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The San Diego Padres have won precisely one World Series game in the history of their franchise. On October 10, 1984, they defeated the Detroit Tigers 5-3 in Game 2 of that season’s Fall Classic. Their starter, Ed Whitson, gave up more runs (three) than he recorded outs (two). So out of the bullpen came 24-year-old Andy Hawkins, who’d been abysmal for the Padres in ’84 (-1.6 bWAR). All he did was hurl 5.1 frames of shutout ball, earning himself the win.

Several years later, Hawkins found himself on the free agent market and identified the Yankees as a team he thought would be competitive during his tenure. Ultimately, he signed on the dotted line to come to the Bronx. He was, sadly, completely wrong on the Yankees’ timeline to be competitive, so he never came close to the AL pennants he hoped for. Nonetheless, he holds a place in Yankee lore, tossing one of the more infamous no-hitters in baseball history.

Name: Melton Andrew Hawkins
Born: January 21, 1960 (Waco, TX)
Yankees Tenure: 1989-91

Hawkins grew up in Texas, playing baseball. Larger than many of his peers, his father (and eventually his coach) realized he needed to be pushed. The talent was never in question, though. When the 1978 MLB Amateur Draft rolled around, Hawkins did not have to wait long for his name to get called. Picking fifth overall, the San Diego Padres nabbed the 18-year-old.

By 1982, Hawkins found himself in the majors, where he embarked on an inconsistent trajectory. In limited action his rookie season, he struggled. But the next season, far from a sophomore slump, Hawkins put together one of his finest seasons, pitching to a 2.93 ERA (121 ERA+) in 119.2 innings. 1984, however, was the exact opposite as he pitched poorly enough to get demoted to the bullpen before earning his World Series redemption (he ended up pitching in three games that October, allowing one run in 12 innings).

After an excellent 1985, he struggled again the next two seasons. But with his free agency approaching, Hawkins picked an excellent time to have a bounce-back season in 1988. That December, the Yankees showed up to the Winter Meetings, looking to perhaps offload Dave Winfield. When that looked like a losing proposition, General Manager Bob Quinn quickly pivoted.

At the top of their list? The 28-year-old Hawkins, fresh off a 14-win season in San Diego. It did not take long for a deal to come together. A day after the initial reporting on Hawkins emerged in the New York Times, he and the Yanks came to an agreement. Hawkins signed a 3-year, $3.6 million deal, the largest and longest deal he was offered in free agency.

Manager Dallas Green immediately designated Hawkins the “anchor” of the Yanks’ rotation. That raised some eyebrows. Murray Chass, in the Times, remarked that the label “raised instant questions about the talent that will make up the rotation.”

Hawkins was up-and-down in his first half-season as a Yankee. He won 11 of his first 19 starts, going at least seven innings in 10 of them… but… his ERA spent all of May and June bouncing between 5.00+ and 6.00+. It looked like he’d steadied the ship with back-to-back shutouts to move him to 11-8. Then the wheels fell off. He went 4-7 the remainder of the season as the Yanks sunk to a fifth-place finish in the AL East.

1990 was no better. By mid-May, Hawkins was 1-3 with an ERA north of 7.00. Then he took the mound on May 16^th. And he was perfect. Except… the weather did not cooperate. Hawkins faced 13 hitters. He retired 13 hitters. Eventually though, the game was called and later made up as part of a double-header. It’s easy to find in his game logs. Just look for the game where Hawkins is credited for pitching 11.2 innings versus Minnesota. It was not the last time in 1990 that Hawkins crossed paths with baseball immortality.

The game he’s most known for happened that season on July 1^st. Facing the Chicago White Sox, Hawkins opened with 4.2 perfect frames before walking a pair, ensuring there would be no perfect game. He still allowed nary a hit though. Fast forward to the eighth inning. An error put a man on for Chicago then Hawkins again walked a pair of Pale Hose batters to load the bases.

Robin Ventura then lofted a fly ball to left that, in the swirling winds, clanked off Jim Leyritz’s glove. Three runs scored on the error, the second of the inning. A fourth run followed on yet another error, before Hawkins could escape. Still with the no-hitter intact, he and the Yanks now trailed 4-0 and ultimately lost by that margin.

That was the high point as a Yankee for Hawkins, which is strangely fitting in a way. Neither he nor the club found the success each hoped for when he signed his deal. He struggled for the rest of the 1990 season and he was so bad in ’91 that the Yankees released him in early May. He signed with the Athletics nine days later and spent the next four months pitching for them before they released him, ending his major league career as a player.

Several years after his retirement, Hawkins got back into baseball, this time as a coach. He spent 2001-15 (except for one season in Kansas City) with the Rangers staff. After disappearing from baseball for a couple years, Hawkins now coaches with the Salt Lake Bees of the Pacific Coast League. Happy birthday, Andy.

References

Andy Hawkins. Baseball-Reference.

Chass, Murray.“ Baseball; Yankees Woo Hawkins After Trade Talks Fail.” New York Times. December 8, 1988.

Chass, Murray. “Yanks Sign Hawkins To $3.6 Million Pact.” New York Times. December 9, 1988.

Curry, Jack. “Hawkins is Perfect; Weather is Not.” New York Times. May 17, 1990.

Thornley, Stew. “Andy Hawkins.” SABR.

Thornley, Stew. “July 1, 1990: Andy Hawkins no-hitter is ‘no winner’ for Yankees.” SABR.

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See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

The final review of the 2025 season will be looking at each position in the Astros farm system. Next up is the outfield position.

BEST OF THE BUNCH

Alonzo Tredwell

Tredwell was the Astros 2nd round pick back in the 2023 draft and he had a breakout season this year. The right-hander pitched across three different levels and posted a 3.69 ERA with 122 strikeouts over 100 innings. This included a dominant 40 strikeouts over 22.2 innings in Double-A to end the season.

