Category: Baseball

Giants star Willy Adames eager to bounce back after ‘challenging' 2025 season originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Willy Adames made his mark in his first season with the Giants, but he knows there’s always room for improvement.

Adames was a key offensive contributor for San Francisco, becoming the first Giants player with 30 home runs in a single season since Barry Bonds. He also hit .225 with 87 RBI.

When he caught fire, he couldn’t cool down. When he was slumping, it was bad. But Adames is finding the silver linings in the up-and-down season.

“It was a challenging year,” Adames told reporters Saturday at Giants FanFest in Sacramento. “Adapting to everything, the fans, the organization, the city, new stadium. But it was great. Obviously at the end of the year, we didn’t achieve what we wanted to, but I think we learned a lot from last year. And now we know we need to get better in some areas, and I think we’re doing a really good job to start creating a different culture and to be better on the field.

“For me, personally, I’ll just try to be more consistent and be better every day.”

Off the field, it was no secret that Adames quickly became the team’s energizer.

His infectious spirit and good vibes were contagious around the Giants’ clubhouse, despite how San Francisco was performing on the field.

But the Giants need more than just good vibes to compete in the NL West and get back to winning baseball.

Adames is up for the challenge.

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MLB Rumors: Austin Hays and the Chicago White Sox are in agreement on a one year, $6 million deal, per reports.

The Rangers were among a number of teams that were in on Hays, per Jon Heyman, and we talked about him earlier in the week in our write-up on available righthanded platoon DH/bench bat options. The 30 year old Hays is going to a team that is not expected to be a contender in 2026, but which gives him an opportunity to play every day. If he performs well, he most likely will get traded to a contender at the deadline anyway.

So the Rangers’ hunt for a platoon DH and righty bench bat continues. While Hays was a popular choice among folks here — and was apparently pursued by a number of teams — there are still players out there who could fit the bill, and with camps opening soon, guys who have been waiting to see if a full-time opportunity comes available will have to make some decisions.

Good morning, LSB.

The Rangers added another bat yesterday in the form of former first round pick Nick Pratto.

Former Rangers reliever David Robertson has decided to hang em up.

MLB dot com has a list of 13 “eye-popping” predictions for 2026 which includes one for Jacob deGrom.

And The Athletic has a Q&A with Team USA manager and former Ranger Mark DeRosa on how the roster is shaping up before the World Baseball Classic.

That’s all for this morning. Have a good weekend!

Austin Hays is reportedly signing a one-year deal with the White Sox, according to numerous report. 

The Mets showed interest in Hays to help fill their outfield need before landing Luis Robert Jr. in a trade with Chicago.

New York could potentially still use another outfielder as currently constructed, but it’s unknown if they remained in on Hays after the Robert Jr. acquisition.  

Instead, the veteran goes to the White Sox to likely be his replacement.

Hays is coming off a strong year in which he hit .266 with 15 homers and 64 RBI over 103 games with the Reds. 

Starling Marte is available, but Mike Tauchman, Randal Grichuk, and Kiké Hernandez could also be potential fits for the Mets.  

After a season where the Mets missed the playoffs by as narrow a margin as they did, “what if” questions inevitably abound in the post mortem analysis. Of all of those “what if” questions, one that looms surprisingly large is, “What if Griffin Canning hadn’t ruptured his Achilles?” It feels strange typing those words because when the Mets signed Canning to a one-year, $4.25 million deal last offseason, no one envisioned he would play as large of a role on the team as he did.

After leading the league in earned runs in 2024 and getting traded by the Angels and then non-tendered by the Braves, Canning found himself with a job in the Mets’ rotation to begin the season because of injuries to Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. Canning looked like an entirely different pitcher in spring training, posting a 1.88 ERA and striking out 22 batters in 14 1/3 innings—a far higher rate than his career norms and a higher rate than anyone else on the team in Grapefruit League action. At the time when Canning was in the running for the 2025 King of Spring Training contest, I wrote:

The Mets have refined Canning’s pitch mix, adding a two-seam sinker and bringing back a cutter he used to throw to serve as a weapon against lefties. Canning’s changeup ranked in the top 20 in run value among starters last season and the Mets hope that some tweaks in sequencing can improve his results. The results in spring training speak for themselves. Hopefully Canning is another David Stearns success story: not a sexy acquisition, but one that will help the Mets weather a 162-game season with inevitable pitching injuries.

