Category: Baseball

The Mariners went with a wild card for their new manager in 2027.

Jason Kanzler was named Seattle’s new manager on Tuesday, despite having no experience as a manager at any level and having a relatively short coaching career.

The 36-year-old spent the past three years serving as the director of player development for the Cubs, where he oversaw the franchise’s minor league system, players and coaches.

He also had minor league coaching stint with the Astros during the 2022-23 season which included the organization’s 2022 World Series title. In 2023, he served as assistant hitting coach and pushed the Astros offense to average 4.55 runs per game, which ranked third in the American League.

“Our goal in this process was finding a manager with the ability to challenge all of us to improve,” Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said in a statement. “Jason has the mindset, expertise, communication skills, and intensity to help create a championship standard here in Seattle.”

Kanzler will be the second-youngest manager in MLB, following 34-year-old Nationals manager Blake Butera, who was 33 at the time of hiring.

He will be the 22nd manager in the club’s history and the third under Dipoto, who is entering his 12th season in the role.

The Penfield, N.Y. native is replacing Dan Wilson, who was out of the job after the Mariners went 76-86 in one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history.

Wilson was fired following the season finale against the Angels — just a year after he led Seattle to the AL West title and to Game 7 of the ALCS.

“I am thrilled to join the Mariners organization and I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running,” Kanzler stated. “This team has an immense amount of talent in all facets of the game, and my coaching staff and I are excited to access and unlock this team’s full potential.”

Kanzier was reportedly a finalist among former Astros manager Joe Espada, who went through a third and final round of interviews last week.

Prior to joining the Astros, Kanzler was a hitting coach for High-A Fayetteville in 2019 and a minor league hitting coordinator in 2021.

The former outfielder played three minor league seasons with the Twins organization from 2013-15. He was drafted by the organization in the 20th round of the 2013 first-year player draft out of the University of Buffalo.

Kanzler batted .249 with a .720 OPS across 255 career games between Class-A and High-A.

He lives with his wife, Ashley, and their two children.

The Mariners open up their spring training with a game against the Padres on Feb. 19 at Peoria Sports Complex in Arizona.

Drew Rasmussen’s name has been at the top of every offseason trade candidates list, but the Rays’ ace may not be available.

Rays President of Baseball Operations Erik Neander said that the organization has “every intention” of having Rasmussen anchor the rotation in 2027, per Marc Topkins of the Tampa Bay Times.

Tampa has already exercised its option to retain Rasmussen for $20 million next season, a no-brainer move, but that makes the right-hander a prime candidate for a team looking to win a title in 2027 while allowing the Rays to recoup assets at the same time.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan pointed out that with the Rasmussen contract, and without making any more moves, the Rays would be above their 2026 salary.

The often-shrewd Rays are well known for dealing prized assets for future gains (see: Randy Arozarena, Chris Archer, Aubrey Huff), which makes the buzz surrounding Rasmussen justified, especially after the season he had.

The 31-year-old was one of the best pitchers in the American League, pitching to a 16-5 record and a 2.67 ERA. He made the All-Star team in back-to-back seasons and was great this postseason, helping the Rays to the AL pennant.

In five playoff starts, he pitched to a 2.20 ERA, allowing one run or fewer in three of them, including a near no-hitter against the Yankees in the ALDS.

The Mets are obviously in the market for top-of-the-line starting pitching to round out their rotation around Nolan McLean and Christian Scott. While free agents Tarik Skubal and Michael King will get the team’s attention this offseason, Rasmussen could be a target for the right prospect package.  

The Seattle Mariners havereportedly made their decision: Jason Kanzler will be the 22nd manager of the Seattle Mariners, and the third manager of the Jerry Dipoto era. Kanzler had been widely reported as a finalist, alongside former Houston Astros manager Joe Espada. Instead, Seattle went with the young Upstate New Yorker who’d been serving as the director of the Chicago Cubs farm system for the last three seasons. The 36 year old University of Buffalo product has previously served in the dugout as a hitting coach in both the Cape Cod League and from the minor leagues up to the big league club with the Houston Astros. He transitioned to coaching after three years in the minor leagues as an outfielder with the Minnesota Twins.

