Category: Baseball

The Colorado Rockies announced on Monday afternoon that they have hired Ethan Katz as their new pitching coach for the 2027 Major League Baseball season.

Katz, 43, was originally selected by the Rockies organization in the 26th round of the 2005 draft. A right-handed pitcher, he spent four seasons in the Rockies’ farm system from 2005 through 2008. During that time he posted a 2.79 combined ERA over 102 appearances—mostly out of the bullpen—and 177.1 innings.

He also played independent baseball in 2009.

His coaching career began at Harvard-Westlake High School in California, a school with prestigious baseball history. Katz was the pitching coach from 2009 to 2013 and coached multiple future MLB players, including pitchers Max Fried, Lucas Giolito, and Jack Flaherty.

Katz made the jump to coaching professional baseball starting in 2013, where he coached in the minor league system for the Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners. He also served as the assistant minor league pitching coach for the San Francisco Giants in 2019.

The Giants promoted Katz to serve as their assistant pitching coach for the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season. That year the Giants held a team ERA of 4.64 with 488 strikeouts, 210 walks, and had opposing hitters slash .241/.322/.410 against them.

Katz was then hired by the Chicago White Sox as their MLB pitching coach starting in 2021. He served in that role through the 2025 season until being fired after three consecutive 100-loss seasons—including the year the White Sox set the modern era record for most losses in a single season in 2024.

In Katz’s first season with the White Sox, their pitching staff was one of the best units in baseball with a team ERA of 3.73—fifth best in the league. Their rotation was anchored by multiple American League Cy Young Award candidates including Carlos Rodón, Lance Lynn, Dylan Cease, and Lucas Giolito. Meanwhile, their bullpen featured the likes of Garrett Crochet, Laim Hendriks, and Michael Kopech.

Unfortunately, the White Sox saw diminishing returns over the next few seasons. Their 3.92 ERA in 2022 placed them in the middle of the pack, and in 2023 and 2024 their team ERA ballooned to 4.87 and 4.67 respectively. They rebounded somewhat in 2025 with a 4.26 ERA, but manager Will Venable and the White Sox front office decided to go in a different direction with their rebuilding club.

Katz was hired by the Houston Astros to serve as their assistant pitching coach in 2026. The Astros had a difficult season, winning their division without a winning record and getting eliminated quickly in the post-season. The pitching staff held a team ERA of 4.45, a far cry from the staff that had been a top ten unit in baseball over the last few seasons.

The Astros terminated Katz alongside manager Joe Espada at the end of the season amidst rumors that Katz had been denied the opportunity to interview for a promotion with another team before being fired.

Katz will take over as the Rockies’ big league pitching coach under pitching director Matt Daniels following the firing of Alon Leichman earlier this off-season. Leichman was ousted after one season where the Rockies pitching staff held a league-worst 5.99 ERA.

Of the hire, Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said via text message, “We are very excited to add Ethan to our staff. We love the experience he brings in this role as well as his track record of getting pitchers better on a consistent basis. He is a tireless worker, and players rave about him across the league. Can’t wait to start working with him!”

This story has been updated to include a comment from Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer.

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The Dodgers are poaching a business executive from the San Diego Padres to fill a recently vacated role in their front office.

Caroline Perry, who was the Padres’ chief operating officer, was hired by the Dodgers to serve in the same role, the team announced Monday.

A long-time Padres executive who was promoted to her current post in 2023, Perry will replace former Dodgers COO Bob Wolfe, who announced last week he was set to retire at the end of this year and transition into an advisory role with the club.

Perry is one of the highest-ranking female executives in baseball, and is one of only three women currently in a COO role among the league’s 30 teams. She will also have the title of executive vice president with the Dodgers.

The San Diego native previously was a corporate attorney before joining the Padres as associate general counsel in 2011. Since then, she has overseen the club’s ballpark operations, including its recent renovation of Gallagher Square beyond the outfield.

In addition to Perry’s hiring, the Dodgers also announced that Royce Cohen has been promoted from senior vice president of business strategy to executive vice president and chief business officer.

