Category: Baseball

A.J. Minter had an up and down Mets career. On one hand, he was effective as a leverage reliever across two seasons, and he had a 2.12 ERA in Queens in that time. On the other hand, he was limited to just 36 appearances and 34 innings pitched. Thanks to a significant lat injury suffered in late April 2025, he required surgery and came back in May 2026, over a full year later.

After being activated from the injured list this past season, Minter was as advertised. He had a 2.35 ERA in his 23 appearances for the Mets, making him a solid if unspectacular leverage reliever. His strikeout numbers tanked pretty significantly, sitting at 21.7%, compared to his career rate of 28.6%. With his age (33) and injury history, he likely will not be much of a strikeout guy anymore, but he did a good job limiting hard contact (36.8% hard hit rate) and not allowing free passes (2.2 % walk rate as a Met), allowing him to still be an effective pitcher as he ages.

As one would imagine, being a 33-year-old reliever on a team that is not even close to the playoff picture gives you a one way ticket to Tradestown, USA. Minter was indeed handed that ticket, as he was dealt to the Minnesota Twins on July 31 for Bruno Agbayani and Billy Amick. He continued to be successful for the Twins, finishing the season with a 2.78 ERA, paired with a slightly raised strikeout rate (22.3%) and significantly raised walk rate (6.4%).

Minter likely did enough to secure himself a one-year contract somewhere, where he will look to stay healthy and miss some more bats as he is a year further out from his lat injury. As for the Mets, they got a good performance out of Minter before trading him. While both parties would have wanted an outcome where the Mets were good and Minter was a seventh inning guy, the best laid plans of mice and men go oft awry.

Good morning, A’s fans. Happy Friday!

Yesterday, the MLB general manager meetings in Las Vegas wrapped up following four days of discussions between executives from all 30 teams. For many general managers, reporters and other league personnel, it marked their first opportunity to see the Athletics’ ballpark under construction, which will begin hosting major league games in 2028.

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America unveiled the 2026 award winners this week. Last night, the league MVPs received the spotlight. Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez and Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong were unanimously named Most Valuable Players in their respective leagues.

The GM meetings also officially kicked off hot stove season. The Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers announced their first signings of the winter. Both clubs bolstered their bullpens, with the Braves signing right-hander Evan Phillips and the Tigers agreeing to terms with right-hander Emilio Pagán.

With a potential Dec.1 lockout looming as the collective bargaining agreement expires, these transactions could be the first of many over the next few weeks. Most free agents will likely look to sign new contracts before the league potentially changes its entire economic structure during this winter’s labor negotiations.

If the owners and Commissioner Rob Manfred get their way, they will implement a salary cap and floor system beginning in 2028. Among the four most popular professional sports leagues in the United States, MLB is the only one that does not have such a system in place.

Team owners believe a salary cap will help bolster competitive balance by reducing the resource advantages possessed by big-market teams. For instance, the small-market A’s would benefit as a proposed $180.2 million salary floor, which would force owner John Fisher to significantly increase the team’s payroll through heightened free-agent activity and/or more lucrative contracts. Ideally, that would result in a greater amount of competitive seasons rather than dreary 100-loss campaigns.

However, players understandably oppose a salary cap out of fear that the system will limit the earning potential of elite talent. A’s designated hitter Brent Rooker echoed those sentiments during a podcast appearance this past spring.

With time running out to salvage an agreement, is there any hope of avoiding a lockout? And, are you on the owners’ or players’ side regarding the salary cap and floor debate?

A’s Coverage:

• A’s First 2 Off-Season Additions Bode Well
• New GM Castro, POBO Smith give glimpse into vision for A’s
• New A’s front office already hitting the ground running at GM Meetings
• The A’s, with a big move to Las Vegas looming, look to be aggressive
• Athletics Hire Cam Castro As General Manager
• Taylor Smith’s Improbable Quest: A Quality SP
• A’s trade RHP prospect to Red Sox for outfielder Eaton
• Three A’s Officially Elect Free Agency
• 28 A’s Minor Leaguers Choose Free Agency
• A’s prospect who was ‘born to hit’ bringing big smiles, intangibles to Fall League
• After standout year, No. 7 prospect Taylor could factor into A’s ‘27 plans
• Q&A: Smith discusses his new role as youngest head of baseball ops in MLB
• Why A’s Bringing Back Sonny Gray Could Make Sense
• Optics vs. Infrastructure: Taylor Smith’s First Dilemma
• Athletics Hire Taylor Smith As Next President of Baseball Operations
• A’s Max Muncy Undergoes Knee Debridement
• The five biggest questions facing the A’s this offseason
• Inside the A’s State-of-the-Art Las Vegas Ballpark
• Landlord of future A’s Vegas stadium may need to cover additional construction costs
• How technology will shape fan experiences at the A’s Las Vegas ballpark
• Pitching prospect Huggins growing his game with the help of this A’s Hall of Famer
• ’Be a sponge’: No. 19 prospect leads A’s Fall League group with do-it-all mentality
• Get the best of Athletics Nation on the new SB Nation app
• How to play in-5 Trivia on the SB Nation app

MLB News & Interest:

