Category: Baseball

Jorge Polanco was officially introduced to the media as a member of the Mets on Monday, and naturally, his transition to playing first base was a hot topic. 

Signed to a two-year, $40 million contract earlier this month, the versatile Polanco, who has primarily been a middle infielder throughout his career, is expected to see the majority of his playing time as a Met at first base, or at least that’s the current plan as laid out by president of baseball operations David Stearns.

“As we stand now, we would anticipate Jorge playing first base, DH, and bouncing around to other positions as needed,” Stearns said in a statement when the Polanco signing was made official. 

On Monday, the 32-year-old, who has only played one career major league game at first, said that plan was just fine by him.

“The conversations with the Mets were pretty easy, as I was already making that transition starting last year when I was in Seattle,” Polanco said. “So that was a pretty easy conversation for me to have, especially since I was offering my services to teams as a first baseman, second baseman and third baseman. SO when the Mets asked if I was able to do that – play a little bit of first, play a little bit of third, I was definitely willing to do that.” 

“As the conversations went on, they told me that I’d be playing a good amount of first base, but that I could also be bouncing around,” he later added.

From an outside perspective, playing first base may seem less challenging than the other infield spots. But as Polanco explained, the mental part of the position can be the hardest part to master, though his background around the diamond should help him.

“I think the biggest difference is the position that you have to get into for pickoffs or picks or just getting to the base,” Polanco explained. “I think that was the toughest transition for me, because it’s very different from when you’re playing in the middle of the infield. But I think with my experience of playing second, short, third, it allows me to be an athlete, and I think that my athleticism will help me when I’m playing first base."

While much of the conversation about Polanco has been about how Polanco fits the Mets from an outside perspective, his offensive prowess can’t be ignored. An All-Star in 2019, Polanco has a career .771 OPS and has five seasons with 15+ home runs, including a career-high 33 home runs with the Minnesota Twins in 2021. The switch-hitter posted a career-best 134 OPS+ last season, hitting 26 home runs while also having his share of big postseason moments with the Mariners. 

But Seattle’s postseason run came to an end in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays. As Polanco hit the free agent market, winning was what mattered most, and that, along with the way the Mets treat their players, made signing in New York an easy choice.

“I think the most important part was how they care for their players, how they offer any type of service to help enhance the players’ lives in any way,” Polanco said. “And I think from a team standpoint, we have so many great players who want to win, playing with Francisco Lindor, playing with Juan Soto, and just knowing how they treat the game and how they go about the game, and the type of leaders that they are. I’m very excited to be a part of this team because I knew this team wanted to win, so it was a good spot for me.” 

Phils add another reliever, sign Zach Pop to one-year deal originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The holiday season is upon us and the Phillies continue to add to their bullpen.

The club announced Monday that it signed right-handed reliever Zach Pop to a one-year deal.

Pop, 29, endured an injury-riddled 2025 season and spent time with three organizations. He was shut down in March with elbow discomfort and released by Toronto in early April.

Pop later signed a Minor League deal with Seattle, earned a call-up, then struggled out of the gate — allowing 11 earned runs in 6 2/3 innings — before being designated for assignment. He elected free agency and signed with the Mets, but made just one appearance before being DFA’d again in July.

Prior to last season, Pop produced mostly below-average results across stints with Miami and Toronto, posting a 4.45 ERA over 158 appearances.

Pop features a three-pitch mix — sinker, slider and cutter — and generates ground balls at a high rate. In 2025, his groundball percentage sat at 54.5 percent, driven by a 96.4 mph average sinker.

His best stretch came in 2022. Pop opened that season with Miami, posting a 3.60 ERA in 18 appearances before being dealt to Seattle in a four-player trade. With the Mariners, he allowed just four earned runs across 19 innings. The underlying numbers backed it up: a 39.3 percent chase rate, a 2.5 percent walk rate and a 5.6 percent barrel rate.

Pop profiles as a pitch-to-contact arm who is most effective when he’s living at the bottom of the zone and inducing soft contact.

It’s another low-risk addition for Dave Dombrowski and the front office. Pop becomes the 39th player on the Phillies’ 40-man roster. He does not have any Minor League options remaining and will compete for a bullpen spot this spring.

What Red Sox' Willson Contreras trade could mean for Triston Casas originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox filled a glaring void at the first base position Sunday, acquiring veteran Willson Contreras in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals.

