Amid the on-field jubilation after the Brewers won their first-ever World Series title on Wednesday night, Jake Bauers handed manager Pat Murphy the ball that was tossed from second base to first base for the final out.
Murphy, while predicting to Bauers that he's about to cash in via free agency, also took a swipe at the Yankees.
"You're gonna be a rich fu--er," Murphy said. “Just remember when you were on that horses--t Yankees team, you guys were all playing for yourself? Just remember, say, this is the way we used to do it."
Murphy was alluding to the 2023 Yankees team that Bauers was a part of, with him posting a .693 OPS in 218 plate appearances over 85 games. That Yankees club finished 82-80 and missed the playoffs.
The Yanks, despite reaching the World Series in 2024 and being almost perennial contenders recently, have been an easy target for opposing teams.
"Look at the team, look at the talent," Kelly said. "We go through numerous scouting reports. We pay attention to every single detail. We have a lot of big superstars in our clubhouse, but our superstars also care and aren't lazy and play hard. That's the difference, and the biggest separator."
Right after the World Series ended, as the Dodgers were celebrating on the field at Yankee Stadium, Kelly had criticized New York's poor defense.
"They got bad ball. Yeah, sloppy. Everyone knows that," he said. "We were saying every single game. 'Just let them throw the ball into the infield, they can’t make a play.' You saw Shohei get an extra base going to third off a sloppy Gleyber play. It’s well known. We all knew."
Since their run to the World Series in 2024, the Yanks have been knocked out in the ALDS in consecutive seasons -- by the Blue Jays in 2025 and Rays in 2026.
Part of what has done the Yankees in over the last three postseasons is shoddy defense and poor fundamentals, as well as an offense that is too reliant on home runs.
"I don't think you can pin the season and the unacceptable end to it on Aaron [Boone]. I don't think you can pin it on Brian [Cashman]," Steinbrenner said. "I was disappointed, quite frankly, with the offense throughout the course of the year…as a whole, they were very inconsistent when it came to run scoring. And that made it difficult to catch the Rays and win the division. Winning the division is a big deal in this playoff format. This has been twice now that the offense has not lived up to their end of the bargain."
KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 30: Kansas City Royals general manager J.J. Picollo before the Royals home opener against the Minnesota Twins on March 30, 2026 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Congrats to the Milwaukee Brewers on winning their first championship! The offseason is officially upon us, and brother, the Royals have some work to do. They lost 93 games last year, making for a disappointing season despite another great performance from All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. There should already be a sense of urgency with Witt in his prime, but this offseason may carry even more urgency as labor negotiations loom over the game. The collective bargaining agreement expires in December, and if there is no resolution by then, baseball transactions could be frozen until a deal is reached.
That could make for a sprint out of the gate as teams look to reshape their rosters. With a flurry of moves potentially on the horizon, here’s what you need to know about the offseason calendar.
What does the 40-man roster currently look like?
The Royals currently have 35 players on the 40-man roster.
Catchers (2): Carter Jensen, Salvador Perez
Infielders (6): Maikel Garcia, Nick Loftin, Michael Massey, Vinnie Pasquantino, Tyler Tolbert, Bobby Witt Jr.
Outfielders (5): Jac Caglianone, Isaac Collins, Kyle Isbel, Matthew Lugo, John Rave
Pitchers (22): Ryan Bergert, Spencer Bivens, Noah Cameron, Steven Cruz, Jose Cuas, Randy Dobnak, Carlos Durán, Carlos Estévez, Lucas Erceg, Tony Gonsolin, Anthony Gose, Nolan Hoffman, Ben Kudrna, Seth Lugo, Daniel Lynch IV, James McArthur, Nate Pearson, Mitch Spence, Connor Thomas, Michael Wacha, Beck Way, Steven Zobac
Teams need to activate players from the 60-day Injured List within five days and add them to the 40-man roster. For the Royals, that includes Luinder Avila, Stephen Kolek, Nick Mears, and Cole Ragans.
Which players become free agents?
Four players automatically become MLB free agents today – Jonathan India, Craig Kimbrel, Luke Maile, and Josh Rojas. The Royals will have an exclusive five-day negotiating window with them, but after that, they are free to sign with any team. Pitchers Alec Marsh, Connor Seabold, and Easton McGee elected free agency when they were outrighted off the 40-man roster last week. Alex Lange can also elect free agency after he was outrighted.
Which players have contract options?
The Royals have a $13 million club option on closer Carlos Estévez that they will almost certainly decline after he missed most of the season with an injury. Instead they will pay a $2 million buyout and he will become a free agent. J.J. Picollo has said the team plans to exercise the $2.5 million club option on former All-Star pitcher Tony Gonsolin, who the Royals signed late in the year. The former Dodgers All-Star pitched in one game near the end of the season for the Royals, but he should be in the mix for a rotation spot next spring.
Which players must be added to the 40-man roster?
The Royals will likely add outfielder Carson Roccaforte and pitcher Lucas Braun, although adding them to the 40-man roster will prohibit them from contact with the team as long as their is a work stoppage. The team could also add first baseman Brett Squires, outfielder Gavin Cross, or pitcher Felix Arronde, among other eligible players.
The Rule 5 Draft is scheduled for the week after the collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1. Unless the owners and players agree to move it up, the major-league portion could be canceled if a lockout occurs. That happened during the last lockout in 2021, when the Rule 5 draft was postponed indefinitely before ultimately being canceled in March 2022.
Who could be non-tendered by the Royals?
Players with at least three years of service time (and sometimes those with two years) but not yet eligible for free agency are eligible for salary arbitration. If the player and team can not agree on a salary, each side submits a number to go to a hearing with an arbiter siding with one party.
Teams have until November 20 to decide whether to “tender” a contract to a player, making them eligible for the arbitration process, or “non-tender” a player, effectively releasing him and making him a free agent. The Royals have nine arbitration-eligible players – Randy Dobnak, Lucas Erceg, Anthony Gose, Kyle Isbel, Daniel Lynch IV, Michael Massey, James McArthur, Nick Mears, and Nate Pearson.
How much will the Royals spend?
Picollo insists he does not have a hard number on payroll, but owner John Sherman said in August the team has about $30 million coming off the payroll that can be invested in players.
The Royals have seven players under contract for next year.
In his end-of-the-season press conference, J.J. Picollo said the team would be “aggressive in acquisitions”, although that does not necessarily mean they will pursue high-priced targets. Picollo has identified the bullpen as the top priority, although he hinted that spending on relievers hasn’t worked on them before. Instead, the team could pursue lower-cost options, following a model used by teams like the Brewers, Rays, and Guardians. Sherman said the team could “cobble” together a bullpen. In 2026, Royals relievers had a 5.07 ERA, second-worst in baseball, and a league-worst 6.65 ERA in the ninth inning.
Another top priority will be to add starting pitching depth. The Royals had 13 different pitchers start a game for them this year after injuries to Kris Bubic, Cole Ragans, Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek, and Luinder Avila decimated their rotation. Picollo would also like to upgrade the outfield, preferably with a right-handed bat. That may pose a challenge as there is a record-low number of quality right-handed outfield bats in baseball right now.
Who are the top free agents?
The free agent class is headlined by Tarik Skubal, who leads a solid group of starting pitchers available such as Trevor Rogers, Freddy Peralta, Sonny Gray, Nick Martinez, Clay Holmes, and Michael King. There are several quality second basemen available like Brandon Lowe, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Luis Arraez, and Gleyber Torres. The outfield market features Randy Arozarena, Seiya Suzuki, Taylor Ward, and Ian Happ, but falls off significantly after that. The reliever market is deep, but with few big names. You can find a list of MLB free agents here.
What happens if there is a lockout?
At midnight the night of December 1, the current collective bargaining agreement expires. At that point, all MLB business with players will cease until a new deal is worked out. That means no trades and no free agent signings. Teams are not even supposed to have conversations with players, so no offseason workouts at the stadium and no medical rehab with the team, as outlined by a memo MLB issued in October.
“Club officials are supposed to avoid players ‘to the greatest extent possible,’” wrote Evan Drellich in The Athletic, “because ‘the line between permissible and prohibited conversations is not always clear.’”
That could lead to a mad rush to get deals done before the transaction freeze. Picollo told reporters last month that “the aggressiveness in November is going to be important for us, as we expect the entire industry to be fairly busy.”
What are some dates to know?
The entire offseason calendar is subject to change or cancellation, depending on labor talks. Here is the tentative schedule.
October 29 – Eligible XX(B) players – those with six years of MLB service time – become free agents.
November 2 – Exclusive negotiating window for free agents ends at 4 p.m. CT
Deadline for most contract options
Deadline to make a Qualifying Offer to a free agent
Players on the 60-day Injured List need to be reinstated to the 40-man roster
MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Silver Slugger Award finalists announced
Gold Glove Awards announced (7:30 p.m. CT, ESPN)
November 9 – Rookie of the Year Awards announced (6 p.m. CT, MLB Network)
November 9-12 – General Manager Meetings in Las Vegas
November 10 – Manager of the Year Award announced (6 p.m. CT, MLB Network)
November 11 – Cy Young Award announced (6 p.m. CT, MLB Network)
MLB Awards show (8 .m. CT, MLB Network)
November 12 – MVP Awards announced (6 p.m. CT, MLB Network)
November 16 – Hall of Fame announces its 2027 BBWAA ballot
November 17-19 – Owners meetings in New York
November 17 – Deadline for players to accept the Qualifying Offer
Deadline for Rule 5-eligible players to be added to the 40-man roster.
Silver Slugger Awards announced
November 20 – Non-tender Deadline
December 1 – Collective Bargaining Agreement expires at 10:59 p.m. CT
December 6 – BBWAA announces Contemporary Baseball Era Hall of Fame inductees
December 7-9 – Winter Meetings in San Diego
December 8 – Draft Lottery
December 9 – Rule 5 Draft
January 15 – International Signing Period opens
January 19 – Hall of Fame announces BBWAA voting results and 2027 inductees, 5 p.m. CT (MLB Network)
February 19 – Royals spring training opener against the Texas Rangers in Surprise, Arizona
March 25 – Royals season opener against the Minnesota Twins at Kauffman Stadium
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 29: Luis Severino #40 and Shea Langeliers #23 of the Athletics smile while walking to the dugout before a game against the New York Yankees at Sutter Health Park on May 29, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Justine Willard/Athletics/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to Friday Junior everyone!
