The Chicago Blackhawks have a budding star in Anton Frondell. Through the first 9 games of his 2026-27 season, he has 1 goal and 5 assists for 6 points. He is not going to be a point-per-game player as a rookie, in all likelihood, but he can be among the leading rookies in terms of scoring. Frondell has 15 points in 21 games played, going back to his NHL debut late last season. Right now, he has to be considered in the Calder Trophy race for the league's top rookie.
What makes Frondell an extra special player is his attention to the defensive side of the game. He wants to be as good a two-way player as there is in the NHL. There will be bumps and bruises along the way in his development, but he's already on a great track.
Over the last handful of games, Frondell has been put out there in some incredibly difficult matchups. He's gone up against superstars like Sidney Crosby, Mark Scheifele, and Wyatt Johnston, and he's done a good job against all of them.
"For me, getting trusted in those areas of the game," Frondell said about what he likes most about being in that role. "Playing Crosby was awesome. For me, just a dream. As I said, getting trusted by the coach, going and taking those faceoffs against their top line a couple of times is something I try to do the best way I can."
With Connor Bedard back from injury and everyone else pretty healthy up front, it seems like the Blackhawks have played much better as a unit. The game against Dallas was lousy, but that came after two solid performances against teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins and Winnipeg Jets. Frondell is a big part of that with the skill set he brings.
Frondell alluded to having "a big group" as a reason why they can sustain an injury that could keep a guy out of the lineup for an extended period. He said it's a good feeling.
This is a different environment for Frondell compared to his playing days in Sweden. The systems are different, the people are different, and they play significantly more games in the NHL. According to him, the number of games is the biggest adjustment that has to be made compared to what he had to deal with last year.
"It's more games that we play, the longer season, and how tight the schedule is, compared to Sweden, where we only play 52, and there are 84 [here]," Frondell said." That's probably something I'll notice going forward."
Sometimes, the extra amount of games can cause rookies to hit a wall at certain points of the season. Frondell may not be immune to that, but he is already mentally prepared for that reality. He is more than equipped with the tools needed to get around some of the hardships that come with playing a full NHL schedule.
It won't be long before Frondell is the team's go-to two-way center. Connor Bedard is the guy that you build around because of how unbelievable gifted he is offensively, but Frondell is the type of center needed for big matchups. Having a duo like this will allow them each to get the most out of their abilities.
"He's got a really good ability to check for offense, and he's still just growing and learning," head coach Jeff Blashill said of Frondell. "He's just at the cusp of what he's going to be, and he's still a really young kid."
Coming up are games against teams with more high-end centers to match up against. Some of the opposing coaches will do their best to get those matchups against Bedard, but the Blackhawks, especially at home, will do what they can to get Frondell those assignments as well.
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DETROIT, MICHIGAN - AUGUST 30: Ben Rortvedt #47 of the Los Angeles Dodgers plays against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on August 30, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rortvedt was acquired by the Dodgers while off the 40-man roster at each of the last two trade deadlines, and filled in while both Will Smith and Dalton Rushing were injured in both seasons. Rortvedt even started four postseason games behind the plate in 2025 before Smith was fully ready to return from a broken hand.
Rortvedt was with the Dodgers during workouts and through their postseason run, but was not active for either the National League Division Series or NL Championship Series.
Rortvedt was active with the Dodgers for four weeks, and ended the season nine days shy of four full years of major league service time. But as someone with at least three years of major league service time who was sent outright to the minors during the season and optioned to stick around, they can elect free agency at the end of the season, per Article XX(D)(1) of the collective bargaining agreement:
Any Player who has at least 3 years of Major League service, or who qualified as a “Super Two” Player under Article VI(E)(1)(b) as of the conclusion of the prior championship season, and whose contract is assigned outright to a Minor League club may elect, in lieu of accepting such assignment, to become a free agent. In the event that such a Player with at least 3 years of Major League service does not elect free agency in lieu of accepting such assignment, he may elect free agency during the period between (i) the end of the then current Major League season and (ii) the next following October 15, or 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time on the second day after the date the Player’s Club plays in its final post-season game that season (whichever occurs later) (the “Election Period”), unless such Player is returned to a Major League roster prior to making such election.
Saturday was the second day after the Dodgers played their last postseason game. Another player who elected free agency at the beginning of that period was outfielder Alek Thomas, who opted for free agency on September 29.
Thomas played in seven games for the Dodgers, including six starts in center field. He delivered run-scoring singles in each of his first three games, and totaled four hits in 19 at-bats plus a walk with the Dodgers. Thomas has somewhere in the neighborhood of three years, 156 days of major league service time, 16 days shy of four full years, but with at least three years he had the right to elect free agency after getting sent outright, off the 40-man roster, to the minors during the season.
Manager’s latest setback exposed growing doubts about his squad and his approach as Davide Nicola began his Venezia tenure with a remarkable win
“I’ll love you even if you win,” promised the Venezia supporter’s banner. More gallows humour from a fanbase that proved long ago that its relationship with the club could survive a defeat. They had endured six already in the first six rounds of this Serie A season: the only team in the division without a winor even a single point.
The last time they were in Serie A, in 2024-25, Venezia finished 19th. The time before that, in 2021-22, they finished bottom. Deja vu all over again? A 3-1 defeat to Atalanta in the first game back after this month’s international break pushed Venezia to a breaking point. The club fired the manager Giovanni Stroppa, who had led them to the Serie B title and promotion the previous season.
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 27: George Springer #4 of the Toronto Blue Jays is emotional after defeating the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, September 27, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Michael Chisholm/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Coming into 2026, the last season of his six-year, $150 million contract with the Jays, we really didn’t know what to expect. He had a couple of very good seasons, a couple of fairly average season and a poor season. In 2026, coming off his best season of the five, who knew what would happen at age 36?
Baseball Reference has him at a 0.6 WAR, FanGraphs at 0.9 giving him a value of $7.1 million to the Jays.
He had a wOBA of .320 (down from .408 last year) and a wRC+ of 105 (down from 166).
Compared to 2025, Springer’s walk rate was down (9.1% from 11.8), and his strikeout rate was down slightly (18.4% from 18.9).
His line-drive rate was way down (17.1% from 21.7), the ground ball rate was way down (44.7% from 37.3), and the fly-ball rate was down (38.2% from 40.9). Fewer of his fly balls left the park (10.6% from 20.0%).
George’s hard contact rate almost exactly the same (35.2% from 35.3), and the soft contact rate about the same as well (15.7% from 16.1).
Springer’s BABIP was .282 (way down from .340 last year).
Like the last three years, George hit RHP (.265/.337/417) much better than LHP (.213/.285/.376)
He hit much better at home (.271/.354/.449) than on the road (.223/.282/.353).
George hit .248/.320/.381 with RISP and .254/.324/.425 with the bases empty.
He hit much better in the second half (.288/.344/.444) than in the first half (.218/.303/.374) much like he did last year.
Springer by month:
April: .217/.309/.383 with 2 home runs, 8 walks and 15 strikeouts in 16 games.
