Oct 27, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred before game three of the 2025 MLB World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball says it will comply with a Senate committee’s request for documents detailing gambling investigations.
Sens. Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee sent a letter Monday to baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred asking for information by Dec. 5. The request followed indictments of Cleveland pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz accusing them of taking bribes to rig pitches for bettors. Both have pleaded not guilty.
“We’re going to respond fully and cooperatively and on time to the Senate inquiry,” Manfred said Wednesday during a news conference at an owners meeting.
Two days after the indictments were unsealed on Nov. 9, MLB said its authorized gaming operators will cap bets on individual pitches at $200 and exclude them from parlays.
“We think the steps we’ve taken in terms of limiting the size of these prop bets and prohibiting parlays off them is a really, really significant change that should reduce the incentive for anyone to be involved in an inappropriate way,” Manfred said.
He said it was too early to say whether MLB will take a stance on prediction markets, in which contracts are traded based on actual events such as game scores.
“We’re well aware of the issues, the different regulatory framework, but not in a position where I want to articulate publicly a position on it,” he said.
Manfred said MLB’s internal investigation into the Cleveland pitchers didn’t have a timetable. Ortiz was placed on paid leave on July 3 and Clase on July 28. They are not on track to accrue additional salary until opening day on March 25.
“We think that we should take advantage of the offseason to make sure that we conduct the most thorough and complete investigation possible,” Manfred said.
MLB is aiding players who have received threats related to gambling following the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized sports betting in most states.
“We have had in place for some time services that are available to players that receive threats of this kind in terms of providing support through law enforcement,” he said. “We do take it as a very serious issue and do provide support on an ongoing basis.”
The National League's Teoscar Hernández, of the Dodgers, poses with the winner's trophy after the All-Star Home Run Derby on July 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (Julio Cortez / Associated Press)
The deal announced Wednesday by the league will also return baseball to NBC and bring three MLB events — an opening night game, the Home Run Derby and the Field of Dreams game — to Netflix for the first time.
As part of the deal, ESPN will integrate the league's streaming platform MLB.TV into its recently launched direct-to-consumer service that provides the sports channels to consumers with or without a cable subscription.
MLB.TV provides local telecasts of out-of-market games to consumers. In the 2026 season, new customers will now be able to purchase the service as part of an ESPN subscription. Pricing has not yet been set for the combined services.
ESPN Unlimited subscribers will get an additional 150 out-of-market games over the course of the season at no additional cost. ESPN will offer local games in the six MLB markets that no longer have regional sports networks — San Diego, Cleveland, Seattle, Minnesota, Arizona and Colorado. The games, which are produced by MLB, will be available to purchase for streaming in those markets through ESPN.
ESPN will no longer carry "Sunday Night Baseball," a staple of the network for decades, but will have a package of 30 weeknight games. It will also retain its coverage of the MLB Little League Classic and carry a game on Memorial Day.
ESPN is paying $550 million for the new three-year package, the same as the last contract, according to people familiar with talks who were not authorized to comment publicly.
While ESPN and MLB exchanged harsh words when their longtime arrangement broke up earlier this year, both sides praised the eventual outcome, which puts a greater emphasis on streaming.
"Bringing MLB.TV to ESPN’s new app while maintaining a presence on linear television reflects a balanced approach to the shifts taking place in the way that fans watch baseball and gives MLB a meaningful presence on an important destination for fans of all sports,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro called the deal "a fan-friendly agreement" that prioritizes the Walt Disney Co. unit's "streaming future."
"Sunday Night Baseball" will move to NBC, with 25 prime-time games on the broadcast network or NBCUniversal's streaming platform Peacock. Already the home of "Sunday Night Football," and "Sunday Night Basketball," the addition of the MLB — at $200 million a season — means NBC will have live sports in prime time on every Sunday throughout the year.
The network is also picking up the wild card round of the MLB postseason that had been carried on ESPN.
In 2027 and 2028, NBC will carry the most consequential game played on the final Sunday of the season.
NBC Sports also gains the rights to the late Sunday morning game, which will be carried on Peacock and followed by a "whip-around" show presenting action from contests around the league that day. Peacock carried the morning game in 2023 and 2024 before it went to Roku this past season.
MLB games exclusive to Peacock will also be shown on the newly launched NBC Sports Network, which is being offered to cable and satellite TV providers.
Netflix is paying around $50 million per year to carry the 2026 opening night game between the San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees on March 25. The annual Home Run Derby, previously on ESPN, also moves to the streamer, as does the Field of Dreams game, which will be played in Dyersville, Iowa, where the set for "Field of Dreams" is located.
The deal continues Netflix's approach of offering appointment sporting events to its subscribers rather than investing in a full season package.
The new MLB deals only run for three years. The league wants them to align with its major TV rights package that includes the playoffs, the World Series and the All-Star Game. Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery’s TBS carry those packages until 2028.
On the heels of its most-watched postseason since 2017, Major League Baseball has officially signed off on a package of new, short-term media rights deals with NBCUniversal, ESPN and Netflix.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred formally heralded the three-year agreements on Wednesday afternoon, or a little more than two months after he first acknowledged that negotiations over the league’s media arrangements for 2026-28 were effectively in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Under the terms of the new package, MLB will return to the NBC airwaves on Opening Day of the 2026 season, as the Dodgers host the Diamondbacks. But for a pair of promotional one-offs that aired in 2022 and 2023, the March 26 NL West opener will mark NBC’s first significant MLB outing since Bob Costas signed off at the end of Game 6 of the 2000 American League Championship Series.
As part of a pact valued at nearly $200 million per year, NBC has assumed the rights to the ESPN mainstay Sunday Night Baseball and the four Wild Card series. As was the case during the program’s 36-year run on cable, the Sunday night matchup will continue to enjoy timeslot exclusivity, as no other MLB games will be scheduled opposite the weekly primetime showcase. Peacock and the revived NBCSN will pick up the slack on certain fall and spring dates when a scheduled SNB game conflicts with one of NBC’s NFL or NBA broadcast windows.
