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Tarik Skubal is not going to sign a multi year contract extension with the Detroit Tigers from a purely financial standpoint. Even if he’d had interest the time for that was sometime in the past two offseasons, and frankly neither party expressed any real interest in doing so. As the reigning two time Cy Young winner, “the best pitcher in baseball”, and a free agent after the 2026 season. Skubal is in a position to command both the highest dollar value and the highest average annual salary that any pitcher, has ever received, probably $350 million or more as we demonstrate below.

To figure out how much it would take to sign Skubal to a multi year contract, just skip directly to the top of the list of pitchers’ salaries all time. Look at total dollars and average annual salary (AAV).

While there are no pitchers among the list of MLB’s ten highest total contracts, the most money given to a pitcher is the Dodgers’ Yoshinobu Yamomoto, who signed a contract for $325 million to be paid over 12 seasons, 2024 through 2035. The Dodgers also paid a posting fee of more than $50 million to NPB, the Japanese professional baseball league. 

Following is a short list of the ten highest total value contracts given to pitchers in MLB history:

Only two pitchers in MLB history have signed contracts with a total value more than $250 million. (We’re excluding Shohei Ohtani who is much, much more than a pitcher.

Only three pitchers have signed contracts with a total value more than $218 million. Only one of them in the past five seasons, and his salary is spread out over twelve seasons.

Still, Tarik Skubal is expected to command a total value contract that will push the highest numbers ever paid to a pitcher.

While Yamomoto holds the record for the highest total salary, his AAV ranks 51st all time among players in MLB and 15th among pitchers, because it’s averaged over 12 seasons. Whether he will actually pitch 12 seasons remains to be seen.

Following is a chart showing the ten highest average annual value contracts (AAV’s) paid to pitchers in MLB history.

Shohei Ohtani tops the list once again, but we’re going to discount his contract since he was signed primarily as a hitter who can also pitch. Yes, he’s a very good pitcher, too. Ohtani’s total value is adjusted here for deferred salary.

The highest average annual value paid to pitcher(s) was given to two former Tigers, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, who received $43,333, 333 salaries. Scherzer signed a three year deal and Verlander two years both with the Mets. The Philadelphia Phillies paid Zack Wheeler $42 million apiece for four seasons. Next on the list, at No 10 overall is Framber Valdez at $38.5 million, on a potential four year contract though the final two years are a player option in 2028 for Valdez, and a mutual option for 2029.

The only contracts that topped $40 million were for two to four seasons, excluding Ohtani. Skubal figures to change that as well.

There is only one contract among those 34M or more with a total value above 245 million, and that is the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole. The next highest is the Nationals’ Steven Strasburg at 35M for 7 years. Both of these deals were signed in 2020. Skubal promises to top both the highest AAV and the total dollar value for a free agent pitcher.

Skubal’s contract as a free agent, and therefore any contract he would sign before becoming a free agent, could threaten to break the AAV record, but only if it turned out to be a relatively short term contract. Think more like 8- 10 seasons at an annual salary above $43.33 million. Not that he is expected to pitch ten more healthy seasons, although he might, but teams like to spread out the term of contracts, assuming the long term risks while deferring salary. The Dodgers have made a policy of long-term deferred money, and with a new CBA coming, the brief window of free agency before an impending lockout might be their last big bite at the deferral apple. For some teams, that could also mean avoiding tax consequences through deferred money as well.

THE COST TO RESIGN SKUBAL

Start at 8 years x 43.333 + or about $350 million. Agent Scott Boras was reortedly dialed in on a $400 million contract, but that was before he needed surgery to remove bone chips earlier this season. $350 million is just the starting point if the Tigers were to make an offer.

REASONS TO STAY IN DETROIT

Skubal has little to gain by signing an extension with the Tigers unless the contract will pay him similar to what he would receive as a free agent one season later.  There are a couple of perks in staying with Detroit, though.

• In order to reach free agency, he must survive the season and remain healthy. A serious injury could derail his plans and significantly lower expectations for a free agent contract.
• Commissioner Manfred and MLB owners are poised to shut down the game just as Skubal is set to hit free agency, in their never ending quest for a salary cap, which they know very well the players will never agree to.  If it plays out like the last lockout, there will be a signing freeze for  much of the winter and into the 2027 season.
• In a related matter, Manfred has suggested that the owners could be looking for an individual salary cap that would affect only the very highest paid players. Presumably, there would have to be some offset at the lower end of the pay scale to get players to accept such a deal. MLB’s initial proposal to the players is that free agent contracts would be limited to five years for players changing teams and six years to remain with their current team. Any new rules may be phased in after a year or so.
• Skubal is familiar with Detroit and the Tigers’ organization. Whether there is enough warmth to tilt the talks in favor of staying with the club is another question. Maybe even enough to break a tie?  So far, all signs point to him testing the market.

On the flip side of the coin, the biggest contracts result from a bidding war between the games billionaire owners, each wanting to “win” the contract battle. Skubal’s agent, Scott Boras, very rarely signs extensions that deprive his clients of the free agent experience.  His modus operandi is to create leverage in competitive bidding between clubs, not being shy to let owners know – often directly through the media — that they’re being out bid by other owners. He has negotiated some of the richest contracts in sports history.

