Category: Baseball

Carlos Beltrán was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his fourth year on the ballot after securing 84.2% of the votes from the BBWAA.

Beltrán was once considered a lock to enter Cooperstown in his first year of eligibility, but following his prominent involvement in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal in 2017, he saw his standing with voters take a sizeable hit. The nine-time All-Star earned 46.5% of the vote in 2023 and 57.1% in 2024, but surged to 70.3% in 2025, falling just short of the required 75% but positioning him well for this year’s vote. It’s unclear whether Beltrán will wear a Mets hat, a Royals hat, or will go into Cooperstown with a blank cap on his plaque.

Signed by the Mets to a seven-year, $119 million in January 2005, Beltrán’s arrival signaled the start of a new era of Mets baseball alongside a core that included David Wright and Jose Reyes. Like many marquee players who signed with the Mets, he struggled in his first year in Queens, hitting .266/.330/.414 with 16 homers, 83 runs scored, 78 runs batted in, a 96 wRC+, and a 2.3 fWAR in 151 games. Despite earning an All-Star nod in 2005, that subpar season subjected Beltrán to boo birds early in his Mets’ tenure.

Beltrán quickly adjusted to New York, slashing .275/.388/.594 with 41 home runs (tied for most in a single season in franchise history at the time), 127 runs scored, 116 runs batted in, a 148 wRC+, and a 7.8 fWAR in 140 games in 2006. He was once again an All-Star and earned a Gold Glove award, a Silver Slugger award, and finish fourth in MVP voting. Unfortunately, he struck out looking to end the 2006 NLCS, and that image of him standing with the bat on his shoulders negatively overshadowed his positive contributions for the club and very unfairly affected his legacy in New York.

Beltrán never enjoyed a season quite as good as 2006, but his 2007 and 2008 seasons were still elite. He was an All-Star in both campaigns, won another Silver Slugger award in 2007, and earned the Gold Glove in both seasons, though the team suffered collapses that muted the joy of his accomplishments. Injuries held him to just 81 games in 2009 and 64 games in 2010, and he was eventually traded to the Giants during the 2011 season, netting the club right-handed pitcher Zack Wheeler. The centerfielder finished his career with the Mets hitting .280/.369/.500 with 149 home runs, 551 runs scored, 559 runs batted in, a 127 wRC+, and a 29.3 fWAR in 838 games. He ranks 17th in franchise history in hits (878), 12th in stolen bases (100), tenth in runs scored, seventh in home runs, RBI, and SLG, sixth in OBP, and fifth in OPS (.869). He is one of four Mets to ever win multiple Gold Glove awards, joining Keith Hernandez, David Wright, and Rey Ordóñez, and one of seven with multiple Silver Slugger awards, joining Wright, Gary Carter, Darryl Strawberry, Mike Piazza, Howard Johnson, and Francisco Lindor.

His Mets story also included an ill-fated managerial tenure; New York hired Beltrán to serve as the 22nd skipper in franchise history in November 2019, but they mutually parted way in January 2020 following revelations about his involvement in Houston’s sign-stealing scandal. That gave Beltrán the dubious honor of being the shortest-tenured Mets manager in franchise history. He returned to the organization in February 2023 as special assistant to General Manager Billy Eppler, and has stayed on in that role with David Stearns now at the helm.

Beltrán will be inducted into the Mets’ Hall of Fame later this season at Citi Field, alongside Lee Mazzilli and Bobby Valentine. Mets officials have reportedly discussed retiring his number 15 following this announcement, according to Mike Puma, although the timing may be difficult with the 40th anniversary celebration of the 1986 team and the Mets Hall of Fame induction already planned for this season.

The Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony will place on Sunday, July 26, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. in Cooperstown, NY. Beltrán will enter Cooperstown alongside another former Met, Jeff Kent, as well as Andruw Jones.

Twenty seven players were on the 2026 Hall of Fame ballot, and eight of those players were once Dodgers during their careers. One of them, center fielder Andruw Jones, was one of two players inducted to Cooperstown on Tuesday.

Jones received 78.4 percent of the vote in his penultimate time on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot, surpassing the 75 percent required for induction.