A David Stearns success story is exactly what Canning turned out to be. Though he didn’t maintain quite the prolific strikeout rate of his small spring sample size, Canning did maintain his momentum overall to begin the season, putting up a 2.47 ERA through his first nine starts. He did that mostly on the back of that changeup, which hitters batted just .188 against in 2025, and via a 55.2% ground ball rate over those first nine starts. Metrics like SIERA, FIP, and xERA are less kind to Canning’s impressive start because of the amount of contact he gave up, but he gave the Mets exactly what they needed from him: the ability to weather the storm.

Canning’s early luck caught up with him a bit in the second half of May and into June, over which he put up a 5.50 ERA in 34 1/3 innings, seeing his walk rate spike. Canning never got the chance to right the ship. On June 26, he suffered a non-contact injury, crumpling to the ground after stepping off the mound. It didn’t look good at the time and eventually testing confirmed the worst: a ruptured Achilles tendon that would require surgery and cost him the rest of the season.

It was truly a shame for both the Mets and for Canning. Canning lost out on the chance to parlay what was shaping up to be a renaissance season into a possible multi-year deal. As of this writing, Canning is still a free agent, though he has drawn interest from multiple teams, including the Mets. However, given the injury, the chances that Canning’s next contract is richer than the one earned in 2025 are slim. Meanwhile, the Mets lost what turned out to be, on balance, an above average starting pitcher from their rotation. All told, Canning ended up with a 3.77 ERA and a 107 ERA+ in 76 1/3 innings across 16 starts. Given the amount the Mets signed Canning for and the expectations of him entering the season, even this injury-shortened campaign was absolutely a bargain. But when one looks at what happened to the Mets from June 26 onward, the “what if” question inevitably creeps in. The starting rotation was the chief area of the team that failed down the stretch. Because of injuries and ineffectiveness, the Mets were forced to rely upon their young arms to mixed success. One can’t help but wonder if Canning simply xeroxing his first half output in the second half would have been enough to eke out that one extra win the Mets needed to make the playoffs in 2025. In that alternate universe, the resurgence of Griffin Canning and the successful transition of Clay Holmes to the starting rotation are heralded as victories by David Stearns and the Mets’ pitching apparatus that inspire confidence for 2026.

C’est la vie. Instead, we live in a universe where the outcome of the Frankie Montas signing and uncertainty surrounding Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga leave some lingering apprehension, despite the morale boost that was the Freddy Peralta trade. However, Canning’s story—injury-shortened or not—is reason for optimism; it is likely he did enough in 2025 to be given a chance by someone to prove it was not a fluke, despite the warning signs of regression. But it is unlikely that team will be the Mets unless a trade that subtracts from the current group of big league starters is still in the works.

Hello friends and happy Saturday! It’s the last day of January and spring training kicks off next month. As the offseason begins to wrap up, here’s the latest.

In Mariners news…

• On a recent radio appearance, Jerry Dipoto said he “wouldn’t say it’s likely at this point” that the Mariners bring back Eugenio Suárez.

Around the league…

• The A’s continued their spending spree, agreeing to a seven-year, $70M extension with young shortstop Jacob Wilson.
• The White Sox have signed outfielder Austin Hays to a one-year, $6M contract.
• Former Mariners utilityman Dylan Moore signed a minor league deal with the Phillies.
• Longtime righty reliever David Robertson announced his retirement.
• The Twins agreed to a “mutual parting of ways” with president of baseball operations Derek Falvey.
• MLB Network named its top 10 active center fielders in the sport, with Julio Rodríguez taking the crown.

Jaylon Thompson writes about what the Royals could do with their pitching staff.

KC is thin behind Lynch and Strahm for left-handers on the 40-man roster. It’s possible the front office decides to add someone before spring training. It’s imperative to have quality lefties as depth pieces and to offset injuries.

