, Sam Crawford, and Bobby Veach likely holds that honor), I believe Bell, Moseby, and Barfield deserve a spot among the top ten outfields of all time.
In 1989, the Blue Jays traded Barfield to the Yankees for Al Leiter—a heartbreaking deal that ultimately did not work out in Toronto’s favor.
I once received a signed ball from Barfield in Cooperstown during Roy Halladay’s induction. Remarkably, he looked just as he did during his playing days. He was very friendly, but the thing i noticed most was his hands were twice the size of mine.
Barfield remains active on social media: @JesseBarfield29.
Happy birthday, Jesse! Wishing you a wonderful day.
Celebrating R.A. Dickey’s 52nd Birthday
R.A. Dickey joined the Blue Jays via trade from the Mets, along with catchers Mike Nickeas and Josh Thole. In exchange, Toronto sent Wuilmer Becerra, John Buck, Travis d’Arnaud, and Noah Syndergaard to New York.
General manager Alex Anthopoulos sought an ace to guide the Blue Jays to the playoffs, but things didn’t go as planned. Dickey spent four seasons in Toronto, posting a 49–52 record and a 4.03 ERA over 131 games (130 starts).
Dickey often started seasons slowly with the Jays. For example, in 2013 he posted a 4.80 ERA before the All-Star break and a 3.57 ERA afterward. In 2014, his ERA was 3.82 in the first half and 3.57 in the second. In 2016, he went from 5.28 in the first half to 3.56 in the second. The exception was 2015, when his ERA was 3.11 early and 4.83 after the break.
The Blue Jays reached the playoffs in 2015 and 2016. Dickey made two postseason starts in 2015: one was strong, pitching 4.2 innings and allowing just one run before being replaced by David Price; the other was rough, lasting only 1.2 innings and surrendering five runs in a loss to the Royals.
Dickey appears on several franchise pitching leaderboards:
Tied for 15th in wins.
13th in innings pitched.
18th in strikeouts
13th in starts.
Many fans were disappointed by Dickey’s performance, largely because expectations were set so high after his Cy Young-winning season with the Mets. We believed he would be the ace to take us to the World Series, but it was unfair to place all those hopes on him.
Dickey came across as a genuinely good person who appeared to enjoy his time in Toronto. He was far from the typical baseball player—he took pleasure in playful media interviews, using big words to keep reporters on their toes. For us fans who appreciated his intellect, it was refreshing to see a fellow ‘nerd’ on the team.
In 2017, Dickey pitched for the Braves, finishing 10–10 with a 4.26 ERA in 31 starts.
Over his 15-season career, Dickey posted a 120–118 record with a 4.04 ERA in 300 starts and 100 relief appearances. His best year was 2012, when he went 20–6 with a 2.73 ERA.
Happy birthday, R.A.! Hope you have a fantastic day.
It’s also Dana Eveland’s 43rd birthday. In 2010, Eveland made nine starts for the Blue Jays, posting a 6.45 ERA.
Eveland pitched in 11 MLB seasons, appearing in 187 games and making 61 starts. He compiled a 20–28 record with a 5.46 ERA.
After Game 4’s extra-inning victory to avoid the sweep, Walls was asked by The Athletic reporter Ken Rosenthal: “Was it important to win one just to show you’re on this level?”
Walls did not like the framing of that question.
Tampa Bay Rays’ Taylor Walls was not a fan of the questions being asked by Ken Rosenthal. Getty Images
“No,” Walls quickly responded after the 12-inning 4-3 win on Tuesday. “I think that’s pretty disrespectful, honestly. We’re a team that’s capable of winning four.”
Rosenthal quickly apologized for the question, saying, “Sorry for the wording,” in the locker room.
Ken Rosenthal: Was it important to win one just to show you’re on this level?
Taylor Walls: I think that’s pretty disrespectful honestly
“No team wants to get swept, but at the end of the day, we think we can win the whole thing,” Walls said. “So whether it starts with us down 0-3 and winning four in a row, or whether it started winning the first one or the second one, we have full confidence that we can do it.”
The Rays did not pull off the impossible of coming back from down 3-0, a feat only completed by the 2004 Red Sox against the Yankees in the ALCS.
Tampa Bay had a tough time scoring runs in the series, putting up only 11 runs in five games as their bats went quiet and looked largely overmatched with weak contact.
Walls responding to Rosenthal after Game 4. @TalkinBaseball_/X
Walls, who isn’t exactly a bopper in his own right as a defense-first player to begin with, hit just .103 in the postseason with four hits in 39 at-bats.
