Major League Baseball announced the 2027 regular season schedules for all 30 teams on Thursday, and the Yankees will get things started at home against a division rival.
The Yankees will host the Toronto Blue Jays for Opening Day on Thursday, March 25. They'll play their first six games of the season at home, hosting the Athletics for three games after the Blue Jays leave town.
Also of note, the Yankees will play six Subway Series games, traveling to Queens for three games from May 28-30, and hosting the Mets from July 16-18.
And if things are close in the American League East down the stretch, the Yankees' final nine games are sure to play a role, as they'll play Boston at home for three games, followed by Toronto and Baltimore on the road to close things out.
Dec 20, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Jayden Quaintance (21) shows emotion against the St. John Red Storm in the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Jayden Quaintance and injuries have unfortunately gone hand in hand in recent years. Now, Quaintance is coming off a successful surgery to clean up his right knee, and is a little over a year removed from his ACL surgery.
The San Antonio Spurs announced the positive news on Wednesday.
Quaintance went through extensive rehab before, during, and after his commitment to Kentucky Basketball. Big Blue Nation knows all too well about the process to get him back last year, with the highly anticipated superstar going through a ton to get back.
Now, in the NBA, he is still going through some difficulties in getting back to game-ready. The Spurs drafted Quaintance No. 20 overall, and they knew that with that pick, another surgery would come in the near future. The Spurs, of anyone, could afford that, though. The Spurs are coming off a year in which they reached the NBA Finals, and have a super young team overall.
When Quaintance was drafted, Spurs fans who didn’t know him or his story were extremely excited about the selection after seeing the highlights. When Quaintance is healthy and honestly just playing on the court, he makes an unbelievable impact on the game.
Back in high school, Quaintance was a 5-star prospect and one of the best defensive prospects we had seen in recent years. Then, in college, his game translated right away. At Arizona State, he averaged 9.4 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game and 3.7 stocks (steals and blocks) per game. The end of his freshman season at Arizona State and his year at Kentucky have been riddled with injuries, setting him back.
Sadly, more rehab is in store for Quaintance, but as I mentioned before, there’s not a ton of weight on his shoulders of expectations for him to come in and save an organization or anything like that.
Best wishes to Quaintance as we hope for a speedy recovery.
Jayden Quaintance will miss the start of the 2026-27 NBA season and the early expectation from the Spurs is that he won't be ready to return until some point in 2027, sources told @ClutchPoints.
It's hard to pinpoint an exact return timeline, but he is sidelined indefinitely. https://t.co/PROOVhi6dS
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball is set to have its earliest opening day next year on March 24 except for international games — if there is an opening day.
MLB said its 2027 season will start with a single game to be televised that night by Netflix. The teams have not been chosen.
Opening matchups include Cleveland at the Chicago Cubs, St. Louis at Cincinnati, the Chicago White Sox at Detroit, Texas at Houston, Minnesota at Kansas City, Atlanta at the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets at Miami, the Los Angeles Angels at Milwaukee, Toronto at the New York Yankees, the Athletics at Pittsburgh, Arizona at San Diego, Colorado at San Francisco, Boston at Seattle, Baltimore at Tampa Bay and Philadelphia at Washington.
Baseball’s labor contract expires Dec. 1 and a management lockout is expected. In 2022, an agreement wasn’t reached until March 10, causing opening day to be pushed back from March 31 to April 7.
Chicago’s Wrigley Field will host the All-Star Game on July 13 and a rivalry weekend will follow.
The regular season is scheduled to end Sept. 26.
The Athletics are scheduled to play most of their home games in West Sacramento, California, for the third straight season before moving to a new ballpark in Las Vegas. They will have a homestand at the Triple-A ballpark in Las Vegas starting May 31 against San Diego and Cincinnati.
With no labor contract in place for 2027, no international games are scheduled.
A year ago, the Montreal Canadiens had two goaltending prospects in The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler’s top 20 drafted goaltending prospects: Jacob Fowler, who stood at number two, and Jakub Dobes, who was at number 19. Unsurprisingly, only Fowler remains on the list since Dobes is no longer eligible, now being an established NHL netminder.
