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I have already shared my thoughts on Rule 5 draft-eligible Miami Marlins players Joe Mack, Josh White and William Kempner. Everybody else who is eligible has been listed below, grouped by whichever minor league affiliate's roster they're currently assigned to. It would be surprising if the Marlins devoted 40-man roster spots to protect any of them from the draft's major league phase. However, a lot of these names will be placed on the organization's Triple-A reserve list to prevent them from being poached in the minor league phase. Triple-A roster INF/OF Jacob Berry—You would be hard-pressed to identify a more inconsistent MiLB player than Jacob Berry. He perennially performs like one of his league's worst hitters during the months of April and May, only to find his form after that. There's still a shred of hope for the $6 million man offensively, but being truly positionless on defense will deter any team from seriously considering him in the Rule 5. INF/C Bennett Hostetler—A full-time shortstop at North Dakota State, Hostetler began converting to catcher soon after the Marlins drafted him in 2021. The 28-year-old has enjoyed some impressive hot stretches with the bat as a pro, but he rode the Jumbo Shrimp bench this season, slashing .179/.325/.221 in just 36 games. 1B Nathan Martorella—Martorella's production as a member of the Marlins org is somewhat misleading. None of their other farmhands (min. 400 PA) have suffered from a lower batting average on balls in play. RHP Zach McCambley—McCambley's 2025 campaign was the best of his professional career. He struck out 41.1% of all right-handed batters faced. The Marlins initially tried developing him as a starter, but he's been working out of the bullpen for the last three seasons. LHP Patrick Monteverde—Having turned 28 in September, Monteverde is the oldest non-40-man player currently in the Marlins organization. He's also the only Rule 5-eligible guy with MLB experience, though that experience consists of a single mop-up appearance. INF Cody Morissette—The Marlins were projecting much better on-base skills from Morissette when selecting him in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft. A career .291 OBP as a pro won't cut it when you only play second base and third base. OF Andrew Pintar—Both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline described whether or not to protect Pintar as the toughest decision facing the Marlins on Tuesday. Perhaps the front office has a bias toward him because he was acquired so recently (July 2024), but between his injuries this season and the low likelihood of him becoming a serviceable hitter in the majors, I'd leave him off the 40-man without losing any sleep over it. Good glove in center field, though. RHP Matt Pushard—A former undrafted free agent out of Maine, Pushard finished 2025 on a high note by tossing 11 ⅓ consecutive scoreless innings in September (regular season and postseason combined). When things go poorly for him on the mound, they tend to snowball, but his overall MiLB track record has been solid. With average fastball velocity for a big league righty and the ability to land his breaking balls in the strike zone, Pushard has the highest probability of being taken in the Rule 5 among all of the players on this page. TzBaYjlfV0ZRVkV3dEdEUT09X1VBaFVCbFJRQlZZQUNsTUVVZ0FIQkZkZkFGaFFVRkFBQkZ4UVV3UUVVd0VEVWdCVw==.mp4 LHP Dale Stanavich—Stanavich had a golden opportunity to earn a call-up to Miami in 2025 given the club's dearth of left-handed relievers. Unfortunately, he completely lost control of his fastball. RHP Riskiel Tineo—Tineo has only 10 career innings pitched above the Low-A level. When properly executed, his splitter is an intriguing weapon. Double-A roster RHP Jesse Bergin RHP Gabe Bierman C Spencer Bramwell INF Yiddi Cappe—Very little has gone right for Cappe since being named Marlins Minor League Player of the Year in 2022. On the bright side, he shattered his career-high with 29 stolen bases in just 62 games in 2025. On the other hand, nearly half of his playing time came as a designated hitter and he spent the final month of the season on the injured list. RHP Orlando Ortiz-Mayr C Sam Praytor RHP Alex Williams High-A roster or below INF Jesús Hernández RHP Holt Jones INF Wilfredo Lara UTIL Ian Lewis—The Bahamian switch-hitter couldn't compete stateside in 2024 due to visa issues. He was very effective as a part-time player in his return, slashing .278/.357/.431 in 73 games. The caveat is those numbers were inflated by beating up on kids in Low-A. merge-7icf2l.mp4 LHP Brayan Mendoza—I was bullish on Mendoza when the Marlins acquired him in the Jake Burger trade. Turning 22 in January, time is on his side, but he was strangely ineffective against same-handed hitters in the Midwest League and spent the whole season there. RHP Natanael Polanco RHP Juan Reynoso RHP Franklin Sánchez—Sánchez's fastball velo was clocked as high as 99 mph this season, but he still doesn't know where it's going (22.3 BB% in 22.1 IP). LHP Dameivi Tineo RHP Brandon White View the full article

On Saturday, we looked at the 16th through 20th-best prospects in the Royals system. That included a couple of post-hype pitching prospects, a recent draft pick and international signing, and an outfielder coming off a solid AFL campaign. In part 2 of Royals Keep's Top-20 Prospects rankings, we will look at the 11th through 15th-best Royals prospects. That includes a pitching prospect limited in 2025 due to injury, a shortstop who also played well in the AFL, an international pitcher who made his MLB debut last year, an international pitcher who needs to be added to the 40-man roster this year, and a talented Cuban shortstop prospect who had a bit of a rough debut in Low-A ball. 15th: Steven Zobac, RHP (Highest Level: Double-A) Zobac came into the 2025 Minor League season with plenty of hype. The former Cal product pitched in Spring Training with the Big League club, and he was coming off a solid 2024 campaign in which he logged 126 innings across High-A and Double-A. In that sample, he posted a 3.64 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 3.03 FIP, and 23.8% K rate. As a result, he was seen as one of the organization's best pitching prospects going into 2025. Unfortunately, things didn't go quite to plan for Zobac in 2025. He got off to a rough start with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, landing on the IL on April 16th with right knee patellar tendonitis. He eventually returned to the mound with the Naturals, but he wasn't the same. In 11 starts and 36.1 IP, he posted a 7.68 ERA, 1.90 WHIP, and 5.68 FIP. On a positive note, he still posted a decent strikeout rate (21.1%) and K-BB% (13.1%). When he was locked in, the 2022 fourth-round pick showed why he was seen as a dark-horse pitching prospect in the Royals system at the conclusion of the 2024 season. Conversely, Zobac struggled with the long ball. He gave up a HR/9 of 1.98 and a HR/FB rate of 16% with the Naurals last season. For context, in 55.1 innings in Double-A in 2024, his HR/9 was 0.65 and his HR/FB rate was 6.8%. The mechanics and control are there for Zobac to be an end-of-the-rotation type at the Major League level. While he doesn't have an elite offering, his three-pitch mix (fastball, slider, changeup) is solid, sporting decent shape and upside. The main issue is command, which regressed heavily in 2025. Perhaps Zobac can put his injury issues behind him, recapture that command, and be the pitching prospect he was back in 2024. 14th: Daniel Vazquez, SS (Highest Level: Double-A) Vazquez was a top international signing in 2021, but the Royals have moved him slowly in the farm system. He's currently 21 years old and eligible for the Rule 5 Draft in December. However, he hasn't advanced beyond High-A ball (he reached Double-A at the end of last season, but it was only a five-game sample). That said, the Dominican-born infielder is trending in the right direction development-wise. In 105 games and 463 plate appearances, Vazquez slashed .260/.336/.349 with a .685 OPS. He only hit one home run, but he scored 55 runs and stole 26 bases, making him a possible leadoff or bottom-of-the-batting-order type at the Major League level. He also showcases Gold Glove-caliber defense that can move around at any position in the infield. In fact, his profile feels very similar to Maikel Garcia's at this age, which is a positive sign for his development. Garcia didn't hit for tremendous power initially, but it developed as he put on weight and received more advanced coaching and development as he moved up the Royals' system. Vazquez showed what he could do this fall in the Arizona Fall League, when put on a bigger stage and playing alongside better prospects in the game. He led the Saguaros in at-bats with 79 and slashed .329/.459/.468 with a .927 OPS. He also hit two home runs, collected 21 RBI, stole 11 bases, and posted 19 walks to 20 strikeouts, a BB/K ratio of 0.95. The 21-year-old infielder was one of the most impressive prospects in Arizona this fall, showing some power not just with home runs, but plenty of hard-hit, high-exit velocity batted balls as well. After a strong campaign with Surprise this fall, the Royals will likely add Vazquez to the 40-man roster this spring. The hope with Vazquez is that he can do damage in Double-A ball in 2026 and perhaps make his MLB debut on Opening Day in 2027. 13th: Luinder Avila, RHP (Highest Level: MLB) Due to a plethora of injuries, the Royals promoted Avila to the Major League despite posting a 5.23 ERA in 53.1 IP. However, as with pitcher Stephen Kolek, Royals fans learned to take pitching stats in Triple-A with a grain of salt. In 13 appearances and 14 innings of work, the Venezuelan righty absolutely thrived out of the Royals' bullpen, primarily in mop-up duty. He posted a 1.29 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, a 2.14 FIP, and a 28.6% strikeout rate. The 24-year-old showcased stellar command, posting a 17.9% K-BB% and allowing no home runs in his 13 appearances. His strong sample, though small, wasn't just luck either. Avila's stuff and repertoire profiled extremely well, based on TJ Stuff+ metrics. Avila posted an overall TJ Stuff+ of 102, and his curveball was his best offering with a 104 TJ Stuff+ and a 60 grade. His primary offering not only generated a 47.7% whiff rate but also a 32.8% chase rate and an xwOBACON of .336, all promising marks. When located effectively, his curveball could make hitters look absolutely silly, like Robert Hassell III of the Nationals. The reason why Avila isn't ranked higher is that it seems like his ceiling is as a reliever at this time. While he can start, which he did in Omaha (nine starts), his stuff profiles much better in shorter stints. Therefore, it's hard to think of Avila as a Top-10 prospect when he won't hit the century mark inning-wise in a season. That said, the upside with Avila as a reliever is promising. He showed in 2025 that he not only has late-inning, high-leverage potential, but also perhaps closer potential. Carlos Estevez is entrenched as the Royals' closer in 2026. However, if Avila can make progress at the MLB level in 2026, with more outings in high leverage, he could make his case to be the Royals' closer as soon as 2027. 12th: Felix Arronde, RHP (Highest Level: High-A) Every season, it seems like the Royals add a pitcher who's a bit under the radar to the 40-man roster. Last season, it was Avila. A couple of seasons ago, it was Angel Zerpa. A season before that, it was Carlos Hernandez. The Royals' front office knows which arms to add to the roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft. Arronde could be that next "sleeper" arm added to the 40-man roster who could make an impact at the Major League level sooner rather than later. The 22-year-old Dominican righty pitched with Quad Cities last year and thrived as one of the River Bandits' best starters. In 26 outings (24 starts) and 128.1 IP, he posted a 2.80 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. He wasn't a strikeout artist by any means, as he only sported a K rate of 19.5%. Thus, it's not a surprise that his 3.87 FIP was nearly a full run higher than his ERA. That said, Arronde showcases solid control (2.40 K/BB ratio), limits the longball (0.63 HR/9), and has an intriguing frame that could help him get better as he gets older and grows into it. When watching him pitch in clips, he has the profile of a Miami Marlins pitching prospect, which isn't a bad projection, especially considering the success of Sandy Alcantara, Eury Perez, and Edward Cabrera at the Major League level. Arronde has also received high marks from scouts not just for his long frame, but also for his competitiveness on the mound, as noted in his scouting report on MLB Pipeline. If the Royals don't add Arronde to the 40-man roster, he likely will be utilized in a trade or selected in the Rule 5 Draft, even if he hasn't pitched above High-A ball. That's how talented the right-hander is and the upside he possesses. 11th: Yandel Ricardo, SS (Highest Level: Low-A) Ricardo was the Royals' top international signing in 2024, as the 17th-best prospect in the class, according to MLB Pipeline, and signed for $2.4 million. The Cuban shortstop received high marks from scouts for his athleticism, strong contact skills, and a projectable frame that could lead to more power in the future, especially once he reached the MLB level. In 45 games and 196 plate appearances in the DSL, he only hit .213 with a .696 OPS. However, he posted a 0.74 BB/K ratio, hit two home runs, and stole 14 bases as a 17-year-old. He transitioned that first taste of professional experience to the States in 2025. He did much better in the Arizona Complex League after a full offseason and Spring Training with the Royals development team. In 33 games and 145 plate appearances in Arizona, Ricardo slashed .342/.438/..533 with a .971 OPS. He also hit two home runs, scored 26 runs, collected 21 RBI, and stole 17 bases. Without a doubt, the 18-year-old was the best player in Arizona for the Royals by a considerable margin, which helped him earn a promotion to Low-A Columbia later in the season. It was a more humbling experience for the teenager in low-A Columbia. In 88 games and 345 plate appearances, he slashed .212/.279/.268 with a .547 OPS. He didn't hit a home run, and he saw his BB/K ratio go from 0.51 in the ACL to 0.32 in Low-A. Conversely, he stole 14 bases in 17 attempts and demonstrated solid defense in the field. The roadblocks Ricardo saw in the Carolina League aren't anything to panic about. Vazquez also saw similar struggles in his first exposure to full-season affiliated ball. Furthermore, Royals fans saw what Ricardo was able to do initially in 2025 after a slow start in the DSL in 2024. With a new hitting coordinator hire on the horizon (Drew Saylor was let go at the conclusion of the 2025 season), Ricardo will likely be a priority for the new hitting development leadership. If they can tap into the Cuban infielder's full potential, then they could have an All-Star on their hands who could give the Royals long-term stability in the middle infield. As a teenager, however, he carries a significant risk and could easily burn out if he doesn't make the necessary adjustments at the plate in the near future. View the full article

