Nick Morabito was originally drafted by the Mets in the second round of the 2022 Major League Draft out of Gonzaga College High School in Washington D.C. He spent the next few seasons slowly progressing through the Mets minor league system, playing well and falling somewhere near the bottom of lists of the top ten Mets prospects.

After the 2025 season, the Mets added Morabito to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, and in May 0f the 2026 season, with the glut of injuries in the Mets outfield, Nick Morabito earned his callup to the major league team. He made his debut on May 19th, facing the Washington Nationals in the city where he grew up. He lasted a week with the major league team before being sent down.

He earned his second callup at the start of September and remained with the team through the end of the season. He finally collected his first hit against the Rays, going 2-for-2 and driving in three runs. In his second, month-long stint with the major league club he split time between starting and coming off the bench as a defensive replacement.

Over the course of his 19 games split across his two stints, he hit .195/.283/.244, ending his season with eight hits, four RBI, and three walks. He struck out sixteen times, hit two doubles but didn’t hit a home run at any point. He stole one base and was caught stealing twice. There’s not a lot that can be read into such a small sample size with such a long distance between the two stints.

The stolen base number didn’t depict the kind of threat he posed in the minors on the bases. Across 414 games in the minor leagues he stole 172 bases, stealing 59 across two levels in 2024, 49 with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies in 2025, and 42 in 114 games in Syracuse in 2026. If that skill can translate to the major league level, as long as he is able to get on base (which he did have a problem doing with the Mets in 2026) he will be a major threat.

Morabito has always profiled as a fourth outfielder type, and his usage and play during his time help depict that as a future role for him. His defense was good during his short time with the major league team, being worth 3 OAA in the outfield in just 19 games. That kind of defense will play, even off the bench, and if he can maintain that kind of defensive production off the bench, along with the speed he has showcased in the minors he will be able to carve out a role as a fourth outfielder and pinch runner.

2026 was Nick Morabito’s debut season, but across two stints, he wasn’t able to make much of an impact. If he can access the speed and defense he showcased in the minor leagues, he will be able to carve out a role in the major leagues. That’s a profile that would work well with the Mets as currently constructed, as their outfield seems pretty set going forward with Juan Soto, Carson Benge, and A.J. Ewing. But a cheap, speedy outfielder with good defense is something a baseball team can always use, and the Mets might have one in-house already.

Bobby Witt Jr. becomes the first three-time winner of the Heart and Hustle Award.

Created by the MLBPAA in 2005, the Heart & Hustle Award recognizes an active player who demonstrates a passion for baseball and best embodies the values, spirit and traditions of the game. Each of the 30 teams has one nominee selected by a committee of former players, with fans, alumni and active Major League players voting to determine the overall winner.

Witt has been Kansas City’s nominee in each of his first five Major League seasons, establishing himself as one of the game’s top all-around players while also making an impact in the clubhouse and community. 

David Lesky has more on new Royals assistant hitting coach Hunter Mense.

He’s very big on pre-pitch planning. Go to the plate with a plan, and it’s much easier to execute than without one. That lets a hitter jump into good counts or lay off the pitch they should lay off. With that, he’s done an excellent job throughout his career of helping hitters with a variety of swings because the 3-0 swing shouldn’t be the same as the 0-2 swing, which shouldn’t be the same as the 1-1 swing. Situational awareness is the biggest thing.

I didn’t have much conversation about Mense after the hire was announced, but I did talk to a couple of people who noted how great he is on the mental side of the game. That probably shouldn’t be a surprise given that he has a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in sport psychology. It’s an interesting profile given that the Royals chose to reassign Melissa Lambert, the previous director of behavioral science/Major League mental performance. I’m still under the impression they plan to hire someone else for the dugout for that role, but the fact that Mense has that educational background is interesting to me.

Philip Ruo at Royals Keep writes about eight free agents the Royals should target, such as Taylor Ward.

Ward is another player who took a major step back in production after being traded and is the 67th-ranked free agent. Ward posted an 117 wRC+ in Baltimore, which fell to 23 with the Mariners after the trade. Even before his disastrous trade, Ward’s power had evaporated. After hitting 36 home runs in 663 plate appearances in 2025 with the Angels, Ward hit only seven homers in 506 PAs with Baltimore (and at a more homer-friendly ballpark) and zero homers in Seattle. 

Interestingly, despite his dip in home runs, his .336 wOBA in Baltimore was roughly the same as his .339 wOBA in 2025. This was largely due to his increase in walk rate from 11.3% to 16.3% and a decrease in strikeout rate from 26.4% to 20.4%. If Ward can combine his increased plate discipline with a revival of his power, he could be a valuable addition to the Royals, especially as a right-handed batter. He would likely also be willing to sign a one-year prove-it deal to increase his value, and the Royals could be beneficiaries of this opportunity. 

The White Sox signed former Royals pitcher Alec Marsh to a minor league deal.

The Royals acquired a 28-story office building near Crown Center to lease out as office space.

The Cardinals promote Rob Cerfolio as the new general manager.

The Nationals sign outfielder Jacob Young to a four-year, $23 million extension.

Albert Pujols and Morgan Ensberg will interview for the Astros managerial opening.

Five international players to know this offseason.

The Mets and Dodgers are likely to pursue Tarik Skubal.

A look at the five tiers of free agents.

What to know about next week’s general manager meetings.

28 players get “Super-Two” arbitration status.

Bo Naylor testifies in the Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz pitch-rigging trial.

The Blue Jays denounce anti-Muslim posts by Anthony Santander.

Retired umpires sue MLB alleging their pensions were underpaid.

MLB Network reverses their decision and will keep Intentional Talk on the air.

LIV Golf is officially done.

The SEC is considering a luxury tax for excessive spending on players.

FOX purchases Roku for $22 billion.

Tesla will pull the plug on the Cybertruck after lagging sales.

There will be a Stranger Things prequel.

Your song of the day is Daryl Hall & John Oates with I Can’t Go For That.

Hello my friends and welcome to the weekend!

Let’s get you caught up on the latest from around baseball.

In Mariners news…

• In case you missed it, the Mariners hired Washington state native Tanner Swanson to serve as their new bench coach.
• Over at The Feed, commenter Suburban Shocker shared a text they received from a former colleague of Jason Kanzler about why they think the Mariners made the right decision in their managerial hire.

Around the league…

• The Nationals have reportedly agreed to a four-year, $23 million contract extension with outfielder Jacob Young.
• The Mets have re-signed right-handed reliver Robert Stock to a one-year deal.
• The Cardinals announced that they have promoted assistant general manager Rob Cerfolio to the post of GM.
• The Blue Jays said that recent Islamophobic posts made by outfielder Anthony Santander do not represent the views of the organization.
• Corbin Carroll successfully underwent elbow surgery and expects to have a normal offseason workout regimen as he prepares for 2027.
• Ben Balder at Baseball America highlighted 10 international prospects to watch from the 2027 class, including incoming Mariner Eudy Yuten. ($)

The Colorado Rockies have never seemed to be particularly enthusiastic about free agency. The organization has a reputation for being insular, holding on to familiar players, and generally preferring to do things its own way.

But just how different is Colorado’s approach from the rest of the NL West?

It’s one thing to avoid spending like the Los Angeles Dodgers, but what about the San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, and Arizona Diamondbacks? Are the Rockies really that far behind their division rivals when it comes to bringing in outside talent?

I wanted to find out, so I went through seven years of FanGraphs’ RosterResource transaction records to compare major- and minor-league free-agent activity across all five teams.

The results weren’t particularly flattering.

Seven years of free agency

From 2020 through 2026, the Rockies recorded just 90 major- and minor-league free-agent agreements. Every other NL West team recorded at least 137.

NL West free-agent agreements, 2020–2026

Source: FanGraphs RosterResource transaction charts.

Colorado recorded approximately 44% fewer agreements than the average of its four division rivals. While I expected the Rockies to trail the Dodgers, I wasn’t expecting them to finish this far behind everybody else.

At the major-league level, Colorado recorded just 23 agreements, compared with 40 for San Diego, the next-lowest team.

Three of Colorado’s agreements brought back Jhoulys Chacín, José Ureña and Jacob Stallings.

Not exactly a reunion tour anyone was demanding.

Of course, players have to agree to sign, and Colorado isn’t always an attractive destination, especially for pitchers considering Coors Field. Franchise reputation and a team’s competitive outlook can influence those decisions.

But money matters, too. If another organization offers a pitcher $10 million a year, the Rockies could offer $13 million. That doesn’t guarantee he’ll sign, but it’s a pretty good reason to answer the phone.

When the Rockies spend

I also wanted to see what each NL West team received from its biggest free agent contracts.

Using Spotrac, I identified each team’s ten highest-average-annual-value (AAV) outside free agent agreements whose playing periods began between 2020 and 2026, including contracts tied at the tenth-highest AAV. I then used Baseball Reference to calculate the rWAR accumulated under those agreements through the 2026 season.

Some agreements remain active, so the totals will change as those contracts continue. For the financial comparison, I counted only the contract value attributable to seasons through 2026 rather than including future seasons that haven’t been played.

Combined guarantees and rWAR from each team’s highest-AAV free-agent contracts

Sources: Spotrac contract terms and Baseball-Reference rWAR. Production is limited to the specific qualifying contracts through 2026, excluding subsequent extensions or new agreements.

The Rockies are the only team in this comparison with a negative combined return from their largest free-agent agreements.

Kris Bryant has contributed -1.6 rWAR since signing his seven-year, $182 million contract before the 2022 season. Michael Lorenzen produced -1.7 rWAR on his $8 million agreement in 2026, while Jurickson Profar finished at -1.6 rWAR after signing for $7.75 million in 2023.

There have been some positive returns. Tomoyuki Sugano contributed 1.8 rWAR in 2026, Willi Castro added 1.1 and José Quintana produced 0.4.

Now consider Los Angeles.

Freddie Freeman has produced 23.7 rWAR under his six-year, $162 million contract through 2026. Shohei Ohtani has contributed another 18.9, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto has accumulated 12.7.

That’s 55.3 rWAR from three players, compared with a negative combined return from Colorado’s entire qualifying group.

Of course, the Dodgers spent considerably more money to get those results. Their qualifying contracts account for approximately $784 million in salary through 2026, or $11.4 million per rWAR.

San Diego has been even more efficient, spending roughly $246 million while generating 39.7 rWAR, or about $6.2 million per win. Ha-Seong Kim alone contributed 15.1 rWAR under his four-year, $28 million agreement.

San Francisco received 5.2 rWAR from Carlos Rodón and 7.1 from Matt Chapman under their original agreements.

Every organization has expensive contracts it would like to forget. Arizona certainly didn’t get what it hoped for from Madison Bumgarner or Jordan Montgomery, and even the Dodgers have made costly mistakes.

Colorado, meanwhile, spent approximately $184 million on its qualifying agreements through 2026 and received a combined -3.5 rWAR.

A positive return would have been nice.

Down on the farm

Both Colorado and San Diego brought back roughly 16% of their recorded minor-league free-agent agreements from 2020 through 2026. But the Padres recorded 128 agreements compared with just 67 for the Rockies.

During 2024 and 2025 alone, San Diego recorded 50 minor-league agreements, followed by San Francisco with 39, Los Angeles with 31 and Arizona with 28.

Colorado recorded just 20.

Minor-league free agency offers relatively inexpensive opportunities to build depth, create competition and find players who might benefit from different coaching or a change of scenery.

For a team that has struggled to develop pitching, that seems like a market worth exploring.

Signs of life in 2026

Free agency is only one part of roster construction, and Colorado’s lack of activity appears to have extended beyond it.

During 2024 and 2025, the Rockies recorded just 14 acquisitions through trades and cash deals, fewer than every other NL West team. They also traded away only eight players, compared with 46 for San Diego and 38 for Los Angeles.

In 2026, however, the Rockies recorded 15 acquisitions through trades and cash deals, six waiver claims and 12 players traded away.

Paul DePodesta and Josh Byrnes have also shown a willingness to pursue outside starting pitching. During their first offseason, ahead of the 2026 season, they signed Michael Lorenzen, José Quintana and Tomoyuki Sugano to major-league contracts.

The Rockies pursued a different type of player in 2026, but their overall free-agent activity remained relatively unchanged. Colorado recorded just 15 combined major- and minor-league free-agent agreements, still fewer than any of its division rivals.

More activity, better results?

So which has hurt the Rockies more? Their reluctance to participate in free agency, or their inability to identify the right players when they do?

Maybe the Rockies would have been just as bad if they’d signed twice as many free agents. Given the returns on some of their biggest contracts, I wouldn’t rule it out.

Signing more players won’t help much if the Rockies can’t identify and develop the right ones. But free agency offers opportunities to add talent without surrendering prospects, and the market is open.

For now, I’d settle for more activity. After years of watching a moribund organization, a little movement would be welcome.

After all, seven years of relative inactivity haven’t produced much worth protecting.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks! 

Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong won his second straight Gold Glove earlier this week, perhaps the second of several such awards.

Friday night, PCA received another defensive award, this time the Platinum Glove for the best overall fielder in the National League. Here are some of the numbers that got him that award:

PCA’s former teammate Cody Bellinger won the American League Platinum Glove:

PCA is the second Cub to win the Platinum Glove (also Anthony Rizzo in 2016). In addition, the Cubs won the team Gold Glove for 2026:

The Cubs have proven over the last couple of years how much defense matters. They also put together the best offensive team in MLB in 2026. If only the pitching staff had matched the hitting and defense, we might be talking about a Cubs World Series appearance this year. That’s the job of Jed Hoyer this offseason — to put together such a pitching staff.

Congratulations to PCA and the Cubs team on these defensive awards. Here are six and a half minutes of PCA defensive highlights:

Since his arrival in a trade with Atlanta during the 2022-2023 offseason, William Conteras has been a rock-solid catcher for the Brewers. He has been one of the league leaders at the position for the past four seasons, earning two All-Star appearances and receiving MVP votes in 2023 and 2024. While his 2026 season took a bit of a hit, his leadership and play in the postseason were critical to the World Series run, culminating in him being named the World Series MVP this season. He is approaching free agency in 2028, and with the Brewers looking for a future catcher from there and beyond, an extension for Contreras has to be in play.

Entering 2027, Contreras is under team control for one more year. While he would have been arbitration-eligible, the Brewers signed him to a one-year contract with an option last offseason. They immediately picked up the option after the season was over, and he will make $15.5 million in 2027. The Brewers may have been able to save a little money by declining the option and heading to arbitration, but they elected not to go that route this time. That also sets up a baseline for what an extension would cost. At minimum, any extension would need to be above that $15.5 million in average annual value.

While the general expectation with the Brewers would be to prep for the next prospect, the state of the Brewers’ farm system means that isn’t a viable option. Jeferson Quero was the prospect that they were hoping would take over at catcher following Contreras, but injuries have derailed that plan. In 2026 for Triple-A Nashville, he played just 48 games at catcher while serving as the designated hitter in 71 games. From July on, he only caught a total of three games for Nashville. Looking further down the minors, Marco Dinges is ranked No. 14 in the Brewers system on MLB Pipeline. However, he also faced similar problems, and served as a DH for most of the season between High-A Wisconsin and Double-A Biloxi. He also only caught three games from June on, and his season ended early on August 12.

That puts the Brewers in a tough spot at catcher. They don’t have a ready catcher waiting in the minors, and anyone they bring up would need time to develop. The only other option currently on the roster is Bo Naylor, who the Brewers acquired at the trade deadline from Cleveland. He spent a month in Nashville before spending September on the Brewers’ bench, barely playing at all. While he could be the Brewers’ backup catcher in 2027, he likely won’t be much more than that.

What that means is the Brewers will have to spend heavily in the near future at catcher. That could mean signing Contreras to a long-term extension, and hopefully find their future catcher during that time. It could also mean spending heavily with their prospect capital, trading players in their system to get a highly-ranked catcher. Even if the Brewers do that, whoever they bring up will still need some time to develop. They could also look at acquiring an established major league catcher by trade, but that would also require a high prospect cost, and potentially even higher than bringing in a prospect.

The pending lockout further complicates the situation as well. Even if the Brewers do acquire a catcher by trade, that catcher will likely need time to develop. For a minor-league player, it would be better to spend a season with Contreras in the majors. However, if the 2027 season is shortened due to a lockout, that takes away valuable development time. Depending on how much it is shortened, any prospect could be thrust into the primary role once Contreras becomes a free agent. This would be lessened by acquiring a major-league ready catcher, but there’s still the consideration of time to integrate with the pitching staff. It’s less of a time concern, but there still is one.

The solution that would be the most optimal is keeping Contreras around long-term. He can hold down the position for the next few seasons while the Brewers continue to search for that future catcher. Once they find him and he’s had time to develop in the minors, he can serve as a backup to Contreras for a year or two. As the contract hits the later years, and Contreras starts to feel the age from playing the position so long, he could transition to another position (likely DH or first base) while the new catcher takes over. Contreras can still serve as a mentor while providing value in the lineup to finish up the contract.

Looking at the extension, we have a baseline for Contreras at $15.5 million from his last year of arbitration. Here’s a look at the current top contracts at catcher around the league (contracts from Spotrac):

• Cal Raleigh (Mariners): six years / $105 million ($17.5 million AAV), signed in 2025 through 2030 with $20 million option for 2031
• J.T. Realmuto (Phillies): three years / $45 million ($15 million AAV), signed in 2026 through 2028
• Will Smith (Dodgers): 10 years / $140 million ($14 million AAV), signed in 2024 through 2033
• Salvador Perez (Royals): 2 years / $25 million ($12.5 million AAV), signed for 2026 and 2027
• Sean Murphy (Braves): six years / $73 million ($12.17 million AAV), signed in 2023 through 2028 with $15 million option for 2029
• Alejandro Kirk (Blue Jays): five years / $58 million ($11.6 million AAV), signed in 2026 through 2030
• Samuel Basallo (Orioles): eight years / $67 million ($8.375 million AAV), signed in 2026 through 2033 with $18 million option for 2034

Contreras’ option for 2027 will already make him one of the highest paid catchers in the league. It puts him ahead of Realmuto at $15 million, and Raleigh’s highest earning years come later in his contract (he will earn $12 million in 2027 and $23 million in 2028). Smith will earn just $8 million in 2027, but he also has a total of $50 million in deferred money in his contract. By cash paid out, Contreras currently will earn the most of any catcher in 2027, pending any other deals this offseason. Raleigh is the player to beat here, with his 23.5 fWAR leading the position over the last five years. Contreras is 2nd in fWAR at catcher, posting a 19.5 fWAR in the last five years.

With that in mind, it’s reasonable to see that a contract approaching nine-figures may be needed to keep Contreras long-term. There is no chance he would sign a deal with a lower AAV than the $15.5 million he is making this season. Spotrac posted earlier this offseason that Contreras projects towards a six year, $86 million contract, but that is too low for an extension. It would only be an AAV of $14.33 million, and it’s highly unlikely that Contreras signs an extension with an AAV lower than what he’s making in 2027.

Pushing his AAV ahead of Raleigh might be enough to get it done. The team might have to push towards a nine-figure contract to make it happen. Six years at $110 million ($18.33 million AAV) would put him ahead of Raleigh in AAV, but the Brewers can also structure it to be more reasonable. With an infusion of money from the postseason run, it may make sense to include a higher signing bonus and lower the yearly salary. That would take him through his age 35 season, and by then there would be concerns on if the long career as a catcher is taking its toll.

Contreras has been an integral part of the Brewers for the last four seasons. He has become one of the best catchers in franchise history and one of the best currently in the league. With one more year until he becomes a free agent, the Brewers will need to make a significant investment at some point in the near future. Whether that is a big contract or a major trade, that moment is coming soon. Investing in Contreras may be one of the smarter moves they can make.

The last full week of games for the AFL finished Friday with the Peoria Javelinas playing to a 3-2 record after having their Monday game cancelled due to unplayable field conditions. The Javelinas finished the week with a 16-10 record, first in the league and a half-game up on the Surprise Saguaros.

All six teams begin the playoffs next Thursday but the Javelinas have a first-round bye due to their record. The two top finishers get to take Thursday off after all teams complete the regular season on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

The six teams play a round-robin tournament that finishes with the championship game on Nov. 14.

HR Derby

The Fall League Home Run Derby begins today at 5:30 pm PST and will stream on MLB.com. Eight hitters from the six teams will compete, including three from the Javelinas. 

Outfielder Alex McCoy, the Padres No. 26 prospect, joins two other sluggers from Peoria. McCoy is currently tied for second in the home run lead in the league and is first on the team (5). His 16 RBI is tied for second on the team. He also has the hardest hit ball of the Fall season so far, at 118.2 mph, and it traveled 435 feet.

The derby consists of three rounds, and each hitter has three outs for each round, with the top achievers advancing.

Fall Stars Game

The Fall Stars game will be played on Sunday at 5 pm PST on MLB Network and MLB.com. Ten of the top 100 prospects per MLB Pipeline will be playing in the game. The two teams, representing the National League and the American League, will face off at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.

Outfielder Alex McCoy and RHP Kannon Kemp will represent the Padres and the Javelinas in the contest. McCoy will be one day removed from participating in the Home Run Derby. There are six Javelinas on the roster for the NL team.

Like the MLB game, the AFL game has the Final Two pick before the final roster is released. Padres prospect, infielder Justin DeCriscio, is one of the three NL players in the final vote. That winner will be announced on Saturday after fans were able to vote until yesterday.

The final AFL report for the 2026 season will come after the championship game next weekend.

Winter Leagues

The Latin Winter Leagues began in mid-October but no MLB or MiLB players joined in until after the end of the 2026 season. Multiple Padres minor leaguers are involved and Padres free agent outfielder Ramón Laureano is playing for Escogido of the Dominican Winter League.

A weekly update on the Winter Leagues will begin after the AFL season is complete.

Padres News:

• Mason Miller was a lights out closer for much of the season, but he had some struggles. What grade did he receive from Lincoln Zdunich of Gaslamp Ball?

• AJ Cassavell of Padres.com breaks down how Craig Stammen fared in his first season as Padres manager.

Baseball News:

• Pete Crow-Armstrong and Cody Bellinger win Platinum Glove Awards.

• Jacob Young and the Washington Nationals agreed to an extension.

• Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals named Heart & Hustle Award winner for third time.

• Rob Cerfolio was tabbed as the new general manager of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Happy Saturday, everyone, here’s a quick little weekend news roundup. Things have still been quiet on the Tigers front with some minor news updates about award finalists and coaching staff that we’ll touch on below, and then of course some updates on free agency and the looming lockout. So lots of fun stuff to keep you busy on a weekend morning. And of course, the BBWAA has selected none other than Kevin McGonigle as the Tiger of the Year, as if there was any other option.

So grab yourself a coffee and just peruse some fun baseball links to get your day going.

Detroit Tigers News

• In case you missed our article about it, the Tigers unveiled their 2027 coaching staff.

• Three Tigers are finalists for the Silver Slugger Award.

• Getting personal with Dillon Dingler.

• No surprise here, Tiger of the Year.

MLB News

• A postseason managerial report card for Pat Murphy.
• Breaking down the free agent class by tiers.
• MLB’s newest proposal did nothing to bridge the gap between them and the players.
• Taking a look at the stacked list of candidates for the Contemporary Era Hall of Fame ballot. ($)
• Scouting players from the Asian leagues who could make an impact in MLB.
• Ranking the offseason’s top free agent starting pitchers.
• Some glaring issues the Yankees need to deal with this offseason.
• Who had the straightest pitch in baseball this season?
• How the looming lockout is uniting MLB agents against a salary cap. ($)
• Jacob Young and the Washington Nationals have agreed to a four-year extension.
• One decision that will shape every AL team’s offseason.
• And of course, the NL team’s important decisions as well.
• Taking a data-driven look at rusty bats.
• Chandler Simpson didn’t hit a single home run this season, but he’s still a Silver Slugger finalist.
• The last time there was a lockout it sparked a free agent frenzy; will it be the same this time around? ($)
• Albert Pujols will be interviewing for the open manager position with the Astros.
• Gunnar Henderson and Elly De La Cruz are the top names as trade chips this offseason.
• Bobby Witt Jr. is the first-ever three-time Heart and Hustle Award winner.
• Joe West and four other former umpires are suing over MLB’s retirement plan.
• Love baseball in movies.

• Sorry, but this is hilarious.

• Brewers are already getting poached by other teams.

Good morning Birdland,

There is very little “real” news around baseball right now. The GM meetings take place next week, so perhaps some interesting nuggets will come out of that. But for now, we are in a holding pattern.

While big moves rarely occur during those meetings, they can lay the groundwork for seismic happenings later in the offseason. It has been reported that the Orioles are open to trading just about anyone on the roster, so you would assume that they will be particularly chatty.

Back in the summer it was reported that the Orioles had discussed deals involving Jackson Holliday and Colton Cowser. This was prior to when the team ended up trading away Adley Rutschman and Taylor Ward, so perhaps they were just keeping options open. But little has happened since then to indicate that they should be committed to any one on this team. They have underperformed for more than two years. Change of some significance is needed.

While it has been reported that the team is open to dealing anyone outside of Pete Alonso, that doesn’t mean that everyone is equally easy to move. Gunnar Henderson, for example, would command a huge return. Yes, he has not lived up to his MVP-level talent recently, but he is still a Top 10 shortstop in MLB with two years of team control remaining. The likelihood he is dealt seems small. The same is true for guys that recently got extensions, like Samuel Basallo, Shane Baz, and Kyle Bradish. These are players you believe in, and you just gave them big raises. Moving on now wouldn’t make much sense.

Then there is a chunk of the roster that would be broadly unappealing in a trade of any import. Tyler O’Neill, Ryan Helsley, Jeremiah Jackson, Christian Franklin, and Rece Hinds, among others, aren’t going to be particularly interesting to good teams. They could be traded, sure, but that would be more about clearing space on the roster than attempting to get better in 2027.

Of course, there is a group of moveable players with upside that could be involved in a bigger deal. This group probably includes guys like Cowser, Blaze Alexander, and Coby Mayo. Not perfect players by any means, but with skillsets that would help most teams. If the Orioles want to upgrade in the outfield or on the mound, they may be able to package a major league talent like that with some minor leaguers to get a deal done, even if it hurts them in other ways.

But the type of player that seems most likely to be traded away is the one that might just need a new kind of scenery. They have been given some playing time, but it’s not working out. They are viable on the big league stage, but underwhelming. And the team might feel like they have some internal options to step in already. That is the bucket where Holliday would seem to fit.

The team has infield options in-house to replace Holliday. Alexander or a returning Jordan Westburg could probably step in at second base. At the same time, he has top prospect pedigree and has flashed enough to be worth something in a trade. Holliday alone won’t net the O’s an upgrade somewhere else on the roster, but he could be a reasonable starting point in a deal.

The Orioles do seem poised to move a big name player this offseason. There is no guarantee it will be Holliday. But he certainly seems like the most obvious candidate.

Links

Could Holliday be an O’s trade candidate this winter? | MLB.com
Yes, he could and maybe should be. He has been a fine player for the Orioles, serviceable. But he is yet to really look like a star, and maybe never will be.

Looking at Orioles’ priorities for November | Baltimore Baseball
I do not expect much to get done in November, not just in Baltimore but everywhere. Teams don’t really know what the rules are going to be for 2027 yet, so how can then make moves of any significance? Seems tough!

Ranking all 30 MLB rosters as the offseason gets going | MLB.com
Pretty much middle of the road. Not a shock, really. And honestly a decent starting point for a club looking to bounce back in 2027.

Scouting Players From Asia: 2026-2027 Offseason Update | FanGraphs
The Orioles have not been too active in this market under Mike Elias’ guidance. But they did sign Tomoyuki Sugano a couple of years ago, and had Shintaro Fujinami for a bit, so it can be helpful to get familiar with these names.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Roansy Contreras turns 27 today. He pitched in one game for the Orioles in 2025.
• Dariel Álvarez is 38 years old. The outfielder played in 14 games for the O’s between 2015 and ‘16.
• Kris Benson is 52 today. He spent one season with the Orioles in 2006, tossing 183 innings and accumulating a 4.82 ERA.
• The late Bob Hale (b. 1933, d. 2012) was born on this day. From 1955 through ‘59, he was a bench bat for the O’s.

This day in O’s history

1989 – Gregg Olson becomes the first relief pitcher to win AL Rookie of the Year. He finishes ahead of Tom Gordon and Ken Griffey Jr. in the voting.

2023 – Mike Elias is named major league Executive of the Year after the Orioles finish the season with the best record in the American League.