Bob Boone, a four-time All-Star catcher who spent two seasons as a player with the Kansas City Royals before managing the club for parts of three seasons, has died at the age of 78, according to a social media post from his family. The son of All-Star infielder Ray Boone, and the father of All-Star infielders Bret and Aaron Boone, the Boones were the first family to have three generations of MLB players.

Bob Boone was one of the most accomplished defensive catchers of his generation, winning seven Gold Glove Awards over a 19-year playing career. He was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies after a standout career at Stanford. He he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting and was a three-time All-Star with the Phillies. He faced the Royals in the 1980 World Series as a catcher for the Phillies, hitting .412 (7-for-17) in the series for his only championship.

He moved onto the Angels in 1982, helping them win the division in their first year, earning MVP votes, and winning a Gold Glove. He was an All-Star the next year, and over seven years in Anaheim, he set the club record for most games behind the plate.

He left Anaheim and signed with the Royals in 1989 at the age of 41. He appeared in 131 games and hit .274/.351/.323, winning his seventh Gold Glove and finishing with 2.4 rWAR. After 40 games in 1990, he retired.

After the 1994 season was cancelled during the work stoppage, the Royals hired Bob Boone as manager to replace Hal McRae and usher in a new youth movement. Despite trading away stars like David Cone and Brian McRae, the Royals were in the hunt for the new “Wild Card” spot for most of the season, until a poor September caused them to fall under .500 at 70-74.

Boone was a very cerebral manager, but would frequently clash with the media. He was criticized for constantly changing the lineup, and for employing “Boonieball,” as then-Kansas City Star columnist Jeffrey Flanagan would call his style of play. Boone finished just 75-86 in 1996, and was fired at the 1997 All-Star break after a 36-46 start, replaced by Tony Muser.

Boone would later manage the Cincinnati Reds from 2001-2003, although he never managed them to a winning season. He joined the Washington Nationals front office in 2005 and served the team until he retired in 2021.

Welcome to the 2026-27 edition of Smash or Pass, in which we examine potential free agent and trade targets to determine whether the Red Sox should pursue them and what it would take to land them. Today, we start off with a Japanese import who’s helped the Cubs for the past few years with his pop from the right side of the plate.

I feel like the top priority for the Red Sox this winter (and probably spring…and maybe the summer…man this lockout is gonna suck) is pretty clear. The pitching staff is quite strong with a lot of guys already under team control for the foreseeable future, the steady defense is headlined by a trio of Gold Glovers, and the offense can get on base at a solid clip—their collective .319 OBP was good for 12th in baseball, so not too bad. But by that same logic, a team playing half of its games at Fenway Park posting just the 20th-best team slugging percentage (.397) and the fifth-least amount of homers (163) means that the area for improvement is pretty obvious. I know we need some pop, you know we need some pop, everyone knows we need some pop.

Enter Seiya Suzuki: a guy who’s probably not gonna hit 40+ homers for you, but a guy who just might be the ideal answer in a free agency class that leaves much to be desired.

Who is he and where does he come from?

He’s Seiya Suzuki (like I just said), a 32-year-old MLB vet who came to the bigs by way of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in his home country of Japan. After spending close to a decade in the NPB, Suzuki signed a deal with the Chicago Cubs ahead of the 2022 MLB season.

Is he any good?

Yeah, I’d say so!

After posting a respectable .262/.336/.433 triple slash line over close to 400 at-bats in his rookie season, Suzuki has had four straight campaigns with at least 20 home runs, at least 70 runs batted in, and an OPS of at least .800. In three of those years—including 2026—his OPS eclipsed .840. The one exception in that stretch was, ironically, the one season where he hit more than 30 homers (2025). FanGraphs shows that Suzuki boasts the 17th-best WRC+ (128) since the start of the 2022 season, ahead of guys such as Bobby Witt Jr., Jose Ramirez, and Ketel Marte.

Suzuki’s put up these numbers despite the fact that he’s played half of his games at Wrigley Field. The Friendly Confines is a venue that’s graded out as the 22nd-friendliest place to hitters over the last three seasons per Savant and a park featuring a left field foul pole that’s an ungodly 355 feet away from righties trying to hit the ball to their pull side, the single deepest foul pole in the game. In case you need any more convincing, his career OPS on the road (.828) is 10 points higher than his OPS at home (.818) in spite of the fact that his OBP in both instances is exactly the same (.351).

And another thing worth mentioning: his 14 defensive runs saved in 2026 per Fielding Bible was also within the top 20 across baseball.

