The Dodgers are parting ways with co-hitting coach Aaron Bates this offseason, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the California Post, marking an unexpected shake-up to a coaching staff the club had been planning to keep intact this winter.
Bates, 42, had been in the Dodgers’ organization for 12 years, first as a minor-league hitting coach before being promoted to the big-league staff in 2019 in an assistant hitting coach role. He was promoted again before the 2023 season to co-hitting coach alongside Robert Van Scoyoc, playing a key role in the club’s back-to-back World Series championships in 2024 and 2025.
Helmets rest in the Los Angeles Dodgers dugout before game four of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Los Angeles. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
At the start of the offseason, the Dodgers had been hoping to bring back their entire coaching staff, including Bates.
Last month, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the team was “still working through things” with some of their coaches but expected the staff to remain “status quo.”
Van Scoyoc, meanwhile, is still expected to return next season, according to a source.
A former third-round draft pick as a player who briefly appeared in the majors with the Boston Red Sox during the 2009 season, Bates had climbed his way up the Dodgers’ organizational coaching ladder over the last dozen years. He was their rookie-ball hitting coach in 2015, their single-A hitting coach in 2016, their high-A hitting coach in 2017 and then their assistant minor-league hitting coordinator in 2018.
Since joining the Dodgers’ big-league staff, he had been part of all three of their recent World Series championships. He was promoted from assistant MLB hitting coach to his current role after Brant Brown left the organization following the 2022 campaign.
Under Bates and Van Scoyoc (who has been in his role since 2019), the Dodgers have boasted some of the most productive offensive numbers in the majors, leading the league in scoring, batting average and OPS over the last four seasons.
However, they have also endured extended second-half slumps each of the past two years, and struggled to find consistency in each of their last two postseasons.
In 2025, they won the World Series despite a .203 team batting average in their seven-game Fall Classic against the Toronto Blue Jays.
This October, they were smothered in the National League Championship Series by the Milwaukee Brewers, hitting only .185 in a four-game sweep.
In each of the last two years, Bates has also twice been forced to temporarily step away from the team because of health issues.
It was not immediately clear how wide a net the Dodgers might cast in attempting to fill Bates’ void, but they do have some potential internal candidates.
Game planning and communication coach JT Watkins has received rave reviews from players for his work with the offense in recent seasons. Triple-A hitting coach Dylan Nasiatka and Double-A hitting coach Blake Gailen have also helped develop several top prospects who figure to get opportunities in the majors over the next couple years.
The St. Louis Cardinals officially named Rob Cerfolio the new general manager on Friday, Nov. 6, a promotion for the 34-year-old who has been an assistant GM in the organization since 2024 under president Chaim Bloom.
Cerfolio previously worked in Cleveland's front office from 2015-2024, rising to the organization's director of player development.
“Since joining the Cardinals two years ago, Cerf has spearheaded tremendous progress in our player development efforts from top to bottom, and in the advancement of our performance group and its integration within our entire organization,” said Bloom in a statement.
"He is relentless in his desire to move us forward, and is invested in relationships with both new hires and longtime staff alike. I’m excited to partner with him in his new role as we work to set the standard for the industry in every area of baseball operations.”
St. Louis missed the playoffs for the fourth season in a row but the team had a major youth movement in 2026 led by rookie infielder JJ Wetherholt and outfielder Jordan Walker.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 20: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) James Paxton #65 of the New York Yankees in action against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on August 20, 2020 in New York City. The Rays defeated the Yankees 10-5. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After the 2018 season, the Yankees’ pitching staff looked thin. Young ace Luis Severino gave them a top-flight starter atop the rotation, and Masahiro Tanaka was a more-than-capable No. 3 starter with a tendency of stepping up in big spots, but Sonny Gray and Domingo Germán were disasters while CC Sabathia and J.A. Happ were on the wrong side of 45. Compared to the Boston Red Sox — led by Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, and David Price — and the three-headed monster of Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, and Dallas Keuchel in Houston, it was clear that the Bombers had a lot of catching up to do in the arms race.
To that end, the Yankees opened the 2018-2019 offseason by swinging a deal for James Paxton, sending a package centered on top pitching prospect Justus Sheffield to the Seattle Mariners.
James Alston Paxton Born: November 6, 1988 (Richmond, British Columbia, Canada) Yankees Tenure: 2019-20
Born and raised in British Columbia, Paxton made a name for himself on the Canadian youth baseball circuit, ultimately helping to lead Team Canada to a bronze medal at the 2006 World Junior Baseball Championship. Following his high school career, the Big Maple took his talents to the United States, joining the University of Kentucky. Between his performance with the Wildcats (first as a reliever, then as a starter) and with the summer Alaska Baseball League, he quickly found himself on the radar of Major League ballclubs.
After a junior year in which he struck out 115 batters in 78.1 innings, he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays with the 37th overall pick of the 2009 draft (the compensation Toronto received when the Yankees signed A.J. Burnett). Unfortunately, they were unable to come a deal, and Paxton opted to return to Kentucky for his senior year… that is, until the Blue Jays told the media that they had been negotiating with Scott Boras, not with Paxton’s family. Back in the pre-NIL days, hiring an agent changed your status from an amateur to a pro, and he was declared ineligible; an attempt to sue in order to be reinstated led nowhere, and eventually, Paxton withdrew from Kentucky to begin his professional career.
Paxton spent the 2010 season with the Grand Prairie AirHogs, an American Association team which allowed him to retain draft eligibility. On the back of a solid, albeit unspectacular, performance there, he was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the fourth round of the 2010 draft. After a lengthy negotiation, he finally put pen to paper in March 2011, and began what would be a rapid ascent through the minor leagues. He reached Double-A by the end of 2011, received an invitation to spring training in 2012, and finally made his Major League debut on September 7, 2013.
Thanks to a strong cup of coffee in 2013, Paxton began the 2014 season in the Seattle rotation, where he would spend the next five seasons. Unfortunately, he fell into a rather predictable pattern. When healthy, he was one of the league’s premier pitchers: his 13.2 fWAR from 2014 to 2018 ranked 26th out of the 88 starters who went at least 550 innings, and his 18.8 K-BB% ranked 14th — just one-tenth of a percentage point behind Cole and three-tenths behind Tanaka. And on May 8, 2018, he became just the second Canadian-born pitcher to throw a no-hitter in baseball history — a testament to his ability.