Coupled with Jeff Kent elected to the Hall of Fame by the Contemporary Baseball Era in December, 2026 will be the first year with two Dodgers inducted to Cooperstown since pitcher Greg Maddux and manager Joe Torre in 2014. The last time two Dodgers players were inducted in the same class was 2003, with first baseman Eddie Murray and catcher Gary Carter. The previous two-Dodger class before that was 1984, with pitcher Don Drysdale and shortstop Pee Wee Reese.

Second baseman Chase Utley continued his steady climb toward potential induction, earning 59.1 percent of the vote in his third year on the ballot, up from 28.8 percent and 39.8 percent on his first two ballots.

Manny Ramírez received 34.3 percent in his 10th and final year on the writers ballot, his two drug suspensions outweighing his prodigious hitting. Cole Hamels, who was technically a Dodger in 2021 though he did not pitch for the team, got 23.8 percent of the vote in his first year on the ballot.

Bobby Abreu and Jimmy Rollins, who were one-season Dodgers later in their careers, each gained in 2026. Abreu got 30.8 percent of the vote in his seventh year on the ballot, up from 19.5 percent last year. Rollins got 25.4 percent on his fifth ballot, up from 18 percent.

Matt Kemp had the largest Dodgers contribution on this year’s Hall of Fame ballot, playing 10 of his 15 seasons in Los Angeles, with three All-Star births, two Gold Glove Awards and two Silver Slugger Awards with the team. He got two votes.

Howie Kendrick, who played in 2015-16 for the Dodgers, was like Kemp on the ballot for the first time this year. Both Kemp and Kendrick fell well short of the five percent required to remain on the ballot.

Player	Year	Votes	Pct	2024 pct	PA w/LA
Andruw Jones	9th	333	78.4%	66.2%	238
Chase Utley	3rd	251	59.1%	39.8%	1,246
Manny Ramírez	10th	165	38.8%	34.3%	892
Bobby Abreu	7th	131	30.8%	19.5%	230
Jimmy Rollins	5th	108	25.4%	18.0%	563
Cole Hamels	1st	101	23.8%	n/a	n/a
Matt Kemp	1st	2	0.5%	n/a	5,002
Howie Kendrick	1st	0	0.0%	n/a	1,038

Mets third baseman David Wright was on a Hall of Fame trajectory before spinal stenosis derailed his career during his age-32 season in 2015.

MLB Hall of Fame voters are seemingly starting to understand Wright's greatness.

After getting 6.2 percent of the vote in 2024 during his first year on the ballot (5.0 percent is necessary to remain on the ballot), Wright got a small increase to 8.1 percent in 2025.

This year, Wright got another decent bump up.

Wright was at 19.6 percent of the vote on Tuesday afternoon (via Ryan Thibodaux's ballot tracker),and wound up on 14.8 percent of the ballots (63 votes) when the results were revealed.

From his rookie season in 2004 through 2013, Wright slashed .301/.382/.506 with 222 home runs, 345 doubles, 876 RBI, 853 runs scored, and 183 stolen bases. 

During that span, he was a seven-time All-Star, won two Gold Gloves, and finished top 10 in MVP voting four times.

After being diagnosed with spinal stenosis in 2015 -- a chronic ailment that stemmed from a back injury Wright suffered on a slide in 2011 -- Wright played just 77 games until his retirement after the 2018 season.

But for all intents and purposes, Wright's career ended in 2016. The two games he played in 2018 were so he could go out on his own terms in front of the Citi Field fans.

Wright's jump on the ballot is similar to the one being enjoyed by Dustin Pedroia, who received just 11.9 percent in 2025 before getting 20.7 percent of the vote this year.

Like Wright, Pedroia's career was shortened due to injury -- he suffered a bad knee injury in 2017 during his age-33 season and played just nine more games before retiring.

Pedroia amassed 51.8 WAR during his career, while Wright's WAR was 49.1.

A legitimate Hall of Fame case can be made for Wright, especially when compared to some of the players who have gained election in recent decades -- including Harold Baines (38.8 WAR, 121 OPS+) and Jim Rice (47.7 WAR, 128 OPS+). Wright's career OPS+ was 133.

Wright has seven more years to gain election, unless he falls below five percent of the voting percentage on any given year.

The Baseball Hall of Fame announced two players were elected to the Hall by the Baseball Writers Association of America Tuesday evening.

