DiamondCentric

It's being reported that Ryan Jeffers will decline the Qualifying Offer, though that doesn't mean he won't be with the Minnesota Twins in 2027. Will they lock him up or let him walk? View the full article

"Yeah, absolutely," Matt Arnold said. The words bit the air with a crackle; his usual caution has fled for a moment. "Yeah, he's still a catcher." That answer came in response to a very fair question, posed Tuesday during the National League general managers' media availability at the annual GM Meetings in Las Vegas. As the reporter who asked it pointed out, Quero caught only three times in the minors after June 26, all in a short span in mid-August. Though he stayed in the lineup for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds in the second half, he was relegated to designated hitter duties. Between that and the team's acquisition of Guardians catcher Bo Naylor at the trade deadline, many began to wonder if Quero's future was at another position—or even if his future was growing dim, overall. The shoulder injury he suffered in April 2024 has lingered and shadowed multiple seasons, delaying what looked like it would be a rapid matriculation to the majors. On the contrary, Arnold said, the team still sees Quero as an elite backstop. "Yeah, just trying to work through, you know, what he's doing, but again, he's a really talented guy," he said, when asked why Quero caught so little this year. "Obviously, suffered an injury in the past, but, you know, again, one of the guys that just, when he gets back to that form that we've seen in the past, he's one of the best behind the plate, in my opinion, in the sport." That's high praise for a player who was once a top prospect, but has become an afterthought for many outside Milwaukee. It matches other intimations from people within the organization in recent months, though, and becomes the latest endorsement of Quero as a potential replacement if the team either trades William Contreras this winter (wildly unlikely, though Arnold declined to comment on the possibility) or allows him to walk via free agency next year. Quero's bat speed did rebound this season, after it had dropped sharply in the wake of his injury and stayed down for a worryingly long time. His approach grew a bit more refined, and part of the thinking in keeping his catching workload so light was to give him more room to lock in those approach improvements. If his arm strength (and, thus, his ability to control the running game) continues to trend in the right direction, he could again profile as a plus-plus defender. It's not unreasonable to buy into Arnold's optimism about the 24-year-old Venezuelan's future. On the other hand, it's worth noting that pumping up Quero's stock this way bolsters his prospective trade value, should the team look to move Quero instead of Contreras this offseason. Arnold said Quero will have a normal offseason, but after he played in the Venezuelan Winter League last fall, he's sitting out that season this year. Given that he's fully healthy and that he got so few reps at a position that will determine his value in the long run, one might have expected that he and the Brewers would be eager to get him more chances behind the plate. In any discussion of the future of the position for the Brewers, Quero is the X-factor. He could be the push factor that leads them to trade Contreras. He could become a useful trade chip, either because the team veers from its usual paradigm and extends Contreras or because they don't believe in him quite as much as they want people to believe. Without a good idea of what his career might look like, it's impossible to confidently forecast how the team will handle the catcher spot for the next half-decade. Arnold is enthusiastic in his encomiums. Looking toward 2027, though, those words mean less than Quero's uninspiring stats and his odd usage in 2026. View the full article

Steamer projections, the first major set of projections we have for the 2027 MLB season, are up on FanGraphs. Here’s what they told me about the Toronto Blue Jays. Don’t Lose Faith in Vladdy I don’t need to pad my word count by telling you how disappointing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was in 2026. After starting strong in March and April, he crumpled into a ball from May through September. Over the last five months of the season, only five qualified AL hitters had a lower wRC+. Thankfully, Vladdy has a strong track record, remarkable raw skills, and the benefit of youth on his side. That’s why Steamer projects him to be a top-five hitter in the AL next season. Man, that felt good to type. His projected 137 wRC+ puts him behind only Yordan Alvarez, Aaron Judge, Junior Caminero, and Nick Kurtz. Steamer has a lot less confidence in Guerrero’s power than it did at this time last year, and rightly so. His projected home run total has dropped from 32 to 23 following his nine-homer campaign in 2026. The good news is that the system hasn’t lost faith in his contact and on-base skills. To be clear, I remain concerned about Vlad. These projections haven’t assuaged all my fears. Still, it’s nice to be reminded how unusual his blend of skills truly is. Only one player in Major League Baseball is projected to outproduce Guerrero in three triple-slash categories, and he’s likely going to be named the AL MVP tonight. Progress for Kaz? I’m taking these projections with a grain of salt. Steamer had to blend years of NPB data with numbers from one season in MLB to spit out Kazuma Okamoto’s projections for 2027. To further complicate the matter, Okamoto is still developing against big league pitching at an age when most hitters have plateaued. All else being equal, projection systems tend to expect young players to get better and older players to get worse. Okamoto complicates that. For those reasons, I’m not putting too much stock in his projected 109 wRC+, which would represent a slight step back from his 113 wRC+ in 2026. Instead, I’m more interested in his projected 24.2% strikeout rate. Okamoto never struck out a ton in Japan. Indeed, by the end of his NPB tenure, his strikeout rate was so low that Steamer projected him to have a 17.0% strikeout rate in his rookie season with the Blue Jays. Of course, as we all know now, he went on to set the franchise record for strikeouts in a season while punching out in 28.8% of his trips to the plate. A 24.2% K rate in 2027 would be a very promising improvement. So, I’m encouraged that Steamer thinks it’s possible. Projection systems don’t have a large sample to work with when it comes to NPB players entering their second MLB seasons, but what data there is suggests that Okamoto will look a little more like his NPB self in year two with the Jays. I have my fingers crossed. The Offense Still Needs Reinforcements (Duh) The Steamer projections look good for Vlad. I’m choosing to see the silver lining in the projections for Kaz. Even so, the overall picture Steamer paints of Toronto’s offense isn’t pretty. After Guerrero, Steamer has Alejandro Kirk as the team’s next best hitter with a projected 117 wRC+. Then it’s Okamoto at 109. Two more players the Jays are counting on to make an impact, Anthony Santander and Addison Barger, are projected for matching 106 wRC+ figures. That’s not a postseason-calibre middle of the order. Obviously, this isn’t new information. The Blue Jays finished last in MLB in runs in 2026. I didn’t need a fancy projection system to tell me the offense stunk. However, Steamer highlights just how few bats the Blue Jays can rely on. I clicked the “Projections” tab on FanGraphs expecting to see Okamoto in the 115-120 wRC+ range. I thought Barger and Santander might be around 110. What I saw was more concerning. The Blue Jays have plenty of bats who could make an impact, but not nearly enough they can count on to do so. Hey, Remember Cody Ponce? I wouldn’t blame anyone for whom Cody Ponce is something of an afterthought right now. The 2025 KBO MVP only threw a couple of innings for Toronto before a torn ACL ended his season. Yet, Steamer is very optimistic about what he can do in the majors. Personally, I would be thrilled if he could turn in a full season out of the rotation with a sub-4.00 ERA, and that’s what the system foresees. As was the case with Okamoto, we have to take these projections with a grain of salt. It isn’t easy to use KBO data to predict MLB performance. That said, the information we have is promising. I was also pleased to see that neither Ponce’s injury, nor the fact that he’ll turn 33 next April, put a damper on his projections. His Steamer projections for 2027 are very similar to what the system envisioned for him in 2026. Ignore Everything You Read About Tyler Rogers Steamer projects Tyler Rogers to have a 4.14 ERA and 4.16 FIP. That would be a big step back from his 1.77 ERA and 3.35 FIP in 2026. Thankfully, Steamer has never known what to do with a pitcher as unusual as Rogers. Take a look at his Steamer projections (and his actual performance) over the last five seasons: Year Steamer ERA Steamer FIP Actual ERA Actual FIP 2026 3.99 4.02 1.77 3.35 2025 4.00 4.02 1.98 2.88 2024 4.30 4.33 2.82 3.56 2023 4.37 4.19 3.04 3.76 2022 4.50 4.41 3.57 3.44 Rogers is a submariner who baffles opposing hitters with the slowest fastball in the majors. He thrives without strikeouts in a way no one else can. As a result, his ERA is regularly much lower than his FIP, and both numbers are always better than Steamer projects them to be. In other words, here's my takeaway from Rogers' Steamer projections: ignore them. View the full article