However, Paxton was hardly healthy for a full season: he made more than 20 starts just twice in that span, having hit the IL with a lat strain in 2014, a strained tendon in his finger in 2015, a forearm strain and a pec strain in 2017, and back inflammation and a forearm strain in 2018.
When the Yankees acquired Paxton that winter, they gambled that his ability on the mound would be worth the risk of his lengthy injury history. In 2019, that was absolutely the case. In the year where pretty much every member of the Yankees spent time on the injured list, the oft-injured pitcher put together the healthiest season of his career, making 29 starts and spending just a few weeks of May on the shelf.
Despite a nasty tendency to surrender home runs in the first inning, Paxton anchored the Yankees rotation, and when the Yankees needed him most in October, he delivered. Getting the ball with the team down 3-1 in the ALCS and having dropped three consecutive games, Paxton shook off two less-than-stellar postseason starts to shut down the Astros lineup, striking out nine and allowing just one run in six innings to send the series back to Houston. Sure, things didn’t get any better from there, but that’s another story (and not any of Paxton’s fault, either).
As good as things went for Paxton in 2019, however, that’s how bad 2020 went. On February 5th, he underwent lumbar surgery, which would have sidelined him for 3-4 months if the season hadn’t been delayed because of the pandemic. Although he made it back in time for the late-July Opening Day, he put together the worst season of his career, posting a 6.64 ERA in 20.1 innings across five starts before hitting the shelf again, this time with a left flexor tendon strain — perhaps the reason for the diminished velocity that made him suddenly very hittable.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Yankees opted to let Paxton walk in free agency, and he returned to the Seattle Mariners on a one-year deal. After just 1.1 innings, though, he left the game with an elbow injury, and later that week, it was announced that he needed Tommy John surgery.
A free agent again that winter, Paxton returned to the AL East joining the Red Sox on a one-year deal with a two-year club option and a one-year player option. A lat tear ended his attempt at a comeback in 2022, prompting Boston to reject the club option and Paxton to accept the player option. Due to a right hamstring strain, he began the 2023 season on the IL, and finally, on May 12, 2023, he made his Boston debut. Over the next two months, he pitched well, posting a 3.34 ERA in 13 starts in his first bit of extended action since 2020. Boston floated Paxton at the deadline, but ultimately held onto him in an attempt to make a bid for a Wild Card spot after a dominant July. That would turn out to be a mistake for everyone involved: a mediocre August and terrible October sent the Red Sox to the basement of the AL East, and Paxton battled inconsistency before being shut down with knee inflammation at the start of September.
Paxton signed with the Dodgers on a one-year deal in January 2024, a contract that was originally $11 million but reworked and lowered to $7 million with playing-time incentives due to unspecified health issues. He made 18 starts for Los Angeles, helping them deal with a rash of injuries to the rotation, before being surprisingly and unceremoniously designated for assignment to make room for River Ryan and Clayton Kershaw on the active and 40-man rosters, respectively. The Red Sox claimed him off waivers, and after three starts, he suffered a calf tear that ended his season.
The Big Maple retired from Major League Baseball after the 2024 season, but that wouldn’t be the last time we saw him on a mound. Paxton accepted the invitation to pitch for Team Canada during the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Working out of the bullpen, he touched 97 mph on his fastball in two appearances, including 2.2 scoreless frames against Cuba to advance out of the group stage. Despite potential interest from pro teams, Paxton has reiterated that he will remain retired. Aside from spending time with his family, he is in the process of completing the business degree he abandoned at the University of Kentucky when he was declared ineligible more than 15 years ago; after that, he intends to pursue a Master’s degree in sports psychology.
Happy birthday to James Paxton!
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
Bobby Witt Jr. is an AL MVP finalist, and the Kansas City Royals have two other Silver Slugger finalists in Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone, which is a pretty good problem to have in November. Jacob Milham and Jeremy Greco look at what helps and hurts Witt’s case, and argue about how the outfield and utility finalists got picked in the first place.
The winter work starts with a new hitting coach, a former Giants hand with Kansas City-area ties. Then Jeremy and Jacob shop the free-agent market using FanGraphs’ crowdsourced contract estimates, weighing starters and relievers like Kris Bubic and Shane Bieber against contract length, injury risk, and qualifying offers. The question is where the Royals can find value without overpaying.
Down on the farm, Angeibel Gomez, Zion Rose, and Justin Lamkin are headed to the Arizona Fall League’s Fall Stars Game, and the hosts break down what stands out about each. They also run through the minor-league free agents walking out the door, including Alec Marsh landing with the White Sox, and who might be worth adding as depth.
If you want a full lap around the Royals’ offseason in one sitting, press play, then tell us who you would sign first.
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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 25: Brian Keller #48 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches and makes his major league debut in the third inning during a game against the New York Yankees at Citizens Bank Park on July 25, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When the Phillies signed Brian Keller on May 18, it didn’t make much of a splash. After all he was a 32-year-old who had never pitched in the majors and spent the past couple of years rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
After spending the early part of his career in the minor league systems of the Yankees and Red Sox, Keller signed with the Hanshin Tigers of the NPB league in Japan before the 2023 season. But before he could pitch a single inning for them, he suffered an elbow injury that would take him out of action for multiple years.
Finally confident his arm was ready to handle professional innings again, Keller tried out with the Phillies in May, and they must have liked what they saw because they signed him to a minor league contract.
Keller impressed at AAA, with a 2.24 ERA in nine starts. When the Phillies found themselves in need of a “bulk” pitcher for one game, he finally got the call to make his major league debut. On July 25th, in a game against the Yankees, Keller was called upon to start the third inning. He pitched three innings, giving up one run.
He was returned to Lehigh Valley afterwards, and whatever success he had experienced before his promotion was gone. He might have been the worst pitcher in the Lehigh Valley rotation down the stretch, which is saying a lot.
What went right
His first AAA stint was very good. He had a 2.24 ERA with 38 strikeouts and 11 walks in 36.1 innings. As for his brief major league tenure, one run in three innings certainly isn’t the worst showing by a Phillies pitcher this year.