The move fits the bill for what Jerry Dipoto stated was a priority, heading into this process, mainly incorporating a voice with experience outside of the organization. What it is not is a hiring that brings in a manager with prior experience in the role of manager for a professional baseball team, something the club had noted was a “love it” but not a “gotta have it” on the Coldstone Creamery Managerial Hiring Scale. Prior managerial experience has become increasingly non-essential for hirings around the league, including recent playing retirees like Stephen Vogt, Craig Counsell, and Skip Schumaker. But the lack of managerial experience in their previous hire, Dan Wilson, both at times led to challenges, and also exacerbated a shorter leash in public opinion outside the organization. The situation ultimately led to the disappointing ouster of Wilson this fall, despite his status as one of the most well liked Mariners in club history from both a fan and internal organizational perspective.

Kanzler will receive none of that benefit of the doubt, however, he will also arrive without any of the preconceptions or prior relationships that accrue while working in an organization for decades. He has also been in big league dugouts on a coaching staff, so while the walk to the mound for a pitching change might be newer territory, the pedagogy of pro baseball has been his profession for many years already. His time as director of the farm system with the Chicago Cubs has been an executive position as well, providing the opportunity to showcase leadership and coordination skills across an entire system, something clearly impressive to Seattle’s organization, as well as potentially his “proficiency” in Spanish.

What also stands out in this hire is the comprehensive shift younger in the coaching staff to be. Seattle let go of multiple members of their coaching staff. Longtime bench coach Manny Acta was dismissed, along with infield coach Perry Hill, hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, and outfield/first base coach Eric Young Jr., and Edgar Martinez will transition to what will likely be a more supervisory role throughout the organization instead of in the dugout. Including the hiring of CJ Gillman as one of the club’s hitting coaches in the past several days, the current members of the coaching staff includes only two individuals over the age of 40 – bullpen catcher Fleming Báez (45) and major league field coordinator Jake McKinley. The club sees themselves as looking towards a reinvigorated future, we’ll see if they have the foresight to make it a glorious one.

The Seattle Mariners opted to go young filling their vacant managerial job, hiring 36-year-old Jason Kanzler to replace Dan Wilson, the club announced Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Kanzler becomes the second-youngest manager in Major League Baseball, behind Washington's Blake Butera, who took over the job at 33 one year ago. Kanzler was the Chicago Cubs' director of player development since 2024, a period that saw outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong emerge as one of the top players in the game.

In Seattle, he will confront a clubhouse with a mix of emerging talent and established stars. The club debuted top prospects like infielders Cole Young - a Gold Glove winner at second base - and Colt Emerson and, later in the season, slugging outfielder Lazaro Montes.

Yet it was the veteran core - most notably 2025 MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh - that disappointed in 2026 and led to Wilson's firing. Wilson, All-Star outfielder Julio Rodriguez and a deep pitching staff helped lead the Mariners to Game 7 of the 2025 American League Championship Series before backsliding to a 76-86 record and third-place finish in the weak AL West.

Kanzler was a major league coach for the Astros in 2022 and '23, a period in which they won the World Series and reached Game 7 of the ALCS. He will be the third manager hired by baseball operations president Jerry Dipoto, following Scott Servais and Wilson, the beloved former Mariners catcher.

"Our goal in this process was finding a manager with the ability to challenge all of us to improve," Dipoto said in a statement released by the club. "Jason has the mindset, expertise, communication skills, and intensity to help create a championship standard here in Seattle."

Kanzler, the first major league manager named Jason, played three seasons as an outfielder in the Twins organization and was a 20th-round pick out of the University at Buffalo.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Seattle Mariners hire 36-year-old manager after hugely disappointing year

Turns out my article from last week cursed the Vikings, the Timberwolves, and the Gophers’ secondary, but the Wild continue to be awesome. Classic Minnesota Sports Curse. Meanwhile, in the baseball world, the Brewers have won their first World Series! Congrats to old friend Trevor Megill and our frenemies in Wisconsin for finally reaching the mountaintop!

The Past Week on Twinkie Town:

• Check out The Feed, where you can add your discussions about the Twins!
• Zach Koenig has another Twinkie Town Definitive List for this offseason, and we are on to Round 2 looking at the Greatest Washington Senators!
• Ben Jones has the news on the Twins extending a qualifying offer to Ryan Jeffers.
• Ben also looks at what the Twins can learn from the Brewers’ World Series win.
• James Fillmore will be watching Bad Day at Black Rock for Twinkie Town Movie Night this Friday. We finished out October with Little Shop of Horrors last week!
• Zach wraps up his review of the 2006 season, looking at which Twins won awards.
• Ben Jones sets us up with this season’s offseason calendar.
• Aidan O’Brien checks in on the Arizona Fall League.
• Matt Monitto is back with another OOTP tournament – the Alphaball Twins League!