2025 Stats: 26 G, 3.69 ERA, 100.0 IP, 85 H, 41 ER, 45 BB, 122 K, 11.0 K/9

Bryce Mayer

Mayer, a 16th round pick in last year’s draft and looks to be another diamond for the Astros. The right-hander started in Single-A and struck out 30 over 17.2 innings earning a promotion to High-A. In Asheville he posted a 2.85 ERA with 45 K in 41 innings. He finished the season in Double-A striking out 37 over 29 innings. He was the Astros minor league pitcher of the year.

2025 Stats: 21 G, 4.11 ERA, 87.2 IP, 76 H, 40 ER, 27 BB, 112 K, 11.5 K/9

Miguel Ullola

Ullola started the season well and then hit a rough patch but turned it around late. In his first full season in Triple-A, Ullola posted a 3.88 ERA with 131 strikeouts over 113.2 innings. He also allowed just 75 hits, good for a .186 batting average against. When he cuts down on the walks, he is dominant.

2025 Stats: 28 G, 3.88 ERA, 113.2 IP, 75 H, 49 ER, 78 BB, 131 K, 10.4 K/9

Ethan Pecko

Pecko had some injuries early in the year but after getting healthy, the 2024 minor league pitcher of the year got back to his normal self. He had a 4.40 ERA in Double-A but that included a 1.75 ERA over his final six outings in Double-A. He got a promotion to Triple-A where he finished with a 3.09 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 35 innings. He should be in Houston in 2026.

2025 Stats: 20 G, 3.83 ERA, 80.0 IP, 73 H, 34 ER, 27 BB, 95 K, 10.7 K/9

Trey Dombroski

After a tough season in 2024 for Dombroski, he turned things around this year. The left-hander posted a 3.61 ERA with 116 strikeouts over 112.1 innings. He allowed just 91 hits in Double-A good for a 7.3 H/9, down from 11.1 H/9 last year. He made two starts in Triple-A too and should start there next season.

2025 Stats: 28 G, 3.95 ERA, 120.2 IP, 99 H, 53 ER, 55 BB, 122 K, 9.1 K/9

THE REST OF THE PACK

Joan Ogando

Ogando pitched the full season for the Woodpeckers and had some ups and downs. The 21-year-old had a 4.07 ERA overall, but had some really good months posting a 3.24 ERA in April and a 3.18 ERA in June. Overall he finished with 113 strikeouts in 94.2 innings, though he did walk 69.

2025 Stats: 25 G, 4.09 ERA, 94.2 IP, 55 H, 43 ER, 69 BB, 13 K, 10.7 K/9

Anthony Cruz

Cruz is an undersized right-hander who put together a solid season in 2025. He started the year in Fayetteville and had a 3.75 ERA with 84 strikeouts over 84 innings. He earned a promotion to High-A where he had a 5.12 ERA, though he also had 20 strikeouts in 19.1 innings. Overall he had a 4.01 ERA.

2025 Stats: 25 G, 4.01 ERA, 103.1 IP, 87 H, 46 ER, 53 BB, 104 K, 9.1 K/9

Jose Fleury

Fleury has been on the radar as a possible top prospect for a couple of seasons now. He started out the season on fire posting a 0.82 ERA with 25 K in 22 innings in April. He missed some time in May but came back in June and was eventually promoted to Triple-A where he had a 6.95 ERA over 45.1 innings.

2025 Stats: 23 G, 4.55 ERA, 85.0 IP, 74 H, 43 ER, 35 BB, 78 K, 8.3 K/9

Jackson Nezuh

Nezuh had a monster first year in the system in 2024 but struggled some in Double-A in 2025. He finished the season strong though posting a 1.67 ERA over his final six games. He would end up finishing the season with a 4.34 ERA and 76 strikeouts over 76.2 innings between Double-A and a couple outings in the FCL.

2025 Stats: 20 G, 4.34 ERA, 120.2 IP, 99 H, 53 ER, 55 BB, 122 K, 9.1 K/9

2026 OUTLOOK

Pitching is always tricky. As it stands, the Astros will be leaning on Hunter Brown, Spencer Arrighetti, Mike Burrows, Cristian Javier and newly acquired Tatsuya Imai. The Astros have some strong arms in Ullola, Pecko and Mayer. Then some other strong options like Tredwell, Forcucci (hasn’t pitched yet) and Dombroski. As we have seen in previous years, we know the Astros will need well more than five starters so plenty of chances for these prospects to shine in 2026.

27. Riley Kelly (79 points, 10 ballots)

Kelly was Colorado’s fourth round pick, 107th overall, in the 2025 draft out of UC-Irvine. The 6’5” 21-year-old righty starter signed for a $700k bonus, just about $15k under the slot value. Like many other high Rockies draftees, Kelly was a high school quarterback with some good athleticism. He was thought of highly enough in high school to be in the top 250 of MLB Pipeline and get drafted in the 20th round in 2022 by Arizona (though he didn’t sign). His standout trait is a high-RPM (3,000+) curveball, combined with low to mid-90s velocity and a decent changeup.

The first couple years of college didn’t go well for Kelly, who threw only 20 1/3 innings with poor results while battling a back injury. In his draft year, Kelly started the season in the bullpen for UC-Irvine before moving back to the rotation in mid-March. In his second start, he outdueled eventual 2025 #2 overall pick Tyler Bremner en route to a season total of 66 2/3 innings with a 3.78 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 9.5 K/9 rate, and 4.3 BB/9 rate. Kelly didn’t pitch in an official game in the Rockies’ system after signing.

Here’s a look at Kelly after his sophomore campaign in 2024:

Kelly was ranked 139th overall by MLB Pipeline in the draft (20 spots ahead of Rockies third round pick and fellow PuRP Ethan Hedges) and is now ranked 19th in the system (two spots behind Hedges) as a 40 FV player with 55 grades on his fastball and curveball:

Kelly’s fastball sits around 92-93 mph and he can crank it up to 96 at times. But his best pitch has always been his curve, especially when he can land it for strikes. It’s a nasty 11-to-5 breaker thrown in the upper 70s that routinely registers over 3,000 rpm and flashes plus. He has a low-80s changeup that can be effective as well.

