Category: Baseball

It’s very early days in the 2027 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List, which will see us rank the top 44 prospects in the San Francisco Giants organization. But we’re already seeing some very close elections, including the most recent one to round out the top five.

But only one player can emerge victorious, and that player is right-handed pitcher Ramon Marquez, who has been voted as the No. 5 prospect in the system. And if you need evidence as to how much the farm system has been reworked and remade, you can find it right there: that’s two players in the top five who were acquired in the summer.

Marquez came to the Giants in the Luis Arráez trade, and serves as the bow on Arráez’s glorious but short Giants tenure. Now the question is: can that bow blossom into a fortune?

Not only is Marquez one of the top pitchers in the system, but he’s one of the top stories. The Philadelphia Phillies signed him out of Mexico for just $10,000 last year, and he was on the older side for an international signing. But he immediately opened eyes. Once he was in the professional setting of Minor League Baseball, and teams were able to put their high-tech equipment to use analyzing his pitches, it became abundantly clear that he was special.

Marquez, who turned 21 in September, had a strong debut season in the Complex League and in Low-A last year, but it was in 2026 that he really took off, and ascended onto the national radar. He opened the season in Low-A, where his numbers jumped off the page: a 1.86 ERA, a 2.67 FIP, and 47 strikeouts in just 29 innings, with only 10 walks.

A promotion to High-A didn’t slow him down; in fact, it seemed to accelerate him. In six starts with Philadelphia’s High-A affiliate, Marquez posted a 1.50 ERA and a 1.99 FIP, with 46 strikeouts in 30 innings, and just nine walks. He faded a touch upon the trade to the Giants, as he made just two starts with High-A Eugene (where he had a 5.40 ERA, a 3.82 FIP, and 12 strikeouts against one walk in 10 innings), before being shut down to rest and prepare for 2027.

Those numbers all look good, but they’re even better when you contextualize them and weigh them against the competition. Combining his numbers with both organizations, Marquez was one of 355 Minor League pitchers to throw at least 40 innings in High-A this year. Among those 355, he was 12th in ERA (2.48), first in FIP (2.45), 17th in strikeouts per nine innings (13.05), 25th in walks per nine innings (2.25), and 33rd in ground ball rate (53.4%). And he did it all while being more than three years younger than the average pitcher at the level.

Those numbers are, in a word, elite. In a few words, elite and exciting.

Marquez, who I would assume will open 2027 in AA despite having made just eight starts in High-A, does it all with a fantastic fastball/slider combo, which is backed up by his best pitch, an utterly destructive changeup. His mechanics are a little funky and violent, which is either a good thing (a foreign look for hitters) or a bad thing (harder to maintain consistency) depending on your view point. Either way, he’s a must-follow prospect next year … he’s only pitched twice for the Giants organization, and we’re all itching to see more!

Now let’s add to the list! Head to the comment section to vote on the next prospect.

The list so far

1. Josuar González — SS
2. Jackson Flora — RHP
3. Luis Hernández — SS
4. Jhonny Level — SS
5. Ramon Marquez — RHP

Note: Clicking on the above names will link to the CPL where they were voted onto the list.

No. 6 prospect nominees

Carson Bolemon — 19.7-year old LHP — yet to debut

JacobBresnahan — 21.4-year old LHP — 2.92 ERA/4.32 FIP in High-A (98.2 IP); 5.06 ERA/3.60 FIP in AA (16 IP)

ArgenisCayama — 20.1-year old RHP — 4.87 ERA/4.27 FIP in Low-A (57.1 IP)

BoDavidson — 24.3-year old OF — .861 OPS/122 wRC+ in AA (315 PA); .923 OPS/138 wRC+ in AAA (234 PA); .714 OPS/100 wRC+ in MLB (22 PA)

DakotaJordan — 23.5-year old OF — .879 OPS/125 wRC+ in High-A (355 PA); .697 OPS/87 wRC+ in AA (88 PA)

GavinKilen — 22.7-year old SS — .811 OPS/112 wRC+ in High-A (349 PA); .811 OPS/112 wRC+ in AA (143 PA)

Note: Each player’s first name links to their Baseball-Reference page, and their last name links to their Fangraphs page.All stats are from the 2026 season.

In this episode of the Viva El Birdos podcast (0:04), hosts Jake Wood and Gabe Simonds interview Derrick Goold, the lead baseball writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and host of the Best Podcast In Baseball. The discussion covers significant changes within the Cardinals organization, future front-office strategies, and the evolving landscape of Major League Baseball.

Key topics discussed include:

• Front Office Evolution: The hosts and Goold examine the Cardinals’ changing front-office structure, specifically addressing the departure of assistant GM Randy Flores to the Astros and the potential for new, outside voices to be brought in to prevent stagnation (3:00 – 9:51).
• Player Development & Coaching: The conversation touches on the hiring of Joel McKeithan as the new hitting coach (19:05 – 26:56). Goold explains that the team is focused on finding coaches who can grow with a younger core of players rather than just focusing on immediate results.
• CBA and League Economics:Goold provides insights into the potential for missed games due to CBA negotiations (39:43 – 45:17) and discusses the financial challenges teams face regarding Regional Sports Network (RSN) revenue declines (35:58 – 38:57).
• The “Metric” Disconnect: A major portion of the interview (1:23:03 – 1:32:13) focuses on the disconnect between the organization and fans. While fans primarily use total wins as the metric for success, the team is currently prioritizing long-term development, leading to a clash in expectations.

YouTube:

Spotify:

-Thanks for reading

Welcome to the 2026 edition of Ranking theRockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for theRockies in 2026. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. The “Ranking” is an organizing principle that’s drawn from Baseball Reference’s WAR (rWAR). It’s not something the staff debated. We’ll begin with the player with the lowest rWAR and end up with the player with the highest. 

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No. 25, Mickey Moniak (0.1 rWAR)

The Colorado Rockies made it clear that they had wanted to have Mickey Moniak in their organization since before he was drafted. When they finally got the chance to bring him in just before the 2025 regular season they wasted no time in signing him.

Moniak’s first year in purple was arguably the best in his now journeyman career. He entered the 2026 season looking to build upon that and cement himself as a regular for the Rockies moving forward.

After missing the first two series of the season due to a sprained right finger, Moniak made his season debut in the Rockies home opener, batting third against the team that drafted him. While he only managed a single in that first game against the Philadelphia Phillies, he went on to have probably the best month career so far.

Over the course of 25 games in April, Moniak hit an incredible .315/.361/.652 with eight home runs.

What’s more, his power came in bunches. Moniak had three multi-home run games by the start of May.

Moniak slowed down in terms of getting on base after April but his power remained. While his batting average slipped to .230 in May he slugged .514 with another four home runs.

Moniak’s most memorable game of the season came on his birthday, May 14. Not only did he hit the Rockies first three-run homer of the season, but he also followed that up with both a double and a triple. At the end of the day, he became just the second player in MLB history to come a single shy of the cycle on his birthday.

Early in the season when the Rockies pitching staff was at its best but the rest of the lineup had yet to really gel the way it eventually would in June, Moniak was hitting like the All-Star he was drafted to be.

Then came his trip to the injured list.