As with any team coming off a disappointing season, the Kansas City Royals have conducted some self-examination and made structural changes. Now they aim to complement those moves by adding personnel who will work well with the new staff members, in hopes of fixing what ailed the Royals in 2026. President of baseball operations J.J. Picollo addressed a number of these issues at the General Manager Meetings. DiamondCentric's Matt Trueblood is in Las Vegas for the meetings, and here's what Picollo said and what it means for the Royals in this offseason and in 2027. Coaching Staff It is no secret that the Royals didn’t perform as expected offensively, although it wasn’t as bad as some might think. Various injuries and underperformance led to mixed results, culminating in a 69-93 record and last place in the AL Central. The Royals finished with the 16th-best OPS in MLB, which included the eighth-highest batting average, but were 22nd in runs. The Royals made a change in the hitting coaching group by reassigning Alec Zumwalt, who had been the hitting coach, to senior director of hitting performance, where he will have a systemwide impact. Hunter Mense was hired away from the San Francisco Giants to replace Zumwalt as hitting coach. Mense spent just one year with the Giants under Tony Vitello after being the assistant hitting coach for the Toronto Blue Jays since 2022. That also led to Connor Dawson being promoted to the new position of offensive coordinator after spending his first season with the Royals as a hitting coach alongside Zumwalt. “Hunter is one of the more well-respected hitting coaches in the game,” Picollo said. “We pursued him a little bit last year, and obviously, he got the job in San Francisco, but with our decision to have Alec return back to his position in the minor leagues, we just opened up a wide search. We asked the Giants for permission to speak to Hunter. He’s a Kansas City native. That’s not the reason why we went and hired him, but we hired him because he’s a good hitting coach, he’s got a great reputation. His interview was outstanding; his body of work was really good. So you put all those things together and it made a lot of sense to have him and Connor and Marcus (Thames, also a hitting coach) all working together.” Dawson, a Kansas product, came over from the Milwaukee Brewers last offseason. “Connor has a really unique way of talking about offense, as opposed to just hitting,” Picollo said. “It came through in his interview last year, where he was talking about the baserunning, the small ball, understanding how to score runs. We’ve had a hard time scoring runs over a lot of years. So while we talk about being a good baserunning team, being a good situational team, we haven’t performed to that level. So just the way Connor has talked about offense really appealed to us.” While right fielder Jac Caglianone made significant strides from 2025 to 2026 with a .289/.340/.494 (team-best .834 OPS), there were offensive disappointments for various reasons. Those included first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (.249/.333/.428), third baseman Maikel Garcia (.268/.334/.381) and left fielder Isaac Collins (.213/.320/.321). Maximizing Bobby Witt Jr. Bobby Witt Jr. will receive down-ballot AL MVP votes Thursday, but had things gone differently for the Royals this year, the shortstop would have been in the conversation to join George Brett as the club’s second MVP. Witt slashed .281/.359/.441 with 18 homers, 54 RBIs and 45 stolen bases. Witt finished seventh, second and fourth in MVP voting the last three years. Still, the ignitor of the offense didn’t get the support he needed to be a bigger disruptor offensively. Picollo knows the value of Witt and the need to make sure the offense takes advantage of his presence. Hence the coaching changes above. “We’re really fortunate as an organization, as a city, to have Bobby Witt Jr. in the Royals’ uniform and to have him for a lot of years,” Picollo said. “When you have a player like that who’s in his prime years, you want to do everything you can to capitalize on those years and put a good core around him, and win baseball games. “I mean, ultimately, that’s what you want to do when you have a star player. We thought we took some good steps in ’24, regressed a little bit over ’25 and certainly this year. But we think we still have some pieces in place, but it’s not to downplay the impact of any of the other players. They’re all important, but when you have a star like that, you know, you feel the need to compete every year, regardless of what you may have gone through the year before.” Banking On Maikel Garcia Garcia’s struggles were mainly due to a muscle injury to his left hand and wrist after he was hit by a line drive while playing third base. He also had a hamstring injury in mid-August after returning from a two-month absence with his hand ailment That limited the switch-hitter to just 82 games, a season after a .286/.351/.449 slash line with 16 homers, 74 RBIs and 23 steals and getting a five-year, $57.5 million contract extension. “He’s a dynamic player: great defense, he has the ability to get on base and impact the game with his legs,” Picollo said. “I think he continues to get better. (This) year was an injury bug, you know, a lot of it was his hand and, as a hitter, when your hand’s not functioning well, it’s a tough thing to do. We fully expect a big bounce back from him.” Fixing The Pitching The Royals had the fourth-worst team ERA at 4.77, with the rotation at 4.58 (sixth-worst) and the bullpen checking in with a 5.07 ERA, second-worst. It doesn’t help when you lose your ace midway through the season. Left-hander Cole Ragans had surgery on his left elbow in July and will be out until midseason 2027. Right-handers Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo return, while Tony Gonsolin will be ready to take on a bigger role after making a return for a final-week relief appearance. But Gonsolin has appeared in just eight games since having Tommy John surgery in 2023, then an internal brace procedure in August 2025. In addition to the rotation needing some work, the bullpen needs a serious upgrade. With two relievers getting the $23.15 million qualifying offer in right-hander David Bednar and left-hander Adrian Morejon. Would the Royals dip into those waters as a means to addressing their bullpen needs? “I couldn’t answer specifically that, but there’s plenty of depth on the reliever market right now and, really, we’re trying to approach it (as), ‘How do we put a bullpen together?’ You clearly want to get the most talented pitching that you could possibly get. But how does it blend with what you have right now? So we’re gonna try to acquire in different ways, but there’s no shortage of talent on that free-agent market.” Picollo is also confident that Gonsolin will be able to be a significant contributor in 2027. “I think for his own sake, it was good to compete at the major-league level and feel good going into the offseason,” Picollo said. “We saw signs of swing-and-miss, which was great. He’s kind of got, like, a split-change that really works well. His slider looked good, his velocity was good. It was encouraging.” Hitting The Market With the lockout looming in three weeks, Picollo knows the window is short to get deals done before whatever mad rush there is once the labor discord is resolved. Things around the league are already percolating and Picollo is ready for a busy period before Dec. 1 comes around, “I think we’re probably gonna see it speed up here in the next couple weeks,” Picollo said. “Who knows what’ll happen, but I think we can anticipate that. Just going back and looking historically, half of the free agents typically sign by Jan. 1 and half sign afterwards. You know, we’re potentially working with a shorter window. So we’re hopeful that things do start moving this month. ... “In some ways, it’s good to know that there is some sort of date that we gotta sort of operate a little bit quicker. So you want to be a little more aggressive in the month of November, and I think we’ve seen that with all clubs, from my understanding. But you’re not going to prep any different. We have to assume that Opening Day is going to be played on scheduled Opening Day because, if we don’t prepare that way, if there is no shortage of season or anything like that, you’re not ready to start the season. So we’re going to operate business as usual, just a little more urgency in November.” Scouting Adds Picollo made two significant adds to the scouting department. Dana LeVangie and Johnny Almaraz were added to the pro personnel department. LeVangie left the Boston Red Sox after three decades and has a wealth of experience as an advance scout, while Almaraz has been in the majors with the Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta, Philadelphia Phillies and, most recently, the Miami Marlins, where he heavily scouted the Royals. View the full article