Carlos Beltrán played 20 MLB seasons with the Royals, Mets, Yankees, Cardinals, Rangers, Giants and Astros, with his most success coming with the Royals and Mets. He hit 435 home runs, had 312 stolen bases and 2,725 hits, and posted 70.0 bWAR. It should be noted that Beltrán was considered to be a prominent part of the Astros sign-stealing scandal in 2017, his final MLB season. I am hoping the Hall will note that on his plaque. Despite the scandal, Beltrán received 84.2 percent of the BBWAA vote.

Andruw Jones played 17 big-league seasons, 12 of those with the Braves, where he became known as one of the best defensive center fielders ever, winning 10 Gold Glove Awards. He hit 434 home runs, scored 1,204 runs and had 152 stolen bases, and accumulated 62.7 bWAR. He played in two World Series (1996 — hit .400 there at age 19 — and 1999). Jones received 78.4 percent of the BBWAA vote.

Chase Utley, who was thought to be a possible inductee this year, had 59.1 percent of the vote.

These two players will join Jeff Kent, who was elected by the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee in December, and be inducted in Cooperstown this summer. The induction ceremony will take place Sunday, July 26 and will be televised live on MLB Network at 12:30 p.m. CT.

Carlos Beltrán will be recognized this summer for one Hall of a career.

The former Mets outfielder is headed to Cooperstown after it was announced Tuesday night he was voted into the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Also elected was Andruw Jones who, like Beltrán, spent part of his career with the Yankees.

Beltrán, in his fourth year on the ballot, received 84.2 percent of the vote. A candidate needs to reach the 75 percent threshold for induction. Jones, in his ninth year on the ballot, received 78.4 percent of the vote.

“From being on the ballot the previous years you know how the process works,” Beltrán said. “This year I felt that hopefully it was going to happen. Thank God it did happen.”

Beltrán told The Post last year that he planned to wear a Mets cap on his plaque if he was elected to the Hall of Fame. He would join Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza as the only players representing the Mets in Cooperstown.

On Tuesday he stopped short of officially committing to representing the Mets.

“There’s no doubt that my best years in baseball are with two teams, the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets,” Beltrán said. “That’s a decision I will have to sit down with my family … I really enjoyed my time in New York. Now, I work as an advisor for the Mets, so there’s a lot of weight wearing the New York cap.”  

Additionally, Mets officials have discussed retiring Beltrán’s No. 15 this season, according to a source, but logistically it might not fit given that the club already has a Mets Hall of Fame ceremony and 40th anniversary celebration of the 1986 World Series-winning team planned. And the idea of planning a number retirement ceremony for 2027 isn’t ideal given the possibility games will be canceled by a lockout.

Beltrán’s ascent to the Hall of Fame may have been slowed after he was implicated in the Astros sign-stealing scheme. As part of the fallout, Beltrán resigned as Mets manager after only 77 days on the job before even managing his first game. He later returned to the organization as a special assistant.

“On behalf of the entire organization we are thrilled to congratulate Carlos on receiving the highest honor in baseball,” Mets owners Steve and Alex Cohen said in a statement. “One of the most dynamic players ever to wear a Mets uniform, Carlos combined rare power and speed with elite defense, setting a standard of excellence that endures today. Beyond his achievements on the field, his leadership, insight and presence continue to shape our organization. It is a proud moment for Carlos, his family and Mets fans everywhere.”

Over a 20-year major league career, Beltrán hit 435 homers and was selected to nine All-Star teams. He won three Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers. Beltrán played for the Mets from 2005-11 after beginning his career with the Royals and Astros. Beltrán’s resume includes a 1.021 OPS in 65 postseason games with 16 homers and 42 RBIs.

Jones won 10 Gold Gloves as the premier defensive center fielder of his era and hit 434 homers over a 17-year major league career. Jones was selected to five All-Star teams. He spent most of his career with the Braves and appeared in two World Series. Ken Griffey Jr. and Willie Mays are the only other center fielders to have won as many Gold Gloves.

“It’s hard to compare yourself to those guys, they are such great baseball players,” Jones said. “I wanted to be myself. I wanted to go out there and be the best at my position and help my team win. I want to thank all the organizations that gave me a chance to continue to play the game that I love.”