Fowler still occupies the top spot in the rankings after a convincing rookie season at both the AHL and the NHL level. A third-round pick in 2023, Fowler is the most exciting goaltending prospect the Canadiens have had since Carey Price, even though the former face of the franchise was the fifth overall pick at the 2005 draft. There’s another Montreal goaltender who did just fine after being drafted in the third round: Patrick Roy. Saint-Patrick was taken 51st overall at the 1984 draft.
In his first complete pro season, Fowler featured in 27 AHL games and kept a 19-7-2 record with a 2.23 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage, and he blanked the opponent three times. The circumstances in Montreal led to his call-up in December, and while he was still very green, he did well with the big club. So much so that some wondered if Dobes might be sent to Laval once Samuel Montembeault was back in the fold, however, it was Fowler who was sent back down, only to come back up when Montembeault faltered again. The youngster was called back up in March and finished the season with the Habs, serving as Dobes's backup in the playoffs.
In his 17 NHL games, Fowler kept a 9-6-2 record with a 2.43 GAA, a .908 SV and one shutout. Those are the numbers of a goaltender who’s ready to play in the NHL, and if the Canadiens cannot move Montembeault this offseason, they very well may have a problem in net.
Wheeler raves about Wheeler in his rankings and has no qualms saying he has a legitimate shot at being a top NHL goaltender. The positioning, the rebound control, the angles, the reflexes- The Athletic’s journalist essentially says that Fowler has it all. While he mentions that the Canadiens and their fans are deservedly high on Dobes right now, he still believes that Fowler is the starter of the future, and you won’t find many people who are ready to argue with him on that one.
The three-year and $5.357M cap hit contract the Habs gave Dobes is a sign that they are not fixed on who will hold the main job long term; it leaves room for Fowler to take over if that’s what his performances eventually dictate or for Dobes to get another contract extension if he’s still in the driver’s seat in four years (his contract doesn’t kick in until the 2027-28 season) or to break the bank in free agency if he so desires.
On Wednesday, the NHL announced the home openers for all 32 teams, with the Calgary Flames, who begin their final season at the Scotiabank Saddledome, welcoming the Seattle Kraken to town on October 1 for a 7:00 pm MT contest.
The league did not take the opportunity to let either of the Flames' biggest rivals, the Edmonton Oilers or the Vancouver Canucks, be the final home-opener opponent in Saddledome history, instead opting to give that honor to the Pacific Division's newest club. Interestingly, Calgary will begin and end October with the Kraken, who make their final appearance in the Dome on October 30th.
Meanwhile, the league announced the remainder of the 2026-27 schedule today, giving Flames fans plenty to talk about regarding the 2026-27 campaign. After missing out on a rivalry game to open the season, the NHL did give the Canucks the final regular-season home game in Saddledome history, a Saturday night contest on April 10, which will most likely be broadcast nationally on Sportsnet.
Moreover, fans hoping to see Connor McDavid and the Oilers one final time in the Dome will need to wait until March, when Edmonton comes to town on March 3 and again on March 23.
Regarding Original Six matchups, the Detroit Red Wings come to Calgary on October 24, followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 26. The Chicago Blackhawks, led by Connor Bedard, visit on November 21 and March 5, while the New York Rangers play their final Saddledome contest on Remembrance Day on November 11.
Finally, the Montreal Canadiens pay their final visit to the place where they battled in the 1986 and 1989 Stanley Cup Finals on January 28, and the Boston Bruins will be the second-to-last Original Six team to play at the Dome on February 17.
The reigning Stanley Cup champions, the Carolina Hurricanes, visit early in the season with a matchup on October 18.
Throughout the season, the Flames will host several multi-game homestands, with the longest running from January 5 to January 16, featuring several Eastern Conference teams from Florida, New York (Islanders), Tampa Bay, Columbus, followed by San Jose and Los Angeles. Overall, Calgary will host teams for three or four home games in a row eight times, with a couple of them featuring Pacific Division rivals.
