NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 17: Jonathan Bowlan #52 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts on the mound with teammate Alec Bohm #28 prior to leaving a game against the New York Mets in the eighth inning at Citi Field on September 17, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Dave Dombrowski has done a lot of good things with the Phillies, the best being the ability to convince John Middleton to open his wallet for free agents. Some of his signings have stunk, but some have been quietly solid. Where he has struggled though is building a consistently good bullpen that will get the team from quality starts to victories. Once he traded for Jhoan Duran, he got himself a top notch end of game piece that locks down games for them, but he still needed some bridges to get to Duran. He had some, like Jose Alvarado and Matt Strahm, but once Strahm was up for arbitration, they moved on from him in a trade. The player he acquired, Jonathan Bowlan, had a strong season in his first for the Phillies.
Bowlan was quite the find this year for the Phillies, eventually becoming their second most trusted reliever as the season wore on. That title belonged to Brad Keller at the beginning of the year, but the combination of the injury to Keller and effective pitching by Bowlan elevated him in the pecking order.
He used a hard, riding fastball to establish himself at the top of the zone quite well. Compared to league average, it had more “ride” than the rest of the league, which was surprising. He used that ride with velocity that hit triple digits a few times to get on top of hitters, complementing it with a slider that was a hard breaker down and away to righties, sent to the backfoot on lefties. He did all the things one wants a reliever to do: induce swing and miss, keep the ball on the ground (mostly) and be able to get outs on his own without relying on a leaky defense.
What went wrong
The biggest obstacle for Bowlan looked to be himself. He just wore down at the end of the year. Consider that on September 2, after his outing the night before, Bowlan had a nice ERA of 2.82 with peripherals and back of the baseball card numbers that looked just as good. Then, in his next five outings, he allowed a home run and was sent to the injured list for a breather.
When you struggled to earn the trust of a manager like Mattingly, gaining that trust back is difficult if there is an injury holding him back, but the playoff inning he threw looked like that trust was basically evaporated.
Final grade: B+
One of the major criticisms of Don Mattingly was his usage of the bullpen. Towards, the end of the season, there were only two relievers that he actually trusted, Bowlan being one of them, Jhoan Duran being the other. With Duran, there was not much of a time where he was warmed up without the intention of bringing him into the game. With Bowlan (and others), this was not the same case. The term that most use for this is “dry humping”, where relievers are warmed up, only to not be used in the game at all. Even if they aren’t used, getting them heated is still using them and wearing them down.
Bowlan probably led the league in this at the end of the year. It felt like each game where the Phillies at least sniffed a lead, Bowlan got heated, which likely caused some of his issues.
The team needs more bullpen arms to make sure this doesn’t happen yet again.
But some of the onus of improvement for Bowlan falls back into his own lap. Is there another gear he can kick into where he can take a leap into a different tier of reliever? The homer prone-ness he showed was concerning, but you do have to wonder if that was a combination of tired and/or hurt at the end of a long season of high leverage usage. Now that he has done it, he may be better prepared and can avoid or at the least improve on it. He’s an important part of this bullpen as currently constructed. He’s got to get better at the end of seasons.
(Original Caption) Carl Mays, New York Yankees Pitcher in action.
Carl Mays probably would’ve enjoyed one single entry in the annals of baseball lore that doesn’t mention the most regrettable of the thousands of pitches that he threw across a 15-year career that saw him capture four World Series titles. Alas, even on his 135th birthday, we cannot grant that wish. No matter how great he was on the mound, his story will always be tied to that of Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman. That’s just how it is.
Carl William Mays Born: November 12, 1891 (Liberty, KY) Died: April 4, 1971 (El Cajon, CA) Yankees Tenure: 1919-23
Mays was born in Kentucky to a Methodist minister named William Mays (ah, baseball coincidences), who died when Carl was just 12 years old. The family had moved to Missouri by then, but they packed up again after William’s death, en route to Kingfisher, Oklahoma. It was a sad time for Mays’ family, but he did get the opportunity to meet his cousin, John Long. He was a catcher, and he introduced Mays to the game. Pitching to Long, Mays developed the raw skills to attract the notice of traveling teams.
At the age of 20, Mays signed with the Class D Western Tri-State League’s Boise Irrigators, who offered him $90 per month. Mays was certainly worth the deal, as he pitched to a 2.08 ERA, 0.930 WHIP, and a 22-9 record in 280.2 innings. He moved up to the Class B team in Portland and again had a fine season, though won/loss record (10-15) deceived his true performance (2.45 ERA, 1.024 WHIP in 250 innings), and it was enough to get a new contract for 1914 with the Providence Grays, a Rhode Island team owned by the Detroit Tigers.
The Boston Red Sox purchased the Grays from the Tigers during the season, and Mays attracted Boston’s interested with a fantastic season: 24-8 and a 2.57 ERA in 273.1 innings. Another young pitcher joined him down the stretch named Babe Ruth, and their pitching helped Providence win the pennant. By the beginning of next season, Mays was a major-league pitcher.
The submariner worked mostly out of the bullpen in his rookie season, appearing in 38 games but 131.2 innings overall of 90 ERA- and 69 FIP- ball. He threw hard and was not at all afraid to throw high and inside to back hitters off the plate. Even as a rookie, he made an enemy of Ty Cobb, whose own nasty attitude clashed with Mays. On one occasion, Cobb was knocked down and then dragged a bunt up the first base line, where he spiked Mays with his sharp cleats and cut his leg. Boston and Detroit fought hard for the pennant in 1915; a 100-win season was not good enough to win the title for Detroit. Boston beat the Phillies in five games for the 1915 World Series title, but while he was a champion in his first season, Mays did not appear in any of the games.
The next couple seasons saw Mays slowly transition from splitting time more evenly between the ‘pen and rotation to becoming an established rotation presence and the ace of a championship staff. Although he was a bit of a loner, there was no denying his competitiveness on the mound. The Red Sox repeated as champions in 1916, and Mays had his best year in Boston in 1917, pitching to a 1.74 ERA (69 ERA-) in 289 innings while also unsurprisingly leading the league in hit by pitches. Only two pitchers in baseball had a better ERA than Mays that year and despite the HBPs, he had a 1.052 WHIP. His pitches simply sank, and many batters could not do any better than hitting it on the ground while hoping it found a hole in the infield:
Yankees infielder Roger Peckinpaugh said Mays threw “a very ‘heavy’ ball. It sinks and when you catch it, it feels heavy enough to almost go through your glove.” Horace Ford, who batted against Mays in the National League, said that hitting Mays’s fastball “was like hitting a chuck of lead. It would go clunk and you’d beat it into the ground.” – Allan Wood, SABR
Boston finished nine games behind the White Sox for the AL pennant that year, but another fine season by Mays in 1918 brought them back on top. While his ERA and ERA- jumped a bit to 2.21 and 84, respectively, his WHIP was almost identical and he led the league in both shutouts (8) and complete games (30). Those marks were made more impressive by the fact that the season ended early after 126 games on September 2nd due to World War I. The Red Sox played the Cubs in the Fall Classic, and Mays received the ball in Game 3 with the series tied at one game apiece. He beat the Cubs 2-1, going the distance with just one walk allowed, scattering seven hits. Boston and Chicago split the next two games, so Mays got the start in Game 6 to close out the Cubbies, and he did just that by spinning a three-hitter in another 2-1 victory. Mays was the last man to throw a pitch for a championship Red Sox team in the next 86 years.
Although his teammates were not fond of Mays for his somewhat antisocial personality and irritance on the mound when they committed errors, it seemed as though Boston and Mays had a fine relationship. It all came to a sudden halt in 1919. Boston struggled to give him much run support, and Mays became highly frustrated with the offense. From a personal standpoint, his Missouri home had burned down, and he grew so annoyed with the Philadelphia fans during one series that he hurled a baseball from the dugout at a fan. Finally, in a July 13th game against the White Sox, catcher Wally Schang clocked him in the head with a throw on a stolen base by Eddie Collins.
