ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 22: Elly De La Cruz #44 of the Cincinnati Reds celebrates after hitting a home run in the third inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on September 22, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We’ve played “Take Your Pick” with the Red Sox before, so let’s do it again.
OverTheMonster.com’s Matt Gross took an extensive look this week at the multitude of internal and external rumors about who could be starting shortstop for the Red Sox when baseball ramps up in 2027.
I believe there are four names Red Sox Nation would consider: two external and two internal. Who makes sense? Who can hold down and stay at the position? Who actually elevates the Boston lineup to actually win a playoff series and more?
As has been the story of the majority of his Red Sox career, Story had another gruesome start to 2026 and then found himself back on the injured list. He struggled to ever get going offensively outside of a few nice moments upon his return with Roman Anthony in late August. With the glove, his standout defense that maintained his value a few years ago is regressing before our eyes. It feels risky to run him back out for the final year of his contract in 2027, but can the Red Sox realistically find a trade partner for him? Especially since doing the same for Masataka Yoshida and Jarren Duran is already difficult.
Franklin Arias (Red Sox – Triple-A) 2026 Season (Double-A/Triple-A): 117 games, .323/.400/.557, .957 OPS, 25 HR, 91 RBI
Arias was worthy of attention in the system before last season. Then came a slugfest formerly unknown in his game.
MLB’s No. 2 prospect mashed 25 home runs and made power a greater part of his offensive profile, thus rewriting his ceiling upon his eventual arrival to the big leagues. He can grind out at-bats, consistently took his walks, and now impressed the organization with his newfound ability to do damage and impact the baseball.
He doesn’t have the same publicly tracked defensive metrics like his MLB counterparts, but Arias does feature a 55-grade arm and a 60-grade field tool according to MLB Pipeline.
The Red Sox haven’t gotten what they expected from the “Big Three” in that round of amplifying homegrown talent. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t ride with Arias in 2027. He’s certainly earned the opportunity. Do the Red Sox believe he makes sense over these other candidates?
Elly De La Cruz (Reds) 2026 Season: 143 games, .283/.365/.515, .880 OPS, 30 HR, 79 RBI, +7 OAA, -6 DRS
I’m sure this is going to be the name that lights up the comments. And it should be.
Cruz is an electrifying player with real offensive firepower and a cannon for an arm at shortstop. He had his best season of his career in 2026 and did so in 30-30 fashion. I don’t need to sit here advocating for this move – we know he’s a stud.
Here’s what it comes down to: De La Cruz enters his first arbitration year in 2027 and can go to free agency after 2029. What do the Red Sox have left to trade for him and can they close the deal on an extension with a top-20 player in the sport?
Let’s look at another name that intertwined with the Red Sox at last year’s trade deadline.
Abrams is a dynamic player with solid power and speed. Craig Breslow and Paul Taboni are comfortable trade partners, so another Red Sox-Nationals deal isn’t crazy.
Abrams did have a rather rough defensive season in 2026 and may not stay at shortstop long term. So is he worth the investment of a blockbuster trade package in this era of the run-prevention Red Sox?
With the lockout looming at the end of the month, this offseason appears ready to heat up quickly, as teams are eager to get at least some of their business done before the baseball world freezes at the order of the league owners. While much of the attention has, so far, centered on the free agent market — options exercised and declined, qualifying offers extended, players from Japan and Korea posted — chances are, given Brian Cashman’s history, the Yankees will be just as active on the trade market, if not more so. Over the past decade, he has acquired Ryan Weathers, Cody Bellinger, Juan Soto, Trent Grisham, Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Jameson Taillon, James Paxton, and Giancarlo Stanton in offseason deals. While it’s not yet clear who exactly will be available this winter, as the old saying goes, you have to give something to get something, so we can take a look at which players on the 40-man roster the Yankees might use to swing a deal.
Major League starters
They say you can never have enough pitching, and while that’s true, the Yankees are in the rare position where they have some depth to work with. Between presumptive AL Cy Young Cam Schlittler, 2023 AL Cy Young Gerrit Cole, and a pair of southpaws with multiple top-six finishes in Max Fried and Carlos Rodón, the Yankees starting rotation has quite an extensive resume. Obviously, no team wants to shed too much of its pitching depth — we said much the same thing about the Yankees’ 2025 rotation when they traded Nestor Cortes, only for them to need to turn Ryan Yarbrough into a starter and promote Schlittler mid-season — but still, this category represents the Yankees’ biggest trade chips, and for the right bat, it may very well be worth it…and it becomes a no-brainer if they sign Tarik Skubal as a replacement.