Rasmussen then had to pitch on short rest in a do-or-die Game 5 and lasted only four innings.
Ken Rosenthal interviews Aaron Ashby after a World Series win. Fox Sports via Getty Images
The Rays still had a successful season by all standards, even if Walls didn’t want to hear the underdog noise from reporters, considering they were able to make the World Series after coming into the year with some expecting them to be a lesser team in the AL East.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and the Boston Red Sox will be busy over the next few days.
The MLB offseason officially began Wednesday night after the Milwaukee Brewers were crowned 2026 World Series champions. That means clubs must add players from the 60-day injured list back onto the 40-man roster by Monday.
The Red Sox have a full 40-man roster, plus seven players on the 60-day IL: Eli White, Triston Casas, Justin Slaten, Kutter Crawford, Zack Kelly, Johan Oviedo, and Eduardo Rivera. All seven must be reactivated, meaning seven spots have to be cleared.
Three were cleared on Thursday. Left-hander Patrick Sandoval and utility man Isiah Kiner-Falefa officially became free agents, and outfielder Nate Eaton was traded to the Athletics for 18-year-old minor-league pitcher Jareth Rayo. Plus, veteran right-hander Sonny Gray’s $30 million mutual option will almost certainly be declined, leaving the Red Sox with three more cuts to make via trade, release, waivers, or designating for assignment.
Who could be next on Boston’s chopping block? Here are the most likely cut candidates:
Raymond Burgos, LHP
Burgos provided bullpen depth in the final stretch of the 2026 season, posting a 4.22 ERA and 0.844 WHIP in nine appearances (21.1 innings pitched). The 28-year-old is a candidate to be waived, clear waivers, and land back in Triple-A.
Jovani Moran, LHP
Moran was an effective southpaw out of Boston’s bullpen in 2026, finishing with a 3.15 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 50 outings. He was left off the playoff roster, however, and is out of minor-league options.
Jahmai Jones, DH/OF
Jones stepped up as a lefty masher immediately after being acquired from the Detroit Tigers, but he struggled mightily throughout September. The Red Sox outfield remains crowded even after the Eaton trade, and with Romy Gonzalez presumably good to go for 2027, having both him and Jones on the roster as specialists against southpaws would be redundant.
Zack Kelly, RHP
Kelly notched a 3.31 ERA in 17 bullpen appearances last season before suffering a season-ending elbow injury. Injuries have been an issue throughout his career, making him an obvious cut candidate especially now that he’s out of minor-league options.
Tsung-Che Cheng, SS
Cheng played an important role as a fill-in shortstop during the Red Sox’ incredible midseason turnaround. He hit a modest .256 in his 14 games with the club, but his defense was a legitimate difference-maker. Still, he’s a fringe big-leaguer and a candidate to be traded or DFA’d before Monday.
Tyler Samaniego, LHP
Left-handed reliever Samaniego posted a 2.66 ERA across 20 outings (one as an opener) in his first MLB stint. Despite his effectiveness, he was sent down to Triple-A in early June and never called back up the majors. He’d still be a useful depth piece, but the 27-year-old could also bring back something of value in a trade if Boston opts to part ways.
Eduardo Rivera, LHP
Rivera made four appearances (three starts) with Boston in 2026. The 23-year-old had a 6.30 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over 10 innings. Like Samaniego, he’s expendable as a depth reliever with at least some trade value.
Alec Gamboa, LHP
Gamboa was a revelation for the Red Sox bullpen in 2026, posting a 1.91 ERA across 21 appearances (three as an opener) in his first big-league stint. The 29-year-old’s efforts earned him a spot on the postseason roster.
As great as Gamboa was, he’s a strong candidate to be moved. Boston has plenty of left-handed bullpen depth, and Gamboa’s value after an outstanding rookie season is undoubtedly at its peak.
Like so many Milwaukee fans, Christian Yelich took a moment while celebrating the Brewers’ first World Series title to remember a man he wished had been around to see it.
“Uecky, I love you, man,” Yelich said in reference to beloved Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker, who died in January 2025 at the age of 90. “We did it.”
Yelich’s tribute after the Brewers’ 4-1 Game 5 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays recalled a dramatically different postgame setting two years earlier, when Milwaukee couldn’t hang on to a 2-0 ninth-inning lead and fell to the New York Mets in the decisive game of an NL Wild Card Series.
That would be the last game in the broadcasting career of Uecker, who had been calling games through the 2023 and 2024 seasons while battling small cell lung cancer. Uecker had kept that information private up until his death and shared it only with a select group of people, including Yelich.
