It's a return to Atlanta for Phillips, who was drafted by the Braves in 2015 and made his MLB debut for the club in 2018. The 32-year-old right-hander had been an integral part of the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen since arriving in 2021, posting a 2.36 ERA in 232 regular season games for Los Angeles.
Atlanta had the second-best bullpen ERA (3.44) in the National League in 2026 despite being without $45 million closer Robert Suarez for half the season. The addition of Phillips further solidifies the back end of the Braves bullpen with Dylan Lee and Dylan Dodd also in the mix for high-leverage innings ahead of Suarez.
Phillips has also made 17 postseason appearances for the Dodgers, without surrendering a single run. He picked up three holds and two wins in the team's 2024 World Series run, but missed the 2025 postseason after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He returned in July 2026 and pitched five games in this year's playoffs.
Raisel Iglesias, who saved 34 games for the Braves in 2026, is a free agent after spending five seasons with the club.
Evan Phillips contract details
Announcing the signing, the club said Phillips would be donating 1% of his salary to the Atlanta Braves Foundation.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 03: Evan Phillips #59 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches during the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves in game one of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on October 03, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Due to a bunch of issues with Twitter and other embeds, basically, the Braves are signing (and reuniting with, sorta) reliever Evan Phillips on a three-year deal worth $35 million. The deal pays Phillips $11 million in each of 2027 and 2028, and includes a $13 million salary in 2029.
The deal continues a tenure-long trend of giant spend on relievers for Alex Anthopoulos and company. Phillips was an elite-level reliever from 2024-2024 with the Dodgers, posting a combined 4.3 fWAR while making 60-plus appearances in each of those three seasons. Since then, he’s worn down a bit, making just seven appearances in 2025 and 31 in 2026 (along with five appearances this past postseason). He’s been waylaid by a series of injuries recently, including a rotator cuff strain in early 2025, followed forearm discomfort leading to Tommy John Surgery that saw him miss the rest of 2025 and much of 2026.
Phillips joins a bullpen that currently looks to be led by Robert Suarez, who had his own injury issues in 2026, and Dylan Lee. The Braves could still reunite with Raisel Iglesias, but Phillips gives them a fearsome threesome even if Iglesias is not re-added, which could grow to a quartet if a reunion ends up being in the cards. Dylan Dodd is also likely to carry a substantial relief load, while Didier Fuentes and Ray Kerr may or may not end up in the bullpen depending on how the offseason and Spring Training play out.
The move is a kinda-sorta reunion for Phillips and the Braves. Atlanta drafted him out of UNC Wilmington in the 17th round of the 2015 draft, and he made his MLB debut for the Braves in 2018. He was then traded in the Kevin Gausman deal, and was not a particularly effective reliever with the Orioles. After they cut him in 2021, he caught on with the Rays, but was claimed by the Dodgers, and then grew into his own in the 2021-2022 offseason.
For his career, Phillips has 280 relief appearances and one start, and has compiled 5.0 fWAR across 278 innings of work, with a 79 ERA-, 79 FIP-, and 86 xFIP-. That said, he hasn’t had an xFIP- in a single season above 86 since 2021, and has largely posted video game-ish numbers from 2022-onward.
The Dodgers have suffered their first big free-agent loss of the offseason.
Right-handed reliever and former closer Evan Phillips signed a three-year, $35 million deal with the Atlanta Braves on Thursday, bringing his six-year tenure in Los Angeles to a close.
Evan Phillips of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the 10th inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Sept. 27, 2026. Getty Images
Phillips, 32, was one of several longtime Dodgers relievers who hit the free agent market this offseason, along with Alex Vesia, Brusdar Graterol and Blake Treinen.
While he was a potential re-signing candidate for the club, he was also likely to end up elsewhere if he attracted a strong market.
And in the end, he got an even bigger deal than he was projected to receive from a Braves club trying to rebound from its National League Division Series elimination to the Dodgers in October.
Evan Phillips #59 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the NLCS at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. Getty Images
After originally joining the Dodgers as an unheralded waiver claim in 2021, Phillips blossomed as one of the club’s best relievers over the last half-decade.
From 2022 to 2024, he posted a 2.21 ERA with a team-high 44 saves. He played a key role on their 2024 World Series team, though he missed that year’s Fall Classic with a shoulder injury.
Phillips suffered another health setback in 2025, making only seven appearances before going down with an elbow injury that eventually required Tommy John surgery.
However, he returned during the second half of this season and — after some initially inconsistent performances — regained his typically dominant form down the stretch, posting a 2.33 ERA in his final 24 appearances while also hitting 100 mph with his fastball at one point.
That was enough for the Braves to make a significant investment in the nine-year MLB veteran and make him the first of what could be several fan-favorite departures this offseason.
Already this week, Vesia began attracting wide-ranging interest at MLB’s annual General Managers’ Meetings. According to a source, roughly half the league had checked in with the 30-year-old left-hander.
That signaled a likelihood that Vesia –– who was widely ranked as an even better free-agent target than Phillips this offseason –– would draw three-year contract offers of his own.
Now, Phillips’ deal almost feels like a starting place for him, which would raise the chances of Vesia winding up elsewhere too this winter; though, the Dodgers’ need to retain left-handed depth means they will maintain interest in him as the offseason progresses.