SERVICE TIME

The highest salary given to a pitcher with five plus seasons of service time was the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw, who signed a seven year contract worth $215 million to stay in Los Angeles. After that, Luis Castillo signed a five year contract worth $108 million, an AAV of 21.6 M with Seattle.

Skubal himself has the record for the highest arbitration award at $32 million and that is also the highest AAV given to any pitcher prior to free agency.

There aren’t examples of pitchers signing extensions with just one season left before free agency, or at least not in the range of Skubal’s expectations. Again, no surprise here. He’s going to test free agency.

IF THE TIGERS KEEP SKUBAL

If the Tigers don’t trade Skubal and they are unable to sign him to an extension, they would surely make a qualifying offer in November, still under the terms of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, which projects to be about $22 million, and he would decline that offer and opt for free agency. Once he signs a contract with a total value of more than $50 million, the Tigers would receive a compensatory draft pick after the first round. So add up the value of Detroit having Skubal for the playoff run and the playoffs, plus the supplemental first round pick, for the Tigers to consider a trade.

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

There is one critical factor that needs to be addressed, and everyone knows what it is. Pitchers get injured. The highest paid pitchers notoriously seem to wind up getting injured. So when a club signs a player for 8 years or 10 years, they pretty much know that they’re not going to get 8 to 10 healthy seasons of performance. And yet, pitching is what wins championships. Of course, it takes hitting as well, but the quest for front line starting pitching is a feature of every contender, in every off season, and again at every trade deadline.

• Gerrit Cole has made 125 starts as a Yankee, but missed the entire 2025 season with Tommy John surgery and returned in May, 2026 after missing 569 days.
• Steven Strasburg made just 8 starts for the Nationals since signing his $245 million contract
• David Price averaged 24.5 starts for the Red Sox in the first four seasons of his seven year contract, but then just 11 starts in the final three seasons since he was traded to the Dodgers, mainly as a salary dump for LA to get Mookie Betts.
• Corbin Burnes made just 11 starts in his first season of a $210M contract with Arizona
• Jacob deGrom made just 9 starts total in his first two seasons of a four year contract with Texas. He made 30 starts in 2025 as he now enters the final year of the deal at age 38.
• That’s five of the ten biggest contracts. Others on the list have been healthy and mostly productive, but the risk of injuries with pitchers looms large. A small to mid market club could be wiped out with such a large contract on the books and getting no value on the field.

The Tigers gave the 10th largest contract by average salary to Framber Valdez at 38.5 million per season, but that was for just three seasons. The salary is obviously not a deterrent, but the number of seasons at such a high salary is just too rich for them. That is something we could only speculate, but as they didn’t make any aggressive push for an extension, there’s no reason to expect anything but Skubal and Boras testing the free agent market and establishing a new bar for top pitching contracts. Depending on how the CBA negotations turn out, the new ruleset, with a proposed hard cap and floor involved, that bar may never be approached again, but it’s still hard to believe that the players’ union will ever agree to a hard salary cap.

When Jason Adam went down with a right shoulder strain, it left the Friar Faithful wondering what else could go wrong for the San Diego Padres. No team can afford to lose a key setup reliever and expect to play winning baseball. 

Everyone began speculating about the team’s next move to replace a valuable member in the bullpen. The Padres did not turn to a veteran reliever; instead, they called up Bradgley Rodriguez. He provided early-season depth options for a team with issues in its starting rotation.

Rodriguez was an early-season success

Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove open the season on the Injured List. It was apparent the team’s rotation depth would be challenged in 2026. The back end of the bullpen would play a role in bridging the gap between a starting pitcher’s struggles to preserve a lead and the use of baseball’s premier relievers. 

Rodriguez was ticketed for this bullpen role after having an outstanding spring training. Quickly, he showed his versatility, as Rodriguez was used as an opener on a bulk-pitching day. Also, he opened some eyes by throwing multiple innings to limit the damage after another poor start from the rotation.

However, the organization viewed Rodriguez as an option for an expanded bullpen role. They sent him back to Triple-A to become a complete pitcher.

Rediscovering his pitching repertoire

Rodriguez worked on finding a good mix among his changeup, heavy sinker, and four-seamer. It has allowed him to rediscover his entire pitching repertoire. He posted a 3.14 ERA across 14.1 innings pitched in 15 appearances before his promotion back to the majors. 

He throws his changeup at 41.4%, his sinker at 26.8%, and the four-seamer at 23.2%. His repertoire keeps the hitters guessing, as Rodriguez throws his changeup in the low 90s. Often, they’re looking for a four-seamer coming in the high 90s. Instead, they hit on top of the ball for a groundout.

Rodriguez has done an excellent job of avoiding hard contact in his rookie season. He has given up only one home run in 39.0 innings pitched, as his hard-hit percentage (30.6%) is well below the league average (40.4%) this season. Opposing teams are hitting .202 against him.