Peacock also regained the rights to MLB’s 18-game Sunday morning streaming package, which it helped inaugurate in 2022. After two seasons, the league shifted the carveout to Roku for the low, low price of $10 million per year, a discount that ESPN execs found particularly irksome, given Bristol’s own annual $550 million rights payment. (MLB’s Roku pact was one of the factors that led ESPN in February to announce its intention to terminate its legacy MLB contract three years before its 2028 expiration date.)
The NBC flagship first began airing MLB games in 1947, when Jackie Robinson made his debut with Brooklyn. On Oct. 27, 1999, the network served up 25.8 million viewers with its final World Series broadcast, as the Yankees completed their sweep of the Braves with a 4-1 win at home. It chalked up its all-time biggest MLB turnout with Game 7 of the 1986 World Series, as a crowd of nearly 60 million viewers watched the Mets rally from a 3-0 deficit to topple the Red Sox 8-5 at Shea.
The resumption of NBC’s long-dormant baseball duties began taking shape while MLB and ESPN were mending their fences. At times, the rift seemed unbreachable, especially after Manfred sent owners a memo in which he put the cable model on blast. “[We] do not believe that pay-TV, ESPN’s primary distribution platform, is the future of video distribution or the best platform for our content,” Manfred wrote, an assessment that couldn’t have been met with much enthusiasm by fellow MLB cable partners FS1 and TBS.
While the air had grown frosty in recent years, Manfred and ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro this summer began the process of what amounted to a mutual thawing-out. By September, it had become clear that neither party was ready to quit on its partner of four decades, and Pitaro’s team had worked out the broad strokes of a deal that would see ESPN assume oversight of the league’s out-of-market platform, MLB.TV.
In addition to snapping up the rights to sell and distribute MLB.TV, ESPN also has assumed the in-market rights to a six pack of RSN refugees that includes the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners. ESPN has the option to pick up additional local rights if and when they become available.
Although local baseball is now the focal point of ESPN’s MLB investment, Bristol will continue to carry a 30-game slate of nationally televised games across its linear networks and the ESPN app. Among the games ESPN will host next season include a Phillies-Mets clash on July 16 and Braves-Brewers in next year’s Little League Classic. ESPN closed out its final season of Sunday Night Baseball with its strongest deliveries in 12 years, as the package averaged 1.8 million viewers per game—up 21% versus 2024.
While terms were not disclosed, ESPN is said to have agreed to continue paying the annual $550 million rights fee stipulated in its original contract.
For its part, Netflix has picked up the rights to a pair of midseason tentpoles in the Home Run Derby and the “Field of Dreams” game. The streaming giant also will carry the standalone Opening Day meeting between the Yankees and Giants.
Although Netflix stopped reporting its subscriber numbers at the start of 2025, the last official head count put its global base at 301.6 million customers. In exchange for its new baseball package, Netflix will pay MLB approximately $35 million per year.
The Netflix deal comes as the company begins prepping for its second annual NFL Christmas doubleheader. In its inaugural holiday offering, Netflix last year averaged 24.2 million U.S. viewers with a Chiefs-Steelers/Ravens-Texans two-fer, the latter of which included a halftime performance by Beyoncé.
In finally wrapping up its new suite of rights deals after a full season of negotiations, MLB can now focus its attention on the rapidly approaching 2028 campaign, when all of its national contracts are set to expire. While lead TV partner Fox Sports is determined to continue its longstanding partnership with baseball, the ontological status of another linear player is somewhat more uncertain as Paramount, Comcast and Netflix prepare their bids on TNT Sports’ parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.
Manfred has said he hopes to increase the number of national MLB games under the next round of rights deals, while developing a centralized model for all local rights.
It’s far from a blockbuster — neither player has ever made an All-Star team — but the swap is compelling nonetheless, in part for what it portends as these clubs move forward with their offseasons.
What kind of player is Taylor Ward?
The soon-to-be 32-year-old is coming off a career year in which he clocked 36 homers across 157 games, drove in 103 runs and finished with a .792 OPS. By most offensive metrics, he was easily a top-20 outfielder in the sport. Defensively, the former first-round draft pick is more solid than spectacular.
Ward will hit free agency after the 2026 season and is set to command around $13.5 million in arbitration salary this upcoming season. In a free-agent market relatively devoid of right-handed outfielders with power, Ward stood out as a potential trade chip. Now he’s an Oriole before Thanksgiving.
What kind of player is Grayson Rodriguez?
Taken 11th overall in the 2018 MLB Draft, “G-Rod” gradually blossomed into one of the most hyped pitching prospects in the sport. He debuted in 2023 with a heater that averaged an impressive 97.4 mph. Yet the offering’s suboptimal shape and Rodriguez’s middling command of the pitch meant that his fastball was absolutely clobbered.
He seemed to be taking a small step forward in 2024, but a lat issue in August shut him down for the remainder of the season. Things got worse in 2025 as Rodriguez, shelved with a cavalcade of ailments that included elbow inflammation, shoulder soreness and more lat pain, didn’t once climb a big league mound. He just turned 26 years old and is under contract for four more seasons, but the sheen has most certainly worn off as a result of his injury avalanche.
Why did the Orioles do this?
Mike Elias, Baltimore’s president of baseball operations, during last week’s general managers meetings told reporters that Rodriguez was not a lock for the club’s rotation, describing him as a “wild card.” That framing and the subsequent trade means the Orioles held significant doubts about whether Rodriguez will ever stay healthy enough for long enough to be an impact arm at the big league level. It’s another example of Elias, considered one of the league’s most calculating execs, taking emotion out of the equation in building a roster.
