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2025 stats:95 G, 348 PA, .237/ .305/ .401, .163 ISO, 24 K%, 8 BB%, 101 OPS+, 0.6 bWAR

Luis Arraez’s 2026 defensive reclamation project has kicked Casey Schmitt to the curb, and once again the infielder has found himself without a hook to hang his hat.  

Schmitt has been the question mark of the Giants’ infield conundrum for more than a year and a half now. Since Matt Chapman’s signing, which blocked Schmitt from his natural position in early 2024, he has wandered the infield desert, kicking stones from position to position, filling in but never settling in while having to scratch and claw for playing time scraps with other rag-tags like Thairo Estrada, Nick Ahmed, Marco Luciano, Brett Wisely, Tyler Fitzgerald, and Christian Koss. 

Better suited for the more aesthetic left-side of the diamond, Schmitt has had to adapt to the right-side’s restrained pragmatism as a last resort once Willy Adames locked up the shortstop position. Half of his defensive appearances from 2024 and 2025 have come at second base, a position he had never played until 2023. At the start of last year, Schmitt found himself with a lobster claw on his hand, forced to learn first base in order to stay roster relevant. He made 18 appearances there, most of them coming in April before an injury, and the arrival of Dom Smith, then Rafael Devers. 

While Schmitt’s flexibility has been invaluable to the club, it has also come with a personal cost. I’ve wondered at times if the inconsistencies of his schedule and the uncertainties of his role year-after-year has toyed with his development. Instead of being able to focus on his offense, Schmitt has been forced to rethink his defense in a way he never really had to before. His willingness to serve the whims of fickle coaches and front offices in order to gain access to the field has affected his play on it.  

There are certain traits that lend oneself to being able to play anywhere at any time with little notice. There is a temperament and style required to be a successful utility infielder. Christian Koss has it. I’m not sure Schmitt does. To me, Schmitt feels like a homebody. A man with simple but essential needs: iced coffee in the fridge, a California burrito to eat, a couch to sit on. In order to really access his power and hit in the way that separates himself from players like Koss, Schmitt needs to be comfortable positionally. He’s a defense-first player at his core. Home is where the glove is, and it’s clear from his defensive position splits where home his, no matter how long he’s been away.

As a third baseman: .286/ .349/ .454 / .803 OPS (217 PA)

As a second baseman: .204/ .259/ .383/ .641 OPS (294 PA)

On June 8th, Matt Chapman injured his hand trying to dive back to first base. On June 10th, Schmitt started at third base for just the second time all year. He was hitting .180 with a .521 OPS while sporadically covering first. In the 9th inning of that game, he lasered an elevated fastball 408 feet for his first homer of the year. That solo shot sparked a 4-run game-winning rally and set Schmitt off on a 14-game tear in which he slashed .375 with a 1.090 OPS.

Though he committed a costly error in the Colorado finale, Schmitt made amends by becoming the first player in franchise history to hit a grand slam in back-to-back games — both made that much sweeter by coming against, and in, LA.

Schmitt was back in his element, his natural and preferred state. He was a third baseman again. The comfort and ease he felt being in a familiar position led to an outburst at the plate — was it as simple as that? I mean, we had seen something like it before at the end of the 2024 season when Schmitt responded to three consecutive starts at the hot corner against Baltimore with five hits and three RBIs. 

Here’s his defensive splits from 2025:

Rather cruelly Schmitt took a fastball to his left wrist in a game on June 25th that promptly brought an end to his hot streak. The two-week stint at third felt like a fever dream. When he returned from the IL, Chapman was back, and reality resided on the right-side of the diamond. Second base beckoned, and though it has never been his position of choice, it gave him the chance to keep riding the wave if he could, providing him the most consistent playing time he has ever had in his short career. From early July to the end of the season, he played in 61 games, most of them at second — and he hit just .220 with a .663 OPS.

Schmitt had the chance in the second half of the season to assert a claim on second base, and he kind of chunked it. Was he homesick for the hot corner? Still focusing a disproportionate amount of energy learning the intricacies of the new position at the expense of his offense? Still dealing with discomfort in his left wrist (which he had surgery on in December)? Or was this just an inevitable leveling out for an offensively temperamental player?  All of the above?    

Overall, Schmitt made some impressive strides with his plate discipline, but he still ranked below average in BB, K, Whiff, and Chase percentiles. His slightly above average ability to hit the ball hard (when he hits the ball) buoyed him to becoming a pretty average offensive player (101 OPS+) in 2025. Though a MiLB Gold Glove winner years ago, he didn’t rate too well defensively either. All of that so-so-ness meant Buster Posey was keen on finding a replacement. The fact that the replacement was Luis Arraez caused some consternation, but there’s no doubt that the three-time batting champ adds a much-needed, and immediate, contact dynamic to the Giants’ line-up that Schmitt does not. 

