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For the first time in the history of the franchise, the Milwaukee Brewers are champions of Major League Baseball. Somewhere, Bob Uecker is smiling down from those great cheap seats in the sky.

The Brew Crew certainly deserve a lot of praise for their demolition run through the postseason bracket. After procuring a bye and home field advantage, they proceeded to…

• Dispatch a solid San Diego Padres squad in the NLDS

• Sweep the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS

• Dismantle the American League’s clear top team—Tampa Bay Rays—in the Fall Classic

Yet, from a Twins fan perspective, the most interesting facet of Milwaukee’s mow-down was how the community came together to support the team at home and on the road.

One would be hard pressed to find more electric crowds than what showed up at AmFam Field in October. They even basically sold the place out just for fans to watch road games on the scoreboard! Perhaps most impressive was the complete and utter takeover of Tropicana Field (some 1,100 miles from MIL) for games 3-5 of the World Series. Based on crowd noise/reaction, one would have thought these home games for the Suds.

I have no special affinity nor malice towards the Brewers. Bud Selig can no longer hurt us and I don’t hold their cheesehead-ian pigskin proclivities against them in this context. Despite geographic proximity, a Twins/Brewers “rivalry” has never really developed (even when both were in the AL). Yet, our neighbors to the east can be a good litmus test for how MN baseball is doing—an exam currently being flunked in two significant aspects:

By population density, Milwaukee is the smallest baseball market. Yes, significantly smaller than even our Twin Cities. Yet, MIL outspent MIN in total 2026 payroll: $146,706,320 to $115,748,036 (according to Spotrac). “Not great, Bob” to quote the infamous Mad Men line.

Brewers owner Mark Attanasio seems to understand the deep local commitment to his product. Without a doubt, James Fillmore could tell us the ways Attanasio is angling for taxpayer money. But at a basic level, he hasn’t fallen into the never-ending (and self-fulfilling) death trap of letting poor attendance justify measly payrolls. For close to a decade now, the Brewers have at least put a competitive product on the field per their market realities.

It all paid off for The 414 in a 2026 championship—and will certainly continue to pay dividends (literal and figurative) in the near future. If Twins ownership ever wants a blueprint for how to build fan interest and competitive squads, a gaze over the St. Croix river is all it would take.

1925
Shortstop Hervey McClellan, who made his White Sox debut in 1919 and played five seasons with the team after that, died at 30, of cancer. The defensive ace first felt ill on April 27, 1924, when he nearly passed out on the field with was thought to be “acute indigestion.” A week later, McClellan had his stomach operated on — he had stomach cancer, but somehow was not informed of his affliction. Incredibly, he battled his way back to the field after Independence Day and played in 24 more games that season, including a brief return to the starting lineup.

In 1925, McClellan reported to Spring Training in California with hopes of a healthy season starting at shortstop. However, he was weakened and never made it to the regular season, going under the knife again in June, this time to remove gallstones. Five months after his hospital discharge in July, the popular teammate known as “Little Mac” was dead.

1935
After a 22-year career logging a 229-217 record with a 3.84 ERA and 39.7 WAR (180th all-time among pitchers), “Sad” Sam Jones retired. The former Cleveland, Red Sox, Yankees, Browns and Senators player had ended his run with four seasons on the South Side.

Jones was a curveball specialist, and while never a consistent superstar in the game had some outstanding seasons, finishing fifth in the American League in WAR in 1921 (7.2) and seventh in 1928 (6.2); even in his age-40 season in Chicago, Jones put up an outstanding 3.8 WAR over 25 starts.

Jones played on four pennant winners and took home three titles, and compiled an 0-2 record with a 2.05 ERA in World Series play. He got his nickname not from melancholy, but from staring down runners at first base to prevent steal attempts.

Jones was the oldest player in the majors when he retired at 43. His 22 consecutive years playing in a single league remains a record, tying him with Herb Pennock, Early Wynn, Red Ruffing and Steve Carlton.

Jones was also a writer and photographer, and an avid basketball player who would have likely chosen to go pro on the hardwood had the NBA existed in the 1910s.

1943
After missing two seasons due to debilitating migraine headaches, Hal Trosky came back to the majors, with the White Sox purchasing the first baseman from Cleveland. His return resulted in average production (.241/.327/.374, with a 102 OPS+ and 0.5 WAR) and saw him sit out another year, 1945, to deal with his health. (Trosky returned for one final year with the White Sox in 1946.)