That void existed because Triston Casas’ future with the club is uncertain. The soon-to-be 26-year-old played in only 29 games last season before suffering a ruptured patellar tendon in May. Injuries also plagued him throughout the 2024 season, limiting him to only 63 games.

So, does the Contreras addition leave Casas without a role for 2026? Not necessarily.

With Contreras expected to begin next season as the Red Sox’ primary first baseman, Casas will have time to shake off the rust in Triple-A. The former top prospect still has minor-league options remaining.

If and when he returns to the big-league club, the left-handed-hitting Casas could split first base and designated hitter duties with the right-handed Contereras. Since Contreras is the superior defender, Casas in the DH spot would make sense if he can regain his 2023 form.

Casas’ path to an MLB return should become clearer in spring training when other question marks on the roster are addressed. For instance, Masataka Yoshida remains in the mix as a DH option, and the surplus of outfielders further complicates matters. Jarren Duran has been the subject of trade rumors this offseason, but he’s another candidate to spend time at DH if he isn’t moved.

Craig Breslow and Co. could look to trade Casas, but given his injuries and lack of production over the last two years, his value couldn’t be much lower. Allowing the 2018 first-rounder to play his way back into an MLB role is the most reasonable solution, and the well-rounded Contreras provides the Red Sox with that flexibility.

Contreras, 33, will bring much-needed right-handed pop to Boston’s lineup. Excluding the shortened 2020 campaign, he has hit at least 20 homers in six of nine seasons. The former catcher notched career highs in doubles (31) and RBI (80) last season while posting a .791 OPS in 135 games.

Contreras is a solid addition, but the Red Sox should still aggressively pursue at least one more big bat this winter. They can still re-sign third baseman Alex Bregman, although their odds of doing so seem to only be getting worse. Free-agent infielder Bo Bichette is another intriguing option, and they have also been linked to Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte, free-agent slugger Eugenio Suarez, and Houston Astros infielder Isaac Paredes.

How velocity bump put Adrian Houser in much better position this offseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — For a second straight year, Adrian Houser signed a contract with a new organization as the holidays approached, but the circumstances this time around couldn’t be any different.

Houser agreed to a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers last offseason, one that would give him the chance to come to spring training and try to win a job. This time around, the only question is where he’ll slot into a big league rotation at the end of March.

The Giants and Houser agreed to a two-year deal last week, and on a Zoom call with beat reporters on Monday, he said the organization’s early interest made a difference as he looked for a new home.

“It was just coming down to knowing the talent was here, and then also the front office and Buster (Posey), they were pretty adamant and pretty consistent so far up to this point throughout the offseason, keeping in constant contact,” Houser said. “I could just tell they really wanted me and after sitting down and talking through it and everything, we felt like it was going to be a really good fit.”

For the Giants, the strong interest goes back to July, when Houser loomed as an appealing option to fill a hole in the rotation in the second half. Posey ended up going into sell mode, but the rotation still needs those innings, and the hope is that Houser is on an upward trajectory. The 32-year-old is coming off his best stint in the big leagues, and he said that success goes back to last offseason, when he couldn’t find a big league job. 

Houser worked with specialists in Oklahoma to make mechanical changes. He got more into his backside and changed the way he drives down a mound. He also got his hands further away from his body. 

“I just felt freed up,” he said. “It was coming out a lot easier.”

The success wasn’t immediate. Houser began the season in Triple-A and got released in May, but he found a new home in Chicago, posting a 2.10 ERA and 3.34 FIP in 11 starts for the White Sox. That led to a midseason trade to Tampa Bay, and while his ERA jumped to 4.79 after the deadline, he continued to show an uptick in stuff. 

Houser’s sinker averaged 95 mph in September, his highest mark in a month in six years. The pitch was up two ticks from 2024, and his entire repertoire saw similar jumps. His slider went from 83 mph to 88 mph after a grip change.

While players hit free agency and want to be rewarded for what they’ve done, teams are looking ahead and trying to find a player whose best days are ahead of him. The Giants believe that’s the case with Houser, and they certainly need to be right. To this point, he is the only addition to a rotation that finished 2025 with a big talent deficit. 

Houser currently slots in as either the third or fourth starter, although that could change with another free agent addition or trade. Regardless, he’s locked into a rotation this winter, and he said he’s doing many of the same things to prepare. A year ago, he embraced the carnivore diet and occasional 72-hour fasts to get his body ready for an important spring, and that has continued, along with the work on his mechanics. 