Soon afterward, manager and future Yankees GM Ed Barrow removed him from the game, and he stormed off the field, chucking the ball against the backstop. Mays was suspended by the Red Sox and told sportswriters that he demanded a trade. Soon, owner Harry Frazee obliged, sending Mays to the Yankees on July 29th in exchange for two unremarkable pitchers and $40,000.
“Carl, this is [co-owner] Cap Huston of the Yankees. I called to find out if you would be interested in pitching for the Yankees. If you are, there’s a good chance of my swinging a deal for you tonight, but I didn’t want to get all tangled up in negotiations if you wouldn’t pitch for us.” “Well, how about the money?” “We’ll have no problems there. Just pack your bag, and by the time you get here, we’ll be ready to talk contract.” – excerpted from Marty Appel’s “Pinstripe Empire”
AL president Ban Johnson was furious about the trade since a suspended player was dealt and essentially controlled his own fate over the authority of the Red Sox owner. The reserve clause was supposed to bind a player to his team without much control over it, but Mays worked around the system. He demanded that the trade be voided and that Mays be returned to Boston, but Yankee owners Jacob Ruppert and Cap Huston flat-out refused and told Johnson that if necessary, they would go to court to keep Mays on the Yankees. New York State Supreme Court Justice Robert F. Wagner granted a temporary injunction allowing Mays to pitch for the Yankees.
Johnson’s decision was rendered meaningless, and Mays made 13 starts for the Yankees down the stretch as the team bid to pass the infamous “Black Sox” in the AL pennant race. Although the White Sox ended up running away with the pennant as the Yankees finished in third place with an 80-59 record, it was not Mays’ fault by any means. He was outstanding, pitching to a 1.65 ERA and 51 ERA-, winning nine of his starts, completing all but one of them, and throwing a shutout as well. In just 13 starts, he was worth 2.6 rWAR and 2.2 fWAR for a rising Yankees team. They had their ace, and now they needed a hitting star. They enlisted Mays’ former rotationmate Ruth, who was a pretty fair hitter.
With Mays and Ruth in tow, the Yankees had a superb team ready for the 1920 campaign. They finished the year with a then-franchise record 95 wins and a .617 winning percentage, though they ended up behind pennant-winning Cleveland by two games. The race between the two teams was sadly marred by tragedy in a game on August 16th at the Yankees’ home, the Polo Grounds.
Mays was in the midst of another fine season, wherein he led the league with six shutouts, pitched 312 innings, and ended with a 3.06 ERA (81 ERA-). The unpopular Mays faced perhaps his polar opposite at the plate leading off the fifth inning in beloved Cleveland shortstop Ray Chapman, a perennially fantastic player who had already amassed a 28.9 fWAR career in just nine years and 1,051 games with Cleveland. He was only 29, a potential Hall of Famer in the making. Even Cobb liked him. However, Chapman had a tendency to lean over the plate, and Mays threw an inside fastball toward him to start this at-bat. What happened next was unclear: either Chapman ducked unfortunately right into the ball’s path attempting a drag bunt, or he never moved at all. Either way, it got him square in the temple with a sickeningly loud crack.
It struck Chapman so hard that the ball caromed back toward the mound, and Mays’ immediate action was to throw the ball to first base in case it hit Chapman’s bat. Chapman’s teammates helped him off the field, as he was still conscious. They brought him to St. Lawrence Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a fractured skull and died the next day, the only player to ever die as the result of a pitch in an MLB game.
“It was the most regrettable incident of my career, and I would give anything if I could undo what has happened.“ – Carl Mays
The whole incident was a horrible experience for everyone involved; Mays was contrite but overall did not handle it particularly well, noting that there was scuff on the ball (which he always normally liked to do anyway), and that he didn’t expect Chapman to duck into the ball. He insisted to his dying day that he did not throw at Chapman. Regardless, the tragedy only emphasized the reason why baseball banned the spitball at the beginning of the year, with only those who already threw it allowed to use it via grandfather clause. Strangely, it still took over 35 years before players started wearing helmets in the batter’s box.
Mays became synonymous with Chapman’s death, and while he pitched another nine years in The Show, most people only remember Mays for that tragic pitch. Mays’ best season in New York actually occurred the very next year. He did what he could to put the incident behind him and paced the league with 27 wins, 49 games (38 starts), and a career-high 336.2 innings pitched. He was brilliant in a 4.5-fWAR campaign, and the Bombers outlasted Cleveland to win their first pennant in franchise history. Mays completed nine of his ten starts down the stretch and even tossed in a relief appearance; the Yankees won all but one of those games.
In the first game of the unusual best-of-nine, all-Polo Grounds World Series against John McGraw’s Giants, Mays put the Yankees ahead with a dominant five-hit shutout. He didn’t walk anyone, and only two batters made it past first base. The teams split the next two games, and Mays had the chance to give the Yankees a 3-1 series lead in Game 4, but Phil Douglas outpitched him. Mays held a slim 1-0 lead into the top of the eighth, but an Irish Meusel triple, singles by Johnny Rawlings and Fred Snyder, and a two-run double by George Burns gave the Giants three runs. The Yankees lost 4-2 to even the series.
Manager Miller Huggins turned back to Mays on just two days’ rest in Game 7 with the series even at 3-3. The only other starter in the pitching well was Waite Hoyt, so the Yankees were desperate. Mays did just about all he could do, allowing just six hits to the Giants, but a two-out double by Snyder in the seventh scored Rawlings, who reached on an error by second baseman Aaron Ward. Again, the Yankees were unable to do much against Douglas, and they lost 2-1. The Giants finished off the series five games to three on the strength of a 1-0 four-hit shutout by Art Nehf against Hoyt. There was some talk that Mays fixed the game in the two losses, but that was never proven and seems highly risky and unlikely given the then-recent lifetime bans suffered by the “Black Sox” players who threw the 1919 World Series. The Giants were just a damn good team, and they beat one of the best pitchers in baseball during the tiring late innings of two games.
With almost 2,000 regular season and playoff innings on Mays’ arm in seven seasons, he began to decline somewhat at age 30 in 1922. He was still a solid pitcher with a 3.60 ERA and a 90 ERA-, but he was never as dominant as he was in ‘21 ever again. The Yankees won their second straight pennant in ’22 and again faced McGraw’s Giants in the World Series. This time, it was not nearly as close. The series returned to a best-of-seven and the Giants won Games 1 and 3 to take a 2-0 lead (Game 2 ended in a 3-3 tie called on account of darkness). Mays got the nod in Game 4, but despite getting staked to an early two-run advantage, a four-run fifth led to a 4-3 loss. The Giants finished off their undefeated series with a 5-3 victory in Game 5, as Nehf finished off the Yankees for the second straight year.
The Yankees had grown weary of Mays by 1923, and they reportedly sought to trade him before the season. Nothing happened though, so Huggins just barely used him throughout the Yankees’ pennant three-peat. Mays pitched poorly when he did appear, so it was not as though the Yankees were squandering anyone valuable. He did not appear in the Fall Classic of the Yankees’ first championship, as they finally beat the Giants.
The Cincinnati Reds bought Mays from the Yankees after the ’23 campaign, and he managed to stick around with them for five more years, alternating between healthy and injury-plagued seasons. He had a comeback season at age 34 in ’26, leading the NL with 24 complete games and pitching to a 3.14 ERA (85 ERA-) in 281 innings, a 4.7 fWAR season. The Reds finished just two games behind the Cardinals for the NL pennant. Exhausted, Mays pitched just 144.2 innings over his next two years with the Reds, and finished his MLB career with one mediocre season on McGraw’s Giants as the decade came to a close.