Of the three, Will Warren seems to me to have the most value. While he lacks the ceiling of Ryan Weathers, he does have two things going for him: less of an injury history (he made more than 30 appearances in each of his first two complete seasons, and has yet to miss a start due to injury) and more years of team control (he is entering his third full season, while Weathers will be a free agent after 2028). Ironically, those very same reasons may also be why Weathers is the pitcher the team is more likely to lose. Due to his injury history — he made just one appearance last year, and hasn’t made more than 16 starts since 2023 — the veteran Clarke Schmidt is unlikely to go anywhere on the trade block; honestly, he may even be at risk of a non-tender.
Minor League pitching depth
Three years ago, the Yankees made the biggest non-Shohei Ohtani splash of the offseason by using their minor league pitching depth to swing a deal for the best bat on the trade market, Juan Soto. While it’s not exactly a one-to-one comparison, the Yankees do have a similar amount of depth ammunition in the trio of Luis Gil, Elmer Rodríguez, and Brendan Beck. As the 2024 Rookie of the Year, Gil has the longest track record, but as Andrés noted yesterday, his stuff has not been sufficiently effective in order to overcome his lack of command — in short, whereas he used to be effectively wild, he’s now just wild — and it’s entirely possible the Yankees decide to non-tender him to save the roster spot. Brendan Beck, meanwhile…exists.
The truly valuable minor league pitcher currently on the 40-man is Rodríguez. He turned heads playing for Puerto Rico during the World Baseball Classic, before putting together a strong season in Scranton (8-4, 2.45 ERA in 106.1 innings). While his Major League numbers weren’t quite there — he had a 5.40 ERA in six starts this season, and was only able to make it out of the fifth just once — he’s still young, having turned 23 back in August.
J.C. Escarra
Catcher J.C. Escarra was the feel-good story of the 2025 season. A long-time minor league journeyman who had worked as an uber driver, bounced around independent and affiliated ball, and finally earned a chance to crack a Major League roster, the 30-year-old catcher overcame all odds to earn the backup catcher job out of spring training. Furthermore, he established himself as one of the game’s elite framers, finishing eighth in the league with 5 Framing Runs — tied with Carlos Narváez and Pedro Pagés, who caught 6000 more pitches than he did!
Unfortunately, Escarra was unable to build upon his 2025 campaign. His framing declined to league-average (he was worth exactly 0 framing runs this year), and has shadow strike percentage dropped from 49.6 percent to 47.9. While these numbers aren’t exactly bad, this defensive regression also coincided with an absolutely terrible year at the plate, Escarra posting a .188/.239/.271 slash line in 92 plate appearances. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that the Yankees sent him down to Scranton towards the end of June in favor of the right-handed Ali Sanchez, and never recalled him.
At this point, it’s clear that the Yankees will not be counting on Escarra as a significant contributor to the Major League roster next season. Austin Wells remains slotted in as the starting catcher, and all indications are that the team is looking to pair him with a right-handed backup. And although the Yankees might just keep Escarra around as minor league depth — he is solid defensively and posted a .301/.375/.488 slash line with Scranton last season, and good catching depth is hard to find — those very same reasons might make him valuable on the trade market. After all, Adley Rutschman netted the Orioles three of Boston’s top-five prospects, plus another starting-caliber catcher in Carlos Narváez. Escarra’s definitely not worth the same as a former No. 1 pick, but much like Kyle Higashioka in the Trent Grisham/Juan Soto trade, he could be a valuable secondary piece.
Ryan McMahon
Ok, it might be a tad unfair to call Ryan McMahon a trade chip, as it seems unlikely the Yankees would be able to get anything of value for a weak-hitting third baseman whose defensive performance took a nose dive this season and who will be owed $16 million next season. But, on the YES Hot Stove this week, Jack Curry reported that the Yankees see third base as an area of need, and while it’s entirely possible that the Yankees opt to simply release McMahon — they have shown a willingness to eat dead money on deals in recent years, especially during the last year of the contract — I can’t help but wonder if, like the Sonny Gray and Marcus Stroman situations, the team will try to work the trade market and find a new home for him.
It might seem unbelievable that the Yankees could get anything for a player who Baseball-Reference valued as perfectly replacement level and FanGraphs saw as worth just 0.5 fWAR in 2026, but if the front office is willing to pay down the salary — or even eat the whole thing — they may be able to get a lottery ticket minor league arm from a team desperate for basic competence at third base. It’s not super likely, but not as ridiculous as you might think — nine third basemen with at least 350 plate appearances accumulated less fWAR than McMahon last season.