The Royals could convert some of their starting pitchers into long-relief help. One name to watch is left-hander Bailey Falter . He has some experience working in the bullpen, having made appearances with the Royals in 2025, and is still under contract.

David Lesky considers the players invited to spring training.

This is generally where the young players go, so it’s an easy look. AJ Causey and Dennis Colleran were prospects I mentioned recently who could debut in 2026. They are both absolutely making a case for a spot in the bullpen later this year when camp opens up. I think Shane Panzini is as well and I think Frank Mozzicato is too, though there’s an argument to be made that he belongs in a fourth category of a first-round pick that they just want to get a look at to see if he actually has a chance to even be depth in the big leagues.

Two of the more interesting pitchers on the list are Hunter Patteson and Chazz Martinez. I think they’re interesting because they’re kind of sneaky. They’re a little older, both 26, but neither has been mentioned much. Martinez was dominant in AA before struggling in AAA, but he struck out 45 and walked 11 in 43.2 innings in AA. He’s a lefty and they could use a strong lefty reliever. Patteson is also a lefty and he was dominant in high-A as a starter with a 1.99 ERA in 13 starts. I could see a shift to the bullpen there.

Pete Grathoff writes that MLB Network host Brian Kenny raved about Bobby Witt Jr., who they ranked #1 among shortstops.

“No. 1, yes, Bobby Witt Jr. He has emerged as one of the leading superstars in the sport,” Kenny said. “While the behemoths rule the coasts — that’s Ohtani and Judge — Bobby Witt owns the Heartland. He followed up his breakout year by playing 157 games, slugging a robust .501. Stealing 38 bases, playing stellar defense. He was a whopping plus-20. Plus-20! In fielding (run value). I’m throwing these absurd numbers out there. Plus-20.

“Witt is going into his age 26 season, and we now have two years of dominance. Best batting average, slugging, OPS+ at the position, and No. 1 defensively, as measured by the Statcast defensive metric, that’s fielding run value. Put it all together in WAR, that’s what No. 1 looks like.”

Philip Ruo at Royals Keep also breaks down the non-roster invitee list.

The Rangers sign former Royals first baseman Nick Pratto.

The Athletics sign Jacob Wilson to a seven-year, $70 million contract.

The Twins part ways with head of baseball operations Derek Falvey.

The Braves sign pitcher Martín Pérez to a minor league deal.

Teams are still in on free agent Zac Gallen.

The Orioles are interested in free agent Lucas Giolito.

What will the Red Sox do with their infield?

How the Driveline facilities help MLB hitters.

Is there still value in platoons?

Baseball America lists Kansas as a team to watch in college baseball this year.

The NFL salary cap will be over $300 million this season.

Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn crashed and injured her left knee.

Who was the only person to win an Olympic medal and a Nobel prize?

Amazon will close all its Amazon Fresh retail stores.

A first look at the actors who will play each member of The Beatles in upcoming biopics.

Your song of the day is Count Five with Psychotic Reaction.

Robbie Ray confident Giants making right offseason moves to compete in 2026 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Robbie Ray feels confident in the Giants heading into the 2026 MLB season.

After missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year in 2025, Buster Posey and Co. stuck to their promise of addressing pitching while making a big splash last week to improve San Francisco’s defense.

The Giants signed right-hand pitchers Tyler Mahle and Adrian Houser earlier this winter to bolster their rotation, and on Monday, added Gold Glove outfielder Harrison Bader into the mix.

These moves alone reassure Ray that the team is headed in the right direction.

“We’ve made some additions this offseason, picking up Harrison Bader, excellent centerfielder,” Ray told the media Saturday at Giants FanFest in Sacramento. “We’re making the moves to make this team really good.”

In 125 combined innings pitched with the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays last season, Houser went 8-5 and posted a 3.31 ERA with 92 strikeouts and 38 walks.

Mahle has dealt with a handful of injuries through his career, and in 86 2/3 innings pitched for the Texas Rangers in 2025, he posted a 6-4 record with 66 strikeouts, 29 walks and a 2.18 ERA.

Mahle and Houser will join a rotation with Ray, Landen Roupp and Logan Webb.