Rodriguez has gained Stammen’s trust

Since his call-up, Padres manager Craig Stammen began using Rodriguez in the middle innings before bringing him in the seventh inning with multiple runners on base. He passed those high-leverage situations with flying colors. It won’t be long before Stammen uses Rodriguez in the setup role for closer Mason Miller.

The lone question remaining is whether his performance level is sustainable. Rodriguez is a rookie who has registered 39.0 innings pitched this season. His career minor league high mark is 46.2 innings pitched, so the Friars will need to monitor his usage in the second half. 

However, no one will complain if he continues to have strong outings. 

In an otherwise forgettable season, the emergence of Rodriguez as a quality setup reliever could be the highlight of the 2026 campaign. 

On Day Two of the draft, the Astros made sixteen selections. Below is some information on the picks.

You can see all the picks here: https://www.mlb.com/draft/tracker

On Day Two of the draft, the Astros made sixteen selections. They started the day going back to back to back pitchers in the 5th, 6th and 7th rounds. Gavin Eddy was the Astros 5th rounder and he had a 2.87 ERA this season for Cal while pumping mid 90s heaters and a strong breaking ball. In the 6th they took Michael Addari out of Illinois State. He posted a 2.27 ERA with 73 K over 67.1 innings. The 7th round selection was Bryan Carney out of University of Olivet. He was dominant there posting a 1.35 ERA with 122 strikeouts over 73.1 innings. The thing that stood out about all three of these selections is all of them were at least 6-5 and had above average extension, a trait the Astros clearly value.

The Astros went with a couple of position players with their next picks selecting Aaron Piasecki in the 8th and Ryan Pruitt in the 9th. Piasecki was great for Troy hitting .337 with 10 home runs and elite contact rates. Pruitt, out of South Florida, appears to be another prospects with speed and contact skills. They ended the first half of the draft getting right-hander Taz Butler out of Kansas State.

In the 11th round, the Astros took a swing on a junior college pitcher Peyton Fiene out of Odessa Junior College. He has a big time arm touching 96 mph while also adding three solid off-speed pitches. He is only 20 years old and has a huge ceiling. In the 12th they got an outfielder in Owen Nowak, who was dominant for Middle Tennessee State hitting .316 with a ridiculous 36 walks to just 11 strikeouts over 57 games.

The Astros took a big swing in the 13th round selecting shortstop Jack Beck out of Columbia Central HS in Tennessee. He had a breakout combine where he showed off his plus raw power connecting on 21 balls over 100 mph (113 mph max) and hitting the longest home run at 466 feet. He has huge upside. In the 14th round they took a right-hander in Brady Thomas who is 6-5 and hit and pitched for Jacksonville State.

They took another top prep prospect in the 15th in James Tronstein who also possesses excellent tools, though he might be a fall back option in case the other don’t sign as he has a strong commitment to Vanderbilt. The Astros took their first catcher in the 16th round, though he played right field too, in Rashawn Galloway. He has some monster pope and had a nice season for Texas State hitting .318 with 27 doubles and 12 home runs for the Bobcats. In the 17th they selected Ben Tyron from Dallas Baptist, another infielder with good walk to strikeout ratio and some sneaky pop.

The Astros continued their run on position players taking Petey Soto in the 18th round out of Utah Tech. Soto is a slick defender who hit .347 with 6 home runs and 13 stolen bases over 59 games. They took another catcher in the 19th in Noah Miller out of Michigan. His playing time was sparse but he was a big time prospect coming out of high school. They concluded their draft selecting Mick Uebelhor out of Western Kentucky. He pitched in relief in college and struck out 59 batters over 44.2 innings while posting a 3.43 ERA.

With All-Star festivities kicking into high gear, we continue our series featuring 2x MVP Dale Murphy.  Murphy would play 15 seasons for the Braves, with half of those resulting in All-Star Game selections.     

In the 80’s only one player hit more home runs than Dale, that being Mike Schmidt.    Dale Murphy joins us exclusively at The Crawfish Boxes.    

Q:  It was almost a given back in that era that you’d be selected by the fans.  You appeared in 7 All Star games in the 1980’s.  What do you remember about that 1986 game?

A:  What’s funny is that for that particular year and game at the Astrodome, my stats weren’t really that good so I kind of felt weird about starting that game.     But you mentioned the fans, they voted me in as a starter.  It was always an honor.    

Q:  You got to face Roger Clemens, who was appearing in his first All-Star Game and was in the zone.  What do you remember about that confrontation? 

A:  I only saw one pitch from Clemens as I remember, and I grounded out to short.     I had two at bats that night, and then Chili Davis came in for me.  

My second at bat was against Higuera.  I actually told Whitey Herzog that I was good with just the one at bat, but he kept me in.   

Q:  Historically though, you had some big games in the Dome.  That night was the exception to the rule.  Did you like playing at the Astrodome?

A:       I’m not sure I could say I ever fully enjoyed playing in the Astrodome though (laughs).    Playing there was always tough and it was a credit to those Astros teams.    Facing the likes of Nolan, Scott and J.R. it didn’t get tougher than that in the mid-eighties.  

Plus, the dome had a problem with the ceiling.    If you weren’t careful, it would be hard to pick up a fly ball in the outfield.    

Q:  What was the coolest thing about that night?    