We're less than three weeks from the (presumed) beginning of a lockout that will plunge the hot stove into an ice bath. Between now and then, the Chicago Cubs have their needs cut out for them. They need to replenish a rotation that's losing five starters from 2026; address the corner outfield due to the free agencies of Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ; and do more to fix the bullpen. The Cubs have routinely acted more like a mid-market team under Jed Hoyer, staying away from the top tier of free agents since their competitive window opened again. Apparently, the plan is to keep it that way. According to Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic, Chicago doesn't expect to be heavily involved in the bidding for free-agent ace Tarik Skubal. It feels regrettable that Jed Hoyer isn't doing due diligence by pushing for a meeting with Skubal. However, the Cubs are not a Tarik Skubal away from being a World Series favorite. They are not a Skubal away from dethroning the Brewers. Could the Cubs afford Skubal? If he costs $50 million a year, adding him would push the North Siders' payroll above $250 million for 2027. That's around what it was in 2026, but this would severely restrict their ability to improve other areas of the roster. Knowing how the front office operates, a Skubal signing would have them filling out the rest of their roster with cheap one-year deals and minor-league pacts. A Cubs team with Skubal would have a rotation of Skubal, a version of Justin Steele that hasn’t pitched in nearly two calendar years, Edward Cabrera, Ben Brown, and some mix of Javier Assad, Braxton Garrett, or some cheap free-agent depth addition. There’s upside there, but no sure thing (outside of Skubal). The bullpen construction would be the same as it has been, making their re-signing of Jacob Webb the “big” move. As for the outfield, Matt Shaw and his .640 OPS against righties would be the everyday right fielder, and Kevin Alcántara would be the default left fielder. He should get a longer look in the majors, but that's one shaky Plan A. They can hit the trade market to fill these holes, but they moved top organizational prospects Owen Caissie, Jefferson Rojas, and Moisés Ballesteros last season. Jaxon Wiggins’s medicals were enough to scare off the Angels in the failed Reid Detmers deal. That leaves teenager Josiah Hartshorn and catcher Owen Ayers atop a farm system that ranks near the bottom of the league. The point is, the Cubs are in quite a conundrum, and unless they're ready to behave like the Dodgers or Yankees, Skubal might not be the answer. There's too much else that needs to be done. So how should the Cubs pivot? For this exercise, let’s assume that not going all-in for Skubal saves them $50 million They need a starter (ok, two, or even three) and at least one dependable reliever. Outside of Skubal, the other top free-agent starters who have started Game 1 of a postseason series would be Freddy Peralta (30) and Michael King (31). Each hurler is likely to make more than $23 million per year, but no more than $30 million. There's no reason the Cubs shouldn't be all over these guys. A failure to land one of them would signify a loss in confidence in the current roster. There are other playoff-tested, veteran starters who would really help the Cubs’ staff, but these are the only two that can square up against anyone to start the series. The next-best free-agent starters are Sonny Gray, Nick Martinez, Clay Holmes, and Trevor Rogers. All four of these guys would fit well into the Cubs rotation, but they would each make more sense as the third option, and the Cubs don’t have the depth for that. Gray is 37, Martinez is 36, Holmes will be 34, and Rogers is injury-prone, which is a risk the Cubs can’t afford to take for a while. The interesting caveat here would be if the Cubs pivot to two of the guys from this category, instead of going after King or Peralta. They might be able to sign two of them for a total of $45 million a year. It would have to be Rogers or Gray and Martinez or Holmes, but those combos could still produce a deeper, stronger rotation. Below that group sit Foster Griffin, Casey Mize, Robbie Ray, and old friends Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, and Kevin Gausman. They're viable starters, but again, the Cubs' lack of internal depth means any of them would probably cost more and be asked to do more than befits them if they landed with Chicago. There’s one more pair of starters here who are interesting fits and would make a great pairing with Peralta or King: Tyler Mahle and Nick Pivetta. After sporting an unsightly 5.13 ERA with the Giants, Mahle turned his season around with the Braves, pitching to a 1.99 ERA in nine starts. He made two playoff starts, allowing only two earned runs in 13 1/3 innings. Peralta or King at the front end, with Mahle rounding out the rotation, would inspire enough confidence. Pivetta is the more obviously risky pivot option, as he missed four months with a right elbow flexor strain and made only eight starts on the season. Those eight starts were a continuation of his dominance from 2025, wherein he had a 2.87 ERA over 31 starts. In 2026, he had a 2.86 while striking out 42 in 34 2/3 innings. The Padres declined a club option for $14 million due to his injury concerns, but when healthy, he can be the most valuable lottery ticket in this free agency class. The Cubs need to avoid injuries to their rotation, but at the right price, he could fit, too. The last two guys worth mentioning are the two Asian imports making the jump: Kaima Tara and Hiromi Itoh. Both would surely love the chance to start, but they could also wind up in the bullpen. Tara, who was a dominant closer in 2025, transitioned to the rotation in NPB last season. Walks have been an issue, making a case for his status as a reliever. Itoh is more established as a workhorse, but would be a back-end option—strictly a depth play. The Cubs need to make a ton of moves to get this pitching staff close to where it needs to be. They'll need to exceed $50 million in 2027 spending to get there. With that being said, it isn’t surprising that Skubal isn’t in their cards. There are just too many holes on this roster to justify giving one guy that much money. The best way they can spend it is to spread what they have around a bit more than that. View the full article