“I plan to go out there and make every start and go as deep as possible as I can in every game and try to come off the field every time with the team ahead and with a chance to win the game,” he said. 

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The Yankees are bringing in INF Zack Short on a minor league deal. 

Short spent time with the Mets two seasons ago after being claimed off waivers from the Tigers. 

The New York native was able to crack the team coming out of camp, but ended up being DFA'd after just 10 appearances. 

He was traded to the Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations, but was only in Boston briefly before he was again let go and shipped off to the Atlanta Braves. 

Short appeared in a combined 32 games between the two teams the rest of the year. 

He elected to hit free agency at season's end, and received a minor league deal with the Astros.

The 30-year-old spent most of the year in Triple-A, logging just 22 appearances in the majors. 

Now in the Bronx, he is facing a bit of an uphill battle for a roster spot, but he'll look to provide the Yankees with a versatile glove off the bench. 

Short has just a career .567 OPS, but he's logged appearances at second, third, and shortstop. 

Athletics acquire veteran second baseman Jeff McNeil in trade with Mets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Athletics added a veteran presence to their young, homegrown infield.

The A’s acquired veteran second baseman Jeff McNeil for right-handed pitcher Yordan Rodriguez in a trade with the New York Mets, the team announced Monday afternoon after ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the news.

Passan also reported, citing sources, that the A’s will acquire McNeil and $5.75 million from New York in the deal.

To make room for McNeil on the 40-man roster, the A’s designed left-handed pitcher Ken Waldichuk for assignment.

The 33-year-old McNeil, in eight seasons with the Mets, batted .284/.351/.428 with 80 home runs and 367 RBI in 923 career games.

In 2025, McNeil batted .243/.335/.411 with 12 homers and 54 RBI in 462 plate appearances.

Selected by New York in the 12th round of the 2013 MLB Draft, McNeil was a two-time All-Star (2019, 2022) and won a Silver Slugger Award (2022) during his time with the Mets.

He now joins a young A’s infield headlined by first baseman and 2025 American League Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz, All-Star shortstop Jacob Wilson and catcher Shea Langeliers.

Christmas is three days away, and you’re running out of time to get a gift for the Angels fan in your life. How about a Dodgers cap?

If ever a winter posed a loyalty test, this one could. The Dodgers spent $69 million on Edwin Díaz, the best closer available in free agency, and another $2 million in championship parade costs. The Angels spent $2 million on a closer who put up an 8.23 earned-run average last season.

Next year the Dodgers will try to become the first National League team to win three consecutive World Series. The Angels will try to end baseball's longest postseason drought at 11 years, still without much of a plan beyond rushing first-round draft picks to the major leagues while treading the financial waters until Anthony Rendon’s contract runs out.

On Sunday they missed out on Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami, who signed with the 102-loss Chicago White Sox. Of the Angels’ five acquisitions this winter, three did not play in the majors last season, and not because they are up-and-coming prospects.

Read more:Tyler Skaggs' family reaches a settlement with the Angels during deliberations in wrongful-death case

If you’re an Angels fan and you’re sick and tired of this, should you reconsider your loyalty?

Jim Bowden believes you should.

Bowden, formerly the general manager of the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals, serves as a baseball insider on several media platforms. On “Foul Territory” last week he suggested fans of small-market teams have an option that might be more constructive than getting angry.

In Pittsburgh, for instance, the owner would rather complain about the lack of a salary cap than spend enough money to build a winner around generational pitcher Paul Skenes.

“You don’t have to be a Pirate fan,” Bowden said. “You can retire as a Pirate fan, or trade yourself to the Dodgers.

“If you want to see your team win, right now the Dodgers have got the best chance to win a World Series again. As a fan, you can root for any team you want.

“You don’t have to root for the team in your home city. You can see the Dodgers play in your home city. They’ll come into Pittsburgh and beat you.

“If it bothers you that much, just become a Dodger fan. It’s fine.”

The Angels no longer operate as a large-market team, and their circumstances could get even more dire in the near future.

On Sunday, Sports Business Journal reported that the parent company of FanDuel Sports Network is in jeopardy of shutting down if it cannot complete a sale to streaming service DAZN. The Angels would not disappear from your screens and streams, but it likely would mean the Angels would take a big cut in local broadcast revenue for a second consecutive year.

The Dodgers’ bandwagon shows no sign of slowing. The Dodgers set a franchise attendance record last season. They offer stadium tours in English, Spanish and Japanese. They launched a fan club in Japan.