A:  Far and away getting to meet at the time Vice President Bush before the game.   He came through the club house and all of us had a chance to speak to him.  That was really special.    

Q:  What’s life like for you now?

A:  I’m no longer chasing fly balls; I’m chasing down my grandkids here in Atlanta.    (laughs)

(54-39) Memphis Redbirds 2, (46-45) Gwinnett Stripers 7

• Patrick Clohisy, CF: 4-for-5, RBI, R, SB, .275/.356/.465
• Rowdy Tellez, 1B: 2-for-3, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, R, .265/.376/.510
• Cal Conley, 2B: 2-for-2, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB, .278/.326/.443
• Drue Hackenberg, SP: 5IP 1H 1ER 2BB 4K, 4.88 ERA
• Connor Thomas, RP: 1IP 0H 0R 0BB 2K, 1.09 ERA

Box Score

The Stripers extended their winning streak to four games after a well fought game featuring strong pitching and the long ball. Let’s take a look at how the Stripers got it done.

Drue Hackenberg got the start and was extremely strong – allowing just a single hit over five innings of work. His one blemish came in the fourth inning when Hackenberg allowed back-to-back walks before allowing a sacrifice fly to score. Outside of that, Drue was completely in control. Drue featured his two-seam, four-seam, curveball, changeup, while sprinkling in his cutter. After a rough 2025, Drue hasn’t allowed more than four earned runs in a single start and has done a great job of re-establishing his value in the Braves pitching depth chart. After five strong innings the Stripers turned to Elieser Hernández (2IP 0H 0R 0BB 3K) who was just as strong – getting through two perfect innings as he leaned heavily on his four-seam and cutter. Following Elieser was Connor Thomas who was also absolutely fantastic as he absolutely pounded the zone with 9 strikes on 10 pitches while recording two strikeouts. Closing out the game, with the game pretty firmly in hand, was Anthony Molina (1IP 2H 1ER 0BB 1K) who allowed a run to score while inducing a double play.

Offensively, the recipe for success was a lot like the last game as Patrick Clohisy and Rowdy Tellez continued to show out. Fast forwarding to the fourth inning, the Stripers found themselves down 1-0, before loading the bases when Patrick Clohisy tied the game with an RBI single. Two batters later Rowdy Tellez drove in two with a two RBI single. One inning later, Cal Conley connected on his second home run of the seasons driving in Aaron Schunk and DaShawn Keirsey Jr., extending the Stripers lead to 6-1. One inning later it was once again Rowdy Tellez who drove in the last run of the game for the Stripers with this absolute bomb of a home run coming in at 110.4 MPH and going 430’ – extending his streak to three straight games with a home run.

(32-55) Birmingham Barons 4, (40-42) Columbus Clingstones 7

• Jordan Groshans, 3B: 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, .266/.345/.549
• Archer Brookman, C: 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, R, .248/.344/.400
• Luke Waddell, SS: 1-for-3, 2 R, RBI, .208/.314/.321
• Cedric de Grandpre, SP: 6IP 3H 1ER 0BB 7K, 4.12 ERA
• Luis Vargas, RP: 1.2IP 0H 0R 1BB 3K, 4.65 ERA

Box Score

The suddenly surging Columbus Clingstones picked up their seventh win in their last 10 games with another strong starting pitching performance, and timely hitting.

Cedric de Grandpre got the start for the Clingstones and was absolutely dynamic – striking out seven across six innings of work. Cedric continued to utilize his four-seam/two-seam/cutter fastball repertoire to great success as he never really ran into much trouble in the start. His only blemish cam in the third inning when he allowed a run scoring single with two outs. After that, Cedric would retire the next ten hitters to get the Clingstones through six innings. He would be replaced by Braden Scott (0.1IP 4H 3ER 0BB 1K), making his Clingstones debut, and he struggled – allowing back-to-back singles before eventually surrendering a three run home run and another single. He would be replaced by Luis Vargas (1.2IP 0H 0R 1BB 3K) who was the opposite, immediately retiring the first two batters he saw to end the threat, before striking out the side in his next inning of work. Isaac Gallegos (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 1K) picked up his first save of the season for the Clingstones with a perfect ninth.

Offensively, it was Jordan Groshans who got the fun started for the Clingstones very early on – hitting a two run home run in the first.

This was Jordan’s 17th home run of the season which has been one of the best of his career, and has been an absolutely fantastic signing for the organization. Logan Braunschweig would drive in the third run of the game for the Clingstones in the fourth inning with an RBI single that drove in Will Verdung to extend the Clingstones lead to 3-1. They would tack on an additional three runs in the fifth inning highlighted by an Archer Brookman two run home run. The final run of the game for the Clingstones came in the seventh inning with a Drew Compton RBI single that drove in Luke Waddell.

As a team the Clingstones went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position, stranding seven on base.