Most importantly, after years of injury and toil across multiple continents, he was finally able to make it to the big leagues, which is a success in itself.
Phillies pitcher Brian Keller shares how he found out he was getting called up to the big leagues for the first time at 32 years old. After getting the news, he recalls going on FaceTime with his wife and telling her “We Did It.” @SportsRadioWIP@KYWNewsradiopic.twitter.com/aMRhwVEsNn
Basically, everything after his major league outing. His strikeout to walk ratio went haywire, as he struck out 16 and walked 18 while giving up 41 runs in 30.1 innings. He was so bad that when the Phillies were in desperate need for someone to pitch a few innings, he wasn’t even a consideration.
The future
Keller is 32 years old and a free agent, so the Phillies would be justified in choosing to move in another direction. But it’s possible that his collapse in the later part of the year was mostly due to this being his first year pitching competitively after three years of injury and rehab and his arm was just tired. The Phillies might look at his early success and feel like there’s something to work with there. I could see them offering him a minor league invite to camp.
Final grade: C-
He gave them three non-horrible innings in the majors, but it would have been nice if he could have been an option later in the season.
The Athletics’ new-look front office continues to take shape. Yesterday, the team officially introduced its new general manager, Cam Castro.
The 36-year-old spent the past eight years with the Milwaukee Brewers, working his way up from Single-A pitching coach to the Brewers’ senior vice president of player development and performance. Castro’s extensive background in pitching development is a big reason why Athletics President of Baseball Operations Taylor Smith brought him aboard to help turn the A’s from rebuilders to contenders.
If the A’s want to return to the playoffs, they must fix their league-worst pitching staff. Jack Perkins, Jacob Lopez and Gage Jump are three starting pitchers who, with the right coaching, could elevate their ability next season. That trio will likely be joined by offseason additions acquired through trades and/or free agent signings.
Additional help may come from within the organization. The A’s top pitching prospect, left-hander Jamie Arnold, is on track to make his major league debut in 2027 as long as he stays healthy and avoids performance regression. Speaking of regression, the Green and Gold would greatly benefit if Castro and the new pitching coach can help talented right-hander Luis Morales regain his form after he struggled to retire hitters this year.
While Morales and Arnold remain with the team, a group of other minor leaguers declared free agency.
The majority of these players provided organizational depth. However, several of them received playing time with the Athletics due to the club’s injury crises during the second half of the season.
Robert Puason stands out as a highly touted multimillion international signee who failed to translate his tools into consistent production. Although the A’s have remained active in the international market—signing youth prospects from Latin America, South America and the Far East, it hasn’t panned out so well. Yoenis Céspedes remain the most recent signee to significantly impact the club.
Castro and Smith both previously worked with clubs who have found great success in scouting and developing foreign players. How can these two executives ensure the Athletics generate more of a return in investment on the international market? Which minor league free agents should the A’s resign and who should they let go to pursue other opportunities? Lastly, which MLB free agent do you want the team to target first?
Sign of the future! It will be interesting to see what the Las Vegas ballpark looks like when it’s fully built.
Take 2 – did a little cleanup – having some fun with AI and A's future stadium renderings to see what the new Vegas stadium could look like in MLB The Show someday – note: I don't work for SDS, just having fun! 🙂 pic.twitter.com/Y3OvEfMENT
Not a bad idea. However, the A’s new front office will find it difficult to entice talented, experienced free-agent pitchers to sign with the club because of the Sacramento factor and the team’s five consecutive losing seasons.
Sacramento might be a tough sell, but Las Vegas changes the pitch.@Ken_Rosenthal explains why the A’s should pursue a starter on a longer-term deal that carries into their move. pic.twitter.com/xbxGb26Lxk
Los Angeles, CA - May 16: General manager Perry Minasian of the Los Angeles Angels during batting practice prior to a baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday, May 16, 2025.(Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
Hello everyone and happy Friday!
Let’s get to all of the updates from around baseball you may have missed.
In Mariners news…
Randy Arozarena was named a finalist for a Silver Slugger award.
Ryan Blake explained why he’s skeptical of new Mariners manager Jason Kanzler.
Kanzler talked about why he’s so excited to manage the M’s and Julio in particular.
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - MARCH 20, 2026: Blake Mitchell #2 of the Kansas City Royals scores on a two-run home run hit by Gavin Cross during the third inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium on March 20, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
The Milwaukee Brewers just won their first ever World Series over a week ago already, man where does the time go? Anyways, we have powered through all the Royals minor league affiliates season in reviews over the past month. Go check them out if you haven’t!
So, in the spirit of fun, I am going to pass out prospect awards – first team, second team and honorable mentions for each position no matter the affiliate. Sorry in advance if you feel someone was snubbed!
Catcher: Blake Mitchell
It has been well documented throughout the prospects coverage that Blake Mitchell is a fascinating case when it comes to measuring success. Mitchell slashed .234/.414/.459 this season in Quad Cities. He also smashed 17 doubles and 23 homers. He walked 113 times!! However, he struck out 174 times. He also stole 27 bases, which is another positive. So, could you live with all those strikeouts if he produced the other numbers the same? He is also a very solid defensive catcher behind the plate. I truly think he would’ve been promoted this year, had Quad Cities not gone on the run that they did. In the playoff run, he was 4-for-14 with a double, a homer and five walks. That homer was pretty huge too…
BLAKE MITCHELL WITH THE SWING OF THE SEASON!! We’ve got the lead!! 🤩
Mitchell’s running mate in QC was Ramon Ramirez. The 21-year-old kid from Venezuela did miss a month of time due to injury but still had a solid year. He slashed .279/.362/.477 this season over 323 at bats. He hit 23 doubles, a triple and 13 homers on the season. He walked 39 times, striking out 85. He isn’t as good behind the plate as Mitchell, but he is still a serviceable player back there. I think he and Mitchell start next season in Double-A.