At the beginning of last winter, Connor Prielipp's future with the Twins was still an open question. After years of elbow injuries and an extremely limited professional workload, Minnesota's front office was considering whether his best path to helping the big-league club might be in the bullpen. His electric stuff could play in shorter outings, and a relief role might better protect an arm that had already undergone two significant elbow procedures. Prielipp entered the offseason hoping to remain a starter. Rather than moving him into the bullpen, the organization gave him another opportunity to develop his arsenal. One important addition came in January, when he began incorporating a new curveball. That decision became one of the most encouraging developments of Minnesota's season. Prielipp finished 2026 with 144 1/3 innings between the major leagues and Triple-A, surpassing his total from the previous six years. At the big-league level, he made 24 appearances, including 22 starts, and posted a 4.87 ERA with an 87 ERA+. He struck out 128 hitters (23.9 K%) across 125 2/3 innings in the majors, while recording a 1.29 WHIP. Those numbers tell part of the story, but his development as a starting pitcher might be even more important. The curveball gave him another weapon to complement his existing repertoire. Major-league hitters managed only a .198 batting average against the pitch, and it generated 48 of his strikeouts, more than any other offering. By the end of the season, the Twins were no longer simply trying to find a way to get Prielipp's talent onto a major league roster. They were watching him establish himself as a starter. Balancing Development and Workload There was still a significant question surrounding how much the Twins could ask from Prielipp. He entered 2026 coming off a career-high 82⅔ innings in 2025. With his injury history, Minnesota needed to be careful about increasing that workload too quickly. August provided another reason for the organization to monitor his progress. Prielipp made five appearances and covered 26 ⅔ innings, but he struggled to a 7.90 ERA. He allowed 31 hits and 13 walks. A particularly difficult outing against Philadelphia resulted in eight runs allowed over five innings. The workload conversation was happening throughout the season. Earlier discussions had centered on whether Minnesota might eventually shut him down after reaching approximately 100 innings. That would have represented a cautious increase from his previous career high. Instead, the Twins continued to evaluate his progress and adjust his schedule. When possible, they stretched the rotation to give him extra rest between appearances. Prielipp responded with one of his best stretches of the season in September. He covered another 26 2/3 innings and posted a 2.40 ERA, striking out 22 hitters while walking only five. Opponents hit just .194 against him during the month. Minnesota also used him in a pair of bulk-relief appearances early in September as the club worked through its rotation options and managed his workload. He returned to the starting role and had arguably his best start of the season with a seven-inning, two-hit shutout performance against the Angels on September 18. When reporters asked whether the organization had changed its plans after seeing Prielipp improve late in the season, Twins GM Jeremy Zoll highlighted just how much he had accomplished. “I thought that was one of the better stories of our year," Zoll said. "He added a curveball in January and pitched a whole season as a starter.” The response also acknowledged that both accomplishments seemed uncertain when the season began. Prielipp deserved considerable credit for making them happen. His workload remained an ongoing discussion, though. Rather than establish one specific innings limit, the organization monitored his medical information, training and conditioning, and biomechanical reports. The goal was to recognize potential warning signs and adjust if necessary. “If yellow lights start to pop up late in the year, then respond to that,” Zoll explained. They were prepared to take a different approach if needed, but Prielipp continued progressing. What It Means for the 2027 Rotation The Twins now appear much closer to treating Prielipp as a traditional starting pitcher. When reporters asked whether the team planned to turn him loose more next season, Zoll indicated that his thinking had shifted. “Off the cuff, I feel like we're a lot closer to treating him as a traditional starter," he said. That doesn't mean Minnesota expects Prielipp to take every turn in the rotation for the entire season. The organization still believes additional recovery time will be important. “Still feels like someone [for whom] baking in the extra days is going to be valuable, just because I don't think he should pitch on four days' rest 32 times,” Zoll said. The Twins will have several starting pitching options entering 2027. Joe Ryan, Pablo López, Taj Bradley, Bailey Ober, Dean Kremer, Zebby Matthews, and Mick Abel give the organization plenty of competition alongside Prielipp—although that assumes they all stay in place throughout the offseason. His emergence adds another legitimate option, even if the front office eventually makes a trade to address another roster need. More importantly, Prielipp no longer profiles as a pitcher whose future might be better served by moving to the bullpen. He demonstrated that he can handle a full season as a starter, and his September performance offered a glimpse of what he could become with another offseason of development. Minnesota still needs to be thoughtful about his workload. However, the organization has a much better foundation for planning his future than it did a year ago. Prielipp went from a pitcher whose starting future was uncertain to someone the Twins can reasonably envision taking the ball every fifth or sixth day. That's a significant change in just one season, and it could become an important development for Minnesota's rotation in 2027. What stands out about Prielipp’s 2026 performance? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

On Wednesday night, the Baseball Writers' Association of America revealed the recipients of their very first Reliever of the Year Awards. Mason Miller of the Padres claimed the prize in the National League, while the Blue Jays' own Louis Varland was the American League winner. Varland narrowly beat Cade Smith of the Guardians, with 146 vote points to Smith's 133. Funnily enough, Smith was named on more ballots (he was the only pitcher named on all 30), but Varland received 16 first-place votes to Smith's seven. In total, Varland was named on 27 ballots, with four second-place votes, five third-place votes, one fourth-place vote, and one fifth-place vote. To call this honour well-deserved would be an understatement. Varland pitched to a 1.27 ERA and 3.1 fWAR in 78 innings. He saved 35 games in 37 chances, and he added five holds before he secured the full-time closer's role. The 28-year-old was dominant in every way, slicing up lefties and righties alike and prevailing in even the highest-leverage spots. He racked up strikeouts, prevented hard contact, and generated groundballs at equally impressive rates. It was hard to believe he was closing for the first time in his career. Smith gave Varland a run for his money, leading AL relievers in saves, strikeouts, and Win Probability Added. Yet, Varland's ERA was two-thirds of a run lower, and he outperformed Smith in both fWAR and bWAR. Bryan Baker of the Rays, who finished third, also put up a heck of a fight. He tied Smith for the lead in saves and finished close to Varland in ERA. However, he threw significantly fewer innings than Varland or Smith, and his underlying metrics weren't as dominant. Nonetheless, he did beat both of them out for the Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year (an older, separate award for relief pitchers). Astros closer Josh Hader was the fourth and final pitcher to receive a first-place vote from the BBWAA. The six-time All-Star produced a remarkable 1.01 ERA in 2026, but he only threw 44.2 innings – 33.1 fewer than Varland. Further down the ballot, Blue Jays setup man Tyler Rogers received a fourth-place vote, while rookie Spencer Miles garnered a couple of fifth-place votes. It was a pleasant surprise to see both of them rewarded for their excellent seasons. Rogers pitched to a 1.77 ERA with 33 holds in 74 games. Miles thrived in just about every role possible, putting up a 2.73 ERA in 95.2 innings of work. In other awards news from last night, Dylan Cease was announced as the runner-up for the AL Cy Young. Unsurprisingly, the Yankees' Cam Schlittler was the unanimous choice. Cease finished in second (for the second time in his career), earning 22 second-place votes, six third-place votes, and two fourth-place votes. He is the fourth pitcher in Blue Jays history to finish as a Cy Young runner-up. Varland and Cease were also named to the All-MLB First Team. View the full article