Wolfe, the Dodgers former COO and executive vice president, had been with the club the last 14 years. He was also a longtime colleague of team president Stan Kasten, working alongside him in past stops with the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals.

Monday’s move comes amid what the Dodgers hope is a “business as usual” offseason, despite the ongoing federal investigation into the business empire of team owner Mark Walter.

Though Walter has recently sold his ownership stakes in the Lakers and Chelsea FC amid the probe, and is reportedly exploring sales of the WNBA’s Sparks and his Cadillac Formula 1 team, he told the California Post in an exclusive interview last week that his Guggenheim ownership group would keep the Dodgers “no matter what.”

Now, they have a new COO to help oversee their business operations.

“It is a tremendous honor to join the Dodgers,” Perry said in a team statement. “On the field, they have set an unparalleled standard of excellence in baseball under the current leadership. Off the field, their historic legacy, passionate fan base and service to the community speak for themselves. While I am incredibly grateful for my time with the Padres and for the colleagues who made those years so meaningful, I am excited to take my place with the Dodgers and to contribute to their continued success. Thank you to Mark Walter, Stan Kasten and the entire Dodger family for welcoming me.”

Just in case anyone there was any doubt that this year’s free-agent class may be the weakest in at least a decade, Major League Baseball teams made qualifying offers to just eight players by the Monday, Nov. 2 deadline – the second-fewest in a full-season since the system was implemented in 2012.

Here are the players offered a $23.15 million qualifying offer by the deadline, including their salaries last season:

• Seattle Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena; One-year, $15.65 million salary in 2026.
• Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki: Final year of 5-year, $85 million contract.
• Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers: One-year, $6.7 million salary in 2026.
• New York Yankees closer David Bednar: One-year. $9 million salary in 2026.
• Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe: Final year of 6-year, $24 million contract.
• Baltimore Orioles starter: Trevor Rogers: One-year, $6.2 million salary in 2026.
• San Diego Padres left-handed reliever Adrian Morejon: One-year, $3.9 million contract in 2026
• Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers: One-year, $2.7 million contract in 2026

While a record four players accepted the qualifying offer a year ago – Shota Imanaga, Trent Grisham Gleyber Torres and Brandon Woodruff – which tied the player to the team for one year, it’s quite possible no accepts the offer this year, which has occurred four times previously. Just 18 of 157 players have accepted a qualifying offer since this system was implemented.

Free-agent starter Tarik Skubal was the biggest star not eligible for a qualifying offer by the Los Angeles Dodgers since he was acquired at the trade deadline from the Detroit Tigers. He is also expected to be the only player who’ll earn more than $200 million in free agency. Skubal is expected to command the most money given to a free-agent pitcher, exceeding Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s 12-year, $325 million deal.

Skubal headlines a group of premier free agents who were not eligible to receive a qualifying offer since they were either traded during the season or received a qualifying offer in the past. That list includes All-Stars Clay Holmes, Freddy Peralta, Luis Arraez, Michael King, Nick Martinez, Robbie Ray, Kevin Gausman Raisel Iglesias, Casey Mize.

The most intriguing qualifying offer decisions may be with Bauers and Morejon. Bauers, who hit 26 homers for the World Series champion Brewers, is coming off a one-year, $2.7 million contract; the qualifying offer will pay him twice as much as he’s earned in his entire career. Morejon is the game’s top setup man, who surely will want to be paid as a closer, but if he accepts the qualifying offer, he’ll be the highest-paid reliever in baseball for the 2027 season, eclipsing Dodgers closer Edwin Diaz’s $23 million salary.

Players must make a decision by Nov. 17 whether they plan to accept or reject qualifying offers.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Weak MLB free agent class produces just 8 qualifying offers from teams

The Texas Rangers have claimed righthanded pitcher Jose Butto on waivers from the San Francisco Giants, the team announced today. In addition, the team announced that outfielder Michael Helman has cleared waivers and been outrighted.