• First-time MVP winners (both unanimous!) usher in new era of superstars
• GM Meetings lay groundwork for ‘crazy couple of weeks’
• Relief stalwart Phillips inks 3-year deal with Braves
• Here are the ’26 All-MLB First and Second Teams
• Here’s every ranked prospect that needs to be protected ahead of Tuesday’s 40-man deadline
• Baseball is booming. Scott Boras says that’s exactly why MLB doesn’t need a salary cap
• Astros hire Brad Ausmus as next manager
• Miz adds NL Cy Young Award to World Series title
• Schlittler caps 1st full season with Yankees’ 7th AL Cy Young Award
• Scouting Japan’s next wave of MLB talent: What to know about Teruaki Sato, Kaima Taira, Hiromi Itoh
• Source: Tigers agree to 1-year deal with reliever Emilio Pagan
• Nationals, OF Jacob Young agree on 4-year deal with ’31 option
• Brewers’ Murphy 3-peats as top NL manager; White Sox’s Venable wins AL honors
• Giants’ Randy Rodríguez shut down after brief AFL stint
• Chris Martin Retires
• Hot Stove rumors: Jazz, Goodman, Sato, Suzuki, Abrams
• Mets Eyeing Left-Handed Relievers
• Braves GM emphatically shuts down Ronald Acuna trade speculation: ‘We need him’
• Cubs’ Ben Brown undergoes successful spine surgery, GM says
• Yankees Interested In Alec Bohm
• 4 known teams, 2 mystery clubs to meet with Skubal
• Dodgers Reportedly Prefer Short-Term Deal In Skubal Bidding
• Blue Jays eye Skubal, but how realistic is a deal?
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X

Las Vegas A’s ballpark continues to take shape.

How should the Athletics reallocate the money saved by declining Jeff McNeil’s and Jeffrey Springs’ club options?

Insightful video. What do you think of these free-agency predictions? Would you be happy if the A’s sign Nick Martinez?

Luke Little is a hard-throwing left-handed reliever who has major issues throwing strikes. He fits right in with the A’s 2026 pitching staff. It will be interesting to see if the club’s new front office can fix this reclamation project. #WildThing

As we wait for moves to be made and news to report this offseason, and with the Colorado Gives season in full swing, I figured we could look back at some of the positive impacts the Colorado Rockies had in the community in 2026. 

The Colorado Rockies Baseball Club Foundation is busy throughout the year, organizing events and participating in partnerships during the season that raise money for non-profits. Here’s a rundown of some of the good news off the field from 2026.

UCHealth and Athletics & Beyond

Each season, the red banner is draped over the left field tunnel at Coors Field. With its bright color and white mitt in the center, it acts as a target for Rockies looking to make a difference on the field and off. 

This season marked the eighth season the Rockies have teamed up with UCHealth for the Hit the Mitt fundraiser. Each year, a new partner teams up to be the recipient of a $5,000 donation per homer that lands on the banner. This season, it was Athletics & Beyond. A Denver-based non-profit that’s been operating since 2005, Athletics & Beyond works to create opportunities for youth, families, and communities through mentorship, education, sports, workforce development, and wellness programs. Using a trauma-informed approach, Athletics & Beyond has served more than 50,000 young people across Denver and Aurora.

This year, two homers hit the mitt, raising $10,000 for the organization. One of them came off the bat of Hunter Goodman on May 29 in the form of a game-tying, three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth against the San Francisco Giants. 

Rookie slugger Cole Carrigg hit the second and final homer for a good cause on the Fourth of July. His three-run shot took place in the first inning, but also happened to come against the Giants. 

UCHealth and Athletics & Beyond also joined forces, along with the Rockies, several Denver Broncos and celebrities like Blake Street Bomber Vinny Castilla, to host the eighth annual Healthy Swings Home Run Derby on June 4 at Coors Field. Former offensive tackle and Super Bowl Champion Ryan Harris joined Rockies public address announcer Reed Saunders served to narrate the event. Derby participants included Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton, cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine, reigning HR Derby champion wide receiver Courtland Sutton and more.

The event raised a jaw-dropping $260,150, which will help fund all the programming that is now taking place in their 25,000-square-foot facility that opened on July 1 in Aurora. 

Clothes to Kids of Denver

Another annual tradition is the Rockies Charity Night, which was held on Aug. 19. Each year, Rockies fans can purchase packages loaded with team merchandise and autographed memorabilia with the proceeds going to the Colorado Rockies Foundation. The foundation supports underprivileged and at-risk youth through programs for youth baseball and softball, education, literacy, drug and alcohol-abuse awareness and prevention. 

This year, the featured charity was Clothes to Kids of Denver, which helps students ages 5-21 in the Denver community feel more empowered and confident when they go to school because they are wearing quality clothing. Goodman lent a hand in the partnership when he and some Rockies staff went to volunteer at CTKD on Sept. 9. 

In addition to Goodman’s off-the-field good deeds, the Rockies All-Star catcher also inadvertently helped Clothes to Kids of Denver on the field on Sept. 26. That’s when Goodman hit two homers, which helped the Rockies defeat the Chicago White Sox 9-6. The victory led to the Cleveland Guardians clinching the American League Central Division. 

In an amazing alignment of true fandom and generosity, Guardian fans wanted to thank Goodman by donating to a charity of his choice. He pointed to Clothes to Kids of Denver, where he had volunteered not even three weeks earlier, as a place for the donations to go. Front offices for both teams and fans posted and shared messages on social media to spread the word.

Within days, the Cleveland Guardian community had combined to give over $22,000 through more than 700 donations. This is one of the coolest stories ever. 

Camps and more

In addition, the Rockies Foundation hosted its second annual Youth Softball Camp at Metro State University Denver and over 100 young athletes attended. Rockies staff, coaches and alumni also hosted their second Nike Youth Baseball Camp at Coors Field, providing coaching to 172 baseball players ages 8-13. 

As always, the Colorado Rockies Foundation also teamed up with the MSU Alumni Association to do the 50/50 raffle throughout the season, which helps raise funds for the foundation. The raffle extended to the two days Coors Field played host to Banana Ball, but the proceeds then went to Bananas Foster, its non-profit arm that supports education and participation in foster care programs.