The Colorado Rockies announced today the following transactions:
-Recalled OF Sterlin Thompson from Triple-A Albuquerque.
-Placed OF Mickey Moniak on the 10-day injured list (right ankle tendonitis).

— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) May 23, 2026

Moniak would remain on the IL for a full month until eventually returning on June 22.

In the first week after returning from the IL, Moniak appeared to have lost his early-season momentum and had only three hits during his eight games in June. Once he was able to get his timing back, however, he was back to being a key run producer for the Rockies in July. On the month, he slashed .320/.338/.560, good for a 128 wRC+.

By mid-summer, it looked like Moniak was potentially in the midst of a breakout season — the sort that can never be fully written off when it comes from a player drafted first overall.

Given his surging performance, his age, and the Rockies place in the standings it was reasonable to assume Moniak would be dealt at the trade deadline. Rumors swirled around his name, especially in connection to the Houston Astros who were searching for an outfield bat, but the deadline passed without any news of a Moniak transaction.

This lack of movement was befuddling to many but in president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta’s words “We had a set price in mind of what it would take to acquire any of our players.” None of the teams interested in Moniak met that price.

Given the fact that the Rockies still had Moniak under team control for another season after 2026, their urgency to move him if not getting the sort of return they wanted was limited. Following the trade deadline, however, the front office quickly pivoted and extended him for an additional season beyond 2027.

Mickey Moniak has agreed to a two-year, $16.25 million extension with the #Rockies that runs through 2028, sources tell me and @feinsand. Deal should become official on Tuesday.

— Thomas Harding (@harding_at_mlb) August 4, 2026

Ultimately, the price of buying out a single would be year of free agency for Moniak was pretty modest at $9 million in 2028. Given the inability to extract the level of return they wanted in trade and the way in which Moniak had hit all season, pivoting to a cheap extension may have been seen as the next best option to capitalize on the potential breakout of a once highly ranked prospect.

In the immediate aftermath of the extension, however, things did not play out as anyone had hoped.

After riding high for most of the season, Moniak came crashing down to earth in the final two months of the season. In 26 August games, he hit .188/.226/.365 and then followed that up by only collecting nine hits in the entire month of September.

If you just look at Moniak’s basic first half vs. second half splits, you can see the preposterous divide in his season, despite the fact that his second half numbers are propped up by part of a good July.

• In 227 first half plate appearances, Moniak hit .278 with 15 home runs which was good for a 130 wRC+.
• In 209 second half plate appearances, he hit .195 with eight home runs which was good for a 46 wRC+.

While the full reason for Moniak’s uneven performance is likely a combination of many smaller factors, there are two that are pretty obvious and not yet particularly worrying.

First, his batting average on balls in play plummeted from .312 in the first half down to .231 in the second half. For a player that has a .300 BABIP for his career, that second-half figure would seem to be the outlier. Speculatively, the right ankle injury that sent him to the injured list in May could have made him unable to beat out close plays at first that he otherwise may have.

Second, a higher percentage of his plate appearances came against left-handed pitchers. For his career, Moniak has a 103 wRC+ against righties as opposed to only a 35 wRC+ against lefties. Despite taking fewer total plate appearances in the second half, he actually faced left-handed pitchers more total times than he had in the first half of the season. Overall, he faced lefties in 5.5% more of his total plate appearances in the second half. That may not sound like much, but for a player that has always struggled so immensely against them, every at-bat matters.

With an offseason to rest his ankle, some positive regression, and the team treating him as the platoon player his numbers (and modest contract) indicate that he is, there is every reason to think that Moniak’s second half struggles are not a harbinger of what is to come for him.

For his part, Moniak has expressed both comfort with and affection for the Rockies organization. From the two-minute mark forward in the video interview below, he elaborates on his history with the Rockies franchise and how they have always shown extreme confidence in him.

Moniak has seen his share of ups and downs in his short MLB career but has felt consistently embraced by the Rockies through it all… even when he was a member of other teams.

Given that, the extended stretches of good performance these past two years and his contract status being locked in for the next two seasons, we shouldn’t be surprised if Moniak ends up wearing purple for some time to come.

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Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Theoretically, the Guardians will be adding some prospects to their 40-man roster ahead of the November 20th deadline to do so. Who are the top candidates to get the good news?

There are a fair amount of complicating factors to this year’s Rule-5 draft, in which players who signed at 18 years or younger and have been in a professioanl organization for five years or players who signed at 19 or older and have spent for years in a professional organization become eligible for any team to take if they are willing to add them to their 26-man roster and keep them there for a full season (or return them to their original team, if not). There will not be a Rule-5 draft in December due to the impending lockout to be imposed by MLB owners on the first of that month. Will there be one prior to the 2027 season, if there is one? There wasn’t a Rule-5 draft prior to the last season impacted by a lockout. Finally, are their players the Guardians will have to balance their desire to add them to the roster vs. the risk of them not being able to play in the minor leagues in 2027 if they are, indeed, added? Everyone on the 40-man roster will be unable to participate in minor-league play during a lockout.

I think the Guardians, and most MLB teams, will proceed as if there is going to be a Rule-5 draft because taking the risk that there will not be one is a big one when talking about the most valuable assets a team possesses – young, controllable talent. If you need a reminder of which Guardians’ prospects are eligible to be selected, I recommend TJStats excellent resource here. With that said, here are the players I believe the Guardians will add, and why:

Very Likely Adds:

Justin Campbell, RHP, 25 years-old – Campbell was one of the few bright spots in the Guardians’ minor league starting pitching last season with a 10.8/4.3 K/BB/9 and a 3.03 FIP, mostly at Columbus. Campbell did have a leg injury later in the year but still threw just short of 70 innings. I’d be shocked if they didn’t add him and have hopes he’ll get time in the major league rotation next season. After losing multiple years due to injuries, Campbell’s performances last year are one of the organizational highlights for the Guardians’ 2026 season.

Franklin Gomez, LHP, 21 years old – Gomez had a 3.90 FIP and a 9.64/3.13 K/BB/9 in 74.2 innings last season between High-A and Double-A for the Guardians. He also dealt with some sort of elbow injury but came back to pitch again before the season was done. As long as there are no huge red flags with his medicals, I’d guess they add Gomez because left-handers who seem to have potential to start in the big leagues are few and far between and the Guardians need all of that depth they can find.

Kody Huff, RHH C, will turn 26 in December – I get the sense that the Guardians really like Huff behind the plate and believe he can at least hit left-handed pitching reasonably well in the majors. For that reason, and Antonetti’s eugolic words about Austin Hedges at the end-of-season presser, I suspect Huff will pair with Patrick Bailey to begin next season. Huff had a 132 wRC+ at Columbus last season with a 19.5/14 K/BB%.

Jaison Chourio, SH OF, 21 years old – Chourio put up a 114 wRC+ between High-A and Double-A last season with a 20.5/14.5 K/BB%. Chourio still has a lot to prove to make himself a guy the Guardians are excited to make space for on the active roster, but he stole 42 bases last season, looks like he can play centerfield and has enough contact and plate discipline ability to give them hope he will gain some more power as he gets older. Chourio would be a tough player to have sit out a whole season (should that be in the cards), and maybe the Guardians gamble that a team won’t put him on their 26-man roster for a full season… but I suspect they take the safe route and add him.