May: .208/.276/.344 with 3 home runs, 7 walks and 19 strikeouts in 24 games.
June: .239/.340/.398 with 3 home runs, 13 walks and 22 strikeouts in 23 games.
July: .290/.362/.516 with 4 home runs, 7 walks and 8 strikeouts in 16 games.
August: .321/.370/.488 with 2 home runs, 7 walks and 16 strikeouts in 27 games.
September: .222/.273/.319 with 1 home run, 5 walks and 15 strikeouts in 17 games.
Defensively? Well, he played just two games, 16 innings in left field, so lets ignore that.
FanGraphs has him at a 1.0 runs above average as a baserunner. He was 12 for 14 as a base stealer. Exellent job, George.
Springer’s games started by his spot in the batting order:
1st: 62 games, hitting .222/.309/.379.
2nd: 9 games, hitting ..250/.333/.400.
4th: 44 games, hitting .282/.335/446.
My memory is terrible I thought he hit further down in the order some. He was pretty good in the cleanup spot.
Favourite team to face: He was 7 for 11, with a homer and 3 doubles in 3 games against the Mariners (.636/.667/1.848). He hit .314/.366/.514 in 11 game vs. the Red Sox
Least favourite: Rangers, .095/.136/.095 in 6 games.
The Jays were 59-56 in his starts.
Longest hitting streak: 10 games. Longest on base streak: 18 games.
Longest streak without a home run: 23 games. Longest hitless streak: 4 games.
Random Baseball Savant Numbers:
Hard Hit %: 39th percentile.
Sweet-Spot %: 13th percentile.
Bat Speed: 62nd percentile.
Strikeout %: 67th percentile.
Walk %: 50th percentile.
Sprint Speed: 36th percentile.
Presuming his time with the Blue Jays is over, this is where he is on the Jays leader boards:
WAR Position Players: 22nd, 14.8.
Batting Average: 36th, .260.
On-Base %: 22nd, .340.
Slugging: 22nd, .452.
OPS: 25th, .791.
Games 25th, 776.
Runs Scored: 13th, 474.
Hits: 26th, 763.
Home runs: 11th, 134.
Walks: 1th, 337.
Stolen Base %: 1st, 87.50.
During his 6-year, $150 million contract, FanGraphs says he added $124.8 million in value for the Jays, so he wasn’t the bargain Kevin Gausman was, but he wasn’t all that terrible either. Of course, they likely paid him a few million for all the commercial he made.
Like Gausman, it’s been fun watching Springer for the last few years. He has been a lot of fun. He obviously enjoys playing baseball, enjoys his teammates and the fans. I like guys like that. I think if you paid me a hundred million dollars to play a kids’ game, you couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
He does a bit of everything on offence; he has power, takes walks, and steals bases. I don’t think I’d use him as a leadoff man as much as the Jays did, but that’s a small thing. He definitely has charisma. I’m sure he could go into broadcasting, if he wanted to, but with the money he has, I can’t imagine that he would want to do anything other than spend time with his family.
Springer turned 37 back in September. I wouldn’t be looking to re-sign him, but someone might see value in having him in their clubhouse and in the batter’s box. I don’t know if anyone would offer him enough money to make him want to stay away from his family for eight months, but we’ll see.
Before the season, we asked:
Will Springer’s bWAR be closer to 2025’s 4.8 or 2024’s 1.1? Well, 80.8% of us were wrong because we were optimists.
If the over/under on Springers games played in the outfield is 50, I’d take the; most of us (87.6%) were right to take the under.
We also asked whether the Jays would offer him a contract after this season. We don’t know the answer yet, but 54% said no, and I think they are likely right, but it is yet to be seen.
ARLINGTON, TX - AUGUST 03: A detailed view of the MLB debut patch on the Nike jersey of Nolan Kingham #58 of the Texas Rangers after his Major League debut during a game against the San Francisco Giants at Globe Life Field on August 03, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Kai Kanzer/Texas Rangers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the offseason underway, we are taking a look at every player who appeared for the Texas Rangers in the 2026 season.
Today we are looking at pitcher Nolan Kingham.
One of the difficulties in doing this series is deciding who to write up in any given post. Early on, one can be overwhelmed by all the choices available — there’s a phenomenon known as “choice overload,” where a whole lot of things to choose from can overwhelm a person and make it harder for them to pick anything at all. Folks who are especially vulnerable to this, I have to think, stay away from the Cheesecake Factory.
There’s also the question as to who should be the first player to be written up. In previous seasons, when the Rangers were eliminated before the regular season was over, and I started the write-ups in the last week or two of the season, that was easier, because I could pick someone who was on the injured list or who had been traded or released. If I’m doing seasons in review with a week and a half left in the season, guys still on the active roster, or who could be activated or called up, are excluded, simplifying the issue.
The Rangers weren’t eliminated until the final day of the 2026 season, however, so that isn’t an option here.
So what to do? Pick someone prominent? Someone who had a really good season? Someone who disappointed? Someone who I have lots to say about? Someone I’m indifferent to? Do I jump immediately in the deep end with someone controversial who there’s going to be a lot to say about?
Ultimately, the decision was to ease into things. Start off with a write-up that isn’t going to get people mad or worked up or cause controversy, to better whet the appetites of the LSB faithful for the previews to come.
Do you remember Nolan Kingham? I’m willing to bet that, a few years from now, he’ll be one of the least-guessed answers on the 2026 Texas Rangers Sporcle quiz. Hell, I am betting that some of you read the headline and said, who? Is AJM making up players now? Did he stroke out at the keyboard? AJM, do you smell burnt toast?
Nolan Kingham was one of 34 Texas Rangers players who pitched for the team in 2026. Three of the players who pitched were actually position players, though, so we can say Kingham was one of 31 pitchers who the team rostered and who appeared in a game for the Rangers in 2026.
The Rangers, as a team, had 1419.1 innings pitched in 2026. Nolan Kingham threw one of those innings, representing .07% of the total innings thrown for Texas on the season. The Rangers allowed 719 runs in 2026. Kingham allowed one of those runs, meaning he allowed .13% of the total runs allowed by Texas in 2026.
Kingham was the #223 prospect on the Baseball America board in 2015, coming out of Desert Oasis High School in Enterprise, Nevada. I had never heard of Enterprise, Nevada before now. It is, per Wikipedia, an unincorporated town that is part of the Greater Las Vegas metropolitan area. It had 14,676 residents in 2000, per the U.S. Census, and 221,831 in 2020, which is kind of remarkable. That’s, like, Collin County on steroids levels of population growth.
The “Notable People” section of Wikipedia has a surprisingly lengthy and eclectic list of residents, including, among the athletes, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Baron Davis, Reggie Jackson, the Big Hurt, and Chris Carter. I had assumed that Chris Carter had been retired for years, but he’s actually been playing in the Mexican League since 2019. He slashed .237/.370/.486 in 219 plate appearances for Saltillo in 2026, at the age of 39. Nick Carter is listed, as is Toni Braxton, and seeing her name reflexively makes me think back on, and lament, the Three J’s.