While there might have been small steps forward in building a winning franchise, it didn’t show on the field as the Rockies recorded their fourth 100-plus loss season in a row. However, off the field, the Rockies organization did a lot of good to help the community.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

The Sugar Land Space Cowboys had solid 2026 season including some good performances. Let’s take a look.

Sugar Land Space Cowboys 2026 Record: 74-75

Here are the team leaders (min 300 PA or 40 IP):

TEAM LEADERS
Hits – Cavan Biggio (99)
2B – Pascanel Ferreras (24)
3B – Cavan Biggio (6)
HR – CJ Alexander (21)
RBI – Cavan Biggio(64)
BA – Pascanel Ferreras (.305)
SB – Shay Whitcomb (23)
OPS – CJ Alexander (.850)
wRC+ – Pascanel Ferreras (121)

IP – Josh Hendrickson (113.2)
W – Josh Hendrickson (9)
SV – Roddery Munoz (12)
SO – Josh Hendrickson (106)
ERA – Roddery Munoz (3.06)

NOTABLES

Pascanel Ferreras, INF
Ferreras was the last pick of the 2023 draft, but he has made quite the climb as a prospect. After a slow start in Corpus Christi, he moved up to Triple-A where he really turned things on. In 71 games in Triple-A, Ferreras hit .305 with 24 doubles and 6 home runs. He would lead Sugar Land in batting average, doubles and wRC+. Ferreras did enough in 2026 that he could be a utility candidate in 2027.

Miguel Ullola, RHP
Ullola started the season as a starter but really struggled and the organization moved him to the bullpen. This move was a game changer for Ullola. Over his next 11 games he tossed 12 innings with 17 strikeouts allowing just 3 runs (all in one game). He eventually got some innings in Houston and performed well posting a 2.16 ERA with 16 strikeouts over 16.2 innings, allowing just 7 hits. He should be in the big league pen in 2027.

Cavan Biggio, INF
Biggio has been around the block for a while but ended up putting together a strong season for Sugar Land. The utility player batted just .230, but had a .387 OBP with 18 home runs over 123 games in Triple-A. He never received a call up, which was a little surprising given the issues in Houston, but he provided a pretty solid bat for Sugar Land in 2026.

Ethan Pecko, RHP
Pecko’s season got off to a slow start with injury but once he got healthy in Triple-A, he started to show why he was one of the Astros top pitching prospects. In June, the right-hander had a 2.48 ERA over 29 innings. He finished in Triple-A with a 4.94 ERA over 17 games and would eventually earn a call up to Houston. Pecko pitched in 8 games, 5 starts, for Houston and posted a 3.93 ERA over 34.1 innings.

Lucas Spence, OF
Spence, an undrafted free agent following the 2024 draft, came into the season with pretty high expectations. He got off to a slow start but turned things on in the middle of the season hitting .316 with a .928 OPS over 35 games between Double-A and Triple-A. He eventually earned a promotion to Houston where he had a late surge including a three home run game. Spence could be a factor on the major league roster next season.

Good morning everybody and happy Friday!

With the GM Meetings now concluded, let’s dig into the latest from around baseball.

In Mariners news…

• Ryan Divish at The Seattle Times recapped what we learned about the Mariners’ plans from the GM Meetings.
• Nick Vitalis did some back-of-the-napkin math on the Mariners’ likely 40-man roster as we enter the offseason.
• James Johnston wonders if Seiya Suzuki’s bat could be expected to translate at T-Mobile Park.
• Tanner Swanson spoke about his decision to come home to coach the Mariners.

Around the league…

• Astros slugger Yordan Álvarez became the first full-time designated hitter to be awarded the American League Most Valuable Player Award, doing so unanimously.
• Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong ended Shohei Ohtani’s reign, winning the National League MVP Award without contest.
• The Braves agreed to a three-year, $35M deal with right-hander Evan Phillips.
• KBO outfielder Ja-Wook Koo is mulling over a jump to Major League Baseball at the age of 34.
• New Astros GM Randy Flores says it was his decision to hire Brad Ausmus, which is not a great thing to have to say out loud.
• Though they are not bringing him back as manager in 2027, the Angels are keeping Kurt Suzuki within the organization as a special assistant.
• The Nationals are unlikely to trade star shortstop CJ Abrams this winter.
• Former Mariners hitting coach Tommy Joseph has been hired by the rival Rangers to serve as their assistant hitting coach.
• Congratulations to former Mariner Wily Mo Peña, who found a coaching gig at a high school down in Tampa.

Good morning, LSB.

Evan Grant welcomes World Series champ Thad Levine in the latest episode of his Rangers podcast.

The Athletic scouts the new wave of Japanese talent coming to MLB, of which the Rangers have already shown interest.

And MLB Pipeline lists each top-100-ranked prospect who needs to be protected from next week’s 40-man deadline.

That’s all for this morning. Happy Friday!

Welcome to the 2026-27 edition of Smash or Pass, in which we examine potential free agent and trade targets to determine whether the Red Sox should pursue them and what it would take to land them. Today, we continue the series with one of the heros of the 2026 postseason.

Who is he and where does he come from?

He’s Jake Bauers and he was born on October 6, 1995, which was the very day that the Mo Vaughn and John Valentin-led Red Sox were swept out of the playoffs by the juggernaut Cleveland Indians. Does that mean anything? Does Craig Breslow need to consult an astrologist before offering Bauers a contract? Would signing him open up some kind of wormhole underneath the plate at Fenway Park that would allow passage directly between the Charles and the River Styx? Because, if so, maybe we can just say “pass” right now.