Butto, 28, has spent most of his career in the New York Mets organization. He appeared in one game in 2022 for the Mets, allowing seven runs in a four inning start, then appeared in nine games for them in 2023. After putting up a 2.55 ERA in 30 games in 2024, he was sent to the Giants as part of the package for Tyler Rogers at the 2025 trade deadline. Butto appeared in just three games at the beginning of 2026 before undergoing surgery to remove a blood clot from his right arm, which ended his season.

Butto is arbitration-eligible, though he is projected to make little over the league minimum. He is also out of options. He doesn’t throw that hard, doesn’t strike out a ton of batters and walks way too many guys, but he does get groundballs, so he has that going for him. He’s a cheap bullpen arm they can take to camp and see what happens.

As for Helman, I’m reasonably certain he now becomes a free agent, due to how much professional service time he has.

The deadline for teams to tender qualifying offers to their pending free agents came and passed today at 5 p.m. EST. The Yankees reportedly tendered an offer to only one player, reliever David Bednar.

This was the expected outcome for the Bombers, but it’s still notable that Bednar was the only one they saw fit for a QO. It seemed very plausible ahead of the 2026 season that Jazz Chisholm Jr. would receive an offer as he headed into free agency, but an inconsistent campaign for the infielder convinced the Yankees to let Chisholm become a free agent without any restraints.

Bednar now has about two weeks (until November 17th) to decide whether to accept the $23.15 million QO, or to reject it and test the waters. The general expectation seems to be that Bednar will not accept the offer, though stranger things have happened, and it’s not unheard of for non-elite free agents who to flounder on the market after receiving and rejecting a qualifying offer. Accepting the offer would make Bednar the highest paid reliever in MLB on a per-year basis.

Though the Yankees got burned the last time a player accepted a QO (see: Grisham, Trent), they obviously wouldn’t be upset to see Bednar return on a one-year pact. Top-end relievers typically earn in the $20+ million range in free agency these days, and Bednar was a stabilizing force at the back of the Yankee bullpen for the last season and a half even as he progresses through his early-30’s.

If Bednar rejects the offer and signs elsewhere, the Yankees will be in line for draft-pick compensation. Bednar is one of eight players to receive the offer this year: Randy Arozarena, Jake Bauers, Seiya Suzuki, Trevor Rogers, Adrian Morejón, Ryan Jeffers, and Brandon Lowe all also received the QO.

The Mets made a number of roster moves this afternoon to officially kick off their offseason. Let’s talk about the additions first: The Mets signed infielder Christian Cairo to a one-year, split contract and also claimed right-handed pitchers Jack Anderson and Pierson Ohl off of waivers from the Twins and Rockies, respectively. And the team also signed infielder Kyren Paris to a one-year major league contract, only to designate both Paris and Cairo for assignment shortly thereafter.

Cairo, 25, came to the Mets organization late last season after being released by the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Phillies. He was drafted in 2019 and developed by the Guardians before electing free-agency at the end of 2024. Over three seasons at Triple-A, he’s batted .233/.361/.314 with eight home runs, seven triples, and 41 doubles. He’s logged innings at second base, third base, and shortstop. The financial terms of the split contract are unknown at this time.

Anderson, who will be 27 when the season begins, made his big league debut in 2026, pitching in relief for both the Red Sox and the Twins. He logged 12.1 innings over seven appearances, striking out 12 and walking three while surrendering ten hits. In the minors in 2026, he started 16 games and made 12 relief appearances.

Ohl, 27, was drafted by the Twins in 2021 before being traded alongside Eduoard Julien in January of this year. He made three starts and 11 relief appearances for the Twins in 2025. Ohl missed all of the 2026 season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery in February.

Paris is entering his age-25 season next year, and he’s spent the entirety of his career thus far in the Angels organization. He’s made 263 plate appearances at the major league level with a 45 wRC+.

On the subtractions front, RHP Philip Abner and LHP Cameron Weston were claimed on waivers by the Orioles and Marlins, respectively. In addition, Eric Wagaman elected free-agency instead of accepting his assignment to Triple-A Syracuse.