So, yeah. I like Seiya a lot. Spoiler alert, I suppose.

TL;DR, just give me his 2026 stats

Y’know, you ask it like this every year and you never consider how rude it sounds, but whatever. I won’t get worked up about it.

In 634 plate appearance this season, Suzuki put up a .270/.368/.473 triple slash for a .841 OPS. He hit 26 homers and 31 doubles en route to driving in 86 runs. He struck out just over 24% of the time (29th percentile across MLB) and he walked close to 13% of the time (91st percentile).

Why would he be a good fit for the Red Sox?

Imagine Suzuki’s consistent production from the right-handed batter’s box at Fenway Park, a place with a left field pole 45 feet closer to the plate and with a giant fucking wall at that part of the field. Need I say more?

Seriously though, the calculus should be pretty straightforward here. I hate to post spray chart slop, but look at Seiya’s spray charts from the last two years overlaid at Wrigley Field.

Just imagine those charts with Fenway overlaid instead of Wrigley (or, figure out a way how to do it since I couldn’t, lmao) and try telling me that he wouldn’t fit right in. The team needs some juice in the lineup to slot around guys like Willson Contreras, Roman Anthony, Adley Rutschman, Wilyer Abreu, and (hopefully) Curtis Mead. Suzuki works as either your primary DH or a guy you can cycle in at the corner outfield spots from time to time.

And if you believe the strides Suzuki’s made on defense are real, then that latter point—the one about how he can rotate into the outfield mix—only lends more credence to the idea of bringing him to Boston. We know Roman’s dealt with injury issues as of late, as has Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu (although Wilyer effectively played a full season in 2026). Health is something that any baseball club has to consider, of course, but wouldn’t you want your best possible nine to be ready to go for October? We saw in the Bronx what a lineup running on fumes could look like, and the year before that half of the organization was in the hospital. Bringing in Seiya Suzuki would allow manager Chad Tracy to get guys off of their feet a bit more often without sacrificing much during neither the top nor bottom half of innings.

Why wouldn’t he be a good fit for the Red Sox?

I have to be honest: I can’t think of a real firm reason why Seiya Suzuki wouldn’t work out for the Red Sox. Any point that I try thinking of has something to explain the concern away. Maybe you’ll think of something that I haven’t, but I think I’m pretty much sold on this dude.

The first point I tried to challenge myself with is the fact that the lineup would be pretty right-handed heavy. I like the idea of having those guys broken up, especially when you consider that most pitchers are righties. Suzuki would join Contreras, Mead, Trevor Story/maybe Franklin Arias, Caleb Durbin, and Ceddy as full-time right-handed hitters if he were to sign. Even at Fenway Park, that on the surface gave me pause.

However, Seiya’s not a guy who gets eaten up by right-handed pitchers.

Yes, he’s generally been better against lefties when he’s at the plate, but he’s no slouch when he’s at a platoon disadvantage. Seiya’s slugged over .450 against righties in each of the last two seasons, and he was actually a reverse splits guy in 2024 as his .854 OPS against RHPs outpaced his .829 mark against LPHs. In just over 2,100 plate appearance against RHPs, his career OPS is .808. That’s quite good, and CBO Craig Breslow should not be scared off by that righty-righty dynamic.

His hard hit rate took a dip in 2026—from almost 49% in 2025 to about 39%—but the bat speed was still the same as it was last year. I’m not freaked out by that.

Does he have any injury concerns, considering he missed the start of 2026 with a sprain in his knee? Well, he still was very productive, so I’m not worried about that either.

Maybe Suzuki’s tendency to strikeout gives you the creeps—he’s never had a strikeout rate lower than 22.3%. However, the fact that he still produces mixed with the fact that his walk rate has also grown every single year since he made his MLB debut is enough solace for me to ignore the Ks. It’s a weaker free agency class; if you’re gonna be scared off by someone who strikes out a bit more than the average bear while giving you an OPS that starts with an 8, maybe you don’t deserve nice things.

Perhaps you’re worried about how Suzuki’s contract will age? I dunno, man, I can’t get too tied up in that. We’re the Boston Red Sox and we’ve already got a lot of the core locked in, some of whom are still on pre-arb deals. Story’s money will be off the books in a year, as will Masataka Yoshida’s. I won’t even try to speculate about what the new CBA will mean for the team’s payroll, but I don’t think Suzuki’s hypothetical deal (more on that in a moment) should hinder us from trying to win a very winnable American League pennant.