Jasson Domínguez
Once the darling of the Yankees farm system, Jasson Domínguez has had repeated setbacks as a big leaguer. After an amazing debut at the end of 2023, he tore his UCL and missed the first half of 2024. Defensive struggles in the outfield then kept him from leapfrogging the struggling Alex Verdugo down the stretch, and the Martian played a bench role all throughout the run to the World Series. The Opening Day starter in left field in 2025, he was outplayed by Trent Grisham, and spent the majority of the season as a fourth outfielder primarily playing against righties. He began the 2026 season in Triple-A, was recalled at the start of May, immediately hit the shelf with a concussion after crashing into the wall in left field, and was leapfrogged by Spencer Jones in the depth chart. Given significant playing time in right field due to Aaron Judge’s injury, he posted just a .225/.267/.368 slash and watched his platoon splits flip. He slashed just a meager .194/.241/.333 against righties, while posting a .275/.310/.425 line against southpaws. Looking for more consistency, the team swung a deal for Heliot Ramos at the deadline, and sent the Martian back to Scranton for good.
If the Yankees were to trade Domínguez now, they would be selling low on him, and since the Martian still has an option remaining (assuming the number of options doesn’t change during the CBA, that is), the smart play may be to hold onto him in the hope that he bounces back enough to either become a contributor in the Bronx or a more valuable trade piece. If the right deal were to come across, though, don’t expect to see Domínguez be the reason it falls apart.
Honorable Mention: Dax Kilby
For the most part, I have kept the focus on players who are on the 40-man roster. On a practical level, it’s a limit that keeps this piece at a reasonable length, as there are literally dozens of prospects who could be floated in trades this winter. I will, though, make one exception: top prospect Dax Kilby, who has been drawing a lot of attention this fall with his dominant performance in the Arizona Fall League.
Drafted in the first round of the 2025 draft, Kilby had just 55 professional games headed into the AFL season, split between Rookie ball and Single-A. Despite the lack of playing time, though, he has not looked overmatched — far from it, in fact. Powered by a retooled swing, the 19-year-old shortstop has posted a .295/.357/.623 slash across 15 games, with 12 extra-base hits. While I don’t exactly expect the Yankees to trade him at this point, the San Diego Padres did express interest in him at the trade deadline when the Bombers inquired into Mason Miller’s availability, it doesn’t quite seem like he’s at the “untouchable” status that Anthony Volpe, Domínguez, Spencer Jones, and George Lombard Jr. had at times. If the team is willing to move Kilby, his value may never be higher than it is now.
UNITED STATES - MARCH 16: A man with a television on his head passes out flyers advertising the launch of SportsNet New York (SNY), the home of the New York Mets, at Sixth Ave. and W. 51st St. The new cable channel will feature a show called "Daily News Live" featuring the News' best sportswriters and editors tackling the issues of the day. (Photo by Corey Sipkin/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images) | NY Daily News via Getty Images
MLB.com broke this year’s crop of free agents into different tiers, with Tarik Skubal unsurprisingly standing alone at the of the class.MLB agents are usually competing against one another for the best deals for their clients, but they are now united in fighting against a salary cap.
Diamondbacks star outfielder Corbin Carroll underwent elbow surgery and expects to be ready for spring training.
The Yankees are losing one of their coaches, with catching coordinator Tanner Swanson heading to Seattle to serve as the Mariners’ bench coach.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 01: Dominic Smith #8 of the Atlanta Braves hits a single against the Philadelphia Phillies during the second inning in game three of the National League Wild Card Series at Truist Park on October 01, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Braves News:
Our 2026 player review series continues with Dominic Smith.
MLB News:
With the lockout looming, what do you think will happen to the Qualifying Offer?
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 05: Managers Carlos Mendoza #64 of the New York Mets and Rob Thomson #59 of the Philadelphia Phillies greet each other at home plate prior to Game 1 of the Division Series presented by Booking.com between the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday, October 5, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
We’re going to find out this coming week who the award winners are for the different awards in each league. Had I had a vote, I’d go:
NL MVP: Pete Crow-Armstrong AL MVP: Junior Caminero NL Cy Young: Jacob Misiorowski AL Cy Young: Cam Schlittler NL Rookie of the Year: Sal Stewart AL Rookie of the Year: Kevin McGonigle
Mostly stock picks, but they were remarkably easy this year to choose from. Maybe some of the different down ballot votes will be more interesting.
BRONX, NY - AUGUST 23: Cody Bellinger #35 of the New York Yankees fields the ball during a game between the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 23, 2026 in the Bronx, New York. (Photo by Andrew Mordzynski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The offseason moves along, and there’s still a sense that we’re in the calm before the storm. Nothing much has happened yet, but dominos could start to fall at any moment. There wasn’t much hot stove buzz yesterday, but we did learn that Cody Bellinger somewhat unexpectedly won the Platinum Glove, determined by fan voting and given to the top fielder in each league. Bellinger has turned into one of the finest all-around players in the league, and it’s cool to see him recognized for his mastery of the finer parts of the game.