According to NHL.com, the Flames are 909-549-109-93 at the Saddledome, which will close for the final time at the conclusion of the 2026-27 NHL season.
Francisco Lindor’s year hasn’t gone as anyone would’ve expected. Sidelined at the very beginning of spring training and forced to miss the World Baseball Classic as he recovered, Lindor unsurprisingly got off to a slow start when the Mets’ 2026 season got underway. And just as he started heating up at the plate, he suffered a calf injury in a game against the Twins on April 22, the same game that served as Juan Soto’s return from his own calf injury.
While Soto was sidelined for three weeks, Lindor went two months in between major league games. Despite the lengthy absence, the Mets’ rehab plan saw him play in just three games—one with Double-A Binghamton and two with Triple-A Syracuse—before he was reinstated from the injured list. And since then, he’s hit pretty similarly to how he had hit before the calf injury, putting up a 91 wRC+ from Opening Day through April 22 and an 87 wRC+ from his return from the IL up to the All-Star break.
A few months can feel like a very long time, especially when the Mets are having one of their worst seasons of all time, but it’s far too soon to forget how great Lindor has been in his time with the team. And it’s also far too soon to give up on what he can do moving forward.
In his first five seasons with the Mets, Lindor had four of the top 31 seasons by a position player in franchise history by fWAR. His spectacular 7.7 fWAR season in 2024 has only been bested three times in Mets history, as David Wright’s 8.4 fWAR 2007, John Olerud’s 8.1 fWAR 1998, and Carlos Beltrán’s 7.8 fWAR 2006 seasons are the only ones that have been better.
Lindor’s 6.4 fWAR 2022 season ranks 15th in the history of the organization, and his 6.3 fWAR in 2025 ranks 17th. And his 5.5 fWAR 2023 is the one that ranks 31st. Even his relatively unimpressive debut season with the Mets in 2021, which saw him finish the year with 3.9 fWAR, ranks 64th. Only David Wright and José Reyes have matched Lindor with four seasons in those top 31.
If the Mets’ history of position player production isn’t a high enough bar, Lindor has been the sixth-best position player in baseball with 30.4 fWAR since the beginning of the 2021 season, trailing only Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, José Ramírez, and Bobby Witt Jr. If he’d had an injury-free first half and played roughly the projection systems saw him playing this year—roughly 4.0 to 5.0 wins above replacement depending on your preferred projection system—he’d at least be ahead of Witt and perhaps be even with or ahead of Ramírez and Soto.
Simply put, Lindor has been one of the best players in baseball, and the fact that he’s 32 years old should be considered a sign that he’s not anywhere near the end of his time as a great player. It’s certainly premature to assume that his production has fallen off—or will soon fall off—a cliff.
All of the projection systems at FanGraphs see the rest of Lindor’s 2026 season looking pretty much like his 2025 season did, hitting significantly above league average and adding roughly two wins to his fWAR over the course of about 60 games. The playing time projection seems fair, as the Mets have given him off days since he came off the injured list. And if he were to finish the year with something like 2.5 to 3.0 fWAR in 100 games. That would be a 4.0-to-5.0 win pace over the course of a full season.
To see Lindor live up to those projections wouldn’t be surprising. In each of his five seasons with the Mets, he’s been an outstanding hitter in the second half. The underlying metrics on Statcast page, while lacking in sample size, look similar enough to the past few years.
Will Lindor ever match that 7.7 fWAR season again? Probably not. But there’s nowhere near enough evidence to suggest that he can’t be finish with 4+ wins above replacement over the next few years. And given the readily available options to field a new shortstop within the organization and in the upcoming offseason, here’s hoping the Mets have no intention of trading Lindor.
Note: All of this is subject to change, as the league is undergoing labor talks with the MLBPA. Those talks have already been contentious and are expected to continue through the offseason, with a realistic chance of a lockout to begin the 2027 season.