Elsewhere in Twins Territory:

• Dan Hayes at The Athletic looks at where the Twins can improve once free agency opens.
• Patrick Reusse at Star Tribune looks at what the Brewers’ World Series win means for Gopher baseball.
• Matthew Taylor at Twins Daily looks at why the Twins should want Ryan Jeffers to accept the qualifying offer.
• Theo Tollefson at Zone Coverage suggests which free-agent relievers the Twins should target in November.

In the World of Baseball:

• Finalists have been announced for MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, and Reliever of the Year.
• Jeff Passan at ESPN talks about the inside stories of how the Brewers built a World Series Champion team.
• Kiley McDaniel at ESPN gives his rankings and contract projections for the Top 50 2026-2027 MLB free agents.

The San Francisco Giants endured a nightmarish 2026 season.

Beyond missing the playoffs, San Francisco finished with a 65-97 record that earned the squad the penultimate spot in the NL West. The Giants parted ways with several players at the trade deadline, including Robbie Ray and Tyler Mahle.

If the team wants to return to contender status, former general manager Jim Bowden believes the Giants need to improve their pitching staff.

“I expect the Giants to listen to trade proposals for every player on their roster, including their ace Logan Webb and their best bat, Rafael Devers, because that’s the position the organization is in right now,” Bowden wrote.

San Francisco ended the season with a total of 17 players on the 60-day injured list, including a number of young starters: Hayden Birdsong, Blade Tidwell, Carson Whisenhunt and Trevor McDonald.

Orchestrating a massive overhaul on the pitching staff is no easy feat and would require the team to part ways with some of their biggest stars.

Webb is coming off a third consecutive All-Star appearance, but finished the season with a 4.31 ERA with 134 strikeouts across 160.2 innings pitched.

The right-hander made two separate stints on the injured list in 2026 with right knee bursitis and a right middle finger blister, which ended his season early with two starts remaining.

While Webb’s production wasn’t quite there this season, the ace would be a huge commodity on the trade block as he is an undisputed workhorse. The right-hander has tossed 200-plus innings in every season from 2023-25.

Meanwhile, Devers accrued a 3.6 bWAR throughout his first full season with the Giants. He jacked 37 home runs, drove in 98, and scored 88 times for the struggling Giants.

Yet, his tenure in San Francisco could come to an end rather quickly if the front office is will to trade its best bat in exchange for more pitching help.

Baseball loves stats. And idioms. The “cup of coffee” idiom just means “a player who was up in the majors for a short while.” But, what about the true cup of coffee — appearing in all of one game in a given season? That’s what Rolddy Munoz managed in 2026 for the Braves.

How Acquired

The Braves signed Munoz as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2019 for a low, $30,000 bonus. He didn’t move through the minors very quickly, hitting Triple-A only in 2025 as a 25-year-old.

What were the expectations?

Working as a long man/swingman, Munoz hasn’t really struggled in the minors, but he also hasn’t wowed. He’s been graded a 40 FV pretty consistently by different evaluators at FanGraphs, which seems to align with his overall profile of “good numbers in the minors but not much interest from MLB teams.”

Munoz previously appeared as a September call-up for the Braves during their doomed 2025 season. He threw 3 2/3 innings with a bleh 5/5 K/BB ratio and got tagged for a homer. He was a 4.00s FIP/xFIP guy in the minors before that in 2025, so again, no real expectations other than “he exists and can provide relief depth.”

2026 Results

Relief depth is exactly how the Braves used Munoz, for exactly one day. He was called up on April 13, because Dylan Dodd earned a statistical save by pitching the last three innings of a blowout win over Cleveland the day before. Dodd went down, Munoz went up, and he found himself in the middle of a teamwide pitching implosion against the Marlins the same day. Grant Holmes was bad, Aaron Bummer got victimized by bad defense and then gave up a three-run homer, and even though the Braves kept battling back and had cut the deficit to two runs, it was Munoz’ turn.

