Don Mattingly is not a meteorologist, but he knows how to read the wind. He knows it was blowing in the direction of Alex Cora, knows that Cora was Dave Dombrowski’s guy, knows that he would not have received a two-year contract to manage the Phillies if Cora had interest in getting back in the game.
Mattingly, in the words of J.T. Realmuto, “turned our season around,” when he took over the 2026 Phillies as interim manager in late April. The team posted a 79-55 record under him, fourth-best in the majors from that point until the end of the season, and tied a franchise record by making the playoffs for a fifth straight year.
And, yet, Mattingly had to wait until Dombrowski felt out Cora and touched base with a couple of other potential candidates, before being named skipper last week.
Some baseball men, especially those of Mattingly’s accomplishment in the game, might not have handled Dombrowski’s tack well. They might have attached an ice pack to their bruised feelings, cued up Johnny Paycheck’s famous song from 1977, and moved on.
But Mattingly didn’t.
“I never felt slighted,” he said as his new deal became official last week. “I want what’s best for the Phillies. If Dave thought that was moving forward (with Cora), then I was going to be good with that. I don’t have an ego that says I have to be whatever. I just don’t need it. So, I’m thrilled to be back and honored that they have faith in me to do the job.”
It’s not difficult to believe Mattingly when he says he wants what’s best for the Phillies. His son, Preston, works under Dombrowski as the team’s general manager. What dad doesn’t want what’s best for his son? Don Mattingly managed the Phillies for just over five months in 2026. In that time, he was never anything but humble and sincere. When the man says he wasn’t slighted, you believe him. He has experience in being underestimated and has handled it well.
“You know, I was a 19th round pick,” he said. “I got passed over by a lot of guys before they drafted me, so there were a lot of players I was behind.”
Mattingly was a standout high school baseball and basketball player back home in Evansville, Indiana. He was ticketed to play both sports at Indiana State before the New York Yankees made him the 493rd selection in the 1979 draft. Pretty good pick, those Yankees made. Mattingly went on to win an American League MVP award and a batting title. He made six All-Star teams and won nine Gold Gloves. He earned the kind of nickname – Donnie Baseball – that they only give the great ones. He is one of the all-time beloved Yankees, a little like Chase Utley is in the 215 area code. His No. 23 is retired by the club. He’s received strong consideration for the Hall of Fame in recent Contemporary Era elections (he received eight and six votes, respectively, of a necessary 12 in the last two) and still might get there.
All in all, not bad for a 493rd pick.
“You just have to keep going and show them what you can do,” Mattingly said. “To me, it’s stay humble, keep working and worry about winning games.
“I have a lot of confidence in myself. I don’t talk like that. But inside, I’m confident in the way I go about my business. I’m probably not always perfect, but I’m pretty confident.”
Mattingly, 65, previously managed in Los Angeles with the Dodgers and in Miami. The 2027 season will be his 14th as a big-league skipper.
Prior to joining the Phillies as bench coach last winter, Mattingly was bench coach for three seasons in Toronto. He considered retiring after Toronto, but was talked into joining the Phillies by Dombrowski. At the time he was hired as Phillies bench coach, Mattingly said he was done managing, that he had no desire to do it again. He took over the role on an interim basis at Dombrowski’s request after Rob Thomson was let go in April. In time, his desire to manage again was rekindled.
“I’m excited about being in Philly,” he said. “I think it’s what made me want to manage again. I enjoy the environment. It’s kind of how I grew up playing professionally. I’ve been other places, but this feels more like my personality. What I feel inside, the fans, the fanbase, is more of what I feel about playing and how you should go about it.
“It’s not a cupcake environment. It’s an environment with a lot of expectations and a desire to know what’s going on. Why did you do this? Why did you do that? And I appreciate all of that.”
Though Mattingly experienced regular-season success in 2026, he said it never felt as if the team was fully his.
It will be in 2027, once there’s labor peace between the owners and the players.
He’d like to see the Phillies “play faster,” with players like Trea Turner and Justin Crawford looking to steal more bases. He will emphasize defense. That’s already a big offseason talking point with Dombrowski demanding better defense at shortstop from Turner – or else.
“There are things I want to do differently,” Mattingly said. “It’s hard to score in today’s game. So, defense is a premium. It’s an area I would really like to push.”
With Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter “our starting pitching is as good as anyone in baseball,” Mattingly said. “So, we need to catch the ball, limit extra outs, play a game where we get as much as we possibly can out of our pitching.”
Mattingly will be part of organizational meetings this week as Dombrowski and his top lieutenants put together a plan to get the Phillies back to the postseason for a sixth straight year in 2027. Left unsaid is the team needs to last longer than one round in 2027. The goal remains simple: World Series or bust. Mattingly has never won one – as a player or a manager – and the desire to do so lives deep in his soul.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MAY 9: General Manager Ben Cherington of the Pittsburgh Pirates looks on during batting practice before the game against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park on May 9, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates made a big trade last offseason with the Houston Astros that landed them second baseman Brandon Lowe, outfielder Jake Mangum, and left-handed pitcher Mason Montgomery. All three players made significant contributions for the Pirates in 2026, so it might be in their best interest to make another deal with the team from Space City.
Bleacher Report writer Kerry Miller suggests the trade that would send Astros third baseman Isaac Paredes to the Pirates.
“Brandon Lowe’s one season with Pittsburgh was everything the Pirates could have asked for, playing in 150 games and hitting 35 home runs. Now he’s a free agent, though, and it’s back to the drawing board with several spots in the lineup that could use an infusion of offense. Third base, in particular, is looking bleak, and we’ve previously mentioned that Houston is probably going to be willing to move one of its infielders. And, come on, “Pittsburgh Paredes” is right there as an awesome nickname,“ Miller wrote.
While Paredes has primarily played third base in his first two years with the Astros, he also has experience playing second base. That is where the team might need some reinforcements if Lowe were to walk in free agency.
The Astros have a surplus of infielders, with Carlos Correa re-entering the fold after an original trade brought him back to Houston in 2025, when Paredes went down with a long-term injury.
It’s a trade that could make sense for both sides if there was interest, so Pittsburgh should at least give Houston another call this offseason.
BD community, how do you feel about the possibility of trading for Paredes? Let us know in the comment section below.
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 07: Anthony Volpe #11 of the New York Yankees looks on during Game Three of the American League Division Series presented by Booking.com between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, October 7, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: The Yankees have a decision to make regarding second base: stick with Anthony Volpe, or explore other options on the free agent and trade markets. Whatever ends up happening, Aaron Judge seems to have Volpe’s back. Following the Yankees’ ALDS Game 3 loss to the Rays, Judge had this to say about the embattled shortstop: “If we were going to win a World Series, we needed Anthony Volpe on the team.” I don’t know if I share that level of confidence, but Volpe did have a nice bounceback from a down 2025, accumulating 1.4 fWAR in just 70 games thanks to much improved defensive numbers. His bat, though, remains uninspiring, unless you believe his offensive resurgence since being called up from Triple-A in September was genuine. (I don’t.)
NJ.com | Randy Miller: Speaking of decisions, earlier in the week, the Yankees elected to retain Aaron Boone as their manager for the 2027 season — though he will not be getting an extension and will just manage the final year of his contract before the Yankees make any decisions on his future. Miller asked four anonymous baseball insiders about their opinion on whether the Yankees should have opted for change. While their conclusions vary, all sources touch on similar, familiar talking points: Boone being too much of a “player’s manager,” questions about clubhouse culture, shaky fundamentals, and concerns about now-free agent Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s behavior. Is it going to be more of the same from Boone and the Yankees in 2027, or will they opt for a more proactive approach in dealing with these issues? I’m leaning towards the former, but we shall see.