Fans debated whether Squires should have gotten a chance in Kansas City this year, especially after Vinnie Pasquantino struggled early in the season, then got hurt. The 26-year-old corner infielder/outfielder from the University of Oklahoma never got the call. Squires started the season in Double-A. While there, he slashed .294/.388/.538 over 119 at bats in 32 games. He hit 11 doubles and 6 homers, while stealing 9 bases. Then he got the call to Omaha. Over his first 100 games, Squires slashed .271/.339/.553. He smashed 23 doubles, 3 triples and 25 homers, while stealing 15 bases. I honestly expect Squires to break camp with the Royals next season, he has been good at every stop, every year for the Royals, consistently getting better.
Defensively, he played most of his games at first base (102) with a little bit of left field sprinkled in (19). He has solid numbers at first, while his performance out in left field leave a lot to be desired.
Figueroa narrowly edges out JC Vanek for the second-team nod. Figueroa was a big part of the championship that Quad Cities brought home this season. On the season, Figueroa, the 23-year-old from the Dominican Republic slashed .252/.324/.515. He hit 24 doubles, 2 triples, 26 homers and stole 18 bases. Figueroa came over to the Royals from the Dodgers in the Ryan Yarbrough trade. He is someone else that probably gets promoted during the season if QC didn’t go on a run. He should be part of the group that moves up to Double-A next year.
Honorable Mention: JC Vanek
Second Base: Peyton Wilson
Wilson, the now 27-year-old second baseman, had a solid year for the Storm Chasers this season. Wilson missed a little over a month with an injury early in the season but still churned out a .276/.358/.433 slash line over 94 games this season. Wilson, who the Royals took in the second round in 2021 out of Alabama has slowly grinded his way through all the minor league affiliates. I feel like he gave himself a chance to be a bench guy next year, being a switch hitter. Wilson cracked 29 doubles and 8 homers this season, while walking 41 times and stealing 17 bags. Defensively, Wilson provides versatility, primarily playing second, but also spending time at third and left field, with strong defensive numbers.
Angulo is a 19-year-old from Columbia, who just played in the DSL, with the Royals. In 45 games and 133 at bats, Angulo slashed .323/.468/.421. He smacked 6 doubles, 2 triples and a homer, while walking 35 times, to just 14 strikeouts, with 14 steals. The Royals signed him when he was just 17. Defensively, he can play any infield spot but first but has primarily been played at second base. He has some work to do defensively, but I expect him to come along. I’d like to see him with the Fireflies next season.
Honorable Mention: Pedro Roque, Roy Rivero, Connor Rasmussen
Shortstop: Jack Pineda
Pineda, the 27-year-old shortstop, gets the slight nod over Josh Hammond for the first team selection. He missed a month due to injury but still played in 81 games between Northwest Arkansas and Omaha. In those 296 at bats, he slashed .351/.413/.530 with 20 doubles, 3 triples, 9 home runs, and 18 steals. Pineda bounced back after a rough campaign in Northwest Arkansas the year previous. He is a solid depth piece and has a chance to break camp with the team next spring. Defensively, he is solid all across the infield diamond.
Hammond takes this spot over fellow teammate, Yandel Ricardo. The Royals took Hammond 28th overall in 2025 out of Wesleyan Christian High School in North Carolina. In his first season of pro ball, Hammond slashed .286/.354/.389. He hit 24 doubles, 3 triples and 5 homers. He stole 25 bases and walked 46 times, compared to 94 strikeouts. It was a great first campaign for the young man. On defense, he split time between short and 3rd, with Ricardo also being uber talented, but was better at third. This is an issue I think he can rectify rather easily.
Honorable Mention: Yandel Ricardo, Maicoll Rondon, Jaider Suárez, Austin Charles
Third Base: Jose Cerice
Cerice was great this year for the champion Quad Cities River Bandits. The 21-year-old kid from Cuba slashed .272/.391/.371 this season in 345 at bats. He had 12 doubles, 2 triples and 6 homers, with 39 walks to 60 strikeouts, and 19 steals. Cerice was signed by the Royals in January of 2024 when he was just 18. He has already passed through the DSL, ACL and Columbia. In his third year with the organization and first in High-A he showed that he belonged. He looks like a solid player the Royals are developing. He can play either corner infield spot well.
At 21 in High-A, Jose Cerice kept his K% under 15% while making consistent contact. For a bat that limits whiff so well, he chased more than most would expect. It doesn’t hold him back from making contact, but it keeps him from walking at a great clip.
Kulasingam is a 25-year-old from the United States Air Force Academy. He was taken in the 13th round by the Royals in 2024. He has slowly moved from affiliate to affiliate every year. This was a step back numbers wise, but in his first action in Double-A it was a decent showing from Kulasingam. He slashed .249/.370/.396 in 465 at bats. He hit 24 doubles, 4 triples and 12 homers. He walked 85 times to 113 strikeouts, while stealing 30 bases. He is very good defensively everywhere he plays, and he is capable of playing all over the diamond.
Honorable Mention: Abraham Toro, Colton Becker, Camden Johnson, Jhonayker Ugarte, Luis Steven King
Outfielders
Carson Roccaforte had a great season. The 24-year-old out of Louisiana-Lafayette in the third round of the 2023 draft was smoking hot all season. He slashed .257/.338/.519 over 540 at bats. He hit 26 doubles, 5 triples and 35 homers between Northwest Arkansas and Omaha this past season. He also walked 65 times, stole 32 bases and struck out 181 times. Similar to Blake Mitchell those strikeout numbers are alarming, but everything else is good. Oh, and he is unbelievably good in the outfield, winning a minor league Gold Glove Award. He should be in the outfield mix with the Royals in 2027.
Luke Pelzer wouldn’t stop hitting this season, slashing .337/.408/.467 over 424 at bats between Quad Cities and Northwest Arkansas this season. Pelzer hit a whopping .446 in 65 at bats in Columbia in 2025. The Royals took the 23-year-old outfielder out of Illinois-Chicago in the 17th round of the 2025 draft. Man, what a steal he appears to be. Defensively, he plays all three spots very well. I think he is someone that could easily be in Omaha by the middle of next year. Buy your stock in this kid right now.
