Category: Baseball

The San Francisco Giants announced a small deal on Friday, as a trickle down from Monday’s roster-cutting actions. Lefty reliever Reiver Sanmartin has been traded to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Minor League reliever Robert Cranz.

It’s not news that Sanmartin is gone, as the Giants announced that he had been designated for assignment on Monday, amongst the flurry of moves that got the roster back down to 40 players at the deadline. But most DFA’d players leave with nothing in return, so it’s nice that Sanmartin was an exception, and the Giants were able to get something back to allow the Nationals to jump to the front of the line.

As is always the case with these sorts of deals, it’s not a huge haul they got back, but Cranz is interesting. The 23-year old right-hander was drafted in the seventh round of the 2024 draft (pick No. 200 on the dot) out of Oklahoma State, and received a mildly underslot bonus of $190,000. He performed fairly well in Low-A and High-A in his first full season in 2025, and started to make a name for himself in 2026.

Cranz opened the year in High-A, where he had a 2.25 ERA and a 2.68 FIP, with a whopping 27 strikeouts in just 16 innings. He kept it up in AA, where he posted a 3.42 ERA and a 2.95 FIP, with 40 strikeouts in 26.1 innings.

A native of Keller, Texas, Cranz made it to AAA to end the year, and that’s where his success ended. It was a rude introduction to the top ring of the Minors, and he ended his cup of coffee there with a 13.11 ERA, a 7.17 FIP, and just nine strikeouts in 11.2 innings.

Cranz mostly throws hard stuff, as in AAA he used his four-seam fastball (which averaged 95.2 mph) nearly half of the time, while throwing his cutter and slider more than 20% of the time each. There’s definitely something intriguing there, and he’ll be a big part of AAA Sacramento’s bullpen depth this year, and have a chance to play his way into the Majors.

Tanner Swanson, who had been the Yankees catching coordinator since November 2019, is leaving to become the bench coach of the Mariners, The Post has learned. 

The Washington native and Central Washington University graduate will serve under Jason Kanzler, who was named Seattle’s manager earlier this week. 

Swanson had gained a strong reputation since going from the Twins organization to the Yankees, a tenure in which he helped the Yankees rise to the forefront of framing by their catchers. 

In the seven seasons in which Swanson was in charge of the Yankees catchers, they easily led the majors in various framing statistics, most notably Catcher Framing Runs. 

Swanson, who was originally hired as the team’s director of catching and had since been promoted to a dual title that also included major league field coordinator, had established an impressive catching tree around the game. 

In addition to Gold Glove finalist Austin Wells and J.C. Escarra, who had grown under Swanson’s teaching, the Yankees had moved on from Kyle Higashioka, Jose Trevino, Carlos Narváez, Luis Torrens, Agustín Ramírez and Rafael Flores, all of whom earned significant playing time elsewhere. 

Developing and often off-loading catchers — under Swanson and his partner in player development, run prevention coordinator and catching coordinator Aaron Gershenfeld — has been a real strength of the organization throughout the 2020s. 

Swanson, who served as the bench coach for Great Britain during the 2026 World Baseball Classic, received interest from other organizations last offseason. This time around, he was on an expiring contract.

While spring training gets all the hype when it comes to baseball in Arizona, locals know that the Arizona Fall League is where the true baseball joy is to be found. The weather is typically much more conducive to spectating, and while Cactus League prices are barely indistinguishable from a regular season game, basically the price of a movie ticket – $14 – gets you any open seat in the park. Of course, you will be watching prospects rather than (five innings of!) major-league players. But that just gives you bragging rights, as many future stars pass through the AFL. 27 players in this year’s MLB All-Star Game were AFL graduates, so you will get to say “I saw him when…”

Last night, I met up with ish95 and Mrs. ish95, and went to Peoria. There, the Rafters (including players from the D-backs farm system) were taking on the Javelinas. It’s been a while since I’ve attended a game at the Peoria Sports Complex. I think the last time I was at the stadium was getting a COVID vaccine! But I do like that it’s right in the middle of the 83rd Avenue Entertainment District, offering lots of options for food before or after the game. We went to Firebirds’ Grill, and their Phillie Cheesesteak Egg Rolls come highly recommended. From there, it’s only two mins to the park, with free and easy parking. The announced attendance of 397 certainly helps in that department!

I will say, the park is beginning to show its age. Built in 1994, of the six AFL stadiums, only Scottsdale (1992) is older – and it underwent a $50 million renovation in 2020. Peoria has had little more than a lick of paint in the past decade. It’s still serviceable, to be sure. But I noticed stuff like a folding table, parked upside down on top of the visitors’ dugout. It had clearly been there for a while, going by it being full of water, presumably from the rain over the weekend. Hoping I don’t come down with West Nile Virus. There were plenty of other insects around – Mrs. ish95 was freaked out by the arrival of CricketZilla. But that’s probably an inevitable result of baseball under the floodlights.

The game ended 5-3 to the Javelinas and was… interesting. It wasn’t very well-played, to be honest. Was chatting to Jack Sommers about it, and he said, “The quality of the AFL has gone down in recent years. There are fewer and fewer good pitchers, and it has skewed towards younger, less developed position players. Fifteen years ago it was much better quality.” Certainly, last night was… interesting. The teams combined for only six hits, but the pitchers issued no less than twenty-two free passes – nineteen walks and three hit batters. Add to that, three wild pitches, a balk (more on which shortly), a disengagement violation and three pitch timer violations. Yeah. Not exactly crisply pitched.