The Athletic | Chris Kirschner: Finally, Kirschner offers a useful, plainly laid out overview of the Yankees’ payroll situation for 2027 and the years beyond. While the team has often stated keeping payroll below $300 million as a goal, they currently have more than $200 million in guaranteed money for next year tied up in just seven players – Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole, Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Rodón, Ryan McMahon, and Max Fried. Of those seven, McMahon and Stanton stand out in terms of the paucity of value they bring to the team. As such, their future with the team is uncertain.
Lastly, the Yankees’ two best players from 2026 were in attendance last night as the Knicks raised their first championship banner in 53 years at Madison Square Garden. Cam Schlittler and Ben Rice are about as popular a pair of Yankees ambassadors as you’re going to find at this moment in time, so good move!
The best team in the National League and the best team in the American League have advanced to the World Series, which nonetheless qualifies as a stunner considering those teams’ identities.
Welcome to the Brewers-Rays World Series, in which, regardless of the result, an organization that scrimps on roster payroll and prides itself on outthinking its opponents will win its first championship.
Milwaukee has only played in one other Fall Classic — way back in 1982, 44 years ago — and Tampa Bay lost in 2020 and 2008.
Finally the brains, more so than the brawn, of one of the clubs will pay off in a matchup that begins Friday in Wisconsin. If this battle of technically sound and remarkably athletic players supported by brilliant baseball minds does not excite masses who wanted Goliaths such as the Yankees and Dodgers, maybe savor the game at its best while it is being played.
Which brings us to another storyline of the 122nd World Series …
This is poorly timed for the owners ahead of an expected lockout
The league’s billionaires soon will shutter the sport to argue that significant steps — namely, a salary cap — must be taken to achieve better competitive balance. Because how could a team like the Rays — with the 28th-highest payroll, according to Spotrac — and the Brewers — No. 19 — compete with the Yankees and Dodgers?
So yes, the owners’ case would have more greatly resonated if the annual winter winners became the October winners, perhaps with the Dodgers three-peating.
But to get this far, the Rays and Brewers acted differently than the bigger-market behemoths who more freely throw money at free agents. Each market and each owner operates distinctly in a system with a soft salary cap and no salary floor, and money spent is an inarguable advantage.
It is not just that they act differently, but …
Both teams play differently
They score differently than most. The Rays led the majors in singles, and the Brewers were second.
The Rays swing differently. They excel in putting bat on ball, best in the majors in strikeout rate and tops in bunts — for hits and sacrifices — laid down.
The Brewers swing differently. They are not as contact-driven but delight traditionalists in other ways, notably by using the opposite field more than anyone. They find gaps, take their walks, advance runners and figured out ways to score the second-most runs in baseball while hitting the second-fewest home runs in baseball.
Milwaukee starter Jacob Misiorowski is one of the stars in this Brewers-Rays World Series. Getty Images
Both teams run differently, the Rays with the slight edge in steals (second best vs. fifth best) but the Brewers overall faster (the fastest team in MLB, according to Statcast’s Sprint Speed).
They defend differently, both largely excellent with the gloves. The Rays outfield is particularly strong, and the Brewers’ all-around defense has vacuumed up ball after ball, helping their pitchers with a .229 Batting Average on Balls in Play in the postseason.
They pitch differently, the Brewers’ high-powered bullpen the best in October while the Rays rotation has led the way.
Both are cohesive, well-meshed teams that nonetheless feature …
Standouts whose stardoms are about to grow
It is not an exaggeration to say Jacob Misiorowski is the hardest-throwing starting pitcher in baseball history. At a time when velocity is king, the crown belongs to a wiry, 6-foot-7, 24-year-old with a boyish face, a love of Pokémon and a Cy Young Award in his future. The Mets staff threw nine regular-season pitches of at least 100 mph this season; “The Miz” threw 1,115.
Behind him, 22-year-old Jackson Chourio, having a quiet postseason, has the ability to instantly become a household name. As does Brice Turang, who is no longer among baseball’s most underrated stars.
On the Rays side, Junior Caminero — who, growing up in the Dominican Republic, successfully lobbied to name his little brother “Girardi” after the then-Yankees manager — announced himself in the ALCS-clinching victory with a shot off the left field foul pole, some chest-beating and a detour-filled slow trot around the bases. A 23-year-old MVP candidate for this year and a threat for years to come, Caminero has the talent to become one of the faces of the game.
And one the ALCS-losing Guardians will forever regret trading. Speaking of which …
Trade payback
In all likelihood, the Rays will turn to Drew Rasmussen and Freddy Peralta in Games 1 and 2 on normal rest. If they get shut down, the Brewers would have only themselves to blame.
Rasmussen, an oft-injured but promising prospect, debuted for the Brewers in 2020 and was traded to the Rays the next year in the Willy Adames swap that looked lopsided until it wasn’t. Finally healthy, Rasmussen has a combined 2.71 ERA in 61 starts the past two years.
Drew Rasmussen, who shut down the Yankees and Guardians, likely will start in Game 1 of the World Series for the Rays. Aaron Josefczyk/UPI/Shutterstock
The Peralta saga is more familiar locally, another walk-year Brewers player dealt before free agency, this time to the Mets. Peralta struggled, could not be fixed in Queens and was sent to the pitching-fixers in St. Petersburg, who have unlocked the ALCS MVP.
Speaking of recognizable faces, there are plenty of …
Local connections
For the Brewers, Gary Sánchez and Jake Bauers will be familiar to Yankees fans, and Trevor Megill is the brother of the Mets’ Tylor.
For the Rays, there is Peralta plus Steven Matz, short-time Mets Cedric Mullins and Cole Sulser and former top Yankees prospect Jorge Mateo.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 06: Michael King #34 of the San Diego Padres pitches in the eighth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in game three of the National League Division Series at Petco Park on October 06, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We’re open for business here at BCB After Dark: the coolest club for night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come on in out of the fall chill. There’s no cover charge. We always have room for a friendly face. We have a few tables available. The hostess can seat you now. Bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last night, I asked you who you were cheering for in the upcoming World Series. The vote wasn’t as lopsided as I thought it would be, as “only” 63 percent of you said you were cheering for the Rays. For the other 37 percent, I guess you have your reasons.
On Tuesdays, I don’t normally do any movie stuff. But I always have time for jazz and you’re free to join us.
Tonight we’re featuring Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox playing Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” as a 1930s Cab Calloway-style jazz tune. And yes, that’s Wayne Brady on lead vocals.
OK, I’m cheating a little bit. The first name that Mooney and Sharma mention is Tarik Skubal, and if I put him in the poll he’d probably get at least 90 percent of the vote. But as Mooney and Sharma mention, signing Skubal would force owner Tom Ricketts to go way outside of his comfort zone as far as it comes to signing free agents. I’m not saying that there is no chance the Cubs sign Skubal. I do think there’s a chance that Ricketts and Hoyer decide to roll the dice on Skubal. But I don’t think it’s a big chance. Small chance. Really small chance. But I am saying there’s a chance. But not enough of a chance to include him here.