So, as a frustrated Angels fan, you could hop on that bandwagon. Or you could try another large-market team — say, the New York Mets.

Mets owner Steve Cohen is worth $23 billion, according to Forbes. When Cohen bought the Mets in 2020, he said this: “If I don’t win a World Series in the next three to five years — I’d like to make it sooner — I would consider that slightly disappointing.”

Read more:Shaikin: What the Dodgers are doing isn't normal in pro sports. Be sure to appreciate it

The Mets still have not won a World Series since 1986. On Friday he took to social media to criticize “the usual idiots misinterpreting a Post article on Mets payroll.”

On Sunday, given the Mets’ losses of Díaz and beloved slugger Pete Alonso in free agency, New York Post columnist Mike Vaccaro shot back, comparing Cohen to greatly unloved former owner Fred Wilpon in this adaptation of a Christmas carol: “Steve’s beginning to look a lot like Wilpon/Mets fans say ‘Hell, no!’/What’s the point in being so rich/And a ruthless sonofabitch/If you don’t spend dough?”

The concept of fan free agency — essentially what Bowden suggested — is not new. Every now and then some disgruntled fan will publicly disown his favorite team, then invite rival teams to suggest why he should support them. If you’re creative enough, rival teams will send you some free swag.

That level of desperation is what many Dodgers fans felt a decade and a half ago, when former owner Frank McCourt needed a loan to cover payroll, hired a Russian physicist who channeled positive energy toward the team and “diagnosed the disconnects” among baseball operations personnel, and disparaged as “un-American” the league’s refusal to approve a television contract that he said would have provided the revenue to keep the Dodgers out of bankruptcy court.

In 2011, the year McCourt took the team into bankruptcy, the Angels outdrew the Dodgers for the only time. The Dodgers fans did not bail on their team. They waited for better days.

That is where Angels fans are now — and, for that matter, where Pirates fans are too. Bowden’s suggestion that unhappy Pirates fans exhausted by the perennial futility try the Dodgers did not go over well in Pittsburgh. At the Pirates’ fan site Rum Bunter, Emma Lingan wrote: “Fandom isn’t a streaming subscription you cancel when the content gets bad.”

This year’s World Series was the best and most dramatic I ever covered. But the one that was the most fun was the 2002 World Series: the underdog Angels, the Disney team no one projected for a happy ending, rampaging through October and toppling giants. As The Times’ headline on the Game 7 victory put it: “Fantasyland!”

If you were there in 1982 and 1986, when the Angels had six chances to win one game to clinch their first World Series appearance — and lost all six — then you could have a greater appreciation of 2002. And, if you were there for McCourt bankruptcy, you can have a greater appreciation of Guggenheim majesty.

So get that Angels fan in your life an Angels cap. That fan will be able to wear that cap proudly one of these years, and all the tears will make the cap fit that much more snugly.

Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Red Sox acquire Willson Contreras in trade with Cardinals: Report originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow remains active on the trade market.

On Sunday, the Red Sox acquired first baseman Willson Contreras from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for right-hander Hunter Dobbins as well as minor-league righties Yhoiker Fajardo and Blake Aita, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.

Contreras, 33, will bring much-needed right-handed pop to the Red Sox lineup. The three-time All-Star slashed .257/.344/.447 with 20 home runs and 80 RBI in 135 games last season.

Defensively, Contreras should be a significant upgrade at first base. He ranked fourth among all players at the position last season with six Outs Above Average. Fellow Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas had -10 OAA in 2024, his lone full MLB season.

Contreras is signed through 2027 with $36.5 million remaining on his contract. He has a $17.5 million club option for the 2028 season that comes with a $5 million buyout.

Although he isn’t a threat to hit 40+ homers, Contreras is still a solid alternative for the Red Sox after they whiffed on signing free-agent slugger Pete Alonso. His swing is tailor-made for Fenway Park, and his defense blows both Casas’ and Alonso’s out of the water.

This was the Red Sox’ second trade with the Cardinals this offseason. In November, they acquired veteran right-hander Sonny Gray in exchange for righty Richard Fitts and left-handed pitching prospect Brandon Clarke.

Boston still has not made a big-league free-agent signing.

White Sox sign Japanese star Munetaka Murakami, multiple reports say originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Chicago White Sox have added another huge bat to their roster, reportedly inking Munetaka Murakami to a free agent deal.

According to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman and other reports, the White Sox will sign Murakami to a two-year deal worth $34 million.

According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, it is expected that Murakami will play first base for the White Sox.

The 25-year-old slugger last played for Yakult in the Japan Central League, hammering 24 home runs and driving in 52 RBI’s in an injury-hampered 2025 season. In his eight-year career, Murakami has 265 home runs and has stolen 76 bases in 1,003 games, slashing .273/.394/.550 in those contests.

His breakout year came in 2022 when he blasted 56 home runs and drove in 134 RBI’s, posting a stellar .458 on-base percentage and an OPS of 1.168, leading the Central League.

Needless to say, Murakami is a huge shot in the arm for a White Sox offense that will be extremely reliant on young hitting as it tries to move past back-to-back 100-loss seasons. Colston Montgomery figures to be key to that process, along with Kyle Teel and Brandon Montgomery, and the White Sox will hope to make big strides forward as they continue their rebuilding process with manager Will Venable at the helm.

Paul Blackburn is staying in New York after re-signing with the Yankees on Saturday night, per multiple reports.

The deal is for one year and reportedly worth $2 million guaranteed with incentives that could bring it up to $2.5 million.

Blackburn, 32, returns to the Bronx where he joined late last season after getting released by the Mets in August. 

The right-hander made eight regular season appearances in pinstripes and pitched to a 5.28 ERA in 15.1 innings. He also made New York's roster for the ALDS against the Toronto Blue Jays and pitched in Game 1 where he allowed four earned runs on six hits, including a home run, in 1.1 innings of relief.

After another season filled with injuries and disappointment in which he went 0-3 in seven games (four starts) with a 6.85 ERA, the Mets designated Blackburn for assignment on Aug. 16, two days before releasing him, ending his Mets tenure after he was traded from the Athletics at the trade deadline in 2024.

Blackburn has pitched mostly as a starter in his career, but he came out of the bullpen for the Yankees. In eight seasons with the A's, the right-hander went 21-26 with a 4.83 ERA in 81 games (77 starts).

Blackburn will receive an extra $100K if he exceeds each of 80, 90, 100, 110 and 120 innings pitched. His career-high is 111.1 IP which came in 2022 when he was named to his only All-Star team.

The Mets have outrighted Brandon Waddell to Triple-A after he went unclaimed off waivers.

New York brought Waddell back on a one-year major league deal this offseason and received a spot on the 40-man roster, but was DFA'd earlier this week to make room for C Drew Romo. 

Waddell will remain with the organization and figures to begin the year with Syracuse, but could come up and contribute in the big leagues if needed. 

The lefty pitched well in 11 outings with the Mets last season, putting together a 3.45 ERA in 31.1 innings.

It’s been a quiet offseason so far for the Yankees. 

With a number of openings still left to fill, it’s not a surprise to hear manager Aaron Boone tell reporters that the team is “probably not finished” at this point. 

“I know we have a really good team right now,” the skipper said. “We have a lot of really good players on our roster -- it’s probably not finished, there will be some tweaks up until spring training. 

“It takes more than just us to tango. It takes other clubs, obviously free agents and the opportunities they have in front of them -- however it lands, my expectation is we're going to be really good and that's how we'll prepare.”

New York certainly has a solid roster coming off a 94-win season, but the other AL East teams have already gotten stronger, with the Orioles and Blue Jays making big-time additions in free agency. 

The Yanks, meanwhile, have only added Rule 5 pick Cade Winquest to their big-league roster. 

They have been able to retain some pieces from last year, though -- bringing back Amed Rosario and Ryan Yarbrough on one-year deals, Trent Grisham on the qualifying offer, and having picked up Tim Hill's club option.

But they’ve also lost some key arms at the backend of their bullpen, with Devin Williams and Luke Weaver being the latest to leave for the Mets, and Ian Hamilton signing with Atlanta on Friday. 

New York does, however, remain in the mix for a potential reunion with Cody Bellinger. 

The sweet-swinging outfielder has been one of their top priorities all offseason long after a terrific first year in the Bronx that saw him pop 29 homers and drive in 98 runs. 

Boone said he doesn’t know how things are playing out behind the scenes between the two sides, but he plans on reaching out to Bellinger around the holidays. 

With or without him, New York will certainly need to bring in some bullpen help, and they are also looking to potentially make an addition to the rotation with numerous arms missing time to begin the season.