Someone named Terry Fator is also listed in the “Notable People” category. It says “Terry Fator, ventriloquist.” He’s from Dallas, incidentally — was born there, anyway — but I take issue with his being listed there. The only ventriloquists who are Notable People are Edgar Bergen and Jeff Dunham.
Also, I can’t think of ventriloquists without thinking of this. Fun fact — Choo Choo, the Herky Jerky Dancer, is played by Jay Johnston, who was convicted of a felony in connection with the January 6 Capitol attack. Less fun fact — Professor Murder is played by Sam Sarpong, who took his own life in October, 2015, by jumping off a bridge in Pasadena.
Anyway, back to Kingham…Kingham was by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 39th round of the 2015 MLB Draft. As was the case with most 39th rounders, he didn’t sign, opting to go the college route, and pitched for the University of Texas for three seasons. BA had him as the #100 prospect in the 2018 draft, with a disappointing junior season dropping his stock, and the Atlanta Braves selected him in the 12th round, giving him a $150,000 bonus, $25,000 more than the $125K amount that you can sign a player in the 11th and later rounds without dipping into your bonus pool.
Kingham made it to AA in 2019, his first full season as a pro. 2020 happened, and we won’t talk about all that. 2021, 2022 and 2023 saw him shuffle between AA and AAA in the Braves’ system, providing organizational depth but not missing enough bats to have any sort of real success. He was released late in spring training in 2024 by the Braves, and was not picked up by a major league team.
Another fun fact — Nolan’s brother, Nick, was also a major league pitcher. A former consensus top 100 prospect in the Pirates’ organization, Nick appeared in 43 games for the Pirates and Blue Jays in the 2018-19 seasons, then pitched in Korea from 2020-22, then briefly in China and Mexico in 2023. Nolan, having seen his brother’s path, opted to do something similar, spending the next two-plus years pitching in the Mexican League and in the Mexican Winter League.
The minor league roster limits that were implemented in the last CBA mean that teams aren’t able to sign and roster random depth arms like Kingham like they used to, which means that, when injuries strike in the minors, teams are now having to turn much more often to the independent leagues to find someone to fill in. And so Kingham, who was sporting a 1.82 ERA in 6 starts for Monterrey to start the 2026 season, was snagged by the Rangers when they needed an available arm for the rotation at Round Rock in late May.
Back where he played college ball, Kingham did what was asked of him, going out every fifth or sixth day for the Express and giving them some innings. The innings were not necessarily good innings — after eight starts he had an 8.41 ERA and was allowing opposing hitters a whopping 1023 OPS — but, you know, they didn’t have to be good innings at that point for the Express.
A relief appearance, where he threw a scoreless inning, was followed by a pair of five inning starts where Kingham allowed three runs total. In the second of those starts, he struck out nine batters, the most he’d fanned in an affiliated game since pre-COVID. Whether because he impressed in that outing, or previous outings, or just because the Rangers needed an arm, he was brought up to the big leagues on August 1, replacing Luis Curvelo, who had given up four runs in two innings the day before in what would turn out to be Curvelo’s final appearance in the majors for the Rangers.
Kingham — who I keep wanting to call Kingman, a problem I have had since the Rangers signed him four and a half months ago — made one appearance for the Rangers. The game, against the Giants, was a memorable one, due to clownball by the Rangers resulting in five errors, and Texas scoring just one run despite Ezequiel Duran going 4 for 4 and coming a triple short of the cycle.
Kingham loaded the bases with one out on a pair of walks sandwiched by a single. Jung Hoo Lee hit a sac fly before Kingham got Willy Adames to strike out swinging to end the inning.
The Rangers won the following game, which featured several relievers, by one run, and so one can argue that Kingham being able to come in and pitch an inning in a game the Rangers lost contributed, in a small way, to a Rangers win.
Kingham was designated for assignment a few days later, and was claimed by the Seattle Mariners, who optioned him to AAA. By my count Kingham got 10 days of major league service time, which is 10 days more than most baseball players get. Kingham was DFA’d by Seattle at the start of September, waived and outrighted, so he will be a free agent in a couple of weeks once the season ends. At that point, he might sign a minor league deal with another team — maybe Texas! — or he may return to toiling in one of the independent leagues, waiting for a major league team to need an innings sponge at their AAA affiliate.
Kingham is 30 years old, and so he will have the opportunity, should he choose, to continue his professional baseball career in one form or another. He could make it back to the majors, in a similar situation to this year, when a team needs a fungible arm in the bullpen who can give them innings in a lost cause and be designated for assignment soon thereafter. Or he could continue to toil in AAA, or one of the indy leagues here, or in Mexico, or overseas.
But Nolan Kingham made it, even if he never makes it back. He will forever have an entry in the major league records. He will forever get to say he faced a guy making $182 million and struck him out swinging.
The Toronto Maple Leafs recalled forward Vinni Lettieri and goaltender Artur Akhtyamov ahead of their matchup against the San Jose Sharks on Monday night.
This will be Lettieri's first NHL game since April 2025, and his debut with the Maple Leafs since joining the organization in 2025-26.
Akhtyamov has joined the NHL club for the first time this season. He made his NHL debut last season, playing three games for the Maple Leafs. But in this stint, there's no guarantee that he'll see the ice for this upcoming back-to-back.
Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller explained what Akhtyamov's role will be to start the week and why he was called up.
"We got a back-to-back," Hiller said after morning skate. "So he'll back up the next couple nights, and then we'll give (Sergei Bobrovsky) the start tonight, and (Anthony Stolarz) will play tomorrow, and they'll get some rest."
Akhtyamov, 24, hasn't had the hottest start in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies. In three games, he's posted an .822 save percentage and a 2.94 goals-against average with a 2-1-0 record.
As for Lettieri, he's been excellent for the Marlies in the first five games of his campaign. In that stretch, he scored three goals and nine points. The 31-year-old also had 14 goals and 42 points in 55 American League games last season.
Hiller hasn't known Lettieri for very long, given this is his first season behind the bench for Toronto, but the AHL veteran made a lasting impression on him at training camp.
"Lettieri, I think we talked about him a little bit in training camp, really impressed me," Hiller said. "I remember being on the ice with the second group, and he was just working. It really, really caught my eye right away. I'm sure he wanted to be with the big group and feel like he had a fair chance of making the team. Terrific attitude, skilled, but just his work ethic and his passion really caught me."
The Leafs are looking to snap a three-game losing streak, coming off a 4-1 defeat against the New York Islanders on Saturday. With that in mind, Lettieri slotted in as the right winger on the third line with Colton Sissons and Gavin McKenna.
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SAN DIEGO, CA — When a car's tires start balding, it’s prudent to replace them, or at least get a comprehensive check, since alignment could be the issue. Well, for an NHL franchise, the diagnosis could be either that easy or rather complicated. It seems rather layered, but not that complicated at all for the Los Angeles Kings. They hired Peter Laviolette, a legitimately good signing, to take the helm for a team needing a first-year boost from an new NHL bench boss, and promised an offense that opens up from the back end despite the same set of faces. The team then sold fans on Artemi Panarin and Kevin Fiala sharing a roster and a powerplay unit for a full year.