The other three starting pitchers mentioned by the pair are much more likely options for the Cubs. The three of them are:
Right-hander Michael King: King isn’t technically a free agent yet, but he has an opt-out clause that everyone is expecting him to exercise. As Mooney and Sharma note, the Cubs were interested in King last year, but didn’t want to match the Padres’ offer. For one, it would have cost the Cubs a draft pick as he had received a qualifying offer. Second, the deal for three years and $75 million with two opt outs meant that the Cubs would have been taking on all the risk and potentially getting only one year out of King.
But King had a good year in 2026, including shutting the Cubs down in the postseason, which you probably remember. The 31-year-old King went 12-10 with a strong 3.21 ERA over 185 innings this past season. He also kept the ball on the ground, which is good with the Cubs infield. The one warning sign is that King’s strikeout rate this past year dropped to a career-low 21 pecent in 2026.
Right-hander Freddy Peralta: The Cubs have been linked to Peralta for a while, mostly because of the long history between him and manager Craig Counsell in Milwaukee. With free agency approaching, the Brewers dealt Peralta to the Mets last winter and until the trade deadline in August, he was pretty freaking bad in Queens with a 4.99 ERA. Some of that was the Mets poor defense. Some of that was just Peralta being bad.
But Peralta was traded to the Rays at the deadline and after a disastrous start in Colorado when he got rocked for seven runs, Perlata was mostly pretty good for the Rays. He seemed to have rediscovered his old form from Milwaukee. In ten regular season starts with the Rays, Peralta had a 3.25 ERA. Then, of course, he dominated in the playoffs and was just named the American League Championship Series MVP last night after two terrific games against Cleveland. As Mooney and Sharma point out, Peralta’s velocity took a big step up during the playoffs, potentially indicating that his problems with the Mets are behind him.
The one potential yellow flag to Peralta’s time with Tampa Bay is that, like King, his strikeout rate dropped, striking out just 19.7 percent of batters. On the other hand, his walk rate dropped too.
Right-hander Sonny Gray: At 36, Gray is easily the oldest of the three pitchers we’re looking at tonight. But he really isn’t slowing down much at all. Gray had one of the best seasons of his career in 2026 and he led the league with 18 wins. Gray also had a 2.72 ERA, which was his lowest since his abbreviated rookie season in 2013.
Gray is also a strong ground ball pitcher, getting 46 percent ground balls last season and 49.4 percent over the course of his career. Gray also doesn’t walk batters, which allowed him to go deeper into games even as he ages. In 22 of his 29 starts last year, Gray went at least six innings. In six starts, he went seven innings or more.
The other advantage with Gray is that with his age, he’d probably be willing to settle for a much shorter contract of one or two years. That would mean a lot less risk if things go bad.
Mooney and Sharma mention the players and coaches on the Cubs with Vanderbilt connections, that might entice the Commodore alum. But I also wanted to mention that the Cubs drafted Gray out of high school in 2008 in the 27th round. Admittedly, Gray was a strong commit to Vandy and that draft pick was a kind of “Hey, if you change your mind. . .” pick, but the point is that the Cubs interest in Gray goes all the way back to the Jim Hendry era.
So which of these three pitchers would be the best fit for the Cubs in 2027?
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DENVER, COLORADO - JULY 22: A detailed look at the jersey of Kyle Karros of the Colorado Rockies during a game against the Washington Nationals at Coors Field on July 22, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Kyle Cooper/Colorado Rockies/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Since there’s no baseball until Friday, it seemed like a good time to bring back a Purple Row After Dark discussion.
I took this idea from a Denver Nuggets Instagram post I stumbled onto, and I thought it would be worth pursing here.
The Mets’ search for instructional help in the hitting department includes a coach with ties to president of baseball operations David Stearns from the Astros.
John Mallee, who has spent the past three seasons as Cubs assistant hitting coach, is among the candidates to join the Mets staff, MLB.com first reported Tuesday.
Mallee spent 2013-14 as Astros hitting coach, overlapping with Stearns’ stint in Houston’s front office.
John Mallee, who has been an assistant hitting coach for the Cubs the past three season, is on the Mets’ radar for a job in their organization. Getty Images
Mallee, in his first stint in Chicago, was hitting coach when the Cubs won the World Series in 2016.
He later was Phillies hitting coach and Angels assistant hitting coach before rejoining the Cubs.
The Mets have a vacancy after director of major league hitting Jeff Albert was fired last week.
Long has a relationship with Juan Soto from their time together in Washington, which included a World Series title in 2019. Long was fired last week by the Phillies.
Dax Kilby’s tremendous start with the Yankees organization came to a screeching halt this season, as he was limited to just 32 minor league games due to multiple hamstring injuries.
Kilby has been able to remain on the field thus far in Arizona Fall League action, though, and he’s back showing exactly why he’s the top-ranked prospect in New York’s system.
The 19-year-old former first-round pick out of Newnan High School made some changes to his swing in an effort to cut down his ground ball rate, and those appear to be paying off early on.
Kilby reached base safely two more times during Tuesday’s exhibition meeting.
He opened the scoring for the Salt River Rafters right out of the gate, crushing the fourth pitch of the game 107.1 mph to deep right-center for his second homer during Fall League play.
Dax leads it off with a solo jack!
The @Yankees No. 1 prospect hammers his second homer of the Fall 107.1MPH off the bat. Kilby is batting .313 this Fall https://t.co/UMY4rctmUQ
The youngster was retired each of his next three times to the plate, but he ripped an RBI double to center in the top of the ninth, evening things up at 10 runs apiece.
Kilby finished the day 2-for-5 with a pair of RBIs, bringing his average up to .306 and giving him a Fall League-leading nine extra-base hits through his first nine games.
He’s also swiped a total of four bases and has shown tremendous plate discipline over that span, striking out just four times while drawing a trio of free passes.
Kilby already sits as MLB Pipeline’s 78th overall prospect, and the middle infielder could quickly cruise his way through the Yankees’ system if he keeps this rolling into a healthy season.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 7: Luis Campusano #12 of the San Diego Padres swings and hits the ball in the fourth inning during Game Four of the National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Petco Park on October 7, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to our series grading every member of the San Diego Padres’ 40-man roster. The roster being evaluated is current as of Oct. 18, prior to the end of the World Series. Because of that, it will include players who will be free agents once the postseason concludes. Each player will be graded on their performance in the 2026 season, including the playoffs. That performance will be weighted based on how much time the player spent with the team (availability is the best ability).
The Breakout Backstop
Regardless of his lack of total work this season, Luis Campusano truly broke out this season. Much of that is due to manager Craig Stammen placing his faith in the 28-year-old to back up Freddy Fermin. Eventually, Campusano seemed to actually win the starting catcher job once Fermin’s bat proved anemic. Still, Campusano looked phenomenal behind the dish. It’s a wonder why former manager Mike Shildt ever kept him out of the lineup in 2024-25.
Overall Grade: B+
In 71 games, Campusano hit .265/.363/.433 with a .796 OPS. He hit eight home runs, 20 extra-base hits and 30 RBI. All-in-all, he ended the season with a 122 OPS+ (22 points above league-average hitters). It was by far the most successful season of his career. The only other year when Campusano had more than 200 at-bats came in 2024. He posted -0.7 WAR that season compared to 1.7 WAR in 2026.
His defense also improved. Compared to that 2024 season, his Throwing Value went up from -3 to +3 while his Blocking Value increased from -3 to 0. Framing has continued to be a less valuable facet of Campusano’s game (-4 Framing Value), however with the advent of ABS challenges, framing as an art has dwindled in the game. That said, his ABS challenges haven’t been particularly great (-2 value).
