Worldwide Sports News

In our first matchup of the “Last Man In” tournament, in which we look at the last free agent signed before the season over the past 16 years, Nick Castellanos breezed past Joe Ross to advance to the next round.

On to our next matchup: Seventh-seeded Luis Garcia vs. tenth-seeded David Lough!

7. Luis Garcia, 2013

Stats with the Phillies: 251 games, 244 innings, 12-14 W-L, 5 saves, 4.12 ERA, 223 K, 125 BB, 2.09 WAR

Originally signed by the Dodgers as an amateur free agent, Garcia was unable to make it to the big leagues and was pitching in independent leagues in 2013. The Phillies signed him as an amateur free agent, and after pitching well in the minors, he was called up to join the Phillies’ bullpen.

Garcia stuck with the Phillies for six seasons. He was fine in middle relief but never earned enough trust to be consistently used in high leverage situations and was eventually traded to the Angels. He’s bounced around the majors since then and pitched for three different teams in 2025.

10. David Lough, 2016

Stats with the Phillies: 30 games, .239/.342/.655, 0 HR, 4 RBI, -0.1 WAR

After a promising rookie season with the Royals in 2013, outfielder David Lough was traded to the Orioles, but was unable to follow up on that showing. He was regarded as a strong defender but couldn’t hit well enough to earn a regular job.

By 2015, he was a free agent, and the talent-deprived Phillies picked him up before the 2016 season. He appeared in 30 games, mostly as a late-game defensive replacement. By August, the Phillies chose to go in a different direction and released him. He bounced around the minor leagues but was never able to make it back to the majors.

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The Yankees added a hard-throwing right-hander to their bullpen Wednesday, trading for Angel Chivilli from the Rockies.

The 23-year-old Chivilli spent parts of the past two seasons in the majors with Colorado, putting up some ugly numbers in 43 appearances in 2025.

But the Yankees are intrigued by Chivilli’s elite velocity, as well as his swing-and-miss stuff and ability to get ground balls, even though that hasn’t translated to success in the majors.

He’ll be in the mix for a bullpen spot after the Yankees lost Luke Weaver and Devin Williams to the Mets in free agency, with David Bednar expected to close in front of Fernando Cruz, Camilo Doval and lefty Tim Hill.

Paul Blackburn, Ryan Yarbrough and Yerry De los Santos also could be in the pen, as well as Jake Bird, who had a miserable stint in The Bronx after coming over from Colorado at the trade deadline last year.

General manager Brian Cashman called the bullpen a “work in progress, with a lot of quality choices,” with more potentially on the way — whether from the minors or outside the organization.

In exchange for Chivilli, who has remaining minor league options and can be sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the Yankees gave up T.J. Rumfield, a 25-year-old first baseman who spent last year with SWB. He was acquired by the Yankees in a small trade with the Phillies in 2021.

To make room on the 40-man roster for Chivilli, newly acquired outfielder Michael Siani was designated for assignment.

Right-hander Kaleb Ort, who the Yankees selected off waivers from the Astros earlier this month and later designated for assignment, was claimed by the Angels.

Mario Garza was officially named the Director of International Scouting, replacing Donny Rowland, whose contract wasn’t renewed after last year.

Cashman said Garza’s job is to “relaunch” and “reinvent” the international scouting department.

Garza, 44, has been in the organization since 2011, most recently as the director of baseball development.

Cashman said the Yankees “did an extensive interview process” before landing on a candidate they knew very well.

“He’s already well-versed in all our systems,’’ Cashman said. “That gives him a head start already as we try to relaunch that department and move forward.”

The Yankees haven’t gotten great returns on some of their big-ticket international signings, with Jasson Domínguez failing to win an everyday role in The Bronx and others, like Roderick Arias, stalling in the minors.

“We’re just looking for better outcomes,” Cashman said of Garza’s hiring. “So he’s gonna reinvent that department and we look forward to seeing where it takes us.”

With Cody Bellinger back in left field, Domínguez and prospect Spencer Jones may be on the outside looking in.