Is he any good?

If you’re one of those Scottish footy fans who saw a baseball game for the first in your life back in June, then you may well think that Jake Bauers is one of the best baseball players on the planet. He was the best hitter on the best team in the world this year, combining power and patience in the heart of the Brewers lineup.

In October, he broke containment and became one of the stars of the postseason, winning the NLCS MVP and doing so not necessarily with his power bat (he only hit one homer in the four-game sweep), but on the strength of his plate discipline. With 2 outs and 2 on in the bottom of the 3rd of game 2, as the Brewers trailed the Dodgers 2-1, it was Bauers who worked a 12-pitch walk against Yoshinobu Yamamoto. It was the longest at-bat of Yamamoto’s career and it visibly tired out the Dodgers ace, leading to Christian Yelich’s subsequent go-ahead single and an early hook for Yamamoto. It was the turning point of the series, and if Bauers didn’t necessarily earn MVP honors on the back of that walk alone, he sealed it the next game when he worked an 11-pitch at-bat against Blake Snell, ending this one not with a walk but a go-ahead 2-run bomb.

But — as we heard many, many times during the playoffs — Bauers was an unlikely hero for the Brewers. Two years before, after posting a career bWAR of -1.9 over parts of 7 seasons, he had decided to give up baseball for good. Then his wife got pregnant and, unable to return to her job as a public school teacher, Bauers decided to return to life in the minors for one reason only: to get health insurance. (And, yes, this is one of those stories that corporate media tried to paint as inspiring, when all it really does is demonstrate one of the many ways in which American society is fucked.)

But something clicked late in 2025 for Bauers. After spending most of the season as a bench player and showing no signs of life (he was slashing just .188/.314/.338 at the beginning of September 2025) Bauers says he decided to completely stop thinking at the plate, while also slightly adjusting his stance and moving back in the box. He subsequently hit .360/.458/.560 in September, then exploded the following year.

Tl;dr, just give me the 2026 stats.

144 G, .266/.389/.484, 140 OPS+, 26 HR, 156 K, 94 BB

Why would he be a good fit for the Sox?

Bauers would have led the 2026 Red Sox in OBP and walks, while finishing just a touch behind Willson Contreras in home runs, slugging, and OPS+. Stick his bat in the lineup and suddenly the Sox are lengthening innings and hitting more long balls — the two things they couldn’t do against the Yankees in the playoffs.

Why wouldn’t he be a good fit for the Sox?

Well, let’s start with the fact that he almost retired two years ago, because the big question about Bauers is: is his transformation for real? Many people — including many of the analytically-inclined ilk — think it is. That’s because Bauers spent years as one of those players who put up big exit velocity numbers that didn’t translate into in-game power. If he could just make the right tweak to his swing, so the thinking went, he could turn into a real home run threat.

That type of thinking led to him getting chance after chance from a lot of really smart teams: the Rays, Guardians, Mariners, Yankees, and, of course the Brewers, who finally reaped the rewards of that patience. But let’s get real here: Bauers is 31-years-0ld and now has a career bWAR of just 2.0. Do you really buy that by simply “not thinking at the plate” he turned himself from a quad-A guy to an All-Star over night? And even if he did figure things out, well, he’s still 31-years-old. He is in the midst of his physical decline, and how much will the inevitable losses in bat speed and vision impact his game?

There’s also the issue of his fit on the Red Sox. Bauers is a first baseman and not a very good one, meaning he would likely be signed to be the full-time DH in Boston. He’s also a lefty, and while he does a pretty good job of spraying the ball to all fields and should be able to learn how to use the Monster, it’s quite possible that his power numbers would take a hit playing in Fenway.

What would it take to get him?

Because of his almost complete lack of a track record, it’s really hard to predict what Bauers will get on the open market. Ben Clemens of FanGraphs sees him getting nothing more than a 2-year deal for $19 million per year. Keith Law at The Athletic, on the other hand, thinks he’ll land a 4-year deal for closer to $25 million per year. Add in the volatility of the lockout and it’s anyone’s guess.

Smash or Pass?

The Red Sox already have a lot of high variance hitters in the projected 2027 lineup. Outside of Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu, I don’t feel all that confident in anyone in the lineup, really. Is Ceddanne Rafaela still getting better or did we just see his career year? Was Curtis Mead’s strong half of a season for real? Can Roman Anthony stay healthy? Is Adley Rutschman the all-star he was with the Orioles or the sub-.700 OPS guy he was with the Sox? What will Franklin Arias do?

The last thing I want the Sox to do is add yet another question mark to the lineup. And with Seiya Suzuki sitting out there with a better track record and more defensive value, I’d much rather give him the extra dough than take a chance on Bauers. Pass.

Other major league franchises regard the San Diego Padres’ pitching instructors as the gold standard because they have developed quality pitchers from prospects outside of the spotlight. It was only a matter of time before another organization poached one away. 

One of Ruben Niebla’s top lieutenants, bullpen coach Ben Fritz, was hired to become the Arizona Diamondbacks’ new pitching coach.

The unsung bullpen architect

Since arriving in San Diego a decade ago, Fritz had become one of the sport’s top bullpen coaches. He helped pitchers like Bradgley Rodriguez, Jeremiah Estrada, David Morgan, and others transition from off-the-radar prospects to solid contributors out of the ‘pen.

He fostered relationships by earning their trust, and Fritz heightened their skill level to help them reach their true potential on the mound. Following in Niebla’s footsteps, Fritz used data to diagnose and fix a pitcher’s struggles. 

