Worldwide Sports News

It’s two years too late, but Craig Breslow is finally trying to trade Jarren Duran — like trying really, really hard, apparently. According to one executive from a National League team, Duran is “very available” — and not just in a “we’re listening” kind of way, but in a “they’re looking to move him” kind of way. But trading Duran may be easier said than done, as his roller coaster production and contract status make it hard to determine his true value. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)

When he does enter trade negotiations for Duran, Breslow will be doing so with a new title, as he’s now the President of Baseball Operations, as opposed to his former title of Chief Baseball Officer. “I don’t know,” Breslow said when asked why the change was made. “Perhaps there was, like, unnecessary confusion.” (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

A Jarren Duran trade may or may not return a significant piece for Breslow and the Red Sox. But whatever they might get could pale in comparison to the production bump that might arise from two players already in the organization. “We need to have a more consistent offense. We need to score more runs,” Breslow said. “There’s a bunch of different ways to do that and we saw this postseason that there’s a bunch of different ways to do that. I also don’t want to discount what another full season of Willson (Contreras), a full season of (Curtis) Mead and a full season of Adley (Rutschman) can bring. When you talk about power, outside of Willson, we anticipate Mead, Roman (Anthony) and Adley — none of whom was healthy and with us for a full season — those could be the sources of some real power. (Chris Cotillo, MassLive)

Do we dare to dream about adding a healthy and productive Triston Casas to the 2027 lineup as well? Casas plans to play for the Tigres de Licey in the Dominican winter league this offseason, though he is still not quite ready to step on the field. “[He] still needs to ramp up in terms of game speed and intensity,” said Breslow. “but he is feeling good, so we’re optimistic he’s gonna be able to compete in Winter League games.” (Sean McAdam, MassLive)

Is it possible that Casas’ incredibly lengthy absence was caused in part by mismanagement from the medical staff? That’s an impossible question to answer from the outside, but the Red Sox front office apparently has enough questions about how recent injuries have been handled that they’re conducting a “sweeping” review of their medical processes. “I think it’s important to try and decouple — are we getting the diagnosis or the rehab wrong, or do we need to make sure that communication with our players, with our staff internally, with the media externally is tightened up,” Breslow said. (Conor Ryan, Boston.com)

I’ve been working on the Lane Thomas player review that is going up later today, and it occurred to me…

There have been a lot of posts saying that the Braves may as well use their limited capital on re-signing their “good” additions/continuations from the last season: Mauricio Dubon, Tyler Mahle, and Raisel Iglesias. But, no one ever mentions Lane Thomas.

There are multiple reasons for that: Thomas got hurt and missed like half the time the Braves acquired him for, and, he was unplayable against righties while his inputs (but not his outputs) backslid against lefties in a teeny-tiny sample. Put these together, and Thomas isn’t going to get much of a deal for 2027. Which means, it won’t be hard for the Braves to sign him.

If the Braves were okay with a down-the-stretch platoon of a not-hitting-that-well Mike Yastrzemski and Thomas, could they be okay with it for limited further investment for 2027? Thomas generally pounds lefties, and he did it in Kansas City — it was only in his 30 or so PAs as a Brave where that didn’t show up inputs-wise.

Of course, there are lots of reasons for the Braves not to: a logjam if you assume Jurickson Profar is around, a desire to have a real left fielder and push Yastrzemski to a different role, or even just finding a different/better platoon partner for Yastrzemski.

And, the Braves could pivot in left field and still sign Thomas as a righty DH/pinch-hit option. They dedicate a roster spot each year to someone who doesn’t even play; how much worse can Thomas be for basically no added cost?

Anyway, I don’t have any strong feelings about whether or not the Braves re-add a guy who projects for half a win over half a season next year, but it just seemed off that I don’t think his name had come up at all despite the Braves targeting him a few months ago. What do you think?

The Orioles need several things to go right next season if they hope to make the playoffs. The infield could do its part if Gunnar Henderson returns to form, Jordan Westburg stays healthy, and/or Jackson Holliday takes a step forward. The rotation could carry its weight if Kyle Bradish and Shane Baz pitch like top of the rotation arms, the team resigns Trevor Rogers, and/or a young guy or two hits the ground running. The bullpen could do some heavy lifting if Ryan Helsley and Félix Bautista remain active, Alex Hoppe and Anthony Nunez develop, and/or Yennier Cano pitches to his potential.

But what about the outfield? Is there any world where Colton Cowser, Dylan Beavers and Tyler O’Neill carry this team to the postseason? I don’t think so. With respect to Christian Franklin and Rece Hinds, I don’t exactly see that duo making the difference either.

The outfield, as it is currently constructed, is not viable for a playoff team. Fortunately, the Orioles have an opportunity to add a difference maker or two this offseason.

Seiya Suzuki is available after accumulating 16.2 bWAR over five seasons in Chicago. A quick Google search of Suzuki geneates plenty of articles just like this one. The Mariners view Suzuki as a potential replacement for free agent Randy Arozarena. The Padres have interest, as do the Phillies. Some believe Suzuki should make Toronto his next home, while others think he belongs in Boston. It’s no secret that the Orioles would face plenty of competition in a pursuit of Suzuki. ESPN listed the Tokyo native as the fifth best free agent available this offseason.