Angeibel Gomez is who I had to save the last spot on the first team outfield for. The 17-year-old kid from Venezuela is downright unreal. He is going to be the Royals’ top prospect soon. In his first season in the DSL, Gomez slashed .361/.467/.653 in 144 at bats. He hit 13 doubles, a triple and 9 homers. He walked 28 times to just 15 strikeouts, while swiping 15 bags. These are straight up video game numbers. Defensively, he is very good as well in centerfield. He should be in Columbia to start next season. Oh yeah, he is killing it in the Arizona Fall League right now too.
Angeibel Gomez is holding his own this Fall
Despite this being his first stateside action at 17 years old, the @Royals No. 2 prospect is batting .306 across ten games for the Saguaros. Gomez has four XBH including three doubles and has stolen four bases. He entered this Fall as… pic.twitter.com/GdVzQ22t9k
Second Team: John Rave, Spencer Nivens, Asbel Gonzalez
John Rave got another chance with the Royals later in the season and had some nice numbers. But he was once again really good in Omaha. I like his game and think he could push for more playing time in KC next season. The 28-year-old from Illinois State, a fifth round pick in the 2019 draft slashed .285/.396/.481 in 291 at bats in Omaha this past season. He hit 14 doubles, 2 triples and 13 homers, while walking 54 times to 65 strikeouts. He also nabbed 18 stolen bases.
Spencer Nivens carved out a nice season in Double-A. The 24-year-old out of Missouri State in the 5th round of the 2023 draft, missed the first month of the season with an injury, but battled back. In 104 games and 386 at bats, he slashed .280/.365/.446. He hit 29 doubles, 4 triples and 9 homers, while walking 55 times to 75 strikeouts, with 17 steals. It was Nivens second straight year in Northwest Arkansas and I think he improved. I believe he earned a spot in Omaha to start next season. He plays solid defense in all three outfield spots.
Asbel Gonzalez wins out the last second team spot after a wonderful year in Quad Cities. Gonzalez is just 20 years old out of Venezuela. He was signed by the Royals when he was just 17 years old. He has grinded through the DSL, ACL and Columbia to get here. In 110 games and 427 at bats this season, he slashed .262/.358/.314. He had just 9 doubles, 2 triples and 3 homers. The big thing for Gonzalez was that he stole 67 bases this season. Defensively, he was great in centerfield.
Honorable Mention: Gavin Cross, Nolan Sailors, Erick Torres, Zion Rose, Angel Ramirez, Daniel Lopez, Robinson Chacon
Starting Pitchers
David Shields was fantastic for the Quad Cities River Bandits this season. The former second round pick made 25 starts, he threw 116.2 innings, with a 4.01 ERA, striking out 139 hitters. His WHIP was 1.08 and opponents hit just .231 off him. He will be a Natural to start next season.
Kendry Chourio was awesome as well. The prodigy, who the Royals signed in 2025 when he was just 17, has been great. He is just a 19-year-old right hander, who was in the Futures Game this year. Between Columbia and Quad Cities, he threw 90.2 innings (innings limit toward end of season.) He struck out 91 batters, with a 2.48 ERA, his WHIP was 0.89. Opponents hit just .195 off him. He and Shields are the future. He should be a Natural to start next season as well.
Justin Lamkin is a 22-year-old left hander, who the Royals took in 2025 as a Comp-B pick out of Texas A&M. Despite getting hurt early in the year and missing the rest of the season, Lamkin was good enough to earn a first team nod. He threw just 39.2 innings, with a 2.04 ERA, striking out 53 hitters, with a 0.93 WHIP, and opponents hit just .200 off him. He is pitching well in the Arizona Fall League as well. He will start next year in Double-A, wow what a 1-2-3 in Shields, Chourio and Lamkin. He has a legit chance to be in Omaha some point next season.
Michael Lombardi is a 23-year-old right hander, who the Royals took in the second round of the 2025 draft out of Tulane. 2026 was a solid season in Columbia for Lombardi, who threw 88 innings, striking out 124 hitters, with a 3.68 ERA. He had a 1.42 WHIP and opponents hit .223 off him. He should move up and start next year in Quad Cities. He could be a fast mover though, so keep an eye on him.
Jose Gutierrez is a 23-year-old right hander out of Venezuela. The Royals signed him when he was just 19 years old. He has grinded through the DSL and ACL to get to Columbia. After getting a handful of appearances in 2025, he had a full season in A-Ball. He threw 114.1 innings, striking out 98 batters to the tune of a 3.62 ERA. His WHIP was 1.32 with opponents hitting .256 off him. Overall, it was a solid year for Gutierrez.
DENVER, CO - May 19: Texas Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson (3) singles in the fifth inning during a game between the Texas Rangers and the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on May 19, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
As the only team that plays in mile-high thin air for half of their games, the Rockies need to hit more homers.
With the days of the Blake Street Bombers long gone, and rosters with power hitters like Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story in the rearview mirror, the Rockies have struggled in recent years to field a roster bolstered by a home run hitter who can compete for the MLB long-ball title. As a team, Colorado has been in the lowest third in MLB rankings in homers five times in the last seven years.
Thanks to Hunter Goodman, a newly named Silver Slugger finalist, it’s starting to change. In 2026, the Rockies catcher hit a career-high 41 homers, which was tied for No. 6 in MLB and tied for third in the National League. That’s the highest total since Arenado hit 41 homers in 2019.
It’s not enough. The Rockies should seriously consider bringing in a homer-hitting free agent this offseason to help.
Even with Goodman’s big bat, the Rockies still finished 19th in homers in MLB. That’s largely because of the large gulf to the next-best Rockie, which was Mickey Moniak, at 23 homers. Moniak’s total is impressive, especially considering an injury limited him to 404 at-bats in 117 games. Next on Colorado’s list are three Rockies who were new to the organization in 2026: TJ Rumfield (16), Willi Castr0 (15) and Jake McCarthy (15). Ezequiel Tovar came in tied for fifth with 13 homers, a far cry from his career-high of 26 in 2024. Kyle Karros also hit 13 in his first full MLB season and Cole Carrigg rounds out the Rockies double-digit dinger hitters with 12 in just 333 at-bats in 93 games.
The Rockies only had five players with double-digit homers in 2025 (Goodman’s 31, Moniak’s 24, Jordan Beck’s 16, Brenton Doyle’s 15 and Michael Toglia’s 11). Having three more sluggers with double digits helped Colorado combine to hit 20 more homers in 2026 than they did in 2025 and move up the rankings.