It was a hard ending for a borderline superstar during his Cleveland career, earning MVP votes in four seasons and boasting two 5.0 WAR-plus years.

1976
The White Sox sent second baseman Hugh Yancy to the Reds for outfielder Tom Spencer. Yancy had played in seven games over three seasons with the White Sox, compiling a -0.3 WAR that might not seem too bad, at least if you avoid the fact that -0.3 WAR in seven games works out to -6.9 over a full season.

However, despite Yancy never seeing the majors again (three Triple-A seasons in the Cincinnati and Cleveland systems), Spencer was worse. He played all of 1977 in Triple-A to no distinction, then burned it up in 1978 after being demoted to Double-A and getting his first and only call to the majors in July. With the White Sox, Spencer mustered just 12 hits, batting .185 and slugging .200. He clocked in with a -0.6 WAR and would finish his pro career in the Houston system.

2009
White Sox GM Ken Williams had a strange att achment to certain players, but they usually took the form of long-desired superstar veterans … well past their primes (see: Kenny Always Gets His Man).

But in the case of Mark Teahen, who the White Sox acquired from the Royals in a trade on this day for Josh Fields and Chris Getz, the usual attachments did not apply. Teahen had lit up the majors in 2006, his second full season (3.7 WAR, .874 OPS/122 OPS+ in just 109 games) and followed it up with a solid 2007. Versatile enough to have logged significant games in corner outfield and infield, Williams envisioned Teahen as the solution to Chicago’s hole at third base.

But Williams wasn’t satisfied in merely acquiring Teahen: A month later, he extended the 28-year-old with a three-year, $14 million deal through 2012. Unfortunately, Teahen was positively awful in 2008-09, running up -1.4 WAR over 293 games. For a player showing all indications he might be cooked as a major-leaguer, Williams’ no-questions-asked buyout of arb years and three-year commitment was a bold statement.

And, as it turned out, a bad move, as Teahen ran up -1.1 WAR for the 2010 White Sox and never played another game in the majors after his three-year deal gifted by Williams ran out.

In 2024, New York Yankees right-hander Luis Gil impressed with a brilliant first half and a full campaign worthy of the American League Rookie of the Year Award. At that point, the Bombers thought they had unearthed another pitching gem, controllable for multiple years on the cheap.

A severe lat strain in 2025 and shoulder issues in 2026 have hampered his progress and affected his fastball velocity and command, though. Last year, he posted a 3.32 ERA in 57 innings, but with very ugly peripherals. This season, the wheels completely fell off. The shoulder woes limited him to 39.1 innings between the majors and the minors. He finished with a 4.61 ERA and a rough 7.12 FIP in 27.1 MLB frames, with 18 walks and 17 strikeouts.

The right-hander started to transition to a bullpen role during the season, which could actually represent his firmest, most concrete way into the team’s plans. With the non-tender deadline looming on November 20th, however, the Yankees will have to make a decision. Is holding onto Gil worth the headache? The right-hander is projected to get a modest raise in his first year of arbitration, to $2.3 million, according to MLB Trade Rumors. Money, in this case, is not the primary issue, though.

Is Gil good or promising enough to warrant a place in the team’s future plans? Well, it will entirely depend on his ability to thrive out of the bullpen, which could be both his short and long-term home.

The concept of Gil as a multi-inning reliever is certainly enticing. Potentially increased velocity and not as much wear and tear on his shoulder sound excellent for his long-term prospects, but he does have short-term goals: looking good on the mound and getting closer to that 2024 version of himself, regardless of role. He was a completely different pitcher back then:

He is currently pitching for Tigres Del Licey in the Dominican Republic League, and boasts a solid 1.50 ERA in six frames, spanning over three games. The problem? He has issued six walks against seven strikeouts. Control has never been Gil’s calling card, but anything that starts with a five next to his BB/9 stat would represent a big problem.

The Yankees would probably love to trade Gil, hoping to get something in return for his name value and the fact that he won the award for the league’s best rookie just two years ago. They are probably dangling his name in the market as we speak. If they can’t reach a deal with any team, they will need to make a decision. They can give their promising, yet erratic right-hander one last chance, probably in the bullpen, or they could choose to cut ties and not tender him a contract, making him free to sign with any squad.