Mays pitched two years in the minor league American Association and Pacific Coast League, then officially ended his playing career at age 40. His baseball career did not fully conclude though; he had made amends with the Cleveland organization and scouted for them, Milwaukee, and Kansas City over the next 20 years. He lived until he was 79 years old, passing away in ‘71 with the game a whole lot different than it was when he began. Mays was a crucial member of the first Yankee teams of any sustained success, and his contributions to those teams should not be forgotten.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
A number of teams have expressed interest in Crews, according to multiple people around the sport who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the conversations are internal and ongoing. The Nationals have not taken the former No. 2 pick off the table in trade talks, as they have with James Wood, Cade Cavalli and now Young.
Several teams have also expressed interest in Nationals outfielder Daylen Lile, though one rival executive said they got the impression that to actually move him, the Nationals would “need to be blown away.” Multiple rival evaluators believe Crews, 24, is more likely to be dealt than Lile this winter.
So. If the Cubs aren’t going to re-sign Ian Happ and/or Seiya Suzuki, could Dylan Crews be a potential replacement? Crews was the Nats’ first-round pick (second overall) in 2023 out of LSU. He immediately jumped into Top 10 overall MLB prospect lists the following year (Baseball America, MLB Pipeline and Baseball Prospectus) after batting .292/.377/.467 with five home runs in just 35 games in the Nats system.
But Crews’ MLB career has been, to put it mildly, a disappointment. In 225 MLB games covering 897 plate appearances, he has batted .217/.285/.363 with 26 home runs and 209 strikeouts, mostly playing right field for Washington.
Crews is the same age as Pete Crow-Armstrong. Both will turn 25 early next year. At that age, there’s certainly time for Crews to turn his career around. As D98 pointed out, this would be a change of scenery deal, so perhaps including Kevin Alcántara in such a trade would work for both teams. I would guess the Cubs would have to include a pitching prospect as well, since Crews has a lot more MLB experience than Alcántara, who has played in just 37 MLB games with 50 plate appearances.
I think I’d do this deal. It certainly couldn’t hurt. If nothing else, even if the Cubs did re-sign Suzuki after trading for Crews, he could be a decent bench player and spare-part outfielder.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 11: Joc Pederson #3 of the Texas Rangers gets ready in the batters box against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on September 11, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Let’s do another free agent poll!
The Rangers are looking to improve their offense this offseason. They currently don’t have a definitive option at DH, and may have other holes, depending on if they decide to stab me in the heart with a pencil and trade Corey Seager.
The good news is that there’s a veteran DH on the market who is coming off a very solid season at the plate, slashing .235/.329/.487. He also has a reputation as a good clubhouse guy, and likely will command just a one year deal at a not-too-expensive number. You may have heard of him before — his name is Joc Pederson.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - NOVEMBER 11: Dylan Harper #2 of the San Antonio Spurs and Caleb Wilson #8 of the Chicago Bulls battle for a rebound during the first half at United Center on November 11, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There’s this popular belief known as the Law of Averages. While it’s not a recognized theorem in the mathematical world, it’s a common saying that refers to the idea that if something happens more or less often than it should, logic says things will eventually balance back out and return to normal. It’s a fallacy in the gambling world; if you keep flipping a coin and it keeps landing on tails, that doesn’t mean the odds are better it will land on heads the next time because each individual flip is a separate event with no relationship to another. The same applies if you keep starting a card game over with a full or new deck — your odds of winning don’t improve just because it’s been a while since you last won, because this hand has no relationship to the last.
However, one place where averages and the “laws” that go with them do often apply is basketball. While still technically a mathematical fallacy, one thing about sports is more than anything, it comes down to talent, and across a large sample size, the numbers do in fact tell a story. Sure, each individual game is a separate event from each other, but it’s the same players with the same skillset going through the same motions, so there is in fact a relationship across the separate events, and more often than not, they will do close to what the numbers say they will.
Of course, there are always outliers and unexpected events — sports wouldn’t be any fun if everything always went as expected — and that’s exactly what happened last night in the first half between the San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls. The Spurs were on a nine-game winning against what we can all probably admit is not the most difficult stretch of schedule ever, but they were walking into a potential trap game considering it was against a team on a seven-game losing streak, and the Law of Averages says one of those streaks is getting closer to ending, right? It was also the end of a four-game road trip, things have been too easy on said-trip, and they may have been looking ahead to Friday’s Cup match against the Warriors (which may have lost some luster if Steph Curry is out after appearing to injure his abdomen last night night against the Rockets).
Other than a flurry from three and a hot start from De’Aaron Fox briefly keeping them in it, the Spurs quickly found themselves falling behind while the Bulls were insanely hot through the first 18 minutes of the game. They shot 17-20 (or 85%) from the field in the first quarter and at one point were shooting 83% from both the field AND three in the second. While the Spurs’ effort wasn’t what you’d call admirable, I was never too worried during the first half because I knew the Law of Averages would eventually take over.
No team, not even the Warriors of a decade ago, can keep up those types of numbers for an entire game, let alone a team as bad as these Bulls. They got the lead as high as 22 in the first half, but the Spurs weathered the storm and waited for their numbers to start averaging back to the mean while knowing they had a another gear they could turn on. They used a run before halftime to cut the deficit to a very manageable 14 points while the Bulls’ numbers starting dropping (they were “only” shooting 67% by the midway mark), took their presumed licking from Mitch Johnson in the locker room, then came out firing in the second half.
As the Spurs returned to their normal selves, the Bulls were understandably overwhelmed, knowing they had already given their best shot and the Law of Averages had now taken its hold. Victor Wembanyama went back to demoralizing teams with an unstoppable presence at the rim, balanced out by taking (and making) timely jumpers within the flow of the offense. By the end of the game, everything was as it should be: the Spurs won while shooting 50% from the field (38% from three), and while the Bulls still ended with impressive final numbers (58% and 52%, respectively) thanks to their otherworldly first half, they made five fewer field goals thanks in part to coughing the ball up 19 times compared to the Spurs’ 6. The Law of Averages was alive and well for the Spurs 10th straight victory.
Or, you know, maybe that had nothing to do with it at all and there was just something off with the Bulls’ court. You could have watched that game and simply concluded that, based on the massive swings in shooting each team took from half-to-half, “Right rim good, left rim bad.”
Takeaways
“Oh, Wemby had 32 points on 13-18 shooting, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks? Ho hum, just another day at the office.” Yes, we have reached that point with him. His numbers have been so outlandish and even historical lately that I hardly even noticed him last night. And while it’s fun to see opposing fans oohing and awing, we’re just like, “He dunked from the free throw line? Nothing new.”
You know how else you know someone has arrived at greatness? When the haters start hating. “He’s 7’7”, he should have a post game to be great!” Wemby starts dominating in the paint: “So what? He’s just tall!” The funniest “rage” tweet I saw recently was one dude complaining that he can “only” handle 25 minutes per game, so he must not be in good shape. No bro, that’s just a result of all the blowouts and him not needing any more minutes. And if he was playing into extended garbage time, you’d just accuse him of stat padding. As the old saying goes, “Haters gonna hate, Spurs gonna win”.