While Kelly’s strike-throwing has been inconsistent, scouts saw better quality strikes with the move to the rotation. He should get every opportunity to start, with the knowledge that the fastball-curve combination could tick up if he had to move back to the ‘pen.

Here’s what Keith Law of the Athletic wrote about Kelly after the 2025 draft:

UC Irvine right-hander Riley Kelly (4) moved from the Anteaters’ bullpen to the rotation this year and blossomed, making 12 starts along with five relief appearances and lowering his ERA by a run and a half. He’s up to 96 but he sits more 91-93, generating a ton of whiffs on his 82-85-mph straight change, although his 11/5 curveball looks like it should be his best pitch. He has 45 control right now, but if that gets to 50, he’s a starter.

If Kelly can command that hammer, generate a bit more velocity on the fastball, and stick in the rotation, he becomes an interesting starter prospect. Pending that evidence, I ranked Kelly as a 35+ FV player with some upside and put him 26th on my list. Kelly will start 2026 at High-A Spokane or Low-A Fresno, probably the latter.

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Morning everyone and welcome to Wednesday! Don’t you love a short week?

Yesterday morning we got a report indicating that future Hall of Fame third baseman Nolan Arenado rejected a trade to the Athletics just prior to getting flipped to Arizona instead. Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the A’s and Cardinals had come to terms on a trade involving him coming to Sacramento, but the 34-year-old decided to reject that in favor of returning to the NL West, where he spent the first eight years of his career with the Rockies.

That’s a bit of a slap in the face to the A’s, even if they are currently playing in a minor league stadium. Arenado has two years left on his deal though, and with no guarantee he would be there at third base when the A’s open in Las Vegas there was a strong chance he would only be playing in Sacramento had he accepted a deal to the Athletics. In that sense it’s his loss because the team is on the rise with young cornerstones Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson, both of whom would likely have benefitted from having him in the dugout with them.

On the other hand, it shouldn’t be a surprise anymore that players really don’t want to play in a minor league ballpark, even if it’s good for batters on an up-and-coming squad. The report by Rosenthal says that along with Arizona he would have approved a trade to San Diego, which has a better roster, stadium, and ownership unafraid to spend. The fact that he ended up choosing Arizona is a bit puzzling in a baseball sense because the D-Backs were a fourth-place team in a loaded NL West, and there’s not much to indicate a sudden turnaround is in order.

The Rosenthal report also says that the A’s would have actually taken on more salary in the trade than the Diamondbacks ultimately did. Arizona reportedly took on $11 million of the remaining $42 that Arenado is owed, which is a sizeable chunk for the Cardinals to eat. If the reporting is correct they had a deal with the A’s lined up where they would have gotten greater salary relief but a lesser prospect return. While both the Cardinals and A’s were ready for this to happen, Arenado just wasn’t ready to don the Green & Gold.

That wasn’t all that we learned from the report. We got word yesterday that the A’s are interested in a reunion with former Athletic Miguel Andujar, but it seems the Athletics may make a move one way or another whether it’s a reunion with Andujar or a different outside addition. Third base remains the clear and obvious spot for an upgrade on the position player side of things. The front office supposedly is happy to go with the in-house options Max Muncy, Darell Hernaiz and Brett Harris, but these reports on back-to-back days indicate that could just be a negotiating tactic.

Rosenthal says A's had a deal in place for Arenado but he didn't approve. He also says, "The A’s currently intend to use Max Muncy at 3B, with Brett Harris & Darell Hernaiz also in the mix. They possibly could pursue a free agent such as Eugenio Suárez or Yoan Moncada as well." https://t.co/Mqb7mtAKF7

— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) January 20, 2026

Two other names mentioned in the report that could be of interest to the Athletics is Eugenio Suarez and Yoan Moncada. Either would be an upgrade over the in-house options at the hot corner for the A’s, but the question is by how much depending on their contract.

Suarez is the more established of the two third basemen as the 34-year-old has 325 career home runs to his name. The power is there, but his on-base percentage and defense leave a lot to be desired. The A’s could double down on their power with him as he’s sure to hit a long of homers this year, but that might not fit with what the A’s want out of that spot. He’s not short of suitors, with his most recent team the Seattle Mariners still reportedly monitoring his market.

Moncada is another name that’s been bandied about as a potential fit for the A’s. The longtime White Sock spent last season with the division-rival Angels, his first outside of Chicago in eight years. Injuries yet again ate into Moncada’s campaign as he made it into just 84 games for the Halo’s. Granted, that’s significantly more than his final season in Chicago but any team signing the switch-hitter has to know he can’t be counted on for a full season. Maybe that’s actually attractive to the A’s, who may want to legitimately give Muncy and/or Hernaiz a chance at some point this coming season. It doesn’t hurt that Moncada was actually an above-average hitter in terms of OPS+ during his Angels stint.

Well there you have it. The A’s got left high and dry by Nolan Arenado, who instead heads to the desert to join the D-Backs. Options are dwindling for an upgrade over Muncy and Hernaiz, but we know the front office is at least trying for an upgrade, and even coming close to one. To those that thought the A’s were done adding this offseason, it’s time to recheck your calculus.

Have a great one guys.