That turn didn’t go well. The first pitch he threw turned into a Connor Norby homer. Oops. Single-strikeout-steal-walk-flyout-steal-infield single-infield single, and the deficit was now five runs. Munoz actually had a much nicer second frame with two strikeouts and a couple of groundouts, but yeah, that game was a goner. And Munoz was a goner too, sent back down right after the Braves lost 10-4.

Given that second inning, he actually had a nice xFIP in the game, but the 8.00+ FIP saddled him with -0.1 fWAR for his efforts.

What went right?

The second inning was good!

Munoz also did okay in the minors again, with a mid-3.00s pitching line in 55 1/3 innings spanning 45 appearances.

What went wrong?

The first inning was very bad!

2027 Outlook

Another team might be more interested in giving Munoz a longer look, but the Braves like stuffing their bullpen with veteran options unless a guy really breaks through and forces the issue. That latter part doesn’t really apply to Munoz. Maybe he gets sent somewhere as part of a package, or maybe he ends up a 40-man casualty. Though he’s barely pitched in the majors, his slider looks interesting, but he hasn’t actually showcased any command or anything inspiring with any other offering. Maybe it’ll happen next year. Maybe he’ll be up for longer than a true cup of coffee. Or not.

The Travs were consistently considered the cream of the crop in the Texas League for much of the first half of the season, but a late collapse and eventual promotions up the minor league chain ended their season as a “just okay” third place team. The Travs, despite their relative mediocrity in the final standings, had some generational performances on the year, and a reliable (if shallow) staff led the way for a steady, if unspectacular offense. There were a ton of super fun players to don the Travelers’ uniform this 2026 season, and five of the six players to debut as a Mariner this year were featured on this roster at some point this past season. Still featuring a ton of major prospects, this roster remains loaded heading into the 2027 season and is slated to be one of the better rosters in all of minor league baseball.

Team Performance

First Half Record: 41-28 (+88 Run Differential)

Second Half Record: 30-39 (-23 Run Differential)

Final Record: 71-67

Team ERA: 4.77 (second in Texas League)

Team OPS: .767 (fifth in Texas League)

Stat to Know: The gap in walks allowed between the second best team in the Texas League and the worst team in the Texas League (106) is smaller than the gap between the second place team and the first place Traveler team (141). On the season, the team averaged just 3.15 BB/9.

Season Stars

Kade Anderson

Posting one of the most historic pitching seasons in the history of minor league baseball, Kade Anderson’s remarkable debut as a professional saw him dominate the Texas League like few have ever been able to. A 1.06 ERA across 93.1 innings speaks for itself, but his 135 K’s and laughable 13 BB’s are perhaps even more indicative of the level of dominance Anderson held over his opponents. He essentially had one poor inning all year, surrendering 5 of the 11 runs he allowed at the level in the fourth inning of May 15th’s contest against Northwest Arkansas. Now already in the big leagues at 22 years of age, Anderson figures to be a mainstay in the Seattle rotation for the foreseeable future and has the elite command of a pitcher 15 years his senior. He largely defined the first half success of this ballclub, and his 2026 will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the best debut pitching seasons in minor league history.

Ryan Sloan

Yet another impressive arm that headlined the Arkansas rotation, Sloan himself is one of, if not the most highly regarded pitching prospect in all of minor league baseball and blends high-octane stuff with impeccable command. His numbers don’t match Anderson’s level of dominance, but some evaluators see Sloan’s punchier repertoire, higher velocity, larger frame, and youth and give Sloan a slight edge despite inferior run prevention. He’s got some things he has to clean up before making a move up to the big leagues and can be prone to the “blowup” inning from time to time, but on the whole, it was a fantastic second year for the 20 year old, and he figures to be a part of the major league rotation at some point next season.

Lazaro Montes

The power source pushing the Arkansas lineup forward for the first half of the season, Lazaro Montes displayed his unbelievable slugging abilities at the dish on a nightly basis, routinely launching balls deep into the night sky like few others can. Despite his well documented issues with contact, Montes continues to produce amongst the highest levels of all minor league hitters, and at some point, that has to matter. Yes, the whiff is concerning. Are there players that have tremendously successful careers with a lot of whiff? Absolutely. His massive throwing arm and excellent hustle helps him manage in right field where he’s still below average, but if you’re betting on Montes, you’re betting on an outstanding human that clearly cares about improving every single day, and his clear abilities at the plate give enough reason to warrant time to develop in a (theoretically) competitive window. 