The Dodgers, of course, knew such a bullpen exodus could be a possibility this winter. Despite that, they still remain confident in the group they will return, which includes Edwin Díaz, Tanner Scott, Edgardo Henriquez and Brock Stewart, as well as a number of younger arms they were looking to give opportunities to.
They can also always pivot and make other relief additions, with general manager Brandon Gomes describing their approach to the bullpen market as “probably an opportunistic-type thing.”
Prior to Phillips’ signing, for example, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported that the club had checked in on veteran left-hander Tim Hill, as a soon-to-be 37-year-old who would likely be available on a shorter-term, more cost-effective deal.
Thus, Phillips’ departure won’t send off any alarm bells at Chavez Ravine. But it still represents an impactful loss, one that might not be the last the Dodgers suffer this offseason.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Evan Phillips #59 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the fifth inning in game four of the National League Championship Series at Dodger Stadium on October 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Evan Phillips and the Atlanta Braves have agreed to terms on a 3 year, $35 million deal, per reports.
Phillips, a righthanded reliever, was originally signed by the Braves in 2015 after being selected in the 15th round out of the University of North Carolina. He broke into the majors in 2018 with Atlanta, making 4 appearances with an 8+ ERA before being sent to the Baltimore Orioles at the deadline for Kevin Gausman and our old friend Darren O’Day. after a couple of years as a not very good up-and-down guy, Phillips was released by the Orioles and signed by the Rays for the 2021 season. He only had one major league appearance with the Rays before they waived him, and he was claimed by the Dodgers.
He was terrific for the Dodgers in 2022 and 2023, pretty good in 2024, and then missed of 2025 due to Tommy John surgery. After being non-tendered, he resigned with Los Angeles and put up a 3.46 ERA and 3.87 FIP in 26 innings over 31 games upon his return in 2026. In 221 innings over 232 games for L.A., he has put up a 2.36 ERA and a 2.90 FIP.
How does that compare to what the prognosticators prognosticated for him in his venture into the free agent market? Baseball America projected he would get less than $10 million guaranteed. The projections at Fangraphs from Ben Clemens said 2 years, $20 million, while the median crowdsource was 1 year, $6.8 million. Kiley McDaniel had Phillips in his “other free agents of note” category. MLB Trade Rumors had Phillips at 2 years, $24 million.
This is the first multi-year deal for a free agent of the offseason. I was going to say it was the first free agent signing of significance, but Emiliano Pagan and the Tigers agreed to a $11.5M one year deal yesterday, it was reported.
Yordan Alvarez of the Houston Astros and Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs were named the AL and NL Most Valuable Players on Thursday.
The 29-year-old Alvarez and 24-year-old Crow-Armstrong were the runaway winners, taking home the awards unanimously.
Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays and Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals finished behind Alvarez in the AL voting. Crow-Armstrong ended Shohei Ohtani’s streak of three straight MVPs, with the Los Angeles Dodgers star finishing second and Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Brice Turang in third.
This year marks a changing of the guard after years of dominance by Ohtani and Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees. They were the MVPs in both 2024 and 2025, and at least one of them had been an MVP every year from 2021-25. Both players battled injuries throughout this season, with Judge playing just 66 games and Ohtani hitting his fewest home runs (30) since 2020.
Alvarez, the 2019 Rookie of the Year, had a standout season to carry the Astros to the AL West title, despite going just 81-81. He set a career-high with 42 home runs and 106 RBIs, and he led MLB in walks (109), batting average (.316), on-base percentage (.432), slugging (.601) and OPS (1.033).
After battling injuries in 2025, Alvarez played 158 games in 2026 while making his fourth All-Star appearance (and second start at DH). He hit three grand slams in June alone, becoming the 11th player in MLB history to pull off that feat.
Alvarez previously finished third in MVP voting in 2022, and this is his third top-10 finish. He joins teammate Jose Altuve (2017) and Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell (1994) as just the third Astro to win the award.
Crow-Armstrong’s MVP campaign came in his third season, and his victory was emphatic. He led the NL in runs (119), home runs (45), slugging (.570), OPS (.943) and WAR (9.8) while playing all 162 games.
Los Angeles, CA - September 05: Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Alex Freeland (76) celebrates with teammate Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Tommy Edman (25) after Edman hit a home run during the seventh inning of an baseball game between the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
As the offseason continues, let’s talk a little bit about the Dodgers infield. Specifically, who’s on second base. Or perhaps What’s on second base, even if that might confuse Elizabeth Holmes.
Alex Freeland had the most starts (67) and defensive innings (579) at second base for the Dodgers in 2026, the bulk of that coming in the first two and a half months of the season when Tommy Edman was on the injured list following ankle surgery. Edman on the season finished second on the team in second base starts (42) and innings (386 1/3), and the now-retired Miguel Rojas made 36 starts with 302 1/3 innings at second base. All three were above average defensively at the position by both Defensive Runs Saved and Fielding Run Value.
The Dodgers were squarely in the middle of the pack among major league teams with 2.2 Wins Above Replacement at second base, ranked 15th as measured by FanGraphs. That value was mostly fueled by the defense, as Dodgers second baseman ranked 20th among 30 teams with an 89 wRC+ and 22nd in slugging percentage (.358), while 15th in both on-base percentage (.318) and batting average (.249).
Dodgers second basemen combined for nine home runs, 28th in baseball, ahead of only the Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals.