(42-42) Rome Emperors 7, (41-44) Hudson Valley Renegades 4

• Tate Southisene, SS: 3-for-5, 3B, 2 RBI, 2 R, .234/.375/.423
• Eric Hartman, CF: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, .281/.359/.543
• Owen Carey, LF: 2-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI, R, .259/.327/.456
• Dallas Macias, RF: 1-for-2, RBI, R, 2 BB, .156/.200/.469
• Aiven Cabral, SP: 5IP 2H 0R 0BB 5K, 0.67 ERA

Box Score

The Aiven Cabral show continued, while Tate Southisene got it going offensively in a thrilling victory for the Rome Emperors.

Cabral did what he has done all year, absolutely pounding the zone with his pitch mix and allowing just two hits across five innings, while striking out five. Outside of a third inning double Aiven was in complete control of the game. He was efficient as he needed just 63 pitches to get through his outing. On the season Aiven has now made 15 appearances across two levels, and his ERA is now a ridiculous 1.88 on the season, with a WHIP of 0.99. Even without a standout pitch, he lives in the zone and induces a ton of weak contact with all three of his pitches. He was replaced by Tyler Schoff (1.1IP 3H 4ER 3BB 0K) who struggled in his fourth appearance for the Emperors. Brody Fowler (1.2IP 0H 0R 2BB 4K) , the Braves 17th round pick from 2025, had one of his best outings of his careers – striking out four across 1.2 innings of work. Justin Long (1IP 0H 0R 0BB 1K) picked up his third save of the season with a perfect inning of work.

The fun got started early for the Emperors as John Gil walked, and stole his 38th base of the season, before Owen Carey connected on his sixth home run of the season – giving the Emperors a 2-0 lead.

They would be held scoreless until the seventh inning when Dallas Macias drove in Dixon Williams to push the Emperors lead to two runs, at 3-1. One inning later, the Emperors found themselves down and it was once again Owen Carey that came up with the big hit – this time a run scoring single that drove in Tate Southisene, to tie the game at 4-4. One inning later it was Tate Southisene’s time to shine as he drove in two on his second triple since joining the Rome Emperors.

After John Gil struck out, Eric Hartman drove in Tate on a laser double to right field to extend the lead to 7-4.

(49-36) Hickory Crawdads 7, (48-39) Augusta GreenJackets 0

• Tanner Smith, C: 1-for-3, BB, .258/.324/.495
• Juan Mateo, 2B: 1-for-4, .261/.333/.353
• Luis Guanipa, CF: 0-for-4, .303/.360/.459
• Conor Essenburg, RF: 1-for-3, BB, .254/.398/.457
• Kendy Richard, SP: 4IP 4H 3ER 1BB 2K, 6.36 ERA

Box Score

The GreenJackets fell, running into the buzzsaw that is Evan Siary, in a shutout loss to the Crawdads.

Kendy Richard got the start for the GreenJackets and was OK, allowing three earned runs across four innings of work while giving up a pair of home runs. Kendy has an up-and-down season, finding more success coming out of the bullpen, but overall did enough to keep the GreenJackets in the game. He was replaced by Luis Arestigueta (3.2IP 3H 3ER 2BB 0K) who has had a very odd 2026. After having strong success to start his career, Luis has found himself moving between Augusta and the FCL Braves as he’s struggled to generate whiffs and consistently find the zone. To his credit, Luis did allow just three earned runs while providing some length so it was a step in the right direction but it still has been a rough 2026 in a year he had some loftier expectations. Cristobal Abreu (1.1IP 2H 1ER 0BB 1K) worked the final stretch of the game and allowed one earned run over his inning+ of work.

Offensively it was a complete struggle as the GreenJackets had just two opportunities with runners in scoring position the entire game, to which they unfortunately went 0-for-2. The top four of the lineup (Guanipa, Essenburg, Lodise, Miller) went a combined 0-for-15, with Essenburg drawing a walk, but the totality of the group striking out seven times. The pitching hero from two games ago, shortstop Joe Olsavsky, was the only hitter to not strike out, as he and Tanner Smith were the only two players to reach base twice.

Carson Wiggins. Aiden Robbins. Shane Sdao. You might not remember any of their names in five years, but there’s always a chance one of these newly-drafted Mets could be the next David Wright, or Jacob deGrom, or Pete Alonso, or Pete Crow-Armstrong—well, hopefully not that last one, for the sake of fans’ collective sanity.

It can feel impossible to parse through the projections of power and stuff, the anecdotes about players’ mature mindsets, the nuance of whether the difference between a 60-grade tool or a 65-grade tool actually matters when measured on an already-confusing 20-80 scale for evaluating draftees. It can feel pointless and romantic, especially when players are likely years away from having an impact at the major league level. But if this season has shown any bright spot, it’s that homegrown talent can still be a spark in dark times. Perhaps one of these newest Mets prospects may at least prove to be the next burst of youth on the horizon, if not the next franchise legend.

It’s in the spirit of romantic optimism that we take a journey through memory lane to visit the top 10 players drafted and signed by the Mets, according to bWAR. Note that this criteria includes total career bWAR, not just bWAR as a member of the Mets, and that it excludes players who may have been selected by the Mets but didn’t sign with them. Without further ado, here is the list…

10. PETE ALONSO (25.2 bWAR) – 2016, 2nd round, 64th overall

The Gator was the Mets’ third selection in the 2016 draft, after first-round pitchers Justin Dunn and Anthony Kay. Dunn was traded to the Mariners in the Edwin Díaz deal, while Kay was dealt to the Blue Jays the following summer in a Deadline deal for Marcus Stroman. But Alonso stayed — at least through 2025 — and became a five-time All-Star, two-time Home Run Derby champ, Rookie of the Year, Silver Slugger, and the franchise’s all-time home run leader with a total of 264.