A’s Coverage:

• A’s 2026 Community Prospect List: Here We Go!
• A’s had deal in place for Nolan Arenado prior to D-Backs trade
• Happy 104th, Betty White!
• Polarizing Prospects: #2, Junior Perez
• A’s land 3 of MLB Pipeline’s Top 50 international prospects
• Athletics hire former Rockies GM Bill Schmidt as Special Assistant
• Party Like It’s 1981! Why A “Split Season” Is The Way To Go
• A’s excited by lefty prospect Lin, a ‘Taiwanese Snellzilla”

MLB News and Interest:

• Andrew Jones, Carlos Beltran elected to Hall of Fame
• Chase Utley tracking towards Hall of Fame, but what about Rollins, Abreu, Hamels?
• Phils on Bichette to Mets: “It was a gut punch”
• Padres have shown interest in Brewers ace Freddy Peralta
• Former A’s starter Rich Hill will not pitch in 2026
• Could Cody Bellinger be nearing a decision?
• Rays enter non-binding agreement to pursue stadium plan at Hillsborough College
• Marlins acquire Bradley Blalock, designate Osvaldo Bido for assignment
• Today in baseball history

Best of X:

While Cal Raleigh was getting all the attention, Shea was actually better in the second half:

Just how good was Shea Langeliers in the 2nd Half of 2025? Well in Cal Raleigh’s “once in a lifetime” type of season, Langeliers outperformed him in wRC+, HRs & RBI in the 2nd Half.

In 57 games, Langeliers went .328/.367/.651 😳 He led all Catchers in fWAR at 3.3.

In fact,… pic.twitter.com/OW2az1iPjz

— Tablesetters: A Baseball Podcast (@tablesetterspod) January 20, 2026

Would probably be a big upgrade over Muncy. Would he want to come here though?

If the A’s were in on Arenado, and were willing to take on a lot of salary, is there a chance they are in on Eugenio Suarez? Seems like that wouldn’t be crazy. Maybe getting pitching is too difficult and they’re just going to try to out-slug everyone.

— Straight A’s (@StraightAs123) January 20, 2026

Tough couple months for Bido. Can’t be easy bouncing around that much:

Former A's RHP Osvaldo Bido has been designated for assignment for the 4th time in the last month and a half. First by the A's, then by the Braves, then by the Rays, and now by the Marlins. He seems perpetually destined to be the 41st man on the roster.

— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) January 20, 2026

How much would a Colby Thomas trade really bring back though?

The more I think about it, I think the A’s are floating Thomas in trade talks to get an SP, and they would sign Andujar to fill Thomas’ role if they are able to work something out. https://t.co/EbyYPgF3yE

— Straight A’s (@StraightAs123) January 19, 2026

The people have spoken and the first pitcher is off the board as Braylon Doughty is our No. 6 Cleveland Guardians prospect. Doughty won by just three votes with 35.5% of the vote, beating out Cooper Ingle (33.1%) and Khal Stephen (13.8%). He is making his CTC prospect rankings debut.

Doughty was Cleveland’s first round competitive balance pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Chaparral High School in Temecula, California, signing with Cleveland for a $2,569,200 bonus.

He made his pro debut skipping straight to full-season Single-A Lynchburg to begin 2025 and it was an impressive showing. Doughty made 22 starts, topping out with a season-long 5.2 innings pitched Aug. 1 when he struck out seven and allowed one run without a walk.

Limiting walks was Doughty’s specialty in 2025. He had two walks or fewer in all but one of his starts. Overall on the season, he struck out 99 batters while walking just 23 in 85.1 innings pitched. On the season, he had a 3.48 ERA and an even better 2.84 FIP.

Unfortunately, Doughty didn’t get an opportunity to participate in Lynchburg’s run to a Single-A championship in the Carolina League because he was tabled with right shoulder inflammation on Aug. 23 right before the end of the season. From everything I’ve read, the move was precautionary and he didn’t need any additional surgery or anything.

Doughty has high spin on his breaking pitches, with a slider and curveball that both grade as plus and the potential to have a great changeup as well. Despite just turning 20 years old, he’s already drawing comparisons to another spectacular Cleveland pitcher — Shane Bieber. That’s some high praise. Let’s hope he can prove scouts right as he continues to develop in 2026 where he’ll almost certainly begin the season at High-A Lake County.

Now, it’s time to determine who is number five in the Guardians’ loaded farm system! Your options are below:

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Juan Brito, 2B (Age 24)
2025 (CPX) 26 PA, .190/.346/.333, 1 HR, 0 SB, 11.5 BB%, 30.8 K%, 93 wRC+
2025 (AAA): 99 PA, .256/.357/.463, 3 HR, 4 SB, 13.1 BB%, 21.2 K%, 115 wRC+

Was lined up to make his MLB debut in 2025, but multiple injuries prevented the switch-hitter from getting his opportunity and it’s possible he could be passed up completely.

Juneiker Caceres, OF (Age 18)
2025 (CPX) 160 PA, .289/.419/.469, 3 HR, 5 SB, 16.9 BB%, 11.3 K%, 139 wRC+
2025 (A): 130 PA, .250/.331/.345, 1 HR, 2 SB, 6.9 BB%, 13.1 K%, 103 wRC+

Impressed at the complex league, then hit the ground running in a late season promotion to Single-A before running out of steam late in his age-17 season. Loaded with potential.

Jaison Chourio, OF (Age 20)
2025 (CPX) 27 PA, .261/.370/.304, 0 HR, 1 SB, 14.8 BB%, 37.0 K%, 95 wRC+
2025 (A+): 353 PA, .235/.380/.284, 2 HR, 9 SB, 18.7 BB%, 21.8 K%, 103 wRC+

Chourio was lining up to be Cleveland’s top prospect after a sensational 2024, but he was slowed in 2025 by a nagging shoulder injury and had a very average season. He’s looking to bounce back in 2026.

Cooper Ingle, C (Age 23)
2025 (AA) 403 PA, .273/.391/.443, 9 HR, 0 SB, 16.1 BB%, 17.4 K%, 148 wRC+
2025 (AAA) 107 PA, .207/.383/.329, 1 HR, 0 SB, 19.6 BB%, 16.7K%, 105 wRC+

Ingle has shown excellent offensive tendencies for a catcher. Will his defense and power be enough to earn an opportunity in Cleveland this year?

Jace LaViolette, OF (Age 22)
2025 (NCAA) 262 PA, .258/.427/.576, 18 HR, 7 SB, 21.8 BB%, 25.2K%, 120 wRC+

Cleveland’s first round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, the 6-foot-6 LaViolette instantly becomes one of the top power hitting prospects in the system. Strikeouts and contact have been an issue, however.