Year
Homers
MLB Rank
MLB Best
Top Rockie
NL HR King
AL HR King
2026
180
19
Astros 226
Goodman 41
Pete Crow-Armstrong 45
Pete Alonso 43
2025
160
25
Yankees 274
Goodman 31
Kyle Schwarber 56
Cal Raleigh 60
2024
179
15
Yankees 237
Tovar 26
Shohei Ohtani 54
Aaron Judge 58
2023
163
26
Braves 307
McMahon 23
Matt Olson 54
Shohei Ohtani 44
2022
149
22
Yankees 254
Cron 29
Kyle Schwarber 46
Aaron Judge 62
2021
182
21
Blue Jays 262
Cron 28
Fernando Tatis 42
Vladimir Guerrero 48
2020
63
22
Dodgers 118
Story 11
Marcell Ozuna 18
Luke Voit 22
2019
224
15
Twins 307
Arenado 41
Pete Alonso 53
Jorge Soler 48
2018
210
8
Yankees 267
Arenado 38
Nolan Arenado 38
Khris Davis 48
2017
192
21
Yankees 241
Arenado 37
Giancarlo Stanton 58
Aaron Judge 52
2016
204
10
Orioles 253
Arenado 41
Arenado & Chris Carter 41
Mike Trumbo 47
2015
186
7
Blue Jays 232
Arenado 42
Arenado & Bryce Harper 42
Chris Davis 47
The increase in homers is a nice improvement, but it’s not enough. The Rockies need more offense. Sure, more walks, more stolen bases and more hits would help. But nothing scores runs like home runs.
A possible solution could be to bring in a primary designated hitter who swings a homer-heavy bat.
The Rockies combined to hit 22 homers from the DH spot in 2026. Nine of those came from Goodman. Of course, it’s nice to have Goodman at the plate more often than an average catcher who uses his off days to rest. Goodman, who turned 27 in October, had 540 at-bats in 2025 and 518 in 2026. It might be sustainable, but it’s risky. Goodman only had one stint on the 10-day IL with a left shoulder strain in August. It might be better to actually give Goodman rest so he can catch and be a force at the plate and behind it
That’s where having a legitimate DH could be useful. After all, three of the top-eight home run hitters in 2026 are primarily or only designated hitters. DH Kyle Schwarber was the co-homer king with Pete Crow-Armstrong at 45, DH Jordan Alvarez tied for fourth with 42 and DH Ben Rice tied for sixth at 41. Further down the list, Shohei Ohtani hit 30 homers as a DH in a down year for the Dodgers.
Just a bit further down that list is free agent Joc Pederson. The long-time Dodger and former Giant has played for six teams in the last 13 seasons. For the last two seasons, the lefty played for the Texas Rangers, where he hit 26 homers. As a DH, Pederson hit 22 homers in 334 at-bats, while also filling in occasionally at first base, right field and as a pinch hitter.
Pederson, who will turn 35 in April, just opted out of the $18.5 million mutual option he had with the Rangers for 2027 to be a free agent. Before going to the Rangers, Purple Row’s Renee Dechert explored the value of signing Pederson in 2024. This season, Pederson hit .235/.329/.487 and a .816 OPS. He recorded a 1.7 rWAR, which would be sixth best if it were on the Rockies. One argument against the idea is that, unlike many former Dodgers and Giants, Pederson hasn’t especially torn it up at Coors Field. In 222 at-bats in 73 games, Pederson has hit .234/.333/.401 with an OPS of .734 and nine homers.
If Pederson’s price is too steep, Josh Bell could be a great option. The former first baseman-turned-DH hit 21 homers for the Twins last season and declined his $10 million option for 2027. At age 34, Bell would provide versatility as a switch-hitter. The 2019 All-Star hit .255/.319/.419 with a .738 OPS in 2026, posting a 0.7 rWAR.
Bell has been more effective at Coors Field in his career, but it is a smaller sample size. In 72 at-bats in 19 games, Bell has hit .306/.412/.528 with a .940 OPS and four homers.
Goodman and Moniak could still play some games at DH to increase their playing time and home run potential, but a primary DH could help at the plate. But a player like Pederson or Bell could add much-needed punch to the lineup.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 17: Tyrone Taylor #28 of the New York Mets gets doused with Gatorade after the Mets defeated the New York Yankees at Citi Field on Sunday, May 17, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Tyrone Taylor began this year as the Mets’ fourth outfielder due to the additions of Luis Robert Jr. and Carson Benge. Known mostly for his defense, Taylor saw plenty of playing time with the Robert landing on the Injured List at the end of April and Benge struggling to start the year. Unfortunately for the team, Taylor also struggled with the bat, hitting just .186 with 3 home runs, 14 RBIs, and an OPS of just .530 before heading to the IL with a hip flexor strain at the end of May.
During that time, he did gift the team with one of the more dramatic home runs of the entire season. On May 17 against the Yankees, he snuck a game-tying, three-run home run down the left field line with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. They would walk it off in the tenth on Carson Benge’s chopper that caused two Yankee infielders to collide which allowed the winning run to score. The team had lost 96 straight games when trailing after eight innings until that memorable day at Citi Field. There weren’t many Amazin’ Finishes from 2026, but that certainly was one of them.
Taylor missed exactly one month with his injury and returned on June 26 which coincidentally was the same day Carlos Mendoza was fired. When Taylor returned, he was rejuvenated at the plate before he was traded to the Cubs on August 3. During that time he hit .354/.436/.875 with an OPS of 1.311 in 24 games. That surge, along with Clay Holmes’s stellar season, helped the Mets acquire prospect Jefferson Rojas at the trade deadline. Rojas became the Mets top ranked prospect in the system and is an exciting prospect to keep an eye on as one looks to the future of the franchise.
Taylor found success in limited time with the Cubs and hit .351/.390/.500 with one home run and 10 RBIs in 30 games. The 32-year-old is a free agent so a reunion with the Mets is possible if they want to re-sign him as a depth piece once again.