I think it’s officially time that we put Fox’s poor finals performance behind us. We all know he was playing on one leg, and while he had a couple of massive gaffes, he wasn’t the only one who messed up or cost them the series; it was a team effort. (I even pointed out in a comment on a Feed post yesterday that had the Finals gone any further, Wemby would have a Draymond Green mark on his legacy because he more than likely would have been suspended for Game 6 for flagrant accumulation — and that was after he was lucky to avoid it after Game 3. The league wasn’t going to bail him out twice.) But back to Fox, he has been a tremendous steadying present for this still-young squad, with Stephon Castle in a bit of a funk right now and Dylan Harper playing very well overall but still streaky from quarter to quarter. It’s time we get back to remembering and appreciating the good Fox brings, which far outweighs a couple of bad plays on a bum ankle.
The strength of schedule of the Spurs’ start to the season may not be the strongest, but it has been exhausting, at least for me. Three back-to-backs in the first 10 games, 12 of the first 20 with tip-off times at 8:00 or later — it’s been brutal for my sleep schedule. That’s why last night’s 7:00 tip-off time was the most amazing feeling ever. I watched, it ended, then I went to bed at my normal time (or what now feels early), and I’m relatively fresh for a Thursday morning. The good news is after game 20 — 8:30 against the Lakers on Black Friday — the Spurs won’t have another game with a tip-off time later than 7 until #42 on January 20: their first game back from the Europe trip.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have added another player from the Toronto Marlies to its roster.
The club called up forward Brendan Brisson and the forward was on the ice for the club's optional skate ahead of their game against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.
Brisson, the son of NHL super agent Pat, is the Marlies' leading scorer with eight goals and nine assists in 14 games this season. The Leafs signed Brisson to a one-year, two-way contract on Sept. 4, 2026, that pays him the NHL minimum of $850,000 at the NHL level and $300,000 at the AHL level, per PuckPedia.com.
To make room for Brisson on the club's 23-player roster, the Leafs moved Colton Sissons to injured reserve. The player sustained a lower-body injury in a 4-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.
It's not clear at the moment if Brisson will play. Zack MacEwen, who was injured in the club's most recent game on Tuesday against the Colorado Avalanche, did not practice on Wednesday and was seen wearing additional support around his wrist during the club's optional skate.
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ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 19: Bryan Baker #47 of the Tampa Bay Rays prepares to pitch during the ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians in game six of the American League Championship Series at Tropicana Field on October 19, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
A career year results in more accolades for Bryan Baker as the 31-year old hurler has been named the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year.
This award, which debuted in 2014, is given out by Major League Baseball honoring the top relief pitcher in the American League. The National League honor is named after Trevor Hoffman and was awarded to Mason Miller of the San Diego Padres.
Baker came very close to receiving another award as he finished third for the BBWAA American League reliever of the year; that award went to Louis Varland of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Baker was originally drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 11th round of the 2016 draft. At the 2018 trade deadline, Baker was sent as the Player to be Named Later to the Toronto Blue Jays along with Chad Spanberger and Forrest Wall for Seunghwan Oh. Baker toiled away in Toronto’s system for several years before making his MLB debut in 2021.
That November, Baker was designated for assignment and then picked up off of waivers by the Baltimore Orioles. For the next few years, the Orioles turned to Baker frequently but he was never the type to be used in the highest leverage situations.
During the 2025 season, Baker’s K% soared and he caught the interest of the Tampa Bay Rays. On July 10th, the Rays pulled the trigger on a deal that brought Baker to Tampa Bay in exchange for the 37th overall selection in the upcoming draft; the Rays would actually acquire the player drafted, Slater de Brun, back in December in the Shane Baz trade.
Baker pitched well but the on field results didn’t fully show it. But there was reason to believe in Baker for the 2026 season.
With the new season, Baker took over as the Rays closer with a devastating fastball-change-up combo. Baker utilized this arsenal to become one of the elite relief pitchers of the game, appearing in 65 games during the regular season and compiling a 1.44 ERA | 3.07 FIP with a 25.5 K% and 9.0 BB% over 62.1 IP. Baker converted 41 of 44 save opportunities, and set a new franchise record with 29 consecutive saves.
During the postseason, Baker was incredible as he didn’t allow a run over 9 appearances, securing saves in 5 of the Rays 8 playoff victories.
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 20: Tim Hill #54 of the New York Yankees pitches during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on June 20, 2024, in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Guardians, according to Jon Heyman, are in the mix for free agent, left-handed reliever Tim Hill.
I, for one, am tired of watching 65 year-old Tim Hill dominate the Guardians with his 85 mph fastball, so, I say, sign him.
MLB believes that MLBPA is floating the possibility of dissolving the union and then filing anti-trust lawsuits to take CBA negotiations to federal court once the lockout goes into effect. I do wonder if this is potentially a negotiating tactic to see if the league will back off early from its demand for a salary cap. And, again, I don’t want to think about the nightmare of ridiculous negotiating tactics ahead of all of us baseball fans for the next 5-12 months.
Cade Smith finished second in AL Reliever of the Year honors, Parker Messick finished third in AL Cy Young voting (give us ANOTHER draft pick, you cowards!), and Smith also made MLB’s Second All-Star team.
In case you missed it, Zack Meisel of the Athletic provided updates from Guardians POBO Chris Antonetti at the GM Meetings. Antonetti was apparently busy meeting with free agents as the Guardians seem intent on adding a starting pitcher via free agency or trade. Interestingly, Antonetti noted the need isn’t as dire as when they swung deals for Luis Ortiz and Slade Cecconi, so I’d expect only one move in that way. He mentioned looking for a “complementary player” for the offense, which could be a righty-masher or a lefty-masher depending on whom they believe in more among David Fry, Jo Adell, Kyle Manzardo and Cooper Ingle, in my humble opinion.
Emmanuel Clase owed $700K in back taxes which the government is trying to say provides a reason for his exploring gambling.
Winter/Fall Ball Updates:
The Surprise Sagauros won yesterday with Tyreese Turner going 1 for 3, Luke Hill going 0-2 with 2 walks, Cam Schuelke and Kyle Scott each throwing a scoreless inning, and Angel Perez giving up a run in an inning of work.
Jaison Chourio went 3-5 with a stolen base and Alfonsin Rosario went 2-4 in Venezuela Winter League action, and Jose Tena went 1-5 in Dominican Winter Ball.
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 26: CJ Abrams #5 of the Washington Nationals looks on during a baseball game against the New York Mets at Nationals Park on September 26, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
At the GM Meetings, Spencer Nusbaum came out with a big report that the Nationals are likely to keep CJ Abrams. Given the fact that Abrams has been in trade rumors for a year now, this is major news. In his video, Nusbaum said that the Nats want to be competitive in 2027, and obviously keeping Abrams would be pivotal in accomplishing that goal.
Plans can always change, but at the moment, people around MLB and those familiar with the Nationals’ line of thinking all feel it is likely that CJ Abrams remains with the team through the winter. From the GM meetings: pic.twitter.com/BLniSxLElg
The Nats shortstop/second baseman is coming off a career year in 2026. He hit .261 with 33 homers, 34 steals, 106 RBI and an .833 OPS. Those are extremely impressive numbers for a middle infielder. Sure, Abrams hit a bit of a wall in August and early September. However, he finished strong with a .913 OPS in his last 13 games.
It felt like Abrams had a tough time with all the trade rumors and a position switch he did not want to happen. However, seeing him rally and produce well over the last couple weeks of the season was important to see. Heading into 2027, Abrams will need to be a leader for this group.
The 26 year old is now truly one of the veterans on this Nats team. He is entering his 5th full season as a National. Abrams has now made two All-Star teams and posted career bests in most categories last year. That status in the league comes with new responsibilities. We will have to see if Abrams is up for the challenge.
By making it clear that they are not trading him, the Nats are putting a lot of faith into Abrams. I am sure their analytical models are saying this would be the time to sell high on Abrams. However, Paul Toboni is making it clear that he wants to build a winner with Abrams on the team.