The Boston Red Sox's 40-man roster is currently full, with the non-tender deadline fast approaching. By Friday, the Red Sox will have to determine whom they will tender and non-tender, the latter of which will open spots on the 40-man roster. With about four days to go until that deadline, one pitcher on the bubble is likely to be kept. Chris Cotillo of MassLive reports that the Boston Red Sox are "unlikely" to non-tender starting pitcher Tanner Houck, despite the righty missing all of 2026. Houck's 2025 season with the Red Sox consisted of nine starts before he was sidelined with an elbow issue in mid-May. He struggled through 43 2/3 innings with a FIP of 6.16 and a K-BB rate of 7.4%. Houck was placed on the shelf due to a right flexor pronator strain and later required surgery, which is expected to keep him off a major-league mound until 2027. MLBTR projects him to earn $3.95 million via arbitration. Do you agree the Red Sox should tender Houck despite his injury? Let us know in the comments! View the full article

We're looking for contributors to write Brewers content over the offseason! First, feel free to reach out via email at brock.beauchamp@brewerfanatic.com or reply to this article. Writing Articles If you’ve ever wanted an audience for your Brewers takes, this is the perfect place. While we generally lean into analytics and analysis, we also take a “come as you are” approach to baseball and give writers a lot of leeway to write about the game in a way that interests them. That could manifest in historical pieces, previews, or regular series. It’s a matter of finding your niche in the fandom and carving out a space for it. Making Videos We're also looking for videographers! Most of our content is on the shorter side (3-7 minutes), though we have space for plenty of different formats and ideas. Like the writing side of the site, we usually lean into analytics, but it's not the only path we're open to exploring. It is also noteworthy that we pay our content creators. It’s certainly not enough to quit your day job. So don’t do that. However, it might be enough to show that we value your time, talent, and effort. If you know someone who might be interested in creating Brewers content as a side job, please share this with them! View the full article

The Athletic's Dan Hayes had another article that had Twins fans talking, and not in a positive light, as people in Byron Buxton's camp have suggested he is more open to being traded to a contender if the Twins front office continues to tear down the roster. The guys at Destination the Show dissect this possibility and what it could mean for the Twins if they do end up trading Buxton. View the full article

Byron Buxton has loudly and repeatedly proclaimed himself a Twin for life. Derek Falvey has a long history of giving non-answers when asked straightforward questions. What do these two things have in common, you might be asking? One thing, and maybe a big one: both have, over the past couple of weeks, been conspicuously different than the status quo. Is it possible that both are (consciously or otherwise) sending a message to ownership? Are they making it clear who’s to blame if the whole thing is torn down? There’s reason to think so. Let’s look at both cases independently. Byron Buxton As the 2025 trade deadline was approaching, Buxton told the media not to bother stirring trade rumors about him. "I can't be traded. I've got a no-trade clause," he said. "I'm a Minnesota Twin for the rest of my life. So that's the best feeling in the world.” After the fire sale, when 40% of the roster was traded away, Buxton was asked if anything had changed for him. His answer? “Nothing’s changed, it’s just part of baseball. It’s the business side of it. Just 'cause we go through these tough roads or whatever, it is what it is. We’ll be better once we get on the other end of it and figure things out a little bit more. Like I said, the end of the season, we’ll talk a little bit more. But I ain’t going nowhere.” When the Pohlads announced they were no longer selling the team, Buxton said it was “good to know the people who signed me are still in charge.” And yet. Last week, The Athletic’s Dan Hayes reported: “a major-league source indicated Tuesday that Buxton, who turns 32 next month, wants to play for a winner and may reconsider his stance for certain clubs if the Twins continue breaking up their roster, potentially by trading starting pitchers Joe Ryan or Pablo López.” If true, that’s quite the about-face. What if it’s not an about-face, though? What if it’s Buxton giving a bit of an ultimatum? Sort of a “don’t make me want to leave,” dropped in the right ears? This is speculation, but it’s worth considering. Also worth noting is that Falvey reiterated in the GM meetings that Buxton continues to want to be a Twin for life. Still, Hayes’s reporting is out there, and that's meaningful. Derek Falvey In several interviews so far this offseason, Falvey has refused to answer straightforward questions about the 2026 payroll; whether the team will be rebuilding; or whether Ryan or López will be traded, except with evasion. “It's not even yet October," he said at his end-of-season press conference. "So there's an offseason to play out in terms of what this roster actually looks like. You never end a season and know that that's your roster going next year.” “The trade deadline was a moment in time where we had to evaluate those decisions at that time, in concert with ownership around what we wanted, what we felt was best, based on some parameters at the time," he said in the same presser, when asked about the motivation for the fire sale. "And, you know, we weren't in a position at the time to add. Right?" Falvey's only leaving bread crumbs, but follow them, and it's clear: he’s covering for his bosses. The use of “we” signifies something different than owning a comment. This stands out a bit further when looking at some comments from last week’s GM meetings in Las Vegas. “I remain personally committed to figuring out what are the ways we can add to this group to make it better. That is my goal," he told reporters there. "It was my stated goal before and remains my stated goal until I'm told otherwise. That will be my focus for now, is figuring out ways we can add to the group.” That’s much more upfront than is typical for Falvey. He chooses his words carefully, and doesn’t say anything he doesn’t mean to. When asked directly about trading away their frontline starters, he doubled down. “My goal is to try and add around the group we already have. We think our starting pitching is the strength of this team. We know Pablo and Joe have been real anchors for us over the last couple of years when healthy," Falvey said. "Ultimately, to have Bailey Ober coming back in a healthy spot and all of the young pitching we've acquired to join guys like Zebby and Simeon and David Festa, we like that group. We think that's a group, hopefully, we can build around. That would be my focus here in the early going.” He acknowledged that it’s difficult to find good starters, and that depth is important. “I’ve said this: I hope we can add around the group that we have," he went on to say. "I think at this point, you’re focused on the forward, as to how you grow a young team, how you add around it, and hopefully, over time, we’re in a position to really invest more in the future." That’s three different times he clearly spoke about adding, rather than subtracting. He is staking out his desires in clear terms. Then, he says that he hopes “we” get to do this. Could it be that Falvey, like Buxton, is dropping hints that he will be clear about where to place the blame if the team is taken down to the studs? I believe so. I’ll leave you with a few more points in this case: Falvey cares. After the epic collapse down the 2024 stretch, he was in tears when discussing the season. If he didn’t care, didn’t want to win, he wouldn’t have done that. While the Carlos Correa re-signing didn’t work out the way anyone would have liked, there is zero chance Falvey would have signed him if he had known that payroll would be slashed to the point of being unable to build a competitive roster around him. He would be right to feel frustrated with the constraints placed on him by ownership, since his primary responsibility is to build and run a competitive team. If the Twins fail to live up to whatever expectations ownership has for the 2026 season, Falvey may be out the door. It would behoove him to stop protecting his bosses, if they aren’t setting him up for success. Am I reading too much into comments, or is there something here? This could be wholly unknowable at this point. But, it is possible that people like Falvey and Buxton are starting to use their voices to steer ownership in the right and necessary direction. One can hope so, because it seems like they need all the pressure possible to do the right thing for the team—and for fans. View the full article