Campusano missed significant time with a fractured toe after fouling a pitch off his foot. He left the team in the first week of May and didn’t return until early July. Still, he helped win the Padres some games in that time. He hit two walk-offs late in the season that won the Friars significant games. If Campusano can build on that in 2027, it’ll be a major improvement for San Diego’s historically subpar catching tandem.
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 15: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on from the dugout prior to Game Four of the National League Championship Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, October 15, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The San Francisco Giants need pitching. Everybody knows it. While the bullpen will, correctly, draw the most attention, the rotation might actually be more important — again. It seems that every year since Kevin Gausman was kicked to the curb, the Giants have had to resort to free agency to beef up the staff. A far cry from the championship era in that respect. Does this year’s free agent SP market offer a pathway back to relevance for a 65-win team and a franchise that has been second division for most of the last decade?
Oh, and this important note for the rest of the piece: players with options or opt-outs aren’t included.
The Giants could never!
Tarik Skubal
Skubal’s floor is Dylan Cease’s 7-year, $210 million contract, and I might be insulting Skubal by writing that. The 2024 and 2025 AL Cy Young Award winner will turn 30 in November, but based on that track record, and that he’s pitched fewer than 1,000 MLB innings, a more reasonable comp might be something closer to Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s 12-year, $325 million contract — not in years, of course, but definitely in dollars. So, on money alone, the Giants would stay away.
Add to that his left arm has already experienced two long injury stints: 2022-2023 with left arm fatigue, a chunk of this season (2026) for loose bodies in his pitching elbow. He’s too good, too expensive, and too risky for the Giants. And if they did decide to throw in their hat, they’d be viewed as too bad to merit consideration.
But in the latest There R Giants Podcast, Roger Munter interviewed Alex Pavlovic and the two discussed Tyler Mahle and the bullpen project and how the team needed to make smart moves and my tag to the end of that is they need to make smart moves if they’re not going to make big moves like this. The organization does not want to give out long-term contracts to starting pitchers or spend big money on relievers and so it becomes important to acquisition and development to find or create surplus value.
If a rotation is in need of talent and innings, then adding Tarik Skubal sounds like a smart move. But! The Giants don’t believe that’s a plausible or even rational decision, and so we must create this specialty category for him so that the thought can be fully and formally dismissed and we can continue. I think any reporter who asks the front office about a Skubal pursuit will be able to write an article about how quickly the team dismisses the idea. He is the one player they just seem immediately out on.
At the end of the day, one must imagine Buster & Zack to be happy with the idea of bringing in 1-2 pitchers who can provide 100 quality innings. Sort of like the thinking behind the Verlander signing — or even the Mahle and Houser deals. Moving on…
Nah
Robbie Ray, Tyler Mahle, Miles Mikolas, Lance McCullers, Jr., Austin Gomber, Frankie Montas, Luis Garcia
I will allow that it’s no impossible for the Giants to pursue Tarik Skubal, but I think the chances of them landing him if they did decide to do that would be as close to nonzero as it gets. I don’t feel that’s totally the case with this trio. I could be wrong, but I just don’t see the Giants going in this direction.
For another thing, they had Tyler Mahle very recently and did not optimize the experience. Indeed, after his successpost-trade, he’s likely to command more than the $10 million the Giants signed him for this past offseason and he’s likely to get some attention from teams that figure to be better. The Giants might be willing to offer more and think that they can port over his Atlanta success, but I’m going to guess that the Giants won’t come in as the highest bidder for an arm that’s cracked 130 innings just once in the past 5 seasons and he’s unlikely to have interest in the Giants because they’ve been losers for a decade and didn’t help him succeed.
And then there’s Miles Mikolas, who stinks. He certainly would fit in, culturally, and his being bad would fit in with the team’s general performance of the past decade, too, but a 38-year old soft-tossing right who just posted an ERA of 5.82 and a 5+ FIP the past two seasons doesn’t seem like a smart investment.
McCullers Jr. was released by the Brewers 11 days after they traded for him and that was after spending most of 2026 on the IL recovering from right shoulder inflammation and in the 44 MLB innings he did through, he had a 6.55 ERA (4.96 FIP) and a 5.5 BB/9 (a 9.8 K/9, though). Gomber bounced around on MiLB deals and didn’t appear in the majors in 2026. Montas missed all of the year recovering from Tommy John. As curiosities or projects, none of these three are completely bad options (well, except maybe Gomber), but if any are considered as primary targets for improving the rotation… woof. A clear sign of a season that’s going to be punted.
Meanwhile, Garcia spent all of 2026 rehabbing from Tommy John and didn’t appear in any professional games.
35+ crowd (as of Opening Day 2027)
Let’s start with the geezers veterans because we can imagine a scenario where Posey pulls a Verlander and looks for one or two to solidify a shaky group after Logan Webb. I would be surprised if the team came away impressed by Landen Roupp’s season. Maybe relieved more than anything. The odds of him doing that again — just from an innings logged standpoint — seem low. But this age group doesn’t promise 200 innings, either; so, it’s all about finding someone (or someones?) who can provide 100 good to great innings.
Scherzer might’ve thrown his last pitch in the major leagues, but until he announces it (angrily, I’d imagine), I’m keeping him on the list solely because of the Tony Vitello connection — okay, well, and if he truly dislikes Justin Verlander, then coming to San Francisco and having a better go of it might also serve as an additional thumb in the eye. I don’t necessarily see 100 quality innings out of him unless being in the Bay Area alters his lifestyle to the point that his body is revitalized.
He seems like the sneaky Moneyball pick of lower cost and some warts (age, mainly) but with enough upside to make it all worth it, but the Baltimore Orioles had this same thought when they signed him to an $18.5 million deal last offseason. In the prior five seasons (his age 32-36 seasons), he threw 880.1 innings and had a 3.66 ERA (3.89 FIP, +13.4 fWAR), which averages out to 176 IP and about 2.7 wins above replacement. His 2026 strikeout rate plummeted (16.1% — career: 22%) and his walk rate increased year over year (8.3% versus 7.1% in 2025) — a terrible combination. He’s also mulling retirement.
All he seems to do is offer up 100 good innings year after year, and even if the numbers aren’t great, they’re at least not terrible — 3.79 ERA in his last 785 IP (2021-2026) — and as a veteran soft-tossing lefty, maybe there’s room for him to mentor Cesar Perdomo and/or Matt Wilkinson? He’d be a very low-cost option, having signed a 1-year $3.37 million deal last offseason.
It would be funny if they brought back Gausman on a 1-year deal. He has certainly pitched well enough to merit interest from several teams in the offseason. A simple cheat code here: he has sustained success by doing exactly what Tyler Mahle did once he got to Atlanta. To wit:
I’ve bunched the three Rockies starters together because I think this combination of Coors Field experience, age, and in all three cases, innings logged (1,000+ — in Sugano’s case, most in Japan) are enough to write them off. The Giants could probably do better… or, if they’re delving into this trio then things aren’t going well.
The org has already had Jose Quintana. They’ve been linked to Michael Lorenzen before. Sugano’s cutter has been effective in the past and he throws a lot of splitters, so, maybe he could be the Tyler Mahle they envisioned, but at the end of the day — come on. It’s unlikely these are the 100 good innings they (or we) might envision.
Taillon was designated for assignment in July and his season, after catching on with the Blue Jays post-DFA, ended with an elbow injury. Trevor Williams returned from an elbow injury this season, and he’s thrown over 130 innings just once since 2020 (144.1 IP in 2023).