The Padres’ bullpen outperformed the competition with a 3.53 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. The unit carried the fourth-heaviest workload in the majors, but the group struck out the most batters (715) this season. 

Mason Miller anchored the bullpen, posting a dominant 1.67 ERA with a staggering 16.5 K/9. But the setup reliever, Adrian Morejon, is Fritz’s top pupil. He saw a young pitching prospect with a quality arm and molded him into one of the top left-handed relief pitchers in the majors.

The Friars will have a new voice in the bullpen. Keeping that late-inning dominance will be a challenge next season.

What does Fritz’s departure mean to the Padres?

His departure does not mean the end of the world for the Friars. Realistically, a promotion was the only path to keep Fritz in the organization. But the offer to run your own pitching staff is too enticing to turn down. 

The impact of Fritz’ loss will be felt next season. Clearly, he wanted to expand his role as a pitching instructor and took a job with the Friars’ division rival. His departure is not a cause for concern. The front office should have already identified bullpen coach candidates for such a move.

A new hire is on the horizon; the Padres will likely select an in-house candidate. But if the next bullpen coach comes from outside the organization, the front office cannot wait too long. Desired candidates will come off the board. 

Given the success of the minor league pitching pipeline, Niebla has his hybrid philosophy down to a science. This is why an in-house promotion is the best choice. 

Change is inevitable in baseball. Well, that day has come for the Padres coaching staff. It will look different in 2027. 

Fritz has found a new home in the desert. While the time is right for him to run a pitching staff, his departure leaves the bullpen without a leading voice.

Padres News:

• Padres closer Mason Miller was recognized as the top reliever in baseball. Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball recaps what Miller’s accent to the top spot in 2026.

• Will Wagner was not someone many Padres fans thought about for much of the 2026 season, but he is on the 40-man roster and he received a grade for his contributions in 2026 from Lincoln Zdunich of Gaslamp Ball.

• Here are some Padres notes as provided by the San Diego Union-Tribune following the GM Meetings.

• According to a report from MLB Trade Rumors the New York Yankees have shown past interest in a piece of the San Diego bullpen.

Baseball News:

• Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs and Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros were both named unanimous MVPs in their respective leagues.

• There was not much activity at the GM Meetings with regard to signings or trades, but the expectation is they set the foundation for what could come over the rest of the month.

• Here are the latest rumors from the MLB hot stove.

• Reliever Evan Phillips signed a three-year deal with the Atlanta Braves.

The Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t made the playoffs since 2015 which is the second largest playoff drought right behind the Los Angeles Angels. This year Pittsburgh had a solid season finishing 82-80 but missed out on the postseason. 

The team isn’t far out from making the playoffs but there are still some things that need to happen if the Bucs want to snap that drought. Let’s take a look at the three things the Pirates should do to make the playoffs in 2027.

Re-sign Brandon Lowe

Lowe is coming off a fantastic season where he had a .260 batting average, 96 RBIs and 35 home runs. Lowe was easily one of the best second basemen this season and he helped transform the Pirates’ offense from one of the worst to a top 10 unit this past season. 

Lowe is a free agent  who received a qualifying offer and the Pirates need to break the bank and re-sign him. The front office is notorious for not wanting to spend money but he would be worth it. 

Add a left-handed starting pitcher and stabilize the rotation

Adding a left-handed arm will round out the rotation and reduce the load on the bullpen. Paul Skenes had a down year with a loss of velocity and injuries plagued starters like Mitch Keller, Bubba Chandler and Jared Jones. 

The pitching rotation is not terrible but if you get out and get a veteran lefty arm that will help the rotation and relieve pressure off of Skenes who will need to have a bounce back season in 2027.  

The Buccos need to go out and get a definitive closer. They didn’t have a reliable relief pitcher for the whole season and that affected them in late innings. I would love to see Pittsburgh go out in the offseason and get a reliable closer and another solid relief pitcher. With a revamped bullpen and another solid arm in the starting rotation the Pirates pitching unit could be back to elite status in 2027 which would be huge for a playoff run.   

Reinforce the bullpen and improve health/consistency

 I already talked about the bullpen but it is so important for the pirates to address the bullpen. Following the departure of key high-leverage arms and the need to back up backend pieces like Mason Montgomery and Luke Weaver, Pittsburgh must rebuild and deepen its relief corps.

There were some major injuries during the 2026 season so keeping the important players like Konnor Griffin, Esmerlyn Valdes, and Bryan Reynolds on the diamond is essential. Keeping star players off the injured list and converting close games against division and league opponents will be essential after missing the cut in 2026.

Hey, we’re talking about the Braves here. Of course they do.

Or do they?

There are a few different ways to look at this. One, of course, is that they can’t help themselves. But, to what end? Right now, the bullpen is projected to have a strong-but-not-elite three-headed monster (Evan Phillips, Robert Suarez, Dylan Lee), with one guy in the “pretty good” camp (Dylan Dodd) and one guy in the “I guess you can roster him” camp (Victor Mederos). That’s five of eight slots spoken for with an above-replacement guy.

Basically, there’s plenty of room to add. Not that it has to be a big reliever signing, but it could be.

Also, here are the Braves’ preseason bullpen projection ranks:

• 2026: 10th
• 2025: 6th
• 2024: 2nd
• 2023: 1st
• 2022: 4th
• 2021: 7th
• 2020: 8th
• 2019: 18th (this was the famous rebuild-the-bullpen-at-the-Trade Deadline year)

So, basically, ever since the 2019 bullpen tire fire, the Braves have aimed for a top-ranked bullpen. Right now, following the signing of Phillips, they’re somewhere in that range — currently ranking ninth. They could jump into the top five with a big signing; smaller signings won’t do it.