This morning, as we brace for what could be a hectic few weeks before the league locks out the players, John looks at who could be the Yankees’ primary trade chips. Also, Matt appreciates former Yankees broadcaster Jim Kaat on his 88th birthday, Michael provides our weekly Arizona Fall League update, and Peter issues a mea culpa regarding one Cam Schlittler.
Questions/Prompts:
1.Were you surprised to see Cody Bellinger take home the Platinum Glove in the American League? (Pete Crow-Armstrong earned the hardware in the National League).
2. If you could plop one MLB free agent, other than Tarik Skubal, onto the Yankees, who would it be?
The Yankees outfielder, already announced as a Gold Glove winner earlier this week, was awarded the American League’s Platinum Glove award as the junior circuit’s top defensive player on Friday night.
The 2026 All-Star spent 130 games in the outfield, 123 of which were in left field.
He ranked in the 87th percentile in fielding run value and recorded six outs above average, which ranked in the 91st percentile, according to Baseball Savant.
Cody Bellinger catches a fly out hit by Bryan Reynolds during the Yankees’ win over the Pirates on July 22, 2026. Robert Sabo for NY Post
Bellinger was third in all of baseball with 21 defensive runs saved.
In more traditional defensive metrics, Bellinger had a .989 fielding percentage with eight assists as an outfielder in 2026. He also spent some time (six games) at first base, speaking to his defensive versatility.
It was a year to remember for Bellinger’s trophy case, as he had already won the All-Star Game MVP thanks to a two-run single of the AL’s win in Philadelphia in July.
SABR: The Yankees’ Cody Bellinger was already awarded his second career Gold Glove for his excellent work in left field in 2026, but now he’s taken home an even higher honor. Since 2011, Rawlings has also given out one Platinum Glove per league each year to honor the best of the best. Until last night, 2022 catcher Jose Trevino was the only Yankees player to take home the award. Now, they have two, as Bellinger was named the AL’s best defender, joining the truly outstanding Pete Crow-Armstrong, the NL winner and likely MVP. Congrats to Cody!
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Elite pitching, lackluster bats; such was the story of the 2026 Yankees. If the 2027 squad is to progress further into the postseason, offensive upgrades are a must. Here, Hoch examines a number of positions where the Bombers should seek more thump. To my eyes, the position that is most in need is also the spot with the most intriguing option – third base, where Ryan McMahon stunk it up this past year, and where NPB slugger Teruaki Sato is seeking to make a splash in free agency. It’s been a hot minute since the Yankees acquired NPB talent, so I’m not sure how seriously the Yankees will participate in the Sato sweepstakes (especially if they’re unsure about his glovework at the hot corner), but a blogger can hope.
FanGraphs | Eric Longenhagen: If you want more info on Teruaki Sato, Eric Longenhagen has you covered. The FanGraphs lead prospect analyst covered Sato as part of his overview on notable players from the NPB and KBO, had this to say about the 2026 Central League Triple Crown winner – “Though Sato isn’t a five-tool superstar – he’s going to strike out a lot and play below-average defense – he should hit for enough power to be a productive, heart-of-the-order power hitter with 25-30 home runs.”
Another potential upgrade for the Yankees, albeit at second base, is Shugo Maki of the Yokohama BayStars, who expressed his desire to play stateside last offseason, though he hasn’t been officially posted yet. Says Longenhagen: “Maki projects as an everyday second baseman in the Brandon Lowe mold, and you could make a pretty good argument that his hit-tool stability (Maki has a single-digit miss rate against fastballs compared to Sato’s whopping 32 percent) makes him a superior “prospect” when compared to Sato.”
NJ.com | Bob Klapisch: With yet another postseason run cut short, Yankees fans are understandably frustrated with Brian Cashman. However, former Athletics GM Billy Beane of “Moneyball” fame considers Cashman to be “one of the best that’s ever done this job. Period.” While your mileage may vary on Cashman’s maneuvering in recent years, one must acknowledge that his overall body of work remains very impressive. If you’re up in arms about Hal Steinbrenner handing Cashman another extension, maybe Beane’s words can offer you some reassurance. Or not.
Lastly, in case you missed Madison’s column, the Yankees are down a key member of the 2026 coaching staff. Tanner Swanson has gained a reputation since being hired away from the Twins in 2020 as one of the best catching instructors in baseball. As noted above Trevino became a Platinum Glove winner under his watch, and most impressively, he’s helped transform Austin Wells from a guy who might not stick behind the plate into a legitimately great defensive catcher who was a Gold Glove finalist himself in 2026. But his contract was up, and he’ll be heading to the Pacific Northwest because new Mariners skipper Jason Kanzler offered the Seattle native a job as his bench coach. Best of luck to him — and to the Yankees on finding his replacement.