One of the biggest reasons why the Boston Red Sox were able to recover from their dreadful start to the season was the strength of their bullpen, which remained consistent throughout the campaign. The Red Sox's relief corps finished the year leading the majors in xFIP with 3.78 and ranked second in fWAR with 8.9, but what made the big difference was their ability to bounce back time and time again. The challenge was more complicated than it seems, as the team finished the season with the highest number of games in which the pitching staff received 0-2 runs of support. There were 52 games that fit that description, the highest number in any season of this decade for the franchise. In 2026, the Red Sox finished with a 3-32 record when the team was unable to score more than two runs, leaving the average for these last five seasons at 30.2% in games of that type. The challenge Boston has had to face with this trend of stretches in which the offense seems to disappear and the pitching staff has to carry the greatest weight of the responsibilities is clear. This is one of the reasons why I still believe the Red Sox should continue thinking about strengthening their bullpen even further, adding a couple of arms capable of providing depth and durability. The Red Sox concentrated the largest workload of its relief innings in four arms who combined to pitch 58% of the bullpen’s innings, led by Garrett Whitlock and Aroldis Chapman. However, there was only one pitcher who demonstrated the ability to work with just one day of rest in more than a third of his appearances. That reliever was Greg Weissert, who made 25 of his 63 appearances with just one day of rest and finished with a 3.51 ERA in those games. Whitlock (17 relief appearances) and Chapman (15) were much more effective in those outings, recording ERAs of 0.53 and 0.60, respectively, but they weren't relied on heavily with limited or no rest. Thus, adding another reliever like right-hander Jonathan Loáisiga, with the ability to offer stability and durability, could be a great help to the bullpen. Loáisiga, 32, pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2026, but he knows the American League East Division well, as he spent the first eight years of his career as a reliever for the New York Yankees. By the way, during that span, Loáisiga pitched to a 2.17 ERA in 23 relief appearances against the Red Sox and recorded his best K/BB (6.00) against any division opponent. He also has a 1.16 ERA in 21 relief appearances against the Tampa Bay Rays, which contributed to his finishing with a 9-5 record and a 2.85 ERA in 85 appearances against AL East rivals. Loáisiga posted a strong season in 2026, pitching to a 3.53 xFIP in 67 innings, his best mark since 2021, when he accumulated 2.4 fWAR in what could be considered the best season of his career with New York. It is true that his strikeout rates have declined and he just finished in the 22nd percentile in K%, but that has never been Loáisiga’s style; he is not the typical pitcher who survives thanks to whiffs, but he is still capable of limiting hard contact, generating ground balls, and making hitters chase outside the zone. After overcoming a right elbow ulnar collateral ligament injury that took him out of action last year, Loáisiga improved his average fastball velocity from 96.7 to 97.6 mph, but much of the credit belongs to his command and the movement of his pitches. Loáisiga is projected by Steamer to accumulate a 3.67 xFIP in 2027, a mark that is in the range of this year’s 3.53. In addition, an improvement in his strikeout rate is expected, although he is projected to issue more walks and see his ground-ball rate decline a little. After his comeback season, Loáisiga is likely to be open to hearing multi-year proposals, with most outlets projecting him to earn an AAV around $7 million. Among all the relievers available on the free-agent market, Loáisiga could be a useful piece for teams like the Red Sox, as he has the ability to handle large workloads, with a profile very similar to Weissert’s. He demonstrated it by making 20 relief appearances with just one day of rest in 2026, pitching to a 1.86 ERA in those games. View the full article

Rumor has it the Miami Marlins are in the market for veteran starting pitching. Now, if that sounds awfully familiar to anyone reading this, it should. Miami has been here before in recent offseasons. With Chris Paddack. With Cal Quantrill. With Johnny Cueto. With Wei-Yin Chen and Dan Straily. Just about every time the Marlins have tried to bet on a pitcher in free agency or trade for one with the intention of helping the team in the short term, the results have been less than wanting. You have to go back well over a decade to the likes of Javier Vazquez in 2011 and Mark Buerhle in 2012 for clear, unequivocal wins on this front. Understandably, it's only bringing in veteran talent to fill out the rotation that has been the problem. Finding and developing rookies? Not so much. Getting good arms in exchange for blowing up a roster? Chef's kisses for multiple GMs in club history. From Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez on down, it's been a ridiculously good century of the Marlins producing young aces. It's the back of the rotation that has been the issue. Part of Miami's problem here has been too much bargain-bin shopping for the most important asset in baseball. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. The Marlins have undoubtedly had some sickeningly bad luck on a few of these moves, with way too much falling off a cliff and not enough gradual regression. However, I think it's also fair to say that the upside has just been severely wanting. Far too many of these moves have been strictly for innings eaters who might achieve a sub-4.00 ERA. The downside is what you just saw last year with Paddack: somebody who's no longer MLB-caliber in any role (although North America's loss is Asia's gain). Which brings us to Kris Bubic , the man who—pending a physical—the Marlins should pounce on as soon as possible. Why? Because the only thing really scary about him is health. Bubic has pitched like one of the better pitchers in baseball as recently as 2026. In 2025, he was an All-Star. He won't turn 30 until August, and for four straight seasons has been good whenever he's been on the mound. He gets strikeouts. He keeps the ball on the ground. He's stingy with the walks. In other words, this is not another Paddack or Tim Anderson signing, where you cross your fingers hoping an aging player turns it on one more time. He's good right now. Really, there's nothing not to like. Except for the fact that his arm could fall off at any moment. Granted, that's a valid concern. There's a reason he barely cracks the MLB Trade Rumors Top 50 free agents. The thing is though, the arm might not fall off. At the very least, it might stay on until Robby Snelling and Thomas White are ready. In which case, the Marlins would be getting an All-Star pitcher for a price they could easily afford. That same MLBTR prediction piece only has him projected for a one-year deal, two at the most, making slightly less money annually than they just paid Pete Fairbanks. Essentially, a prove-it deal. Sounds perfect. If it works out? The club has added a borderline ace. Again, he's been that for two seasons now, and a good reliever before that. If it doesn't? The team can at least claim to have spent some real money once again on a free agent—something that is always of value for the Marlins from a PR standpoint. Not to mention having made an aggressive, win-now move. It's a win no matter what for Miami. View the full article