Firstly, congrats are in order to the Milwaukee Brewers after securing their first championship in team history. They’ve consistently been one of the best teams in the league over the past decade but finally have some hardware to show for it. Now there are only four teams still looking to win their first: Colorado, Seattle, San Diego, and the losers in this series the Tampa Bay Rays. So close.
Now the offseason truly begins for everyone else. With the end of the World Series comes a five-day clock for free agency to open up. Unlike in other sports there’s not usually a major rush of signings on the first day, and that’s unlikely to change this year. That being said, with a looming lockout just one month and two days away, teams might want to lock in some of their top targets before December 1st to have peace of mind. New A’s President Tyler Smith has some room in the payroll to add. Could we possibly see a quick strike to add a reliever to get a head start on bolstering a beleaguered bullpen? Or are we going to see every front office hold their fire until they know the exact terms of the next CBA?
Along with free agency beginning, it’s time for official decisions regarding option decisions. For the Athletics, they have two options to decide on in the next five days: whether to pick up Jeff McNeil’s $15.75 million option, as well as deciding on starter Jeffrey Springs’ own $15 million option. Both are likely to be declined since neither had good years and are aging veterans. McNeil was one of the better hitters for the team in the second half and there’s a scenario where the A’s could bring him back, but not at that price tag. Springs meanwhile has made it known his fly ball style of pitching isn’t conducive to success at Sutter Health Park and it’s likely this is an easy divorce for both sides.
Then there’s Luis Severino. The right-hander has his own option to decide on, a $22 million deal to stick around in Sacramento for one more year. It’s highly likely he’s going to accept that since there’s no way he’d get more than that on the open market. While he’s been solid during his two years with the Green & Gold, he also missed a lot of the second half with a shoulder injury. Maybe there’s a chance he opts out simply because he’s 33 and wants to compete for the playoffs, but that’s a hefty payday to walk away from.
If things go as expected, McNeil and Springs will hit the free agent market while Sevy signs up for one more go-around with the A’s. The A’s will likely replace McNeil from within someone like Zack Gelof or Joshua Kuroda-Grauer at the keystone. Springs’ spot in the rotation is ripe for an outside addition to reinforce a weak rotation, which would have Sevy, JT Ginn, and likely Gage Jump. So start looking at free agent starters about to hit the open market and imaging which one you’d like on next year’s squad. Here we go folks. The offseason begins. Let’s hope it’s a good one for our A’s.
“I do think it will become a very compelling destination for players. I think it will be a really strong selling point for the ability to live here year-round.”
I have yet to hear any player say they don’t want to come to Vegas. I’ve also not heard any player prefer living in Oakland over Vegas. My sources tell me several young A’s players have already purchased or been looking for homes in Vegas/Summerlin. https://t.co/ee5IKau3uZ
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 24: Marcus Semien #10 of the New York Mets tries but can't get to a single off the bat of Wyatt Langford #36 of the Texas Rangers during the second inning at Globe Life Field on September 24, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In the aftermath of the trade that sent longtime franchise stalwart Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Marcus Semien, David Stearns publicly expressed optimism for how the three-time All Star could contribute in 2026. While acknowledging the down year that the veteran second baseman had in 2025, Stearns argued for the possibility of an offensive rebound while also noting the contributions the organization expected him to provide in the field and on the bases.
Perhaps he wasn’t entirely lying, but he probably wasn’t being 100% truthful, either. Indeed, if you injected Stearns with truth serum, he’d probably acknowledge that the trade had much more to do with offloading Nimmo onto another team (thus securing both an open corner outfield spot and long-term salary relief), and accepting Semien in return was merely the price he had to pay for that to happen. I’m sure the team would not have been at all surprised if they looked into the future and saw that the offensive downturn that started over the previous couple years would continue—but they also probably hoped that A) he would continue to provide Gold Glove caliber defense (or at the very least well above-average, even if that aspect of his game declined as well), and B) the rest of the team would be strong enough to overcome one below-average bat in the lineup. And if all else failed, the other factor in justifying the trade may well have been that it would be easier to cut ties with Semien sometime before his contract expires at the end of the 2028 season than it would have been with a homegrown veteran like Nimmo (whose two extra years would also have provided a barrier for moving on).
We’ll get to the long-term considerations a little later. But looking solely at 2026 contributions, it’s hard to imagine how Semien’s performance could have been much worse, and he ended up becoming one of the most prominent faces for the team’s dramatic underperformance.
From the very beginning of the season, Semien looked every bit his 35 years of age—a player with declining bat speed and exit velocities whose degrading skills simply are not coming back. The 74 wRC+ that he put up for the whole year was the worst of any of his season of his major league career, and a further decline from the previous year when he was still a below average offensive player, but at least only marginally so (90 wRC+ in 2025). One of the things that stood out about Semien’s poor performance was how consistent it was—as in, he was pretty much bad all year without any notable hot stretches to speak of. Looking at his monthly splits, his best month with the bat came in August when he put up a measly 88 wRC+, meaning he was well below-average all the way from April to September. Even in his poor 2025 season, he at least had stretches where he resembled the player he once was. But no such glimpses could be seen in 2026.
And that included his once sterling defense as well. Semien won his second career Gold Glove in 2025, despite the advanced stats saying his defensive downturn had already begun. Well, that downturn turned into an outright cratering in 2026. The advanced defensive stats paint an ugly picture for how precipitous his decline was, and it seems the primary reason for that was a significant loss in range:
That certainly matches by what the eye test told us, as there were plenty of ground balls that the Semien of a couple years ago probably reaches without much difficulty which instead trickled past him. And this is probably the one thing that did actually catch the Mets off-guard internally in their internal evaluation of the player they traded for. A continued gradual defensive decline was always inevitable, and that still left open the possibility that he could be at least a neutral player if he continued to be just slightly below average with the bat. But taking such a significant step backwards with the glove along with his continued offensive decline meant that it was pretty much impossible for Semien to provide any kind of value to the team. But hey, look on the bright side: his -0.5 fWAR wasn’t even enough to make him the least valuable position player on the team, as Mark Vientos and Jorge Polanco both somehow beat him in that department. Your 2026 New York Mets, ladies and gentlemen.
What did perhaps make the Marcus Semien experience more frustrating than that of guys like Vientos and Polanco was that—as is often the case with players of his ilk—his veteran status meant that he continued to be in the lineup pretty much every single day, even after it became very clear that his performance did not warrant it. Even with a three-week IL stint thrown into the mix, he still ended up with 547 total plate appearances on the season—the third highest amongst Mets players. Granted, maybe the team would not have been inclined to continue giving him that much playing time down the stretch if they were still in the hunt for a playoff spot. Still, while one bad player can’t be assigned all the blame for a team’s underperformance, Semien was at least one of the prime reasons for why the Mets weren’t in the postseason race late in the season to begin with.
If there’s one silver lining to look at in this trade, it’s this: its effect of opening up a spot in the outfield did in fact prove to be valuable. Over in Texas, Nimmo didn’t have a terrible year, per se, but it certainly wasn’t a great one, as he ended up being just a slightly above-average player while continuing to decline with the glove. He certainly did not look like a player you would want to have signed for four more years. And back in Queens, the Mets saw their outfield buoyed by the youthful additions of Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing, and even having the ability to move Juan Soto to left field helped to improve the overall team defense. So despite Semien’s dramatic underperformance, there did prove to be some short-term benefits from making the trade, in addition to the potential long-term ones.
And now we return to the other underlying argument in favor of the trade: the unspoken notion that the Mets would be able to either release him or relegate him to the bench prior to the end of his contract if his performance warranted such a move. It is certainly worth noting that Stearns declined to commit to Semien being the starting second baseman on the 2027 team. And it’s not difficult to understand why. It’s hard to imagine that the Mets couldn’t upgrade at the position fairly easily—whether that be by exploring the free agent or trade market or giving runway for one of the team’s young infield prospects (such as Jefferson Rojas or Émilien Pitre) to win the job early in the season, much like they did for Benge.
The only question then would be what the team would subsequently do with Semien. Would they indeed demote him to a bench role? Would a veteran player who has expressed a strong desire to play every day be willing to spend the next two years in that role? The Mets could also see if they can find a trade partner for him, though such a move would almost certainly require them to pay the majority of the money on his remaining contract. If they are not able to do that, would they be willing to simply cut him and eat the entirety of the $46 million still owed to him? Steve Cohen has done it before with Robinson Canó; would he be willing to do it again?
If none of these potential outcomes play out and Semien ends up getting the lion’s share of the starts at second base next year, then the argument for trading Nimmo away will suddenly become a little bit less favorable. But if they do end up being able to either get him off the roster or relegate him to a more minor role, it is likely that, in spite of everything, the Mets would still do the trade all over again, even knowing how poorly Semien would play. The reasons for it remain sound enough. Nevertheless, the long-term benefits still won’t quite remove the bad taste in the average Mets fan’s mouth for having to endure watching such a disappointing performance on such a disappointing team in 2026. Semien will be remembered for having an excellent career when he eventually hangs up his cleats, but whether his time with the Mets ends now or in another year or two, it seems inevitable that his New York tenure will not be looked upon fondly.
Congratulations to the Milwaukee Brewers on winning the 2026 World Series, the first World Series title in their 58-year franchise history.
With that, baseball’s offseason commences. Here’s a handy calendar to help you fill your fall and winter until Opening Day 2027.
Presuming, that is, that there’s no interruption in the 2027 season due to a likely lockout by MLB team owners of MLBPA members when their collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1. How long that lockout goes will determine whether and/or when some of the things listed in this calendar will actually happen. I’m listing dates as scheduled as of the date of this post, October 29, 2026. As always, we await developments.
The day after the conclusion of the World Series (today): All players with at least six years of service time who are not under contract for the 2027 season will automatically become free agents (in fact, officially were as of earlier this morning, 8 a.m. CT). Minor league players with six years of service will also become free agents if not added to a 40-man roster. For the first five days after the World Series there is a “quiet period” when clubs can talk to free agents but can’t sign them, although players can re-sign with their original team during this period.