Chase Utley finished third in this year’s balloting with 59.1 percent of the vote. Andy Pettitte (48.5 percent), Félix Hernández (46.1 percent) and Alex Rodriguez (40 percent) were next three behind Utley. All have remaining years on the ballot.

Jeff Kent, who played five seasons for the Mets, will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame along with Beltrán and Jones. The former second baseman Kent was elected to Cooperstown last month by the Contemporary Era Baseball Committee.

On performance alone, Carlos Beltran was an obvious Hall of Famer, one of the best all-around center fielders in baseball history. 

That he had to wait four years after becoming eligible to get enough votes for election was not an oversight but a clear consequence of his role in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal in 2017. 

In truth, that’s not an outrageous price to pay for such a blatant form of cheating, one that likely played a significant role in winning a championship and, when later revealed, sparked bitter public anger from opposing players, managers, and executives that, in some cases, still lingers. 

Of which Yankees GM Brian Cashman, for one, has left no doubt. 

Still, as someone who withheld a vote for Beltran in his first year on the ballot, as an acknowledgment of the seriousness of the sign-stealing scandal, I was glad to see that the former Met was voted into the Hall of Fame this time around, as announced by the Baseball Writers Association of America on Tuesday night. 

I’ve been a Beltran voter for the last three years, and maybe it took longer for other baseball writers to get past the stain of the scandal, but it was time. He has paid a significant price for his role in the scheme, losing his job as manager of the Mets in January of 2020 before he ever actually managed a game, and that could turn out to be his only such opportunity. 

Time will tell there, but certainly these are better days for Beltran. He has mended fences with the Mets’ organization after something of an acrimonious end to his playing days in Queens, as he was hired last year as a special assistant to David Stearns in the Mets’ front office. 

And perhaps time has healed old wounds as well with the fan base, which never seemed to fully embrace Beltran for the spectacular talent he was, in part because of his infamous take of the strike-three curve ball from Adam Wainwright to end the 2006 NLCS with the bases loaded. 

Beltran himself recently indicated as much, telling MLB.com he felt a “disconnection” with the fans during his seven years playing with the Mets, perhaps in part because of his quiet nature, but now feels embraced by the organization, to the point where he’ll likely have a Mets’ cap on his plaque in Cooperstown. 

For while he broke in with the Kansas City Royals in 1998, playing his first six seasons there, and played with a total of seven teams during his 20-year career, Beltran did have some of his best years with the Mets and now seems to feel good about his role in the organization as well.

“I see myself as a Met,” he told MLB.com.

If Beltran does go into the Hall as a Met, he’ll be only the third player to do so, joining Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza. 

As such, he’ll be recognized for a brilliant career whose outstanding center field defense, combined with his impactful offense, left no doubt about his HOF qualifications. 

Most notably, Beltran is one of five players in baseball history with at least 500 doubles, 400 home runs, and 300 stolen bases. The others are Willie Mays, Andre Dawson, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez. 

In addition, Beltran is one of baseball’s best postseason hitters, putting up a 1.021 OPS over 65 games that included 16 home runs, eight of them in that unforgettable 2004 October with the Houston Astros that led to him signing a $119 million free-agent contract with the Mets. 

Also worth noting, Beltran has the best stolen-base percentage of any player in history in the live ball era (since 1920) with at least 200 steals. He stole 312 bases while being caught 48 times, an 86.4 percent success rate that is slightly higher than Trea Turner, Mike Trout, and Tim Raines at the top of the list. 

“That stolen base percentage speaks to how smart Carlos was as a player,” former Mets manager Terry Collins once told me. “He just had a feel for the game that you couldn’t teach. His instincts were almost never wrong. He could read situations. He could read pitchers. He could see things pitchers were doing to tip a pitch that other guys couldn’t see. It was all part of what made him such a special player.”

Beltran will always be one of Collins’ favorite players, in part because he went out of his way to help the new manager establish himself with the Mets in 2010, even volunteering to move from center field to right field at one point for the good of the ballclub.

“He was willing to do whatever would help us win,” Collins told me. “When a guy of his stature is willing to do that, it makes it a lot easier for the manager to get other guys to buy in. I’ll always appreciate how much he helped me.”

As such, Collins took offense when Beltran was singled out as the ringleader of sorts in the sign-stealing scandal with the Astros, as the only player named in MLB’s investigative report.