Ryan Jeffers appears ready to test his value on the open market. After receiving a one-year, $23.15 million qualifying offer from the Minnesota Twins, the veteran catcher reportedly plans to decline the offer and enter free agency. A source told Bobby Nightengale Jr. of the Minnesota Star Tribune that Jeffers intends to turn down the qualifying offer. This decision allows him to explore a potentially lucrative multiyear contract while giving Minnesota an opportunity to receive draft pick compensation if he signs with another organization. This was the most likely outcome when the Twins extended the qualifying offer earlier this month. Jeffers has established himself as one of the better offensive catchers in baseball, and the limited number of quality options at the position should help his market. Accepting a one-year deal worth $23.15 million would have been a significant payday, but his performance could make a multiyear commitment more appealing. Jeffers Is One of the Top Free Agents Available Diamond Centric ranks Jeffers as the 10th-best overall free agent entering the offseason. That ranking highlights how unusual his offensive production is for a player at his position. Ed Hand offered the following assessment of the Twins catcher: “Easily the best catcher available, Jeffers has hit with solid but unspectacular consistency. Though defensively mediocre, he’s a catcher, which makes his offensive prowess that much more significant. He slashed an impressive .256/.353/.461 with 14 home runs, 56 RBI, 46 BB/66 K. Unfortunately, he was limited to just 369 PA after a fractured hamate bone caused him to miss nearly two months.” Jeffers produced those numbers despite missing nearly two months with a fractured hamate bone. His .814 OPS demonstrated the type of offensive contribution teams covet from the catching position. He also showed an improved ability to get on base, drawing 46 walks compared to 66 strikeouts. There are defensive limitations to consider, and his injury history will likely factor into contract negotiations. However, teams searching for offensive upgrades behind the plate won't find many comparable options in this year's free-agent class. That scarcity could work in Jeffers' favor as negotiations develop. Twins Still Interested in a Reunion Although Jeffers appears headed for free agency, that doesn't mean his time in Minnesota is necessarily over. General manager Jeremy Zoll told reporters at the General Managers Meetings that the Twins are interested in working out a long-term agreement with their catcher. That interest is important because Minnesota has several decisions to make regarding its roster construction this winter. The organization needs to improve its pitching staff, but finding a reliable offensive catcher is another important piece of the puzzle. The Twins could use the qualifying offer to secure draft compensation if Jeffers signs elsewhere. However, losing his production would create another hole for an organization already looking to rebuild portions of its roster. Minnesota also has to consider the financial commitment required to retain him. Jeffers' ranking among the top free agents suggests he could command a substantial multiyear contract. The Twins must decide whether his offensive production and importance to the roster justify that investment. Jeffers declining the qualifying offer is not necessarily the end of his Minnesota tenure. Both sides appear to have some interest in continuing the relationship, but the financial terms will ultimately determine whether a reunion makes sense. For now, Jeffers is expected to explore his options, and the Twins will have to compete with the rest of the league to keep one of their most productive offensive players. View the full article

With MLB filled with dominant relievers, there was one who stood out among all bullpen arms. Mason Miller. The San Diego Padres' right-handed closer was the unanimous winner Wednesday of the inaugural NL Reliever of the Year, a new award from the Baseball Writers Association of America. Miller not only received all 30 first-place votes, he was the only NL reliever to be on every ballot. On the AL side, runner-up Cade Smith of the Cleveland Guardians was the only player from the junior circuit on all 30. Winner Louis Varland of the Toronto Blue Jays, though, had 16 first-place votes to Smith's seven while not being listed on three ballots. Philadelphia Phillies right-handed closer Jhoan Duran finished second with 24 second-place votes and 110 points, 100 points behind Miller. Padres left-handed setup man Adrian Morejon was fourth in balloting, receiving four second-place votes, while Milwaukee Brewers right-handed closer Trevor Megill was third. Miller finished sixth in voting for the NL Cy Young Award, also given out Wednesday, earning four fifth-place votes. Brewers right-handed starter Jacob Misiorowski was the unanimous winner. As the Reliever of the Year results indicated, Miller was clearly a cut above the rest of MLB relievers. An All-Star for the third time, Miller converted 38 of 41 save opportunities, both career highs, with a career-best 1.17 FIP (1.67 ERA), a walk rate of 9.6% and a strikeout rate of 47.4%. His 66 appearances and 70 innings pitched were career highs. Miller led all MLB relievers with 518 pitches clocked at 100 mph or better. Those were also more than the second-place team bullpen, which was 465 (Los Angeles Dodgers). View the full article

Before we had hard-and-fast measurements of velocity or movement (let alone spin rate, extension or vertical approach angle), when a pitcher was really, really on, they would say he had an extra yard on his fastball. Lindsey Nelson, Ralph Kiner and Bob Murphy used to talk about it while calling Tom Seaver's best games. Vin Scully referred to it when describing Sandy Koufax. It wasn't just a hard fastball. These were the heaters that would jump over the bat, leaving the batter wondering either why they had swung or by what magic they might ever hit it, even if it was right down the middle—but especially when it was chest-high, which it always seemed to be. We know better now. Jacob Misiorowski's fastball doesn't have an extra yard on it; it has two. That makes it, literally, unfathomable—and until he started doing what he started doing this spring, that's exactly what his campaign of high heat was, even to those who had seen the best of Aroldis Chapman and Randy Johnson. Misiorowski isn't The Unicorn—that's Shohei Ohtani, even if Misiorowski helped the Brewers slay the beast with a sweep of the Dodgers in the NLCS. He might just be baseball's centaur, though: a myth cantering right into reality, on legs that look like they belong to some creature other than itself. He'll have to wait for any official recognition of folktale status, but on Wednesday, he received affirmation of what everyone already knew: he was the best pitcher in the world in 2026. The only two pitchers in the pitch-tracking era who have induced whiffs on a higher percentage of their four-seam fastballs than Misiorowski (40.2%) did in 2026 were relievers: Aroldis Chapman in 2014 and 2015, and Chad Green in 2017. Counting the postseason, he reared back and flung that fastball 1,904 times, and only surrendered eight home runs. If that had been all he did well, it might have been enough. They say big-league hitters can time a speeding bullet, if they know it's coming, but they hardly ever caught up to Misiorowski's heat. For good measure, he got more comfortable differentiating his slider and cutter from one another. When his mechanics got out of sync and he faced the threat of a lapse in control, the cutter allowed him to get back on track. When hitters were sitting on the fastball but he had them in swing mode, his curveball got the whiffs he needed. He was slightly less dominant in October, but no less effective. The league didn't figure him out or catch up to him; that was the most terrifying and exhilarating thing. Misiorowski's campaign will go down in history, as much for the sensation of watching him—of seeing a pitcher dominate more thoroughly and more simply over a full workload than anyone in recent memory—as for the stats he put up, but the stats were excellent, too. Under the pre-arbitration bonus pool, Misiorowski receives a $2.5-million bonus to go with the award. More importantly, this is the final validation of his brilliance for this year. The Brewers will simply hope he can return to this level in 2027. Surely, there's no level left to which he could climb from here. Right? View the full article