How Ward fits into the team’s outfield mix remains an open question, but he’s still a nice boost, particularly for a lineup that was quite bad against lefties last year. Before the deal, Baltimore’s Opening Day outfield would have likely featured Colton Cowser in center field, with last season’s free agent add Tyler O’Neill and rookie Dylan Beavers in the corners. Jeremiah Jackson, a post-hype prospect who showed very well in a small sample down the stretch in ‘25, also figures to be in the mix. Ward and O’Neill will play every day against southpaws if they’re healthy.
It’s quite obvious the O’s didn’t believe in Rodriguez anymore and were willing to pull the plug too soon as opposed to too late. The Angels were an eager dance partner and Ward was their most interesting trade chip.
Why did the Angels do this?
Because they need all the pitching help they can get.
For as bad as the O’s were on the mound last year, Los Angeles’ starters were even worse. The Angels finished 28th in ERA and strikeout rate, 29th in opposing OPS and dead last in walk rate. At this point, given his injuries, Rodriguez is far from a sure thing, but for the Angels his upside makes him a chance worth taking. That’s particularly true considering G-Rod still has four more years of control left. Players with his level of talent are difficult to acquire. The Halos saw an opening and acted.
Ward’s departure also helps to simplify the team’s outfield alignment. Mike Trout was almost exclusively a DH last year, which forced Jorge Soler into the grass and pushed Jo Adell, who enjoyed a splendid breakout in 2025, into center. Expect Adell to move back to a corner, where he fits better. Bryce Teodosio, a light-hitting speedster, is borderline transcendent in center and he could make an impact there if he hits just enough.
What does it mean for the Orioles moving forward?
Baltimore was going to refurbish its starting rotation via free agency or trade before this deal. Shipping G-Rod out only increases that chance. For the first time in his tenure, Elias has expressed a willingness to sign a free agent with a qualifying offer attached, which would necessitate the forfeiting of a high draft pick. That puts Ranger Suárez, Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez and Zac Gallen on the board. With a projected Opening Day rotation of Trevor Rogers, Kyle Bradish, Dean Kremer, Tyler Wells and Cade Povich the O’s probably need to add at least two more starters.
Adding Ward doesn’t completely forbid the addition of another bat, it just means said bat won’t be an outfielder. A first base/DH type like Pete Alonso, Kyle Schwarber or Ryan O’Hearn would make sense if the team is open to moving on from Ryan Mountcastle.
What does it mean for the Angels moving forward?
Offloading Ward’s $13.5 million contract gives GM Perry Minasian more flexibility in the free-agent market this winter. It’s unlikely the Halos go swimming in the deep end, even though Cody Bellinger would be a really nice fit in center field. The rotation could use a few more arms and the lineup has something of a black hole at third base, courtesy of Anthony Rendon’s descent into irrelevance.
Major League Baseball has finalized its national broadcasting details for 2026, 2027 and 2028.
On Wednesday, MLB announced a new partnership with NBC, Netflix and ESPN — in addition to its existing deals with FOX and Turner Sports.
“Our new media rights agreements with ESPN, NBCUniversal and Netflix provide us with a great opportunity to expand our reach to fans through three powerful destinations for live sports, entertainment, and marquee events,” commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
Here’s when and where you can watch national MLB games under the new deal:
Next season: July 13, 2026, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia
“Field of Dreams” game (taking over from FOX)
Next season: Aug. 13, 2026, in Dyersville, Iowa, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Minnesota Twins
ESPN
Fans will now purchase MLB.TV through ESPN to watch their favorite teams outside their home market. ESPN is incorporating a service to its streaming platform, with in-market games for the select MLB teams.
ESPN will also have a national midweek game package throughout the season.
Major League Baseball has finalized its national broadcasting details for 2026, 2027 and 2028.
On Wednesday, MLB announced a new partnership with NBC, Netflix and ESPN — in addition to its existing deals with FOX and Turner Sports.
“Our new media rights agreements with ESPN, NBCUniversal and Netflix provide us with a great opportunity to expand our reach to fans through three powerful destinations for live sports, entertainment, and marquee events,” commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
Here’s when and where you can watch national MLB games under the new deal:
Next season: July 13, 2026, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia
“Field of Dreams” game (taking over from FOX)
Next season: Aug. 13, 2026, in Dyersville, Iowa, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Minnesota Twins
ESPN
Fans will now purchase MLB.TV through ESPN to watch their favorite teams outside their home market. ESPN is incorporating a service to its streaming platform, with in-market games for the select MLB teams.
ESPN will also have a national midweek game package throughout the season.
Texans running back Joe Mixon hasn't played at all this season because of a foot injury. Six weeks ago, Texans General Manager Nick Caserio said he expected to know more about Mixon's status in a few weeks. It's been more than a few weeks, and the Texans still don't know when Mixon will be able to go.
Caserio said on Sports Radio 610 that the team still doesn't have any update about Mixon's recovery.
“It's not that I'm trying to be evasive, it’s just a very gray situation," Caserio said. "Joe’s worked at it. There were times where he’s made progress and other times when the progress is kind of stalled. Players in his situation are on the reserve list until they're not. Joe's doing everything he can. Obviously we’re getting pretty late in the game here, so I don’t want to establish any sort of expectations. A month ago or whatever it was, I mentioned we'd have a better idea in three or four weeks, or whatever it was. I don’t think we have any more clarity at this point. I think at this point he’s out until he’s not. It's a very gray, a lot of ambiguity, there's not a lot of clarity, it's nobody's fault, it's just the reality of the situation."
Mixon was placed on the non-football injury list at the start of training camp, and the Texans haven't explained how he hurt his foot in the first place. Last year Mixon was the Texans' leading rusher, with 1,016 yards, while this year they've turned to Nick Chubb, who has 419 yards through 10 games.