At the end of the quiet period (Monday, Nov. 2at 4 p.m. CT), clubs must decide whether or not to extend one-year qualifying offers to their free agents. The qualifying offer for 2027 is $23,15 million, up 5.1 percent from $22.025 million last year. The Cubs will certainly give Seiya Suzuki a qualifying offer. Two other Cubs, Ian Happ and Matthew Boyd (who has a mutual option that will likely be declined), might get a QO as noted in this article here last month. Players who receive a QO then have to decide whether or not to take it — note the deadline below. If they don’t, they are immediately eligible to sign with another team. Last year, 13 players were given a QO and four accepted, including, as you know, Cubs left-hander Shōta Imanaga, who is now a free agent. Players can only get a QO once, so Imanaga is now an unrestricted free agent.
Other Cubs who are unrestricted free agents: Kevin Gausman, David Peterson, Aaron Civale, Tyrone Taylor, Michael Conforto, Tyler Austin and Trent Thornton.
Here are the Cubs players with those clauses/options.
Besides Boyd, three other Cubs have mutual options for 2027: Hunter Harvey, Carson Kelly and Caleb Thielbar. Mutual options are almost always declined by the player; in Harvey’s case the Cubs will likely decline and they almost certainly will decline with Thielbar as well. With Kelly, I’d like to see the Cubs work out a deal for another year.
Two Cubs have team options: Colin Rea ($7.5 million) and Jacob Webb ($2.5 million). I’m not sure what the team will do with Rea, but they’ll almost certainly pick up Webb’s inexpensive option.
At the same time,teams are required to move all players on the 60-day injured list back to the active roster. The Cubs have quite a few players currently listed on the 60-day IL (in addition to Austin and Harvey, mentioned above): Ben Brown, Porter Hodge, Cade Horton, Riley Martin, Phil Maton, Shelby Miller and Justin Steele. With all the free-agent departures noted above, there will be plenty of room to add back all those players.
Here are some other dates to note this fall and winter.
Sunday, Nov. 1: Rawlings Gold Glove winners will be announced live on ESPN at 8 p.m. CT.
Monday, Nov. 2: The National Baseball Hall of Fame announces its eight-person Contemporary Baseball Era Players ballot for managers, executives and umpires.
Monday, Nov. 2: BBWAA award finalists announced on MLB Network at 5 p.m. CT.
Thursday, Nov. 5: Silver Slugger finalists announced at 10 a.m. CT by Louisville Slugger.
Friday, Nov. 6: MLB Players Alumni Association (MLBPAA) announces its Heart & Hustle Award winner live on MLB Network.
Friday, Nov. 6: Rawlings Gold Glove Dinner in NYC and announcement of Platinum Glove winners.
Sunday, Nov. 8: Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game on MLB Network at 7 p.m. CT.
Monday-Wednesday, Nov. 9-12: General managers meetings in Las Vegas.
Monday, Nov. 9: The Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Award winners will be announced for the National and American Leagues live on MLB Network at 6 p.m. CT.
Tuesday, Nov. 10: Manager of the Year awards will be announced for the National League and American Leagues live on MLB Network at 6 p.m. CT.
Wednesday, Nov. 11: AL and NL Cy Young awards will be announced live on MLB Network at 6 p.m. CT.
Wednesday, Nov. 11: The Hank Aaron Award winners, Comeback Players of the Year, Mariano Rivera & Trevor Hoffman Relievers of the Year, Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter of the Year, selections for the All-MLB First and Second Teams, the MLB Executive of the Year Award, and several AUSL (Athletes Unlimited Softball League) awards will all be announced live from Las Vegas on MLB Network at 8 p.m. CT.
Thursday, Nov. 12: MVP awards for the NL and AL will be announced live on MLB Network at 6 p.m. CT.
Saturday, Nov. 14: Arizona Fall League Championship Game on MLB Network at 7 p.m. CT
Monday, Nov. 16: The 2026 BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot will be released, with voting taking place through December 31.
Tuesday-Thursday, Nov. 17-19: Owners meetings in New York.
Tuesday, Nov. 17: Players who have received qualifying offers must accept or reject them by 3 p.m. CT. Players accepting the offer, obviously, remain with their previous team. Players who reject the offer become free agents attached to draft pick compensation. Last year, 13 players received the $22.025 million QO, and four accepted: Imanaga, Gleyber Torres, Brandon Woodruff and Trent Grisham.
Tuesday, Nov. 17: Teams must add eligible minor leaguers to their 40-man rosters by 5 p.m. CT or risk losing them in the Rule 5 Draft. Players 19 or older drafted or signed no later than 2023 and players 18 or older drafted no later than 2022 are Rule 5 Draft eligible this year, as well as players signed internationally no later than 2022.
Tuesday, Nov. 17: Silver Slugger Awards will be announced for each position by Louisville Slugger.
Friday, Nov. 20: The MLB non-tender deadline (7 p.m. CT). All teams must offer their pre-arbitration and arbitration-eligible players a contract for 2027 by this date. Players who do not receive a contract offer are considered “non-tendered” and become free agents. This date was moved up from early December to the Friday immediately before Thanksgiving in the current CBA. The following 12 Cubs are arb-eligible this year (projected salary estimates here): Justin Steele, Edward Cabrera, Braxton Garrett, Javier Assad, Tyler Austin, Miguel Amaya, Gabriel Arias, Ryan Rolison, Ethan Roberts, Michael Busch, Ben Brown and Daniel Palencia. Here’s how I see all those players resolving their arb deals for 2027; it’s possible that Arias and Roberts could be non-tendered.
This brings us to Dec. 1 and the likely lockout. Some of the events listed below might not happen, or be rescheduled. The Hall of Fame announcements should proceed regardless of the lockout.
Sunday, Dec. 6: The Contemporary Baseball Era Committee of the Hall of Fame will meet, with the results of their vote announced live on MLB Network at 7 p.m. CT. Anyone elected will be inducted in Cooperstown Sunday, July 27, 2027.
Monday-Wednesday, Dec. 7-9: MLB’s annual Winter Meetings in San Diego.
Tuesday, Dec. 8: The winner of the Hall of Fame’s 2025 BBWAA Career Excellence Award (for writers) will be announced.
Tuesday, Dec. 8: The MLB Draft lottery will take place. The 18 teams that did not make the postseason all have a shot at the No. 1 pick, though the worst teams have the highest odds. As a postseason team in 2026, the Cubs aren’t part of the lottery and will pick 22nd. The lottery will be held at 3 p.m. CT and the results will be televised on MLB Network at 4:30 p.m. CT.
Wednesday, Dec. 9: The winner of the Hall of Fame’s 2025 Frick Award (for broadcasters) will be announced.
Wednesday, Dec. 9: The Rule 5 Draft is the final event of the Winter Meetings. It will begin at 1 p.m. CT. Players taken in the Rule 5 Draft must remain on their new team’s major league roster all season or be offered back to their original team, although sometimes trades are arranged so teams can keep the player in their minor-league system. The Rule 5 Draft is usually streamed live on MLB.com.
Monday, Dec. 15: The 2026 international signing period closes at 4 p.m. CT. The 2027 signing period opens next month (see below).
Friday, Jan. 8: Teams must exchange salary figures with arbitration-eligible players by this deadline. The two parties can avoid arbitration by reaching an agreement any time prior to the beginning of an arb hearing. In many cases, players and teams agree to a contract before filing salary figures.
Friday, Jan. 15: The 2027 international signing period begins at 8 a.m. CT. Since MLB and the MLBPA couldn’t agree on an international draft for the CBA that expired in December, amateur players from countries outside the US, Canada and Puerto Rico can still sign with any team.
Tuesday, Jan. 19: The Hall of Fame announces its 2027 class in a live MLB Network broadcast at 5 p.m. CT. Any players elected from the BBWAA ballot will be inducted in a ceremony in Cooperstown on Sunday, July 25.
Late January-early February, dates TBD: Arbitration hearings for eligible players who have not reached agreement on contracts with their teams.
Wednesday, Feb. 10: Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training.
Friday, Feb. 19: The Cubs open their 2027 Spring Training schedule against the A’s at HoHoKam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona. The next day, they will play their first 2027 spring home game at Sloan Park against the Reds.
Friday, March 19-Monday, March 22: MLB Spring Breakout tournament at various spring parks in both Arizona and Florida. Minor leaguers not on 40-man rosters can participate. Details will be announced later. This tournament will take place regardless of the status of any lockout.
Thursday, March 25: The Cubs open their 2026 season at Wrigley Field against the Cleveland Guardians, time TBD (but likely 1:20 p.m. CT). All 30 teams are scheduled to play that day.
Milwaukee Brewers designated hitter Christian Yelich holds the Commissioner's Trophy and celebrates with other players during the Awards Ceremony after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays to win the 2026 World Series at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. on Oct 28, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
For the first time in franchise history, the Milwaukee Brewers are World Champions. They defeated the Rays in five games to take the World Series and secure the first title, as well as the first title for the city of Milwaukee since the Braves won in 1957. They went 11-2 during their postseason run and won eight straight games at one point. Here’s how they won the World Series.
For the first time since 1982, the Brewers were hosting a World Series game. The excitement was high in Milwaukee, and ticket prices were through the roof. 43,250 fans gathered at American Family Field for the first game, and it did not disappoint.
The Brewers wasted no time as they scored right away. On the first pitch for the offense, Jackson Chourio singled to right to give the Brewers a baserunner. Two batters later, Christian Yelich hit a ball to right-center and just out of Jonny DeLuca’s reach, ricocheting deeper into right field. Chourio scored and Yelich had a triple, putting the Brewers up 1-0. The next batter, William Contreras, added a single just out of shortstop Taylor Walls’ reach, increasing the lead to 2-0. It was a fast start for the Brewers.
Meanwhile, Jacob Misiorowski got to work. The first inning was shaky for him as he allowed two singles, but a double play ended the inning. Misiorowski settled in for the next two innings, retiring the side in order in each one. In the fourth, the Rays broke through. Jonathan Aranda drew a walk, then Junior Caminero moved him to third with a double that Mitchell misjudged and sailed just over him. Liam Hicks brought in Aranda on an RBI groundout, cutting the lead to 2-1.