Uecker capped his game broadcast that night by saying, “That one had some sting on it,” then went into a silent locker room and offered condolences to the Brewers players, a moment that was detailed in a documentary on Uecker that came out this year. Yelich struggled to contain his emotions that night as he discussed the hardest part of having a season end that way.
“For me, it was talking to Ueck,” Yelich said at the time. “That’s kind of a tough one. All the other stuff, it is what it is. It’s a tough way for your season to end, but talking to Uecky one on one, it was tough.”
Learning from the low moments
That made Wednesday’s moment all the more cathartic for Yelich, who has been with the Brewers through all their celebrations and commiserations over the last several years as the franchise had its greatest run of sustained success.
The guy who was named the first captain in franchise history last month accepted congratulations on the field from Hall of Fame shortstop Robin Yount, regarded as the Brewers’ greatest player ever. Yount had been an MVP in 1982 when the Brewers made their only previous World Series appearance. He praised Yelich for helping the Brewers finally get it done.
Yelich, 34, and pitcher Brandon Woodruff are the only players who have been with the Brewers since they began their run of eight playoff berths in nine seasons in 2018. They’d been through plenty of heartache as the Brewers struggled to translate their regular-season success into the postseason.
“All those low moments, you don’t realize at the time, but those low moments prepare you for this moment,” Yelich said. “Without those, this wouldn’t be possible. It doesn’t feel like it in the moment sometimes when it’s happening to you, when you’re in those lows. It can be tough at times, but it makes you tougher. There’s lessons to be learned from it, and it’s all geared towards moments like this. Man, is it worth it.”
The Brewers acquired Yelich before the 2018 season, and he went on to become the NL MVP that year as Milwaukee reached Game 7 of the NL Championship Series. He was contending for another MVP award the following year before fracturing his kneecap, the first in a series of injuries he would battle through over the last several years.
Even though Yelich is no longer the Brewers’ best player, he remains the face of the franchise in many respects.
“I don’t think all of them were clear enough on what it was going to take,” manager Pat Murphy said. “Yeli kept speaking it into existence. He kept saying, ‘Hey, you know, we’re going to win the World Series,’ and everybody kind of snapped their head like, ‘You believe that? Did you see us play last week?’ That type of thing.”
Producing in the postseason
Yelich wasn’t merely leading in the clubhouse. He also was delivering a postseason breakthrough on the field while bouncing back from a regular season in which he posted career lows in on-base percentage (.315) and OPS (.692).
He drove in two runs in Game 2 of the NLCS as the Brewers swept the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
In the World Series, Yelich hit a first-inning RBI triple to put Milwaukee ahead for good in a 3-2 Game 1 win, and he went 2 for 3 with a walk and an RBI in the Brewers’ 10-1 Game 3 blowout victory. He scored one of the Brewers’ four runs in the Game 5 clincher Wednesday.
Now he’s finally a World Series champion. He could only wonder what Uecker would have been thinking.
“He’s smiling, man,” Yelich said. “He’s smiling. I really wish he could have been here to see this. That would have meant everything to him. But like we said a bunch, he’s been with us a lot. We keep him close to our hearts. This one’s still for Bob.”
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Venezuela’s flag draped around him, flashing a wide smile and filled with pride, William Contreras was willing to boast.
“I don’t want to offend any of the other catchers in the league. The last thing I want to do is offend any of them,” he said, speaking through a translator. “But sitting up here today, champion of the world, I feel like I’m the best catcher in the league. Again, that’s no disrespect to any of them. That’s the last thing I want to do. But today I feel like I’m the best catcher in the world.”
Contreras became the eighth catcher voted the World Series MVP after lifting the Milwaukee Brewers to their first World Series championship.
Leader of the small-market Brewers, the 28-year-old hit .381 while guiding his pitching staff, throwing out four attempted base stealers and winning 10 of 13 appeals in the first Series with the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system. He had a run-scoring double during Milwaukee’s clinching 4-1 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday night.
“He’s our pit bull. You don’t just walk up and pet him. There’s a chance you get nipped,” manager Pat Murphy said.
Moments after being awarded the MVP trophy, Contreras embraced his 34-year-old brother, Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras, a World Series champion with the 2016 Chicago Cubs.
“My brother is my role model. I don’t have a lot of friends. He’s my friend,” William Contreras said. “If I have something to ask somebody, I ask Willson.”