Could Be Added:

Jacob Zibin, LHP, 21 years old – At High-A, Zibin put up a 3.70 ERA and a 10.47/3.70 K/BB/9. He also gave up a ton of homers. I find it pretty unlikely a team would carry Zibin on their roster for all of 2027, so I suspect the Guardians gamble that he will remain in the organization and get another minor-league season to develop.

Jack Jasiak, RHP, 25 years old – You can never absolutely dismiss the Guardians’ adding a reliever. I remember liking Cade Smith but being unsure the Guardians should be fearful of a team taking him in the Rule-5… man, I am glad they added him. Jasiak is not Cade Smith but he did put up an 11.75/2.54 K/BB/9 and a 3.02 ERA at Double-A before getting touched up a bit in eight innings in Columbus. Jasiak throws 94 mph, so I don’t think he’s the kind of pitcher you HAVE to add. Good organizational depth, but unlikely to be picked.

Jonah Advincula, LHH OF, turning 26 years old in December – Advincula put up a 124 wRC+ with a 14/16 K/BB/9 last year between High-A and Double-A. He’s an interesting left-field platoon depth guy. I don’t think the Guardians are in particular danger of another team snagging him, given his age.

Jogly Garcia, RHP, 23 years old – Garcia had a great 2025… then things fell apart for him at High-A last season with his walk-rate spiking up to 8 batters per nine. He can hit upper 90’s, but I don’t see much chance that another team would add him to their major league roster for a full season.

Magnus Ellerts, RHP, 25 years old – Ellerts averages 95 mph on his fastball and gets a lot of whiffs… he just can’t find the strike zone consistently. He’s 6 foot 5, and put up a 3.18 ERA with a 12.7/6.5 K/BB/9 in 2026. If there is a shock-add on this list, it’s probably Ellerts if the Guardians retain some optimism that they can help him refine control and command. But, it seems unlikely given his age that the improvements will be significant enough to make him a major league player.

Melkis Hernandez, LHP, 21 years old – You really can’t roster a player who walked 8 batters per 9 like Hernandez did in 2026 in High-A, but he is young, left-handed and did strike out 11 batters per 9 and only allow 8% of fly balls to be homers, so I have listed him here.

Tommy Hawke, LHH OF, 24 years old – Hawke only got 85 games in for 2026 as he continued to recover from a lower body injury, but he still stole 43 bases and put up a 117 wRC+ with a 17/17 K/BB%. He only made 25 of those starts in centerfield and I think a lot of his rosterability depends on what the team thinks of his potential as a defender in center. IF Hawke is seen as a viable major league centerfielder defensively, given his 108 stolen bases over the last two years, I really think the Guardians should add him and make him their version of Chandler Simpson (he IS only 5’8… not sure how much teams will fear the bat getting knocked out of his hands when he brings his contact skills to higher levels).

Matt Jahec, RHP, 25 years old – Jahec had one inning at Triple-A (it was bad) but put up a 2.05 ERA and a 12.3/3.4 K/BB/9 in 26 innings at Double-A while dealing with some injury issues. I think, like Jasiak, he is good organizational depth and unlikely to be rostered by another MLB organization for a full season.

The Guardians currently have three roster spots available, but may add more with non-tenders to players like Blake Perkins, Matt Festa or even David Fry.

So, what are your thoughts? Who would you add from these top eligible options ahead of a Rule-5 draft that will probably never happen? Let us know in the comments below.

A lockout is coming to Major League Baseball. When that happens, MLB players and teams will be sequestered and offseason business will be paused until the two sides can come to an agreement. The current CBA expires on November 30th, leaving about three weeks for teams to get their rosters in order before an indefinite stoppage.

In free agency, resource disparity (real or manufactured) gives some teams a leg up, but finding market inefficiencies is key in roster building. Moneyball, a frustratingly misunderstood book but also absolutely wonderful movie, is about just that. The point wasn’t that on-base percentage is good and defense doesn’t matter; it was that you could acquire OBP for less than those with gaudy RBI numbers, and that their offense was more valuable than their defense, making it a cost-effective way to win games.

In a normal offseason, those value-add strategies would be front and slightly off-center, next to the stars who are hitting free agency. This winter, the rules are changing, and so are the economics. Craig Breslow and the Red Sox will have to consider several factors in their early offseason plans as a result.

Money

This is the most obvious impact. I don’t think a salary cap will be implemented, but there could be changing rules about luxury tax thresholds or other ways to artificially limit spending. Allocating a budget that you don’t have is incredibly difficult. I’m of the opinion that the Red Sox should always be spending and ignoring luxury tax penalties because they’re the Boston Red Sox, one of the biggest brands in all of sports, and can afford to flex their financial muscle. Unfortunately, the last 10 or so years have proven that Fenway Sports Group won’t do that, so spending recklessly early in free agency, before a CBA is finalized, could have adverse effects down the road.

I want to win postseason games now. Future Jake can worry about the 2030 roster and spending decisions. I don’t make the decisions, though, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the front office pump the brakes early on and deal on the margins rather than pushing their chips in for a big fish.

Length of Contracts

In a similar vein to the compensation, the length of the contracts Craig Breslow hands out is another consideration. Would you commit to paying someone in 2031 without knowing what the rules are in 2031? The same could be said of Ranger Suarez’s five-year deal last season, but the consequences of new contracts are especially under the microscope this November.

Red Sox Payroll on Twitter also posed the question of existing contracts. If a salary cap is instituted, how will teams abide by it given their current commitments? The league could allow contracts to be smoothed over a period of multiple years to make the transition easier. Teams might also elect to take big cap hits early in the first year to allow for more flexibility later on.

Story has a $23.3M AAV for 2027
Masa has a $18M AAV for 2027

Combined, that's $41.3M for 2027 alone

A 3yr waive-and-stretch time period for both would be a $13.77M hit for 3yrs

A 4yr time period would be a $10.32M hit for 4yrs

A 5yr time period would be a $8.26M hit for 5yrs https://t.co/r4cJJRmlCG

— Red Sox Payroll (@redsoxpayroll) November 4, 2026

Type of Player

Should a lockout occur (it will), players and teams will be barred from communicating about baseball matters. In fact, I believe they aren’t supposed to communicate at all, with some exceptions for weddings and whatnot. Regardless of the rules, players typically receive offseason development plans specific to them. While the Red Sox will be able to distribute those plans before a lockout, they won’t be able to check in or make changes to the plan based on progress. If the team believes a lockout could drag into February, they might consider signing established veterans versus trading for projects.

When the Red Sox traded for Johan Oviedo last season, they knew he needed work. He walked too many hitters and couldn’t get his fastball in the zone. His season was lost to injury, but at the time of acquisition, they had four months to work with him to make tweaks to his mechanics, grips, and throwing programs. On the other hand, Sonny Gray came in with 13 years of experience and an established pitch mix. If the Red Sox want to compete in 2027, it might be an advantage to target established veterans over projects they believe they can take to the next level. That’s not to say those players should be written off, but all else being equal, short-term options like Robbie Ray or Zac Gallen might be better routes than chasing potential in Johan Oviedo-types. In a similar vein, Chris Cotillo noted that players coming off injury might be signed to minor league deals as a workaround for the lack of contact.