Alfonsin Rosario, OF (Age 21)
2025 (A+) 354 PA, .268/.362/.490, 16 HR, 12 SB, 10.8 BB%, 25.1 K%, 139 wRC+
2025 (AA): 145 PA, .211/.303/.391, 5 HR, 2 SB, 10.3 BB%, 33.1 K%, 105 wRC+

One of Cleveland’s most impressive hitters in its minor league system during his stint at High-A Lake County as a 20-year-old. Rosario has a unique combination of speed and power, but will need to overcome his strikeouts.

Khal Stephen, RHP (Age 23)
w/ TOR 2025 (A) 7 GS, 39.1 IP, 2.06 ERA, 1.97 FIP, 31.4 K%, 4.6 BB%, 0.92 WHIP
w/ TOR 2025 (A+): 9 GS, 48.1 IP, 1.49 ERA, 2.70 FIP, 26.6 K%, 5.4 BB%, 0.85 WHIP
w/ TOR 2025 (AA): 1 GS, 4.0 IP, 6.35 ERA, 1.88 FIP, 11.1 K%, 5.6 BB%, 1.68 WHIP
2025 (AA): 4 GS, 11.1 IP, 9.00 ERA, 9.54 FIP, 21.9 K%, 3.9 BB%, 1.50 WHIP

Please vote below

While some level of frustration about 2025 remains, the Kansas City Royals are poised to secure back-to-back-to-back winning seasons immediately after tying the franchise record for most losses in a year. That comeback is impressive, especially considering how the Royals accomplished it.

Yes, the Royals signed some free agents to do so, but they’ve largely limited their spending and their long-term financial outlook is very good. Yes, they’ve made some efficient trades, improving at the margins and making use of some team depth to attempt to shore up areas of weaknesses. And yes, they’ve watched a couple young players blossom–chief among them the wunderkind Bobby Witt Jr.

The Royals are still searching for a difference maker or two, though. Unfortunately, their payroll (which has increased by a respectable $14 million per Cot’s Baseball Contracts) is probably maxed out. And more unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that the Royals are going to swing the big trade that they’re looking for, at least per Ken Rosenthal:

The Kansas City Royals are increasingly unlikely to land either of the two hitters they pursued in trades: the St. Louis Cardinals’ Brendan Donovan and Boston Red Sox’s Jarren Duran.Barring further moves, the Royals expect to rely heavily on offseason acquisitions Isaac Collins and Lane Thomas in their outfield, as well as rookie Jac Caglianone and holdover Kyle Isbel.

You can quibble on whether Donovan or Durran are worth the assets that would have taken to acquire them. But both are only 29, under control for multiple seasons, and would be huge improvements over what the Royals have right now. They would make the team better right now and in the future. 

Even so, there were other deals that could have been out there that the Royals should have been able to work out. There has been just one problem: the Royals don’t have a good enough farm system to leverage.

The last time the Royals wanted to take the next step, they had that farm system. That was in 2012, after a frustrating season that ended in a 72-90 record. Nevertheless, the Royals moved aggressively to better the club, leveraging top prospects Wil Myers and Jake Odorizzi in a trade to acquire pitchers James Shields and Wade Davis. They improved by 14 games in 2013, narrowly missing the playoffs starting a three-year run as the best team in the American League.

This time around, they just don’t have anybody who can anchor a trade. Since 2020, Royals first round draft picks have lost huge portions of their trade value (Asa Lacy, Frank Mozzicato, Gavin Cross, Blake Mitchell), haven’t played an inning yet of pro ball (Sean Gamble, Josh Hammond), or made it to to the big leagues and have flopped hard (Jac Caglianone). Meanwhile, key high-upside draft picks in the second or third round have also lost significant value after their draft (Blake Wolters, Ben Kudrna, Hiro Wyatt). 

The result? A farm system which firmly rests in the bottom third of the league, if not one of the worst of the league. 

Before anybody claims that I’m being unfair here, I don’t at all blame Gamble or Hammond–a pair of high schoolers drafted seven months ago–for anything. Caglianone, as we all know, could be a monster as soon as this season. And the Royals should receive plenty of credit for selecting Carter Jensen and Noah Cameron in the 2021 MLB draft and developing them into players who had excellent debut seasons this year. 

Caveats and successes aside, the reason why the Royals couldn’t make an impact trade this year is that they simply couldn’t without trading established big league talent. If the Royals had a better farm system, I think we would have seen a big trade. They don’t, and we didn’t. Farm system rankings are somewhat overrated in and of themselves—the point is to win MLB games, not win MiLB talent arguments—but when push comes to shove, having talent to trade is how teams can take leaps forward. 

We looked at Astros hitter projections a couple of weeks ago and the natural follow up would be pitchers. However, I specifically waited on them because some projection systems had not released their projections yet. There are still some (like ZIPS) that are not universally available yet. However, there are now enough to get a good idea of what the industry as a whole thinks about the Astros rotation this year.

I should note a couple of things first. The main thing is that projection systems seem to do better with rate statistics like ERA, WHIP, K/9, and BB/9. They don’t do as well with innings, wins, strikeouts, and total walks. So, we are only looking at ERA today. It should also be noted (like we did with hitters) that it is Joe Espada’s job to marshal his resources to maximum advantage. That means choosing who gets to start, how often they start, and how deep into games he allows them to pitch. That will have more of an impact on counting numbers than ERA.

The second thing we should keep in mind is that projection systems are based primarily on batted ball statistics and ERA predictors like FIP, xERA, and SIERA. Those all based their numbers of the type of contact (and amount) a pitcher allows and usually they assume league average fielding and league average luck factors. Statistics like batting average on balls in play (BABIP) and left on base percent (LOB%) vary from year to year even with the same pitcher. Pitchers can control some of that by inducing weaker contact, more groundballs, or more pop flies, but there is a lot a ton of variance there as well. Astros pitchers seem to outpace the projections on a routine basis. Of course, we can look at that in the lab at another time as well.