But if anyone had a bad night, it was Salt River Rafters catcher Miguel Rodriguez, despite delivering the entire visitors’ offense with a three-run homer in the second inning. For the Javelinas ran wild, stealing twelve bases on him, in thirteen attempts. Worse still was his error in the eighth (one of a total of four in the game). I can’t be certain – no replays – but it looked like he dropped his mask on a foul ball before it had been called dead. That gave all base-runners an extra base, and brought home the go-ahead, and what turned out to be the winning, run for the Javelinas. I kinda feel that kind of thing would be barely excusable at the high-school level.

Three Diamondbacks prospects got into the game. Demetrio Crisantes started at 2B, batted second, and settled down after an ugly K in the first, drawing a pair of walks. Nathan Hall played LF, and got an extra life in the second inning, when a foul pop-up was dropped by the Javelina’s 1B. Hall then was hit, and scored on the Rodriguez homer. Hall then had the only other Rafters’ hit, with a solid double to left-center in the fourth. Joe Ariola came into the game as relief in the seventh, trying to protect what was a 3-2 Rafters’ lead at that point. But he walked the first two batters faced, and after a steal of third, still with no-body out, was in serious trouble.

To Ariola’s credit, he almost escaped. He got a comebacker to the first-base side of the mound for the first out, then a shallow fly-ball to right for the second. But the runner on third was dancing down the line, and coaxed Ariola into a throw over, called as a balk and scoring the tying run. Hard to tell – again, no replays. Ted Tom, the Rafters’ manager (he works in the Nats’ system) seemed unconvinced, and came out for a lengthy discussion with the umpires. I also noted at the end of the inning, Ariola had a significant conversation of his own with the home-plate official. I’m guessing he was getting clarification of what happened, and it was good to see him looking to learn from the experience.

To be honest, I think we were all a bit glad when it was over. Between the walks and the strikeouts (23 of those!), there weren’t very many balls in play, and the game felt considerably longer than its 2:58. The company was definitely better than the baseball, all told! Though a pro-tip: it may be Arizona, but the temperature will still drop after the sun goes down. Evening games can get more than slightly chilly by the time of the final pitch. But it is still something you can’t do anywhere else except Arizona. And with the lockout looming, who knows when the next chance we will have to watch professional baseball?

AFL updates

Just to fill in the overall progress of our guys. The loss dropped the Rafters to 13-13, leaving them 2.5 back of the league-leading Javelinas and Surprise Saguaros, with just three games to play before the playoffs at the end of next week (the AFL All-Star Game takes place this weekend). Four teams get in, and it’s between the Rafters, Scottsdale Scorpions and Mesa Solar Sox for the third and fourth places. Crisantes is batting .258, but has as many walks as strikeouts and a .734 OPS. Hall is doing even better there, with a K:BB of 7:13 – that gives him an OBP of .424, despite batting only .161. But 3B Yassel Solar continues to struggle, having gone 5-for-46, an average of just .109.

On the mound, despite Ariola’s wobble last night, he’s still doing well. Those were the first two walks of his AFL campaign, and a K:BB of 10:2 across 7.1 innings is pretty respectable, along with a 3.38 ERA. Patrick Forbes is also looking impressive, his K:BB being 11:3 over 8.1 IP, to go alongside is 2.16 ERA. Unfortunately, Luke Craig has not been able to complete a trifecta of quality. His seven outings in the AFL have covered a total of just four innings, giving up seven hits, five walks and nine runs (albeit three unearned), with three strikeouts, and an ERA of 13.50. John West (ERA 14.29) has also struggled, and Connor Foley has somehow managed to make five scoreless outing, and is 2-for-2 in save opportunities despite walking seven batters in four innings.

The fact that you’re reading my words now likely means you’re a St. Louis Cardinals fan, but are you a writer, too? I ask this very important question because there is now an opportunity for you to combine your fandom with a keyboard and join our team of baseball writers here at Viva El Birdos.

One of our team had had family responsibilities require him to take a step back soon which means there will be an opening in our lineup soon that you might be the perfect fit for. Here are some basics that we’re looking for:

1. You must love the St. Louis Cardinals. This is not optional. You don’t have to agree with everything the ownership, management and team do, though. It can be fun when you don’t agree with something (or somethings) that the Cardinals are doing, but you must have a passion for the team.
2. You need to understand the importance of deadlines and follow through to provide unique content every single week including the off-season. We’re a relatively small team, but we rely on each other to keep interesting content available for the community every day.
3. You need to have at least a basic knowledge of WordPress. No previous professional writing experience is necessary, but you need to be up-to-speed on how digital content is put together. I’m happy to train, but Mr. Miyagi I am not.
4. This is a part-time paid position, but you won’t be rubbing elbows with the Kardashians. No one here does this for the money. If we got rich doing this, we’d all be driving around Corvettes like the one David Eckstein was given as 2006 World Series MVP.
5. You must love coming up with unique viewpoints of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team here loves analyzing roster construction, minor league prospects, potential trade targets and second-guessing managerial, ownership and President of Baseball Operations decisions.

Does all of this sound good to you? If so, I’d love to hear from you. I’m hoping to have our new team member ready to get started in December (just in time for the inevitable lockout!). Feel free to email me direct and introduce yourself. I promise to respond to all inquiries. Viva El Birdos has the most educated baseball community in the sport. I have no doubt that there’s someone who’s a part of it who’ll be the perfect fit to help VEB move forward. Is it you?