The 32-year-old cut his teeth in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) before he was posted and signed with the Cubs in 2021. He tallied at least 20 home runs in each of the last four seasons while playing above average defense in the outfield corners. He slashed .270/.368/.473 with a 131 OPS+ and 12 Defensive Runs Saved in 2026. The OPS+ would have been good for second among the Orioles regulars behind only Pete Alonso (149). Christian Encarnacion-Strand posted a 134 OPS+ over 58 games. Cowser (95), Beavers (93) and O’Neill (92) all posted a below average OPS+ last season.

There’s no question that the Orioles need to add in the outfield, but is Suzuki worth the money? MLB Trade Rumors projects Suzuki to sign for four years, $105 million. The same site projects Arozarena to receive a similar four-year, $100 million deal. There’s plenty to like with Arozarena as well, and I won’t knock you if he’s more your taste. Baltimore should pursue both outfielders, but it’s far from a guarantee that the organization could land either one.

Mike Elias has repeatedly stated that the team has the financial power to go out and acquire players like Suzuki. “It doesn’t mean we’re definitely going to do a five-year, $100-plus million deal this offseason, or every offseason. But we have the ability to talk to those players this winter and we’re going to do that.” Suzuki is one of those players.

The team desperately needs some stability in the grass. O’Neill simply cannot stay on the field, and he’s streaky at the dish when healthy. Cowser wowed with his defense, but it’s unclear if he’ll ever match the offensive output from his rookie season. Beavers failed to carry his momentum into 2026, and player development is not linear. Suzuki would immediately become the most dependable outfielder on the roster. He eclipsed 130 games played in each of the last four seasons, posted an above average OPS+ each year, and routinely demonstrated the ability to take a walk.

Suzuki and Arozarena are both expected to reject the qualifying offer, so Baltimore would need to relinquish draft pick compensation if they signed either one. A hundred million and a draft pick is a steep price to pay for a corner outfielder in his 30s, but Suzuki feels like the closest thing to a lock out of the available outfielders to produce over the next few seasons. The Orioles could offset the loss with draft compensation from another team if they fail to resign Rogers.

Maybe Heston Kjerstad fills this role in another universe, but things never worked out in Baltimore. Cowser still has time to improve at the plate, but he brings more value in the outfield grass. Enrique Bradfield Jr., another former first round pick, should debut this season. Unfortunately, Bradfield projects as another plus defender with minimal power.

Elias also floated the idea of some infielders getting reps in the outfield this spring. Blaze Alexander has already played some center, but does the team really trust Coby Mayo or Encarnacion-Strand to cover ground out there? Shouldn’t Jackson Holliday figure things out at the plate before learning a new position?

Signing Suzuki would take a significant financial commitment, but the team needs a difference maker in the outfield. That’s easy for me to say—it’s not my money. Pony up, David!

When Max Fried signed an eight-year, $218 million contract during the 2024-2025 offseason, the scouting report said that the Yankees were getting one of the game’s premier southpaws with impeccable defense, but who had regularly battled injuries throughout his career. Now at the contract’s quarter pole, that scouting report has played out as advertised. Across his first two years in pinstripes, Fried’s 8.3 fWAR and 2.83 ERA rank eighth and fifth, respectively, among starters with at least 300 innings pitched, and he took home the 2025 AL Gold Glove. After a mostly healthy 2025 that saw him throw a career-high 195 innings, however, the 32-year-old battled injuries this season, culminating in an offseason elbow surgery announced earlier this week.

Grade: A-

2026 Stats: 20 starts, 112.2 IP, 2.80 ERA (150 ERA+), 2.65 FIP, 3.59 xFIP, 24.0 K%, 7.6 BB%, 3.5 fWAR, 3.7 rWAR

2027 Contract Status: Entering third year of eight-year, $218 million contract

With Ace of the Past Gerrit Cole still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and Ace of the Future Cam Schlittler about to explode on the scene, Fried was tabbed as the Yankees’ Opening Day starter in San Francisco — his fourth career Opening Day start, and first in pinstripes. He was characteristically dominant in that first start, allowing just two runs in 6.1 scoreless frames to set the tone not just for his 2026 performance, but that of the Yankees’ rotation as a whole.

When healthy this season, Fried was the definition of consistency. Across his 20 regular season starts, he allowed more than three runs just three times. One came against the LA Angels on April 16th, during that strange four-game set in the Bronx where the Yankees’ pitching staff randomly crumbled to pieces (they gave up 32 total runs against the American League’s second-worst offense). The second came on May 8th, where the future World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers put together a four-run second inning courtesy of four singles and a pair of walks; since he would hit the injured list with an elbow bruise following his next start, it’s fair to wonder whether he was beginning to feel the effects of the injury here. The third, and final, came in the final week of the season, as the Rays offense broke through in the seventh as he was outdueled by Tampa Bay ace Drew Rasmussen. Even in these three starts, however, Fried managed to give the Yankees length, going 5.1, 6, and 6.1 innings in each, respectively.