Rojas is now retired. The Dodgers just claimed utility player Christian Cairo off waivers and he could conceivably fill in at times at second base, once he makes his major league debut. The Dodgers still have Edman and Freeland, plus Hyeseong Kim, though Kim has yet to show he can hit major league pitching for extended periods of time.
For a team relatively with Hall of Famers locked into positions at designated hitter (Shohei Ohtani) and first base (Freddie Freeman), plus three starting outfielders in place and beloved veterans in the infield (Mookie Betts, Max Muncy) and catcher (Will Smith), second base stands out as perhaps the easiest path for the Dodgers to improve in 2027.
Which is to say second base could once again feature a number of players seeing time at the position. Today’s question is which player do you think will lead the Dodgers in games started at second base in 2027?
DENVER, CO - MAY 02: Tyler Freeman #2 of the Colorado Rockies greets teammates in the dugout prior to the game between the Atlanta Braves and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on Saturday, May 2, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Casey Paul/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Not quite the stove being lit… and also, not that Freeman. Sorry.
Former #Rockies UTL Tyler Freeman has reached a Minor League deal and non-roster invitation to Spring Training with the #Braves. Had back surgery in October but says he "feels great" and could be reay for game action by the end of March.
A veteran of parts of five major league seasons, including three with the team that drafted him (Cleveland) and his most recent two with the Rockies, Freeman hasn’t really found his footing yet. He’s played all over the diamond — every position other than pitcher and catcher so far in his career — but hasn’t really done anything on either side of the ball. He’s played both infield and outfield at a below-average rate, and his career batting line includes a .296 wOBA and .312 xwOBA. Put those together and he’s been worth -1.3 fWAR in 1,353 PAs, which really isn’t fun for anyone.
So, this is more a plug-and-play depth at Gwinnett move rather than anything else, but someone’s gotta play at Gwinnett and be around in case Luke Williams and Kyle Farmer aren’t, and it looks like the 28-year-old Freeman is a contender to fill that roster spot of dubious repute.
Profile-wise, you can kind of see why the Braves might want to work with Freeman, even if he isn’t expected to amount with anything. He has a ton of tools — he was fast earlier in his career, and has a huge throwing arm. He’s also very good at making contact, but it comes with a hyper-slap approach that prevents him from generating any power. He also, oddly, has some truly awful reactions and an inability to consistently make defensive plays, which is like the opposite of what you want from a utility guy. Maybe some of those things can be fixed.
In any case, he’s the Braves’ problem-and/or-thing-to-work-on now.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - MARCH 31: Jose Fernandez #11 of the Arizona Diamondbacks is dunked with gatorade following the MLB game against the Detroit Tigers at Chase Field on March 31, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated the Tigers 7-5. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Unlike last year, where Eugenio Suarez’s four-homer performance was an absolutely shoo-in, this category likely counts as wide-open. There is no “obvious” choice this season, and that probably makes it more fun, since there is consequently no wrong answer here. Thanks to BTBaseball, kilnborn and Bryce.dbacks for giving their thoughts in the nomination thread. That helped me narrow down a field of performance which, in the final analysis, are likely to end up enshrined in the Diamondbacks Hall of Quite Good, rather than anything else.
Still, all of these were thoroughly enjoyable to experience, and deserve to be appreciated. Interestingly, the final selection ended up pitching heavy, with an extra relief performance being chosen over an offensive one. And, without further ado…
3/31, Jose Fernandez: 3-for-4 with two home-runs in his debut
Never mind nine total bases, before Fernandez, only one D-back had as many as six bases in their first game. And it was 28 years ago: the franchise’s first ever game and Travis Lee. Fernandez almost matched that by the fourth inning. After legging out an infield single in the second, he cranked a solo home-run off Casey Mize in the fourth. In the bottom of the eighth, he added a three-run shot to complete the comeback for Arizona, who scored seven unanswered runs after falling 5-0 behind, Fernandez driving in four of them. Jose had a WP of +64.5%; no D-backs debutant position player previously had reached even 35%. It was the highest in the NL since Kyle Farmer for the Dodgers in July 2017.
5/15, Merrill Kelly: 9 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, in Coors
The Diamondbacks have had only one complete game thrown for them in the past three years. Of course, it would happen in Coors Field. Merrill became just the fourth Arizona starter to toss a complete game in Denver, in 243 attempts, and the first for almost 13 years. Randy Johnson didn’t. Nor did Curt Schilling or Brandon Webb. [Try and guess the other three – answers below] It’s a very special achievement. The only blot was a solo shot by Hunter Goodman, but that’s okay. He hit 41 HR. And besides, Kelly’s predecessors in complete games at Coors all allowed at least a run too. Heck, one allowed eleven hits in his complete game. Merrill? Four, and no walks. Top stuff in an utterly unforgiving environment.
7/28, Gerardo Carrillo: 2 IP in extras, 0 H, stranded both Manfred Men, +76.7% WP
That Win Probability added is the highest ever by an Arizona reliever, surpassing the +65.1% set by Anthony DeSclafani last year. In the National League, it’s also the highest by any reliever since 2020, and the 7th highest in the wild-card era, dating back to 1995. Oh, and did I mention that Gerardo did it in just his third appearance in the major-leagues? Coming to any inning with a runner on second and no outs is a situation where you are expected to fail. Doing so would have ended the game, because it was tied 7-7 in the bottom of the 11th. But Carrillo not only kept the game tied there, he came back out in the 12th as well, and did it again to secure a D-back victory. He needed just 17 pitches, and retired all six batters faced, three by strikeout.