If Abner’s name is unfamiliar, it is because the 24-year-old was claimed off waivers by the Mets on September 23 and did not play a single inning for the organization at any level. Weston was claimed slightly earlier (September 3), and the then-25 year old pitched in four Syracuse games in September.

Wagaman, 29, was claimed off waivers from the Twins in late April and provided a right-handed counterpart to Jared Young at first base for much of the year. His .191/.269/.319 batting line didn’t inspire much confidence, but in his limited playing time, Wagaman was not quite cromulent, but wasn’t a disaster.

Finally, Cristian Pache accepted his assignment to Triple-A, and three players were reinstated from the 60-day injured list: Tylor Megill, Reed Garrett, and Jorge Polanco. Pache was one of the myriad players brought in ahead of the 2026 season for depth and provided that, logging 15 appearances for the Mets while getting ample playing time in Syracuse.

Megill, 2022 Opening Day starter and starter of the 2022 combined no-hitter, underwent Tommy John in September of 2025 and missed the entirety of this last season. He made $2.5 million n 2026 and is arbitration eligible for the next two seasons. Garrett, like Megill, went under the knife in October 2025 and missed all of this season. He is also arbitration eligible and collected $1.3 million last year.

Everyone knows the story of Polanco, signed to a two-year, $40 million dollar deal, reportedly to play first base, but he only appeared in 37 games for the Mets and was dreadful in those appearances.

While the season is over, Braves-related news continues to roll in.

On that front, first baseman Matt Olson and utility player Mauricio Dubón each were given Gold Glove Awards Sunday night. It’s the second straight Gold Glove for each of them, Olson’s fourth overall and Dubón’s third.

Additionally, former Braves owner Ted Turner, who made the Atlanta Braves a household name through the TBS Superstation, is one of eight Contemporary Era candidates for the 2027 Baseball Hall of Fame class. It’ll be voted on at the MLB Winter Meetings in December, with Turner needing 12 of 16 votes from committee members to earn induction.

For those who still haven’t gotten rid of that baseball fix and are already counting down the days until the 2027 season (hopefully) begins, you can watch the premiere of “Becoming a Brave” which will provide a behind-the-scenes look at how the Braves’ 2026 draft class came together, tonight at 6 p.m. on BravesVision.

The Phillies announced some waiver claims today as they prepare to trim the edges around their roster.

Stubbs announcing free agency was not a surprise. I’d expect him back on a minor league deal. The other four coming off of the injured list is a rule following procedure. Players cannot be on the injured list during the offseason.

Whitcomb is an option from the Giants that basically gives them some roster depth. He played three infield positions this past season with the Astros and Giants, slashing .203/.233/.336 in 122 plate appearances. He offers some versatility around the diamond, a modicum of power and almost no ability to take a pitch. He swings at almost everything. It’s the type of move the Phillies needed to start doing more of to have actual options on the roster in case of injury.

Harris offers the same type of thing as Whitcomb, only in the corners. He was with three teams last year and played well in the minors, hitting .288/.399/.449 at the Triple A level, but failing out once he saw big league pitching. Again, not really much more here than depth that they actually badly need.

This qualifying offer should be less controversial than the last one the Yankees gave out.

The club on Monday extended the $23.15 million qualifying offer to closer David Bednar ahead of the 5 p.m. deadline, the first attempt to retain the important bullpen piece entering an offseason in which he should be one of their top priorities.

Bednar has until Nov. 17 to accept or reject the one-year offer at a higher average annual value than he is likely to get on the free-agent market, but less overall money.

If he declines it, the Yankees can still try to sign him to a contract as a free agent, but have the protection that if he signs with another club, they would receive draft pick compensation.

The Yankees did not make the qualifying offer to fellow pending free agent Jazz Chisholm Jr., a year after they gave one to Trent Grisham and he accepted, only to take a step back after a career year in 2025.

Chisholm is coming off a rough season that could result in him signing a pillow contract, making it risky that if the Yankees extended him the qualifying offer (in order to get draft pick compensation), he might accept it. And while Chisholm has plenty of talent, the Yankees were not able to bring it out of him consistently enough, making a split seem inevitable.