"Carlos was an easy scapegoat because he was retiring that year,” Collins said recently. “I’ll just be thrilled when he’s finally in the Hall of Fame because he’s very deserving, both professionally and personally.”

Beltran is in now, and certainly Collins’ sentiment is shared by plenty of Mets fans. It likely was always a minority that couldn’t let go of the Wainwright strikeout, albeit a vocal minority, and as the years have passed, there has been a growing sense that most fans are happy to recognize that Beltran is an all-time great Met. 

He was already scheduled to be inducted into the Mets’ Hall of Fame in 2026. Now he’ll have his day in Cooperstown this year as well. For Beltran, times indeed have officially changed. 

The results of the BBWAA’s voting process for the 2026 Hall of Fame Class has been revealed and it’s now official: Cooperstown beckons for Andruw Jones. The center fielder from Curaçao is now the latest member of those glorious ‘90s Atlanta Braves teams to earn a spot in the hallowed circle of Baseball’s Hall of Fame. Here’s a link to the full results. Jones earned 333 votes, which placed him on 78.4 percent of all ballots and that was enough to get him induction into the Hall of Fame.

Welcome to Cooperstown, @andruwjones25!https://t.co/yM4vo4J2jipic.twitter.com/G5T1nBR9s4

— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) January 20, 2026

Jones made his MLB debut at the age of 19 and proceeded to eventually build a reputation for being one of the most dynamic center fielders of his era of baseball. Jones finished his career with a slash line of .254/.337/.486 with a wOBA of .352 and a wRC+ of 111. However, his defense was his main calling card, as he made stunning catches that defied what was believed could be possible out of a center fielder and made tough catches look routine as well.

While Andruw Jones certainly had to wait and steadily gain ground for his eventual induction into Cooperstown, he was able to eventually pull off the trick during this round of voting. It won’t come down to the absolute wire for Andruw Jones, as he’ll end up making it with a year of eligibility left remaining after this one. While some objectively shameful off-the-field issues and the fact that he didn’t exactly age gracefully may have been held against him when it came to his Hall of Fame case, it was his performance and overall reputation as a center fielder during his prime (which he spent entirely with the Braves) that was enough to win out and eventually gain him induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Andruw Jones will be joined by Carlos Beltrán in this year’s Hall of Fame class, as they’re the only two who earned induction from this year’s ballot. Jones will also join Manager Bobby Cox, third baseman Chipper Jones, first baseman Fred McGriff, and pitchers Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and John Smoltz as Baseball Hall of Fame members who were present on that ‘96 Braves team that came two wins away from winning it all in back-to-back fashion. A special player now joins a special crew.

Dodgers utility man Ryan Fitzgerald cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday, per MLB transaction logs. This keeps Fitzgerald around as a potential depth option on the position-player side, though he is currently not on the 40-man roster.

Fitzgerald was claimed by the Dodgers off waivers from the Twins on January 9, augmenting the team’s position-player depth, which at the time was thin. But in the days since then the Dodgers signed both Andy Ibáñez and Kyle Tucker, the latter to a whopping $240 million, four-year contract that hasn’t yet been finalized.

When the deal for Ibáñez was made official on January 13, the 40-man roster casualty was Fitzgerald, who was designated for assignment.

Fitzgerald made his major league debut last season at age 31 for the Twins, and hit .196/.302/.457 with four home runs in 53 plate appearances in 24 games. He started five games at shortstop and four each at second base and third base with Minnesota, and in his minor league career has started games at all four infield and all three outfield positions. Fitzgerald in 2025 with Triple-A Omaha hit .244/.336/.418 with 14 home runs, 17 doubles, three triples and a 119 wRC+ in 108 games.

Carlos Beltran, one of the best players in Mets history, is now a Hall-of-Famer.

After getting 57.1 percent of the vote in 2024 and 70.3 percent in 2025, Beltran made a leap this year to 84.2 percent of the vote to gain election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Beltran should have been a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, but he seemingly paid for his role in the Astros sign-stealing scandal during his first few years on the ballot.

There's an easy argument to make that Beltran should be wearing a Mets cap on his Hall of Fame plaque, which is Beltran's desire.

If Beltran's plaque does indeed have a Mets cap on it, he will become just the third player with that distinction -- joining Tom Seaver and Mike Piazza.