If that doesn’t happen, over his three years in Queens he hit .236/.289/.388 with an OPS of .677. By his own admission, he loved his time with the Mets and by all accounts was a good dude who will remembered fondly by fans for providing a bright spark in an otherwise dismal season.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 7: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres tosses his bat after hitting a home run in the third inning during Game Four of the National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Petco Park on October 7, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images) | Getty Images
After being left off manny of the postseason awards lists to this point in the offseason, the San Diego Padres finally had one of their big names recognized by the sport. Fernando Tatis Jr. was named a Silver Slugger Award finalist as an outfielder and as a utility player due to his splits between the outfield and second base in 2026. He was the only Padres player to receive a nomination for the award.
Tatis started the season in a power slump, which was the source of much consternation among the Friar Faithful and baseball. The direct reason was never fully explained, but it was obvious that he was trying different things with his stands and hand placement that may have been the cause. Although he was hitting the ball out of the yard he was getting hits it just looked much different than what San Diego fans have come to expect from the superstar.
Tatis was snubbed in the Gold Glove Awards this season after being the best defender in the game in 2023 and 2025. The belief is that his movement between right field and second base was the cause, however he was not even nominated for the Gold Glove as a utility. It is a bit ironic that he has been nominated for the Silver Slugger as an outfielder and utility player because of that fact.
Tatis finished the 2026 season with an average of .289 with 181 hits and 25 home runs. He also 83 RBI and scored 96 runs. Will he be recognized a Silver Slugger winner? The Friar Faithful and the rest of baseball will find out when winners are announced on Nov. 17.
You can see a list of
Padres News:
Ethan Salas did not explode onto the scene when he finally made his debut with the Padres, but he did make some key contributions. What grade did he get for those efforts from Lincoln Zdunich of Gaslamp Ball?
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 22: Ezequiel Duran #20 of the Texas Rangers looks to the dugout during a game against the New York Mets at Globe Life Field on September 22, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 25: Fernando Cruz #63 of the New York Yankees reacts against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium on August 25, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One of the most beautiful parts of baseball is how many different personal journeys we fans get to learn about as players chase their dreams. Fernando Cruz’s story aside, let’s dive into the season that earned him a B- from the staff here at Pinstripe Alley.
Cruz’s 2026 really started at the World Baseball Classic, representing Team Puerto Rico. After rejoining the Yankees, he picked up where he left off last season as a trusted member of Aaron Boone’s bullpen. From there, it became a story of two halves.
Before the All-Star break, Cruz was excellent. He was a borderline All-Star, striking out 50 batters over 40 innings while holding opponents to a .191 batting average. His best month of the season was May, when he appeared in 14 games and posted a 1.02 WHIP while allowing just two earned runs over 13.2 innings. He was one of the more dependable pieces out of the bullpen during the first half of what was an underrated unit.
The key to this effectiveness was his splitter, which he deployed 51.3 percent of the time. He paired that pitch with a four-seamer, sweeper, and sinker to keep hitters off-balance. The splitter continued to be his best weapon, generating a 52 percent whiff rate and limiting hitters to a .161 average against it.
After the break, however, his performance began to slip. Something seemed off as Cruz started losing some control in late July, and August became his roughest month of the season. He posted a 6.75 ERA over eight innings, allowing six home runs and four walks. Following a blown save against Houston on August 25th, the Yankees announced that Cruz had suffered a partial tear of his right ulnar collateral ligament, and he landed on the injured list the following day.
The ultimate team guy, Cruz opted to pursue a non-surgical approach after receiving a second opinion with the hope he could make it back in 2026. He received a cortisone shot and started rehabbing trying to find his way back into the mix for the postseason. However, a month after landing on the injured list, the Yankees transferred Cruz to the 60-day injured list on September 25th, ending his chances of returning during the 2026 season.
On the season, Cruz had some impressive underlying numbers. He ranked in the 91st percentile in average exit velocity and the 99th percentile in whiff rate. He also landed in the 82nd percentile in xERA, the 88th percentile in strikeout rate, and the 85th percentile in extension. However, his hard-hit rate ranked in just the 22nd percentile, and his walk rate was in the third percentile. The right-hander was also effective against left-handed hitters holding them to a .180 batting average.
Losing Cruz after the Trade Deadline was less than ideal, especially with the Yankees having few options capable of replacing his production internally, which led to the Michael Fulmer experience. As the page turns to a new season, with the injury question mark hovering over him, Cruz becomes an interesting offseason decision for the Yankees.
The team has until November 20th to tender him a contract for the 2027 season. Depending on the outlook for his elbow, it would not surprise me to see the Yankees retain him and try to work out a deal before arbitration. Given the injury uncertainty, it could be a buy-low opportunity for the club, provided they believe he can return to form and he is willing to accept a similar salary to last season. However, professional baseball is a business and the team might opt to use the money and roster spot they would spend on Cruz elsewhere this offseason.
Personally, I gave Cruz a B for this season, and in hindsight, I feel that might have been a touch low. What grade would you assign Cruz, and what are your thoughts on him in pinstripes in 2027?
See more of the Yankees Roster Report Card series here.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JUNE 26: Samuel Basallo #29 of the Baltimore Orioles breaks his bat after striking out in the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 26, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Orioles telegraphed that Samuel Basallo was their catcher of the future as soon as they signed him, days into his MLB career, to an eight-year contract extension. When the team traded Adley Rutschman ahead of this year’s trading deadline, that elevated Basallo to catcher of the present as well. Unfortunately for Basallo and the Orioles, his rookie season ended up with him like so many other recent young Orioles, where flashes of the potential were regularly present but the whole thing did not come together into as good of a package as the team needed.
Going into this season, you didn’t have to be living in a delusional, optimistic world to think that Samuel Basallo might end up as a Rookie of the Year contender. The Orioles massaged his arrival carefully last year – same as they did with Dylan Beavers – just to preserve that possibility. They really thought they were getting things lined up to maybe get a bonus draft pick next year. They had managed this once before with Gunnar Henderson.
As it turned out, all of this was pointless, and it didn’t even have anything to do with Basallo, because of a strong AL rookie field. Detroit’s Kevin McGonigle is likely to run away with the race. A pair of Japanese “rookies” in Kazuma Okamoto and Munetaka Murakami had strong American debuts. A number of other American-born players have strong cases to fill out ballots, among them Cleveland’s Chase DeLauter, Chicago’s Tristan Peters, and Kansas City’s Carter Jensen. Basallo could have had a good season and he would have been just another player in this 2nd-5th place pack.