Misiorowski got through five innings, allowing just the one run on four hits and a walk with three strikeouts. On the other side, Nick Martinez also pitched five innings, but allowed two runs on five hits and no walks with five strikeouts. Even though both pitchers were under 80 pitches, both managers chose to go to their bullpens, with the Brewers leading 2-1.
The Brewers added on one more run in the seventh inning. Cooper Pratt led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a David Hamilton groundout. Chourio then brought him in with an RBI single, increasing the lead to 3-1.
In the bullpen, Abner Uribe came out first and provided 1 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out two while allowing a hit. Aaron Ashby was next, and he pitched 1 2/3 perfect innings with three strikeouts. The game then went to the closer, Trevor Megill, with a two-run lead. After a leadoff groundout from Yandy Díaz, back-to-back singles by Aranda and Chandler Simpson put two runners on base. Jorge Mateo was brought in to pinch-run for Aranda, and both runners stole a base. Megill walked Caminero to load the bases with one out.
Hicks was up next, and grounded into what looked like a routine double play to end the game. The celebration was on for the first World Series win since 1982; fireworks had fired off, and postgame handshakes were starting. However, manager Kevin Cash decided to challenge both outs. The out at first was easily confirmed, but the replay of the out at second was much more divisive. The replay showed that when Pratt caught the ball at second, his foot was barely off the bag. It was possible that a spike from his cleats was still on it. The umpires in New York reviewed it and ruled Pratt was off the bag, and Caminero was safe at second. That also allowed Mateo to score, closing the gap to 3-2.
That could have been a disaster for the Brewers and completely changed the game, but Megill would not let that happen. He remained composed and struck out DeLuca on five pitches, officially securing the first World Series win since 1982.
Contreras led the game with a 2-for-3 day with a walk, driving in one run as well. He also played a big part on defense, throwing out two runners who tried to steal second. Chourio also had a two-hit day with an RBI and a run scored.
The Rays came out swinging against Logan Henderson in Game 2. A Cooper Pratt throwing error allowed Díaz to reach base to lead off the game and put him in scoring position. Two batters later, Simpson singled to center and scored Díaz, giving the Rays an early 1-0 lead. After Simpson stole second, Caminero singled to left and made it a 2-0 game. Hicks followed that up with a home run to right-center, increasing the lead to 4-0 with only one out in the top of the first inning.
However, as the Brewers had proven a week and a half earlier in Game 4 of the NLCS, a four-run deficit was not insurmountable. They cut that deficit in half in the bottom of the inning, hitting four singles off Rays’ starter Drew Rasmussen to make it a 4-2 game.
Though Henderson made it through the next two innings scoreless, it was not his day, and it came to an end after just three innings pitched. He allowed four runs (only three were earned) on three hits and a walk with four strikeouts. As for Rasmussen, he settled in for a couple of innings and made it through the next two innings scoreless as well.
The Brewers chased Rasmussen from the game in the fourth. It started with a one-out walk from Pratt, then a single by Sal Frelick put runners at the corners. Next up was David Hamilton, who hit a sharp ground ball to Aranda at first base. It deflected under his legs and behind him, and there was no chance to get Hamilton speeding to first. Pratt scored to make it a 4-3 game. Chourio moved both runners up with a groundout, and Jake Bauers drew a walk to load the bases, which ended Rasmussen’s day. The Brewers made him throw 89 pitches in 3 2/3 innings, scoring three runs off of him with six hits and two walks, while he struck out four.
After Cam Booser got the Rays out of the fourth inning, it was officially a battle of the bullpens with the Brewers down 4-3. JoJo Romero started it with a scoreless fourth for the Brewers, then Dustin May added a scoreless fifth and DL Hall a scoreless sixth. Booser got through the fifth scoreless as well.
Frelick led off the sixth inning against new reliever Ian Seymour and made him work with a nine-pitch at-bat. It ended with a home run off the batter’s eye in center field, and the Brewers had completely erased the deficit and tied the game at 4-4. Seymour responded with two strikeouts before leaving the game after Bauers walked and Yelich singled. Tyler Wells finished off the sixth for the Rays.
Uribe took the seventh and worked around a walk for a clean inning. Wells remained in for the seventh, and Turang began the inning with a double to center. After Mitchell flew out to move Turang to third, Cash went to Kevin Kelly out of the bullpen. Pratt countered with a single to right field over a drawn-in infield, giving the Brewers their first lead of the game, 5-4.
After Uribe got Caminero to ground out to start the eighth, Ashby was in again to finish up the game. He finished the eighth with a strikeout and groundout. The offense tried to give him some breathing room as they used a Chourio single, Yelich walk, and three stolen bases to put runners at second and third. Unfortunately, Chourio was out at the plate when he tried to score on a fielder’s choice, but couldn’t get in before the tag (which was upheld on review).
Ashby had his hands full to finish off the game in the ninth. DeLuca led off the inning with a double, putting the tying run in scoring position right away. Ashby struck out Victor Mesa Jr., then got pinch-hitter Ben Williamson to ground out, but that also moved DeLuca up to third. With the tying run knocking, Ashby finished off the game with a strikeout of Díaz, and the Brewers had a 2-0 series lead.
Once again, Chourio and Contreras had two-hit days. Every Brewer except Hamilton had a hit, with Frelick also adding a two-hit day. Five different Brewers also had an RBI, with Pratt recording the big one that put the Brewers up for good.
The series moved to Tampa Bay for Game 3, and the Rays hoped that they could capitalize on home-field advantage. Many of the Brewers had not played in Tampa Bay before — their previous visit in 2025 happened at Steinbreiner Field while Tropicana Park was being repaired. While the Rays may have had their advantages with a tricky roof and an unfamiliar turf field, Brewers fans took over a significant portion of the ballpark.
The game began with both starters — Robert Gasser and former Brewer Freddy Peralta — holding the offenses off the board for two innings. Then, the Brewers started pecking away in the third. Chourio singled with one out, Bauers drew a walk, and Yelich singled to drive in Chourio and make it a 1-0 game. Contreras followed that with another single, and even though he was caught trying to stretch it to a double, Bauers scored, and it was a 2-0 game.
The floodgates opened for the Brewers in the fifth. It started with a Chourio single (his third hit of the game) and a Yelich walk. With two outs, Contreras hit a ground ball to Caminero, who went to second to get the force out there. Yelich was initially called out for the final out of the inning, but Pat Murphy challenged it. Replay confirmed that Yelich beat the throw to second, and the call was overturned. It was a big break for the Brewers because, had Caminero thrown to first, Contreras would have been an easy out. Instead, he was credited with a single.
That chased Peralta out of the game, and Booser came in with the bases loaded and two outs. What followed was a barrage of Brewers’ hits: Turang single, Mitchell single, Pratt double, and Frelick double. The Rays went to Cole Sulser, but the barrage didn’t stop: Hamilton single and Chourio double. Bauers flew out to end the inning, but the Brewers had scored eight runs. It was a 10-0 game. Peralta was charged with five of those runs in 4 2/3 innings, Booser was charged with four, and Sulser had one.
Gasser didn’t need most of that. He put together what was the Brewers’ best start of the postseason. In six innings, he allowed just one hit and one walk. At one point, he retired 12 batters in a row. Thanks to a caught stealing from Contreras and a double play, he faced the minimum 18 batters in those six innings of work. He only needed 75 pitches to make that happen.
Antonio Senzatela worked two scoreless innings (also facing the minimum), then Brandon Woodruff made his return in the ninth inning. It wasn’t his best day — he allowed a run on two hits — but finished the game with an inning of work to secure the win.
The offense collected 16 hits as a team. Every starter was on base at least once, and all but Bauers had at least one hit and one RBI. Chourio had four hits, Contreras and Turang had three hits, and Yelich had two. The Brewers had a 3-0 series lead and were just one win away from their first World Series title.
It was the first chance for the Brewers to clinch a title, but both teams were ready to put up a fight to the end. May got the start in Game 4 and faced Griffin Jax of the Rays.
Both teams traded scoreless first innings before the Rays got on the board first. Simpson drove in DeLuca with an RBI double, and the Rays were up 1-0. In a twist from previous games, the Brewers did not respond in the next half-inning. It took them two innings to respond. Pratt drove in Frelick with an RBI double in the top of the fourth, tying the game at 1-1.
After May allowed a single to Caminero to start the bottom of the fourth, he was replaced by Romero. Caminero moved up to second on a groundout, then a lapse in the Brewers’ defense hurt them. DeLuca hit a ground ball right to Hamilton, who decided to try to tag Caminero running to third. Hamilton could not tag him, but tried to throw to first for the out. His throw was off, and DeLuca reached safely, and the bad throw allowed Caminero to score. The Rays were up again, 2-1.
That lead was erased again in the next half-inning. Hamilton made up for his miscue on defense with a solo home run to right-center field, tying the game at 2-2. That chased Jax from the game, officially turning it over to both bullpens. Both starters allowed two runs, with May going three-plus innings and Jax four-plus.
The bullpens on both sides were rock solid for the next several innings. Romero, Uribe, Hall, Megill, Ashby, and Senzatela combined to throw eight scoreless innings for the Brewers, with just three baserunners (two hits and a walk) allowed and seven strikeouts. For the Rays, Kelly, Martinez, Baker, Wells, and Booser combined for eight scoreless innings of their own, allowing just four baserunners (two hits and two walks with four strikeouts).
The game went into extra innings, and both teams kept matching scoreless innings until the 12th inning. Seymour was brought in, and he faced Pratt to start the inning. On a 2-2 pitch, Pratt had the biggest swing of his life to that point, hitting a home run into the left-center bleachers. It was his fourth hit of the game, and it put the Brewers up 3-2. Chourio added a two-out double, but they couldn’t add on, and they were just three outs away from a championship.
However, the Rays would not go down quietly. The bottom of the inning started with Caminero hitting a ground ball to Ortiz, who had entered the game as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning. Ortiz made a terrible throw to first, Bauers couldn’t pick it, and the Rays had a baserunner. Murphy brought in Shane Drohan, and the Rays responded with their own version of pecking away. Back-to-back singles by Hicks and DeLuca tied the game. Simpson hit a third straight single to load the bases, and Williamson ended the game with a walk-off single. The Rays took Game 4 by a score of 4-3.