9. BRANDON NIMMO (27.7 bWAR) – 2011, 1st round, 13th overall

Sandy Alderson kicked off his tenure as the Mets’ general manager with a big swing, selecting an 18-year-old from Wyoming with his first draft pick. Five years later, Nimmo made his big-league debut, and ten years after that he remains a valuable player as a veteran with the Rangers. Nimmo is one of just three players since 2000 to play a decade in orange and blue, along with fellow homegrown Mets David Wright and José Reyes. Nimmo is also the all-time leader in games played, home runs, runs, RBI, and walks among players born in Wyoming.

8. A.J. BURNETT (28.8 bWAR) – 1995, 8th round, 217th overall

Burnett never actually played for the Mets, as he was traded to the Marlins in the Al Leiter deal as a minor leaguer in 1998. Burnett went on to have a 17-year career, earning just one All-Star selection which came during his 17th season in 2015. His 164 career wins rank fourth among eighth-rounders, behind Charlie Hough (216), Tim Wakefield (200), and Derek Lowe (176). But Burnett is certainly not the most infamous Mets draft pick to have been traded early in a decorated career (more on that later in the list). The only other pitchers the Mets have selected in the eighth round who made it to the big leagues are Tylor Megill, who was taken in the 2018 draft, and Mike Vasil — the White Sox’ magic man who was originally selected by the Mets in 2021.

7. JON MATLACK (39.4 bWAR) – 1967, 1st round, 4th overall

The most productive left-handed-pitcher drafted and signed by the Mets according to bWAR, Matlack earned three All-Star selections and a Rookie of the Year Award during his seven seasons in New York. In the 1973 postseason, he tossed 25 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run (Weaver-esque) while allowing just eight hits before eventually taking the loss in Game 7 of the World Series. The following season, Matlack put up a 2.41 ERA in 265.1 innings of work, good for a 9.1 bWAR — fifth-most in a season by any Mets pitcher.

6. DARRYL STRAWBERRY (42.2 bWAR) – 1980, 1st round, 1st overall

The Mets have made five No. 1 overall picks in the draft: Steven Chilcott (1966), Tim Foli (1968), Strawberry, Shawn Abner (1984), and Paul Wilson (1994). Chilcott didn’t make the majors. Abner was traded after ’86 in the Kevin McReynolds deal, and ended his career with a negative bWAR. Wilson played one season with the Mets and Foli enjoyed a 16-year big league career, but only Strawberry became a legitimate star. His numbers rank among the best for first-overall picks, with 335 homers (seventh), 221 steals (third), and 1,000 RBI (11th).

5. LENNY DYKSTRA (42.4 bWAR) – 1981, 13th round, 315th overall

Only four 13th-round picks in the history of the draft have more bWAR than Dykstra: Albert Pujols, Jim Thome, Jack Clark, and Steve Finley. He is also one of only three Mets draftees in the 13th-round to record 20+ bWAR, all of whom were left-handed hitters: Dykstra, Darin Erstad (not signed), and Daniel Murphy. It’s possible Alonso or Nimmo surpass Dykstra’s career bWAR total, but as of now, Nails is the second-most valuable position player drafted and signed by the Mets behind…

4. DAVID WRIGHT (49.1 bWAR) – 2001, 1st round, 38th overall

The Mets received a compensatory pick when Mike Hampton departed in free agency following the 2000 season. They made the most of it. Wright is the franchise leader in hits (1,777), runs (949), and RBI (970), and likely the team’s last captain for quite some time. But Wright was actually the Mets’ second pick of the 2001 draft, as right-handed reliever Aaron Heilman was taken 18th overall. It’s safe to say the Mets buried the lede on that one.

3. JACOB DEGROM (49.9 bWAR) – 2010, 9th round, 272nd overall

Originally a shortstop in college, deGrom was never a big-name pitching prospect. He was taken in the ninth round, he underwent Tommy John surgery in the minors, and when he arrived in the majors as a 25-year-old he wasn’t even the most anticipated Mets pitcher to debut that series (recall Rafael Montero). But deGrom made the most of that ninth-round selection, as his 49.9 career bWAR trails only Hall of Famer Fred McGriff among ninth-rounders. Oddly enough, the only other pitcher since 2018 with back-to-back Cy Young Awards was a fellow ninth-round pick: the Tigers’ Tarik Skubal.