Through the end of May, things were going very well. At the end of May, he had a .283/.345/.516 batting line, with nine home runs already. This turned out to be the high point for Basallo’s 2026 season. He did not have another good month at the plate for the rest of the season, with poor hitting in June and July and incredibly awful hitting in August and September.
Part of the story of the second half struggle was surely injuries. Basallo played in only 29 games after the All-Star break. He missed close to a month due to dealing with shoulder inflammation, and it was after returning that his season numbers really took a swan dive. Unfortunately, one part of the story of Basallo’s injuries was that his manager, first-time skipper Craig Albernaz, spent some of his time with reporters openly questioning Basallo’s toughness.
There was a period of a few days there where it seemed that Albernaz had vindictively benched Basallo over the catcher needing an off day to manage a minor injury. That’s what was implied by both Orioles TV and radio broadcasts at the time, with Hall of Famer Jim Palmer expressing his disagreement with that treatment of the O’s young player. (Maybe that’s why Albernaz didn’t reply to his text that one time.)
I don’t want to hijack this article about Basallo with a rant about the manager being an idiot. Yet it’s hard to avoid wondering how much Albernaz’s attitude affected Basallo in August and September. Did he rush back from that shoulder injury? Was he playing through something else in order to avoid the ire of Albernaz? It’s not certain it was physical. There is always the Adam Jones Theory of Baseball, which he delivered at a time when reporters were asking him if he was playing through an injury: “Sometimes you just suck.”
The late-season swoon included a number of moments from Basallo where the frustration bubbled over. The photo accompanying this article, Basallo destroying a bat by snapping it over his thigh, was only one example. I can’t help but bring Albernaz into it again. What was the manager doing while his young player was going through extremely public and obvious challenges? (A similar question could be asked regarding Gunnar Henderson’s visible frustration.) It’s the job of Albernaz and his coaching staff to stop things before they get to that point! What were they doing? Sorry. Okay, I’m not sorry. But I am going to try to get back to Basallo.
More than most of the other positions on the diamond, the value of a catcher is about more than just what he does when he’s hitting. Even as he debuted last year as a much-hyped prospect, there were questions about what level of defense Basallo might be able to develop as time went on. Would he be able to handle some of the technical aspects like pitch blocking and controlling the running game? Would he be able to develop good relationships with his pitchers and carry out productive pitch-calling game plans?
There is enough in the 2026 performance to think that the answer to these questions could, over time, be yes. Basallo graded out well in the Statcast metrics for pitch blocking. He also showed a good pop time and with it, solid ability to control the running game. Regarding game-calling, Basallo emerged as the clear personal catcher for Trevor Rogers, even before Rutschman was ever traded, so it’s clear there was something positive going on there.
Less positive was Basallo on pitch framing. This is a skill whose importance has evolved with the introduction of the ABS challenge system. It’s less final if a catcher is bad at it. You can get the umpire to fix a mistake, theoretically. It’s still worth something to have a good framer of a catcher. It’s better to make the other team have to put one of their challenges at risk to have the umpire overturn a borderline pitch than to have to put one of yours at risk.
As a challenger, as a catcher, Basallo was exactly 50/50. He won 30 and lost 30. That’s actually a higher percentage than I expected, because it felt like there was a lot of “Basallo blows a challenge early and it was a bad idea” going on. There was some of that, and perhaps that’s an influence on why Basallo actually graded poorly as a challenger: He only challenged 19% of eligible mistakes. Maybe he became too conservative after some of the mistakes.
The Orioles were 30th of 30 teams in this category. That is, they were the worst team at using a challenge when pitches in the strike zone were called balls. Basallo wasn’t the only problem, but he was reflective of it. The average team was challenging about a third of the mistakes made when they were on defense. It could be that some early bad challenges by hitters also influenced the catchers. This is an area where the whole 2027 Orioles can stand to improve.
What does all of this add up to for Basallo in 2027? Although he is the team’s most prominent remaining catcher, it’s still not clear how frequently he will, or should, catch behind the dish. The team was already conservative with how often they played Rutschman back there. He’s got stuff to work on: Along with the framing/challenging, he could stand to chase less, and find a way to get productive launch angles more frequently. I don’t know how well the manager will be in his corner for all of this.
Even so, Basallo is the Oriole whose contract is guaranteed the farthest into the future. More than anyone else, he is expected to be a key piece of what happens going forward. There are reasons to be excited. Hopefully by the end of next season, there will be more such reasons.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 20: Alec Bohm #28 of the Philadelphia Phillies looks on during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Sunday, September 20, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Hailey Leonard/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
You may not have noticed, but MLB free agency is underway as you read this. Nothing of note has happened yet, but with the lockout looming just a little over three weeks away, perhaps some of the bigger free agents will be able to find homes fast.
One that will probably be waiting a while is Alec Bohm. The Phillies declined to issue Bohm a qualifying offer, all but closing the door on his tenure in Philadelphia and allowing a new team to acquire his services without suffering draft pick penalties. It’s not a definitive end to his time with the Phillies, as a reunion can’t exactly be ruled out yet, but all signs are pointing to Bohm playing for another team in 2027 (or whenever baseball happens again).
Bohm’s free agency will be an interesting albeit not flashy case to watch. His 101 OPS+ and 107 wRC+ for his career both point to Bohm being right around a league average hitter. In a market starved for bats, particularly right-handed ones, Bohm is almost certain to find work somewhere despite his warts as a below average defender. But still, most rankings of free agents have him near the bottom of the Top 50 or outside of it altogether. His market will likely not be robust coming off of arguably the worst season of his career, but the lack of the QO anchor should help him at least somewhat.
Bohm seems destined for a short one or two-year deal with a small market team in need of a corner infielder or DH. The real question is will it be with a contending one such as the Cleveland Guardians or one far from it such as the Kansas City Royals. If it does end up being the latter, a good first half from Bohm could make him a decent trade chip come deadline season.
In any case, where will Alec Bohm be playing in 2027? What type of contract do you think he is in line for?