Three of Beltran's best six seasons (2006, 2007, 2008) came for the Mets, while his other three came for the Royals (2001, 2003) and during a season he split between the Royals and Astros (2004).

Beltran had more home runs, doubles, RBI, and runs scored with the Mets than any other team, and also had his highest OPS during the years he spent with them (excluding the 44 games he played for the Giants).

In addition, Beltran made five of his nine career All-Star appearances while in Queens.

Beltran is set to enter the Mets' team Hall of Fame during the 2026 season, and it's possible to envision his No. 15 eventually hanging in the rafters.

The former center fielder and current member of the front office, Beltran signed in Queens ahead of the 2005 season, helping to usher in a new era for the team shortly after Pedro Martinez arrived.

In 839 games with the Mets from 2005 to 2011, Beltran slashed .280/.369/.500 with 149 home runs, 208 doubles, 559 RBI, 551 runs scored, and 100 stolen bases.

Beyond his offensive prowess, Beltran was one of the best defensive center fielders in the game during his peak, and won all three of his Gold Gloves while with the Mets (2006, 2007, 2008).

During his 20-year career, Beltran hit .279/.350/.486 with 435 home runs, 565 doubles, 78 triples, 312 stolen bases, 1,587 RBI, and 1,582 runs scored.

In addition to his Mets stint (2005 to 2011), Beltran played for the Royals (1998 to 2004), Astros (2004, 2017), Giants (2011), Cardinals (2012 to 2013), Yankees (2014 to 2016), and Rangers (2016).

Come 2027, Buster Posey will be set to complete a five-year arc practically unprecedented in baseball history: From All-Star catcher to franchise president to Hall of Famer. 

Posey, who guided the San Francisco Giants to three World Series titles in the 2010s, highlights the first-year eligible players on the Baseball Hall of Fame's 2027 ballot. 

Posey had a furious finishing kick to his career, batting .304 with 18 homers, earning an All-Star nod and winning a Silver Slugger as the Giants won a franchise-record 107 games. He startled the baseball world by announcing his retirement in November 2021. Posey soon joined the Giants front office in an advisory role and was, almost equally startlingly, named its president of baseball operations in September 2024. 

He's likely the only newcomer who'll rank as an odds-on favorite, with pitcher Jon Lester, infielder Ryan Zimmerman and outfielder Brett Gardner the other notables making their ballot debut.

The top holdovers on the 2027 ballot include Chase Utley (59.1%), Andy Pettitte (48.5%) and Félix Hernández (46.1%).

2027 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot

Here's a look at the top players set to make their debut on the 2027 Hall of Fame ballot, ranked by career WAR:

• Buster Posey: 45 WAR
• Brett Gardner: 44.3
• Jon Lester: 43.4
• Ryan Zimmerman: 40.1
• Kyle Seager: 37
• Asdrúbal Cabrera: 30
• Ervin Santana: 27
• Todd Frazier: 25.8
• Josh Reddick: 25
• Jake Arrieta: 22.8
• Scott Kazmir: 22.1

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2027 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot: Buster Posey leads MLB first-timers

The Rangers Grand Letter-Writer, Chris (Foodini) Drury, has made it clear that his super scorer Breadman Panarin will be out there as a pending free agent to be dealt.

Obviously, the thinking is that by making such a fulsome deal, the Rangers will obtain a juicy return, suitable for chasing rainbows and pennies from Heaven.

But wait: shouldn't Drury put his Hope Diamond in storage? What happens if Bready gets toasted with the kind of injury that has Adam Fox somewhere in mothballs?

As Sean McCaffrey points out in Blue Collar Blue Shirt, playing Panarin nowadays, hockey-wise, worse than walking a mile on hot coals.

"It feels like the Rangers are begging for their greatest asset to be victimized by some sort of season-ending injury," says McCaffrey. "If that happens, it would nullify any chances Drury would have to trade him."

Excellent point. Hence the question, should the Rangers give Bready a pre-trade sabbatical? Yes or no, please!

We have already had several incredibly close voting results in this year’s Community Prospect Rankings, but the race for spot #7 was by far the most ridiculous.

