Category: Sports News

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MLB awards season is officially underway, with the announcement of this year’s top rookies Monday serving as the opening act in a week celebrating baseball’s best from the 2025 season. 

The Athletics’ Nick Kurtz took home the Jackie Robinson AL Rookie of the Year Award unanimously. His teammate, shortstop Jacob Wilson, finished second with 23-second place votes. The Red Sox’s Roman Anthony finished third in the race with three second-place votes and 15 votes for third.

Atlanta Braves catcher Drake Baldwin was also named NL Rookie of the Year on Monday.

This year’s Rookie of the Year ballot came with a new wrinkle, as it was expanded from three to five spots, affording voters the opportunity to recognize a few more rookies from the season that was. (For reference, MVP ballots have long featured 10 spots, and Cy Young ballots expanded from three to five in 2010). 

Each award’s electorate is made up of two representatives from each of the 15 chapters of the Baseball Writers Association of America coinciding with the 15 markets in each league, amounting to a total of 30 voters. This year, two of the 30 voters for AL Rookie of the Year were members of our MLB team: Russell Dorsey from the Chicago chapter and Jordan Shusterman from the Cleveland chapter. 

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While Kurtz’s unanimous award came as no surprise, considering how dominant he was at the plate, there were several other intriguing storylines among AL rookies that made the remainder of the ballot a challenge to fill out. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how Dorsey and Shusterman voted, and what motivated their support for the five players included on their ballots.

Jordan Shusterman’s ballot

• 1. Athletics 1B Nick Kurtz

• 2. Athletics SS Jacob Wilson

• 3. Red Sox OF Roman Anthony

• 4. Red Sox C Carlos Narváez

• 5. Royals LHP Noah Cameron

Russ Dorsey’s ballot

• 1. Athletics 1B Nick Kurtz

• 2. Red Sox OF Roman Anthony

• 3. Athletics SS Jacob Wilson

• 4. Royals LHP Noah Cameron

• 5. White Sox SS Colson Montgomery

Wow, Nick Kurtz is amazing

It wasn’t just that Nick Kurtz was the best rookie in the 2025 class, which he was. The A’s young first baseman was one of baseball’s best hitters. And while he burst onto the scene with his four-homer game against the Houston Astros on July 25, it was only the tip of the iceberg for the 22-year-old slugger. If you need to know just how absurd Kurtz’s season was, take a look at any advanced metric, including his eye-popping 170 wRC+ in 489 plate appearances. Kurtz joined MVPs Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge as the only players in MLB with an OPS over 1.000 this past season and got additional hardware for his outstanding season in the form of the AL Silver Slugger Award for first base. The A’s slugger showed that debuting in the big leagues less than a year after being the No. 4 overall draft pick was no problem for him. Kurtz capped off his stellar rookie campaign leading all rookies in home runs, runs scored, RBI, walks and OPS. — Dorsey

Blue Jays pitcher Trey Yesavage might have rightfully stolen headlines as the most remarkable story from the 2024 draft class, but what Kurtz did at the plate in his debut season just a year after being drafted deserves ample acknowledgement as historic in its own right. Kurtz’s 1.002 OPS was the sixth-highest ever for a rookie with at least 450 plate appearances in a season, and he finished tied for fifth in the AL in home runs with 36, despite playing only 117 games. Kurtz’s peak came midsummer, when he hit an outrageous .395/.480/.953 across 23 games in July, headlined, of course, by his six-hit, four-homer game on July 25. 

And while that epic showing was the apex of his rookie campaign, Kurtz hardly fell off afterward, demonstrating that his red-hot July wasn’t much of an outlier. From his four-homer game through the end of the season, Kurtz hit .271/.394/.530, good for a 154 wRC+ that ranked 11th in MLB over that span. While his sky-high strikeout rate and struggles against southpaws represent moderate red flags, this version of Kurtz is doing more than enough damage to warrant the whiffs and platoon splits. And considering he’ll turn just 23 before Opening Day next year, it’s entirely reasonable to think Kurtz will improve upon his current weaknesses and unlock an even higher offensive ceiling in short order, establishing himself as one of the game’s most feared sluggers for years to come. — Shusterman

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Jacob Wilson vs. Roman Anthony for second

After a dreadful first half, the Red Sox surged to the second AL wild-card spot after Roman Anthony arrived on June 9, going 57-38 from then on. And with Boston looking for offensive consistency, baseball’s No. 1 prospect provided that spark. Anthony’s .396 on-base percentage jumps off the page, but the rookie phenom’s well-rounded game was impossible to deny, as he sported a .292 batting average and .463 slugging percentage before his season ended early due to an oblique strain.