Michael Arroyo

Perhaps the straw that stirred the drink of the first half lineup, Arroyo is one of the most impressive pure hitters the Seattle minor league system has seen in a long time. With innate bat-to-ball skills, a discerning eye, and surprising pop, there’s really not a whole lot he can’t do offensively and is mature beyond his years at the plate. Finding the long-term home defensively has been a bit of a challenge up to this point, but given his abundance of skills elsewhere, it may not ultimately matter if he winds up as a below-average fielder at a non-premium position. The bat is that good.

Sleepers

Hunter Fitz-Gerald and Charlie Pagliarini

Easily the two most unheralded performers of the Mariner system this season, the tandem of Fitz-Gerald and Pagliarini were nails for the Travs all season and turned themselves from fringy “org players” that were on the outside looking in of most top thirty lists to legitimate performers that have played themselves into the call up conversation with sustained performance. They remain a bit old for most traditional “prospects”, but the infielders have legitimate pop and combined to slug 56 homers on the year. There’s considerable swing-and-miss present in both of their games and they’ll have to prove they can perform at the Triple-A level, but there’s no reason these guys couldn’t carve out a role in the big leagues if they can manage to continue to perform at a high level. 

Here's the latest buzz on free agent slugger Teruaki Sato...

Nov. 3, 11:50 a.m.

As free agency begins, the Mets may not be all-in on Sato this offseason.

The Athletic's Tim Britton and Will Sammon report that with Bo Bichette returning, the Mets are "less inclined" to aggressively pursue the Japanese slugger. 

Although the report also states it's "unwise" to rule out anything with the Mets under Steve Cohen, the $42 million going to Bichette in 2027, plus infield prospects on the verge of the big leagues, may make it difficult for the Mets to invest in Sato, despite the need for a first base bat. 

Sato, a third baseman by trade, won the league's equivalent of a Gold Glove at the position in 2025, but there are those in the industry that believe a transition to first base could be in Sato's future. 

Nov. 1, 5:41 p.m.

Teruaki Sato was officially posted Sunday, making the NPG slugger one of the most prized free agent hitters this offseason. 

All 30 MLB teams will have a 45-day window to negotiate with Sato, which could be affected by the incoming Dec. 1 lockout. The Mets could use a new first baseman while the Yankees are in need of a right-handed hitting third baseman, a position Sato played in Japan.

Sato won the NPB's MVP this past season, recording a .306 average, 39 homers and 106 RBI, en route to the triple crown.

Yesterday, it was announced that Guardians’ rookie, Parker Messick, will finish in the top three vote-getters for both AL Cy Young and Rookie of the Year.

Cade Smith was also a top-three finisher for the inaugural AL Reliever of the Year award. Stephen Vogt isn’t a top three finisher for manager of the year (I’ll bet he was #4).

Because of Messick’s accomplishment, the Guardians will earn an extra compensation pick in the 2026 draft. This now has the Guardians set to pick five times in the top 70-75 picks, which will dramatically increase their bonus pool as well as offer them multiple chances at selecting among the top talent in the draft. They’ll have their normal first round pick, a compensation pick connected to Messick following the first round, a replacement pick in the second round for Logan Schmidt not signing, their secound-round pick and a comp-B pick after the second round. So, if there’s no major league baseball season, we will all need to become MLB draft prospect-geeks – If you’re not already one!

No updates from the Emmanuel Clase-Luis Ortiz trial yet, except that various Guardians’ players, execs and coaches may be called upon to testify, and the jury selection process is continuing into today.

MLB Trade Rumors released their free agent projections list here. For whatever it’s worth, the Guardians were predicted by one writer to sign free-agent reliever Paul Blackburn, mentioned as a decent fit for Ty France, and that’s it. Sounds about right, actually, only they won’t pay for Blackburn, I am sure.

Clay Holmes is hitting the free agent market. Could a return to Flushing be in the cards?

The right-hander, whom the Mets traded to the Cubs at the deadline, declined his $12 million player option for 2027.

The 33-year-old signed a three-year, $38 million contract with the Mets after the 2024 season and made a successful pivot from reliever to starter after serving as a late-inning stalwart for the Yankees over parts of four seasons.