Current Candidates

	Steamer	ATC	The Bat	OOPSY	B-ref	Aggregate
Hunter Brown	3.63	3.56	3.59	3.34	3.36	3.50
Mike Burrows	4.22	4.16	4.33	4.00	4.01	4.14
Tatsuya Imai	4.37	4.22	——	4.40	——	4.33
Ryan Weiss	4.31	4.38	4.40	4.35	——	4.36
Nate Pearson	4.32	4.54	4.75	4.00	4.85	4.49
Spencer Arighetti	4.55	4.64	4.83	4.34	4.45	4.56
Lance McCullers	4.38	4.59	4.61	4.45	5.11	4.63
Jason Alexander	4.30	4.51	5.14	4.71	4.45	4.62
Cristian Javier	4.96	4.81	4.84	4.80	4.28	4.74

You don’t have to be a math whiz to figure out the positives and negatives from the table above. I count nine starting pitchers there. Obviously, the max rotation the Astros will go with will be six. So, three of these guys will either be in the bullpen or in the minors. I should note that every projection system had Nate Pearson slated for the bullpen. He is on this list because the Astros have publicly said that he will be a candidate for the rotation coming out.

Once you get past Brown, you could put a blindfold on any of us and ask us to point at a name and we will come out with a similar pitcher in projected quality. Some of these are reasonable surprises. I think most observers are more hopeful that Javier and Imai will pitch better than their projections. I think most fans would be elated if McCullers managed to get close to this projection this year.

The rest are about what we would expect. The clear weakness is a lack of a number two pitcher. Framber Valdez routinely came in with ERAs of 3.50 or lower. He faded down the stretch last year and still came in under a four ERA. So, the math nerds at those various sites are telling us the Astros have not filled that particular role. That brings us to elephant in the room.

Potential additions

When we start talking additions we are looking at free agents and trades. There is quite literally an infinite possibility when it comes to trades, but the free agents are dwindling. There are two names coming to the forefront on both counts due to rumors circling Isaac Paredes and a potential reunion with a former Astros legend.

	Steamer	ATC	The Bat	OOPSY	B-Ref	Aggregate
Brayan Bello	4.39	4.32	4.38	4.32	3.85	4.25
Justin Verlander	4.44	4.47	4.64	4.32	4.28	4.43

Obviously, Bello is part of a rumored return for Paredes. It would likely be either Bello, Jarren Duran, or Wilyer Abreu. We could get into those specifics at another time, but a part of the calculus on Bello is that he came up with a 3.35 ERA last season in Boston. Those aforementioned ERA projectors all came in considerably higher than that. So, this is one of those push and pull situations where we can fall on one side or the other.

On the one hand, he does not projected to be any better in quality than the other Astro hurlers. One of the reasons why you make a trade is that it allows you to improve your team in some area. That can be through a player for player swap or financial considerations that allow you to spend elsewhere. Bello would not save you money and based on the numbers above it would not remarkably improve your prospects.

However, Brown is the only pitcher above that hurled more than 100 innings last season at the big league level. Arighetti’s elbow is being held together by chewing gum and bailing wire. We don’t know what Imai’s workload will be and Javier barely came back from TJ surgery last season. When we throw in McCullers’ frequent ailments we can see that durability does have value. The deciding factor will likely be whether the scientists in the pitching lab think they can unlock something in Bello. We won’t know that until a deal is made.

As far as Verlander is concerned, there are two primary positives and one negative. The negative is the same as Bello. His numbers do not present a considerable bump over what is there. However, he would be another arm that would give the Astros a track record of innings. Adding both pitchers would be impractical, so it would be one or the other depending on what happens with a theoretical Paredes deal.

The main advantage Verlander brings is leadership and public relations. He probably doesn’t increase your winning odds materially through his pure numbers, but his impact on the clubhouse would be a factor and he would be a revenue generator for the franchise. They would need to move around some money to make that work, so it is an open question as to whether that is getting the best bang for your buck. Of course, that is also another topic for another day.

The Mets' trade for White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr.felt like a bolt from the blue, but that's only because of the time it happened -- after 11 p.m. on Tuesday.

While most people were either sleeping or waiting for a resolution on free agent outfielder Cody Bellinger (whether he would wind up with the Yankees, the Mets, or one of two other unnamed teams),David Stearns struck for Robert.

New York had been after Robert since last season's trade deadline, when Chicago's asking price was exorbitant.

The cost wasn't high this time around, with the Mets securing two years of control of Robert in exchange for Luisangel Acuña and minor league pitcher Truman Pauley.

When it comes to the player the Mets are getting, it's one who is one of the best defensive center fielders in the sport, one of the fastest runners, and one who has elite bat speed.

The offense is something you can dream on. Robert has had two consecutive down seasons, but he showed serious flashes last summer when he slashed .297/.350/.468 in 140 plate appearances over 35 games from July 11 to Aug. 26 -- when his season ended due to a hamstring injury.

With the 28-year-old Robert now in tow, the Mets' starting offense could be complete.

Is it possible they go wild and sign Bellinger next? Sure.

However, that would not only block Carson Benge but likely add another $40 million or so to a payroll that is now up to $366.9 million. 

So, what's next?

Before New York landed Bo Bichette, they were considering a host of moves, including a signing of Framber Valdez.

Like Bichette, Valdez is attached to a qualifying offer, meaning the Mets will face additional draft pick penalties if they sign him. Despite that, they are open to it, Will Sammon of The Athletic reported a few days ago.

How that might change after dedicating at least $22 million to Robert remains to be seen.

But signing Valdez would be the cleanest and easiest way to add a needed top-of-the-rotation starter to the staff.

Valdez, 32, could theoretically be had on a three-or four-year deal for around $30 million annually.