What was tough about my second-place vote is that it was impact vs. body of work. Jacob Wilson was as consistent as any player in this season’s rookie class, and there was a time before Kurtz’s arrival when he was likely going to claim the Rookie of the Year Award. But what ultimately led me to vote for Anthony second and Wilson third is that I don’t believe the Red Sox make the postseason without Anthony’s spark and instant impact in the lineup. You could see that in the fact that the Red Sox weren’t the same after his injury. Wilson had a phenomenal campaign, but he didn’t raise the level of play for the A’s like Anthony did for the Sox. — Dorsey

The Red Sox indisputably played their best baseball with Anthony in the lineup, and they sorely missed him down the stretch and into October. And if we’re choosing which American League rookie I’d want on my team for the long haul, I’d take Anthony over Wilson, considering his significant offensive upside, and I’d even consider choosing him over Kurtz. 

Ultimately, this award is about which players had the most outstanding rookie seasons, and I considered the playing time and positional difference to be a wide enough gap to give Wilson the edge over Anthony on my ballot. Wilson started 124 games at shortstop, while Anthony started 32 games in right field, 17 games in left and another 17 at DH. Even if Wilson’s glove didn’t grade out especially well and might eventually fit best at second base, that pure workload as a rookie at a premium position was meaningful, especially with Wilson also boasting a fairly compelling offensive résumé.

He finished tied with Bo Bichette for second in the American League with a .311 batting average, and his 13 home runs far outpaced both my and many evaluators’ expectations for his slugging output. Wilson might not hit the ball hard, but he has already demonstrated a knack for translating his elite contact ability into extra-base hits in a way that lends optimism that he can be an all-around offensive threat in the majors. Given their wildly different skill sets, Wilson and Kurtz are a tremendously fun duo for the Athletics to build their lineup around. — Shusterman

Don’t forget about Noah Cameron

In a down year for rookie starting pitchers, Royals rookie left-hander Noah Cameron separated himself from the rest of the pack this season. Cameron got an opportunity to pitch every fifth day in a Kansas City rotation that was beat up for most of 2025, and he made the most of his chances. In his first 13 starts, Cameron allowed more than three earned runs just three times, showing that he was more than capable of sticking in the rotation. While Cade Horton got much more love on the National League side for his contributions to the Cubs’ success, Cameron, who finished fourth in the ROY race with three second-place votes, deserves similar love for his body of work in ‘25. — Dorsey

In the wild-card era, before 2025, 18 pitchers threw at least 130 innings in their rookie season while recording an ERA under 3.00, including just four in the American League. All 18 received Rookie of the Year votes, with five winning the award outright and another seven finishing runner-up. Enter Cameron, whose 2.99 ERA in 138⅓ innings across 24 starts helped stabilize an injury-ravaged Royals rotation all summer — a large enough sample of stellar run prevention to warrant inclusion on my ballot. 

Cameron was a delight to watch do his thing in 2025, a crafty lefty with two distinct breaking balls that graded out as elite pitches per run value, including a curveball that rated as one of the best of its kind across the league. While his modest peripherals and velocity indicate he might not have much more upside than what he demonstrated, Cameron still showed enough to suggest that the Royals could feature a terrific trio of left-handers in 2026 if Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic can return fully healthy. — Shusterman

Russ’ final pick: Colson Montgomery

The fifth spot on my ballot came down to two players who both deserved recognition. One was Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez, and the other was White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery. Narváez had the body of work on his side, and while being the starting catcher for a playoff team is one hell of an argument, Montgomery’s power production was hard to deny. The White Sox rookie hit 21 homers in just 255 at-bats and finished the season with a very respectable .841 OPS.

Montgomery’s season is in many ways similar to Gary Sánchez’s 2016 rookie campaign, in which he burst on the scene with 20 homers in 53 games. Sánchez owned a ridiculous 1.032 OPS and did it over the last two months of the season. Sánchez finished as ROY runner-up that season, and while that was too high for Montgomery in this year’s class, there’s precedent for a similar body of work being recognized. Also, while not known for his defense, Montgomery finished the season as a well-above-average defender at shortstop, with plus-seven defensive runs saved and plus-six outs above average putting him top-10 among shortstops in both categories. — Dorsey

Jordan’s final pick: Carlos Narváez

Montgomery’s power production, plus his surprisingly stout defense at shortstop, were difficult to overlook, and yes, he played the same number of games as Anthony (71), so the sample size on its own was not necessarily disqualifying. But in the end, I opted to vote for a catcher in Narváez who made an impact on a playoff team, emerging as one of Boston’s more unlikely key contributors after he arrived via a rare trade with the rival Yankees last winter. 