Don’t get it twisted, this is a risky move from a value perspective. We could be looking back at this in July and wondering why we didn’t sell high on CJ Abrams. If the team does not take real steps forward next season, moving Abrams would be the smart thing. By keeping Abrams, the Nats are betting that they could at least compete for the Wild Card.
Hopefully this bet comes with increased spending, but I would not be so sure. In his video, Nusbaum said that keeping Abrams and wanting to push for the playoffs does not necessarily mean the Nats will go on some massive spending spree. He also wrote another article where he said the Nats are unlikely to throw massive multi-year contracts at relievers.
Those kinds of reliever contracts do often blow up in your face, but the bullpen is such a big need. The Nats need to secure the back end of the bullpen somehow. We will see if that comes from a trade or a one-year deal on a veteran like Raisel Iglesias. If you don’t want to sell high on Abrams, you need to build the right team around him.
From a fan’s perspective, it is really nice to see them come out and say Abrams is likely to stay. When he is rolling, Abrams is a wonderful player to watch. His combination of power and athleticism is mesmerizing to watch. There are not many players who can truly carry a lineup for weeks, but Abrams is one of those guys.
— Baseball Performances (@MLBPerformances) July 26, 2026
This decision not to trade Abrams is one of the biggest decisions this regime has made so far. In these big decisions, I think the front office has done a good job so far. They sold high on MacKenzie Gore, made a good managerial hire in Blake Butera and brought in a great staff. Now, they need to be right again because Abrams has plenty of value on the market.
It is important to note that Nusbaum did say that Abrams could go if a “godfather offer” came in. However, his reporting makes me think Abrams is pretty much off the market. Toboni comes from a school of thought where anybody could go for the right price, but I think the price he has on Abrams has basically taken him off the market.
The news that Abrams is likely to stay makes the 2027 Nationals a lot more fun. It also makes me very curious to see what the Nats do in these next few weeks before the lockout. This team still needs pitching help if they want to compete. The bullpen and rotation need reinforcements.
I also think the Nats could use another piece or two on offense. While the offense was elite last year, they will no longer have Curtis Mead or Luis Garcia Jr. in 2027. Those guys were key supporting characters last season. The hitting development has been stellar, but another corner infielder would be helpful.
For Abrams, a 2027 storyline to watch will be his position. He and his representation have made it clear that he wants to be a shortstop. However, his defense at the position has not been good enough. Paul Toboni said on the Nats Chat podcast that Abrams will play short and second, but probably more of the latter. With Seaver King coming up soon and Eli Willits on the horizon, the Nats have an infield puzzle to solve.
As a fan of the team, it is good to hear that Abrams will be part of that puzzle. Without his production, the offense would just not be the same. It is nearly impossible to replace a 30-30 middle infielder. That is probably why Paul Toboni decided to hold on to CJ Abrams. He wants to win more games in 2027, and you cannot do that without Abrams’ production.
(Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
I distinctly remember the 2022-23 Utah Jazz, the first season for current Head Coach Will Hardy, starting out the season 10-3, with Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson leading the recently blown-up roster that, for the first time in half a decade, did not feature Donovan Mitchell or Rudy Gobert. There were conversations in NBA media — on podcasts, in blogs, in my college dining hall (NBA media is everywhere) — about if the Jazz would be able to tank properly, as they clearly had planned to coming into the season. Maybe Hardy was just too good a coach; maybe this would be a mid-2010s Celtics situation with Brad Stevens and that weird Jeff Green and Avery Bradley team, when it became clear that they had to compete because tanking was just off the table. Danny Ainge ran that team, and Danny Ainge runs this team. It was all lining up.
Nope! They figured out how to tank just fine. Hardy got his ducks in a row, and successfully tanked not just for the rest of 2022-23, but for 2024, 2025 and 2026, making the Jazz, by my calculation, the only team other than The Process 76ers that has unapologetically tanked for four consecutive seasons. And they get one-fifth the hate they deserve for it.
But they might be getting all the karma. The 2026-27 Jazz have kicked off their first USDA-certified “not tanking” campaign by going 1-11 in their first 12 games. Their single win was a one-point home victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, a disasterclass in their own right, and have since ripped off 10 straight losses despite finally putting out a roster that looks like it could do something other than intentionally lose.
Maybe they’re just tanking again. Maybe Will Hardy, who coached zero winning seasons on his first contract but still signed a contract extension through 2031, will coach through all nine years of both contracts and maintain his illustrious .326 career winning percentage. Has all this tanking been for nothing? Has all this glorious “development” wrought by a half-decade so disgusting that the NBA had to change its lottery rules resulted in … this? Is the team really just injured? Are they actually tanking again? Or do they just suck?
Their main “hey we’re actually trying now” acquisition was Jaren Jackson Jr., who promptly tore his MCL and will be out 6-8 weeks from October 27, but the team isn’t bad enough on paper for that to fully explain what’s going on. Their roster has lots of premium talent … on paper, but that talent simply hasn’t translated to wins at any point in the last four years or in the first 10 games of this season. Their efficiency is horrendous, 28th in team shooting percentage, but look closer: they’re 29th in offensive rating, 29th in true shooting percentage and 29th in effective field goal percentage. Don’t know (or don’t care) what any of that means? Also fine! Their team point differential is currently -11.5, which is WORSE THAN LAST YEAR when it was -8.4. They were 22-60 last year.
Are any of these first-round picks actually going to pan out? Thus far, I have no clue if Keyonte George can put up numbers on any kind of good team, and top-10 picks Cody Williams and Taylor Hendricks never returned on their draft slots, the latter perhaps due to a horrific injury before his career ever got off the ground that wasn’t anybody’s fault. But you don’t get infinite shots at this, and Ace Bailey and Darryn Peterson must be elite players if the Jazz want to be anything more than a mediocre home for 90-second, not-even-that-cool Lauri Markkanan/Keyonte George highlight videos.
Perhaps Utah is just the NBA example of my rookie quarterback theory in the NFL of “you either have it or you don’t,” in that I don’t really care if a guy sits behind some veteran starter for a year or if he starts immediately; those who advocate for QBs sitting a year are simply hiding behind an undefeatable Catch-22, in which (stay with me now) successful QBs that sit must have succeeded because they sat … and unsuccessful QBs who didn’t sit should have sat … while unsuccessful QBs who sat were just always going to be bad. I reject this notion, and declare that all good QBs were always going to be good and all bad QBs were always going to be bad. Maybe the four years of horrendous Utah Jazz basketball were just evidence that they were always going to be bad.
Because truly, we had no evidence in the last four seasons that a Lauri Markkanan-captained team was a winning basketball team. He’s a fine player, but he’s inefficient and a big man who doesn’t really rebound or protect the rim or rebound while his 3-point numbers have deteriorated the last two seasons. And none of the basketball he’s played in his entire career has mattered. Ever. You’ll struggle to find the “playoffs” tab on his basketball reference page, because it doesn’t exist. Not in Chicago, nor Cleveland nor Utah — Markkanan has never appeared in a playoff game.
Institutionalized losing does things to players. It torpedoed an entire generation of 76ers draft picks, teaching them that playing was optional and winning was not the goal. Building was the goal, like they were simulating through an NBA2K MyLeague and could just keep getting better forever until they win the NBA Finals because the game’s code says they should. That’s not how the real world works. I’m worried the Jazz have four popped tires, a busted-up engine and no tail lights; they don’t even realize it, and just merged onto the highway.