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 11: Pete Crow-Armstrong #52 of the Chicago Cubs and Cody Bellinger #24 have a word in the dugout after Crow-Armstrongs steal attempt in the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on September 11, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Awards season continued on Friday, as MLB announced the winners of the Platinum Glove Award in the NL and AL, the Team Gold Glove, and the Heart & Hustle Award.
The AL Platinum Glove honor went to Yankees’ outfielder Cody Bellinger, while the NL Platinum Glove honor went to Cubs’ outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. Before I say anything else, I’ll just editorialize with this: the fans having a vote in this award is very dumb.
Crow-Armstrong was certainly one of the top two of three defenders in the NL, so I don’t think him winning the award is egregious. But Bellinger was nowhere near as deserving as some of the other names in the AL.
Bellinger finished fifth in defensive runs saved (20), tied for 16th in dWAR (1.7), 42nd in fielding run value (8), and 49th in range value (5). A few of the more deserving names includes the Red Sox’s Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela, as well as the Rays’ Taylor Walls, not to mention the Tigers’ Dillon Dingler, the Mariners’ Cole Young, or the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr., who didn’t even win the Gold Glove at his position (he had to go head-to-head with Walls, who was arguably the best defensive player in all of baseball, leading the majors with 3.0 dWAR).
Crow-Armstrong finished near the top of many defensive categories, ranking ninth in defensive runs saved (16), seventh in dWAR (2.1), first in fielding run value (26), and first in range value (23).
The Team Gold Glove Awards went to the AL’s Toronto Blue Jays and the NL’s Chicago Cubs. Toronto, interestingly, had zero individual Gold Glove winners. However, they had finalists at five positions, including José Soriano (pitcher), Brandon Valenzuela (catcher), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (first base), Andrés Giménez (shortstop), and Nathan Lukes (right field). They finished at the top or near the top of several AL defensive ratings, including defensive runs saved (No. 6 overall, No. 3 in AL), defensive WAR (No. 2 overall, No. 1 in AL), and fielding run value (No. 2 overall, No. 1 in AL).
The Cubs were represented in the individual vote by third baseman Alex Bregman and Crow-Armstrong. They also had finalists in Dansby Swanson (shortstop), Ian Happ (left field), and Seiya Suzuki (right field). Chicago finished with the best defesne in baseball by many marks, including defensive runs saved, defensive WAR, outs above average, fielding percentage, and fielding run value. This marks the second consecutive Team Gold Glove honor for the Cubs.
The Heart & Hustle Award went to Royals’ shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., the third straight year Witt took home the award. The award, created by the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association in 2005, is voted on by alumni and active major league players and is presented annually to an “active player who demonstrates a passion for the game of baseball and best embodies the values, spirit, and traditions of the game.”
Witt becomes the first player to win the award three times, as he was previously tied with Craig Biggio as the only players to receive the award twice.
Every team puts forward a nominee, and the Brewers were represented by Sal Frelick, his second consecutive season as Milwaukee’s nominee.
Jackson Appel’s patience at the plate held up, but injuries limited him to just 21 games in 2026. | (Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
Jackson Appel Catcher 5´11´´ 200 pounds Age: 25 2025 South Side Sox Top 100 Ranking60 2026 South Side Sox Top 100 Ranking 77 2026 High Level Winston-Salem (High-A) Age relative to high level +2.0 years SSS rank among all catchers in the system 9 Overall 2025 MiLB stats (ACL/High-A) 21 games ⚾️ 2 HR ⚾️ 7 RBI ⚾️ .197/.363/.311 ⚾️ 1-of-1 (100%) SB ⚾️ 13 BB ⚾️ 13 K ⚾️ 4-of-22 (18.2%) CS ⚾️ .995 FLD% ⚾️ 0.3 WAR
The Sox drafted Jackson Appel in Round 6 (No. 169) in 2024. The catcher played four years at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated from the prestigious Wharton School of Business. He then took an extra year of COVID-19 eligibility and served as the starting backstop for the 2024 College World Series runner-up, the Texas A&M Aggies. You may recognize the name of one of his teammates — Braden Montgomery — also a 2024 first-rounder.
Chicago seems bound and determined to stock up on as many young catchers as they can after decades of homegrown drought at the position. Appel is impressive both at and behind the dish, and he has earned numerous accolades throughout his collegiate career, including All-Ivy League and All-SEC First Team nods. In 2024 with the Aggies, the switch-hitter demonstrated both pop and contact, slashing .331/.422/.534 with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs. The 23-year-old also recorded a 26-game on-base streak and led the team with 26 multi-hit performances.
And hey, the defense isn’t shabby, either. With a .997 fielding percentage, Appel was one of the best defensive catchers in Division I in 2024.