In his other 17 outings, Fried was magnificent. He surrendered one run or fewer in 12 of those outings, and struck out six or more nine times. More importantly, he continued to be elite at generating soft contact, ranking in the 99th percentile in barrel percentage, 97th percentile in hard hit percentage, 96th percentile in average exit velocity, and 83rd percentile in ground ball percentage.

Furthermore, when the lights shone brightest, Fried came up big. Taking the ball against Boston in Game 2 of the Wild Card Round, he spun six innings of one-run ball, striking out six and walking just one; the only blemish came on a Willson Contreras home run with two outs in the sixth, a wall-scraper that was Boston’s first postseason run since the sixth inning of Game 2 of the previous year’s Wild Card Round. He wasn’t quite as strong a week later, getting tagged with the loss as the Yankees got swept, but honestly, he pitched well enough to keep the Yankees in the ballgame: in truth, he really only made two bad pitches all night, although both unfortunately ended up in the seats.

As we look ahead to next season, there is a concern on the horizon: Fried’s injury history. As we know, elbows are a ticking time bomb for pitchers, even those like Fried who rely less on swing-and-miss stuff and more on soft contact. Even though Fried is on track to be a full go for the hypothetical spring training that starts on time, and will almost certainly be ready for whenever the teams actually report, we’re still going to want to keep an eye on his elbow going forward. That’s true for all pitchers, though, and at least with Fried, we know that, when he’s on the mound, he’s going to be an ace.

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See more of the Yankees Roster Report Card series here.

November 17th is an important day on the MLB calendar as that is the deadline for teams to add eligible minor leaguers to their 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft on December 9th.

2025 was a big year for protections in the Twins organization as they added Connor Prielipp, Kendry Rojas, Andrew Morris, John Klein, Hendry Mendez, and Gabriel Gonzalez to their 40-man ahead of the November deadline. This year will be a much lighter protection deadline, and we may not even see any 40-man additions at all. I have selected a group of eligible players that I think are at least worth talking about as potential roster additions as we approach the deadline.

RHP C.J. Culpepper

C.J. Culpepper went unprotected and unselected last offseason, but he is one step closer to being a major league reliever now, and there is bound to be some interest. He is like a righty version of Kody Funderburk. Culpepper has average strikeout stuff, but he succeeds by generating a ton of weak ground contact with his cut fastball, sinker, and breaking balls. He needs to throw more strikes, but there is a quality middle relief profile here if he can put it all together in 2027. The Twins have a tough decision on there hands here deciding if C.J. is worth a 40-man spot.

RHP Paulshawn Pasqualotto

Paulshawn Pasqualotto was a force at every level of the minors this summer as he trekked from High-A to Triple-A, posting a 3.73 ERA and 3.62 FIP while striking out 95 batters in 70 innings. He has an interesting pitch mix, leading with a mid-90s fastball that is limited by poor shape but performed well enough in the upper levels. He complements it with two offspeed offerings. He has a changeup at 80-82 with elite velo separation and some strong fade, and he also throws a splitter in the mid-80s that drops off a table with a completely different shape. Pasqualotto has always had a good changeup, but he took its usage to a new and unique level in his breakout 2026 campaign. If he can improve his fastball shape, there is long-term bullpen potential here. Other teams will certainly be scouting up on Pasqualotto if the Twins decide not to protect him.

OF Yasser Mercedes

Yasser Mercedes is an interesting one, because he is the biggest prospect on this list but also the furthest away from the majors. With his 22nd birthday approaching next week, Mercedes possesses all of the raw talent you could ever want. He has easy plus raw power with blazing speed and a plus arm that plays across the outfield. He totaled 18 homers and 52 stolen bags this season, playing most of his games at the High-A level. Hit tool issues and questionable swing decisions have limited his offensive production throughout his minor league career, but if Yasser can find a little bit of success in those areas, he has big potential in all phases. We are seeing good signs is Arizona Fall League right now as he is slashing .302/.389/.488 with 8 walks and 8 strikeouts in 13 games. It is unlikely that he is selected in the Rule 5 Draft, but the slight possibility is there that a team decides to take a full-court shot on this kind of talent, and the success this fall is only going to bring him more into the spotlight.

INF Tanner Schobel

Tanner Schobel is unlikely to be protected and unlikely to be drafted, but he is still worth mentioning in this conversation. He doesn’t quite have the same speed or defensive utility as Ben Ross, but he is a similar defensive profile with a fringy bat. Schobel has quality contact skills with a patient approach but is lacking in the power department. He runs well and plays reliable defense across the infield. One more step forward as a hitter and he could find himself in a major bench league role.

Looking at the Rule 5 Draft itself and seeing what the Twins may do, they have made a selection in each of the last two years. They selected RHP Eiberson Castellanos in 2024, but returned him before the 2025 season after he posted a 7.59 ERA in spring training. They drafted C Daniel Susac in 2025, but he was immediately traded to San Francisco for catching prospect Miguel Caraballo, who has shown off a powerful bat and athletic catching profile as a teenager in rookie ball.

I can see the Twins taking another shot at a talented catcher or reliever as they have done in each of the last two years. There is always room for another big arm on the spring training staff, and there will likely be more players in the Rule 5 Draft pool that are more worthy of a roster spot than those mentions above.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski spoke this week at the GM meetings regarding the team’s plans for the offseason. Dombrowski obviously did not fully tip his hand on anything the Phillies will do, but he did outline their shopping list of an outfielder, a utility infielder, and starting rotation depth. However, Dombrowski also hinted at the possibility that the Phillies will not be among the biggest spenders this offseason, as they are perhaps running up against some sort of internal cap on payroll.

Here are Dombrowski’s comments as provided by Matt Gelb for The Athletic:

“I don’t know,” Dombrowski said. “I guess it just depends on what ends up happening with different things. … We have a lot of high-end salary players. They’re not young. They’re not old, but they’re in that age bracket. You have to make a decision. Maybe we have enough high-end players, and we can complement them with other players overall. That’s a decision we have to make. But I’m not necessarily looking for our club to continue to get older. So you kind of factor all those things in and make a decision.” – from Matt Gelb in The Athletic

The Phillies finished last season with a $322 million payroll after factoring in competitive balance taxes according to Cot’s Contracts, placing them with the fourth highest payroll in baseball. As of right now, the Phillies are projected to have the third highest payroll for 2027 at $281M, once again factoring in CBT penalties. The biggest numbers that came off of their payroll were the final years of dead money for Nick Castellanos and Taijuan Walker.

That total number for 2027 will likely change for two reasons. One is the obvious that the Phillies will make at least a few signings even if they are not major, while the second is that the financial system of the sport may be dramatically different in a new collective bargaining agreement, thus possibly changing the amount owed with CBT penalties in the future. The second would likely not directly affect 2027, as one could assume that there would be at least a one-year grace period, but it may affect how the team views its long term payroll.

However, Dombrowski later reiterated that he has still been given authorization from principal owner John Middleton to have a healthy payroll. His direct quote once again from Matt Gelb in The Athletic:

“John’s always been tremendous,” Dombrowski said. “He’s very flexible, but I have a proximate area of what we’re going to be. And it’s very generous.”- from Matt Gelb in The Athletic

That gives no indication that the Phillies will necessary be looking to slash their payroll, but it paints a full picture of the team perhaps having placed an internal cap on their spending. They will in all likelihood still be among the top five in money spent for 2027, but they may not reach the number they hit at the end of 2026.

So, how much do you think the Phillies will spend this offseason? Will they hand out a multi-year deal to an external position player for the first time since 2023?

Cam Schlittler of the New York Yankees and Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers have been named the American League and National League Cy Young Award winners, respectively. Both were unanimous winners, and I’m guessing that there’s never been a year where the two winners have had more combined letters in their last names.

Dylan Cease of the Toronto Blue Jays was second in the voting, claiming 22 second place votes, while Parker Messick of the Guardians was third. Drew Rasmussen and Sonny Gray rounded out the top five, while Reid Detmers, Cade Smith, Bryan Baker and Michael Wacha also received votes.

The complete American League voting breakdown can be found here.

In the National League, Cristopher Sanchez of the Phillies narrowly edged out Chris Sale of the Braves for second place, beating him by just one point, despite Sanchez having 17 second place votes to Sale’s 11. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Jesus Luzardo were fourth and fifth, with Mason Miller and Eduardo Rodriguez also receiving votes.

The complete National League voting breakdown can be found here.

Just two weeks ago, the Milwaukee Brewers were crowned World Series champions for the very first time, after a win in five games over the Tampa Bay Rays to cap off a dominant 2026. But now comes the hard part.

With another thrilling baseball season wrapped up, MLB and its team owners will shift their focus to turning fans against the players, as they push to institute a salary cap in the next collective bargaining agreement. The current agreement is set to expire at 11:59 p.m. ET on December 1.

Players remain opposed to a cap, while owners cite “competitive balance” as its main purpose. I guess now would be a good time to mention that three of the final four teams in the 2026 playoffs ranked in the bottom half of the league in payroll and play in small markets: the Brewers (No. 19 TV market), Rays (No. 28) and Cleveland Guardians (No. 30). The fourth team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, had the second-highest payroll behind only the New York Mets.

These playoffs weren’t the best backdrop for the owners’ argument, because payroll hardly factored into the story of this season. The Mets, with their $346.7 million payroll, finished dead last in the NL East, with the third-worst record in the National League. The Toronto Blue Jays went from World Series runner-up to missing the playoffs despite having baseball’s fifth-highest payroll. Hell, even the White Sox, with their $103 million payroll (No. 24), were just a couple of runs away from the ALCS.

That’s not to say money doesn’t solve some (or many) problems. The Dodgers scooped up Tarik Skubal at the trade deadline and were chasing a three-peat before being swept by the eventual champion Brewers. And seven of the teams with the top 10 payrolls qualified for the playoffs.

So what does all of this mean for MLB and the 2027 season?

The short answer is: Who knows? If the sides don’t reach a new agreement before the current one expires, owners could lock out players as soon as December 2. During a lockout team employees, including executives and coaches, would generally be prohibited from communicating with players on 40-man rosters. If MLB follows its approach from the last lockout, player photos would also disappear from league and team websites.

In other words, be prepared for the return of our favorite blank player image:

With less than a month until a potential lockout, baseball’s general managers are meeting this week, from November 10-12. MLB owners will meet the following week, from November 17-19. Time is running short for the sides to reach an agreement before the current deal expires, but a lockout isn’t official until owners initiate one.

Where do both sides stand?

The centerpiece of MLB’s proposal is a salary floor and cap for all clubs, which owners argue would improve competitive balance across the league. The MLB Players Association strongly opposes a cap, and instead wants to overhaul the existing revenue-sharing system to address financial disparities between small- and large-market teams and encourage clubs to prioritize winning over profit.

MLB has made great strides in growing the game over the last few seasons, so fans are rightfully upset at the thought of a baseball season going down the drain. Many are sick of seeing big-market teams like the Dodgers, Mets and New York Yankees spend seemingly unlimited amounts of money to sign the league’s best players. Meanwhile, small-market teams keep playing Moneyball, and others seem stuck in a never-ending rebuild loop (cough, Colorado Rockies, cough). I get it: A salary cap seems like it would solve a lot of problems. And sure, it boils down to billionaires fighting millionaires. But let’s not forget what it takes for a player to actually make it to the majors, while owners seemingly print money without breaking a sweat.

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Initial MLBPA proposal

Back in May, the MLBPA shared its initial proposal to begin CBA negotiations, which the owners ultimately rejected. In their proposal, the players focused on maintaining their rights as employees of the league to ensure fair treatment from MLB clubs, provide more opportunities for players to reach The Show, increase minimum salaries, and develop ways to penalize teams that aren’t trying to win.

Beyond those financial issues, MLB’s Mark Feinsand reported in mid-July that owners had presented an expanded proposal to overhaul the domestic draft and introduce an international draft. The Players Association blasted the framework, opposing cuts to the domestic draft and players’ signing bonuses and calling it “flat-out bad for baseball.”

As in its initial proposal on revenue sharing and competitive balance, the union continues to push measures to help lower-revenue clubs in smaller markets compete, including larger bonus pools for teams that qualify for the playoffs. Both sides appear to agree on the need to curb corruption in international scouting, often involving underage players. That said, MLB wants to slash eight rounds from the domestic draft while capping signing bonuses.

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Initial proposal from MLB owners

MLB’s original CBA proposal in May also made competitive balance its central argument, with the owners proposing a salary floor and cap for team payrolls. Another thing that the owners love to cite is how much “fans overwhelmingly support” instituting a floor and a cap to MLB players’ salaries, to which I say, “Speak for yourself.” As Feinsand reported in his article about MLB’s proposal, the league itself admits that MLB revenue has increased by 247% since 2003. On the other hand, payroll has increased, but not nearly as much (149%).

MLB’s salary cap, floor and revenue sharing overview

• Salary cap ($245.3 million) and floor ($171.2 million)
  • 12 clubs would be forced to increase their payroll, and eight would need to reduce it to comply in 2027.
  • The existing Competitive Balance Tax would still apply to teams that don’t meet the necessary requirements, and the proposed cap is only $1.3 million more than the current $244 million tax threshold.
• 50-50 revenue split each year between clubs and players
  • MLB suggests hiring an independent accountant to verify financials, using a similar system to the NBA, NFL and NHL.
• Sharing media revenue and addressing blackouts
  • Revenue would be centralized from all local media and distributed equally among all 30 teams.
  • Players would receive 50% of any increase in media revenue under this proposal.

One of the league’s main arguments is that MLB is the only one of the four major North American men’s professional sports leagues without a salary cap. I can agree that there should be a way to actually force teams to spend money on their players, rather than crying poor every year while raking in millions regardless of what the product on the field looks like. I also agree that revenue sharing needs to be improved regarding TV deals and the spending gap between wealthier teams and low-revenue teams.

What I don’t see the need for is a salary cap. As the league has noted, baseball has been growing over the last several years, so threatening to cancel an entire season to hoard a little more money feels unnecessary at best.

While the salary cap and floor are the headliners, the owners also proposed changes to the reserve system (free agency, minimum salaries and arbitration pools), international and domestic player drafts, international player development and the season structure and playoff format. There’s a lot to these proposals, so here’s a breakdown:

Reserve system
The reserve system generally gives teams control over players until they accumulate six years of MLB service time. Players can then become free agents unless they are already under contract.

• Earlier access to free agency — proposed by MLBPA, accepted by MLB.
  • Reduce period of club control to five years from six for players 30 and older.
• Increase the league minimum salary from $780,000 to $1 million for players with two or more years of service time.
  • Players with less than two years of service time will receive a $900,000 minimum salary, with a $100,000 bonus from the updated pre-arbitration bonus pool.
• 30% increase in pre-arbitration bonus pool, up to $65 million from $50 million.
  • Provides a $100,000 automatic bonus for players who complete a full year of service in their first two years in the league.
• Elimination of the Qualifying Offers system — proposed by MLBPA, accepted by MLB.
• Deferred payments will not be permitted in any new contracts.
  • Current contracts would be unaffected, so Bobby Bonilla Day is still safe for another nine years.
• Maintain the status quo of the salary arbitration system, but be open to creating a new framework if the MLBPA desires.
• New “Cornerstone Player” system applied to free-agent signings to help MLB teams retain their superstar players, including maximum contract lengths and salaries.
  • Free agent contracts can cover a maximum of five seasons for MLB free agents, or six seasons if being re-signed by their existing team.
  • The maximum free-agent salary if signed from another team is 15% of the salary cap, or 16% if re-signed by their existing team.
  • Note: This rule does not include players who are still under reserve, meaning younger players can still sign long-term deals, though there are still maximums for salary guarantees based on years of service.

Domestic amateur draft

• Signing eligibility:
  • Players must be 20 years old by September 1 of their draft year, and at least two years removed from high school.
  • Players can be drafted without being an active collegiate player (i.e., Independent League players) and would be eligible to be drafted one year earlier than in the current system.
• Separate Domestic and International drafts:
  • Equal signing-bonus pools for both drafts starting at $200 million.
  • 12-round draft with unlimited signings of undrafted players.
  • Limitations to trading draft picks include the inability for teams to:
    • Trade future picks beyond the upcoming year (i.e., 2028 draft selections can’t be traded until the 2027 draft is completed).
    • Trade away first-round picks in back-to-back drafts.
    • Acquire more than three additional selections in the first three rounds of a draft outside of their originally assigned selections.
• Mandatory draft combine medical evaluations.
• Reduce draft lottery selections each year from six to four.
  • No club would be able to receive a lottery pick in three straight years.
• Competitive Balance picks eliminated.

International player development

• Increase age of signing eligibility to at least 18 years old by September 1 of their draft year.
  • Encourages students to stay in school while pursuing a baseball career, and decreases pressure on teenagers, which subsequently reduces the incentive of PED use in children.
• Expand the Amateur Scouting League to create more playing opportunities for players of all talent levels, including working with governments to implement programs in players’ hometowns, ultimately giving players more chances to continue developing if they are not signed in their first year of eligibility.
  • Includes meals, housing, education, and a stipend for all players participating.
• Implementation of an International Draft to reduce competition among players in the current system.
  • Same 12-round process and $200 million bonus pool as the proposed Domestic Draft above.
• Player protections and regulations to maintain fairness and safety for international players.

Season structure and playoff format

• 154-game regular season:
  • Scheduled off day every week (usually Monday or Thursday), with a national game being aired on Mondays, beginning in 2029.
• Postseason changes:
  • Higher-seeded Clubs in the Wild Card and Division Series select their opponents, beginning in 2027.
    • 3-seed selects Wild Card opponent (5 or 6-seed).
    • 1-seed would select which Wild Card winner to play in the Division Series.
  • Expansion to best-of-seven Division Series (up from five), beginning in 2029.
  • Off days to be added before non-guaranteed games (after game four).
  • Fewer daytime game slots, with the season ending a week sooner.

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Where do the negotiations stand now?

With a salary cap still a nonstarter for the MLBPA, MLB proposed last week to punt its cap-and-floor system to 2028, as reported by CBS Sports. The league says the delay would ease the transition, but players have repeatedly made clear that they oppose a cap, regardless of when it takes effect.

The 1994 dispute over a salary cap helped trigger a strike that wiped out the rest of the regular season and the entire postseason. This time around, owners continue to insist on a cap.

Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Shaikin outlined what could happen if negotiations reach an impasse. If the sides reach a valid impasse after bargaining in good faith, owners could attempt to impose terms from their proposal without the union’s agreement. But the MLBPA’s opposition to a salary cap alone wouldn’t establish bad faith, and the union could challenge the owners’ actions or respond with a strike. There’s precedent for a legal fight: During the 1994-95 strike, owners unilaterally changed employment terms, prompting the National Labor Relations Board to seek an injunction. In 1995, a federal judge ordered owners to restore the previous terms, helping bring the strike to an end.

Negotiations haven’t reached an impasse, and there’s still time to reach a deal. The best outcome would be for both sides to keep bargaining and reach an agreement, but we know how much the owners like to line their pockets.

If you’ve made it this far, bless your soul. The CBA is a beast, and at some point, I understand the sentiment: “Just let me know when they reach a deal.” We’ll continue to provide updates as they come. For now, we can hope MLB comes to its senses — though I’m not holding my breath.

First of all, I will point out that we are not in the lab for this one. Sometimes, I have to take off the lab coat, step outside for a smoke break and offer my opinion. The lab isn’t a good place for that. So, what follows is essentially commentary/opinion on what has just happened. There are just some things I need to get off my chest before this train gets too far out of the station.

The Astros announced Brad Ausmus as their next manager and the introductory press conference is set for Friday morning at 10 AM. Ausmus comes in with a long enough resume as a manager and bench coach. He served as the New York Yankees bench coach the past three seasons and was in Oakland before that. He has a 386-422 record as a manager which comes out to a .478 winning percentage. Obviously, won loss records can be deceiving as some of those teams were not built to win. He won 90 games in 2014 and won the AL Central, but things went steadily downhill from there. He was one and done in Anaheim in 2019.

I should note that this was the season that Tyler Skaggs died of a drug overdose on July 1st of that season. Others will obviously place some blame on Ausmus for lack of oversight. I mention it because others have mentioned it. I don’t necessarily put that on Ausmus, but it should be a part of the mosaic that it is his managerial career. Obviously, all of these things (the bad record and other checkered details) can be explained. There is always room for growth as well.

If I were doing a lab we would look at managerial tendencies and whether those teams overachieved or underachieved. However, this criticism has very little to do with that. Ausmus may have learned a great deal from his first two stops and could be a better manager for it. I have to acknowledge that possibility because there is always the possibility that I am wrong about him. This hire just feels “meh” in a time when you need something to get the fans and players’ blood going.

The golden age of the Astros dynasty was that period between 2015 and 2019. That was when Jeff Luhnow hired A.J. Hinch to be the manager. Was he a perfect manager? Of course not. He was a perfect complement to Luhnow. He had an analytical mind and so he was able to absorb the data that Luhnow provided and infuse that into his managing. This is not about the data or lack of data necessarily. Ausmus is famously smart and can process tons of information. This is simply about the manager and the general manager being on the same page because the manager was the general manager’s choice.

You hired Randy Flores over a week ago. You had an opportunity to let him hire a manager and then work hand in hand with his guy. Ausmus isn’t Flores’ hire. This has Jeff Bagwell’s fingerprints all over it. I make no bones about the fact that I love Jeff Bagwell the player. He might be my favorite Astro ever because of the intelligent way he played the game. He’s clearly in way over his head here and he either needs to be the president of baseball operations where he can be held accountable or he needs to get out of the damn way. Again, this isn’t personal. His “back of the baseball card” mentality just doesn’t play in the 2020s.

We played this backwards game before when the club hired Dusty Baker before they hired James Click. We saw how that didn’t work. Click would make moves that Baker got to veto. Obviously one could look at the efficacy of those moves and judge ourselves (namely Jose Urquidy for Willson Contreras in 2022) but there is no universe where a manager should be overriding the general manager. That is a bassackwards way to run an organization.

Joe Espada was hired after Dana Brown, but he wasn’t really Brown’s guy. He was a holdover and they gave him the job without doing a serious search. I suppose it made sense. Baker retired more than getting fired, so you wanted someone to keep the train moving. However, it was clear at different points that the two were not on the same page about different things. I could blame one or the other, but neither is here because neither really succeeded. You could easily claim that one of the reasons that neither succeeded is because they were not working together effectively.

Ausmus interviewed for the job the day before Flores was even announced. I suppose it is possible that a second interview took place, but there has been no solid reporting on that. This was clearly a Jim Crane and Jeff Bagwell production. It’s about getting the buddies back together, whether that is in the best interest of the organization or not. So much for the whole spiel about Flores having full authority. The first major decision under his watch wasn’t his.

This is not a sky is falling pronouncement. Brad Ausmus isn’t David Culley. He is a smart and capable guy that has experience doing the job. It is a missed opportunity. It was an opportunity to turn the page and let a new general manager put his stamp on the team. There were reportedly three other legitimate candidates and any of them would have been more exciting than the hire they just made. It’s less exciting because of the lackluster track record and the fact that this isn’t Flores’ hire. Obviously, teams shouldn’t be run purely on fan reactions. However, when you consider the Matt Kleine fall out you can imagine how these combined announcements have dampened fan enthusiasm for the club.

We should be very clear. Randy Flores hasn’t made a single trade or signing and Ausmus hasn’t filled out one lineup card. Neither has done anything to warrant serious criticism. This is about process. Teams are successful when they have good processes in place for nearly everything. Neither of these hires came about from a good process. Obviously, good things can come out of chaos and that could be true here. We can hope for the best, but the odds are dwindling with every progressive move.

Meet the Mets

The Mets are reportedly shopping in the higher end of the market for relief help including Alex Vesia and Tim Hill.

Steve Cohen and and his willingness to spend to get top talent could help the Mets land Tarik Skubal just like how they landed Juan Soto.

While David Stearns was happy for the Milwaukee Brewers and their success he acknowledged that his situation is a bit different with the Mets.

Around the National League East

Atlanta ace Chris Sale finished third in the National League Cy Young voting.

Philadelphia southpaw Cristopher Sánchez was the runner up in Cy Young voting with Jesús Luzardo also receiving votes.

The Nationals and outfielder Jacob Young agreed to a four-year deal worth $23 million.

Washington is open to trading Dylan Crews so Federal Baseball took a look at where the young outfielder could end up next season.

Around Major League Baseball

Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski and Yankees righty Cam Schlittler were both the unanimous Cy Young winners in their respective leagues.

The Astros hired former Tigers manager Brad Ausmus to be their new skipper.

The Tigers reportedly signed Cincinnati closer Emilio Pagán to a one-year deal.

MLB’s content workers voted to unionize to protect themselves against the uncertainty of the upcoming offseason.

The Yankees have shown interest in third baseman Alec Bohm.

Both the Padres and the Blue Jays could be potential suitors for Tarik Skubal.