The following night, E-Rod threw eight shutout innings against the Pirates – and, boy, was it needed. Arizona had used six relievers in Carrillo’s game, and available arms were thus extremely limited. Rodriguez had averaged barely five frames over his four previous outings in July, but really stepped it up on the night. A seven-pitch first inning set the tone for the night, Eduardo needing fewer than 15 pitches for five of the first six times up. Pittsburgh managed just two PA with a runner in scoring position all night, and Rodriguez faced four over the minimum, before handing the ball to Brandyn Garcia to close out the victory.
From 2013-25, the Diamondbacks didn’t have a single case of an immaculate inning – a frame where a pitcher throws nine pitches, all strikes and gets three K’s. This year, they had two. One by Michael Soroka in his debut for Arizona, and this outing by J-Mart. It only his eighth game back after missing fourteen months due to elbow surgery. You wouldn’t have known, six of the nine pitches being in triple digits, topping out at 102.6 mph. Pity the Tigers’ Evan Carter, who took an 89.2 mph splitter for a strike, then had to try and catch up with the next pitch at 102.5 mph. The Tigers swung at six pitches, with five whiffs and a foul. Arguably the most dominant frame in franchise history.
Here’s your poll – of course, you can explain your choice in the comments!
[The other three D-backs to throw a complete game in Coors: Omar Daal, 1999-05-22; Armando Reynoso, 2000-09-28; and Patrick Corbin, 2013-05-20]
Bill Bonham was another in a long line of similar pitchers in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s — a really hard-throwing right-hander who didn’t always know where the ball was going.
Three times he was drafted out of high school and junior college, and three times he didn’t sign. Then he went undrafted after his senior season at UCLA, and his SABR biography explains:
“I really didn’t have a great record with UCLA,” Bonham said. “Too, I think a lot of clubs thought I had a bad attitude.”
So the Cubs signed him as an undrafted free agent in June 1970 for $2,000. Even by inflationary standards that’s not a lot of money today — the equivalent of about $17,000.
As was the case for many in the Cubs system at the time, they didn’t have the infrastructure to develop good pitchers. So Bonham made 18 appearances in the Cubs system in 1970 and 1971, striking out 81 batters in 50 innings, and was deemed ready for the majors.
At age 22 in 1971, he posted a 4.65 ERA in 33 appearances, all but two in relief, with a high walk rate (13.2 percent), and started 1972 at Triple-A Wichita, where he struck out 116 in 125 innings. That was a really good K rate for the time, and in 1973 he was with the Cubs to stay.
Used mostly in relief early on, Bonham was pressed into the Cubs rotation in late July 1973, while the team was fading, and stabilized things, a bit, peaking with an 8.1-inning, three-hit, nine-strikeout performance against the Dodgers Aug. 17 at Wrigley Field.
The 3.02 ERA and six saves, along with a 19.3 percent K rate (very good for the time), got him 4.3 bWAR at age 24. With the team rebuilding after ‘73, Bonham was given a full slot in the Cubs rotation in 1974, basically second starter behind Rick Reuschel, and hopes were high.
If you ignore Bonham’s W/L record, his 1974 season was quite successful: 3.86 ERA, 191 strikeouts (sixth in the NL) and 3.2 bWAR. On a 96-loss team, though, a pitcher like that is likely going to lose more than he wins and Bonham wound up 11-22. He is the last Cubs pitcher to lose 20 or more games in a season. Of that, Bonham said (from the SABR bio):
“When I pitched badly I lost,” said Bonham, “and when I pitched good, I lost some of those games, too. For a while, it seemed it didn’t make any difference how I pitched. I didn’t get much in the way of results. It’s an unsuccessful thing to lose that many games and it makes you feel like a failure. It’s tough to digest 20 losses. But I try to look at the other aspects. I got a lot of innings in. I picked up a lot of experience.
“When you lose 22, you’ve got something wrong. I have to change something, but I don’t really know what it is. I’m going to have to keep working hard until I find the answer.”
It mostly wasn’t his fault. Bonham ranked 45th of 52 qualified starters in the NL in 1974 in run support at 3.3 per start. Of his 10 complete games, five were losses: two 1-0 losses, a 2-0 loss and two 2-1 losses.
Another note on Bonham’s 1974 season: In the first game of a doubleheader July 31 at Wrigley Field against the Expos, he became just the third pitcher in franchise history to strikeout four in an inning. The opposing pitcher, Mike Torrez, was the guy who reached base after striking out, on a passed ball.
Bonham’s ERA went up nearly a run in 1975, to 4.71, as the Cubs staff was torched for a league-high 827 runs, 133 of those charged to Bonham, and he gave up the most earned runs in the NL at 120. Things didn’t get any better in 1976, but in ‘77 Bonham started 34 times and posted a relatively high ERA, 4.36, but still had a 3.7 bWAR season.
All that did was get him traded to the Reds after 1977 for Woodie Fryman and Bill Caudill. Fryman, a veteran starter, was pretty awful and didn’t last even two months with the Cubs before being traded to the Expos for Jerry White. Caudill had a couple decent years in Chicago before he was sent to the Yankees as a PTBNL in the deal that brought Pat Tabler to the Cubs.