I wanted this team to be good. I loved Peterson in the draft and would have taken him number one, but this team is awful. Legitimately awful, and somebody better yank the steering wheel and course-correct soon. Otherwise … uh, they’ll have officially tanked for longer than The Process 76ers. Not a record you want to have.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - NOVEMBER 08: Zion Rose #8 of the American League fields the ball in the fourth inning during the 2026 Arizona Fall League Fall Stars game between the American League Fall Stars and the National League Fall Stars at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Sunday, November 8, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Jill Weisleder/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Arizona Fall League is an opportunity for prospects to get some extra work in against high-level competition after the minor league season has ended. For some, it’s a chance to make up for lost development time after an injury. For others, it’s an opportunity to get noticed, work on specific parts of their game, or make a strong impression heading into the offseason.
The Royals have nine prospects participating this fall, including several familiar names and a few who could be on the radar of more fans in the coming years. Some have put together impressive performances, while others have struggled to find their footing. Let’s take a look at how each of them has performed so far.
Felix Arronde
The 23-year-old right hander from Cuba has made three starts in the AFL this season. In those three starts, he has totaled 6.1 innings, allowing 3 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks while striking out 8 hitters. Arronde holds a 2-1 record. He is coming off his first year in Northwest Arkansas. This past season he threw 105.1 innings, with a 6.49 ERA. He walked 54 and struck out 91. He had a 1.66 WHIP. He has been with the Royals since he was 18 and coming through the DSL.
Josh Hansell
Josh Hansell is a 24-year-old right hander. The Royals drafted him in the 16th round in 2023 out of Arizona State. He has never made it past Quad Cities. So far in the AFL, he has made 9 appearances, all out of the bullpen. He has totaled 8.2 innings, allowing 7 hits, 2 runs, walking 6 and striking out 12. His WHIP is at 1.50. This past season in Quad Cities, he made 16 appearances and 6 starts, posting a 4.87 ERA over 40.2 innings. He walked 25 and struck out 41, with a 1.40 WHIP. He missed the last month plus of the season due to injury.
Justin Lamkin
Justin Lamkin was the most talked about prospect early in the season (at least by me). Before the 22-year-old lefty went down with an injury that cost him the rest of the season, he made eight starts, totaling 39.2 innings, striking out 53 batters between Quad Cities and Northwest Arkansas. He was drafted in the second round of the 2025 draft by the Royals out of Texas A&M. So far in the AFL, he has made five starts, totaling 16.1 innings, allowing 10 hits, 8 runs (7 earned), walking 5 and striking out 14.
Dealin' in the desert.@Royals' No. 8 prospect Justin Lamkin spins 4 1/3 perfect frames in Arizona Fall League play: pic.twitter.com/8dzxOSQq35
I expect him to start next year in Double-A but wouldn’t be surprised if he made a quick jump to Omaha. He is one name to keep an eye on as a prospect.
Frank Mozzicato
The 23-year-old is coming off a rough 2026 campaign in Northwest Arkansas. The lefty hasn’t fared a whole lot better in the AFL. In his seven relief appearances, he’s totaled 5.2 innings, 4 hits, 4 runs, 7 walks while striking out 9 batters, and a WHIP of 1.94. This season in Double-A, he posted 71.2 innings with an 8.04 ERA, walking 72 batters. I don’t know how much time he has left in the KC organization. It’s getting to now-or-never territory.
Hiro Wyatt
Hiro Wyatt is a 22-year-old right hander, who the Royals took in the third round of the 2023 draft out of high school and has yet to make it past Columbia. In the AFL, he has four relief appearances, totaling 8.2 innings, allowing 9 hits, 8 runs (7 earned), walking 6 and striking out 6. This past season in Columbia, he made 7 starts, totaling 28 innings, walking 16 and striking out 24. He got hurt in late May and never made it back during the season.
Brooks Bryan
Brooks Bryan is a 22-year-old catcher, who the Royals drafted in the eighth round of the 2025 draft out of Troy. Bryan is a left-handed hitter. In 33 games in Columbia this past season, he slashed .319/.406/.496. He hit 12 doubles and 3 homers. He walked 16 times and struck out 27 times. He got hurt on June 1 and missed the rest of the season. So far in the AFL, he is slashing .317/.397/.583. He has hit 4 doubles and 4 homers in 60 at bats. He has walked 8 times, to 13 strikeouts.
Austin Charles
Austin Charles is a soon to be 23-year-old infielder. The Royals took him in the 20th round of the 2022 draft out of high school. He has never made it above Quad Cities. Last year with the title winning team, he slashed .285/.353/.491 in 165 at bats. He missed almost three months due to an injury. So far in the AFL, he is slashing .146/.143/.292 in 48 at bats, with two doubles, a triple. and a homer. He has yet to walk and has 17 strikeouts.
Angeibel Gomez
Angeibel Gomez is arguably the Royals top prospect, and if not, soon to be. The 17-year-old outfielder exploded onto the scene in the DSL this season. He slashed .361/.467/.653 in 144 at bats. He clubbed 13 doubles, a triple and 9 homers. He walked 28 times to just 19 strikeouts. He stole 15 bases and played exceptional defense in centerfield. So far, after coming stateside, in the AFL, he is slashing .286/.388/.405 with 3 doubles and a triple. He has stolen 4 bases and walked 6 times to 10 strikeouts. Mighty impressive for just 17.
Zion Rose
Rose was drafted sixth overall in the 2026 draft by the Royals out of Louisville. The 21-year-old outfielder went straight to Quad Cities where in 19 games and 71 at bats, slashed .268/.389/.338. He hit 2 doubles and a homer, while stealing 14 bases. So far in the AFL, he is slashing .322/.494/.508 in 16 games and 59 at bats. He has hit a double, 2 triples and 2 homers.
Zion Rose mashes his second Fall League roundtripper!
The @Royals' No. 6 prospect — one of two 2026 draftees in the desert — has slashed .311/.475/.489 through 12 games. pic.twitter.com/ocWGwvss2q
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 29: Bo Bichette #19 of the New York Mets reacts after being called out against the Houston Astros during the game at Citi Field on August 29, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Caean Couto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Bo Bichette, a former second round draft pick of the Blue Jays and son of four-time All-Star Dante Bichette, authored one of the biggest plays of the iconic Game 7 of the 2025 World Series when he cracked a three-run home run off Shohei Ohtani in the third inning. At the time, it was impossible to imagine Bichette, a two-time All-Star with Toronto, as anything other than a Blue Jay for life, despite his impending free agency. It seemed like he and the Jays were inextricably linked, and his return that winter was a mere formality.
Then, a series of unforeseen events happened along the way, as they often do in the MLB offseason. The Mets let their own homegrown star Pete Alonso, sign elsewhere, and they traded another, Brandon Nimmo, to the Rangers. In an effort to beef up their offense, they made an aggressive play for Kyle Tucker, who ended up with the Dodgers on a short-term, high-AAV deal. Needing something to appease the fanbase and looking to plug a hole in their lineup, they landed Bichette within 24 hours of losing out on Tucker, much to the surprise of the entire league. The deal was for $126 million over three years ($42 million AAV), with opts out strategically offered after each year.
The deal seemed, at the time, like a win for both sides. Given his age, the high AAV, and the ability to re-enter the market in search of that elusive long-term contract, it seemed like the marriage would be convenient for both parties. Thomas Henderson, in his Bichette season preview, went so far as to predict the following:
The Mets and Bichette agreed to the three-year deal, but in all actuality it is likely a one-year contract…In all likelihood, Bichette will perform well enough to forgo the $84 million left on his contract to chase long-term stability, which is part of the reason why the Mets were into him in the first place.
To Thomas’ credit, this was an extremely rational and level-headed prediction, and one that I’d guess 99% of Mets fans envisioned when the deal was announced. However, a not-so-funny thing happened along the way: Bichette performed well below his career norms, becoming one of the most disappointing Mets during the course of an overly-frustrating 2026 season. As a result, the near-certainty of his opt out has reversed, and Bichette exercised his player option for 2027. Given his overall numbers and the uncertainty associated with the looming lockout, it’s hard to blame him.