After extending Jacob Young this morning, Paul Toboni made another move. He acquired lefty reliever Reiver Sanmartin in exchange for minor league righty reliever Robert Cranz. Sanmartin is now the third player Toboni has acquired from the Giants in the past couple weeks. It is a move I am not particularly inspired by, but we should see Sanmartin in the big leagues next year.

We have acquired LHP Reiver Sanmartín from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for RHP Robert Cranz.

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) November 6, 2026

The Nats rotated through a ton of relievers last year, but there was one archetype that Toboni really seemed to like. Throughout last season, the Nats often had at least one soft tossing lefty who threw from a lower slot on the roster. Richard Lovelady, Tom Cosgrove and PJ Poulin are all examples of that. Sanmartin also fits into that grouping.

Sanmartin throws from a 22 degree arm angle, which is much lower than average. His fastball only averages 91.8 MPH, which is not impressive these days, even for a lefty. That means he has to rely on funk, movement and command to get outs. To be honest, these low slot lefties are not my favorite archetype. They have a low margin for error and are not very high upside.

Can’t say I am a huge fan of this one. Cranz had a really tough time in AAA but I liked his upside. Meanwhile, Sanmartin is a 30 year old low slot lefty without big league success who averages under 92 https://t.co/ckK2LlVLfA

— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) November 6, 2026

Robert Cranz, the pitcher who the Nats dealt in this move, is someone I was keeping tabs on as well. The 23 year old was drafted in the 7th round of the 2024 draft, and has a unique arsenal. He averaged 95 MPH while having elite carry on his fastball despite throwing from a lower slot. Stuff models absolutely loved Cranz. 

However, that raw stuff did not translate at all, at least in Triple-A. Cranz had a 2.25 ERA in High-A and a 3.42 ERA in Double-A. He also posted elite strikeout numbers at those levels. It was a different story once he got to Rochester though. Cranz had an ERA of 13.11 in 13 appearances before getting sent back to Double-A. That probably caused the Nats to give up on him.

I still do not know about the idea of giving him up for a 30 year old lefty who just got DFA’d. Sanmartin is also out of options, so the Nats have to roster him or risk him getting claimed on waivers. Last season, Sanmartin posted a 4.22 ERA in 21.1 innings. There are things he does well, but overall I am not a huge fan of this move.

Getting to the positives, Sanmartin is excellent at keeping the ball on the ground. He posted an elite 62.9% ground ball rate in 21.1 innings last year. Sanmartin also displayed good control, only walking 2.95 batters per 9 innings. Walks were something that haunted other low slot lefties on the Nats, but it was not a problem for Sanmartin. The 30 year old’s heavy sinker and good control gives him a path to success.

In 21.1 IP in 2026, Reiver Sanmartin posted a 62.9% GB-Rate

The Nats obviously fell short of the mark in the bullpen last season, but keeping the ball in the yard needs to be a priority moving forward.

The bullpen had a league-worst 1.39 HR/9 in 2026… https://t.co/Qryf076pYSpic.twitter.com/TS0kcgTJAo

— Baseball Unstitched (@BaseUnstitched) November 6, 2026

I also wonder if the Nats think they could squeeze out another tick of velocity. If Sanmartin’s sinker could sit at 93, I think that would be a big deal. To go with the sinker, Sanmartin has a slider he throws to lefties and a changeup he throws to righties.

He is a pretty standard sinker-baller, but there are some things to like here. Despite being a ground ball heavy guy, his 10% barrel rate was quite high. Honestly, the Nats might think that is due for some positive regression.

It is not my favorite move, but I at least somewhat see the vision. Hopefully this does not stop us from getting a bigger name lefty reliever. Sanmartin is out of options, so that worries me. We will have to see what the Nats vision is for the lefty though. I would be a little uneasy about Sanmartin, Tolman and Will Dion being the options from the left side. A bit of an uninspiring move, but let’s see how this plays out.

Mostly forgotten today, right-hander Warren Hacker is the kind of guy who epitomized the Cubs in the 1950s. He had one really good year — got downballot MVP votes! — and then either because of injuries, poor coaching, no support or all of the above, he descended into mediocrity and eventually was traded away in a deal where the Cubs basically got nothing.

Hacker, like yesterday’s entry in this series Carl Lundgren, was an Illinois native, from the tiny town of Marissa, which is southeast of St. Louis. When Hacker was born in 1924 Marissa had about 1,900 residents and it’s about the same size today.

The Cubs acquired him in 1948 in a minor-league deal but he didn’t become a mainstay in the team’s rotation until 1952 — that “one really good year.” In 33 games (20 starts) Hacker produced a 15-9 record, 2.58 ERA, 12 complete games and led MLB in WHIP at 0.958. He finished 22nd in MVP voting that year, in pre-Cy Young days. Cubs outfielder Hank Sauer was NL MVP that year and the team finished 77-77, their only non-losing season between 1947 and 1966. Hacker threw a five-hit complete game June 12 against the Phillies and the Cubs were in third place, only four games behind the league-leading Dodgers, with a 32-19 record.

Despite Hacker’s good pitching and Sauer’s hitting, the team went 45-58 the rest of the way, because, well, those two were about all the team had.

Hacker never again had a year that good. The following year he led MLB with 35 home runs allowed, and in 1955 he served up 38 long balls, which remains the franchise record to this day despite Shōta Imanaga’s best efforts to break it in 2026. (Sorry, Shōta!) Also in 1955, Hacker had a game that might have put him in the history books. He took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Braves in Milwaukee, but George Crowe broke it up with a solo homer. The Cubs won the game 2-1.