Major League Baseball today released the regular-season schedule for 2027. After opening 2026 with their earliest Opening Day ever (March 26), the team will beat that mark for the second consecutive season, as they’re set to host the Los Angeles Angels beginning on Thursday, March 25. That will also mark Milwaukee’s second consecutive Opening Day at home.
Next season’s All-Star break comes the week of July 11, with the Midsummer Classic on Tuesday, July 13 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Some other notable quirks of the schedule:
Milwaukee’s first homestand features the Angels (March 25, 27-28) and Braves (March 29-31)
The first road trip of the season takes the Brewers to visit the White Sox (April 1, 3-4) and Blue Jays (April 5-7)
Road: White Sox (April 1, 3-4), Blue Jays (April 5-7), Yankees (April 19-21), Rays (June 18-20), Guardians (July 9-11), Mariners (July 27-29), Twins (September 10-12), and Rangers (September 24-26)
Similar to 2026, the team’s longest road trip comes in the stretch leading into the All-Star break, as they’ll visit the Reds, Nationals, and Guardians for 10 games in 10 days from July 2-11
The Brewers’ longest homestand is immediately after the All-Star break, a 10-game stretch against the Twins, Tigers, and Marlins from July 16-25
A pair of marquee matchups in Milwaukee lie on Memorial Day and Labor Day, as they’ll host the Dodgers on May 31 and the Cubs on September 6
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 27: Photo of Truist Park on Opening Day before the game against the Kansas City Royals at Truist Park on March 27, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In case you’re missing seeing the Atlanta Braves in baseball action during the current All-Star break, not only do you have the rest of the second half to look forward to (and hopefully the Postseason as well), you now have the 2027 season to (hopefully, as well) look forward to as MLB has released the 2027 regular season schedule for all 30 clubs.
Assuming none of these games get wiped out and the season actually starts on time, the Braves are currently scheduled to spend opening day in sunny Southern California as they’ll be taking on the Dodgers on Thursday, March 25, 2027. There will be an off day on Friday and then they’ll finish up the three-game series over the following weekend.
After getting done with three games in Milwaukee, the Braves will finally return home and play their home opener on Friday, April 2 against the Houston Astros. I’d say that weather-wise, April should be fine for the Braves as they don’t have to travel to any of the cities that are usually susceptible to cold weather during April, with the only real risk being a trip to Washington to face the Nationals starting on April 13. Other than that, Milwaukee is likely going to be indoors-exclusive and they’ll be traveling to Miami, Tampa Bay and St. Louis during April so fortunately, the Braves likely won’t have to worry about dodging any snow flurries in another town.
Naturally, I always skim through the schedule and try to find the West Coast trips and I can already tell that they’ll probably be challenging based on both duration in one instance and timing in another instance. From June 7 through June 16, the Braves will travel to Colorado, Sacramento and then Phoenix to face the Rockies, A’s and Diamondbacks on a three-city trip out West. The next West Coast swing will be the final road trip of the season from September 14 through September 19, which is when the Braves will have to find a way to survive a trip to the nightmare factory known as Petco Park and Oracle Park as they’ll be visiting the Padres and Giants.
Outside of that, it’s just your typical baseball schedule. Everybody’s going to play everybody at least once, the Braves will play every National League club at least twice and they’ll get very familiar with their NL East rivals over the course of the season. Ending the season with a six-game homestand against the Nationals and Marlins should certainly be fascinating as well if those teams continue to get better.
So, looking at the schedule, which matchups are you already looking forward to? Are there any that you’re already dreading? Are you just hoping that we’ll be seeing baseball at any point next year considering what awaits the baseball world in the offseason? Let us know what you think!
Once again, Major League Baseball has scheduled the Cubs to play multiple games in the Frigid Confines of Wrigley Field — six home games before the end of March.
While there was one crazy warm day (77 at game time) during that span, the other five games had an average game-time temp of 46, which is… too cold for baseball, in my view.