Appel also got to show off his stuff for a dozen games with the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers after the draft, and he didn’t disappoint. He hit .268/.400/.390, including one dinger and six RBIs. On the receiving end, he was equally impressive, earning a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage over 111 putouts.
The 2025 season was more of the same for Appel, in that he remained an extreme bat discipline player (which dovetailed with a movement by the White Sox to collect more patience at the plate/contact hitters, though that movement was fleeting) with little power. His defense remains very sound, his arm holding its own in a very challenging caught-stealing environment. Appel added a dimension not seen in his career beyond a final year of college ball: wheels; the catcher proved sly on the basepaths, swiping 11 of 13 bags.
The White Sox were modestly aggressive with Appel in 2025, possibly due to age, moving him right up to High-A Winston-Salem. He remained with the Dash all season, and his solid overall game and SEC pedigree seemed to put Double-A Birmingham within reach after he slashed .248/.387/.318 with a .705 OPS.
Instead, his second full professional season barely got off the ground.
Appel landed on the injured list on April 14, 2026, with an undisclosed injury and did not begin a rehab assignment until July 22. He appeared in just 21 games, including 19 with Winston-Salem. In 58 at-bats for the Dash, he hit .190/.329/.259 with a .588 OPS, one double, one home run and five RBIs. The familiar patience remained, with 12 walks against 12 strikeouts, but there wasn’t much opportunity to turn it into production.
Heading into 2027, the 25-year-old needs a healthy stretch behind the plate to get his development moving again. His plate discipline and previously solid defensive work still give him something to build on, but the lost time leaves him with more to prove — especially with the age clock ticking — before earning that trip to Birmingham.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 07: Mason Miller #22 of the San Diego Padres delivers the pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the seventh inning in game four of the National League Division Series at Petco Park on October 07, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to our series grading every member of the San Diego Padres’ 40-man roster. The roster being evaluated is current as of Oct. 18, prior to the end of the World Series. Because of that, it will include players who will be free agents once the postseason concludes. Each player will be graded on their performance in the 2026 season, including the playoffs. That performance will be weighted based on how much time the player spent with the team (availability is the best ability).
Mason Miller
It took quite a haul to bring Miller to San Diego. The Friars traded for the elite closer at the 2025 Deadline, shipping off No. 3 overall prospect Leo De Vries in a blockbuster deal. It’s turned out well for the Padres thus far. Miller was dominant down the stretch in 2025, acting as a setup man behind former closer Robert Suarez. In 23 1/3 innings with the Friars, Miller allowed just two runs (0.77 ERA).
Overall Grade: A
Even though it didn’t seem possible, he looked even better in 2026. Miller posted a 1.67 ERA over 70 innings of work. In that time, he struck out a ridiculous 129 batters with a 0.90 WHIP and .152 opponent batting average. Miller set a Padres’ franchise record for consecutive scoreless innings with 34 2/3 frames. It’s the eighth-longest scoreless streak by a reliever in MLB history.
Miller had just one problem, knocking his grade from an A+ to an A. He often couldn’t throw his fastball for a strike. It didn’t happen terribly often, but when it rained it poured. Miller’s tantalizing stuff was good enough to get him out of jams, but he walked 26 batters in the season. May was a particularly odd month for the elite closer, with Miller notching a 1.24 WHIP (more than 0.30 points over his season mark).
Even still, Miller was one of the best relief pitchers in baseball. The right-hander was named a finalist for the NL Reliever of the Year Award alongside Jhoan Duran and Trevor Megill. Miller is the obvious frontrunner for the award, though Duran and Megill are both phenomenal in their own right. With Jason Adam and Adrian Morejon potentially departing, Miller will be one of the Padres’ most important arms in the coming season.
The last time an MLB lockout reared its ugly head, it at least resulted in the most exciting November free agency period in recent memory, with six of the winter’s top 10 free agents -- Corey Seager, Max Scherzer, Marcus Semien, Robbie Ray, Javier Báez and Kevin Gausman -- all signing big contracts in a span of just three days at the end of the month.
Whether we’ll see a similar run this year isn’t yet obvious, but MLB seemed to clear the way for it by pushing back to 2028 its plan for a salary cap in its latest proposal to the Players Association. The big spenders can do their usual thing this winter without having to worry about a true ceiling next year. Let’s take gander at a few of the free agents who might come off the board early this time around.
All ages as of Apr. 1, 2027.
Sonny Gray (37, SP, Red Sox)
2026 stats: 18-5, 2.72 ERA, 149/46 K/BB in 169 innings
Gray briefly considered retirement after a disappointing end to his very impressive season in Boston, so unlike most of the better starters available this winter, he’s not going to be haggling over just how long he wants his next contract to be. He’ll have his pick of two-year offers if that’s what he wants, or he might prefer just to go year to year at this point. Gray’s strikeout rate did fall considerably last season (30 percent in 2024, 27 percent in 2025, 22 percent in 2026) and his velocity has also declined slightly three years running, but those aren’t quite as big of concerns while talking about a short-term deal.