Hacker was traded to Cincinnati after the 1956 season, along with Don Hoak and Pete Whisenant for Ray Jablonski and Elmer Singleton. Hoak hated playing for the Cubs — one of the few who ever felt that way — and demanded a trade, so the Cubs had little leverage. Jablonski never played for the Cubs and was dealt before the next season began, and Singleton, already 39 when the deal was made, was a spare part.

Hacker didn’t do much, either, after the deal, drifting from Cincinnati to Philadelphia to the White Sox before leaving the majors after 1961. He played in the minors through 1967, then was a minor-league pitching coach int the A’s organization (1967-71) and later in the 1970s in the Padres organization. He died in Lenzburg, Illinois, not far from his hometown of Marissa, on May 22, 2002, aged 77.

Warren Hacker posted 13.5 bWAR in his nine seasons with the Cubs, No. 99 on the all-time list.

This series will continue on Monday.

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. 26, Jimmy Herget (0.1 rWAR)

Jimmy Herget entered 2026 coming off one of the best seasons of his career. The right-hander had posted a 2.48 ERA across 83.1 innings in 2025, giving the Rockies a dependable multi-inning reliever with a funky delivery and a varied repertoire.

A year later, Herget finished with a 0-6 record, a 5.70 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP across 51 appearances. He pitched well for extended periods, but two particularly difficult stretches did considerable damage to his final numbers.

There was plenty happening away from the mound, too. Herget became a dad, a major life adjustment on its own, before spending time on the bereavement list and dealing with a shoulder injury that landed him on the injured list. Between those interruptions, finding a consistent rhythm couldn’t have been easy.

Herget was also working with a new pitching coach and philosophy. He began the year with a revamped pitch mix that featured a new cutter. His slider, his second-most-used pitch in 2025, was nowhere to be found for much of the season before returning late in the year.

2026 Season Stats

G(GS)	W-L	IP	ERA	WHIP	K	BB	SV	rWAR
51 (3)	0-6	53.2	5.70	1.53	47	26	3	0.1

Statistics via Baseball Reference.

How it played out

Herget appeared in the Rockies’ season opener against Miami, replacing Kyle Freeland in the fifth inning and providing 1.1 scoreless innings. He continued pitching well throughout April, allowing just two earned runs across his first 11 appearances and 12 innings, good for a 1.50 ERA.

That stretch culminated April 21 against San Diego, when Herget served as an opener for Chase Dollander. He struck out Ramón Laureano, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill on just 14 pitches, throwing 10 strikes.

Dollander followed with six innings of one-run baseball and nine strikeouts, but the Rockies lost 1-0.

Two days later, Herget went on the paternity list.

He returned April 29 against Cincinnati and allowed two runs in the ninth inning of a 13-2 victory, including a home run by Will Benson.

Four days later against Atlanta, Herget surrendered three runs in the ninth, all scoring with two outs. On May 8 against Philadelphia, he inherited two runners with nobody out and Colorado leading 7-3. Bryson Stott doubled home both runners, and Justin Crawford followed with a two-run homer that tied the game.

Three appearances, three innings and seven earned runs.

Herget went on the bereavement list May 9 and returned three days later against Pittsburgh. He surrendered a leadoff double to Nick Gonzales and issued a walk but managed to escape the eighth inning without allowing a run, throwing 22 pitches and recording one strikeout.

Two days later, Herget landed on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement, keeping him out until June 17.

Including his May 12 appearance, Herget allowed just one earned run over 10 innings across 11 appearances through July 12, despite the extended interruption.

Then came his worst stretch of the season.

Between July 17 and August 1, Herget allowed at least one earned run in six consecutive appearances. He surrendered 13 earned runs in just 4.1 innings, walking seven hitters while striking out only four.

The struggles began July 17 against Cincinnati, when Herget inherited a runner with one out and promptly surrendered consecutive home runs to Spencer Steer and Eugenio Suárez.

On July 26 against Milwaukee, Herget entered with one out and a runner aboard before walking Gary Sánchez. Luis Lara followed with an RBI double, and Cooper Pratt and Joey Ortiz added consecutive doubles on sweepers that weren’t particularly well struck. By the time he escaped the inning, three earned runs had been charged to Herget, and the inherited runner had also scored.

Unlike his first difficult stretch, when he had struck out five hitters and walked just one, Herget was now struggling to keep runners off base while allowing damaging contact.

He began to settle down again in August. On August 4 and 7, Herget delivered consecutive scoreless, hitless innings, striking out two hitters in each appearance.

There were still rough outings, including three earned runs against Washington on August 27 and a difficult appearance against St. Louis on September 6. But the extended run of poor outings didn’t return.

Herget finished with 7.2 innings and two earned runs across his final four appearances, including three outings of at least two innings. On September 16 against San Diego, he worked two scoreless innings on just 22 pitches, retiring six consecutive hitters after allowing a leadoff single.

His final appearance came September 24 against Arizona. Herget entered in the fourth inning with two runners aboard and allowed an inherited runner to score before escaping the inning. He went on to pitch 2.2 innings, striking out four but allowing two earned runs, including a solo homer by James McCann.

An uneven season

Month	IP	ERA	K/9	BB/9	FIP
March-April	13.0	2.77	9.69	1.38	2.64
May	3.0	15.00	9.00	6.00	7.43
June	4.0	0.00	13.50	4.50	1.60
July	8.1	12.96	6.48	10.80	10.30
August	14.0	4.50	5.79	3.86	5.17
September	11.1	4.76	7.15	3.18	6.01

Statistics via FanGraphs.