The veteran in the theoretical room is Raisel Iglesias. He’s been a Brave for four-and-a-half seasons now, and he’s been declining a bit relative to his early 30s, but he’s still been good. Based on his current projections, he probably doesn’t actually move the Braves into the top five, but a combination of him and a couple of smaller deals to fill those last two spots might. The Braves had no issue splurging on him last year, and then also adding Robert Suarez, with guys like Aaron Bummer and Joe Jimenez still on the books. Those latter two are no longer commitments, so… what do you think?

Happy Friday, everyone! It’s been quite the week for awards and we now know the winners of the biggest titles of the past season, with the accolades for Cy Young and MVP getting handed out this past week. Jacob Misiorowski and Cam Schlittler took home the Cy Young glory, no surprises there, while Pete Crow-Armstong and Yordan Alvarez were named the unanimous winners for MVP, dethroning the long-reigning champs, Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani.

We’ve got more details on those winners below, along with the new Astros manager, Brad Ausmus, who Tigers fans know fairly well. Plus we’ll speculate over whether or not the Emilio Pagan contract is a sign of things to come in free agency. So let’s just jump right into it so you can get in the know on all baseball’s happenings before heading into the weekend.

Detroit Tigers News

• Michael Baumann assesses the Tigers’ acquisition of Emilio Pagan for FanGraphs.
• Andy McCullough thinks the modest signing of Pagan could be a sign of things to come in free agency.
• Tony Paul reports that Scott Harris says the plan for top outfield prospect Zyhir Hope is to start at Triple-A next year.
• Former Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus has been hired as the new manager for the Houston Astros. Seemed like a good opportunity to share one of my favorite Ausmus moments, which is somehow ten years old.

• Times for all Tigers home games have been announced.

MLB News

• Meet your unanimous new MVP winners: Yordan Alvarez and Pete Crow-Armstrong.
• How Pete Crow-Armstrong became the best player in the NL.
• Jacob Misiorowski and Cam Schlittler took home this season’s Cy Young Awards.
• A look at the voting for MVP.
• Ranking every MVP winner.
• The Hall of Fame case for Dusty Baker.
• Mason Miller’s dominant season.
• The increase of force-outs in the outfield this season.
• Could Cam Schlittler’s Cy Young win mean an epic extension is on the way?
• Potential trade targets for Corey Seager.
• The GM meetings could be setting us up for a wild week ahead.
• Jacob Young and the Nationals are in agreement on a four-year extension.
• The Braves insist they will not be trading Ronald Acuna Jr.
• It’s Scott Boras says insane things season!

• The hot stove is heating!

• A mystery team has been revealed.

Earlier this week, Bob Nightengale of USA Today mentioned that the Phillies have made Trea Turner available in a trade. Of course, that doesn’t really mean much, as it would be almost impossible to move the underperforming Turner and the remaining seven years and roughly $200M he is still owed, and that is before factoring in his full no-trade clause. We have to acknowledge that reality before we even entertain the idea of any theoretical trade.

With that said, nothing is truly impossible. Bad contract swaps are uncommon in MLB, but they do happen. One such trade occurred just last offseason when the Mets sent Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Marcus Semien. Nimmo at the time was still owed over $100M over five years of an eight year, $162M extension that he signed with New York prior to the 2023 season while Semien was entering the fifth year of a seven year, $175M deal he inked with the Rangers before 2022. Both players were coming off of disappointing seasons and were on the wrong side of 30, with Nimmo being 32 at the time and Semien 34. The early returns after one season favor the Rangers, as Nimmo has fared better in Texas than Semien has in New York. It was a vastly different situation than the one the Phillies face with Turner, but it’s proof of concept that trades like this can happen.

With that in mind, earlier this week Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the Rangers may be interested in another similar type of trade, as they are looking to move Corey Seager. The two-time World Series MVP will turn 33 in April and is still owed $155M over the next five seasons. Seager underperformed last season but was still worth 3.1 WAR with a 112 OPS+. However, the major caveat with Seager is that he has missed a chunk of time with injuries in each of the last four seasons, as he’s averaged only 112 games played every year since 2023. Despite this, he’s still averaged 5.4 WAR over the same span, suggesting he is still a productive player in the time he is actually on the field. But he had a career low .736 OPS in 102 games last season, perhaps signifying the beginning of a decline in his bat.

In a world where the Phillies were to work out a Turner for Seager trade, the Rangers would be getting a player who is one year older, less productive, and who is signed for two years longer but has largely remained healthy over the last five years. The Phillies meanwhile would perhaps be getting a better bat and defender at shortstop for a shorter term but with the large risk that said bat along with Seager’s overall health may get much worse in the coming years. It’s not an ideal swap for either team, but it hardly ever is in trades of this type.

Again, it is highly unlikely that a trade for Turner manifests itself. The most likely scenario is that the Phillies are stuck with him and have no choice but to hope he finds a way to improve. But in a world where a trade was possible, would you be willing to do a bad contract for bad contract trade? What other hypothetical trades would you consider?

It’s very tempting to want to love Luis García Jr. His lefty swing reminds me so much of Robinson Canó, and indeed my own swing is modeled after the former Yankee All-Star. At the time the Yankees dealt for him, desperate to get some kind of thump in an Aaron Judge-less lineup, he led the National League in slugging. When he came to New York, he clubbed a long home run in his second game, a worthy introduction to the Bronx faithful. After that, he was fine in the regular season, dreadful in October, and now is the source of a bit of a logjam on the roster.

Grade: B-

2026 Stats (With Yankees): 43 G, 169 PA, 21 R, 42 H, 6 2B, 7 HR, 16 RBI, 1 SB, .264/.302/.434, 102 OPS+, 104 wRC+, 0.5 fWAR, 0.6 bWAR.