The offseason is officially in full swing, and the free agent and trade markets will begin to heat up as teams finalize their in-house talents. One final area regarding the 40-man roster that will need to be decided upon by tonight is protecting prospects Rule 5 Draft. For those who may not know, the Rule 5 Draft is a draft where MLB organizations can select players who are not on another team’s 40-man roster. However, players selected in this draft have to remain on the active roster for the entire season, barring time on the injured list. Players who were signed at 18 years old or younger are eligible for the draft after five seasons, and players who signed at 19 years old or older are eligible after four seasons. There is also a minor league phase where players in Double-A or lower can be drafted for $24,000 per player to play for the drafting organization’s Triple-A team. Last offseason, the Red Sox added two players to the 40-man to protect them: pitcher Hunter Dobbins and outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia. Both players wound up playing in the majors with Boston during the 2025 season. The Red Sox have likewise been benefactors from this draft, as two key members of their bullpen were acquired in such a fashion. Garrett Whitlock was taken during the 2020 Rule 5 Draft from the New York Yankees, while Justin Slaten was taken in the Rule 5 Draft by the New York Mets from the Texas Rangers and was immediately traded to Boston. Boston has also seen various prospects lost over the years, including the loss of Angel Bastardo, a pitching prospect taken in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. Currently, the Red Sox's 40-man roster is full due to the addition of players who had ended the season on the 60-day injured list. For the Red Sox to protect any of their eligible prospects, they would need to open up a roster spot. And they may need to clear up a few spots just like last season. As it stands, the team has 42 prospects eligible for the draft, though most won't be considerations during the major league portion. It isn’t ideal to develop prospects and have them taken by another team, but fortunately for the Red Sox, most of their top prospects have either graduated to the big league club or have been packaged in trades for talent. However, there are still a few names that bring into question whether the Red Sox should protect them or not. We’re going to break down these players and see why they may not want to be lost. Likely To Be Added: Unlike last season, there is really only one player who is likely to be added to the 40-man roster this time around. RHP David Sandlin (MLB Pipeline #9 Red Sox Prospect) Sandlin came over to the Red Sox in a spring training trade with the Royals in 2024, turning a surplus in middle relievers into an interesting pitching prospect. His first season had its share of ups and downs as he split the year between High-A and Double-A, finishing with some less than ideal stats. Despite starting 18 games, Sandlin only managed to toss 57 1/3 innings in that span. What did impress, however, was his ability to generate strikeouts, as he got 82 batters to fan. While he wasn’t going deep into games, Sandlin’s stuff did flash the potential of an impact reliever thanks to his fastball. The 2025 campaign yielded a step forward, Sandlin cruising in Portland for most of the season. Through his first 17 appearances, he had tossed 82 1/3 innings with an ERA that was nearly two runs lower than his final 2024 number at 3.61. While his strikeouts took a step back (only 86 in those 82 1/3 innings), Sandlin was beginning to look more like a professional pitcher who could locate his stuff and pitch to contact when necessary. This change in demeanor had many wondering if the Red Sox would bring him up to Boston for the stretch run to help out in some form. The idea was floated around as the team transitioned him to the bullpen upon his promotion to Triple-A. Unfortunately, he struggled with the transition, allowing 19 earned runs in 18 2/3 innings out of the Worcester bullpen. Despite his struggles, Sandlin has showcased the potential of a major league arm and will only be 25 at the start of spring training. It wouldn’t be a surprise if another team took a flier on him if he were available. The Red Sox would be wise to protect him from being poached by another team. Coin Flips Besides Sandlin, there isn’t a definite player that seems to be a lock to be taken in the Rule 5 Draft. While no team wants their developed prospects pilfered, the Red Sox wouldn’t be losing much should another team want to take a risk. However, there are a couple players that the team may want to protect just to play it safe after how their 2025 seasons went. RHP Tyler Uberstine Uberstine was a 19th-round selection back in the 2021 MLB Draft and hadn’t done much to write home about prior to 2025. His first season in 2022 saw him finish the year with seven starts with High-A Greenville where he flashed some potential thanks in part to 35 strikeouts in 33 1/3 innings pitched. Unfortunately, he would go on to miss all of 2023 and most of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery, making 2025 his first full season since his debut year. Despite that prolonged layoff, Uberstine pitched rather well, finishing this year with a 6-5 record in 25 games between Portland and Worcester. Tossing 120 1/3 innings, he also blew past his previous career-high workload while striking out 137 batters. That strikeout per nine figure of 10.1 will intrigue a lot of teams this winter. The Red Sox have many other pitching prospects ahead of Uberstine on the depth chart, and because of that, it’s unlikely they’ll add him to the 40-man roster. A team looking for a young, cost-controlled pitcher might take a risk on him due to his strikeout numbers alone, and the Red Sox probably wouldn’t worry too much unless there’s something in his underlying metrics they really love. RHP Yordanny Monegro (MLB Pipeline’s #27 Red Sox Prospect) Much like with Uberstine, Monegro is below a few pitchers on the depth chart and will miss most, if not all of 2026 after undergoing Tommy John surgery near the end of August. That alone is why he might be at high risk of being picked in the Rule 5 Draft, as another talented Red Sox arm was taken in this manner in 2024 (Bastardo) knowing that he could be stashed on the 60-day injured list all season. Monegro is young, as he won’t turn 24 until next October and while his ceiling right now looks like a middle reliever, he flashed potential during his time in the rotation in 2024 and in 2025 before his injury. Despite making just nine appearances in 2025, the right-hander tossed 33 2/3 innings and struck out 49 batters while walking just eight, good for a walk to strikeout ratio of 2.14 and a strikeout per nine of 13.10. Monegro's best pitch is his slider, which averages between 85-88 mph and is thrown more than any other of his pitches. His fastball, on the other, hand seems to be a work in progress, as his four-seam sits between 94 and 96 mph but he lacks proper command and control of it. Because of the elbow surgery, Monegro is a prime draft-and-stash candidate for a few teams who might be interested in seeing how he develops, especially as they wouldn’t need to keep him on the 26-man active roster unlike other Rule 5 picks. And because he would make it through the 2026 season without being demoted, whatever team takes him would then be free to send him to the minors in 2027 to continue his development without worry of having to send him back to his original organization. The Red Sox could do the same, placing him on the 40-man roster to protect him and then placing him on the 60-Day injured list the moment it’s possible. Though, that would require them to use a 40-man spot on him all offseason. There’s a good chance they take a risk and leave him unprotected. Again, the Red Sox have a total of 42 prospects who are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, but unlike past seasons, there aren’t many names who stand out as likely candidates to be selected. Beyond Sandlin, the team may comfortable leaving everyone else unprotected. View the full article

It's the eve of the 2025 Rule 5 draft protection deadline. The Miami Marlins have until 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday to decide which of their Rule 5-eligible prospects to select to their 40-man roster. Joe Mack is in a tier of his own—selecting his contract has been an inevitability for months. I placed Josh White in his own tier right below Mack because although his performance and quality of stuff should also make him a no-brainer, it's especially tricky to evaluate and appraise relief-only prospects. The lone resident of the third tier is fellow right-handed reliever William Kempner. In his first season with the Marlins organization, Kempner climbed from High-A to Triple-A, posting a 2.26 ERA across 67 ⅔ innings pitched while striking out one-third of opposing batters. He allowed only two home runs. The antithesis of White, who has an extreme over-the-top delivery, Kempner practically throws sidearm. It's a helpless feeling for righty batters who have to guess whether they're getting a sinker that averages 18 inches of armside run or a slider breaking 14 inches in the opposite direction, as illustrated below in a matchup against former major leaguer Corey Julks: When facing lefties, the 24-year-old leans heavily on his four-seam fastball, which averaged 94.9 mph in his Triple-A appearances and topped out at 98.3 mph. On the concerning side, Kempner's control eroded as the level of competition increased: 9.0 BB% and 3 HBP at High-A (111 batters faced) 15.6 BB% and 2 HBP at Double-A (96 batters faced) 19.7 BB% and 3 HBP at Triple-A (76 batters faced) Kempner was sidelined for the entire 2024 minor league season while recovering from foot surgery. That's been his only significant injury absence dating back to the beginning of his collegiate career. If we assume both Mack and White are being protected, that means protecting Kempner would require a corresponding 40-man roster move. I have a hunch we'd see Zach Brzykcy—claimed from the Washington Nationals earlier this month—designated for assignment with the intent of passing him through waivers and outrighting him to the minors. That's precisely how the Marlins handled Christian Roa at this stage of the 2024-25 offseason, for what it's worth. Another possibility would be giving Andrew Nardi his pink slip a few days in advance of Friday's tender deadline. Upon closer inspection, I'm personally not as high on Kempner as I was when crafting my Marlins offseason blueprint. I still recommend that the club select him to the 40-man, but it would be unreasonable to count on him pitching meaningful MLB innings in 2026. Even if he initially succeeds, I wonder how long that would last when big leaguers have the technology to take pregame practice swings against his unconventional release point. The key question is whether the Marlins have the ambition and resources to add multiple experienced arms to their bullpen this winter. It'd be far easier to stomach likely losing Kempner in the Rule 5 if it's part of the process to make room for trustworthy veterans. View the full article

Amidst fears that a collapsing rotation would spell the team's doom in 2026, San Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller made a quiet, but reassuring, move designed to give the team some further offseason flexibility. Kyle Hart is by no means a leverage arm, but he's a versatile swingman who can fulfill a multitude of roles on Ruben Niebla's pitching staff. He appeared in 20 games in 2025, making six starts and accruing a 5.86 ERA and 5.18 FIP in 43.0 innings. He doesn't possess any one elite skill, though he runs a deep, six-pitch arsenal designed to keep hitters off balance with varying movement profiles. Though he doesn't strike many guys out and lacks overpowering stuff, Hart did emerge as a bona fide star in the KBO in 2024, pitching exclusively as a starter while authoring a 2.69 ERA (3.28 FIP) and 46.0% ground-ball rate in 157.0 frames. The Padres signed him last offseason to a $1.5 million deal with a $5 million club option, which they declined at the start of the offseason. Now, they're bringing him back on an eminently affordable deal. More to come... View the full article

The offseason always brings surprising conversations, but few topics around the league have created more quiet buzz than the idea of Baltimore listening on Adley Rutschman. The Orioles remain well-positioned to contend, yet their roster is reaching a point where difficult decisions are unavoidable. Rutschman, once viewed as the foundation of their turnaround, is now part of a more complicated catching picture after a frustrating 2025 season and the rise of Samuel Basallo. Rutschman hit below expectations this past year (90 OPS+) after back-to-back All-Star campaigns (117 OPS+), and multiple oblique injuries limited both his availability and overall impact. Meanwhile, Basallo arrived in the big leagues, and the organization doubled down by locking him in for eight seasons at an affordable rate, giving them long-term cost certainty behind the plate. With Rutschman entering his fifth year and only under control through 2027, the Orioles suddenly face a reality in which their younger, cheaper option may fit their long-range structure more cleanly. That does not mean Baltimore is eager to subtract a two-time All-Star. It simply means they are willing to hear what other teams are willing to pay. Early reports suggest that several clubs have reached out, and any realistic offer would need to feature proven major-leaguers rather than long-term development projects. For a team intent on staying in the thick of the playoff picture, a Rutschman trade only makes sense if it helps them win immediately. This is where the Twins enter the conversation. Minnesota is at a crossroads of its own after two disappointing seasons and a roster full of difficult long-term decisions. Trading Joe Ryan or Pablo López is not something the front office would take lightly, but both pitchers hold significant value in a market light on dependable starters. The question is whether the Twins could justify moving from a strength to solidify a position that could quickly become a weakness. Ryan Jeffers has been a major success story, but he is approaching his final year of club control and will be one of the most intriguing free agent catchers next winter. Minnesota has no clear succession plan behind him, and catching depth throughout the organization remains thin. Adding a player like Rutschman, even after a down year, would immediately provide stability, upside, and long-term certainty at a premium position. His ability to control the zone, elevate an offense, and handle pitching staffs still stands out even after a season of setbacks. For Minnesota, dealing Ryan or López would hurt, but each presents a different type of fit for Baltimore. López offers frontline ability and several years of team control at a competitive price. Ryan brings All-Star potential, strong strike-throwing, and the type of personality that meshes well in a young clubhouse. He also comes at a cheaper price point for an Orioles ownership group that has kept payroll in the middle of the pack. Either pitcher would give the Orioles the ready-made, playoff-caliber rotation help they currently lack and cannot easily acquire through free agency, as many fans assume. Would either side consider a one-for-one swap? In theory, it is possible. Catchers with Rutschman’s pedigree rarely become available, but frontline or near frontline pitching with multiple years of control is just as scarce. The Twins would be betting heavily on Rutschman returning to his All-Star form, while the Orioles would be betting that their internal catching depth remains strong enough to support a return to October baseball. The more likely outcome would involve additional pieces to balance risk, but the framework is not unrealistic. It solves a looming problem for each franchise. Minnesota gains a catcher capable of anchoring the roster for years, and Baltimore adds the type of rotation stability that may be the difference between a strong regular season and a playoff run. With both clubs navigating complicated offseasons and both showing a willingness to at least consider impactful moves, this is a scenario worth watching closely. If the Orioles decide that Basallo is ready to take over and the Twins determine that this is the moment to reimagine their core, an unlikely match could suddenly make perfect sense. Should the Twins and Orioles connect on a trade? Who should Minnesota center the trade around, Lopez or Ryan? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