“The two guys we added, I’ve seen them throughout their career. They’ve had some success, so it’s going to be a fun year,” Ray said. “We got some really good guys in the rotation. Obviously, Webby, you know what you can count on when he goes out there. But the new guys we added, I think they’re exciting players. Houser had a great year last year. Mahle, a few injuries last year but still had a great year.

“So for me, I think those guys round out our rotation pretty well.”

Last but not least, Ray is excited to have Bader’s defensive services on the Giants.

Especially for a team emphasizing winning with pitching and defense.

“Obviously, Bader is an excellent outfielder. I think Jung Hoo [Lee], when he was in Korea, he was in rightfield. So there’s going to be a little bit more comfortability there for him. I think just in general, making that move is going to help out our defense for sure.”

Only time will tell, but Ray is approaching the new campaign with the utmost confidence.

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I write three or four posts a week for this site, so I will beg an indulgence in this one. Writing in the offseason is challenging, especially when the Yankees adopt the “run it back” strategy they seem to have this year. There are endless rumors, smoke with little to no fire, and occasionally debates about who will get inducted in the Hall of Fame.

This winter has been particularly tough, in many ways because the free agent market never really seemed to fit the Yankees. Last year it felt like a very real bidding war existed between the Yankees and Mets for Juan Soto, but with the exception of Cody Bellinger, who it always seemed like was inevitable, there really didn’t seem like anyone on the market was a good match — especially given their apparent disinterest in Kyle Tucker, one offseason after nearly trading for him. We still talked about them because we had to talk about something, but it’s been a slog and I’m glad we’re just 11 days from spring training.

Looking ahead though, we seem to have to diverging paths over the next couple of winters, and neither of them make me that excited. For my own complaints that this winter was difficult to get through, next year represents a stark choice between two bad options. The free agency class is weak, with Tarik Skubal atop the table but perhaps unlikely to be a Yankee target given Hal Steinbrenner’s hesitance to splurge on less familiar players, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. the next-best option. I like Jazz a lot, but there’s just not that much buzz, or font for writing, about a cohort where he’s the second-best available player.

The other big offseason thought generator, the Hall of Fame, is also in a bit of a down cycle. Next year, Buster Posey is the only notable new name to the ballot and I do think he will get in, but there’s no Albert Pujols or similar Player of the Era for a couple more years (Jon Lester joins the ballot as well next year, but he’s definitely someone who would immediately get in). Chase Utley may very well find himself getting enough votes for enshrinement, and from a Yankee perspective, Félix Hernández is seriously trending upward as well, and Andy Pettitte has seen his vote share increase over time — but there’s really not much else to say.

Then again, the other path is perhaps worse. We’re staring down the most likely work stoppage in a generation, with ownership reportedly ready to hold firm on a salary cap, and the MLBPA equally determined to not cross that red line. With disruptions in regional broadcasting networks and the increasing financial bifurcation between teams that spend and teams that don’t, it feels near-inevitable that we’ll lose some baseball, even if a full season’s cancellation still seems unlikely to me.

Collective bargaining negotiations will dominate coverage of the next offseason, but boy I’m not looking forward to talking about it. There will be a great deal of grandstanding, I don’t trust the PA to be able to effectively message around the issue, and the likes of Bob Nutting and Bill DeWitt will shed the wettest crocodile tears you’ve ever seen. The two paths ahead of us for 2026/27 are a skull-numbing lack of interesting things to talk about, or fret about the very future of the sport.

Spring training is just around the corner. I may end up enjoying it much more than usual.

San Diego Padres centerfielder Jackson Merrill had a difficult sophomore season in the majors. A hamstring injury and a concussion severely impacted his ability to stay on the field, which in turn hurt his overall number.  However, as the 2025 season ended, Merrill got hot and showed signs of regaining his 2024 form that saw him finish in second place for National League Rookie of the Year. Even with a down season, the expectations for Merrill are high. He was picked as the fourth best centerfielder in the game by MLB Network on the Top 10 Center Fielders, Friday. Merrill slotted behind Julio Rodriguez (Seattle Mariners), Wyatt Langford (Texas Rangers) and Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins.