Then the Cubs travel to California for their next six games. I’ll never understand the reasoning behind this, especially two years in a row.
Other than that, this is a pretty good schedule, with only one long road trip. That will be in June to Colorado, San Diego and San Francisco, and in San Diego the Cubs will face the Padres in a scheduled split doubleheader. The longest homestand will be in September, 10 games against the Reds, Orioles and Mets.
Let’s just hope these games are played as scheduled.
Here’s the complete Cubs 2027 regular season schedule. Home games in boldface. Game times will be added here when they’re available.
March 25, 27-28: vs. Guardians March 29-30-31: vs. Cardinals April 2-3-4: at Angels April 5-6-7: at Athletics April 9-10-11: vs. Rangers April 13-14-15: vs. Phillies April 16-17-18: at Dodgers April 20-21-22: at Diamondbacks April 23-24-25: vs. Pirates April 26-27-28: vs. Brewers April 30-May 1-2: at Yankees May 3-4-5-6: at Pirates May 7-8-9: vs. Mariners May 11-12-13: vs. Marlins May 14-15-16: at Astros May 17-18-19-20: at Brewers May 21-22-23: vs. Nationals May 25-26-27: vs. Royals May 28-29-30: at Cardinals May 31, June 1-2: at Marlins June 3-4-5-6: vs. Dodgers June 7-8-9: at Reds June 11-12-13: vs. Rockies June 14-15-16: vs. Reds June 18-19-20: at Rockies June 21-22: at Padres (June 22: split doubleheader) June 24-25-26-27: at Giants June 28-29-30: vs. Padres July 1-2-3-4: vs. Cardinals July 6-7-8: at Braves July 9-10-11: at Tigers July 12-15: All-Star break, ASG at Wrigley Field July 13 July 16-17-18: vs. White Sox July 19-20-21: vs. Pirates July 23-24-25: at Twins July 26-27-28: at Nationals July 30-31-Aug.1: vs. Red Sox Aug. 2-3-4: vs. Giants Aug. 6-7-8: at White Sox Aug. 9-10-11: at Cardinals Aug. 13-14-15: vs. Rays Aug. 16-17-18: vs. Diamondbacks Aug. 20-21-22: at Blue Jays Aug. 23-24-25: at Pirates Aug. 27-28-29: vs. Braves Aug. 30-31, Sept. 1: vs. Brewers Sept. 3-4-5: at Reds Sept. 6-7-8: at Brewers Sept. 9-10-11-12: vs. Reds Sept. 14-15-16: vs. Orioles Sept. 17-18-19: vs. Mets Sept. 21-22-23: at Phillies Sept. 24-25-26: at Mets
If you’d prefer a calendar-style schedule, here you go! Home games are in blue. (Click on the image to enlarge it.)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MARCH 30: Kansas City Royals players and Minnesota Twins players line up for the national anthem prior to the opening day game against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium on March 30, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Royals will begin the 2027 season earlier than they ever have before — provided there isn’t a work stoppage.
MLB revealed the 2027 schedules today, with the Royals opening at home on March 25 against the Minnesota Twins. This is the earliest in the calendar year the Royals have ever played a regular season game, with the 2026 season beginning on March 26. The Royals open the season with the Twins and White Sox coming to the K before going on the road to St. Louis to play the Cardinals, followed by a quick West Coast trip to play the Angels. The Royals open the season at home for the tenth time in 13 years, and it is the seventh time they have opened up against the Twins.
Among the National League teams that will visit Kansas City this year are the Pirates (April 9-11), Reds (May 3-5), Nationals (May 18-20), Braves (May 21-23), Mets (June 7-9), Cardinals (July 16-18), Rockies (August 3-5), and Dodgers (September 3-5). The All-Star Game will be held on July 13 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
Game times and promotions will be announced at a later date.
Looming over the schedule is the prospect of a work stoppage. The Collective Bargaining Agreement expires at the conclusion of the 2026 season, and owners and players have already had contentious negotiations. Owners are reportedly resolute on imposing a salary cap, a non-starter for the union.