Ruben Niebla’s pitching program in San Diego has yielded clear results: Pitchers who join the Padres often become more consistent under his tutelage. Let's dive into Niebla’s role, then show the specific mechanisms he uses by analyzing some key case studies (Dylan Cease, Michael King, Joe Musgrove). Ruben Niebla: What he actually does Niebla runs a repeatable system. He does four things well at once. He gives each pitcher a precise plan for what to throw and when. He sets measurable checkpoints so coaches and pitchers see progress in raw numbers. He ties analytics and biomechanics to simple, on-field instructions. And he keeps the same approach year after year so pitchers get steady coaching instead of fluctuating messages. Those four traits make the program predictable. Predictability is valuable because development is mostly a long march of small gains. The Padres’ stability under Niebla lowers the chance that a pitcher’s habits will be reset or contradicted later. Dylan Cease: Volatile results and stabilization Dylan Cease shows us the typical Niebla result: after moving to San Diego, his strikeout potential stayed top-notch, but other metrics changed in ways that impacted run prevention. Cease’s strikeout numbers continued to dazzle in San Diego (224 K in 2024, 215 K in 2025), yet his ERA climbed from 3.47 in 2024 to 4.55 in 2025. On the whole, Cease’s ERA jumped by 1.08 runs (a 31% increase from the previous year) while his strikeouts dipped by around 4% and his innings pitched dropped by 11%. His ability to get swings and misses remained strong (so his potential is still there), but the range of outcomes became broader (more damage from mistakes), which is exactly what a Niebla-style approach to sequencing, tunneling, and contact suppression aims to fix. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that Niebla and the Padres will be able to implement helpful changes for Cease, seeing as he's likely to leave via free agency. But his topsy-turvy tenure in San Diego is proof that Niebla's program is always in effect, even if it hasn't been perfected. Michael King: Role clarity and workload control King's 2025 surface line shows a 3.44 ERA in a limited season, following a solid 2024 where he logged a 2.95 ERA. However, the most significant improvement for the Padres has been in his role predictability. Given his bouts with shoulder inflammation and an IL stint, it's rather impressive that King returned in time for the stretch run (even if the results weren't great). His rehab process highlights the importance of workload targets and recovery checkpoints in his usage. The Niebla program focuses on session thresholds, like pre-game velocity and spin bands, as well as ramp increments. This approach helped transform a pitcher with King's skill set into a consistently reliable starter, a decidedly more valuable pitcher than his previous swingman role. Joe Musgrove: Rehab management and the institutional safety net Joe Musgrove's case shows that not every "improvement" is clear on the stat sheets; sometimes, the real value lies in being cautious with medical decisions and taking a safe approach to recovery. Musgrove sat out the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on October 11, 2024. The Padres' careful, evidence-based rehab plan aims to maintain his pre-injury performance instead of rushing him back too soon. This cautious, methodical strategy is a key feature of Niebla's program when dealing with high-value players; monitor thresholds, apply biomechanics to fix mechanical issues, and then slowly reintroduce intent and sequencing. The overall impact Ruben Niebla’s system is about improving the odds. For pitchers who already have decent skills, the Padres’ program raises the chances of more reliable performances, fewer disasters, and better health. For elite strikeout pitchers like Cease, the biggest gain isn’t in velocity or raw stuff, but in reducing the ups and downs from game to game through better sequencing and contact management. Injured pitchers are likewise a focus of a program that prioritizes long-term durability over quick statistical results. But how well the system works really depends on stability. When the roster is constantly changing because of trades, opt-outs, or free agency, pitchers tend to leave before the multi-season process is done. Recent roster changes demonstrate how these financial pressures can restrict the potential of the "Niebla Effect." View the full article

The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking forward to an active offseason, with hopes to find the right pieces to help the team continue its winning ways in the upcoming year. As a result, knowing what moves could help achieve that goal will be key going forward. DiamondCentric’s very own John Bonnes had the distinguished opportunity to catch up with Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins at the recent MLB GM Meetings in Las Vegas. In doing so, he was able to get some of the inside scoop on the latest plans Toronto has for the current offseason. When asked if there have been any talks about a Daulton Varsho extension, the Jays GM confirmed the interest is there. “We definitely, definitely have interest, and don’t want to talk about the negotiations, but the interest is definitely there. I can’t say enough about Daulton, the player, the person, the teammate. He checks all the boxes we’re looking for,” Atkins explained. As for one of the key focuses for the Jays this offseason, everyone will be watching for the outcome of Bo Bichette’s first foray into free agency. What are the chances that Toronto will remain in the mix? “Yeah, [Bichette’s] a great player. We’ll be in his market,” said Atkins. One of the earliest offseason transactions for the Blue Jays was a positive one, with former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber opting in to remain with Toronto for the 2026 season. Will his decision to do so affect the Jays’ aggressiveness in the free agent market for starting pitching? “I mean, everything matters you know, everything, and that is a helpful starting point for us. But I don’t want it to limit us either,” Atkins replied. As for particular areas or aspects of the Jays’ roster that likely need some further attention, pitching appears to be once again at the forefront, just like in previous years. “We just subtracted more pitching than we did on the position player side,” Atkins said. So, is adding pitching potentially going to be a priority? “Yeah.” Ultimately, however, after a successful 2025 campaign for the Blue Jays, the GM’s top priority isn’t any one specific area of the team. Rather, the goal is to improve in any way possible. “Just get better. Just get better. Try to find a way to get better. And we do have some subtractions from the team,” explained Atkins. It is certainly quite reassuring to learn that despite the amazing progress made by the Jays organization in 2025, they are still keen on getting even better for next season and beyond. Even better, that plan could include retaining star players like Varsho and Bichette long term. In addition, by cleverly recognizing that pitching is one of the key aspects of the game, the Jays likely will be in play for impactful players both in the starting and relief markets. As a result, Toronto fans can prepare for an exciting offseason ahead, as Atkins and the Jays will do all they can to keep the team competitive for years to come. View the full article

As the Minnesota Twins look to take a step forward offensively in 2026, one of the biggest question marks in their lineup is first base. Last year, after Ty France was traded at the deadline, all but one start at the position went to either Kody Clemens or Edouard Julien. Looking forward, it sure sounds like Derek Falvey and the Twins are inclined to stay the course. When asked at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas last week about his intentions to add at first base during the offseason, Falvey told reporters, including John Bonnes of Twins Daily: "I guess I view it through a couple lenses. I think it's an area where we're going to hope that there's a few guys internally that we've asked to continue to kind of grow and develop there. Eddie Julien got some time there, and will continue to get a little bit more work. Kody Clemens was a huge value add for us last year there. There's no way around it. Like, great fit, great kid, I thought was a lift in the clubhouse, and had really good year there. So I think give him another winter, get his legs under him. Like, could we find a complement there from the right-handed side? That's possible too, but that's an area that we know, that we have some players that can play there, but maybe not a single designated person. But we want to give Kody a lot of runway there too, because he was really a good fit for us last year." Well, that wasn't very ambiguous was it? Clemens is your starting first baseman, with the team likely to add some possible righty-hitting options to their capability mix. Julien will need a monster spring to make the team, and that's if he sticks on the 40-man roster all winter, but Clemens apparently has an open door to "a lot of runway" at the position. One could cynically view this as another cheap move fueled by stingy ownership. In fact it's not really even cynical. Clemens is a low-cost option who will cost the minimum and will negate a need to shop externally. But that doesn't mean this can't also be a reasonable course of action. If the team's plan is indeed to go with Clemens at first, at least as an interim plug-in, I don't hate it. Clemens, like Julien, didn't do much with his expanded post-deadline opportunity at first base. He mostly slumped throughout August and September, dragging down the surprisingly strong numbers he'd amassed through his first couple of months as a Twin. But within the generally underwhelming second half, Clemens also produced one of the greatest single-game offensive performances in franchise history. On September 12th against the Diamondbacks, Clemens went 4-for-4 with three home runs and a double, narrowly missing the first ever four-homer game by a Twin. Even amidst a sea of late-season struggle, it was the type of flash that makes Clemens an intriguing player, despite being a bit of a journeyman at age 29. You've got to have some ability to put together a game like that. Just like you've got to have some ability to rip 12 homers in 54 games, as Clemens did during his initial stretch with Minnesota in May, June and July. These weren't all garbage-time cheapies either; he hit some big game-changing bombs and was a key figure in the 18-win May that temporarily thrust the Twins into contention. To become a true asset as a starting first baseman in the majors, Clemens needs to harness that ability more consistently and cut down on prolonged droughts. But the ingredients are there. His xSLG, average exit velocity, barrel and hard hit rates were all solidly in the upper quartile of MLB players this year. He walked and made enough contact to hold his own with strike zone control. His xwOBA (.341) was substantially higher than his actual wOBA (.307), suggesting room for growth. Importantly, he also adds some other much-needed qualities to the mix as a regular for the Twins. Clemens was said to have assumed a leadership role on a team that now faces a leadership void. He's pretty good defensively, and vastly better than Julien, which helps give him a major edge (to the extent that a competition exists). And Clemens is an above-average runner — in the same range as Austin Martin and Alan Roden — which is not often the case at first base. As the Twins look to get faster and more aggressive, having some speed at an unorthodox position can be helpful, especially if they team is resigned to having one of its slowest runners (Brooks Lee) at shortstop. We can't overlook the uninspiring overall track record for Clemens, who was never a top prospect and has been 20% below average as an MLB hitter through 265 games as he approaches 30. He was on waivers when the Twins acquired him for a reason. But in many ways his breakthrough in 2026 looked legit, featuring career highs and favorable indicators across the board. Clemens attributed much of his success this year to reps and consistency. He's never had many opportunities for regular big-league playing time in the past — his 379 plate appearances with the Twins nearly tripled his previous season high. In that sense, I can buy into Falvey's stated vision: give Clemens an offseason to prep for the starting job, ramp him up accordingly in spring training, and see if he can fully unlock his potential with everyday starts against righties, while also providing value in other ways. If the alternative is going after someone like Ty France in free agency — and, let's be honest, it probably is — why not? View the full article