So with another year gone, Schmitt’s job options remain limited. The soon-to-be 27 year old is currently the front runner for the Giants’ utility role, staring down the barrel of another season pieced together by planned off-days, injury-coverage, sporadic plate appearances, late-game defensive substitutions, and getting really good at sunflower seed stuff. Perhaps it’s what he’s earned, and it’s certainly better than nothing, but it’s definitely not preferred. I feel for the guy. It’s been two years since third base became an impossibility, and yet the base is still there, staring at him from across the infield, reminding him of what could’ve been. It must feel so frustrating to be boxed of your natural position like that, occasionally teased with brief stints of play separated by months…then to be roster-blocked again by another late-signing. But that’s also life on this seamed hardball we call Earth. Adapt, or die. Second base is the only way forward for Schmitt. It’s not ideal, sure, but that’s the deal.

One of the biggest surprises this offseason was reliever Edwin Diaz signing with the Dodgers instead of the Mets.

Seemed like a reunion was a no-brainer, but the former Mets closer's decision to take his talents to Los Angeles even caught owner Steve Cohen by surprise. 

Speaking with Mets radio broadcaster Howie Rose on Friday, Cohen called the move "perplexing." 

“I’m not sure exactly how Edwin arrived at that decision, obviously it’s a personal decision, and I thought we made a pretty respectable bid -- I could argue our bid might’ve been better," Cohen said. “But he made his decision, and I’ll tell you something, when things got hot and heavy, when this was coming down, I felt pretty good about our decision to sign Devin Williams. I described it to David [Stearns] that it was really clever, because it was a good hedge in case things didn't work out with Edwin.”

Diaz spoke with the media on Saturday and was asked his thoughts on Cohen's comments. 

"It's a market I was in. I was a free agent, so I got the chance to talk with everyone," Diaz told the media, including ESPN's Alden Gonzalez. "And I think the Dodgers did a great job recruiting me. At the end of the day, I chose to be here. I have a lot of respect for the Mets organization, players, staff, ownership. They treated me really good. I don't have anything bad to say about them. But at the end of the day, I'm here. This is a new journey for me and I'm happy to be with the Dodgers, so let's see how it goes." 

Diaz signed a three-year, $69 million deal with the Dodgers in December and, in his introductory news conference, said it wasn't an easy decision to leave the Mets. But he admitted he ultimately chose Los Angeles because he is "looking to win."

The Dodgers enter the 2026 season winning back-to-back World Series.

Diaz spent seven seasons with the Mets (one missed due to injury), recording 144 saves with 538 strikeouts and owning a 2.93 ERA while making two All-Star teams and winning two NL Hoffman Reliever Awards.

TAMPA — Carlos Rodón made 33 starts last season, tied for the most in the majors, and enjoyed his best year in pinstripes. 

And yet, by the end of it, the enjoyment may have been subjective for someone who couldn’t bend his arm to do simple tasks like buttoning his shirt, all while trying to gut through some of the biggest games of the season. 

“It was fun, let’s just put it that way,” Rodón said with a chuckle Saturday. “It was fun every day to challenge myself to go pitch.” 

Rodón’s range of motion was greatly limited because of loose bodies in his left elbow, which he eventually had removed via surgery in October that also included shaving down a bone spur.

The procedure was a long time coming — Rodón said the elbow issues were a slow progression over three to four years — and will land him on the injured list to start this season, with the hope that he can return by May at the latest. 

“Just [doing] normal things were interesting,” Rodón said of his compromised state. “Now did it hurt? Sometimes, sure, pitching. But I’d rather go out there and compete. And I was throwing well, so I couldn’t just say, ‘Oh, I can’t pitch.’ It was manageable. 

“The reason I did [the surgery] is the velocity and things were kind of taking a step back. It was just not who I normally — I was serviceable, but it wasn’t the normal version of me. So I wanted to make sure we got this fixed.” 

Despite being limited physically, Rodón still pitched to a 3.09 ERA while striking 203 out across a career-high 195 ¹/₃ innings.

He then turned in a quality start against the Red Sox in the AL wild-card series before getting roughed up by the Blue Jays in Game 3 of the ALDS, though that was the case for almost every Yankees pitcher that series. 

Rodón acknowledged Saturday that he was managing the elbow “probably every start,” but it became part of who he was. 

“I adapted to what the arm gave me and we just went out there and competed,” he said. “That was it. I got what I got and I was going to go use it.” 

It was plenty good enough on most nights as the $162 million pitcher earned his money.

But he did so with the peace of mind from the medical staff that he was not at risk of making things worse by pitching through it, with surgery the likely end result regardless. 

“If I think I can pitch at 80 percent and help the team win and I can do that, I’m going to do that, because that’s what I was brought here to do, was to compete and try to win baseball games for the New York Yankees but also my teammates,” Rodón said. “That’s why I kept going. I was winning games, we were winning games and that’s what was important. 

“The frustrating part was I knew I had more, but when your body’s betraying you, it’s an interesting battle. It’s an interesting dynamic in your head going through that.” 

The Yankees are hoping that Rodón’s velocity — his four-seam fastball averaged 94.1 mph in 2025, compared to 95.4 in 2024 — will begin to return now that he has his range of motion back in the arm after surgery.

But he is also still working on dialing in his command with the extra range of motion that he is not used to. 