There was a flurry of moves across Major League Baseball on Tuesday as teams had to lock in their 40-man rosters before the Rule 5 Draft. However, the biggest move of the day came when many people were sleeping, as the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels pulled off a surprising trade that featured one of baseball's previous top pitching prospects.
Trade news: Taylor Ward is going to Baltimore and Grayson Rodriguez to the Los Angeles Angels. The Orioles get the power-hitting outfielder they've been seeking, and the Angels get back a young arm. Quite a trade. https://t.co/F8UqbbH7d8
On the surface, this seems like a confusing trade since we know the Orioles need top-end pitching and, for a time, that's exactly what we expected Grayson Rodriguez to be. So let's try to make sense of this deal both from a real-life and a fantasy standpoint.
Why would the Orioles make this trade?
I'm not sure. You tell me.
OK, well, any discussion about this trade has to start with Grayson Rodriguez's health. The 26-year-old has yet to pitch over 122 innings in any professional season and has battled myriad arm injuries since the second half of 2024. Since August of 2024, Rodriguez has dealt with right lat discomfort, right tricep soreness, right shoulder soreness, right elbow discomfort, and then right elbow surgery to remove damaged cartilage and bone spurs. That's a CVS receipt of injuries to his pitching arm, and you have to think that the Orioles would not have made this trade if they felt confident in his ability to return to his previous levels of production.
We also know that the Orioles felt they needed a power-hitting right-handed outfielder to complement left-handed hitters like Colton Cowser, Gunnar Henderson, Samuel Basallo, Jackson Holliday, Dylan Beavers, and switch-hitting Adley Rutschman. The Orioles do have Tyler O'Neill, who is a power-hitting right-handed outfielder, but they are potentially too worried about his health to rely on him as a full-time starter. Acquiring Ward means one of O'Neill and Beavers has to be pushed to the bench, or the two of them will be a platoon in right field.
In a vacuum, Ward is certainly a hitter any team would want to add. He hit 36 home runs and drove in 103 runs last season and has hit at least 23 home runs in all of his fully healthy MLB seasons. Of course, health is a bit of an issue for him as well. Ward only has two seasons with over 135 games played (his last two), but his significant injuries have been less consistent than O'Neill's. In 2023, Ward missed a large chunk of the season after being hit in the face and suffering a facial fracture. The last two seasons, he has battled lat discomfort, elbow inflammation, more lat discomfort, and a facial laceration, but he played through most of that. However, he also had neck, hamstring, and adductor injuries before 2023, so there are some valid durability concerns.
While his batting average has also fallen in every season since 2022, he's a .247/.327/.439 hitting for his career with a .192 ISO and 11.5% barrel rate, and that has value in the middle of a lineup. He has a solid understanding of the strike zone, not chasing much off the plate, and posting a career 9.1% swinging strike rate, so there aren't too many holes in his game from an offensive standpoint, even if the batting average will never be super high.
Defensively, he has been at least league average or better in left field in each of the last three seasons and was an above-average right fielder back in 2022, so the Orioles can use him in either corner outfield spot. With Cowser patrolling centerfield and Beavers/O'Neill in the other corner outfield spot, that's a pretty solid four-outfielder group for Baltimore. However, giving up four more years of Grayson Rodriguez for one season of Ward, who will be a free agent at the end of the year, is super risky, and the Orioles better hope they land one of the top starting pitchers on the market to help lead this rotation.
Why would the Angels make this trade?
In short, Grayson Rodriguez is only 26 years old and was once the top pitching prospect in all of baseball.
I know that all seems like a long time ago, but Rodriguez was MLB Pipeline's 6th overall prospect entering the 2022 season, which ranked him ahead of other pitching prospects like Hunter Greene, George Kirby, Jackson Jobe, Eury Perez, Shane Baz, and Nick Lodolo. That ranking was warranted too. In his 333.1 minor league innings, Rodriguez posted a 2.40 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and had 475 strikeouts to just 117 walks. He was dominant.
After some inconsistent production in his first 11 MLB starts as a 23-year-old, Rodriguez seemed to figure things out. He posted a 2.58 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 73/21 K/BB ratio in 76.2 innings to end the season. He then carried that into 2024, where he registered a 3.86 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 130/36 K/BB ratio in 116.2 innings before a lat strain sidelined him for the season.
While there have been some concerns about the amount of hard contact he gives up and the consistency of his execution of his secondary pitches, Rodriguez's ace upside is unquestioned. If he's healthy. He posted 259 strikeouts in 238.2 MLB innings while showcasing a changeup that eats up both righties and lefties, an upper-90s four-seam fastball, and a slider that registered a 21.7% swinging strike rate against righties in 2024.
Rodriguez is also under contract through the 2029 season, so he could be a big-time addition to this Angels rotation if he remains healthy. As of now, he would slot in as the team's ace alongside Yusei Kikuchi, Jose Soriano, Reid Detmers, and one of Caden Dana, Sam Aldegheri, George Klassen, or Jack Kochanowicz.
While the Angels may have hated to part with Ward, who has been in their organization for his entire career, moving him allows them to shift Jo Adell back to a corner outfield spot where he is more comfortable and then play one of Mike Trout or Jorge Soler at the other corner spot. We should expect them to go out and add a center fielder this offseason as well.
What’s the fantasy baseball impact?
This is a nice boost for Taylor Ward just because of the improved lineup around him. He's now going to be hitting somewhere in the middle of an order that includes Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Adley Rutschman, and Colton Cowser. That should improve his RBI and runs totals; however, he might see a dip in power production. Angel Stadium is the third-best park for right-handed hitters, according to Statcast Park Factors, and is specifically fourth for right-handed power. Meanwhile, Oriole Park at Camden Yards is 22nd overall for right-handed hitters and is 23rd for right-handed power.
Oriole Park ranks better for base hits, due to its more spacious outfield, so we could see a batting average and counting stats boost for Ward with some home run regression. Maybe that puts him closer to the .246/.323/.426 line from 2024 with 25 home runs; however, if you also give him about 80-90 runs scored and 100 RBI, that's a pretty solid overall season and one you're happy to get from your OF3 in fantasy baseball.