When the San Diego Padres made the decision to move Fernando Tatis Jr. off his native shortstop position and into right field, it's difficult to imagine they expected the kind of output he's provided on the outfield grass. A multi-time Gold Glove recipient, Tatis Jr is now a multi-time Platinum Glove Award winner after securing the league-wide award again in 2025, this time alongside Bobby Witt Jr. Even with the arbitrary nature of each award — the Gold Glove has its own host of issues in acknowledging metrics, and the Platinum Glove is determined through fan vote — there's something to be said for the amount of hardware of which Tatis is now in possession since the transition. Regardless of the award logistics, the numbers back it up. He posted an Outs Above Average figure of 10 in 2023 and eight in 2025. Fielding Run Value, which takes arm value into account, bumps those numbers up to 13 and nine, respectively. Between those two seasons, Tatis Jr also combined for 44 Defensive Runs Saved. Bookending a '24 where he was slowed by a stress fracture in his femur, we know at this point what Tatis is as a defender: elite. At the same time, this is a franchise-caliber player by reputation. And as good as Tatis has been with the glove, his offense has continued to be a point of contention in his overall value to the team. The following is where his wOBA numbers stand since his stellar start back in 2019: There's obviously quite a disparity on either end of his lost 2022 campaign. And even within that disparity, Tatis has still, technically, represented an above-average offensive player considering an average wOBA is considered to be around .320. But when you talk about impact, a trait generally illustrated by power output, the Padres aren't getting it from their franchise star in quite the same fashion. Even if he's cut down his overall strikeout rate, driven up his walk rate, and maintained a steady rate of contact quality, the impact has been lacking. Much like the wOBA figures, Tatis' power numbers on either side of the '22 season are indicative of an intense decline. His ISO numbers read a respective .272, .295, and .328 across nearly 1,200 plate appearances prior to that year. Even if you're looking at neither of 2019 or 2020 serving as a full season, it does seem noteworthy that his largest power output came in the one that actually was. In the three years since, however, his ISO has fallen to .191, .216, and .178. And it's hard to get too wrapped up in health issues considering his highest power output of these last three years came when he was working through the stress fracture. It's not as if his strength suddenly disappeared, as much as a certain narrative may want that to be the case. The underlying contact trends — primarily hard hit rate and average exit velocity — are not far off from where they were in the three seasons prior to 2022. Instead, there appears to be some issues mechanically and with pitch selection that are pinning down his ability to create impact. We've explored both of these ideas throughout the season, but a quick glance at the numbers indicates a shallower attack angle (eight degrees), a shorter swing (7.3 feet), and an uneven approach in terms of pitch selection. Regardless of how it's happened or how Fernando Tatis Jr. gets back to where he was (assuming that's at all possible), there's a clear need for the Padres to get the purest version of their star back into the mix. There have been mere flashes over the last trio of seasons, but nothing close to what he was pre-2022. With some of the shortcomings on that side of the ball dragging down the roster, the Padres need their superstar to find some semblance of balance ahead of 2026. View the full article

Derek Shelton is making good on his word to bring in coaches with more major league experience, as former Cleveland Guardians centerfielder Grady Sizemore will be the Twins' first base, base running, and outfield coach for 2026. View the full article

Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. has been making inroads toward earning even more respect around the major leagues for his hitting efforts. He’s been able to put together some very good seasons, too. Heading into next season, though, Witt needs to focus on a few pain points. His numbers in some areas showed marked improvement, reflecting a growing sense of maturity and ability to grasp the finer points of hitting big-league pitching. According to Witt’s spray chart on Baseball Savant, he pulled a majority of his home runs to left or left-center field. The same can be said for extra-base hits beyond homers as well. When it comes to singles, though, Witt had a knack for connecting all over the field. His exit velocity has improved season over season between 2024 and 2025, going from 92.7 in 2024 to 93.3 last season. Opposing pitchers challenged him with more fastballs in the previous season, while his offspeed offerings dipped a little bit. Witt’s chase percentage also moved downward in the previous season, going from 32.1% in 2024 to 30.7% last season. Entering next season, what steps can Witt take to be even better? First off, keep on improving his slash line. Last season’s numbers were not too kind to Witt. His 2025 slash line ended up being .290/.340/.504/.844; a large step back from 2024, when he posted a slash line of .332/.389/.588/.977. Across the board, his hitting numbers were all down from his 2024 season. While the data indicates this is taking place, Witt was in the 90+ percentile in the MLB Percentile Rankings. These areas included xwOBA, xBA, xSLG, and Average Exit Velocity categories. Witt needs to learn to control his power and push balls more toward right- and right-center field. Does he have the power stroke to make this happen? Of course he does. The statistics reveal that Witt can hit doubles, triples, and home runs to the far reaches of any MLB ballpark. This ability helped him earn Silver Slugger and All-MLB honors in 2025, despite his slight regression (which shows his value as a shortstop). Yet the power surge that Royals fans were looking for from Witt in the 2025 season just wasn’t there. He’ll be entering his fourth MLB season with Kansas City in 2026, too. Don’t be surprised, though, if Witt gets off to a hot start next season and puts himself again in the AL MVP discussion. He’s shown a willingness to learn and grow from one year to the next. View the full article

If you'd gone looking for a distinctly Cubs-coded starting pitcher in the free-agent class two winters ago, you might well have come up with Shota Imanaga as tops on the list. He was a veteran starter with an elite walk rate and sneaky athleticism. Though not a strikeout artist, he showed the ability to limit not only walks, but hard contact. He didn't throw hard, and he bordered on undersized, but Imanaga was well-rounded and smart—and left-handed. Jed Hoyer, above all, loves a southpaw. With Imanaga and Justin Steele already in the rotation, one might have reasonably expected that the team would want to diversify last offseason. Instead, though, they locked in on Matthew Boyd—another lefty, without high-end velocity, whose specialties were avoiding walks and working his way to weak contact. Under Hoyer, the Cubs adore a lefty starter who lacks velocity but not command; who needs to work in front of a good defense; and who can therefore be had for middle-tier prices despite having a high-end track record. Every time they acquire another such pitcher, though, it gets a bit harder to justify. As well as the strategy has been working (as far as it goes), the approach has effects that ripple out to the entire roster. Because the Cubs are unwilling to pay what it costs to land pitchers who miss bats at the best rates in the league (and, perhaps, reluctant to accept the extra walks and/or home runs that come when you shop for that skill, instead of command and pitchability), they have to remain extremely stout defensively. That comes with tradeoffs when building a winning offense. It also tends to mean lifting starters earlier, which forces the team to amass more relief depth. Hardest of all to work around, perhaps, is the fact that pitchers who can do what the Cubs want pitchers to do tend to have acquired those skills gradually, rather than being born with them. Hurlers with low walk rates and low opponent hard-hit rates tend to be experienced, and therefore expensive. There are few pitchers who meet Hoyer's standards and are still in their team-controlled seasons—let alone still having minor-league options. Building pitching staffs in the Hoyer style pulls money away from run production in the name of run prevention, even if not all of that money is spent on pitching itself—and it erodes roster flexibility, too. On the other hand: Hoyer's genuinely good at finding guys who will thrive in the system he's built. The Cubs have a good coaching and development infrastructure on the pitching side, even if the things they do don't work as well with draftees and young prospects as with free agents or waiver claims. There's something to be said for knowing what they're good at and staying committed to it. In that light, it's time to talk about Ranger Suárez. This week, the Phillies southpaw will decline his former team's qualifying offer. If Imanaga turns down the Cubs', too, there will be an opening near the top of the Chicago rotation, and no pitcher in the free-agent pool fits the Hoyer prototype quite like Suárez does. He struck out 23.2% of opposing batters in 2025, which is about as high as his punchout penchant rises. He fanned just over 25% of hitters in 2021, but that was as a swingman, and it came back when he threw 93-94. Now, he's more like 90-91. Suárez does have exceptional control, though. He walked just 5.8% of opponents last year, the lowest rate of his career. He fills up the zone with a deep mix, the best offering within which is a changeup that can induce both whiffs and grounders. Because hitters can never lock in on one pitch (and because his sinker has such good arm-side run), Suárez excels at inducing weak contact. He keeps the ball in the park well, and batters had just an 85.7-MPH average exit velocity against him in 2025, considerably lower than the league average. Suárez turned 30 in August, and he's in line for a four- or five-year deal. He'll make upwards of $20 million per year, and signing him would come with the added cost of a lost draft pick and forfeited spending power in international free agency next year. Then again, all the alternatives to Suárez also come with extra costs. In addition to fellow qualifying offer recipients Dylan Cease, Zac Gallen, Michael King, and Framber Valdez, there's Imanaga, but if he turns down the QO, the Cubs would lose their chance to reclaim a draft pick if he signs elsewhere. There's also Tatsuya Imai, who would only cost cash, but it looks like he'll cost much more cash than Suárez—not only because he's younger, but because whatever he signs for will come with a 15% posting fee paid to the Seibu Lions. Can the Cubs stomach one more pitcher just like the best ones they already have? You can make a fairly strong case against it, but Hoyer spent the GM Meetings in Las Vegas making the case for it, instead. "I think we'll see where the right value is. See who are the guys that that we've, you know, ultimately, the guys you usually sign are the guys you value more than the industry. And think that's kind of the nature of the game, right?" Hoyer said. "Like, Matt Boyd last year, was very clear, like, that was a guy we wanted to sign. We may have valued him higher than the industry, but that's okay. And you know, I think those are the guys you end up signing in free agency, those are the guys that I'm trading for, is the guy you probably value a bit higher than other people." That doesn't automatically mean the Cubs will be in on Suárez, or that they'll sign him, but sources familiar with the team's thinking predicted they will at least show interest. Unless his price tag runs much higher than expected, Suárez will be one of the Cubs' top targets this winter. Is that a good thing? The answer depends on how wise you think their approach to run prevention has been over the last few years. View the full article