“The reality is, it does change,’’ Aaron Boone said of how Bellinger’s presence impacts the pair of prospects. “We’ve got Cody back in the mix and [Trent Grisham] back, that maybe complicates some things for them. But we also know what potentially outstanding players they’re gonna be in this league. We have a long time to go between now and… certainly Opening Day and you never know what’s gonna come down the pike.’’

The Colorado Rockies announced they have agreed to a deal with the New York Yankees, sending right-handed reliever Angel Chivilli to the Bronx in exchange for minor league first baseman T.J. RumField.

Chivilli, 23, looked like he could be a staple of a fresh Rockies bullpen when he debuted with the team in 2024. After posting a 4.55 ERA in 31 2/3 innings, the hard-throwing righty struggled mightily in 2025. In 58 2/3 innings over 43 games, he struggled to a 7.06 ERA and a 1.688 WHIP. Despite an incredible 14.4% swinging-strike rate in his career and an 32.3% chase rate, Chivilli proved a bit too inconsistent in the zone and was prone to giving up the long ball, averaging 1.99 per nine innings in each of the first two seasons. He didn’t walk many batters, but also didn’t strike out very many, leaving him on the bubble for the new front office.

Looking to add some more depth at first base, the Rockies acquire Rumfield, who was ranked as the No. 22 prospect for the Yankees per MLB Pipeline in 2025.

Drafted in the 12th round out of Virginia Tech in 2021 by the Philadelphia Phillies, he was traded to New York before the 2022 minor league season. He struggled to find his footing in the first couple of years but began top gain traction, winning the batting title (.400) in the Arizona Fall League in 2022. After struggling in some aspects in Double-A in 2023, despite finding his power, Rumfield made a slight adjustment to simplify his swing for more consistency. In 2024, Rumfield hit .292/.365/.461 with 15 homers in 114 Triple-A games.

He spent the entire 2025 season with the Yankees’ top affiliate in Scranton, slashing .285/.378/.447 with 16 home runs, 31 doubles, a triple, five stolen bases, a quality 11.9% walk rate, and an 18.4% strikeout rate that’s comfortably lower than average. Still, scouts indicate he chases a bit too much out of the zone.

Standing 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, Rumfield has a modest power potential of 15 home runs a year, instead relying on hitting for contact. He won’t offer much on the base paths and is a decent enough defender at first base despite a lack of range and a questionable arm. Still, he gives the Rockies another left-handed option at first base, which would be their preference as a team.

Rumfield is not on the 40-man roster, leaving the Rockies with an open slot to work with as they still hope to add another free agent starter or the aforementioned first baseman.

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With spring training about two weeks away, the Yankees are still assembling their roster for the 2026 season.

New York added to their bullpen on Wednesday, acquiring RHP Angel Chivilli from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for minor league 1B T.J. Rumfield, the team announced.

The Yanks also designated OF Michael Siani for assignment to make room for Chivilli on the 40-man roster. Siani was claimed off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Jan. 23.

Chivilli, 23, made his MLB debut with the Rockies in 2024 and has appeared in 73 games over the past two seasons, pitching to a 6.18 ERA with 71 strikeouts. He had a 7.06 ERA and 1.69 WHIP over 43 games (58.2 IP) in 2025, totaling 43 strikeouts.

Despite his record and ERA, Chivilli's fastball velocity averages at 97.1 mph, which is in the 88th percentile per Baseball Savant. He also owns a 29.7 percent whiff rate and a 49.8 percent ground ball rate, both well above the league average.

Rumfield, who'll turn 26 in May, hit .285 with 16 home runs, 31 doubles, and 87 RBI in 2025 for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He was originally selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 12th round of the 2021 MLB Draft out of Virginia Tech and later acquired by the Yanks in November 2021. Over five years in the minors, Rumfield owns a .271 batting average with 52 homers, 88 doubles, and 260 RBI.