In 2025, Holmes had a 3.53 ERA with 129 strikeouts in 165 ⅔ innings. In nine starts for the Mets this year, Holmes had a 2.39 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 52 ⅔ innings before he was dealt to Chicago.

Holmes’ performance dipped with the Cubs, as Holmes recorded a 4.25 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 48 ⅔ innings in nine starts. His last Mets start came against the Yankees on May 15, when he suffered a fractured fibula on a comebacker. He debuted with the Cubs on Aug. 8.

In return for Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor, the Mets received 21-year-old infielder Jefferson Rojas, who quickly became the organization’s top prospect, per MLB.com.

Rojas hit .280 with a .929 OPS, nine home runs and 29 RBIs in 29 games for Double-A Binghamton. In six games for Triple-A Syracuse, Rojas was 8-for-26 with three homers and seven RBIs.

Now the Mets have a chance to have both Rojas and Holmes, as the club will be in the market for starting pitching this winter.

They figure to be among the teams in pursuit of Tarik Skubal, the top free agent who could be in line for a $300 million-plus contract. Michael King is another potential target for the Mets.

As we do each year, here is our attempt to wrangle all of the Mariners’ off-season moves in one place for your ease, with links to further coverage if applicable.

October:

October 2nd:Mariners claim INF/OF Michael Toglia off waivers from Reds

October 5th:Club announces that Josh Naylor and Cal Raleigh had off-season surgeries to “clean up” lingering issues

October 29th:Mariners claim OF Grant McCray from Giants; Mariners exercise option on Andrés Muñoz, decline option on Victor Robles and Bryce Miller

October 30th:Mariners reportedly (re)hire CJ Gillman as hitting coach (awaiting club confirmation)

November:

November 1:Cole Young wins Gold Glove at second base. Not a Mariners move, per se, but something we’re pretty stoked about anyway.

November 2nd:Mariners extend OF Randy Arozarena a Qualifying Offer; Mariners claim RHP Isaac Mattson from the Pirates; Mariners reinstate seven players from IL (RHP Matt Brash, RHP Nick Davila, OF Brennen Davis, SS Colt Emerson, RHP Logan Evans, INF/OF Luke Raley, INF/OF Michael Toglia); outright five players to Triple-A Tacoma (LHP Josh Simpson, RHP Troy Watson, INF Weston Wilson, INF Will Wilson, INF Patrick Wisdom)

In normal years, the Cubs would put single-game Spring Training tickets on sale in early January.

This, clearly, is not a normal year, not with the MLB owners’ lockout looming on Dec. 1.

The Cubs have announced that Spring Training tickets will go on sale Friday, Nov. 13, with a presale for spring season ticket holders the previous day.

This appears to be an attempt to try to get some spring ticket money in hand before the lockout. I can’t imagine many people wanting to buy spring tickets in January if the lockout is still ongoing — which is likely — not knowing whether games will be rescheduled or even cancelled.

The Cubs aren’t the only team doing this, either.

The Phillies are putting their spring tickets on sale Thursday, Nov. 19.

And if you’re really interested in getting these games far in advance, tickets for Athletics spring games and Blue Jays spring games are already on sale.

In addition, the Cubs are putting weekend passes for the annual Cubs Convention on sale at 12 noon today, with a presale for season ticket holders at 10 a.m. CT. In the press release announcing this sale, the Cubs said that fans “can attend panels, autograph sessions and meet and greets featuring current and former Cubs players.”

Obviously, if the lockout is ongoing at CubsCon time (Jan. 15-17), no current Cubs players will be able to attend. At this time it appears the Cubs are going ahead with plans to hold CubsCon even if that’s the case. Will fans still overcrowd the Sheraton Grand if it’s only broadcasters, former Cubs and minor leaguers not on the 40-man roster in attendance? (And a reminder to anyone planning on going — read that linked article to remind yourselves of some of the issues regarding overcrowding last year.)

Anyway, all of this has to be considered up in the air because of the upcoming lockout. As always, we await developments.

The Arizona Fall League is underway, and Chicago has seven prospects in the Grand Canyon State. The crew includes Mathias LaCombe, RHP (No. 17); Colby Shelton, INF (No. 23); Nick Altermatt, RHP; Jonathan Clark, RHP; Grant Magill, C; Tommy Vail, LHP and Garrett Wright, RHP.

The team added Vail after Pierce George, RHP (No. 18), suffered an olecranon fracture in his pitching elbow. While it sounds like an awful injury, he is expected to participate in 2027 Spring Training. Anthony DePino, INF (No. 21), was also originally on the Dogs roster, but instead underwent shoulder surgery. He should also be ready for spring.

Caleb Bonemer, 3B/SS/OF (No. 2/MLB No. 27), concluded his fall stint on Oct. 24 after slashing .286/.364/.633 with a .996 OPS in 13 games. Over his 49 at-bats, he hit four doubles, two triples and three homers, with six walks, 12 RBIs and an equal number of Ks.

The White Sox prospects are suiting up for the Glendale Desert Dogs (7-15), sharing the dugout with hopefuls from the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Chicago ties Los Angeles for sending the most Top 30 prospects (five) to the AFL.

Glendale Desert Dogs 1, Salt River Rafters 0 (10/27/26)
Chicago’s prospects got the day off as the Dogs notched their sixth fall win.

Peoria Javelinas 11, Glendale Desert Dogs 9 (10/28/26)
Shelton kept his hot fall rolling, going 2-for-5 with two doubles, four RBIs and a walk. The 23-year-old’s biggest swing came with two outs in the seventh and the Dogs trailing 10-6, when he crushed a bases-clearing two-bagger off the right-field wall to bring Glendale within one. Unfortunately, they couldn’t complete the comeback.

Magill handled backstop duties, going 0-for-4 with a walk, two strikeouts and two runs scored. The pitching side didn’t quite help the effort either, with LaCombe, Clark, and Vail combining to surrender five earned runs over just four frames.

Peoria Javelinas 13, Glendale Desert Dogs 10 (10/29/26)
Scoring runs hasn’t been a problem for the Dogs lately, and Shelton has been a big reason why. Glendale headed into the bottom of the sixth trailing 6-3, but a seven-run rally, highlighted by Shelton’s one-out grand salami, put the Dogs on top 10-6. Sadly, the lead didn’t last long, as the pitching served up six runs in the seventh.

This time around, Chicago’s prospects weren’t responsible for the biggest meltdown. Altermatt did allow one run on two hits in the ninth, striking out one.

Glendale Desert Dogs vs. Salt River Rafters (10/30/26)
Contest was canceled due to rain.

Glendale Desert Dogs 9, Peoria Javelinas 8 (10/31/26)
Staring down their 16th loss, the Dogs rallied from behind, scoring five runs in the bottom of the ninth to walk off the Javelinas. Shelton got the day off, while Magill went 0-for-3 with a walk and a K.

Wright’s perfect 0.00 AFL ERA didn’t survive a rough fourth inning, and the defense didn’t do him any favors. A leadoff walk and an error by the shortstop put runners on second and third before a sacrifice fly brought home a run. Two singles and a stolen base later, Wright’s afternoon was over, with the error contributing to three unearned runs. Thankfully, the Dogs saved their best for last.

Glendale Desert Dogs vs. Peoria Javelinas (11/2/26)
Contest was canceled due to wet grounds, but Shelton was chosen as the Arizona Fall League Hitter of the Week! He went 6-for-13 with 12 RBIs.

Hitters
Caleb Bonemer: .286/.364/.633, .996 OPS, 4 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 6 BB, 12 RBI, 12 K, 49 ABs
Grant Magill: .172/.242/.207, .449 OPS, 2B, 3 BB, 4 RBI, 12 K, 29 ABs
Colby Shelton: .277/.379/.511, .890 OPS, 3 HR, 2 2B, 8 BB, 17 RBI, 8 K, 47 ABs

Pitchers
Nick Altermatt: 3.18 ERA, 1.412 WHIP, 5 2/3 IP, 3 BB, 8 K
Jonathan Clark: 3.68 ERA, 0.545 WHIP, 7 1/3 IP, 1 BB, 11 K
Mathias LaCombe: 7.04 ERA, 1.826 WHIP, 7 2/3 IP, 7 BB, 6 K
Tommy Vail: 4.50 ERA, 1.500 WHIP, 2 IP, 0 BB, 3 K
Garrett Wright: 1.35 ERA, 2.700 WHIP, 6 2/3 IP, 7 BB, 10 K