Grayson Rodriguez's value is harder to quantify because it's so contingent on his health.
For starters, the Angels have not proven to be an organization that can develop pitching or get the most out of its pitchers, so this is not a great landing spot for him in hopes of unlocking the ace upside and fixing some of the command issues with his secondaries. I wouldn't bank on him taking a major leap here in terms of skills development. He also gets a team context hit since the Angels are likely to produce fewer wins than the Orioles in 2026.
Perhaps that means a season that's closer to Rodriguez's current career averages than a step forward. That would be an ERA around 4.00 with an elevated 1.25 WHIP, and a 25-26% strikeout rate. Getting 130-140 innings out of him would be a major win for the Angels after his last two seasons, so that overall line sounds a lot like what Brady Singer did this year on the Reds. We can give Rodriguez more strikeouts, but Singer also had 14 wins, which Rodriguez isn't likely to duplicate, so it could even out. Singer finished as the SP47 on FanGraph's Player Rater, and given Rodriguez's extensive injury history, it would be hard to rank him much higher than that heading into 2026.
Amid the joyous scenes at Hampden on Tuesday night, John Souttar joined in the on-pitch celebrations with his Scotland team-mates, but his withdrawal from the starting line-up moments before kick-off will have caused concern for his new club manager Danny Rohl.
Souttar is not a faultless defender but in a troubled team he has been one of the most reliable performers and Rohl will hope his absence is not an extended one as he seeks to get Rangers back on track.
They return with three home games - Livingston and Falkirk in the league with Braga visiting in the Europa League in between.
The European campaign is as good as dead and Rohl has to put everything into rescuing a league title tilt, with Celtic still not firing on all cylinders and Hearts' ability to maintain a wonderful start unknown.
Clearly six points from the two league games against the promoted sides are an absolute must but few supporters will see them as a given, particularly as Rangers needed an injury-time Max Aarons winner to beat Livi earlier in the season while the draw with Falkirk was the final nail in Russell Martin's coffin.
But there were positive signs just before the international break as Rangers swept Dundee aside at Dens Park and you imagine Rohl will have been using the last couple of weeks on the training ground with those players not involved with their countries to instill his ideas a little more firmly.
The Rangers support will be looking forward to seeing how that translates on to the pitch on Saturday.
One of the Mets' biggest goals this offseason should be seriously bolstering a starting rotation that was the main reason their 2025 season went haywire.
And as they go about adding to the starting staff, they should leave no stone unturned.
The Mets should be aggressive players in the trade market, where top-of-the-rotation options like Tarik Skubal, Freddy Peralta, Joe Ryan, and Sandy Alcantara could be available.
As far as free agency, this year's crop of starting pitchers does not have a slam dunk option like it did last offseason (Max Fried) or the offseason before (Yoshinobu Yamamoto).
However, there are plenty of quality, high-upside arms the Mets should have their eyes on.
Here's who New York should be targeting, ranked...
5. Ranger Suarez
Suarez, who turned 30 in August, might be the safest bet -- but he's also the least imposing. He has allowed 8.6 hits per nine during his eight-year career, is not a big strikeout guy, and has never thrown 158 innings or more in a season.
He has been one of the most reliable and effective pitchers in baseball over the last five seasons, though, posting a 3.25 ERA (3.44 FIP) and 1.24 WHIP in 694.1 innings over 143 games (116 starts). For the Phillies this past season, he had a 3.20 ERA and 1.22 WHIP while tossing 157.1 innings across 26 starts.
Suarez has also been an elite postseason performer: In 42.2 innings spanning seven playoff series from 2022 to 2025, he has a 1.48 ERA and 1.05 WHIP.
While Suarez's fastball velocity is well below league average (his four-seamer averaged 91.3 mph in 2025 while his sinker averaged 90.1 mph), his secondary pitches grade out as elite -- Suarez's breaking run value was in the 87th percentile this past season, while his offspeed run value was in the 90th percentile.
Suarez's effectiveness is backed up by most of his advanced stats, but it's fair to wonder how much longer he'll be above average. One of the reasons why is the aforementioned fastball velocity, which has been steadily declining. Suarez's fastball velo was in the 33rd percentile in 2023 (an average of 93.0 mph), the 11th percentile in 2024 (91.2 mph), and the seventh percentile in 2025 (90.5 mph).
No matter how good Suarez's other offerings are, it's very likely going to be hard for him to maintain what he's doing if the fastball velocity continues to dip -- especially when you consider that he threw a fastball (four-seamer or sinker) roughly 43 percent of the time this past season.
4. Framber Valdez
Valdez, who turns 32 in November, has been a workhorse over the last four seasons, posting a 3.21 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across 767.2 innings.
After leading the American League in innings pitched in 2022 (201.1 IP), Valdez hasn't really slowed down. He fired 198.0 innings in 2023, 176.1 innings in 2024, and 192.0 innings this past season.
His ERA in 2025 was 3.66 -- the highest its been since 2019, when Valdez was working mostly in relief. But while the ERA was a tick high, there wasn't much cause for concern elsewhere, as Valdez's WHIP, hit rate, walk rate, home run rate, and strikeout rate were all right around his career averages.
It's also worth noting that Valdez has excelled over the course of his career despite never being an advanced stats darling. Part of the reason why he's able to perform so well while not blowing hitters away is his elite ground ball rate, which was in the 97th percentile in 2025.
On the negative side, there was a troubling moment in September, when Valdez seemingly intentionally crossed up his catcher in order to hit him with a pitch -- and showed no remorse after. For his part, Valdez claimed it was unintentional.