New managers, more often than not, bring new coaching staffs with them. In this case, Pete Maki, Rudy Hernandez, Rayden Sierra, and Trevor Amicone remain in their roles, but everyone else turned over. While it’s unclear the degree to which Derek Shelton influenced the new hires on his staff, at least one seems likely to be a direct hire. The others are a mix of old friends, internal promotions, former players, and people with interesting journeys to Minnesota. A few through lines in the new hires: relationship building, communication, experience, and hitting instruction. Read on to learn a little about each of the six new faces. Bench Coach - Mark Hallberg Mark Hallberg is an interesting dude who grew up in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan before moving stateside. In high school, he didn’t strike out in his junior or senior years. He was Buster Posey’s college roommate, and directly influenced Posey becoming a catcher. There’s a great YouTube interview from his time with the Giants that’s worth a watch. He talks about how Kirby Puckett and the 1991 Twins helped him fall in love with baseball as a kid. Before joining the Giants coaching staff, he was a minor leaguer for the Diamondbacks, but did not make the bigs. As a utility infielder, he had two seasons out of six with a better-than-average wRC+, and retired due to injury. After his playing career ended, he coached and managed in the Cape Cod league and in indy ball. He left baseball for a few years, teaching in Dubai. For the past five seasons, Hallberg was with the Giants, first as assistant hitting coach, then third base coach, and finally first base coach. He was linked to manager vacancies in San Francisco twice over the past few seasons, and could be a frontrunner to succeed Shelton at some point. Assistant Bench Coach - Mike Rabelo Mike Rabelo is a former big league catcher with some coaching experience and ties to Derek Shelton. The Tigers took him in the fourth round of the 2001 draft and he made the majors in September of 2006. In 2007, he was part of the group of players traded to the Marlins for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. His short playing career was sub-replacement, and he retired in 2010. From 2014 through 2016, he occupied the hitting coach role for the Tigers rookie ball and Low-A affiliates. In 2017, he was promoted to manager of their Low-A team, then leveled up each of the next two seasons, ending with the Double-A Sea Wolves. As manager, he had a 358-274 record across six seasons, and was Midwest League Manager of the Year in 2017. The Pirates hired him for the 2020 season and he joined the team as assistant hitting coach. The next season he took a combo field coordinator and third base coach role which he did until the end of the 2025 season. Part of his responsibilities included in-game planning and strategy. He aspires to be a Major League manager at some point, and believes in effective communication and relationship building. Bullpen Coach - LaTroy Hawkins LaTroy Hawkins is an old friend. Nick Nelson did a nice write-up of him here, so I won’t go into too much detail. However, a few high points: Hawkins had a 21-year major-league career, where he played for 11 different teams, and is one of only three pitchers to earn a win for that many teams. He earned saves against all 30 teams, and once pitched an immaculate inning. If you are a fan of Immaculate Grid, he’s a very versatile name. Fans watched five seasons of mediocre starts for the Twins, after which they moved him to the bullpen. He spent four seasons as a closer and setup man before becoming a free agent and playing for a third of the remaining teams in MLB. More recently, he was a roving minor league instructor for the Twins, and fans have seen him intermittently on Twins broadcasts. He blends an old-school and new-school mentality, and has spoken at length about the need to focus on the human side of pitching first, getting to know his pitchers personally, and using data in very approachable ways. Knowing the Twins will likely be converting at least a couple of starters to relievers this upcoming season, Hawkins will have some unique personal perspective to share. The fact that he’s already familiar with the organization is an added bonus. Hitting Coach - Keith Beauregard Nick also wrote about Beauregard. He spent his playing days in indy ball, then coached in the college ranks, before eventually joining the Dodgers system as a minor league hitting instructor. He became a big league hitting coach for the 2023 for the Tigers where he spent the past three seasons. Notably, this past season, he helped Javy Baez rediscover his ability to hit after two mostly lost seasons. He also has experience working with the Tigers young core — Spencer Torkelson, Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, Colt Keith, and Dillon Dingler. It’s never a great sign for a club to cycle through their third hitting coach in as many seasons, but the Tigers competing ahead of schedule has to be a good sign. And, their young core spoke glowingly of the care, individualization, and game planning he provided. Given the disappointing regression (or even failure to launch) for many of the young Twins hitters, it’s possible that Beauregard’s success with the Tigers will translate well to a different group of former top prospects. First Base / Baserunning / Outfield Coach - Grady Sizemore Grady Sizemore is a former player, coach, and interim manager. As a player, Sizemore was a divisional foe for the eight seasons he played for Cleveland, and was a bit of a Twin killer, putting up an .835 OPS against them. More than that, though, he was a borderline-MVP candidate during his too-short, four season peak, and appeared to be on a Hall of Fame trajectory. However, injuries leading to no fewer than seven surgeries on his ankle, arm, groin, and knee derailed his promising career, which all but ended in his age-28 season. He logged fewer than 700 plate appearances after that, and was out of baseball when he was 32. Before hanging up his spikes, he made three All-Star teams, won a Silver Slugger, and had a pair of Gold Gloves as a center fielder. Since retiring, he has held a number of roles, all within the AL Central. In 2017, he worked in the player development department for Cleveland. He took a few years off to spend time with family, but the call to ball reemerged. Heading into the 2023 season, he looked into roles with the Diamondbacks as he lives in Arizona. There weren’t any positions available, so he took an internship with the front office. Then, in 2024, the White Sox hired him as a coach and he eventually became their interim manager during their historically terrible season. This past year, he was the White Sox offensive coordinator. He will likely be able to mentor some of the younger Twins players who have seen injuries slow their own career trajectories, and his unique blend of contact, power, speed, and defense gives him something to offer for nearly every Twins player. Field Coordinator - Toby Gardenhire Son of legendary Twins skipper Ron Gardenhire, Toby has spent most of his entire adult life working for the Twins in some capacity or another. They drafted him twice, in 2002 and 2005, and had the ignoble distinction of being drafted in a lower round out of college than he was after high school. He didn’t hit much in his six seasons as a minor league shortstop and retired as a player after the 2011 season. He coached the University of Wisconsin - Stout baseball team for four seasons from 2012 - 2015, then came home to the Twins organization. He was part of the coaching staff for both the Cedar Rapids Kernals and and Rochester Red Wings, then got his first manager job, of the Fort Myers Miracle. He was promoted for the 2021 season, jumping up to Triple-A. As manager, he has a winning record, going 508-488 across six seasons. Managing in the minors is a different beast than in the majors as the roster tends to be much more transient and the goal being development rather than winning. Gardenhire’s familiarity with many of the current young players, not to mention those likely to debut in 2026, adds a trust factor that many of the other coaches don’t bring with them. Shelton will likely lean heavily on him for advice and insight into the psyches of his players, and this may soothe the inevitable growing pains prospects face as they take their lumps at the big league level. So there you have it. Four new faces, a promotion, and one old friend new to a coaching role with the Twins. Welcome to all, and hopefully, they will help the Twins players elevate. View the full article

Still in just the beginning stages of the offseason, the Boston Red Sox still have a giant logjam at the major league level in the outfield. There are four, and up to six, names that are starting-caliber outfielders on the 40-man roster. and they all have a chance to break spring training with the major league club in 2026. As we’ve covered multiple times here at Talk Sox, the free-agent market for virtually every position is incredibly thin and offers very little upside outside of the top four or five names that are available. While Craig Breslow expects the Red Sox to add through free agency, any huge impact will likely have to come through trades. Since the Red Sox have so much talent in the outfield, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of trading any of Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, or Ceddanne Rafaela. For the sake of this exercise, we'll consider Roman Anthony safe... unless the Dodgers put Shohei Ohtani on the trade block. Jarren Duran Seems best to start with the one who currently has rumors attached to him as the GM Meetings in Las Vegas wrap up. Jarren Duran’s name has come up in trade rumors since his break out 2024 season when a portion of the media and fan base believed the team should have sold high. He followed that season up with a solid, but far less impressive, 2025 campaign. The biggest pro of trading Duran is that it opens up left field for Anthony and allows Rafaela and Abreu to play their natural positions in center and right field. Both men just won Gold Gloves and shouldn’t be moved off them for anyone else on the roster. Can Duran even play center or right? Technically yes, but he’s best suited for left field, as his throwing arm leaves a lot to be desired from any other outfield position. He continues to be an obvious fit as the centerpiece of a trade package to a team that’s willing to deal a starting pitcher back to the Red Sox. The flip side here is that Duran is a locker room favorite and a team leader. His absence would leave a void that would have to be filled, which isn't as easy as simply buying a veteran in free agency—Duran is one of the longes-tenured members of the roster. Wilyer Abreu Fresh off his back-to-back Gold Glove wins, it may be hard to envision the Red Sox trading the rising star that is Wilyer Abreu. Stranger things have happened though. Abreu spent a portion of the last half of the season on the injured list and when he returned, he was a shell of himself. That being said, he was second on the team in home runs and served as a spark on both sides of the ball when healthy. Similar to Duran above, the biggest pro in trading Abreu is opening up a full-time position for Roman Anthony. Anthony played a great right field before he was injured, so there should be a decent level of comfortability with him taking the position over full time. Abreu, with an extra year of team control and several birthdays separating him from Duran, should fetch a nice haul in a trade. The biggest con in trading him is that the Red Sox may actually be selling low on his potential; he continues to get better with each passing year and hasn't even had a chance to play every day without the benefit of a platoon partner. His absence would leave a lineup that already lacked power with even fewer options. We’ve talked about how thin this free-agent market is, and unless the team plans to bring in both Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso in free agency, Abreu’s departure would come close to zapping the team of its power entirely. Ceddanne Rafaela While it would be shocking to see the team trade Rafaela, it’s not out of the realm of possibility. He’s a first-time Gold Glove winner and plays arguably the best center field defense in the entire league. He’s shown flashes of potential on offense and has a propensity for coming through in big moments. Typically though, his offense is boom or bust and he’s best suited for the bottom of the lineup. His contract makes him a steal for most teams, and that’s likely the biggest reason he could be available for the right price this winter. The only positive that can be found from trading him is that the team could potentially upgrade his position with an offensive-minded center fielder like Cody Bellinger, but that also comes as the biggest con of moving him: the team would lose its best defender. At such a premium position like center field, losing Rafaela’s glove would put the team in a much worse position than they current are. Masataka Yoshida was left off of this list because he barely played in the outfield during the 2025 season and honestly, most people expect that he will not be with the club come 2026. He’s never going to live up to his contract, but he has the ability to catch fire in a bottle and be productive. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him involved in a trade with any of the outfielders mentioned above to try and make salaries match for a second playoff-caliber starter. The Red Sox have so much talent at positions of need for a lot of teams in the league and they’d be smart to capitalize on that as the offseason begins to progress. Remember, none of this conversation thus far has mentioned Kristian Campbell or Jhostynxon Garcia. With the GM Meetings in the rearview mirror, all eyes turn to the Winter Meetings where Craig Breslow made his biggest trade to date last year. Will history repeat itself this time around? View the full article