Russ rightly pointed out how much better Boston played once Anthony joined the lineup, and Narváez had a similar effect over the entirety of the season: The Red Sox went 67-40 — a .626 winning percentage — in Narváez’s 107 starts behind the dish and just 22-33 otherwise. That’s mostly a reflection of his work as a defender, with Narváez rating as a plus blocker, plus framer and nearly unrivaled at controlling the running game while regularly receiving praise from his pitching staff as a worthy field general and game-caller. 

And while his second-half decline at the plate resulted in a mediocre 99 wRC+ (.241/.306/.419) by the end of the season, even league-average production with a plus glove at catcher amounts to an immensely valuable player. In a season that began with substantial hype surrounding Boston’s top three prospects in Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer, it was Narváez who emerged as Boston’s second-best rookie in 2025 and snagged a spot on my ballot in turn. — Shusterman

Dec. 8, 8:51 a.m.

The Mets are "reluctant to hand out long-term offers" to the top free agent starting pitchers left on the market, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. 

The consensus top starting pitcher remaining is Framber Valdez, who is entering his age-32 season. 

Other free agent starters include Michael King, Ranger Suarez, Zac Gallen, and Japanese ace Tatsuya Imai.

Imai, whom the Mets have been connected to, is 27 years old, putting him in a different tier than the other available free agents. 

King is coming off an injury-riddled season and seems unlikely to get a long-term deal.

As far as Suarez, his fastball velocity has been steadily declining the last three seasons, making him a risky proposition.

If the Mets don't add a potential impact starter via free agency, they could turn to a trade market that might include Freddy Peralta, Tarik Skubal, and Edward Cabrera. 

Dec. 5, 5:57 p.m.

The Marlins are reportedly in the market to trade one of their starting pitchers.

Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic report that there's a "strong possibility" the Marlins end up moving one of their starters, and that Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera continue to attract "serious attention" from other teams. 

While the report doesn't name teams, the Mets are obviously in the market for front-line starting pitching and have the major league ready arms and bats to facilitate a potential deal with Miami. Cabrera has three years of club control remaining, while Alcantara has a club option (worth $21 million) for 2027. 

The Athletic also reports that young lefty Ryan Weathers has received interest from multiple teams. Weathers, 25, was having a breakout year in 2025 before he missed most of the year with a lat strain. He returned in September and finished with a 3.99 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP across eight starts. The report adds that the Marlins are at least listening in on each of their starters not named Eury Perez.

Dec. 5, 3:10 p.m.

It appears you can scratch three potential Mets trade targets off the board. 

The Twins don’t anticipate trading star CF Byron Buxton, ace Joe Ryan, or right-hander Pablo Lopez this offseason, according to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. 

Minnesota intends to hang on to and build around all three, as club officials believe that the team is talented enough to compete in the weak American League Central.

Ryan is someone whom the Mets have shown interest in, according to Jon Heyman of the NY Post, and Minnesota is said to like young right-hander Jonah Tong. 

Rosenthal indicated that the rebuilding Twins would obviously listen if teams continue calling about the trio, however, they'd likely have to be overwhelmed to accept a deal. 

Dec. 5, 11:33 a.m.

The Mets are among the teams "in the mix" for free agent left-hander Ranger Suarez, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

Feinsand lists the Astros, Cubs, and Orioles as the "most serious" threats to sign Suarez. 

Suarez has been one of the most reliable and effective pitchers in baseball over the last five seasons, 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.

Dec. 1, 7:05 p.m.

Tatsuya Imai, the 27-year-old Japanese right-hander, has reportedly lost at least one potential suitor.

The San Francisco Giants "do not anticipate making the nine-figure investment" required to sign the free-agent pitcher, according to a report Monday from The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly. 

The NL West club, which made big-money commitments to shortstop Willy Adames last year and took on the big contract of Rafael Devers in a June trade, is going to pass over getting involved in the market for big-money starters because of a "number of financial considerations" as they look at more "modestly priced alternatives," Baggarly reported.