The above type of contract would theoretically be in the wheelhouse of Stearns, who generally prefers to not go long on contracts for pitchers over 30.

Valdez has been a workhorse over the last four seasons, posting a 3.21 ERA and 1.15 WHIP across 767.2 innings. 

After leading the American League in innings pitched in 2022 (201.1 IP), Valdez hasn't really slowed down. He fired 198.0 innings in 2023, 176.1 innings in 2024, and 192.0 innings this past season.

If not Valdez, there's the trade market, where Milwaukee Brewers ace Freddy Peralta is still perhaps the top option.

Peralta, who is a year away from free agency but reportedly open to signing an extension, could possibly be acquired for one of the Mets' young starting pitchers (of the non-Nolan McLean variety) and one more impact prospect.

Is that a price New York would be willing to pay?

If so, will the Brewers prefer what the Mets would offer to what they might be able to pry from the interested Dodgers, who are collecting star players like Joey Chestnut eats hot dogs?

As unlikely as it might be with the Tigers aiming to contend in 2026, the Mets should also be on the phone with Detroit about pending free agent Tarik Skubal.

Because of how New York's offseason has unfolded, with them having yet to part with any of their top prospects, they could be in unique position to acquire Skubal if he can be had.

It would take a relative ton.

Perhaps two of the Mets' top pitching prospects, one of their best hitting prospects, and more. That's the cost it takes to acquire the best pitcher in baseball in his prime.

No matter which direction the Mets go when it comes to the addition to the top of their rotation, adding that desired pitcher feels inevitable.

It will likely be the finishing piece to an offseason that started out with uncomfortable upheaval, but seems destined to end right where Stearns thought it would -- with the Mets set up to be a 90-plus win team and legitimate World Series contender.

Bud Black and Wil Myers returned to the San Diego Padres organization last week and each will serve a role in helping the Padres reach the ultimate goal of winning a World Series. Black will serve in a front office role and Myers will serve in a coaching role at the lower levels of the organization. The unique perspective Black and Myers have from their own careers in MLB is part of what allows them to also have a unique perspective of the Padres according to AJ Cassavell of Padres.com. Black and Myers have been in San Diego for some of the down times, and the hope is that both will be back for the ultimate high.

Padres News:

• Randy Vasquez has been the center of attention in many of the Padres pitching rotation projections throughout the offseason. Some fans think he can be a key figure in the rotation, while others think he should remain a back of the rotation pitcher at best. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune looks at what the 2026 season could look like for the right-hander.
• Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic says the Padres are still looking to make additions to their roster. Some of the free agents he lists as possible targets are pitchers Lucas Giolito, Nick Martinez or Justin Verlander. Rosenthal also stated the Padres are one of the many teams talking to the Milwaukee Brewers about trading for ace pitcher Freddy Peralta.

Baseball News:

• Centerfielders Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones were selected as the newest members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the baseball writers. The full results of the voting can be found here.
• The last big-name position player Cody Bellinger may be nearing a decision about where he will play in the 2026 season. That will likely not be in New York as a member of the Mets after the team traded for outfielder Luis Robert Jr. from the Chicago White Sox late Tuesday night.
• Evan Drellich of The Athletic is reporting the owners are “raging” at the free agent deal Kyle Tucker signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers and added that the owners will “100 percent” push for a salary cap. Drellich added that the Dodgers and Mets might be the only teams that would oppose a cap.

Good morning! The Baseball Hall of Fame will have two new members in a few months, as Carlos Beltran and Andruw Jones were officially elected yesterday. The two Red Sox legends on the ballot, Dustin Pedroia and Manny Ramirez, failed to hit the 75% vote threshold.

Pedroia, though, is only in his second year on the ballot and saw his vote percentage jump from 11.9 to 20.7, which bodes well for his campaign going forward. But Manny Ramirez, one of the greatest hitters in baseball history, is off the ballot after 10 years, receiving just 38.8% of the votes.

Talk about what you want, remind yourself of just how great Manny was, and be good to one another.

Steele Hall was just taken 9th overall in the most recent MLB Draft, turned 18 years of age, and found himself ranked 7th on the 2026 Community Prospect Rankings at Red Reporter dot com. Pretty impressive six months there, kid!

After one of the tightest voting rounds in CPR history, we move now towards voting for spot #8. By now you know the new rules – there will be an embedded poll at the bottom of this post where you can cast your vote until the poll closes, but if that’s stripped out for you for some reason there will exist a link right here to take you to Google Forms to vote. Both of those will magically disappear when voting closes, though, so that internet chicanery cannot come in after the fact, dump votes, and change the already created history of the world.

On to the voting for CPR spot #8!

Chase Petty, RHP (23 years old)

2025 at a glance: 6.39 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 102/58 K/BB in 112.2 IP with AAA Louisville Bats (International League); 13 ER in 6.0 IP with Cincinnati Reds

Pros: Three plus pitches, including a fastball that flirts with 100 mph and 60-grade slider and cutter

Cons: Lit up in first cups of MLB coffee, and struggled in AAA after being sent back down

Petty has long been on the radar of every scout in the game, a former 1st round pick of the Minnesota Twins out of high school (whom the Reds had eyes on drafting back then, too). He was the centerpiece of the deal that sent Sonny Gray the other way, and he’s pitched his way onto multiple Top 100 overall prospect lists since.

Of course, he’s also pitched his way back off those same lists, with much of his work in 2025 doing just that. He was shelled at the big league level, though that’s with the caveat that he’d just turned 22 years old when that went down. The stuff’s still there, he’s just struggled to blend it all together for long enough stretches to show he can be an effective big league starter. The hope is that the lumps he took in 2025 paired with a mostly healthy offseason for the first time in a while will send him into 2026 both ready and with something to prove.