Padres News:

• Spring Training is less than two weeks away and one of the top free agent pitchers, Framber Valdez, remains unsigned. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com lists his options of teams that could sign the left-hander, and he lists the Padres as one of those teams.
• Mason Milller came to San Diego from the Athletics at the 2025 trade deadline and wasted no time becoming a fan favorite. His mix of velocity and control was something that made Padres fans pay attention every time he came into the game. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune says Miller is the unquestioned closer in the bullpen for 2026 following the departure of Robert Suarez.
• Members of the Padres baseball team went to various schools and other places for their Padres Community Tour, which allowed the players to meet with various kids and fans to say thank you for their support and the get those same kids and fans fired up for the 2026 season.

Baseball News:

• The New York Yankees have taken criticism from their fans for their lack of activity prior to their reunion with Cody Bellinger. That appears to have been just the beginning as it was reported the Yankees are showing interest in Paul Goldschmidt and Nick Martinez.
• Former Yankees reliever David Robertson announced his retirement from MLB after 19 seasons in the league.
• The Kansas City Royals and their first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino avoided an arbitration after agreeing to a two-year contract worth more than $11 million, which could get close to $16 million.
• The Athletics continue to lock up a core group of players before they move into their new stadium in Las Vegas. The team announced a seven-year, $70 million extension with shortstop Jacob Wilson with a club option for 2033.

The Royals avoided a potential arbitration hearing with first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, signing him to a two-year deal Friday that will pay him $11 million and potentially up to $16 million with incentives, according to MLB.com reporter Anne Rogers.

Pasquantino had filed for arbitration for the first time, requesting a $4.5 million salary while the Royals had countered with $4 million. The contract covers his salary for 2026 and 2027. He would be eligible for arbitration again before the 2028 season, and would be eligible for free agency after that season.

Pasquantino reached career highs in several offensive categories in 2025, hitting .264/.323/.475, and his 32 home runs were the eighth-most in the American League, while he finished third with 113 RBI. He played in all but two games last year, and he was a finalist for a Silver Slugger Award at first base.

Pasquantino had expressed some fears about going to an arbitration hearing, posting on social media that, “I’m about to go into a room and hear how awful I am…” A typical hearing will feature the player making the case for why he compares favorably with similar players that make the salary he is requesting, while the team argues the player is not quite as good, with the arbitration panel selecting one side or the other, not a number in the middle.

The Royals still have one remaining arbitration case with Kris Bubic. He has asked for $6.15 million while the team has offered $5.15 million.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are on track to pay at least 160 million dollars of MLB competitive balance tax in 2026. In all, ten teams will be charged close to 500 million dollars in 2026. And it’s only January 31st. There are some big free agents still available. We’ve been over the salary cap and floor and overspending and the poor teams at the bottom. But we haven’t discussed one aspect, however. Where does all that money go?

Three and a half million dollars go to player benefits. After that, half of that money goes into baseball players IRAs. The other half goes to teams that didn’t violate the tax threshold. But where does that money go, exactly?

It is placed into a non-public discretionary fund. It’s a slush fund for lousy teams. Reportedly, some of last year’s tax went to reimburse teams that were affected by the RSN bankruptcy and non-payment of television rights fees. But outside of that, it’s a closed book. But one thing is for certain, it’s going to teams that aren’t funding their payrolls as well as the Dodgers, Mets, and to a smaller extent, the Braves.

So why are the Dodgers and other big spenders paying for bad baseball? And that’s exactly what is happening. And when you subsidize something, you are going to get more of it. Why are they keeping the Marlins and Pirates and Rockies afloat? It looks like corporate welfare. Is that what we’re doing here? Is there something else we could do here like remove/replace the soft salary cap? Or keep it and:

• Build a children’s hospital
• Fund high school baseball in poorer areas
• Fund free summer ticket packages for high school scholars
• Fund new stadiums and refuse public funds

I’m sorry if I don’t shed tears for the owners. But there’s many worthy causes that could be helped with that money. Major sports franchises cost money. If they can’t fund if correctly, sell it to someone who can and let their fans benefit. The NFL’s Seattle Seahawks are going up for sale. It might sell for seven to eight billion dollars. So why wouldn’t someone want to buy the smaller MLB teams if the current owners don’t want to compete?