Players coming off injuries are going to sign minor league deals over major league deals at a high rate in the next month so teams can be in contact and track their progressions even when the lockout happens. https://t.co/6znrkcEXQY

— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) November 6, 2026

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Overall, it’s a balancing act between risk and certainty before offseason action pauses. Players will want certainty, and might be more willing to sign early on rather than waiting out the market. The last time there was a lockout, no regular season games were lost, but Spring Training was shortened and Opening Day was pushed back one week. With that in mind, teams will want to get players on the roster early to hit the ground running when baseball activities resume. So the question is, do you take your shots now, or save your bullets until the rules of the game are clear? There’s no right answer, but these are all factors to keep in mind when the first Jeff Passan “BREAKING” tweet hits your timeline, and you rush to find out who got fleeced, who overpaid, and who committed highway robbery.

Every Monday afternoon we take a moment to check in on the Cubs minor leaguers who make up the Boys of Autumn for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League.

In case you missed the earlier installments, the Solar Sox are a team in the Arizona Fall League, a minor league that plays every October and November in Spring Training stadiums. The Mesa Solar Sox play their home games at Sloan Park, the Cubs’ Spring Training home. This year, their roster is made up of minor leaguers from the Cubs, Athletics, Angels, Blue Jays and Red Sox.

It you’ve missed earlier installments, here is the introduction, week one, week two, week three and week four installments.

The Solar Sox played five games this past week and went 2-3. That gives them an overall record of 11-14 and puts them in fifth place in the six-team AFL. They only have two regular AFL season games remaining and then they will play Salt River on Thursday in the first round of the playoffs. (All six teams make the playoffs.) After that, they go on as long they keep winning or play in the title game on Saturday, which will be televised on MLB Network.

The AFL Fall Stars Game was held on Sunday night and was televised on MLB Network. The contest matches up the best AFL performers from National League teams against the American League AFL prospects. Last night, the National League Fall Stars best the American League Fall Stars, 7-4. Cubs’ outfielder Kade Snell and pitcher Dominick Reid were named to the team, although Reid could not participate because of his injury. But Snell joined the game as a substitute in left field in the sixth inning. He went 1 for 3.

And here are the five games that the Solar Sox played over the past week. The home team is listed last.

Monday, November 2: Surprise Saguaros 18, SOLAR SOX 8

Tuesday, November 3: SOLAR SOX 5, Glendale Desert Dogs 10

Wednesday, November 4: SOLAR SOX 14, Peoria Javelinas 5

Thursday, November 5: SOLAR SOX 6, Desert Dogs 3

Friday, November 6: SOLAR SOX 4, Javelinas 13

Here’s how the individual Cubs farmhands did over the past week.

Infielder Juan Cabada: Cabada had probably his best week of the AFL season this past week, which is a promising sign that he’s adjusting a the higher level of competition than he’s previously experienced. Cabada played in four games this past week. On Monday, he was the third baseman and went 1 for 3 with two walks and a run scored. He came in as a pinch-hitter and stayed in the game afterwards on Tuesday, going 0 for 2.

On Wednesday, Cabada was the DH and went 1 for 4 with a double and he was hit by a pitch. On Friday he went 2 for 4. Add that all up, and Cabada was 4 for 13 with two walks and a hit by pitch.

For the season, Cabada is hitting .180/.317/.220 with two doubles and a stolen base. He has scored six runs and has driven home three.

Outfielder Harrison Feinberg: After not playing for almost two weeks, Feinberg was the DH on Wednesday and the right fielder on Thursday. He went 1 for 5 with a double an a run scored on Wednesday and 2 for 5 with a double and a run scored on Thursday.

Overall, Feinberg is hitting .321/.406/.393 with two doubles and two steals over seven games.

Here’s an interview with Feinberg and some highlights over the season. [VIDEO]

Outfielder Kade Snell: In addition to playing in the Fall Stars game, Snell ran wild this week with six steals in just three games. On Monday, Snell played center field and was 1 for 3 with a walk and he was hit by a pitch. He stole two bases in that game. He also had one RBI and one run scored.

On Tuesday, Snell was the right fielder and went 1 for 5 with two steals. He also scored one run. Snell played center field again on Thursday and was 1 for 4 with a walk and two more steals. He also stole one base.

So adding that all up, Snell went 3 for 12 with two walks, a hit batsman and six steals. For the entire AFL season, Snell is hitting .284/.435/.373 with one double, one triple and one home run. After this past week, he has 11 steals in 18 games. Snell has nine runs batted in and 14 runs scored.

Catcher Miguel Useche: Useche caught three games, getting behind the plate on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Monday, he was 2 for 4 with two walks and a stolen base. He also had one RBI. On Wednesday, he didn’t have a hit, going 0 for 3 but he walked three times. He scored twice and drove in two. Finally, on Friday Useche went 0 for 3 with a walk.

On the downside, Surprise stole 11 bases with Useche behind the plate on Monday. Glendale only stole four bases against him on Wednesday, but Glendale stole nine more bases on Friday. That’s 24 steals out of 24 attempts against Mesa with Useche behind the plate.

So for the week, Useche was 2 for 10 with six walks and a steal. On the season, Useche is hitting .289/.439/.489 with four doubles, a triple and a home run. He has 15 RBI and nine runs scored over 13 games.

Right-hander Jhon Cabral: Cabral made two appearances this past week. On Monday, Cabral entered the game in the top of the first inning after starter Trennor O’Donnell threw 34 pitches. Cabral let in one inherited runner on an RBI single to the first batter he faced, but then he got a strikeout (with Useche successfully challenging a pitch!) to end the inning and his night.

Cabral pitched again on Friday, facing two batters in the second inning and two more in the third. In the second, he entered the game with a runner on second. He walked the first batter he faced and struck out the second one to end the threat. In the third inning, he walked the first batter he faced and struck out the second one again before getting pulled from the game.

So for the season, Cabral has thrown 6.1 innings over nine appearances. He has an ERA of 2.84 and has struck out 12 batters and walked 11.

Right-hander Yoendris Gonzalez: Gonzalez has had a rough AFL and his one appearance on Tuesday wasn’t any better. Gonzalez entered the game with a man on and one out in the seventh inning. He walked one batter and then gave up a three-run home run. He stayed in to pitch to the first three batters of the eighth and all three reached, two walks and an RBI single, before he exited the game.

For the week, Gonzalez pitched 0.2+ innings and was charged with five runs on two hits. He walked three and struck out two.

For the season, Gonzalez has a 25.31 ERA over 5.1 innings. He’s allowed ten hits and walked ten in those 5.1 innings.

Right-hander Dominick Reid: I haven’t heard any official word, but Reid is almost certainly out for the rest of the AFL season after leaving last Tuesday’s game with an apparent injury. For the season, Reid is 2-1 with a 3.46 ERA over 13 innings. He’s struck out 17 batters and walked eight.

Right-hander Luis Rujano: Rujano pitched two scoreless innings of relief on Wednesday and ended up getting the win. Rujano did not allow a hit and walked just one while striking out four.

For the season, Rujano is now 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA over six appearances and eight innings. Rujano has struck out nine and walked five.

The Guardians added their first reliever of the offseason, the usual minor-league contract variety, in left-hander Antoine Kelly.