Complicating matters is the fact that Gil does not have any minor league options remaining. The next time the Yankees want to remove him from their 40-man roster, they will need to put him through waivers and risk losing him for nothing. If the Yankees can’t find a deal for him, they could opt to keep him around and try the bullpen experiment full-time to see if he can give them anything there, considering that it’s an area of need at the moment. It’s hard to see him sticking over the long term unless something drastically changes, though.

Greetings, Brew Crew Ball community. The offseason is now underway, and the Brewers will look to build a World Series defense as the majority of the roster is expected to return. The MLB lockout is also looming, with less than a month until the current CBA expires, though both sides seem to be negotiating in good faith at this point. Lastly, I’d like to point out two posts in The Feed: our MVBrewers voting has begun, with the poll open through Sunday for our #1 spot; and I’m looking for feedback on how you’d like these Bernie’s Dugout Open Threads to continue moving forward. You can check both of those out below.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-baseball sports, the Brewers, you name it. As long as it’s appropriate and is allowed by our moderators, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread:

Free of charge for the discerning reader.

Happy birthday to Justin Speier, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 1886 – The Sporting News publishes the official National Leagueaverages, which show King Kelly as the batting champ with a .388 average, 17 points ahead of Cap Anson. The paper previously had printed its own stats showing Anson ahead, .374 to .367, as well as 1998 – Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Kerry Wood, who posted a 13-6 record, wins the National League Rookie of the Year Award. Wood held batters to a NL best .196 average and finished third in the league in strikeouts with 233 in just 166.2 innings pitched, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1962 – Answering rumors that senior consultant Branch Rickey wants Stan Musial to retire, St. Louis Cardinals owner August Busch says Musial will play until it is time to become a club vice president. Further, Bing Devine is still running the club.
• 1974 – Mike Marshall of the Los Angeles Dodgers becomes the first relief pitcher to win the Cy Young Award. Ironman Marshall set major league records that still stand with 106 appearances and 208 innings pitched in relief.
• 1984 – Willie Hernandez wins the American League Most Valuable Player Award, joining Rollie Fingers as the only relief pitchers to be named MVP and Cy Young Award winners in the same season.
• 1996 – Todd Hollandsworth of the Los Angeles Dodgers is voted the National League Rookie of the Year, for the fifth year in a row that the award has gone to a Dodgers player. The previous four were Eric Karros (1992), Mike Piazza (1993), Raúl Mondesi (1994) and Hideo Nomo (1995). 
• 2001 – Gold Glove Award winners are announced. Ivan Rodriguez wins his tenth straight to tie Johnny Bench for the most by a catcher, Greg Maddux wins his 12th straight to extend his National League record for pitchers, and Roberto Alomar wins for the tenth time, the most ever for a second baseman.
• 2007 – The 2007 Gold Glove Awards are announced. Greg Maddux is honored for the 17th time, setting a new record for most Gold Gloves.
• 2023 – In an unexpected move, the Cubs announce that they have hired Craig Counsell, who until now was the manager of the rival Milwaukee Brewers, to replace David Ross as their skipper. Ross’s position was not considered to be in danger after he had led the Cubs back into respectability following a re-build this past season.

Cubs Birthdays:Matt Shaw, Justin Speier*, Don Wengert, Bob Addis, Joe Munson, Charles Tolson, Danny Green. Also notable: Walter Johnson HOF.

Today in history:

• 1861 – Jefferson Davis is elected to a six-year term as President of the Confederate States of America.
• 1869 – In the first US college football game, players use their hands, feet, heads, or sides to advance the ball, but they cannot run with it; Rutgers College beats New Jersey (now Princeton) 6-4.
• 1936 – RCA displays TV for press.
• 1947 – Debut of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the longest-running TV show in the US.
• 1975 – First performance by punk band the Sex Pistols at St. Martin’s College in London.
• 1981 – Larry Holmes TKOs Renaldo Snipes in 11 for heavyweight boxing title.
• 1990 – “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” the third studio album by Whitney Houston is released (Billboard Album of the Year 1991).
• 1993 – Evander Holyfield beats Riddick Bowe in 12 for the heavyweight boxing title.
• 1995 – Art Modell officially announces the Cleveland Browns are moving to Baltimore.