All of a sudden, the euphoria in the fanbase of a potential championship was replaced with an absolutely crushing loss. Not only that, but there was not much time to think about it. Game 5 was less than 20 hours away, and there was still work to do.
If there was any concern that the crushing defeat in Game 4 would affect the Brewers, they put those feelings to rest quickly. Both teams sent out their aces, with the Brewers starting Misiorowski on four days’ rest and the Rays starting Rasmussen on three days’ rest.
Both starters traded scoreless first innings, then the Brewers offense got going. Turang got the first hit of the day with a one-out double. After a scary moment where Frelick was hit by a pitch, Pratt continued his blazing hot streak. He recorded his fifth-straight hit, an RBI single to center that scored Turang. Pratt was caught trying to stretch it into a double, but the Brewers had a 1-0 lead.
Three innings later, Rasmussen was out of the game (a planned short start due to the short rest), and Kelly was first out of the bullpen. Pratt recorded his sixth straight hit with a one-out single, then moved up to third on a Mitchell single. Hamilton drove in Pratt with the team’s third straight single, and the lead was up to 2-0.
The next inning, Yelich was hit by a pitch from Garrett Cleavinger, giving the Brewers a leadoff runner. Contreras instantly cashed in the run with an RBI double that was just short of the wall, increasing the lead to 3-0. Contreras moved up to third on a Turang single before Wells was brought in from the Rays’ bullpen. Two batters later, Pratt’s streak of at-bats with a hit came to an end, but he made it count. On a fly ball to deep right field in foul territory, Vilade chose to catch it and try to throw out Contreras at home. It was too deep, and Contreras scored to increase the lead to 4-0.
Meanwhile, Misiorowski was cruising through most of this game. In 5 2/3 innings, he had allowed just two hits and a walk. He only had two strikeouts, but was efficient with most of his pitches. Unfortunately, his night came to an early end when he had another case of cramps in his legs. Romero was brought in to replace him, and he finished the sixth with just one pitch.
Romero and Uribe got through the seventh scoreless, working around a Contreras throwing error to keep the Rays off the board. Megill was then brought in for two innings of work after a quick night in Game 4. He sat the Rays down in order in the eighth on 10 pitches.
Once again, the Brewers were three outs from a championship, but the Rays would not end it quietly. Hicks hit a one-out double to right, and Simpson hit a two-out double to give the Rays their first run. With the tying run in the on-deck circle, the game started to feel a little tense. The last batter was Richie Palacios. He hit a routine ground ball to Turang, who threw to Bauers covering first. The Brewers won, and they have their first championship in franchise history.
There were plenty of great performances in this World Series. Chourio had 11 hits in the World Series. Pratt had six straight hits between Games 3 and 4, and recorded seven RBIs in the series. Ashby had one of the most dominant postseasons ever by a reliever, pitching 18 straight scoreless innings, including 5 2/3 in the World Series. In the end, the MVP went to William Contreras, who not only went 8-for-21 with four RBIs in the five-game set, but also threw out four baserunners and had several successful ABS challenges. He shared this moment with his brothers, who had traveled to cheer him on in the series.
In the immediate aftermath of the game, several players were interviewed on the field. One of those was Yelich, who has been with this team since 2018 when the turnaround fully began. He made sure to shout out Bob Uecker on the field, dedicating this one to him.
The party was in full swing in Milwaukee. At American Family Field, where the Brewers held interactive watch parties for three straight days, there was pure joy when the Brewers recorded their final out. That was also present in the Deer District, which also hosted a watch party in downtown Milwaukee.
In his speech before the celebration fully kicked off, Murphy addressed the team. He thanked many people, both past and present. From the ownership of Bud Selig, who brought the Brewers to Milwaukee, and Mark Attanasio, the current owner. He acknowledged the past and Robin Yount, who was present for the celebration. He thanked the management led by Matt Arnold for their work. He then “passed on” one more message from Bob Uecker, saying that while he may have helped in the past rounds, this one was all their work. Then, the celebration began with one final statement: “You boys ought to be awfully proud to know that you’re the first-ever Milwaukee Brewers team to be World Champions.”
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 28: William Contreras #24 of the Milwaukee Brewers poses with the Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player award after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2026 World Series at Tropicana Field on October 28, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning everyone, and happy Thursday!
The World Series is concluded and the offseason has begun. Let’s get to all of that and more.
MLB Postseason scores…
The Brewers became World Series champions for the first time in their franchise history, winning last night’s game against the Rays by a 4-1 margin to capture the series 4 games to 1.
In Mariners news…
The Mariners appear to have entered the “decision” stage of their managerial search and are expected to make an announcement as early as today and as late as this weekend, with Joe Espada and Jason Kanzler as the two options. The team is hoping to introduce their new skipper in a press conference early next week.
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 27: Fans congregate in The Battery during Braves Fest at Truist Park on January 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves) | Getty Images
As far as the 2026 season goes, that’s it and that’s all, folks. The Milwaukee Brewers are the World Series champions after winning their first title in dominant fashion over the Tampa Bay Rays, which means that it’s now time to focus on what figures to be an initially-busy but potentially long and uncertain offseason.
Here are some important dates to keep track of as the offseason progresses. Ideally, this is how things will remain but as they say in the pro wrestling business, this card is absolutely subject to change. Let’s get into it.
Day after the World Series ends
Free Agents file – 9am ET
That’s pretty basic, is’t it? Once the World Series is over, we’ll officially know who’s available for free agency and we’ll probably see a flurry of action between now and the all-important date of December 1.
November 1
Gold Glove Awards announced – 9 pm ET (ESPN)
The Atlanta Braves currently have four finalists for Gold Gloves and to be completely honest with y’all, 2026 Fielding Bible Award Winner Matt Olson appears to be the only one who’s likely to pick up an award this time around. Either way, it’s a pretty quick turnaround as Award Season gets underway right away.
November 2
HOF eight-person Contemporary Baseball Era ballot for managers, executives and umpires
Silver Slugger Award finalists announced – 2 pm ET
BBWAA Awards Finalists announced – 6 – 8 pm ET (MLB Network) – (ROY, Cy Young, MVP, etc)
As far as the Braves are concerned, I wouldn’t be shocked at all if Drake Baldwin ended up being a Silver Slugger finalist and Matt Olson could be in the conversation as well due to his homers. Michael Harris II might well be a finalist as well but again, Baldwin will probably be the one to look out for, here. Chris Sale could be in the running for being named as a Cy Young Finalist as well.
Five days after World Series ends
Free agency opens at 5 p.m. ET
Last day to issue Qualifying Offer
60-day Injured List reinstatement
Contract options deadline
Needless to say, this is going to be a very busy day. The big moves concerning the Braves will be the club options for Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozzie Albies. I’d imagine that both of them will be coming back.
November 6
Heart & Hustle Awards announced – TBD – MLB Network Gold Glove Awards dinner in NYC – Platinum Glove winners announced
Usually this is a bit of a ho-hum affair since the big event during the offseason is the Winter Meetings. However, the Winter Meetings are scheduled to take place after the CBA expires on December 1, so this could end up being a more interesting event than usual due to that factor.
November 10
Manager of the Year – 7-8 pm ET (MLB Network)
If you’re the type who reads into betting odds, Walt Weiss currently has the second-highest odds of being named Manager of the Year at +275. That means he’ll likely be a finalist, so this’ll be worth tuning in to watch.
November 11
Cy Young Awards and BBWAA relievers of year – 7-8 pm ET (MLB Network)
MLB Awards show – 9-11pm ET (MLB Network)
All-MLB first and second teams
Hank Aaron Award winners
Comeback Players of The Year
Mariano Rivera & Trevor Hoffman Relievers of the Year
Edgar Martinez DH of the Year
This’ll be a busy day indeed, with the Cy Young Award Winner being announced and then things going straight into the MLB Awards Show where a bunch of other awards will be announced. The Braves have nine All-MLB nominees so we should see at least one of those guys make it onto the team this year.
November 12
MVP Award – 7-8 pm ET (MLB Network)
November 16
Hall of Fame announces its 2027 ballot, 12 pm ET – Writer’s ballot
November 17-19
Owners meetings in New York
This should be another event that’ll be more newsworthy than usual, since I’d imagine that we’ll hear a lot more about current state of labor in baseball with the lockout looming. Maybe we’ll see some moves get made but again, I’d imagine that we’ll hear more about the impending labor war than anything else.
November 17
Silver Slugger Awards
Deadline for players to accept the Qualifying Offer, 4 pm ET
Rule 5 protection deadline (Players need to be added to 40-man roster to protect from the Rule 5 draft)
November 20
Non-tender Deadline
Big day for the arbitration candidates on the roster, as we’ll know by the end of the day what the Braves are planning to do with Bryce Elder, Michael Grove, James Karinchak, Dylan Lee and Joey Wentz.
December 1
CBA Expires 11:59 pm ET – Lockout begins
This is by far the biggest day on the offseason calendar, as it’s extremely likely that the deadline will come and go without the owners and the union coming to an agreement on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, so this will very likely be the start of the lockout and what could be a long one, at that.
December 6
BBWAA announces Contemporary Baseball Era inductees
December 7-9
Winter Meetings in San Diego (Likely to be cancelled)
As I mentioned earlier, the GM Meetings and Owner Meetings in November are likely going to end up being much more important with this event being very much in peril.
December 8
Draft Lottery (likely to be postponed during lockout)
December 9
Rule 5 Draft (likely to be postponed or canceled during lockout)
January 8
Arbitration Figures Exchanged (likely to be postponed during lockout)
January 15
International Signing Period opens
Alfredo Sena will likely be the name to watch here, as the Braves have been linked to him for years now and apparently it’ll just be a matter of making things official on this particular day.