Best fits: Braves, White Sox, Cubs, Red Sox, Tigers
Catchers have a history of coming off the board early, and this year there are only three legitimate starters available in Kelly, Ryan Jeffers and Tyler Stephenson. Jeffers will almost certainly get the biggest contract of the trio, but Kelly, as the best defender of the group, will probably be in the most demand initially. He’d be a stellar alternative for a team with a left-handed-hitting starting catcher like the Yankees or White Sox, but he’s also plenty good enough to be a 90-game starter for teams with more questionable catching situations.
Best fits: Yankees, Angels, Cubs, White Sox, Pirates
After Josh Naylor did his deal to stay in Seattle, Iglesias was the second significant free agent off the board last year, quickly taking a one-year, $16 million deal to stay with the Braves instead of holding out for two-year offers. He also made $16 million annually the previous three years as part of a four-year contract he originally signed with the Angels, so he seems to know his worth. Iglesias’s velocity last season was down about one mph from 2024 and two mph from his peak, and he’s definitely a slightly weaker bet now than he was a year ago. Still, he’s been extremely reliable, and it will only make him more popular that the two relievers this winter that were clearly ahead of him (David Bednar and Adrian Morejon) both received qualifying offers and will require draft pick compensation.
Three of the eight free agents saddled with qualifying offers this winter will have to give it significant thought. Two are the aforementioned Bednar and Morejon, and the third is Bauers, who busted out at age 30 and would seem to be in strong position to land his first multiyear contract. Alas, because the qualifying offer works against him, he might be better off taking $23.15 million from the Brewers and seeing if he can run it back. That’s not such a bad thing, given that it’s nearly three times as much as he’s earned to date as a major leaguer. Plus, winning the World Series seems fun. Still, if he’d prefer security, he might be able to command a three-year deal at an annual salary closer to $15 million-$18 million. Ideally, he needs to figure that out soon before the Nov. 17 deadline to accept the qualifying offer.
Best fits: Brewers, Padres, Blue Jays, Rangers, Twins
Normally, one wouldn’t project the winter’s No. 1 free agent to be an early signing. Skubal, though, would seem to have ample incentive to get a deal done before a new Collective Bargaining Agreement rewrites the rules some. Even if Skubal’s contract wouldn’t be immediately affected by a salary cap or any rules put in place to establish a maximum salary and length of deal for top free agents, the league’s current big spenders might feel this is their last chance to make a splash before restrictions beyond a luxury tax are put in place. Skubal is in line for the biggest contract ever for a pitcher. There are only so many teams that are candidates to give it to him, and it’ll probably be easier for them to make it happen in November than whenever the lockout ends.
Happ doesn’t necessarily need to sign quickly; he could choose to hold off until Randy Arozarena and Seiya Suzuki come to terms and hope for a nice bid from a team that missed out. However, it doesn’t really seem likely that the big spenders will come calling for Happ at this stage of his career. His strikeout rate took a big jump to 30 percent last season, and although he’s a switch-hitter, he typically found himself out of the lineup against lefties at the end of the year. Happ will still fit nicely on a more modest contender as a durable, plus defender in left who can hit in the top half of the order against righties.
Best fits: Orioles, Astros, Rangers, Cubs, Padres
Tyler Mahle (32, SP, Braves)
2026 stats: 7-10, 3.99 ERA, 137/46 K/BB in 149 innings
Mahle definitely seems like someone who should strike while the iron is hot and hopefully before teams start to question the 1.99 ERA he had in nine starts after the Giants sent him to Atlanta at the deadline and the 1.35 ERA he amassed in stellar outings against the Phillies and the Dodgers in the postseason. Mahle also excelled for the Rangers when healthy in 2025, finishing with a 2.18 ERA in 16 starts, but given his injury history and modest strikeout rate, teams were skeptical enough that he had to settle for a one-year, $10 million deal in San Francisco. Mahle’s strikeout rate did improve from 19 percent in 2025 to 22 percent last season, but given that his 27 starts were his second most in a 10-year career and he’s qualified for the ERA title just once, a particularly long-term deal remains unlikely.
ST. LOUIS, MO - SEPTEMBER 12: Albert Pujols speaks to the media prior to the game between the Chicago White Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Saturday, September 12, 2026 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Ali Overstreet/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Now that the Houston Astros have found the GM in Randy Flores, now they need to settle on a new manager.