3. Michael King
King, who will be entering his age-31 season in 2026, was tremendous for the Padres in 2024 as he transitioned from relieving to being a full-time starter. Over 173.2 innings in 2024 -- which was nearly 70 innings more than the career-high he tossed in 2023 -- King had a 2.95 ERA (3.33 FIP) and 1.19 WHIP while striking out 201.
King was still effective in 2025, but his season was interrupted twice due to injuries -- he dealt with a nerve injury in his throwing shoulder, and also lost time due to a knee injury.
Michael King / Imagn Images/Envato Elements/SNY Treated Image
Looking at King's stuff, while he has a legitimate four-pitch mix (sinker, four-seam fastball, changeup, and sweeper) and also tosses in a slider every now and then, his sinker and four-seamer are noticeably down in velocity.
In 2022, King's sinker averaged 95.5 mph. In 2025, it averaged 92.7 mph.
In 2022, King's four-seamer averaged 96.4 mph. In 2025, it averaged 93.7 mph.
Meanwhile, after King's xERA, chase percentage, whiff percentage, and barrel percentage were all elite in 2024, he was below average in each of those metrics in 2025.
While King has the ability to pitch near the top of the rotation when healthy, questions about his durability could result in the contract he signs this offseason being short. That could mean a three-year contract. Or perhaps King bets on himself and takes a one-year deal with an eye on hitting the market again next offseason and cashing in.
If the Mets think King's stuff will bounce back, he could be a good low-risk, high-reward option.
2. Tatsuya Imai
Imai, 27, was posted by the Seibu Lions on Tuesday, meaning he has until Jan. 2 to reach a deal with an MLB club.
Imai is coming off a huge season for the Lions. In 163.2 innings over 24 starts, the right-hander had a 1.92 ERA and 0.89 WHIP while allowing just 101 hits and striking out 178 -- a strikeout rate of 9.8 per nine.
Over eight seasons pitching for Nippon Professional Baseball, Imai has a 3.15 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. But he has reached another level over the last four seasons, posting earned run averages of 2.04, 2.45, 2.34, and 1.92.
Imai's stuff is considered plus. It includes a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and can reach 99 mph. He also has a splitter, slider, and cutter.
While he isn't viewed by evaluators as the kind of can't-miss ace Yamamoto has become since making the transition from Japan to the majors, Imai is nevertheless expected to get a relatively massive payday.
Jul 25, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Dylan Cease (84) reacts after the final out of the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
1. Dylan Cease
If paired with a legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter who is acquired via trade, Cease would be a perfect fit -- bringing the floor of a solid innings-eater and the upside of a Cy Young candidate.
Cease, who is entering his age-30 season, has finished top-four in Cy Young voting two of the last four seasons. However, he's coming off a campaign where he had a 4.55 ERA, and has been an every-other-year performer lately.
The good easily outweighs the bad, though.
Since his first full season in the majors in 2021, Cease has been one of the most reliable pitchers in the sport when it comes to taking the ball. He has made at least 32 starts each of the last five seasons, and has exceeded 165.0 innings in all of them. He tossed 165.2 innings in 2021, 184.0 in 2022, 177.0 in 2023, 189.1 in 2024, and 168.0 in 2025.
Regarding his stuff, Cease relies mainly on a four-seam fastball and slider (he threw the two pitches a combined 82 percent of the time last season), and also mixes in a curve, sinker, and sweeper. How that stuff has graded out has oscillated from season to season, though, which helps explain the variance in Cease's performance.
Cease has a career ERA of 3.88 and a WHIP of 1.26, but his upside is sky high -- and part of the reason for that is his ability to miss bats. He has struck out 214 batters or more in each of the last five seasons and has a career strikeout per nine rate of 10.9. This past season, his 11.5 strikeouts per nine led all qualified starting pitchers.
If Cease's market stays relatively sane -- think a three-or four-year deal -- the Mets should be all over it. Even if it gets pushed to five, it can be argued that it's a risk worth taking.
Major League Baseball has finalized its national broadcasting details for 2026, 2027 and 2028.
On Wednesday, MLB announced a new partnership with NBC, Netflix and ESPN — in addition to its existing deals with FOX and Turner Sports.
“Our new media rights agreements with ESPN, NBCUniversal and Netflix provide us with a great opportunity to expand our reach to fans through three powerful destinations for live sports, entertainment, and marquee events,” commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
Here’s when and where you can watch national MLB games under the new deal:
Next season: July 13, 2026, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia
“Field of Dreams” game (taking over from FOX)
Next season: Aug. 13, 2026, in Dyersville, Iowa, Philadelphia Phillies vs. Minnesota Twins
ESPN
Fans will now purchase MLB.TV through ESPN to watch their favorite teams outside their home market. ESPN is incorporating a service to its streaming platform, with in-market games for the select MLB teams.
ESPN will also have a national midweek game package throughout the season.
SAN FRANCISCO — When they finally pulled the trigger on a Camilo Doval trade, the Giants opted to take several shots at finding help instead of pushing for one higher-ranked prospect. At the time, catcher Jesus Rodriguez was the clear centerpiece of the four-player package, but in this year’s Arizona Fall League another player emerged as a potential contributor from that trade.
Infielder Parks Harber didn’t garner much attention at the deadline, which wasn’t surprising. He was undrafted out of North Carolina, and while he put up good numbers in the New York Yankees farm system before the trade, he was a bit on the older side for A-ball.
The Giants sent Harber to the Fall League to get some more reps, and he ended up representing them in the Fall Stars Game. In 17 AFL appearances, he had a .383/.513/.683 slash line with three homers, nine doubles and 14 walks. Harber’s 1.196 OPS was fourth in the league, which is filled with some of the game’s top prospects.
“For him not maybe getting a lot of attention nationally or in the media, he surely got a lot of attention in our room,” general manager Zack Minasian said on the “Giants Talk” podcast. “It’s a credit to Hadi Raad, our pro [scouting] director, Josh Zimmerman, our director of player procurement, [VP of analytics] Paul Bien [and] a lot of our scouts who were on Parks.