“Shorty you’re my Angel, you’re my darling Angel”

No doubt somewhere in the Bronx or Tampa, Matt Blake is quietly singing Shaggy’s popular refrain to himself while watching video. YES Network’s Jack Curry reported that the Yankees landed Angel Chivilli, a right-handed reliever, from the Colorado Rockies, sending Triple-A first baseman T.J. Rumfield in return to Denver. The Yankees have since confirmed the trade, with the team designating recent waiver claim outfielder Michael Siani for assignment as the corresponding 40-man roster move. Rumfield had been with the organization since being traded from the Phillies in December 2021 for Nick Nelson, but he had topped out at Scranton and Ben Rice firmly passed him on the first base depth chart.

Immediately looking at Chivilli, the 23-year-old has yet to post positive value in The Show since coming up in June 2024. He notched a 7.06 ERA and 6.03 FIP last year in 43 appearances, “good” for a -0.7 fWAR. That’s not MLB-caliber!

Still, you can kind of figure out the play here. Chivilli will sit 97 mph with his four-seam fastball, and that will play in any bullpen if you can command it. While he did manage a ground-ball rate over 50 percent last year, which is good, command of that fastball needs to be one of the first things for pitching coach Matt Blake to work on:

You can’t throw fastballs there no matter what ballpark you play in, but 97 on the black becomes quite nasty. Fixing that fastball location is job no. 1, and probably the overall key to making Chivilli a real weapon.

Job no. 2 though might actually be a little easier. One of the problems with pitching at Coors Field is the thin air reduces the amount that pitches break, and Chivilli throws a real hard slider at 90 mph and notched a 42-percent whiff rate on his changeup last year.

Simply moving closer to sea level should help those pitches break more, and all of a sudden the Yankees have a 24-year-old with multiple secondary offerings.

None of this is destiny, the work needs to get done, and even then young pitchers shatter all the time. Still, you can see why Angel Chivilli is a tempting project for a pitching lab that’s seen as much success as Blake’s has, and he immediately becomes one of the more intriguing players to watch in spring training with spots in the big-league bullpen seemingly available.

There are a few things, perhaps two things, so potent in their nostalgia that I feel discomforted by them. I can’t quite pin down the emotion. Or emotions. And I don’t know that I can explain it, either. Perhaps what is so uncomfortable to me about them is the contradictory nature of the sensation. Bittersweet, brimming with memories and emotions, but empty. So vivid in the mind, but not in the world. It’s one of the most unique feelings I’ve ever felt. I still don’t quite know if I like it or not. 

One of these antecedents, if you will, is Pokémon. Particularly, the original anime. That was, perhaps, my very first hyperfixation, which in hindsight makes it unsurprising that I allegedly learned how to read by playing Pokémon Blue. Watching the original anime always makes me flashback to childhood, and gives me that ineffable feeling I’m struggling to describe. And that other thing, or antecedent? It’s, of course, the Mariners.

Yesterday, the Mariners announced that their longtime radio voice, Rick Rizzs, would be retiring following the 2026 season. It’ll mark his 41st year with the Mariners, and the 50th season for the franchise. That means that 82% of the Mariners’ existence has been commentated by Rizzs, and that he’s done the same for 100% of my life. The Mariners quoted Rizzs as saying, “Calling Mariners has been the highlight of my life.” Little does he know, it’s been the highlight of mine, too. 

Given what I’m piecing together, I figure that the beginning of my sports consciousness was around 2000. As far as timing goes, it doesn’t hurt to spawn in for a playoff season, and one season before what is the first- or second-best single season of all-time. My first memory at then-Safeco Field is being up in the nosebleeds when Alex Rodriguez got a concussion and sprained his knee trying to break up a double play where, ironically enough, Joey Cora kneed him in the face jumping over him. I figure that Rizzs was somewhere right below me, calling the game from the booth. 