The General Manager Meetings are currently happening in Las Vegas, and DiamondCentric's Matt Trueblood was able to get some quotes from AJ Preller, the Padres' President of Baseball Operations. The San Diego Padres experimented with Fernando Tatis Jr. at second base in 2026 due more to necessity than need. In 2027, however, seeing Tatis at second base instead of right field will be more planned if it does unfold regularly. “I think (that is) something we’re still kind of working through and a little bit depending on what the roster looks like,” Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller said at the General Managers Meeting in Las Vegas. “I think we'll get more into that over the next couple weeks, and it really just depends on how we fill out the roster. We'll be really clear with Fernando and other players on the team, ‘Hey, it's gonna be a hybrid,’ (or)
’It's gonna be right field. What does this all look like?’ So he can prepare and be ready for the season as best as possible.” Tatis, who moved off of shortstop due to a left shoulder injury that required surgery in 2022, has expressed his fondness of playing second base, which currently has Jake Cronenworth atop the depth chart. Tatis is the more dynamic player who showed his defensive prowess at second on several occasions—also a few spots of infield rust—which could mean Cronenworth takes a platoon role at first base or is traded. But as Preller said, it is too early to make a definitive decision at this stage of the offseason when more moves will impact how the roster looks entering spring training. Still, Tatis’ versatility and willingness to play second has opened avenues that the Padres may not have seen in previous offseasons. “I think having guys that can move around the field and that we have, you know, both infield, outfield—that's helpful, for sure,” Preller said. “For Fernando, we've seen him be (a) Platinum Glove right fielder, and last year, he was very productive when he played second base, both offensively and defensively.
So, yeah, it helps. I think, again, having versatile players that are super-talented, that's never a bad thing. And I think with Tati, it gives us at least the ability to have more conversations with different players about different opportunities than just having somebody locked into a single spot.” Already in the market for a left fielder, acquiring two corner outfielders would push Tatis to second base, while bringing in someone to play second would keep him in right. Seeking Skubal The Padres are one of six teams that have a meeting with superstar left-hander Tark Skubal, the top free agent available this offseason, and agent Scott Boras next week in SoCal. Boras also represents other Padres possibilities in former Friars right-hander Nick Martinez and Japanese right-hander Kaima Taira. Preller and Boras had a face-to-face meeting Tuesday to discuss the 29-year-old Skubal, who won the AL Cy Young Award with the Detroit Tigers in 2024 and 2025. Skubal would be a monumental signing for the Padres and help form the rest of the starting rotation, which is basically starting from scratch entering the offseason. Skubal will be commanding a record salary for a pitcher with an average annual value of at least $45 million, which would be a big financial commitment by the Padres’ new owners, Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones. https://padresmission.com/san-diego-padres-news/padres/winning-over-tarik-skubal-would-have-massive-domino-effect-for-padres-offseason-r3713/ Right-hander Randy Vasquez is the only returning starter from the 2026 rotation, with right-hander Joe Musgrove, who has pitched three postseason innings in two years due to Tommy John surgery and left-hander JP Sears as other options. Right-hander Yu Darvish, about a year removed from an internal brace procedure, has been throwing bullpens, but he is also 40 years old and can’t be counted on at the moment, especially with retirement a possibility. The Padres did already add a pitcher to their staff in right-hander Ryan Weiss, who had a rough season in 2026 with the Houston Astos. Budget Flexibility The big question under Feliciano and Jones’ ownership, still less than three months old, was how much of a financial commitment they would make this offseason. Considering the Padres are a legitimate contender for Skubal, you can figure they are willing to keep up with their “all in” mantra. Preller said there is not a hard target for a player payroll for 2027. Instead, there appears to be the willingness to go big for the right player(s). “We've talked about different concepts and players that are available and kind of what it looks like, but we haven't said, ‘Hey, this is the hard and fast number right now,’” Preller said. “What we are committing to is, we're gonna put a team on the field that'll be competitive. And that's not at a certain number or level. That really is more player-specific. That's what this week is for: to really start to line up on what trades are possible. and then where free agents are and who we start to line up a little more with. “Right now, we've got a big wish list and that starts getting narrowed down this week. When we get there, then the next step is with Jose, Kwanza, Eric (Greupner), myself, Josh (Stein, the assistant general manager), sitting down and being like, ‘OK, these are different payroll levels that we go to.’ Jose and Kwanza are open to having those conversations, and open to what that means from a different dollar amount and different contract commitments, and hopefully make some good decisions.” Going Prospecting Preller is a big fan of exploring the Japanese market for players and, in addition to three prominent players who have been posted by their Nippon Professional Baseball teams, there is an 18-year-old who is technically an international free agent and is looking to bypass the traditional route taken by players from that country. That is Shoki Oda, a right-hander who announced last month he was coming to the U.S. in one fashion or another. Oda, projected to be a first-round pick in the NPB Draft, stood out at the prestigious Summer Koshien high school tournament this year and clocked a tournament-record 97.6 mph fastball in the semifinal game for Yokohama. Oda could also choose to pursue going to a U.S. college, a route taken by slugging first baseman Rintaro Sasaki, who went to Stanford and then was chosen in the eighth round of the 2026 MLB Draft by the Miami Marlins. “We've always ... looked at the possibility of Japanese amateur players coming to the States, and we’ve seen in years past, there have been, obviously, players that have said they wanted to do it,” Preller said. “We've been involved in the recruitment of the players that wanted to do it. I think it's exciting, but ultimately, you just want guys to make the best decisions based on different options that they have in front of them. So I think we'd be supportive if a Japanese high school pitcher decides he wants to come to the States.” There is another month left in the international signing period before a month off and the scheduled beginning of the 2027 session, although that could be put on hold due to the collective-bargaining agreement negotiations as an international draft is on the table. The Replacements The Padres lost bullpen coach Ben Fritz and A.J. Ellis, special assistant to the major-league staff and baseball operations, to better roles with other teams. Fritz, who lives in the Phoenix area, is now the pitching coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks, while Ellis joined manager Andy Green’s staff with the New York Mets as a major-league strategy coordinator. Those moves came in the last two weeks, and Preller said the Padres are still in the process of figuring out candidates and how they might fit into manager Craig Stammen’s staff for his second season. Preller said Fritz’s replacement could have an elevated title, which would not be a threat to current and well-respected pitching coach Ruben Niebla, who also holds the title of associate manager. Internal candidates include Peter Summerville, Chris Apecechea and Mike Borzello. View the full article