Bichette fell victim to one of the most common occurrences of star players coming to New York—the slow start. And oh boy, was it ever slow. Bichette gave fans immediate buyer’s remorse with a 2-for-22 start over his first five games. He strung together hits in 10 of his next 11 games and raised his slash line to .250/.300/.328 while also finally contributing his first home run in his 15th game in orange and blue, but he hit another dry spell that saw him go 13-for-62 (.210) to close out the month.
At the end of April, he had posted a paltry .590 OPS and 64 wRC+, not just well below his career norms but also below his career-worst 2024 season, one that was marred by injuries. To that point, he only had two home runs and seven total extra base hits, while driving in just 14 runs as the Mets continued to slide out of contention before the calendar even turned to May. His May was even worse, as he hit .207/.279/.297 across the calendar month, his worst month as a Met. He finished the month with a 64 wRC+ and a .576 OPS, well below what you’d expect from Bichette. During this span, he suffered through a career-worst 71 at-bat stretch in which he failed to pick up an extra base hit, a streak that mercifully ended with a home run on May 18 against the Nationals. It was at this point that fans really began to wonder if we’d ever see the elite version of Bichette at Citi Field.
After two consecutive goose eggs to begin June, Bichette turned a corner on June 3. The third baseman picked up his first four-hit game as a Met while driving him three runs to help New York beat the Mariners 7-1. It seemed like a positive development, and Bichette ran with it as he finally started to resemble the guy who owned a career 122 wRC+ and an .806 OPS. From June 3 through the All-Star break, he raised his batting average by 42 points and his OPS by 107 points, as he hit .331/.354/.515 with five homers and a 137 wRC+ across 35 games. This was, undoubtably, his best stretch as a Met, as Bichette finally seemed to be entering his comfort zone.
Bichette was demonstrably better than he was in April and May throughout the remainder of the season, but he was still far from what the team was hoping he’d be, which is an impact bat in the lineup. He hit .289/.337/.447 with 13 home runs and a 117 wRC+ in his final 99 games of the year after hitting .213/.271/.229 with five homers and a 61 wRC+ in his first 61 games. Despite that, and this is not something that can be quantified well with statistics, but it never felt like Bichette ever had a defining moment with the club. I even searched Google for his biggest moments as a Met in 2026 to refresh my memory, and not much really came up. The best I could unearth was his six-RBI game in a 7-5 win against the Braves on June 12, his five-hit game against the Pirates in an 11-1 victory on August 9 and his go-ahead, three-run home run in the eighth inning of the team’s 7-5 win over the Giants on September 6. Perhaps it’s due to the team’s place in the standings, but none of these really stood out as particularly impactful or meaningful, except maybe his home run against San Francisco.
He finished the year with a 96 wRC+ and a .702 OPS, his second-worst output in both categories behind only his 2024 campaign. After posting at least 3.8 fWAR in four of his previous five seasons, he managed just 1.9 fWAR in 160 games. On the bright side, he avoided injury and managed to play in a career-high 160 games while falling one plate appearance short of matching his career-high from 2022. He also walked at a career-best 7% clip in 2026, so that’s something.
Nearly 1,100 words into this review and I have not touched upon his defense, which was the one thing fans couldn’t accurately gauge heading into 2026. Bichette had spent his entire career at shortstop, but as a consequence of signing here, had to shift to third base—shortstop is, after all, occupied by Francisco Lindor, and Marcus Semien was penciled in at second. Having never played an inning in the field outside of shortstop in the majors, it stood to reason that this change could be a disaster, especially given the uncertainty of how his arm would play making those long-range throws. After some early-season growing pains, his defense was pretty much a non-factor, which isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Perhaps it’s because his offensive shortcomings took center stage, but you basically forgot he was playing a new position. He posted a 1 OAA but -8 DRS at third in 943 2/3 innings at the position. Because of Lindor’s injuries, he saw more time at short than we would have otherwise liked, and he posted -2 OAA and -2 DRS in 391 1/3 innings there. He also played one inning at second, his first and only inning at the position in the majors to date. He had already started showing decline at short in 2025, finishing his final year in Toronto with -13 OAA and -12 DRS, which is not ideal. Given his defensive output in 2026, you’d take those numbers going forward.
So that brings us to Bichette exercising his player option for 2027. Bichette took the safest option, which was a guaranteed $42 million coming off the worst fully-healthy season of his career and with the chance that offseason will be completely chaotic given the truncated free agency period leading up to the lockout. Bichette gave himself security and can still opt out after 2027, but even that seems unlikely. More realistically, he’ll take the guaranteed $84 million in front of him and re-enter the market at 30 years old and get the long-term deal he’s been seeking. That’s not a bad deal for Bichette, and it makes too much sense.
How you view that mostly depends on how you gauge his 2026 season. The best-case scenario is that Bichette has an incredible bounce-back performance, which means the Mets get a bona fide stud in the middle of their lineup next year to give Lindor and Juan Soto the support they were hoping for this year. If you’re more of a cynic, another year like last year at a $42 million tag would not be ideal for the Mets’ plans.
All that is to say that fans should get comfortable seeing Bichette manning third and batting in the middle of the team’s lineup. Bichette, despite what he showed for parts of this year, is a professional hitter and an All-Star talent, so there are worse problems to have than worrying about Bichette returning to your team for another season.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 16: Jacob Wilson #5 of the Athletics bunts into a force out during the third inning against the Texas Rangers at Sutter Health Park on August 16, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Scott Marshall/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to Thursday A’s fans!
There has been a report making the rounds online that young shortstop Jacob Wilson could be on the trade block this offseason thanks to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale:
Athletics infielder Jacob Wilson is a potential trade chip as the club searches for starting pitching, per @BNightengale
While the A’s have “zero urgency to trade him,” Nightengale notes they’re desperate for starting pitching and Wilson could be a valuable trade chip
That’s begun a larger-than-expected debate about Wilson’s trade value and whether or not the Athletics would really consider trading him. On it’s face it seems like a far-fetched idea for the A’s to even consider moving Wilson, let alone pulling the trigger on a trade to eject their starting shortstop. The A’s are one year away from making the move to Las Vegas. Don’t we want some core players around when the new stadium opens?
Wilson will be turning 25 at the beginning of next season. That’s around the time a lot of players even makeit to the big leagues, let alone establish themselves. Establishing himself is an understatement for Wilson after he started the All-Star Game in 2025 as a rookie. That earned him a nice contract extension, getting $70 million early to tie him to the A’s for the next seven years. Granted, his sophomore campaign wasn’t as thrilling as his rookie season but a lot of that can probably be chalked up to fluke injuries. Wilson was having a fine campaign before the All-Star break, and dumping him now would be at a sell-low point for a young player locked into a long-term deal.
On the other hand, there are obvious reasons to consider a swap if it makes sense. Wilson did after all have a tough second half, and then to cap his year off he underwent major shoulder surgery. While the expectation is that he’ll be fully healed and good to go come Spring Training, shoulders have been known to be tricky sometimes. If the club believes that his shoulder could become a recurring problem that they don’t want to deal with regularly, they could be more amenable to moving him we think.
While it sounds far fetched, it really does make sense to at least consider it on paper. The contract isn’t especially onerous, even for small-market teams. He’s affordable for even the lowest-payroll teams and that broadens the potential market if the A’s really wanted to make Wilson available. New President Taylor Smith isn’t connected to Wilson at all and might not be as enamored with him as other teams may be. Wilson’s contact-oriented approach would make lots of slugging teams more balanced.