Most of my early memories are sports-related – many of which occur in the context of my living room. And almost all of them include my dad. When I first started writing for Lookout Landing, Matthew Roberson had me on the podcast, and one of the things I told him was that my single-favorite memory (really, a collection of memories) from my childhood was a near-daily ritual with my dad. One in which he would get home from his job after making the long commute to and from work, where he would toil for 10 or 12 hours as a welder. He’d get home and plop onto the couch, and I’d wrench off his heavy work boots. We’d turn on the Mariners game, and he’d scratch my back until he’d inevitably fall asleep, which, unless John Halama was pitching, usually wasn’t before the exit of a Mariners starting pitcher. In the background would be the reliable cadence of Rizzs, or Dave Niehaus.

My dad and I would pile into his 1990-something gold Toyota 4Runner on brisk autumn mornings on my way to preschool. I remember the way that he would masterfully balance a full mug of piping hot coffee while managing to juggle between the steering wheel and shifter. As steam billowed from his mug, the smell of hazelnut Coffee mate creamer and the sound of Seattle talk radio would both permeate the cold air of the 4Runner. There would inevitably be a soundbite from one of Rizzs’ signature calls from the previous night, in which he was likely borrowing a Niehausism, or using one of his own catchphrases. At night, on the way home from family events or working at our family shop, I remember the slow crawls from Georgetown in my dad’s Toyota T100. There was always the red hue of brake lights filling up the car, and the crackle of Rizzs’ steady, familiar voice over the radio, hissing in tunnels and under bridges.

I suppose it wasn’t until writing this that I realized that my fondness for the Mariners is, of course, intertwined with Rick Rizzs, but also with my dad. Some of the fondest memories of my life have been spent at the ballpark, on my couch, and in the 4Runner or T100. All with my dad, and most, or all of them, with Rizzs. There’s a beginning and an end to everything. You only notice the best and worst of them, and Rizzs’ retirement represents the end of something really special. It makes me think about mortality, and the impermanence of everything. Therein lies the contradiction, and what this ineffable, nostalgic feeling derives from: cherishing all of the good moments and memories, while also mourning them, and also the ones that won’t come, after 2026. 

During the pandemic, I wrote about Félix Hernández and grief. I reflected on how Félix and I had both changed quite a bit over the years. Things continue to change. After the biggest year-to-year jump on a Hall of Fame ballot of all time, now it seems like a matter of when, not if, he’ll be in the Hall.

For Rizzs, I figure we ought to have the same sort of conversation. There’s no Hall of Fame for announcers. The highest honor a baseball announcer can receive is the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award, given to broadcasters for their “major contributions to baseball.” The list of Ford C. Frick Award recipients could probably double as a list of the greatest MLB announcers of all time. Our beloved Dave Niehaus won it in 2008, and fellow GOATs Vin Scully and Bob Uecker are on the list too, though, if you ask me, its merits are certainly watered down by the likes of Hawk Harrelson – and, as of a month ago, literally Joe Buck – receiving the award. I digress.

In many ways, the Mariners are one of the most unfortunate sports franchises of all time. But with Rizzs and Niehaus, we were spoiled with two people who could make the most fucked up of rosters not only watchable, and not only enjoyable, but cherishable. And for the entirety of their careers, that they did. We never got to give a proper goodbye to Dave, because he passed away at the age of 75, in between seasons he was meant to commentate full-time. At the age of 72, after 51 years of calling professional baseball, and 40 years with the Mariners, we have the opportunity to do what I would say we never got to do with Dave. Rizzs can get his farewell tour, and we can give him his flowers. And though we’ll miss him, he can enjoy the rest of his storied life with his family, rather than prepping meticulously for games and spending two to three hours a day creating the most vivid imagery of a baseball game that even the dullest of minds can conjure. 

If we’re to consider Rizzs’ major contributions to MLB, they are many. He, of course, can be considered on his own merits, but no one has continued the legacy of Dave Niehaus more than Rizzs. Every grand slam, and many home runs, have become an homage from Rizzs to Niehaus, but with his own flair and, of course, with his own catchphrases of his own. 