As for Bonham, he had a couple decent years in Cincinnati but was done after 1980 at age 31 due to elbow issues. He also had shoulder surgery after the 1980 season, and then was involved, along with his teammate Tom Hume, in an event that made national news:
A month after the surgery, Bonham, his wife, and Hume and his wife were staying at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, when the hotel was devastated by a fire.
The Bonhams and the Humes were in their rooms on the 24th floor when the fire broke out shortly after 7 A.M. After being awakened by shouts, “the Humes quickly aroused the Bonhams, who occupied an adjoining room, and the two couples headed for the fire exit stairway, aware they were 24 floors away from safety. As they descended, the smoke became denser. It became unbearable when they reached the 16th floor. All the guests who jammed the stairway then turned around and headed for the rooftop.”
About 1,000 people were rescued from the rooftop. The blaze, one of the worst hotel fires ever in the United States, claimed 85 lives, 75 from inhalation.
After his playing career, Bonham worked as a minor-league pitching instructor in the Astros organization for several seasons and later settled with his wife in southern California. He turned 78 in October.
Bill Bonham posted 14.6 bWAR in his seven seasons with the Cubs.
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 05: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees reacts during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays in game two of the American League Division Series at Tropicana Field on October 05, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees officially have their seventh AL Cy Young Award winner in franchise history! Cam Schlittler rightly claimed a clean sweep of the highest pitching award in the land, becoming the third Yankee after Ron Guidry in 1978 and Gerrit Cole in 2023 to win the award in unanimous fashion. He fended off fellow frontrunner Dylan Cease with a stretch of late season excellence to author the best pitching season in franchise history since Guidry’s extraterrestrial award-winning campaign, finishing the year 14-6 in 33 starts, with a 1.95 ERA (215 ERA+), 2.56 FIP, 0.92 WHIP, and 239 strikeouts in 193.2 innings, leading all AL starters with 6.2 fWAR and setting a single-season franchise record with 21 starts allowing one or fewer runs. After enduring a 22 year drought since Roger Clemens took home the prize in 2001, the Yankees have now claimed two of the last four AL Cy Young’s between Cole and now Schlittler.
With Schlittler’s meteoric rise from an obscure draft pick to unheralded prospect to playoff hero to now the best pitcher in the AL, I would like to offer a mea culpa of sorts. I am not ashamed to admit that I was wrong about the Yankees’ now-undisputed ace.
First, I’ll give myself a small bit of credit for identifying Schlittler as the team’s breakout pitcher during 2025 spring training. While certainly impressed by his high octane velocity that seemingly came out of nowhere, I had my reservations about the repeatability of his mechanics and the resulting lack of command I believed that conferred. I was sharply critical during his first six or so starts during the regular season in 2025 about what I perceived as him being a thrower rather than a pitcher, his imprecise command, and the erratic nature of his slider. I went back to the time period surrounding those half-dozen starts to pull a few of my own quotes evaluating his up-and-down performances that yielded a 3.94 ERA, 5.26 FIP, and 10.8-percent walk rate at the time:
“Cam Schlittler’s principal issue since being promoted to the big league rotation has been a complete lack of command over his secondary pitches.”
“For all the velocity he possesses, far too often Schlittler seemingly has no idea where the slider is going which effectively removes the pitch as a reasonable selection. No amount of velocity in the world will then save you once you become a fastball-only pitcher.”
“The command of the slider was an issue with too many staying elevated or in the heart of the zone. He actually reworked the pitch in the offseason, adding velocity at the expense of movement — he even said during the postgame that he now considers the pitch to be a cutter rather than a gyro slider as Statcast currently has it categorized. I’m not convinced the current version of the pitch can be a reliable swing-and-miss option and I’d like to see him expand the use of the sweeper in advantageous counts.”
“His cutter was a home run machine when he first came up owing to a propensity to miss middle-middle.”
Suffice to say I did not envision at that point that roughly 15 months later, Schlittler would be unanimously selected as the 2026 Cy Young winner. And all the credit goes to him for not only identifying the areas of his game that needed improvement, but actively seeking help from the Yankees pitching coaches and his veteran teammates in the rotation. It is said that Schlittler is among the most eager and proactive pitchers in the organization at pouring over the pitch metric data and high-speed video to find the subtle adjustments for fine-tuning grip, finger positioning, release, and arm path mechanics, squeezing every drop out of his physical gifts.
One of the first things I noticed this year was a simplifying of his delivery. In 2025, it seemed he relied too much on brute arm speed to supply velocity, the longer arm path and more maximum effort delivery robbing him of precise fastball command. In 2026, he learned to engage his lower half more, sinking his hips to draw more power from his leg drive. This allowed him to shorten his takeaway and turned his somewhat loopy arm path into a more compact stroke, which not only sharpened his command but gave him access to a few more ticks on the heater, allowing him to touch 101 mph. With a more repeatable delivery, Schlittler found he could live on the top shelf of the strike zone with relative ease.
Schlittler’s receptiveness to feedback is super impressive, especially for a young player with rapidly growing hype surrounding him. He sought out Cole before the season, and a conversation they had about reshaping his slider into a cutter and throwing it as hard as he could unlocked a new level for Schlittler. Thus, he was able to transform probably the weakest facet of his game — a slider with unpredictable command — into one of the best cutters in the game, which also boosted the effectiveness of his four-seamer and sinker given the way its movement diverged from that latter pair of pitches. Adding the cutter is what allowed him to excel while throwing a fastball variant 89.3-percent of the time.
What impressed me most — and another piece of overwhelming evidence that Schlittler is indeed a pitcher and not just a thrower — is his constant quest to find that next level. Not content to simply rest on the laurels of his three overpowering fastballs, Schlittler evolved his game in the second half of the season by developing a unicorn curveball that could play off his new-found mastery of the top of the zone. Facing a Red Sox team fully expecting him to go heavy fastball when they met in the AL Wild Card Series, Schlittler threw a career-high 32 curveballs to completely confound their gameplan. This ability to be a step ahead of the opposition to me is evidence of Schlittler’s dedication to his craft.
It absolutely delights me to say how wrong I was about Schlittler in his first taste of the bigs. More and more pitchers these days can touch triple digits with their fastball. It is the rare player like Schlittler who is never satisfied with his physical gifts, and this insatiable push to keep becoming a better version of himself is why this unanimous AL Cy Young might not be the last of his career.
Jurickson Profar went MIA at a time when he may have needed to do some explaining.
One of the Braves’ big offseason decisions is whether to keep the polarizing outfielder for the 2027 season for $15 million after missing the entire 2026 season due to his second ban for performance-enhancing drugs since signing a three-year, $42 million pact with Atlanta.
And Profar certainly did not help himself with his actions after receiving his year-long ban in spring training on the heels of his 80-game ban in 2025.
Atlanta Braves’ Jurickson Profar hits a bases-clearing double against the New York Mets during the fourth inning at Citi Field in New York, Aug. 13, 2025. Jason Szenes / New York Post
“Talking with people around the team, after Profar got suspended a second time for his PED violation, this dude like disappeared off the face of the earth,” Braves reporter Scott Coleman said on the “Hammer Territory” podcast last month. “Changed his cellphone number, nobody heard from him, players hadn’t heard from him is what I was told.”
Those reported tactics are perhaps a reason why veteran Braves reporter Mark Bowman recently wrote that “Profar certainly wouldn’t be welcome back in the clubhouse after betraying his teammates both of the past two seasons with performance-enhancing drug suspensions.”
These reports make it seem highly likely Profar won’t be back with the Braves in 2027, leaving them with sizable wasted money at a time when they are clearly a step below other NL contenders.
Atlanta signed Profar after a career year with the Padres in 2024 and he’s since provided just 80 games due to his suspensions.
Profar, 33, actually played well in 80 games in 2025 following the 80-game sanction, posting a .787 OPS, but did not play last year after receiving a 162-game ban.
Atlanta only had to pay him a prorated amount for those two years due to the suspensions, but he’s set to go for 2027 — if the Braves want him.
Alex Anthopoulos, president of baseball operations and general manager of the Atlanta Braves, speaks to media in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026. Getty Images
Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said the Braves don’t have to rush a decision.
“We realize it’s something we’re going to have to address,” Anthopoulos said, per MLB.com. “But we’d like to get through the winter and have a better handle on what the roster looks like and what’s going to happen between now and Spring Training with signings, role and all that stuff.”
Due to Profar’s actions and his salary, it’s hard to envision the Braves could find a trade partner.
“We haven’t come to any conclusions at all,” Anthopoulos said, according to MLB.com. “But look, it’s a topic. It’s something that’s going to need to be addressed at some point.
“The good news is it doesn’t have to be addressed today, because we have the offseason and the roster can change and things can change.”
Jazz Chisholm Jr. may have a golden opportunity to show the Yankees they potentially made a mistake in not re-signing him.
The free-agent infielder’s representatives met with Blue Jays officials at the GM meetings on Wednesday, according to Sportsnet.
Chisholm reportedly is open to being a versatile piece for his next team after primarily manning second base with the Yankees.
New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. reacts after fouling out against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, at Yankee Stadium in New York. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
The polarizing infielder staying in the AL East would provide some sizzle to the Yankees-Blue Jays rivalry.
Chisholm is an uber-talented player who can win games in a variety of ways, but his Yankees tenure came to be defined by his lack of focus at times, postseason struggles and coming nowhere close to the 50-homer, 50-steal goalhe ambitiously made public for the 2026 season.
He famously played defense while sucking on a Blow Pop in June, which irked manager Aaron Boone, and made an egregious error in the Yankees’ embarrassing display in the first inning of their Game 2 loss to the Rays in the ALDS that he later defended.
Chisholm posted a .773 OPS with the Yankees over two and a half seasons, he hit just .182 in October in pinstripes and was benched at critical times.
Chisholm drew the ire of manager Aaron Boone after taking a Blow Pop onto the field during a June game against the Tigers.
Anthony Volpe, who started at second base over Chisholm at times down the stretch and in the playoffs, could have the leg up at the position.
The Blue Jays are in search of offense after finishing in last in the AL East in 2026 following their World Series run in 2025, according to Sportsnet, and prefer outfield help but are being flexible.