Bednar, meanwhile, has proven to be valuable, durable and low-maintenance in his year and a half in The Bronx after the Yankees acquired him from the Pirates. Relievers can be volatile from year to year – even Bednar was demoted to Triple-A early in the 2025 season – but the 32-year-old right-hander may be worth the investment from the Yankees.

Across 86 games as a Yankee, Bednar pitched to a 2.39 ERA with 45 saves and 111 strikeouts in 94 innings, while giving up one run in eight playoff appearances. He did not spend a day on the injured list with the team, having avoided any IL stints for arm injuries throughout his big league career.

Since signing Aroldis Chapman to a five-year, $86 million contract in 2016 (with a three-year, $48 million extension in 2019) and Zack Britton to a three-year, $39 million deal in 2019, the Yankees have shied away from big-money, longer-term pacts for relievers. They have been adept at unearthing cheap bullpen arms from the scrap heap, including two that became future closers in Clay Holmes and Luke Weaver.

But Bednar’s potential return this offseason is especially important given that the Yankees are facing the challenge of having to build almost an entire bullpen. The only sure thing returning is lefty setup man Brent Headrick, who ran out of gas late this season after being leaned on heavily. Fernando Cruz has a partially torn UCL that he is trying to come back from without surgery, which is hardly a given. And their other top reliever from 2026, righty setup man Paul Blackburn (the latest reclamation project), is now a free agent and poised to earn significantly more than the $2.1 million the Yankees paid him this year.

If Bednar declines the qualifying offer, he should have some leverage on his side, even with the draft-pick compensation attached to him. He would arguably become the top reliever in free agency, with the other notable bullpen arms including Padres lefty Adrian Morejon (who was also extended a qualifying offer on Monday) and Braves closer Raisel Iglesias.

Last year, 13 players received the qualifying offer and a record four accepted, including Grisham.

On Thursday, the first chunk of transactions the San Francisco Giants needed to make before 2pm’s 40-man roster deadline. All players on the injured list needed to be activated, qualifying offers made, and player options either picked up or declined. The Giants didn’t have those, but they did have a ridiculous number of players on the IL. They finally managed to get down from the 52 players they were at on Thursday to near the 40 needed, thanks in large part to the waiver wire.

Relievers José Buttó (Rangers) and Duncan Davitt (Reds), infielders Brett Harris and Shay Whitcomb (both Phillies), and catcher Zach Morgan (Baltimore) were all claimed by other organizations while Joel Kuhnel, Seth Lonsway, and Tristan Beck all cleared waivers. The Giants opted to outright Kuhnel and Lonsway (retaining their rights) while releasing Beck.

With yesterday’s Nate Furman’s trade and last week’s transactions — Andrew Knizner being outrighted, JT Brubaker electing free agency — the San Francisco Giants now have a 40-man roster of 41.

The two big question marks remaining: reliever Rowan Wick and outfielder Harrison Bader. Wick has an option for 2027. The Giants had suspended Harrison Bader without pay and may need to roster him rather than release him as part of the grievance process (I could be wrong about that). The roster currently looks like this:

Catchers

Daniel Susac, Drew Cavanaugh, and Jesus Rodriguez

Infielders

Willy Adames, Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers, Bryce Eldridge, Christian Koss, Marcelo Mayer

Outfielers

Harrison Bader, Scott Bandura, Victor Bericoto, Jonah Cox, Bo Davidson, Drew Gilbert, Turner Hill, Jung Hoo Lee, Casey Schmitt

Pitchers

Logan Webb, Landen Roupp, Adrian Houser, Anthony Molina, Cesar Perdomo, Matt Wilkinson, Hayden Birdson, Camilo Doval, Trent Harris, Sam Hentges, Yunior Marte, Trevor McDonald, Miguel Mendez, Joel Peguero, Randy Rodriguez, Reiver Sanmartin, Carson Seymour, Dylan Smith, Blade Tidwell, Ryan Walker, Carson Whisenhunt, Rowan Wick, Keaton Winn

Th Mets have claimed a pair of right-handed pitchers off waivers on Monday. 