Six games in, the Kings are 0-4-2 and the only team in the NHL without a win. Saturday's 4-1 loss to Boston gave them their longest winless start since the 1984-85 team opened 0-6-3. Oh, and by the way, Fiala hasn't played a game yet.
The details are actually much worse than the record. The Kings have scored exactly one goal in each of their last four games after their track meet show-and-tell road opener against the Avalanche. Over the five games after their licking to the Avs, they have averaged 2.2 goals for and 4.2 goals against, killed 57.9 percent of their penalties, and got sub-.860 save percentages from both Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg.
The optimism here can boil down to the fact that six games out of 84 don't decide a season. This start is not a slump, though the signs of damming the bloodshed don’t look promising. It is the logical output of roster management that never got fixed, and the question it forces is simple: how deep does the hole get before the individuals at the very top who dug it admit they are in one?
A team that played not to lose
Last season already told a not-so-compelling story. The Kings finished 35-27-20 and set an NHL record for losses past regulation, which doesn't sing the praises of an elite club, even though Vegas nipped at the heels of that record last season. Despite a DJ Smith interim session that became more bearable to watch in the final stretch, strip out the loser points and you're left with a 35-47 team nowhere near the playoffs.
An incessantly weak Pacific Division handed them the second wild card despite calls for a potential rebuild, or at least a heavy retool. Then the Presidents' Trophy Colorado Avalanche swept them in four games, outscoring them 13-5. It was the fifth straight first-round exit for this ‘contender’.
That team played like it was trying not to lose, and it got exactly the results that approach earns. Management looked at that season and called this roster a contender, echoing past seasons of being ‘close’ despite never being in the same air as that term.
The coaching lever is already pulled
When a team stalls this hard and if it prolongs, the typical first move is usually behind the bench. But in this instance, the Kings already made it. Jim Hiller lost his job last season, DJ Smith finished it as interim, and Peter Laviolette arrived this summer.
That leaves management without its easiest scapegoat. Laviolette has coached six games. Firing him now would not only be disastrous, but would also admit the problem was never the coach, and the Kings are locked into his plan whether it fits this roster or not.
Laviolette said the Kings would open up offensively from the back end. Holland inherited a poor schematic, but that doesn't excuse him for handing Laviolette the same back end that became dead weight last season. The system changed, but the personnel running it did not.
Inherited mistakes, compounded
Rob Blake left Ken Holland a roster layered with bad decisions. Blake paid real assets for Pierre-Luc Dubois and gave him an eight-year deal, then had to swap him for Darcy Kuemper a year later, a previous theme he relied on: making recuperation-style moves to fix his poor ones (see Cal Peterson’s). He held Matt Roy at the deadline and watched him walk for nothing, since, once again, the team built that season was ‘right there’.
A new general manager inherits those decisions. His job is to correct them and instead, Holland compounded them.
Vladislav Gavrikov and Jordan Spence were moved out of a blue line that needed both; then the holes were patched with Cody Ceci and Brian Dumoulin. Phillip Danault, one of, if not the most important, pieces that pulled the Kings out of purgatory in 2021, asked out and returned to Montreal. The Kings walked away from Andrei Kuzmenko.
This summer Holland doubled down on age. He signed Erik Haula at 35, Mats Zuccarello at 39, and gave Corey Perry a second stop at 41. These moves typically boost a roster on a contender run, not integral roster pieces. The Kings are now amongst the oldest rosters in the league. Every move, with some limited exceptions, threaded a small needle. None of them changed the team's shape.
The blueline Holland kept
Kings defensemen scored 23 goals last season, last in the NHL, and their 133 points ranked 30th. It is the clearest weakness on the roster, and it is the one Holland touched least while bringing on Laviolette to attempt to pry more out of an outdated group.
His answer was Erik Gustafsson, a 34-year-old on a one-year, $1 million deal who spent most of last season with AHL Grand Rapids and played two NHL games. Gustafsson moves the puck, and he has history with Laviolette. But again, the solution is a seventh defenseman profile, not a fix. The core personnel remains unchanged from the season before.
So the Kings keep trusting the Drew Doughty factory. Doughty is the 15th captain in franchise history, and none of this knocks on him wearing the C. Change the captain and the problem stays the same: Laviolette runs a system built on mobility and creation with the league's least mobile, least creative D corps. It is a listless sail on a ship that will not move.
Panarin and a closing window
Holland's best move fell into his lap. Artemi Panarin asked out of New York and made it clear Los Angeles was the only place he would go. That narrowed the market to one buyer and handcuffed Rangers GM Chris Drury. Holland did not have to outbid anyone. The Kings landed Panarin in February for prospect Liam Greentree and a conditional third-round pick, with New York retaining half his salary. Holland then extended him two years at $11 million per season, through 2027-28.
That trade bought a window, not a solution. Panarin is approaching 35. Players at that age depreciate faster, and the risk of a drop-off climbs sharply starting next season. This season and last were supposed to be the best of his time in L.A for the Panarin show. He is the only Kings skater with more than one goal this year.
The compounding poor decisions over time has an already fringe franchise in a spotlight for league’s worst.
Even worse, top down, there is almost a benign sense of urgency/ownership over this.
The rest of the roster has not met him there. The Panarin-Fiala power-play pairing that headlined the offseason hasn't happened in a single regular-season game. Anze Kopitar retired, and the Kings have no succession plan at center. I still stand by Quinton Byfield as the center to build around, but his two points against San Jose are his only production so far, which has soured my previous outlook on his runway this season. One young center and some quality wingers do not make a contender.
Is Connor Hellebuyck the answer?
The newest idea swirling around social media was a goaltender. Seravalli reported on Oct. 15 that the Kings kicked the tires on Connor Hellebuyck, that Holland at least understands Winnipeg's price, and that Hellebuyck would accept a trade to Los Angeles. He carries an $8.5 million cap hit with five years left.
Since last season, the goaltending has become a real problem. Kuemper sits at an .847 save percentage, and Forsberg at .853. A three-time Vezina winner might boost those numbers even while icing a slow defensive corps in front of him.
What he wouldn’t fix is the rest. He doesn't score the goals the Kings cannot score, and he certainly doesn’t move the puck out of the zone, rescue the league's worst combined special teams, or make the roster younger. Seravalli himself notes that if the slide continues, putting a 2027 or 2028 first in the package gets hard to justify. Trading futures for a 33-year-old goalie to prop up one of the league's oldest rosters isn't a correction. It is the same reflex that built this team: spend to contend, and never ask whether you should.
How deep is the hole?
It seems to be a recurring theme over the last four seasons, but the Kings sit at an inflection point, and it can still be a good one. A franchise only changes course when the evidence becomes impossible to explain away. Six games, one goal a night, and a historic winless start is that evidence.
Management, from the top down, will not entertain the word rebuild. So it keeps pushing the same buttons: a coaching change, a veteran signing, a star on a short window, and now a goalie with five years left. Each one treats a symptom, but none of them treats the roster as it should.