January 19
Hall of Fame announces BBWAA voting results & 2007 inductees, 6 p ET (MLB Network)
MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 26: Zaccharie Risacher #10 of the Dallas Mavericks drives to the basket during the game against the Miami Heat on October 26, 2026 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. 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 Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
On most teams, you find that one player. Especially for young players, there’s always someone who’s too quick for their own legs, too rushed, too out of control. It’s usually because their body is both quicker and more athletic than their brain realizes, and it can take a while for it to catch up.
When I was a u16 player, we had one of those players. Too quick for her own legs, she would beat her defender, but throw the ball up, clanking it off the rim and then continue out of bounds, unable to stop. It was funny at times, but less useful in games. On the other side of the floor, however, she was a menace. Constantly getting a hand on passes on defense, throwing herself into rebounds.
As crazy as it sounds, that reminds me of someone. Someone on the Dallas Mavericks, whose game has been looking too rushed. But then during the last few games, things seemed to improve. Zaccharie Risacher.
Isaac Harris of the LockedOn Mavs podcast saw the same thing, and – luckily for me – asked Mavs coach Dusty May about it.
“With Zacch, he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. And sometimes, we want to see you more before we constrain you, or before we want you to do this or that. We want to evaluate you to see, because sometimes guys can do more than they’ve needed to in the past, because of their situation. After Houston, we painted a really clear picture of what we needed him to do. And he’s been very, very receptive.”
I asked Dusty May about the game slowing down for Zaccharie Risacher & here’s his answer
And the coaching behind what they did to help Risacher slow down, especially his shot, is worth paying attention to if you’re into the technical (and mental) part of what goes into making a good basketball player and shooter:
“(Today) he was really close to having as good of a stat line as his impact on the game,” May said after the Miami Heat win earlier this week. “His shots didn’t look rushed, it looked like he was playing with a much – we call it quiet eye – with a much quieter eye.”
I saw a number of people questioning the term after this quote, asking if this was real and if May just made it up. But the concept of “the quiet eye” is in fact a very real thing, it even has its own Wikipedia page.
When we talk about the quiet eye in basketball, we refer to the extended moment a good, usually elite player and shooter, stares at the rim – or space in the middle of the net – before shooting.
An elite shooter locks eyes, if it had them, with the rim before getting a shot up. The more pressure, the longer the stare. It allows the shooter to focus, as well as visualize, where the shot will fall and how it’s going to look, the millisecond before you shoot. The better the shooter, the longer this moment is when the pressure is high.
The quiet eye was one of my specialties as a player. I was a great shooter for a while there, and every time I was on a heater, I would see exactly where the ball fell just before I would shoot. It felt like prophecy, but it was more like visualization. And it works.
We see examples of this with the best shooters in the league every day. When (brace yourselves, Mavs fans) Tim Hardaway Jr. is on a heater, he does this very well. Klay Thompson, of course, and Steph Curry. Bogdan Bogdanovic is another great example. And I’ve seen new Mav Tarik Biberovic do it in Fenerbahçe. Watch his stare at the rim from when he takes the first dribble:
What we have seen from Risacher recently, and what we will see even more going forward if he manages to incorporate this, is a much better three-point percentage. He has the mechanics down. The quiet eye could help him get the needed focus and get his numbers up fast.
“Zacch is finding himself now,” Dusty May said. “He’s still so young. We really value and appreciate those plays. However many missed shots he had, he had twice as many loose balls, blocks, steals and rebounds and the ones that don’t show up.”
Here’s a good example of what May mentions, this is just one play that stood out, where Risacher blocks a shot in a valuable possession for Miami with five minutes left, leading to a chance to secure important points on the other end for Dallas.
THE BLOCK ➡️ THE AND-1
Risacher with the rejection, and Flagg with the basket plus the foul on NBA TV! 💪 pic.twitter.com/am5WQZhMih
Risacher is doing everything right. After the Miami game, he topped the leaderboard in stocks (steals and rebounds) with 16, an incredible number. Followed by Cooper Flagg (15) and Daniel Gafford (14), the Mavs players are really standing out early.
Here’s another one of Risacher affecting the game directly with hustling and rebounding against the Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday, cleaning up the possession after a missed shot.
The Mavs coaching staff has been able to make this team play not only hard – as has been the strategy previously – but also smart.
“I thought tonight he painted a masterpiece” Dusty May said after the OKC win. “He’s impacting every single possession… (Sasser and Risacher) are lighting a fire under us, and it’s been fun.”
And it’s paying off, the whole team looks to have great chemistry, which May also mentioned:
“Just to see how connected our group is. They’re so much for each other, it’s fun,” the Dallas Mavericks head coach said.
“He makes us 15, 20 points better when he’s being active and getting steals and playing his defense,” Cooper Flagg said after the Miami game. “I have no doubt that his shots are gonna start to fall.”
And the following game against Oklahoma, they did. Risacher made two out of three from beyond the arc, looking in control and maybe even utilizing that quiet eye, from the looks of it.
And after Wednesday’s win over the Thunder, May revealed that the coaches see Risacher as something out of this world sometimes.
“(Risacher) never gets tired. One of the assistant coaches, Coach Fodor, said he’s a cyborg. He comes out of a game playing five minutes that hard and he’s not breathing (hard), he’s just sitting there, you can’t even tell that he’s been playing…He’s kinda reinventing himself, where even though he’s not shooting nearly as well as he always has, he’s found a lot of value in other parts of the game.”
The same day, the Dallas Mavericks announced that they had exercised their fourth-year team option on Zaccharie Risacher for the 2027-28 season.
He’s reinventing himself with the guidance of good coaching in Dallas. And he has proved himself very important to winning for this team already. Zaccharie Risacher is in a good place.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 28: Giannis Antetokounmpo #7 of the Miami Heat is defended by Dyson Daniels #5 and Onyeka Okongwu #17 of the Atlanta Hawks during the second quarter at State Farm Arena on October 28, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. 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. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Hawks dropped a third consecutive game as they fell to fellow Southeast Division rivals Miami Heat 129-117 on Wednesday evening at State Farm Arena. Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 23 points, while rookie Kingston Flemings also scored so far career-best of 23 points. For the Heat, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo scored 24 points apiece with Antetokounmpo adding 18 rebounds.
Having lost two games against the Houston Rockets, the Hawks returned to State Farm Arena to face a familiar foe: a Heat side looking for their first victory of the season. Initially, it was a close affair between the two sides, but the Heat began to edge away as the first quarter came to close and established a double-digit lead as the paint points began to mount.
In the second quarter, the Hawks made a run to bring the margin down as low as three points before the Heat re-established themselves and their double-digit lead; a half-court heave from Nikola Jovic at the halftime buzzer putting the Heat up by 13 points. The third quarter saw the Hawks, again, trying to mount a comeback before another Miami run stretched their lead to a game-high 18 points before settling at 15 heading into the final frame.
The Hawks mounted a run in the fourth quarter, and with seven minutes remaining the lead had been trimmed to four points — plenty of time to take the lead and see the game through with the home-crowd very much onside. However, Miami responded, and restored their 10-point lead and edge away to secure their first win of the season.
Postgame, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder acknowledged that the Heat were just better last night, while also commenting on the Hawks not moving the ball as they should have, affecting their offense.
“Credit the way they played, they, they beat us,” said Snyder. “They were aggressive on the glass, they did a lot of things and there were times when we responded, but we’ve got to be better. We’ve got to move the ball better, particularly when the team’s aggressive on us on the ball. We have willing passers, but we have to pass. It’s about when you pass, and our ability to get off the ball quicker and get more movement I think will help us offensively. When we’re not connected on the offensive end, it really impacts our team.”
The Hawks made multiple runs in this game to cut the lead to single digits but could not sustain it.
“Just a little too late, energy-wise,” said Nickeil Alexander-Walker. “We’re showing that we can compete. I think throughout the game, we have to do a better job of consistently competing. There’s times where our compete level drops, and that’s what it was tonight.”
I think the Hawks lost this game for three reasons: they got absolutely killed in the paint/at the rim, the Hawks committed a lot of turnovers that could have been avoided, and Atlanta missed too many bunnies at the rim.
The main issue last night defensively was defending at the rim: the Heat made 21 baskets at the rim and scored 70 points in the paint. Onyeka Okongwu certainly had his work cut out for him with both Giannis and Adebayo attacking the rim, or Miami operating Adebayo in the high-post, bringing Okongwu away from the rim and leaving the rim largely unprotected…and then there were instances where Okongwu or Jock Landale were close to the rim and it didn’t matter.
This lack of rim protection in this game was seen in the early stages, as Andrew Wiggins drives to the rim and scores before the defense can rotate to attempt a block:
After a turnover from Kingston Flemings, the Heat come the other way, and from the corner, Pelle Larsson is able to drive by Aaron Wiggins and score at the rim without a challenge:
Here, Adebayo throws an entry pass to Giannis, who has Landale at his back, and with the only size the Hawks have at even having a remote chance of slowing him down, Giannis is able to flip the shot home, plus the foul:
After a wide miss by Adebayo on the jumper, there is absolutely no size and no chance the Hawks can prevent Giannis claiming the offensive rebound and scoring at the rim:
After the drive from Klay Thompson draws Okongwu, Giannis receives the dump-off at the dunker’s spot, and with Okongwu now behind the play, Giannis can dunk at the rim for another basket at the rim:
After Dyson Daniels does a good job contesting the much larger Adebayo at the rim, he — and the rest of the Hawks — are powerless to fight against the second effort of Adebayo, who claims and rises in a crowd to score at the rim:
This time in a rare pick-and-roll scenario, Antetokounmpo gets a head of steam, and when he does it’s just one of those things that’s very difficult to stop even with sufficient rim protection:
It’s a tough matchup for the Hawks when there’s an old-school tandem of a dominant power forward/center combo, and the Hawks just don’t have the size to combat this dual-headed threat.
“Obviously Giannis and the question before about Bam breaking the rebounding record for the Heat, so, he’s out there and then Giannis is out there too and Portis is physical and they have size across their front line,” said Snyder. “We can’t accept that those aren’t plays and balls that we can come up with. There’s just another level there, and at times we found it. But there are things, that throughout the possession when you have breakdowns, it becomes difficult to rebound because you’re in a rotation situation.”