Today in presidential history:

• 1860 – Republican Abraham Lincoln of Illinois is elected the 16th President of the United States of America.
• 1888 – Benjamin Harrison is elected US President, defeating sitting President Grover Cleveland (D), 233 electoral votes to 168, Cleveland receives slightly more votes.
• 1900 – Republican US President William McKinley and his Vice President, Theodore Roosevelt, defeat Democrat William Jennings Bryan.
• 1928 – Republican candidate Herbert Hoover is elected President of the United States, defeating Democrat candidate Al Smith.
• 1940 – Franklin D. Roosevelt re-elected US President.
• 1956 – Dwight D. Eisenhower is re-elected President of the United States, defeating Democrat candidate Adlai Stevenson.
• 1984 – Incumbent Republican President Ronald Reagan re-elected President of the United States in a landslide; wins 49 states, and defeats Democrat Walter Mondale
• 2012 – Barack Obama is re-elected as US President, defeating Republican candidate Mitt Romney.

*pictured.

Bad news: there’s a salary cap on Thanksgiving this year. You’re going to have to trade mashed potatoes if you want to resign stuffing. Unless you can find someone to take Brussels sprouts off your plate.

On to the links.

Phillies news

Checking in with Don Mattingly.

What’s the pitching going to look like next year? ($)

Schwarber: Silver Slugger finalist (if only it were semifinalist, for better alliteration)

MLB news

Sato’s stateside stats: shaping up superbly?

Will the real Kyle Tucker please stand up?

Should the Braves trade Ronald Acuña Jr? Given that this is a Phillies site, your answer is probably “yes”. But from a nonpartisan perspective, it’s a different story.

Good morning, Camden Chatters.

MLB free agency has been open for three days, but so far, all has been quiet on the hot stove front. As of this writing, no free agent has signed a major league deal with any team. There had been some speculation that November would be a particularly busy month as players scramble to find new teams before the lockout hits, but that hasn’t come to pass as yet. We’ve still got more than three weeks, though, so things could certainly change.

While we wait for some Orioles news, let’s check in on the O’s prospects currently playing in the Arizona Fall League. Of the eight-player contingent representing the Orioles for the Peoria Javelinas, four of them were selected to the Fall Stars Game for the league’s top performers. Steve Melewski wrote about that quartet, which includes Ike Irish, Vance Honeycutt, Braxton Bragg, and Patrick Reilly.

Those were the four most interesting prospects the Orioles sent to the AFL, so it’s nice to see that they’ve all done well, small sample size notwithstanding. Irish has been red hot with an .896 OPS in 16 games, picking up where he left off during the 2026 minor league season before suffering a torn meniscus in July.

Meanwhile, Honeycutt has continued the late-season surge he enjoyed after being promoted to Double-A Chesapeake, as he’s rocking the AFL to the tune of a 1.075 OPS, three homers, and more walks (18) than strikeouts (16). I’d all but given up on Honeycutt as a prospect after his horrendous 2025 and mostly horrendous 2026, but it’s possible that something has finally clicked for him. Can he salvage his career after all?

Reilly and Bragg, who both had Tommy John surgery in 2025, are back on the mound and pitching well, particularly Reilly, who has a 2.87 ERA and 14.3 K/9. As with Irish, what matters more than the stats is the fact that they seem to be fully healthy. (Of course, the stats are nice, too.)

Of the non-Fall Stars Orioles, infielder Brandon Butterworth is hitting just .217 but has a .400 OBP, thanks to 14 walks in 17 games. The O’s also have three relievers on the squad — Keilen Hamson, Kiefer Lord, and Teddy Sharkey — who aren’t having much luck. Sharkey has been OK, giving up two runs in 5.2 innings, but Hamson has surrendered seven walks in 4.1 innings and Lord has been bombed for nine runs in 8.1 frames.

The Fall Stars Game will air on MLB Network this Sunday at 8:00 pm. In the absence of anything else going on in baseball, it might be worth a watch.

Links

Looking at possible Cardinals trades with the Orioles for a 3B – Viva El Birdos

Our SBNation Cardinals sister site proposes a few possible trades for Orioles infielders. He’s very insistent on trading some guy named Jimmy Crooks to the Orioles.

Alonso named Silver Slugger Award finalist – School of Roch

The Polar Bear is up against Boston first baseman Willson Contreras for the award. Contreras had a nice year and all, but come on, this should be an easy choice.

Would Orioles trade Henderson, Holliday or Cowser? | MAILBAG – BaltimoreBaseball.com

Only if we can get Jimmy Crooks. I will settle for nothing less.

Orioles birthdays and history

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You share your day with two former Orioles infielders: Deivi Cruz (54) and Leo Hernández (67).