The team says it is here to contend, but in every literal sense of inverse opposition, the standings say last place. At some point those two statements cannot both stand, and someone in that front office has to look down and measure how deep the hole really is. How bad does it need to get for things to change?
SURPRISE, ARIZONA - MARCH 13, 2026: Mason Peters #81 of the Seattle Mariners throws a pitch during a minor league spring training game against the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium on March 13, 2026 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
Wrapping up the season with the second worst record in the California League, it was a tough year to be a 66ers fan. In their first year in the Mariner organization and needing to replace the dominant Modesto Nuts affiliate, the 66ers shortcomings were largely caused by factors out of their control; with the Mariners drafting heavily from the college ranks in the 2025 draft, many of the typical contributors one would expect to fortify the A-ball roster bypassed the level entirely and made their way to Everett to start the year. Despite the struggles in the win column for much of the year, this team still had a ton of strong performers that made the season incredibly exciting (particularly in the second half), and many of the system’s top 20 prospects appeared on this roster at some point in time this past year. Led by a strong pitching staff all season, the Mariner’s A-ball affiliate kicks off LL’s series of minor league “year in review” that we’ll have for you in the upcoming weeks.
Team Performance
First Half Record: 28-38 (-52 Run Differential)
Second Half Record: 31-34 (+39 Run Differential)
Final Record: 59-72
Team ERA: 5.04 (second in Cal League)
Team OPS: .755 (seventh in Cal League)
Stat to Know: Led California League in K/BB ratio (2.80)
Season Stars
Mason Peters
Easily the biggest riser of any Mariner prospect over the course of the 2026 season, Peters had a sensational first season as a professional and dominated his way through the Cal League. With as impressive a resume as any arm at the level, Peters posted 50.1 IP at the level and recorded 68 punchouts to just 12 walks, dominating his way to a 1.43 ERA and earning a promotion up to Everett late in the summer. Peters is an undersized pitcher with a slight frame and does not overwhelm with velocity, but his innate ability to spin the baseball and immense feel for his fastball-breaker combination make him one of the most exciting prospects in the entire system. He’s still a ways behind system-leading hurler Ryan Sloan, but he’s got a rather strong argument for the second best arm in the organization’s minor league ranks and should be primed for a strong 2027 season at High-A.
Mason Peters was dealing today. Final line: 4IP, 4H, 1R, BB, 7K, 54-37.
One of, if not the strongest performer of anyone drafted in the entirety of the 2026 MLB draft, Ace Reese made it clear he had little to prove at the A-ball level, making mincemeat of opposing pitchers and smashing his way to an OPS of nearly 1.200. A line of .440/.530/.667 is obviously impossible to ignore, and even though Reese arguably would have been more appropriately placed in High-A or even Double-A, his dominance is quite assuring of his acumen at the plate. The defense at third base (a position he’s still rather new to) left a lot to be desired, and he’ll have to put in a substantial amount of work if he wants to dispel the 1B/COF archetype many have already lumped him into, but regardless of where he ends up, Reese is going to hit, and he’s going to hit a lot.
The first-half hero of the lineup, Dickerson was routinely putting in work for this 66ers lineup in its darkest of times. Dickerson, a fifth rounder in 2025, manned center for IE defensively and showed off a compelling combination of power and speed that has him amongst the better bats in this system. Logging 35 steals (21 for IE) and 15 homers (9 for IE) on the year, Dickerson’s premium glove up the middle and tantalizing raw tools at the plate make him a must follow for the 2027 season; he’s struggled a bit with the bat-to-ball, but he started showing improvement after his promotion to Everett and was a key player for IE for much of the season. Given the wave of major league promotions that many of the top prospects in this system earned this season, don’t be surprised if Dickerson sneaks his way on to top ten prospect lists this offseason. He’s a really good player that’s got a bright future ahead of him.
Sleepers
Hayden Yost
Arguably the biggest breakout of the 2026 draft class thus far, Yost, a fifth round outfielder from the University of Florida, absolutely raked in his limited sample of professional baseball and looks like a potential steal as a mid round gem. The lefty slugged his way to a .999 OPS across 114 PA’s and showed off a blend of power and bat-to-ball that’s hard to teach. He’s able to maximize his thump with a good feel to pull the ball in the air, and his clear command of the zone and his barrel bode incredibly well for his future as he moves up the minor league ranks. He was a huge part of the second half resurgence for this roster and should be on his way to Everett next season.
My goodness. Hayden Yost goes 470ft for his 2nd HR & 4th hit today. 4-5, 2HR, 2B, 3R, 5RBI. pic.twitter.com/UPQ9lyfJaY
If it weren’t for some midseason injuries that derailed his outstanding start to the season, we may be talking about Steensma as one of the stars of this entire pitching staff. Steensma, who worked 43.1 innings of 4.57 ERA ball this season, looked like a far more superior pitcher for much of the first half. There was clearly something off with him after returning from a multi-month hiatus in July as his performance took a bit of a hit, but his ability to rack up K’s while limiting walks is incredibly intriguing regardless of his late season struggles. He’s physical, has good stuff, and looks like he could be a very intriguing arm; health permitting, he’s one of the better pitchers in this system.
Anderson Guevara
Maybe the deepest cut on this list, Guevara is a fun reliever pick that has some nasty stuff on the mound. Guevara’s K rates sit just under 38% for the year and though he can get wild at times, his diabolical slider is a true whiff-getter, and there’s enough bat missing potential to dream of a successful career as a reliever. He’s a name to know for the true prospect heads that can’t get enough of everything Mariners.
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 26: Atlanta Braves pinch hitter Ha-Seong Kim (7) hits the game winning base hit during the MLB game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves on August 26, 2026 at TRUIST Park in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Happy 2026 Battery Power Player Review season to all who… celebrate?
This particular season was ripe with weirdness and what-ifs. It seems only fitting that we will kick off this year’s series with one of the most polarizing of players to don a Braves uniform this year: infielder and presumed Opening Day shortstop Ha-Seong Kim.
How acquired
In a low-risk waiver claim for the final month of 2025, Kim played 24 games with the Braves and seemed to be trending upward offensively from his injury-plagued time with the Rays (.253/.316/.368 with a .301 wOBA/92 wRC+ with three homers). Emboldened by that improvement and a dire shortstop market, he declined the $16 million player option to test the waters of free agency.
But the faith in Kim in his “trial period” and mutual interest paid off, as he and the Braves reunited to the tune of a one-year, $20 million deal in mid-December.
What were the expectations?
The South Korean infielder was given a pretty penny to shore up a premium position in place of glove-first players like Orlando Arcia and Nick Allen in years past. At minimum, it was an exciting short-term upgrade if Kim’s production was even close what it was in his time with the San Diego Padres. In the longer term, this could have paid off in an extension that got us closer to bridging to our potential shortstop of the future in Tate Southisene.
Kim was tabbed to be the primary shortshop with earlier offseason acquisiton, infielder Mauricio Dubón, serving as a versatile utility man.