William teared up when asked about Venezuela, his home country. Contreras was on Venezuela’s team that won its first World Baseball Classic in March, though he was 0 for 13 with no RBIs.
He and teammates Jackson Chourio and Antonio Senzatela joined Americans Alex Bregman and Luke Gregerson of the 2017 Houston Astros in winning the WBC and World Series in the same year.
“It means everything because that’s the first time Venezuela guys win the WBC and the World Series,” William Contreras said. “It’s history, history for my country. I love Venezuela. It’s my country.”
He joined Gene Tenace (1972), Johnny Bench (1976), Steve Yeager (co-winner in 1981), Darrell Porter (1982), Rick Dempsey (1983), Pat Borders (1992) and Salvador Perez (2015) as catchers to win the award.
A three-time All-Star, Contreras hit .270 with 18 homers and a career-best 94 RBIs as the Brewers won their fourth straight NL Central title.
“Think about what he’s achieved, and he’s disappointed his numbers aren’t better,” Murphy said. “He’s disappointed that he isn’t Gold Glove.’'
Contreras was best at leveraging baseball’s new robot umpires, leading Major League Baseball with 185 challenges and 105 overturns during the regular season. He won 22 of 33 in the postseason.
“It’s not magic,” Contreras said. “I think it’s the experience of playing every day throughout the season.”
He batted .444 with a pair of solo homers in the Division Series against San Diego, hitting a tiebreaking, seventh-inning drive in the opener and another homer in Game 3. He batted .357 with one homer and three RBIs in the Championship Series sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Milwaukee had several worthy MVP candidates.
Cooper Pratt set a Series rookie record with six straight hits and tied Gil McDougald’s rookie mark from 1951 with seven RBIs, including go-ahead hits in the final three games. Jackson Chourio was 11 for 24 (.458), the most hits by a player in a five-game World Series. Ace Jacob Misiorowski was 2-0 and allowed one run in 10 2/3 innings, and reliever Aaron Ashby pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings with a save and nine strikeouts.
“I told him before the game: You will be the MVP of the World Series,” Murphy said of Contreras. “People recognized what that kid did for us. There was no doubt in my mind. Yeah, he’s special.”
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 15: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on from the dugout prior to Game Four of the National League Championship Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, October 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The World Series is over and Major League Baseball’s offseason has begun. This offseason will have a different look with the impending labor situation. Baseball’s current CBA between MLB and the Major League Baseball Player’s Association is set to expire at midnight on December 1.
Even with the lockout on the horizon, there will still be a lot of league activity in November. Free agents will file Thursday morning. Teams will then have a five-day negotiation window to re-sign their own players. Free agency will officially open on November 2 at 5 pm ET.
MLB’s free agent period is normally slower than those in the NFL and NBA with major signings sometimes dragging into the next calendar year. With a lockout coming, there is a chance that we see a heightened sense of urgency by some players in hopes of locking down a deal before the sport shuts down.
Dodgers lefty Tarik Skubal headlines this offseason’s free agent class. Skubal is a two-time Cy Young Award winner and one of the most dominant pitchers in the sport. He underwent an elbow procedure in early May but returned and pitched well for the Tigers and Dodgers down the stretch. He is in line for a record breaking contract and will become the highest-paid pitching in league history.
The rest of the class is a little less inspiring. Michael King anchored the Padres pitching staff and had a good showing in the postseason. Freddy Peralta rediscovered his form after a deadline trade to the Rays and was MVP of the ALCS. Randy Arozarena put up a career-best season for the Mariners. There are really good players available but all of them are a level or two below Skubal.
Below is our ranking of the top-40 MLB free agents.
Number
Name
Position
Previous Team
1
Tarik Skubal
LHP
Tigers
2
Michael King
RHP
Padres
3
Teruaki Sato
3B
Hanshin (NPB)
4
Freddy Peralta
RHP
Rays
5
Randy Arozarena
OF
Mariners
6
Seiya Suzuki
OF
Cubs
7
Brandon Lowe
2B
Pirates
8
Adrian Morejon
LHP
Padres
9
Clay Holmes
RHP
Cubs
10
Trevor Rogers
LHP
Orioles
11
Jake Bauers
1B
Brewers
12
Sonny Gray
RHP
Red Sox
13
David Bednar
RHP
Yankees
14
Jazz Chisholm Jr.