On this date in 1969, the Orioles’ Mike Cuellar was voted the co-winner of the AL Cy Young Award along with the Tigers’ Denny McLain. It was the first and only time in major league history that there’s been a tie vote for the Cy Young, as Cuellar and McLain each received 10 votes (unlike today, voters listed only one name instead of ranking their top five). McLain was the better of the two by bWAR (8.1 to Cuellar’s 4.4) and threw a league-leading 325 innings and nine shutouts, but Cuellar had the better ERA (2.38 to McLain’s 2.80) and pitched for a pennant-winning team.

And on this date in 2011, the Orioles reached agreement with Dan Duquette to become their new general manager, an out-of-the-blue hire after he’d been out of baseball for 10 years. Duquette lasted seven years with the Birds and helped build a team that had the best record in the American League from 2012-16, but the Orioles collapsed late in his tenure and he was fired after the disastrous 2018 season.

Andrew Wang of “Dealin’ the Cards” podcast did us a solid with his neat little GM Simulator. Really fun little app and you can play here. Compare your desired outcomes with mine and other commenters down below.

Full disclosure, I have two articles in the pipeline but I’m having trouble bringing them to the finish line. Been working on one since August. “Can the Cardinals compete with a singular Draft-and-Develop Model?” Still too disorganized and as I’ve turned back to it lately, it turns out people in the Cardinal organization take a minute or two away from their 24×7 jobs this time of year. So be it.

The other is a “30,000 foot look at the Cardinal talent pipeline” in which I try and visualize strength and weaknesses by position group throughout the system, more than focusing on projecting individual players chances of success. The visual will show, for example, the fairly wide gap between the talent on the MLB roster and the next wave of position players, none of which are AAA level (or in other words, not MLB ready). I’m having trouble getting a visual that is organized and clear, but the pathways I’m trying to describe look like a California freeway interchange. Lots of overlaps and intersects.

It is time to get a little silly. What you will see here is not my usual rendition of how I think they look at things or try to explain why they are going down their chosen path. This will be my own silliness. Here is what I would do. I still try and maintain a touch of reality … the roster is what it is and I can’t wish that away. The Cardinals financial constraints, self-imposed or otherwise, are real and I don’t ignore those (so, no signing Skubal in my scenario). As well, the Cardinal’s long-term view, patience and “no short cuts” is decided. So I work within that. The opinions are mine. What I would do, given the imposed constraints.

Working the simulation

The GM Simulator tool produced some neat, interesting graphics. Nice job on their part. The key one in my mind is the changes I’d consider if I was in charge of shaping the 2027 roster. That one graphic didn’t fit (I changed a fair bit), so here is just the list of transactions I’d undertake.

Non-Tender

• Chase Davis
• Liberatore
• Scott II
• Gorman
• Prieto

A Davis non-tender is driven by other decisions I’d make, which are explained below. My transactions would make him redundant, and realistically, runway expires at the MiLB level, too.

Liberatore and Gorman are as much about saving money and getting more value for those dollars, but also about runway. I’ve seen enough. Same with Scott II. I had high hopes, but they are extinguished and there are other areas of greater hope.

Decline Option

• Ryne Stanek

I wrote this before it became official. They couldn’t fix his Splitter, which made him too vulnerable. Not hard to predict, most relievers don’t emerge at 32 years old.

Select Contract

• Ledbetter
• Cho
• Lin
• Levenson

You could change a few of these names and I wouldn’t argue. I try not to agonize over decision made at the marginal edges of the roster. Chase Davis could be kept instead of Ledbetter or Levenson. Ok. But Bloom acquired Ledbetter, which I suspect breaks all ties. Levenson is a question mark in my mind, but after all my machinations, I end up with 39 players and someone gets that spot and I picked him. As for me, I’m looking around in Spring to see if I can add incremental value in all 4 of these spots, except maybe Cho. I want to see more.

A point here…I selected the contracts of only those players requiring Rule V protection that I don’t want to lose. There aren’t a lot of guys that do NOT need 40-man protection today that I think are ready for MLB on Opening Day, so I kept them off the 40-man for now and hold them in reserve (Santana is a notable one). There are a whole slew of guys I think will come up during the season and require 40-man spots at the same time they get 26-man spots. To me, the best kind of churn, but one better served for Flag Day and beyond, and strategically timed to match their readiness as much as team need.