At the time of the signing, we were pretty excited about the upgrade to our infield and looking forward to what Kim could bring to the Braves in a full season. The projections were fairly solid despite his poor 2025, with Steamer seeing a 1.4 WAR, league-average bat with subpart shortstop defense in a half-season, and ZiPS more sanguine at 2.1 WAR over about two-thirds of a campaign. Both projection systems saw him as a league-average bat, which makes sense given that he had a 99 wRC+ coming into the 2026 campaign.
2026 Results
Kim played in 51 games with Atlanta, racking up single-digit wRC+ (7) negative fWAR (-1.2) with a .116/.219/.140 slash line. Defensively, his Statcast-based value was also negative (-3, as in, three runs below average despite playing in less than a third of a season).
What went right?
Once reactivated from the injured list on August 3, he stayed up with the big club for good and was available through the end of the season, even making a couple starts in the postseason.
Can a walk-off single be worth $20 million if it’s against the two-time World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers? In a series full of unreal scenes (and second only to Chris Sale’s complete game shutout), he entered with two on and two out in a tie game to pinch-hit for pitcher Victor Mederos. Kim saw seven pitches before lacing a ball to left field to win the game and the series for the Braves in electric fashion.
That was part of a brief stretch of unexpected heroics from Kim: he had that huge hit, had a three-hit game against the Nationals a few days later, and then played a critical role in one of the division-defending wins against the Phillies in September, singling with two outs to tie the game in the 11th and then madly dashing around the bases to score the walkoff run a few minutes later.
Basically the whole thing, but you knew that. We seemed to run out of synonyms for “nightmare” when talking about Kim’s 2026 season. You almost couldn’t have drawn it up any worse. It was historically terrible.
A dastardly patch of ice derailed things early. A month after signing with the Braves, the news broke that he’d sustained a hand injury while slipping and tore a tendon in his right middle finger and putting him on the shelf for at least four months. Once activated in May, he was Not Right. He struggled and he hit the Injured List again for inflammation in that same finger in early July. He largely lost out on the starting shortstop job, getting the occasional rep as matchups allowed or entering games late as a pinch-runner. He earned a little more regular playing time after the walk off hit above and showed some signs of life, but still never put it all together.
All in all, Kim finished with the lowest wRC+ among anyone with 140 or more PAs this season, as well as the lowest xwOBA. Somehow, he was only bottom five in value (thanks, Jorge Polanco and Noelvi Marte!). Nor did anything really get better in the postseason, as Kim managed just a 20 wRC+ in eight PAs. It’s also not like the Braves were able to bury him in a way that kept his struggles from leading to losses, either. Or, at least, not soon enough for it to matter. One of his most damaging games came in his fifth contest of the year: he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, and up with two out and the bases loaded in a one-run game, hit a measly groundout to Aroldis Chapman to end the game.
Even his defense graded out poorly, though this was a case where most of the damage was done early, as he was a positive defender after May (though not enough to counterbalance how poorly he played in the field in May).
2027 Outlook
Kim headlines another thin shortstop class in this uncertain offseason, and it’s anybody’s guess as to who might take a chance on him if baseball is played in 2027. On one hand, that’s two truly terrible years in a row (albeit with some bad luck of the injury persuasion in there). On the other, there is a chance he can get back to being a ~2 WAR player, as he was projected to be in 2026… though the path as to how he gets there is a bit unclear given that it will have been at least three years since he was last productive by the time he next takes the field.
Walt Weiss lauded Kim for his hard work and team-player attitude amidst his struggles this season. With no real internal options and Dubón also hitting free agency, there may be an opportunity for a return to the Braves. If he does, there’s truly nowhere to go but up. At least it won’t be for $20 million this time — it’s hard to see a team guaranteeing him more than $5 million at this point, even if the spending situation associated with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is relatively unchanged. The Braves, though, will probably want to move on from this specific sense of failure.
UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 13: Sean Sullivan #45 of the Salt River Rafters pitches during the game between the River Rafters and the Desert Dogs at Camelback Ranch on Tuesday, October 13, 2026 in Glendale, AZ United States. (Photo by Norm Hall/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
Sean Sullivan (No. 21 PuRP) had an up-and-down season.
He made his MLB debut on June 12th in the Las Vegas heat (while battling illness) and shined. But that was about the high point for Sullivan, as he bounced between Triple-A and the majors, and also battled an elbow injury.
“It was originally my elbow. It was just, like, some posterior impingement – just some inflammation and stuff like that. Nothing really too serious,” he said. “I got it obviously MRI’d and everything, and it came back fairly clean. So I just got a cortisone shot and just rehabbed it and took some rest and was able to come back for those last two weeks of the season.”
Sullivan made 14 total starts in Albuquerque, posting a 5-3 record and 5.31 ERA. He was on the injured list from August 3-September 16. In three starts at the end of the year — including one rehab start — Sullivan pitched 6.1 innings across three starts and posted a 2.84 ERA and 1.58 WHIP.
In five big league starts between June 12-July 4, Sullivan went 0-3 with an 8.87 ERA. But he learned a lot during the 2026 season.
“I feel like there were a lot of ups and downs throughout the year,” Sullivan said.
“This year for me was definitely a year of growth and learning. Obviously, the debut day was a pretty special day in my life. But … I think just every day I was up there [was a highlight] — just being able to live that experience. And even when I got sent back down, just knowing what I need to get back to and what I’m missing out on.”
He continued, “It was a great learning experience, but I take it all for granted, and I’m very blessed to be in the position I am.”
His favorite moment? Facing his hometown Boston Red Sox at Coors Field on June 23rd.
“That was pretty cool for me, just being from the Boston area,” he recalled. “I grew up loving that team and seeing a lot of those names and facing that lineup was pretty cool for me. So I would say that was probably a special day for me.”
But of all the lessons Sullivan learned, he said many of them stemmed from his injury.
“I felt like my body just wasn’t in a position where it needed to be physically,” he said. “I felt like I was running on fumes almost when I was up there, and I think you could kind of see that with some of my velocity and just my stuff overall wasn’t performing as well as it usually does.
“And that ended up showing when I got injured and stuff like that. So I think just getting my body in a better position to where I can go out there for 30 starts and be able to pitch for a full season.”
But that also gave him the opportunity to spend some time in Arizona, and now he’s back with a plan in place.
He has made two starts so far with the Salt River Rafters, allowing five runs on 10 hits across 5.2 innings with one home run, one hit batter and eight strikeouts.
“I think the idea was to get me innings, but obviously while I’m pitching, I’m always working on something,” Sullivan said. “Right now, me and Owen Cuffe have been working on my slider, just kind of changing the shapes a little bit from more of, like, a sweeper to more of a traditional slider, and working and kind of tinkering with different grips and stuff like that with my changeup, as well.
“But I’ve definitely seen some great progress so far,” he continued. “I think taking some of these adjustments into the game has been kind of nice in a less-intense environment rather than in the big leagues where it’s hard to make those adjustments.”
That was something that senior director of player development, Chris Forbes, said before the AFL season started.