Baseball continues to use its balanced schedule where each team plays every other team in baseball. The Royals will play:
52 games vs. American League Central teams (13 games across 4 series vs. all 4 opponents)
62 league games vs. American League East and West teams (6-7 games vs. each opponent)
48 Interleague games (6 games vs. St. Louis and 3 games vs. all other NL teams)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JULY 10: Yordan Alvarez #44 of the Houston Astros celebrates with teammate Christian Walker #8 after hitting a solo home run against the Texas Rangers during the sixth inning at Globe Life Field on July 10, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Opening Day set for March 25 vs. rival Texas Rangers
The Houston Astros will open the 2027 regular season on Thursday, March 25 with an Opening Day matchup against their American League West and in-state rival Texas Rangers in the annual Silver Boot Series. The 2027 season will be the 66th for the Astros franchise, which played its first season in 1962 as the Colt .45s before changing the name to the Astros in 1965.
March 25 marks the earliest traditional Opening Day in Major League history, excluding special season-openers and international openers. Previously, the earliest traditional Opening Day for MLB had been earlier this season on March 26.
This will be the third time in franchise history that the Astros will open the season against the Rangers and the second time at home. The Astros are 2-0 against the Rangers on Opening Day, defeating their in-state rival 4-1 in Arlington in 2018 and 8-2 in Houston in 2013.
The opening homestand will be a six-game stand, featuring a three-game series vs. the Rangers (March 25-27) and a three-game series vs. the Boston Red Sox (March 29-31). The Astros first road trip of the season is a six-gamer, which will take the club to Atlanta (April 2-4) and Boston (April 5-7).
The 2027 season is the fifth year with the schedule format of playing every other Major League club in a single season. The Astros will host 22 different teams at Daikin Park in 2027, which includes eight National League clubs and all 14 other American League clubs.
VS. THE AMERICAN LEAGUE
As in recent years, once again, the Astros will play their AL West opponents (Angels, Athletics, Mariners, Rangers) 13 times in 2027. Additionally, they will once again play one home and one road series vs. all of the other AL clubs.
INTERLEAGUE PLAY
The Astros will host eight different NL clubs at Daikin Park in 2027. They are: Nationals, Cubs, Reds, Giants, Padres, Rockies, Mets, Phillies. On the flip side, next season’s schedule will feature visits to eight different NL cities: Pittsburgh Pirates, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals, Colorado Rockies, Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Astros 2027 home schedule features exciting weekend series against the Cleveland Guardians (April 9-11), New York Yankees (April 23-25), Washington Nationals (May 7-9), Chicago Cubs (May 14-16), Seattle Mariners (June 25-27), San Francisco Giants (July 9-11), San Diego Padres (July 30-Aug.1) and Philadelphia Phillies (Sept. 17 -19), among others.
The Astros will also host weekday games against the Boston Red Sox (April 29-31), Toronto Blue Jays (April 13-15), Tampa Bay Rays (May 17-19), Seattle Mariners (May 31-June 3), Chicago White Sox (June 14-16), Detroit Tigers (Sept. July 26-29), New York Mets (Aug. 17-19) and Texas Rangers (Aug. 31-Sept. 2), among others.
HOLIDAY GAMES
The Astros will host holiday matchups next season on Mother’s Day (May 9 vs. WSH), Father’s Day (June 20 vs. KC) and Memorial Day (May 31 vs. SEA). The team will play on the road on the Fourth of July (July 4 at NYY) and on Labor Day (Sept. 6 at STL).
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JUNE 5: Brad Keller #40 of the Philadelphia Phillies during a game against the Chicago White Sox at Citizens Bank Park on June 5, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 8-6. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When we didn’t see Brad Keller pitch in tight spots this past weekend, there were some questions raised. He had returned from the rehab assignment he was on, yet didn’t pitch at all. Why?
Now we know.