Both were released by the teams they started the season with (Phillies & Padres, respectively), but neither were able to return to the majors after catching on with a second team (Angels & Twins, respectively). If they’re going to be in a major league rotation in 2027, it won’t be because of a team planning for that in the offseason.
Shōta Imanaga (LHP, 1,211.2 IP*)
Back in June 2024, after Imanaga had hit the ground running after coming over from Japan, Farhan Zaidi was asked why the team walked away from him and Zaidi offered a lengthy, detailed explanation. In part:
Our pitch-grade models really liked him,” Zaidi said. “They had plus grades on all three of his pitches — fastball, split and breaking ball. But our scouting reports weren’t as strong, and it’s understandable because what makes his pitches so effective doesn’t jump out to the naked eye.
At the time of publication, Imanaga had a 1.86 / 2.77 FIP in his first 58 MLB innings — but he was just coming off of a 4-inning 7-earned run start. Since then, he’s still been pretty good, but not the next Tarik Skubal (3.67 ERA /4.53 FIP in 434.1 IP). I have doubts that even this front office will be all that interested in him.
Zac Gallen (RHP, 1,112.2 IP)
He certainly feels like the most Giantsy move of the offseason, but it’s important to keep in mind that Gallen was really bad in 2026 (6.07 ERA / 5.34 FIP in 105.1 IP) to the point that he ended the season in the bullpen.
He feels like a perfect example of the 1,000 inning crossroad. His first 6 seasons (2019-2024) sported a 3.29 ERA in 815.1 innings pitched with a 9.8 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9. Last season, he had a 4.83 ERA (4.50 FIP) in 192 IP. His K/9 dropped to 8.2, walk rate rose to 3.1 per 9, HR/9 to 1.5. This year, 5.5 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 1.6 HR/9.
When he was successful, his fastballs were in the 15-20% range in terms of Whiff rate. The past two seasons it’s fallen to 6-8%. It’s all about fixing his fastball. The velocity is still mostly there (he’s always been a 93-95 guy).
Freddy Peralta (RHP, 1,100 IP)
After being traded to the Rays, he’s become the belle of the ball this offseason. That probably takes him out of the Giants’ price range and interest level, because he might command an ace or near-ace AAV for a pitcher who looks like a #2 or #3 on paper, even with Tampa Bay’s adjustments. But there’s a lot to like in the profile, including the strikeout stuff. Before the Mets metsed him up in 2026, his 2021-2025 numbers were fantastic: 10.9 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 1.13 HR/9, 3.30 ERA / 3.65 FIP, 14.7 fWAR.
Remarkably, he’s made just one start, had just one appearance at Oracle Park in his career. A 5-inning start last season.
Erick Fedde (RHP, 1,094 IP)
Fedde was able to save his career by the skin of his teeth. After a reinvention in Japan, his 3.4 fWAR 2024 quickly pumpkin’d into a 5.49 ERA/-0.2 fWAR for three teams in 2025. The White Sox sort of Adrian Houser’d him this season where he was a starter but also a bulk guy, but despite the clever deployment and his 3.83 ERA, he sported a 5.01 FIP and 6.3 K/9, that was, essentially, replacement level (-0.1 fWAR).
He missed a month and a half with right flexor inflammation and had just one appearance after July 20th (2 innings on the final day of the regular season). That might be enough of a red flag, but again, if we’re just looking for 100 good innings, then Flaherty might be able to provide them — but he doesn’t fit the profile of a pitcher looking for a 1-year pillow deal and I think the Giants might not be inclined to go multiple years with any free agent starter this offseason.
Brady Singer (RHP, 1,012 IP)
I remember foolishly seeing the next Matt Cain in Singer and instead he wound up the least valuable starting pitcher in MLB this season not named Merrill Kelly. Right behind him? Tomoyuki Sugano and Robbie Ray. The only real value here might be cost. If they could fix one of his fastballs (sinker, four-seamer, cutter) then it’d be a great pairing with his higher whiff slider (30.7 Whiff%) or sweeper (40.9 Whiff%). So, maybe a project, but far from a sure thing. After a terrible development-at-the-major-league-level year, maybe they should be looking for more certainty.
Another potential splitter chucker who nonetheless saw a remarkable dip in fastball velo year over year (from 94.6 mph to 93.3 mph). He has a walk rate among some of the lower in the sport (2.5 BB/9 for career, 2.6 in 2026), but he tends to give up a lot of homers (career 1.3 HR/9) because he doesn’t get many groundballs (around 33%); and, the strikeouts just aren’t there (7.5 K/9 for his career). You can’t draw a straight line from Mahle to Mize, because Mahle has a much higher career K/9 (over 9), but it’s interesting to note the similarity in arsenal and relative fastball velocity. In San Diego, his HR/9 jumped to 2.6 per. Yikes. Still, he looks like a project of sorts who might be worth a multi-year deal just given his age and relative performance.
David Peterson (LHP, 9-8, 4.79 ERA, 148.1 IP, +1.7 fWAR)
Kris Bubic (LHP, 4-2, 3.76 ERA, 55 IP, +1.0 fWAR)
I’m pairing up these lefties even though I think their markets might be a bit different. Both are lefties who’ve at times been relievers and at times starters. They both don’t throw very hard and their secondary stuff is of the slider variety (slider for Peterson, sweeper for Bubic). Bubic has been the more injured of the two but, like Peterson, has had just one 3+ WAR season in his career. Otherwise, both are in the 1-2 WAR type. Peterson’s age might be a ding, but he has a healthier track record than Bubic and he gets way more groundballs (~51% for his career vs. Bubic’s 46%), which might still be a meaningful factor in the Giants’ plans.
Pitchers, man. Remember when the Brewers had that two-headed monster of Corbin Burnes and Brandon Woodruff? Burnes missed most of the past two seasons recovering from Tommy John. Meanwhile, here’s Woodruff’s injury log since 2023:
April 2023 — right shoulder inflammation (transferred to 60-day IL in May)
February 2024 — right shoulder surgery
March 2025 — surgery recovery
made no MLB appearances during this span
June 2025 — continued surgery recovery
September 2025 — right lat strain
May 2026 — right shoulder inflammation (transferred to 60-day IL in July)
There’s a chance he starts a game or appears in the upcoming World Series, but as a free agent target he seems like a very high risk, low-reward fella. I’m including him here because people might not have seen him in so long that they might still imagine he’s as good as his heyday of 2019-2022 or that with the right coaching and ballpark he can be really effective for 100 innings. Doubtful on all accounts, but he’s not so bad that I have to dismiss him.
He’s belle of the ball #2 in that the teams that have no chance/won’t even bother with Tarik Skubal will be gunning for either Peralta or Griffin. He’s another starter who reinvented himself overseas and wound up being a better investment than either of the other two headliners returning from NPB: Cody Ponce and Anthony Kay. And, like, Peralta, since he was traded mid-season, there’s no Qualifying Offer attached to him (assuming that system remains intact in the next CBA). He features seven pitches and is, essentially, a soft-tossing lefty. He would be a nice change of pace from the sinker-slider starters the Giants have been running out there. But Griffin will probably want a multi-year deal, which takes him out of the running, I’d think.
Shane Bieber (5-2, 4.37 ERA, 55.2 IP, +0.1 fWAR)
His season ended because of a right teres major inflammation, which is a risk, but he seems like a Tyler Mahle-type the Giants could target for 100 good innings. Cleveland traded him to Toronto at the 2025 deadline as he was just getting his season underway following Tommy John surgery, but he’s been mostly hurt the past three seasons: a 3.58 ERA (good!) with a 4.33 FIP (ehhh) in 108 IP across 20 starts (whoa! Bad!). In other words, he hasn’t had 100 good innings in four calendar years.
A 29-year old with fewer than 700 MLB innings who’s left-handed and put up 4 WAR this most recent season is likely to command a multi-year, high AAV deal, which should take him off the Giants’ radar.
Jordan Montgomery (LHP, 1-0, 4.15 ERA, 26 IP, +0.1 fWAR)
He finally returned from Tommy John but only pitched out of the bullpen. He still wants to be a starting pitcher, but if you remember the saga of his free agency following the Rangers’ World Series win, one thing that became clear was that geography was a concern to him. Most MLBers don’t seem interested in the Bay Area, either, so, maybe this just isn’t a good fit for both need and interest.
José Urquidy (RHP, 2-2, 4.95 ERA, 36.1 IP, +0.5 fWAR)
He pitched for three teams in 2026, but prior to that, he’s had a heap of arm and shoulder issues. Since 2021, four trips to the IL with forearm or shoulder problems, two of those converting to 60-day stints. He has a really good sweeper, though, so you could imagine why teams continue to have interest. But as a starter who might be able to give the team 100 quality MLB innings? Not sure about that.
Signed to a minor league deal/Spring Training invite because the Padres were out of money but out of starting pitchers, Buehler wound up being the one to stick. He didn’t exactly return to his pre-Tommy John Dodgers form (3.02 ERA in 638.1 IP, 15.2 fWAR, 9.7 K/9, 2.3 BB/9), but he was a major league caliber starting pitcher.
On the other hand, he’s already had two Tommy John surgeries in his career, and his nice season ultimately took a turn for the worse. Through June: 3.81 ERA (3.42 FIP) in 78 IP (16 GS). The rest of the way (16 GS): 5.47 ERA (5.63 FIP).
Cal Quantrill (RHP, 9-5, 2.86 ERA, 110 IP, +1.5 fWAR)
Quantrill was signed to a minor league deal by the Rangers in the offseason and he went from a reliable relief presence to a top 3 starter in the rotation. His season ended on the IL, but not before he ranked as having one of the best fastballs in the sport, per Statcast. We’ve got a bit of a Mahle situation here, too, where his highest whiff rates are on a fastball-splitter combo. He won’t be looking for a long-term deal, necessarily, but a decent 1-year deal seems plausible. He also went to Stanford so, uh, why would he be against a return? It’s the 100 quality innings that seems tricky. A lat injury is what ended his season.
He’s been a recent SABR darling — a 4.7 fWAR in 380.1 IP across 2022-2024 — but recently, his decline has pushed him closer to being replacement-level. In particular, his strikeout rate has declined a lot (8.6 K/9 during that heyday, 7.6 K/9 the past two season). But if you look at the pedigree of the teams that have had him — Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Milwaukee, the two Chicago teams, and the Athletics — there’s a computer-y bent that suggests his profile has some meaningful value in a large performance model. Indeed, he was quite a bit better once he moved out of West Sac (5.37 ERA in 67 IP as a starter) and in with the Cubs who used him as a multi-inning reliever. A Houser-Civale back of the rotation with some of the younger pitchers to survive the upcoming roster purge serving as piggybacks or openers might be a path forward for 2027 until some of the other development elements come into focus.
Patrick Sandoval (LHP 1-7, 5.12 ERA, 70.1 IP, +1.3 fWAR)
Although he didn’t wind up on Boston’s NLDS roster, he looked pretty okay after returning from Tommy John surgery. He had that in June 2024 and endured a long recovery and rehab, which was a bummer for Boston which had signed him to a 2-year deal so he could rehab and return with them. He is primarily a changeup guy, throwing it 28+% of the time and getting around 39% Whiff on it. His fastball runs 93-94. Boston did move him to the bullpen at the end of September, but that had more to do with them making sure they got into the postseason. He doesn’t allow homers, strikes guys out, and has the right pitch mix for the era (as Roger notes in the podcast referenced above, the Giants have gone all in on fastball-changeup types). He seems like the perfect short-term deal to add to a rotation. On the other hand… maybe the competition will be fierce, compelling our puppy dog Giants to tuck tail and whimper away.
Of course, the Giants shouldn’t consider Skubal because they’ll have to spend $500 million on him. But will they spend, say $100 million to land 2-3 more meaningful arms? Even if you forget Skubal, Freddy Peralta, Foster Griffin, and Trevor Rogers (and you should), there are some good options in this group if the Giants are looking for 1-2 guys to provide at least 100 quality innings. And we haven’t even gotten to players with opt-outs or options or those who could be available via trade. Just from this article:
Kevin Gausman
Casey Mize
David Petersen
Jack Flaherty
Cal Quantrill
Patrick Sandoval
But what do you think? None of these are worth the team’s time or do they have a better shot at any of the four I think they have no shot at?
ST. PETERSBURG, FL - OCTOBER 19: Junior Caminero #13 of the Tampa Bay Rays rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run in the seventh inning during Game Six of the American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Monday, October 19, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Entering the American League Championship, there wasn’t one team I wanted to play more than the other. Quite honestly, I was happy that it was going to be two small-market teams in the World Series either way, and last night, that was settled. The Tampa Bay Rays won the American League pennant for the first time since 2020, and their third time overall.
While there’s plenty of storylines to go around, it was a series that the Rays had to fight from behind in, after trailing 2-1 to the Cleveland Guardians. After the comeback was complete, former Brewers ace Freddy Peralta was named ALCS MVP, creating a number of storylines revolving around how half the Rays rotation are former Brewers.
For Brewers fans across the board, the opponent didn’t matter, but the length of the series did. The ALCS went six games, just one shy of the maximum, as the Rays took care of business. Let’s take a look at how they got it done.
Game 1: Guardians 7, Rays 3
By the time this game had started, the Brewers already had a two-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers. By the time Game 1 ended, it looked like Cleveland was going to power their way to their first pennant since 2016.
The Rays got out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning before being quieted the rest of the way. The Guardians slowly picked their way back into the game off of a Chase DeLauter solo blast in the top of the sixth inning, which was then followed up with Patrick Bailey’s solo home run in the top of the seventh to tie the game. After taking a 4-2 lead on a Nathaniel Lowe base hit, the Rays chipped back for one more on a Cedric Mullins home run to cut the Guardians’ lead down to 4-3. That was the last we saw of the Rays offense as Cleveland cleaned house in the top of the ninth inning, scoring three runs to win 7-3.
Rays ace Drew Rasmussen shone with six innings of two-run ball and seven strikeouts. His bullpen was unable to pick him up, though, as they allowed a combined five runs over the remaining three innings. For the Guardians, everyone had a hand in the win as six pitchers made an appearance, striking out eight.
Game 2: Rays 3, Guardians 1
The first of three Freddy Peralta appearances throughout this series occurred as he threw six scoreless innings, striking out six batters. The Rays scored one of their runs via a fielder’s choice and another on an error, as their offense struggled to muster a big hit to extend the lead.
Parker Messick threw the team’s longest outing of the series to that point, spanning five innings and no earned runs due to the error. The lone offensive highlight came on a DeLauter double to drive in a run, but they ultimately stranded the tying run on second base, sealing the victory for the Rays.
Game 3: Guardians 3, Rays 2
Cleveland received another masterful outing from one of their arms as Gavin Williams threw five innings of two-run ball, allowing just two hits while striking out nine. His offense had his back from the beginning as Lowe smacked his second double of the series to give them a 1-0 lead. After the speedy Chandler Simpson tripled to give Tampa Bay their lone lead of the game, Petey Halpin hit a two-run home run to reclaim a 3-2 lead. Both bullpens held down the fort as Tampa’s offense wasn’t enough to complete the comeback.
Game 4: Rays 7, Guardians 3
This game was initially rained out, making it the first in MLB’s playoffs since a postponement occurred during Game 3 of the 2022 World Series. Having to push the game back a day, and not allowing any days off for travel, the Rays got hot. After an early Guardians lead, Jonathan Aranda jump-started the offense to tie the game at 1-1. A few singles pushed the Rays’ lead to 4-1, until the eventual knockout blow came off the bat of Yandy Díaz in the top of the ninth inning to seal a 7-3 Rays win. On the mound, Tampa’s Nick Martinez went 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run in the win.
Game 5: Rays 3, Guardians 1
Game 5 showcased more stellar pitching, but three straight one-run innings from the Rays offense carried them the rest of the way. The key to success in this game was forcing Messick out of the game after just two innings, forcing the bullpen to go into early action in the third. The Rays received an even better outing from Rasmussen, who went seven innings and allowed one run, striking out six.
Small ball continued to be the source of the offense for the Rays as a bases-loaded walk and a pair of run-scoring singles drove in the three runs. Cleveland had the tying run up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth but couldn’t extend the game any further.
Game 6: Rays 7, Guardians 3
The same score as Game 4, as the Rays went for the knockout punch. Peralta set Tampa Bay up nicely with 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball. The bullpen had one worrisome moment as the Guardians had the bases loaded and a chance to tie or take the lead, but Tyler Wells allowed just two runs as the Guardians scored their final runs of the 2026 season. Already leading 3-1, Junior Caminero landed the first blow on a two-run home run to extend the Rays’ lead to 5-1. The final blow came off the bat of Díaz, who hit another two-run blast to lock up the Rays’ third AL pennant.
The Brewers and the Rays kick things off on Friday night with first pitch coming at 7 p.m. We’ll have plenty more coverage in the coming days.
Jul 20, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Mariners manager Dan Wilson (6) speaks with a team staff member in the dugout during the sixth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Of all the 2026 Mariners’ various problems, one that loomed largest was a clubhouse-wide passivity – a sense that the talent of the team would eventually win out and the Mariners would turn their season around, without a clear plan as to who would turn that season around and how.
In postseason interviews, both the players and GM Jerry Dipoto were able to articulate this particular failing, bemoaning mistakes made but also insisting that hard lessons were learned. But the larger question remains of who will be able to make sure those hard lessons of a disappointing 2026 are carried into an improved 2027.
The Mariners have now dismissed the majority of their coaching staff, wanting to allow a new manager to come in and handpick their own support staff. That person has a significant task before them, even beyond assembling a new major-league coaching staff: whoever it is will also have to learn the idiosyncrasies of this Mariners clubhouse and the particular way leadership functions among a group of largely younger, homegrown players – or, as was made apparent last year, doesn’t function.
When looking at the core leadership in the clubhouse, the first name that jumps to mind is Cal Raleigh. Raleigh ticks all the boxes for a clubhouse leader: he’s a homegrown player signed to a longterm deal; he has a leadership position on the field; he’s the one who steps up to do postseason interviews when things have gone sideways, as he did in 2023, and again in 2026.
But this season also showed where Raleigh, who will be playing in his age-30 season in 2027, has some growing to do in his own leadership role. A disappointing, injury-marred season prevented Raleigh from fully being able to grasp the reins in a clubhouse that was careening off a cliff, and with his absence – both on the field when he went on the IL for the first time in May and in the box score – came a loss of identity for the team as a whole. At the end of the season, Raleigh spoke about the need for some “self-reflection” about the direction the team his headed in – not just from himself, but from his teammates, as well.
“What is our team identity?” Raleigh asked philosophically. “I don’t feel like there was one this year, and that’s partly on me as a leader on this team. It’s not all on me, but as somebody who’s been here, it’s important for us to come together and figure that out.”
Bryan Woo, as a leader on the pitching staff, affirmed that the plan this off-season would be to get players together and discuss where things went wrong and what can be done about it.
“We’ve already talked about a lot of the core guys having some conversations over the off-season, periodically putting our heads together and coming up with some ideas about how we want to make that come to life. Standards and accountability and all that stuff – they’re great words, but if you don’t truly act on them and make them come to life and are about them every day, then they don’t mean anything. You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?”
The pitching staff is in a more perilous leadership position than some others – none of the core of young pitchers are signed to long-term deals, and therefore are often subjects of trade speculation and rumors. They also now lack their de facto leader in the veteran Luis Castillo, a leadership vacuum that opened up when Castillo was traded to the White Sox in early August. Someone from the pitching staff needs to step into that role. For his part, Woo seems to be comfortable with doing so.
“I’m more comfortable now than I’ve been in years past,” said Woo, when asked if he would be willing to take a more vocal role in those conversations about standards and accountability. “I think as a young guy in the clubhouse, you’re just trying to find your way most of the time – when to speak up, what to say and whatnot. You want to say the right thing at the right time. Now I think I’ve learned it’s not about saying the right thing, but just saying something, and learning from the experience one way or another.“
The Mariners clubhouse is in a tricky position with leadership – the homegrown core that first brought the team to the playoffs in 2022 ranges in ages from 25 to 29: a tweener age in baseball, old enough to have been in the league for several years but not yet the indisputable voices of experience. The youngest player in that band is Julio Rodríguez, who’s still finding his own footing with clubhouse leadership: the kid brother who was once trailing after players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatís Jr. now has a line of admirers of his own, starting with new teammate Lazaro Montes and reaching all the way down to the DSL, where Mariners MiLB hitter of the year Jarvis Gomez named Julio as his favorite player.
“I feel like I’m more comfortable, especially this year,” said Julio, reflecting on his changing relationship with leadership. ”Sometimes people assume just because you’re this player or that player, you should do this, you should do that, but that’s not easy, you know. At the end of the day, we’re all grown men here, and we all have different ways of doing things.“
“But at the same time, with time and experience and learning about guys and how they do things, you kind of get more comfortable speaking up and having those conversations that you know are for the better of the team, not like, taking shots or things like that…I feel like that’s a skill that everybody with time has to develop, and I feel like this year I’m a little more comfortable with that.”
Seattle’s new manager will also be tasked with making sure the two newer veteran voices in the clubhouse – Josh Naylor and Brendan Donovan – assume their leadership mantle, especially with the looming departure of the longest-tenured Mariner in J.P. Crawford. Donovan, who missed most of the year with a spate of injuries, never had the opportunity to fully connect with his new teammates. Naylor connected with his young infielders, especially Cole Young, but was hampered by both his own injury issues – a nagging wrist issue that took an off-season procedure to clean up – and injuries and inconsistencies across the infield that meant, aside from Young, he never knew who’d be feeding him the ball on any given night. That’s all further complicated by Naylor’s leadership style, which tends to be more of a carefully observed slow burn rather than an immediate call to arms.
“It’s my first year here, so I got to see a lot of things,” said Naylor. “I’m a very big viewer, and I just kind of see things from afar and then go off that.”