Kelly has had a 1 inning at the major league level so far, and will turn 27 years old soon. Last season in Triple-A for the Rockies, Cubs and Dodgers, he put up a 10.28/7.28 K/BB/9 and an FIP of 5. So, if the Guardians can help him halve his walk-rate, he could be their next reclamation project success. He has a mid-90’s fastball and a nice slider. There is no such thing as a bad minor-league deal. He gave up an .803 OPS to RHH and a .575 to LHH last season.

Guardians’ prospects Welbyn Francisca and Luke Hill both got singles in the Arizona Fall League All-Star Game yesterday, and Hill added a walk. Francisca started at short and Hill came in mid-game to play second base. Both players had an excellent first half of AFL play, and we’ll see how they do in their remaining games.

Guardians’ prospect Jaison Chourio will play winter ball in Venezuela, playing for the Aguilas del Zulia.

Currently, the Guardians have three open roster spots ahead of November 20th’s deadline to roster players ahead of the Rule-5. However, one would guess they will non-tender folks like Matt Festa and Blake Perkins on November 17th to open a couple more spots, and there may be other moves made prior to that.

The second week of Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz’s trial begins today. Sam Blum breaks down what has happened so far for the Athletic here. Basically, nothing is clear yet, except it’s a funny element that the judge apparently knows next to nothing about the game of baseball.

The Cubs boast one of the three finalists for the National League’s Most Valuable Player award in Pete Crow-Armstrong.

But Chicago won’t be adding two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal to the roster this winter, according to The Athletic’s Sahadev Sharma.

The MLB General Manager Meetings kick off Tuesday in Las Vegas, which is usually a place for teams to lay the groundwork on potential offseason moves. But the Cubs likely won’t enter a bidding war with spending juggernauts such as the Dodgers and Mets amid labor uncertainty.

Skubal spent the second-half of the 2026 season with Los Angeles after being traded from the Tigers at the deadline, where he posted a 2.61 ERA with 70 strikeouts across 62 innings pitched.

While he had a successful campaign with the Dodgers, he also enjoyed his brief tenure with the organization. Skubal’s affinity for the team could very well play a leading role in his free agency process this winter.

The Cubs were poised to be one of the most dominant NL teams in the postseason, but were eliminated by the red, hot Padres in the wild-card round.

Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman’s bats went cold in the two-game sweep, but Chicago will likely focus on adding starting pitching this offseason.

But Skubal appears to be out of the team’s spending range, giving the Dodgers a clearer path to the left-hander’s return for 2027 and beyond.

Sources: Phillies eyeing free-agent infielder Ha-Seong Kim for important role originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

LAS VEGAS – Dave Dombrowski began the offseason with a challenge for shortstop Trea Turner.

Improve your defense or move off the position.

“We were very clear,” Dombrowski said last month. “He knows he has to be better at shortstop. I told him that’s really mandatory.

“If he plays shortstop like he did in ‘25, he can play shortstop. But if he plays it like he did in ‘26, he can’t.”

So, what happens if Turner doesn’t live up to the challenge and is moved to second base, third base or the outfield?

Or what happens if Turner is traded, a huge long shot considering the 33-year-old has a full no-trade clause and is signed for seven more years at $190 million.

Who plays shortstop?

Edmundo Sosa? Maybe he becomes a possibility later in the winter, but he’s out of the picture for now as he’s become a free agent and is seeking a long-term contract on the open market.

Bryson Stott could be a possibility. He was drafted as a shortstop and played there on a World Series team as a rookie in 2022.

It’s possible that the Phillies could push a prospect like Aidan Miller or Bryan Rincon into action at the position, but Miller could be more likely to play third base as Alec Bohm has moved on to free agency.

Any way you look at it, the Phillies need to add infield insurance, a player capable of slotting in at three positions with the ability to handle shortstop if the team needs to make a quick move on Turner.

According to sources, the Phillies are eyeing that type of player in free agent Ha-Seong Kim. The veteran infielder has played mostly shortstop during his six seasons in the majors. The Atlanta Braves signed him to a one-year, $20 million contract last December and planned to use him as their regular shortstop in 2026. That plan collapsed a month later when Kim tore a tendon in the middle finger of his right hand when he slipped on ice in his native South Korea. The injury required surgery and Kim was limited to just 51 games.

Mauricio Dubon filled much of the Braves’ void at shortstop and had a strong season, helping the club hold off the Phillies to win the NL East. Dubon is also a free agent. He would have the versatility the Phillies need, but he’s looking for a multi-year deal and the Phillies seem to prefer a shorter deal for a bounce-back candidate in the role.

Kim, 31, would fit that description.

A right-handed hitter, Kim put up strong seasons in San Diego from 2021 through 2024. He registered a bWAR of 5.0 and 5.4 in 2022 and 2023, respectively. He won a Gold Glove while playing three positions in 2023. Injuries (shoulder surgery in 2025 and hand surgery in 2026) have contributed to back-to-back down years.

All this makes him the bounce-back candidate/insurance policy the Phillies are looking for as the offseason gets humming at the general managers’ meetings this week.

Of course, the team has other more pressing needs, led by a bullpen upgrade and a right-handed run producer. Phillies officials, headed by Dombrowski, the team’s president of baseball operations, are one site, trying to fill those needs.

Major League Baseball’s general managers meetings start on Monday and run though Thursday in Las Vegas, a chance at a large chunk of the baseball world to congregate in one area. While these meeting don’t usually lend themselves to spurring transactions.

The winter meetings is usually the place where deals happen or start happening, but those might not even happen this year, with a lockout expected just after the collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1 at 8:59 p.m. PT.

Tarik Skubal is the big prize on the free agent market, but will he sign somewhere in these next three weeks before the darkness comes?

Five years ago, a handful of large deals got done just under the wire before the lockout. Corey Seager signed for $325 million with the Texas Rangers, Max Scherzer set a pitcher record for average annual value with his three years, $130 million with the New York Mets, and Kevin Gausman signed for five years, $110 million with the Toronto Blue Jays, among other deals.

The Dodgers’ big deal at the time was retaining Chris Taylor for four years, $60 million. Not every transaction pays off.

In a relatively week market and Skubal the clear top target, the right-hander is sure to command a princely sum with his next contract. Kiley McDaniel last week at ESPN said he expected Skubal to sign for somewhere between $325-400 million, surpassing Yoshinobu Yamamoto for largest total pitching contract ever if not also setting a new high mark for average annual value.

Jeff Passan at ESPN last week said, “the expectation is he will sign before the Dec. 1 lockout.” Both Passan and McDaniel listed the Dodgers and Mets as the top suitors for Skubal’s services.

Signing deals before the lockout suggest at least some confidence that such a deal would still work under whatever the labor landscape is under the next collective bargaining agreement. The owners have been angling for a salary cap for months, including in last week’s proposal which pushed back a salary cap to 2028, giving teams time to adjust. For a team like the Dodgers with the highest payroll in the sport, adding Skubal would make it harder to eventually reduce payroll to get under a potential cap, if there is one. Then again, Skubal is probably good enough to take the risk anyway.

Scott Boras, who represents Skubal and who represented Scherzer five years ago, talked with Andy McCullough at The Athletic in October about the coming offseason:

“For many teams, I can make an argument it’s clearly best for them to sign players currently, before the (new) CBA, than it is after,” agent Scott Boras said. “Because they have more freedom to do what they’re going to do. They can react later. Now they can get the talent. They can get what they want.”

At the very least, it would at least be funny to see the handwringing across the sport if the Dodgers were to sign Skubal, even if, as we saw in October, nothing is guaranteed.

Today’s question: When will Tarik Skubal signs his next contract? Pick the date that the deal becomes official.

In what promises to be a uniquely challenging winter, the Atlanta Braves will once again be in the market for starting pitching. Whether Alex Anthopoulos chooses to address the need for innings via free agency or trade, the Braves simply cannot afford to let this box on their offseason shopping list go unchecked.

Before we get started, let me be clear: pitching is not this club’s only need. A large portion of blame for the Braves’ most recent October ouster should be placed at the feet of a largely unproductive lineup. That is a group with its own set of needs and questions to answer.

Where will the Braves rotation get its innings from in 2027?

While Atlanta routinely finds ways to cover innings in the regular season, the rotation was routinely undone by untimely injuries in each of its past five trips to the postseason. There is no way to prevent or even predict the injury issues, but recognizing the possibility is essential. Failing to add proven reinforcements has certainly contributed to this annual issue.

After mixing and matching their way through bullpen-heavy usage this October, the Braves’ rotation situation moving forward appears to have reached a tipping point due to the uncertainty about several of their internal options and the lack of proven veterans after ace Chris Sale.

Anthopoulos stated his desire to add a playoff-caliber starter last winter. That need is once again front and center as the club looks to build a World Series contender.

On the surface, it would be fair to say Atlanta got more than adequate production from its rotation in 2026. Braves starters finished sixth in Major League Baseball with a 3.76 ERA, ranked 11th in innings pitched with 839.1 IP, and produced a composite 10.7 fWAR, which ranked 16th in baseball – Sale (5.8 fWAR) accounted for more than half of that, however.

Of course, Atlanta seems to traverse each winter with an ever-present uncertainty about the names that will comprise their starting five. The current lack of clarity underscores their need for continuity, consistency, production and upside. All of the above in some order.

Atlanta has a bevy of rotation candidates but just as many questions surrounding where the innings will actually come from and just what the quality of those innings will be. We’ll delve into roughly a dozen names, but many, if not most, come with conditional concerns.

The Braves simply cannot count on several of the in-house options that have been unable to stay healthy and contribute.

The Veterans: Chris Sale, Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes

Everything good about the Braves rotation starts with Chris Sale. They’re just hoping it doesn’t end there. Sale has been everything Atlanta could have imagined and then some since coming over from the Boston Red Sox in a trade in the winter of 2023.

In three seasons in a Braves uniform, Sale has pitched to a 2.36 ERA – tops in MLB since 2024 – while posting a 15.9 fWAR in 76 starts. Only Tarik Skubal (18.0) and Cristopher Sanchez (17.4) boast a higher fWAR, with each throwing significantly more innings than Sale (466 IP), who missed a couple of months in 2025 after suffering a fractured ribcage while diving to make a play. Sale, who is MLB’s all-time leader among pitchers with at least 2,000 innings with 11.1 K/9 during his 17-year career, has been even better with Atlanta. His 11.39 K/9 trails only Garrett Crochet (11.82) and Dylan Cease (11.59) over the past three years.

Sale led the Braves with 162.2 IP last season and will enter his age-38 season in 2027. While he is showing no signs of slowing down, can Sale continue to produce at a Hall of Fame level as he continues a career that should lead him to Cooperstown? Atlanta certainly needs him to.

Beyond their ace left-hander, the Braves received 300.2 IP from the righty combo of Bryce Elder and Grant Holmes. Holmes (151.2) actually ended up finishing second on the team in innings, due in part to Elder’s late-season knee surgery. He finished with 149 IP as a result. The two provided a 3.77 ERA across 55 starts, but that came along with a 4.68 FIP and 7.0 K/9.  

Holmes chose to rehab the torn UCL that ended his 2025 season in July rather than undergo Tommy John surgery that would’ve sidelined him for up to 18 months and cost him the chance to pitch at all last year. It would appear that decision was a sound one, but will he continue to hold a spot in the rotation for another full season?

Elder has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride since debuting in 2022. At his best, he’s a capable starter who takes the ball every fifth day and keeps the rotation on track. Unfortunately, the results aren’t always there and his performance can swing wildly from effective to erratic. Over the past two seasons, Elder led all Atlanta pitchers with 305 innings but turned in a 4.72 ERA and 2.1 fWAR in 54 starts.

Atlanta expects Elder to be ready to pitch in Spring Training, so he will likely factor into the plans in some form or fashion. Despite having surgery in September to clean up some bone fragments that caused swelling in his right knee, Elder was hoping to pitch again in 2026 had the Braves continued to advance in the postseason. Whether or not he would have is unclear and ultimately a moot point.

When he’s operating at the back end of the rotation, Elder is a serviceable starter for the most part. Where the team and Elder seem to run into trouble is when he is forced into a larger role.

The Unknowns: Spencer Strider, Spencer Schwellenbach, Reynaldo Lopez

Easily the most frustrating aspect of Atlanta’s rotation issues is the fact that two All-Stars and a third pitcher who was well on his way to establishing himself as a front of the rotation arm are all facing significant questions about their futures.

Spencer Strider, now 28 years old, was supposed to be well into his prime years as a staff ace. After an incredible rookie season, Atlanta signed Strider to a six-year, $75 million contract extension that runs through 2028 and includes a club option for 2029. He rewarded the club by winning 20 games in 2023 and leading the major leagues with 281 strikeouts – a new Braves franchise record. Strider appeared poised to lead the rotation for the remainder of the decade.

All of that momentum came to a screeching halt in 2024 when he was forced to undergo elbow surgery in April to correct an issue with his previously replaced UCL. Strider made just two starts that season and then missed an entire year. He returned in April of 2025 but has been enigmatic at best. With his arsenal clearly not playing the same, Strider has struggled to regain his form and avoid various injuries that cost him even more time over the past two years.

Last season, Strider made just eight starts and pitched to a 5.31 ERA. He allowed nine home runs in just 39 innings while posting a career-worst 4.6 BB/9. Strider’s fastball has become more hittable over the past three seasons as velocity dipped, leading to a decrease in four-seamer usage and reliance on secondary pitches that have not made up the difference in whiff rate.

Strider made his final start on June 12 against the Mets at Citi Field. He was rocked for seven earned runs and three homers in just three innings of work. He was pulled from the game after his fastball velocity suddenly dropped into the high-80s. Strider was examined for both elbow and shoulder soreness but no structural problems were found. He was placed on the injured list but eventually resumed throwing bullpen sessions by season’s end according to Anthopoulos. 

After missing the final 3 1/2 months of 2026 with elbow inflammation, the questions surrounding Strider are louder than ever. What version of Strider will we see going forward? Can he finally get his career back on track? How much can the Braves bank on his contributions in 2027?

Those same questions surround the future of Spencer Schwellenbach. 

The talented right-hander quickly established himself as one of the best young pitchers in baseball during his 2024 rookie season and appeared to be taking his game to the next level in 2025. Over the course of 234 innings in his first two years, Schwellenbach posted a 3.23 ERA (3.27 FIP) and fanned 235 batters while issuing just 41 walks. 

Schwellenbach works with a six-pitch mix, one of the many impressive things about the way he carved up opposing lineups. With his four-seamer touching 100 mph as 2025 wore on, it truly appeared everything was coming together for Schwellenbach. Then a fractured elbow put him on the shelf for the remainder of that season and kept him off the mound again in 2026.

After rehabbing the fracture, Schwellenbach encountered issues with the elbow again in Spring Training. He underwent surgery to remove bone spurs in February and encountered more pain when he ramped up throwing later in the season. After a lost season, Schwellenbach ultimately had a screw surgically inserted in his previously fractured elbow. This is a procedure that very few pitchers have returned from. That places even longer odds that Schwellenbach can resume his promising career.

Alex Anthopoulos had the following to say when updating the status and expectations for Strider and Schwellenbach as the team makes its pitching plans this winter.

“I think from a planning standpoint, I don’t think it’d be responsible to sit here and say those guys are going to start 30 games and throw 180 innings. So, that’s something we’re definitely going to have to account for and talk about where we’re going to get our innings for next season,” Anthopoulos said.

“I remember telling Grant Holmes last offseason at the beginning, how he progressed was going to tell us what his potential role would be and how we would bank him and so on in terms of anything. So, if you sit here today, I don’t think you’re going to see us come in and say that we expect [Strider and Schwellenbach] to be locks in the rotation with Sale.”

Another arm that the Braves cannot count on is Reynaldo Lopez. He turns 33 years old in January and enters the final year of a re-worked contract and is due $8 million next season. 

Lopez underwent shoulder surgery after making just one start in 2025. Upon returning this year, he struggled to regain his velocity, often citing mechanical adjustments as the main culprit. While Lopez occasionally showed flashes of the pitcher who turned in a 1.99 ERA in 25 starts during his All-Star campaign in 2024, he did not enjoy that kind of success.

After just five starts last season, the Braves shifted Lopez to the bullpen for two months. He returned to the rotation in late June and finished with a 4.54 ERA in 79.1 IP. The fastball velocity that was once routinely in the high 90s dipped to a career-low 94.4 mph on average with opponents batting over .300 against the pitch for the first time in his 11-year career.

Could he start for Atlanta in 2027? Sure, he could be asked to do so. Whether or not he should start may be the better question. If Lopez moves back to a relief role, there is a chance he could provide more benefit to the pitching staff. A successful reliever for several years before signing with the Braves, Lopez expressed a desire to start again and Atlanta was open to the idea and rewarded with a fine season in 2024. Given the shoulder surgery, lost time and inconsistent results that followed, Lopez simply may not be able to recapture that magic.

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We’ll have more to talk about in a follow-up piece to this article tomorrow, so stay tuned for that.

Practically every permutation of this Dodgers’ offseason starts with a pursuit to re-sign Tarik Skubal.

Where the club could go from there is where things might get even more interesting.

Despite failing in their bid for a third-straight World Series this year, the Dodgers already have the makings of a title favorite again in 2027. All nine of their regular position-player starters are still under contract for next season.

Skubal is the only notable potential loss from the starting rotation. And while the team has holes in the bullpen and on the bench, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman couldn’t have been more bullish when looking ahead to next year at his end-of-season press conference last month.

“If we started the season tomorrow,” he declared, “we feel really good about the roster and team that we have.”

For the Dodgers, however, roster-building decisions are never made with only the short-term future in mind.

One of Friedman’s most common mottos during his tenure in Los Angeles has been ensuring the team never “falls off a cliff,” committed to maintaining contender status for as far as they can see out.

And right now, with the Dodgers possessing the oldest lineup in the majors and facing what is likely to be more substantial roster transition in the next 2-3 years (against the looming backdrop of a new CBA that could also bring drastic changes to the sport’s spending rules), their longer-term outlook appears increasingly in flux.

That’s why, even if the Dodgers feel well-positioned for 2027, they will almost assuredly proceed through this offseason with an eye on the bigger picture, as well.

They know that, at some point soon, they need to start getting younger and more athletic. And that, as things currently stand, Andy Pages is their only established core piece entering his prime, not slowly fading out of it.

Thus, this winter could present an opportunity for them to be “opportunistic” –– another of Friedman’s favorite sayings –– and seek acquisitions who can not only help next year, but spearhead a new generation of Dodgers dominance too.

“It’s about us being as prepared as we can be, depending on what opportunities pop up, to be able to pounce,” Friedman said. “We feel good about our jumping-off point of where we are. That being said, to the extent that we can keep raising the bar, raising the talent level, and increasing our championship odds, we’re going to be aggressive to do so.”

Those efforts, of course, will begin with Skubal; who will be the center of attention at MLB’s General Manager Meetings in Las Vegas beginning on Tuesday.

The two-time Cy Young Award winner is far and away the best player in this year’s otherwise weak free-agent class. He was a seamless fit in the Dodgers’ clubhouse after arriving in a trade-deadline blockbuster from the Detroit Tigers.

Granted, the Dodgers’ preference (as usual) might be for a shorter-term, higher-annual-average-value deal –– as opposed to the longer-term, potentially $400-plus million guarantee many prognosticators have pegged the left-hander to receive.

But, they are nonetheless seen as co-favorites (along with the Mets) in this winter’s sweepstakes for the soon-to-be 30-year-old ace.

Skubal or not, though, expect the Dodgers to be on the lookout for other star-level, in-their-prime players.

And while free agency might be short on alternative options, the trade market could present intriguing possibilities.

Maybe the Reds will listen to offers on Elly De La Cruz, having thus far failed to lock up the uber-talented 24-year-old shortstop (who has three years of team control left) to a long-term contract extension.

Perhaps the Astros’ Jeremy Peña (a Gold Glover and former World Series MVP who is entering his final year before free agency) or the Orioles’ Gunnar Henderson (who is two years removed from a top-five MVP finish and two years away from hitting the open market) will be made available as their clubs try to retool their rosters.

At a bare minimum, Zach Neto of the Angels and CJ Abrams of the Nationals, two dynamic middle infielders entering their age-26 seasons, figure to be bandied about in trade rumors the same way they were at this year’s deadline.

For now, all of those targets are merely speculative (especially with the Dodgers still having Mookie Betts at shortstop and Tommy Edman at second base). The trade market, in particular, might be slow-moving this winter until teams know what the new CBA entails, following a lockout all but certain to begin on Dec. 1.

But if any of them become possibilities before next season, it would likely pique the Dodgers’ interest.

After all, the club boasts a highly-ranked farm system that will make them contenders in any marquee trade talks. They have the ability to deal from their current MLB roster if needed (something they might try to do anyway this winter to create more opportunities for some of their top young prospects).

And they also won’t want to find themselves facing too sudden of a personnel turnover in a couple years, either, as some of their older stars have their contracts expire and others move into less-productive phases of their careers.

So, for as much as this winter will be about bolstering their World Series hopes in 2027, it could also offer a chance to jumpstart their transition into a new era.

Re-signing Skubal is one way of accomplishing both. But, in an offseason that is still taking shape, it might not be the only pathway the Dodgers could explore.