Phillies reliever Brad Keller has a torn UCL and is expected to miss the rest of the season. If he undergoes surgery on his right elbow, it would keep him out a significant portion, if not all, of 2027 as well. Keller signed a two-year, $22 million deal over the winter.
This is a tough blow for a Phillies team that already had a questionable bullpen as it stood. Losing Keller, even if he wasn’t the dominant force he was in 2025, is still significant as it shifts pitchers into roles they aren’t quite suited for.
It also makes the need to trade for multiple relievers, not just one, all that more magnified.
We’ll have more as this news continues to show its layers.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 15: Robert Hassell III #57 of the Washington Nationals looks on during the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park on September 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) | Getty Images
So it turns out Robert Hassell III will not be staying in the Nationals organization after all. Earlier this month, Hassell was DFA’d, but he cleared waivers and remained in the Nats system. However, he got shipped off to the Pirates for either cash or a player to be named later this afternoon.
The Nationals have traded outfielder Robert Hassell III to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later.
— Nationals Communications (@NationalsComms) July 16, 2026
The truth of the matter is that there was not a ton of room for Hassell in the organization, even in AAA. He had been passed by the likes of Andrew Pinckney and Christian Franklin, not to mention the young outfielders in the big leagues. After showing signs of life last season, he came crashing down to earth in AAA this year, with an OPS below .600.
Hassell was famously part of the Juan Soto trade package, and was even seen as one of the highest floor pieces at the time. He was a top 10 pick in the 2020 draft, before raking in the lower minors with the Padres. However, he never really got going in the Nats system, struggling with injuries and inconsistencies. Honestly, the hit tool was not as good as advertised either.
The highly touted Hassell really struggled in 2023 and 2024, where he was working through lingering hamate issues. His hit tool which was seen as a massive strength became average, which was a huge blow to his profile. We walked through this more when we talked about Hassell after he got DFA’d.
The Nats DFA’d Robert Hassell. He has a lot of pedigree but it just never really happened for him in the Nats organization https://t.co/ZkVktAQsMo
He is an example of how risky prospects can be. Even the so-called safe prospects can really bottom out as we see here. Hopefully Hassell can reinvigorate his career in Pittsburgh though. He was a guy that Nats fans were really rooting for.
Around this time last year, it really felt like Hassell was starting to figure things out. He hit over .300 last year in AAA, and made his MLB debut in 2025. His results in MLB were mixed at best, but he did have some fun moments. Hassell had a monster game against the Mariners that made fans dream again.
— optimistic nats fan (@optimistic5518) May 29, 2025
However, it was just not meant to be for Hassell in the Nats organization. From day one, he just seemed to lose all the momentum he had when he was in the Padres system. There are a number of things you could attribute that to from injuries to shaky player development or a loss of confidence. At the end of the day, things just did not work out for him here.
When you are dealing with young players, you cannot hit on all of them. That Soto trade is a good example of the range of outcomes. While Hassell was a miss, James Wood and CJ Abrams became stars which makes up for it.
Overall, it is a shame that things did not work out for Hassell, but the writing has been on the wall for a little while now. Hopefully he can take advantage of his opportunity in Pittsburgh. Moving on was the best course of action for all parties here.
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 15: Aday Mara #15 of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Sergio De Larrea of the Dallas Mavericks poses for a portrait during the 2026 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot on July 15, 2026 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks play on Thursday afternoon at 3pm on Amazon Prime against the Summer Oklahoma City Thunder. Honestly, I forgot about this game, regular work day and all for me, and I suspect most Mavs fans won’t be catching this one either. But in case you do, here’s a discussion board:
WHO: Dallas Mavericks vs Oklahoma City Thunder
WHAT: NBA Summer League, Game 4 for Dallas
WHERE: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
WHEN: 3:00 pm CST
HOW: Amazon Prime
I have no idea who isn’t playing. I hope Morez Johnson does but calf injuries are serious.
The Grizzlies game was fun. Here’s hoping this one is too. How’s that for a game preview. If any of the guys drafted in Dallas plays, then that’s a good thing. We want to see them play basketball.