Chisholm played outfield during his previous tenure with Miami and has shown he can play multiple positions, which can make him more attractive to teams in need of a bat.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 12: Seth Halvorsen #54 of the Colorado Rockies pitches against the Athletics during the fifth inning of a game at Las Vegas Ballpark on June 12, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to the 2026 edition of Ranking theRockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for theRockies in 2026. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. The “Ranking” is an organizing principle that’s drawn from Baseball Reference’s WAR (rWAR). It’s not something the staff debated. We’ll begin with the player with the lowest rWAR and end up with the player with the highest.
No. 22, Seth Halvorsen (0.3 rWAR)
Seth Halvorsen’s potential was always as high as his 100-plus-mph fastball velocity.
But that potential hit roadblocks in 2026 — most notably shoulder inflammation in his throwing arm, a lower strikeout rate and the highest ERA of his three-year MLB career — and that ended Halvorsen’s career with the Colorado Rockies.
Throughout the first half of 2026, Halvorsen — who the Rockies drafted in the seventh round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of the University of Tennessee — went back and forth between Triple-A Albuquerque and the Rockies. Through the end of June, Halvorsen ranked No. 7 in MLB with consistent heat, throwing 233 pitches at 100 mph or faster since the beginning of 2025. Outside of his four-seam fastball, Halvorsen uses a split-finger and splitter, which can lock up hitters.
On June 30, Halvorsen had a rough outing, giving up three runs on four hits with one walk in one inning against the Miami Marlins in what would be his final outing in purple. By July 4, Halvorsen was placed on the 15-day IL, retroactive to July 1, with right shoulder inflammation. The 26-year-old was sent on a rehab assignment with the Isotopes on July 19. That same day, he threw one scoreless inning despite surrendering two hits against the Sacramento River Cats.
Halvorsen ended his last season as a Rockie with 21 appearances (19 innings), posting a 4.74 ERA with two holds, 17 strikeouts and 15 walks with a 1.95 WHIP. In 16 games with the Isotopes, he was impressive, recording a 2.04 ERA with 24 strikeouts and only seven walks in 17.2 innings.
He followed a similar pattern with the Dodgers — showing promise in Triple-A, but struggling with command in the big leagues. In bouncing between the Oklahoma City Comets and Dodgers, Halvorsen never surrendered a run in 9.2 innings, while striking out 13 and only walking four for the Comets. For L.A., Halvorsen only threw 11 innings over 10 appearances because he posted an 8.10 ERA. Three homers didn’t help, significantly contributing to his nine earned runs.
Halvorsen combined to make 32 appearances in 2026 between the Dodgers and Rockies. He finished with his worst season with a 5.80 ERA and a 16.3% strikeout rate, way down from 28.3% in his short rookie campaign in 2024. His 100-mph four-seamer average from 2025 was reduced to 98.9 mph in 2026, even though he threw 114 fewer MLB pitches (636 in 2025 vs. 522 in 2026).
Halvorsen seemed like the type of pitcher the Rockies could really use in their bullpen, bringing heat and shutdown velocity. That promise didn’t come to fruition and the Rockies ended up getting Frasso to try to have that impact in the bullpen.
As Purple Row reported at the time of the trade, Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta told media, “I think Seth is going to be a really good major league reliever. He’s already had some major league success. It’s obviously a huge fastball, and I think he’s got the right mentality to pitch late in games. So again, it wasn’t something we were anxious to do, but in this case, we were presented with an opportunity where we get a player back that we think can actually fill a similar role to what we envisioned for Seth going forward.”
Frasso, a 28-year-old fourth-round pick by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2020 MLB Draft, didn’t fare much better. Frasso made his MLB debut on Aug. 4 and made 20 appearances. In 21.2 innings, he gave up 25 hits and 14 earned runs with 22 strikeouts and seven walks.
Both pitchers still have sky-high potential. If the Dodgers are able to help Halvorsen reach his, it won’t be the first time a former Rockies pitcher finds his way with L.A. With Frasso still in need of some work, and Vidourek struggling in his short time with the Low-A Fresno Grizzlies, time will tell whether the Dodgers or Rockies will win the Halvorsen trade.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 26: Jake Irvin #27 of the Washington Nationals watches A.J. Ewing #9 of the New York Mets three run home run in the seventh inning during a baseball game at Nationals Park on September 26, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This morning, Spencer Nusbaum wrote about the state of the Nationals pitching staff entering 2027, and there was one thing that stood out. He said that Paul Toboni indicated Jake Irvin had “put himself in good position to compete for a rotation spot”. Given the way Irvin has pitched for the past 2.5 seasons, I find that to be discouraging.
Also in The Athletic this AM: Rumblings on the Nats’ plans to improve their pitching next year, including details on an analytics department that they are becoming more confident in by the day: https://t.co/4wszWRh3kG
Back in 2024, Jake Irvin had a solid season, carried by a great first half. He posted a 4.41 ERA in 187.2 innings with 2 fWAR. Those are solid back of the rotation numbers. However, things have fallen apart since then. In 2025, he posted a 5.70 ERA and this season he had a 5.48 earned run average. With lower velocity and home run struggles, things have not been pretty for Irvin.
Given how bad things have been, I would be quite pessimistic about giving Irvin yet another year in the rotation. We have a very long sample size of Irvin not being effective now. Since the All-Star break of 2024, Jake Irvin has posted a 5.68 ERA in 358.1 innings. I get that the Nats trust their player development team, but running it back with Irvin in the rotation does not make much sense.