The Jays enter the 2025-26 offseason in pretty good shape. Their 2025 offense was excellent; the Jays' team wRC+ of 112 was fourth in baseball, and their FangGraphs Off (a measure of overall offense) was fifth. And this was despite losing Anthony Santander for effectively the entire year, and Daulton Varsho (and his holy-cow-Batman .310 ISO) for half the year. They were no slouches on defence, either. Their FangGraphs Def (a measure of overall defence) of 38.7 was the best in baseball, despite Bo Bichette's struggles at shortstop (his -13 Outs Above Average were tied for last in the majors at any position). On top of that, Shane Bieber’s surprising opt-in gives the Jays a current rotation of Bieber, Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, José Berríos, and Eric Lauer. They're possibly only one more solid starter and a swingman away from being ready for 2026. Which brings us to the bullpen. The bullpen's 3.98 ERA was 16th in MLB in 2025, and their 3.2 fWAR was 18th. To be fair, this was partly due to injuries. Yimi García had a 2.70 ERA (2.21 xERA) in 2024 and was Toronto’s primary setup man before he was traded. In 2025, a combination of injuries and August surgery limited him to 21 innings. Similarly, Nick Sandlin (right elbow inflammation) pitched only 16 innings, and Erik Swanson (who had a brilliant 2023) dealt with a median nerve entrapment in training camp and was ultimately cut. These injuries forced the Jays to make some difficult decisions – as my colleague Bob Ritchie noted in August: "One aspect of [Jeff] Hoffman’s usage is that he has, on five occasions, pitched four times in five days. In 2025, [Josh] Hader has not pitched four times in five days. … [Aroldis] Chapman has pitched four times in five days on two occasions. Hence, Hoffman’s concentrated usage over five days is unusual." In 2026, the Jays should benefit from a healthy García and a full season of Louis Varland. Even so, upgrading the back end of the bullpen should be a priority for the front office this offseason. Not surprisingly, this has led to the Jays being linked to almost every top free agent reliever – including Edwin Díaz and Raisel Iglesias. Devin Williams and Robert Suarez are two more names that have come up in plenty of fan speculation. But the competition for those arms might be intense, raising the price and the risk (giving term to a reliever is always dangerous). Might there be a better option? Suppose there were a reliever with extensive closing experience (75 saves in the last three years, seven more than Williams). And suppose he had a save conversion percentage (saves divided by save opportunities) of 86% – higher than Díaz’s 83%. And suppose he would be pitching in 2026 at age 32 – three years younger than Suarez and four years younger than Iglesias. And (are you tired of supposing yet?) imagine that he is projected to cost only $18 million on a two-year contract – less than half the term and AAV expected for Díaz? Let’s talk about Pete Fairbanks. We can start with the red flags. In 2022 and 2023, Fairbanks’ fastball averaged over 99 mph, with a Stuff+ in the 140 range (in 2022, the stuff+ of 152 on his fastball was second in the majors). As a result, his K/9 was a stellar 13.5. But, as the saying goes, that was then. His velocity and Stuff+ have declined steadily, with the result that in 2025, his velocity was 97 mph and his K/9 was “only” 8.80. There are also injury concerns. Fairbanks’ 60 innings pitched in 2025 were a career high – the most he had ever pitched before was 45.1 innings. These concerns are likely why Tampa Bay did not pick up his $11 million option for 2026, and why they were unable to trade him to a team that would. But let’s examine those concerns, starting with the fastball. Three points to consider: Despite the decline in fastball velocity, Fairbanks still put up a 2.83 ERA (3.00 xERA) in 2025. For comparison, Jeff Hoffman had a 4.37 ERA and a 3.91 xERA, while Williams posted a 4.79/3.07 and Suarez a 2.97/3.67. Stop me if you’ve heard this one: A pitcher has lost 2 mph on his fastball and is struggling. He joins Toronto, and with the help of an excellent pitching coach and his team, miraculously regains his mojo and his velo, going on to an uber season. Am I talking about Robbie Ray in 2021 or Pete Fairbanks in 2026? Finally, Fairbanks started experimenting with a cut fastball in September of 2024. He only threw it 42 times, so the usual small sample size caveats apply. But what was his opponents’ batting average against it? Zero. And how did his Stuff+ rating of 141 for that pitch compare to other pitchers in MLB throwing cutters? Best in baseball (Emmanuel Clase was second with a Stuff+ of 122). Bottom line, Fairbanks is doing just fine with the fastball, and he has crazy-high upside. Now let’s talk about the injuries. It is entirely valid to worry that Fairbanks’ injury record makes him too high-risk to be a solo #1 closer. But as a 1A, working with Hoffman (and possibly García, who has 29 career saves), the expectation should not be for him to pitch so many innings. And remember – Fairbanks pitched 60 innings in 2025. None of the tier one free agent closers pitched as many as 70 (Díaz pitched 66.1, Suarez 69.2, Iglesias 67.1, and Williams 62). The Bottom Line Pete Fairbanks offers an ideal combination of strong recent production and extreme upside. He would hugely enhance the Jays’ bullpen, at a moderate cost and term. The Jays could sign him now, and then, if an elite closer became available on a one-year pillow contract later in the offseason, Toronto could still consider forming its own version of the KC “three-headed monster.” View the full article

Pending physical, Josh Naylor is headed back to the Seattle Mariners on a five-year deal, per numerous reports on Sunday night. He'll be getting $90-100 million guaranteed. It never seemed plausible that the former Miami Marlins top draft pick would reunite with his original organization, but the news is nonetheless notable around these parts because of how it may impact other first basemen on the market. Ryan O'Hearn, for example, was a very comparable hitter to Naylor in 2025, albeit with far less impact as a baserunner. O'Hearn, 32, isn't a candidate for a long-term contract, but his representatives figure to be aiming for an annual average value in the same neighborhood as Naylor's $18M-20M. There are also trade market ramifications. The Mariners have the high-end prospects—seven of them included on Just Baseball's new MLB Top 100 list—worthy of headlining a package for practically any controllable big leaguer who might be available. Now, Miami won't have to worry about those assets being used to drive up the price on potential first base solutions like Alec Burleson (St. Louis Cardinals) and Tyler Soderstrom (Athletics). On Sunday in winter ball, Jared Serna (Mexico) went 2-for-4. His ninth triple established a new all-time Mexican Pacific Winter League single-season record. In addition to Serna, Deyvison De Los Santos (Dominican Republic), Chris Arroyo (Puerto Rico) and Eric Rataczak (Australia) are still actively playing internationally, as shown in our Fish On First tracker. SuperSub ForeverMarlins has notes on every Marlin who participated in the just-completed Arizona Fall League. Only 129 days away from Marlins Opening Day. 🔷 Marlins catching coach Joe Singley has been hired by the Baltimore Orioles, as first reported by The Baltimore Banner's Andy Kostka, where he'll be working double duty as both their catching coach and field coordinator. 🔷 Kevin Barral and Sean McCormack combined to select 10 notable minor league free agents who they'd like to see the Marlins target. 🔷 77.8% of Marlins fans who participated in this poll expect the club to spend more in free agency this offseason than they've done on average during Bruce Sherman's ownership tenure. 🔷 DYM explains why he is optimistic about Marlins prospects Chris Arroyo, Colby Martin, Aiden May, Julio Mendez and Andrés Valor having breakout seasons in 2026. 🔷 Congratulations to Cloie and Braxton Garrett, who got married on Saturday. Former Marlins teammates Trevor Rogers and Nick Fortes were among the guests in attendance at the wedding. 🔷 Elsewhere around baseball, Kyle Hendricks announced his retirement. A soft-tossing right-hander out of Dartmouth, Hendricks spent 11 of his 12 MLB seasons with the Chicago Cubs. In 2016, he led the National League in ERA, finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting and helped the Cubs snap their 108-year championship drought. View the full article

The Twins have brought in one of the longest tenured MLB relievers to become their next bullpen coach in LaTroy Hawkins. Hawkins has spent the last eight seasons as a special advisor to the club and will now be the coach in the area in which he has the highest level of expertise. Jamie and Jeremy break down how Hawkins will be a great addition to a bullpen full of young talent. View the full article