Besides: the world might not be here in five years time. The fog is coming.

What would it take to get him?

Kiley McDaniel of ESPN projects that Seiya Suzuki will fetch a four-year contract worth $90 million in total, or $22.5 million per year. The Athletic’s Keith Law thinks he’ll get a five-year deal worth just under $30 million a season. FanGraphs’ crowd sourced contract projections, for what it’s worth, has Suzuki primed to ink a $96 million deal over the course of four years.

If those are any indications, Suzuki is probably going to be signing something like a four or five year deal with an average annual value of around $25 million.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Cubs did extend the roughly $23 million qualifying offer to Suzuki. If the Red Sox sign Seiya, Chicago will be getting draft pick compensation for their troubles.

Show me a cool highlight.

What’s the magic word? I let the TL;DR thing slide earlier.

*sigh* Please show me a cool highlight.

That’s more like it.

How about this big homer he hit against Korea at the Tokyo Dome during this year’s World Baseball Classic?

Smash or pass?

In the words of Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker…

Probably the easiest smash for me this winter. I’m scared about how much I like the idea of adding Seiya Suzuki to this lineup. He’s a feasible guy to sign and he’d immediately improve the offense while providing some defensive cover as well. The competition to sign him may be steep given that this free agent class isn’t too strong, but I believe this is a guy you stick your neck out for. Go get it done, Craig.

Diamondbacks News

Q&A with D-backs president Hall on 2026 finish, future priorities by Steve Gilbert [DBacks.com]

Since the run to the World Series in 2023, the team has come within a game or two of making the playoffs the past few seasons while ownership has stretched the budget to try and get back. How do you expect the payroll to look in the coming season?

Hall: I do not think we need to spend at that level to win and believe it will come down. I realize I said the same before last season and we obviously increased, but with so many young players, we should be able to better manage a Major League budget without sacrificing our competitiveness. In fact, we would only do so if we thought we would improve our results as well.

Diamondbacks Bring Back Outfield Prospect On New Deal by Alex D’Agostino [SI]

Arizona is re-signing outfielder A.J. Vukovich, the Aces officially announced on Sunday.

Vukovich had spent the last six seasons in the Diamondbacks’ system, after he was drafted 119th overall in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB draft. 

He began to tap into his power swing in the 2023 season, slugging .485 for the Double-A Amarillo Sod Poodles. He hit 24 home runs that season, albeit in an extremely offense-focused Texas League environment. That helped him end up at No. 14 on Arizona’s top 30 prospect rankings at the time.

Around the League

Tigers’ all-around star and Reds’ throwback slugger named Rookies of the Year by Manny Randhawa [MLB]

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America has named Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle the 2026 American League Rookie of the Year, and Reds infielder Sal Stewart the 2026 National League Rookie of the Year. 

Pedro Martinez appeals for MLB resolution, reflects on effects of 1994 strike [ESPN]

“I feel for the fans, and I know when it’s good, and it’s good, baseball is good right now,” Martinez said Saturday, according to the Boston Herald. “So stop the crap around and get something done and don’t lock out baseball for the fans.”

In Boston for the Pedro Martinez Foundation’s 10th annual gala, Martinez said that “honestly speaking, I’m pissed” as he appealed to both players and owners to find a solution.

“Please, for the fans, both sides, figure it out, a good way to get it done, and do not lock out baseball,” Martinez said.

2027 Contemporary Baseball Era Committee Candidate: Joe Maddon by Jay Jaffe [FanGraphs]

Joe Maddon was the right manager at the right time more than once. A former minor league catcher who never reached the majors as a player, and who spent over three decades in various capacities within the Angels’ organization, Maddon didn’t get his first major league managerial job until he was 52 years old. As part of a new regime that took over a Tampa Bay team that had never won more than 70 games in the franchise’s eight-year history, Maddon clicked with a cutting-edge front office and helped mold a young squad into an American League powerhouse seemingly overnight. The Devil Rays won 66 games in 2007, Maddon’s second season, then — after a nominal exorcism that made them the Rays — 97 games and the AL pennant in ’08 before losing to the Phillies in the World Series. 

Maddon led the Rays — a team that generally ranked near the bottom of the league in both attendance and payroll — to the playoffs four times in a six-season span from 2008–13, winning AL Manager of the Year honors twice. With his horn-rimmed glasses, his varied interests beyond baseball, and his understanding of statistical analysis, he emerged as an icon, a hip and literate nerd who could lead the game’s Davids into battle with Goliaths, or just recommend a nice merlot.