Free Agent Signings

• Trevor Rogers (4/$85m), Casey Mize (2/$26m), Mauricio Dubon (2/$16m)

Skubal is a dream idea that doesn’t fit any of Cardinal planning criteria listed above. The current rotation is solid but unspectacular. It really wasn’t the problem this year and looks to get better just with internal options, but the timing isn’t quite right. To my mind, Mize and Rogers raise the bar of the rotation without breaking the bank. Neither pitcher is TOR but I think this creates a better rotation that is more than solid and ready to absorb new guys that might need some time to stabilize. Working a Cijntje or a Doyle into the rotation is better if you have a lot of confidence in the other 4 spots. Losing the draft picks for signing Rogers might give them pause, but I believe it would be a Comp B pick and they are going to have to bite that bullet sooner or later, and could still get that pick back when Rogers is dealt away later (assuming all this young pitching works out).

Dubon is my super-sub, probably more IF than OF, although the system lists him as LF. He is better than Saggese/Fermin/Torres/etc. He raises the bar (and it is a low bar).

As a note, I tried to be realistic with my FA contract lengths and amounts. No low-balls here.

Trades

• Pallante and Mason Molina to MIN for Royce Lewis (to play Third)
• Crooks, Church, Jesus Baez to PIT for O’Neil Cruz (to play Center)

Some folks are going to say Cruz??? WTF? He has become an average defender in CF and that 3.3 fWAR would be quite an improvement in CF over what the Cardinals have gotten recently and expect next year. I also wonder how he might respond with a stronger set of players around him on the field.

Royce Lewis is my wild card. I’d want more scouting material than I have on him to be sure this is a good bet. If I could, I’d offer less but didn’t want to be that guy that offers our throwaways for someone else’s core player. I think at worst he’d solidify third for a while, since there are no answers internally, free agent or other good trade routes that can be imagined. But, what about Jesus Baez? Well, I traded him for Cruz. He is exciting to watch, but I’m not a believer.

The net result looks like the following, which also a really good graphic from Dealin’ the Cards.

The narrative

My first goal was to be realistic about money. I ended up with a $110m base payroll, which I think might be a bit higher than the Cardinals want to go, but I see it as in the neighborhood. My second goal was to improve the 2027 roster and make it competitive without creating serious obstacles for the next wave of prospects (Doyle, et.al.) or compromising the pipeline.

Line-up wise, I tried to keep the L-R-L orientation they like so much in the line-up, as well as setup the roster so some young guys like Baez and Bernal could hit lower in the line-up as they get acclimated to MLB baseball. My goal was to make the line-up deep enough that Masyn Winn could hit ninth. To me, if he is your 9th place hitter, that is probably a productive line-up. To me, likely way more consistent than the 2026 edition.

I worked to leverage current assets that aren’t really part of the future core (Crooks, Church, Pallante) to augment with shorter-term bridge talents that could improve the 2027 roster and I really did not a focus on adding more MiLB talent. The structure of my MLB acquisitions buys a little bit of time to continue to spruce up the position player side of the organization, with an eye that by this time next year, we may have a surplus of starting pitching talent that can be leveraged, without abandoning the 2027 season.

I debated about moving Liberatore to the bullpen but decided that the money was better spent on FA that could provide more value. Dollars invested into the rotation pay off more than dollars to the bullpen, usually. Mautz takes that LHRP role, although you could put Bruihl there and I wouldn’t object much. I see Cijntje and others adding firepower to this bullpen later in the season and suspect it will be needed. Bullpens are so volatile. I don’t do a lot with it, to create headroom for young guys and recognize that this is the kind of thing you can fix in July when you know what is working and what is not. I hold Santana (and now Eduardo Lopez) in reserve at the start of the year. By keeping Santana back, it gives me an extra 40-man slot to work with and allows me to choose the time when he is deployed (later).

I traded prospects Jesus Baez and Mason Molina under the auspices that when you have some really good prospects, the second-tier guys can bring back value and are likely to get blocked anyway. There is still a need to solve 3B in the longer term, but Dubon, Lewis and Jordan probably give you another year or two to sort that out. There is enough talent at High-A and AA that appear to offer opportunities (Ortiz, Padilla).

I feel like I have solved the C problem until Rodriguez emerges, but he seems good enough that when he does, he just displaces someone and the roster is better no matter who that is. Herrera? Pages? Jordan? 3B? C? 1B? DH? Doesn’t matter. Let that happen organically and when he emerges, you have another asset to disperse to improve another part of the roster.