It was undoubtedly the key to the game, but with the way the Hawks are set up I’m not sure what more could have been done to prevent it. Sure, perhaps Okongwu could have gotten back to the rim quicker on some drives to try and contest, but there’s no guarantee that would have changed the outcome on those baskets and, overall, those instances were far fewer than the Heat just inherently having a size advantage possession after possession.
Individually, the Hawks did not enjoy many strong offensive performances, in particular Jalen Johnson did not enjoy a positive game scoring the ball, scoring just 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting. Snyder believed the Heat trapping as they did impacted the Hawks and their ability to move the ball as they normally would.
“The impact that Jalen has in the game in transition and his unselfishness, his willingness to pass the ball, playing without the ball is something that our, our whole team, the more we embrace that, the more difficult we are to defend, and that’s everybody,” began Snyder on Johnson’s difficult game. “Tonight, they were trapping us in lots of actions, so those reads really dictate that you need to throw the ball ahead and just move it and see how you break the defense down. That’s one of the biggest things for us is to have the ball change sides. When we’re playing actions, that allows them to double, and when they do, we’ve got to take advantage of that. That’s something we need to do a better job.”
Johnson was still able to rack up 11 assists, and the Hawks 35 assists but it was the 15 turnovers which were costly for the Hawks. Not so much because Miami punished them for it (only scoring 13 points off of turnovers) but they were largely avoidable turnovers which prevented the Hawks themselves attempting shots.
The story from the Hawks’ side from a player perspective was that of Kingston Flemings, who scored 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from three:
“Just staying aggressive,” said Flemings of his night. “We got a lot of rebounds, and we were pushing in transition, that’s when we’re best. So, just trying to get rebounds, push and just playing the flow of the offense.”
Flemings also got the nod to close out the game in place of CJ McCollum down the stretch, running with the Hawks’ crunch time lineup. When asked about this decision after the game, Snyder explained the reasoning for it and how McCollum has supported Flemings.
“Kingston did a terrific job,” said Snyder of Flemings. “I think this is part of the process for him. This is a long runway, as I’ve said and it’s not about any one player, it’s really not. Tonight, Kingston gave us a lift. He was pushing the ball and made some good things happen. We talked about it as the coaching staff, (and) CJ knows how we feel about him, he’s crucial to us being who we want to be. Kingston had been in the game long enough that it felt like throwing CJ in a tough situation, putting him in cold at that point. As I said, CJ’s all about the team and the team winning and that’s an aberration. But I think CJ more than anyone understands with his professionalism and his career, but our whole team, that’s part of having depth on any given night. Hopefully you have guys that can lift their level, and tonight was Kingston. It’s been other guys as well. That’s how we can be a good team by having that depth and versatility and guys getting behind one another. You saw that tonight. Nobody’s more supportive of Kingston than CJ.”
Flemings echoed this sentiment and described how McCollum has been helping him in his rookie season so far.
“I mean, otherworldly, to be honest,” said Flemings when asked about the importance of McCollum’s veteran presence. “Him and Nickeil, I work out with them almost every single day, taking bits and pieces. For CJ to be playing this long at this high of a level, it’s not easy to do. You don’t even see a lot of players doing it. But just CJ, the things he’s done, he’s in my ear all the time. Every timeout when he’s on the bench, just telling me what he sees, offense, defense, helping me in those ways. Just invaluable having players like him on the team. I’m grateful for it.”
“I just work with him every day, so, seeing his mindset, seeing his aggression, the way he competed tonight was amazing,” added Nickeil Alexander-Walker of Flemings. “He provided energy, came in aggressive, played to his strengths, got the team within striking distance in multiple ways. His force and everything was amazing.”
In some of those plays from his highlights above, what continues to be really impressive is Flemings’ decision-making. He could spring into a three or a jumpshot, but turns it down and drives inside, where he can either kick it out or rise into a more open jumpshot. It would be easy to take the three in front of him but takes maturity to recognize that there is a better shot available to him; his patience has been impressive to watch.
“The game is still super fast,” said Flemings postgame. “I think it’s definitely slowing down for me. It’s just being aggressive. I see a lot of the plays throughout the court, nothing really changed. It’s just when the defense knows I’m going to pass, my passes aren’t going to be there. So, the coaches talk to me about that, everyone’s talking about that. Putting the ball on the rim, I’m going to continue to do that. Just put the ball up, make some shots, and you play like that, it makes the defense second guess. So, doing that, just constantly trying to gain confidence throughout.”
Other Hawks who had a good game include Dyson Daniels, he was so disruptive defensively last night — three steals doesn’t fully reflect how active he was last night. Alexander-Walker scored 23 points on 8-of-18 from the field and 5-of-9 from three, while CJ McCollum was active in the first quarter and made some tough baskets en route to 13 points. Despite Johnson shooting 4-of-12, Lu Dort shooting 3-of-11, and Aaron Wiggins shooting 4-of-11, I thought the offense wasn’t really the issue (barring those turnovers); the Hawks just had no answer to Miami’s size — the roster is just fundamentally built in a way that does not jive well with the way Atlanta’s roster is built.
The Hawks have now lost three straight games, but this doesn’t require overreaction. Two of those are against the Rockets, and they’re just a step above the Hawks from a talent perspective: that’s going to be a very good team if health endures.
This loss last night I think is just a clash of styles that doesn’t suit Atlanta; the Heat’s front court was just too big and powerful for the Hawks to handle last night. Future matchups will be interesting to see how the Hawks go about teams like this with two prolific bigs.
The Hawks (2-3) are back in action tonight at State Farm Arena to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers (3-1), who were in action last night in a win against the Wizards in Cleveland.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 05: Kevin Porter Jr. #7 of the Milwaukee Bucks looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the preseason NBA game at Fiserv Forum on October 05, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to another edition of Heard ‘em Say, where we share the Milwaukee Bucks news that matters to you—all in one convenient place! On this week’s agenda: what could have been instead of waiving Kevin Porter Jr., a roundup of the Wisconsin Herd’s roster, an update on Malik Beasley’s sports gambling charges, and Nate Ament reps the Brewers. Oh, and was Jaylen Brown pushing to become a Buck?
Nuggets offered picks for KPJ?
As you’re well aware, the Bucks waived Kevin Porter Jr. just before the 4:00 p.m. CT deadline for NBA teams to finalise their rosters ahead of the regular season starting. The news was a shock, at least to some (Editor’s note: more on that to come), particular given how well Porter performed when healthy last season. As it turns out, the Bucks didn’t have to lose him for nothing. In fact, according to Jake Fischer’s report in The People’s Insider, they could’ve received draft picks in exchange for the 26-year-old. Of course, there’s a caveat:
The Stein Line has learned that the Nuggets showed a willingness to package two future second-rounders and a second-round pick swap along with Zeke Nnaji’s very available contract in a bid to bring Kevin Porter Jr. to the Rocky Mountains. Yet I’m told that the Bucks ultimately walked away from the Porter-to-Denver discussions as well — and then waived Porter Jr. — because they could not stomach the idea of swallowing Nnaji’s $7.5 million salary for the 2027-28 season.
Fischer also reported that five salary cap specialists from rival teams “said they would have made the move if they were in Milwaukee’s shoes” but also that “All five capologists say they could understand why the Bucks ultimately chose not to surrender $7.5 million of their theoretical flexibility entering the 2027-28 campaign.” All this considered—not to mention the additional opportunities Porter’s absence has afforded Kasparas Jakučionis—do you agree with Jon Horst’s decision?
Speaking of Porter, via the Clutch Scoopspodcast, ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel speculated that while a return to the NBA isn’t out of the cards, Porter may even head back to Europe:
Halfway through the year, there’s going to be teams needing point guards and needing more backcourt depth. They’ll look at Kevin Porter Jr. as an option. But I would just keep an eye on him as also being an option for international teams overseas in Europe. And I expect him to gain interest there. We’ll see what he ultimately decides, whether he wants to give up on the NBA and go overseas or if he’s going to wait for some of these pro-rated deals after the trade deadline.
As we know, Porter has more than enough talent for NBA basketball, and if it weren’t for all his injuries last year he could very well be the Bucks’ starting point guard right now. So, let’s hope he gets another shot somewhere.
All the best, Scoot.
Wisconsin Herd roster roundup
After making their pick in the G League Draft last Saturday, the Wisconsin Herd have officially finalized their 15-man training camp roster. The roster is led by two-way players Kam Jones, Pete Nance, and Cormac Ryan.
Despite trading a 2026 first-rounder to the Capital City Go-Go (the Wizards’ G League affiliate), the Herd still walked away with a player after the draft. The Herd selected Brody Fox, a former The Citadel forward coming off a one-year stint in Estonia, with the 49th pick.
Some of the Herd’s most recognizable players parted ways with Wisconsin earlier this year. Mark Sears (19.1 ppg) signed an Exhibit-10 deal with Portland, while Wisconsin traded Stephen Thompson (17.4 ppg) to the Iowa Wolves, and Johnny Davis (15.6 ppg) signed with a Turkish team. The Herd went 10-26 last year, good for last in the Eastern Conference, but coach Schuyler Rimmer and the Herd are hoping to improve going into 2027.
The full roster is as follows:
Ty Berry (guard, Kauhajoki Karhu)
Johni Broome (forward, Philadelphia 76ers/Delaware Blue Coats)
Jeremiah Burke (forward, Denver University)
John Butler Jr. (forward, Wisconsin Herd)
Brody Fox (forward, Latvijas Universitate)
Marcus Garrett (guard, Greensboro Swarm)
Terrence Hargrove Jr. (forward, Grand Rapids Gold)
Kam Jones (guard, Indiana Pacers/Noblesville Boom)
Cameron Martin (forward, Wisconsin Herd)
Pete Nance (forward, Milwaukee Bucks/Wisconsin Herd)
Manny Obaseki (guard, Westchester Knicks)
Cameron Parker (guard, Rip City Remix)
Cormac Ryan (guard, Milwaukee Bucks/Wisconsin Herd)
Kalifa Sakho (forward, Houston University)
Jake Stephens (forward, KK Split)
Malik Beasley in talks over possible guilty plea
In June 2025, news broke that former Bucks guard Malik Beasley was under investigation for betting on NBA games. This June, Beasley wasindicted on sports gambling charges, allegedly committing those crimes while with the team. Now, it appears Beasley is pleading guilty, as reported by Mike Vorkunov from The Athletic:
Beasley was indicted this summer for his role in an alleged scheme that bet on his performance while he was with the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2023-24 season. Beasley is accused of manipulating his play so that bettors could win their wagers on him. Beasley initially pleaded not guilty, but court records Friday night said that he intends to change his plea.