Jack Anderson was selected off waivers from the Minnesota Twins, and Pierson Ohl from the Colorado Rockies.

Anderson appeared in seven games last season, pitching 12.1 innings of relief action for the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins while posting a 2.19 ERA and 1.054 WHIP. He allowed three runs on 10 hits and three walks with 12 strikeouts in that time, his first action in the big leagues.

During his time at Triple-A in 2026, which was split between Worcester and St. Paul, he pitched to a 4.92 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in 93.1 innings over 28 games (16 starts) with 79 strikeouts to 30 walks.

Anderson was mostly a four-pitch reliever during his time in the majors, with a four-seam fastball (33.3 percent), splitter (23.3 percent), slider (22.2 percent), and sweeper (15.6 percent) comprising his arsenal. He is not a hard thrower, with his average fastball velocity coming in at 90.8 mph.

Anderson, who turns 27 later this month, allowed a run on two hits with three strikeouts over 3.0 innings while pitching for Great Britain at the WBC before the 2026 regular season. 

Ohl missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in late February.

He last pitched in the big leagues in the 2025 season with Minnesota. In 14 games (three starts) that year, he pitched to a 5.10 ERA with a 1.500 WHIP with 27 strikeouts to seven walks in 30 innings. That same season, Ohl produced a 3.29 ERA and 1.134 WHIP in 27.1 innings over nine games (four starts) at Triple-A St. Paul with 30 strikeouts to six walks.

The 27-year-old was predominantly a two-pitch reliever, relying on his fastball (43.8 percent) and changeup (37.7 percent) during his lone big league work. And like Anderson, he has not shown much heat on the fastball, with his four-seamer averaging 91.1 mph.

The Mets lost two players in waiver claims on Monday. Left-hander Philip Abner was claimed by the Baltimore Orioles, and right-hander Cameron Weston was claimed by the Miami Marlins.

In other roster moves, outfielder Christian Pache was outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse, and infielder Eric Wagaman elected free agency in lieu of accepting an assignment to Triple-A.

Robinson Canó Jr. has a home in MLB.

The son of former Yankee Robinson Canó agreed to a $1 million contract with the Marlins, The Post’s Jon Heyman reported on Monday.

The 16-year-old is set to join the franchise’s 2028 international class.

Canó Jr. reposted various Instagram stories on Monday, showing photos of him celebrating with friends and family.

A photo of him seemingly signing his contract also includes a message in Spanish that means “Congratulations to the best, as always.”

His father, the 44-year-old Canó, made his debut with the Yankees in 2005 and spent nine seasons in the Bronx where he earned five of his eight All-Star nominations and all five of his Silver Slugger awards.

He also won a World Series in 2009 — the last time the franchise won a title.

Canó went on to spend five years in Seattle followed by stints with the Mets, Padres and Braves across his 17-year career that was also marred by two suspensions involving performance-enhancing drugs.

In 2018 while with the Mariners, he was banned for 80 games after testing positive for furosemide, which was followed by a full season suspension with the Mets in 2020.

He went unsigned following the 2022 season and the elder Canó moved on to take his professional career internationally.

This year, Cano Jr. hit .291 with 15 home runs and 72 RBIs in the Mexican League with the Diablos Rojos del México.

The Marlins are currently slated to open their spring schedule with games against the Mets and Cardinals on Feb. 19 in Port St. Lucie and Jupiter, Fla., respectively.

The Seattle Mariners have made a few roster moves over the last several days as they circle their candidates for manager. Free agency opens officially at 2 PM PT today (Monday, November 2nd), and there are likely to be several M’s headed out the door or at least off the 40-man roster, which must be cut down to a true 40 by the deadline as well. This means players like Logan Evans and Brennen Davis will need to have spots found, as the 60-day injured list does not exist during the offseason.

Still, Seattle has reportedly been adding. Last week, they claimed OF Grant McCray from the San Francisco Giants, and Monday they added RHP Isaac Mattson from the Pittsburgh Pirates as well. The waiver moves are not necessarily big shakes, like the addition of OF/1B Michael Toglia in October, but the depth of the M’s roster failed to produce big production as it had in years past.

McCray offers tri-positional defensive coverage, but the 25 year old has been sledding uphill at the dish since his big league debut in 2024. Watching McCray roam the outfield is graceful and impressive, but when tasked to cover the spacious confines of Oracle Park he’s struggled to shine. What McCray has done is run hard, play hard, and hit the ball hard. It’s a family legacy, as his father Rodney McCray was a longtime pro baseball player who earned parts of three years in the big leagues himself and coached for years afterwards. However, the elder McCray’s prominent legacy has local roots, having run through the right field fence at Civic Stadium (what has now become Providence Park) in Portland, OR with the Vancouver Canadians in an brave-but-doomed pursuit of a fly ball.

Savvy collectors may be able to track down a bobblehead from the Portland Beavers of this incident, which you’ve likely seen on a blooper real somewhere. Rodney’s son plays with a similar fearlessness and maximum effort.

His barrel rate is 12% for his 247 PA career over the past three seasons, and as a prep 87th overall pick back in 2019, the Gigantes were willing to give their hard-charging youth some extended chances. Unfortunately, McCray’s undoing thus far has been his inability to get the bat on the ball often enough. He’s punched out nearly 40% of the time as a big leaguer, and despite quality performance in the minors it’s been clear that contact will make or break the youngster’s career. In his favor, and sorely missing from Seattle’s outfield beyond Julio Rodriguez this past year, is a cannon of an arm and elite foot speed.

Then there’s Mattson. The 31 year old was dealt from his drafting club of the Anaheim Angeles of Orange County to the Baltimore Orioles in 2019 for Dylan Bundy, something I would have assured you occurred 25 years ago. While he debuted with the O’s, he ultimately bounced around indy ball and the Minnesota Twins organization in the early 2020s before returning home to the Pirates. Growing up in Erie, PA and attending the University of Pittsburgh, the homecoming may have been impactful for the reliever. After another dominant display in the minors in 2024, Mattson finally cracked through to stay in 2025, with an extreme fly ball tendency that has been catnip for lazy pop-ups for most of the last several seasons.

It’s fairly easy to grasp what makes Mattson’s stuff work when he’s on. The 6’2 righty has a fairly over-the-top delivery, backspinning his four-seamer well to get above-average ride that sits at the top of the zone in the 93-96 range. That is, when well-located, a barrel dodger, and he uses it overwhelmingly, more than 70% of the time in an era rarely so heavy on a single type of heater.

That’s possibly where the M’s want to make some tweaks, however, as Mattson’s secondaries show some promise. The slider and changeup he’s flashed have some potency, and the M’s were undone among many areas by incompetence in the middle relief realm a season ago.

Both players retain minor league options that can be used for 2027 if needed.

With a 40-man roster crunch, we knew the Nationals would have to make some moves today. A little while ago, the Nats announced a plethora of roster moves that got the 40-man roster back down to 40. Players on the 60-day IL had to be removed, so there was some shuffling required here.

As you can see, there was a lot going on at the back of the 40-man roster. Several players were DFA’d, but in my opinion the two most notable are Mitchell Parker and Jose Tena. Those two have gotten meaningful playing time for the Nats over the past few seasons. Each has shown glimpses, but at the end of the day, they had not done enough to justify bringing them back for next season.

Tena is honestly a player that I have been intrigued with for a while. He is a smaller guy at 5’10 195 pounds, but he has a lot of raw power in that frame. Tena has hit the ball hard throughout his Nationals career, including a 90.6 MPH average exit velocity this year. 

This season, Tena had a career high 257 at bats. He hit .222 with 7 homers and a .672 OPS. Those numbers were actually slightly better than fellow left handed hitting bench infielder Jorbit Vivas. However, Vivas’ defense and on-base skills gave him the edge over Tena. In 2026, the Nats did not trust Tena in the field, mainly playing him at DH. Honestly, that lack of a defensive home is the biggest reason he was DFA’d.

I still think Tena has some interesting offensive traits, especially after having a big bat speed increase this year. However, there is a lot of swing and miss in his game and he could not really play the field. That is just a tough profile to roster.

Over the last three seasons, Mitchell Parker has gotten a lot of burn in the Nats pitching staff. He was used as a starter in 2024 and 2025, before being converted to a relief role this season. After a solid rookie season where he posted a 4.29 ERA in 151 innings, Parker fell off in a big way. His ERA was 5.68 in 2025 and 6.58 in 2026. Following 22 appearances this year, Parker was forced to undergo Tommy John Surgery.

Despite the struggles, the Braves still decided to claim Parker. There is a chance they will try to sneak him through waivers later in the offseason, but it is clear that the Braves like something about Parker. The lefty did just turn 27 and has plenty of big league experience.

Both Tena and Parker have been mainstays on the Nats roster the past couple seasons, but now they are gone. Paxton Schultz was also claimed by the Reds during this flurry of activity.

We also saw two lefty relievers hit free agency after exiting the Nats 40-man roster. Both PJ Poulin and Richard Lovelady had somewhat respectable ERA’s, but their under the hood data was poor. The low slot lefties both cleared waivers and are now free agents. Poulin is a guy I wouldn’t mind seeing back on a minor league deal.

I was expecting Matt Waldron to be DFA’d, but he survived this round of cuts. Waldron’s knuckleball makes him a unique arm, so it seems like the Nats want to experiment further with him. The 40-man roster is back to 40, but I would not be surprised if we see more minor moves in the coming days.

Baseball’s Hall of Fame announced their Contemporary Era ballot for managers and executives Monday, and it is a Cubs-heavy ballot.

Three former Cubs managers, Dusty Baker, Joe Maddon and Lou Piniella, all have a chance to be inducted in Cooperstown this summer.

My opinion: All of them deserve induction.

Now, obviously the tenures of Baker and Piniella did not go well in Chicago. But their overall careers, both as managers and players, deserve honor in Cooperstown.

Baker ranks eighth all-time among managers with 2,173 wins. He won three league pennants and the World Series with the Astros in 2022. Baker also had a long and distinguished playing career with the Braves, Dodgers, Giants and A’s, with 242 home runs and 1,981 hits over 19 seasons, with 37.1 bWAR. He won a WS ring as a player with the Dodgers in 1981.

Piniella won 1,835 games as a manager and a World Series title with the Reds in 1990. He also had a long and productive 18-year playing career, was AL Rookie of the Year in 1969 and won WS rings with the Yankees in 1977 and 1978.

Both of those men should be voted in. Piniella especially, as he’s now 83 years old.

Maddon did not play in the major leagues, but has 1,382 managerial wins. He won two league pennants and is, of course, the manager who helped the Cubs break the World Series drought. I think he rates induction for that alone. Plus, he’d give an amazing speech. I suspect Maddon might have to wait for next time, though I think he could get voted in now.

The manager on this ballot who clearly will be voted in is Bruce Bochy, who ranks sixth all-time with 2,252 managerial wins and won three World Series titles with the Giants. That’s a no-brainer.

Managers could dominate this ballot. The executives on the ballot are Sandy Alderson, Brian Sabean, Ted Turner and Bill White. Honestly, I’m not sure any of those four deserves induction.

The next time managers and executives from the Contemporary Era (after 1980) will be considered will be in the fall of 2029.

The results of the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee vote will be announced live on MLB Network’s “MLB Tonight” at 7 p.m. CT on Sunday, Dec. 6.

Any candidate who receives votes on 75 percent of the ballots cast by the committee will earn election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and will be inducted in Cooperstown on July 25, 2027, along with any electees who emerge from the 2027 Baseball Writers’ Association of America election, to be announced on Jan. 19, 2027.