Imai, who was posted by his club (the Seibu Lions) in November, is seen as perhaps having the highest ceiling of the free-agent starters on the market. However, despite his fine season last year (1.92 ERA and 0.89 WHIP with 178 strikeouts in 163.2 innings over 24 starts), he isn't seen as the same kind of can't-miss prospect as Yoshinobu Yamamoto was a few years back.

SNY's MLB Insider Andy Martino reported on Nov. 10 that the Mets "will be in on" the starter, but did not expect it to be a "full-tilt pursuit" as was the case with Yamamoto. 

"Why? Evaluators like Imai but suggest that he is no sure thing to succeed as an MLB starter. His mid-to-high ‘90s fastball might or might not play here; industry opinion on that is mixed," Martino wrote at the time. "Imai is an interesting option and should prompt conversations with any club in search of pitching, the Mets included."

Nov. 30, 2:44 p.m.

Kodai Senga, who has had his name come up in trade talks this offseason, has recently informed the Mets that he would prefer to stay with the ballclub, according to a report Sunday from The Athletic's Will Sammon.

Earlier in November, SNY's MLB Insider Andy Martino said there was "interest" in the right-hander "around the league right now because of his upside and because of what we've seen when he's at his best." 

"There's certainly a rational line of thinking that would point to a change of scenery after the last two years being the best for player and team," Martino said on Mets Hot Stove on Nov. 19. "It is not a definite he's going to be traded, but there's going to be so many moving parts coming into the Mets' rotation, they hope and they plan, that Kodai Senga leaving could be a part of the overall overhaul, and I don't think there's going to be a problem finding a trade."

Senga is coming off an uneven season with the Mets, pitching to a 1.39 ERA in his first 14 outings over 77.2 innings, with 74 strikeouts to 33 walks, only to post a 6.56 ERA in his next eight outings over 35.2 innings with 35 strikeouts to 22 walks. That second-half swoon, which came after missing time with a hamstring strain, saw him demoted to Triple-A for the season's final weeks.

Nov. 29, 11:30 p.m.

The Phillies certainly would love to retain Kyle Schwarber in free agency this offseason; however, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com the two sides are currently not close on a deal. 

Unsurprisingly, Zolecki notes that Schwarber's agents are looking to capitalize on his stellar campaign in which he only finished behind Shohei Ohtani in NL MVP voting. 

The expectation is that the 32-year-old will ultimately land back in the City of Brotherly Love, but we'll see how things play out. 

The Pirates, Reds, and Red Sox are among the teams that have reportedly shown interest in Schwarber. 

Nov. 29, 3:30 p.m.

Former Mets reliever Ryan Helsley and the Baltimore Orioles are in agreement on a two-year contract, pending a physical, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. The deal has an opt-out after the first season.

Helsley will be the Orioles' ninth-inning option despite the right-hander fielding interest from numerous teams this offseason to be converted into a starter.

After six and a half seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, the 31-year-old was traded to New York at last season's trade deadline to help fortify the Mets' bullpen. A closer for the Cards who got to New York with a 3.00 ERA and 21 saves, Helsley was slotted as the Mets' setup man in front of Edwin Diaz.

However, his time in New York did not go well, pitching to a 7.20 ERA in 22 games and ultimately losing the eighth-inning job.

Still, in 297 career games, Helsley owns a 2.96 ERA and 105 saves.

Nov. 26, 7:45 p.m.

While the Mets look to re-sign Edwin Diaz this winter, the team is reportedly checking in on other back-end bullpen pieces.

According to the NY Post, the Mets have talked with representatives for Robert Suarez and Pete Fairbanks.

Suarez, of course, was the Padres' closer the last two seasons, including a 40-save effort in 2025. He's a back-to-back All-Star and pitched to a 2.97 ERA across 70 appearances this past season.

Fairbanks pitched to a 2.83 ERA and converted 27 saves in 61 games with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2025.

Nov. 26, 6:25 p.m.

The Mets have one less potential starting pitching target on the board after Dylan Cease signed a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, according to multiple reports.

Cease is coming off a relatively down year, pitching to an 8-12 record and a 4.55 ERA across 32 starts. His strikeout rate was still very high (11.5) but the right-hander will look to help Toronto get back to the World Series.

As for the Mets, there are still plenty of free agent and trade targets for the team to target. While Framber Valdez doesn't seem to be on their radar, Michael King, Ranger Suarez and Japanese star Tatsuya Imai are still available. 

Nov. 20, 5:53 p.m.

While the Mets are undoubtedly looking to rebuild their starting rotation, it doesn't seem like free agent Framber Valdez is near the top of their wish list.