Herget’s 2026 season wasn’t consistently poor. Two particularly difficult stretches accounted for much of the damage.

Across those two stretches, totaling nine appearances and just 7.1 innings, Herget allowed 20 earned runs, producing a 24.55 ERA.

In his other 46.1 innings, he allowed just 14 earned runs, a 2.72 ERA.

Removing a reliever’s worst appearances will naturally improve his numbers, and Herget’s home run and control problems were genuine shortcomings, not simply unfortunate results we can remove from the equation.

But the difference between a 24.55 ERA and a 2.72 ERA helps explain how a pitcher who was frequently effective finished with a 5.70 ERA.

So, what changed between the pitcher who was so dependable in 2025 and the one who struggled so badly at times in 2026?

A different arsenal

Herget’s sweeper was his most-used pitch in 2025, and it remained a major part of his repertoire in 2026. But its effectiveness, particularly against left-handed hitters, declined considerably.

In 2025, lefties produced a .339 wOBA against the sweeper, with 11 strikeouts and one home run allowed across 177 pitches. In 2026, that wOBA ballooned to .526, with four home runs and zero strikeouts across 105 pitches. Its whiff rate dropped from 24.7% to just 8.3%.

Herget actually reduced his sweeper usage against lefties from 29% to 22%, while maintaining roughly 33% usage against right-handed hitters.

Herget threw 362 sliders in 2025, holding left-handed hitters to a .194 wOBA with the pitch. Yet Statcast didn’t classify a single pitch as a slider through July 2026.

Instead, he featured a new cutter with a different movement profile. The cutter averaged 86.2 mph with 7.6 inches of induced vertical break, compared with 85.5 mph and 3.9 inches for his 2025 slider.

The cutter worked, particularly against right-handed hitters, who produced just a .223 wOBA against it.

But with his sweeper struggling against lefties, why had the slider that worked so well against them in 2025 nearly disappeared?

On August 23, the slider finally returned.

It initially appeared only occasionally, but by September it had become a significant part of his repertoire again.

Period	Slider	Cutter	Sweeper
March-July	0.0%	29.5%	31.0%
August	3.0%	32.0%	25.1%
September	21.2%	20.1%	21.2%

Percentage of pitches thrown, via Baseball Savant.

By September, Herget was throwing more sliders than cutters, 38 to 36. The slider’s movement was also similar to what it had been in 2025.

That gave Herget another option alongside his sweeper.

On September 6 against St. Louis, Herget showed how the two pitches could work together. He opened Thomas Saggese’s at-bat with an 84.8 mph slider for a called strike, then got him to swing through another slider that broke down and away. Saggese fouled off a sweeper, also away from the plate, before Herget went back to the sweeper for a called third strike.

Herget had already begun pitching more consistently before the slider returned, but he also avoided another prolonged stretch like the one that overwhelmed him in July.

Could bringing back the slider have helped him maintain consistency by giving hitters another pitch to account for?

Where does Herget stand heading into 2027?

It’s been quite a year for Jimmy Herget, both on and off the mound. And as the dust settles on 2026, the Rockies’ changing pitching philosophy adds another layer to his story.

Former pitching coach Alon Leichman emphasized repertoire diversification, but the Rockies eventually moved away from elements of his approach. Following his dismissal, Leichman described disagreements over pitching philosophy and suggested some pitchers had reverted to their previous approaches, as detailed in reporting on the Rockies’ competing pitching philosophies.

We don’t know whether Herget’s changing pitch mix reflected that philosophy, his own adjustments or some combination of the two. Was the cutter part of a new approach that eventually fell out of favor? Did the slider return because Herget needed another option, or because the organization’s thinking had changed? It’s difficult to say, but the timing is intriguing.

That makes it difficult to know what to expect from Herget in 2027. The Rockies could trade him, designate him for assignment or bring him back.

After everything that happened in 2026, his 5.70 ERA tells us how the season ended, but not necessarily what comes next.

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The Detroit Tigers confirmed recent reports on hirings for their 2027 coaching staff on Friday. They announced the hiring of Kyle Hudson as the new first base and baserunning coach. Hudson worked with outfielders in his most recent job as Boston Red Sox’s third base coach, so perhaps he’ll take on some of those responsibilities in Detroit as well. Still the emphasis from the Tigers is on the baserunning side. Hudson was also an assistant coach for the Cleveland Guardians from 2020-2022 before joining the Red Sox.

The Tigers had already hired longtime major league catcher Martin Maldonado, whom AJ Hinch worked with briefly in Houston, as their new quality coach this offseason. Maldonado was behind the plate during the Astros 2022 run to the World Series championship. He brings a strong reputation as a leader and game planner, as well as his skill coaching the position, to the Tigers.

Longtime catching coach Ryan Sienko, who joined the organization in 2021, AJ Hinch’s first year as manager, will retain his duties coaching catchers, but will also now handle duties as bullpen coach following Juan Nieves departure from the organization. It’s typically a pitching coach in that role, so that’s a bit interesting. Presumably, Maldonado will handle more of the pre-game pitch planning with Dillon Dingler and Eduardo Valencia, while Sienko will continue coaching the actual catching skills, but perhaps their responsibilities will be mixed between them as well.

The Tigers have yet to replace Gabe Ribas as director of pitching in the farm system after his departure to work for the Colorado Rockies last offseason. They’ve replaced Nieves, who has been Chris Fetter’s assistant pitching coach since 2021, with a catcher, leaving Fetter and assistant Robin Lund as a duo to coach the pitchers. Perhaps they’ll end up hiring a new pitching director this offseason, but it’s a bit peculiar that they’re cutting out both major and minor league pitching coaches. Those responsibilities still have to be fulfilled by someone, but without some detailed clarification from the organization it’s difficult to pin down who is actually doing what at this point in regard to those roles.

The Tigers have named Kyle Hudson as their major league first base and baserunning coach.

Martin Maldonado has been named major league quality coach.

Hudson and Maldonado join manager A.J. Hinch’s coaching staff that otherwise returns intact from the end of the 2026 campaign,…

— Tigers PR (@DetroitTigersPR) November 6, 2026

George Lombard is expected to stay on for his seventh year as Tigers bench coach under Hinch. Billy Boyer took over from Joey Cora as third base coach during the 2026 season and seems set to remain in that role. Beyond Maldonado, Hudson, Sienko, Fetter, and Lund, the Tigers are working with a three-man group of hitting coaches. Michael Brdar, Cody Asche, and Lance Zawadski, who seem set to be retained for 2027. Boyer was the Tigers quality control coach last season, and will cede that job to Maldonado.

Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic also reports that the Tigers have hired Scott Peters as their new medical director, while Jeremiah Randle has been hired as the Tigers new athletic trainer. Peters was most recently the director of health and performance science for the Toronto Blue Jays. Randall was the head athletic trainer for the Astros from 2016-2025.

Former head trainer Ryan Eubanks and assistent trainer Chris McDonald parted ways with the Tigers organization at season’s end.

The Tigers also confirmed the hiring of Jay Sartori as Vice President of Baseball Operations. Sartori was formerly an assistant general manager in the organization going back to the beginning of the Tigers rebuild in 2017. He left last season for a college job in the ACC but has returned to the fold this offseason.

The Tigers have finalized their 2027 coaching staff. Kyle Hudson and Martín Maldonado are the only new additions. Ryan Sienko becomes bullpen coach in addition to his duties as catching coach.

Scott Peters is the new medical director. Jeremiah Randall is head athletic trainer.

— Cody Stavenhagen (@CodyStavenhagen) November 6, 2026

We’re cruising right along with the top 10 in the 2027 Willie McCovey Memorial Community Prospect List, which will see us rank the top 44 prospects in the San Francisco Giants organization heading into the 2027 season. It’s a fascinating group of prospects this year, and we can expect a lot of the races to be very, very tight.

But not the most recent one. The latest chapter of the CPL was a blowout, with 56 of the 69 votes going to one name in the four-player race. That prospect? Shortstop Jhonny Level, who has been voted as the No. 4 prospect in the system.

That’s a drop of one spot for Level, who was ranked No. 3 a year ago, and really, that tells you everything you need to know about the state of the farm. Level had an absolutely dreamy season, while one of the players ranked ahead of him last year (Bryce Eldridge) graduated from the system. And still, Level fell in the rankings.

And that’s how you know that things are changing ‘round these parts.

Level, a switch-hitter who signed in 2024 out of Venezuela, opened the season with Low-A San Jose, with the season starting just a few days after his 19th birthday. Hit hit the ground running with the Baby Giants and … well … he didn’t just hit the ground, he hit everything. In 44 games with San Jose, Level slashed .325/.392/.576 with 10 home runs, good for a .968 OPS and a 134 wRC+. He then took his talents to the Northwest League for 69 games with High-A Eugene, where his numbers stayed strong: a .302/.363/.473 slash line with eight home runs, an .836 OPS, and a 119 wRC+.

In addition to all those hits, homers, and walks, Level stole 26 bases on the season (though he was caught nine times), and played very strong defense at shortstop, while also getting a few reps at second base when splitting duties with Gavin Kilen during their brief overlap in the Pacific Northwest.

Those numbers all look fantastic, and even more fantastic when you account for Level’s defensive position, but they look even better when you contextualize his age: he was two years younger than his average peer in San Jose, and nearly three-and-a-half years younger when with Eugene. He was one of just three teenagers to log at least 100 plate appearances in the Northwest League and yet, despite that, made the All-Star team in the league. Perhaps even more critically, he was voted as the best MLB prospect in the league.

There’s really nothing that Level can’t do at this stage in his career. His contact skills are special, as he hit over .300 at both levels, and kept his strikeout rate well below 20%. He has some very impressive power, and is a good baserunner, while playing strong up-the-middle defense. There are a few things to work on (he’s a little bit of a free swinger, among other things), but really, the primary question with Level is the best question a prospect can have: can he keep this up against better competition? The answer to that question will determine whether Level flames out, survives, or becomes a star.

Given how strong he was in Eugene, and the length of his stay there, I would expect Level to open the 2027 season in AA. It’s possible that he’ll once again form a middle infield timeshare with Kilen there, though Kilen could very possibly begin the year in AAA. Either way, Level is one of the most must-watch prospects in 2027, because if he repeats his 2026 performance in the upper Minors, well … we’ve probably got a top-50 prospect on our hands.

Now let’s add to the list! We’ve got some new names to vote on, so head to the comment section to make your pick!

The list so far

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

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

No. 5 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)

RamonMarquez — 21.1-year old RHP — 1.86 ERA/2.67 FIP in Low-A (29 IP); 2.48 ERA/2.45 FIP in High-A (40 IP)

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.

For the first time in three years, there will be a change in the Dodgers coaching staff for 2027, as hitting coach Aaron Bates won’t return. Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors was first to report the coaching change, which was also reported by Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times, Jack Harris of the California Post, and others.

“The Dodgers offered Bates a multiyear contract to stay, but the two sides couldn’t agree to terms,” Dierkes wrote.