There’s also that, as the longest-tenured broadcaster in franchise history, Rizzs has truly, genuinely become the voice of the Mariners. I suppose in some ways, what I’m writing now isn’t different from what I wrote about Félix. Félix had been part of my life since I was in fourth grade. But Rizzs has been part of my life before I even knew he was. Perhaps in part because of Niehaus’ greatness, and in part because of the Mariners’ badness, Rizzs has sparsely been able to shine under the bright lights that we know he’s capable of. Luckily, this recent crop of rosters has lent itself to more playoff-caliber baseball, and that’s meant more opportunities for Rizzs to shine, and an environment much more suitable for him to leave on: on top. 

To Rick Rizzs: I know I speak for all of Seattle Mariners fans when I say that you, along with many others, have made our fandom. Know that you’ve made us, and your good friend Dave, very, very proud, and we’re excited for you to make the most of your final season, and to have more of your cherished time spent with your grandkids. Congratulations on retiring on such a high note, and thanks for everything. Thanks for being the sound of my childhood. 

The Dodgers’ two biggest needs this offseason were bullpen help and outfield production, and they went and signed the two best free agents at those positions in Edwin Díazand Kyle Tucker, each contract setting records for average annual value.

With Tucker the lineup looks much deeper, and can be considered stacked even for a Dodgers team that has finished first or second in the National League in both runs scored and wRC+ in each of the last eight seasons.

But after signing Tucker, what moves remain for the Dodgers, with pitchers and catchers having their first workout at Camelback Ranch on February 13?

“There’s some things, but I think in terms of more seismic changes, It feels pretty well set,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said at Tucker’s introductory press conference last week. “There are still a few things we’re kicking around, and conversations that have been going for a bit that we’re going to continue to look at, try to enhance and build up depth.”

Let’s take a look at the current roster to see where some of those depth needs might arise.

Position players

Lineup locks (9): Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith, Freddie Freeman, Tommy Edman, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages, Kyle Tucker

Bench locks (3): Miguel Rojas, Andy Ibáñez, Dalton Rushing

Depth with options (4): LF/RF Alex Call, 2B/SS/CF Hyeseong Kim, SS/3B/2B Alex Freeland, LF/RF/1B Ryan Ward

The caveat here is we aren’t yet sure of Tommy Edman’s readiness at the start of the season after his November right ankle surgery. There’s room for one more position player on the active roster, and someone who can play the outfield will almost certainly fill that spot. Alex Call is probably the in-house favorite at the moment, but there’s always room for yet another reunion with Kiké Hernández, who is coming off left elbow surgery of his own.

Pitchers

Rotation locks (5+1): Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Shohei Ohtani, Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki

Bullpen locks & can’t be sent down (6): Edwin Díaz, Tanner Scott, Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia, Anthony Banda, Brusdar Graterol

Injured list (1): Brock Stewart

Starting depth (5): Gavin Stone, River Ryan, Ben Casparius, Justin Wrobleski, Landon Knack

Right-handed reliever depth (5): Will Klein, Edgardo Henriquez, Kyle Hurt, Bobby Miller, Paul Gervase

Left-handed reliever depth (2): Jack Dreyer, Ronan Kopp

Graterol had shoulder surgery after the 2024 season and did not pitch in 2025, so his readiness for the start of 2026 is at least somewhat in question, though he’s expected to be ready to go at the start of spring training. The Dodgers will have at least two and maybe three active roster spots to fill on the pitching side.

Gavin Stone and River Ryan are intriguing rotation options after coming off major surgeries and not pitching at all last year.

Ben Casparius and Justin Wrobleski have gotten extended roster runs in hybrid roles. Jack Dreyer was active for all of last season. With Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, and Anthony Banda, the Dodgers already have three left-handers in the bullpen. Do they add another for a half-southpaw pen?

The point here is, at the moment, the Dodgers have functional depth, with so many pitchers who could be optioned if needed, and two potential roster spots that can used for swapping as needed. Adding another reliever wouldn’t be much of a surprise, even if it limits that depth somewhat.

In somewhat the same mold as a Kiké Hernández return, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if the Dodgers find a way to bring back Evan Phillips, who will miss the first half or so of this season after Tommy John surgery last June. But that would be more for later in the season, and wouldn’t necessarily preclude adding another reliever as well.