Naylor did praise his teammates, calling them a “great group,” and noted that the team genuinely seems to like each other, going to team dinners or group events. However, he noted that the process of building a team identity is an ongoing one, something that might have been limited by the lack of consistency in a clubhouse that seemed to lack a clear direction.
“Identity is huge in sports, personal identity and then a group identity” said Naylor. “I think it’s just—it’s continuous work too. It’s not just set in stone one day that you do this, this, and that, and it kind of sticks. It’s a day-to-day thing, but we work on it really every day here…With the identity aspect, I think we’re going to do our best to bond more and bring this group together more, and find ways to win ball games going into next year, doing the little things right.”
Doing the little things right was a constant refrain in end-of-season assessments from both players and front office members – or rather, a lack thereof. That, more than anything, speaks to the lack of consistent day-in and day-out leadership in the clubhouse and the need for players to step up, no matter how discomfited it might make them.
“You’re not going to be perfect,” said Woo. “But you’re gonna learn to lead by leading. You’re gonna learn to do something by doing it. It’s an honest process, but that’s what you really need to do, just give it your best effort.“
The Mariners need a manager who can oversee this ‘honest process’ and empower team leaders to lead, however imperfectly. The pieces are all there: what’s lacking is the person who can put them all together. As anyone who’s undergone a leadership change will tell you, it’s a fine line to walk between perpetuating the old ways that prompted the leadership change in the first place and importing an identity ham-fistedly. But it’s the job of a manager to get the best out of their people, and will be the job of the next Mariners manager to bottle up the talent currently free-flowing in the clubhouse into a container with an identifiable shape.
Joe DeMayo and guest co-host Chelsea Janes drop the latest episode of The Mets Pod, as Joe and SNY's MLB Insider go long on Tarik Skubal and the offseason ahead.
Joe and Chelsea break down all the noise around the free agency of Skubal and the possibility of him landing with the Mets, while also discussing the roles Steve Cohen and David Stearns will play in any pursuit of the star pitcher.
Later, they compare Freddy Peralta's time in NY with the more successful version in Tampa, while also contrasting the different ways a Brewers vs. Rays World Series matchup can be interpreted in the shadow of MLB's ongoing labor issues. Then, the show takes voicemails about other pitching options and the future for Francisco Alvarez, while the Mailbag brings up the continuing questions at first base.
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The Mets are interested in speaking with Cubs assistant hitting coach John Mallee about a position on the coaching staff, according to a report on Tuesday from MLB.com's Anthony DiComo.
Mallee, 57, has spent the past three seasons with Chicago, but previously served as hitting coach for the Houston Astros (2013-14), Cubs (2015-17) and Philadelphia Phillies (2018-19). His last stint before returning to Chicago was with the Los Angeles Angels (2020-22) as assistant hitting coach.
Mallee, along with Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly, helped the Northsiders put up impressive numbers last season, leading baseball in OPS (.767), slugging percentage (.428), RBI (804), and runs (850), and walks (674), while finishing 2nd in OBP (.251), sixth in average (.251).
The Mets are also scheduled to speak with Kevin Long about a position on manager Andy Green's coaching staff, according to a report Monday
The coaching staff was among David Stearns' talking points during the president of baseball operations' Sept. 28 news conference.
"Andy and I are going to have conversations on that this week, and we'll get to a decision point here over the next week or so," Stearns said last month when asked about building out Green's 2027 coaching staff.
After the season, the Mets dismissed director of hitting Jeff Albert, but retained hitting coach Troy Snitker and assistant Rafael Fernandez. It is unclear exactly what position the Mets are interviewing Mallee for at this time.
WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA - SEPTEMBER 01, 2026: Yohandy Morales #28 of the Washington Nationals is interviewed on the field by Alexa Datt following a game in which Morales made his Major League Baseball debut against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park on September 01, 2026 in Washington, District of Columbia. The Nationals beat the Braves, 9-5. (Photo by Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
One of the more interesting stories to follow in 2026 was the case of Yohandy Morales. The slugging corner infielder had a great season in AAA, yet the front office was reluctant to call him up. When Morales finally got his shot, he performed well, but showed some of the flaws that made folks skeptical.
After being drafted in the second round of the 2023, Morales put up solid but not spectacular numbers in the minors prior to 2026. Back in 2025, Morales hit .265 with 15 homers and a .769 OPS between AA and AAA. Morales made consistent hard contact, but he struck out too much and hit too many ground balls.
Those problems did not disappear in 2026, but the production took a massive step forward. For the first couple months of the season, Morales was one of the biggest stories in the system. He hit .341 with a .924 OPS in April and followed that up with an even better month, hitting .361 with a 1.122 OPS in May.
yohandy morales' last 18 games 🔥 .403/.457/.645 14 R, 25 H, 3 2B, 4 HR, 10 RBI pic.twitter.com/cre5mRL579
— Nationals Player Development (@Nats_PlayerDev) May 3, 2026
Morales slowed down a little bit after that, but he still put together a tremendous season in Rochester. Overall, the former Miami Hurricanes star hit .286 with 25 homers and an .882 OPS in 104 games. However, the Nats did not promote Morales to the big leagues until September.
In my opinion, the biggest reasons for that are his chase rate, which was over 30% in AAA and his zone contact rate, which was under 75%. Both of those numbers are red flags, especially for a Nats regime that focuses heavily on underlying data like that.
When September rolled around, there was no reason not to give Morales a cameo, so they pulled the trigger. He immediately made a strong first impression, getting three hits, including a homer in his debut against the Braves. Morales is big, strong and shockingly fast for his size, which makes him easy on the eyes. The former second rounder really looks the part.
YOYOOOOOOO! 😭🔥
Yohandy Morales' first MLB hit is a HOME RUN into the visitor’s bullpen. 💣
In his 17 games of big league action, Morales showed his strengths and weaknesses. On the positive side of things, Morales absolutely smoked baseballs. His 91.7 MPH average exit velocity, 62.5% hard hit rate and 15.6% barrel rate are all elite. That hard contact led to a .596 slugging percentage and .851 OPS.
Morales’ raw power is truly a plus tool. He has the ability to go yard from foul pole to foul pole. Morales actually pulled the ball in the air more than expected, but his opposite field power is the star of the show. The home run he hit in Detroit on a cold day in a big ball park was truly jaw dropping. You have to have monster power to pull off what Morales did.
Yohandy Morales with another dinger in Detroit!! 🔥
Yohandy Morales produced in AAA and produced in the big leagues. However, there are still reasons to pump the breaks. For one, he struck out 31.9% of the time while not taking a single walk in 47 big league at bats. That combination of whiff and chase is concerning and could get exposed when big league pitchers see more of him. We saw Abimelec Ortiz also get off to a hot start before pitchers adjusted to him.
The corner infield spots are also pretty crowded entering 2027. Based on their actions in 2026, it seems like Andres Chaparro, Brady House and maybe even Ortiz are all ahead of Morales in the pecking order. The Nats also did not play Morales at third base in the big leagues despite playing there in the minors. Blake Butera said he could see Morales playing some third moving forward though.
Yohandy Morales had a very productive season in the minors and during his time in the big leagues. In his 17 MLB games, Morales hit .255 with 4 homers and an .851 OPS. His ability to make consistent hard contact is his super power, and we will see how far that will take him. Overall, Morales had a very good year, but has holes in his game. He will be in the mix for corner infield reps heading into next year.