“I think what he has shown in the Fall League is just a continuation of what he did all last year in A-ball and High-A, and that’s just hit. He can hit, he impacts the baseball, he has shown decently at third base, maybe even better than what we expected. There’s maybe a chance to move him on the field and see where else he’s comfortable defensively, but I think the bat is real and it’s been fun to watch.”
Harber primarily has played first and third in the minors, but those two spots might be spoken for at Oracle Park for the rest of the decade. He made four appearances in right field in the Fall League, and that figures to be part of the plan moving forward.
Harber was injured at the time of the trade, but he hit the ground running as a member of the Giants organization. In 25 games with High-A Eugene, Harber hit .333 with a 1.097 OPS and seven homers. The Giants were slow in promoting prospects last year, but given Harber’s background — including four seasons at big colleges — the 24-year-old should see Double-A early in the 2026 season. He might not have been a well-known prospect when the Giants acquired him, but they’re thrilled that he was part of the deal.
“Right-handed power in our ballpark seems to fit pretty well,” Minasian said. “It’s always going to be a welcome addition.”
No Action
An offseason deadline came and went Tuesday without any moves from the Giants. They elected not to add any minor leaguers to their 40-man roster to protect them from next month’s Rule 5 Draft, which wasn’t a huge surprise.
The Giants had several potential relief pitching candidates, but none who had done enough to force the front office into removing someone else from the 40-man, which currently is full.
Will Bednar, the organization’s first-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, was one potential option after his velocity ticked up in the bullpen this year. But he also had a 5.85 ERA in Double-A and Triple-A with 6.7 walks per nine innings. The Giants also elected not to protect 2022 first-rounder Reggie Crawford, betting that 29 other teams will pass on the left-handed reliever, who just had his second shoulder operation in as many years. Another club could draft Crawford and stash him on the 60-day IL, but he isn’t likely to be ready until the middle of next season at the earliest.
The Rule 5 Draft will take place on the final day of the Winter Meetings next month in Orlando. To protect a player, the Giants would have had to DFA someone, and while there are several candidates for that on the 40-man at the moment, they’ll need those spots for offseason additions.
Coaching Tree
The 2021 season will always be a remarkable outlier in a decade of otherwise mediocre Giants baseball, and years from now people will still be trying to figure out exactly how it happened. One thing the Giants knew at the time was that their coaching staff was firing on all cylinders, and it’s more apparent than ever that there was a lot of talent in that room.
With Mark Hallberg departing to become bench coach for the Minnesota Twins, there are now three members of that staff who are MLB bench coaches. Kai Correa is No. 2 with the New York Mets and Donnie Ecker is the next man up to Craig Albernaz, who was hired as Baltimore Orioles manager a few years after he coached the catchers for Gabe Kapler.
Kapler himself is now the general manager in Miami, and he certainly can brag about his coaching tree. There were 13 coaches on that young and inexperienced staff, and just about all of them are now in notable spots elsewhere. Dustin Lind, the director of hitting on that staff, is another one who got an offseason promotion; he’s now Albernaz’s hitting coach.
The Mets need starting pitching, and there are options this offseason, whether it's in the free agent or trade market.
However, the Brewers are making it known that ace Freddy Peralta being dealt isn't inevitable.
After Brandon Woodruff was one of just four players to accept the $22 million qualifying offer to return to Milwaukee, many believed it was a precursor to the Brewers trading Peralta -- who is on an expiring contract -- to recoup assets. ESPN's Jeff Passan cited executives with interest who believed the chance for a Peralta trade would "drastically increase" if Woodruff took the qualifying offer.
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio and president of baseball operations Matt Arnoldcommented to The Athletic late Tuesday that one decision doesn't impact the other.
“Independent decisions Matt and his group will make,” Attanasio told The Athletic. “We’re certainly excited about our rotation now.”
Peralta is set to make just $8 million in 2026, a very team-friendly deal that the Brewers could afford, but with the threat of losing their best pitcher to free agency at the end of the season, it could be the best chance to get the most back in a deal, especially after the year the 29-year-old just had. The 2025 season was arguably Peralta's best as a pro. In 33 starts, he pitched to a 17-6 record and a 2.70 ERA. He made his second All-Star team and was fifth in Cy Young voting.
Currently, the Mets' starting rotation is in a state of uncertainty. Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, Kodai Senga and Nolan McLean are expected to be a part of the mix while Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns looks to add and remake the rotation this offseason.
What pitcher or pitchers he can obtain is not yet known as Stearns navigates the ever-evolving offseason.
"There are teams that are still feeling out where they're heading this offseason," Stearns told SNY's Andy Martino at the GM Meetings. "I have experience and recognize that positions at the GM Meetings may not always be the position a club takes at the Winter Meetings and may not be the position a club takes at the end of January. These things can evolve at the end of the offseason and be really challenging for me to predict at this point...what we try to do is stay involved in the conversations and make sure we're informed as much as possible and that allows us to make the best decisions."
Aside from Peralta, the Mets could try and pry other top-line starters like Tarik Skubal from their respective clubs. They have the young talent like Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat that they can use as trade chips, but it's not the only avenue Stearns has to add to the Mets rotation.
Other arms like Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez and Michael King are available via free agency.
That’s why, in the latest episode of “Baseball Bar-B-Cast,” Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Shusterman and Jake Mintz divided all 30 teams into nine different tiers based on how they plan to approach free agency, from the biggest spenders (Funny Money) to the most frugal franchises (Broke Boys).
Tier 1: Funny Money
Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets
These two teams are willing and able to spend with essentially no limit, luxury tax be damned. For the Dodgers, the strategy has already paid off massively with back-to-back World Series titles. Their enormous payroll has sparked conversations about the spending gap in baseball and could lead to heated collective bargaining negotiations and a potential lockout in 2027.