At the end of the day, I kind of like this line-up for $110m and walk away feeling good that I didn’t give up a top-10 prospect to get some improvement in the current roster.

My last goal was to add athleticism and baserunning (speed), which I think I did. Wetherholt, Winn, Walker, Cruz, Baez bring an element that has been missing. This was my reasoning for not trading Tai Peete, but I could be convinced to do that for the right deal (a 3B solution better than Lewis).

This isn’t a world championship caliber team, but I think perhaps a legit wild card contender with a bit of upside if the young guys hit the ground running. As the young phenoms matriculate in, I think the floor of my roster is easier to build up than the current one. It is a step in the right direction, which stays in line with “no short cuts” and “build from within”.

Discuss.

It is a question almost any wannabe contender in Major League Baseball faces: Trade a core player nearing the back end of their club control years, or keep them to finish the job?

That problem is complicated for clubs who perceive themselves as low-revenue or small-market. Perhaps attempts to retain the player on long-term deals have gone nowhere. Or sufficient replacements are believed to be nearing readiness in the minor leagues.

Or maybe the player just doesn’t believe in the club’s long-term vision.

Any number of issues can compel a club to trade an All-Star talent mid- or late-term in their six to seven years of club control. And a handful will land on the trade block this winter - or at least be the subject of many phone calls and messages. With that, a look at seven National League players who could conceivably get traded this winter:

Elly De La Cruz, SS, Reds

This is it. This is the big one.

De La Cruz is halfway home to his six years of service time before free agency, and in the first half of the Elly Era, he’s racked up two All-Star appearances, the adoration of thousands of young fans and, in 2026, a 30-30 season that included career highs in WAR (5.6) and OPS (.880).

In January, he will celebrate his 25th birthday.

Yes, an uncommon talent in a 6-6, 200-pound frame, but in his four seasons in Cincinnati, the Reds have landed between 75 and 83 wins, seemingly fulfilling ownership’s vision of mediocrity. The 83-win season landed them a last-minute wild-card berth, which lasted about as long as it takes to get from downtown L.A. to Dodger Stadium.

Is there a plan for building around this franchise player? Or rebuilding by flipping him to a prospect-rich true contender?

The answer would certainly add fuel to this impending lockout. As a Scott Boras client, the script says De La Cruz has been predisposed to ignoring overtures for a contract extension, ostensibly leaving the Reds powerless like so many lower-revenue clubs, fated to never win a World Series.

Just one problem with that theory: The Brewers developed a Boras-client shortstop, signed him to an extension of at least eight years and, just last month, won a World Series with Cooper Pratt.

So it can happen. But the clock is ticking on De La Cruz’s Cincy stint, as well as the team’s ability to construct a functional team around him.

CJ Abrams, SS/2B, Washington

Another winter, another round of Abrams conjecture. The big question is whether president of baseball operations Paul Toboni will simply listen to Abrams suitors, or initiate phone calls himself.

In a 1,500-word letter to fans, Toboni reflected on the pleasantly surprising 77-win season, the difficulty – emotionally and tangibly – of shipping off good players at the trade deadline and the paths ahead.

“Our progress in 2026 does not dictate what 2027 will bring,” Toboni wrote. “We cannot assume that the same trajectory will continue. We must find new ways to improve, remain open-minded enough to challenge our own assumptions and hold ourselves accountable to the standards we are establishing.

“That is what my staff and I remain focused on.”

Hmm.

That can certainly be interpreted several ways, though per usual, it sounds like the two-time All-Star infielder could be had for a good price. It doesn't hurt that Washington has a budding franchise shortstop and former 1/1 pick in Eli Willits bound for Class AA at 19, along with former first-rounder Seaver King at AAA and the speedy and defensively deft Nasim Nuñez at the big league level.

Trading Abrams coming off an All-Star season – and a seemingly permanent switch to second base, though he toggled between middle infield spots – might be more stomachable now than ever. Yet Toboni’s regime might have to weather a gap year or two where giving up a 33-homer, 34-steal guy brings significant pain before the next wave is ready.

Brandon Marsh, OF, Phillies

It was a dizzying dropoff from half-to-half for Marsh, who tumbled from All-Star to a 90 adjusted OPS and a symbol of the Phillies’ offensive struggles. His .304 OBP is an easy target for a club looking to improve on its paucity of walks – ranking 10th in the NL and 17th in the majors.