2B
Yankees
15
Ryan Jeffers
C
Twins
16
Tyler Mahle
RHP
Braves
17
Luis Arraez
2B
Phillies
18
Foster Griffin
LHP
Guardians
19
Casey Mize
RHP
Padres
20
Nick Martinez
RHP
Rays
21
Gleyber Torres
2B
Tigers
22
Kaima Taira
RHP
Seibu (NPB)
23
Ian Happ
OF
Cubs
24
Michael Soroka
RHP
Diamondbacks
25
Kevin Gausman
RHP
Cubs
26
Shota Imanaga
LHP
Cubs
27
Raisel Iglesias
RHP
Braves
28
Ty France
1B
Padres
29
Alec Bohm
1B/3B
Phillies
30
Hiromi Itoh
RHP
Nippon (NPB)
31
Robbie Ray
LHP
Padres
32
Shane Bieber
RHP
Blue Jays
33
Daulton Varsho
OF
Astros
34
Alex Vesia
LHP
Dodgers
35
Mauricio Dubon
OF/SS
Braves
36
Tyler Stephenson
C
Reds
37
Gregory Soto
LHP
Pirates
38
Sean Newcomb
LHP
White Sox
39
Trent Grisham
OF
Yankees
40
J.P. Crawford
SS
Mariners
Where will Skubal land?
Every team will be interested in Tarik Skubal but only a few have a realistic shot at landing the free agent left-hander. It will be easy to connect him to some of the biggest spenders. The Mets entered the 2026 season with high expectations but flopped in a big way. Steve Cohen may be looking to make a splash and signing Skubal would be the biggest splash available.
The Yankees, Phillies and Blue Jays are other teams that could get in the mix for Skubal. He would make a ton of sense for a team like the Cubs that featured one of the best offenses in the majors but also one of the worst pitching staffs. A potential pairing of Skubal and Chris Sale would give the Braves two of the most dominant left-handed pitchers in the league. It would also require them to make a significant free agent investment which is not something that they normally do.
Then there is the Dodgers who acquired Skubal from the Tigers at the trade deadline. LA’s core position players are getting older and their biggest need is shoring up that area. Still, they can never be counted out on a big name free agent.
My gut is that Skubal ends up back with the Dodgers but I’m hoping that another team gets in the mix.
What about Teruaki Sato?
Another intriguing name to keep an eye on this winter is Japanese third baseman Teruaki Sato. Sato won the MVP Award in the NPB in 2026 after hitting .306 with 39 home runs, 40 doubles and 106 RBIs. He played third base in Japan but there are questions about whether he will stick at the position in MLB. Teams like the Yankees, Phillies and Red Sox are thought to be among the group that will be interested. That could lead to a big payday for him.
What does the lockout mean for free agency
Free agency will officially open on November 2 at 5 pm ET, but it will pause once the lockout begins. The CBA expires on December 1, at which point a lockout is expected to commence.
MLB free agency is typically a slow-moving process and it is a little difficult to project how the lockout might affect that. We do have a recent example to draw from. The owners locked out the players prior to the 2022 season and we saw a flurry of big contracts handed out before the CBA expired. The Texas Rangers gave Corey Seager and Marcus Semien a combined $500 million. Max Scherzer signed a big deal with the Mets while Javier Baez landed a six-year, $140 million deal from the Tigers.
This could be a similar situation. For teams already with big payrolls, they may look to add more top stars before facing possible restrictions from a proposed salary cap. Players may see an incentive to sign early because of the uncertainty of what things might look like once the lockout ends. I wouldn’t say it is a certainty that we will see increased activity in November but it is very much a possibility.
Johnny Johnson, [1930s]. Poster for a play. The Federal Theatre Project, created by the U.S. Works Progress Administration in 1935, was designed to conserve and develop the skills of theater workers, re-employ them on public relief, and to bring theater to thousands in the United States who had never before seen live theatrical performances. Creator: Unknown. (Photo by Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images) | Getty Images
It is a Thursday, and the MLB season is officially over. Time for a trivia question.
As always, a couple of rules…
1 — Put a spoiler over your answer in the comments.
2 — Don’t go digging around on baseball sites to try to discover the answer. This is a trivia question, not a scavenger hunt.
Here is an alphabetical list of professional baseball players:
Grant Anderson
Brandon Boggs
Jeff Bronkey
Matt Bush
David Hulse
Kevin Reimer
These players all have something in common, and this is a complete list of every professional baseball player who has this commonality (so, for example, the answer can’t be “Players who have never been in my kitchen,” because Buddy Bell and Losing Pitcher Mulcahy and Rabbit Maranville, among others, also haven’t been in your kitchen).
Can you guess what this is a complete list of?
I will update later today in the afternoon with the answer.