2027 Contract Status: Arb eligible

To Brian Cashman’s credit he made more than one deal for bats at the deadline, but neither Heliot Ramos nor García Jr. really had the impact I’m sure he planned. Luis came in in grand style:

Will forever love you, Ruocco.

That the Yankees went on to lose that game, one of the stupider of the year and what a list that makes, maybe says something about García Jr. as a Yankee. Getting him was the right move, it just never really paid off. I was surprised to see that he actually managed an 87 wRC+ in the postseason, because I genuinely would have thought he posted half of that.

To be fair, he was On One against the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, hitting .500, but then kind of everyone did that against the Red Sox in those two games. Facing the Rays in the ALDS Luis went 1-for-10, a -56 wRC+. The Yankees only who played three games against the Rays, if García Jr. went 1-for-10 in a random series in July we probably wouldn’t even notice, but it happened when the lights were brightest.

I’ve said this a lot about the 2026 Yankees, but Luis didn’t really do himself many favors. Yes, he has that big home run in his second game against the Cardinals, then he went two weeks without another dinger. He slugged .560 in Washington, .434 in New York. His strikeout rate jumped five points.

I do wonder how much the dimensions of Yankee Stadium worked against him. Luis was on pace for 33 doubles across 600 PA while with the Nationals, down to 22 over 600 PA in the Bronx. Yankee Stadium is a tremendous ballpark to hit home runs in, and not very friendly to other kinds of extra-base hits. The short right field wall was absolutely a reason why the club brought Heliot Ramos in, and maybe they believed that smooth lefty swing would turn some of those doubles into dingers for García Jr., but that didn’t happen, at least in 2026.

Moving into 2027, the Yankee have once again assembled a roster with so many first base/DH types. Giancarlo Stanton will be on the roster, Ben Rice is not going to be a catcher, Aaron Judge will almost certainly see less time in the outfield than we’re used to, if for no other reason than the game’s best hitter needs to sometimes be saved from himself. Then there’s García Jr., who on paper is possibly a better hitter than Stanton but not better than Rice or Judge, but also probably isn’t good enough at second base to merit uprooting Anthony Volpe.

Maybe that’s the project for this winter, making Luis García Jr. a functional second baseman and stick him in some kind of first base/second base platoon role. This gets complicated if there’s a lockout and teams can’t communicate with players, and is further complicated by the fact that the very bad Washington Nationals gave Luis 0 innings at the keystone last year.

I want to love Luis García Jr. I don’t think his performance in 2026 merits that love. I am hopeful, perhaps foolishly, that it will in 2027.

The Orioles outfield was a problem during the 2026 season. Their 3.9 fWAR as a unit ranked 22nd in MLB, and nearly half of that (1.9 fWAR) is attributed to the long-departed Taylor Ward. Some internal solutions may exist, like moving infielders to the outfield, according to team president of baseball operations Mike Elias. But no matter how many deck chairs they move around, the group seems destined to sink again without external help.

The free agent market does have some interesting options. Seiya Suzuki is probably the top fish, coming off a career-best year but now entering his age-32 season. Randy Arozarena bounced back these last two years in Seattle, and he certainly knows the AL East. Ian Happ is another proven, solid player that could fit. However, outside of the Pete Alonso contract signed last year, Elias has avoided giving big money to “older” free agents, though any thing is possible.

The Orioles did a lot of their shopping in the trade market last year. Ward was acquired from the Angels. Shane Baz came over from the Rays. Blaze Alexander was snatched from the Diamondbacks. And they re-acquired Andrew Kittredge from the Cubs. That could be the avenue to find even better outfield help this offseason, and no other trade target fits what the Orioles need better than Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan.

Kwan’s 2026 season was a tale of two halves. He was bad (.225/.332/.282) prior to the all-star break, and then caught fire (.353/.443/.432) in the second half. That helped him to be worth 3.8 fWAR on the year, nearly equaling the value of all 14 players that stepped foot in the outfield for the Orioles last season.

Adding Kwan would finally give the Orioles the lead-off hitter that have seemed to lack for a few years now. Players that batted first for the Orioles in 2026 hit a combined .226/.310/.345 in the role. Finding someone that can more adequately set the table has to be a priority. Kwan played 105 games as the Guardians lead-off hitter this past year. He hit .278/.376/.347 in the role. Over his entire career he owns a .282/.355/.385 slash line atop the order.

What you do not get with Kwan at the plate is power. He hit just three home runs last year, though he had hit 11 and 14 in the two seasons before that, so double-digit dongs are within reach. But that should not be the expectation. Instead, it’s an old school approach that limits strikeouts and gets on base. Kwan struck out just 62 times last season against 85 walks. His 9.7% strikeout rate and 13.3% walk rate are both among the game’s elite.

A quick skim of Kwan’s Baseball Savant page shows exactly what you would expect. This is not a player with eye-popping exit velocities or hard-hit rates. But his success is no fluke. His .282 batting average is only slightly higher than his .277 expected batting average. The same is true for his .334 wOBA and .328 xwOBA. He hits the ball where no one is, and he forces pitchers to throw him strikes. The Orioles could use some of that influence in the lineup.

It should be noted that Kwan has not been the most consistent hitter from season to season. Since his rookie year, his wRC+ has oscillated in this fashion: 125, 99, 130, 98, 114. That can be read as him being at least an average hitter year in and year out, and with some of the other things he does well, he is still a net positive. His impact on the lineup, however, varies.