The longer I left the poll open, the more confusing it got. At various points Tuesday, each of Chase Petty, Tyson Lewis, and Steele Hall were the top vote-getters, though it was never more than a two-vote advantage separating the three of them at any point. I let it go long in hopes that someone would run away with the lead, but the opposite ended up happening – at 3:00 PM MT, each had exactly 44 votes cast for them in a three-way tie.

I’d saved my vote, though, and cast it at the last…for Steele Hall, who takes home the #7 spot in this year’s CPR by the slimmest of margins.

Hall, the 1st round pick of the Cincinnati Reds in the 2025 MLB Draft (9th overall), reclassified last year in what was originally slated to be just his junior year at Hewitt-Trussville High School in Alabama, and as a result just turned 18 years of age on July 24th. The Alabama Mr. Baseball projects as a true shortstop defensively with perhaps the best speed in the draft class, though, and the Reds selected him 9th in 2025 because they’d originally scouted him as a guy who – if he stayed in the 2026 Draft as originally planned – had a chance to develop enough to be the #1 overall pick.

He’s already added muscle, as ones do at this time (and with the pressure and direction of being a nine-figure signee of a professional sports team), and the sky is hopefully the limit for him. It’s a testament to the depth in the system right now that he’s only checking in at #7 on the CPR, though it’s going to be quite some time before we see him at the big league level.

Congrats to Steele!

The Texas Rangers have signed relief pitcher Jakob Junis to a one year deal, the team announced today. To make room for Junis on the 40 man roster, the Rangers have designated pitcher Dom Hamel for assignment. In addition, the team has announced that relief pitcher Josh Sborz has been signed to a minor league deal with an invitation to the major league spring training camp.

The news that the Rangers had agreed to terms with Junis on a one year, $4 million deal broke late Sunday. As we discussed in our post yesterday, he’s a soft-tossing righthander with a quality slider, a changeup that was really good last year, and a fastball and sinker that were not so good. Junis started his career as a starter with the Royals, but worked exclusively out of the pen in 2025 for the Guardians, putting up a 2.97 ERA, 3.45 FIP and 4.04 xERA.

I also mentioned in that post that Dom Hamel, Zak Kent and Michael Otanez seemed to be the most likely candidates to get designated for assignment to make room for Junis on the 40 man roster. Hamel, a righthanded pitcher who has put up a 6.27 ERA in AAA over the previous two seasons, and who has one major league appearance (in which he pitched one shutout inning), was claimed on waivers by the Rangers on September 27, 2025 — exactly one week after the Baltimore Orioles had claimed him on waivers from the New York Mets. Kent and Otanez live for another day, and we shall wait and see if Hamel clears waivers or not.

Meanwhile, Josh Sborz will be in camp, looking to show he is healthy again. Sborz was one of the heroes of the 2023 playoffs for Texas, throwing 12 innings and allowing one run over 10 appearances, including closing out the clinching Game 5 of the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was on and off the injured list in 2024, however, and spent all of 2025 on the i.l. after shoulder surgery. Sborz made 12 appearances in the minors on rehab assignments late in 2025, but his velocity wasn’t there, and he ended up getting shut down, with his final appearance coming for Round Rock on August 30.

If Sborz is healthy and his velocity returns, that would be a big boost for a Ranger team that is currently looking thin in the bullpen for 2026. Those are a couple of big “if”s, however, and shoulder issues can be very difficult to return from.

This is the day when the National Baseball Hall of Fame will be announcing the results of this year’s ballots. It’s another reminder of how St. Louis Cardinals legend Jim Edmonds should have been given more consideration than he received. I also think it could mean Nolan Arenado’s future enshrinement is anything but a sure thing.

It’s been 10 years now since Jim Edmonds had his one and only year on the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. It was 2016 when he received only 2.5% of the vote which resulted in his name not being carried over for future consideration. Why such a low support total? It certainly didn’t help that 2016 was the year that Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza were on the ballot. I also remember a lot of chatter about how Jim didn’t have enough career home runs or hits to merit entry into the Hall. That shortsightedness overlooks a career rich with other metrics which should have earned Edmonds more serious consideration. Here are some numbers to digest:

393 HR

903 OPS

132 OPS+

60.4 WAR,

8 Gold Gloves,

4-time All-Star

From 2000 through 2004, Jim Edmonds was one of the most impactful players in Major League Baseball. He was one of the game’s best center fielders in history and also had many iconic regular season and playoff moments including the 2004 walk-off winner against the Astros plus his game-saving catch in game 7.