We're still a few weeks away from the Winter Meetings, but that hasn't stopped the offseason buzz regarding possible trades, especially with the Kansas City Royals. One player that has been the focus of trade talks among Royals fans is outfielder Jarren Duran of the Red Sox. The Royals need to improve their outfield, which ranked 30th in fWAR and wRC+, according to Fangraphs. Duran could be an option for Kansas City, especially since he has two years of club control left, and doesn't seem in line to receive an extension from the Red Sox anytime soon, due to the presence of other young outfielders like Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu. Last season, Duran posted a 111 wRC+ and 3.9 fWAR in 696 plate appearances with the Red Sox. He also hit 16 home runs, collected 84 RBI, scored 86 runs, and stole 24 bases. The BB/K ratio (0.36) leaves a bit to be desired, and he regressed defensively (-2 OAA in OF) after a stellar campaign in 2024 (+10 OAA). Still, Duran would be a significant upgrade for the Royals at any of the three outfield positions next season, and his Statcast profile last year was a lot better than what Kansas City trotted out primarily in the corner outfield positions. A popular tool for determining "fair" trades is Baseball Trade Values' Trade Simulator. As with any simulator, there are kinks to be worked out (and BTV does a good job of consistently updating it). That said, it does provide a benchmark for what a player costs in terms of value (both short- and long-term) and the capital required to acquire them. In this "Royals Trade Machine" post, I am going to look at a couple of hypothetical trades floating around on social media and offer one trade that I think could work not just for the Royals but for the Red Sox as well. Trade #1: First Baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and Catcher Ramon Ramirez for Duran Sammy from the Play Tessie podcast posted this trade proposal on social media on November 6th. Pasquantino is coming off one of his best seasons in his career on the offensive end. In 682 plate appearances, he hit 32 home runs and collected 113 RBI, both career-highs. He also posted a 116 wRC+, his highest mark in that category since his 72-game rookie sample in 2022 (136 wRC+). However, while those surface-level metrics are nice, Pasquantino didn't offer much on defense (-7 OAA) and only accumulated 1.5 fWAR. As for Ramirez, injury limited him to 331 plate appearances in his first full professional season with Columbia. Still, he hit 12 home runs and posted a 116 wRC+. The 20-year-old catcher also had some big moments in Low-A Columbia, including a walk-off homer in May. When looking at the trade via BTV, their model rejected this proposal due to a significant gap in value between the two teams. A gap of nearly 30 in value is a lot to overcome, which is why this deal probably doesn't get done. Even though this deal is friendly to the Royals in terms of BTV's surplus value, it also seems unlikely that Kansas City would trade a fan favorite like Vinnie, especially after the season he just had. Trade #2: Staring Pitcher Noah Cameron, Catcher Blake Mitchell, and Reliever Angel Zerpa for Duran Max Rieper of Royals Review brought up this trade proposal in a November 12th piece on the site, which also delved deeper into Duran's profile and history. Max did the hard work of ensuring this trade worked for both sides in the BTV Trade Simulator. The Royals get the better value still in this trade, but it's only a 2.80 difference rather than the 28.80 difference from the Play Tessi proposal. In many ways, I like this deal for a few different reasons: Kansas City holds onto Kris Bubic, who I think is more valuable than Noah Cameron. While Cameron had a good year, Bubic's ceiling is much higher than Cameron's, which is evident in Bubic's TJ Stats summary from a season ago. That said, trading Cameron away puts some pressure on the Royals to sign Bubic to an extension. I am not sure the Royals are willing to do that, based on what GM JJ Picollo said in the GM meetings. Losing Blake Mitchell is a tough pill to swallow, especially after a solid AFL campaign, which can be seen in his TJ Stats profile from Arizona below. However, with the emergence of Carter Jensen last year, two more years of Salvador Perez, and Ramirez showing promise in Low-A ball, Mitchell is the most expendable of their top prospects. Plus, Mitchell's "swing and miss" issues are worrisome, and that was evident in Arizona with a 38.2% whiff rate with Surprise. Angel Zerpa is fine, but he's not a high-leverage lefty, as his 4.18 ERA and 0.3 fWAR demonstrated a season ago. The main drawback of this deal is that the Royals are giving up three players for one player, which seems like a lot for Duran, who is a free agent after the 2027 season. Trade #3: Starting Pitcher Kris Bubic, Reliever James McArthur, and Utility Player Nick Loftin for Duran and Pitcher Jordan Hicks My trade proposal involves the Royals not just acquiring Duran, but also a bad deal on the books for the Red Sox that could soften the deal. While I prefer the Royals to keep Bubic, the reality is that he's their best trade chip, especially with Boston. I don't think the Red Sox, an analytical organization, would be sold on Cameron based on his TJ Stats summary. A subpar four-seamer and a slightly below average TJ Stuff+ mark of 98 pales in comparison to Bubic's TJ Stuff+ numbers. Thus, for the Royals to get a player of Duran's caliber, Bubic makes more sense in a trade scenario. I also threw in Nick Loftin, who gives the Red Sox a utility option off the bench. The Red Sox have had success with Nate Eaton, another former Royals utility player and draft pick. They may be able to utilize Loftin in a similar role, and Loftin has more of a prospect pedigree than Eaton, who's been a bit up and down at the MLB level. Loftin posted a 0.1 fWAR and 73 wRC+ in 188 plate appearances last year. The last part of this deal involves trading a talented but slightly erratic arm, James McArthur, for a similar pitcher with a bigger contract, Jordan Hicks. McArthur missed all of 2025 due to recovery from surgery, and he had troubles holding down the closer position in 2024. However, while his 4.77 ERA wasn't impressive, he still posted pretty solid TJ Stuff+ numbers with the Royals a couple of seasons ago. He could be a nice project for the Red Sox, who should come at a pretty reasonable price (expected to make $800,000 this year). As for the Red Sox, they would deal Hicks, who posted a 6.35 ERA and is making $12.5 million over the next two years. That's a lot to sink on a likely reliever, though the Red Sox were hoping they could get something out of him in the rotation when they acquired him. I think the Royals could take on Hicks' money to sweeten this deal, and Hicks could also be a nice project for pitching coach Brian Sweeney. Based on all these factors, here's how this trade calculates out on the BTV Trade Simulator. The deal not only favors the Red Sox value-wise, but it's nearly identical in terms of value given up by both teams, according to the BTV Trade Simulator. Of course, would the Red Sox give up Hicks as well in the deal? Would McArthur and Loftin be the types Boston would like in return, along with Bubic? Those are all questions that would need to be clarified for this deal to be a reality. However, if they are explained, I think this would be the best win-win for both the Royals and Red Sox in 2026 and beyond. Which trade do you like the most? Let us know in the comments below or on the Royals Keep Forums! 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While many baseball fans in the hot stove league are asking “will they or won’t they” on a Brandon Woodruff return to the Brewers, the free agent market might have some real bargains for the Crew to bolster their major-league pitching staff. The team’s been very successful at finding bargains in the past, like Colin Rea or Julio Teheran. So, who could be the next free-agent bargain for the Crew? Here are some options. LHP Foster Griffin, Yomiuri Giants (NPB) Griffin had cups of coffee in MLB in 2020 and 2022, where he mostly handled mop-up duty. He then went to Japan, where he found himself a spot in the starting rotation of the Yomiuri Giants of the Central League. Over those three years, he started 53 of the 54 games he appeared in, pitching 315 2/3 innings with a 2.57 ERA while striking out 9.1 hitters per nine innings while averaging only two walks per nine. Notably, Griffin had a grand total of three wild pitches and 15 hit batsmen during that time. Griffin has slightly over one year of MLB service time, so the Brewers could have team control for five years. While he made strides in NPB, the Brewers’ pitching lab could refine him into a back-end of the rotation option for the team who can reliably eat innings. LHP Brent Suter, Cincinnati Reds A reunion with “The Raptor” could be a boon for the Brewers bullpen. On November 5, the Cincinnati Reds declined a $3 million team option on Suter, making him a free agent. Over the three seasons since Milwaukee put him on waivers, he’s appeared in 152 games and posted a 3.69 ERA over 202 2/3 innings pitched. He has done this while pitching half the time in two rather notoriously hitter-friendly stadiums. Suter comes with few question marks, the biggest being his age (36). That said, he’s fit in with the Brewers’ clubhouse before, he has been able to eat 65-70 innings out of the bullpen for each of the last five years, and he could benefit from the Brewers’ pitching lab. He’d slot in as a replacement should Aaron Ashby and/or DL Hall earn spots in the starting rotation. RHP Michael Soroka, Washington Nationals/Chicago Cubs Soroka’s had to come back from multiple Achilles injuries, and may be a candidate for the pitching lab, given his 3-18 record, 4.62 ERA, and 4.57 FIP over the last two seasons. There is some good news: In six games with the Cubs, mostly working out of the pen, he had a dominant stretch that flashed the talent that made him the youngest Opening Day starter in Atlanta Braves history. Last year, Soroka got a $9 million deal. Between his age and the deal he received, he may end up being one of the more expensive options on this list. That said, this could be a pickup that could pay off big for Milwaukee compared to the expense. RHP Adrian Houser, Chicago White Sox/Tampa Rays Houser is another former Brewer on this list, but like Brent Suter, he may be worth the reunion. After he was released by the Texas Rangers, Houser signed on with the White Sox, where he became their staff ace with a 2.10 ERA in 68 2/3 innings pitched across 11 starts, then added another 56 1/3 innings in 10 starts with the Rays. Like Suter, there would be little question about his fit in the clubhouse. He’s 33, but his arsenal, with the heavy use of a sinker, according to FanGraphs, would be an excellent match with the Brewers’ infield defense. That’s before he gets in some work with the pitching lab. RHP Dustin May, Los Angeles Dodgers/Boston Red Sox May has had some difficulty with injuries, but when he’s been on the mound he has generally pitched well. Like Houser, he primarily throws a sinker, but his can touch 98 miles per hour. May was reasonably healthy, but was pushed out of the Dodgers’ rotation, and eventually traded to Boston, where he went 1-4 over six games (five starts) with a 5.40 ERA across 28 1/3 innings pitched. May would make an excellent fit for the Brewers’ excellent defense, being the type of pitcher that could do really well with work in the pitching lab. Like Soroka, he might be a more expensive pickup, but at the same time, he could pay off big time for the Brewers. Honorable Mentions The Brewers may also want to look at bringing back Jordan Montgomery on a deal similar to Brandon Woodruff’s. Montgomery was a very solid pitcher from 2021-2023 and could be similar to a mid-season acquisition after missing all of 2025 with an elbow injury. Nestor Cortes underwent surgery for a flexor injury on October 16, and will be out for nine to ten months, but is another candidate for the Crew if they want to buy low and rehab him. Do you think any of these free agents make sense for the Brewers? Who do you think they should try to sign in the off-season? View the full article

Royce Lewis is one of the most pivotal players of the current core. He’s also, unfortunately, one of the most difficult players to predict. This is true for his play on the field, and for his overall mindset and how he shows up to the media through his comments. He’s capable of being a team leader, an offensive force, and a building block for the next several years. But, it’s also possible that Lewis’ tenure with the Twins could be winding down. How did we get here, and is it possible that frustration has led to his sharp decline? As Lewis was coming up through the minors, he was known for being a consummate professional and for being profoundly positive. This showed up through his comments after suffering his second torn ACL in as many years, when he told Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com: “I learned that every time I get put down, I come back stronger. So, why would I not bet on myself? … I don't think there's anything that can really stop me, to be honest.” Fans saw it through his infectious grins in postgame interviews after hitting yet another grand slam. The Twins saw it through his ability to carry the team on his back and to change the outcome of games — over and over again. He was joy incarnate. Then, sometime around August of 2024 (you know, right around the time the Twins began their epic collapse down the stretch to miss the playoffs after having better than 90% odds to make them), something changed. This change showed up in the box scores, in his comments, and in his demeanor. All of a sudden, it appeared that Lewis was no longer having a good time. He admitted as much during a slump this season, telling Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic “I'm tired of being the one who's being bullied and picked on by this game. Whether it wants me to suffer on the offensive side or when I'm going hot, it just wants to kick me out with an injury. Seems like it's picking on me at this moment, so I'm waiting for one of my friends to pick me up and stop this bully.” This is a moment of self-reflection, where it was clear that he was feeling a certain way about his travails at the plate, and about his health. Of course, Lewis has also made a number of comments that look outwards rather than introspect. Over the span of roughly a year, Lewis has made not-so-subtle digs at established veterans on the team, telling Bobby Nightingale of the Star Tribune during a rough patch of play, "It kind of falls on, obviously, the players. But I didn't realize it was just on us. Now I know that we're going to carry a lot of the load, especially the young guys - the cheap guys is the best way to put it". This was shortly after Carlos Correa made comments about younger players needing to put in the work to perform. There are hints that there was some ongoing friction between the two. Of his struggles at the plate, Lewis griped about the MLB arbitration system, telling Dan Hayes, "It's also hard to make a full in-season adjustment because you can try that, and those 30 games or at-bats of trial go toward your stats. Do you really want to sacrifice that?” He added, “Being under contract probably helps because he knows what he's making that year and the year after. For someone like me, I'm fighting (to take] care of myself and my family. I don't want to put any of those stats in jeopardy." Of course, this also reflects a communication gap between Lewis and the coaching staff. He further hinted at frustration with the coaching staff when he told Dan Hayes "I've become more results-oriented because of how we run things here. I’ve prided myself on understanding that (good process is) OK. But this year it seems like if I don't - or anybody in general - (they're) quick to pull the trigger on you. I'm trying to do my best to get some balls to fall, and when that doesn't happen, you're just like SOL.” In any light, these comments aren’t great. Worse, while he was saying those things, dating back to August 13th of 2024, Lewis has a .619 OPS, good for a wRC+ of just 71, or nearly 30% worse than an average hitter. Some of this was just plain bad luck; he had long stretches where he was BABIP’d, similar to what fans saw from Griffin Jax when things weren’t going quite right. But, beyond that, he just looked lost, and frustrated. Okay. So, putting all this together, he was frustrated with Baldelli, who is now gone. Remember that frustration with Matt Borgshulte’s coaching approach? He’s also gone. The highly paid veteran who wasn’t performing to his contract value but calling out the young guys? Now playing in Houston, and doing a bit better. The arbitration system hasn’t changed, but hey, there will be a new CBA in just over a year (if we are lucky). Anything is possible. Now, it’s entirely possible that Lewis was projecting some frustration he feels about his contributions and inability to rediscover the hitter he was for his first full season or so towards others around him. That would be a very human thing to do. Anyone with his promise, and skill should be immensely frustrated after seven IL stints in four seasons limit them to just 132 career games. Who wouldn’t be annoyed when they feel like no matter what they try at the plate, nothing works? When a budding superstar identifies that they may not be on that path any longer, a certain amount of irritation should be a given. And to his credit, down the stretch in the 2025 season, as he was hitting a bit better and running with abandon on the bases, he seemed more like himself — the high-energy, bubbly, charismatic presence we all saw in the beginning. This hints that just maybe, if Lewis can find a stretch of success at the plate and feel set up for success and valued at the same time, it could be a game changer for him. So, is this in the cards? Well, maybe. Fast forward a bit, and Dan Hayes reported that Lewis was blown away by Derek Shelton’s approach in his brief time in role. Lewis said: “We started off building a really good relationship. He told me I was important to him and our organization. I told him at points last year I didn’t feel like that. It was really important to me to feel that kind of confidence. I told him that part of me is a little bit of a wide receiver mentality, to where I need to be talked to and just told what’s going on, what the plan is for myself, for the organization, and to be involved just a little bit.”. That’s a start. Maybe, possibly, some of these changes in personnel will be exactly what Lewis needs to be the best version of himself. Perhaps feeling more connected to his manager will help him minimize emotion-based slumps. Maybe having strategy and approach explained in a slightly different way will connect with him, and he will feel more comfortable making tweaks and trusting they will work for him. Hopefully, we will all see a return to form in 2026, and Lewis will be a happy warrior at the plate, hitting endless grand slams, and carrying the offense for stretches of time. If so, the upcoming season just might have some real promise. On the other hand, unfortunately, if these things don’t cause a shift, or if that shift doesn’t sustain…well, then, his time as a part of this core is likely coming to an end as the next wave of top prospects approaches the majors. It seems that Lewis is aware of this as well. Hopefully 2026 brings Royce Lewis joy, and a return to the path he was on just 15 months ago. View the full article