This winter, the Minnesota Twins need to address their roster, evaluate their financial commitments and determine how quickly their young players can contribute. Before tackling those decisions, the front office also needs to get a better picture of the health of several important players. Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll provided some answers Tuesday during a media session at the annual General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas. He discussed the recovery progress of seven players, including some encouraging developments involving the team's top contributors. While most of the news pointed toward players being available for spring training, Trevor Larnach's situation took an unexpected turn. Here's a closer look at what Minnesota learned about its injured players. Larnach Faces Wrist Procedure The biggest surprise involved Larnach, who will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left wrist Friday, November 13. The outfielder dealt with the wrist problem late in the 2026 season, eventually landing on the injured list. The hope was that he could avoid surgery and work through the issue during the offseason. Unfortunately, symptoms returned when he started increasing his offseason activity. The procedure will allow doctors to address the lingering problem, and the Twins do not anticipate it creating a significant setback. Zoll indicated that Larnach should still be ready for the beginning of spring training and the 2027 regular season. Minnesota needs Larnach to remain a productive part of its outfield plans, barring a trade (which becomes less likely, in light of this news). Getting the wrist completely healthy is an important first step toward making that happen. Buxton and Jenkins Target Spring Training Two of the organization's most important position players also appear to be on schedule. Byron Buxton is recovering from surgery to address a right hip impingement. The injury bothered him throughout much of the 2026 campaign, particularly during the second half. Zoll reported that Buxton is feeling great and has not experienced any problems with his recovery. Buxton is gradually returning to a normal offseason lower-body workout routine. His next important checkpoint comes December 21, when he is scheduled for a follow-up examination with his doctors. Following that appointment, the hope is that he will receive clearance to resume baseball activities. At the time of his surgery, there were some timelines that pointed to Buxton potentially missing Opening Day. However, the potential lockout impacts all of these injury returns. Minnesota has every reason to be cautious with Buxton's workload. His ability to remain on the field could have an enormous impact on the team's 2027 outlook, especially given his importance to the lineup and center-field defense. Walker Jenkins is another player who appears positioned to participate fully when spring training begins. The highly regarded outfielder underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow approximately six weeks ago. The procedure was intended to address recurring discomfort that had bothered Jenkins for an extended period. Zoll described his recovery as progressing well and expects him to be a full participant when the Twins report to camp. Jenkins remains a major part of Minnesota's long-term plans. Getting him healthy and comfortable heading into his first full big-league season should be a priority for the organization. Positive Developments for the Starting Pitching Staff Pablo López remains one of the most important players to monitor as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander is approaching another significant milestone in his rehabilitation. López is nearly finished with the long-toss and flat-ground portions of his throwing progression. He is expected to begin throwing off a mound next week, with his first bullpen session potentially coming around November 20. Zoll indicated that López remains on the schedule established for his recovery. The current expectation is that he will be ready for the beginning of the 2027 season. That would be a major development for a Minnesota rotation that missed López for the entire 2026 campaign. His return would give the Twins an experienced arm at the top of the rotation, although the organization will need to be careful with his workload. Zebby Matthews also received encouraging news. After finishing the season with an elbow strain, the young right-hander received a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection. His recovery has progressed well, and he could resume throwing within the next week or two. Matthews should be able to follow a relatively normal offseason schedule, with his more structured buildup toward the upcoming season beginning around January 1. Getting him through a healthy spring would give Minnesota another potential rotation option. Bullpen Arms Making Progress The Twins also received favorable reports on two relievers who missed significant portions of the 2026 season. Cole Sands has experienced no complications following his late-season elbow procedure. His recovery has gone according to plan, and Zoll indicated that the right-hander should be able to complete a normal offseason training program without restrictions. Sands has plenty of work to make up for, after elbow problems cost him nearly the entire season. Having a healthy offseason would put him in a much better position to compete for a bullpen role when camp opens. Jeff Hoffman is also progressing toward a return. The veteran reliever underwent a procedure on his right elbow approximately two weeks before Zoll's media availability. His recovery is moving in the right direction, and the Twins expect him to be available for Spring Training. Hoffman is currently projected to begin throwing off a mound around the middle of January. That gives him several weeks to build up his arm before the regular season begins. Minnesota's bullpen struggled throughout much of 2026, making a healthy Hoffman an important piece of the projected relief corps. The Twins will need more reliable innings from their bullpen next season, and getting Hoffman back would help address that need. Looking Ahead Overall, the Twins received more encouraging injury news than unexpected setbacks. López is approaching mound work, Buxton is progressing toward baseball activities, and Jenkins appears likely to be ready for Spring Training. Minnesota also expects Hoffman, Sands, and Matthews to have opportunities to build toward the upcoming season without major restrictions. Larnach's wrist surgery was the one unexpected development, but the organization does not believe it will affect his availability for the 2027 campaign. There are still several months between these updates and Opening Day. Injuries can create unexpected complications, and the Twins will need to monitor each player's progress throughout the winter. However, Zoll's latest comments provide some optimism that Minnesota could enter Spring Training with several important pieces returning to the field. After a season in which injuries impacted nearly every part of the roster, getting some of these players back could be just as important as adding outside talent this offseason. What stands out about the injury updates? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

The Boston Red Sox don’t necessarily need to add big names to their rotation this offseason, but that doesn’t mean that there isn't room for upgrades. The group already has an incredibly strong point as currently constructed with Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suarez, Payton Tolle, Jake Bennett, Brayan Bello, Tanner Houck, and even Kutter Crawford all looking to make an impact next season, but there is one name on the free-agent market that makes a lot of sense to add to this starting rotation that could fill a Sonny Gray-shaped hole in a way that Bello and company could not. Yes, Clay Holmes is the perfect starter that the Red Sox need to target this offseason. Holmes didn’t have the healthiest year in 2026, and his numbers aren’t the most spectacular, but under the hood there is a lot to like. While pitching for both the Mets and Cubs last season, the right-hander tossed 101.1 innings over 18 games started, working a 6-8 record with 78 strikeouts, 42 walks, a 3.29 ERA, 18.6 K%, 10 BB%, and a 1.8 fWAR. What’s most astonishing though, and the thing the Red Sox likely love more than anything else about Holmes, is that his groundball rate came in at an amazing 60.7%. President of baseball operations Craig Breslow has said from the day he was hired that the Red Sox are built on pitching and defense. Holmes' propensity for keeping the ball on the ground and in the yard would make him a perfect fit for that philosophy. His pitch mix plays into the Red Sox’s defensive strength. He’s a sinker-baller that averages 93.1 MPH on his primary pitch. He also mixes in a sweeper, change up, cutter, curveball, and a four-seam fastball that comes in just a tick lower than his sinker. He’s not going to blow you away by any means, but he is able to induce weak contact that allows the defense behind him to play up to their potential. To best appreciate what Holmes can bring to the Red Sox, we need to look at contact metrics. For his career, he’s averaged a 0.4° launch angle and his career average exit velocity sits at 89.1 MPH. He only allows a 4.9% barrel rate and the type of contact against him is heavily weighted at 48.4% topped. That's a pitcher who won't be intimidated by the convoluted outfield dimensions of Fenway Park, and it doesn’t hurt that he would also add a right-handed slant to a lefty-heavy rotation. Clay Holmes isn’t the flashiest addition the Red Sox could add this offseason, but his profile proves that he would be incredibly useful in Boston as both a veteran leader and a pitcher who offers something besides a “Three-Headed Monster of Hard” pitch mix that both Crochet and Tolle are fond of using. It remains to be seen if the market for Holmes will price out the Red Sox, who, to reiterate, do not have to add starting rotation help for 2027. If he remains relatively affordable, this is a partnership that would pay tremendous dividends for both sides. View the full article