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman in his season-ending press conference at Dodger Stadium on October 21 was asked if there would be any coaching changes this offseason.

“I expect status quo,” Friedman said. “We’re still working through some things, but expect status quo.”

Bates, 42, was on the Dodgers major league coaching staff during the last eight seasons, including the last four as hitting coach along with Robert Van Scoyoc. Bates from 2019-22 held a dual role as assistant hitting coach on the major league staff and director of hitting for the minor league system.

As a player, Bates was a third-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2006 out of North Carolina State, and he played in five games in the majors for Boston in 2009. The corner outfielder and first baseman played for nine seasons in the minors, ending with 11 games for Double-A Chattanooga in the Dodgers’ system in 2014.

Bates was in the Dodgers organization for 13 years, including 12 years as a coach. Before joining the major league staff he was hitting coach in the Arizona Complex League in 2015 and 2016, then Class-A Great Lakes in 2017, before shifting to assistant hitting coordinator for the Dodgers minors.

Back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is a free agent this winter and will likely fetch the richest contract for a pitcher in Major League Baseball history, a mark currently held by the Los Angeles Dodgers' $325 million pact with Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Skubal, who turns 30 on Nov. 20, won the 2024 and 2025 AL Cy Young Awards with the Detroit Tigers and was traded to the Dodgers this summer with the Tigers anticipating they wouldn't be able to afford their homegrown lefty come winter.

Yamamoto's 12-year deal with the Dodgers upon his arrival from Japan broke the record set by Gerrit Cole, who agreed to a nine-year, $324 million contract with the New York Yankees prior to the 2020 season. Cole's deal was signed just days after Stephen Strasburg's $245 million contract temporarily was the largest in baseball history.

The biggest contract for a left-handed pitcher belongs to the New York Yankees' Max Fried, who signed an eight-year deal with the Yankees after the 2024 season.

With Skubal set to make history, here's a look at the biggest contracts for pitchers through the years:

Biggest MLB contracts for pitchers

1. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers — $325 million (12 years, 2024-2035)
2. Gerrit Cole, Yankees – $324 million (9 years, 2020-2028)
3. Stephen Strasburg, Nationals – $245 million (7 years, 2020-2026)
4. Max Fried, Yankees – $218 million (8 years, 2025-2032)
5. David Price, Red Sox – $217 million (7 years, 2016-2022)
6. Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers – $215 million (7 years, 2014-2020 extension)
7. Corbin Burnes, Diamondbacks – $210 million (6 years, 2025-2030)
8. Dylan Cease, Blue Jays – $210 million (7 years, 2026-2032)
9. Max Scherzer, Nationals – $210 million (7 years, 2015-2021)
10. Zack Greinke, Diamondbacks – $206.5 million (6 years, 2016-2021)
11. Jacob DeGrom, Rangers – $185 million (5 years, 2023-2027)
12. Blake Snell, Dodgers – $182 million (5 years, 2025-2029)
13. Justin Verlander, Tigers – $180 million (7 years, 2013-2019 extension)
14. Felix Hernandez, Mariners – $175 million (7 years, 2013-2019 extension)
15. Stephen Strasburg, Nationals – $175 million (7 years, 2017-2023 extension ... *** opted out after 2019)
16. Aaron Nola, Phillies – $172 million (7 years, 2024-2031)
17. Garrett Crochet, Red Sox – $170 million (6 years, 2026-2031 extension)
18. Carlos Rodon, Yankees – $162 million (6 years, 2023-2028)
19. Masahiro Tanaka, Yankees – $155 million (7 years, 2014-2020)
20. Jon Lester, Cubs – $155 million (6 years, 2015-2020

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The 20 biggest MLB contracts for pitchers with Tarik Skubal set to shatter record

As Matt laid out yesterday, there sure are a lot of rumors involving the Red Sox and shortstops, despite the fact that Franklin Arias is a shortstop with nothing left to prove in AAA. So what does that say about how the Sox view Arias? Maybe it doesn’t say anything than that they’re doing their due diligence. But here’s what the current dean of the Red Sox beat says about it in his offseason preview piece: “Some in the organization view Arias as almost untouchable. In a poor positional free agent class, however, the Sox are unlikely to keep Arias off-limits in trade talks, but they’d only consider dealing him for a star with multiple years of control.” (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

Meanwhile, another Red Sox beat reporter thinks a big trade isn’t that likely this offseason. “Breslow has gone down the trade road a lot in his three previous offseasons as chief baseball officer. With the prospect haul that was sent to the Orioles for Adley Rutschman, this could be the year free agency is the option Breslow explores the most. Randy Arozarena, to me, would be the perfect fit in the middle of the batting order.” (Ian Browne, MLB.com) 

Amidst the relatively disappointing start of the “Big Three Era” (remember when it was briefly the “Big Four”?) it’s understandable that many fans harbor some scepticism about prospects like Arias. But it’s hardly time to close the book on Roman Anthony, who, through all the injuries, still showed plenty of signs of future stardom in 2026. (Brian Murphy, MLB.com)

Hopefully a full offseason of rest is enough for Anthony to put his wrist injuries behind him. If so, maybe he’ll appear on the list of Silver Slugger finalists next year. As it stands the Sox landed two players on that list: Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu, neither of whom has won the award before. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)

But will Anthony, Contreras, and Abreu get any help in the lineup? Here’s a look at a few free agent names who might be a good fit for the Sox, starting with Seiya Suzuki. (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)

The Sox did actually make a significant signing yesterday, though not of the player personnel variety. Shelley Duncan, who, like Chad Tracy, has spent years as a AAA manager, has been added to Tracy’s big league coaching staff. (Sean McAdam, Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

The offseason just started, but the Nats are already busy inking players to extensions. After extending Cade Cavalli at the end of the season, Paul Toboni gave Jacob Young a 4-year $23 million deal that has an option for a 5th year. The Nats center fielder took a big leap offensively, and now they are betting on Young to maintain that level.