Best Fits For A Ketel Marte Trade by Anthony Franco [MLB Trade Rumors]

Teams are expected to lay the foundation for their offseason trade talks as the GM Meetings get underway. Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte is one of the biggest names available. The Snakes have more or less acknowledged that they’ll listen to offers on the three-time All-Star, who has clearly frustrated many within the organization by failing to show up for certain games over the years.

Marte has full control over his destiny, as he secured no-trade protection by reaching 10 years of service time (the last five of which have come in Arizona). He’s signed for another five years at a total of $87.5MM, covering ages 33-37. Marte is only making a $12MM salary next year, though, and $3MM of that is deferred.

That’s a fine salary even if he only repeats his league average .249/.316/.432 showing this year. If he bounces back some or all of the way to the player he was before, arguably the best second baseman in the sport, it’s a bargain for the on-field production. There’ll surely be teams that have trepidations about Marte’s work habits, and some might take him off their target list altogether, but the D-Backs should get some kind of interest given the star offensive upside he’s shown at his best.

Yesterday, Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reported that the Phillies are interested in free agent infielder Ha-Seong Kim. Salisbury noted that the Phillies are targeting Kim as insurance for the shortstop position if Trea Turner’s defense does not meet Dave Dombrowski’s challenge to improve that the Phillies president issued at the start of the offseason.

Kim, who has played shortstop, second base, and third base in his career, signed a one year, $20M deal with the Braves last offseason but played in just 51 games due to a torn tendon in his finger suffered after he slipped on ice in South Korea before the season. When he did return to action, Kim had the worst season of his six-year career and was one of if not the worst hitter in MLB, as his .116 AVG and .356 OPS both ranked 416th out of 416 hitters with at least Kim’s 147 plate appearances as a qualifier. His usual reliable defense that earned him the Gold Glove for utility players in 2023 also took a step back. albeit in the obvious small sample size of 47 games.

Despite this, there is some logic behind the Phillies supposed interest. As Salisbury states in the article, the Phillies do indeed require some sort of back-up plan for shortstop if they choose to move Turner off of the position at some point mid-season in 2027. Even if Turner suddenly rebounds defensively, the Phillies currently do not have a third baseman or a utility infielder under contract, as both Alec Bohm and Edmundo Sosa are free agents. Kim could serve as an insurance plan for both of those positions as well in the event the Phillies do not retain either. Prospect Aidan Miller is widely expected to play third base for the Phillies at some point in the near future, but the Phillies still need someone to occupy the spot in the meantime even if it’s only for half of a season.

Kim has shown in the past that he can be a very valuable player, as he averaged 3.8 WAR per season during his first four seasons in MLB with the San Diego Padres while serving in a super utility role. For perspective, Bryce Harper led all Phillies position players with 3.1 WAR in 2026. However, Kim hasn’t been that player since 2024, as his 2025 was also disappointing, as he played in just 48 games thanks to shoulder surgery he underwent near the end of the 2024 season.

If the Phillies were to sign Kim, they would be betting that the now 31-year-old can regain his form from before his injuries. At the very least, they would be betting that Kim can be a serviceable utility player in the likely event that Sosa leaves for a bigger role elsewhere. So, do you think the Phillies should sign Ha-Seong Kim? What type of contract would you offer him if so? What role do you envision him in?

Good morning.

With the GM meetings underway, Kennedi Landry writes about the work cut out for Chris Young and gang this winter with plenty of areas to address in free agency.

At The Athletic, Chad Jennings writes about how teams could attempt to mirror the Rangers from the last time a lockout loomed by jumping early into free agency this month.

MLB Trade Rumor’s Anthony Franco checks out where the teams — including the Rangers — would stack up in the hunt to acquire mercurial D-Backs infielder Ketel Marte this winter.

And, though the Rangers had no candidates for the recently named Rookie of the Year award, the MLB Pipeline team notes that the long awaited arrival of Sebastian Walcott could give them a contender for 2027.

Have a nice day!

Kevin McGonigle in the AL was a no-brainer, so no point in throwing that question out there. But the NL, well… Sal Stewart won, and my question, in its basic form, is whether you would’ve helped or hurt that cause if you were one of the voters.

To me, it was a relatively easy vote for JJ Wetherholt and I don’t think Stewart even had a particularly good season, so my answer is a very easy “no.” If you want a different, much longer examination, Ben Clemens did it here over a month ago. Any specific vote aside, Stewart just didn’t really hit that well considering his home park, and I think arguments beyond his counting stat have to rely on his leverage/men on base splits, which aren’t very compelling to me for this type of award.