The other aspect of Kwan’s game that would greatly help the Orioles is his defense. Kwan has already won four Gold Gloves and was a finalist for another in 2026. His six outs above average in 2026 was in the 90th percentile of all fielders, according to Baseball Savant.

The Orioles, as a team, were worth -9 outs above average in the outfield, and that included a really good defensive season from Colton Cowser (10 OAA). The rest of the unit was atrocious. A duo of Kwan and Cowser would be a good starting point for an elite defensive outfield.

One negative of a potential acquisition of Kwan is that he would not be a long-term solution. The 29-year-old is set to become a free agent after the 2027 season. Maybe he would be open to a contract extension, something that the Guardians rarely give out, but oftentimes players this close to free agency would rather test the open market.

The cost to acquire Kwan would likely be quite steep. The Guardians won the AL Central in 2026 and came within one game of going to the World Series. They don’t have to sell. Plus, given the relatively thin outfield free agent class, any other team in need of outfield help is likely to be interested in Kwan too. The Orioles would have to come with a hefty offer.

In order to acquire Ward, a player less valuable overall than Kwan but still on an expiring contract, from the Angels a year ago it cost the Orioles four years of Grayson Rodriguez. The Guardians would want more for Kwan. That type of deal probably includes at least one major league-ready outfielder (maybe Enrique Bradfield Jr.), plus another one or two more intriguing prospects.

The Orioles absolutely have to address their outfield issues this winter. Moving an infielder out there could help to solve part of the problem, but it would lack the certainty that comes with accquiring a known veteran for the role. Maybe the team simply ends up doing both.

We took a look at available center fielders earlier in the week and it is now time to take a look at available left fielders. This time we will only look at free agent left fielders because there really are no good internal options and the trade market is vast and hard to predict. That being said, we really have two groups of players we can look at. We have players that have been regular players and therefore are likely to be a little more pricey than their platoon counterparts.

As per usual, we will take a look at their career slash statistics, isolated power, isolated patience, real offensive value, and bases per out. Real offensive value is a hybrid stat I invented to encompass both batting average and the majority of secondary average (isolated power + isolated patience) averaged together. It can be interpreted as a comparable stat to batting average. Bases per out simply takes total bases, stolen bases, walks, and hit by pitches and divides that sum by the total number of outs that player accrues. Below we will look at a table that will show what the Astros collectively did in left field last season and what the overall league average is in each of those categories.

Keep in mind that Yordan Alvarez played some games in left field, so his awesome numbers are driving the overall Astros left field numbers up some. That would account for the superior isolated power and patience. Obviously, none of the Astros left fielders brought any speed to the table, so they fell behind in bases per out as compared to the big league average. So, the charge is the same as in center field. Find at least a league average hitter in addition to Alvarez.

Big Ticket Free Agents

Let’s start with the elephant in the room. There is no way in hell that George Springer is producing these numbers in 2027. He had a 99 OPS+ last season. He got off to a slow start and came on in the end, but he isn’t coming close to these numbers. Could he be a league average bat in left field? Of course he could. However, going that direction would say many things about the Astros and the direction they are going. Getting the band back together would certainly feel good, but it probably wouldn’t add many wins.

There is a universe where the Astros could afford any of these guys. The Astros are sitting at 238 million according to Spotrac.com, but they could conceivably deal Jeremy Pena, Christian Walker, and Josh Hader to free up room for them to spend in other areas. Jim Crane could also loosen some purse strings if the new collective bargaining agreement allows. Just because you can afford something doesn’t mean that you should buy it.

Spotrac estimates Arozorena’s market value at five years and 127 million. That would eat up most of the available budget on one guy. Is he really that much better than the other three? Happ sits at just under 20 million per season according to Spotrac, Ward sits at about 17.5 million a season, and Springer sits at ten million respectively. Is the extra 7.5-17.5 million a season really getting you that much more? That of course spills us into the second tier of free agents that could be classified as platoon bats.

Available Platoon Bats

By sheer definition, these are all players with some warts. Signing them becomes a large part in choosing which warts you are willing to live with. Laureano comes with a ton of volatility. He had an 83 OPS+ last season, but he seems to alternate great and bad seasons every year. If you are signing a one year contract then you are simply gambling that it will be one of the good seasons.

Conforto is likely a little like Springer in that this career average contains his early seasons when he was an all-star level player. Still, he was very good last season in a part-time role. He also has some defensive limitations that make playing him regularly problematic. Still, he might give you the best production of the group and his production would rival some of the guys above for an average of nine million a year according to Spotrac.

Austin Hays really doesn’t do a whole lot for me, but Grichuk is a guy that is intriguing for a number of reasons. He has played every outfield spot in his career and his power is tantalizing. I hate his hitting profile (low OBP skills) but we aren’t looking for Al Simmons here. We want a league average big league outfielder and he has been that for the better part of a decade. Spotrac thinks he is due about nine million a season just like Conforto.

Final Thoughts

While I think every fan would love to see the Arozorena’s and Happ’s of the world, I just don’t see that as horribly realistic. If you estimate that you could free up 35-40 million through trades and increased spending, spending 20 million or more on one position just doesn’t make financial sense. It would make more sense to spend around ten million in left, maybe something similar on a starter, and then the rest on bench players and/or relief arms. That would seem to point the finger squarely at someone like Springer, Conforto, or Grichuk.

The fan in me would love to see Springer back, but the analyst would hate it. Conforto and Grichuk have more left in the tank and would give you the best opportunity to improve on the Nelson Velasquez’s, Lamont Wade’s, and Taylor Trammel’s of the world. Incremental improvement is the name of the game. Gain a game or two in center and left field each and then hope you gain the rest on the mound.