2. DWIGHT GOODEN (53.0 bWAR) – 1982, 1st round, 5th overall

It’s hard to hit as resounding a ‘home run’ with two first-round draft picks as the Mets did in the early ’80s with Doc and Darryl. Gooden has the fourth-most pitching bWAR of any pitcher taken within the first five overall picks, behind Justin Verlander (82.3), Kevin Brown (68.2), and Chuck Finley (58.3). He also has the most bWAR of any Mets first-rounder, and the most bWAR as a Metof any pitcher the franchise has drafted. I specify “as a Met”because, well…

1. NOLAN RYAN (81.3 bWAR) – 1965, 12th round, 295th overall

Taken two rounds after the Dodgers selected Tom Seaver in the 1965 draft, 18-year-old Nolan Ryan would become by far the most productive 12th-round pick in draft history, putting up more than three times the bWAR of center fielder Bill North with 26.8 in second-place. Only 3.0 bWAR came with the Mets between the 1966-71, before he was traded to the Angels in a package for Jim Fregosi. Ryan is the only Hall of Famer the Mets have ever selected and signed in the draft. 16 years later, in the 1981 Draft, the Mets selected another pitcher in the 12th round who would end up blowing past Ryan’s career bWAR total. But as history would have it, Roger Clemens remained unsigned until he was taken in the first round by the Red Sox two years later.

Things have not always been pretty for the Yankees of late, but they will go into the All-Star break on a good note. Capping it off on Sunday, the Yankees had a trio of comeback wins over the weekend during their series in DC against the Nationals. There’s still plenty of things they need to do better and have go their way over the rest of the season, but they at least came away with a couple of wins to end the first half.

As that was going on, there were plenty of other games happening around the league, with some also having an impact on the Yankees’ place in the standings. Let’s take a look at how some other AL notables ended their first halves.

Seattle Mariners (48-49) 8, Tampa Bay Rays (58-38) 2

The Yankees managed to gain one full game back before the All-Star break, as three RBI games from J.P. Crawford and Randy Arozarena allowed the Mariners to down the Rays.

Seattle broke things open fairly early into the game. In the second inning, Victor Robles drove home one run on a sacrifice fly before Crawford scored another two with an RBI double. However, they put up an even bigger frame shortly after that. In the fourth, Weston Wilson and Arozarena both went deep, with the latter being a three-run shot.

One big negative for Seattle came when starting pitcher Emerson Hancock was forced to leave the game after 1.2 innings, having gotten hit on the hand by a comebacker. (X-rays later came back negative.) However, the M’s bullpen backed him up very well. Tampa Bay did get two runs back in the eighth thanks to a Jonathan Aranda homer, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Seattle’s bullpen allowed just four hits over the final 7.1 innings to finish things off.

Other Games

• Texas Rangers (49-47) 6, Houston Astros (47-51) 5: Having blown a lead and needing to rally in the eighth, the Rangers then walked it off in the ninth on a Brandon Nimmo single. Texas held leads of 3-0 and 4-1, only for the Astros to chip away and then take a lead on a Cam Smith homer in the top of the eighth. However, Kyle Highashioka hit one to tie the game in the bottom of the inning, allowing Texas to walk away with the win in the following frame.

• Chicago White Sox (50-45) 9, Athletics (41-55) 1: The White Sox’s remarkable rise will see them go into the All-Star break tied atop the AL Central after crushing the A’s. Despite going down 1-0 in the top of the first, the White Sox struck with six in the bottom half of the frame, with Braden Montgomery hitting a three-run home run. It wasn’t much of a contest after that, as Noah Schultz and Chicago’s bullpen didn’t allow a run the rest of the after the first inning.

• Cleveland Guardians (51-46) 5, Miami Marlins (52-45) 2: The White Sox weren’t able to take first all for themselves, though, as the Guardians kept pace on Sunday. Cleveland never trailed in the game as they scored two runs in the top of the first after RBI hits from Brayan Rocchio and Kyle Manzardo. Joey Cantillo was pretty good on the mound for the Guardians, striking out nine while allowing one run in five innings. The Marlins cut into Cleveland’s lead at points, but the Guardians answered back to keep Miami at arm’s length.

Perspective Check: Four teams have more wins than the Cubs, two teams have as many wins as the Cubs. The Cubs enter the All-Star break in the top Wild Card spot. They are now only one loss behind the Braves and five behind the Brewers. They are on pace for 91 wins. A quirk about me, I loathe the All-Star break being the end of the “first half.” Approximately 60 percent of this year’s games have been played. Regardless, the Cubs enter the break playing well and in good position.

Secondary perspective check. As the pendulum swings back and forth, I try to keep us from getting either too high or too low. So we could also note that the Cubs were 27-12 on May 8. They’ve played 57 games since that time. They’ve won 27 more games over that time. But they lost 30. That’s a very long, very mediocre stretch. This cuts both ways. This is that point I’ve made all along. This is what your eyes tell you. This team runs hot and cold. For very long stretches.

This team has a fairly special group of position players and a pretty rough pitching staff. This team is built to reach the playoffs and to be in a decent position, on paper, when they get there. I do not think that their pitching staff will be able to keep up with the damage that will be done to that staff by a talented offensive team. Most of the playoff teams will be talented offensively. It definitely behooves this front office to add real talent at the trade deadline. That’s always a reluctance and prices are high.