“He missed quite a few starts, so I think we’re hoping to get his innings up, and I’m hoping this ends up being a blessing in the sense that once we got him down here, as were kind of letting that calm down, he was able to kind of get to, ‘OK, we’re going to focus on strength. Let’s get the strength back up,’” Forbes said in September.
“He’s one of those guys that, during the year, just has trouble maintaining weight. He can come in at 205 (pounds), and now he’s pitching at 187 or something at some point. So you’re hoping with him that he’s able to get some innings back in and get some feel back, and then ultimately make a better decision on how does he play in next year’s club. Does he come out of the bullpen as a length guy? Is he doing a spot start? I don’t know. But that’s the plan with Sean. I’m just looking at five healthy starts and going into the offseason feeling really good about it.”
And Cuffe shed some light on Sullivan’s new pitch.
“We decided to use this time during the Fall League to work on adding a pitch to his arsenal,” Cuffe said via text message. “The goal is give him another pitch to make hitter decision making tougher and have another tool to help him platoon hitters. We wanted to keep the cutter and sweeper in his arsenal and to add a more traditional gyro slider that’s more in that 80+ mph range to give him another breaking ball.
“So far, he’s had some success with throwing it in our pitching lab, so we will see how it performs to hitters. He’s also been working on his movement quality on the mound, which has allowed him to get about 92 mph for the first time in a game this year. Overall, Sean has been working hard and seeing some of the payoffs, so I’m excited for him!”
In the midst of executing his new pitch and overall plan, Sullivan is also enjoying the opportunities afforded to him in the AFL, such as playing with players and coaches from other teams.
“It’s really special,” he said.
“I think that’s one of the coolest parts of this is just being able to kind of pick everyone’s brain. And other teams have coordinators in town, and obviously just talking in the dugout and on the bench and stuff, just trying to hear how other teammates do it in their processes and organizations, and I think it’s a great way to learn and stuff.”
Planning ahead, Sullivan is looking forward to continuing to get better and compete.
“I missed some decent chunks of time this year, and it’s never fun,” he said. “So I think continuing to get to play – potentially before a lockout, too – is exciting. Whenever I get to take the mound is awesome.”
CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 28: Tacko Fall #99 of the Philadelphia 76ers poses for a portrait during media day at the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex on September 28, 2026 in Camden, New Jersey. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If you had a nickel for every player 7-foot-6 or taller to suit up for the Sixers, you’d have two nickels.
But it’s still crazy it’s happened twice.
The 7-foot-7 Manute Bol and the 7-foot-6 Shawn Bradley both played in parts of three seasons for the Sixers. Tacko Fall is hoping the third time is the charm.
The 7-foot-6 Senegalese big man is back in the NBA after signing a two-way contract this past weekend. When/if he does take the court for the Sixers, it will be his first NBA minutes since December of 2021.
While there’s been intrigue about Fall and his unique size dating back to his days at UCF, it also came with questions about his mobility and ability to deal with elite athletes. Those were doubts Fall let creep into his own mind at times.
His years overseas have put him in a better place.
“Physically and mentally,” Fall said about where he’s improved. “I feel like when you — I won’t even say seven-foot-plus — but when you reach a certain height, there’s a picture that most people have of you of, ‘OK, can he do this? Can he do that?’ Where mentally you might doubt [yourself], but for me, I feel like I was always capable of that, it’s just pushing myself to realize that and be consistent with it, and that also comes with being in great physical condition.”
Luckily for him, there are a couple familiar faces around to help him as he reacclimates to the NBA.
Fall and Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey overlapped in Cleveland in 2021-22. By that time, Gansey was transitioning from assistant general manager to general manager under Koby Altman. Fall was in his third season after two years with the Boston Celtics.
Fall doesn’t take that familiarity for granted.
“Great guy. Always positive,” Fall said of Gansey after practice Sunday. “We joke around. Like he would walk around the court every morning [in Cleveland]. I would see him walk around, and he’s doing the same thing [here], and he’s been like that for years. But I’m happy also. Like I got to come here and see another familiar face, which kind of helps with the comfort level.”
On the court is an even bigger connection. Newcomer Jaylen Brown was teammates with Fall for both of his seasons with the Celtics. The two became extremely close, with Fall naming Brown the godfather of his second daughter.
Even as Fall’s career took him far, far away from Boston, the two remained close.
Imagine telling either of them that they’d reunite in Philadelphia.
“Jaylen is my brother,” Fall said. “We built a great relationship throughout the years, even while I was away. He’s family. … Throughout the years, we built such a great relationship, and for me, I’m very happy that we get to play together.”
But this isn’t just a feel-good story. The Sixers need depth at the backup center position. Fall offers a unique option in several ways.
Once Ariel Hukporti went down with a season-ending Achilles injury, the Sixers had little recourse to make a move. They have 14 of 15 standard roster spots filled, but are hard-capped at the first apron, meaning they’re unable to sign a veteran center to a minimum deal. Their simplest path was adding a two-way player.
In Fall, they get a player with professional basketball experience, both in the NBA and overseas. The 30-year-old has been on a journey since going undrafted out of UCF in 2019. After two seasons in Boston and one in Cleveland, Fall has spent the bulk of his time in China, with a stint in Australia mixed in.
The most obvious strength for Fall is his size. At 7-foot-6 and 311 pounds, he will be the tallest active player in the NBA once he takes the court. It makes it obvious where Fall could fit in the Sixers’ center mix. With Joel Embiid’s health always a concern, those playing behind him are critical to team success.
Fall said going up against Embiid in practice has been “very motivating,” and called the former MVP “probably the best big in the NBA.” That’s what makes it critical to have depth behind Embiid.
With Adem Bona and Jabari Walker (and the currently banged-up Dean Wade and Dominick Barlow) being a little undersized, Fall is an ideal option for when the Sixers come across a bigger opponent — especially if it happens during a back-to-back.
Though he missed all of the preseason and most of camp, the team was intrigued by what they saw prior to his hip injury.
“I did get to see a good chunk of him prior to kind of the injury,” Nick Nurse said. “How I plan on using him, probably remains to be seen. But kind of was intrigued and liked what I saw in the fall. So we’ll see what happens.”
Fall spoke candidly about the scrutiny he’s faced because of his size and perceived lack of mobility. He bided his time overseas, building confidence in himself as a player and person.
Now, he’s just looking for an opportunity.
“I was a little speechless, to be honest,” Fall said about learning he’d been offered a two-way deal. “Like I said, I’ve had quite a few challenges since I left, and … after all these years and after all the hard work, I think it means a lot more.”
CLEVELAND — Stephen Vogt and his Cleveland Guardians are used to this situation by now: needing two wins on the road to keep alive their season.
Cleveland faced a 3-2 deficit in the best-of-seven AL Championship Series and not a lot of time to rebound after a 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. There is no travel day because of a rainout, and Game 6 is at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
“Let’s go. We don’t have another choice,” Vogt said. “This is when this team thrives.”