Anyway, are you here to make a spirited defense of Stewart, or… not?

Meet the Mets

Carson Benge finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting—runner-up to Reds first baseman Sal Stewart, whose massive home run and RBI totals beat out Benge’s more well-rounded case.

The Mets had two other players receive votes for NL Rookie of the Year; Nolan McLean finished fourth and A.J. Ewing came in ninth.

“I do favor the Mets at this point,” said Jon Heyman on MLB Network yesterday regarding the Tarik Skubal sweepstakes, which is heating up with the Dodgers facing financial constraints that may limit their ability to re-sign this off-season’s top free agent.

Anthony DiComo takes a look at what the Mets might address at the GM meetings this week alongside their pursuit of Skubal.

“I think the Mets are going to be looking to make some trades for starting pitching,” said SNY MLB insider Chelsea Janes, reporting from the GM meetings in Vegas. “I don’t expect them to go full free agency.”

The Dodgers claimed infielder Christian Cairo off waivers from the Mets, who had signed him prior to the 40-man roster deadline and then designated him for assignment. They did the same with infielder Kyren Paris, but he cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse.

Around the National League East

Per reporting by MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the Braves have “no interest” in trading Ronald Acuña Jr.

The Phillies have reportedly shown interest in shortstop Ha-Seong Kim as insurance at the position in case they decide to have Trea Turner, who has not excelled defensively, play elsewhere on the diamond.

With left-handed pitching at the top of their wish list, Adrian Morejon, Alex Vesia, and Sean Newcomb are top free agent targets for the Miami Marlins.

Though the Nationals will be focused on pitching, Sam Sallick of Federal Baseball thinks Paul Toboni might try to make a move to add a bat as well.

Around Major League Baseball

Detroit Tigers shortstop Kevin McGonigle won the American League Rookie of the Year honor decisively, with Parker Messick and Payton Tolle rounding out the top three. With injury holding him back at the end of the season, early-season NL favorite JJ Wetherholt of the Cardinals came in third behind Stewart and Benge.

Brent Maguire of MLB.com ran down six storylines to watch during Awards Week this week.

The GM meetings kick off this week in Las Vegas and normally one would not necessarily expect there to be a flurry of activity, but with a looming lockout, this year is different.

One team who will be active is the Cubs, who are looking to address their starting rotation, which is their biggest priority this off-season. Though that makes them a great candidate for the Skubal sweepstakes on paper, they “appear unlikely to enter the bidding war,” for Skubal, according to Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic. However, it is expected that Chicago will check in on pretty much every other free agent starter.

Speculation is growing that the Rangers may be shopping the expensive trio of Corey Seager, Jacob deGrom, and Nathan Eovaldi in an attempt to shed payroll. But it won’t necessarily be a simple feat; both deGrom and Eovaldi have full no-trade clauses and Seager has a partial no-trade clause and is owed $150 million over the next five years.

Per reporting from Jon Heyman, the Yankees are not necessarily looking to sign a second baseman, even with the departure of Jazz Chisolm in free agency. The club may look to upgrade at third base instead.

Speaking of notable Yankees departures in free agency, Max Ralph of MLB.com explores who may be the Yankees’ closer next year in the absence of now free agent David Bednar.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Thomas Henderson wrote about the fascinating NL Rookie of the Year race, representing a battle of more traditional counting stats against more analytical triumphs and how Carson Benge’s case combined the resumes of the run-producing Sal Stewart and the defensive skills of JJ Wetherholt.

This Date in Mets History

Former Mets GM Omar Minaya turns 68 today.

As another offseason begins, the Braves have multiple needs to address to truly return to the being a true World Series contender. It is abundantly clear that more quality needs to be added to the Braves offense. However, reliable depth also needs to be added to the Braves rotation. A big reason for this is the significant injuries that have occurred to several young arms in the organization over the past few years. Grant McAuley dives more into the current state of the Braves internal options for the 2027 rotation.

Braves News

Ivan looks at whether or not this year’s GM meetings could be different than most years with the lockout looming.

Mark Bowman looks a few of the bigger Braves storylines heading into the GM Meetings.

MLB News

Kevin McGonigle of the Tigers and Sal Stewart of the Reds were voted the AL and NL Rookies of the Year. Didier Fuentes received a few 5th place votes in the final results.