Think about the bullpen that the Phillies were putting together when 2025 was beginning. Names like Jose Ruiz and Carlos Hernandez were prominent. Stuff was hard to find. In short, it wasn’t a good bullpen.

Fast forward to now: the bullpen is probably the strength of this team. Is it the best way to construct a roster? Probably not. Had they had their druthers, the Phillies would rather their offense or starting pitching lead the way. That still may become a reality. They do have a few top level starters in the rotation with another on his way back from injury. The offense has some potential to have some MVP level seasons from a few starters, but if we were being honest right now, the bullpen is very good.

So, what’s the best order in terms of leverage when considering the bullpen? Obviously, in the highest leverage situation, Jhoan Duran would be the one who gets the ball (all things being equal). After that, situational preference would rule the day. But if this were in a vacuum, what is the best order?

The Guardians put out a list of non-roster players invited to big league spring training. That list was incomplete. The complete list is below:

Pitchers:

Pedro Avila, RHP, Tanner Burns, RHP, Aaron Davenport, RHP, Trenton Denholm, RHP, Will Dion, LHP, Carlos Hernandez, RHP, Codi Heuer, LHP, Jack Leftwich, RHP, Tommy Mace, RHP, Jake Miller, RHP, Steven Perez, LHP, Trevor Stephan, RHP, and Ryan Webb, LHP.

Catchers:

Cameron Barstad, LHH, Jacob Cozart, LHH, Kody Huff, RHH, Cooper Ingle, LHH, and Dom Nunez, RHH.

Infielders:

Travis Bazzana, LHH, Dayan Fries, SH, Carter Kieboom, RHH, Milan Tolentino, LHH, and Ralphy Velazquez, LHH.

Outfielders:

Wuilfredo Antunez, LHH, Stuart Fairchild, RHH, and Alfonsin Rosario, RHH.

A great list! I thought maybe Kahl Stephen would be on it, but folks come over from minor league camp regularly so expect to see him as well.

We’ve had a pair of top-100 prospect lists drop in each of the last two weeks, with between four and seven Dodgers included on those lists. But with those list also comes further analysis of the minor leagues, both with individual players and farm systems as a whole.

Taiwanese outfielder Ching-Hsien Ko was one of 11 prospects who just missed making the top 100 at The Athletic, with Keith Law very high on the 19-year-old who ended last season with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga: “Ko is going to end up hitting for power, though, as he’s 6-foot-3 and already north of his listed 215, with quick hands and good rhythm to the swing.”

Jackson Ferris was ranked the No. 126 prospect in baseball by Kiley McDaniel at ESPN, who praised the left-hander as one of a handful of pitchers who could someday carry a heavy major league workload. “He’ll probably need to take one more step forward in stuff or command to actually hit 200 innings in the big leagues, but the ceiling is there,” McDaniel wrote.

The Athletic and ESPN also this week ranked farm systems, with the Dodgers ranked No. 2 in the former (in the top tier along with the Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners) and rated fourth in the latter.

“They aren’t the No. 1 farm system in the sport anymore, but they are tied for first with the Rays in ‘quality depth,’ which is just the total number of prospects they have graded above 40 FV [Future Value],” McDaniel wrote at ESPN.

We’ll have more prospect talk soon as Baseball Prospectus is expected to unveil their top-101 list next week.

Battery of moves

The Mets on Thursday signed longtime Dodgers catcher Austin Barnes to a minor league contract with a non-roster invitation to spring training, and also signed one-time Dodgers reliever Craig Kimbrel to a minors deal as well. Should Barnes reach the majors with New York, he’ll join a surprisingly large list of catchers to play for both the Dodgers and Mets.

That group includes Mike Piazza, Gary Carter, Todd Hundley, Paul Lo Duca, Sandy Alomar Jr., Rod Barajas, Gary Bennett, Henry Blanco, Chris Cannizzaro, Travis d’Arnaud, Jerry Grote, Brent Mayne, Jason Phillips, Joe Pignatano, Norm Sherry, Rick Wilkins, and Tom Wilson.