“Hopefully this is something that as he continues to build, it just frees him up a little bit more,” manager Aaron Boone said. “It can add to his stuff, having that next level of range of motion.” 

As for when he might get back on a big league mound?

Boone said earlier this week that he was “not far behind,” though Rodón pumped the brakes a bit, not wanting to overpromise an early return.

He has received two PRP injections as part of the rehab process — the first after feeling like his arm “got ran over by a bus” and the second about 10 days ago — and threw his fifth bullpen session Saturday. 

“The volume has got to pick up,” Rodón said. “The velo[city] was good today, so just more volume, more pitches.”

PHOENIX –– The reality dawned on Max Muncy near the end of last season.

Austin Barnes and Chris Taylor were gone. Clayton Kershaw was headed toward offseason retirement. And every other player around him in the Dodgers clubhouse had arrived after he did in 2018.

The title of “longest-tenured Dodger,” Muncy realized, would suddenly belong to him in 2026.

“It was a wild thought,” the 35-year-old third baseman told The California Post on Saturday. “But it’s definitely a blessing. It’s something I’m really grateful for.”

Indeed, ever since he resurrected his MLB career with the club almost a decade ago, Muncy’s goal has been to stay in Los Angeles for the rest of his playing days. 

It’s why he bypassed the arbitration system to sign a three-year, $26 million deal in 2020. Why he twice agreed to club-friendly extensions, rather than test the free agent market, in the three years after that. And why, after the team exercised a club option in his latest contract this winter to bring him back in 2026, he expressed immediate interest to the front office in inking another extension –– ultimately resulting in this week’s $10 million pact through at least 2027.

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“I’m very happy with where I’m at,” Muncy said. “It’s just one of those things where, I wanted to get something done, they wanted to get something done, and we reached an agreement on something we both felt was fair.”

Muncy, of course, could have pursued a potentially more lucrative path moving forward.

Though the two-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion has been limited by injuries the last couple seasons, he remains one of the most productive third basemen in baseball, coming off a 2025 campaign in which he hit .243 (his best mark in four years) with 19 home runs and 67 RBIs in 100 games.

If he posts similar numbers in 2026, he almost certainly would have been able to earn more than the $7 million salary his new Dodgers contract will guarantee for next season.

“I know I’m leaving some money on the table,” Muncy said Saturday. “But I want to be here. I want to end my career here. I know who I am as a person, and I wouldn’t be happy trying to chase money somewhere else. I’ve never been comfortable trying to do that. And I wouldn’t be comfortable now.”

Muncy’s current contract situation includes the opportunity to make more. 

According to a source, he has incentives for up to $2.25 million for this season (he will earn $15,000 for every plate appearance he makes between 401 and 550) on top of his $10 million base salary. His new extension includes salary escalators of up to $3.75 million extra for 2027 based on his number of plate appearances this year ($20,000 each for each between 401-500, and $35,000 for each between 501-550). And if the Dodgers pick up his club option for 2028, which is for $10 million and comes with a $3 million buyout, he will have the same salary escalator structure for 2028, based off his 2027 plate appearances.

Still, Muncy knows his new deal has been seen around the industry as below market value.

For him, however, staying in Los Angeles was the most valuable thing of all.

“At the end of the day, for me and my family, you have to start putting your focus on some things,” Muncy said. “And it was, ‘Would we really be happy trying to chase money, watching these guys winning the World Series?’ No, we wouldn’t. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself knowing, well, I got a little bit of extra money, but now I’m not in the playoffs, or I’m maybe the last team into the playoffs, and then we’re getting beat by the Dodgers. I wouldn’t be happy with that. I’ve built too many relationships here.”

Muncy said family stability was a particularly crucial factor. He and his wife, Kellie, welcomed their third child last month. And while their offseason home remains in Muncy’s native Texas, the family has put down roots in the Southland, too.

“My kids were born in LA. The Dodgers are all they know,” he said. “They know the stadium. They know all the people at the stadium. They love being there. Every time we’re driving on the road and they see a Dodger blue color, they yell out, ‘That’s da-da blue. That’s Dodger blue.’ LA means something to them.”

Then there’s Muncy’s standing within the organization.

With the Dodgers, he feels like he has “real input” with the coaching staff and front office. He relishes his veteran role as one of the more experienced players in the clubhouse.

“That’s one of those things that was important, to know I’m really a part of this organization,” he said. “That’s something that I didn’t want to try to build somewhere else –– or maybe it’s not like that somewhere else.”

Now, Muncy won’t have to find out. If he plays through the 2028 season, he’ll be 38. At that point, he thinks he’ll probably be ready to retire, preferring to finish his career before his play declines to the point he is forced out of the game. 

“More than likely, this deal is gonna be it,” he said. “I’m not looking to chase it forever. I’m looking to go out there and be competitive.”

Right now, that remains the case, making Muncy not only the longest-tenured Dodger but also one of their most important players as they go for a World Series three-peat this year.

“I want to decide really when I’m done,” he said. “And this (new deal) gives me a good opportunity to do that.”