And then you have the roster fit. The A’s best prospect and one of the best in the entire sport, Leo De Vries, is on the cusp of making his big league debut, which will almost certainly come in 2026 (if there is a season). And he happens to be a shortstop. There’s been some debate over whether Wilson moves off to second base or De Vries to third to fit them both in the lineup, but a trade of Wilson would free up De Vries to take his natural spot.
Overall the chances of a swap coming together are probably small. The A’s would need pitching, pitching, and more pitching in exchange, and that’s not really a debate. This organization is starving for quality arms and Wilson could be the one that’s dangled to get them, but it just doesn’t seem likely at this point. Not with the move to Vegas almost here, Wilson coming off a down season and already signed to the team long-term. What do you guys think? Would/should the A’s consider making Wilson available?
The MLBPA could have a potential nuclear option in its upcoming labor battle with MLB.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, players could pursue a disclaimer of interest, a strategy previously used by the NFL and NBA players' unions to challenge league restrictions through…
Great point. Where has the spending been these last two years? And when will the wallet open up?
With the obvious caveat that I'm NOT surprised, it's hilarious that Rosenthal lays out how #athletics have fallen far short of their reported payroll "ramp up" in Sacramento (creative math mentioned within, notwithstanding). https://t.co/gWmsa9I1IO
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 05: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees reacts during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays in game two of the American League Division Series at Tropicana Field on October 05, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello everyone!
Today is the final day of the GM Meetings, so hopefully we see another move or two before festivities conclude. Let’s get you all of the latest news as you get your day started.
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 10: Brayden Burries #0 of the Milwaukee Bucks goes up for the rebound during the game against the New York Knicks on November 10, 2026 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Welcome to the Fawning or Warning?, a fortnightly feature where I muse on all things Milwaukee Bucks, however explicitly or tangentially related, and determine if they’re worth fawning over or if they’re a warning sign of something going awry.
NBA Lowlights
SUQIAN, CHINA – OCTOBER 24, 2025 – An illustration photo shows NBA logo in a smartphone in Suqian, Jiangsu Province, China on October 24, 2025 . (Photo credit should read CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Just a few weeks ago—and for as long as I can remember—NBA.com enabled fans to see specific clips of every game’s action via its play-by-play section. You could even download these clips—it’s how so many content creators did their thing. Heck, it’s how we’ve been able to add footage to complement our writing. In a press conference following the NBA Board of Governors meeting in 2025, Adam Silver seemed to embrace it too:
There’s a huge amount of our content that people can essentially consume for free. This is very much a highlights-based sport. So, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter — you name it — any service, the New York Times, for that matter, your content is not behind a paid firewall. There’s an enormous amount of content out there — YouTube — another example, that is advertising-based, that consumers can consume.
Now, it seems, things have changed. Play-by-plays are no longer hyperlinked and other avenues, including accessing players’ “Video and Shot Charts,” like this one of Tyler Herro’s against the Indiana Pacers, are now strictly shot charts (and other data). Why the NBA has chosen this route is unclear. If it’s simply a matter of copyright, that’s completely fair. But that doesn’t explain the sudden change. If it’s a technical issue—the league rebuilding how it stores clips (or something similar)—why do it now, at the start of the season?
Either way, it’s the fan who suffers. Once again.
Verdict: Warning.
Veteran Privilege and Big Problems
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 27: Kyle Kuzma #18 of the Milwaukee Bucks talks to Myles Turner #3 against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena on January 27, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Bucks 139-122. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Through the season’s first few weeks, Taylor Jenkins has leaned on his veterans as starters. Before the Lakers game, and excluding absences due to injury or rest, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kyle Kuzma, and Myles Turner had started every game—the only players on the team to do so. They also occupy the top four spots in minutes per game, averaging four more per night than the next closest Buck (Ryan Rollins). On the one hand, this is understandable. As the team’s most tested players, they are positioned to fare better against other teams’ best players. Moreover, as the team’s elder statesmen, they are best equipped to demonstrate the on-court skill, intelligence, and habits you want the impressionable younger players to develop. That is, to lead.
At least, they should be.
So far, Herro and Jaquez get a pass. But Turner and Kuzma have been anything but consistently productive starters. Turner has regressed from last season’s lows, shooting just 32.9% from the field and 25.5% from three, and has been far more noticeable for what he’s not doing than what he is. To put it bluntly, he’s labouring out there—and not in the “hard work” kind of way. I won’t even get started on his rebounding. Kuzma has had his moments, including his recent 27-point explosion against the Boston Celtics, but even that was more fool’s gold than anything sustainable—and it didn’t take long before the quality shots that went in became heat checks that didn’t (and cost the team dearly on the other end). Against the New York Knicks, things only got worse; against the Lakers, he shot 2/8, had more turnovers than assists and rebounds combined, and “led” the team in plus/minus at -22.
Compounding the issue, it seems there are rules for some and not for others. Rollins was pulled after his poor play to start the year, moving to a bench role and seeing his court time drastically reduce: 26.0 MPG as a starter versus 18.8 MPG off the bench. Turner and Kuzma, however, have seen steady minutes regardless of how they’ve played. Regarding the latter, with Nate Ament impressing and Ousmane Dieng barely playing (just 75 total minutes in the first ten games)—and both of these guys inarguably a more significant part of Milwaukee’s long-term plans—you’ve got to ask, “Why?” Even with Jenkins’ changeup against the Lakers, it was the younger Jaquez who was shifted to the bench and not Kuzma.
In Turner’s case, the answer is a lot more complicated. His backup, Kel’el Ware, has been just as poor, posting similarly awful shooting splits (.392/.187/.800) and generally looking quite lost out there. Like Turner, who (mind the pun) turns it over 3.6 times per 100 possessions (fourth-worst on the team, per Basketball-Reference), Ware is also turning it over far too often—4.3 times per 100 possessions. Disaster meet disaster. Still, is this reason for Turner to have played 108 more minutes when both have been available?
Maybe the thinking is to showcase Turner for a trade? That’s certainly not working, and I’ve never bought that notion anyway—teams know who and what a 10-year veteran is. Maybe it’s a case of old dogs being unable to learn new tricks but young dogs having that ability (and therefore not getting rewarded until they’ve mastered it)? Certainly, that teaches a lesson. But is it the right one?
Verdict: Warning (alarms blaring).
The Little Things
MILWAUKEE, WI – JUNE 25: Brayden Burries, Mascot Bango the Buck, and Nate Ament of the Milwaukee Bucks pose for a photo during the Bucks Draft Press Conference to the media on June 25, 2026 at the Pieper-Hillside Boys & Girls Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Close your eyes and breathe—the full inhale/exhale cycle. Three times. Just to release the tension. Then go to your happy place. Is it the same as mine, watching Bucks’ rookies Brayden Burries and Nate Ament? Is Bango there too?
Amidst all the warnings, it’s imperative to find pleasure in the little things. Watching Burries sky for rebounds has been a joy, even if the juxtaposition between his and Turner’s effort on the glass is jarring. Seeing him find confidence in the mid-range against the Celtics was a thing of beauty too. But his positivity isn’t limited to on-court action. Watch closely and you’ll see Burries standing, waving the towel from the bench, celebrating others’ success—even when down 20. Culture building stuff.
Ament’s growth has also been a pleasure. Where he looked timid and uncertain to begin Summer League play, he now looks confident, nailing threes without hesitation—even in the Pat Connaughton variety! He’s also showing growth physically, attacking defenders—like he did against Jayson Tatum and Derrick White (even if the call was overturned)—and, more impressively, using his quicks and length to stay in front of and contest a whole range of offensive players. Like Burries, Ament has also shown signs of the good stuff. After nailing one of those Planet P threes in the second quarter against the Knicks, he pushed Kasparas Jakučionis to Miles McBride to ensure the matchups were right. I’d show you the clip, but…