I will say, on the one hand, that the silver lining is that it is hard to imagine a healthy pitcher that doesn’t make this staff better. You don’t have to show at the premium store to improve your chances this season. But, are you trying to make sure you get in? Are you trying to win a series or two? Or do you want a parade in November? It’s hard to imagine an intersection of the prospect caliber the Cubs are leading to deal and the kind of haul that would need to be made to have a chance of hoisting a trophy or two.

All of that is probably still a couple of weeks into the future. For now, there was a nice road trip and a solidly B+ first 96 games of baseball. This team definitely shot itself in the foot several times in the first half and was ravaged by injuries. I would hope that this front office spends serious time in the offseason and assesses the causes of this many injuries. I’ve seen some point out that there are an awful lot of injured pitchers for this team that have a track record of being injured. Were those arms properly nurtured? Or were they ridden too hard? Are there things the training staff needs to do better? Does the front office need to de-emphasize the acquisition of these types of players or at least the quantity of these types of players.

Sunday afternoon the Cubs jumped on top early, saw their lead get away, but then bounced back and won a relatively easy one. I like seeing the team weather the adversity. The team accounted for itself well Saturday and Sunday after a couple of rough losses and a slow start Saturday. It looked like the offense was heading back into a funk but they bounced hard. The 2025 Cubs had so much resiliency. We see another one of those indications that something like that is not necessarily a “skill.” They didn’t lose that resiliency in the offseason. Also, it’s easier said than done, but if you want to avoid long losing streaks, hire the best starting rotation in baseball. It’s amazing when you get a decent start every night, how losing streaks don’t really take root. I remember that about the 2003 Cubs. They never really slumped, because they had so much pitching.

Terrific sign of the weekend was Alex Bregman being in the middle of so much of the scoring and hitting a couple of long balls. I thought he hit a few balls on the trip that were really well hit that came up just short of getting out too. So he’s on it pretty good right now. That’s probably the primary reason that I hate to see the break right now. The pitching felt better late in the first half, but I’m sure they can use a reset too. It looks like Jameson Taillon will be an option again shortly, too. Hopefully the time away and time working at the minor league level helps clear some of what has been troubling him too. He did not look major league worthy when last we saw him.

Three Positives:

• Alex Bregman had a three-hit, four RBI day. He scored twice. He had a double and a homer.
• Michael Busch had a couple of doubles early in this one and helped get the scoring going. He drove in one and scored one.
• Kevin Alcántara had a two-run single that felt quite large at the time it occurred. The Cubs had runners on second and third with no outs and bases loaded with one out and then a Dansby Swanson strikeout threatened to have the Cubs come away empty handed, trailing 4-2.
• Obligatory Pete Crow-Armstrong watch: One hit, two walks, and RBI and two runs scored in five plate appearances.

Game 96, July 12: Cubs 8, Reds 4 (54-42)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Alex Bregman (.294). 3-5, HR, 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R
• Hero: Kevin Alcántara (.185). 1-2, 2 RBI
• Sidekick: Michael Busch (.175). 2-4, 2 2B, RBI, R

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Nico Hoerner (-.121). 0-4
• Goat: Pedro Ramírez (-.071). 0-1, BB
• Kid: Carson Kelly (-.065). 0-4, BB, R, DP

WPA Play of the Game: Alex Bregman’s three-run homer in the seventh off of former Cub prospect Pierce Johnson. (.207)

Reds Play of the Game: Eugenio Suárez millionth career home run against the Cubs or something like that. Gave the Reds a two-run lead. (.191)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 95 Winner: Alex Bregman received 51 of 62 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Pete Crow-Armstrong +24
• Carson Kelly +16.5
• Michael Busch +15
• Ben Brown +13.5
• Trent Thornton +12.5
• Phil Maton -10
• Dansby Swanson -11
• Seiya Suzuki -11.5
• Nico Hoerner -12
• Caleb Thielbar -14

Up Next: The All-Star break. Baseball restarts Friday at home against the Twins (48-49). Fangraphs is projecting Shōta Imanaga getting the first game and Matthew Boyd the second. Boyd technically could pitch Friday, but Saturday would be the more typical five days of rest. Fangraphs has the Cubs projected as favorites in five of the six games at home to start post-Break play (Twins and Tigers coming in). It gets tougher after that, so gonna want to start things off hot.

Enjoy the break.

Happy All-Star break to all who celebrate. May we all come away from this refreshed and ready for what awaits us in the next half, which kicks off Friday at home versus the Rangers.

This week is for rest and recovery, but also a secret third R: rehab.

The Braves (55-40) have announced that Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ha-Seong Kim will both begin rehab assignments with the FCL Braves. They play in North Port, Florida at noon today.

Acuña Jr. was placed on the 10-day IL with his second Grade 1 hamstring strain this season on June 10. This one was believed to be milder than the one that kept him on the shelf between May 3 and May 18. Even so, the Braves have understandably erred on the side of caution in not rushing him back.

Kim was placed on the 10-day IL on July 4 with right middle finger inflammation. We don’t need to belabor the season Kim is having, but here’s hoping something about this IL stint does him some good on the path to playing at a Major League level.

More reinforcements are on the way – we will share updates on the statuses of Robert Suarez, Sean Murphy, Mike Yastrzemski, and more once available.