In some ways, I get why people would like Irvin. He is a big, strong right hander who generates a ton of extension and throws from a low arm slot. By all accounts, he is a great guy and hard worker as well. I actually think he could have success in the bullpen because of the fact he has shown the ability to sit in the mid-90’s for short bursts.
Lost in my coverage of Sunday's games was a very encouraging performance by Jake Irvin. Starting with a drastically lower arm slot, Irvin's fastball sustained its ride to push it to a plus offering. He also altered his slider to give it more loft. He is a name to follow! pic.twitter.com/RsOKuVQgmn
A big reason why the Nats seem to have faith in Irvin is because they believe that with the right development, he can sit at 95 MPH deep into starts. That is what Nusbaum wrote in his piece. However, I am not as convinced about this. Velocity fluctuation has been a problem for years now with Irvin. Will the light just suddenly come on for a pitcher who is about to turn 30 years old?
That is what the team seems to hope for. Right now, he is working in West Palm Beach trying to increase that velocity. I will have to see it to believe it though because Irvin has been trying to solve this velocity problem for years now. In my opinion, the best way to solve that issue is to move him to the bullpen and just let him rip.
We have a multi-year sample of Jake Irvin being an ineffective starting pitcher. Not many guys get a third opportunity after back to back seasons with an ERA over 5.45. I am pretty confused about why things should be different for Irvin.
From 2005-20, the Nationals had only 1 pitcher with 100 IP and an ERA over 5.50 (Ramon Ortiz in 2006).
Since 2021, they've had 9: Patrick Corbin (2021-22, 2024) Erick Fedde (2022) Trevor Williams (2023) Mitchell Parker (2025) Miles Mikolas (2026) Jake Irvin (2025-26)
If a pitcher goes down and you have to find someone to fill in, Irvin can do that. However, rolling into 2027 with Irvin in the starting five is just asking for trouble. Apparently, the Nats are likely to hold on to CJ Abrams, at least partially due to the fact they want to compete in 2027. Jake Irvin being in the rotation does not line up with that idea.
I really like Jake Irvin as a person, and his fastball-curveball combination can be money when he is on point. However, we have given him plenty of chances and things have not worked out. After winning 11 more games than last year, can the Lerner’s finally invest in this team and help this pitching staff.
Even if the budget is limited, I would want Paul Toboni to get creative and find different ways to fill out the rotation. Whether that is trading Dylan Crews for pitching or taking some higher risk fliers, those would be better than running it back with Irvin.
After last season, the expectations have been raised. We know this offense will at least be solid, especially with Abrams coming back. Now there needs to be some investment in the pitching staff. While player development is part of the equation, we need more talented arms to come into the fold.
I am not asking Lerner and Toboni to go out and get Tarik Skubal here. Just show the fans you are serious about winning and building a competent pitching staff. If the goal is to push for a Wild Card spot in 2027, the Nats have to aggressively look to upgrade the pitching staff with outside additions.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 04: Michael King #34 of the San Diego Padres delivers the pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning in game two of the National League Division Series at American Family Field on October 04, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We have been doing this for a few years now: looking at the top free agents, using the contract Ben Clemens suggests he’ll get, and asking whether you would like the Jays to give him that contract. This year, the lockout makes it a little more complicated. Keith Law’s list is here. Ben Clemens’ is here.
Number 4 on Ben Clemens list and number 10 on Keith Law’s is Michael King.
King declined a $28 million option for 2027, taking a $5 million buyout instead.
He had a nice 2026, with a 3.21 ERA in 32 starts, with a 12-10 and a 4.3 bWAR (you don’t opt out of $28 million if you had a bad season). I bet you are thinking of checking your employment contract to see how much you would be paid if you quit.
King has been in the majors for eight seasons (well, one of those seasons totalled 2 innings), five with the Yankees, the last three with the Padres. In the last three years, he has a 3.15 ERA in 78 games, 77 starts with a 9.5 bWAR.
Among the things Law said:
He’s still a sinker/changeup guy, although in the last two months or so of the season he ramped up the use of a different slider, generating a 20 percent whiff rate on the pitch. It’s shorter, with more tilt to it and less vertical break, and having a better breaking-ball offering than his sweeper may actually mean he has a chance to be better in 2027 and beyond. I wrote last winter that the 2023-24 version of King was a $25 million a year pitcher. The Padres gave him that, and he delivered that and more. He’s a $30 million a year pitcher now, at least, and should get three years again at a higher AAV.
Ben:
Like Trevor Rogers ahead of him and Freddy Peralta behind him, King has a few blemishes that suitors will have to weigh against his bona fides. He posted career worsts in a number of process statistics this year – lowest swinging strike rate, lowest strikeout rate, highest walk rate, highest xFIP, xERA, and SIERA. He withstood those headwinds thanks to a low BABIP and a high left on base percentage, but you probably shouldn’t count on that happening to the same extent again. That would make King more of a nice starter than an elite one, which is roughly what the projections say too. I rounded up from there because I value King’s steady presence and flexibility, and because the Padres under A.J. Preller have never been averse to paying up a bit to retain their own guys.
Ben figures he’ll get $25 million a year for four years, $100 million total, making it a little weird that he would turn down $28 million for next year, but let’s go with it anyway.
If your answer depends on whether he can shower enough to get rid of the Yankees smell, you are my kind of people.