While team owner Jim Crane has said that interviews began before the GM was even hired, Flores has now gotten immersed in the search. Several names familiar to Astros fans have been associated with the position, including former Astros catcher Brad Ausmus, former Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols, former Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, and former Astros 3B Morgan Ensberg.
Astros beat writer Brian McTaggart was on MLB Network today with the latest on the Astros search, including a timeline on the hire, which he described as they want to “move fast” and on Crane’s desire to make a “big splash” hire:
"They're moving fast. I think they want to hire somebody within the next few days…"@brianmctaggart shares insight into the Astros’ managerial search, noting they might want to go into the GM Meetings (starting on Monday) with a skipper. pic.twitter.com/d5xEXKVJZj
New York Mets starting pitcher Robert Stock pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Citi Field in Queens, N.Y., Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026.
The Mets are retaining an arm and his brain.
Robert Stock, a veteran who served as rotation and bullpen depth last season and is among the most data-literate baseball players around, will return on a one-year major league contract, the Mets announced Friday.
Last season, Stock required surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in March, pitched in eight minor league games while building up in June and July and then earned a major league look as the Mets sold at the August deadline.
New York Mets starting pitcher Robert Stock pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Citi Field in Queens, N.Y., Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. JASON SZENES FOR THE NEW YORK POST
Stock’s stint was a roller coaster but apparently showed the Mets enough: He pitched in relief once and started seven times, with four excellent outings in which he allowed one or zero runs.
In the other three, he was hammered for 18 earned runs in 11 innings, which were to blame for his season-ending 5.93 ERA.
His season ended early, hitting the injured list in mid-September with finger numbness that he did not believe was serious.
“I have proven that my name should be in consideration for being a major league pitcher,” Stock said at the time. “There are a million things I want to do better.”
A true journeyman who originally was drafted in 2009 and is turning 37 later this month, Stock has pitched for the Long Island Ducks, in the KBO, Mexico and plenty of spots in between and has been public about using the growing technology in the game to get better.
Feb 14, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees major league field coordinator and director of catching Tanner Swanson (76) leads catchers spring training workouts at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
The calendar says November 6 but it’s Christmas around here at Lookout Landing HQ.
Swanson, who was born in Cle Elum and attended high school at Cle Elum-Roslyn (and still makes his home in Roslyn), played his college baseball in the Northwest, moving from local community colleges (Green River and Everett) before transferring to Central Washington. After graduation, he coached high school baseball in Sultan and at his various alma maters (almae mater?) as well as at the University of Washington, where he zeroed in on his true love of coaching catchers, founding his own catching development business, D1 Catching. He parlayed that into his first job in pro baseball, joining the Twins as a minor league catching coordinator in 2017. Swanson’s first big-league job came in 2019, when the Yankees hired him as their quality control coordinator and big-league catching coordinator, where he remained until the Mariners came calling with the bench coach opportunity.
This hire is very exciting for lots of reasons. Under Swanson’s leadership of the Yankees catching corps, they’ve improved from middling to one of the consistently best teams in catcher framing runs. Swanson oversaw Jose Trevino during his first Gold Glove-winning season in 2022, when he led the league in the metric. Swanson has also been credited for his work with Yankees catcher Austin Wells, who many scouts expected to move off the catching position post-college. Wells has ranked in the top five for catcher framing runs for each of the past three seasons.
More globally, Swanson was an early adopter of the one-knee-down catching philosophy, at the time regarded as controversial but now standard practice. Swanson advanced the technique way back in 2017 during his first year with the Twins, while working with minor-league catcher Ben Rodriguez, whose bigger frame caused him issues when he was trying to block balls. He’s a respected voice in the industry who has spoken at conferences, appeared on podcasts, and generally acted as a thought-leader in his field for the past two decades.
Swanson’s father was Jim Swanson, a left-handed catcher with the minor-league Portland Mavericks – made famous in the documentary The Battered Bastards of Baseball – and is worth reading up on if you don’t know his story (left-handed catchers, I will forever dream of you). For those of you fans of a certain age, he also ran Swannie’s sports bar in Pioneer Square in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
Catching development is Swanson’s calling card – and makes him a good fit for a team where one of the clubhouse leaders is the catcher – but ironically, he never played catcher in his career, instead playing as an infielder during his college career. But Swanson’s interests are beyond catching; he’s a student of all aspects of the game, often retweeting ideas he finds interesting about hitting or coaching in general (he’s a solid Twitter follow – @TannerSwanson. I’ve been following him for years and learned a ton). He is also passionate about sports in general – especially women’s sports, as the dad of four girls – and still deeply connected to developmental sports in the Northwest.
As far as experience, Swanson has direct experience being a bench coach – he served as Great Britain’s bench coach in the WBC this past year. (He also served as manager for one game in 2026 when both Aaron Boone and Brad Ausmus were ejected in a game against the Rays.)