I understand that the National Baseball Hall of Fame has to maintain standards so the ballot doesn’t become a glut of players, but allowing a player of Jim Edmonds caliber to appear on one ballot and disappear with no other consideration feels wrong. Yes, he still has a chance at the Hall thanks to the Eras Committee, but I believe Jim would have fared better on subsequent regular Hall ballots if allowed the chance.

Jim Edmonds exclusion to this point makes me wonder if Nolan Arenado will run into the same barriers when his playing time is done. Nolan has an elite resume of defensive awards and recognition as the best at his position for many years, but also lacks the big hit and home run totals. I realize there’s no perfect way to enshrine players in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but Jim Edmonds is one of the St. Louis Cardinals greats that has sadly fallen through the cracks and Nolan Arenado could face a similar unfair future after his career is complete.

Paul Toboni and the Washington Nationals made an interesting move on the waiver wire this afternoon. They claimed utility-man Mickey Gasper from the Twins and DFA’d Andry Lara to make room for him on the 40-man roster. While Gasper is 30 and has not had success at the MLB level yet, it is easy to see why he was claimed.

we've claimed UTIL Mickey Gasper off waivers pic.twitter.com/3dvdNWPoe4

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) January 20, 2026

The Newest Nat:

Mickey Gasper can play all over the field. In 45 games for the Twins last year, Gasper played catcher, DH, first base, second base and left field. Talk about a wild mix of positions. He was pretty abysmal at the plate last year, but if the bat comes around, he could be the perfect bench piece.

Gasper has proven he can hit at the AAA level. In each of the last two seasons, he has posted OPS numbers above .900 in the minors. He has been unable to translate that to the MLB, with a .133 average in 113 career AB’s. However, the Nats seem like they are willing to give him a shot.

That versatility alone makes him an interesting flier. Gasper also does some nice things at the plate, at least at the AAA level. He is a patient hitter who does not strike out much, something that actually carried over to the MLB. The quality of contact was not good in the MLB, but he has shown power at the AAA level.

Mickey Gasper, 30, is a waiver claim I'd make.

He has 2 Option Years and strong MiLB performance.

Gasper possesses two things cutting-edge orgs like: positional versatility (plays C, 1B, 2B, etc) and above-avg bat speed relative to swing length: pic.twitter.com/0pyUysW8sc

— Remi Bunikiewicz (@RBunikiewicz) January 17, 2026

At 30, there is a pretty good chance that Gasper is just a quad-A guy, but it is worth taking a flier. He has two option years remaining, so if he is not producing in the MLB, he can be quality depth in the minors. Gasper can also fill in at so many positions, which makes him an easy player to have on stand by.

Surprise DFA:

The Nats corresponding move was also interesting. They DFA’d former top prospect Andry Lara. The right handed pitcher was a prized international free agent pickup back in 2019. He received a $1.25 million bonus, a very high mark for a pitcher. Lara was a name to watch in the system for years, but never quite put it together. 

Nationals have claimed C/1B/2B Mickey Gasper off waivers from Twins. 30-year-old utilityman played 45 MLB games last season.

RHP Andry Lara was DFA’d to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

— Mark Zuckerman (@MarkZuckerman) January 20, 2026

He is still the 22nd ranked prospect for Pipeline, but dropped out of the BA top 30. It looked like he had turned a corner in 2024, posting a 3.34 ERA in High-A and Double-A as a 21 year old. However, he had a dismal year in 2025. Lara posted a 7.55 ERA in 56 minor league innings, allowing 74 hits. 

Due to the Nats lack of pitching depth, he was forced into action at the MLB level for 9 games. He was even worse, posting an 8.79 ERA in 14.1 innings, allowing 27 hits. Lara was just not ready for prime time.

Toboni clearly did not see him as worthy of a 40 man spot, despite only being 23 years old. Honestly, it makes sense to me. Lara does not have a ton of upside or a high floor. He has a nice slider, but that is his only real standout trait besides youth. Lara would come back to the Nats organization if he goes unclaimed, which is the likely path here.

The reality of baseball can come at you quickly, and we saw that with Lara. I am interested to see how much run Gasper gets and how he is deployed. He is probably just a quad-A guy, but the versatility intrigues me.