"I'm interested in how evil do they get, right?” Mintz said of the Dodgers. “They have now won two in a row. The lockout is approaching. We could be operating under a new financial system in, you know, a year's time. Does that impact the way the Dodgers approach this winter where they're like, 'This is our last chance to really go nut nut, and maybe Kyle Tucker's contract is grandfathered in, let's get him on our roster.'"
Is a trilogy next for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and superstar Shohei Ohtani? (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Daniel Shirey via Getty Images
The Mets, on the other hand, have spent big without much to show for it so far.
"I'm most interested in which of the two guys do they bring back: [Pete] Alonso and [Edwin] Díaz?” Mintz asked. “And beyond that, how do they seek to supplement the roster? They have some money coming off the books, but if they try and keep Alonso and Díaz, it's less money than you think.”
Tier 2: Rich Men North of Richmond
New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays
While this group isn’t afraid to open up the checkbook, they’re a tier behind the Dodgers and Mets. For now.
“Let's not pretend like the Yankees are not still capable of spending more than everybody but the Dodgers and Mets, and maybe even outspend the Dodgers and Mets in some circumstances,” Shusterman said.
If the Yankees want to sign a big name in free agency, they might have to compete with a Blue Jays team that came within one win of a World Series title.
“Do they act like a behemoth?” Mintz asked of Toronto.
The Phillies, meanwhile, may have to spend all their money just to keep the band together.
“Because of the state of the roster and kind of the direction of their franchise, [the Phillies] arrive at an interesting point here where [Kyle] Schwarber is, of course, the top priority. [J.T.] Realmuto as well,” Shusterman said. “Is there another move? Is there a move on top of that other than just keeping this group together? Is it a Kyle Tucker?”
Tier 3: Have Employed or Do Employ Rafael Devers
San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox
By executing a massive midseason trade in June to acquire Rafael Devers from the Red Sox, the Giants showed they’re willing to make aggressive moves to get better. Yet San Francisco missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season anyway, while Boston surged to the postseason.
“The Red Sox, from a roster standpoint and a free agency standpoint, I think is more compelling because the guys they need to try and keep,” Shusterman said. “And the Giants, it's just like, what are you going to do to move this forward?”
Tier 4: You Have Spent But Where Are You?
San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Angels
This collection of clubs have handed out huge commitments to big-time players, with varying results, including San Diego’s Fernando Tatis, Texas’ Corey Seager, several extensions to Braves players or even the Angels’ deal with Anthony Rendon. But for multiple reasons, Shusterman said he’s confused and intrigued about where these teams are at.
The team in this tier that feels like it should be a notch higher? The Cubs.
“This team should be a real behemoth with the amount of money they bring in,” Mintz said. “And until they start acting that way, they will be here grouped together with the Padres, Astros, Braves, Rangers, Angels.”
Tier 5: Why Don’t You Just Meet Me in the Middle
Seattle Mariners, Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies
As we mentioned, the Mariners already signed Naylor to a sizable deal. But if they don’t make any other big moves beyond that this offseason, they’re still firmly in baseball’s middle class. Despite these teams slotting into roughly the same spending tier, there’s clearly a wide range of on-field performance here.
“These clubs, five of them actually are in relatively similar points where they're trying to contend and one team is the Rockies,” Mintz said. “But we feel like the Rockies had to be grouped here because if [newly hired president of baseball operations] Paul DePodesta went out and signed Dylan Cease, I would be both surprised and I would be like, ‘that's the Rockies.’”
Tier 6: Too Smart To Spend
Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians
They draft well, develop well and know how to get the most out of inexpensive rosters. But how do they get over the hump to succeed in the playoffs?
“They have earned both the benefit of the doubt and also kind of the collective frustration of, ‘Hey, you're doing a lot of these other things really well, what if you just spent some more money on, like, really good baseball players?’” Shusterman said.
Tier 7: The Reds
Cincinnati Reds
They were good enough to make the playoffs, but it ended quickly with a lopsided series sweep at the hands of the Dodgers.
“They at least have more good things going on that you can be like, ‘Maybe you are just a couple players away.’ I think that's maybe the most complimentary way I can phrase the Reds’ situation,” Shusterman said. “But also, maybe they don't want to spend any money because they're the Reds and that also happens often.”
Tier 8: Wrong Place, Wrong Time
Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals
These are teams that have spent real money at various points in their histories, but that won’t be the case this winter as they all embrace some degree of rebuilding.
“There's not going to be a whole lot of sexy stuff at the big league level this year,” Mintz said of the trio of teams. “There'll probably be some trades of veteran players away for prospects and as for that reason, anything beyond a one-year deal would surprise me.”
Tier 9: Broke Boys
Miami Marlins, Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Athletics
“Until they prove us wrong the way that the A's sort of did last year with Severino, to some degree, we have to expect them to not spend money. … history tells us that they are not going to spend real money in free agency. So if they, if they want to change that, we'll talk about it,” Shusterman.
CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox acquired left-hander Chris Murphy in a trade with the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.
Murphy went 3-0 with a 3.12 ERA in 23 relief appearances over three stints with the Red Sox this year. He also made five starts and 13 relief appearances in the minors, going 1-0 with a 2.93 ERA.
The 27-year-old Murphy was selected by Boston in the sixth round of the 2019 amateur draft. He missed the 2024 season after he had Tommy John surgery.
Boston acquired minor league catcher Ronny Hernández in the deal. The 21-year-old Hernández hit .251 with four homers and 34 RBIs in 82 games with Class A Kannapolis this year.
The Red Sox also traded right-hander Alex Hoppe to Seattle and left-hander Brennan Bernardino to Colorado. They got minor league catcher Luke Heyman from the Mariners and outfielder Braiden Ward from the Rockies.
The 33-year-old Bernardino went 4-3 with a 3.14 ERA in 55 appearances with the Red Sox this past season.