Terms: Jacob Young and the Nationals reached an agreement on a four-year, $23 million contract extension that includes an $8 million option for a fifth season, according to a source familiar with the deal.

— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) November 6, 2026

Before 2026, Young was a defensive specialist, who offered little to no value with the bat. In 2025, he posted an OPS of just .583 and hit just two homers. Young was an elite defender, but that can only take you so far. We are seeing that now with Nasim Nunez. You have to be at least a respectable offensive player.

After 2025, Young knew that he needed to change things. He went to Driveline and worked on changing his swing path. Young was hitting ground balls at a 56.5% clip in 2024 and 2025. Even with his elite speed, you cannot make a living on infield hits unless you are Chandler Simpson.

Young was a very different hitter in 2026 though. He hit .252 with a .708 OPS and socked a career high 10 homers. Those offensive numbers will not knock your socks off, but for a defense first player, those stats are more than good enough. The power was the biggest surprise for most people. Young hitting homers was a novelty before this year, but in 2026, he got to double digits.

JACOB YOUNG 10TH HOME RUN OF THE YEAR

WHO WOULDVE THOUGHT pic.twitter.com/NzIPXaZ6CO

— Kev (@klwoodjr) August 11, 2026

You have to give Young a ton of credit for putting in the work, but you also have to credit the Nats hitting coaches and the folks at Driveline. That ground ball rate went from 56.5% to 39.4%, which is a drastic decrease. His batted ball profile totally changed, and it made him a much better hitter.

To the extension itself, the deal is structured a lot like the one that was given out to Cade Cavalli. The Nats are buying out all of Young’s arbitration years and one of his free agent years. There is also an option to buy out a further free agent year at the end of the deal. That was the exact same structure as the Cavalli deal.

Similar type of concept as the Cavalli deal. Buys out a free agent year with an option for another one. Congrats to JY https://t.co/2OgIRgKTuA

— federalbaseball (@federalbaseball) November 6, 2026

Credit to Talk Nats for being on this first and Andrew Lang for getting the structure of the deal. Clearly, this is an extension strategy Paul Toboni likes to use. It makes a lot of sense as well, as it is good for the player and the team. For the player, it gives them security and a chance to get back on the free agent market at a reasonable age.

Meanwhile, the team locks up the player for what should be their best years at a reasonable rate. Usually, a player’s best seasons are those arbitration years and their first couple free agent years. This structure allows the Nats to control the player for those years while not committing to them deep into their 30’s.

I wonder if there are other players who would be interested in that kind of deal. Daylen Lile is further away from free agency than Cavalli or Young, but I can see the Nats approaching him with a similar concept. For stars like James Wood and CJ Abrams, both sides would probably prefer a longer term and bigger money deal though.

Getting this done early sends a message that Young is part of the team’s plans and will not be traded. Young may get traded during the lifespan of this deal, but it will not be anytime soon. That makes things interesting for a guy like Dylan Crews.

We will dive into this further, but after this move, I wonder about his future. I am sure teams will start calling the Nats to sniff around on him. Overall, this is a solid deal for the player and the team. It makes sense for both sides. Jacob Young gets to secure generational wealth, while the team locks him up for the prime of his career.

In a surprise shakeup of the Dodgers coaching staff, hitting coach Aaron Bates and the team are parting ways, as confirmed by a person with knowledge of the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said after the season that he expected “status quo” for the coaching staff. But, as MLB Trade Rumors first reported, negotiations on a new contract for Bates eventually reached an impasse.

The rest of the Dodgers coaching staff is expected to return next year, according to people with knowledge of the matter but not authorized to speak publicly.

Bates spent 12 years in the Dodgers organization, including four as a co-hitting coach with Robert Van Scoyoc, and four as an assistant hitting coach. Before joining the major-league staff, Bates served as a minor-league hitting director and coach.

Read more:Shaikin: Mark Walter says he won’t sell the Dodgers, but his plans keep changing

The Dodgers’ search to replace Bates begins during a unique offseason. When the current CBA expires on Dec. 1, MLB team owners are expected to impose a lockout, during which teams will be restricted from communicating with players. So, if the Dodgers want their new hitting coach to meet with hitters or contribute to their offseason hitting plans, they will have to finalize the hire or promotion in the next few weeks.

The team’s star-studded but aging offense ranked second in weighted runs created-plus (111) — a comprehensive offensive stat that adjusts for ballpark factors — in the majors last season, behind only the Cubs. But the Dodgers are working to diagnose two straight years of a July and August dip in offensive production.

This postseason, the Dodgers hit .195 as a team and went five for 43 with runners in scoring position.

“Obviously throughout the latter part of the year, it was stuff we were talking about and trying to put our finger on,” Friedman said last month. “And in a lot of ways, it’s a little bit of a game of whack-a-mole, where it can be one thing for some period of time, and then it’s something else, and then it’s something else. Sometimes it’s noise, and sometimes it’s real. And what’s important for us is to be able to sift out the noise and isolate what’s real and what things we can improve upon. We’ll spend a lot of time really focusing on that in the offseason.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.