Marsh, entering his final year before free agency, can be of use to a contending team, if only for his speed and baserunning, his serviceable defense and the notion that a change of scenery might recapture some of his first-half magic. Marsh had a .319/.352/.530 line through July 1 – and a .177/.241/.241 mark thereafter.

DL Hall, LHP, Brewers

Hey, we’re not looking for trouble in paradise.

There’s a case to be made that the World Series champion Brewers run it back 24 to 26 strong, pending what happens with first baseman Jake Bauers, who was extended the qualifying offer. And Hall was terrific for the Brewers, posting a 1.91 ERA across 61 ⅓ regular season innings and adding six scoreless outings – covering eight innings – in their postseason run.

This is still Milwaukee, though, where the next chapter of sustained postseason existence must be written by players spun off from the current one. And Hall – who has battled injuries since he was a first-round pick in 2017 – might be at the peak of his value as he enters his first season of salary arbitration.

He’d a fun and higher-leverage weapon for another contender, as he stacks up fourth in Milwaukee’s bullpen barrage, taking a number behind Trevor Megill, Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby. Fellow lefty Angel Zerpa figures to be back from Tommy John surgery before Summerfest officially kicks off winning time in Milwaukee.

So a deal would make sense. It’d just be a bummer to break up the band before they absolutely must.

Ivan Herrera, C, Cardinals

A 26-year-old dude with a .353 OBP, a 111 adjusted OPS and 20-homer power sounds pretty appealing. Throw in the fact he can catch a little and the intrigue increases.

And top that with the fact that the “catcher’s room” – as they might say in the NFL – is getting kind of crowded in St. Louis, and you can imagine the wheels spinning in the Cardinals front office.

Herrera is mostly a DH in their eyes now – he caught just 11 games the final two months of the season – as Leo Bernal took over more of those duties. Pedro Pages is also around and Rainiel Rodriguez, a consensus top 10 overall prospect, will be there soon.

Herrera would be a great fit for a club that could use his right-handed bat at DH, badly needs his OBP acumen and can toss him a couple catching assignments every week or so. (Might want to review the Brandon Marsh item for a decent fit).

Tommy Edman, 2B/CF, Dodgers

Let’s start with the reasons why the Dodgers wouldn’t trade Edman.

They love their multi-positional Swiss Army Knives, and they’re fresh out of Chris Taylors and Kiké Hernandezes. Edman provides them security at several positions, including center field should Andy Pages get hurt again. And while the remainder of his contract is reasonable – roughly $39 million over the next three seasons, including a $3 million 2030 buyout – it’s not exactly nothing for a guy who will turn 32 in May.

Ah, age. This is the thing: The Dodgers need to get younger. Perhaps it was the totality of three long playoff runs that rendered them a step slow and so punchless against Milwaukee in the NLCS, but everyone adds another year come 2027.

And Edman was far removed from his playoff heroics of 2024 and ’25, going 1 for 14 with one walk in eight games, five of them starts.

Meanwhile, Alex Freeland is lurking on the bench. The ultraspeedy and athletic Hyeseong Kim couldn’t crack all the playoff rosters. And the on-base and power savant, Josue DePaula, is primed for close to full-time duty, gobbling up more plate appearances in the aggregate.

This wouldn’t be a blockbuster. The Dodgers would mostly be moving the money and the body, and might even pay down some of Edman’s future salary. But Edman could still be of use for a contender that needs a steady and versatile veteran hand – while allowing the Dodgers a chance to peek at the future.

Ketel Marte, 2B, Diamondbacks

“Honey, can you grab the holiday decorations? No, they’re under the stairs…right next to the bucket of Ketel Marte trade rumors."

It’s a winter tradition unlike any other. Marte has 10/5 rights and must approve any trade, but after a second consecutive year where Marte dipped on the D’backs, how bad would it be if they brought him back again?

Certainly, they don’t want to sell their best offensive player for 80 cents on the dollar. And perhaps his value will drag not just because of his penchant for going AWOL but also because his OBP dipped to .316, lowest since 2016. His adjusted OPS tumbled from 147 to 107.

Yet this is still a switch-hitting weapon who’s averaged 28 homers a year since 2023 and still makes just $12 million in 2027. His price jumps to $20 million annually from 2028-30, but that’s still plenty reasonable.

So, fire up the cocoa and gather round. Perhaps Marte will finally come tumbling down another team’s chimney.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Would listless MLB team trade unicorn shortstop? Blockbuster possibilities