Tyson Lewis, SS (20 years old)

2025 at a glance: .340/.396/.532 (.928 OPS) in 207 PA with ACL Reds (Arizona Complex League); .268/.347/.417 (.765 OPS) in 144 PA with Class-A Daytona Tortugas (Florida State League)

Pros: Statcast darling with elite exit velocity and power with his left-handed swing; elite athleticism and plus speed gives him a chance to stick at SS long term, though a move off the position seems likely

Cons: Struck out at an alarming 35.4% rate with Daytona (and at an alarming 29.1% rate overall last year); .432 BABIP across all leagues last year screams ‘regression’

Tools. Tyson Lewis has just about every tool there is. He hit a ball over 119 mph in his pro debut, was the Gatorade Player of the Year in Nebraska prior to being a 2nd round pick (with an overslot bonus) by the Reds, and was originally committed to the University of Arkansas.

The upside here is obvious, as he’s got one of the loudest bats at any level. The swing and miss stuff, though, is something he’ll have to completely overhaul as he moves up the ladder, though getting out of the extremely pitcher-friendly confines of the FSL will perhaps help that some.

Aaron Watson, RHP (19 years old)

2025 at a glance: Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2nd round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Trinity Christian Academy (FL); signed overslot $2.7 million bonus to forego commitment to the University of Florida

Pros: 6’5” frame; potential 60-grade slider; fastball that runs up to 96 mph from a three-quarter arm slot and already has a solid three-pitch mix with his change rotated in

Cons: Did not pitch professionally after being drafted, so he’s a complete unknown

One glimpse of Watson on the mound and you immediately think yep, I bet that guy can turn into a pretty dang good pitcher. He’s got an ideal frame to produce downhill offerings, and his fastball/slider mix is already something on which he can hang his hat.

However, command of all three of his pitches – specifically a very developmental changeup – will be what he needs to work on to begin to move quickly through the ranks. He possesses a good ‘feel’ at the moment in terms of what pitches to throw, which part of the zone to attack vs. which hitters, etc., but how well he can build in more deception with his offerings will be vital.

Jose Franco, RHP (25 years old)

2025 at a glance: 3.11 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 118/54 K/BB in 110.0 IP split between AA Chattanooga Lookouts (Southern League) and AAA Louisville Bats (International League)

Pros: Fastball that flirts with triple digits with ease

Cons: Secondary pitches need work, and that’s impacting his overall command (and ability to limit walks)

Franco turned 25 years old in November and earned a promotion to the 40-man roster of the Reds shortly thereafter due to his consistent performance across the upper levels of their farm system.

The Reds have a few hulks they’ve put on the mound in recent years, and Franco thoroughly qualifies. He’s listed at 6’2” and an oddly specific 257 lbs, and his size and frame allows him to tap into his excellent fastball velocity with ease. It’s the pitch he misses bats with the most, but how well he can differentiate his breaking pitches (and improve his changeup command) will determine whether or not he can a) get left-handed hitter out with aplomb and b) avoid ending up in the bullpen.

He’s been a late bloomer, in part due to injuries that cost him his entire 2023 season, and if he continues the path he’s been on since getting healthy there could be a whole lot more from him as early as 2026 for Cincinnati.

Carlos Jorge, OF (22 years old)

2025 at a glance: .251/.342/.355 with 6 HR, 40 SB in 469 PA with High-A Dayton Dragons (Midwest League)

Pros: Plus speed; former infielder moved to CF in 2023 and in 2025 looked like a natural there; plus speed; shaved 12.5% off K-rate from down 2024 season; 60-grade arm strength a weapon in CF

Cons: ISO declined for third straight year, this time precipitously; prone to extreme streakiness

If you threw out every other stop of Carlos Jorge’s pro career and just focused on the good ones, he’d already be ranked by now. The good parts of the best of his years have been quite tremendous, all told. He’s flashed great speed (40 steals in 2025), good pop for a small-ish CF (12 HR in 2023 and 2024; .483 SLG in the cavernous Florida State League in 2023), and the ability to play pretty elite CF defense (as recently as 2025).

However, he’s added some real clunkers in there, too. He hit just .220/.291/.394 with a K-rate over 31% at Dayton in 2024, and that came on the heels of hitting just .239/.277/.398 in 23 games once he reached Dayton at the end of 2023.

Maybe it’s just Dayton, where he was again in 2025 in a much better all-around year, even though his power dried up again. He’ll surely begin with AA Chattanooga of the Southern League in 2026, and at 22 (with his position in CF now settled) the former 2B might finally have a one-track shot to focus on his all around game in a new locale. After acing his move on defense, shaving off a ton of strikeouts, and bumping his walk rate back up over 11.1% (where it’s been for most of his career), perhaps 2026 will have a lot more in store for him.

Zach Maxwell, RHP (25 years old)

2025 at a glance: 4.50 ERA, 5.64 FIP, 13/4 K/BB in 10.0 IP with Cincinnati Reds; 4.17 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 59/32 K/BB in 49.2 IP with AAA Louisville Bats (International League)

Pros: Huge. Literally gigantic (6’6”, 275-ish lbs). Throws gas (100 mph+) with a devastating slider (70-grade). And he’s titanic.

Cons: Struggles with control (6.1 BB/9 across 172.1 IP in his minors career)

Maxwell, a former 6th round pick out of Georgia Tech, throws the ball up to 102 mph with his heater, and it’s clear that hitters have just about as little idea where it’s actually going to be as Maxwell himself. That’s the rub here, really, in that Big Sugar has the pure stuff to turn even the best hitters into guessers, and it comes down to whether they’ll guess wrong more often than Maxwell misses the zone in each and every PA.

If they swing, though, they’re likely going to miss, and that’s why he’s right in the mix for a spot in Cincinnati’s bullpen again in 2026 after making his debut there in 2025. He can be a bit wild if it’s effectively wild, and that’s a tightrope he’s been walking since his days back at North Paulding HS in Dallas, Georgia. When he’s locked in, though, the heater is backed up by an absolutely devastating slide piece, and that two-pitch mix – again, when he’s locked in – is good enough to be closer material. He’s just got to continue to refine his delivery.