Cleveland rallied in September for the second straight season to win the AL Central. The Guardians were 60-65 and 5 1/2 games behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central on Aug. 17 before winning eight of nine and then going 16-9 in September to win the division by one game.
The Guardians dropped the first two AL Division Series games at home to the White Sox before winning the next two in Chicago and closing with a 2-0 win at Progressive Field in Game 5.
“I think it’ll help a ton knowing that we’re able to do it, facing elimination,” said Steven Kwan, who had two of Cleveland’s five hits and his first career postseason outfield assist. “I think we feel a little better on this one as opposed to the other ones since we’ve got some wins under our belt. Just have to trust our plans, turn the page and see what happens tomorrow.”
Kwan, who has 51 career outfield assists in the regular season, threw out Taylor Walls trying to score from second base on Jonathan Aranda’s fourth-inning single to left and made a leaping catch at the center-field wall on Victor Mesa Jr.’s eighth-inning drive, saving a run.
Teams trailing 3-2 after five games in the ALCS have come back to win only seven of 23 times. The last two teams in that position accomplished the feat, Texas in 2023 and Toronto last year.
Cleveland is 47-38 on the road in this year, including the postseason, and 43-44 at Progressive Field.
The biggest question is which pitcher will start. Foster Griffin began Game 1 but was the bulk reliever for Game 4, working 3 2/3 innings and allowing one run and four hits.
Vogt ruled out right-hander Gavin Williams, who led the AL with 248 strikeouts in the regular season. Williams started Game 3 and allowed two runs in five innings.
Cleveland’s bullpen allowed only one run in seven innings after Parker Messick struggled. A candidate for AL Rookie of the Year, Messick had the shortest outing of his big league career and didn’t make it past the third inning for the second time in four postseason starts.
The 25-year-old left-hander allowed two runs, five hits and three walks over two innings, throwing just 34 of 57 pitches for strikes.
Messick has pitched exactly 200 innings on the year, the first rookie to reach that mark in a season since Kansas City’s Yordano Ventura at 208 1/3 innings in 2014. The prior Cleveland rookie to toss at least 200 innings was Charles Nagy with 211 1/3 innings in 1991.
“I feel great right now,” Messick said. “Body feels good, arm feels good. I’m still throwing hard. I don’t really have any body fatigue. It’s just whether or not I’m executing the game plan.”
TOKYO, JAPAN - MARCH 10: Teruaki Sato #7 of Team Japan hits a double in the first inning during the 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool C game between Czechia and Japan at Tokyo Dome on March 10, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Gene Wang - Capture At Media/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning! There’s still baseball being played. There might be a lock on the gates at Fenway Park, but it is NOT yet the offseason, and not yet time for the return of our Pulitzer Prize-winning* Smash or Pass series.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t start dreaming about some big offseason signings.
The whole world knows that the Red Sox need to add some thump to the lineup. Unfortunately, the MLB free agent class isn’t looking too thumpy this year. The top power hitters on the market are guys like Randy Arozarena, Seiya Suzuki, Brandon Lowe, and Jake Bauers, all of whom are on the wrong side of 30. But a new, not-technically-a-free-agent-but-still-kind-of-a-free-agent name is now out there. Teruaki Sato, who just won the Triple Crown in Japan’s Central League, will be posted this offseason.
There are a number of similarities between Sato and Munetaka Murakami, who was posted last year. Both were primarily third basemen in Japan, both were/will be posted at age 25, and both of them strikeout a lot. Sato, though, is considered to be a better athlete and defender (he’s won the NPB equivalent of the Gold Glove), with better contact skills but worse on-base skills.
Obviously things didn’t work out as everyone hoped the last time the Sox dipped into the Japanese market, but it’s not as if there isn’t plenty of MLB All-Star quality out there.
Talk about Japanese sluggers, the ALCS, or whatever else you want in this space and, as always, be good to one another.
*I give out my own Pulitzer Prizes. You’re allowed to do that if you want.
The Baltimore Orioles have hired Jared Banner as general manager to work alongside team president Mike Elias.
The Orioles announced the move Monday. Banner was the assistant GM of the Chicago Cubs, taking on that role in 2024. He’s also been a vice president of special projects and vice president of player development for the Cubs.
“When I first heard Mike’s vision, I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of,” Banner said in a statement. “The Orioles are a storied franchise with a passionate fanbase, a historic ballpark, and an organization full of talent.”
Banner’s arrival comes with Baltimore’s front office under increasing pressure to reverse the team’s decline the past couple seasons. Elias appeared to have built the Orioles into a force when the team won 192 games in two seasons from 2023-24. Since then, Baltimore has managed only 75 wins in 2025 and 79 this year.
“Jared has been one of the rising talents in our league for some time, now,” Elias said. “He has demonstrated success running multiple different departments and has worked alongside some of the best people and front office talent in the league across multiple stops. He is a perfect fit to grow, evolve and improve the Orioles’ baseball operations.”
Banner is a Brooklyn, New York, native. He played baseball at Amherst College and was a fellow in the baseball operations department of the Boston Red Sox in 2007. He spent 11 years with the Red Sox, working in player development and amateur scouting before becoming assistant director of player personnel in 2013.
He was Boston’s vice president of player personnel in 2017-18 before becoming executive director of player development of the New York Mets. Then he joined the Cubs in late 2020.
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 16: Walker Kessler #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers high fives fans before the game against the Denver Nuggets on October 16, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. 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 Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Among the Los Angeles Lakers’ reverence as a franchise, their storied history of big men and the substantial trade the Lakers made to acquire him this summer, Walker Kessler is, unfairly or otherwise, entering a pressurized situation. But according to his head coach, JJ Redick, the 25-year-old is ready for the challenges and incubated by plenty of people and resources to make the experience as easy as possible for him.
“I think he wants to embrace that. I think that’s why he wanted to be a Laker and why he wanted to be here was because of the fact that there are stakes every single night when you wear a Lakers uniform,” Redick told reporters postgame on Friday. “We’ve had a number of conversations. We had a long conversation the other day about it. I think the awareness is there. How you navigate that early on, how you navigate that in your first year, there’s no way to predict that because you’ve never dealt with it before.
“But he’s got great support around him. His agent, Aaron Mintz, has been a longtime friend of mine. I’m here to help him. We’re all here to support him. All these guys that haven’t gone through it, there’s nothing like it. I think they all want to embrace it. They all have a chip on their shoulder about it and they want to make Lakers fans proud and I know they will.”
Kessler clearly recognizes the positive environment being fostered and sounds as though he’s taking a healthy approach to all of it, excited for the chance he’s afforded to play for such a renowned organization.
“The support system around me, with my teammates, the coaching staff, front office, I mean, they’re fantastic,” Kessler said following Los Angeles’ preseason finale. “They’re very vocal about, obviously being a Lakers big, there’s a certain legacy with that, but not to look at it as pressure, more so as an opportunity. So that’s kind of the attitude I’m going in with it.”
After appearing in the Lakers’ final two preseason outings, Kessler will make his regular-season debut Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors, where he’ll take his first genuine crack at proving himself on the court to the Lakers and their fanbase.