Steve Haney, a lawyer for Beasley, said Beasley has not yet decided to plead guilty, but is in talks with prosecutors with the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. He is expected to make a final decision early next week.
In fact, there’s no doubt about it:
Former NBA player Malik Beasley will enter a guilty plea on Dec. 9 with the Department of Justice over his role in bribery and betting scheme on his NBA play, his attorney Steve Haney tells ESPN.
Jaylen Brown may or may not have pushed to be traded to Milwaukee
According to Brian Scalabrine, at one point this offseason, Jaylen Brown pushed to be traded to the Milwaukee Bucks:
“My understanding is that Jaylen Brown went to the organization and had a list of demands, and it was like, ‘You either do this, or you trade me.’ And he was rooting to get traded to Milwaukee, including calling some teammates about, ‘Hey, man, what do you think of Milwaukee? We should go there.'”
Then again, according to the same Brian Scalabrine, that actually didn’t happen:
Drew Carter and Brian Scalabrine taking about Scal’s comments on the radio today https://t.co/Ldad81lQHO
For as good as Brown is, I’m good with how this all played out. What about you?
Nate Ament & the “Brew Crew”
Finally, just in case you missed it, Nate Ament is embracing all things Milwaukee—even with his shoes:
Bucks rookie Nate Ament is debuting his “Brew Crew” Reebok Engine A 26 PE today — as the Milwaukee Brewers begin the World Series.
The 1-of-1 PE features his player logo on the tongue and a classic navy / yellow Brewers colorway. https://t.co/xGRnvCu5BX
The Rays fell short of winning a World Series, and manager Kevin Cash faced plenty of questions afterwards.
Cash made a few questionable World Series calls involving ace Drew Rasmussen, who on three days of rest was yanked after four strong innings on Wednesday night, allowing a run on four hits and throwing 48 pitches in an eventual 4-1 series-deciding loss in Game 5.
“We had gone into the game saying it was 60 pitches or four innings. Stuck to that. That was the easiest call in the world to take him out of the ball game,” Cash said postgame.
Drew Rasmussen #57 of the Tampa Bay Rays looks on during the fourth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in game five of the 2026 World Series at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. Getty Images
The decision instantly backfired, as he went to reliever Kevin Kelly for the fifth inning with the hope that he could make quick work of the bottom of Milwaukee’s lineup, though the Brewers got three consecutive hits to extend their lead to 2-0.
In the sixth inning, Garrett Cleavinger coughed up two more runs to balloon the deficit to 4-0 as things had completely unraveled for the Rays.
Cash arguably should have gone with Rasmussen in the first game of the series, but instead pushed him back a day in favor of Nick Martinez despite Rasmussen being on normal rest for Game 1.
“We prioritized Drew getting an extra day. He’s had a pretty thick workload here,” Cash said before the series, defending his Game 1 decision. “We’ve relied on him heavily. We know when he takes the ball, we’re trying to get the full pitch allotment out of him.”
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash speaks in a press conference before game five of the 2026 World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
But in Game 5, just days after these comments, he was forced to send Rasmussen out without getting the full pitch allotment.
Pushing Rasmussen back a day put him on short rest for Game 5 when he would have had normal rest if the wheels hadn’t been set in motion in Game 1.
Rasmussen was the team’s best pitcher all year, and Tampa Bay was steadfast in protecting his arm, given he’s had two Tommy John surgeries and an internal brace put in his right arm in 2023.
The Rays offense also deserves plenty of blame, scoring one run with their season on the line — and putting just six total up in the final 38 innings of the series.
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 28: AJ Dybantsa #4 of the Washington Wizards handles the ball during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 28, 2026 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 Kolin/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Washington Wizards rookie AJ Dybantsa made an immediate impact in his NBA debut, scoring 19 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers (3-1) after missing the first four games of the season with a sprained ankle that he suffered in preseason.
The No. 1 overall pick earned a spot in the starting lineup alongside Trae Young, Anthony Davis, Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George as Washington (2-3) shifted fourth-year wing Bilal Coulibaly to come off the bench for the first time this season.
Playing on a minutes restriction due to his injury, Dybantsa wasted little time making his presence felt. After Washington won the opening tip, it took Dybantsa just 16 seconds to attack the rim and draw a shooting foul on Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen to send the rookie to the charity stripe.
The BYU product knocked down both free throws for the first two points of his NBA career.
In his first six-minute stint as a pro, Dybantsa scored nine points on 3-for-3 shooting in the first quarter. He caught a half-court lob from Young, connected on his first career 3-pointer and recorded an assist to Sarr for a corner three in an impressive opening stretch.
AJ Dybantsa's FIRST BUCKET IN HIS NBA DEBUT was a lob from Trae 🔥
He exited the first quarter helping Washington take a 22-16 lead, and turned heads with a dazzling step through floater finish, past James Harden and over the seven-footer — Allen.
Despite the minutes restriction, Dybantsa played the final 8 minutes and 18 seconds of the fourth quarter, with Washington trailing 102-99. He connected on a mid-range jumper and a dunk as Washington — which led by 16 at one point — tried to re-take its lead in the final quarter.
The rookie finished with 19 points on 8-for-12 shooting from the field, adding two rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes.
But, despite Dybantsa’s strong debut, Cleveland took control late in the game to secure the 121-111 victory over Washington — handing the Wizards their second consecutive loss of the season.
Dybantsa’s 19-point performance marked the highest-scoring debut by a Wizards rookie since Tom Gugliotta scored 20 points against the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 2, 1992.
Although Washington couldn’t come away with a win, Dybantsa’s efficient scoring and early contributions offered an encouraging glimpse of what the franchise’s top pick could bring as he begins his NBA career. He will be back in action for his home crowd debut at Capital One Arena against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night at 7 p.m. ET.
Charlotte beat Washington 110-103 on Monday night in North Carolina – while Dybantsa was sidelined.
BALTIMORE, MD - JUNE 24: Baltimore Orioles pitcher Keegan Akin (45) pitches during the Cleveland Guardians versus the Baltimore Orioles on June 24, 2024 at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MD. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
As a player who arrived in the organization in the 2016 draft, Keegan Akin is one of the longest-tenured Orioles. We have been hearing about him as a prospect and then seeing him as a major league player for more than a decade. After all of that, Akin came into 2026 as a platform year heading into free agency. His up-and-down Orioles tenure is likely ending on a down note after a season where he was pretty bad until a June injury turned out to require season-ending Tommy John surgery.
One thing that I take as a given when considering relievers in general is the concept of year-to-year volatility. At least one guy is going to be better than people thought, and at least one guy is going to be worse than people thought. You might be able to make an educated guess which ends up being which, but you never really know. The same guy can fit both of these descriptions across multiple seasons.
Akin, over his time with the team, has embodied this about as well as anybody. After he failed his way out of the rotation in 2021, he was a speculative reliever conversion heading into 2022. He was pretty good! Then, out of nowhere, he was terrible in 2023, all while keeping pretty good peripheral stats. Akin returned to good results in 2024 – though the team had zero trust in him and was almost fanatical in only using him in low-leverage situations – and was also good in 2025, with concerning peripherals last year making him more of a question mark heading into 2026.
The alarm bells that were sounding in his under-the-hood metrics a year ago turned out to be for real. Akin missed the first month of the season due to a groin strain, then as he made his way back from the injured list, he showed how his season was going to go by giving up six runs in the span of an inning during a 17-1 blowout loss to the Red Sox on April 25. That was the first that we saw of Akin this season. What a disaster.
Every fan has their guys where what you mostly remember about them are the times that they stunk. I’ll be honest with you: Akin is one of those guys for me. The idea that Akin had three separate seasons where he had an ERA of 3.41 or lower escapes from my brain every time it goes in. I remember all of the times that he was bad. Akin giving up six runs in an inning is basically what I expected every time. He did it again this year, turning a close contest against the Nationals on May 16 into a 13-3 laugher by giving up six runs while getting only one out.
In a classic of the “Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?” genre, Akin was fine if you take out those two outings. He pitched 22 other games and allowed just four earned runs in those games. Maybe if he had July, August, and September to keep pitching, he would have been able to turn around the unsightly 5.68 ERA.
The Orioles probably would have given him chances to do that, following the pattern they established over multiple years with Cionel Pérez, who bombed early on only to keep sticking around on the roster and salvage his numbers somewhat. There are some good things on his Statcast page, namely that batters weren’t hitting the ball hard off of him because they were so infrequently squaring him up. There are also some not-so-good things: Akin was not making batters swing and miss, posting the lowest K/9 of his career, just 6.0. Some relievers can do well without that many strikeouts; teammate Albert Suárez is one of them. Many do not do so well.
Akin did not get to pitch the last three months to see whether he could improve things. His season was cut short when he injured his elbow at the end of June. This led to mid-July Tommy John surgery that will probably knock him out of action for nearly all, if not all, of the 2027 season as well. Akin will be 33 years old by the time he gets to seriously pitch again.
The injury in combination with the poor 2026 performance probably means that Akin will not end up ever getting the opportunity to get a real free agent contract. That was rough luck for him. Even one year for a few million would have been better than he got for most of his arbitration seasons.
Some team will probably at least extend Akin a minor league contract with a spring training invitation when 2028 rolls around. Maybe it will even be the Orioles. If he really liked it here, he might take it. There’s not much risk in handing out spring training invitations to see whether a guy has something left in the tank, as long as you correctly assess what he’s got in the tank before potentially giving him a big league roster spot again.
By season’s end, the role that the Orioles went into the season thinking would be Akin’s had been taken over by a completely different age-31 lefty, Josh Walker. Camden Chat colleague Andrea wrote about Walker yesterday. Somebody stinks or gets hurt or both and the roster moves on. Akin ended up on the wrong end of that for 2026 and that may be the final memory that we have of him as an Oriole.