Yesterday at Amazin’ Avenue

Steve Sypa profiled international free agent Si-Hwan Roh.

This Date in Mets History

On this date in 1975, Tom Seaver won his third Cy Young award.

Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes talked with reporters Tuesday in Las Vegas, and added more to what the team is thinking as far as signing Tarik Skubal. Jacob Macofsky covered what he talked about in yesterday’s article.

Wednesday, Skubal’s agent Scott Boras spoke with reporters and laid out more details about his client that is this year’s biggest free agent on the market.

“Much like 2021, there’s a clear intent on a group of players, and we have no reservations by any teams that they’re going to operate within their abilities and freedoms because they want they don’t want to lose to their competitors,” Boras told reporters. “They want the market to be what it is for them, and they’re utilizing their rights to compete. I think they’re very concerned about losing the opportunity to sign select, key players, and they’re pursuing it aggressively.”

Maddie Lee of the L.A. Times covers this and more of what Boras said about his highly sought after client, and what the Dodgers pitching staff needs and doesn’t necessarily need heading into the 2027 season (should there be one).

Cody Stavenhagen of The Athletic also covers what else Boras is thinking in terms of the offseason and the possible impending lockout, and how in typical Boras fashion the news conference was a spectacle unto itself. The place that Boras’ team had picked to hold his annual press gaggle was not sanctioned by ARIA hotel, and thusly was moved to a different location.

According to Stavenhagen, Boras strongly hinted that Skubal would sign before the impending lockout, as did his clients Marcus Semien and Corey Seager in 2021-22 before that season’s lockout.

“I think they’re very concerned about losing the opportunity to sign select key players, and they are pursuing it aggressively,” Boras said.

One pitcher who will definitely be on the team next season is Shohei Ohtani, but when he will first pitch for the Dodgers is not certain. As Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic discusses, the team is not sure when the two-way player will return to the mound. Brandon Gomes had this to say about Ohtani –

“Whatever it is, there’s just a lot of different avenues, and I think for us to unilaterally decide that doesn’t make sense. So it’s really bringing him into the conversation and figuring out how to navigate a full season.”

Lots to be decided in the coming weeks and months as the Dodgers look to reclaim the top spot in MLB from the Milwaukee Brewers.

LAS VEGAS – To make a point about why a salary cap was not only unnecessary but also detrimental to baseball, the sport’s most influential agent offered the example of a team that went “from the outhouse of bankruptcy to the penthouse of world championships.”

The Dodgers have often been cited as a reason there should be restrictions on how much franchises should be able to spend on players, but Scott Boras claimed the opposite was true.

In Boras’ view, they are a credit to baseball’s current free-market system.

The Dodgers were taken into bankruptcy in 2011 by their owner at the time, Frank McCourt. The following year, they were sold to Guggenheim Baseball Management for a then-record $2.15 billion.

Fueled by record spending, the Dodgers quickly reclaimed their place as one of the league’s signature franchises. 

Under their current owners, they have acquired a number of the sport’s most popular players, including Shohei Ohtani.

They have reached the playoffs in each of the last 14 years.

They have won the World Series three times in the last seven seasons.

“The revenues of this system and their ownership from bankruptcy to near billion in revenues should be a model for what freedoms do to allow a process, capital, intellect, hiring of executives, all of that culminates in something that has been dramatically beneficial to the league,” Boras said.

In what has become a General Managers’ Meetings tradition, Boras addresses reporters in large part to drum up interest in his clients who are free agents. He did some of that on Wednesday, as he represents the market’s No. 1 player in Tarik Skubal.

However, Boras also devoted plenty of time addressing the push by franchise owners to implement a salary cap. Fervent opposition by the players’ union is expected to result in a prolonged work stoppage that should start on Dec. 1, when the current collective-bargaining agreement expires.

The Dodgers were mentioned several times.

“Fans are telling you they love competitiveness and they love owner genius,” Boras said. “When you’re in a market where your franchise is bankrupt, and you attract owners that have the wherewithal to come in and correct what’s going on to make their franchise competitive, to have new ideas, to do all those things, this is why we want to keep our doors open, so that the next idea, the next generation of owners, has the freedom to come here.”

In other words, the Dodgers couldn’t have done what they’ve done if a salary cap were in place.

Of course, that’s also the argument made by salary-cap advocates, who say the Dodgers’ market size provides them with an unfair advantage because they can generate more revenue than the majority of other teams.

Which was why Boras also mentioned the San Diego Padres, who were purchased by a group that included the late Peter Seidler for $800 million in 2012.

“We’ve seen what Peter Seidler did in San Diego, a market that is wholly held by everyone to be a small market,” Boras said.

Seidler invested heavily in the team’s roster. They have reached the playoffs in five of the last seven years, and the market has responded. The Padres, who drew 2.2 million fans in 2021, have drawn more than three million fans in each of the last four seasons.

The Padres were sold for a record $3.9 billion this year.

Boras posited that a system without a salary cap results in a greater variety of team-building philosophies throughout the game.

“These are the things that fans enjoy, that everyone enjoys, that the mystery of the game is so complete, where we have a diverse approach to championship play,” he said.