Let’s do some free agent polls!

These polls are less fun when the Ray Davis is acting like he’s broke, but hey, let’s do some anyway.

We are starting with Jazz Chisholm, Jr. Chris Young wants the Rangers to get younger and more athletic? In the free agent market, Chisholm is one of the best bets there. He’s a year removed from a 30/30 season, and had a career high 41 stolen bases in 50 attempts in 2026 despite an overall down offensive season. He’s played second base since being traded to the Yankees by the Marlins, also has graded out well there via OAA, but also has experience in center field. The Rangers could look at putting him back in center field, or could put him at second base with Ezequiel Duran playing center.

The Yankees did not make a qualifying offer to Chisholm, which is somewhat surprising, and perhaps indicative of a desire by the team to move on.

This is a weird free agent market, and the projections are all over the map with many players, Chisholm included. On the high end, Baseball America has Chisholm at 3 years/$110 million or 7 years/$185 million. Over at Fangraphs, both Ben Clemens and the median crowdsource has Chisholm at 4 years, $92 million. Kiley McDaniel, meanwhile, has Chisholm at 2 years, $46 million with an opt-out. MLB Trade Rumors has Chisholm at 2 years, $40 million with an opt-out.

I’m going to go with McDaniel’s projection for the purposes in this poll, in part because I think the higher end offers are unlikely to materialize, and in part because if they do materialize, I don’t see the Rangers paying him in the neighborhood of $100 million or more.

So we ask you…would you want the Rangers to sign Jazz Chisholm, Jr. to a two year, $46 million deal with an opt-out?

Cast your vote below…

If anyone forgot that Blake Burkhalter made an appearance for the Atlanta Braves this season, they likely would not be alone. What he did this season is the definition of the term “cup of coffee” in the majors, one of a handful of players in the Braves organization with the same experience in 2026.

How Acquired

Blake Burkhalter was drafted by the Braves in the same draft class as JR Ritchie (2022), in the second round, out of Auburn University. He has been in the Braves system ever since. The highest he reached in the prospect rankings in his time was 14th by Baseball America.

Somewhat interestingly and/or tellingly, the Braves did not protect Burkhalter by adding him to the 40-man roster ahead of last year’s Rule 5 Draft. This suggests that either they didn’t think highly of him, or figured other teams wouldn’t. They were right, in that no one bothered to claim Burkhalter, and also in that they had little interest in using him at the big league level.

What were the expectations?

There were virtually no expectations at the MLB level for Burkhalter, and any that existed probably took a hit when he was left unprotected. Beyond hovering around the 40 FV area, Burkhalter had a rough go of it after being promoted to Triple-A in 2025, with an FIP of 4.82 and an xFIP of 5.43 (and an xERA in that same area) while working mostly as a reliever.

The presumption was that he’d need to show something in the way of better peripherals before being a candidate for the big league roster.

2026 Results

It was a true cup of coffee for Burkhalter. The truest, really. He was promoted to the big leagues when rosters expanded on September 1, he pitched one inning, and then he was sent down the next day. The end.

That inning featured one hit, one walk, one strikeout, and one run charged to him. The Braves were already trailing 5-2, and the two baserunners, along with a wild pitch and two flyouts, led to a sixth Nationals run via sacrifice fly. He did at least end on a high note with his strikeout of Daylen Lile.

His bigger action was in the minors, where he dealt with some injury stuff and a variety of rehab assignments. Working as a pure reliever in Triple-A, he pitched 29 2/3 innings over 21 appearances, with a 2.43 ERA that was belied by a 3.35 FIP and 4.37 xFIP. He did strike out a bunch of guys (about 27 percent of batters faced), but his walk rate was about as close to being double digits (9.8 percent) as possible without actually tripping that concerning threshold.

What went right?

What went right is that Burkhalter can now say he was an MLB pitcher. He made his debut and it was not a terrible one, though it wasn’t great either. Beyond that, you can point to his ERA in the minors, where he again outpitched his peripherals substantially. Maybe he’s got some kind of unique ability to do so, but the Braves don’t seem to buy it.

What went wrong?

The flip side to the above is that the Braves don’t seem to really believe in him — his “shot” was all of one inning even when the Braves were playing garbage time games over the last week of the season, and the Braves definitely haven’t been swayed by the low ERAs combined with poor peripherals that he’s shown at Triple-A in 2025-2026.

He’s on the 40-man roster now, but it remains to be seen whether he survives a winter of cuts and adds.

2027 Outlook

There is a very real chance that we see Blake Burkhalter at the MLB level at some point during 2027 for the Braves unless he is traded. After all, he’s on the 40-man, and the Braves love their yo-yos. As to whether he gets a legitimate shot to validate his ERA-over-his-peripherals (or crash out if he can’t), that seems a lot less likely. Maybe with some extra development, he can become a guy whom the Braves are comfortable using as a reliever, but we’re not there yet. For the time being, he projects as yet another replacement level reliever, and the Braves, for whatever reason, love to make waiver claims for those guys rather than filling the roster fringe with promotions from within.

Back from our week away. Huatulco, Mexico, is a nice area. Not over-developed yet (they are working at it, though). The people in the resorts are largely Canadian (it is hard to fly there from the States, but WestJet has direct flights from many cities). Still, a big topic of conversation was the US election.

We mostly stayed at the resort, ate and drank too much. We did take an outing to a cemetery for the Day of the Dead. It is a really nice idea, a day (really a week) for people to think about, talk about, loved ones who have passed. People dress up and dress up the grave sites. I talked for a couple of minutes to a fellow whose young son was buried there, and he seemed happy to have the chance to talk about him. I want to borrow the idea to have a day here to talk about friends and family who are gone.

They have tennis courts, but I only played once. 32 degrees for a guy with extremely white skin, is too much for any sort of physical activity.

Anyway, I stayed nicely away from any Jays news, not that there was much. And, though I brought my computer, I only turned it on once, because my wife wanted to look up something.

• Of course I saw the Anthony Santander comments. My personal feeling is that if you are being paid more money than God, and you have had 34 hits over two seasons, don’t say anything that gets your employer paying lawyers to search through your contract to see if it can be voided for stupidity. I’m being paid far less than God, and I’m sure if I posted something as dumb as he did, SB would fire me (very rightfully) in ten seconds.
• If it were up to me, I’d likely release Anthony now and eat the money. But I’d imagine the team will see how spring training goes.
• I did see a comment saying we should bring in Shari Lewis law. Everyone has to wear a sock puppet and sing that annoying song on and on. That I’m all for.
• A question for the Jays is: Do they give the players any media training? Could they maybe do a better job of it?
• No Jays players won a Gold Glove (I figured Vlad would), but we won the Team Gold Glove, which, around midseason, I would have said had no chance. But looking at the numbers, it does seem earned. This is the third time the Jays have won this award.
• Lazaro Estrada was signed to a minor league deal. Also Adrian Pinto, Hedbert Perez, Josh Stephan, Geovanny Planchart and Alexis Hernandez have been signed to minor league deals.
• Jake Bloss has been given another option year. Sometimes players get an extra option year if they use all three in their first five seasons of professional ball.
• Tonight we learn who the Rookie of the Year is in each league. Tomorrow Manager of the Year.