Appearing on Wednesday's Mets Hot Stove, SNY MLB Insider Andy Martino reported that the Mets were not among the teams that met with the southpaw at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas.

Martino notes that Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns prefers to develop his own ace-level pitchers in-house and does not typically spend huge money for top-of-the-rotation starters, though Stearns could be flexible on that point. At 32, Valdez is likely looking for a lucrative multiyear contract.

Valdez is a two-time All-Star with the Astros and has pitched to a career 3.36 ERA, but he also seemed to intentionally cross up his catcher in September to hit him with a pitch, which raised some red flags.

While the Mets are expected to be aggressive in their pursuit of starting pitching this offseason, one of their current rotation arms is already receiving some outside interest.

According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, right-hander Kodai Senga is considered a buy-low trade target among some teams, although it's unclear if the Mets are legitimately open to moving him. 

The report also notes that Senga's contract no longer includes a full no-trade clause -- he can now block deals to only 10 clubs.

The 2025 season was a confounding tale of two halves for Senga, who resembled an ace for the Mets through June and ultimately lost a big-league roster spot by September. In between his peaks and valleys was a summer hamstring injury that required rehab starts and caused mechanical headaches. 

Still, he posted a solid 3.02 ERA with 109 strikeouts across 22 outings (113.1 innings).

There's reason to believe that Senga can re-channel that Cy Young-caliber version of himself, and his contract is by no means an albatross to the reported suitors. The 32-year-old is set to make just $28 million combined over the next two seasons, with a club option for 2028.

Since joining the majors from Japan in 2023, Senga owns a career 3.00 ERA with 209 strikeouts over 52 starts (285 innings). He also placed top 10 in NL Cy Young voting as a Rookie of the Year runner-up.

LAS VEGAS — If you are a Mets fan, wherever you stand on the notion of a new contract for Pete Alonso, you almost certainly find yourself wondering if the Polar Bear has indeed played his final home game in Queens.

Guess what? You have company.

Here are two other parties who have no idea how this will play out: The team and the player.

In the early days of the offseason, a perception has seemed to congeal that Alonso is a goner, and that Mets president of baseball operation David Stearns does not want him.

The former is inaccurate because it is way premature. The latter is inaccurate because … well, it just is.

There seems to be, among many fans, a perception of Stearns as a cold technocrat who can’t understand the emotional connection fans feel toward a player. That is not true. This same supposed technocrat spent his childhood sneaking a radio into his bed to listen to Gary Cohen and Bob Murphy on school nights.

In terms of attachment to the Mets, Stearns is one of you. And like you, he knows Alonso delivered an outstanding offensive season in 2025, and a subpar defensive campaign. Unlike you, Stearns’ job — an element of his dream job, by the way —  is to decide how many years and dollars that is worth to the franchise, and to avoid a contract that will end up hurting the team he loves.

Another oft-repeated inaccuracy is that Stearns did not want to sign Alonso last winter, and that Steve Cohen did. My information was always that the two were aligned on wanting the player but fearing the downside of a long commitment.

They were both happy to have Alonso on team in 2025 — which, in fairness, he almost certainly would not have been had any other club offered a four- or five-year contract. Alonso re-signed with the Mets on a two-year deal that included an inevitable opt-out after year one.

My hunch is that both Stearns and Cohen would be happy to welcome Alonso back in 2026, albeit with a significant increase in at-bats as designated hitter. They like the person and the ballplayer.

The complications begin when we talk about the term. It’s hard to imagine an increased willingness to offer Alonso four or five years, now that he is 12 months older.

But it’s also hard — no, it’s impossible — to predict how Alonso’s second shot at free agency will proceed. And therefore it is simply too early to say with any confidence or accuracy that a Boston or a Tampa Bay or whoever else will offer five years, and that Alonso will leave town.

Interest in Imai, but how much?

The Mets will be in on free agent pitcher Tatsuya Imai, whose NPB team, the Seibu Lions, will post this offseason. But I don’t expect the team to mount a Yoshinobu Yamamoto-style, full-tilt pursuit.

Why? Evaluators like Imai but suggest that he is no sure thing to succeed as an MLB starter. His mid-to-high ‘90s fastball might or might not play here; industry opinion on that is mixed.

Imai is an interesting option and should prompt conversations with any club in search of pitching, the Mets included. But the early word at the GM Meetings is that he will not captivate the industry on quite the same level that Yamamoto did two winters ago, when he spurned the Mets and Yankees to sign a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers.